Good August, Everyone!

Today's Weigh In: 278.5 (new low!)
Five Day Average: 280.8

Another day of perfect eating and good choices for me. I feel like I'm gaining steam here. Today, I had a bowl of yogurt cheerios with a banana, 2 chicken breasts, carrots and hummus, a few slices of roast beef, and for dinner I had Grouper with vegetables.

Good choices that I made today:

Today was one of my co-worker's last day, so we had the typical banquet. They had everything that I considered a weakness - meatballs, sandwiches, cheese dips, cheese trays, you name it. I blocked it ALL out. I did have a few slices of lean roast beef from the meat tray - but that was it. No nachos, no chocolate strawberries, no bean dips - nothing. A big win for me.

Also, tonight we went to dinner at a seafood place. One that has that fresh loaf of bread. I completely skipped it. I had a light salad (aka: lettuce and some carrot slices) with raspberry vinegarette and Grouper with veggies. The big thing to me was skipping the bread, and then actually eating the grilled vegetables. Green and red peppers, onions.. not my bad. But, I sucked it up, and finished it. As someone who couldn't come within a foot of green pepper in the past, to be able to eat that was a small victory, yet a victory all the more.

As for my weight, you'll notice it dropped. A BIG drop, too. I've been unable to get out of the 280.5-282 range - and all it took was a day of TRUE commitment, and I skipped right past 279 and landed at 278.5. It means nothing yet - but this is the time where I would have felt like I 'earned' a treat tonight - my treat?

To care about my diet more than the ice cream.

So two perfectly clear eating days in the book - and I'm headed towards Labor Day weekend. A weekend traditionally marked for the food that I consumed. Not this year - this year, I set the bar high. I'll be 269 by the end of September - and if that means I push my limits, well then - thats' what I'm doing.

Speaking of which - the September challenge, I've got the following people signed up:

Brian, Billy, Beck, me, Kristen, Dave III, David, Melissa, Gary (probably), Rebecca and Swanky (R & S as a team). I'm thinking Brian and Billy should defend their title for winning Augus. This leaves us with an uneven number - so if anyone else wants in, let me know? I know a few others may not have checked the blog (Jay? Lacy? Others?) - I just don't want anyone to miss out.

Long blog again, but lots of business. I'll also be updating FAT Xtreme soon - I've got myself, Billy, Beck, Kristen, Melissa, David, Dave III.. and maybe Ripx? Rip, did you want to be part of "Xtreme"? Either way is cool, just want to make sure. Again, if anyone else wants to be Xtreme - check my blog from yesterday and let me know?

Until next time - let's all have a STRONG September. We've all got it in us - what's it going to take for us to take it out, and put it out there? Weight loss is a combination of good decision making, hard work and determination. How bad do you want it?

FAT to the MAX

Weigh In: 281.5

So much to say today - so bear with me. I'll break it up as much as I can, but I hope this is worth reading.

First off - I'm in a near gear. I've been talking to Billy, and I'm going to be restructuring what I've been doing, and I'm going EXTREME for the month of September. Not extreme in any way except healthy. I'm making ALL the right choices. So many times do I hear us say "I eat perfect 90% of the time". To me, for my life, 90% good equals 10% bad. And at 4 meals a day, 7 days a week - that's 28 meals - or 2.8 bad meals a week. Frankly, that's why I've been settling for mediocre.

My mentality has to change. I sit here and watch Billy, read what he's got to say, follow what he's eating - and he's doing it the RIGHT way. I have Taco Bell, ice cream at night, and wonder why I lost 6 pounds this month. 6 is great, don't get me wrong. But it's not what I EXPECT. If I can lose 6 pounds in a month eating Taco Bell and Ice Cream - imagine what the possibilities are.

So today, this is how my eating went:

Breakfat: Bowl of Yogurt Cheerios and 2% milk.
Lunch: 2 grilled chicken breasts fresh off the BBQ.
Snack: 2 bananas
Dinner: None.

Now, I wouldn't normally skip dinner, but today was one of those days where I haven't stopped moving until just now. I left work, taught a private lesson, mowed the lawn (in the dark, I might add - let's see how much I missed in the AM), and here I am. Right now, at 9pm - that's when I'd have an ice cream bowl on my lap, justifying it because it's in "one serving".

Right now, as I type this, I have that same ice cream bowl in front of me - yet this time, it's got fresh hummus that I made myself about 2 hours ago in it, and I'm dipping carrots into it.

That's the bottom line. If you want results, you make the RIGHT decisions, ALL of the time. Otherwise, you get mediocrity.

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In other news, I want to talk about Tuck's Big Challenge for September. Everyone who wants to be in it in September, please sign up in this blog's comments. I'm assuming most are in - but I want to make sure that if you don't, that's ok too. And, I know others want in, so the more the merrier. Please post in this blog comment if you're in.

It'll be the same thing - weight loss % - I think that's fair. Now, if you want to use the 5-day average, cool. If you want to just use your daily weigh in, that's ok too. Doesn't matter to me - the goal is to motivate us as a team, and nothing else. So, the more the merrier.

======================

Finally, I want to talk about the status of the FAT Coalition. I've noticed some comments lately that some people don't blog as much as others. I think that sometimes I come off like I think everybody should blog, every single day, without fail - and that this is the way to proper weight loss and success.

Honestly, that's still what I believe. But I feel like I've been pushing others to believe what I believe, and that's not fair. I know one thing - constant pressure and accountability is what *I* need. So I'm hoping to separate the FAT Members (only in order on my blog - nothing else) into two groups:

1: FAT Xtreme - This group is the members of the Coalition who want to be pushed every day. Those who want pressure put on them to perform - blogging on a pretty consistent basis. Making sure to leave quality comments pretty regularly for everyone else in Xtreme .. really making a solid effort to be a constant in each other's worlds. For example, say there's 5 of us - all 5 of us would check each other's blog as often as possible, and be diligent about leaving quality comments the best we can. Daily accountability - without fail. Success - through tough love.

