Weekend Weaknesses

The weekends can be the hardest time to eat healthy.  Most people lead a less structured life on the weekend.  We ditch our usual early morning alarm and sleep in.  We stay out later with friends.  We may not make plans and instead spend the day around the house with easy access to the fridge.  Or we may be going to a party or other function where food will be readily available.

It's easy to eat healthier at work.  You can plan your snacks and lunches ahead of time and pack only the best.  You can leave your money at home and shun the vending machine.  You don't have a fridge or pantry full of food calling your name.  That's not the case on the weekends.

This is one of the instances where will power really is involved.  You have to watch yourself and resist the temptation to indulge.  If you have others around you who can support you and help stop and reconsider a bad decision before you make it then that's good too, but ultimately you're the one who has to take responsibility.

I've found that there are a few things you can do to help fight these weakness on the weekends.  The first one is easy.  Don't keep the food that temps you the most in the house.  In my house there are none of those large bags of potato chips.  I had to do that when I first started changing my diet.  I've also nixed containers of ice cream because I just can't trust myself with them.

I do however have individual bags of baked potato chips.  I also have individual ice cream novelties and individually wrapped chocolates.  I can still have all the things I love, but I found that if I have them pre-portioned I don't run the risk of making the same mistakes I used to make.

The next thing I do is to make sure to have breakfast every morning.  Even if I wake up at 10 am I still have a bowl of cereal, some egg whites and toast, or at the very least a piece of fruit (my house has bananas and granny smith apples on hand).  Often that means I'm going to be having a later than usual lunch (like I did today).  You don't want to skip a meal.  I've found I feel hungrier if I do.  It also causes you to play a head game.  You think, "I'm OK I didn't have breakfast," and then eat way more than you should for lunch, dinner, and/or snacks.

The last lesson I've learned is to keep fruit and vegetables on hand and in a more convenient location than less healthier snacks.  This way if I do feel peckish I can reach for these healthy choices.

Sometimes I'll even have a handful of nuts, but be careful!  It's easy to get into mindless snacking with nuts.  A few nuts are good, but too many and you've consumed an awful lot of calories and fat.  I always have to measure my portion because I just don't trust myself otherwise.  A quarter cup of nuts is often a good amount for a quick snack (for you Weight Watchers types that's usually around 5 POINTS Plus).  Since the calories in nuts are usually contained in the fat it takes longer to process them.  That may help curb your snacking later in the day.

So there you have it.  I hope my experience and the lessons I've learned can help you remain strong on the weekends.

Tomorrow I'm going to talk a little bit about exercise and working out.

On the menu today:  (nutritional information) [POINTS Plus]

Breakfast:
1 1/2 Cup Honey Nut Cheerios (3 fat / 44 carb / 4 fiber / 6 prot) [6]
1/2 Cup Silk Pure Almond Vanilla Almondmilk [1]

Lunch:

Genghis Grill Bowl - Steak and Shrimp bowl (based on the Bowl of Seoul recipe)
Marinated Steak, Shrimp, Cayenne Pepper, Dragon Salt, Mushrooms, Mongo Mix (Red and Green Peppers and Onions), Green Onions, Spinach, Tomatoes, 3G Sauce, Udon Noodles (618.2 cal / 13.5 fat / 60 carb / 2.6 fiber / 52.3 prot) [15]

Dinner:
2 Cups Progresso Light Savory Vegetable Barley soup (120 cal / 0 fat / 28 carb / 8 fiber / 4 prot) [3]
2 Slices Sara Lee Delightful Multi-Grain Bread [2]
2 Sliced Fat Free Swiss Style Cheese [1]

Snacks:
Baked Apple with Walnuts and Yogurt (includes a little brown sugar and spices) [5]
3/8 Cup Far Free Ranch Dressing (added some Cayenne pepper to spice it up) [2]
1 Cup Broccoli [0]
2 Cups Silk Pure Almond Dark Chocolate Almondmilk (if you're noticing a pattern it's because I always have a large glass of this before I go to bed.  It's how I unwind and I plan it in every day.) [7] 

Exercise:

Saturday's are my off days for exercise.  You have to give yourselves breaks and cheats every no and again.  Often though I get some hidden exercise by going shopping and walking around the store, joining in a game that involves physical activity, or going to an exhibit and walking around.

#gghealthkwest

In Loving Memory of William E. Martin

As I mentioned in my Tuesday post today I plan to talk about why I am committed to weight loss and why I chose to do this contest.  It really isn't because of the money (although I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't take it).  That would just be a nice bonus.  My reason is very simple.  I don't want to have to see other families go through what my family has gone through the last year.

