More Good, More Bad

Yesterday was the kind of day that drives me crazy.

Got up in the morning and worked out at the gym here. Had three good meals throughout the day. But then ruined it with one bad meal.

That, and dipping into my wife's snacks from time to time...My occasional lapses in discipline the last couple of weeks have been driving me nuts.

I had a friend text me yesterday and tell me to stop obsessing about such lapses. And maybe I should.

But I can see what's happening here. I can sense the same type of attitude that I've had in past failed attempts.

It's the, "I've lost this much. I can do this anytime I want" mentality, something that's plagued me for the past 20-plus years.

I suppose it's symptomatic of the whole issue here. For all the success I've had - and 112 pounds in a year is great success - it's hard not to view the stumbles as failure. I don't struggle with it as often as I have in the past, but it still occasionally gets a grip on me.

And right now I'm in a place and time where it's grip is strong.

All I can do is look at today as being another day. Another opportunity.

After my show I'll hit the gym again, and later take a long walk on the beach.

Maybe the salty air will clear my head.

On The Road Again

Hello from Jacksonville, home of Thursday's Gator Bowl between Clemson and Nebraska.

Left the house this morning and took the scenic route all the way down, staying completely away from the Interstate. Took an extra couple of hours, but it was worth it. A nice, quiet, peaceful drive.

I used the time to try and work on my frame of mind. Christmas day was not a good one for me, food wise. Party at my sister-in-law's house and I couldn't resist splurging - especially where the fudge and Rice Krispie Treats were concerned.

I've also had a couple of bad meals along the way this week, which makes me thankful I won't be around to weigh in Wednesday.

The good news is I've pulled it together here in the last couple of days, and here at the hotel there's a gym where I can get in a couple of good workouts before we leave. Basically doing the same type of exercises I do with Vernon back home.

Plus, staying at the beach again, I'll be taking a nice stroll or two ocean-side.

Just gotta keep the diet running the way it's supposed to.

Seems this holiday season is much more difficult for me than last year, which is odd. I was just starting a year ago.

Sometimes, I wonder if I'm learning anything at all.

Then I remember yeah - I've lost 112 pounds. I've been doing something right.

Gotta keep that in mind.

10 Up, 10 Down

Vernon got what he wanted.

I walked out of the Coop's Gym locker room this afternoon at 1:01 p.m., ready for my workout. I paused a bit to meet Billie, one of my listeners and a recent Ultra Fit convert. Got a big hug, which was nice.

Then it was three sets of leg-lifts to warm up. And then...

Ten up, 10 down. A 25-pound weight in each hand.

I was on my way to something else at 1:11 p.m.

And yes, it was hard. But by comparison, I did 10 trips today in about the same amount of time I did seven the previous time. So the progress is continuing to show.

I told Vernon afterwards that way back at the beginning, when we did three trips for the first time, that I'd have bet his salary that I'd never make it to 10 (notice I said his salary. I'm too smart to bet mine).

But I did it, none the worse for wear.

Now...on to the Christmas festivities.

Year Two Begins

Hello. And welcome to Year Two.

Today is the first weigh-in day of my second year, and after last week's stumble I'm happy to say I'm back on the straight and narrow. I'm down three pounds from last week, which makes up for the two I had gained.

So now I'm officially at 367 - having lost 112 pounds. A total of 55 of those pounds have come off since I joined Ultra Fit.

Also, today is my final workout with Vernon for the year. I'll be traveling next week for Clemson's appearance in the Gator Bowl, and will work out on my own in the hotel gym on Jacksonville Beach.

But today is the day Vernon has been waiting on. From the first day he sent me up the stairs, he's been telling me I'll be doing it 10 times by Christmas.

Well, tomorrow is Christmas. So guess how many times he's sending up and down today?

Maybe I'll be recovered in time to open presents later this evening (we're a Christmas Eve family).

Anyway, beginning a brand new stat sheet for you...

Merry Christmas to all of you. Have a blessed, peaceful holiday.

YEAR TWO
The Scorecard:

Week 1 - Lost 3

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

I know it's been a while since I've updated, but like many of you I've been doing the Christmas shopping thing.

Thankfully, it appears we're done.

I've also been working hard to get back into the swing of things on the diet, and so far so good. Checked the scales this morning for a post-weekend look-in and I was down a couple of pounds.

So, if form holds, I'll start Year Two on a positive step and - hopefully - start another long streak of consecutive weeks with a loss. Can't think too far down the road, though. Gotta keep reminding myself it's one meal at a time, one day at a time.

Easier said that done, sometimes. But I've gotten through a full year trying to operate that way. And while there have been stumbles, the entire body of work has been successful.

So far.

A year. It's still hard to fathom that I've made it this far.

And while I don't plan to get all weepy or sentimental, it's still somewhat emotional looking back over the previous 52 weeks.

When I started, my biggest fear was failure. And it still is. But now I've got a year's worth of experience to fall back on, and a plan I'm following - Ultra Fit - that has made me feel better than I have in years.

I think back to the small victories, such as walking pain-free around Six Flags, Kings Island and Cedar Point.

I reflect on the stumbles, and how mentally challenging each of them were.

I think of Anthony...Every single day.

It's been a whirlwind 52 weeks. And I know I'm not even halfway there yet.

But if I've learned anything to this point, it's simply that I have the power. The control. I'm the one who decides if I succeed. I'm the one who decides if I fail.

It remains a constant battle. Day after day after day.

The support I get from those of you who take time to post responses or drop emails is invaluable. Please, please keep them coming.

And hang on.

