FatBloggers.net

Cross posted at antimattr.net

Eat Slowly and Mindfully

There are some good benefits to eating slowly and mindfully: when you eat slowly, your brain has time to register that you feel full, and when you eat mindfully, noticing and enjoying every mouthful of food, you feel more satisfied when you’re done eating.

This is a big challenger for me. I’ve been a fast eater all my life, and I tend to go numb and eat mindlessly. This exercise is actually what sparked the renewed interest in Zen for me-all too often I get distracted, lose focus on what I’m actually doing, and drift off into my own thoughts. When I’m eating and this happens, it’s easy to over eat, to feel unsatisfied even though I’ve actually taken in enough sustenance. Part of my goal in sitting zazen every morning is to learn to be mindful of myself, my body and my feelings. My goal for each meal is to slow down, enjoy every bite, and pause every few bites to drink some water, put my utensils down, and be mindful of how full I’m feeling.

I’ve read my response card once so far, and will read it again this afternoon.

I sat down to eat every time, and did eat slowly and mindfully this morning at breakfast.

I gave myself credit for healthy behaviors, specifically for doing 60 minutes on the elliptical even though I really, really didn’t want to, and for taking the time to prepare steel cut oatmeal with blueberries, a tsp of honey and a touch of cinnamon, rather than the chocolate covered donuts my daughter had for breakfast.

I did it. It was a real victory for me to do the speed work. What is speed work? It is a running work out where you go to the track, run 1 or 2 times around at a particular pace. Usually your 5k or 10k race pace. You do it like weight lifting, with reps. I did 6 reps at my 5k pace which was waaay faster than I imagined I could run. My new program calls for more of this type of training because I don’t want to spend all my time running. It is a more specific running program to take advantage of the limited time that I have. Many call these work outs, “quality runs”. In between each 5k pace lap I did push-ups, crunches, and lunges (oh lunges are evil but they are so good for you). It was a very taxing time.

You may be asking yourself, “So what does that picture have to do with this post?” Let me tell you. The track is a little over a mile away from my work. I ran there so when I was done I had a cool down run going back. After my run; I get to my office, gather my stuff, feel around in my pockets and, “Arrgghh, my keys, where I are my keys. I can’t find my keys.” Thus, I put this picture up. I lost my dang keys during my runs. It was 6 pm at this point, fog had rolled in really heavy and it was also dark now. I had to go back track my route with very tired legs to try and find my keys. I walked and walked and walked in dense fog with a flashlight keeping my eyes peeled for the keys. They turned up at the track where I was doing the crunches. Wow, so happy I found them.

As a side note, it was a personal victory for me also that I did not get angry and all pissed off that I had lost my keys. I stayed calm and collected and figured I just needed to back track to find them. This is huge for me. Normally I would have gotten really mad and maybe made an excuse to go eat bad bad yummies. In my mind though I thought I would go out to eat somewhere. My lovely and wonderful wife drove 20 minutes from home just to help me find the keys. I found them by the time she got there so she just drove me back to my work. She had already eaten so I put away the idea of going out to eat. Ended up eating 1 cup of egg beaters, 2 extra thin corn tortillas, 2 pieces of toast, 1 piece of light string cheese, and veggies. Very tasty I must say.

Yes, this is a few day’s late, but our regular WW meeting was cancelled due to icy road conditions (here in Texas, that means lots of accidents as almost nobody knows how to drive on ice; rule of thumb: you can’t). I ended up going to a meeting near work on my lunch hour today.

Now, I know I made that challenge last week and I did track all of my food, but I did not stay within my points. I had failed to recall that our planned weekend trip to Austin would fall during last week. Thus, I was guaranteed to enjoy myself and go beyond my means (points-wise).

As it turns out, I had maintained my exact weight (neither gaining or losing). This I count as a victory as I had done some major overtime this week and they had ordered in thin crust pizza so that I ate it three days in a row. Perhaps if I had chosen more wisely, I might have had a loss this week.

