Day #69 - Back to Where it all Began

Today, Patty and I took a trip to my Grandmother's house for dinner. Her house is very symbolic because it is the place where my mission was essentially born. Let me explain to you what I mean by that last statement. If any of you have been following my blog from the beginning, you would probably remember me talking about  the argument that my mother and I had about my weight issues. This argument happened a little over two months ago, at my Grandmother's house, and of course my mother was right. At that point in time, I wasn't taking care of myself and my health was slowly declining. She had told me that night that she didn't want me to die. And that was the wake up call I needed to get my act together. With all that being said and done, I am now 37 lbs lighter and going strong. Thank you Mom for helping me get to this point. I will never let myself and anyone I love down ever again.

Anyway back to today, this was the first time my Grandmother has seen me since that very memorable night. This time around, I had told her that Patty and I would cook the dinner. And of course I choose my favorite Weight Watcher's Recipe, Chicken Pot Pie. Not wanting us to do all the work, she offered to help us cook and to prepare a nice healthy dessert. While we were cooking, she kept on asking me questions about what I can eat and what I couldn't eat. She was amazed at how different I looked and was curious as to how I managed to lose the weight. I explained to her that I was following the Weight Watchers for Men program and it basically allows me to eat great tasting food, that is made with healthier ingredients. She was also amazed at how many different foods I could eat and how effective the program really was. When it was finally time to sit down and eat dinner, she couldn't believe how great the meal looked and how good it tasted. I can safely say that dinner was a big hit and may I add, a very healthy meal as well.

During the course of the night, she told me that she hadn't seen my blog yet. She assured me it wasn't because she didn't want to. It was because she doesn't really know how to work a computer all that well. After hearing this, I jumped at the opportunity to share it with her. While showing her the site, I explained the steps I go through to put together a daily post and showed her all of my pictures. She was really impressed with my side shots. She was very happy to see my improvement in such a short amount of time. All in all, the night ended up being very enjoyable. The dinner was great, the dessert was great, and spending time with family was awesome. It was great to go back to where my mission and blog was basically born, but this time I was a totally different person.

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man 39 = Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Early Afternoon - I slept in late today. 1 serving of leftover Beef & Veg Cheese Casserole = Points 7
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 1 Weight Watchers chocolate chip cookie and 1 Weight Watchers ice cream bar = Points 3
Late Afternoon - 1 serving of leftover Beef & Veg Cheese Casserole = Points 7
Early Evening - 1 1/2 servings of homemade Chicken Pot Pie (Weight Watchers Recipe) with a side salad w/ croutons = Points10
Late Evening - 1 serving of homemade Chicken Pot Pie (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 5
Dessert - 1 serving of Angel Food Cake with cool whip lite and strawberries = Points 3

Total Points Eaten Today = 35 Points (4 points under my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I ran for 40 mins on the elliptical machine and I executed a core body routine: Crunches (3 sets x 25 reps), Cable Side Chops (6 sets x 15 reps with 15 lbs), and Planks (3 sets x 30 mins each). Tomorrow I will be doing cardio outside.

Day #69 - Weigh-In = 265.2 lbs

Day #69 Weigh-In

Day #69 Front Shot

Day #68 - Cooking Healthy at Home is the Way To Go

A few weeks ago, I made one of the best decisions of my mission so far. I decided that it was time to stop buying my meals everyday and to start food shopping once a week so we can cook all of our meals at home. At first I thought it was going to be difficult to keep up with cooking every night and to make sure that all of my meals were prepared for the next day. But so far, it has actually been quite easy. I made a deal with Patty (My Fiancee) that she would do the cooking and I would clean the dishes and make sure that the meals for the next day were ready to go. And once we got into the swing of things, picking out meals for the week, putting together the shopping list, going food shopping every Sunday, and cooking our healthy meals during the week has become second nature.

By preparing our meals on a daily basis, it has actually allowed me to get more work done in the office during the day. My work load is going to be getting heavier as the days go by leading up to December. I am very happy that I can easily go into the frig at work, pull out a serving of left overs from the night before and pop it right into the microwave. Not to mention, when I was buying meals everyday at work, it would take time away from being productive and of course I was throwing money right out the window. That is money that could be going into the bank and towards the wedding. I did the math when I started bringing my meals to work and I estimated that Patty and I will be saving at least $150 dollars a week by cooking our meals at home.

