FatBloggers.net A little push to lose the tush.

Seems I’m finally getting somewhere. Though I have not started the workouts with the workout buddy, I have started pushing myself to exercise anyway. Yesterday and today at lunch, I did a 2.2 mile walk in about 40 minutes. Today’s walk was tougher than Monday’s because I went a different route that turned out to have a larger number of inclines.

Hopefully, tomorrow, I’ll be working out with Jason and exploring new levels of pain. I’m looking forward to it because I could never make myself do it, but to have someone else encouraging me will make it easier. At least I keep telling myself that; I’ll let you know more when I finally experience it.

As for food, I’ve been making myself take my lunch more. I prepared a few meals ahead of time on Sunday so I didn’t have to think about it or rush off without it because I’m late and then buy fast food I don’t need to have.

I’ve also started pushing myself to write down what I eat and plan on posting my meal “plan” next weigh-in. This will have an limiting effect on my choices. After all, if I don’t want you to see something on that meal plan, then I have to decide not to eat it. So I just might skip that donut at work, because I know I’ll have to tell you guys too.

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 287.6 lb
Current weight: 285.2 lb
Current loss/gain: -2.4 lb
Total loss/gain: -33.8 lb
Distance to 50: 16.2 lb
Distance to WW Goal: 35.2 lb

Cross-posted to WebCudgel.com

Recipe of the Week:  Easy Mexican Rice

• 1 can Rotel tomatoes (undrained)
• 1 can corn (undrained)
• 1 can black or kidney beans (undrained)
• 1 cup brown rice
• Season to taste (I used cumin and fajita seasoning)

Pour everything into a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce to low and let simmer covered for about 10 minutes or until rice is done.  Makes 4-6 servings.  If you are on Weight-Watchers, the recipe is core for those on the core plan.

For my entire adult life I have believed that Catholics were required to fast on Fridays during Lent. I found out this weekend that I was wrong. As you can imagine this was quite a shock.

In my mid 20’s when I was really eating bad, I used to go out at midnight on Fridays during lent so I could eat, because I had such bad cravings during the day. Turns out all that self-sacrifice was for nothing.

This revelation brought up an interesting discussion between my mother and I this weekend.

My mom is a grazer. She eats a little something pretty much every 2 hours all day long.

I am a faster. I eat three meals a day with very few snacks in between.

My mom feels, as do many experts, that eating small meals all day long is a great way to keep your appetite and cravings in check, along with keeping your metabolism up.

I used to be a grazer. Problem was I couldn’t limit myself to a few small snacks. Every time I ate I had to over do it. Instead of a fun size snickers or a handful of grapes, I needed two king size candy bars and an ice cream sandwich.

That is why I have settled into my fasting. By avoiding most snacking, I have eliminated the “over doing it” impulse…for the most part.

I’m curious about the rest of you. Are you Fasters or Grazers or somewhere in between?

And does anybody have a personal strategy that works for cutting down on the “over doing it” with snacks?

found a great list of fifty easy ways to lose weight. there are quite a few really good things in there, some of my favorites:

53. Passionately kiss your partner 10 times a day. According to the 1991 Kinsey Institute New Report on Sex, a passionate kiss burns 6.4 calories per minute. Ten minutes a day of kissing equates to about 23,000 calories — or eight pounds — a year!

13. Serve your dinner restaurant style (food on the plates) rather than family style (food served in bowls and on platters on the table). When your plate is empty, you’re finished; there’s no reaching for seconds.

18. Avoid white foods. There is some scientific legitimacy to today’s lower-carb diets: Large amounts of simple carbohydrates from white flour and added sugar can wreak havoc on your blood sugar and lead to weight gain. But you shouldn’t toss out the baby with the bathwater. While avoiding sugar, white rice, and white flour, you should eat plenty of whole grain breads and brown rice. One Harvard study of 74,000 women found that those who ate more than two daily servings of whole grains were 49 percent less likely to be overweight than those who ate the white stuff.

25. Eat slowly and calmly. Put your fork or spoon down between every bite. Sip water frequently. Intersperse your eating with stories for your dining partner of the amusing things that happened during your day. Your brain lags your stomach by about 20 minutes when it comes to satiety (fullness) signals. If you eat slowly enough, your brain will catch up to tell you that you are no longer in need of food.

