Another Day is done.

     I intended to get up early this morning to go to the gym to workout. However, after the alarm clock went off at 5:00 AM I decided I was still tired and would sleep in an extra hour because I was going to teach a class after getting off work. Even though I slept in I decided that I would still get in some exercise during my lunch break at work. So for thirty minutes I walked at a good pace around the grounds of the production facility where I am employed.
     For breakfast this morning I ate a bowl of oatmeal with cranberries in it. I also had a large unsweet tea with three splenda to drink. For lunch today I ate some left over seafood pasta and some left over KC strips that I had cooked over the weekend. I ate a snack in the middle of the afternoon. I split a bag of light butter popcorn with a coworker. After getting off work I went to Subway for dinner and ate a 6 inch roast beef sub with spinach, tomato, onion, and light mayo. I ate a bag of baked Lays sour cream and onion chips. During the class i ate three iced oatmeal cookies. When I got home tonight I had a dill pickle for a snack and did some house work before calling it a day.
     Tomorrow is going to be a challenging day because we are having a meal at work and i have no control over what is on the menu. However, I will do my best to control portion sizes. Another day is done and tomorrow is on the way.

11/30/2011

     Today was a good day. I got up early this morning and went to the gym to workout. I rode the bike for 30 minutes. After working out I ate a bowl of oatmeal with some cranberries in it for breakfast. For lunch I went to a local pizza place in town. I ordered a grilled chicken breast sandwich and had a salad instead of fries. I held the cheese on the salad and had a slice of cheese on the sandwich instead.
    Tonight for dinner I ate at the church. I had a bowl of beans, a spoonful of turnips, a piece of cornbread, a spoonful of potatoes, a serving of cole slaw, and a serving of fruit salad. I also ate a small slice of cake for dessert. Later when I got home I ate a pickle for a snack.
     Over all it was a good day. I am planning to get up early to workout and will see what the day may hold. So far so good!

11/29/2011 A Great Day!

     Today was a great day. I got up early and went to the gym to work out. While there I rode the bike for 30 minutes and then used a few weight machines. For breakfast I ate a bowl of oatmeal with fruit in it. For lunch today I had a 5 inch sub sandwich and some sweet potatoes, with potatoes, and a little bit of sausage. During my lunch break I went walking for 30 minutes as well. For dinner tonight I had some seafood past, a part of my sons Big Mac. I then went to the church to do some work. When I got home I had a pickle for a snack. Tonight was a great day and I am already planning for tomorrow. I am planning to get up in the morning to go and workout at the gym. I have also already planned what I will eat for breakfast and lunch. It felt good to get some exercise this morning and I look forward to what tomorrow may bring.

Facing My Fear!

     It has been a few days since my last entry, but I have not had access to a computer. However, I have been successful in that I have exercised five out of the last seven days. My family and I went to Thanksgiving at my in-laws house. While there I definitely ate too much food because I found myself eating out of boredom. I will need to find other things to do when I'm bored.
     However, one thing that I was successful at while there was getting out and exercising. I took my kids to the track and walked and ran for a mile. The day after Thanksgiving I took my kids to the movies, but also took them for a hike at Hot Springs National Park. We hiked from the bottom of the mountain to the top of the mountain and back. While in Hot Springs I made a point to go and by some new running shoes because I am trying to get back into exercising regularly. That is one excuse I can now remove from my check lists of excuses I have been making.
     The reason that I am saying I am facing my fear is because since moving houses in July I have been struggling to get back into mt regular routine. There were several reasons that I got out of my routine including having to set up the new treadmill at the new house, finding the key card for my gym, and sitting in front of the TV too much. Since I lost the key to my gym I have not been able to weigh in, but I have since found the key, gotten my gym key, set up the treadmill, and now I need to find out what the damage is. I weighed in tonight at the gym after being off for 3 months and weighed in at 318 Lbs. I knew I had gained some weight back, but have been unwilling to go weigh in.
     While this is a set back, I have been getting my eating during the work day back under control and have been trying to get back into the routine of exercising again. It was good to get back to the gym and ride the stationary bike again. Today I ate a  subway breakfast melt for breakfast. For lunch I ate some Mexican style pork, with rice, and beans. The portion sizes were smaller than even the chicken I normally get, but I need to get back to counting my chips out to control my portion sizes. For dinner I ate a steak sandwich and a bowl of sweet potatoes, potatoes, with a little bit of smoked sausage in it. I then went and worked out at the gym. It felt great to exercise again.
     I am already planning my day tomorrow so that I can eat healthy and get some exercise again. My plan is to get up early and to go to the gym and exercise before work. For breakfast I plan on having oatmeal for breakfast, a 5 inch roast beef sandwich with some sweet potatoes, potatoes, and a  little smoked sausage. Finally for dinner I am planning on having another 5 inch sub and a serving of some seafood pasta. As I am getting back into what I know God has called me into I need to remember that, "Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world."
     Thank you for everyone who has been keeping up with me and I look forward to sharing with you more often.

My son wants to run a marathon!

     This weekend a friend of mine ran his first marathon to celebrate his 60th birthday. It took him 7 hours and 34 minutes and I met him two miles from the finish line to encourage him as he went to the finish. He finished his marathon and now joins an elite group of people. My oldest son was rather excited about running the last part of the marathon and now would like to run the Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya next year. I told him if he wants to run a marathon that we would need to start training for it and would need to try running a 5K first, and then maybe a half marathon, before we tried to do the marathon. I told him if he wants to do it then we would need to start training. Before I dropped him off at school this morning I told him we would need to start training now if we are going to try running a marathon. When I got home from work I ran a mile on the treadmill and then he ran on the treadmill. I will definitely have my work cut out for me because I ran a mile in fifteen minutes and my son ran two miles in the same time. Having my son to train with may be helpful.

Wednesday 11/9/2011

     Today was a good day. I did not get up early like i wanted to, but I still managed to get some exercise in. This morning I got up and ate a bowl of fruit and oatmeal for breakfast with a large unsweet tea. For lunch today I had a small grilled chicken pannini with pasta and broccoli cheese Alfredo. The total calorie count for the combination was 580 calories. In the middle of the afternoon I split a bag of light buttered popcorn with a coworker for a snack. For dinner tonight I had a large bowl of chili with 5 crackers and half a piece of lemon cake and half a piece of chocolate cake for dessert. I was able to get some exercise in during lunch. I went to Walmart and walked laps around the store for thirty minutes to get some exercise. Today was a good day and I plan on following up with it tomorrow.

11-8-2011

     Today was a good day in that I did not eat after 6:00 PM. For breakfast I went through the McDonald's drive through and ate a Sausage egg McMuffin. I will need to get back to oatmeal in the morning. For lunch I went to a local restaurant and had the lunch special which was two small pork chops, green beans, and mash potatoes. For dinner I ate left over broccoli and beef. I did better in eating smaller portions that I have been doing lately and by not eating after 6:00 PM. I will try to do better tomorrow and eat the correct portions like I did today and also eat healthier choices. Today for a snack I had a bag of peanuts, but tomorrow if I eat a snack I will eat some light butter popcorn. I exercised last night and will try to get up early in the morning to walk on the treadmill again.

October 24, 2011

     It is time for me to get back to it. I have noticed that I am trying to fall back into old habits. I have found myself trying to eat after 6:00 pm and eating less healthy food. This morning I got up and decided I need to get back to making this blog, eating healthy, and exercising a priority again. I still believe that God wants me to be healthier so I started this morning by eating a bowl of oatmeal with some fruit in it for breakfast.
     About mid-morning I felt hungry so I ate three almonds to hold me over. For lunch I ate sweet and sour chicken. According to the package it was about 720 calories with 7 grams of fat. Later in the afternoon I had some beef jerky and about a tablespoon full of almonds for a snack. My oldest son had a game tonight at 6:00 PM. I ate a chicken snack wrap and had a cup of half sweet tea and half unsweet tea to hold me over until I could take my son out for dinner.
     After his soccer game we went to Hardees and I split some curly fries and a soda with him. I ate a turkey burger for dinner. I did eat later than 6:00 pm because my son had a game, but I did not eat anything after that. When I got home I exercised for 20 minutes on the treadmill. Tonight was a good night so tomorrow I will need to get up and do it again.

10/6/2011 It's Time for an Update!

     For those of you have been following my blog I know it has been a while. The good news is that I have been maintaining. My eating habits have been healthy enough that I am not gaining weight. Unfortunately, with the kids starting back to school, their sports, work, and the church I have not been exercising. Things are starting to let up some and I know that I have get to get back into the groove of working out several days a week.
     I have been sick with a head cold for the last several days and am starting to feel better so hopefully I can begin getting active again. I will try to get the Internet hook up in my house set on the main computer so that i can begin blogging regularly again. Again thank you for everyone who has been helping.

Saturday 9/10/2011

    This week has been a good week. I have been watching what I eat and trying to stay active. I have not been able to get on the treadmill, but because I am coaching two soccer teams I was out on the soccer fields several times this week. When I was coaching I played with the kids and also did some running with them. Last night I splurged on eating because my wife and I had Italian takeout. Today will be active because I am taking the kids out to the lake. I still want to get back to regularly working out, but my life style is definitely becoming much more active than in the past.

9-1-2011 A Great Day!

     Today was a great day! I got up early and fixed breakfast for the kids. I fixed a bowl of oatmeal with some cranberries for myself. For lunch I had a ham and cheese sandwich, a microwave meal of chicken a broccoli Alfredo. For dessert I had some fresh cherries. For dinner tonight I hat a 6 inch roast beef sandwich with spinach, lettuce, tomato, and onions with a bag of baked lays and a Diet Pepsi.
    I did not work out on the treadmill today, but I had two soccer practices for my kids tonight. At the last practice since it was a younger team I had them chasing me around the field. As a result I got an hour of off and on exercise. Tomorrow should be a great day as well. Thanks for all the support.

What a Challenge.

