No One Likes to Buy Me Pants

Some Exciting News and Updates Coming Soon!

2013-08-27T13:32:00.002-07:00

Back at it! I got seriously burnt out on posting, so after a nice sabbatical I feel ready to roll again.

I have missed blogging and I am prepping some updates for my next challenge. With our first baby on the way in less than a month, I know that carving out the time to stay heart healthy and fit is going to be especially challenging. I am going to post some of my ideas, thoughts, failures, and successes back on the blog.

Very excited for the future, and enjoying the present.

Cheers...

Tuesday Lunchtime Links and Update

2012-06-05T08:43:00.001-07:00

Happy Tuesday,

I have been getting tons of questions lately like "What plan do you follow?" "How do you stay motivated?" "Do you follow other blogs?" Things like that. Sooooooo... I'm going to start posting links and stuff that I find really helpful. Now that I have been on this lifestyle change journey for almost a full year, the way I live my day to day life has evolved. So has this blog. I'm going to try and make this a helpful place for people that need some extra encouragement and just general info on how to make a lasting lifestyle change. Whether you have 10 pounds to lose or 100, this is all about changing it up for the long haul.

Personal Challenges:

Balance is sometimes the hardest thing to maintain with any kind of consistency in this busy world of ours. For me, I've figured out that the strength training is great, but that I can't sacrifice the level of cardio I was doing. So, I am going to be doing strength training in addition to the cardio training I do already. My goal is to continue weight loss while also throwing in strength training to tone it up.

Biking is still my #1 choice for cardio, because I enjoy it. I had a killer 21 mile bike workout Saturday morning that burned over 1200 calories, and did it in just over 90 minutes.

However, minute for minute, it's hard to beat the results you get from running outside. I did a 5k last night in this nasty FL 90 degree heat and humidity after an hour of yard work. It was absolutely intense and difficult. I was soaked by the end, but it was rewarding. In about 40 minutes I torched at least 600-700 calories.

Workout Goal:

2 5k's per week

1 20+ mile bike ride per week

3-4 days of strength training + cardio at gym per week

Check out these Lunchtime Links:

6 Sneaky Foods That Are Healthier Than You Think

Your Friends Can Make You Fat :-)

How To Start Running If You're Not A Runner - READ THIS ONE

Eat This Not That: The WORST Summer Drinks

Is it better not to eat at Night? This is always a tricky one for me!

I also get lots of questions on the Apps I use to track my workouts. Here they are:

Two Great FREE Apps are MapMyRide and RunKeeper

Paid App I use for running is Nike+GPS

Special thanks to all who have reached out to me with questions about your personal goals and especially your successes! It's very cool to know that some part of my journey has helped you in yours!

If you're friends with my sister Laura C. on Facebook, go give her a shoutout...She's been running and working her way up to a 5k :-). I've put her on the spot and said we are going to run a 5k together by the end of the summer.

Also shout out to Ryan W. He's starting his exercise routine today and taking step #1 towards a better lifestyle.

“Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.” ~Norman Vincent Peale

SUNDAY SCOOP - 5/20/12

2012-05-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday :-)
One of the most important things I've learned over the last almost TEN months of doing this lifestyle change is that REAL and MEANINGFUL change is always accompanied by some measure of sacrifice. In other words, You will have to make some tough choices, give up a few things that you used to do, break old habits, learn new habits, and go out there and make it happen. Nothing worth having can be changed in one day, one week or even one month in most cases. Change for the better means a long-term commitment.

So many people ask me what I'm doing special, or if I take any pills, or pregnancy hormones lol. There is no secret or anything like that, it's just hard work and sacrifice. Trust me, if I can do it, ANYBODY can.

WEIGHT UPDATE:
Highest Weight seen on the Scale: 307
Weight on 7/27/11: 294
Weight Today 5/20/12: 255

So right around that 50-60 total pounds mark!

