Day #232 - Getting Back to the Basics

Yesterday (Monday, Jan 17, 2011) was a day of getting back to the basics of this mission. Those basics would be: eating healthy and exercise. Isn't it amazing that when you break it down like that, there are basically two main things you have to concentrate on while trying to get rid of that unwanted fat. Of course there are many other things that come into play and every one's body and mental approach can be different. But it can be as simple as eating healthy and exercising every day.

I had a great eating day yesterday and I was able to spread out my meals perfectly. I was not overly hungry at any time during the day and I ate my last meal right around 9pm. Which meant that I did not go to bed with a full stomach. The exercise portion of yesterday actually kicked my butt. I played basketball for 2 1/2 hours last night. And it wasn't like I played a game, sat down, and played another game 20 minutes later. My team actually ended up playing 6 games last night because we kept on winning. When you win, you stay on the court. I don't think I have ever played so much basketball in one night. I actually went home sore as hell. I had no problem getting to sleep last night either. I would say that yesterday was a great day for getting back to my routine.

The wedding is right around the corner and I am not about to slow down any time soon. I realize that the last month and a half was hard but I managed to survive. I ended up losing 20 lbs in the month of December and I think that is a pretty amazing accomplishment. Especially since I was not home and did not have access to a gym everyday. Anyway, today is here and I have a lot to do but I will talk to you all again tonight. Have a great productive day!

With that being said, let's get to the details of yesterday (Monday, Jan 17, 2011):

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 45 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's PointsPlus program)

Breakfast - Egg whites with a slice of american cheese on a multigrain roll = Points 8
Snacks - (1) 100 cal pretzel pack, 1/2 a serving of whole wheat wheat thins, and a pair = Points 4
Early Afternoon - (1) 6" double turkey sub on whole wheat bread with a slice of american cheese, pickles, and a serving of sun chips = Points 15
Late Afternoon - (1) 6" double turkey sub on whole wheat bread with a slice of american cheese, pickles, and a pear = Points 11
Dinner - 1 serving of homemade Chicken Pot Pie (Weight Watcher's Recipe) = Points 8

Total Points Eaten Yesterday = 46 points (1 point over my daily limit)

Exercise

Last night I played basketball for 2 1/2 hours. Tonight I will be executing my weight lifting routine.

Day #232 - Weigh-In = 204.4 lbs

Day #232 Weigh-In

Day #232 Front Shot

Day #230 (Saturday, Jan 15, 2011) & #231 (Sunday, Jan 16, 2011) - The Laziness Stops Now!

I would like to start off this post by saying that I am very sorry for not being as quick with my posts the last two weeks. It seems like I have been playing catch up with my life, ever since I got back home from Charleston. I have been doubling up on posts and I have not been as consistent with my workout routines as I would like to be. Thank goodness I am forcing myself to stay on track with my eating. But there are no excuses and I know I have to pick my game back up with regards to the mission. I have come too far to become lazy with this mission. You all have been so supportive and motivating, that I can't let this slip away. I have been working hard for the last 7 1/2 months and I am currently 97.6 lbs lost since Day #1. And it is now time to push forward to that goal date of Friday, August 26, 2011 because I am determined to be the healthiest I have ever been. I owe it to my family, I owe it to my friends, I owe it to Patty, I owe it to all of you who have been by my side since the start of this mission, and I owe it to myself. So let's go Heavy Man, the time to shine is now.

This weekend was great, hanging out with Patty's family. And now that the holidays are over and we have successfully seen everyone in both our families, it is time to get back to business. My current two goals of reaching 202 lbs and breaking through the 200 lbs wall still stand. I want to reach that first goal by Monday of next week and the second goal by the beginning of February.

It is time for me to get back to work but before I sign off for this morning, I am going to leave you with the update photos for Saturday and Sunday of this weekend. I hope everyone has a great day and I will talk to you all again tonight.

