My Buddha-ful Life

So, after a month of eating (mostly) along the PBWF guidelines, I've lost about 7 lbs, but I'm reminded how much better I could be doing if I hadn't fallen in love with avocado toast (on Ezekiel bread...with three or four pistachios) so early on this journey, and how saying "Well, natural peanut butter is a whole food" is not necessarily doing me any favors. It's a whole lot better than a bag of Tostitos or M&Ms, but I'm sorta ready to graduate to the next level of discipline with my choices.

I'm still here.  Still reporting. Slowly moving toward my goal, or at least still staring it down. I haven't weighed myself in a few days, but at last check, I'd gone from 213 in late December to 206 last week.   My adherence to being meat-free is going well, save 'taste testing' a bite of bacon I made for Grady earlier this week.  Mostly, it's the cheating w/ a processed granola bar, some Cheez-Its, or going for the higher fat Whole Foods, such as nuts, peanut butter, and avocados. Exercise has been sporadic.  Two gym visits, a short yoga session, and a walk this week.  Work and refusal to work around my work schedule conspired against me.  I have a free weekend, in terms of hard commitments.  I need to exercise both days. I am determined to stay with this.   I want to hit my goal weight, but I also just want to feel like I'm making good choices.  I think a lot of my depression and anxiety stems from feeling bad about the choices I m...

The good news is that I have landed where I was before my trip weight-wise (206.8, half a pound over my 206.3 pre-trip "low").   So, still on track toward my 195 late April goal. The bad news is that I woke up last night choking (rather violently) due to my sleep apnea and congestion.  I actually had a dream that someone grabbed my throat, dragged me across the bed, and started choking me.  I woke up gasping with a dry mouth and stuffed up nose.  (Attractive, I know.). Some of this is due to my ongoing problem with congestion, but I was told a year or more ago that if I lost weight - even though I'm not a classic sleep apnea patient - I stood a chance of reducing the blockage in my throat, even if only by a millimeter or two, and that could help significantly. I hate the image of the fat guy choking on his own girth.  I hate the fat guy snoring image.  I hate being that person.  I don't hate myself for it, but I hate it about myself.  I can ma...

Okay, Plant-Based, but I liked the alliteration of the title. Enjoyed an amazing Yucatan Quinoa Salad at lunch, and a black bean/Mexican salad this evening.  I've avoided pizza thus far, and bad Chinese food, but I have had two veggie burgers w/ fries, and a ridiculous bowl of pasta w/ melted cheese. So, nowhere near perfection, but some good decisions.  Mostly, I've enjoyed an açaí bowl, with granola, berries, banana, açaí, cacao, and honey.  I've had three of those - usually having one for breakfast instead of some pastry or Starbucks concoction. I have no idea how I'm doing weight-wise, but I confess where I've really fallen down is exercise.  I did yoga one morning, and took a brisk 3 mile walk one evening, but otherwise, nada. I could go to the fitness center tomorrow.  Also toying with a B12 shot.  They offer them here, mostly for those who have overdone it.  For me, it's about getting some revived energy and an overall boost. looking f...

Yesterday was a snow day, w/ all four of us stuck at home.  Wendy made boiled cookies, bought a bag of Ruffles, and between temptation and boredom, I had my work cut out for me to not just spiral out of control, especially since I couldn't go to the Y or go for a run. But the good news, I weighed yesterday AM (Dec 17th) and was down to 206.3.  That's quite a drop from the 213 I was at (in the afternoon) at the doctor's office before the New Year.  I know some was the time of day I weighed, but I will still take the momentum and claim it, because I could just as easily weigh 210, 211, or even 213 if I was not making strides, regardless of the time of day I weigh. All hail to the FOK community for keeping me charged, and here's to good behavior and commitment while I am in Vegas (tomorrow through Thurs AM).

I'm still finding ways to slip sweets into my day/evening.  Just craving sugar or at least a slight sweetness from natural peanut butter. I'm about to be on show site in Vegas with a producer that takes good care of the team with a fully stocked snack table.  Sweet, salty, healthy and decadent.  I have to dedicate myself to daily renewal with this.  There will be fruit, but there will be M&Ms.  I tend to graze a lot in the production office, sometimes out of boredom. I believe I have access to a workout room at the MGM Grand, and I plan to take advantage as best I can.  I make a lot of excuses onsite. Today, snow.  No run, YMCA closed.  Up to me to find time at home today to use kettlebells, do yoga, or something that gets the metabolism churning a bit.