Weigh-In Week 14

234! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 2.4 lbs.! And 14 straight weeks of loss.

I feel really good about this week. Over the last two weeks I have finally settled in to a way of life that feels sustainable. I'm obsessing less over what I eat. I still track my calories everyday, but I don't feel like I need to be so uptight about what I eat. I have come to a point where this is my regular diet vs. being on a diet. My body knows what it needs now. And exercise has started to become more routine. Less of a chore and more just part of my every day. Let's hope I didn't just jinx myself by talking about it.

I realized this morning that this is very close to the weight where I first started thinking I needed to lose weight. My first major push to drop a few pounds came during the year leading up to my wedding, which would have been 8 years ago. It's amazing that I have accomplished in 6 months what I have been trying to do for 8 years. And it's all because of the help and support I get from you! Thank you.

Another thing I realized this morning, those large white t-shirts are starting to fit pretty comfortably. Unfortunately, my only remaining pair of jeans are starting get a little big. May have to hit the outlet mall this weekend.

This weeks winner is Cousin Angie! She guessed 2.4 right on the money and with a whopping 13 votes this week we will for sure be giving Angie a prize. Angie for your keen ability to forecast the future of my shrinking mass I will be sending you a copy of this months Cooking Light magazine. I am sure Cousin Josh will be very excited!

Have a great weekend everybody!

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

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 14

I have gotten complacent in my strength training and my body sculpting has not been as pronounced as I had hoped. So, I started a new strength training workout last night. It kicked my butt, but not nearly as hard as I thought it would.

Here is the new Workout:

Push ups /2 Sets/ 12-15 Reps
Dolphin Pose / 2 Sets / 12-15 Reps
Plank / :30 seconds
Crunches / 2 Sets / 12-15 Reps
Crunches with Twist / 2 Sets / 12-15 Reps
Reverse Crunch / 2 Sets / 12-15 Reps
Pendulum / 2 Sets / 12-15 Reps
Lying Straight Leg Raises / 2 Sets / 12-15 Reps
Balancing Seated Twist with Medicine Ball / 2 Sets / 12-15 Reps
Lunge & Twist with Medicine Ball / 2 Sets / 12-15 Reps
Squats with Medicine Ball / 2 Sets / 12-15 Reps
Dumbbell Flys / 2 Sets / 12-15 Reps
Dumbbell Chest Press / 2 Sets / 12-15 Reps
Alternating Dumbbell Biceps Curls / 2 Sets / 12-15 Reps
Dumbbell Hammer Curls / 2 Sets / 12-15 Reps
Upright Dumbbell Rows / 2 Sets / 12-15 Reps
Calf Rocking with Dumbbells / 2 Sets / 12-15 Reps

Here is what I managed to accomplish last night.

Push ups /2 Sets/ 15 Reps
Dolphin Pose / 2 Sets / 12 Reps
Plank / :30 seconds
Crunches / 2 Sets / 15 Reps
Crunches with Twist / 2 Sets / 15 Reps
Reverse Crunch / 1 Set / 12 Reps
Pendulum / 1 Set / 12 Reps
Lying Straight Leg Raises / 1 Set / 10 Reps
Balancing Seated Twist with Medicine Ball / 1 Set / 12 Reps
Lunge & Twist with Medicine Ball / 2 Sets / 12 Reps
Squats with Medicine Ball / 2 Sets / 12 Reps
Dumbbell Flys / 2 Sets / 12 Reps
Dumbbell Chest Press / 2 Sets / 12 Reps
Alternating Dumbbell Biceps Curls / 2 Sets / 12 Reps
Dumbbell Hammer Curls / 1 Sets / 12 Reps
Upright Dumbbell Rows / 2 Sets / 12 Reps
Calf Rocking with Dumbbells / 2 Sets / 12
Reps

I used two 25 pound weights for all the weight stuff except the Upright Rows. Those I did with 10 pound weights. I used a 5 pound medicine ball for all the medicine all stuff. I may do a little more tweaking based on something my dad sent me this morning. The goal is to get better at doing this routine a minimum of three times a week. Washboard abs here I come!

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 10th.
Walked / Ran: 11.1 miles

Calories Consumed: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have consumed aprox. 14392 calories.

