Day One Hundred and Twenty-Two - New Year's Eve

It's New Year's Eve (or potentially New Years Day if you're reading this tomorrow) so I don't want to take much of your time.  I just want to make sure I thank all of you for the past four months.  This journey has been a true life change for me.  I hope that these posts have inspired and encouraged each and every one of you as you're walking along your own journey.  I can't thank you all enough for the role each of you have played in holding me accountable and encouraging me along the way.  So here we say goodbye to 2016 and welcome to 2017 and the successes we will have.  Amongst the parties, the songs, the kisses, and the fireworks I want to say thank you!  I'm four months along my journey, and I'm losing my butter half!

While I did stay under my calorie goal today, I had a pretty unhealthy lunch late this afternoon (french fries from David's burgers).  I didn't have vegetables or fruit, so I will need to do better tomorrow.  Thankfully I was able to fit in a full workout this evening!

Day One Hundred and Twenty-One - Family

Bekah's Brownies

As the Christmas season ends (and my vacation as well) I can't help but think about things that I am grateful for at Christmas time.  I would have to say my favorite thing about the season is getting to see family.  My parents are back in town after spending a few days with my brother. I love having them here.  E especially loves having them.  She loves reading books with Granma and being silly with Pops.  We have enjoyed eating and hanging out with my sister and her family.  It really is a privilege to live close to my sister.  I know not everyone has family nearby and it really is great to have them near, especially at Christmas.

As my vacation comes to an end I begin to think about a lot of the projects I haven't completed (well, cleaning up after Christmas was a pretty big job).  Thankfully Dad and I are going to have a little time to complete a few small things tomorrow.  It just goes to show how easy it is to get distracted by good things.  The same goes with weight loss.  It is so easy to get sidetracked from your goal.  It doesn't take much to miss a workout or overeat.  Even if this happens, don't give in to the temptation to quit.  For some reason we typically give up after one simple distraction.  I'm not going to put off the projects I need to do just because I got busy enjoying my vacation (aka, relaxing).  In the same way, any time I miss a workout or don't stay in my calories, I will just pick back up the next day.  I may not get everything perfect along this journey, but I'm losing my butter half.

I did well with calories, but I had too many bites of brownies tonight at my sisters (Bekah made them - minus the tree nuts.  Here is the link).  Still, for all the high calorie foods we had tonight, I am glad I was able to stay close to my calorie goal.  I was excited to get another great workout in this afternoon.  I wish I had done multiple workouts a few more days this week.

Day One Hundred and Twenty - Weigh in #17 - Losing Over Christmas?

I'm amazed that I have completed seventeen weeks of my journey.  Last week was an amazing week when I reached my Christmas goal, but this week's weigh in was very important to me as well.  Back in November I made it through Thanksgiving without gaining any weight.  If I could just lose weight during this week, after the Christmas holiday, then I would be able to encourage people that it is possible to lose weight no matter the time of year.

So let's get to it.  It's day one hundred and twenty and I completed my seventeenth weigh in.  I was a little nervous going in because of the food I'd had eaten this past week.  My mom's coffee cake, fried catfish, and even french fries.  Even though I had those foods, I still measured out my portions.  I made sure to enter everything into myfitnesspal, even the tiny little "tastes." And what were my results?  I am happy to share that I have lost another 2.6 lbs.  This brings my total weight loss to 70.4 lbs. with my current weight being 295.8 lbs.  I hope anyone that reads this sees that with the right processes and determination you can reach your goals.  I still have another 95.8 lbs. to lose before I hit my final goal, and I know that it is possible.  Every week that I lose just gets me closer to that goal.  It also encourages me to know that I am getting healthier as I lose.  So here's to the next thirty-five weeks of losing my butter half!

Calories were good today.  Bekah made white chicken chili (or at least that's what I've always called it) which is one of my favorite meals.  My workout was great today.  I think it was the first time I road the the bike for an hour.

Day One Hundred and Nineteen - Quick Update

Tonight I just want to give you all a quick update.  All of you who have been following my posts know that I was under the weather for nearly two weeks. Both Bekah and B have had it as well, and B's continues to linger (Dr. checked him out yesterday and said he'll be better soon).  Thankfully I can say now that I'm (finally) better!  I am glad to be rid of the cold and very excited to be feeling myself again (and glad to be able to breath again).  My appetite is also back (which may or may not be a good thing) and my workouts have much more energy.  I am really noticing a great deal more mobility.  Diving down and crawling on the floor while playing with my kids is something I previously wouldn't have been capable of doing.  Also, climbing into the attic to get down (and soon put away) the Christmas decorations is amazingly simple now.  I can't wait until I'm light enough to run again.  For now I'll keep riding the recumbent nightly and keep noting the progress I'm making.  I'm not going to stop losing my butter half.

My calorie intake was really great today (another delicious salad for dinner).  I didn't make two workouts, but I had a pretty good one this evening.  Tomorrow is weigh in day, so we will see how well I've done over the holiday.  I'm getting that night before nervousness about it.