2: FAT Coalition - This would be everyone else. I absolutely love that you guys trust me with your thoughts. This is for you guys to keep your blogs up, and this way I know how we all stand - I'll support you like always - but I won't get on your ass about when you blog, how you blog, or how often. It's not fair for me to put pressure on you, and I'll be there for support. Nothing changes, except that you don't get called out by me. I'll leave my 'call-outs' for FAT Xtreme.

====================

So, that's about it. Please comment and let me know if you want in the challenge, and I'll have everything up tomorrow. Also, leave your weigh-in for August 31 - the last day of the August Challenge.

Until then - stay strong!

PS: Damn, I never knew how good hummus and carrot sticks could be!

210

Weigh In: 281.5
Five Day Average: 281.2

Day Two without the gym went pretty non-eventful most of the day. Since I did the 25 miles on the bike yesterday, this morning I wasn't up to much, and I was OK with that. I felt a bit lazy, but just went with it. Chilled out all morning, as I didn't have to be anywhere until 11am - I'll tell you - THAT was a luxury.

So I went to work, I ate pretty normal, and then I came home. I didn't feel right because I haven't worked out all day.

Do you remember that push-up challenge I was talking about? The one where you do 20 push-ups, and then 19, and then 18, and then continue all the way down to 1? Remember how I could only get to like 16 or so?

Mission Accomplished.

I got all the way down to 1 tonight. If you do the math, that's 210 push-ups. Took me 36 minutes to complete. My form was pretty solid, although there was a few times where it got a bit sloppy, but there weren't any "cheating" push-ups - each one was a true push-up.

Needless to say, typing right now is a task itself. Hell, keeping my arms up on the desk enough to hold my hands to the keyboard is interesting right now.

But the guns are POPPING right now. Yeah, that's right - I've been flexing in the mirror. I'll admit it.

No gym until after Labor Day - but that's not going to stop me.

Two more days until the end of August - from the sounds of it, you guys want to stick with the same type of challenge and do weight loss with the same teams. Unless something major happens, Team Awesome is looking pretty .. well ..

Awesome.

The End Is Near-"Tucks Big Challenge" Weigh-In

A few quick things:

First off, make sure to read the blog I posted last night, just before this. Pretty proud of that one.

Secondly, put your weight here - since today's the 29th, we'll be posting our final weigh in's in two days, so you have time to really push hard for the final Weigh In on FRIDAY.

Thirdly, what type of challenge do you want to do in September - I don't mind hosting them, do we want to try a different style? Same style, different teams? Same teams, different challenge?

Totally up to you guys - let's keep doing something fun. I feel like we're losing momentum. FAT needs to stay strong and focused, and if fun challenges do the trick, then let's keep doing them.

Thoughts?

No Gym? No Problem!

Weigh In: 280.5
Five Day Average: 281.0

I'm not sure if I mentioned this in the past week, but I ran into the worst possible timing this week. As I mentioned, I am switching gyms. I canceled my Bally's membership, and am now going to the city Community Center. Bunch of reasons, but basically it's much easier, cheaper, and most of Erin's family has a membership as well. Gary's transferring over there next month.

So my last day at Bally's was yesterday, the 27th. The Community Center is closed, starting yesterday for a week for remodeling and such. The result? No gym for Rob until after Labor Day.

What's that mean? It means I've got the perfect excuse not to workout for a week, right?

Wrong.

Pretty damn proud of myself today. After reading a few of you post about long bike rides, I said that was something I've really found myself wanting to do. So, what's a perfect time to start besides the first day with no gym access?

I got on my bike (pictured above - mountain bike, not exactly a 'long distance' bike), and went 25.05 miles. Yup - no training, no practice - just decided to jump on, ride from my house to my parents house for a quick visit, and then ride back home. About 12 1/2 miles each way.

For what it's worth, I fell in love with mapmyride.com today. Such an awesome site to give yourself an idea of the distances that you're going. Here's my trip that I took today:

To the parents house:
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/mi/troy/587073072

Home from parents house:
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/mi/warren/266674023

It wore me the hell out - but I'll tell you, I felt like freaking Superman when I was finished. I don't remember a cardio workout. Took me 2 hours total - so off the top of my head I think that's an average of 12mph. You math nuts can correct that if you want, but it's after 10pm so my analytical and mathematical skills are shot.

Two hours of cardio in the real world beats the pants off of 30 minutes on a machine, right?

"Tuck's Big Challenge" weigh in is tomorrow - what did YOU do for the better number this week?

On My Own

Weigh In: 280.5
Five Day Average: 281.9

Today was a strange day for me. First off, my whole world seems a bit backwards. Erin left this morning at 6:15am for a "Teacher Retreat", and is going to be in Midland, MI for the next few days, coming home on Wednesday afternoon. Now, the initial thought is "freedom! do whatever I want!" - but it's strange without her here. I'm not a fan of the empty house without my wife. I'm truly convinced that without women in our lives, us guys would still be roaming around caves, beating wooly mammoths with sticks, and completely wandering this earth.

So, how does this relate to weight loss?

My schedule's screwy. I didn't feel like eating breakfast this morning, and I ended up letting myself get hungry. Then, PIGGED out for lunch-ish, completely stupid. I was just around 2000 calories before 6pm, and I hadn't even thought about dinner. I was under my goal, but dinner was surely going to put me over.

So, I did what every other poor planner does.

I skipped dinner.

I'm starving right now, but that's too bad. I should have thought about this before I stuffed my face with a lack of self control. It's my bed, and I'm going to lay in it tonight. Not the greatest plan for a lifestyle change - but it'll work for tonight.

Alls well that ends well, I suppose. Not the best way to get to the end of the race, but it sure beats NOT finishing.

