SIX MONTHS of SUCCESS !!!

WOW. 6 Months. That's a long time. Think of all things that change during the course of 6 months. That's half a year folks. That's 183 days! First off, thanks everyone who has followed this journey of mine, and given me support and encouragement along the way. This has been a major lifestyle change for me, and so many things have changed for the better! 


As of 7/20/11:

1. I weighed 294 Pounds and was up to as high as 300 I'm sure
2. Could not do any kind of sustained running or high intensity exercise
3. Squeezing in most of my XXL and some XXXL shirts and shorts
4. Needed a size 18 or 18 1/2 dress shirt
5. Needed about 44-46 inches in my pants size
6. Had a wedding ring that fit like a tourniquet 
7. Was eating around 2500 - 3500 calories a day. At least.
8. Exercised about once or twice a week. Maybe

As of 1/20/12:

1. I weigh 253 Pounds - A LOSS OF 41 POUNDS! 
2. Run a 5k (3.1 miles) at least 3 times a week, and run 4-5 miles at least once a week
3. Have plenty of room to spare in a size XL.
4. Can fit comfortably in my old size 17 dress shirts
5. Have thrown out lots of old shorts and pants. Now wear a size 40 waist, and most of my size 40 stuff is getting way too big
6. My wedding ring falls off almost every time I wash my hands. I have to take it off when I run or it falls off 
7. I eat between 1500 - 2000 calories a day. I burn about 600-900 every time I exercise
8. Exercise 5-6 days a week. ALWAYS

Those are just some of the changes that have happened. This truly is a lifestyle change. I have new eating habits, new exercise habits, and new planning habits. 

I thought it'd be cool to look back at some of my posts over the last 6 months so you can see some of the picture progress throughout.  So here we go ... 

"I am overweight. I have been very complacent about it. Mainly because I don't always look the part and I can't think of many things I've missed out on because of it. (At least I used to think so)  But let's face it, it's a slippery slope and over the past few years I have not been going in the right direction. I've recently faced the facts that you don't get smaller as you get older lol, so now is the time." -- Posted 7/20/12 - Total Weight 294 Pounds

"I actually saw an even lower total a couple of days ago at 282.8. I know things flex up and down though. Part of what I've been reading has been telling me that as you start increasing the intensity of your workout, then you actually add on muscle which weighs a bit more than fat. So this can result in a slow down or brief up-tick in weight, but it makes your body burn fat and calories much more quickly. " Posted 8/24/11- Total Weight 283.2

"I know I have a long way to go still, but I cannot tell you how amazing it feels to be in rhythm with this lifestyle change and being able to both see and FEEL the difference." - Posted 9/14/11 -Total Weight 275.8 Pounds 

"Giving shorts and pants away that are much too big and buying new pants :-). As the theme of this blog suggests, I used to HATE buying myself pants. So did everyone else. Now I look forward to seeing what size I can get. " - Posted 11/20/11- Total Weight 259 Pounds 

One Last before picture (featuring a plank by Patrick) ... 

TODAY!!!! 

And from the side ... (just for you Aunt Patti lol)

Moving Forward ... 

Here are my goals for the next 6 months: 

1. Pick up my intensity with working out and nutrition. I've noticed that I don't lose weight at quite the same pace now that I've dropped 40 pounds. 
2. Lose another 35-40 pounds. I'd love to see a number between 200-215 on the scale
3. Get my 5k time down to 30 minutes
4. Run a 10k and a 15k

Once again thank you to every single person who's supported me through this journey. I have had major ups and major downs. There are days when I didn't eat right, and there are days where I had incredible success in this lifestyle change. If the past 6 months have shown me anything, it is that ANYTHING is possible if you are willing to have a plan, stick to it, and work hard. 

“If what you are doing is not moving you towards your goals, then it’s moving you away from your goals.” ~Brian Tracy

“You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change.” ~Les Brown

Weigh-In Wednesday Week 14!!!

14 Weeks Completed 

98 Days Down 

Starting Weight -- 294

Week 13 Weight -- 267.5

Today's weight -- 2-6-5.8! So that's another 1.7 pounds down!

Total Weight Loss to date = 28.2 pounds !!!




