Reality Check

Weigh In: 296

I've got to get a few things off my chest.

Frankly, I'm getting a bit irritated at myself. First off, I've been at, or around, 296 for about 2 weeks now. A bit of a plateau, if you will. But it's been self induced, and it's about time that I call myself out on it.

Why would I go to the gym 6-7 days a week, play softball at night, and eat right 99% of the time if that last 1% is just going to screw me, day in and day out? It doesn't make sense to me - and the fact that I've been failing to the make the right decisions with my food lately just pisses me off.

I mean, I've got every perfect excuse in the book. Let me know if you've heard any of these before:

1. I haven't had time so I just grabbed what was there.
2. Everyone at work ordered something, so just a few bites doesn't hurt.
3. It's a holiday - the BBQ is part of it, I didn't want to be left out.

Take the last two days for example. Monday was awesome. We had about 40+ of our favorite relatives at our new house for our big 'kickoff' BBQ - the first major bash at our new place, and most of my wife and my relatives got to see our house for the first time. I was manning the grill, and probably put about 40 burgers, 40 dogs, 20 brats, you name it - on the grill. I was the "King of the Grill", as the phrase on the front of my apron proclaimed.

So why, if I'm the "King", did I have to have a cheeseburger and a brat, along with about 3 solid hours of snacking on traditional BBQ appetizers and side dishes?

And then again yesterday, for my sister-in-law's birthday, we had them over for a small BBQ, this time much more low key - and with less 'excuses', right? I had 2 cheeseburgers, and since I was 'watching my weight', I took the top half of the bun (on the second burger only) off to "save calories".

But, I wasn't thinking about saving calories when I had the macaroni salad, cream cheese rolls or even that scoop of Neapolitan ice cream, right?

And I sit back and wonder why the scale hasn't budged. Hell, I should consider myself LUCKY that I'm not over 300 again.

It just gets me mad - I step on that scale every single day. I mean, I really bust my ass in the gym, and take a ton of pride in that. And then I eat great for "most" of the day.

That's about as helpful as being a fighter jet pilot who doesn't crash "most" of the time.

I need to get my head on straight, and stop justifying the stupid crap.

Eat the good stuff, skip the bad stuff.

It's so damn simple.

Game Time - Again

Today: No Weigh In.
Yesterday: 292.5 (new low!)

Ok, first off - congrats to Kevin for getting your average solidly under 300. VERY happy for you on that.

That being said, Kev hitting the 299's has set me back into gear. I've been going strong just because I've set these working out habits into motion, but my mental motivation seems to go up and down. I cheat a little bit on the diet - nothing that would break me - and I tend to be a little lax - but I need to really gear up, and knock these pounds off. What I'm not keeping in mind is that I've set these high goals for myself, and if I want to see 250 in the right time frame, I need to really push myself the way I did through the 'hard' stages.

To use a NASCAR comparison (I'm not much of a fan), I see Kevin as part of my team. If you don't watch NASCAR, each team will have different racers. If you're on the team with another racer, and he wins the race, that's good for you. Your team succeeds, and your teammate experiences victory. Everyone's happy.

But, if your teammate is winning, that means you're not.

It's a friendly competition where the best possible results is for you BOTH to be winning every single time. Just like in NASCAR though, that's not always possible.

I hit 299 before Kevin, and I felt like that was one of my small 'victories'. But, then Kevin was struggling with it, and I really felt his pain. I knew that feeling, and it sucks. There was nothing I wanted more than to see my teammate through all of this break through that barrier.

So - Kevin - CONGRATS! Hitting 299 is awesome, and you just recently hit 297. That's completely awesome.

But, that means that you're coming up on my rear view mirror in a hurry - and we need to keep racing to the end - because you pushing me, and me pushing you - that's been our secret all along.

Time for us both to put the pedal to the floor and hit the straight away. See you at the checkered flag, Kev.

I Crack Me Up

Weigh In: 296

First off, if you're wondering what the hell the picture is all about, this girl was bowling next to Erin and I tonight. Obviously, she was the "butt" of our jokes all night at the bowling alley. Every time we saw her bowl tonight, she "cracked" us up. I'll tell you though, it must have been a full "moon" outside, because the scale was really "pooping" out on me today.

Ok, enough of that. Onto the blog.

