Counting

Me (Left) at 156lbs... Can't Wait!

Those who have known me for longer than a month will surely tell you that I look at things much differently than I used to.  No longer do I just reach in the refrigerator and half-hazardously pull something out to eat, and don't even think you'll catch me baking a whole bag of cheese sticks for lunch!  (They are baked right?  Doesn't that make them healthy?)  I'm like the first grader who comes home from school everyday excited because he has learned something new and extraordinary and feels the need to share it with everyone...over...and over...and over again.  So here is my apology to all of you who see me on a daily, or heck, even weekly basis.  I'm annoying I know.  The only thing I can say is that I have always been annoying its just that I have found a new topic to be annoying about.

Up until three weeks ago I would go in my kitchen and pull out a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and a can of Wolf Brand Chili and mix them together to make Chili Mac.  Now I did not come up with this on my own I stole it from my very in shape little brother whom I love dearly.  Don't knock it until you try it folks... its addicting!  It was only in the past two weeks that I have actually taken the time to look at the nutritional information on each of these ingredients.  A small can of Wolf Brand Chili has 500 calories.  500!!!!!!  A box of macaroni has three servings of about 259 calories per serving and each box contains three servings if I'm not mistaken.  That means I was eating 1277 calories in one sitting (yep every single one because this girl would eat the WHOLE BOX)!  My daily allowance right now is 1230 calories.  Not to mention my love affair with ranch dressing!  I can eat it on just about anything!  Why even bother eating pizza without ranch?  Salad?  Lettuce was made to give ranch fluff!!  I would squeeze ranch into a dessert bowl to eat with a meal and probably manage to eat at least 1/4 cup bite by bite...that's 280 calories just in ranch!!!!

This about sums it up!!

My point is ~ I am having to make myself look at these labels and use my very limited math skills to count up these calories so that I can reach a goal.  I understand that not everyone has the same goal and isn't interested in how many calories a Pillsbury Crescent Roll has (100 btw) but I have to be or the hour I just spent sweating my overly large butt off in my living room didn't mean anything.  I would love to go back to eating three helpings at dinner and don't even get me started on how much I would pay to have a Chick-Fil-A 4 count chicken strip combo with a large waffle fry and four Chick-Fil-A sauces... I can't because with a little research I found out that meal that I was eating several times a week totals 1560 calories.  You see I'm not obsessed with food... I'm obsessed with eating the foods and the amount of those foods that is going to get me into a size 6 by October 13, 2012.  Honestly its not always easy and I crave foods just like you, and I love bad things just like you, but I have to use the math because the math is going to get me where I want to be.

We had some of our favorite people over for dinner tonight and it was great.  Jaren and I worked out and completed the Core Synergistic workout while the boys cooked and our family cheered us all on.  The good news is that even though the workout kicked my butt (which is looking better by the way) it wasn't anything like the whooping I got the first go round!  These four people who support me and cheer me on are great because even though four of the six of us aren't working their tails off they still show up and eat "healthy" food so that Jaren and I are able to work-out and eat a low calorie meal during our social night.  They even listen to me ramble about how I could reach my ankle this go round and how I'm eating cheerios for desert because it is more filling than ice-cream for less calories.

The next pant size down!!

I miss a lot of things.  I miss fast food, I miss tres leches cake, I miss donuts, kolaches, cookies, cookie dough, cobbler, french fries, and good gosh almighty do I miss hamburgers!!  There are however somethings I don't miss like the four inches on my waist, the lack of energy during the day, the frustration of not being able to button my pants, not being able to touch the floor during a hamstring stretch, being someone who complains about my weight but doesn't do anything about it.  While sitting at the table tonight feeling sorry for myself because all we had was regular ranch dressing I asked the question, "Well what is life without ranch dressing?"  Jaren, without pause, answered, "Its life...without ranch."  That's what it is guys.  Its life ~ and we don't need "ranch dressing" to make it through the day.



So forgive me for my sudden interest in math, forgive me if I only eat one helping, and forgive me if I try to share my new-found knowledge with you and I come across as pushy.  If I ask you to work out with me its not because I think you need to its because I'm going to be doing it anyway and want the chance to hang out with you.  I'm doing this to improve myself not to change you, that's your choice ~ I've already made mine.