A rainy fall morning!

August 31^st, 2011

Today has dawned very cool and overcast. I have a busy morning planned so will be anxious to get it underway. I am a little sad at the end of summer holidays as it really seemed to go fast this year. Oh well it promises to be an interesting and lovely fall.

I am happy to report first things are still first and while I haven’t had any startling breakthroughs this week, it hasn’t been the struggle it was last week. I didn’t manage to mark all my references for tonight the way I wanted to so will have to use a cheat sheet this time and will get next weeks marked right away. For some reason I really like having to look up a number of references even though it takes longer to organize.

My Mom arrived from Manitoba for a visit and I am looking forward to the next few days. I am sure the time will fly by, however will enjoy the time we have while we have it.

As you can see by the summary below yesterday went pretty well and while I didn’t get a walk I got to change a flat tire so got a little exercise that way. Thank goodness for the Hot Yoga in the morning this covered my exercise requirements.

Summary for August 30^th, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 30^th, 2011):  2766

Total used:                                                        1921

Happy Tuesday Morning!

August 30^th, 2011

Oh my what a beautiful morning, oh my what a beautiful day… oh my what a beautiful feeling! Everything’s going my way!

Got up early this morning and got my self off to “Hot Yoga” for my fourth class! It was again harder than class three but better than class two. I do feel good after it although I better eat soon as my energy is a little wobbly right now.

Last night was a more normal evening;  I got home from work, made supper and then headed to the barn where we were until almost nine o’clock. The thrilling thing about this was that instead of sitting waiting like often happens I went for a long walk and got my exercise in while I waited. This was a huge positive as by the time I got home I wouldn’t of had the energy to do anything more.

Summary for August 29^th, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 29^th, 2011):  2668

Total used:                                                                    1710

As this shows yesterday was a good day! Hopefully I can keep achieving results similar to this the rest of the week.

A final summary of the week that was!

August 29^th, 2011

This weekend was a tough one and while on the surface it doesn’t seem too bad, I know that I could have done a lot better. Also my exercise was down over the preceding week so this too I have to address. I stayed right were I was this week weight wise. I believe partly because I had lots of “bad” calories.

This analogy also has to be applied to the first things first portion of last week. I realize that it isn’t just sufficient to go through the motions, but rather to make the motions count. Hopefully I am a little more successful at this in the next few days.

Now for the summaries of Friday, Saturday and Sunday:

Summary for August 26^th, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 26^th, 2011):  2520

Total used:                                                        2272

Summary for August 27^th, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 27^th, 2011):  2668

Total used:                                                        2568

Summary for August 28^th, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 28^th, 2011):  2631

Total used:                                                        2908

I am going to post this now… am more determined than ever to make today better. I really need to focus so that I get more clarity in the way I move in spite of the unknowns the future holds. I have become aware that failing to walk with confidence and clarity not only impacts me but affects all the others around me as well.

Results for several days!

August 23^rd, 2011

Just wrapped up my second morning of “Hot Yoga” wow… I didn’t think it would be harder than the first time, but it was. I seemed to really struggle with getting dizzy this time. Oh well I did make it through the class and it should improve with time. My goal is to do this twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

It is now August 26^th, 2011.

I have been running like crazy so will give you an update on all things! First’s continue without a miss although there have been times this week when the temptation to deviate has been huge. However I am thrilled that thus far victory has been mine so far.

The following are the day by day summaries:

Summary for August 23^rd, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 23^rd, 2011):  3281

Total used:                                                        2223

Summary for August 24^th, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 24^th, 2011):  2631

Total used:                                                        1343

Summary for August 25^th, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 25^th, 2011):  3024

Total used:                                                        2832

As you can see the preceding days have been progressing nicely. The day that looks the best however likely wasn’t as I was traveling this day and ending up skipping meals which really plays havoc with the digestion. This week however has included two trips to “Hot Yoga” and this is an exciting plus to me also.

Will let this be all for now… have some work to do so best get it done!

Results for Monday... a bit of a struggle but in the end Victory!

August 22^nd, 2011

Might be making a trip to Edmonton today or tomorrow, I have been also invited to have lunch with the workers tomorrow. I will probably see if this can be changed to Wed or Thurs as I have a lunch booked on Friday and I will probably be out of town tomorrow.

