Surviving December

My goal was to survive December and keep my weight below 250.  So far so good but it has not been easy.  The cold and early darkness are beginning to make me lazy.   The cookies laying around and all the Christmas snacks are torture but just a few days left.  I started a new job this month that is really is going to make it tough to follow a healthy diet. The days are 14 hours long and if lucky allow you to squeeze in a 30 minute lunch break and requires a lot of walking throughout the day.  My hope is that by relaxing the diet during December it will help shock my body in January when I begin to hit it full force again.

Day 23-25 and beyond

well it came and went and I ran the 5K Thanksgiving morning in 29:40 which beat my goal of 30 minutes.  It really felt good to run before stuffing the turkey and we had almost 20 family members show up to run with us.  Last year there were 28 runners and this year there were 288 runners.  I have not been doing real good since it has been cold, dark and gloomy and the winter makes me want to cook but my weight is holding steady.  I plan on trying to keep my weight around the 245 mark until the new year and then begin my weight loss progress again.  I have been working hard during the day trying to burn some cals to make up for the laziness at night.

Day17-22

Well I used to think that stress was my biggest weakness when it comes to eating right but now I have added another, being busy.  When we go to work and then stay late, 2 funerals, running the kids all over the place, etc, etc.   It's an absolute killer. I am discouraged because I have trained for this 5k more so than all of the others but I feel like I am in worse shape now and I am not sure why.  My diet may be the biggest factor but I am also going to try to squeeze in a visit to the chiropractor because sometime this affects my breathing. with 2 days left my goal is far from being met but all I can do is keep trying.

Day 16 challenge

Today I had my physical for my new job.  I was pretty excited about it but was disappointed when I received my cholesterol results back.  My total cholesterol was good and my glucose levels as well but my HDL and LDL were pretty bad.  I really do not feel like I consume that much fat and cholesterol in my foods.  The only bad thing was I just finished up our anniversary weekend and ate worse than I usually do but I am unsure if one weekend can really effect the results that much.  Me and my daughter ran 3.2 miles tonight in a disappointing 34 minutes.  I really want to run the Thanksgiving 5K in less than 30 minutes but I have a lot of work ahead of me to accomplish this goal.

Day 11-14

Finally feeling better and had a new challenge to overcome for the weekend but I feel I was pretty successful at the challenge.  I took my wife to Kansas City for the weekend and was unsure how to balance eating out with my wife on our anniversary weekend and still meeting the challenge.  We were very careful and ended up eating really good while on our trip.  I enjoyed not having that stuffed feeling after leaving a restaurant.  Saturday morning I awoke early and got in the best run I may have ever had.  I have no idea the time or the distance but I ran a steady pace for a solid 30 minutes and then walked another 15.  Then this morning I biked in the gym for 30 minutes and added to the walking we did throughout the day several miles at least I covered the exercise well.  I have no idea what it did to the scale but I gave it a great shot.

Day 9 and 10 challenge

Well these two days were a bust as sickness decided to run its course.  Started as a cold and turned into a stomach virus. Not only could I not exercise but I couldn't eat.  The scale will probably prove this later but I have learned any weight I ever lose while sick comes right back on immediately.  Hopefully day 11 I will feel much better and get a few miles in on the road.

Day 7 and 8

Yesterday wasn't a bad Sunday as we enjoyed a morning Bible study and a trip to Lone Elk Park.  Tried to keep the eating under control and didn't do to bad with it.  Had a biscuit for breakfast and smoked boston butt for lunch/dinner.  I woke up on Monday morning and have dropped 5 pounds so far on the challenge.  I had and egg sandwich for breakfast, smoked butt for lunch and dinner.  So far I have avoided the snacking today and then when I got home from work I raced my daughter in a 3 mile run.  Yes I got my butt kicked but it kept me moving towards my goal.  I know I am going to have to get really serious to lose 10 more pounds but I have 16 days before the race to see what I can do.

Day 6 challenge

Woke up nice and early and got a 3 mile run in. Peanut butter and Jelly for breakfast, no lunch and made hamburgers and baked fries for dinner.  The hamburger we use is from a cow we bought and has very little fat.  As a matter of fact when you try to fry it in a pan sometime you have to add a little oil to it.  A much better day of eating and exercising.  We also did some major cleaning in the house.

Day 4 and 5 of challenge

I am kind of depressed writing about these two days.  It is not really anybodies fault but the schedule really turned crazy.   We bought a jeep Thursday night and had to attend a family funeral that wiped out the evening.  Which also meant another night of eating out.  Friday wasn't much better as I had a job interview and a job that was required to be finished by Friday evening and then the kids need to be dropped off for their appts by 7:00 guess what?  another night out.  Amazingly enough the scale has not went upwards but it hasn't went down either.  Two days gone but Saturday started out better already and I am looking forward to posting about day 6.

Day 3 challenge

I hit a hiccup in today's challenge but still turned out ok.  Since I am cutting my cals while working out I had planned to keep my body guessing.  I had dinner for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch with a plan to eat cereal for breakfast.  It seemed like a good plan until we ended up with a 5:00 meeting.  We got home at 3 just in time to change and head out for a 3 mile run straight to the appt and then to church.  Not enough time for cereal and instead ended up eating a burger and fries. (a long way from cereal)  Thank goodness I was still able to lose weight.  I am down 4 pounds so far but the next 11 should be quite the challenge.

Day 2 challenge

Ok today started off great but kind of went downhill this evening. I was wanting to run every other day and hit the gym in between but my daughter wanted to run everyday, until this evening that is.  When she got home she suggested I go work out, the problem with that is I work out in the mornings.  Did ok on diet until dinner but not a complete flop.

Peanut butter sandwich  300
baked chips 140
apple 90
soup 160
egg sandwich 260
baked chips 140
Dinner was going to be fish and rice but I forgot about the porksteaks in the fridge and my wallet beat out my appetite.  I couldn't let them go to waste. 
Pork steak
baked beans
salsa chips
green beans
not sure how many cals but don't think it completely destroyed my day but will find out on scale later on.
Tomorrow I run again and hopefully stay on track.

Day one of the 25 day challenge

Not a bad start especially for Halloween.  Here was today's menu
Apple  90 cals
yogurt 80
soup   120
nuts     240
fiber one 140
apple         90
sub sandwich 310
yogurt with banana 175
baked chips 140
1 slice of pizza at Chuck E Cheese 240
Lots and lots of water   Total Cals  1625
My goal was 1500 and the party at the pizza place messed that up but me and my daughter ran 3.2 miles up some hilly areas.  So hopefully I burned up a few extra cals.

25 Day Challenge

I have needed something to jump start me and stop me from playing around, and I found it.  Sat. night at a family gathering we talked about how many of us have been running and trying to get into shape.  While talking to my uncle Randy we decided it would be fun to run a 5K as a family.  Just the motivation I need is to know that I will be racing with my brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, children, etc.  I have decided that I will be more than ready for the race and to be 15 pounds lighter than I am right now.  This will take a lot of determination but I know that I have found the motivation to get it done. 

Finally ran again.

Today was a good day as I put in over 8 hours of painting the outside of the daycare.  Lots of climbing up and down ladders, scraping and painting.  Was able to get a 30 minute run in and it felt really good.  I have slacked off of the running and was focusing on the weight room but with a 5k on Thanksgiving morning I think I better pick up the running habit again.  Breakfast was unusual as I ate leftover whole wheat spaghetti, lunch was a peanut butter sandwich and dinner was a baked porksteak and baked fries with baked beans.  Not great overall with the veggies today but will try to add more tomorrow.

A rought weekend but what could I do?

