Day 277: Saturday Silky Smooth

[I have no clue what that title means. Draw your own conclusions.]

Today was Day Two of Operation Whatever-I-Named-This-Operation-Yesterday and it we great! My body has already readjusted to eating less because I am eating better things. Dieting is all about less is more, you have to find the lower calorie (or lower point) foods that fill you up better. For me that’s veggies like cucumbers, broccoli and baby carrots. Overall though, I’m hoping to be back where I was before I left by next week.

Breakfast: (Yes, this picture is artsy farsty (as much as artsy fartsy a picture of a banana can be ) but I was just messing with Instagram. Pretty awesome app.) So for breakfast I had two pieces of toast with Central Market PB and half of a banana. I stocked up like crazy at Central Market on CM PB because it is my absolute favorite thing in the entire world!!! Anyways, it was kind of like the Wafflewich but less points because the low cal bread at Publix is only 45 calories a slice so that was a good trade off. Breakfast was only 6 points so not too bad.

Exercise: Cleaned the house like crazy. We went Snow White on this joint. There had to be some exercise points in there somewhere…

 

 

 

 

Lunch: We just had leftover mac n cheese and broccoli. It was fantastically delicious. 9 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snack: After we gallivanted around town in search of picture frames and such, I had a 100 calorie mocha frap on ice. I think they are way better over ice. Not sure why but I just do. (P.S. the polar bear on the cup is named Chester. Not sure why I told you that either.) 2 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: Megan bought a cookbook called the “Hungry Girl 1-2-3” on our trip so she tried out one of the lower calorie meals in it. She made the Planet Hungrywood Sweet & Cap’n Crunchy Chicken made with Captain Crunch and Fiber One cereal. It is as awesome as you would expect. The Fiber One gave the tenders texture while the Captain Crunch had the sweetness you know and love (without shredding the roof of your mouth.) Each tender is only two points and we paired it with a modified version of the Honey and Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes that we love to make from The Athlete’s Plate. For dessert I had a No Pudge Brownie that Megan made. They are really awesome and easy to make! Dinner was a total of 10 points so not bad at all for a killer dinner like that!

So today I got to 27 points which isn’t that bad at all! I wasn’t hungry at all today so hooray for me! Tomorrow is weigh in and we will just see how it goes. See ya tomorrow.

Day 276: Friday Frenzy!!!

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!

What it is jive turkey?

Well today began Operation Let’s Lose Some Freakin’ Weight Yo! The trip was a little rough on my eating habits and my discipline but that was all my own fault. I had the will power, but it’s hard when your weakness is BBQ and then you go to the Mecca of delicious smoked meats and not have the same urges to feast. (Or according to my friend Andrea “The need to feed”) I think I went laxed because I celebrated my victories too soon. My stomach was like Bush on the aircraft carrier with the Mission Accomplished banner, this was (on weight) still has a long ways to go! I’m only really halfway there! Regardless, today I realized I want to be back where I was before the trip, I was more tone than ever before and my double chin was eroding to nothingness! So now I’m back on the wagon and eating right and well (yes dear readers… that is possible!) and I’m ready to finally break the century mark.

Breakfast: I had a bowl of Quaker Oatmeal squares for 5 points. Those things are awesome!

Lunch: We kept it simple for lunch and had a turkey sandwich with a side of carrots. The low cal bread at Publix is soooo awesome. It’s only a point for two slices! So lunch was only 2 points! WOWZERS!

 

 

 

 

 

Snack: I went and got my hair did (while a banshee child was getting his first haircut while screaming for dear life in the chair next to me… but that’s for another post) and then went over to Starbucks to kill some time. I was looking to try something new so I had a skinny vanilla latte. I’m sure it would have been good if Starbucks didn’t burn their coffee, but since they do it was mediocre. Sadly, I wish it was good because it was only 2 points. (Also, they thought my name was David, it’s no Hank but it works?)

Snack: We went to go work out around 6 so I needed something to hold me over until dinner. So I had a tuna sandwich with mustard and pickles. (Trust me… it’s better than it sounds. I would have posted a picture, but frankly it looked like a Friskies ad) It was good nonetheless and only 3 points.

