It's the new year!  And a new goal.  I crossed over the 50 lb mark for weight loss!  Now I am aiming at gross weight goals.  I dropped under 300 lbs just before the holiday, which was a place I hadn't been in 5 years.  My next goal is 280 (I'm 292.6 now).  So, about 13 lbs away from a weight I haven't been for 7 years! 

I was 250 lbs when I was training for and participating in triathlons.  It's kind of husky (they call it Clydesdale division) for a triathlon, and I wasn't thin by any stretch of the imagination, but I was fit enough to finish a triathlon!  Then, I broke my ankle, twice.  I couldn't train any more, and the weight starting coming on fast.  I gained the 30 lbs quickly from 250-280, and managed to stay there for a year or so before I began to climb again.  I was 280 when I left my job at Keane in 2010.  It will be a nice flag to plant, on my way down to 250.

Wow, Christmas was tough and I faltered a lot.  I ate a few cookies.  Maybe more than a few on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  My wife made probably 300 cookies of all different types.  It was just too hard for me to resist. 

I did stay away from "normal" carbs like bread and potatoes and the like.  I made sure my straying at least went to the good stuff, and not just meh carbs.

I did weigh in nicely on the Friday before Christmas - 297!  That's my first weigh in under 300 lbs in over 5 years.  I'm going to work hard to get back on the wagon the rest of this week so my Friday weigh in - the last of the year this year, will be at least under 300, and hopefully at 297 or less.  That would be a huge accomplishment given the 2 days of struggle.

Ok so - Thanksgiving - I did really well!  I actually ate more calories at lunch (cheese and salami) than I did at dinner.  I had made BBQ, Brisket, and the Turkey all in the smoker - and they all turned out really well.  I ate those, and green beans, and that was it.  I didn't break down and eat any of the high carb sides, or desserts - and I really didn't miss them.  At this point, I'm a month off sugar so I don't have the extreme cravings of before. 

I did the post Thanksgiving weigh in and I had lost another 5 ish pounds!  That put me over 30 lbs, and very close to my 10% goal for the first 10 weeks - and at 6 weeks in at that.  The clinic had a little party for me and I got to sign the wall - that was a nice gesture. 

I'm really excited.  I was at the very last size that Wal Mart carried for jeans (50).  Now they need a really tight belt to hold up - I have some at the next size down (48) and I am looking forward to wearing them to work tomorrow - I think they will fit!

Pre-Thanksgiving

It's the day before Thanksgiving.  I'm really excited but really worried.  There will be so much temptation.  There has been temptation already today!  A colleague brought in donuts.  Evil!  I am staying away from them - I really don't have a sweet tooth these days, but I don't want to start down a slippery slope.

At lunch we are going to one of those movie theaters that provides full service - meals brought to your seat.  I am hoping to make it through with a Cobb salad.  It should provide enough protein in the chicken and bacon and good fats with the avocado to make it through the rest of the day.

Then there's Thanksgiving.  I am prepared for this!  The smoker is working overtime.  Today I am smoking a pork butt tonight, then tomorrow a beef brisket and, of course, a turkey.  We will have lots of protein for me to munch on, so I stay away from the carbs and sweets.

I don't know what my unofficial weight is now, but I weigh in officially again on Monday evening.  I am hoping for significant progress.

I'm starting to worry now about excess skin.  I wonder if there is anything other than lots of water that I can do to manage this, before I save up for the skin removal?

Trying again

Well, life happened.  I was training hard, and had been in a triathlon, and was preparing for more, then it happened.  I fell and broke my ankle, without knowing it - I thought it was a bad sprain.  Then I fell again and went to an orthopedist - where they told me it had been broken, and then re-broken.

My training ended - no more triathlons, but the eating regimen remained.  I continued to eat like I had when I was training, and I packed on the points.

You don't notice the weight going on...it comes in spurts - 5 lbs...then 10, then  you hit a plateau and you think "Ok I guess my body won't go over this."  But then it happens - you cross that threshold and you move to the next level.  You raise the bar.  Again, and again.  Each time you get a little heavier, it's that much harder to exercise, and you just want to sit on the couch.

At 343 lbs (After being at a tri-training weight of 250), I was walking up a hill to see my son at college.  When I got to the top of the hill, I couldn't catch my breath.  I started to feel lightheaded, and I thought - this is it, this is the day that I die, right here in public, in front of my wife and kids.  It was frightening, and eye-opening.  I had to do something to change this.

When I got home, I started a medically-managed weight loss program, called Medi Weight Loss.  It's a franchise, but the patients see a nurse practitioner, and have weekly check-ins where they go over your food and exercise diary, and they take vitals.  Every 10 weeks there is a full diagnostic with blood work and an EKG.

Finally, I can see a path to healthy living.  I have lost 26 lbs, and am on my way to my goal of 25 lbs under my triathlon weight.  It's a lofty goal I know, but I'll check in here to remind myself that it's worth it!

Sticking with it

I actually gained a lb yesterday. Surprising, since i am now getting active and drinking nothing but juice and smoothies. Just gonna stay the course for now.

Day 3 of juice fast

I am doing ok with it. I am having to gnaw on something here or there - and i am choosing grapes if I have to. I figure they're mostly juice.

No weight loss yesterday, but it could have been time of day/current water intake related. I am not too worried.

I am having some serious food dreams! I mean super serious. last night in my dream I ate a whole bag of snack sized snickers bars. mmmmmm.

Today I had a homemade juice for breakfast - two grapefruit and an apple. For lunch I had a 32 oz Bolthouse Farms smoothie/juice. Not as many nutrients, but no artificial stuff and no added sugar. Lots of calories though - 560 but if you think that I had a juice for breakfast that was MAYBE 300 calories, and then have a homemade smoothie or juice tonight that might equal the bolthouse farms, we're talking 1420 calories for the day. That should contribute to some weight loss, seeing as how I was consuming probably 4-6000 a day before.

I have also added moderate exercise, which is a change to my previous strategies for losing weight. Before I would go whole hog into some kind of rigorous physical fitness program, and it would be too much and I'd give out from exhaustion. I am walking the dog for 30 mins in the morning now, and doing some light stretching and movement exercises in the evening. Neither wears me out, and actually makes me feel more alert and focused through the day.

Another thing - vegetable juices have a tendency to be really bitter and well, taste like dirt if you don't supplement with some sweet fruits like oranges or apples or grapes.