The Fat Guy's Journey

a small step forward

2011-04-08T08:43:00.001-04:00

I cranked out a mile on the treadmill in just over 9 minutes. I haven't had a mile time that low in a long time. I am going to slowly build from there. Been stupid busy and haven't been making time to keep my blog current. Thank your lucky stars this publication is free. LOL

Counting Calories

2011-04-04T10:33:00.001-04:00

I started counting calories some time last week. I dropped 2 pounds by staying under my calorie allotment. This weekend, however I did not do a good job with keeping up with my calories. Or try to stay under my allotted 2161 calories. I am going to do a better job of keeping up with my calories.

Weekend Update

2011-03-27T21:16:00.000-04:00

Friday I registered myself at www.livestrong.com so I could take advantage of the interactive calorie counter. According to the website, I am allowed 2,161 calories per day. So far so good. I have been under my calories for three days straight. I know it is not a huge win in the battle of the bulge, but it is a good step in the right direction.

The 5K did not go as planned. I was not able to run the entire race like I wanted to. My wife was not able to attend the race with us, so I had to manage the kiddos alone. The three of them started off very strong. Trevor was the first one to stop and turn around. He was close enough to the school that I let him go on his own. Riley made it just beyond the half way mark before she hitched a ride back. Ryann would run a little, then run a little. There was some type of law enforcement vehicle that followed the racers, but I couldn't just run off and leave my young kids to run alone. The weather was awful as well. I will just have to become more motivated and get out there and run on my own.

Small adjustments will lead to major changes in my health and fitness level.

Brutal Honesty from a Fat Guy

2011-03-24T21:05:00.000-04:00

At track practice today I walked a little over a mile before practice began. That is probably the only good thing I did for my body today.

I feel like the biggest jerk ever. I ate like a homeless guy at a buffet today. I had fast food (large fries and sweet tea) for lunch. I grilled some steaks for dinner and had a baked potato. I had to stop and buy the steaks and potatoes. So while I was at the store I bought some chips and salsa. On the way home I had chips and salsa. When I got home my wife informed me I forgot something. So I had to go back to the store and get the butter for the potatoes. I bought some fried pies (the ones that come 4 to a pack). I ate the whole pack on the way home. But I did wash all of it down with a Coke Zero.

Why can I not get this over eating habit kicked? In our society people will over look the bad habit of over eating as if it isn't as bad as abusing alcohol or drugs. I need to realize I need God to help me with this or I will never get fit and healthy.

Struggling through,
SHEP

Walhalla Elementary Family Fun Run

2011-03-23T14:26:00.000-04:00

On Saturday March 26th at the butt crack of dawn I am going to run in my 5th or 6th 5k race. I have not went on any kind of run since probably November or December. I hope all of the basketball I have been playing will help me with this run. I am still playing basketball any where from 1 to 3 times per week. I don't have any delusions that I am going to set any world speed record for a 30 year old fat guy either.

In other news......
I was working as a companion aide for a student with special needs up until last week. I am no longer needed in that position, so I am unemployed. I am not dealing with this very well. I am struggling internally with what it is that I want to do for a living. I see a lot of different jobs that I feel I would be successful at and would probably enjoy, but I want to be doing what God wants me to do. I know I could get my teaching certificate and be a great teacher, or I could use my organizational skills in an office somewhere and be an outstanding administrative assistant, or I could be some kind of salesman and do great; but the thing I want to do most, is to please God with what I am doing as far as my job/career goes. This is not the easiest thing for me to deal with either because I have so much going on right now and I really enjoy all that I do. I work part-time at a therapeutic boys school. I am the volunteer sports league director at my church. I also coach the throwers on the track team at my local high school. I am getting ready to start subbing in the school district as well.

What is it that I am supposed to be doing????? All I know is that when I do get to the answer, I want the answer and God's will to match up.

I am seriously about to get seriously serious into losing weight and getting healthy.

SHEP

Re-try???

2011-03-10T05:57:00.000-05:00

I am going to try and get my journey to good health and fitness another shot. I have not had the desire to get healthy and fit in a while. I am now helping coach track at my local high school and I need to be a healthy role model not only for my children, but for my athletes as well. It is not going to be an easy task. I am scared that I will fail and give up again.

Whoa Nelly!!!!!

2010-11-19T00:06:00.000-05:00

What is up????

I am so excited. My South Carolina Gamecocks beat the snot out of the Florida Gators Saturday night. I am so pupmed. USC has won their first SEC East division title. Two more games left in the regular season and then the SEC Championship game in the ATL and then a bowl game. What a season.

Today has been a very physical day for me. This morning I did a some bench presses. Mid-afternoon I played a little basketball. After work my wife and I went for a 3.1 mile run. This evening I went and played basketball.

My feet are slightly sore after today. I am very excited I am trying to make a change.

