Power 90 Day 49 - 21 – The World is like an Ice Cream Sunday

Today, I had the opportunity to do one of my great loves of life, preaching the Gospel.  A Special thanks to Randy Barton for going taking an extended vacation to give me this opportunity.  This Sunday I had to travel with just my son and daughter up to Lansing to preach while my wife took her father to a Tigers game for his birthday. 

My plan was to take my lovely children out to a steak house for lunch on the way home.  Set meal with a great steak, and a somewhat controlled environment where I knew ahead of time how many calories I would be eating.  Well you know what they say about the best laid plans, and as we hit the car after church my kids both decided they did not want to go to a steak house.  I couldn’t bring myself to pay 30 dollars for a dinner they did not want, so we ended up at Fire Mountain. 

Sometimes I get a little to full of myself and since I did well the other day at King Buffet I figured I could do it again at Fire Mountain.  Not so much.  One of those things I sat down and was eating my fill of Steak and Shrimp before I ever thought about the fact I should have started with a salad and I have spent weeks trying to avoid deep dried food.  Even if they are beautiful deep fried coconut shrimp.  Then when I went to help my kids with their Ice Cream, I ended with a bowl of my own.  Yes a small bowl, but it was over bread pudding.

On the long drive back to Pittsford, I was really beating myself up about the whole thing, but a song kept going through my head.  Not a good song, but we are all young once, and this was from a Christian “Punk” Group called One Bad Pig.  The Lyrics to the song we simple;  The World is like an Ice Cream Sunday, Its all gonna melt someday.  In a weird way this made me feel better.  I failed today, one could say Epic Fail.  But tomorrow is another day.  And in the end although I am exicited to get in better physical shape it is all just temporary. 

Tomorrow I will get back on the boat.  I will again keep my food journal and I will again be hitting the Power 90.  As far as today goes I will chalk it up as a loss in the eating, but a win with the preaching, and in the end I would rather win there.  I’ll be back tomorrow… Till Then…

Power 90 Day 48 - 20 – Showing off my Beach Body

This is the time of year all of us Beach Body people wait for, the chance to show off what our hard work has gone for.  A trip to the beach.  (OK I am just joking as I have nothing worth showing off, nor is that my overriding goal).  But I was off to the beach nevertheless.  All three hundred pounds of me complete with lose skin and pasty white complexion.  Over the years if there is one thing I have hated, its trips to the beach.  Let’s face it, the beach is for many people, it is not however for fat guys who burn. 

As I readied myself for this trip, I quickly came across my first problem.  I am the owner of two swim suits.  The first one I have been wearing for the last 6 or 7 years and as I tried it on found it to be way too big.  The second one I wore in college (yes, I hate to throw things out) this option however was a little too small.  So I went with a pair of shorts and my usual double shirt combo as I almost never go in the water, again, fat guy who burns. 

On the way to the beach we had to stop and grab a cheap bite to eat.  Temptation Challenge, here I come.  After looking over the menu I found what I thought would be a great option, a black bean and rice burrito.  Sounded tasty and with no meat I figured a healthy option.  I ordered it with a soft taco which I knew to be around 200 calories I figured I would come in under 400 calories with low fat.  I was wrong.  610 Calories, 82 carbs, 21 fat and only 24 grams of protein.  Back to the drawing board. 

When we got to the beach the kids hit the water and the adults watched them.  This is usually what I do, until I looked out and saw my bored son.  Being stuck at the beach with his sister and cousins (girls younger than his sister) was not sitting well with this 9 year old young man as he sat and looked at the deeper water that he could not pass into.  So off I went.  Super dad to the rescue.  I am sure I looked like some guy from Baywatch and I peeled off the shirt and hit the water.  And Connor and I swam and swam and swam.  Almost three hours in the water. 

In the end, I scorched the top of my shoulders and was pretty sore.  I also reeked of lake water.  But I had a good time with my son.  A year ago I would not have been able to convince myself to hit the water.  I know there is still nothing “worth” looking at when I am at a beach, but I had the confidence to play with my children and that has to be worth something.   

