ONE WEEK TO GO ON SHAKES ONLY

I lost 6.7 this week, that brings the total up to 88.9 and my weight down to 266.2!!! I would love to have a really big weight loss this week and end up with 100 pounds in 12 weeks, but hey if I am in the 250s at this time next week that will be awsome for me. I am pumped to start the next step of phasing in fruits and vegetables as I continue the weight loss journey to 220!!!

82.3 Pounds Down in 10 Weeks!

I lost about 4 this week and have now lost over 80 pounds on this diet. I am pumped, and depressed at the same time. I am pumped that I have lost so much, but I am a little bummed that it looks like I won't be able to lose 100 pounds in the twelve weeks. Kim says that is makes her sick that I have lost all this weight and still find something to be bummed about, but hey you have to keep putting goals out there that are tough to reach. It looks like I will be able to get in the 260's safely and that is only 40 or so away from my goal of 220. They have kind of suggested that I go on maintance for the last 40 pounds, but I have not decided for sure what to do. I just don't want to lose half a pound a week for the rest of the year, I want to get there pretty soon, so I may start some real food, but will stay pretty much on the diet till I get to goal.

TWO MORE WEEKS OF SHAKES ONLY. Thanks to all of you for all your comments and support on this journey. Is is far from over, tonight I kind of freaked out when I thought about how I am going to keep all this weight off, but I know with friends like you guys and my aw some family I have the support system in place to make sure I keep it off.
Thanks
Brad

Reporting from Arlington Texas

The last couple of weekends have found me on the road. Last weekend at Gulf Coat Getaway in Panama City Beach Floida and this weekend at Winterfest in Arlington Texas. I have to admit that I love seafood and I love eating in the Dallas area. But with all the college students with me last weekend and my good freind John Woodruff with me this weekend I have had little problems with staying on the plan. It is really hard to cheat with so many knowing what you are doing and knowing that the end of this intensive 12 week core of the program will be over in just 2 and half more weeks. I am hopefull of a big loss this week to get back on target to loss 100 pounds in the 12 weeks, but I have not been able to run as much. I currently weigh 275, I started the journey at 355, so that means 20 pounds in three weigh ins. This will not be easy and I will not be greatly dissapointed if I come up a little short, but it would be nice.

I did run three miles yesterday on the treadmill here at the hotel and I ran a mile at 6 miles and hour, which is an all-time high speed for me. I was excited to get through 3 miles in just over 30 minutes. My goal is to average 10 minute miles someday.

I have a chance to re-state my goals, both short term and long term, so here it goes. 1) Finish the 12 week core strong and loss as close to 100 pounds. 2) Get down to 220 with maintance 3) The Nashville 1/2 marathon April 28 4) The Local triathlon May 5. 5) Another tri to be determined during the sumer 6) and finally the Chicago Marathon in October. The long term goal would be an Ironman race in 2008, but that is a little down the road. I will really have to improve my swimming to do that.

Thanks for keeping up with me, I will give a weight-in update on Monday, I hope to get in the 260's!!

Quick Update

I am now in the 270's I lost 5 pounds this week and with three weigh ins to go getting closer and closer to the 250's. I have been running 5 miles two days a week and 3 miles 2 days a week. Things are going well and I will start the training program for the 1/2 marathon soon. I will try to post again soon, sorry for being so short, but it's crazy!!

Short Week

I had only had from Wednesday to Monday of this past week to count towards my loss and I weighed in at 281.8 a loss of 5.8 that gives me a grand total of 73.8 in the last 8 weeks. I am really excited about that, I am also excited about the 4.5 miles I ran yesterday, but I am most excited about my trip to the department store.

I went in Dillard's to buy a new belt, because I am having some trouble keeping the ole pants up, and I don't want to buy a lot of new clothes right now. So I get the belt and on my way out I go past the regular size Polo section (not the big and tall Polo) I am very familiar with big and tall Polo because they have the biggest cut in the thigh and butt area and that is what I usually need. Anyway I decide to see if I can fit into a pair of jeans. The biggest size their "normal size" jeans go to is 42. I got a pair and went to the dressing room. THEY FIT!!! They were the type of jeans that come with a couple of holes already in them (not just the holes for your legs) and looked a little worn. I am cool with that, I am hip. But I was a little concerned about the integrity of the fabric around the hole. Anyway I went back over to the jean rack and was looking around and this kid sales guy comes up and says, "are you looking for the ones without the holes?" with this smug kind of , you are too old to get it man, kind of attitude. So I said "No, I am just concerned about the integrity of the fabric around this particular hole placement" Then he looked at me like, yeah you are too old, and he said we have jeans without holes. I said " I will take these with the hole, thank you very much!"