Calories Burned: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have burned aprox. 27636 calories.

34% of my calories have come from fat.
9% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.

45% of my calories came from carbs.

21% of my calories came from protein.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
9/13: 236.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
16.4 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.

Recipe Wensday - Coconut Curry

We had lunch at Big Bowl on Sunday and ever since then I have been craving more Chicken Curry. I am one of the worlds pickiest eaters. I believe my current ranking is some where around 12th pickiest eater. So it surprises a lot of people, including me, that I like Indian and Thai food. It's a habit I picked up living in England and one I have had to curb this year as I've been losing weight. I used to hit the local Indian buffet for lunch about once a week. Man do I miss Naan Bread!

That's why I was so excited to find this really easy recipe for Coconut Chicken Curry. While not exactly a low cal recipe, it is low carb... until you add the rice. To make it a little healthier you could serve it over whole grain noodles instead.

My lovely wife has started planing out our meals for the week. We haven't been planing our meals very well so hopefully this will help with the last minute dinner scramble. I will ask her to put this recipe on the calender for some time next week.

Coconut Chicken Curry
INGREDIENTS:
1-lb skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut in bite-sized pieces
1/2 medium onion (optional, but I like it), chopped
1 medium red Bell pepper, chopped
12 oz fresh or frozen green beans
1 can coconut milk (can use light or regular)
Thai spices as described above to taste (depends on heat)
Salt or seasoning salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat some oil (I included 1 T in the nutritional info below) in the pan - olive, coconut, peanut, or high-oleic safflower oil all work well. Amount depends upon size of pan - you want a thin coating on the bottom.
2. Chop onion, and add.
3. Chop pepper and add.
4.While that is cooking, chop the chicken.
5. Add the spices (including the salt). The amount will depend upon the spice. For example, with Penzey's Sate' Seasoning, I use about 4 t, but for a hot paste, more like 2 t. It just depends upon how spicy the blend is and how spicy you like your food. Stir until the you start to smell the spices.
6. Add the chicken. Stir until almost cooked through.
7. Add the coconut milk. (Note: this makes a fairly soupy curry. If you want it thicker, just add maybe 2/3 of the can.) Bring it to a boil, and simmer for 3-5 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Nutritional Information per serving (with onion and regular coconut milk): 404 calories, 30 gm protein, 12 gm carbohydrate, 4 gm fiber, 8 gm ECC , 27 gm fat.

Recipe courtesy of Laura Dolson at About.com.

Tony
9/12: 236.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
16.4 lbs. to go

Britney, America, Glamour Magazine and More Body Image Controversy

I swear I am not on a crusade. I was ready to leave the whole Britney thing alone after yesterdays post. I had said my piece and made my point. And then I opened up Yahoo News and was hit with this headline:
Harshest Words Saved For Britney's Body.

In general it is a poorly written article wrapping up the "she's fat" / "no she's not" reactions to Sunday nights performance. Again I was ready to leave it alone until I saw this quote from Glamour Magazine executive editor-at-large, Suze Yalof Scwhartz.

"Girls aren't looking as skinny this season as they did," said Suze Yalof Scwhartz, executive editor-at-large for Glamour Magazine. "There's food backstage. They're looking sexier." At Glamour, she noted, a model won't be featured "if she shows too much clavicle."

A lovely, yet all together hypocritical sentiment apparently. Recently a few keen observers spread around the blogesphere have noted that Glamour Magazine did an impressive Photoshop job on America Ferrera for their latest cover. Take a look at the pictures and you'll notice her face and arms have been considerably thinned out.


While it does sound like America has lost some weight since the first photo was taken, there is no way those arms are her real arms.

I know Photoshopping covers is a common practice. In fact the company I work for has been asked more than once to Photoshop 10 or 15 lbs. off of a celebrity. It is something we do with no small amount of ridicule for said celebrity.

My ridicule turns to anger however, when a magazine like Glamour feels the need to "tighten up" and digital tone a women like America Farrar, a woman whose career has been built on the idea that every body is beautiful just the way it is.

