Slimdude

Well it was another great diet and exercise day. I just got up at about 6pm and I’m having “breakfast” … fruit and egg whites with fat free cheese and salsa, some coffee and some Boca Sausage links. I did not wake up and eat at all and I have not binged. I only hope this lasts…

Today we closed on our new home and I am so excited. We are supposed to do all of our moving at the end of next week. And I am asking my co-workers to consider helping us move our furniture NEXT saturday because I may need the help, considering my back troubles.

So it’s ours, it’s all ours. It’s so nice and affordable and in such a good neighborhood from what I can tell. I had to wake up at noon to go take care of that.

I got off from work at 6am because I had to go test people for the PT Fitness Test. You know once a year we are required to pass this test. Well, one of my volunteer type jobs is to help evaluate these tests near the first of the month. So I did that this morning and I had four guys and one of them failed. So he’ll have to start the “UpGraded” PT program where you work out 4 days a week and they document it all on paper. Right now you are trusted to keep up your own fitness level and work out with your Squadron once a week. As long as you pass your test.

So I made it home and went to bed at about 8am. Well my wife was off today so she was taking care of errands and stuff and at about 9am she came into the bedroom crying and all because a wasp stung her. So I immediately jumped up to help her out and I did not see the stinger… as a boy my brother and I used to play in the woods and get stung by bees and wasps on occassion but my wife had never been stung. I told her to put ointment on it and take two Ibuprofin because it would be sore otherwise… I felt so bad for her.

So then I had trouble falling back asleep I think I last looked at my watch and it said “10:45am” and then I had to wake up at Noon to do the House Closing. By 2pm we were home again so I took a UniSom to conk out since I was so excited about the house… I never get enough rest on GraveYard Shift but that’s okay today (tonite) is my last work day of the week. Then I’m off for the weekend and I’ll be back on DayShift next week.

Somebody’s Blog I was reading last night had this Thanksgiving Challenge where, in the 12 weeks until TG you have to walk 300 miles. So I want to do that I’ll look at the FitNess Challenge Forum and see if it is on there.

For me, the only thing I’ll use is actual walking on the Gazelle, Treadmill, at the Track or with the Walking DVDs. The walking around at work I’m not going to count and I’m not counting other machines like bikes or stairclimbers because that defeats the whole point of the challenge.

So in two days is the weigh-in. I really think I’ll be 158. I hope so. I have done so great this week and I don’t want to dissapoint The Worker Bees.

—Matt

I know that it’s already Tues, but I’m busy busy busy! I have just fed The Boy his dinner and had mine… Mommy is at work so it’s guy’s nite around here.

Last nite I went in for Mid Shift after having a nappy nap from about 5 until 7:30pm I think…today I came home and went to bed at about 8am and got up at 11:30am and my son is SICK so he was very fussy with my wife all day long, unfortunately. She could not take him to DayCare because he is ill. Coughing and a bit of “the runs” but no fever and he’s not really in a terrible mood. But he was really whiny with her this morning so when I got up at 11:30 I decided to lay down with him and give her a break. So she went off for lunch somewhere… I told her 90 minutes and she stuck by it. I fed him lunch and he played happily until she got back.

I got back to bed about 1:30pm and slept until 3pm or so. I don;t think that is really enough sleep but I’m feeling okay so far. The Boy and I went grocery shopping.

For Labor Day, we crossed the FL panhandle to visit the Mommy’s family,and it was SO FREAKING HOT Saturday… then that evening we visited my family. Indoors. Thank gosh.

We also split up Sunday the same way and returned on Monday.

We are supposed to close on our house this week. I hope we do. We are supposed to be all moved by Sep 20th and I am psyched.

As far as diet and exercise… I’m doing GREAT this week. Sticking to my 1500 calories per day… maybe it’s a little less than that or more… but right around there. Last night I walked 5 miles and tonight I plan on walking while The Biggest Loser is on and also doing Power 90 sculpt routine.

As far as fitness goals… I’m not gonna lie, it makes it tough because of my back issues. But I have got to get back to doing about 40 push-ups and about 40 sit-ups at a time. I can barely do any. So at least 3 times a week I’ve got to force myself to practice. I test in November and I think I can be waived for running but if I can’t do push-ups or sit-ups either I am so afraid the AF will try to Med Discharge me.

Okay well… I may be back later. Ya’ll BSers have fun! I’m going for 158 by Saturday morning and I am staying OFF the scale until then!

Well, BuddySlimmers, I shall be on the road this weekend so I’ll probably catch up to you on Tuesday. I hope you all stay safe and have a great weekend. Don’t stuff yourselves, make good and healthy eating choices where you can and enjoy your families.