Day #230 Weigh-In

Day #230 Front Shot

Day #231 Weigh-In

Day #231 Front Shot

With that being said, let's get to the details of yesterday (Sunday, Jan 16, 2011):

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 45 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's PointsPlus program)

Breakfast - 2 homemade banana crepes = Points 10
Snacks During the Day - 3 apples and 2 granola bars = Points 5
Lunch - (1) 6" double turkey sub on whole wheat bread with 2 slices of american cheese, pickles, and a serving of sun chips = Points 15
Dinner - 1 roast beef and provolone cheese sandwich on a long white roll = Points 15

Total Points Eaten Today = 45 Points

Exercise

I did not workout yesterday (Sunday) or on Saturday. Laziness is not acceptable anymore. I will be playing basketball tonight and I will be getting back to my weight lifting routine tomorrow.

Day #231 - Weigh-In = 204.6 lbs

Day #228 & #229 - The Heavy Man is Back on the Road

Yep, I am back on the road but this time it is for personal business and not work related. Yesterday was a busy day at work and I made sure to get everything done that I needed to because I wanted to focus this weekend on what Patty and I had to do personally. Which is why I took a vacation day today to head down to Delaware early with Patty. We still have not had the chance to see her side of the family for Christmas and that is why we will be down in Delaware until Sunday. And I plan on doing nothing work related the until Monday.

Like I mentioned above, yesterday was a very productive day at work but nothing else happened at all. I even convinced myself to take a day off from the gym to rest a little because I have been going none stop since I got back from Charleston. And we all know that the body needs to rest once in a while, in order to keep on going strong. I am however, having trouble getting to that 100 lbs lost mark. I got down to 203 lbs but I am now back up in the 206 lbs range. I know I had a good weight loss streak going down in Charleston but I think a lot of that was stress related. And now that I am home, my body seems to be getting back to normal and I think that is why my weight is fluctuating the way it is. I have been able to lift weights a lot more now and that might be coming into play as well, with the weight fluctuation. I am not complaining and I know I will lose the weight again very quickly. I just wanted to share what I have been observing for the last couple of days.

Anyway, I am in Delaware with Patty and we have a full day ahead of us tomorrow, with all of her family coming over for a big holiday dinner. I am going to leave you all tonight with my update photos from today and yesterday. Until tomorrow my friends, have a great night!!

Day #228 Weigh-In

Day #228 Front Shot

Day #229 Weigh-In

Day #229 Front Shot

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 45 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's PointsPlus program)

Breakfast - Egg whites on a whole wheat bagel with a slice of american cheese = Points 11
Snacks - 2 apples = Points 0
Lunch - 1 1/2 servings of homemade Chicken Parm and 1 1/2 servings of whole wheat pasta (Weight Watcher's recipe) = Points 14
Dinner - Foot long double turkey sub on whole wheat bread with 2 slices of provolone cheese and apple slices (Subway) = Points 20

Total Points Eaten Today = 45 Points

Exercise

Today I executed my weight lifting routine: Cable Chest Press, Lat Pull Down, and Leg Extensions (4 sets of each x 15 reps), Push Ups on Stability Ball, Upright Cable Rows on Half Ball, and Alternating Biceps Curls ( 4 sets of each x 15 reps each), Cable Row, Side Dumbbell Raises, and Leg Press (4 sets of each x 15 reps each), and Planks, Triceps Push Downs, and Side Bends (4 sets of each x 15 reps each). Tomorrow I will be doing cardio.

Day #228 - Weigh-In = 206.4 lbs

Day #227 - A Night Out With Friends

Last night (Wednesday, Jan 12, 2011) was a much needed night out with good friends that I haven't seen in a while. This group of friends has been together since my senior year of college, which would be about 6 years now. And it can get hard some times trying to get together like we used to do, back in the day. Everyone is off doing their thing with jobs, marriages, having babies, etc...... And it is important to us all that we take time, every once in a while, to see each other. I think it helps to break up my normal routine of work, working out, and sleeping. Anyway, last night was awesome.

I knew when the plans were first made, that we were in for a night full of laughs, stories, and great food. So I was expecting the worst in the food category and made sure to workout before we went out for the night. I also have not had a cheat meal for a while now. So last night, I gave myself the night off. And let me tell you, it was worth the stomach ache and I was fully aware that the scale was going to be up a little in the morning. But that is life and I have to be able to let myself have some fun every once and a while. I will lose that weight no time anyway.

Well, it is work time and I have a ton to get done today. I will talk to you all tonight about all the adventures I had today (Thursday. Jan 13, 2011). Until tonight 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 - 45 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's PointsPlus program)

* I went out to dinner with my friends last night and had a cheat meal for the first time in a few weeks. I will be right back to track with the mission today.

