Day #188 - Reaching Goals and Cooking Meals

I woke up this morning feeling refreshed after I finally was able to get some much needed sleep. But I still miss home and Patty a whole lot. And like I mentioned yesterday, I am going to try and keep busy as much as possible, so this month goes by very quickly. That is exactly what I did today, and let me tell you, it wasn't that bad. I got a lot done for work as well as did some personal things to keep the day going. I really hope the rest of the days go as quickly and productive as this one did today.

Anyway, I do have a bit of exciting news to share with everyone. As many of you know, when I travel, I make sure to have two things with me at all times. Those two things would be my camera and my scale. And let me tell you, they both assisted this morning in capturing what I am going to tell you next. My friends, I officially weighed in this morning at 221.0 lbs!!!And this means that I have officially lost 81 lbs since the start of my mission!! Finding this out this morning, not only started my day off great, but it gave me the motivation to keep the day going strong. I am extremely happy that the hard work I put into this mission, day in and day out, is still paying off. I am determined to be weighing in at 215 lbs by the time my big event is here on December 31st. Wish me luck with that.

Feeling motivated the entire day, after this morning's weigh-in, my buddy and I decided that we needed to go food shopping because there was absolutely no food in the house that was good for us to eat. And eating out everyday at Subway was going to start to become expensive and I don't think we need to be throwing money out the window like that. So I decided that I would make an attempt at recreating Patty's Chicken Pot Pie for dinner. With the plan in motion, we put together a shopping list and took off for the nearest food store. The store we found was not the best store in the world and it did not have any Weight Watcher's food at all. But we adjusted, just like I have grown accustom to doing when I am away from home. Once back at the house, I got to work trying to come close to what Patty's Chicken Pot Pie looks and tastes like. And I think I may of had a good first attempt at doing so. The dinner ended up tasting amazing and was healthy of course. My friend even liked it as much as I did.

My First Chicken Pot Pie
(Weight Watcher's Recipe)

I think today went well. It started with accomplishing another small goal, I was able to get work done for my job and myself, and I actually cooked my first real recipe since the start of my mission. I hope everyday goes the same, from now until the day I make my way home.

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 49 Points)
(I am currently following the new Weight Watcher's PointsPlus program)

* I know I was going to talk about the new Weight Watcher's PointsPlus program today, but I was so excited about my weigh-in and making my first ever recipe, that I wanted to talk about that. I will review the new program in tomorrow's post.

Lunch - 1 foot long Chicken Teriyaki sub on whole wheat with 2 slices of american cheese, a bag of sun chips, and a bag of apple slices (Subway) = Points 26
Snacks During the Day - 2 apples, two crescent rolls, and a 100 calorie snack pack = Points 6
Dinner - 1 serving of homemade Chicken Pot Pie (Weight Watcher's Recipe) = Points 17 (I had to use original crescent rolls because the store did not have reduced fat crescent rolls. So the points on this recipe are supposed to be less.

Total Points Eaten Today = 49 Points

Exercise

Today I ran for 30 mins outside. We received the gym passes a little late and we did not have a car to get there. We are still driving the Budget Truck that we rented and it is to big to bring to the gym that we have free memberships to. I will definitely get there tomorrow, I am anxious to do so.

Day #188 - Weigh-In = 221.0 lbs

Day #188 Weigh-In

Day #188 Front Shot

Day #187 - Day #1 in Charleston, SC

I want to first start off by saying that Charleston, SC is a very beautiful city. Especially the location that we are staying in for this entire month. The area is called the, "Isle of Palms." And let me tell you, the weather and the landscapes are amazing! However, I am starting to get home sick and I miss Patty a lot already. I just have to keep on reminding myself that time will go by quickly if I keep focused on my work and staying healthy. Anyway, today was a very long and productive day for work. I managed to get a lot done, which is a good start to the month.

