Holiday Challenge Day 8

Weigh In Day!

Begin challenge weight: 224

Week 1: 223.8, -.2lbs

Total Challenge: -.2lbs

I am so happy to have maintained weight throughout thanksgiving week, and to be a tiny bit under where I started, even with a hiccup along the way. Now the real work begins! I expect because I am losing weight rapidly after a fluctuation, that I will see a significant change this week. 

I am undertaking a certain penance and preparation for Christmas during Advent this year. Alcohol is a contributing factor to overeating and at the very least empty calories. It's something I've been praying about for a while now, and just confirmed for me in the last week by starting the challenge. 

While you begin this second week of the challenge, are you motivated to do something new up until Christmas? 

Holiday Challenge Days 6-7

Don't sit on your laurels! Everybody struggles, even me...that's why I wrote this blog. After a dreary day yesterday, in which I tried my first TRX class out, I rested well. Only at the end of the day I knew I had a going away get together for a friend who is moving out of the area. Needless to say, I think I had a little too much calorie wise for the day, especially without spinning. 

My weight fluctuates when I'm not so careful, and more than just the science would suggest. It's a great reminder that there are some things that I need to avoid altogether. I think that is what God is placing on my heart as I begin Advent.

Advent is here! 

Today I went on endurance ride and racked up the largest wattage yet on the spin bike. 

A 75 minute class was awesome, and a good way to reframe and get back on track today. Though I don't expect to have lost any lbs for the week (I had, but one incident of overeating post turkey day is enough to change that), I might actually maintain for the week. That would be a true blessing. 

Today brought its own blessing in being able to go down to celebrate the retirement of a good friend and fellow minister, Sr Connie. God bless her, as she hears the call of service wherever he is providing for her. She will be truly missed at OLSH. I am so happy to know her and so many good parishioners, as we gathered to celebrate our faith and friendship. 

One parishioner came up to say she was inspired to begin a journey and has lost 18lbs in two months, even though she has some physical limitations that keep her from exercising. This is what makes my job and blog so worth it!

For this advent, and as you finish your weekend, reflect on something you might want to work on giving up (I know it's not lent, but it's a great time to clear out the clutter to make more room for the Lord).

For me, I started off with a good confession, and a focused penance that will take me through this challenge. 

Holiday Challenge Day 5

Good morning, Black Friday shoppers! You might actually consider all your shopping endeavors as a workout today, as you dash about the aisles and get that step count up. 

I got up, covered Mass in South Deerfield, and then headed over to the gym for some more turkey busting spin. I had my best class at energia yet! 

Today, as I return I'm focused on today's challenge goal: be careful with all those leftovers!

My trainer offered this morning that one day of overeating is not going to destroy most dedicated people's resolves. That might be true for most people, but if you're just starting out on this journey, or if you don't remain vigilant today, things could spiral out of control. Today, if you want to continue thanksgiving, give thanks for the new day it is, and get back on track if yesterday was a bit crazy.

Tips for leftovers:

1. Without the social pressures, it is easier to weigh, measure, and portion your food. 

2. Use a smaller plate. 

Here is a typical thanksgiving dinner I'm having for lunch today. Half the plate, almost half the calories. 

3. Skip those pieces of bread. It may be fun to make a sandwich out of left overs, but all that stuffing is already a carb overload. You can save up to 250 calories by just having the stuff inside that sandwich.

4. Give leftovers away, or throw away what you know is going to present a problem for you. It's better in the waste rather than in your waist. 

Happy shopping!

Holiday Challenge Day 4

Preparing thanksgiving for 5 people last minute is stressful, so thank you for your patience, as I meant to have a post up this morning. I hope you took yesterday's advice and prepared for the today's feast well.

Overall, I had a fantastic day. I started off by hitting the gym at 7am for some turkey buster spin. I have a friend from the Newman Center that I race. I was spinning on 4 hours of sleep, and after an intense spin and strength class the night before. Thank God for preworkouts!

