Monday, September 10th 2012

Well here I find myself not having posted a blog for a long time.  I have said it over and over again that I need to keep up on this better.  So I will say it again..... I'm going to keep up on this blog and post more often!  I am however trying something new where each week I give myself a goal.  Something that I know I need to do better at or improve upon.  This week's goal, September 10th - 16th, will be to not eat any fast food or drink soda.  Maybe this will help drop some pounds.

239 lbs.

Thursday, August 16th 2012

So I think my theory on why I was up two pounds yesterday was correct, or at least thats what I'm telling myself.  I was down two pounds from yesterday!  I felt great this morning and that carried over into today.  I did take tonight off from running and exercise due to not feeling good.  I had one of the worse headache's I have had in a long time.  I blame that on the heat!  On top of that my stomach was rolling and turning every few minutes.  So I figured it was a good idea to take a day off.  Back at it tomorrow!

233 lbs.

 

Wednesday, August 15th 2012

I'm not really sure how I gained 2 pounds since yesterday.  I ate decent and did a good 45 minutes of exercise.  If I had to take a guess it might be a result of all the water I drank during my exercising.  I didn't start the exercising till about 9pm and drank a ton of water, so its possible that I still had a ton of extra water in my system this morning.  I'm not worried about it because I feel like I had a good day.  If it keeps going up then I will start to worry.  As for today, I was good again.  I ate good and got a good 45 minutes of exercise in.  

235 lbs.

Tuesday, August 14th 2012

Another good day today!  I was down one pound from yesterday.  I could have ate better than I did, however I did get out and go running.  I also did all my upper body and core exercises.  So in my eyes today was a huge win!  

233 lbs.

Monday, August 13th 2012

Im back, well at least I hope I am and that I can keep up on this.  I have decided to try a different format.  I think I'm just going to list my weight in some crazy large font and go from there.  After all the weight is the most important thing!  However for this post (since its been a while) I will give a quick run down on how things have been.  Back on July 16th I weighed myself and I was at 239.5 pounds.  This set me over the top and put me back into full diet mode!  I was on a roll and had got down to 234 pounds on the day I left to go back east.  Now I knew being on vacation I would probably come home 10 pounds heavier and based on what I ate I'm shocked that I didn't.  When I got home and got on the scale the next morning I was at 235 pounds.  I don't know if the scale was wrong or if I was seeing things, however I was taking it!  I really wanted to jump back into things full force the next day, however I just didn't have the energy and power since being home.  So I took the rest of the week to get back on Arizona time and adjust to being home.  So that beings me into today, Monday August 14th.  I'm focused, ready to eat good again, exercise daily and most important drop the weight! 

234 lbs.

Day 354

Booyah, another great day for me today!  I think its important for me to post something on a daily basis just because it helps keep me focused.  However I don't want to just write the same thing over and over each day.  So if it's a pretty normal day and I really don't have much to say then I will just keep it short and to the point.  This was the case today.  I did great and stayed focused all day.

My menu today was wheat toast, protein shakes, salad (homemade), grapes, spaghetti and carrots.  Yummy!

So today WAS good day and tomorrow WILL be a good day as well!!

Till tomorrow....

Day 353: 235.5 pounds

I ended my post from yesterday by saying that today was going to be a good day.  So from the minute I work up I knew I had to be strong and that things were going to be different from what I was starting to get used to over the past few months.  The first thing I said after rolling out of bed was "you can do this Bryan, you have done it before and can do it again.  Its going to suck, but you can do it".  This little pep talk worked well and helped me get through the day. 

I was faced with a few challenges, but didn't let any of them get to me.  We have a pantry stocked with just about everything and as much as I wanted to have a few cookies or a handful of chips, I didn't.  I will say that the hardest part was not getting my coffee this morning.  I decided that I need to cut back a bit on the amount of coffee I drink.  So today I went without it and boy did I pay for it.  My head was pounding! 

My eating today was AWESOME!  Wheat toast, protein shakes, salad for both lunch and dinner was my menu today.  The only snack I had was two graham crackers after dinner.  Winner winner chicken dinner!

Oh yeah, my weight this morning was at 235.5 pounds.  Yesterday it was showing 237 pounds and I pigged out big time, so I'm not sure exactly how it was a pound and half less today.  Either way I will take it.

So today WAS good day and tomorrow WILL be a good day as well!!

Till tomorrow....

The Last Straw!

I'M BACK!!

Its been way to long since I have posted anything on here, and to be honest even focused on this journey/diet.  This is not good at all.  Its not that I have forgot about it because its always a thought in the back of my mind.  Heck I probably think about it even more because I'm not doing good.  It sucks!  I'm sure everyone out there will agree with me when I say dieting is hard!  Its not easy by any means, it takes a lot of work, dedication, focus and support to achieve your goals and even then its extremely hard!

Well today was the last straw for me.  I have been following my weight on a regular basis and have known its been going back up little by little.  However it has been staying around the same number until the past few days and leading into today.  As of this morning I weighed 237 pounds.  Yes that's correct I said 237!  This is 12 pounds heavier from my lowest point of 225 and only 8 pounds under where I started last June 23rd.  Not good!  Now granted I'm still 23 pounds lighter from the highest I have ever been at 260 pounds.  But like I said today was the last straw.  Seeing that 237 number made me sick to my stomach.  I started thinking about all that hard work I had put in to lose the weight and look good and in that moment it all seemed like a huge waste. This was not what I had planned and sure as heck not what I wanted!  So right then I made the call that today was going to be the last day this non focused, non determined Bryan would be around.  I told myself "pig out all you want today because come tomorrow its time to get down to business".  So come dinner time it hit me that I needed to end the day with the same way I did the night before my journey started.  I needed to stuff my face with something that would leave a mark for the rest of the night and leave me feeling like crap.  For those that remember it was Filberto's that did the trick last time.  So tonight's "final meal" was yet again Filberto's.  I got a Steak & Egg Burrito and 3 rolled tacos with cheese & sour cream.  I would never eat this much from there and normally can barley finish my burrito, but the plan was to pretty much make myself feel horrible so the meal would stick fresh in my mind.  Well it did the trick, and I couldn't even finish everything.  But I know for a fact that come tomorrow and all next week I will still be thinking about that meal!

