Week 19

Week 19 - I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.   I will be celebrating Christmas on Tuesday when my son comes to visit from the Navy.  He's stationed in Norfolk, VA and got leave starting Monday.  I'm excited.  The tree is still up, the presents are still wrapped and I've been grocery shopping and cooking so I can make all his favorites!

I fully expected to gain weight this week.  Last week was such a big weight drop, I thought for sure my body would take a break and hold on to some water, weight, whatever.  But nope, I dropped another 2 pounds!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME!!!!  I've lost a total of 59.5 pounds (you couldn't give me that extra 1/2 pound to make it an even 60 pounds, could you!!?!  LOL).   I'm just kidding, I'm very happy with my results this week.  A Christmas miracle??

Everyone have a happy New Years. Be Safe and hug and kiss the ones you love.

As always, if you read this blog, post a comment so I know someone is reading this blog. It says "No Comments" at the bottom. That just means no one has left a comment yet.   Click on "No Comments" to leave your thoughts.

Until Next week and 2015

Week 18

Week 18 - Crazy result this week.  I lost 5.9 lbs.  This on the heels of a slight gain last week.  I'm thinking this anomaly has a lot to do with just normal biological factors.  I'm happy about the weight loss this week, but I'm kind of leery about what next week will show.

My wonderful daughter and I made Christmas cookies this week. I cannot lie, I CHEATED!!  I had one of my favorite cookies and one piece of fudge. (and yet I lost almost 6 pounds,  Could this be my new Christmas cookie diet?? LOL.. NO!!!)  Baking Christmas cookies with my mom is a fond memory I will always cherish, baking Christmas cookies with my daughter is another memory that I will always cherish.  It was really hard not licking the spoon, taking samples, picking at the batter, but I was good.  I just had one each of the finished product to make sure they came out okay.  (pssst. they did!)  

So is anybody reading this blog?  I'd like to think so, but I don't know.  So here's an experiment.  If you've read my post this week, leave a comment at the bottom.

Butter Ball Cookies (My Favorite Christmas Cookie)

FUDGE !!

Merry Christmas everyone!!  Until next week.

Week 17

Week 17.  Last week's "Wow" has turned into this week's "Whaaaat?".  I gained 1.6 pounds!!  Whaaaat?   I didn't cheat.  So I'm stumped.

Maybe it's water. Water weighs 8 lbs per gallon, so 1 pint of water equals 1 pound. 1 pint of excess water is not that much, but weighs a hefty 1 pound.  

I hurt my back and wasn't active for a couple days.  Maybe that was it.   

My sleep schedule got really screwed up because I was an extra in a movie and we shot from late night to early morning.. 

I just don't know.  I'm a little bummed, but not discouraged.  Ups and downs go with dieting.  We all prefer the downs, but we have to realize there will be ups.   Trudge on.  

Christmas is next week.  I plan on baking our family traditional cookies and fudge.  No promises, but I'm going into it with good intentions.  

Until Next week... 

Week 16

Week 16.  Wow.. Lots of good news this week.  I lost 3.7 pounds this week, which makes my total weight loss 53 pounds!  I've past the 50 lbs lost point.  Even though it's just numbers, psychologically, it's a milestone.  It's over half way to 100 pounds which seems to be the holy grail of serious weight loss goals..  I also comfortably fit into a size 42 W pants (yes, the pants in this week's pictures).. I bought these pants a long time ago, but could never fit into them. They have been hanging in my closet for over a year.   They still had the store labels on them.  Now the labels have been ripped off and the pants fit!!  A Christmas miracle indeed.  The size 44 W pants are heading into the 'fat' stack. (To be donated soon.)  I've kept my 'fat' clothes before when I lost weight 'just in case'.. This time, they're going to be outta here. I started this diet wearing a size 50 W.

