Before and After 3-31

Friday will be 90 days since I started my weight loss journey.  I have come a long way and lost quite a bit of weight.  I still have a long way to go.  It's funny how even though I have lost over 50 pounds, I still feel just as fat.  This will be something that I know I will struggle with for a long time.

Friday is another weigh-in day.  I am excited to see how I have done.  I wanted to post some before and after pictures.  I will keep going and cannot wait to reach my goal.

Boot Camp = FAT BURN

I really wanted to say "Boot Camp = DEATH" in my title, but everyone already knows that.  Today was a killer but great workout.  Lots of push ups, abs, sprints, and upper body lifting.  I love being able to do more sets and seeing my growth. 

Tonight, I will be posting some before and after pictures.  I am excited to see the difference side by side.  Friday is weigh-in day!  I am excited to see how I have done this month. 

My wife made a really good blog post yesterday and shared some pictures of our kids and cats.  Check it out.

Great Things Coming Up

I was not able to post on my blog yesterday, because I didn't have access to a computer after my workout.  I did workout, and it was a good one.  The reason I wasn't by a computer yesterday is because I had a job interview!  The position is for a great company in Ozark, Mo. It will be more money, closer to home, and I will get to use my degree!  We are very excited.  That was my second interview, and they have already called me back for a third one on Friday.  Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

Today was going to be the first day running with a group, but I slept a little late and missed them by a couple of minutes. I felt really bad, and I am determined not to do it again.  I did get my run in, and I ran non-stop for 3 miles and did it in 37:30.  That is a big improvement for me.  I have my weigh-in on Friday, and on Thursday, I will post some before and after pictures!  We are also getting ready for our next 5K on April 9th!  Lots of great stuff going on.

What are you excited about?

Running Releases More Than Just Sweat

One thing I have learned from living a healthy lifestyle and working out is how therapeutic it is. Just work out and leave all the stress and frustration in the gym or on the road.  It is also a great time for me to just think, think about goals, my family and life.  Check out this commercial I have seen a few times, and I cannot agree more with what it is saying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5j0i41Nn58 

Good run today!  

Feel the Rhythm, Feel The Rhyme

GET ON UP, IT'S RUNNING TIME!!!  COOL RUNNING!

Okay, I got that out of my system.  Love that movie, a movie about people with a dream to be great at something everyone assumes they will be bad at.  It kind of reminds you of a 333 pound person running.  Everyone assumes you will not be good at or enjoy running.  Guess what? Just like my Jamaican brothers, I am living my dream.  I am getting up and working out 6 days a week.  I have lost over 50 pounds!  I am going to walk out on a track someday weighing 200 pounds all smiles!

I see pride! I see power! I see a bad-ass mother who don't take no crap off of nobody!

Cox Medical Mile

My son has been really excited about working out, because Jenn and I have been talking about it a lot.  He loves to watch The Biggest Loser with me, and when we go to the gym, he says we are going to the Biggest Loser.  It is really fun.

We really want to encourage this excitement and have looked into things that he can do.  We found a free 6-week class for Micah.  It is to help prepare them to run a mile at the Cox Medical Mile.  Jenn and I will run that with him June 4th.  He will get a shirt and race bib, and he is very excited.

We are also running the 5K later that day!  Come run it with us!

Run Hills To Become Better At Hills

I want to be better at running, and I have a real hard time with hills.  Guess what makes you better at running hills. That is right, you have to run hills.  So I am trying to find routes that have a few more hills than Steven and I are used to.  We tried a new one today, and it was killer.  One of the hills was right at the end and I wanted to stop, but I didn't give up. I finished my run without walking today. 

I love the feeling of getting in shape, but even more, I love the feeling of setting a goal and reaching it.  I remember when I finished the Couch to 5K program.  I couldn't believe I did it!  It was amazing.  Now I am consistently running three days a week, and I am getting ready to increase my miles and my speed.  I have always been the kind of person who gave up when it was hard, but I am not going to do that anymore.

