Wow, I really am shocked with the results of this last weigh in. I expected my Thanksgiving feast to have an impact but I never would have imagined this. Plus I also enjoyed a pumpkin pie shake from Jack in the Box last night with my kids. I figured a large was a bad idea but they are just so darn good. I guess that is why this is kind of unexpected. I have lost another four pounds since the 20th! Had I known that eating copious amounts of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, pie, and shakes was the secret to weight loss I would have started sooner!
I am kidding of course. The truth is that between the few acts of legendary feasting I was very careful with my diet the rest of the time. Like many things in life, balance seems to be the key. If you do something excessive one day then you simply adjust for it later on. I personally believe that just as your daily caloric intake should be monitored so should your weekly caloric intake. If you exceed one day, take it easy the next.
One other thing that may be helping is I started taking vitamins again. I am sure that there are times when my diet lacks certain essential vitamins (vitamin C comes to mind) and so hopefully this helps in some small way. What do you think? Should vitamins continue to be a part of my routine? Let me know in the comments section below.
Total weight loss to date stands at ten pounds. I now weigh 340 pounds. Nothing to be proud of but it is progress. Losing weight truly has to be a lifestyle change. Slow and steady will hopefully win the race. I need to lose another 141 pounds to be below two hundred. Lets do this!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
Black Friday
Today is Black Friday. People can save quite a bit or money by taking advantage of sale prices at various retailers. Whether shopping at brick and mortar stores or online retailers many of the exceptional sales apply to video game related items. Often times great value can be found on game consoles, gaming accessories, and the actual games as well.
This can be quite overwhelming to anyone who does not know where to start. Many retailers will set up a special Black Friday page on their retail website. I recommend visiting http://bfads.net which provides links to retailers' Black Friday and Thanksgiving weekend sales. When going to brick and mortar stores remember to be safe as people do get a little crazy at times. Good luck!
This can be quite overwhelming to anyone who does not know where to start. Many retailers will set up a special Black Friday page on their retail website. I recommend visiting http://bfads.net which provides links to retailers' Black Friday and Thanksgiving weekend sales. When going to brick and mortar stores remember to be safe as people do get a little crazy at times. Good luck!
Thanksgiving Bloat Gut
Thanksgiving is one of the few times per year that we are allowed to eat ourselves into a food induced coma. I was graciously invited to spend Thanksgiving with some friends. It has been a while since I have had such wonderfully prepared food. They really did a wonderful job and I am so blessed and thankful to have friends like these to spend this holiday with.
Unfortunately, because everything was so good I did eat more than I had originally intended. I opted for both seconds and pie later on. So, this just means that I will have to take it easy for a while which I have had no trouble doing since I am still feeling full even a day later.
Thanks to the family that brought me into their home to share a wonderful Thanksgiving day with them. Words can not express how much it means to me.
Unfortunately, because everything was so good I did eat more than I had originally intended. I opted for both seconds and pie later on. So, this just means that I will have to take it easy for a while which I have had no trouble doing since I am still feeling full even a day later.
Thanks to the family that brought me into their home to share a wonderful Thanksgiving day with them. Words can not express how much it means to me.
Thanksgiving Halo
I have finally completed the Halo 2 campaign on Heroic difficulty this Thanksgiving day. The end was a bit of a challenge and so it should be very interesting when I get to the end of the game on Legendary difficulty. I have beaten the game on every difficulty now except for Legendary. I enjoy playing games through on all the difficulties to see how the developers increased the level of difficulty. Did they simply increase the number of enemies, make the enemies stronger, or a combination of both?
Now that I am finally working on Legendary I may soon be able to put Halo 2 down and move on to the next game in my list. Then again, I was working on Heroic for a very long time and from what I hear Legendary will be a huge challenge. I am told that the Legendary difficulty of Halo 2 is the most challenging of any of the other Halo games. Since I really only watched the opening cinematic and played some of the first stage this is hard for me to judge. If it is as difficult as I am told, then I may be playing this for the next year. Have any of you completed Halo 2 on Legendary?
Now that I am finally working on Legendary I may soon be able to put Halo 2 down and move on to the next game in my list. Then again, I was working on Heroic for a very long time and from what I hear Legendary will be a huge challenge. I am told that the Legendary difficulty of Halo 2 is the most challenging of any of the other Halo games. Since I really only watched the opening cinematic and played some of the first stage this is hard for me to judge. If it is as difficult as I am told, then I may be playing this for the next year. Have any of you completed Halo 2 on Legendary?
