Weight Loss Update - Breakthrough

First some history:  I had been on my journey for about four months.  I had lost 25 pounds.  Not a huge loss, but a good start.  Then I hit a plateau, a stall, a weight loss brick wall.  Maybe I was lax around the holidays.  Maybe it was the weather turning nasty.  Maybe, I was just a little bored with the journey.  I simply don't know, but I started going off the proverbial weight loss rails.  I didn't go crazy and start pigging out, but I was not as strict as I had been.  I just wasn't fighting as hard.  And it showed.  I weighed several times a week and for a month I sat between 287 and 284.  I wasn't really gaining, but I certainly wasn't losing either.  My mind just was not in the game.   I wasn't doing what I needed to do to lose, and I knew it.

About a week ago, I mentally checked back in.  I knew I didn't want to give back any hard fought for ground.  The pounds are too hard to lose to let them just creep back on.  I had to make some changes, but the desire had to be there first.  I had to WANT to lose weight again.  I had to want it bad enough to give up coasting.  In the video, I talk about my progress and some of the changes I made.  Have you found that this game is mental?  What changes did you have to make to get going on your journey.  I love reading your thoughts!!!

Low Carb Cooking For a Happy Marriage...

For a happy marriage, I think each spouse must be willing to make concessions.  Now don't worry, I am not changing this blog into "Paul's Martial Advise" anytime soon.  However, I thought I would share an example from today, and I might even put a little weight loss spin on it.

The wife and I are both trying to lose weight.  We are trying to cut down on carbs.  Please understand before I get a bunch of hate mail, we are cutting down...not even low-carb, just trying to save a few carbs here and there when we can.  So when she saw I was making a roast she made a comment about not adding potatoes.  Now this is where things could have got ugly.  She was hitting me where it hurts--the stomach.  All my life with a roast, I have had potatoes.  I am just a simple meat and potatoes kind of guy.  Well, did I argue with her?  Did I try to explain to her that life is short and we have to enjoy the little things like potatoes?  Nope, I did smart thing.  I just smiled at her and said, "Don't worry, dear, I'm not putting in any potatoes".  Hey, after all, Valentines is right around the corner and I may be fat, but I not stupid. ;-)  What are you giving up that you really miss??  I would really love to hear from you!!  Here I am cooking it--with no potatoes!

Weight Loss Tip - Get Out!!

As many of you know, I live in Michigan.  Now Michigan is not known for beautiful weather in winter.  Although this winter has been pretty mild, there are still plenty of days where it is gloomy, cold, and just plain nasty outside.    On those days when the weather is miserable, I am so very grateful for a warm house with my elliptical and two weight machines in clear view of my TV.  While going on the elliptical, I can get so engrossed in watching TV that the time just flies and I can hardly tell I am even exercising.  This is fine and good, but sometimes I just have to get out.

Plateaued! Weight Loss Update

I have been stuck in the 280's for three weeks now.  I hit a low 284 and have been basically hovering right there.  It's not a lot of fun to be sure, and it is certainly frustrating.   However, I know what I have to do to break through it.  I need to simply start doing the things I was doing when I was losing several pounds a week.  The plan is simple--the execution of the plan--not so much.

When I started my journey, I know I wanted a plan I could live with.  This  means my plan had to be something simple, because I am a simple guy and I like "simple".  I developed some simple guidelines for my journey.  First, I would give up the obvious bad stuff like sweets, sugared pop, and cakes.  Second, I would give up bread and really limit my pasta.  This of coarse sounds simple, but was not easy for a bread/pasta addict like myself.  Third, I would incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my diet.   Finally, I reasoned I would eat many of the remaining foods, just with smaller portions.   I made a rule of just having one bowl or one plate for a meal-- no going back for seconds.  I think by and large I have been pretty successful in the first three areas.  However, I think know the portion sizes have been slightly creeping up.  My one plate rule did not allow for a plate piled up with food three feet high!!!  I knew this, but either consciously or unconsciously didn't adhere to my plan.

Maybe I got off track with the holidays.  Perhaps I could blame it on the nasty weather.  Regardless,  of why I am off pace, I know I am off pace, but am officially getting back on track and back in the game.  How about you?  Are you doing anything to perk up your weight loss game?