Another thing I decided to do to help lose the weight and kick start it again is grow my beard.  Everyone knows that I can grow a pretty awesome beard and grow it pretty quickly.  It had been a good 4 or 5 days since I last shaved, so today when I went in to clean up decided that I would grow out my beard and not shave it till I get back to my lowest point of 225 pounds.  This is great motivation because its summer time in Arizona.  Who the heck wants a beard in this heat!  However it will only be a face beard as I will keep the neck clean.  Come on, I'm not a total idiot!

So with that said wish me luck (again) as I get back on track and finish what I started a year ago this month.  Tomorrow is gong to be a great day for me!

Till tomorrow.......

Day 310: 229 pounds

Its been just about a week since my last post, so its time for an update.  In my last post I was down to 233 pounds after starting the week off at 235.  This was a direct result of my Laughlin weekend.  I continued to bust my butt off all week hoping to get back down under 230 pounds.  With lots of exercise and eating good, as of Sunday morning I was down to 229 pounds.

I also started tracking my weight and exercise on an excel spreadsheet by week.  I figure it will be much easier to post a weekly review as to my goal status.  Yes I'm a nerd who likes to use spreadsheets to track stupid stuff, but who didn't already know that!  Most people say my middle name is "spreadsheet".  So with that said, here is the summary for the past week.

For the week of April 23rd - April 29th (Monday-Sunday).  I started the week off at 235.5 pounds and by the end of the week I was 229 pounds.  That was a 6.5 pound loss in 7 days!  I exercised a total of 146 minutes, running 2.5 miles and biking 23.  I also did 350 sit-ups.  I have 55 days to go till I hit the one year mark.

Till next time!

Day 305: 233 Pounds

Hello, time for a new post! 

I was hoping to post something on my birthday as it was the day I originally set as my goal.  However that didnt happen, nor did I hit my goal.  I was not even close!  Not to worry, I'm not giving up.  I did weigh myself the morning of my birthday and I was 229.  It was not great, but I accepted it.  However the next day Dawn and I left for Laughlin and boy did I overdue it!  It seemed like we were always eating or drinking and didn't really get the best of sleep.  We had an awesome time, so I didn't really think about what I was eating and just went with the flow.  I paid for it when I got on the scale yesterday.  As I noted above I was 229 before we left, well yesterday I was 235.5.  Yeah I gained 6.5 pounds in a weekend.  You might be thinking how is that even possible.  Well I blame it on the crab!  Saturday night the buffet was all you can eat crab and I'm pretty sure I had at least 5 pounds!  It was awesome!  The good news is I busted my butt yesterday with a 45 minute/9 mile bike ride, 125 sit-ups and ate great.  Because of that I dropped 2.5 pounds yesterday!  I'll take it.

So now I'm setting a new goal date of June 23rd.  I don't think it's possible to get below 200 in just about two months, but I will work hard to get close.  I'm thinking more like being around 215 pounds is reasonable.  That would mean I need to lose 18 pounds in the next two month.  I can do it!  I'm also going to try and post more often, that should help keep my mind focused. 

So till next time.......

Day 292: 232 pounds

I figured it was time for an update on my Journey.  I wish I had a better weight number to report on, however having survived the Easter weekend by not putting on 10 pounds is a huge win in my books.  The Easter party Dawn's mom holds every year has enough food to probably feed about 200 people.  So between the food, candy and beer I'm surprised I didn't need help getting out of their house (haha).

I also have been dealing with some crazy allergies the past few weeks.  It hit our house hard as all five of us were suffering at one point or another.  However I do think it hit me the worse.  A pounding headache, burning and watery eyes, runny nose, non stop sneezing and a cough for 3 weeks is not fun.  But its the price we all pay for living in Arizona this time of year.  You don't get much better weather anywhere than Arizona in late March, early April!  The good news is I survived and have been feeling like a new man the past few days.  So I work up this morning focused and set on having a great diet/exercise day. 

I did stick to my normal breakfast routine that being an iced coffee and bagel, however I didn't put cream cheese on the bagel, I went with a little low fat butter spread.  It was pretty good!  Then after a few hours of working I decided to head out for a bike ride.  The temperature today was about 70 degrees with a little wind.  It was awesome out!  I rode for about 25 minutes and covered about 4.5 miles.  Once I got home I did about 5 minutes of jump rope and then 100 sit-ups.  At this point I was dead tired and ready for a shower.  Next came lunch!  I made a can of tuna and put a very little, I mean very little bit of mayo in it.  Its to dry out of the can, so I have to add it.  I ate that while drinking a protein shake.

