Jessy's Comprehensive Journal

I seldom venture into this sweaty corner of B&B. I'm conditioned to do not much more than sit at my desk all day, surfing the newest B&B posts, and putzing around in a spreadsheet, should my boss walk up. This has to change.

My wife and I have committed ourselves to becoming a healthier family, for us, for our kids, for fun. When she's motivated, I find myself more motivated. She creates meal plans... I eat better! However, I need more accountability than this. We are in the midst of a weight loss competition against one another. After two weeks, I've lost 6 pounds, and she's lost 5. I haven't really started working out yet, I'm just eating what she gives me. I know that's not sustainable, so that's why I'm here... with my brothers (and sisters)!

I plan to maintain this journal, but in the true B&B spirit, I will be keeping a separate, hand-written (with a fountain pen and Franklin-Cristoph journal) diary. I will record and report to you all, my meals and my workouts. I hope there will be some of you who will provide encouragement and berate me (trust me, I can take it as motivation) if I fail to post or reach a plateau.

Today I weigh 254 pounds (I'm 5 foot 11).

For breakfast I had:
- a cup of coffee, with 2 tsp of splenda and 1 tbsp of fat-free half/half
- 3 egg whites with 1 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese (seasoned with garlic/onion powder and a pinch of Parmesan)

I have some snacks today... A baggie of almonds (25 ish), 3 ounces of turkey breast, 4 hershey kisses

For lunch I'll be having a Healthy Choice Cafe Steamer (don't ask which one, I just grabbed one out of the freezer this morning).

And for dinner my wife will be making some chicken dish.

Feel free to follow me on My Fitness Pal (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/profile/jzuzphreek) where I'll be posting as well. I go to church with a personal trainer, and he's offered to take my wife and I under his wing and help us out. He will be monitoring our progress there.

This is great, Jessy! Glad we can be here to support you (and your wife).

What is your goal? That is, do you have a specific weight loss goal (pounds lost, weight you would like to be)?
Do you have a plan, or what has your personal trainer prescribed for exercise?
Have you seen your doctor? If not, you should.

Some folks do better with a hard goal in mind. For example, they sign up to run a 5K in 3 months (or 6 months, whatever), or getting themselves a present after meeting certain milestones. That may or may not motivate you, just something to think about.

I'd also suggest becoming more involved in meal planning, and if possible, meal prep. It will help you connect with the food you eat and you can control the amount of (unhealthy) fat, salt, etc. add.

Get the kids involved, in all of it! Meal planning and being active can (and should) be a family activity. Exercise isn't just sessions with a trainer, it's taking a walk/bike ride with the family.

Good luck!

The hardest part is the first few weeks- good luck!

My goal weight is 190 lbs. I had a PCP visit last year, and am due back soon, but I know my body and what it can take and what it needs. So I'm comfortable moving forward at this point. One of the benefits at my job is a paid gym membership. So I will be starting in March (have to wait till the first of the month... it's how the benefit works) at the gym where our trainer friend works. We'll establish a plan of action then. For now, I'm taking the stairs as often as possible (I work on the 25th floor), and am following a dvd program at home most evenings (Power 90). I've done plenty of diets and exercise regimens throughout my life, that I know what to do and what it all means. My biggest problem is staying motivated... and living in New Orleans.

Welcome aboard ... yes, the hardest part is staying motivated aka consistency.

I recently heard somewhere reliable on the internet ... ... that if you can commit to something for six weeks, and stick to it, that you will then be able to continue on with that as part of your life. So even the small things you can incrementally improve your diet & exercise in six-week spurts. Say, "for the next six weeks, I'm going to drink my coffee black ... no sweetener or milk" ... and then six weeks from now you may be a convert to black coffee.

Doc4 said:

Welcome aboard ... yes, the hardest part is staying motivated aka consistency.

I recently heard somewhere reliable on the internet ... ... that if you can commit to something for six weeks, and stick to it, that you will then be able to continue on with that as part of your life. So even the small things you can incrementally improve your diet & exercise in six-week spurts. Say, "for the next six weeks, I'm going to drink my coffee black ... no sweetener or milk" ... and then six weeks from now you may be a convert to black coffee.

