Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July everyone! I hope you have a good weekend.

Last week was another good week. I hit the 20 lbs lost mark! I'm now 216 lbs. That's a pretty good feeling and a cool milestone. All of the work and sacrifice is paying off.

What nice to know is that I can still have a few bad things throughout the week and still keep on pace. That helps to know that once I get to my target, I can maintain that weight and still enjoy some of the foods that are "not on the diet."

I'll keep it short for the holiday weekend. Happy 4th and thanks again for the support!!!

2 months in the books!

This is the end of week 8. For just about 2 months now, I've been on this adventure to transform the way that I live my life. I've learned to not give into the temptations to eat all of the things that taste SOOOOOOO good, but are of almost no nutritional value. I've found ways to keep exercise fun and I've seen some great changes in the way I feel and look. I've achieve a new milestone this week. I'm in the 2-teens now! 218 lbs! It feels good to be able to say that again.

I'm now 2 lbs away from having lost 20 lbs. I'm really going to try and achieve that this week. Leslie will be out of town, so it's going to be hard not to munch while I'm by myself with the pups this week. But I should be able to get my work outs in without too many worries. I just have to remember not to leave my goggles at the pool after I swim like I did yesterday ;)

Thanks again for all of the support and I look forward to sharing the next achievement with you!

Disapointing end to week 7

So this was not a great week. I'll admit I was getting a bit cocky. I was feeling good. I was thinking I'm finally starting to look better. I had several people tell me this week that they thought I looked like I had lost weight. That made me feel good. But I think the vanity came back to bite me in the ass.

I got on the scale this morning, and to my shock, I had not lost any weight. I was really looking forward to being in the 2-teens. I had been good about what I was eating, I was swimming at night and all for a big fat zero in weight change. I guess this is about the time when my body will get used to what I have been doing and has found out how to manage with my calorie in take and the amount that I'm burning with my work outs. I guess this is the next hurdle I have to get over. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but this one hurt.

I guess there's not much else to say but to get back out there, work hard, eat smarter and push through to the 2-teens. I'll let you know how it goes.

End of Week 6

This has been some kind of a week. It's been very stressful at work. We have a lot of great opportunities in front of us, but deciding on how best to be good stewards of those opportunities seems to be a daunting task right now. On top of that, I didn't exercise like I should have and strayed from my diet with Mexican food for lunch one day and was really bad with the beer yesterday. All of these things lead me to believe I might have even gained a pound this week.

Much to my surprise, the unbiased scale says I lost 4 more lbs! I do think that it's not really true though. With the timing of the weigh in last Sunday being in the evening (after I had had breakfast, lunch and dinner), I think I probably lost 2-3 lbs the week before and really only losing 1-2 lbs this week to get my 2 week total to 5 lbs. I'm extremely excited to have lost 15 lbs since I started this journey.

I'm now 221 lbs and very excited to cross the 220 mark this week (hopefully). I got a pair of goggles so that I can swim laps now that the pool is open and that's been a lot of fun. I like being able to change up what I'm doing so that I can continue to keep it interesting. That's what seems to be the hard part right now. We also got a medicine ball to help with the ab exercises. I hope to see some big changes in the gut region now that I can add some weight to the exercise mix.

My face is definitely less bloated and I my gut doesn't feel quite so out there. I'm starting to feel good about being close to that -20 lbs loss mark. I hope that the second 20 comes off just easily as the 1st seem to have. (Yes I know I just jinxed myself) I'll keep you posted!

End of Week 5

Leslie and I went to Summerville this weekend to see the in-laws and her grand parents. We were pretty good while we were down there with the diet. I was going to do my weekly weigh-in and I had stepped on my mother-in-law's scale; it said I was 223 lbs! I was excited that I had lost another 3 lbs last week. But, I knew that it wasn't the same scale that I had been using, so I was pretty skeptical about the number. Plus, having lost 4 lbs the week before, I didn't think I could come up with another big number like that. When we got home, I got on the scale that I have been using since the start and it said I had only lost 1 lb.

So, -1 is better than 0 or +1, but I would have liked to have had -3 lbs. I'm excited about this week and I'm ready to put in some good work because I think just the diet along is not going to get me there any more. So it's time to kick it in gear and get to work! Wish me luck!

Slacking Off

In the first posting, I said that this wasn't going to be an easy process. Well, I stumbled today. I got up, I planned to workout and then 1/2 ass-ed my workout. I just did some sit-up's (maybe 50), some push-up's (maybe 20) and used the elastic bands. Hind sight being 20/20, I regret that decision. I've been doing so well, but today was the day I didn't give my best. I've also been bad this week with the beer consumption. I had 3 beers on Wednesday night and then last night, I just grabbed one like I had never tried to change my behaviors over the last month.