Black Friday
Today is Black Friday. People can save quite a bit or money by taking advantage of sale prices at various retailers. Whether shopping at brick and mortar stores or online retailers many of the exceptional sales apply to technology related items. Often times great value can be found on television sets, computers, tablets, smart phones and the like.
This can be quite overwhelming to anyone who does not know where to start. Many retailers will set up a special Black Friday page on their retail website. I recommend visiting http://bfads.net/ which provides links to retailers' Black Friday and Thanksgiving weekend sales. When going to brick and mortar stores remember to be safe as people do get a little crazy at times. Good luck!
This can be quite overwhelming to anyone who does not know where to start. Many retailers will set up a special Black Friday page on their retail website. I recommend visiting http://bfads.net/ which provides links to retailers' Black Friday and Thanksgiving weekend sales. When going to brick and mortar stores remember to be safe as people do get a little crazy at times. Good luck!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
The Right Direction
Hello friends. Today is November 20th, 2012 and I owe you a weigh in. Today I am back headed in the right direction after my last post detailed a two pound weight gain. When I weighed in this morning I was happy to see that I have lost another pound. My total weight now stands at 344 pounds.
I have read many times that healthy weight loss is between one to two pounds per week. In two days it will be one month since I started this journey and total weight loss to date stands at six pounds. That number is probably about right given the amount of time I have been at this. I am sure that I could achieve much higher numbers by going to extremes but when I have done that in the past I usually gain it all back plus more. I do not want to do that this time.
There is not much else to report. Except perhaps that I have not done anything in the way of activity like walking. Every time I have had a night without my kids I have had side work. I need the extra work so I am not complaining at all. As soon as things settle down a bit I will start walking.
The next weigh in will be on November 25th. Just 145 pounds to go to be below two hundred. Thanks again to everyone following this blog and your words of encouragement. I cannot describe how much it means to me. If I have anything to share between now and the 25th I will be sure to post it so check back as often as you like. At the very least, you can expect the usual weigh in update on the 25th. Goodbye for now.
I have read many times that healthy weight loss is between one to two pounds per week. In two days it will be one month since I started this journey and total weight loss to date stands at six pounds. That number is probably about right given the amount of time I have been at this. I am sure that I could achieve much higher numbers by going to extremes but when I have done that in the past I usually gain it all back plus more. I do not want to do that this time.
There is not much else to report. Except perhaps that I have not done anything in the way of activity like walking. Every time I have had a night without my kids I have had side work. I need the extra work so I am not complaining at all. As soon as things settle down a bit I will start walking.
The next weigh in will be on November 25th. Just 145 pounds to go to be below two hundred. Thanks again to everyone following this blog and your words of encouragement. I cannot describe how much it means to me. If I have anything to share between now and the 25th I will be sure to post it so check back as often as you like. At the very least, you can expect the usual weigh in update on the 25th. Goodbye for now.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Xbox Live Turns 10 - Free Game Wreckateer
Today, November 15th, the Xbox Live service turns 10 and to celebrate they are offering savings on select games. In addition, you can also pick up a free copy of Wreckateer. This is a Kinect game in which you use your body and a catapult to wreck castles. I will provide updated feedback on the game once I have played it a bit more. For now, grab your free copy while you still can. It will probably only be free today.
Two Steps Back
Today is November 15th and this is weigh in day. This time the numbers were not in line with my goal as the title of this post suggests. I have gained back two pounds.
I had a feeling this might happen. As I mentioned in a previous blog post I was sick a couple of days and felt that it had contributed to my weight loss. I also did a few other things that I knew might have a negative impact on my goal. I am referring to eating out and going to the movies where I shared a soda and candy with my kids. This reinforces that I need to be very careful with my diet.
I said I would be honest with the soda consumption so here is another confession. I did steal a drink of my daughter's soda last night just to see if she would notice. It is kind of funny, my kids have been really supportive but also tough on me. They are not going to let me cheat. Which kind of makes me feel guilty for swiping that drink. That is a good thing.
I have to admit that I am a little bit disappointed. However, I have said many times I recognize that this will not happen quickly. Tempering my expectations helps some when I run into a set back like this. It is time to add walking to the mix. On nights when I do not have my kids I will start to walk and see how things go from there. I enjoy walking and the cool temperatures will be a plus. This is one of the positive things about living in Arizona. While many regions are freezing at this time of year I get to enjoy cool walks at night.
