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My wife and I made some tough decisions this week. We have to truly cut expenses and anything that is not truly necessary. This meant the farmer’s co-op will make it’s last delivery next Tuesday. We had been throwing some food away because it was too much and we’ve been going out too much also.

After some further discussion, we realized that we had not been getting much out of the Weight-Watchers program, but not to fault the program, only our commitment to it. Since we have not mde any progress in the last several months, we decided that money could best be used to pay off some of our other debts. Therefore, the last Tuesday meeting before Memorial Day weekend will be our last meeting for a while.

We know that it will be very difficult to keep losing without the program, but we have the materials, the knowledge, and the experience of having lost weight. We also know that we have to cut out the restaurant trips (breakfast, lunch and dinner). This means we’ll be cooking at home, and we definitely cook healthier than we consume eating out. In this case, we may actually do better at weight loss by cutting back all of our spending.

So what does this mean for the weekly weigh-ins? Well, that’s where our Wii Fit will come in. It is the most trust-worthy scale we have in the house. Plus, it may encourage us to work out more on it.

Though it seems we’re losing so much by dropping Weight-Watchers, I think the pluses outweigh the minuses right now. We’ll really miss our friends there, but we’ll keep in touch as much as possible and get back to the meetings when we get our lives back in order.

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 272.4 lb
(two weeks ago)
Current weight: 275.0 lb
Current loss/gain: +2.6 lb
Total loss/gain: -44.0 lb
Distance to 60: 16.0 lb
Distance to Doctor’s WW Goal: 25.0 lb

Cross-posted to WebCudgel.com

Yeah, so I didn’t post last week. Turns out that we got superbusy at the house. You see, we were going to be observing the Passover on Wednesday night. Since we follow the Old Testament observances such as Days of Unleavens, we had to clean out the house of all leavening and leavened products. We do a lot of vacuuming and sweeping and rummaging before it all goes out to the trash. It turned out Tuesday night last week was our last free night to finish all of this before sunset on Thursday when the Days of Unleavens started.

This meant having to skip doing the weekly update and, as you can guess, the rest of the week was way to crazy to get in time to post (I had to give the sermon on Friday, the first Day of Unleavens).

Anyways, all said and done, I’d been treating myself horribly, getting in only one run a week (this is ever since the half-marathon). I’d been eating poorly, getting little sleep and not enough exercise.

If anything, I redeemed myself somewhat. In spite of the potluck at church on Friday (yeah, my wife can make an unbelievably rich chocolate cake with no leavening), the heavier unleavened breads (I made some rye biscuits), and the other really good foods (such as Swedish pancakes, key-lime tea biscuits, butterscotch blondies,… well you get the idea), I got in one run, two walks and managed to neither gain or lose weight this week. So the numbers below are since my last post, but do not reflect the current week, only the previous.

Stress has been bad lately too since one of our team members turned in notice (making two friends I’m losing this week). It’s not been easy. I’m sticking to it though.

Weight-Watchers is having a Momentum Walk-It Challenge encouraging all members to enter a 5K before early June and is giving some pretty cool incentives to do it. It will be nothing for me, but I’m hoping I can get Amy to do one. I know she can do it and it would be fun to do it together.

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 271.0 lb
(two weeks ago)
Current weight: 272.4 lb
Current loss/gain: +1.4 lb
Total loss/gain: -46.6 lb
Distance to 60: 13.4 lb
Distance to Doctor’s WW Goal: 22.4 lb

Cross-posted to WebCudgel.com

Aaaaand… we’re back.

So I wasn’t actually on any Spring Break (it’s been 17 years since I’ve ever taken one), but I just wasn’t feeling my oats last week. Sure, I had not done any running the week after my half-marathon and gained 1.4 pounds. This week, I got in a couple of runs and a few walks with my lovely wife and only gained 0.6 pounds.

I’m gearing up for some serious losing though. I’m going to increase the frequency and length of my runs. I’ve got an image to maintain. After all, my WW leader now refers to me as one of her “athletes”. I have NEVER had anyone use the word athlete in reference to me except when saying “athlete’s foot”. I’ve still got people asking when my next run is. Some asked me today if I did a race this past weekend!

It is rather humbling that people now expect so much out of me when they used to expect so little (and got it every time). Now I need to deliver.

I had also been bad about my eating. However, that’s no news. We’ve been letting too much of our farmer’s co-op go bad each week and it’s gotten worse in the last few months. Time to break this cycle and get to using that stuff.

I tried one of the kiwi tonight. We have three small bags of them and neither of us has touched them. Am I supposed to eat the fuzzy skin? I’ve only ever seen people eat them in slices after peeled. So I peeled one and ate it like a hard boiled egg… and it was VERY good. I’ve got a new work snack as I’m getting somewhat tired of apples (oh, what? another bag of apples this week? sigh).

I still haven’t posted anything about my half-marathon. I will very soon. I need to get that down before I forget some very special memories.