      I must say this last month has been a challenge. Between moving, working around the church, working around the house, working at Ranger, and the kids starting their activities it has been busy. As a result I find it very difficult to sit down and blog and on many days to work out. I find myself frustrated because by the time I have time to workout I do not feel like working out. For example, tonight after I got home and finished with the kids stuff, getting them to bed, getting ready for tomorrow, and doing a small project for my wife I just want to sit down and do nothing for a few minutes. In addition, I have has a headache for most of the day so I do not fell like working out.
   The good news is that while I have not been doing perfect on my eating habits I am still definitely eating differently than I have done in the past. Tomorrow I am going to try and get up a little earlier and work out some. Thanks for everyone who has been supporting me and I will keep you posted.

8/16/2011 - Tuesday

     Today has been a good day. I have done well on eating. For breakfast I had a turkey sausage breakfast bowl that had turkey sausage, egg whites, and potatoes. For lunch I had a sandwich, a small bag of baked Doritos (Which are very good. they are pretty close to the real thing), a very small serving of left over tuna helper, and a serving of hominy. Later in the middle of the afternoon we had a going away party for the intern in our department at work so I had a piece of cake and some ice cream. For dinner we had breakfast. I had two silver dollar pancakes (small) with some honey on them, some scrambled eggs, two slices of ham, with four pineapple chunks.
     The reason that I am excited is because my goal this week is to workout 5 days in a row as I strive to get back to what God is continuing to call met to. I worked out yesterday and I worked out again today on the treadmill for 35 minutes. In addition to working out on the treadmill I also push mowed for 30 minutes at the church.
    It has been a great day and I am looking forward to tomorrow. I did have open cook tonight at about 8:00 PM because my wife asked me to try one of the new recipes that she tried. It was a single snicker doodle cookie. Yes it was good , but for me one is enough. Thanks again to everyone who is supporting me.

Monday 8/15/2011

     Today has been a great day. I got up early this morning and helped get the kids ready for their first day of school. I made sure they were awake and getting ready for school and that they had breakfast. Once we were all ready I walked them down to the bus stop.
    After seeing the kids off to school I then finished getting ready for work. For breakfast I had a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon, brown sugar, and cranberries. For lunch I had a ham and cheese sandwich and a microwave Swedish meatballs and noodles meal. The microwave meals are $1.00 and are only 240 to 320 calories depending on the meal. I left work early today because I had to take my youngest son for a follow up doctor's appointment to make sure the insect bite that was infected is doing better. Praise God! It is looking good. Since I got home early and have to go do some work at the church tonight I got on the treadmill and walked and ran for 37 minutes. It feels good to be running again.
     Tonight, we are having tuna helper, hominy, and cantaloupe for dinner. We will be eating in a few minutes and I am going to only eat one plate tonight. (No seconds!) Thank you to everyone for the continued support I am getting back on track. My goal for the week is to exercise 5 days out of the week. I will keep you posted.

Friday 8-12-2011

      So much for well laid plans. Last night after work I had plans to deal with feeling hungry and then my plans were dramatically changed. My youngest son had to go to the hospital last night because he had a tick bite that got infected and was spreading. So last night we went to the emergency room after open house at the school. Since I was out I was rather hungry and ended up going through the drive through. The good news is that today has been better.
     For breakfast I had breakfast sandwich with three potato wedges. For lunch I had a bowl of hamburger helper leftovers that were made  with ground turkey instead of beef. For dinner when I got home I grilled and had a small piece of steak and a small piece of pork chop, 1 ear of corn on the cop, a serving of asparagus, and a serving of rice. I also ate early tonight so that i am done with dinner before 6:00 PM. I am planning on working around the house tonight and will probably get on the treadmill again tonight. This morning I got up and waled and mostly jogged for 30 minutes this morning. SO fat to day has been a great day and I will keep working on it through the weekend.
     Everyone who has been watching thank you for your support.

Thursday 8/11/2011

     I did great on Tuesday. I managed to eat well all day and did not eat after I ate dinner at 6:00 PM. At dinner I also only ate one plate of food. In addition, after dinner I worked out on the treadmill for 36 minutes with a combination of walking and jogging with the majority of it being jogging.
    Wednesday , however was a different story. I did well at breakfast, but we had a part for a coworker so the ice cream and cake were the start. I also ate heavier at lunch than I have for a while because I had a burger. For dinner we had dinner at the church and I did OK there because I only had the one plate. The biggest thing was that I did not get to workout yesterday and had a big spurge with the cake and ice cream.
    So far today is going great. I had a bowl of oatmeal with some cranberries in it for breakfast. For lunch I had some left over hamburger helper that was made with ground turkey and I had a snack size bag of baked ruffles potato chips. When I get home tonight I am already making plans to only eat one plate at dinner. After dinner we will have to go to open house at the school . After the open house I am planning on working out on the treadmill which will help with my appetite if I feel overly hungry. If I am feeling hungry I will start by drinking a large cup of water and then if necessary I will eat three almonds to take the edge off the hunger.  Overall I am trying to get back to the discipline I had previously.
     My progress has been good and I am still sticking to my healthier lifestyle, but I am trying to return to the discipline of eating well planned meals and working out regularly as well. I thank God for his help and will continue to keep you guys updated.

The Emperor's New Wardrobe!

    I got a new wardrobe this weekend. My family and I had a yard sale this weekend and I got rid of a bunch of clothes. I got rid of my 4XL and 5 XL shirts as well as several pairs of pants that were larger. I am not sure on all the pants sizes, but they were at least 48s and up.
     I have hung on to a few 48 pants because I cannot get by on only two pairs of pants, but I am now solidly a 46.  In addition to getting rid of my fattest clothes I unpacked a bunch of shirts and pants that I have not worn in two or three years. I had clothes that I never got to wear so it was good to be down in size so that I can begin wearing them. I still have a long way to go, but I am heading in the right direction and it felt good to get rid of larger sizes rather than smaller sizes.

Tuesday 8/9/2011

    Last night I went to bed earlier so that I could get up this morning and work out. I got up early and was able to walk and run on the treadmill for 15 minutes before I had to take a phone call. However, when I get home after work tonight I plan on exercising some more.
     It is funny I have been eating good during the morning and for lunch and now I am having to strive to eat better at home. When I first started this journey it was easier at home then it was at work because I was eating out. Now that I am bring my lunch it is easier because I know several days out what I am eating because I need to purchase the ingredients or items from the grocery storm.
     The biggest thing I am struggling with at home is going back for additional portions or snacking through out the evening. What I am going to try tonight is to make the decision to only eat the one plate at dinner. After dinner i am going to then exercise because it usually takes the edge off the hunger. If I am still feeling hungry then i am going to drink water or unsweet tea to make sure I am not actually thirsty and needing to rehydrate. Finally, as a last resort I will go back to eating three or four almonds if i need to.
     In addition, I think that I need to get back to reporting what I am eating on the blog because it makes me more aware of what I am eating. Last night we went to some friend's house after dinner and had dessert with them so i ate a very rich piece of cake. Don't get me wrong it was good, but I should have split a piece with my wife or eaten half of a piece.
      However, today I am off to a good start. After exercising this morning I fixed a bagel, egg, and ham sandwich with a slice of cheese. For lunch I have just finished eating a serving of sweet and sour chicken and a serving of collard greens. I am not sure what is for dinner to night, but I am gearing myself up now to eat less. I will keep you posted on how it goes.

August 4, 2011

     I was finally able to get back on the treadmill tonight. It was unpacked a couple of days ago, but it was still covered up with stuff. I walked and ran for 30 minutes. It felt good to be exercising again and now I will need to keep on doing it.
    I got up early this morning and fixed oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon for breakfast. For lunch I ate a ham and cheese sandwich and a bowl of beans. I had a small bag of baked ruffles for a snack and ate beef stick as well. For dinner tonight I ate at  a chicken paddy sandwich, yellow hominy, and collard greens. I ate before 6:00 PM but I also ate too much for dinner. I had seconds on everything so I will need to do better tomorrow.
     The time that seems to be the most difficult is in the evening. tomorrow I will need to do better and stick to my right size portions. It did feel good to be working out again and I hope that as I get back into the routine it will return to feeling normal.
     Thanks to everyone for all your support.

8/1/2011 Life Returns To Normal!

     The summer is winding down and my life is returning to normal. My family and I have been moving from one house to another over the last two weeks. What that has involved was packing, loading the moving truck, unloading the moving truck, settling the new house, and cleaning up the old house so that we could leave it in better condition than we found it.
    Finally, we have finished at the old house, we have moved into the new house, and we are not just settling into the new house. In addition to settling into the new house I am trying to settle back into a routine of exercise and discipline. For the most part I have been eating good, but I have not been getting to work out a lot.
    During this time I took the family for a weekend get away that is the only vacation we could fit in this year. While on vacation we went hiking and swimming at the Buffalo River National Forest so it was good to be active. This weekend I was active because I was cutting grass at both houses using a push mower. However, I am ready to return to a normml routine where I can begin exercising in a disciplined manner. I was able to get the treadmill set up at the new house and it can be used again so I am going to begin using it again today. In addtion, I am going to continue to eat healthy, but I am also going to try and prepare more of my own meals and eat out less. This will save money and will be better for me because I can choose the ingredients myself.
     Along with getting back to a routine in execise I am going to try and return to blogging daily. It helps  knowing that I have people supporting me in this. It is a brand new day and I am looking forward to returning to a helathy routine.

July 12, 2011

    I ate too much over the weekend. We had a kids swim/pizza part to go to and then went with some friends to Fred's fish house. My wife and I split a dinner , but it was still more than I should have eaten. I guess the bright side is that fried food is not the exception rather than the norm.
    Today we had the dealer meeting at work and the company provided us with shirts. The largest size they have is a 2 XL and the good news that it now fits. 6 months ago I could not have said that.
     I started off this morning by working out on the treadmill for 30 minutes and then had a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. For lunch I had a large meal that was provided by my company. It was a salad, green beans. potatoes, a stuffed pork chop, and a dessert. I only had one plate , but looking back on the day I probably should have eaten only half of each item. For dinner my wife made chicken an dumplings and I had two small bowls of that. After dinner I took the kids swimming for an hour and then for ice cream. I has a small milk shake, next time i need to do the apple dippers instead. Later on when I got home I precooked breakfast for the kids and ended up eating an egg, and some turkey bacon. Tomorrow I  will need to do better with my serving sizes and not eating so late. It felt good to work out again and I am planning on getting up early in the morning to do it again. I am still trying to get back on track full forced. Lord, help me to honor you. Amen!

