A successful week on the road

This week was a true test of challenge. I spent the week on the road and found myself eating enough, at great places and down another 5.2 pounds this week.

On the road again

Well this week was a good start to the return to plan. I lost 7.6 pounds this week. While I am still higher than when I first started in January it is a good start. I will be travelling the entire week this week so we will see how the journey allows for road trips.

Weight Watchers unveiled their new program this week and it is quite different. I will say for sure they certainly wised up to keeping people to pay the fees. It is not possible to determine your points values without the leaders giving you your point target for the week. Good to Weight Watchers to ensure their business model remains intact.

A U-Turn for life

Well it has been a while since I posted anything here. I want everyone to know that my stress in life has taken its toll on the weight loss journey to a toll that even I was shocked when I returned to weight watchers this morning.

I pondered keeping this to myself, but then I remembered why I created this blog in the first place. This reason was to keep myself accountable for everything that I did with this journey. Well here is keeping myself accountable. My weight when I returned today for the first time since September 11 was 405 pounds. This was even more then when I took the first steps in January.

While I have had several stressful points since the end of the summer (My mom's passing, unknown job status in september (Which resolved favorably)) I returned to most if not all of my old habits.

This will be the beginning of my journey again as I tell myself that I just forgot something and went home to get it starting the journey again today. From this point on there will be weekly weigh ins and regular updates. Some of these updates will come from the road as I am travelling a bit more these days.

For those that continue to follow thank you.

Howie

Well I finally went back

It took me a little longer than I expected to return to Weight Watchers. With the summer gone and my mom's passing behind me but never forgotten it was time to kickstart the weight loss journey. Yesterday I went to Weight Watchers and confirmed my biggest fear. I gained nearly 20 pounds this summer.

People can look at this in one of two ways:

Welp this is it and continue trending upwards, or a committed person realizes that this is simply lost in a neighborhood and use that good ole GPS to get back on track. I have returned to Weight Watchers and will continue to do so for this journey.

There is one person who told me a couple of weeks ago that I was his inspiration to lose weight. I wont name this person by name but they are welcome to post in the comments section to identify themselves.

I originally wrote this blog to keep myself accountable for my actions. Along the way several people have told me they jumpstarted gym memberships and weight loss from reading my blog.

To all those I have let down I can only say I am sorry and will be working to lose the weight I gained back and then some.

Its been a while

Well it has been a while since I last posted. Sometimes you need a swift kick in the ass to jump start again. I had sidetracked a bit while travelling for most of the month of July. I am happy to say although I had regressed I also was able to lose two pounds while on vacation.

Unfortunately upon my return from vacation my mother passed away that very evening. To say this week has been a mess is an understatement. But I am determined not to let her passing become another detriment to my journey but rather the swift kick in the ass I need to jump start my journey again.

I originally created this blog to become accountable for my actions. I am now stepping up and restarting where I left off. Wish my luck as this Saturday will be my first weigh in in about a month.

Down another size YAY

Yesterday I went shopping for jeans. I was able to purchase jeans that were a size smaller than the last time I bought jeans. I have now dropped two sizes since starting this journey. Every time I think its slowing down something else happens to make me realize that it is still all worth it.

Stayed the same this week

As much as a surprise as it was to me I stayed exactly the same this week. I thought for sure I had lost weight this week but I stayed the same. As disappointed as I am at least I did not gain this week.

Gained....BUT

I did gain 2 pounds this week. That being said I lost a bit of weight from the previous missed week. I will continue to lose weight and report back this weekend.

Missed week

Today I missed my weight watchers weigh in for the second time since I started my journey. I was so tired from working that I slept through the weigh in time. Although this was not a good week for me for the journey, I will update again with my totals next week. Last week I gained .8 pound so it was a setback two weeks in a row

Successful week

This week I lost 1.8 pounds. I believe it was actually more according to my scale however I was weighed on what I call the "Evil Scale" at weight watchers. There are two scales at the location that I go to. However, as much as they swear they are calibrated the same, I believe the one I weighed in on is different from the one on the right that I normally weigh in on.

Either way, I am happy to have lost weight while on the road this week.