Day One Hundred and Eighteen - Salads Are Not Meant for Human Consumption

I know we've discussed milestones as I've been blogging along this journey.  I also have been pointing out many different examples of my progress and evidence that I have made a life change.  In my opinion, any time you are losing weight there should be visible differences.  These may not be things that immediately jump off the screen (like the numbers on your scale), but should be visible to you and others (like your daughter telling you your pants are saggy).  This can probably be applied to those of you who are seeking a goal that isn't weight related as well, but I'm going to focus on two more examples of the changes I'm experiencing on my journey.

Let me start out by saying that it was definitely not a white Christmas here in AR.  I think it was almost seventy degrees and rainy on Christmas Day.  On Monday it was even warmer (and stormier) and I decided to throw on my khaki shorts.  These are the same shorts I've been wearing for over a year now (size 46 - Old Navy), and they fit when I started my journey back in September.  I pulled them up and buttoned them and let's just say they didn't stay at the same elevation they were when I buttoned them.  I brought them back to their original height and called out for Bekah.  I had at least six inches of space between the fabric and my waist (I'm pretty sure I could have easily worn a 40).


The second example isn't a physical thing, but rather a lifestyle difference.  Let me just say this.  I have never considered salads as food meant for human consumption (especially when we are speaking of iceberg lettuce).  I would occasionally choke down a salad or two (per year) at a restaurant or if I was trying to "be good."  Until I was in my mid-twenties I wouldn't use any type of salad dressing (because I couldn't find one I liked).  The past two weeks I have had a few salads, and I actually enjoyed them *GASP*!  I figured out that for me to enjoy a salad, I needed to add something that I didn't have on it in the past.  It needed warm meat!  Once I added warm chicken or turkey (the bacon tonight was a plus) it really changed the salad from tolerable to enjoyable.  So if anyone out there is struggling with eating salads, try adding warm meat to it (of the non fried variety).  One other tip would be to measure your salad dressing.  Most people drown the salad in a pool of dressing soup.  I use between 2 and 3 tablespoons (which is more than you realize) of ranch, and it was the perfect amount.  So here I am; a salad-eating shorts-falling-off fool, and I'm losing my butter half!

Calories were much better today.  I didn't overdo it on leftovers and I had a salad for dinner.  I got in a great workout tonight (and watched Star Trek Beyond - good movie), but I think I'm going to shoot for two workouts again tomorrow!

Day One Hundred and Seventeen - Leftover Temptations

Sometimes when we are making a major life change we forget the struggles we've changed from. When it comes to weight loss, Holidays have a habit of reminding us of who we used to be.  It isn't just one day that we have to worry about.  The week after can be just as dangerous to our progress.  We see glimpses when we are at parties or Christmas meals. We find old temptations in leftovers calling out from the fridge.  Then there are the chocolates and truffles ready to give you a sugar spike and resulting crash (did you know that a Lindor Truffle is over seventy calories/truffle?  SEVENTY!).  All of these things make it seem impossible to keep losing during the Christmas holiday. 

I think I got a little cocky through this Christmas season.  I was so focused on hitting my Christmas goal and making the three hundred pound milestone that I was able to just shut out all of the Holiday temptations.  Now that I made that goal and with Christmas Day actually arriving (and the delicious but unhealthy meals that come with it), it seems like turning down the temptations was a lot harder.  We normally have a huge breakfast (biscuits, bacon, sausage, eggs, coffee cake, orange juice, sparkling grape juice, hot cocoa, and a food induced coma), but this year we had eggs, bacon, sausage links, and coffee cake. I was able to not eat too much, but that is very difficult with my Mom's coffee cake around.  The fish fry we had last night was a blast, but again, the calories are extremely high and hard to say no to.  I'm really having to work hard to make sure I am careful with the leftovers. I wasn't careful enough at lunch today.  So here I am being reminded of how easy it is to overdo it over Christmas.  The good thing is that I recognize it and can be careful to not eat too much through the rest of the week.  No matter what, I'm still losing my butter half.

Even though I had a small slip up at lunch, Bekah made some turkey and I enjoyed a delicious salad with shredded turkey on it for dinner.  I had a great workout this morning and another light workout before bed.  That should help make up for missing my workout last night.

Day One Hundred and Sixteen - Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas.  May the Lord bless you this Christmas and may we never lose sight of why we celebrate this day!

Calories were ok today.  We had a fish fry and I ate way too many French fries (something I haven't done in a while).  So while I'm at my calorie goal, I don't feel great from the greasy food.  Also with all the church, present time, and company being over I didn't get to work out.  So I may do double for a few days (starting tomorrow).

Day One Hundred and Fifteen - One More Sleep 'Til Christmas

Happy Christmas Eve Everybody! We are in the midst of our family Christmas traditions as I speak.  Lunch was Chinese at our favorite Chinese Buffet (Christmas Story anyone?).  It is a really great restaurant with a wonderful family atmosphere and good food.  For dinner we do homemade pizza (Bekah does an amazing job with this).  Usually, I cook the pizza out on the grill (if you have never done this, it's amazing).  It is raining today, so we'll have to post about the grilled pizza another day.  Bekah and I will watch It's a Wonderful Life and wrap presents (that's next on the agenda).  Tomorrow we will have a delicious breakfast and stockings in the morning, presents after church, and fish (this year a fish fry!) for dinner.  I love our Christmas traditions and I'm so glad to have Bekah, E, and B to share them with.