This weekend was tough but I don't know what else I could have done.  This weekend proved once again that America is not designed for healthy living.  We got the opportunity to have my niece and nephew for the weekend while their parents were out of town.  We picked them up from school on Friday and had to be at a cross country meet in Clayton, the meet ended at 5:15 and we had to be back in Butler Hill for Boy Scouts at 6:00.  With the traffic it left no time for dinner and stuffed down crackers and cheese that Jill had in the van.  Dinner was not until 9:00 and consisted of BK.  Not a great start.  Saturday morning was a good breakfast of pancakes, eggs, sugar free cereal followed by lunch at Chucky Cheese, Dinner consisted of P & J sandwiches.  Overall not horrible but it proves when you get busy there are very few healthy choices to eat out.  Sunday was better as we had whole wheat pasta and homemade pasta sauce with baked chicken breast and salad.  It could have been much worse but I was not able to get to the gym this morning due to having to be at work earlier.  Oh well time to kick it in gear again and not let a minor set back knock me out.  Thanksgiving day run here I come.

Finally back on track

This week has been much better and I am finally back on track.  Been to the gym, eating right and feel like things are getting better again.  a couple of test came my way this week such as last night we had to kill a couple of hours and stopped by IHOP to eat dinner.  When I walked in the restaurant I was in the mood for a big dinner but then I noticed they had a light meal selection so I went with whole wheat french toast and turkey bacon, bananas, and egg substitute.  Truthfully it was not a good as a real meal would have been but I walked out with only 400 cals added to my diet.  Today was peanut butter for breakfast, cereal for lunch, fish, rice, mixed veggies.  What is crazy is I feel fat.  I checked my measurements and I am definitely smaller than I was but I do not feel smaller.  I can't explain it but hopefully that will change very soon.

No I have not been slacking, just busy

I never thought I could get so busy that I would not have time to blog but I was wrong.  Between messing with the chickens, tilling gardens, putting out applications I go from early morning until dark and I am to tired to even enjoy the computer.  I spent the day driving to Kirksville to get my son, it is sad that all you do is sit in a car all day and yet you are completely wore out.  Just got home about 7:30 and after feeding the chickens, checking my applications, doing some chores its already 8:30 and I am ready for bed.  Ready for Monday to see how my weight is doing again.

must add the gym

I have improved my eating this week but have not been faithful to the gym because we are building a chicken coop from the time I get off work until dark. I thought all of that hammering and lifting lumber would help with the weight but it doesn't seem to be doing the job.  I know that the gym will be a requirement to make the weight move but I have been eating better and putting in a hard days work so nothing to be ashamed about. 

Back at it again

Yesterday the alarm went off at 4:50 and I got up to hit the gym.  Although I was tired I admit it felt really good to get back at it again.  Breakfast consisted of Honey Nut Oat cereal and grapes, lunch was a light soup and 1/2 turkey sandwich and dinner was whole wheat pancakes, sugar free syrup, Canadian bacon and an egg.  Snacks were baked chips, nuts, grapes.  Much better day all around with a lot of hard work to go with it. 

What I have enjoyed about my weight loss:

Compliments:  my favorite is the daycare kids after a fat joke said "your not fat"  first time they have said that in 7 years.

Feeling great:  energy is out of this world

confidence,
not sticking out in a crowd
being able to run and walk up hills without being out of breath
knowing my wife likes me skinnier
Feeling of accomplishment
being able to do push ups again
Many more that I may keep editing this list with.

Weigh -in is not worth smiling about.

All right I have really slacked with my post and it is really starting to cost me.  The weekly weigh-in was very good help in keeping me on track.  The problem came when I felt guilty posting when my weight locked in and wasn't changing but I should have posted it and let those who wanted to look could and those who didn't can just ignore the post.  So as embarrassing as this might be here it goes.  I don't need encouragement I need someone to give me a good kick in the butt.

Beginning Total: 280
Last weigh-in       237  (back on July)

Today:                  247 
Total                       33 pounds

Gain of 10 pounds : (

Got up to run again

Woke up at 4 this morning and have no real idea why so I crawled out of bed and got a run in.  Talk about quiet not even a dog barking at this time of day.  We are really trying to work hard on the jobs that I put aside during school so I hope I am burning extra cals.  My weight is not really moving right now and I will post it Monday on facebook to see it that can motivate me to get moving again.  I am learning a lot about myself right now and not sure that I enjoy everything that I learn.  I can only imagine how good it would feel to knock out another 40 pounds.  Thanks for checking in and I hope to have some good news and some new menu's soon.

Whole wheat pasta

Were trying to make menu's that help my youngest daughter a cross country runner prepare for her meets.  So today was whole wheat pasta and a salad.  Lunch was a peanut butter sandwich and breakfast as well.  I am finding it really hard to get up early to hit the gym now that it's dark and cooler outside.  I didn't get to run today because of my daughters meet but I did stay very busy all day today and got a hard days work in.  Slowly but surely I will lose this weight.

running again

This week has been better as I have ran several times this week including a 4.5 mile run today.  Yesterday I hit the gym and worked my muscles pretty good.  Feeling pretty good except I am very sore right at this moment.  My eating is getting  better as well as I have been back to cereal for breakfast with yogurt.  This weekend was beans and cornbread.  This week I will be getting more chicken and fish in my diet and helping my daughter eat right for her cross country meets.  Should be posting more status and giving updates on my weight again this week.

Day one run killed me

Well I decided to get back at it today even though I was not feeling  100% and it kicked my butt. I haven't ran in almost 3 weeks and  it was rough.  I am not back to beginning stages as I kicked of 3/4 miles without any prob but then the trouble started.  I finished 2 miles but couldn't even run it all but it's a start.  Now to curb down my eating and get my stress eating under control.  Why am I stressed after finishing my NCLEX? because now I am on a job hunt and have interviews set up.  Very nervous and anxious but I know that the Lord will lead me to the right place.  Now to slowly hit each day in the gym or on the road and hopefully I can be back on track with my weight loss.

Day off for back to heal

Sorry about not posting yesterday but I typed it up and then got very busy at work and never hit the post button.  I worked just part of a day today trying to rest my back.  I have been hitting the ibuprofen and today hit a jacuzzi bath and had my wife try to massage the kinks out.  I think it is getting better and will try not to over do it tomorrow.  It is really discouraging and I would love to get to the gym or go for a run in this beautiful weather.  If reading this pray that my back heals quickly and I can begin to shed the pounds again.

I wanted a donut.

All day Tuesday I wanted a donut. Now just because I wanted one does not mean I gave in. What's crazy is I'm not really a big fan of donuts so why the craving? Who knows.  I have not been able to comeplety rest my back which has kept in strained and has really messed up my exercise. It is making this week very tough especially since I was wanting to get back full swing.

Here we go again

Mondays here and it's time to stop playing games.  I have let my weight creep back up, not real bad but still going the wrong direction.  Studying for the State Boards kicked my butt and stressed me out.  I know that when I am stressed out I eat.  The boards are over now and life can get back to normal, sort of.  I had my bag packed for the gym last night and woke up this morning not being able to move with a sore back.  The stress of studying and taking the test had my muscles extremely tight and I have no doubt I pulled them. So instead of the gym I hit the Ibuprofen.  When my back loosens up I will hit it again but will try to curb my eating while I wait.

RETURNING TOMORROW

Studying for the state boards for NCLEX kicked my butt and did major damage to my diet and workout routing.  I can now say I passed and have no more excuses.  I have set a new goal for Thanksgiving morning to be finished off by a Thanksgiving morning 5K. 

WILL RETURN TOMORROW AND EVERY DAY WITH NO MORE EXCUSES.  SEE YA BACK HERE ON MONDAY. 

Really miss good eating.