On February 24th, 2010--the day before I found out I lost 5% of my starting weight--my father, William E. Martin passed away.  It was so sudden and shocking to all of us.  I had talked to him just hours before it happened and there was no indication that anything ominous was about to occur.

His official cause of death was myocardial infarction cause by coronary artery disease with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus as a contributing factor. Basically he had a heart attack and his diabetes helped contribute to it.

The diabetes had made a large impact in his life before his death.  It had escalated to the point where he had to take daily injections of insulin.  He had had several bouts of congestive heart failure.  He'd also lost his right leg to a flesh eating disease that was probably exacerbated, if not caused, by his diabetes.

The truly sad thing about all of it is his type 2 diabetes was preventable.  He didn't have to suffer the quality of life issues he experienced.  He didn't have to loose his leg.  He didn't have to die at 54 years and 13 days.

A couple days after the funeral I realized something.  I had an expiration date.  My dad's death established what my lifespan could be.  I might only have 23 years left.  That was unsettling to say the least.

My doctor had already told me I was on the cusp of having diabetes.  I had been prescribed Metformin.  I was headed down the same path as my father at a much younger age.  That could mean that 54 might be an optimistic estimate.  I just couldn't let that happen.

I made a second vow to myself.  I promised myself that I would loose the weight and loose it for good.  There was no way the weight loss journey I set myself on was going to fizzle out.  I could no longer afford to put it off to next year.

I also promised myself that I'd start to be more vocal about my desire to loose weight.  I started posting to my Facebook profile updates of my weight loss.  I posted both successes and the few failures I experienced along the way.  I never allowed the failures to phase me either.  If I gained one week I knew that I could loose it again.  After all I was there once I could be there again.

A weired thing happened too.  Nothing seemed impossible anymore.  It was like something clicked in my brain and all the things that for years I told myself were too hard to accomplish suddenly looked so easy.  I have to think that in some way that's dad helping me through it.

So that's the reason I want to loose weight... so that I don't have to experience the same things my dad experienced.  I know that he wouldn't want that for me.  It's also the reason I decided to join this contest.  My family had to find out the hard way what could happen.  No other families should have to experience this. When I heard about this contest I knew I had to do it.  If there was a chance that my experiences so far could help inspire even a single person to make a change then it will be worth it.  It's the legacy my dad will leave behind.

Today, Friday 11, 2011, would have been dad's 55th birthday.  My brother, mother and I spent the day doing what my brother and I probably would have done with him today.  Taking the day off and hitting the casino.  That's why this posting is being done so late.  It was our way of celebrating him doing something we knew he would have loved to have done.

Tomorrow I plan to impart a little wisdom that I've gained over the past year of weight loss.  It's much easier to do the right thing during the week.  When it comes to weekends it's very easy to slip up.  So the topic is going to be battling those Weekend Weaknesses.

On the menu today:  (nutritional information) [POINTS Plus]

Breakfast:
1/2 Cup Egg Whites (equals about 4) [1]
1 oz Kraft 2% reduced fat sharp cheddar shredded cheese [2]
Dill, Pepper [0]
2 slices Sara Lee Delightful 100% multi-grain bread [2]
2 tbsp Polaner Sugar Free Concord grape jelly [1]
10 sprays Parkay Butter Spray [0]

Lunch:
Genghis Grill Bowl - Buddhist Bowl (slightly modified)
Tofu (yes Tofu... don't make that face), Yellow Curry Salt, 3G Mix (green beans, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots), More Green Beans, Baby Corn, Squash and Zucchini, Honey Soy Sauce and Brown Rice (363.4 cal / 5.1 fat / 60.8 carb / 10.7 fiber / 17.6 prot) [9]
Vitamuffin VitaTops Banana Fudge muffin top [3]

Dinner:
Turkey Wrap - Tortilla, Deli-sliced Turkey, Swiss, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Mustard, Relish [8]
Fruit Cup - Strawberries, Pineapple, Cantaloupe, Honey Dew, Grapes [0]

Snacks:
1 snack package Blue Diamond Almonds Habanero BBQ Almonds [5]
1 Special K Bar Blueberry [2]
12 baby carrots [0]
12 radishes [0]
3/8 cup fat free ranch dressing [2]
2 cups Silk Pure Almond Dark Chocolate Almondmilk [7]

Exercise: (about an hour total)

22.5 minutes run/walk on the treadmill for 1.27 miles (varied speed throughout)
5 minutes run/walk on track for 0.3 miles
50 leg presses at 100 lbs.
50 leg presses at 125 lbs.
50 leg curls at 50 lbs.
50 leg curls at 90 lbs.

