Fruits, Vegetables, Lean Meats..oh my

I am really enjoying adding real food back into the diet. It is more challenging to control portion sizes, but this is going to be my real world so I better get used to it. I want to continue to lose weight, so I am still trying to limit my calories under what I would need to maintaine weight. The workouts are going well and I am really looking forward to the 1/2 marathon in April and the triathlon in May. The next weigh in is Thursday. I hope to report a loss of a couple of pounds, really what I am hoping for is about 3 pounds and be in the 240s!!

IT IS OFFICIAL I HAVE LOST OVER 100 POUNDS

101.7 to be exact. They actually hugged me at the weight loss center last night. I am pumped up about this milestone to say the least. If you count when I started this blog I have lost 128 pounds since August of 2005. Kim has told me recently that she never realized how big I was, but now that she goes back and looks at pictures compared to now, she is amazed. I am hoping to get some pics up of this whole journey very soon. I just stink at getting all that technology to work together, ok, I don't really, I just stink at getting the time to make it happen. I have bought another pair of 38 jeans because my 42 just got too big, so now I have two pair of jeans that fit. I think when it is all said and done I might be in 36s, who knows.

The workouts are going well and the long run this weekend is 5 miles, and I will do that on Sunday. I am close enough to the the 240s that I really want to have a good week and see those new numbers next week. There is something about not having to put the big sliding bar on 250 when you weigh on medical scales. I think I am just a week away from letting it stay on the 200!!

Thanks again for all the support, and encouragement, Kim and Carolyn, Greg and my Dad, and Dave and some chic from New York that made comments for awhile I have never met, and my mom who has done this along side me and been very successful herself. I am so blessed to have such a support group, and these are just the ones that come to mind from looking over the comments, there have been many more that have encouraged and I am very appreciative. It cannot be overlooked how big a part that plays and that is why I am asking you to help a couple of my Friend's

My friend Debbie is starting this same journey very soon on the same program and will have a blog and I will let you know the address as soon as I do. I know she can do it, but it is never easy, so be sure and look for way to encourage her. Also my friend Damon is about to go to Germany for back surgery and is going to blog at damonwright.blogspot.com he could use your support too. Be sure and check it out. It has been a long painful journey for him and hopefully he will fin relief very soon.

Thanks

I am in lust

Having lost a lot of weight and about 35 pounds from my goal I am pumped and I have always said that I wanted a motorcycle when I reached my goal. I think more level heads and that fact that I am the father of young children have prevailed and I will probably not go through with it.

But I do have a need to have what is left of my hair in the wind and some of the good things about a motorcycle, but in the safety of a four door jeep for the whole family. I think part of it is that I have always had big cars and trucks because I have always been big, but now that I am not as big for my next car I want to get something a little less big and a little more fun, so here is what i am in lust with!

It may be a while, but I love me some Jeep.

Thanks Debbie!

I was kindly reminded last night at house church by my good friend Debbie that I have not updated the blog in over a week. This would not be a big deal if I had not told all you faithful readers that I would keep you updated on the 1/2 marathon training. So here is your update.....I have been running a whole lot.

Really I have made all my workouts including 5 miles on Monday and a great swim workout yesterday with by buddy Von, a student at ASU. It was really tough to make up the workouts from this weekend while in Gatlinburg at the only Hampton Inn in the country without a workout facility and 4 inches on snow on the ground, but I have been able to make up those missed workouts.

I weighed this morning and it looks like I will have only lost a couple if any pounds over the last two weeks when I weigh in tomorrow. But with big celebrations at Upper Crust and Texas de Brazil, and a weekend in Gatlinburg all in that time period I have to say I feel like not gaining any weight is a victory. I don't want you to think that means I am happy where I am, I still will lose the last 35 pounds or so, but after 12 hard hard weeks I have enjoyed adding fruits and vegetables and the occasional indulgence.

