Category Archives: JanGTD

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 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 131!

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So yesterday was a beast of a day full of delicious yet super calorie infused meals. Today, it was my mission to at least attempt to undo the damage done. Overall I think I did alright, but we will find out tomorrow. Enough about that, time for food.

Breakfast: I had the last waffle with just a little honey on it. My stomach was pretty messed up this morning so I kept it light. I also had a light bagel and a handful of almonds. Kind of a hodge-podge of a breakfast, but we really needed to go grocery shopping.

Exercise: I’m about 15 miles away from completing my #JanGTD goal so with 3 days to go I still have a chance to beat it. Megan and I walked all over tarnation. The part of Tallahassee we live in is really hilly so we got a big leg work out. We walked a total of 5.27 miles of awesomeness.

Lunch: After our big expedition, we really wanted to find a place with a good salad bar. (Jason of Jason’s Deli, IF YOU ARE READING THIS PLEASE COME HERE!!!!!!) We decided to try out the Salad/Hot food bar at Earth Fare. It was amazing! It’s $7.99 a pound but the spread was awesome. I had a big salad with a little salmon and balsamic vinaigrette, a few pieces of steak with roasted veggies, some quinoa (first time I’ve tried it. Soooo good) and some soy nuggets which were really good. I definitely want to go back soon.

 

 

 

Dinner: Our friend Matt (of racquetball fame) wanted to go out dinner to try out this Korean BBQ place in town. It didn’t look like much from the outside, but the place was awesome! I had the Korean Beef BBQ with rice. You could have as much sides as you wanted so I filled up on kimchee and this miso soup with tofu. It was a pretty awesome dinner.

Overall, it was a pretty good day. Between drinking a lot of water to keep from retaining water and walking 5 miles, I’m hoping that undid a little of yesterday. I’m worried because I’m really starting to crave bad foods again which hasn’t happened for a long time. Regardless of what happens tomorrow, I’m going to get back on track. This race is not over and I can’t forget that. See ya tomorrow.

Day 124: Saturday Awesome Saturday

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Today was swelltastic. It actually felt like a Saturday. We’ve been busy every weekend since… November so it was nice to have some down time and time to get things down around the house. Alright, down to brass tax here.

Breakfast: We slept in a little bit so I just had a waffle. Only 2.5 points.

Lunch: For the first time in a while I made Turkey Burgers!!!!!! SO AWESOME!!!! We had some leftover pinto beans so Megan she made them into baked beans. They were really awesome. We also made a batch of baked fries. Lunch was 11 points which is pretty decent for burgers and fries.

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise: Before our excursion out in to the cold (cold as in wind chill of 42. I know that’s the summer high in Minnesota but Florida has made me a pansy) I had a banana. (2 points) We then went to the beautiful Lake Ella Park. Even though it was pretty cold, there were a lot of people out enjoying the sunshine. The track around Lake Ellas is .6 miles around and we went 5 times. I’m no mathmagician, but that’s 3 miles. We tried to jog but it was too windy so we speed walked the whole time. It was a lot of fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: It was like a greatest hits of awesome food day. Megan made some mac n’ cheese and broccoli, one of my favorites. I ate my share and it was delicious. Two heaping helpings was 12 points and the broccoli was free. Pretty hard to beat.

 

So today I only ate 27.5 points which is still below but I feel really good. Tomorrow is the first weigh in day of my journey to 43 pounds so I’m hoping for a big number (well… a small number.) I’ve been pretty good this week so we will just see what happens. See ya tomorrow. (Oh yeah, we just started the first season of Breaking Bad. Pretty legit show.)

Day 112: Monday Mayhem!!!!

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Sup Gang!

Today started pretty awesomely, this week my blog is featured on Fitblogger! I wrote an article on what I’ve learned after losing 50 pounds. You should definitely check it out. It’s been cold and drizzly with sadly no snow in sight (I know school just started back up, but a snow day would be nice. Especially since I doubt it would take much precipitation for Floridians to shut everything down.) I just have one class today, so I got home, listened to jazz, habitually checked for comments on the article, and did homework. I have to say it was an okay day (rhyming not intended.) Anyways, let’s talk food.

Breakfast: I just had a bowl of Kashi Berry Crumble cereal. It was the bottom of the box and for most cereals that means a lot of sediment from broken pieces, but with granola it’s a dense amount of chipped away deliciousness. It was a thick 4 point breakfast.

Lunch: So I was going to have salad and a sandwich for lunch, but I didn’t get past the salad. As you might recall, I had this awesome salad last week that had nuts and dried berries in it so I tried to make my own with some trail mix. The mix we have is mostly pumpkin and sunflower seeds and pine nuts so it made it a lot more filling. I ate the first bowl and I liked it so much I made another! For two salads with Fat Free Honey Dijon was 6 points. Awesomeness. (Oh yeah, and green tea!)

 

 

 

 

Snack: On Sunday, we bought some Spicy Blue Corn Tortilla Chips from Earth Fare so I had some of those. They are pretty hot but pretty good and for 14 chips was 3 points which isn’t bad for chips. This face is of terror from their deliciousness.

Snack: Since we are out of Publix Multigrain Waffles 🙁 I had a piece of toast with peanut butter. 3.5 points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: It was my day to cook, so I made chicken spaghetti… again (and no I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing.) This batch was a lot better. I baked the chicken with some sage, rosemary and thyme (no parsley, sorry Simon & Garfunkel) and some minced garlic. It looked and smelled really good, but my meat thermometer is broke so I dried them out a little. Anyways the chicken spaghetti was 13 points which is a lot of points but it was was a lot of food!

 

 

 

 

Exercise: Today was our round 2 of Couch to 5k and it went pretty well. Since it was cold and gross outside, we went up to Leach (WHICH WAS EVEN PACKED AT 9:30 AT NIGHT!!!!)  and ran on their track. The running surface has no give so I’m a little sore in weird places like my neck. Anyways, we had a good run and worked up a pretty good sweat. 

Snack: After the run, I had a banana and some Unsweetened Chocolate Almond milk that we bought on sale. It was good, but could have used a little sweetener. It was 3 points so a good post run snack.

So overall today, I ate 32.5 points worth which is over, but with the run I’m good. See ya tomorrow (and be sure to check out my article and let me know what you think!)