I'm at my last hole!

So here we are - another Monday, another weigh in (WI). OK so not exactly what I anticipated, I mean I was able to fit into jeans a size down AND I am at the last hole on my belt. The feeling is so exciting and so the anticipation was that I would be down at my WI today, right? Well wrong - I had actually gained .8 lbs. CRAP!

And it is amazing how much it messes with your mind. You go from this streak of feeling really good about yourself, about all the progress you are making and excited about the journey to feeling bummed out and disappointed. A reality check of sorts - reminds you that this is a journey that will take time. In a world where instant gratification is so very prevalent, it can be hard to accept that it took time to put the weight on - and it WILL take time to take the weight off.

Then you realize that all this frustration and disappointment came from a gain of .8 of a pound - NOT EVEN A POUND! So it's time to put that in perspective and be honest with myself that I did not do everything that I could to do well this week. It's also time to look at the small victories - jeans that I couldn't even put on 4 weeks ago and a belt that needs a new hole.

So .8 - I accept that you are here, but I feel sorry for you because you won't be here for very long!!!

Pizza and French Fries and Chips - Oh My!

Trigger foods - as much as we would like to think they are not out there, they are. Those foods that if we eat just one, or even smell them - we will actually eat then all until they are gone. For me, these foods are (in no particular order):

• Pizza - thin crust with chicken, onion and jalapeno with extra sauce and well done is preferred
• French Fries - seriously, if given a thousand I could probably finish them off (ketchup needed)
• Cool Ranch Doritos - what in the world makes them sooooo good?
• Reese's Cups - lets just say I'm glad that there are only 2 in the package (Do not leave me alone with a bag of the mini's)
• Movie Popcorn - why is it so different than microwave popcorn?

So these are just a few. What is it about trigger foods that turns us into an out of control maniac? Like we've been on Survivor and been eating coconut husks and unripe plantains. 2 Doritos and the who bag is gone before you know it. So we just turned our heads and stay away from those things - not putting us into temptations way, right?

See that is why I really like the WW plan, the life style. You can have those things - all of them if you want, even all at the same time. The key - tracking what you eat. Being aware of exactly HOW MUCH you are putting in and figuring out how you are going to plan it out. You can have anything you would like - but the idea is portion control and give & take. Pizza for lunch and a salad for dinner. Light lunch and Doritos as a snack. It's all possible.

So trigger foods beware - I am learning how to take the control back and as Mr. Sheen has said over and over again, "WINNING!"

Week 3 :: So far, so good.

Well yesterday was weigh in day, and as always - I was a bit nervous. I mean I have been doing quite well, but have continued to imbibe in my fair share of vino. I have been earning numerous Activity Points through Valhalla, running and this past weekend - gardening. This weekend I will start the story of 2 Urban Farmers in the Big City.

I digress, so there I was with my friend Debbie getting ready to stand on the scale and - there we were again, down 4 lbs. So that makes 11.2 over the past 3 weeks. My online tracker keeps saying that I need to watch out because I'm loosing faster than is recommended - but geez. What am I supposed to do? Start eating cheeseburgers and fries? Pizza by the box? Quarts of ice cream? I have been eating good with a few indulgences here and there - well who knows.

Oh - one last thing - GO BUTLER!!!

Fat Cat - how did this happen?!?!?

So on Friday my partner Rob took our 2 cats to the vet. Reggie and Alex were kill shelter rescues that we adopted back in 2005. Alex is older and she is NEEDY, where as Reggie was a kitten when we got her and she has always been very skiddish. And as much as we find them sometimes annoying and bitchy, we love them both dearly and would do pretty much anything for them.

Which leads us back to last Friday - We have always known that Alex was large, OK she's fat, but we never really though it was that big of a deal. I mean Reggie was the one that has to be fed special food that requires a prescription. When we got the food for Reggie we decided that we would just feed it to both the cats because the last thing we wanted to do was become THAT cat owner that has to separate the cats in different rooms and feed them different things. Cats are supposed to be easy and the idea of some sort of tedious feeding regimen was a bit too much for us.

So imagine our surprise when the vet told us that not only was Alex fat, but that she was on the verge of getting Diabetes - and if we didn't start getting her down in poundage, we would be giving her shots daily and these would cause her to NEVER loose the weight. So not only had I let myself go - I had passed the bad eating habits along to my child. It was quite an awakening situation.


