Day 164 - I promised to weigh in so here is the dreaded weigh day number 11

I have been dreading a weigh-in because the last 4 weeks have be choatic and I expected the worst. So I am at 385 and I have gained 8lbs back. That is not good, but that is not the worst so I am ok with it. I knew I was going to have to work back to where I was but I feared it would be more. I can do this.

Anyway tomorrow is Christmas and I am not going to do anything about it right now, so everyone please have a Merry Christmas or whatever pagen (just kidding) religous holiday you celebrate in lou of Christmas. Please don't worry about a couple extra calories, that's what New Years resolutions are for.

Sean

Day 163 - Yeah - I suck!

So.... I bet you thought I wasn't coming back. I'm not done yet. I have had a bad cold and the weather sucks and I pulled a tendon in my foot which has kept me off my feet. Oh and I am eating like a pig. I have reversed a bit of my progress, but nothing I cannot quickly recover from.

I need to get back into the swing of things and after the holidays I plan to do just that. I will be starting from scratch, but at a much lower weigh than when I started in July. I am not giving up on me and I hope to be an example that you can have ups and downs on this journey and still reach your goals. Tonight I just wanted to drop a note and let anyone reading this thing know that I am still here and I have not thrown in the towel.

I will try to get a weight tomorrow just to see where we are. I skipped the last weigh day because I did not want to face the scale.

Sean

Day 143 - Weigh day number 10 - Finally! back on track.

It has been up and down the last month or so, but I am finally making some positive yardage. I fell off the wagon pretty hard for a few weeks and reigning myself back in has been hard. I have finally got my calories under control. I have started strength training to build muscle and speed up my metabolism. I am excited about having muscles!

I took a 4 mile hike last weekend and it was awesome. I walked funny for a couple days afterwards, but I spent time with my family and I burnt 1500 calories is 1 1/2 hours! I highly recommend long hikes.

So I am down to 377 and I hope to see more positive loss in the next two weeks. I am not going to make my goal of 100lbs lost by Xmas, but as I have said before, this is a marathon.

Sean

Day 129 - Weigh day number 9 - Sooner or Later

The problem with keeping a public log on weight loss is that sooner or later you are going to gain weight and be a big disappointment. I have been eating like a pig. I won't go into details. It has taught me something. When I started allowing myself more and more calories I started making poor food choices again. BY limiting your calorie intake you really have to think about what your putting in your body. This allows you stretch your intake throughout the day and a byproduct of this is healthy food choices.

Anyway, today's weight is 382. Up 3 lbs from last weigh day. Not a major failure, but hopefully a sufficient enough wake up call to get me back on track.

I have been doing pretty good at the gym and I plan to get bigger and stronger.

I will not let me down.


Sean

Day 125 - Started a new workout program.

Switched up my workout and trying a new program. My abs hurt and I don't know why. I did pushups ups and curls and that kind of stuff. I also ran.


That is all.


Sean

Day 114 - Weigh day number 8 - Slow and steady wins the race.

OK so slow and steady will not win any races, but it is a healthy way to lose weight and losing it I am. I started this program by starving myself and for the first couple of months that worked for me. Then I started eating more and more and I felt I was slipping bad. Now I have pulled back on my eating so I am eating less than I used to and more than starving. I am also hitting the gym regular and I have added strength training to my routine. This weigh day I have posted another 5lb loss. It is not as dramatic as I would like, but I will take it and I know that to get dramatic I have to starve myself. I am not willing to do that at this point.

There are many different ways to lose weight and you have to find what is right for you. When I first started this I was inspired by Sean Anderson. He is eating 1500 calories a day and that works for him. I tried it and It gave me the boost I needed to show myself I could do this. Ultimately Sean A. and I are different people with different personality types who will take different approaches to lose the weight. While we both have similar goals we also may have different goals. Sean A. and I both want to lose the weight, but I want to go a little beyond that. I want strength and muscle. I want a body I have dreamed of, but have never had. This will lead me to push myself harder than I ever have. While losing weight is a passive goal. (Eat less and lose). Gaining muscle and getting fit is an active goal. You have to work at it. You have to push yourself to go to the gym even when you don't want to. Sometimes you will find you have to eat more to have the strength to accomplish what you want.

This brings me to the big hurtle many of us face when losing weight.  Many believe that you have to set strict limits for yourself and if you fail one time you are done. I believe this is Sean Anderson's take on things for his personal weight loss, but I respectfully disagree. We are imperfect by design and we will slip up from time to time. That is OK. You just need to rededicate yourself to your mission. I have failed before because once I slipped I just gave up like all was lost. Now when I slip up, I remember all that I have gained and a start over from there. No big deal.

I hope to show myself and everyone else that there are different ways to reach your goal and the most important part of your success will be your attitude towards changing your life.

I have spent a lot of time comparing my approach to Sean Anderson's. His blog and his struggle was the catalyst that got me here and while I have grown and changed my approach I think it is important to note that I respect the man a great deal and he is still very much an example of where I want to be.

If for some reason you don;t know who Sean Anderson is you can read his blog at http://losingweighteveryday.blogspot.com/

It is inspirational.

Until Next Time!

Sean Z.

Day 100 - Weigh day number 7 - 1lb Woot!

Hey gang,

So we have reached weigh day number 100. I have been a major slacker latley and you know what? That is ok. I have managed to not gain any weight and I am ready to move forward. Hell I even lost a pound!

I have started weight training again and I am in severe pain, but that is a good thing. That means it is working. I am going to put myself on another 1600 calorie a day diet so I can achieve a boost in my weight loss. Wish me luck and talk to you soon!


Sean

Day 91 - News of my death has been greatly exaggerated.

I am still here folks! I just have not had much to say lately. I am still doing my weight loss thing. I did start to eat a lot more than I wanted too at the end of last week and it was kind of disheartening. So this week I decided to roll all the way back to 1600 calories a day and I have been starving. I did loose a couple more pounds quick!

I am trying to find that sweet spot where I can enjoy food and still be healthy. It is a journey. I am still in this thing and I will wrote more later if something interesting happens. Otherwise you will here from me on weigh day at the latest. I really enjoy posting on weigh day :-)

Sean

Day 86 - Weigh day number 6!

I know have posted less lately and I am sure some of you may have questioned my dedication. I know that people try to lose weight all the time and give up. It is common and we have all done it. I have not given up and have posted a loss of 8 more lbs taking my total weight lost to a total of 60lbs. Not bad for 3 months. At first I was a little disappointed. I wanted to lose it faster. I want to be healthy right now damn it!

But you know what? this is not a 100 yard dash. This is a marathon. 60lbs in 86 days is pretty kick ass if I do say so myself. If i keep this pace for a year (and I know that is not possible) I would lose 240lbs in a year. That would be awesome. Today is another day to celebrate. If you are going on your own weight loss journey I encourage you to stick with it through the easy days and the not so easy days. there will be days that you will fall off the wagon and those will be the days you are tempted to give up. Those are the days when you must work the hardest to get back on that wagon.

If you have lost 50lbs and you freaked out and ate a pizza and 7 burritos, and a cake! that is OK (that is a bit much to eat in one sitting, what the hell is the matter with you?). You can start all over again with 50lbs less under your belt. Better than going on a binge gaining back 70lbs and starting over don't you think?

I hope this made sense to you and I look forward to my next two weeks.

Sean

Days 82 & 83 - Calories burned.

Day 82 I burned 346 Calories and consumed 1800 Calories.

Day 83 I burned 600 Calories and consumed 2002 Calories.

Nothing exciting for day 82. I went back to work and got back into my groove, however my groove was interrupted by an ever worsening ear ache which caused me to take a mild sleep aid that night which caused me to severely oversleep the next day thus burning a sick day and surely pissing off my co-workers.

