With Each Days “Chip” Comes a Victory…
I know, I know, you have heard the old saying before: "Take things a day at a time!" It sounds like such common sense, but in the minds of we "Biggest Losers", it can be easy to forget - especially when we are all at different points of our journeys.
For me, I am not trying to "lose" the weight as much as "maintain" from my 80lb loss. There is no "before & after" people, only "then & now". It's a life style, and you can't stop when you reach your goal - but don't let that discourage you. It's worth it. 
Now back to it (man I go on tangents!)...
One common scenario is when I end up eating something I either didn't really want to eat, or didn't plan on eating. Since I count calories, it's very important to me to keep on track throughout my day, especially considering there are many nights that the wife and I make dinner "on the fly". (Speaking of which, she made some AMAZING Guacamole Chicken the other night - more on that in another post!) I tend to sometimes look at my day at that point and think "Well there goes today!" and will then tend to snack more just because I feel I have already somehow ruined my day - which simply isn't the case. I could eat a smaller dinner, or - guess what - even workout and burn some of those extra calories away! Duh!
My point is - in order to succeed on our respective missions, we need to take each little thing we do to help ourselves towards our goals and be proud of them. We can't let each little bump in the road halt our progress. I finally took my own advice last week, and low-and-behold, look what my new attitude has given me in return:
TA-DA!
My first #7daychip in a long time! I am so happy, and very proud to be part of such an amazing group of individuals, all striving towards the same goal!
WHAT??!?!? You have never heard of the #7daychip? FTW?! Here are some basic "guidelines" that you will need to understand before trying for it:
- No longer can I eat without thinking.
- No longer can I eat to comfort myself.
- No longer can I eat to abuse myself.
- No longer can I eat because I don’t feel good about myself.
- No longer can I eat for stimulation.
You can find all the information you need right here on Brad Gansberg's site. Be sure to tell him Miller sent you!
PS. Today is my Day 11 - how are YOU doing?
The Monday Weigh In: Thank You Fat Miller!
As usual, my BIGGEST enemy is MYSELF. Well I should say, WAS. You see, today was the first day in about three months that I stepped on the scale and saw an actual LOSS. Thank GOD. I love you -1.1 pounds... :)
Allow me to explain. In March, the wife and I took an AMAZING trip to the Bahamas and to Sea World, Orlando. It was the best week of my life. For real. We had never had the chance to Honeymoon, so we went all out. Part of going "all out" for me was eating whatever-the-heck I wanted while we were on vacation. I know - sounds stupid, but "Skinny Miller" had such a positive attitude, and had this to say:
Sure you can eat what you want. I mean, you lost over 80 lbs and you deserve to eat whatever you want just for this week. You'll get back on track when you get home... No worries. Have fun!
He is such a positive guy! But - I should have stopped myself right there and asked "Fat Miller" what he thought. "Fat Miller" is always inside me, and I am convinced, no matter what, that he always will be. He knows better. He has been down that path before. Here is what he would have said If I would have listened: (warning: Fat Miller is an ignorant fuck who has no feelings or emotions!):
Hey there Tubs. Your still not at your goal you know, so you should lay off the snacks. Besides, you'll gain 10 pounds and then keep snacking when you get home. You know I am right. You used to be a lazy ass, Slacker. Remember those Bitch Tits you had? Yeah - they are one step away. You'll be all jiggling again. Then you won't wanna work out cuz you'll feel fat & depressed! Muhahahahahahaha!
Like I said, "Fat Miller" is a dick. But I digress. The point is that I am NOT crazy. Wait - that's not the point. 
The point is that sometimes we need to let our old selves remind our new selves that we are always just a few bad choices away from sliding down the slippery slope of weight gain. By keeping focused on our goals, and listening to both "sides" of ourselves, we can do our best to keep ourselves on track.
This is part of what makes the "maintenance phase" so difficult. We get content and think we can stop pushing - and that just isn't the case. "Fat Miller" was totally right. I did gain 10 pounds while on vacation - and when I got back, I had zero motivation for awhile and gained a few more here and there. For awhile, I thought I would never see a loss again!
What I learned: I now know that I can forgive "Fat Miller" - all 240+ pounds of him - for being a total asshole, because sometimes, a little negative attitude is just what the doctor ordered.