Friday I had to drive to pick up my son from college for the holiday weekend and was smart enough to plan my eating.  I packed sandwiches and baked chips along with my Mr. Pibb Zero's but the problem was we didn't get home until midnight.  That would not have been so bad if I would not have had to leave at 6 a.m. Sat. for a cross country meet in Jackson.  Saturday there was no planning ahead so breakfast was Hardee's and lunch was Taco Bell with frozen pizza for dinner.  As soon as I woke up this morning I could feel the difference in my energy level and my achy joints.  I have no idea what is really in fast foods but I have no doubt that they are poisonous to our system.  Being patient between workouts is hard but I will try to give it a few weeks to prove the results.

Workout was torture

I did the workout and yes it is painful and hard but the hardest part is waiting between workouts.  You can only workout once every four days.  If I would not have read so many positive reviews about this workout i would scrape it but the Internet is full of positive results so I guess I will keep after it.  Sorry if not posting a lot but my NCLEX test is right around the corner and my focus is on it.  Tomorrow is second workout and will let you know the results.

New Work Out

I read this book a couple of years ago and really liked what I read.  I was at the yard sale at the YMCA last week and ran across the book again.  I have looked up many different reviews by different magazine editors and talked to a fitness trainer and have only heard good things about it.  Monday morning I am going to try out the workout.  The basic of the book are that you do 6 workouts at a very slow pace 10 seconds up and 10 seconds down never letting the weights rest at the top or bottom.  After the reviews I am really excited to try this out and use it to shock me to a new weight zone.  My energy level is at an all time high and really feel great right now.  Today was a little garage saling and flea markets, garage cleaning and grape picking.  Tomorrow is preparation for canning of jelly.  I'll let you know how the workout goes.

Sore Muscles

For you that read yesterday's blog you will probably think that I am contradicting myself but this is a different kind of pain.  Six months ago it was my joints that ached and pain that radiated through my body but today my pain is old fashioned muscle soreness.  After my workout yesterday (legs) I can barely sit down and don't even ask me about standing up. : ) I gave my body a workout like it has not had in a long time and even though I am sore I feel really good.  I would love to say I ate really well yesterday but it was Chili day and once I get started I can't stop.  No weight gained but none lost either.  I took a break from the gym today to rest my body as I have a softball tournament this Sat and Sun. and if I want to be able to walk I better let my muscles rest.

On top of the world

I cannot believe how good I feel right now.  I have not felt this good in years and I feel like I could run a marathon.  I moved furniture over the weekend, had to lift a mower and work on it, loaded lots of boxes and didn't have to load up on Ibuprofen.  Six months ago if I would have worked like that I would have been sore and dragged out of bed the next few days but instead I have been up early heading to the gym.  This morning I did a leg workout and burned my muscles really good.  My son left for college yesterday and my goal is the next time he sees me is for him to be able to notice the change in my muscles.  Eating is still needing some work but I am trying to get it back in order.

243

243

I know I have focused on 243 a lot the last couple of weeks but the truth is I am kind of excited for 243.  WHY? Because I the number I used to be stuck at was 278. What do I mean?  No matter what I used to eat I was stuck at 278 no matter if it was a fish dinner or a buffet I was stuck at 278.  After losing weight I am now happy to be stuck at 243.  Don't get me wrong I do not want to stay at 243 for long but it has been nice knowing that my weight is not breaking over the 243 mark.  Ok sorry to bore you with that but now I can get focused. This morning I started a new workout routine with a major focus on weight lifting and focusing on body parts. This morning was chest and back, Tomorrow will be legs and then arms and shoulders Friday. 

Working my tail off

I have worked very hard this week as we have been organizing and getting rid of junk.  Lots of muscle and sweat and the weight is remaining steady. I have not been eating great but the weight is not moving.  I am feeling really good right now and feel like I am a lot stronger.  I was really wanting to run the 5K tomorrow but there is an auction that we really want to go to.  Tonight for dinner we had a breakfast casserole with sausage, cheese and bacon. Next week I would like to really pound the weights hard and begin to build some extra strength.

I am one of them

I really hate when people have a blog and then don't post on it very much and now I have been falling into that category.  I think the reason is that I am stuck and know that I really have to shake myself up to break thought the next level.  I am not completely sure that I am ready to hit it that hard again but I know that I am going to have to anyway.  I am enjoying being down 40 pounds but the truth is I have another 50 to go.  I did hit the gym this afternoon and tried to shake up my weight loss and now to get my diet on track.  Planning is the key and when I get busy it really is hard to plan ahead but I must. 

Running makes me want to eat

Confession time!  I know I have been running quite a bit lately but running makes me want to eat.  Healthy, no not really more like WhiteCastle, Krispy Kreme, pizza.  I am not gaining weight but I could probably have taken off several more pounds by now.  We have a mini-vacation this week so it will be tough to stay on track but I will try not to stray to far away.  Our vacation consist of several miles of hiking so that should help balance it out.  I may try to get in a good run today before I head out of town.  Really having trouble staying on track but hopefully when vacation is out of way it will be time to buckle down, if not I may have to take my buckle (belt) up.  Let's hope not.

run run run

Although this summer is busy I am still getting my runs in and it really is feeling good.  My weight is at a standstill and has locked down at 243.  No matter what I eat or how hard I exercise I fluctuate between 242-244 but usually remain right at 243.  My daughter was encouraging last night though when I told her my weight was stuck.  She said "dad who cares what your weight it at your in a lot better shape and how many people your size go out and run 3 miles".  Very true and encouraging, compared to 6 months ago I could not run a quarter of a mile without walking and my heart pounding out of my chest.  I am finding myself enjoying a good run and have to admit my kids motivate me to push harder.  Who knows maybe Brea will set a bar in cross country this year and maybe I can have a part of helping her with that.  Found that brocolli cole slaw at the stores and with just a little sesame oil find that we really like that a lot and is a great oriental food.

Working hard eating ok

Yesterday morning I hit the gym and worked out hard. Trying to get back at it hard again even though the eating right is still hard to do.  Breakfast and lunch yesterday was p & j with baked chips and dinner was bar b que.  Today was cereal for breakfast with strawberries and blueberries.  Lunch was leftover bar b que. Today I mowed grass, weed eated, cut limbs, ran 3 miles and played frisbee golf.  Really felt like I burned some cals today.  Debating on running a 5k on August 20th, we will see what happens.

Putting in the miles and creating new recipes

It has been very hot this week but me and my daughter are getting the miles and burning the cals.  We created a recipe the other night that was really good we called it the Hawaiian Veggie Dish (until we come up with a better name.  We put in squash, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers and soaked them in water for an hour then drained most of the water and instead of adding oil we just heated the veggies in a frying pan and you could not tell that we did not use oil.  After the veggies were cooked almost through we added Canadian bacon and pineapple.  We spiced up the dish with oregano, basil, a little kickin chicken some salt, pepper and enjoyed a wonderful meal.  Ready to see the heat break but did come up with a great invention using the heat that I may post somewhere later on.

here is the link to egg plant parmesan

This was fantastic. We made it over the weekend and my daughter had a friend over.  Four teenagers eating on this and I knew that I would get a true critics report.  They all loved it including my pickiest eater.  You would have swore that there was sausage in this meal but I promise I followed the recipe just like it was written.  This was put right into our recipe book.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/eggplant-parmesan-ii/detail.aspx

I'm back in full swing

Ok I have played around long enough and now it is time to hit the workout and get my life changing eating back in shape.  I have good news and bad news.  The good news is I ran with my daughter on a couple of different 3 mile runs and really did quite well the bad news is I have been slacking and am starting to pay the price as I watch my weight creep up on the scale but the cheating stops today.  Breakfast was a 90 cal fiber one bar which I did not like as much as the regular fiber one bars but I find the fiber one bars not being enough anymore and so I thought dropping to the 90 cals might save me some cals.  I had about 7 strawberries to go with it and it helped with the sweet taste.  I have not really been eating horrible as far as junky but I have been eating to much and snacking way to much. It's been 100 degrees outside for a couple of weeks now and it does make it hard to get motivated to work.  I have several stories and recipes to share with you all so I will be posting more post than normal over the next few days.