One of the coolest things about this weight loss journey has been and continues to be how it has impacted the relationships I have with my friends and family. I am by no means saying that I am the inspiration to anyone who has decide to get healthier in the last 12 weeks, but I have found that when someone else is doing something it gets kind of contagious. That is how it started with me, I was looking at pictures of my cousin in a road race and thought, "man I have got to get back at it" Just yesterday my friend Russ Adcox read my blog and in his blog he went out and ran 3 miles www.russadcox.blogspot.com, and recommitted himself to some goals he had already set. I have gotten calls from men that go to church just to talk about weight loss, my dad has lost some weight(thanks to the succses of my mom), and my friend Debbie is starting the same program next week!! (GO DEBBIE!!) My friend Greg Brooks and I are still running, something we started together over a year ago and will go to Nashville together again. My wife and I are going to do a triathlon together, I get to workout with some of the college stud ens like Von. The fact that our friends Ryan and Angie are going to meet us for a triathon this summer, and firends Kevin and Jenny are going to go to Chattanooga to do a tri with us. I love getting in shape and losing weight, but as most of things that motivate me, the best part of this journey continues to be the relationships that have come from it and have been strenthened by it.

Quick Update

Like I have said I will not have an official weigh in till next Thursday, but things are going well and I think I have lost a couple of pounds this week on my scales. But the big news is that I bought a new pair of jeans today...they are size 38!!!( I started this at size 56) This pumps me up big time for some reason, there is something about being back in the 30's.

This weekend I am going to be out of town, but hope to continue on the 1/2 marathon plan on the hotel treadmill, I got 3 miles in yesterday and hope to swim this afternoon.

I will update again soon.

Reporting In

The last week has gone well. I have gotten in all my workouts and am staying on program. At this rate it looks like I will lose my 100th pound this week, but will not get an official weigh in till next Thursday because I will be out of town. Remember now that I am in maintanice my weigh-in day is Thursday.

My long run of 4 miles went great Sunday and I plan to run 3 today.

Workout

Yesterday was a beautiful day, it got up to 60 degrees. Kim and I ran a couple of miles and then I worked on some swim drills for a little while. Today the 1/2 marathon training plan call for a 3 mile run. Unfortunatly today is cold again, so on my way home from work I will stop off at the gym and knock it out.
The transition to maintance seems to be going well, no serious digestive problems with the veggies (or pizza on Monday) but I am trying to do the shakes only till Friday, we are going to eat at Texas de Brazil in Memphis! My next weigh in is supposed to be a week from tomorrow, but I just realized I will be out of town so it will be two weeks from tomrrow. I will keep you all up to date.

I Have Lost 97.6 Pounds in 12WEEKS!!

The first phase of the journey is over and it has been a great success. Kim invited our friend's to eat Pizza to celebrate and I want to thank them for coming and supporting me through the last 12 weeks. Thanks to Greg and Carolyn, Chris and Polly, Dan and Scarlett, and all their kids that came tonight. I still have 35 or so pounds to go, but it was great to have some real food again.

I also want to thank my cousins David and Cathy for their support on my blog and words of encouragement. They have meant a lot.

The most thanks go to Kim and Kiley and Robyn for putting up with me for the last 12 weeks. I know I have been a little on edge.

I cheated tonight with the Pizza, but I am back on shakes with some of the prepared foods from HMR and VEGETABLES starting tomorrow!! Then next week I get to add fruit. My weigh ins have been moved to Thursdays, so hopefully I will be able to report over 100 pounds lost. I will continue to update the 1/2 marathon and triathlon training daily or at least e couple times a week. I was supposed to run 3 today, but ran 5, so the training is off to a good start.

Today is the end of phase 1

Tonight I will weigh in and get my 12 week weight loss total. I am hoping I will be in the 250's, I can tell you it is going to be close. I will not be dissapointed if I come up a little short becasue I know that I am going to lose this last 40 pounds and if I come up one pound short today, it will come off next week. I am going to cheat tongight and have pizza. But I will not have an entire pizza like I would have 12 weeks ago, I may just have a couple of pieces, because I for sure want to stay on track and keep the numbers going down in the right direction.

Today starts the training program for the Nashville 1/2 marathon. So starting today I will update the blog with the workout for the day and how it went and all that good stuff. Today calls for running 3 miles, so that is what I will do this afternoon before I go weigh in tonight. I will try and get on tonight to post the final 12 week total.

Closer to 220 everyday!!