Full Throttle - Day 29

Today I gave my "road map" for my week's meals to BJ for him to review. He made a few suggested changes, which was very helpful for me. It made dinner tonight for our family very easy because we already had it planned.
Here is what I ate today:
5:30am - Whey Protein Drink, several blackberries
7:45am - ProGrade Lean Meal Replacement Drink, several strawberries
12:00pm - Salad with turkey, 1 egg, and light balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1:30pm - 1/4 cup of almonds
4:00pm - Whey Protein Drink, apple
6:45pm - Smoked chicken, green beans, and several slices of raw zucchini

Full Throttle - Days 27 and 28

This weekend it hit me how hard this whole thing can be sometimes. Right now I am finding the eating part to be the most difficult aspect of my transformation. I have eaten poorly for so long that it is taking much more effort to change my habits than I expected. BJ's comment on yesterday's blog kinda knocked the wind out of me a little and made me realize how poorly some of my eating choices are. I realize that I must plan ahead on what I will eat and to be prepared so that I do not make poor decisions. Today I planned out everything I will eat the rest of this week. Tomorrow morning I will take my plan to BJ so he can look over it and make any suggestions so that I can have a good week as far as my diet is concerned. I truly want to change my life, and my eating habits must change for this change to be successful. Almost seven days a week one of my kids has a baseball or basketball game or practice, or I have to umpire adult softball, or my wife has to work late, or any combination thereof. This hectic schedule has made it difficult for us to have time to prepare good quality meals at home. We must plan ahead so that we have food prepared when necessary so that we do not just go and grab fast food when we have a busy night. I am looking forward to the health benefits as well as the financial benefits of planning out our meals in advance.

Full Throttle - Day 26

Today marked the end of my fourth week of working out at Full Throttle Athletics. It was also time for my weigh in. I lost half a pound, which disappointed me at first, but I am ok with it. Once I got home I weighed myself again, and I realized that since December I have lost 32 pounds!!! I still have a long ways to go, but this is exciting. The first few months were trying to do it on my own. Now I have help, and I am confident the fat will fall off as the muscle builds.
Here is what I ate today:
7:30am - ProGrade Lean Meal Replacement Drink, several blackberries
12:30pm - Chili's Guiltless Grilled Chicken Sandwich and steamed broccoli
4:00pm - Whey Protein Drink
8:30 - 6 McDonald's hamburger patties dry, a fruit parfait, Diet Dr. Pepper
I drank about 100 ounces of water today

Full Throttle - Day 25

One great thing about posting what I eat is that the two people who are monitoring it closely are able to tell me exactly what needs to change and how it can change. I am so thankful to have that feedback so that I can maximize my efforts to gain lean muscle and lose fat. I honestly feel so blessed to have people around me who encourage me, support me, and provide me guidance in this transformation. I feel as though a lot of people are wanting to see me succeed. One of the people that encourages me a great deal is one of the people I work out with every morning, Jennifer Johnson. I must admit that the first time I worked out with Jennifer was my 2nd time to ever work out at Full Throttle Athletics. The first time I worked out it was only me and my friend Mark, and I made it halfway through the workout and thought I was going to pass out. When I saw Jennifer, who happens to be Mrs. Frisco, and her friend (who for all I knew was the runner-up for Mrs. Frisco or possibly Ms. Frisco) come in the morning of my second workout, I sucked in my tummy and told myself that I had to finish my workout today no matter what... I couldn't let these girls see me looking all weak. Anyways, Jennifer was preparing to compete for Mrs. Texas, so she was working her tail off. Through the last four weeks of working out I have watched Jennifer's work ethic and been inspired to see her go for her goal the way she has. She has also been very encouraging to me as I pursue my goals. Because Jennifer is Mrs. Frisco (and I think she should have won Mrs. Texas - but I have never been a pageant judge, so my opinion doesn't make much difference) I figured she was one of those girls that kinda always had it easy. Today she posted a very inspiring blog post, and it really showed me how "normal" she actually is. I want to share it with those who read my blog (I hope you don't mind, Jennifer) because it was inspiring to me. It made me reflect on some things and set some new goals. I can't wait until the day I can post about how much my life has changed through this transformation the way Jennifer was able to in her post today. I am already forming relationships and friendships and gaining confidence in myself, and I am discovering a new love for exercising that I NEVER thought I would have. I feel inspired, encouraged, and empowered to change my life. I still kinda suck in my tummy when the women walk in the gym, but I know I can totally be myself and know that they are there going through the same things I am. *Note to all the rest of you 6am Full Throttle folks: your time will come when I will post about what you mean to me because all of you have encouraged me in so many ways.
Here is what I ate today:
7:30am - ProGrade Lean Meal Replacement Drink, several strawberries
11:45am - Salad with vinaigrette dressing, mushrooms, carrots, hame, salami, and mozerella cheese and half a piece of bread
7:30pm - Grilled talapia with steamed broccoli
I had a beef jerkey stick when I got home and read BJs post that I need to eat more protein.
I drank a ton of water today.

