"Diet Foods" I'm Digging - Recipe Wensday

On Sunday, after buying my new "Butt Hugger Jeans", my lovely wife and I took the girls to the '50's Grill for lunch. The '50's Grill is everything the name implies. Waitresses in poodle skirts and bobby socks, a juke box at the front door, huge burgers and amazing malts.

I was feeling good after having dropped another pant size and was planing on treating myself to a big juicy burger and a heaping plate of '5o's fries. Then I noticed a Bison Burger on the menu. I have no clue what compelled me to order it.

Maybe it was a subconscious sense of guilt for having already ordered a big 'ol butterscotch malt or maybe it was my tummy rebelling against all that fat and grease. Whatever the reason I ordered the Bison Burger with Barbecue Sauce and loved it!

I think Bison meat may just replace Turkey Burgers on my list of healthier substitutes.

It got me thinking about some of the other "Diet Foods" that I have been enjoying lately. So I decided to replace Recipe Wensday with a run down of some of my favorite healthier alternatives.

I know that not all these foods would be considered healthy... but trust me the foods I would be eating instead are way worse than anything on this list. Best of all, most of the things on this list taste as good or better than the things they are replacing.

1. Klondike Slim a Bear 100 Calorie Bar
Like many of the things on this list, my lovely wife deserves all the credit for discovering these yummy little treats!



2. Weight Watchers GIANT Chocolate Cookies & Cream Bar:
These babies taste just as good as any Ice Cream bar you'll find. And they are filling and oh so satisfying. These and the Slim a Bear have easily replaced the giant cereal bowl full of ice cream that I would eat nearly every night before bed.


3. Weight Watchers Snack Cakes
I was amazed at how moist and full of flavor these little snack cakes are. They are small, but they are a great way to curb a chocolate craving.




4. Flat Out Bread:
This has become a staple at our house. Flat Out Pizzas, Flat Out Buffalo Chicken Wraps, Flat Out Quesadillas. You name it, it can be made from Flat Out!









5. Natural Cheeto's:
These aren't really a low calorie alternative, but they are lighter than the full fat potato chips and they have a great flavor that I have come to love.











6.Edy's Loaded Frozen Dairy Dessert:
I have not tried this yet and I have no clue how it can be considered a low calorie substitute but I can't wait to find out. According to Hungry Girl it deserves to be on this list.








7. Goldfish Crackers:
These are my go to snack. When I have a craving that fruit or gum just won't kill,I grab a handful of cheesy goodness and put my tummy at ease. 52 Fish to a serving means I feel like I am getting a substantial snack.


What are your favorite "diet foods". Leave a comment and let me know. I'm always looking for new things to substitute.

Tony
10/10: 228.6 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
8.6 lbs. to go

My 5k Plan or How I Learned To Run 5,000 Miles

Wait a minute. 5K doesn't stand for 5,000 miles. Well then I can do this thing no problem.

Yup I'm joining the ranks of the 5k hopefuls.

Seems like everybody is jumping on the Couch to 5k bandwagon lately, including me. It's easy to see why. For those of us on a healthy lifestyle journey, being able to run 3.1 miles is a symbol that we are doing more than just losing weight. For me it will be proof that I have truly changed my life around.

I decided a while ago that one of my goals was going to be to run a 5k with my dad someday. I didn't make it public because I wasn't sure how realistic of a goal it was. Once I finally brought the idea up to my Dad it turns out he had been thinking the same thing. He asked me to run the Maple Lake St. Patrick's Day race with him. Maple Lake is a small little town in Western Minnesota where my parents have their retirement home. It's a enclave of Irish pride!

As I have said before, my dad is kind of an exercise nut. For some reason it is not a gene that I inherited from him. Although, looking at it now, I am starting to realize just how much of our bonding moments growing up centered around some kind of physical activity. My Dad and I have always enjoyed doing things together like snow skiing, water skiing, softball. Things I am glad we can share again and the kind of things I hope to share with my daughters.


I have decide to finally announce my 5k plans because something major happened yesterday.

I ran a mile... for the first time in my life!

Even in high school when they made us run a mile I had to walk at least a quarter of the way.

This is a major break through for me. And gives me hope that I may actually be able to do this. I ran the mile yesterday in just under 9 minutes. And I managed to finish my 3 mile outing in 32 minutes. Almost 5 minutes off my previous best time. Now my goal is to continue building up my stamina until I can run the whole 3 miles.

