Monday, February 25, 2008

Something IS different! Another 5 lbs!

I don't know how I did it, but I got another 5 lbs yesterday! so sweet! I haven't lost 5 pounds for WEEKS! I was expecting 3...hoping for 4...and then the scale says 5!

My clothes feel so great! Not only have I lost more than I did last year (38 pounds vs. 32 pounds) but I weigh less than I did last year when I became satisfied (256).

And this week was hard. I didn't want to work out. I didn't do very many doubles. I did 45 minutes Friday morning and walked two miles Saturday. I can't imagine how much I would have lost had I really killed it those two days.

I only need 25 pounds more in 5 weeks to tie for the win for the local competition!

that, AND, I'm finally on the board with the YS biggest loser competition. I debuted at #9 of the men and my sweet wife has maintained her hold on #5 for the ladies. so sweet!

I'm losing weight. feeling great. Can't wait to keep the momentum going!

Sunday, February 17, 2008

It is starting to show!!!

Not only am I fitting into old clothes, but my regular clothes are loose and LOOK great! It is so fun to lose weight! Last week I had one person finally ask me if I was losing weight again. This week there have been non stop comments.

It is so rewarding!

Last year, I reached this point and was so happy with it...that I stopped! and then I got back into the old habits.

Not this time. I just want to keep going and going and going!

I even slipped off my wedding ring tonight! Simply because I could! ha!

I'd post a pic...but I just look fat still. Maybe I should do a before an "while I'm still losing weight" pic.

Another 4 pounds! Downt o 259

What a great feeling! 4 more pounds. and I really worked hard. It's funny because that is less than 2% but it feels GREAT. Three more pounds and I will be tied with where I was last year, when I lost 32 pounds and stopped at 256.

Four more pounds and it will be my lightest in YEARS!

I am halfway through the Biggest Loser Competition. So far I've lost 33 lbs! That is more than I lost last year, of course I weighed in heavier. that is after 6 weeks, including a HUGE 12 lb loss that first week.

I have six more weeks to go till I weigh back in. The goal is to get down to 229. That is 30 more pounds. I have six more weeks. And I've averaged 3-4 lbs a week. I don't see it happening. But if I lose 20 more pounds in six weeks, then I'll have lost over 50 lbs and that is absolutely awesome.

My sweet wife thinks I can do it. I'd love to! but it is going to take some work!!!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

I love Matt

This guy never stops! I'm talking about Matthew McNutt, from the Biggest Loser season 3. I'm currently involved in the Youth Specialties biggest loser competition. It is a private site but has a forum.

McNutt, who is helping us, left this gem today:


Okay, so we're well on our way to losing some weight here, and by now, people are starting to deal with their expectations vs. what they're actually seeing on the scale.

Unrealistic expectations can be one of the biggest killers on any diet.

Here is the reality: without exercise and only counting calories results in about 1-2 lbs a week weight loss for women, and 2-3 lbs a week for men. That's a good week. Adding exercise to the mix can add another pound or so of loss a week.

Here's the problem: we hold ourselves up to shows like the Biggest Loser and call that the standard for weight loss. I'm going to clue you on something - that's not all real weight loss. Well, not in the time frame you think it is. If you dig deep, you can find on the NBC site blogs from the show Doctors actually giving away the fact that some of those "weeks" on the ranch are actually ten days long. So if you're wondering how they can lose that much weight in a week ... it's because they can't. TV has to be bigger than real life, so they misrepresent time to make it seem more amazing.

The truth is, in season three when I was competing from home, I was holding myself up to the numbers that had been delivered in season two. I was KILLING myself. Exercising two and a half hours a day, absolutely militant about my calories, and losing about 8-10 lbs a week (remember, I started at 366 lbs; when I was around 250, I was lucky to lose five pounds a week with that same level of effort). And I was completely depressed, because I knew based on the numbers of season two that there was no way I could even compete.

Even the lowest guy would probably be ahead of me. At that point I had no idea about the actually time spent filming each "week." So when I flew out there for my on camera weigh in, I was absolutely stunned to find out that not only was my weight loss - which based on what I had seen on the show and the website should have been respectable, but certainly not in competition with anything on the ranch - was actually ahead of everyone. My percentage of weight loss and and my number of pounds lost was ahead of everyone! And yet I had been feeling like a failure because my expectations for myself were so unrealistic!