I also wanted to share with you all that I am considering going back to school to be a chef!  How cool would that be!  I think it would be something I would love to do.  We just need to call the school and see how we could work it out.

Annoying

I think I am starting to annoy my coworkers.  All I talk about these days is working out, running and weight loss.  I eat, drink, breathe, and live it now.  I blog about it, I read about it, and I talk about it; I think it is starting to get to some people. 

I am making an effort to remember that most people really do not care, and I do not want to be annoying.  I just see their eyes gloss over when they ask how my weekend was, and I start telling them about my run and what I ate.

So on that note, I enjoyed boot camp this morning and really felt a burn.  I am excited about Wednesday's run!

Just What I Needed

I was dreaming that Jenn and I were in New Orleans trying to get to a race, and the next thing we knew, we were being mugged.  Right when it was starting to get bad, my alarm went off. Have you ever had one of those dreams that felt so real that your heart is still racing when you wake up?  That happened to me today.  I rolled out of bed and talked myself into getting ready.

I got to the gym and sat and stared at my dash for at least 3 minutes, talking myself into getting out and running.  I just did not feel it today.  My brother wasn't there; I was very tired, and I just did not want to run.  I slowly crawled out of my van, selected my running playlist, and started my warm-up.

Slow and steady, I told myself, just keep a nice slow pace and run the full 30 minutes.  Push past the hills and work hard the whole way.  At the first mile, I still felt great!  I kept pushing and running and at the end of thirty minutes, 2.5 miles, I felt really good.  I was awake and alert.  I felt alive! 

I remembered this is why I run.  This is why I wake up early and work out.  I am so glad I didn't talk myself out of working out this morning.

Food Day = Stay In My Office Day

Today is Food Day here at work.  Everyone gets to bring in some kind of food.  I brought some Mexican-style rice Lilia Guevara taught me how to make when I lived in California.  It is the bomb by the way. (THANK YOU, HERMANA!)

I am 1.5 lbs away from a major milestone in my weight loss goal, so I am going to camp out in my office and hide from the food.  I might try to get all my work done and go home early. 

Ran outside this morning.  It felt GREAT!  It was in the 60s, and it wasn't windy.  I really enjoyed today's run, except for the running part.  It still is a great workout.  I cannot wait until I build up the aerobic capacity to run 3-4 miles and say, "I just did a easy 4 miles this morning."  I felt every step in my 2.5 miles today. 

The cool thing is that I look back on my Couch to 5k program and remember dreading a 10-minute run.  So I know there is progress, and I know I will get to the point where a 3-4 mile run will be something I will look back on and remember dreading.  Progress is great!  I hope I can report some good news after this weekend.

Happy Wear-Green-or-Else Day!!

I sure hope you all have green on!  If not, consider yourself pinched through the interwebs... 

I have a bad feeling about the next three days starting on Friday.  Friday is food day at work.  Everyone will be bringing in a massive amount of food, and I hope I am disciplined enough to not eat it. Saturday, we are going to Nakato's for my brother-in-law's birthday.  Sunday, we are having friends over for dinner, and I tend to get carried away when entertaining friends. So, everyone say a prayer for me.  I need it.  This is a real test of will.

Good Problems

I have a problem.  My clothes are way too big for me.  If I don't wear a belt with some of my pants, things can get really awkward.  Some of my shirts are way too big.  It's like when I wore my dad's shirts when I was 8. 

Good thing I have kept clothes I grew out of.  It has been a lot of fun to dig through my drawers and closets and find shirts and pants I have not been able to fit into for years.  I still hope they are in style... like I care.

Today, I found a gray button down shirt I bought over 2 years ago.  After I bought it, I brought it home and washed it.  I was excited to wear it to work the next day, and it did not fit.  I was so embarrassed, I hung it up and never looked at it again.  Today, I am wearing it, and it is loose.  I love being able to grow out of clothes the fun way!