Continued Week

Well I am still travelling, and have found myself trying to eat right on the road. Tonight I broke down and had a steak. I had dinner with two dear friends that I have not seen in SUCH a long time, Amy and Andy. I was so glad to see them. I still think I have been doing well this week. Lets see how it works out when I get home :)

out to dinner

Went out to dinner tonight. Had seafood at Red Lobster. I did not have anything fried so I think I am okay with what I ordered. The only way to tell is what happens on the scale on Saturday.

New clothes

I did some trying on of some of my old clothes that I grew out of a few years ago. I fit nicely into a shirt that I couldnt fit into even 2 months into my journey. I am satisfied that I am getting closer to fitting into more things.

Yesterday Meri insisted on taking me to get new shirts at JC Penny. This was the first time that I can remember that I was able to buy clothes in a store other than a big and tall store. I felt really good after that. I guess I can just keep working towards my goal and good things will happen.

Even Week

Well this week I did not lose however I did not gain either. I guess its a moral victory to not have gained but I did expect to lose this week. I must get back to the gym and work harder. Victory shall be mine

Very Happy this week

This week I had a good week. I lost 4.2 pounds and have now lost 34.0 pounds. YAY!!!!!!!

Another successful recipe

Last night I tried a new recipe that I played with a bit. I called it Eggplant Pizza. Here is what you need:

1 Eggplant

shredded reduced fat cheese

spaghetti sauce (I like Prego 3 cheese)

Salt

Pepper

Italian Seasoning

Preheat oven to 400

1. Peel and cut eggplant into 1/4 rounds

2. sprinkle salt liberally onto the eggplant rounds

3. add pepper as desired

4. Roast at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes

5. Spoon sauce onto the rounds

6. Add italian seasoning to taste

7. Sprinkle cheese onto each round

8. Return eggplant to oven cooking for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Small loss this week

Well I lost 1.5 pounds this week. Bringing my total back up to 29.8. It might have been a small loss but a loss is a loss regardless

Late updating this week

I did not have a chance to update the blog sooner. I did not have a great week the last week as the Passover holiday was upon us. However the damage was not nearly as bad as I thought it might be. I did gain 2.6 pounds but I should lose that and then some this week.

Excellent week

Well this week I managed to not only forget the bad week I had last week but even make up for it. This weeks weight loss was 5.6 pounds far passing the 4.4 that I gained last week. My total is now 31 pounds WOO HOO the journey continues.

A new goal

Well I now have another semi long term goal to achieve. I bought Meri a Wii Fit Plus. I went to use it and it yelled at me that I was too heavy for it and then rebooted. Very rude I tell you. At the end of the day it just gives me a new goal to work towards. My next goal is to hit 330 so I can use the Wii fit plus.

Week of travel

Well my trip to DC and Baltimore is over and now I am back home. I did hit the gym twice while on the road. I think I did OK but got baited into having a few drinks last night. Only time will tell if I will have a good week but I am hoping I do.

Horrible Week

Well I finally had that dreaded horrible week. This week I gained 4.4 pounds. Vacation or no vacation this is unacceptable to me. I feel that I have thrown away everything that I have worked for since January.

This week has taught me that even vacation has repercussions that must be addressed. I will be travelling this week for work so it will be time to watch myself while travelling again.

Wiii

Wow,

For valentines day I bought a Nintendo Wii for Meri. Tonight I decided to play with it for a bit my myself. That is a workout without doing anything that is exercise related. I found myself sweating after an intense 3 inning game of baseball. Playing tennis and bowling weren't bad either.

This isnt a bad form of exercise by itself.

Friday weight in

Well since I am going to Florida for the weekend I went to WW a day earlier than normal for a weigh in. Today I weighed in two pounds lighter than last week. YAY I am now 29.8 pounds less than I was when I started the journey.

I was sick most of this week so I only went to the gym once. I get some exercise over the weekend and start with the gym again on Tuesday.

Slow to post

Well I have not had a chance to post much this week as I had a house guest and then got sick. I am feeling "Slightly" better today. I have not been to the gym since Monday, and was going to take a walk around the neighborhood yesterday but was just too sick to do that. I am taking today off from the gym as well and hope to be back there tomorrow morning.

