Day 587: Saturday Stuff

Posted on May 12, 2012 by theffkid

Tonight, I”m blogging by candlelight on my back porch. It is kind of warm, but the tall trees with hanging Spanish moss remind why I love my place. Florida is not a bad place to be unemployed.

So I didn’t wake up until 11 am this morning. I cannot remember the last time I slept in that late. I think it’s still some residual sleep deprivation from last semester. (Makes sense to me at least…) Anyway, so needless to say I didn’t eat any breakfast. Instead, Megan suggested the Crepevine for lunch! I had the Gooleys which is a smaller portion crepe with bacon, chicken, chicken and romaine. For sauce, instead of ranch. which is what comes on it, I got honey mustard. I was really impressed with it. I usually get the bigger portion, but there is no need to! The smaller one is big enough as it is! It’s weird that our brains crave the bigger portions because it terrified that the smaller portion isn’t going to be big enough. Thankfully, the portion sizes in America are massive, so that’s something we should never have to worry about.

Speaking of massive portions… after Crepevine, we decided to get some froyo at Yogurt Mountian. Sadly, I think froyo places are becoming my enemy. When I started my weight loss, I would be really good with my portion sizes and my toppings. Now, I think it has become a place where I can get away with eating candy since it’s on top of nonfat yogurt. I’m like Newman when he discovers “non-fat yogurt” and then finds out that there is in fact fat in the yogurt. While I am responsible for my actions, I have to give some of the blame to the cups that they give you at the pay per ounce places. They are huge so you don’t really have a grasp on how much yogurt you are getting. I just got a few different flavors, a few scoops of toppings and before I knew it I had 13 ounces of yogurt and toppings! Holy cow! That’s insane! That’s almost a pound of frozen deliciousness! No bueno. I think I need to go back to places that have actual serving sizes so I can measure it out and become the good little weight loser that I know I am! That’s life I guess.

So after that debacle, I knew I needed to go on a run or something so I could undo some of that damage. For those of you who don’t know, a summer day in Florida almost always includes an afternoon shower. It will get overcast and then boom a 20 minute shower. Then it either cools off or get unbearably humid. To me, the best time to run is right before it rains because it will cool off for a few minutes and there is a cool breeze. That’s what I did today. I was planning on just doing a little 5k around the block, but then the running spirits challenged me to go a little further. I am slowly getting my running endurance back to where it was in the fall when I was training for a 10K. I ran around 4 or 5 miles (I didn’t have a pedometer on) with terrain ranging from steep hills to a track around the high school football field by our house. It felt awesome to go running. It helps me think and brainstorm about different problems and ideas. So in about an hour of running, I burned a beastly 668 calories. Ihopethat burned off my yogurt…

For dinner, I made some of Uncle Jim’s famous chili and it was awesome as always. Speaking of portions… again, I used to eat two cups of chili which is only 5 points for my first bowl along with a cup of rice. Then I would usually eat half that much again for seconds. Tonight, I ate two cups of chili and a cup of rice total! And I was stuffed! That’s a really good sign! That’s the ebb and flow of changing your eating habits, your body eventually gets the picture and it adjusts!

For dessert, I had five little iced oatmeal cookies that we bought from Publix. five of them are only 3 points! Yum! They go perfect with a cup of coffee on the back porch.

So today was good and bad. I am frustrated about the yogurt, but it was a teachable moment for me. I have learned my lesson and I’ll move on from it. Tomorrow is weigh in and I have high hopes for it. I was overall pretty good this week so we’ll see what happens. Either way, I’m in a good place with my weight loss and I have nothing but time. See ya tomorrow.

Day 585b: Thursday Again

Posted on May 10, 2012 by theffkid

“The Song Remains the Same” Led Zeppelin concert from Madison Square Garden in 1973 is on right now. My life is complete. I was born in the wrong decade.

Anyway, today was one of those days where you drink a lot of water, but your mouth is still dry and salty. That’s no bueno. I have been good pretty much all week, but today I might have veered off a little bit, but momma said there’d be days like this… It’s like what Lenny from The Simpsons always says “everybody makes mistakes. That’s why pencils have erasers.” He is a wise man.

Breakfast: I just had three strips of bacon and a Special K bar. No… really. I was in a rush this morning so that was all I could get as I was running out the door. Yum.

Lunch: So today, I got a lunch break and while I was talking to my friend Andrea, we both realized that she had a lunch break too! So we went to Pitaria for some Greek awesomeness. I had the gyro with the pita fries. It was magical. Somewhere in there, I had two Dove Chocolates at work which were a point a piece.

