Three years and closing in on the end of the road. (pics)

The End of my weight loss road is May 18th, 2012.
That is the day maintenance begins for me...
That is the Day I will step on the same scale I stepped on three years ago and I will post the number.
And that is the number I will Hold.

I was looking through old photos last night.
I saw the me of nearly two and a half years ago...
And for the life of me, I don't know that person.
I look at old diary entries.
I remember feeling helpless to change.
I remember wishing and hoping to be healthy and thinner..
But if I am being perfectly honest...
Just thinner.
But what I thought day to day.
I don't remember.
I do remember looking  up, seeing what was facing me in the mirror...
and waking up...mentally.
And saying "no more".
That's it.
It's like I decided to live...
And I have decided to put here tonight, in pictures...
the progression over the last few years.
And I will put one more picture up here On May 18th.
And every year after on May 18th.
It's my commitment to me.
Here goes:
What I saw.

 I didn't take a lot of pictures other than that top one at first....wish I had.

180's-190's....

 Size 16 170's

I climbed mental hurdles and attended self defense classes:

Then the picture below...taken by my good friend Amber

When I hit 100 lbs lost:

One of the best days of my life:

 162.5

I took a trip home to see my mom...who was proud of my accomplishment...

And I took a picture with my girls...It was the first time I wasn't trying to hide in a family photo:

Happy:

I bought my first 'sexy' dress in a very long time:

Size 10

Then there was the day I Fit in my daughter's size 8's

And Got to 146.5 lbs

Where I stalled:

Now I am ready to finish it:

On May 18th, 2012 I will weigh in and post my final picture.

My mind is set and nothing is going to sway it...

I haven't felt this certain since the very beginning.

I deserve this.

So do you, so get on it.

To the finish.

Chris out.

Why I have 'food rules"....

Hey all,
Just got back from the gym and my full body workout.
It was the same one that kept me from walking straight for three days the last time I did it.
This time I not only did it, but was able to walk a mile afterward.

single leg squats 10 reps each side
no rest
bent over row with barbell
12 reps
no rest
romanian deadlift with same barbell
12 sets
no rest
bench press
15 reps
no rest
swiss ball crunch
15-20 reps
90 second rest
then redo all of the above 2 more times..

Next set
reverse lunge
10 times each leg
no rest
bentover row (again!)
10 reps
no rest
forward lunge with one arm extended
10 per side
no rest
bench leg raise
10 reps
90 second rest repeat 2 more times

3rd set
sumo squat with dumb bell
12 reps
no rest
French press (triceps)
12 reps
no rest
barbell curl
12 reps
no rest
Mountain climber
15 PER SIDE
(30 total)
I did this and at the end I only had to pause once on those mountain climbers.
I could FEEL the difference in my legs.
I have gained some major muscle in my legs in a very short period.
If you are looking to shake up your workout routine, these are awesome and require minimal equipment.
I would also reccomend foam rollers.
They hurt but man, do they work.
It shoves the lactic acid out of your muscles and helps you recover quickly.

So Food rules.
When I am eating clean
1.) No sugar...none.
I will eat 2 T of honey on my yogurt, but no white sugar
2.)No white flour.
3.) No drive thrus.
None...there is nothing there they can make better (read healthier) or cheaper than I can make it at home.
it's just garbage. If you want a salad, make one..you will know what is in it.
5.) No late night runs to the 7-11.
IF you don't go, you can't buy a bag of chips, can you?
6.)NO POPCORN...Popcorn is my kryptonite.
7.) And carbs  such as bread or honey or fruit, I eat in the morning.
carbs like veggies (only veggies lol...) I eat after 3.
8.) I eat a big @ss dinner.
Because it is my most vulnerable time. I get hungry and i cave easier in the evening. It's all about knowing yourself.
9.) I try to incorporate fat with my protein to feel full longer.
If I have an omelette...I have it with an ounce of cheese. Feta works for me. Then I have at least 1 cup of veggies with my food. Could be tomato...this morning is was zucchinni.
That's about all.
what my food rules do is this.
I am hungry...or maybe I am NOT HUNGRY.
I am bored.
I want to eat something.
How do you ascertain if you are really  hungry?
Well, first you say No sugar, no white carbs.
but I can have radishes.
Do you want them?
(my go to veggie is cabbage).
If it's a yes...then go for it.
lol.
IT's never radishes if it's a craving.
and since the rule is in place during my clean eating days.
I just say 'nope'. Can't have it.
It's a rule.
I don't know why, it just works.
Don't leave fudge room.
It will bite you in the rear.
Have a great night guys.
Chris out.
  

Lean cuisine....sucks.

