Happy Thursday! -- Size 38 ... WHOA

What's up everyone? Did about 12-13 miles on my bike tonight on high intensity, so feeling good!

Guess what, I'm back on the losing side! I lost about 1.2 pounds this week. 


Last week 255
This week 253.8

I have some family visiting in town this week so I wasn't able to get my full update in last night, but I wanted to give a quick update and share this Article I found that is really interesting. 

Here's the link if you want to read the whole thing ....  but I found these tips really useful.  

From Bob Harper's Article , "Here are my best suggestions:

1) Improve the quality of your sleep. New research shows that those getting 7-9 hours of sleep are less likely to be overweight. Sleep improves blood sugar regulation, reduces stress hormones, and balances out hunger/fullness hormones (leptin, ghrelin). Are you getting good sleeps? If not, is there anything that you can change that would help?

2) Increase and/or preserve muscle mass. The only way to push your metabolism back up is to gain muscle mass. The only way to gain muscle (or improve your ratio of fat to lean muscle) is to engage in strength training week (a goal of 2 times per week isn't enough because often, you'll only get 1 of those in).

3) Be very selective with type of carbs. Choose lean protein, lots of veggies (cooked and salads), and stick with higher fiber carbs (brown rice, high fiber cereal, high fiber bread, beans, and fruits). You could experiment with replacing 1-2 of your carb servings each day with veggies and protein.

4) Practice stress reduction. There is evidence that lower stress levels are associated with lower body weight. Regular exercise, hobbies, yoga, meditation, breaks at work, getting sunshine, etc. all help you lower stress level, balance hormones, sleep better, and be able to make healthier choices.

5) Revisit your eating. Are you writing things down or are you guess-timating? In fact, You may not be eating enough and under-eating can actually undermine weight loss as your body goes into starvation mode.

6) Revisit your exercise program. You body adapts to your exercise program which means that you burn fewer calories doing the same thing. You may need to increase the intensity."

It's a funny coincidence because these are all things that I found when I was doing research on getting over a plateau. 

Anyways, this first week of plateau fighting has been going pretty well , but not as well as I'd like. I'm going out this weekend to get small set of weights to do some strength training. I'd honestly rather do that then join a gym, just because I don't want to waste time driving somewhere 3 nights a week.  


On a brighter note I bought my first pair of size 38 shorts this week! It felt really amazing to buy a size since I haven't worn since High School. Also, the t-shirt I'm wearing while I'm typing this is from a family trip to the Outer Banks, also when I was about 15-16 yrs old. 
So good things happening.

Thanks again to all of you for your wonderful encouraging notes, texts, messages, posts , etc. 


Thanks to my Mom for sending me this quote for the week :-)


"By Perseverance, the snail reached the Ark." - Charles Spurgeon

8 Months Down !!!

To quote Will Rodgers, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." 


The last 8 months have been life-changing for me. At my highest weight I for sure weighed over 300 pounds. The highest I ever actually saw on a scale was around 307. After that I didn't weigh-in for a longgggg time. When I started tracking this back on July 21, 2011, I was sitting at 294. 

These pictures are from around that weight... 

So, on 7/21/11, I decided to get healthy once and for all and started my journey towards weight loss and a lifestyle change. Needless to say there have been many ups and downs. And this is one case where you want as many downs as possible. 

And now, sitting at a weight of 255, and over FIFTY pounds lighter... things are starting to look alot differently. I've had to throw out shirts, shorts, pants,  you name it lol. It's been a crazy feeling on putting on a XL shirt instead of squeezing into a XXL or ordering a XXXL shirt online. Amazing feeling. I'm at the last notch on my belt now as well. I think it's about time to by size 38 pants! 

Also, a  couple weeks ago I had a big accomplishment , in running my first ever 5k at the Gasparilla Event! 

BUT......

The last 3-6 weeks have been really challenging for me, because my body has just hit a serious plateau. I think this made my mind also hit a plateau. I found myself getting frustrated not seeing that bottom line on the scale change. I mean really frustrated , and really discouraged. I almost felt like I hadn't lost any weight at all. Very hard to explain.

