Can you imagine carrying around 2 bags of softener salt everywhere you go? (354.8 pounds

I have reached a significant threshold.  Today I can proudly say that since 1/31/2011 I have lost over 80 pounds!  That is an average of 5.35 pounds per week or 3/4 of a pound a day!  Can you imagine carrying around 2 bags of softener salt (2 bags of salt weight 80 pounds) everywhere you go? 

This week for once I felt like I was losing weight, and I did; 7.8 pounds.  I praise the Lord for all of this, because I know that with for me this is impossible, but with Him all things are possible (Matthew 19:26 says it best.)

Some people have asked me what I eat on a normal day.  The diet I am on only allows for a very low carbohydrate intake (less than 20g per day.)  To put this in perspective, 2 pieces of white bread has approximately 23g of carbs.  Additionally, it is a low calorie diet.  I usually take in between 1,000 and 1,200 calories a day.  Some of you may think this is very little, and I will grant you before I started on this diet I expected to have huge problems with limiting calorie intake.  The fact of the matter is that the food I eat is more than sufficient.  Below I will outline 2 typical days in this diet as far as my meals go.

Sunday 5/15/2011
Breakfast - 1/2 Ole Omelet at Grandma's pancake house (split with Ruth.) My half consisted of 2.5 eggs, 1 ounce cheddar cheese, 2 ounces Chorizo, .25 cup Jalapenos, 1 Tbsp Salsa and 1 Tbsp sour cream.  My half of this Meal was filling, but high in calories (647), carbs (8.5 grams). and fat (50.6 grams) but every once in a while we think it is important to have a treat.

Dinner - I really wasn't hungry for dinner, but it was important to eat.  I had a Nelson's chicken half (239 Calories with 1g carb) and Shiitake Mushrooms fried in butter (224 calories with 3.1g carbs.)  So for this day I had 1109 calories with 12.6 grams of carbs.

Saturday 5/14/2011
Breakfast - 3 Jennie-O turkey sausage links (180 calories and 0g carbs)

Lunch - 1 Nelsons chicken half (239 calories with 1g carbs)

Dinner - 2 Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Brats (320 calories, 0g carbs AND DELICIOUS) wrapped in romaine lettuce leaves (13 calories with 2.5g carbs) with 2 Tbsp sauerkraut on each (11 calories and 2.5g carbs.)  I also had 1 cup raw broccoli (31 calories with 6g carbs) dipped in 3 tbs horseradish cheese dip (105 calories, 1.5g carbs.)  For this day total I had 899 calories and 13g carbs for more than enough food.

As you can see, I am not starving myself, but rather I am being very particular on what I eat.  Oh yes, and in addition I eat zero junk foods and zero sweets.  Truth be told though, I really don't miss them much.  At first I did, but not so much anymore.  You see, I have chosen life over self gratification and I am starting to understand that a little.  My God, my family and my friends are replacing those "guilty pleasures" and are much much more satisfying.