Mission Accomplished

Weigh In: 282.5

As you can tell by the blue ribbon, I'm pretty proud of my self control today. The fantasy draft went well, my team looks pretty solid, the house is back in its respective order, and - at least for today - I was master of my domain.

I planned accordingly for this football draft banquet. Last year's buffet included 30 different kinds (ok, slight exaggeration but not by much) of cheeses, pizza, beers, cookies, candies, chips, and you name it. This year, we still had all of those things (minus the pizza), but when people asked what they could bring, I gave them other alternatives. Some came with their own ideas, respecting the 'health consciousness' host of the party.

Fruit tray, veggie tray, hummus with soy chips with flaxseed.

So that's exactly what I had. Pineapple, strawberries, my fair share of hummus, vegetables - and I'll admit to having 2 ritz crackers with Erin's amazing cheeseball (cream cheese, dried beef and green onion). 2 crackers is a FAR cry from what I would have had in the past. In the past, I would have consumed the entire cheeseball and I may have left 2 crackers for the rest of the party.

I didn't eat breakfast, knowing what was to come - and by the time dinner came around, I wasn't too hungry. We went to Potbellies (great sandwich place), and I had a reasonable sized sandwich with wheat bread, ham and turkey with swiss cheese and mustard (note: no MAYO). A few bites of a chocolate malt, and that was it for the day.

So I lived by my motto - I made the right choices, did the right amount of planning and didn't try to force myself to 'live without'.

I'll take it.

Oh - and here's my next challenge: Erin's going to be gone from tomorrow morning until Wednesday afternoon. Very few times since we've been married have we been apart for a few days at a time. I know this sounds weird, but it'll be strange without her in the house. Not a fan of the whole "empty house" thing. That means it's me in the house by myself without supervision, and a full fridge.

Time to prove that I'm worth the effort yet again.

True Test Time

Weigh In: 281

As I mentioned yesterday, tomorrow's a true test for me. Fantasy football draft, 13 of my closest friends, and all the saturated foods good money can buy.

And, a veggie tray and a fruit tray.

With August coming to a close, Gary and I (who will also be at the draft) have to end strong and gain some ground on the challenge in its final days.

So - fruit and vegetables or grease and fats?

It makes sense in my head - now let's see if I can actually DO it tomorrow.

Working For The Weekend

Weigh In: 280.5 (lowest since the scale change)

I did pretty well tonight, although I think I probably overdid it at night. I had bananas for breakfast, oatmeal for lunch (at like 4pm - work was crazy today), and then I had Mama's Skinny Enchiladas for dinner. Pretty good day overall. I did have my 1/2 cup of ice cream for 130 calories (eaten directly out of the measuring cup), but my calories were good for today.

I felt STUFFED after dinner though - and it wasn't like I had a ton of food. Because I've been shorting myself grub the past few days, I'm thinking my stomach was contracting. So, I feel like I'm totally way full, yet the cal's were OK.

Erin mentioned yesterday that I should have reported on my doc's visit. Basically, the last time I saw him I was about 50 pounds heavier. He was hella-impressed with my routine, I told him about the FAT Coalition and we was pretty happy for all of us. My blood pressure was 121/80 ("perfect" is 120/80), and that's pretty awesome considering when I first went to see him back in 2005 he told me that "if your blood pressure doesn't go down soon, I'd have to put you on medication for it".

Blood pressure meds for a 28 year old (at the time)? No thanks.

So it's the weekend. Tomorrow should be great, but Sunday will be a true test. Fantasy football draft at my place, about 10-12 of us around the house for about 4-5 hours. Pot luck style.

Gary and my buddy Jim (who is walking the 3-day) will be there, so we'll have some healthy options. Others probably won't be so health conscious. It'll be up to me to make the right decisions, because the wrong ones will be all around me.

I'm up to the challenge.

TGIF, folks.

Days Fly By

Yesterday's Weigh In: 283.00
Today's Weigh In: 284.5

I didn't realize until just now that I didn't blog yesterday. I guess I did 'technically' by creating one for everyone to post their "Tuck's Big Challenge" weigh-ins, but I don't know if that counts.

Anyway, you'll notice a few things on the blog. First off, thanks to Billy for creating my new header. I think that's MUCH better than the one I had done in the past.

Also, you'll notice that the "Fourth and ____" has changed. When I first started this blog, I wanted to lose 100 pounds. I create that as some 'fictional' number that I never honestly thought that I would be able to reach. Now, as I'm getting closer to that number, I realized that 250 isn't what I'm aiming for anymore. Also, when people ask how much I've lost, I refer back to my 378 number (I thought it was 279 but I checked my doc's records, it was 378).

So, in order to reflect what was important, I revised my "start weight" to reflect the start of my weight loss journey and not the start of the blog, and I revised my "goal" to reflect my goal - not some imaginary number of 250 just because it looks good. So, nothing changes at all except for the number at the top of the blog - just thought I'd clear that up.

Anyway, on to weight loss stuff. I did great today. I originally woke up mad at myself (for the 284.5 on the scale this morning) and decided I was going to do that fasting thing that Billy was talking about. Then, after reality set in, I knew that it wasn't realistic for me. However, I ate 100% clean today, and made some good choices.

I had fruit for breakfast - bananas and a pear. Then, for lunch I had oatmeal and a can of tuna (not together, that would be disgusting). Then, for dinner I barbequed white fish on the grill but got rained on (major thunderstorm), so after pulling the fish off of the grill early (I had the umbrella protecting the grill - failing miserably), I put it on the plate with some cottage cheese, a small portion of noodles and some green lettuce with mushrooms and italian dressing. The fish didn't cook right, so I ended up not having the first. Either way, the food consumption was pretty perfect today.

Oh, and for dessert? I passed on the 1/2 cup of ice cream today. I had a banana for dinner - just as satisfying (ok, that's a lie, but it was a better choice).

