Progress and Frustration...

I am completely and totally responsible for any and all frustration! I make the choices and need to live with the results; I am fine with this part. This all comes from today is my official 3 month weigh in. I was originally not going to weigh but decided to go ahead. So I am down 52 pounds in the 3 month period with is awesome and excellent. But I have only lost 5 pounds in the past couple of weeks. That is not such a horrible thing but I still want more. So I am still on track but it looks almost impossible for me to lose 50 pounds over the next 3 months. It is just so damn hard to do on your own. I am really happy Thanksgiving is behind me and only one more major eating holiday to go, but there are some dinners and other crap coming up so I need to be good and try and eat well and better. I was not a terrible bad boy on Thursday but still too much!

Exercise has been going good. Walking a little more and weights are progressing. So I have been doing this 3 days on - 1 day off thing for the past week or so and that feels pretty good. D1: Walk, D2: Weights & Aerobics, D3: Walk, D4: Off, D5: Weights & Aerobics, D6: Walk, D7: Weights & Aerobics. With this crappy cold weather knocking at the door, it will be less walking and more step aerobics, but I miss the walking when I do not do it on a regular basis.

Counting calories is the best and easiest way for me to do what I need to do and I have not done that for the past month. It is just so hard with all things that are going on. I am responsible for what I put in my mouth!

Ciao for now!

Weigh in day...

Yes, the dreaded weigh in day was today. Happy to report that I have lost 47 pounds in 73 days. That is an average of .62 pounds a day. If just some way I can keep this up, my 50X4 (50 pounds every 3 months for one year) would work out perfectly. So I am pretty stoked about what is going on but there is still a long road to travel.  Next weigh in is February 2. So for now, this is a picture on me back in April, at most likely my heaviest. If you notice, this chef coat could barely fit me and this is one big size chef coat. Will not post another picture until I lose the other 50#. Ciao for now!

Progress and Frustration...

Things are still moving along and progressing. But I am having a hard time dealing with a few issues. First, it is had to accept that I am not 17 or 21 any more. My mind says "yes" but my body says "nope, not going to let you do that today"! I have made some physical strides and this is excellent. I am walking more and the other day, I did 25 minutes of aerobics and 20 minutes of weight lifting. So now things brings me to one thing I have had to deal with each time I try and lose weight; I get really hungry. Maybe the key is limiting the exercise while still keeping my calorie intake low? This is not a race so there is no hurry. I just do not know. Speaking of being in a hurry. I took a look in the mirror the other day and did not like what I saw. So I need to be realistic and understand that I have only been doing this for 55 days. In the scheme of all things, this is no time at all. So lets take a little look at some numbers, facts, and other tid-bits...

• I still have a shit load of weight to lose. I have only weighed myself once over the past 55 days and am looking to weigh again on November 3. I want to know but I am going to wait. Maybe I should really wait until November 24 to weigh, my first 3 month mark? If I had to make a guess, I would say I have lost some where around 45 or 50# so far. At this point, who knows?
• I am looking at losing at least 200 pounds, and possibly losing up to 236. That is a lot of weight. It did not come on over night and I will not lose this over night. If I can some way lose 50 pounds every quarter (3 months) for the next year, that would put me at that goal. that is 3.8 pounds a week or 17 pounds a month. Sounds like a tall goal to me.
• I have already moved into a smaller size of jeans and the other day, I wore a shirt I thought I would never wear again. All of my cloths right now are starting to be a little to big. 
• When I walk, I walk by land marks and each time I try and go a little further and a little further. I have hit a couple of goal land marks so that is exciting for me. I hit a major one last night! 
• I have had a few people notice my weight loss already. What I think really sucks is that for a person trying to take off a large amount of weight, a 50# loss does not look like that much at all.  For a skinny bitch that loses 10#, everyone is amazed. Before anyone really takes notice with that I am doing, I would say it will need to lose over 100# before people really start to notice.

So that is all for now. I am on vacation this week so it has been a small struggle to eat well. I have done ok but not great! Have managed to exercise good. I had the first sweet dessert today which makes me sad because I am a food addict and I can not just eat a little of something. This is vacation so maybe I need to treat my self just a little? 

Ciao for now!

A few updates and other stuff...

I have been back on the weight loss train for a little over a month now and things are progressing. I weighed back on September 15, about 3 weeks of being back on the plan and at that point, had dropped 21 pounds. That is 21 pounds in 21 days. Pretty cool and it is still going. Am not weighing myself again until November 3 so that will put me at 72 days. I know there is no way I am going to lose that much weight in that many days. It is a nice thought but lets be just a little realistic here.Will be happy with anything, but if I hit -50 for that time period, I will be more than pleased! Right now, I am measuring my weight loss by how my cloths are fitting. A few chefs jackets which were borderline tight now are loser. A set that I stopped wearing because I could not button are not fitting a little better. Finally, my fat jeans are much loser and I need to start wearing a belt or they will fall down now.