Another quick story. I am wearing a pair of pants today that are size 42 that I have had in my closet for almost 7 years with all the tags still on them. About 7 years ago I was at my parents house and we were going to go to a deal at their church to celebrate my grandfather's years of service and I needed a nice pair of pants. My wife and mom were out shopping and Kim just bought me a pair of what she thought I wore. She brought them home and they were way too small. She said she would take them back, but I said no no NO!! I will lose a little weight and get into them soon. I have kept them in my closet this whole time and today my readers, I TOOK THE TAGS OFF and put em' on. It was a good feeling.

Big Big WEEK!

Yesterday I weighed in with a loss of 9.1, to bring the total weight loss in the last 7 weeks to 69 POUNDS! My weight is now 287. I am moving down and quickly. I also ran a little over 4 miles yesterday and am feeling real good about starting the 1/2 marathon training soon.

I have been asked a lot about how long I will stay on the shakes only plan, here is the deal. This diet that St. Bernards weight loss center does called HMR has a 12 week core plan. I chose the most limited one with the shakes only, you could do shakes and meals or shakes meals, and fruits and vegetables. At the end of the core you decide based on how close you are to your goal what you want to do next. You can continue just like you have been, or you can add some stuff, or you can go into maintenance and start adding real food back into your diet. I am leaning towards just adding fruits and vegetables and shakes till I get to 230 or so, then I will start adding "real" food back in until I get to goal and find out how many calories a week it takes to maintain 220 or so. Then they want you stay in the maintenance program for about a year so you can go through all the major holidays and birthdays and vacations and all that stuff and stay at your goal. I think it will be good. I will keep you updated. But for now I am focused on FEB 5, if you see me writing a lot about that day or talking about it's because I am going to have a real meal after that weigh in before I start the next phase, right now I am thinking PIZZA, but steak is a real possibility.

I have 5 more weigh-ins to go and I need to lose 27 pounds to get to 260, that is a little over 6 pounds a week. This is a short week, but I am going to really try and work out a lot between now and then so I will start out on the right track. I will keep you posted.

Here I am last year

This is me running in the Grizzly House 5K with my lovely wife last year. I weigh about 325 in this picture. I should weigh in the 280's when I weigh in today. I am just experimenting with pics because I want to start and chronicle the change from 380 to 220.

Another big week!

The official weigh-in was moved to Wednesday this week and next for the Holidays. I lost 7 pounds this week to bring the 6 week total to 59 and my weight down to 296. I am really excited. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I will continue to do the shake only thing through Feb 5, then I will incorporate fruits and vegetables into the program. I hope to get real close to 250 by then. At the current rate, my goal of 220 may be attainable before I know it!! Also my running is going well. I ran 4.5 miles yesterday and felt really good. I will start the training plan for the Nashville 1/2 marathon the first week of Feb. Thanks for all your support! I will keep you updated.

UNDER 300 POUNDS!!!!

Today is the day, I stepped on the scales and it read 299.6. I am under 300 pounds for the first time in a long long long time. It has to be almost 7 years since I was under 300 pounds. The scale I am using here at the house is the same one that I tiped at 380 last year, so I have lost over 80 pounds in the last year. I am sure that when I have the official weigh in at St. Bernards on Wednesday I will have another good loss. It may not be as big as the last couple of weeks, but it will bring the total on this program up to over 55 pounds in the last 6 weeks. My next big goal is 250, I hope to be in the 250s by Feb 5th. This is a pretty big goal, but the way things are going I am going to dream big.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Down 9.7 POUNDS today

That brings the 5 week total to over 50 pounds!!! I am scared to death as to what this week will bring. Christmas, the birth of our second daughter, and all just two pounds from the ever elusive 290's. I have run over three miles three times over the last week and have had a couple of great swim workouts. I hope that I will not lose much momentum this week. I will keep you up to date. Thanks for the support.

Gliding and Grinding

I run, kind of, it's pretty slow but it burns calories and helps feed that competitive side I have. Monday I ran 2.5 miles in 29 minutes and 59 seconds. I felt like I was flying, it was smooth, my breathing was great and I felt good after the run. I think that was the first time ,at least in a while that I had run that loop under 30 minutes. Today over lunch I went to run the same loop, and within the first hundred yards I was feeling a little fatigue. I thought to myself, ok, time doesn't matter let's grind this loop out and go get back to work. I did not even look at my watch to check my time at any point during the run because I knew it was going to be bad. So the end came and I looked down and it was 29:42. How did that happen? Monday I was gliding and today I was grinding, but it was faster? I think there is a moral to this story, but I am too busy to figure it out.

First 4 weeks down 8 to go

After four weeks on this diet I am down a total of 42.2 pounds!!! Yeah. I lost 7.7 this week and that get me just 13 pounds shy of 299. I think I can be under 300 by Christmas. Also I ran the inside loop at Craighead (junst under 2.5 miles) in 29 minutes today, that is my fastest ever. I will keep you updated, but these next couple of weeks are crucial because it will be easy to go into cruise control, but I will need to stay strong in order to reach my goals.