We went exploring a little today, in the small area of Charleston that we are staying in. I will get some pictures up very soon for you all to see.The best part about the house that we are renting, is that we get free memberships to the gym right down the street. There is also a recreational building right around the corner from us with indoor and outdoor basketball courts! I can continue to work on my game while I am away from home. We ended up playing for a little bit today, to breakup the work day. I also ran outside for the first time in about a month because the weather was awesome tonight. So I think I am off to a good start so far on Day #1 of this business trip. We didn't get our passes today for the gym so I had to make due with what I had.

I also noticed that I missed my side shot picture for the beginning of this month. However, I think I am going to wait until I get home (January 2nd) because I want the side shots to look the same. I think it shows a better comparison if I take the side shot photos in the same exact elements every time. But I still took a side shot tonight which I might keep hidden for a while, maybe as a secret photo. Kind of like a never before seen episode of a famous TV show. I think all of the travel has finally caught up to me...... lol. Anyway, it is getting late and I want to try to catch up on sleep before the long weekend hits. I will talk to you all tomorrow.

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 49 Points)

*Weight Watcher's has launched a new program called PointsPlus. It has taken the place of the old program and everyone has been converted over to it. I spent a while tonight trying to figure out the details and that is why my daily points limit is higher now than it has been in the past. I will talk about it in tomorrow's post. But for now, I am sorry if my the new points system seems a little confusing.

Lunch - 1 foot long Chicken Teriyaki sub on whole wheat bread with 2 slices of american cheese with a serving of baked chips and apples slices = Points 26
Dinner - 2 cups of steamed chicken and broccoli, with a cup of fried brown rice, and an egg roll = Points 22

Total Points Eaten Today = 48 Points (1 point under my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I played basketball for about an hour and a half. I then ran outside tonight for 30 mins. It felt great being able to run outside again. Tomorrow I will execute my weight lifting routine if we get our gym passes.

Day #187 - Weigh-In = 223.0 lbs

Day #187 Weigh-In







Day #187 Front Shot





Day #186 - The Heavy Man, Travel Series Part 14a - The Long Trip Down South

Today started off early once again. And being that it was the day I officially traveled to Charleston, SC for the month, you can only imagine how much I was running around today. I did not get done packing at home last night until about 2am, so I was exhausted to begin with. But if I didn’t get everything at the office completed and packed for the trip this morning, I would have been behind schedule for the rest of the week. Needless to say, everything has been packed and I am ready to hit the ground running in Charleston. However, right before I left for the trip, Patty injured her ankle in the office and was driven to the doctors by our friend. I felt bad about leaving her home but she insisted that I get on the road and to Charleston safely.

The drive down here was an extremely long 14 hours. My friend, the former personal trainer, and I decided that we would sacrifice our sleeping time today to get down here as fast as we could. We did this so we could have a little more time to be productive this week. I think it was a great idea because we can now sleep in a little bit and then wake up and get to work. I hope getting down here this early pays off.

I am very happy that my buddy is with me for the month. We can help each other get things done for the event as well as help keep each other motivated on the health side. He has been helping me for the last few months with my exercising and workout routines. He has been putting them together for me but hasn’t been there during my execution of each routine. Being down here with him is great because he can now help me in person and correct me if I have been doing things wrong. We are also going to be introducing new exercises into my routine while we are down here. My goal for this month is to get down to at least 215 lbs by the time of the event day (Friday, December 31, 2010). Wish me luck everyone! Talk to you all tomorrow!

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man – 35 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher’s Points System)

Lunch – Foot long Chicken Teriyaki sub on whole wheat bread with 2 slices of American cheese and a serving of baked chips = Points 18
Snacks – 4 granola bars and a serving of multigrain original sun chips = Points 12
Dinner – turkey on whole wheat with a slice of American cheese and apple slices = Points 10

Total Points Eaten Today = 40 Points (5 points over my daily limit)

Exercise

I did not make it to the gym again today. I spent the entire day packing and driving to Charleston, SC. I will be back on track starting tomorrow. I am not traveling for the next month, so I will be able to concentrate on getting back to my normal routine again!

