Week 4: I forgot

I forgot to make a post on Monday. The combination of starting school, turning 21, and returning to work has reminded me that life demands things from you. However, I will be back Monday with a brand new blog post for week five, and a retrospective on this first month.

Week 4, DARN

Overall week: O NO~~

I am tired. I know this may seem weird, but I am doing just ok. WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOTIVATION TO ACTUALLY LOSE WEIGHT!??!?! WHERE!!!

I need to think more, I need to figure out what I am doing and make some more goals for me!

-Mario

Week 3, easy yet hard

Last week was overall OK.

I applaud myself for eating more fruits/ greens and DRINKING MORE WATER. That aspect of my diet is working out. What I am finding challenging is spreading out my meals and trying to figure out how to ease my food in my stomach NOT FORCE THE FOOD DOWN MY THROAT!

Today, I had the option to go out and get a sandwich or make one. I choose the healthier route and created what I thought was a nice balance between food groups and created a pretty wonderful sandwich. I am glad that I am not going out as much..... I have saved up a crap ton of money and also my weight has not increased. GOOD JOB ON OUR PARTS!!!

This week I hope to cut pizza out of my diet... or at least down to one slice. Pizza is what has been my killer. I kinda cheat the rules by getting a full cheese pizza and eating the whole thing ( OPPS!!!). So no more 8 pieces for mario.... More water and more vitamins are my goal. I also need to up my fruit intake. GOAL NUMBER TWO!!!

Jordan and I are in week three and I feel good about what we are doing, the feel question is trying to figure out time with food... does that make sense? I am so busy that i dont have the time to make good stuff like i did today. Anyway, that will be up in the air this week.

Week three here we come....cross your fingers and lets make this happen!!!

:)

Week 3: Oops

Weight: ?

I didn't weigh myself this week because, honestly, the scale really is slightly off and I had a rich dinner, so I'd rather wait until next week when I have a new scale that will last maybe through six months of use before I break it.

This week wasn't so good: I didn't continue my physical activities like I planned, and fell off the bandwagon in most categories. I stopped using MyPyramid because, frankly, it wasn't as accurate as I'd hoped. However, one week off the MyPyramid, and I realize how much I do need it to enforce what I should and shouldn't eat. I've avoided fried foods, generally, but I have had rich foods, mainly chocolate. Tonight my parents and I went out and celebrated my birthday prematurely (since I won't be in town for the actual event) and we ordered some Cremee Burlees for dessert, and the waiter brought a free surprise slice of cake. So needless to say I have had an abundance of extra sugars and calories, especially tonight.

The one thing that has kept me hanging in there, however, and why I haven't given up hope yet on this project, is my lack of soda. I have now gone 17 days without one soda, though the temptation is there; I went to a movie and got a popcorn, and had to resist getting a soda (though the popcorn wasn't such a good idea, I just got it because events that day killed my appetite until the film).

So as long as I stay away from soda, the easier it will be to reign myself back in. Wednesday I go back to Chicago and will be forced to shop for my own groceries once again. My plan is to visit the over priced Whole Foods for produce, and then travel to Trader Joe's to get other necessary items. I won't shop at the Jewel anymore (Albertson's to you Northwesterners), even if it is...convenient and cheap[er].

As for Physical Activity, it will be hard to keep up with when faced with snow, but I must motivate myself to at least do some indoor workouts. No, it doesn't replace a good jog or, even better, a run. Maybe I should get my ass out to the lake and do some running along the shoreline (sounds cold...). Maybe I'll just have to wait for cardio until after the snow begins to lessen. I'll check those conditions when I get there and decide then. Until next week...

Week 2: Time For Me to Get Off My Ass...

Weight: 237? 238? 240?

The bathroom scale I have is broken; I weighed myself three times this morning within a minute and got those weights, varying. So I can assume I'm some average of that, and will have a bathroom scale proper in two weeks when I am back in Chicago.