I actually started strength training at the Anytime Fitness here in Dunedin, because I wasn't getting the same results with just cardio anymore , and I want to tone up and all that jazz before we head over to Hawaii this summer. It's going really well so far, and they gave me a great deal. I did gain 1 pound back the first week doing weights, but the trainer there tells me it's normal. I go through a cycle of Arms and Abs, Back and Shoulders, Chest, and Legs. I'm already seeing and feeling the results and it's been a really nice change of pace.

Quick Notes:
1) Some people ask me what App I use to track my biking. It's a free App called MapMyRIDE. Very accurate and helps challenge you to do more each time.
2) If you're looking for a good breakfast replacement bar or supplement bar try the CLIFF bar. The two best flavors are Blueberry Crisp and White Chocolate Macadamia. SO GOOD! The 6-Bar pack is only $5.88 at Walmart. $1/breakfast. Cha-Ching

HEART HEALTHY:
Being Heart Healthy has been one of my biggest goals from the get-go, and my blood pressure has slowly been getting better and better! This time last year I was getting Stage 1 Hypertension readings for my blood pressure. However, now I'm seeing great readings consistent with what you see below. 117 over 70! WOW. Huge change from where I used to be, and my best BP Reading yet!

Some BEFORE PICS:

THE DREADED SIDE SHOT:

Andddddddd Some Today shots!

I have had so many great people send me emails, comments, etc. Some of you are sending encouragement, and some of you are in the same situation I was in. Some of you I know very well, and some of you I have never even met!

Some of you have told me that you feel like you have way too much to lose, and you're not sure it can be done without surgery or some kind of medication. Some say, "Cool, well I'll wait till things slow down (Or for the summer, or for the school year, etc etc etc) , Or I'll wait till I have a little this or that." I appreciate you all very much and I GET IT. BUTTTTTTT, the time is now :-). You have to start today. Not next week, or next month, or next anything. You've got to get your commitment level there and then just go for it. You will have slip-ups and mistakes, but that's life. You live and learn, and keep on going. You can do it if you are willing to make it happen. I know you can :-)

Thank you for your support! Keep it comin!

"“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” ~Mark Victor Hansen"

Hello, Hello. It's been too long...

2012-05-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

Sorry it's taken me so long to update this thing! I'm gonna do a post with Pics and stuff later this week. As always life is busy, and I finished teaching my college course for the semester , so I'm just catching up on all this.

Things are going really well , so do not fear. I've joined an Anytime Fitness near my house for strength training to add on top of cardio and am loving it. I can't believe it's coming up on TEN MONTHS that I've been committed to this lifestyle change. Time flies when you're losing it....I also bought another pair of size 38 shorts last week so that feels real good! :-). My old clothes are starting to pile up in a big trash bag in my room that I'm going to take over to Goodwill.

Anyways............Stay tuned. I'm not dead lol and I haven't quit. Still on the losing side and feeling great.

More to come later ...

Happy Thursday! -- Size 38 ... WHOA

2012-03-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

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 !!!

2012-03-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

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

Weigh-In Wednesday Week 32!!!

2012-02-29T20:24:00.000-08:00

HEYYYYYYYY EVERYONE! -- Happy Wednesday and Happy Leap Day!

My Peak Starting weight was over 300 pounds. The day I weighed in I was 294 back in July

Today my Official weight loss is still at 42-43 pounds depending on the day.

Still trying to push my body into the 240's. I've seen some more awesome changes with my clothes though....and I think I'm about ready to start wearing size 38 pants :-).

Before Pic of the week....

And a rare before from the side view ...

And After ....

Check me out with one of my old t-shirts! This shirt was TIGHT on me a few months ago---

From the side ...

Anyways....IT'S RACE WEEKEND

Got some cool things going on this week. The biggest and best is that I'm going to be participating in the Gasparilla 5k Festivities this coming Saturday morning :-). Check out the link, their site looks great!

