Day 28 - Halloween Cheat Day

Yeah, I forgot again.  I have a good excuse this time.  I woke up tired, went to the shower, and immediately got attacked by my wife.  No, not like that.  This was a verbal attack as I'm the one that misplaced her coffee filters so that she couldn't have coffee immediately upon waking up.  In my haste to save myself, I dressed and vacated the area.  She apologized and will be making it up to me for the next several days, but it did mean that I left the house without weighing myself.  So... did the candy really fuck up my progress or did I still end up ok on calories?  The mystery remains.  Tune in next time.

Today's meals:
Breakfast:  Oatmeal and honey
Lunch: Chobani yogurt, string cheese, and pistachios
Snack:  A couple pieces of candy corn, and moooar candy bars!
Dinner:  Chinese buffet..  two plates full plus a big Mt Dew

So, guess you might as well call this a cheat day.  The family decided to go out for dinner to the Chinese buffet.  We used to go there way too often, but have cut back.  So, I don't necessarily feel horrible about cheating.  I do, however, feel horrible because that's what the buffet food plus candy bars does to me.  I didn't eat great, don't get me wrong, but I did have a bunch of green beans and what appeared to be grilled steak.  So, I didn't go full on fried goods - that's a bonus, right?  I did have way more food then I needed.  I was full after plate number one, but still went back and got another plate.  Not the DBAFF way! 

I'm sure the last two days have stalled or reversed progress.  And the next few days don't look to be easy since we have a couple of family events coming up that are at restaurants.  Gonna have to make better choices and not indulge as much as I did.  Say it with me... "Don't be a fat fuck!".  Now repeat on a loop in your head. 

Twenty-eight days down.

Day 27 - Salty Popcorn

As expected, I gained it.. wait.. umm..not sure why I'm down today, but I'm rolling with it.  Maybe, just maybe, I'm throwing my body off enough with my irregular eating that the bump in amount I ate yesterday didn't have any effect on the loss trend.  Or, I still stayed under calories.  Or..  maybe tomorrow will be the rebound.

Today's going to be a bit of a challenge as it's beggar's night here.  Plus side - I get rid of all the candy that is stashed above my fridge.  Negative side - the kids are going to bring home easily as much as I currently have stashed.  Plus, they are good kids and like to share.  Flying Spaghetti Monster, give me the strength! 

Today's meals:
Breakfast:  none - got wrapped up in work and forgot.  Not totally true.. was offered free doughnuts, but declined.  That's a big step for this fat fuck.  I really really wanted one, but knew it wouldn't be worth the guilt.   I know- can't be strict all the time - gotta live a litte!  Well, I'm assuming that will happen when I'm around a million pieces of candy tonight.
Lunch:  The normal #3, super sized.  Aka, a yogurt, string cheese, and pistachios.
Dinner:  Taco Salad - heavy on the veggies, a little bit of cheese, some tortilla chips - no sour cream

Well, I did good declining the doughnut earlier but didn't resist the candy bars tonight.  I got to hand out candy dressed as a penguin.  I was styling.  But, while standing there handing out treats I decided I'd have just one or two.  That turned into four or so, then the kids got home and found stuff they didn't like and funneled it my way.  I had at least seven, maybe more. Per the Googles, a snack size candy bar is around 80 calories.  So, I ate a minimum of 560 calories in snack sized candy.  I even ate dinner before trick or treat thinking that would help.  Ugh.  We'll see how tomorrow looks after this.  My prediction - no bueno. 

Twenty-seven days down.

Day 26 - Ugh, More Work

Small bounce back.  Still trending well, and ahead of schedule.  (I still need to get my "plan" posted!)

Today's another work day.  Wish it was a hang out at home and watching NFL football all day.  But, gotta pay the bills - pistachios aren't free!  I got to see my college team pull off an upset yesterday and my NFL team plays tonight (I *should* be done with work by then) so I'll get a fair amount of football watching in anyway.

Today's Meals:
Breakfast:  2 egg veggie filled omelet.  Did it with a bit of spinach, onion, mushroom, pepper, and a tiny amount of cheese.  I'm really digging the omelets.  Tasty way to get veggies down my gullet.
Lunch:  None - was at work and didn't get to it.  See snacks.
Snacks:  A couple caramel covered apples, some pistachios, Mt Dew White Label (x2), a single bite of McRib like sandwich from Caseys, a bag of PopChips Buffalo and Ranch, plus homemade salty popcorn.
Dinner:  Taco salad - heavy on the veggies, light on the cheese.  Made with ground turkey as well.

Again, not 100% perfect, but I made decent choices.  The family had pancakes with sprinkles.  I opted for an omelet.  I didn't eat a ton of the apples covered in caramel.  Baby steps.  It's all about making good choices here and there and eventually the good choices get easier and easier to make. Then, all of the sudden you're making good choices all the time.  Keep reminding yourself - "Don't be a fat fuck!".  If you ever what to have that threesome you need to be presentable.  JK, lol.  Or maybe I'm not.  : )

Guessing that tomorrow will be a bounce back day as I ate really late in the day and had a bunch of salty popcorn as a late snack.  We'll see.