So today, I earned it. I'm hoping for results on the scale tomorrow, but I know better than that. Just a week left in the August challenge, and let's just say I'm not used to coming in second place or below. So - Billy and Brian, don't coast - I'm going to be on your heels this week.

Tuck's Big Challenge Weigh In #3

You know the drill - post your weigh in's from today!

Back In The Saddle

Weigh In: Recorded Earlier Today

Today was a pretty good day, I think. I woke up and hit the gym, had a few hours of downtime at the house before headed to work, got home from work and Erin and I went on a 5 mile bike ride (just a hair under I think), and then I got home, planted four bushes (see: wheelbarrows, shovels and sweat) and then around 8:30pm when that was all done, I hit the shower (something about being covered in manure..) and had BBQ grilled Tilapia, cottage cheese and pineapple for dinner.

I did what I needed to do today, and that's a good thing. The sad thing is, that used to be the norm. Now, it's one of those "wow, look what I did" days.

Back up and at 'em in the morning. Time to make the good days the habits again.

Btw, remember everyone - "Tuck's Big Challenge" weigh-in is tomorrow!

Lesson Learned.. again?

Yesterday's Weigh In: 285
Today's Weigh In: 282.0

Yup, 4 pounds gained over a weekend. That'll teach me (again) that a few days off will take a week to re-lose.

Not sure quite what happened to me this weekend - I felt like my entire 'motion' stopped, and it happened on the day that I saw the lowest number on the scale since I switched. It seems like every time that I hit a 'new low', I feel the need to sabotage myself.

I've been thinking about that a lot, and I'm starting to think that it may have something to do with Inner Fat. I am starting to believe that part of this journey that I'm on is something I haven't quite addressed. I've got an addiction to food, and that's been no secret this whole time. It's a matter of fighting the addiction off.

I still feel like I 'owe' myself food sometimes. Good workout? Go get something to eat. Just got done with a big test? Great work, go get something to eat. Make a great sale at work? Go grab a bite.

I've always treated food as a reward system. I don't know if that was ingrained in me back when I was a kid, or if it developed as I was older - hell, it may just be an excuse I'm making right now because of my lack of self control.

I'm much better than I was. I used to not be able to leave the house and drive without hitting a drive through. I've learned to control different aspects of this, and a lot of it is pure fighting it off. Telling myself as I drive "no, you are NOT going to get drive through". Hell, if I'm being honest, the majority of what helps me keep from going through drive through isn't my natural ability to control my eating, but more of the fact that I don't keep cash on me (for this reason), and if Erin saw a bunch of Taco Bell receipts on the credit card.. well, you can imagine what would happen ;)

So yeah - a long way to go on this path. This may be the biggest hurdle I face all the way through. I paid my penalty for this weekend with those 4 pounds, and it'll probably take all week to drop back to the 281 I was a few days ago, but I did it to myself.

Again.

Wrong Way

Weigh In: None

Didn't think to weigh in today, as I was up and running early for two performances this morning. Ran out the door, and by the time I realized that I didn't weigh in, I already had a full meal and it was the middle of the day. Kind of pointless by that time.

Also, I know really know what my problem was this weekend, but I just ate like crap. Just not good eating, and the worst part was, I didn't care. I don't know if I needed a mental break, or maybe I 'fell off the wagon' for a few days, but I'm not sure what it was all about. Hell, I offered to make dinner tonight for my in-laws, and what did I make? Stuffed shells - with ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella cheese. I had a quesadilla for lunch from Taco Bell. I just haven't done well, and I didn't feel any guilt about it.

I don't feel bad about it, but that may be different when I step on the scale tomorrow. I was given a free pass by the Weight Loss God yesterday - something tells me that two times ain't a charm.

So, I take the advice that I've given others for months.

It's over, it's past you, move forward. Don't stop running towards your goal, and eventually, you'll get there.

Back on the horse tomorrow.

Steady?

Weigh In: 281

Funny how that works. I just assumed that I was going to gain today considering my poor eating, yet I stayed the same. Good news, I suppose. That's pretty par for the course - if there's one thing that I've learned throughout this whole thing, it'd be that if I expect something, I generally get the opposite.

I had a pretty solid workout this morning as well. Felt pretty good, and the stamina was there. Byproduct of a ton of carbs the previous day, perhaps?

Not much really to say other than that, but as of now, I sit at 281. Not that this counts, but if I would have never adjusted the scale to show those 6 points that I added a few weeks ago, I would be sitting at 275 - the lowest I would have ever seen. I can't look at it that way, so 281 is 281, but it's good to know that I'm at least headed in the right direction.

Oh, and the Detroit Lions are 2-0. The hills in Hell may be freezing over soon, pre-season or not.

Next Time You See Me, Slap Me

Weigh In: 281.0
Calories: Way up there

So yeah, I hit my typical pattern again. Step forward? Must take a step back. I think it's in the rule book.

Eating was pretty bad today, and it kept seeming to pile up. I felt myself doing that whole "justification" thing - you know how it goes - go ahead and say it with me.

"I already didn't eat great for that meal, so I'll just start back up the right way tomorrow".

Recipe for disaster, ESPECIALLY if that meal you blow is breakfast.

So it sort of snowballed. First, I had eggs, ham and rye toast (dry) for breakfast, as we went out for breakfast. Then, because I didn't want the 'American fries" that came with it, I got the pancakes, and then proceeded to use the syrup that I usually skip. Then, we had dinner, and I didn't do so bad, but I just ate a LOT of the 'good stuff' - even good calories are calories.

Then, we went up to the Armada Fair (think up in the sticks) and hung out, went to the petting zoo, some country singer had a concert going on, it was a lot of fun. Of course, I couldn't say no to the Elephant Ear that we shared (fried like 100 times - but damn it was good). Then, I came home and we were watching Desperate Housewives on DVD (yeah, my new addiction, I've already cut up my man card) and then I had a piece of toast with peanut butter. I wasn't even hungry, go figure.

