It’s been a while since I posted on this blog. I got out of my rhythm and stopped working out consistently. I never went back to my old eating habits completely, but I certainly didn’t stay as disciplined as I once was. I’ve been eating more — never to the point of being stuffed, just eating more than I was.

I managed to lose 32 lbs when  I was actively working out. But, after getting shingles, I stopped. I also changed hours at work, which gave me an excuse not to work out. The result is that I gained some of the weight I lost back.

Initially, I gained three pounds. Then, I lost it. Then I gained seven pounds and lost it. I’m currently at 27 lbs lost since I started, but that means I’ve gained back five pounds.

For those of you who don’t know, I got engaged last month, which is part of the reason I haven’t blogged on here in a while — trying to get things taken care of with getting the ring purchased and my proposal plan.

Anyway, now that I’m getting married, I’m getting back on track with the YoD. I want to lose more weight before my wedding, and I want to get in better shape physically, and mentally as I prepare for my marriage.

I’m pleased to say that financially, I have remained disciplined. I haven’t wasted much money and am making progress in paying off my debts. It feels good, even though it feels like it is working at snail’s pace. I know eventually, I will get there.

So, I need to refocus my efforts and get more disciplined with my eating. I’ve been making semi-healthy choices. And I’ve been walking semi-regularly. But, I need to up my amount of activity, and control the amount of food (calories) I take in to meet my goals. So… here we go again.

Time to get back on track with the YoD!

It’s been more than a month since I last posted, and things are not going as good as they once were. It’s not that things are going bad. I’m just finding it hard to find time to exercise. I changed schedules at work, which make it much harder to work out after work — part of it is just an excuse, don’t get me wrong.

I’ve also been eating more. I’m nowhere near where I used to be, in terms of what I eat and how much I eat, but I’m getting worse than I was. So, I need to get back on track. It needs to start this weekend.

I have some time to essentially shut down, recharge and refocus. I need that. I’ve got to get back to my routine and back to the level of discipline I had before I injured my back. I haven’t worked out since then, and if I don’t start soon I risk putting the weight I lost back on. So, it’s time to refocus.

That said, I made some huge strides in terms of financial discipline. I’m not in the biggest of holes, financially, but I’m nowhere need where I need and want to be. But, little by little, inch by inch, I’m getting there, and recently, I was able to see the progress. So, in that regard, at least one aspect of the Year of Discipline is back on track.

Also, I’m working on being more outgoing. So far, it’s in the early stages, but it seems to be working, at least a little bit. Making more eye contact and idle chatter (which I dislike, btw) with people. Not really a fan of it, but I do realize the value in it.

Anyway, that’s pretty much it.

Things have been going pretty good since I last wrote. After hurting my back, I haven’t been doing much strenuous activity, including working out, unfortunately. Tomorrow, Wednesday, is when I will resume my workout. I’ll take it slow and pace myself until I get back into it.

In the meantime, I have been walking a lot more. I was out of town last week for a wedding. We had a great time. And, I did a good bit of walking. The downtown area was more walking-friendly than driving-friendly. We also did quite a bit of walking during our visit to the N.C. Arboretum. Good times.

I didn’t really stick to the eating plan, this weekend. I haven’t eaten until I was completely stuffed all year. This weekend, I did once. It was when we went to the Mellow Mushroom. I ate a lot of pizza and was completely full. The first time in six months I’ve done that. It was the one lapse I had all weekend. Fortunately, it was early in the weekend. After that, I did more to pace myself.

I did eat quite a bit — more than I probably should have — at the rehearsal dinner. We had a BBQ buffet, and the food was excellent. But, I stopped before I got to the point that I did at MM because I didn’t want eating that much to become a habit.

Other than Mellow Mushroom and the rehearsal dinner, I didn’t over indulge on anything. I had pretty healthy breakfasts, making sure I got fruit each time. We stopped at the healthiest fast-food-ish places (Subway, Panera) and I avoided getting a lot of ice cream or milkshakes. So, all in all, it was a good weekend for the Y of D.

As far as money goes, I could have done better. I bought a bunch of things that I probably didn’t need this weekend including a camera bag, a tripod, and some swimming shorts. Still, I budgeted money for it and did not go over that amount, though I was close.

