Happy being Flat and no Jeans in January....

1/31/2015 - we were flat this week, and I have never been so happy to be flat in my life! Not because I had a bad week, but because we know the large weight loss from last week was induced by two days of sicking up and not eating.  So being able to maintain that for a week well, that just means to me that weight loss was real and we are still moving in the right direction.

I got back on the horse and I stuck to my paleo eating last week.  I ate out more than I liked, but sometimes those are the breaks, I wasn't motivated to cook last weekend, so there you go.  I am spending most of today cooking and getting ready for tomorrows game.  I have to admit I am rooting for the SeaHawks again.  I just hate Tom Brady, he sucks donkey dicks.

So, I think things are moving right along.  I am pretty happy.  Feeling pretty good.  Getting ready to go for a nice little walk, been off the last few days.  Need to get back into the groove.  Btw, speaking of walking, I missed one walk this week b/c literally my pants were to big and I couldn't keep them up =)  What a great feeling.  I am going to need to start taking gym shorts to work and changing before I walk.  I just push to hard and get sweat like a pig.  I am sure that I don't smell so good after my walk, even though I deodorant back up.  So, I will start taking a change of clothes with me and a towel, so I can shower.

Like I said, over all things are pretty good.  I feel pretty good.  Very happy with my progress so far in the last 75 days or so.

In other news today is the last day of January, I bet none of you knew that did you.  Well, the reason I point it out is I had a goal, a goal to be wearing jeans by the end of January 2015.  Well, that was me being way to optimistic and thinking I would lose 75 lbs by end of the January.  (I think it is really only 65, I think I can wear jeans at 410, but you get the point.)

Well we lost 35 of that, which is almost 50% of that.  I am I think that is pretty fucking good.  I think I am loosing at the proper rate and a healthy rate.  Lets say I have been doing paleo for 75 days, roughly 11 weeks.  Then lets say I lost 35 pounds over that time.  That means I have lost 3.3 pounds a week.  They say healthy weight loss is 2 lbs per week. So, I am still ahead of the curve.

More importantly, I remain committed to getting better.  I am not sure I have ever stayed on track like this, perhaps once back in 2002 of 2003, but never a complete and total change and difference in eating style like this.  So, I think overall jeans or no jeans, that I am net better off right now than I have been in al on time.    Also, some time in the next five pounds I loose I will be the lightest I have been in a really long time, since May of 2013.  Which is very exciting to me.

Well Happy Super Bowl weekend, I am off to walk!  

Soup's on!

 

Well after the Pancake incident yesterday, it was back to work in the kitchen.  My appetite is slowly coming back.  For example last night I ate a burger, with sweet tator fries and enjoyed company of old friends at Chili's.  It has been along time since I went to Chili's.  Even a longer time since I went there and didn't get chips n salsa.  All and all it was a pretty successful dinner, good conversation, and there realization live was harder when we didn't have phones we could google everything on to supplement our conversation and the questions that El Beav asks! 

 

Chicken Soup:

 

I decided that I want to focus on Smoothies and Soup this week.  I just want to give my tum a bit of a rest from lots of hard meat.  So, I came up with two chicken soup recipes.  One a cream of chicken, and other more of a chicken soup. 

 

I opted to make the chicken soup one, even though, I bought the ingredients for both.  The main reason I opted for the chicken soup was because I could crock pot it.  I do love me some crock potting =)

 

So we start with diced carrots and celery:

 

Add out onions.

Add some Apple Cider Vinegar. 

Some dashes in "Herbs from Provence"  I called Erbs from Providence. 

Add it in.

Pepper:

 

 

I will never buy meat at whole foods again.  This was ridiculous.  it was like 21 bucks for boobs.  I have not paid that much for boobs since Sway in Houston.  Sweet Sweet Sway and the college fund I started... um never mind.

I used Bone Broth, b/c I didn't want actual bones in my soup.  I don't like bones.  So Bone Broth was the way to go.  Sodium was pretty light in this.  I was surprised.  Some other brands had like 700 mg, this had 95 per serving.  Not to shabby. 

Pack in my high priced boobies!

Set timer for 8 hours.

Shred the chicken...

Add it back into the pot and mix it up and you have Chicken Soup.

Portion that shit out. 

Refrigerate.  Look at the smoothies pre-made as well down there.  We had two types Almond Blast and Sweet Greens.  Almond blast was almond butter, banana, and almond milk.  Sweet Greens was raspberries, almond milk, and spinach.  knowing I need greens all the time, I added a handful of spinach t the two Almond blasts as well. I believe every smoothie should have a handful of spinach.  It really doesn't add any taste and well its good for you.  =)  

Have a great week!!!!

Getting Back on that Horse...

I just want to show off my National Championship Hat that buddy at the game got me, I was forced to wear it and say go buckeyes every time someone asked me about it.

