Ever since my crazy midnight swim at the gym on Tuesday night I haven’t been feeling so well.  I worked myself hard as usual and had a great workout, but unfortunately, I went to bed soon after coming home and without replenishing my water supply, which may be what caused me to feel a little under the weather the last two days.  A couple of lost lunches later and a lingering blah-feeling serve as a friendly reminder to stay hydrated before, during, and after a workout, and also to workout earlier in the daytime!  I’m self-employed so why the heck am I working out at midnight anyway?!?  I’m not a fitness expert so I’m not 100% sure if this is what caused me to fall ill but I suspect that I may have been slightly dehydrated and the body sent me a little reminder.  Gotta be smart with the water!  It’s been quiet since then but all is well and I should be back to normal by tomorrow.  I’m ready for a swim!!  In closing, today’s photo is of a lovely bowl of fruit that magically appeared on the dinner table before an amazingly delicious (and healthy) meal prepared by my wife.  Thank you berry much, honey!

On a tired day like today, it would have been easy to finish things off with a slice of pizza and a hot dog after checkout at Costco.  Believe me, I stood at the crossroads as they called my name over the intercom, “Cory, it’s fast and easy! You can handle it!”  But instead, I chose what’s behind door number two: whole grain cereal with soy milk buried beneath layers of strawberries, boysenberries, and pineapple.  Sounds good for breakfast, right?  I know, cereal for dinner is not my ideal way of ending the day either, but it’s certainly better than volunteering for the damage that pizza and a hot dog would have done.  After a long day at the office such as today, the thought of cooking couldn’t be further from both of our minds; but rather than microwave ourselves into an unhealthy evening of regret, cereal it was!  So what are some of your favorite quick meals when you find yourself unmotivated to cook but not wanting to undo so many positive steps forward?

Last night, I was elected to be the honorary candy distributor.  Every time the door bell rang, I met each of the wide-eyed neighborhood ghouls and goblins, super heroes and princesses, army sergeants, nurses and doctors, zombie baseball players, and the unforgettable, scantily-dressed boy in a micro mini skirt fashioning a Coach bag as his trick-or-treat loot sack, to each I greeted with a handful of candy.  Good times.  On a funny note, a number of the teenagers–the ones who are obviously well past the trick-or-treating age but clearly in it for the candy–wore no costumes and when asked what they were dressed as, they would say, “I’m just myself tonight.”  Ah, such an expression of the individual!!!  At any rate, it was a fun evening and we were glad to be able to see so many cute kids all dressed up.  On a dietary note, I’m proud to report that I dipped my hand into the candy bowl no less than fifty times but not once took any candy for myself, refusing the Twix bar, mini packs of Reeses peanut butter cups, Sweethearts, Nerds, and the always wonderful candy corns.  But I did enjoy a little more than a handful of my favorite orange and white crackers as somewhat of a reward for myself.  Can’t deprive myself of everything, right!  I hope that everybody enjoyed their Halloween and treated responsibly!  On a side note, can you believe that it’s already November?!?!

When it comes to dieting, I find that exercise is what keeps me on track most.  For others, it may be something else, but for me, if I am exercising on a regular basis, all else seems to fall into place.  One healthy habit creates another; it’s really that simple.  So it is no accident that I have fallen slightly off track the last three days with my noticeable absence from the gym.  No, I didn’t rob a candy store, hook up a Frappuccino IV bag, or take the Pepsi-Coke Challenge.  Without the exercise, I just feel a little off track, if you will.  A trip to the gym this afternoon should do me some good!  It really is literally one step at a time.  If I stop stepping though, then we have a problem!

A dietitian friend of mine gifted me this corny conference giveaway cap almost a year ago and until now, “Eat Fruits & Vegetables and Be Active,” has not been a regular part of my life, and Hilary, my dear, nutritionally-minded friend, I’m sorry to say that the cap has not been a part of my life either!  It is a great-fitting cap and all but the color, you know, slightly off…  Ahem.  But anyway, I’m happy to say that I’ve turned over a new leaf and made exercise and “healthier” eating a part of my life, which does include more fruits and vegetables than in the past.  Having said that, by looking at my Food Log, I’m sure that most people would have a say one way or another.  I do realize that my eating habits are a work in progress as I aspire to be healthy and content-wise, my diet may contain some big no-no items as far as what not to eat when dieting, which is partly why I say “healthier” not healthy.  At this point, it may be more of what I’m not eating coupled with portion control that is helping me to lose weight, and the exercise, of course.  I’ve cut out soda completely and I’ve stayed away from my usual sinful delights, late night eating, and so on, but I know that there is much work to be done if I am to make the transition into a true lifestyle of “Eat Fruits, Eat Vegetables, and Be Active,” or at least what I think the message represents.  As always, your support is much-appreciated and I look forward to any advice.  If you have anything to share with me in regards to my Food Log, please feel free to make suggestions below.   Thank you!!