I really need to kick the sweet tea kick I have been on here lately. The school cafeteria provides me with all the free sweet tea I want to drink. And boy do I like to drink it. Gotta cut that junk out for sure.

My run today wasn't great, but it was not terrible either. I walked with my wife a couple of times and then finished out on my own. 37 minutes. 3 miles. Not too shabby. Could have been much better though. But hey, I mean it has been since August since I have done any real running.

Gotta make that turn though.

SHEP

Monday Basketball

2010-11-09T06:02:00.000-05:00

Monday night I played basketball for a decent amount of time. I am feeling it this morning too. My legs/shin splints are killing me today. I have gotten out of basketball shape for sure. January 9th the third season of FCC basketball starts up. I have to get my butt in gear because I do not want to be the worst guy in the league again. If you are not a member of a church already and want to come out and play ball, you can find out more info online at http://www.foothills.cc/.

Quick Update

2010-10-30T09:03:00.000-04:00

I have been fairly inactive since May. I am disappointed in myself, but understand it is a long process. I am ging to be getting this back up and running soon I am going to Greenville, SC in a few minutes after the locksmith gets here, to see my wife run a HALF.

I just have to suck it up and move and exercise daily.

steppin' in the right direction.

2010-08-27T07:04:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, I went to bed before 7 PM. It was awesome to get enough sleep for once. Not that I am complaining, when I do not get enough sleep it is always my own fault. Thursday AM I got out of bed about 530 or 545. I jumped on the treadmill and slowly pounded out a little over a mile. My goal is to slowly work back up to 3 plus miles. I am going to do it slowly so I am not having to deal with lower leg pains like I did in previous months. I had every intention of running 3 miles Thursday AM, but when my legs started screaming that my 230 plus frame was too much to handle I hit the showers. Well, just the shower.

Thursday night I played basketball like usual. I sweated and ran and ran and sweated. I am disappointed with the percentage of shots that actually went in. Some days are better than others. In all reality I am better off now as a basketball player than I was at this time last year. I have no crazy thoughts of being anything but a pick-up or church league baller. I have a good time playing and hanging out. I look forward to Monday and Thursday's.

SHEP

How Bad Do YOU (SHEP) want it?

2010-08-23T22:26:00.000-04:00

I had to take the day off work to drive the 300 miles round trip to Columbia, SC for the Neuro-Psychologist in charge of brain research to tell me I am indeed stricken with ADD. While driving the crazy interstate system of South Carolina I was reflecting on how I would love to coach a sports team. When I get these ideas in my head I often play out scenarios in my head. This particular scenario I was thinking about getting my team prepared for a bigger, stronger, more athletic team to compete against. I could hear myself shouting at them to work hard and asking them "How bad do you want it?"

I then snapped back to reality and considered the things that I want in life.

I want:

To lose a significant amount of weight.

To be a good father.

To be a good husband.

To be a good employee.

To be a better basketball player.

To be a better Christian.

These are all goals that are attainable. I know these are all things I can accomplish. I do not feel like I am putting in enough effort. I can sit on the couch and complain about all the things that I have not accomplished, or I can get up and put forth the effort it will take to reach my goals and aspirations.

I played basketball tonight for about 2 and a half hours. I am very tired and had an awesome workout. However that is all I have been doing as far as exercise goes since May. It is time to get back on the treadmill and start logging some miles.

SHEP

It Has Been A Minute

2010-08-23T00:33:00.000-04:00

I have not posted in a while.....

I am still alive and kicking. I am still around 230 lbs. I need to get my crap together and get back on track.

I had a conversation with my father today. He called complaining about how he has nothing and his health sucks because of his addiction to prescription pain killers. When I told him I had warned him months before that he needed to get help, he tried to explain to me that I do not understand what it is like to be an addict. I do not have any idea what it is like to be addicted to drugs, but food has always been a driving force in my life.

I feel terrible that I am having to explain to my father what he should be doing to get his life together. It sucks that I know not to abuse drugs, but I can't keep my eating habits under control.

At church (http://www.foothills.cc/) the pastor was talking about the verse in the Bible old school folks use to tell people my age we shouldn't have tattoos. You know the one that says your body is a temple. Well, I do not believe tattoos are wrong, but I have not treated my body like it is a temple.

I have some things that I need to take care of for sure.

I have the resources and the support system I need at home to be successful. I need to stop being lazy and get myself back on track.

Today I was humbled beyond words. God showed me no matter what situation is going on, that he is never going to leave me, even when I stray.

I am looking forward to getting squared away. It is going to be a hard, tough battle, but it is a battle worth fighting.

SHEP

Good News, Bad News

2010-07-17T20:41:00.000-04:00

The good news: I am still not drinking cokes and sweet tea. I am still playing basketball two nights a week.

Bad news: I am not running any. I have been snacking at night when I get bored.

