STOP THE MADNESS!!!

     I CAN'T STOP eating the popcorn when I go see a movie.  What is wrong with me!  This has to stop.  And it's not just the popcorn, its other things as well.  I can go for a couple of weeks eating very well and controlling my serving sizes and then all of sudden, I just stop.  Like a switch, I just stop.  It's like I am telling my self "Well that was good, go treat yourself".  My wife always tells me not to punish myself when I treat myself something bad that I love.  Unfortunately I do, but not in the way you think.   I punish myself, because I can't stop with just one or just treating myself once a week.  I continue to treat myself day after day after day.  What kind of crazy madness is this.  LOL.  It's like I have sugar and salty snacks running through my veins.  Maybe I need a shock collar...hmmmm?  It's an idea, but I would look pretty ridiculous walking around with that on.
   

     So now what do I do?  Well, the only thing I can think of is to practice using the will power that we all have, but quite often seem afraid to use.  So that will be my focus this week.  WILL POWER!!!  I immediately tell myself not to eat something and that's all I want to eat.  It's crazy how it works, but that's the child in me I guess.  What I think I really need, is something to scrape my tastebuds off, my cravings desensitized, my eyes ripped out of my skull and my nose plugged up.  But let's be real.  Nobody wants to go around looking like that or being that miserable.  So will power it is.   Especially since I refuse to use any diet supplements or crazy plans that I am quite certain only work in the short term.  Doing things the hard way and the right way, typically lead to much better results.  Diet plans are, essentially, temporary.  I have no end goal, just to live healthier.  Here's hoping I have a good week of WILL POWER!!!

Have not weighed myself this week, since this is an impromptu post.  Will do that on Tuesday as usual.

That Didn't Go So Well

So I haven't exactly been doing so well.  I had a lot of issues with my back, plus I got sick since last being on here.  I have not been keeping up with everything I have needed to.  It's time for me to get back on the horse and start riding again.  My back is still a little sore, but I can work through it now as long as I take it easy.  So I am going to start back up and try again.  As I said before, I will fail many, many times.  I also said that I am full of excuses.  Unfortunately, my back is always going to be my biggest excuse.  IT SUCKS!!!  But hey, I can still walk, I can still laugh and I can still enjoy life.  If I can do that, then I can get back to trying to get a little bit healthier.  So here we go...again.

Weight = 258.9

Still going strong...but it's hard.

I think the hardest part of trying to get healthy is definitely the diet part.  I love junk food.  My favorite junk foods are wings, french fries, burgers, cake, ice cream, chips, cookies...okay, just about any junk food.  The worst part, it is so hard to avoid.  If you watch TV the either eat it on a show or their is a commercial about it.  It's crazy hard to avoid it.  What is the absolute hardest though, is when it is being cooked in your own house.  Let me explain.

My wife is my biggest supporter.  She is also the one I go to for nutrition and exercise advice, but she is also a wife and a mom.  She nags me and pushes me and gives me those looks that says "okay fatboy, time to go to the gym" or "how about a salad instead".  She would never actually say that though, instead she says "you look good, you look fine".  Yeah right.  She gets in these moods where she wants to bake cookies, brownies, cakes, pancakes, french toast or some new dessert she heard about on Food Network that sounded like something my kids and I would like (usually it involves chocolate...lots and lots of chocolate).   When she makes them, the house smells SO GOOD.  And in the house, it is impossible to avoid.  All I want is a piece of whatever it is she made.  Usually when this happens, I dive right in.  This past week though, I have been trying different things to avoid it.  I tried doing my normal back stretches...doesn't work.  I tried watching TV, reading a book, or playing video games to take my mind off of it...DOESN'T WORK.  I tried leaving and going to work out.  Guess what?  It doesn't work.  The house still smells like it when I get home.  So of-course, as I am sure you can guess, I gave in.  It was delicious.  It was a brownie with ganache and white icing.  Man that was good.  Guilt settled in right away.

All that being said, the rest of the week I actually did rather well.  I have been very good about getting in my veggies and fruits and proteins, while keeping my caloric intake down.  I am proud to say that I was down another few pounds this week.  I think the next time my wife does that I will continue to do all the things I did to avoid it, but in the end I will have a small piece and not feel so guilty about it, because I am doing good in many other areas.  Why punish myself for the love my wife makes for me.