Twenty-six days down.

Day 25 - Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work

Alrighty then!  Still rocking along.  Good stuff!

Well, today is one of my jacked up schedule days.  Not sure how long I'll have to work, but it's going to screw with my meal times for sure. 

Today's Meals:
Breakfast: Dt Mt Dew, some pistachios, and a "PB Bite"  Was pretty wrapped up in work.
Lunch: 2.5 squares of HyVee pepperoni pizza and half a can of cooked spinach
Snacks: Homemade popcorn, mini Baby Ruth, and some seasoned crack-ers, Mt Dew White Label, plus some caramel covered apples.
Dinner:  Homemade potato soup, 2.5 homemade rolls with butter

Not the healthiest overall.  The soup and spinach were the highlights of the day.  Work through me a bit.  I didn't eat breakfast really, and that made me extra hungry when I got home.  Which means I ate a bit more at lunch than I probably should have.  The crackers, and somewhat the candy, continue to haunt me.  I'm thinking that I snacked on something else bad for me throughout the day but looking back I can't remember what it was.  Ahhh, I remember.  Caramel covered apple slices.  (I'll add them above now).  Honestly.. I just want to get through to November when my schedule is a bit better - less stressful work and a bunch of days off.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll think about fitting in some exercise starting in November.  We'll see.  I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. 

Twenty-Five days down.

Day 24 - Woot

New low.  So, after falling off the wagon there for a few days I've kinda gotten back on track.  Again, my next couple of work days are jacked, but I'm going to try to make good decisions anyway.  Say it with me...  "Don't be a fat fuck!". 

Today's meals:
Breakfast:   forgot.. none for me
Lunch:  Greek yogurt, string cheese, and a couple handfuls of pistachios
Snack: crack covered crackers, Diet Mt Dew, normal Mt Dew, a snack size Almond Joy, a few M&Ms.
Dinner:  Half a pizza boat

I can tell that I haven't been drinking as much water lately as I should be.  Drinking more than my one a day pop goal is cutting into my water intake.   I'll try to concentrate on that over the next few days and get back on track.  I honestly am feeling better when I'm drinking more water.

Looking back over today's food intake and I was probably a bit too low on calories overall.  Seems counter-intuitive but I don't want to get too low.  The goal is to lose 2 pounds a week healthily - not just starve myself.  That's obviously not maintainable long term.  Fortunately, I think these couple days are more the exception than the rule.  I've been eating around where I should in calories most days and a lot of them are coming from healthier options.  I know some have found luck with intermittent fasting or time restricted feeding.  I've been doing a bit of time restricted feeding without really intending to lately.

There are lots of resources out there regarding these things.  Some people take it to an extreme, which is not healthy.  Just remember folks, moderation.  Here's some links for the interested:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201704/intermittent-fasting-weight-loss-and-other-benefits
http://www.health.com/weight-loss/intermittent-fasting-weight-loss
http://mentalfloss.com/article/93940/time-restricted-eating-one-simple-trick-might-help-you-lose-weight

I was aware of these concepts, but wasn't consciously trying to do them.  Now that I'm paying attention to what I eat I haven't been snacking late at night so I'm getting all of my eating done within a 12 hour period during the day.  There are occasions where we are watching TV later than normal and I'll have popcorn or whatever, but not as often as it happened before this journey.  So, here's another strategy that I might keep in mind and it might help me keep from eating later at night.  Or, if I do have that popcorn late at night I'll push my breakfast later into the mid morning to compensate.

Twenty twenty twenty four days down, I wanna be sa-kinny.    (lame, I know)

Day 23 - Cracker Hangover

Ok.  We're back on track.  Maybe the veggies helped offset the hurt I put on those crackers.  Or maybe it's just a normal fluctuation.  Either way, going the right direction.  

My work schedule is going to be messed up for the next few days.  I have to work late today, normal day Friday(tomorrow), half day Saturday, and half day Sunday.  Nobody else will be in the office for these times so there shouldn't be potluck temptations.  But, it will mess with my meal schedule.  We'll solider through and see what happens. 

Today's meals:

Breakfast/Lunch:  Woke up late as I work late so I made myself a veggie 2 egg omelet with hot sauce.  It was fantastic and probably pretty healthy.  I never really have been a huge fan of omelets until recently.  I'm finding them flavorful, filling, and pretty healthy with all the veggies I load in.

Snack:  Diet Mt Dew (or two) and a handful of those fucking crackers(or two)

Dinner:  Pizza boats with a side salad. We had some buns leftover from the french dips so we used those to make pizza boats.  I made mine veggie heavy.  Since I worked late I was tempted to just order some Casey's pizza.  (Side note, best pizza ever.  And it's from a gas station.)  I ended up thinking better of it and went the healthier, cheaper route. 

A little stressed with work, but didn't take it out on food too much.  Hopefully it keeps the trend alive.

Twenty-three days down.

