ChefChiTown's Rebirth: I'm Back, BABY!!! (In More Ways Than One)...

[cowboy48]

There you have it Chef. The only person you have to please is your wife and it sounds like she is more than happy. The before picture it is-lol!

 

[jen_renee]

The only person you have to please is your wife and it sounds like she is more than happy.

She is.

 

[ChefChiTown]

I had an odd work schedule today which included a meeting that ran way too long so, long story short, I pretty much skipped lunch. All I had was a 4" Bosco stick (cheese-filled breadstick). After that? Nothing. Not until dinner. We went out to eat tonight after we finished shopping for our daughter's birthday stuff and I realized I had a decision to make.

A) I had enough calories left to eat whatever the hell I wanted so I could've eaten a nice, filling meal and not have felt guilty about it, BUT, I felt like eating something along the lines of fried chicken and mashed potatoes would make me say "fuck it" and be bad the rest of the evening.

B) I could eat a sensible, lighter dinner and not be tempted to be bad the rest of the evening.

I chose option B. And, it did no good. I got the salad bar. My first plate was nothing but salad, my second plate was about 1/2 C three bean salad, 1/2 C macaroni salad and two small slices of pineapple and I had a bowl of cabbage soup. I left the restaurant hungry. And, all night I've been fighting the craving to be shitty. So, I might as well have eaten fried chicken or something. OH WELL.

But, the good news? I wasn't bad tonight. I snacked on some summer sausage and some ranch-flavored Quaker Popped Rice cakes. Am I still hungry? Umm, YES. But, it's almost bedtime so I'll be alright. Two good days in a row. Tomorrow, let's make it three.

There you have it Chef. The only person you have to please is your wife and it sounds like she is more than happy. The before picture it is-lol!

Oh, she is not pleased. She has a list of complaints about me that's so long it could fill up an imperial scroll.

She is.

 

[jen_renee]

hahaha. I about spit my drink out.

Side note.... It's almost time for Elf to start playing all the time! Yaaaaaaaaaay!

 

[cowboy48]

I think if you talked to my wife she would have a list of complaints about me too but bottom line is we are here to support and love one another. It sounds to me like you and Jen do the same.

I love Elf. Especially the maple syrup part- I do love maple syrup- YUM-LOL!

 

[Mowens1984]

NOTE: Fit to Fat to Fit is a show where a personal trainer gains weight over the course of a few months so he/she can start to feel what it's like to be heavy and out of shape. That trainer then works with an overweight person and they try to lose weight together.

I've watched the first 3 episodes of this show since you mentioned it. I've noticed a pattern in all of the trainers in that I think they look their best at about 15lbs heavier than their lowest weight. They still have the definition but they have enough meat on them not to look scraggly.

And I have to admit I feel a bit of schadenfreude watching the trainers complain about how difficult it is just to eat food yet lack the compassion to realize how difficult it can be to DO something about it. I didn't feel like the Adonis guy had near as much empathy after going through it as the guy from these pictures did. I forgot his name now, Alex or something.

 

[ChefChiTown]

I think if you talked to my wife she would have a list of complaints about me too but bottom line is we are here to support and love one another. It sounds to me like you and Jen do the same.

I love Elf. Especially the maple syrup part- I do love maple syrup- YUM-LOL!

Elf is awesome. My favorite part is when the narwhal makes his first appearance. I laugh every time. EVERY. TIME.

I've watched the first 3 episodes of this show since you mentioned it. I've noticed a pattern in all of the trainers in that I think they look their best at about 15lbs heavier than their lowest weight. They still have the definition but they have enough meat on them not to look scraggly.

I've felt that way too. Some of the trainers, in my opinion, look TOO skinny. I feel like a lot of their definition is caused by their low body weight, but once they gain a few pounds they start to look much better.

 

[ChefChiTown]

Today is our one year wedding anniversary. It's weird, but it doesn't feel like it's been a year. I feel like we just got married. But, we didn't. We got married exactly one year ago. Now, I think our relationship has come a long way since then (which is great), but, as for me, personally? I haven't done shit. I haven't accomplished shit in an entire year.

I haven't lost any weight. I've actually gained weight overall. I weigh more now than I did on our wedding day.

I've made no progress at work. I'm still stuck in a job I hate and I've made absolutely no progress in improving my professional life.

