The Wheel in the Sky Keeps on Turning...

Although I do know where I'll be tomorrow I also know that life has become extremely busy over the last few weeks. Rather than be a slave to the blog every day I am going to post a few times a week and work on my recipe website a bit more.

So the way I am going to keep my progress completely up to date is to make one of my weekly updates my weigh in and to share what I am eating by linking to the tool I am using. The tool is FatSecret.com which I have mentioned before and here is my page with all of my stats on it. There is a link to my diet calendar which shows exactly what I am eating with all of the nutritional info. I enter all my data daily (except sometimes during the weekend) but it will give you a perfect understanding of what I am eating.

Let me say again this diet (which I am starting to not think of as a diet) is transformative. Every diet I have attempted before this was about sacrifice and hunger vs. cravings and desire which is why I was bound to fail as a lazy human. This new way of thinking leaves me satisfied, fulfilled and happy with my choices, it is forgiving (unlike Atkins which is you fall of the train you have to start induction all over again to get that fat burning engine fired up) and most of all it has variety and flexibility. Without those last two I would be sure to succumb to my food cravings, now I can succumb to a food craving (popcorn at the movies) I just make sure I have a healthier version to back it up (SmartFood or Orville Redenbacher's new ready to eat flavored popcorn's or fruit instead of cake, pie or candy). Since I know that I have choices, I can always choose the smart path.

So here is my weigh in for the week. 406lbs. I am getting excited, if I keep on going at this pace by my next weigh in I could be under 400 lbs (gotta be careful it is a four day weekend for me) and I haven't been under 400 lbs in 3 years.

I am a gadget and tool nut, I think for every problem there is a tool or gadget to solve it and I have found the tools for losing weight sensibly and easily. Let me share them with you here"

• The Full Plate Diet: This is a not for profit group that has no agenda other than to see you healthy. The book is free at their site, they have a blog, doctors and nutrition folks backing it up. The science seems sound and the seed they plant with their plan is a simple one to adapt to your life and likes.
• FatSecret.com: This is my tool site, diet calendar, weigh in, forums, exercise log, journal, buddy lists and a food nutritional database to rival them all. I can literally look up any restaurant, food item or brand maker and get the nutritional details I need to make smart choices. They also have an app that synchronizes with the site so I can look things up while out and keep track of my activity everywhere I go.
• EatingWell.com: A good resource to find recipe ideas, I just scale them back to feed one or two.
• Google. I don't even need to link we all know it's there. I have been using Google to research the food I eat, compare nutritional info find places with recipes and more. Use it. Always.

So the wheel may keep on turning but with my tools and faith I know where I will be tomorrow.

New foods I have discovered and tested.

Pita Pal Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Fujisan Edamame Salad. I had both of these with diced cucumber in a La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Multigrain wrap for lunch 336 Calories and 18g of Fiber yum.

Enjoy.

Weekends are for...

...doing things. It's that simple, I'm trying to change the image I have of myself these last few years it's a "Buddha sitting on a throne image" with me camping the living room big, comfy chair, plugged into my computer. calling for my kids to bring me things. Being the "king" of the house is a comfy gig, to comfy in fact, which has resulted in my gut making me look like a ginormous pear.

So from now on I am going to do for myself, want water? Get it myself. Need the phone, get off my ass and get it myself. I am no longer to surround myself with my technology making it an exercise in earth moving to detach from my throne.

I'm not stupid enough to say I won't set up in the living room when I want to play or surf, I'm just saying I am going to limit that time, do for myself and get up and get moving.

I got out this weekend with the kids (wife works on Saturdays, for now at least) went and saw Batman:Dark Knight Rises which was awesome and oddly motivating. This movies foundations (if not the actual script) are based on one of my favorite Batman story arcs, The breaking of the Bat, where he meets something for the first time that is unbeatable. This immovable force is called Bane (nice use of a metaphor isn't it) who proceeds to undo everything Batman and Bruce Wayne have worked/lived for and eventually breaks his back and leaves him for dead.

That is the first half of the story, the second half is the renewal, healing of Bruce's body, mind and soul and his eventually return to Gotham city and the defeat of Bane.

After the movie I went home and spent some time chewing on the basic truths contained in the story. I compared the parallel anchors in the story of drive, self worth, desire and dedication. What is so different about my story I pondered. My "bane" was myself, created out of a low self worth, very little drive and little desire to really change. I am my own worst enemy.

Today is week three, my hump week so to speak, the hardest week for me whenever I try something new. By this time the newness has faded, I have either found my rhythm or discovered the rut (always my excuse to give up, I mean who wants to be in a rut). Hump week for me is normally where I quit things, typically because it requires to much work, actually any work, I told you I'm lazy.

Getting healthy again is a ton of work. I have to plan, prep and execute. There is no one else. It's all me, all the time. Actually that isn't fair. My wife executes the shopping aspect picking up the items I've added to the list. I found myself looking for ways to quick prep, and had to stop myself. No shortcuts, no easy path, that is what I said. Shortcuts are the devil Bobby Bouche...

So I planned out slightly more complex menu items, focusing on flavor and left overs that I can turn into lunches (of so a small shortcut, but a healthy one). Let me say, polenta is a pain in the butt to make, 20 to 30 minutes stirring a pot are they crazy? But it sure goes great with a bunch of veggies and is very satisfying.