Day 22 - The Cracker Test

Definitely trending the wrong way.  This work weekend (and the cheesecake all week) kinda killed it.  I'm sure I ate more than I noted, I just can't remember.  Ugh.  It's a bit discouraging, but it's not something I can't change.  One day at a time or some b.s. like that.

Today's Meals:
Breakfast:  Oatmeal with honey
Lunch:  Salad with lot of veggies
Snack:  2 bottles of Diet Mt. Dew., seasoned crackers, homemade popcorn, mini Baby Ruth candybar
Dinner: French Dip sandwiches with a side of mixed steamed veggies

I did pretty good on meals today.  Heavy on veggies overall.  The seasoned crackers are killing me.  I have like a bagillion pieces of candy in the house for trick or treat night but that shit doesn't call to me like these chip like crackers.  It's my fault.  I brought them into the house.  We were shopping and one of the stores was handing out samples for this $8 cracker seasoning mix.  They were good, but nobody should pay $8 for a packet of Italian salad dressing seasoning.  The kids claimed they were great and wanted me to buy some to make at home.  I told them hell no, I can make those for a fraction of the price at home.  So, I bought some stuff, made a bunch of crackers expecting them to eat them.  Then the crackers sat on the counter untouched.  I love shit like this, so I've been killing it.  Chips, salty snacks, and savory things are my kryptonite.  I should just throw them out - it's like $5 worth of stuff.  But, no.  I don't want to be wasteful.  This temptation will just sit there, testing me, until I break down and eat the whole damn bag or throw them out.

Twenty-two days down.

Day 21 - The Lost Day

Well, as you can see I forgot to weigh myself.  I had my phone on the counter in the bathroom by my scale and I got distracted by the several messages I missed.  My buddy that I was playing in fantasy football wanted to make sure that I was aware he had come from behind and beat me by 3 points as a result Jordan Reed going nuts in last night MNF game.  Sorry I don't have a weight for you.  Just know the fantasy gods punished me already.

Those damn cheesecake squares are still in the office.  I suck so I ate two more.  I know, you're talking to your computer screen right now "You said you were going to stop!  Didn't you run the mantra 'Don't be a fat fuck!' through your head?  Just don't go near the treats man.  It's easy!".   Well, it's not easy.  That's how I got to be a fat fuck in the first place.  I'm working on it.  I didn't eat a dozen of them and I ate pretty well the rest of the day.  So, I didn't completely fall off the wagon.  Just a momentary lapse of control.  I just can't get to that point where I say "Fuck it.  I'm never going to be a normal weight, might as well really enjoy myself".  You just have to realize what your doing and do better the next time.

Today's meals:
Breakfast:  Oatmeal with honey
Lunch:  Chobani Greek yogurt, string cheese, and a handful of pistachios
Snack: 2 cheesecake squares, Diet Mt Dew, a glass of real Mt Dew, homemade popcorn, several seasoned crackers
Dinner:  Chicken breast with cream of mushroom rice and cooked spinach

Exercise:  Nope

So, probably could have done with half of the crackers I snacked on and half the cheesecake crack deals.  I could definitely tell that I ate too much .. more specifically too much shitty food.  The heartburn is instant feedback.  Just gotta do better tomorrow than I did today.

Twenty-one days down.

Day 20 - Cheesecake

Bounced back up a bit.  Probably a delayed response to my feasting lately.  Maybe a bit of water weight.  Not sure.  But, it's a good reminder to be a little more strict on my eating.

Unfortunately, I didn't really take that reminder to heart today.  There were leftover cheesecake square things at work today... so I had two.  Shoulda stopped at one, and really shouldn't have had that one either.  I don't want to be so strict that I can't enjoy something like that every now and then, I just don't want to get sloppy and enjoy those things every day.

Today's meals:
Breakfast:  Oatmeal with honey
Lunch:  Oikos blueberry Greek yogurt and a string cheese
Snack: Small glass of Mt Dew, 2 cheesecake crack squares, handful of pistachios, Homemade popcorn
Dinner: Large taco salad

Exercise: Nope

Like I said above, I need to not make a habit of indulging in desserts and other high calorie low nutritional value things.  With Halloween coming up we have candy in the house and the temptation is there. Luckily, it's not generally the sweets that get me - although I love me some cheesecake.  But if I start allowing my self one or two here or there it becomes a habit and gets me back headed the wrong direction.  Again, gotta remind myself DBAFF!

Twenty days down.

Day 19 - In and Out

I spent most of today falling in and out of consciousness.  I'm too old to be pulling all nighters.  I weighed myself after my first nap today.  Looks like I didn't do too much immediate damage with my grazing last night.

As a result of my sleepiness I didn't eat a whole lot today. 

Today's meals:
Breakfast:  Don't think I had anything
Lunch:  5-10 seasoned saltines, bite or two of a big sugar cookie my kids made, two slices of summer sausage.
Snack:  Mt Dew White label, small handful of candy corn
Dinner:  Taco salad w/ sour cream and cheese.

Exercise:  Nope.  Didn't even walk much.. been in a zombie like haze all day.

Again, not super healthy, but probably didn't put away many calories overall. 

