Good Start, Good Bird

First full week of this the 10th month of 2011. October is always a month of tectonic demand for our time, patience and sense of humor. Our family has six birthdays to celebrate, our kids make up half of them. Hunting season resumes so we have deer & turkey to harvest. The kids have school events to attend. Hockey season resumes so we have a Hockey game to go to. Tectonic I tell you!

In honest reflection of my mission here, it was this time last year my progress slowed to a point of inconsistent ups and downs beginning a string of months of clumsy maintenance. Was is the increased external demands of the final months of the year which contributed to that result? Certainly it did influence it, but, the result was something I allowed. Had I stayed sharp mentally and kept my mission prioritized properly the result would have been better.

That learned experience is a tool I now have to use my quest to emerge from the final months of this year healthier, happier and handsome. No tool is useful if not used, and proper prioritization of my own mission with all else October brings is the only way this quest will succeed.

Thanks to the challenges I've joined (Go The Distance and Fall 31 Day) I am off to a good start this month. Each of the first two days saw me get in a couple of miles of combined walk/jog activity. Yesterday I also put in an hour in the gym working on upper body pulling exercises.

Exercise is good, very good. But we all know sustained weight loss or maintenance is a combination of exercise & diet. So on the diet front I'm off to a good start too. I won't bore you (or myself) with a list of everything I have eaten. But I will share a dish I had fun with. We need to remind ourselves that when food is fun we use food more successfully. Oh, to be clear, having fun with food does not mean 'food-fight' fun, but rather using fun creatively and outside of the norms that most dull diets prescribe.

Saturday's dinner was Bacon & Apple Roasted Pheasant:

Raw pheasant ready for some loving attention...

Spices, soy sauce & water will become marinade in no time...

Two pheasants marinade the day away...

Each marinaded pheasant gets stuffed w/ apple & hit w/ apple wood seasoning...

Trussed, draped in bacon (I was told I needed to use more bacon), these are ready for bagging...

Oven roaster bags work on pheasants & birds of all kinds...

Ninety minutes later we have Apple/Bacon Roasted Pheasant...

And the final photo is the one way up at the top of the post, my dinner plate; Breast of Pheasant w/ Salsa Dressed Romaine Salad. A mighty tasty and healthy meal it was.

Are you off to a good start this October ?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 391-396: Past Week Or So

Hello one & all, hope all has been well with you. Last Friday Blogger was hosed-up somehow preventing me from logging in to create a post. Then I was away this past weekend at our hunting property where we were too busy to give much thought to all things electronic. Back home I chose to stay disconnected for a couple days to start the week and just focus on a mountain of needs at home and work. So there you have my brief absence explained. All is well, I am back, and a blogging I shall go...

I'll resume the leadership traits tomorrow. Today I'll share a handful of photos of the past week or so of our fun and healthy days...

Andrew waiting for me to finish my walk around Lake Andrea, he finished a couple minutes ahead of me

Squishy at Honors Night, she received recognition for her work on the Yearbook Club and National Honors Society

A cat pictures for the feline fanatics; these two sit at the chair next to me each night at the dinner table

Mmm, grilled pork chop & tomatoes w/ caesar salad

My wonderful wife getting her walk on with me

Squishy got game, this was the final soccer game I was able to attend of her high school career. Her season is now over, next team she'll play for is in college

That's it for now. I have a bunch of photos and video too of our time at the hunting property. I'll get that loaded up to my hunting blog soon and link back here for those interested.

Hope you're having a great week! Are you?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 333 - I'm Gett'n It In w/ Andrea

Looking forward to this evening. The weather will be decent, 50F after work, swweeettttt!


And with the time change to DST it will now be light out late enough for me to return to Lake Andrea for some outdoor cardio. Folks that is HUGE news to me, worthy of an Oh Yeah!

Lake Andrea is where I notched many a NSV last summer & fall. I am excited about my weekly return to dance with the challenge that is Lake Andrea's 2.25 loop.

What opportunities do the longer & warming days bring you in your effort to get & stay healthy?

A quick picture duo from my Albuquerque...
Tex-NewMex Platter...

Beef Rib Platter...

No mystery why my time away saw me gain ten spins on the scale!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 299 - Food Rainbow Faves

Way way back in June of last year I put up this post about the notion and benefits of coloring your food. The skinny of that post was that the more colors your overall food intake is made up of the higher the probability that you are getting all of the vitamins types you need and as well getting the amount you need.