No more sleepy pills for me. My ear still hurts, but it is bearable.

Until next time.

Sean

Day 81 - Yep. I am still here.

I have decided I am not going to post everyday. I just don't have things I want to say everyday. This blog is a tool to help me track my progress and my feelings. As it turns out, I am pretty damn shallow. I don't have a lot of feelings. I know what I want and I know what I need to do to achieve it. Today I went to the gym and did 1.36 miles on the treadmill for a burn of 586 calories. Only took 35 minutes. I recommend trying the 14 setting on the incline if you can handle it. It is an awesome way to burn calories quick. I usually role through the incline settings between 5 and 14 during my workout so my body doesn't get too comfortable. Their was a guy at the gym running full speed on the treadmill when I got there. I asked the guy at the desk what his deal was and he informed me they guy was a marine or something and he was hardcore. He told me the guy was there yesterday and ran like that for 3 hours! Can you imagine? That is just awesome.

Anyway, my vacation is over and it is back to work tomorrow. I think I am going to try kicking back to 1600 calories again for awhile to see if it gives me a weight lose boost.

Sean

Day 78 - Back on Track

Today I reined  in my eating to 2500 calories. That is where I want to be right now as it has been producing weight loss and the energy needed to workout. I did not go to the gym today. I have been to the gym everyday that I have been on vacation and I decided I needed at least one day of rest.

Until tomorrow

Sean

Days 76 & 77 - Well crap!

I am not gonna lie to you. I have been struggling. I have been eating a little more and today I went way over in my calories. I went out with a friend and let myself loosen up a bit and I ate over 4000 calories today. I am not stuffed I don't feel like I pigged out. I spread out my food through out the day and I feel fine. I have come way to far to turn back now and tomorrow is a new day. This is where it really counts folks. Eating is not like smoking. I can't just stop doing it and and be done with it. I have to eat everyday and because of this I am going to make mistakes. The key here will be to make the mistake, and still continue to do great things. This is where I will be tested.

Wish me luck. Tomorrow is crucial.

Sean

Days 74 & 75 - Boring

Vacation days are boring. I sleep, I watch TV, I go to the Gym, I play video games.

I burnt 220 Calories yesterday and 472 today. Both on the treadmill. I weighed 389 this morning yay! weight loss still happening.


Sean

Day 73 - First day of vacation.

My food intake is right where  want it to be and I burned 330 calories on the Treadmill this morning. Today has been a very lazy day as is traditional for a vacation day. I am not what you would call a real go getter. I Slept in , went to the gym, got a sub from my favorite sandwich shop, watched TV, played Halo Reach, gave my daughter a bath, emptied the dishwasher and napped. I know, fun times, but hey it beats a work day!

Sean

Days 71 & 72 - Dissappointing weigh day number 5

Day 71 was pretty uneventful. I went to work. I skipped the gym and I watched a lot of comedy on TV. The Office, Community, Shit My Dad Says, and Outsourced. It was all kinds of funny!

Day 72 was big weigh day number 5. earlier in the week I was down to 390 and was getting excited. This morning I stepped on the scale and I saw 393. That's not cool. So I started questioning myself. I have slipped a lot lately, but My standards were so high that I have far to fall. On my worst day I have eaten 2600 calories. That is with at least a 350 calorie workout. Taking me to 2250 calories. My BMR is between 4418 and 4980. Doing the math I am using a minimum of 1818 calories more a day than I intake. So the question becomes am I eating too much or not enough? I am not sure. My plan this week is to eat 2500 calories a day regardless of how much I exercise. I am on vacation so that gives me some room to enjoy myself. I am also going to avoid the scale totally until next Friday. I usually check it everyday, but that is not helping. Depending on the results of this experiment I will either stay at 2500 calories until my BMR starts to go down or I will cut back down to 1600 calories a day where I started.

I am trying to take a scientific approach to this. I started this after reading Sean Anderson's blog and initially I planned to do just what he did. I soon started thinking hey what if eating so little slowed his progress? What if he could have lost weight faster? That is when I started to do research and that is why I am experimenting. I just want you all to know that My resolve has not wained and there is a method to my madness.

I will be hitting the gym tonight after work oh and "I am on Vacation!!!" I'm on Vacation!! :p

Until next time,

Sean

Day 70 – More Protein

I think I found a way to get more protein.

 

This is Pete!

Pete was delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just Kidding

No Pete was harmed during the making of this post.

 

Sean

Day 69 - Losing it Slow and Sure

Hey folks,

It is day 69 and I am still here! I am losing the weight slow and sure. You thought I was losing my mind didn't you? Today is my day off and I have been mostly lazy. I slept in and I have been hanging with my daughter. She has been watching here kid shows all day and I have been watching the season premiere of "Chuck" as well as Robin Hood on pay per view. I went to the Gym and burned 422 calories. I know same amount as yesterday. It has become the number I shoot for during my cool down.

After the workout Kati and I hit Dairy Queen. I had a large swirl cone and she had a small chocolate shake. It was wonderful. I used to eat ice cream cones several times a week. Now I have only had two dairy queen cones in the last 69 days. It is definitely better when you earn it!

I am off to have a shower and play some Halo Reach. I will report in tomorrow.

Ciao

Sean

Days 67 & 68 - Ending the boredom

I know my posts are boring. I have read all the other blogs. I have just am not introspective enough to have a blog. However I need this to keep me on track so here is what I am going to do. I will be doing every post in the nude from now on. Trust me I am full on naked. I know you can't see me (and believe me you don't want to). Just think of my nudity during these posts like a stealth bomber, you can't see it, but you know it's there!

Moving on. Sunday was a bitch. I find my work can be draining and I don't want to do it forever which is one of the reasons I need to get in shape. I want to be strong and confident so I can change my life for the better.

Monday was OK. I was very busy and find that kind of stressful. I am trying to finish this PowerPoint presentation for a class we are going to present and I cannot find time at work to do it. I don't want to do it at home and I am up against the wall because I am starting vacation next week so I have to be done with it by Friday....ack!

So on to my work outs. Sunday I burned 308 calories and Monday I burned 422. All on the treadmill!

I putting on my clothes and going to watch TV.

See ya

Sean

Days 65 & 66 - Busy Weekend.

Hey! I just wanted to drop a post to let everyone know I am still doing this thing. I burned 460 calories at the gym on Friday and today (Saturday) I worked late so no gym (sad face). I will get to the gym tomorrow for some more calorie burning. As you all know I have been experimenting with more calorie intake and next Friday will be my weigh day that decides how I will proceed. right now I don't seem to be losing any weight which is odd considering that even though I am eating more I am still not eating enough to support my current weight. We will see what happens on Friday.

Tomorrow, September 19th is Talk like a pirate day. I love that day. Arrr! me maties, eat right or ye walks the plank!

Sean

Day 64 - Another day closer to the prize

So today was another day off. I was lazy most of the day and kept my food under control. I spend 33 minutes on the treadmill at the gym and burned 384 calories. I was covered with sweat and I feel like it was a good workout. I am going to be on vacation in a little more than a week and I hope to pull a couple 60 minute treadmill workouts and see how that feels.

I feel great and I know things can only get better as I keep moving forward!

 

Sean

Day 63 - Wish it was all sunshine and roses (a confession)

Some where along the way I lost control of this thing. I find myself eating a little more everyday. I am well within limits and I am still losing weight so I have not made a big deal out of it. I have to ask myself how long it will before I totally slip into the dark side and say its OK its just a couple 2-litres of coke and a pizza. That is the problem with people like me. We find happiness in food and when we are getting that quick fix of happy we don't think about how much there is too lose. I have not failed, but I know if I don't pay attention and put myself back on track I could fail. I don;t want to fail. I want to change my life. I want to be a new man and I want to enjoy life again.

