Things I've learned losing 100 lbs

I have been on this weight loss journey for a long time. The diet has had it's ups and downs. There are going to be days when you feel fantastic with your weight loss. Then there are going to be days when you feel horrible. The goal is balance the good, bad, and ugly in your life. It is important to remember the great feelings during this time. It is important to learn how come back from the dark times of your life.

There are a few lessons that I have learned during my one year journey. They are:

You can eat whatever you want.
You have the right to eat whatever you want. You have to ask yourself if the item that you are about to eat is going to benefit your health or cause health problems. No a person doesn't have to fuel their body all the time but it does have to be 99 percent of the time. So save that small pizza for a once a month treat. Or if you can control yourself then have a slice with salad once a week if you really want it.

A taste only lasts for once mouthful
That "Wow" factor of chocolate cake or any of your favorite foods is gone in the second bite. The first bite is where we get the taste explosion on our tongues. Then after that we are just adding calories to our body. So it's better to purchase the child size ice cream instead of the super size pint. 

Food for memories doesn't work
Treating yourself to an ice cream cone because you had a good week doesn't work. We then begin to associate food with events in our life. We begin to associate food in our diet with emotions that we are going through. This is not healthy. Ask yourself, are you eating that slice of apple pie because of time that was spent with grandma? Why not find another way of celebrating a person, event, or emotion in your life.

Food as a celebration doesn't work
Dinner out is a nice thing to do for yourself. Are you going out with friends for the food? Or are you going to to celebrate and spend time with friends? Ask yourself do you need a poor quality meal to do that. My husband and I use to celebrate with food and going out to dinner. He would get extra tips at work and we would celebrate with Chinese food. All that did was make me gain weight a week later. 

Now my friends and I either tuck the money into our savings account for a trip or for some charity event that we want to go to. At the time I'm writing this article, I am remodeling a house. So my celebration money is going towards extras like nice plants for the house or artwork for the walls. I want to create a wonderful home where I can have friends over to celebrate days with movie night and game night.

The important thing is to find something that is not food related and celebrate that way. How about a road trip to the lake and enjoying time with your friends. Make sure that you take lots of pictures so that you can look back on those memories. You could even keep a journal like I do to collect all the great celebrations.

Food is an addiction
Many people do not think that food is an addiction. We have to look at the word addiction. An addiction is the act of surrendering to or giving power over to an person or thing. Addictions can also be a coping mechanism. Just as a person who is dealing with stresses of life can be addicted to drugs a person can be addicted to food. Food turns into chemicals in the body just like nicotine, drugs, and sex does. So it is important to find other ways of dealing with the stresses and emotional trauma of life.

These are the things that I have learned on my weight loss journey while losing 100 lbs. I still have to fix my diet because I am not perfect in any way or form. I still have 254 lbs to lose. It is my hope that I'll inspire you through sharing my diet, diabetic struggle, and weight loss journey.

I'll take 75% muscle over weight loss any day

It's time for a celebration Fort Worth, Texas! At least I think I deserve a little bit of celebrating. I'm not going to indulge in anything stupid. I think I'll take my happy behind over to Ridgemar Mall for one of the hour long acupressure sessions. I wish I could find someone who knew how to perform Reiki or Cupping. 

What am I celebrating?

I'm currently 420 lbs (Celebrating a 130 pound weight loss as of today)

220 lbs is muscle

I can't believe that my body is literally 50 percent muscle.

This brings up the thought...what if I weighed 300 lbs and 75 percent was muscle? I'm sure I would definitely have a different body shape. 

Does the universe know my weight loss goals?

I woke up this morning and found this in my Fort Worth, Texas newsletter. It's a little snippet of Astrology that really hit me upside the head.

"Your strong imagination provides an innovative spark, turning the dark future into a place you can get glimpses of. Use those glimpses to shape your appearance. Maneuver as you step towards the career you want."

I'm sitting here really asking myself "What the hell?" 

It's just a scary coincidence that I've been having dreams about my body taking shape to where I want it to be. I've also been having active dreams. Sometimes these dreams involve a healthier body and possible careers at the same time. Dreams of saving peoples lives, protecting people at work, and talking shop with fellow Public Service/Public Safety personnel. 

All the while I get some glimpse of a changed body part. One moment I'm running on the east side of Fort Worth, Texas. The next dream I'm doing yoga in my back yard. The next dream, I'm biking home from work to the West Side of Fort Worth, Texas. The next dream I'm paddle boarding on the Trinity.

Yeah...it's going to be an interesting year of weight loss, healthy eating, and body shaping in Fort Worth, Texas.

