Weight Obliteration

Day 13: Here a Snack, There a Snack

And so it goes.  It's easy to make excuses when a snack is sitting right in front of you.  Here at work I am surrounded by coworkers who can, and will, create any reason under the sun to have cake, candy, pizza, you name it - and share it with everyone. 

While I've successfully brushed off a lot of snacks, I've still fallen victim to caving in here and there which in the long run will not be beneficial to my ultimate goals.  Soda is gone and I've even cut back on some of the iced-tea that I was replacing it with.  Water is the main thirst quencher of choice at this point and I've grown used to it.  I might say I'm even learning to enjoy it - but there needs to be more change for effects to take place.

In the Junk Food: How Much Can You Get Away With? article, Victor Herbert, at Mount Sinai and Bronx Veteran Affairs Medical Centers is quoted: "All food is health food in moderation, all food is junk food in excess."  It's amazing how much truth there is in that.  Excess sucks.

Snacking is simply an easy way to get a quick fix.  If you are stressed, snacking helps to relax.  If you are in a time crunch, it's easier to graze throughout the day, or drive through the nearest fast-food restaurant and grab the quick and easy burger without even getting out of the car.  So it shouldn't be surprising that when snacks are kept on the desk just 10 feet away, we grab them.

I didn't have breakfast this morning.  My stomach starts growling at around 9:00 - now it would be smarter to burn the 15 calories walking down to the cafeteria and grabbing something mildly nuitritional, but it's much easier to burn 1 calorie walking to the desk with the cake and grabbing a slice of that instead.  It would be wise, however, to plan on this dilemma happening, as it does on a daily basis and bring my breakfast and lunch into work instead.  It would also be cheaper.

Now we have solution - and that solution requires motivation.  Motivation to grocery shop, with a list, mind you, motivation to plan meals accordingly and motivation to prepare them ahead of time.  That's a lot of work.  But I'd imagine it better to spend calories on creating those habits than to waste them on the other options.

Okay, sounds simple enough.  Now I don't eat out EVERY day, but it's pretty close.  So here we have another habit that needs to be adjusted.  I'd say I bring my lunch to work at least 50% of the time, mostly because I hate wasting money on eating out everyday.  But that 50% should really be more like 99%.  If it were, not only am I helping my weight goals, but I'm also saving a ton of money.  Let's face it, those are better outcomes than ending up in the hospital, broke and dying of heart disease.

Let's recap the changes so far.  In a few short weeks I've worked on the following:

• No more soda - or sugary soft-drinks in general.  From the get-go, I knew this was problem #1.  Replace such drinks with water.
• Quit snacking - non-stop munching is NOT good for your diet.  This one isn't entirely kicked yet, but it's a work in progress.
• Plan your meals - to facilitate the no more snacking rule, I get to bring my meals to work and quit eating out except on the few occassions with friends, etc.

Three small changes, tons of change.

Day 5: No Soda For You!

So far this no soda thing is going well.  I had a Barq's Root Beer on Saturday and a Mountain Dew on Sunday but otherwise, there was no soda.  I can't begin to explain how much of a big deal this is.  A typical Saturday or Sunday afternoon would normally be filled with not 1, not 2, not even 3 or 4 cans of soda, but if I had a 12 pack of Mountain Dew in the fridge, I would easily finish off half of the pack, followed by a couple Coors Light's in the evening hours.  That means throughout the course of a typical weekend, I could easily consume an entire 12 pack of soda.  I don't think that is normal by any means.

A quick search on Google told me I'm not alone.  Health forums abound with people asking questions regarding their habit and the side effects of such habits.  On Salon.com, Liz Krieger jones' for her Coke high while staying soda abstinent for an entire week.  Carolyn Allen has done us a favor by collecting several soda articles and putting them in one nice spot.  In fact, that same search led to numerous articles that point to soda being a major problem for people's waist lines in general. 

Today I've had my morning cup of coffee, a 20 oz. bottle of water and an iced-tea with my Subway meal.  I was able to get out of Subway with no soda today which was a task in and of itself, but I did it.  I wanted the Wild Cherry Pepsi and even started to reason with myself that one soda today isn't going to hurt, but I forced myself to the iced-tea instead. 