July 8, 2011 Welcome Back!

     It has been a while since my last entry, but I am now back. I have been very busy over the last several weeks. I have continued to work at Ranger, pastor the church, help with vacation bible school, done a church fish fry, run a fireworks stand to raise money for missions and local ministries, and finish up my kids baseball season. Fortunately, baseball season is now over, VBS was successful, the fish fry and the fireworks stand are done, and all that we have left is to move to a new house closer to the church.
    Now that things have slowed down I am getting back on track with working out. I have managed to continue to eat well, but I have not been working out much because I have been going from sun rise to sun set. Tonight I ran for thirty minutes on the treadmill for the first time in several weeks. It felt good to be back on the treadmill for several weeks.
   For breakfast this morning I ended up having to eat while driving so i had a sausage egg McMuffin meal with a hash brown and an unsweet tea. For lunch I ate a grilled chicken sandwich and a salad with a Diet Coke. Finally for dinner I had a salad with grilled chicken and a baked potato with sour cream and chives.
    It was a good day and it felt great to exercise again. Stay tuned as the adventure continues.

2 Months 3 Weeks 6 Days

    Good evening to everyone. I did not realize how long it has been since I have posted a blog entry. Over the last several weeks we have been extremely busy with things around the church. As a result I have been missing my blog entries. I was thinking today I need to get back to my routine. While there are several reasons why I have missed the biggest reason is I have failed to make it a priority.
    I plan on getting up early in the morning so I can start on getting my routine back. I can honestly say I have been missing it. I have not been doing bad with my diet, but I need that discipline back in my life. I find myself missing it. I believe there is a spiritual lesson here as well. I believe if we are honest with ourselves that we would have to say our spiritual man also desires and craves discipline.
        I am planning to get up early in the morning and to start by getting in some time on the treadmill. I will also try to get to bed earlier so that I can get up. Lord, I need your help in this.I will report to you tomorrow how it goes. It is time to get back into the swing of things. Lord, in my life you need to be more of a priority and that includes this area as well.

2 Months 2 Weeks 2 Days

    I got up today and ate oatmeal with fruit for breakfast. For lunch I had a slice of turkey, and a slice of cheese on a bagel with mayo and mustard. I drank an unsweet tea and had an apricot and three strawberries as well. For dinner tonight I ate a 6 inch roast beef sub from Subway with a bag of Baked Lays and a Diet Coke. At the church we had pizza for dinner which is why  I ate a sandwich. At the church I did eat one piece of sausage pizza and a small serving of a black bean salad. This morning I ate one no bake cookie that a co worker brought in and drank a can of Diet Pepsi. Other than that I drank water through out the day. I am trying to drink more water and less soda because even Diet soda is not as good for me. Because we had church tonight I did not get to exercise, but I plan on picking it my routine again tomorrow.
     I weighed in yesterday and I am still at 304 lbs so I did not lose any weight last week, but I was able to wear a 2 XL shirt today so I am still losing sizes. As I work out I imagine I am putting some muscle on even through I would probable put on more if I was working out with weights and not just running. In the future I will need to eventually start trying to do some strength training as well as the cardiovascular stuff I am doing now.
     Today was a great day and I am looking forward to tomorrow.

2 Months 2 Weeks 1 Day

     I got up this morning and fixed a bowl of oatmeal with fruit for breakfast. While at work I had a Diet Pepsi and a bottle of water. For lunch I had a six inch turkey sub and a glass of unsweet tea. This evening when I got off we had BBQ chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, and some mandarin orange slices. I also had one bit of a brownine. Later, when I got home after my girls softball practice I ate 1 apricot.
     While the girls were practicing I went to the gym and ran on the tread mill for 10 minutes, rode the bike for 20 minutes, and then walked on the treadmill for 5 more minutes. I then weighed in. I held steady this week and I am still at 304 lbs. However, I am being more diligent with working out again and be careful with what I eat. Today was a good day and I am looking forward to tomorrow.

I will update the new pictures tomrrow!

    I have been trying to update my recent picture from my camera, but will have to do it from another computer tomorrow because my wife's laptop does not support the file type.

2 Months 2 Weeks

    Wow!

    The last two weeks have been tough. The reason it has been tough is not because I am eating horrendously bad or anything, but because I have just been so busy that I have not been able to exercise as much as I want to, blog as I need to, and eat at the times I need to. As we come into the month of June it will still be busy and I do not anticipate much of a break until after the Fourth of July.
    This month I am still working my job at Ranger boats, Pastoring the church, helping with the kids (3 different baseball teams), doing a wedding, having a fish fry at the church, doing vacation Bible school at the church, working the firework stand at the church to raise money for missions and local ministries of the church, working with the leadership board as we redo some things in the fellowship hall, and working on installing our new playground when it gets in, Whew! I am also taking my oldest son to see a major league soccer match for his birthday. It is bust and I will need to strive to make time for exercise and blogging and to be aware of what I am eating.
    Today was a great start. I got up and had oatmeal with fruit in it for breakfast. On the way to work I went by Walmart and purchased a 24 pack of Diet Pepsi and a six inch sub for lunch. In addition to the lifestyle changes God is having me make in my diet I feel he is challenging me to become a better steward of what I have. Therefore, I will be striving to eat out less and to purchase snack and thins ahead of time so they are cheaper. For lunch I had a six inch sub that I went home to eat. For dinner I ate s bowl of gumbo and a grilled chicken club sandwich from McDonald's with an unsweet tea. The kids all had games to night so after the games I went out and worked for an hour in the garden weeding and cutting back the grass. After an hour I was completely soaked with sweat. It felt good to do some hard work. After working outside I drank twp large glasses of water. I still drank Diet Pepsi today, but I am trying to drink more water as well. It was a good day and I look forward to tomorrow. I did not work out at the gym or on the treadmill, but by working hard in the garden I made some progress in the garden and got some good exercise as well.
    I did not make it by the gym today, bit I will try to make it by there tomorrow so that I can update everyone. I am looking forward to tomorrow and want to thank everyone for your continued support. I am also updating the new picture today as well.
    

2 Months 1 Week

     It is my first day back after three days off. During Memorial Day weekend I was busy doing things with the kids, around the house, and spending time with my family. As a result I did not work out for three day or blog. However, I still ate well for the most part. I had an occasional treat, but my regular pattern is still much healthier than it once was.
    I did not get up early this morning because the kids are out of school so I did not have to take them in. For breakfast I had a bowl of oatmeal with fruit. Because my sons had baseball games this evening I took a short lunch so that I could get them to their games. I ran by Subway and  had a 6 inch roast beef sub on whole wheat bread with lettuce, onion, and tomato. I had a bag of baked Lays potato chips and a Diet Pepsi to drink. I had my two sons at the office with me this afternoon because they had a game and around 3:15 pm we got a snack. I had a serving peanuts and drank a Diet Pepsi. For dinner tonight I had to eat on the run, and had a 6 inch roast beef sub that was leftover from lunch.  On the way to the game we went through Sonic and I got a medium tots with chili and cheese. My son had cheese sticks and I ate two of his cheese sticks. While at the game I ate a 6 inch hot dog. On the way home I got sundaes for the kids from Sonic and an Oreo Cookie blast for my wife. I did not order anything, but I ate a few bites of my wife's blast.
     I did not do well this evening because I ate to many splurges. However, I did run on the treadmill for 30 minutes. In addition, to running the whole 30 minutes I ran at a faster pace than I have so far. The distance i covered was 2.12 miles. While there are people who can walk that it felt good to be able to run for 30 minutes and to be able to increase the pace.  Tomorrow I will need to improve my eating as well as continuing to exercise. I was unable to get to the gym today to weigh in so I will try to get by there tomorrow.

2 Months 3 Days

      I slept in this morning. When I got up I had a bowl of oatmeal with fruit and a large unsweet tea for breakfast. For lunch I went to Diego's Mexican restaurant and had the pollo Monterrey( grilled chicken and vegetables) and a Diet Coke. I had 11 chips with my salsa. For dinner I had a six inch Subway roast beef sub on whole wheat bread. I ate a bag of baked Lay's chips with it and a Large Diet Pepsi. My kids all had baseball games and after their games we went to McDonald's for a treat. I had an order of apple dippers which were low fat and only 35 calories.  When I got home I jogged on the treadmill for 30 minutes. I walked only thee of the minutes. Today was a very good day.

2 Months 2 Days

      I got up early today and walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes. For breakfast I had a bowl of oatmeal with fruit in it and a large unsweet tea. For lunch I had to drive a friend to a doctor's appointment so I ended up going through the Hardies drive through. I got a mushroom Swiss turkey burger with a Large Diet Pepsi and curly fries. I should have had the small fries, but my cheapness kicked in when they said it would still cost the same as the large just because I wanted a large Diet Pepsi. For dinner I ate at the church where we had beans, carrots, corn, corn bread, and turnip greens. I drank 1 % milk  instead of soda. It was a good day and I look forward to tomorrow.

2 Months 1 Day

     I got up late today and ate a bowl of oatmeal with fruit for breakfast. For lunch I had a Subway for lunch with a bag of baked Lays and a Diet Pepsi for lunch. For dinner I had a Southwest Chicken salad from McDonald's. When I got home I exercised on the treadmill for 30 minutes.