Until yesterday, I had very little faith that I would be able to work up to a three mile run by March. Now I know it will be a challenge, but one that I have at least even odds of being able to accomplish.


I have been thinking lately about why I decided to try this. I am doing it because I want to share the bonding experience with my Dad. I am doing it because I want him to be proud of me. I know he already is proud of me, but I want to prove to him that I can do this. And I am doing it for myself. To prove to me that I can do this. Here's hoping I am right.

Tony
10/9: 228.6 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
8.6 lbs. to go

The Continuing Saga Of My Pants

My lovely wife and I finally made it back to Steve and Barry's to return the "Saggy Bottom" pants. After finding the one pair of jeans in the entire store that fit my body type, i.e. Jeans for people with no butt, it was determined that part of my problem came from wearing jeans that are too big.

My wife convinced me to try on a pair of 36 jeans. I was skeptical, but she was right. The 36's fit great. I should know better than to doubt my wife when it comes to clothing. She also convinced me that the pants I normally wear are too short. Turns out when you have no butt your pants tend to fall down around your hips a lot, which lead me years ago to start buying shorter pants. Now that I have pants that actually fit, I have moved from a 30 length to a 32.

It was a weekend full of change! The exciting thing is I have now officially dropped 5 pant sizes, from a 44 to a 36! That had me feeling pretty good....good enough that I allowed myself a butterscotch malt at the 50's Grill after our shopping outing. But we'll talk about that tomorrow.

Tony
10/8: 228.6 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
8.6 lbs. to go

p.s. In searching for a picture of a pile of pants, I discovered a new slang term!

ACCORDING TO THE BBC:
Pile Of Pants:
noun, slang, official term of rejection.
Relatively new non-swearing slang term, meaning a load of rubbish or, indeed, knickers. Pants in this sense (NB not trousers as in the US; in the UK pants means underwear) only became slang in the 1990s (according to slang lexicographer Jonathon Green). Became official term of rejection even more recently. Popular with students and DJs.

Use it and pretend you are super hip!

What a week...

This was a rough week for me. After a couple weeks during which I felt like I had boundless energy, I just never felt like I could get on track. I couldn't be bothered to track what I was eating or plan my meals. There wasn't one day in which I remembered to bring a lunch. In addition, I just couldn't find the motivation to move my body. Ugh.

On a positive note...please cue the "Hallelujah Chorus"...I lost enough at my weigh-in to put me under 200 pounds for the first time in about 7 years! Hurray!

As a negative, I think the 0.8 pound difference was all in my outfit...that's right, no jeans today. I will take it as a loss (I know..."marathon, not a sprint"), but it doesn't have the same feeling of victory it would have had otherwise.

You know, I had an epiphany yesterday. I tend to lose focus every time I have a ridiculously small amount of weight to lose in order to reach a milestone. I've begun to believe that my subconscious mind and my body are in cahoots, and my subconscious is the ring leader.

SUBCONSCIOUS: Psst...Body...you there?

BODY: Hey, hey! What's the skinny?

SUBCONSCIOUS: Not so loud! She might hear us!

BODY: Sorry. What's up?

SUBCONSCIOUS: I've been thinking...it's only two-tenths of a pound...we could totally slack off this week and it probably wouldn't even make a difference.

BODY: Oh, thank God. I've been keeping my mouth shut, just waiting for someone else to say something. Who does she think she is, anyway?

SUBCONSCIOUS: I know! Plus, that hip-hop dance video made you look like an idiot.

BODY: Real nice...thanks.

SUBCONSCIOUS: Just calling 'em like I see 'em, B...just calling 'em like I see 'em.

They are mounting an insurrection and I need to gently remind them who is really in charge. I have another milestone within reach this week, so I am going to have to really work to combat those slacker urges. Wish me luck as I go back into battle!


Have a fantastic weekend!
Laura


09/28/2007: 200.2 pounds
10/05/2007: 199.4 pounds (a loss of 0.8 this week)
Total loss: 29.0 pounds
Mini-goal #1: 199.9 by 10/15/2007; ACHIEVED!
Mini-goal #2: 30 pounds lost by 10/15/2007; 1.0 pounds to go

Weigh-In Week 17

228.6! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 2.8 pounds! And week two of the new "Streak".

