Welcome to my perfect day! After work last night My Lovely Wife and I headed back up to the lake. (After a stop to see Transformers, of course.) We woke up this morning to perfect glass on the lake. Did a quick weigh-in and we were on the water by 8am. We skied and wake boarded for a couple of hours. Pure heaven!
Now for the good news.
262.2! That's what the scale said this morning.
That is a loss of 2.8 pounds. 4 straight weeks of losing.
And our winner is Teresa. She nailed 2.8. Congratulations to Teresa for her second win.
For her Karnack like powers of weight guessing, Teresa wins a pan of home made Spoon Bread. To be delivered sometime next week.
Have a great weekend everybody. I'll post some pictures of me at 262.2 when we get home.
Tony
7/6: 262.2 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
42.2 lbs. to go
Friday, July 6, 2007
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 4
Happy day after the 4th. I hope you all had a patriotic day. We spent the day at the lake with family and friends. Once again the power of positive blogging was in full effect. The festive 4th spread included lots of fruit, Portobello mushroom brats and angel food cake. Everyone was doing their best to think and eat a little healthier. It sure makes it a lot easier on me when everyone around me is so supportive. It also helps that a lot of the people in my life are trying to change their own habits.
Here is another sign of my dedication to this project. I am hoping to take the day off on Friday and head back up to the lake Thurs. night (after seeing Transformers, of course). I will be hauling the scale with me to ensure that I can weigh-in. And, thanks to some borrowed bandwidth from my sister I will be able to do a digital weigh-in as well. So the contest is in full effect!
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 July 2nd.
Walked: 11.32 miles
Calories Consumed: From Friday morning through Wed. night I have consumed aprox. 11532 calories.
Calories Burned: From Friday morning through Wed. night I have burned aprox. 25450 calories.
32% of my calories have come from fat.
10% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.
44% of my calories came from carbs.
22% of my calories came from protein.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
7/5: 265 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
45 lbs. to go
Here is another sign of my dedication to this project. I am hoping to take the day off on Friday and head back up to the lake Thurs. night (after seeing Transformers, of course). I will be hauling the scale with me to ensure that I can weigh-in. And, thanks to some borrowed bandwidth from my sister I will be able to do a digital weigh-in as well. So the contest is in full effect!
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.
Walked: 11.32 miles
Calories Consumed: From Friday morning through Wed. night I have consumed aprox. 11532 calories.
Calories Burned: From Friday morning through Wed. night I have burned aprox. 25450 calories.
32% of my calories have come from fat.
10% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.
44% of my calories came from carbs.
22% of my calories came from protein.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
7/5: 265 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
45 lbs. to go
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Recipe Wensday - On Tuesday
Today is one of those days that makes me really want to snack. Bad clients, tight dead lines and a looming holiday are conspiring against me... oh and two little babies who wanted to wake up at 4:45 AM didn't help either. But I am strong, I shall resist!
Due to the Holiday, Recipe Wednesday is coming at you a whole day earlier.
I found this recipe in Cooking Light magazine. I love corn bread, but I know it's not the healthiest thing in the world. This Spoon Bread might not be the healthiest thing in the world either, but it came from Cooking Light so it has to be kind of light...doesn't it?
I will try to add Spoon Bread to or 4th Of July feast tomorrow. If I run out of time I will save it for the weekend. Have a great 4th. Try not to eat to much Barbecue!
Spoon Bread
Ingredients
3/4 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 large egg whites
Cooking spray
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a large saucepan; stir in milk and hot sauce. Cook over medium heat until thick (about 15 minutes), stirring constantly. Place egg yolks in a medium bowl. Spoon 1/2 cup hot cornmeal mixture into egg yolks. Stir egg yolk mixture into remaining cornmeal mixture. Add butter, stirring until butter melts.
Place baking powder and egg whites in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold one-fourth of egg white mixture into cornmeal mixture. Fold remaining egg white mixture into cornmeal mixture. Gently spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until lightly browned and puffy. Serve immediately.
Yield:
8 servings
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 108(32% from fat); FAT 3.8g (sat 1.7g,mono 1.4g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 5.5g; CHOLESTEROL 58mg; CALCIUM 118mg; SODIUM 402mg; FIBER 0.9g; IRON 0.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 13.3g
Kathleen Kanen and Becky Luigart-Stayner , Cooking Light, MAY 2007
Due to the Holiday, Recipe Wednesday is coming at you a whole day earlier.
I found this recipe in Cooking Light magazine. I love corn bread, but I know it's not the healthiest thing in the world. This Spoon Bread might not be the healthiest thing in the world either, but it came from Cooking Light so it has to be kind of light...doesn't it?
I will try to add Spoon Bread to or 4th Of July feast tomorrow. If I run out of time I will save it for the weekend. Have a great 4th. Try not to eat to much Barbecue!
Ingredients
3/4 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 large egg whites
Cooking spray
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a large saucepan; stir in milk and hot sauce. Cook over medium heat until thick (about 15 minutes), stirring constantly. Place egg yolks in a medium bowl. Spoon 1/2 cup hot cornmeal mixture into egg yolks. Stir egg yolk mixture into remaining cornmeal mixture. Add butter, stirring until butter melts.Place baking powder and egg whites in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold one-fourth of egg white mixture into cornmeal mixture. Fold remaining egg white mixture into cornmeal mixture. Gently spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until lightly browned and puffy. Serve immediately.