So today I pick up a sandwich at Jimmy John’s for lunch and consume the thing before I checked the points. I had eaten half my daily allowance in that one sandwich (the Beach Club which though it contained turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, bean sprouts and cucumbers, it also contained provolone, avocados and regular mayo). Had I known the points value, I would have eaten half and saved the other for lunch today.

I’m putting my challenge on hiatus for this weekend. Though I am not a sports fan, I have been invited by a very good friend to join them for a Super Bowl party. So, it will not be easy to stay on program and I’m giving myself a week off. I’ll let you know how I do after next week’s weigh-in.

Also, I’m only a few weeks away from taking some updated photos. I’ve taken them at almost exactly every 35 weeks. The last one at week 105, so the next one, week 140, is three weeks away. I hope to see a greater improvement as I’ve been streamlining thanks to all of my running.

Speaking of which, I did a 3 mile run this evening to give me some points for dinner. Not my best time, but I’m keeping it under 34 minutes, which is pretty good for me.

Until next time, Go (insert the name of one of the teams at the Super Bowl that you may have some interest in seeing win)!

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 270.2 lb
Current weight: 270.2 lb
Current loss/gain: -0.0 lb
Total loss/gain: -48.8 lb
Distance to 60: 11.2 lb
Distance to WW Goal: 20.2 lb

Cross-posted to WebCudgel.com

Cross posted at Waste the Waist

You know how on The Biggest Loser, when the person climbs onto the scale for the weigh-in, the numbers tumble up and down while some suspense music swells? I used to sit there and hope for the best for these people. Now I realize that I hope we’re not going to get gasping reaction shots from Jillian or Bob or the other contestants as NBC breaks to commercial. But that’s not the point, the point is the jumble.

My scale gives me the jumble too. As I step up, the numbers roll up and down, teasing me with numbers higher and lower than the day prior. This morning she teased me. Bad. 268.4… 276.3… back and forth, up and down… Finally she settled on 272.0. Hmm.

Two days ago I had my best weigh-in yet. Unfortunately when I got to work, I was invited to lunch by a co-worker. That’s not really the unfortunate part as I do enjoy the social aspects of work. What was unfortunate was that we went to my favorite Chinese food place for lunch. I didn’t get the soda, but I did get the fried lemon chicken with the fried rice. Naughty!!! And yesterday I was at 272.5, up 0.7 pounds from the day prior. So this morning I’ve shed half a pound and I’m feeling better. However, it’s so discouraging in that I’d had big hopes of being in the 260s by tomorrow and it looks to be out of reach now. I’m no longer losing 2+ pounds a day. I’m lucky to lose half a pound. So… hmm. Perhaps I’ll weigh in on Saturday morning? Friday workout is legs and I always burn a huge amount of calories as a result, but I don’t get a good weigh-in on Saturday because I’ve usually gone out Friday night and started my weekend slide.

Gotta work on that. And I need to do a better job of eating healthier when I’m invited out for work lunches. I don’t know that LeeAnn Chin has any good options (the healthiest thing looked to be the Beef and Broccoli, and even that was smothered in gravy and soy), but I can at least order the smaller bowl instead of the larger plate.

So I’m paying for my mistake this week. Damn.

I have been doing very well with my cardio routine of walking/jogging 2 miles 5 days a week. However I felt I needed more. My food intake ( I HATE saying diet) has been going very well, and I have had a lot of extra energy, but my weight loss started to plateau a little bit. Wanting to get a little more use out of the extra energy I decided to start lifting weights… AKA Strength training..

Now I do not know about you all but for me, I was and I still am highly intimidated by all those “Fancy Smancy” machines at the gym. I am afraid I will go there and make a fool out of my self. I have yet to actually sit down and try to use one…. However…. in place of those I have picked up dumbbells instead… I have read that most athletes prefer dumbbells to the “machines” as well. With dumbbells you can exercise specific parts of the body you want to focus on…

For me this was great I researched what kind of areas I wanted to work on, like Legs, Chests, Shoulders, Back, and finally arms ( I WANT GUNS ), and found associated routines for those specific areas. This is a very handy site you can use to find specific Dumbbell exercises with nice little animations.