So, I’m still on track, I guess. I would feel a little bit better about how much I ate if I had been working out the past few weeks. But, since I haven’t, I really need to get back into it, so I don’t gain any of the 32 lbs. I lost back.

It’s been a little while since I updated mainly because I’ve been recovering from a back injury I sustained about two weeks ago. I was working out and everything seemed normal when I finished up.

After working out, I usually get on the computer and cool down. Then, I take a shower — usually within 15 minutes of finishing my workout. Two Wednesday’s ago, I didn’t jump in the shower. I sat at the computer for an extended period of time… maybe an hour or two without moving.

When I got up to move, my back hurt. It was only slight and I got up and took a shower. After that, I layed down. When I got out of bed, I could barely walk.

The next day, however, it got a little better and I was able to walk, albeit a little slower than usual.

Meanwhile a friend calls me with free tickets to a NASCAR racei n Charlotte. I decide I’m going to try to make the race despite my back. So, I rented a car and tried to drive down from here (about 7 hours.)

Half way into the ride, we stopped to eat and I could barely get out of the car and into Panera. It took me a long time to get inside and then a long time to stand up to leave. We decided it would be best to turn around and head home rather than try for me to maneuver the crowd at the race.

I was really sad/annoyed because I missed a chance to go to the race. But, health is priority one.

The doctor gave ran some tests and gave me some medicine, which helped. It’s been about a week and I feel about 100% better. 

I hope to be back working out next week. I’m trying to take it slow so as not to hurt my back again.

While all of this happened, our refridgerator decided to die. It still stays cold, but not as cold as it needs to be. And, the freezer is not freezing. We get the new fridge on Monday.

Until then, we’ve been eating a patchwork of meals from stuff we have/need to get rid of  and we eat out more than usual. 

These two issues at the same time have made things difficult in the Year of Discipline. Specifically, I can’t work out because of the injury, and I can’t eat healthy because of the fridge problem.

Still, I think I’ve done a pretty good job of maintaining things. I’ve been sticking to the eating plan as much as I can.

While at work, a lot of people said I looked thinner, thinking I lost weight because I was out of work for a few days. Truth is, I’m down 32 lbs because of the Y of D.

Been a while since I’ve blogged here. Things have been going about the same way they were going before. I’ve managed to keep staying disciplined in my eating, limiting my intake of garbage, opting for healthier snacks.

I’ve lost a total of 30 lbs. It fluctuates really. No day, I’m up 2 lbs, the next down two. I feel like I may have hit a plateau in terms of weight loss. I’m thinking of upping my workout routine and protein intake.

I’ve been gradually doing the harder workouts, increasing weight, and doing exercises that isolate certain muscles more. It’s been slowly working. What I don’t want to do is jump to a new, harder routine, and then end up being more likely to stop the workouts because they’re too difficult or I am too sore.

I think gradually increasing is the best approach because it makes it more likely that I’ll stick with it, long term.

Ad far as everything else goes, I’ve been plugging along. Working out and trying to eat healthier. I wouldn’t say I eat completely healthy, but I am certainly a lot better than I was.

Haven’t updated in a while, but things are going pretty good. I’ve been sticking to the eating plan, and maintaining a consistent workout regime. Despite a few minor setbacks, I’ve still managed to stick to both plans.

I missed working out this week due to an electrical problem at the house. It has been fixed, so on Monday, I should be able to get back to my routine. I’ve also started walking more, and now that it is warm out, I can do things around the house and in the yard, that help me burn energy.

As far as food goes, I haven’t had any major lapses, though over the last couple of weeks, I’ve gone to Dairy Queen more than I should. What’s worse is that I got a large Sundae the last time I was there instead of a medium. Not the biggest deal in the world, really, considering that I’m getting  more exercise, but I still have to minimize the large sundaes.

Last week, I also got two pudding cups at work. (Not on the same day.) The pudding tastes very good, and has fewer calories than a milkshake, which is what I am usually considering when I end up buying the pudding. But, I need to stop that. I don’t consistently eat the pudding, but I could certainly fall into that trap — the justification being that it’s better than a shake. Truth is, if I want to keep losing weight, I have to stop eating junk like this.