So what did I do different this week to lose 3.7 pounds? I painted my office and baseboards in the office and hallway.  That's about it.  I thought last week I had retained some water, so maybe this week the water was gone.  Who knows.  This weight loss thing is a crazy thing.

Until next week!

Week 15

Week 15.  What a week of temptations!  I went to Las Vegas for 3 days and got comped the "Buffet of Buffets".  That's were you can eat at any of the selected buffets as much as you want for a 24 hour period.  (if you pay for this, it's $49.99 - which is a great deal).  Anyway, we went to the buffets and I didn't cheat and only ate low-carb items.  I even found Sugar Free Cheesecake, mousse and custard.  We hit a seafood buffet and I bypassed my all time favorite, fried shrimp, and got the boiled shrimp instead.  The lobster was heavenly! Dipped in melted butter.. YUM..

And then I came home and did Thanksgiving with my daughter and her boyfriend.  They had Ham, stuffing, Candied sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, rolls, Au Gratin potatoes. I had Ham, mozzarella balls and Low-Carb Pecan pie.   Again, I was good. I probably ate more than I usually do, but on Atkins, that's okay.

As a result of my week's adventures, I lost .6 lbs.  Not much, but still a loss!!  I'm just under 50 lbs lost.  Next  week I WILL break that.  Promise!

Until Next Week....

Week 14

Week 14.  I'm a day early (I usually post on Sundays, but I'm heading to Las Vegas tomorrow, so I'm doing everything today).  It was a great week.  I lost 3.5 lbs !!  Last week I gained a little.  I hoped it was just water retention.  I guess it was!  So for the last 2 weeks, I averaged 1.75 pounds a week. Not too bad.  In 14 weeks, I've lost 48.7 lbs!  Averaging 3.5 a week!   My goal for next weigh in is to break the 50 pounds lost psychological barrier.

I'm going to Las Vegas tomorrow.  I promise to keep to my diet.  Hopefully with all the walking, gambling, jumping up and down from all my wins, I'll lose a lot of weight and have a happy report next week.

Hope ya'll are keeping warm.   Until next week...

Week 13

Week 13.  13 bad luck? I gained .7 pounds this week.  It is what it is.. I'm not too disappointed.  I didn't cheat.  I'm thinking it's water gain.  We'll see what happens next week.   The little white streaks in this week's photos  are snow!  The first snow of the season in Albuquerque, NM.

I'm heading to Las Vegas next week, so I don't think there will be an update next week.  We'll see.

Week 12

Well, it was another good week.  I lost 2.7 lbs for a total of 45.9 lbs in 12 weeks.. That's an average 3.8 lbs a week.. I'll take it!  This week I did 3 days of Richard Simmons' "Party Off the Pounds" video.  I tried an hour session of Yoga (OUCH!) and I didn't cheat on my Atkins Diet.
Just for kicks, I tried on some of my 'skinny' clothes.  You know, those clothes that you still have in your closet from when you were skinnier and you haven't thrown out because you just know you're going to get back into someday?  You know those clothes?  You know YOU have them!  Well, when I started this diet, I was wearing a 3XL shirt.  The black shirt in this week's picture is a single XL.   The pants in my original picture were a 50w.  The jeans in this week's picture is a very loose 44w.  I tried on a 42w and even though I could put them on and button them, the were tight and very unflattering.  I think 10 more pounds lost and they'll fit just fine.. I'll keep you updated.
On a personal note, I feel great.  I have energy, my mind is clear and sharp (I've heard that a 'foggy' head was a side effect of cutting the carbs), my joints and back aren't hurting hardly anymore.  Life it good. :-)
Until next week, stay healthy and no cheating. If you cheat, you're only cheating yourself of the life and body you want.

Week 11

It's week 11 and another 1.5 pounds gone.  I'm just a little disappointed, but I remind myself that I lost 6 pounds last week (yay!) and I had a little procedure done last week and couldn't really get around and move like I wanted to. (sorry, Richard Simmons, you'll have to wait until this week before I Party Off the Pounds again.).

