Day (Nintendo) 64

Why hello my loyal reader. Thanks for being awesome.

So this has been the best Monday I have had in a while. I didn’t have an assignment due so I did a lot of laundry and cleaned up the house for my family’s arrival (have I mentioned I’m stoked?) I also found out I got a 12 out of 12 on my focus group report which is super fantastic awesomeness.

Breakfast: Megan had a short class today so after she was done, we went to Starbucks for a little breakfast date. I was in the mood for something a little lighter on points and hot because I haven’t had a hot drink there in a loooong time. I just had Megan’s staple: Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte and we split a piece for Low Fat Cinnamon Coffee Cake. The piece pictured is half of it and it still looks like a lot. Has anyone tried Starbucks oatmeal? I want to try it but I was wondering if it was worth it. Anyways, for half of the cake it was 3.5 points and the latte was 3 points. Like I’ve said before, that coffee cake is worth eating only if you are splitting it because a whole piece is definitely not worth 7 points.

Lunch: In the middle of doing laundry, I had a ham and cheese sandwich and a bowl of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup. I think I’m going to take a vacation from processed soups. I don’t like the taste of sodium. (I actually think it was because of the awesome soups from Soup Night! They spoiled me!) The sandwich was 4 points and the soup was 5 points.

Snack: Since mad can not live on soup and sandwiches alone, around 8 tonight I had to eat something. We didn’t get to have dinner until late because Megan had a make up class until 8:30 (lame) so I just had a piece of bread with some pb on it. (4 points) It held me over pretty well.

Dinner: Since we were going to go to college night on Thursday (Chick-Fil-A is closed that day for some reason…) we decided to go tonight. I was adventurous and tried the Spicy Chicken Sandwich and it did not disappoint in the spiciness department. It was tasty but boy was it hot! (Yep, it was so hot that I had the put the word hot in red.) The sandwich was 11 points, half of the large fries was 5 points and 2 BBQ packets were 2 points. I really need to wean myself off of sauces to save the points but I have no clue how I’ll do that.

Today I topped out at 37.5 points!?! Crap! (I just calculated it myself which is a no-no, you should know your points through out the day.) I really didn’t want to use my flex points this early in the week but I guess it happens. What are you going to do about it right? See ya tomorrow.

Day 63: The Ballad of My 10th Weigh In Day!

This is going to be an awesome week. How can you not love Thanksgiving? I love this time of the year so much, but I have never experienced it while being healthy so this is going to be quite a test. Bring it on yo!

If you recall last week, I had a really rough time at the wedding taking my eyes off the prize and focusing on a beautiful chocolate fountain. Well, I worked hard this week to try to make up what I didn’t lose last week and I think I did okay. I lost -3.6 this week! I’m really happy with it! What could make me happier? Um.. I don’t know, maybe being in the 310’s for the first time since my freshman year of high school!!!! It’s such an awesome feeling when you realize that you have found a system that works for you and works so well. What’s even cooler is that I am only 2.6 pounds away from being at the 40 pound mark (I can’t believe it as I just typed that!) So right now I am at 319.6 and I am 79.8 pounds away from my goal.

Breakfast: Didn’t happen. Yikes.

Lunch: After church, we went to Tijuana Flats and had their super awesome burritos. We had a BOGO coupon so it was super awesome cheap too! I had the Chicken and Black Bean burrito on a Wheat Tortilla with fat free sour cream and low fat cheese. The burrito looks small in this picture, but I was so stuffed after lunch. They pack it in there. I just emptied the contents of the burrito and put it on my chips to make nachos. So good, and the burrito and chips was 14 points.