It was a game day today for Brady so eating dinner was on the go.  Yeah I know this is never good, because eating out "quickly" normally means a drive thru.  Sure enough that's exactly what we did after the game.  We ran through Taco Bell and got some tacos.  I had 3 of them and enjoyed every last bite!  Now as for the game.  Well Brady's team (The Dodgers) was trailing by one run in the top of the last inning, with the tying run on third, Brady came up and grounded out to second, however the run scored!  Unfortunately the home team got a run in the bottom half and won the game.  The Dodgers are off to an 0-2 start, but both games were close.  The wins will come soon!  As for Brady, he was 1-2 with a single, walk and 2 rbi's.  Good game buddy!

So overall it was a great day!  Till next time.....

Day 284: 232 pounds

Yes I know I have not been doing good on keeping this updated, sorry. It's been hard to of late just because of everything we have been doing. Plus all my posts seem to cover about the same stuff, so they must be boring to read as I know they are boring to write.

However don't worry, I'm not giving this up. I will continue to post about my weight and the journey to break 200. I have 32 pounds to go and know I can do it. My original goal was to break 200 by my 35th birthday, however with only 16 days left I don't think that's going to happen. Im aiming for being at 220 by that time. 12 pounds in 16 days is a reach, but I think I can do it (as long as my allergies get better).

So for now going forward I will post something when I feel it's needed, such as a good weight number, or big family event, etc. I would also like to mix my personal life and it's adventures in to this blog. Afterall anything I do is part of this journey.

Till next time..........

Day 279

I'm a huge slacker latley when it comes to updating my blog.  It has been some very busy days over the past few weeks for me, so in fairness to myself I have a pretty good excuse.  Just because I have not updated my blog doesnt mean I have not been focused on my diet.  I feel like I have been doing pretty good over the past week, could it be better, of course!  However overall its been acceptable in my books.  I have not weighed myself in a few days, but plan to one day this week so stayed tuned!

As for today, well it was good.  The weather has been amazing latley and today was another one of those days.  I took advantage by getting out during my lunch break and doing some yard work.  Oh how I enjoy being outside this time of year. I wont be saying that here in the next few months.

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:   Bagel & Coffee
• Lunch:  Tuna Sandwich (homemade)
• Afternoon Snack:  Fiber One Bar
• Dinner:  2 Cheeseburgers (McDonalds) =(
• Exercise:  Yard work (2 hours)
• Weight:  n/a
• Grade:  C+

Day 273: 231 pounds

So I got on the scale today thinking it would be a good thing.  I have been doing good the past two days and yet I'm still the same weight I was the last time I checked.  Bummer!  However I didn't let it get to me and I kept focused on today.  I didn't really get in any exercise mainly because my legs needed a break from back to back days running 2 miles.  I did however have another good day of eating, at least in my mind I did. 

Tomorrow I plan on getting out and going for either a bike ride, a run or maybe even some driving range time.  It has been a while.

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Bagel & Coffee
• Lunch:  Buffalo Chicken Sandwich (leftover from Dinner)
• Afternoon Snack:  Celery with Peanut Butter on top
• Dinner:  Southwest Chicken Salad
• Exercise:  n/a
• Weight:  231 pounds
• Grade:  B+

Day 272

It was another great day for me today.  I ate great (see below) and went for a nice run in the sun this afternoon.  I followed up the run with some situps and a protein shake.  I didn't weight myself today, but plan to within the next day or two.  So stay tuned!

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Bagel and Coffee
• Lunch:  Turkey Sandwich (homemade)
• Afternoon Snack:  Protein Shake
• Dinner:  Buffalo Chicken Sandwich (homemade) & Celery Sticks
• Exercise:  Run (2.5 miles) & 125 situps
• Weight:  n/a
• Grade:  A

Day 271: 231 pounds

Today was the first day in a while since I have posted something.  This past weekend was nuts for me because Dawn was in Colorado for a wedding.  So I got to play Mr. Mom for the weekend, and boy was it crazy.  I'm glad its in the past and boy am I glad Dawn is home!

So that brings me to today.  I got on the scale for the first time in 5 days and was happy to see 231 pounds.  My eating this past weekend was not the best just because we were on the go almost every day.  When I say on the go I mean a birthday party on Friday night for both kids, dance practice for Lily Saturday morning, baseball practice Saturday afternoon for Brady and then another birthday party for Lily Saturday afternoon.  Thank goodness it rained all day Sunday allowing us to just stay in the house and do nothing.  It was the best.  So back to today.  I had to go into the office today for work, so on my way in I stopped and got a coffee and made that my breakfast.  I did get out early so Dawn and I went to lunch.  It was awesome.  For dinner Brady and I went to the store and picked up some lunch meat, rolls and fruit, so we had "lunch" for dinner.  The kids loved it!  After dinner was over and everything was cleaned up I went out for a run.  It felt good to set my legs free again!

So overall it was a great day.

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Iced Coffee
• Lunch:  1/2 Sandwich, 1/2 Salad combo from Paradise Bakery
• Dinner:  Turkey Sandwich (homemade) and some grapes
• Exercise:  Running (2 miles), 125 sit-ups
• Weight:  231 pounds
• Grade:  A

Day 266: 230.5 pounds

Granted I was down a pound from the previous day, but other than that it was not the day I was hoping for.  It started off with toast and coffee for breakfast and then some chicken for lunch.  Dawn baked some chicken breasts the other night with some pepper and garlic on them.  They were even better leftover.  So between breakfast and lunch I was feeling pretty good about my day.  However come dinner time is when it went south again.  We all went to pick up the girls together because after we had to go get some birthday presents for this weekend.  Because of this we were going to be "out" at dinner time so the easiest thing was going to be picking up a $5 Hot & Ready Pizza from Little Caesars.  Can't beat that deal!  I had two slices and will say enjoyed every bite!