I’m going to visit my wife’s family and mine… they both live in the same city, of course! Because that’s where my wife and I met years ago (remember we are high school sweet-hearts).

I will try to get in some activity this weekend. I have my walking shoes, my DVDs and my MP3 player. I plan on picking the best foods available but I may have some treats in moderation… who knows?

I did lose ONE POUND this week. So now I’m at 161. I tell myself, well… that’s better than GAINING weight. But I’m still unhappy over-all with how my weight loss adventure is going.

Oh well.

They moved our House-Closing to Tuesday. And next week I am supposed to move to GraveYard Shift. I have worked the “Mid-Shift” / “OverNite” shift before (11:30pm - 7:30am) and it has no effect on my dieting habits other than I am TIRED ALL THE TIME. My natural routine is to wake early and get to bed by 8 or 9… so being up all night makes me tired and grouchy.

Do not expect to see as much Positivity from Matt in the future.

—Matt

Howdy BuddySlimmers… hope you brought your Reading Glasses, this could be a rambling post. Because I am in a  Rambling Mood.

 Today was one of those days that I just had a really really great time @ work. If I have not mentioned it before… I am in the U.S. Military and my job is to fix computer type stuff on jets. If that sounds like a “sit-down” type job, well… the truth is, 25% of it is. But there is also a large physical aspect to it, too.

There are things to carry and haul, pick up and put down, climb this, walk over here. You never ever stop moving. On one hand, I’m grateful for having such an active job. On the other hand, it really makes it difficult on my back and all…

 That doggone spine thing. I really really try to “Push It Out” and not complain. Nobody wants to hear about how much my neck hurts, my back hurts, my arms tingle. Not my wife, not my co-workers, probably not even you BSers. Hahahaha. BSers. <—-That’s funny right there.

But I’m hoping since this is like my own private journal you all will cut me some slack and let me complain a little. I just know people do not understand the specific type of pain I am in. On a “good day”… when I’m not as active or  my Meds are working… it merely feels like little pin points or ants or something crawling around my neck and back and shoulders. That’s like a “3″. On a worse day, it really feels like somebody stabbing down into my shoulders with knives. Over and over and over and over. All … day… long… but ! With my type of attitude I just try to smile and get on with life because my mentality is this:

 there are people in this world who must deal with SO MUCH MORE adversity. I’m inspired by people like Ash who battle their own problems PLUS they are supportive of signifigant others with problems. Or KamaPerry ( I think that’s right) who is helping her parents get thru tough times and all the while maintaining good diet and exercise habits the best she can.

Yes, it’s true all you BSers inspire me on a daily basis and for those of you who are Americans I keep you in mind when  I try every day to contribute my very itty bitty part to what keeps us safe and free and democracy intact. You pay taxes and I am trying to give you your $$$s worth. Hahahaha.

 Okay so… yeah I love my job, I love the military, I love all you BSers and my back hurts. No this is not the drugs talking, my meds are all mild relaxers and to be honest they just barely work. I am considering asking for something stronger for at night.

So a little “diet” talk before I turn in for the night. It is about Quarter ’til 9pm and I am sitting here not hungry at all. I had dinner at about 5:30 and I feel fine. I had fish and veggies and a cup of sugar free jellO which I shared with my son.

 Who is sick with a cold BTW…

But here is the Bizarre Thing : as soon as I fall asleep, within the hour I will wake up with an Urge to Eat. And then, no matter how many times I fight it off, it will keep occuring every hour until about 2 or 3am.

How to describe this feeling?

It is like a desperate, urgent need to feast on Sweet, Fatty and/or salty carbs. I don’t wake up thinking “Oh I’m hungry I need an apple…”

 No.

The feeling is always “Well, I need some cookies and ice cream, N O W!” But if I can resist for about 15 minutes, I feel fine again. The trouble is, I have to do it again and again all freaking night long!!

Oh well. Maybe I will succeed tonight. NO! I should say ” I will succeed tonight!” and then if I don’t who cares? But if I do, at least I put that Vibe out there to begin with.

On the issue of having stuff in the house… well… this is a very touchy subject for me. The truth of the matter is this : my wife buys “junk food” more often than I do, and she also loves to bake as a hobby and she hopes to make it a career. So there will always be things like cookies and ice cream and brownies and cake around.