So I started to have slip-ups here and there , and being less and less careful with my day to day planning. Don't get me wrong, I haven't been slamming Big Mac's and fried chicken every day, but I think a plateau is a mental game as well. And  today I have a plan to snap out of it! 

I actually was able to watch "Biggest Loser" last night for about an hour, and I got some really great tips and pointers. Sometimes I hate that show, because you aren't losing weight as fast as they are, but I'll be honest it also has lots of great tips, and pointers. I realized that I've got into a bit of complacency. While I love being 50 pounds lighter...255 is not my goal weight. I'd like to get down to the 200-210 range eventually, and I believe that is realistic, healthy , and attainable.  

Some things have to change...again...so I'm cranking out a new plan to help push my body and mind over this plateau. 

Short term Goal. Lose 12-15 more pounds by the time we go to Hawaii on 7/1/12  

Long term Goal. Get down to 200-210 pounds. 

Exercise:
I'm going to begin interval and strength training along with my running and biking aerobic exercise. By now, running just isn't having the same effect on my body, and I need to shock the system by mixing it up. My intensity with these needs to increase. I'm actually hitting the gym with a couple friends Saturday morning to learn some new workout ideas.

Food: 

Plan, Plan, Plan. Count, Count, Count.

I'm going to begin looking at all my total intake again throughout the day. 1,500 - 1,700 calories per day again. More fiber and more protein in the mix. I'll keep you posted on how this goes. 

Mind: 

More Sleep. Smarter Workout and Food planning. Not letting slow-downs get me down and discouraged. Stay positive and keep moving forward! 

I'm hoping this plan will help me get back in the swing of things and back on the LOSING team. I appreciate so much everyone's help and support. I love hearing from you! 

I LOVE this quote -- “Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and is looking forward to a Happy New Years Weekend! 

Just wanted to shoot out a quick update for all you restless readers out there.

We've been doing alot of traveling back and forth with family etc, and staying busy with the Holidays. My goal was to not even gain a single pound over the Holidays. So far mission accomplished! I'm sitting even at 39-40 pounds total loss. I've had lots of good workouts in, including my fastest 5k time yet!

Thanks to all the friends and family for the support over the Christmas Holiday! I'll be back with lots of pictures and updates etc. And of course back with Weigh-In Wednesday in a few days .

I hope you and yours have a great New Years Eve this weekend. Stay safe, and I'll check in with ya in a few days.

End of 4 Month -- Check In

Hey Everyone!


Just a quick check-in post as this is the 4-Month Anniversary of when I started this blog and my lifestyle change journey.


STARTING WEIGHT on 7/20/11 .... 294


WEIGHT AS OF 11/20/11 .... 259


TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS TO DATE .... 35 Pounds
Average pound loss per month ... 8.75 Pounds


On July 20th, I was ... 

1. 294 Pounds
2. Really determined to make a change
3. Unsure of real, lasting, progress
4. Counting the stack of shorts and pants I had, but never wore, because I couldn't button them. Actually I could barely even put them on. Button or no button lol. 

On November 20th , I AM ...

1. 259 Pounds
2. Really determined to make a change
3. Seeing, real, lasting progress 
4. 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. 

So there ya go. Officially 4 Full Months in, with a total of 35 pounds lost so far.

Thanks all for your love and support :-)

More to come on Weigh-In Wednesday from Wild and Wonderful West Virginia!!!

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

Plateau???

Short little post here.
I've had great workouts this week, but I seem to be stuck right around the minus 30 mark! However, noticing more and more difference in my clothes. I really feel like this is a crucial point in this cycle. Coming up on 4 months into this thing and still trudging along. Trying to get past the elusive minus 30 point slowly, but surely and still going at it every single day. Thanks everyone for all your support.

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 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 

END OF MONTH #2 --- Weigh-In Report

Welcome to weigh-in Wednesday Week EIGHT. I have officially completed TWO full months of this lifestyle change and I feel great! 


That's 56 days completed. 


Starting Weight -- 294


Week 7 Weight -- 279


Today's weight -- 2-7-5.8! So that's another 3.2 pounds down this week.

