Category Archives: Grad School

Day 687: Tuesday Weigh In!

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Wait…I have a blog? What the what!?!

So I am back from the Happiest Place on Earth and it was epic! It was so awesome to see my family and to help my sister Brittany start her career at Disney!

It was also awesome to eat at the delicious places at Disney and around Orlando.

Which brings me to tonight’s weigh in…

Although I was relatively good (or at least tried to be) snacking was an issue the whole time. It is what it is. I gained 4.2 pounds but I know a good amount of that is water weight. I’m not mad about it. Sometimes you just have to move on.

Speaking of moving on…

For breakfast, I had a peanut butter on a bagel thin. It was filling and delicious.

For lunch, I had tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. It doesn’t get much better. Oh wait…check out dinner.

When my dad and sis came through town, we made an epic trip to Sam’s Club! We are officially ready for any sort of zombie apocalypse. Anyway, we got a pack of frozen salmon so Megan the Magic Chef whipped up some spaghetti with a light oil and garlic mixture. It was amazing. I heart salmon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Megan wasn’t feeling too well so I skipped out on my weekly run in Southwood. Tonight, I did not want to run. I was tired and I just wanted to stay at home. But I knew that if I did go run, it would be a big win in the discipline column. Anyway, tonight was a four miler and I decided to take on new road. For those who don’t know, Tallahassee has massive hills. Tonight, I conquered some hills like a boss. Yeah it wasn’t my best time, but I got my mile times down each mile which is good and in mile 3 I hit an awesome stride. Tonight was the first night that I thought I could actually run 13.1 miles right then. (It also helped that the weather was perfect tonight: low humidity and cool. A rare combo in late August.) I think my week running break really helped. Granted I did walk 35 miles over four days, but that’s beside the point. Anyway, when I got home I had a bowl of popcorn and water…gallons and gallons of water.

So that’s all for today. Wordless Wednesday will by full of awesome Disney pictures. Get stoked. See ya tomorrow.

Day 672: Monday Time

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So I’m going to keep the short and beautiful. I promise tomorrow will be good SINCE IT’S MY FIRST WEIGH IN ON A TUESDAY (are you stoked? Well you should be!)

Breakfast: I wanted to make a Egg McMuffin without going to the Gold Arches (I mean…my last name is MacDonald so it’s close enough right?) Anyway, I had a cooked egg on a Thomas 100 calorie english muffin with two slices of ham and a little cheese. It was an awesome 4 points! 

Lunch: I came home and another fantastic Skinny Taste recipe: Baked Potato Soup! It was only 4 points a cup so I had two bowls so it was 8 points!

Snack: I had about 4 points of sunflower seeds. Yumtastic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: Tonight, we had a meal that would be have been a caloric nightmare if I had ordered it a place like Chili’s. We had jalapeno poppers and chicken fajitas without the fixins. (It makes a difference to cook at home. Not only is it cheaper, you have a much better idea of what’s going in to your food. The more you know folks.) The poppers were only 3 flippin points! And the chicken and peppers was only 7 points  (5 points for the chicken and 2 points for the oil in the veggies.)

So today I totaled out at 26 points which is awesome with me. I didn’t cheat today and drank water like a fish. I was doing what I was suppose to do. (I also has a 10 calorie Monster energy drink.) We’ll see what the scale has to say. See ya tomorrow.

Day 658: Yoga Stud Edition

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Sun salutations my dear reader!

Well today was another win (or lose, however you look at it) for weight loss. I stayed within my calories and did my share of exercise. Let’s talk…

Breakfast: This morning, I had two eggs in a burrito format. I found these whole grain tortillas at Publix that had 13 grams of fiber and low in fat. It was delicious!

Lunch: Today was my first meeting with the FSU Communicators’ Network since I was an intern. It was awesome to see my old coworkers and I’m excited to work with them in the future! Anyway, they had pizza for lunch along with a veggie plate. I stocked up on veggies and had one slice of cheese pizza. The only thing I did “wrong” was I did have two delicious chocolate chip cookies. Don’t worry, I did what I could to burn them off later in the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: In case you haven’t noticed, we are Skinnytaste fiends up in here. Tonight, Megan made this awesome Lighter Eggplant Parmesan. Basically it was a lasagna with eggplant instead of pasta. It was fantastic and it feels like you’re indulging like crazy. Fantasticness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise: Tonight, I decided to go for a swim and did some laps. It felt good to stretch out  via swimming. When I got done with that, I went in and Megan and I did yoga. We did Rodney Yee’s Ultimate Power Yoga. Again, it felt amazing. To re-cooperate I had watermelon. Awesomeness.

