Joel Mathis

Apparently a vigorous half-hour of exercise will really help alter these stats. Cool to know. Given how things went vacation week, I'm going to wait another week before weighing, but I feel like I'm back on track after that detour. Daily Summary Friday Jun 14, 2013 Daily Summary for Jun 14, 2013 Export to spreadsheet Daily Calories 600 1200 1800 2400 Daily calorie budget 2,611 Food calories consumed 1,905 Exercise calories burned 431 Net calories so far today 1,474 I can eat  1,137  more calories today Meal Calories Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snacks Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snacks 16.9% 23.9% 23.4% 35.7% Today's Log Breakfast: 323 Sausage, Patty, Original, Vgtrn 4 Each 320 Coffee, Brewed 10 Fluid ounces 3

So you may have noticed some silence here the last few days. I was traveling, to Kansas to see my parents, and, well, the best-laid eating plans of me went straight to hell. I also fell off the no-soda wagon. So be it. That's done now. I recommitted today. Obviously, I forgot a few things during my time away from paying attention. Things like: Beef adds up really quickly . And: Deep-fried anything is bad for you. Lessons re-learned. There are going to be setbacks. It's the nature of the beast. It's the nature of me. The key is to not stay set back. Period. I'm grabbing this motherfucker by the horns and getting it straight. I'm not going to let myself fucking lose this battle.   Daily Report for June 12, 2013 Daily Log Breakfast 445 Egg, Scrambled, Large 3 Each 306 Cheese, Swiss, Shredded ⅓ Cup 137 Coffee, Brewed 8 Fluid ounces 2 Lunch 299 Lettuce, Green Leaf, Shredded 6 Cups 32 Tomatoes, Fresh, Med 1 Each 22 Onion, Green, Chopped 1 Cup 19 Dr

Lunch was an abomination. The salad I list here isn't the actual "salad" I had, but it's the closest approximation I could find in the app. The restaurant itself (in Olathe, Kan.) didn't provide nutritional information. (Literally: The chimichanga my wife ordered had at least three times the lettuce my salad did.) We're traveling. It's going to be difficult. Trying my best.   Daily Report for June 8, 2013 Daily Log Breakfast 408 Egg, Scrambled, Large 2 Each 204 Peppers, Bell, Yellow, Sweet, Large, 3.7in ⅛ Each 6 Onion, White, Chopped ⅛ Cup 8 Tomatoes, Fresh, Med ¼ Each 6 Cheese, American, Yellow, Slice ½ Slice 40 Pineapple, Chunks ½ Cup 41 Melon, Cantaloupe, Cubes ½ Cup 27 Melon, Honeydew, Balls ½ Cup 32 Oranges, Sections ½ Cup 42 Coffee, Brewed 6 Fluid ounces 2 Lunch 1,300 Salad, Quesadilla Explosion, Chili's Grill & Bar 1 Each 1,300 Dinner 185 Lettuce, Romaine, Shredded 2 Cups 16 Chicken Breast, Skinless, Cooked ½ Each 7

Coupla thoughts: • At my weight, I'm allowed 2,600 calories a day on my plan to lose a pound a week. I feel like I can do closer to 2,000, if I'm smart about how I'm eating. Today: Not as smart. But still under the budget. And progress is being made: There's more fruit and vegetables in my diet than six weeks ago, far less bad stuff. No soda that entire time. I've greatly reduced my lattes. I'm eating a crapton of bananas. The habits aren't changing overnight, but they're changing. • We'll be traveling the next four days. This is when it's hardest to eat the way you want, if you're trying to eat well and aren't practiced at it. I'm gonna try. But, you know: No guarantees. • When I get back: Time to ramp up the exercise. Fer serious.   Daily Report for June 7, 2013 Daily Log Breakfast 452 Sausage, Patty, Original, Vgtrn, Morningstar Farms 2 Each 160 Coffee, Brewed 8 Fluid ounces 2 Veggie Egg And Cheese On Whole Grai

Really need to be more intentional about getting exercise.   Daily Report for June 6, 2013 Daily Log Breakfast 366 Sausage, Patty, Original, Vgtrn, Morningstar Farms 2 Each 160 Egg, Scrambled, Large 2 Each 204 Coffee, Brewed 8 Fluid ounces 2 Lunch 495 Chicken Fajita, Lettuce, Pico, Whoke Wheat Tortilla, Qdoba 1 Serving 495 No nutrient data for: Carbs Dinner 499 Lettuce, Romaine, Shredded 5 Cups 40 Tomatoes, Fresh, Med 1 ½ Each 33 Dressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Newman's Own 3 Tablespoons 135 Chicken Breast, Skinless, Cooked 1 ½ Each 213 Peas, Green ⅔ Cup 78 Snacks 1,050 Smoothie, Strawberry Banana 16 Fluid ounces 290 Banana, Medium, 7" - 7 7/8" Long 2 Each 210 Sausage, Patty, Original, Vgtrn, Morningstar Farms 2 Each 160 Greek Yogurt Honey, Fage 1 Serving 190 Cereal, Grape Nuts, Grape-Nuts ½ Cup 200 Exercise 78 Walking 20 min 78 Nutrients Fat 68g 26% Carbohydrates 246g 43% Protein 179g 31% Summary Food Calories 2,410 Exercise Calories