This weekend I am going to a wedding in Florida and when I get back to NY I will have another house guest for the week. I am off next week from work so I will have time to spend with my friend and Maddie.

A slight setback

This week I gained .8 pounds. I am still not sure how this happened as I was good this week, went to the gym 3 times plus took a walk another day. That being said there were a couple of weeks that I thought I would gain and lost.

All I can do is continue to do what I am doing and success shall follow me. Thank you to everyone that has supported me and continue to do so.

Tomorrow I start swimming classes with Maddie. I am so excited about this.

No time for the gym today

Well I did not have enough time to go to the gym this morning, so I decided to take a walk through my neighborhood instead. I ended up going 1.5 miles through my neighborhood in the snow. Yes it was snowing and I went out anyway.

Ok time for work but I had to share

Another good Recipe

This is one that I tried tonight. I did not know what to expect as I created this one myself. It is a seasoned Tilapia. I was very pleased with the results.

Here is the Recipe:

2 Tilapia fillets
2 Pieces Weight Watchers flavored cheeses (Or Laughing Cow)
1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cooking Spray

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Spray baking sheet with Cooking Spray
3. Season both sides of tilapia with salt and pepper
4. Spread cheese over each piece. NOTE: You may need to soften in the microwave
5. Dip tilapia into bread crumb mixture
6. Cook in oven for 15 minutes

Each person gets 1 fillet.

Successful Recipe

As I have done before, I will post recipies that work for me. This idea was given to me by the Weight Watchers slow cooker cookbook. Its a recipe that I have made many times in the oven but this time I made it in the slow cooker and it came out really well.

1 tbls Olive Oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
1 package mushrooms
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Salt & Pepper to taste
Other seasonings to taste
1 tbls worcestershire sauce

1. Saute the mushrooms in a pan with the oil until tender. Add the worcestershire sauce after 1 minute along with salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cool
2. Mix the mushrooms and remaining ingredients until well combined.
3. Shape into loaf.
4. Move loaf to slow cooker
5. Cook 8 hours or until done.

Birthday

Tonight I went out for my birthday. Went with another couple and kept it very small tonight. I did have my favorite steak and an appetizer. I said two weeks ago I didnt want to go out for my birthday last week so we went for dinner tonight.

Back to my routine tomorrow morning.

Today's weigh in

Today I went to the doctor for routine bloodwork (Cholesterol, etc) and then went to my weigh in. This week I am happy to report that I lost 2.6 pounds of me. That brings the total to 28.6 pounds. Thank you all for your support.

I only went out for dinner once this week. Even when I was alone on Thursday I made dinner at home. I am extremely encouraged and impressed about my journey to date.

The doctor was very happy that I am doing WW as he believes it is a very sound program. Next week Maddie and I begin swimming classes at the JCC. I hope Maddie enjoys it as much as I am looking forward to it.

Another day

Well I did not post last night as I was having my annual eye exam where they give you the drops and dilate you eyes. Today I went to the gym and then to work. Another wise choice I made was that I had gone out to lunch with a co-worker today and had a salad.

I am currently working late tonight. In the past I would have stopped for fast food on the way home. Instead I had my lunch that I brought with me for dinner. Its the small choices and changes in the road that help every step of the way.

Another accomplishment

Two accomplishments actually. Saturday I bought a pair of jeans that were a size smaller than I was wearing. When I put them on this morning I found that my belt was too big and not really appropriate for them.

I will now have to buy another belt. Wow this weight loss journey isnt cheap, but it will be soooo worth ever bit of work.

Sunday Dinner

I broke out the slow cooker for the first time in ages. I tried a "Taco" recipe from the WW slow cooker cookbook that Meri bought me for my birthday. The meat came out flavorless but I realized altho I added other spices that I forgot to add the salt and pepper. WHOOPS

Anyway I will try this again but I will add a bit of flavoring to it as well to give it some taste. Next week I will try another recipe from the book as well.

WOW

Today I went to my weigh in not sure if I lost anything at all. Much to my surprise I lost 5.8 pounds. I am still in shock over this because I know I wasn't great over the weekend when I went to CT with Meri, however I did watch what I ate while travelling having a salad for lunch followed by fish at night (Both nights were salmon).