Yield:
8 servings
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 108(32% from fat); FAT 3.8g (sat 1.7g,mono 1.4g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 5.5g; CHOLESTEROL 58mg; CALCIUM 118mg; SODIUM 402mg; FIBER 0.9g; IRON 0.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 13.3g
Kathleen Kanen and Becky Luigart-Stayner , Cooking Light, MAY 2007
Monday, July 2, 2007
Yardworking It
I am bruised and battered! My lovey wife and I spent the weekend being weekend warriors. I think we won the war but our yard got in some good blows. I woke up this morning way more sore than I should be. Hopefully that is a sign that the yard work was good exercise.
We started by removing the huge bush in your front yard that my lovely wife has wanted gone from the day we moved in. She took care of the chainsawing and I played the roll of pack mule.
Then we mulched the gardens.
We cleaned the patio and blew up the girls new pool.
A short break in the pool and then back to work.
We also installed some new lights on the front of the house
and hung new curtains in the basement.
Aside from wearing me out, all of this work required many trips to the hardware store and recycling dump. Trips that in past would have seeing me stopping off for candy bars and fast food a number of times during the weekend. This weekend I made one stop, for water and a diet coke. The best part is I wasn't even tempted.
Tony
6/27: 265 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
45 lbs. to go
We started by removing the huge bush in your front yard that my lovely wife has wanted gone from the day we moved in. She took care of the chainsawing and I played the roll of pack mule.
Then we mulched the gardens.
We cleaned the patio and blew up the girls new pool.
A short break in the pool and then back to work.
We also installed some new lights on the front of the house
and hung new curtains in the basement.
Aside from wearing me out, all of this work required many trips to the hardware store and recycling dump. Trips that in past would have seeing me stopping off for candy bars and fast food a number of times during the weekend. This weekend I made one stop, for water and a diet coke. The best part is I wasn't even tempted.
Tony
6/27: 265 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
45 lbs. to go
Friday, June 29, 2007
The Weigh In - Week 3
Read it and rejoice! The scale said 265 this morning. That is a 4 lbs. loss for the week. Heather had the first guess of the day and she hit it right on the nose, making Heather this weeks big winner.
We only had 8 votes yesterday. Well, 9 if you include mine. The rules clearly state, we must have 10 votes for a prize to be given. I am going to bend the rules just this once however because Heather is so awesome and deserves a prize. It won't happen again, so be sure to vote next week!
Heather will be receiving a pound of JENNIE-O TURKEY STORE® Lean Turkey Burger Patties so she can make here very own Hawaiian Turkey Burgers.
Tony
6/27: 265 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
45 lbs. to go
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 3
Last nights dinner was a huge success! My parents joined me for dinner and said they enjoyed it very much. I can only assume they were not lying. My mother found it very amusing that her picky eating son was trying to get her to eat grilled yams. She dug right in though and was pleasantly surprised. I think my lovely wife and I may try again Friday night and add a little brown sugar to the yam recipe.
And now to the contest!
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 June 24th.
Walked: 10.4 miles
Calories Consumed: From Friday morning through Wed. night I have consumed aprox. 11133 calories.
Calories Burned: From Friday morning through Wed. night I have burned aprox. 24807 calories.
30 % of my calories have come from fat.
9% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.
45% of my calories came from carbs.
22% of my calories came from protein.
As a special bonus, for today only, here is what I looked like this morning.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
6/27: 269 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
49 lbs. to go
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.
Walked: 10.4 miles
Calories Consumed: From Friday morning through Wed. night I have consumed aprox. 11133 calories.
Calories Burned: From Friday morning through Wed. night I have burned aprox. 24807 calories.
30 % of my calories have come from fat.
9% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.
45% of my calories came from carbs.
22% of my calories came from protein.
As a special bonus, for today only, here is what I looked like this morning.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
6/27: 269 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
49 lbs. to go
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Soundpedia
This is not "healthy living" related per se, except that it makes me happy and being happy is part of living a healthy life.
The musicphiles among you seriously need to check out Soundpedia. It is basically an on-line music library filled with full CDs streaming directly from the ether of the Internet to your earphones. The sound is not CD quality, but it is a great way to check out a CD before you buy, hear that song you have had stuck in your head all day or reconnect with a long lost guilty pleasure .... A-ha anyone.
Frankly, it is the coolest site I have seen in years.
Tony
6/27: 269 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
49 lbs. to go
The musicphiles among you seriously need to check out Soundpedia. It is basically an on-line music library filled with full CDs streaming directly from the ether of the Internet to your earphones. The sound is not CD quality, but it is a great way to check out a CD before you buy, hear that song you have had stuck in your head all day or reconnect with a long lost guilty pleasure .... A-ha anyone.
Frankly, it is the coolest site I have seen in years.
Tony
6/27: 269 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
49 lbs. to go
Recipe Wenesday
This weekend my lovely wife told me I need to expand the kinds of food I eat. She is right. I am a picky eater. I like meat and potatoes, a few fruits and maybe two vegetables and that is about it. Heck, before I met my lovely wife I didn't eat eggs, lettuce, Chinese food or cream cheese. In the first few years of our relationship she worked these things into my diet and now I enjoy all of them.
