Weigh-In Week 10

Greetings from chilly Duluth. After two months of hot, hot, hot and heavy humidity, the chilly weather up here is a blessing. As are these pictures!




242.4! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 3 lbs. exactly.

This was another surprising week for me. My guess would have been around 1.4 lbs. Honestly, I thought ya all were crazy with those high guesses. Looks like you know me better than I know myself.

In even bigger and better news... or maybe I should say smaller and svelter news, my Lovely Wife lost 5.5 lbs. this week. If there was a Weight Watchers meeting any where in the Northland that met on Friday mornings she would have blown past her ten percent. Now she'll have to wait until next week to win her accolades and collect her precious key chain. Way to go sweetie, I am very proud of you!

Our big winner this week was Em! Congratulations Em. Em is a fellow blogger and kindred spirit on her own healthy lifestyle journey and doing very well! She lost 1.2 lbs this week! Double congrats Em.

For being such a good guesser and such a big loser I'll be sending you a little something to help on your journey, a copy of this months Cooking Light magazine, with lots of delicious semi-low calorie recipes for you and your husband to enjoy.

Have a great weekend everybody. I think we are headed to the zoo today to enjoy the nice fall weather.

Tony
8/17: 242.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
22.4 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 10

This was a transition week for me. I eased back into my afternoon walk/run workout and settled into my every other day strength workout.

Here is how my non-cardio workouts are shaping up.

Daily:
15 -20 Push-ups
40 Crunches

Every Other Day:
15 Squats
30 Calf Rasies
20-30 Lunges
2 Sets Chest Press with 25 lbs. Dumbbells
1 Set Flys with 25 Lbs. Dumbbells
2 Sets Bicep Curls with 25 lbs. Dumbbells
1 Set Upright Rows with 10 lbs. Dumbbells
1 set Lateral Rasies with 10 lbs. Dumbbells

Once again I have no clue how this week will turn out. I ate less than I did last week and worked out more, but I can't imagine having two big losses two weeks in a row.

My Lovely Wife and I are taking the girls to Duluth tonight. I 'll try to remember to bring my weights along but who knows if I'll find the time to use them. I will for sure bring my running shoes and use those though.

I have one more trip to see Doctor D today so no workout and we will probably eat on the road tonight. We will try and keep it healthy but it is road food. All things to factor into your guess.

The scale is already packed in the car, so I will be sure to update with tomorrows weigh in.

Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.

To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.

I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.

Stats for the week of August 6th.
Walked / Ran: 7.9 miles

Calories Consumed: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have consumed aprox. 12166 calories.

Calories Burned: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have burned aprox. 27860 calories.

31% of my calories have come from fat.
11% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.

50% of my calories came from carbs.

19% of my calories came from protein.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
8/16: 245.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
25.4 lbs. to go

Pan Apple Chciken

I forgot to mention last night was a double recipe Wednesday. My lovely wife slaved away over the hot stove to make Pan Apple Chicken, and I do mean slaved. Pan Apple Chicken is a pain in the butt to make. I need to start reading these recipes a little more closely.

This recipe was so dangerous, my lovely wife injured herself not once, but twice. First when the apple corer got her finger and second when she accidentally got Jalapeño juice in her eye. And yet she carried on and finished with a flurry. That's why I love her.

It was worth the work though...especially since I didn't do any of it. My Lovely Wife did such a great job that I broke down and had two helpings.

Turns out Pan Apple Chicken isn't so much about the apple though. It's really more of a Mediterranean dish that gets most of it's flavor from the currents and peppers. Still very good... just not what I expected. And watch out for some of those apple slices, they can carry a real kick.

I highly recommend Pan Apple Chicken... but I suggest you save it for a Saturday night or pay my lovely wife to come over and cook it for you.

Tony
8/15: 245.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
25.4 lbs. to go

Recipe Wednesday

I made this last night. It's my mom's prize for winning last weeks contest. I haven't tasted it yet, but it sure is a messy recipe to make. Or I'm just a messy cook.

It's not the lightest dessert in the world, but it sure beats a real Peanut Butter pie when it comes to calories and fat.

By the way Nate, I haven't forgotten you. Your Flat Out will arrive eventually.


Frozen Peanut Butter Pie


Ingredients

1 2/3 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (about 8 1/2 cookie sheets)
7 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
2/3 cup reduced-fat crunchy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup (4 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) container frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
3 tablespoons finely chopped salted, dry-roasted peanuts
1/4 cup shaved milk chocolate (about 1 ounce)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

1. Combine crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and egg whites; toss with a fork until moist. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray and press crumbs into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate coated with cooking spray. Prick crust with a fork before baking. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Remove from oven; cool on a wire rack.