Nineteen days down.

Day 18 - New Milestone

I jumped past the 10 pounds lost marker.  I think the first 10 are probably the easiest to lose, but it's worth a small celebration.  I honestly didn't think that yesterday's eating would translate to additional loss, but I'll take it.

Today is another odd day for my eating schedule.  I have to work overnight for my job.  Usually the company brings in some sort of food - nothing too fancy - cold cuts, a loaf of bread, chips, pop, and some cookies or something.  All of which are tempting and not really the healthiest choices.  This is where some of that planning ahead will help.  I'll cut up some carrots to bring, will bring some homemade granola, a yogurt, string cheese, and some other healthier options.  I also bought some Mt Dew White Label.  I told myself I wasn't going to buy extra pops - just use what I had, but these are 140 calories per tall can and a better option than the 2 liters of normal Mt Dew that will be on hand.  I'll need lots of caffeine.  I'll also try to make lighter choices leading up to tonight so that I have a bit more room to flex on the calories.

Here's how today's meals played out:
Breakfast:  2 egg omelet with onion, mushroom, and garlic.  Topped with hot sauce.
Snack:  Homemade popcorn, 2 Diet Mt Dews, a Fun Size Baby Ruth (damn Halloween candy), ~5 seasoned saltines
Lunch:  Nothing really.  Breakfast was late and didn't get to "lunch"
Dinner:  3 baked chicken buffalo wings, cooked spinach, small side salad w/ vinaigrette, large baked potato
Overnight snacks/dinner/whatever:  Glass of Mt Dew, dry roasted peanuts with several candy corns, Cauliflower, Carrots, Broccoli, small amount of veggie dip, 5 meatballs in bbq sauce, 2 little smokies, a half piece of swiss cheese and a slice of roast beef, 3 little  cheesecake bar things that were fanfuckingtastic, Mt Dew White Label.
Jesus, that's a lot of food. Seeing the list after I wrote it all out is shocking.  I was stuck in the office for around 12 hours though, so maybe not so bad when taking that into account. 

Making a conscious effort to track every bite of food that I have through out the day.  I have been trying to do that all along but I've been catching myself missing some odds and ends.  It's important to get an accurate picture of what I'm taking in, so I'm buckling down a bit more.  Just to be clear, I'd say that I've been about 98% accurate up to this point.  I just want to have it 100%.   For example.. I was just thinking that I haven't had a beer since I started this...well, not true.  I was handed one about a week ago and completely forgot to list it the next day.  My bad, Internet.

The work all-nighter kinda wrecked my plans.  I was tired and trying to keep awake - got weak and ate more than I should have.  Luckily this isn't a common occurrence.

Eighteen days down.

Day 17 - Half a Pound

Woo, hoo.  Ok, we're continuing to trend the right way.  I was a bit worried yesterday as I had a decently big dinner.  I didn't really stop when I was full, but I was eating spinach to get to that point so it should have been mainly low calories for that meal. 

Today is going to be a bit more of a challenge.  I have a half day off work and so does my wife so we're going out for lunch.  Plus we'd already planned with the kids to cooking chicken wings and baked potatoes for dinner.  Wings are always a temptation to eat too much.  I'll most likely cook up some spinach or make a salad to go along with that meal so I can fill up on that before I eat too many wings.  I think this is one of the keys to making good choices - think ahead.  It makes it easier when presented with a situation where you could go hog wild.  Have a game plan in mind and it's easier to stick with it. 

So, with that.  Today's meals:
Breakfast:  Kinda forgot so just a hand full of pistachios.  I resupplied my work stash.
Lunch:  BLT with side salad.  Used blue cheese dressing - not the healthiest choice. 
Snack:  Homemade popcorn, Diet Mt. Dew. 
Dinner:  We went to Culver's with some family.  Diverted from our original plan but I had enough time to google nutrition information and make a bit of a game plan.  I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich and a regular sized order of crinkle fries.  The fries were definitely not the best choice I could make but I splurged a bit.  I didn't order any ice cream or custard.  I did however finish off my wife and kid's cement mixer or whatever the hell they call their blizzards.  I probably had the equivalent of half a small one of those.  So, I'd guestimate 3-400 calories in that alone. 

Exercise:  Walked around our downtown area a bit after lunch.  Not huge, but something more than my normal routine.

I'm sure I sound repetitive, it wasn't the healthiest day for meals, however I did make decent choices out of my provided options.  I could have gone full on salads only at both places and that would have been much healthier, however the choices I made are a big step in the right direction for me.  Normally I would have a huge burger, large fries, normal Mt. Dew and blizzard of my own.  My theory is that if I keep on making better choices across the board it will eventually be much easier to make that "salad only" call at a restaurant.  <Insert some sort of "the 1,000 mile journey starts with one step" kinda inspirational quote here.> 

Seventeen days down.