Today I rededicate myself to this mission. Wish me luck!


Sean

Days 61 & 62 - I feel Violated.

Day 61 - I went to work and went to the gym and I ate right.

Day 62 - I went in to work early and learned how to use our companies new ink cartridge refilling system. In the middle of that I had to leave for an hour and go have a physical I had scheduled 6 months ago. This physical was a milestone for me because it was the catalyst that drove me to my weight loss. The last time I stepped on their scale it just blanked out. I made a 450lb scale blank out. That was not cool. Today It said I weighed 412lbs (that is fully dressed in my work dress clothes). I made them write down 394 which is what I actually weigh. I weigh myself at home on my scale in all my nakedness as I have done since the first day when I started at 445. I passed all the parts of the physical that did not include the blood work. Still waiting on those results.

So for those of you that don't know, I am a big computer nerd / gamer. Today was the release of Halo Reach. Reach is a new Xbox game and quite the big deal right now. As I have an in with Microsoft I was able to order it from them for about $60 less than I would have paid for it retail. Today was a pretty good day despite the fact that I was physically violated. I am off to the gym.

Ciao

Sean

Day 60 – What did I do today?

I went to the movies and saw Resident Evil in 3D. It is the first time I saw a 3D movie and I must say it was awesome! The I worked outside and ripped out some bushes with a rip saw. After this I was a little beat so I took a nap. Rip sawing burns about 300 calories!

After the nap I went to the gym and burnt off about 380 more calories on the treadmill. It was easy. I took a book and other than the pain in the ass of reading a book while walking I hardly paid attention to the the 35 minutes I was on the treadmill at all.

I have decided I need an Amazon Kindle so I can read books without the gyms fan blowing the pages everywhere. Then my cardio will be perfect!

Oh an 60 days is two months right? Woo Hoo!

Sean

Day 59 – Was pretty uneventful.

Unlike many folks my Saturdays are not filled with fun and adventure. Fat guys like to do as little as possible on their day off. I watched the Buckeyes beat Miami, cleaned out my geckos home and took a nap. I kept my eating in line and that is about it. I was unable to go to the gym because they close so early on Saturdays. I plan to hit the gym on Sunday though. Maybe I will have more to share then!

See you,

Sean

 

Pete hanging out while I cleaned his terrarium.

Days 57 & 58 - Weigh Day #4

I had nothing to say on Day 57. I ate 400 (2400 calories, without a workout) calories more than I am allowed and It was a bad day. Not a fall off the wagon and ruin all my hard work day. I don't believe in those. I believe everyday is important and is a lesson. If you allow yourself to learn everyday you will make it through this journey.

Day 58 - The good news! today was my 4th weigh day and I lost another 7.5 lbs. I was worried because I didn't lose any weight for a week. I started working out and eating a little more and the weight came off. I am at my goal for week for and have lost a total of 50.5 lbs. not bad for under 2 months. I still have a long way to go, but today I am going to celebrate my victory. My new short term goal is 345lbs. This will put me at 100lbs lost. I want to reach this goal by Christmas. That will be weigh day 11 on December 17th.

More Later

Sean

Day 56 - Finally losing again.

Hey again! So I stepped on the scale this morning and got a surprise. I will keep it a secret as weigh day is in two days, but just know I am gaining some positive momentum once again. I appreciate the folks that read this. It is nice to have a way to track my progress. Just knowing that I have to come in here everyday and pull a Doogie Howser makes me want to work out or eat right just so I will have something good to report.

Today went good and I am where I need to be with my food intake and I just got back from the gym where I did 1.10miles on the tread mill and lost 310 calories. I have settled into a nice program of a 2.5 incline and a speed of 2.5 usually for 30 minutes with a cool down anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes. burning between 310 to 380 calories. I am happy with what I am doing right now and as I get stronger I will add some weight lifting to the workout.

More Tomorrow!

Sean

Days 54 & 55 - I am still walking!

Hey! I am still here. I walked both yesterday and today on the treadmill and walked off over 700 calories. I am still keeping my food in check though I have changed the way I am doing things. I used to be on a 1600 calorie a day diet and I hit a plateau that was not working for me so I did some research and decided to ease up my calorie intake. I finally decided it was not so much how much I ate that I need to watch but how much I did not eat. for example. Most weight loss experts will tell you to eat 1000 calories less than you burn to lose weight. They will tell you this is the maximum amount you should take away from your body for healthy weight lose yadda yadda yadda! I would agree with this if I was starting out at 250 and trying to lose a few pounds. I started out at over 400lbs and I need to something a bit more drastic. So I am eating 3000 calories less than I burn for the day. The upside to this is...if I workout harder I can eat more. So food is a reward for me. If I am a good boy and do all the things I should be doing I can earn an extra snack. So there you have it. That is what is up with me. What's up with you?


Sean

Day 53 - Ate and walked

Today I ate my allotted calories and I burned 345 calories on the treadmill at a pace of 1.35 miles in 33 minutes. I added some incline to help me reach my calorie goal and I walked at speeds between 2.0 and 3.0mph

Sean

Day 52 - The truth about weight loss blogs.

It seems like everyone writes weight loss blogs to hold themselves accountable and to recieve motivation from others. It is a great idea and a good tool, but..... yes, but..you knew there was a catch! It seems that the only weight loss blogs that get a following are the ones that have been going forever and the person has already gotten into their groove and they really don't need the motivation anymore. At that point it is just about pats on the back for a job well done and questions about how they did it.

Just an observation. I am still on track. consumed 1990 calories today and did not work out.

See you tomorrow.

Sean

Day 51 - It's turned into a struggle.

I have been very hungry since I started going to the gym. I have changed my own rules several times and while I am still well below what experts say I should be eating for healthy weight lose (i.e. I am doing fine) I have slipped below what I promised myself in the beginning. I have great rationalizations for what I have been doing and they are backed up by hard data, but am I eating more because it is the right thing to do or just because I want to eat more? Anyway I am hold steady at more than 3000 calories less in my diet than I burn every day so I have not failed, but I need to bring my eating under control..........I started to write or I am going to have a major slide, but as soon as that thought entered my head I was like oh hell no! we are not going to be having any major slides. I got this and I am going to change my life and not a damn thing is going to stop me!

Anyway it is a struggle, but I am still winning.

I did 33 minutes on the treadmill today. I burned 322 calories and walk 1.35 miles. Tomorrow I will take a break from the treadmill.

Sean

Day 50 - Can you believe it?

So I am at day 50 of taking care of my body and I am amazed! I usually break before now. I have made some tweeks and changes, but I am far from breaking down. I hit the gym today and did 1.35miles on the treadmill for a burn of 320 calories. I hit it hard and fast and really got my heart rate up. I am eating 2000 calories in an attempt to kickstart my metabolism. other than that I just keep on keeping on.

Sean

Day 49 - Day of Rest

Decided to skip the gym today and heal up a little. I have been hitting it pretty hard considering I just started  and my body is telling me to let up. I will be back in the gym tomorrow for another 300 calorie cardio burn and maybe some more weight lifting. My goal is to be able to do 5k on the treadmill by October.

As for my eating I am working on a 2000 calorie diet as a test. So far so good. I have kept myself on track. I must admit adding the extra calories has influenced my food choices in a negative way and I have made poor decisions today. I will monitor myself closely and if I feel myself slipping I will go right back to my 1600 calorie restriction. You here that self? I am watching you!!

Sean

Day 48 - I am gonna fight for my 399 lbs

I have decided to take that plateau out! I went to the gym this morning before work. This is very unlike me, so I must be serious. The gym manager was very surprised to see me. I did 33 minutes on the treadmill burning 327 calories and traveled 1.27 virtual miles! Now I must shower and get to work.