 

 

 

 

SAWS!!!!!! I was so ready to get back in to the gym and try out my new Reebok Zigtechs!!! I warmed up on the treadmill and running in them feels like your gliding on an elliptical! I was doing 5.5 mph like it was nothing. Usually after a while my shoulder and chest muscles start to hurt because with my old shoes it felt like I was jumping up and down on pavement, but with these bad boys I didn’t have any pain at all. I was impressed yo! Anyways, so I warmed up and then worked on arms and core. Over the trip I lost the tone in my sides and now they are back to Flabbytown so I’m going to focus on getting that back. Then I hit up the elliptical on weight loss for about 25 minutes. Overall it was a pretty good work out, but unfortunately Leach is going to be closed until Tuesday so we are going to get creative to workout around the neighborhood.

 

 

 

 

Dinner: Megan made her signature mac n’ cheese with broccoli and it was freakin’ epic. I had 2 massive servings (1 1/2 cups is a serving) and it was only 12 points. 

 

 

 

 

 
Dessert: We decided to get some awesome froyo at Yogurt Mountain for dessert. It turned out to be a good trip because it served as a bit of a wake up call for me with indulging on yogurt. YM has the nutrition facts which I glance at but don’t do the exact math on. Usually, I ballpark it and say with a sweet yogurt and toppings it’s 5 points. Tonight, my yogurt alone was 5 points so my yogurt is much worse that it should be. I really need to get back to tart flavors like taro or non fat flavors and have fruit toppings instead. It was a wake up call that I needed because that change would save me a bunch of calories and points that I underestimate. I’m conservatively going to say that my dessert was 8 points tonight.

So tonight I got to 32 points but with the exercise points I’m definitely good. Before I left I was beginning to think that 30 points a day wasn’t enough, but with meals like today it is definitely doable. See ya tomorrow!

Day 275: Back From the Vacay Edition

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 268: Travel Update

Howdy!

From the greeting, you might infer that I am in Texas (or I’m just bad at greetings) which would be correct. I am blogging live on location from the University of Texas at Austin. Growing up I was a huge Texas A&M fan so at first this was a little weird, but I got over it. Frankly in the caste system of colleges and college football, the University of Florida and Ohio State University are way lower on the proverbial totem pole than UT. (Oklahoma is down there too. What the crap is a Sooner anyway?)

Moving on… Megan is doing research on the composer Radie Britain (I don’t know who it is either) for her thesis so I am here as a research assistant/doing stuff on the Internet that doesn’t involve school because my brain still hurts from the semester.

Sorry it’s been a nutzo lack of blogging. Have you ever been on a vacation which actually involves a crapton of driving and stuff? That’s what this trip is. It’s still an awesome trip (We’re in Texas! How can it not be awesome?) but between my parents not having internet right now, free wireless is hard to find and late nights hanging out with friends, it’s been a challenge. However, the lack of blogging does not mean a lack of dieting. I have been working hard to keeping everything in check and so far it has worked. With traveling, there is a alot of eating out so I’ve been keeping that in mind. Since we are in Texas, we have been eating a alot of Mexican food and it has been awesome. I’m worried though that we are getting spoiled and we will be uber depressed when we go back to Tallahassee. Tonight we are going to eat at the best Bar B Que place in the state (no hyperbole, it’s been ranked as such by Texas Monthly) so I’m ready for that. They have an all you can eat option that I had one time and I remember eating so much that I got sick. I felt like I had to eat as much as possible and I felt disgusting after. That will not happen this time.

I have noticed that some old habits and instincts have come back since I’ve been in Texas. I want things to surround eating when I’ve suggested things to do. That used to be my thing which is why I gained so much weight. It’s just easier to get people to hang out with you if there is a plate of food involved. I think that’s just because we are here for a short amount of time so that’s the way to see a lot of people but it’s a slippery slope. Plus not to mention it’s been in the triple digits every day (except today… it’s a frigid 97) so it’s hard to be motivated to do something outside. I haven’t worked out as much as I have liked but I’m going to rectify that the rest of the trip. If I’m going to eat like I am, I need to balance it out a little better.