I originally posted the weight loss from my blackberry on Facebook. I likened it to the perfect game that David Wells threw in the 90's where he went out to pitch with a hangover but threw a perfect game.

I thank everyone for the help and support that they give me on a daily basis. I cant do this without you.

Weigh in tomorrow

Well tomorrow will be my biggest test yet. I went away for the weekend with Meri for Valentines day, and spent a couple of days on the road for work. While I was not perfect when I was away for the weekend, I was very careful travelling for work. I pushed myself at the gym and even spent a longer than normal workout in the hotel gym.

Lets see where my hard work takes us this week. The scale shall tell me tomorrow!!!!!

Eating on the road

Today and tomorrow I am on the road in Harrisburg, and Baltimore. For lunch I had a Chef's Salad with dressing on the side. For dinner I had a crab appetizer with a Salmon entree. I think I am within my points for the day.

Travelling on the road is never easy however there are always safer choices that can be made.

Happy Birthday

Today as many of you know was my birthday. I brought lunch to work and was going to make dinner but it got wayyyy too late. So I ordered a Caesar Salad and two slices of pizza loaded with veggies.

Sadly I am still big enough that I had enough points to absorb it all without going over. Next year when my birthday arrives I will not be that lucky (I hope). I got some really cool gifts from Meri and Maddie. Meri got me a Weight Watchers slow cooker cookbook, and Maddie got me a bathrobe.

The best part of my birthday was spending time with Maddie and playing with her. Tomorrow I hit the gym and then head to Harrisburg and Baltimore and will be back home Thursday night. Time to hit the gym in the hotel

Valentines Day

Today I got a gift from Maddie. It was a shirt with a sign that said "I know you will fit into this soon, I am so proud of you for losing weight". It was a size 2x when I normally wear a size 3x. I tried it on to see how close I was to it, and it fit me. I will be wearing it to Mohegan Sun today.

Meri and I are going to Mohegan Sun for today and tomorrow. Maddie is staying home with Grandma watching her.

I probably will not have time to post until Tuesday as I will not be taking a laptop with me for this trip.

Saturday Weigh In

I honestly did not know what to expect this morning when I weighed in. I only went to the gym twice this week and didn't think I did all that well at the superbowl. However when I stood on the scale this morning I found that I had lost 2.8 pounds again WOO HOO. The new total is now 20.8 pounds YAY

Tomorrow's weigh in

Well tomorrow is Saturday and it will be time to face the scale. I believe I did well this week but you never know. Here is to hoping it is a good week.

Who Knew?

Well today before I went to work I needed to shovel my walk and cars out. I didn't have time to go to the gym because I was already late. I decided to enter the time that I shoveled into the Weight Watchers Journal and low and behold it turned out my time was worth FIVE points. That is more than I normally get during a half hour at the gym. Who knew this could be rewarding?

Back to normal

Today was the first day that I was back in force. Not that the last two days were bad, they were for a completely different reason. I was sick with a nasty cold/virus and didnt eat nearly enough. Yesterday I had soup and steamed dumplings in the evening and that was all I had to eat or drink all day.

I believe I am doing well this week and should be on track to lose at least 2.5 pounds again this week if not more.

Another inspiration

Today while I managed to stay up for a couple of hours this morning I was talking to a friend of mine that I grew up with on Facebook. He lost over 100 pounds last year. Today was the first time that I got to see pictures of him and I did not recognize him. He is another inspiration to me and I have to say WAY TO GO ADAM!!!!!!

New way to lose weight

Well I think I found the magic way to lose weight. I got sick while at work yesterday and spent most of today in bed. I finally forced a small turkey sandwich down my throat which was the first thing I had to eat or drink all day. I know I know BAD BAD Howie as I should at least have been drinking fluids.

I am feeling a little better now and will have soup tonight as Meri will bring me Won ton soup. YAY but I have lost 3 pounds today alone according to MY scale.

I promise to be better. I am annoyed that I didn't get to go to the gym today as it will probably be closed tomorrow and possibly Thursday as well. Oh well I guess I'll just have to shovel snow as exercise.

