Weight Loss

Week 32

2007-08-31T04:48:00.000-07:00

It's been 8 months since I started. Things are going great, I finally got my health in order and now I'm getting all other areas of my life in order.

Proving to myself that I could lose over 100 pounds has been very empowering for me and made me realize that if I can do this I can improve all the other areas of my life that needed fixing.

Those areas are coming along very nicely. :)

Starting Weight 380 lbs
Current Weight 260 lbs
Weight Loss To Date: 120 lbs

Week 25

2007-07-13T04:43:00.001-07:00

I lost 8.4 lbs this week bringing my total to 106 lbs!

Starting Weight 380 lbs
Current Weight 274 lbs
Weight Loss To Date: 106 lbs

Week 24 - 100 pounds, Gone!

2007-06-29T03:29:00.000-07:00

Finally! I was beginning to think I was never going to make it to the 100lb mark! It is June 28th and I have hit 280 which marks 100 pounds since I started this journey. I don't know if it's from all the lifting or just that I'm getting down to a normal size but the weight loss has slowed to a crawl! I've only lost 4 lbs since my last update.
Still I'm down to a size 40 pants (almost 38) and I'm wearing XL shirts so I'm not complaining too much...

They had a nice little sign hung up at the weight loss clinic last night announcing how much weight I'd lost, so I snapped a picture of it.

Starting Weight 380 lbs
Current Weight 279.6 lbs
Weight Loss To Date: 100.4 lbs

Week 22 - Throw out those old clothes

2007-06-15T05:35:00.000-07:00

This week I filled 5 large trash bags full of old clothes. They were size 54 pants and size 4xl shirts. It had gotten to the point that I just couldn't wear them anymore. I haven't gone out and bought a whole new wardrobe yet because I'm still losing. I've just bought enough stuff to make due until I get down to 220 or so.

The big news this week is I'm going to be on the news after I make 100lbs of weight loss. I don't know all the details yet but I'll post them when I know. Right now I'm at 96 lbs so I only have to lose 4 more pounds to be there!!!

It's kind of weird. I'm getting smaller and I'm weighing less but at the same time my chest and shoulders are getting broader and sticking out more from all the weight lifting. The lady at the gift shop said to me yesterday "You're getting kind of buff there aren't ya" .

Yeah, that felt good...

Starting Weight 380 lbs

Current Weight 284 lbs

Weight Loss To Date: 96 lbs

Week 20

2007-06-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

It's been two weeks since my last entry and I've dropped 8 pounds since then. I'm down to 289 lbs, which at 6 feet tall means my BMI is now below 40 so I'm no longer considered "Morbidly Obese" This was a big goal for me and I'm really excited to achieve it. To do it in less than 6 months makes it that much better!

Starting Weight 380 lbs

Current Weight 289 lbs

Weight Loss To Date: 91 lbs

83 pounds lost so far!

2007-05-18T04:54:00.000-07:00

I lost another 3 pounds last week. I am now below 300 pounds for the first time since I was a teenager!!! It's all down hill from here!

Also as an added benefit of all the weight training we've been doing, my bench press is up 40 pounds from February 17Th! That's pretty good gains for 3 months of lifting.

Starting Weight 380 lbs
Current Weight 297 lbs
Weight Loss To Date: 83 lbs

Week 16 - Huge Milestone

2007-05-03T17:29:00.000-07:00

I finally to the 300 pound mark this week! I am so excited! 3 pounds lost this week which brings me to 300, exactly! Next week is when I drop below the dreaded mark!

Starting Weight 380 lbs

Current Weight 300 lbs

Weight Loss To Date: 80 lbs

Week 15

2007-04-27T05:29:00.000-07:00

I had a great week this week. Let's see I did my normal weight lifting routine with Rodney on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Rode my mountain bike 5 miles on Saturday and Sunday. On Tuesday I went and joined the Golden Gloves boxing club near my house and had them put me through their 2 hour workout. That was absolutely the toughest thing I've ever done. I honestly thought I was going to die!!!

But it appears to have paid off because I lost another 6 lbs this week!!!

Starting Weight 380 lbs

Current Weight 302 lbs

Weight Loss To Date: 77 lbs

Week 14

2007-04-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

Lost 3 LBS this week. Rodney and I started a new weight lifting program this week and my entire body is so sore I can barely function. It feels like two a day football practices!

