The work week has started.....

So this weekend was a little rough.  I didn't overeat things that were too unhealthy, but I also could have made some better decisions on portion control.  I did pretty well for breakfast on Sat/Sun.  On Saturday afternoon, I grilled burgers.  I immediately dressed two buns and started eating......certainly not the right choice.  I could have eaten one and then waited an hour or so for the second -- that would have been the better decision.

Today was Monday, and I did much better.  I had an apple and yogurt for breakfast, chicken breast and broccoli for lunch, protein hot chocolate and cheese stick for afternoon snack, some clementines during the day -- all in all a pretty good day.  For dinner, we had leftover grilled chicken and turkey brats and salad.  Probably could have eaten more salad and less meat......I'm still working on the portions.

Even though I ate pretty well today at work, I was still tempted to get a burger on the way home.  This is something I'm going to just have to manage and not give in to my cravings.

I also didn't work out today b/c it was raining at lunch.  I hope to run tomorrow at lunch, weather permitting.  Forecast is for partly cloudy skies, so should be ok.

Still haven't done the P90X -- I swear I'm scared of it.  Still need to watch the video once through before I start.....can't seem to find (or make) the time.

Dieting at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

I decided to take the day off today to spend some quality time with the fam.  The weather was perfect, so we decided to go to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It's basically a livestock show with a giant carnival next to it.  Do you know what they serve at Carnivals????  Just about everything is fried or on a stick -- neither of which are good for the diet.  Luckily, it was a Friday in Lent so that ruled out most of the cuisine.  That didn't keep me from staring/drueling at all the food people where eating.  Lots of BBQ, Giant Burritos, Giant Sausage on a stick.  I'm pretty sure I scared a couple kids looking at their burritos.  We ended up getting a bowl of crawfish etoufee and a fried shrimp plate to share between Marilyn, Tyler, and I.  While fried shrimp probably isn't the best choice, at least I only got one plate and we split it -- the old me would have gotten two.

So while we're eating, I look at the booth right next to us and what do I see?  I giant Funnel Cake on the sign.  OMG -- can you say flashback???  I don't remember where I had my first funnel cake, but I remember it was at some fair back in the day when I was probably 5 or 6.  I'll have to admit....I broke down and got it.  Guess that means I need to burn some extra calories to make up for it.

For dinner, we did good and split a foot long tuna sub from subway.  

I haven't been doing too well on the working out part of my sacrifice (i.e. I havn't done anything).  I'm gonna run this weekend some, and next week for sure.  I'm scared to start the P90X work-out.  I think I'll watch the first video before I attempt it -- just to make sure I can do it.  Once you start, it's 90 straight days of working out -- intense!!

I went to the hardware store today to get some lawn fertilizer.  Afterwards, I drove through the Culver's parking lot to see what the flavor of the day was -- it was Mint Brownie, but that's not the point.  Once I realized what I was doing, I thought "Why am I even here in this parking lot?  Am I really going to buy this stuff?".  I knew the answer was no....just thought it was interesting that I put myself in the situation.  It was almost second nature until I snapped out of it -- perhaps some deep seeded psychological perversion that draws me to all food bad for me.  Good thing I was able to drive away.

Day 1 - Ash Wednesday

Ok, so today was Ash Wednesday.  It's pretty easy to avoid fast food and keep your calorie count <2000/day when you're fasting.  That doesn't mean I was without temptation -- one of my co-workers asked if I wanted to go to Taco Bell for lunch.

All in all, I did pretty good.  Ate a protein bar and hot chocolate for lite snacks during the day and fish and salad for dinner.  I'm still hungry right now, and seriously eyeing Tyler's left-over pizza that he didn't eat, but I will continue to stay the course.  I'll probably go to bed early -- the longer I stay up, the more tempted I am to snack and nibble.

Day one -- success

Fat Tuesday......literally

Today is Fat Tuesday, and I feel....well....fat.  Tomorrow starts the Lenten season, and this year I'm determined to lose weight and change myself and my bad behaviors.  I plan to make the following sacrifices for Lent this year:

• No fast food.....period
• No out to eat lunches (unless business related, at which I'll make sensible choices).
• Try and keep calorie count to 1500-2000 calories a day
• Run during lunch 3x/week -- 3 miles per run
• Start the P90X work-out routine at night.
• Document my experience via this blog, including the foods I eat, emotions I feel during the day, and the temptations that continue to challenge me day in and day out.

Weight management has been a huge challenge for me in my life.  I've gained weight, and I've lost weight (only to find it again.....).  I've been pretty good about working out at times, and then I make excuses and fall off the bandwagon and it takes a long time to get back on the horse.  I always end up back in the same place, mainly because I've been unable to transform my behaviors and change my way of life.

Its not like I don't know what's causing me to gain weight -- I'm pretty sure it's the pizza, burgers, sweets, and beer.  The question I need to answer is this, "knowing that those foods are not the appropriate choice, why do I continue to crave and consume them?".  It's almost as if I can tell I'm doing the wrong thing, but don't have the will power or self control to stop.  Then, of course, afterwards I feel like crap and wonder why I just ate all those things.  For some reason, I either feel the need to punish myself by eating so poorly, or I'm gullible enough to convince myself that it's not that bad to eat one more piece of pizza or one more piece of cake.

My hope is that by being honest to myself, and those who happen to read this, it'll force me to acknowledge what's causing my failure.  It may sound corny, but I think there's something to be said about having to be honest and admit your shortcomings and failures.  It's very similar to confession/penance at church.  The power of admitting your sins to someone else and asking for forgiveness is very powerful.  By recognizing those barriers, hopefully I can start to break them down and change myself for the better.

The reasons I want to change are pretty straight forward.  If I don't make some changes now, I may end up on the Biggest Loser one day.  ok, maybe thats a stretch....and maybe its not.  I definitely don't want to be as fat as I am now from a general comfort standpoint as well as a the health risks.  Plus my clothes are getting tight, and I don't want to have to invest in a new wardrobe at this point.

I also have a beautiful wife and two young boys to think about.  If I can't take care of myself, how can I take care of them.  I'd like to be healthy and fit so I can enjoy my time with my family and not worry about the limitations that come with being overweight.  Additionally, I want to make sure I teach them how to make good choices when it comes to food and hopefully build good behaviors in them at an early age so they don't struggle with the same thing I'm struggling with.

I hope that this blog will allow me accomplish my goals and identify the barriers I need to eliminate.

Ultimately, my goal is to maintain my weight at ~215-225 lbs, which is a good weight for me -- not too skinny, but also fit enough to run regularly, play basketball, look normal in a swim suit or in business attire.  I also want to run a whole marathon by 2015 (the year I turn 35).  I've done two half marathons, and I know that with proper training and at a reduced weight I could finish a marathon with a respectable time.