I'm getting back on the horse this afternoon! I'll let you know how my penance goes.

Mid Week Update

With having Monday off of work, the whole week feels a little out of whack. I'm on the M-W-F-S exercise kick this week. I thought I had good workouts both on Monday and this morning and I'm still being pretty good about my diet. I'll admit though that I was bad on Monday night. Leslie and I did go and try the new Chick-fil-a Spicy Chicken Sandwich. It was really good! Too bad it's deep fried. I'll make sure I really put in a good work out on Saturday.

On a good note, I put on a pair of suit pants I had not worn in a couple of weeks and I had to move up a notch on my belt. That felt really good this morning. I think the more I find the little successes, the more it keeps me motivated to keep going. The little accomplishments feel good along the way.

Other than that, thanks again for all the kind words. I'll let you know what happens later this week.

What a week!!!

I was totally shocked when I got on the scale this morning.

I had watched what I was eating all week, I only had 3 beers over 3 days and I worked out Monday, Tues and Thurs. While that sounds like good activity, I didn't really feel that I had put a whole lot of effort into this week like I had the previous week.

And with that being said, I lost 4 lbs this week!!! I was ecstatic when I saw the needle stop on 226. This is a great feeling and added motivation to keep it up! I'm starting to notice that my pants fit a bit looser and my face isn't quite as round as it has been recently. I think I'll really be able to see a difference with the next 10 lbs to go.

I think setting a goal each week is helpful too. I missed my 5 lbs goal from 2 weeks ago, but beat last weeks goal of 3 lbs. I think I'm going to shoot for 3 lbs again. I don't want to be unrealistic about being able to repeat a great week like last week, but at the same time, 3 lbs is not a goal that I think is a walk in the park either. As always, I'll keep you posted though the week.

I do have to give a big thank you to my Aunt Cheli who passed on a fish dish to try. I think I'm going to try it on Monday.

Thanks again for all of the encouragement! Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Thursday

Let me get you caught up on the last couple of days.

Tuesday was not a good workout day for me. My hip started to hurt while I was running and I just didn't feel like I had a lot of gas in my tank (no pun intended). So I only ran about a mile and then I did some crunches and push-ups. The push-ups made my back a little sore on Wednesday so I decided to take the day off from working out.

Today was a much different story. I felt good; I used the cross-training program and got the full 30 minutes in with no problems. That's another 300 calories burned! I think I'll take Friday off and I'm going to shoot for 2.5 miles on Saturday. I think that's a good goal.

I do think that I am turning into a rabbit though. All I seem to eat now is salad and cereal. Special K for breakfast then a salad for lunch and a salad for dinner most nights too. I have to find a way to broaden the things that I can eat. I've always wanted to be able to cook fish, but I just have never figured out how. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The other thing that I think is really helping is not drinking any beer. I've not had a beer since last Friday and I only had 1 then. (In the name of full disclosure, I did have several bourbon and diet's on Friday and Saturday.) I might break down and have one or two while we are at the pool for the first time this weekend. I'm so glad that the pool is opening up. I'm not quite to where I want to be, from a bathing suit stand point, but we are making progress and I think I'll be close to down 10 lbs since starting this journey a few weeks ago. Just have to "keep on truck'n".

Monday

Running while watching the West Wing was such a good idea!!! I ran/walked 2.16 miles today! I really didn't even pay attention to how long or far I had gone. I think this is going to be good for me. 2.16 is the furthest I've gone yet, too. It's a great 45 minutes and they go by pretty fast.

I'm still doing well with the diet too. Special K Blueberries for breakfast, I had a salad for lunch and got the dressing on the side. Restaurants always put too much dressing on their salads anyway. Another salad for dinner and we're doing well.

Thanks for all the well wishes from the last post. It's great to have that additional motivation to stay on track.

Good News/Bad News

I offered my wife the good news or the bad news first and she took the bad news, so I'll stick with that one. The bad news is that I didn't lose 5 lbs. The good news is that I lost 3. I'm now down to 230 lbs. I think that's a pretty good accomplishment in 3 weeks, especially when I couldn't do much during week 2.

Yes, I'm disappointed that I didn't reach the goal I set, but it was a lofty goal. I'm excited that I kept on track, worked out and was still able to go out and have fun without ruining the diet. I'm going to have to find a way to balance the diet with going out and going to parties. The summer is just getting started!

