Walking Tall

My dog Dani and I just got back from breaking in my new walking shoes. This will be her last walk before she goes under the knife tomorrow. (Both she and the cat are getting spayed AND micro-chipped.) It was like walking on a cloud! We walked at a relatively quick pace for about 45 minutes.

I don't have much else to report other than I'm staying on points with virtually no problem at all. I'm not even tempted to cheat.

Sometimes, Life Throws You Curve Balls

Yesterday, I drove down to Austin to spend the day in a recording studio. Imagine spending an entire day WHISPERING into a microphone. That's what I did. Apparently this client came up with the idea of making relaxation CDs for day traders. "You embrace the Code of the Master Trader: Courage... Generosity... Discipline... Humility. You see a calming aura around your trading station. It beckons to you with a warm and welcoming energy." Seriously??? (Hell, it paid $100/hr, so I'll beckon all you want, baby!)

I had no plan as far as lunch was concerned. During all-day sessions like these, the studio will usually bring in food for us. And they did. La Madeleine. I had the chicken caesar salad - which is now a new item on my "favorites" list. On the way back, I stopped at Sonic and got a Route 44 diet Coke with orange flavoring. (2 points) I could have opted for the mozarella sticks at Sonic, but I was a good boy. Instead, I had a few 2-point snacks I had in the car with me. They served as my dinner. I considered having something for dinner when I got home around 7:30, but I really wasn't all that hungry.

Oh yeah - I suppose I should count the 2 apples. I learned a new trick from the engineer yesterday. To eliminate mouth clicks from a dry mouth, take a bite of a green apple. It cleanses the palate. AND IT WORKS!!! I had heard that, but never really tried it. It worked amazingly well! Anyway, I went through 2 apples yesterday. I'd take a bite every couple of pages with a swig of water. But I was drinking so much water that I had to pee every 20 minutes. I'm sure they thought I had the bladder of a 12-year-old girl.

Weigh In - Good News & Bad News

Start Weight: 262.4
This Week's Weigh In: 254.2
Total Lost/Gained: -8.2

The good news: I've lost 8.2 pounds! And Lesli lost 5 pounds!

The bad news: My daily points have now gone down from 37 to 36 points. No great loss. According to my journal, I averaged 30.9 points per day last week - even after we pigged out at Fresco's Saturday night.

This is really easy when you're planning only for your own meals and not having to worry about what your spouse wants for dinner.

Week 1 Almost Done!

Week 1 is almost in the bag and I've been very pleased with my self-control this week. I think this journal is helping keep my motivation up. Not to mention all the awesome encouragement I'm getting from you guys. (Thank you!) Total lost so far is 7.4 lbs. Tomorrow is my official weigh-in day and I'm looking forward to it.

I just got back from shopping for new workout clothes. I had been holding off working out until I got some decent shoes so I don't kill my feet or injure my knees. I spent about $200 on a really good pair of Nike shoes and a few pairs of shorts & shirts. The current plan is to walk about 3-4 miles a day. The weather's not looking good for tomorrow, however, and I'll be either driving or recording all day Tuesday. So I think Wednesday will be my first day to start.

With yesterday being our "Cheat Day," Lesli and I each had a small 3-5 point snack during the day until we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant. As my daily target is 37 points, I still don't think I went over on points. If I did, I barely put a dent on my Flex Points. (You get 35 Flex Points per week to use any day you like.)

Lesli and I went grocery shopping this morning and almost cleaned out the frozen food section of all the SmartOnes dinners. (Financial tip: Buy stock in Heinz - the makers of SmartOnes.) We were really expecting our grocery bill to be much more expensive than our usual $90-$100/wk. However, it was almost exactly the same amount as we usually buy. AND for every $2 we spend on a SmartOnes, we're probably saving about $3-$5 on fast food.

Saturday - CHEAT DAY!!!