This one was probably the most unexpected loss so far. I did not get a lot of running in this week and I ate out or had a catered lunch nearly every other day. Guess this lends even more credence to the idea that my body has adjusted to my new diet .

Here are the things I am excited about:

I only have 8.6 pounds left to get to my first goal!

I am only .8 pounds away from losing 6o pounds!

I passed another "ten" milestone this week.

Being under 230 pounds for the first time since being a sophomore in college!

So yeah, I am excited!

Here is something else that I am excited about. The winner of the Guess How Much I Weigh Contest this week is My Lovely Wife. Way to go sweetie. You have always been my biggest supporter... or my shrinking supporter...or my own special biggest losser...well you know what I mean.

Sadly we didn't get 10 votes this week, but I think My Lovely Wife can expect a special prize tonight any way. "Wink, Wink. Nudge, Nudge"

That's what she said!

Wait a minute, I don't think I used that right.


Here's proof that I do indeed wear things other than white t-shirts and jeans. This is one of my new Steve and Barry's outfits. Pretty stylin' huh?

Have a great weekend everybody.

Tony
10/5: 228.6 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
8.6 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Conest - Week 17

Another busy week. Rain and a packed schedule kept me from working out as much as I would have liked this week. I did get a work out in every day, but instead of doubling up cardio and strength, like I normally would have, I alternated between cardio and strength every other day. Which means about half the miles this week on my walk/runs.

Once again I have no clue what to expect tomorrow, but it sure would be nice to get down under 230 and have less than 10 lbs. to my first goal weight.

I know I missed recipe Wednesday yesterday. Sorry. I'm just an in demand guy this week.

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. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. 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.

Since I didn't start tracking calories until Monday I only have three days of info for you. From Monday to Wednesday I ate 6696 Calories and burned 11184 Calories.

Sorry for the lack of stats. I have started tracking again. I am determined to keep it up so next week there should be a lot more info.

Good Luck!


Tony
10/4: 231.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
11.4 lbs. to go

p.s. Don't forget you can subscribe to the e-mail edition of Guess How Much I Weigh . Simply enter your e-mail address in the space to the right.

Onslaught - A Dove Film

As you know from my impassioned defense of Britney Spears' waistline a few weeks ago, I am a father who is deeply concerned about my girls and the relationship they well eventually have with their bodies. My lovely wife and I have both struggled for years with our weight and we are making every effort to overcome that struggle so we can be positive role models.

On the other end of that spectrum is societal pressure for young girls to be thin and to dress and act too sexy at way too young an age. My girls are not quite 2 years old, so hopefully I have some time before these become issues we have to face.

Regardless, this new ad from Dove really hit home.



As someone who works in the ad industry it would be very easy to take a cynical look at this ad... but as a father I applaud Dove for what they are trying to do. Especially if it helps start a dialog about unhealthy stereotypes.


The Real Beauty Campaign in general has taken a pretty honest approach at dealing with womens bodies. And it has done it in a non-glorified, non-self congratulatory way that I admire. It's like the United Colors of Benetton ads for female body image. I don't know if these ads are breaking through into the collective conscious, but it is a good start.



I am glad to see they are extending this campaign to reach out to parents . I really like the tag line: "Talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does." I encourage all you parents to take a few seconds to head over to The Campaign For Real Beauty site and check out some of the materials they have there for talking to your daughters about body image.

And Dad's don't shy away from this subject. This is not "woman's work". Your daughters look up to you and value your opinions. You can add a very valuable perspective to this dialog. Man up and do it.

Tony
10/2: 231.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
11.4 lbs. to go

p.s. I am fully aware that I am getting sucked into perpetuating a viral marketing campaign...just like Dove wants. But again, if it starts a positive dialog, I could care less about being someones shill.

Saggy Crotch Retraction

Turns out my lovely wife called it "saggy bottom" not "saggy crotch". She would never be so vulgar. I should have known better.

I have a confession to make. I did not return to calorie counting on Friday as I had previously promised. Truth is I have not counted calories in nearly two weeks. I will do my best to start today. I think I have been doing OK with out it, but it also seems like my calorie count might be creeping up a little bit without the checks and balances of knowing how much I am eating each day. As much of a bother as it is to keep track, I still think I need it.

If nothing else, starting to track calories again will be a reaffirmation of my commitment to my journey.

