AdamsCutTheCrap.com

AdamsCuttheCrap.com

Thursday, March 31, 2011

It's your life... or is it?

Leading by example

     We have all heard it time over time, "It's my life, I can do what I want with it."  But what happens when we bring kids or a spouse into the picture?  Growing up was tough when having a heart issue.  It was tougher, however, being 12 and watching your Dad (who was only 37 at the time) go through a bypass surgery due to a heart attack.  It was life altering.  

     Before I go too far, I want you to know I think very highly of my father and all he has done for us in his life.  In fact I know he is going to read this, and I really hope he does.  He taught me many things in my life and has given me many great memories and life lessons that I shall never forget.  The one thing he never could teach me, however, was how to eat properly for the health conditions we had.  Our family is rattled by heart issues, but yet if you look at most of us in my generation we still have trouble with our weight.  Almost all of us have had problems with our weight, even though many of us have seen the devastating effects of it.   

     When I decided to have kids, it was up to my wife and me to show them how to take care of our bodies.  We needed to lead by example and know that what we do does not just effect us, it effects everyone that is close to us as well.  Growing up I was almost always obese, I ate whatever I wanted to and didn't do enough to eliminate that.  I have had that problem for almost all of my life.  When I received my realization of myself and what I was doing, it hit me hard that this was more than just me, it affected more than just myself.

     As a 12 year old, it was very hard watching my dad have to go through that surgery.  Being 12, it was confusing to understand exactly what was going on, but I knew something was not right.  My mother was hysterical, rightfully so, and at that time it did not take much to upset her.  Once it was decided that my father would have to be transported to Seattle, we quickly packed up and went to stay with my Grandma while my dad was transported via ambulance.   

     Even after that, the diet did not change very much.  He quit smoking, which was a great blessing, but did not dramatically change his eating habits.  Soon after, he was diagnosed with diabetes and has had other health problems arise.  It was hard growing up watching all of this.  I have seen how these health concerns affected everyone, but did not change myself personally.  I didn't realize that what I was doing and how I was eating mattered to anyone else but me.  Then came the realization that my habits affect the people I care most about.

        When we become husbands, wives, parents, leaders, we are put into a new light.  We are now showing the way for people and I have seen that what I do, how I act, affects everyone that is close to me.  My kids eat like I do.  If I go to McDonald's and eat, guess what...they are going to be headed there as well with me.  It is not right for me to put my family in that situation.  Sure, I know that once in a while it is not going to hurt you, but you have to be careful about how often it happens.  I, for one, will not eat at McDonald's anymore.  I try to stick to Subway or somewhere where I at least know what it is I am eating and I make sure to check the nutrition facts before doing so, that way I know what to have.


     I have decided to start leading by example. I want my kids to see their dad as an inspiration, much like I saw mine.  However, I don't want them to have to experience the numerous heartaches I had to go through as a kid because of how I choose to eat.  It is not just my life, I cannot eat food just because it tastes good or it's just "easy."  I need to eat for my health, for my family, and know that there are still great foods out there if I just try something new.  I have taken the reigns of my health and steered them in a new direction, I hope you do too!  


     I also want to thank my dad.  If it was not for him, I would not be the man I am today.  I know you are reading this and want you to know I love you dearly and thank you.


Live life by showing how to live life
Be the example
Remind yourself, who is watching me?










Tuesday, March 29, 2011

I broke myself down and started over...

I found myself...

     Once I peeled my onion away and looked at what there was, I was amazed at what I had let myself become.  For once in my lifetime, I eliminated everything I had been told about myself and how society told me I should view myself.  I was tired of all of the negativity and how it affected not just me, but also my family.  No longer did I want to allow what the media wanted, but instead what was needed for me, my relationship with God, and my family.  So once I peeled away everything and broke myself down now it was time to find myself and see just what type of a person I was and could be.  

    First thing was first, I had to look at myself and tell myself just how I truly felt about me.  I eliminated all of the negative and began a new foundation by realizing that I am a good looking guy.  We are all good looking people, we read in the scriptures that our bodies are a temple.  How dare I say that God's temple was not a beautiful thing.  How dare I question His creation because of what the "media" said I should be.  I needed to realize that it is not about what they think, it is about what God has create and what I think, and my wife with her words helped that situation as well.  We are all temples of God and with that said, God does not create ugly temples.  If you let society tell you different, you are falling prey to them and it is time to cut out that crap from your life.  

    I started to realize that yes I am one of God's great creations.  So with that said, why should I keep up with my body and my weight.  Then I realized that indeed this was too important.  Going back to the idea that your body is a temple I started to ask myself why am I putting so much crap into it?  It's bad enough I looked down upon it with my society influence outlook on what I should be, but I am also not taking care of my body!  I am cruising through life and not doing anything to make my body healthy and strong.  