The good news: I realize this. I realize I need to make a change. I wrote a plan out on paper. It is an easy to accomplish plan, that I can make more difficult as I go. I am going to run two days a week and play basketball two days a week. I am going to throw a long walk in there as well.

We were out of town last week visiting a friend and went for a hike. It was nice. I would like to do more of this. We have some really nice mountains close by that I could go hiking on.

I still have not been able to find a job. I am getting more and more frustrated about this. I struggled and bumped my way through college and now I cannot put my degree to work. I have made a grand total of $9.15 from this blog. But I will not get a check until I get to $100. I know God has something in store for me, but I am struggling to be at peace with that thought.

I am over halfway to my goal weight. If I could get my head squared away I could exceed my goal weight. I want to get to 210, but I know if I can get my head squared away I can get down to 185.

Summer is coming to a close. What are you going to do to close it out?

SHEP

2010-07-09T11:09:00.001-04:00

Thursday night basketball was great. We had just enough to run five on five. I hate having to sub guys in and out. Not only does it increase the likelihood of me having to sit out, but it takes forever for the games to start back because of water breaks and people chatting. I am very impatient. I hate waiting on other people. I went to the physical therapist yesterday about my hip pain from May. She told me I need to stretch more. My wife dropped me off, and instead of waiting for her to come pick me up, I started walking toward where she was. Partially because I hate waiting, because I wanted to walk, and because I couldnt force myself to hang out in the waiting room with all the old people at the VA hospital. We are going to the lake here in a little while and I am eventually going to come home and run at least 33 minutes for my 2nd day of half marathon training. I am looking forward to getting my legs back to running condition.

SHEP

back at it

2010-07-07T15:17:00.001-04:00

My wife has been on me about running. I finally listened and got on the treadmill today. Man did it feel good to be back at it. I started out at a 6 rpm on the treadmill working up to an 8.2. I couldnt keep it at an 8.2, only because the circuit breaker kept tripping. It was a great run though. I ran for 30 minutes with a little leg pain. Breathing was no problem at all.
I am registered for another 5K in August. As soon as I get paid I am going to register for a half marathon in October. Spinxfest on October 30th will be my first half marathon. There may be a 13.1 sticker/tshirt purchase soon after that. I am not looking forward to the training, but cannot wait until the run.

It felt great running today. Looking forward to getting back to business.

CONGRATS to my Carolina Gamecocks for winning the College World Series National Championship! GO COCKS!

Still alive and not taking life too serious, because no one makes it out alive.

SHEP

2010-07-01T12:40:00.001-04:00

Things have been crazy for the last month. The sad part is, I have not reacted quite like I should have. I have been hiding my frustrations in my plate. Up until the end of May I had been doing so well with my new healthy living. I cannot allow a tragedy to take away all that I have accomplished. I have not ran since May 22nd. I have got to get my butt in gear or it will be a sad sad day when I do try to get a run in.

I have to get back on this healthy lifestyle train and ride it until I die, regardless of when that is. I have to do everything I can to make myself the most healthy person I can be for my family.

I will have to look at my goals and make some adjustments now that I have been not doing the things that I need to do to reach my goals.

Today's plans:
Haircut
Basketball
Take my trash to the dump
Play with the kids
Search for job

I hope your summer is going the way you want it to go.

SHEP

2010-06-28T13:13:00.001-04:00

Ever since my buddy passed away I have not wanted to work out or eat healthy. I am still pissed off that God would allow this friend of mine to needlessly die at such an early age. What does it matter if I work my butt off to get close to my fitness/health goals to only die before I could enjoy my new life??? I am frustrated and pissed off about the whole thing. I hope I can get myself squared away soon.

2010-06-19T16:17:00.000-04:00

This week I have played basketball three different nights. Awesome cardio each night. A bunch of the guys playing last night were commenting on how I just ran and ran and ran. That is about all I was able to do successfully. My shots were not dropping at all. I was very frustrated with my offensive numbers. I really need to find a place I can go and just practice shooting. I want to get my made basket percentage way up for when I start playing in a league.

My legs are extra sore today. I need to stretch more. Isn't that a reoccurring theme here?????

I went and helped a guy move a bunch of junk out of a foreclosed home on Friday. Lots of sweating going on.

I have not been doing so great on the whole weight loss thing here lately. I am not eating quite as healthy as I could. Despite my slackness, I am still at 230 lbs.

I need to get back on track. It is not easy to stay focused, but I have to do it.

Hoping you all have a wonderful weekend and your summer is rocking!

SHEP

2010-06-15T21:54:00.000-04:00

I got to play basketball last night. It was great to be back out on the court. I ran very well considering the long lay off. I have not done to much here lately. I feel guilty not doing anything, but it has been nice to be able to rest my body a little bit.

I need to get back into an exercise routine regardless. After the games last night I was drenched in sweat as usual.