I had also been planning to go running all day and was hoping to get that done after dinner.  However things changed and I was not able to get out.  Dawn is leaving for Colorado in the morning, so I had to keep the kids in check while she get everything ready.  So once again my day was not where I wanted it to be.  I will try again tomorrow, however with Dawn out of town for the weekend it will be very hard to get out and exercise.

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Toast & Coffee
• Lunch:  Chicken Breast (1)
• Afternoon Snack:  Cookie (1)
• Dinner:  Pizza (2 slices)
• Exercise:  n/a
• Weight:  230.5 pounds
• Grade:  C+

Day 265: 231.5 pounds

Sorry its been a while since I have posted anything.  Things have been super busy since my last post (Thursday, March 7th), but its with good reason.  We could be here a while if I went into deep details, so I will keep it as short as possible and just list something for each day.

Friday, 9th:  It was our 11 year Anniversary,  so we went out and enjoyed an awesome dinner.  We both ate to much, but worth it!  Its only once a year, you have to enjoy it.  We did watch some of our video and that made Lily want to see Dawn's wedding dress which lead to something else (see below).

Saturday, 10th:  Charlotte work up with pink eye!  Dawn took her to the doctors while I took Lily to dance.  I also had to meet up with some friends so we could pick our Fantasy Baseball Draft order.  We all met at a Starbucks!  I was also dealing with a massive sinus cold that felt like the flu.  It sucked!

Sunday, 11th:  Took Brady to a Spring Training game, Rockies vs. White Sox.  It was an awesome time!  He caught two baseballs during batting practice.  Boy was he happy!  Of course with any baseball game there is going to be be ball park food.  We didn't over due it, but still enjoyed ourselves.

Monday, 12th:  I worked in the morning for my normal job and then had to work a baseball game in the afternoon.  After a long day and being stuck in horrible traffic I just relaxed the rest of the night.

Tuesday, 13th:  Took Brady to another Spring Training game, Diamondbacks vs. Angels.  It was hotter than on Sunday and there were way more people.  However it was still an awesome time!  He got two more baseballs during batting practice, one from Miguel Montero and the other Henry Blanco.  Then later in the game he met an old dback player (a legend).  Picture below!

Wednesday, 14th:  Today was the first day in a week that I was able to just relax at home and get some work done.  Brady had baseball practice at night, but other than that it was an easy going day!

Hopefully tomorrow (Thursday) I will be able to get back on my exercise routine.  Its not that I haven't been very active, I'm pretty sure all the walking between the two baseball games was well over a few miles.  But I still need to get back in to the swing of things.  I have just about one month left till I turn 35.  That was my goal to break 200, but I don't think its going to be possible.  However I will do everything in my power to get close. 


Lily in Dawn's wedding dress!

 

Brady watching Rockies batting practice.  He got two balls!

 

He got two more balls during batting practice at the Diamondbacks game.



Brady & Luis Gonzalez "Gonzo"!

Day 258: 230 pounds

Well I was down another pound this morning, so that was a great start to the day.  As for the rest of my day, well it was pretty basic and simple.  Nothing big happened other than work and baseball practice for Brady.  I will add that Dawn didn't cook anything for dinner since Brady had practice and we (Brady and I) were at the fields till about 8pm.  So she ordered a pizza and we enjoyed some leftovers once we got home.  I love me some pizza!

I didn't get out and exercise mainly because of Brady's practice and because it was freezing out.  Half way through his practice I had to go sit in the car because I was so cold.  Yes, its me complaining about being cold.

Well that's about all I have to say about today.

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Bagel & Coffee
• Lunch:  Egg Salad Sandwich
• Dinner:  Pizza (1 slice) and 4 Boneless Wings
• Exercise:  n/a
• Weight:  230 pounds
• Grade:  B+

Day 257: 231 Pounds

It was a pretty good day!  It started with me being down two pounds since yesterday, so right there I was off to a good start.  I think my eating was ok, it could have been better, but it still was not that bad.  We did reward the kids with some dessert because they were so good tonight.  We took them to get some ice cream, well it was frozen yogurt from one of those soft serve places.  I did get a small cup of fat free Coconut yogurt.  The rest of my meals are listed below in the recap.

Other than that there wasn't anything special or different about today.  Tomorrow is another baseball day for Brady, so it will be a busy one.

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Iced Coffee
• Lunch:  Egg Salad Sandwich
• Afternoon Snack:  Protein Bar
• Dinner:  Chicken & Veggies (on pastry puffs) & Salad
• Dessert:  Fat Free Coconut Frozen Yogurt (small cup)
• Exercise:  Run (2 miles), 125 sit-ups
• Weight:  231 pounds (down 2 pounds since yesterday)
• Grade:  B+

Day 256: 233 pounds

Yes that weight number is no joke!  Well yes its a joke, its a joke that I allowed myself to gain 4 pounds since Friday.  I was a pretty rough weekend starting Friday night when we had friends over.  Not only did we have pizza and wings, but there were plenty of snacks to pick on while we were all playing games.

Heading into Saturday I had planned to keep it easy and not over do the eating.  However I didn't succeed at all.  I had to work a Diamondbacks spring training game, so on my way to the stadium I picked up a coffee.  So my breakfast was via a straw.  I was really busy up till game time so I didn't get the chance to eat anything.  Yes I know this is bad.  When the game was over I headed home and sure enough it was leftover pizza and wings for dinner.  I didn't want to eat this again, however its free food and hard to pass up.  So my Saturday looked pretty much like my Friday. 

