New home...

http://trappedinafatman.wordpress.com/

Much Like A Bad Penny...

High school Graduation Weight: 160 lbs
College Graduation Weight: 180 lbs
Starting Weight: 324.5 lbs
Weight When I Stopped Last July: 274lbs
Weight today: 310 lbs
Weight Lost This Week: 3 lbs
Weight Lost to Date: 14.5 lbs

OK...so it's been almost a year since I blogged. There is a reason for that. I spent the last year setting a Guinness world record for most weight lost and gained in a one year period. That's right, I had lost 56 lbs and gained almost all of it back. Who does that? What a nim-nut. Anyway, this time last year, I weighed 281 lbs. So I'm trying to get started again. I'm walking about 1.5 miles a day now and counting calories. I've been going for about three weeks.

I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong last time so I can avoid it happening again this time. The running thing hurt me. I injured my shins so I couldn't really even walk without pain for about a month. Also, I got into the whole summer cookout (drink out) thing. The bottom line is I got complacent and it killed me. When you have an unhealthy habit like over eating, I think you have to manage it like an addiction.

I'd like to check into a treatment center a la Tiger Woods for help. Talk about a crock (there's an "r" in there folks). Tiger is a sex addict? C'mon. Try being a Big Mac addict, or a whole pizza addict, or an eat peanut butter in the middle of the night addict!! I've got his sex addiction right here (insert gesture)--which coincidentally is where Tiger had it too. But I digress.

So I'm trying again. Sorry to let you all (my faithful readers) down. I'll try to do better this time.

I'm going to replace the "Today's Nasty Fat Side Effect" from last year's blog with a new feature called "Fat Guy Facts". Basically, it's the same premise but the title isn't as long which saves me some typing.

Fat Guy Fact
When you encounter someone that hasn't seen you since you since your rise to mythic proportions, they always have that same sympathetic/horrified look on their face (unless they are also a disgusting fat body, in which case you both just have a laugh and then go to dinner). You feel like telling them that you don't have cancer, you just like cheese...lots and lots of cheese...preferably deep fried with a side of anything covered in gravy.

Anyway, I'm going to try and rock this out again. I'm in a bit of a contest with some friends. Money is on the line.

Here I go again!

Peace and love.

Len

Starting Weight: 324.5 lbs
Weight Last Sunday: 275
Weight today: 274 lbs
Weight Lost This Week: 1 lb
Weight Lost to Date: 50.5 lbs (56.5 before the gain back)
Weeks Completed: 29
Weeks to go: 23

The re-losing continues. I only dropped a pound this week but considering I had bronchitis, I'll take it. Seriously, who gets bronchitis in July?

This weekend my city boy self will attempt some camping with some buddies. Looking forward to it. I'll let you know how it goes.

I can't wax poetic on one pound of re-loss so I'll cut it short.

Peace and love.

Len

http://trappedinafatman.blogspot.com

Let the Re-Losing Begin

Starting Weight: 324.5 lbs
Weight Last Sunday: 277
Weight today: 275 lbs
Weight Lost This Week: 2
Weight Lost to Date: 49.5 lbs (56.5 before the gain back)
Weeks Completed: 28
Weeks to go: 24

OK...so the weight is coming back off. Man I hate having to re-lose weight. I've wasted a lot of time. That said, I'm heading back down again which is cool. I went to the county 4-H fair yesterday. If I live to be 200 I will never enjoy walking thru barns of stinky animals. The fact that the food tents were right next to the barns seemed like an odd choice. I wonder how the hogs felt knowing their cousins were being sold on buns right next door.

My wife starts back to work tomorrow. For those just tuning in, she will be a part time secretary at Forest Hill Elementary (where our two older children are in school). This is happening a few years earlier than we had planned since Laina is still in preschool. The fact is, these jobs don't come up very often so Amy went for it. She really had no desire to go back to work in corporate America...especially Sallie Mae (from whence she came).

Last night my middle child (Erin) said as we were coming home from Walmart "We are on our way home from Idiotville." to which my son replied, "If that was true, we wouldn't have been able to take you home because you would have become their mayor." It's these heartfelt exchanges between my kids that warm me inside. My youngest was mucho grouchy yesterday. She slept 12 hours and is a new person. I, on the other hand, have a cold. How one gets a cold in July is beyond me. Perhaps it's going from 90 degrees to 70 degrees in one day. Perhaps it's the filthy animal barns at White Trash Expo (a.k.a. the Hamilton County 4-H Fair). Who knows.

Anywho, I'm back to my losing ways and hope to continue next week.

Peace and love to all.