The solution - the Egg-cercizer! Seriously! The vet recommended this device that forces the cat to hunt and forage for their food, which not only gives her a limited amount of kibble but is making her exercise. So we went to 3 pet stores and received looks ranging from curiosity to lunacy. We finally went to The Pet Set and wallah - there it was. So the idea is that you put the kibble or treats inside and dial the level of difficulty from easy (3 open holes) to hard (1 open hole).

So we get home and Alex is already pissed at us. Her normal bowl of food that we leave out all day for her grazing pleasure was gone. It was now replaced with a turquoise plastic egg with precisely 2 oz. of food - exactly what the vet had told us. Well she was not happy - giving us the look as to say "Excuse me - what the hell is this? You have GOT to be kidding!" So all day we tried to get her to understand exactly what she was supposed to do - bat it around and it would release her treasure. Nope, she was not having it. Meanwhile we had to figure out how to feed the skinny one, Reggie, without William "The Refrigerator" Perry swooping in and scarfing it all down.

So here we were - the people that we didn't want to become. One cat the WILL NOT play to get her food, and one cat running away from us as we are trying to catch her so that we could put her in the downstairs bathroom shower stall in order for her to get nutrition. Where had we gone wrong. So as we are sitting there watching TV - Reggie approaches the "egg" and starts to knock it around and nibbles on the delights inside. Really, REALLY!!! She can do it but the other one could care less. Then the idea that just seemed stupid - letting Alex (the one with the issue) eat her 1/4 cup from her normal bowl and how to keep her from eating her sister's food? Well we will just put Reggie's in the contraption that we already know Alex thinks is beneath her! Problem solved. And I Just can't wait to see how this whole thing plays out...

To be continued...

Planning ahead isn't just for EMERGENCIES!

One great tool that my partner and I have been doing is planning. We sit down every other week and plan out what we will be having for dinner for the next 2 weeks. He is a pharmacist and his schedule calls for him to work a set schedule of - on M/TU, off W/TH, on F/SA/SU and then vice versa the next week. So we like to make out menus for the days that we will be cooking and eating together.

We both LOVE to cook and after he made an honest woman of me, we started down the road of indulging in the finer things in life. Before I know it I had packed on some significant poundage. I have always really struggled with weight but the older I got - that metabolism thing just wasn't able to keep up with me. I was never really embarrassed but was definitely conscious that I was bigger than most. 8 years later I found myself 40 years old and the heaviest I have ever been.


It was time to SHAKE THINGS UP and start this journey. So I joined WW (again) and I began planning (with the help of the love of my life - Rob) what my days/nights would look like. We sit down with our WW cook books and my handy dandy iPad WW Kitchen Companion app and iCal and plan out for about 2 weeks. We take into account dinners with friends, theater outings and the like - and what this gives me is a great snapshot of what I will be spending (PointsPlus wise). I know what I will be eating each night and how much I have for the rest of the day. I plan on the days that I will be imbibing and make sure that I save some points for that.

We usually make recipes that have 6-8 servings and will immediately package those up for lunches or those night's that Rob works. I've found that it helps me make better choices and I feel that I am less likely to cheat. Fit in some healthy snacks, plenty of water and there you have it. So I am here to say - PLAN IT OUT!

Portion Distortion - does SIZE matter?

So the subject of Monday's WW meeting was portion distortion. There was our leader, Dee and she ask "who likes wine?". Hands shot in the air. She then held up 2 different glasses, one was a wine glass and one looked like an Irish coffee type glass mug. "Which one would you rather drink your wine out of?". Well I felt safe with my choice for a few reasons, #1 it was a wine glass and I'm a purest, and #2 - the other one looked much bigger and I felt that I was making the responsible choice. So the outcome?

SHOCKER! She filled up the Irish coffee mug with water and then poured it into the wine glass. Exactly the same! Really!!! They held the exact same amount of liquid. The she took out a prop plate with food on it and it looked full, a healthy meal. Then she pulled out a larger plate with the same amount of food and it really looked different.

I have heard before that when you use a larger vessel, we want to fill it up. We've all been there. Using the big 6 cup bowl you serve a family salad in for an ice cream bowl. Or a cereal bowl.

By using smaller plates and bowls we can actually trick ourselves into thinking we're eating more. We also, as Americans, are used to eating out and getting these plates just over flowing with food. We have been conditioned into thinking that we need all of that. We want to get the most for our money - but holy cow. One shouldn't eat 6 cups of french fries or a sandwich with 2 pounds of roast beef.

Bigger isn't always better, and I for one can say that I am now teaching myself to take my time when I'm eating and let myself tell me when I'm full.

