I fell off the wagon for about 3 weeks.
It started with an energy drink that I bought on the drive home from visiting family. It turned into a cycle of sugar crash which ended up with me drinking soda every day.
This week:
Null week for soda - starting over!!
Everything else has really been in line minus the one or two chocolate chip cookies I've had in a week.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Saturday, June 14, 2014
slipping and dodging
So outside of not knowing what week i'm on now, I've seemed to fall back into some bad habits as of late. I think a big part of is has been my sleeping habits. The other major factor has been stress. But the biggest culprit has been access.
There have been a great number of hires at work - this means donuts. I've partaken in quite a few over the past 2 weeks.
Last week - after a larp event, I was bushed and had a redbull to get home. That week my whole body felt awful, however, because of the lack of sleep i compensated with more energy drinks. 3 to be exact.
Soda and junk soon followed.
Last weekend I made it my task to sleep more so to ballence what my body needed. Still feeling a bit hurt from all of it this was exceedingly important.
This past week's performance was better - I did notice an odd corrilation to my current state with increased volitility around dariy. so I went through the week removing cheese from everything.
I AM however, getting back on track - this was the week of weening off soda and it's been going well. Next week I'll be back to zero soda and I'll get right back on the wagon. Easy-pees y, and no need to get down on myself!!!
There have been a great number of hires at work - this means donuts. I've partaken in quite a few over the past 2 weeks.
Last week - after a larp event, I was bushed and had a redbull to get home. That week my whole body felt awful, however, because of the lack of sleep i compensated with more energy drinks. 3 to be exact.
Soda and junk soon followed.
Last weekend I made it my task to sleep more so to ballence what my body needed. Still feeling a bit hurt from all of it this was exceedingly important.
This past week's performance was better - I did notice an odd corrilation to my current state with increased volitility around dariy. so I went through the week removing cheese from everything.
I AM however, getting back on track - this was the week of weening off soda and it's been going well. Next week I'll be back to zero soda and I'll get right back on the wagon. Easy-pees y, and no need to get down on myself!!!
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Looking ahead. Looking behind
I've lost track of what week I'm on.
I'll be working on interjecting the date of the start of the week into my posts to better keep myself accountable with goals and achievements.
That being said - I was having a hard time getting my water consumption back up after coming back to work from the cancer surgery.
I'm happy to say that this is my first day of consuming MORE than 60oz of water since then.
It's definately becoming easier and I'm starting to see the results.
My weight has dropped, since I started, from 220 to 190. I'm holding and maintaining from 188-190 at this point for over 3 weeks now. I'm trying not to let the surgery stomach hold sway and allowing myself to eat, but making much better choices.
Other updates:
Cheese and Milk are out of the picture. My body hasn't had them in such a long time that it's rejecting things with cheese and giving me cramps. SO, no more dairy for this guy.
Meet - I've been at least 3 weeks without red meet. I've allowed myself chicken upon occasion. This week (4/28) is the first full week with Zero meet of any kind.
Walking - twice a week, for the past 2 weeks. Going to ratchet this up to 3 times a week. 15-30 mins during a lunch break.
Next things on the list:
*Full plant based protien - moving all the way into "vegan-hood".
*Increase intake of leafy greens - asparigas (spelling?) and broccoli have been introduced regularly, however, unconsciously from my GF. Need to make this a conscious effort.
I'll be working on interjecting the date of the start of the week into my posts to better keep myself accountable with goals and achievements.
That being said - I was having a hard time getting my water consumption back up after coming back to work from the cancer surgery.
I'm happy to say that this is my first day of consuming MORE than 60oz of water since then.
It's definately becoming easier and I'm starting to see the results.
My weight has dropped, since I started, from 220 to 190. I'm holding and maintaining from 188-190 at this point for over 3 weeks now. I'm trying not to let the surgery stomach hold sway and allowing myself to eat, but making much better choices.
Other updates:
Cheese and Milk are out of the picture. My body hasn't had them in such a long time that it's rejecting things with cheese and giving me cramps. SO, no more dairy for this guy.
Meet - I've been at least 3 weeks without red meet. I've allowed myself chicken upon occasion. This week (4/28) is the first full week with Zero meet of any kind.
Walking - twice a week, for the past 2 weeks. Going to ratchet this up to 3 times a week. 15-30 mins during a lunch break.
