Now I know how the folks on Biggest Loser feel

when they step on the scale for the weekly weigh in and about fall over in shock to find out they’ve lost NOTHING.

Yep. Nothing.

This friggin muscle I’m building better start burning calories for me soon.  (Though it makes me glad I’m tracking what I eat so carefully…at least I know it’s not my fault for sneaking cookies or eating way more calories than I think I am.)

So much for hoping to be down ten pounds before we head to Italy.

*grumble, grumble, grumble*… ...Continue reading

A Low-Carb Rant

Let me preface this by saying this is not aimed at any of the players who have opted for low-carb diet approaches.  Instead, it’s aimed at the people who keep telling me I need to “cut my carbs” to lose weight.

Stop already!

Carbs are not evil! They are not evil, they are not evil, they are not evil!

Processed, empty carbs like white flour, white sugar and other “crap” are bad for you. The carbs in veggies and whole grains are NOT bad for you. You do NOT need to cut them from your diet to lose weight. Yes, it may speed the process for some people, but once again, carbs are not bad, nor evil!

So, let me once again share my diet philosophy and explain to you why I am not… ...Continue reading

Meals for the Day 2/11/08

02/11/08 - Breakfast

Monday is a gym day, so had to start off with some nice, substantial Kashi.

Breakfast: 265 calories, 4.5 grams fat, 44 grams carbs, 8 grams fiber, 15 grams protein

02/11/08 - Lunch

Came home from the gym feeling pretty starved. Yesterday was pretty light on the fiber, so I decided to bulk up with some greens. Nice, big salad with all the veggie fixings. I threw some chicken on there, but left off the cheese. Also used the new Ken’s “spray” dressing because it’s only got one calorie per spray. 25 sprays did the trick.

Also, a repeat of yesterday’s bowl of fresh pineapple with fat free cottage cheese.

Lunch: 400 calories, 5 grams fat… ...Continue reading

Slowing on the loss…

I knew week two wouldn’t see near as much loss as week one as my body would now be more used to the lower calories, but I’m bummed to see I haven’t lost anything since Friday.

That said, I know why. I’ve been working hard at the gym and here at the house with Yoga to not only burn calories but to build muscle. I’ve been doing weight training since early November and with the Yoga and the cross training on the Elliptical, I’m building muscles even with my cardio activity.

We all know muscle weighs more than fat, so as I build muscle, my weight loss is going to low (at least for a bit.) That’s why I’m glad I bought the scale I have. It not only shows my weight… ...Continue reading

Another Side Challenge…

Elizabeth over at Able Reach is “sympathy dieting” with those of us in the SEOs Fight Fat contest.

She’s also issued a challenge.

If each of the eleven SEOs at SEOs Fight Fat sell a new display ad by February 14th, I’ll dye my hair pink.

To be fair, Valentine’s Day is only six days away. If they want a re-match, I’ll go green for three new ads each by St. Patrick’s Day - March 17th. Do both and I’ll do both. Come close and make me an offer, but I’m not shaving anything.

Anyone biting? I’m doing pretty good on the sponsorship front, but the other folks here need some dollar lovin. Come on you big search firms, vendors and engines! Get off your tushes and sponsor a good cause!… ...Continue reading

Ugh. Second Temptation

Only the second time I’ve been tempted by food since this journey began. This time it’s leftover pizza from a place back home. My folks brought it a week or so ago and the leftovers have been sitting in the fridge. All I really want is the crust. I keep telling myself the crust probably isn’t so bad for me (it’s not greasy pizza, it’s a really “dry” type of crust) but i can’t find nutritional info on it, so I guess it’s out.

Donna and Scottie are putting up a good fight.

It’s for the kids. Yeah…it’s for the kids.

Off to repeat that over and over while I look for alternative options.… ...Continue reading

My first weigh-in

Well, this morning was dissapointing. After six straight days of fun and happy loss, today was stagnant. Same exact weight as yesterday.

That said, the new weight is 191, a drop of 6 pounds from my starting point. Guess we’re all shocking our systems as I see Donna and Scottie have each lost 5 pounds. No word from Debra or Nathania yet.

That said, I see we’re going to have some serious competition, so I’m going to be kicking up the exercise effort.

The toughest part for me? I know I could lose weight faster, but I don’t want this to be temporary weight loss. I know I have to lose weight by doing a lifestyle change, one that I can keep up in the long run. I couldn’t do Atkins long-term, I… ...Continue reading

Elnora likes Yoga

So this evening the kids were on the back porch with Greg while I did yoga in the living room. I’m using “The Firm’s” power yoga tape, and seeing as how I’m not the most graceful person, I banish Greg to someplace out of site while I use it.

About halfway through the tape, Elnora (my three year old) came wondering into the room. She looked at me, looked at the TV, put herself in plank position and said “me do just like mommy!” I had to laugh because her form was better than mine.

Wouldn’t you know, that kid followed along  for the last half of the tape? Every time she got in a new position I heard “me do like mommy” again. (It’s hard to hold yoga poses when you’re… ...Continue reading

The calories I never knew I ate…

Now that I’ve been at this for a week, I’m amazed at how many calories a day I was really eating. A little embarrassed too.

See, as much as the other competitiors want to tease me for taking pictures of everything I eat before I eat it, I have my reasons. I work from home and have toddlers. Now anyone who has spent time with toddlers know there are two things that happen with toddlers and food.

1.) They want to share it.

2.) They don’t eat it.

That means I ended up eating quite a few bites of “shared” food each day just to get my kids to eat. It also meant I ended up “cleaning up” their food pretty often. Emmitt leaves half a banana? Sure, I’ll finish that and throw away… ...Continue reading

02/04/08 - Meals for the Day

02/04/08 - Breakfast

Breakfast was on the go today as I decided at the last minute to take the kids to the Zoo. It was 45 today (balmy for an Ohio winter) and we got a family zoo pass for Christmas. So, breakfast had to be what I could grab and eat on the way out the door.

Lovin’ on these Zone Bars. Today was double chocolate and it was pretty tasty as well.

Breakfast: 300 calories, 6 grams fat, 52 grams carbs, 6 grams fiber, 16 grams protein

02/04/08 - Lunch

Another lunch out. After we finished up at the zoo, Rachel (Search Engine Guide’s new Business Development Manager) and I decided to hit a nearby Applebee’s so I could get… ...Continue reading