I am going to try and make Wednesdays, Recipe Wednesdays from here on out. The goal will be to find a good healthy (at least healthier) recipe each Wednesday to try that night. Then I will report back on Thursday as to the success or failure of said recipe. If we can't get to the recipe on Wednesday night, I will save it for the weekend. I'd love it if you guys sent in some recipes as well. Send me old favorites or stuff you have always wanted to try. Let's start slow. Nothing too adventures and no sea food. I just can't do sea food!
Welcome To The First Recipe Wednesday!
Today's recipe is:
Hawaiian Turkey Burgers and Grilled Yams
Hawaiian Turkey Burgers
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Sweet and Sour sauce
1 pound Lean Turkey Burger Patties
4 slices pineapple
4 hamburger buns
Directions:
Brush pineapple with sweet and sour sauce. Grill burgers and pineapple. Place burgers on bun and top with sweet and sour sauce and grilled pineapple.
Grilled Yams
Ingredients:
Red Garnet Yams
Olive Oil
Directions:
Clean and boil Yams for 6 - 10 minutes. Slice yams into 3⁄4” thick slices. Toss yam slices with enough olive oil to coat them. Grill until slices are browned on one side. Flip and repeat until done.
Tony
6/27: 269 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
49 lbs. to go
I am going to try and make Wednesdays, Recipe Wednesdays from here on out. The goal will be to find a good healthy (at least healthier) recipe each Wednesday to try that night. Then I will report back on Thursday as to the success or failure of said recipe. If we can't get to the recipe on Wednesday night, I will save it for the weekend. I'd love it if you guys sent in some recipes as well. Send me old favorites or stuff you have always wanted to try. Let's start slow. Nothing too adventures and no sea food. I just can't do sea food!
Welcome To The First Recipe Wednesday!
Hawaiian Turkey Burgers and Grilled Yams
Hawaiian Turkey Burgers
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Sweet and Sour sauce
1 pound Lean Turkey Burger Patties
4 slices pineapple
4 hamburger buns
Directions:
Brush pineapple with sweet and sour sauce. Grill burgers and pineapple. Place burgers on bun and top with sweet and sour sauce and grilled pineapple.
Grilled Yams
Ingredients:
Red Garnet Yams
Olive Oil
Directions:
Clean and boil Yams for 6 - 10 minutes. Slice yams into 3⁄4” thick slices. Toss yam slices with enough olive oil to coat them. Grill until slices are browned on one side. Flip and repeat until done.
Tony
6/27: 269 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
49 lbs. to go
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
My Daily Walk
I am doing my best to walk everyday. During the week I do a 2.28 mile loop along the Mississippi river from Riverplace to the Stone Arch Bridge and back to Hennepin Ave. On a day like today it is a beautiful walk in the heart of the big city.
Last week I added a new leg to the journey. Excel Energy just opened Water Power Park. Located on Main Street, right in front of St. Anthony Main, it gives you a chance to get up close and personal with St. Anthony Falls. If you live in Minnesota, it's worth a day trip to come down and take a walk around the area.
Check out the extremely lame website here.
A Few Pictures From My Weekday Walk:
Tony
6/26: 269 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
49 lbs. to go
Last week I added a new leg to the journey. Excel Energy just opened Water Power Park. Located on Main Street, right in front of St. Anthony Main, it gives you a chance to get up close and personal with St. Anthony Falls. If you live in Minnesota, it's worth a day trip to come down and take a walk around the area.
Check out the extremely lame website here.
A Few Pictures From My Weekday Walk:
Tony
6/26: 269 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
49 lbs. to go
Iron Man
No not the metal man of super hero fame or the Black Sabbath song of guitar shredding fame. I am talking about the Iron Man triathlon.
Don't worry, I am not planing on running one any time soon...or ever.
A friend of mine competed in an Iron Man over the weekend and finished 32nd over all. 5th in his age group! He has now qualified for the Koan Iron Man in Hawaii this spring. It has been a dream of his for a long time. It's a dream very few people can achive. Congratulations Anthony! I am in awe of what you have accomplished.
Anthony's amazing feat got me thinking about the number of calories burned during an Iron Man. So I did a little calculating. By my estimates, at my current weight and age, if I were to complete an Iron Man in under 10 hours, I would burn 12961
calories. I know there is no way I would be able to complete an Iron Man at my current weight and age. Heck, I don't think I'd be able to complete an Iron Man at any weight and age. But hyopthetical speaking, 12961 calories in 10 hours? That is insane!
To put it into perspective, last week from Friday to Wednesday I only ate 11261 calories.
So next time you see a triathlete nearing the finish line, don't give them a tiny paper cup filled with water, give them a ham and cheese hoagie with the works. They need it!
Speaking of Iorn Man, check out the Bad Plus version of Iorn Man sometime. You'll be amazed at how well Black Sabbath translates to jazz.
Tony
6/26: 269 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
49 lbs. to go
Don't worry, I am not planing on running one any time soon...or ever.
A friend of mine competed in an Iron Man over the weekend and finished 32nd over all. 5th in his age group! He has now qualified for the Koan Iron Man in Hawaii this spring. It has been a dream of his for a long time. It's a dream very few people can achive. Congratulations Anthony! I am in awe of what you have accomplished.
