Final Day of Whole30 with My Top Five Dishes from the Past Thirty Days

Our last day on #Whole30. I feel somewhat sad that the first month on this journey has ended. I have enjoyed the process. I have really liked all the food that Carrie has fixed. I enjoy the way I feel now and enjoy how I felt throughout the process. I feel really good! It sounds odd, but it is true! I cannot explain it any other way than I feel like I have a lot of energy.

Tonight though is about my top favorite foods during the #Whole30. This is proving to be very difficult as I review all of the various dishes that Carrie fixed. I think between the two of us, we can think of maybe two dishes that we would not make again. Or, might make but with major changes to the recipe.

I could rank each of the five, but instead, I am going to post them in no particular order. If interested in the recipe for any of these, or others posted on @whole30loulou, please let me know.

To begin, I will select the meal we are having again tonight on our last day of #Whole30. It is Mexican Stuff Acorn Squash. Great flavor and I give it a kick with a jalapeño which really accents the dish. Highly recommend this for your #Whole30 or for meal.

This was a hit! Mexican stuffed acorn squash. Beef, chorizo, mushrooms, zucchini, onion & tomato...all stir-fried together and mixed with a little cauli-rice. Stuffed into baked squash, baked some more and topped with guacamole. #whole30dinner #januarywhole30 #whole30 #whole30compliant #whole30life

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 14, 2017 at 5:31pm PST

Next, we look at the Sole meunière. Everything about this dish was delicious. It was one of those dishes where when I finished, I could have eat all of it again. Not that I was hungry, but it was that good! The fish, green beans, and then new potatoes were the perfect combination and end to a good night.

Sole meunière, parsley potatoes, green beans. #whole30dinner #januarywhole30

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 19, 2017 at 5:39pm PST

The BLT salad is another favorite. Yes, if you follow my blog, you would have seen this on the posting from this past week. We had this at least twice during the #Whole30 program. The BLT salad looks cool with soft-boiled eggs and then the flavors explode and taste just like a BLT sandwich. One of my favorites that I hope the cook continues to cook.

BLT salad with soft-boiled eggs. #whole30brunch #januarywhole30 #whole30 #whole30breakfast #whole30lunch

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 15, 2017 at 9:52am PST

The roasted butternut squash with roast chicken is always sure to please. The soup had excellent flavor and paired with the roast chicken was perfection! Another one of those meals where when I finished, I was hoping there was a bit more for dinner. No, we kept the rest for lunch the next day... which was fine! Something to look forward to at noon.

On Sundays, we dine on soup. Roasted butternut squash soup paired with roast chicken. #whole30dinner

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 22, 2017 at 6:08pm PST

It is not possible to go wrong with a pot roast. Eating this meal, it did not feel like we were on #Whole30 or any diet program at all. Great combinations and the flavor was excellent. The best part is that we were able to enjoy this for a few days following as there enough leftovers. Enough leftovers where I was able to have a extra helping the first night for dinner too!

Pot roast! #whole30dinner #whole30round1

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 30, 2017 at 6:01pm PST

There are so many wonderful dishes we have had during this journey. However, I said I would pick five early into the program and that's what I am staying with for this post.

A little bit about what we do now that we are done with the first month of #Whole30. Our plan is to take a short break and begin again in about a week. Carrie selected the start date for the next round and I told her I was fine with the selection. We will begin again on February 14. That puts us sometimes in the middle of March that we will finish the second round of #Whole30. The cool kids on the block call it the #Whole60 (i.e. Twitter) as we keep going through the process.

I still plan to continue working out. Although, this past week has not been the best for me working out. I only made it to the gym once last week. I plan to get back at it this week although looking like it will be Wednesday might be the only day I made it to the gym.

Hopefully these posts will help you through your journey. I know I have been searching for and reading other Twitter posts using the #Whole30 hashtag and have connected with people just starting out, just finishing, or going through for their second, third, etc. time through the process.

Until next time, happy #Whole30...

Twenty-nine Days Completed for Whole30 and Favorite Foods from Past Week

Last full week of #Whole30 is done. We only have really one day remaining as it ends on Monday. Hard to believe it has been thirty days already. Yes, both Carrie and I have both lost weight. We can both tell differences in our clothing and how we feel. I mentioned it before and I will mention it again, I feel better than I have in years over a 30 day period.

This update is about my favorite meals from the past week cooked by @whole30loulou. Another post will be posted Monday (our 30th day) with my top five favorite meals from the past thirty days. That will be really difficult. There have been so many great meals Carrie has cooked for us!