Halloween went well.  I gave out candy to all the little monsters and I didn't sneak any for myself!  I wasn't even tempted. How cool is that?!?

Hopefully, this week, I'll get back to my routine, doing Party Off the Pounds, maybe some hiking.  I'm optimistic this week will be full of fun and adventure.

Some people asked to see a close-up picture of my face.. Here you go. Pictures taken 11/1/14

Until next week.....

Week 10

Wow! What a big week!  I went to Las Vegas this week and lost more than my money.  At this week's weigh in, I lost 6.1 pounds!  I stayed away from the buffets in Las Vegas.  I found a Chipolte on the strip (by Harrah's) that actually didn't inflate their prices.  The prices were the same as my local Chipolte in Albuquerque.  Anyway, I had their Chicken Salad with cheese, sour cream, medium and mild salsa, NO beans, NO rice or NO dressing.  This configuration has only 8 net carbs!
I also did my Richard Simmons "Party Off the Pounds" DVD for the first time when I got home. It was actually fun and it didn't feel like exercise. I sure was sweatin' after I was done.  So everything combined worked to help me lose 6.1 pounds this week.  It's great re-enforcement to see such great results..
Oh, one more milestone this week, I now have less that 100 pounds to lose.

This is a view from on top of the "High Roller" (The new Ferris Wheel on the Strip by The Flamingo)

Me, after "Richard Simmons' Party Off the Pounds". I sure was sweatin' :-)

Week 9

Another 1.7 lbs gone!  Woohoo!  Yeah, it's just under 2 lbs, but it's gone and it isn't a gain!   Tomorrow, I heading to Las Vegas!  I'll be doing a lot of walking (and gambling.. hehe).   I will stay away from the buffets, I promise.  Hopefully with all this  moving this week, next week's numbers will be good.  When I get back from my trip, I plan on starting (don't laugh) Richard Simmons' Party off the Pounds.  It really looks like a fun way to get some cardio and to get me moving. There will NOT be any videos posted of me, partying off the pounds!  Sorry.

Week 8

Yay!  I lost another 3.6 pounds..  I'm down to 287.6 lbs for a total loss of 33.9 lbs in 8 weeks.. Not too shabby, huh?   I'm feeling better, feeling more energy.  Don't laugh, but I just ordered a Richard Simmons Sweatin' to the something or other.  I feel like it's low impact and will get me moving.  It's not suppose to come in until Friday, so this week I'll concentrate on moving and walking and maybe a little hiking..  Moving forward.  No looking back.

Week 7

Well, first the good news.  I lost 3.4 lbs since last week!   The bad news, I only lost 1.7 lbs during the past 2 weeks. (Remember I gained last week!).   So averaging less than a pound a week for the past 2 weeks isn't very encouraging.   I still trudge on though.  I have not given up.  I have not cheated. I have kept to my plan and my resolve.   Let's hope that this was just a minor hiccup in my journey. Pedal to the Metal, let's go!

Week 6

I am disappointed.. I have gained 1.7 lbs this week.. I don't understand. I haven't cheated.  I exercised. I stayed below my 20 carbs, ate around 1000-1200 calories a day.  I just don't get it.  If I can gain weight while dieting, the thought of not dieting is horrifying.  Hopefully, it's just my body taking a rest.  Maybe it's just retaining water.   I'm clueless. I will continue my plan and see what next week brings.

Week 5

Well it has been 5 weeks on my journey.  I have lost another 3.3 pounds this week.  I'll take it!!  Of course I wanted it to be more, but I have to keep telling myself I didn't gain all this weight in 1 week, so I can't lose it all in 1 week.   So after 5 weeks, I've lost 28.6 lbs. That's an average of 5.7 a week. I'll take it!