 

 

 

 

So after lunch, we drove around and did some clothes window shopping. We went to Old Navy and I tried on a few things. It nice to actually to be a chooser and not a beggar while clothes shopping again. There was a time when if it fit, I bought it because it was slim pickens. I got a nice V-neck t-shirt for like 4 bucks. Then we went to Dillard’s which is where I buy most of my nice clothes because they have a pretty good Big and Tall section. One of the last times I was shopped there it was August and I needed to buy a pair of khakis. I had a hard time trying to find my size (which was a pretty high number. There are 3 numbers I will probably never say on this blog: my GRE score, my social security number, or my pant size (that is until it is much lower.)) Anyways, I just remember all of the frustration and the internal embarrassment of walking out of the fitting room time and time again trying to find a bigger size, trying on pair after pair of pants with them being too tight. Today, I tried on a pair that are 6 sizes smaller than the pair of pants I bought that day. They fit, maybe not perfectly, but the button didn’t shoot off killing an old women while I put them on. They fit. That’s when I realized I’m actually doing it. This is actually working. So after that awesome experience, we went and registered for the Turkey Trot and the shirt sizes on the registration form only went up to a XL but when they got there they had XXL’s so that was pretty cool. The shirt is legit. It’s a Under Amour-like long sleeve and it’s pretty light. I actually almost wore it to racquetball today it was that comfortable. Do you like my action pose?

Dinner: There are some days where I think I could become a vegetarian, then there are meals like this… We got some Turkey brats from Wal-Mart (as if we aren’t going to have enough turkey this week…) and we bought this huge vat of sauerkraut which will probably last longer than me because it was the only size. Anyways, the brats were only 3 points and they were really good. Plus sauerkraut is only 10 calories for a 1/4 cup! The buns were 3 points because we got white instead of whole wheat (oops.) I had the two legit brats pictured and then had one more with no bun. (Of course it came in a pack of 5 so we had an extra one so I took one for the team. ) It was a 15 point dinner which was so worth it for how good of a dinner it was.

 

 

Racquetball: Well I figured since tonight was a Blue Moon, I would have a good chance at winning. I got really really close 2 games, but I couldn’t pull out the W (I would make a terrible closer pitcher.) It earned about 13 exercise points.

So today I had only 29 points which is pretty awesome for how well I ate. See ya tomorrow.

Day 62 Weekend Edition

I love Saturdays. I wish there were more of them in a week.

Sorry this post is so late. We were out in the Boonies at a friend’s house who is in Megan’s department. It was Splendiferous Soups, Captivating Chilis & Delectable Dessert Night (but more on that later.) So  I had this great intention of getting up early, go for a run, eat some oatmeal, and enjoy the morning. Instead I woke up at noon. I really can’t complain because I really needed the sleep. So anyways, we did our Thanksgiving shopping today! We are so stoked! It’s going to be an awesome week.

Lunch: So since I got up so late, I didn’t have lunch until around 2:30 which is always a little weird but aw well. I made a turkey and cheese sandwich with some chips. (It’s hard to measure chips at the bottom of the bag when it’s just broken chips. Does anyone else have that same issue?) It was 8 points. Awesome.

Dinner: Like I said earlier we had a pot luck with some folks from Megan’s department. Megan made the WW Tuscan Sausage and Bean soup which is always awesome. Christian, who is probably the most eligible bachelor in Tallahassee because he is one of the best cooks I know, made this awesome Butternut Squash Curry Soup. How awesome you ask? Having thirds good. There were also other goodies such as chips, Yoda shaped sugar cookies, s’mores, and baklava (but I ran away from that.) We sat out by the fire pit under the full moon and it was so cold that you would see your breath. It finally felt like Fall. Then we played Guesstures which is always a blast. So points wise, I feel pretty confident about how I did. Potlucks can be a quicksand of calories especially with continuous snacking. After some math and some speculation, I figured I ate about 20 points which is a lot, but a heck of a lot better than last time I was approached with a buffet of deliciousness.

So I got to about 28 points today which like I said is a bit of speculation (which can be a slippery slope so I don’t do that too often) but either way, I had 24 daily points left and 24 weekly points left and I know it wasn’t that bad. Tomorrow is weigh in day and I have a really good feeling about it. See ya tomorrow.

Day 61

Deathly Hallows was so good. Go see it now.

This was an awesome Friday. We are one day closer to my parents coming in to town!!!!! I’m so stoked.

Breakfast: We didn’t get home until pretty late and I had to get up pretty early to work on a final project (fun stuff) so I just made some peanut butter toast. (7 points)

Lunch: After I got back, I warmed up last nights chili and basked in its delicious glory. Left over chili is just so good. Plus, since it is only about $3 to make it it basically 75¢ per person when you eat it over 2 meals and I’m all about delicious cost efficient meals. I had 9 points which is for the chili and rice.