2 Months

   Today was weigh in day and I was not sure how it would go. Last week was a tough week with a wedding, a rehearsal dinner, a wedding reception, a birthday party, and being so busy that I was unable to exercise four of the days. However, I did not gain any weight, but I did not lose any either. I am still at the the 306 lbs mark.
     This morning I planned on getting up, but was to lazy to get out of bed especially after thunderstorms all night. However, I got up and ate oatmeal with fruit for breakfast. I had a black forest sub with a salad from Pizza Hut for lunch. For dinner my wife had two grill cheese sandwiches made with fat free cheese and a bowl of chicken noodle soup for me. At the end of the night I ate 4 almonds because I was starting to feel hungry. So since I broke even this week it is even more motivation to stay on the right track. When I got home tonight I told my wife that I needed to work out. I walked and ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes tonight. I walked 4 minutes and jogged 26 minutes. It felt good to exercise again, and to be able to say it was a great day. I am looking forward to tomorrow to see what it may hold.

1 Month 3 weeks 6 days

     For breakfast I ate a bowl of oatmeal. For lunch we went to the Chinese restaurant. I ordered off the menu. so I did good in the restaurant, but blew it later in the day. I ate before church and had some pasta made like spaghetti with meat sauce that had ground turkey and beef in it. Where I blew it was after church I split a six inch sub with my wife, had some potato salad, crab salad, and a spring roll. In addition this was after 6:00 PM.
     I also did not work out today. So weigh in day will be interesting.

1 Month 3 weeks 5 Days

   Today I was so busy getting ready for a wedding that I did not eat breakfast. On the way to the wedding I ate a sin inch roast beef sub from Subway, some baked Lay's and a Diet Pepsi. After the wedding there was a reception which I stayed at for a while. Receptions are tough, the wedding cake was easy I did not eat any, but I did eat to much of the other stuff. (meatballs, cheese, pin wheels,etc,) For dinner I took the kids to a birthday party. I ate a six inch Philly sub from Arby's on the way. Then at the part I ate 1 piece of Pizza and several cookies. This was a tough week.
     The biggest thing that was tough today was that I did not get to work out.

1 month 3 weeks 4 days

    It was tough to get up again today. I slept in a little, but still got up for prayer at the church. For breakfast I had a bowl of oatmeal and fruit with an unsweet tea. For lunch I had a salad, and a grilled chicken Parmesan sandwich. Since the sandwich had cheese I skipped the cheese on the salad. To drink I had an unsweet tea. Since I did not get up to walk this morning I wanted to walk for lunch, but the weather did not cooperate. However, since I could not walk at the park I went to Walmart and circled the inside of the store for 20 minutes to get some walking in. I am posting early because I have a wedding rehearsal tonight and i do not know when I will be able to post. So far today has been a great day.

1 month 3 weeks 3 days

     I did not get up early today. I have been pushing it so hard that it has been tough to get up. After this weekend things should slow down some which will help. For breakfast the kids and I went to McDonald's where I had a bowl of oatmeal and fruit, an English muffin, and an unsweet tea. I also eating a hash brown because my kids wanted them and then left them. I need to remind myself that I can leave leftovers.
     For lunch I got back on track and ate a 6 inch roast beef sub, without cheese, and with spinach, tomato, onion, and low fat mayo. i had a bag of baked Lay's and a Diet Pepsi with it. In addition. I walked for twenty minutes at the park during lunch.
     For dinner I had a health choice TV dinner because the kids had an awards program and ball practice. When I got home I was rather hungry so I ate some beans. I need to make sure that I eat a little more substantial at dinner so that I am not so hungry later at night.

1 month 3 weeks 2 days

I slept in this morning and did not get a chance to work out as a result. I will need to get up early and walk tomorrow. For breakfast I ate a bowl of oatmeal and fruit at home. I then had a large unsweet tea. For lunch I had  half a BBQ chicken breast and two ribs with a salad from Razorback ribs. Tonight for dinner we ate at the church. I had spaghetti made with macaroni noodles instead of spaghetti noodles. It was made with ground beef mixed with ground turkey. It was served with some broccoli and cheese and some beans. For desert I had small slice of lime pie. To drink I had some root beer.
    I need to drink water in the future instead of regular soda because the soda is wasted calories. I will get up in the morning and work out and will avoid the regular soda tomorrow.

1 Month 3 Weeks 1 Day

      I got up early and walked and jogged on the treadmill for 30 minutes. For breakfast I had fruit and oatmeal with a large unsweet tea. For lunch I had a coupon for Subway to buy a foot long sub and get one free. I ended up eating a foot long chicken sandwich with some veggies, low calorie mayo, a bag of baked Lays and a Diet Pepsi. I ate one and a 1/2 cookies. For dinner that night I had a Southwest Chicken salad and a small order of fried mushrooms.
     In retrospect I should have just gotten a 6 inch sub and not eaten the cookies or cheese. Nor should I have gotten the fried mushrooms at dinner. However, I will do better with eating tomorrow.

1 Month 3 Weeks

     It has been several days since I have gotten to submit an entry. I have been extremely busy for the last several days with activities at the church. Because of that by the time I finished work and then things at the church it was usually very late. However, I did work out on Saturday and Sunday. I also ate pretty good.
     Today is weigh in day so I stopped by the gym and weighed in. I have lost another 2 pounds this week so that my current weight is 306 Lbs. I am still excited because I am still losing weight. This morning I got up early and walked and jogged on the treadmill for 30 minutes. After getting ready the kids and I went to McDonald's for breakfast where I got an oatmeal with fruit in it and a large unsweet tea. For lunch I met with a local pastor and some friends and we went to Diego's Mexican restaurant in Flippin, AR. I counted out my 10 chips and had some salsa. For my meal I ate the pollo Monterrey. (This time I did not order the extra veggies.) To drink I had a Diet Coke. For dinner tonight I had a Southwest Chicken Salad from McDonald's. I ate before 6:00 PM and had several almonds as a snack when I got home. I had a great day and am still trying to follow what God has called me to.
    

1 month 2 weeks 2 days

     Today was a tough day. I think I am still tired from such a busy  weekend. I was unable to get up this morning because I was so tired. Tonight I was tired as well. I ended up staying a little later at church so by the time that I got home if I am going to go to bed earlier then I will be unable to workout. I will need to get up in the morning and do it early.
    Food wise it has been a good day. I had a bowl of oatmeal and a Large unsweet tea as well as a mini breakfast burrito for breakfast. For lunch I had a chicken Parmesan sandwich. I had a salad instead of fries and held the cheese off the salad since there would be some on the sandwich. In addition, instead of having a breaded and fried chicken breast I had them grill the chicken breast instead. I had a Diet Coke to drink. For dinner tonight we had a meal at the church. I has a spoonful of chicken and dumplings, a small serving of peas, a serving of green beans, s tablespoon of potatoes, and a serving of  spaghetti salad. I had a Diet Pepsi to drink. Tonight when I got home O had three almonds before bed.
    I will need to start the morning with exercise and get back on track now that I have started getting caught up on rest.

1 month 2 weeks 1 day

    This morning I had planned on getting up early and walking on the treadmill, but I was too tired. So I slept in. I ate an oatmeal and a large unsweet tea for breakfast. For lunch I had a six inch roasted chicken sub with spinach, lettuce, tomato, onion, black pepper, and chipoltle sauce on it. I drank a Diet Pepsi and instead of having chips I ate a bowl of low fat chili with deer meat. For lunch I ate a six inch seafood sub with a bag of baked sour cream Lays and a Diet Coked. I had a meeting tonight in Harrison and while I was there I ate 5 green olives, and a 1/4 cup of chex mix. Over all it was a good day. For exercise I walked the track at the park in Flippin, AR during my lunch break. I will try to get up early in the morning to exercise.

1 month 2 weeks I'm down 30 lbs!

I was still running a fever last night, and one pf my girls was to so I stayed home from work and took her to the doctor. Since I still did not feel well I did not work out. I ate a bowl of oatmeal with cranberries in it. For lunch I had an Asian salad with grilled chicken from McDonald's. I definitely like the Southwest Chicken salad better. My daughter and I got an ice cream on the way home form the doctor. I had a mini Oreo blizzard. For dinner I had two small baked potatos with chili, some cheese, and sour cream on them. We then had a white cake for a belated Mother's Day, which I had a small piece of. Between being so busy and Ill I did not work out this weekend. I am looking for ward to getting back on track again tomorrow.

Today was also weigh in day and I was able to do that.It is official I have lost 30 lbs so far.

1 month 1 week 6 days

I thought that I had a touch of heat exhaustion from being in the sun all day Saturday, but after running a fever all night, and having some intestinal issues in the morning it looks like I caught a bug. Since it is Mother's Day we are having breakfast at the church. I ate 3 small pieces of sausage and some scrambled eggs. For lunch we went to Burger King because after the crazy morning we had  my wife wanted a quiet place to eat with no crowd. I got the garden salad with grilled chicken, but they forgot the chicken. Instead of getting them to add chicken I got a Mushroom Swiss Turkey Burger from Hardies. Burger King salads are not that good. They come in a pre-sealed bowl so I am not sure how fresh they are. We had a wedding at the church this afternoon so I had a small slice of red velvet cake for that. Since I was still feeling ill I did not eat anything else after that.

1 Month 1 week 5 days

Today was the main day of the trout festival. I got up early and took the kids out for breakfast. I ate oatmeal, and English muffin, and two scrambled eggs. I splurged , but it ending out working out for the good. I had to set up equipment for the Trout festival and the church band played music for it. So I was outside all day. For lunch O went to Mountain Home to get some things we needed for the festival and I ended up getting a chicken salad wrap at Arby's. For dinner we ate at the fish fry. I had a serving of beans, Cole slaw, two hush puppies and 5 small pieces of catfish. The food was fried but it was good for an occasional treat. I was unable to work out because It was another very long day and I was exhausted.

1 month 1 week 4 days

I am writing todays on Monday because I was so busy today that I did not get to blog. I got up early for prayer and I know I had an oatmeal for breakfast, but cannot remember what else I had other than I remember it being a good day. I did not get home until 11:30 pm because after work we had band practice for the trout festival.