A story from yesterday

I decided to share the following story from my lunch yesterday. Meri and I usually go out to eat once a week to the diner for breakfast or lunch. We try to eat every other meal in. Yesterday I ordered a caesar salad with grilled chicken. When the salad came it was the hugest salad I have ever seen. I decided to only eat half of it and leave the other half for lunch on Sunday. Today I will have the rest of the salad so I will hopefully not be too hungry for tonight (Super Bowl). We are having a number of people over and I will be busy watching the game and entertaining so I wont have too much time to munch down on everything YAY.

Recipe from last night

At the urging of my favorite redneck, I am going to share a recipe that I created last night for dinner. Rachel wants me to share anything that is successful. The meal was a fusion of a couple of recipes that I had seen around. One came from a Weight Watchers meeting, while the other came from the Weight Watchers website. I made my own fusion to it and came up with the following:

1 lb ground turkey
1 package white mushrooms
1 package frozen spinach
1 cup onions
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp grill seasoning (or other seasoning)
1 Can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
2 tbsp worcesteshire sauce
Olive Oil Spray (PAM or equivilent)
1 Cup Weight Watchers Mexican blend cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. spray a skillet with the olive oil spray then heat
3. Add the onions and garlic and let them cook for a minute
4. Add the mushrooms and mix to combine
5. Add the Salt, Pepper, and Worcestishire sauce and cook for a few minutes
6. Add the turkey and added grill mix to taste cook until the turkey is fully browned
7. Add the spinach (Defrosted and most liquid removed) cook until completely combined
8. Remove from heat
9. Combine mixture with the cream of chicken soup and add to baking dish sprayed with olive oil spray
10. Top mixture with cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

I used it with whole wheat pasta, but it can go with almost anything. I am looking for a name for this dish and am open to any suggestions.

Success

Today I weighed in for the first time in 2 weeks. My weight loss was 2.8 pounds for the two weeks. Given that I was probably up 1 pound for the trip I think I did well. My total weight loss for the journey is now 18.0 pounds

Thanks to everyone for all of your support.

Tomorrow

Well tomorrow is the day of truth. I have been good all week. I went to the gym 4 times, lets see if it was enough. I hope that WW is open tomorrow as I have already gotten a call from my Dr. that they have closed for tomorrow and I had to reschedule my appt for the following week.

If the center is not open tomorrow I am not sure if I will simply wait one more week, or change my day to Sunday which I would rather not do.

The first month

Well the first month has certainly had its ups and downs. I learned what happens when you dont pay attention to what you are ordering (Sausagegate). I learned that travel isnt that easy but you have to stick with it.

I could not have made it this far without the support of everyone. I thank everyone for reading this and contributing whenever possible.

Working Hard

Well I have been sticking to it since coming back from Germany. When I came home I stepped on the scale the following morning and cant remember what MY scale said before I left. So I either gained a pound, or lost a pound. Either way I do consider the trip a small victory.

Went to the gym again today and will hit it tomorrow again unless the weather prevents me from it.

Back on track

Well today was the second day of staying on track. I woke up and went to the gym before work and was good the rest of the day. I think I am adjusting nicely back to the New York timezone. Another day of gym then work awaits me tomorrow.

Back Home

Yesterday was an interesting day. All of my meals were in the air due to the flights back to NY and a couple of missed connections. All worked out in the end as I am home now. When I stepped on the scale this morning it looks like I gained a pound while in Germany. I am not happy that I gained anything but it could have been far worse and before I began this journey it would have been far worse.

Anyway I am back home and back on track already. Here is to the continuation of my journey.

The end of the Germany trip

Ok I cant wait to be back in my own house tomorrow night. I cant wait to hug my family and tell them how much I missed them this week. The last couple of days have not been the greatest for me during my weight loss journey. I need to refocus right now and jump start this again. I will have until next saturday to have at least lost weight from my last weigh in. Anything less I will consider a huge step back in my journey.

Did OK I think

I think today was okay. I had fruit and some bread for breakfast. For lunch we ordered in Chinese where I had won ton soup and chicken with broccoli where I tossed the rice. For dinner I had exactly what I had last night so I think I was fine there. I have limited myself to just a single beer each of the last two nights. I hope I am still doing good. I just have to wait until I get home to find out.

