FatBloggers.net A little push to lose the tush.

This week, I declared war on sugars and sweets. If you review my menu, you’ll see that there was a dramatic cut in desserts. I still did natural sweets (fruit, juices), a few snack items, and protein bars, but other than that, you’ll have a difficult time finding the old habit of a dessert at the end of every lunch and dinner.

The reason was mostly for my gout because it is still hanging in there (though doing the best today that it’s been since last Monday). However, I also decided that this would be something I stick with to fight off the gout and to kick start my weight-loss in the right direction.

This is my fifth straight week of losses on the scale and I want to see what I can do to keep up the momentum. Even my “celebration” dinner tonight was a Chick-Fil-A wrap with only part of the dressing, some baked tortilla chips, salsa and water. It’s a celebration because that was actually what I was craving more than sweets. Of course, I had not eaten nearly enough during today because I forgot to bring some fruit for snacking. This will have enhanced my loss somewhat, but I still think most of it was that winning battle against desserts.

I’ve kept up my exercise routine as well. I’ve only missed a couple of sessions due to my gout, but I ended up doing some while working through the pain of that ankle (in fact, sometimes it felt better after the workout than before). Like John quotes from his trainer, pain is weakness leaving the body. I’m here to say goodbye to gout and goodbye to that old me. The new me is here to stay and make me an even healthier man as I get closer to goal.

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 282.4 lb
Current weight: 278.6 lb
Current loss/gain: -3.8 lb
Total loss/gain: -40.4 lb
Distance to 50: 9.6 lb
Distance to WW Goal: 28.6 lb

Cross-posted to WebCudgel.com

Wednesday

• Breakfast (7:30am):  Smoothie King 32oz Cherry Picker (cherries are very good for gout… however, i wonder if the other sugar in the smoothie may cancel the positive effect)
• Lunch (11:30am):  1/3 bag of 94% FF microwave popcorn, Snickers Marathon protein bar
• Afternoon snack (2:00pm):  100cal Girl Scout cookies, apple.
• Dinner (7:00pm):  1 cup of barley salad, 1 cup of reduced fat potato chips, 1.5 cups of cabbage soup, 1 slice of cheese pizza, 1 cup of fat free vanilla yogurt with 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries.

Thursday

• Breakfast (8:00am):  Corner Bakery Farmer’s Scramble (w/ only half the toasted bread they normally include), 16 oz 100% cherry juice (help with my gout inflammation).
• Exercise (11:40am):  Elliptical: 20 min @ Lvl6, figure 4 crunches: 20; leg lifts: 20; situps: 35; bench press : 10 reps @ 115lb, 10 reps @ 135lb, 5 reps @ 145lb; military press: 10 reps @ 51lb, 5 reps @ 51lb; tricep pulldowns: 2 sets of 10 reps @ 40lb; butterfly curls: 2 sets of 10 reps @ 20lb. Lunch (1:00pm):  Snickers Marathon protein bar, banana.
• Afternoon snack (3:45pm):  cherry fruit jerky, small apple.
• Dinner (5:45pm): Sonic burger (w/ mustard, no cheese), small tater tots, 16 oz of Wild Cherry blend 100% juice drink.
• Evening snack (9:15pm): 100cal brownie

Friday

• Breakfast (7:30am):  1/2 smoked turkey sandwich w/ monterrey jack, 1oz Jalapeno pretzels, 16 oz 100% cherry juice
• Midmorning snack (10:00am):  banana
• Exercise (11:30am):  Elliptical: 4 min @ Lvl6, 16 min @ Lvl7; figure 4 crunches: 40; leg lifts: 30; situps: 30; curls: 10 reps @ 35lb, 10 reps @ 30lb, 10 reps @ 25lb; shrugs : 2 sets of 10 reps @ 50lb; arm lifts: 10 reps @ 25lb, 10 reps @ 20lb; lat pulldown: 10 reps @ 134lb, 5 reps @ 150lb, 10 reps @ 134lb.
• Lunch (1:00pm):  Snickers Marathon protein bar.
• Afternoon snack (2:30pm):  1oz Jalapeno pretzels, cherry fruit jerky
• Dinner (6:30pm):  1cup potato chips, 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks, 1.5 cup cabbage soup, 1/2 cup of green beans and carrots, 12 crackers, 1 cup of Sun Chips, 24 oz Wild Cherry blend 100% juice drink, fat free blueberry/vanilla yogurt over two small slices of angel food cake.