The recipes that Patty and I cook at home are all from http://www.weightwatchers.com/. And let me tell you, I have done a few diet programs in my time and I have tried the pre-maid diet meals. They are nothing to get excited about. I think the reason why I have been so successful with the Weight Watchers recipes is because they taste very good and they all use ingredients that are very healthy for you to eat. I am extremely happy that Patty and I decided to go this route and the fact that she has become really good at preparing these recipes makes it all that easier to stay on the right path.

A friend of mine sent me a text message the other day. She said that all the meals I talk about every night on my posts sound very good but she also wants to know how to make them. And one of the main reasons of my mission is to not only help myself but to help other people as well. So, keeping to the mission, I will be posting my recipe of the week every Friday. I hope you all can give it a try.

Recipe of The Week

Chicken Cordon Bleu
(This was the first recipe that Patty and I ever cooked for my mission)

Servings - 4
Preparation Time - 15 mins
Cooking Time - 40 mins

Ingredients
4 sprays cooking spray or enough to coat chicken
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, four 4-oz pieces
3 oz Boar's Head Smoked Ham, or other brand, four 3/4 oz slices
3 oz low-fat Swiss cheese, four 3/4 oz slices
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup honey mustard
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs, Italian -style

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray
-Arrange 1 slice of ham and 1 slice of cheese on each chicken breast
-Starting from shorter end of chicken, rolling up chicken into a tight pinwheel. Tuck in ends and secure with tooth picks
-Place flour, honey mustard, and bread crumbs in 3 separate shallow bowls. Place chicken in flour and turn to coat. Next, place the chicken in the honey mustard and turn to coat. Finally, place chicken in bread crumbs and turn to coat.
-Transfer chicken to prepared baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Bake until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, about 40 mins. Remove tooth picks and serve.

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man = 39 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - 2 eggo nutrigrain waffles with a cup of Light'n Fit and a serving of strawberries = Points 4
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 2 Weight Watchers chocolate chip cookies, 1 Weight Watchers mini carrot cake, and 1 large pear = Points 6
Early Afternoon - 1 serving of homemade Beef & Veg Cheese Casserole (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 7
Late Afternoon - 1 serving of homemade Beef & Veg Cheese Casserole (Weight Watchers Recipe) and 1 Boca veggie burger with a slice of Weight Watchers american cheese on a slice of nutrigrain bread = Points 12
Dinner - 1 serving of homemade Turkey Meatballs (Weight Watchers Recipe) with a serving of whole wheat pasta and tomato sauce = Points 9
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers ice cream bar = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 40 Points (1 points over my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I executed my Legs and Shoulder routines: Leg Press (4 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps), Leg Extensions (3 sets x 8, 10, 12 reps), Leg Curls (3 sets x 8, 10, 12 reps), Military Press (4 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps), Dumbbell Lateral Raises (3 sets x 8, 10, 12 reps), Plate Front Raises (3 sets x 10, 12, 15 reps), Calve Raises (3 sets to failure), and Reverse Flyes (3 sets x 15 reps). Tomorrow I will be doing cardio and my core body routine.

Day #68 - Weigh-In = 265.2 lbs

Day #68 Weigh-In

Day #68 Front Shot
(Notice how big my shorts look)

Day #67 - Little Things Can Provide Big Motivation

I am a person who will look anywhere for motivation. It can be really hard some days to find the motivation needed to drag myself to the gym or eat healthy, but I still manage to do so. Since the beginning of my mission, I have been finding motivation in places that a person would normally find it. My family and friends are a big source where I have been drawing motivation from. Seeing my weight fade almost every time I step on the scale, has been a very great source of motivation. And of course all of great comments, advice, and tips I receive from all of you, have been huge sources of motivation to me as well. All of these obvious sources have been helping get through my mission since Day #1.

