Week 1: 2.8 lb Loss

I just jumped on the scale and I'm down 2.8 lbs for the first week! Per my 14 week contract, I am posting my eating/exercise journal for the week (or 4 days in this case) as well as my scale reading:

Next week will be a full week (from Friday to Friday.) 1 week down, 13 to go! 

Late Night Puppy Walk: Making my 3,000 Fuel Point Goal

You may ask, "How can a $150 white band of plastic with pretty lights possibly help you lose weight?"

Tonight is a good example. I have a Nike+ Fuel Band which is kind of like a glorified pedometer. It has an accelerometer which registers movements and can tell hand gestures from distance (which makes it better than pedometers, in my opinion.) The band has a display which lets you know if you have made your goal for the day.

Anyway, at 9:00 pm tonight, I only had 2,300 fuel points. I needed 700 more to meet my 3,000 daily goal, so I started up my new audiobook on my iPod, put on puppy's prissy pink jacket and took her for a 2 mile walk up and down the Short North.

The air was fresh. Bars were brimming with people.

I made my 3,000 point goal for the 9th day in a row! (According to the band, I burned 1,200 calories while wearing it today.)

Stomach Poem I

Oh gut, you stick out so
On my diet I must not falter
I hate you, ball of dough
You are like my body's Ann Coulter

Seven reasons to go to the gym

So, my company has a decent corporate wellness center. I have a hard time getting motivated to go though. Here are some recent motivational factors I've thought of.

- See a limited selection of truly attractive people
- Feel young and attractive (there is a healthy population of white haired, mouth panting seniors)
- Meet new people
- Experience awesome shower head pressure in the locker room
- Clear your head, have more energy
- Sleep better that night
- Not pay penalty money

New Recipe: Grilled Zucchini and Yellow Squash

I tried a new recipe tonight and tried out my new George Foreman grill!

Steps:
1. Cut zucchini and yellow squash into 1/4" slices while waiting for the grill to heat up.
2. When heated up, drizzle with olive oil onto the veggies. Grind salt and pepper on top. Turn and do the same on the flip side.
3. Cook 7 min then flip.
4. Cook 4 additional minutes, then eat!

(It's amazing how less nasty the grill is if you don't cook meat on it!)

Two typical meals

Here are two example meals that I eat on my eating plan.

Subway salad (9 points) for lunch

Healthy dinner (12 points) plus a light beer
(Eggs and succotash, quinoa , Indian style cauliflower and homemade black beans, with fresh avocado)

Day 1 of the 14 week plan

I hated my first weigh in. It was about 3 lbs higher than I would have expected. 209.6 lbs! I looked down at my big gut. Yuck. I feel so bloated. I am resolved to lose it!!

At work, it was a bit tiring making the mental effort to think about what I was to eat. I didn't feel hungry through the day really, thanks to snacks. Still, my energy was a bit low and my blood sugar felt odd. In the past, when I have started eating plans, I've had mood swings and other abnormal behaviors until my body adjusts.

I left work 1.5 hours later than normal and was so thankful for healthy leftovers to heat up: Dinner consisted black beans, quinoa, roasted succotash, and roasted cauliflower with curry. I had one Yuengling 100 calorie beer for dinner. It served the sensation of drinking a beer, but had very little flavor. I was completely full after the meal.

At 9pm, I didn't have enough fuel points from my Nike+ Fuel band, so I took the dog for a 1 mile walk before bed, which she was happy with. Even so, I didn't sleep that well, had problems falling asleep.

Overall, I gave myself an "A" for the day!