A big thank you to my wife for helping me eat healthy by including all of the good stuff like carrots, corn, and whatever else you put in my salad that made it taste so good!  I really appreciate your support and I look forward to our hugs getting closer and closer as time goes by.  Love you! :)

My friend Jerome sent me an Excel file with this cool, self-populating chart that you enter your goal weight and the weigh-in figures for each week and presto, the bar graph displays the progress (or lack of) just like this.  Pretty cool, huh?  Thank you so much for this, Jerome!  As for the graph, you’ll notice a slight dip from Week 1 to Week 2, which is a good thing, right!  Also, for further accountability, I’ve noted the exact weigh-in figures in the right column, which by the way, weigh-in days will be Monday.  What better motivation to have a “good” weekend by knowing that my weigh-in day is coming soon!  I’m moving forward, one step at a time!

I promise that I’m not as geeky as I seem with already 2 out of 6 posts related to video games, but Wii Fit Plus is so rad.  Yes, I said rad!!  We picked up our very own today at Costco (the best price I’ve seen anywhere, by the way) and got straight to work.  As you can see from the photo, it got me sweating quite a bit and I’m sure that I’ll be feeling it tomorrow.   Fun stuff for sure!!  In case you are unfamiliar with Wii Fit, you can check out a demo here on YouTube.  Wii be getting in shape!!

So I attended a Halloween party last night and for the fifth year in a row I fashioned my trusty, bright-blue, full-body penguin costume.  This year, it’s a little tighter than last (and the year before and the year before and the year before that) but I fit into it just as well, which I wish I could also say about my jeans.  At the party, I met a girl dressed as a super hero who offered me super advice in regards to eating, saying that she only eats it if it’s awesome.

“I only eat it if it’s awesome.”

And you would have to see her dressed as the sidekick to the caped crusader to get the full affect of how super her advice is.  But all joking aside, this is some pretty awesome advice.  Only eat what is worthwhile and meaningful to your body.  If you eat that cookie and have to spend an extra ten minutes at the gym to work it off, then it’s not awesome for the body and not worth it; it’s easier to not eat the cookie than to have to work it off at the gym.  I admit that I ate a few things at the party that don’t exactly fit into the “awesome” category and that I will need to spend some extra time at the gym this afternoon, but I am inspired by this very simple advice.  From now on, I see myself asking the question before I eat something, “Is this awesome for me, or not?”  Thank you for the advice, Jenny.

Getting in a little Wii Tennis action before my afternoon swim.  I’m not a gamer at all.  In fact, if I had to say, I would call myself an anti-gamer!  Nothing against video games [or gamers] but it just doesn’t do it for me like pizza, cake, or those irresistible Cheez-it crackers!  To each his own, right!  But, Wii is the exception because of it’s simplicity and interactive nature.  It’s just fun–easy to play and easy to sweat!!  Wii Tennis is definitely my favorite and it tends to bring out my competitive nature in a sometimes very intense way!!  Anybody else out there an avid Wii tennis player or video game exerciser?

Weight loss is one of those things that most people seem to have fairly strong ideas about.  “I’m telling you, this is whatcha gotta do, my friend!”  Since the birth of my new blog just a day ago, many friends and family have gathered around to offer bits of advice that range from responsible eating to regular exercise, which I am very thankful for.  Just a short while ago, I received this from a family member:

1.  drink a lot of water especially after work out.

2.  eat nothing between meals.

3.  exercise

4.  exercise

5.  exercise

If you ever cross paths with me on a visit to my grandmother’s house, you know better than to shake hands with me.  No, not because my hands are unclean but because you know that my hands would transfer a thick layer of crunchy snack residue.  Yeah, you know what I’m talking about, Mr Cheeto Fingers!!  You see, my grandmother’s pantry is sort of like the Fort Knox of all that is crunchy, but completely unguarded and with an endless supply of yummy; there is something golden for everyone, and I never have trouble finding something and a little something more to fill my need to crunch.  But tonight was different.  I didn’t polish off half a box of Cheez-Its.  I didn’t dip my hands into the jar of smoked almonds or dry roasted edamame.  I stayed clear of the freshly-baked chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies.  I was good.  I resisted.  I conquered.  I made it through my first day!  One step at a time, right!?

I often wonder how I became this way.  I woke up this morning as a happily-married, 33 year-old, 6 foot 1 inch tall man, weighing in at a startling 235.8 pounds.  How did this happen?  The last five years have passed by in a flash and by my own calculations, I have added an average of nine pounds per year that I now carry with much discomfort, shame, and regret.  It sort of crept up on me, but all the while, I was fully aware of my expanding waistline, increasing discomfort, and the closet full of clothes that I no longer fit into.

I suppose there are many reasons why I have become 45 pounds overweight, which can easily be broken down into two main categories: my wife’s good cooking and lack of exercise!  I mean, unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise.  My wife, the excellent cook that she is, always reminds me of a saying from her home country: “The mouth is on your face!”  Responsibility is my own and it’s time to take charge of my health.  Today, I set out on a path to improve myself for my own well-being and that of my family.  My goal is to, in an unspecified period of time, lose 45 pounds by establishing a healthy lifestyle of eating and regular exercise.  I have yet to define guidelines for my healthy start but I will approach my diet and exercise routine realistically and one day at a time.

The purpose of this blog is two-fold.  One, I wish to record some of my thoughts on the road to reclaiming my health through healthy weight loss.  Secondly, I hope to connect with others in similar places in life so that we can encourage each other in our efforts.  Now is the time!!  Please wish me well and partner with me on this journey.