Day 16 - Same Ol

Could be worse.  Still going to keep going with my calorie guesstimation system.  I know I'd lose more consistently if I counted calories but it's such a hassle.  I'm stubborn.  Plus I know I've not noted a couple of things that eaten ...  a cookie here or there, a bite of the kids food here or there, etc.  I have to be more on the ball with that type of stuff.  It's way down from my previous snacking but those are things I forget about and they add calories.  And, it's hard to remember the little thoughtless bites when documenting your food journal at the end of the day. 

Today's meals:
Breakfast:  Oatmeal with honey
Lunch:  Yogurt, string cheese, cashews
Snack:  Mt Dew, sunflower seeds(I forget about these occasionally too)
Dinner:  Spaghetti with meat sauce, slice of cheese bread, and cooked spinach. 

Dinner was kinda a big meal today.  Definitely filling.  I'm hoping it doesn't sit to heavy when I weigh myself in the morning.  Overall I did decent with food today.  I didn't feel too hungry.  I think it's because I'm getting sick.  I've been rocking the beginning of a headache and a nasal thing all day.  I did notice that I drank a lot of water today.  Made several trips to the break room to fill up my cup at work.  So, I have that going for me.   Baby steps.

Sixteen days down.

Day 15 - Yo Yo

And we're back.  Now to keep making good choices.

I've got nothing going on today so hopefully I can keep this train on the tracks.


Today's meals
Breakfast:  Oatmeal with honey
Lunch:  I forgot my lunch and was out of pistachios so I had to buy it at work.  I opted for the "Healthy Choice" meal which consisted of salmon, red potatoes, and zucchini and squash.  It was actually pretty decent.
Snack:  Mt Dew, small piece of cake, and some homemade popcorn.
Dinner: Taco salad, heavy on the veggies. 

Exercise:  Nada

Nothing new to note today.  I'm getting closer to finishing my post that clarifies my goals.  I'll get it posted soon.  Just trying to stay positive.  It's slow moving so far. 

"Don't Be A Fat Fuck!"

Fifteen days down.

Day 14 - Two Weeks in October

Lots of bouncing around.  Kinda frustrating not just seeing the numbers go down.  I've been trying to guesstimate the calories in everything, but that may not work.  Maybe I should start detailed tracking of calories.  I HATE doing that though.  I have enough to remember throughout the day.  Plus, tracking to that detail pushes me towards processed food with a number on the label, which isn't really the way I want to go.  Or maybe I just need to continue working on my portion control.  Or both.   I'll give it a little longer with the guesstimate method and see if I can make it work. 

Today's meals
Breakfast:  Oatmeal with honey
Lunch:  Chobani yogurt, string cheese, and a large handful of pistachios
Snack:  Mt Dew and a couple of red vines (really not sure why I wasted the calories, so inferior to Twizzlers), plus I had roughly a slice of pepperoni pizza my kids didn't finish
Dinner:  2 egg veggie omelette, half a waffle that my daughter didn't finish, and a couple of fresh strawberries.
Dessert:  Small piece of cake and ice cream.

Exercise:  Neg-a-tory good buddy

Even though there is shitty food sprinkled throughout my day today, I feel better about it overall.  I need to stop finishing my kid's food, but I feel like I had enough calories to spare.  It wasn't like I was full before eating their food.  We'll see what the scale says, but I feel a little more positive about today.

Fourteen days down.

Day 13 - Surprise

Certainly didn't expect good news.  I knew yesterday was better, but I figured it still wasn't great and surely wasn't enough to notice a change.  But, we're at a journey low.  Now to maintain.

I'll be back in the office for work today, so hopefully I can make good choices.  I tend to drink way more water when I'm at work then when I'm at home.  It's easier for me to fill up my mug and it's always right in front of me.  At home there are too many distractions.  Maybe I need a "at home mug" or a water bottle.  Something that's just there so that I can get a habit of grabbing it instead of pop or just not drinking anything at all. 

Today's meals:
Breakfast:  Oatmeal again. This time topped with a flavored honey that was gifted to me.  Raspberry.  It's ok, I think I prefer the straight up natural honey.  I can tell the flavored stuff isn't real raspberry, but some sort of chemical flavoring. 
Lunch:  Yogurt, a string cheese, and a handful of pistachios
Snack:  Diet Mt Dew 20oz and a .7 oz bag of Crazy Hot PopChips I'd never had them before but    needed something to crunch on.  Pretty decent and only 80 calories.  I know that it wasn't healthy as it's still processed food, but it's better than the Cheetos that were calling my name - calorie wise if nothing else. 
Dinner:  Taco salad.  Again heavy on the veggies.  I lacked on the portion control with this meal. 
Late Snack:  homemade popcorn

I slipped up a couple times today, again.  Portion control and buying snacks outta the vending machine at work.  I feel bloated and full at almost 11 pm.  I know the scale is gonna yell, even if it's just water weight it's not going to be a win tomorrow morning.  It's depressing and makes me want to just say fuck it.  I know it's not the end of the world and I'm still doing well overall.  I just hate myself when I know better and still make the wrong call.  DAMNIT!  Ugh....   I can't change today or yesterday, just gotta do better tomorrow.   Don't be a fat fuck, don't be a fat fuck, don't be a fat fuck, don't be a fat fuck,......