I'm going to be doing this with a group from my office. They do this every year, and I signed up a few months ago. I know that a 5k isn't exactly a marathon, but going out and doing this in public with a group of people is a BIG deal! The last time I tried to run in public it was at a kids race at my Dad's company's fall work picnic and I quit with an "Asthma attack" about one lap in...I was 10...hahaha. Scarred for life :-(

I have been running the past few months and I'm really excited and slightly nervous. This is going to be a great experience. I can't wait to post pics etc from the event.

See you all very soon...

“Courage is a resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” ~Mark Twain

Update Coming Soon

2012-02-27T09:59:00.004-08:00

Hey All,

Life has been really busy the past couple weeks, we even adopted an awesome new puppy!

I'll have an update soon on further weight progress, some workout , stuff, and of course pictures of the pup.

Thanks again for all the love and support!!!

Weigh-In Wednesday Week 30!!!

2012-02-15T20:08:00.000-08:00

30 Weeks Completed

161 Days Down

Starting Weight -- 294

Week 27 Weight -- 252

Today's weight -- 2-5-2 Soooooooo staying the same still.

Total Weight Loss to date = 42 pounds !!!

For some reason my body weight fluctuates up and down right now. I've actually seen weights as low as 250 and one day I saw a spike up to 256-257?? Today I'm back down to the usual 252.

Really bizarre stuff.

Before ...

After :

Before Side ...

After from the Side:

But on the bright side I feel fantastic! I had my fastest single mile time tonight at 9 minutes and 50 seconds! That's a pretty amazing change from when it was taking me over 15 minutes to run a mile back when I started running a few months ago :-)

I'm really trying to keep my mind off the weight plateau my body is going through right now. My clothes keep getting smaller and smaller and my wedding ring actually fell off while I was running Tuesday. I've started wearing it on my middle finger because it's getting so loose. I've talked to a couple of different people for fitness and they both told me to quit paying attention to my weight and start adding more and more variety to my workout plan. I plan on getting a few free weights to mix in and start doing some plyometric P90x style stuff.

As for the blog itself, I know it hasn't been getting updated quite as frequently with everything going on. I'm going to try to keep it up at least weekly, but sometimes it might be just 2-3 times a month. Do not fear though, I'm still going strong.

MY SHORT TERM GOAL: To be into the 240's by the end of February

I like this quote particularly well right now for what I'm experiencing.
“When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail.” ~Abraham Maslow

Weigh-In Wednesday Week 28!!!

2012-02-01T20:38:00.000-08:00

28 Weeks Completed

147 Days Down

Starting Weight -- 294

Week 27 Weight -- 253

Today's weight -- 2-5-2 So that's another 1 pound down!

Total Weight Loss to date = 42 pounds !!!

Arghhhhhhh....Kind of frustrated these days with the pace of the weight loss. I believe I'm officially in a plateau until I can break into the 40's ,,, Buttt I have some really great observations from this week :-).

First....Here's a couple before pics ...

Andddd After!

From the Side ...

Check out these 4 pair of shorts and one pair of jeans that are going to Goodwill this week. I could barely fit into these 28 weeks ago, and now I can't wear them anymore!

Also, I've prepared a classic "LOOK AT MY OLD PANTS" Picture ...

I've had some really good workouts since I finally was able to get over that sinus infection. Tonight, I had my biggest and bestest 5k run yet. I made it in 33:38 and burned up about 600 calories!

My clothes are fitting better than ever before. I've probably seen the biggest difference in my clothes here in the last two weeks. I've had lots of people tell me I need to get new clothes because mine are looking too big. hooray! I'll take it.

I've been tightening up my diet even more this week to try and move things along as well. I'm going to be running the Gasparilla 5k with some people from work next month so that should be fun too.

My biggest challenge right now is not getting too frustrated with the number on the scale. I want to get to the next level, but I know that takes time.

In other news, I recently started teaching a college course on Monday nights, which has been a ton of fun and a big learning experience. As usual life is BUSYYYYY , so it's just a matter of making exercise and healthy choices a part of your lifestyle. every day. no matter what.

Still want to pick up the pace with the weight loss, but overall I'm very pleased.