Changed this to next week Tuesday, I have to choose a venue and get back to Gary.

Summary for August 22^nd, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 22^nd, 2011):  2741

Total used:                                                         1165

I am especially proud of the above results. I made a healthy and delicious supper; it ended up leaving me with plenty of room to spare. Then later in the day when I would normally snack some more I decided to pass as I wanted to end the day with the nice big gap between what was allowed and what I actually ate.

Enjoyed my walk in the heat last night, finally we are enjoying some warmth. It feels good and yet part of me is really glad it’s not going to last long.

I am thrilled that so far so good on the lifestyle changes from August 1^st, 2011. I am still a little grieved however that I am still struggling with some niggling little things that I haven’t gotten victory over yet. I will keep working on it and as victory with some of these more major things becomes more consistent I will no doubt find some of the little struggles enjoy a measure of success as well.

Three weeks down and onto week four

August 19^th, 2011

In the future the start of each days post will be on the tail end of the previous day’s summary.

Summary for August 19^th, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 19^h, 2011):   2745

Total used:                                                        2182

Summary for August 20^th, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 20^h, 2011):   2856

Total used:                                                        2438

Summary for August 21^st, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 21^st, 2011):  2741

Total used:                                                        2124

I had a good weekend, would have liked to do a little better on my numbers, the program I am tracking with suggested that I should change my goal now that I am down 10lbs from my start weight. I haven’t done this yet… will see where I am the end of next week.

Still carrying on with first things, it has been good and enjoyable and I remain optimistic that it will carry on from day to day. I know that there are several little things it is doing to help from day to day and will continue to work with this and look for more results.

Thursday... one of my favorite days of the week

August 18^th, 2011

I dug myself out of bed this morning and went to my first “Hot Yoga” class. WOW!!! It was something else. I will be doing this now two times a week, Tuesday and Thursday’s and will keep you up to date on my progress. I made it through the class although there were a few things that I couldn’t do!

Also I noticed on yesterday’s post that I added some things and how I added them made it seem like I was talking about the day before… anyhow the supper I was referring to as being really good was the night of the 17^th!

Summary for August 18^th, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 18^h, 2011):   2956

Total used:                                                        2864

This was a nice day and I am still basking in the glow of a small victory as noted by the numbers above.

Morning Aug 19^th, 2011

My family arrived home from Kelowna yesterday. It was so good to see them and it didn’t take long to get settled back in although there is still some unpacking to do.

I found however that last night due to the fact that my family tends to load calories towards the end of the day, I too had to struggle not too. I made it however and managed to end the day with still some room to spare.

It is important to note that despite there being additional distractions yesterday and again this morning that, “first things are still first”. When I was small my parents had a first things first plan and while I struggled to see or appreciate it as a young person I am so seeing the benefits of it now!

I am going to ramp up my search for a sponsor for my kid and her riding friend. I have kind of half heartedly being doing this with very limited results; however it’s now high time to ramp this up and look with determination for the right partner.

A wonderful Wednesday

August 17^th, 2011

I am still sad at my misstep yesterday on my calories. I had done so good and yet just a little slackness and I managed to blow a perfect record. It really wasn’t worth it for a silly dessert that I didn’t even finish.

However on a brighter note my efforts with first things first continued positively. I am enjoying several aspects of how the verses tie into my thoughts on this. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds tonight.

Time to get the house in order, not only do I need to do this for mtg. tonight but also Glor and the kids arrive home tomorrow. They almost were in Kelowna a week!

Here’s a good quote someone shared with me a few days ago. “Everyone has a will to win, not everyone has a will to prepare to win!!”

What a wonderful supper I had yesterday. I enjoyed every bite.

Summary for August 17^th, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 17^h, 2011):   2782

Total used:                                                        1870

This was a nice day and I am still basking in the glow of a small victory as noted by the numbers above.

A sad misstep on my efforts

August 16, 2011

It was a unique struggle this morning to make sure first things stayed first. It seems like such a little thing. I do know however that I wouldn’t have succeeded at this if it wasn’t for the fact that I am recording this and I really want to get a perfect record come this time next year. Several of the verses in this weeks study are helpful in this regards as well.