Year Two promises to be crazier than Year One.

One Year Later...

Well, it finally happened.

After 14 straight weeks of losing weight since joining the Ultra Fit program, I had a slight stumble. In the eight days since I last weighed, I've put on two pounds.

Not the way I wanted to close the first full year of my weight loss effort. But there's nothing I can do to change it. I had a bad week. I let my comittment slip. And I paid the price.

All I can do now is pick myself up and keep moving forward.

I'll have more on the psychology of the whole thing later on. But for now, I've officially reached the end of year No. 1. And as of today, I'm 109 pounds lighter than I was way back last December.

So in the grand scheme of things, obviously I'm ecstatic with the year. I wish I had started Ultra Fit sooner, but trust me.

I plan on making up time in year two.

So here it is. The complete Year One Scoreboard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7
Week 34 - Lost 2
Week 35 - Lost 5
Week 36 - GAINED 4
Week 37 - Lost 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 38 - No Weigh-In. New Program
Week 39 - Lost 10
Week 40 - Lost 7
Week 41 - Lost 2
Week 42 - Lost 6
Week 43 - Lost 3
Week 44 - Lost 4
Week 45 - Lost 2
Week 46 - Lost 4
Week 47 - Lost 2
Week 48 - Lost 3
Week 49 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling (Thanksgiving)
Week 50 - Lost 4 (Covers week 49 as well)
Week 51 - Lost 3
Week 52 - GAINED 2
----------------------------
One Year Total - Lost 109

Unhappy Anniversary?

As I approach weigh-in No. 52, signifying one full year on my weight loss journey, I've not had a good week.

Been a number of reasons for it. I've had a hard time finding certain elements of my diet that I have to have, mostly the specific kind of bread I eat. Three different stores where I buy my supplies were out (and still are).

I've been in a number of situations where I had to eat what was available this week, rather than what I should be eating.

And to be honest, a couple of times my discipline hasn't been good. So it's not just circumstances. I'm to blame as well.

On top of it all, I'm feeling awful today, too bad to go workout. Plus it's cold and rainy. Just a blah kind of day.

But I'm trying to take a positive outlook on it all.

Regardless of what the scale reads on Wednesday it has been a successful year. To have lost 111 pounds (to date) is more than I could have dreamed of when I began this process last December.

So, I regroup and refocus. I rely on Vernon and John to help get me through the dark moods that still pop up from time to time. And we keep plugging away.

In Dec. 2007 I set out with a new determination, stronger than ever before. But with plenty of unknown lying ahead.

Now, a full year later, I've got a track record to draw on and a pretty good idea of what I'm capable of doing.

I just have to strap on the blinders and limit the distractions.

Early Weigh-In

Just found out I'm not going to be able to get to Clemson in the morning to weigh in, so we'll go with what I saw this morning when I took a sneak peek.

It showed I was down another three pounds. That's 111 overall, 54 in the 14-plus weeks I've been on Ultra Fit. My operating weight is 368 pounds.

Percentage-wise, I was very close to being able to roll the total number over to four this morning, and that might have been the case tomorrow. Still, I'm very happy with the three pounds and anything I might have picked up - or dropped - by the morning will just roll over to next week.

Speaking of next week, that weigh-in will be a cause for celebration. Not so much based on what I may lose between now and then. But because of the significance of the date.

Today was weigh-in No. 51. So next week will complete one full year of weekly trips to the scales.

That means I started my path back to health one year ago this week.

Time flies, doesn't it? When I began the journey, I did so with a dogged determination to finally get it right. But there were no guarantees. To have made it to a year...who really would have guessed?

More on that next week when it becomes official. For now, here's how the first 51 weeks have stacked up.

The Scorecard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7
Week 34 - Lost 2
Week 35 - Lost 5
Week 36 - GAINED 4
Week 37 - Lost 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 38 - No Weigh-In. New Program
Week 39 - Lost 10
Week 40 - Lost 7
Week 41 - Lost 2
Week 42 - Lost 6
Week 43 - Lost 3
Week 44 - Lost 4
Week 45 - Lost 2
Week 46 - Lost 4
Week 47 - Lost 2
Week 48 - Lost 3
Week 49 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling (Thanksgiving)
Week 50 - Lost 4 (Covers week 49 as well)
Week 51 - Lost 3

Up And Down

Steps.

That's what Vernon had in store for me.

The second exercise yesterday was up and down the steps carrying the 50 pounds in weights. This time it was seven trips, the most so far.

Vernon says I'll be doing it 10 times by Christmas. We shall see.

But I made it through the seven trips without too much distress. But it really takes it out of you. Holding those 25-pound weights down by your side while you go up and down the stairs really is a full-body workout.

So, we press forward. Weigh-in day is tomorrow. Hoping for a really good week.

Long Weekend

In broadcasting circles, I had a long weekend.

Six games in four days, including three state championship football games on Saturday at Death Valley. In a row. Outside on the photo deck. In sub-45 degree temperatures.

Made for a natural refrigerator for the food I had to take with me.

Did pretty well, all things considered. There are always temptations around in the press box, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't nibble around here or there.

I'm a lot of things. Perfect ain't one of them.

My spirits have been boosted lately by the number of people who have seen me for the first time in a while and noticed the weight loss. It's amazing how a little thing like that has such a huge effect on the ol' psyche.

Meanwhile, back to the regular grind on Monday.

Wonder what Vernon has in store for me this week?

Back On The Scales

Weighed in today for the first time in two weeks.

