Category Archives: Alex Bogusky

Trying to Get it All Aligned

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“When the mooooooooooooon is in the seventh house
and Jupiterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr lines with Mars…“

Wait…that’s not what I mean…

You hear it all the time “get fit in the gym, lose weight in the kitchen.” While I have fought with this notion for a long time, I’ve seen how true it really is through out my weight loss journey. With that, it’s been easy to have one component of that statement down and have the other one completely lopsided.When I lost my first 100 pounds, my eating was at the forefront of this journey. Sure I worked out, but making smart decisions helped peel off the weight. Some time after that, I lost sight of that. I got caught up in the fitness side a little too much and it seemed to throw me off because I didn’t know how to refuel properly with my eating. Then, I started training for my first half marathon which kind of put my weight loss dead in the water because, contrary to popular belief, you don’t always lose weight when you train for long distance races like half marathons. So right now, I’m not training for a specific race. I’ve put on about 15 pounds since December so I want to get that off ASAP to get my weight loss momentum going.

Since I’ve been working out regularly, usually a combination of running and circuit training classes 3-5 times a week, I feel awesome and actually strong for the first time in close to forever. In the past, I’ve been quick to beat myself up when I want to go work out in the “bro den” (the part of the gym that has free weights, benches, awkward grunting) because I don’t feel like I belong. But how can I make progress if I don’t work out in there? (I’m going to talk about more on that in a post I’m working on. Stay tuned.) Anyway, the point is that good things are happening. After working out regularly like this for the past ten weeks, it would be really hard to stop. I just love it too much!

So now that I’m in such an awesome place with my fitness, I’m really working to change my eating. I’m eating fruits and veggies like they’re going out of style and I’m incredibly intentional about drinking water (#alltheclearpee).

But I’m not perfect…
Can I still pound down a bag of potato chips? Yessir.
Do I hoard candy sometimes like those spoiled brats in Willie Wonka? Sure do.
But…Do I immediately regret it? Now more than ever.

I really hate that feeling of regret after a mini-binge, so I’ve been trying to combat that with just abstaining as much as I can. I tell myself that I won’t miss it in 5 minutes because all they are are just impulses. For example, we walked by a cupcake store in Tallahassee and I thought I really wanted one.

I knew I had two options:
1) Keep walking and go on with my day
or
2) Go in, spend money on a dessert that I’m generally kind of ambivalent towards, and then sulk because I could have spent those Weight Watchers points on bacon.

So, I’m making progress with my eating! I really feel like I’m on the verge of everything lining up for some serious weight loss awesomeness.

Speaking of weight loss…

I lost 2.8 pounds this week! After losing 3 pounds or so two weeks ago, I gained it back last week. (Between kidney stones and traveling, the MacDonalds have been a little cray…) This week, I wasn’t perfect at all. In fact (and if you try to troll me on this, so help me…) I had McDonald’s for the first time since we’ve lived in Tallahassee. I drove to Jacksonville twice this week and I really needed some coffee and breakfast. So, I had an Egg McMuffin and a hash brown. It was 12 points. I counted it and I moved on. I also ate at Hardee’s for breakfast one day and I counted it too. So I wasn’t perfect, but I counted my points and I exercised to bring balance to the Weight Watchers force. This past week was once again proof that when you count regardless and exercise, everything will fall into place.

Count all the points

 

Day 558: Thursday and Stuff

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Hello!

I love all of you. There, I said it.

I still can’t believe my Facebook Page got to 200+ Likes last night!

This week I was feeling a little sluggish and lazy. Luckily I was able to pull myself out of it and have an awesome day! Good things. Alright, let’s get at it.

Breakfast: This morning, as per usual, we went to Atomic Coffee before class and school and stuff. I just had a bagel with butter and a little honey. It was fantastic and filling. Awesomeness.

