Saturday, September 9, 2017

A New Start

I have not updated the blog in quite some time. Part of the issue is that I feel like a fraud. I have tried to start up the weight loss blog so many times and failed that I feel like no one wants to hear about how I am back on the weight loss kick. We all know that words are cheap and that action speaks louder than words. To that end, I decided that before I write another blog post about me losing weight that I should prove it first. So, rather than posting about my intentions, I have been working on it for a few days now and have had some success.

This stemmed from a conversation with my parents. My father basically said that he was worried that he would outlive me. He is 81 by the say so this was a statement that really got my attention. As I thought about it, I realized that I have to do something. My kids need me around and this is not a joke or a game. I have a responsibility to my family to do that right thing.

I started to count calories on September 5th. Below is a breakdown of my weigh ins. I have been weighing daily to keep myself focused. Ordinarily, I don't like doing that because it makes one a little obsessed but at this point, being obsessed with losing weight could be just what I need.

Sept 5. - 377.4 pounds - Completely unacceptable.
Sept 6 - 375.2 pounds - 2.2 pounds lost.
Sept 7 - 374.4 pounds - 0.8 pounds lost.
Sept 8 - 374.0 pounds - 0.4 pounds lost.
Sept 9 - 371.0 pounds - 3.0 pounds lost.

Since September 5th I have lost 6.4 pounds. This is a good start. I know that this will only get more difficult. I also know there will be days that I don't lose anything or possibly even gain but I must do this. It is far too important to ignore any longer. I know that I have said this in the past. I am excited to prove it. I am not certain how frequently I will update the blog. I was thinking about only doing it when weight loss milestones were hit, like maybe every five pounds of weight loss or something. I will have to think about it. I hope that you follow along. Until next time, so long!

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Try Again

I have to try again. My weight has only gotten worse. I need to get off this path. I currently weigh 374.2 pounds. It is ridiculous. I have my annual wellness check on June 5th. I stopped caring about my weight a while ago and I am hoping that I care enough to stick with it now. I have rebooted this time and again though, so we will see. My goal is to post an update on June 5th.

Calories 6/1/17-6/4/17

6/1/2017: Consumed 4,146 calories.  3,426 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

6/2/2017: Consumed ? calories.  ? calories burned according to Apple Watch.

6/3/2017: Consumed ? calories.  ? calories burned according to Apple Watch.

6/4/2017: Consumed ? calories.  ? calories burned according to Apple Watch.

Monday, March 20, 2017

Quitter

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. For me, the temptation the past few days has been to quit. Quitting seems like the easiest way out of something that is hard. It is also much easier than being honest about one's shortcomings. I tell myself that no one wants to read a blog about missed opportunities and struggles. I don't ever want to make excuses but the temptation to quit instead of writing another blog post about "how I will do better next time" was intense. Yet, I cannot be a quitter. I have too much at stake. Although I love having my friends and family follow along on my journey, this blog needs to be about me being real with myself first and foremost. While I would like each post to detail incredible success each and every time, that is not going to be realist. I will struggle. But I know that every step forward is progress and moves me that much closer to my goals. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Here is my accompanying YouTube video for this post linked below.

My Debt & Weight Loss Journey 3/20/2017 Vlog 2

On the debt side of things, I am pleased with my progress. I was able to pay down the balance on card #1 by more than a hundred dollars. That is not bad considering that I post these blog updates every five days. I do not believe I will be able to pay off card #1 by the next blog post however so I will not share details about card #2 just yet. That information will very likely be included next time. Here are the detailed numbers.

Card #1: Starting balance as of 3/15 = $237.57
Card #1: Balance as of 3/20: $107.54
Debt paid since prior post: $130.03
Total debt paid: $130.03

The weight loss numbers were not what I had hoped. For the March 20th weigh in, I lost a little more than a half pound (0.6). My current weight is 359.4 pounds. My total weight loss is a little more than a half pound (0.6)

I should have lost much more weight than this. The last few days I did not follow my plan well at all. I need to start walking as well. Losing weight at a decent pace is much easier when you burn the candle at both ends so to speak. Managing the calories consumed and the calories burned is important.

I wrote in my last blog post that I would let my actions speak for themselves and they have. My actions did not warrant much weight loss and that is the reality that I am living. I guess that I can only hope that those who read my blog don't quit on me. I will get where I am going, but I cannot promise there will not be hills and valleys. Maybe that is what makes a journey interesting. Thanks for following along. Until next time, goodbye!

Calories 3/20/17-3/24/17

3/20/2017: Consumed 4,870 calories.  3,591 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

3/21/2017: Consumed 3,652 calories.  3,658 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

3/22/2017: Consumed 2,974 calories.  3,660 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

3/23/2017: Consumed 6,410 calories.  3,609 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

3/24/2017: Consumed 2,840 calories.  3,509 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Debt and Weight

Once again I have fallen off the wagon with regards to my weight loss. I was off the grid for two months. During that time, I moved to a new house and was busy with all that entails. My mother came out to visit and was a huge help to me. I hate moving so it was so nice to have her here. I have decided to take the blog in a little bit of a different direction with regard to my weight loss journey. Let me explain.