Len

http://trappedinafatman.blogspot.com/

Weight Loss Do-Over

Starting Weight: 324.5 lbs
Weight Last Sunday: N/A
Weight today: 277 lbs
Weight Lost This Week: N/A...gained 9 lbs
Weight Lost to Date: 47.5 lbs
Weeks Completed: 27
Weeks to go: 25

OK...I'm starting again for real. Somehow (like I don't know how) my hovering within a few pounds of 268 has ballooned into a 9 pound gain. I also chewed up 8 weeks doing nothing...except heading in the other direction. So I now need to re-lose 9 lbs before I can even get started again. Nice job Len. One thing I have learned is that I still don't know how to maintain. When I tell myself I am off the diet (on a break) whatever, I go back to gorging on anything I feel like I've missed. Since I promised myself I would loose 100 lbs by 1/14/2010 and also promised myself I would keep it off, I need to work on this. Losing weight is doable, keeping it off is where I need help.

I think it is sad that over 19 weeks of eating right, exercising, and witnessing first hand the benefits of losing weight, that I would ever consider messing with the formula. This is what has happened to me dozens of times in my life: lose it, gain it, lose it, gain it. This time will be different. I caught it quickly and I'll bet this 9 lbs will be gone in a few weeks.

I'm starting right now!!

Peace and love.

Len

http://trappedinafatman.blogspot.com/

Fat Man on Hiatus

OK...so it's been two weeks since I blogged! It's been 7 weeks since I lost a pound. I'm not going to lie and say I've been trying really hard. What I have been doing is enjoying myself and maintaining my weight. I'll gain a few pounds, then lose it, and so on. Part of my problem has been summer festivities. It seems like there is a cookout or a night out after work lurking around every corner. The thing is, I'm not ready to just maintain. I have 44 more lbs to lose. That said, I can't really guarantee when this hiatus will end. I keep thinking it will end each week and then...something fun comes up. I'm going to lose the rest of this weight by Jan 14, 2010. I've been keeping active. I got my bike fixed and have ridden it a few times. Add to that to some walking, cutting my grass, and the occasional all day trek around an amusement park and I'm keeping in motion.

Things have been going well in my world. My company won a large government contract which means I should have a job for at least the next year or two. My wife just got a job at our kids' elementary school as a secretary. This was the kind of gig she was looking for. It's part-time, she gets the same days off as our kids do, and she'll be at the school with our kids. This is happening about two years sooner than we planned but these type of jobs don't come up often so she pounced.

On a weight-related note, I took my blood pressure at CVS and it was as low as it's been in 10 years (126/71). That is with medication; however, before I shed 56 pounds the lowest I could get it was 140/89. That is encouraging. Maybe in another 44 lbs I can get off this med all together.

So I'm not sure what my chances are of jump starting this thing this week. I have a golf outing this Friday where the food and beer will be free. We'll see. In the end, as long as I can stay around 268-270, I'll be in position to kick this thing off again. In the meantime, I'm enjoying my summer.

Peace and love.

Len

Fat Man: Beginnings

Starting Weight: 324.5 lbs
Weight Last Sunday: 268
Weight Today: 268 lbs
Weight Lost this week: 0 lbs
Weight Lost to Date: 56.5 lbs
Weeks Completed: 23
Weeks to go: 29

OK, another week stuck in the middle. I know the culprit and I'm going to come clean. For the past few weeks my night eating has returned. Peanut butter is the culprit. HOW!? I've never eaten spoonfuls of peanut butter from the jar. Maybe my body needs protein? Maybe I'm just a food-aholic that jumps from one type of extreme binge to another?

The good news is, I haven't gained any weight. The bad news, this is three weeks with no loss.

I am recommitting today!!!!!!

The exercise still goes well and the during the day eating is fine. To help with the motivation, I am going to remind myself of where I was and what I have gained (in my loss).

• When I was at 324 lbs, I would sit in my office, having to use the restroom but dreading the 50 foot walk to the men's room. I would sit there hour on end thinking, "What about my trash can? Man I wish these windows opened. Maybe I could get one of those astronaut diapers like that crazy b--- in Florida." SAD. Now I walk 3 miles a day.
• When I was 324 lbs, I couldn't cut my grass without a couple of breaks and without feeling like I was going to die for the rest of the day. Now I cut it without breaks, coach two soccer games, put down fertilizer, and have energy to play with my kids.
• When I was 324 lbs, I used to sweat while I was eating. Now....well I'm still a sweaty bastard...but only when I exercise.
• Having lost 56 lbs, I dropped two waist sizes (46 to 42) and 42s are getting loose! I have a whole group of new (old) shirts I can wear now!
• My jawline has reappeared.
• My blood pressure has dropped 25 points on top and 15 points on the bottom
• I no longer snore (much).

These are just a few of the things that have changed my life after losing 56 lbs. I still need to lose 44 more to make my goal and I have 29 weeks to go! I'm going to do this!

There will be progress next week.

Peace and love.

Len

http://trappedinafatman@blogsopt .com