Thirteen days down.

Day 12 - Intentional Forgetfulness

Yeah, not sure what happened here.  Either I forgot to weigh myself, or I forgot to take a picture.  I'm assuming I sub consciously knew that I shouldn't check my weight after yesterday's mistakes.  So, today's got to be better. 

I've got a few family things going on, but I should be able to be a little more dedicated to the cause.

Today's meals:
Breakfast:  Slice of cinnamon and sugar toast
Lunch:    Meat, cheese, and crackers.  I know there was something else.. I just can't remember now.
Snack:    A bite of cookie and some seasoned saltines.  (Samples while we were out shopping).  Plus an imported soda.  Cockta.  It's from Slovenia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockta   We were out shopping and found a neat "world market" kinda store. 
Dinner:   Taco salad, heavy on the veggies and light on the cheese.   Diet Dew and half a Pepsi.

Exercise: Lots of walking. 

I was better with the food, but still not great.  I didn't repeat the mantra enough... Don't be a fat fuck!  Ugh.   On a positive note, I did get a bit of exercise in today.  We walked all over the pumpkin patch and then walked a LOT shopping for my wife's birthday.  It was a lot for me at least.  I had my phone on me for the better part of the day and it shows just under 10k steps.  Not sure how accurate it is, but it's something.

Twelve days down.

Day 11 - Back

Back to 277.  Trending the right way again.   Today will be tough, but I need to keep on reminding myself "Don't Be A Fat Fuck!" - can't forget my mantra.  It's going to be needed today as it's going to be needed.  I have several things that are on the schedule - supposed to go to a college football game and tailgate (update: we're calling this off as it's storming and standing in the rain for 8 hours doesn't sound fun), a birthday party this afternoon, kid's football games this afternoon (update: rescheduled due to rain), and the Cubs play again so there's another watch party this evening.

I'm kinda glad that the tailgating was called off as that would have been a lot of temptation.  Looks like we're only committing to the birthday party.  It's going to be a big family get together which means lots of food and normally lots of grazing.  I'm going to try to remember to drink lots of water before and during which should stave off some of the impulse eating.  Otherwise the game plan is to just concentrate on the veggies and fill my dinner plate with mostly salad.  I'll probably have a half a piece of cake at most - it's the chips and savory items that usually are my downfall.  Otherwise, I'm going to try to eat light for the rest of the day.

Here's how the meals went:
Breakfast:  Veggie breakfast burrito with cheese
                    (intended for the tailgate, just threw them in the oven)
Lunch:  Meat, cheese, and crackers.   Just a few of each.
Snack:  ...
Dinner:  Dinner and snack were a combined disaster.  I didn't have very good will power tonight.  We were hanging out with family and I grazed.  I had a legit meal - half a piece of lasagna and a salad, but then I snacked on chips, a half piece of b-day cake, cheese, meat, and crackers, etc.   It wasn't an all out pig out, but it wasn't what I wanted to do.  I tried and failed.  I can't undo it, just gotta do better tomorrow. 

Eleven days down.

Day 10 - The Penalty

Well, was kinda worried that I'd pay for my indulgence.  Half a pound could just be water weight and normal fluctuation, but I know it's a result of my bad choices yesterday.  Just gotta try to be better today.   


Today's meals:
Breakfast:  Oatmeal with honey
Lunch: Rice and veggies topped with chow mein noodles and cashews
Snack: A bite of my daughter's Snickers bar, a Oreo, and a Diet Dew and most half of a Dr Pepper
Dinner:  My take on a shrimp and veggie scampi with a side of broccoli

Exercise:  None.

Obviously, I've been slacking a bit on my healthy eating.  I'm still eating less, however I'm snacking more on shitty foods and starting to slip back into drinking more pop.  My wrong way of thinking is "I'm having Diet Dew, it's zero calories, so I can drink more!".  In reality, it wrecks my body as much as normal Dew and draws me back into drinking more pop which means less water keeping me farther from my goal of ultimately eliminating pop.  Ugh.   It's not like it's been a particularly stressful week or exciting or anything else.   

Ten days down.

Day 9 - Pheew

Alright, back on track.  Although, this will be another tough day - I've got a Cubs watch party tonight.  So, gonna try to be light on the eats throughout the day as I know I'll indulge a bit during the game. 

Today's meals:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey
Lunch:  Rice and veggies topped with a few cashews and chow mein noodles.  Small glass of Naked juice.
Snack: Diet Mt Dew
Dinner: Taco salad and a soft shelled taco, rice, guacamole, a Mt Dew and a White Label Mt Dew with a Zinger for dessert. 

Exercise:  Played a little basketball with my kids.  Nothing to strenuous, but better than sitting on my arse.

So, definitely ate past the full mark tonight for dinner.  And had more pop today then I have since I started this journey.  It'll be interesting to see how far that sets me back.  I should be back to a normal light day with lots of water tomorrow.  Really, I don't feel like I did too much damage tonight.  I make my tacos with more vegetables than anything, no sour cream, and light on cheese.  Tomorrow's weigh in will let me know.