To summarize where I currently stand I am now only down five pounds with 146 more to go to be below two hundred. Time to step it up! Thanks to all of you for your support and words of encouragement. It really is appreciated.
I had a feeling this might happen. As I mentioned in a previous blog post I was sick a couple of days and felt that it had contributed to my weight loss. I also did a few other things that I knew might have a negative impact on my goal. I am referring to eating out and going to the movies where I shared a soda and candy with my kids. This reinforces that I need to be very careful with my diet.
I said I would be honest with the soda consumption so here is another confession. I did steal a drink of my daughter's soda last night just to see if she would notice. It is kind of funny, my kids have been really supportive but also tough on me. They are not going to let me cheat. Which kind of makes me feel guilty for swiping that drink. That is a good thing.
I have to admit that I am a little bit disappointed. However, I have said many times I recognize that this will not happen quickly. Tempering my expectations helps some when I run into a set back like this. It is time to add walking to the mix. On nights when I do not have my kids I will start to walk and see how things go from there. I enjoy walking and the cool temperatures will be a plus. This is one of the positive things about living in Arizona. While many regions are freezing at this time of year I get to enjoy cool walks at night.
To summarize where I currently stand I am now only down five pounds with 146 more to go to be below two hundred. Time to step it up! Thanks to all of you for your support and words of encouragement. It really is appreciated.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Full Disclosure
I promised to be honest on this blog and I stand by that. Today I did split a large Pepsi with my kids at the theater while we watched Wreck-It Ralph. I also had some candy. Maybe it is not a big deal but I do want to be completely honest whenever I do something like that. In the beginning I said that my relationship with soda was over...and it is.
Before I started this blog I would have soda throughout the entire day. It was almost all that I ever drank. This was the first soda I had since 10/22 and to be honest it was nothing special. In some ways, it tends to reinforce my willpower that I can live without it.
Wreck-It Ralph was a good movie by the way. If you are a gamer you will recognize all sorts of game related references but even if you are not it is an enjoyable movie.
I am back to business as usual now. No more soda, no more candy, and no more Mexican restaurants for quite some time. Please leave me your thoughts on this post. Did I fail or is it alright to indulge once in while?
Before I started this blog I would have soda throughout the entire day. It was almost all that I ever drank. This was the first soda I had since 10/22 and to be honest it was nothing special. In some ways, it tends to reinforce my willpower that I can live without it.
Wreck-It Ralph was a good movie by the way. If you are a gamer you will recognize all sorts of game related references but even if you are not it is an enjoyable movie.
I am back to business as usual now. No more soda, no more candy, and no more Mexican restaurants for quite some time. Please leave me your thoughts on this post. Did I fail or is it alright to indulge once in while?
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Cold Day In Arizona
Today was cold by Arizona standards. As I write this it is 53 degrees outside. This is my favorite time of year in Arizona. The weather is just perfect. The high tomorrow is expected to be 61 with a low of 39. I love it! The days are still sunny but the temperature is just right.
On to the business at hand. It is November 10th and this is weigh in day. I was sick a couple of days this week and I think that helped contribute to me losing another pound. My current weight stands at 343 pounds. At least it did this morning. I took my kids out to eat tonight at a Mexican restaurant called Macayos. I probably gained two pounds just from that meal alone. At least I only drank water and not soda. I will just have to make up for it by taking it easy on the calories for the next few days.
I have been drinking ice tea with sugar and stevia. It tastes really good. It reminds me of the sweet tea we would drink as kids that mom used to make. I mean that mom used to make us make. Hopefully she does not read that last comment.
To summarize my progress so far I have lost seven pounds total and need to drop another 144 pounds to reach the goal of weighing in below two hundred. My next weigh in will be November 15th. Let's see if eating at Macayos hurt my goal. Later!
On to the business at hand. It is November 10th and this is weigh in day. I was sick a couple of days this week and I think that helped contribute to me losing another pound. My current weight stands at 343 pounds. At least it did this morning. I took my kids out to eat tonight at a Mexican restaurant called Macayos. I probably gained two pounds just from that meal alone. At least I only drank water and not soda. I will just have to make up for it by taking it easy on the calories for the next few days.