Picture still coming

Sorry the pictures are still coming hopefully today just need my daughters help.  Trying to get back on track with my eating although I can tell you I will be cheating a little today as we have homemade ice cream and apple pie but I will try to control myself.  I got in a 2 mile run this morning with lots of hills and heat and came home to cereal and watermelon.  My weight is back down to 238 so I will now begin to push for the 230 mark.

Goal Day, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Alright my goal for graduation day was to lose 50 pounds and I fell short of that which is the bad news, good news is I did lose 41 pounds and lost several inches that I will post below.  The ugly is a new picture of me that I will post this afternoon. : )


Measurements  (sad but true)     July 21, 2011
Neck 18                                                      16 3/4
chest 53                                                       47 1/2
upper abs 48                                                43
lower abs 53                                                45
waist 47                                                       43
r upper arm 16                                             14 1/2
l upper arm 15 1/2                                        14 1/2
r forearm 12 1/2                                           12
l forearm 12                                                 12
r thigh 27                                                     22
l thigh 26                                                      22
r calve 17                                                    16 1/2
l calve 17                                                     16 1/2
BMI   39.5                                                  33.3
32 Inches off my body

Still here

Sorry I relaxed on my post for a few day with finals, funerals and road trip but I am back and still remaining steady.  I have slacked off a little bit and it is time to begin recording all that I eat again.  I don't want to get knocked off my feet again.  Will post more later, just letting you know I am still here.

9 days till graduation

9 days till graduation also means 9 days to reach my goal.  Is it still possible?  Not to do it health.  I would have to lose 8 pounds in 9 days which I probably could do but not without gaining it all right back after graduation.  I will instead take it slow and steady and keep knocking it out one pound at a time and see where I land on graduation morning.  I did take the weekend off and ate really rather sloppy but compared to the way I was eating 6 months ago I looked like a health guru. I was a little nervous about stepping on the scale Monday morning but was happy to see it sat at 238.  I am getting back to the gym this week and yesterday spent a very hot day mowing the lawn and hitting the weights in the gym.  Mike the gym owner suggested I switch to weight lifting 3 days a week instead of two so I may have to give it a try.  Practice test

Panera bread what a bad choice

You seen how bad I ate yesterday evening but to plan for that I thougt I made a wise choice.  I was going to grab 2 white castles and split an onion ring with my wife for lunch but then I seen Panera Bread Company.  I ordered a half a veggie sandwich and bowl of brocolli soup.  Now I figured the soup would be higher in cals but the veggie sandwich would make up for it (what a mistake).  Tonight we looked up the half veggie sandwich which was 600 cals and the soup 300 plus the bread.  I could have saved 500 cals by eating at White Castle.  So with that meal and last nights free for all I probably had a weeks worth of cals,  I don't think I want to see Mondays scale.  Next time I will check ahead.

I've been poisoned

What in the world was I thinking.  I know that the experts say everyone is allowed a cheat day.  I understand the philosphy behind this statement but for me this is a really bad idea

I can give myself a cheat meal once in awhile but not a cheat day.  Yesterday I relaxed and I already told you about the McDonalds sandwich, but last night my daughter had friend over and made homemade pizza and choclate chip cookies.  How bad can this be?  Well I have posted how I made my heart happy but today I made my body mad.  I felt so gross after eating all of this food and then  I decided on a Sat morning run.  I felt like it was my first day of running ever, I was sluggish, out of breath and just felt bad.  I can understand the story of Daniel from the Bible when he challenged the king on the eating habits of Daniels compared to the kings men.  Just three weeks later the signs were evident that healthy eating was better for the body.  I have decided to put Mr Yuck stickers on all bad food for now on out and try to remember how bad it felt.  It definitly was not worth the misery that came with eating this way.  Sorry heart I will try to better next time.

Need a swift kick in the butt!

I admit I am needing motivation.  I really believe it has a lot to do with school but I need to be very careful.  I took my last test last night except for the final and now I know that I should easily pass. The problem is I am in a celebrating mood as I am almost finished with nursing school.  The celebrating I am wanting to do is eat so I must be very cautious.  I have not got to work out much this week due to studies and homework but at the end of clinicals on Sunday that should be done with as well.  I decided to give into a craving yesterday morning as McDonalds was running a special buy one get one bacon, egg, and cheese, biscuit. (no cheese) It was the nastiest thing I have ate in along time.  I am really getting used to home cooking and knowing what is in my food.  I am considering relaxing my diet for the weekend and kicking it back in on Monday. I know it will affect my overall goal but it may be just what I need mentally.

BLAh Blah Blah

Yesterday was the very last nursing lecture I have to sit through as a student and I am excited.  The only problem is at this point in class all I hear is blah, blah, blah.  My diet is kind of the same way.  It's the middle of the summer I am sick of studying, my short term goal is looking impossible and it is hard.  Do I feel like giving up, NO WAY!  I feel to good to give up and I can see improvements in every part of my life, my energy level is up, my confidence is up, even though Jill has always loved me I can tell she enjoys me losing weight as well.  What I need is a big boost.  I know it has more to do with the end of school situation than it does the diet but I will try to keep steady in both my studying and my diet.

survived the holidays, I think.

Yesterday was the fourth of July and lots of food and fun.  Started the day off with a 2 mile hill run to help prepare for the holiday eating that was in store. I didn't take baked chicken and decided to take my chances on the meat but took coleslaw made with Splenda recipe and dessert which was sugar free pudding with sugar free cool whip. Breakfast was fiber one cereal with a bowl of fruit and lunch wasn't until 2:00 which about killed a guy who has been eating about every 2-3 hours.  Dinner finally came and I tried to make wise choices and then had a hamburger patty without bun and a rib.  I was shocked that my body really did not like this much meat.  After the pork steak Sunday and then this I could tell my body would of much rather had chicken, fish or just plain veggies.  This is very weird for a guy who just a couple of years ago could have ate meat 3 meals a day and for dessert as well.  I am thankful for this change and for the next potluck will take a veggie main dish or some chicken breast.  I have got to figure out how to reach my goal without being eunhealthy in the was I approach it.  I am considering just running 5-6 days a week until graduation and staying off the elliptical machines.  Any suggestion could be helpful.

16th week weigh-in

Really struggling to make my graduation goal but I will get as close as possible.  17 days left to see how close I can get. Graduation goal is 50 pounds.

Beginning Total   280

2 Weeks ago      239

This Week         237

Total                   43 pounds

What a weekend

Friday was a great day and we worked hard at work but it was a lot of office style work and I knew we were heading to the Muny and dinner at Ponderosa.  I came up with a plan to hit the gym extra hard to balance some of the calories that I was sure to take in.  At the gym I hit the cardio machines and burned over 700 cals and then off to Ponderosa.  At Ponderosa I ate as good as possible and didn't get carried away and was very careful at the Muny to avoid all the junk food but was disappointed to come home and weigh 5 pounds more than I normally do in the evening (I know the evening is a bad time to weigh but sometimes it helps keep me on track especially after a trip out) so much for burning 700 cals or so I thought.   I woke up Sat morning ate a bowl of Fiber one cereal and outside to work.  About an hour later I was starving (I also took 2 ginger root pills) I came in after about 2 hours and ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and went back to work, another 2 hours and had a Hardee's turkey burger and baked chips another 2 hours we had dinner.  I was starving all day long yesterday and could not satisfy my hunger I went to bed 5 pounds less than the night before.  I do admit I worked my tail off yesterday as we worked outside during the heat warning from 7 am until about 8:30 pm so I know that played a major role as well..  This being Sunday a nice break will be taken and weights will be posted in the morning.

