Week 5 - "The Change Up"

Hey all! It has been a rough couple of weeks but I have learned a lot. And basically what I have learned is that I need to change some things up. So basically as you all know my ultimate goal is portion control. This is definitely the route I want to eventually take because I want to ingrain this in my kids down the line. BUT I do think for right now as I am trying to get a ton of weight off of me, I need to change my diet because the weight is not coming off fast enough doing portion control.

Doing portion control will definitely help me maintain once I am where I need to be, but for now, I don't think it is practical. So what I want to do is eat 1800 calories a day and also exercise. I will do this 6 days out of the week and have one off day where I do not count calories. I know even sticking to this does not mean the weight is going to all fall off in a month, however I think it will help me mentally once I do start seeing 10 lbs here and there.

I did not weigh in yesterday because I know I did not lose any weight. I may not post my weight again until the following Saturday. I will just have to see what I weigh in this Saturday to see if I feel like sharing or not.....it never feels good to go backwards but I am not giving up.

Stay tuned for some stories of success from me. I know that I can do this because God's Word says I can. Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Week 4- Epic Fail

Hey What's up guys? So I have some good news and some bad news.The good news is that I lost weight this week. I weighed in this morning at 273.8 lbs. The bad news is that I have not been doing well on the portion control. This thing is a lot harder than I thought.

I think the problem starts out on the weekends. Weekends seem to always be the wrench in the machine because it messes up your routine. I tend to be one of those folks who gets in a routine and then when it changes, everything goes crazy. Since I have been messing up I have balanced it with a couple days of fruits and vegetables only which is the only reason I am still losing weight. It would be ideal for me to do 2 or 3 days of fruits and vegetables only on top of portion control to make sure I am getting in my fruits and vegetables every week. The problem is on the days I do not do fruits and vegetables....I am over eating.

I think doing my blog once a week instead of everyday has allowed me to slack off if you will.....there is not as much accountability doing it once a week.....I mean the main reason I have done fruits and vegetables a couple days is because I do not want to report back on here that I gained weight. In my mind it is easier to justify what I am doing if I am still losing weight.....but it is not how I want to live my life.

So I guess I am going to have to go back to daily blogging. Even if no one reads it......at least it is in writing and I am sure at least one person will read it a day which is really all I need. So....here's to portion control and success moving forward into week 5!

Week 3 - Weigh In

Check Out my page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Reprioritize/282466561766628

Hey what's up guys.....this week has gone by really slow for me. I started the week off very well.....Saturday and Sunday were great. My wife made some amazing food and I did great on my portions! She made some bow tie pasta with mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and chicken mixed in some white sauce. She also made some homemade bread twists and some brownies and cheesecake. Despite all the wonderful yet highly caloric food, I managed my portions very well. You can see a pic below of one of my meals.

After the weekend.....Monday rolled around and I had caught a stomach bug......the same one my wife had. It was really bad and I basically ate some broth and some chicken noodle soup. I was pretty much starting to feel better midway through Tuesday however on Tuesday and Wednesday I had gotten off track. I decided to go ahead and weigh in to see what damage I had done.....Thursday morning I weighed in at 277.6. I was pretty upset with myself but I was determined to fix it. I decided to do fruits and veggies only for Thursday and Friday. Thursday I did some ab work outs and ran 3 miles and Friday night I did some work at the church such as digging some holes and carrying tables and chairs.....granted this is not near the equivalent of running 3 miles....but hey it is better than nothing.

So this morning I get up and I weigh in at 275! I know getting excited over only losing 1 pound in a week is kind of sad....but being that I had gotten off track this week and was able to come back in the green is a win in my book. So now I am starting a new week and will be able to apply what I learned this past week and move forward. I honestly think that losing at least 2 lbs a week is a good goal. This will truly give me time to get my eating habits in check without feeling the pressure of having to lose crazy amounts of weight in short periods of time like I have done in the past. 

I can't tell you how many times I have lost 20 and 30 pounds in short spurts.......only to gain in right back in short spurts. I will give you a perfect example....Right before Christmas 2010 I had done Atkins and got down to 253lbs in a pretty short period. I had decided to "take the holidays off" and then pick back up after new years. Well....after new years I weighed in and I had gained every pound back that I had lost! I was so mad. In about 30 days I had gained about 30 pounds.

I was just telling my wife the other day about how I cannot wait until Christmas this year because I will be able to enjoy all of the great desserts and dishes without going over board. If I maintain portion control through the Holidays I can still enjoy myself fully AND lose weight doing it. Stay tuned until my next post and be sure to visit my facebook page to share your own weight loss stories, frustrations, successes, goals, recipes, etc. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Reprioritize/282466561766628

Week 2 - Weigh In

What's up curious peeps? So as you know (or you may not know?) last week I did a popcorn experiment......I don't technically hate popcorn but lets just say I probably won't have any next week. I made it Monday through Thursday just fine but last night I was actually not hungry until really late and I did not want popcorn. My wife was cooking a small portion of chicken and sauteed mushrooms and onions for a pasta dish to sample to see if it would be any good to make the full meal. So I was craving some sauteed onions and mushrooms. I did taste a tiny bit of chicken, but once she was done cooking I cooked up some sauteed onions and mushrooms. They were really good. So basically instead of popcorn I had some vegetables.....mostly onions, the pic is below:

I know I went off my experiment one day....but hey that's life. So I weighed in this morning at 276......so I only lost 2 lbs. This is actually really good considering I did not exercise at all last week! I am not going to do any more retarded experiments....I am just going to stick to portion control but I know I definitely need to exercise more. My problem is exercise is such a chore and I need to find something I actually like doing. I believe once I am in better shape it will not feel as much like a punishment.

