FatBloggers.net

Cross-posted on antiMatter

Weigh in this morning gave a result of 3.5 lbs. lost. I managed to exercise every day last week, for a total of 38 APs. I ate outside of my meal plan twice. The first was on New Year’s Eve, which also happens to be my birthday. We went to my favorite Mexican restaurant for chili rellenos (which I had planned for), but I ate way too many tortilla chips. Later that night, at the in-law’s house, I filled my plate with veggies and turkey. That was fine, but then I succumbed to the temptation of the barbecue hot dogs and ate the equivalent of about 3 hot dogs in barbecue sauce. The second was on the 3rd of January, when DW and I went out to her favorite Mexican restaurant. I ordered the shrimp fajitas, which was in my plan, but instead of eating 2 of them as I had planned, I had three, plus a whole bunch of tortilla chips. Tortilla chips are apparently a trigger food for me, and I’m going to have to surrender them if I want to lose weight and keep it off.

Other than that, it’s been a really good week back on program. I feel much better physically, and empowered over my food choices.

Cross Posted on Pick on the Fat Kid

Nothing like a Monday morning after the holidays, huh? How about a Monday morning after the holidays and it’s weigh in day?  I rolled out of bed this morning and stepped on the scales.  423.0.  Down another 2.6 lbs for a grand total of 38.1 lbs.  I was hoping to hit the 40 lbs lost mark this week.  I thought it was really going to happen when I stepped on the scale the other day to "sneak a peek" and it read the same thing as what I saw today.  Oh well, I’ll get it this week hopefully.  I’m just 1.9 lbs away and 7.9 lbs away from my 10% short term goal.

Nothing really exciting happened over the weekend.  I basically just hung out with some friends, played a lot of poker and did my walking. I ate pretty well and stayed on track. I did buy a 2nd Christmas present for my self in the form of a 46” LCD TV, so I did spend a little more time on the couch than normal, but all in all, I don’t feel like I spent enough time in front of the new TV, so that’s probably a good thing.

I’m on course to start the new year off right too.  We are past the holidays and the schedules are getting back to normal.  I have a turkey wrap ready to go for lunch.  I’ve had my 3 egg whites and oatmeal for breakfast.  I’m not sure what’s for dinner yet, but I’m sure it will be healthy.

Tonight is also gym night.  I’m kind of dreading the crowd that’s going to be there.  Last week was pretty tame because I guess everyone was still on vacation.  I can only imagine a zoo this evening though.  I’m past the jitters at this point and don’t really mind working out around all the people.  However, if it becomes a hassle to get a machine or bench or something, then I’ll have to rethink this working out in the evening thing for a while.

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Yesterday’s foods:

Breakfast: 3 egg whites, oatmeal
Snack: Orange
Lunch: Blackened Salmon, roasted potatoes and carrots
Dinner: 2 turkey wraps (whole wheat wraps)
Snack: apple

See this post with its pics

I know that this Q&A answer is out of order, but it was a nice and concise question that called for a nice and concise answer. The answer is simple statistics. Here is the question:

“….so how long have you been on the fitness journey to get you from 307 to were you are now? Is there anything you would have done differently?”

Ok, I want to start off by saying that what happened to my body won’t happen to every “body”. At least not as fast. I lost a lot of weight pretty quick, but don’t give up or get discouraged if you don’t lose like I lose. We are all different, walking in the same journey.

Journey start date and weight: December 13th, 2006. I weighed in at weight watchers for the first time at 307.6 lbs. Afterwards I went and ate a half-pound bacon burger, large fry, and a large coffee/chocolate milk shake. That is not to mention the snacks I ate once I got home.

Started running on: April 5th, 2007. I had lost around 60 something pounds at this point and could just barely run/walk 2 miles on the treadmill.

Reached doctors goal: around September I think. My doctors goal was 210 lbs. He actually wanted me to weigh 155. I told him he was insane and left to do a lot of research and take my body fat. I went back and told him what I found and he made my goal 210.
First marathon: October 5th, 2007. Finished the Portland Marathon in about 5 1/2 hrs. I weighed 194 going in.

My goal: was to weigh 179 like I did when I was a sophomore in high school. I reached this goal 1 yr later on December 13th, 2007. My body fat went from 51% to 11%. My cholesterol went from 307 to 151. Pants went from 46 to 32. Shirt went from xxx to medium.

2 years later: Was able to maintain my weight within 10 lbs on Dec. 13th 2008. I currently weigh 185.

Would I change anything: I don’t think so. The only thing I wish I could have done was finish my 12th marathon in one calendar year. I was not able to make it to my 12th because of work. I attained 7 marathon finishes and 4 ultramarathon finishes in 1 calendar year.. Other than that, the journey to now was more than I could have ever asked or imagined.
Thanks for asking this question. Answering it has inspired me a lot. I will keep on my brother. Thanks.

Cross Posted at Losing Inspiration

I wanted to share these two books with you guys. I bought “Eat This, Not That” a year or so ago and have found it extremely useful in eating smart while out. So, I was really excited to see that they came out with a supermarket survival guide for choosing wisely while grocery shopping. I picked up a copy on Friday and it’s great. Click the links below the picture’s to learn more about them. There is also an “Eat This, Not That” guide for choosing smart dishes for children. Keep up the great work and keep moving forward. Don’t let mistakes get you down, just get up and do something to counteract it.