The test came back

A couple of weeks ago I had a blood test because of applying for new life insurance.  As time passed I was beginning to wonder if I had been rejected but yesterday the test results came back.  When I opened the envelope I was shocked at how extensive the blood test was.  Every thing you can imagine was tested but I was most interested in glucose levels and cholesterol levels.  Every single thing that was tested for was normal and in the middle, nothing even came close to being out of range which was a big change from when I started the diet.  My cholesterol and glucose were both in the warning ranges and needed to be taken care of quick.  PTL things are better and my weight is coming off.  I measured this morning and was very pleased at how many inches I lost. I will try to post results about this later.

Keep the compliments coming

It has been a great two days with compliments.  Yesterday a lady ask how old I was and when I told her 41 she said "you don't look like you could be 41" (and no she was not trying to sell me something).  Today at daycare one of the school agers said "Dale, your not fat, you used to be like this (she held her arms way out making it look like she had a big belly) but now you look like this" (she held her hands much closer to her body)  Every morning the kids used to joke about me being fat and although they were joking there was a lot of truth to it. My wife told me this morning that she was beginning to see my chin and even Hannah told me I was looking good and she has only gives me about 1 compliment a year : )  Yesterday was a Fiber one for breakfast, a piece of squash lasagna that my mom made (very good) a banana and dinner was baked chicken with broccoli, cauliflower, squash, over whole wheat noodles. The day was topped off by a 3 mile run which was very long because of the heat but now I have motivation to keep going.

School days are killers

I hate studying and I am so ready to be done with all of it. It makes it really hard to be active and eat right.  Breakfast was a turkey sandwich and veggie chips with a bowl of fruit.  For lunch I was going to sit at a restaurant and study but could not talk myself into paying money for junk and torturing my heart so I went home to study and ate baked chicken and leftovers.  Dinner was a baked chicken sandwich and whole grain chips.  Snacked on a protein bar and got a good work out in this morning.  Not a great day but considering school is in session it was not horrible either.

up and down

Monday wasn't a bad day at all although I didn't get a workout in.  I took the day off after running so much this weekend and hiking with my daughter but I did try to keep the diet under control.  Fiberone bar for breakfast, turkey sandwich with veggie chips for lunch, and dinner was grill chicken breast, amish cole slaw (made over for health) beans, and baked fries with sugar free pudding for dessert.  Lots of studying time and office work but overall had a pretty steady day.

15th week weigh-in

If you took time to come to my page today to check on my weight you may have noticed I did not post it on facebook.  I have decided to only post every other week.  Just in case your wondering weigh-in was at 242.  I would love for my weight just to drop straight down but I can see that it seems there will be a pattern of up and down while I lose.  I go down big and then fluctuate for about a week and then another big drop.  The fluid level is also very different right now and after a hard work out I can wring out my shirt and it is nothing to drop 5 pounds (yes it's water weight) so I find myself drinking on a regular basis which I am sure is part of the fluctuation.  I Have thougth about creating a heart health chart to post at weigh-in that simply ask the question, How happy is your heart this week?  I know that I have been giving it plenty of exercise and trying to give it less fat and junk than ever before so no matter what the scale says I know my heart is happy.  Next week I will post the weight no matter up or down (hopefully down)  but every other week will seem less discouraging to look at.

Another 5k



Runners lining up the race is almost ready to begin.


Well I did it!  When the alarm went off this morning I was wondering why I did it but now that it is over it feels very good.  I was really worried about being able to do this one but finished and was pleased as well.


One minute before the race I was wondering "what was I thinking?"

I finished the race in 29:20, 52 seconds faster than the last 5k and I finished with a 3rd place medal.  Truth is there was probably not to many runners in my age group but I was very happy with my time so I don't mind taking home this medal.  Now to shoot for 29:00 minutes.

See the little kid in the front and notice he is in front of me, he stayed there almost the whole time and he finished the race in 33:00 minutes.  He couldn't be more than 6-7 years old and would not be surprised if he was younger.  I wasn't sure if I should trip him when he went by or encourage him.  ( I chose the encouragement, but talk about making me feel slow)

What was I thinking

I went yesterday and signed up for a 5k this weekend.  The problem is I haven't been running as much lately (but I have been hitting the machines hard at the gym).  So yesterday I went out and ran a practice 5k to see if I could still do it and it about killed me.  This 5k could be really bad but I have already paid the fee now so no turning back.  I am doing terrible with my family reunion goal as I can't stop eating.  I was set up real nice last night after school to be at a great weight this morning but once I got home from school I was starving and could not find a food to settle my stomach.  I should have came home and drank a huge glass of water and things prob would have turned out different.  At the rate I am going I could actually be worse of in the morning than I was at the beginning of the week.  Today me and my daughter are running 4 miles and then resting tomorrow for the big run.

Am I going to meet my goal?

Am I going to meet my goal?  NO.  Who is to blame? me.  Am I going to quit?  NO.  I have had trouble meeting my goal this week but the only one to blame is me,  if I would have tightened up my eating habits I could have made my goal, so why didn't I?  I really have no excuse but part of it is that I went under 240 for the first time in almost 20 years and my mind is saying relax, savor the moment.  I have worked out and have ate decent this week (mostly) but  I have ate to much.  It's time to kick it in because I only have 2 days left before reunion.  I am still weighing in at 239 but was really hoping to be dropping pounds by the day (at least until the reunion but the truth is it probably wasn't the healthiest goal I had set for myself.  Now I have a decision to make the 10K run is in July and I am not sure I can get ready for it.  I need to get my mind ready one way or the other and will need to decide by the end of the week. 

2nd day toward goal

Days like these are days I am glad I don't have many blog readers.  I didn't do bad just not real good.  The morning started out ok, I didn't work out upon awakening but I did  make it to the gym before going home and got a great lift in and burned about 250 cals doing aerobics.   Now for the bad news I bought pizza for the daycare workers and could not help myself, so much for a healthy lunch.  Now eating this wouldn't really mess me up normally because I would tighten up my diet in other places but it didn't happen like that today. I couldn't resist the watermelon, and leftovers from last night.  The meal didn't cost me weight gain but it did slow me down towards my goal which is not good because I only have one week.  We will try harder on Wed. and see what happens.

Day one to goal

Not a bad day's start I hit the gym bright and early and got in 30 minutes of aerobics.  I worked out for 8 minutes each on 4 different machines, doing this has really helped fight the boredom.  Breakfast was different as I ate a Salmon and egg sandwich (not bad really).  Then for lunch I ate 1/2 a small seedless watermelon.  It worked out great and was like eating a bowl of soup. Dinner was a recipe that featured on allrecipes.com which was supposed to be Hawaiian kabobs but we changed it up and steamed it in a pan and ate it with a little brown rice, it turned out really good.  It had chicken, pineapple, peppers, onions, mushrooms, marinated in a soy sauce.  Snacked throughout the day on salsa and chips, a skinny cow ice cream, and a small salad that Jill made from the garden.  Day one down and time to hit it strong tomorrow as well.

14th week weigh-in

14 weeks and going strong and growing strong I can not help but be excited.

Beginning Total:  280

Last Week         242

This Week         239

Grand Total     41 pounds

I have a goal of 235 by family reunion which is this Sat.  I know it's extreme but I am going to give it a shot and see if I can't shake my body up and meet this goal. I will post my diet everyday this week and see what happens.