The weight's really starting to bug me. As I've said in the past few days, I know the story, I know how the body works, and I know it'll eventually come down, but now I'm starting to get irritated. I actually slapped the hell out of the scale today, making quite the loud banging sound in the gym locker room, when I saw 296 again.

I know the rules - and I know that it'll come down, but it seems like I've gone nowhere for almost 2 weeks now. Just be patient, and hang in there, right? So, that's what I do. Working out every day, eating right - the body can only win the mini-battles, I'll win the war.

So, here's for another strong workout tomorrow.

Time to get CRACKin'.

The Balance of Good and Evil

Yesterday's Weigh In: 294
Today's Weigh In: 296

In the past, when I saw a 10 day plateau (ranging 3 pounds), I'd freak out. I'd get all worried that I was failing, and that I wasn't ever going to break it. I remember when I was stuck at 330 for 21 days, and I considered quitting more than once.

Now, it's like that fly that keep buzzing by your ear.

It doesn't hurt you, and it doesn't do any permanent damage, but damn, does it piss you off.

I'd say that it doesn't make sense - I've been in the gym every day this week going just as strong as ever before, and my eating habits have been lock-step. But, 10 days ago, I was 296, and today, I'm 296.

One of the things that happens during a long term weight loss journey is that you learn more about your body. My body fluxuates wildly. I'll be steady, steady, and then boom - 4 pounds, one way or the other. I'm not sure why, or what causes it, but I do know that it happens, and that's just part of it.

So, going from my low of 293 back up to 296 doesn't make me want to do cartwheels, but the lesson that I've learned is - the wheels aren't falling off. I just need to continue to what I'm doing, and it'll happen.

Besides, if weight loss was easy, EVERYONE would do it, right?

6 Months

Weigh In - November 22, 2006: 354 pounds
Weigh In - May 22, 2006: 293.5 pounds
Six Months Total Weight Lost: 60.5 pounds

Today's Weigh In: 294.0

I didn't realize it until today, but yesterday marked 6 months for me on this Fourth and 100 mission. It's hard to believe that it's half of a year already, and it's even harder to believe that I've stuck through this, and not only am I doing well, I'm gaining steam.

I look back six months, and it was just another attempted weight loss try. I tried so many times in the past, and as my wife would say, I failed so many times because I didn't take it seriously enough, and she doubted that I could succeed. Honestly, I couldn't see myself losing the weight either.

"I'm going to lose 100 pounds" I said.

I didn't believe it myself. As I said as I was nearing the 300 barrier, I couldn't picture myself in the 200's. I didn't have a visual in mind what that would be like. It's kind of like trying to picture 100 million dollars sitting in front of you, in $100 bills. I mean, you can visualize the number, but could you actually SEE it in front of you? Can you imagine what it's like to see it come to fruition?

Not only did I never expect to be down 60 pounds in only 6 months, but I never expected to have the connections with people that are struggling with the same thing. I never thought that I would be one of the people that others looked to for support. To hear someone tell me that I motivate them - that I INSPIRE them.. it's hard to put into words what that means to me.

From my Blogspot blog, then to the Calorie-Count.com blog, and then into my personal life, I've seen others around me change their mentality when it comes to the whole weight loss thing.. it's pretty damn amazing. I mean, my cousin quit smoking. He works out with me, and he's doing a HELL of a job. My boy Jim is working out and walking 4-8 miles a day, and he's training for the Race for the Cure.. that's 60 miles in 3 days. That's incredible to me. My other buddy Zogie has been in the gym, pushing hard. People at work have seen my successes and have started going to the gym, eating right, and doing what they need to do to transform themselves.

I've been told that I've 'inspired' each one of them. Seeing what I have accomplished has pushed others to do the same.

There are no words to tell you how that feels to me.

So now, I'm in my second 6 month period of my first year of a healthy lifestyle. Things are so much different now. As I said before, my workout is just part of my day - I've integrated it into my lifestyle. I eat better, and the foods that I used as comfort in the past - the cheeseburgers from McDonalds.. the Pizza Hut pizzas, the nights of beer binging, they're all gone. I don't long for them anymore - if anything, it disgusts me. That part of my life is so far gone that it's hard to imagine that it was my life. Waking up thinking about my meals, and that feeling of uncontrollable binging - they're not gone, I can't even pretend that they are.

But I feel like I'm in control.