However, lately I have been finding motivation and inspiration from the littlest things. Let me explain to you all what I mean by sharing some examples with you:

1. For starters, I have mentioned several times that my clothes have been fitting better. Seeing that my body has been getting smaller & tighter while my clothes look like they have gotten bigger, has made me very motivated.
2. I can fit into my car seat easier now. This may seem like such a small detail but it makes me happy that I don't have work at trying to fit in my car seat anymore. I have an arm rest on my seat that I can push down to rest my arm on. In the past I couldn't even use it because it wouldn't come down all the way due my side (Love Handles) being in the way. I can now push it all the way down and fit in the seat comfortably.
3. The bath towels in my bathroom can actually wrap / fit around my body and stay up by itself. In the past I would have to hold it in place because it wouldn't even fit around my stomach.
4. I can actually walk up the stairs in my apartment building without having to stop to catch my breath!
5. I can sleep through the entire night now without suddenly waking up in the middle of the night coking because I had trouble breathing.
6. I can actually fit in between the machines at the gym. I used to have to walk around to get passed them.
7. I can actually tie my shoes without having to hold my breath because my stomach was keeping me from bending over.
8. I can put on a pair of shorts without having to sit down on the bed because I can lift my legs up a lot easier now while standing up.
9.  I can now see my feet without having to suck my stomach in.
10. And one of the most important examples is that, Patty (My Fiancee) can actually wrap her arms around me when she gives me a hug. She found this out for the first time last night. After she discovered this, she looked up at me with a big smile on her face and I knew exactly how she felt at that very moment.

As you can see, you can obviously receive motivation from all of the normal places that you would expect to receive it from. I will continue to use that motivation to help me get to my main goal. However, I will keep on searching for those little things to get me through the each and every little step of the way!

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man = 39 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - 3 Eggo nutrigrain waffles with a cup of Light'n Fit yogurt and a serving of strawberries = Points 4
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 1Weight Watchers brownie, 1 Weight Watchers chocolate muffin, and 8 pieces of pumpernickel mini pretzel sticks = Points 9
Early Afternoon - 1 serving of homemade Baked Macaroni and Cheese (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 5
Late Afternoon - 1 serving of homemade Baked Macaroni and Cheese (Weight Watchers Recipe), 1 Boca veggie burger with a slice of Weight Watchers american cheese on 1 slice of multi grain bread = Points 10
Dinner - 1 serving of homemade Beef & Vegetable Cheese Casserole (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 7
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers ice cream bar = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 37 Points (2 points under my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I ran for 40 mins on the elliptical and I attempted to do a core body workout but my body was to soar from lifting weights yesterday and I didn't want to over do it. Tomorrow I will be executing my Legs and Shoulder routines.

Day #67 -Weigh-In = 265.4 lbs

Day #67 Weigh-In

Day #67 Front Shot

Day #66 - Behind This Heavy Man, Is A Skinny Supportive Woman

I was on the phone with my father yesterday and I think he said it correctly when told me that, "Behind every great man, is a great woman." Well, I will take it a step further and say, "Behind this Heavy Man, is a great skinny woman." I constantly talk about my daily accomplishments and struggles as well the many obstacles I come across every day. So, today I thought I would share with everyone the person who keeps me in check. There is nothing more important to me then family and friends. I have said that numerous amounts of times in the past. Besides the support that I get from all of you on a daily basis, they are really supportive as well. There is one person in particular that I will be happy to call my family in a little over a year and she is my fiancee, Patty.

I have mentioned her almost every day in my posts and believe me, she is a big part of my success so far with my mission. I met her back in College when I was pretty heavy so obviously I won her over with my extremely great charm. She has been by my side since the start of this mission pushing me along every step of the way. Not only does she put up with my work life but she keeps me in check in my personal life. When I told her about my idea to start this blog and to embark on my mission, she was all for it. I think the best thing she said to me at the start was, "I will love you no matter how you look, I am just happy that you will be getting healthier." That is love my friends.

Now of course you all know that I have been on Weight Watchers since the start of this mission. And when I started, I wasn't sure how good it was going to work. But Patty being the supportive person that she is, said to me, "If you start this weight loss program, I will do it with you so you are not doing it alone." By her saying that to me, she gave me the initial confidence to start this mission 66 days ago. She has also been cooking every meal that I have been talking about for the last few weeks. She has become such a pro, that I think she can cook any recipe that Weight Watchers has on their website.