The report on how I feel goes like this:

• I'm tired.  I can't seem to get enough sleep and I'm going through the day rather drained.  I feel as though I want to go home, lay on the couch and watch TV for the night, which isn't me at all.  I rarely watch TV except when going to bed at night and usually I keep my evenings jam packed because I CAN'T go to sleep until late.  I would normally spend an evening twiddling my thumbs, even if I wanted to go to sleep so this is odd for me to be feeling this way.  I am hoping it's only temporary and I'm sure it probably is.  It's a lack of caffeine I'm assuming, and the body will adjust.
• I want to push everything to the side.  The lack of energy is really making me want to put everything on the back burner.  I know when I get home this evening I have to get my bills queued up to be paid and I need to start painting the spare bedroom.  But I'm coming up with more excuses for not doing it and trying to reason with myself that it can be done later in the week.
• I'm irritable.  While I haven't really snapped at anybody, I definitely want to.  There are people I deal with at work that I'm finding myself more and more annoyed with.  I'm trying with all my might to put on a smiley face and be my usual self but I'm certain they can see right through it. 

Don't get me wrong though as it's not all bad.  These are just a few miscellaneous things I'm feeling and they aren't overbearing by any means.  No pain, no gain, right?  So I figure benefits are in order here otherwise no one who might suffer from soft-drink addiction would want to try quitting:

• I'm not as thirsty.  I'm on day 4 of not relying on soda as my thirst quencher and at first I noticed myself really wanting that soda.  When I was drinking every can of soda I could get my hands on I really didn't want anything but soda.  I didn't like water or juice or tea - soda was the only thing I felt could quench my thirst.  Of course we all know soda dehydrates you and thus you end up being even more thirsty.  I have a feeling I was just running around through an endless cycle of thirst, drinking to inevitably want to drink more.  Now however, I am noticing myself taking smaller sips.  The bottle of water I keep at my side is lasting much longer than it did the first day and I'm starting to make less frequent trips to the restroom.
• With water and tea taking the place of soda, my skin seems to look healthier.  Hang-nails seem to be fewer around the fingernails and my dry, crackly skin on the top of my hands has taken a smoother, more nourished appearance.  I noticed my dog last night wasn't scratching my skin as easily when he decided it was time to jump and claw at me.  The white streaks are still prevalent but normally he'd break skin here and there.  On top of that, the scratches that were there beforehand are healing rather quickly.
• My breath seems to feel fresher.  I'm not a breath freak by any means but I do know when my breath is more tolerable than not.  Brushing my teeth has been a more pleasing experience as well.  Maybe it has something to do with the soda residue and aftertaste, I don't know, but I don't feel like my mouth needs the quick rinse as early in the day as I did a few days ago.

So do the benefits outweigh the complaints?  It's to soon to tell.  I do notice changes taking place, but then again I'm paying extra close attention all in the name of blogging.  So far I haven't made any real changes other than the soda.  I will weigh myself and have my first progress report this Saturday.  I also plan on implementing the next step which I will announce later this week but in the meantime, I'm going to continue to conquer this soft-drink illusion.

Day 2: Caving Into Cravings

Well I screwed it up.  I had a damn soda today.  Wild-Cherry Pepsi to be to be brutally honest.  I don't even know what I was thinking when I filled it up.  I stopped at Subway and got a somewhat health conscious sandwich and a low-fat bag of chips.  I kept telling myself I was going to get iced-tea or juice instead of a soda.  Obviously it completely slipped my mind when I actually went to fill up the cup.

I'm not killing myself over it though.  If anything it was a learning experience in that:

1. Old habits die hard.  The truth of the matter is that I did not consciously realize what I was doing.  I instinctively grabbed Wild-Cherry Pepsi because out of the choices that were there, that is what I would normally have picked.  It didn't even phase me that I had done that until I was already back at work, sitting at my desk and almost done with the drink.  It dawned on me at that time that I was doing my normal routine.
2. There is a physical effect.  Once I realized what I had done, it occurred to me that I was wide awake, I felt alive, I felt refreshed.  Up until that time there was no noticeable difference in how I felt just drinking water, but once I had the soda, I felt comfortable and awake.  Maybe it was the caffeine, maybe it was the sugar, maybe it was the carbonation.  It doesn't matter what it was though, the point is that there was a GOOD feeling that I had associated with the problem.
3. Trying to fix it sucks after you've screwed up.  The truth of the matter is that I had messed up and trying to go back to the water afterward really sucks.  I was fine beforehand.  I woke up, had my usual cup of coffee and kept the water at my side the rest of the time.  I never even thought twice about it, but the second that soda hit my mouth, that all changed.  I didn't want water anymore.  Granted, I'm aware that most of this is psychological and am not giving in again.  The water is back at my side and is taking precedence over anything else. 