I have decided to change my calorie limits. I have been reading a lot about weight loss and much of my research tells me that eating so few calories may cause me to lose weight slower. I am going to raise my calories a little and monitor my weight loss to see if it changes. I think this process is about more than just self control. I think it is about learning how the body works and how we can take advantage of that knowledge.

Below are calculations that give examples of what experts say I should be eating per day.

Maintenance: 4143 Calories/day
Fat Loss: 3314 Calories/day

Extreme Fat Loss: 3216 Calories/day

I am going to keep it between 1600 & 2000 because I do not want to tempt myself with 3000 calories a day. It is a slippery slope and I have to maintain disipline.

I welcome your thoughts and opinions. Assuming I am not talking to myself :-)


Sean

Day 47 - Weird Plateau

So I went to the gym again today and I did 33 Minutes on the treadmill burning 322 calories and traveling 1.25 miles. I ate a little more than usual coming in at 1722 calories for the day. I have decided that I can add what I burn at the gym to my food budget if I am hungry. 1600 calories is a very low budget for a 400lb guy and 1600 hundred while working out can be a little crazy. I have also decided the gym will be a great way to earn a snack if i want something extra a will have to work for it. I don't intend to eat back every calorie I burn. That would defeat the purpose.

I am at the weird plateau. I have been between 405 and 402 for a week. It seems like I can break over into the 300s. I know that Nothing I am doing is stopping my weight loss. Even if I was being dishonest with myself there is no way I could cheat enough to go over the 3000 calories I would need to stop my progress. I am not cheating myself by the way. I have made a few adjustments here and there but I have remained honest with both myself and you about every move I have made. If I start lying, this thing is over. I don't want it to be over. I feel real change and I look forward to it. I just need to get through this damn plateau!

Sean

Day 46 - First gym day.

Last Year I was going to the gym and I had hired a trainer and I was working out hard. I didn't lose weight nearly as quick as I have been losing it this time because I was not eating right. When I started at the gym in March 2009 I weighed 450lbs and when I left them in Winter of 2009 I weighed 417lbs. That is compared to the last 46 days where I have gone from 445lbs to 402lbs with no exercise. I can't wait to feel the results of working our and eating right together.

First day back to the gym and I took it kind of easy. I did 15 minutes on the treadmill and burned 132 calories for a total distance of 1/2 a mile. Then I decided to flat bench press 30lb dumbbells for 15 reps. I managed a set and a half (I know, that's sad). I then pressed 22.5lb dumbbells on the incline for one set of 15. I finished of with 10 minutes on the stationary bike for a distance of 3.75 miles and only 62 calories burned. I burned a total of 301 calories for the trip. Not too bad for the first day.

I like the way the gym makes me feel and I look forward to getting stronger and faster as the days come.

Until tomorrow!

Sean

Day 45 - Really Hungry and Back to the Gym!

Hello folks. I am still fighting incredible hunger pains. I have been fighting them for 4 days now, but I am winning. I have flirted with the idea of raising my calorie values because realistically I have some wiggle room and I could easily eat 2000 calories a day and lose weight at the same level I am losing it now. I have also been reading about calorie cycling. Calorie cycling is where you vary the amount of calories eaten through out the week to trick your metabolism into losing more fat instead of lean muscle. I have decided to just stick with the 1600 calories for now, because I don't want to make any change in the midst of struggle because that would feel like failure and failure is a spiral.

I picked up my membership card from the gym today. I joined a gym a couple months back and they just opened. I am planning to get in there tomorrow and do some cardio and some strength training. I will post my results tomorrow.

Sean

Day 44 - Weigh Day Number 3

Today's weight 402. That is a loss of 43lbs total. I thought I would hit the 399 mark, but there was some weird fluctuation in weight. I am still very happy with my results and I will surely be below 400lbs at my next weigh in.

Over all I am feeling pretty successful and I do not think the 1800 calorie incident is that big a deal. The only way that becomes a big deal is if I let it become a big deal.

Today is a day for reflective celebration. So that is what I am gonna do.

Thanks for reading.

Sean

Another thing I want to do when I am not fat: I want to wear Under Armour T-Shirts.

Day 43 - Have I failed?

Yesterday was my first really difficult day. And I am afraid I failed on principle. As I mentioned in yesterdays post, I was really hungry all day. I ended up eating over 1800 calories. In reality that's not a failure at all. At my size my recommended calorie intake for steady weight loss is over 4000 calories. So technically I did not hurt my weight loss at all. However. I have a self imposed goal of 1600 calories. I went over that goal willingly because I was hungry.

This is the slippery slope that I think catches many people who are trying to change their lifestyles. One slip and you feel like all is lost and revert right into old habits. I am choosing not to revert I am choosing to view this as a process. I have to admit to myself that their may be some days when I need a little more food.

I will be thinking about this for the next few days as I try to figure out a concrete plan for dealing with this. I need to have a way of figuring this kind of incident into my plan so it does not feel like a failure and cause me to question my commitment.

Have you had minor setbacks that have or almost have pushed you over the edge? Tell me about them.

Sean

Days 41 & 42 - Frustration!!

Yesterday was pretty uneventful. It was my day off. I ate a big sub and watched TV all day. Nothing to report.
This morning I stepped on the scale and it was a few pounds more than the last time I looked. This happens sometimes and it usually rolls back pretty quickly, but it is still frustrating. It is a mental thing. If you can't roll with this kind of thing I recommend you pick a weigh day and stay away from scales until then. I can handle it and I like the daily reminder of my progress so I risk the occasional "bad scale day". I am also real hungry lately. I am usually not too hungry and that makes eating much less easy, but the last couple days I have missed food. No one said this would be easy and no one was wrong this is not easy at all.


I remember why I am here and I will get through this.

Until next time

Sean

Day 40 - Bad start, but determined!

Today I realized I didn't have anything healthy for breakfast at home. It is important that I never miss breakfast because it is good to try and avoid being hungry. When I am hungry I make bad food choices. Today I had a sausage McMuffin with egg and a hash brown from McDonald's, clocking in at 600 calories. That is a lot. I usually try not to go over 400. I will rein it in for the rest of the day and make sure I hit my goal. The weight is still coming off and I am confident that I will hit the 399 mark before my weigh day on Friday. I will be so excited to not have to say I weigh 400lbs any more. If I can get down to 350 I will finally match the number of pounds on my drivers license! Yeah we all lie.

My new goal after hitting 399 is going to be 345. That will put me at my first 100lbs lost and I hope to hit this by Christmas

I am feeling strong!

Sean

Days 38 & 39 - Must be going good!

I forgot to post yesterday and I chalk that up as a good thing. If I don't need to post that means I am not spending a lot of time thinking about my eating or my weight loss.

I am still losing weight quite quickly and that is awesome. I hope to post a weight of under 400lbs this Friday. I still can't loose it fast enough. I want to be small now. I want to mountain biking and roller coaster riding. I want to run and feel this endorphin rush I am always hearing about. Someday my friends someday. At least now I have a general idea when someday might be. Unlike the past when a sat around wishing that someday would just occur. I used to think the only way I would lose weight would be if they locked me up somewhere and controlled my food intake and made me exercise. Of course, that would be a miserable way to lose weight and it is totally unnecessary. You just have to take control of your own life and do what needs to be done. I feel like I am in training because I am. I am in training for the biggest of events. The event is My Life! If that does not keep me motivated nothing will.

Tomorrow is day 40 w00t! See you then.

Sean

Day 37 - Another fun filled day!