Next came Sunday.  Dawn's uncle is in the process of moving, so I joined forces with the other guys of the family to help him load everything up and move it to the other side of the valley.  It took all day so I know that I got plenty of exercise in the process.  Probably the best exercise I have had in a long time.  However just like any more there comes a time when everyone needs to eat.  This normally means someone picking up lots of food for everyone.  This is exactly what happened.  Wendy's cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets is what we got to choose from.  I was so hungry that I ate two cheeseburgers and 5 nuggets.  Yeah, I pigged out!  Once we were all done moving me and Brady headed out to Dawn's parents house for dinner.  She was already there with the girls.  Her mom had made spaghetti and meatballs and had some fresh Italian bread to go with it.  After a long day of hard work it was the perfect meal.  When I got home I jumped in the shower, put on some comfy clothes and passed out on the couch. 

So again heading into today I was not sure what to expect when I got on the scale.  What I saw did not make me happy.  So the plan was to get back on track with at least my eating today.  I think I did pretty good.  For breakfast I had some toast and coffee.  I had made some egg salad with some eggs that needed to be used, so for lunch Dawn and I had a sandwich.  Granted I know egg salad is loaded with mayo, but its still better than eating fast food.  Next came dinner, and unfortunately that was a meal on the go.  Brady had baseball practice that lasted till 7pm, so on our way home we stopped at Jack-In-The-Box and picked up some food.  The good news is I had their grilled chicken salad.  Its so so good!  I didn't go out and run tonight just because I helped again today move more stuff for her uncle.  So that was my workout.  Overall I think today was a pretty good day to start the week.  Hopefully I can keep it going and get back those 4 pounds!

Wish me luck!

Day 253: 229 pounds

Well as of this morning I was back under 230!  I'm not sure if that will be the case after today, however I hope so.  See we had some friends over tonight for game night and in the process we ordered some pizza and wings.  I think pizza and wings are a must when you have friends over to play games.  On top of that there were also some drinks involved.  However it was an awesome time and I would not trade it for anything.  

I really don't have much else to say.  It was a normal Friday in my world with exception of tonight.  Tomorrow I will be heading out to work my first spring training game of the season.  Its the Dbacks vs the Rockies.  Its the spring opener and since they share a training complex (best in AZ) they always play each other in the opener.  There is nothing better then spring training baseball in Arizona!

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Bagel & Coffee
• Lunch:  Ham & Turkey Sandwich with a pickle wedge
• Dinner:  Pizza & Wings
• Dessert:  Some drinks....=)
• Exercise:  n/a
• Weight:  229 pounds
• Grade:  D 

Day 252: 230 pounds

So maybe eating the peppers is not that bad after all.  Yesterday I had two of them and did no exercise and yet lost a pound.  Its crazy how your body works sometimes.  Either way the loss of a pound was a good starting point on what was a great day for me.  As everyone knows Thursdays is the day the Campbell house gets cleaned.  I think I get a better workout cleaning the house than I do running.  Its easier on my knees that's for sure! 

My eating was good as well.  I had a salad for lunch and then some BBQ chicken that was cooked in the crock pot.  Dawn made some mashed potatoes and corn to go with it.  Hopefully I didn't enough to get back into the 220's.  I know I could probably be pushing it harder this week, but its been tough.  Its taking time to get back up to full speed after the weekend I had last week.  Not to worry, I will get there! 

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Toast & Coffee
• Lunch:  Grilled Chicken Salad
• Dinner:  BBQ Chicken Breast, Mashed Potatoes and Corn
• Exercise:  House cleaning (3 hours)
• Weight:  230 pounds
• Grade:  B+

Day 251: 231 pounds

Well it looks like maybe the lack of exercise the night before resulted in an extra pound coming back on.  Bummer!  However I'm not going to let it get to me and will keep working hard.  Other than that I really don't have much to say about today.  My breakfast was the same it has been the past few days.  I went the leftover route for both lunch and dinner by having a stuffed pepper.  They might be packed with carbs, however I cant let them go to waste.  Besides eating those is still way better than eating some fast food burger or something of that nature.

I didn't get the chance to do any exercise due to a busy afternoon and baseball practice with Brady at night.  I will for sure be hitting the streets tomorrow!

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Bagel & Coffee
• Lunch:  Stuffed Pepper (1)
• Afternoon Snack:  Wheat Thins (few)
• Dinner:  Stuffed Pepper (1)
• Exercise:  n/a
• Weight:  231 pounds
• Grade:  B

Day 250: 230 pounds

I was back down a pound today from yesterday.  Good way to start the day!  I'm hoping that I continue to trend in that direction.  However it was going to be hard today because of what was on tap for dinner.  I don't really need to speak much to my breakfast or lunch (it’s outlined below in the recap).  But dinner, well that was a treat for me.  Dawn told me early in the day that she was making stuffed peppers.  When I got the news I was like a kid on Christmas Eve!  Stuffed peppers are one of my favorite meals and I could probably eat 6 of them with no problem.  However for those that have had them know they are stuffed with rice which means lots of carbs!  It wasn't going to matter; I had been looking forward to dinner all day and knew I was going to enjoy myself.

They do take a while to cook, so finally around 7pm we sat down to eat.  We had some dinner rolls and a salad to go with the peppers.  I didn't go overboard and had one and a half to go along with my salad and roll.  This worked out because now I have 4 leftover I can enjoy this week for lunch. 

After dinner I put on some comfy clothes and relaxed on the couch until I fell asleep.  I didn't go out for a run because Tuesdays are normally a day I give my legs a rest, but I have a feeling that I should have gone.