Here’s a look at my Food Journal for Saturday:

Breakfast: 3 Fried Eggs, 2 Slices Whole Wheat Rye Toast (308Calories)

Lunch:  Taco Bell (1 Soft Taco, 1 Black Bean Burrito) (610 Calories)

Dinner: Turkey Burger, with cheese stick and mushrooms, Whole Wheat Bun  (385 Calories)

Evening Snack:  Ice Cream Sunday (small soft serve, hot fudge, nuts) (375 Calories)

Also I haven’t done it yet, but I wanted to send a kudos out to my brother-in-law Jeff, who has decided to get in shape himself and has been at The Biggest Loser on the X-Box Kinect for a week now.  Sure it’s not Power 90, but I would be more afraid to have Jillian yelling at me then Tony.  Anyway I may have Jeff guest blog here sometime next week. Till Then…

Power 90 Day 47 - 19 – Desperate Times call for A New Workout

No don’t panic, I am not giving up on my power 90 quest.  Nor did I decide not to do Master Series next.  But I was forced to change my workout plans Friday night and end up with a unique workout experience. 

I didn’t get home until Friday afternoon.  After Batman, I slept on my brother-in-law’s couch.  Turns out I can push through a midnight show, but my ability to drive at 3:30 in the morning is a little more limited.  So I slept on a couch and woke up and played some video games.  (Always a good morning)  Luckily my brother-in-law is also on a get in shape kick, so no bacon for breakfast, instead instant oatmeal. 

After getting home, I took a nap (another side effect of a mid night show on my 35 year old body) and when I woke up I decided to head over and work out about 8:00.  Shortly after 8:00, I was getting ready to head over to the gym when my mom and brother stopped by to visit.  I haven’t seen my mom since Easter so it would have been rude just to leave so I stayed and chatted.  By the time everyone left it was closing in on 11:00 and my time to use my in-laws basement had come to an end.  My weights and video were there however and I was left with using something we had at home. 

If you had asked me if I would be doing Power Yoga on a pink yoga mat a year ago I would have laughed.  But I found myself at 11:00 at night, with Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga and my wife’s yoga mat to keep my feet from slipping.  At first, I thought this workout was well below me and I pushed through the warm up and the first dozen downward dogs without breaking a sweat.

Then the pain hit, as I held planks and Warrior II my legs began to burn, my shoulders began to ache and my knees began to shake.  I dropped my plank on more than one occasion and during a side plank I lost my balance and fell completely over.  (My lovely wife got a good chuckle out of that one).  Well I won’t be underestimating that one any time soon and may try to do it again on days where I have some energy left after my own workout.

I kept a food journal today but it isn’t pretty!

 Breakfast: 1 package Quaker instant oatmeal (130Calories)

Lunch:  Jimmy Johns #10 no Mayo (614 Calories)

Dinner: Frosted Mini Wheats, Skim Milk (280 Calories)

                        Evening Snack: 2 Taco Shells 1/8 cup cheese (155 Calories)

As you can tell I both had a busy day and found my house running out of food.  Anyway tomorrow is Saturday and I have a niece’s birthday party at the beach.  Till Then…

Power 90 Day 46 - 18 – Feels like day 1 all over again

All I can say today is ouch.  I mean I can say more, but I hurt today.  My arms, legs, and knees are on fire and the rest of my body has a general throbbing.  Except my abs, which only hurt when I use them at all.  The only thing I can think to compare it to is Power 90 week 1 where I would come home and collapse in the chair for 3-4 hours unable to move.  Everything hurts after pushing through Cardio/Abs 3-4.

In the end with being away for the evening and basically being unable to walk in the morning, I was unable to get a workout in today.  I did, however, keep up with my food journal.  I know its an odd food journal, but my knees hurt so badly I had Connor cook me lunch and he is limited in what he knows how to make. 