Total Weight Loss to date = 18.2 pounds !!!


Before Pic

After 8 Weeks 

And from the side

Sweeeeeet. Success! Well, at least steps in the right direction :-)


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. 


The response and support I've been getting from everyone is just incredible. Family,  Friends, Church Friends, Youth Group Kids, Etc.  You guys keep me going. Thanks for asking me when you see me how things are going. I must have had 10 people ask me at church tonight how this week's weigh-in is going to go lol. 
Thanks Uncle Tom Bowen for this message, " Hey Phil...my friend if you can loose 15...you can loose another 15!!!!!!!!! It's kinda like one down and one to go.... Keep pushing through......a good brisk walk every day will help your body get over this little plateau !!!!! Man, this could be the toughest battle any of us face. Seems like EVERYTHING is built around food. Conquer this and I'm convinced you can conquer anything."
Just one of many encouraging thoughts from this past week from friends and family.


Also, it's been great to hear stories of people being inspired by the journey I've been taking
Here's a shout out to one special relative who said she's lost SEVEN pounds already! Congrats :-) I love you and hope you can keep it going ! 


Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I'm wanting to just keep this going strong and make a lifelong change. 


In other news:
I've had a pretty busy schedule, and it's becoming more routine for me to plan things so I can control the outcome when it comes to food etc. 


Exercising is becoming the same way. I've mixed in biking , running, martial arts, swimming, walking, and strength training. I try and keep it fresh and not do the same thing too much and too often. This helps me not get too bored and keep my eyes on the prize.


I'll do another post later this week on those things.


This week I just wanted to keep it focused on this end of Month # 2 Weight Report. Thanks again everyone, and I hope you're enjoying this as much as I have been. Special thanks to my wife Jaimie for her help at home, and to my parents and siblings for their moral support over the phone and in person :-). 


See you soon... 


“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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.” 

Killer Cardio

Happy Friday Night!


Quick update. 

I went to this Bodyfit Cardio class with my friend Alex at a Tae Kwon Do Mixed Martial Arts center near my house on Thursday night.  It brought back good memories being in a Tae Kwon Do dojo, and it reminded me of when me and brother Pat used to tear it up in our Blue stripe and Blue belts respectively. 


It was 45 minutes of serious intensity and I loved. I've got to say that is probably the best workout I've had in a while. We jogged, did pushups, crunchs, jumping jacks, punching, kicking, resistance bands etc etc etc. 


Quite sore today though. I think I'm going to start going there on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 


Good things so far since the weigh-in on Wednesday. Weight is still going down and I'm feeling better every single day. 


Also had some killer sushi at Matoi Sushi in Tampa tonight. Go try it, it's great. Healthy and very very good. 


Looking forward to the weekend ahead. Got lots to do, and of course will fit the workouts in somewhere. Tonight I just kept it light and walked for a while down to the CVS and back. Had to restock up on the fiber gummies lol. 




Anyways, that's all for now and thanks for following. 


Good Night!

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 love the 80's !

It's Wednesday so you know what that means. WEIGH-IN DAY!!! 

                                                                                    

Cheesy Graphic .... CHECK

Weigh-In today ..... 2-8-9.4 ! Down to the eighties. Sure it was just another pound. But it feels big to see that EIGHT on the scale where the NINE used to be. 

Not bad considering I traveled over the weekend (and cheated a couple times). But I bounced back with some solid exercise, right back on the tight diet, and overall lifestyle change. 

Went for the slim-fast shakes for breakfast and lunch today with healthy snacks in between. For dinner I did some homemade tuna salad with crackers and some fruit and nuts.


After that I got about 40-45 minutes of cardio in to complete the daily exercise. 


I'm excited to see what this next week brings. My goals is 2-3 more pounds, so we'll see if I can make it happen. God has been really good all the way through  and I'm just praying that I can keep my commitment going strong. 


Once again thanks for the encouraging messages, emails, and posts. This is what keeps me accountable and motivated so thanks to all. 


“There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out. There’s no such thing as life in-between.” ~Pat Riley