Weight = 255.5 lbs and BMI = 32.8

A Tough First Week

Week one is in the books.  It was a tough one, as they usually are after you have been doing the opposite for a while.  I was able to get to the gym four times this week.  That's huge for me.  I usually try to shoot for at least three (but never get anywhere close).  But this week, I DID IT!!!  So that's it.  I am healthier now...not quite.  I had a pretty good week of eating.  I still cheated a little here and there, but I feel confident that as the weeks go by, my diet will get better and better.  When I cheat, I just remember it and try to work a little harder.

Does movie theater popcorn, while going to see Star Wars in 3D count as cheating, if it was your dinner?

Ok...so cheated a lot.  I know it's not good for you at all, but it's hard to go to the movies and not get popcorn.  That's half the reason you go there.  I know, I know...I will try to do better next time.

So while at the gym this week, I spoke to a trainer.  It was a good talk and we did a health assessment.  It was scary to look at the numbers.  Growing up, I was such a skinny guy that nobody ever thought I would ever have to worry about my weight.  Guess what?  WRONG.  Turns out, even when you are skinnier than a toothpick, you still have to be healthy to avoid gaining weight.

Oh yeah, back to the trainer.  Sorry, I just ramble on sometimes.  The trainer also took me through a workout which I struggled through.  Man did I feel weak.  Nothing like having a beautiful female trainer make you feel like the biggest wimp in the gym.  Maybe not the biggest, but certainly close.  I made it through the workout though and then I listened to what she had to say and it wasn't all that bad...until she mentioned the cost.  HOLY CRAP!!!  Hiring a trainer is EXPEN$IVE!!!  I had no idea.  No wonder people do this for a living.  So since I did not win Powerball this past week, I will be doing this one my own (with the help of my wife and the internet).  If you can afford trainer (seriously, you have to be rich), then I say do it, but if not don't follow me.  I have no clue what I am doing.

Weight = 258.4 lbs and BMI = 33.2  -  LOTS OF WORK TO DO!!!

In the Beginning...Again.

I am starting this off frustrated already.  I started a blog about this a couple of years ago, but with so much going on it fell to the wayside (you'll see later on that I explain that I am very good at making up excuses).  So it’s kind of appropriate that I am back at the beginning.  This is how most of my plans to lose weight always begin.  I have a new plan though (actually it's the same plan, but trying to make it sound new).  My plan is not to lose weight, but to get healthier.  This is a struggle for me.  It is a constant battle…actually that’s wrong.  It’s a war.  You see I am in love with bad food, sitting on my butt, and making up excuses, but at 42 years old things need to change.  I decided that Jan 1st, 2014 would be the time for that change, but that didn't happen as expected, so I will try again on Jan 5th, 2016.  Of course I spent the holidays being as unhealthy as I possibly can be.  BIG MISTAKE.  It’s making it so much harder to start.

I am actually starting this blog later than I should have.  I tried to start my journey on Jan 1st, but I was traveling on vacation and well, you know how that goes.  I plan on giving up all bread and all bread-like foods (cakes, crackers, pretzels, etc.) for the month of January and into February to at least lower my carb intake.  I also have decided to cut out all of the sweets that I can.  It’s been tough already and I am only 4 hours in.

This blog will document my journey and hopefully keep me motivated and vigilant throughout the process.  I have given up too many times before.  I am too old to keep starting over.  So this is it.  I will do my best to keep this entertaining, which shouldn’t be hard since I will most likely be embarrassing myself as often as possible.  I am not an expert on nutrition or exercise.  I will not be using pills, supplements, diet programs or surgery in the process of getting healthier.  I am only using diet, exercise and pure will power (so destined to fail).  Hopefully, with my wife’s help (she knows quite a bit about this stuff), I will be able to get a little healthier throughout 2016 and make some changes to my everyday life that are better for me.  It will be hell. That I am sure of.

Weight loss is not my goal, but it is a good measuring stick.  That and BMI are how I will track my journey.  I hope this awful nightmare that I will be going through is entertaining for you and that in the end (not that I foresee an actual end to a healthier me) I will be happy that I did this.  I am certain I will fail or cheat many times, as I have done in the past, but hopefully I will learn from it, not punish myself too much and get right back to it.

As of Jan 5 my weight was 261.0 and my BMI 33.50 (OUCH).  I will calculate this when I remember too.