The whirlwind tour continues

Well I have now left Berlin, flew to Frankfurt and found us driving down the Autobahn to Neustadt. Today I had fruit and an egg white omelet with onions and mushrooms. For lunch I had a little beef, salmon, potatoes and loaded up on the spinach. For dinner I had a salad, soup, and salmon with potatoes and spinach. Reminds me of lunch haha.

Better choices tonight

Well I think I was much better today than yesterday. Dinner tonight was still buffet style but I only had a couple of things and loaded up on the veggies. I skipped desert tonight so I think I am back on track. I did have 3 beers and a glass of wine throughout so you never know.

Thank you all for the encouragement you have shown me from all parts of the world.

Welp Didnt make wise choices tonight

Well I failed in my first day in Berlin. I made some definite unwise choices. The only thing I can do at this point is not look back, hit the gym in the morning in the hotel and get right back on the horse and keep going. I am not going to let one bad day derail me in my quest for a smaller me.

The only really bad mistakes are the ones from which we do not learn from.

Wise choices and not so wise choices from 39000'

Well as you all know I was a good boy in the SAS lounge last night. Once I got on board I think I was good for dinner. I chose the grilled steak since it was the only thing that wasnt fried or loaded with cream sauce. I did not have desert as all I thought about was a half hour in the gym is 301 calories.

Breakfast came 5 hours later and I think I fell victim to the eyes. I had a couple of pieces of sliced turkey and salami and a piece of provolone cheese. I also had a small glass of OJ.

On my plate also was a horrible fruit and yogurt parfait but I ate the fruit but left the yogurt behind. I now have a 5 hour wait in Copenhagen and will pass it by hanging on the net and having coffee

Delayed Flight and this weeks's weigh in results

As I write this I am currently in the business lounge of SAS airlines waiting for my flight which has now been delayed until 3 hours from now. As many of you know these lounges contain many delicious (and horrible for you) treats. There is free beer and wine, and many other snacks.

As I write this I am currently having a snack of a glass of water and a banana.

Getting to this weeks weigh in results which were encouraging.

Weight lost this week: 3 pounds.

Total weight loss for 3 weeks, 15.2 pounds.

I will not be officially weighing in at WW next week since I will be travelling however I will be following as strict as I can during this trip.

Wise Choices

Today for work I had to go to Panera and Starbucks to test something using public WiFi access points. The old Howie would have used this as an excuse to go to town on a big lunch at Panera, topping it off with a really bad coffee drink at Starbucks.

When I was at Panera, I ordered a cup of coffee. When I was at Starbucks I had a small fruit cup and a water.

Tomorrow is weigh in day, lets see how well I did. I went to the gym four times this week. Next week (I leave tomorrow actually), I am in Germany so I will not be able to weigh in at Weight Watchers next week. I plan on loading up on Weight Watchers snacks to take with me during the trip.

This will be my first real test to apply the lessons I have learned to my travels. I hope I do well.

301 Calories

As I finished my workout at the gym this morning I saw the totals for my workout. 301 calories burned. The Weight Watchers plan truly does teach you that what you eat is extremely important. For example, the workout burned 301 calories what choices do you make for that?

For that half hour of hard work I could have eaten any of the following:

1. Roughly 60% of a McDonalds Quarter Pounder with Cheese
2. a McDonalds Egg McMuffin
3. Roughly 60% of a Cheesecake Factory original slice of Cheesecake

Are any of those worth the hard work I spent in the gym? In most cases no. This just puts things into perspective. Take todays breakfast for example, I had a Weight Watchers yogurt and a Jello 60 calorie parfait. The total caloric intake was 160 calories. By the time I was finished with breakfast, I was still -140 calories for the day.

Many times I have tried Weight Watchers but I think this is the first time that I am not just following a plan but am living the choices.

Weight Watchers

Went to a WW meeting today. Found some interesting information on variants of food. Turns out this week's emphasis is on exercise. Good thing I have gone to the gym twice this week so far and intend to go tomorrow and Friday as well.