I can definitely say that with out friends, family, and the support of everyone who follows this blog it would have been very hard to get where I am now. But without Patty, I would have never been able to start this mission the way I did. Thank You Patty, for being my rock.

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day(The Heavy Man = 39 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - 2 servings of homemade Bacon and Swiss Quiche (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 6
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 1 Weight Watchers chocolate chip cookie and 1 large pear = Points 3
Early Afternoon - 1 serving of leftover Chicken Cordon Bleu (Weight Watchers Recipe) with a side of baked potato chips = Points 9
Late Afternoon - 1 serving of leftover Chicken Cordon Bleu (Weight Watchers Recipe) with a side of baked potato chips = Points 9
Dinner - 1 serving of London Broil and 1 serving of Baked Macaroni and Cheese (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 9
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers ice cream bar = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 38 Points (1 point under my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I executed my Back and Triceps routines: Lat Pull Downs (4 sets x 15, 12, 10, 8 reps), Seated Row (4 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps), Lying Skull Crushers (4 sets x 15, 12, 10, 8 reps), Bent Over Rows (3 sets x 8, 10, 12 reps), Over Head Dumbbell Extensions (3 sets x 8, 10, 12 reps), Standing Triceps Push Downs (4 sets x 12 reps), and Standing Dumbbell Shrugs (4 sets x 18 reps). Tomorrow I will be doing cardio and my core body routine.

Day #66 - Weigh-In = 266 lbs

Day #66 Weigh-In

Day #66 Front Shot

Day #65 - Finding Peace In an Unexpected Place

Does life ever get any easier? It is amazing how there are so many moving pieces when it comes to surviving a normal life. I am currently planning for a wedding with my fiancee and even though it is over a year away, the planning has to start now. I don't even want to get into all the details we have spoken about already, let alone all the details we still have yet to discuss. And of course in order to have a wedding with many details, there has to be money in the pot. But it is not always that easy to put the much needed money in the pot because, don't forget, there are the everyday costs and expenses that are associated with surviving a normal life. Rent for the apartment, cars bills, insurance bills, food, gas, etc...... I can go on and on. However, that doesn't always go according to plan either because you forget that unexpected bill that you accidentally forgot about when you purchased that weight loss program a while ago with the dreams of quickly becoming fat free. Sorry, I was on a roll for a second. Anyway, my personal life, just like many other's, is a challenge in itself.

Now, let's add my work life into the mix. I am what you may call a "workaholic." I am so afraid of losing what I worked so hard to achieve in my personal life, that I let my work life run the show sometimes. Sometimes I will not even get out of work until 7:30-8:00pm at night. Not to mention that I have traveled a lot in the last few years. It had gotten so bad that I was actually on the road every weekend from February 1st - August 1st. I tend to try and take on so many different jobs at once that I can get overwhelmed from time to time. Take today for example, I lost track of time in the office because I was so focused on what I was doing and I didn't get home until about 8:00pm tonight. I even brought some work home from the office because I plan on doing some more after I get done writing this post.

Recently, I have been trying to step a way from my work load on a more frequent basis because I want to try and keep myself from going insane. And do you know what has helped me clear my mind and to relax. The answer for me has been exercise. I have been struggling to wake up in the morning for the last week to workout and I really don't think that is a bad thing. I say this because, working out at night, has given me a chance to clear my mind after a long day of work. It has given me such a sense of peace to know that I am finally out of the office for the day. In a weird way, it has even made me push harder while executing my workouts. I guess it is because I am happy to be focusing on something other then work and it makes me want to go that extra mile to get a good workout in. I'll tell you what, I haven't been this soar from exercising in a long time. I used to think that working out was more of a chore and it was something that I had to do. Now I use it as a way to escape from all the stresses that life can bring.  Well, whatever it is, it seems to be working.

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man = 39 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - 2 servings of homemade Bacon and Swiss Quiche (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 6
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 1 Weight Watchers brownie = Points 3
Early Afternoon - 2 Boca veggie burgers with 2 slices of Weight Watchers american cheese on 2 slices of multi grain bread and a side of baked chips = Points 12
Late Afternoon - 1 Boca veggie burger with 1 slice of Weight Watchers american cheese on 2 slices of multi grain bread and a side of baked chips = Points 9
Dinner - 1 serving of Chicken Cordon Bleu (Weight Watchers Recipe) and a side of egg noodles = Points 11
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers ice cream cone = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 43 points (4 points over my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I ran for 40 mins on the elliptical and did a core body routine: Dumbbell Side Crunches (2 sets x 25 reps w/ 25 lbs), Medicine Ball Crunches with Leg Lifts (3 sets x 12 reps w/ 4lb ball), Planks (2 sets x 30sec). Tomorrow I will be executing my Back and Triceps routines.

