WOW the Holidays!!

They have not been so kind to me.  I have had to much to eat, to much to drink, and have not been working out in 2 weeks.  I am a lazy slob.  I have also had a bad back the last few days in which I have been on muscle relaxers, vicodin, and rest.  I have been cleared to go back to regular duty at work and it will be nice to get back to working out!!

Greg

Happy Holidays

This is a very relaxed day considering it is Christmas Eve. We have the thrill of doing chores at our pace since we don't punch a clock these days. We don't have to be at a job as many of you have to be. Anyway, the meal will all be cooked tomorrow morning so all that has to be done today is the dessert. It is not a calorie-less type but then we will just have to cut down on the size of our pieces or on the number of pieces we each have. We will all be aware of the pitfalls of overeating. So - in logical theory we could use smaller plates or just take a bit less of each item. Since this family loves Lefsa, we have that. We will have Red Cake, too. Cookies and candy are also going to be around. If we all had the energy the littles ones have, we would not have any problems. Or if the sugar high had us in high gear instead of nap time after the meal. Oh, these are flitting thoughts. I must get to the cake now. Then two little visitors need showers so they are ready for their first Christmas Party. Think smaller quantities and enjoy the tastes. Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone!

My deepest gratetude to everyone that has stopped by and checked out this little adventure. Merry Christmas to all!

Good news today. I got on the scale this morning like I do every day. Today officially marks me losing 20 pounds! I'd been stuck at the same weight again. Gawd I hate that. Just sitting there and today...BAM! The scale moved!!!!

I hope everyone out there has a happy holiday season and remember, you can have it all, just don't eat it all :)

Survive vacation in Las Vegas - Check

The Mrs joined me on a little adventure to Las Vegas, NV this past weekend. My goal through this whole smaller jeans challenge has been to change my life and improve my health in a way that was sustainable. Is it possible to go to Las Vegas, have a good time and maintain my weight?

When I got on the scale this morning, it was the same as when I left!

I'll take that as a win.

We walked plenty but made great strides in avoiding the constant snacking and treats that you find in Las Vegas. Does this mean we didn't enjoy ourselves? Absolutely not. We hit the buffet, twice.  We also ate an amazing dinner at the Venetian's Grand Lux Cafe, I'm pretty sure this wasn't in the diet.

All the while, however, I quit long before, as our waitress at the Lux said, "I hurt myself". Even at the buffets, I made every attempt to not over pile everything. I was full, but we didn't eat again until we were hungry. Go us!

Sleep. That wasn't really talked about. Somethings about Vegas will never change.

This is one of those days...

Since starting on this adventure, there seems to be days that are harder then others. Today is one of those hard days. I have to pick up my youngest daughter from morning daycare and drive her to school. This mean I won't start lunch until 2 hours after we normaly go to the cafeteria. OMG! I'm so hungry already...this doesn't bode well. Maybe I'll need an intervention...keep hands, arms, legs, valuables and baked goods out of reach of my teeth...

Hello fat.....it is me.....I hate you.

Well I have not posted recently becaue I have not been running because I hate it. So today I joined the 24/7 gym in Goodhue and I am dang excited about it. I have always been better at lifting weights and throwing in a little cardio than I was at running anyways.

So tomorrow start the working out at an actual gym. I have my alarm set for 3am so I can go before work. I will keep posting to keep track of my progress.

I have also gone almost completely Dt. Pepsi free! I have about 6 more bottles at work to finish up and then I am going to try and stay pop free. I feel like that, combined with my lack of exercise and poor eating habits, have made me the fatty that I currently am.

So here starts the path to a healthier life.

Greg

Changes to the routine

Getting ready for winter and Christmas has left my back in a tender state. It hurts. I needed to make a change to my regular routine for working out.

Welcome to the wonderful world of treadmills.

Riding the bike was fun. Those machines really rock and riding to the moving scenery helped keep me motivated, but sitting like that didn't feel good with back pain.

One of the interesting features of the treadmills at our work facility  is that I can set the target based on time, heart rate or calories. Since my primary goal is to lose weight, I'm setting my target based on calories. and then setting my pace to meet my time constraint. So far, I really like it.

This was yesterdays workout. My target was 350 calories + 30 calories in cool down. I made the 350 in just short of 2 miles in a bout 33 minutes. Perfect! I can then go do a little weight lifting and then it's back to work. As each level becomes easier, I will try and pack more exercise and hard challenges along the way.

Who knows, I may even start running again...

Celebrating the little things today!

I'll be heading out to my regular Monday workout in just a few minutes but thought this deserved a W00T! W00T!

As of this morning, I officially gained no weight over the Thanksgiving weekend! I didn't lose any either, but that wasn't the point.

Thanksgiving is a holiday that I look forward to all year. I'm a big turkey dinner kind of guy, but this year I successfully avoided the traps that surround the day. I enjoyed the traditional dinner TWICE and skipped the snacking the rest of the time.

YEAH ME!

Sorry for the interruption...now back to your regularly scheduled programming....