Lunch: Today I had to go to a luncheon for a class. I walked from campus uphill both ways (yes, like your parents did when they were kids) to the downtown Double Tree. The menu had a lot of awesome healthy choices, but I was still thinking about getting something a little heavier. That was when my friend Andrew (the Edward Cullen lookalike) told the whole I was his dietician and then asked for a healthy option. It was the conviction I needed to make a much better decision. I ended up getting a grouper sandwich and instead of fries I got a salad with honey mustard. It was delicious, but it was also hard to conceal my picture taking ability in front of a bunch of strangers. When I got home I had a 100 calorie Klondike ice cream sandwich that was awesome. Then I ate two servings of chips.

Awesome Non Scale Victory: So today I was organizing my old fat clothes in order to sell them online (anyone want size 54 khakis or some really nice XXL polo t-shirts?) and then I found these bad boys. I bought these plaid shorts a few weeks before I started grad school. It was like folding up an American flag. Those things are huge. I was huge. Anyway, I held them up, thought for a second, and then got in one of the leg holes. They fit me in the waist. I know I’m not half them man I used to be, but I am making awesome progress. It was seriously the motivation I needed to get focused on losing weight. It also made me proud because this kind of picture is usually in an infomercial for some weight loss cookie or some shake that tastes like ground up chalk. This is proof that all you need is a healthier diet, a good pair of running shoes, a little patience and a persistent attitude. Oh yeah, and a bunch of awesome supportive friends doesn’t hurt either ;).

SAWS:So after that moment of NSV clarity, I decided I needed to keep it up so I can no longer fit in my current clothes and went to the gym. It’s kind of sad because it was one of my last times working out at Leach. I’ve burned a ton of calories in that place. Anyway, I wanted to keep up the same intensity I had when I was working with Joe so I went after it. I divided my hour into three 20 minute segments. The first 20 I did a circuit that involved stairs, burpees, box jumps, jump squats, push ups and running up and down stairs. It was awesome. Then, I got on the ARC Trainer and did 20 minutes on the weight loss setting which was a hill climb pattern of awesomeness. Finally, I did 20 minutes of abs. Elevated sit ups, this weird leg lift row and then holding a plank position. I felt like I made really good use of my hour, I did what I came there to do: sweat through my shirt.

 

 

 

 

Late Night Dinner: After staying on campus to try to get some work done, Megan and I went through the drive thru at Jimmy John’s (the only thing faster than their delivery dudes) and had a Turkey Tom sans mayo and a nice layer of avocado spread. Not to mention their classic pickle. The healthiest drive thru around.

So that was my day. Not too shabby. Although I didn’t write them down, I’m definitely back in the mindset of counting points and being better about what I eat. I was looking at an older post and I realized it took me 4 months to lose the last 15 pounds to break the 100 pound mark. It was because I was kind of a slacker and wasn’t strict with my points. With my new-found love for weight lifting, sticking with my points should be the perfect recipe for some serious weight loss. If anything my body would feel better, and isn’t that what it’s all about? See ya tomorrow.

 

Day 389: Tuesday

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So yeah, I messed up the day number. I’m losing my mind.

It was a pretty good day I guess, just another day in grad school. I’m ready to retire in to the real world. (Yes, you read that right.) Anyways, let’s talk about food and stuff.

Breakfast: I was out of milk and organic peanut butter (what’s a boy to do?) but we had some conventional Peter Pan Peanut Butter so I had that on my waffles. It just wasn’t the same.

Lunch: I just had some pretzels and hummus (you know, the usual) and it was good as usual.

Snack: I had a couple atomic fire balls which really aren’t bad but I had to get rid of the rest of them so I would stop eating out of stress.

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: Tonight, I made some chili awesomeness for dinner and we had it with some tortilla chips. It was one of the better batches I have made.

So as you can tell, it was just another boring day. Nothing too exciting. Maybe tomorrow will be a little better BECAUSE IT’S GAME 6 AND WORDLESS WEDNESDAY!!! Get stoked. See ya tomorrow.

Day 204: Tuesday Times

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Sup yo!