There was a time period where I wondered if she was trying to sabotage me for some reason and we had a heart-2-heart talk about it, and she said she really was not trying to hurt me but she simply had her own food problems which is that she likes fast food a lot and she buys junk food. My wife does not have a weight issue at all, I’m sure many of you out there have spouses who eat whatever they want and their weight never changes at all. My wife is like this. She can eat like, a few potato chips and be satisfied but even when  she does things like snack on junk food all day her weight never changes at all. Meanwhile I have to work my butt off just to stay at the 160s. It can be frustrating but I choose to view it as more humorous than anything.

And the reason I am kind of hesitatant to Blog about it is because I never want my wife to feel guilty about her own eating habits or about sabotaging me. The truth is that I am a food addict and even if there were only healthy things in the house I would simply eat 1000s of calories of “healthy food”.

I’m not going to lie, it does make it harder sometimes. Like right there, on this very Entertainment Center, there is a box of OREOS and a box of Whoppers. Today my wife made cupcakes which are supposed to be part of a cake she is making her Mom. So the kitchen has these wonderful chocolate cupcakes, as well as several pots of frosting laying around. It’s all very tempting. But the temptations of life will always be there. That’s just part of living. So rather than be frustrated by all this, I choose to accept responsibilty for what I put into my mouth, see the humor in the whole thing, and to look at it like one of those “Biggest Loser” challenges. Can I resist the temptations?

Do I have the strength to turn to this Blog later on tonight when I inevitably wake up wanting to eat all this stuff?

Gee, I hope so…

—Matt

Aren’t Mondays great? Especially for dieters / exercisers? You tell yourself “It’s the beginning of the week… time to start fresh and kick this thing off right!”

And guess what?! It’s true. I weighed-in this morning at 160 pounds after having a very good Sunday. My hope is to be 157 by next Sunday… but I won’t be able to weigh-in because we are visiting our families for Labor Day. The last day I will be able to weigh-in is Friday morning and then on Tuesday morning. But let’s hope the numbers are right around 157.

I do so well when I can enforce that eating cut-off time. A commenter suggested that perhaps I could do a snack at night, but the trouble with that is… I feel like I am re-enforcing a habit that I need to end. A very small snack like a sugar free popsicle or sugar-free cocoa is fine. I think peanut butter on toast might be a bit of overkill for me and it might lead to further snacking.

Marge sent me a great idea about… just not leaving the bedroom at all. So maybe if I took some water and maybe even some gum with me to bed and then not go into the living room / kitchen area at all at night. That might work, too.

Okay so here are some thoughts that motivate me, and they are probably similar for you, too:

*Clothes - I have a handful of clothes I cannot fit into anymore and I like them. Bought them all when I was 20 pounds lighter and they have just been sitting in my closet for over 2 years. It’s about time to get back into them. Not to mention all my uniforms are meant for a 140 pound person. I hate squeezing into them every day.

*The AF Ball is Sept 14th and I’d love to be around 153 by then. MY wedding anniversary is the week after that — but we are using the Ball to celebrate.

*I’d love for THIS WEEK to finally be the week I break below 160 and keep it there. Never ever do I want to see “160″ again in my life.

*By the end of Sept, I’d love to be below 150. On Sept 29th, I’m supposed to weigh-in at 149. I will do the Happy Happy Joy Dance.

*And of course, by the end of Oct, if I play this game right-O, I’m supposed to be 140 pounds and then I begin the lifelong work / play of maintenance.

*It’ll be very interesting to see my family this weekend and then see them again at my Cousins wedding on Nov 30th. Because it’ll be about a 20 pounds difference in 3 months.

Hopefully.

—Matt

Well it looks like Hurricane Dean will be headed towards Texas and Mexico, and not towards my side of Florida. I hope those people evacuate and I hope they will all be okay. Things can be replaced but family and friends cannot.

I peeked at the scale and it says “161″ this morning. I know you’re only supposed to expect a weight-loss of 2 pounds per week, but I suspect that if I can enforce my “6:30pm eating cut-off time” every night I could probably drop more than that. At least at first. So that is my secret hope this week. I can enforce the cut-off time and maybe I can make my “mini-goal” of 155 by Sunday.

I’ve noticed that a lot of BuddySlimmers are over 200 pounds but their pictures don’t look it at all. I guess I’m a bad guess-timator at weight. And I am pretty sure I am going to get officially added to the Worker Bees roster this week. That would be cool. It would give me a little bit more accountability.

This morning I am making my weekly “To-Do” list and it seems  a mile long. On top of all the family stuff, the career stuff, and closing on this house, weight-loss always looms in the back of my mind. I have little doubt that the reason I wake up in the dead of night to eat is because of stress. I do not feel stressed at all during the day. But it really gives you a relaxing high to wake up at midnight and eat and eat. You do feel stuffed and guilty afterwards, but in the midst of a binge, it feels pretty good.