-3

Down 3 more :)

Nail Biter

Nervous about weigh in today. I'm not sure why though. I followed the plan better than last week, I ate better than last week, I exercised MORE than last week - so why should I be nervous? Well I'll let you know in an hour what happens...

Off to the GYM!

On my way to Valhalla and a 2 mile run. Let you know how it goes.

So it went great - we did lower body Valhalla and then I did 25 min on the treadmill. After that I did something completely for myself - painting. It's been a while since I took the time out to be creative.

C25K and beyond!

So here's the one that I have been promising you - how a 40 year old, overweight man stopped watching reruns after work and began running!

It all started back in May of 2010, when I dear friend from work, Jenn A, exposed me to the C25K app for the iPhone. I saw a post of hers and was incredibly intrigued. So I did some research and talked to her about the specifics of the app and what it has done for her. So then after spending $2.99 in the App Store - I was off on a journey I hadn't even considered I would do again.

See back in 2000, when I was much younger - I started to run. Never had since I was forced by my own Sue Sylvester back at Riverdale Senior High. I mean why would I? Running just seemed at the time to be an exercise that went no where. Where was everyone running to? So I had just talked to a few friends that were interested and we started a Saturday morning running club. Then, while playing a game of Co Ed community softball - **SNAP** I broke my Tibial Plateau in 3 places and my running career was over.

Flash forward 10 years - and here I was, about to start running again. The C25K app was just what I needed. A controlled and easy way to build endurance and get myself running, ACTUALLY RUNNING! It's a nine week program that has you start with different intervals of brisk walking and jogging, and the best part is that it talks to you. Really! It tells you when to run, when to walk, when you are almost done and congratulates you when you have completed that day's run/walk. You can also upload your own music to listen to while you exercise - it was great. I mean I didn't think I would actually make it to run 3.1 miles, but it was just great to be getting some physical activity. As the weeks went on, it became more and more challenging (as I guess it should) and then my dear friend AGAIN gave me some great advice - DO NOT be ashamed to repeat a week once or even twice. Keep going and when you think you are ready go to the next step.

At this point I had done all my training at the gym on the treadmill, and had come to the realization that I could do this. I COULD RUN A 5K! So I signed up for my first run and set my mind towards that goal. Then I tried to start running outside and YIKES how different that is - whew! I felt like I needed to start back at square one, but all I did was just take a step back. I ran as far as I could and then walked for 60 seconds, then back to running. And then after about 2 weeks there I was, running my way to a 5K.

The I found a NEW app, the Nike + running trainer. I went out and got new Nike running shoes that would house the transmitter and I was in LOVE! Soon followed the GPS version and I had fallen in love for a second time. This app would do everything, house my music, track my runs via GPS, let me do timed runs or distance and a whole lot more.

I ran my first 5K last fall (picture to the right - I'm # 1263 on the left) and have been running ever since. Outdoors, indoors it doesn't matter. There are days when I can't wait to get out of work to get in a 2 mile run. My next 5K is in June and I'm very excited.

So if you are out there and are thinking that "wow, sounds like fun but I could never do that" YOU ARE WRONG! Start by spending as much as you would spend at Dunkin Donuts on the app - and start running! Till later :)

Looooooong Day!

OK so it was a long day, a 2 mile run and then grocery shopping for the next 2 week. I'm beat and will blog tomorrow. Hope my friends had a great time at Crazy Bitch Bingo!!! Promise an extra long post this weekend.

I did a great job making excellent choices, now for Wino Thursday!!!

Saying goodbye to sweet friends...

Today is the last day at work for 2 dear friends of mine (Natalie & Cecilia) and I went to lunch with a LARGE group to wish them well - or at least one of them. Which one I will never reveal ;)

So there I was, sitting at the table and in front of me were margaritas, chips, salsa and the dreaded CHEESE DIP!! I HATE cheese dip - absolutely hate it! OK, so that is actually a lie, if I could bathe in cheese dip I just may. I certainly like to partake in my fair share so what did I do??? Well I made the sensible choice of no cheese dip so that I could have a glass (or six) of wine tonight. I also took out a few chips and limited myself to those. I was quite proud of myself for not over indulging.

As for the margarita, well let just say I turned my head away and imagined it was some toxic sludge from a BP spill. I had 6 chips, some salsa and 3 chicken tacos. Not bad for lunch out at Las Margaritas.

So tonight we have Idol, Survivor & Top Chef - quite excited and looking forward to Raosted Garlic Beef Stew, tell you about that tomorrow.

