This blog is over. I have moved to a new blog.

http://healthyphoenix.blogspot.com/

Still here

I am still here. I have not given up again. I am eating less and have lost 10lbs so far. Probably water weight, but I'll take it :-)

Ok made it to evening

This time I will focus more about how I feel and less on telling you what I ate and what I did at the gym. I need to deal with the things that make me eat and how eating makes me feel.

Ok I made it to afternoon

I don't mind eating eating right so much. I just hate tracking everything I eat. I hate that eating healthy and being fit becomes who you are instead of just something you do. I hate being overweight and depressed more.

I am officially the heaviest I have ever been.

I have not been here for a long while and my last attempt failed completely. This does not mean I can just give up. I finally feel bad enough about myself both physically and mentally to know that I can no longer go on this way. I weighed myself today on my 450lb scale and in came up - - -. It can't even weigh my fat ass. I have been in denial. Today I will start anew what I know will be a long journey to saving my life.

-Sean

Hi! Remember me? - Day 1 (Again)

As you have no doubt guessed I fell off the wagon and hard. You know how it is. You slip off and then you keep making excuses and the next thing you know it has been 5 months. Well I am ready to get back on this horse. I imagine this will be a struggle for the rest of my life, but finally having the knowledge of the struggle is a good thing.

Anyone I am not going to waste a lot of time here. Let's just get through today!

Sean

Day 4 - Losing weight fast!

Howdy,

I forgot to post yesterday, sorry about that. I have been playing this new game "DC Universe Online" and sometimes I get into it and forget to do things. Anyway I have lost 15lbs in 3 days. I am sure it is water weight and such, but it is nice anyway. When I posted on Tuesday I was at 395 and today I am at 380. Nice little boost to keep me motivated. Today I turned down pizza at work so my resolve is back, but damn I am hungry.

It is amazing how much we associate food with happiness. If I am off for the weekend and I can't sit around and snack it makes me think it is a wasted day. The key is to find other things to occupy my mind. I have found as I get further into this it becomes easier to focus on things that don't involve eating. Anyway I just wanted to drop a post and let y'all know I am still here.

Sean

Day 2 - Back on track.

Starting is the hardest part. I have eaten 1200 calories today and I am starving to death. That leaves me about 400 for dinner. I think I will burn them on some cheese and crackers. That makes me feel full. Losing weight is easy if you can deal with the hunger.

Anyway I am not going to make any big speeches or promises. I am on day two and it is so far so good. I hope to be writing you of my success tomorrow.

Sean

Day 1 - Clean Slate

Here we go. I failed. Somewhere in November I lost sight of my goals and began taking comfort in food again. Once you start that downward spiral it takes ahold of you and it is hard to break free. I tried to start right back in several times and I found it too easy to say hey, I want this piece of pie I will just start back tomorrow. Well that is not going to work anymore. I have a lot to lose and a lot to prove and I am running out of time. I want my 40's to be the beginning of something. I want my 40's to be a second shot at my 20's I want to do things physically I never did because I couldn't do them physically. 3 days ago I turned 39. This gives me less than a year to reach my goal weight of 220. as of this morning I weight 389. Yep I gained some back. I now have an impossible amount of weight to lose in a short period of time. I am not going to think about wheter or not I can do this. I am just going to do this. Today is day one. I am resetting all of my counters and I am shooting for that first 60 lbs.

Pray for me and keep me honest.

Sean

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