I made it another day. I am one week from my 3rd weigh in and I think I might break 400lbs. That will be an awesome milestone for me. I hoped to break 400 by weigh day number 4, but it looks like I may hit it earlier. I have a physical shortly after weigh day 4 and the last time I was at my doctors office the scale couldn't even weigh me. It taps out at 450lbs. It would be cool to be under 400. I always dread that scale. I walk in and get weighed and the doctor looks at my weight and kinda has a look on his face like your gonna die fat ass. He has never said that, but that is what my mind hears. I am also having blood work done because he was concerned I could be pre-diabetic. Hopefully I started in time to dodge that bullet.

I have been more hungry today than usual and I think it is because I have made some poor food choices to indulge in some things I like. I will however live with those choices and stick to my calorie goals because I am not gonna be a fat guy anymore.

Some people have told me they can tell I am losing weight. Honestly, I don't know how they can tell at my size. My pants are a little looser, but I don't feel like I have changed in any fundamental way quite yet.

I'll be back tomorrow to share more of my story.

Sean

Day 36 - Fat Folks think about food.

I have been doing a little soul searching today trying to figure out why I don't think about my weight lose more. Almost everyday you have seen me struggle for words to fill my posts beyond the The day that I am on. I love typing in the number of the day that I am on because it means I am that much closer to success. I have decided that the reason I struggle for words is because I really don't focus on food like I used too. I used to think about all the things that I wanted to eat or where I could get the most food because I like lots of food! Now The only thought I give to my food is what I am gonna eat on a giving day and what the calories will add up to. I find that keeping myself busy and focusing on other things really helps. When I am out of calories for the day I don't think about food. I just watch a movie or read a book or play a computer game or do 1 of 100 other things that I enjoy until it is time to go to bed. On the rare occasion that I am having trouble dealing with my new way of eating I just take a nap.


Sean

Day 35 - Uneventful and that is a good thing.

Today was another day in the battle for weight loss. I must be built different than some of the other bloggers I have read. I have read about the soul searching and the daily struggles and I was prepared to write about my own struggles. Most of the time I am not struggling with this. I have a number I eat till I hit that number and I wait till the next day to do it again. Most of the time my mind and body are cool with that plan.

I do occasionally still want more food or have a craving I can't satisfy, but my thoughts of where I want to be a couple years from now quickly squash those thoughts.

If there is one thing to be learned from this journey it is the simplest weight loss plan of all. Eat less and lose weight. We all know that is the only formula that works and we spend years of our lives looking for ways to lose weight that don't involve eating less. That is not going to happen. Has anything good ever come into your life without some sort of sacrifice?

Eat less, Lose Weight


Sean

Day 34 - Today Happend

I had a post for today and I ended up deleting because It was negative and I was concerned how it might affect people who may read my blog for inspiration in their own journey. So if you read it. I apologize. If not just know that I am still on track and tomorrow is another day.

Sean

Day 33 - 1/3 of the weigh to 100 days!

Another successful day under my belt. Speaking of my belt, I am going to need a new one soon and some pants to go with it! Today was a test as someone rolled into my office with 8 fresh pizza's this afternoon. I did not touch a slice. I went to Wendy's and got a Spicy Chicken sandwich and a side of Mandarin oranges. I also had oatmeal, pork chops and a beef jerky today. Tonight while I watch TV I will eat my new favorite snack of light cream cheese and saltine crackers. I am really learning how to do this. I made some changes from when I started. I upped my calorie total from 1500 to 1600 hundred because that was more comfortable for me and because I knew the weight loss would still happen rather quickly at that number. A couple of times I made a mistake and went over a bit, but I didn't let that get me down and I have stuck to my guns.

That is the key to this thing. You have to know that your not perfect and you will make mistakes and that is OK. Do not throw yourself under the bus and give up on all of your hard work because things didn't go perfect that day. I remember when I would quit smoking ( I have done it a few times) and I would slip up and have a cigarette and then I would say screw it I failed  and then I would go buy a pack and let the smoking begin. You can't do that. One cigarette or in this case one Twinkie does not equal failure. it means your human and your weak and you need to get back up and fight. I have not had any blatant failures like this since this campaign has begun, but I have had them enough in the past to know where I have failed. My recent failure are usually due to a miscalculation or the calculated decision to eat a pickle because I am truly starving.

I know that if I keep doing what I am doing it is going to change my life forever.

Mañana

Sean

Day 32 - Still dropping weight and another good day!

It's not an official weight in but I check every morning and today I got a surprise of 408lbs. I seem to drop weight in spurts. I may check 3 or 4 days and it seems like I am holding steady and then all of a sudden I have a major loss. I have heard it said before and I would have to agree that facing the scale can be frustrating if you are easily disappointed. I know it is a process and I don't expect to see a great result every time I look. I do like to monitor it to see if I am stalling so that I can decide if I need to make a change to help myself along.

Today I made my calorie budget and I am feeling good about things though my appetite is still and issue and I have to fight it every step of the way. I think my new way of looking at food and the way I have changed my eating habits will allow me to whether an storms that I will face.

I can do this. I am doing this.

Till tomorrow

Sean

Day 31 - Busy Day with the Family!

Today Kati and I made a trip to the reptile show. We had been planning it for some time. One of my customers sells crested geckos there and she even wrote the book on them for the professional breeders series. I fell in love with the little guys and ended up purchasing one for my daughter that I will be taking care of him. He lives in my office now and I have to care for him and feed him crickets and worms. I got screwed on this deal :-) It is OK though because I love the little guy.

After purchasing the lizard and obtaining a free signed copy of the book (Thanks Robbie!). I decided what I needed to care for the little guy and we went shopping. When we obtained our supplies we went home and set-up his living quarters. He is a happy little gecko now.

Later we took Kati to Chuck E Cheese for what my wife and mother in law call her un-birthday that seems to occur 6 months after her actual birthday. OOOOK. So I ate 4 pieces of pizza and it was Delicious! I had the calories to burn because I had not eaten much today.

My wife and I got Nana to take Kati and we went to see "The Expendables" which was awesome for any guy who grew up in the 80's. My wife said after "not much of a plot." and I replied "who cares about the plot?" I loved it and I hope the make it a franchise!

Now we are home and it is a little after midnight. I have some calories left for some cheese and crackers and I am gonna watch some episodes of "Lost" on Netflix!

It was a good day!

P.S. I did not partake in any theater food, that stuff will kill ya!

Until tomorrow

Sean

Day 30 - Weigh Day 2 - Too Big to Fail!

So it is day 30 and I weighed in this morning. And the scale sez.................413 that is a loss of 32 lbs in 29 days. Not too bad at all. I am pretty happy and ready too see more or is that less in the future.

I am changing the name of this blog to "Too Big to Fail - Another Fat Guys Diary


Until Tomorrow

Sean

Day 29 - One day from weigh day number 2

Tomorrow is weigh day number 2 and I will get up in the morning and stand on my bathroom scale. Then I will step off of it and stand on it again. I will then step off and step on it a third time and stare at it in disbelief. I know the weight is coming off, but I won't believe it. My waist line is shrinking and my wife says that my face is starting to show weight loss, but i am still a really heavy guy and I don't think I will really start to believe this is happening until I have crossed the 100lb mark.

Tomorrow will be day 30 and I am confident that I will have lost 30lbs. That will be a pound a day and that is not bad at all. I will take that for as long as I can keep up that pace. I expect as the weight comes off the process will slow. I will be mentally ready for that.

Until the morning

Sean

Day 28 - Stayed on track

I don't know how all of you bloggers do it. I just don't feel up to writing everyday. I need to post to count the days, but some days I just don't know what to say. So um hey I made it another day! I am still on track and I am happy with my progess.


Sean

Day 27 - No burning desire to pig out today!

I have made it another day and I am eating right and feeling good about things. It's my day off so I got me a giant sub from Jersey Mike's. I ate half for brunch and I have half left for dinner. After that I will still have 430 Calories left for today! I also had a Cheryl & Co sugar cookie for a treat earlier. So today is good and I will make it fine!