      So I decided it was time, it was time to treat God's temple with the respect and honor it should be treated with.  This meant that yes, I would have to stop eating the way I ate, stop putting chemically altered crap into my body.  Sure, it tasted good.  Sure, it took care of those cravings I had for food.  But what did it do to my body?  IT destroyed my body!  It took away my health and made me an obese man who already had enough health problems to deal with.  I have a heart that won't let me run.  It wont let me be the person I had dreamed of being.  But this, I had to find out the hard way, is not about me.  The body and condition I have been given was a great blessing by the Lord.  This was me starting to lay down my new foundation, on the foundation of the Lord and the realization that he gave me this body knowing, knowing that I could take the ball and run with it.

     It was never in his plans to have me be some athlete or a mountain climber, or anything that takes a strong heart.  I needed to change my life and explore my deep down inner self to realize God knew what he was doing when he gave me the health conditions he gave me.  My foundation was finally laid.  I knew at that point what I had to do.  I knew that I could trust in the Lord, in his temple, in his creation that he knew what he was doing.  It has taken me 27 years to come to terms of my health.  It has taken me 3 months to change my life.  In 3 months I have laid down a new foundation.  That foundation is attacked daily but it holds strong.  


    I finally see me for me, not for what holds me back, but for what I have been given.  No longer am I going to allow society to influence my decisions.  I'm not going to let them determine how I feel about my body and I'm eliminating all of the negative words I use to think about myself.  I'm building back up my foundation, brick by brick, using the foundation of God and Jesus Christ.  My foundation laid, my bricks are going into place, it's a new life now.  I have taken control of my eating, I monitor almost daily what and how much I eat to know that my body is getting what it needs, not what I want.  I'm done with junk food, I don't need it.  I have eliminated most sugar (I don't eat anything with more than 10g of sugar in it).  Since I have decided to rebuild the temple that God has given me I have lost over 35 pounds, I sit right now at 210.  It is doable, this to me has not just been about weight loss anymore but a new lease and purpose on life.  I love my life now and all the blessings that I have.


Count your blessings
Remember you are one of God's temples
As we read in 1 Corinthians 3:16–17 
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
The choices we make about the use of our personal temples will affect us throughout all eternity.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Fruit Pizza

Healthy Dessert option 1!

Looking for a healthy but good alternative for dessert?  I took coconut and created a healthy crust with great toppings and healthy yogurt to go with it!  I loved how well this tasted and I'm going to show you the nutritional facts as well.  

Fruit Pizza

For the Crust:
2 cups Bob's Red Mill Flaked Coconut Unsweetened,
5 tbs butter, unsalted
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Packet of Truvia Natural Sweetener


1. Mix coconut, nutmeg, cinnamon and butter together (If using Truvia, mix it in also).  Press mixture on too a round pizza pan.
2. Bake at 325 degrees F for 12 minutes or until golden.


Cut fruit up (fresh fruit is best)
6 ounces blackberries
8 ounces raspberries
9 ounces strawberries
6 ounces (3 whole) kiwis


Once the crust has been cooked let it cool.  
Take 2 servings (6 ounce containers) of Fred Meyer (Kroger) Greek Yogurt strawberry and spread onto crust.  The reason I use Fred Meyer Greek is because they use Stevia to sweeten their yogurt rather than sugar or aspartame. 


Then take cut up fruit and lay on top of yogurt and enjoy! 

Nutritional Facts
12 Servings
Calories...................................202.4
Total Fat..................................14.6g
Saturated Fat...........................11.0g
Cholesterol..............................15.5mg
Sodium....................................17.9mg
Potassium..............................130.0mg
Total Carbohydrates..............12.7g
Dietary Fiber...........................4.9g 
Sugars......................................5.8g
Protein.....................................3.6g

Vitamin A................................6.0%
Vitamin C..............................55.3%
Calcium...................................4.3%
Manganese............................21.8% 
Folate.....................................3.4%

Friday, March 25, 2011

Recipe - TurkeyLoaf

Turkey Salsa Cheese Loaf...

      Tonight, being Kate's birthday, she requested for me to make my turkey salsa cheese loaf.  Sure it might not sound all that exciting, but I have had a few people tell me it tastes great.  I am going to give you the recipe and also show you just how much healthier this is than your normal meat loaf, and has more flavor too!  

Ingredients...
2 pounds of Jennie O Turkey (93/7)
1/2 cup of Mexican style 4 cheese blend
1 cup Kirkland organic salsa
4 large eggs
1 medium onion
.5 cups of bread crumbs
.25 cups of Kirkland organic salsa for the top.

We mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl except for that last 1/4 cup of salsa.  Once the meat and the ingredients are mixed well, we then transfer the ingredients from the bowl into a 9x13 casserole pan.  Put it into the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes.  I made this into 10 servings.  Below is the nutritional information of the turkey loaf compared to if you made the same recipe, but with 80/20 ground beef.

 
Nutritional Information
Turkey Loaf
80/20 Ground meatloaf
Calories
184.4
331.6
Total Fat
4.9g
19.7g
     Saturated Fat
1.9g
7.9g
Cholesterol    
137mg
181mg
Sodium
456.4mg
459.6mg
Potassium
46.1mg
46.1mg
Total Carbohydrate
7.6g
7.6g
     Dietary Fiber
1.4g
1.4g
     Sugars
2.3g
2.3g
Protein
25.9g
27.5g

     As you can see by looking at both the calories and fat, just by changing one ingredient you can change a lot about the meal you are eating.  Not only are you eating healthier now, but you're cutting unneeded fat from your diet and lowering your calorie intake.  Another great thing is that we have been able to find the Jennie-O ground turkey on sale buy one get one free so we stock up.  It isn't often we find ground beef on sale that good of a deal.



















 

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The story behind Cut The Crap

Why name it Cut The Crap?

     So the question becomes why would I pick a name that is so harsh?  It just seems a little mean doesn't it?  I mean sure I could have picked other titles like, my life story, how to cut the fat, becoming a better person one step at a time, etc etc etc.  The fact of the matter is, it is not easy.  For a majority of the people who read this it is going to take that smash-mouth, in your face, type of thought provoking influence. We have all had many opportunities to try to lose the weight, we have had many different diets and many different... "I can do this" thoughts but each time they have failed us.  So that is why it is time to get straight to the point and just admit... we need to cut the crap out of our life and it starts right here.

     Through prayer and realization, I have come to the conclusion that it was going to take some deep personal reflection to truly understand myself and what I need to do to become a better person.  Not just for myself, but also for my family.  I'm jumping ahead of myself however because, before our family, before our spouses, before our parents, but of course after God, we need to look in that mirror, we need to get comfortable with ourselves and see what truly is there.  First and foremost, with again the exception of God, this is for us!  This needs to be for you!  You must learn to love yourself and see what truly exists.  Inside each and every one of us there is a soul, there is a desire, a fire that burns deep down in the gully of your stomach, it's time to take a torch and light that puppy up!  

     I can't tell you exactly how to do this, but remember the title of this blog, it's time to cut the crap.  Stop lying to yourself!  You need to look into that mirror and be honest with yourself.  Quit lying, quit trying to shake everything off your shoulders and pretending that it does not affect you because we both know it does.  The first step to getting better is to stop lying to yourself and open up your soul to a discussion of fact and fiction.  This is your new beginning, your awakening to say the least.  

     This does not just have to be about weight loss but anything that is bothering you.  Let's now all take that first step, find a mirror, go into a bedroom and be by yourself, or just meditate, but get this one on one time you need.  Now that you are by yourself it's time to cut the crap.  Let it all out!  Do not hold back and if you have to break yourself down (this was my first step).  This is how I decided it was time to change my life, I let myself have it.  Now, the next step is to build yourself back up.  Tomorrow we will lay down that first brick and begin your new foundation the way I did.  It's time to learn to love ourselves, once we can love ourselves anything is possible!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Yes... I have been there






Hold On...
Before I get too deep in this I want those who read this to know I have been there. I have had depression, I have thought this is it, and that I didn't want to live again. I'm not spouting off stuff that I have not myself experienced. I want you to know that I have been there, maybe not as deep as some but the battle is all the same. We all have an experience to learn here while on this Earth. We must rise up against the opposition in our life and overcome all of our short comings. We can do this, I will do all I can to help you on my side, but you have to pull your weight as well. Stop with the excuses, stop telling yourself you can't because you can do this, let's do this right here right now!

Proof is in the picture (taken in October 2009). Posted you see me with my Titan's jersey I bought after getting my ICD. This shirt right here was a 4x, no I did not fit it but my goal was to. I was so depressed that I felt this was my end result, I didn't care how fat I got and I knew deep down I wanted to fit that shirt. I didn't care how long I was going to live, all I knew was I was going to live the way I wanted to. I started to question my purpose on this world and why had God sent me here to just have complications and now more limitations than I knew what to do with.