1 month 1 week 3 days

     I got up this morning at 5:15AM and walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes. For breakfast I had a cup of oatmeal and fruit from McDonald's with a large unsweet tea. For lunch I had a board meeting with the leadership board from the church. We were originally meeting at Letty's Mexican restaurant in Gassville, AR but moved are location to K.T. s BBQ when we a bus full of school children showed up at the already crowded restaurant. For lunch I had a chicken plate with cole slaw and the mustard potato salad with a Diet Coke. For dinner I ended up getting a six inch Subway roast beef sandwich without cheese. I had lettuce, tomato, spinach, and onions on it with some light mayo. For a side I had a bag of Baked Lay's Sour Cream and Onion chips and a Diet Pepsi. The kids had baseball practice until it was rained out. Since practice was rained out I took the kids and a couple from the church to McDonald's for ice cream. Everyone had ice cream but for something sweet I ordered a large unsweet tea and then put Splenda in it. However, I did not have any ice cream. Later in the evening after running several errands I got home and was starving. I ended up eating a handful of almonds and a 1/4 cup of low fat deer chili. I know I ate after 6:00 PM, but that was the first time I have been that hungry in the evening. I ate a small amount of food rather than binging later. Overall it was a good day.

1 month 1 week 2 days

     Today was a great day. I got up at five this morning and walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes. After working out I had a bowl of oatmeal with fruit in it and a Diet Pepsi. For lunch today I had cooked carrots, green beans, and 4 chicken livers. The livers were fried, but I ate a small portion. In the afternoon my boss had his birthday party so I had a small piece of cake and one scoop pf no sugar added ice cream. Tonight is Wednesday so we had dinner at the church. For dinner I has a serving of Mexican casserole, a serving of baked beans, a serving of corn, and a table spoon of potatos, and a spoonful of refried beans with a cup of unsweet tea to drink. When I got home tonight my son informed me that he needed cookies made for a class project, so I ate three almonds and then baked cookies. I also drank a 1/2 pint of 2 % milk.

1 month 1 week 1 day

     Today was a good day even though I got up late. I ate oatmeal and fruit that I made at the house. For lunch I went out to Park View Pizza with a coworker. I ate a grilled chicken sandwich without the cheese and had a side salad, and a Diet Coke. My coworker ordered a meat lovers Pizza which I ate a small slice of to try it. It was pretty good, but will definitely be on the treats list. For dinner I had a 6 inch chicken salad sub on a 9 grain honey bread. I did not have cheese on it and had lettuce, spinach, tomato, onion, and a bag of baked Lays with a Diet Pepsi. My girls had ball practice and my oldest son went to scouts so I was running around this evening. After I got home I cooked some deer chili so that later in the week we will just have to heat it up. I then walked/ jogged on the treadmill for 30 minutes. After working out I ate three almonds to curb my appetite. I thank God that He has been given me the desire to do this. I look forward to the challenges of another day tomorrow.

1 Month 1 Week

   
Today is the end of another week and therefore it is weigh-in day. I was unable to weigh in this morning because I forgot my gym pass. In addition, I slept in this morning. However, I did start with a good breakfast of oatmeal with fruit in it, and a large unsweet tea from McDonald's. For lunch I went to Diego's Mexican restaurant in Flippin, AR. I counted out my 10 chips with salsa, ordered the pollo Monterey (grilled chicken covered with grilled vegetables, cheese, Mexican rice, and refried beans), and drank a Diet Coke. For dinner I had 1 piece of pizza (four cheese and tomato), and a bowl of spaghetti with sauce and deer meat.
    My oldest son had a choir concert tonight so the whole family went to the concert. After the kids went to bed I went to the gym to weigh in and to work out. I walk/jogged on the treadmill for 34 minutes. I jogged for 18 minutes of that time and walked the other 16 minutes. The cool thing is that I am able to jog more, and that I was also able to jog 8 minutes nonstop at the end. After using the treadmill I then rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes. After my aerobic exercise I used one of the back machines and one of the ab machines. I did three sets of 10 on each machine.
     After working out I weighed in. Tonight when I weighed in I was 311 lbs. SO last week I only lost one pound, but it is still progress in the right direction. This week I will try to be more deliberate and disciplined with my food choices. Since I was a little hungry when I got home after working out and shopping at Wal-Mart I ate three almonds.

1 Month 6 Days

     Sundays are always busy and today was no exception. I ate a bowl of instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal for breakfast. After church, so that we could feed the kids quickly, we went to Subway; I got a six inch turkey on 9 grain wheat without cheese. I had lettuce, spinach, tomato, onion, light mayo, and black pepper on it. I also had a Diet Pepsi and a bag of Baked Lays sour cream and onion potato chips.
     For dinner I cooked spaghetti and meat chunks. We had some egg noodles so we used them and then I had deer meat. Since it was deer steak and not ground meat I cut it into small cubes and we had that in the spaghetti. While it was different texture than ground meat it was still good. In addition, deer tends to be leaner than beef. As a dessert we had canned apples. I had skim milk to drink. After church I went to McDonald's with a couple from the church. I got the fruit and walnut salad and a large unsweet tea. It is some red apple slices, some green apple slices, some grapes, a little yogurt, and some candied walnuts. It served as a healthier dessert than ice cream. When I got home I worked out on the treadmill today. I spent thirty one minutes on the treadmill. I walked for 20 minutes and jogged for 11 minutes. The running is getting easier and i was able to run longer. Over all it was a good day. It was good to get back on the treadmill. In addition to walking on the treadmill I worked out in the chicken house muck manure which was also good exercise. The kids came out and as cooler weather came in one of them said Dad your head is smoking. It has been a long time since I have worked out or exercised hard enough to have steam coming off me. It felt good. Today was a good day and I look forward to tomorrow.

1 Month 5 Days

     Like yesterday today was extremely busy. As a result I did not walk on the treadmill. However, one of the things that I did was to work in the garden again for three hours. I was working using a shovel and a hoe for three hours so I still got exercise. For breakfast I got oatmeal from McDonald’s with an unsweet tea. We then went to the church to practice with the worship team for the Cotter Trout Festival.
    After practicing we went to lunch at McDonald's. I had the Southwest Chicken salad with grilled chicken and an unsweet tea. From there I went home and worked in the garden for three hours. Later that evening my wife and I did some premarriage counseling with a couple I will be marrying later in May. While we were doing this we had to feed the children so we ordered a pizza from Nima's Pizza. We had the 2008 competition Pizza which had tomato and four cheeses on it. I ate three pieces. My wife also had a turtle cheese cake for dessert so I ate a piece of that as well. I will need to get back on track tomorrow.
When we got home after cleaning the church I ate some more pizza. It was a good thing we gave the extra cheese cake to some friends. I will need to do better tomorrow.

1 Month 4 Days

   
Today was very busy and as a result I am entering this entry at the end of the weekend. I got up early for church prayer and on the way to work I stopped at McDonald's and got oatmeal with fruit, a large unsweet tea. I was really craving a Sausage Egg McMuffin so I ended up adding a min breakfast burrito since it was smaller.
     After I had been at work for a couple of hours I got a call from my kid’s school that one of my children was sick. I left work for a few hours to pick up my daughter and wait for my wife to find a sub so that she could take over. Since i was trying to get back to work quickly I ate lunch early while I waited for my wife to meet me. For lunch I had the Black Forest Ham sandwich with a side salad instead of chips from Pizza Hut.
    After I got off work I picked up a couple of friends and we worked in the garden for two hours. We dug up a lot of weeds, turned over the ground, and began planting several items. Since I worked fairly hard in the garden I ended up not walking on the tread mill. For dinner I ate leftovers I had a slice of meat loaf, cooked carrots, a roll, and some green beans. Over all it was a good day. I did eat a larger breakfast because I added the small breakfast burrito, but it did allow me to continue eating healthier because I have had the taste I was craving in a controlled matter.

1 Month 3 Days

    I slept in today because I was up late last night helping my son finish his science fair project. For breakfast I had a boat of oatmeal and fruit, a large usweet tea, and I splurged and order a mini breakfast burrito. At lunch I had a board meeting and we ate Mexican. I had my 10 chips, and the pollo Monterey (chicken with grilled veggies), and a Diet Coke. We had a cake for one of my co-workers for her birthday. I had a small piece and 1 scoop of ice cream. For sinner I got back on track with a 6 inch roast beef from Subway. I had the whole grain bread, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, onions, and no cheese. I also had a bag of baked Lays and a Diet Coke. Because today was a long day I am going to rest tonight. In the morning I will get back on track.

1 Month 2 Days

    I am writing this entry late because yesterday was a long day. I got up early at 5:00 AM and walked and jogged on the treadmill for 30 minutes. After getting the kids up I ate a bowl of oatmeal and a large unsweet tea from McDonald's. For lunch I went to Subway and had a 6 inch roast beef sub on 9 grain wheat, with tomato, onion, lettuce, and spinach, and a bag of Baked Lays. It cam with a free cookie so I ate a white chocolate and Macadamian nut cookie. For dinner we ate at the church. I had a slice of meat loaf, a serving of green beans, a serving of carrots, 1 roll, a serving of mash potatoes, and a small serving of banana pudding.
     After church i was up until midnight helping my son with his science fair project. He typed it , but I helped him proof it, printed it, and then helped lay it out for him. The good news is that even though I ate some dessert today i did not eat after 6:00 PM. The treats were good, and I think they are OK as long as they are the exception and not the norm.

