Week 3 Weigh-in

Today starts Week 4 of the project and I am buoyed by the results thus far.  For those that may be newly joining us, I am trying to jumpstart my quest to hit 195 lbs. by curbing certain things in my otherwise normal repertoire, at least for the inaugural month of February.  I have sworn off caffeine, all meat but fish, and have given up alcohol.  We can reassess these measures once March 1 rolls around.  I am pretty sure I will stay the course on the caffeine and alcohol fronts.  Meat is still up in the air.  I may slowly introduce small allotments to improve the variety of my meals.  Don’t hold me to this, but it is the prevailing thought process right now.

To this point in the new lifestyle, I really couldn’t be happier.  My weight loss has been steady.  There haven’t been cravings of anything.  A week ago the barista at Starbucks gave me caffeine by mistake and I only knew because I immediately felt a ‘shakiness’ from the three ounces or so I consumed.  That alone reinforced my decision to steer clear of the stuff.  Except for the occasional desire for a beer with an adequate substitute of O’Doul’s, the alcohol thing has been a snap.  A veggie burger here and there or trip to Veggie Heaven to sample their meat substitutes has sufficed.  The devil on my shoulder is currently at bay and life is good.

The blog feedback has been amazing.  I am getting support from the blogosphere at large, almost on a daily basis.  People seem to be getting insight into not only who I really am, but also into the very serious matter of food addiction.  As I stated in my first post on February 6^th, I am not an expert in the field of nutrition or psychology, nor a physician; I am only an expert on me.  Yet, readers are relating to my experiences and telling me that the blog is affecting their own personal struggles, big and small.  That, as they say, is priceless.

On to the standard business of Mondays here at the project.  Today was weigh-in #3.  As I stated last week, coming off of an initial loss of 13 lbs. and having a less than a 3-lb. drop in Week 2 was a tad disappointing.  Yet, I know there is nothing etched in stone in this arena and I marched onto Week 3 with the same determination.  I incorporated walking into my regimen and managed to do over 3 miles this week.  I plan on trying for 7 moving forward or about a mile each day.  If you see a sweaty guy at the mall, pushing his way through the strollers and kiosk barkers, say “Hi Mike!”  It’s likely me.  Just don’t call me ‘Big Guy’. J

This morning I went through the typical weigh-in rituals.  Made my trip to my porcelain office, clipped the nails, blew the nose and Q-tipped the ears, all in an effort to strip away as much as possible before doing battle with my adversary, Mr. Scale.  I am happy to report another round in the win column for the good guys.  Today registered 343.2 lbs., for a one-week loss of 4.6 lbs. and a grand total of 20.2 lbs. in the first three weeks.  I honestly do not feel a whole lot different than I previously have.  I do have a newfound feeling of competence and self-esteem for making my vision a reality thus far.  The trip has been relatively issue-free.  (Where’s the wood to knock?)

It has been suggested that I post pictures, on occasion, to illustrate changes in my appearance and satisfy your curiosity.  Much like a home makeover show, I will be coy about the reveal until certain milestones are reached.  When someone is as large as I, dramatic changes do not come about in a 20-lb. loss.  I do very much look forward to forever leaving behind the 300s and as soon as I break that barrier, it is then I will, indeed, post a before and after picture.  Once again at 250 and so on. 

Today is a good day to share this blog with someone that might get something out of it.  Feel free to pass this along to anyone you like and grow our community.  If nothing else, they might enjoy the reading.

Cya tomorrow,

M

What I ate today and how I exercised:

Breakfast ~ 1 egg and veggie burger on a whole wheat sandwich round.

Lunch ~ Moo shu Basil Roll and vegan Chinese food, hard to describe.  Look at Veggie Heaven in Denville online for more info.

Mid-afternoon snack ~ decaf w/skim

Pre-walk snack ~ ½ banana

Dinner ~ A large salad with mixed greens, tomato, carrots, chick peas, toasted almonds and a can of white tuna in a red wine vinaigrette.

Exercise ~ Mall walking of 1.1 miles