I've accomplished jack shit when it comes to my writing. Sure, I've worked on it here and there, but I'm still miles away from where I want to be with it.

I've done nothing. For a whole year. I've done nothing.

I don't like the way this feels. And, I'm going to use it as motivation to actually DO something this next year.

 

[ChefChiTown]

On a side note:

I am going to quit drinking. Starting right now. No "last hurrah," no final blowout. I'm done. I'm just done.

It's not worth it. Is it fun? Yeah. For me. But, not for anyone else. It's not good for me either. In the long term, the effects of drinking far outweigh the temporary enjoyment I feel from a night of fun and I need to start prioritizing my long term over my short term. I'm not a kid anymore. I can't afford to keep putting things off. Like this.

So, starting now - I am done.

I said before I would be a 12. This is one of the many things I need to do to be that 12.

 

[ChefChiTown]

I played around with it a long, long time ago, but I just back into using MyFitnessPal. I don't know how I feel about it. Not yet, anyway. I just can't help but look at the pros and cons of things.

PROS

- It forces me to take an HONEST look at what I'm eating and drinking throughout the course of a day
- It gives me nutritional information on millions of different food items with just the touch of a button
- It has an app which I can use on my smartphone, meaning I always have access to it and its database of information
- It accurately tracks my statistics, including calories and nutrients, which gives me a helpful visual aid when tracking my progress
- It keeps track of my weight loss and exercise
- It forces me to be accountable for the choices I make (because who wants to record and admit to embarrassing food choices, am I right?)
- It gives me reminders throughout the day which help keep me focused
- It provides me with helpful tips and articles, many of which I can use during my weight loss journey
- And more!!!

CONS

- Keeping track of everything, literally EVERYTHING I eat is a daunting task and I hate it

Overall, I think it's a good tool for me to use. Keeping track of everything I consume is incredibly annoying, but it's also annoying being a fat, overweight, unhealthy 34-year old. So, yeah.

 

[jen_renee]

Calorie counting sucks, but it works. It gets easier as you get used to it. Especially with the more you enter into MFP. You won't have to keep reentering stuff all the time. You'll be fine!

 

[Quercus]

Making Solid plans Chef! Drinking sucks. You have to get away from it for a long while to realize how pointless it is, but I'm a convert. It's been about 11 months for me and I figured it out months ago. You'll get there if you want to.

 

[ChefChiTown]

Making Solid plans Chef! Drinking sucks. You have to get away from it for a long while to realize how pointless it is, but I'm a convert. It's been about 11 months for me and I figured it out months ago. You'll get there if you want to.

It's not like I need it, but it's always been a crutch of mine when I feel like loosening up and having fun. Problem is, I don't go out. Ever. I just sit here and drink at home. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I just do it too much and it's just dumb. I mean, it's fun to me when I'm doing it, but it's not worth it. The wife and I are trying to have a kid and, once a baby is involved, I won't be able to afford sitting around drinking like I have been. I've told myself all along that I'd stop once we had a baby, but I just need to cut my loses and stop right now. Why wait, you know?

 

[ChefChiTown]

I don't know if anyone else is the same way or not, but I realized something odd about myself today and I don't know what to make of it.

You know how most people feel more motivated to eat healthy and exercise in the summer months, when it's nice outside and the sun is shining? I think I'm complete opposite. I find more motivation to workout when it's cold and shitty outside. I'm talking snow covering the ground, cold wind blowing through the air. Straight up cold and shitty outside. That's when I feel the most motivated. Ironically, I think it's because I often give up in the winter. It's dark most of the day and it's cold outside so I don't ever really plan on doing anything outdoors, so I guess that makes me feel more motivated to workout because I'm like, "It's not like I can do anything else...might as well workout!!!"

Anyone else feel that way?

 

[Little John]

It's so good I'd eat it even if I dropped it on the floor. Got some hair on it. Maybe a couple pieces of kitty litter. That good.

Would or did?

RE:MFP, funny thing about tracking EVERYTHING is that you'll be prone to skipping certain things just cuz of the PITA it can be to enter it. And the displeasure in seeing how many calories there are in a sleeve of Ritz.

 

[cowboy48]

I don't know if anyone else is the same way or not, but I realized something odd about myself today and I don't know what to make of it.