Persuing a dream in Fort Worth, Texas

Someone once said that as soon as you start to pursue a dream, your life wakes up and everything has meaning. This quote about goals, life, and success can not be farther from the truth. I once lived a very boring, sad, and mediocre life. I had dreams but I never spent the energy to pursue them.

Everything does have meaning, now that I've started to pursue dreams and goals in my life. Every decision that I make has an important meaning in my life. No longer are the days where I don't care anymore. No longer are the days where I'll idly let the sun rise and set in the city.

What did my healthy meals look like today?

Dinner
Coffee with equal and 4 creamers
Apple
Banana
Instant Ramen soup

Snack
Serving of baby carrot
Serving of peanuts

Lunch
Serving of three meat lasagna
Salad with ranch dressing

Snack
Serving of baby carrots
Serving of peanuts

Breakfast
Grilled Talapia Sandwich on a whole wheat hamburger bun, lettuce, pickles, grilled onions, and grilled mushrooms
10 baked French fries (1/2 russet potato with a little bit of olive oil and then baked)


I hope you had a healthy and happy day in the city of Fort Worth!

Finding a place to walk in Fort Worth, Texas

I don't feel safe walking in Fort Worth, Texas. I see people running around all the time. I just don't see how they feel safe on the streets. I don't live in the greatest neighborhood. I've been blessed <sarcasm> to live on the East Side of Fort Worth, Texas. Yes, it's a neighborhood of drug deals and prostitution.

Today my best friend and I did a lot of walking. I took the mile long walk from 7-11 to my studio apartment. Then we decided that we were going to go to the zoo. So we walked to Ol' Pancake House to the entrance to the zoo. We passed by the river. It was a great place to walk.

I still did not feel comfortable in the area even though we were on the West Side of Fort Worth, Texas. So I guess I have a new adventure on my road to health and weight loss. I want to find a walking group or path to walk when Spring 2016 arrives to the city. Or perhaps fellow panthers will get excited about their health and join me on the river trails.

 

It's a happy family day in Fort Worth, Texas

When a person has been on a healthy eating plan for a year. They tend to start craving the foods that are healthy for them. For example, I've gotten into the habit of getting a cup of coffee and piece of fruit from our local 7/11 each morning after work. Not only does this give me about a five block walk but I get to check out all the local firemen and police officers getting their morning coffee. 

Then there are days like today where my body is seriously craving healthy foods. There are days in Fort Worth, Texas where I want to steam and eat every vegetable in sight. More than likely, my diet is not completely balanced yet and I'm leaving out important vitamins. I need to plan on putting more fruits and vegetables into my meals.

Dinner
Apple
Banana
Coffee with creamer and sweetner
Bottle of water

Lunch
Six crackers
Serving of Progresso Clam Chowder
5 extra steamed shrimp

Dinner
Egg Roll
2 Pot Stickers
Steamed Seafood with broccoli, onions, water chestnuts, diced carrots in a white sauce

I hope you have a healthy diet and fitness plan in Fort Worth, Texas today!

Not all sugar free is sugar free

Along with trying to follow a healthy diet, I have to watch my blood sugar too. I found out that I was an insulin dependent diabetic back in the beginning of March 2015. I've done pretty well dealing with Diabetes. I wasn't much of a pasta, rice, and starch food kind of person in the first place.

Why give up chocolate when there are alternatives to high blood sugar. Walgreens is a company that has blessed customers with a variety of choices. Today I picked dark Hershey bars and peppermint patties. I had a great time eating them until I looked at the back of the package.

The sugar free candies at the store may say sugar free. They are hell on your blood sugar when it comes to counting carbohydrates. Three pieces of the peppermint patty sugar free candies were a total of 16 grams of carbohydrates. That's a serving of carbohydrates. I only plan on eating three servings a day.

I hate to say it but the price that a person pays for carbohydrates and dollars with sugar free candy is just not worth it. I'd rather get the grams of carbohydrates in my diet from things like bananas, apples, bake potatoes, and buttered squash.

Physical scare

Today I feel like my weight loss program and fitness lifestyle is not good enough. I feel that I don't have enough muscle on my body. I had a scare this morning. One of the clients at my job physically attacked me. Thankfully it was just a slap on the head.

I sat there why it was over to think about things. What if it was more. What if the attack was more aggressive. What if I was flat on my back with the need to get the man off of me. Do I have enough muscle mass to handle a 250 pound man.

I know I have enough moxie to fight back. It's actually funny. I caught the glances of some of the Fort Worth Police Department Officers. I'm wondering if they were thinking the same thing. How did this mass of fat handle a man that is pretty much muscle.