Officially anyway. I got on the scales yesterday, as I reported. And today's look was exactly the same. I'm down four pounds since my weigh-in two weeks ago.

That's an operating weight of 371, and 108 pounds lost. I've dropped 51 of those pounds in 13 weeks on Ultra Fit.

I suppose I'm more relieved than anything at the four pounds. Because, as I mentioned before, I didn't have a great weekend prior to Thanksgiving. So I'll take the four pounds. But I'm certainly not satisfied.

So, that was weigh-in No. 50. Two more to go and I'll have wrapped up a full year.

The Scorecard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7
Week 34 - Lost 2
Week 35 - Lost 5
Week 36 - GAINED 4
Week 37 - Lost 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 38 - No Weigh-In. New Program
Week 39 - Lost 10
Week 40 - Lost 7
Week 41 - Lost 2
Week 42 - Lost 6
Week 43 - Lost 3
Week 44 - Lost 4
Week 45 - Lost 2
Week 46 - Lost 4
Week 47 - Lost 2
Week 48 - Lost 3
Week 49 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling (Thanksgiving)
Week 50 - Lost 4 (Covers week 49 as well)

Checking In

Sorry I've been a little slow to update, but things have been a little crazy around here of late with the hiring of a new football coach and all.

Anyway, I stepped on the scales this morning for the first time since my last weigh-in day. One day before next weigh-in time. And I was down four pounds.

So, it looks like not only have I survived the past two weeks and a couple of really bad meals, but I've stayed on course and made more progress. Maybe I'm figuring out this thing after all.

I'm sure the walking helped. I mentioned the two miles I walked on Thanksgiving morning. I did another mile here at home on Sunday afternoon. I'll work out tomorrow for the first time in nine days, and should be able to get back to some semblance of a regular schedule.

It's just good to know that while I'm still not totally disciplined, my self-discipline is improving each and every week.

By the way, when I weigh in tomorrow it will be my 50th official trip to the scales.

Two weeks to go and I'll have been doing this for a year.

Hello From The Hills

Thanksgiving morning at the parents' house in West Virginia.

Many of you have been worried that I was going to have a setback today, or on this trip. And the worry is understandable.

Actually, my biggest issue of late was last weekend. Got caught out twice with large groups of people in the wrong restaurants, and the results weren't good. So I'm glad I didn't get on the scales at all this week. Don't know what I would have seen.

I know what I saw and heard, though. In my mind, that is. It was John DeFendis saying "commitment, commitment, commitment." And it was Vernon sending me up the stairs.

So, as you can see, I still have my moments of weakness. In fact, it remains a daily struggle. Even with the success I've had. I still fight the urge to chuck it all and settle back into that unhealthy lifestyle.

The one that was going to kill me.

Fortunately, my resolve is significantly stronger these days. And those dark moods don't last as long.

It's right at 11 a.m. as I write this. Already today I've had my good Ultra Fit meal and walked two miles. Yeah, I said walked two miles.

I feel good. I'm on track. And today isn't going to be a problem.

It's going to be good week.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Let The Holidays Begin

Heading to West Virginia for Thanksgiving Tuesday afternoon. Won't be around to weigh in this week.

Probably not a bad idea. I've been obsessing a bit lately, and can use the mental break away from things. Not the diet. I'll be staying on that as strictly as possible.

But it's like one of those dark moods has been lingering, and my motivation has been challenged a bit lately. Odd, really, since I've had 11 straight weeks of weight loss.

What can I say? It's a process.

Getting away from the normal routine for a couple of days might be just what the doctor ordered.

I'll check in from the home front.

Weigh-In Day

Hit the scales this morning. Down another three pounds.

It was very close - a few ounces, in fact - to rolling over to four pounds. In fact, I was tempted to go ahead and take the four. But I didn't.

So that's 104 total, and 47 since joining Ultra Fit.

Not upset though. I'll take almost four pounds every week. And it will only make next week's take even better.

The Scoreboard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7
Week 34 - Lost 2
Week 35 - Lost 5
Week 36 - GAINED 4
Week 37 - Lost 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 38 - No Weigh-In. New Program
Week 39 - Lost 10
Week 40 - Lost 7
Week 41 - Lost 2
Week 42 - Lost 6
Week 43 - Lost 3
Week 44 - Lost 4
Week 45 - Lost 2
Week 46 - Lost 4
Week 47 - Lost 2
Week 48 - Lost 3

Surprising Vernon

Yesterday, during my workout, Vernon pulled something new on me.

We went through a "cycle" of exercises to start off the day. We did one set of incline squats (15 reps), one set of leg extensions (15 reps) and then up and down the stairs carrying the 25-pound weights. Completing all three exercises comprised one full set.

Vernon wanted me to do five sets.

So, off I went. Squat, extend walk. Squat, extend walk.

Getting tired? You bet. But not so exhaused that I couldn't spring a suprise on ol' Vern.

On the final trip up the stairs at the end of the fifth set I ran. Yep, ran up the stairs carrying the blasted weights.

Finished up breathing only moderately hard.

So for all the mock complaining I do about Vernon and the gym, it's working. The progress is noticeable in the way I feel, the way I move, the way I get around.

I haven't felt this good in years. And there's still much more to be done.

Answering Questions From Readers

This post is in response to the two comments left on my last entry.

As I've mentioned before, "Ultra Fit" is a fancy name for good old fashioned diet and exercise. No supplements. No "diet food." None of that trash.

As I'm finding out, it's a proven system for getting the weight off quickly - and doing so in a healthy fashion - by combining a good diet with the proper strength training.