1 Month 1 Day

     I started today by having a hard time getting up. I got up to workout, put my shoes on, looked for the TV remote so I could listen to David Crowder on DVD while I walked, and did not find the remote so I went back to bed because I was tired. However, it was worth it because five minutes after I went to bed my youngest son crawled into bed and cuddled for the next hour.
     I got back up again at 6:15 AM and made oatmeal for the kids. Because I took a shower I ran out of time to make and eat my oatmeal. Instead I went through the McDonald's drive thru and had an oatmeal with fruit, and a large unsweet tea. For lunch I went to Park View Pizza in Flippin, AR and had a grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard, and mayo on it. I accompanied it with a side salad with honey mustard dressing and a Diet Coke. For dinner my wife made vegetable beef soup so I had a bowl of that and a grilled cheese and turkey sandwich. I used fat free cheese, low fat butter, and fat free turkey on the sandwich. (I am still trying to figure out how you make a slice of turkey with absolutely no fat.)  After eating dinner I ran some errands and picked the girls up from girl scouts. When I got home I had a cup and a half of low fat kettle corn popcorn. I also drank a quart of 2% milk.
     Before I went to bed I ran and walked for 30 minutes on the tread mill. Overall it was a very good day. After weighing in I am amazed how much weight I have lost simply by being deliberate about what I eat, by eating healthier, and by exercising moderately 6 out of 7 days. I am also amazed at the results because I am not starving myself. I look forward to another great day tomorrow.

1 Month weigh in!

    I went by the gym today and weighed in. I weighed in at 312 lbs. So far I have lost 26 lbs!

1 Month!

     Today marks exactly one month since I started this blog, and the journey towards better health that I believe God has called me to. Through out the last month I have been allowing God to help me to change my eating habits because it has been an idol in my life. I wanted God to have control of my life, but this area is mine. However, with God's help I believe that He has been changing this area of my life. I believe He has been changing me from being someone living to eat to someone who eats to live. I still enjoy eating , but I feel like God has begun to give me control over this area in my life.
     Today I tried to get up early, but was still tiered so i ended up going back to bed for an additional 45 minutes. Because I went back to bed I did not workout this morning. After I did get up I had an oatmeal from McDonald's with fruit in it and a large unsweet tea. For lunch I met with a fellow pastor and we ate at Subway. I ate a 6 inch roast beef sub on the 9 grain bread with lettuce, spinach, tomato's, onions, low fat mayo, a bag of baked Lay's sour cream and onion chips, and a Diet Pepsi to drink. Late in the day when I got off of work I went to Subway for dinner because my wife and the kids had already eaten. I again had a six inch roast beef sub on the multi grain bread, with  lettuce, tomato, spinach, onion, light mayo, and a slice of pepper jack cheese. I also had a Diet Pepsi and a bag of BBQ baked Lay's chips.
     I had several things to do this evening so I did not stay home until 8:00 PM. Since I did not workout this morning I made a point to walk and jog on the treadmill for 30 minutes. In addition, I was a little hungry so I had about twelve almonds through out the evening.
     Over all I think it was a great day. I normally weigh today , but because I was unable to get to the gym this evening I will try to stop by and weigh in tomorrow morning when I take the kids to school.

3 Weeks 6 Days

     Today was Easter so my day began early. We had the community Sunrise Service at ort church so we had to be there by 6:00 AM  After the sunrise service we had a potluck breakfast with the other churches. I took a breakfast casserole that was made with turkey sausage and fat free cheese so that I could eat healthier. At the potluck I ate some of my casserole and grab two pieces of sausage that someone else brought. I found my self snacking on items through out the morning. I think what I will need to do in the future at potlucks will be to fix myself a plate and when I am done with it make a point not to go back.
     For lunch my father took us our for lunch. We ended up going to Roma Italian restaurant in Mountain Home. I did good by not ordering a an appetizer. However, I should have only eaten one roll instead of two. I ate pasta with chicken and shrimp and an cream sauce. My wife and I split a tiramisu for dessert. For dinner we ate left overs. I ended up eating a piece of the breakfast casserole that was left over. I also worked out today even though it was Sunday so that I could make up for missing yesterday. It was a difficult weekend for eating, but it was still an improvement over the past. Tomorrow is a new day and with me going back to work I can make sure I get back into my routine.

3 Weeks 5 Days

Yesterday I did not get to workout on the treadmill. However, I still tried to watch what I ate. For breakfast I ate a bowl of oatmeal with fruit. After breakfast I took the kids to my son's baseball practice. It was short practice so we went back to the house and did chores. Since my wife had to work on school work my kids, my dad, and I went to the movies. For lunch we went tot he Chinese buffet because three of them eat free. I ordered off of the menu and only ate 1/2 of my order and took the rest home. At the movies my kid's and I spilt a popcorn, some gummi bears, and a large Diet Coke. For dinner my wife made beef stroganoff. I ate one serving of beef stroganoff. Later that night because we were getting ready for the Community Sunrise service my wife got hungry and as a result I realized I was hungry, We ended up splitting the left overs I had from lunch.

3 Weeks 4 Days

     I am writing this entry a little late because we showed "The Passion of the Christ" at church last night. As a result it was late when I got home. Yesterday I ate oatmeal with fruit for breakfast after prayer at the church. For lunch my Dad came into town and we went to the fish house. I got Cajun grilled fish, with a baked potato, Cole slaw, and it came with beans. I ate two small hush puppies and avoided the rest because they were fired.
     For diner the kids and I went to subway where I had a six inch chicken salad sandwich, with a bag of baked lays and a Diet Pepsi. After diner we went to the church for the movie. At the church they had food. I ate had a slice of pizza, but as the evening even on I went back for more. So yesterday evening was not real good. I need to find a way to deal with events like this better. I did some exercise yesterday and jogged on the treadmill for 5 minutes and then walked another 10 minutes before running out of time. Today is another day so I will have a chance to better.

3 Weeks 3 Days

     Today has been a long day. We made it safely back from Little Rock. The doctor confirmed what we already knew, that the EEG did not show anything abnormal on my daughter. However, since the Trileptal is preventing the issue she was having we are going to maintain the medication and retest her in 6 months. It was a long trip for a doctor's visit, but it gave my wife and I some quality time with one of our kids and sometime to look around Little Rock.
     For breakfast I ate oatmeal with fruit that we got at the first open McDonald's on the way down. I supplemented it with a large unsweet tea and a bite of my daughters hash brown. Once we were in Little Rock my wife and I both agreed we were not eating McDonald's for lunch. Instead,after my daughters appointment we went down to the river walk and ate in the riverside market. For lunch we ate some Middle Eastern food. I had a gyro, a serving of lentils and noodles (Egyptian), and three pieces of dolmus (stuffed grape leaves). To drink I had an unsweet tea.
     As we were heading back I was tired so I began popping sunflower seeds to stay awake. It works, but only if you are driving. I probably ate a 1/4 of a cup of seeds. Since it made me thirsty I also drank a Diet Pepsi.
     Once we got back into Flippin, I picked the kids up from a friends house and took them out for dinner. Half of the kids wanted Happy Meals and the other half wanted Subway. So after going through the McDonald's drive thru I took the family to Subway , Happy Meals and all so I could still eat healthy. I ended up getting a 6 inch roast beef sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, and onion with low fat mayo on it. I had a bag of baked sour cream potato chips and a Diet Pepsi. After seeing my chips my youngest son no longer wanted his french fries so he ate some of my chips and I ate some of his french fries. Over all I probably ate half a pack of McDonald's small fries. (I can do without them for a while again, since the longing for them has been met in moderation).
     After getting the kids to bed and the animals fed and situated I went to the gym to workout tonight. I walked the treadmill for 30 minutes, then rode the bike for 30 minutes, and ended by lifting a few sets of light weights. It was a great day and it was good to be able to go out to eat at unknown places and still try to eat healthy. I have to say thank you to my wife because at lunch I wanted to finish her gyro, and my daughter's chicken strips out of habit and because I did not want to waste them. Instead, I walked them to the trash and dumped the leftovers. My dad is coming in for the weekend so I will now get to continue my journey with him around. It should be great! I am looking forward to it.

3 Weeks 2 Days

   I am actually writing this on day 3 of week number four because we went to bed early last night so that we could leave early this morning for Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, AR. Because it is a 3.5 hour drive and our appointment is at 9:30 AM we had to leave rather early.
     Yesterday I got up early and walked the treadmill for 30 minutes. For breakfast I ate a bowl of oatmeal with fruit in it. For lunch I took my lunch. I am trying to take my lunch more often because it is healthier and because it is cheaper. I had a boiled egg, a bowl of beans, and a bowl of broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, and onion salad.
      For dinner we ate at the church. At church I had a serving of red beans with smoked sausage in it, a serving of macaroni and cheese, a piece of corn bread, some cucumber salad, and a small serving of blue berry crisp. Later that night when we got home my wife was hungry, and so I ate as well. So after 8:00 PM I ate a Jimmy Dean turkey sausage with egg and cheese. I really should not have eaten this late so today I will need to better. I will post another entry this evening when I am not sitting in a doctor's waiting room.

For the glory of God.

     In the film "Chariots of Fire" there is a scene where Eric Liddell's sister is expressing her concern about his running because he is called to be a missionary to China. She is concerned that the running is a distraction from the purpose that God has called him to. In the movie (There is no indication that Eric Liddell said this in real life) he responds by saying, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure".
      Today as I was reflecting on this journey that God has called me to I thought of that line. Each time I have a good day, each time I meet a goal, or each time have a success I feel God's pleasure. Since this has been a spiritual journey as well as a physical journey it has been a great experience. I look forward to each day because I look forward to what God is going to do and how He is going to help me through whatever may come. With each milestone that I meet my hope is that God receives the glory as he transforms my life.

3 Weeks 1 Day

     Today was a great day . I'm not sure why, but it was difficult to get up again this morning even through I went to bed early. For breakfast I had a bowl of oatmeal from McDonald's and a large unsweet tea. At lunch time I ate a grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and onion on it with some mayo and mustard. Instead of french fries I substituted a side salad with honey mustard dressing. For dinner tonight I had a grilled Southwest chicken salad.
     Because we had severe thunderstorms this evening my girls did not have softball practice, instead since I am cooking the main dish at the church meal tomorrow night I had the kids help me prepare it. We spent the evening cutting vegetables, sorting beans, and  cleaning up the dishes afterwards. As the beans were slow cooking I walked the treadmill for 30 minutes. I ended up eating about a quarter of a cup of beans afterwards. Other than the beans at 10:00 PM at night I had a good day.