Tony
10/2: 231.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
11.4 lbs. to go

Baby Don't Got Back

I am back to owning only one pair of jeans!!!

I was proudly modeling my new $7.99 Steve and Barry's jeans for my lovely wife and her mother this weekend when it was determined they were all wrong for me. Apparently I have no butt. Even when I was at my heaviest I had no butt. It's my curse.

Since I have nothing to fill out the back end of my jeans I end up with what my wife so tactfully calls "saggy crotch". All the material that is supposed to contain my ample backside, instead sags down between my legs. If I were a 12 year old hip hop kid or one half of the dynamic duo known as Kris Kross, this look would be perfect. Instead I am a 33 year old suburban father with a disappearing beer gut. In other words I should not have saggy crotch.

So the jeans are going back to S&B's... and this time I will bring my wife along to pick out my pants for me. I have learned my lesson.

Tony
10/1: 231.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
11.4 lbs. to go

p.s. How can it be October already?!!!

If Only I Hadn't Worn Those Jeans!

This was a big week for me. For the first time in about seven years, the prospect of weighing less than 200 pounds was just outside my reach. Boy, there is nothing like having a major milestone within view to really kick a gal into gear! Consequently, I was very focused this week. Besides the apple turnover at the orchard last Saturday (which was TOTALLY worth it), I really kept a tight rein on my eating.

An even bigger accomplishment for me (one that I am extremely proud of) was my increased level of exercise. Exercise has always been the biggest roadblock on my weight loss journey, but I really challenged myself to simply “move more” this week. Since Sunday, I have succeeded in completing two 2-mile walks, about an hour of strength training exercises, and a one-hour hip-hip dance workout that I TiVo’d from FitTV. For some of you that may not seem like much, but for me, it was a major achievement.

As an aside, the hip-hop dance workout gave me one of my biggest laughs of the week. I have 10 years of training in tap, ballet, and jazz, and have been a musical theater choreographer for over 15 years.

Here's the deal: I could not keep up with these people…I couldn’t learn the moves!

As I was attempting to follow the dancers in this video with their gyrations, shimmying, and booty shaking, I realized I was doing all this (attempted) dancing right next to the large windows at the front of our house. When I imagined what kind of idiot I must have looked like to anyone passing by on the street, I started to laugh. When I looked out the window, I half expected to see someone looking back at me, shocked and horrified by the sight of my not-so-sweet dance moves. With the amount of time I spent laughing, I’m sure I got a good ab workout. I’m hoping the hip-hop will go a little better the next time around.

So, back to the point of the post. At this morning’s weigh-in, I missed the big milestone by an excruciatingly small two-tenths of a pound. An amount so small that if I had chosen to wear a skirt instead of jeans I would have hit it. (arrgh!)

On a positive note, I dropped a BMI point this week! In addition, I now have two milestones within reach. The journey continues…

Have a good weekend!
Laura

Weekly update:
09/21/2007: 202.0 pounds
09/28/2007: 200.2 pounds (a loss of 1.8 this week)
Total loss: 28.2 pounds
Mini-goal #1: 199.9 by 10/15/2007; 0.3 pounds to go
Mini-goal #2: 30 pounds lost; 1.8 pounds to go
(again, wouldn’t it be sweet to do it in one week?)

Weigh-In Week 16

231.4! That's what the scale said this morning. A loss of 2.8 pounds.

And yes that is a dirty diaper in the background. We were in a hurry this morning...what are you going to do.

Back on track!!! I just realized week 16 means this is the end of the 4th month. Wow! Time really flies when your shrinking out of control.

Which reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

"Time Flies like an arrow. Fruit Flies like a banana" - Groucho Marx

Not a lot of time to prattle on. I'm really excited to be back on track. That's about it!

Our big winner this week is my Aunt Sue with a guess of 2.6 lbs. For her ability to almost Guess My Weight in a single bound I'll be returning her recipe magazine that I have had for 2 months and sweetening the pot with another healthy recipe magazine. Congratulations Sue!

That's all for now. Stay tuned for some hopefully wonderful news from my lovely wife.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Tony
9/28: 231.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
11.4 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Conest - Week 16

Sorry I'm late!

I stayed home with the girls this morning and instead of posting during their nap time I choose to get my strength workout in. I think I made the responsible choice.