Enjoy the Journey!

GPLongwood

Clipped From Amazon

Clipped from Amazon

First of all… is that REALLY a product???

I was making a comment on Tony’s post when it got a little long, so I thought I would just make it a post. The comment is in response to NEW FatBlogger Matthews’ comment. Check out his blog when you get a chance… antiMattr.

That’s exactly why I don’t go to WW meetings. After hearing what I’m sure was a motivating and moving story, they’re getting all excited about a pair of undies? Rather than listening to someone who has made great strides in changing his lifestyle to become a healthier person, they’re focused on a gimmick. No wonder so many people gain their weight back. No wonder so many women complain that it’s easier for us guys to lose weight. Ugh.

I’m with you (partially) on this one. I’m thankful for my Leader. Jan is in her late-50’s, isn’t the greatest public speaker, and she isn’t as professional (read: hardass) as I’ve heard other leaders are. But she is inspiring. She has lost over 100 lbs and uses it, and the stories of members past and present to inspire and correct. If I were Tony, I would find out who that idiot was and report her to the next level up, people get away with that crap because no one calls them on it.

I have the benefit of having 2 other guys in my group, I work for the same company as one of them, the other is a teacher. They don’t always stay for meetings, when they don’t, Im the only Y chromosome in the room. Fortunately, the inappropriate conversation don’t happen too often, when they do… I get up an leave.

I am a HUGE believer in the benefits of doing what they call, Working the Program. That means:

• Tracking your points
• Attending meetings
• Exercise

I bounced up and down on the same 20 lbs, all the while paying WeightWatchers for the use of their scale each week. It wasn’t until I got serious and worked the program, that the pounds came off and stayed off. I’m not saying WeightWatchers is right for all, I’m just saying don’t use the high estrogen level as a reason to write off the program.

Well, between being a preacher around Christmas and going on vacation, I am only having one post for the last two weeks. I weighed in last week and lost a half a pound. I worked out some while on vacation, but that’s not going to make a dent in what i consumed i’m afraid. We will see, but I am bracing myself for some bad news on Monday. Regardless, i will weigh-in and post and deal with whatever the scale says and move on from there. I am motivated and ready to continue this journey no matter what happened while on vacation. We will see in a couple of days…

Starting Weight (Nov. 17, 2008): 280 lbs.
Starting BMI: 39
Weight Last Weigh in: (Dec. 15, 2008) 275 lbs.
Weight Today (Dec. 22, 2008): 274.5 lbs.
Current BMI: 38.3

Weight Change This Week: -.5 lbs
Total Weight Lost: - 5.5 pounds
Goal Streak: 0 weeks in a row
NEXT GOAL: 255 lbs. (19.5 lbs. to go)

Cross Posted at Losing Inspiration

I have found so much support since I started this journey. I have tried many times in the past to lose weight and have failed so many times. This is the first time I have ever tried doing it so publicly. Blogging is new to me and reaching out is new to me as well. I have always been a bit of a loner. I knew that I needed to reach out for support, besides to my own family, and knew that I needed to be accountable for my actions. I am being accountable by blogging. You guys know exactly where I am in my journey and by not moving forward, or cheating, or slacking off, etc… I am not only letting myself down, but you too in some way. The reason I am saying all this is because I care about you and have learned over the last few weeks, that you guys care about what happens to me too. I thought I was alone, and now I have so much support. The support can come in many forms, a response to a comment that I left, a comment about a post I made, or a e-mail to me about something, but tonight I received a comment from Teresa at Mama Wants a Six Pack expressing concern about how little I have eaten the last two days. I was touched by this because it really proves to me that we are looking out for each other and not just writing aimlessly to who may read what we write. I clearly have eaten to little the last two days, and even though I felt I wasn’t hungry, I knew that I should have eaten more so that my body doesn’t go into survival mode. Thank you Teresa for your concern, you have touched me in a huge way, even though to others it may seem minor. I look try to give inspiration to those in need and look for it where ever I can, and you have provided just what I needed today. You showed me that there is more to this than just typing, it’s personal.

Thank You!

Enjoy the Journey!

GPLongwood

Clipped From Nike+

GPLongwood

Clipped from The Daily Plate at Livestrong.com

Cross Posted on The Anti-Jared

It is so rare for me to be off on a Saturday! I NEVER get a weekend day off, so when I do, I have so much planned…….. but yet seem to be very lazy!

Well, today I wanted to go to a Weight Watchers meeting. I wanted to go all week, but have not had the time! I weighed in this Monday, but was not able to stay for the meeting. Work has been very busy as of late, which is a good thing!
So today, I went to a different Weight Watchers, about 20 minutes from my house. I have never been to a Saturday meeting, so I thought it would be fun. I have made the commitment to tell my story at different meetings , and maybe inspire others.
Believe it or not, I am kind of a shy guy.