For myself I am all about variety as I am easily bored so eating from all colors of the food rainbow is natural for me. But it is not always easy either, sometimes you do have to give it a bit of thought and effort to get really colorful.

So lets look at my favorite foods of the various colors we have to choose from...

Red
Protein: Beef, Venison, Bear, Buffalo; yes I love me some red meat!
Fruit: Cherry;  more flavor per chew than any other fruit
Veggie: Tomato, hands down the greatest invention of the veggy kingdom
 
Yellow
Protein: Gouda Cheese, looks yellow'ish yo me
Fruit: Lemon, sour is sexy
Veggie: Yellow Mushroom Peppers; no not mushrooms (yuck!), these hard to find mushroom shaped peppers add zip

Green
Protein: Lima Bean; yep it is a veg, a veg packed with protein & tasty too!
Fruit: Kiwi; get that leathery brown skin off it and release a crazy cool combo of sweet & sour
Veggie: Cabbage; I am addicted to cole slow, what can I say, Slaw Me

Blue
Protein: Blue Cheese; more white than blue but whose counting
Fruit: Blue Berries; maybe they look purple to you but the label says BLUE
Veggie: Celery; filled with blue cheese and topped with blue berries, uh huh thats how I eat my celery!

Orange
Protein: Buffalo Wings; a gorgeous shared of orange when coated in a quality wing sauce
Fruit: Tangerine; Oranges may be bigger, but tangerines are badder (in a good way)
Veggie: Pumpkin; saying carrots would have been too easy, plus they are just so-so. Pumpkin is so-good
 
Purple
Protein: Purple Haze Cheese; yeah I know, a stretch here. Had it once in my life, it was ok, it was barely purple, give me a break on this one
Fruit: Plum; Ever had a plum smoothie? Why Not?!
Veggie: Belgian Endive; just typing that makes me feel so sophisticated

Brown
Protein: Nuts; there are so many but my fave is the almond by far
Fruit: Brown Banana; let that sucker over riped and them smoothie it
Veggie: Brownies filled with Brussels Spouts; don't knock it until you try it, and when you do let me know how it is because no way I am touching that

White
Protein: Halibut, I go back and forth between Walleye & Halibut as my fave fish, I'm so conflicted
Fruit: Jicama; styrofoam never tasted so good
Veggie: Shallots; Or shall I not?

Pink
Protein: Bacon; such a pretty color pink before it goes into the frying pan
Fruit: Watermelon; my fave fruit of all time
Veggie: Rhubarb; Yes it is a veg & not a fruit even though the USA classifies it as a fruit for tax reasons

 

My stomach has grumbled and moaned throughout the writing of this post, I must go feed it now.

Hit me up with your color faves.

 
 
Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 296 - Defining Super Sunday

Super is working hard enough to get a good sweat going.

Super is waking up in the morning and wanting to be sure time is made to exercise.

Super is planning weekly menu options that are both healthy & tasty.

Super is looking forward to the food that comes with the big-game and knowing I won't over-indulge.


Super is Super Bowl Sunday, A Steelers victory will be Super-Duper!

 Enjoy your Day and the Game!!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 286 - Got Core-Values ?

Chicken Hash

New recipes, most health bloggers like to take on the challenge of a new recipe. I know I certainly do. This past Tuesday I came across a recipe for Chicken Hash. After my wife & I did our cardio we whipped it up for dinner; there you see it pictured.

The picture doesn't do it justice, and if you ask my kids it doesn't deserve any justice. Simply it was too healthy for them. Beans are like boogers to them, my wife too. The sauce was tomato paste based, too thick and tomato'y flavored for them, thus it appealed to them like snot.

Oh well, I liked it just fine. You win some you lose some; and whenever you try to inject a better health option into your day you win regardless. Winning, we all want to win this mission to get healthy we are on. Not a day goes by a blogger doesn't post on how hard it is day in day out to win at this.

How do we win? Oh entire books have been written on that topic, I don't have a book in me. But I do have thoughts on what I believe to be a major ingredient in the recipe for winning; core-values.

It is relatively easy to scribble a list of characteristics we feel we ought to live by. Certainly this is an exercise we ought to perform, list out what defines us; what are our core-values. Have you done so recently? Or have you ever? Take a moment to do so today, this week, or hey how about now?

Here are the core-values I aspire to exhibit in my effort to win my own mission...