Since I wasn't able to achieve the lofty goal of 5 lbs last week, lets see if I can have a repeat performance of this week. I'd love to lose another 3 lbs and be under the 230 mark. 220-something just has a much better ring to it. And in another 3-4 weeks, so will 210-something. Oh the places we'll go ;)

A quick note about working out. I think I've found a way to make it more fun to work out. I've turned the treadmill around to face the computer so that I can watch TV while I work out. If you didn't know already, I'm a huge West Wing fan. I just pop in a DVD, watch and episode and about 45 minutes later, I'm done. It's so much easier to focus on that rather than the time/miles/calories while running. I'm also becoming a fan of the cross training program on the treadmill. It really does keep it interesting and I think I burn more calories on that program than just running. The change in the hills is what I think does it. I'm just trying to find ways to keep it fun.

I'll keep you guys posted on the progress this week!

6 days down, 1 to go!

It's been a long week, but I think I'm doing well. After running Monday,Tuesday and Wednesday, I took Thursday and Friday off. I'm going to hit the treadmill again today and be really good about what I eat. I've been pretty good this week about the diet. I think I've got a really good shot at reaching my goal of 5 pounds. We'll find out tomorrow!!!!! I'll let you know in the morning how I did ;)

Mid Week

I'm 1/2 way thought the week now, but getting up at 5am is not as easy on the 3rd day as it was on the 1st day. I did it though. Walked 1/4 mile, ran 1, walked 1/2 at an incline of 7. Still burned a little over 250 calories. I think I probably have a net in take of about 1200 calories right now, which should be good for my goal of 5 lbs this week, but I also know that that's part of the reason I'm tried. That's the game we play though. This will all be worth it on Sunday when I see that scale show me 5 lbs lighter.

Good Start

Monday was another good day. Getting up at 5am wasn't that hard after not having done it for a week with the injury and I walked 1/4 mile, ran a mile & 1/4, walked 1/4 mile. I was also good about what I ate. I had a banana for breakfast, salad for lunch and a salad for dinner. Works been long, but that goes with the territory.

I was good this morning as well. While I didn't run, I used the cross training feature on the treadmill and basically walked up hills for 30 minutes. I was a good change of pace and I still burned 300 calories! I think my legs will be a bit soar today; pain is glory right?!? I had a bowl of Special K for breakfast too. Lunch plans are a Slimfast and a banana then steak and veggies for dinner. I just hope it doesn't rain so I can grill.

It's Tuesday. 5 more days to lose 5 lbs! I feel good about this. I think I can do this!

Back in the Saddle

End of Week 2! I lost another pound with the back injury and everything else that went on this week. That was my goal, I knew I was hurt and I wanted to still lose weight by making sure that I was eating well.

Now that I am feeling better, I have a big goal for this week.

5 POUNDS!

This is going to be tough, but I think I can do it. Our pool opens up in 2 weeks, so it's time to get serious! My other pledge for the week is to keep the blog every day this week.

Wish me luck and I'll make you proud.

Injury Update

Well, the back is still in pretty bad shape, but I think I'm starting to mend. I have not worked out at all since last Thursday morning. I know that's going to come back to bite me at weigh in on Sunday. On the other hand, I hope to be able to at least walk on the treadmill by Friday. I've been good from a food consumption though. I only had 3 beers this week. and I've been pretty good about what I have eaten. I'm not sure it'll be enough to make up for not working out though. Also, I know that not sleeping well is bad for weight loss too and I've definitely not had a good nights sleep for several days now. I just wanted everyone to have an update. I hope to have good news in the next post.

End of Week 1

So the first week didn't go quite as planned, but the end result worked in my favor. I lost 2 lbs! I made better decisions about what I ate, I was good about working out and I still had fun this week with Cinco de Mayo and Sara and Kevin's wedding. I forgot what kind of a work out you can get while dancing!

On a side note about the wedding. The photo booth for the guest to take pictures in was one of the best things I have ever seen at a wedding. We had a blast with that thing. I can only imagine what the book looks like, but it must be hilarious.

Back to the main goal of this blog. I set out to be healthier and to lose weight. I think I'm starting to get there. I'm a bit concerned about week 2 with my back still hurting after I sit down for any period of time, but we'll just take it slow, be super careful about what I eat and drink, and continue to stay positive about this experience.

Week 2 goal is to get my back to feel better and I'd like to lose 2 lbs again. Week 3 goal will be 5 lbs ;)

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mom's out there!