“The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.” ~Thomas S. Monson

Don't stress.....Update coming tonight!

2012-02-01T13:18:00.001-08:00

Don't stress.....Update coming tonight!

Hey all, I know it's been a little bit since I've updated this thing . I've been busy with some cool stuff going in my life. I'm teaching a college course once a week now, which is pretty exciting. Anyways, stay tuned...I'll have an update post tonight on my latest regarding my journey to get fit and stay fit.

Thanks for reading!

SIX MONTHS of SUCCESS !!!

2012-01-21T12:14:00.000-08:00

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:

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

As of 1/20/12:

I weigh 253 Pounds - A LOSS OF 41 POUNDS!
Run a 5k (3.1 miles) at least 3 times a week, and run 4-5 miles at least once a week
Have plenty of room to spare in a size XL.
Can fit comfortably in my old size 17 dress shirts
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
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
I eat between 1500 - 2000 calories a day. I burn about 600-900 every time I exercise
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:

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.
Lose another 35-40 pounds. I'd love to see a number between 200-215 on the scale
Get my 5k time down to 30 minutes
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 25!!!

2012-01-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

Go away sickness!!!

25 Weeks Completed

175 Days Down

Starting Weight -- 294

Week 24 Weight -- 254

Today's weight -- 254 no change :-(

Total Weight Loss to date = 40 pounds

Before Pic -

After

And from the side

I've actually seen as low as 42 pounds down this week. Some of this may be due to this cold/flu/sinus infection / whatever else it is lol. I've been sick since last week and I just can't shake it. I haven't been able to work out a ton because of the chest congestion. I tried one day and did a 5k, but the next day I was the most sick yet. Anyways, tonight I wanted to get back out there so I took it slower. I did 15 minutes on the bike, and then went for a run for a little over a mile.

I'm hoping that this stuff clears up and I can get back out and have a really solid workout week. I'm shooting for a 2-3 pound loss week! I am excited to get out of the 50's and see those 40's!

Even thought my weight didn't really change this week , I am noticing more changes with clothes and stuff like that. Besides being sick , I feel great lol! I've dropped a t-shirt size down to XL. I've dropped 6 inches off my waist and now some of my size 40 pants are getting loose! I can't wait till I can buy size 36 pants again. The last time I remember wearing that size was maybe my sophomore year in HIGH SCHOOL!

Food has been really good, but not GREAT. There are a few areas to tighten up, but for the most part getting back into my routine has been easy. I think that 2-3 pounds this next week is doable.

Thanks to everyone for all your continued support as we get back into the swing of things and the daily routine. Next stop...the 40's!

Also check this out... My mom shared this with me. Really cool stuff: "On Jan. 04,2011, one of my prayers for 2011, was that you would be 30 pounds lighter on Jan. 04, 2012, you so exceeded that.....praise the Lord for answered prayer. "

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

Weigh-In Wednesday Week 24!!!

2012-01-05T20:22:00.000-08:00

OK I'm Back.

One day late due to a magnificent bowl performance by my beloved WVU Mountaineers last night in their 70-33 victory over Clemson in the Orange Bowl.

I do have a ton to report. and I'm going to do a full-blown report with pictures etc on Saturday.

The good news is I'm down to 243.5. So I've lost 40.5 pounds total so far!

January 20th will make my 6 month mark on this weight loss journey. I've got some work to do to catch up to my 8 pounds per month goal.

The Holidays are officially over. The stomach flu is officially over (hopefully). And I'm still going strong!

Knocked out another 5k tonight :-)

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!!

2011-12-29T05:15:00.000-08:00

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.

Weigh-In Wednesday Week 21!!!

2011-12-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

21 Weeks Completed

147 Days Down

Starting Weight -- 294

Week 18 Weight -- 256.9

Today's weight -- 2-5-4.8! So that's another 2.1 pounds down!

Total Weight Loss to date = 39.2 pounds !!!

What a great week! Nice to see a 2-Pounder, and be within 0.8 pounds of the big 40 loss point.