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Toast & Coffee
• Lunch:  Cheese Crisp (1)
• Afternoon Snack:  Wheat Thins (few)
• Dinner:  Stuffed Peppers (1.5), Dinner Roll and Salad
• Exercise:  n/a
• Weight:  230 pounds
• Grade:  C+

Day 249: 231 pounds

I'm sure glad that weekend is behind me.  The wedding on Saturday was so much fun, but it kicked my butt!  You know you're in trouble when there is a full open bar and you're surrounded by a bunch of long time friends.  I'm pretty sure the food was good as well, however I don't really remember.  The weekend also had me going back up 2 pounds and back into the 230's.  However I think that's to be expected because I put everything on hold Saturday so I could have a good time.  The good news is I got back on track today and know those 2 pounds will be gone soon.

I resumed breakfast with my normal of the past few weeks.  A bagel and coffee, yummy!  For lunch I heated up a chicken breast that was left over from last night's dinner.  I ate that with a few sticks of celery that had some peanut butter on them.  Again yummy!  I will also add that before my lunch I went out for a run (2 miles) and then returned home and did some sit-ups.  I added a protein shake to the mix as well.  Brady had baseball practice tonight, so after that was over we stopped at Safeway and picked up a rotisserie chicken to take home.  Dawn and I cut up the chicken and made some chicken nachos.  They were so good.

So overall it was a good day.  I got back on track eating good and went for a run.  Good times!

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Bagel and Coffee
• Lunch:  Chicken Breast, Celery with Peanut Butter
• Afternoon Snack:  Protein Shake
• Dinner:  Chicken Nachos (Homemade)
• Exercise:  Run (2 miles), 125 sit-ups
• Weight:  231 pounds
• Grade:  B+

Day 246: 229 pounds

Well I dropped more weight, but it was only half pound this time.  None the less it was a half pound in the right direction.  As for the rest of my day, well it was great yet again.  I didn't go get a bagel this morning so I had to enjoy my coffee all alone.  Its pretty much a meal in a cup, so I think I'm ok.  Dawn had to go run some errands this afternoon to get ready for what is a very busy weekend.  On her way home she stopped and picked up some Wendy's and got me a grilled chicken wrap and side salad.  Just like the other day I cut up the chicken and made a killer salad.  However before eating lunch I had spent a good 3 hours out in the yard getting it all nice and clean.  You could eat off the porch if you wanted to!

Brady had baseball practice tonight so dinner had to wait till about 8pm when we got home.  I made both of us PB&J's with a few Wheat Thins on the side.  Yes that seems like something you would eat at lunch, however it tasted darn good for dinner. 

I hope that I was good enough to get down another pound or so, but who knows.  One thing I know for sure is that tomorrow night everything diet related goes in my back pocket.  Its my buddy's wedding (Nick Cassaday) and I will not be worried about what I'm eating or drinking.  Its a full open bar, so watch out.  The good news is Dawn and I got a room at the resort (Gold Canyon) so we both can really have a good time and not worry about driving home.  Its going to be so much fun!

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Iced Coffee
• Lunch:  Grilled Chicken Salad
• Dinner:  PB&J with some Wheat Thins
• Exercise:  Yard Work (3 hours)
• Weight:  229 pounds (down half pound from yesterday)
• Grade:  A

Day 245: 229.5 pounds

Another great day is in the books!  My weight was down another 1.5 pounds from yesterday as I now sit at 229.5.  Yes!  I have made it back into the 220's and couldnt be happier.  I just hope I can keep it going and it keeps dropping off. 

I kept my breakfast to the same as the past few days.  A bagel and coffee seem to be working so I dont mind rolling with it for a while.  I enjoy it and I guess thats all that matters.  For lunch Dawn brought me home a Grilled Chicken Pita from Pita Jungle.  She went to lunch with a co worker and was super awesome to bring me home something.  She's the best!  While she was at lunch I spent the time cleaning the house and doing work.

For the past two weeks Brady has been having baseball practice on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.  Then he has football on Saturday mornings.  So we really look forward to Tuesday and Thursdays.  However today we didnt have the night off.  Now that Brady is 8 he can start to be looked at for club baseball.  So Dawn and I have done some research and found a club team in Gilbert.  I emailed the coach for some info and he invited Brady to come to their practice tonight.  So off we went.  Dont get me wrong, playing baseball every night is not a bad thing.  I wish I could be a kid again.  So when all said and done, it was dinner time.  So this meant eating something out yet again.  I let Brady pick and of course he choose McDonalds.  I got the Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad and enjoyed every bite of it.  Its very, very good.

After dinner I went out for a run and then returned home to do some sit-ups.  I then called it a nigt!  What a great day!

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast: Bagel & Coffee
• Lunch:  Grilled Chicken Pita
• Dinner:  Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad
• Exercise:  House cleaning (2.5 hours), Run (3 miles), 125 sit-ups
• Weight:  229.5 pounds
• Grade:  A+

Day 244: 231 pounds

So it looks like my weight number yesterday was not an error by the scale.  This morning I was down to 231 pounds, losing a half pound from yesterday.  I will take it! 

The rest of the day was great yet again, heck it was even better than yesterday.  For breakfast I went with my "norm" of recent that being a bagel and coffee.  I ran to Wendy's for lunch for both Dawn and I.  I tried something new this time, well not really, but kind of.  I ordered a grilled chicken wrap and garden side salad.  When I got home I opened up the wrap, cut up the chicken and put it in the side salad.  I will for sure be doing that again, probably in the near future.  Actually my dinner was very similar to that of lunch.  Brady had baseball practice tonight meaning no dinner till at least 7:45.  This also meant it was going to be a meal on the go.  I let Brady pick and he choose Jack In The Box!  Now I could have easily got a few tacos, maybe some curly fries or even an egg roll.  However I got their Grilled Chicken Salad.  It was awesome as well.