I had mentioned in a previous post that after we finish this first session of #Whole30 that we plan to take a short break and then do it again for another thirty days. I asked Carrie if she is going to keep posting to Instagram for the next round and she said that she will. Only once during the thirty days did I not think we were going to eat "healthy" that day. It was after a long day for us both, but Carrie forged ahead and prepared a wonderful meal. During this thirty days, neither of us have broken from the routine. We did not sneak a bite of sweets, have a swig of beer, etc. We stayed with the planned routine and intend to do so for the second round too.

Enough of the background, now for the pictures of favorite dishes during the past week.

This one is so good! Quick and easy and does in fact taste like a BLT.

BLT Breakfast Salad and fruit. #whole30breakfast #whole30january

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 29, 2017 at 9:31am PST

This is a favorite because it is good and because Oliver is in it too! A comfort food based off of a recipe my Mom use to make for me when I was a kid with hotdogs and zucchini. Carrie was able to find hotdogs that meat the requirements of the #Whole30. It was delicious!

This is one of those odd family comfort-food recipes. Zucchini, onion, tomatoes, garlic, chicken broth, #whole30compliant hot dogs...was so happy to find the #applegate hot dogs yesterday. Oliver is very interested! #whole30lunch

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 29, 2017 at 1:28pm PST

Carrie has mastered the making of soup from vegetables. No, I am not sure how she does it, but they are fantastic. As Carrie stated in her description, this soup was "velvety & amazing." Fantastic and I know she will make more of these in the weeks to come. I believe she has made this type of "velvety & amazing" soup three or four times during this past thirty days. Really good and easy to eat!

On Sundays, we dine on soup. This yellow soup full of roasted vegetables was velvety & amazing. Paired with a little roast & onions cooked today for tomorrow. #whole30dinner

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 29, 2017 at 6:00pm PST

Can never go wrong with pot roast.... So good! We had this for leftovers for a few days following the initial meal. Yum!

Pot roast! #whole30dinner #whole30round1

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 30, 2017 at 6:01pm PST

I am always a fan of breakfast for dinner and this one fit that mold. Light and refreshing once again. Carrie was able to locate bacon that meets the #Whole30 criteria. Believe it or not, but regular bacon from the store does not meet the requirements of the #Whole30, but this one she found is really good and meets the standards of the program. If interested in the brand, post a comment as I would need to get that from Carrie.

#BreakfastForDinner Vegetable frittata, #whole30compliant bacon,a little avocado, a little orange #whole30dinner

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Feb 1, 2017 at 6:15pm PST

Roast chicken, green beans, and buttercup squash... Mmmmm....

Roasted chicken breast, green beans with almonds & buttercup squash. #whole30dinner #whole30day26

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Feb 2, 2017 at 5:18pm PST

This is a breakfast we had before we were on #Whole30 and it remains to be very good and enjoyable to eat.

Roast chicken & vegetable frittata, mango & strawberries. Coffee with #Nutpods. #whole30breakfast #whole30day28

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Feb 4, 2017 at 8:12am PST

As you can see, we have had some great meals during this past week. Follow and check out the other pictures from Carrie on her @whole30loulou account.

Reminder that Monday, I will have a post of the top five favorite foods from the past thirty days. I expect it will be very difficult to pick the top five favorite and I know that many great dishes will be left out of the selection. I am up to the challenge and ready.

So you know, Carrie and I have a deal where she cooks and I clean up. I do dishes, unload dishes, and prepare the kitchen so she can cook. I was not doing enough to keep the counters clean which she informed me about Friday night, so yesterday (Saturday) I cleaned the counters to make it so she could cook in style. I think we have a good agreement! Works out for me as she is a great cook and cooking healthy meals for us to eat.

Until tomorrow...

Closing in on Final Days of Whole30 and Favorite Meals from Past Week

With a little over a week remaining, Carrie and I are entering the final days of the #Whole30 program. I cannot say enough how much I have enjoyed this program. For my part, it has been very easy. I cleanup the kitchen following meals, eat, and compliment the chef or let her know what dishes I do not like. Yes, for the most part, I have liked all dishes she has created.

This past week was another good one. I worked out twice and it felt really good! Continued eating regarding the #Whole30 program. I even ate out twice and I was able to stick to the program. Tempted Friday evening to have a beer and refrained from doing so. I feel great!

Carrie and I will finish out this program the first weekend of February. We plan to take a one week break from the program and then start it again. Carrie again told me that I did not have to stick to it again for the second time, but I plan to do so. The program is certainly making an impact as I feel great and I continue to feel as though I have a lot of energy.

Now to share some of my favorite dishes from the past week. I do plan at the end of the program to do a final post with my top five dishes from this #Whole30meal program.

Using steak I had cooked the night before, we had a fairly easy dish of salad with steak on top. Delicious!

