Day 14 - May 17, 2013

Weight: 246.2 lbs.

Still nice to see the scale is working again.  Breakfast was a tasty omelet with chorizo, spinach and onion.  I had lunch with my wife (and son).  We went to Buffalo Wild Wings and had the lunch special (upgraded the fries to a salad).  I'm guessing they don't serve many salads there.  My salad came with the butt of the head of lettuce (which should have been thrown out, not into my salad).  I also had 8 garlic Parmesan wings.  I could have been content after 4, but I finished the other 4 anyway.  I figured a light dinner would offset the extra wings.  I had a salad for dinner.  The romaine lettuce in the fridge had turned on me, so I made the salad with Spring Mix. Dessert was a little fruit.  I think it was a good day.

So five days in a row at the gym, still inspired mostly by having an afternoon indoor activity for my son during the hot Vegas Spring (it's not even summer yet).  I walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill, then did about 30 minutes on the bike.  I took a peek at the Friday afternoon boxing class.  I would have jumped in had I been wearing a shirt without sleeves.  So next week

I decided a few days ago that tomorrow's breakfast is gonna be a cheat meal.  I'm going to have pancakes.  I'm not sure how many pancakes.  I'll finish the sausage and bacon and eggs first.  I'm also going to do a cardio or weights workout before hand to prime the carb burning pump. We'll see how it goes.



Breakfast:
Chorizo and spinach omelet (2 eggs)
16 oz water w/ lemon juice
16 oz water



Lunch:
Side salad w/ blue cheese dressing
8 Parmesan Garlic wings

24 oz water


Dinner:
Salad w/ blue cheese, blue cheese dressing, croutons, pecans, apples and shredded  chicken
16 oz water


Dessert:
1 banana
1 pear
16 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 12 - May 15, 2003

Weight: 248 lbs.

Looking down at the scale this morning was very frustrating.  The scale was still moving in the wrong direction.  It's more infuriating that  I have also worked out both of the last two days (which means I burned more calories than any of the days that the scale moved in the correct direction. These are the type of things that usually drive me to give up and console myself with a pizza (or at least half of one.) 

Breakfast was leftover dinner bits from the other night, plus 2 eggs (for even more protein).  Lunch was also mostly leftover from the fridge.  I'm experimenting with shakes/smoothies.  Getting the proportions and taste right are the tough parts.  For dinner I grilled a package of chicken thighs, so there's chicken for dishes for the rest of the week.  Shredded chicken can be added to salads or just about any dish.  The thighs can also be eaten as they are.

So today is the third day at the gym.  It's very hot outside and only going to get hotter.  It was 102 yesterday.  So, I need somewhere to take my son in the afternoon, but its too hot out to go to the park.  So I take him to the gym (free childcare included).  While I'm there, I figure I might as well get a workout in (otherwise people look at you funny).  My gym has a cardio theatre where you can watch movies while doing your cardio.  So the last two days I watched the last hour of Forrest Gump and Big while walking and bicycling.

I wonder if it's possible that I'm not getting enough calories, so my body is holding tight to what it has.  I'm thinking of adding a few smoothies  to my daily menu.   I noticed in previous diets that when I've fallen off the wagon, I lose weight and look leaner for the next few days, perhaps my body responding to an end of scarcity. Still trying to figure it all out.


Breakfast:
Leftover bits of steak and shrimp from a couple days ago
2 eggs.
16 oz water


Lunch:
Leftover Tuscan white bean soup
smoothie - plain yogurt, honey, 1/3 banana, 3 strawberries, tbsp of crunchy peanut butter


Dinner:
chicken thigh
ear of corn
16 oz water w/ lemon juice
16 oz water


Dessert:
1 mango

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 11 - May 14, 2013

Weight: 247.4 lbs.
 
 
The scale has been stalled or moving in the wrong direction the last few days, even though I worked out (boxing) yesterday.  What's going on?  Anyway, I had an omelet with chorizo this morning.  I originally meant to add spinach.  That would have been even better.  Something to think about for tomorrow.

