It Really Works!

Today's Weight - 294

I really am losing weight! I am under 295 for the first time in a year, and today I put on pants that I haven't been able to wear in over a year.

The initial weight loss has been pretty easy, actually. Changing portions and ingredients is a major help, as is just going to the gym a few times each week. Our workouts aren't intense or painful - just... active.

I'm still wondering when the renewed energy will kick in, however.

Good Fast Food?

I just had a hamburger, fries, and soda for lunch for a total of 20g of fat, 660 calories (170 from fat), 11g of fiber, and 0 cholesterol at Evos.

Compare with me, if you dare:
If I'd had the same thing at Wendy's (Wendy's single with medium fries it would have been 40g of fat, 850 calories (360 from fat), 7g of fiber and 75mg of cholesterol.

That made me happy.

Damn, I'm sore...

Today's Weight - 297

It seems, according to the scales we bought over the weekend, that I've lost 15 pounds since I was at the doctor. That loss has been just through portion control and smarter choices with what I eat.

Instead of a double burger, I'll get a single. Instead of mashed potatoes, I'll have steamed vegetables. Instead of blue cheese dressing, honey mustard does just fine.

We also joined a gym and have been working out regularly the past two weeks. I can't say the changes have been immediate or dramatic, but I will say that I got up early Sunday morning and went right outside to do yard work. The same yard work that winded me a few weeks ago was now, while not "easier", less strenuous.

Progress is slow but steady, and I expect to maintain my 1 pound a week loss with little difficulty (as long as I keep going).

In all things moderation

Over-doing, or being "gung ho" about it tends to burn me out quickly. If I get excited about something at the beginning, my excitement wanes quickly.

So when I dove into this blog, I was afraid that I would lay off fast, too. I was right. But here's an update for you all the same.

I started with adjusting my eating habits. Not "dieting". I will never "diet", but instead of a triple bacon cheese burger, I may order a single. Or instead of a burger, I'll order some baked or grilled chicken. Talisa and I have made a concious effort to not eat out as much and cook at home instead. I have stocked the freezer with fish, chicken, lean pork and beef. In the past few weeks I've eaten more fruit than usual.

Those changes alone have contributed to a 7 pound weight loss in the past 6 weeks. I am happy, but know that I will even out on losing weight that way, and it will not get me into "shape".

A few weekends ago I was doing some yard work. Simple stuff really - rake out the old straw in a flower bed, pull the weeds and creeping grass, put down some new plants, put in a 25ft border, lay weed cloth, and add new mulch. I took me, seriously, all day to do that little bit of work. I kept getting horribly winded and feeling like I was going to pass out. I would do some work, get winded, take a break longer than I worked, and start all over again.

It was ridiculous.

I realized that all the adjustments to eating habits in the world wouldn't make me able to work in the yard without being completley destroyed. I have to combine diet with exercise {shudder}.

Walking in the neighborhood, while better exercise than what we were doing, is, frankly, boring. And the fitness gains are s l o w. Talisa wanted to join a gym - again. I was reluctant since we've thrown money down that rat hole too many times in the past.

The problem has always been that it wasn't "convenient" to go to the gym. After being at work all day and getting stuck in traffic on the way home, it was too easy to justify not going - leave the office at 5:30, tack 20-30 minutes onto the drive home to get to the gym, work out, drive home, clean up, cook supper - all of a sudden we're 9pm before we have supper.

So we quit going to the gym.

I knew all of those "excuses" would come back into play, so I had to find a place that was difficult to NOT go to. I found one. There is an LA Fitness literally on the way to and from work for me, and right around the corner from Talisa's office. I have to pass it twice a day. There is no reason for me to NOT go anymore. Stopping in and working out for an hour doesn't add any inconvenience to my day.

So, if you're at the Windward Parkway LA Fitness, look for me - and make me do just 10 more minutes of cardio!

VITAL STATS
Current weight - 300 lbs

Cooking Healthy Food: Why Do They Leave Out Men?