Excitment's an understatement

To say I was excited about fitting in 38 jeans would be an understatement.  I have dreaded trying on clothes for years and was not really ready to try on the jeans.  Truth was my pants have been way oversize but I think I found security and enjoyment in wearing loose clothes for a change.  I could not believe I fit in these jeans and was ready to tell the world, can you imagine when I hit 36 or 34.  I am not sure I was that size even as a kid  : )    I didn't really eat great yesterday but am finding my body is allowing a small amount of cheating room.  I think it is because my metabolism has changed from the working out.  I lost weight back in the early 90's but it was a very rapid weight loss with a very rapid gain back.  This time is really different and by taking my time I think my body is losing it in the right places and the right way.  I would not recommend anyone try a weight loss that promises 5 pounds a week or more as I do not think it gives your body time to adjust and your mind and body will fight it.  Great weekend ahead and hopefully a lot more weight loss.

The inches are moving

I am extremely excited.  Tuesday night in school someone commented that I need smaller pants, the problem was I just bought them last week size 42.  I wasn't ready to buy more but I broke down and bought size 40 but then my wife informed me that they were to big.  What the next size down would be 38 and it is not possible to fit in 38 yet is it?  This morning after hitting the gym I went to the store and bought a pair of 38. I was actually dreading putting them on because what if they didn't fit but guess what, they did.  I have not been in 38 since I first got married.  Now I have to find a home for some used 44 jeans and a pair of 40 wore one time only.  Breakfast was changed up by eating a baked chicken sandwich and some baked chips and a morning snack of raspberries, blueberries and strawberries.  I have a test tonight and will be stressed all day but will try to control my eating because now I have to stay in 38's.

Physical done and over, Next test Qdoba

Tuesday I got a good workout in and had an ok day of eating, that is if you don't count the slices of Cecil
Whitaker pizza I ate.  I picked it up for my kids and had every intention of going home and eating chicken but the smell got to me.  The nurse came and gave the physical this morning, blood pressure was 120/80 and will wait to hear the results of cholesterol and other test.  It felt great to step on the scale and have measurements and not be extremely embarrassed. I really missed my workout this morning and have a meeting at Qdoba grill that has me nervous but I will try to eat without the tortilla and save myself alot of cals. I will let you know tomorrow how that turns out.  Have not decided on dinner yet tonight but will prob do left over chicken and veggies

Reschedule you've got to be kidding

Tues morning I was supposed to have a physical for insurance.  It required me to eat real light all day, ingest no cholesterol and fast after 10 and no caffeine.  It also suggested no morning workout.  I ate real light all day Monday, emptied my gym bag to let it air out and crawled into bed when the phone rang.  The nurse doing the physical did not have the paper work needed and wanted to reschedule for Wed.  (are you kidding me?)  of course I rescheduled and got out of bed repacked my gym bag, reset the alarm and hit the gym bright and early.  Now 2 days of light eating and no caffeine, not liking this.  : )  This should pay off for my diet for the week but we will see.  Tues is my daughter's birthday and she wanted and Angel food cake (yahoo) I can eat a slice of this cake and not feel guilty.  Happy Birthday Hannah and your dad is improving his life to spend many more birthday's with you.

13th week weigh-in

Last week was a tough week on my body but this week it is time to kick it in. 

My wife is down 18 pounds just eating what I am eating (and very little exercise)  good job Jill.

Last Week: 246

This Week:  242

Weight loss Total   38 pounds

Glad I started:

Last week I read about a man who visited the doctor and has high blood pressure and was put on blood pressure meds. He said that the doctor told him that his heart could not take it anymore and if he didn't lose weight his heart would give out.  I don't know his age for sure but I think we would be pretty close in age. I didn't have a doctor tell me to change my ways but I was heading down a road of disaster.  Can you imagine ending up with a heart attack and 41 years of age or in a nursing home at fifty, diabetic, blood pressure meds, constant doctor visits because of something I could have controlled but didn't.  I am very thankful I have started the road to success and get a little more motivated with every compliment I receive.  This week has been off but I have tried to eat normal and will try to put in a great workout this weekend.

Fighting off something

I did get up Wed morning and got a very good work out in.  I also tried to switch up my diet somewhat and eating turkey for breakfast and not letting my body know what to expect.  The problem came about noon, I had one of the worst headaches I have had in years and not sure why.  My back felt like it needed to be popped and my neck felt out of place. I went home after work and fell asleep for a little over an hour which I never do and still fought the headache until early evening when it finally broke. I turned off the alarm for Thursday and am going to pass on the gym and see if I can get my body back in order this week.  It's very frustrating but I know it won't last to long.

Lots of pain

Took Monday and Tuesday off because of pain, I woke up Monday and went to the gym but it was the worst workout I had in along time.  I felt like my spine was jammed and I could barely even lift any weight.  I didn't think a lot about it but all through the day every joint in my body hurt. By nighttime I could not even lift up a glass of tea without pain. I was feeling good beside the pain but now I am hearing others with a virus with really stiff joints so I am not sure what I had. I tried to eat decent but didn't really focus hard on it but this all changes come Wednesday morning.

12th week weigh-in

I will skip all of the charts and go straight to the weight this morning.

Gained 2 pounds for a weigh-in of 246

I may go to a every 2 week weigh-in to overcome the yoyo effect I am in.

Things affecting my weight:

1. Eating at different hours during the summer.  I am getting jobs done when getting home from work so we eat dinner later each evening.

2.  The fluids, I drink alot more fluids during the summer and sweat alot more as well.

3.  Stress:  one week into school and the stress has already came.

4.  Not as many people are reading my blog so I find myself able to cheat a little more (healthy food for the most part just more of it)

I am not discouraged but it is really starting to push tight to my goal of 50 pounds by graduation but I will get as close as possible, that is the best I can do but I would love to hit my goal.  (time will tell)

worked hard today

I didn't hit the gym this morning by choice.  Today we were putting flooring in the office and had to move out all of the desk and filing cabinets (a workout in itself) then had to spread 7 truckloads of mulch.  (can't get that kind of workout in the gym).  Diet was not the greatest but it was because of being busy.  Breakfast was a Fiber one bar, lunch was a single stack from BK no cheese and dinner was leftover chicken and rice.  Did treat myself today to a malt from steak and shake and it hit the spot after working out in the 97 degree day for several hours.  I read on facebook about a man who's blood pressure sky rocketed and the doctor put him on blood pressure meds and told him to lose 50-75 pounds because his heart couldn't take it.  I have no doubt that a few more months or even weeks that would have been me.  Thank goodness I made the choice to shed the weight.

more normal day

Today I was able to get the eating under control. I didn't work out because I was wore out and really can't explain why.  Breakfast was fiber one bar and a nice bowl of fruit (blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and watermelon) What a treat!  For lunch I made whole wheat spaghetti with turkey and we had leftovers for dinner with a veggie mix and fruit.  I snacked on beef jerky a small amount of baked chips and a handful of nuts.  Much better day hopefully on Thurs I will have a little more energy and hit it hard.

I ate and ate and ate some more

I really do not want to document this in the blog but if I am going to learn about myself and understand what is going on then I must.  I have been trying to stay off the scale except for Monday's but I stepped on Tuesday morning just to make sure the holiday did not beat me.  It actually caught me a little and put two pounds back on but all in all I was not upset and know I can take it back off but then something happened.  I ate breakfast and then snacks and I ate and ate and ate all day long.  I would be lying to tell you it was all healthy because it was not.  So the dreaded moment came this morning and I stepped on the scale to find I was lighter than yesterday.  (go figure)  the only thing I can figure is I tricked my body by not exercising and eating poor to think it wasn't on a diet and it relaxed and quit fighting the weight loss.  I know that if I ate like that two days in a row it would be costly but thankfully this time it wasn't.  Six weeks of school stress and then life will be different one way or the other.