This is a serious problem. Especially when the editor at large turns around and claims her magazine is part of the solution. Sorry Miss Scwhartz, if you continue practices like this you are just as big a part of the problem... maybe even a bigger part of the problem...than the hundreds of snippy reporters blasting away at Brittney for her paunch.

I now officially retire my soap box. I promise the rest of this week will be all about me.

Tony
9/11: 236.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
16.4 lbs. to go

The Paunch Heard Around The World

I couldn't care less about Britney Spears! I need you to understand just how much I don't care about Britney Spears because it is the only way I can bring myself to talk about her. So now that we all know that I am not some closeted teeny bop idol lover I can get on to talking about Britney Spears.

Once again this morning, Britney is all over the news due to her "disastrous" performance at last nights MTV Video Music Awards. I happened to see part of the performance on the Today Show this morning while waiting for the weather report. I will agree, it did look bad and was probably an ill advised comeback attempt for someone not ready to be back in the spotlight. There is however one thing that is bugging me about all the media coverage.


Here is a quote from an AP article on Yahoo news this morning:

"As in most train wrecks, it was hard to focus on just one thing as the Britney Spears disaster unfolded. There was just so much that went wrong.

Out-of-synch lip-synching. Lethargic movements that seemed choreographed by a dance instructor for a nursing home. The paunch in place of Spears' once-taut belly."

Can you guess which part of that quote I have a problem with? Nearly every news report I have seen on last nights VMA's mentioned Britney Spears' weight as one of the things she "did wrong" last night.

Ok, now take a good look at these pictures. Do you see the paunch? Sure it's not a set of six-pack abs, but I think Britney has a lot more to worry about then being ten pounds overweight and a little soft in middle. To me, she looks incredibly healthy. The only hint of a "paunch" is in this final photo and that may just be because of her pose and the angle of the photo.


But, here is the message I hear going out to young girls. "Be skinny or else people will make fun of you." Sure I am super sensitive to this issue due to my current obsession with my own body. But as a father of two little girls it worries me to see how nonchalantly we can call a 130 lb. woman paunchy merely because she is a celebrity who once had a rock hard body. She has had two kids for cripes sake.

So here is my point, if you have young daughters who read the newspaper or watch the news or listen to the radio or watch MTV, do me a favor. Let them know that while Britney Spears may be a little off her rocker, she is a healthy looking young woman who doesn't need to lose any weight.

Encourage your kids to live healthy lifestyles but at the same time be sure they understand what it means to have a healthy body image. And for the betterment of us all buy them some Ani Difranco or Tori Amos or Cat Power CDs. Please!!!!

Tony
9/10: 236.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
16.4 lbs. to go

p.s. Check out Tori Amos' take on todays young female roll models.

A Photo History Of My Weight Gain

I think this is a really interesting way to put my weight gain and loss into perspective. Here are pictures of me from nearly everyone of the last 10 years.

The first is my lovely wife and I in Bath, England. Don't we look so young and skinny? I am 22 years old in that picture.

While the first picture is the only one where I could be even remotely considered thin, it doesn't look like I really started putting on weight until 2000. Around 2004 or 2005 is when I become what I would consider obese.

I'd say right now I am at a pre-2000 weight but not quite to 22 year old me..... Yet!

Here's something else I noticed in putting this together, for most of my life I have had really bad fashion sense! You may not be able to tell from these photos, but trust me, it's true.

Weigh-In Week 13

Keeping the streak alive.



236.4! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 2.6 lbs.

Like I said, it was going to be a surprise this morning. At least I was surprised. The last thing I said to Laura last night was, "I think I might have a gain this week." Then again, it has been well established that I have no clue what is going on with my body.

Here's the fun part. I can now say I have lost more than 50 lbs! Rock On! 51.6 lbs. to be exact.

My mom is the big winner this week, with a guess of 2.4. We only had 9 votes so no prize, but my Mom has been taking care of the girls while Nana Heather is off living the good life in New York this week so I'll probably do something nice for my Mom anyway.

Speaking of Nana Heather's adventures in New York, here is a Picture of Nana Heather and my sister at the Today Show this morning. Maybe you saw them on TV.



In case you can't pick their fuzzy faces out of the crowd or have no clue what Nana Heather and my sister look like, here is the annotated photo.