Snack: I had a little peanut butter on a toasted hamburger bun.

Dinner: Megan has been doing her comprehensive exams all week (they are like her O.W.L.S. or N.E.W.T.S. but on steroids) so we decided to go to Mr. Roboto’s for dinner. Last time I went there, I lost nine pounds in 24 from an incredibly bad stomach bug. While I don’t know if the two were related, they curry that I ate last time did not help the situation. Anyway, I had a California roll and some rice. Megan got a side of veggies and she shared some of them with me too! Yum!

Snack: Later on, we both wanted some TCBY but to save a little money, we decided to stay home and eat some of the low fat ice cream that we had in our freezer. I just had plain vanilla with a little sugar free chocolate syrup. Good stuff.

So that’s about it for tonight. Like I said, I wasn’t perfect, but I’ll definitely be better tomorrow. Maybe even get a run in there somewhere too. See ya tomorrow.

Oh, and one more thing…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWAN!!!!!!

Day 585a: Wordless Wednesday Makeup

Posted on May 10, 2012 by theffkid

My bad… Blog tonight….

Enjoy!

Day 581: Weigh in Day!

Posted on May 6, 2012 by theffkid

What is up yo!?!

I don’t understand how Tallahassee doesn’t have a normal coffee place. There have been numerous times that we have traipsed around the city to find a place that isn’t too crowded or too loud or too cold or closing too early! Even though college is officially out this summer, we had to leave a Starbucks because there weren’t any tables available. It was like all of the non-college residents of Tallahassee realized it was finally safe to come outside. So Anyway, our internet is down because of the storm so we are at a coffee shop by Lake Ella. I’m trying to blog and Megan is trying to study for her comprehensive exams that are this week. We got a prime table, my chai latte was heavenly, then like clockwork a duet of old people start to play the guitar and a harmonica directly perpendicular to our table. Usually this kind of thing isn’t an issue, but this place is smaller than my house so I might as well be on the stage of this coffee shop concert. Sometimes our lives are some much like a sitcom. I can hear the laugh track playing in the background. Either that or I’m having a stroke.

Where was I?

Oh yeah…

So this week, even though I didn’t blog that much, was pretty good food wise. I stayed within my points four days out of the week which isn’t too bad. I ended up losing 1.4 pounds! I’m back in the 230’s (239.8 so barely) and I’m ready to finally break in to the 220’s, which hasn’t happened yet. I’m ready to get in there!

I’m also going to exercise more this week. I’m going to start running again. It has been a while and it’s not too hot in the mornings or evenings yet. Not to mention Tallahassee is beautiful so trail running is just awesome.

Another fun thing about this week, I’m going to cook all week! Megan is defending her thesis tomorrow and then will be doing her comprehensive exams all week so I’m going to help out in the kitchen. If you see smoke coming from Tallahassee, that’s all me. We’ll see how that goes.

Alright, let’s talk about today.

Breakfast: I had two pieces of toast with two tablespoons of peanut butter and a banana. The whole wheat bread from Target is only 50 calories a slice so it’s only 1 point for two slices! Score! Breakfast was 6 points.

Lunch: So today for lunch I wanted some comfort food for lunch. I think the term “comfort food” is used frivolously nowadays thanks to certain chefs and such. I’m okay with comfort food every once in a while, but my issue with people like Paula Deen who is gung-ho about comfort food is that they are okay with having it every meal. (Am I alone in that?) Anyway, my comfort food is BBQ. Always has been, always will be. So we went to Sonny’s for lunch after church. I had the lunch portion brisket plate. I know the turkey would have been only 4 points for the meat, but I was craving brisket at that point. I also had the baked beans (which are only 2 points) and the baked sweet potato for my sides. What really got me was the two pieces of garlic bread, which were 4 points apiece. All in all, I know it was bad, but at least I’m counting the points and recognizing my mistakes instead of just saying “hi-ho” and not caring. Plus, that’s why we have flex points. 24 points

Snack: Yesterday, we made our way down to the farmer’s market on Market Square and one of the vendors had strawberries that had been picked on Friday. They are delicious. So I put them on top of my Breyer’s ice cream that is only a point for a few scoops. I also put a little honey on top, which made it even better. Fantasticness.
Dinner: While we were down at the farmer’s market, we also bought some grass fed beef from the same Georgia farmers that we bought it from a few weeks ago. Tonight was my first attempt at cooking dinner this week. I made tacos with beef and they rocked! Earlier this afternoon, we made a batch of salsa so we used that and I even made some guacamole. They turned out great and they passed Megan’s taste test. So now I’m one for one on the week. Dinner was about 10 points.