11th week weigh-in

11 weeks of this, I think it may become habit forming.  Before I post my weight I want to let you know how proud I am of my wife, she has lost 12 pounds and she is not even exercising. (not fair) : )   Here we go for this week.

Beginning total:  280

Last week:        249

This Week        244

Weight lost this week   5 pounds

Total:     36 pounds  (graduation weight goal here I come)

nice weekend for a run

Had a great day today, Bible study then dropped the kids off for Sunday school then to the fair at Wentzville.  Started the day with a bowl of cereal and a lunch of beef jerky (food for the fair)  some baked chips, dinner was leftovers from last night.  Had a week moment and enjoyed half a donut but made sure to run 3 miles to hopefully burn it back off.  Will need to be careful tomorrow as I get together with family.  We are taking chicken breast, a veggie tray and an angel food cake with fat free whip cream covered with raspberries and blueberries.  Now I just need to restrain myself and eat very careful. Enjoy your holiday and will post my weight in the morning.

Breaks almost over

Well Tuesday I start back to school and I am not at all excited but I have got alot of work done during these two weeks off.  Finished gardening, tiled the kitchen, pictures hung, junk cleaned up and the list goes on.  I am learning a lot about myself and teaching myself alot through this journey.  Today I got busy early and started with peanut butter and jelly, we were running around during lunch so we stopped by Burger King and that is when I learned about myself.  I ordered a single BK stacker without cheese and split an value onion ring with my wife.  I know that even though this meal is unhealthy by cutting down I didn't destroy my calorie intake.  Dinner was pork steak, corn on cob, sweet potato and California vegetable blend.  Then the next learning curve.  My daughter made sugar free brownies which before I would have nibbled the whole pan away but tonight one small slice was more than plenty.  8:30 tonight me and Brea went running at the track and knocked out a couple of miles.  I know this weekend will be tough to eat healthy but with a little work I know it's possible. 

Hardee's could kill a diet quick

It's Thursday morning and I have a lot of work ahead today.  Yesterday was interesting with one tornado warning after another but no damage (PTL).  I worked around the house yesterday as I have taken a couple of vacation days but still ended up at the daycare during the storms to help send teachers home.  I did make it to the gym though and got a real good workout in on the weights.  I would love to drop down to 180 and be solid muscle at the same time. I am not sure it could happen at my age but we will work towards it and see.  Yesterday I had egg sandwich for breakfast, leftover pizza my kids left for lunch (I know it does not fall into the healthy category) I had green beans and potato's in the crockpot for dinner.  Snacked on baked chips and 3 chicken nuggets (it was during the storm and I think out of nervousness).  I would love to have gone to Joplin but did not want to just drive down and end up standing around but could not find anyone to hook up with to go. (maybe God has other plans).  I stopped by Hardee's for breakfast today but could not get myself to eat there after looking at the calorie menu so instead came home to another egg sandwich and will get to work.

Longest 5k ever

I know that a 5k is equal to a 5k but today I felt like I was in the twilight zone.  The run seemed as if it would never end.  The problem was it was uphill for the biggest majority of the run. We ran from the stop sign on Klondike to the stop sign on Clayton Huskey and if you know the area then you know the hill I am talking about.  Great workout though and my son and daughter both ran with me (or ahead of me).  Not the best day on the eating front, I really need to slow down and get my act together with the menu.  Bk hamburger for lunch and we were out so we stopped at KFC for dinner and I had t 2 pieces of the roasted chicken.  Really did not blow the calorie count but I also know this is not a very healthy habit and to many times of this and I would be in trouble. So today I am putting green beans and potatoes in crock pot and looking forward to a veggie dinner tonight.

Here we go again

It's time to begin to cut into that 250 side of the weight loss. My body likes to lock up at the 10 marks with 270 then 260 and now I find 250 hard to bust through but I know persistants will prevail.  I am really feeling good right now and feel like my muscles are beginning to shape up somewhat and my endurance and energy level are building each day.  Yesterday I hit the gym and pumped the weights hard, burned the muscles really good.  Breakfast was a slice of breakfast casserole, lunch was 6 inch subway sandwich loaded with veggies and no cheese.  Dinner was peanut butter and jelly, not exactly square meals but it worked for the day and snacked on a protein bar. Today I skipped the gym because I have a lot of mowing and I plan on a 3 mile run tonight with my daughter if the weather plays nice.

11th week weigh-in

No congrats this week but no need to console either.  Never like to see a gain but there is a lot more involved this time around.

Beginning Total  280

Last Week          247

This Week          249

Gained 2 pounds

Things that went right:

1.  Ihate healthy and am not ashamed at what I ate this week. (my heart is happy)

2.  I passed on several opportunities for cake, and other junk food that I could have easily found justification for.

3.  We took my mother in law out to Mexican restaurant for late Mother's day and still had full basket of chips on table when we left.  (used to knock out 1st basket in about 5 minutes, this time 1 chip was all I took)

4. I exercised regular and hard and even got in a 5k race.

5.  I lifted more weight on every machine in the gym this morning.

Things that went wrong:

1. I thought being out of school would bring order but instead we are playing catch up and running extra errands and working around the house.  Really wild eating pattern

2.Usually eat 4-6 small meals a day and eat dinner about 5 P.M. but because of the extra work we have ate dinner as late as 8:30 at night.  ( not much I can do about it with just 2 weeks off school)

3. Didn't watch my portions quite as close with things such as counting out chips in baggies, carrying fruit and veggies.

5k fun

Well today was the big day, first part of my goal to run a 5k.  I was expecting rain but the day turned out beautiful.  I had a goal of 30 minutes which would be faster than I have ever ran before but did not quite succeed.  Time ran 30:02  2 seconds off (can you believe it)

Me about to die  almost over and no paramedics needed : )

Now how do I begin to train for the 10k in July (yuck)

Overcame today

Today was a day of overcoming several different obstacles.  The first was our preschool graduation and guess who was assigned to cut the cake.  I did it and didn't even lick my fingers when I was finished.  The second was exercising, I slept in this morning because I was so sore.  Since it was raining out I decided to come home and skip exercising all together but then my daughter dug out the dance mats.

Since she went to all of that work we decided not to use them : ) and instead went out and ran a couple of miles in the rain.  After the run we came home and tried a new recipe of Tuna steaks and mango salsa.

A little brown rice and veggie mix made for a great meal.  The recipe was a little to salty for our taste and a hair to spicy (if you can believe that) but the tuna steaks were well worth trying again.  I am catching myself wanting to snack more than I should.  I am going to have to put snacks in baggies again or I am going to get myself in trouble.  One more day and then the 5k.

lots of work

This morning started with a 30 minute workout on the stairstepper and then on to work.  Breakfast was a protein bar, lunch was a pork steak and dinner was leftover chicken, potatoes and corn,  snacked on kellog chips and another protein bar.  Today I was able to get a lot of work done.  Grass mowed, tires repaired, garden tilled and corn planted, flowers put in and brush piles burned.  Really great night of hard work.  I will be very sad when I have to return back to school. 

5k countdown

3 days left until the 5k and the weather is calling for rain (what a surprise). Last night I ran 4 miles and worked out 30 minutes this morning on the stairstepper. I really would love to meet my goal but it would take a miracle to do it at the point.  Now this is not my first 5k I ran about 3 years ago when my kids talked me into running (if that is what you can call what I did)  I huffed and puffed and walked and jogged and about died.  That was embarrassing enough but of course it doesn't end there.  During the awards ceremony I found out I was the only one in my age division so they were announcing teens first place with time of 17:00, twenty year old's first place with times of 18:00, thirty year old time of 40 minutes (yeah that was me, you should have seen the scowls I received that day).

