No Coke Zone

Things have been doing pretty well, but I thought I'd make a quick update.

My last few weeks have been mega-busy with work, the kids, and the Super Hero Dash race that I put on.  I'm glad to say it's over, and we had a great time raising money for a good cause.  Part of that meant a lot of work online, and that time took away from me posting on this blog.  The good news is, I'm still cranking it out, my calories are going strong and I'm at 38 days in a row of consistent logging of my calories.

I am also at 38 days of NO coke.  I haven't had a drink of coke in a while, and I was telling Melissa yesterday that I really don't even miss it.  I was staring at about 10 bottles of coke at our Super Bowl party where we were hanging out last night,   Looked right at them, wanted something to drink, and all I could think of was, "where's the water bottles?"

I don't even WANT coke anymore.  And for those of you who know me, you know that's a big deal.

So, that's a win.

Also, officially for January I lost 28 pounds.  I haven't weighed myself yet this month.  One thing I'm noticing though is, while I'm eating right and for about 95% of my days, I'm eating below my 2200 calories - I'm starting to eat bigger portions.  For February, that's kind of my goal.

Lately, I've really under eaten during the day (may it be because I'm busy at work, haven't thought about eating, etc), and then by dinner time I've only had 700 calories all day, leaving me 1500 calories for dinner, and then I feel obligated to eat bigger meals.  Kind of a weird thing for me.  Also, if I don't eat ENOUGH calories in a day, my LoseIt.com app lectures me - and I quote:

"Just a reminder that your minimum recommended daily intake is 1,5000.  Though limiting energy intake is an important way to lose weight, limiting too much can have a negative impact on your health'.

So, even my phone lectures me when I'm not eating enough.   Definitely not a problem I'm used to having.

So yeah, February is about eating right, eating proper portions and doing a bit better about PLANNING the meals.  Other than that, things are going good - I think I'll be signing up for a February race, and I really want to get a bit more exercise in to compliment the eating.  I want to get under 400, and I want to do it before my birthday on March 31st.

27 Down for January

Dang it if another 5 days didn't sneak by since my last blog.

I'm officially on day 33 of counting calories and eating right.  

 Last week (ending Sunday the 29th) I was a total of 2366 calories UNDER my budget for the week. The week before that (ending Sunday the 22nd) I was 2055 calories under my budget for the week - that includes a day that I did really bad and was 1000 OVER for the day).  The week before that (ending Sunday the 15th) I was 1521 calories under my budget for the week.  2881 calories under the week before that.

So, long story made short - I have changed the way I do business.  I don't always eat perfect, but I've only had that one day a few weeks ago where I was more than 300 calories over for any particular day.  I am going strong and feel good about it.

I still have days where I just want to stop at the drive through and eat everything they have in stock, but I'm starting to remember how bad I feel and how bad my gut punishes me when I make those bad decisions, and I'm starting to make better and better decisions.

Oh, and I weighed in this weekend and was down another 2 pounds.  So, that's 27 for the month of January.  If my schedule allows, I'll try to get in either tonight or tomorrow so I can have a good scale measurement for the month change.

Hopefully you all are going strong.   Anyone want to do a fun weight loss challenge for the month of February?

26 and Counting

So it's been a few days since I've posted - that bugs me because I've wanted to keep at least a daily log of where I've been, what I'm doing and where I'm going.  Usually when I disappear for a while, it's because I'm not doing well and I don't want to come online and complain about it.

However, that's not the case.  This week, it's just been that work is crazy, Boy Scouts, kids activities and responsibilities have been getting in the way of a good blog post.

The reality is, I've had quite a few amazing blog posts written down in my head - and by the time I get in front of a screen, I've lost them.   So, here's some highlights of my week:

Weight Loss - I haven't weighed in lately (since the last time I reported weight on here, about 2 weeks or so?) but I'm noticing changes.  My shirts feel looser, and I have a pair of jeans that I used to struggling to get into, and now they are loose.  My skin isn't breaking out, my acid reflux is gone and I've been sleeping through the night.   Those are changes that I am noticing.  Funny how the body reacts accordingly - eat like crap, it treats you like crap.  If you eat well, it works well.  Amazing concept.

So, today will be Day 26 of my food log streak.  One of them I ate poorly, the rest I have been at my goal of 2300 calories or below.   I'm starting to not want food all the time, I'm starting to eat when I'm hungry and stop before I'm stuffed - I eat until I'm SATISFIED.  I still eat what I want - if I want tacos, I have tacos.  I want reeces pieces?  I eat reeces pieces.  But instead of 7 tacos and a pounds and a half of reeces,  I eat 2 or 3 tacos and a handful of candy.  

