My Spaghetti Dinners

So lately at work everyone seems to notice I eat a lot of spaghetti. I make several lunches and stock up the fridge in the breakroom. Why? It's so easy to make a big batch so I won't have to worry about lunch for the next six days. Well for everyone that has always been wondering, I'm going to tell you how it's done.

Now I'm not going to go into detail as to how to cook everything. I'm counting on you to have some basic cooking knowledge. Do you know how to boil water? Then you'll do fine. Just follow the directions on the box. I'm also posting this because I will start working out next week and have to start counting my calories. So by doing all the number crunching now it will be a lot easier down the road.

Here's my list of ingredients:

1 box of Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Pasta (Spaghetti)
2 jars of Prego Light Smart Traditional Italian Sauce (23.25 oz)
1 package of Jennie-O Lean Ground Turkey Breast (1.25 lbs.)

So there you go! That's it! Now here come some of the number crunching.

SPAGHETTI

1 box of spaghetti is 6 servings.

180 calories per serving

1080 calories per box

SAUCE 

1 jar of sauce is 5 servings
1/2 cup = 1 serving

45 calories per serving

2 jars is 450 calories

TURKEY MEAT 

1 package of ground turkey meat is 5 servings

170 calories per serving

850 calories per package

This gives me a grand total of 2380 calories.
I make 6 servings which comes to 396 calories per serving.

Not too bad, eh?

Now for the brass taxes. How much does it all cost?

1 box of spaghetti =  $0.98
2 jars of Prego sauce = $3.66 ($1.83 per)
1 package of turkey meat = $4.28
GRAND TOTAL = $8.92

Now here's the best part!

6 dinners comes out to approximately $1.49 per serving!

Now throw in a healthy salad, a slice or two of wheat bread and you have yourself a very healthy dinner. I will have to say though that this is my first time trying this particular Prego sauce. As I was pouring it into the pot it seemed a bit more watery that what I am used to. Not sure how it will hold up but I will let you know.

Almost There

Well, I received the box in the mail yesterday! I'm getting pumped!

 I've done some of the workouts before in the past. I've done the Kenpo X, Plyo X, Chest and Back and Ab Ripper so I know what to expect. But this time I'm doing the full program. I started working out a bit a few weeks ago but that fell through because I didn't have a plan. I was just going to do a little bit here, a little bit there. I feel this will help me get the discipline I need to continue with my workouts and see it through to the end.

But for now, I have some reading and prepping to do. I need to start looking at my meals and snacks and what I will need to prepare. That's going to be the real battle for me, diet and nutrition. I know I can do the workouts no problem. It's knowing the right type of fuel to keep me going.
But I'm getting reading and looking forward to it!

BRING IT!

***UNDER CONSTRUCTION***

Something big will be happening soon. Stay tuned for details

But in the meantime, here is a bit inspiration that started to make me think.



And the extended cut:

The Time Has Come

It's been a little over a year and a half since I stopped working out. What was supposed to be a little break turned into a very long break. Well, the time has come to start up again. I know I've said it before since the beginning of the year, but NOW is the time. My clothes are "shrinking" on me. I'm getting tired more often than usual. Aches and pains are starting to creep in. Basically, I'm tired of being tired...again!

So how do I begin? The same way I did the the first time, with a challenge. I am throwing down a two month challenge. I will lose 30 lbs. in two months. This shouldn't be too hard. If I lose 30 lbs. I will lose the weight I gained back since the end of 2010. December 14, 2009, I weighed 435 lbs. December 14, 2010, I weighed 305 lbs. July 15, 2012, I weigh 338 lbs. My wardrobe shrank on me these past few months. My pants are feeling tighter. I have to stretch out my shirts again to make them feel comfortable. I don't think I can put on my blue jeans now without popping a button. This is not good.

I haven't been to the doctor since 2010, but I'm sure my numbers are not that great. I stopped taking my daily vitamins. I'm sure my vitamin D has dropped which explains why I've been so sluggish lately. It's always good to be on a daily asprin regiment for the heart but I stopped that, too. Not to mention my daily visits to the numerous fast food restaurants. My house was littered with empty bags and wrappers from the big three, Whataburger, Burger King and McDonalds. Now it's back to Subway when I can afford it. I'm still taking my lunches to work but now I'll start taking a salad along again. No more sodas, just water. The toughest one to give up will be the Red Bulls. If I do have one it's gonna be the sugar free ones. *bleh!* Maybe just once a week, at least until my vitamin D kicks in.

So now it's back to three square meals a day with a couple of light snacks in between. Only 2100 calories a day until I get under 300 lbs. That's three meals at 525 calories and two snacks at 262 calories. (Quick side note: Remember when T.G.I. Friday's was offering meals that were about 500 calories? What was up with that?! For a 300 lb. man the MINIMUM a meal should consist of was 525 calories and they were offering 500 calories for the average American?! Yeah, I didn't get it.)