#gghealthkwest

Meeting of Minds

First off today was my Weight Watchers meeting day.  My weigh in was 254.6 which is down 3.6 lbs. over last week's weigh in!

So I've mentioned Weight Watchers in all of my posts so far.  Part of it is because I want to give credit where credit is due.  When I started down the weight loss path I was lost.  Weight Watchers helped me figure out what was good, what was bad, and just how much of the bad I could have and still be good.

One of the cool things about this is I get to go through a lot of the Genghis Grill bowls and figure out the POINTS plus value for them which is so cool.  By the time I'm done I'm going to have a whole lot of created items in my Weight Watcher's online menu.

For me the most important part of Weight Watchers has really been the meetings.  You have a leader there to cheer you on when you succeed, build you up when you are down, and answer your questions when you are lost.  The beauty of it is the leader has been there too.  They may not have lost as much as you are needing to, but they know about and understand those dirty little secrets you have (like eating an entire bag of potato chips or that huge bowl of ice cream).

The next important component any my real focus of this entry are the meeting members.  I'm lucky enough to be part of an at work meeting.  The people at my meeting work where I do.  I bump into a lot of them several times a week if not daily.  They're there when someone brings in brownies and can stop your from indulging (or tell you to go ahead). :)  You can meet up with them and go on walks during lunches or breaks (I should probably give a shout out to Lacie at this point because without someone walking with me in the afternoons I'm not sure I would have stuck to it as much as I have).

Everyone in my meeting group has commented on my accomplishment and given me a lot of support, but I have to say that I'm so proud of what they've done too.  I am always amazed at how much they have accomplished.  Every one of them looks healthier and happier, and that just makes me happy too.  I'm truly proud to be part of my meeting group.  All of them a nice, caring, genuinely excited for you when you have a success, and there for you when you have a failure.  I'm honored to be a part of that.

Having that kind of support is an important thing.  Even if you don't join Weight Watchers and go to meetings you need people who can support you and cheer you on.  There will be dark times when you need that shoulder to cry on.  There will be happy times that you want to share.

I have a larger support network then I ever thought I would.  A couple months after I started loosing weight I started posting some of my successes (and a few failures) to my Facebook page.  I was surprised to have old high school classmates cheer me on.  People who I hadn't seen in a long time were there to help me.  Old friends of my mother and father have been there too.  Some of them told me that my speaking up has inspired them to make changes in their own life, and that brings me more joy then I can put into words.

So let me take this moment to say thank you.
Thank you to the Weight Watchers meeting leaders who have been so happy to see me succeed.
Thank you to my fellow meeting members for always being there in and out of the meeting.
Thank you to my lead, manager, and coworkers who have stopped by and told me how much better I'm looking and how proud they are of my accomplishments.
Thank you to my friends who have stood by me throughout.
Thank you to my family who have always been so supportive.
Thank you to all those who have said how my success has been an inspiration to them.
Thank you to my mother who always says "way to go" when I loose and "that's ok, you've come so far already" when I don't.
Thank you to my brother who is always telling people behind my back how proud he is of what I've done.
And thank you to my father... I know he would be proud of what I've accomplished.

Tomorrow I'm going to talk more about him because he is a big part of why I'm so committed to loosing for good.  Tomorrow would have been his 55th birthday.  I wish he could be here to celebrate it with us.

On the menu today:  (nutritional information) [POINTS Plus]

Breakfast:

1 1/2 Cup Honey Nut Cheerios (3 fat / 44 carb / 4 fiber / 6 prot) [6]

Lunch:

4 slices Sara Lee Delightful 45 cal 100% multi-grain bread [5]

2 tbsp Peanut Butter & Co All Natural Dark Chocolate Dream [5]

2 tbsp Peanut Butter & Co All Natural White Chocolate Wonderful [5]

20 baby carrots [0]

1 Mott's No Sugar Added Healthy Harvest Country Berry applesauce [1]

1 Jell-O Dark Chocolate Mousse [2]

Dinner:

Genghis Grill Bowl - Sweet and Sour Pork Bowl (slightly modified)
Pork, Pepper, Dragon Salt, 3G Mix (green beans, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots), Pinapples, Green Onions, Sweet and Sour Sauce, Brown Rice (432.5 cal / 8 fat / 59.5 carb / 7.9 fiber / 29.5 prot)

Snacks:

12 Emerald Nuts Cocoa Roasted Dark Chocolate Almonds [2]
2 Cups Silk Pure Almond Dark Chocolate Almondmilk [7]
1 large banana [0]

Exercise:

1.25 miles walking during breaks.