Moderation is something I've never been able to tackle and I feel as if I'm getting there.

One other thing I want to mention - the last 5K race in the area is this weekend, the 29th, in Carthage.  My knee has been feeling better, and I'm considering racing in it.  However, here's my concerns:

1: I want to do a 5K every month, but I don't want to rely on it being about "just finishing the race" this year.  I did that 12 times last year and I was more unhealthy and a slower walker when I was done than when I started.

2: I want the races I do to be meaningful.  I want them to be a reflection of hard work and sacrifice, and for each medal I earn to be a weight loss and health driven milestone.

So, I'm torn.  I may not do it because I don't want to test my knee and hurt it again.  On the other hand, I'd like to do 1 a month.  But, I'd rather do zero in one month and 3 the next than do one just for the sake of doing it.

I know, I know.  Fat runner problems.

Anyway, things are going well.  Just wanted to keep you all updated.  Day 26 almost in the books.  I may try to get to a scale and the gym later, I'd like to see if my weight is changing.   Catch you soon.

The Body Seeks Revenge

Well, I wasn't going to blog about this, but I have been telling myself all day that I need to be accountable and include the defeats in with the wins, so here I go.  I hesitate because for about 2 years, this blog has been one story of defeat after another, and it steamrolled into a 466 pound me.

This is a story of ONE defeat.  I'll just put it out there - yesterday, I ate like crap and I'm paying for it today.  My knee was hurting, I was doing the whole 'feel sorry for yourself' thing, and I ate like crap.  In the middle of the day I went to the doctor and got a cortisone shot.  If you've ever got one, you know what I'm about to say.  If you haven't.. well, let's just say that it's no regular needle.  This is the super villain of needles.   My knee ballooned, I was in pain, and I was driving through Joplin and I ate my pain away.

Fried chicken. King sized Twix.  Got home and had leftover

I may have forgotten about it, but my body hasn't.  I have had the WORST acid reflex I've had in a long time.  I've had a few too many trips to the bathroom.  In short, I feel like trash.

That is what happens when you rid your body of that garbage.  Let's face it - I didn't eat anything out of the ordinary compared to before I started this newest push.  The pizza, candy, fried foods.. it was just a regular part of my day.  Now, my body doesn't know what to do with it and it openly rejects it.

To me, that's a good thing.

The good news is, doc cleared me to do my races.  I'm a little scared of my knee, but it feels a little better today, and he told me it'd feel great in a few days.  So, look for some update on finding me a January 5k.  I plan on being at least 20 pounds less than the one I did in December.   This year, it's not about just DOING races.  It's about being HEALTHIER every single time I do one.
pizza.  Went shopping and grabbed a movie sized box of Reeces Pieces.  I absolutely blew it.   But, I went to bed and promised myself I'd be better today - and spoiler alert - I've been flawless with only dinner to go.

So, I'm back on the horse, and I'm going strong.  The doc's visit revealed that I have 'advanced arthritis' in my right knee and it's got everything to do with being overweight.  He's scheduled me for about a month and a half of physical therapy, and I have my consultation on Friday.  I'll update you guys as I know more.

Bad Knee! Bad!

There's been a ton going on lately - I've had some of the most amazing blog entries going through this head of mine, but between work, family and everything else going on, it's hard to stop for twenty minutes and put it all to the proverbial paper.  I'll try to talk about a few things here before bed.

First off, I'm down another 2 pounds.  This is a total of 16 pounds since the New Year.   I'm happy with the progress, but I'm not going to be obsessed with a scale.   However, the bottom line is - I'm currently 450 (down from 466),   In the past, I'd get comfortable after 10-15 pounds and feel as if I've accomplished something.  It has always been about the number on the scale.  Not anymore -it's about making a life long change towards good health, and I'm not going to stop until I get there.

That being said, I'm up to 18 days straight of logging my calories.  The last three have been a bit shaky - don't get me wrong, I'm still under my 2300 goal each day (I think I was like 40 calories over a few days ago), but I'm not really doing it traditional.  For instance, yesterday I had a good breakfast, good lunch, and a bowl of cereal around 4pm, and then nothing else for the rest of the night.  Today, I had a McDonalds Sausage McMuffin with Egg (460 cal) and a coffee (80 cal w/ cream) around 6:15am, but because work was super busy, I didn't eat again until tonight - totally skipping dinner, and having only 540 calories for the entire day before dinner.