Breakfast: Banana (110Calories)

Lunch:  4 crunchy Taco Shells, ½ cup shredded Cheese, Green Sauce(440 Calories)

Afternoon Snack:  Frosted Mini Wheat’s with Milk, Cheese Stick (340 Calories)

Dinner: McDonalds Chicken Club, No Mayo  (400 Calories)

                        Evening Snack: Medium Popcorn (434Calories)

And yes you have probably noticed the Popcorn at the bottom of the list.  I could almost count it with Friday’s food as I ate it at the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises.  A great movie and a solid finish to the series.  The only thing I find disappointing with the movie is I don’t think it is one my son will enjoy, as there is a lot of Bruce Wayne and little Batman.  For those who saw it, I did love the nods at the end.  I love when a movie goes for the big finish like that. 

I am going to cut today’s blog short as my arms hurt worse form the act of typing.  But I will be back tomorrow with my day after the movie… Till then…

Power 90 Day 45 - 17 – A Milestone Day

Well today is a Milestone Blog.  This is blog post 51.  Over the last 14 years of my life I have had a number of different blogs, covering a number of different topics.  I don’t think in that time I have ever written more than 50 blogs.  On top of that, although I have not posted every day, I have written a blog every day since I started.

Today is an even greater milestone day because I have reached day 45 - the half way point with my first 90 days.  As I look back over the time I can’t believe I have been doing these same two videos for forty-five days.  I know them by heart now every move, every one of Tony’s jokes.  I know them all.  This has been one of the most interesting experiences of my life.  Although the weight is not dropping, my body continues to change.  And I am stronger then I have been in years.  I also feel better about myself.  I am again wearing t-shirts, and don’t feel the need to try to suck it in when I talk to people. 

To celebrate my 45 day milestone, I pulled out Sweat 3-4 and made my brother do Cardio/Abs with me today.  Pushing through it with someone else this work out was the most intense workout I have had in years.  We usually spend the workout joking around; today I couldn’t get out a word as I was gasping for air.  I finished drenched and exhausted and still had Ab Ripper 200 staring me down. 

Ab Ripper 100 was 100 crunches in 4 minutes.  Ab Ripper 200 is 200 crunches in 6 minutes.  It was intimidating.  In the end I gave it my all and pushed through a new high of 135 crunches.  In about 5 minutes.  135 crunches is the most since I started this journey.  It may be the most crunches I have ever done (Yes, I failed miserably with my Ab Roller back in the day).

I also kept my food journal again and here is a look at it for Wednesday.

Post Workout: 1 scoop Chocolate Whey Protein, 1 tbsp PB, 12 oz milk (475 Calories)

Breakfast: 3 Fried Eggs, 2 Slices Whole Wheat Rye Toast (308Calories)

Lunch:  ½ Cup Imitation Crab, Summer Squash  (106 Calories)

Afternoon Snack:  String Cheese (60 Calories)

Dinner: Loose Meat Turkey Burger, Summer Squash  (584 Calories)

                        Evening Snack:  Banana (110 Calories)

Tomorrow I will start day 46 on my Power 90, and I’ll let you know how it goes.  Till Then…

Power 90 Day 44 - 16 – Chinese Buffett

Ouch, I am sore today.  Arms burning, legs burning; I haven’t felt this way since week 1.  I guess this means the level 3-4 is effective.  At least in hurting me.  I guess that’s OK though because the one thing I want almost as much as the weight loss is the toning and muscle build. 

I once again did not do a food journal today, in part because I have no idea what to do with my trip to the Chinese buffet.  Buffets and I have always had a sort of love/hate relationship.  I loved to eat at them, and they hated to see me coming.  For years, I have lived by the truth “at a buffet everybody has to eat their money’s worth.”  When I would take my kids or wife to a buffet and they wouldn’t eat much I would eat even more to try to get their money back as well.  Well, there is a reason I got up to almost 370 pounds. 

For these reasons I have avoided Chinese buffets, but when I told my daughter I would take her wherever she picked for our daddy-daughter date, and she picked the King Buffet.  King Buffet is a classic Chinese Buffet with a lot of deep fried and rich foods they would never eat in China (a Chinese exchange student told me this) .  But I think making lifestyle changes and not just dieting involves eating at places you would normally never eat on a diet.  So as I entered the King Buffet I had one goal in my mind, to not eat my money’s worth.