Here's a link to video of Nana Heather and Sister Sarah on TV this morning. They are on the left side of the screen, right over Daisy Fuentes' right shoulder.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Tony
9/7: 236.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
16.4 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 13

Once again I have no clue what to expect this week. I didn't go too crazy over the long weekend, but I didn't watch what I was eating that closely either so my calories are up a little bit. I was very active over the weekend but I didn't put in nearly as many miles as I did last week. It will be a surprise tomorrow. Hopefully a good surprise but if I were a betting man I'd lean toward not too happy.

I have a lunch meeting today so no running. The meeting is catered. I will try and control myself .

Just a quick reminder the winner of the Guess How Much I Weigh Contest is the person who is closest to guessing my weight / weight loss for the week without going over, ala The Price Is Right. I am adding that to the rules rundown, but I wanted to point it out one more time.

Also my sister appears to be correct, my scale does only go up or down by even numbered 10ths of a pound. Although voting with odd numbers will still hold it's advantages.


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 3rd.
Walked / Ran: 13.2 miles

Calories Consumed: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have consumed aprox. 14931 calories.

Calories Burned: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have burned aprox. 28175 calories.

32% of my calories have come from fat.
10% 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
9/6: 238 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
19 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 - Pumpkin Mousse

My Aunt Sue has really got into the spirit of healthy living. She has been coming up with some great recipes for all of your family gatherings over the past few months. Her latest is my new favorite. Low calorie pumpkin Mousse made in just 15 minutes! As someone said this weekend, It taste like pumpkin pie without the crust. This is going to be made a lot around our house as the leaves start to change and fall sets in. It just seems like the perfect fall dessert.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 Cups Cold Fat-Free Milk
1 Package (1 ounce) Sugar-Free Instant Butterscotch Pudding Mix
1/2 Cup Canned Pumpkin
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Allspice
1 Cup Fat-Free Whipped Topping, Divided

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set.

2. Combine the pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger and allspice; fold into pudding.

3. Fold in 1/2 cup whipped topping.

4. Transfeer to individual serving sishes. Refregerate until serving. Garnish with remaning whipped topping.

Nutrition Facts:
2/3 cup mousse with 2 tablespoons whipped topping
Calories: 96, Trace Fat, Cholesterol: 2mg, Sodium: 360mg, Carbohydrates: 18g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 4g

Recipe created by Patricia Sidloskas. Courtesy of Light and Tasty Magazine.

The End Of Summer

I am 33 years old and I still get the same sad, sinking filling in the pit of my stomach I used to get every Labor Day as a child. Summer is over. It doesn't matter that I am not returning to school, that it is supposed to be in the mid 90's for the next two days or that I'll be heading back to the cabin in two weeks. There is just something ingrained in me (and everybody else I'm sure) from childhood that causes my brain to acknowledge Labor Day as one of the saddest days of the year.


On a happier note I had a lovely holiday weekend with my family at my parents lake home and managed to accomplish one of my summer goals. I can slalom ski again... sort of.

I have been water skiing since I was 5 years old. I learned to slalom when I was 8. For a long time I was a darn good skier. Not as good as my dad, but I could kick up a roster tail that would make a peacock envious. My dad and I always had a little skiing rivalry going when I was growing up. My dad is a great skier and seeing him out there ripping it up always pushed me to do better.


Around 1998 or '99 my skiing started to lag a little. The boat we had was having trouble pulling me up as I got heavier, so I slacked off on the skiing. My dad got a new boat, a fancy competition ski boat , in 2001. It made it easier for me to get up so I started skiing a little bit more. Then, I discovered wake boarding and I pretty much abandoned skiing for the next 3 or 4 years. I would take a run or two ever summer just to prove I could still do it, but each year I got a little worse as I got heavier and more out of shape.

Around 2005 I was horrified to discover I could no longer get up on one ski. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't pull myself out of the water. This was devastating to me. Water skiing used to be one of my great loves. It was something that my whole family bonded over, especially my dad and I. And my gluttony had ruined it.