Lesli and I are setting aside one day per week as "Cheat Day." This is the day we can blow our entire load of Flex Points if we so choose. Tonight we're going to Fresco's (a Mexican place we like to frequent) and then out to see a play that my friend Brad Stephens has directed, "To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday."

As a practice, we will probably move our regular "Cheat Day" to Fridays so we'll have Saturdays and Sundays to recover and be ready for the official Monday weigh-ins.

As of this morning, I've lost 7 lbs since Monday. Lesli is a bit disappointed because she hasn't lost as much as I have. But a.) women lose slower than guys and b.) I have more water weight to lose than she does.

By the way, I should mention that I was a little bad yesterday as I got lunch at Rosa's Cafe. But I had planned ahead for that as the Taco Platter only has 18 points. Well within my target of 37 points for the day. I think I only went over by 2 points for the day. And I was under 7 points Wednesday, so it more than balances out. Besides - I've lost 7 pounds this week so far!

I have an out-of-town trip coming up on Tuesday of next week. I have to be in a recording studio in Austin at 8:45 a.m. I briefly considered driving down the night before to stay in a hotel so I wouldn't have to hit the road at 5 a.m. But that would just open up too many temptations to cheat.

I'm Melting! Melting!

I've lost another 1.2 lbs. as of this morning. Total lost since Monday: 5 lbs! The first week is always the easiest. It's not uncommon for some people to lose 10 pounds in the first week. The body is getting accustomed to the new regimen. Soon it will start to think that it's starving so then the body starts hoarding fat. That's where exercise comes in.

MUST... RESIST...

You know, I could really go for a greasy hamburger from Whataburger right about now. I'm just sayin'.

I was putting together an email campaign for Lambert Studios and was searching for a graphic for our Combo Deal and I found this image. It looked disgusting but delicious at the same time.

Not to worry. I'm in control. I plan on sticking to one "Cheat Day" per week. That will give me something to look forward to and keep me from cheating during the rest of the week.

The Value Of A Good Plan

As of this morning, I've lost almost another 2 lbs. Total lost since Monday - 3.8 lbs. Water weight? You betcha. I've been drinking so much water that my bladder is getting a real workout. You could set your clock by me. Every 20 minutes it's off to the bathroom.

I'm rediscovering that a good plan for the day helps keep me on track. That's why I use a spreadsheet to plan my meals for the day and keep track of my progress. I'd like to devote today's post to this very clever spreadsheet that I put a lot of effort into developing. It helped me lose 50 pounds the first time around. Where I went wrong is that I stopped using it. And like the lottery, you can't win if you don't play. Those of you on Weight Watchers may find this very useful.

Features

• The "My Info" page is used for:

• Entering your starting date*
• Entering your starting weight*
• Entering your goal weight
• Entering your height for BMI calculation
• Entering your name to personalize your progress chart

* Start date & weight should be at the time you begin using the spreadsheet; not when you began the weight-loss program.

• Each daily journal page will:

• Total your points for the day
• Calculate remaining points
• Tally activity points
• Calculate activity points based on your weight, duration of activity and level of exertion
• Automatically withdraw Flex-Points if you go over your daily target range
• Clearly indicate (blue cells) where your data should be input

• The summary page will:

• Automatically set your daily points for the center of your target range based on your current weight
• As you record your weekly progress on the summary page, your target points will automatically change when appropriate keeping you within the proper points range
• Show a summary of which days Flex-Points were used
• Predict when you might reach your goal
• You can enter your weekly progress and see how many pounds have been lost each week as well as see a running total
• Tally points used for the week
• Show total activity points for the week
• Show your remaining Flex-Points
• Show total target points for the week
• Show 'reserve' points that remain
• Points and AP calculator

• View your progress graphically on the Progress Chart
  
• The Generic Food List (free option) lists over 2,000 foods with points and serving sizes.

It's easy to get started!