Rocked my 30-minute run this morning.  I ran my first 1.5 miles at a 12:30 pace.  That is the fastest I have ever run a mile.  Felt pretty dang good.  Boot camp on Thursday!

How Far I Have Come

There was a new person in boot camp today who has just started his weight loss journey.  The class had to partner up to count our sets. I made sure we were partners, because I wanted to encourage him to work hard.  He is not as heavy as I was when I started, but I could tell he had a hard time.  For me, having another person around my physical level feels better than someone who can crank out a million sets.

While we were working out, I realized how far I have come in the last 71 days.  I had to stop and sit out in my first boot camp class; now I can do almost all the reps on some days. I could barely run a minute at a time, and now I am running 30+ minutes non-stop.  I am wearing clothes I have not been able to wear in 4 years.  I am more confident and active, and before, I would sit around and do nothing. 

It is such a great feeling.  If I can do it, anyone can.  It was great to share that with my workout partner today, and I hope he saw me as an example to keep coming to boot camp and to keep working hard.  If I can do it, anyone can.  You just have to get off your butt, and DO IT!

Daylight Savings Sucks

Daylight Savings kicked my trash today.  I tried to go to bed at 10 last night and laid in bed for 90 minutes before I could even go to sleep.  It felt like my eyes were closed for 5 minutes, and then our alarms went off. It truly felt like 4am, and I should have be sleeping for another hour.  Jenn and I became really close to our snooze buttons and rolled out of bed at 5:40. 

I was late to the fitness center but still got my 30-minute run in this morning.  I think Monday runs are my favorite only because I can just put the stress of the weekend behind me.  It's stressful, because I am not in my normal set schedule.  I am faced with a lot more food temptation and a free day.  I get frustrated, because I might overdo my free day. At Sunday dinner, everyone is eating as much as they want, and I only get a small serving.  So Mondays are great to burn off some steam.

I mentioned Sunday dinners. My mom has been great finding healthy recipes, so I can at least eat with the family.  She made a healthy chicken pot pie for dinner.  Then, she made some Weight Watcher cupcakes that are only 50 calories each for my Devon's birthday.  So that helps.  Thanks Mom!

Keep working hard and reaching your goals!

Our Kids Will See Our Example

As we started making our life changes with our food and exercise, Jenn and I both knew this would be great for our young family.  I know what it is like to be the fat kid, and it was hard.  I want my kids to have fitness and healthy food in their lives.  Jenn and I know we have to be the example.

Micah the last few weeks has been saying, "When I become a dad, I can run like you!"  We knew we needed to embrace that excitement and start running with him now.  Every Saturday, Jenn and I will take Micah and run.  We are going to do the Cox Medical Mile fun run with him in June! He is so excited.

Micah and I ran today for a quarter mile, and he rocked it!  I was so proud of him.  He kept running and had a lot of fun.

We are going to be a family of runners.  And, we don't diet; we just eat healthy and the right portions.  Loving life!

Couch to 5K Graduate

Today was the last day of my Couch to 5K program.  I finished strong and ran 2.5 miles today in 32 minutes.  Just going to keep going and keep going strong!  I'm loving this new healthy lifestyle.  It might even be leading into something big for our family.  I will keep you posted.  I don't want to say too much now just in case it doesn't happen.

Anyway, I can't type much today.  Got into work a little later.  Keep working hard!  I love hearing about the people that have been working out and losing the weight!  Keep rocking it and keep sharing your stories!

Viking 5K

Sorry it has taken me so long to post about my 5K.  I felt really good to finish the race. I did it faster than I thought, but I really felt like I could of done a lot more.  I will be honest in saying that I was very frustrated with myself.  I know it was my first race and my first time running that far, but I didn't give my all and beat myself mentally before the race.  I guess this is why it took me so long to post.

I finished the race in 43:50.

One thing I know I did wrong was that I didn't warm up before the race.  It was 32 degrees out and really windy, so we were cold and we just stood around.  I should have walked a few laps around the track beforehand. 