Marc, I try to limit my sodium intake to 80mg or less per serving, per meal. So if I have a protien, a carb and a salad, I try to keep each one at 80 mg or less. A total of 150 or less is considered low, but we're going for really low.

Cut out the fat and sugar with it, and the weight comes off.

It's really that simple.

I will admit, eating this way has taken some getting used to. And I'm still not over all my cravings for the other stuff (probably never will be).

But look at the results. I lost 57 pounds in just over nine months doing the low-carb thing. In 8 1/2 weeks on John's system - and with Vernon's guidance - I lost 44.

I can't tell you how much better I feel, and how much easier it is to function. Last night at Greenville High School's football game I found myself running up stairs, for goodness sake (hopefully Vernon quit reading a paragraph or two above...LOL).

Our anonymous contributor is correct. John is doing a great job. Not just with me, but with many, many lives.

I still have a long way to go, somewhere between 120-140 pounds I want to get off.

But my skepticism has been alleviated. If I fail this time, it won't be because of Ultra Fit.

It will be because of me. Again.

And now, maybe for the first time, I just don't see that happening.

Press Box Challenge

Today is an example of the challenges I face on this "project" of mine.

Because my job has me on the run so much, it's difficult at times to keep ahead of the game where Ultra Fit-quality meals are concerned. It takes much preparation ahead of time to ensure I'm able to eat the right way - and on schedule - but even then there are roadblocks.

Today, for instance, I'm in the press box here at Clemson. Kickoff for the Homecoming game with Duke is 12:10 p.m. I ate before leaving the house this morning, but because the stadium frowns on bringing your own food into the facility, I get stuck trying to make the best of the press meal provided here.

Once I leave for the postgame show I host at Wild Wing Cafe in Greenville it's not so bad, because I can order what I need - chicken prepared with no salt/seasoning, plain baked potato and a salad. In fact, I'll be there so long that I'll do it twice.

But with the meal coming up here in the press box I'll have to make due with baked chicken or a turkey (deli meat) sandwich on wheat bread. Both of which have more sodium that I'm supposed to take in per serving.

The good news is I'll get at least two good meals on top of it before the day ends, which will help matters.

But the challenges remain constant. In January, for instance, in the span of a week I have to drive to Miami, back home, and then back to Tallahassee.

(AUTHOR'S NOTE : For those interested, I hate to fly. I'm chicken. I admit it. Well, let me clarify. It's not the flying that scares me. It's the slamming-into-the-ground-at-a-speed-so-high-your-brains-wind-up-in-your-shoes that terrifies me. I operate under this policy - If I'm driving and the engine bursts into flames, I can pull over and get out. That's not an option at 30,000 feet).

Anyway, I'll be doing all that traveling for Clemson women's basketball broadcasts. And then two weeks later I go to Boston.

Looks like I'll be toting around quite a few grilled chicken sandwiches.

Back On The Scales

Weighed in today, as I do every Wednesday.

I lost two pounds last week. That puts me at 101 total, and an operating weight of 378. Now 44 of those pounds have been lost since beginning the Ultra Fit system 8 1/2 weeks ago.

Figured I would have lost more than two pounds, but it's still a positive step forward.

With five trips to the scales remaining before I hit the one-year mark, my goal is to get to at least 120 pounds lost by then. Reasonable?

We shall see.

The Scorecard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7
Week 34 - Lost 2
Week 35 - Lost 5
Week 36 - GAINED 4
Week 37 - Lost 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 38 - No Weigh-In. New Program
Week 39 - Lost 10
Week 40 - Lost 7
Week 41 - Lost 2
Week 42 - Lost 6
Week 43 - Lost 3
Week 44 - Lost 4
Week 45 - Lost 2
Week 46 - Lost 4
Week 47 - Lost 2

Up The Stairs!!!

I've written in recent weeks about Vernon sending me up the stairs at Coop's Gym in Anderson, a 25-pound weight in each hand.

Seventeen steps. Up and down constituting one trip.

First it was three trips. Then five, which I couldn't make the first time. The second time, I did it but felt like I had been run over by a cement truck. I was shot the rest of the day.

The third time? It was hard, but I got through it without the pain of the previous excursion.

Anyway, it had been more than a week since he had sent me up the stairs, so I had an inkling it was coming today. But I was wrong.

Vernon didn't send me up and down the steps five times.

He sent up and down the steps six times.

Nice of him, eh? But, I have to say, the six trips today were slightly easier than the last time I did five. It was still tough, but it's a sign I'm getting in better and better shape.

And that's the idea.

While I've still got a long way to go, I can't tell you how much better I feel. How much easier it is to walk. I even caught myself in a half-jog going across the parking lot at church the other day, and I haven't done something like that in years.

My energy is getting better, as well.

Just gotta keep moving in the right direction.

Milestone Achieved

It's Monday morning, and now I can say officially that I've passed the 100 pound mark in weight lost.

It's not the end of the journey by any means. In fact, to reach my goal it's not even the halfway point.

But still, to hit that 100-pound mark is huge. Triple digits.

Never would have believed it was possible.

Now, on to the next 100.

So Close...

Is it possible to be disappointed with losing four pounds in a week?

Perhaps, if the fifth pound would have given you a grand total of 100.

That's what happened. Hit the scales today and I've lost four pounds. Make me 99 total, bringing my weight down to 380. I've lost 42 pounds in 7 1/2 weeks since joining Ultra Fit.

Of course I'm not disappointed in losing four pounds. But I really wanted that 100-pound mark this week.

The good news is it will come by no later than Friday, and I'll have gotten there with still five weeks to go before my first full year is up.