HONOR, holding myself to the highest ethical & moral standards. Respecting the needs others and myself while acting responsibility in my endeavors to better the same.

COURAGE, embracing fear so as to overcome it. Bringing the combined strength of my mind, body & beliefs to bear on all challenges.

COMMITMENT, living with determination and dedication. Striving with vigilance for excellence in life.

Now note above I said I aspire to exhibit these core-values. I will not pretend I do so consistently. I am not a Saint, just ask my Mother; second thought please don't ask her.

What I do know is that when I put honor, courage and commitment to practice I am more CONFIDENT, I am WILLING to take on greater challenge, I have more FUN, I am more VALUABLE to myself and others who depend upon me, I PERFORM at a higher level; I WIN.

What core-values do you aspire towards?

 

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 272 - Food Speak, Sort Of

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"We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons." -Alfred E. Newman
My 2-cents; Lemonade is like lays potato chips, you can't eat/drink just one.

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“What is man, when you come to think upon him, but a minutely set, ingenious machine for turning with infinite artfulness, the red wine of Shiraz into urine?" -Isak Dineson, Danish author
My 2-cents; I hate wine!

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“Salsa has now passed ketchup as America's favorite condiment. Isn't that amazing? You know it's bad when even our vegetables are starting to lose their jobs to Mexico.” -Jay Leno, on the Tonight Show
My 2-cents; Salsa is awesome & I make a killer salsa, recipe here for your enjoyment.


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“An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup." -H.L. Mencken
My 2-cents; Cabbage scent in the kitchen is a welcome scent in my book. Boiled, fried, raw, my cabbage!

Yep, that is all I have today.

In a mellow mood and a bit shallow on thoughts.

Some days less is more, right?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 270 - The ABC's of My Fridge, Come Inside

First, allow me to say WOW - Very inspiring the comments received yesterday. My post spoke of having a daily talk with yourself to maintain momentum and several spoke of a more frequent self talk. Bravo to all I say!

So today I thought I'd give you a peak inside our refrigerator/freezer. I must warn you, its contents really do not look like what you might expect to find in the home of someone trying to lose weight. Keep in mind, I have four teenagers whose idea of eating healthy is having grilled onions on their bacon double cheese burger.

Up top there you see the it in it's most innocent view. It's outside shiny & peaceful, or maybe just shiny. A mess of stuff hangs off of it...
A- Grocery lists, TWO. The one on the left is for Costco on a Happy Bunny note pad; the right for Target or Dominicks on a Curious George note pad. In case you are wondering, the Curious George note pad is MINE!
B- A bunch of refrigerator magnets. The one being pointed out there is Garfield; no doubt trying to get inside in search of lasagna.
C- Chicago Blackhawks 2010 Stanley Cup Championship towel, just in case you needed a reminder before your snack.

Ok, let us see what is inside...

Lots of yummy stuff in here. We'll look inside the deli/veg compartments later, inside the main area we find...
A- Greek Yogurt. Nobody eats this but me. This week it is Fage, next week maybe Chobani; whatever is on sale.
B- B is for Beverages. A Brita Water Dispenser keeps me hydrated. When water won't cut it, plenty of adult beverages; left to right Jack Daniels malt something-or-other for my wife, Chili Pepper flavored beer which I received as a gift, and Miller Lite in case John Madden stops by.
C- Leftovers galore! There you see a couple of baked potatoes still in foil, a container with pork chops, another with pasta in sauce, and the little one has pineapple chunks. Wednesday is usually leftover night.

So, what is to be found stored in the doors?

The left door, has less storage space as the ice maker is behind it. But still, some cool goods to be had here...

A- V8 Tomato Juice, I have a 5.5 oz can every day. Good Stuff!

B- Kids eat here, or I mean, kids sauce their food from here. Nasty commercial asian themed sauces which all have enough sugar to send anyone into a coma.

C- I am a man of convenience, hence I buy egg whites in a carton even though separating them by hand is pretty easy.

On to the other door...

Right door, simply just condiments...

A- Cream Cheese in all shapes & sizes of containers. You saw bread & bagels in the main compartment, have to have sour cream for those I hear... neither the bagels or cream cheese is eaten by me; almost never!

B- Amongst the ketchup and mustard what is this rare find highlighted here? Why yes, it is Bacon Flavored Mayo! Heaven in a jar my friends; HEAVEN!

C- Hot Sauce & Buffalo Wing Sauce are more popular in our house than milk or soda pop.