Breakfast - Egg whites on an egg bagel with a slice of american cheese
Snacks - 2 apples
Early Afternoon - London Broil and Baked Mac & Cheese (Weight Watcher's Recipe)
Late Afternoon - 1 Weight Watcher's personal pizza
Dinner - Shared an appetizer sampler with 6 other people and had Ribs and fries for the main course
Dessert - Cookie Sundae

Exercise

I ran for 30 mins on the treadmill last night. Tonight I will be executing my weight lifting routine.

Day #227 - Weigh-In = 204.0 lbs

Day #227 Weigh-In

Day #227 Front Shot

Day #226 - Getting Ready For More Snow

The good news is that I seem to be back on track with losing weight at a nice healthy pace. The bad news is that I am stuck in a blizzard that I heard is projected to give us just about a foot of snow and possibly more. This means that my car is going to be snowed in tomorrow morning. Patty and I live in an apartment building that does not have a parking lot. So we have to park a block away in a public lot every night. And this public lot gets plowed every time there is a big snow storm, so people can get into the food store. When it gets plowed, it usually means that our cars get buried under a ton of snow and it literally takes forever to dig it out. And if this storm goes for a while, then that means Patty and I will be stuck. Thank goodness we still have food left over from our shopping trip last week. But this does mean that it will be hard to make it to the gym tomorrow. Maybe I will run up and down the stairs (3 levels) in the hallway tomorrow for a half an hour. I can get creative sometimes when I need to be.

Today at work was very productive. I turned on my music, shut my office door, and got down to business. The office can get a little hectic sometimes when everybody is in. So I have to do my best to drown everyone out if I have a lot to do. My boss was happy with the results I was able to get today, which made me happy that my hard work paid off, at least for today. The great thing about my job is that everything I need, can be accessed online. So if I do get snowed in tomorrow, I will be able to work from home as if I was in the office.

Well, it is almost time for bed and another day is just about in the books. I hope I am able to figure something out tomorrow, pertaining to working out, if I do get snowed in. Feel free to share any suggestions you might have. 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 - 45 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's PointsPlus program)

Breakfast - 1 egg and 1 egg white on a Weight Watcher's whole wheat roll = Points 5
Snacks During the Day - 1 apple, 1 serving of pretzel sticks, and (1) 100 cal cookie pack = Points 6
Early Afternoon - Boca veggie burger on a Weight Watcher's whole wheat roll with a slice of Weight Watcher's american cheese and a serving of baked chips = Points 10
Late Afternoon - Boca veggie burger on a Weight Watcher's whole wheat roll with a slice of Weight Watcher's american cheese and a serving of baked chips = Points 10
Dinner - London broil and Baked Mac & Cheese (Weight Watcher's recipe) = Points 12
Dessert - 1 Weight Watcher's ice cream cup = Points 4

Total Points Eaten Today = 47 points (2 point over my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I executed my weight lifting routine: Cable Chest Press, Lat Pull Down, Alternating Single Leg Extensions (4 sets of each x 15 reps each), Push Ups w/ Stability Ball, Cable Upright Rows w/ Half Ball, and Alternating Single Arm Curls (4 sets of each x 15 reps each), Bent Over Cable Rows, Side Raises, and Leg Press (4 sets of each x 15 reps each), and Planks, Triceps Push Downs, and Side Dumbbell Bends (4 sets of each x 15 reps each). Tomorrow I will be doing cardio.

Day #226 - Weigh-In = 203.2 lbs

Day #226 Weigh-In

Day #226 Front Shot

Day #225 - Another Monday

Every Monday signifies the start of a new week. In my eyes, it is the day when all of the goals and objectives are set for the up coming week. I also know that from Monday to Monday, is the time period when I aim to lose my 2-3 lbs of fat for the week. Monday is also the day I started this mission, over 7 months ago. And taking all this into account, every Monday is when I record my most up to date weigh-in on the Weight Watcher's website. By recording my weight every Monday with Weight Watcher's, I am able to see how much I have lost for the week as well as how close I am to reaching my goals. Weight Watcher's also calculates my daily points every time I move into the next level of weight loss.