So yup - I reward myself hitting a new low by assuring myself that I won't see it again tomorrow. Not sure why I do this - but I need to slap myself harder, I think. Tomorrow's scale should tell the story. Until then, maybe I'll stop trying to sabotage myself.

Pushing Forward

Yesterday's Weigh In: 283.0
Today's Weigh In: 283.0

Yesterday I was talking to the guy who motivated me to start this whole thing in the first place - the one who talked me into doing the 5k run on Thanksgiving Day. We were talking about different workouts and such we could do around the house and such, and he was talking about how does this pushup challenge against himself. Basically, you do 20 pushups, rest, and then do 19, and then rest, and then 18, etc.. until you get to 0. Of course, that would be 210 pushups. Crazy insane for someone like me.

So, I tried it to see how many I could do.

I did the set of 20. Felt pretty good.

Then, did the set of 19. Hit the wall at number 11. Rested. Did the rest of them, and then did the 18s, rested again, and then did the 17s. I was spent. Part of me says that I only got to the 17s, but when I did the math, that means that of the 210 push ups, I did 74 of them. That was a pleasant surprise. When I first started this whole thing, I couldn't do a single. I had a hard time getting into a push up position, let alone DOING them.

So I think I'll start doing this once in a while - not as a replacement, but more as a personal challenge to myself to see how much I can improve. Over the next few months, I'd like to be able to complete this. I can tell you that my entire upper body felt like it had been through an hour long workout after I was done, so something's working.

Also, the weight came down a few pounds, sitting at 283 the past few days. Now TECHNICALLY, I got the scale to read 282 today, I stepped on it 4 times in an hour span - I told you, I'm crazy about this whole scale thing - got three 283 readings and one 282. I'm taking the 283 because I use the FIRST weigh in of the day, but it was good to see that. Ever since I started using the scale and had to adjust 6 pounds, 282 is the lowest I would have seen. My 'new low' of 279 was with the old scale, which translated into 285 on the new one.

So, if I can keep my 283 - work my tail off this week and see some progress, "2 Studs and A Scale" may challenge you teams up above us on Tuck's Big Challenge.

Tuck's Big Challenge Weigh IN

Make sure to read the blog I posted last night below, but here's a post t record everyone's weigh ins for Wednesday.

Post 'em here!

Are YOU Earning What You Get?

Weigh In: 286.5

I was going to write something tonight about how I did pretty well with my choices, I skipped the beer and had a diet coke tonight, I ate well and had a pretty good workout. I was going to say something about how I feel like I was going pretty strong today. Also, I was going to talk about how my weight went up 2 pounds yesterday, I'm frustrated about it, and that my hard work today is something I hope will be reflected on the scale.

Then, I read Billy's blog.

If you're not getting the results you truly want, stop reading my blog, and go read what he posted today. Then, come back and post a comment on mine ;)

- The bottom line is, he plans everything out. I fly by the seat of my pants.
- I settle on what I eat during the course of a day based on what is 'easy to prepare'. He thinks it out, sucks it up, and does it.
- I go to the gym, do "some" cardio, do "some bench work", sweat "some", and call it a day. Billy goes out, and destroys everything that comes near him, and then REALLY starts going.

My pictures look like someone who has lost 100+ pounds, and looks like a fat guy who has come really far, but has a long way to go.

Billy's pictures look like the guy who beat the hell out of the fat guy that was living on the outside, and he not only improved himself, but reinvented himself - turning himself into a specimen that I'm proud of - even from 1000 miles away.

So what's the bottom line?

You get what you earn. I've been mediocre at best lately, even when I'm trying hard. I do 12 mile walks, I eat 'pretty well', and I do 'most' of what I should be doing.

Mediocrity in, mediocrity out.

What are YOU earning?

Told Ya

Weigh In: 284.5

Btw, I meant to put up the picture of the 12 mile route yesterday but didn't. BEAUTIFUL path, walked right by a bunch of $1+ million houses. Not a shabby area. Click on it to make it bigger. Anyway, onto the blog:

I did exactly what I said I would do today. I went to bed expecting a loss on the scale because I 'deserved' it. And, when I stepped on it, it didn't budge. And, instead of realizing that I wasn't owed anything, I got pissed off about it. Funny how that works, the whole "knowing but doing it anyway" thing.

So I went to the gym this morning, and then went to school and work, and then I left work and just got done helping my brother move into his new house - lugging dressers, beds, desks, you name it, for about 4 hours or so, I got a pretty good workout. So yeah - I got those stupid expectations in my head.

So what's worse than stepping on the scale in the morning with expectation? Stepping on the scale at night for no apparent reason, and getting irritated at the number. Of COURSE it went up - I was dressed, just eaten, it's late at night when you weight more usually anyway, and here I am getting mad about it.

Funny how THAT works.

Plateaus are frustrating, especially when you see them coming a mile away. Seems I've gotten myself into another one of those battles. I won the first one, and I've beaten the Plateau Monster about 30 times - this time won't be different.

I'll still be irritated as hell, even though I know better ;)

Keeping Pace

Weigh In: 284.5
Five Day Average: 284.1 (lame)

Ok, so I'm not sure what the picture is all about, but I googled "Walk", and that's what I got. It cracked me up, so I went with it.

Well, I did the 12 miles today, and it went pretty well. My buddy who was walking with me told me that he was impressed that I could just go out and knock out 12 miles without any 'walking' training. Now, I've done my workouts, I've run my 30-60 minutes, but doing that and walking from 7:15am to 11:30am non-stop, those are different beasts right there.

I'll be interested to see what my weigh in looks like in the morning. I know what I'm doing already, and I'll predict it now. I'm expecting a lower number because I feel I've 'earned' it. I did this long ass walk, I ate pretty solid today, and now I feel like my body 'owes me one'.