Latte: As I mentioned earlier, part of this post was written at Black Dog Cafe. I always get their chai latte, which is hands down the best in town. 4 points.

So today I racked up my share of points, but like I said earlier, at least I am actually counting now which is a step in the right direction. Can’t wait to see how this week goes. See ya tomorrow.

Day 580: A Special Afternoon Post!

Posted on May 5, 2012 by theffkid

I have always been a huge fan of the show Frasier. His high class arrogance and antics always cracks me up, but the one thing about Frasier that I have always loved is his belief that people are inherently good. There is an episode where his identity is stolen by a character played by Nathan Lane, when Frasier catches him at a bar, Frasier gives him the opportunity to turn himself in. This goes south immediately, as you can imagine, which lands the real Frasier Crane in jail. Comical as it may be, I can relate to Frasier in this regard. I have always done my best to remember that people deep down inside (heck, even The Grinch had a heart even before the Whoville caper!) That belief was challenged last month when someone stole my Vibram Fivefingers instead of taking them to the lost and found in Leach. It hurt me, because they were something that I had been saving up for for a long time. I’m in no way materialistic, or at least I don’t try to be, but when they were stolen, it was like they were stealing something a part of my weight loss journey. I spent a lot of time and burned a lot of calories in those shoes. To have them taken from me really hurt.

So fast forward to about a week ago. I got a message in my Fotographing Fat Kid Facebook message box from a stranger named Heather. She empathized with me about how people could be so selfish. She told me that it bothered her so much that she couldn’t get it out of her head, so she wanted to buy me a new pair of Fivefingers. I was floored. I sat in front of my computer speechless. I re-read the message I don’t how many times to make sure I had read the message right. So this morning, I got a visit from our postwoman and she was carrying a shoebox. I now have a new pair of gorgeous yellow Fivefingers once again. They are just as comfortable as I remember. Thank you Heather. You have shown that there are still good people in the world.

Day 577: Wordless Wed!

Posted on May 2, 2012 by theffkid

Day 575: Monday Master’s Guy

Posted on April 30, 2012 by theffkid

Hello!

I forgot how awesome eight hours of sleep felt. It’s glorious.

Like I said last night, today I started to count points again and it was a great feeling. After being off any resemblance of a wagon for so long, I’m glad to have regiment again. It has been hard the first third of this year and I’m sure the fun has just begun, so since I have something of a “down time” right now, it’s going to help to have good habits established for me to lose some serious weight. Onderland here I come!!!

Breakfast: This morning, I had two servings of Honey Sunshine, this delicious cereal from Kashi that looks like Captain Crunch but without that razorblade sensation on the roof of your mouth. Anyway, for a cup and a half of cereal with milk it was only 4 points. I also had a banana about an hour after breakfast to keep me full until lunch.

Lunch: I had some leftover quinoa and black beans from last night. I usually heat up my leftovers (except for that weird period in my life when I have cold mashed potatoes with ketchup) but it makes for a great cold salad too! 6 points.

Snacks: I had a packet of Orville’s finest 94% fat free popcorn for a snack because I just wanted to munch on something. A whole bag is only 4 points! Then I had a Kashi chocolate granola bar which was 2 points.

SAWS!!!! Today, we started Insanity… again. We did the fit test and it went pretty good! I can already tell the difference. I think having Joe the Trainer whip me in to shape this semester is going to make Insanity a lot more bearable (or at least as bearable as it can be.)

Dinner: Megan made this awesome veggie pasta dish with zucchini and squash from the farmer’s market along with some snap peas. It was magical. 9 points.

So today went pretty well! I got to 25 points and I also had some exercise points too. I wasn’t hungry really at all today, but I think that had a lot to do with drinking a bunch of water too! I have been horrible about that this semester so that is a habit I’m going to get back in to. See ya tomorrow.

P.S. Thanks for being awesome! Don’t forget you’re MY FAVORITE READER!!! (Just you… no one else.)

Day 574: Post Graduation Weigh In

Posted on April 29, 2012 by theffkid

Welcome to my retirement. From school.

It has been an intense two years, before that it was an intense fours and before that it was an intense 13 years (including preschool.) While grad school was a great challenge where I spent a majority of my time in the fetal position in UCC 3116 (but that’s just because it was -30 degrees in there,) there wasn’t a day that went by where I questioned if it was the right choice for me. Florida State helped me become a better student of my craft, helped me realize my calling and facilitated friendships that I will cherish forever. It feels like only yesterday I was talking to this black-haired goofball on the bus who convinced me to get Amazon Student to save money on my textbooks. Come to find out he would become a key source of support for my weight loss. I’ll also never forget that kid who sat behind me in class whose car was struck by lightning. Then there was that kid who looked so much like Edward Cullen. Finally, there was that kid who is one of the few people I know who can pull off saying their first and last time together. These four guys were in one of my first classes at Florida State. Thanks for being awesome guys.