Full Throttle - Day 24

This morning's workout was amazing and difficult as usual. I just feel so good after my workouts. I love the feeling. Today we did 5 sets of various different exercises which included my introduction to Hindu pushups. Somewhere during the workout I lost track of how many sets I had completed. I thought I had only completed 4 sets. The last part of the set included a short run. When I returned from my run, I saw everyone sitting down as if they were done, and I was very confused. I started to do my next set when they all told me I had completed 5 sets. Wow, I felt like it was Christmas because I was done when I thought I still had one more set to go. I probably would have gone a little harder on my last set had I realized it was the 5th set, but it was a pleasant surprise to be done.
I am growing to really like the group of people I work out with every morning. We have had a couple new people come lately that I look forward to getting to know as well. Everyone in our group is so encouraging, and it is fun to be able to discuss the exercises with them. I look forward to many more workouts with them.
Here is what I ate today:
5:30am - Whey Protein Drink, several blackberries
7:30am - ProGrade Lean Meal Replacement Drink, several strawberries
12:00 - I gave in to temptation and had Taco Bell. I was so disappointed with myself
6:00pm - 2 apples and a ton of spinach
I will be back to work tomorrow, so I hope to get back into my routine of eating a bit healthier.
I drank more water today than I have this week so far, but I still did not quite drink enough water.

Full Throttle - Day 23

I have had to stay home with my kids for a couple days this week because their schools are closed due to the threat of swine flu. I am discovering that I have developed a routine with my eating habits on my work days, but the days I am at home I find it more difficult to drink enough water and eat properly. I have to be extra disciplined on these days. I am also learning that my 12 year old is my food watchman. If he sees me about to eat something that he deems unhealthy, he asks, "Are you allowed to eat that?" This can be a bit annoying, but it sure keeps me in check.
Here is what I had to eat today:
9:00am - ProGrade Lean Meal Replacement Drink, several strawberries
12:00pm - salad with light vinaigrette dressing with tomatoes and carrots, bowl of broccoli cheese soup
6:00pm - a couple handfuls of spinach, 2 deviled eggs, a few slices of ham
I again did not drink as much water as I should today.

Full Throttle - Day 22

Today's workout was great. I felt like I pushed myself better than I had been pushing myself. It is funny how exercises we did as kids with no problem are so much more difficult now as an adult who has not exercised in years. Sit-ups used to be easy for me, even as a husky kid. But now I realize that my ab muscles are not all that strong, plus my belly gets in the way a little bit (but I know that is only temporary).
I was talking to someone today who said that I inspired them to also get into shape. What a great feeling to feel as though I inspired someone to exercise and eat healthy. I think in the past the only time I inspired anyone to do that was when they would look at me and say, "I don't want to look like that guy, so I better start working out." I still look forward to working out and getting myself healthier. I almost feel like I crave the early morning workouts now. Plus, now that I get up at 5:15am three days a week, sleeping until 6:30 feels like I am sleeping in.
I am typing this on Wednesday for Monday, so I am having trouble recalling what I ate. I know that for the most part I ate ok, but I gave in to temptation and ate poorly for lunch.