In retrospect, I did something really smart with this, not entirely meaning to. I focused on how and what to eat for weeks before I shifted into thinking about calorie limits. That's made the calorie limits much easier to abide by. I tried Lose It! once before, early this year, without that kind of preparation: Just downloaded the app and started calorie counting: But I didn't change what I was eating. Sodas, cookies, cheesesteaks at lunch were bumping me up against the calorie limit by early afternoon; I became angry and obsessed with the limit. If you're eating one or two salads a day, like I am now, and have cut way back on the pastas, breads, sodas, and certain sweets—well, staying under the cap is easier. And that makes me less frantic about the existence of the cap. So trying (and kind of failing) Vegan Before 6 at least put me on the right road: Some plant food is better than others. I'm bound to have setbacks. But my first taste of success has made me fe

Some good news: I weighed for the first time in nearly a month. 274 pounds. That's still a fat man. But it's five pounds lighter than my last weigh-in at the doctor on May 6. And it's a full seven pounds lighter than the 281 pounds I weighed on May 4 , the day I committed myself to this. Some bad news: I don't think I ate very well today, possibly because of the small sense of victory I had. You can see the log for yourself. As for me: If that "snacks" section in the log has multiple pieces of fruit in it, I'm going to guess I had a good day. If not, probably not. Some good news: I'm still below my daily calorie limit. (And the limit has declined about 100 calories a day, thanks to the weight I've lost. The nice thing about this approach: It's gliding me in for the landing, rather than dropping me out the door. Sustainability, for me, is the key to this whole thing.) And some better news: I had a couple of bad, cheating days during that f

  Daily Report for June 2, 2013 Daily Log Breakfast 607 Sandwich, Sausage, Egg & Cheese, on English Muffin, Starbucks 1 Each 500 Banana, Medium, 7" - 7 7/8" Long 1 Each 105 Coffee, Brewed 8 Fluid ounces 2 Lunch 268 Spinach, Baby, Fresh 2 Cups 14 Tomatoes, Fresh, Med 1 Each 22 Chicken Breast, Skinless, Cooked 1 Each 142 Dressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Newman's Own 2 Tablespoons 90 Dinner 816 Pizza, Cheese, 3 Slices 816 Snacks 400 Banana, Medium, 7" - 7 7/8" Long 1 Each 105 Banana, Medium, 7" - 7 7/8" Long 1 Each 105 Greek Yogurt Honey, Fage 1 Serving 190 Exercise 290 Walking 15 min 62 Walking 10 min 41 Walking 15 min 62 Walking 30 min 124 Nutrients Fat 74g 31% Carbohydrates 262g 49% Protein 101g 19% Summary Food Calories 2,091 Exercise Calories 290 Net Calories 1,801 +/- Calories -915 Couple of notes: • I'm going to the doctor tomorrow. There will be a weigh-in, obviously, along with consultatio

  Daily Report for June 1, 2013 Daily Log Breakfast 240 Sausage, Patty, Original, Vgtrn, Morningstar Farms 3 Each 240 Lunch 921 Pasta, Spiral, Cooked 2 Cups 423 Fish, Canned Tuna, In Water 1 Ounce 36 Pickle Relish, Sweet 1 Tablespoon 20 Salad Dressing, Real Mayonnaise 1 Tablespoon 97 Eggs, Deviled 2 Each 224 Cucumber, Sliced 10 Slices 8 Eggs, Deviled 1 Each 112 Dinner 322 Spinach, Baby, Fresh 2 Cups 14 Squash, Zucchini, w/ Skin, Slices, Cooked 1 Cup 27 Peppers, Bell, Yellow, Sweet, Large, 3.7in ¼ Each 13 Chicken Breast, Skinless, Cooked 1 Each 142 Sauce, Pesto ¼ Ounce 37 Dressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Newman's Own 2 Tablespoons 90 Snacks 1,075 Iced Coffee, Small, With Milk, Dunkin Donuts 1 Each 30 Banana, Medium, 7" - 7 7/8" Long 1 Each 105 Peach, Medium 1 Each 58 Banana, Medium, 7" - 7 7/8" Long 1 Each 105 Banana, Medium, 7" - 7 7/8" Long 1 Each 105 Pizza, Cheese, 14", Fast Food 1 Slice 272 Popcorn, White, Oil Po