Anthony's amazing feat got me thinking about the number of calories burned during an Iron Man. So I did a little calculating. By my estimates, at my current weight and age, if I were to complete an Iron Man in under 10 hours, I would burn 12961
calories. I know there is no way I would be able to complete an Iron Man at my current weight and age. Heck, I don't think I'd be able to complete an Iron Man at any weight and age. But hyopthetical speaking, 12961 calories in 10 hours? That is insane!
To put it into perspective, last week from Friday to Wednesday I only ate 11261 calories.
So next time you see a triathlete nearing the finish line, don't give them a tiny paper cup filled with water, give them a ham and cheese hoagie with the works. They need it!
Speaking of Iorn Man, check out the Bad Plus version of Iorn Man sometime. You'll be amazed at how well Black Sabbath translates to jazz.
Tony
6/26: 269 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
49 lbs. to go
Monday, June 25, 2007
A Symbolic Victory
I had kind of a rough weekend this weekend. For the most part I ate well and kept moving...and I continued to avoid snacking. Actually, the majority of the weekend was good. My meals were larger than they have been in the past few weeks but the were still relatively healthy. Lots of chicken, potatoes and salad.
The problem was Sunday morning. My lovely wife's family was in town, along with one of her oldest friends, so we decided to do brunch. We ended up at this great place called Ike's in downtown Minneapolis. I was cautious going in. I knew this would be my biggest challenge yet. But I was not prepared for what waited at the table.
As soon as we sat down, the waitress brought two caramel rolls that were literally as big as my head. And I mean that literally , literally! These caramel rolls were meant to feed 6 and they brought us two for our small party of 7. And two of those seven were toddlers! So I picked and picked and picked, and by the time it came to order I was starting to fell a little full and a lot guilty.
The brunch was heavily egg based, omelets, scrambled eggs, McMuffin type thingies. I am not a huge fan of eggs, except when my lovely wife makes them, so I choose to go a different route. I ordered the only other thing on the menu... a hamburger. For brunch. At 10:30 in the morning. At the time it seemed like a logical choice. I could both skip the eggs and avoid the temptation of the bottomless pancakes and hash browns.
Then, the burger arrived. It was massive! And the pile of fries was literally as big as my head. OK so this time I don't mean that literally, literally. But it was a gigantic mound of greasy, delicious fries.
Here is where the tiny, little symbolic victory comes in. I ate until I was stuffed and then I stopped. I left a quarter of my burger and a quarter of my fries sitting on the plate. Sure, I most likely consumed two days worth of calories in that one meal, but I didn't use that as an excuse to give up and finish the whole plate. And I was tempted. I had to give the plate to someone to move away from me so I would stop picking at the fries. But I did it!
In the past I would kept on eating, and I would have most likely kept on eating for the next three days, undoing all the good I have done in the past two weeks. Not this time! This time I am dedicated to eating well today and getting out for my walk, even though it's going to be 92 degrees and the air quality could kill small children. Despite all that I will walk today!
And that is my small victory. At some point today I will do my best to tally up my calories for the weekend, but regardless of what they say, I feel good this morning. Actually, I feel fat this morning, but I feel determined and that makes me feel good!
Tony
Tony
6/25: 269 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
49 lbs. to go
The problem was Sunday morning. My lovely wife's family was in town, along with one of her oldest friends, so we decided to do brunch. We ended up at this great place called Ike's in downtown Minneapolis. I was cautious going in. I knew this would be my biggest challenge yet. But I was not prepared for what waited at the table.
As soon as we sat down, the waitress brought two caramel rolls that were literally as big as my head. And I mean that literally , literally! These caramel rolls were meant to feed 6 and they brought us two for our small party of 7. And two of those seven were toddlers! So I picked and picked and picked, and by the time it came to order I was starting to fell a little full and a lot guilty.
The brunch was heavily egg based, omelets, scrambled eggs, McMuffin type thingies. I am not a huge fan of eggs, except when my lovely wife makes them, so I choose to go a different route. I ordered the only other thing on the menu... a hamburger. For brunch. At 10:30 in the morning. At the time it seemed like a logical choice. I could both skip the eggs and avoid the temptation of the bottomless pancakes and hash browns.
Then, the burger arrived. It was massive! And the pile of fries was literally as big as my head. OK so this time I don't mean that literally, literally. But it was a gigantic mound of greasy, delicious fries.
Here is where the tiny, little symbolic victory comes in. I ate until I was stuffed and then I stopped. I left a quarter of my burger and a quarter of my fries sitting on the plate. Sure, I most likely consumed two days worth of calories in that one meal, but I didn't use that as an excuse to give up and finish the whole plate. And I was tempted. I had to give the plate to someone to move away from me so I would stop picking at the fries. But I did it!
In the past I would kept on eating, and I would have most likely kept on eating for the next three days, undoing all the good I have done in the past two weeks. Not this time! This time I am dedicated to eating well today and getting out for my walk, even though it's going to be 92 degrees and the air quality could kill small children. Despite all that I will walk today!
And that is my small victory. At some point today I will do my best to tally up my calories for the weekend, but regardless of what they say, I feel good this morning. Actually, I feel fat this morning, but I feel determined and that makes me feel good!
Tony
Tony
6/25: 269 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
49 lbs. to go
Friday, June 22, 2007
The Weigh In - Week 2
Drum Roll Please ............
269 lbs. even. That's what the scale said this morning.