But the main part of this new start will be the workouts. I still have the DVDs and weights. I know what has to be done and I know how to do it. One thing I will be including is a set of strength training bands. I received a $30 Amex gift card for my birthday last month. On Father's Day, after a great meal with all the family, my Dad and I went walking around Wal-Mart. I came across this band set from Gold's Gym. It has two sets of bungee cords on pulleys that you attach to a door. It was exactly what I was wanting for the longest time and it was only $28.00! SOLD!! So now I can incorporate them into my P90X workouts! It also came with a DVD and a workout chart so I'll be trying those out, as well.

Looks like it's time to start sweating!

(cue the Rocky music: Eye of the Tiger!)

"dedication"

The new year is here. I'm starting to get back into the frame of mind I had back in 2010. I have my goals laid out in front of me. I have my challenges all lined up. I know what I have to do to make a change. It is time to get things done. 

Then I came across this on facebook. A friend of mine posted this website: One Word 365. It's not about making resolutions "that you won't remember three weeks from now." It's about taking one word and incorporating that word into your life for the entire year. Here's what it's all about:

One word can change everything.

Forget New Year's Resolutions. Scrap the long list of goals that you won't remember three weeks from now anyway. Choose just one word.

One word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live or what you want to achieve by the end of 2012.

One word that you can focus on every day, all year long.

It will take hard work, and will require intentionality and commitment. But if you let it, your word will shape you and your year. It will guide your decisions and help you grow.

Discover the big impact one word can make.

One word.

365 days.

A changed life.

After thinking about it for a while I have decided on my word for 2012: "dedication." 


If I am going to make any sort of significant change in my life it is going to take a lot of dedication to get the job done. There were other words that I was considering that also seemed to fit the theme for 2012. Some of them were "determination", "accomplish" and a few others. But "dedication" seemed the best fit. I will have to be dedicated to my causes for the entire year if I am going to make a change. 

Play Time Is Over!

December 14, 2010, I lost 130 lbs. I went from weighing 435 lbs. down to 305 lbs. This was attributed to eating healthy and working out five to six days a week for an entire year. My diet stayed pretty much the same in the beginning of 2011. My workouts started to become four to five days a week. I would fluctuate up and down the same five to ten pounds. As the year went on I started skipping workouts. It was down to three to four days, then two to three, then once a week until finally not at all. My diet was changing as well. I was falling into old habits. I was making more and more stops at fast food restaurants. There were times I just didn't feel like cooking and I wasn't in the mood for a Subway sandwich. I cannot recall the last time I worked out. The last form of "exercise" I did was a couple of weeks ago when me and the guys played football for our "Turkey Bowl." The good news was that I was still in decent shape and was able to last the entire game.

But now play time is over. I am back around 325 lbs. This is the heaviest I have been in quite some time. I have packed back on 20 lbs. and I am noticing it big time. My jeans are fitting TOO snug. I don't feel as comfortable and I used to in my work slacks. I am stretching out my t-shirts before I put them on so they won't feel too tight. It's all these little things that are reminding me of what life was like two years ago. This is part of the reason why I started working out. This is what I need to remind myself WHY I need to start working out again.

Last year I told myself that I was going to take a year off of working out regularly and just try and maintain. I was able to do that for most of the year. My workouts were now every so often with the same diet. I would only workout when I needed to and lose a few pounds here and there. I was going to start up again December 14, 2011.

For me December 14 is NOW! Starting tomorrow I resume my workouts. I ended up getting rid of my elliptical machine. I hated to see it go. I no longer have that ability to get a serious sweat-drenching workout here at the house. That being said, I need to realize that I will not be able to drop the big numbers like I did in the beginning of last year. I need to reinforce in my way of thinking that slow and steady will win the race.

My first challenge for this go-around is the same as last time: to lose 30 lbs. in two months. I will resume my daily workouts. I will start monitoring my caloric intake. I will have to get back into that frame of mind of what needs to be done.

I have been longing for those sweat-drenching cardio workouts. I will be looking into some of the fitness centers here in town. A new one just opened up not too long ago called Planet Fitness. It's only $10 a month and open 24 hours most of the week. Plus, it's not that far from work so I'm already familiar with the drive to and from.

Since I am getting back into working out I will be posting here more often with pics and progress reports.

Here we go!!

A Happy Medium

After two weeks and I'm no closer to my goal than I was at day 1. My focus has shifted and I'm not concentrating on weight loss and working out as much as I used to, as much as I want to. During week 1 I worked out maybe three days. Week 2, only one day. I'm having to modify my workouts and find that happy medium between working out and working on my animation.

So here's my NEW plan. As much as I like the P90X workouts, I don't feel I have the time for an hour plus workout. I will be switching back to The Biggest Loser DVDs. The longest workout is about 25 minutes. After a quick cool down and a shower, I'm good to go for the rest of the day. If I can get back into my original routine that I started over a year ago, I feel that will help my chances of losing weight and reaching my goal.

I'm also looking forward to getting my elliptical back in working order. My tax refund is on its way and I think I can now afford to get it fixed. I found the part in the manual and a phone number to call. We'll see what happens. I would love that get that working again. I really enjoyed running on that thing. Plus, I can now buy new running shoes and fix up my bike.

But this is just half of the story....