I'm feeling better, I feel like I have more energy and my knees and back aren't hurting as much as they use to.  I think they're thanking me for getting that weight off them.  I've been walking more and getting some more fresh air.  All of this works together to help me along my journey.

Thanks everyone for your words of support and encouragement. It helps.

Constant Cravings

Cravings. We've all had them.  What do we do about them?  I found this great article today about the mistakes we make with cravings. See if you agree.  Here's the LINK... 

Week 4

Well it's been a month and I'm pleased with my results so far.  I'm glad I switched from a Low Fat to Low Carb diet. Did you catch the major study that came out this past week praising a Low Carb Diet? You can read about it HERE.  It reinforced my decision that I made the right choice.   This week (well actually last 5 days, I was on vacation last Sunday and didn't weigh-in until Tuesday) I lost another 2.5 lbs for a total weight lost of 25.3 lbs IN 4 WEEKS.. That's almost a pound a day!! I know this high amount of weight loss won't last, but I'm enjoying the ride while it lasts!

Week 3

Sorry for the delay in the post, but I went on a little adventure in the Southwest. I went to Carlsbad Caverns in Carlsbad, NM; OK Corral in Tombstone, AZ; Queen Mine in Bisbee, AZ; Lavender Pit Mine in Lowell, AZ; El Paso TX.  I did a lot of walking. Took a ghost tour. Saw several cowboys doing a reenactment of the gunfight at the OK Corral and saw the beautiful Southwest US. It was gorgeous!!  Anyway, I'm back, here we go....

I switched to Atkins 6 days ago because my low fat diet stalled (9 days with no weight loss).  I usually weigh in on Sundays, but I was on my adventure, so I weighed in today.   After 6 days on Atkins, I lost 5.7 lbs!! No too shabby and I'm liking this diet A LOT more than the low fat diet.

The basics of the Atkins diet in Stage 1 is to eat 20 grams of Carbs a day. Of that 20 grams of Carbs, 10-15 grams of those carbs come from non-starchy vegetables.  The other 5-10 grams of carbs come from quality protein  (meats, eggs, etc.).  It's easy and more tasty that the low fat diet.  I truly hope this diet doesn't stall. I need the instant gratification.   I can post pictures on Facebook of my trip if ya'll want to see some pictures.  Let me know!

I QUIT

... low fat dieting!!  After 9 days with very little weight loss (1.9 lbs), I have quit!   Fear not, I have switched to Atkins.  Now, I'm not one that usually does the diet shuffle, but when something isn't working, it's time to change.   

I read this article/study today and according to this study, I should dump my low fat diet and switch to a low carb diet. The one line in this article that really caught my attention was "Too much refined carbohydrates — white bread, white rice, potato products — all the foods that crept into our diets as we've followed the low-fat craze has undermined our metabolism,". My Low Fat Diet has been stalled for 9 days now. (little to no weight loss). Then there's this line. " ... when people stopped eating so many refined carbohydrates, they burned off about 150 more calories per day, compared to those eating a higher carb, lower fat diet."  

Read the article here:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/09/01/344315405/cutting-back-on-carbs-not-fat-may-lead-to-more-weight-loss

Reading that article was the nudge I needed to jump ship to the Atkins Plan.  So here we go....

It's Been 2 Weeks

Ok. I've been on my journey for 2 weeks now.After week's one weigh-in, I lost 15 pounds. I was stoked!!  So today was weigh-in day and I only lost 1.9 pounds.  Of course I'm disappointed. How can I not be?  I know that typically week 1 of a diet is the week you lose the most and week 2 you hardly lose anything. (It even happens on The Biggest Loser). I was expecting it, but dang, only 1.9 pounds.   It was like a punch in the stomach.

Ok, so I'm over it!! I'm down 17.1 pounds in 2 weeks. WooHOO!!!   On to week 3 and better results. One's journey does not end with a single bump in the road. 

WOW!

