The Eat Less Exercise More Website

Just realized that the link here was missing. You can view the site at EatLessExerciseMore.us. I've been updating my blog there for a while so if you've only been checking here then there's probably a good bit you haven't seen. Nat

Eat Less Exercise More 0105 - The Grocery Store is my Nemesis!

The grocery store is my nemesis. It is here that for the past eight and a half years I have slowly built the layers of fat that now encircle my body. Junk food, sweets, fatty foods and other assorted land mines lay in wait as I prowl the aisles loading my cart with my weekly allotment of food. My trek begins in the dairy section. Milk is a necessity, but close at hand lurks pudding cups and ready to bake cookie mixes. I can almost hear them saying, "Eat me!". I grab some lowfat cottage cheese and lowfat yogurt and make my escape. Next is the drink aisle. I only pick up water here. The rows of soft drinks seem to stare at me with their round metallic eyes as I pass them by. I skip the chip aisle entirely. No use exposing myself to temptation unnecessarily. The first safe have, the paper towel aisle. Nothing to tempt me here. I grab a pack of paper towels, steel myself and move on. The cereal aisle. Captain Crunch, Tony the Tiger, Sonny and assorted other characters do their best to worm their way into my cart. I get my daughter's cereal bars, turning a blind eye to the colorful boxes. I've made it through a third of the store without making a mistake. Juices, canned vegetables and cups of fruit come next. I bypass the ready to mix packets of Ramen noodles. Salsa, tomato sauce and chili mix go into the cart. I'm nearly home. On the coffee aisle I stare longingly at the flavored syrups that beckon from the shelves. With a heavy heart I leave them behind. I take a can of coffee from the shelf and add it to the growing mountain in my cart. It is better if I pretend the frozen food aisle doesn't exist. There is no such thing as ice-cream! The land of plenty awaits. Produce! Apples, bananas, lettuce, cucumbers, mushrooms, potatoes and celery all go into the cart. I can't find strawberries but I do find blueberries. In they go. The bakery is next. Honey buns, cakes, pies and a wall of donuts all thwart my path. With Iron resolve I plow past to the racks of bread. Whole grain English Muffins, Whole wheat bagels and Wheat bread are all I need. I get them and then I start my sprint. Along one whole wall the deli section looms before me. Chicken breast, deli ham and Turkey! I repeat it over and over, a sort of mantra to ward off the spirits of Jimmy Dean and Oscar Meyer. I finish my run at the checkout. As I load the conveyer with my hoard of food I smile as I notice a distinct lack of tempting items.

Subscription Methods

I thought past time I included easy methods of subscribing to the show. So without further ado, here they are.

Sunday Morning Weigh In

Went the wrong direction this week. This was ost likely from having my free day on Tuesday instead of Sunday. I will do better this week. Today's Weight : 242.8 Last Week's Weight : 241.8 Lost This Week : -1.0 Today's Body Fat Percentage: 27.2% Last Week's Body Fat Percentage : 27.0% Lost this week: -0.2% Initial Weight : 257.0 pounds Total Lost to Date : 14.2 pounds

Eat Less Exercie More 0104 - Yummy and Delicious!

It's 9:20 PM and my sweet tooth is buzzing. I've got one meal to go for the day and I want something sugary. Off to the computer. I find the list of approved recipes and select the desert category. I start scrolling. There are lots of frozen treats but I can't make those. There are recipes for crepes and brownies and shakes but I don't have the ingredients. I keep scrolling. Here's something interesting, Baked Apple. Apple, got it. Cinnamon, got it. Splenda, got it. Cottage cheese, hmmm… got that too but I wonder about the taste. The sweet craving makes me decide to try it. I turn on the oven and I gather all the pieces. I wash and dice the apple. Into the pyrex bowl it goes. I scoop out the cottage cheese and spoon it over the apples. Not looking too appetizing I'll have to admit. Next comes the cinnamon then a sprinkle of Splenda. Less appealing by the second. I mix according to the recipe and pop the dish into the preheated oven. The aroma of baking apples and cinnamon starts to fill the house. Smells better than it looks at least. I have twenty minutes to wait. I sit back at the computer and decide to read the comments about the recipe. The first two sing its praises with adjectives like “yummy” and “delicious”. Then I see the naysayer comments. Words such as runny, watery, disgusting start to make me second guess my choice. I decide to quit reading. I switch to solitaire instead. By now the aroma is even stronger. It is over coming my fears raised by the negative comments. Five more minutes and two lost games later the timer tells me my concoction is ready. I quit the game and make the oven stop beeping. I unlatch the saftey latch and open the oven door. The smell comes rolling out. Something similar to hot apple pie. My mouth is watering. I look into the dish as I pull it out. It doesn't look as bad as when I put it in. I scoop the contents out of the pyrex and into a bowl. I find a fork in the silverware drawer and take my concoction to the recliner. I settle in with my book and take my first bite. Yummy and delicious!