I’m not too concerned about it, but I am also aware of it now and need to control it. Last night, (Thursday night) was tough. We ate around 8:45 p.m., and by midnight I was hungry again. One of the things I used to do was eat right before going to sleep. I haven’t done that in months. Last night, I almost did.

I was very hungry. I had already brushed my teeth, showered, and was in bed for the night. But, I couldn’t shake the hunger feeling so I went downstairs. I decided that I wanted something sweet and would have some graham crackers. I opened the box and was getting ready to open the sleeve to have some and I stopped. I decided to look around for something else to eat.

There were a couple of things that looked appetizing, but I decided it wasn’t worth it. I didn’t know if I was really hungry or if I just wanted to eat to eat. So, I went back upstairs. About 15 minutes later, I went back downstairs to get graham crackers. I’d spent the 15 minutes rationalizing out how I lost weight, and I rarely if ever eat after 8:30 p.m. so a couple of graham crackers wouldn’t hurt. I took out a glass to get some milk to go with them, and took out the sleeve again.

Then, I thought about it and, again, decided it wasn’t worth it to eat them. I didn’t need to. I wasn’t really hungry, I just think I wanted something to do. So, I headed back upstairs. I layed down and went to sleep feeling quite proud that I didn’t give in to temptation. So, good for me.

Also, I need to re-think my workout program too. Once I get back into the swing of things, I am going to switch from three days per week to four. My body is getting to the point where I am maintaining the weight I lost, but not really losing anymore. I think my body has adapted to the workout. And, while I still find it challenging, I need to get back to where I am getting results. I’ve lost nearly 30 lbs, and I need to keep going.

The other thing I need to do, as part of this Y of D thing is get rid of some things around the house. I have a lot of junk that I don’t get rid of because of either money spent on it, or wanting it – despite not actually using it. So, I need to really go through and pare things down. We’ll see how it goes. At the very least, I have to get rid of the comic book collection sitting in my closet, some papers I don’t need, and some old clothes. 

 Hopefully, I can donate some of the stuff in the coming weeks.

All in all another decent week in the Year of Discipline. Things haven’t gone too badly. I did eat a little more than I should have at times, particularly my sister’s pound cake, but all in all I’m still on track.

I’ve been walking since it warmed up. That hasn’t been too bad. We’re having wood floors installed in the house, so I haven’t been able to do my usual workout thanks to the extra furniture in the room that I normally work out in.

The walks have been good — I did six miles the other day — but I miss my normal workout. I’ll be glad to get back to it.

So, things have been going well. Just plugging away in the Y of D.

Last weekend was Easter week and I decided to head up to New Jersey for a long weekend with the family.

Up to this point, things have been going pretty well. I was sticking to the eating plan and working out consistently. We decided to leave Thursday night to head to NJ. I wasn’t feeling well on Wednesday due to allergies, so I didn’t work out. Friday night was out because we were out of town.

We got back on Sunday night. I was off Monday, but still didn’t work out. I could’ve worked out yesterday, but I didn’t — laziness, recovering from allergies still.

Today, however, I decided to make no excuses. The longer I went on without working out, the harder it would be to start, so I got back to it. When all was said and done, I was more tired and sore than usually, but I felt great. It was good to get back into it.

Eating has been what has suffered the most over the holiday. Thursday night, I ate before we headed up to NJ. We didn’t stop on the way, and other than some Crunch & Munch, I didn’t have anything on the road.

Friday started out relatively healthy, having a bagel and some fat free cream cheese. But, by the afternoon I was still eating relatively unhealthy. I did take a walk to the park with my Nadia, Nyah, and Diane, my stepmother. So, I got a tiny bit of exercise.

Saturday, I had two begals with nonfat cream cheese for breakfast. I had some White Castle for lunch. I used to be able to eat 30 burgers (they’re mini, but 30 is alot) in one sitting. This time, I had 5. Better, but still, it was fattening, greasy fast food.

I visited my sister in the early afternoon and had some of a vegetable platter she put out. I also snacked on some cheese cubes she had. At one point, it became activity eating and I quickly stopped.