The first time you open the spreadsheet, you'll find yourself on the "My Info" page. This is where you input data that personalizes this spreadsheet to you! Enter the date you began using this spreadsheet. Enter your starting weight and goal weight. Enter your height in inches. This will aid in calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI.) Enter your first name (to personalize your progress chart.) Enter your birth date (New!) Enter your gender (male/female/nursing mother) (New!) Enter your level of daily activity (sedentary, semi-sedentary, semi-active active) (New!) Cells colored in blue are for your data. Avoid making entries elsewhere or formulas could go awry.

Weekly Tracking

The summary page also helps you keep track of your weekly weigh-ins, calculates your weekly and cumulative loss, gives you a goal to shoot for next week, and calculates your BMI. It will also predict when you will hit your goal. (Assuming, of course, you lose an average of 2 pounds per week.)

Progress Chart

Now you can automatically chart your progress for up to a year!

Points Calculator!

Each page has both a Points Calculator and an Activity Points Calculator!

Daily Journal

There is a journal page for each day of the week. They can be arranged in any order you like depending on your preference (i.e. weigh-in days) by clicking & dragging the page-tabs at the bottom. Rearranging days does not affect the calculations on any of the pages.
Each daily journal page gives you sufficient room to input your food intake and keeps a running total in the column to the right (in yellow.) At the bottom of the page, enter your servings of water, milk and fruit & veggies. Totals are then tallied at the top of each page. These totals keep track of your activity points, and Flex-Points.

Want a copy for yourself?

DOWNLOAD NOW!

DAY TWO: Two Down - Sixty To Go!

First of all, I want to say that I'm very touched by the overwhelming amount of support I've gotten from everyone regarding this new adventure I'm taking. I'll admit I was a very reluctant to reveal this part of my life in such a public forum, but I had to do something to keep myself accountable. I am literally fighting for my life here. So I really would like to thank everyone for their words of support. And to those who are in the same boat with me: Grab an oar, my friends, we're in this together!

Day One went very well. I only went one point over my daily allotment which is only about 50 calories. And I wasn't hungry all day, either. And get this - I've lost two pounds already!

Okay, I have done this before, so I know that it's not uncommon to lose very quickly at first while the body adjusts to the new regimen. The healthy rate of loss, however, is about 2 pounds per week. At that rate, it is projected that I should reach my goal of 200 by November 23rd - the day before my birthday. Note that I live in the real world and I know I WILL hit a wall before then. So I'll be very happy to hit 210 by then.

I can already tell by my enthusiasm that this time will be different.

Day One

WEIGH IN: 262.4 lbs.

Let me write that out for you - TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-TWO POINT FOUR POUNDS.

Just stick me in a grey suit, dangle a piece of string from my nose, and call me the frickin' HINDENBURG!

(This moment of drama has been brought to you by Nabisco's 100 Calorie Packs.)

Speaking of those 100 calorie packs - BEWARE. The single packet of chocolate covered pretzels has THIRTY grams of fat in them, people! Most Weight Watchers veterans that follow the Points System can tell you that you can count on 100 calories being about 2 points. But when you jack up the fat grams to 30, that doubles your Points value. [Update 4/23/09: I goofed this one. I mis-read the label. The pretzels contain 30 fat calories - not grams. They're back to 2 points per package. This makes me happy.]

Okay, so here goes. Back when I was a Weight Watchers (WW) rockstar, I developed a very clever journal spreadsheet where you enter in your gender, birth date, height, starting weight, goal weight, and lifestyle (sedentary, semi-active, active, etc.) It would calculate how many Points (according to WW) you should be eating per day. Once you've reached your points for the day, you're done eating. It also kept track of your activity (exercise) Points and Flex Points (35 extra points you can use at any time during the week.)

I wrote down everything I ate and it would automatically keep track of how many points I ate during the day, how many points I had left for the day, and even included a calculator where I could determine how many points a single pack of chocolate covered pretzels were.