I have noticed that for me at least, there is a direct correlation between my finances and my weight loss journey. In addition to my weight loss goals, I also have a goal to get completely out of debt. I recently looked at what I am paying in interest per month on credit cards and my auto loan and I will just say that it makes me sick to my stomach. Going forward, my blog posts will focus both on my weight loss and my debt reduction. I have already made a YouTube video about this. Check it out in the link below.

My Debt & Weight Loss Journey 3/15/2017 Vlog 1

As I discuss in the video, the challenge for me with regard to debt or just finances in general and weight loss is in how they can interact with each other. When I was growing up I was taught to respect the value of money. I was also taught that wasting anything is bad. If you put a lot of food on your plate, you better eat it all because wasting food was not an option. Since money is not unlimited, you should always try to get a good deal with your money. If I go to a buffet for example, I should eat a lot to get my "money's worth". If I have a buy one get one free coupon on something, I am doubling the value of those dollars. This leads to eating two of something when one probably would have been enough.

For the debt side of things, I intend to pay off one card at a time until they are all paid off and then I will focus on my auto loan. Since finances can be a little bit of a private thing, I am not going to share my overall indebtedness at this time and instead choose to hyper focus on each card at a time. To that end, card #1 is the first to get paid off. I tend to chip away at my debt slowly so there should always some progress made on each card by the next time that I post a blog update. We will see if that holds true. At any rate, the details about card #1 are below. I have been working on this card for awhile already as it was close to the credit limit before I started paying it down.

Card #1: Current balance as of 3/15 = $237.57

The weight loss side of things has been disappointing. I weighed in at the highest weight that I think I have ever recorded. I currently weight 360.0 pounds. I desperately need to change my lifestyle. I made a commitment today to my two daughters that they can and should call me out on anything that they see me do that they feel is not in line with my commitment to losing weight.

I would not blame anyone for having given up on me at this point. I have started and restarted this weight loss journey so many times that I am sure it would be easy to doubt my follow through. I am not going to offer any assurances on that front as I feel like I have done that in the past only to fall on my face. Instead, I will just let my actions speak for me. The next weigh in and debt update will be on March 20th, 2017. I hope that you check back and follow me on this adventure despite my prior challenges in following through. I am not ashamed to have fallen down, but I hope that I always find the strength to get back up. Goodbye for now!

Calories 3/15/17-3/19/17

3/15/2017: Consumed 2,536 calories.  3,767 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

3/16/2017: Consumed 2,524 calories.  3,626 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

3/17/2017: Consumed 3,596 calories.  3,740 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

3/18/2017: Consumed 4,029 calories.  3,442 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

3/19/2017: Consumed 3,533 calories.  3,100 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Skipped

Hello and welcome to my weigh in post for January 15th. I skipped the post on January 10th but I did weigh in so I will include those numbers here as well. Without further ado, here are the numbers for both weigh ins.

For the January 10th weigh in, I gained a little more than two and a half (2.6) pounds. My weight on that day was 352 pounds. My total weight loss as of that date was nearly six (5.8) pounds.

For the January 15th weigh in, I lost exactly one pound. My weight on that day was 351 pounds. My total weight loss is now nearly seven (6.8) pounds.

I really need to focus up. I have been eating way to much in addition to really struggling with giving up soda. I am also not doing any extra walking. I really want to go walking after work as I know that will help me a lot. In reality, all of these things go back to me lacking discipline right now. Even though I won't make excuses here on the blog, I realize that when I mess up it is usually because I am feeling sorry for myself about something. Work was stressful, I can have a Coke. I got a lot done  at work, I deserve a Coke. It sounds stupid to say it, but sometimes I think that is how my mind works.

My next weigh in will be January 20th. I don't want to skip anymore blog posts. I find that they help me to get things off my chest, even if the numbers are still not where they should be. I am placing a link to my latest vlog post below. Check it out! Until next time, goodbye!

My Weight Loss Journey 1/15/2017 Vlog 5

Calories 1/10/17-1/19/17

1/10/2017: Consumed 3,470 calories.  3,016 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

1/11/2017: Consumed 3,595 calories.  3,860 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

1/12/2017: Consumed 3,178 calories.  3,763 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

1/13/2017: Consumed 3,143 calories.  3,923 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

1/14/2017: Consumed 3,280 calories.  3,326 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

1/15/2017: Consumed 1,970 calories.  3,136 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

1/16/2017: Consumed 2,060 calories.  2,353 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

1/17/2017: Consumed 3,163 calories.  3,937 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

1/18/2017: Consumed ? calories.  3,815 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

1/19/2017: Consumed ? calories.  3,347 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Somber

Hello and welcome to the January 5th weigh in post. I have been in a little bit of a somber mood lately. There are several reasons for this but one in particular has me reflecting on the day to day decisions that I have made and the possible consequences to come. More on that in a moment.