Getting back on that Horse 1/25/2015:

Sometimes, you just have to stand up after you fall down; it is after all the only way to get back up.  Did I fall down?  Is that what you call getting sick?  I don’t know is falling down the crisis of faith I had yesterday?  Interesting comment that one "crisis of faith?"  What did I have a crisis of faith with? I guess the trust and only the only answer I had to that is the one I had with myself and the belief in the path I am on.  I was using my sickness as a way to try and make it ok to slip and stumble.  I was using it a tool to prove to myself I can’t do this.  I am too weak.  I am just an addict.  Its ok.  I am sure eating carbs won’t put 35 pounds back on me, right?  I had questioned my path yesterday.  I wondered if there was another less harsh way.  I wanted to make it ok to eat pizza, and chips, and tacos, and burritos.  I am still that person.  I will always be that person to some extent.  However, I am also evolving.  As my mind grows stronger, and my body grows smaller, I am gaining wisdom and the one thing that I have lacked for most of my life, believe in the only one that truly matters me.  I think this all starts and ends with loving yourself, putting yourself first, so that you can then focus on helping, and being with people for the right reasons, not just so you can feel something.  I don’t know.  I will say this though. I am lucky.  I am.  I have the truest gift of them all, and that is the gift of friendship.  Because yesterday when I was sucking about trying to find a plan, I got two very encouraging texts from my Roommate and from Katie, you know my good buddy Chip’s wife.  I a nutshell, they both told me to stay the course it was working.  Don’t stray from the path.  That there were other options inside paleo, than just my meat and high protein path, and that I just needed to find them.  Now Katie, whom I have know since an ISU basketball game when I was 10, or was it 11, it matters little was little harsher on me than my roommate was.  Some time brutal honest tough love is the best love.  She smacked me into shape and demanded a plan.  So, a plan I gave here. I was going to take, a nap, get up, and find something to make, get my smoothie recipes together, and walk.  Simple, easy, effective, the plan was approved, and sleep never came.  However, my will to get back up did, and keep on keeping on did.  So, here we are today ready to get back on the horse, and keep marching along. 

The Pancake Incident:

Ok, I told you, I wanted carbs.  I wanted lots of carbs and the one thing I wanted the most was Pancakes.  So, I was all set to go to Cup and Saucer this a.m. and i was going to get pancakes.  My first out was trying to get Rachel to go with me, but she was still asleep.  The 2nd choice was why not  check the recipe book and see if there is a paleo pancake recipe that you have everything for already.  I struggled with it a bit and then decided to go option 2.  So, we started out following the directions, well sort of:

Coconut Flower with two eggs, now the recipe said almond flower, but I assumed all flowers are equal.  so... here we go...

 A little maple syrup, a sprinkle of salt, then we tried to mix:

It didn't go so good.  So we had the genius idea to add almond milk and at least we got something that looked like pancake batter.  However, when it went to stove:

Well not so much!  So we decided we would try a couple more:

Again, not so good.... so we sank the fucking thing:

We were not happy:

So, we thought we would go to get some pancakes at C & S, but we didn't feel so good about that, so we, went back to the drawing board, and got on our mac and started checking for recipes using coconut flower with all ingredients we have here.  

And BAM!  There was batter:

Then add some cakes:

I am not the best flipper, but why not have a try:

Good! Good!

So we kept going.

Not a good flipper at all.

and going!

Then we got brave and went big!

Good looking cake a little dark but that is ok.

And bam bam a plate of cakes.  BTW entire plate 510 calories...

And serve with some syrup and good!

I know they look a little well done and dark, but honestly, they tasted good.. I used coconut milk, vanilla, honey, coconut flower, four eggs (Shit need to get more eggs), a little salt, was there water, I don't know but they were easy... really easy.  =)

So, horse mounted, and we fell off again, but we got right back on.  Then I got bug up my ass that I did want to cook as well as blend today, so I got to recipes and well.. check back in tomorrow and for that story  as I am sure it will be good!

-9.2 = 35

35 and counting...  my weight watchers manual says I am down 13 lbs today, but myfitnesspal says 9.2 either way both are significant losses, both I would normally be pretty estate about.  However, i had some help this week from mr flu bug.  I think he gave me a little extra effort and cleaned my system out pretty good.  As my good friend Katie says just enjoy today and keep on doing what you are doing.  AND... that is where things get complicated.

I love the Paleo Diet.  I have loved every minute I have been on it (minus the times out for heart trouble), however, sitting here on a Saturday morning in San Jose down 35 lbs and coming off a two day's of sickness, that poked his head up again last night, eating paleo just sounds, well, to me for the first time... blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... it is a harsh diet with lots of meats and meats aren't always the easiest things for the stomach to process.  So, do we have a conundrum here?  What are we to do?