One of my big goals I had when I started out, was to have lost 30 pounds by the end of October. With just 1.8 pounds to go to reach this goal, and 5 days left in the month, I think I can do it. Anyways, my parents just got into town tonight and we are going with my sister and bro-in-law and their kids to Orlando for a nice long weekend.  I still got my late workout in tonight though, and I wanted to get this posted so I could make my Wednesday deadline. 


Before Pic... This is from December, 2010 when Jaimie and I went to see Wicked together. 

After Pic - Front 

And from the Side .. 

Sorry for not updating this more often lately. I have some other posts I want to finish and put up this week so stay tuned. I'll have another from our Orlando adventures coming up this weekend. 

It's a busy time of year, and with that comes more and more opportunities to hit major roadblocks. I've definitely had to pick my battles. For the most part I've been able to enjoy myself, while making sacrifices in other places. I'm glad I'm still on the downward trend, and I can't wait till I start closing in on the 50's .

It's getting late, so that's all for tonight. More to come soon...I promise.

Thanks for all of your support!!! 

“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” ~Margaret Thatcher

Weigh-In Wednesday...Week 13!

13 Weeks Completed 

91 Days Down 

Starting Weight -- 294

Week 11 Weight -- 269

Today's weight -- 2-6-7.5! So that's another 1.5 pounds down!


Total Weight Loss to date = 26.5 pounds !!!


Back on the losing team! After my first 0 pound loss last week, I'm back on track with another 1.5 lb loss this week. I was hoping to make it down to 27 pounds. However, as I've learned, it's not always about the number on the scale. 


This week's set of before and after pics feature the same shirt. These before pictures were taken on our Honeymoon in June/July of 2010. 


BEFORE... 

BEFORE...

After...

And From the Side ... 

This week I noticed the biggest difference not in how I look necessarily, but in how I feel when working out. As you all know I really kind of hate running ... but I'm starting to like it more. I can go farther and faster then I can remember since high school. I've been doing it more and more during the week. I still don't love doing it, but let's face it...it probably burns the most calories and gets you in the best shape in the quickest amount of time.  Working out is continually a challenge in pushing myself further each time. Regular exercise is a huge stress reliever and just makes me feel better all around. 


My family is coming down next weekend and my goal has been to be at a 30 pound loss by the time they get here. I'm going to be pretty close :-) 


Not much more to write tonight, but I'll have more updates later this week. 


Thanks to all for your continued love, prayers , and support. Here's to seeing less and less of me. 


“Willpower can produce short-term change, but it creates constant internal stress because you haven’t dealt with the root cause.” ~Rick Warren

Weigh-In Wednesday...Week 10!

10 Weeks Completed 

70 Days Down 

Week 9 Weight -- 274

Today's weight -- 2-7-1.5! So that's another 2.5 pounds down this week.

Total Weight Loss to date = 22.5 pounds !!!

Before (last Christmas) ...

After ...

And from the side ...

WOW what a busy busy week! I just realized I haven't had any posts since last Wednesday. 

Part of the reason for this is the spontaneous trip I took to go see my beloved WV Mountaineers play on Saturday against the LSU Tigers. 

The game was Saturday night. My schedule went like this: 

Flew out Friday night after work and landed in Charleston at 12:15 AM. Todd picked me up and we drove to Morgantown and arrived around 2:30 AM. 

Woke up at 8 AM the next day and took in ESPN's College GameDay on the campus. Awesome.

Here's a video of the scene when we arrived at Gameday!

And here's the crowd singing country roads :-)

After this we went back  to my brother Patrick's apartment (thanks for the place to stay!) and rested and moved on to the gigantic tailgating festivities at about 2:30 PM and stayed there till we went into the stadium at 6:30PM when they opened up the gates. 

This gives you an idea of how massive the tailgating area is... 

And some pics from the stadium ...

And one last video to show you how LOUD it was in the stadium... 

I have lots more pics and video and I'll be posting those on Facebook later, probably tomorrow. I'm sure I'm leaving out a ton of good stuff, but I'm afraid this post is getting way too long.  

I also was very glad to be able to spend some time with my parents and Popsy on Sunday afternoon. I had time just to relax with my family. My workout Sunday was with my Mom, which was really fun. We walked up and own the hilly streets of Montgomery and got some calories burned before leaving for the airport back to Tampa. 