I wanted to keep the GI Load low for breakfast, but I was still hungry, so I ate fruit (mango).  Preferably I'll replace it with a vegetable tomorrow.  I've run out of animal proteins in the house.  I boiled a couple eggs and diced them.  I added them to my salad.  The salad could have used a little bacon for flavoring.  I've been avoiding bacon because of the nitrates.  Dinner was more trying to clean-out the fridge of leftovers, mostly soup.  Dessert was a quick apple.

Went to the gym again today.  Hope it shows on the scale tomorrow.  I'm really sore from Monday's boxing workout.  Instructor decided to skip the warm-up.  At my age that's muscular suicide.  I've been paying the price with DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.)  My pectorals are sore and swollen, and my arms don't have a full range of motion.  I imagine it's similar to what it must feel like immediately after breast augmentation surgery.


Breakfast:
2 egg omelet with chorizo, onion and cheese
1 mango.
16 oz. water w/lime juice
16 oz water

Lunch:
Romaine salad w/ 1.5 diced boiled eggs, homemade blue cheese dressing, blue cheese, and a few croutons.

Dinner:
1 bowl Tuscan white bean soup
1 bowl Roasted tomato soup
no room for water
 
Dessert:
1 apple (peeled)

 we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 10 - May 13, 2013

Weight: 247 lbs.


I went to the gym this morning for boxing class.  I had to rush upon waking up, so I grabbed a quick mini shake, got dressed, grabbed the baby and headed out.  After class I had a full shake.  My biggest issue of the day in retrospect is that the protein I added to the shake has creatine included in the mix.  I've gained water weight from creatine before and never really lost that weight.  So I think I'll throw that stuff out and get some protein from Trader Joe's tomorrow.

I wanted to eat some oatmeal to clean out the insides (with the insoluble fiber). We'll see if it worked.  I finished off the steak that was in the fridge.  It was dry aging.  It did taste a bit better than the steak from two nights ago, so I guess it worked.  Both were delicious. Not much variety left in the fruit bowl tonight, so it's bananas or lemons.  So bananas.  Let's see how the scale reflects all this tomorrow.


 Breakfast:
Mini shake: 1/4 cup almond milk, 1/4 cup plain yogurt, a few strawberries, 1/3 banana, tbsp protein powder
Post workout shake:  1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1/2 tbsp honey, 2/3 banana. a few strawberries, 1 scoop protein powder


 Lunch:
1 serving quick oats w/ a splash of almond milk, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/3 banana, tbsp honey
16 oz water

 Dinner:
6 oz rib eye
2 cups mock mash potatoes
16 oz water w/lime juice
16 oz water

 Dessert:
half handful of pecans
1 banana
16 oz water

 we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 8 - May 11, 2013

Weight: 247.4 lbs.


I didn't do much today on Mother's Day Eve.  My wife mostly entertained the boy in the morning and again in the afternoon.  I whipped breakfast together though.  Kept it simple and tried to use up food that's been in the fridge for a while.  The biggest lesson learned today was to cook eggs in a non-stick pan, not the cast iron skillet (leaves a stuck on mess).  Cantaloupe is not quite in season, but I guess I already knew that.  The cantaloupe I opened today was definitely "under ripe." My wife got back late (for having lunch), so we just grabbed a convenience salad from Wendy's.  Salad tasted good, no gastro-instestinal issues like last time at Wendy's.

For dinner I tried to recreate one of my favorite meals out:  the 777 Gambler Special at Mr. Lucky's in the Hard Rock Casino.  First course: you get a plate full of salad (spring mix) with croutons and your choice of dressing.  I love it when my salad comes dressed, I don't like trying to toss it at the table.  After you finish your salad, they bring you a a flat iron steak with some mashed potatoes and 3 juicy grilled shrimp.  It's really hard to replicate the experience, when you're also trying to eat at the same time.  Grilling the steak, grilling the shrimp, eating the salad and scooping the mock mashed 'tatoes is like culinary juggling.  Throw a 2 year old into the mix and everything else falls out of place.  The food turned out delicious even if not perfectly timed. Two courses, this has to be the biggest meal I've eaten since I've started. We'll see what the scale says tomorrow.