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise: I found my own secret garden park right in my own backyard. Instead of running on a treadmill, I went out on road in front of our house and then run through the neighborhoods. As I ran down this one street, there was an asphalt path that went in to the woods so being the curious cat that I am (what does that mean?) I made my way down the trail which opened into a beautiful park with a lake. I immediately realized how awesome of a decision this was. I then went back in to the woods and I ran. Not jogged, not walked, not wogged. I ran. It was just me and nature in a Whitman like fellowship. I didn’t worry about how I looked when I ran or how embarrassed I would be if someone else saw me try so hard. It was so liberating and free. I can’t wait to do it again tomorrow. I totaled out at 3 miles and it was 4 exercise points. If you ever feel like you are in a running funk or you just feel over stimulated by… well… life, find a park and run a trail.

Dinner: Before the Iron &Wine concert, we went to Sahara which is a Greek/Lebanese restaurant in Tallahassee, with some of our friends in Megan’s department. It was our first time there… and most likely our last. It was pretty pricey so we split some vegetable dolmas (which were so good and only 1.5 points for 3) and then we each had a bowl of red lentil soup which came with a fried pita. The soup was pretty good, but again, it was over priced and the service sucked. They were really rude since we had a large party and they did even fill up my water cup (which in my book is a cardinal sin.) Anyways the soup was about 4 points and the fried pita was about 3 points. Pretty good dinner sans the crappy service.

This was our second time to see Iron & Wine play this year. I dare say this time was better. The whole band played instead of just Samuel Beam so they did a lot of variations of their original songs. He opened with 4 acoustic songs and then they threw down. It was interesting and impressive to hear them transform all of these acoustic songs I love be transformed in to Funky and Dirty South renditions. They also played some new stuff of the new album that’s being released next year and it’s going to rock. If you get a chance to see them, definitely do it.

 

 

 

Snack: I just made a piece of toast and pb which was 3.5 points and then a 1 point fudgesicle Good times.

So I got to 29 points which works just fine for me. See ya tomorrow.

Day 60? Whoa.

Harry Potter Midnight Showing!!!!!!

I am soooooooooo stoked. It’s going to rock.

So right now I’m watching Man vs. Food for the first time I have been losing weight. I use to watch it religiously, thinking that one day I would try all of those challenges (at one point, that’s what this blog was going to be about. No joke.) It would also make me hungry for terrible foods, which also created problems. As I’m watching it, it makes me a little grossed out. Don’t get me wrong, the food looks great, but it sends the wrong message to people that it is okay to gorge yourself beyond measure. I’m sure some of you are thinking that I’m over reacting a little bit, but I really think that shows like this pseudo-subliminally send the message that Food=Happiness which is why I am in this mess to begin with. The only way I have made any progress is that I have changed my mindset: it’s eat to live, not live to eat. Do I still eat well? You betcha. Do I over indulge sometimes? Yes, then I gain 4 pounds in a weekend. I still haven’t found that middle ground yet where I have the control not to go nuts. Until I reach that point, I’m going to stay cautious and stay close to my points. What do you think about shows like Man vs. Food? Am I over reacting? Be honest.

Breakfast: My super awesome wife made some toast with peanut butter. Peanut butter is awesome, and that is all there is to it. The breakfast was 7 points which is high but pb in the morning really holds you over.

Lunch: I met up with Megan at Pitaria to grab some lunch. I had the super awesome falafel pita (13 points) and their unique pita fries which are fried pita strips with Greek seasoning. With the Tzaziki sauce it was about 6 points. A 19 point lunch is pretty high also, but it’s worth it.

Dinner: Instead of going out for Chick-Fil-A college night, we made some awesome chili but this time with rice. We use to always make it with rice but it has been a while. It was fantastic and it really hit the spot. For 2 cups of chili was 5 points and a cup of rice was 4 points.

So today was a meatless Thursday. I like these vegetarian days. I think I might try to have a meatless day once a week. It wouldn’t be a goal or anything just something to try to do. Today I got to 35 points so 3 points over. That will do Pig. That will do. (That’s not a fat joke.) See ya tomorrow.

