October 26, 2025

This week started off a little differently. Something tragic happened in my neighborhood, and even though it doesn’t directly involve my family, it hit really close to home.

Across the street—literally right in front of our house—our neighbors lost one of their children. She passed away after being struck by a school bus while riding her bike.

We don’t know them personally since we only moved here recently, but I’ve seen their kids around the neighborhood, riding bikes and scooters. I think there were three of them—an oldest, a middle child, and a younger one. I’m not sure which one they lost, but the entire neighborhood feels it. There’s this heavy, quiet sadness in the air.

A few of us are putting together a gift basket to show support. My wife and I added some food for the kids and a grief book for the parents. It’s hard to know what to say or how to approach them. I can’t imagine sending my kids off to school and never seeing them come home. It’s a terrifying thought for any parent. My heart just breaks for them.

Back to the Health Journey

On to something a little lighter—my diet.

Last night I had some smoked brisket from another neighbor. And honestly, I didn’t turn it down. I’m learning to be more lenient with myself. During that first week, I was strict—every single thing I ate had to check every box.

For a quick reminder, here are my food guidelines:

1. Low calories (under 2,100 total a day, aiming for 1,800)
2. Low carbs
3. High fiber
4. Zero added sugar
5. Low cholesterol and sodium
6. High protein (bonus points!)

But when your neighbor offers freshly smoked brisket, sometimes you just say yes. I’m technically supposed to limit red meat to one or two meals a week, and I’d already had lean beef earlier, but it’s fine. The big picture is what matters. I’m trending in the right direction, and I’ve learned to give myself grace.

The good news? I’m losing weight pretty quickly—about half a pound a day. It’s the combination of a better diet and daily walks. I walk every day with the kids, and I’ve started running twice a week plus strength training once or twice a week.

Our “home gym” isn’t much—just some dumbbells (10s through 25s), mats, resistance bands, and jump ropes—but it gets the job done. I usually follow Heather Robertson’s YouTube workouts. She’s great for at-home, full-body, dumbbell routines.

That brisket ended up in a salad, by the way—spinach, avocado, tomato, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar. Turned out amazing.

The Real MVP: MyFitnessPal

Now, the main focus this week—the MyFitnessPal app.

As a gamer, I love it because it turns health tracking into a game. It’s satisfying to log meals, track calories, and hit your macro goals like achievements. The app tells you exactly how much of everything—cholesterol, carbs, sodium—you should have per day based on your weight and goals.

For example, if I eat brisket with 130 mg of cholesterol, I know to keep the rest of the day lighter. It’s not about perfection, it’s about awareness and balance.

My only issue is timing. If I don’t log my meals right away, I forget the details later—like how many ounces I had. Between feeding the kids, talking with my wife, and running around the house, it’s easy to lose track. So now I try to log food immediately when possible.

Eating out is a little trickier. When we went to the festival last week, I had kettle corn and pulled chicken—no nutrition labels in sight. Luckily, the app’s community is huge, and tons of people have already uploaded similar foods. Between that and a quick Google search, I can usually find a close estimate.

Overall, I love the app. It keeps me accountable and makes the process kind of fun. And most importantly—it’s working. The weight is coming off, I feel better, and I’m learning more about what my body needs every day.

If you made it this far, thanks for following along with my journey. It’s been emotional, but I’m proud of the progress so far—inside and out.