Next things on the list:
*Full plant based protien - moving all the way into "vegan-hood".
*Increase intake of leafy greens - asparigas (spelling?) and broccoli have been introduced regularly, however, unconsciously from my GF. Need to make this a conscious effort.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Progress - Food - Behavior
One of my major goals was to start looking at when and why I want to eat.
I've been using food as something to provide comfort and "support". These foods, some are comfort food, others were just a sugary mess of processed chemicals we called candy.
Two major things contributed to it:
1.) Stress
2.) Lack of energy.
I've been focused on two things as of late:
1.) calm the fuck down.
2.) get 8 hours a night.
Relaxation:
It's been a difficult thing. However, the cancer came at a perfect time. It forced me to slow down, take stock, really look at everything, fully rest, and come back with a clear sense of priorities.
Now, don't go get cancer, or even get sick for that matter in order to find the time or focus to do this. Chip at it in small segments.
I found lavender tea, camomile tea (bedtime only), and changing the type of music I was listening to at work helped. Realizing that everything in my work life is temporary, changes, and I have very little control also helped. Removing myself from the need to have control over everything, and how small it was in the vast scale of everything, allowed me to step back and see it for what it was: simply something to do.
Sleep:
Chemicals in your body even out while in recovery during sleep. Keeping yourself from having this produces side effects that can allow you to crave different types of foods, which, oddly enough, for me made it worse - basically eating things that brought me down so I'd pass out.
Shutting down at the end of the day was always the hardest. I've combated that with manditory shut down times (10:30pm) a Half hour for tea and quiet, and then 11pm; in bed.
Now everybody's schedule is different, but you need to find the time that works - and you need to make it.
I've been using food as something to provide comfort and "support". These foods, some are comfort food, others were just a sugary mess of processed chemicals we called candy.
Two major things contributed to it:
1.) Stress
2.) Lack of energy.
I've been focused on two things as of late:
1.) calm the fuck down.
2.) get 8 hours a night.
Relaxation:
It's been a difficult thing. However, the cancer came at a perfect time. It forced me to slow down, take stock, really look at everything, fully rest, and come back with a clear sense of priorities.
Now, don't go get cancer, or even get sick for that matter in order to find the time or focus to do this. Chip at it in small segments.
I found lavender tea, camomile tea (bedtime only), and changing the type of music I was listening to at work helped. Realizing that everything in my work life is temporary, changes, and I have very little control also helped. Removing myself from the need to have control over everything, and how small it was in the vast scale of everything, allowed me to step back and see it for what it was: simply something to do.
Sleep:
Chemicals in your body even out while in recovery during sleep. Keeping yourself from having this produces side effects that can allow you to crave different types of foods, which, oddly enough, for me made it worse - basically eating things that brought me down so I'd pass out.
Shutting down at the end of the day was always the hardest. I've combated that with manditory shut down times (10:30pm) a Half hour for tea and quiet, and then 11pm; in bed.
Now everybody's schedule is different, but you need to find the time that works - and you need to make it.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Cancer - Follow up - It's last stand
So it all boiled down to a few days before a 9 week treatment of Chemo was scheduled to kick off. I had, had a blood test and cat scan this week, thinking that it was mearly to solidify the treatment option. I was pleasently surprised.
My doctor called on the afternoon of 4/17 to inform me that both my blood count and lymph nodes have returned to normal and that I won't need to start chemo on Monday.
I was so far above relieved that I couldn't comprehend the fact that I was just handed a miracle.
I had built this moment up to the inevitable and here it was being stripped down to a simple "no need."
I'm estatic, exhausted, and still recovering from the removal surgery. Every day gets easier. I get stronger, I have more energy, I'm able to get more done, all one day at a time.
To anyone going through this: Don't beat yourself up. Take the time. Heal. Both Mind & Body. You need to get your head straight if you're going to get through something this life changing. You're body will follow.
My doctor called on the afternoon of 4/17 to inform me that both my blood count and lymph nodes have returned to normal and that I won't need to start chemo on Monday.
I was so far above relieved that I couldn't comprehend the fact that I was just handed a miracle.
I had built this moment up to the inevitable and here it was being stripped down to a simple "no need."
I'm estatic, exhausted, and still recovering from the removal surgery. Every day gets easier. I get stronger, I have more energy, I'm able to get more done, all one day at a time.