Click to expand...

The coffee thing will be easy once I clean the christmas boxes out of the garage, and can get to my roaster again!

Way to go, Jessy! I'm proud of you for putting your plan to paper. It definitely helps to keep you on track, no matter what the goal is! Subscribed and pulling for you!

Good for you! Keep up the good work. Keep us posted as well. I know I will be watching for advice on my journey.

Good luck mate

Wonderful! You've already moved in the right direction by focusing on diet. I'm really glad to hear that you will be able to have the help of a trainer as well. I've used a trainer for the last 3 months, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who has the means. It really helps to have someone knowledgeable in your corner!

I recommend a 100% meat based diet. It prevents the senseless death of untold millions of our plant friends, reduces the environmental impact of deforestation, and tastes good.

emt88 said:

Wonderful! You've already moved in the right direction by focusing on diet. I'm really glad to hear that you will be able to have the help of a trainer as well. I've used a trainer for the last 3 months, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who has the means. It really helps to have someone knowledgeable in your corner!

Click to expand...

I certainly don't have the means. But I have awful good luck, knowing one... AND having access to a free gym membership!

ouch said:

I recommend a 100% meat based diet. It prevents the senseless death of untold millions of our plant friends, reduces the environmental impact of deforestation, and tastes good.

Click to expand...

I asked my wife if we could have bacon as our vegetable at least a few times a week. I explained how its 0 Carbs. Corn can't compete with that!

welcome aboard Jessy!

Looking forward to reading about your journey!

ouch said:

I recommend a 100% meat based diet. It prevents the senseless death of untold millions of our plant friends, reduces the environmental impact of deforestation, and tastes good.

Click to expand...

I once heard Broccoli screams silently when you harvest it...

Ru4scuba? said:

welcome aboard Jessy!

Looking forward to reading about your journey!



I once heard Broccoli screams silently when you harvest it...

Click to expand...

Have you ever boiled crabs? The scream audibly.

jzuzphreek said:

Have you ever boiled crabs? The scream audibly.

Click to expand...

I have boiled lobster, but I drove a knife through its head beforehand.

Prof. Moriarty said:

I have boiled lobster, but I drove a knife through its head beforehand.

Click to expand...

This thread sure took a turn....

jzuzphreek said:

This thread sure took a turn....

Click to expand...

You brought up cooking shellfish

Hmmm maybe if I ate food that screamed at me, I'd eat less food?

Best of luck! I look forward to your posts. I've been struggling with motivation lately myself. You mentioned Power 90 and I'm currently doing the newer P90 (which I really like), but only 3-4 days/week instead of 6.....because I've been too lazy to get my azz out of bed earlier every day and get it done. I tore through P90X3 (which I loved!) last year March thru May, lost weight and felt really good, but then started really slacking off later in the year. I'd really like to lose another 10 lbs or more, but I'm just not motivated enough to do it. I've read your WHY needs to be really great in order to motivate yourself and I need a bigger WHY then just losing 10 lbs. Hopefully your journey will re-inspire me!

ouch said:

I recommend a 100% meat based diet. It prevents the senseless death of untold millions of our plant friends, reduces the environmental impact of deforestation, and tastes good.

Click to expand...

Ah yes ... the "Ouch Paleo Diet"

Just got out of the gym and remembered that I had a couple of resources that I wanted to share with you jessy. The first being bodybuilding.com. Besides having great prices on supplements (your trainer will tell you when it's time for those) this site is a wealth of knowledge. They have tons of great articles on pretty much everything you can think of fitness related. Dieting, exercises, calculating macros, it's all there.

The second is bodyforlife.com. I don't follow this nutrition program specifically, but they have a good library of recepies and plenty of meal plans, complete with grocery lists. I reference it whenever I want to change up what I'm eating, or if I'm having trouble deciding what to buy at the store. My biggest diet hurdle has always been what to bring for lunch, and that site keeps it interesting for me.