I also had an audition today! Out of the blue, my on-camera agent called me yesterday for the first time in two years. That's not true, I have talked to my agent since the girls were born, but I have not been on an on camera commercial audition for at least two years, probably more like three.


I hate to admit it but I was nervous to go back. This casting director is someone I used to audition for a lot when I first started out (she once auditioned me to replace Barney the big purple dinosaur) but it has been a long time since I've seen her. Honestly I figured after a few years out of the game that no one would remember me. Even in my heyday, I never made much of a splash.

Turns out my fears were all for not. Not only did the casting director remember me, she seemed genuinely happy to see me. And I knew the actress I was auditioning with and a few of the other actors hanging around the lobby. Best of all I was more comfortable in front of a camera then I have ever been. The combination of losing all the weight and not having much at stake gave me a confidence I never had before.

I pretty sure I won't get the role. They were looking for someone in his early 40's. I can't really play much older than 35. All in all, it was still a fun afternoon. The picture is one of my 10 year old Headshots.


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. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. 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.

Like I said yesterday, this has been a crazy week. A busy weekend with the girls and a long day on Monday put me way behind on tracking calories. So, I decided to go without this week. No calorie counting for a whole seven days. I'll start back counting calories tomorrow.

I have been pretty good this week. Chocolate cake on Friday and pizza on Monday were the only two major change ups from my normal dietary intake...oh and I had a caramel apple at the Apple Orchard on Saturday.

I've gotten in at least 2.5 miles everyday except Saturday and I have managed to get in 3 strength workouts this week.

That's all the info I've got for ya. Let the guessing begin.

Good Luck!


Tony
9/27: 234.2 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
14.2 lbs. to go

p.s. Don't forget you can subscribe to the e-mail edition of Guess How Much I Weigh . Simply enter your e-mail address in the space to the right.

Recipe Wednesday - Apple Crisp with Macadamia Nuts

This week has gotten away from me. We had a busy weekend at home with the girls, a first in a long time. Then, I worked a 13 hour day on Monday. In all the craziness I have neglected to keep track of my calories. So I have decide to take a chance and go free. No calorie tracking for a whole 7 days. We'll see what happens.

So far, I have been pretty good. I had a piece of chocolate cake on Friday for a co-workers birthday and a little too much pizza on Monday night courtesy of the boss trying to make up for the late night. Other than that, I think I have been on track. My workouts are staying steady, so it should be a normal week. Hopefully there will be a loss on Friday.

As part of our busy weekend, we took the girls to the Apple Orchard on Saturday. They loved playing in the hay, petting the goats and picking apples right off the tree. They have been telling anyone who will listen all about it for the last 4 days.

Since our Apple Orchard adventure, my lovely wife has been jonesing for some hot and gooey apple crisp. That is the inspiration for this weeks recipe.

Apple Crisp with Macadamia Nuts

Ingredients
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 tablespoons chilled stick margarine, cut into small pieces
5 cups thinly sliced peeled Rome apple
Vegetable cooking spray
2 tablespoons apricot preserves

Preparation
1. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl; stir well. Cut in margarine with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal; set aside.

2. Place apple slices in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray; drop apricot preserves by teaspoonfuls onto apple slices, and sprinkle evenly with the flour mixture. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until bubbly and golden.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 216(30% from fat); FAT 7.3g (sat 1.3g,mono 3.8g,poly 1.6g); PROTEIN 0.9g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 17mg; SODIUM 62mg; FIBER 2.7g; IRON 0.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 39.2g

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine.

Tony
9/26: 234.2 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
14.2 lbs. to go

Fat Guy Recomendations

Technically this should be called "Recommendations from an Almost Formerly Fat Guy".

I have two recommendations from this weekend.

Recomendation #1:
See the movie I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With


It's written by, directed by and starring Jeff Garlin who is probably most famous for his role on Curb Your Enthusiasm or his co-starring role in Daddy Daycare for those of you without HBO.

It is very rare to see a love story with an overweight guy as the lead love interest. It's even rarer for that overweight guys struggle with weight to be a central part of the story. Most rare of all is this movie which handles it all with great care and affection.

Instead of turning the movie into a bunch of fat guy jokes and put down humor, Jeff Garlin shows us a real guy, having a real struggle with where his life is headed... and being overweight is a part of that struggle.

