Day 4

Went to Marie Calendars for dinner.  MISTAKE.  For anyone that is dieting they are one of the only restuarants that don't have a light menu.  At least they have the nutritional menu although most of the stuff is loaded with fat and calories.  I looked back at the stuff I used to eat and no wonder I am where I am today.  Brandon cheated, he had pizza for lunch.  When I asked him how many slices he had his quote was "when you rob a bank, you don't just steal $1, do big or go home".  Nice.  So I ended up getting a hamburger, dry and instead of french fries got a salad with balsamic.  Told them no to the free cornbread.  So, overall I think I did pretty good.  Also found a great fat free ice cream (I am a sucker for deserts).

Here is the breakdown for yesterday:

Breakfast
Oatmeal w/brown sugar
Skim Milk
Lunch
Fettuccine with marinara
String cheese
Snack
Ice Cream
Dinner
Hamburger
Salad w/balsamic

Total calorie intake 2021, 306 of those calories are from fat

Day 3

I officially "cheated" yesterday.  A co-worker passed away a couple of weeks ago and his family came in to say thank you and brought desert.  Oh well, like a friend said, you will have good days and a few bad days but don't beat yourself up over it.  I'm still going strong and will avoid my second temptation of "bagel day" here at work.  I'm still a little worried about this weekend.  It will be the first weekend on the diet and when we eat the most.

Here is the breakdown for yesterday:

Breakfast
Oatmeal w/brown sugar
Skim Milk
Lunch
Smart Ones Veggie Pizza
String cheese
Snack
Mini deserts
Popcorn
Dinner
Chicken with fettuccine

Total calorie intake 2010, 356 of those calories are from fat

Day 2

Yesterday went pretty well.  I didn't feel as tempted as Day 1 but again around 4pm I started getting that hunger and tired feeling and ended up with a headache by the time we ate dinner at 6:30.  Sunday is my shopping day so I will definately be picking up some snacks for late afternoon.  I'm kind of aprehensive about the weekend.  This is the time when we usually eat out the most.  I am excited about the grocery shopping.  Brandon picked out the menu for next week and it includes a Sicilian Stuffed Pizza from weight watchers.

Here is the breakdown for yesterday:
Breakfast
Oatmeal w/brown sugar
Skim Milk
Lunch
Smart Ones Veggie Pizza
String cheese
Snack
String Cheese
Ritz Crackers
Popcorn
Dinner
Shepherds Pie

Total calorie intake 1490, 288 of those calories are from fat

1 Down, 364 to Go!

So I think my first day was pretty much a success.  It was really hard to contain myself from eating crap although the usual office suspects weren't around to tempt me.  Breakfast and lunch went well, but right around 3pm I got hungry and tired, so I need to figure out a good mid-afternoon snack.  I did have some string cheese but it didn't do much for me.  Maybe some popcorn?

Here is the breakdown for today:
Breakfast
Oatmeal w/brown sugar
Skim Milk
Lunch
Chicken ceaser lean cuisine
String cheese
Snack
String Cheese
Ritz Crackers/cream cheese
Dinner
Stuffed artichoke
Meatloaf

Total calorie intake 1942, 432 of those calories are from fat

I also need to come up with some good things to eat that have calories but not fat.  I noticed today that I was low in calories but high in fat.

D-Day

Tomorrow is D-Day. I think I’ve got everything I need and have been psyching myself up for the last few days in preparation. I went ahead and posted my stats as of today and will post a pic and my weight every Sunday. Well, here’s to a great journey ahead. Wish me luck!

Things to buy

So, I have comprised a list of things to buy before my "weight loss journey".  Let me know if you have any suggestions on brands that are better than others or if I'm missing anything.

• Scale - Purchased the Taylor 7519 Glass Electronic Scale (from Costco)
• Food Scale - Purchased the Taylor Biggest Looser from Bed, Bath and Beyond
• Cookbooks
• Pedometer - Purchased the Omron Pocket Pedometer Model HJ-720ITC
• Food Journal - Done

The Rules

• D-Day                    June 1st
• The Time Frame     1 year
• The Goal                175 Pounds or 2 pounds per week

D-Day is June 1st. This gives me time to get a descent scale, a food scale, maybe a couple of cook books and get a trip to the Dr.'s office to get my cholesterol, glucose, etc checked.

June 1st (Tuesday), I will post my current weight along with all my stats. I will also post a picture. Not sure if I will pose "Biggest Loser" style or just a t-shirt and shorts.

Daily posts - Every morning I will post the prior days calorie intake and any exercise. I will also post recipes that I have found and tried.

Weekly posts - Every Sunday morning I will post my weight. I don't want to weight in everyday and get deterred.

Monthly posts - Every month on the 1st I will post new stats and a new picture.

After 6 months I will return to the Dr.'s office and have my blood work re-checked and sort of do a semi-annual summary of what has happened over the last six months.

Thanks for joining me on this journey and I hope that I am able to inspire at least one person to make this positive change in their life.