Today was my official weigh-in day.  And drum roll please........ I lost 15.2 lbs! woohoo!  I know from experience that week 1 is always the most dramatic weight lose week and I know week 2 is really hard to lose. I've heard it has something to do with your body getting use to the weight drop.  So, while I'm excited, I'm realistic that this drastic weight lose will not continue.  But for today, I'm happy and very motivated!!

I've updated my 'Current' Picture, my Graph, and "The Numbers" on the right side bar..

It's a good start, let's keep it going!!!

Week 1 DONE!

Well, I made 1 week!! No cheating!  The first week of many more to come.   I will weigh in tomorrow morning and post the news, change the graph and add a current picture!  Can you feel the excitement in the air?

Here's what I ate today. Again, I wasn't very hungry today.

8/23/2014	Fat	Fiber	Calories	Protein
Premier Protein Drink	3	2	160	30
Herb Roasted Chicken w/ Veggies	3	3	170	16
Fiber 1 Brownie	5	5	90	1
Low Fat Popcorn	1.5	4	13	3
Premier Protein Drink	3	2	160	30
Chicken, Almonds & Veggies	4.5	2	270	13
Walnuts*	0	2	190	4
Almonds*	0	3	160	6
Total	20	23	1213	103

Hey Netflix!!

So I had this awesome idea of streaming an exercise video from Netflix on my living room TV so I can Dance to the Oldies, or Zumba, or Jazzercise or something.. I was stoked!  So I went to Netflix to select one to stream and guess what? Guess! Just Guess....   THEY DON'T HAVE ANY!!

I searched for exercise, Richard Simmons, Zumba, Dance.. NOTHING!!!  What's up with that?

Day 7

It's day 7. The last day of my first week on my 20/20 diet.  I woke up today again with a burst of energy. I fed the pets, and went for a mile walk. It was a beautiful day in Albuquerque.  The air was so clear and clean from all the rain yesterday. I didn't bring my phone on my walk, so no pictures,  but trust me the views were breathtaking.

So tomorrow is my official weigh day.  I'm really excited to reveal my success so far.  I weigh everyday, but will only post weekly results here.. Tune in tomorrow for my 1st week's results!

Have an enjoyable productive day.

End of Day 6

Today was a good day!  I woke up with a bunch of energy and pretty much kept that most of the day. I got a lot of household chores done.  It was a very productive day.

I find I'm not as hungry as I'm usually am.  It seems like my calorie count is going down. Today would have been really low, but I drank a protein drink before bed. I wasn't really hungry, but I wanted to boost my protein intake for the day.  Tomorrow will be day 7, the last day of week 1.  Once I start week 2, I don't think I'll be posting everyday, especially not my meals for the day.  I wanted to post them during week one so everyone could see what I was and wasn't eating.  Now that you've got the idea, I don't need to hammer it in.

Here's what I ate today:

8/22/2014	Fat	Fiber	Calories	Protein
Egg Beaters	0	0	30	6
Fat Free Cheese	0	0	30	4
Wheat Toast	0.5	3	100	4
Wheat Toast	0.5	3	100	4
Peach	0.4	2.2	59	1.4
Banana	0.4	3.1	105	1.3
Fiber 1 Brownie	5	5	90	1
Walnuts*	0	2	190	4
Almonds*	0	3	160	6
Premier Protein Drink	3	2	160	30
Total	9.8	23.3	1024	61.7

Day 6

It's day 5 and everything is still on track!  I woke up with a burst of energy today.  What's up with that? I got up, showered, fed the dogs and cats and then channeled my extra energy into trimming the hedges in the front yard.  I got all that accomplished before 8AM.  I got the hedges done just in time because just as I was finishing, it started to rain. It's been raining ever since (going on 3 hours now).  The rain is a nice welcome to the desert southwest where we average only about 8.5 inches of precipitation a year.  I was planning on going to the Albuquerque Zoo today, but the rain is making me say "no".  The walking trail through the zoo is 2.5 miles. I figured that would be a nice pleasant way to get in some walking today.  It will have to wait.

