So that's right. We all make New Year's Resolutions and then about mid-February we have totally forgotten about them and abandoned them. I do this pretty routinely. However, this year is a little bit different. I don't know what it is, but there is just something about my excitement/commitment level that is different. Can't put my finger on it, but it just feels different. So what are my New Year's Resolutions?
Well, for one, reading and studying my Bible more/better is one. Cutting down my t.v. watching is another. Also, cutting down on my computer time at home. I've done well with all of these so far and feel like I will stick with them pretty well this year. However, my biggest resolution this year is that for the first time in my life I WANT TO BE A LOSER! That's right, a loser. In fact, I want to be the biggest loser that I have ever known.
Some of you have caught the hint here. I'm speaking of losing weight. Now, I'm not colossal by any stretch, but I ain't no slim jim either. In fact, I've weighed way more than I ever have in my life. I'm tired of looking at myself in pictures and videos and thinking, wow, I look terrible. This is not to offend anyone who struggles with weight issues, but understand I have been a toothpick for a majority of my life. I remember when I was 17 one of my personal goals was to weigh 195 pounds (I'm 6'3"). 15 years later, that's still my goal, however, I'm on the other side of that (way on the other side). I need to lose weight for several reasons:
1. I hate the way I look (no I'm not obsessed like a teenage girl).
2. I noticed lately I have been having back issues/problems due to my huge gut.
3. I want to be able to have the energy to run/play with my kids.
4. My wife deserves better.
5. I want to have more self discipline when it comes to eating/drinking.
6. I need to take care of my body because it is God's temple.
7. I want to set a positive example for others in this area.
8. My blood pressure has been high lately and it needs to come down.
9. I never want my weight/health to be an issue when I'm doing God's work.
10. I want to go hiking with my friends and not feel like I'm going to die in the process.
These are just a few reasons why I need to do this. So I began on December 29 and have done pretty well so far. I thought it might help me to blog about it so that I can look back and see my progress, plus get tips/encouragement from others (that always helps). Here is my progress so far.
I started at about 260 pounds (actually I was at 264 or 265 probably). I am now down to 249. So I have lost around 11-15 pounds. I am running in the morning along with jump rope, push-ups and sit-ups. I walk every evening after dinner with my family. I am completely off of caffeine. No Cokes or DP's in over 2 weeks, although I do have sweet tea about 3 or 4 times a week (not bad). I am drinking so much more water and eating better. I eat Fiber One cereal for breakfast and usually a sandwich topped with spinach leaves for lunch. Maybe some pretzels if it's not enough. I'm eating more veggies for dinner too. I'm cutting out the snacking, especially the unhealthy stuff. No potato chips, sweet stuff, etc. I'm still not eating exactly like I should, but I am doing way better than I was before. I have cheated a couple of times, but nothing too bad. I'm pretty conscience about what I eat and usually try to work it off if I eat too bad.
So, any advice/encouragement would be much appreciated at this point. I just don't want to get discouraged and quit. I think it takes about 6 weeks to make a new habit, and I want to make the way I am eating a habit and not just a "diet".
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8 comments:
The only advice I can give you is do the south beach diet. Itll cost you more money, make you hate eating, make you desire more food, but I went from 190, 36 jeans to 160 32 inch jeans in about 2 months. And I literally now can not gain over 165 pounds no matter how much I eat.
As for watching less TV< we dumped cable 2 months ago, I dont miss a second of it. We are now with NetFLix, 3 DVDs at a tiome plan for 19 bucks a month. They have thousands of TV shows on DVD and of course millions of movies. We are happier with it than we ever were with cable.
YOU CAN DO IT!!!
Oh, as for the diet, once I hit a 32 inch jeans, I went out and bought a VERY expensive pair of jeans (like about $100 pair) that way I was encouraged to KEEP the size I had, otherwise I would have wasted $100... just my way of thinking.
I have a buddy here at church that is big into working out and nutrition. He's been my guide into what I eat. Basically encourages me to eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies and getting enough protein. It seems to be working well although the first 10/15 lbs are probably the water weight.
NEVER DRINK DR PEPPER AGAIN!!!!
Congrats! I went through the same thing about 2 years ago, see my blog. I handle my diet a little differently, but the key is finding something you can stick with. I am now in year 3 and still doing the same thing. Sure, I'm not averaging a huge numbers, but it's a loss all the same. The reason my loss isn't big is because I eat really healthy during the week and take it easy during the weekend. It might not be the best way to do it, but I have been able to stick to it, so I am satisfied. Oh and I made my weigh in day be Friday morning. That way anything I gain during my "take it easy" weekend turned into a loss during the "really healty" week.
Believe me, I don't intend to. Dr. Pepper has been like a poison to my body. It has been the cause of many problems for me that I no longer experience now that I am not drinking it anymore. For example, I have been on Prilosec for about a year now (heartburn) due to that. I haven't had a Prilosec in a week and am doing just fine without it now.
Yeah, I've gotten addicted to weighing in and I'm going to have to start doing it once a week also so I don't drive myself crazy doing it. It's easy to get a false sense of hope or discouraged by weighing everyday. Yeah, I'm thinking that this time around it is more of me changing my eating habits and not just "dieting" and then going right back to the way things were before.
A little insight to my eating/drinking habits before I started the diet. Almost every morning I hit the McDonald's drive thru for a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese breakfast value meal with a large Dr. Pepper. For lunch I would eat Taco Bell or Popeye's Chicken or something along those lines with a large sweet tea or dr. pepper. Dinner would be pretty normal except I would stuff myself and drink either dp or sweet tea along with my meal. Heavy snacking at night like buttery popcorn or potato chips or a late night run to Sonic for a footlong. Never water to drink. So you can see I was eating very badly!
By the way, my blood pressure had also gotten high and has already come back down since I've started eating better/exercising.
Wow! For a couple of reasons. First, your pre-new year fast food diet sounds terrible! No wonder you're dropping weight fast! Second, I'm so glad to hear you and Tammy are making these efforts. We're also working on it in our household.
It's good that you view it as a long term change and not just a diet. Occasional slips are important in a good way so that you don't feel deprived and are able to stick to the bigger plan and not go back to a constant carb-fest. (I keep Dove dark chocolate in my desk drawer to satisfy my sweet tooth with few calories.)
I'm glad to hear you are open to try more and new veggies! Veggies and lean protein should be the biggest part of what you eat every day.
My advice comes both from losing twenty pounds two years ago (and slowing putting most of it back on) and as a nurse.
Love you guys!!
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