Daily Report for May 31, 2013 Daily Log Breakfast 445 Egg, Scrambled, Large 2 Each 204 Sausage, Patty, Original, Vgtrn, Morningstar Farms 3 Each 240 Coffee, Brewed 5 Fluid ounces 1 Lunch 340 Dressing, Fat-Free Plicate Ranch, Qdoba 1 Each 45 Chicken, Grilled, Taco Salad Add On, Qdoba 1 Each 190 Lettuce, Taco Salad Add On, Qdoba 1 Each 15 Salsa, Corn & Black Bean, Taco Salad Add On, Qdoba 1 Each 80 Salsa, Pico De Gallo, Taco Salad Add On, Qdoba 1 Each 10 Dinner 684 Lettuce, Romaine, Shredded 3 Cups 24 Chicken Breast, Skinless, Cooked 1 Each 142 Cheese, Parmesan, Grated 1 Tablespoon 22 Dressing, Caesar, Newman's Own 3 Tablespoons 225 Pizza, Cheese, 14", Fast Food 1 Slice 272 Snacks 783 Strawberry banana Smoothie, Saxbys 1 Serving 250 No nutrient data for: Protein Pear, Large 1 Each 133 Yuenling Lager 16 Ounces 180 No nutrient data for: Fat, Carbs, Protein Popcorn, White, Oil Popped 4 Cups 220 Exercise 186 Walking 15 min 62 Walking 10 min 41 Walk

Here's what I ate today, May 26: • Tofu scramble (peppers and onions), two pieces of Morningstar Farms veggie sausage, two cups of black coffee. • Grilled chimichanga (black beans, jasmine rice, salsa and soy cheese in a vegan wrap). • Large iced tea and a banana. • Chicken, onion, garic, bell pepper, tomato, asparagus, mixed with pasta. Here's what I physically did today: • Walked two miles, to Broad Street and back. • Played my way through a tournament of Real Boxing. My arms, at least, should get more toned. Thoughts.?

Scrambled eggs and Swiss cheese on whole grain toast Black coffee Quinoa salad Ribeye steak, roasted broccoli, mac n'cheese Fresh strawberries and ice cream. Given that I'm trying to go "Vegan Before 6"—which allows some latitude for dinner—this doesn't look like a bad day. I don't need to do ice cream every night, clearly. And I'd like to get to vegan at breakfast soon; something I can make that satisfies my salty craving. Oatmeal doesn't quite do that. EXERCISE: I spent a chunk of my evening playing "Real Boxing" on my iPad. It captures your motions, like Wii or Kinect, though probably not quite as efficiently. I went 1-4 in my evening boxing career. But I worked up a hell of a sweat doing it. We'll see how my arms feel Sunday to see if this can become an everyday thing right away.

Veggie egg whites scramble on whole grain toast Iced latte Kati roll (peas and carrots with heavy Indian spices, wrapped in naan)  Latte, brownie Spicy pork kimchi rice bowl    I'm imperfect, obviously. Wish I hadn't had the brownie. Trying to figure out how to have coffee that I enjoy tasting that isn't loaded down with milk. Still: The represents progress from a couple of weeks ago. It's more whole-grain and plant-based than I was eating a month ago, much less meat-oriented. Though I haven't been updating here, the truth is we're even eating salads in the evening a couple of nights a week now.  And not to repeat this point too often: I haven't had a soda since my talk with the doctor.   I'm turning around, slowly but surely. Things to work on: Regular exercise. Consistently documenting my food/exercise efforts.

I want to thank everybody who has emailed me in recent days to share their own stories of weight loss, advice, or encouragement. I haven't had time to respond individually to everybody, but my plan is to do so. One thing I've been spending this first week doing is trying to find a plan that makes sense to me, so that I can apply a bit of rigor to the process instead of "merely" documenting everything I eat and hoping that will magically deliver me. I'm going to start with Mark Bittman's new book, Vegan By 6 . Bittman writes about food for the New York Times, has inspired me to get creative in the kitchen, and his approach seems flexible to me. I think I need flexible. The title suggests the essential plan: Part-time veganism. Before 6, Bittman eats a "super-strict" vegan diet, also getting rid of processed foods and "white" starches in bread and pasta—no alcohol either—and after 6, he eats pretty much whatever he wants, usually but not