Nine days down. 

Day 8 - Doh!

 

Don't adjust your TV sets, there is no proof today.  I set my phone on the counter by the scale and then immediately forgot to take the needed picture.  I honestly can't remember if I even weighed myself this morning.  I *think* I did and I was still at 279.  I could be a complete liar though.  

Anywho, today's happenings.  I've been thinking that I need to post about my strategy, my game plan, and goals.  I have all that stuff in my head, but if someone (Google analytics show there isn't anyone yet) eventually finds this blog they'll immediately think I'm 100% winging it and have no plan.  When in reality I'm only 95% winging it.  This ain't my first rodeo.  I've read tons of things, tried tons of things, and understand that the basic formula to losing weight is use more calories than you take in.  Now, being healthy and maintaining muscle add other factors.  Which I do take into account.  Anyway...I digress, my point was that I need to put together a proper post on what my weight goals are and how I plan to get there.  My first post kinda did that, but maybe was a bit vague.  I'll put together something a little more organized soon.

Today's eats:

Breakfast:  None, working and forgot to eat. 

Lunch:  Cold salmon and salad with oil and balsamic dressing.  I did top it with some chow mein noodles and sunflower seed kernels.

Snack: 3 pickle spears, 2 Oreos, 24oz Mt Dew

Dinner: Bulgogi Chicken, rice, vegetables 

Exercise:  Nope

Eight days down.  

Day 7 - No Movement

Another day at 279.  I know I couldn't keep losing a pound a day.  At least it's not going up.

Today I was back in the office.  I have/had a habit of buying a big gulp big boy Mt Dew every morning and since I started this little experiment I've withheld from indulging in this habit.  I got close this morning, but reminded myself "#DBAFF!".  Then I drank a bunch of water and restrained.  Sounds stupid.. maybe sounds easy for most to just walk away and continue on the day, but it took me a long moment to make that choice.  I had just finished some stuff at work, was relieved and wanted to celebrate with my favorite fat guy habit - a big ass pop and maybe a breakfast sandwich or bagel with cream cheese.  But, I knew where that would lead.  I'd say screw it, it's not so bad being fat and go back to "normal".  It kinda sucks a lot being fat so I walked away.  If I just make a few of these choices every day I'll end up reaching a much bigger goal.  I don't have to totally deprive myself, I still had a 20oz Dew when I got home, but that was the only one for the day.  Eventually I'll have to kick that habit too and maybe make it a once a week thing.  But, as I said before, baby steps.

So, today's meals:
Breakfast:  Oatmeal with honey
Lunch:  Salad with grilled chicken, hardboiled egg, and lots of veggies
Snack: Small hand full of pistachios, a single Oreo, homemade popcorn, and a Mt Dew
Dinner:  One medium bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup with two and a half rolls

Exercise:

Seven days down.

Day 6 - Milestone

Woot!  Small victory, I know, but I'm below the 280's so that's something.  Just shows that I have a lot of fat and was eating way too many calories every day.  

Today was a bit more stressful.  I had a moment of "Fuck it, I'm gonna eat whatever" today.  And I did have a couple of Oreo's and a half a Dr Pepper more than I ideally wanted to have.  I walked myself off the ledge and didn't go full on fat guy at a buffet.  However, I did end up eating huge portions at dinner.  

Meals for day 6:

Breakfast:  2 egg omelet filled with veggies and topped with sriracha, small glass of Naked Green Machine juice

Lunch:  Turkey and mustard sandwich

Snack:  Oreos, chocolate chip cookies, and Dr Pepper

Dinner:  Baked salmon with hollandaise, baked chicken, salad with oil & vinegar, Mt Dew

Exercise:  Nada

Six days down.

Day 5 - The Aftermath

Well..  thought it'd be bad, but still trending down.  I'll take it.  I was pretty worried about the back to back events with friends and I still worry about upcoming Cubs viewing parties, but I'm ok with how I held up so far.

Today's schedule includes cleaning house and watching football.  Wasn't expecting a whole lot of temptation today.

Today's food:
Breakfast: None, got caught up cleaning house and forgot.
Lunch:  3 small squares of sausage pizza, a couple Lays chips, some cooked spinach and a Mt Dew
Snack: Chocolate chip cookie
Dinner: Taco salad - no sour cream, a Dr Pepper

Exercise:  There was some today!   Mowed the yard - previously traded in the rider for a push mower.  Also, went to the ball park and had a family wiffle ball game.

Should be easier to stay on track once the work week starts tomorrow.

Five days down.

Day 4 - Rebound

The small bounce back I expected.  I wasn't 100% good for dinner yesterday.  We were hanging out with friends watching the Cubs win - Go Cubs Go!  I refrained from drinking any beers, but did have a big Mt. Dew, a brat with sauerkraut, a few chips with Mexican 7 layer dip(at least there are some veggies in it!), some crackers with cheese, and a few other small snacks.  I'd tried to have a light day leading up to this as I knew there would be lots of temptations so I don't think I did too bad, but coulda done better.