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 269.4 lb
(two weeks ago)
Current weight: 271.4 lb
Current loss/gain: +2.0 lb
Total loss/gain: -48.0 lb
Distance to 60: 12.0 lb
Distance to Doctor’s WW Goal: 21.0 lb

Cross-posted to WebCudgel.com

Wow. What a week it has been. I’ve still got a separate post to write reporting the events of this past Sunday, so I don’t want to steal most of the thunder away from that. However, I do want to point out that I’m certain it was key to this week’s loss of 2.4 pounds.

I also met another woman attending the previous WW meeting tonight who was wearing one of the half-marathon shirts all participants received so we got to talk for a while about our running experiences. She did about 8 half-marathons before choosing to finally do a full marathon (she chose to do the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon).

So I lost this week. I also contribute it to making a few good choices. The celebration lunch on Sunday was at Sweet Tomatoes. Dinner that night was a reasonable portion of meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans. I still indulged some. However, even after consuming the Clif bar before the run, two Clif shots during the run, water and Gatorade Ultra at the drink stations, I still felt pretty good about the week as a whole.

Now I just need to work harder on losing more weight so I can do even better on the runs and maybe even bigger ones.

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 271.4 lb
Current weight: 269.4 lb
Current loss/gain: -2.4 lb
Total loss/gain: -50.0 lb
Distance to 60: 10.0 lb
Distance to Doctor’s WW Goal: 19.0 lb

Cross-posted to WebCudgel.com

I love my Wii Fit, but I’ve got to stop weighing myself on it on Sundays. Other than Tuesday/Wednesday nights when I weigh myself on it, that’s the only other day. I got overconfident when the durn thing told me I’d lost 7.5 pounds since my last weighin on it. Granted, it was after my 9.3 mile run on Sunday and all I had had so far that day was 1 Kashi bar and a 32oz Gatorade. I should have waited until that evening to weigh myself on it as I normally would.

So I weigh-in on the scale at Weight-Watchers and I’ve gained 1.6 pounds. I’m not sure if I gained all that in the last couple of days, but I was being very lax in my food choices due to that 7.5 loss. I also drank a ton more water these last few days due to a gout attack that started up Sunday evening (most likely flared up by the run and not having enough water afterwards).

I’m glad I got in the run though. I completed it in 1hr 56min. This gave me a good idea of how long I would take to do the 13.1 miles this coming Sunday. Though they have a time limit of 4 hours for the race, I’m certain I can complete it at around 3 hours. I plan on making that time my goal.

I also need to track again. I’m not tracking my food intake and it is getting out of hand. Tracking begins tomorrow once again. It works, if I can just make myself do it. The weekend tends to always derail me.

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 269.8 lb
Current weight: 271.4 lb
Current loss/gain: +1.6 lb
Total loss/gain: -47.6 lb
Distance to 60: 12.4 lb
Distance to Doctor’s WW Goal: 21.4 lb

Cross-posted to WebCudgel.com

Well, one big victory this week was that I counted my calories every day. I went over quite often, but at least I was close and was counting. My numbers may be a bit skewed this week because I am struggling with the flu. However, it was a good week and I lost a couple of pounds.

Starting Weight (Feb. 16, 2009): 280 lbs.
Starting BMI: 39
Weight Last Weigh in: (Feb. 23, 2009) 279 lbs.
Weight Today (Mar. 2, 2009): 277 lbs.
Current BMI: 38.7

Weight Change This Week: -2 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 3 pounds
Goal Streak: 2 weeks in a row
NEXT GOAL: 255 lbs. (22 lbs. to go)

Well, it could have been much worse, but I only gained 0.6 pounds this week. I did many things right, and some things wrong and some good things contributed to the bad.

First off, I got in two runs this week. The total of the two was just shy of 10 miles (9.96) with the 1st run on Wednesday being 3.80 miles and the 2nd run on Sunday being 6.16 miles. I was using the extra time on Sunday to start ramping up for the half marathon that is only two weeks away. I completed the run on Sunday with a time of 1hr 12min. Considering that the time limit for the half marathon is 4 hours, I’m sure I can finish in the allotted time (in fact, I’m certain I could do it in 3 hours).

However, I had said some things contributed to the bad. I ended up having a sore ankle on Monday that was feeling like the beginning of another gout attack. I knew I had not consumed enough liquids after the run and it bit me.

So I spent Monday at home and that was not good. Since I wasn’t going to be doing any exercise due to the ankle, I was just going to sit/lie around and pretty soon I was eating. At first it was within tolerable limits, but then stuff just started sounding so good. I showed little self-control and I know that showed on the scale.

I did do quite a bit of good this week and, for the most part, stuck to my points limits. It just all fell apart on Monday (plus I knew I had been doing good and had excused myself to eat more on Monday).

I’m going to be careful and try to get in a few more good solid runs (probably a few with interval training during the work week and another long run on Sunday). I don’t want to have a gout attack keep me from my first half marathon (never mind that it cost me $60 to sign up and I don’t want to waste that either). I’ve got to play safe.