Injury

Sooooo, this is exactly why I need to work out and get in shape. I tweaked my back putting a light fixture in my car and have been in pain since Thursday night. Work and sitting through Graduation was brutal on Friday. I didn't sleep well at all last night after the pain medicine wore off. I don't know when I'll be able to get back on the workout program, but I hope it's soon. This is not fun and it couldn't come at a worst time. I'm good once I start a program, but as soon as I take a break, I have a super hard time trying to "get back on the horse." Keep me in your prayers that my back will get better soon so I can keep the progress going.

Day 3 and 4

I took the day off from exercising on Tuesday as I was making sure I didn't over do it too fast, but I ate better.

Cinco de Mayo was a bit of a problem for me. I fell off the wagon hard! While I worked out in the morning (1/4 mile walk, 1 mile run!!!, 1/4 walk), I did indulge in several Corona Lights and even worse than the beers, Taco Bell. I think holidays are going to be pretty hard for me. I'll make up for it on Day 5.

I've already repeated my Tuesday work out of 1/4 walk, full mile run, 1/4 walk and I'll see about running again tonight. This weekend is going to be hard again with the food consumption. I have MBA Graduation Ceremony, Sara and Kevin's wedding and going to mom's for Mother's Day. I guess I'll have to kick the work outs into over drive. I should be able to get to at least 1.5 mile run by then.

With my little set back yesterday, I'm still staying very positive and I'm looking forward to the weigh in on Sunday to see what, if any, progress has been made. Little achievements to date include:
1) I'm not as tired though out the day
2) I'm already back to running a full mile
3) I'm being more thoughtful about what I eat (except for yesterday)
4) Getting up in the morning's isn't all that bad
5) I sleep a lot better

So all in all, I'm feeling good and I am looking forward to being fit again. One day at a time!

Day 2

Today was a good day. I was worried that getting up early to work out would be really hard. The alarm went of at 5:15am and I was excited. I got on the treadmill, walked a 1/2 mile, ran 3/4 mile and then walked a 1/4 mile. It was the same 20 minutes as the day before. I though about running again tonight, but I also don't want to over do too early in the game. I ate pretty well today. I had a banana for breakfast, some almonds for a mid morning snack, a buffalo chicken sub from Subway w/ just a little bit of light mayo and lots of veggies. For dinner I had a salad with just a bit of cheese and salsa as the dressing. The salsa turned out to be a pretty good dressing. 20 calories and no fat and 2 carbs. Good day!

Day 1

I love to be the person people can count on. But I have a hard time doing things for myself. This is my attempt to be accountable again. Today I start to turn my my life around.

I'm 27 years old, 6'4" and almost 240lbs. When I got engaged in 2007, I was 245lbs and lost almost 40lbs before I got married on August 11, 2007. Since then, I've enjoyed almost 3 years of marriage with my beautiful wife Leslie, gotten my MBA, a promotion at work and gained back almost all 40lbs. As Leslie and I start our family, I don't want to be tired, overweight and a bad example for my children as they grow up.

Today I start to turn my life around. This is where I will be accountable to anyone who reads this. I will post my progress and work outs. I'll also post pictures along the way to validate my work for you. I expect this to be a long journey and it will be hard work. There will be times when I feel good; there will be times when I want to quit, but I hope that talking about this to anyone who cares to read about my journey will help to keep me on track.

When I lost 40lbs the first time it took about 6 months. Let's see if I can keep that pace again. My plan is to just eat healthier, work out 4 times a week and journal about my progress.

Because we live in a litigious world, please do not try to do anything that I am without consulting a Dr. I am not a professional trainer, dietitian or anyone who thinks he should be giving advice about getting fit and healthy. I'm simply just writing about MY journey to get healthy again. Don't sue me if you hurt yourself doing something that I did.

Here is what I've had eaten and done today:
Breakfast- Honey Nut Cheerios with a banana and skim milk
Went to church
Lunch- A grilled chicken salad with jalapenos, corn and black bean salsa, 1/2 hard boiled egg, tomatoes and ranch dressing. (I said this was going to be a long journey)
Workout- walked 1/2 mile, ran 1/2 mile, walked a 1/4 mile. (It's day one people, I don't want to hurt myself)
Dinner- grilled pork chop with blue cheese crumbles and corn (I know it's only 3pm, but this is what I plan to have)

I hope that this journal will help me to be accountable and stay on track to be 40lbs lighter by my 28th birthday and my first niece or nephew being born. I would love any and all encouragement, words of support and hate mail when I fall off the wagon. Thanks for helping me out I hope to make you proud!