I lost 3.2 pounds.
Which means this weeks winner is Teresa. Congratulations Teresa. For your Nostradamus like talents at weight prognostication you win a package of Flat Out Pita bread. Now you can make your very own Flat Out Pizzas. Your prize will be delivered sometime this weekend. Thank you to my lovely wife for suggesting this weeks prize...and for ordering it!
Don't forget to come back next week for another exciting round of Guess How Much I Weigh!
A few people have asked lately what my goal weight is.. According to the charts, my healthy weight is right around 180 lbs. That's a pretty daunting number when you are starting at 280. So I have set my self an intermediary goal.
I am trying to lose 60 lbs. by my 34th birthday, which is 342 days away. Losing 60 lbs. will put me at 220 lbs. Still moderately overweight, but a good halfway point.
Hopefully I will overachieve, but given my track record I would rather have a realistic goal for now, then fail miserably and go off the rails again.
To get down to 220 lbs. by next May I will need to lose a minimum of 1 lbs. per week from here on out.
A very realistic goal, as long as I can stick to my guns .
I don't really know what that saying means, but it seemed appropriate.
Tony
6/22: 269 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
49 lbs. to go
269 lbs. even. That's what the scale said this morning.
I lost 3.2 pounds.
Which means this weeks winner is Teresa. Congratulations Teresa. For your Nostradamus like talents at weight prognostication you win a package of Flat Out Pita bread. Now you can make your very own Flat Out Pizzas. Your prize will be delivered sometime this weekend. Thank you to my lovely wife for suggesting this weeks prize...and for ordering it!
Don't forget to come back next week for another exciting round of Guess How Much I Weigh!
A few people have asked lately what my goal weight is.. According to the charts, my healthy weight is right around 180 lbs. That's a pretty daunting number when you are starting at 280. So I have set my self an intermediary goal.
I am trying to lose 60 lbs. by my 34th birthday, which is 342 days away. Losing 60 lbs. will put me at 220 lbs. Still moderately overweight, but a good halfway point.
Hopefully I will overachieve, but given my track record I would rather have a realistic goal for now, then fail miserably and go off the rails again.
To get down to 220 lbs. by next May I will need to lose a minimum of 1 lbs. per week from here on out.
A very realistic goal, as long as I can stick to my guns .
I don't really know what that saying means, but it seemed appropriate.
Tony
6/22: 269 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
49 lbs. to go
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 2
Step right up, step right up. Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.
To Recap:
I thought it would be fun to let you guys guess how much I weigh. It is the name of the blog after all. After all this hard work we deserve a little fun. Every Thurs. I will give you my stats for the week and you can guess what you think the scale will say on Fri. morning. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.
I will post the winners 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 June 16th.
Walked: 9.7 miles
Calories Consumed: From Friday morning through Wed. night I have consumed aprox. 11261 calories.
Calories Burned: From Friday morning through Wed. night I have burned aprox. 25343 calories.
30 % of my calories have come from fat. 9% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.
43% of my calories came from carbs.
23% of my calories came from protein.
These stats come from a site called FitDay. It's what I am using to log my eating and exercise. I'll tell you more about it later.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
6/21: 272 lbs.
To Recap:
I thought it would be fun to let you guys guess how much I weigh. It is the name of the blog after all. After all this hard work we deserve a little fun. Every Thurs. I will give you my stats for the week and you can guess what you think the scale will say on Fri. morning. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.
I will post the winners 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 June 16th.
Walked: 9.7 miles
Calories Consumed: From Friday morning through Wed. night I have consumed aprox. 11261 calories.
Calories Burned: From Friday morning through Wed. night I have burned aprox. 25343 calories.
30 % of my calories have come from fat. 9% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.
43% of my calories came from carbs.
23% of my calories came from protein.
These stats come from a site called FitDay. It's what I am using to log my eating and exercise. I'll tell you more about it later.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
6/21: 272 lbs.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Mini-Milestones
I have been so tempted to step on the scale these last two days. It's not that I am convinced there will be another big drop as much as I just want to know what is happening. I want all this hard work to pay off and seeing those numbers on the scale is the easiest indication of how things are going. It all goes back to wanting instant gratification.
Luckily, I have been able to resist the temptation. I should have no problem making it one more day until weigh in on Fri.
In the meantime I have two nice mini-milestones to report.
Milestone 1:
About a month and a half ago I jammed my ring finger on my left hand and my knuckle swelled up pretty bad. I started wearing my wedding ring on my right hand until the swelling went down. Unfortunately, even after the swelling went down I still found it hard to get my ring on. So, I continued to wear my ring on my right hand, much to the dismay of my lovely wife. The good news is, this weekend I was finally able to get the ring back on my left hand and wear it comfortably. I am sure this has a lot to do with the weight loss.
Milestone 2:
A few years ago my sister bought me 3 or 4 pairs of really nice shorts on clearance from the company she works for. She gave them to me in November, right before I went to a wedding in Florida. At the time I could almost fit into them, so I put them away for the following summer. By the time summer rolled around, there was no way I was getting into those shorts. So they sat in a drawer with the tags still on them until this week. I am proud to report the shorts now fit great and are still very stylish. Thanks sis!
Tony
6/20: 272 lbs.
Luckily, I have been able to resist the temptation. I should have no problem making it one more day until weigh in on Fri.