So that’s about it for the day. Good times. See ya tomorrow.

Day 657: 50 Shades of Weight Loss

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(This post has nothing to do with the book. I just wanted to be topical.)

So this has been a pretty epic week for weight loss. I was able to drop 2.2 pounds, putting me at 236.6 at this point. So far, my lowest weight has been the bottom end of 235 so I’m really going to shoot to get below that this week. Like I was saying in yesterday’s post, the doctor told me to keep doing what I’m doing: that I need to keep losing weight and to keep exercising to get in to shape. I know that if I got rid of what’s left of my hanging gut that my hips would feel much better. Today we bought matching yoga mats and a yoga DVD to help with stretching and to help start building my core muscles back to where they were when I was SAWSing it up with Joe the Trainer (miss that guy. Joe, if you read my blog, thanks for being awesome.)

While I love to run, I really want to try out some new forms of exercises. If you have a class that you really like or just something that you like doing, comment below! I want to hear what gets your SAWSing goat!

Anyway, let’s talk about food and stuff…

Breakfast: This morning, I had another heaping bowl full of delicious oatmeal with craisins, sliced almonds and brown sugar. Yumtastic.

Lunch: Today, we had a going away lunch for our good friends Stacy and Emma who are moving to Memphis next week. This was the second going away party of the weekend (last night it was our good friends Daniel and Leah) so this weekend has had a certain wompiness to it. Anyway, we went to Bandido’s Burritos and packed the joint. It was even more sentimental to us because one of the first times we went there was with Stacy and Emma so we laughed, we cried and I won a dollar by bouncing a rolled up napkin in to a cup of water. Now, today is going to be my pseudo “splurge” day since it’s my rest day. When I say “splurge” I don’t mean dominating a buffet, but just eating more calories and then being strict for the rest of the week. Anyway, I got the chicken quesadilla which was massive and delicious. I also came with black beans and rice and they were awesome! I thought they were some of the best black beans and rice I had every had (really savory) but I was the only one who thought that. So while it was delicious, I still have that “I ate a lot of sodium taste in my mouth” even though I have drank easily 100 oz of water today. I’ll try something different next time, but it was still pretty awesome. (Oh yeah, I didn’t even touch the sour cream. Small changes folks!)

 

Dinner: Tonight we went to Publix and bought some wild caught Alaskan sockeye salmon that was on sale. For those who don’t know, I lived in Alaska for a summer as a youth ministry intern and while I was there, I ate salmon for about 70% of my meals. I flippin’ love salmon. I want to move the Northwest just so I can eat salmon and drink Starbucks every day until the day I die (where was I going with that? Oh yeah…) Anyway, Megan made this special Asian sauce that she found on Skinny Taste that is actually suppose to go on drumsticks. It turned out really well! It was spicy and delicious… dare I say spicelicious.
Speaking of spicelicious, we bought this dark chocolate that’s made with chiles and it was epic! I just had two squares and that all I could handle. Megan and I were both sweating by the end. Awesomeness.

So overall today wasn’t too shabby. I’m ready to continue this trend of healthy living and eating that we’ve got going. I’m really reading to break out of the 200’s. Heck, I’m only 36.6 pounds away! I’ve got this. See ya tomorrow.

Day 655: Ouch Edition

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So as most of you know, I have been having issues with my hip when I run. While it has been pseudo bearable (even for a guy like who has a lackluster pain tolerance) it was painful to even run three miles last night. I stretched after I was done, which helped, but when I got home I noticed I had a super dark bruise around where the hip meets the femur. After much research (and pending a doctor’s review soon) it looks like I have bursitis of the hip. It hurts to sit in a chair and I have to gingerly walk up stairs. Needless to say, sitting for eight hours straight was not fun.