I have been drinking ice tea with sugar and stevia. It tastes really good. It reminds me of the sweet tea we would drink as kids that mom used to make. I mean that mom used to make us make. Hopefully she does not read that last comment.
To summarize my progress so far I have lost seven pounds total and need to drop another 144 pounds to reach the goal of weighing in below two hundred. My next weigh in will be November 15th. Let's see if eating at Macayos hurt my goal. Later!
Monday, November 5, 2012
I Plead The Fifth!
Just kidding. I tried to make a joke given that today is the fifth of November. That means today is official weigh in day! So today my weight was kind of borderline so I weighed three times. Two times I weighed 344 and once the scale read 345. Lousy scale! We will go with the 344 given that it happened twice.
I have been doing better with not eating out. Last time I reported that I was struggling with it but things are better now. I went out and bought a lot of groceries so I should be set for a while. It is typically when I run out that I feel the most pressure to grab something quick like fast food.
So something else came up this last week that I thought was kind of interesting. Remember how I said in one of my previous posts that I was not even tempted by soda anymore? Well, I have been wanting to see the new Disney movie Wreck-It Ralph and as I was contemplating when I might be able to go and how much it would cost I automatically factored in the cost of a soda. I know they are outrageously expensive at the theater but the thought of seeing a movie without a soda was a bit of a downer. I don't know why, but whenever I go to see a movie at a theater I always like to have a soda. Interesting how two separate things can be linked like that in one's mind.
I am also going to try something different at the urging of one of my friends. This friend suggests that I not use Splenda in the ice tea. So I have decided to try a low calorie alternative in the form of C&H All Natural Sugar and Stevia mix. It does have calories but at least it is all natural right? I guess I will find out how it works soon. I just used all of my Splenda and so I will let you know in a future blog post how this other option works out.
So overall I am now down six pounds. 145 more pounds to go to be below two hundred. The next weigh in will be on November 10th. If I do not post anything sooner, I will post then. Take care everyone!
I have been doing better with not eating out. Last time I reported that I was struggling with it but things are better now. I went out and bought a lot of groceries so I should be set for a while. It is typically when I run out that I feel the most pressure to grab something quick like fast food.
So something else came up this last week that I thought was kind of interesting. Remember how I said in one of my previous posts that I was not even tempted by soda anymore? Well, I have been wanting to see the new Disney movie Wreck-It Ralph and as I was contemplating when I might be able to go and how much it would cost I automatically factored in the cost of a soda. I know they are outrageously expensive at the theater but the thought of seeing a movie without a soda was a bit of a downer. I don't know why, but whenever I go to see a movie at a theater I always like to have a soda. Interesting how two separate things can be linked like that in one's mind.
I am also going to try something different at the urging of one of my friends. This friend suggests that I not use Splenda in the ice tea. So I have decided to try a low calorie alternative in the form of C&H All Natural Sugar and Stevia mix. It does have calories but at least it is all natural right? I guess I will find out how it works soon. I just used all of my Splenda and so I will let you know in a future blog post how this other option works out.
So overall I am now down six pounds. 145 more pounds to go to be below two hundred. The next weigh in will be on November 10th. If I do not post anything sooner, I will post then. Take care everyone!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
October 2012 Wrap Up
The month of October has come to a close and with it, the first chapter of my weight loss journey. As I suspected there was no additional weight loss since the weigh in on October 30th. I still weigh 345 pounds although I did weigh four times; two read 345 and two read 344 but when in doubt I go with the high number.
I need to be careful. I have found myself eating out a bit more frequently. I always go with something cheap and therefore not substantial but it is a habit that I do not want to fall back into. I am confident that I am not exceeding my calorie goals for the day but I would rather not eat fast food. Curse the convenience and the fact that they are located on every street corner!
So, here is the wrap up for October 2012: (This is for you Jewels...bullets!!!)
I need to be careful. I have found myself eating out a bit more frequently. I always go with something cheap and therefore not substantial but it is a habit that I do not want to fall back into. I am confident that I am not exceeding my calorie goals for the day but I would rather not eat fast food. Curse the convenience and the fact that they are located on every street corner!
So, here is the wrap up for October 2012: (This is for you Jewels...bullets!!!)
- Total weight loss to date: 5 pounds
- Total weight loss this year: 5 pounds
- Total weight loss October 2012: 5 pounds
- Total weight still to lose: 146 pounds
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