Side note here, but if you have not been to a Weight Watchers meeting, you should go. It is amazing how many people you see who have the same struggles that you did/do. It is a big help!

So I went into the meeting today, and it was packed! I looked around, and as always, I was the only guy there.

Ehh, who cares, we are all in this for a healthier life, right!

The leader gets up, and starts talking. Her name is Jen. She is this very young girl (23 I think she said), who I could not understand very well. The first thing she said was she has quit and joined three times. No lie! After that, I think this is the monologue

“So um, like New Years was OK. Not great, but good, points were okay.Stupid M and M’s! Like, who eats one!Then my BF told me to put on a HAWT shirt! I put on the shirt and yelled “Muffin Top!” Uhhhhh, I hate that! But seriously, like who eats good on New Years anyway!”

I wasn’t sure if she was on drugs, or I needed to ask her to the prom!

Anyway, she was spunky, so all the women in the meeting loved her! It reminded them of what it was like to be young during the Great Depression!

I loved it, because I knew it would be great blogging material!

She was very interactive, and she asked me a lot of questions. I loved it! I answered them back real quick, and she was very intrigued by me (keep in mind she did not know I lost 200 pounds!)

Then she said something that sparked me,

“I bet you are like one of those guys that eats Big Mac’s because it is in your point range, right!”

Now, I am a humble man. But, that comment irritated me a touch.
So, for the next 5 minutes, the floor was mine. I got up, and started telling people about my story. I told them how I lost all the weight in 2008, and how I learned to eat. I told everyone how working out became my life, and how proud my wife was of me.

I looked around, and it seemed like everyone was moved by what I was saying. It felt good!

When I was done, the leader looked at me and said:
“Oh my gawd! Like 200 pounds is a lot! But ladies, a great way to lose weight like that guy is to Wear Spanx when you go out to eat. Like, you can’t eat as much. I tried to eat Pumpkin Pie, and said like “get in my belly pie!” but like…..
Then I realized that the women were loving her! They were whooping and high fiving each other like it was the Arsenio Hall Show!
All because of this Spanx thing, which I guess is like a girdle. I am not sure! I am a guy!

I did learn that meeting help me out because I do not want Spanx, or some cream to help me lose weight. The leader inspired me! I want to live a great life. I have joined Weight Watchers once, that is it. I do not want to be a three time joiner. I do not want to fail!

On my way out, a woman came up to me and said

“Sonny, that is a lot of weight you lost. Quite the inspiration!”

Well, at least I moved one of them!

I had a bad day yesterday. I did good on the weight loss program and all, but I didn’t have a great day otherwise. I was a little down. The good thing is that I did not eat over the bad feelings. I took the day off from exercise and will run today. I like to run every other day, there is less soreness and less chance of injury. No injuries=more running for the long term. So I keep on, today is a new day. The best of luck to all of you. Oh yeah, thank you for reading this blog.

Cross read at my blog

Cross Posted on Pick on the Fat Kid

New Year’s Eve was tough for me.  I thought it would be easy at first because as of 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, I still had no plans.  Shortly after 4:00, though, the cell phone was flooded with calls and I narrowed it down to 2 options.  Option #1 involved going to a shady bar with some friends to watch one of the best local bands play and ring in the New Year (the bass player used to play with Ted Nugent).  Option #2 was to go hang out at another friend’s house and play Xbox and other assorted games.  Had option #1 been at a different bar, I would have went, but the last time I went to that place, there were at least 5 fights and dealings with cops and it was just an unpleasant experience all around.  So I went with option #2.  The only problem with option #2 was that there would be MUCH more food around.  However, I did get to play with this guy:

My game plan was to eat a little more throughout the day so I wouldn’t be hungry at night.  I did just that and pretty much had 5 healthy meals in me before I even went to the party.  We played a variety of games and such.  I played with the baby a lot.  Anything I could do to stay away from the impressive spread of food that was available.  The food was a bunch of snack stuff.  The only thing I could really eat were the veggies.  And I ate a lot of them.  I also drank a lot of water too.  It wasn’t bad or anything.  I just kept feeling myself wanting to reach down for a chip or a cookie or something.  Not because I wanted it or anything, but just out of habit.  “It’s only food” I thought as I stared at a table full of chocolate and cheese.  These little finger foods were ripe for the pickin’.   I resisted though.  I felt great about that decision when I took my “sneak peak” at the scales this morning and saw a nice number.  Just a little more motivation to make it through today and the remainder of the weekend on track.

Yesterday was a pretty normal day for me.  I kept myself busy by first going out and buying a new LCD TV.  OK, so that’s 2 Christmas presents to myself (gym membership + TV).  I spent a fair amount of time tooling around with the TV.  Then I also spent a good bit of time cleaning the house and doing laundry.  I spent some more time at Mom’s and finished the night off with some football.  I also did my walk as soon as I got out of bed (at the butt-crack of noon).

Today is just a normal work day for me, so it should be fairly easy.  I’m ecstatic that I have survived Christmas and New Years and came out a few pounds lighter after all was said and done.  2009 is looking nice, bright, and shiny at the moment.  I hope everyone else has a great new year.  I’m going to.