I am watching "Lost" on Netflix. I have been watching it all day. It is pretty cool. I love that I can download and watch an entire television series at my leisure. Technology is so awesome!

Until tomorrow!

Sean

Day 26 - and I want to eat a giant pizza!

Yup, you heard me. When your eating so few calories there are good days and there are bad days. Today is a bad day. I want to eat until I explode.....However, I am not going to. I am gonna go take a nap instead.

Here's to day 27!

Sean

Giovanni's is my favorite. I drive 120 miles round trip for this pizza! ( by the way this is a stock internet photo. I would not dare get close enough to one of these to photograph it.)

Update! Turns out a slice of 12" Giovanni's pepperoni pizza is only 142 calories a slice. I am so having some of this the next time I go back home!

Day 25 - Oh no!

So today I went over my calories by 10 calories. I can freak out and go "oh no! What have I done?" or I can shrug my shoulders and realize that might happen sometimes. I choose to shrug. 10 extra calories is not a set back at all and will have no effect on my plans. I choose to be upbeat about this. This is about changing my eating habits and I have and I am changing my habits. So today is still another mark in the win column.

We are getting close to the second weigh day and I am excited and apprehensive. I don't expect dramatic results like the first weigh day, but every pound counts.  I am kind of a cheater. I weigh myself every day, but I choose to only officially weigh in for this blog every two weeks. So I always have idea how things are going.  Any way we have another day in the books and we are approaching the end of the first month.

Till next time friends

Sean

Day 24 - Not much to say.

Not much to say today. I made it another day and I am hopeful. I did have an incident while teaching a class where I forgot what I was talking about a couple of time because my mind just went blank. I must remember to spread out my food and eat at regular intervals.

-More to come

Sean

Day 23 - In a groove - Fear the chicken!

I made it to day 23. It almost seems silly to say I made it. After eating like this for 23 days I am not sure I could go back to pigging out like I used to.

 I know dangers are still out there. It does not take much pizza or fried chicken to push the calories over the edge. I can't believe I am going to say this because I roll my eyes everytime I read it at the end of every blog post , but Sean Anderson over at "http://losingweighteveryday.blogspot.com/" signs off every blog with "Good choices" (love ya man). He is right, it is all about making the good choices. Which is hard when KFC has a buy 8 pieces of chicken and get 8 pieces of chicken free deal. Do you know how long it would take me to eat 16 pieces of chicken on a 1600 calorie a day budget? I do! It would take me 5 days, That's if I only ate the chicken!

I am noticing changes in my body and it is infectious. I can't wait to find out who I am under all this weight. There is a guy under there I have never met and that's exciting.

Oh and another thing for the "Things Fat Guys Can't Do" list.
Lay in a hammock! I wanna sleep in a hammock in my back yard!


-Till Tomorrow

Sean

Day 22 - Hot Wings and Twinkies!

It is day 22 and I am still doing it! Today I had Hot wings from KFC and a pack of Twinkies that have been sitting on the kitchen counter all week. This is the most horrible diet ever. I don;t know how long I can last :-)

Seriously i am doing OK and everyday brings me one step closer to my goals. I am filling my time with work, video games and spending more time with my guitars. I have always had issues with how my guitar play. So I ordered some setup tools and some books and today I did my first neck reset on one of my guitars and I am methodically setting it up for my playing style. The I will move on to my other 5 electric guitars. This should keep me occupied for some time. The easiest way to keep on a strict calorie budget is to keep busy thinking about things that are not food related!

-Until tomorrow

Sean

Day 21- A list of things "Fat Guys" can't do.

Buy any car they want (have to buy the one you fit in)
Ride Roller Coasters
Walk around big events like fairs and downtown events
Sit in booths
Buy novelty t-shirts
Wear free novelty t-shirts
Buy belts in a regular store
Play guitar well (fat fingers)
Ride in flight simulators at Arcades and Flight museums
Look cool doing something athletic
Buy comfortable jeans
Buy any kind of shoes you want.
Sit next to someone in a movie theater ( I can, but I would rather not)
Sleep without a machine
Sit on furniture without breaking it or wearing it out.

These are just a few things off the top of my head that I can't do because I am too fat. I write this things to remind myself why I am doing this.

What can't you do?

Sean

Day 20 - And the losing continues

So I made it through day 20 and I am still in this thing. I wish I had something exciting to say everyday like some of the other bloggers, but for the most part I am just happy to keep myself on track. The hardest part of dealing with all this is the self doubt. How many times have I started doing something positive for myself only to give up and revert into the same old behavior? It has been a bunch. Right now that first 50 lbs is what is driving me. I hope I can keep finding that same drive as I hit my first goal and head for a second and a third etc.

Right now let's just celebrate day 20 and look forward to the next 20 days!


Sean

Day 19 - Already!

I can't believe I am at day 19 already. Today I made a big omelet for breakfast. One carton of egg beaters, chopped onion, two slices of sharp cheddar and 6 slices of honey ham. It clocked in at 398 Calories. This thing was huge and I feel like I am gonna bust wide open! It is amazing what you can eat if you pay a little attention to what your doing. Sometimes I am a little hungry, but for the most part I am doing just fine. The hardest part of the day is the evenings when I used to sit in front of the TV and snack all night. Now I just grab a pickle and I am good. I am doing this thing and I am ahead of schedule to lose 50lbs by September 20th. I picked that day because I am having a fulll physical on that day and I would like it if my blood work didn't suck.

Anyway it is still morning my work day is just starting and I don't have much more to offer than my breakfast menu and optimism.

-Next time

Sean

Day 18 - The Dog Swim

Still going strong here. Had about 800 calories so far and I am saving the rest for a couple grilled burgers tonight!

We went swimming at the pool with our dog Eli. She is a 75lb Lab. Eli, Kati (my daughter) and Myself ended up swimming in the pool. I haven't been in a pool for years, because who wants to see the fat guy in the pool. Losing weight and knowing that I am rapidly changing has giving me a new found confidence and I really don't care how I look in the pool, because the next time I hit the pool I will look like a totally different person.

After the pool we came home and showered and played in my office for a bit. I took some pictures of my daughter Kati with one of my guitars. She is so damn cute!

Kati Rocks!!

-Until Tomorrow

Sean

Day 17 - and I am lighter than I thought!

Hey! I almost didn't get to this post. I am playing StarCraft II and I hate to admit it, but it is pretty good. I have been kinda bored with real time strategy games the last few years, but Starcraft has just enough of the right mix of story to keep me interested. Now you know my dirty secret. I am a gamer. PC, Xbox 360, Wii, I play em all. Between Gaming and Guitars I have my hobbies pretty well nailed down. I find I have a lot more time to enjoy both with all the time and money I save not eating all the time.

I dunno what it is, but I am down to 420 today and that is 4 more pounds for a total of 25lbs lost in 17 days.

Anyway I am still in this thing and I am getting excited about the rapid weight loss. I must get back to my game! I love when I have the weekend off!

-Until Tomorrow

Sean

Day 16 - Weigh Day Number One

Today's weight is 424 down from a starting weight of 445. Not too bad. That's 21lbs in 16 days! I won't go into a long post about how it brought tears to my eyes and I was so happy to finally be losing weight. The first 20lbs is always pretty easy. I have lost 20lbs before and gained it right back. I am happy with the results and 21lbs in 16 days is a pretty damn good start. but I am not gonna lie to you or myself. I have a long way to go and I am just getting started. I will start getting more emotional once I break 400lbs. That's a number I have not been below for a while now.

Don't get me wrong today is a celebration and I am happy, but I need to keep my eye on the prize!

Have a Great Friday!

Sean

Day 15 -Thats like half a month!