On top of my great day of eating, I also got in a run this afternoon.  I have really enjoyed running during the day around my lunch time.  Its one less thing I have to worry about after dinner.  Plus it allows me more time to relax and watch TV.  After my run I did my daily sit-ups and hit the shower.

So yeah it was a great day!

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Bagel & Coffee
• Lunch:  Grilled Chicken Salad
• Afternoon Snack:  Thin Mint Cookie (only 1)
• Dinner:  Grilled Chicken Salad
• Exercise:  Run (2.5 miles), 125 sit-ups
• Weight:  231 pounds (loss of half pound)
• Grade:  A+

Day 243: 231.5 pounds

Wow, by far the best morning ever!  When I weighed myself I was shocked to see that I was down to 231.5 pounds.  That was a 4 pound drop in one day.  It must have been a bunch of water weight or something.  Granted I did stick to 3 meals with small portions and cut out a good amount of sugar.  Hopefully it wasn't just an error on the scale.  We will see tomorrow when I weigh myself again.

So aside from the great weight number, the rest of my day was pretty good as well.  I kept my breakfast pretty simple with a bagel and coffee.  I didn't really get the chance to eat lunch because I was asked to go golfing.  I was bus with work up till I left, so I grabbed a granola bar on my way out that I would eat on the course.  Once golf was over I rushed home so Dawn could get to the Little League team mom meeting.  This meant I was feeding the kids and myself tonight with whatever we had in the house.  I made Lily and Charlie a small frozen pizza that they shared and Brady wanted some leftover pasta.  I had one small piece of leftover Chicken Parm and a very small portion of pasta.  I didn't really want pasta for dinner, but there was no other options.  I kept it small and when done I didn't feel full.  After dinner I did more jump roping and sit-ups before calling it a night. 

Great Day!

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Bagel & Coffee
• Lunch:  Granola Bar & Water (yes I know it should have been more)
• Dinner:  Leftover Chicken Parm and Pasta (Very small)
• Exercise:  Golfing (4 hours), Jump Rope (5 minutes) and 100 sit-ups
• Weight:  231.5 pounds (loss of 4 pounds)
• Grade:  B+

Day 242: 235 pounds

Not much to report on from today other than it was pretty good.  The weekend was flat out horrible that left me 2 pounds heavier than what I was on Friday.  That is not good!  So now I'm left with just one week till the wedding and I really want to be under 230 by that time.  I'm going to do everything possible this week to make that happen.

I'm tired and really not in the mood to type anymore so I'm going to end it like that.  Wish me luck again tomorrow.

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Eggs/Peppers/Cheese with a coffee
• Lunch:  Leftover Chicken Parm (Very small piece, it was homemade)
• Dinner:  Southwest Style Salad with Grilled Chicken
• Exercise:  4 mile Bike ride, Jump Rope (5 minutes) and 100 sit-ups
• Weight:  235 pounds
• Grade:  C+

Day 239: 233 pounds

Yet again the same weight as the previous day.  One of these days I will snap out of it and actually drop some weight.  Its not that I have not been trying.  I feel like I have been eating decent and I have been exercising daily.  Granted I have been snacking on valentines candy and girl scout cookies here and there, but I have not over done it by any means.  I guess I just need to try harder to avoid the sweets! 

The rest of my day, aside from the weight in went good.  Breakfast was the norm, toast with a coffee on the side.  Before eating lunch I needed to finish cleaning the house as I didn't get the chance to do our bedroom or mop the day before.  So I took an hour to get that done and then while the floor was drying I headed out for a mid day run.  When I got home I made some chow mien noodles with gravy for lunch.  Now that I think of it, that was probably not the best of choices since the noodles are fried.  But it tasted so good!  Brady had baseball practice from 5:30 to 7:30 so dinner had to wait till we were done.  Once it was over we picked up a pizza and took it home.  Again probably not the best of choices, but it was a Friday night.

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Toast & Coffee
• Morning Snack:  Protein Shake
• Lunch:  Chow Mien Noodles
• Dinner:  Pizza
• Exercise:  Run (2.5 miles), 100 sit-ups, 1 hour of house cleaning/mopping
• Weight:  233 pounds
• Grade:  C

Day 238: 233 pounds

Yup, I weighed myself again this morning and it was yet again the same as yesterday.  I need to do a better job laying off the sweets as I think that's the reason I'm not losing anything day to day.  Its either that or the unnecessary carbs.  So my approach today was to be stong and lay off the sweets in the house and not eat as many carbs.  So for breakfast I did have some carbs, but it was in the form of some toast.  Toast can be good for you, it just depends on what kind.  We eat wheat bread, so thats ok.  I did have a Starbucks coffee with it thanks to my sister-in-law Ashley.  She came over this morning as her and Dawn were going to see their cousin in the hospital who just had her second baby.  So that ment I got to watch my neice Carsyn for a little bit, all to myself!  Awesome!