Some of you may remember earlier this summer I set myself a goal of getting back up on one ski again. This weekend was my last opportunity and I am proud to report Mission Accomplished. My skiing was atrocious and my back hurts like hell, but I did get up and I did manage to take a few cuts. I may give it another go in two weeks, but my real hope is to be in good enough shape next summer to really dive back into skiing again. I miss it.




Tony
9/4: 239 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
19 lbs. to go

The Weigh-In Week 12

239 that's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of .8 lbs.

I don't get this weight loss thing at all. This was the loss I was supposed to have last week after piging out all weekend. Not the loss I was supposed to have this week after logging nearly 20 miles. Strange!

I am way beyond complaining about small losses though. At this point any loss is a good thing! And if I did feel the slightest bit of disappointment all I'd have to do is look at the picture to know that I am doing just fine. Really I have been over due for a slow down for a few weeks now. Not that I will take it easy. This little loss fires me up to try for a bigger one next week.

I do have two regrets at a smaller loss this week.

1. I wanted to show off for all the new friends that have started reading this week. I've discovered some amazing new people this week doing amazingly well on their own healthy living journeys. Thank you all for sharing your stories. Come back next week new readers and I'll really show you something.

2. I was really looking forward to being able to stop saying "I have lost nearly 50 lbs." and start saying "I have lost more than 50 lbs." Hopefully next week.

I do have one bit of showing off. This week's loss makes 12 straight weeks of loss with an average weekly loss of 2.8 lbs. We have made the 3 month hurdle! Whoppie!!!

The glory this week belongs to my lovely wife . She blew passed her 10% goal this week with a huge 3 lb loss. That puts her over by 1.8 lbs. Way to go sweetheart. I am very proud of you!

Here is how determined my lovely wife was to make it this week. Last night after the girls went to bed she headed out for a two mile walk in the pitch black of night. My little trooper!

Congrats also to fellow Fatblogger John for making his initial goal of losing 25 lbs. Way to go John!


We had a record number of votes this week but no but no winner. Fat Bloke Thin was closest with a guess of 1.3, but as I have said before we play by the Price Is Right rules. The winner is the person who is closest without going over. I will be adding that rule to the contest instructions next week and from here on out. Sorry if there was any confusion.

Have a great holiday weekend everybody. I'll be back on Tuesday.


Tony
8/31: 239 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
19 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 12

Wow! We have made it to the magical 3 month mark. Or we will have tomorrow morning and I don' anticipate going on a crazy buffet binge tonight, so the odds are good we'll make it.

I have said from the beginning, if I can make three months and still be going strong this new lifestyle has a good chance of succeeding. I know 3 months does not a lifetime make, but I've never made it this far before so it's a big step in the right direction.

Before we get to the contest a little update.

I got my old cholesterol results last night. They were not what I expected. The last time I had my cholesterol checked was 2003 and my results were slightly better then, than they were this time.

2003:
Total: 177
HDL: 30
LDL: 82
Triglycerides: 325

2006:
Total: 176
HDL: 27
LDL: 118
Triglycerides: 154

The more I think about it, it makes sense that my 2006 results are similar to my 2003 results. In 2003, I probably weighed around 260 so I wasn't yet at my heaviest. Even though I have been working out and losing weight, I am sure you don't just fix your cholesterol overnight. It has me wondering what my cholesterol was when I was at 280. Scary!

Here's the other fun thing. I broke 3 miles on my walk/run yesterday for the first time. 3.1 miles in 35 Minuets!!! 10 of it was running.

I ran the first 4-1/2
Walked 2
Ran 2
Walked 2
Ran 1-1/2
Then walked for awhile and added two more 1 minute runs towards the end.

I've been thinking a lot about my running, but I'll get into that next 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. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.

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

Stats for the week of August 27th.
Walked / Ran: 17.9 miles

Calories Consumed: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have consumed aprox. 14035 calories.

Calories Burned: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have burned aprox. 28210 calories.

33% of my calories have come from fat.
11% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.

42% of my calories came from carbs.

23% of my calories came from protein.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
8/30: 239.8 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
19.8 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.

The Purge - Part 2: Even Purgier

As promised, here is the triumphant shirt. The first is from December 23, 2006. The second is from last night. I'm a little speechless to tell you the truth.