Before ( This is from our Honeymoon in June 2010)

And After ...

It's actually getting really late , and I need to make this one short. I have a good reason for the late post :-)

Tonight I didn't really feel like running, but I said to myself "Just go one mile and come back and do the blog." Well, once I was out there I got my determination back and knocked another 5 miles tonight. Burned about 920 calories in just about an hour. Since I didn't workout till after church, this equals a later night. But SO worth it!

Really cool stuff.

I want to do a post later this week on how the workouts have been going since so many people have asked me about them.

Also, thought this was pretty cool. This is a list of the pageviews of this blog since I started. Check out all the international readers! I was surprised to see that Russia is #2 on the list. UK, Germany, Iceland, Indonesia, Brazil. So cool!

Who are you guys ??? I'd love to hear from you.

Pageviews by Countries

United States

3,457

Russia

United Kingdom

Canada

Germany

Iceland

Indonesia

Australia

Brazil

France

Thanks to all for your continued support. Almost 40 Pounds down! Next week on the 20th will make 5 MONTHS of this lifestyle change. What a great experience....

“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.” ~Dr. Denis Waitley

Weigh-In Wednesday Week 20!!!

2011-12-07T19:51:00.001-08:00

20 Weeks Completed

140 Days Down

Starting Weight -- 294

Week 18 Weight -- 258

Today's weight -- 2-5-6.9! So that's another 1.1 pounds down!

Total Weight Loss to date = 37.1 pounds !!!

Before ( these are from the day after Jaimie and I got engaged)...

After...

And from the side ...

OK so this week was a bit of up and down. Some days I felt like I just wasn’t as on target as I should be with my portion sizes at meals. And there were sometimes while working out that I just felt TIRED. I just couldn’t get the endurance I needed.

However, towards the end of the week I actually have felt great. Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday were absolutely my best days this week. Tonight I had a fantastic run. I went for 4.1 miles without stopping and burned about 730 Calories on my workout. As a sidenote, if you have an iPhone or SmartPhone , you need to get the Nike+ GPS App. It’s awesome! I tried it for the first time tonight. At the end of my workout Dirk Nowitzki congratulated me on my best 5k time lol.

I think I will do an entire post dedicated to running soon. I used to dread it like I used to dread going to the store to buy pants. I think a big part of that is because I was so out of shape and unfit to run. I’m actually enjoying it more and more every time. There is something a little addictive about going out and beating your best distance and time. Biking and running are pretty much my go-to workouts. Crunches, push-ups, etc provide the rest. No gym needed.

My fruits of choice the past couple of weeks have been: Bananas, Pomegranate, and Dried Cranberries

Go- to Snacks: Fiber Bars, Slim-Fast Meal Bars/Shakes, Slim-fast snack bars, rice cakes, skim string cheese

This is truly a marathon. After X-Weeks this has been a life-changing experience. New challenges every day, but new victories every day. Thanks to all for your kind comments, encouragement, and support. You really keep me going , while keeping me accountable.

THANK YOU!!!! until next time ....

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” ~Wayne Dyer

Weigh-In Wednesday Week 19!!!

2011-11-30T19:59:00.001-08:00

19 Weeks Completed

133 Days Down

Starting Weight -- 294

Week 18 Weight -- 259

Today's weight -- 2-5-8! So that's another 1 pound down!

Total Weight Loss to date = 36 pounds !!!

First off, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Before Pic (this is actually my picture After 4 Weeks into this lifestyle change)

After (look, I'm smiling this time!)

And from the side ...

So. The questions I've been getting the most are ... "Did you totally ruin your diet over Thanksgiving?" "How much weight did you gain?" "Was it miserable?" LOL! The answer is No , No, and No. I had a great time and survived. Whew.

I came in to Thanksgiving with a few goals:

1) Don't Gain even one pound

2) Work Out every day, no matter what's going on

3) Enjoy the home cooking and meals with friends

Check, check, check.

Jaimie and I flew home to the family up in West Virginia for the Thanksgiving Holiday. We had a great time. I'll walk you through the trip...