Because I didn't get home until after 7pm, it was a "pick something up for dinner" night.  I had all intentions of stopping at the grocery store - I even had the recipe picked out, a chicken stir fry with cabbage, but after a 14 hour day, it was pizza.

I logged 5 slices, I had plenty of calories to do it.   I ate every bit of it.  Technically, it keeps me under my calories, but I just wolfed down about 1400 calories at once.  No surprise that my stomach cramped up and I ended up throwing up.  Super gross.  On the bright side, my body is starting to tell me something - STICK TO THE GOOD STUFF, or else.  I'm OK with that, I just have to have a little more discipline.

One other thing to mention - I have been talking about my knee and how I think I did some damage to it at my last race of 2016.  I'm not a guy that goes to doctors very much, but I got talked into it, and I'm headed to the Orthopedic Sports Medicine Center here in Joplin tomorrow morning at 10:30am.  I'll update tomorrow when I find out what I'm dealing with.   I really want to keep walking and doing my races every month - but this is something I need to work out and get fixed before eI make it worse.

Oh, and one other thing - I tried my CPAP breathing machine for the first time in a year last night.  This is the thing that the doc tells me I HAVE to do.  My sleep apnea is literally killing me, throwing off my testosterone levels (by way of screwing up my pituitary gland), and long story made short - I'm not going to lose significant weight unless I get this figured out.   So, I wore it last night.  I hate this thing.  But, I did sleep through the night (most of the way).  However, when I woke up at 5am, it was on the floor, still running.  I don't remember taking it off, so I don't know how long I had it on last night, but Melissa said she got up at 3am and it was already off.   I'll get this worked out, but be praying for me, because this is going to be a serious challenge for me.

Ok, that's it for tonight.  I'll get more info tomorrow if I can break free - I'll update everyone on my knee situation.  Until tomorrow!

Lucky 13

Wont be a long one tonight but wanted to stay accountable.    Day 13 is logged and in the books.   Healthy eating is working but I have to stay focused on being consistent and not letting down.   Things are going well.

We had church tonight so we have to resort to fast food tonight.   As we pulled up,  I realized that nothing looked good.  Too greasy.  Too fattening. I don't know how many calories is in that.   So, instead of guessing, I passed and choose to have healthy (ish) leftovers.   Small token win, because that double bacon cheeseburger sure would have gone down in a hurry two weeks ago.

Went to specialist yesterday.   They told me that I have to get this CPAP machine working.    I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea back in 2013 but hate that machine.   It chokes me out and I wake up in a panic.  I've tried using it for 3 years and absolutely hate it.   The specialist told me to get back on it, because it throws everything off, and is a likely cause of my weight gain.    So, I'll get back to battling that stupid machine again soon.  

Other than that,  things are going well.  Stay strong!

Ten for Ten

Last night, I got this cute little image that told me that I've gone TEN days in a row logging my food choices.  It felt good to see that hit double digits.  I was more looking forward to going to the gym this morning to see if it's done anything on the scale.

Went to the gym this morning - didn't eat breakfast.  I'm starting to learn that food is fuel.  I'm not trying to be funny when I say that.  Forever, food was what felt good.  It's what I did when I felt bad.  When I was nervous.  When I had nothing to do with my hands.  I picked up food and ate it.   That's exactly how I got to the point where I was 466 pounds.

These last 10 days, I've learned to do the opposite.  Not eat all the time.  Eat planned meals.  Log every bite.  Consider if I should eat something because I've got goals to reach.

So, I didn't want to eat before I stepped on the scale.  I wanted the lowest number possible.  I didn't want a silly meal to skew my number.  I figured I'd eat after.

I had no energy.  I couldn't stay on the elipical.  I barely made 5 minutes on the treadmill.  I couldn't get half the weight bars off the ground today.  I was mentally and physically worn out, and this was at 5:30am.

I was out of fuel.  I need to start remembering to fuel my body to do the things I want to do.  That's a strange compromise for me.  I go from eating TOO much to NOT enough, and I have to find a middle ground.   I'm not worried, I'll get there.   I know I'm still learning.

Oh, and the good news?

Dropped 4 more pounds as I recorded 452 this morning.   That's 14 since I decided to do something about my life ten days ago.  Pretty happy about that, but SO much more work to do.