Anyways, so we are heading to Abilene on Friday for another wedding that I’m really stoked for. I’m going to see a lot of friends that I haven’t seen since we moved so it’s going to be a lot of fun to catch up with them.I’m going to be able to blog a little more the rest of the trip (I think) so I will keep you a little more updated. Either way when we get back I’ll have a complete recap of the trip with some funny anecdotes and such. Also, look for a wordless wednesday later tonight. See ya later.

Day 256: It’s Friday Friday Gotta Get Down on Friday

Hooray for Friday!

Yes it is true. I’m glad it’s hear but that means class is almost done and then we will be going to Texas!!! (We we we we we so excited!) Anyways, today I felt really out of whack and I still haven’t really pinpointed what it is. I think I have this paper hanging over me and I’m really really really trying to work on it instead of waiting until the last day to work on it. Yet again, old habits die hard. So we will see. Tomorrow I plan on just locking myself in my house (go for a run in the morning) and then go bonkers on this thing so I can be on with my life! Plus, I keep worrying about if I’ve lost weight which in the past that has made the weight loss that week suck so whatever. This always happens at the end of a semester so I’ll keep doing what I’m doing and then be better next week and really the rest of the summer when I’ll have nothing to do. Alright, enough whining. Let’s do this thang!

Breakfast: I cooked an egg over hard and then warmed up some fake sausage patties and had a sausage MacMuffin. It was awesome as always. 5 points.

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch: My college minister and I met up for lunch today and I suggested Mr. Roboto’s because I was jonesin’ for some curry. I had the red curry with tofu and it was awesome. Their tofu is like a fried egg and the broccoli soaks up all of the curry. It is a beautiful thing that makes me tear up just thinking about it. Adam and I had a great conversation so add that to some amazing curry it was a legit lunch. 12 points

Snack: At some point I had 1 point of chips (like a small handful.)

 

NSV: (Let me preface this by saying I don’t know why I look so morose in this picture.) So I was looking for a bowtie for a presentation I have for one of my classes and I ended up at Belk in the super ghetto mall in Tallahassee called the Tallahassee Mall. (Seriously, it’s really empty so you feel like the zombie apocalypse has happened so you and your friends are the only ones left alive. Anyways, what were we talking about?) So Belks is like a Dillard’s or a Macy’s so they have nice stuff and have killer sales (because the mall is dying.) They had a table of $40 dress shirts for $16 so I looked through them, and found one I was hoping would fit. The one I wanted was a 17 1/2 inch neck 32/33 arms. I wasn’t sure if it was going to fit and I tried it on and it fit! In high school, I worked at a Van Huesen where the biggest size was an 18 inch and since I got a discount I wanted to buy some but all of them wouldn’t even button up! I have come a freakin’ long way. Today when I tried it on I was stoked, but it took me writing this to really appreciate this NSV. This is a pretty big deal for me. If that’s not motivation to keep going I don’t know what is.

Dinner: I went to dinner at our friends the Schuberts and we had Mexican! Ole! I just made a taco salad like I do at home with chips, black beans, a little cheese, lettuce, a little meat, and a ton of salsa. It was delicious I wish I would of had seconds. Anyways, there was birthday cake for their son Brett, but they also had some killer watermelon so I just had that instead of cake. I pretty good trade off. 8 points.

 

 

Dessert: I had a WW bar. 3 points of awesomeness.

So I’m at 29 points which is good since I didn’t work out. I’m going to go something physical tomorrow so I don’t go more crazy than an outhouse rat. (Yes, people actually say that.) See ya tomorrow.

