Diet & Exercise 2/20/10

Posted February 20, 2010 by dondunbar3
Categories: Uncategorized

As birthdays have accumulated our family has decided to celebrate those milestone birthdays. I had a party with all almost all in when I hit the half century mark 18 months ago. Yesterday was my younger brother’s 50th birthday. His family, my youngest brother & his family, and mine got together to celebrate.

They noticed that I have been losing weight and we discussed diet & exercise, what each of us was doing to combat that battle of the bulge. We each have our own Cardiologists for different issues, and have a genetic predisposition to enjoy food & drink.

I managed to enjoy grilled fish & shrimp tacos with rice & beans, some chili con queso and a couple of margaritas and still come out only 73 calories above the current daily allowance.

Of course it was back on the treadmill this morning and worked for little over an hour on a 12% grade at 3 mph. Burned 960 calories. I am learning to sit in the sauna afterwards to allow the muscles to unkink.

Met the family for breakfast at the Black Walnut. I pushed the cook this morning for a round of naked eggs benedict which consist of poached eggs ow sauteed mushrooms & tomatoes on english muffin with a couple of pieces of bacon – just to tweak the cardiologist, and a few (un-ordered) potatoes on the side. I still have my daily allotment of calories today plus a few to spare.

This is day 47 of the program. If I believe the Cardiologist’s scales for my starting value, I am now down 22 lbs. The rate of decline has not been as fast lately, but I realize that I will occasionally plateau.

The diet has been an adventure. Looking harder at the stuff we buy in the grocery store and counting calories when I put together meals. I have a week long road trip coming up and I am already planning on carrying foods that fit within my diet.

I have figured out portable salad dressing (using a salad dressing spritzer and a travel size spray bottle and I will probably be carrying my no fat milk, blueberries, and cheerios, and some yogurt & humus with me. I should have time to hit the treadmill at each of the hotels. It will be interesting how that works out. I have a week to think about it.

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Daily Examen 2/19/10

Posted February 20, 2010 by dondunbar3
Categories: Church, Uncategorized
Tags: ,

Philippians 4:4-9
4 Rejoice* in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.* 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, beloved,* whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about* these things. 9Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me and the God of peace will be with you.

Yesterday I was reflecting on the doubt and concern that one experiences when we decide to move forward trusting in God, giving up our backup plans and allowing God to be our only safety net.

It is hard and sometimes worrisome especially when you are allowing God to disturb you, to push you to be a better person. Today is my younger brother’s 50th birthday. And while we gather to joyfully celebrate this milestone, it also serves as another wake up calls about where one I am in my life. Is my walk going where it needs to? I am practicing being slow to speak, slow to anger? (Well most of the time if you don’t count my calls to offshore tech support or insurance clerks, something that I should probably give up at least for Lent.)

But then I sat down to start the morning reflection and open the lectionary to find a passage like this one and I am reassured.

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Diet & Exercise 2/18/10

Posted February 19, 2010 by dondunbar3
Categories: Diet & Exercise

I have been doing fairly well on the calorie count even though the daily allotment keeps slipping downward. Its 17.5 % lower than when I started out on this diet. I have busted the limit a couple of times but continue to knock it down with exercise. I only see one round (Super Bowl Sunday) where I actually have been over the Calorie goal.

The goal started around 2100 calories per day and is down to 1745. My average intake is 1670 and when you factor in the exercise, I am averaging 1388 calories per day.

The weight is coming off, not as dramatically as it was at first. Looking at about 22 lbs off so far but have a way to go.

Today was another round on the treadmill. Pushed the grade to 12% and walked most of it at 3 mph. Totaled 3.5 miles and 1025 calories burned. Sat in the sauna to do some heat relief. Right now even with the aleve in my back is sore.

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Daily Examen 2/18/10

Posted February 19, 2010 by dondunbar3
Categories: Church

I surrender all to You
The past the years to come right now
With every breath I bring to You
My hopes and fears and long discarded dreams
Take them from my trembling hands
Before I lose my nerve and change my mind
Tear to shreds my safety net
And rip up every back up plan I make

From Surrender by Karen Money –

Surrendering all that was, and is, and is to be to Your will. That is a tough challenge. It is easy to let go of our past sins and life. It is a little harder to give up things in the now, especially if we are comfortable with the now. There is a lot more uncertainty about surrendering control over the future.

The reading today from Deuteronomy has Moses reporting the following:

15 See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16 If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God* that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

I can appreciate the fears and nerves in changing the back up plan to one of total faith and reliance on the Lord. To do this, requires me to live the way He wants me to live. That is what I am working on – through study, reflection, diet, and exercise, trying to live a more deliberate life.

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