I like to wind up on a positive note and with a smile.  So here is a video I made when I was starting my journey.  I try to show just how tiny portions look to the eyes of this fat guy.  I have 30 weight loss related videos you might like to check out on my channel at http://blip.tv/virtualpaul

Weekly Weigh In A Beautiful Day

A Beautiful day...for a weight loss report.  As far as January in Michigan goes, it doesn't get any better than this!!!  I have no complaints, this has been a great winter so far!!!  Now, if we could slid right into spring!!

This old dog is trying to learn a few new tricks.  I just started a twitter account.  I am not sure exactly why, but I thought I would try it.  I think I even managed to put a follow me button on the right.  If you would be so kind to follow, I would really appreciate it since I am new to it and not following anyone LOL.

In this video, I discuss starting to count carbs.   I guess I figured with four months in, I may as well try something.  Let me know what you think?

Weight Loss Comedy A Fun Look at Portions

I have been on my weight loss journey for four months now and I am starting to learn the ropes so to speak.  I remember when I first started to take note of the number of calories.  You know the drill, turn the food item over to look at the nutritional information..  Of coarse if you are getting older like me this means you have to look over your glasses to read the fine print because I refuse to get progressives (a nice name for bi-focals).  Then you see the number of calories.  But it doesn't stop there.  If it's a can of soup that you plan to eat, you must now do the math!!!  Multiply the number of servings in the can (usually some odd number like 2.5) times the calories.  Wow, to a fat guy like me with a life long habit of overeating, it seems the little can of food has about half the calories I should eat for the day. LOL!  So in this sense, I made this video a while back that is looking at proper portions from the eyes of this fat guy.  Remember, it is just a joke and not serious...hope you enjoy!

A New Year -- A New Look

Well, a new year calls for some changes...so I thought I would start with a fresh look.  First, I thought about moving the blog, but I think this will work for now.  I also felt it was time for a name change.  Maybe 2012 will be a year of changes, who knows?  Although the focus of this blog will still be weight loss related, I often felt kind of restricted in thinking that this blog should only be about weight loss. Let's face it, life is far more than just dieting.  My thinking is I am dieting to live, not living to diet!!!  So fair warning, I plan to put some variety into the mix.  I want to do some posts on cooking and some of my other hobbies along the way.

By the way, this is also my four month anniversary. Yep four months since starting my weight loss journey. In this video, I talk about my latest week on my journey.  Was I able to shed the weight gain from the holidays?  Please, check it out.

Weight Loss Weigh In Was I Naughty Over Christmas??

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas this year.  We had a beautiful day.  The weather was as near perfect as one can expect this time a year.  By that of coarse I mean there wasn't a foot of snow on the ground!  We had the traditional turkey dinner with sides of stuffing and mashed potatoes.  In diet speak I guess you could describe our dinner as "turkey and carbs".

After all of the festivities of the holiday seasons, I suppose there must come that day of reckoning.  Boy, I dreaded stepping on the scale.  This post is somewhat late not just because I was so busy for the holidays, but also because I dreaded stepping on that scale.  If you click the link, you will see a short video of whether I was going on the diet good or naughty list:

Juicing For Weight Loss

For an early Christmas present for ourselves, the wife and I bought a Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Pro juice extractor.  I ordered it online from Walmart for $50 which was $10 off the regular price.  For those that may not be familiar with them, it removes the pulp from the juice as opposed to a blender that leaves the pulp in the juice.   Well I have been using my juicer for about a week now and I thought I would share a few thoughts about it.  First, I can say that for $50, the machine can make a great tasting glass of juice.  We started things off by simply juicing some apples and oranges. Wow, it's hard to convey just how good the "home-made" flavor was.  However, we knew we could buy orange/apple juice in the store, so it was time to get serious.  I started adding celery and cucumber along with some carrots into the mix and-----I liked it---a lot.  I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.  I have even went as far as adding such healthy greens like kale, spinach, and broccoli into the mix along with fruits like grapefruit and mangoes.  To me the fun part is experimenting with different ingredients to see how each one can change the overall taste of the final product.