Steak salad. Made #dumpranch for the first time...what a revelation! #whole30lunch

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 22, 2017 at 12:19pm PST

The butternut squash soup was fantastic! Had this for a few days after wards as leftovers was very nice! She did a great job with this soup!

On Sundays, we dine on soup. Roasted butternut squash soup paired with roast chicken. #whole30dinner

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 22, 2017 at 6:08pm PST

Can never go wrong with tuna salad. We had this for lunch and again it was easy and quick eat so we could get back to work.

Tuna salad, pepper & cucumber. #whole30lunch

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 24, 2017 at 3:15pm PST

The sweet potatoes she did with this next dish are probably some of my all time favorite methods for cooking vegetables. I am not a huge fan of sweet potatoes, but they are so good this way that I could eat a whole bowl full. A little crunch and sweet they are almost like dessert.

Pork tenderloin, asparagus, sweet potatoes. #whole30dinner

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 24, 2017 at 6:22pm PST

The buffalo chicken stuff acorn squash was really good too! I think I like the Mexican Acorn Squash she did earlier, but this had good flavor.

Buffalo chicken stuffed acorn squash. This was an experiment that paid off. #whole30dinner

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 26, 2017 at 5:49pm PST

The egg salad over spinach was really good! Had this one for lunch and again it was quick for her to make and delicious!

Egg salad over spinach and tomatoes. #whole30breakfast

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 27, 2017 at 7:32am PST

The salad with Trader Joe's Chili Lime Chicken Burger was certainly a hit!

Salad topped with a Trader Joe's Chili Lime Chicken Burger. #whole30dinner

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 27, 2017 at 5:54pm PST

Finally, for dinner Saturday night, she made chicken, asparagus, and roasted carrots. She did the chicken over leeks which I liked a lot. The flavor of the leeks cooked in the same pan where the chicken had been was fantastic!

#CracklinChicken from @nomnompaleo over leeks, with roasted carrots & asparagus. #whole30dinner #whole30round1

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 28, 2017 at 5:31pm PST

Another post next weekend with favorites from the past week and then a final post with my top five dishes from the #Whole30 program. It has been a fun journey and I look forward to doing the program again!

I do know that during our week off of the program, we will hit some favorite spots in town, I will have a beer or two. We do not plan to go crazy as we do not want to reverse everything we have accomplished during this whole process.

Have comments or questions, please let me know. Feedback is always welcome!

Whole30 Halfway Through the Program

We are halfway done with the #Whole30. Today marks the fifteenth day of the program. I am really enjoying this process. Again, it helps that Carrie is a great cook (more on that later with some of my favorites) and it also helps that we are both doing the program together.

I will not go into how much weight we have lost, but I will say we are both pleased with the amount of weight loss. I thought I would have lost more than I have, but happy with what has happened so far. The last time (about 15 years ago) when I did not drink beer, or any alcohol, for a month, I dropped weight quickly. I guess being older means I do not drop the weight as fast. Plus, my eye site is going, I have pains, and can barely bend over to tie my shoes... Again, that can be another post. This one is about how well our #Whole30 program is going.

Last week I started working out. I worked out twice last week. Both times I was really sore following the workout. In fact, I am still sore today and I worked out last Thursday. I had planned to work out Saturday or today, but got busy with house work and did not get to the gym. My planned days for workouts will be Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday or Sunday.

As far as eating goes each week, I do not feel hungry. Getting enough food at breakfast (which I am now eating on this program), lunch, and dinner. Sometimes after getting home from work, I will be hungry before dinner, so we have a split apple or nuts to tide us over. Really though, the #Whole30 program prefer we not eat snacks between meals. We are trying to abide by that rule.

I am still very happy with the process. I feel great! I feel like I have more energy even after fifteen days after the program started. No complaints with the program. I am planning to read the book too. Carrie has the book, but I prefer to read an eBook, so waiting for it to become available at the library. We plan to do this process two more times before June.

Now, to share some of my favorite dishes we have had this past week.

On Sundays, we dine on soup. Southwest chicken soup. #januarywhole30 #whole30dinner #whole30 #whole30life

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 15, 2017 at 4:48pm PST

Trader Joe's Chile Lime Chicken Burgers over spinach salad. #januarywhole30 #whole30lunch #whole30

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 16, 2017 at 2:16pm PST

My take on Butter Chicken. Added carrots & mushrooms. Stirred in cauli-rice for subterfuge.

