Update

It has not been a good week. I have eaten too much junk and even stopped at a buffet place for dinner. I lost my focus this past week. Maybe I just don't have the goal I need to win. The reason to lose this weight. I have no special person in my life to live for like I hear many formally obese people talk about. I live alone and wonder if anyone would care if I died.

Weigh In

Weight = 378

I knew the weight was going to go up as I ate horribly this week. I need to transition over to the Low Carb Lifestyle. I don't think there is any other way to lose this weight.

Tomorrow

You know I weigh myself tomorrow morning. I've eaten too much tonight. I ate fried chicken and summer sausage for a snack. I will weigh myself tomorrow and see what happens.

Bad Weekend

It was not a good weekend eating wise. I ate too much junk food and went out to eat to much. I had pizza last night and visited a Sunday brunch today with a friend. I can get back on track tomorrow with my eating pattern. What say you about my next step. If I take this slowly I shouldn't have any problems. I am finding if I limit myself to one carb load meal a week I feel better. Today I feel full and weighted down.

State Fair

Some observations about the Minnesota State Fair. Understand that I am obese and conducting the fast food challenge to begin eating better. This is what I observed at the Fair. I realized how fat we have become. I noticed obese people every where I went. I watched as people, like me, had trouble walking. It helped my understand how packaged food and fast food is standard meals in our lives. My goal is to eat a healthy non-processed food diet.

Weigh in and State Fair

I weighed in today at 374. Two things have been helpful. Avoiding fast food and no longer having snacks available at work has been wonderful. I did go to the State Fair today and ate many things, some healthier than others. I think this one day will do me good. I will see next week. I was thinking about exercise today with all the walking I did. I could really only do short distances before I needed to sit. I thought how could I start and the answer came to me. Start with something simple like Yoga and walking short distances. I think I will try it.

Overeating

I find that cheese is a big thing for me. I can sit down and eat a container of cottage cheese in no time or a package of shredded cheese in one sitting. I picked up some protein drinks for nighttime consumption. I think a protein drink at night would be better for me than eating endlessly on food.

One Day

Yesterday was not a good eating day. I just ate too much food. I had a funeral to attend so that was on my mind plus I tend to get bored and lonely so I eat. I understand that loneliness causes some of my problems.

2nd Week

I weighed in at 378 pounds today. Little by little this weight will come off. The snacks are gone from work so that helps a lot. I don't miss fast food joints at all. I am having fun saving money by eating steak at home and feeling better too. The mistake of the week was going to a place and eating to many bad carbs. I was waiting for a friend with popcorn in front of me. I ate it. Not good for the body.

Value

I was offered a piece of cake today. I said I had given up sugar. Taking ownership of my health is what helps. I understand the need to sit down and write out my goals. I have thought about that. I have been reading the book The Art of Achievement by Tom Morris. A philosopher who writes about success. I have never read a "success" book before that I have enjoyed so much.

Forgeting

One thing I am trying to remember is posting to this blog. As I write I feel it has become important for me to write out this journey. I have a goal but for know it is the fast food challenge. No fast food slop for me.

Ownership

Yesterday in my own sloppy way I talked about responsibility. I should have talked about taking ownership of my health. No one is but me controls what I eat. No one but me decides whether to take a walk or exercise. I take ownership of my health. For no one else will.

Responsibility

I finally realized the issue. I am responsible for my health. No one else is. I can't blame anyone else for my health or my obesity. I am in charge of my health and need to take the steps necessary steps to achieve the health I desire. No one has ever made me stop at a fast food joint or a Chinese buffet. Only I have done it. I am responsible for my health.
I meet a friend for breakfast today. I choose to not eat any pancakes but stuck with toast. I think the little things will add up. I choose to eat what is good for me.

One Week

I weighed in at 380 pounds today. I am looking forward to the coming week of the fast food challenge. I think the next item I would like to explore is exercise. I was thinking of starting Tai Chi or Yoga this week. I think I need to go slow and move forward. This is a challenge aka a developing new way of life.

Snacks at Work

For quite some time my employer would bring in snack foods for the employees to munch on. Recently the delivery company went out of business do to the gas prices. Thus no more snack foods for everyone to eat. I told someone that I think I will lose 30 pounds from not having the snacks around. I am the one who would order the food so I will fight if he wants to bring it back. I have no problem with buying soda because our office building has no soda machine. I thought about how much junk I was eating just because it was there. I will lose extra weight because the snacks are gone.