I don't ever want to have this fear again. I've been told that fear is good. Fear is what keeps us alive. Perhaps it's not fear that I don't want again but doubt. I don't want to have the doubt that. I want to be sure that I can handle myself.

Some of my weight loss and lifestyle goals are to:
Have a black belt in Kendo
Take self defense classes every year
Wear a badge even if it's as an armed security guard

I need to not have this doubt because I need to know that I can take care of myself to do these things. It's really time to up my weight loss and fitness goals.

Be like nature with your new healthy lifestyle

Have you ever observed nature closely? Have you ever noticed how a seed fights the earth to emerge into a victorious plant? Have you observed how a bird, with precision and hard work, finally manages to build its nest? Nature does not give up. Why should you?

How to deal with misfortunes

The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us. - Voltaire

Attitude and weight loss

Attitude is our best friend and our worst enemy

Work is getting in the way

It has been tough trying to go from Fort Worth Flab to Fort Worth Fit. As the title says it, I have been letting my job get in the way of my work outs. I wonder if I can count all the walking that I do at work into my weight loss program. I don't think it's a fast enough walk though. I know that I am not walking two miles an hour.

I recently took a pedometer to work and counted the steps that I do. If I am walking around the campus, I am able to fit about two miles of walking into my work day. That equals about six to seven miles a week depending on how busy it is at work. There are days when I'm jogging across campus because of the type of emergencies that we have.


Breakfast
3 ounces of steak
2 cups of lettuce and 1 tbsp of mayonnaise
1 cup of cauliflower

Lunch
Grilled fish sandwich with tarter sauce, bun, lettuce, and tomato
1/2 cup of egg drop soup

Dinner
2 servings of corn flakes with milk

Snack
Serving of vegetable chips

Snack
Granola bar

I haven't been getting on the scale during my weight loss program. I really don't care what the numbers say on the scale. I love the fact that the swelling has gone down in my body. I see less swelling in my hands, feet, and lower legs. Truthfully, I want to take up less space in clothing and in my lovers bed.

I also love the fact that my stomach is taking a different shape. I'll talk about that later though. It's time to end my shift. It's time to do my last bit of rounds. Then it's time to head home to bed.

Working out May 28, 2015

I hate when I work so many days in a row. My workout schedule tends to get messed up. The cardio that I do usually tends to be the walking that I do on my patrols. I figure that I get enough walking done in my 8 hour shifts.

Healthy eating for May 26, 2015

It's a day of trying new products in my corner of Fort Worth, Texas. Who would have thought that healthy was so yummy. I love when I get to try new food products. The salad that I had to lunch, I want to add to my favorites. I could see myself eating this Asian inspired meal at least once every two week or more.

Breakfast
Facocia with two tablespoons of hummus
Serving of milk

Snack
Apple sauce

Lunch
Serving of milk
Trader Ming's Five Spice Chicken and Asian Style Noodle Salad

Snack
1 Cheesecake bite (about 2 tablespoons)

Weight Loss Program

Not really happy with my weight loss program today. I wasn't able to get out and walk today. I hate when I'm unable to do any kind of cardio. Unless cleaning the house can count as cardio.

Breakfast
Oatmeal with brown sugar, cream, and almonds
Coffee with cream and sweetener

Snack
String Cheese
1/2 cup of melon

Lunch
Sliced apple
3 ounces of cheese
Serving of crackers

Snack
Bag of popcorn

Dinner
Two grilled pork chops
1/2 cup of whole wheat pasta
1/2 cup of black eyed peas
Sugar free Jello

Workout
Bicep curls
Military Press
Tricep extensions
Wall push ups
Crunches
Twists

I weigh how much?

I have lost track on how many days I've been on my Fort Worth Flab program. This is the first time that I have written about it publicly. Most of my weight loss journals, emotional journals, and diet ideas are written down on paper. I'll be spending that next 365 days transcribing them to this weight loss blog.

I know there are hundreds of weight loss blogs out there. Why add another one? This is my story, my journey, my steps towards getting my life back. It's my path to letting the adventure hungry, spontaneous, thrill seeking soul shine through.

So I had to go to the hospital because I was having some serious pain in my foot. For some reason they wanted to know how much I weighed. Trust me, if they told me the pain was from being to heavy, I was going to throw a shoe at them. That would probably result in my arrest. But at least I would be carted off by good looking Police Officers. 

