Ok, I didn't get off to a big start with the exercise program but I am back on the eating schedule again. I am sticking to the small meals every 2 or 3 hours. No more big dinners. Lots of fruit and veggies.

One gallon of water per day, MINIMUM.

This week's official weigh in: 328.0 That's 2 lbs. lost for the week. Not a bad start.

I said that I was only going to be posting once a week but I thought of a way to still add some value with out taking up all of my time. I will be posting several weight loss related articles every week so I can still provide you with some informative reading and still work on my other projects.

I hope you enjoy them and please feel free to leave comments. I will be answering them on a daily basis.

If you have been following this blog from the beginning then you will remember the fluctuations that come when you are on a weight loss program, especially when you begin. Since, I fell off the wagon for a couple months, I guess I am going to see some of that.

Yesterday, I did a mile on the bike and 200 sit ups. Despite my efforts, I showed a gain.

Today's official weigh in: 316.8 lbs. That's 33.2 lbs for the year.

I did have pancakes for breakfast and pot roast with rice and veggies for dinner. (and I had seconds on the pot roast. A big weight loss no no.)

I didn't get to double up on the exercise like I wanted to but I have managed to loose a couple pounds anyway. The rainy season is starting here in south Florida and it rains almost every evening. That has cut into my after dinner bike riding a good bit. I have still been getting up and doing 2 miles first thing.

Today's official weigh in: 304.2 lbs. That's 5.4 lbs for the month and 45.8 lbs for the year.

I have stayed with the same eating routine. 5 to 6 small snacks a day, heavy on the fruit and vegetables. I don't drink anything except water and I drink at least a gallon of it every day. I have 8 days to lose the remaining 4.2 lbs that will put me at 300 lbs, which is my mid year goal.

I have been really successful with my weight loss program so far this year. I seem to have hit somewhat of a road block. This morning I stepped on the scales and had put some weight back on again.

Today's official weigh in 310.0 lbs. even. That puts me at plus .4 for the month of June. That means I have to lose 10 pounds in 19 days to make my mid year goal of 300.

All I can do is try. I have noticed that some times the weight comes off in spurts. I need a good spurt here in the next couple weeks. I have been slacking on the sit ups a bit. Maybe I need to remedy that right away.

Yesterday I got up and did my usual 2 miles on the bike and my 200 sit ups. I started to do my 2 miles on the bike after dinner but had to cut it short due to these huge swarms of gnats that I kept running into. So I went back inside and did another 200 sit ups.

Today's official weigh in: 311.4 lbs. I still have a little ways to go before I get back to where I was last Friday.

I kept my eating routine pretty much the same. We were out of milk so I had some toast with Philly cream cheese for breakfast, an apple for mid morning snack, celery with peanut butter for lunch, baby carrots for a mid afternoon snack, and for dinner I had a pork chop and mixed veggies. As usual, I drank at least a gallon of water through out the day, which is easy to do now that summer is in full swing here in Florida.

My weight loss target that I need to achieve in order to lose 100 pounds this year is 8 lbs per month. I have just surpassed that and I still have a few days left in the month. Since I have started the early morning cardio, the weight has been coming off at a steady pace. I am still only doing about 30 minutes of exercise a day on average. Sometimes I do spend an hour at night doing the Yoga routine that I have mentioned, but only a few times a week. The Yoga is more of a stress relief thing than a workout.

Today's official weigh in: 310.4 lbs. That's 8.6 lbs for the month and 39.6 lbs for the year.

I have been compiling a list of foods that are conducive to weight loss. They are high nutrition, low calorie foods that are easy to digest. I am not sure what I am going to call the list yet. When I decide on a name, I'll post them on the blog. Last night I started to incorporate them into my diet. Ironically, I had to take off work yesterday morning to take my daughter to the doctor and take care of some business. We were short on time so we ended up eating at McDonald's for lunch.

