Hi everyone! Welcome to my weight loss blog. This is my first post, and my first attempt at blogging. Those that know me know I've yo-yo'd with my weight for years, so I figured I'd start this blog so that you can all follow my progress, such as it is, online so you can keep me honest.
I took a before picture from the front and side, and those will be my before pictures. I really don't want to post them b/c they're so incredibly embarrassing, but it's probably the only way to keep me honest. But I don't yet know how to add pictures so for now you'll have to imagine what I look like. Think of Britney's ex K-Fed and you'll have a good idea.
I weighed myself yesterday to get a starting weight. 295. Yikes! It's hard to believe that 3 years ago I ran the Marine Corps marathon and was down to 228. What's even worse is that when I met Therese I was under 200 pounds! My friend Kevin Caiazza keeps encouraging me to join the 300 club, and I still maintain that I've never officially been north of that particular border. But there were a couple nights of hard eating when I might have crept over but been back down under it in the morning. Suffice it to say that I'm probably nearly 100 pounds overweight. Therese doesn't weigh much more than what I have to lose!!
Kevin is the one who turned me onto the John Stone Fitness website, which is where the idea for this blog was shamelessly stolen from. You can see from John's pictures over the years that he went from heavy to incredibly fit. (Kevin, you still owe me a day of yard work from our most recent weight loss bet, which I won only three years ago. Do I forfeit the prize since I blimped back up??)
It's easy to start a diet and then quit it when no one is looking. The reason Weight Watchers works for a lot of people is that you have to go there every week and weigh in and have your day of reckoning. So this will be my electronic reckoning. I'll weigh in every Friday morning and also take pictures. I hope, God willing, that some day I'll look back at these pictures and just shudder at how fat I was. My goal is to some day fit into those clothes Therese got for me back in 2006, as well as those size 36 jeans I still have from college. That, and to some day lay on my stomach at a beach without the dreaded "see-saw" affect.
So to minimize my chances of failure (or maximize my shame if I do fail), I'm going to let lots of my family and friends know about this blog. Trust me, there's not much that's more humbling than posting the pictures I have in my camera right now on the web.
I also am looking for ideas/suggestions/tips from all you fit people out there (you know who you are, Brendan & Peggy, Bob & Joan, Blaine & Carrie, Rob, etc.). I started biking today and it's definitely a bit harder with a baby seat on the back holding a book bag full of tax books. (I started classes this week at H&R Block so I can work for them next tax season, and the place we meet is only 3 miles away.) Tomorrow it's racquetball with Brendan and maybe a jog. Then ultimate frisbee on Saturday, and hoops at All Saints starts Tuesday. Do I really need to lift? Naw...
So here goes. Wish me luck!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Good luck Jim!! I am so excited for you and your new healthy lifestyle. I think committing to a goal is always the hardest step, so congratulations on making that most important decision! So proud of you. I'd be glad to come up with a fitness plan for you if you want (it'd be great practice for my test this Fall!) and even do a more thorough assessment so that you can see progress through more than just weight.
ReplyDeleteGood luck & God bless!
ReplyDeleteJim - I think you are wonderful!! It's about being healthy and keeping you around longer! And don't think of it as dieting - I hate dieting. Thinking of it as a healthy lifestyle. I'm proud of you and will be happy to help any way I can - well, that is as long as it's not a sin! ;) Love ya! Joan (P.S. You need strength training to build muscle which helps burn fat)
Peggy, do you have calipers big enough to do a body fat analysis??
ReplyDeleteGreat job Jim! Its all about lifestyle and attitude and commitment to the result. Good health and happiness can co-exisit! Proud of your resolve. Make it fun, and it won't seem so ominous! Be sure and reward yourself for success,that keeps you motivated and focused on continued success. Pretty soon you'll be kicking my butt on the bike.
ReplyDeleteI just got calipers and Brendan would be very grateful for me to use them on someone other than him every day (checking my accuracy)!!
ReplyDeleteI'm super proud of you honey and I will do my part to help you eat better, with cooking as often as I can:) You are amazing at any size and I hope you know that. But I agree with Joan it's all about keeping you around longer, you're much more valuable to me alive!! In more ways than one:)
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteMom and I are pulling for you and have added your intention to our prayers.
Love,
Dad
Jim! Great decision. Love your humility, couldn't post similar photos of myself, quite honestly.
ReplyDeleteAndy's had some great success these last 6 weeks with a book/method called: The Diabetes Solution.....he's down about 15 pounds, under 200 first time in awhile.
I've struggled with weight issues since I was a teenager. My best advice: make a commitment to avoid refined carbs, white flour, white rice and sugar/corn syrup filled drinks. Get creative with veggies, beans, whole grains, fish, chicken, eggs and beef. Reward yourself = maybe with a treat on Sundays.
Just read a report in a magazine from a study at Univ of Michigan Cardio Center -- eat blueberries. 1 1/2 cups a day -- something in the blueberries cuts abdominal fat and supresses a fat-storing gene. Cool, huh?
You know why you can do this? Because you can. It sounds a bit simple, but that's why. You make a promise to yourself and you refuse to break it. Go Jim!
Thanks Kim. I'll have to borrow that book from you if you don't mind. And I love blueberries so that's no problem. The carbs are going to be hard, but I know you're right. Thanks for the kind words!
ReplyDelete