Hey all.
I was talking to my mom today and somehow we got on the subject of weight loss.
And I started talking about how I was glad I did..
How weighing less feels better (obviously)
and I look younger...and all that.
well anyways..I started to rant about previous failed attempts.
You know..
the starve and binge.
The lo carb debacle.
You name it.
But by far, my biggest pet peeve is lean cuisine meals.
They suck.
The portions are miniscule.
They contain additives and they just don't fill you up.
I will be standing in the frozen foods section watching an obese lady loading up on these monstrosities and the low fat cookies with incredible amounts of sugar and just be twitching.

Yum?

You can take your hand and cover that plate...

who would that fill up?

Not me.

It is 250 calories...and has 26 percent of your daily sodium and 9 grams of fat.

nasty...and it is 8 ounces altogether..

basically a cup of food.

Now.

YUM.

Calories there...maybe one hundred.

Add a 6 ounce chicken breast and you have a grand total of 300 calories. 

And do you think that would fill you up? 

Add some balsamic vinagrette to that puppy and you have one heckuva meal if not two.

You have a 300 pound woman who was eating around 3000 calories a day.

She goes from that to 1200 calores.

She is eating these crappy lean cuisine meals.

Then throw in a diet cookie or two and spike your blood sugar and BAM.

cravings, hunger and despair.

INstead of say going to 1800 and taking a walk.

so there she is, starving.

eating food that tastes like the underside of the seat of a 1960 nova.

and not doing anything proactive.

Not changing thought patterns.

Surrounded by temptation.

 WAtching as her body slows it's rate of loss while she is still hungry because your body's metabolism adjusts..

and by cutting your calories so low you have given yourself no where to go.

And just waiting for your body to change.

When change will be a long time coming.

No wonder people fail..and fail in spectacular fashion.

Eat real food.

I wish they would teach that.

Eat real food and do not starve.

Do not eat crap..

processed crap.

And do something to make yourself feel progress..

Give yourself physical goals.

Allow yourself a treat and stop calling yourself names.

And don't expect the weight off by a certain date.

That's all, I feel better now. lol.

Hugs.

Chris



passion or perfection?

I think passion wins.

OR as Tim Tebow says:
"Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work as hard."

You don't need to be perfect to lose weight.
Only downing fish capsules and wheat grass.
Or have perfect form.
I don't need to be perfectly pretty:
To get the guy.
Or a perfect Passer:
To win the game.
Or the Perfect person:
To live your life.
What inspires people?
Perfection?
Nope.
Passion.
That inspires.
I went through a period of NOT being inspired.
My weight loss slowed, and stopped...
Heck I even gained a few pounds.
Because I forgot what gave me the passion to lose the weight.
My passion wasn't to have a perfect ass.
It was to LIVE.
Like I was meant to.
To give life my all and not let it pass me by in some kind of slow motion suicide by time.
Death by clock..
or
Death by donut.
My greatest achievement being the ability to down 3000 calories in a sitting.
My weight is a number.
My life is what counts.

Some quick quotes:
With out passion you don't have energy, with out energy you have nothing.
Donald Trump
Fear is the passion of slaves. Patrick Henry (wow that one was good!)

Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.
Martha graham

My belief is that what comes across on the television is a capture of my enthusiasm and my passion for wildlife. Steve Irwin

The music itself could never take the place of my own passion in life.
Pavarotti

Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark.
Henri frederic amiel
Don't be a possibility...be the flame.
Chris out.

Standards....Getting some....

Lol,
I don't know about you all..But I have standards in certain areas of my life.
There are things I feel are very important.
When it comes to my kids, my standard was and is very high.
what I want them to learn etc.
When it came to my weight my standard was...
well, I didn't have one.
I didn't have a standard for personal appearance other than clean and covered and combed.
I thought it was too shallow.
It's funny how we have standards about some things and not about others.
For some,
Cussing is a big fat no no...
For others, not so much.
I'll never forget it...I was with this women...the kids were all over the place...yelling, rebellious and crawling on the floor...and nothing.
Not a flinch.
Someone had taken a bag of garbage that was tied...and put it in the car..
whammo.
She was p*ssed.
That was 'disgusting'.
The rest...not disgusting.
I would have been much more upset at the blatant disrespect the kids showed the place they were in, and the people who were there.
It threw me.
Then I realized, we are all different.
But I was watching a young man the other day...and I really admired his take on 'standards'.
This young man is Tim Tebow.
He knows what he is trying to accomplish.
He had personal standards that weren't just about how he looked...but what life meant.
He had a reason for exercising and for working hard, above and beyond the superficial.
And it made me realize why standards are so important.
Because they teach your children what is and isn't acceptable.
And the lower your standards are...the lower theirs will be.
You see, my standard for my oldest daughter is A's and B's in school..
I know she can do it..
(and really its B's in math and A's in every thing else...because it is her toughest subject and she TRIES.)
My mom's was c's and graduate.
I lived up to her expectations.
Kate lives up to both hers and mine.
Kids set the bar by the parent's standard.
YOu tell your kids to 'not get caught'...they see no reason to be honest.

