Thanksgiving!

This morning I weighed in at 189.8lbs. That means that if I lose 4.8 more pounds, I’ll have hit my goal of 185. Which means that, all of a sudden, I won’t have to worry quite so much about counting calories.

Will I be able to handle that? I have no idea. It’s going to be really weird to suddenly be able to eat another few hundred calories in the day and not fret over it. Sometimes I wonder if I have given myself an eating disorder. Then I realize I still eat whatever I want, just not whole tubs of it, and I’m still eating more than enough calories per day to keep me going, so I figure it’s not *that* bad.

I’ve always heard that when it comes to losing weight, it’s not a habit change, it’s a lifestyle change. Like, in order to be fit, you have to change your whole lifestyle and get used to doing things like working out (something I still struggle with this time of year because of my noncompliant sinuses) and being mindful of what you consume and how much of it you eat.

Like, for example, today I ate everything I wanted: turkey, stuffing, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, a crescent roll, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream. My total calorie amount was 1400 calories, roughly. I ate what I wanted, but I didn’t eat too much of it. I ate slow, I drank Diet Coke or Diet Mountain Dew, I talked to the family… I didn’t over do it and I stopped when I was full.

I always though it was magic or something, but it’s not. You just have to know how to act and how to eat. That’s all it takes to lose weight.

The Less Weight Update

My weight, as of right now, is 191.8lbs. My new goal has been 185, but along the way I’ve found myself not able to work out like I’d like to, blog like I’d like to, or do any of that other stuff I should be doing to hold myself accountable. (I’m still watching my calories and still working out a few times a week, but not daily like I should be.)

My weight loss has slowed down, but that’s okay. I’ve been cutting myself some slack lately, as I’ve been under the weather and stressed out due to work. As we all know, the best way to handle stress is with exercise, but that also means increased eating and increased general weariness about not wanting to be bothered to work out. Add to that the fact that my workout stuff is in the basement and it’s cold down here means that I’m much less likely to get down and work up a sweat.

HOWEVER, I am starting a new routine. Starting tomorrow, people from a local fitness training group will be coming to the location where I work to conduct classes twice a week, and if I can remember tomorrow, that’s what I’m going to be doing to try and bust myself out of my funk. In the spirit, I may as well get my stuff together before bed tonight so I can be prepared for my first semi-public exercise session. I’m not really looking forward to it, but the opportunity is too good to pass up, as it’s only like $6.

I only hope more than 10 people show up, so that way the classes will continue.

Food Log (8/5)

Campbell’s Healthy Request Mexican Style Chicken Tortilla Soup 1.00 130
Kroger Bacon And Tomato Dressing 0.50 60
Dole Greener Selection Salad 1.00 15
Kellogg’s Special K Honey Nut Cereal Bar 1.00 90
Tyson Center Cut Bacon 0.25 13
York Peppermint Patty (snack Size) 3.00 210
Smoky Mountain Taffy Logs 0.33 53
Birdseye Steamfresh Frozen Mixed Vegetables 1.00 60
Texas Roadhouse Mock Rolls 1.50 341
Baked Sweet Potato 2.00 200
Sirloin Steak 1.00 400

I had my early birthday dinner with my parents on Tuesday (my birthday is on Friday 8/8), hence the steak and baked sweet potato and Texas Roadhouse mock rolls. I love those rolls, even though I know they’re way to calorie-filled to enjoy on a regular basis. Still, you have to have at least one day a week where you can just enjoy yourself reasonably, and I figure steak and rolls once in awhile is good for the spirit, as well as the body.

Welcome to the Lardblog

Greetings, kids.

A few years ago, I weighed well over 325lbs. Actually, because I couldn’t get an accurate weight on our bathroom scale, I have no idea what my highest weight was. A year or two before I started dieting, I weighed 327lbs. at a doctor’s appointment. By the time I started changing my lifestyle in 2004, I probably weighed 350lbs or more. Probably more. That’s what five years of free cafeteria meals, Ramen noodles, and Red Dog beer will do to you.

In December 2003 or so, my father was diagnosed with diabetes. He had to give up the thing he loved most: Pepsi. I know my mom couldn’t give it up alongside him, so as a show of moral support, I told my father that I too would give up sugary soda. Once I’d given that up, I decided… what the hell? May as well go all the way and try to seriously lose some weight. So I cut out white bread, sugary desserts, cut way back on starches, cut way back on my drinking of real beer, ate more lean meat, ate a lot more salad, etc.

Fast forwarding to May 2008, and I’ve plateaued officially. I was stuck somewhere between 230 and 245lbs. I wasn’t gaining any more weight, but I wasn’t losing weight, either. It was frustrating. With a little loving push from a good friend of mine, I gave The Daily Plate a shot. The Daily Plate is a calorie-counting website. Eat something? Put it on your Plate. Exercise? Put it on your Plate. It’s really handy, especially if you’re chained to a desk all day like I am.

So with the nudge in the right direction, I decide to finally start keeping close track of my calories and, horror of horrors, start working out. I’ve gone from 15 minutes on the exercise bike to 60 minutes on the exercise bike, and I’ve also started to work in time on the elliptical trainer as well. So far, since starting working out in May 12 and watching calories on April 27, I’ve lost 30lbs. I’ve got 17 more until I hit my goal of getting down below 200lbs.

It’s going to be a never-ending process, and I definitely have my struggles and setbacks, but it takes time to undo 20 years or so of bad eating and sedentary lifestyle.