Getting back on track

It has been awhile since I wrote here, and I think that is partly to blame for why I have to write this blog post.

Shortly after I stopped writing, I started to drift. It was small things at first, a few raisins here, some extra fruit in my greek yogurt there- then it turned into eating donuts again, and cookies, and candy. To say I fell off the wagon would be an understatement. I stopped tracking what food I was eating, I didn't get back to writing, and I fell back into the old habits that I had been working so hard to replace.

It all started with a simple thought- I can handle this. I thought I could have a bit extra outside of my program, enjoy myself some, and be in control. After all I did 110 days of complete control. I was wrong. Very very wrong.

But I am back on program, and back doing what I need to be doing. I guess I needed that time straying to know that I really can't not think about what I am eating. I really can't just be "normal" or what ever that means. I wrote it in this blog some time ago, and I just wanted it to not be true- but I can not be a person who doesn't think about food. I can not be a person who can just coast and eat well. Maybe some day far in the future that will be me- but for now it is not.

I will be writing here more often. Maybe not every day, and I don't know what the topic will be each day. I think I will start posting some of the good recipes I have tried, and I will certainly be talking about temptation. I hope to post more and more about winning like I used to. I am back to two days in a row of winning. I thought I had this figured out, I thought I had done this. I have to keep finding a way to do this. I have to keep working hard. I can find a way to make my statement true- I can do this. I guess I just don't know how to do it as well as I thought I did.

-Jon

I am doing this

It has been awhile since I wrote in this blog, well a few days at least. I have decided to change the focus of what I write here and I have been trying to figure out what that focus should be. It will certainly have to do with my healthy eating- which is going great. It will also certainly have to do with my exercise, and my goal of  completing some race type event. However it is just not the daily struggle that full VLCD was any more. I just don't have something to write every day. So I guess this is my transition blog post- it is fitting since I am in transition right now for the VLCD program.

Thank you to every who has read or is reading. Thanks to everyone who has supported me while in the shakes and bars portion of this journey. I'll need more support in the future. But writing this blog, and going through the journey I have gone through has taught me that most important lesson that I needed in life- I can do this.

-Jon

Back on schedule (day 115 and 116)

Key stats: 3 shakes 1 bar, and 1 meal with 2 cups veggies and 4 oz of protein. 60 minutes exercise each day.

Back on schedule. It works as the title of the blog and as the first sentance. The schedule I refer to is of course exercise. It was missing from my schedule in too large of an extent for too long. Really happy to be back at it. The ride this morning really made me feel good.

Adding foods in has been a bit nerve racking. I have to do a lot more planning, and a lot more thinking than with the shakes and bars. But it is doable. So far salads have been my most common meal. I am not sure when I will get over the shock of enjoying salads but for now each one is a surprise when I enjoy it. With each one I really try to add new veggies that I have never had before. Today I added in raddish. I was not a huge fan of them the way I had them, but I think they would be better shaved instead of in larger chips. So I'll get them for home and make them that way.

Tomorrow starts a new week for transition and a new food. I get to add dairy and a healthy fat. I'll also be dropping one shake. Each week is a new challenge and new foods. Each week shows me more and more that I really can do this.

-Jon

More new foods (day 113 and 114)

Key Stats: 3 shakes 1 bar and Cedar Plank Salmon with green beans on day 113, with 30 minute swim and a 40 minute walk. 3 shakes, 1 bar and ham steak with fire roasted veggies, 3 hours of canoeing.

Sorry for the missed post yesterday. It is getting harder to write these blogs posts since I am running out of things to talk about.

Here are pictures of the two meals I mentioned above. I loved both of them.

Both where new territory for me. First the fish- I've never made fish before. The second one was all the veggies on the grill. The best part of keeping to a plate style dinner- I can not eat fast. It takes forever to eat 2 cups of veggies. You can not do it fast. I think one of my big problems before was eating so fast all of the time that I never got the full feeling. Now I need to keep that in mind and not work on eating faster.

I also switched to a new brand of shakes today. I still have a bit of the old shakes to finish off, but I love my new shakes. The flavor is cookies and cream and it is so much thiner than what I was drinking. It was refreshing. I am really finding that eating healthy can fit into my life. I really can find a way to eat healthy and enjoy it. I really can do this.

-Jon

Trying new foods (day 112)

Key Stats: 3 shakes 1 bar, 1 salad. No formal exercise.

I am trying all sorts of new foods. New foods for today are cherry tomato, artichoke hearts, and orange pepper. The tomato was not that good, the artichoke heart I think would be better cooked, and the pepper was good. Oh I guess I also tried spring mix lettuce and spinach. Both were great.

Still in a bit of a funk for exercise. Tomorrow will be the re-start to my exercise. If the weather is nice in the morning it will be a bike ride, otherwise it will be swim before work. I really want the weather to get nice again so that I can get back out on the bike more. Taking my family for bike rides was just so much fun, but we can't really take my son to the park when the park is wet or when it is raining. I know it will get nice again, but I want it nice again now.

Weight loss for the week was crappy. Just one pound. I am not too upset about it though. I still lost weight, I added in real food, and I know part of that is lack of exercise. Next week will be a better week. I have had crappy weight loss weeks before, and I am sure I will have crappy weeks in the future. It is part of living life. I can figure out how to live life healthy, I can do this.

-Jon

Getting into the new groove (day 111)

Key Stats: 3 shakes, 1 bar, 1 salad. No formal exercise.

Had another salad tonight. No reason to put a picture up since it was an exact copy of what I had last night sans mushrooms as we had none. I am really enjoying salad which is just such an odd thing to type. I still look forward to adding in some tasty dressings when I get a chance.

No real exercise today, had something taking up my time in the morning after my wife woke up, rain during lunch, and today is my wife's night out to get a massage. So I'll get back at it tomorrow. I have been taking too many breaks lately from exercise so I need to turn that back around. It has really been hard though with feeling crappy. I think that eating has started to turn that lack of energy around.

Bringing food back into the mix has also brought an old enemy back- temptation. I had been thinking that I could just skip a few weeks in the transition- hell I could handle it no problem. Glad I didn't act on anything like that. Also glad to face the temptation while in the bubble still. I still have a very detailed plan, I am still in ketosis, so I know this hunger has to be coming from my head and no were else. I have faced down the temptation for today- so I can do it tomorrow. And the day after that and after that- I can do this.

-Jon

I ate real food (day 110)

Key Stats: 3 shakes 1 bar, 4 oz boiled chicken and two cups of salad. 30 minute walk, 30 minute swim.

Well after I wrote last nights blog I got a message from the doc. The recommendation was to start transition. So today I put that plan into action. So for dinner I boiled some chicken in chicken broth with onion and red pepper, while my wife shredded some lettuce. Then adding in cucumbers, mushrooms, red pepper, zucchini, and carrots.  Here is the salad.

I am 32 years old, turning 33 this month. This is the first salad I have ever eaten in my life. I can not believe I have missed out on this my entire life. Maybe it took the 109 days of just shakes and bars to make me see it but the flavor of this was amazing. This was with no dressing either. I am sure with a tasty dressing added a dinner like this could become a personal favorite. I look forward to adding more and more to a plate like this. Maybe some raisins, or orange or apple... god I am excited about salad. It was really that good.

But today started the next leg of my journey. Bringing real food back in. My fear has been that even after all the shakes and bars healthy food would not taste good. My fear was that I would go straight back to all of the unhealthy food I had been eating because it was the only thing that tasted good. My fear was not needed- dinner tonight confirmed for me... I CAN DO THIS!!!!!!