Starting Weight 380 lbs
Current Weight 309 lbs
Weight Loss To Date: 71 lbs

Week 13

2007-04-11T05:24:00.000-07:00

I made it through Easter without eating a single marshmallow "Peep" or Cadbury egg. In fact I decided to make a personal challenge to myself that I was not going to use this holiday or the resulting holiday dinner after church as an excuse to cheat. I simply brought my food with me and ate when everyone else ate.

I bought a mountain bike a few weeks ago and I'm finally getting to where I can ride it a good distance before I have to get off. I rode it 8 miles on Friday and another 8 miles on Saturday. On Sunday afternoon I went mountain climbing. That along with the weight lifting 4 times a week and I've been able to put in 3000-5000 more physical activity points than the program requires. I don't think it's possible to get too much exercise so that's a good thing!

My weight loss this week was 4.3 pounds. About 20 more pounds and my body mass index will drop below the "Morbid Obesity" category!!!

Starting Weight 380 lbs
Current Weight 312 lbs
Weight Loss To Date: 68 lbs

Week 12 - The end of "Core"

2007-04-04T05:06:00.000-07:00

It's been 13 weeks since I took my "before" picture and took my first bite of those microwavable dinners. The "core" program is the first 13 weeks. It's where they teach you how the program works, why it works, and how to use it properly. Now I move to the next phase of the program called "ongoing weight loss" the only difference is where the core program is more educational in that they are trying to teach you about the diet the ongoing portion is more of a support group that meets every week to discuss how things are going and help each other out with their weight loss goals. This class meets on Thursday nights instead of Tuesday so my blog updates will have to move to Friday mornings.

In the first 12 weeks of weight loss I have averaged 5.3 pounds per week. I have currently lost 17% of my body mass. Another 30 lbs and I will have lost 1/4 of my original body mass!

At the bottom I am attaching a before and after picture to signify the end of the core program.

Starting Weight 380 lbs

Current Weight 316 lbs

Weight Loss To Date: 64 lbs

Week 11 - From XXXXL to XL

2007-03-28T04:43:00.000-07:00

Another good week. I saw several people over the weekend that haven't seen me in 3 months so it was really cool to see their reaction! Normally I wouldn't like another guy telling me I looked good but I'll let it slide in this case. LOL

I lost 4.2 lbs this week bringing the total to exactly 60 lbs!!!

I finally bought some clothes that fit for my picture this week :)

Starting Weight 380 lbs
Current Weight 320 lbs
Weight Loss To Date: 60 lbs

Week 10 - Let's Recap

2007-03-21T04:31:00.000-07:00

When I started 10 weeks ago I was 380lbs and wearing 4XL clothes. Today I'm 324lbs and I'm down to a 2XL. For the first time since I was a teenager I can buy clothes at a regular store where I can pay regular prices like everyone else. For almost the last decade there was only one store in town where I could buy clothes (Casual Male big and tall) and I had to pay their prices but not anymore.

Back in December I went on a two hour hunt in Jamestown, Tn. that night I was supposed to go on the coon hunt but the thought of walking two more hours in those hills absolutely horrified me. My feet, ankles, and knees just couldn't take it. That wasn't the first time that I've run into trouble like that but this one sticks out because of all the flak I took over it from everyone. My hobby is competition hunting with my dog and I was letting him down by not being in the proper shape to do it. This is what pushed me over the edge and made me do something... Walking shouldn't be painful.

At the beginning of this program I could go 10 minutes on my exercise bike or a treadmill and I was already looking for a reason to get off. Today I can ride the bike for an hour without stopping and I turn the elevation on the treadmill because walking on flat is not challenging enough. That is a lot of change in 10 weeks time!

I didn't have a bad week this week my loss was 5.3lbs. Which is about what I've been averaging every week so far.

Starting Weight 380 lbs
Current Weight 324 lbs
Weight Loss To Date: 56 lbs

Week 9 - Best Week Ever!

2007-03-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, I didn't let not losing last week get to me and kept my focus. I went all week being very careful about what I ate and made sure I didn't slip up and eat something I wasn't supposed to. I also hit the gym harder than ever all week mixing a little more cardio than lifting this week. Also Rodney suggested that I spend some time in the sauna since it might be the water weight that's keeping me from losing. When I got on the scale last night it said 329lbs which is 11lbs lighter than last week!!! And I'm really starting to see some change in the pictures too. It won't be much longer now I've got it rocking and rolling!