I Met the Devil and His Name is Billy Blanks…
Let me start of by saying that, or course I know that Billy Blanks is NOT the Devil. Sheesh. In fact, I should refer to him as a sort of Angel or Saint. Yeah. That's better. I will refer to him as the Angel of Asskicking Workouts. Yeah - I said it - ASSKICKING! Read on my friends....
Back when I was around 240 pounds or so, my wife and I bought this kit at our local Wally-World in order to give us another choice in workout routines. I popped it in the DVD player once, and in five minutes was sweating so profusely that I simply gave up. I am pretty sure the words "Fuck this" probably came into play, along with the words "Who does this shit anyway? Nut jobs? That man is the Devil!"
I took the DVD out, placed it on our shelf, and there it sat. Little did I know it was waiting for me all along. Waiting for me to have the courage. Waiting for me to have the drive. But most of all, it was waiting for me to quit be a lazy ass... but I digress.
My Review
In short, let me say that this workout is the bomb. If you are looking for something different to try in order to keep your workouts fresh, this is it.
I had never done Tae Bo before, let alone worked out with Billy Blanks. Let me tell you, both were a treat. Tae Bo is kinda a combination of kick boxing and karate that feels very empowering when you are doing it. Feel like punching your boss in the face? Billy can help. And help he does. Not since my workouts with Bob Harper have I experienced someone so upbeat and positive. He made me WANT to keep going, which is the point - isn't it?
I just got done with the first DVD that consists of 41 minutes of cardio, which helped me to burn 320 calories - NICE! It was not easy, mind you, but it was much easier than a P90X or the Insanity Workout. I am sure, in fact, that once I get better at the moves, it will get easier in time, and I am confident that I could work myself up to the other DVDs (I am also confident that I just wrote a long run-on sentence, but this isn't second grade, and you aren't Miss Backus - but I digress).
I was so happy that I completed the workout that I actually fell to the ground and just started laughing uncontrollably. Don't believe me, here is the photo proof. Yeah - that's me - almost delirious and covered in sweat.
Conclusion
What are you waiting for? Since its an old set, it's only $13.49 at Amazon right now. Go buy it!
Nothing but Blue Skies & Happiness…
I had an amazing weekend with my lovely wife and daughter! So much so, in fact, that I did not want it to end. It was nice not to feel so depressed for once... :)
Saturday we all went and got flowers and things for the front porch and backyard, and spent the day potting and cleaning the outdoor patio furniture. It was nice to share a day getting something done in the sun (wow that rhymed - sorry about that). We ended up sitting around the firepit that night and making s'mores. We also watched "Tangled" the movie together, which I highly recommend.
Yesterday was more of a lazy day, where we went to lunch/dinner together and got some things done around the house. The wife and I also started on our scrap book from our cruise we took back in March. It was the best week of my life - and I will share more photos when I can.
All in all, this past weekend was nothing but blue skies and happiness, and I wouldn't have it any other way... :)
PS. I also earned my #7daychip and lost 2 lbs! But that's for another post...
Which Came First: Depression or Eating?
I would love to say that I never feel depressed. Honest. I would love to say that I always am in a stellar mood and always have things "figured out". I don't. I have a great wife, an awesome daughter, a steady job, and roof over my head. Most people would say that I have all that is needed to feel happy in life. Yet sometimes I still feel depressed.
Usually when I am depressed I eat. Then I get more depressed. This got me thinking, which came first in this sick game of "Weight-gain Roulette"? Did I used to be depressed and then binge eat? Or, do I get depressed due to binge eating? Argh...
The thought of it alone makes me mad. I am better than this.
I did awesome today, in fact (if I do say so myself!). I am still 872 calories under my intake for the day, and burnt off 250 of those this morning lifting at the gym. All in all a good day.
Now to just manage to get to bed without eating anything else... :)
PS. All the feedback & support from everyone via the blog and Twitter have been a huge help! It's nice to know I am NOT alone in this fight, and that maintaining the weight is hard for everyone, not just me. Thank you all SO much. It means everything. You keep me honest, and for that, I owe all of you a huge THANK YOU!
Then & Now
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