So I went to the doctor and I found out that I just have some weird cold virus that is going around the school. The doc just said just drink a lot of water and to get some sleep and that will take care of it. It’s good to know that I’ll survive, but in the process, I got Megan sick! So we are in a bit of a role reversal where I’m playing nurse now instead of her (that sounded a lot weirder than it was suppose to…) Anyways, the last time I went to the doctor, my blood pressure was really high like 150/80. The nurse was a complete jerk and gave me a lot of crap about being big… but that’s for another blog. Anyways.. again, today my blood pressure was 108/50 and this nurse was thrilled! She was like “what ever you are doing keep it up you are doing awesome!” Then I told here about my weight loss and she was even more impressed. Pretty awesome trip to the doctor. Anyways, good times.

Breakfast: I was in a rush to get to campus to get in for an appointment so I brought a Fudge Brownie Clif Bar for breakfast. The Fudge Brownie one tastes a lot like those no bake haystack cookies that mom used to make. Pretty good 4 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch: After being cooped up in the doctors office, I was pretty hungry for good lunch. I went to Pollo Tropical for some chicken and black beans and rice. It had been a while since I had the good ol’ 1/2 chicken combo so it was a good lunch. 13.5 points.

 

 

 

 

 

Snack: Before my marathon of classes, I needed some caffeine to get through. I had a skinny iced caramel macchiato and it was delicious. 3 points. (P.S. this might the weirdest face I’ve ever made on this blog.)

Snack: When I got home, I had matzos and cheese. 2 points

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: Since Megan wasn’t feeling well, she said that she wanted some Pizza Hut for comfort food. We had thin crust pepperoni, onions and tomatoes. It was delicious but, 16 points for four slices.

So I got up to 38.5 points. Ouch! I was going to work out today, but it did not happen. I am going tomorrow morning though and I am going to give the rowing machine a whirl. Should be a good one. See ya tomorrow.

Day 196: Special Monday Weigh In!

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What’s Up G?

So I really hadn’t a clue how this weeks weigh in was going to go but I have to say it went out better planned. I lost 4.8 pounds! Holy Coke. I don’t know how, but it totally worked out! I’m now down to 275.4 pounds.

Know why that’s awesome?

A) I have lost 81 pounds total which is sooooo close to 100 pounds!

B) I’m in the 270’s

and

C) The last time I was on a scale and it said 275, Clinton was in office and I was in 8th grade. It’s been a long time. Holla.

Next week, prepare for another awesome weigh in.

Breakfast: I went with the Wafflewich because they are awesome and delicious. So awesome. 5.5 points.

Lunch: I got up to the Capitol a little early so I went to the Capitol Grill and attacked the salad bar. It was pretty epic and about 8 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snack: I had a cinnamon toast wafflewich with pb and awesomeness. 4.5 points.

Dinner: We went to Mellow Mushroom for dinner and it was soooo good. We split a calzone and a brushetta with balsamic vinegar on a bed of spring mix. It was about a 13 points meal which works because it was a ton of food. (And yes, I have a hot wife.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So today I got to 31 points so I’m on point. Sorry this is  brief post. See ya tomorrow.

Day 181: Weigh In Day!!!!!!

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Why Hello!

It’s been way too long since I have posted and for that I’m sorry. I have gotten a lot of guff (yes, I said guff) from people about missing two posts in a row and for that I thank you. I really appreciate the support and accountability this community provides. It is a key contributor to my success so far and with the century pound mark in sight, your support is appreciated now more than ever. So thanks for calling me out Matt DC. I know you were just giving me a hard time, but it meant more than you know. So this morning I got in the scale with low expectations. We had to eat out the majority of last week due to the insanity of our schedule (somehow this week is going to be more insane. What what!) Anyways, for the few posts I did have, you saw the cheesey goodness that I consumed in mass proportions so I was just hoping to at least maintain (it would have been gained if I hadn’t worked out.) Well, my metabolism must be better than I think. I lost 2.2 pounds! Pretty awesome stuff!!! I am sooooo close to being in the 270’s now. I weigh 280.4 so super duper close. So with this week’s loss, I am 23.4 pounds away from 100 pounds. It’s getting there! Like I said this week is going to be bonkers, but we are going to be smarter with meals so 270’s: see ya soon!