FOOD TRAPS:

Part of a great trip home and great football is inevitably GREAT FOOD :-). Ah man, there was just an array of great food all around at the tailgate on Saturday. Todd Wilson brought some KILLER pork. We also sampled Pepperoni Rolls, Chicken, Turkey Wraps, Shrimp etc etc etc whatever you can think of it was there. It seems like every tent and RV you pass has some good food to offer. We even had some nice LSU fans give us some of their real Jambalaya. YUM. 

We saw lots of great friends and family at the tailgate and overall just had a wonderful time. I managed to enjoy a bunch of different food, and still stay within my goals by planning ahead and making sacrifices in other places. Special thanks to Todd Wagner's wife Jessica, for packing me some healthy snacks and Sobe LifeWater. That made it much easier to stick to the plan!

My biggest splurge was a DUKE biscuit  Sunday Morning at Tudor's Biscuit World. LOOK AT THESE BISCUITS lol. They are the BEST! 

I was actually a little worried about the weigh-in this week. But I think because of consistent exercise and not "over-doing it" I was just fine and still lost over 2 pounds this week. Well on my way to the 60's!

Thanks to all of your encouragement this week. It was cool to have so many of you back in WV tell me you could see the difference. My buddy Luke picked up from the airport back in Tampa, and told me he almost didn't recognize me. NICE. 

"If we did all the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves." - Thomas Edison 

Weigh-In Wednesday...Week 7!

49 Days Down. 

7 Weeks Completed 


And I'm officially in the 70's!

This week felt like a great one. I really stuck to my game all week long for the most part. I had a couple snack slip-ups after scheduled snack times, and I had a little slice of apple pie on Labor day lol. But other than that I really feel like I had a great week. I got tons of exercise in over the long weekend. Including a couple of great long bike treks on Saturday and Monday mornings. 

I even saw a weight as low as 277 over the weekend. WOW. However, as they say, your body can catch up with you and fluctuate. Who knows maybe it was alot of water weight one day? 

Anyways, I step on the scale tonight for my weigh-in and I see... 

Week 6 Weight -- 280
Today's weight -- 2-7-9 !So that's another 1 pound down this week.

Total Weight Loss to date = 15 pounds

At first I must admit I was kind of frustrated because I felt like my weight should have been lower this week. But, the more I thought about the big picture, the better I felt. I still have gone over my 2 pounds a week goal. I can't really complain at all. 15 pounds in 7 weeks is not too shabby, and I'm just going to keep at it. Slowly but surely ... 

Check out this picture of me at our friend Melody's wedding last fall. Pictured is my wife Jaimie and our good friends Katelynn and Alex. 

Quite the difference right? 

In other news ...

Our big project this weekend was doing our office/library room in our house. 

So we went to IKEA. And filled up Laura and Dan's Van lol

Room Before ... 

And room after! 

We have lots more pics on Facebook too. 

Thanks everyone for checking in with me this week and keeping me accountable. I feel like this is a critical time just because I'm almost to that two month mark and the newness of this has kind of worn off. Now it's a marathon and I just have to stay the course. My goal is to be about 30 pounds down by the time I see my family in the beginning of November. 

I'll check back in before the weekend and let you know how the week is going. So far so good! 

“First we form habits; then they form us. Conquer your bad habits or they will conquer you.” ~Robert Gilbert

Weigh-In Wednesday ... Week 6 !!!

Yesssssssssssir, it's Weigh-In Wednesday Week 6! 


That's 6 Weeks .... 42 Days. 


My big goal this week was to see a 7 on the scale this week. I came pretty darn close. This is kind of a weird angle picture lol , but it will do. 

Week 5 Weight -- 283.2
Today's weight -- 2-8-0 !So that's another 3.2  pounds down this week.

Total Weight Loss to date = 14 pounds




I actually saw a weight as low as 279.8 this week, but I'll settle for 280 since that's what I got today :-)


It's been a great week. I'm really enjoying biking and it's helping me keep my workout routine fresh. 


It's all in your head ... 
I've noticed that almost everyone gets really excited when I tell them what I'm doing or show them the blog. However, I've also found it amusing when people kind of give me that sarcastic "ohhhhh that's great , but I know you'll never stick with it" look. I even had someone tell me "Don't be surprised if all of the sudden you just can't lose weight anymore, some people are just meant to be big."  LOL. Nice. Keep it up. I like the challenge. 


