Shopping for clothes when you're overweight.

I think one of the best things (other than healthy, and emotional well-being) about losing weight is looking forward to being able to buy clothes anywhere I want.

Once you pass a certain point (and are a taller guy, like me) - you just can't find stuff that fits you unless you go to "big and tall" stores like Casual Male XL by the Alderwood mall.

I've been buying all of my shirts and pants at this place for years, because it's about the only option. It's a blow to the self-esteem, and a bit limiting in terms of what you can get.  The store itself is fantastic though, they are very helpful and have plenty of things to choose from.  Still, every time you buy clothing at a place like this, you think to yourself.. "If only I could just go where normal people go and buy a few shirts."

I've been buying 3XLT shirts for years. That's Extra Large (x3) Long and Tall for the layperson who might not know it.  Guys built like me usually carry most of the extra weight up front, in the good old 'spare tire' arrangement.  Being 6 foot 1 also means the combination of height and forward girth makes most XL or 2XL shirts to 'short'.  I don't have much extra weight in my arms or legs.

It means generally speaking, shirts are too loose around the collar and shoulders and upper chest, and long enough that I am tucking quite a bit of shirt into my pants.  In other words, they are the only shirts that (used to!) fit me, but they still did not fit.

Pants are worse.  Obviously, they are cut to be work at the waist level - but a lot of guys with my body shape wear pants 'tucked under the belly'.  Trust me, wearing pants that way and tucking in a too-long shirt makes you feel less fat than wearing a paid of 56 waist-size and looking like tweedle-dee.

That leads to another problem - the inseam.  I have to buy pants with a much shorter length because I am really wearing them 'too low' - so I wind up with a smaller waist size, shorter inseam... and the legs in any pants I buy are like a tent.  I can't believe there isn't someone out there going, "Hey. Fat guys might wear their pants under the chub, we should make some with shorter inseams that aren't designed to go around legs the size of trash cans.

Here's another Crudely Drawn Sketch I made to help illustrate this:

Needless to say, wearing clothes for someone with my build is usually not a very comfortable and awesome experience.  I have long refused to be one of those guys that just wanders around in sweat pants and stuff too.  So I've been dealing with clothing that doesn't fit for a long time!

Most recent shopping trip with Dawn, though, I was able to go from 3xLT to 2XL shirts. I was blown away by that. My pants size has gone down from 46 to 44.  Even my shoe size went down - from 11½W to 11.

You have to celebrate the little things in life. :D

And so it begins.

Holidays and eating a ton of stuff go hand in hand. It's going to be pretty interesting to go through the next several months while on a diet and surrounded by those temptations.  There's a traveling salesperson from "Mountain Man" who drops by our office once a month to sell snacks, assorted little novelty items, etc.  Today she was here and of course, that means people have bowls of all sorts of candy littered around the office like snacking land-mines now.

No problem. I'm not interested and very focused on what I am doing, but it's the first of many temptations to come.  October brings Halloween and lots of candy and dessert items, along with multiple parties where there will no doubt be plenty of food around.

Then we get Thanksgiving, which is the most notorious pig-out day of all. Luckily I have an easy out there - turkey is on the 'yes' list for me, and I can just make sure there are a couple of veggies I can do too. No mashed potatoes this year. Nooooo mashed taters.  Starchy.

Contemplate that and tell me if it isn't one of the saddest things you can imagine. Here, let me help with this shoddily-constructed illustration:

Assuming I don't cave in during Thanksgiving, we round the corner to Christmas, when there are more parties and festivities, though luckily we do that at my place, which means Dawn and I cook and we can be sure I have Mark-OK stuff.

Then New years.. which honestly, we haven't done a damn thing during for the last couple of years. Maybe that's no biggie.

What I'm most worried about is being cooped up indoors more due to the weather and darkness, and being tempted to snack.  Also, it's much easier to motivate yourself to head out for a walk or to the gym when it's 75 and sunny.. than when you get home at 5:00pm and it's pitch black, 40 degrees and pouring rain.

I'm glad I got started in August. I don't know how people START new diets in the middle of winter.

No wonder New Year's (dieting) Resolutions fail so often.

On another note - I don't seem to be losing any weight this week, but that's fairly normal around this point in a new diet. You retain water when you re-introduce more veggies, and fat loss keeps happening like a ninja in the background.  I expect to see a few pounds drop off next week.

Chicken with capers and lemon sauce.

Tried something a little different last night. Found a recipe and didn't have all the stuff for it so I improvised a little.  I wasn't 100% thrilled with the result so I won't bother posting a whole recipe here... maybe next time when I get it right.

2 chicken breasts trimmed and pounded to 1/2" thickness. Lightly dusted with corn starch and pan seared then set aside.