I didn't care anymore, I wanted to waste away and enjoy all of the food I could. I drank, I ate, and the most activity I had in my day was walking from the computer to the fridge. When you don't feel needed by anyone and that it is just you against the world what was the point?

The point is this, God loves you! He wants you to prosper and gain knowledge and seek the best for yourself. If you are married like I became, you find out that there is so much to live for! My wife, my kids, and myself. I needed to change and so I decided that I was not going to let myself fill that shirt. If you are not married, there are still those who love you and want the best for you! I can tell you right now, God loved you so much he sent his only begotten. It's time to learn to love yourself and to cut the crap. It's a battle but you and I can do this! We can defeat the demons that are haunting your life and start one step at a time.

This is me now compared to my 4x jersey, I can fit a little more than two of me in this shirt. This shirt when I put it on makes it look like a dress now. No longer is my goal to fill this shirt, it is to inspire others to overcome their deepest ravines and rise above it. I have overcome these demons and continue the battle to this very day. Let's do this, lets keep walking in the path of righteousness and improving your health! Start off small, the first thing I want you to do is open up an account at Sparkpeople.com. This place will give you the start you need, come back tomorrow for more!

I've been there, you can over come the demons with me!
Be strong!
One step at a time!
It's time to breath courage into your soul!






Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The Beginning

(2008, 265 pounds)
Why am I doing this?

In 2005 my life took a major turn. Being born with a heart problem (Transposition of the great vessels) I knew one day that my heart would need to receive help from an outside source. Growing up was hard, I was not able to do much in the way of cardio, playing sports was hard, and I could never run more than a lap around the track before becoming winded and having complications. This lead to weight gain all my life and always being obese. In 2005 I went up to Spokane, Washington to do some physical tests for a heart doctor I started seeing after having palpitations while working.

With the exercise done it was time for the bad news. My doctor had seen that while doing this stress test my heart entered dangerous
ventricular tachycardia that could possibly continue into a string of them and causing heart failure. So besides just going onto a day's load of medicine it was also suggested that I obtain an ICD be placed into my heart. After three surgeries and the implantation of the device I was sent home to start my new life. Depression set in, and then one day while outside trying to do some landscaping my device went off and shocked me, knocking me back and almost to the ground.

I was 25 years old, I had a pacemaker, I couldn't do anything that required too much physical effort, and I felt trapped. How was I going to lose weight? How was I going to become healthy let alone ever raise a family? Depression set in heavy, I gained more weight than I ever had and ballooned up to 290 pounds.

At the beginning of the next year I met my wonderful wife Kate. She brought me a family to live for but I still didn't improve myself. I stayed at the weight and only slightly lost, I was content at being obese and didn't think of how my decisions affected others. Then Kate and I decided to join a gym and I decided to try and lose weight, enough was enough and I needed to change my life, for myself, for my family, and for my future.

Every time I would lose the weight it seemed that something would happen. I would get hurt, I would get into a car accident, I would gain the weight back and it felt like a never ending battle, so although I was only now down to 260 I decided that is where I wanted to stay. I was still obese, I was still eating whatever I wanted, how much I wanted, and didn't care about what it was doing to my body. I lived my life how I felt I should live it. In September 2010 I took a good look at myself, a good look at my body, and decided I hated what I saw, I hated that I gave in and decided to just accept myself for what I was. I knew that it was enough with the talking, cut the crap, and start showing people that someone with my limitations can indeed prosper and lose the weight.

With my wife's and her parents help I was able to start changing my eating habits. I decided enough was enough with the excuses, I needed to cut out all the crap of my life and live for myself, my family, and my health and to show and motivate others that they too can do it! If I wanted to help others better themselves, I had to better myself first. I want to motivate others, I want to show you that you can cut out the crap in your life and that you too can follow the same path I did and get your life back!

I am going to be posting blogs as often as I can, from what I have done to what I am doing. I want to teach those who want to listen, and help those who want to be helped. I'm not doing this to give myself a pat on the back, I'm doing this to change lives! You don't need a gym, you don't need a nutritionist, what you need is to cut out the crap! Stop making excuses, stop telling yourself you can't do this because lets be honest, you can! Since being 290 pounds I am down to 212. I have lost 78 pounds. In January of 2011 I weighed 245 and was again just coasting. In just three months I have dropped 33 pounds by cutting it all out.

Follow my blog, I'm going to keep you updated, I'm going to give you tips and let you know how I learned to prosper, I will have recipes for you to try, and exercises that will make your body feel better and you feel better. This is the beginning of your change, you are going to come out of your cocoon with me. I'm not done, and I know there are many of you out there that want to start and make yourself a better person.

Do this for you
Do this for your family
Do this for your health
Do this to improve your life and fall in love with yourself!







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