Day 59: Things To Hang My Hat On

Song of the Day: I was a Lover by TV on the Radio. Listen to it now.

Today was such a good day. I worked on some homework and got to hang out with my awesome wife. I then played some racquetball, but more on that later.

Brunch: We (or I) slept in this morning (like until 9) and it was a little chilly outside which was nice because it actually felt like Fall for the first time in a few weeks. Anyways, yesterday I mentioned the yearning to make omelets but didn’t due to time constraint; well I actually made them this morning and they were delicious. All they had in them were onions, jalapenos and cheese, then we had bacon on the side. It was only 9 points for the omelet and bacon which was good for a brunchish time (we didn’t actually eat until around 10:30.) Also, next time you make eggs of any kind, definitely add some green Tabasco to it. It really hits the spot.

Lupper?: I’m not really sure what the time frames are for respective meals (I’ve been in college way to long to really know. Maybe you can let me know.) So since we were still full from brunch, we didn’t go to find lunch until around 2:30. I had a coupon for this new sports grill by campus and Megan needed to do some stuff up there anyways so we went to try it out. We walked in, sat down, looked at the menu options, saw that they served their nachos on a large pizza tray, and left. It was not the place we needed to be. I don’t know what made us think it would be any different. Don’t get me wrong, the food looked really good, but after this weekend I didn’t think I needed to eat anything else that would be disastrous to my colon. So we did what we needed to do on campus, and went to Monk’s grill. It was a beautiful day and they have picnic tables under trees so it was a nobrainer for us. I ordered the Vegan Veggie Burger with their Hot Chipotle BBQ sauce on wheat berry bread with a side of sweet potato fries. Oh boy was it good. I really have taken a liking to veggie burgers and I’ve been looking for a good recipe. If you have a good veggie burger recipe, send me the link!!! Anywho, Their sweet potato fries are so good but they have cinnamon and sugar so I’m sure they are not great for you but they are the best fries I have ever had. I went all Harriet the Spy on this meal to figure out the points. McCain’s sweet potato fries, which I’m pretty sure that’s what they are, were 7 points. Not bad for happiness. The bread was 3 points, and the patty was about 4 points. I was stuffed after and I had only eaten half of the burger and the fries! So awesome! For dinner part II I had the rest of the burger.

Racquetball: After Lupper, I was went and played racquetball with Matt. Probably not my smartest choice. We played pretty hard and I was exhausted. This weekend was catching up with me but it felt good to get a really good sweat going. 12 exercise points of awesomeness.

Snack: After church we stopped at Starbucks and I had my iced chai which was 6 points. I really need to make my own at home to save some money.

A few things to hang my hat on: So during grad school orientation, they handed out FSU grad school shirts and the biggest size they had was a XL. Since then, that shirt has been hanging up in my closet, laughing at me. You see I haven’t been a XL since… 4th grade. I have flirted with that XL/XXL line in the past but never have fully been there. Well, today I tried on the shirt and it fit. Not just fit, but it fit comfortably. In fact, I wore it to church tonight. It fits like most of my XXL use to fit. Keep in mind, I still have a long ways to go, but it’s a great start. I look forward to the day where I’m too small for a XXL and a XL (or even further in the future, a L) is all I can wear. Someday, and when that day comes, it’s going to be legit (and skinny!)

Now, Page 2. Megan and I took a lot of pictures this weekend and I am so stoked about how much better I look. It’s one of those things where you have this image of what you look on the outside, but when you see pictures of yourself you cringe in gluttonous horror.

After looking at these pics side by side, I really feel great. It was just what I needed after the frustration of this weekend. Definitely something to get me through next week which will be full of temptations.

So today, I got to 29 points. Legit. See ya tomorrow.

Day 58: Back on the Wagon

Hooray for Tuesday. (I just said that because it rhymed and for no other reason.)

Today was about getting back on that weight loss horse and to pick up from where I was on Thursday. I was worried that it was going to be hard to get back in the swing of things but I avoided the temptations that came my way and I feel good about it. I’m ready for a good week and a good weigh in on Sunday. In my first post, I wrote that around this point (around week 6) of other weight loss attempts, I would crash and burn hard and gain everything back. Sunday I was worried that was going to happen. I thought I had screwed up that bad. But thanks to this community and the great encouragement I receive from you made the difference. I don’t even know half of you, but you still encourage me and for that I am truly grateful. Thank you for reading and thank you for being awesome. Alright, let’s talk food.