A friend has advised that white writing on a black background is hard to read for a extended period, so I am going to adjust the settings on my blog due to this.

Now for the sad part, I have to report that due to carelessness at the end of the day yesterday I ended up over my calorie limit for the first time. This was hugely disappointing to me after I realized it and I was very tempted not to report it… however that wouldn’t change the fact that it happened so I am reporting it anyway.

Summary for August 16^th, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 16^h, 2011):   2856

Total used:                                                         3036

This morning I have a fresh determination to once again be cautious and careful so I don’t slip again.

Summary for Monday August 15th

August 15^th, 2011

First things have stayed first again for the past three days and continued on this morning. We have a interesting study this week, “Daily Activities” and the first item on the list is, you guessed it, “first things first!” I love the feeling of consistently getting a small victory with this. As you may have noted from the previous post it doesn’t guarantee victory but it certainly goes along way to helping get more victories.

Ticking things off my list today, it’s a pretty good feeling. I really appreciate people who make solutions rather than obstacles.

Still haven’t had breakfast yet, I am supposed to take a client for lunch so will likely wait now for that!

Turned out to be a very good day, ended by a very, very nice supper with Keith and Lori!

Summary for August 15^th, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 15^h, 2011):   2707

Total used:                                                        1640

This is kinda cool… I will weigh in again the end of this week and it will be interesting to see where I am then. Thought I had exercised a ton more this last week but in the end the difference was only about 90 calories.

Start of Third Week!!!

August 13^th, 2011

Happy that first things stayed first, not so happy about some of the other train wrecks I’ve had in the last few days! Oh well that’s why I get up and start over once again!

Summary for August 12^th, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 12^h, 2011):   2633

Total used:                                                        2538

Working on various things here at the office this morning, one small victory is the fact that I’ve already had about 500ml of water!

Summary for August 13^th, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 13^h, 2011):   3154

Total used:                                                        2306

It was an interesting weekend, I walked and walked. The little pound hound we have enjoyed every minute of it. In fact I think today he will be in full blown with drawl.

Summary for August 14^th, 2011

Total allowed calories today (Aug 14^h, 2011):   3042

Total used:                                                        2576

Had an excellent and relaxing breakfast, this was followed by an excellent day. Enjoyed my day and supper immensely and I am very happy with the end result

End of week two!

August 12^th, 2011

Happy to report that again yesterday first things first, both yesterday and again today.

Here is the summary for August 10^th, 2011:

Total allowed calories today (Aug 10^h, 2011):   2638

Total used:                                                        2321

I had to go to Edmonton yesterday and didn’t write anything down so will cover two for one today! I did have a very positive day even though I didn’t record much.

Here is the summary for August 11^th, 2011:

Total allowed calories today (Aug 11^th, 2011):  2562

Total used:                                                        2349

So it’s interesting and exciting to report the following, I weighed myself this morning to see where I was at and am thrilled that the scale stopped firmly at 298! This is a huge boost… now to just keep rolling with it!.

I really enjoyed thinking about a thought shared two days ago, “It’s not that God is going to come and walk with us! (He can’t and He won’t)  It is rather that we go and walk with Him!” Wow, that is so cool, this helps cement this as the important lesson for me this week.

It is now Saturday morning. Have a good weekend!

August 10th, 2011

August 10^th, 2011

Happy to report that again yesterday first things first.

Here is the summary for August 8^th, 2011:

Total allowed calories today (Aug 8^th, 2011):    2867

Total used:                                                        2475

I got sidetracked yesterday and didn’t write anything down so will cover two for one today! I did have a very positive day even though I didn’t record much. Lots of work onsite. (Will likely have more of the same today!)

Here is the summary for August 9^th, 2011:

Total allowed calories today (Aug 9^th, 2011):    2638

Total used:                                                        1929

Had one of the hardest tests yet last night, we went out for supper and I carefully considered everything I could order and did so… then when the meal came instead of the salad I had ordered I got a large order of fries! It was tough to give them up, especially as they were free and I had room from a calorie count! However part of this change of lifestyle is no fries so I stuck to it and no fries! I do admit at this moment I am a little proud of myself.