The great 07 purge is complete. I am left with :
4 pair of pants,
1 pair of jeans,
3 pair of dress shorts,
and enough sweaters to last until hell freezes over, which works out nice since I'll have plenty of sweaters to wear.

I have plenty of shirts left, but I might need to get a pair of transitional jeans and maybe a pair of casual shorts to get me through September. I have a few loads of laundry to do so maybe there is something hiding in there that I forgot about.


My lovely wife has pointed out another upside to revamping my wardrobe as a skinner person. It will be a lot easier to shop the Target clearance rack now!

As you know the Target clearance rack is my favorite place to shop in the whole wide world. I am also looking forward to fitting in to some cooler clothes from some of the skate / surf inspired shops. Clothes that I know I am top old to wear, but I am going to wear anyway!


Here's a shot of the "too big to wear" pile. Also know as the Mama Cass Mumu Mountain. Sorry, I like alliteration a lot. The photo doesn't do it justice. That pile is huge. Over half of my clothes are in there!


Tony
8/29: 239.8 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
19.8 lbs. to go

Recipe Wednesday

This seems way advanced, but It also seems really good and I do love good Barbecued Pork. Plus the recipe comes from the Mayo Clinic so it's almost like medicine, right?

I have no clue when I will find the time to make this . If not this weekend, I will do my best to get it made in the next two weeks.

Jamaican Barbecued Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients
2 teaspoons firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pork tenderloin, about 1 pound, trimmed of visible fat
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dark honey
1 teaspoon tomato paste

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper. Rub the spice mixture over the pork and let stand for 15 minutes.

2. In another small bowl, combine the vinegar, honey, tomato paste and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk to blend. Set aside.

3. Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill or broiler (grill) to medium-high or 400 F. Away from the heat source, lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray. Position the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.

4. Place the pork on the grill rack or broiler pan. Grill or broil at medium-high heat, turning several times, until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Remove to a cooler part of the grill or reduce the heat and continue cooking for 14 to 16 minutes. Baste with the vinegar-honey glaze and continue cooking until the pork is slightly pink inside and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 160 F, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

To serve, slice the pork tenderloin crosswise into 16 pieces and arrange on a warmed serving platter, or divide the slices among individual plates.

Nutritional Analysis(per serving)
Serving size: 4 pork tenderloin slices
Calories 180, Monounsaturated fat 3 g, Protein 24 g, Cholesterol 75 mg, Carbohydrate 6 g, Sodium 508 mg, Total fat 6 g, Fiber 1 g, Saturated fat 2 g

Recipe from the Mayo Clinic.

Tony
8/29: 239.8 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
19.8 lbs. to go

The Purge - Part 1

My lovely wife and I dove into our scariest project of the summer last night, my closet. Technically it's the guest room, but everyone simply refers to it as my walk-in closet.

I have to admit I am a bit of a clothes horse. It's not so much that I buy a lot of clothes, I just never throw them out. Here was a typical conversation from last night:

ME: "Maybe I should get rid of this, I've had it for a while."
LAURA: "You had that when we met!"

My lovely wife and I have been together 12 years!

Heck, I'm still wearing clothes I bought in high school. I was into the baggy grunge flannels back then. 4 years before grunge went national I would like to point out!

I have also collected a lot of clothes in the last three years. When you're going up a size every 6 to 8 months it's hard not to accumulate.

The purge was long overdue.

The main criteria for getting rid of clothes was size. Everything with a XXXL went without even trying it on. A lot of the XXL stuff went as well. I was really surprised at how much stuff ended up in the to go pile. There are clothes that that I haven't worn in years because they were too tight that are now to big to wear. I missed them going up and coming down.

Last night was the first time in this whole process that I have felt like a person who has lost nearly 50 lbs. Seeing my old clothes looking like a Mama Cass mumu on me, clothes that used to be tight just 9 months ago, made me really see my body in a new way.

While this was mostly a joyous occasion, there are some things that I will be really sad to see go. I had just received a lot of really nice clothes for Christmas this past year, which I hardly had the chance to wear and now they are 3 sizes to big for me. It made the whole experience a little bitter sweet.

Tonight I tackle pants and sweaters. I have a feeling the purge has only just begun.