To anyone going through this: Don't beat yourself up. Take the time. Heal. Both Mind & Body. You need to get your head straight if you're going to get through something this life changing. You're body will follow.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Back to work - Food during lunch
With the new found focus around having contracted cancer, I've kicked up my attention to detail around the food that I injest everyday.
One of my biggest challenges are lunches at work. A few things make thing a problem:
1.) I don't have full control over where the food comes from.
2.) I don't have full control over how it's prepared
3.) Sodas are free at work - even though I've "conquered" this, it's still a potential pitfall; everyday.
So I'm making more specific choices that allow me to have more control - even at the cafe in the building.
*I'm going in the sandwich line - this allows me to pick and choose the various pieces I want to have put together
*I'm putting everything on veggie wraps - although I don't have full control over how the wrap was produced, it's still a great deal healthier than white bread or a plan corn tortilla.
*I'm loading on veggies every sandwich - no more shying away from onions. Olives, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes will now all come standard.
*I'm shying away from meat in general - I'm replacing it with heartier stuff such as Falafel, hummus, or straight veggies.
*Sides of fries or sides of anything are replaced - I'm taking options of fruit and rice typically. I'm trying to make the majority of the large part of my meal salad based; if not already a salad. So the side is now a way to fill on something healthier.
Even with loosing 10 lbs. from the surgery week and lack of appetite, I've been able to hold off it charging it's way back onto my body quite successfully with better food choices.
Starting weight: 200lbs.
Current weight: 192lbs.
One of my biggest challenges are lunches at work. A few things make thing a problem:
1.) I don't have full control over where the food comes from.
2.) I don't have full control over how it's prepared
3.) Sodas are free at work - even though I've "conquered" this, it's still a potential pitfall; everyday.
So I'm making more specific choices that allow me to have more control - even at the cafe in the building.
*I'm going in the sandwich line - this allows me to pick and choose the various pieces I want to have put together
*I'm putting everything on veggie wraps - although I don't have full control over how the wrap was produced, it's still a great deal healthier than white bread or a plan corn tortilla.
*I'm loading on veggies every sandwich - no more shying away from onions. Olives, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes will now all come standard.
*I'm shying away from meat in general - I'm replacing it with heartier stuff such as Falafel, hummus, or straight veggies.
*Sides of fries or sides of anything are replaced - I'm taking options of fruit and rice typically. I'm trying to make the majority of the large part of my meal salad based; if not already a salad. So the side is now a way to fill on something healthier.
Even with loosing 10 lbs. from the surgery week and lack of appetite, I've been able to hold off it charging it's way back onto my body quite successfully with better food choices.
Starting weight: 200lbs.
Current weight: 192lbs.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Helpful articles - for myself - cancer related.
http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2014/03/24/dont-believe-the-hype-10-persistent-cancer-myths-debunked/
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Week 5 - Review
Some of these are carry over from week 4 as I specifically gave myself larger goals due to the infrequency each week:
Week 5 - specifically
New:
Weekends count! - no slips! - 2 weeks solid results (complete!!!)
2 Salad replacement meals during lunch at work. - 2 weeks solid results (complete)
Research protein meal replacements (had 3 of them for breakfasts with soy milk rather than almond milk)
Get Bottled Spring water for morning commute. (incomplete - still using tap. Almost back up to full 60 oz after going through the first week of recovery. )
(room for whatever goals liz sets for me)
Continue:
Continue with the 60 oz water a day. (complete)
Continue to keep out energy drinks from daily consumption.(complete)
Remove all soda from daily consumption. (complete)
Things that I've learned:
*Soy protein power actually binds better with soy milk rather than almond milk. Otherwise it clumps and is hard to swallow.
*Adding Flax seeds to things is easy - especially if there is a binder like peanut butter. I'm planning on using more of this moving forward in just about everything; because why not?
Week 5 - specifically
New:
Weekends count! - no slips! - 2 weeks solid results (complete!!!)
2 Salad replacement meals during lunch at work. - 2 weeks solid results (complete)
Research protein meal replacements (had 3 of them for breakfasts with soy milk rather than almond milk)
Get Bottled Spring water for morning commute. (incomplete - still using tap. Almost back up to full 60 oz after going through the first week of recovery. )
(room for whatever goals liz sets for me)
Continue:
Continue with the 60 oz water a day. (complete)
Continue to keep out energy drinks from daily consumption.(complete)
Remove all soda from daily consumption. (complete)
Things that I've learned:
*Soy protein power actually binds better with soy milk rather than almond milk. Otherwise it clumps and is hard to swallow.