So I have been getting the question “What’s next?” a lot lately. A fair question to ask a recent graduate. The answer is I don’t know. I have applied to my share of agencies, organizations and other establishments, but unfortunately so is everyone else. So right now, I’m going to start to losing weight like it’s my job. This is my time to establish some good habits from working out to eating better. This semester was rough. Heck, I gained about 5 pounds in the past two weeks. (Yes, I gained 2.2 pounds this week.) I’m ready to eat start counting points again. I have felt like a Weight Watchers hypocrite recently. I can’t remember I have reported my points on this blog! It’s crazy! And it’s time for that to change. Now I’m not saying I’m going to be perfect. That’s not going to happen. However, I have big plans for this blog and more importantly my life. My weight has gotten in the way of that and that’s going to change.

Alright, now that that’s all out of the way….

So here are some pictures of this past week with my folks and other stuff. Tomorrow, it’s getting better. Losing weight like a boss… of my life. Enjoy. See ya tomorrow.

Day 569: Just Checking In

Posted on April 25, 2012 by theffkid

Hello!

I’m going to keep this short if that’s okay with you for a couple of reasons. First, my body has made me readily aware of how old I am after a vicious two hours of racquetball. Second, MY PARENTS WILL BE HERE TOMORROW!!!!! So we have a lot to do to get ready for their arrival. I can tell they are excited because they keep sending me pictures of our dog Molly and our cat Shadow in their suitcases. (Parents are awesome.)

Anyway, so here is the rundown of today: breakfast was normal, lunch was a leftover burger and for dinner we walked to Super Perros for dinner where it was the manager’s sons birthday so we got free Star Wars cake! After that I played racquetball with my friend Alex M. and now I’m incredibly sore. I also had some nachos made at home. Awesomeness. So that’s about it, tomorrow I’ll have something a little more elaborate (with pictures) but that’s all I got for now. See ya tomorrow!

PS rice, beans and racquetball don’t mix. That is unless you want to use biological warfare win at racquetball.

Day 568: Monday Time!

Posted on April 24, 2012 by theffkid

So this was me the last time I graduated. Saturday, I will be looking a bit different in a cap and gown. I needed this picture this week. I needed to remember how far I’ve come. When I really look back, it makes me proud. I don’t look back to tell myself I will never look like that again, I already know that. What I do need to remember is that I can do it. This is my inspiration for the summer. My goal is to break in to the 100’s (yes, 100 with a 1) by my second blogoversary: September 18, 2o12. It’s going to take a lot of work, but I know it can be done. I mean, three years ago I had to order the biggest gown available. This year I ordered the middle sized one, the one normal people wear. I got this.

Breakfast: I had an english muffin with some peanut butter. Awesome.

Lunch: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm… Megan made this delicious tortellini with a veggie marinara sauce for lunch. It was super filling and awesome.

Workout: This afternoon, I played racquetball with my friend Matt and Brian. It was the first time we had played all semester and it was insane. I sweated a crapton and I only collied with someone once. I love racquetball.

FroYo: This afternoon, I got a haircut on the other side of town where a new froyo place called Rainbow has opened up. Being the froyo fanatic I am, I had to give it a shot. I had the cupcake flavor mixed with vanilla along with some crushed up waffle cone, butterfinger and chocolate chips. It wasn’t too bad, but the decor is awesome and in the corner they had Hello Kitty iPad covers for sale. It can’t be that bad of a place. Plus froyo is 1/2 off on Mondays. Hard to beat.

Dinner: Tonight, we made a meal that would convert anyone in to believer in eating organic. On Saturday, we went to the Farmer’s Market on Market Square and we bought grain fed ground beef from a farm in South Georgia along with acre peas and green beans. Megan cooked the peas with some bacon from Earth Fare and a chopped onion. They were the best beans I have ever eaten. For all of my friends who can’t eat legumes, (Richard Keker) I am truly sorry. Anyway, I fired up the Weber and made burgers our of the beef and topped them with this awesome gouda that has mustard seeds in it. It didn’t taste mustardy, but it gave the burgers a great taste. Topped the burgers with some bacon too. It was a fantastic meal. It was fresh. It felt right. I know remember the joys of eating healthy.