The most triumphant moment of the evening:

- One of my favorite shirts is a western / rock star shirt my lovely wife gave me for Christmas 3 years ago. I have never been able to wear it properly, even when she gave it to me. Last night I buttoned it up for the first time.

Here's me in the shirt this past Christmas weighing 288. I'll take a new picture tonight to compare and contrast.

Tony
8/28: 239.8 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
19.8 lbs. to go

Kicking It with Cholesterol

I finally got the results of my Cholesterol check back last week. I have been waiting to post my results until I could compare them to the results from a test I had done a few years ago. Unfortunately, I have changed doctors and clinics a few times since then and it has taken me a week just to track down where I had the test done. The results are locked away in a musty old basement somewhere and should arrive in a week or two. When they do we'll have a fun compare and contrast.

Some of you may be wondering why at 33 I've already had two cholesterol checks. I have a history of high cholesterol in my family that puts me at a higher risk for heart problems. Coupled with my obesity and lack of exercise, I would say I am a prime candidate for early cholesterol checks.

Here are my most current results.

Total Cholesterol: 176
Triglycerides: 154
Cholesterol/HDL Ratio: 6.5
HDL Cholesterol: 27
LDL Cholesterol: 118

Those of you who know a thing or two about cholesterol can stop reading right here and judge for yourself. For the rest of you, here is your Cholesterol Primer.


HDL:
High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, is known as “good” cholesterol because high levels of HDL seem to protect against heart attack. Low levels of HDL also increase the risk of heart disease. Medical experts think that HDL tends to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it's passed from the body.

HDL is my biggest problem. My HDL levels should be between 40 and 60. Mine are currently at 27. That's way low!

LDL:
Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, is known as “bad” cholesterol. When too much LDL (bad) cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. Together with other substances, it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can narrow the arteries and make them less flexible. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. If a clot forms and blocks a narrowed artery, heart attack or stroke can result.

My LDL is considered Near Optimal/ Above Optimal. While my LDL is a little high, it would seem that I have not (as of yet) manifested the hereditary high LDL cholesterol that runs in my family.


According to the American Hart Association my risk of having a cardiac event in the next 10 years is less than 1%. Yeah for me!

The best thing for me to to get my HDL up is to keep doing exactly what I am doing.. Working out and losing weight. Those are the two biggest factors in controlling HDL Cholesterol. I have also started taking a daily vitamin supplement and a daily fish oil supplement. My doctor said the fish oil might be a good idea since I never eat sea food.

Now if only I can remember to take the pills. I started on Saturday, forgot to take them yesterday and this morning! I'll have to figure out a system.

Tony
8/27: 239.8 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
19.8 lbs. to go

Weigh-In Week 11

OK so obviously I don't get this whole thing!



239.8! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 2.6 lbs. And the streak continues!

That makes 11 straight weeks of loss. Over the past 2 months my average weekly loss has been 3.24 lb.

I have to say I am shocked. My lovely wife and I had a quick chat about it this morning and she made some really good points. She pointed out that if I were doing Weight Watchers, my extra "Duluth" calories would most likely be within my allowable flex points for the week.

She also said I need to be careful not to become overly obsessed about food or I run the risk of developing a habit that could be as unhealthy as my overeating.

Maybe seeing that a few extra calories hasn't destroyed my efforts will help me to loosen up.

The more I thought about it this morning, I started to realize that part of my manic behavior this week may stem from the fact that I am approaching the three month mark. That being the mark where I have abanded every other effort I have made to start a healthy lifestyle. My lovely wife assured me that neither she or the rest of you will let that happen.

And now the moment you've all been waiting for...the big winner.

This weeks winner is Nana Heather with a guess of 2.2 lbs. For being so optimistic in the face of my own doubt, Heather wins a loaf of Low Cal, Low Fat Banana bread.

Thanks to all of you for being so optimistic this week and for all your comments and encourgment. As always I don't know that I could do this without you.

I have fallen behind on prize distribution.

Nate, you will hopefully get your Flat Bread this weekend. I just have to figure out where it is sold.

Em, Your prize will be sent out today or tomorrow.

Heather, Your bread will be ready for pick-up no later than Tues.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Tony
8/24: 239.8 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
19.8 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 11

Here is the quick recap on the week.