So yeah, I'm a little bummed that I didn't get there this morning. But still, four pounds a week?

Sign me up.

The Scorecard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7
Week 34 - Lost 2
Week 35 - Lost 5
Week 36 - GAINED 4
Week 37 - Lost 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 38 - No Weigh-In. New Program
Week 39 - Lost 10
Week 40 - Lost 7
Week 41 - Lost 2
Week 42 - Lost 6
Week 43 - Lost 3
Week 44 - Lost 4
Week 45 - Lost 2
Week 46 - Lost 4

Bearing Down On 100

When I popped back over to Clemson on Thursday for a post-weigh in look, I had dropped another pound.

It won't officially count until next Wednesday, but in the immediate that made me 96 pounds lighter than when I started this process.

Four more pounds for 100. Four.

Not that I'm stopping there. Far from it. Ideally I need to lose another 120-140 beyond that mark (Vernon says with my body frame and the weight training I'm doing, I will carry a finishing weight of 240-260 very well).

But that 100 pound mark is a big deal for me. I wanted to get it in less than a year. And if I can swing four more by Wednesday, I'll have done it it with six weeks to spare.

So, I'm working hard to stay away from the bad meals this week. And so far, so good.

Getting to that number means a lot to me.

Consequences

Weigh-in day today. I lost two pounds.

That's 95 total, bringing my weight down to 384. And 38 pounds since joining Ultra Fit.

Another positive step, to be sure. But still disappointing. Throw out my pizza meal over the weekend and it would have been a much better week.

Were I to rationalize, I could say that, well, how many weeks before did I lose zero or gain weight? And that would be accurate.

But it's not good enough anymore. Not since I've seen how this program works.

Discipline, discipline, discipline. Something I'm still working on. Something that has obviously been a problem for me, otherwise I wouldn't be in this shape in the first place.

When I sat down to write this entry, my mindset was - looking ahead - to strive for the "perfect week." But I can't think that far ahead.

One meal at a time. One day at a time.

The Scoreboard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7
Week 34 - Lost 2
Week 35 - Lost 5
Week 36 - GAINED 4
Week 37 - Lost 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 38 - No Weigh-In. New Program
Week 39 - Lost 10
Week 40 - Lost 7
Week 41 - Lost 2
Week 42 - Lost 6
Week 43 - Lost 3
Week 44 - Lost 4
Week 45 - Lost 2

Big Mouth

Honesty may be the best policy, but as it turns out it's also a painful one.

Spent the weekend in West Virginia visiting with my parents while they were having a new roof put on their house. I did very well with my meal plan almost the entire weekend. Made the necessary provisions for eating while on the 5-hour drive up and back, and had the right kind of food at their house while we were there.

I say almost, because I gave in to temptation once. Saturday night. Pizza place. Not a good move.

Food was good. But telling Vernon about it today wasn't.

Just to show me he has a sense of humor - as well as a sense of purpose - once he found out I cheated Vernon promptly got out the two 25-pound weights and sent me to the stairs. Five up and five down.

Payback for the pizza, he said.

And while it was still difficult, it wasn't nearly as hard as it was two weeks ago. So I'm still showing progress.

Vernon just wants more.

And honestly, so do I. I have to quit rationalizing and stick to the plan.

Instead of saying to myself, "Well, I've eaten about one bad meal every week for the last few weeks and I'm still losing 3-4 pounds a week," I've got to make myself stay more focused. If I skip that bad meal, and the occasional picking at other foods I shouldn't eat, that total would be averaging 5-8 pounds per week on this system.

So, I continue to struggle with myself.

But I have a feeling as long as Vernon has anything to do with it, I'll end up getting it right.

Numbers Game

Today ended the first six weeks of workouts with Vernon at Coop's Gym in Anderson.

As I noted yesterday, I've lost 36 pounds in that six-week time frame since beginning the Ultra Fit system, bringing my total weight loss to 93 pounds. Seven pounds away from 100, with eight weeks to go before I reach the one year point.

Anyway, today Vernon took a new set of measurements to see how many inches I have lost, how much body fat I've removed, etc. The numbers were pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.

At least to me, because it's tangible proof of results - something I don't see every day when I look in the mirror.

Besides the 36 pounds, I've lost 5.3 percent of my body fat in the six week time frame. And I've lost 23.75 total inches across my entire body.

By this weeked I'll have photos to post. Front, side and rear views from six weeks ago to compare with pictures taken today. They aren't pretty, but I will let you see them so you can judge for yourself.

Anyway, here's the breakdown of measurements on various parts of my body. The first number will be from six weeks ago, the second number from today. The measurements are in inches around the area:

Shoulders - 59, 54.5
Chest - 59, 54
Waist - 65, 62
Hips - 60, 57
Biceps (relaxed) - 15.5, 15
Biceps (flexed) - 16.5, 15.75
Upper thigh - 31, 28
Lower thigh - 27.75, 24.5
Calf - 21.5, 20.5

Note that the numbers are all supposed to be getting smaller. The weight training right now is helping burn the fat. The muscle build-up will come later.

It's amazing the difference six weeks has made. But Vernon and John DeFendis deserve most of the credit. Their encouragement and understanding has been invaluable.

Will post the pics as soon as I get them.

Meanwhile, it's off to WV to visit my parents this weekend. It'll be interesting to see what they say.

Continuing To Roll

Weigh-in day. Another good report.

I'm down four more pounds, which makes 93 total. My weight is now 386. I've lost 36 pounds in less than six weeks since I joined up with John and Vernon.

