9-28-11 Red Road Rush Hour Rage by orr333 at Garmin Connect - Details

9-28-11 Red Road Rush Hour Rage by orr333 at Garmin Connect - Details

Testing the autopost feature from my Garmin Connect to my blog. This is my ride today in Miramar. Ended up missing a turn onto 37th and had to ride the very busy Red Road for a while in rush hour. A little scary for a small town Wisconsin Boy like me! Times are bad because of too many streets to cross. I most likely will not ride this route again.

Find A Way To Stay Inspired

Since my visit to Hilton Head Health, I have not had much of a problem staying motivated.  I have had terrific success in weight loss now over 100 pounds.  I can honestly say that most of that can be accounted for by my steadfast focus on what I eat.  Bob tells us that it is 80% diet but I did not believe it was so true.  Truth is, I have had patterns of good weeks and bad when it comes to working out.  My travel schedule has been crazy and the hotel I stay at has really bad treadmills.  I now have a bike in Florida so that will certainly help me get more workouts in. 

For you, it may be that you have lost the inspiration you need to push through a workout or even start one.  Last week before my first ever 5K, I purchased a Garmin GPS Watch.(Garmin 405CX).  Since my purchase, I have used it on the race and 2 bike rides here in Florida. 

For those that do not know me, I am a geek.  Specifically, I am a data geek.....and I love toys.  This is the coolest thing!  It tracks your route, speed and split times between miles.  I have not used the heartrate monitor yet, but am excited to add that component to it so I can not only see my speed, pace and elevation changes over time but my heartrate as well.

If you go to this link, you can see my bike ride from this morning.  This link goes to my first ever 5K. 

I have had a few rides/workouts when I was just struggling to keep the pace or intensity.  This has given me that added new inspiration to push through.  Go fast.  Work a little harder.  I don't want to look at those stats later on and see proof that I was dogging it!  Maybe that is just my competetive nature mixed with a little OCD. 

Whatever it takes, mix it up and find the tools or methods that make you push it and keep the inspiration!  Do this whether you are fit and staying that way, or on a journey like me. 

Confronting A Problem

So many people face challenges with addiction today. Whether that addiction is substance or if that addiction is food, there comes a time when you have to own up to why you are where you are. I think back to some of the reasons I used to give for my weight gain.

“We were poor and I worked 3 jobs.”

“Money is tight so we have to buy cheap foods which are unhealthy.”

“My work is crazy and I have to eat out all of the time.”

“I don’t have time to work out.”

I used to say all of these things. Never did I admit to anyone that I would binge after going through one or sometimes even 2 different drive thrus! There were times that I could not decide what I wanted to eat so I would just visit both! Sometimes, I literally would realize how embarrassing it was to order that much food for one person and therefore would split it between 2 stops. I even ordered 2 drinks a few times to make it look like I was bringing it home to someone else. I even reached the point in early 2011 where I would rush out of work too late to get home for dinner but early enough to make a Chinese buffet or Old Country Buffet before they closed. Restaurants were chosen based on my knowledge that I would leave – not full – but completely stuffed. I knew who had the biggest portions!

WARNING:  Prepare to wince and groan….I decided to add up a few usual stops for me at fast food restaurants. Note – I always would have diet soda (to offset of course) so no need to add into the calories.

• McDonald’s. One of my favorite combinations was a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese combo which is 740 calories for the burger, 380 for fries (1120 total). But the meal would not stop there. With this, I’d probably get a filet of fish a well for 380 more. Meal total: 1500 calories.
• Another order at McD’s was to ‘downsize’ my combo to the Big Mac. Then I’d have to add 2 additional sandwiches. Big Mac (540), fries (380), filet of fish (380) and topped off with a Mc Chicken (360). Total: 1,660.
• How about breakfast at McD’s (sometimes in the same day as one of the dinners or lunches above). Steak, Egg and Cheese bagel (710), hash brown (150), 2 sausage burritos (600), large OJ (280). Total: 1,740 (that is a half of pound of weight for those playing at home)
• Let’s change it up to Taco Bell. I have some favorites there such as a Grilled Stuft Burrito (880), 7 layer burrito (500), 2 hardshell supremes (400). Total: 1,780.
• I could come up with 15 combos at taco bell – but let’s do one more: Two ½ pound cheesy potato burritos (1,090), volcano burrito (780), crunchwrap supreme (540), cheesy fiesta potatoes (270). Total (OMG….2,680).
• Let’s try Taco John’s: 1 meat and potato burrito (520), small potato ole (480) 2 beefy burritos (880), 2 crispy tacos (340). Total: 2,220.
• One more Taco John’s: 2 beefy burritos (880), 2 crispy tacos (340), regular super potato ole (1,090!). Total: 2,310
• Burger King: Double Whopper with cheese (950), chicken sandwich with heavy mayo (850) and 1 double cheeseburger (450). Total: 2,250.
• How about a sit down restaurant? Applebee’s (which incidentally is one of my favorites now for LOW calories meals). I used to get wings (710) and riblets platter (1,820). Total: 2,530.