*Adding Flax seeds to things is easy - especially if there is a binder like peanut butter. I'm planning on using more of this moving forward in just about everything; because why not?
Recovery - update
The scar is healing nicely.
Numbness that I had in the same area became more like aching now. So I've increased the amount of Ibuprofen I'm taking - nothing crazy.
Icing the area like it's my job; well, cause it is.
My appetite is coming back. Today I had wheat bread pizza - which I soon regreted because of the huge difference in substance it was from my rice cakes and rice which I'd been eating for almost a week now.
I can really feel the difference in my body when I have something heavy like cheese. I've come to appreciate how light and fluid everything feels when I eat light and simple. I think this is just another nail in the coffin of eating "whatever is easy".
Numbness that I had in the same area became more like aching now. So I've increased the amount of Ibuprofen I'm taking - nothing crazy.
Icing the area like it's my job; well, cause it is.
My appetite is coming back. Today I had wheat bread pizza - which I soon regreted because of the huge difference in substance it was from my rice cakes and rice which I'd been eating for almost a week now.
I can really feel the difference in my body when I have something heavy like cheese. I've come to appreciate how light and fluid everything feels when I eat light and simple. I think this is just another nail in the coffin of eating "whatever is easy".
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Passing the time - my first week in recovery from surgery.
The thing I was worried most about was "what the hell am I going to do with all this time?"
Simple - whatever my mother could also handle doing. this then easily worked out to the following things:
Reruns of Star Trek - DS9 to be specific
Sherlock - the new BBC version (hooked on this).
Reading
Sleeping
Walking exercises (down the hallway - now working on down stairs/up stairs).
Things that I'm planning on working my way into today:
*reading through magazines that have been sitting, waiting to be used
*reading first chapters of all the new books my mother brought me
*recycling paper and magazines that I do not want to hold onto.
I will then work my way back into DS9 reruns, the last of Season 2 of Sherlock, and an OnDemand replay of the last episode of Vikings :-)
Other things that I've begun to be able to handle doing:
Bending over
Squating (slowly)
Standing at the sink - doing smaller batches of dishes daily. (side goal: see how long I can keep the sink this clean and clear)
Showering - will take another one today.
Simple - whatever my mother could also handle doing. this then easily worked out to the following things:
Reruns of Star Trek - DS9 to be specific
Sherlock - the new BBC version (hooked on this).
Reading
Sleeping
Walking exercises (down the hallway - now working on down stairs/up stairs).
Things that I'm planning on working my way into today:
*reading through magazines that have been sitting, waiting to be used
*reading first chapters of all the new books my mother brought me
*recycling paper and magazines that I do not want to hold onto.
I will then work my way back into DS9 reruns, the last of Season 2 of Sherlock, and an OnDemand replay of the last episode of Vikings :-)
Other things that I've begun to be able to handle doing:
Bending over
Squating (slowly)
Standing at the sink - doing smaller batches of dishes daily. (side goal: see how long I can keep the sink this clean and clear)
Showering - will take another one today.
My eating during my first week of recovery
The surgery went well, everyone at the hospital was great. My mother took care of me from Thursday until yesterday (snow is coming and she didn't want to try to travel through it).
I'm actually quite surprised at how well everything seems to be going. My pain in the surgical area is almost null, I'm eating quite well; my appetite is finally back, and I'm getting by with minimal pain meds; only because that's what's needed now (of course, I'd take more if something kicked in).
I was worried that I'd go back to old habits, feeling sorry for myself and going into a guilt spiral. My orders to my mom were clear "simple, and as few ingredients as possible." Using rice cakes instead of bread was fun and helped. They fill you and keep your portions small. More importantly for me; I wasn't filling my body with crap.
What I've been eating:
Rice Cakes
Peanut Butter (smart balance)
Water
Sprout and Clovers
Miso Soup - home made (only hot water, miso paste, carrots and celery)
Tea
Mixed Nuts
Fruit - Strawberries and Bananas.
Things I stayed away from :
Sugar
Everything I had included a small amount of salt in their preparations (meaning it was one of the ingredients) however I kept it small.
