Its Been Far Too Long!

I have lacked off in the past few week! Now, I claim I have a good reason, but the truth is, I have just lost motivation. I am going to post AT LEAST once a week on here from now on. It may not benefit anyone else, but it keeps me accountable to myself! Here is what has been rattling around in my brain for the past few weeks:

I have worked hard to lose 40 Lbs and I am pretty proud of myself, but as I look back on the past 8 months I see times in the gym where I cut my workout short because I was tired. I see times where I didn't push through the pain and really gut out a run. I see times when I settled for a night off because I had a long day at work. And what do I get from that...a state of maintenance! Instead of losing more weight or getting in better shape, I have become content to simply hold my ground.

Today, I am setting the wheels in motion again...and I am going to push harder than before! Beyond working out and running, I am implementing a new diet! Its called the breakfast diet...and its not for the faint of heart! Here's what it looks like:

Breakfast: Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt (2 - 6oz packages) = 160 calories
Skim Milk or Fresh Orange Juice (1 - 8oz cup) = 100-150 calories

Lunch: Oatmeal (1 Cup sweetened with 2 tsp of Turbinado sugar) = 340 Calories
Water to drink

Dinner: 3 Egg Whites (with Salsa or Low fat cheese) = 100 calories
Whole Wheat Toast (2 slices NO BUTTER) = 100 calories

Snack: Salad with Olive Oil based dressing only = 75 calories per 2 cups of salad
Soy meal replacement shake= 150 calories

Thats It! It is pretty filling and is rich in fiber, protein and not loaded with fat!


One Final Thought...
We (humans) are the only living thing on the planet that eat for pleasure, we are the only ones that eat beyond necessity and indulge far beyond what our body needs for sustenance. Make the change today!

What to do...

This may be the first time I have asked for help throughout this whole process, but here I go!

I am trying to lose 40 lbs in the next 3-4 months, what do YOU suggest I do. Any diet, exercise or fitness tips are welcomed!!!

RIght now, I am working out and running 3 times a week and my caloric intake each day is under 1800 calories.

I hope to hear from you! I can't do this alone.

Time Flies!

Here I sit in my office on December 13th. I am down 40 Lbs from June 1st and I feel good about what I have achieved...but I want more! I believe that goals give us drive and energy but what do most of us do when we reach a goal we set for ourselves? We bask in the glory of our achievements and begin the backslide! Today, I am saying "No More" and going hard at another goal!

NEW GOAL:

-Lose 40 Lbs by June 1st, 2011
-Run Half Marathon by December 1st, 2011
-Get fit/slim enough to not be embarrassed to take my shirt off during the summer months (swimming, etc.)

I hope you will join me on this journey!

November Pictures

What I Have Come to Realize

2010 is almost over!!! So much has happened this year for me. I have experienced so much life and it only gets more crazy from here on out...and I couldn't be more excited!

Clearly, the biggest struggle for me has been the issue of weight. I ballooned up to 325 and didn't even really notice it. I got so wrapped up in other things that I completely neglected my health and it ended up putting me at the bottom of a huge hill with a long uphill battle ahead of me. Even though I approached it full speed ahead and am still charging up the hill, I find myself looking back from time to time thinking, "it would be easy to live in the valley" and I know it is something I will fight for the rest of my life.

Through all of this, I have come to this conclusion...and I'm sorry if I ruffle any feathers out there.

Obesity (which is what I was) is not a disease or disability for the majority of people. Weight problems come down to one issue, LACK OF DISCIPLINE!! I have come to find that it takes a lot of time, energy, effort and planning to eat right, workout and run. Most people (including myself) would rather take the shortcuts of getting fast food instead of taking half an hour to cook a healthy meal. So, here is the challenge, for the rest of this month, sit down and schedule out time to cook, walk/run and workout and by December, you will better than you ever have in your life!

BE DISCIPLINED AND ATTACK YOUR PROBLEMS WITH RESOLVE!!!

ONE MONTH LEFT!!!

Here I am in my office this morning and things are going crazy! I looked at the calendar and had a brief moment of panic. I set out on this journey (June 1st) to lose 60 Lbs by my 25th birthday (December 1st) and when I realized that I have one month left, it caused some hectic things to stir up in me.

The past 6 weeks of my life have been insane and because of my crazy schedule, I haven't been able to workout/run as much as normal and to be completely honest with you, I have settled for crappy/unhealthy food because I have been too tired to cook or care about much other than rest. I have been hovering at the same weight for a little over a month and I feel so defeated for not pushing through all of the struggles to stay on track with my weight loss.

So, today I have set a new goal for the remainder of this challenge. I WILL lose 15 lbs between today (November 1st) and December 1st! That will leave me 10 Lbs shy of my initial goal but I will be completely happy with being that close!!!

How to Survive While Running on Fumes

Without going into any detail, I can tell you that the last 5 1/2 weeks of my life have been CRAZY! I have been working 60+ hours a week at the church, leading in 5 worship services a weekend and helping out my wife as much as possible since she is pregnant...oh and just to top it all off, I have to find time to squeeze in workouts and running too. The best phrase to capture what my life has looked like over the past 5 1/2 weeks is simply this: Organized Chaos.

For those of you who know me well, you know that I am (at my core) a quiet/reserved introvert. For my own well-being, I need time to myself to simply be still and quiet. I am not easily overwhelmed but I have been pushed to my limits of sanity! Every morning when the alarm goes off...two or three times...and then Amiee wakes me up, I start my first battle of the day, GETTING OUT OF BED! It seems like such a daunting task every morning because I know that 6 out of 7 days of the week, I have an overwhelming amount of boxes to get "checked off".

Once I am up and going, the rest of my day is a blur. I am constantly in a kinetic frenzy that pulls me in every direction and uses up every ounce of energy I have. My heart and my mind don't have a chance to slow down and catch up until its time for sleep and then when I finally feel like I am arriving at a restful destination, the alarm clock goes off again and the cycle repeats.

Now, I know this sounds like a whole lot of complaining...and it is for the most part, but here is what I what I want to convey (albeit between the lines): Life is hectic! I have struggled to find any time to get my workouts in and have subsequently fallen WAY behind on my weight loss challenge. There is ZERO chance that I will reach my weight loss goal by December 1st unless I stop eating all together and only fuel my body with water and the occasional grazing of grass on the church lawn...BUT what I can do is keep pushing! I can lower my head, close my eyes and run with reckless abandon into my schedule. If, at the end of the day, I walk through my front door and pass out from sheer exhaustion only to wake up 6 hours later and do it again, SO BE IT!

My challenge to you is this: PUSH HARD INTO THE THINGS THAT STRETCH YOU! YOU WILL NEVER FULLY APPRECIATE WHAT IT IS TO REST UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE EMPTIED.

I will still post pictures and give you updates on my weight loss and maybe by some act of God, I will reach my goal!