Breakfast: So I made two packets of double fiber oatmeal but had it in the microwave too long. It always feels like when you make two packets, it either has the consistency of snot, or it blows up and gets all over the microwave. Well… the latter happened, and a large portion of my oatmeal was everywhere. (No, I did not eat the oatmeal shrapnel left in the microwave.) It was about 5 points worth of oatmeal. Yumtastic.

 

 

 

 

Lunch: After church, we needed to eat somewhere pretty fast so Megan could meet up with her friends for their study marathon. We ended up going to the Panera next to our house. Panera’s food is deceiving because you expect it to be healthy since it’s fresh but then it’s more points/calories than you hope. Regardless, it’s delicious so we still go there :). I had the half asain sesame chicken salad and half a Mediterranean veggie sandwich. It was really good and the salad was huge for just being half a salad. For the salad, the sandwich and the yummy baguette, it was 14 points. Not bad for how good it tastes.

 

 

Snack: While I was studying, I had 3 points of pretzels. That’s 30 pretzels. Holy cow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: So this was a little different. While Megan was studying with our friend Catherine, I was at my small group and they had gotten dinner. By the time I was done it was 9:00 so I was starving. Megan texted my with news of leftover Chinese so I headed over there. I had Megan’s left over orange chicken with rice and an egg roll. I was good at the time. It took me back to my favorite super cheap Chinese place in Abilene where you could get a mountain of food for about $4. While the savoring moment lasted for a while, I still have the sodium taste in my mouth as I’m writing this. Not good. So it was high in points, and I have no real way of figuring it out, but here is what I know: I’m not the same guy I used to be. A meal like this was what I ate at least 3 times a week and it didn’t phase me at all. Tonight, I tried to go back to my old self and it wasn’t near as good as I remember. That’s so encouraging to me. To me it means that it would take a lot to get back to where I was, and that’s how I want it.

Snack: We went to Publix to get some groceries including watermelon and Cinnamon Toast Eggos which I have never had. They were delicious and  2 points.

So today wasn’t the best, but I have learned from my mistakes and I plan to work hard this week to lose a good chunk of weight. It’s going to be an interesting week. Bring it on. See ya tomorrow.

 

 

FSU WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SWEET 16 BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 157: Thursday Hooray!

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The week is almost over (thank goodness) and we are almost a week away from Spring Break. So close, yet so far. Anyways, today wasn’t that bad. I’m just ready for this semester to be over with. It’s been beastly.

Breakfast: Wafflewich. The best in the west. 4 points.

Lunch: We met up and ate at Pitaria for some lunch. Luckily, they had their awesome creamy vegetable soup today. So we both did that and split an order of hummus. It was great and about a 10 point lunch.

Snack: I had a Kashi bar of awesomeness for 2 points.

 

 

 

 

Breakfast: So I met up with some people (shout out to Andrea and Quinten what what!) for a group project around 5:30 so we went to Panera. When I got there, I had the dropsies really bad so going there might not have been the best choice. I wanted to dominated their pastries. Instead, I got a plain bagel. No bueno. It was 6 points completely dry. That’s more than a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Fail. Anyways, to add insult to injury, I spilled coffee all over my hand Old-Lady-From-McDonald’s style. That sucked, however the coffee was good and we got a ton done! (Take the bad with the good right?)

 

 
Dinner: By the time we were done at Panera I was starving so Megan and I decided to hit Chipotle in its awesome glory. I went with the Vegetarian Bowl with guac and sour cream on the side. It was a pretty awesome meal and 16 points. Pretty awesome stuff.

Today wasn’t the best day but it’s how it works. I got up to 38 points. Should have skipped on the bagel but awe well. See ya tomorrow.