How's your day so far?

End of Day 5

End of day 5!.   I found that I wasn't as hungry today.  Is it because my body is getting used to the new diet? I hope so!!  I made all my food goals.  All and all a happy day today.  2 more days until my first weigh in.  I'm so excited.

Here's what I ate today....

8/20/2014	Fat	Fiber	Calories	Protein
Multi-Grain Hot Cereal	1	5	140	5
Premier Protein Drink	3	2	160	30
1 cup Brown Rice	1.8	3.5	216	5
1 cup Black Beans	1	15	227	15
Banana	0.4	3.1	105	1.3
Premier Protein Drink	3	2	160	30
Peach	0.4	2.2	59	1.4
Total	10.6	32.8	1067	87.7

Fat Shaming Must Stop!

I read this article today and it saddens me. 

http://www.salon.com/2013/10/02/my_embarrassing_picture_went_viral/

Fat Shaming must stop!  Just remember all you skinny people, we're bigger and heavier than you. Don't make us all come over and sit on you!

End of Day 4

I made some new friends on Facebook/Twitter today.  Kenny O'Neal was on The Biggest Loser last night and friended me on Facebook today.  I chatted with a guy from the U.K that started his journey the same day I did. We both have about the same amount of weight to lose (although he calls them stones, I call them pounds).   I feel like I'm in this club of people who all have the same goals, and challenges.  Together, we can do this.  We can help and motivate each other.

I tweaked the blog format today.  I'm not really crazy about Blogspot and its lack of tools to make the blog look like I'd like.  Any ideas how to migrate to another blog site?

I met my goals (20/20).   I was a little low on protein. I will fix that tomorrow. I had a huge sugar craving today. A craving that I didn't cave into!!  Yay!  for me.   Here's what I ate today.

8/20/2014	Fat	Fiber	Calories	Protein
Fiber One Brownie	5	5	90	1
1 cup Brown Rice	1.8	3.5	216	5
1 cup Black Beans	1	15	227	15
Premier Protein Drink	3	2	160	30
Chicken, Almonds & Veggies	4.5	2	270	13
Low Fat Popcorn	1.5	4	13	3
Total	16.8	31.5	976	67

Sugar is Evil

This article describes me perfectly.  When I gave in to have 'just a little something' with sugar, that 'little something' always lead to 'a BIG something'.  A perfect example is I bought a bag of fun sized candy bars. I told myself I'd just have one a day to get my sugar fix. Well, after my one, I told myself "one more won't hurt". Before I knew it, the entire bag was gone. I can't just have one!   Take a look at this article and give me your thoughts.   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/20/why-you-crave-sugar-rebecca-scritchfield_n_5694675.html?&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067

Day 4

Ut OH!

So my daughter (19) called me and let me know that she accidentally dropped her phone in the toilet.  So we tried the "Submerge the phone in rice" thing and the hair dryer thing and the "let it sit" thing.  All to no avail.  Luckily we have the service plan from Verizon so we can get a new phone for only $169.. (Insert Sarcasm Smiley Here). I guess it's better than spending $600 for a new phone though.  I believe stress causes weight gain.  So, I'm just going to 'Let it go....."  and laugh at the fact that she dropped it in the toilet.  I didn't ask her how she got it out, or if it was #1 or #2..

End of Day 3

Well this is the end of the 3rd day and it was a tough day. I knew it would. Day 3 has always been the hardest for me.  So what do I mean 'tough'?  Well, I have no energy and I'm very hungry. It was expected.  The best part is, is that it's over and things should get better with both the energy and the hunger.  Follow my blog and we'll all find out together.

Here's what I ate today. Even with the increased hunger, I didn't cheat and I did make my food goals. My protein was under 100, but I may eat a non-fat greek yogurt before bed to bring that up my protein (and calorie) count.

