01/23/2010 19:43
Valediction
Valediction is defined as "the act of bidding farewell or taking leave".
It is in this spirit that I write today, as I begin the process of bidding farewell to the things that have impeded my progress (both in weight loss, and life in general).
Today marked the third consecutive (fourth overall) day this week that I got up and went to the gym, first thing in the morning. I like starting my day off this way. My goal for next week is to get in five or six mornings out of the week.
Over the course of this journey, I hope to say goodbye to many things like: poor heating habits; weight-related health issues; premature fatigue; laziness; guardedness; and lack of discipline to name a few.
I'm not perfect now, nor do I plan to be in the near future. However, it is my sincere hope that at the close each day going forward I will be a little closer to my ultimate, albeit cliche and Wicked, goal as a person; changed for the better, changed for good.
10/24/2009 06:13
We Fall Down
We fall down. I know this from very personal experience. I can't specifically say why, but at some point back in 2007, I missed a day. That day turned into a week, which turned in to a month, which turned into...you get the point.
I see now that I was making good progress back then, so I really wonder why I stopped. At any rate, I'm here now. Standing in much the smae place I was then. Overweight and unhappy about it.
What made today different from the 939 days that have passes since my last login is a conversation with a friend of mine who also struggles with his weight. Today, my friend shared with me that he had gotten all the way up to 318 lbs. As it turns out, that matches my heaviest weight to the pound.
Today, my friend (whom I have not seen since January I believe) told me that he weighs 263 lbs. I was amazed. He said that for the past 10 weeks, he has worked out 6 days a week, and only missed 3 workouts in that time.
He fell down, but he got up. We fall down, but we get up. I've fallen, but now I know it's time to get up. I plan to document my journey here. Wish me luck. More posts to come soon.
03/30/2007 00:51
It's been a few days....
I'm back...I now realize that putting in extra hours during what would normally be the end of my day is no good for me. This week hasnt been a total disaster food wise, but I definitely had a major and moderate meltdowns in the food department.
On Tuesday night, what should have been a non-meal turned into a multi-slice pizza binge. On Monday night, my poison of choice were these really tasty little things called chicken bits. They are basically chopped up chunks of chicken covered in flour and seasoning then deep fried to perfection. I even had fries with them. I dont feel as bad about Monday though becasue I had only eaten one mean for the day up to that point.
Being out so late those night is alo why I wasnt blogging. By the time I got home and in bed by 3am, all I wanted to do was sleep so that I could get up for work in the morning.
Oh well, we fall down, but we get up. Hi-ho Silver, away!
03/26/2007 06:01
Will Power
Friday
Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ a Banana
Lunch: Salad from Pockets
Snack: A couple of tortilla chips with some cheese
Dinner: none
Sunday
Breakfast : Oatmeal and a banana
Lunch: Turkey Sandwich on Wheat, Diet Lemonade, Doritos
Dinner: Baked Talipia w/ steamed brocoli and carrots, potatoe soup
Drinks: Patron Gimlet, Amaretto Sour, Corona
So tonight I went out to a club with some friends. We had a few drinks (as you can see) and stayed until the club closed. Afterwards we went to the White Palace Grill (a Chicago Landmark Restaurant).
Normally, I would love to make a food stop like this at 3am and enjot a nic big breakfast. However, today my will power took over. Despite the temptation, I only had water the entire time we were at the restaurant. I WILL reach my goal! In the meantime, thanks for the continued love and support.
03/23/2007 02:41
Confessions...
Breakfast: Oatmeal & a Banana
Lunch. Swiss Burger w/ Fries
Dinner: 4oz Steak, Red Beans & rice
10 cups of water
So, I have a little confession. When I started this blog, one of the reasons I cited was for the purpose of accountability. As I said before, I am the type of person who really loves to help everyone else out with their problems, but I don't really like letting people in on my own. I can go into all the reasons why this is the case, but I don't feel as though that's important.