Plus today was farmer’s co-op day, meaning we now have a ton of fruits and veggies to eat up and we have too much leftover from the last one. We’ve been eating out too much and so we gotta put the brakes to that for the next few weeks. Other than eating out on weigh-in night due to the time constraints, I think we’ll save the half-marathon day for a little celebrating. WHEN I finish it (not IF).

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 269.2 lb
Current weight: 269.8 lb
Current loss/gain: +0.6 lb
Total loss/gain: -49.2 lb
Distance to 60: 10.8 lb
Distance to Doctor’s WW Goal: 19.8 lb

Cross-posted to WebCudgel.com

Cross Published on Rejected Reality

I cannot begin to explain to you how stressed I feel. The worst part, is there is really nothing I can do about it. We have NO extra staff anymore, so I don’t have anyone to work when I need a day off, much less when staff call in sick. They’ve tried, I tell them they need to take whatever meds with them and just sit on the couch. Because we need a body there 24/7.

I’ve mentioned the Sleep Study I did a couple weeks ago where it was determined I need a CPAP machine. I’ve got pictures of what I looked like with all the electrodes running to my brain…. it’s VERY SEXY! I go in on Monday night (March 2) for the ‘fitting’. The Doc told me my sleep disturbances were so significant, IF the machine does its job (and it should) it will be something of a panacea. No more meds for anxiety, depression, better memory retention, more energy for being active. AND… sleep is a necessary part of weightloss! Who knew?

Wouldn’t it be something if that little hummer helped my life make a little sense AND move in a positive direction?

Weigh-In tonight… didn’t stay for meeting. I had to do laundry. Yup, one more thing to wedge into my life. Wasn’t good… wasn’t too bad….

Anton, A drum roll please…

Starting Weight (March 7, 2006): 387.8 lbs.
Starting BMI: 51.2
Last Weigh-In (February 17, 2009): 297 lbs.
Weight Today (February 24, 2009): 297.2 lbs.
Current BMI: 39.2

Weight Change: +0.2 lbs
Total Weight Lost: –90.6 lbs

I had a good week, not a great week. I only got two responses to my last post asking what I should do about having done nothing of my required list items to avoid the challenge punishment. They were both encouraging responses and I appreciated them very much.

However, I then went through another week of not doing program. I didn’t track. I didn’t stick to my points (I thought, but I still lost, so maybe I did). I didn’t get in three runs (just one). I… I…

Yeah. *I* didn’t do a lot of things. I didn’t take care of myself. I was in a semi-depressed mode all week. This past Sunday was “Geek Sunday” when I hang out with my friends and play D&D and enjoy the camaraderie. I didn’t though. I feel more disconnected from my friends each time we meet. I feel as though I’m only there to be a target of ridicule and jokes, they’re token straight-man.

I know I sound really upset. I’m not really, but I think I’ve made some poor choices, not in just food, but in what I do with my time. I waste SO much of my personal time. I waste so much time in general. I almost didn’t want to post this week only because I have a very strong procrastination gene and I have to fight it sometimes just to put up my weekly numbers.

Here are some bright spots.

• I did my first lunch time workout in over eight months. I need to augment my running program with other stuff to continue losing weight, but not impact my running.
• I signed up for a half-marathon. A HALF MARATHON. What the heck was I thinking? I’ve done the math several times and I know I can finish it in the allotted four hours in order to receive the finishers medal. In case you’re wondering where and when: http://www.rocktovictory.com/
• I had a good performance review at work and should find out what, if any, is my merit increase for this year. Heck, I’m still employed and that’s more than enough (but a little more money is always nice).
• In spite of all I didn’t do right this week, I lost 2.4 pounds. I’m still making better decisions.

I’ll get through this. Maybe having the half-marathon ahead will help me focus my energy on something else other than my (somewhat regular) pity party. I’m going to track this week. Time to get back on that too.

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 271.6 lb
Current weight: 269.2 lb
Current loss/gain: -2.4 lb
Total loss/gain: -49.8 lb
Distance to 60: 10.2 lb
Distance to Doctor’s WW Goal: 19.2 lb

Cross-posted to WebCudgel.com

Well, this week was fine… just so busy. Not cooking much just yet, but soon i will make the time to start learning some easy stuff. I lost a pound and I can’t complain about any loss and I wasn’t really expecting it. I think I am going to try to post my exercise and calories on my blog each day… that can help to keep me more accountable. Thanks again to Charles for giving me a kick in the butt this morning about posting. He is really helping me in this.

Starting Weight (Feb. 16, 2009): 280 lbs.
Starting BMI: 39
Weight Last Weigh in: (Feb. 16, 2009) 280 lbs.
Weight Today (Feb. 23, 2009): 279 lbs.
Current BMI: 38.9

Weight Change This Week: -1 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 1 pound
Goal Streak: 1 week in a row
NEXT GOAL: 255 lbs. (24 lbs. to go)