This week is going to be more of the same, I find that if I stay under 30 shakes and 30 dinners for the week I tend to lose more weight than weeks where I go over, so I'm going to get in a routine of having 3 shakes and 3 dinners a day and on days when I'm feeling extra hungry I can have an extra one and I'll still stay under 30 for the week.

Starting Weight 380 lbs
Current Weight 329 lbs
Weight Loss To Date: 51 lbs

Week 8 - Who cares what the scale says?

2007-03-07T08:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it looks like I'm in sort of a two week cycle. One week I lose a little and the next week I lose a lot. But I've decided that I don't really care what the scale says. I still have to weigh in once a week as part of the program but I'm not going to let the amount of weightloss I see wach week affect how I act. I have gone beyond trying to lose weight. It's about getting control of my life, my eating habits, my health, and my fitness.

I no longer think of eating as something to do to pass the time, or a social event. Food doesn't control me any longer. Working out has become my social event. I spend my entire evenings at the gym lifting and/or doing cardio instead of sitting at home on the couch. I haven't watched a complete episode of American Idol this year. Which may be a good thing because I heard they all suck!

I didn't have a good week in the weight loss department this week it probably has to do with water retention and the fact that we did a lot more weight training than cardio this week. All I know is my clothes are baggy, my belt is looser, and I feel great. That feeling of hopelessness is gone. I know that by following the program I am eating healthy and by doing the physical activity I'm getting fit. It's about overall personal health so who cares what the scale says?

Starting Weight 380 lbs
Current Weight 340 lbs
Weight Loss To Date: 40 lbs

(Change was less than 1lb this week so I'll just leave it the same)

Week 7 - Back on track!

2007-03-01T05:49:00.000-08:00

I had a Great week this week. After only losing 2 pounds last week I got my focus back in a big way. I hit the gym hard every day, twice a day most days. In fact I set a clinic record for most Physical Activity points in a week. The program requires that we get a minimum of 2000 activity points per week. Last week I got over 6940 points and according to them no one has ever reported that many points in a week!

Saturday was my birthday, I came close to going out to celebrate but then decided that it just wasn't worth it so I stayed close to home and ate my diet food instead. So far I'm averaging around 5 pounds a week and if I can stay on that track I'm on pace to set another record for this program. The current record is 102 lbs in 21 weeks which is an average of 4.8 lbs per week. If I keep working and stay with the program it is possible that I could break that record! I lost 4.1 pounds this week.

Things are going great, I've got my head in the right place, I'm eating right and getting in shape. It's a good feeling.

Starting Weight 380 lbs
Current Weight 340 lbs
Weight Loss To Date: 40 lbs
(I have now lost over 10% of my body mass)

Week 6 - The Dreaded Plateau

2007-02-21T04:50:00.000-08:00

Well it finally hit, that dreaded "plateau" everyone warned me was coming. I only lost 2 pounds this week. I can't even describe how discouraged I was when I stepped on that scale last night. The nurse that weighed me told me that it was totally expected and nothing to worry about. I'm still going to average 5 pounds a week according to them.

After sleeping on it, I'm not discouraged anymore. In fact I'm more committed now than ever. I had planned to cheat a little for my birthday this Saturday but now I've decided that I'm going to suffer through and stick to the diet.

I picked my exercise up considerably this week, I almost doubled the weekly minimum. The main thing that helped me in that area is I contracted someone to kick my butt around the gym and it works. He pushes me and makes me do a lot more than I would do if I were going at it alone. His name is Rodney Paine (yes that's his real name) :)

Starting Weight 380 lbs

Current Weight 344 lbs

Weight Loss To Date: 36 lbs

Week 5

2007-02-14T04:30:00.000-08:00

I had a good week last week. On Friday I bought a food warmer that plugs into a cigarette lighter for my trip to Texas, this was I could warm my dinners in the truck. I put the shake mix in a bottle of water and shook it up to make my shakes and warmed the dinners in the truck. It worked and I didn't cheat, I even had a witness! lol

Saturday morning I walked for two hours in the competition hunt in Texas and I won so that means I advanced to the next round which was another two hours of walking in the woods. That's 4 hours of walking in one day (not to mention hills) it translates to 2,880 calories of exercise. We are only required to get 2000 calories in a week so needless to say I ended the week Way over the minimum on exercise.