As promised, the deli/veg compartments...

As expected meats & cheeses can be found here...

A- Well also here is some healthy stuff in this veggie compartment; a bag of salad, carrots and green onions. I put this compartment to good use.

B- CHEESE, so many to choose from! We are only 15 minutes from Wisconsin, have to support the neighbors to the north.

C- Left to right, Venison snack-stix and bacon; Ok now I am hungry!

Just one more and we're done...

The Freezer, ours is below the refrigerator. Here is the stuff we use either frequently or will soon. In the basement is a monster-sized upright freezer with a ton of meat inside, oh and frozen waffles too. But back to this freezer...

A- A package of green beans in case someone burns themselves and needs a cold compress.

B- Meat-a-palooza; Pork Shoulder, Pork Chops, Chicken Breasts, Beef Roast

C- Ground meat; beef and venison, have to have variety!

Ok, I am done, your turn; what is in your refrigerator?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 230 - Riddle, Tuna, Snow, Fitness Warrior & Meow

December is off and running and we need a picture riddle to keep it going properly, don't you agree? What oh what could that picture above be? Have an idea; then tell us what you think it is. Have no idea; then take a guess anyhow. Have fun and I'll get you the answer tomorrow.

Let us see here, I think I will keep things on the lighter side today just because I can.

Speaking of lite, here is a picture of my lunch from yesterday; tuna steak over sauteed veg & brown rice. Oh and a huge dollop of cucumber sauce which I punted. Amazing how the cafeteria can put out some really great dishes on some days and them some horrific messes on others...

This was taken earlier this week from one of our office building cat-walks. Snow flurries teasing and taunting us. This Saturday the weather folks are calling for 2-4 inches; I've procrastinated long enough in cranking over the snow blower and be sure it is ready for the season...

 

THANK YOU Bobbie!

Recently I was one of the lucky ones whose name came up as winners of a give-away Bobbie was having. And here it it, my very own Fitness Warrior towel from her recently launched line of Fitness Warrior gear. If you are not familiar with Bobbie of her line of goods, check out those links!

And we will wrap up the post with a gratuitous cat picture. Zinger & Nacho here, can you tell that they want the cat nip I have in hand...

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 221 - Holiday: Bring It

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Who doesn't enjoy a holiday? Well, there are plenty of people that do not look forward to holidays for a variety of reasons. So the question instead should be who doesn't enjoy the holiday food? In less time than it takes to dredge a forkful of turkey through gravy I can answer that question myself with a I DO.  

Tomorrow is a holiday, Happy Thanksgiving in advance. We will be entertaining family and serving a very traditional Thanksgiving spread. I will say without reservation I am looking forward to the time with family and also the food that will surround us like a coyote would surround a helpless rabbit. Bring it on I say!

Getting healthy, I say bring that on too. And I've been bringing it since April. Is getting healthy hard work? Absolutely! Is it difficult? To a degree it is especially when getting started and sifting through the mazes of how to do it.

We are humans, so it is natural that we make most everything we do more difficult than it really is. On holidays, we can really make a twist out of enjoying the day while staying healthy. I have done it as recently as this past Independence Day and Easter. Fretting over the menu or the buffet that would be there that day; spending the day doing a careful tip toe through the maze of food before me.

I am not, NOT, doing that tomorrow or ever again. I am not making holiday's difficult anymore because they shouldn't be. Simply, what we do everyday is what we should do holidays. Sure, the food on a holiday is different in that it is more tempting. But our approach to the food that day should be no different than any other day. Practice the same good sense where portion size and nutrient balance is concerned. Don't make it any harder than that.

Enjoy whatever food it is that is part of your holiday within the same guidelines you'll apply to your food today, and the day after the holiday.

By the way, what is going to be on your holiday table?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 217 - Saturday Food Funnies

Hello hello hello... The boys and I are out hunting this weekend. Keeping it short and fun today. Doing that by sharing some fun food pics my daughters boy friend shared with us recently. No idea who is the author, whoever it is has some mad knife skills.


Um, have any Bread handy?



Melon having a nightmare?



What do you know; Tomatoes wear classes while herding?


Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 153 - Fuel For Life Award

Good Morning, Good morning! Um, is it morning where you are? If not Good Day to you then.

Today I have a pair of doctor appointments, yeah I hear you; yippee kay yay for me. Boring you with details I wont do today but I will say this is the day I will learn just what that blemish was I had removed, or mole as some have come to refer to it; factually it is a skin lesion. Shoot, failed; I went & bored you didn't I?