I know better, yet I can't get that thought to creep out of my body.

So, maybe I'll be down tomorrow. Maybe I won't be though. Can't set myself up for failure, right?

3 days until the next "Tuck's Big Challenge" weigh-in, and I've been higher all week than when last week ended. That's got to change.

Walking the Line

Yesterday Weigh In: 284.5
Today's Weigh In: 284.0

For the first time in a LONG time, I sat on my computer last night staring at the blog. I didn't have anything to say, and I wasn't in the mood to type, so I just skipped it. I'm not sure why that came on, but it did. It just got me to thinking about how important it is to keep up with the blog.

There's been a major decline in FAT Coalition posts lately. And, not coincidentally in my opinion, it seems to be pretty much in line with the weight loss. The more I read that we're 'doing ok' and 'not really losing', I see that we're not putting as much dedication into our blogs as we have in the past. Not pointing fingers, but I think there's something to be said for having that 'fire' - and fanning the flame of said fire by posting and getting our thoughts out here.

Just a little bit concerned about us starting to get lackadaisical. I know I'm guilty of it. I sit here and wonder why my weight's been pretty stable this week, and I see myself falling into 'settling' instead of fighting for it. Food for thought, perhaps?

Also, here's something cool. I may have mentioned on the blog that we were raising money for Breast Cancer Research the past few months - we did the Mongolian BBQ fundraiser, and then this past weekend I hosted a bowling party to raise money. The good news is, we raised enough to ensure that Jim is going to be doing the 3-day walk, which is 60 miles walking in 3 days.

Long story made short, I'm going to train with him tomorrow to give him some more support. So, probably by the time most of you have read this, I will have walked 12 miles. Tomorrow morning (aka: 7 1/2 hours from now), I'll be driving over to Jim's place, and we're going to put the walking shoes on and take the 12 mile walk to help him prepare. I'm not sure what to expect - he thinks that I'll get wiped out due to the distance, but I'm feeling pretty good about it.

Either way, 12 miles is 12 miles - something I've never accomplished before.

I'll report back in tomorrow on that.

In the meantime, let's all band together and really fight hard in August.

Momentum. Let's find it - as a team.

Two Studs and A Scale

Weigh In: 282.5
5 Day Average: 284.0
Calories Counted: Around 2000

Today was your run of the mill day - worked out in the AM, did the whole school and work thing, then taught a sax lesson and mowed the lawn.

Not much to really report today, but I feel like I'm getting into a groove. I've said a few times, "the best motivator for weight loss is weight loss itself" and it seems to ring true. I feel like I'm on the right road, and as the pounds drop, I find myself wanting to go harder and harder.

That's food for thought for those of you who are struggling right now.

Also - for the Tuck's Big Challenge competitors, Billy suggested that we create team names, so I"m changing our names as we go. You'll notice that Gary and I's team, and Billy/Brian's team names are changed. Let me know what you want, and I'll change it around for you.

And - I have the teams ranked in order now - standings if you will. Kevin and Beck lead the charge, but have 6 teams ready to take the top spot. Keep working hard - the goal is for us ALL to lose as much as we can. Only one way to do it, and it's hard work. Keep fighting, FAT!

Lap One Complete

Weigh In: Already reported
Calories Counted: Around 2000

Not much to report today, except that you'll notice on the right hand column I'm updating the scores. The only person not to report in yet is Jay, but as it stands right now - Kevin and Beck are leading after the first week with 2.31% body fat lost THIS WEEK. Myself and Gary follow behind in second, and newcomers Melissa and David are close behind. Plenty of time left, so keep working hard. A few of you expressed frustrating with your numbers, so there's only one way to get better - WORK HARDER!

On my front, I wasn't able to work out this morning due to time committment, but I went to school and work, and then made it to the gym afterwards. It's much different working out after work to me - I feel like I've got more energy, or at least I did today, but it just felt wierd. Either way, I got a good workout in, and I'm pushing hard towards next Wednesday.

So, Kevin and Beck, we're on your tails. You need to work just as hard this week to keep us at a distance. For the rest of you, c'mon and catch up. Either way, we're all winners.. by being losers.

Something like that. =)

Tuck's Big Challenge Weigh In Wednesday

Make sure not to miss the blog from last night, but this one's here so you can record your Wednesday weigh-ins.

Post them in this blog's comments, and I'll record them into the sidebar on the right. We'll keep track of this every Wednesday.

Remember, you can use a 5 day average or just a regular weigh in, whatever you choose. Just make sure to be consistent and use the same method for this month.

Mine is 284.1 - Based on 5-day average.

Reality Shift

Weigh In: 286.5
Calories Counted: About 2200?

Eh, no special reason to post this picture except that I like it a lot. Also, that's a 2XL shirt I'm wearing, and when I bought it I had to stretch it out for 10 minutes just to put it on. Today, it's a bit baggy. Just a fun fact.


First off, the weight jumped up 3 pounds from yesterday to today. I ate well, I was in the gym, I drank my water, I did everything. So, when I stepped on the scale from my previous 283 and saw a 286.5, I just laughed. I really did. LOL and everything.

I've been through this too many times to get pissed off at my weight anymore. I know I jump up, I know I jump down, I know sometimes it fluxes, and sometimes - even months, it won't budge. I'm not sure if I'm in a better mood, more understanding, or just tired of being emotionally beat up about it, but the number on the scale is the number on the scale. Getting pissed off about it ain't going to do anything.

Of course, if it happens again and I go off on a rant about it - please forget what I just said ;)

In other news, went to the Tigers game tonight. Awesome game - up by 4 the whole way, our starter (Robertson) goes 7 2/3 innings, and we bring in Grilli (backup) to get one out.

He gives up 3 hits and a freaking grand slam to tie the game.

But, we come back and win.

