First Nights of Exercise on the Plan and My Goals

   Let's talk goals for a second. I weighed in, before dinner, on day 1 at 223.4 lbs (I know, I know I carry it well, thanks Mom :-) ).  I would like to get down to 190 lbs, preferably sooner rather than later, but I am not in a hurry. I am only in a hurry to get back to a weight where I can wear 50% of the clothes in my closet. Is that too much to ask? I'm starting to think people at work might be noticing that the days in between shirt and pants rotation are getting smaller and smaller (because my waistline is not...). This morning, Friday 6/20/2014, I weighed in a 219.6, so I'm down almost 4 lbs in as many days. I know this is likely water weight, but hell if it isn't motivating. There's nothing like a little motivation to keep the diet train a runnin.
  In spite of my need for this diet, and ever expanding nerdom, I make claims to be the most in shape ~30lbs over weight person I know. Last year, I ran the Tough Mudder, twice, at 210-215 lbs (I'm roughly 6ft tall) in about 2.5 hours. I currently play in a men's rec softball league, and I train in Brazilian Jiujitsu 2-3 times per week. Now, saying all that I'm no star on the diamond or some high level grappler, but damned if I don't love a good competition. I also have a fairly nice home gym set up (my son calls it Bumblebee), and a brother-in-law who arguably could strap a Smart Car to his back and probably not notice. I am, seemingly, well set up for success, but for some reason *cough*Coors Light*cough* I can't get back under 200lbs.

The Bumblebee

 Days 3 brought on my first exercise, softball. Granted, softball can be the poster boy exercise plan of the beer gutted, beard wearing, American flag waving population (all of which I subscribe to) I still think it is good excise. Sprinting in between bases, running to catch fly balls, etc.  I was feeling weary going in to the games, we play double headers each week. I just didn't have the normal level of energy I usually come in with. I was yawning while warming up, and wishing I had a couple Gatorade bottles in my bag to give me a little sugar boost. I think I may miss Gatorade as much as I miss Diet Coke. Bah, it's probably easier for me to not talk about my lost friends, and try to fondly remember all of the good times. I digress. About 1/2 way through the first game I was really dragging butt, now that could've been because we were getting beat by 15 runs, but I couldn't have been more thankful when that game was over. It was also 95 degrees with roughly standing water levels of humidity.
  Going into the second game our, stand in, coach Josh gave a solid pep talk and we aggressively took to the batter's box and came out to a quick lead. The score in the second game went up and down, but we ended up battling back for a tie. One hell of satisfying tie it was. I felt better the second game. Maybe it was the adrenaline spike of the close game, maybe it was because I was playing well, or maybe it was because at that moment my body burned through all of its carb stores and finally started fueling from fat. I'm not sure, but I'll take ending on a high note every time.
  While I was gone my, wonderful wife prepared some cauliflower mash and thawed some chicken for dinner. Let me tell you, it was a site for sore eyes when I got home. Ravenous doesn't even begin to describe my hunger at this point. I ended up baking the chicken with salt, pepper, and adobo seasoning then turning it into a make shift cordon bleu by topping it with sliced turkey (I didn't have any ham) and Swiss cheese. It was fantastic. It might not look as good as the taco salad did from day 2, but it was equally as satisfying.

Cauliflower mash and adobo Chicken with turkey and swiss

  Also on day 3, I discovered Hillshire Farms American Craft jalapeno and cheddar sausages. These little suckers are 1 carb a piece and unbelievably tasty. I cut mine up on a bed of spinach and baby greens then topped that with the creamy Caesar dressing I mentioned previously. Highly recommend that you seek these babies out.
  Day 4, I started my day off with the heavy cream coffee, again, and I really didn't get hungry until 12:15. I was working from home, so I got a little adventurous with my lunch time meal. I started by cooking up some Jimmy Dean original sausage patties and sauteing spinach in coconut oil with a little garlic, salt, and pepper in separate pans. When the sausage was almost done, I tossed in 4 eggs with the spinach and finished it off with cheddar cheese and Chipotle Tabasco, CT as we will call it from now on. NOW, this was looking like a meal.

We call this

  I cooked the eggs to a crispy bottomed, runny yolk goodness. Lastly, I added a dollop of Daisy for creaminess, and fat, and then dove right in. Although, the coconut oil did add a little unexpected flavor it didn't take away anything overall. This was a great success. I am going to experiment with this coconut oil some more to see if I can take advantage of the unique, cooking flavor.  
  Now, this was the only meal I had before my BJJ class that evening, obligatory shout out to Capital MMA, and much to my surprise it was enough. I didn't have the feeling of emptiness going in. I lasted through about 45 minutes of hard sparring and the hour long class. I am starting to think that my body may have actually started fueling from my fat intake during that second softball game.
  This dieting concept is becoming more and more feasible. I can't wait to see where the next few days take me.

  Nerdy moment of the past few days - I spent 2-3 hours watching YouTube videos of Rodrigo Gracie. I have a seminar coming up on Sunday with him and I am just a little excited.