I have used the juice in two ways so far.  First, sometimes just as a drink that tastes good with or without a meal.  I figure at least I am getting a lot of nutrients that I would not have gotten before.  Here I must repeat because I am often asked this...yes the juice tastes good.  Many people (myself at first) cannot believe that fruit and vegetable juice mixed together tastes good.  It honestly does taste good.  Second, I use the juice as a replacement for a meal every so often.  A tall glass or two can easily take the place of a meal and not leave me feeling hungry, but rather feeling proud that I am doing something easy and enjoyable that is helping me lose weight.

Check out my videos and let me know what you think.  Is juicing for you?  Is it something you are thinking about trying?  I love your comments...

Weight Loss Update Sorry readers...

Sorry readers, but I must confess I have been withholding from you!   Have I been eating through my secret stash of Snickers bars?  Have I been bingeing on bread, potatoes, or peanut butter???  No, but I would like to.  ;-)  No, actually I have been withholding information.  Not on purpose mind you, but totally inadvertently and innocently.  You see, this is a weight loss blog, but I don't often talk about my weight.  Here.  All this information is posted on my Youtube channel and I talk about it ad nauseum on my videos.  I simply didn't want to be redundant here.   However, it has just started dawning on me that many of my readers here don't watch my videos, and many of my viewers on YT don't read me here.  So I need to make it a point to keep my weight loss blog updated about my weight!!!  And I intend to.  Maybe I will get around to getting one of those cute counters for the blog, but for now I will cut and paste a table from my YT channel.  As always I appreciate you spending a little of your time with me and I always enjoy your comments.
                               
Date        Weight     Weekly Gain/Loss            Total Gain/Loss
9/11/11      311            

9/18/11      307               -4                                       -4

9/25/11      305               -2                                       -6

10/2/11      300               -5                                       -11

10/9/11      297               -3                                       -14

10/16/11    295               -2                                       -16

10/23/11    294               -1                                       -17

10/30/11    294                0                                       -17

11/6/11      291               -3                                       -20  

11/13/11    291                0                                       -20

11/20/11    290               -1                                       -21

11/27/11    292               2                                        -19

12/4/11      288               -4                                       -23

Weight Loss - It Takes Guts

It does take guts.  I mean this whole internet weight loss thing.  If you are one of us that writes a blog or shoots videos for YouTube, you know what I'm talking about.  Yesterday, I was talking to a close friend that is starting along their weight loss journey.  They were ready to talk about everything diet related but absolutely didn't want to say where they were at weight wise- not even talk about a specific number for a goal.  At first, I thought they were joking, but they were not going to get into specifics.  Well that is fine and I wish them all the luck in the world, but without some form of accountability, I think your chances of sticking to this are pretty slim.  To me, being so secretive seems so strange when one is used to the stark sharing that is everywhere in our weight loss community.  In fact, they couldn't believe I make videos and talk about my weight and the struggles of losing it.  Well yeah, it does take guts, and at first it was very uncomfortable especially for me because I have always been so shy.  However, now, I wouldn't want to try to do this journey without the help and accountability I get from all of you.  So, if you are out there blogging day after day, or making videos week after week about your weight, chin up and hold your head high and be proud because it does take guts and I am rooting for you all the way!!!

BTW, anyone like Kielbasa and Sauerkraut??

Juicing - Jumping on the Bandwagon

I'm jumping on the bandwagon-sort of.  You see we bought a juicer yesterday.  There have been people in the YouTube weight loss community that have gotten huge weight losses by juicing.  There are guys that have lost over 100 pounds at a rate of one pound a day.  However, in order to post such huge losses, they have been on juice-only fasts.  Now, I really like the taste of the juice, but I can honestly say I do not have the willpower to go on a juice only fast for much more than a day LOL.  In addition, I don't think that would be a good plan for me long term either.  Even if I could stay on the fast (which there is no way I could) I am afraid once I quit the fast, the weight would creep back on.  I am much more comfortable and confident in the smaller portions and lifestyle change method that I have adopted.  The reality is though, I think juicing for a meal several times throughout the week, is something that will aide and not hinder me while on this journey.  In addition, I can see a lot of good in the fact of getting nutrients from the juice of fruits and vegetables I would never ordinarily be eating.  So far all I can say is that the machine is very easy to use and it does a good job.  I plan to use it for a few days and will let you know how it goes.  Anyways, have you ever tried a juicer?  I would love to hear of your experience with it.  Is juicing something you would consider?  Maybe you know of someone that has tried juicing.  Maybe you think it is plain stupid.  Whatever the case let me know what you think.  I really value your input!!!