Lately I have been ignoring the scale in my weight loss journey. I've been wanting to focus on just taking up less space in this world. My ultimate goal is to have more muscle with feminine curves in all the right places. If the scale says 180 and I feel happy then I'm good to go.

So drum roll please...

Starting Weight 552
Current Weight 427
Weight Loss 127 pounds

Goal weight 150 - 160

The healthy lifestyle and weight loss journey continues. I know it's a lot road. My life depends on it though. My future depends on it. My career depends on it.
  

Weight Loss Meals for May 14th, 2015

It's another day of getting healthy in Fort Worth, Texas. Today is the day that I take off from my weight loss program, doing cardio and weight training. I usually let myself eat junk food on this day. I'm not talking about candy and potato chips. More like food from restaurants and stuff that would normally not order.

Breakfast

1 Egg Fu Yung

4 Tbsp of brown gravy

Snack

Egg Roll

Small side salad with no dressing

Lunch

Serving of pepper shrimp in brown sauce

Serving of streamed white rice

Serving of orange chicken

Snack

Egg Roll

Small side salad with no dressing

Dinner

Serving of sesame chicken

Serving of steamed white rice

Serving of orange chicken

Weight Loss Report April 30th, 2015

It's another day of getting healthy in Fort Worth, Texas. Today is the day that I take off from my weight loss program, doing cardio and weight training. I usually let myself eat junk food on this day. I'm not talking about candy and potato chips. More like food from restaurants and stuff that would normally not order.

Breakfast

1 Egg Fu Yung

4 Tbsp of brown gravy

Snack

Egg Roll

Small side salad with no dressing

Lunch

Serving of pepper shrimp in brown sauce

Serving of streamed white rice

Serving of orange chicken

Snack

Egg Roll

Small side salad with no dressing

Dinner

Serving of sesame chicken

Serving of steamed white rice

Serving of orange chicken

Would I become a Fort Worth Police Officer?

My co-worker and I had a visit from the Fort Worth M&M twins. Honestly, I'm being a brat and teasing them behind their backs. Fort Worth Police Officer M and Officer M came to our aid when a woman started making threats towards me at work. We had already escorted her out of the building but they came to check on things anyways. We pray for our East Side guys and they take of us.

So as they were leaving the subject of openings at the Police department came up. It seems that they were still hiring. I did a little snooping. I found out that the cut of date for applications is 44 years of age. I have to admit the fact that if I could run a 13 minute mile, I would probably be downtown applying to become a Fort Worth Panther.

There is no way I can make the deadline in time but at least I can get into shape so that I can provide the best service at any security job that I work at. I'll eventually update my CPR certification. I'll take the EMT course at TCC because it's something that I have always wanted to do. I'll obtain my permit to carry in the future.

What was my healthy eating plan today? Actually, I didn't have a great diet plan today. It was full of processed food. It was also full of items that made me sick to my stomach.

Dinner
Coffee with cream and sugar
Cheese stick
Pretzels

Snack
Potato chips

Lunch
Ramen soup
Cheese crackers

Snack
Ice cream

Breakfast
2 smoked sausages
Dirty rice
Greens with butter

I hope that you survived today and had a better diet plan than I did!

Work or exercise in your life?

Weight loss goals and life goals tend to be thrown out the window when working in Fort Worth, Texas gets in the way. Scheduled time tends to be spent on employment or starting a new business. That's exactly what is going on right now. I tend to put my health on the back burner when I have other projects going on in my life.

That's why a schedule is so important. A person can not have a job, career, or business when they are not healthy. So shouldn't our weight loss goals and healthy living goals be our first priority. Yet they easily are forgotten.

Trust me, I know that it's not easy to plan out meals every day. It becomes more difficult when a person has to deal with a husband/wife and children in the household. That is a lot of schedules to juggle. It is doable though.

Make time for activity
It doesn't matter if a person works out first thing in the morning, in the middle of the day, or late at night. It's just important that the activity is done. Though I wouldn't recommend having your work outs be the last thing on your list. I don't get to bed on time when I'm hyped up from working out.

Sneak in activity
I'm sure that this weight loss tip has been given before. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park farthest away from the store. Walk up and down the isle even if you don't need something from that isle. Walk on your lunch break.

Prepare ahead of time
A lot of meal items can be prepared ahead of time. Vegetables can be cut and frozen to use in recipes. Meat loafs and marinade items can be done early. Lasagnas, raviolis, soups, and casserole dishes can all be frozen ahead of time.

The most important thing is that you take care of you. When this is done, then life is better in Fort Worth, Texas. You'll be able to enjoy the things that this city has to offer and you'll have the energy to do it.