Saturday

• Breakfast (8:30am):  Scrambled eggs w/ bell pepper and tomato, 2 turkey sausage patties, two small biscuits w/ peanut butter, 1 cup fat free blueberry/vanilla yogurt, 16oz fat free milk.
• Lunch (4:00pm):  BBQ Brisket sandwich, 1/2 handful of chips, 1 roasted BBQ chicken thigh, 1 sausage, 1 cup of coleslaw, 1 cup of beans, 1 small brownie.
• Evening snack (8:00pm):  small apple, last cup of fat free blueberry/vanilla yogurt, 16oz 100% sour cherry juice.

Sunday
(The menu was severely restricted as the gout attack refuses to let go.  You’ll note only one real meal, the rest of the day is just cherry juice and water.  I also remember at this point that one of the other triggers is beef, which I had two servings at lunch Saturday that inflamed the attack again.  Thus, no sugars or beef for a while.  This is NOT a recommended weight-loss method, though many diets will actually cut back on both.   I was essentially cutting back as much as possible to allow the gout to go away.)

• Breakfast (9:00am):  16oz 100% sour cherry juice
• Lunch (3:00pm):  1/2 Chipotle bowl (chicken, bell peppers, onions, corn salsa, hot sauce, 1/2 cheese, lettuce)
• Personal Success:  Still only adding 1/2 cheese and no sour cream.

Monday

• Breakfast (8:00am):  medium apple, hot chocolate cream of wheat
• Midmorning snack (10:00am):  banana
• Exercise (11:40am):  Elliptical: 20 min @ Lvl7, figure 4 crunches: 40; leg lifts: 30; situps: 30; bench press : 10 reps @ 95lb, 6 reps @ 115lb; military press: 10 reps @ 40lb, 10 reps @ 51lb; tricep pulldowns: 10 reps @ 40lb, 10 reps @ 52lb; butterfly curls: 2 sets of 10 reps @ 30lb.
• Lunch (12:15pm): Snickers Marathon protein bar
• Afternoon snack (1:45pm):  1/2 bag of 94% fat free popcorn, medium apple, 100cal Girl Scout cookies.Dinner (6:15pm):  rest of Chipotle bowl from yesterday with a few tablespoons of fat free sour cream, 1 cup of baked tortilla chips, 16oz 100% Black Cherry juice
• Evening snack (9:00pm):  2 slices of homemade banana bread w/ a pat of butter, a handful of potato chips, 100cal brownie.

Tuesday

• Breakfast (6:30am):  raisin bran cereal w/ fat free milk.
• Midmorning snack (10:00am):  cherry fruit jerky
• Exercise (11:30am):  Elliptical: 20 min @ Lvl7; figure 4 crunches: 30; leg lifts: 35; situps: 35; curls: 10 reps @ 30lb, 10 reps @ 25lb, 10 reps @ 25lb; shrugs : 3 sets of 15 reps @ 50lb; arm lifts: 10 reps @ 30lb, 10 reps @ 20lb, 10 reps @ 20lb; lat pulldown: 10 reps @ 134lb, 10 reps @ 150lb, 5 reps @ 150lb.
• Lunch (12:45pm): Snickers Marathon protein bar
• Dinner (6:30pm):  Chick-Fil-A Spicy Chicken Wrap (with 1/3 of the dressing), 1 cup baked tortilla chips w/ 1/2 cup of salsa