Each week, you would enter in your weight and it would also plot your progress in a handy chart. This spreadsheet did everything but cook your food for you. I cracked it open and marveled once again at how clever the thing was. It was very popular several years ago on the Internet that I sold it online for $10. I still have people buying it today. (Check it out if you like by clicking here.) So this is going to be a big help in getting my life back in order.

I went to the grocery store this morning to plan my meals for the week. Usually, my wife and I go together on the weekends. But since we're doing the separate meal planning, we decided to do separate shopping trips this first time to give us more time to figure stuff out. As a rule of thumb, this isn't wise as I will usually come home with nothing more than a box full of powdered donuts, a gallon of chocolate milk and one might find me an hour later passed out on the sofa with my face and clothes covered in a white powdery substance and an empty gallon jug resting on its side next to my lifeless hand.

About WW - I'm not a current member. I had an online membership the first time around and learned everything I needed to know from there. The spreadsheet and support from my wife and friends should be sufficient to see me through this time. Thank YOU for YOUR support.

I'm actually excited to be starting on this road to better health. It's time.

The Eve Of A New Start

As of today, I'm heavier than I've ever been in my entire life. During my high school years, I was considered skinny. I rode my bike EVERYWHERE! In fact, everyone made fun of me. Then I got a driver's license, went to college, and my teenager metabolism got stored away with my bicycle.

In the summer of 2002, I weighed 255 lbs. and decided to do something about it. I joined Weight Watchers and bought a Tae-Bo DVD. I worked out daily (sometimes twice a day) and I got down to 209 lbs. I looked awesome! I felt awesome!

Then I got married. And here I am right back up at 260. It's hard to get up off the floor when playing with my puppy. Various body parts hurt. And my blood pressure could stand to go down a few notches.

My wife and I tried to go back on WW a couple of times, but we weren't successful.

The other day, I came to the conclusion that the reason I haven't been successful at it lately is because my evening meals with Lesli were always a crap shoot. We never really knew what she or I were going to cook until we were ready to cook it.

So the other day I proposed something drastic - we plan ALL our meals independently. When I was single, I had each meal for the week planned out very carefully and methodically. The easier it is for me to follow my plan, the more successful (in theory) I should be.

So tonight, we ordered our last stuffed-crust pizza from Pizza Hut and tomorrow we embark on a new journey of weight loss and becoming healthy again.

Wish me luck!

ADDENDUM:

As I type this, it's 2:39 a.m. and I have just experienced one of the many reasons I need to lose weight - ACID REFLUX.

For those of you unfamiliar with the experience, here's how it affects me: Imagine waking up at 2 a.m. to find that someone has poured battery acid down your wind-pipe. It's such an intense pain that depending on the severity of the attack, you start to consider going to the emergency room because you think you're having a heart attack. What has actually happened is that stomach acid has crept up your esophagus and trickled down your wind-pipe. You cough non-stop for about half an hour. You drink water. You cough some more. It's about an hour or two before you can lay back down again. But that's when you find that the acid has torn up your wind-pipe to the point that you're now wheezing which makes it difficult to get back to sleep. Laying on your back helps, but then - because you're overweight - that makes you snore which keeps your wife awake. So you just sit up watching TV in the other room for the rest of the night until the alarm clock goes off and it's time to start the day. The wheezing continues for the next day, so you're coughing most of that time. You're eventually able to breathe normally by bedtime the next night.

I was working on a show at a theatre where they worked on the set during the day which left a very fine powdery sawdust lingering in the air at rehearsal in the evening. I suffered a pretty bad attack one night and found breathing at rehearsal even more difficult. And the show involved a great deal of physical comedy which often left me gasping for air thanks to my compromised respiratory system.

Fortunately, tonight's attack wasn't bad at all. In fact, I barely coughed. But the wheezing will probably keep me up the rest of the night. I'll surely need a nap tomorrow. Good thing I work at home.