Travel for work

Today I travelled to Hartford, CT for work. We stopped for lunch at a sandwich shop. I ordered what I thought was healthy but goofed on one thing. I ordered a chicken sandwich that had bacon on it. I was smart enough to tell them to hold the mayo but I didnt remember the point value of Bacon. I figured it would be 2 points. Turns out it was FOUR (4) points.

The good news is that I am making somewhat good decisions and have the points to burn. As some of you know I will be travelling to Germany for work next week. I have never been there before so I am somewhat looking forward to it. On the other hand I am scared to death about making choices off of a menu that isnt in english.

Hope for the best.

Suprise Date Night

Tonight Meri and I got to get out for dinner. Meri's mom came to spend the night because Meri has a Dr Appt in the morning and I have to work, so her mom will watch Maddie tomorrow morning.

We went to Applebees because they have a Weight Watchers menu. Got to enjoy dinner for a total of 12 points WOO HOO.

Went for a walk

I did something that I probably would never have done before beginning my journey. I went for a walk in the wintertime. Normally when it is too cold I dont bother to go for a walk anywhere until the temperature hits around 65-70 at the soonest.

I decided to go for a walk and Meri and Maddie came with me. Maddie was a little chilly so we came home after about 15 minutes and half a mile. My intention was to go a little over a mile. Oh well.

When I got home I found that a 15 minute leisurely stroll is an activity point. While I did not go to the gym today, I was still able to find a few minutes for some exersize.

Weigh in Day

Today was weigh in day. I lost 3.4 pounds this week. I feel good knowing I lost weight and look to do the same next week. I went to the gym 5 times this past week, and am aiming for at least 3 days this week. I have now lost 12.2 pounds since I started. My journey has just begun and I am feeling great about it.

Turkey Burgers

Tonight I am cooking a personal favorite turkey burgers. I change them up every time sometimes they are good and sometimes they just plain suck. I am keeping it tame since tomorrow is weight in day.

I am thinking of holding a poll where you all can vote on how I do this week. Feel free to leave a note with a guess of how much I lose or gain (better not) this week. I will announce the results tomorrow.

Pizza Day

I remember a time when a pizza meal would consist of about 5-6 slices of pizza. On the pizza would be anything from Supreme slices with everything but the kitchen sink and anchovies (YUCK I hate them on pizza) to white slices. I dont even want to know what the total caloric value was of what I used to eat.

I had not gone out to eat since the now infamous sausagegate on Sunday and decided it was time to get some pizza. Instead of the 4 to 5 slices with horrible things on it, I simply ordered two slices with Onions, Peppers, and Mushrooms. According to Weight Watchers, a slice of pizza is 6 points. By loading the slices up with veggies I was able to maintain the 6 points per slice.

I suspect that the slices I had were larger than average so I bet they were a little more than 6 points each. I ended up with about 15 points left over for the day anyway so I think the point is moot.

I have gone to the gym 4 times this week and also plan on going tomorrow. The weigh in is on Saturday so we will see if this week is nearly as good as last week.

My Goals

Today I thought I would share my goals. These goals can be divided into two categories, short term goals, and long term goals. I thought I would share my short term goals first:

1. I would like to lose 50 pounds this year
2. I would like to remain committed to an exersize program
3. I would like to be able to wear pants less than size 50 (Currently 56)
4. Not require a seatbelt extension on airplanes.


My long term goals are a bit broader
1. Be around for my family.
2. Be comfortable in a coach airplane middle seat.
3. No longer require certain medications I need to take at this point for blood pressure and cholesterol

Im sure I will add more as time goes on.

Today's Dr Visit

Today I went to my urologist who has been treating my low testosterone for a few years. I had a procedure performed today that inserts tiny testosterone pellets inside that will dissolve over the course of a few months. The idea is that it will keep my testosterone level at a normal level.

One side effect that may occur is the ability to slow my weight loss down however the effects will also convert fat into muscle so it will help me appear as if I am losing weight. I know this is the right thing for me to do for my health but it may impede the results on the scale I am looking for.

My goal for the week

Well I have set a new goal for myself this week. The goal is very simple. Go to the gym enough times to offset the now infamous "Sausagegate". I went to the gym yesterday, I also went this morning. I have now earned 8 WW points from exercise which leaves me one more gym session this week to completely offset the sausage.