I want to give you a little play-by-play for how I am getting through these (used to be binge-worthy) meals.  Having Chinese was not too difficult.  I just put several things on my plate, and then only ate small amounts of what I took.  Ok, I will admit that only eating half of an egg roll was pretty hard.  Tonight I had two and a half pieces of pizza and carrots.  Eating healthy through the holidays is definitely not easy, but it can be done.  I hope you find encouragement through my success.  There's only one more sleep 'til Christmas and I'm losing my butter half!

Calories today were good.  I think I did a good job at the restaurant earlier and was able to keep from eating too many pieces of pizza tonight.  I had a great workout this evening, and now it's time to finish wrapping these presents.  After all it's only one more day 'til Christmas!

Day One Hundred and Fourteen - Christmas Memories

It is the eve of Christmas Eve.  I have just had a delicious meal of peppercorn ham with sautéed veggies and steamed carrots.  My parents got in last night and will be heading on to my brothers for Christmas day.  It's always good having them here.  I'm grateful they are still able to travel and be here for Christmas.  Christmas makes me a little nostalgic.  I can remember all the fun Christmases back in Kentucky with giant Christmas trees, my mom's coffee cake, and opening pajamas on Christmas Eve.  I remember that I didn't like It's a Wonderful Life when I was a kid, and then how that changed when I got into high school.  I don't understand people who don't like It's a Wonderful Life.  I think it is probably the best movie ever made.  Great story, great directing, and phenomenal acting = best film EVER!  I can still remember when my mom was sick one Christmas and my dad tried to make the biscuits for our breakfast (we tossed them up the hill for the birds, they were so hard the birds tossed them back).  Probably my favorite Christmas memory was our tree back in 1997.  My parents house has a vaulted ceiling allowing a fifteen-seventeen foot tree.  One year my brother, sister, and I (my oldest brother was still at college) went to cut down our tree.  We brought home a tree that was literally larger than our eighty-eight Chevy twelve-passenger van.  We had to take a few feet off the bottom just to get it to fit and it was so big around you could hardly squash through to get into the back hallway.  It was massive (imagine Chevy Chase's tree, but bigger).  We decorated it with every ornament and light we had in the house, and I think one of my siblings had to hold the other on their shoulders to get the star on top.  I really with I had a picture to share.

Christmas is so much different now that I am married and have children of my own.  I really don't know if I care about opening gifts for myself anymore (that is a huge deal, because while I love giving gifts, I really enjoy receiving them as well).  I am so excited to see E's face as she opens gifts and share the things with Bekah I've bought for her.  I'm excited to enjoy worshiping Christ and celebrating His birth at Church in the morning, and eating with my family and friends (and watching football with my brother in law) that evening.  I am excited for Christmas this year because I'm filled with excitement and joy with my progress of this journey.  I'm also excited that I'm not brought down by a love of food and overindulging on it.  I do plan to enjoy Chinese, pizza, and then fish on Christmas, but I can enjoy it because I won't be binging on it.  It's Christmas here in the Vickers' house, and I'm still losing my butter half.

I had a good day for calories and enjoyed a nice workout watching a Hallmark Christmas movie.  Two more days until Christmas!

Day One Hundred and Thirteen - Weigh in #16 - The Big Weigh In!

Christmas time is here!  Today is my last day in the office until the new year (I save my vacation time to spend it with family each year).  We had a gift exchange at work today which was great.  We had a delicious lunch and tonight had our office Christmas dinner.  I must say I am very blessed to work in a great office.  I hope to replicate the environment when I have my own agency one day.  So now it is time to spend the next few days with my family.  I get to celebrate the birth of Christ with my wife and kids as well as my sister's family.  We are so grateful for our blessings and will look forward to being a blessing to others.

Well folks, today is the big one.  It's the weigh in I've been excited about while dreading all at the same time.  If you would have told me when I started this journey back in September, that 300 lbs. by Christmas would even be a possibility, I would have laughed at you.  Maybe 325, but never 300 lbs.  So just being this close to 300 lbs. is very exciting to me.  So this brings us to today's weigh in.  I stepped onto the scale this morning and was very excited to see the number 298.4!  Yes, you read that correctly.  This brings my total weight loss to 67.8 lbs. with a loss this week of 3.6 lbs.  I am officially under the 300 lb. mark!  I am so excited that I hit this next milestone of my weight loss journey!  I know that it won't continue at the pace that I have been losing, but I am nothing short of encouraged and excited to continue on this journey.  Thank you, each and every one of you who have been reading my blog.  You are my accountability and a huge part of my success so far.  I know this isn't over yet, and I'm only looking forward from here.  So, here I stand, 67.8 lbs. down and still losing my butter half!

Caloric intake for today was a little tricky having had TWO office meals, but I'm glad to say I stayed within my goal.  Also, I was able to get another solid workout in today.  Christmas is in three days folks.  THREE!