So with breakfast behind me I focused on cleaning the house.  However I didnt mop today and will get that done tomorrow.  After I was done Dawn went and picked up some lunch for us.  Yeah, we need to make a strore run and load up again!  So for lunch we had grilled chicken sandwichs from McDonalds.  We all went out for dinner to California Pizza Kitchen, but we didnt get pizza.  Dawn and I each had a salad (they have good ones), mine was the BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad.  It was the first time I have tried it and was not disappointed at all.  It was awesome!  After dinner was over we went home, got the kids ready for bed and then relaxed on the couch watching TV. 

Overall I think it was a great day!

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Toast & Iced Coffee
• Lunch:  Grilled Chicken Sandwich
• Dinner:   BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad
• Exercise:  House cleaning (1.5 hours)
• Weight:  233 pounds
• Grade:  B+

Day 237: 233 pounds

So after the day I had yesterday I wanted to know how much weight I had put on in one day.  I was fully expected to see a few pounds, however it was only one.  I will take it.  So as of today I was back up to 233 pounds.  I headed into today with the game plan of eating light meals and drinking lots of water.  This was the plan because I was hoping to flush my system of all the sugar I had ate yesterday.  You don't want to keep that stuff in your system long and you really don't want to add more on top of it.  That will just make it harder to lose and more than likely make you gain weight.  Darn you sugar!

So for breakfast I made a slice of toast and ate that with some home made ice coffee.  Before lunch I had decided to go out for a run.  It was a nice day again and figured I would get it out of the way early yet again.  I followed up my run with a tall, cold protein shake.  For lunch Brady and I got Subway. He had a half day at school, so I let him pick what he wanted and of course he choose Subway.  So it was a roasted chicken breast sandwich with lots of veggies for me.  Dinner came a little later than normal for me and Brady just because he had baseball practice from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.  Once we got home I made us each a cheese crisp and called it dinner.  I did however sneak in a few girl scout cookies after dinner.  Dawn ordered some from a co worker and they came in today.  So needless to say we now have a few boxes of cookies in this house on top of all the candy.  The next few days could be rough.

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Toast & Iced Coffee
• Morning Snack:  Protein Shake
• Lunch:  Roasted Chicken Breast Sandwich (Subway)
• Dinner:  Cheese Crisp (1)
• Dessert:  Girl Scout Cookies (3)
• Exercise:  Run (3 miles), 100 sit-ups
• Weight:  233 pounds
• Grade:  B

Day 236: 232 ponds

I went for back to back weigh in days just so I could see if I did any damage yesterday.  The results were positive as I dropped 1.5 pounds yesterday.  Hopefully that's signs of good things to come.  Its been a long time since I have dropped into the 220's so I would really like to get back there this week.  But of course its going to be tough.

Since today was Valentines day and there was going to be tons of sweets around me, I had decided to give myself a "pass" day so I could enjoy it with Dawn and the kids.  However this didn't mean I was going to pig out and eat everything in sight.  It meant that if I wanted to enjoy a few "not so good for me" things that I could.  So with that said here is a quick recap of the day.

For breakfast Dawn and I had bagels.  We then went out for a lunch date to Pita Jungle.  I had a grilled chicken pita with lots of veggies and humus inside.  My favorite.  After lunch upon returning home is when I went for a few of those "not so good for me" things.  Just like any Valentines Day, there is going to be chocolates.  I was lucky enough to have received a heart box full of them.  Another favorite of mine.  I had a few of those after lunch while doing some work.  For dinner we picked up a Papa Murphy's Pizza (cook your self at home) that was in the shape of a heart.  The kids loved it!  Then for dessert we all enjoyed Rice Crispy Treats that Dawn made in the shape of hearts with a tint of red.  Again the kids loved it.  So after all that I was ready to just relax on the couch and fall asleep.  No exercise due to it being very cold, rainy and windy outside.  I will resume tomorrow.

Happy Valentines Day!

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Bagel
• Lunch:  Grilled Chicken Pita (Pita Jungle)
• Afternoon Snack:  Chocolate Candy
• Dinner:  Heart Shape Pizza (2 slice) & Salad
• Dessert:  Rice Crispy Treat
• Exercise:  n/a
• Weight:  232 pounds

Day 235: 233.5 pounds

Today was a great day for me, even the weekend I had wasn't that bad.  So I started my day off by getting on the scale to see what damage I needed to do going forward.  Surprisingly I was happy to see the 233.5 number.

After dropping the kids off at school I stopped by and picked up a bagel for Dawn and I for breakfast.  I love me a nice fresh bagel in the morning!  It was such a nice day today that I decided to mix things up a little bit, and went for a mid day run.  I didn't just do this because of the weather, but Brady had baseball practice tonight and knew I wouldn't have time.  I will say that it was nice to get it out of the way early.  After my run I did my sit-ups, jumped in the shower and then had some lunch.  Lunch was very simple, it was a PB&J day for me.  I enjoyed that with a protein shake and called it a meal.  Since Brady's practice was from 5:30 to 7:30, dinner was on the go.  We decided to stop at Wendy's on the way to the fields and ate in the car.  I had two grilled chicken wraps and nothing else, well I did have a bottle of water to help wash them down.

That was about the extent of my eating for the day.  Now with tomorrow being Valentines day, I'm sure there will be some chocolates in front of me at some point.  Its only one day a year, so I plan to enjoy a few,  but not a full box.  Maybe give myself one or two per day as a reward if I do good.  We will see.

Daily Recap:

• Breakfast:  Bagel with low fat Garlic/Herb cream cheese
• Morning Snack:  Protein Shake
• Lunch:  PB&J sandwich
• Dinner:  Grilled Chicken Wrap (2) form Wendy's
• Exercise:  Run (3 miles), 125 sit-ups
• Weight:  233.5 pounds
• Grade:  A