 Breakfast:
2 pork breakfast sausages
2 eggs fried
1/16 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cantaloupe

16 oz. water

Lunch:
Wendy's Full-size Apple Pecan Chicken Salad
16 oz water w/ lemon juice
16 oz water

Dinner:
dinner salad: spring mix, blue cheese, homemade blue cheese dressing, and croutons.
6 oz rib eye
10 grilled shrimp
3 ladles of  "mock" garlic mash potatoes
16 oz. water w/ lime juice
16 oz water


Dessert:
1 pear
16 oz. water

 we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 7 - May 10, 2013

Weight: 247.6 lbs

Thoughts:  maybe I need to start off the day with mostly protein, thus eliminate the fruit in the morning.

Hmmm.  Anyway, I had a shake or smoothie this morning, didn't taste like much at all.  I'm not sure if its was the almond milk or not.  Maybe I'll try yogurt next time.  No time or chicken to make lunch, so the wife brought lunch home today.  EPL is always a hit.  Dinner was wonderful.  I hope it doesn't negatively affect the scale tomorrow.  Steak was great.  Potatoes were awesome. Had I not made them, I would never have known it was actually cauliflower and not actual spuds.  The recipe is from George Stella.  You might remember him from his Food Network show "Low Carb and Loving It." Thanks, George. 

Now what to do for my wife for Mother's Day?  Should we go out to dinner?


Breakfast:
2 pork sausages
shake/smoothie - 1 Cup almond milk, 1/2 large banana, 1/2 cup strawberries
1/2 large banana

Lunch:
El Pollo Loco Grilled Chicken Salad with creamy cilantro dressing
16 oz. water w/ lemon juice
16 oz water

Dinner:
Thin T-bone steak
Mock Mash Potatoes (cauliflower) - recipe from Food Network
 
Dessert:
1 Tangelo
16 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 5 - May 8, 2013

Weight: 247 lbs


Scale still showing progress.  I also noticed that I haven't had any milk since I started.  I don't know if that's purely coincidence or not.  I have had plenty of dairy (cheese, cream, butter).  It's something I'll keep in the back of my mind.  Heck, why mess up a good thing.  I'm not intentionally throwing milk in the equation until the weight loss slow down on it's own, just in case.

Perhaps I shouldn't start the day off with garlic.  Sorry anyone that had to talk with me this morning.  Lunch went well, I shredded the remaining chicken (thigh, plus carcass remnants) from the rotisserie chicken that had been part of 4 previous meals this week.  Dinner, consisted of chicken from El Pollo Loco and the leftover soup from last night.  Very tasty.  Had to run out to the grocery store to get some fruit for dessert.

Thought: I noticed that I can only drink a single 16 oz glass of water, but if I add lemon or lime to the water I can consume twice as much.



Breakfast:
2 egg omelet with a garlic, onion, and spinach.  Sprinkle a few pinches of shredded cheddar on top.
16 oz. water


Lunch:
Romaine salad w/ shredded chicken, sprinkle of blue cheese, a few pecans, a hand full of croutons, 1/2 diced apple and homemade blue cheese dressing
16 oz. water

Dinner:
Broccoli cheese soup (leftover)
1 chicken thigh from El Pollo Loco
16 oz water

Dessert:
Apple (peeled)
1/4 cantaloupe
16 oz. water with lime juice
16 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 1 - May 4, 2013

The day started out terribly, like most poorly planned things. I knew we had some old eggs and shredded cheese.  I figured I would have an omelet for breakfast.  It was disgusting.  The old eggs were slightly under-cooked and over-salted.  Though hungry, I was only able to get half of it down before giving up. Not a good way to start.  That was pretty much all the food I had left in the house, until I went grocery shopping.  Due to an uncooperative toddler, I didn't get a chance to go shopping until the afternoon. So for lunch, I grabbed a grilled chicken salad (corn, salsa, feta cheese, few corn slices, and romaine lettuce) with cilantro dressing from El Pollo Loco.  After grocery shopping with a toddler (which makes things take twice as long), I finished the day with a back-up plan dinner: a microwave bag of frozen vegetables and a rotisserie chicken from the deli (or API for anyone that's ever worked at a grocery story) section.  I had some fruit for dessert.  Day turned out pretty well.