So, here's to everyone that is doing this. As much as I've been told that I am their inspiration or motivation, the same thing rings true the other way. For Kevin and Becky, you guys were the ones to inspire me to do this. Guys like Billy, who are machines and have made unbelievable tranformations. Guys like Zogie and Jim, my boys for years.. doing their thing. Everyone on calorie-count.com.

As much as you couldn't "do it without me", that comes full circle.

I wouldn't be sitting here, in the 200's, without the motivation that you guys have provided me. The good examples, the determination, the creativity and the thought process that binds us together.

I feel great about this second half of the year. Thanks for taking the ride with me.

There's Only ONE Way To Win the War

Weigh In: 293.5

First off, I have no idea what that picture means, but I thought it was funny. And, it has the words "Hard Work" in it, which is the theme to this post, so it works.. Ok, onto the blog:

Sometimes I forget how much work I put into my workouts and such, and I think I take my efforts for granted. I guess that's a good thing, but there's a reason I say this.

My workout routine is habit now. I get up at 5:15-5:30, and I'm in the gym at 6am. I get out around 7:15, showered by 7:30, and I'm off and running on my day. It's just what I do. I don't really even think about it anymore. As much as work, school and lunchtime, it's a part of my day.

I've come pretty damn far in that mentality. As little as six months ago, I thought that my workout was the highlight of my day. It was a major accomplishment to show up at the gym and get any type of workout out. It wasn't part of my day, and it wasn't ranked as high as school, work, or lunchtime.

I've got a long way to go on so many aspects, but I feel pretty confident that I'm going to hit any goal that I set for myself when it comes to my weight loss. I work hard, and I reap the rewards. I'm able to call myself out when I'm down, and I know that when it's time to pat myself on the back, I feel like I'm able to. This blog as done wonders for my level of personal accountability, and I can honestly say that without it, I definitely wouldn't be where I am today.

People ask what I'm doing to lose weight. I tell them that there are two kinds of food: good stuff, and bad stuff. I eat the good, go easy on the bad. And when it comes to working out, I just do it. No excuses, no putting it off. It's as important to me as waking up in the morning, and going to bed.

The bottom line is this: If you want to reach your goals, you put the work in.

If you don't, you won't. It's really that simple.

That being said, it's an early night tonight. 6:05am Powerflex class tomorrow morning.

Landscaping

Yesterday's Weigh In: 293.5
Today's Weigh In: 294.5
Five Day Average: 294.4


Ok, so my wife has heard this story about 30 times today, but I guess once more won't hurt.

So, there's this huge sandbox in our backyard, it was there since we moved in. Since we don't have kids, we decided there was really no point in keeping this.

Today, I woke up and was in the gym lifting weights by 6am. I was out of the gym by 7:30am, and then I went home, had breakfast, and then picked up Gary's wife's Patty's truck, and set on my way to move this sand out of our backyard.

Yesterday my buddy Jim came over, so I shoveled all the sand out of this sandbox, and put it on a tarp right next door to it. Sand transfer #1.

Today, I got the wheelbarrow out, and moved all the sand from the tarp to the wheelbarrow (Sand transfer #2), and then wheels about 17 loads of sand from our backyard, around the house, and into the truck (Sand transfer #3). Then, I drove the truck to the recycle center, and had to back the truck up, and use my trusty shovel to scoot all the sand out of the truck and into the center dump (Sand Transfer #4).

This took four hours. Oh, and one small note. When I went to the recycle center, they weighed the truck on the way in, and again on the way out - so they could get the total weight of how much sand I moved four times, so they could charge me appropriately.

1580 pounds of sand.

Moved four times.

After a weight lifting workout.

Needless to say, I felt pretty sore after this job. But, I felt pretty strong afterwards. If I would have taken this on 6 months ago, I seriously doubt I would have been able to finish it. Today, I could have gone back to the gym and worked out again. I've noticed that my strength and endurance are getting stronger, and my recovery time is really improving. In fact, I actually did my actual heavy duty weight lifting today, but also yesterday.

So, a step in the right direction.

As for my weight, it's creeped up a few pounds over the past few days, but I think that was to be expected. 8 pounds in a week is a wee bit much to expect, but considering that last Friday I was 301 pounds, I'll gladly take my 294.4 average and run with it.

So, another day, another dollar. Catch ya'll tomorrow.