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 16, 2017 at 5:50pm PST

Sole meunière, parsley potatoes, green beans. #whole30dinner #januarywhole30

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 19, 2017 at 5:39pm PST

Impromptu dinner at my sweet mother-in-law's. Grilled chicken, vegetables and fruit. #whole30dinner

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 21, 2017 at 5:57pm PST

Fifteen more days to go. Looking forward to what we eat and the journey to get to the end. Then a small break and start it up again. I do not think we have discussed when the #Whole30 will start again, but I know it will be soon.

Be sure to follow Carrie on her Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/whole30loulou/.

Carrie and John Start Whole30 Eating Finishing First Week

Day 1 done! #JanuaryWhole30 #latestart #whole30 #carrielouloueats @whole30loulou

A photo posted by Carrie H. (@carrieloulou) on Jan 8, 2017 at 7:46pm PST

Carrie and I started the Whole 30 on Sunday, January 8. We are seven days into the first week. It is going very well. I still do not know a lot about the #Whole30, but everything Carrie has made has been delicious!

Carrie had been talking about doing the #whole30 for a while now. We have a friend who has done it a few times and lost a lot of weight. Before we started, Carrie told me I did not have to limit everything as she was doing. I could eat rice, drink a beer here or there, etc., but I told her no, I would do it with her. Much easier for one of us to be on a new eating routine if we are both doing it too.

What does being on the #Whole30 mean, well, for one, no sugar, no rice, bread, etc. Again, I am not entirely sure as Carrie has been doing the cooking and planning for cooking. She is doing a marvelous job.

I had my biggest challenge Thursday with our staff meeting at work where they served a taco bar and then Washburn cake which I absolutely love. I stuck with salad and did not touch the taco bar or cake. On Friday, another challenge going to the Burger Stand where normally I would enjoy a few beers, eat a burger, and maybe a basket of fries. I drank water all night. Friends were asking me on Thursday and again last night why I was not eating or drinking. Kind of difficult to explain #Whole30 when I do not know a lot about it.

I feel better though after a week. No heartburn and I feel like I have more energy. I know the last time I cut out alcohol, I lost a lot of weight. What is the next step in this process, both Carrie and I are planning to start our gym workouts. I plan to go back to the gym to ride the bike and run on the treadmill and Carrie is planning to return to Jazzercise. I am planning to return to the gym this next week. I need to locate my workout gear and get my head phones charged up.

Now, for a few of the dinners Carrie has made this week. Fantastic! These are a few pictures of my favorites. Thanks honey!

#whole30dinner #butsupper #januarywhole30 #VegetableBeefSoup #whole30

A video posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 8, 2017 at 4:38pm PST

Grilled turkey, baked sweet potato, balsamic green beans & walnuts. #whole30dinner #butsupper #januarywhole30

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 9, 2017 at 5:50pm PST

Turkey salad in romaine, cucumber. #whole30lunch #januarywhole30 #whole30

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 11, 2017 at 10:38am PST

Grilled flank steak and sweet potato noodle & apple spinach salad with almond dijon vinaigrette. #januarywhole30 #whole30dinner #whole30 #itsSupper recipe for salad from @foodfaithfit

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 11, 2017 at 5:31pm PST

Turkey stir-fry & #whole30compliant kimchi. #januarywhole30 #whole30 #whole30dinner #whole30life #delicioushealthyfood

A photo posted by CarrieloulouEats (@whole30loulou) on Jan 13, 2017 at 6:43pm PST

Follow @whole30loulou on Instagram.

Lucky man having Carrie as my wife who is the greatest cook! Even when I do not think I will like something, it is still good. Just give it a try and I might like it.

I told Carrie this weekend will be the toughest of the week (at least for me). Being home, watching basketball, football, and hanging out cries out for a beer in those situations. Nope, not going to do it!

Are you doing the #Whole30 or have you ever done it? Any tips or tricks that you did? Feel free to post comments as I would love to hear from you. I am hopeful next week I will have an update after I have been to the gym a few times.

New Netflix Documentary: Minimalism -- and Other Thoughts

While waiting for a recall on a SRS bag for our Honda Accord, I decided to watch the Netflix show Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things. I had read others friends posts about this documentary and decided to check it out. Interesting concept and something that Carrie and I have discussed in the past. Not sure we could ever go to the extreme that they do in this documentary, but certainly an interesting idea.

The idea being that we can be happier with less. We do not need all the things we have or large amounts of money in order to be happy. Instead, doing with less, focusing on real connections with family and friends, that's how we can be happy.

The idea seems daunting as I think about it and what these two guys in the documentary have done. They said at one point that it was not an easy process to begin throwing their personal items out and get down to only those items that they use.

This concept of minimalism makes me think of those YouTube channels I follow which gave up everything to sail around the world. It has been over a year and I am still following those same YouTube channels (see New Found Addition are YouTube Channels of Sailors). It is intriguing how those individuals gave up everything they own and got on a boat to sail the world. They keep only those things on the boat and in their possession for which they use regularly or have a purpose for on their boat.