Day #186 – Weigh-In = 224.2 lbs

Day #186 Weigh-In

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Day #186 Front Shot

Day #185 - Almost Time to Depart

Today was an extremely busy day because I am leaving for Charleston, SC tomorrow for the entire month of December. So you can only imagine how much packing and work I had to get done today before I left. However, all the preparation time that I needed today was delayed a little because of an important meeting that I had to attend with my boss in New York City. The meeting went very well but it was the traveling to and from the meeting that took forever. We left our office this morning at 9:40am for NYC, and it took us roughly 3 hours to get through traffic and find the office building that our meeting was at. The meeting then took another 3 hours and then we had to sit in another 3 hours of traffic going back to the office. I did not get back to the office until late. And that would be a normal days worth of work and then I would be able to go home for the night. But I then had to pack the rental truck with all of our equipment for the month. I did not get home until 9:00pm tonight and I still had to pack my bags.

I am now at home getting packed for the long business trip. Patty must have tried to convince me at least 10 times to not go and to stay home with her. Believe me, I would much rather be spending the holidays at home with her and my family. Unfortunately life deals you some curve balls and I try to roll with them as much as possible. I did manage to eat healthy the entire day yet again. And when my boss wanted to stop at McDonald's for something to eat, I told him that I was not going to allow us to eat unhealthy after a successful meeting today. So we ended going to the deli next door to McDonald's, where I purchased a nice healthy turkey sandwich. Hmmm..... not bad.

Anyway, it is getting late and I want to finish up all of my packing so I can try and get some sleep tonight before my very long drive down south. So when you hear from me tomorrow night, I will be somewhere between here and there. Good night my friends!!

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 35 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's Points System)

Breakfast - Egg whites on a multigrain roll with a slice of american cheese = Points 7
Lunch - Turkey sandwich with a slice of american cheese and a serving of popcorn chips = Points 14
Dinner - 1 serving of Chicken Parm (Weight Watcher's Recipe) and a serving of whole wheat pasta = Points 11
Dessert - 1 Weight Watcher's ice cream cone = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 34 Points (1 point under my daily limit)

Exercise

I did not make it to the gym today. I was really busy with the meeting in New York City and packing for my trip to Charleston, SC. I will be doing cardio tomorrow.

Day #185 - Weigh-In = 223.8 lbs

Day #185 Weigh-In

Day #185 Front Shot

Day #184 - Travel Series Part 13b

Today was a bad day for traveling. There were tornado warnings in Alabama this morning when I was flying out. It was raining the entire day in Alabama, in Charlotte for my connecting flight, and at home when I landed. And of course there was a lot of turbulence. But I kept myself busy trying to plan the next few steps for my big event in December. I kept on thinking about how happy I was going to be when I arrived home. I also kept on thinking about what I was going to do in the gym tonight for my workout routine. To make a long story short, I made it home safe and sound.

It felt great getting back into the gym tonight, to execute my weight lifting routine. The part I hate about traveling is that my daily routine can be disrupted some times because not every fitness center, in each hotel, has the equipment I use. But I still manage to make due with what I have. Anyway, getting back into the swing of things, on the weight lifting side, felt awesome. I was sweating up a storm today and I can really feel that I had a good workout tonight. And if I am sore in the morning, that only backs up the hard work that I put into it tonight.

I have been amazed with how my weight keeps on moving down, even though I had an up and down eating week. I mean I didn't over do it, but I still managed to put more food away than I normally tend to do. I guess the extra cardio workouts I had to do, when I didn't have weights, helped to keep my weight in check. The exciting part about this morning's weigh-in was that I was 223.8 lbs! This means I am getting closer to to accomplishing my next goal of making it to 222 lbs. That also means that when I reach this goal, I will have lost 80 lbs since the start of my mission! I am getting pumped up right now just thinking about.

Anyway, it is getting late and I have an important meeting in the morning to attend with my boss. Until tomorrow my friends, have a great night!