I'm actually quite surprised at how well everything seems to be going. My pain in the surgical area is almost null, I'm eating quite well; my appetite is finally back, and I'm getting by with minimal pain meds; only because that's what's needed now (of course, I'd take more if something kicked in).
I was worried that I'd go back to old habits, feeling sorry for myself and going into a guilt spiral. My orders to my mom were clear "simple, and as few ingredients as possible." Using rice cakes instead of bread was fun and helped. They fill you and keep your portions small. More importantly for me; I wasn't filling my body with crap.
What I've been eating:
Rice Cakes
Peanut Butter (smart balance)
Water
Sprout and Clovers
Miso Soup - home made (only hot water, miso paste, carrots and celery)
Tea
Mixed Nuts
Fruit - Strawberries and Bananas.
Things I stayed away from :
Sugar
Everything I had included a small amount of salt in their preparations (meaning it was one of the ingredients) however I kept it small.
Monday, March 17, 2014
and suddenly it all hits
My diagnosis of Testicular Cancer had not fully hit when I was told last Friday.
Tonight I had to call about 5 different family and friends to give them updates. My Doctor's appointment today was filled with dates, times, instructions and next steps; I've been a whirl of action.
The thing that made it real was hearing my grandmother almost not be able to keep it together on the phone. She's had both breasts taken from cancer, and my cousin has written books on this type of cancer in men, being a survivor himself.
Getting into bed I started crying; it was real.
Chemo-therapy is an option on the table. For now, however, we're simply going to remove the right one and see if the limyph nodes relax naturally.
On the bright side, I've been reading up and the survival rate for this is amazingly high: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/testicularcancer/detailedguide/testicular-cancer-key-statistics
Tonight I had to call about 5 different family and friends to give them updates. My Doctor's appointment today was filled with dates, times, instructions and next steps; I've been a whirl of action.
The thing that made it real was hearing my grandmother almost not be able to keep it together on the phone. She's had both breasts taken from cancer, and my cousin has written books on this type of cancer in men, being a survivor himself.
Getting into bed I started crying; it was real.
Chemo-therapy is an option on the table. For now, however, we're simply going to remove the right one and see if the limyph nodes relax naturally.
On the bright side, I've been reading up and the survival rate for this is amazingly high: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/testicularcancer/detailedguide/testicular-cancer-key-statistics
"Because testicular cancer usually can be treated successfully, a man’s lifetime risk of dying from this cancer is very low: about 1 in 5,000."
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Trying to get focused - Meals
Talking with Liz about the NEED to cut out fast food and crap in my diet - ESPECIALLY now that I've been diagnosed with Testicular Cancer.
Watching the Vira Living network yesterday and I wanted to get a better idea of my body type:
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/kapha-body-type-meal-plan
found out I'm Kapha -
Working with Liz about meals and about prep over weekends.
Watching the Vira Living network yesterday and I wanted to get a better idea of my body type:
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/kapha-body-type-meal-plan
found out I'm Kapha -
Working with Liz about meals and about prep over weekends.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
week 4 - goals / review
So this week is brought mixed results. Primarily because on Thursday I had a free Soda at work. Not that big of a deal, but as I said before, I'm taking small things seriously; devil is in the details.
That slip came about a phone call from my doctor - this week hasn't been great on that front. I had an appointment for last week, with follow ups and a specialist visit this week. Thursday brought the call of "i need you to go see 1 last specialist to rule out Testicular Cancer."
Friday - I went to that specialist - which required 2 more tests and a urine sample (my favorite when I JUST peed at work). it's highly (98%) likely that I do, in fact, have Testicular Cancer. I'm not flipping out yet, but I am trying to watch my emotional eating.
New:
Weekends count! - no slips! - 2 weeks solid results (partial week = week 1)
2 Salad replacement meals during lunch at work. - 2 weeks solid results (incomplete)
Research protein meal replacements (in progress)
Get Bottled Spring water for morning commute. (incomplete)
(room for whatever goals liz sets for me)
Continue:
Continue with the 60 oz water a day. (complete)
Continue to keep out energy drinks from daily consumption.(complete)
Remove all soda from daily consumption. 5/5 days at work (4/5 - incomplete)
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Week 4 - Goals
This week I'm going to take on more because they're span goals.