To live in a small house, or tiny house, as has been a hot topic been lately and also mentioned in the documentary, I am not sure I could do that either. Granted, Carrie and I really only use three or four rooms in our house and not sure I could go down to one tiny house/room. Something we have half joked about before as we look those other rooms we do not frequent. The other rooms are simply areas that have to be cleaned and if we were in a smaller house, we would not have to worry about those areas.

All of this to say it is a good documentary and highly recommend watching. I hope Carrie and I can take the idea and use it in our home and our lifestyle. Possibly think twice before purchasing something either of us think we need. Think about items in our home that we can donate to others and do without.

Seems like a good way to finish out 2016 and look to 2017 to think about living with less or the goal of how we want that to look.

Month Seven Update and Third Race of the Year Results

Front View Month 7 Update

July brought me to month seven of my life style change. Eating differently and working out at least three times a week. All of this since January 2, 2012. I mentioned in my last update that I would post picture updates of my weight loss status. After seven months, I really cannot see a difference from month two, three, or seven. Even though when I look down I think I can see a flatter stomach, but still when I stand in front of a mirror or look at my pictures, I can still see my gut. Ah, the love of beer and not eating right for so long makes it fun to try and lose the belly. I have mentioned it a number of times, but last year when I did this same thing the weight seemed to drop off much easier and I could see major differences when looking in the mirror or viewing pictures. Maybe it is because I am nearing in on the big 40, but this time I do not see the difference.

Month Seven Side View

I feel better and can run farther. I do not ache when I run and I cannot wait until I run again. When I do not run, I try to figure out when I will be able to get another run in as soon as possible. Still, I do not see any differences in how I look. While only a little frustrating, it is by no means going to deter me from continuing to eat well and run.

So, there you have it... A front and side view of my seventh month in my new life style change. I do not see much difference, but I continue to work at it.

Now, on to my big news for the month of July. I ran in my third race of the year and my second 5K of the year. I had my personal record (PR) in this race. I did not start out intending to run as fast as I did, but I felt great and just started running. I started off with a good pace. Even though my Blackberry Endomondo app said it was still searching for a signal when the race started, it seemed to catch up and register correctly. It clocked my first mile at 9:28 and it only got better from there.

The official results of the race were posted this evening and I was thrilled with my time:

145 JOHN HAVERTY Topeka KS 20 40 M 12 40-44 29:06 9:23/M

The results are from Sunflower Striders web site who record the official results of most races in the area. This was the Fiesta 5K race which helped to kick off the week long Fiesta Festival in Topeka. My official time was 29 minutes and six seconds. I blew my previous 5K PR finish out of the water with this race. My previous PR was a little over 31 minutes. I shaved off about two minutes of time and had a average pace of 9:23 a mile.

Oh, I forgot to mention that yes the "40 M" that you see in the race results above was a mistake on my part. When I filled out the form for the Fiesta 5K back in early June, I made the mistake of putting down that I would be 40 on the date of the race. Well, I do not turn 40 for another 18 days from the race date. Opps! Well, I do not think that it caused any major problems other than my friends teasing me about not know how old I was for the race.

Other news involves a new purchase I made for my running and biking. I just purchased a Garmin FR210 with heart monitor. It should be here in about a week and I cannot wait. I am hoping with this new Garmin watch that it will be easier to track my miles and of course it will be much more accurate than that of my Blackberry. I am sure it will also help to motivate me to run and bike.

My next race is scheduled for the end of August in another 5K race in Kansas City. It will have a lot of hills (I ran it last year) and I doubt my time will come anywhere close to the 29:06 of the Fiesta.

Happy running....

Second 5K of Year and Third Race of the Year Coming Up in a Week

I am looking at about one week until my second 5K and third race of the year. The second 5K will be in hot and humid conditions for the Fiest 5K. This will be the 79 years for the Fiesta Festival in Topeka, KS. It will be my second time running in the 5K race. I am looking forward to it. Truthfully, even though it will be hot and humid, it will not be too bad because we run early in the morning.

If you follow my updates (Month Six Update on Life Change) you know the the past few weeks I have been alcohol free. Yes, no beer, wine, or anything else that even resembles those items. I did not give it up as long as I did a year ago when I went for a few months without anything. This was primarily to see if it would help to drop any pounds. Just three or four weeks is not enough to notice anything when giving up drinks. Still, it was tough when grilling not to have a beer. Not to mention when going to my parents for pizza and not having a glass of wine. That was tough! Other than those instances, it was not bad at all.