Menu:

Breakfast - Kashi GoLean, 1/2 cup 2% milk and 1 small banana Calories = 345 and Fiber =8g

Snack - TFPD Zesty Bean Dip and Chips (see earlier posts for link) Calories =210 and Fiber =4g

Lunch - Zesty Bean and Veggie Tostada. 1 LaTortilla Factory Multi grain wrap, 1/2 cup of the TFDP Zesty Bean mix, 1 cup of romaine, 1 cup of spinach, 1/8 cup jalapenos and 1/8 cup diced red onion and an apple Calories =420 and Fiber = 19g

Snack = Pink Lady Apple Calories =130 and Fiber = 5g

Dinner = TFPD Spicy Vegetable Soup and Polenta Calories = 323 and Fiber = 11g

Total:
Calories = 1428
Fiber = 47g

Slow and steady wins the race.

I think we have all heard the old fable of the Tortoise and the Hare or at least seen a cartoon or two :) .  What I always took away from the story as a child was to not let my pride (arrogance) in some ability cause me to fail. As I've grown older I view the story differently laziness never pays off, hard work and persistence will.

As I've said before I didn't gain all this weight because I worked hard, I choose the easy path, shortcut diets, or no path at all just ignoring it hoping it would go away. I sat on my butt when I should have been moving.

So I took a look at my progress last night (stepped on a scale) and seriously crunched the numbers trying to figure out, at this pace, how long it would take me to shed the weight. The answer? two and a half years give or take a few months. Granted that is assuming nothing in my routine changes, no additional exercise, just shedding about 2-3 pounds a week.

Ugh. The hare in me says, "come on there has to be a better way", while the tortoise (who seems to be speaking louder recently) reminds me, "nothing in this world is free". Sigh.

Yes I know that the less weight I have the easier it will be to start including consistent exercise beyond the parking further out in the lot at work, walking a lap around my floor every hour I am at work, standing when I can rather than sitting. Because even though I am doing these things they all involve pain now (aah the devils in the details isn't he) I do a single lap because after that my back is in agony.

So what should I do from here? This weekend I am going to start doing yoga (as best I can) or Pilate's with the goal of being able to partake in the Steps That Count event we do each year at work. We just wrapped up this years event so I have one year to work on my core (with yoga/Pilate's) to get the muscles in shape to support my back and making walking less painful.

Like I said slow and easy...

I keep posting my menu and I guess I'll share why. Making my menu public means I am committed to it, my friends and family can see my menu and see if that's what I'm eating. A little accountability goes a long way :)

Menu

Breakfast - Ah Kashi GoLean you make my morning infinitely easier. Kashi GoLean 1 cup, 1/2 cup 2% milk, 1 small banana sliced. Calories 345, Fiber 8g

Snack - TFPD Zesty Bean Dip and Chips Calories 210, Fiber 4g

Lunch - TFPD Pizza Wrap Bento Box modified no chocolate wafer cookies, creamy dip or watermelon. Calories 313, Fiber 19g

Snack - 1 med pear. Calories 100, Fiber 4g

Dinner - TFPD Szechuan Tofu & Green Bean Stir-Fry modified as I also added a cup of asparagus for additional flavor. Calories 245, Fiber 8g

Staying up late snack (if I am hungry) - Custom Cocktail (low salt) peanut and raisin mix 1/8 cup of each. Calories 150, Fiber 2g

Total Calories 1363
Total Fiber 45

Fiber, Fiber, Fiber, Fiber (ugh, you get the idea)

Get some fiber in your diet, sounds easy right? The daily recommended allowance currently being touted is about 30 grams. When i started the diet I thought "this is going to be easy, I eat all kinds of things with fiber in them."

Actually, no I didn't.

No matter how I crunched the numbers my daily was about 9 grams, 12 grams on a good day. So I began the task of punching up my fiber, looking at labels and adding it all up. My diet wanted me to shoot for 40 grams eventually.

40 grams!?! Where am I going to find that? Couch stuffing? I really didn't want to resort to Metamucil as I'm not a big fan of drinking water with sediment in it and I am trying to avoid sweetened drinks.

 I am now, on average, getting about 45 grams a day and the diet wants me to shoot for 40 and I am finding it easier to do than I thought. At points you will notice I am buying Oroweat Double Fiber bread and muffins and LaTortilla factory multi grain high fiber wraps, I could just go with good multi grain versions for a slight reduction on the fiber (and I may) but for now this is how I am doing it.

I am planning my menu pretty well now so instead of tracking just calories I'll be adding the fiber grams in as well.

Menu:

Breakfast - 1 cup Kaski GoLean, 1/2 cup 2% milk, 1 cup mixed berries = 345 calories and 8 grams fiber

Snack - TFD Zesty Bean Dip and Chips Calories 199 and 4 grams fiber

Lunch - Southwest Wrap 1 LaTortilla Factory Multi grain wrap, 1/4 cup no fat refried beans, 1/4 cup corn, 1/4 cup red onion (chopped), 1/8 cup diced Jalapenos, 1tbs Salsa, 1 cup brown rice, Calories 370 and fiber 18 grams.

Snack - Pink Lady Apple Calories = 130 and fiber = 5

Dinner - Summer Sandwich one more night. 2 slices Oroweat Double Fiber bread, 1/2 a med avocado smashed, 1/2 med Roma tomato diced, 1/2 cup spinach, 1 cup romaine, 1 serving of Oscar Mayer Deli slice honey ham (this really works to put a little non veg in the day low cal, low fat and the price is reasonable, I think I'll go with the Natural cuts next week to be a little healthier) 1tbs Dijon mustard calories = 382 and fiber = 22

Total Calories for the day = 1426
Total Fiber in grams = 57

I am never hungry, I am full of energy and I feel better than I have on any other regimen ever. I would say this is a win for the Full Plate Diet.