All this to say, do NOT let yourself lose momentum because you aren't hitting the numbers you see on TV. It's impossible. If you are losing weight, or if the scale is even just staying the same ... you are succeeding! You are making positive change in your life, you are modeling a healthy lifestyle that reflects the value of your body as the temple of God and that is a shining example to the teens in your youth groups and your families!

Over 30% of kids are obese or overweight, and the number is going to be closer to 50% by 2010. By making change now, whatever the rate of progress, you are showing the people around you that it is never too late, and that honoring God through the care of your body is something that can be accompished!

Keep it up! Don't ever be disappointed with any weight loss!


McNutt...who doesn't love this guy?!

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Another 5 pounds! Woo Hoo Part Deaux

Alright! I dropped another 5 lbs! down to 263! After having a crappy weigh in last week I was really actually hoping for more, but still, a 4 pound average two weeks in a row is good.

Two thoughts:

1. I'm still hacked that I lost over thirty pounds last year. So far this year I've lost 29 lbs in 5 weeks. Pretty good. But, had I kept off the weight I lost last year...I would be down to 231!!!! I can't believe I'm working off fat that I gained last year! And at this rate, it'll take me two more weeks to simply get where I was last year! At least I'm not going back. so that's good.

2. On Sundays I weigh in and take the day off. I don't count calories and I don't exercise, allegedly giving myself a break. Which is true. The other has become an excuse to eat whatever I want. And I don't freak out. I've probably eaten 2500 calories today. The problem? I think probably all but 40 grams was carbs and fat. That's the kind of eating that gets you fat. And it's tearing my insides out! not a good feeling!

Friday, February 08, 2008

Woo Hoo!!! New "old" Pants!

It was just a few months ago that I blew out my last pair of 42 inch jeans. I was getting so fat that even those HUGE jeans were getting tight. Then...they ripped. CRAP!

So I had to choose...get another 42 to squeeze into, or bust out the 44's. I've NEVER had 44's before.

Well, I've been eyeing some 40's that were in my dresser that I probably only wore a handful of times when I was ballooning up. I put them on last night and guess what?

LIKE A GLOVE!

There is nothing like fitting into skinnier clothes. So I'm sporting one of my new "old" pairs of pants today and I feel GREAT! All the coutning calories, packing up gear, sweating....it is all soooo worth it!

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Eat more to lose weight

Matthew McNutt, former Biggest Loser contestant has a GREAT post today on his blog about the need to eat more in order to lose weight. This single piece of advice has been so helpful for me! I never feel hungry (unless I go long stretches without eating) and there is so much food to eat.

sidebar: One difference is that I never feel absolutely full, either. This goes back to my childhood and how I just never felt like we had any food, so whenever I got something good tasting to eat, I would gorge and gorge and gorge. I had no boundaries. The feeling of not being full did take a while to get used to.

For my weight (268) I am supposed to eat a little more than 1800 calories. And I hit it. The harder part for me is keeping my percentages to 45% carbs, 30% protein, and 25% fat.

Nevertheless, check out his blog. It's full of GREAT stuff.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Talk about Comfy...

So the other day I was cold and I grabbed my NYWC track sweatshirt that my sweet wife has been wearing around the house and I put it on. Which made me think, when I'm skinny, will I wear my old clothes around, like my wife wears my gargantuan clothes now?

3 lbs and some crappy scale


So after another tough week, I weighed in this morning...I "only" lost 3 more pounds, taking me down to 168. I cannot weight for 11 more pounds! that will be more than I lost last time.


And I say "only" because in reality, 3 lbs is really good.


This week our scale we were using broke so my sweet wife got another one. But there is no way I only lost 3 lbs. I did absolutely great with food and exercise. So it weighed me heavy (which I'll take because it will mean that next week will be even bigger!).


After church today, I ran to walmart and bought 3 other scales. Weighed myself 6 times on each. One weighed me heavy, one weighed my light, and the other two were in between them. In the end, we went back to the one we started with.
For the curious, the one we like is the Health-O-Meter scale (pictured) that holds memory for 4 people ($40). The one that weighed heavy was one by Weight Watchers.