Day two!

Work and work and more snow.

To be honest, I slept in, 8:15. I was up to go to the gym until I went down stairs to let the pups out and yep, another 4 inches of snow. So after snow blowing and shoveling, I was at my desk for meetings and spent the evening in NH with the whole family.

Breakfast: A banana, not good, but too busy.

Lunch: Salad with olive oil and grilled Chicken.

Dinner- Filet and mashed potatoes. ( yep, I messed up)

Steps: 4800

Even though I messed up, I can’t get down and I have to remember portion control tomorrow and Thursday and that I have ate 100x healthier in the last two days than I have in a long time. Tomorrow is a travel day. Meetings all day in NYC and then an event at night.

I’m tired already!

Look at this snow!!!

Day One!

It was a Paleo day today. I felt pretty good. I was hungry a couple of times, but I drank a lot of water. I slept pretty well last night – about 7 hours.

I have been having lower back pain, mostly stiffness. So, I’m excited to hopefully get to Yoga tomorrow. I wanted to lift today, but with the 14 inches of fresh snow, I was house bound. I did get out and shoveled/snow blowed.

Breakfast:

Eggs and two pieces of uncured bacon, with a couple of strawberries and a couple of blackberries.

Lunch:

Sweet Potato Fries
About 6 oz of left over steak

Snack:

A “super food” smoothie made of raw veggies and fruits:
– 1/2 avocado
– squash
– one banana
– strawberries
– blueberries
– raspberries
– one blood red orange
– lemon juice
– handful of fresh spinach
– one tbsp flax seed
– handful of cashews

Dinner:

1 pork chop cutlet
5 asparagus strings
2 glasses of red wine

I wish I had been able to get to the gym. I am looking forward to the morning and some gym time. I’ll be going out to dinner tomorrow night. and it’s a Paleo day again, so it will be a good test to order smart.

Thanks to my beautiful Christine for making my smoothie … and not telling me what was in there before I drank it.

Steps for the day: 7550

I know tomorrow will be harder come the afternoon. Day two is never easy.

My 40 for 40

In less than a year, I will be 40…  Man, that sucks.  But I will tell you that I am excited for what the next 40 years will bring, or bring me to.  There are a lot of things in life that are out of my control, but eating healthy and being in shape are 100 percent completely in my hands.   Over the next 12 months, I am on a mission to lose 40 pounds before my 40th Birthday. The goal isn’t just the weight loss – but a lifestyle change to help me live a healthier second half of life.

Today, I am 6 “2” and 260 pounds.

So why am I writing this blog?  Well, for a couple of reasons.  I want to publicly hold myself accountable.  I want to write every day about the challenges I face. I am the pickiest eater you have ever seen but I love pizza. I am on the road a lot for work, I split my personal time between two States, and so on.   I want to chronicle my journey not only for myself, but to also let anyone who may have similar challenges – and goals – know that they are not alone. I am going through it, too. Perhaps we can inspire and root for each other.

What are my goals?  First and foremost, to lose the 40 pounds.  But I also want to be strong again.  In 2008, I was in the best shape of my life.  I lost 57 pounds in two years, and was working out every day – but I had help.  Hector Morales would be at my house every day to go to the gym, and he wouldn’t let me take a day off. Now, I need to find that motivation myself.

I have given up on my “Brad Pitt six pack” dream, but I’d like to be confident again when I take my shirt off.  I want and need to expand my food choices – as I mentioned, I am extremely picky.  Pizza, pasta, bread, wine… these are my really good friends.  But I need to take the next year and break up with them.  Well, maybe not wine.  Maybe we just need a break. 🙂  But I want to like new things, and that means trying new things, something I have not been a big fan of doing.  But the biggest reason I’m on this journey is the picture above.  My family…  I want to be here for a long time, and I want to be an active part of their lives.  I want to carry Christine around when we are 70.  I want to play hoops with my Grandchildren.  I want to live to my 80s, and I know that starts here and now.

My plan:  80% diet and 20% working out.  That’s what they say works the best.  I will eat mainly in the Paleo lifestyle. It will be a phased approach.  I will also focus on portion control.  And I will build up to a good program of cardio, weights, and core.

A daily blog entry will be mostly about what I ate, and what workouts I did.  I will be using my Nike Fuel band, so I will track and report on my steps.  I will also be very honest about cravings, what I wanted to eat, what challenges I faced, how my old bones feel, etc.  I will not weigh myself every day, but once a week on Friday mornings.  I am undecided on pictures… we’ll see.

I hope it goes well, and I’d love to hear any tips that you may have, things that worked or did not work for you on a similar journey, etc. Please keep it positive – any support is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading.

Phil