3 Weeks - I lost 2 more lbs!

    Today was weigh in day! I have lost another 2 lbs. My weight today is 320 lbs. This morning I slept in a little bit so I did not walk this morning. However, tonight I did walk on the tread mill for 40 minutes. When I got up this morning I had oatmeal with fruit in it.  I purchased an unsweet tea and drank it through out the morning. For lunch I met with another pastor at Subway. I ended up eating a six inch roast beef sub, with baked sour cream and onion lays, and a Diet Pepsi.
      When I got off work my youngest son had t-ball practice and my oldest son had Boy Scouts so I fixed a quick dinner before we left so that I would not eat after 6:00 PM. I ended up eating a ham and cheese sandwich made with fat free cheese, mayo, and mustard. I also ate a a serving of the broccoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes salad that I had made on Sunday. After practiced and Boy Scouts I came home and walked on the treadmill for 40 minutes. I also ate a fruit newton thin for a snack. Since it is early I am going to relax and watch the new Tron movie. Tommorrow is a new day and I look forward to it.

2 Weeks 6 Days

     This week of my journey is quickly coming to an end.This morning I slept in until 7:30 AM. Since it is Sunday I did not work out today. We got up and went to church and I took my breakfast with me. This morning I had a turkey sausage, egg white, and potato breakfast bowl. I originally planned on cooking lunch at the house, but because we had some friends come to church today we decided to go out for lunch. Instead of cooking at the house we went to Diego's Mexican restaurant for lunch. I counted my 10 chips out and got the pollo Monterrey with an unsweet tea.
     Later in the afternoon I prepared dinner for my family. Last night I took out a NY strip steak and marinated over night. I also made a salad with some broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, and onions that we had. I chopped up the vegetables and then covered them with Italian dressing. In the future I will use fat free dressing, but for today I used what was in the refrigerator. The other side dish we had was herb roasted potatoes. However, instead of using butter I used non-stick cooking spray on them. They still browned some in the oven and still had a good flavor. However, by leaving out the butter the calorie count was lower.
     After church we told the kids that we would have dessert before we went to bed. (In reality, we waited for the dessert until after church because I knew the kids would say they were hungry and would need a snack.) We ended up having strawberry shortcake using fresh strawberries, angel food cake cups, and light whipped cream. It was about 8:00 PM when we had them so it was later, but it was still a good time with some of the people from our church.
     As I review the weekend I thing it went good, although I was stiff most of the day from yesterday's baseball practice. I am still managing to eat healthier, I have also had several of you offer encouragement and for that I say thank you. Another thing that I noticed is that my entire family was able to eat on a package of steak that in the past would have been enough for my wife and myself. Intead of having two big NY stirp steaks I cut the steaks into 7 small steaks each  about the size of a deck of cards. Which is significant because that is the recommend serving size from the USDA food pyramid. I cannot believe how much I was eating previously. No wonder I am overweight!

2 Weeks 5 Days

    Whew! Today is almost over. Today was a definitely a long day. I did not get up early and walk the treadmill. Instead, I got up at 7:00 AM and cooked turkey sausage, and eggs. I made a turkey sausage, egg, and cheese muffin breakfast sandwich for everyone. I then load all the kids up and went to my sons baseball practice. While at his practice I ran the bases for his team for the first hour and half of practice. I figured I got pretty good exercise doing that. However, my body is stiff tonight.
     Because my wife is working on her masters degree I made a Dad Day with the kids. After my oldest son's practice we ate at Diamond Head Chinese Buffet because kids 10 and under  are free on Saturdays and Sundays. What! You ate at a buffet? Doesn't that go against this journey you have started? Before you get to excited I did not eat the buffet. Instead, I ordered off the menu. I had my Diet Pepsi and crab and scallops with vegetables in garlic sauce. I had it over steamed rice instead of fried rice because it was healthier. It also came with a choice of soup or salad. For a change I went with the soup. I got the hot and sour soup because I thought it would be healthier than the egg drop soup. The good news is I also took home a doggie bag. I had leftovers from a restaurant! I took my time eating and only ate half of the entree I ordered. I took the rest home and my wife ate it for dinner.     
      After lunch I took the kids to see Rio at the movie theatre. At the theatre we split a Large Diet Coke and a pack of sour gummy worms. I think it broke down to about 5 worms a piece. After the movie ended the kids and I went home where we worked in the garden for a couple of hours. We tilled the soil again (used the tractor) and then I dug two rows where we planted red onion, white onions, and yellow onions. We are going to try and plant some additional things through the week.
     Once we were done in the garden I made baths for the kids and heated left over pizza up for them. By this time it was 8:00 PM so they ate dinner and went to bed. When my wife got home from cleaning the church she ate my left over Chinese food and I ate a 6 inch turkey ham  and cheese sandwich, 1/2 a slice of pizza, and a couple of bites of the vegetables from lunch. Overall, it was a good day. I did eat later than I needed to, but since I was working in the garden while we had daylight I do not think it could be helped. Furthermore, after eating I have stayed up for another 3.5 hours. Tomorrow is a new day and I look forward to it!

2 Weeks 4 Days

     Thank you Lord for another great day. While it was a good day it was also a long one. My body is definitely letting me know that I am tired. I got up early this morning at 5:15 AM so that I could still walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes before going to prayer at the church. Prayer is at the church from 6:45 AM until 7:30 AM. I worked out before prayer and then grabbed an oatmeal and an unsweet tea from McDonald's on the way to work.
     For lunch I took my lunch and ate some of the left over Mexican casserole that I had made. I knew that tonight I would be taking my family out for dinner to Pizza Hut because one of the guys from the church was coming over to help me fix some things around the house. After we installed a freeze proof faucet and repaired the faucet on the front of the house we went to dinner. I told my wife earlier that I was going to get the black forest ham sandwich with a salad in place of the chips even through we were getting Pizza for everyone else. So  we got a large supreme pan pizza, a large cheese stuff crust pizza, and a family order of bread sticks, while I got my sandwich and salad. We got the bread stick as an appetizer because it was later then when the kids are used to eating and then had the pizza once they were ready. I ate my salad while everyone else ate bread sticks and then had the sandwich while everyone else ate Pizza. The main thing I noticed is that if I am not eating the Pizza we will be able to get away with one Pizza. I did go through Pizza Hut without eating the bread sticks and pizza and still made healthier choices. However, it is harder doing it out at dinner with my family than it is when I eat lunch. I'm not sure why this is, but I still did it.
     As I sit here reflecting on the experience so far I definitely realize that God has been with me in this. For one, it has not been as much of a struggle as it was in the past when I would diet. I think this may be because I have come to realize that I cannot take a break, like I would when I diet. I have to have a change of behavior and life style. Secondly, I think it is because I really believe that God is leading me in this. In the past I have had friends encourage me to lose weight and mention that this area could be an area that God wants to change, but this time I feel I heard God saying that He wanted to be Lord in this area of my life. Whatever the reason may be, I hope that God will be glorified through this journey He has called me to.

Oh Happy Day!

    I met one of my goals today! When I started my blog I mentioned that I wanted to be able to shop for clothing at Walmart. Well I have lost enough weight that I was able to wear a polo shirt that I had purchased from there last week. The shirt is a 3XL so it is still larger then I need to be, but it is smaller than a 4XL. Losing one shirt size is a great first step. Now I guess these means I will have to wear the 3XL pink polo shirt that my wife purchased for me from there. You know what, I was in high school in the late eighties and early nineties so bring on the pastels!

2 Weeks 3 days

     Today was a great day! I got up and exercised for 30 mintues on the treadmill. For breakfast today I changed it up a bit. I had a breakfast bowl that had egg whites, potatoes, and turkey sausage. It was the great value brand from Walmart and has about 220 calories. They cost $2.00-$2.50 and still have a pretty good flavor. One of my favorite meals is eggs and sauage so it is good to have a healthy alternative.
     For lunch today I met with the church board at Parkview Pizza in Flippin, AR. I was thinking about lunch all morning because I really had no idea what I was going to eat because they serve pizza, pasta, burgers, and sandwiches. Previously when I have eaten there, there has not been a lot of healthy choices on the menu. However, I did notice they had a chicken breast salad. Normally the chicken there is hand breaded and deep fried. The waitress asked why I have not been there in the last few weeks and I explained to her what I am doing and that I have lost 16 lbs and that the main reason I have not been there is because I am trying to eat healthy. She then asked if I wanted the chicken breast grilled. What I found out is that even though it is not on the menu the staff there is willing to grill the chicken for either the salad or the sandwich. I ended up getting a grilled chicken sandwich with a salad in place of the french fries. So, if you are trying to eat healthy and the menu does not show healthy choices do not be afraid to ask if they can help you out. I now have another resturant that I can continue to eat at and still try to be healthy.
     For dinner I had to eat on the run because my kids all had ball practice. I ended up grabbing a southwest chicken salad and an unsweet tea from McDonald's. Today was a great day, I exercised, ate healthy, got to spend time with my children at their ball practices, and will be able to get to bed early. I end the day looking forward to tommorrow.

Don't diet change your behavior.

     Several people have contacted me today  and said they are following my blog. They said they are watching my progress and feel like they need to do something about their lifestyles. I'm glad that God is using my journey to encourage people. My hope is that as I continue this journey that God has called me to, that it will have an effect on other people as well. I cannot help but think of the article that I saw on CNN several weeks ago talking about the issue of obesity in the church. For people that are actively involved in church, and  for 50% of them to be obese by the time they are in their thirties is an issue. Hopefully, as a pastor as God helps me to change it will inspire others to change.
     If God is inspiring you to make changes I would like to encourage you to make life changes not just diet. In my experience every time I dieted I lost weight. However, as soon as I stopped whatever diet plan I was on my weight would balloon back up. The end result was that I have become a super sized Christian. Make changes to your life such as being deliberate about the food you eat, eating healthier choices, and eating smaller portions. If you are going to a resturant that is an issue for you decide what you will eat before you get there. For rxample, if I know that we are going to a Chinese buffet I will decide to order sushi before I get into the resturant. By doing this I have made up my mind before I am tempted by the sights and smells of the buffet.
     If I allow God to be the Lord of my eating life as well as the other areas of my life and change the patterns and habits that caused me to become so large then I will continue to live a more disciplined life and will be healthier as a result. I hope that if God leads you to make changes that you will have the faith and courage to allow Him to be the Lord of food areas of your life as well.

