4th of July and weight loss

Composite of 5-6 images

This week has been full of ups and downs around here and I would like to take a second to recap a few of the nicer points to the week. Lets start with of course the 4th of July. We spent the day with my sister in law and her family who were gracious enough to invite us over for a good BBQ, some swimming, and some fireworks. The food was awesome and totally off my diet. I think I gained a pound from looking at it and 5 from eating but lord it was worth the extra exercise. Another awesome point to the day was Sierra. She stood up in the pool by herself for the first time and even walked from side to side with no help. Someone is getting brave! It is sort of funny, we started hearing fireworks go off the week before the 4th and heard plenty of complaints all over about the early festivities but honestly I like it myself. Around here the festivities that were put on from the cities started early and went all weekend. We ended up on Cocoa Beach on Fr
iday to watch and photograph that display which turned out pretty cool. We ran into Desiree's other sister and her family somehow and so we let the kids have fun and watched the show together. Pretty fun really.

So it is Sea Turtle Nesting Season here and I will say that the rules here get very strict on what is and is not acceptable. No photography using lights, all beach front homes have to turn off their lighting, have special low watt lights, or shields by 9pm. Well that means that since turtles nest at night that the opportunity to photograph is slim to none for the most part. I am working on something and will hopefully know the outcome by late tomorrow. Sierra and I went on a walk early one morning last week and happened on 2 fresh nests as well as several markers set by volunteers who help watch out for the Turtles. It takes roughly 50-70 days for the turtles to hatch and then the turtles make their way toward the brightest horizon which in this case better be headed east lol. 

Cocoa Beach /Port Canaveral Fireworks Display

Some of you know that I have been trying to lose weight, or I have been losing weight. I have lost some where in the realm of 40ish lbs now. I was asked how I have been able to do this and the simple and not so simple answer is that I have been watching my caloric intake, saturated fat intake, and really trying to eat healthier foods. Now I am no nutritionist and will not even pretend to know how the body works in that department. What I do know is that I have been losing steadily and rapidly. I will admit I have been getting a bit of help so the will power is not all my own. I take an appetite suppressant along with B6, folic acid, and potassium. Why? Well because with the amount of weight I had packed on over the last few years cutting my caloric intake by more than half would have been way to much to endure and the probability of failure would have been to high. I started watching my calories, saturated fat intake, proteins and carbs pretty close and that led me to myfitnesspal, a phone app and website to help you keep up with your goals. It has a set of goals for you but you can dial in your own goals as well. For instance, it told me I should be eating 2300 calories a day to lose 2 lbs a week. The Dr I have been seeing told me 1800 so I have gone with the Dr's recommendations as far as that goes. I have also cut out 90% of the hamburger meat I was eating. If for example the family has burgers for dinner I will generally have something else and have found that I even enjoy the Morningstar Farms vegan burgers, something I would never have even tried before. Because of the way burger is made even the lean burger is not so lean. I do not eat hot dogs or brauts anymore and I try to keep my breads and pastas to a minimal.

Sierra and I at the Viera Wetlands this week

What can I eat? Almost anything in moderation; steak, chicken, and seafood, veggies, fruit. I keep the snack foods at bay and limit my dairy intake by a lot. Remember what a portion size really is? 4oz is generally the acceptable amount of most meats. Once in a while I will splurge on a 6oz steak if it is a leaner cut. I even cut Chicken breast in half to get to the right amount. Look to fresh produce, fruits, vegetables and even nuts. I eat at least 2 apples a day. Apples are one of the "belly fat burning foods" such as watermelon, avocado, and even almonds. Foods with a decent percentage of Monounsaturated fats and fatty acids are good for you in moderation. I use olive oil instead of other oils. Some days it is not easy. I notice when I eat at other peoples houses that I have the hardest time keeping with the intake but I allow myself 1 bad day a week although as I go the bad days are not as bad because my stomach can not hold the food it used to. Which is a good thing. My goal is 220, which for me, as long as I do not lose to much lean body mass, puts me at around a 18-20% body fat, considered healthy.

While exercise plays a role in weight loss it does not trump how we eat when we are already well over weight. I will admit last week was really really bad. Pastas, cakes, pies, and monkey bread were on course most of the week and while I stepped up my exercise by almost double, it was not nearly enough to reverse the damage I had done with food. It really goes to show just how much our choices can sway the direction our bodies go.

So, that is how I am losing weight. I hope my rambling has not cause any boredom. I can always tell when my blog was at least entertaining and I know last weeks fell short of the mark. If you have a question or comment feel free to ask.