8/19/2014	Fat	Fiber	Calories	Protein
Wheat English Muffin	1	3	120	5
Egg Beaters	0	0	30	6
Salsa	0	0	5	0
Fat Free Cheese	0	0	30	4
Mini Sweet Bell Pepper	0	0.33	8	0.33
Premier Protein Drink	3	2	160	30
1 cup Brown Rice	1.8	3.5	216	5
1 cup Black Beans	1	15	227	15
Banana	0.4	3.1	105	1.3
Peach	0.4	2.2	59	1.4
3" Subway Oven Roasted	2.5	2.5	160	11.5
Chicken Breat
Total	10.1	31.63	1120	79.53

Day 3 - Breakfast

Breakfast Sandwich!

Ok, ok, ok, I'm not going to be one of those who snaps a picture of their food and posts it online all the time.  However, when I make something really good and healthy, I want to share, So here's my first food picture.

This is what I had for breakfast:  Whole Wheat English Muffin, 1 serving of Egg Beaters, 1 slice of Fat Free Cheese, I Tablespoon of Salsa. 1 mini sweet yellow bell pepper.   It was yummy and oh so good for me!

8/19/2014	Fat	Fiber	Calories	Protein
Wheat English Muffin	1	3	120	5
Egg Beaters	0	0	30	6
Salsa	0	0	5	0
Fat Free Cheese	0	0	30	4
Mini Sweet Bell Pepper	0	0.33	8	0.33
Total	1	3.33	193	15.33

End of Day 2

Another successful day comes to an end.  I was feeling hungry late afternoon, but kept to my plan.  I decided to go for a walk to occupy my mind.  It was a nice leisurely mile walk.  When I got back, the hunger was gone and I had worked up a little sweat. :-)  I'm a little tired and heading to bed.  Tomorrow's another step. 

Here's what I ate today:  I made all my food goals today (< 20g fat, > 20g fiber, 100g protein - I rounded up)

8/18/2014	Fat	Fiber	Calories	Protein
Wheat Toast	0.5	3	100	4
Premier Protein Drink	3	2	160	30
Walnuts*	0	2	190	4
Almonds*	0	3	160	6
Sugar Free Strawberry Jam	0	3	10	0
Fiber 1 Brownie	5	5	90	1
Premier Protein Drink	3	2	160	30
3" Subway Oven Chiken Breast,	2.5	2.5	160	11.5
Yogurt	0	0	140	11
Total	14	22.5	1170	97.5
*Fat in Nuts are not Counted.

DAY 2

Yay! Day 1 is over!  I'm on my way!  It was a totally uneventful day.  Everyone says the first 3 days of any diet are the worst.  It's those days that your body is getting use to the lack of __________ (fill in the blank) from caffeine, sugar, carbs, to fat.   So far, I have no cravings and feel quite satisfied.  I did my 1st trip to Subway.  I plan on visiting @Subway a lot during my diet for a couple reasons.  Their low fat menu options fit in quite well with my diet plan and goal and it's quick and easy.  

I LOVE to cook, but since I'm living alone, cooking a lot just for me doesn't seem worth the effort.  The closest @Subway to my home is 2.4 miles.  That's almost 5 miles round trip.  For now, I'm driving, but as the pounds come off, I plan on walking or riding a bike to that Subway.  What a great way to get some exercise and a healthy meal!

Here's what I ate yesterday....

8/17/2014	Fat	Fiber	Calories	Protein
Peach	0.4	2.2	59	1.4
Yogurt	0	0	120	12
Walnuts*	0	2	190	4
Almonds*	0	3	160	6
Subway Oven Roasted Chicken	5	5	320	23
1 cup Brown Rice	1.8	3.5	216	5
1 cup Black Beans	1	15	227	15
Total	8.2	30.7	1292	66.4
*Fat in Nuts are not Counted.