New:
Weekends count! - no slips! - 2 weeks solid results
2 Salad replacement meals during lunch at work. - 2 weeks solid results
Research protein meal replacements
Get Bottled Spring water for morning commute.
(room for whatever goals liz sets for me)
Continue:
Continue with the 60 oz water a day.
Continue to keep out energy drinks from daily consumption.
Remove all soda from daily consumption. 5/5 days at work
New:
Weekends count! - no slips! - 2 weeks solid results
2 Salad replacement meals during lunch at work. - 2 weeks solid results
Research protein meal replacements
Get Bottled Spring water for morning commute.
(room for whatever goals liz sets for me)
Continue:
Continue with the 60 oz water a day.
Continue to keep out energy drinks from daily consumption.
Remove all soda from daily consumption. 5/5 days at work
Week 3- Review
New:
Remove all soda from daily consumption. 5/5 days at work(COMPLETE)
Continue:
Continue with the 60 oz water a day.(COMPLETE)
Continue to keep out energy drinks from daily consumption.(COMPLETE)
Full disclosure: Last night I went out to celebrate with some friends of mine and consumed 5 vodka redbulls - I didn't "count" it because it wasn't my normal consumption.
Good news:
zero soda; zero energy drinks. Nailed it.
This week felt good. I felt vindicated. I felt like I was able to pull something off with nothing but walls of free soda dangling in my face.
A visit to the doctor yesterday showed that my blood pressure went down :-) fun! wasn't even trying.
Mixed news:
Had 2 MacDonald's breakfast barritos. I felt no shame. I'd secretly added fast food as a goal this week. Special K bars and small pastries for breakfast can only do so much.
I will have to have a plan for breakfast food replacement. I was thinking protien shakes. (note to do research)
Bad news:
My weekend consumptions; I need to hold myself accountable.
Last week I slipped hard on "eat all the crap." Dominos, Wendies, Taco Bell. I did a lot of driving around - but I had no excuse. I could have chose better; flat out.
20oz water
Breakfast pastry / special k bar
*there's tons of room for improvement here.
Lunch:
whatever they're serving in the cafe.
typically it's something that's not all that great for you, but it's filling.
*room for improvement: switch back to 2-3 salads a week
Dinner:
Normally my consumption goes down after i come home. It turns into more snack food than anything.
Recently I've been behaving with portion control, and my gf cooks really amazing things.
*there's room for improvement here too.
Remove all soda from daily consumption. 5/5 days at work(COMPLETE)
Continue:
Continue with the 60 oz water a day.(COMPLETE)
Continue to keep out energy drinks from daily consumption.(COMPLETE)
Full disclosure: Last night I went out to celebrate with some friends of mine and consumed 5 vodka redbulls - I didn't "count" it because it wasn't my normal consumption.
Good news:
zero soda; zero energy drinks. Nailed it.
This week felt good. I felt vindicated. I felt like I was able to pull something off with nothing but walls of free soda dangling in my face.
A visit to the doctor yesterday showed that my blood pressure went down :-) fun! wasn't even trying.
Mixed news:
Had 2 MacDonald's breakfast barritos. I felt no shame. I'd secretly added fast food as a goal this week. Special K bars and small pastries for breakfast can only do so much.
I will have to have a plan for breakfast food replacement. I was thinking protien shakes. (note to do research)
Bad news:
My weekend consumptions; I need to hold myself accountable.
Last week I slipped hard on "eat all the crap." Dominos, Wendies, Taco Bell. I did a lot of driving around - but I had no excuse. I could have chose better; flat out.
Daily consumption:
Breakfast:20oz water
Breakfast pastry / special k bar
*there's tons of room for improvement here.
Lunch:
whatever they're serving in the cafe.
typically it's something that's not all that great for you, but it's filling.
*room for improvement: switch back to 2-3 salads a week
Dinner:
Normally my consumption goes down after i come home. It turns into more snack food than anything.
Recently I've been behaving with portion control, and my gf cooks really amazing things.
*there's room for improvement here too.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Week 3 - Goals
New:
Remove all soda from daily consumption. 5/5 days at work
Continue:
Continue with the 60 oz water a day.
Continue to keep out energy drinks from daily consumption.
Remove all soda from daily consumption. 5/5 days at work
Continue:
Continue with the 60 oz water a day.