So what does this mean? It looks like I’m going to have to rest and hold off running for a while. It’s not ideal, but I can still swim and I’m planning on focusing on strengthening my core and arms. Trying to make the best of a bad situation. Good times.

Breakfast: Today I just had two pieces of toast with a little more than a tablespoon of peanut butter. Around 11 I realized that’s not enough breakfast. I was starving by then. All this week, I have been eating either oatmeal or a breakfast burrito. Both of those are full of protein and really sticks to your ribs. PB and toast isn’t going to cut it anymore.

Lunch: I had some whole grain spaghetti with spaghetti sauce (no meat.)

Dinner: As you can see, at this point I hadn’t had a lot of calories. I was tired, I was in pain and frankly, I was still really sad about the shooting Colorado. It was kind of a downer of a Friday. Now, I don’t usually eat my feelings (not like I used to anyways. I’ll write about about eating your feelings sometime.) but today, Megan (who was also feeling really wompy) and I both needed some comfort food. So, we went out for some therapeutic Pho. It hit the spot. The aromatics of the basil and sprouts, the heat from the siriacha and jalapenos and the succulent beef just made my evening. I felt better.

A Little Exercise: After we let our food settle, we decided to take a dip in the pool. I did some laps just using my arms. It was invigorating.

So that’s about it for the day. It’s been a good one. See ya tomorrow.

Day 650: Weigh In Day Yo!

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So yesterday was an epic turn in our weight loss. Megan and I have re-comitted ourselves to weight loss and the importance of heathy eating. No better way to start off this new chapter in my weight loss journey than with a loss! I lost 2 pounds this week! I am back in to the 230’s to stay. It was pretty cool because yesterday morning I was 242 so it feels like I had lost even more! I can’t wait to see what will happen at my next weigh in!

Breakfast: I switched up my breakfast routine with a breakfast burrito with two egg whites and one whole egg! We actually bought these La Tortillas that are 45 calories and 7 grams of fiber, making them 0 points! It was perfect with some of our homemade salsa. 4 points.

Lunch: After church, most of our young pro’s group went to Jason’s for some healthy deliciousness. Most of us are trying to lose weight so we talked about how we can hold each other accountable. Some of us are actually going to start training for some half marathons down the road. There is a Disney Half Marathon on the weekend of my birthday in January so I think I’m going to DESTROY IT!!!! Anyway, I made an epic 15 point salad with a 3 point ice cream dessert. Hooray for healthiness!

Snack: I had a glass of milk with coffee ice cubes. It was 2 points.

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: I had a leftover burger and instead of a side like fries (which is what I wanted) I decided to heat up some brussels sprouts and ate them instead. It was awesome and so filling. 6 points

Run: Megan and I decided to go for a walk/run since our pool was brotastic and annoying. We ended up going for about four miles. There was a lot of sweat involved, but at least it is cooling off in the evening.

 

 

 

 

 

Snack: When I got done, I went to town on some watermelon while dicing up my finger in the process because I’m awesome like that.

So today I got to around 30 points and with the exercise I am in good shape. 

Tomorrow I start my new job! So stoked for all of the awesomeness that will ensue. See ya tomorrow

Day 649: The Time I Met a Biggest Loser Edition

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There were about twelve different ways that I wanted to start this post. Some were funny, some were emotional and some were like the opening of the first episode of “The Newsroom.” Sometimes when you write, you wish you could just visually reenact a moment rather than having to describe it in words. Today was just one of those days.