Weight Loss Update - Ups and Downs

I'm starting to realize there will indeed be ups and down along this weight loss journey.  Sometimes seemingly without rhyme or reason.  My Sunday weight in after Thanksgiving showed a gain of two pounds for the week.  I thought this seemed high as I had really tried to watch portions on Thanksgiving and didn't think I had went crazy.  Hey, this was the first year I didn't make stuffing!! (As an aside, the no stuffing was per a request from my wife who is trying to lose also.  For the record, I love stuffing and think I could have ate some and been alright.  I honored her request but really missed having stuffing.  I think she needs to work on her willpower and let those of us who have some willpower enjoy our stuffing on Thanksgiving.  She doesn't read this blog so I can say that LOL!!)  So back to the story at hand, they say you can't argue with the scale and it is what it is.  A two pound gain when I had tried to hard didn't seem quite right, but I decided to keep on forging ahead regardless. (You can see it here I'm not happy about the gain.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhKaZeV7rtI     Well by mid-week I got on the scale to see I had reversed the two pounds and also lost two additional pounds. (YAY!!!)   While   we all love happy endings to our stories, I wanted to wait until my next weight in to be sure before I declared it for a fact.  So, I am thrilled to report that for whatever reason I have in fact lost the two I gained and an additional two which brings me to my lowest since starting my journey.  For anyone who is curious I started 9/11/11 at 311 and 12 weeks later I am 288 so a loss of 23 pounds.  Compared to those that are dieting hard like juice fasting etc. this is a tiny loss.  However, for me who is simply eating the same as always minus bread and less pasta, and just eating smaller portions, this is a big victory in my book.  I am happy with the results and plan to keep on going!!!  Here is my happier mid week video  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi0KomAFrxE   I suppose the only way I can reconcile this is that it was water weight due to eating salty foods over Thanksgiving.  I hope you all are doing well!!  I hope to make it around to read all of your blogs soon.

Diet Plan - The Turkey Day Gameplan

Well for my readers not in the States, this Thursday is Thanksgiving.  In a nutshell, it is a day set aside for family, food, and giving thanks for all we have.  It stems from our history, of the colonist coming here and not being able to grow much in the way of food.  The colonist were starving and dying until the native American Indians taught the colonist the techniques of successful agriculture that led to a bountiful harvest and much to be thankful for.  So from the start the holiday seemed to have the sharing of abundant food as a cornerstone.  Of coarse this has evolved into having a reason for a feast that usually centers around a main coarse of turkey with stuffing and gravy.  Many families often add ham or roast beef along with any other delectable dish you can imagine.  In short Thanksgiving has become a great reason to splurge.

Many in the weight loss community have been formulating their strategy to get through the holiday without packing on many extra pounds.  I think it is wise to have a plan and I have given some thought to my plan as well.  First, I know what I don't want to do.  Since Thanksgiving is a social gathering, I do not want to play the martyr.  You know what I mean.  The one person with only one raw carrot and one stalk of celery on their plate.  The dieting martyr loves to have everyone take notice of how hard they must sacrifice.  If this is you, that's cool--it's just not me.  I plan to embrace moderation as my coarse of action.  I plan to have a LITTLE of everything.  Just one plate is my general rule.  I will keep my eye on my portions.  In other words, I am on my diet to live, but I do not live for my diet.  As always I would love your thoughts, whether you agree or disagree.  If you are outside the States, I would like to know if you have anything like our Thanksgiving (without the pilgrims and Indians of coarse).

Weight Loss Nuggets From the Newbie

Well it's true I'm a dieting newbie.  Just seven weeks in and still wet behind the ears as they say.  That being said, if you are an experienced dieter, you may want to tune out as I am sure you know all this stuff already.  This is just a post of a few simple truths I want to record.