Eat Less Exercise More 0103 - Two Forty One!

I step on the scales. Three black hash marks parade down the LCD screen like some sort of fat man's slot machine. The numbers come up, 241. That number strikes me as curious. I think about it for a second, trying to grasp the significance. It hits me. That number, 241, is the weight I swore as a kid I would never reach. Now I'm hitting it from the back end. What happened? Why did I let this vow go unfulfilled? The answer is as simple as it is sad. I wanted to feel good. I forsook my long term health for the ten minute high that comes from eating chocolate chip cookies. I neglected exercise because it was tiring and outside my comfort zone. Now I am reaping what I have sown. The image I see in the mirror disappoints me. Love handles and double chins greet me every morning. The extra weight I carry with me is a burden to my bones, joints and heart. It will make my daily life less and less comfortable the longer I keep it. I am beginning the slow journey back to health. The line of my jaw is becoming more visible. The muscles in my shoulders are beginning to emerge from the layers of fat that have obscured them for years. Where once wobbly, slack flesh hung from the backs of my arms my triceps are becoming taught and strong. I've noticed the protrusion of my stomach receding. It is now almost even with my chest. I will see the two reversed. My thighs still have the muscle developed from running for four years on my high school track team. They are now starting to regain their strength and definition. I am not deceiving myself. I still have a long way to go. There is a lot of fat to burn and endurance to recover. Right now though, I am the strongest I have been in my life. The will power I thought lost is beginning to rekindle. I will stoke it to flame again and realize a passion for health and life. I will not accept a default level of health. I choose to be healthy. I choose to be fit. I choose to be uncomfortable in order to be alive. 241 is unacceptable. I choose to find a better number!

Thanks to a fellow podcaster!

Jonathan at the Former Fattie podcast was kind enough to give me a mention on his show. He also sent me a really nice email about the new format for the show. I really appreciate his kind words and wanted to say thanks here. Feedback like this really keeps me encouraged to stay on track and get back into shape.

Hey Nat, I've been listening to your podcast for awhile, and I just wanted to drop you a line to encourage you in your new direction, doing the Body for Life, and especially the new format of the podcasts. The "you are there" format is engaging, much better than simply recounting what you did each day. I don't know how you remember the specifics of your workout in such detail after the fact, but it sounds like you're writing as you do it, which is a cool effect. Keep up the good work! -Jonathan. -- The Former Fattie Podcast & Blog http://www.formerfattie.com

Eat Less Exercise More 0102 - Independence Day

I've been sick in the night. I'm hot to the touch but not sweating. Sleeping on the couch near the bathroom has kinked my neck and now it along with my back and legs are complaining about their accommodations. My abs chime in with their dissatisfaction with the abuse they suffered as well. I sit up and the world sways a little. I always feel my weakest waking up after I've been ill. I let the room stabilize and I shift the blanket off of me. My mouth is dry, like I've used cotton balls to soak up all the moisture. I run my tongue over my lips, they are chapped and puckered. I need water. Standing feels like I've just run a cross country race. My legs are wobbly and threaten to drop me if I give them anything extraneous to do. I manage to get myself into the kitchen. I reach up and open the cabinet where the cups are kept. My neck makes a point to remind me that I've spent the night on the couch and that sudden moves might not be in my best interest. I find a cup, one of the robin's egg blue plastic ones, and fill it from the kitchen sink. I take a couple of small sips, testing the state of my stomach. When it doesn't immediately rebel I take a few more bigger swallows and finally the paper dry feeling in my mouth abates. I finish the first cup, refill it and head to the bathroom for a shower. The hot water helps relax my tight muscles. I dry off and get dressed feeling stronger and less likely to hit the floor. By the time I'm finished and out of the bathroom the rest of the family is up and moving around the house. My wife asks me if I'm feeling ok and after a brief self inventory I let her know that I am. She asks if I'm up for breakfast and I decide to pass. If I can get through the morning I think I'll be safe. I've eaten too soon after being sick in the past and the relapses seem to be worse than the initial run. Lunch is only a couple of hours away and I want to be up to enjoying it. After all the Fourth of July only happens once a year and I've been saving my free day this week. Barbecue, ice-cream, fireworks and independence all rolled into a single day! Now just to make sure I'm on my feet for all of the fun.

Sunday Morning Weigh In

I figure I should weigh in prior to my free day or I will become fixated on the scales all week. So here are my results for this week. Today's Weight : 241.8 Last Week's Weight : 244.2 Lost This Week : 2.4 Today's Body Fat Percentage: 27.0% Last Week's Body Fat Percentage : 27.0% Lost this week: 0.0% Initial Weight : 257.0 pounds Total Lost to Date : 15.2 pounds