After having one of the roughest months I have had in a long time I am on the road to “weight” recovery.  All of the important areas took a hit, proper foods, overly stressed, limited time for exercise and lack of sleep led to a disastrous weigh in.  I know this is an ongoing battle but I am looking to get revved up again.  The great weather has helped to eliminate some of the excuses that could have crossed my mind and make me think, if a lot of other people can do it, why not me? 

 

My mom has been an inspiration, down 72 pounds so far this year.  She has some difficulty getting around and I look at myself and say, she can do it, so can you.  I am pulling some inspiration and determination from you mom!  Now time to sign up for the Johnny Cake Jog!

 

Kenneth Kukral

 

 

 

After one of the most stressful months in recent memory, it is time to get back on the wagon and start losing weight.  Between the lack of sleep and work stress it has been nearly impossible to lose any weight.  I have had a few people say, “it looks like you lost weight”.   It is hard to accept those compliments since I have been level or gained a couple back.  The clothes that were starting to fit better have been telling me “it ain’t happening”, and that is all I need to know.

 

New plan:

 

-          Sit down today and put workouts on the schedule for the next two weeks.  Make that my non-flexible schedule

-          Start juicing more

-          More water

-          More fish

-          More sleep

 

That is the start.  With my daughter getting married at the end of the year, I need to look my best. So off and rolling…

 

Kenneth Kukral

 

 

 

The more I read, the more I realize that drinking can sabotage weight loss.  In fact some of what I read says they are flat our enemies.  Although one drink a day will not hurt, they say any more than that can put a stop to weight loss.  Alcohol is metabolized differently than other foods and beverages. Under normal conditions, your body gets its energy from the calories in carbohydrates, fats and proteins, which are slowly digested and absorbed within the digestive system.  However, this digestive process changes when alcohol is present. When you drink alcohol it gets immediate attention (because it is viewed by the body as a toxin) and needs no digestion.

 

When the body is focused on processing alcohol, it is not able to properly break down foods containing carbohydrates and fat. Therefore, these calories are converted into body fat and are carried away for permanent storage on your body.

Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that it causes water loss and dehydration. Along with this water loss you lose important minerals, such as magnesium, potassium, calcium and zinc. These minerals are vital to the maintenance of fluid balance, chemical reactions, and muscle contraction and relaxation.

 

Alcohol affects your body in other negative ways. Drinking may help induce sleep, but the sleep you get isn't very deep. As a result, you get less rest, which can trigger you to eat more calories the next day. Alcohol can also increase the amount of acid that your stomach produces, causing your stomach lining to become inflamed. Over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to serious health problems, including stomach ulcers, liver disease, and heart troubles.

Alcohol lowers your inhibitions, which is detrimental to your diet plans. Alcohol actually stimulates your appetite. While you might be full from a comparable amount of calories from food, several drinks might not fill you up. On top of that, research shows that if you drink before or during a meal, both your inhibitions and willpower are reduced. In this state, you are more likely to overeat—especially greasy or fried foods—which can add to your waistline. To avoid this, wait to order that drink until you're done with your meal.

 

Bottom line, it is a slippery slope and nothing good will come of it.  I hope to focus on balance… knowing it is OK to have a drink everyone in a while but any more than that will hurt my chances of losing weight and set me back a couple days beyond.  I can only hope to make better choices going forward…  wish me luck.

 

Kenneth Kukral

Now that I made the first hurdle of getting 5% of my body weight off, I need to concentrate on the next 5%.   Heading to get walking shoes (since my ankles and calves hurt after walking) so I can gear up my game.  Looking to make a steady weight loss progression and enjoy getting out in the perfect weather we have been having.

 

Ken Kukral

Success!   After all the anxiety, extra workouts and clean living, I cleared the hurdle by 4 pounds!  Now on to the next threshold!  It helps with the warmer weather to get outside and be more active, do more walking and not be cooped up inside.  It does feel like I am breaking through the plateau I have been stuck on for a while and has been discouraging to say the least.

 

Super busy week and I will just have to make time to work out.  No backsliding now!  Getting over this hurdle has added a layer of motivation I wasn’t expecting.  I need some of the success to show in the mirror soon and that will provide some additional pride and motivation.  Out of neutral and moving forward.

 

Kenneth Kukral

 

 

Less than 24 hours away!   Feel like I am on TV with the show Biggest Losers.  The pressure is on!  Trying to be extra active, extra good on the food….  Giving myself a C+ grade.  It will all be determined tomorrow if I reach the first threshold needed to stay in the Lighten Up Contest.

 

With a number of people far out front, it is no longer about winning, but is a matter of personal pride.  I know I need to lose the weight and there is no time like the present.  Keep your fingers crossed

 

Kenneth Kukral

 

 

The biggest daily battle I face is the motivation issue.  It is almost where I have to ask myself every day if I want to lose weight that day.  Do I want to work out, do I want to eat what will help me lose weight, do I want to be more active, do I want to get a decent amount of sleep where my body can recover.  Most of the time the answer is yes.  But not often enough.  It is such a long road that the daily motivation is tougher to muster up.  So I am taking it a day at a time.  Weigh in Saturday rests heavy on me and provides a lot of motivation.  Knowing there is no reason I should be cutting it so close…. 

 

Wish me good luck…

 

Kenneth Kukral