#gghealthkwest

Frame of Reference: Then and Now

Today as promised is my before and after shots.  I continue to be amazed at the change.  I actually weigh less now then I did when I graduated high school!  I'm almost 15 lbs. lighter than my driver's license which I haven't changed since I was 16.

Taken in 2009 when I weighed 412 lbs.  That's my brother sitting next to me.

Now compare that to January 2011 when I weighted about 260.  Obviously I have more to loose, but look at the transformation so far.

I'm so happy with what I've accomplished so far and I hope to continue this accomplishment as I take this Health Kwest Journey.

Tomorrow is my weekly Weight Watchers at Work meeting.  My weigh in last week was 258.2.  I plan to report how my weigh in turns out... good or bad.  With the Super Bowl last weekend it's going to be interesting.  I also plan to talk about the importance of having support when you are trying to loose weight.

On the menu today:  (nutritional information) [POINTS Plus]

Breakfast:

1 1/2 Cup Honey Nut Cheerios (3 fat / 44 carb / 4 fiber / 6 prot) [6]
1 large banana [0]

Lunch:

4 slices Sara Lee Delightful 45 cal 100% multi-grain bread [5]
12 slices of thin deli sliced ham [4]
2 singles of Fat Free Swiss style cheese [1]
2 slices onion [0]
2 tbsp honey mustard [1]
1 Jell-O Dark Chocolate Mousse [2]
1 Mott's No Sugar Added Healthy Harvest Granny Smith applesauce [1]
20 baby carrots [0]

Dinner:

Genghis Grill Bowl - Khan Pao Bowl (Heart Healthy)
Pork, Citrus Garlic Herb, Baby Corn, Bean Sprouts, Broccoli, Snap Peas, Khan Pao Sauce, Brown Rice (402.7 cal / 8.7 fat / 46 carb / 8.6 fiber / 31.4 prot)

Snacks: (I'll admit today was kind of a snack heavy day.)
23 Emerald Nuts Cocoa Roasted Dark Chocolate Almonds [4]
Kellogg's Special K Bar Chocolate Drizzle [2]
1/4 Cup Planters Nut-rition Digestive Health Mix [4... yesterday was a typo]
1/4 Cup Planters Heart Healthy Mix [5]
2 Cups Silk Pure Almond Dark Chocolate Almondmilk [7]

Exercise:

1.25 miles walking during breaks.

#gghealthkwest

Laying the Foundation

How could I start to get my weight under control?  This was the question I had.  Thankfully my employer (CCH/Wolters Kluwer) helped me with the answer.  You see they realized something that many have been saying for a while and that has been amplified with the health care debate.  As our waistlines grow larger our health costs go up.

Being a self-insured company that means that it was going to begin to either A) hurt the bottom line, or B) cause them to pass off even more health care costs to their employees.  Of course other issues (smoking for instance) also can come into play, but they decided that for 2010 weight management would be an issue to try to tackle.

They teamed up with several organizations one of which was Weight Watchers.  Of course I, like most people, was aware of Weight Watchers, but I had never tried it.  The deal was that you attend 80% of the meetings and the company would reimburse you a portion of the meeting fee.  I decided that if they were willing to invest in a change I would too.  As I said last time I knew that something had to change, but I just didn't know how to go about making that change.  I needed someone to help show me the way.

On January 21st, 2010 I had my first weigh in at our Weight Watchers at Work meeting.  My weight was 393.2 lbs.  I had already lost almost 20 lbs. from the day I vowed to change, so obviously I'd done something right.  I poured myself wholeheartedly into the program.  I tracked daily.  I calculated points for everything.  I also cut out the things that were my biggest temptation.  I didn't want to deprive myself, but I knew I couldn't trust myself with things like chocolate.  I intended to add them back in at a later date when I was ready again.

Each week I continued to weigh in and each week I continued to loose.  By the 3rd meeting I'd lost 10 lbs.  By the 6th meeting I'd lost my first 5% which was just over 20 lbs., but I didn't feel like celebrating that day.  The day before, February 24th something happened that changed my world.

I know I promised to explain why I am committed to loosing weight today and why I chose to do this contest, but as I got to thinking about it I realized that this part of the discussion is better suited for Friday's entry.  It will become apparent why when it's posted.