I lost 4 pounds this week. That's a pound less than last week, there are several theories on why I would lose less even though I didn't cheat. The most likely candidates are that I built muscle from all the extra activity, another is that I just his a small plateau this week. It could be that my body is getting used to getting less calories and is starting to adjust...

Starting Weight 380 lbs
Current Weight 346 lbs
Weight Loss To Date: 34 lbs

Happy Valentine's Day Everybody!

The First Month

2007-02-07T04:32:00.000-08:00

Today marks 4 weeks since I started. Last night was the same routine, I went in and had my blood checked, Dr. checkup and then went into the weight loss class with Dawn. This is all becoming a habit.

I do find that it is really hard for me if I go somewhere over the weekend for several reasons; for one thing I don't have my blender with me, also I don't have a microwave handy most times and there are so many places to eat out there calling my name. If I worked every day I could get in a routine of doing the same thing every day and this would be a breeze! Heck if I just stayed home on weekends this would be a lot easier.

I have a big trip planned this weekend. I'm going to the Texas state hunt in Queen City, Tx. and then after that I will probably go to a friends house in Shreveport before heading home. This weekend is going to be a real challenge...

Ok. Not much more to report this week. My weight loss for the week was 4.6 pounds so I'm going to round up to make it an even 5. For those of you keeping score

at home that's 30 pounds in 28 days!

Starting Weight 380 lbs
Current Weight 350 lbs
Weight Loss To Date: 30 lbs

Week 3

2007-01-31T04:15:00.000-08:00

Ok it's week 3 and I'm now starting to get into a groove with this weight loss thing. I know which dinners I like and which ones to stay away from, I know how to make the shakes so they taste good, and I've made a habit out of drinking my water and getting my exercise in.

Some of my clothes are starting to get baggy, this morning I actually dug a shirt out of my closet that I haven't worn in a while because it looked better on me. Yesterday I was able to zip my heavy coat up for the first time in years. When I went to the clinic last night the nurse was able to put the regular blood pressure cuff on me and didn't have to go fish out the one that's made extra large to go around people's thigh!

Not much more to report this week. I lost 7 pounds and everything is going great, I'm in a routine and don't plan to stop anything until I'm at my goal weight.

Starting Weight 380 lbs
Current Weight 355 lbs
Weight Loss To Date: 25 lbs (In three weeks!!!)

Week 2

2007-01-24T04:44:00.001-08:00

This week I tried to concentrate on exercise. I didn't get the minimums last week so I was determined to make it this week.

One thing I've done is I've started getting off the elevator on the 15th floor at work and taking the stairs the rest of the way up. One of these days maybe I'll be in shape to take the stairs all 20 floors but not today!

I also went into my junk room and pulled out the old exercise bike and started riding it every evening while I watch the news.

Employees that work here are lucky enough to have free membership to the gym on the 29th floor so I've been going up there during the day when I get a chance

Ok on to the important part; The meeting at the clinic. I had my 3rd meeting last night, the nurse checked my blood pressure, pulse and sent me down to get more blood work done so they can check my metabolic stuff. I also met with Dr. Baker again just to run over how everything is going.

This was the 2nd weigh in since the program began. They warned me not to expect 13 pounds every week so I wasn't totally surprised when the change was only 5 pounds this week. I'm sure most of that weight last week was water weight and this was real weight. Still 5 pounds lost is a lot better than 5 pounds gained!

Here is a picture of me in week 2

Starting Weight 380 lbs
Current Weight 362 lbs
Weight Loss To Date: 18 lbs

The First Week A Success!

2007-01-17T04:16:00.000-08:00

The first week is over and I'm feeling good. This diet plan is so easy to stick to it just doesn't seem right and the weight loss is for real! The only hard part is; every now and then I'll see a Wendy's commercial and want to go get a cheeseburger, but I just eat one of my dinners and I feel better. lol

Last night I went to my second meeting at the clinic. First I met with the RN so she could check my weight, check my blood, and run a heart monitor. I also gave her all the figures of how much I've eaten and how much exercise I've gotten which still isn't quite enough but I'm getting there. My weight loss for week 1 was 13 pounds!!! I am super pumped, I can't believe I lost that much in ONE WEEK. I don't think I've ever lost that much at one time much less in one week!!! This really helps my motivation going into next week. I can't wait!

