Day Five: On Purpose Living

You'll notice that I missed my entry for Day 4. Long story. I did OK yesterday, but  I went over my calories again by 200. Part of that was not writing everything down before eating.

Here's some thing I know about journaling:  Write down and add up your calories, (or points, if you're doing Weight Watchers) before you eat.

I often tend to record what I've eaten after the meal. Unfortunately, with my brain, I can forget to write it down until long afterwards. That's when you forget what you actually ate.

On the bright side, my average over the last 4 days is under 1800 calories per day. I didn't do any walking yesterday. But I did drink all the water.

Today I read day two of The Purpose Driven Life by Pastor Rick Warren. God has a plan and a purpose for my life. Sometimes I'm not so sure. Sometimes I think I've screwed it up so badly, missed my chances, and all I get now is the consolation prize. 

For so many years I've felt like I've lived on accident. When I was younger, I drifted aimlessly from one dead end job to another, all perfectly suited to the skills and education I had, and all guaranteed to keep Michelle, our son Jon and me on the ragged edge of poverty.

Seemingly by accident I got a job in the sheet metal trade installing gas heating systems and water tanks for Washington Natural Gas Co. (now PSE). That led to a job at Boeing. When I got laid off at Boeing on March 19, 1993, yes, I still remember the date, I realized I needed to live on purpose.

Unfortunately, I decided to live for my own purpose. As a christian, I was deeply interested in knowing what God's will for us was, but I've never felt like I really knew what that purpose was, so I found it easy to substitute my own plans for His. 

What's this all have to do with losing weight? I don't know. I just know it's what I'm thinking about right now. I do believe God has a plan and a purpose for my life. I fervently hope I've not missed out on it. And if I have missed out on what He'd originally planned, then I don't want to miss out on his backup plan.

Lord, please help me to stay the course. Help me to do the things you want me to do. Help me to be faithful and diligent. Amen.

Day Three: Nuts!

Starting Day Three. Yesterday went well. I did go over my calories by 142. 1942 for the day. I stopped for gas and picked up some mixed nuts. The package said 190 calories per serving. BUT there're 3 servings in a package. Come on! Who really opens a 2.75 ounce package of anything and only eats a third of it?

But that's not really the point. I knew it was considered 3 servings, but I did the math in my head, and added it to what I thought my current total was, and guessed that I was still under the 1800 mark. Wrong. The fact of the matter was that at that point, I was hungry and just wanted the nuts.

I'm doing alright during the day, my ADD meds keep my appetite down, but at night I face the munchies. Suggestions?

I walked a quarter mile. I'll probably push that to half a mile today. I also drank all my water. I can already see a difference in my face.

Church picnic on Saturday. I need to think about what I'll bring, and go prepared.

Brett

Day Two: A Question of Purpose

Had a good day yesterday. I drank six glasses of water. Ate 1650 calories. I walked a quarter mile. This morning I started reading the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Hmmm... I guess it's not all about me.

So much of my life is spent thinking about me. I suppose we can all say that. But it's not all about what I want. Ever time I run after the things I want, I wind up exhausted, frustrated and feeling flat, even when everone around me is telling me what a great job I did.

Warren says that we are like tools trying to figure out the purpose for which we've been designed. He says we need to ask the designer to get the right answer.

So, Lord, you designed me. I'm tired of trying to figure out my purpose, or define my purpose by my self. Please reveal your purpose for my life.
Amen.

Day One of My New Life

This is the first day of my new way of life. Notice I do not use the word 'diet'. Diets are things you start and stop. I've been on diets before. I've dropped pounds, a lot of pounds, but when I get off the diet, the pounds get back on. So no more dieting.

Today I start a new life style. If you've ever used the Prism Weight Loss program, you'll know what specific steps I'm taking. But this time, I'm making it permanent.

I'm going to chronicle my progress through this blog. Today is Tuesday, August 25, 2009. My scale reported 315 pounds this morning. That's 95 pounds more than I want to weigh. My goal is 220 pounds. And I want to get there in 180 days! That's a short amount of time, but I find that for me, setting such a goal forces me to commit, and focuses my activities. So, if I stick to my plan, work hard and focus on my goal, on February 21, 2010, I should weigh 220 pounds.

To achieve my goal I'm going to do the following:

• Measure all of the foods I eat.
• Keep an accurate record of all my calories.
• Cut my caloric intake to 1500 - 1800 calories per day.
• Journal my progress through this daily blog.
• Eliminate all refined sugars and artificial sweeteners.
• Reduce saturated fat intake.
• Eat healthy foods.
• Drink at least 64 ounces of water per day.
• Reduce sodium intake.
• Exercise daily.
• Remain accountable to my program leader.
• Help other people achieve their weight loss goals.

If you are reading this, then I've probably invited you to read my blog, if not, you've found your way here by accident. In any case, I hope what you find here is a blessing to you. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks,


Brett