We got to see some great friends have a game night at our Friends Todd and Jess' house. This was also the first night we had a fire pit, which ended up happening alot on this trip. Jess made some awesome homemade BBQ's. I had one. It was delicious.

On Thanksgiving Day we had a GREAT meal! We also got to spend with almost 20 family members. We have such a great family and it was so much fun seeing everyone. Here are a few pics of the yummy food etc.

Jaimie and baby Coop

Cool name plates

As for my workouts during the week. I managed to get out every single day. Wed-Thurs-Fri-Sat. The run on Thanksgiving morning really helped prepare me for the day of food ahead. Here are some pics of the awesome views I had around town while I was running.

View from our Backyard

Ready to put the smack down on Pitt

Celebratory Fire PITT

Some of the lights we put up for Christmas

Anyways, it's getting late so I'm gonna wrap this up. This week I was able to recover from a flat week of maintenance during Thanksgiving, and lose another pound this week. Thanks to all for your constant love and support. It's been a great journey so far these past 4+ months, and I'm looking forward to meeting my New Years Goal.

Bye for now .....

“People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine.” ~Brian Tracy

Back in action ....

2011-11-29T13:40:00.001-08:00

OK so I'm still alive and well in case you were wondering.

Lot's of updates coming on Wednesday, as well as some pics from our Thanksgiving trip up to WV.

We had good food with great family and friends. Anyways, much more to come on Wednesday, including a weigh-in for 11/30/11.

End of 4 Month -- Check In

2011-11-20T18:46:00.001-08:00

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 ...

294 Pounds
Really determined to make a change
Unsure of real, lasting, progress
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 ...

259 Pounds
Really determined to make a change
Seeing, real, lasting progress
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

Weigh-In Wednesday Week 17!!!

2011-11-16T19:45:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Weigh-In Wednesday. Week 17 Edition! A few posts back I commented on the kinda sorta "plateau" I felt like I was hitting in the mid-sixties. I was having so much trouble losing more than one pound in a week, and I just felt stuck trying to get over that magic "30" number. Part of that was slip-ups on my part I'm sure, but I still felt like it was a make it break it kind of time, where I was going to stay at around 30 pounds down, or be able to move past it and start having a 2+ pound loss week.

This week felt like a great one all the way through. I started seeing better results on the scales and I was able to keep up my pace running and biking like never before. My food intake was also pretty solid. So......

17 Weeks Completed

119 Days Down

Starting Weight -- 294

Week 16 Weight -- 263.8

Today's weight -- 2-6-1! So that's another 2.8 pounds down!

Total Weight Loss to date = 33 pounds !!!

Back to being a loser. Almost 3 pounds lost just this week. SUCCESS!

The first before pic, is me and my Dad at my wedding in June of 2010. The second pic is from about one week before I started this lifestyle change. People keep telling me my face has really changed lol, so decide for yourselves.

Before Pic...

Before Pic ... Face Shot

After 17 Weeks

And from the Side

Like I was saying earlier, this was a very productive week, and hopefully I'll be able to replicate a similar result this week coming up. Next week's weigh-in Wednesday post will be coming to you from Wild and Wonderful West Virginia as we'll be heading up there to spend Thanksgiving with the family.

Some cool things from this week:

Took Jaimie to see my friends over at Chainwheel Drive in Clearwater and picked her up a bike so she can ride with me. Great bikes over there. If you need one, check em out! We did an astonishing 15 miles on the bikes on Sunday afternoon. Nice work Jaimie, even if your legs were on fire afterwards.

I am beginning to think I can survive on rice cakes, almonds, fresh fruit, dried fruit, and low-fat string cheese as my snacks. Gets the job done, and also tastes pretty great.

My goal for this week coming up to get into the 50's bracket. Whew. I can do it.

Thanksgiving will present a challenge I'm sure. But I'm just going to make sure I plan accordingly. You better believe I'm gonna enjoy that meal ;-).