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 35 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's Points System)

Breakfast - 1 serving of frosted mini wheat with a serving of low fat milk and a banana = Points 9
Snack During the Day - 2 granola bars = Points 4
Lunch - 1 Turkey Club sandwich and a serving of multigrain sun chips = Points 16
Dinner - 1 serving of homemade Chicken Pot Pie = Points 5
Dessert - 1 Weight Watcher's ice cream cone = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 36 Points (1 point over my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I executed my weight lifting routine: Dumbbell Press on Stability Ball, Alternating Single Arm Pull Down, and Side Lunges (4 sets of each x 15 reps each), Push Ups with Stability Ball, Upright Cable Row, and Alternating Bicep Hammers (4 sets of each x 15 reps each), Bent Over Cable Row, Side Raises into Flyes, and Alternating Single Leg Extensions (4 set of each x 15 reps each), and Planks, Triceps Kickbacks with Band, and Side Dumbbell Bends (4 sets of each x 15 reps each). Tomorrow I will be doing cardio.

Day #184 - Weigh-In = 223.8 lbs

Day #184 Weigh-In



Day #184 Front Shot





Day #183 - The Heavy Man, Travel Series Part 13a - Early Mornings and Late Nights

Crunch time is approaching for the big event that I am developing for the end of December. This is the time of year where my job really takes over both my days and my nights. And for the next month, I will be eating and breathing this event. I am just happy that I am a little bit healthier now during this time because if I was the same as I was before the mission started, I know I would really be struggling to survive this next month.

Anyway, today marked my last traveling event for the season. I am happy that all of the traveling every weekend is over for now. I know I will be away for the next month but at least I will be staying in once place during that time. And you would think that since today's event was the last traveling event, that it would be easy. But no, nothing is ever as easy as I you would like it to be. Now the event itself was a piece of cake. However, the traveling part is what sucked the most. I woke up this morning at 3:30am to catch a 6:30am flight to Alabama. I then had to drive from Birmingham, AL to Fulton, Mississippi. It was a 2 hour drive to get there. I had to drive that long because there are no major airports within a 2 hour radius of Fulton, MS. After the event was over, I then had to drive 2 hours back to Birmingham so I could catch my morning flight home. And to add onto this very long day, I came back to the hotel to do more work that has to get done before I leave for Charleston.

I am finally sitting down to write this blog and I am having trouble keeping my eyes open to do so. I was so busy today that I did not even make it to the gym. I am determined to wake up early tomorrow morning to workout before I leave for home. The hotel I am staying in has weights in their fitness center! I hope you all have a great night and I will talk to you tomorrow.

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 35 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's Points System)

Breakfast - Fat Free yogurt and a serving of Low Fat Chocolate Milk = Points 6
Snacks During the Day - 1 granola bar = Points 3
Lunch - (1) 6" Turkey sub on whole wheat bread with a slice of american cheese and a serving of baked chips (Subway) = Points 9
Dinner - French onion soup and a grilled chicken sandwich (Applebees) = Points 13

Total Points Eaten Today = 31 Points (4 points under my daily limit)

Exercise

I have been traveling the entire day and did not make it to the gym. I will be working out tomorrow morning before I fly home.

Day #183 - Weigh-In = 224.4 lbs

Day #183 Weigh-In

Day #183 Front Shot

Day #182 - Getting Closer to December

Today was a very long and busy day. The beginning of December is getting close as each day passes by. And that means I will be leaving for a month very soon. So with that in mind, Patty and I spent the day together preparing for my departure, as well as trying to get some quality time in before I leave. And with all that was going on today, I still managed to wake up a 7:30am this morning to play basketball. I actually ended up playing from 8:00am to 9:45am. Which means I got a good hour and 45 minutes in of cardio today. I know I was planning to get to the gym for a weight lifting session but the day was to full of things that needed to get done.