This is all about mindset now, daily routine, and just sticking to what I am doing. 2 weeks ago, I was at Wrigley Field in Chicago and thought that it would be perfectly OK to have a dog and a beer. Really, there was nothing wrong with that scenario at all! But after I got there, just found myself wanting to stick to what I was doing and I partook in nothing. Kind of crazy but this is the place I am in right now. Am completely comfortable limiting my calories, portion sizes, and everything that goes into my mouth. The only excess for me right now is I am drinking a lot of water. 1200-1500 calories a day is working great and am still walking a bit and lifting some weights. I still have struggles and challenges each day but things are good!

Temptation is all around still but am working through it all. I wish I could get the wife on board with me. She just will not jump on board. If she would give me a month, I could help make some serious changes! If she could just give me a week, I know I could show her some great things! But the sodas and fast food rule her life and she will not give up the Cokes and junk. I am still wishing!

I have a real ethics problem at work and have been taken advantage of and really do not know what to do. I have no desire to see ANY ONE lose a job, but it is not right for me to just sit by while I am being lied to and taken for granted. I will figure it out I guess. I just hate to see a company preach values and honesty and there is little to back this up. Frustrated!!

Looking for big numbers come the beginning of November! Check back but I will post before then!

Ciao!

Can you say Temptation? ...

Yes, 2 weeks back into the eating healthy routine and have done a pretty good job. Have weathered 2 all-you-can-eat buffets and a pig roast with tons of wonderfully terrible and yummy foods and a new product introduction with more food than any one person should be able to eat at one sitting, all without killing what I am trying to accomplish. I have been pretty good about staying between 1,200 and 1,500 calories a day so things are good. I am even walking and lifting weights on a regular basis and getting further and stronger each day. With that said, I am still taking it slow because any way you look at it, I am mortally obese with over 200 pounds to lose.

So that is not even the real temptation I am talking about. The fist day back into it, I had to sit through a cutting on chocolate cake, carrot cake, a bunch of yummy fried appetizers, and sausages and other tasty crap. I did all of this with out a bite. This is a pretty typical day for me; showing customers products and not tasting, doing quality control to make sure a product tastes good or meets specs (like pumpkin cheesecake yesterday), and so on and so on each and every day.

This is my burden I must bare and realize that is I do continue to partake and eat like this, I am really just going to be dead. The ultimate price for being a big tub of goo. I am not trying to be dramatic or fluff this up; this is serious business here. I have probably already done permanent and serious damage to my body and mind that I will have to pay for over the rest of my life. My best friend died at 34, so I have been around for a while since he passed. I feel that if I do die tomorrow, I have done pretty good so I have no regrets.
But I am not giving up and am striving to lead a healthier lifestyle. I just need a little more support from the home front and want her to start with me as well so she can be around with me for a long time!

Only weighing in once a month so I will weigh in on Saturday, September 15. Right now it is not about the pounds, but limiting food, exercising, and making better choices of what goes in my mouth!

Ciao for now.

Major temptation...

OK, I am about a week into my new regiment and things are going pretty good so far. Drinking lots of water, exercised in some capacity 5 days in a row, keeping portions and calories in check (around 1,300 a day so far), and I am starting to feel just a little bit better. But I am surrounded by major temptation each day with my job.

Last Friday (the first day back on the plan), I had to sit through a meeting with carrot cake, chocolate cake, dessert bars, sausages, and some great looking fried junk. How can someone look this stuff straight in the eye and not take a bit of something? I did it; tasted nothing! Then preparing lunch for a couple of visiting groups over the past two days and once again dealing with gooey goodness, BBQ, more fried junk, mac and cheese, ham, and desserts abound. Once again, I stuck to the veggies and salad and drank a lot of water.

Man this shit is tough but if I can stick to making the good decisions, stick to the simplified plan, and deal with all of this major temptation, I might be ok. Off to New York for a few days of training. I will leave you with this amazing thought...

- We had to get a new toilet yesterday!

Ciao for now!

If I had a dime...

OK, I know you are tired of hearing me bitch and moan about being fat and a big tub of goo. I am tired of this shit as well. So tonight begins my latest chapter in the adventures of Chef Jeff, trying to lose weight, again. Well, it does begin again. Me and the wife had a little talk, a good talk, about all of this stuff. I tend to obsess about all of this and am trying not to do it this time. So here is my plan:

- Drink lots of water!
- Moderation, particularly when it comes to the meats. 
- Eat more fruits and vegetables. But I am not becoming a vegetarian!
- Exercise! Try to do something in the morning and something at night. Just get moving.
- Lay off the processed foods, fast foods, stuff that is really bad for you!
- Go to bed earlier.

If I can just stick to this simple little plan. Simple plan equals big results? I hope so!

I have a really busy time coming up from the end of August to the end of October. A bunch of traveling for business, training, cooking competitions, food shows, planning, running around. It is going to be a long and grueling two months but it is going to be great!

So I will finish up with this stupid and random thoughts...

- Roanoker's still like to drive in the right lane, stop on green lights, and go on red lights.
- Smoking drives me nuts! I just hate it.
- I hate that people leave children, elderly, and dogs in hot cars. Senseless.
- I wish restaurants had better service!
- I got a hair cut today.
- A picture frame fell on my forehead and now I have a dent on my head.

Ciao for now!!