109: The Day After the Doozie

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So… sorry I didn’t have a post last night, I’ll explain a sec but let’s get to it. Since on Thursday I made some bad food decisions so Friday I decided to make up for it and I think I did pretty well. I’m still trying to get back in to the swing of things after vacation which is always a little hard but I think Friday set me in the right direction.

Breakfast: I just had a a banana and tried my hand at making a smoothie. I just put strawberry, banana, and orange juice. Oh yeah… and cinnamon? I was watching the Today and they said that putting cinnamon in food serves as an antioxidant. I put 1/2 a tsp of it before I blended and I actually couldn’t taste it. Anyways breakfast was 4 points.

 

 

 

 

Exercise: Matt and I played racquetball and it was awesome. It felt good to get a good sweat out. Then we worked out for a little bit but the gym was still pretty packed. (Plus they were playing Jonas Brothers so the music was very uninspiring.) I worked out 13 points worth.

Lunch: Lunch, which was like at 3:30, was really good. I baked 3 chicken tenderloins and steamed some broccoli. This is possibly the densest meal you can eat for the points. This plate is only 4 points!!!! Since the broccoli is free. I was really full after. The chicken took a while but it was worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: We were invited over to the Schuberts house for dinner and to get to know each other better. We know the Schuberts from church and Sharon has had her own success with her weight loss journey. She has lost more than 50 pounds too! We had spaghetti and this awesome salad with dried berries, pecans, tomatoes and croutons. I put this home made sesame dressing on it. I had seconds on both since I was still not even out of my exercise points for the day. For dessert we had some angel food cake with heated up blueberries and some cool whip. It was really good.

So we were both really exhausted from the week and we got home around 10:30. I went straight in to the bedroom to watch TV, thinking that I would write my post in a bit. Then Antiques Road Show came on and I was glued in (I’m a loser.) Then before I knew it, I woke up and it was 6:00 am. I woke back up a little later and I realized I forgot to write it. So now I’m doing it. Overall Friday was a good day. Today I’m playing basketball with some guys from church. Should be a blast. See you… later.

Day 18

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Hiya! (That’s hello in the Mid West, is that right Jade?)

It has been a very cool day here with the temperature barely getting up to around 73. We haven’t turned on our A/C in a few days now so that must mean Fall is in full swing. It has been a topsy-turvy day as far as eating goes. (Which is exactly what you want to do when this is like day 1 of the 100 pound ordeal.) I didn’t get up until 10 because I was working on a paper so I didn’t eat any breakfast, I just had an early lunch.

Lunch: When we had chicken the other night, Megan cooked up an extra breast so we could have leftovers later in the week. So we split that and steamed some broccoli for a low-point-yet-super-filling lunch. Half of the breast was 5 points and two cups of broccoli was 0 points. Holla. For those of you who don’t think broccoli has any taste, a little sea salt and some pepper go a long way.

Here’s another thing we do for lunch that really makes a difference. We use smaller plates so it feels like we are eating more. All my life, our plates have been huge, making you feel the need to pack more food on the plate. The plate on top is the one we used for lunch and the bottom one is our regular plate. So even if you aren’t eating a ton, you can Jedi Mind Trick yourself in to thinking that you are. (On a related note, has anyone read The 9-inch Plate Diet by Alex Bogusky, formerly of my favorite ad agency CP+B? If you have, let me know what you thought.)

Dinner: This evening I went and saw The Social Network (which was so awesomely fantastic) so my bud Daniel and I went to Chick-Fil-A before the movie. (Not to sound too much like the Frugal Novice, but if you are a college student in Tally, on Monday and Thursday has college night at all three Tally CFA’s!) So I did my homework on their website where you can calculate your meal. I had the glorious 8 piece nuggets for 6 points, a medium fries for 9 points and 2 BBQ sauces for 2 points. Goodtimes.

Snack: I made a 5 point turkey sandwich. Nothing too exciting.

So on this wacky day I totaled at 27 points. I’ll probably scrounge around for some snack (Tuesday is grocery day so it’s slim pickens.) See ya… later today.