I also managed to get back on track today with my normal eating pattern. The last week has been an up and down roller coaster ride pertaining to food. But I am now back on track and it is important for me to stay there, especially when I am going to be away for a month without Patty's cooking. I will definitely be fine on the workout side, it is just trying to cook as good as Patty does is what worries me. I want to try and stick to home cooked meals as much as possible, so I can save my money by not going out to eat everyday while down in Charleston. So I am going to have to learn real quickly how to make the healthy meals I have grown accustom to.

Anyway, I have to wake up at 4:00am for a morning flight out to Alabama tomorrow. I have one last event to run before the big move to Charleston takes place. I hope you all have a great night and I will talk to you tomorrow with a new edition of The Heavy Man Travel Series.

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 35 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's Points System)

Breakfast - Egg whites with a slice of american cheese on a whole wheat bagel and a fat free hot chocolate = Points 10
Snacks During the Day - (6) 100 calorie snack packs = Points 12
Dinner - 2 grilled cheese sandwiches (All Weight Watcher's Ingredients) and a serving of baked chips = Points 7
Dessert - 1 Weight Watcher's ice cream cone = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 31 Points (4 points under my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I played basketball for an hour and 45 minutes. Tomorrow I will be executing my weight lifting routine.

Day #182 - Weigh-In = 226.4 lbs

Day #182 Weigh-In





Day #182 Front Shot





Day #181 - Christmas in November

As many of you know by now, I have a pretty demanding job that requires a lot of time and effort. I am not complaining, I am just saying that my job takes up a lot of my time. Anyway, all the hard work I have been doing the last several months is leading up to my big event, that I am developing in Charleston, SC. The event will take place on Fri, December 31st, New Year's Eve. And being that this is the inaugural year for this event, my boss wants to make sure that we are fully prepared to run a great event. So he decided that a bunch of us, from my office, will stay in Charleston for the entire month of December to make sure everything gets done. Now taking what I just told you in consideration, that means I will be missing Christmas Day with my family for the first time in my life. Of course they were all upset to hear the news but I do have a very supportive family who backs me up with whatever I do.

About a week ago, my mother calls me up and asked if I wanted to celebrate Christmas a little earlier this year, so I could at least be home for some sort of holiday get together. And I thought that was an awesome I idea. So we had set today, 2 days after Thanksgiving, as this year's official Christmas morning. Yes my friends, Patty and I celebrated Christmas this year, with my family, in November. It was actually very cool to have my Grandmother, Bob, Mom, Step Father, Brother, Patty and myself exchange gifts before I left for Charleston for the month. And let me tell you all, this year's Christmas was one of very motivational and weight loss friendly gifts. First off, I can't tell you how great it was to receive clothes that actually fit me and weren't hanging off my body. I have not gone clothes shopping since the start of my mission. I love being able to put an XL T-Shirt on and not have to worry about it being way to tight. Patty and I also received a Weight Watcher's cook book that goes through, step by step, on how to prepare great tasting meals in 20 minutes or less! And the big gift that Patty and I received from my Mom and Step Father, was a new set of cooking pots and pans!! I can't wait to taste the meals that Patty makes with our new cooking set.

I can't explain how much it means to me that we were able to celebrate some sort of holiday before I left for the month. Everything that I received tonight, will help me to continue to move forward with my mission. And I am still going to celebrate Christmas with my Father and Step Mother when I get home as well as Patty's family. I hope you all have a great rest of the night and I will talk to you tomorrow.

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 35 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's Points System)

Breakfast - Egg whites on a whole wheat bagel with a slice of american cheese = Points 9
Snacks During the Day - 2 pears, (3) 100 calorie snack packs, and 1 Weight Watcher's ice cream cup = Points 10
Lunch / Dinner - 4 Slices of ham, 1 serving of sweet potatoes and apples, 2 reduced fat crescent rolls, broccoli, and 1 serving of scallop potatoes = Estimated Points 21

Total Points Eaten Today = 40 Points (5 points over my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I ran for 35 mins on the treadmill. Tomorrow I will attempt to wake up for morning basketball and I will then execute my weight lifting routine.

Day #181 - Weigh-In = 226.2 lbs

Day #181 Weigh-In

Day #181 Front Shot