In the meantime I have two nice mini-milestones to report.
Milestone 1:
About a month and a half ago I jammed my ring finger on my left hand and my knuckle swelled up pretty bad. I started wearing my wedding ring on my right hand until the swelling went down. Unfortunately, even after the swelling went down I still found it hard to get my ring on. So, I continued to wear my ring on my right hand, much to the dismay of my lovely wife. The good news is, this weekend I was finally able to get the ring back on my left hand and wear it comfortably. I am sure this has a lot to do with the weight loss.
Milestone 2:
A few years ago my sister bought me 3 or 4 pairs of really nice shorts on clearance from the company she works for. She gave them to me in November, right before I went to a wedding in Florida. At the time I could almost fit into them, so I put them away for the following summer. By the time summer rolled around, there was no way I was getting into those shorts. So they sat in a drawer with the tags still on them until this week. I am proud to report the shorts now fit great and are still very stylish. Thanks sis!
Tony
6/20: 272 lbs.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
A New Recipe - Kind Of Invented By Me
My wife and I love pizza. Sadly pizza is in cahoots with Professor Potluck and Buffet Boy. The three of them form my very own Axis of Evil. They are know to many as the Axis of Evil Food Related Evilness. Not a very catchy name I know, but who am I to judge.
Anyway, on Sunday night after a hectic 2 hours of getting home and getting the girls to bed, my wife and I were exhausted. Out of habit my wife suggested we order pizza from this great little place down the road. While my lovely wife did suggest ordering a smaller-sized, thin crust pizza, and not ordering the ridiculously scrumptious cheese bread which usually accompanies our order when it arrives at our door, I feared that my will would be weakened by the eveilness of those tangy pizza spices.
However, I have to admit I was tempted. Tempted to the point where I nearly had the phone in my hand, but something stopped me. Instead I reached for the refrigerator door and surveyed the barren wasteland within. At the very bottom of the fridge, under some beer bottles and old cream cheese I noticed a new product my wife had bought for the girls called Flat Out
And thus our awesome recipe for Flat Out Pizza was born.
FLAT OUT PIZZA:
1 Flat Out Wrap
1/4 Cup Spaghetti Sauce
1/4 Cup Mozzarella Cheese
Toppings Of Your Choice
Pizza Spice
Heat oven to 350F.
Bake Flat Out for 7 minutes. Remove from oven. Top Flat out with Spaghetti Sauce, Toppings and Cheese. Sprinkle on some Pizza Spice. Place Flat Out back in oven for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
I topped my pizza with thin slices of grilled chicken. My wife topped hers with sliced green olives.
You should try it, it's really good.
Anyway, on Sunday night after a hectic 2 hours of getting home and getting the girls to bed, my wife and I were exhausted. Out of habit my wife suggested we order pizza from this great little place down the road. While my lovely wife did suggest ordering a smaller-sized, thin crust pizza, and not ordering the ridiculously scrumptious cheese bread which usually accompanies our order when it arrives at our door, I feared that my will would be weakened by the eveilness of those tangy pizza spices.
However, I have to admit I was tempted. Tempted to the point where I nearly had the phone in my hand, but something stopped me. Instead I reached for the refrigerator door and surveyed the barren wasteland within. At the very bottom of the fridge, under some beer bottles and old cream cheese I noticed a new product my wife had bought for the girls called Flat Out
And thus our awesome recipe for Flat Out Pizza was born.
FLAT OUT PIZZA:
1 Flat Out Wrap
1/4 Cup Spaghetti Sauce
1/4 Cup Mozzarella Cheese
Toppings Of Your Choice
Pizza Spice
Heat oven to 350F.
Bake Flat Out for 7 minutes. Remove from oven. Top Flat out with Spaghetti Sauce, Toppings and Cheese. Sprinkle on some Pizza Spice. Place Flat Out back in oven for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
I topped my pizza with thin slices of grilled chicken. My wife topped hers with sliced green olives.
You should try it, it's really good.
Victory Is Mine!
No we didn't win the softball game, in fact we got crushed 14 to 4. I was however victorious in my battle against Professor Potluck and his nefarious sidekick Buffet Boy!
My battle plan worked like a charm. My grapes of goodness and carrots of concern deflected Potlucks willpower weakening goodies. Do not celebrate prematurley my freinds, there will be many more battles to come.
My mother was very funny last night. She was kind enough to put a plate together for me while I wrangled children.
Here is how the conversation went:
Mom: Would you like a fat free hot dog?
Tony: No. I'll have a Chedderwurst
Mom: Would you like a fat free hot dog?
Tony: I'm going to have a Chedderwurst
Mom: Are you sure you don't want a fat free hot dog?
Tony: That's OK I'll have a Chedderwurst.
Mom: OK
In my Mom's defense, she did put the Chedderwurst on my plate without the slightes hint of reproach or scorn.
Thank you Mom for trying to help, but I did have a plan. I chose to skip the desserts and the snacks and the chips so I could enjoy the Chedderwurst. It was my compromise for the night. And I think it worked great. By having one thing I knew I would love, I was less tempted by the rest of the spread. And, in the grand scheme of things a Chedderwurst is not the wurst thing I could have eaten.
Sorry I couldn't resist.
I still came in way under my calorie count for the day, so I think things worked out just fine.
Tony
7/19: 272 lbs.