If this is something you are interested in the next thing you have to do is set a routine out. You do not want to keep working on the same thing(s) daily as it can become painful, and you will not let your body rest when it needs to recover. In my blog I sat down and worked out a routine that works for me and I have been using it for almost 2 weeks now. I have seen great results, in weight loss, and I have to admit my arms are firming up quite nicely

Finally I wanted to touch on two things. First thing, is if you are motivated to start strength training start out easy. Yeah I know you can lift 30lbs weights but try 20 at first and work you way up to that over a course of a few days. You do not want to injure yourself. The other thing I wanted to touch on is that if you are Gym shy ( I still am ) you can pick up a pair of dumbbells(what ever weight you are comfortable with) at stores like wal-mart real cheap and do these exercises in your home.

Happy training!!!!!!!

Last night I still wanted to eat those darn kettle chips. A special person from the WW message boards recommended that I get the baked Kettle chips instead. She posted the cals., fat, fiber. Very helpful and encouraging person. So I got some last night and I think I made a big step towards health, at least in my own mind. Instead of getting the fully fried kind that I really wanted in the full sized bag, I did something different. I bought the baked ones in a personal sized bag. This to me was a balanced effort to eat what I wanted yet stay on the healthier side of things too. So here I am, eating my wonderful snack. It amounted to 7 points. Another amazing thing is that I only ate 3/4 of the bag and gave the rest to my wife. By the way, these chips beat the pants off of baked lays because they are actual potato slices rather than compressed mashed potatoes.

I had a wonderful run last night too. I did 6 miles at a 8:51 pace. That is pretty good for me. My new training program calls for more pace work to enhance my fitness instead of all loooooooooooooooooong slow running. Long slow running got me in the shape that I am in and it is a great base, but as you know, I want more balance. I don’t want to run for 14 hours a week anymore. The program will get me in shape for my races in a little different fashion.

Other than the chips, my eating went well. I used 11 of my extra 35 points after eating my dinner and some popsicles. Over all it was a good WW day and night.

I have been the same weight the last two weeks which is just a pound up from the week before that. I have been so busy traveling, doing church stuff, and trying to get on top of my school work, that I have put little effort into eating right and working out. I do what I can, but I am pleased with only 1 pound gained in these two weeks. I am starting to work on the Couch to 5k again and doing better each workout when it comes to cardio. I just need to be more consistent and I’ll be doing well. I have much work to get done, so I’m gonna keep this brief.

Starting Weight (Nov. 17, 2008): 280 lbs.
Starting BMI: 39
Weight Last Weigh in: (Jan. 12, 2009) 274.5 lbs.
Weight Today (Jan. 26, 2009): 275.5 lbs.
Current BMI: 38.5

Weight Change This Week: +1 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 4.5 pounds
Goal Streak: 0 week in a row
NEXT GOAL: 255 lbs. (20.5 lbs. to go)

Cross Posted at Losing Inspiration

I haven’t had a lot to say lately. Not because I’m slipping, or giving up or fallen off a wagon or something. I just haven’t felt like talking. I’ve always said, “Don’t talk just for the sake of talking.”, and I don’t want to blog for the same reason. Maybe tomorrow or the next day, but for now, I’m just feeling down and out, but I haven’t given up on anything. I just don’t feel like talking right now. Please know that I appreciate all of your support and I will always give it to you, I just haven’t felt right lately and I apologize.
Enjoy the Journey and Keep Moving!

I thought of this post while I was doing my long run a couple of weeks ago. I think this every time I go running to my favorite park. There are always a lot of people exercising on this park’s trail. A lot of people who are just starting their journey go here to get their activity in because it is so beautiful. This is a very different post than normal but it is still on topic. It is the conversation I have in my mind with the over weight person who I pass as we cross each others path and make eye contact. So here it goes.