Now, I am ready to go back to drinking beer. It is not as though I am going to go crazy, but I do look forward to enjoying a beer now and then. Before long we will be into football season and tailgating and I am not sure I could go through that without any beers.

I mentioned last time that I have my account on MyFitnessPal set to lose 1 & 1/2 pounds a week. I do plan on trying to keep that plan and not going over my calorie count. This might prove a little difficult to do if I am including beers into my diet. The weekends are always tough for food in general and that has been the case the past few weeks without alcohol too. Now, introduce alcohol and it will make it extremly difficult.

Following the Fiest 5K race, I will post picture updates. I do not see any changes when I look at myself, but I have had others say they can tell I have lost weight. No pictures have been posted for a few months, so I am interested to compare them side by side.

My friend Javier has been taking the magazine Runners World for a while now. He gives me issues to read and I have enjoyed the articles. This past week I received a email from Zinio electronic magazines with a $10 off code for any magazine. I decided to go ahead and buy it. I purchased it on Tuesday and I am almost done with the magazine. I have been reading it on our iPad and it is great! Getting tips and techniques from other runners and inspiration on doing more. I am excited to get the next episode too.

Until next time, happy runnings and stay cool!

Month Six Update on Life Change

This is month six on my life change style. Since returning from Colorado (see Trip to Colorado Good Times), I have decided to give up any type of alcohol. Primarily this is because of the calories that alcohol has in it. Secondly, because when I drink beers, I want to eat afterwards or at least at some point after having a few beers. No, this is not a permnant life change as I LOVE beer. I am basically only giving up beers until the end of June. It is a experiment for myself to see if I can drop any more weight. I have been right around the same weight for the past 60 days. Goes up and down, but right around the same weight.

You might have noticed that I have not taken pictures (front or side) as I was doing initially. The main reason for no pictures is that I have been lazy about posting this on, or around, the 5 of each month. The other reason is that I have not noticed any changes in my physical appearance the past few times I did post pictures. So, part of the experiment is to see if giving up alcohol for a few weeks does anything drastic in terms of weight loss.

I have also been sticking to a strict diet. Staying under 1,860 calories a day. The weekends are typically the hardest time to try and stick to that calorie count. If I remember correctly, I have that calorie count set to try and lose two pounds per week. Well, after two months of sticking right around the same weight, I need something to change to kick it into the next gear with weight loss.

Until next time on my life change update, have a good June! Next month I will run in the Fiesta 5K which I am looking forward to. I hope to be able to post some pictures from that race.

 

Update Month Five for my Life Change -- Exercise

While I have been slacking in my monthly updates, I have been eating and exercising on a regular basis. My weight loss started off great, but has not changed much for the past few months staying right around twenty pounds lost. I am still weighing in daily and find it interesting to see how my weight changes day-to-day depending on what I eat each day. Yes, it can be frustrating to only lose a few pounds after a day of watching what I eat and exercising.

I continue to use Endomondo and it really helps to keep me motivated. Running three to four times a week each week has been great! I am happy that I have kept the momentum that started back on January 2. I have run in two events so far this year. The two mile fun run in Manhattan, Kansas back in March. Then at the end of April, I ran in a four mile race called The Trolley Run in Kansas City. It was so much fun minus the cold and the rain. We will be doing that race again next year.

Following the Trolley Run started the thought process to train and run in my first 10K next year. Shayne and Autumn ran in the Trolley Run with me in Kansas City and they were the ones that started me thinking about a 10K. They will be running their first 10K next weekend. They asked me to do it with the, but we will have just returned from vacation and already had events planned the day. Possibly next year for the race.

Back to my progress with life change... No pictures for this month five update. Primarily because my weight has not changed much since I took pictures last month. I need to kick into gear weight training and abdominal workouts which I was doing a lot more of last year. Part of the change of not doing weight training is that I am doing all of my running outside. Last year I was doing all of my running on a treadmill which means when I finished running I was immediately reminded to do weights. Running outside and coming back in afterwards, not so much with the weights. I have a reminder on my calendar on days I am not running, but other things take priority.

The other part of my exercise has been incorporating biking into my routine. Only managed to bike a few times during May. I plan to increase that considerably in June. Again, I am tracking when and where I bike on Endomondo.

I hope everyone is having as an enjoyable spring as I have. Beautiful weather here in Kansas and lots of exercise. I plan to keep it up through the summer months too.

 

Fourth (and 1/2) Month Status Update

I am a bit late in my fourth month status update.  The pictures from the forth month, taken today (4/22), I do not see much of a difference.  However, I can tell from the clothes that I wear that the weight is coming off.  I can also tell from looking at the scale each day that weight is coming off.  Still, it does not seem as fast as it was last year when I went through this same process.