My battle plan worked like a charm. My grapes of goodness and carrots of concern deflected Potlucks willpower weakening goodies. Do not celebrate prematurley my freinds, there will be many more battles to come.
My mother was very funny last night. She was kind enough to put a plate together for me while I wrangled children.
Here is how the conversation went:
Mom: Would you like a fat free hot dog?
Tony: No. I'll have a Chedderwurst
Mom: Would you like a fat free hot dog?
Tony: I'm going to have a Chedderwurst
Mom: Are you sure you don't want a fat free hot dog?
Tony: That's OK I'll have a Chedderwurst.
Mom: OK
In my Mom's defense, she did put the Chedderwurst on my plate without the slightes hint of reproach or scorn.
Thank you Mom for trying to help, but I did have a plan. I chose to skip the desserts and the snacks and the chips so I could enjoy the Chedderwurst. It was my compromise for the night. And I think it worked great. By having one thing I knew I would love, I was less tempted by the rest of the spread. And, in the grand scheme of things a Chedderwurst is not the wurst thing I could have eaten.
Sorry I couldn't resist.
I still came in way under my calorie count for the day, so I think things worked out just fine.
Tony
7/19: 272 lbs.
Monday, June 18, 2007
R.I.P WENDY'S?
Wendy's Says It's Open to Sale of Hamburger Chain
It seems Dave and the squares over at Wendy's have been reading this blog. The company is downgrading it's sales estimates for the year and is seriously considering offering up the hamburger chain for sale.
In my dark days I was a frequent consumer of Wendy's. Thier fries can not be beat. Sometimes I'd stop by in the middle of the day just to get two large fries. I am sure upon realizing they are losing me as a customer, they figured there was no point to going on.
Can McDonald's be far behind?
Tony
6/18: 272 lbs.
It seems Dave and the squares over at Wendy's have been reading this blog. The company is downgrading it's sales estimates for the year and is seriously considering offering up the hamburger chain for sale.
In my dark days I was a frequent consumer of Wendy's. Thier fries can not be beat. Sometimes I'd stop by in the middle of the day just to get two large fries. I am sure upon realizing they are losing me as a customer, they figured there was no point to going on.
Can McDonald's be far behind?
Tony
6/18: 272 lbs.
I Know The Face Of My Enemy
It's softball night. Tonight we are having a potluck barbecue. Potlucks and buffets are my most nefarious foes. With their beady little eyes and appetizers and desserts and way too much food. Curse you Professor Potluck!
Tonight I have planned a clever counter strike against these gastronomical nere do wells. Taking a page from my sisters battle plan for last week, I will be bringing a big bag of grapes and carrots to the barbecue tonight. And God willing I shall best this buffet.
The batting slump will most likely continue tonight. We are playing a team way out of our league (pun intended). I'll be lucky to get more than one at bat.
On a completely different note, here is a quick sign of my dedication and maturity.
It was pouring rain when I sat down for lunch today, so I wrote off all hope of getting a walk in and settled in with a good book. About twenty minutes into my lunchbreak the rain stopped. In the past I would have said , "Oh well, I'm already settled in with this good book", and skipped the walk. Today, as a wiser and more mature person, I chucked the book, grabbed my shoes and hit the road. Good for me!
Tony
7/18: 272 lbs.
Tonight I have planned a clever counter strike against these gastronomical nere do wells. Taking a page from my sisters battle plan for last week, I will be bringing a big bag of grapes and carrots to the barbecue tonight. And God willing I shall best this buffet.
The batting slump will most likely continue tonight. We are playing a team way out of our league (pun intended). I'll be lucky to get more than one at bat.
On a completely different note, here is a quick sign of my dedication and maturity.
It was pouring rain when I sat down for lunch today, so I wrote off all hope of getting a walk in and settled in with a good book. About twenty minutes into my lunchbreak the rain stopped. In the past I would have said , "Oh well, I'm already settled in with this good book", and skipped the walk. Today, as a wiser and more mature person, I chucked the book, grabbed my shoes and hit the road. Good for me!
Tony
7/18: 272 lbs.
A Great Weekend
Happy belated Fathers Day to all you fathers out there.
What a beautiful weekend. My wife and I took the kids and headed up to my parents lake place for the weekend. 90 and sunny all weekend long; you couldn't have asked for better weather. Sure, it would have been nice if the winds weren't blowing at gale force all day Sunday, but that would just be petty.
I did very good this weekend. I ate well and stayed active. This whole open and honest thing is turning out to be a big help. I have a tendency to way overeat at the lake. I'm sure everyone overeats at the lake. You're relaxed, you're on vacation and snacks are flowing like boxed wine at a Sorority party. This weekend was different.
We spent a lot of time talking about living healthy this weekend... and not just my wife and my parents. My aunt and my uncle were with us on Saturday as well. I am very close with my family, both immediate and extended, but there was an openness this weekend that we have never had. We all talked about our struggles with weight and health and talked about the things we are trying to do to get back on track.
On top of all the talking we also ate better as a whole. Everyone made an effort to provide food that was healthier. All and all it was a very affirming weekend.
On the drive up to the lake Saturday morning, my wife asked me out of the blue, "Would you really eat 5 king size candy bars in one day." This is something I admitted to in my first post. Sadly, the truth is even worse than 5 king sized bars.