I had a big Donair wrap for lunch today and was surprised after the fact at how many calories it contained so will have to be careful to not do that again. Mean’s the rest of the day I will have to be extra careful. I am traveling again tomorrow and this always adds a level of difficulty too

The status of this last weekend

August 6^th, 2011

Once again first things first launched the day and so far a spectacular day it is!

Here is the summary for August 5^th, 2011:

Total allowed calories today (Aug 5^th, 2011):    2638

Total used:                                                                    1703

I had a good day yesterday; Divine Hardwood needed me to run to Red Deer to exchange some cabinets for hardwood. I then came back to Calgary, met Daryl at the jobsite and he helped me deliver the hardwood. Picked up three boxes from site and then after a lunch that he bought for me I returned the hardwood to the warehouse.

This morning has dawned sunny… quickly changing to partly cloudy. I am at the office getting my emails caught up and weekly reports done. I am looking forward to the weekend, I think I pushed my activity level regarding my foot a little much for what it was ready for… it really ached most of the night so I wrapped it this morning and will try and give it a little more rest today.

August 7^th, 2011

Still doing first things first and enjoying the feeling of knowing that I got it and so far am batting 100%. At least in this little thing… my goal is to get to the end of the year and not have a miss…

Here is the summary for August 6^th, 2011:

Total allowed calories today (Aug 6^th, 2011):    2410

Total used:                                                                    1812

I had sprained my ankle last week and I really hadn’t stayed off it much… it really was sore on Saturday so I went home and put it up for the rest of the day. Was really careful on my Calories so that I stayed below my limit.

August 8^th, 2011

Once again I got first things first.

Then I drove to Edmonton for a site visit, returned to Calgary and made a couple here as well.

Here is the summary for August 7^th, 2011:

Total allowed calories today (Aug 7^th, 2011):    2410

Total used:                                                                    2347

This was close; again I didn’t do any exercise. I had a really good day but was borderline on my limit so will have to be a little more careful.

Infromation for August 3rd and 4th

August 4^th, 2011

Once again first things first launched the day and so far a spectacular day it is!

Here is the summary from yesterday:

Total allowed calories today (Aug 3, 2011):      2638

Total used:                                                        1703

I really don’t expect that this will be maintained every day but was thrilled that is was how yesterday concluded.

Today is going to be far more of a challenge. I took Liam so he can help some friends of ours move. To start the day we had breakfast together and I had the most calories for breakfast I have in several days. Stuck with water to drink however and the hardest part, didn’t eat all of Liam’s leftovers even though they were quite literally screaming my name to do so! This is very hard for me as I so hate to buy food and then have it end up in the bottom of a garbage can.

Cool studying a little more today on the thought that just because what we are doing is good doesn’t automatically mean that God will take pleasure in it. Rather we have to ensure that what we are doing is what He wants of us. It’s not what we think; rather what He wants that makes all the difference.

I was away from the office yesterday so this isn’t being posted until Saturday Aug 6^th, 2011.

Here is the summary from August 4^th, 2011:

Total allowed calories today:                             3378

Total used:                                                        2583

I spent several hours helping my pal Tim Beach move.

August 3rd, 2011

Aug 3^rd, 2011

Yippee first things first again! Kelsey is off to Kelowna for a holiday with her cousin and Aunt and Uncle, they are showing her some of the wonders of British Columbia. Then later on Gloria and Liam will head out for some days in the sun as well. Maybe Liam will get a fishing trip with Uncle Ernie also.

Day One of No Timmies is now in the history books. The summary is as follows:

Total allowed calories today (Aug 2, 2011):      2638

Total used:                                                        2334

I had a good day; it also resulted in maybe convincing Gloria to do the tracking thing too. Let’s see how this day goes as things unfold. I was going to change up the bagel this morning but slept in a little so it will have to wait until tomorrow.

Small victories from yesterday worth noting:

a)      No Tim Horton’s

b)      No French Fries

c)      Walked the dog for 30 minutes even tho I had a sore ankle

Only thing a bit too bad was I stayed up way to late last night. I need my sleep so need to be careful of this.