You know how most people feel more motivated to eat healthy and exercise in the summer months, when it's nice outside and the sun is shining? I think I'm complete opposite. I find more motivation to workout when it's cold and shitty outside. I'm talking snow covering the ground, cold wind blowing through the air. Straight up cold and shitty outside. That's when I feel the most motivated. Ironically, I think it's because I often give up in the winter. It's dark most of the day and it's cold outside so I don't ever really plan on doing anything outdoors, so I guess that makes me feel more motivated to workout because I'm like, "It's not like I can do anything else...might as well workout!!!"

Anyone else feel that way?

Hi Chef,

I am this way too. I think it is because I live in the Frozen North-lol. I would much rather exercise and run when it is cold outside. Besides Winter is my down time- less grass to cut and landscaping and garden to tend. So I have more free time to get into shape. Works for me.

 

[cowboy48]

I played around with it a long, long time ago, but I just back into using MyFitnessPal. I don't know how I feel about it. Not yet, anyway. I just can't help but look at the pros and cons of things.

PROS

- It forces me to take an HONEST look at what I'm eating and drinking throughout the course of a day
- It gives me nutritional information on millions of different food items with just the touch of a button
- It has an app which I can use on my smartphone, meaning I always have access to it and its database of information
- It accurately tracks my statistics, including calories and nutrients, which gives me a helpful visual aid when tracking my progress
- It keeps track of my weight loss and exercise
- It forces me to be accountable for the choices I make (because who wants to record and admit to embarrassing food choices, am I right?)
- It gives me reminders throughout the day which help keep me focused
- It provides me with helpful tips and articles, many of which I can use during my weight loss journey
- And more!!!

CONS

- Keeping track of everything, literally EVERYTHING I eat is a daunting task and I hate it

Overall, I think it's a good tool for me to use. Keeping track of everything I consume is incredibly annoying, but it's also annoying being a fat, overweight, unhealthy 34-year old. So, yeah.

I used MFP to lose the last 80 pounds I had to lose to reach goal before. I found it kept me accountable and I could honestly see what I was shoving down my throat. It is a very good tool for weightloss.

 

[ChefChiTown]

So, I'm taking a page out of my friend Quercus' book and I'm going to start my own streak. He has a run streak going (which is absolutely amazing in my opinion) which he has been working at for a good two years now. The dude has stuck to it even through sickness, pain and mental exhaustion. Incredible.

Well, I find a lot of inspiration in what he has accomplished and, starting Monday, I'm going to take that inspiration and begin my own streak.

Now, I won't necessarily be running every day, but I will at least get on the treadmill or run every single day. How long? Not sure. As long as I can go. But, seeing as though Q is roughly 300 or so days away from hitting the mark of 1,000 consecutive days in a row, I figured I would try and go until he hits that milestone.

Another motivator for me in this is my daughter. She runs cross country. And, I've always felt bad that I don't go out running with her so she can practice. I would also like to be able to teach her to push herself a little bit because she doesn't have that "fire in her belly" yet, that competitive drive that makes her push herself past her limitations. When I do something athletic I always push myself as hard as I can and I want that to rub off on her. Not that winning is all that matters - because it's not - but, I want her to push herself when she runs and finish near the top instead of way behind in the back of the pack. She's better than that and I just want her to realize that. So, if I have to get my fat ass off the couch and run for 300-plus days in a row, and then take her out running over the summer, pushing her hard to teach her the benefit of reaching beyond your limitations, then that's exactly what I'm going to do. Also, I feel shitty for not doing athletic, sporty stuff with my kids. It was a HUGE part of my childhood and I feel like a hypocrite for not taking part in the active parts of their lives.

So, starting Monday, my streak begins.

Would or did?

Neither. DOING.

RE:MFP, funny thing about tracking EVERYTHING is that you'll be prone to skipping certain things just cuz of the PITA it can be to enter it. And the displeasure in seeing how many calories there are in a sleeve of Ritz.

Or a row - or 6 - of thin mint Girl Scout cookies. Serving size is 4 cookies? Get the fuck out of here. Serving size is when I feel bad about myself.

I used MFP to lose the last 80 pounds I had to lose to reach goal before. I found it kept me accountable and I could honestly see what I was shoving down my throat. It is a very good tool for weightloss.

It is a very good tool for weight loss. It's annoying having to keep track of everything but, as long as the end result is a good one, it's worth it.

 

[Quercus]

WE'RE STREAKING!!!

 

[Mowens1984]