So the first day that I want to start eating these super healthy foods, I end up eating fast food which is "the devil" ( Water boy reference). The truth of the matter is that 10 years ago, when I lost 75 lbs in 9 months, I ate fast food 2 or 3 times a week for lunch. It was just a thing of convenience. I didn't have my usual snacks yesterday. I had cereal for breakfast. For dinner I had a small portion of sirloin steak and 2 big bowls of collard greens.

Now for you collard green fans, I didn't cook them in bacon grease, which is an old Southern way of cooking greens that is absolutely delicious, but fattening as hell. I cooked them in chicken broth which is just as tasty but doesn't add a bunch of unnecessary calories into the mix. Collard greens is one of the "super" foods on my list.

The weight keeps coming off. I have been getting up and riding my bike 2 miles every morning for over a week straight. I have lost 4 lbs during that time and have lost almost 8 lbs for the month with a few days to go. It would have been closer to 15 lbs if I hadn't had a major breakdown of discipline on Mother's day weekend. That aside, I think at this point, that it is safe to asy that:

The theory that, "Doing cardio in the morning on an empty stomach burns 300% more fat" is a true statement. Not only does it increase your calories burned, it energizes you for the entire day. There is something to be said about getting up and getting the heart pumping first thing. You warm up your muscles, break a good sweat, take a shower, and it's Carpe Diem!

Today's official weigh in: 311.2 lbs. That's 7.8 lbs for the month and 38.8 lbs for the year.

Yesterday, I had cereal for breakfast, an apple for mid morning and mid afternoon snack, carrot sticks for lunch, and a ham and cheese sandwich with baked beans for dinner. I put in 2 miles on the bike first thing in the morning and after dinner. I also did 200 sit ups in the morning.

I was proud of myself this past weekend. Yesterday, I went to a cook out and didn't make a complete pig of myself. I resisted the temptation of all alcoholic beverages. I drank water. I sampled some of just about everything but stayed away from the potato salad and I ate my "Bubba Burger" without a bun. I got up early and put in my 2 miles on the bicycle and did my 200 sit-ups. I limited my eating the rest of the day to a couple snacks and that's it.

Today's official weight: 311.8 lbs. That's 7.2 lbs for the month and 38.2 lbs for the year.

I am right on track to lose my 100 pounds. By the end of June I will have lost 50 lbs and I will post another picture. It just goes to show how easy it is if you just set an easy to achieve goal and stick to the plan.

It's the holiday weekend but I'm up early on Memorial day, thanks to my 3 year old daughter, so I thought I would give you a quick update in the continuing weight loss saga. I have put in 2 miles on the bike everyday this past weekend, even though it's a holiday. 15 minutes first  thing in the morning won't kill you. You will never even miss it. Actually, it's about 30 minutes for me because I also did my usual 200 crunches on the Ab Roller.

Today's official weigh in: 312.0 lbs. That's 7 lbs for the month and 38 lbs for the year.

The last couple of days I stuck to my usual eating routine. The only deviation was a trip to Sweet Tomato, an all you can eat salad bar. I stayed away form the baked potatoes and the bakery goods and only ate veggies with frozen yogurt for desert. So far I have resisted temptation. We went bowling yesterday and I didn't drink any beer or eat any greasy french fries. The true test will be how I do today. We are going to a cookout this afternoon. I have already sworn off the alcohol so I should do OK as long as I don't make a total glutton out of myself.

Yesterday I did manage to find time to do the "Yoga For Weight Loss" workout and I slept like a rock. I also did 2 miles on the bike when I got up, 2 miles on the bike after dinner, and 200 sit ups before I went to work. I missed breakfast so I had an apple a little earlier than usuual and skipped the mid-morning snack. I had a big salad for lunch, carrot sticks for the mid-afternoon snack, and chicken chinese style with rice for dinner. I also had a little popcorn for an evening snack.

Today's official weigh in: 313.4 lbs That's 5.6 lbs for the month and 36.6 lbs for the year.

Hopefully, I can continue on this pace and even add some more exercise to the routine. My biggest constaint is time. After almost 5 months of working out on a regular basis, I look foward to it everyday and my energy levels have shot through the roof.

Just a reminder: "Make sure you are drinking lots of water!"