255: What a Day Edition

Hello early weekend! Hello spending the whole time on a research paper that is frustrating the tar out of me! I’ve been trying to work on this paper that’s due Tuesday about BP and their social media efforts (or lack there of) and it has been a pain trying to look through all of their tweets and statuses. It’s a combination of my computer just locking up when I’m a few months back and that they post something literally every hour now. I thought this wasn’t going to be that bad, but that’s the funny thing about research, it’s like the Bizarroworld of normal expectations.  So anyways, today has just been kind of a weird/off/I’m glad there is only an hour of it left/ kind of day. I’ll talk more about that in a bit…

Breakfast: So I was going to wake up at 6:15, go run and enjoy the morning. Well, I woke up to my alarm at 6:15 feeling great, but then I was like “well I need to sleep” so I went back to bed and I woke up feeling like complete garbage. Go figure right? So I got up, had some Chobani and granola, and went on with my day. 5 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch: So I got home around 1 and I warmed up some Hebrew Nationals with leftover spaghetti-o’s. It was an awesomely delicious lunch. 8 points

After lunch I was a little hungry so I immediately ate some hummus and a pita while I should have just waited out a few minutes and I’m sure I would have been fine. Instead I ate it and I felt gross/too full after. That always sucks. 3 points.

 

 

 

 

Starbucks: While researching at Starbucks, I had a Skinny caramel macchiato which was as good as always. 3 points


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Workout: So I had a rough day so I was ready for a good workout to calm myself down. I got to Leach and it was nightmarishly packed. I tried to do some weights but every 2 minutes it felt like people were coming up to me asking if I was done with a machine. It got annoying quick. Then I was doing some lumberjacks on a machine (pull down diagonally across your body) and one of the workers showed me a better way to do it. It was good for him to do and he was the first worker I’ve seen do that because I’m sure I’m still doing a ton of stuff wrong still. I just felt out of whack and like I had no clue what I was doing. So I went to a staple that I know I can handle. It was Stairmaster time! I did 17 minutes on level 7 (which I have never done) and it was painful but good. With 3 minutes left, my right calf started to cramp up so I slowed it down a little to stretch it out which helped but again it was just rough. I sweated like a stuffed pig which is what I needed today, a cathartic sweat. (Yes, that is all my sweat.)

 

 

Dinner: I had some leftover black beans so I cooked up some rice and had burritos again. It was fantastic and 10 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dessert: I know I said I was going to cut back on dessert so I just had one today 🙂 I started working on research again and I kept having issues with my computer. Sometimes there are problems that only ice cream can solve. It wasn’t emotional eating per se, more of I need to get away from my computer or I’m going to go Office Space on it. It was still only 3 points so whatever.

Today I got to 32 points which is over but with the exercise I’m good. See ya tomorrow.

Day 254: Wordless Wednesday Awesometasticness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 253: Tuesday Totalitarianism

(Rest assured it wasn’t totalitarian at all. Alliterations just make me happy.)

So I didn’t sleep well last night (I’m sure all the coffee didn’t help) so I got home after my class and I accidentally crashed for a hour unintentionally watching Sportscenter. I woke up feeling kind of sick, but thankfully I’m feeling better now. Anyways, food time.

Brekafast: Publix had the new Cinnamon Explosion (I’m not sure what they are called but that’s what it should be called) Cheerios. I had 4 points worth which was for a lot of cereal.

Lunch: I had some awesome Hebrew National 94% fat free hot dogs with some Bush’s spicy beaked beans. A cup of beans was only 2 points so I had 2 cups which turned out to be the whole can (there is a reason I haven’t had an open flame in the house today…) Anyways lunch as 13 points since I had a pudding for dessert.

 

 

 

 

 

Snack: I didn’t want to have a lot of caffeine in my system because I actually want to sleep tonight, but I need something or else I would have slipped back in to a coma and rip van winkled it up until next week, so I had a 100 calorie Starbucks frapp. It was delicious. 2 points. I also had a pita with some hummus for about 3 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: I was getting pretty hungry around dinner time so I went over to Publix to get some fruits and vegetables. Then it hit: a perfect storm of unhealthy food craving. I drove past Wing Stop, one of my favorite places ever while a Wing Stop commercial was playing on the radio. It felt like divine intervention when in reality it was an intervention from a place a little further south. Anyways, I wrote something about it on FB and immediately I had people holding me accountable which was awesome. I’m not saying I have banished Wing Stop from my repertoire, but I didn’t need to eat it tonight. I had healthier things to eat at home, not to mention I didn’t have the points. So thanks for those who held me accountable, especially Tom for his genuine tough love approach. Anyways, I got back home and made some Spaghetti O’s and grilled cheese. It was freakin’ epic and delicious. One of my favorite combinations ever. 8 points. 