Final doctor tidbit is that I'll get these surface stitches removed. If you looked at my progress pictures on Thursday then you saw in my 40% shots I have that bandage on my right cheek still. Looking forward to saying sayonara to those stitches & the bandage.

Misunderstood and Admired honored me with an award yesterday - Thanks again!

He sent some very kind & admirable words my way with his award presentation, you can read them on his blog via that link there. If you are not a follower of Misunderstood and Admired, you really ought to check him out.

With sincere appreciation I accept this award and at the same I must spread credit for it out amongst my fellow bloggers with who I am engaged regularly. Together we put blogging to use. Blogging is not a video game, it is not aimless surfing of the net to kill time. Yes, it is enjoyable but it is also beneficial & useful to our missions to getting healthy.

Lets see, I have been blogging for well 153 days now. On day one I expected blogging to be simply where I would organize my thoughts on how to go about losing weight. Maybe, probably not, but just maybe I'd gather some pointers along the way too. My expectations were low, but my curiosity was high. Thank goodness it was too as I've been rewarded a zillion-fold for my explorations. A few blog visits here a few more there, and wow; I was buried in a torrent of new knowledge I could put to immediate use thanks to bloggers such as all of you.

This award has some responsibilities to follow, so let me get down to business...
1. List three things that you are happy about at this very moment
a- I am happy about being able to rise above my own self-imposed perceived limitations and enjoy the immense surprise from my own results
b- I am happy about having family by my side & having all of you here in blogosphere join me too
c- I am happy about the Chicago Blackhawks possessing Lord Stanley's Cup

2. List three things that played a big part in your current focus on weight loss and inner growth
a- Shutting out negativity. We can fail, learn from failure, and even feed off of it. But negativity too often is the straw that breaks the back of many an effort to get healthy; I have chosen not to accept or even acknowledge any negativity on this mission - none
b- One at a time. Success happens one choice at a time. I have planned to lose 121 pounds, but I attack the plan one choice - one decision - at a time; just one & no more.
c- A new respect & a new approach to food. I haven't talked about this much, or perhaps not at all; but I shall in a post soon

3. Pass this award on to a blogger that you feel really deserves it
'A' blogger huh, just one... whew who oh who do I give this to?
Ok, I will stay within the same essence of the presentation in which I was given this award...
Someone I've had as a friend from the beginning (she was the first to ever post a comment on my blog in fact)
Someone whose energy I feed of off
Someone who has demonstrated they can put it all together into a rhythm and groove
Someone who has FUELED my tank

Thank You DAWN

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 97 - Playing Favorites

Food has been on my mind this week, so, lets stay there. I've come to learn you have to eat healthy; have to. Otherwise you aint healthy, it is that simple; no?.

That said, where is it said that you can't ever eat the unhealthy stuff you like? You know what you like, right? And you know then know if it is healthy or not & how much and often you can eat it, right? I would assume the answer to those questions is yes for most. If you don't ponder and research. Or lets us know what food it is you are unsure of, plenty of folks here willing to share their thoughts on it I bet.

Whatever anyone says, don't ever just completely never eat something you like just because it is unhealthy.

So what are your favorite foods that are not the healthiest for you but you still enjoy from time to time?

Myself, well here are some of mine...

Breakfast: Four-egg omelets stuffed with four cheeses, four meats accompanied by four slices of rye toast, I used to call this the 4x4-Squared Delight. I do still eat omelets, but, it will be a while before I eat this behemoth again.

Lunch: Bacon Double Cheese Burger w/ fries, a simple all-American favorite. Not just any burger but you have to get one of these at a tavern; do that and it is twice as awesome'licious. Is that a word? If so, how many calories are in that word??

Snacks: Candy Bars, especially Snickers, Kit Kat's, Reece's PB Cups and Almond Joy. I used to get all four, sometimes two of each, and eat them all on one thirty-minute drive. Super sad, I know. Candy bars still have a place in my diet, but one or two a month at most.

Dinner: Fried Chicken & Dumplings, easily a 3,000 calories feast before adding side dishes. And yes, I used to have seconds, and thirds on the dumplings. How many servings of dumplings can you pack in at one sitting? My tops, FIVE!