The first mile was the hardest. We ran once around the track and then through the neighborhood.  Of course, I ran the first mile way too fast for my pace, and when we hit the first hill, I had to stop and walk.  I ran/walked the rest of the course.

Paul was great and stayed with me the whole time.  He can do this run in his sleep, and it was his first race in the master's group, and he stuck with me.  He was great company.  When I stopped to walk, I kept apologizing to him, and I almost wonder if I was apologizing to myself as well, because I should of kept going.

We had a great group, and everyone had great times. 

Jen even got first place in her division.  She was really shocked, because it was her first ever 5K and the third time she has EVER run.  She rocked!

I have learned a lot from this first 5K, and I promised myself that I will just get better and do better.

Screen shot or it doesn't count!

Treadmill Vs. Indoor Track

It was really cold and windy again this morning, so Steven and I decided to run inside today.  We have always ran on the indoor track when we have been inside.  I didn't feel like I could run in that circle again for 30 minutes today, so we decided to run on the treadmill.  It was a great run.  If we have to run inside again, we are not running on that track.

I was able to really focus on my run and see my pace and my distance.  I enjoyed today's run.  I got all 30 minutes in and really felt like I could do more.  Starting next week, I am going to start running for distance and not time.  I will come to the gym sooner and make sure I have time to do our 3-mile loop or run on the treadmill. 

I prefer running outside over the treadmill and the indoor track, but it was good to know I can get a good run on a treadmill.

Why I Want To Lose Weight

Let's face it, being fat is not fun.  I know for me it has caused a lot of issues in my life.  I know some people out there are comfortable in their skin, but I never have been. Getting healthy has been one of the best things I have ever done.  I am going to keep going until I reach my goal, and then I will keep it.

Why I want to lose weight:

• I am tired of paying the fat tax on clothes.  You know, the additional $2 on the item, because they have to use a whole lot more thread for my fat butt.
• I want to know what it's like being able to take my shirt off at a pool or the beach and not worry or think about people judging me.
• I HATE being called "big guy."  "Hey there, big guy!" I don't want to give them a reason to say that to me anymore.  I have always been the "big guy."
• My thighs are going to break up.  They have been stuck at each other's side for many years, but it's time for a separation.  No more chub rub!
• I will be able to ride rides at theme parks with my kids.  I will be able to coach my kid's sports teams and not feel ashamed of being the fat guy.  I will be able to run with them and teach them the importance of living healthy.
• I will be able to walk into a job interview and be confident that they are looking at my credentials and not my weight.  People are a lot less likely to higher an obese person.
• I will just feel better about myself.  No more pity parties because of my weight.  I will not be able to run and hide behind my size.  It will all be about me.
• I will be able to do everything at Boot Camp. Those classes kill me, and I can never get the full sets in!

I will keep working hard. 

Why do you want to lose the weight?

A Good Workout Today

Today's run was a much needed one. There's nothing like a good workout to clear your head and refocus. I ran my 30 minutes today which I am happy about.

For those of you wondering how I did in my first 5K, I am going to post about that soon. For now, you can look at our family blog. My wife, Jenn, has posted some pictures and comments about that day. Thanks to everyone supporting and encouraging me!

The Day Before

I cannot believe that Saturday is my 5K.  I am very excited and nervous.  I have my playlist ready; I have what I am going to wear ready.  Stupid weather.  It has been very nice all this week, and Saturday is supposed to be cold and rainy with a chance of snow. If you want to see the route, here is the link.

I went to the gym this morning, walked a mile, and then sat in the hot tub.  Took it easy.  My brother didn't even come.  He just slept in.  He said he is going to walk around the neighborhood, but we will see.

Bill had a great idea, and we are meeting tonight at Panera Bread on South Campbell to eat and celebrate our hard work these last two months.  Feel free to join us!

We will take a lot of pictures tomorrow, and post them!