But really I need to satisfy myself with some blogging and some lighter alternatives, like herbal tea or diet soda or chewing gum. I know I will never get my flat stomach back eating banana and PB sandwiches at midnight.

So, BuddySlimmers! Let’s kick off Monday right! I’m going to do my brand new Leslie Sansone DVD, eat right (1200-1500 calories today), stop eating past 6:30pm, I may get an extra workout in the afternoon with my Flight, and I may Gazelle while watching Fat March tonight.

—Matt

hey for anyone who is interested to see a glimpse of what I do,

 www.dosomethingamazing.com/?s=71&v=feature

shows a Crew Chief explaining some things about the Raptor. I used to work with the guy in the video.

Howdy BuddySlimmers!

I hope this morning finds you all in good spirits. If not, I want to encourage you to think of something to look forward to. They say that to make yourself start feeling good, try and think of someone to love, someone who loves you, or something good to look forward to. Even if it’s just a Diet Coke break. Perhaps you have a rewarding job or a great little tot at home who loves you.

Anyway. If you are new to BuddySlim, congrats on making a step in the right direction. Even if you failed 1000 times before, you never really “fail” to lose weight and shape up until you stop trying. The fact that you are here now reading this is proof that you have NOT given up and you are willing to change your life for the better. Hooray, you!

Okay now back to me. I have the day off today to make up for the fact that I worked last weekend. I did peek at the scale and it is still holding at “159″ despite some dietary slip-ups this week. So I am psyched that it will probably be that weight or maybe a tad lower on Sunday morning, which is what I use as my “Official” weight for the week. That means in my first week on BuddySlim I will have lost 4 pounds, maybe 5… so I’m happy.

I do expect to see that number slow to maybe 2 pounds per week as my body adjusts, but for now I’m not complaining at all. I’ve been eating about 1400-1500 calories during the day… sometimes I am slipping and snacking at night which adds anywhere from 200-2000 calories but even then I suppose I am so active that I am burning it back off. I guess Jet maintenance is more active than I thought when it comes to calorie burning. Did you know I read a 150 person burns about 200 calories per hour just driving a CAR? That is so crazy.

So yeah today I’m gonna stick to my diet and walk 4 or 5 miles this morning plus whatever walking I do today… but I am off work so it might be a Less Active day. In The Morning I have my appointment with the Spine Doctor (finally) and I am super-psyched about that because I want my neck and back FIXED!! Then in the afternoon my wife is also off work so I am going to see what cheap movies are playing… or maybe we’ll go to Blockbuster and rent a movie. I dunno yet.

After finding out I made the Staff Sgt. list for next year I have been pretty happy. I don’t officially put on the rank until July or Aug next year, but … I don’t know… it’s a big deal to me because it was my first time testing for it. It feels weird because there are so many people who didn’t make it, and some of them were Senior Airmen when I got to the unit, and now I’m going to outrank them. I passed them by. That is a weird feeling. But I studied, I love the Air Force, and I deserve it.

Later all!

—Matt

This morning was my “early day”… kind of. I ended up walking around the track and then  with everybody else, instead of the Elliptical. When I got home I kid you not, I weighed 158.5 pounds. I don’t know what is going on. I don’t feel like I’m working out that hard and I have not been restricting my diet THAT MUCH. Am I just that active that if I keep myself to 1500 calories I lose weight?

Oh well… I’ll take it.

This morning our Commander came down and passed out Stripes to those who made it. It’s a very awkward feeling, because you are so happy you made it but there are so many of your friends and colleagues who did not. So by this time next year I’ll be an NCO (Non Commissioned Officer).

I know this is supposed to be a weight-loss blog, and it is. But just let me say I freaking love the U.S. Air Force. Today I got to talk to a panel of NCOs — about what I expect from AF leadership and it was awsome. SOmeday I’d like to be a “chief”. that’s the highest rank you can get in the AF as enlisted. It’s E-9. When people find out you are in the AF, they always assume you are a pilot. Well, there are so many many jobs in the Air Force. And pilots are officers, anyway. I’m enlisted. I really love what I do, though. I fix jets. It is very very fun on most days.

Okay. So my job today was fun and my exercise and diet went great. Picked up my son and my beautiful wife was home early so everything is going great today. Now… can I resist any and all urges to snack and everything today?

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…

—Matt

P.S. Thanks to everyone who is stopping by to read and comment. And also I wish somebody would tell me whether I could be on a weight-loss team or not. I’ve already lost four pounds this week if it holds out until Sunday, that ought to be helpful to some team, right?