Here's to the success of the rest of the day!

Day 1: Baby Steps

I ended the day last night with something I've always had a love/hate relationship with: Fast Food.  I don't know what it is about fast food that makes it so appealing other than the fact that it is a bachelor's best friend.  I don't like to cook unless I'm outside on the grill and I don't like keeping food in the house that will go bad in less than a week.  I'm usually on the go between work, play and other activities so my days are more often than not very full.  Furthermore, I'm not a rich guy, I have a modest income and live comfortably but to me, if I'm spending more than $10 a day on my meals, I feel as though I'm getting ripped off, unless of course I'm dining out with friends or something.  This leaves me with just a few options and fast food easily ranks at the top of that list.

Now that doesn't mean I have it everyday by any means, however, I would say I do have it for about 3 or 4 meals a week, which is more than I should.  I don't supersize my orders, and more often than not I don't finish the last bite of a sandwich or the last couple of fries.  I want to put this in perspective because so many people talk about eating more than they need to, always finishing their meals, or eating even when full.  I am not a victim of any of that stuff.  I fall short with things like snacking, grabbing a bag of chips to munch on because I'm bored or antsy, keeping a soda with me at all times, and if I want the taste of something, I usually go ahead and get that something, such as ice-cream or popcorn.  Otherwise, my meals are no larger than the average persons plate... BUT they are probably a bit worse in nutrition.

So last night I had fast food.  Arby's as a matter of fact.  It was a roast beef sandwich with cheddar cheese and bacon, curly fries and a root beer.  I figured my official start date is TODAY and I might as well make one nice trip to savor the last bit of enjoyment I was going to have of the old me.  Well there was nothing to write home about, I enjoyed the meal with a buddy of mine and ended the night changing guitar strings before heading off to bed.  I watched some TV and did some thinking about my new life which starts when I wake up.

Today has come like any other, there is nothing spectacular to report, no wisdom or insight to give, no light-bulb flickering in my head... no it's just an average day with average work, but for day one I did make one little adjustment.

There's a key statement I made a couple paragraphs up that I want to highlight and that is: keeping a soda with me at all times.  Step one today is NO SODA.  Let's savor that for a moment, shall we?

NO SODA

That's right, no soda.  Some of you may read this and think it's no big deal, but if you have any type of physical or emotional addiction, replace that addiction with soda (Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper) and that is what we are dealing with here.  Imagine the cigarette smoker who quits cold turkey, replace the smokes with a can of Pepsi and that's what we're dealing with.  I bet it's safe to say on average, I have 4 to 5 cans of soda a day, sometimes they are larger fountain drinks, sometimes they are the 20 oz. bottles, regardless of what type of soda it is or how it's obtained, from the moment I finish my coffee in the morning to the moment I go to bed at night, I have a soda within arms reach at all times. 

I've been thinking about the soda problem for awhile now.  What is it about it that makes me have to have it so much?  I equate it to a constant need to be doing something.  If I'm sitting at work, in the zone, getting a ton of stuff done, anytime, if even for a second I'm not doing something, I need to fill that empty space with something - that act of taking care of the empty spot for me is grabbing a sip of soda.  Thats why it is always in arms reach.  When I'm driving and get stuck at a stop light, I grab the soda sitting in the cup holder and take a sip.  If I'm sitting at my computer at home and am waiting for an IM from someone, I grab a sip of soda.  I litterally fill every void with a sip of soda.  I don't know why that is and to be honest, I don't know when it started.  All I know is it's not right and it's not healthy.  Last night I decided to replace the soda with water. 

So far today I haven't had a sip of soda.  I do have my water in arms reach though.  I'm still going for it just as often as well - but I imagine I've already saved myself at least a few hundred calories today and it's just a few minutes before 2 PM here.  Water - love it!