I like this kind of momentum.

The Scorecard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7
Week 34 - Lost 2
Week 35 - Lost 5
Week 36 - GAINED 4
Week 37 - Lost 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 38 - No Weigh-In. New Program
Week 39 - Lost 10
Week 40 - Lost 7
Week 41 - Lost 2
Week 42 - Lost 6
Week 43 - Lost 3
Week 44 - Lost 4

Pushing Forward

Vernon, my trainer, thinks he's funny.

In the course of my workouts, one of the things he has me do on occasion is grab two 25-pound dumbbells and walk up and down a flight of 17 steps. We started with three trips - up and down, up and down, up and down. That nearly killed me.

The next week, he wanted me to do five. He stopped me at three, apparently because my breathing pattern had lapsed into something you might hear at a Lamaze class.

Then last week, without warning, he sprung the five trip thing on me again. Told me he had a "treat" for me, then handed me the weights.

And this time? I made it. Nearly died in the process, but I made it.

So there is progress being made.

Afterwards, Vernon was very encouraging, obviously proud of the strides I'm making. Like a good trainer should be.

But I guess he can't help himself. While I'm lying in a pool of my own bodily fluids, gasping for air, he smiles and says, very quietly:

"By Christmas we'll be doing 10."

"We," he says. Which means I'll be trudging my you-know-what up and down those stairs, lungs on fire, while he stands at the bottom and counts. "We" would mean he's walking with me, carrying one of the weights.

What is this "we" I keep hearing?

In all seriousness, Vernon is the perfect trainer for someone like me. If he were one of those super-intense, over-the-top, muscle-bound screaming idiots that fits the stereotype, he'd have lost me after the first week.

But his quiet intensity, his encouragement, his patience...it's a great fit with my personality, and is the reason I believe I've responded so well.

I also need to apologize to him here. It's Saturday, and I'm in the Clemson press box right before kickoff of the Georgia Tech game.

That means it was a bad meal this morning. But I'll be back on track this afternoon.

And I'm sure "we" will work it off on Monday.

Right Vernon?

Another Positive Week

Hit the scales for my official weigh-in this morning.

I'm down another three pounds to 390, which brings my total weight loss to 89 - 32 of it since starting the Ultra Fit program just about one month ago.

Had a couple of meals that weren't in line with the plan during the week because I got caught away from home and had to eat what was available. And still, I lost the three pounds. So I'm pretty happy overall.

The Scorecard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7
Week 34 - Lost 2
Week 35 - Lost 5
Week 36 - GAINED 4
Week 37 - Lost 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 38 - No Weigh-In. New Program
Week 39 - Lost 10
Week 40 - Lost 7
Week 41 - Lost 2
Week 42 - Lost 6
Week 43 - Lost 3

Big Day Today

Big news today, and I'm talking about besides the Tommy Bowden resignation/firing which had us all in a tizzy for the last 36 hours or so.

Mr. USA John DeFendis and my trainer, Vernon, were in studio today to talk about the fitness/food program I'm on called Ultra Fit. We spent almost a half-hour talking about what they do, how they do it and why they do it.

It was a great deal of information, and more is coming. John is going to do a regular segment with me every Tuesday at 11:45 a.m. from now on regarding health and fitness. You can hear it online at www.wccpfm.com.

And more good news. For those of you in the Anderson/Greenville area or within reasonable driving range, here's a chance for you to get some free gym time and exposure to what Ultra Fit has to offer.

John has given me:

- A one-year gym membership
- A six-month membership
- Three three-month memberships
- And several one-time free sessions with a personal trainer.

If you want to try and get one of those - and you should - then sit down and email me your story. What challenges are you facing from a weight/fitness standpoint? Where have you been? Where do you want to go?

Tell me about it, and then John, Vernon and I will be picking the winners.

Get it to my be Friday of this week (Oct. 17), and we'll notify the winners early next week.

My email address is dan@wccpfm.com. And please, email your stories rather than leave them in the comment section of the blog.

Thanks, and tomorrow is weigh-in day. Here's hoping for a strong finish to the week.

Sunday Morning Musings

Just a few thoughts this morning before heading off to church.

More and more people are telling me they are seeing a big difference in my appearance. I still have a hard time seeing it physically, but I have noticed it in other ways. Shirts that were tight are now loose. My belt has tightened several notches.

And the other morning when I put on a jacket I hadn't worn since last fall, it came down about three inches below my belt line. Previously, it didn't quite reach my belt line.

So it's those little things that I see.

And those things, along with the comments I'm getting from those who are noticing the change, is another form of the motivation I wrote about last entry.
------------------
One other note. Next week John DeFendis will be on my show to begin a regular segment on health and fitness.

John is, as I've told you before, the 1988 Mr. America and the man who designed the program - Ultra Fit - that I began about a month ago. And it's on this program that my progress has accelerated at a fantastic pace.

I'll post the date/time when we get it nailed down.

But for those of you who have been asking about the program, the man with all the answers is coming to Cruise Control.

Motivation

As the new program takes hold and the weight loss increases, I've been thinking a lot of late about motivation.

Why am I doing what I'm doing? How and why do I keep going? Why have I made it this far, far beyond any other attempt to lose weight in my life?

The reasons are many.

First, without a doubt, is my family. I've touched on this in the past, but it remains true. I want to be around for my daughters. I want to grow old with my wife. I want my kids to see something they've never seen - a father who is in shape and active and can do things that I simply haven't been able to do for much, if not all, of their lives.