For now - Nat & Cecilia, you will definitely be missed. BOTH OF YOU!

Las Margaritas!!!

The D6 Gang @ Las Margaritas on Cheshire for the going away lunch for Natalie & Cecilia. You will both be missed. Make sure to keep in touch and don't get into any trouble.


- Posted from my Mobile

Location:Cheshire Bridge Rd,Atlanta,United States

I feel sorry for Tuesdays

I mean even Monday gets to be the start of the week, then you have Wednesday (Hump Day), Thursday (or as it's known in my house Wino Thursday), Friday/Saturday/Sunday - I mean seriously. Unless you are in retail those are pretty awesome days. Then you have Tuesday...Tuesday. Even weird to say.

Well this Tuesday has been very good to me. Great start right out of the gate with 14 minutes of snuggles (my fave) and then off to work and was even here early. Then a busy day, which I love; the gym at lunch - "VALHALLA!!!" and then I'll run after work. All in all a good day.

So the Valhalla thing is what my trainer Jason abuses me with 2 days a week. Some sort of Viking workout - but I have to say that he has gotten me bench pressing and squatting more than I ever have, or even could when I was 20. Some times it makes me feel like I want to pillage a village or dive into the freezing ocean or something. I've never felt stronger and look forward to seeing where this takes me.

I still owe you the running (C25K) story and I promise to let that one out soon.

OMG!!!

So here it was, the dawn of a new day. One week down and I just knew that I would be paying for NOT following the plan 100%. My friend and I drove to the meeting discussing how my 40th had just jacked up our week of tracking and exercise and making the RIGHT choices. We swore that this week would be different!

So we got to our meeting and prepared for the reality of where our new goal would start. We discussed with Dee, our Meeting Leader, what had taken place and how we were going to change. She led me to my station and there I stood on the scale, she clicked her button and then...

WHAT!?! I LOST 4.2 LBS!!! Holy crap, I was grinning from ear to ear. People were talking to me and I couldn't hear a thing! I had just LOST weight! I then took a look back and realized that because I had prepared myself to "eat bad" because it was my birthday - I had actually made sure that I balanced that with some good choices and some exercise. The system works if you work it!

Ok so here we are at the 2nd weigh in, birthday parties behind me and serious work ahead. I feel like I need to PAY for the nutrition sins from last week. What would a good penance be?

Birthday Party!

So the big party is tonight. Last night had dinner with my parents, my brother and his wife - was a great time and nice to catch up with my family. Tonight is the party with the gays! Homemade spaghetti & meatballs with all the fixin's.

Started the day at the gym, Core Body Decatur, Core Body Decatur with my trainer and a medicine ball - YIKES! Then I did 25 minutes on the treadmill at 5.0! I'll talk about my journey to the 5K in another post, but safice to say Nike Plus is my new best friend.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Atlanta,United States

Here We Go!

So I decided to start a blog to document my journey from HUGE to not so huge! I turned 40 yesterday and took a look at myself and didn't care for what stared back at me. Over the years I have "struggled" with weight and of course now that my metabolism is shot - I find myself at the heaviest I have ever been (293 lbs.). I have done Weight Watchers Online over the past years according to MY rules and decided that it just wasn't working for me.

So I talked to a friend at work and we decided to go back to basics and started attending meetings - Mondays @ 11:00 am seems to be our meeting right now. And in addition to that I wanted to have a place where I can document what happens, so here we are.

I have not been at my best this week and I am convincing myself that it's my birthday and I deserve it. So we'll see what the scale says on Monday! I'm going to try and make this a daily thing - so WELCOME TO MY BLOG. I hope maybe it's entertaining, helpful or even interesting.

BTW - the name comes from a strategy of a card game my family plays called flume. (http://www.billhathaway.com/flume.htm) The idea is, as the name states - you need to cut the cards "thin to win".

I also decided to include 2 previous posts from earlier this week.

Location:Atlanta,United States

Good Bye 30's

So here we are on the edge of darkness and mystery - my mother's baby boy will be turning 40 tomorrow! I am quite excited and proud - I decided to recommit to WW the week of my 40th birthday. WHAT WAS I THINKING!!! But I have to say I have a plan to indulge in the things I want and still maintain a sense of reality.

We bought our plane tickets for our cruise in August and I want to be a different me when we go. Not personality wise you understand, just silhouette wise. I am looking forward to this weekend and the summer.

BYE 39 - HELLO LOVE!!!