26. Eat only when you hear your stomach growling. It’s stunning how often we eat out of boredom, nervousness, habit, or frustration — so often, in fact, that many of us have actually forgotten what physical hunger feels like. Next time, wait until your stomach is growling before you reach for food. If you’re hankering for a specific food, it’s probably a craving, not hunger. If you’d eat anything you could get your hands on, chances are you’re truly hungry.

the whole thing is well worth a read, so go check it out.

[cross-blogged at ...love is the movement]

i was thinking i would share some tips on how to eat healthy, and still be able to live on a budget. listen, it’s no secret that it costs more to eat healthy, even more if you a loony like me and prefer organic/fair trade/local foods. nevertheless, it is possible to have a semi-quick, healthy, and cheap dinner.

i don’t claim to be an expert. what will follow in this post and furthers posts, are really just what i’ve found to work for us. i would imagine they’d work for you too, but i don’t presume to know what’s best for you.

first, something about my life you must understand. my wife and i have a strict seventy-five dollar a week food budget. so everything we do must fit under that. that even includes dog and cat food, cleaning supplies, and bathroom items. so we are starting to get really good at fitting things in our budget and making the most of what we have. most of my friends and family are pretty astonished when i tell them how little we spend on groceries, and even more so when i tell them we don’t even shop at a discount grocery store.

so lets get this five part series started.

one - buy in bulk, use your freezer
this can apply to many different household items, but i’m focusing mainly here on meats. ryanne and i look for great deals on meats that have gone on clearance (this generally means it’s been sitting on their shelf too long). we both prefer poultry and pork to beef, and when possible we buy all-natural or even organic grade. we’ll usually buy a couple large “family” packs of chicken or boneless pork chops once every four-six weeks or so. the last time we purchased meat, we bought a bag of huge chicken breasts (each cut is big enough for a serving of meat for each of us), and a pack of i think 12 pork chops, and spent roughly fourteen - eighteen dollars combined for the both of them.

the next trick, is to prepare as soon as you get home. we individually wrap and season for a meal. meaning, we’ll take a chicken breast (or two pork loins), put them in a freezer bag with some marinade (we’re experimenting now with mrs. dash, which is a sodium free variety of marinade… the first one we tried we didn’t like), seal it, and place them in the freezer as soon as we get home from the grocery store. now, all you need to do for a meal is take what you need out of the freezer, get a vegetable (we generally go with frozen corn, broccoli, or green beans), and it’s pretty much a meal for the two of us. we also either grill everything, or cook it on our george foreman grill to further reduce fat content.

generally speaking, and i’m not kidding here, these dinners are not only filling but almost always come in at well under 500 calories, even if we add some sort of bread to the meal. this really helps at the end of the day, when you are just forced to eat some ice cream to get your full calorie intake for the day. those days REALLY suck (note: sarcasm).
[cross-blogged on ...love is the movement]

We’re halfway through January, but this is really the first weekend I’ve had a chance to sit down and do any reflecting about the previous year and give some thought to this new one.  Weight loss highlighted 2007 for me, and although I’m returning to a dieting mode right now, I’d like to focus more on health and well-being this year.  Losing weight was just the start.  Some health dragons I would like to keep at bay include:

• Enjoying eating without overindulging.  Just finding that balance seems to be so difficult for me.
• Regular exercise.  I hate going to a gym, and would rather do something outside.  Makes it really difficult for me this time of the year.  I’m definitely looking forward to better weather when I can get on my bike again.
• Maintaining positive outlook.  The events of the last two years or so have taken it’s toll on my own emotional well-being, but I believe I’ve been able to get a handle on that.  Being happier has done wonders for my motivation to get and stay healthy. In fact, it’s proving to be the key factor in my own physical health. 

For so many reasons, I’m looking forward to a great 2008. 

What kind of health goals do you have for this upcoming year?

You know that sometimes you’ll hit the scale and you expect to see your weight go up. Well, that was me this week and I was in for a small surprise. I lost 0.4 pounds this week. I think that is pretty darn good considering that large margarita I had last night at Don Pablo’s. Still I had the Mama’s skinny enchiladas and talked Amy out of the queso and got the guacamole instead.

One of the suggestions from Weight-Watchers when eating out is to “stop, rest and assess”. This means that about halfway through your meal, put your fork/spoon/chopsticks down, wait a few minutes and assess your level of hunger. If you’re full, stop completely, otherwise, you should probably continue. I managed to do that at Don Pablo’s without consciously trying. I was about 2/3 through the enchiladas when I realized I didn’t want any more. I never ate the last enchilada and just left it on my plate. That was an empowering feeling.