One of the challenges I'm facing as an overweight, middle-aged man who actually enjoys food is finding healthy recipies with good food. Although I applaud and am envious of people who have successful massive weightloss, I am unable to get on board with the kind of diet that works for them.

Food should be a treat to the senses - smell, taste, sight, texture. A "peanut butter and banana on whole wheat toast" is not what I would consider a meal, especially not much of a breakfast. I would much prefer something hearty, and something that would stick with me until lunch - not leave me craving a snack at 10am. Of course, finding healthy and tasty alternatives is tough.

My wife subscribed to Cooking Light magazine, and I think I have found the answer to most of my concerns about healthy and tasty ways to prepare food. The recipies aren't "diet" food. They're healthy approaches to the kinds of meals, snacks, and treats that I like. Their website is

loaded with great recipies that you wouldn't know were healthier alternatives. There's even a recipie for grilling a ribeye!

Overall, I love Cooking Light magazine, but I do have a complaint about the magazine in particular, and weight loss publications in general. It is clear from the advertisements and the articles in Cooking Light magazine that the majority of the readers are female. Look at the fan list on their Facebook page. Look at the articles and ads on their website.

I have never seen an article or ad in Cooking Light magazine geared towards men and men's health (exception - I did see an ad about some prostate drug). It would certainly be helpful to me if there were an article or ten about healthier living from a man's point of view.

Of course, there is stuff like Men's Health magazine, but the emphasis seems to be on fitness, being ripped, and, of course, being a sexual gymnast. The weight loss goals of the readers of Men's Health magazine seems to be a "mere" 10-20 pounds, not 100 like I ultimately need to lose. There is some interesting, and sometimes helpful information to be found in Men's Health magazine and magazines like it, but you have to wade through too much irrelevant information to find something helpful.

I don't want this to sound like an excuse entry. It isn't. I will continue to use Cooking Light and Men's Health in my quest to lose weight and be fit. It isn't going to be easy to lose the weight, and it will take time. I didn't get to weigh over 300 pounds in just a few months. I certainly can't expect to lose it in a few months. There are other things in my life that I enjoy and are fun for me, and I have no problem learning and getting information from a variety of sources to become better at those things. Fitness should be the same.

If I approach my weight loss like my favorite hobby, I will accept that there is not one source of information tailored 100% for my needs. Everything I need to know is available to me, I just need to find it and absorb it.

FOOD UPDATE

I have been conciously eating smaller portions and attempting to eat healthier foods, and have, so far, been successful. Three days is easy. I hope to be saying the same thing in three months.

Time For the Fat Man To Live Longer

Hi. That's the best way to start, isn't it?

My name is Ed, and I'm a fat man. At my last doctor's visit, about 10 days ago, I weighed 307 pounds. If I were 7 feet tall, that might be okay, but I'm just 5'10". That puts me into the "morbidly obese" classification. I can get into a 44 pant, but 46 feels better.

I can't find clothes that fit me in regular clothing stores anymore unless I get lucky and find something at WalMart. I just bought two XXXL shirts there last week.

I have borderline high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and am on medication for that.

Between having to buy big clothes and pop pills, it should be obvious that I need to lose weight. Here's the challenge. I am not a binge or stress eater. I don't quaff down a gallon of ice cream because I had a hard day at the office. I am a bit of a foodie. I like food. I like to cook it. I like to eat it. I enjoy it from a sensory point of view. I enoy cooking for others, and, of course, I like being cooked for. I like trying new foods and new flavors, and I disdain "diet food".

Somehow I need to balance my love of food with my health. I know I can't be alone in this. There must be others out there who think the Food Network is the best thing on TV, who think Guy Fieri and Anthony Bourdain have the best jobs in the world, and who are convinced that Paula Deen and Nigella are sex symbols. To that end I have started this blog. I will be tracking my weight, what I eat each day, sharing recipies I like, and hints that help me.

I hope you will join me in this quest to live healthy while enjoying every bite you take.