It feels like I am about to start my weight loss journey all over again which is an excerifying (exciting and terrifying combined) feeling. Today, I got to meet one of my favorite reality show contestants of all time (except for Colby Donaldson in Survivor Season 2. He was the Chuck Norris of reality show contestants.) The 11th season of The Biggest Loser had one of the most diverse casts that a weight loss show could ask for: an olympic gold athlete, a 5’5″ 500-pound stud, a Biggest Loser Fangirl from the Midwest and a pair of sisters who no one betted on from the start.  Little did anyone know at the start that Hannah Curlee and Olivia Ward would wind up in the No. 1 and 2 spots in the finale that year. Since Megan and I love a good underdog story, we rooted for Hannah and Olivia almost from the get go. So when we heard that Hannah was going to be speaking at a women’s wellness event in Tallahassee a few weeks ago, we started to flip!
Hannah’s story is a lot like most of ours: she had done Weight Watchers off and on for years and every time she would lose on weigh in day she would go celebrate with more eating (which I am super guilty of,) she also chased every fad diet and would buy every As Seen On TV weight loss miracle available. Between a severe back injury and surgery, Hannah started to rapidly gain weight until she couldn’t fit in to booths and the other awkwardnesses that go along with been extremely obese. Then she started in on the many adventures of The Biggest Loser. How Jillian is insane but awesome, how much of a dump the Biggest Loser Ranch was (the exercise room didn’t have running water nor did it have real walls) and how she awesome it is to have that fraternity of Biggest Loser contestants. It is always interesting to hear about the reality of reality shows. The funniest thing she said about the Biggest Loser was that everything was either mic’d or had a camera hidden in it from the grass to the bathroom. It made me glad that I never ended up trying out for the show (but I thought about it a couple of times. In fact, Megan and I almost drove to a casting call in Dallas for the couples edition in 2010. Safe to say it all worked out regardless.)

So after Hannah spoke, she opened it up for questions. A lot of questions about calorie intake, how many times to weigh a week and a whole bunch of other good questions to ask a weight loss guru like her. Now as most of you know, I have been in a slump this past year. I lost 100 pounds in under a year and have been struggling ever since because I have been just running out of steam or if I take a few steps forward, I take more back. I wanted to know how to get passed this halfway block that I have created for myself. I started out with “hi! I am halfway through my weight loss journey and…” then she stopped me and asked me how much I have lost. I told her 117 pounds and then she said “that’s awesome! Let’s give him a hand!” Then she came over and shook my hand. Now, I get star struck when celebrities even just Tweet me. I was dumbfounded at this point. Anyway, I continued with my question “I know the points and the calories of stuff, I get the formula, but I need that push to get out from being stuck. What should I do?” The first thing she told me was that I wasn’t stuck and that being able to maintain that weight loss was a big deal (which I haven’t really thought about it in that context until then) and then she gave me three awesome tips that are absolutely applicable to anyone who is looking or is trying to lose weight.

Change Your Food. I have been eating the same breakfast and have been eating the same lunch almost all summer (pb and toast for breakfast and a Smart One of lunch) so this was good to hear. The only change I have been doing is going from making healthy choices to eating a lot of bad things and then immediately regretting them. After the event, Megan and I went on a crazy healthy shopping spree at Publix and bought some delicious stuff that you will see next week!

The next thing was to Mix Up Your Workout Routine. Since I haven’t really had access to a gym this summer, I have done a lot of running and swimming which has been about it. Luckily, since I’m about to start a new job at FSU, I’ll have access to Leach again and all of its awesome classes. She said to find out what workouts your friends are doing and ask to join. If you are doing some awesome workout, sport or any type of exercise, let me know and I’ll be happy to join you! 

Finally, Hannah said to Tell Your Story. Yeah, I have this blog and yeah, most people who know me know my story, but I could still be more of a weight loss evangelist than I am right now. This might even just mean being a better example to those around me. It’s just hard because you don’t want to be that “oh hey! I have a blog! Have you read my blog? I was just talking last night on my blog that…” guy. With that being said, I want to help people and reach out to those who I know who are struggling so telling my story through my actions is going to be my goal from now on.

After the Q&A, Hannah had a meet and greet so we stopped by and said hi. She remembered that I had Tweeted her earlier this week which was really cool. We talked about the importance of a support system like the one Megan and I have and how important it is to have everyone in the family on board which is so true. We left the event feeling rejuvenated and even convicted about our weight loss. It truly was what I needed. Tomorrow, I might not lose any weight. In fact I’m pretty sure I have gained this week. But I feel like I’m back at that first step all over again where I got on our scale and realized that I didn’t want to be 357 pounds any more; that this wasn’t the life I was suppose to have. It’s time to get over this halfway point and finally reach the top of Mt. Fitintoskinnyjeans. See ya tomorrow.