When I got back to my father’s place, we had leftover pasta and turkey burgers for dinner. This was relatively healthy. But, the ice cream, apple pie, and canolies we ate afterwards were not. The canolies were small and were not completely filled, but I still ate a good bit of them.

Sunday, I had eggs and an english muffin for breakfast. For lunch, I had two turkey burgers. And, for dinner, we had the customary Easter turkey with homemade mac and cheese, stuffing, sweet potatoes, potato salad, and asparagas. 

My father cut his hand and had to go to the emergency room, so my sister ended up finishing up the meal. This led to mixup which resulted in cooking the wrong part of the asparagas. Long story short, I didn’t eat green vegetables.

All in all, I ate a lot. I almost had two servings of everything. I didn’t eat till I felt stuffed, but I probably was closer to being stuffed than I ever had since starting the Year of Discipline. for that reason, and the fact that we’d be on the road for 4 hours, I skipped dessert.

When I got home, however, I did have a piece of pound cake that my sister sent me back with.

At the time, I didn’t reget eating it, but after not working out the Monday after we got back, I started to feel a little bad about it. But now that I’m getting back on track with the working out and eating, I feel better.

It’s good to be back and get back into my routine…

This was a pretty good week for the Year of Discipline. I’ve stuck to the eating plan almost every day. I even ate well last weekend, without over indulging. It would have been a perfect week, food-wise, if not for a retirement party at work yesterday.

Up to that point, I was on track without any lapses. But, when I got to the party, they had a platter with cheese and cold cuts. They also had a veggie plater, shrimp cocktail, fresh fruit, beer, wine, and a carrot cake.

I skipped the beer and wine. But i had a few little cheese squares. They had cheddar and pepperjack. Both were good, but the Swiss was incredible. It took a lot of self control to stop eating it. And while it was good that I did, I still ate a lot of it.

I also had a good bit of turkey, salami, and ham. I had a little bit of pepperoni, too. Each piece was small, which made them more dangerous. It’s sort of like eating a bag of chips, where they’re so small it’s easy to lose track of how much you’ve had. After my third trip (we had to little paper plates, so each trip didn’t have a ton of food on it), I knew I had to stop.

I had some broccoli, cauliflower, and cucumbers. Those alone would have been fine. But, I had some of the dip that went with them. My guess is that the dip was not low fat.

Then came the cake. It was good. And the woman cut it into pretty big pieces, even for my standards. I took a really small piece, since I felt like I ate a lot of the cold cuts. My piece was roughly half the size of the pieces the woman was cutting.

Later, though, I had another small piece, which defeated the purpose of taking the tiny piecei n the first place.

All in all, it wasn’t wise for me to stay near the food. I should’ve got a little and then moved to the other side of the room. Instead, I stayed by the food, which led to me eating a little more than I probably should have.

Still, I didn’t feel stuffed after the party. Before the Y of D, I would’ve eaten until I was stuffed. Since I didn’t this time, I still feel good about myself. But, I know I’ve got to get back on track and I have to do better next time.

As for exercise, everything is on track. Still working out according to plan. But, I’m still contemplating moving from a three-day-per-week workout plan to a five-day-per-week plan. I need to keep my body from getting accustomed to the workout.

Another week of sticking to the plan. I’ve followed the eating plan pretty closely. On Saturday night, I had a couple of pieces of Polly-O string cheese that I probably could’ve done without. I’d count that as a minor lapse. But, other than that, things have been pretty good.

Last weekend, I went to Dairy Queen twice. The first time, I got a chocolate shake. Normally, I get a large chocolate shake. But, in the Y of D, I got a medium. One day, I’ll get a small, but I’m not there yet. I also took a lot longer to drink it than I used to. So, that’s good.

The second time, I have a medium hot fudge sundae, as opposed to the large I normally get. Again, a better decision considering. So, all in all, I stuck to my plan of eating less, even when going to DQ.

I’ve also been exercising regularly. It’s been getting easier to be consistent with it. Even if I don’t feel like it beforehand, I do it anyway knowing I’ll feel better afterwards. And, I end up feeling great.

All in all, this week has been predictable. I ate what I was supposed to eat, and worked out as much as I was supposed to. So, I feel pretty good about things. At this point, I’m pretty much on cruise control.