Went to Duluth. Ate kind of bad. Didn't exercise. Came home. Ate good. Exersciesed.

I broke down on Monday and weighed myself. At my last official weigh-in on Friday I was at 242.4. By Monday I was back up to 245.4. I have not weighed myself since.

We will stick with the official weigh-in weight of 242.4. All guesses as to loss or gain should be based on how much my weight will change from 242.4.

And yes it is OK to guess that I will have a gain this week. I will not consider it rude or demoralizing.

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

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

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

Stats for the week of August 6th.
Walked / Ran: 4.6 miles

Calories Consumed: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have consumed aprox. 17514 Calories.

Last week I consumed 12166 calories.

Calories Burned: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have burned aprox. 27454 Calories.

Last week I burned 27860 calories.

35% of my calories have come from fat.
11% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.

43% of my calories came from carbs.

19% of my calories came from protein.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
8/23: 242.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
22.4 lbs. to go

Recipe Wednesday

I am starting to get back on track. I had a good workout yesterday and ate well. But, I am still having some serious cravings and this week is causing me to second guess every food choice I make.

I had gotten to a place where I was past the whole debating with myself before eating, now it’s back to a democratic convention in my head. Should I have that Slim-a-Bear bar? If I do will I feel bad. It’s 100 calories for goodness sake.

For the record I did have the Slim-a-Bear bar last night and it was delicious and I don’t feel the least bit guilty about it.

Here’s what I think is really happening. As much as I have been a big talker about not fearing a weight gain this week, I am starting to realize there may be some false bravado involved. All of the internal struggle stems from the fact that deep down I really want to pull out a loss this week.

This is making the extra cravings even worse. Normally I would satisfy my cravings with a healthy snack alternative, Fruit, Slim-A-Bear bar, Wheat Thins, etc. Now, I debate about the extra calories and delay even the healthy snack. Which makes me hungry and makes it even harder to resist the cravings. Ahh the vicious cycle.

The good news is, now that I have figured this out I can hopefully get over myself and settle back down.

I’m going to do what I can to avoid a gain this week or to keep the gain to a minimum. But, if I do have a gain this week I’ll step off the scale, put on my white t-shirt like a man and use the gain as motivation for next week.

Recipe Wednesday
Low Fat, Low Cal Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1 mashed banana
1 Tablespoon of Melted Butter or Margarine
1 teaspoon of Rum Extract
1 cup of Splenda
Dash of Salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons of Skimmed Milk
3/4 cup of White Flour


1. Preheat oven to 350° and spray two mini-baking pans with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Place the following ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl and gently mix by hand until smooth

3. Add Flour

4. Cook about 20 minutes - or until golden brown.

The Whole recipe is only 500 calories!

This recipe comes from Diet Bites. Click on the link to head over there for some recipe alternatives.

Tony
8/22: 242.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
22.4 lbs. to go

Going To Bed Hungry

So getting back on track is proving harder than I expected. I am hungry. Last night i had a very sensible dinner,chicken, salad and stake fries , and I went to bed hungry for the first time in 2 months.

And now the guy in the next office over just walked in with a greasy Egg McMuffin like sandwich. I don't even like Egg McMuffin sandwiches and it's still making my stomach beg like a little puppy at that dinner table.

It's like I am going through detox. Not that I know what detox is like. My body got a taste of all the things I used to crave, Ice Cream, pizza, grease, and it wants more. Hopefully things will settle down as my body gets used to eating fewer calories again. In the meantime I guess I need to fall back on some old tricks. Some fruit for a mid morning snack, chewing gum and drinking lots of water.

I did do my strength training for the first time in a week last night. It hurt but I felt good once I was done.

I stayed home with the girls yesterday and got about half my walk in. Today, I forgot to bring my running clothes to work and was thinking about not going out for my walk. But I can't afford to take another day off. So I am going to head out on my lunch break in my jeans and t-shirt. It might be rainy and muggy and I will spend the rest of the day a social outcast in yucky, sweaty jeans, but it is a sacrifice that I must make. Both for my health and my mental dedication.

Tony
8/20: 242.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
22.4 lbs. to go