Sauce made from white wine, lemon, garlic, pepper and rosemary, deglazing the pan. The sauce came out too lemony, I just had my proportions a little wrong.  Oh yeah and as you can see, capers as well.  I bought the smaller ones, they were a little oily for my tastes, I'll try the larger ones for the next attempt. I can't decide if I like capers.

The sauce would have been better with less lemon and perhaps a bit of vinegar or some mustard tossed in.  Here's a nice pic of it brewing though, it was fun to make.

I got carried away when it reduced faster than I expected and added more lemon. Should have added more wine and a splash of water instead.

That's the pleasure of experimenting though, right?

Have a good relationship with food.



This is basically a whorehouse of deliciousness!


It's late at night. Everyone else is asleep.. the gentle sound of the wind blows by outside, and you have a candle going.  You glance furtively at the clock and see it is 11:00pm.

Hello, nachos. I did not eat you this afternoon, but you're looking mighty sexy tonight if I may say so. How about we..

No, no, not THAT kind of relationship with food. You sick bastards.

I am coming from about 15 years of desk jobs at this point in my life, and I have developed some truly horrible eating habits.  One of the weapons I had added to my arsenal in battling them has been thinking about my relationship with food.  Why do I eat, when do I eat, what do I eat, and most importantly, HOW do I eat.

Looking at these things as 4 separate topics is helpful.  We all have a relationship with food. How's yours? I needed a divorce, in my case.

Why do I eat?

I'm not talking about 'to stay alive' here, obviously.  Looking back over the past few years, here are some BAD reasons I would eat. Here we go:

I had $5 cash and was driving past Jack in the Box.
A TV show is on, I need something to munch.
I've been drinking. Time to get junk food.
I'm going to the cabin! Pig out time.
I'm on vacation! Ultra pig out time.
It's been 4 hours since dinner and I am not asleep yet.
I'm bored.
I had a crappy day.
I have to 'use up' food that we've got lying around.
Worst, probably: Why not?

Good reasons to eat:

You're actually hungry.
You need nutrition and energy.
You're out socially (More on this in the 'how do I eat' section)

When do I eat?

This makes a big difference in your life.  You just plain are going to feel better if you know the proper times to eat versus not.  Some of my poor examples:

Never at breakfast, not enough time.
Sometimes eat sugary stuff at the office, if people brought it. With my coffee + creamer.
Eat lunch every day - often frozen microwave stuff or drive thru, at work.
Go out to lunch every Friday, eat whatever the hell I want.
Go out to restaurants for dinner frequently, socially.
Whenever I am sitting at a computer, movie, or reading.
Late at night when I am up later and get munchies.

So.. when SHOULD I eat?

Common advice is, at the very least, eat breakfast lunch and dinner. If you skip breakfast, you are not doing your metabolism any favors, not getting enough energy for the day, and probably leading yourself into temptations such as donuts at the office, etc.

A lot of people actually recommend eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day instead.  That's a great idea if you can make it happen.  It really battles the urge to snack.  But you also have to be sure you are eating the right things.

What do I eat?

Common sense will tell you some stuff is not good for you.  But it can be a bit surprising what is bad for you.  This question, combined with the 'how do I eat?' question can make a huge difference.  To put this on the table (haha) - here's some stuff I really ate in large quantities.

Mexican food with tons of cheese, guacamole, sour cream.
Burgers and fries.
Breaded deep-fried anything.
Bread. Bread, bread, bread. More bread.
Cheese! Even on stuff that.. doesn't really need it. When is cheese bad, right?
Pre-packaged frozen meals for lunch.
Chips + dip.
Peanut butter.
Bacon.
Salads with lots of dressing, croutons, the works.
Etc.

Everything above (and tons more) - is OK. But, only sometimes, and only in moderation. When it gets to be a problem is when you ONLY eat stuff like this, and skip lots of veggies, leaner proteins, and healthier options.  There has to be balance.

What should I eat?

Less oil, fat, sugar and carbs. Which Dukan Diet is perfect for - it's taught me to shop smartly and cook differently. And I feel great.  I could cover this in more detail in another blog entry sometime.

Finally, How do I eat?

Still reading? I actually think this question is the most important part of changing your diet.  It definitely has been one of the hardest for me.  Rather than going into bad habits, here's a simple set of small things you can do to change your eating habits in a healthy way.

1. Portion control.  You probably eat more than you need to be satisfied. Try using a smaller plate for a few days.

2. Eat slower.  Chew more, take bites at a slower pace.  It takes your body a little bit to send you a, "Hey, I'm full now" signal.

3. Cleaning your plate - not necessary.  In fact, this habit is taught to us but often you are actually full before then. 
4. Take less food. If you really do need more - you can get more. Start with less, and you might surprise yourself that you are sated.

5. Learn to love leftovers. "Oh, I hate leftovers" is a habit to do away with. If you plan at the start of a meal to save some, it'll also stop you overeating.