Snack: Speaking of super awesome combinations, I picked up some baby carrots at Publix and had some with a 100 calorie pack of Wholly Guacamole! I don’t agree with a lot of what Adam Richman does on Man v. Food, but he did say one time that guacamole makes everything better and that is an axiom I now live by. 2 points

So I’m at 32 points which I know is over and I haven’t worked out today, but I’ll make up for it tomorrow. It’s not like the two extra points were from chocolate covered skittles, it was from carrots and guac so if I’m going to rationalize it that would be the way to do it. See ya tomorrow.

Day 252: Monday Time People!

So this is the second to last week of summer school for me and it’s going to be a doozie. I’m really stoked for it to be over with, but it has been a really good session. Anyways, today has been pretty awesome. I worked hard physically and mentally. I wanted today to set the pace for this week because if I do what I did today, I’ll get everything done I need to and I might even lose some weight. Like said the other day on Facebook, I want the weight loss, but I really want to keep losing inches off my body like I have been. It’s been so awesome going in to stores and getting to buy what I like instead of what I have to because it fits. I feel like I’m on Biggest Loser at this point because of all of the added benefits that have come from this weight loss journey that go beyond the weight loss itself. Obviously getting the weight off in the end is the most important thing for me, but like on BL, I’ve gained a confidence I’ve never had, the clothing selection I’ve always wanted, (hopefully) providing inspiration for other people, and oh yeah losing a crapton of weight. Alright, let’s do some food stuff.

Breakfast: I got up early enough to make some good breakfast so I made a breakfast burrito. I scrambled two eggs, added a little cheese, and added loads of salsa (a dieter’s best friend.) It was alright, I was just ready for something different. Breakfast was 7 points which I knew was high, but in hindsight I’m glad I ate a higher point breakfast.

 

 

SAWS!: My class got out early (holla!) so I went straight over to Leach for some workout awesomeness (always leave some workout clothes in your backpack or car. You never know when you’ll get a chance to burn some calories!) Leach was pretty empty, so I got on a treadmill, chose the total body interval (which tells you to do stuff with your arms) and went to work. I stayed with it for 65 minutes of cardio awesomeness. Once I got in to my groove I was cruisin! I got 13 exercise points and burned 862 calories. I felt great after because I felt like I had really accomplished something. Holla for Super Awesome Workout Summer (SAWS!)

Lunch: When I got home, I didn’t want to eat something frozen, so instead I went for my staple of tuna salad. I have figured out my recipe once and for all and it’s epic! (Dill and paprika is where it’s at. Just saying.) Anyways so I had two sandwiches made from one can of tuna along with some Cape Cod reduced fat chips. The chips are 3 points for 23 chips so they really are the perfect crunchy side (except for carrots. But healthy things don’t count.) Lunch was 10 points.

 

 

 

 

Starbucks Time: I needed to get out of the house, so I went to Starbucks to work on a project. I had an iced coffee with a pump of mocha with a splash of half and half. It was an awesome 3 points.

 

 

 

 

Dinner: When I was working on homework, I was also working on plans for some dinner. I had these grandiose plans of making massive burritos like Chipotle with grilled steak and grill peppers, you know, the works. Well, I’m still trying to figure out my grill (mostly lighting the charcoal so it stays lit long enough to actually cook anything) so it still turned out well, but I didn’t really use the grill. Anyways, I made cilantro lime rice, black beans, and steak with a grilledish red pepper. It actually turned out pretty awesome and by that point I was just hungry so it all worked out. I had two burritos which was about 18 points which I know is bad, but it’s still not as bad as a real Chipotle burrito so it was a good splurge. (I used the term splurge lightly because it had fiber, healthy fat in the guac, protein, and a lot of veggies.)

 

So today I got to 38 points which is high, but I had the exercise points to it evened it out. Overall, I still feel like I have set the tone for the week and I’m ready to rock it. See ya tomorrow.