Day 1 for Kyle

So day 1 started out a little differently for me. I hadn't weighed in since last summer when we finished the 6 week challenge as a family. The challenge was good, but since then there have been lots of excuses why eating super healthy has been hard: moving, new job, basketball season, starting my masters, children that don't sleep when they should, etc. I have lots of long super tiring days which usually end up meaning Pepsi, not everyday but when I do have some it is in no small amount. But mostly, I just like food. I like to eat food that tastes good, and not "wow these fake meat patties don't taste like cardboard" kind of good, or "you know when you eat this vegan dish it really isn't as bad as you might think." Being able to eat good food is part of life that I enjoy, especially when on vacation or at holidays. Many of you have heard my stories about trips Kim and I have been on, or have been around for Christmas or Thanksgiving. Food is part of the celebration. I know that not everyone agrees with that, or needs to, but that is a part of my life that I am not interested in changing.

There are some things that I am interested in changing. I realize that although Pepsi is the elixir of the gods, it is probably something I need to do without, since I am no god. And I realize, that especially during busy times I tend to eat worse, I look for food that is fast or convenient and not so much for the balanced meal. I also recognize that there have been lots of days that I don't even eat breakfast or sometimes a proper dinner. So those things need to change. The challenge has always been that I try to do things that are extreme. Super restrictive diets, or crazy regimented supplement plans combined with over the top diet restrictions. These sort of things don't work for me. In reality, I am not sure that extremes work for anyone. So I am interested in changes that I know can be sustainable, if the change is not one that I can make for life, I am not interested. Ultimately, that leads us to me eating balanced healthy meals on a regular basis while still allowing for the celebration aspect of food when the time is appropriate.

So back to the first day, I weighed in when I woke up at 336.2 lbs. Not quite the heaviest I have ever been but close. I began the day with a smoothie (blueberries, almond milk, Adam's pb, and protein), had a potato and bacon fritata with hot sauce at lunch (no cheese, and not nearly as much bacon or potato as you might think) with a banana and greek yogurt, had some mixed almonds/cashews/pistachios for a snack. The day was going pretty well, until parent teacher conference. PTC lasts from 4-9 with a break from 6-7 for dinner which is provided by the school. As a math teacher, and one that takes time to communicate with the parents that come, my line is typically the longest and I didn't get to my break until 6:30. So by the time I got to the room where dinner was, all that was left was pizza (they had run out of salad and cookies). I proceeded to eat 4 slices of pizza due to my starving state and desire to make it to the end of the night without flipping out on any parents. On a good note, no Pepsi (last one I had was Friday night).

So there it is. I am happy to have a place like this to write and the support from family that Patrick and I both have. I welcome any ideas or thoughts.