Killing it at the gym, I raced back home to shower and then say Thanksgiving Mass at 9am. I preached about Jesus' eternal act of thanksgiving to the Father, enabling us to be thankful. We receive the powers to be thankful and to love from God, he is the one who makes it all happen. I urged my community to pray a thanksgiving prayer over their meals, and to be attentive to the command to love when we are tempted to petty division in our family gatherings. 

I slaved in the kitchen for the next few hours. For my first complete thanksgiving meal, I think it came out wonderfully. The skin on the turkey was a little burnt, but that was because I wasn't used to a convection oven. It was cooked to perfection inside, though!

Here was the spread:

And here was my plate. I stuck to one plate, with a small portion of extra turkey (needed protein to recover from recent workouts). 

Overall I counted the meal as follows:

Turkey 8oz, 347 cal

Turkey Gravy 1/4 cup, 25 

Brussels, onions, prosciutto, 1/2 cup, 95 

Butternut Squash, 1/4 cup, 52 

Olive Oil, 1 tbsp, 120

Sweet Potatoes 1/4 cup, 43

Mashed Potatoes 1/4 cup, 69

Stuffing, 1/2 cup, 209

Cranberry Sauce 1/8 cup, 50

Smoked Gouda 2oz, 140

Crackers, 5, 46

Pumpkin Pie, 1 slice, 323

Cookies, 2, 130

Red Wine, 8oz, 240

Over all total cal for dinner: 1890

average t-day calories consumed: 4500 (according to the Calorie Control Council)

Total for me: 3453

Total cal output (including gym): 2584

I did pretty well today. I may have had some high calorie beverages, but I got enough exercise in to make what I wanted calorie budget wise. I can say that I am truly thankful for Myfitnesspal.

But more importantly, for God, family, friends, and faith! 

To you and yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

Now to clean up? :(

See you tomorrow with a Black Friday post!

Holiday Challenge Day 3

It's preparation day! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and that means that it's time to plan for that big feast. I am cooking for my family this year, so I am going to be focused on figuring out all the calories in the food as I go. Tomorrow's post will focus on that. 

Some things you can do to prepare for tomorrow:

1. Learn how to track your food. If you haven't done it before, get yourself an app like myfitnesspal. Make sure you input everything. Try to input it before you eat it.

2. Give yourself a limit. Hit that calorie mark? One plate? One dessert? Two adult beverages? Write down where you are going to stop tomorrow. 

3. Make some no choices right now, that is, what are you definitely going to cut out tomorrow? Maybe it's no stuffing, no pie, no gravy. Make some choices that reflect where you might go off the deep end and not be able to stop. If you are going to a party, perhaps request some alternatives to those no choices. 

4. Get some exercise in today. This is important, but it is not going to be the free ticket to overindulge tomorrow. Weight loss is more about diet. Maintenance is more about doing what is necessary daily, like getting an appropriate amount of exercise. 

5. Be thankful for today's preparation. Sometimes holidays can be hard because they bring up old family stressors. Decide today that you are not going to let any of that translate into an all out binge fest tomorrow. Be thankful that you have a plan to stay on track and complete this holiday challenge. 

Holiday Challenge Day 2

I want to make some of the suggestions of this challenge a little easier day by day than last year's. If you want an in depth challenge, please refer to the archives for more material. 

Today's challenge can be to compile a small list of 5 things that you will benefit from by maintaining your goals this holiday season.

For example:

1. I won't weigh 5-10lbs more 

2. I will be thankful for the other blessings in my life that aren't food/drink related

3. I will become a more generous person if I focus on the poor, feed the needy

4. I will be able to ward of lesser temptations in the future

5. I'll be ahead of the game by the new year, and that much closer to my ultimate goals

After you complete your list, say a little prayer. Ask God to bless this challenge, and for these benefits or promises to come true. God is on your side this holiday season. Isn't that what it's all about anyway?

Holiday Challenge Day 1

Hi friends! It's the most wonderful time of the year, and that brings with it the most wonderful temptations! We are tempted to overindulge. We are tempted to give up our fitness routines because "baby, it's cold outside." The average weight gain this time of year, depending on who you talk to, is between 3-10 pounds, when it's all said and done. Some pack on even more, believing they are like the bears and need to hibernate for the winter.