Eating Out 2

I really do need to watch the eating out. I stopped by a family restaurant after work. The food was good but I got into the french fries instead of the salads. I did by some steak and salmon today so I hope to be eating that for a while. One thing I understand that this is a lifestyle change and not an eating change. I have followed the way of the world for my eating patterns and my goal is the follow the way of good health and the world hahaha. I think I need to make a rule to eat out only two times a week. Once on Sunday morning for breakfast with my family and one other time during the week.

Eating Out

I went out to dinner tonight on the way home from work. I stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings, I know not the best food for losing weight. I ate too much to so I will look at this topic more. I heard something interesting about Nicole Kidman yesterday. I have always thought she was an attractive women but I understand why. I heard she eats no food that comes from a package (boxes). She is doing what my ultimate goal is for my health. Eating a healthy diet of whole foods not processed foods.

Workout

One difficulty I have presently because of my weight has been exercise. I find I can only walk for a sort distance before my back starts hurting. I allowed myself to get out of shape where walking upstairs tires me out. That is why I need to lose 30 pounds so I can begin the exercises I need to do.

Pigging Out

I find that I start to crave certain foods and almost specific times on weekends. In the past I would start to crave something sweet. I would go out and buy a cake, pie or donuts, etc and eat all of it. I could eat a cake in one sitting. Today I started craving so I went out and bought a pizza and a dinner package of pasta. I ate the whole thing. Both the pizza and pasta. All I can say is I'm glad I didn't buy the sweets.

Why do I crave these foods? Every time I walk into a grocery store I start thinking about buying the pastries. I heard a gentleman talked about fungus as being the cause of the cravings. He says that fungus causes you to crave the carbs and by eating a low card diet it will kill the fungus. I think I may need to research this topic further. His website is www.knowthecause.com.

Nighttime Eating

All my life I trained myself to have a snack at night. I remember as a kid my mom always had snacks for us. Of course one issue for me has always been when to stop eating. My goal is to stop this nighttime eating, so after dinner no more snacking. What I am finding is the rules I need to live by need to be written. I believe in grace over law but I need to develop guidelines in which to live. What I have been thinking about is HABITS. I find successful people have habits that lead to success. I need to develop those habits. I need to study what successful people do and copy. Monday I will begin reading a book by a philosopher Tom Morris called The Art of Achievement and I ordered an audio version of Ben Franklin's Autobiography and Way to Wealth. Why? To help me develop good habits.

Grocery Store

Last night I went to Wal Mart to grocery shop. What I have discovered is that when I shop I begin to crave the sweets. I would usually buy cake or some type of pastry. There is a reason I gained so much weight over the years. I would bring the cake home and eat the whole thing. Moderation is a myth for obese people. We are fat because we make excuses for ourselves...this one piece won't hurt. Actually, yes it does. We have made excuses about our behavior for so long and lied to ourselves about everything that we no longer know what is real from imagination.
I find I eat because I am a lonely person or when I am stressed about something at work.

Start Day

I weighed in at 387 pounds today. As you can see what I've been doing has not been working thus it would be insanity to continue in the same course. I understand this and that is why I have started the Fast Food Challenge. What I have been doing is eating fast food loaded with everything bad. I would also go to the store and buy cakes and eat them at one sitting. What I have been doing is not sane thus a new strategy is needed. Today is the beginning of this new strategy. I have not formulated the overall strategy at this time but I will keep everyone informed of th progress I make toward it.
I will weigh myself every Friday morning and report the results. I have a DVD teaching Tai Chi that I am presently looking for so I can start a simple exercise program that won't cause a lot of stress on my body. I presently get short winded when walking upstairs. Little by little.
Until next time.

Fast Food Challenge

I listen to a radio talk show called Garage Logic. The host of the show talks about how times have changed. Today we have an obesity epidemic in the United States and that included me. Something was brought out about the fact that prior to fast food places you don’t see fat people in the photos. After thinking about this I have decided to take the fast food challenge. I am going to avoid eating fast food over the next two months (August and September). I will be adding buffets to this list also being buffets are the fastest food you can buy. Tomorrow morning I will weigh myself and begin the journey.

I have eaten tons of fast food. I visit Taco Bell and McDonalds more then once a week. I ate at fast food places 7-8 times a week. I want to change. I keep hearing the quote; one definition of insanity is trying to do the same thing but expecting different results. What I have been attempting to do is not try anything new and get different results, My weight has prevented me from exercising like I should until I discovered I can do Tai Chi.

I promise to keep this up to date and talk about my journey. One last thing is my relationship with God. I have been learning that Papa loves me from several wonderful teachers. God’s love for me is not dependent upon me trying to live the perfect life.