• There are different types of eating.  There is emotional eating.  For example, sometimes I eat if I am frustrated.  Sometimes I eat if I am bored.  Being frustrated or bored is not a good reason to eat.  Try not to do it.  Remember how much work on the elliptical it will take to burn off that frustration snack!!!  Sometimes I eat for a social gathering like going to a restaurant with the family.  This to me is a gray area and a little tricky.  I think as long as I do good  the majority of my dieting time, I think this social aspect is OK.  The jury is still out on this for me.
• Do not be a diet snob.  Find a diet that is right for you and that you like so you will stick with it.  However understand that what is right for you may not be right for someone else.  If someone else's diet is to only eat pineapples while standing on their heads-that's OK.  (Actually that is the way some of these new diets sound to me).  Wish them success and mean it.  There is no need to try to convert people to your diet.
• Do not take yourself too seriously.  Even if you lose all the weight you want, hit and stay at your goal weight, we are all going to die.  Even skinny people.  A snack once in a while (maybe as a reward for doing well on your diet) is not going to kill you.  Maybe it will help you stay on your diet long term instead of being too strict and falling off the diet wagon for good.  
• Have fun.  Life is just too short not to enjoy it even if on a diet.  If you are not having fun; stop, re-evaluate, and make changes until it is fun again.  

Have you found any nuggets you would like to share????

Weight Loss Update Goose Egg

Yep, goose egg.  Nada, zero, ziltch whatever you want to call it, that is what I lost this week. NOTHING!!!!  Am I happy?   Well, I am happy that it wasn't a gain.  I definitely know that I have to make some corrections.   At least I can say I didn't go crazy pigging out.  I  do need to get back to more salads.  I also need to be stricter on my portions.  On the exercise side of the equation, I know I must spend a little more time either walking or on the elliptical.  Although I realize I wasted a week, I am not going to whine about.  (Maybe I am whining a little by writing this lol)   I like to think of this as simple math.  I burned all the calories I took in.   I know what I need to do to fix the problem.  I just need to do it.  This isn't rocket science, but it is mental.  And difficult.  I did learn one thing though.  When I do reach my goal of being not fat, the journey doesn't simply end as I guess I might of thought when I had first started.  Now I see that just maintaining is going to be in itself a journey.  A life long journey at that.

My Struggle Right Now

Right now, I don't have a nagging sweet tooth.  I don't have the desire to binge eat a raft of food.  I am quite content with my smaller portions diet.  But, I am dealing with a certain dieting demon.  IMPATIENCE!!!  There, I said it.  I want this blog to be a totally accurate and honest account of my feelings and experiences through this weight loss journey.  So, in all honesty, I am struggling with severe impatience.  Impatience over the speed ( or more accurately the lack of speed) of weight loss.  Basically the thought pattern goes something like this: I have been dieting for over a month...I have been making do with smaller portions and exercising...so I expect something in return...I want to SEE some progress.  I want to FEEL some progress.  I want to HEAR from people, "wow you have really been losing some weight!"  I have lost 16 pounds, but I haven't had any of that.  I know I have not felt or seen anything!!  How depressing.  How utterly boring.  I feel like Linus who is waiting and waiting for the Great Pumpkin to arrive.  It never comes.  My tummy is still there.  Just as big as ever.   I went hiking today.  I didn't glide along the paths-it was the usual struggle.
So I think writing it down will help.  I believe that recognizing this potential pitfall and addressing it is the first step in fixing it.  I know that I must keep telling myself that the weight wasn't put on in a day so it won't come off in a day, or week, or month.  I certainly do believe that losing it slowly will enable me to keep the weight off long term.  I know it was important for me to address this because, I don't want to just let the dieting demon win by talking me into a mental tailspin.  To me this journey is every bit as much of a mental battle as it is a physical struggle.  I have worked too hard to just quit because the progress is excruciatingly slow!

Weight Loss Lessons Learned Along the Way

Well, I have been on this weight loss journey almost  a month now and I have learned a few things I thought I  would share with you:

* You will encounter doubters and /or negative people.  They may come at you with big smiles. They may seem to be well-intentioned.  It is possible that they may not realize what they doing.   But be careful, because their negativity will be like throwing water on your fire of enthusiasm.    Try to avoid mean or negative people like the plague.  Seriously life is just too short!!