Then there's the personal motivation. I miss being able to play sports. I hate the way I've felt for most of the last 20 years. I'm tired of the back pain, the shortness of breath. From a health standpoint, I'm tired of being a walking time bomb.

And lately there's been an even darker motivation.

Not a day goes by that I don't have a mental image of Anthony Bell. And it's not the smiling, happy, pat-on-the-back Anthony I want to remember. The Anthony everyone loved, and still loves.

No. The mental image I get is of Anthony lying in that oversized casket, draped with a Clemson Tiger flag. Arms by his side instead of crossed over his chest. Clutching an orange flower.

Gone.

I can't begin to describe the impact that's had on me. And any time I find myself wavering, or if the weights at Coops are getting too heavy and I want to quit, that image of Anthony is usually what comes to mind.

Folks, there's motivation. And then there's motivation.

Anthony ultimately lost his battle.

I'd like to think he'd be proud of me for continuing the fight.

More Progress

Weigh-In today. Another pound gone since Monday, making six for the week.

So that's 86 total, and my weight is now 393.

The Scorecard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7
Week 34 - Lost 2
Week 35 - Lost 5
Week 36 - GAINED 4
Week 37 - Lost 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 38 - No Weigh-In. New Program
Week 39 - Lost 10
Week 40 - Lost 7
Week 41 - Lost 2
Week 42 - Lost 6

Quick Update

It's not my official weigh-in day, but I always look at the scales on Monday to judge how things went over the weekend.

This morning I'm down five more pounds. That's a weight of 394, for a total of 85 pounds gone.

Fifteen pounds away from 100.

Gotta run because it's almost time for my show to begin, but I've been thinking a lot on motivation of late. And I'll have something along those lines for you before too long.

And as always, keep the comments and emails coming.

First Real Milestone

When I started this blog back in December, at the beginning of my journey, I didn't tell you or anyone else my starting weight.

I said I would after a while, and had a couple of possible milestones in mind as the right time to do so. Well, I hit one of them this morning, and now is the right time.

As I expected, I had lost two pounds when I hit the scales this morning. I'm over my setback, and things are rolling again. Thankfully.

And if you've been keeping count, the two pounds lost means I've ditched a total of 80 pounds as of this morning. Why is that significant?

The 80th pound is the one that dropped me under 400 for the first time in almost a decade.

So do the math. The sad but true fact is that when I started this whole thing over nine months ago I topped out at 479 pounds. That's after graduating high school at 195 pounds in 1985.

Some had made a habit of openly guessing my weight on message boards. Well, now you don't have to guess.

As of today, it's 399 pounds.

And falling.

The Scorecard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7
Week 34 - Lost 2
Week 35 - Lost 5
Week 36 - GAINED 4
Week 37 - Lost 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 38 - No Weigh-In. New Program
Week 39 - Lost 10
Week 40 - Lost 7
Week 41 - Lost 2

Whoops!

Had my first setback in the new program.

It was really minor, but as I've found out even a small misstep can cause a slowdown in the weight loss.

Back to back days this week I got caught out, having to eat food I hadn't prepared for myself. And on the one hand, I did really well. Baked chicken, plain potato, green beans, salad, and whole wheat bread. Both days.

Sounds healthy, but because of the amount of sodium used in preparation of the foods, it caused a slowdown in my system. So, after 21 pounds in two weeks, I'm likely only going to be down a couple of pounds by weigh-in time tomorrow morning.

Still, it was a valuable lesson. And when I talked to Vernon about it at Monday's workout he told me not to get discouraged. Getting back on track will have me down another five pounds or so by the weekend.

And I'm not discouraged. More ticked off at myself than anything. And I am back on track, so we'll see how it goes.

And really, even if it is just two pounds, that's two pounds more I'll never see again.

As long as you're moving forward, you're not falling back.

Upping The Ante

Today was the second of my back-to-back workout days with Vernon.

I do three days a week - Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Each session lasts an hour.

Though I haven't actually gathered an accurate count, we generally do 9-10 different exercises each day. Seems to be blocks of threes, each block focusing on a different part of the body. It doesn't always work this way, but through three weeks of sessions that appears to be about normal.

For instance, today we worked on thighs, hamstrings and biceps. Three different exercises for each one, all at varying weights.

Yesterday it was chest, shoulders and triceps.

Apparently what's happening is I'm burning fat by building lean muscle. That, along with the eating program, has led to losing over 20 pounds in the first two weeks.

But it hasn't come without a price. Two of the three workouts Vernon put me through this week were tough (of course, when you've spent the better part of 23 years sitting on your whazoo, any kind of exercise it tough).

However, Vernon says my stamina is getting better, and that he's intentionally ramping up the intensity of the workouts. Bit by bit.

So literally, what doesn't kill me is going to make me stronger. At least that's the understanding I have.

The thing I like so far about Vernon - well, one of many things - but in this particular case is his soft but stern manner. He has a way of motivating without getting in your face and screaming at you. At least to this point.

What's surprising is that I haven't yelled at him yet...LOL. But seriously, I'm trying my best to take it all in stride and keep working as hard as I can.

Because make no mistake. I still hate going to the gym. But I've already seen the benefits of working with Vernon, so there's no way I'm going to quit now.

And maybe, just maybe, someday the gym and I will come to an uneasy truce.

Another Great Week

Hit the scales again this morning.

Down another 7 pounds total. That's 78 overall since the third week of December.

Talk about positive motivation and reinforcement. This is the kind of thing that makes Vernon kicking my butt worth it.

One meal, one workout, one day at a time. Gotta keep that mindset.

