SUNDAY another day like the past 45 before it

Another unspectacular day...
Another day just eating nothing but actual food.
Not necessarily health food, but healthy food nevertheless

18 HOUR DAY - OUT AND ABOUT

As I review my food consumption today, I see that this is the first time I have exceeded 2000 calories this year.  I woke up at 5:30AM and scarfed down a quick breakfast at the hotel before taking a 45 minute in order to be at an appointment at 7AM.  When I returned to my hotel around 9AM, I stopped and had a breakfast sandwich at Starbucks.  I also had two significant meals for lunch and dinner. I stayed away from pure junk food all day, as I have all year - and I feel OK about my going over 2000 calories.

.

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DOUBLE DIGITS

Double digits.
TEN DAYS
progress being made.

Perhaps in a couple of weeks or so I will be able to wear the XL long sleeve button down shirts my Mom gave during my last visit last October.

I didn't even bother to try them on.... but I will be wearing them soon enough.

On Saturday morning, I weighed 282.1 lbs.
Since I did weigh 297 lbs on January 1st.
I guess I am 'happy'

The ridiculous thing, is that back (a long time ago) when I was under 230 lbs and crossed that border into the 230's I was depressed.

The direction one is moving is everything.

Apparently.



.

EXERCISING EPIPHANY

My first road trip of the year will begin today.  I am driving to Cincinnati.   I did something different in booking my hotel.   I usually opt for the lowest price lodging I can find.   This time I cancelled my reservation with the national chain that I usually use and booked at a LaQuinta Hotel since they have an exercise room.    My almost daily exercise regiment, thus far, has only been walking at 4 mph for 20 minutes.  This week I plan to increase that to 30 minutes.     I have recently had an epiphany.  A long, long time ago (December 24, 2014) I thought that exercise was not critically important to weight loss.   I never doubted that it was healthy for a myriad of reasons.   An exercise that consumes 100 calories is not really going to make a significant dent when one is consuming 3000-5000 calories per day.   When one is consuming 1000 calories per day, a 100 calorie per day exercise program becomes huge.    Last evening, I enjoyed the last home-cooked meal that I will have until next weekend.   This 7oz Salmon Filet with Organic Mixed Vegetables was delicious.   This morning I weighed myself and I checked in at 294.5 lbs.   I have lost nearly 15 lbs in 12 days.

7 oz. Salmon Filet with Mixed Vegetables - 415 calories

THIS SURPRISED ME

Everything was going smoothly today in Day 10 of my new lifestyle.   Breakfast started with three poached eggs flavored with one tablespoon of bacon bits (245 calories).   Lunch took me back to Panera Bread for the turkey chili (280 calories).   Before dinner my family went shopping at Costco with my new menu requirements in mind.    We purchased big packages of Vegetables, Broccoli, and a box of 'salmon burgers.'   Each salmon burger is only 110 calories!   As my wife, Jennifer, cooked dinner, the aroma from the heated salmon burgers was amazing.    They looked tasty too!   I had asked for 1 cup of vegetables, 1 cup of broccoli and 2 salmon burgers.   This should have been a whopping 400 calorie meal.   It seemed odd to me that this looked like a lot of food.  As I started my meal, something happened that I cannot remember ever happening before in the past many years.... I chose not to have both salmon burgers.   I was completely satisfied with just one.   My delicious dinner became a 290 calorie meal.  My total intake today was only 816 calories.   I think the reason that I wasn't hungry enough to eat my complete dinner was that I am eating actual real food now.  The engine that is my body is getting high performance, high-octane fuel.  In the past, I was perpetually hungry.   I am trying to train myself to be hungry when it is a true physiological feeling.   In the past, I think I confused hunger with sugar craving.   They are not the same.  Something in me is really changing.

This would've been 400 calories if I had eaten it all