Dessert: Chess Pie, omg my Great-Grandma made the best-est pies ever made. She made pies from scratch at the Maid-Rite in Christopher, IL for years and years. People would pay her to make them pies on the weekends from her tiny apartment kitchen. Whatever it took to survive the depression doldrums she used to say. Pie can be easily worked into your diet as you can control the size of the slice, right?

Late Night Snacks: Taco Bell drive thu. Especially if too many adult beverages had been consumed, this was the place to feast on the worst food on the planet while ones taste buds were numb and dumb. So fast food, I have committed to no more fast food and have no intention of doing any anytime soon. But if i were to open my mind to fast food again I'd say treat it like candy bars, once or twice a month. Not once or twice a day which I have done before.

Ok, I must go get some breakfast now; oatmeal and fruit awaits me!

Enjoy whatever it is you eat today and remember it is Ok to enjoy the unhealthy foods you really like once in a while.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 95 - Attitude Maturation (Food)

I've chatted up my recent exercise a good deal & I feel real good about it. The new PR's are nice, but those are just numbers really. The importance of them is not having set new PR's but rather the fact that I have gotten out there and not only exercised but pushed myself. That's the real PR, the fact that I have moved my butt one more time than I had before. Hey, I steal nothing; that attitude about PR's is one I learned from someone who has been with me my entire journey here & whom I respect; Kyle.

Oh I do talk about PR's like they mean the world to me perhaps, but know that I do so only to motivate myself. No matter how much I may talk of PR's understand I know that what matters is the exercise getting done - period!

Food, food is really what I want to talk about today. Others have done reviews of their changes in eating habits comparing their before meals to their after starting to get healthy meals. I think of this as more than just changing how you eat, but adopting a new attitude towards how you approach food as a whole. So now it is my turn, a reflection of my old attitude of food vs. my new attitude.

Breakfast @ 615 a.m...
OLD ATTITUDE: Apple Fritter & Sausage Biscuit
(Oh how I love apple fritters! Someday I will treat myself to one but no longer are they typical breakfast fare for me)

NEW ATTITUDE: Greek Yogurt w/ Fruit & dash of Granola
(I thought of this post idea right after breakfast, so I had to surf for a similar dish; this is quite close)

Snack @ 845 a.m...
OLD ATTITUDE: Snickers Bar
(I miss these; the best candy bar ever!)

NEW ATTITUDE: Carton of Skim Milk (Moo...)

Lunch @ 1145 a.m...
OLD ATTITUDE: Burrito, Rice & Refried Beans
(I like my refried beans triple refried, and I wondered for so long why I am obese)

NEW ATTITUDE: Garden Salad (salad bar) w/ Tuna (canned) & Sesame Oil

Snack @ 245 p.m...
OLD ATTITUDE: Rice Krispie Treat
(Perhaps the best 'tasting' energy bar sold in our cafeteria for a mid-afternoon boost to the finish line)

NEW ATTITUDE: Apple

Dinner @ 645 p.m...
OLD ATTITUDE: Steak & Potatoes

NEW ATTITUDE: Grilled Chicken Breast, Fried Rice w/ Veggies & Fruit Salad
(I forgot to take a picture of my actual dinner so I had to surf and whack a similar dish together)

Dessert @ 745 p.m...
OLD ATTITUDE: Ice Cream Cone

NEW ATTITUDE: Grapes
(When I have a dessert which is now rare) 

Tale of the Scale
OLD ATTITUDE: 4,200 calories (40% fat, 40% carbs, 20% protein)
NEW ATTITUDE: 1,700 calories (30% fat, 40% carbs, 30% protein)
(calculated using a FitDay account I use for reference when needed)

Huh? Would you look at that. I've said it a few times since starting my blog that I do not count calories and certainly not the energy breakdown. I did it just for this one post, and I am somewhat surprised at what I see there.

I would have thought my diet change would have seen my fat & carb intake drop and protein rise. I didn't expect to see carbs stay the same. Perspective, let me keep perspective. This is just one days eating, so I wont analyze this too much. I am eating more fruit than ever before so maybe that is why my carb intake is the same. Hopefully the carbs I am taking in are better than before. And I am eating better proteins so that should account for the rise in protein and drop in fat intake.

You can analyze the numbers until you have a brain freeze. The part of this comparison that takes just seconds to tag as cause for my losing weight is the calories themselves. Roughly 40% the caloric intake of the old gluttonous me, that is the core of my overall new food attitude which has me on my way here.

How is your attitude today?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!