Thanks to all the people that have come up to me, messaged me , or called me with encouragement! I was helping out at the Outlet at Starkey Road tonight, and it was so cool to have so many of the students and leaders come up to me telling me they could really tell the difference. Special thanks out there to Justin, Erik, Luke, Will, Jacob, Bobby, Brian, etc etc etc. I also have some great supporters at work that have kept me accountable with food and helped me stay focused. Don, Sean, Erik, etc etc. Thanks for asking me "is that part of your diet." Excellent work.

I love the support , and it's great to have that extra motivation!

My mom sent me this quote today and I'm going to use it for the post.

"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful men keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit." - Conrad Hilton

Weigh-In Wednesday Week 16!!!

2011-11-09T20:14:00.000-08:00

It's Wednesday. So, by now you all know the drill. Let's review. My first blog was back on July 20. At that time I weighed in at 294 pounds. I finally decided to quit being complacent and DO SOMETHING. Since then, I've had ups and downs, and this has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences of my life.

Today I reached a huge goal, and I am very proud to give you this week's official stats ...

16 Weeks Completed

112 Days Down

Starting Weight -- 294

Week 15 Weight -- 265

Today's weight -- 2-6-3.8! So that's another 1.2 pounds down!

Total Weight Loss to date = 30 pounds !!!

THIRTY POUNDS. Whew , that's a big goal accomplished. I'd like to drop another 15 by the New Year. I think it's possible :-)

Before Pic ....

After...

And from the side ...

So, to celebrate this loss of 30 pounds, I was trying to think of some things that weigh 30 pounds, and I'm really drawing a blank here.

Who's got some ideas? What things out there weigh 30 pounds lol???

Really happy with this big accomplishment today. It's been 16 weeks of very hard work, and this is the most weight I have ever lost. Even though I haven't hit the 2-pound a week mark alot this month, I've still consistently been losing. I can't weight to get into the 50's!

More to come soon ...

Thank you thank you thank you to all who have continued with your great support and encouragement.

“You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.” ~Rosalynn Carter

Week 16 Weigh-In Coming Up Tonight ...

2011-11-09T10:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

16 Weeks in and 112 days down. Not quite to the official 4 month yet, because I actually started on 7/20/11. The official four-month mark will be in about a week and a half, so I'll do a separate post then.

Anyways, stay tuned tonight for the Week 16 Update :-)

Plateau???

2011-11-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

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 15!!!

2011-11-02T19:55:00.000-07:00

15 Weeks Completed

105 Days Down

Starting Weight -- 294

Week 14 Weight -- 265.8

Today's weight -- 2-6-5! So that's another 0.8 pounds down!

Total Weight Loss to date = 29 pounds !!!

Not my best week so far, but still productive! My fantastic family was here for a visit, and Jaimie and I got to go enjoy the Hilton Grand Vacations Resort and Disney.

For the before and after pics for Week 15, I've chosen a couple of pics from our Europe trip in June. These pics are from Amsterdam. You'll notice that I'm wearing the exact same clothes in both sets of pictures. Can you see the difference?

Before Pic #1 - Amsterdam

Before Pic #2 - Amsterdam

Week 15 - From the Front

And of course... From the Side

And that's that.

Progress was actually slower this week, and it looks like I came up just ONE POUND short of my 30 pounds lost by the end of October goal. You know what though, I'll take it. 29 pounds is more weight than I have ever lost in my life, and it really feels great. I think there were a few factors that played in to the slower paced loss. I had more special meals with family at restaurants, and definitely didn't watch things quite as strictly. To me, that's OK. I still had a loss, and after over 100 days it feels good to see some real progress.

Now it's time to get back to it and have a 2-3 pound loss next week. I'd like to drop another 15 pounds by the New Year. Do-able?? I think so.

As far as the Disney trip goes, I'll put some more pics up and give that it's own post sometime this weekend. Here are a few pics from the trip!

More to come later! Thanks for all the support!!!

“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” ~Vincent Van Gogh