Well, breakfast is over for today and I hung in there and actually really enjoyed my bagel. Funny how things I didn’t really think about before I am now quite focused on. Just had an interesting test, my boss offered to buy me coffee and I had to pass! Somehow that makes the temptation harder?

Lunch was a salad and supper was home made Tuna sandwiches. It all ended very well with a quick walk with the pound hound just before meeting.

July 29th - August 2nd, 2011

July 30^th, 2011

This is being recorded on the morning of August 2, 2011. I meant to record this daily but didn’t so, so will update the weekend as follows:

a)      I kept first things first all weekend… super stoked about this. In fact this is still true for today too.

b)      I set up to track my fitness and food using a telephone app. This is going to be cool.

c)      Worked really hard at maintaining my fitness level, twisted my ankle on Saturday so really curtailed my activity for Sunday and Monday.

d)      Managed to get most things sorted out. I checked Kelsey in for her flight to Kelowna today.

e)      Summary for Aug 1^st, 2011 tracking my Calories Allowed 2410 Total still available at end of day 65. This was just based on my normal weekend activities however to be fair by the end of the day I was paying so much attention to the total that when I went for a bowl of ice cream and strawberries I limited myself to one scoop of ice cream instead of the three I would have normally had. (So even before the start of tomorrow my mind was shifting.)

Aug 2^nd, 2011

As noted earlier today was day #9 of first things first, I almost missed but then managed to pep talk myself into keeping to the program. Love the feeling of small victories I am sure it will spread into the rest of today and have an impact there too.

I am currently at work, brought a bagel from home today, will toast and eat this today instead of Tim Horton’s! It is almost time to do this… I need to keep my energy level a little higher today.

Well I did it, just toasted and ate my bagel (thinly sliced into 4 slices) and had a bottle of water for breakfast. Just waiting on an email to get some paperwork done and then I have some running around to do.

Managed to stick to my guns through lunch hour, had a Wendy’s salad and mixed berry parfait for lunch… still have 1400 calories to go… Have to walk the dog tonight or some form of exercise, the commitment is to have a minimum of 20 minutes of exercise daily.

Will update you all tomorrow, so far two bottles of water today.

July 29, 2011

July 29, 2011

Good Morning World!!!!!

Wow… I am doing cartwheels inside! Day #5 of first things first and I am really stoked about this. It is interesting to me but the fact that I am writing this down is huge in making it something I have to keep going! It was interesting as I had received a number of messages overnight and today was so tempted to read them first! Happy to report that I didn’t and the few minutes I took to do first things first made me so glad I did!

So I am undertaking this massive lifestyle change right now! I have alluded to it a little bit in previous notes but today am going to flesh it out just a bit more. Since the events of a week ago I am determined that my life is going to change! Some of the things I have always done, I will continue to do. Other things that I haven’t been very concerned about I am now going to think about and act on! This has started with the “first things first” idea’s contained in my blog of about five days ago. Further I have committed to undertaking a “thirty day” fitness and eating lifestyle challenge with my co-workers. This will be totally pointless if I just do it for thirty days as I will then just revert to what was before. Not this time… things are changing and I am going to record the ride!

As of August 2^nd, 2011 I am quitting cold turkey Tim Horton’s Double Doubles and French Fries totally, potato’s will be reduced to no more than half a potato at a sitting if any! Also greatly reduced Pasta in take… likely I can’t eliminate this totally as we do eat a lot of it.

Also part of this was twenty-minutes of exercise a day, every day… no specification of what for exercise but definitely twenty-minutes of exercise. I will record this and so you will know how it has worked out. Last night I walked around the north end of the lake we live at. It took me an hour; I didn’t set any land speed records, but had a nice walk and definitely felt it a little. It did tire out the pound hound that’s for sure.

Also I am going to record my measurements as this too will give a point of reference. These will be only taken at the start of the first thirty days and then again at the end. I am not going to do these on a daily or even weekly basis because for me the issue is that I am doing something not whether the measurements change at all.

Starting on Tuesday August 2^nd, 2011 I am going to track all I eat in a day, everything in excruciating detail so prepare to be amazed.