Lee Daniels’ The Butler

Not to be confused with the 1916 film by a similar name, The Butler looks like one movie I’m actually anxious to see this year.

I hadn’t seen anything about it until last night when both Oprah and Lenny Kravitz appeared on the late night talk shows to promote the movie.

It’s one of those movies I’m sure I’ll grab a copy of when it’s released to DVD/Blu-Ray and keep for my Heroes for my Boys Kids collection.

#50lbsByDec July update

Well I’m a little more than one month in to my #50lbsByDec challenge.

I officially started the challenge June 24 and as of today, Aug. 1, I’m down 13.4 lbs.

My big changes have been doing DDP Yoga 2-3 times a week along with counting calories again via MyFitnessPal — which essentially comes down to being aware of what I’m eating.

I find it’s super easy to mindlessly open the pantry and grab a handful of the first thing you see (which is typically some sort of chip or cracker in our house). Before you know it you’ve eaten two or three handfuls – or 3 or 4 servings at 120+ calories a pop.

But the more mindful I am at tracking my intake (especially before I actually eat it) the more likely I am to reduce the crap.

The more I focus on eating the good stuff – veggies, complex carbs, low-fat meat (if any) – the less desirable the crap food becomes.

I’m working towards eating even less meat when possible, eliminating simple carbs and cutting back on dairy as well (I’ve found Silk soy milk to be an awesome substitute).

I’m trying not be legalistic about it – but remain flexible when needed and more importantly – more aware of what I’m eating.

It’s a work in progress, but it’s definitely doable.

Here are a few photos showing my progress so far:

June 24 – Aug 1
June 24 – Aug 1
June 24 – Aug 1 – improved flexibility thanks to @ddpyoga