Day 15 is here and I am still in this thing. Tomorrow will be my first official weigh day for this blog and I am hoping for a solid 20lbs. I have had to tighten my belt three notches and I only have one notch left before I will have to start belt shopping again.

Today I spread my food out a little more than I have been doing and it went a lot easier. I find I sleep a lot because it is my only coping mechanism now that I have given up cigarettes and food for fun. I am sure that will level off once the weight starts coming off and the energy level shoots up.

I joined a gym that hasn't opened yet for a great price break. The gym is opening in August which is fast approaching. This will give me another tool for my weight loss arsenal and I am looking forward to it.

Sorry if i am not eloquent or long winded I just am not a writer. Maybe I will improve with time or maybe I will write more as I get more excited about my results.

-More to come

Sean

Day 14 - Was a tough one

I made it through another day. Work was tough and I had to work straight through without lunch. Not something I recomment on a reduced calorie diet. The hunger can get unbearable and I found my mind wondering and maintaining focus a challenge. I did make it through though and when it was over I went to burger king and got a large fry and a couple whopper juniors. I had been craving fast food, but this was the first time I had the calories available for it. Day 14 is an exciting milestone, but unfortunatley I did not have the time to give it the celebration it deserved. It is actually day 15 already and hopefully I will be adding that post sometime today :-)

-Till next time

Sean

Day 13 I'm not going anywhere.

Everyday I want to write "Day XX Can you believe it!" as a title because everyday I make it I can't believe it! I am finally doing this.  I have done good today It is 9:33PM and I have close to 500 calories left. Gonna do some good snacking tonight.

Today my 4 year old daughter Kati looks at me and says, "You're the only daddy I have, so you can't leave me." How sad is that? I informed Kati and I am telling all 2 or 3 of you reading this blog. I am not going anywhere! I am doing this and I am gonna be the best me I can be.

-Until next time

Sean

Day 12 - I'm still here!

Day 12's blog is a day late which may have lead some to believe I gave in to a couple large pizzas, a triple whopper, and a large sundae with marshmallow and caramel. Nope. Yesterday was a pretty good day and I kept busy enough that I didn't have time to obsess about my eating habits or my blog. That is a good thing!

I came in under budget and I ate some things I love. I had some Fettuccine Alfredo and I had a microwave bag of popcorn with Kernel Seasons Nacho Cheddar Seasoning :-) Day 12 was a good day.

I saw Sean Anderson's video of his Jet ski adventure and I was reminded of the last time I tried to ride a Jet ski. The damn thing sank! I shit you not. That was a pretty embarrassing moment. I have added Jet skiing to the things I want to do when i am not fat list!

-See ya tomorrow(which is today)

Sean

Day 11 - The Great Popcorn Diet.

I made it another day. Today I developed an obsession with popcorn when I realized I can make it a healthy snack. I have been doing very little snacking for fear it would lead to my ruin. Popcorn will become my go to snack. I ordered an air popper and some seasonings and some zero calorie butter flavored spritzer. I am ready to rock the Great Popcorn Diet!

I am motivated to be the me I feel like I am inside.

-Till next time

Sean

Day 10 - Been Fighting hard

I had a flatbread with budding beef and a slice of  sharp chedder for breakfast (only 250 calories!) would have been better had I not got to the bottom and found mold on my cheese! My wife just bought it at Krogers last night turned out it had expired in May. Not cool.

It was a very busy day at work for me so I had a Jack Link's beef steak for a snack instead of lunch at 120 calories and then I went to meet my wife at work so we could grab dinner together with our 4 year old daughter. I ordered and entire pizza at California Pizza Kitchen tipping the scales at 1016 Calories and still under budget. They brought some delicous looking homemade bread to our table with butter and I wanted to eat it and bad. Oddly, I did not eat it. Not one morsal. I knew this was gonna be a strange trip.

Day 10 a success.

-More tomorrow

Sean

Day 10 - Nothing to report

I haven't eaten anything yet, I am just excited to hit double digits! It's day 10! wooHoo!

-More to come

Sean

Day 9 - Appetite is creeping up on me

I have noticed the last couple of days my appetite is creeping up on me. I have just plain wanted more food. Today I have eaten 1070 calories already which does not leave a lot of room for dinner. Even with a few more calories I am way below the 3500+ calories the weight loss sites suggest I eat to lose weight, but that is not the issue. The issue is control. I need to be vigilant and in control and I feel like I am slipping a little bit. I need to redouble my efforts and be strong.

I still feel good about this. I just know I have a long way to go and I need to remain focused and patient. I noticed I have a new follower today! That helps a lot. Now I know at least one other person is reading this. And now it is your job to hold me accountable :-) (Just kidding btw, I know accountability is my job).

-More later

Sean

Day 8 - Another day down.

Today was a touch one. I found myself wanting more than 1500 to 1600 calories, but I hung in there. I find myself guestimating how much meat I eat when meats are grilled. We often buy a big piece of flank steak or sirloin and grill it out and cut it up. I am going to get on Amazon.com and order a food scale after this post.

Today's motivation for not being fat is being able to play with my daughter without getting tired. Usually when I take her to the park I read while she plays, but I want to do more with her. I want to show her all the things our city has to offer and that is going to take energy that I do not have yet. I will have it soon though and we will have some really good times!

Until tomorrow,

Seam

Day 8 - I gave in to a planned craving.

I have been craving KFC extra crispy chicken for three days. So I planned it. I usually sleep in on my day off and today was no different. I have been getting up early than usual however and I attribute this to the increase and energy I have gotten from my improved diet. So today I had an extra crispy breast and wing for lunch with a individual mash potatoes and gravy. The craving has been dealt with and I still have plenty of calories for dinner and a snack. Bam! take that craving! I am so ready to keep rocking this lifestyle change.

Sean Anderson you may be a genius. I mean you sat down and came up with a perfect diet plan based on the completely obvious (eat less, lose weight who would've thought?) and you did it. And because you did it and because you and I have the same first name and age, I decided if he can do it I can do it.

I am doing it every day.

-more to come!

Sean

Day 7 - Skyline for lunch.

I decided to treat myself today. I had a small 5-way at Skyline Chili. I had never seen a small 5-way before. My normal order would consist of a large 5-way and 2 or three cheese coneys. The small 5-way is quite possibly the smallest meal I ever sat down and donned a bib for. I was in and out in 15 minutes. This is gonna be a long strange trip.

-More to come

Sean

Day 7 - Almost done with week 1

It's funny my pants are getting lose already and I can tell it won't be long before I retire the hand made double thick belt I purchased from a custom made belt store on the Internet. I think sometimes we are afraid to lose weight and we sabotage ourselves. There is fear in change. In the past I would worry about not fitting in all of my clothes and having to buy new ones every several months. It is a silly fear, but a fear none the less. Of course this time I am excited about the change in my life and I looking forward to retiring this super sized belt. This time I will revel in pulling up my pants every time I get out of my chair!

-More to come

Sean

Day 6 - Ok so I made it another day!

Today's Meals Included a big 410 calorie omelet, a 6 inch turkey and ham on wheat from subway with provolone and a touch of mayo. I don't think I have ever ordered a 6 inch before, it was sufficient. I had a beef jerky for a snack and wrapped up the day with an 8 oz sirloin, 1/2 a cup of potato salad, and some fresh whole green beans. Oh and I had some dill pickle spears as a snack. I hit 1434 calories total.

I don't really have a specific motivation for today. I am just excited at the prospect of being a new man. Weight loss is not only about weight lose it is about change. You cannot change your body this much without changing the fundamentals of who you are. I wonder who I will be in the future.

Day 6 - Yeah Just imagine!

On my drive to work I heard an advertisement for high speed Internet on the radio. The tag line was "Just imagine all the things you can do without the wait!" of course I heard "Just imagine all the things you can do without the weight!" What a positive message to start the day with!