However, as noted in my previous post on my personal blog, I have also been busy around the house and that can make a difference in what the scale shows. Especially when I usually only have two meals when home from work and I had Sunday and Tuesday at home to hang stuff, vacuum, and generally help in cleaning up around here.

I’m gonna work harder at this, because I want to post losses every week, not just every week or so.

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 286.2 lb
Current weight: 285.8 lb
Current loss/gain: -0.4 lb
Total loss/gain: -33.2 lb

Cross-posted in WebCudgel.com

I am currently living in Christmas treat-hell.

Right now there are several dozen decorated/frosted Christmas cookies sitting just feet away from me. I know that there are buckets of fudge, peanut butter/chocolate balls, chocolate dipped pretzels in the freezer. Currently, my lovely bride is busy in the kitchen making caramel popcorn.

I have hinted, asked, pleaded and said some pretty mean things in order to prevent this circumstance. I would be happy if it could be dialed back a couple sweet decadent notches.

Why does she hate me?

We enjoy some very good, local microbrews here in the Pacific Northwest.  Oregon is home to some excellent ones, and it seems most of them have their own brand of a holiday brew this time of the year.  My personal favorite right now is the Full Sail Wassail from Full Sail Brewing, just down the road in Hood River.  A few others that are recommended:

• Jubelale from Deschutes Brewery
• Snow Plow from Widmer Brothers
• Santa’s Private Reserve from Rogue Brewing

And remember fellow Watchers of the Waist, most of these beers are about 3 Weight Watchers points, so don’t feel bad about pouring one into a tall, frosty glass as you wait for the Big Guy on Christmas Eve.  Moderation is a good thing ANY time of the year. 

Merry Christmas to you all–hope yours is the best yet.

What’s your beverage of choice this time of the year?

A funny… courtesy of an email from my Sister-in-law

Yesterday I went to the doctor for my yearly physical.

My blood pressure was high, my cholesterol was high, I’d gained some weight, and I didn’t feel so hot.

My doctor said eating right doesn’t have to to be complicated and it would solve my physical problems.

He said just think in colors…

Fill your plate with bright colors…

greens

yellows

reds

etc.

I went right home and ate an entire bowl of…

Up until now this whole weight loss thing has been pretty smooth sailing for me. I’ve worked really hard and been fortunate to have 11 straight weeks of losses. This weekend turned out to be my first major gale. I know it’s something you have all gone through.

This weekend I made the decision to stop worrying about my calories and enjoy myself for the weekend. A rational decision after 11 weeks of counting every little calorie. I was on vacation after all. Unfortunately, giving myself permission to stop counting calories some how translated into giving myself permission to stop working out and to stop watching what I eat.

I ended up gaining back the three pounds that I lost last week. And it is looking very likely that I am going to have my first gain in 11 weeks.

I am not so worried about how much I ate this weekend. In the grand scheme of things it wasn’t horrible. I didn’t sneak snacks or eat any more than everyone else. I even made a few smart decisions (Turkey brats instead of regular, etc.)

I’m not even that worried about the possibility of a gain.. beyond being disappointed at breaking my 11 week streak.

I had a great weekend with my family and I didn’t let the weight gain ruin it!

Here are the two things that really worry me.

1. After feeding my body at something approaching my old rate of calorie consumption, my body is seriously joensing for more, more, more. I am having cravings like I haven’t had for nearly two months now. I hope that getting back on routine this week will help settle things down, but it was a challenge not to break down and sneak a snack or two on my solo trip to the grocery store on Sunday.

2. It was way to easy to not go out for my run on Saturday and Sunday. Sure the weather was lousy, but I had plenty of opportunities to get out and walk and I didn’t take them. Instead I sat around watching TV all day.

I thought I was beyond this point. I thought it would be harder to back slide than it turned out to be. And that is what really scares me.

If I am someone who is truly addicted to food, then my vigilance will need to be a life time thing. It is not something I will be cured of after I get to my goal weight. I had started to think that I was invincible to food. I got cocky and now food has put me back in my place.

So we start over, get back on routine and hopefully take heart in the lesson learned: I have a long way to go!

Tony
8/21: 242.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
22.4 lbs. to go