I had another get together with friends today and again tried to eat light leading up to it, so here's how the day panned out:

Breakfast:  3 scrambled eggs, a glass of Naked Green Machine juice
Lunch: Half a turkey and mustard sandwich
Snack: Chocolate chip cookie and a Mt Dew
Dinner:  3(maybe 4) Summit Oktoberfest beers, baked salmon topped with hollandaise sauce, coleslaw, 2 dinner rolls, and a macadamia nut cookie.

Exercise:  Na, not today.

So...  yeah, coulda probably gotten away with a bit less at dinner, but I still don't think that I went too overboard.  I mostly stayed away from the desserts and the salmon was low cal and healthy.  I'm happy with the outcome.  I wanted to have a good time and enjoy myself and I did while still holding back from being a complete hog wild fat fuck.  I'm calling it a win.

Four days down.

Day 3 - More Water

Down a couple more pounds.  It's only been a few days now, so I'm aware this is most likely just water weight and it will continue to bounce around.  It's nice to see the scale going down, but I don't fully buy it yet.

Meals for Day 3:
Breakfast - Bowl of oatmeal, topped with honey
Lunch - Naked Green Machine Juice and a banana
Snack - Pistachios
Dinner - ?

Tonight and the rest of the weekend will be challenging.  I've got a few events scheduled with friends - viewing party for the Cubs game tonight and a bbq with friends on Saturday.  My goal is still to make good choices - I'll indulge and have a couple things, but not eat until I can't move (my normal strategy for these events).  I do have work obligations so that will also help steer me away from drinking too many adult cocktails - so those calories won't be as big a concern.  I'll try to update the blog when I get back.

Just need to remember... "Don't be a fat fuck, Don't be a fat fuck, Don't be a fat fuck...."

Three Days Down (almost)

Day 2 - Success!

Ok, not really.  I dropped two pounds overnight.  Probably explained by the fact that I had Chinese food the night before Day 1.  It was salty and probably accounted for a lot of water weight.  You can fluctuate several pounds over the course of 24 hours.  I may be up a pound or two from this tomorrow morning.  I'm just hoping to keep the overall trending down.  At one time I used a site to enter my weight every day and it would show the trend line in a chart - that seemed pretty legit to me.  I might try to find that again to get a more accurate idea of my weight.  

Meals for Day 2:

Breakfast:  Oikos Triple 0 Yogurt with homemade granola

Lunch:  1 Package of Ramen Noodles

Snack: A handful of almonds and pistachios, a couple bites of pie (evil temptress sitting on my counter), 1 can of Mt. Dew White Label

Dinner: Taco Salad - Turkey and beef mix, no sour cream, heavy on the veggies, and light on the cheese

Exercise: 

None.  Busy at work and barely left my desk.  Not ideal, but I really want to concentrate on the food side of things first.  

Two days down.

Day 1 - Trying Not To Be A Fat F*@K

Hello World.   I'm a fat fuck.  I don't want to be one anymore.  Like most of the american population I've let myself go.  I have horrible will power and food is my getaway.  It's my go-to whenever I want to celebrate.  Whenever I want to cheer myself up.  Whenever I'm stressed.  I've tried hundreds of times over my life to change it up, to eat better and work out, but always fall back into my old habits.  I've used MyFitnessPal before and all kinds of other systems to keep me on track, but I wanted something different.  Something to remind me every time that I reach for that slice of delicious Casey's pizza - "Don't be a fat fuck!".  This blog is going to be my reminder.  It's my way of holding myself accountable.

So..  let's get the baseline out there.  As of yesterday morning I weighed 285.5 pounds.  That's close to my all time high. 

Pics or it didn't happen:

The moneyshots:

My strategy so far is..   eat less and make good choices.  I'm going to make changes slowly, it's not an overnight thing.  I'm not going to immediately stop drinking pop, it'll be a slow transition.  I'm going to try to be more conscious about my choices and remind myself "Don't Be A Fat Fuck!".  It's my new mantra.  I may try out different programs that seem legit as I go - like the 100 Pushup Challenge or the Gallon of Water A Day Challenge.  I'm willing to give most programs that are backed by actual science or common sense a try.  In the above two examples if I'm doing pushups that's exercise which is good.  If I'm drinking water instead of pop that's good.  I'm not going to try shit that's obviously whacko, like putting chakras in uncomfortable places or rubbing oils on my belly.

My meals for Day 1:

Breakfast - Oikos Rasberry Greek Yogurt with homemade granola

Lunch - Salad with loads of vegetables and a handful of grilled chicken

Snacks - Handful of pistachios, couple bites of fruit pie, some popcorn

Dinner - Two slices of sourdough toast with butter and a Mt. Dew Green Label

Exercise today:

Not much.  I walked around outside my office building for 15 minutes over lunch.  Better than nothing.

Not the healthiest day, but I'm in a routine of drinking nearly a two liter of Mt. Dew a day and eating whatever I want while sitting on my ass.  Baby steps, I'll get there.  

One day down.