That is what has made this such an exciting 6 weeks. I've had alot of moments early on where I doubted myself because of past results...It's all in your head... keep going
And now this week I've thought of several occasions where it was much easier for me to pass up something I know I shouldn't have...Stay focused ... keep going. 


Thanks to every single person out there supporting me. I love all the continued messages. Also,  welcome to all you new readers that are just seeing the blog for the first time.  


Family Matters... 
Dad, this blog is dedicated to you this week. Thanks for this awesome encouraging email! Since you couldn't figure out how to post it online, I'll help ...  You also get to be the quote of the day. 


"Haven't figured out how to select a profile to comment on your blog. So I'll use email.

You have always had great determination and effort to succeed when you set a goal. I remember a guy with a goal to be a starter on bball team when the raw talent was not as good as some others. But his determination and will translated into dedicated effort. I can still hear the early morning sound of a bball bouncing on the driveway pavement and hitting the backboard while I was still in bed. This occurred morning after morning, week after week, as he got up early and practiced before he went to school.

This guy did indeed become a starter on the bball team. Not only a starter, but one of the best 3 point shooters on the team. He also became one of the best rebounders even though he was routinely matched against much taller players. Rebounding, more than any other aspect of bball, is characterized by sheer determination and effort.

I now see this same guy undertaking an even bigger challenge. I also see this same determination and effort ramped up to meet the challenge. In other words, I see a repeat performance with a certain repeat success. But this time with even greater, life changing results.

Keep It Up!!  The results are already looking good!!

DAD"

Weigh-In Wednesday --- Week 5!

It'ssssssssssss Wednesday! And you know what that means...time to weigh-in. 


I know you've all been sitting on the edge of your collective seats waiting for this moment.


This week was filled with new challenges, tactics, and victories. 


Week 4 Weight -- 285.0
Today's weight -- 2-8-3.2 !


So that's another 1.8 pound loss. Almost two more pounds this week. 


Total Weight Loss to date = 10.8 pounds


Below is a picture of Pat, Me, Jaimie , and Dad in Bruges when we were visiting Belgium in July. 

This is me today at end of Week 5. Can you see a difference? 

I actually saw an even lower total a couple of days ago at 282.8. I know things flex up and down though. Part of what I've been reading has been telling me that as you start increasing the intensity of your workout, then you actually add on muscle which weighs a bit more than fat. So this can result in a slow down or brief up-tick in weight, but it makes your body burn fat and calories much more quickly. 


I've had lots of really great encouraging moments this week as well. Thanks to all the friends and family for your support and constant vigilance lol. I love the accountability. 


The cardio class is still kicking my butt, and I'm able to do more each and every time. I am really loving working out in a Tae Kwon Do studio again. What I really like about the class is that there is room to push yourself further and further every time.


In Food News:
I had a great salad at Mo'Ziki tonight on the way to church. It's on Starkey and Bryan Dairy in Largo. Check it out it's pretty good. Also shout out to Fiber One Snack Bars . Really, really good. And filling. There are a few things I crave from time to time like Delco's Cheese-steaks and the Wendy's Double Stack for lunch lol. Honestly though, this is totally worth it, and I'm committed to seeing this through. 


In other random news. I am so ready for WVU Football Season! Let's Go..........


Continuing on the sports theme, Here's a really great quote from legendary basketball coach John Wooden


“It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” 

Phil is Losing it ....

OK I kind of stole that from these YouTube videos I saw called "Pete is Losing it" where this guy does a video diary every single day tracking his weight loss. Pretty cool to see someone else out there doing it and seeing success. I found his vids when I did a Google search for the weight that I saw at weigh-in today....Which is .... 


288.4 pounds. One more pound lost. 


Three full weeks in. Total Weight Lost - 6 pounds--- 2 pound loss per week


I really was shooting for 2 or 3 this week so that's kind of disappointing. But hey, a loss is a loss. 


I did like how 4 separate people asked me today..."Hey isn't today weigh-in day?" Support keeps growing and that really helps so much. 


