3 years

It was a wonderful Saturday. Uncharacteristically warm. And she looked beautiful. More beautiful than I could ever imagine! And she was marrying me?! What? Was this a dream? Was I hallucinating? How could I be so lucky? How could I be so blessed? That was 3 years ago today, and I still have no idea how Anna was crazy enough to marry me--why she picked me to call her husband--but I am grateful every day for her. I really am so lucky. Sorry all you guys with ladies or ladies, but Anna really is the most beautiful woman in the world. Hands down. And to think, she married me "as is". She married me at 300+ pounds (not sure how heavy I was, but it was significant). Here's a picture of that most-significant day:

Yesterday, I posted about the importance of making the little changes to lead to success. And then I read this post over at 100 Pounds in a Year. And thought it would be great to post both the little things I do to both succeed and sabotage:

10 Little Things that I Do to Succeed (so far):

1. Minus the mayo. Now not all the mayo. I like crab cakes, deviled eggs, and other foods that have mayo; but I usually only use it as an ingredient. Not as a 100-calorie condiment. I don't have it on burgers or sandwiches. And the next time I make a BLT (yum!), I'll spread some avocado on the bread instead--not necessarily a calorie-free substitute, but a better fat alternative.
2. Walkabout. I now consider walking a joy. Or at least a viable option! When we go to a small shopping mall (with, say a Ross, Target, Best Buy, Lowe's, etc) in one huge parking lot--or a few adjacent parking lots, we'll just park at one store and walk all over. Often this adds a mile+ to our shopping trip.
3. Send it up. To God. My prayer life has really developed during this journey. I've noticed that when I rely on God to be my sustenance and support, I don't need to find my comfort in food. I don't always succeed, but it's becoming much easier.
4. Ditch the dressing. I no longer use salad dressing very often. I used to use a low-fat vinaigrette, or a homemade dressing, but most of the time, I now just squeeze some lemon juice (or mustard to be honest) onto my salads.
5. Have a short memory. This is important for both those of us on a weight-loss journey and Quarterbacks. We all have those bad meals or days. But it's important to make sure that that bad day doesn't turn into a bad week or a bad month/year/life. And having a short memory and grace for yourself is vitally important.
6. Snacking for success. I try not to let myself get hungry throughout the day. I know that if I get too hungry, I'll overeat. A lot. SO I have little (healthy) snacks throughout the day. I'll have an apple. Or some almonds. Or some edamame. Or something else. I try not to have chips or candy or chocolate (preferably dark, not candy bars very often).
7. Hasta la vista, Queso! Let's be honest. I love cheese. Love it! But I don't indulge as often. When I have a burger or a sandwich, I either cut the cheese in half, or I eliminate it all together. I still eat cheese, but it's more intentional: like a piece of string cheese, or a nice cheese dinner (Anna and I each pick a small piece of cheese from Whole Foods, and nosh on them with a small baguette & some fresh fruit).
8. Small Plate Special. When I go to family functions (totally centered around food), I try to use a small plate. I still fill it, but it's about 1/2 the food I used to eat at these events. And I still get everything to try--just less than in the past.
9. Just keep moving. When I'm watching TV, and I get bored, I'll often just drop down and do some push-ups or sit-ups or planks. It really helps me to burn off some of those snacks I have throughout the day.
10. Indulge myself. I still have treats. I just have less of them. I'll still have ice cream from Dairy Queen. But instead of a medium Oreo Blizzard with twice the cookies, I'll have a kids chocolate dipped cone. Still about 200 Calories, but much less than before. Or I'll have some chocolate, but not a whole Snickers or two, but maybe a couple small squares of dark chocolate.

5 Little Things that I Do to Sabotage myself:

1. Loose-Goosey Calorie Counting. I count my Calories all the time, and I usually over-estimate. In some ways, this is good, since I'm actually usually eating less than I report. But because of that, I may be having too little Calories and I'm not really letting myself enjoy all that I say I eat.
2. Who Needs Sleep? I do. That's who. I never sleep enough (usually 6-6.5 hours a night. I know that more sleep would really help. But I just don't do it. Not sure why. But I need to fix that!
3. Eating late. It's not a good idea for me or for Mogwai. I don't turn into a Gremlin, and I'm not sure that I buy the whole story that it makes you gain weight. But really, I just don't make the best decisions. And it gets me in the mood to eat more. Not a good thing.
4. Indulge myself. It may be one of the things that helps me succeed, but it can also make me indulge too much. Never a good thing.
5. Slave to the scale. I used to (and still do to a certain extent) check the scale 2, 3, 4 times a day. And with how much weight fluctuates throughout the day, it was really playing with my mind. So, thanks to Anna, I stopped checking so often. Now, I uaully check on Thursday night, Friday night, and then my official time on Saturday morning. I know that I need to break the addiction. And it's loosening its grip.

So, there's my shtick. What do you think? What little things raise you up and what little things bring you down?

Also, on a side note, Anna and I are celebrating our 3rd Anniversary this weekend. And I won't be posting until Monday or Tuesday. I'll still be on track, and I'll be tweeting my Calories and my exercise. But I'm not sure if I'll be able to weight myself on Saturday, though I'll be doing my measurements (other than Body Fat %). I'll try to post some pics later.

Remaining Challenge Challenges:
Kimberley: Swimming Pool
Josie: Yoga

Wednesday:
2- 10 minute sessions on the Elliptical
2- 10 minute sessions on the Stationary Bike
1- 10 minute session on the Stairmaster
1 set of 2- 60 second planks
1 set of 30 second side planks (on each side)
60 sit ups
15 push ups
Read the Bible Daily
Pray Daily

Total:
Challenge Challenge: Burpees (20), The BW Matrix
5- 10 minute session on the Elliptical
5- 10 minute sessions on the Stationary Bike
5- 10 minute sessions on the Stairmaster
3 sets of 2- 60 second planks
3 sets of 30 second side planks (on each side)
180 sit ups
45 push ups
Read the Bible Daily
Pray Daily
Date with Anna

Weekly Calories:
Saturday: 2,110 Calories
Sunday: 3,400 Calories
Monday: 1,965 Calories
Tuesday: 2,180 Calories
Wednesday: 1,535 Calories
Thursday:
Friday:

Running Total: 11,190 Calories (Average daily: 2,238 Calories) Dipped the average a little bit...should come down more over time, but I'm not sure how much more. Hold me accountable, follow my twEATS here.