MyPyramid is both really useful and really annoying. I'm not sure the servings are entirely accurate, but I go with it because it is handy. However, it gets tiresome entering every single thing you put on your sandwich in there (again, USDA, create a "Build-a-Meal" option and then have ingredients listed).

Using the Weekly Menu tool, I find that I average 2350 calories a day, which is well within my goal of 2600. I average 10 1/2 oz. of grains (goal: 9 oz.), but only 2 1/2 oz. of whole grains (goal: 4 1/2 oz.); 2 3/4 cups of veggies (goal: 3 1/2 cups); 1 3/4 cups of fruit (goal: 2 cups); 2 1/4 cups of milk (goal: 3 cups); and 7 oz. of Meat & Beans (goal: 6 oz.). I also average 7 tsp of oil, when I need an average of 8 tsp., so that is good. However, in the extra calories section (defined as calories from solid fats, added sugars, and alcohol) I average 542 calories, when 410 is my limit: 364 from solid fat, 137 from added sugar, and 41 from alcohol. Good news is I've maintained an average of 26 grams of saturated fats a week, with my limit being 29.

It's a rough start, and I need to practice that art of resisting temptation; I have had a few snack bags of Lays, Cheetos, and Doritos because a huge box resides in the pantry not far from the TV room. One of the steps I will take to avoid those is to not buy it when in Chicago when I am not tempted. I have not strictly adhered to the three things to be eliminated; fried foods (potato chips) creep back in somehow. But besides one truffle and one vegan cookie, I've avoided most desserts, per say. And my biggest accomplishment so far: I haven't had a soda since the first of the year. 10 days!

The desire to drink soda is still there, especially because a bunch of them are still sitting in the fridge, waiting to be consumed. I have resisted the temptation, however, and am proud to say I haven't even had one drop. I do plan to drink soda again in the near future, but for now, I have eliminated it because it is an unnecessary source of sugars (even Diet products are no good, even if they lack sugar and calories, which I find unnatural, though what is natural about soda?)

One of the lucky aspects of the past week is living under my dad's cooking; he's no gourmet chef, but he is watching what he eats as well and prepares satisfactory dinners that fill my otherwise hard to fill vegetable needs. I'll need to get used to steaming broccoli and other good vegetables, and eat a salad every day (which I have been doing mostly).

The one thing I have not adhered to is the work-out plan. It's a combination of laziness and, well...laziness. It's hard to be motivated to go out and walk around when the rain is falling, and I know it will be even harder to motivate myself when I'm in Chicago with snow and cold winds (current temperature reading: 25º and snowing). But, I must do it somehow, because its the only way to start shedding pounds; simply eating right and sitting on my ass ain't getting it done.

My goal for this week is to work out at least three times, be it a faced-pace walk (I don't think I'm up for jogging yet), and/or some cardio workouts that can be done in my own home (i.e., push-ups, crunches, planks, etc.). The forecast in Seattle for the next six days is rain (big surprise, eh?) so I guess I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get my ass out there. Maybe take the dog too.

Until next week, my journey down the Road to Salvation continues.

Week 2: Lets start Cutting!!

So, the first week of " the Road to Salvation " was pretty interesting. First, I used the rules that both Jordan and I created. And Secondly I made it a goal to drink water. My stomach is still and will be undergoing some MAJOR!!!! cuts this week.

I have found that when I am in the dining hall I get like 4-5 plates work of food. Now, I understand that last week I cut some food groups that I thought I would benefit from; but here is the problem: TO MANY DAMN PLATES!! I think I need to stick to at least 1-2 plates that have all the food groups in them. I also have found that I am picking juice instead of water, so that will change.

Eating in the dinning hall is tough. I have realized that fast food is bad for me, but some of the food in the dinning hall IS EVEN WORSE!!! So I need to check every single group of food I see in the dinning hall to make sure it is healthy for me.

Also, this week I would like to walk more instead of talking the bus. I know it might take a little longer for me; but I think it will do my body some good.