After that I met with Dr John Baker who is a gastroenterologist who specialises in obesity. He checked me out and gave me some advice on exercise and ways to stay on the diet by staying away from temptation. He also told me not to expect 13 pounds of weight loss every week, the first week is always strong because of water weight.

After the meeting with the doctor I went into the class with Dawn the dietitian. The class is just like being in school again; writing on the board, taking notes, sitting in the back of the class cracking jokes... Ah the memories. Dawn taught us more about how the plan works, why it works, and ways we can mix things up so we don't get bored with the food. She also gave us some ideas on how to get our exercise in. It seems I'm not the only one having trouble hitting that target...

Anyway the first week went pretty easy, I didn't cheat because I never really felt hungry enough to cheat. The diet works, period. Just eat what they give you and the weight will fall off!

Here is a picture of me in week 2. Obviously you won't be able to tell much difference yet.

Starting Weight: 380 lbs

Current Weight: 367 lbs

Weight Loss To Date: 13 lbs

Mid Week Checkup

2007-01-12T10:57:00.000-08:00

Today is Friday and it's the day I have to check in with Dawn, my dietitian. We spoke at about 10:30 today and I updated her on what I've been eating because on this diet you take a log of everything you eat. I also told her how much exercise I've been getting and she says that is not enough so I'll try and get more from now on...

The food actually tastes ok, the entrees taste like any other microwaveable dinners you find at the grocery store, these are just lower in calories. So far I like the Lasagna, Turkey Chili, and Savory Chicken the best.
The shakes taste like Slim Fast shakes. One cool thing is we can mix in a teaspoon of sugar free jello pudding to thicken them up and give them more flavor.

The first day on the diet I felt weak and tired all day, the second day was much better but still some periods of weakness. People who know me know that I like to socialize, so I like going out to lunch with my co-workers if nothing else for the chit chat, yesterday and today I hurried and ate my lunch before they left and went with them to the restaurant. I just sat and drank water while they ate. They told me I was nut's for putting myself in position to cheat but I was alright... Today I'm feeling fine I don't even feel like I'm on a diet really. I'm well on my way, this is going to be easy...

I have another meeting at the clinic on Tuesday where I will meet with the Doctor to check me out and make sure I'm doing alright, then I will meet with the class afterwards and pick up my food at the end.. I'll have an updated entry on Wednesday morning with a picture and an update on my weight.

The Journey Begins

2007-01-10T05:29:00.000-08:00

Last night at 8:00 I picked up my food from the weight loss clinic. I can't wait to start this morning. It's been harder than waiting for Christmas since I first started the ball rolling by going to orientation at the Weight Control Program over a month ago. When you're ready for something it's hard waiting and I'm ready for this.

I've been overweight since I was 12 and have struggled to lose weight ever since. When you're as large as I am, trying to lose weight on your own is like trying to chip away at an oak tree with a pocket knife, this program is like being provided a chain saw. It's very easy to get disheartened and quit something when there is no light at the end of the tunnel. This program is structured, medically supervised, and most importantly the weight loss comes fast! So you see results before you have time to get discouraged.

First thing's first I have to mix shakes every day so I went and bought a blender. Actually I bought two one for the kitchen and one for the office. Here is a picture of the office blender complete with a packet of shake mix

Along with the shakes we are allowed to have these little microwavable dinners that remind me of a lean cuisine. I haven't tried one yet so I'll have to let you know on the next entry if they taste like crap or not.

And for a snack we can eat these little peanut butter bars. We get to eat 6 times a day on this program. I think I'm gonna like it!!!

Here is a picture of me taken today Wednesday, 1/10/07 this will be the before picture. I will post an updated picture every week so everyone can see the changes.

Current weight: 380 lbs
Weight loss to date: 0 lbs

Well that's all for now. I'm feeling great about the future and can't wait to get started. In next weeks posting I will have more information on how the food tastes and how the new eating habits are making me feel physically (weak, tired, more energy, who knows)

BigD (soon to be SlimD) out!