You can tell that Jeff Garlin has been there. In the opening scene we see him sitting on the hood of his car in the parking lot of a convenience store eating Ding Dongs and chocolate pudding. He's eating in the parking lot to hide his eating from his mom. It's a moment that was very poignant to me. It's a moment I have lived hundreds of times.

The movie is well written. It's endearing, it's funny, it's a real joy and it is full of actors you know you know even if you can't remember their names. Sadly these are the actors who should be household names.

I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With, is in limited release in art house theaters, but it is also available on demand from Comcast and some other cable providers. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Recommendation #2:
Steve and Barry's.
Steve and Barry's is best described as Old Navy meets Wal-Mart, but with a lot more style .

One of the great things about our weight loss journey is going through the closet and getting rid of all those "fat clothes". Unfortunately it starts adding up when you have to replace all those "fat clothes". It adds up even more when you have to do it again 5 months later because the new clothes you bought have become "fat clothes" as well.

After my closet purge last month I was left with 1 pair of jeans. I hit the local outlet mall two weekends ago and spent nearly a hundred bucks on three pair of jeans that hopefully will not fit me come Christmas time. A lot of money for some pants that may only last 4 months.

Then, I rediscovered Steve and Barry's. They have some great, stylish clothes for dirt cheap prices. Jeans were on sale for $7.99!!!!

The clothes might not be the best quality, but for those of us who are truly dedicated to shedding the pounds, they only need to last a few months. So wait until you meet your final goal weight to hit the expensive department stores and head over to Steve and Barry's for some closet restocking.

Tony
9/25: 234.2 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
14.2 lbs. to go

Check, check. Umm...hello...is this thing on?

So, Tony has asked me, the afore mentioned “lovely wife,” to become an actual contributor to his blog. For those of you who don’t know me, I tend to be a bit verbose, so I know this post is going to be long. My intent is not to take over my darling husband’s piece of the blogosphere, but I felt a little background info was in order.

I have lost and won countless battles in this seemingly never-ending war with the scale. When I was pregnant with twins, I was encouraged to eat (A LOT) because I was losing weight. I lost 15 pounds over the course of my pregnancy, before giving birth. It was fantastic! McDonald’s double cheeseburgers and milkshakes were finally an approved part of my diet and my nightly bowl of ice cream was practically prescribed.

Mid-March, when the girls were about 14 months old, I was the heaviest I had ever been and was staring down the barrel of my 35th birthday. I decided it was time to make a change.

I decided I didn’t want my two beautiful little girls to have to struggle with their weight and body image the same way I have throughout my life. I decided that I needed to lose weight in order to keep up with them and to be around for the long haul. I also decided I was sick and tired of having to shop the plus-sized clothing racks.

I joined Weight Watchers (WW) on March 9, 2007. I lost a few pounds here, gained a couple there, and would only show up at meetings once every three weeks or so. I lost a total of 11.8 pounds, but I was having a lot of trouble staying on track. Then Tony made his grand announcement to the world and got serious about his own weight loss. His unflagging discipline has been fantastic motivation for me.

I will admit, his streak of amazing losses has had me jealous some weeks (and occasionally downright bitter), but I'm very happy for him and just have to remind myself that men lose weight much differently than women do.

We have become comrades in the trenches in this war against the scale and it’s amazing how much easier it is to keep fighting when you’ve got someone fighting by your side. In my mind, this is the final battle and I am going to keep fighting until I win. If it means that I have to go to a WW meeting every Friday morning at 7:30 for the rest of my life, so be it. It’s worth it, and so am I.

So, in the spirit of Guess How Much I Weigh, I think it’s only fair that I provide full disclosure, too. When I stepped on the scale at my first WW meeting, I weighed (gulp!) 228.4 pounds. That’s a number I don’t ever want to see again.

Thanks to Tony for asking me to “weigh-in” with him every week. I will try to keep my posts shorter from here on out. My weekly update is below.

Have a fantastic weekend!
Laura (a.k.a., Elle Tee Jay)

03/09/2007: 228.6 pounds
09/21/2007: 202.0 pounds (a loss of 0.8 this week)
Total loss: 26.4 pounds
Next mini-goal: 199.9 by 10/15/2007; 2.1 pounds to go
(wouldn’t it be sweet to do it in one week?)