So, Recap on week:

1. Limit the number of plates I have. ( take at least one plate that has all the fodo groups)
2. DRINK MORE FRICKEN WATER!!!
3. Walk more instead of the bus.
4. Read the labels of dinning hall food.
5. I also would like to cut my sweets down. ( even though it is already low)


First week was good. But, I still need to commit myself. I think in order for me to be on track I need to start calling Jordan more. So every week I can have a journal/ a support personal with me. Fair enough?

Anyway, wish me luck and I look forward to this week and what it brings!

Week 1 Salvation

Weight: 250

Well, its been one full day of WWU dining food. BLAH!!

For lunch I had Pizza time! I was good, I limited the amount of Pizza/ Chessy sticks I had. Dinner, I had chicken pasta which calculated to 1000+ calories. I also had some veggies, Celery sticks with peanut butter and two glasses of water. Its has been two days without soda, and I feel wonderful!!! Kinda strange really.

I walked about a mile today, but I really wanted to go to the gym. My goal this week is to at least go to the gym three times or do some physical activity for an hour plus. Its rainy in Bellingham and i am getting sleepy!!!

Anyway, I currently like Jordan have registered for the pyramid thing!! GREAT SITE! Still a little confusing to me. Hopefully by the end of the week I should have it done. Tomorrow Breakfeast in the morning, Oatmeal? Fruit? Milk? I will do some research!

Good couple of days so far!!!

Week 1: An Interesting Start

Weight: 237 lbs

Saturday I officially kicked off the new diet, tracking everything I'm eating using the MyPyramid website. So far I've been good about holding up to the three things kicked: Soda, Candy, and Fried Foods, though I did break the fried food taboo yesterday briefly, when offered free french fries. How can you turn down free fries?

I am staying in Bellingham at the moment with some friends, so my eating habits are at the mercy of their food budgets. Kaelen, however, is probably the perfect person to stay with during a project like this because he is very conscientious of good food and good eating. Probably the hardest thing is getting a healthy balance of everything, though I have discovered 9 oz of grains is actually quite a lot when you balance it with everything else. Yesterday I got a good balance of all my food groups, though I spiked the extra calories section with wine and beer.

My starting weight has calculated on my friend's roommate's Weight Watcher scale, so I assume it is about as accurate a reading as I'm going to get outside the doctor's office. I plan on weighing myself once a week to chart the success/failure of this project. Since your weight does fluctuate throughout the day, my weigh time is in the morning, right after I get up.

As for physical activity, I've been ok on that front. Saturday I took a nice 1.5 mile walk, which is pretty easy. Yesterday though, I had to run to catch a bus. The exercise front is something I plan on starting soon, when I get out of Bellingham.

Until next week, the Road to Salvation awaits! Or something...

A Very Helpful Website

Hello all,

One of the biggest concerns with dieting is how much am I eating? What is the proper amount of servings I should be intaking? What is bad and what is good?

Normally to get advice on matters like this, you would need to pay a personal trainer, or buy weight loss books. Websites can be helpful too, but I suspect plenty will require to join in order to partake in their weight loss strategies.

Luckily our tax payer dollars have given us something useful: mypyramid.gov

This handy website, made by the USDA, features a lot of great tools for tracking your intake of calories, and what exactly these things are. You simply enter your sex, age, weight, height, and amount of physical activity you typically do. If you are overweight, it will let you know (thanks computer) and will give you the option to select a calorie plan based on: maintaining your weight, or gradually moving to a healthier weight. The main screen tells you how many servings of each food group you need, and how many calories you need to consume in the day. There's also a little bar for "extra" calories, though filling up this bar is hard not to do. Then you simply start inputting all the food you had that day; note that not everything is on that website, so you may have to improvise a bit. It would be nice if they created a function for entering your own recipes.

There are various other tools for analyzing your physical activity for the day, and for creating personalized meals. The meals aren't the best tool, but its free (relatively speaking) and is handy enough. I definitely suggest checking out this website; it'll help you discover what is the best way to be healthy.

Hello, I am not a man

Hello, my name is Amanda, and I am not one of the men in their twenties who first started this blog. I'm a 20-year-old woman, currently attending the University of Washington, who is about 40 pounds overweight and knows there is another way to live!