Recently I reached a new low in my junk food consumption. I would regularly stop at the gas station in the morning for two doughnuts, which I would eat on the way to work. Then, I would eat MacDonald's for lunch. A 5-piece chicken strip meal, super sized with a large shake. I would often snack on a handful of mini candy bars at work in the afternoon. On my way home from work, I would stop at a gas station again to buy a king size Carmello bar, a giant Ice Cream Sandwich and a pack of Little Debbie Zingers. Unbelievably, I would end the day with a bowl of Ice Cream around 9 or 10.
At a minimum that would add up to 3500 calories all from foods that are rated no higher than a D for nutrition from Calorie Count.com. And that dosen't include dinner.
Now this was not a typical day for sure, but it was not a rare one either. Hopefully I'll never have a day like it again!
Tony
7/18: 272 lbs.
What a beautiful weekend. My wife and I took the kids and headed up to my parents lake place for the weekend. 90 and sunny all weekend long; you couldn't have asked for better weather. Sure, it would have been nice if the winds weren't blowing at gale force all day Sunday, but that would just be petty.
I did very good this weekend. I ate well and stayed active. This whole open and honest thing is turning out to be a big help. I have a tendency to way overeat at the lake. I'm sure everyone overeats at the lake. You're relaxed, you're on vacation and snacks are flowing like boxed wine at a Sorority party. This weekend was different.
We spent a lot of time talking about living healthy this weekend... and not just my wife and my parents. My aunt and my uncle were with us on Saturday as well. I am very close with my family, both immediate and extended, but there was an openness this weekend that we have never had. We all talked about our struggles with weight and health and talked about the things we are trying to do to get back on track.
On top of all the talking we also ate better as a whole. Everyone made an effort to provide food that was healthier. All and all it was a very affirming weekend.
On the drive up to the lake Saturday morning, my wife asked me out of the blue, "Would you really eat 5 king size candy bars in one day." This is something I admitted to in my first post. Sadly, the truth is even worse than 5 king sized bars.
Recently I reached a new low in my junk food consumption. I would regularly stop at the gas station in the morning for two doughnuts, which I would eat on the way to work. Then, I would eat MacDonald's for lunch. A 5-piece chicken strip meal, super sized with a large shake. I would often snack on a handful of mini candy bars at work in the afternoon. On my way home from work, I would stop at a gas station again to buy a king size Carmello bar, a giant Ice Cream Sandwich and a pack of Little Debbie Zingers. Unbelievably, I would end the day with a bowl of Ice Cream around 9 or 10.
At a minimum that would add up to 3500 calories all from foods that are rated no higher than a D for nutrition from Calorie Count.com. And that dosen't include dinner.
Now this was not a typical day for sure, but it was not a rare one either. Hopefully I'll never have a day like it again!
Tony
7/18: 272 lbs.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Results Not Typical
Isn't that what they say in the tiny type on all those ads for shady investments , "Results Not Typical". That pretty much describes this mornings weigh-in, in a good way.
Drum Roll Please ............
272.4 lbs. That's what the scale said this morning.
Which means I lost 7.6 pounds this week. A dramatic start for sure , but lets not get ahead of ourselves. I think my body is in shock at the moment. The weekend before I weighed in last Monday was kind of a binge weekend, so I am sure that the dramatic weight loss has a lot to do with putting my body through some significant nutritional changes. Things well most likely right size next week.
I am well aware that this is not typical of what I can expect in the weeks to come. And, while I am excited, I am also reluctant to rejoice too much, for fear of seting myself up for a major let down next week when I only loose 1 or 2 pounds. Honestly the real celebration will come in 3 months when I am still going strong. These first few weeks, while not easy, are kind of the honeymoon period. My will is strong, my head is clear. It's once temptation starts to work it's magic that I need to worry. If I can make it another 3 months, then we will party.
Now for the contest winner!
No one guessed right on the money, but my mom was closest with 4 lbs. Congratulations Mom!
If I can get ten people to guess next week I will offer a prize to the first person to guess the closest. Guessing will open at 12:01am Thurs. morning.
Thanks for hanging out this week.
Tony
6/15: 272
Technorati Profile
Drum Roll Please ............
272.4 lbs. That's what the scale said this morning.
Which means I lost 7.6 pounds this week. A dramatic start for sure , but lets not get ahead of ourselves. I think my body is in shock at the moment. The weekend before I weighed in last Monday was kind of a binge weekend, so I am sure that the dramatic weight loss has a lot to do with putting my body through some significant nutritional changes. Things well most likely right size next week.
I am well aware that this is not typical of what I can expect in the weeks to come. And, while I am excited, I am also reluctant to rejoice too much, for fear of seting myself up for a major let down next week when I only loose 1 or 2 pounds. Honestly the real celebration will come in 3 months when I am still going strong. These first few weeks, while not easy, are kind of the honeymoon period. My will is strong, my head is clear. It's once temptation starts to work it's magic that I need to worry. If I can make it another 3 months, then we will party.
Now for the contest winner!
No one guessed right on the money, but my mom was closest with 4 lbs. Congratulations Mom!
If I can get ten people to guess next week I will offer a prize to the first person to guess the closest. Guessing will open at 12:01am Thurs. morning.
Thanks for hanging out this week.
Tony
6/15: 272
Technorati Profile
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