I met my goals of less that 20g of fat, more than 20g of fiber.  However, my protein is lower than I wanted. I'm trying to shoot for more than 100 grams of protein per day.  

Today, I plan on a trip to Costco. I'll get a lot of walking in while I look for low-fat, high protein foods, bars, snack.  Any suggestions?

It's only day 2, but "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." ~Lao Tzu.

My journey to a leaner, skinnier, healthier body has begun.  Join me on my journey.

Today's the Day
OK, here we go!!  The first day of my diet is here. I am determined. I am resolved. I will succeed.  I will weigh-in once a week (Sundays) and post a chart on this blog with my progress.  Encouragement and "way to go's" are highly encouraged..   The diet I'm starting is called 20/20.  It seems easy enough. 

Here are the 2 rules:  

1. Eat LESS than 20 grams of fat per day. 
2. Eat MORE than 20 grams of fiber per day.

That's it!  Everything is permitted in unlimited amounts if I just follow those 2 rules. I don't have to count calories, or carbs or sugars or anything!   We'll see how it goes.  

In addition to those eating rules, I'm taking Phentermine (37.5mg), a multi-vitamin and Chromium Picolinate daily. The Phentermine is by prescription and I'm doing this whole plan under that doctor's care.

I'm usually not a pill guy and during my career as an Air Traffic Controller, these pills (and many others) were strictly forbidden. When I was a teen, I took these pills and they helped significantly to help me lose weight. So, having taken them before, I'm not at all apprehensive about taking them again. Is it 'cheating'? WHO CARES!! I need to lose weight and will take any help I can get.

Here's my first week's charts. They're not much to look at now, but you just weight!!! (yeah, pun intended!)

				Total	Lbs. to	Avg.
Week	Date	Weight	Loss	Loss	Go	Per Week
0	8/17/14	321.5	0	0	141.5

Now, let's go lose some weight!
Please share this blog with others that may need encouragement to help them lose some weight!!!

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN

I went to see Olivia Newton-John @olivianj in Las Vegas on August 5, 2014.  I was fortunate enough to meet this wonderful lady and had my picture taken with her.  That picture was a wake up call for me.. I was so looking forward to have my picture taken with Olivia. I was going to be so proud of that picture and plaster it everywhere on social media.  I was going to brag that I had met Olivia.  But after I looked at the picture, my heart sank. Olivia was beautiful. I, on the other hand, was this huge, obese person with the shell shocked look on my face. I was MORBIDLY OBESE AGAIN.  I'm actually embarrassed of this picture.  During her concert, Olivia spoke of her health and wellness center in Australia. I was this fat guy, meeting this healthy living legend and getting my picture taken showing all my unhealthiness.   This picture was my wake up call for me.  Olivia was nice, polite and cordial, but I can't help thinking that she was thinking "Oh my God, this guy is so fat and so unhealthy."   So here's the picture. It was my wake up call. Hopefully, when I get down to my goal weight, Olivia would be gracious enough to take another picture with me.  A picture that I can be truly proud of.. 

August 5, 2014

How many of these can you identify with?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/samstryker/my-stomach-is-a-bottomless-pit?bffb

I'm back!!  It has been 7 years since I quit posting my blog and quit my diet..  Unfortunately, I gained all my weight back, plus more..  Everyone that has a weight problem knows the pitfalls of quitting your diet and gaining the weight back.  We'll that happened to me.  I weigh more now than I did before I started the You: On a Diet (YOAD) over seven years ago.  I will do an official weigh-in tomorrow, the start of a new stage of healthy living. I feel a need to blog and share to help me talk about ups and downs of dieting.  Last time, it was therapeutic for me.  I will try my darnedest not to blog completely about the diet, but also blog about what's going on in my life.  A lot has changed in 7 years and I have a lot to share.  I will do a weigh in one a week so everyone can join me on this journey I'm about to embark on.  Hopefully, I will post and share something everyday. Feel free to comment and share. 

~Rich~