In the mean time tomorrow I plan to show you a before and after picture of where I was in 2009 to where I already am at the start of 2011.  I've lost 135 lbs. since that first weigh in in January of 2010 which means I've lost 155 lbs. since starting my journey.  That in itself is an accomplishment that I'm extremely proud of.

On the menu today:  (nutritional information) [POINTS Plus]

Breakfast:

1 1/2 Cup Honey Nut Cheerios (3 fat / 44 carb / 4 fiber / 6 prot) [6]

Lunch:

Wendy's Ultimate Grill Chicken (add onions and pickles) [9]
Wendy's Large Chili (add onions) [7]
4 Saltine Crackers [1]
2 packets Chili Seasoning [0]

Dinner:
Genghis Grill Bowl - Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
Chicken, Salt, Pepper, Classic Stir Fry Mix, Cabbage, Pineapple, Island Teriyaki Sauce, Brown Rice (399.7 cal / 0.6 fat / 59.5 carb / 8.2 fiber / 31.2 prot) [9]

Snacks:

Planters Nut-rition Digestive Health Mix [5]
15 baby carrots [0]
Skinny Cow Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich [4... sometimes you have to indulge a little]
2 Cups Silk Pure Almond Dark Chocolate Almondmilk [7]

Exercise:

Got slammed at work today, so I didn't get to do my usual walking.  Did a little walking in the basement when I got home though, just not as much as at work.

#gghealthkwest

Blueprint to a Better Me

Today is the first day of the Genghis Grill Health Kwest campaign.  I'm very excited to be a part of it.  I thought my first entry should explain my "eureka" moment--the moment I came to the realization that something had to change.

In November of 2009 a couple things happened.  First off my doctor got a new digital scale at their office.  This scale didn't stop at 350 lbs. like their old scale.  For the first time I could actually get weighed as part of my office visit.  The result was shocking.  I weighed in at 412 lbs.!

Later that month we had a wellness exam at work.  They had a scale there too, but it couldn't register my weight.  They had to pull over another scale, make me stand on both of them, and add the two amounts together.  It was embarrassing to have to be weighed that way, and I was thankful that none of my coworkers from my floor was there to see it.  It confirmed what my doctor's office scale had said.  At that moment I knew something had to change.

I have always been overweight.  That's not an excuse, just a fact.  I graduated high school at 290 lbs.  I told myself then, "I'll never be over 300 lbs."  I avoided the scale for a long time, but a few years later I got the courage to step on it again.  I had passed the 300 lbs. mark and was tipping the scales at around 380 lbs.  I told myself, "I'll never be over 400 lbs."  So when I weighted in at 412 lbs. there was no way I was promising myself, Never over 500 lbs."  At that moment I vowed to get the weight under control, but how could I do that?

Tomorrow I'll discuss how I started my weight loss, why I'm so committed to loosing weight, and why I decided to do this blog as part of the contest participation.  Don't forget to like my posts on the Genghis Grill Facebook page, and my badge on the GGHealthKwest website!

At the end of the blog each day I'm going to post my food and exercise log.  I've been logging my food for over a year now and it helps me keep things in check.  When possible I'll try to include portion sizes and (nutritional information).  I'll also include the Weight Watchers [POINTS Plus] value.

On the menu today:
Breakfast:
1 1/2 Cups Honey Nut Cheerios (3 fat / 44 carb / 4 fiber / 6 prot) [6]
1/2 Cup Silk Pure Almond Vanilla Almondmilk [1]

Lunch:
Subway Foot-long Turkey Breast on Wheat (7 fat / 94 carb / 10 fiber / 36 prot) [14]
2 triangles of Pepperjack cheese (4 fat / 0 carb / 0 fiber / 3 prot) [1]
Subway Vegetable Beef Soup [3]

Dinner:
Genghis Grill Bowl - Turkey Tofu (custom bowl)
Turkey, Tofu, Cayenne, Garlic, Carrots, Bamboo Shoots, Water Chestnuts, Cabbage, Red Curry Peanut Sauce, Brown Rice (519.2 cal / 9 fat / 61.1 carb / 13.7 fiber / 41.5 prot) [12]

Snacks:
23 Emerald Nuts Cocoa Roasted Dark Chocolate Almonds [4]
1 Large Banana (0.6 fat / 31 carb / 3.3 fiber / 1.5 prot) [0]
2 Cups Silk Pure Almond Dark Chocolate Almondmilk [7... and worth every point]

Exercise:
Did my usual walking during work breaks (averages to about 1.25 miles at a rate of around 2.75 miles an hour).