Day #65 - Weigh-In = 266.8 lbs

Day #65 Weigh-In

Day #65 Front Shot

Day #64 - Practice What You Preach / Side Shots Part 2 (At the end of the post)

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the moment that I forget to look at the big picture. A few weeks ago I learned that the human body, while on a weight loss program, loses a healthy 1-2 lbs per week after the first 3-4 weeks of that program. After learning this, I realized that it will take time for me to achieve my goals and this is understandable. Last week, I learned that the human body can fluctuate on an average of 3-5 lbs during a day because we all have to eat to survive and of course exercising can help towards that fluctuation as well. I found out this information after my body had jumped up in weight from one day to another. Last week I weighed in at 266 lbs on Thursday morning (Day #60). When I woke up on Friday morning to weigh myself, you could only guess what my reaction was when I found out that I gained 2 lbs in one day. Wanting to find an answer on how this could of happened, I asked a few people who have knowledge in the subject of weight loss and exercising. Each of them came to the same conclusion, I gained some muscle weight.

Needless to say, I was happy to hear about the muscle weight gain, after being shocked that I had gained weight. When you go 61 days in a row at either losing weight or staying at the same weight, it can seem a little puzzling when you gain. Anyway, I figured that since I gained some muscle weight over night, I should be able to lose some fatty weight just as easily. Well it doesn't work that way and I haven't been under 267 lbs since last Thursday. It is still a little disappointing that I made it down to 266 last week and I haven't been able to get back there yet. And I understand that a lot of things are coming into play: daily weight fluctuation, muscle gain, etc..... However, this little disappointment turned into excitement this morning.

Every Monday, I plug my current weight into my Weight Watchers online account because I started my mission on Monday, May 31, 2010. The program requires that you plug in your weight once a week and being that I started on a Monday, I summit my weight in every Monday. Getting back to the point, I typed in my weight this morning and a big message flashed up on my computer screen and it said, "Congrats on losing 2.4 lbs this week!" Well how do you like that, I have been so wrapped up in the moment of trying to figure out why my weight was going up and down this past week, that I forgot to look at the big picture. After all the drama, I ended up losing 2.4 lbs since last Monday. And if we go back a few weeks, I learned that losing 1-2 lbs per week is a very healthy rate. I also found out last week, that the human body can fluctuate in weight on a day to day basis. After everything was said and done, I did exactly what I was supposed to, I lost 2 lbs this past week. I am still on the right track after all. I should really practice what I preach, and the rest will fall into place.

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man = 39 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - 2 servings of homemade Bacon and Swiss Quiche (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 6
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 2 rice cakes, 1 Weight Watchers brownie, 1 Weight Watchers chocolate chip cookie, and 1 large pear = Points 7
Early Afternoon - 1 serving of left over homemade Baked Ziti w/ Turkey Sausage (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 5
Late Afternoon - 1 serving of left over homemade Baked Ziti w/ Turkey Sausage (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 5
Dinner - 2 Boca veggie burgers with 3 slices of Weight Watchers american cheese on 2 slices of Arnold Healthy Multi-Grain Bread and a serving of baked potato chips = Points 13
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers ice cream cone = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 38 points (1 points under my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I executed my chest and biceps routines: Dumbbell Chest Press (4 sets x 8, 10, 12, 15 reps), Incline Smith Press (3 sets x 21, 15, 10 reps), Straight Bar Curls (4 sets x 8, 10, 12, 15 reps), Incline Cable Fly (3 sets x 15 reps), Incline Alternating Dumbbell Curls (4 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps), Low Pulley Hammer Curls (3 sets to failure). Tomorrow I will be doing cardio and my core body workout.