I wish I wasn't a feeble minded mush head and had the faith that I can weather any storm or challenge, but to be honest, I am scared.  I know how easily I get going down the wrong path.  I know sugar, my arch enemy is just lying in wait, wanting to get a chance to get back into my system.

So, I am sitting here researching different options on what I can do this week until I get my tummy back.  Ia m thinking of a heavy smoothie diet.  I love a good smoothie.  We have three blenders in the house right now.  I could open my own jamba juice.  Well for if you count the many bullet the roommate has.

for the first time in a long time I feel little at drift, without a clear path or direction which is weird for a guy who has hit 15% of his total weight loss goal.   I am not good at drift. I don't make good choices at drift.  So we can't stay at drift for very long.  We won't.  I have some faith in myself.

Goals for today ... make a plan for next week so we don't stay at drift, take a walk just any easy one we have been off for three days.  plan a walk for tomorrow, for an hour, 30 out and 30 back, fuck time.  get back onto the path.  then see where it takes us.  I think the one thing I was really learning on paleo, is it is more about making better all natural choices and preparing for myself.  I just have to keep that in mind and stay on the path.  The goal is to get better, to get the heart healthier and live a long and natural life.

Over all down 35 lbs... you have to be happy.  you also have to be mindful that those can creep back on b/c of water, and food intake, but hey, enjoy the moments when you have them, what else can you do =)

Paleo Work Feast!

Gabe and I had a little Paleo Feast today.  See that meat right next to the juice can, that is Gabe's 13 hour brisket.  He smoked that shit to perfection.  I can't believe I am going to say this, but I loved eating his meat!  Ya, it reads just as awkward as I thought it would.  To the left of those are the sprouts he made, they are really good!  Next you to the right of my hand and those are Gabe's baked beans.  I didn't have any of those, b/c the musical fruit doesn't fit into my diet.  In my right hand I have my mashed Cauliflower, which I think tastes like Mashed Tators.   Gabe said it just tasted like mashed veggies, but agreed it was good.  Then in the bowl in my left hand was a spicy Veggie mix that I steamed in the microwave and then added olive oil, red pepper flakes, and chili powder.  Over all I ate to much brisket. 

The good news today is I got the following email from a co-worker:  "Is it my imagination or are you shrinking?"

I told her I was down 30 lbs and got this back:


"No wonder I did a double take…30 lbs is a big difference!  That’s awesome.  Keep on truckin! J

 I am going to say this and say it loud, it felt really, really good!  I needed that =)  Really, I did.  It is one of those things, that tells you to keep on going! Keep on fighting the good fight.

The Bad news though... I don't feel so great.   I don't feel like I have ever been so tired in my life as I have been the last week.  It could be the walking, but it could also be AFIB coming back.  I have felt flutters now every day for a week.  So, I quite coffee yesterday and today I feel better but still tired but flutterless for the most part, if that doesn't hold, I am calling the doctor first thing tomorrow.  I am really pissed about that though.  I feel like I am trying so hard.  I mean I get it, I do, I am really obese.  I have not taken care of myself for the last few years.  so, I get it, I understand why my health is declining but that doesn't mean it doesn't piss me off.  It makes me angry and I walk a little hard and a little farther because of it. I rethink what I add to my diet.  I am not throwing in the towel or anything I am just telling it how it is.  We will get thru this, just a rough patch on the road to recovery. 

Pork roast - paleo pig

wow... yesterday sucked! Well, the colts getting there asses handed to them by the Pats sure did suck ass anyway.  however, I think we are a team on the rise and not one on the fall, so that is goodness.  I guess that is also the only way you can look at it.  I hope the Seahawks blow out the Pats by 137 points.  F' Brady and F' Belicheat....

Yesterday day we tried a new pork pig roast. 

We started by dicing two sweet onions. 

 

Get out the Crocking Pot.

Get your onions ready to put in the pot.

Add them to crockpot.

Get some carrots and toss it in.

Get your pig ready after a night in the fridge.

Looks good right!

8 hour slow cook.

 

Pack Darth Colt for the football game at david's.  He is all snug in the car.

Take Selfie of you and Darth Colt as you drive to David's.

 

Darth Colt at the Beav's.

Darth Chilling for Kick Off!

Darth when things got ugly. 

Darth as time winds down. 

Darth Banished to the garage after force choking three Pat fans on the way home from the Beavs.  Shame on you Darth.  Apparently the Emperor encourages his poor sportsmanship.

Home to meat!

Looking Good!

Broil to Crisp her up!

 

Meats done!

Shred it!

Pack it up for lunches!

Roast was pretty good.  We will see how it reheats... sharing with Gabe on Wednesday for Lunch.  he has brisket for tomorrow and I am bringing in the mash cauliflower... should be good!!!!  Time to get back on track!!!