An interesting incident

Well I will start this entry off with a statement that says WHOOPS. I learned a very valuable lesson today about eating out. Meri and I went out for breakfast this morning. I ordered what I thought was healthy, Egg white omelet with peppers, mushrooms, onions, and cheese. I told them to hold the potatoes and dry rye toast. Sounds decent right?

When it came out, it turns out by accident I ordered sausage instead of onions. I questioned what I had ordered, but Meri assured me I did order sausage because she was wondering why I did that. We were in a rush and I figured I had enough points to cover it so I ate it anyway.

I didn't have my points calculator with me so I had to wait until I got home to learn that those 2 Italian sausage links I charged myself for cost a whopping 11.5 points. I was annoyed, and quite honestly the old me might have taken a detour.

Instead I made a decision with Meri to go to the gym today. I did a half hour on the treadmill and came home. When I calculated my time on the Weight Watchers site, it turns out my half hour is worth 4 points which means my sausage really only cost me 7.5 points. But this was a turning point for me I would like to think that I will only look forward and not look back at all.

Thank you all

I want to thank everyone for their support. I have been in many places where people have told me I like your blog. I have also received many emails of thanks and encouragement from people that I know all over the globe.

I created this blog with the purpose of accountability for myself. I am thrilled that people are reading and helping me with the accountability part of my journey.

Thank you so much to everyone who will not only be here when I am successful, but who will also be there to assist me when I am not as successful. It is not a diet, it is a journey and a life change that I realize I will need to keep with me throughout my entire life.

Secret Santa Dinner

Tonight we went out with our friends. I think I did well, I had 1/4 chicken white, salad, fries, and veggies. By calculating conservatively, I believe I did stay within my point range. Chances are I actually consumed far less than I counted but you can never be too safe. We had a great time with our friends. In the past week we have gone out to eat 5 times between lunches and dinner and I think I have managed to get a decent handle on going out to eat.

Weigh in day

Well today was my first weigh in day. I did not know what to expect but was very happy with losing 8.8 pounds. This is the first reward in my long journey. I was able to stay for the meeting today as we had my mother in law here to watch the baby. Other than going to the dentist this morning it has been a great day.

Tomorrow is my first big day

Tomorrow is the first day that I will be weighing in since I joined. It will be time to "face the scale". I am nervous and hope that I did well this week. I think i'd rather go to the dentist, oh wait I do that first before going for my weigh in. Lucky me!!!

Date Night

Well I think I survived date night with minimal damage. We went to a California infused Mexican place. We had Lettuce Wraps as an appetizer, followed by burritos. I had a few chips but I think I calculated the values as close as possible. I dont think I went over my point total for the day but you never know. All in all it was a fun night.

Wow

After evaluating my points for the day I realized I was under by TWENTY. So I enjoyed a nice snack and am still about 10 points under for the day. Way to go ME

Tomorrow Night

Tomorrow night I get to go out to dinner with my beautiful wife. I want to try a place that opened up not too far here a few months ago. We never get to go out to eat anymore because of the baby but life is awesome. I hope I find things on the menu that look good and do not destroy my entire week of weight loss.

Updated Gym Membership

Well I got a new updated membership card for the gym. I hope to start going at least twice a week within the next week.

Picture from the beginning of the journey

I received a note from a friend who thought I made a typo with my bio. I usually select pictures that do not show me to my true weight. Here is a picture that shows my weight as close as possible. I will be uploading pictures as time goes on to show the progress during my journey.

Wow made a good choice

We decided to go to lunch at TGI Fridays today. Here was my first chance to screw up my plan. I looked through the menu and found what I thought to be the least damaging item on the menu. Turns out I did a good move. The Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken Sandwich according to my calculations is 8 POINTS. Pairing it with a side salad brought it to a total of 10 points. Not bad for going out to eat for lunch.

First Post

Today I began my weight loss journey by joining Weight Watchers yet again. I weighed in today at about 395 pounds and will be working my way towards a goal of hopefully losing 50 pounds this year. I will be updating this blog as often as possible so please come back. All comments are appreciated.