It has been a really busy, active day. I’m originally writing this on Microsoft Word because my internet won’t work right. Damned Mediacom once again. This morning I was feeling pretty blue, I admit it. I barely wanted to face the day.

If you have never met me, you have no way of knowing that this is HIGHLY UNUSUAL for me. I am an extremely motivated and positive person. I usually love to jump out of bed at 4:30am, and on weekends “sleeping in” is usually 5 or 6 at the latest. I like to exercise every day and then get some breakfast and get on with my day.

But this morning… I was just feeling badly because of yet another binge the night before, and I was tired. But today I left a message in the forums about joining a weight-loss team and I hope that will help me motivate myself. Whoever’s team I am on, sorry I only have about 20 pounds to lose, I may not be much long-term help. But I also saw where someone may start a thread for “Maintenance” and that would be FANTASTIC because after I hit  my Goal Weight it will be the holidays. Hard work to maintain around that season.

Well as soon as I got to work I started feeling much much better and the jobs I did end up with were good ones. Some antenna stuff and then “re-building” a jet. It was pretty active and some of the positions I was trying to turn my neck in really hurt.

Oh here is the Low-Down on that : I have something seriously wrong with several discs in my neck (according to an MRI) and it causes me to have neck pain, shoulder pain and upper back pain. Occasionally it will send numbness and tingliness down into my arms and hands and right leg. I take lots of Ibuprofin (Motrin and Advil) and a relaxer called Robaxin that doesn’t work all that great. It takes the edge off and it makes me feel kinda mellow but it’s no Lortab or Percoset if you know what I mean.

***Oh my gosh right now Primetime is doing a story on Adam Walsh. When I was a little boy that was big big news. If you don’t know, Adam was kidnapped and later found beheaded but his killer was never found. And John Walsh went on to found America’s Most Wanted. My mom used to talk about it all the time and use it as a warning to us to not wander off in malls or grocery stores… now as a Father… oh holy jesus if something ever happened to my darling boy I would lose my freaking mind. Seriously. ***

(Author’s Note: I originally finished this post from here on using WordPress and BuddySlim, but then when I tried to save it, the Internet was “out” again… GRRR!) 

Well. Right now as I write this it is about 10pm at night and I am fighting the urge to go into the kitchen and eat. I want to make a marshmallow crème sandwich. But I know I don’t need it and I would never stop there anyway. I did peek at the scale today and it said “159.5”. So I’m hoping, if I stick to my diet and exercise plan, and if I just STOP STUFFING MY FACE at night, I will make my “Mini-Goal” of 155 by Sunday morning. I know, I know, I know… I will not just magically lose 8 pounds every week. But this first week, I think I can. And it helps to think maybe I’ll be helping out a “weight-loss team”.

So what else? Oh I see the Net is back up again. I’m still going to finish this in WORD and then Copy and Paste.

So work was fun and rewarding today. After work I got a haircut and bought some more diet soda and returned some things to the Library and got some videos for me and my son, like “101 Dalmations” and the animated “Robin Hood”. I also got some books on “Getting Things Done” and Home Buying. As well as Jorge Cruise’s “3 Hour Diet”. I’ve read it before but I really like it. It is how I’ve planned my meals for a long time now. It really works, by the way… if you don’t know… what I do is wake up and exercise and then I eat breakfast. 3 hours later I have a snack. 3 hours later is lunch. 3 hours pass and it’s snack time. 3 more hours and dinner. Now I try and stop eating after that because 3 hours after dinner is bedtime. But lately I have not had much success. But here I am tonight TRYING SO HARD to make new habits and break the old bad ones.

If I REALLY need to, I know I can have a diet soda, or some sugar free Jello or Sugar Free Popsicles… maybe celery… you know, really light and low-cal stuff. I’m not gonna get fat snacking on that stuff at midnight. It’s when I start downing sandwich after sandwich and cookies and crackers that problems start to occur.

Oh yes and today the Air Force released it’s promotion list to E-5, which for us is the first NCO rank of Staff Sgt. And one of my flight chiefs called me at home and told me I made it. I won’t officially put the rank on until next year, but still… I’m pretty psyched. It’s a promotion! Hooray! My best friend made it also. This was my first year testing for it (In March) and I thought I did horribly, but I guess I underestimated myself.

Also my son and I took a walk after dinner and put up “Missing Cat” posters.

My wife got home at 8pm and we chatted. Tried to fall asleep at 9pm but here I am at almost 10:30 now having cravings for sweets and fats. Telling myself that years and years of this habit is going to take patience to break.

You know, I think I’ll make some Chai Tea with Splenda and surf some other “SlimBlogs” as long as the Internet holds out…

—Matt