The Weigh-In Week 15

234.2! That's what it said on the scale this morning. Which makes this weeks total a gain of .2 lbs. Yes I said a gain. I know, it seemed like I could do no wrong but I have been bested. My conquering foe? Deep Fried Macaroni and Cheese.

Can you believe it. I missed keeping the streak alive by a mere three tenths of a percent. I was totally resigned to having a gain this week but missing by such a small amount makes it a little harder to take.

I was pretty good last night. I had two beers and a lot of greasy fried food including the aforementioned deep fried mac and cheese, along with some hot wings, tatter tots and waffle fries.

Here is the major difference between last night and a year ago, and the reason I can say I did pretty good last night. Last night I stopped eating before all the plates were empty. Sure I ate a lot, but I didn't eat as much as I could have. Sadly that is a really big step for me. Like I have said before, up until 6 months ago if there was food around, I ate.

Today starts a new chapter in this weight loss journey. Lets see if I can beat the 14 week streak! Keeping a streak going could be a lot harder this time around as I have a feeling my losses are going to start slowing down now that I have lost so much.

The big winner this week is my Dad. He guessed that I would stay even. I have no clue what my Dad's prize will be. Luckily I have a little while to figure it out since my parents are heading off to Sunny Croatia this morning. Have a great trip guys.

I know you are all dying to know who our special guest is this week. I have asked my lovely wife Laura to join me for weigh-in Fridays. She has been on her own healthy lifestyle journey these past few months. I figured since she was already weighing-in in the comments section, why not make it an official part of the site. She has been doing amazing and deserves just as much support and praise as I do. Hopefully you will be hearing from her every Friday from here on out.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Tony
9/21: 234.2 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
14.2 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Conest - Week 15

Here are a few things you should know before guessing this week.

1. I had a huge meal out on Saturday night. I cheated a little and stepped on the scale on Sunday morning. I had gained 3 lbs. from my weigh in last Friday.

2. I cheated a little more this morning and stepped on the scale again. This mornings weight makes it look like a loss is possible this week... but see fact number 3 before you get to excited.

3. Today I am heading off on a work sponsored bowling outing to a greasy little dive down the road called Elsie's. Many of you know it I am sure. There will be lots of beer and lots of good, greasy bar food. I have gone back and forth on this over the last couple of days. I could go and not worry about what I eat and have a good time or I can go and not eat or drink and have a slightly less good time.

Here is what I have decided. This is all about changing my lifestyle not just dieting to lose weight i.e. this is my diet not a diet. If I go out tonight and avoid food and beer just so I can have a weight loss tomorrow morning that is dieting. So I am going to go and have a good time. I will do my best to be responsible but I am going to enjoy some wings and fires and a beer or two. There is a very good chance this will jeopardize "The Streak". If it does, we'll see if we can beat the streak with a new one.

4. We will have a special guest joining us for weigh-in tomorrow morning. Don't Miss it!

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. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. 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 September 17th.
Walked / Ran: 12.8 miles

Calories Consumed: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have consumed aprox. 15848 calories.

Calories Burned: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have burned aprox. 27902 calories.

31% of my calories have come from fat.
9% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.

47% of my calories came from carbs.

18% of my calories came from protein.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
9/20: 234 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
14 lbs. to go

p.s. Don't forget you can subscribe to the e-mail edition of Guess How Much I Weigh . Simply enter your e-mail address in the space to the right.

Recipe Wednesday Grilled Pork Fajitas

We are having Coconut Chicken Curry for dinner tonight! I am so excited. I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow.

Today's recipe is another one that may take a few days to get to.

Grilled Pork Fajitas

Ingredients
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into strips
1/2 inch wide and 2 inches long
1 small onion, sliced
8 whole-wheat flour tortillas, about 8 inches in diameter, warmed in the microwave
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 medium tomatoes, diced
4 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup salsa

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, oregano, paprika, coriander and garlic powder. Dredge the pork pieces in the seasonings, coating completely.

2. Place the pork strips and onions in a cast-iron pan or grill basket. Grill or broil at medium-high heat, turning several times, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

3. To serve, spread an equal amount of pork strips and onions on each tortilla. Top each with 1 tablespoon cheese, about 2 tablespoons tomatoes, 1/2 cup shredded lettuce and 2 tablespoons salsa. Fold in both sides of each tortilla up over the filling, then roll to close. Serve immediately.