I would really like to be in the 260's by next weigh in which is in 7 days. I know it is totally doable but at the same time I know I am not in a race. 6.1 lbs can be accomplished by a lot of exercise. I know if I am not there by this Saturday, I will definitely be there the following Saturday. I am feeling really good, but I know I would feel even better getting more exercise into the mix.

So far I only know of one person I have inspired to make some health changes. Has anyone else been inspired to make a change in their life to better their health? Is anyone thinking about it but needs some support? Comment on my blog or my youtube channel if you want to talk about it. I know there are a lot of people out there that are starting to make some changes. Our country has gotten so fat and unhealthy it is ridiculous.....at some point it has to stop.....for me my stopping point was "Day 1" August 31, 2011.

I am thinking about starting a facebook account for support for people who are struggling with weight. Stay tuned for updates on my weight loss journey....260's here I come!

Week 2 - midweek update on popcorn experiment

Ok so I wanted to go ahead and write something before Saturday because I have really been feeling disconnected from my Blog peeps. I am so stinking hungry right now it is not even funny. So to recap, basically what I have been doing this week is portion control and then after 5pm all I can eat is one bag of popcorn. Technically I had a little more popcorn at the ranger game.....but still......bottom line, popcorn is not filling.

I have no clue if I will weigh any less on Saturday. I have not really exercised at all this week so far but I do want to run at least one day. I did do some "shufflin" today as I watched a tutorial on youtube....lol it was fun. You can see the link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zbh4bMK3PQ

My stomach does feel a little smaller each day I get up but I do not know how that will equate on the scales....only time will tell. I have been feeling really good though as it has been really nice not overeating. I absolutely do not miss the feeling of being stuffed. As you all know it is so uncomfortable when you eat too much food. I am definitely getting used to it.

Well I just wanted to give y'all guys a quick update. I am doing well and only 2 more days of this popcorn experiment! I hope I do not end up hating popcorn after this. Later guys and gals!

http://www.youtube.com/user/nra4him

Day 10 & Day 11 - Weigh-In & Popcorn Experiment

Ok, so I decided to do day 10 and 11 together. Day 10 (yesterday) went really well. I had a ham and cheese tortilla fro breakfast, hot pocket for lunch a hot dog in a tortilla for a snack and a hot dog at the rangers game with a little bit of popcorn. I did run yesterday but not as much as I normally do because I was getting burned in the sun without my hoodie. I did a few more things at the house with the punching bag and dumb bells. All in all it was a nice day.

Today (day 11) I weighed in.....I was actually not expecting much based on the way I was feeling. Obviously was hoping for 275 but I knew I was not that low because I did not exercise much this past week. When I got on the scales I was at 278. Honestly I am okay with it because this is the first full week of my life I have done portion control and eating whatever I wanted. I still lost 2 lbs by not really doing a whole lot above just watching my portions. Yes I did some exercise but it was not much compared to the 9 miles I did in three days last week.

Next week I am actually wanting to try an experiment. I am wanting to try doing portion control but after 5pm the only thing I can eat is one bag of Orville Redenbacher's movie theater butter popcorn. I know this is kind of weird but I thought it would be fun to see the results. So my exercise next week would be the same and the only thing I am changing is the popcorn for Monday-Friday. When I weigh in next Saturday, we will see if I lost more than 2 lbs or if I turn into a popcorn kernel. Hopefully after next week I won't hate popcorn.

The following week I hope to step up the exercise a little bit. I need to do the type of exercise I actually enjoy like bike riding and basketball. Again I know I am not in a weight loss race but obviously the faster the pounds come off the better I will feel. Keep watching and don't forget you are allowed to leave comments......so tell me what you think of the popcorn experiment. See y'all next Saturday!

www.youtube.com/user/nra4him

Day 9 - Success!

What is up everyone? So I know I am late posting day 9....I ended up realizing I forgot to jot down my day before I was already in go to sleep mode and was too sleepy to write. But another thing I was thinking about as well was I think I am going to start doing weekly updates instead of daily updates. I do not want to bore everyone with what I am eating everyday. So what I will do is write my blog every Saturday which is weigh in day. I will go ahead and write about today (day 10) as my last "daily blog." Obviously if you want a daily update you can post a comment and I could definitely write out my day for you. :-)

So yesterday day 9 was a success! I actually substituted my little debbie cakes with fruit.....holla! I started out the day with a ham and cheese tortilla. I had a spicy pepperoni hot pocket sub with some fat free pringles for lunch and dinner.....because those stupid hot pocket subs are so lousy good! A little while after lunch I had a fruit cup of peaches. A little while after dinner I had one granny smith apple sliced up with some peanut butter. Oh my goodness.....granny smith apples are so sour! If I did not have some peanut butter there to help me out I would have had to throw it away. My wife said granny smith apples are sour because they have less sugar in them......I think I will stick with red apples.

I did do some exercise yesterday.....no cardio.....but I did do some work with dumb bells doing some curls and working on lats and triceps. I also did a little work with the punching bag. I do plan on running today as I would like to get some cardio done before I weigh in tomorrow.

That's all I got for now, stay tuned for my last "daily blog" day 10! Technically Day 11 will be the next day but  it will be the start of my "weekly blog" :-p

www.youtube.com/user/nra4him