I never thought to set a bar on my personal appearance.
But you will notice thin women have a bar...
It could be a five pound bar...or a 10 pound bar.
It's the trigger that says..
'OH NO'....I am not going to be "insert number here'.
And it triggers a response..
usually weight loss or what have you.
It triggers movement.
With my weight, I just kept saying...
'Oh, I'm not that bad"
Which isn't a standard, it's an excuse or a way to put off dealing with the weight issue.
Or my house...
There should be a minimum standard.
Not...
Well, It's not bad...
But something like
I don't leave dishes in the sink before bed etc.
I vaccuum the floor once a day etc.
And for personal fitness it could be..
I eat clean 6 days out of 7.
I exercise minimum 1 hour a day 6 days a week.
It's a standard..
and here is the video that set all this thinking off..


That this young man gets it at such a young age is a testament to his parents. Period.
I have been watching him and thinking...that is how you become a role model.
Live your convictions out loud and set your standards for your life HIGH.
You prove yourself through your actions.
Those are my thoughts.
I did HIIT training yesterday and today I did my third whole body workout.
My eating is good.
But I have dishes that need doing.
Have a great night guys!
Chris out.

N.E.P.A (Non exercise physical activity) and weight loss....

Also known as a good way to burn extra calories outside the gym.
The majority of our time is not spent inside the gym...or it shouldn't be, right?! lol.
So, Omar says move around...stand up when talking on the phone or doing bills or whatever it is you are doing.
I know, I am quoting omar.
Why?
Because I buy what he's selling.
In other words, he doesn't bs.
Alot of programs are selling bullshit.
Take this pill..
you will lose x amount of pounds
If you lose TOO MANY pounds...call a doctor.
As if it's ever actually been a problem.
When I see this crap on tv or hear it on the radio...I give it a mental middle finger.
Lose 20 lbs in 2 weeks.
Lose 30 pounds before the new year.
Lose your mind and buy this shit.
Don't buy it.
Sean Anderson has a book...called transformation road.
Look it up...he lost around 250 pounds.
He started at 505 pounds.
You know how he lost it.
wait for it...
He ate less and worked out more.
I buy what he's selling.
Because it's real.
There is no magic.
Just consistency.
I have lost over 100 lbs so far.
How did I do it?
I ate less...and exercised more.
Now, there are things that will make weight loss 'easier'.
Get rid of sugar.
It will reduce cravings.
Get rid of white flour..
same thing...it reduces cravings.
white rice, white flour, white sugar...they pack a big calorie punch...little nutritional value, and if you give them up...you will feel better.
Replace them with fruits and vegetables and some whole grains.
You'll get to eat more and feel fuller.
Now for nepa...it doesn't replace your workout.
But after  you workout, park in the north 40 and trek in at walmart..
stand while you talk on the phone.
try to get in 10,000 steps by getting a pedometer and paying attention.
And don't eat all the calories you just busted your ass getting rid of in the gym.
Do that, and you will lose weight.
That's all.
Chris out.

TAking off the mask...

I was talking to my kids tonight about making friends.
My oldest gives a rat's rear what people think...
My youngest cares too much.
lol.
So we were talking about finding  a middle ground.
And...
I will admit that I have no good advice to give.
I don't understand why people have such a problem simply being kind.
IT isn't that hard.
I have never understand this compulsion some people have to make sure that the people they associate with mirror their image, so to speak.
For instance...in my oldest daughter's freshmen year of high school, she inadvertantly stumbled into the popular crowd...she was invited to sit with them..
By the end of week one..they had given her a list of things she needed to change to be accepted.
Hair, speech, clothing...
My daughter read it and ripped it up.
They didn't sit with her anymore.
She made new friends.
What she noticed was, all those people who tried to change her, they were unhappy with themselves.
Quite frankly, I wonder how many people are unhappy with themselves.
Seeing the level of backbiting, anger and mistreatment there is in the world makes one wonder.
The happier I am with myself, the more other's unhappiness seems to stand in glaring contrast.
It's bizarre.
I want people to treat my kids well.
other kids etc.
But that may be asking too much when they can't seem to treat themselves well.
My oldest daughter said "I don't bother with a mask...I just call people on their bs now'.
It sounds like a good plan to me.
Be as honest, and straightforward as  you can.
The soul suckers will scatter.
Have a great night guys.
Chris out.