Hey, isn’t it great that us fat people are out here getting it done (I am looking jolly at this moment)Why won’t you look at me? We are out here doing the same thing for the same reason. We are both overweight and think we a fat. Oh yeah, I am not fat anymore. Maybe that’s why you don’t really want to make eye contact with me. You try, but you turn away so fast. I feel bad because you look embarrassed when you don’t need to. I know how you feel though. It is funny since you have no idea that I have lost 130 lbs and used to be even bigger than you are. I wish I could make you understand. I wish I could stop you and tell you not to be shy and ashamed, but to be proud. I am proud of you. You are out here. I know it is hard and it might even be hurting right now, but you are moving. Great job. Soon, you will be like me. You will be the one that people think have always been thin and for that reason they think that you think they are fat and gross. But you won’t think like that right? You will remember what I see in your eyes right at this very moment where we glimpse at each other. I hope you can remember and have compassion when you reach your goal. Right now, you have sadness in your eyes. That heaviness that is present when you look at the vast amount of weight you are trying to lose. I see that you are afraid of what I think and afraid that you are not doing enough. I think you are doing fine. Please don’t look at me with that look of, “Don’t look at me buddy. You have never been fat. You don’t understand.” I do understand, can’t you see it in my eyes.

This is how it is so many times when I run by face to face with people on that trail. I know the look in their eye because I had that look in my eye before too. I only hope that they can see the compassion and understanding in mine.

I can see it in your eyes, but can you see it in mine?

Perseverance: To keep at something in spite of difficulties, opposition, or discouragement (Websters).

Throughout my journey, I have learned that this simple little trait can bring a person further than ever imaginable. This word is in every aspect of what we are trying to achieve in our bodies, minds, and emotions. It may take time to loss the weight and get healthy, but if you can just hold and persevere YOU WILL MAKE IT!

Here are some examples of cross-roads that I reached (we all reach)during my own journey when perseverance took me through.

Weight loss

I was afraid to start: I had to overcome serious mental and emotional barriers to just get started. We all have them. The fears that we won’t succeed or that if we do it will all be gained back.
I fell off the wagon (in other words, I chowed down)- To most of us, this can be devastating. We feel guilty and say things like, “Oh dang, I’ll just start again Monday.” or “I just can’t do this, I knew I couldn’t do it.” During these times I just jumped right back up and started right then and there with my program. I still felt guilty, depressed, and lacked motivation, but getting up from a fall as soon as possible is all we need to do.
I was doing great but I still gained/didn’t lose: Hey, we are on a journey. Lets say you gain 2 lbs in a week and you are going to live healthy for years to come. This 2 lb gain is just a blip on the radar. A pebble in the road. So I moved on, stuck to my plan. Our bodies react and adjust, it takes time.
Running/Exercise

I could hardly do any exercise and I was embarrassed: When I started I could only ride a stationary bike for 12 minutes. Now, I can run a 50 mile ultra marathon without stopping. It took me about 11 1/2 hours. It’s ok to start out small because with a little perseverance and time you will transform yourself into a strong and healthy person.
I wanted to give up and quit: Ultra-marathons taught me so much about life and weight loss. When you run for 7-12 hours straight you go through many emotional ups and downs. It hurts, you want to quit, I think you can’t make it, you get discouraged. But you know what, you can actually just keep going. Sure, all that hurt and discouragement is real, but it has nothing to do with being able to take one step after the other. I learned that I could keep going regardless of feelings.
I quesioned myself as to whether I could even be a runner:I was till pretty fat when I started to run. I had 70 more lbs to lose. When I finally made it to my first marathon and saw that there were people way bigger than me way ahead of me, I realized anyone can run. It was hard, but I just kept going. Two miles, then 3, 4, 5, etc. all the way to 50. Persevering with one foot in front of the other.
The great thing about perseverance is that EVERYONE HAS IT! Think about all the things you have persevered in. We get masters degrees, stay married for 20 years, get promotions in our jobs, lose weight, take care of our kids even if our spouse isn’t there, we start businesses, we move on, we make good, we don’t stop, we keep going.

We all have it in us. I am not trying to sound like a motivational speaker either. This is just so true. I didn’t know it or didn’t believe it before, but now I do. So what did perseverance do for me? I lost 133lbs total, kept it off for over a year, went from 12 minutes on a bike to 11 hrs and 47 minutes of running non-stop, I went from eating the whole large pizza to eating only 2 pieces. It is possible. NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER STOP!