I've decided that Saturdays will be the official 'Progress Report'.  Each Saturday morning I will weigh myself and take a picture.  We will correspond that weight with the picture and I'll report on how I'm feeling and what I'm noticing that's different, etc.  For the sake of not wanting to feel inhibited in any way, I will follow my anonymous rule.  The approach should be a no holds barred, in your face account of my experiment.

Step one today is no soda.  It's a small step I think, but an important one.  It seemed like the logical thing to do, since to me, it's an addiction like any other.  So far I have no complaints and this water thing isn't so bad.  Something tells me I'm making a few more trips to the bathroom than I was before though.

Be sure to read the informative and motivational artical for the day.

The Start of a New Life

It's been a long time coming.  This year has been full of more pondering than any other so far in my life.  Some would say, due to my age, that it's a quarter-life crisis.  They could be right.  But quite frankly, I don't care what the label is.  There is one thing that has plagued me my entire life (at least as long as I can remember) and that is my weight.

No matter how you try to sugar-coat it, I'm fat.  By today's standards, I'm obese.  I'm a statistic that is being talked about more and more in the US and I'd imagine the same is true for most of the world.  The American Obesity Association states that currently in the US alone, approximately 127 million adults are overweight, 60 million obese, and 9 million severely obese.  The AOA provides a nice Obesity Fact Sheet along with a BMI calculator to help you figure out where exactly you fall.

So it's a matter of what has brought me here.  As I said, I have been overweight for as long as I can remember.  As much as people would like to say "For the love of God, just put the candy bar down!!" I don't even like candy!  I truly don't feel I eat that much more than the average sized person.  Granted, I don't keep a healthy lifestyle, the point is I'm not a pig.  I've got fat friends and I've got skinny friends, and to be honest, my eating habits are closer to that of my thinner friends.  I equate most of my weight problem to a few issues: I am lazy, not active and not watching what I eat.  Combine that with a slower than most metabolism and you have a 60-70 lb weight problem.  A BMI of 34.  Obesity.

I never bothered trying to take the weight off until a little bit after high-school.  At that time, I was fortunate enough to get to experience an average sized body for about 2 years.  I lost 62 lbs. in just under 4 months by exercising 4 times a week and eating extremely healthy.  I was drinking a gallon of water a day.  To this day I firmly believe I took a healthy approach to the weight loss.  I felt better than ever before regardless of how fast the weight came off.  I wasn't starving myself by any means.  But there is truth in the fact that the weight came off fast and I feel that the new habits I created were not strong enough by the time new life experiences came about.  It was easier to go back to the 'easier' way of doing things.  2 years later, most of the weight was back and I was purchasing big clothes again. 

Since then it's been a roller-coaster ride.  I'm 220 lbs. as I write this.  When I lost all the weight I was 158 lbs.  Over the course of the last 6 years I've bounced time and time again, anywhere from 190 to 240 lbs.  240 lbs was my absolute worst.  I had never weighed that much before and when I realized I was wearing size 40" waist jeans I immediately worked to get that back down to 220.  It seems that 220 has been the magic number.  I have no problem keeping that weight.  But I'm still fat.  Fat enough that I'm 5'8" and wearing size 38" jeans.

So I'm on a mission to obliterate this weight once and for all.  I would like to try multiple methods including a lot of what I used originally so that over the course of 1 year, I will be somewhere in the range of 150 to 160 lbs.  That means I need to lose 60 to 70 lbs.  Now I know what some of you are saying, the number doesn't matter - but I've done this before, I know where my weight SHOULD be and I know that the numbers are what helps the motivation.  My goal is in site, and that is step one. 

I've decided to catalog the process.  The way I see it, what better way to motivate yourself than to be able to see it happening from day one?  Especially if other people are reading it and (hopefully) being motivated as well.  When I lost the weight in 1998 I wished time and time again, and I still do, that I had kept a journal of it, how I felt, what was going through my mind, what I changed in the process and why I changed it, weekly pictures documenting the physical aspect and changes as well as what I found helped and what didn't help.  Everyday at that time was a learning process, but how easily it can be forgotten.  I'd like to rekindle the motivation and determination as well as take advantage of the opportunities of doing it a second time - taking care of what I didn't take care of the first time.

Tomorrow marks day one.  August 1st, 2006 marks the grand finale.  369 days cataloging every facet of a life-change that comes up.  What happens from now until then will be historical!