Continue to keep out energy drinks from daily consumption.
Week 2 - Review
Goal review:
New:
Start to remove all soda from daily consumption. 2/5 days at work complete - unsuccessful
Continue:
Continue with the 60 oz water a day. (Success)
Continue to keep out energy drinks from daily consumption.(Success)
I was disapointed, but I can feel the momentum now. My body is reacting to not having the sugar and simply having tea and water in the morning.
I think this next week I can at LEAST do 4/5 days without it.
To keep things in perspective, there are 3 kitchens at work, all with fully stocked coolers with 8 different types; all free.
It's a big wall to climb.
Realizing this makes it easier to not be hard on myself. Seriously; hundreds of cans of soda, with no cost, just sitting there. However, one of the choices is Snapple Ice Tea. The sugar in it isn't much better.
I've got this.
New:
Start to remove all soda from daily consumption. 2/5 days at work complete - unsuccessful
Continue:
Continue with the 60 oz water a day. (Success)
Continue to keep out energy drinks from daily consumption.(Success)
I was disapointed, but I can feel the momentum now. My body is reacting to not having the sugar and simply having tea and water in the morning.
I think this next week I can at LEAST do 4/5 days without it.
To keep things in perspective, there are 3 kitchens at work, all with fully stocked coolers with 8 different types; all free.
It's a big wall to climb.
Realizing this makes it easier to not be hard on myself. Seriously; hundreds of cans of soda, with no cost, just sitting there. However, one of the choices is Snapple Ice Tea. The sugar in it isn't much better.
I've got this.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Week 2 - Goals
New:
Start to remove all soda from daily consumption.
Continue:
Continue with the 60 oz water a day.
Continue to keep out energy drinks from daily consumption.
Start to remove all soda from daily consumption.
Continue:
Continue with the 60 oz water a day.
Continue to keep out energy drinks from daily consumption.
The cost of energy drinks for me
This was a daily habit. A drink for breakfast, which in some cases led to a drink in the afternoon.
My morning favorite was a drink Rockstar Energy Punched .
More details about what it delivers to your body: http://skipthepie.org/beverages/energy-drink-rockstar/
Now, where I was purchasing this, it went for $2.99 USD, which with tax came too approximately $3.20 USD.
5 days a week with 1 a day = $16
5 days a week with 2 a day = $32
Let's say that on my best behavior, on average, I spent $16 a week on energy drinks. That breaks down to : $64 / month; $768 /year.
That's almost $1,000 strictly on something that actually wasn't providing any benefits to my body as far as legitimate fuel.
Seeing these figures only inspired me more to cut them out.
My big hurtle is that canned 12 oz sodas are free at work. Ouch. 1 can of that can be just as bad.
My morning favorite was a drink Rockstar Energy Punched .
More details about what it delivers to your body: http://skipthepie.org/beverages/energy-drink-rockstar/
Now, where I was purchasing this, it went for $2.99 USD, which with tax came too approximately $3.20 USD.
5 days a week with 1 a day = $16
5 days a week with 2 a day = $32
Let's say that on my best behavior, on average, I spent $16 a week on energy drinks. That breaks down to : $64 / month; $768 /year.
That's almost $1,000 strictly on something that actually wasn't providing any benefits to my body as far as legitimate fuel.
Seeing these figures only inspired me more to cut them out.
My big hurtle is that canned 12 oz sodas are free at work. Ouch. 1 can of that can be just as bad.
Week 1
Week of Feb. 17th, 2014
This week went well.
Monday and Tuesday I started off with water and easily drank 40oz through the day.
Morning routine at work started with green tea.
Weds and Thursday I slipped back to having 1/2 can of soda in the afternoon at work. My water consumption though, increased to 60 oz (1 bottle on the way in, 2 at work - using a stainless steel water canteen - nice and easy).
Friday - I slipped up. However, the day started out right. I ended up drinking a 16 oz red bull with Lunch to help push me through the afternoon.
Having not had those in a while, I did noticed that I sugar crashed a little harder around 4pm than I normally would.
For my own sake - and from pressure from Lizzy (the happy kind of course!) I looked up Red Bull actually does for you:
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/15-07/st_redbull
I was surprised at the difficulty from finding direct listings of ingredients on the Red Bull company website.
The label consists of this:
Over all - for my first week, I considered this a Success.