The good news is that I am running on a regular basis and I really enjoy my running.  I enjoy my time three times a week to run.  I can hardly wait and if for some reason I have to miss a run, I try to figure out when I will be able to make it up or run the next night.  As I have mentioned, I am running outside and I am loving it!

This time I am running outside and while I have had a little pain in my legs from time-to-time, it has not been bad at all.  I am not sure what I did last year when I was running where my left leg would hurt to the point where I could not walk, but that has not been a problem this go around.  My right leg in the groin area has been a little sore after runs, but usually does not last long.  Nothing like what was happening last year when I would run.

Forth Month Progress for Haverty

I took a snap shot of my progress going back 180 days.  So, well before I started my training after the start of the new year.  As you can see, I was clear down at my last weigh-in clear back in September of last year (the last race I ran) of 204.2 lbs.  The least weight I have weighed in a long time.  I am currently as of this morning at 212.4.  I feel good and I can run four miles easily without walking.  I am averaging a pace of 10m:44s with a average speed of 5.59 mph. The only problem I have been having is that I sometimes start my run way too fast (quickest mile so far is 8m51s) which I think might be causing my groin to be sore following the run.  I am trying to control my run and not run so fast.

I have started using a new application for my phone that I am really enjoying.  It is called Endomondo and it is helping to track my runs, cycling, and walking.  It does a number of other items too as far as tracking of my workouts.  I definitely recommend checking it out as I have enjoyed it so far.  I listen to my music when I run and the app keeps me updated on my miles.

So far this year, I have run in one race which was a 2 mile fun run in Manhattan, Kansas.  It was a good way to start out the year and helped me to get focused for upcoming races.  That race was back in March for St. Patrick's Day.  The next race I will be in is this Sunday for the Trolly Run.  This is a four mile race which is timed.  I will be running with Autumn and Shayne Friedli.  We are looking forward to it although Shane and Autumn have both been fighting a head cold.  We will be leaving Sunday morning from Topeka at about 4:30 in the AM.  Early start for what I expect to be a fun event and I think I am as ready as I will ever be to run.

Future 5K races that I will be in this year include the Fiesta Mexicana 5K which will be in July followed by the  Susan B Komen 5K in Kansas City in August.  The last one I have planned is the Washburn Alumni 5K Fun Run.  For me, it is important to have races to run in that keep me focused on my workouts.  Following the 2011 Washburn Alumni fun run this past year, I did not have anything to focus on, so I lost interest in running and got very lazy.  We entered the holiday season and my weight sky rocketed until I started working out again on January 2.

My goal this year is to work out all year.  Although I might be eating foods that I like come November and December, I plan to continue running and stay in shape.  I do not want to go through what I did this year when I started running where I could not even run a minute without losing my breath or having pains in my stomach or legs.  I have motivation with running and I truly enjoy my runs.  Even when it is raining outside and I am forced to run on our treadmill, I enjoy it and look forward to doing so.

Finally, I am sorry that it took me so long to update for this month.  This is of course all for me and my keeping a plan.  As the weeks clicked by from April 1, I kept reminding myself that I had not posted a update for the month.  Well, here we are at the last week of April and I am finally getting it posted.  Better late then never I suppose.... I do plan to post a new update following the 4 mile race this upcoming Sunday to let you know how it goes and my status going into May.

Happy running to you all and keep up the good work on your life style change!

Third Month Status Report on my Workout Progress

Progress Report of Weight Loss

I am a little bit late in posting my update for March.  I had been trying to do so on or about the second of each month.  Well, that slipped by a bit with other things going on and I did not take the time to sit down and write out how things are going.  A big part of that is because things are not going that great.  I am doing great on the eating and for the most part of watching calories.  However, as you can see, I am not doing well on losing the weight.  I have been right around the same weight since I started this back on January 2.  The weight goes up and down, but I am basically right around the same weight.  I am not losing the weight in my belly like I did last year when I did this and I am finding it difficult to run.  I do not have the motivation that I had last year when I was doing this same process.

While I am about to finish up the Couch 25K, I have not felt as great doing the runs this year.  It has taken a lot more motivation to get me to run.  When I do run, I have not felt great during the run.  I have had pains in my side, legs, and chest.  Those have somewhat gone away since I have made it to the point of running non-stop.  Still, I do not feel the drive that I had a year ago to run.

I feel motivated to run and I like the outcome, but I am not seeing the results.  I am weighing in every day, which I have heard is not a good idea, but I like seeing where I am at each day.  By the third month last time, I could already tell the weight was dropping off.  I could see it in my stomach, my face, and I felt great.  I also had people telling me I looked great... yeah, not so much this time.  I am not even sure if people know that I am running again.  It is for me though which is what I have to remember....