Breakfast: I had this awesome intention of making my awesome omelet of awesomeness (yes, the word awesomeness is required twice to describe it) but alas, sleep got in the way and I woke up a little to late. Anyways, I just had a Kashi cereal bar that was buried in out pantry so only 2 points.

Lunch: We just made leftover black bean and cilantro lime rice burritos which are just fantastic, even great as leftovers. For two burritos and chips and salsa it was 9 points. (Both of us have been on a Mexican kick today. More on that later.)

Exercise: This afternoon I hit up Leach to get some running in for #NovGTD (which I am way behind on.) It felt good to be back at the gym and it was much needed. I went to get on the treadmill and went to run and the belt kept stopping with every step. Super annoying. Has anyone else had that happened to them? Anyways, I told the staff about it and then I went upstairs to run on the track. I had tracks, especially .10 mile tracks because you have to run around 10 times for 1 mile. It was like a hamster wheel as my wife put it. I only got 2 miles before I went stir crazy. 8 exercise points. Hooray.

Snack: I knew dinner was a while away so I thought it would be smart to grab a smoothie. Somehow I got the worst one. Crap. I got the Blueberry Bay which was a whopping 8 points. Lame. Sorry this is the only picture I have today by the way.

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: Back in Abilene, almost every Tuesday we would go to Rosa’s for Taco Tuesdays. Three tacos, beans and rice and extra tortillas for $3.99. Such a deal (but also almost 30 points for one plate. Yes, you read that right.) We found a new alternative tonight at Tijuana Flats. 2 massive tacos, chips and a drink for $4.99. I’m no Frugal Novice, but that’s quite the deal. It was delicious, but they have fat free sour cream and cheese and we both totally forgot to order them that way (#fail.) Their website is a little hard to navigate, but from what I can decipher dinner came out to about 14 points. A little rough (the cheese was 10 grams of fat. Yikes.) but it was still so good.

So today I ate 33 points which is a point over so not bad and with the exercise points it evens out. See ya tomorrow.

Weigh in Day 57

It feels like it has been forever and I have missed you (yes you.)

So it felt like after my invigorating post on Saturday, it went downhill fast in an insane, high caloric downward fashion. Up until that point, I had done pretty well with my eating. Granted I didn’t know any of the points, but I did what I could to keep my portions down. Then we went to the wedding. Oh boy. All day I was a runner, getting and doing anything that was asked from me. It was stressful, but the wedding went of without a hitch, except the DJ never showed up so I got to DJ and MC which was really tight. Anyways, by the time the wedding rolled around I was in this stressful eating mode. I went overboard on with the chocolate fountain. If you could dip it in chocolate I would eat it. The dinner was Christmas dinner with ham and the whole shebang. I ate a lot and didn’t feel bad about it. I also drank regular soda. One half of my brain was like “this is so delicious” and the other half (the skinny half) was like “what is wrong with you!?! You’re losing all the ground you made this week.” Even after feeling that way, after the wedding, we went and ate at Bubba Gump’s and had fried shrimp. I was sick, I felt disgusting. Not from being such a Fatty, I literally got sick and was sick up until the morning. So here comes the moral of the story: on Thursday I weighed and I was down to 320.6. I was set to break out of the 320’s for the fist time in a loooooooong time. I weighed this morning and I was at 324.2. Although I lost .4 pounds from last week, I completed undid everything I had worked for all week. I have been really mad at myself all day and frankly all weekend but I am trying to put it behind me and look forward to this week.

So here we are. A new day,a new week, and a new set of points. Here we go.

Breakfast: After that fiasco, I made some eggs and toast. Not too shabby and 5 points so that will work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch: All day I’ve been working on this paper so we took a break to buy a bigger coffee maker (we have a Keurig which we love but we need more coffee at this point in the semester.) We also got some lunch and I went with Amy’s Tamale Verde which, if you haven’t tried, the best frozen and filling meal I have ever had. It was 9 points and then I added some chips and this new World Table salsa we bought which was 3 points for the chips. It was good that I ate something so filling for lunch because we didn’t have dinner until 10:30. (Ah the joys of a super busy schedule.)