Sean

Day 6 - WooHoo

I can't believe it is day 6 already. I went to bed early and got up early. I made a giant omelet using Egg Beaters, 6 slices of ham and 2 slices of provolone. It tipped the scales at 410 calories and I will be stuffed all morning :-). I am going into work a couple hours early to work on a project I am having trouble completing during business hours. Wish me luck!

-More Later

Sean

Day 5 - and I am still doing this thing.

Well we made it to day 5. I am amazed. According to the scale I have lost 15lbs already. I am containing my excitement because this is not my official weigh day and I know some of it is water weight. It is still pretty motivating though. Today I had two packets of oatmeal with a pat of light butter and 1 oz of milk. It was good and it left me feeling full. I just returned from lunch and I had a small chili and 5 piece nuggets from Wendys. I believe we are having the pork chops we intended to grill out last night for dinner tonight. So far I am at 947 calories. I will have to watch my dinner calories closley, but I think I will be ok.

So todays motivation is to be at a size where people stop giving me unsolicitated weight loss advice. Why do people do that. People who have never met me out of the blue decide to tell me a good way to lose weight. How do they know I am not trying to gain more weight? Maybe I am going for a record or something? It will be nice to go through life without everyone assuming I am going to die in the next 20 minutes!

Until Next Time

Sean

Day 4 - So I made it and I took a little walk too.

Due to the whether we decided not to grill out and we went to Taco Bell and I had four crispy Tacos (two with low fat sour cream). It was good. Not normally a big Taco Bell fan, but hey the calories were where I needed them to be. My total for today is 1551 calories. I have had a hard time making 1500 so I set a target and I hard target. My goal is 1500 calories a day. 1600 is the number I will not go over no matter what. I call this my hard target. It's the wall! Except on Holidays where I will give myself 2500 Calories. By holidays I mean Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and Possible my Birthday. I don't mean St. Patrick's day and Presidents day and all the other holidays the government takes off. I don't work for the government and neither does my stomach! I got the idea for Holiday calories from Sean Anderson  'The Diary of a Winning Loser". His blog inspired me to do this and I use his blog for support.

So now that we have the ground rules set in stone. Lets move on. After my meal I took another cue from Sean A. and I went for a walk with my wife and daughter. We went to Inniswood Gardens a beautiful metro park in Westerville, OH. As it was my first walk and it was raining I only walked .50 of a mile. It's a start. When We got there I was trying to figure out how I was going to know how far I had walked. So I My Fender My Touch (android) phone and searched for an app that would monitor my walk via GPS. Within seconds I had downloaded Endomondo this awesome program that allows me to track all kinds of sports via GPS and not only that it has GPS maps of my routes on the website where I can track it all. Best of all it is free!
Take that iPhone 4!!! Technology makes getting in shape fun! I can't wait to walk again.

Until Tomorrow,

Sean

Day 4 - So far so good so what?

So, I have arrived at day 4 and I am still going strong. I don't mind telling you I am scared to death I am going to screw this up. My will power is always good out of the gate and then I forget my long term goals and devour a pizza. I guess that is why I am writing this. So I don't forget these long term goals.  So far today I have consumed 810 calories. We were supposed to finish it off today with some pork chops grilled out on the grill, but it is raining. So who knows?

I want to wear a pair of Levi's 501 blue jeans again. I used to look good in those many, many years ago. I think I will stick with that as my main motivation for today. Maybe I will just list one thing I want to do when I am healthy everyday. That will give me something constructive to write and provide me motivation.

So todays motivation. I want to wear a pair of Levi's 501 blues and I want to buy them off the rack in a normal store just like everyone else.  I want to wear them without a belt because I will have an actual waist. Yup, that will do. I don't wear jeans anymore because they just are not comfortable. I usually wear athletic shorts and sweats when I am home from work and at work I wear a short and tie and some stretchy chinos. I hate it.

I want jeans to be comfortable again

Sean

Still Here - Day 3

A couple more reasons to keep doing this. I would like to pull up to a stop light without having to duck to see when the light turns green. Also I would like to run into an ex-girlfriend and have her think I look good rather than thinking she dodged a bullet. Yeah I know it's vain, but isn't everyone a little vain?

So I hit 1560 calories today which is a little over my 1500 calorie limit. I don't view this as a failure, because I knew hitting 1500 calories exactly everyday would be unlikely. I figure long as I keep it below 1600 I am still in the zone. As for today. I have to eat my chili and this one is done. No more food.

When I get hungry later tonight I will just think about how awesome my life will be when this is all over!

Peace Out!

Sean

Dinner is in the books and I have consumed 1500 Calories today - Still Day 2

First, let me apologize if my posts seem a little erratic. I am still trying to find my rhythm. I am writing these as a type of personal therapy, so whenever I want a cigarette or food I write to remind myself why I am doing all of this.

Now that we have that out of the way, people are funny. Whenever you tell someone you are trying a new process to lose weight there always seem to be two camps of people. There are the "you don't know what your doing and you'll never lose weight that way." folks and then there are the "oh my god, are you crazy? you will die!" folks. Where are the "hey man I hope you do it!" folks?

So anyway it has been a long day and I have spent much time in the bathroom as my body adjusts to it's new diet and I have felt light headed a couple times. I am sure this will make the "oh my god, your gonna die!" folks happy.

I will not quit. It took years of drastic behavior to get me into this shape and it is going to take some drastic behavior to get me out of it.

See ya tomorrow!

-Sean

Why am I doing this? - Day 2

When your fat (let's call it what it is. at this point I am not just overweight I am FAT!) you find yourself missing out on a lot of things in life because the world is not your size. You find that things you used to love are no longer within your reach. I can't buy clothes or shoes that I like because they are not in my size. I avoid certain restaurants because I cannot fit into the booths. I can't go to amusement parks and ride my favorite coasters because I will never fit in them. I cannot ride my bicycles because it hurts too much. I can't go to the pools because I don't want to subject others to a vision of me half naked. I mean let's be honest here. I weigh 450lbs and I wouldn't want to go to the pool and look at a bunch of people my size milling around in bathing suits! I pick my cars based on whether or not I fit in them more than whether or not I like them. Hell I pick everything based on whether or not it fits me or I can make it fit me.

The sad thing is I can remember riding these coaster and riding my bike and swimming laps in the pool. It is easy not to miss something when you don't know what your missing.

I woke up hungry - Day 2

I woke up hungry. I know what you want to hear in a sitution is "hey I cut down on all the food and I didn't miss it at all". That just wouldn't be true. I still have my resolve and I am gonna go have myself a yogurt for breakfast.

I finished my food for the day

I ate some havarti cheese some more crackers and had another yogurt and I hit 1528 calories (due to an error in caloric information on a small chili from wendy's). No more food for today. Ack!

1500 Calories a day? Sure why not! Day 1

Ah yes the obligatory fat guy startng picture. Look how tiny my guitars look. "Fat guy and a little guitar!"



I learned something very valuable about weight loss recently. Turns out you will never lose weight unless you start a blog. A friend sent me a link to the blog of a guy who shares my name and age and he has lost over 250lbs in two years following one simple rule. He only eats 1500 calories a day. When he runs out of calories he is done eating until the next day. I know what your thinking. Your thinking damn that sounds hard. I'm gonna bet myself that it is not as hard as everything else I have tried. All I have to do is count the calories and I am done. No complex calculations. No way to try and trick myself into eating something I shouldn't be by cheating some complex formula. Just 1500 simple calories of whatever I want to eat and then I ride out the hunger. it's 7:18PM and I have eaten 690 calories today. a strawberry yogurt, 5 piece of chicken nuggets, a small chili and 8 saltine crackers. I don't mind telling you, I am starved! Let's see if I make it to tomorrow!

-Sean