I need to be checking on a 5K to run in the next few weeks as well.

SHEP

2010-06-07T17:45:00.000-04:00

Here it is Monday evening getting close to time where I would normally go play basketball. No basketball tonight, I am on the first of many camping trips this summer. I am disappointed I am going to miss out on an opportunity to play basketball tonight, but I am glad to be on vacation.

Our trip to Indiana was not a fun trip to be making. We went up to Corydon, Indiana for the funeral of one of my close friends. Corey Gilley passed away too early at the age of 30. He was a fun loving guy and a guy who was very sincere and a great friend. I will miss him.

Our family car started acting up while we were in Indiana. The engine started skipping and cruise control went out. We packed up the camper as soon as we got back to head out on our family vacation to Myrtle Beach. On our way down to Myrtle Beach the transmission started acting crazy. We finally made it to the campground, I put the car in reverse and we just sat there. Not only were some of the other gears not working, reverse was not working either. We broke down and traded it in. It was a good car, but it was not going to make it home. We got us a used Toyota Tundra. Very nice truck. I am glad to finally have a truck.

I really should be doing some kind of exercise right now, but I really do not feel like it, so I am going to just chil-lax (chill out and relax). Just relaxing is not easy for me either, so I am going to do my best to just chill.

I hope your summer is off to a better start than mine.

SHEP

2010-06-05T22:58:00.000-04:00

Not too much exercise happening lately. Made it to Indiana for my friends funeral. The family car is now all jacked up. The engine is skipping like a school girl. The transmission will not function in reverse. Not a good thing to happen when you have to back your camper into the camp site. This has been a pretty sorry week all together. I will try to throw together a better post in the next few days.

SHEP

2010-05-31T22:22:00.003-04:00

I had a very productive week last week. I had a paying gig everyday except Thurs and Sun. I even started one today but was rained out. This week I can only work on Tues. Wed. we are leaving for Indiana. Not a pleasure trip by any stretch of the imagination. My phone rings Sun. night, the screen showed me it was my good friend calling me. On the other end was a womans voice. My blood turned cold because I knew something bad happened. It was his mom letting me know my buddy had passed away. I was in utter shock. I feel guilty for not being a better friend. I should have called more often. I could have visited. Gilley was an awesome guy and I hate knowing I will never get to talk to him again. We served in Iraq together. He was always there for me, even when guys in my platoon were not. He pushed me to get to the gym. He helped me lose 45 pounds in 2005. He would have stepped in front of a bullet that was meant for any of us. He is going to be missed. I will forever be touched by the generousity of Corey Gilley.

2010-05-30T00:05:00.002-04:00

Today was very productive. I had another yard that needed to be cut. This one the client wanted the lawn taken care of with a mower with a bagger attachment. That meant I had to use the push mower. I was in luck, the mower is self propelled, and the lawn was only .4 acres. I worked up a huge sweat while doing it. To give you a visual, the sweat eventually started dripping off the brim of my hat. The lawn looks fantastic when I was through. I left the professional looking lines and every thing. Something I do not do out at the Shepherd Ranch. I mow my lawn using the rabbit method. If something catches my eye, I take off that way. I am all over the place. I got some work done and then hung out with the FAM. Good day today. Tonight I have struggled though. My left shoulder is killing me. I have some fluid built up around my shoulder socket and a tendon impigment that gives me dull pain pretty much all the time, but this pain is kicking it into high gear tonight. Hopefully it goes away soon. I have a busy week ahead of me.

SHEP

2010-05-28T22:52:00.000-04:00

It feels like it has been a month since I have posted last.

I have been busy busy busy. This week I have done several odd jobs to make some money since the job out look is kinda grim. I am doing some lawn care/lawn clean up with a friend of mine from school. We have been busy. I have a yard to take care of tomorrow if this rain will hold off. I am searching Craig's List for any potential lead. I am asking friends. I am going to make some fliers and post them around town and see what kind of response I can get.

I have not been able to reduce my carbs much this week. I have been lazy and have not been preparing and planning ahead. I need to kick this lazy shadow that has been following me for the past few weeks. On a positive note, my water in take is up.

No idea what tomorrow holds, but it will be good.

SHEP

2010-05-24T22:02:00.001-04:00

Today was a good physical pounding on the body. I helped a friend do a landscaping job for about 5 hours this morning. Lots of hard work. We weeded a flower bed and replaced the million weeds with several loads of mulch. After that, more mulch. And more mulch.

I then went this evening and played basketball. I probably played for an hour and a half straight. I really got in a good work out. I was drenched by the time I left.

Still looking for work. Keep praying I get the last position I interviewed for. We are trying to form a basketball league around Oconee, SC as well. If you have a gym or know someone who could let us use their gym, we would be estatic.

WORE OUT and headed to la la land.

SHEP