Serving size: 1 fajita
Calories 234, Cholesterol 45 mg, Protein 18 g, Sodium 309 mg, Carbohydrate 23 g, Fiber 5 g, Total fat 8 g, Potassium 508 mg, Saturated fat 3 g, Calcium 115 mg, Monounsaturated fat 3 g

Recipe courtesy of the Mayo Clinic.

38's And Still Overweight

I forgot to mention yesterday that I did hit the outlet mall this weekend. I bought 3 pair of new jeans and all 3 pair were size 38! I didn't even bother trying on size 40's, which is where I assumed I would be. So it is official, I have gone from a size 44 to a size 38. I also bought some large t-shirts at the Old Navy outlet. The t-shirts fit, but they are a little too revealing. I need to lose another ten pounds and slim up my side saddles before I can wear them.

The t-shirts got me thinking about how far I have come and how far I have left to go. In all my celebration lately I have forgotten that I am still severely overweight. ..at least according to all of the charts. I am really proud of what I have accomplished, but the truth is I have a long way to go to be really healthy. I think it is good to keep reminding myself of that. It keeps the fire alive.

I've also been thinking a lot about my goal. My original goal was to get down to 220 pounds by my birthday next year. My birthday is still 254 days away. To get to my goal I would only need to lose 0.386 lb. I have decide to change things. I am leaving the weight the same but moving up the date.

My new goal is to reach 220 lbs by Christmas. Don't panic but Christmas is only 14 weeks away! I can't believe it either.

14 pounds in 14 weeks.

Over the past 4 months I have averaged a weekly loss of 2.5 lbs. If I can keep something even close to that average I may even be able to make my goal by Thanksgiving.

After I reach 220 I will set my next goal. 220 will leave me just a touch on the obese side of the scale. So my next goal will be to get down to "moderately overweight". I'll make it official in a few months but I think my next goal will be to lose 21 pounds and get under 200.

A Wild Weekend ... at least as wild as I get!

I've got some making up to do this week. We had a rare night out with Friends on Saturday night; tons of fun and tons of food. I snuck a weigh-in on Sunday morning because I was curious and I was up 3 lbs. Here is the great thing. It's no big deal . I didn't freak out or get depressed. I had a great night out and an excellent meal and a few drinks and I am sure that with a few good workouts I'll be able to whittle away the excess. Like I said I'm not on a diet, I am changing my diet..... and part of that will be going a little crazy once and awhile. It's all part of settling in to this new life.

For some reason the initials BMR kept popping up last week in some research I was doing. For those of you, like me, who have no idea what BMR is I dug a little deeper. BMR stands for Basal Metabolic Rate, basically the amount of energy your body needs to burn each day. You can use BMR to determine how many calories you should be eating each day.

Here's the formula:

Women:
655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

Men:
66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)


So for me it would be 66 + (6.3 x 234) + (12.9 x 71) - (6.8 x 33) = 2231.7


Then you calculate for your level of activity.

Calculate Activity
Step two: In order to incorporate activity into your daily caloric needs, do the following calculation:

* If you are sedentary : BMR x 20 percent

* If you are lightly active: BMR x 30 percent

* If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 40 percent

* If you are very active (You exercise intensely on a daily basis or for prolonged periods.): BMR x 50 percent

* If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 60 percent

Add this number to your BMR.


I consider myself to be moderately active. So 2231.7 x 40 Percent = 892.68

2231.7 + 892.68 = 3124.38

If I understand this correctly I can eat 3124 calories a day without gaining weight. To lose 2 pounds per week I need to eat less than 2415 calories a day. Right now I am averaging around 2000 calories a day.

According to the government's dietary guidelines a moderately active male between the ages of 31 and 50 should consume 2,400-2,600 calories. This was determined using the Institute of Medicine equation. Whatever the heck that is.

I just checked and my "crazy Saturday" calorie count was 3635. Way over my norm but not to far over the 3124 calories I could eat if I was maintaining.... And I did burn nearly 4500 calories between my 45 minute strength training, 3.5 mile walk and just breathing.


I have to reapologizes to my lovely wife. I had a hankering for some ice cream on the way home from our wild night out. Since DQ isn't open at 1am I decided I needed a Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich. She tried to convince me a Slim-a-Bear ice cream bar was the way to go, but I was stubborn. Sorry sweetie for leading you astray.

Tony
9/17: 234 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
14 lbs. to go