Here are a few highlights of things I experienced this week. 
1) There was one day I wanted to just quit altogether. I have no idea why, and it didn't last that long. I just had this frustrated feeling that it's hard to explain. Good news though , I didn't quit.
2) I had two nights where I snacked later than I should have and for no good reason at all. granted the snacks were things like fruit and nuts, but it was still bad. I think this also slowed progress. Snacking is probably my biggest hurdle. Good snacking is going fine, it's the off-schedule snacking that needs to stop. 
3) Good things are that I have done much much better with exercise this week. Tonight I did some laps in the pool, some water aerobics , and 250 jumping jacks lol
4) My friend Alex is doing a cardio class a few days a week and I'm going to be joining him tomorrow to check it out. Should be exciting. 
5)I am getting much more immune to seeing people around me eat what I can't and being OK with it. Last night, we went with some friends to Buffalo Wild Wings for Tuesday Wing night. There were altogether about 40 wings on the table. I had a grilled chicken wrap totaling 600 calories. I was full. I survived lol. 


I keep reading places where rapid weight loss is not realistic and that slow and study wins the race. Also I've heard that sometimes the first few weeks or even several weeks are the hardest and give the slowest weight loss. I've also heard "you will plateau, you just have to stick with it." I hope this is true, because I feel great, and  I just wish the scale was showing more progress. 


Things are going well, and I wore a shirt today that fit much much better than it did 3 weeks ago. I want more and I am always finding more things I can work on and improve. I am going to shoot big for next Wednesday. I would like to have lost  a total of 9-10 pounds in my first month. That means 3-4 pounds next week. 


Let's do this thing .... 


I really like this quote today. Very true and very inspiring... 
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” ~Robert J Collier

"I think you are slimming down!"

Weekend Success!
I think the challenge with weekends is that it is much harder to stay on a set schedule.

Therefore, I had to find a way to plan things out and just make my own schedule, and try and stick with it.

Things actually went really well. We went out with our friends Matt and Sara to celebrate their getting back from their Honeymoon out in San Fran.

We went to a Mexican restaurant which was actually pretty good for me. I ate some fajitas which were a mix of chicken and steak and lots of veggies. I stuck to just one tortilla and very little sour cream or cheese. All that to say, I achieved my calorie goals for that day still and managed to stay in the game.


Lifestyle Changes
That is the phrase you always here from everyone and everything when learning how to lose weight the long-term way, and keep it off. I’m working on this slowly but surely. The temptation is to make a bunch of really extreme drastic changes all at once. I’ve tried this before and I can do it for about a week or two but then I stop. So.... I’ve decided to take advice and make significant changes and then build on them.

Here are some things I’m doing:

• I go to the 2nd floor bathroom at work. This way I get two flights of stairs every time.
• I am keeping track of every little thing I eat
• I always am looking to stay under 2,000 calories every day no matter what. But my big goal is 1,500 or under. So far I’ve only had one day over 1,500 , but have stayed underneath 2,000 every single day
• I try to pack and plan for everything. I’m actually pretty busy during the week, so I try and make sure that I have lunch and dinner planned. ( I was really tempted to get Wendy’s today, because I was in a huge rush to make it from work back home, and then to music practice. I abstained. VICTORY!) You’d be surprised how much you fall back on fast-food or unhealthy food just because it’s convenient.

I have also decided to weigh myself weekly. I am going to be picking up a scale tomorrow (finally).

The hardest thing for me right now is that I want instant results. I know this is going to take several months , if not longer. So I like little things , like when a shirt starts to fit a little better.
One thing that helped me with this, was a sweet little old lady at church on Sunday that told me I looked like I was slimming down. She told me that she’s been meaning to tell me for a few days, and that no matter what, I shouldn’t give up. God definitely sent her my way.

I am also working on getting more consistent with my daily exercise.

Cravings come and go, but I am finding that the more I just do something else when  I think I’m hungry and stick to my snacks and meals, that they usually go away.

Funny People
I like how some of my friends are taking my goal into consideration. “Should we eat here?”  “Are you sure you can have that?”

Thank you . I need all of your help if I’m gonna make it long-term.

Anyone up for Chic-fil-a? Just kidding :-)

I have found that, as in with most things, much of the “sacrifices” of losing weight are just perspective. It’s just food after all. I keep saying that, and hopefully it will stick.

On to the next day …

“You can complain that roses have thorns, or rejoice that thorns have roses.” ~Ziggy