Down 9.9 pounds and did the 5K

It has been a great week. I ran the 5K in Memphis on Saturday and weighed in last night and lost almost 10 pounds. This brings the 3 week total up to 34. The most they have ever had anyone do in 4 weeks is 31, so I am already the "biggest loser" I am shooting for 40 in 4 weeks. All is going great, I am feeling good, and all is going well.

25 Pounds in 2 Weeks

Not bad, I have to say. It is the hardest way to lose weight, but it is also very effective. The people at the hospital made fun of me for not being real happy with a 6.4 pound loss in a week, but it was Thanksgiving and I gave up a lot!! I was really expecting at lest 10, but they say this week should be a big one. Something about my body getting used to the physical activity and less calories.

Greg and I run the big 5K in Memphis this Saturday, I am pumped about that. I will be running at less weight than I ran last year, but just by around 10 pounds. I wonder if that will help my time??

Long Hard Week

It is Friday and I made it through Thanksgiving, it was tough but I stayed on the program, and I have run over two miles on two seperate occasions over the last week. I am really getting back into seeing the weight go down and my mileage go up. I have a had a much tougher day today, trying not to cheat then I did yesterday, but if I can do well till Christmas, I might eat a little real food. I can't wait to report on how much I lose Monday.

I lost a lot

Actually the most anyone has ever lost in one week in this new program, 18 pounds!!! I ran a little and drank my shakes and went to the doctor and all is going well. I ran well this week as I continue getting ready for the 5K on Dec 2. But today has been a rough day, I have really wanted to eat lots of things I should not. My goal is over 35 in 4 weeks, lets just keep it at that for now. One day at a time, and this Thursday (Thanksgiving) is a big big day.

On The Road Again

It seems like a different lifetime that I was down to 309 pounds and staring the 200s in the face for the first time in a long long time. Because I started this week at 355(that's pounds), it hurts my fingers just to type the numbers. The reason I weighed was that I was weighing in at the local hospital because I have just enrolled in their medically supervised weight loss program. I know you are thinking... You are really fat, but you are also asking yourself "Is Brad crazy, why is he getting serious about a diet the week before Thanksgiving? Well friends, let me tell you. I am an addict and if I don't get this under control then I will be in serious trouble come the first of year. I can't allow the gain to continue, and the doctor told be I have some syndrome that is a precursor to diabetes. With all that said, now seems to be as good as time as ever. This diet is very similar to the one Arkansas Govenor Huckabee used to lose all his weight. I will be limited to 500 calories a day, which I will get with 5 shakes a day. The idea is to lose weight really fast and then protect my weight loss. My good friend Ken here at work says I will not make it all 13 weeks, my aunt Sandra says I can't do. I want to do this for me, but for my short term competitive nature I want to do it to prove them wrong, I also want to lose more weight in the first 3 weeks of the program than anyone has so far, that would be 31 pounds. My weigh in is Monday, I will update you on Tuesday.

Here I AM

Not much time, but here is the deal. I am up to 337, now that is a gain of a little over 20 pounds. The good news is I ran yesterday for the first time in a while and I has signed up for a bike ride on the 21st and going to do the same 5K I did last year in December. I am hoping I can get back on track and start losing. I will let you know if I did not Friday.

I am getting Fatter

After getting rid of 80 pounds, I have really sucked it up for about month now. I have not weighed in because I am too big of a wus to see how much I have gained. This is stupid, so I think I will weigh Friday and just get it over with. I have got to get it back in gear. I want to run the Memphis Marathon, but the training is not starting out so well. I have been traveling a ton and never eat good on the road. I am leading the University Life Ministry (the Southwest Ministry to ASU) and I am working my regular job and being a daddy and husband and all the other normal stuff. It just gets so freakin busy. But I have nothing that other people don't have to work around. If some have done a marathon without a leg I should be able to handle a few schedule conflicts.

I will let you know more as I progress, but just wanted to update you and let you know I am still alive and trying.

Where Have I Been

HELLO Again!! I have been very separates in my post lately and I am so sorry about that. I know I have many adoring fans waiting to hear from me( Hi DAD) Anyway, I have fallen off the wagon. All the travel to Chattanooga and the awful realization that I will not be able to do the triathlon I have been training for because of a scheduling conflict has caused me to lose focus. I have not worked out in over a week and have eaten like I am having my last meal for at least 2 weeks. But today I have had a really good day and feel that I am getting back on track. I will not weigh this week, but anticipate the next official weigh in to be a week from Friday. I just can't make myself look at the way I have gone backwards, if I don't see the number real high, maybe I won't be as depressed. But here is the deal, I am going to train for the 1/2 marathon here in conspire that will be in October and then hit it real hard and do the St. Jude Marathon in December in Memphis (my first marathon) This will be hard and take some serious dedication that I have not shown since the Nashville 1/2, but I think I need a big challenge to rise to. I will try and post the plan I am going to use and the link to the race.