Yesterday's menu consisted of fiber one bar for breakfast, veggie burger for lunch with baked fries and dinner was oven baked chicken (pictured above) with mashed potatoes (skim milk and very little butter substitute) corn on cob (no butter)  cole slaw (fat free mayo, apple vinegar and splenda)  very good meal and very filling.  I also got time to work the garden and mow some grass. (It is amazing what I can get done with no school) Tonight I am thinking Tuna steaks for dinner but will keep you posted.

I found a new friend

Today I am very tired, I assume I am coming down from finishing school.  I was up early yesterday and hit the gym and ran for 30 minutes on the tread mill but today I could not even get out of bed.  When the alarm goes off if it is the need to sleep then I switch the alarm clock and exercise in the evening.  This morning was one of those days even though they are far and few between.  For breakfast yesterday I had a bowl of Cinnamon Cheerio's and lunch was Tuna sandwich on 35 cal wheat bread, fat free mayo, egg and relish.  Dinner we cheated a little but not bad. I had an appointment next to Deweys Pizza in Kirkwood and everyone told me how great it was so we ordered a veggie pizza to take home. Can't say I really liked it which was good because 2 slices more than took care of me.

My new friend is Kellogg's Special K crackers chips.  110 cals for 27 chips and they are great. The only problem is stopping at a serving, it would be easy to put a whole box away.  I am going to start counting out the chips in baggies and putting the box in hiding.  Schnuck's has them on sale this week $1.88 a box they are $3.oo at Walmart so this is the week to stock up. 

I am trying to get ready for the 5k this Saturday so a lot of running is in order I will keep you posted on today's menu and exercise program.

10th week weigh-in

I am not sure if I really lost weight or if I took a load off of my mind to be finished with school. : )  

Hard to believe it has been 10 weeks, maybe I can do this after all.

Have you ever seen a fat man run a 5k follow this weeks blog

Beginning Total    280

Last Week          250

This Week          247

Weight loss             3 pounds

Total                     33 pounds    

This week in review

Things I have learned this week:

1. I am very tired of school and am so very ready to be done with it for good.

2.  I love the new Kelloges chips (I will blog on them more next week)

3.  I love it when my wife works out with me and diets with me. (better motivation)

4.  I really like gardening and feeding birds ( both are very relaxing)

5.  I am tired of rain (especially every single weekend) once a week would be more than plenty.

We fixed our menu for all next week and hit the store today, lots of fat free and low cal foods along with fruits and veggies.  Will try to post the menu each day of the week and let you know how they turn out.  Today was pancakes and eggs for breakfast, carrots for lunch, a skinny cow sandwich for snack and dinner will be a very low fat burger on wheat bread with baked shoestring fries.( haven't decided the veggie to go with it yet.)  Not real active today just playing catchup and trying to relax for the week.

A wonderful day!

It's a really rainy, miserable day outside and kind of cold but that doesn't matter.  Why?  Because I do not have studying to do today, no school work to think about makes a great day.  I have time to mess around with hummingbirds, look at my flowers, etc.  Today me and my wife got up early and hit the gym for about 30-40 minutes of stair stepping and running.  Then off to the stores for groceries and then took in some yard sales.  When I came home I found my hummingbirds had already emptied 2 feeders.  We probably have 10-15 birds so far and it is still early in the season.  Breakfast consisted of protein bar and banana, lunch was a steak and egg sandwich on wheat bread and we are going to play with some new recipes for dinner.  I am hoping to get some hard work in over the next week and get my menu's lined up.  I would love for the rain to give me enough of a break to get the rest of my garden in but until then I guess inside work is in order.  I hope you enjoy your day as much as I am.  God Bless!

Blog has been out

Sorry for the lack of post but the blog site has been down for repair but it chose a good time to do it because yesterday was my last final and as you may know from reading my blog I have not been real focused.  Today when the alarm clock went off I did not want to get out of bed an extra hour of sleep would have been nice but I was up and at em anyway.  I got a great workout in and pushed my muscles to the max. I am trying to eat real good today because my wife is taking me out to eat to celebrate passing another semester and no I am not going to report my calories : )  The truth is though now even if I don't report my calories I cannot do that to my body.  Tonight or in the morning me and my daughter will run a practice 5k because we are down to just a week before my first 5k. Beginning Monday my post will be more informative in case some are trying to being encouraged to lose weight as well.

This place will kill me yet

I am so sick of books!  I have books in my car, next to my bed, in the living room, everywhere.  No not fun books but school books that someone wrote to torture me and ruin three years of my life. (thanks for letting me vent)  Yesterday is a blur because I spent it studying for supposedly an easy final that turned out to be very hard. (Not surprisingly, that is the way nursing school has been all the way through.)  I did get to the gym and got a good 40 minutes of aerobics in before work that really did help start my day off on a good foot.  I ate a protein bar and orange for breakfast and leftover spaghetti for lunch.  Had some leftover roast and small salad for dinner with a protein bar for late night snack.  I also snacked on a yogurt with blackberries.  Overall I sat in a car and studied till final and left my brain a pile of mush.  One more final and then two weeks off and I am really looking forward to it.  Without stress who knows how much weight I could really begin to lose.

What a mistake

Monday I hit the gym hard and got a good day of weight lifting in before work.  I am doing more pull ups, dips, push ups and also improving in upping the weights on the machine.  I ate a protein bar and orange for breakfast and then mid morning the mistake happened.  I was craving something junky all weekend and decided to grab 2 whitecastles to break the craving.  Now the mistake was not ordering to many castles the mistake was ordering any at all.  Did it break the calorie bank? not necessarily but a whopping 140 cals a piece just isn't worth it but that is not the mistake.  After eating the white castle my stomach payed the price all day.  Now I have been known to put away a lot of castles in my day and before never had a problem but hitting my stomach with that grease yesterday tore my stomach to pieces. (not worth it) For lunch Jill made whole wheat pasta with boiled chicken breast and some tomatoes. (very good and simple)  Dinner was a pot roast with sweet potatoes, green beans and snack was a blackberry light yogurt with whole blackberries added in.  My daughter took me for a 2 mile run and ran me into the ground but it felt reallyy good.  I think the next time I am craving something junky I will pass up the castle, any other ideas???

9th week weigh-in

After last week I finally saw some success in more than just my weight.  Thank you to all my friends for the advice and encouragement last week.  The scale may not be moving much but things are definitely starting to take place.

BP on Friday was 112/60  much better than the 160/110 at the start.

Great encouragement (you can read the blog before this about six flags)

Beginning total    280

Last Week           252

This Week           250

2 pounds for week    (30 pounds total)

Six Flags a much better day

Today my brother and his family invited us to Six Flags.  As much as I appreciated the invitation it really scared me a lot.  If you have read my bio you know that one of my most embarrassing moments happened at Six Flags last summer.  I tried to get onto the Batman with my son and I had to get off because the buckle would not fit over my fat stomach.  Can you imagine having two park employees trying to squeeze you in and then announcing they could not do it I was to fat for the ride. I walked away having to leave my son to ride alone.  So now you see why I was scared to go today.  I was really wanting to wait until the end of the summer and go when I reached my goal but we went today and guess what they wanted to ride first.  After waiting int the line I climbed into the seat and was able to pull down and latch the buckle with room to spare. (yahoo)  No struggle and a lot of fun.  Thanks Scott and Michelle Andrew and Oli for a great day.