6. Eat out less. I love eating out - but this is challenging on a diet. Cut it back - save yourself some money to make up for buying healthier stuff at the grocer.  Not spending $45 on dinner out means you have it in your pocket when you are at the store deciding to buy the $4.50 package of ground beef with 20% fat content.. or spend $6.99 on the package with 3% fat content.

7. When you do go out to eat - don't be afraid to ask the servers what their healthier options are.  Any place worth eating at is also going to cooperate with you if you ask, "No sauce on that please.  And can you hold the rice, and give me a little more salad instead?"  Restaurants want you to be happy and come back, they will accommodate your requests.

This blog post seems a bit preachy to me, but it isn't intended to be.  I'm giving a pretty frank look into some of the stuff I sat and thought about for a long time when deciding it was about time to stop killing myself with poor food choices.

How's my relationship with food now, after 5 weeks of this new diet?

Eating proteins and non-starch vegetables has fully eliminated nagging snack urges and I have much more energy all day.  I look right past 'free' food at work like donuts, cakes, meeting leftovers, etc.  I don't hear them 'calling to me' - I just look at them and think, "You've hurt me before, baby. I'm sorry, but it's over."

Most importantly, I've learned a lot more respect for food.  Overeating and making poor dietary choices is a very real form of self abuse, and now that I'm hanging out with better food, things are really looking up.


Special bonus for patiently reading all of this:



Victor Wong has given you the Nod of Approval.



Turkey & Shrimp Meatballs and Dipping Sauce

Leslie and Jason dropped by Saturday evening and I tried out a new recipe I found online from a Dukan dieters forum.  Turkey and shrimp meatballs with a tasty Asian-style dipping sauce.  These were really good, and the sauce was the hit of the meal.  I used some of the sauce the following evening to dip pieces of cooked sirloin into and it was just as good with them.

This recipe made about 30 meatballs - you could halve it easily. I like leftovers. ;)


Meatballs Ingredients:

2 pounds ground turkey
1 pound uncooked shrimp, deveined, peeled and chopped
4 Tbsp oat bran
2 eggs (beaten) or 1/2 cup egg whites
2 green onions, finely chopped
4 oz water chestnuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Mix all ingredients together and form meatballs, put them on a few plates.  Heat a skillet to medium-high, and then lightly spray with olive oil cooking spray.  Brown all sides in a skillet with a bit of olive oil spray.  Once browned, add 1/4 cup water, cover, and steam for 3-5 minutes or until they are fully cooked. 

Dipping Sauce:

1 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
4 tsp splenda or honey
4 Tbsp lime juice
4 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

Mix all of the above together. Sauce is sweet and spicy!

Monday Weigh-In



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This week I lost about 4.5 pounds.  Keeping up my daily walks, and on both weekend days, taking that 2.5-3 mile walk around the college campus.

Finding new recipes to keep the food interesting has helped me a great deal over the last couple of weeks, this is starting to become an easy habit by now.  I think a primary thing that will help me stay on track with this diet is finding new flavors from herbs and spices, and making healthy sauces.  I hit upon a real winner this weekend which will go into my next post.  Grocery shopping has become slightly more expensive for us on a weekly basis buying me all of the proteins, but we're also not going out to eat much at all, which saves us a bundle so it pretty well evens out.

I was unable to (and unwilling to) put a post up yesterday because my home PC has suffered some nasty virus infections the last few days and as of yesterday, just up and died completely.  Blah!

Current short-term goal: 275 pounds -> Get new winter coat. :)

Morning walk - and oh hai, kitteh!

Went out for a walk on the EdCC trail this morning. 2.5 miles in about 40 minutes.  I am really enjoying going for morning walks on the weekends and am curious how the onset of fall and winter is going to affect things for me. I have warmer workout clothes ready to go though so I should be alright.

Taking walks around the area for the last few months has really taught me a lot about where I live.  Stuff I'd never notice while driving has amused me in many cases.  Such as a frightening burlap sack with a 'FREE' sign affixed lying beside the road.  Yeah... ok, just keep walking.

This morning I also jogged part of the path, back and forth, a couple of times. It was the first time I have tried that and my verdict - no, not quite yet. Think I need to take off another 20 pounds before running around becomes more feasible.

Tonight Jason and Leslie are coming by and I am going to try a new recipe out - turkey and shrimp meatballs with Asian dipping sauce.  If they turn out good I will post up the recipe.

Dawn found some of the pix we took when we went to Mount Saint Helens a few years ago as well and showed a few of them to me.  I can't believe how much I weighed, it's a little embarrassing to look at but mostly humorous to me.  I hope I am never that way again!  I'm on a good path now.  For that matter - though she doesn't seem to like being told - Dawn is shedding pounds and looking great too.  The power of vegetarianism at work!

One final note.  Today was the second time I met a new buddy of mine while walking - a little Bengal tiger cat. He's very loud - reminds me of a certain other cat I know, who shall remain un-named.  I took a nice pic of him saying howdy!