It turned out to be a wonderful lunch.  My daughter is an amazing young lady just full of life.  We split a large plate of Mongolian BBQ with noodles, crab, beef, and an assortment of vegetables.  We also had a few favorites, I had a pot sticker, and a little Peanut Chicken, and a Crab Rangoon (just one and my only deep fried item).  Emmy had a bowl of Egg Drop Soup her favorite.  Then we each had a scoop of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. 

In the end I know this was not a good meal by any stretch of the imagination.  But it wasn’t the usual 2500 calorie meal that a buffet would bring.  And I had a wonderful time with my 6 year old daughter, who felt like the most important person in the world because she was out with her daddy. 

I did have a good workout tonight with Sculpt 1-2 (A little sore from yesterday and just couldn’t handle Sculpt 3-4) Tomorrow I will again try to hit a 3-4 level workout and do a better job with a food journal.  Till Then…

Power 90 Day 43 - 15 – Work Till You Puke!

I still remember the first practice of my 8^th grade basketball team.  There were 2 teams - an A team and a B team with each team maxing out at 15 players.  Day 1, we had over 50 players show up, and the coach took waste baskets and sat them around the four corners of the gym.  At the start of basketball he told us to run, if we had to puke the baskets were there for our convenience so we could puke and keep running.  For two days, we ran and puked and puked and ran, and in that time, over 20 kids quit the team, but for those of us who stuck through it, it felt good, as we had accomplished something.  Tonight, I wanted that feeling again.

It all started as I got ready to work out.  I should have been on my second to last night of sculpt 1-2 after finishing Sweat 1-2 the night before.  I was also looking forward to Sculpt because I was tired.  I was really worn out, and I find the weights easier to get through when fatigued then the Cardio. 

The problem was the universal remote would not let me switch workouts and the first workout on both DVD’s is Cardio/Abs.  Well, as the evening wore on I grew more and more angry at the lack of ability to change workouts and do the one I wanted to do.  Finally I was so angry I put in level 3-4 and decided to push it until I threw up.  I’m not sure why this sounded so right, I think with all the problems I have had along the way I just wanted that feeling of accomplishment.

3-4 is tough - the entire workout is done in double time from 1-2 and they have added another round of everything but the kicks.  I thought I worked up a sweat before; I was drenched after this workout.  In the end I found myself lying on the ground gasping for air.  I was so sore I couldn’t even begin Ab Ripper 200. 

The only downside is although I felt like I was going to puke several times I never actually did.  I also somehow forgot to keep track of my food today although if anything I think I ended low in calories rather than high. 

Well I’ll let you know tomorrow how I feel after the killer workout, and I will try to do a better job with my food journal… Till then….

Power 90 Day 42 - 14 – Days Like Today Show Me I Know Nothing.

Sometimes on this blog I like to give advice and inspiration, and other times I have to step back and say I may have no idea what I am doing.  Friday, I ate well but didn’t work out and Saturday morning I weighed 301.2.  Saturday, I ate the worst I have eaten since I started Power 90 and didn’t work out and Sunday morning I weighed in at 299.8 again.  So either donuts are the new magic weight loss food, or I have no idea what I am doing with all of this. 

Usually Sunday is my rest day, however today I got back into the flow with working out, with a push through Sweat 1-2.  It continues to wear me out, but I am able to push myself harder each time this past week I have been working on increasing my speed through much of it.  This is the week I should be switching over to 3-4.  Day 45 is just around the corner.  Not sure if I will make the switch or not.

Well I guess Sunday is my day to give the week in review.  But there is honestly little to tell, I feel the last week I have just been spinning my wheels.  My weight isn’t changing, my body shape doesn’t appear to be changing and I am not sure I am physically changing.  This has truly been the longest 42 days of my life because I live on results and I have just seen so many times where I am not seeing them. 