 

 

 

Dinner: I made us our new favorite staple: black beans and cilantro rice burritos. For the first time making it, I have to say it was pretty good. For two burritos with sour cream and a few chips it was 9 points. It really hit the spot because we were starving at that point. Both of us have working since we got up the morning.

So overall I’m at 26 points. I’m not hungry at all (probably because I drank like 8 cups of water) so it’s all good. It’s good to be back. See ya tomorrow.

 

A Short Blip: Day 57ish

I love the beach.

I use to never be able to decide if I was a mountains or a beach guy. I grew up driving through the Rockies to see my family in Montana and I lived in Alaska for a summer (which was beautifully awesome) so I always thought I was a Mountain guy. Then my family started going to Florida every couple of years so then the idea of being a beach bum was just stellar to me so then I thought I was a Beach guy. I think fate made my decision for me because for grad school it came down to University of Colorado (mountains) or Florida State (beach) and we headed to the shore.

Anyways, this morning I woke up to the ocean air blowing in my face and I thought “I have to go run. God made this beautiful day so I need to make the most of it.” I put on my Nike’s, set my iPod to Running Mix, and hit the sand running. The tide had been earlier this morning so the sand was packed pretty well and it felt just like a road. The wind was cold and the sun was beating down, but it felt amazing. The crashing waves sounded like cheers and applause (it also sounded like water hitting other water.) I totally forgot my pedometer (I have no clue why I suck at remembering that stupid thing) but I went for about 40 minutes and I only stopped a few times but that was just to enjoy my surroundings. So far it’s been a pretty awesome morning to say the least.

Food News: I’ve been pretty good all weekend. Tomorrow I’m going to go in to more detail about this weekend and everything that’s been going on. We are going to a wedding this afternoon (congrats Brandy and Chris!) and I’m not too worried about it, however there are going to be 3 chocolate/other delicious flavors fountains so that will be quite the temptation but I think I might have one chocolate covered pretzel and call it good. We’ll see how that works out and see how much running I’ll need to do tomorrow morning. See you tomorrow.

Day Double High Five!

Curt Schilling had the bloody sock, I had the bloody finger (I cut open my finger this week while chopping onions and holding the racket was torture.) I had lost two games already and was at the threshold of loss #3. I stood my ground, dug deep and went berserk. I finally beat Matt. It was glorious. As I was in the zone and gearing for win 2 (well.. maybe not,) the the room went pitch black. No, I didn’t pass out, all of the lights went out in Leach with no flood lights. So I think it might have been God saying “quit while you’re ahead” or something along those lines. And that was my exercise for the day.  I know this is out of order but I figured this would make a good introductory paragraph.

Breakfast: Before my group meeting, I grabbed two waffles for the road hooray for a 3 point breakfast. When I got to Club Stroz, I got a venti iced non fat chai latte from The Bucks. 6 points of caffeine happiness.

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch: I’m sure you’re thinking “Wait a cot dang minute! This isn’t Monday or Thursday! Why are they eating at Chick-Fil-A!?! WHAT KIND OF CHICANERY IS THIS???” Don’t get your chaps in a wad, Megan and I signed up for a Facebook fan appreciation day at our local Chick-Fil-A. We each got a free chicken sandwich and then we split a diet coke. I haven’t had a chicken sandwich there in such a long time since it’s more points than the nuggets, so it was a real treat. It was particularly delicious for 9 points.

 

 

 

[This is when the racquetball victory happened]

Dinner: Megan, my stud wife, whipped up this awesome dish we had a while back. What is it you ask? Oh, I don’t… maybe THE BEST PASTA DISH EVER!!! (That’s not Alfredo based.) You got it: The WW Pasta Primavera with Provolone. It’s a vegetarian dish with bell peppers, steamed tomatoes, onions and cheese. Keep in mind that this bowl pictured it pretty big so this is a big heaping helping. For this much it was 10 points which totally hit the spot after racquetball.The 1 point glass of milk was also a good choice here.

 

 

 
So right now I’m at 29 points so I think I might have some cereal or something. Maybe some fruit? See ya tomorrow.