This week went well.
Monday and Tuesday I started off with water and easily drank 40oz through the day.
Morning routine at work started with green tea.
Weds and Thursday I slipped back to having 1/2 can of soda in the afternoon at work. My water consumption though, increased to 60 oz (1 bottle on the way in, 2 at work - using a stainless steel water canteen - nice and easy).
Friday - I slipped up. However, the day started out right. I ended up drinking a 16 oz red bull with Lunch to help push me through the afternoon.
Having not had those in a while, I did noticed that I sugar crashed a little harder around 4pm than I normally would.
For my own sake - and from pressure from Lizzy (the happy kind of course!) I looked up Red Bull actually does for you:
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/15-07/st_redbull
I was surprised at the difficulty from finding direct listings of ingredients on the Red Bull company website.
The label consists of this:
Over all - for my first week, I considered this a Success.
Me and My Goals
For a long time, approximately 7 years or so, have had a hard time managing many things in my life which has lead to an unhealthy relationship with food.
In combination with this, lifestyle choices of working late hours and playing late hours pushed me further and further into a cycle with energy drinks. I know, I talk about this like a drug, and it's not "technically" - however, my body started becoming more and more dependent on them. I wouldn't be able to do a normal days work without 1, 2, or even 3 of them a day.
Working on 3rd shift took it's toll and I rounded off into the 220+ lbs that I've been lucky enough to work off. I now sit, fluctuation, from 195 to an even 200lbs.
Work and life stresses seeped into layers of "i can't" or "i don't have time" excuses of why I couldn't address the way that I ate, what I ate, and how i felt about all of it.
A friend of mine contacted me 2 weeks ago and we went out for pizza. During this conversation she said "I remember how you were in college and part of you has changed. You use to love the way you looked and you had layers of confidence stemming from that. I miss that about you."
It hit home.
Lizzy ( http://raisingstrength.com/) has been working on pushing a message of healthier choices, local food, and nutritional knowledge to help local folk. She subscribes to a system of small changes over a long period of time, rather than rapid changes, to help apply ballence and find replacements for the things you're changing. One of the reasons I've failed at working on healthier choices is that:
a.) I didn't have a dependable support network for making the changes and
b.) I didn't know what to replace, when, and with what.
I've offered to track my work and progress, or lack of progress, here so that I can hopefully show what works for me.
Current Goals:
1.) Supplement energy drinks with Tea
2.) Drink mainly water throughout the day (60 oz)
3.) Re-integrate Exercize into my weekly rutine
4.) Give up fast food, or industrially prepared food (McDonalds, Wendies, Taco Bell, etc.)
5.) Reach a goal of 185lbs.
In combination with this, lifestyle choices of working late hours and playing late hours pushed me further and further into a cycle with energy drinks. I know, I talk about this like a drug, and it's not "technically" - however, my body started becoming more and more dependent on them. I wouldn't be able to do a normal days work without 1, 2, or even 3 of them a day.
Working on 3rd shift took it's toll and I rounded off into the 220+ lbs that I've been lucky enough to work off. I now sit, fluctuation, from 195 to an even 200lbs.
Work and life stresses seeped into layers of "i can't" or "i don't have time" excuses of why I couldn't address the way that I ate, what I ate, and how i felt about all of it.
A friend of mine contacted me 2 weeks ago and we went out for pizza. During this conversation she said "I remember how you were in college and part of you has changed. You use to love the way you looked and you had layers of confidence stemming from that. I miss that about you."
It hit home.
Lizzy ( http://raisingstrength.com/) has been working on pushing a message of healthier choices, local food, and nutritional knowledge to help local folk. She subscribes to a system of small changes over a long period of time, rather than rapid changes, to help apply ballence and find replacements for the things you're changing. One of the reasons I've failed at working on healthier choices is that:
a.) I didn't have a dependable support network for making the changes and
b.) I didn't know what to replace, when, and with what.
I've offered to track my work and progress, or lack of progress, here so that I can hopefully show what works for me.
Current Goals:
1.) Supplement energy drinks with Tea
2.) Drink mainly water throughout the day (60 oz)
3.) Re-integrate Exercize into my weekly rutine
4.) Give up fast food, or industrially prepared food (McDonalds, Wendies, Taco Bell, etc.)
5.) Reach a goal of 185lbs.
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