While there are certainly primal reasons why we pack on the pounds during the winter time, we are nevertheless reasoning animals, and can use the power of our own minds and wills to curb this socially acceptable trend. What's more is that we have the power of God on our side, he who desires to bless these endeavors of health and wellness. Instead of waiting for New Years resolutions, we can ward off merely reacting to our poor choices by making some good choices with God's help right now!

This doesn't mean giving up the goodies, it means being diligent, motivated, and a little bit savvy with regard to the food filled events that we are going to attend. It also means that we can decide to start, maintain, or step up in our fitness routines. 

The title of this year's challenge reflects a more inclusive tone than last year's, although my goals are very similar. Since I am now more or less near my maintainence weight, I will be focused on some weight loss, but more focused on helping to provide that daily motivation to keep going. 

Today I weigh in at 224lbs. My goal for this challenge will be to be 215lbs by January 9th, a loss of just 9lbs, but very doable. If you remember, I lost 22lbs last holiday season. 9lbs may seem less, but percentage wise it is a bit greater, since I have lost over 50lbs since then. If I make it to this goal, this is well within the range of being actually under 200lbs factoring in the amount of excess skin that will need to be removed.

As with last year I will keep a weekly weigh in, this time on Mondays. I'd encourage you who decide to take the challenge with me to do the same. 

So today: set your goal, whether it is maintainence or loss. Weigh in. And then decide to keep reading through this challenge. If anything today, just think about your choices throughout today. Is it easy to forgo that extra latte in that red cup at Starbucks? 

Please feel free to send me a message if you want some support! 

Back blogging, and Holiday Challenge Announcement

Hi folks! It's been an interesting transition to the Newman Center at UMass. I hit some rough patches establishing a new routine, and struggled lately in maintaining things. I was recently blessed to take a small retreat at Guest House in Lake Orion, where I finished the continuing care program, and reinvigorated my efforts to treat my food addiction, as well as worked out with an awesome trainer friend. I am happy to report that my weight is back on track and I am motivated to take on the holidays! 

Some exciting things to report: 

Together with some Newman Community members that started a good initiative last year, we are developing a marketing strategy and healthy choices menu for the Newman Cafe. The efforts are slow, but coming together. Changing culture is hard, but it is necessary in this atmosphere where most students are used to healthy options on campus. 

Moving to Amherst has been a blessing during the fall season. I called up a friend who hiked Monadnock with me in September and we tackled the Seven Sisters trail, a 6 mile hike through the mountains surrounding Amherst and Hadley. 

It was an early morning sunrise spectacular, coupled with amazing foliage viewing and semi challenging climbs. This trail just kept going and going and going. Happy to say that I've done it! 

I recently joined the energia and 50/50 fitness studios on route 9 in Hadley. Justin and Katie have been so gracious in their welcome to this energetic spin community.

 I am happy to make some new friends, and learn some different styles of training. I got my butt kicked at a trx tabata class, and keep focused on increasing my watt hours for the generated energy on the spin bikes. 

Having a gym that I am motivated to attend has been a key factor in restoring my sanity over the last month.

I was truly humbled and thankful recently when my la fitness trainer and friends took me out to lunch after spin class there. I am so happy to keep in contact with this community, and grateful for our friendship.

Today I am announcing my commitment to the Holiday Challenge. I want to be inclusive in the title, since I know there are people who struggle with weight on either ends of the spectrum. This challenge will be geared towards my personal goals, but will include tips for avoiding cravings, or making healthier choices during the holiday season. I will formally begin this challenge this upcoming Monday. 

I want to extend my prayers towards all those recently affected by terrorism throughout the world. These recent events put things into perspective, especially the need to focus on spiritual health. The twelve steps offer us hope when we are powerless over events like these. We can believe that a power greater than ourselves can restore the world to sanity. We can turn our lives over to God's care, as we understand God. And in this, let us also recognize  that as God cares for us, so too should we care for others.