2. Combine milk and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly; transfer mixture to a bowl. Add peanut butter and vanilla, stirring with a whisk until combined. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

3. Place cream cheese in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add milk mixture, beating on low speed until combined. Fold in whipped topping; pour mixture into prepared pie crust. Filling may be thin after mixing but will harden in the freezer.

4. Freeze, uncovered, 8 hours or overnight or until hard. Sprinkle with peanuts and shaved chocolate. Transfer pie to refrigerator 30 minutes before slicing.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 259(30% from fat); FAT 8.7g (sat 1.9g,mono 3.8g,poly 2g); PROTEIN 9.4g; CHOLESTEROL 2mg; CALCIUM 136mg; SODIUM 249mg; FIBER 1.6g; IRON 0.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 35.5g

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light August 2007
Provided by Laura Antworth, Matthews, North Carolina

Lunch with Shaun White

For my afternoon workout today, I biked a few miles into downtown to meet up with my sister for a demo by Shaun White, Kevin Robinson and a few other Target sponsored X-games athletes. It was very cool to see these guys flying through the air in person.

As many of you know, I have been a huge fan of action sports for a long time. I always say the X-games are like my Super Bowl. So this was an amazing experience for me.

Maybe next summer, if I can really get myself in shape, I might have to try skating a half pipe. I'm sure my lovely wife is cringing at the thought!

Here are some pics from my afternoon adventure. Click on an image to see get the big picture.

Matt Hoffman


Kevin Robinson






Shaun White






Some Other Guy


Tony
8/14: 245.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
25.4 lbs. to go

Do You Think I'm Sexy?

I found this in my Men's Health Magazine.

"A fat belly makes you a bigger man - and less of a man, says a new study in the Journal Of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. When researchers studied 584 men for almost 20 years they found that a 4-point increase in body mass index accelerates your natural decline in testosterone by 10 years. This corresponds to a gain of 30 lbs. for a 5'10 man. "
-Men's Health August 2007, pg. 50

I am 5'11' and still 60lbs. overweight. Which means I have the testosterone of a 55 year old man. Add the extra 40 lbs. I was carrying in January and I had the testosterone of a 70 Year old man.

Hmmmm, I wonder if you get the testosterone back as you lose the weight or if it is gone for ever like youth and innocence and my copy of the first Wallflowers CD that mysteriously disappeared. The one before the band sold out and became crappy.


According to Wikipedia,
"Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. It is the principal male sex hormone and an anabolic steroid. Testosterone plays key roles in health and well-being. Examples include enhanced libido, energy, immune function, and protection against osteoporosis."

Tony
8/14: 245.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
25.4 lbs. to go

A-OK!

Dr. D gave me the all clear on Friday. My leg is looking good so I can get back to working out. I went out on Saturday for a slow walk and a short run. It felt good on Saturday but I was feeling it on Sunday. I skipped Sunday and went to the pool instead. Does floating along the lazy river at the local pool count as exercise? Isn't that how they train race horses?

Yes this was the pool that helped start this whole "baring my soul and losing weight" thing. The original site of my flash forward to being a fat embarrassment to my teenage daughters.

I'd like to say it was a triumphant return, but I think triumphant might be a little strong. While I was much less self conscious about hanging at the pool, I was still one of, if not the heaviest guy there.

Here is the difference this time around. I am very proud of what I have accomplished so far so I looked around at all the other people and saw it as just more motivation to keep up the good work.

My wonderful Mother-In-Law was in town this weekend, and she was kind enough to babysit on Saturday night so My Lovely wife and I could have a date night night. The first one in many months. We saw the Movie Stardust. Both My Lovely Wife and I are huge fans of Neil Gamien fans and had read the book the movie is based on a while ago.

The movie does not disappoint. As my lovely wife said on the way home, this could be the Princess Bride of this generation. Personally, I think it is much better than Princess Bride. Except....If you go, leave immediately after the movie is over. Do not stay for the credits!!!!

The song they play over the end credits is the worst love theme form any movie since the power trio of Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting took cheesy movie love songs to new heights with All For Love

It is so disassociated from the tone of the movie that you will think they accidentally spliced the wrong ending on. Honestly it could potentially ruin the movie for you. So get out of your seat, cover your ears and flee as fast as you can as soon as the end credits start to roll.

Tony
8/13: 245.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
25.4 lbs. to go