Round is a Shape

Today, I got some paperwork from my first visit with my trainer.  It had stats and measurements from about 7 weeks ago.  According to the information, it said I was 202 lbs. of lean muscle and the rest was fat.  I have now lost quite a bit of fat, and I am sure I have gained muscle. 

I am in shape; the shape might be round, but I am healthy.  How many skinny people who live sedentary lifestyles can up and run for 30 minutes?  I am sure some can but not that many.  (I also hate you all for being able to be skinny and sedentary... Bless your heart.)

My goal starting Monday is losing 5 lbs. a week.  Time to turn it up to the next level.  I want to be at 250 this May when I start my training for my marathon in November.  I also want to be up to 15 miles a week with running.  Stronger, faster, longer....  Hate to quote Justin Bieber right now but "never say never!"

I'll Catch a Grenade For You

On the way to work this morning, I was listening to reports about the revolution in Libya.  They were giving guns to civilians who were willing to go and fight and even die for something they believe in.  It made me think, what am I willing to die for? 

Is there something I am that passionate about?  Yes, I would die for my family.  I really started thinking about the saying, "I would die for something I believe in."  That is when I realized that I had been dying for something I used to believe in.  I used to believe that I was no good.  I was worthless.  I was fat and didn't deserve a better job, life, or anything.  I was dying.  I had come to terms that I was going to die of a heart attack.  I just knew that is what was going to kill me.  I was dying for my selfishness and hid behind the thing that was killing me. Food.

Now I am living; now I am running.  I am going to run a 5K this Saturday.  By the end of this year, I will have run a marathon.  I ran my 28 minutes this morning and went further than I ever had before.  The first time I ran 20 minutes without stopping, I got to the church on Walnut Lawn.  Today, I got to it in 14 minutes!  I ran a mile in 12 minutes today.  I am willing to live for myself and my family.

Start living today.  Do not be willing to live unhealthy lives!  If my fat butt can do it, anyone can.

Offical Weigh-in 3/1/11

Okay followers, today was a weigh-in, and I am 290 lbs! That is 40 lbs from the day I started this blog and a total weight loss of 43 lbs.  That really makes me feel good.  I have a long way to go, but I feel a lot better.  5K this weekend!  Just going to keep going.

So after my workout today, and after I managed to get one of the small towels they provide around my waste, I headed back for my shower.  The locker rooms are connected to the pool area, and each locker room has a hot tub, steam room, and sauna right after you come in from the pool.  The showers are right next to the steam room.  I walk back and see a girl come in from the pool entrance.  I stop at the glass door to the showers and just stare at her in shock.  She sees me and the half dozen naked men behind me.  Talk about your deer-in-headlights look.  She turned bright red and almost ran out of the locker room.  I was the only one who saw her.  I got a good laugh out of it.  It's a good thing I managed to get the towel around me this time.  Reason #4235 to lose weight:  "Being able to wear the towel at the gym."

I guess I am not one to talk.  The same thing has happened to me before.  I went to a hot spring "Nat Soo Pah" with my real good friend Shane and his family and Nate Dogg.  We had a good time, and there was a slide that was fun. 

I decided to take another turn down the slide while Nate and Shane got changed.  I wore my suit to the hot spring, so I didn't change when we got there.  I went into the changing room and started to change after I finished the slide.  It was a long row of changing stations with curtains.  I remember thinking, this is really nice that they have curtains, because the guys' changing rooms normally do not have that.  As I was changing, I started hearing female voices. That is funny, I thought, they are in the guys' changing room. I then started hearing more female voices.  That is when I realized I was in the girls' changing room.

I changed so fast I think The Flash would have been impressed.  I then peaked my head around the curtain to make sure the coast was clear and ran out of the changing room.  As I turned the corner, Nate Dogg was coming out of the guys' changing room.  He looked at me and then up at the sign of were I was.  "SHUT UP AND COME HERE!" I said.  Oh man, they got a good laugh out of that.  Talk about embarrassing. 

So for the girl who walked into our locker room today, I feel for ya.