Note: I did not get around to getting on the scale today.


Breakfast:
1/2 of a 3 egg omelet with 1/4 C cheese
16 oz water w/ lemon juice
16 oz water

Lunch:
El Pollo Loco grilled chicken salad w/ cilantro dressing
16 oz water w/ lemon juice
16 oz water

Dinner:
1/2 of a large rotisserie chicken breast
1/2 of a wing
1/2 bag of frozen mixed veggies (carrots, green beans, corn)
16 oz water w/ lemon juice
16 oz water

Dessert:
1 pear
1 orange
32 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

The Starting Line

I'm fat.  I have been for quite some time.  I arrived at college (Claremont McKenna College) at a slim 185.  Instead of the Freshman 15, the all-you-can-eat style dining halls lead to a freshman 30 and sophomore 20. Graduate school, a failed restaurant, and a new baby later, I weigh 255 lbs (36% fat). 

My mom recently came to visit me and left behind a couple of old photo albums.  I looked at all the pictures from my youth.  I used to be in such great athletic shape before college.

I've been eating like crap on and off for years. I mean, a large pizza from Little Caesar's is only $5.  Why cook in the sizzling Vegas heat.  I weigh the most I ever have in my life: 255 lbs.  That's 5 lbs more than I ever thought I would let myself weigh in my wildest or fattest dreams.  My XL clothes are more than a little snug, and I refuse to buy anything XXL. No way!


With all the talk of cleansing diets and fasts, I decided to fast for a day.  The idea was to give my digestive system a day off, something that's never happened in my life. The next day I ate only fruits and vegetables.  On the third day I crashed and burned. I binged and went back to eating fast food and processed crap.  The main reason I binged was because I just couldn't figure out what to eat, what to buy, what to cook, or even what restaurant to eat. I was in decision paralysis and I was lost. I realized I needed to find a way to make it simple for myself.

----------

In the past I have had the most success losing weight and eating healthy on low carb diets (usually South Beach, but also Atkins.)  I can't stomach the idea of going through  stage one or stages in general again.  I do  remembered that when I was doing stage one (South Beach) and Atkins it was the healthiest I've ever eaten.  It's not just low carb, it's lean meats and a lots of healthy vegetables.  I decided to alter the the ideas from South Beach, Abs Diet, Body Life and all the other weight loss systems I had tried with some success.  I was going to distill the best ideas from all of them.  I knew I wanted my approach to be low carb, but allow healthy items like fruit. It's fruit, how can it be bad for you? I want to eat at home more and eat real food.

I also need back up. Previously, the #1 reason I had resorted back to eating crap, when I was formerly eating health, was that I didn't have the time or opportunity to get to a healthy meal (e.g., working late, no time to shop, etc.) It would all head down hill from there.  So this time there's back ups in the system.  If all else fails I can always grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store or grilled chicken from El Pollo Loco (EPL), then grab a bag of microwavable frozen veggies for dinner.  For lunch, there are a plethora of places that sell a fairly healthy salad (Wendy's and EPL come to mind.)  It should be pretty easy to stick to the new plan, and to eliminate the  processed foods that are probably killing me.

The change isn't so much to lose weight, but to live better through eating better.  Sounds kind of cliche, I know.  There is no specific finish line (not a month, or year, or 5 or 10).  I'm hoping its a lifetime of change.  I don't plan on turning back.  So they'll be One Less Fat Man in the world.


Statistics    April 29, 2013  8:26 am
Weight:   255 lbs
Body Fat %:   34%
Fat Weight:   87 lbs
Lean Body Mass:  168.8 lbs
H20%:   47.5% (121.5 lbs)

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...