I'm joining because I think some friendly, non-competitive encouragement might be just the thing I need. And Jordan and Mario are just those sorts of people. One year ago I weighed 135 lbs, thanks to a really obsessive bout of Weight Watchers and exercise. I felt great--most of the time--because I felt so in control of my life. But after a while I just couldn't maintain it anymore. The obsessive way I threw myself at the routine gave me some really difficult food issues--I would confuse my hunger for emotion, and would work myself up into fits before I would finally eat some oatmeal and giggle with relief. Now when I think about trying to harness my eating habits again, I start to panic. I need to do something new, so this year, I think I'll do just that.

It's about getting healthy and fit, and yes, it's about losing weight and looking good. My mom and stepmom are both runners and triathletes--completing marathons and iron mans regularly. I've always wanted to participate in that, and it'll take a lot of doing to get me up to their level. But you've got to start somewhere! By the end of the year we'll all be pretty sexy, I think.

I proposed adding pictures and possibly measurements to our weekly updates. Pictures may not come immediately, but all together after some time when a difference can be seen. it will be a great motivator for us to look back at where we were and how far we've come. Let's get started!

Manifesto

Hello, and welcome to The Road to Salvation. This is not a religious site, but rather a blog that is dedicated to detailing the efforts of two men to lead healthier lives. The primary tool of this blog is to both motivate ourselves to keep up with weight loss, and to encourage others to join in on the activity.

My name is Jordan, and Mario is my companion on this journey to really just trying something new and being fed up with the old. We have realized what necessary measures we are going to have to take in order to change our lifestyles. We created a list of three things we are immediately going to eliminate from our daily diet:

1. Fried Foods (a la Fast Food)

2. Soda (even Diet products)

3. Candy

There are numerous other things we should avoid as well, but those are the three we are going to start with. The goal isn't to cut down on what we eat, more as it is to change what we are eating, and when. Its hard to go out and pursue something like this on your own, so together we hope to motivate each other in case one of us falls off the band wagon.

And I fully expect one or both of us to fall of the band wagon at least once during this project. Life catches up and makes keeping up with all your projects hard. The real key is this will help us get back on track, and hopefully quickly before we undo what we have done.

We have also agreed to limit the amount of times we eat out per week. Mario has the cafeteria, and will have to figure out a strategy for healthy living on that food (good luck), and I will be living in Chicago, and forced to eat out at least a couple of times due to my vigorous work/school schedule. But if there is absolutely no reason to go to a restaurant, we will stay home and prepare ourselves a meal.

This is not a plan to lose weight fast, but a plan to lose weight in a healthy manner. We will record our weights weekly, though body fluctuates throughout the day depending on if you have just eaten or woken up. We don't have a goal weight to reach by a certain time; the idea is to eat healthy and let our bodies do the natural thing.

Of course, no amount of healthy eating will truly benefit one unless they work out as well to burn the calories they take in and keep their metabolic rate up. Mario will visit the rec center at least 3 times a week, and we have also vowed to find take time out to get 60 minutes of physical activity a day, from as simple as a fast-paced walk, run or jog. I myself work at a restaurant that can force me to be quite nimble on my feet for a couple hours at a time, but this is not a dependable method of exercise, as business fluctuates.

We will both be posting entries every Monday, updating our week in food and where we fell off the band wagon. Yes, this is a essentially a self-help group dialed down into a blog for the world to read. But I feel this will be a valuable, interesting, and most importantly, beneficial project to undertake.

One final note: if anyone feels they want to join us in our quest, that they would like to keep up with us, they are more then welcome too. Shoot me an email and I can possibly make you a team blogger on this site as well. If you would prefer to not post, that is fine too. But this is not exclusively for Mario and I, it is for everyone to take part in.

Best of Luck to us!

The Road to Salvation

So the process begins!

I hope during this adventure, I will come to understand myself and how others look at me.

Welcome

The Road to Salvation awaits you!