Not a lot of changes from the previous pictures.  Hair is shorter that is about it.  I did lose another lb this morning.  Still, after three months of working out... I cannot tell.  Carrie says she can tell in my stomach, but I sure cannot see it.

Then looking at the side view, I really cannot see the difference.  Is it frustrating?  Yes, a little.  As I have said a number of times, I am not cutting out alcohol completely like I did last time which I think helped to shed the weight fast.  It is not as though I am drinking every night either with the current workout.  I do enjoy a beer here and there or a glass of wine.

A lot more work to do.  Next weekend I will be running in a warm up two mile run in Aggieville.  While it is timed, it is nothing too serious.  I will be running with Javier who has also been getting back into the work out routine.

As the weather improves, I find myself wanting to run outside.  I enjoy the treadmill, but running outside is a nice change.  I will try to post again before the end of the month regarding my routine or how the 2 mile run goes in Manhattan.

Until then, enjoy March Madness!  It is my favorite time of the year and even better when your team is playing well.

Brief Update on Jogging and Status

I had lunch with my friend Shayne yesterday. We talked about jogging and how it was going. I told him that this time around it seems to take a lot more energy for me to run.  I am through week five of Couch 2 5K and I seem to be laboring to get through it. I finish my jogs and I am winded and in pain.  This has been true since I started back in January.

Shayne reminded me that when I was running last September that I was lighter. I gained on a lot of weight through the holidays and then end of 2011.  Thus, I am running with that weight now, so I am carrying more weight running.  I think that could very well be why I feel so miserable when I am doing the jog now.  I have lost a few pounds since I started, but not a lot.  I have to keep in the motivation and stop focusing on how much I have lost.

The part that is causing the most problems is that unlike when I did this back in 2011, I am enjoying a few beers whenever I want.  Last year, I cut out all alcohol for weeks.  That helped to really drop the weight fast. This time around, I have not done that complete cut out of alcohol.  I planned on doing so, but I have not done it as of yet.

I have a few races in mind to do for the year, so at least I have events that will help me be focused.  I have a lot of work left to do and must keep the motivation.  I am still weighing daily which I like to be able to look at my weight graph, but that might also be working against me in motivation.

Second Month Day 35 Update

It has been a little bit since my last update and I missed updating with pictures for month two at the February 2 mark.  Better late than never.  So, here I am at day 35 and my second month under way.  Based on the picture to the right, there is not a lot of change from what Week 1 Day 1 Begins showed at the start.  To me, I still see a (beer) gut hanging over my workout pants and I do not see that I have lost much at all.  My face and body basically look the same as they did back in beginning of January.

Twenty-eight days ago, I was sitting at 226 and today I am sitting at 220.4.  So, not a lot of weight lost during that time, but there has been a lot of fluctuation during this time.  My lowest weight being 218.6 during the past month.  Last weekend and this weekend have proved to be tough with lots of things going on and I have not been able to completely cut out alcohol as I had hoped.  The longest I went without beer or wine was about two weeks.  I did not keep notes, but I believe that's when I went down to my lowest weight loss point during this past month.

I have been running consistently during the past month with only missing a session or two.  I have stayed on pace with the Couch 2 5K program and just completed week 5 day 1 today.  The running has been going well with some minor pain.  Primarily the pain has been in my calves or my sides (stomach) hurt a few times when running.  I ran seven minutes non-stop in one segment today and it felt good.  No pain or tightness, so I was happy.

Again, the side view just as I did in the first update back in early January (Week 1 Day 1 Begins) is to the left.  Not a lot of difference between the two pictures.  I believe this is primarily due to the way I am training.  I am doing the Couch 2 5K as I have mentioned a few times.  It builds up from running only a few minutes a session to running a 5K non-stop.  So, this first week has not been a lot of sweat or workout.  Gradually building up to longer workouts and then eventually more fat burned which I hope will be noticeable in future pictures.

In regards to eating, I think I am doing a good job.  It has not been difficult to keep counting calories and I enjoy doing so with MyFitnessPal.  Yes, there are some days where I have gone well over my calorie count, but most days I am well below.

I have enjoyed reading and getting encouragement from a friends jogging diary.  He recently ran his first 10K.  Not an actual race, but simply ran on his own a 10K.  That gives me drive to try and do the same some day.  He has also lost over 100 lbs.  If you are looking for another blog to read with interesting updates, check out Ernie's Web.

I apologize for posting this three days after I should have, but I am happy to keep this up along with pictures of my status.  It is about time for the Super Bowl to begin, so I better sign off and finish cleaning the house for guests.