However, I have not recorded my weight, with Weight Watcher's, since the first day I was down in Charleston, SC. Which means I have gone over a month without knowing if my daily points limit was the same or if it had to be adjusted. And yesterday, I finally realized that I had gone that long without doing so. And you will never guess what happened with my new points calculation. Right after I recorded my weight online, my daily points limit dropped 4 points. This means that I have been eating at least 4 points over my limit now for a while. And this might be part of the reason why I was stuck at 208lbs for a while as well.

Regardless, it is what it is and it is time to move forward. I made sure, yesterday, to stick to my new points limit and to workout hard, just like I always do. Anyway, it is time for me to do some work and I will be back tonight my friends, to fill you in on the details for today.

With that being said, let's get to the details of yesterday (Monday, Jan 10, 2011):

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 45 Points) *My new daily points limit is 45 points.
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's PointsPlus program)

Breakfast - Sesame Bagel with 1 egg and 1 egg white = Points 10
Snacks During the Day - 1 apple, (1) 100 cal pretzel pack, and (1) 100 cal cookie pack = Points 6
Early Afternoon - 1 serving of homemade Two Cheese Veg Lasagna (Weight Watcher's Recipe) = Points 7
Late Afternoon - 1 serving of homemade Two Cheese Veg Lasagna (Weight Watcher's Recipe) = Points 7
Dinner - 1 serving of Crusty Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes (Weight Watcher's Recipe) = Points 10
Dessert - 1 Weight Watcher's ice cream cup = Points 4

Total Points Eaten Yesterday (Monday) = 44 Points (1 point under my daily limit)

Exercise

I played basketball for 2 hours last night (Monday). Today I will be executing my weight lifting routine.



Day #225 Weigh-In

Day #225 - Weigh-In = 204.2 lbs 

Day #225 Front Shot

Day #224 - It is Great To Be Home

Today was another relaxing day spent at home. Of course playoff football was on today but I wanted to make sure that I spent time with family that I didn't get a chance to see for the holidays. That family would be my father and step mother. It was great seeing them not only because of the holidays but because I haven't seen them in a while. Which means they haven't seen the new and improved 96 lbs lighter me. And the reaction was exactly what I had hoped for. My father had a gigantic smile on his face when he walked through the door. He couldn't believe how different I looked and he was happy that I have been working hard to make myself healthy. He also said that it was time for him to get back into shape as well and he is currently on Day #9 of exercising and eating better!! I think that is awesome!!

Today was also the second day in a row that I woke in the morning to exercise. I was up and ready to go by 7:30am to play basketball, at the gym in my town. I used to play with these guys all the time, a few years back, when I was in college. I want to make it a goal to do so every Sunday morning. I like being able to get up and exercise in the morning on the weekends. I would do so during the week but my work schedule is so hectic sometimes and I love going to the gym after work to wind down and release all of the stresses of the day. Regardless, it felt great getting my workout in early this weekend because I was able to focus on everything else I had to get done the rest of the day.

It seems that I am back into full swing with both my workout and eating routines. I have also been able to catch up on some much needed sleep and as a result it is making me feel more energetic during the day. I know I have said it a few times this week but I am so happy to be back home and back to normal life. 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 - 49 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's PointsPlus program)

Breakfast - 1/2 serving of homemade Beef and Vegetable Cheese Casserole (Weight Watcher's Recipe) = Points 3
Snacks During the Day - (1) 100 cal pretzel pack, 2 apples, 1 serving of pretzel sticks, and 1 Weight Watcher's ice cream cone = Points 10
Early Afternoon - Whole wheat bagel with 1 egg white and 1 egg = Points 9
Mid Afternoon - Bagel with 2 slices of Weight Watcher's american cheese and a serving of baked chips = Points 13
Late Afternoon - Grilled cheese sandwich with a serving of baked chips and a Weight Watcher's ice cream cone = Points 10
Dinner - 1 serving of homemade Two Cheese Vegetable Lasagna (Weight Watcher's Recipe) = Points 7

Total Points Eaten Today = 52 Points (3 points over my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I played basketball for an hour & a half. Tomorrow I will be doing cardio.

Day #224 - Weigh-In = 206.2 lbs

Day #224 Weigh-In

Day #224 Front Shot