One thing I kept noticing though. I was in the upper deck with Erin, and I had an aisle seat. Now, I hope this doesn't come off badly, I mean this only with concern - but our country's weight loss problem is out of control. I've always been - and continue to be - part of the problem. I'm still 60 pounds overweight, I have a gut, and I'm still not where I need to be. I don't know why I was noticing these things, but all of it together was overwhelming tonight.

There were unlimited numbers of people wheezing trying to climb stairs. I looked around, and there was a guy with this pile of nachos that was so big it could probably hide a weapon of mass destruction inside the layers of chips, cheese and sour cream. There was the couple in front of us that averaged one paid meal per inning - hot dogs, ice cream, skittles, you name it, they ate it. There was this one women that was so out of shape that she was wheezing - I mean the type of breathing you get after carrying a Toyota up a hill in the snow with no shoes on - both ways - and yet she had to carry about 15 steps.

I don't want to seem like I"m making a joke about this. I felt sorry for every one of them, because everything I just described was me a year ago.

Find me the biggest pile of nachos - find me as many food vendors as possible. Hell, trying my shoe might as well have been an Olympic event.

It's times like these where I realize HOW FAR I've come. I know I have a long way to go - but I know that it's possible. I see it in these people's eyes when they're shoveling this food into their faces, that it's a lost cause for them, and that they've accepted their fate.

That somehow needs to change. I guess that's why I love that Shaq's Big Challenge show so much. One of these days, once I get my OWN goals accomplished and life straightened out, I'll be part of a bigger solution.

It starts with the FAT Coalition.

Scattered

Weigh In: 283.5
Five Day Average: 283.75 (loss of 3.6 pounds since last Monday)
Calories Counted: 2125

This weekend's been a nightmare when it's come to weight loss numbers. It just seems like we're up, we're down - weight dropping but numbers going up because of the scale - you name it.

The bottom line is, using the new scale translations, I weighed in at 287.1 last week on Monday using the 5 day average. My five day average today is 283.5 - I lost 3.6 pounds off of my average this week. I can't complain about that.

Not really much else to say - I'm in the gym every day, I'm eating pretty damn tight, and I'm doing everything that I can. I'm earning my pounds right now, so I'm going to enjoy it. For those of you keeping track at home, according to the 'new' number, I weighed in at 286.8 to start the August challenge. As of today, six days later, I'm down 3.3 pounds since August 1.

I don't want to get too deep into numbers again, they confused the hell out of me. The bottom line is, I've been going in the right direction. Hell, Erin bought me a XL shirt yesterday for $7.50 in a normal store, for a normal price. You don't get that in XXXXL - so it's good to see that I'm starting to get into "normal" situations again.

Ok, this is about as scattered as a blog can be, so I'll cut it short. Just a reminder to those in the "Tuck's Big Challenge" contest. Weigh-In needs to come to me by Wednesday. Good luck to everyone ...

.. and try to keep up ;)

Tucker 2.0

Weigh In: 282.5 (new low!)

Ok, so between the two blogs that I keep and others, I think I feel good about the change that I'm making in order to be as accurate as I can be on the whole scale thing.

I've been exactly 6 pounds different on the two scales for the past 4 days, so I know that they're both accurate. I've been 'fudging' the number 4 pounds to account for the difference that I started with, so that's a 10 pound difference.

I'm going to change my "beginning" number from 350 to 360 to account for this number, but I'm going to keep my "379" the same, since that number came from the doctor's office, and not my own personal scale. I've checked on a few other scales and I've noticed that the scale that I'm using now is MUCH more accurate. I've come to the realization that the Ballys scale was lower than most.

So long story made short, nothing changes except for the measurement. The blog title will stay the same, accounting for the scale adjustments. On Bally's scale, I weighed in today at 276.5, a new low, and that is accurate with the 282.5 I got this morning on my own scale.

The weight is coming off. 260 is my "goal" for my 100-pound loss according to my blog, but
the bottom line is simple. I'm not stopping when I get to 260 anyway, so the "100 Pound" concept that I use for this blog is still the first step. In terms of my number, I'm going to just suck it up, and deal with it. The number on the scale is the number on the scale, and I'm not going to adjust it.

Today, I didn't weigh 276.5. I weighed 282.5.

What does that mean?

It means that 6 days ago, the scale read 288.5 - 6 pounds this week.

6 pounds is 6 pounds, no matter what scale I'm stepping on.

The fire is back, my friends. The number makes no difference.

Vote

Ok, I'm not sure how to do this. I'll have a longer blog about this later, but for now, how should I do this? Advice time, blog readers.

Long story made short, I changed gyms this weekend, from Ballys to the city Community Center. My wife, brother and his fiance, Gary and my wife's dad all go here. MUCH better for me, better facilities, you name it. One problem: no scale.

So, I pulled out my old scale that I've had for a few years, and it seems to be very accurate. Here's the problem.

The past few days, I've been stepping on the Bally's scale and my scale, and they're an exact 6 pounds apart. It has been for the past 3 days, so I'm assuming it to be accurate.

For example:

Ballys reads 281 - My scale reads 287
Ballys reads 279 - My scale reads 285
Ballys reads 278 - My scale reads 284

Accurate, but different.

Now that I no longer have Ballys (I have it until August 28), I need to base my weight on my new scale. I'm ok with seeing a 284 instead of a 278 today, because I know that I didn't gain 6 pounds - it's a matter of measurement.

My question is in regard to the blog. When I first started, I called it "350" - with a goal of "250". I had to lose 4 pounds (approximate) because the scale wouldn't even read - I assumed my weight to be 354 at the time, but used 350 because it's more 'marketable' and an even number. I've always considered those four pounds to be lost but never counted them in any of my blog calculations.

So do I just suck it up, pretend I gained 6 pounds and call my weight 284 today and know that my numbers are going to be skewed by 6 or 10 pounds for now on?