Measurements (Monday, August 2, 2010)

I am adding a new section to every Monday's post. I am going to be taking my measurements to prove that my body is changing even if the scale moves up or down in weight.

Chest - 48 inches
Waist (Around my stomach and love handles even with my belly button) - 49 inches
Neck - 16 inches
Bicep (Not Flexed) - 15 1/2 inches
Bicep (Flexed) - 17 inches
Upper Leg (Around the quad & hamstring) - 30 inches
Lower Leg (Around the calve) - 17 inches

Day #64 - Weigh-In = 267.2 lbs

Day #64 Weigh-In

Day #64 Front Shot

Back by popular demand.... the side shot. I will be taking a side shot at the beginning of every month and I will compare it with the side shot from the previous month.

Day #64 - 267.2 lbs
(Tonight's Side Shot)

Day #54 - 269.2 lbs

Day #63 - Every Once and a While - Part 2

Yesterday I spoke about how much of a "Creature of Habit" I have become. I am very proud of myself for being able to reach this point in my mission. I have gotten so used to eating healthy food that I rarely think about eating junk food any more. However, every once and a while, I get that itch to sink my teeth into a slice of pizza or to stuff my face with a gigantic cheese steak sandwich. But those urges have died down tremendously in the last 63 days, until this morning. I woke up this morning with the mother of all cravings for a slice of pizza from one of the best pizza places in this part of the country. So instead of driving myself crazy, I decided to treat myself for doing very well on my mission so far. I had also mentioned yesterday, that I only had one other bad meal since I have started my mission and that just so happened to be on day #36. So I am averaging a bad meal, once every 25-35 days. And notice I said bad meal, not a bad day of eating. I will never let myself get to that point, where I have to let myself go for the whole day. I can deal with one bad meal every 25-35 days. That is a big win in my book!!

In a way, I am glad that I took one meal off today and let me explain why. Today I only ate two slices of pizza. One slice was plain and the other had some ziti and vodka sauce on it. In the past I would have not stopped myself at two slices and I would have probably eaten up to five. However, I didn't even to think about stopping at two slices today, my body did the decision making for me. Half way through the second slice, I was down for the count and I really struggled to finish it. Experiencing this, while eating one of the best tasting foods I have ever eaten, makes me feel even more confident in the fact that my fiancee and I started cooking our own meals at home. The meals that we cook at home are very tasty as well but they don't make me feel crappy like the pizza did today. Eating unhealthy food like this every once and a while also serves as a reminder to your body, how it used to feel on an every day basis. I'll tell you what, I couldn't wait to go food shopping today for all of the healthy meals we planned for this up coming week. I am so extremely happy that I decided to embark on this mission to healthy. Because I will never go back to feeling ,like I did today, ever again.

I also decided today, that I needed a little break from the intense workout routines I have been executing for the last week. I learned this the hard way from past experiences. Working out hard for 7 days a week can take a  toll on your body and can cause you to take a step backwards and that is the last thing I want to do. So being that it was Sunday and I had the day off, I decided to take my fiancee down to the basketball court near our apartment. I wanted to see if I still had the skills on the court. Well what started out as a friendly game of horse ended up turning into a competitive game in the rain. We ended up playing for an hour and a half in the rain and it was one of the most enjoyable workouts I had so far. I really enjoyed kicking her butt.

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man = 39 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Lunch - I slept in again and decided to treat myself to some pizza for doing so well on my mission thus far. I had 2 slices of pizza, the first was a plain slice and the second had some ziti and vodka sauce on it. I calculated the points the best I could and came up with = Points 25
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 1 Large Pear, 1 Weight Watchers mini carrot cake, 1 Weight Watchers brownie, and 2 rice cakes = Points 7
Dinner - 1 serving of home made Baked Ziti with Turkey Sausage (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 5
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers ice cream cone = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today - 39 points

Exercise

Today I took the day off from the gym routine and decided to take my fiancee to the basketball court by my apartment to shoot some hoops. We had a great time!! Tomorrow I will be jumping right back on the workout wagon and I will be executing my chest and bicep routines.

Day #63 - Weigh-In = 267.2 lbs

Day #63 Weigh-In

Day #63 Front Shot

Day #63 Dinner
Baked Ziti w/ Turkey Sausage
(Weight Watchers Recipe)