Anyway, after almost 3 weeks, I have yet to let anyone in my life know about whats been going on. That is, no one knows that I am actively working to reduce my caloric intake, begin an exercise routine, lower my blood pressure, or just improve my health in general. That is also to say that none of my friends in my non-internet life know anything about this blog which, in fact, defeats one of its primary intended purposes...letting them help me through this process.
I took the first step toward this end earlier tonight by confiding in one of my good friends about the existence of this blog and what I've been doing for the past three weeks. All that's left to do now is send him the actual link to the page, and repeat the process with other close friends. Here goes nothing...
03/22/2007 02:38
Short and Sweet
Breakfast: Oatmeal & Banana
Lunch: Reb Beans & Rice, 1oz steak
Dinner: Chicken Fingers/Catfish nuggets, Fries
14 cups of water
03/20/2007 23:47
Cravings...
Today was another pretty standard day food wise. Oatmeal for breakfast, Chicken Pad Thai w/ Crab Rangoon for lunch and two small baked chicken wings and a slice of wheat bread for dinner. I also had some movie theatre popcorn with no extra butter or salt. Between lunch and dinner.
On to today's topic, the cravings. Most of the time I'm fine. I dont think about my favorites like fried chicken or pizza for example. However, when I'm around those foods, the cravings for them are almost unberable. Just smelling them makes me instantly crave them.
Today my mom had me go to a take out spot my family frequent to pick up something for her and my brother to eat. When I walked in, the smell hit me right away. The chicken and fries smelled sooo deliciouis. Fortunately, I had just finished eating the Pad Thai not an hour earlier, so not only was I not hungry, I could still feel the food in my stomach. Not too long ago, that would not have really mattered. I made it through though, and that made me happy. Four days to go until my next free day....
03/19/2007 04:25
Another one bites the dust...
Hello all!
It's been a few days. Friday was a pretty standard day. I had oatmeal for breakfast. 1/2 Beef Egg Fu Young for lunch, and Salmon with plantains and red beans/rice for dinner.
Saturday was my free day and so I treated myself (as I did last week) to end a second week of more diciplined eating. Sunday was a good day as well. I had Oatmeal for breakfast & 3 baked chicken wings with crowder peas for lunch. Dinner was an unusual one, but I feel good about it all the same.
Some friends and I decided to venture to the south east side of Chicago to eat at this place known as Soul Vegetarian. None of us are vegetarians, but we had all heard great things about this vegan restaurant and wanted to check it out. The food, as you can imagine, was basically vegetarian soul food, and it was great! Dinner consisted of a salad w/ garlic dressing on the side, sweet potatoes, wasabi brussle sprouts, greens, and some thing that was covered in gravy. Im not quite sure what it was but it tasted great. It even came with a whole wheat dinner roll. I had a tropical smoothie to drink, and a small piece of vegan lemon crumb cake to cap the meal off. With eats like that, who needs meat?
Until next time...
03/16/2007 01:12
Short and sweet
I'm very tired tonight and therefor this entry will be short and to the point. I had oatmeal for breakfast at around 9am. I had an au bon pain steak sandwich with chips for lunch around 3:30pm, and I had two chicken fingers for dinner around 10pm. I also started my second bottle of the sample blood pressure medication my doctor gave me a week ago. Hopefully it's working. We shall see. Until then...
03/15/2007 01:53
Celebrity
Greetings!
Another day, another dollar! I actually started the day off too busy to make my oatmeal, so I did not eat my first meal until 3:00pm/ It was a slice of pizza and some fries with a 20oz diet lemonade.
Fast forward eight hours, and I'm out at this place called Celebrity where I would end up having my next meal. (Not before I had my favorite drink, the Patron Gimlet) Their menu consisted of typical bar food like wings, and quesedillas among other things.
I opted for the grilled cheese sandwich w/ tomato soup. When it came out, the sandwich had been cut into 4 triangles arranged at each corner of the square plate with a 4oz bowl of tomato soup in the middle for dipping. I tasted pretty good.
When I got home around 12:15am, I found my mom had made spahgetti. I sampled some of that, ate a bannana, and called it a night.
Tomorrow, oatmeal for breakfast, salad for lunch! Until then....