Or, do I change my parameters - meaning I'm still "Fourth and 31.1" for example, but consider my original weight to be 6 or 10 pounds higher, so I'll hit my 100 pounds lost at 256 or 260 instead of 250?

I'm not stopping at 250, so I think this is merely a cosmetic change on the blog, but I want to accurately reflect what I've done.

Thoughts?

PS: New low today - Bally's scale (the one I've used since the beginning) read 278. Gotta love that.

Exposing Myself

Weigh In: 279
Five Day Average: 281.12
Calories Counted: Pending

As the title of the blog suggests, I'm about to expose myself - but don't worry, there's no need for Net Nanny. There's a few things that I think we all have in the back of our heads - at least I do - and sometimes they need to be said.

Some of us on the blogs have been struggling with true weight loss lately. We're stagnant, we haven't been keeping a solid pace - or maybe we have been, but perhaps not as intense as when we were in our 'honeymoon' phase, and sometimes, we make excuses.

I can only speak for myself, but here are my excuses:

"Gary's not been able to work out with me lately." I did this for months without Gary. I've leaned on him to help push me when in reality, it's up to me to do that for him.

"A few bites doesn't hurt." This one's a tricky one. When I started truly counting calories, I was dead nuts on every day. If I had a cookie, I measured it and made sure I knew what it was. I included my drinks into my calorie count. I did EVERYTHING. Now, as I'm trying to convert this from a 'diet' to a 'lifestyle', I've become lax. I need to be conscious about everything that I put into my body.

"I'm been busy as hell lately." We all have been busy. We all have jobs, some of us go to school, and yeah - I do have tasks around the house to complete, I'm in the gym a lot, I go to school, I go to work, I teach private lessons (slow this summer), I run a praise band at my church - the list goes on. I could give you, as I'm sure most of you could, thirty reasons a day for not going to the gym - not eating right - not living that healthy lifestyle. But, if we're being honest here, it doesn't matter.

This lifestyle that we're trying to lead should NEVER be an afterthought. Weight loss ain't easy, and I think we've proved that over the past months - hell, for some of us, we're getting close to a year of this in a few months. We all have our priorities. We schedule our days that we can fit as much as we can fit into them. For me, I never wonder if I have 'time' to go to work, or to school. Making healthy decisions have to be on that same level. Maybe you can't go to the gym every day - that's not realistic for some - but what CAN you do to make sure that your health is just as important to you as your paycheck?

I make tons of excuses, and I see a lot of them in our blogs, in our posts, on the scale, you name it. If you're not losing weight the way you want to be, you have to be 100% honest with yourself. Lying to yourself only hurts one person, and I've been lying to myself for a while.

I'm not giving my all every single time I go in the gym. I'm not eating the best I possibly can every time I bring a fork to my face.

Don't get me wrong, I'm doing well - I'm a different person than I was back when I started. I don't even recognize the choices that I made back then. The distance from the start line to the point where I am in my life right now is quite a bit - but the finish line ain't even close.

But, the truth is that I've been 'settling for mediocre' rather than 'striving for success'.

That changes today. Are you with me?

Low Cal? No Problem.

No Weigh In:
Calories Counted: 1022?

Ok, I'm pretty shocked by my calorie count today. I had oatmeal, but only half a bowl this morning because my stomach hurt, I had a tuna pack and a few apples for lunch, a 100 calorie pack for a snack and then this AWESOME Italian Vegetable Bake that Erin made tonight for dinner, and it only came up to 902. Then, to help the numbers a bit, I even gave myself 130 calories worth of ice cream.

I would go have a bit more to eat, but it's almost 11pm - seems like that would be counterproductive to me, so I'm just going to go with it.

I skipped the gym today - it was a perfect storm. Gary couldn't make it, my stomach was killing me, and my mp3 player wasn't working, so I just left it alone and skipped. I can't remember the last time I wasn't in the gym on a weekday. So, instead of going to the gym, I watched the Season Finale of Shaq's Big Challenge. By the time it was done, I was so pumped up to go to the gym, but by that time, it was too late and I had to head to work. Bummer.

So no clue on the scale tonight, but we'll see how that goes tomorrow.

Oh - one other thing. Tom, my father-in-law, filled the final spot in the "Tuck's Big Challenge", so I readjusted a team, hopefully this is OK. Since my sister-in-law and father-in-law are doing this, and neither have a blog, I thought (with my wife's suggestion) that they should be on a team to help motivate each other. Also, that would give David and Melissa both a teammate that has a blog, so they can motivate each other as well.

So we're into August - who's going to win Tuck's Big Challenge?

False Start

Weigh In: 281.5
Five Day Average: 280.8
Calories Counted: Not sure, but not good.

My 5-day average went down today, but only because a 283.5 came off the record. Either way, I'll take it. Today was one of those days that couldn't have been avoided. I suppose I could have not went, but it was a family birthday gathering, so I think it would have been rude. I did pretty well with the eating today, but the family got together at a chinese restaurant for dinner. I checked the menu up and down, but as you probably already know - not many good choices at a joint like that. So, I ate poorly. I had a smaller serving, but almond chicken is almond chicken. No getting around that.

Also, Gary couldn't make it to the gym today, so I was on my own. The cards were stacked against me today. First off, I was exhausted because I didn't go to bed until 12:30am, and then I was up at 5:30 and in the gym at 6. Been doing that for a while, so the body's having a hard time catching up. Then, to get there, and my IPOD went to crap - it's pretty much fried and I have to get a new one, so here I am at the gym, feeling horrible, and having NO music. Needless to say it wasn't a very high quality workout.

So August 1 wasn't great.

Not the end of the world, and the best news is that I have 30 days to make up for it. So tomorrow, strong - organized workout. 10 pounds are coming off this month if I have to cut off my arm. Besides, my partner is counting on me. Until then!