2 Weeks 2 Days

     Today was a great day! I got up early and walked on my treadmill for 30 minutes. For breakfast I ate oatmeal with some fruit in it. For lunch I decided to take my lunch to work. I took the low fat dog food that I had made (The low fat Mexican casserole that I made). Like I said, my wife and kids did not like it, but I think it is good. For dinner we had spaghetti and meatballs at the church. I ate a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, a side salad, a piece of garlic toast, and drank some diet cola. I also had one bite of caramel pie and one bite of another dessert. Both were good and the two bites resolved any sweet tooth that I may have had. It also looks like I will get to bed earlier tonight. , which is good because I have been staying up way to late and I am tired.

My dog likes my cooking!

     One of the reasons that I was up so late last night was because I was trying to prepare dinner for tonight. With the kids all playing baseball or softball my evenings are filling up quickly. In addition, my wife is working on her masters degree in special education, so she works on course work in the evenings. Therefore, last night at about 10:00 PM I went to Walmart and found some ingredients to put together a meal. I decided that a Mexican casserole would be good for dinner because the kids always seem to like food like that when my wife cooks it.
     So while at Walmart I bought some ground turkey, fat free sour cream, fat free cheese (cheddar and mozzarella), some diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, black beans, and some corn tortillas. I spent the rest of the evening assembling the casserole so that all my wife would need to do when she got home from work would be to heat it up in the oven. I thought great, I have come up with a low fat healthy Mexican casserole that my family will love. (Think of a Mexican lasagna using tortillas instead of noodles and you will have what I made)
     Tonight when I arrived home from work my family disproved my hypothesis about the casserole that I had created. I thought it was great but I was out voted 5 to 1. With comments about the black beans, the unidentifiable white meat (my wife's comment), and the texture, Everyone in the family, with the exception of my Golden retriever  and my cat, did not care for the meal. I liked it and it must have been really good because my Golden retriever had 5 servings. 
     I guess if I treat this like a science fair experiment then my results are as follows, 1) This meal is not a keeper and my family thinks I should forget the recipe and  2) I know how to make low fat dog food. Therefore, if you have a family pet (preferably a dog or cat) then I have the perfect low fat recipe for them so that they can begin losing all the weight they have gained since kids have entered the family scene.

2 Weeks 1 Day

     My wife can relax! I slept in on Saturday, but worked out in the evening. I did not work out on Sunday because I am taking Sundays off as a day of rest. On Monday I did not get up early because I was afraid that with the Thunderstorms going on that I would have waken all of the kids up. However, I did go to the gym that night. This morning I got up when the alarm clock went off and walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes. I then had oatmeal and fruit for breakfast.
     One of the things that I am trying to do more is take my lunch to work. The reason I want to take my lunch is because it is easier to eat healthier that way, but also because it will be significantly cheaper then eating out each day. However, since I did not bring my lunch today a coworker and I went to Sodie's again. I had the same thing that I had yesterday which was the Cajun grilled chicken wrap with the steam vegetables. The waitress commented that she was proud of me for swapping out the veggies for the fries and chips because it was healthier. (I found this interesting because as far as I know she does not know that I am trying to change my eating habits, but the encouragement was nice) 
     For dinner tonight I made Mexican casserole. It was made with ground turkey, black beans, diced tomatoes, diced onions, Mexican seasoning, corn tortillas, fat free sour cream, tomatoes sauce, and fat free cheese. It was layered like lasagna.Overall it was a low fat one dish meal. Today was a great day and I look forward to tomorrow.

2 weeks

     I slept in this morning. When my alarm went off at 5:00 AM there were thunderstorms going on and I was afraid if I got up and exercised that all four kids would have gotten up as well. When I did get up I ate a bowl of oatmeal with fruit for breakfast. I purchased an unsweet tea from McDonald's on the way to work and sipped on it all morning. During our weekly departmental meeting a few coworkers commented that they could tell I have lost some weight. My wife said she noticed this afternoon because she could hug me with out feeling like she was stretching. (Bonus!!!)
     For lunch our department went out and I was able to find something healthy on the menu. We ate at Sodie's which is a local restaurant in Flippin, AR. I had the grilled Cajun chicken wrap and instead of chips or fries I had them substitute a side of steamed vegetables. The vegetables were yellow squash, broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower. I can definitely tell things are changing because I thought they were quite good.
     For dinner my wife cooked breakfast. Since she knows I am trying to eat better she cooked me an egg white omelet with tomatoes, onions, and fat free cheese. It was accompanied with a piece of toast buttered with low fat butter, and half a banana and 5 strawberries.
   Overall I did great eating wise. However, as I am typing this at 12:21 AM I have definitely stayed up to late.The reason I stayed up so late was so that I could get diner ready for the family for tomorrow night. Because we have three baseball practices I figured I should prep the food tonight so that all we have to do is put it in the oven for a few minutes. My plan worked ,  but I ended up eating a mini ice cream sandwich. I really must try to get to bed earlier.
     Today was also weigh in day so when I went to the gym I got on the scale. Today's weight was 322 lbs. I have lost 16 lbs so far. Unlike previous times I am not starving myself. The only thing I am doing is eating less, eating healthier, and not eating after 6:00 PM. I am also exercising 30 minutes a day 6 days out of the week.

Week 2 Day 6

     It is Sunday and as a result things are always a little crazy. However, after yesterdays science fair induced calorie over load I am glad to be back on track. For breakfast today I had a turkey sausage breakfast bowl. The breakfast bowl with the turkey sausage from Wal-mart still has good flavor but is lower in calories than the one with traditional sausage.
     For lunch today my oldest son and I had to hit the drive thru because we had to go to the lab at the hospital to check his cultures. We went through McDonald's because we were running a little late and they were quicker than the other choices that were available. Since we were rushing we did not have time to go into the dining room and ended up eating on the run. Since it is impossible (definitely not recommended) to eat a salad while driving I ended up ordering a sandwich. I ordered a grilled chicken club meal with fries and a large unsweet tea. I must say that was the first time I have eaten french fries in four weeks. I would have preferred the salad, but for the circumstances it was still a healthier choice than a double quarter pounder with cheese.
     While we were going through the drive thru my son asked if we could get a milk shake and I told him we would do it after we went to the lab. After going to the lab we went and got milk shakes as a treat. I ended up getting a small chocolate milk shake while he had a vanilla malt. After getting our milk shakes we decided to go to the batting cages to work on my sons batting. For dinner I ended up eating a southwest chicken salad and a Diet Pepsi.
     Tomorrow I will get up early and walk on the tread mill and will continue the adventure.

Life Style versus Diet

     You may remember that I told you I have struggled with my weight for the last twenty years.  When I graduated from high school and went to college I was no longer playing soccer or marching in the band. As a result my activity level dropped. However, I continued to eat like was still doing these activities. The result was that I began to put on weight.

     Throughout the years as I have tried to control my weight I have tried different diets, popular plans for losing weight, and even had some help from my doctor. The immediate result was that I lost weight. At time I dramatically lost weight, but in the end when I stopped whatever the program was I gained the weight back and then some.
      Through out all of this it has led me to realize that for me diets do not work. I don't just need to diet, but I need to change my behavior. The problem with dieting is that after my goal was met and I returned to my lifestyle I would relax and fall back into the same pattern of behaviors and would regain the weight. What this means is that I do not need a short term program to lose weight I need a life style change. I need to change my life and behaviors. I have determined that I cannot take a break from a diet. Instead I need to change my pattern of behavior.
     Patterns of behavior that I believe God wants me to change are making healthier choices when I eat, exercising more, not taking comfort in food, not eating after 6:00 PM (as a pattern from time to time there may be cases where this is not possible), not eating our of boredom, finding entertainment options not based around food, and being aware of how I think about food.
    I know dieting does not work so in order for me to be successful I need to change my food behaviors and as a result my lifestyle.


    

Week 2 Day 5

     I knew today was going to be a tough day. My oldest son advanced from his school science fair to the district science fair. However, one of the requirements to continue advancing was that we do his project in a certified lab. The reason today was tough was because for his project we went to four different restaurants and took cultures from 5 of their condiment dispensers.  Since we were discreetly taking samples to test for bacteria I did not want to go into a restaurant without being a patron. As a result we went to four different restaurants before noon.
     For breakfast we went to Western Sizzlin and had the breakfast buffet. I chose to use the smaller plate and definitely ate less than I used to, but still ate more than I should of. After that we went to McDonald's for samples and I got just an unsweet tea. Later in the morning my son and I went to Chili's where we split the sampler appetizer. For lunch I called in reinforcements and had my wife and other children meet us at Pizza Hut, Since I had already eaten breakfast and an appetizer I did not eat anything at Pizza Hut.
     For dinner the family and I went to Diego's Mexican restaurant in Flippin where I once again used the tip that was suggested to me by several of you. I counted out my 10 chips and then ate the pollo Monterrey. When we got home I walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes.
     The good thing about today was that while I ate to much, my body rebelled against me. I have been eating totally differently than I used to for the last three weeks and even though I did not eat as much as I once would have, the food was heavier and richer than I have eaten in a while. I could tell the difference in the way I felt after eating the food today. I am ready to get back to eating leaner foods and smaller portions. I definitely think that this is a God thing where he is helping me by changing my desires. In the long run I believe this change will help me to follow God's will in this area of my life.
     I was able to begin getting back on track this evening and look froward to continuing the journey tomorrow. Praise God that we do not have to collect any more samples!