In the end though I guess getting two down is pointless.  I weigh 299.8 pounds and I need to weigh 190 pounds.  Sure, I would like to just go Biggest Loser on it and drop it all over the next 6 months.  But if it doesn’t work like that and I have to take it all off slowly and painfully I still need to take it off. 

Hopefully this week will be a much better one for me, and I’ll tell you all about it as we go.  Till Then…

Power 90 Day 41 - 13 – Another Missed Workout

Since I started this workout 6 months ago, I have worked out 6 times a week every week.  Sometimes it’s been early, and other times I have squeezed in the workout in the closing minutes before midnight, but I haven’t missed a 6 workout week.  A couple weeks back, I even had to change my rest day, but I still had a six workout week.  This week I slipped up and ended up with a 5 workout week.  I’m not happy with myself, but there is little I can do after the fact. 

Not only did I miss a workout, but I didn’t eat well.  I found myself stress eating in the morning before and after my ordination council.  This included donuts, cereal, and other carb filled items.  I am sure tomorrow will not be a pretty day on the scale.  Still not back under 300 and this is not going to help. 

On a side note, I’d like to get people’s opinions on the best thing to get at a traditional Mexican restaurant.  I try not to eat out very often, as the options at home are just usually better.  But it was a special occasion and my wife wanted to take me out.  The restaurant was very much like every Mexican restaurant I’ve been to (This one is one of my favorites because of its location and hometown feel).  Now I did have some chips and Salsa, (chips bad, salsa good - but it’s not like you just eat spoonfuls of salsa.)  Then I went with the steak fajitas (lean strip steak with bell peppers and onions) I avoided most of the sides that came with it and just used a little of the rice and salsa.  We didn’t order the deep fried ice cream, deep fried cheese cake, or deep fried churros for desert.

So my question is, (especially to all of those who are also trying to change some eating habits, or those who have changed them) what would you, or do you eat at Mexican Restaurants?  I think there is always a chance we will find ourselves in a situation like that.  Feel free to post your responses and possibly reasons right here.  And Tomorrow I will be telling you about my weight gain from today and my workout as I get back on track.  Till then…

Power 90 Day 40 - 12 – A Missed Workout

Today was a busy day, as I prepared for my upcoming ordination.  I spent hours trying to brush up on all those things I knew, but have left the forefront of my mind.  I spent several hours poring through my Word Studies.  I spent another couple hours reviewing questions others have been asked in ordination councils.  Finally, I closed the evening with almost three hours of Drive By Theology as a quick way to study a lot of theology in a short time. 

By the time I returned home Friday night it was minutes away from midnight and with having to get up early Saturday morning, my workout was missed.  It kills me a little inside, because I find myself making excuses to myself.  “It doesn’t matter if you miss a workout, you’re not losing any weight anyway.”   It’s tough not to fall into that mindset, but I can still see body results so I am trying to hang my hat there.

Besides the missed workout, my food choices were not the best.  I still ate basically good food within my calorie count; I just didn’t end up eating enough times.  Here’s a look at my rather short food journal for Friday.  And yes the Roast Beef Sub from DJ’s was awesome!

Breakfast: Met-Rx Protein Plus Bar (Chocolate Chip Graham Cracker) (370 Calories)

Lunch:  2 slices Whole Wheat Rye Bread, 3 oz. Deli Ham, 1 fried medium egg (325 Calories)

Afternoon Snack:  Frosted Mini Wheat’s, Skim Milk (280 Calories)

Dinner: 12 inch Roast Beef Sub  (746 Calories)

Tomorrow morning I will be meeting with the ordination council in the morning but will try to get back to the workout, that being said I’m done for today… Till Then…

Power 90 Day 39 - 11 – Pop-Tarts! What was I Thinking?

There are some foods you miss because they are good, some you crave because they were your favorites and then there are pop-tarts.  There is nothing good about pop-tarts.  Pop-tarts are the thing you eat when you catch yourself hating yourself.  They are either cold and bland, or warmed up in a toaster so the insides burn your tongue.  On top of that, they have 300 flavors of pop-tarts so your sub-conscious has a need to try them all, but if we are really honest with ourselves they all taste the same. 