I have not even started with the list I could create. What about business trips where there were fast food places that I cannot get at home? All the more reason to binge to try everything! I have not covered White Castle, Sonic or Wendy’s.

I realize that everyone with weight problems did not do this to themselves like I did. Chances are that except in rare cases, there was some reason a person gained so much weight like me. I get it….it is an addiction. It is also a beatable addiction. I crave these foods frequently. Just typing them out makes me salivate. Seeing the numbers also convinces me that I do not need it and I know I can live without it. In fact, I feel better than I ever did when I was eating like that on a daily basis.

It will be hard for me to press ‘PUBLISH POST’ on this. As I read it, it is utterly embarrassing how I treated myself. This will get posted though because I have found that talking about my past behaviors and writing about them is therapeutic. I have nothing to hide. The past is just that. I have today to deal with and will look forward to tomorrow. You can do the same!

"5 Reasons Why Flavored Milk Matters" Propaganda....

Today at the Minnesota State Fair, we made an annual stop at the "All You Can Drink Milk" booth.  This is a popular booth at the fair with roughly 15 lines of people minimally 10-15 people deep at all times.  Most people are toting buckets of Sweet Martha's Chocolate Chip Cookies.  For $1, you can have all the milk, white or chocolate that you can handle.  With Jacob having been part calf most of his life and being a non soda drinker, this is his Mecca. 

People Lined Up For AYCD Milk!

This year was the first time that I found propaganda in their space.  Without question, the pressures being put on schools by people like Jamie Oliver as I talked about in this post are causing more than just regional impact on how people are thinking differently.  I picked up a flyer titled "5 Reasons Flavored Milk Matters".  Let's review them from a counterpoint perspective and see if they really have 5 valid points.

1. Nine Essential Nutients - It says right on the flyer that flavored milk has the same nine essential nutrients as white milk.   So if it is the same, what is the gain here?  No point.
2. Kids Love The Taste - Seriously?  Kids love chocolate?  I would never have guessed.  Next they will start publishing studies that if given a choice, kids will choose cookies over fruits and veggies!  No point.
3. Helps Kids Get 3 Servings A Day - Like #1, no different than white milk.  No point.
4. Better Diet Quality -  Kids that drink flavored milk meet more of their nutrient needs; do not consume more added sugar, fat or calories; and are not heavier than non-milk drinkers.  This makes me want to scream!  Flavored milk contains 10g added sugar than white milk for a 1/2 pint.  That already disqualifies this.  Also, to compare the weight of flavored milk drinkers to non-milk drinkers in terms of weight, etc is a farse!  Milk drinkers or not, kids are eating junk everywhere so you are comparing 2 like groups!  ABSOLUTELY NO POINT!
5. Top Choice In Schools - Low Fat chocolate milk is the most popular choice in schools, and kids drink less milk, and get fewer nutrients, if it's taken away.  This is just a restated version of #2.  Of course kids will choose chocolate over white!  Maybe if the schools served up better food overall, those that dislike white milk won't be missing out so much.  There is more than 1 way to get these essential nutients aside from milk without caving in with flavored milk every day.  No point!

This all comes to you courtesy of the Midwest Dairy Association.  A member of our community wellness group made a comment in a meeting that she did not feel flavored milk was the enemy.  Maybe not completely but in the state of things with how our children eat, let's get balance back before we make that call.  This could be the first generation of kids that do not outlive their parents in life expectancy.  This is from a plethora of causes but right now we need big changes across the board.  Yes, that includes removal of flavored milk.

If Jake wanted chocolate today (they were sold out), would I have said no?  Absolutely not.  This was the fair - a treat - a diversion from everyday life.  That is what eating outside of the norms should be based on.  Every day in school is a completely different story and why we as a country are so overweight.  We have lost that sense of what a treat is.  Our 90/10 split is more like 99/1 but in the wrong direction.