*The less I eat, the less I need to eat to feel full.  For those of you who have been on the journey longer, these tips are probably basic knowledge.  But for someone like me, this is all new.  It seems as though my stomach (organ, not tummy so much) has shrunk.  In other words, I don't really have the capacity to eat the volume of food like I used to do.  I suppose this is similar to the effect achieved from the lapband surgery.  Whatever it is, I'm loving it!

*Do a diet that you enjoy?!?!  Sounds silly right, but I mean it.  If I don't like it, I wont do it.  It's that simple: I know myself.  I know I have about zero willpower.  I have all the respect in the world for those that do the various fasts and really strict diets.  I wouldn't last a day!!  I knew I had to keep my diet simple, because I am lazy!!  So I eat the same foods as before, just less...simple.

*Exercising is about 20 percent--Dieting is about 80 percent.  Of coarse this is just my opinion, and just based on my personal experience so take it with a grain of salt.  In the past I have tried to eat the same portions, and just burn it off with exercise.  It didn't work.  Unless you are doing something extremely physicial like mountain climbing all day, there is just too much energy (calories) in food to simply burn off with normal exercise.  I have come to think of my weight loss plan as simple math:  bring in less calories + burn more calories = a lighter me!!

*Make a Lifestyle Change!  This goes back to the idea of sustainability.  I don't want to lose a bunch of weight on a overly strict program so that when I eventually quit that program,  I gain all the weight back.  I have personally seen this happen and it is so sad.

* Substituting soup broth for a meal late at night is helping.  Yep, it is hot, filling, almost no calories, and tastes good.  I did a video on it here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H49XUXff91I
Be sure to watch the blooper at the end.

Have you learned any lessons along the way?  I would love it if you would share them with us in the comments.

Losing Weight For Health

I have started a new habit. Yep, and I am happy about it.  See we often think of habits as bad because they often are.  But with a little determination, it is possible to start a good habit.  From looking at several articles, there doesn't seem to be a concrete amount of time needed to form a new habit.  However, it seems that consistency and repetition are key.

Well my new habit is actually working out on the elliptical.  Its easy.  Well, not the workout, but getting in the habit of working out.  My plan was simple-make it fun so I will want to do it.  Let's face it, working out isn't always enjoyable. And if I don't enjoy something, I can find about a million good reasons why I don't need to do that something. So, I placed my elliptical machine right in the room with the TV.  Yep, I am serious about this weight loss now.  Guess what?  It really works.  So now when I come in to watch TV instead of plopping down in the chair, I get on the machine.  If it's an interesting show, I get so engrossed in it that I hardly notice I'm exercising.

This is one weight loss tip I wanted to pass along.  It is working for me, and just maybe something like it can work for you too.  I do know dieting and exercising are hard. So if there is anything that will make them more palatable then that's got to be a good thing.  Maybe, you need to buy an Ipod to take with you so you will keep doing your workout?  I don't know, but I think we should do whatever it takes to help us not to quit. Let's face it, we are dealing with our lives here, and we are worth it!!!  Have you found any tips that are helping you in your journey.  I sure would like to hear them in the comments.

Weight Loss Journey An INTRODUCTION

The Intro: 

Hello and welcome to Fat Man Writing!!!!  Since this is my first post, I think a little introduction is in order. From what I have seen in the movies, I should start by looking around the room and saying, "Hello, I'm Paul and I have an eating problem..."   So basically, I'm 45 years old and you guessed it: another Fat Man with too much free time and a laptop!!!  Yes, I like to eat.  No, scratch that, in all honesty actually I LOVE to eat!!!!  However- here, together, we are going to work on the eating problem--or really, the over eating problem. I just started my weight loss journey two weeks ago with the start of my channel on Youtube.  http://www.youtube.com/user/VirtualPaul123 


The Numbers:
So I am about 6 feet tall.  I weight 305lbs.  I started vlogging at 311 lbs.  My highest weight was 335 lbs.  Ya, so I have a long way to go!!!



The Plan:
So, I love to eat...  I'm not going to quit that so I have come up with a totally new and never thought of before idea:  I'm going to continue to eat what I want--but, but, here is the new part (at least for me): I"m going to eat LESS of what I love to eat.  Now, if you take this totally new idea and write a book and make a million dollars on it, remember to throw a few buck to the Fat Man.  Ok, so that's the plan for me.  Let"s see how the story goes together, and maybe have a few chuckles along the way.