Now I haven’t had a pop-tart in over a year and after a great sale at Meijer’s, we ended up with a number of packages of them.  But one package caught my eye.  Special Olympic Pop Tarts… I am sure these are the same pop-tarts that Michal Phelps eats every morning.  They are red instead of the classic pop tart color.  They had mixed berry frosting with sprinkles, with mixed berry filling.  And before I knew it, I had a package in the toaster. 

I was halfway into the second pop-tart before it really hit me what I was doing (and yes I burnt my tongue on the first one).  I stuffed the rest of the second in my mouth, and checked out the calories on the box, 200 not so bad, with 8 servings per box that meant each package of Pop-Tarts was 400 calories. 

Well I ate the Pop-Tarts and can’t take that back now.  Here’s a look at the rest of my food journal for Thursday. 

Post Workout: 1 scoop Chocolate Whey Protein, 1 tbsp PB, 12 oz milk (475 Calories)

Breakfast: Met-Rx Protein Plus Bar (Chocolate, Roast Peanut, Carmel) (320 Calories)

Lunch:  Stuffed Summer Squash (1/2 large Squash, 6 oz turkey burger, Swiss Chard) (266 Calories)

Dinner: Whole Wheat Bagel, Fried Egg, 3 ounces Deli Ham, Baked Chicken Patty (550 Calories)

                        Evening Snack:  Olympic Pop-Tarts (400 Calories)

Although I did eat the Pop-Tarts, the work out went well, back to Sculpt 1-2 today and I spent a lot of time lifting 20 pound weights which is bigger than my usual 15.  I also pushed through 20 pushups and 12 dips.  So continued improvement on the workout front.  No Pop-Tarts tomorrow, and until then...

Power 90 Day 38 - 10 – Another Great Workout

There is something to be said about working out with someone else.  Today I again teamed up with my brother to push through the Cardio Abs portion of Power 90.  Including making it all the way through Power Yoga without the pause button (which does not happen often).  And when it came time for Ab Ripper 100, I made it my personal Ab Ripper 120.  (Yes, I should probably take it easy coming off of a minor injury, but I am not usually that smart.)

As many of you know I like to cook, and most people who like to cook will have what they consider a signature dish.  One of my signature dishes has always been my Stuffed Summer Squash.  It would start with bagged stuffing mix, Italian sweet sausage, bacon and bacon fat, grilled corn and cheese.  Needless to say this amazing dish no longer fits in my healthy eating lifestyle. 

For this reason I have decided to redo this awesome dish, and today was my first try.  I started with 95% lean Jeenie-O turkey burger fried in a little olive oil.  I also scooped 1 summer squash and one zucchini and cooked down the insides.  I then mixed fresh swiss chard into the squash and then mixed in the turkey burger, using the stuffing to fill the squash.  Sprinkled on a few Italian bread crumbs, covered and baked for 75 minutes at 375. 

The final results were delicious, perhaps not as good as the original, but I have more ideas to try.  Connor however did not like the stuffed summer squash at all!  Here’s a look at the rest of my Food Journal for Wednesday. 

Post Workout: 1 scoop Chocolate Whey Protein, 1 tbsp PB, 12 oz milk (475 Calories)

Breakfast: Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Whole Wheat Bagel (395 Calories)

Lunch:  Met-Rx Protein Plus Bar (Peanut Butter Carmel Crunch) (410 Calories)

Dinner: Stuffed Summer Squash (1/2 large Squash, 8 oz turkey burger, Swiss Chard)  (326 Calories)

One thing that I am noticing as I see it written down is I have not been getting the 6 meals a day in and have been falling back into the bad habit of eating more less times during the day.  I’ll have to try to work on this tomorrow.  

Also notice, I am on day 10 of the second challenge.  Which leaves me 80 days to go.  It’s not that I will be done when I finish Power 90, but I am looking forward to doing something else at this point. Once you know the video by heart, it’s time to move on to another video.  But I will be back working out again with Tony tomorrow… Till then.