Since the previous weigh in just four short days ago I have nearly lost a half (0.4) pound. My current weight is 349.4 pounds. This brings my total weight loss to nearly eight and a half (8.4) pounds.

In my vlog post on YouTube I discuss the main reason for me being somber so I don't want to rehash that on the blog. You can find the vlog post here.

My Weight Loss Journey 1/5/2017 Vlog 4

I will say that it really drives home the idea that I need to be living a healthier life. There are some things that are not in our control but the day to day choices about what we consume and whether we get any exercise are in our control. I am pretty disappointed that I have allowed myself to get to this point. If I am being realistic about things, then I may well have shaved years off my life by not making smart decisions.

If those decisions were framed in the context of there eventual consequences, would anyone make them? The problem is, some people tend to not look at it that way. I am clearly guilty of that. Whatever excuses that I have made in the past are ridiculous. These are my choices and they do have consequences.

I apologize for the possible negative tone in this blog post. I need to hold myself accountable for my actions and it is hard to see where I have messed up and be happy about it.  I have been making changes but there is still lots of room for improvement. I need to do better.

The next weigh in will be January 10th. I am going to reapply myself to the task of losing weight. I want to drop another pound and a half by the next weigh in so that I will have lost ten pounds total. I hope to have good news soon. Goodbye!

Calories 1/5/17-1/9/17

1/5/2017: Consumed 3,087 calories.  3,727 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

1/6/2017: Consumed 3,300 calories.  3,619 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

1/7/2017: Consumed 4,120 calories.  3,298 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

1/8/2017: Consumed 2,700 calories.  3,451 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

1/9/2017: Consumed 3,932 calories.  3,625 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Happy New Year

Wow! 2016 is over and it is now officially 2017. It is crazy how fast time flies when you get older. That is one of the reasons that we should cherish each moment and each memory. I say that to remind myself as much as anything. My girls are getting older and will at some point in the future go off to college or whatever they choose to do after high school. I may benefit from adding a time element to my weight loss goal. I will elaborate on that in a moment. First, here are the numbers.

Since my last weigh in (December 25th) I have lost a little more than two (2.2) pounds. My current weight is 349.8 pounds even. My total weight loss is now eight pounds.

I am pretty happy with losing a little more than two pounds. I don't really feel like I did as well as I could have but I will certainly be happy with that weight loss. I consumed a large number of calories a couple of times and didn't really get that much activity.

I mentioned adding a time element. I want to achieve my goal by the time my oldest daughter graduates high school. That means I need to lose at least another 150 pounds by May 2020. That may seem like a long time away but at the rate I am going, it may be close.

In the near term, my goal is to stay below 350 pounds and to move in the right direction towards a full ten pounds of weight loss! I am just another two pounds away. That being the case, the weigh in after the first is always only four days away instead of five. Each time that I have weighed in below 350 pounds, I am back over 350 pounds at the next weigh in. I want to break that trend.

Let's take a look at the month of December 2016.

December 2016 Summary:
  • Total weight loss to date: 8.0 pounds
  • Total weight loss this year: 8.0 pounds
  • Total weight loss December 2016: 2.2 pounds
  • Total weight still to lose: 174.8 pounds
A couple of things stick out to me now that I have crunched these numbers. First, 2.2 pounds of weight loss for the month of December is weak. I really need to apply myself more. Second, I mentioned that I want to lose 150 pounds by May 2020 but here I record that I still have 174.8 pounds to lose. Here is the deal. My realistic expectation is that I weigh in below two hundred pounds. I believe that I can achieve that goal. My dream goal would be to weigh the same as I weighed as a senior in high school (175 pounds). That goal, will require a lot of work. I am not sure how realistic that goal is but it is dream. I think it is good to have dreams. That is why there are two different goal weights mentioned here. I could be happy with weighing in below two hundred pounds and that is my main goal. My dream goal is to weigh 175 pounds. I hope that makes sense.

The next weigh in will be January 5th. That is just four short days away. I need to weigh in again below 350 pounds. It would be a bit discouraging to cross onto the wrong side of that number again. I recorded another vlog and will link to it below. I discuss some thoughts on New Years resolutions in the video. Check it out! I am really excited about losing weight and having set a date to achieve it. Check back in with me soon. Goodbye for now!

My Weight Loss Journey 1/1/2017 Vlog 3

Calories 1/1/17-1/4/17

1/1/2017: Consumed 2,641 calories.  3,484 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

1/2/2017: Consumed 3,744 calories.  3,344 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

1/3/2017: Consumed 2,780 calories.  3,645 calories burned according to Apple Watch.

1/4/2017: Consumed 2,316 calories.  3,629 calories burned according to Apple Watch.