The Scorecard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7
Week 34 - Lost 2
Week 35 - Lost 5
Week 36 - GAINED 4
Week 37 - Lost 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 38 - No Weigh-In. New Program
Week 39 - Lost 10
Week 40 - Lost 7

Weekend Wrapup

Sorry for the delay in updating, but it was a crazy weekend.

Weigh-in day isn't until Wednesday, but I took my usual trip to the scales this morning to see how I fared over the weekend.

I've lost another five pounds, which brings my total to 76. And still two days to go.

The meal plan is getting a bit easier, too. But I had trouble lifting my arms because of the soreness in my shoulders after last Thursday's workout.

Feeling better now. But I'm back in the gym today.

Can't wait to see what happens next.

Wednesday Follow-Up

Worked out with Vernon again today. Every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

He turned the heat up on me just a bit, but it was good. I'm exhausted tonight, but it's a good kind of tired. It's been a while since I had that feeling.

This whole process continues to be a psychological study-in-waiting. Moods up and down. Motivation up and down. If there's an emotion out there, I've had it.

And yet you step on the scales today, as I did, and see that great number...Well, it makes it all worth while.

We can only hope I feel the same way after tomorrow.

Because while Vernon may not be out to kill me (he reads this...Hello Vernon), he apparently won't be shy about inflicting pain on my bloated body.

But it's a good pain. Right Vernon?

Weigh-In Day

Okay. First time on the scales (officially) in two weeks. Been on my new program for a week.

And the results? I've now lost 71 pounds.

That's down 10 from the last posted weigh-in. But really in that ensuing week I had gained back four pounds. So in the last week I've lost 14 pounds.

But it goes in the official book this week as losing 10.

The new program is off to a good start. And note the line to indicate the beginning of the program.

The Scorecard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7
Week 34 - Lost 2
Week 35 - Lost 5
Week 36 - GAINED 4
Week 37 - Lost 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 38 - No Weigh-In. New Program
Week 39 - Lost 10

Headed In The Right Direction

Just got back from my workout with Vernon at the gym.

Today was a bit more difficult because we worked chest, shoulders and triceps. And as I intimated in a previous post, upper body strength is not my strong suit. Except for my right arm.

I should be somewhat embarrassed about my lack of strength, but then what do I expect? When you do your curls 12 ounces at a time, as I did for a long time, or do the fork lift too often you're going to end up a little weak. Throw in an almost fanatical lack of exercise, and you have the finished product I was displaying until last December.

But things are looking up. The food plan is working, though the adjustment has been a bit difficult. Still, I took a cursory look at the scales this morning for the first time in almost two weeks and the results were fairly startling.

I'll save the numbers for Wednesday, but it would appear I'm off to a running start.

Just gotta keep moving forward. One day, one meal, one session at a time.

That's what I keep telling myself.

One Day Down

Had my first full workout with Vernon, my personal trainer, on Friday.

It went surprisingly well. Although, as I write this (Saturday, almost noon, from the football press box at Clemson) I know I'll be very sore tomorrow. The second day is always the worst.

I say it went well. I haven't really decided if I did okay or if Vernon is waiting a few days before he tries to kill me.

I suppose we'll know soon enough. All I know is that on Wednesday he put me through a quick 20-minute workout to gauge my strength (or lack of it) so he would know how much weight to start off with on each exercise.

Yesterday, my shoulder joints were so sore I could barely lift my arms. But I did.

Vernon also has discovered an interesting phenomenon that I knew would be an issue. What strength I do have is very right-handed.

Comes from never lifting any kind of weights, and at the same time all those years of playing and coaching baseball. My right arm is more developed - such as it is - than my left arm. So when I'm lifting weights during these drills, I have to make a conscience effort to keep my left arm from lagging behind.

Vernon says it won't take long for it to catch up. Vernon is a big man. I believe what he says.

My regular workout schedule is an hour three times a week - Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

With just a shade more than three months left before I reach the year mark in this effort of mine, it will be interesting to see:

1. - How faithful I can stay to this deal. And,

2 - How successful it will be.

As always, stay tuned.

Starting Over

Completed my first day on my new meal plan today.

Starting over ain't all it's cracked up to be.

Probably because I wasn't as faithful as I should have been, and also probably because a low-carb diet fits my love of things like steak, burgers, chicken, etc., today was a rough one. Pacing the floor rough, if you know what I mean.

This plan is low fat, no salt, no sugar - unless it's in the carbs I'm allowed to eat. They include baked potato, rice, pasta, oatmeal. I can eat green veggies. And for meats I can have chicken and turkey breast, london broil, 96 percent fat free ground beef, and tuna. I could eat more fish, but I don't like fish.

The carbs and protiens are portioned out over four meals a day. I can eat green veggies in every meal.

As for fruit, I can have strawberries and cantalope as a between-meal snack whenever I want. Apples, watermelon, oranges, etc. I can only have one of each every 2-3 days.

I drink water, unsweetened tea, crystal light and the occasional diet sprite or diet 7-up.

And I work with a trainer three days a week. Tomorrow is the first full workout day.

Should be fun, eh?

Meeting With Mr. America

Had my meeting today with a guy named John DeFendis.

Turns out he was only Mr. USA in 1988 and considered a legend in the bodybuilding industry.

His list of accomplishments are too many to fill this page. His list of clients, the famous and the ordinary, too long to recite. His television appearances too numerous to watch in a short period of time.

And he is volunteering to help me.

John and I exchanged emails way back in the early stages of this whole deal, but at the time I told him that I wanted - needed, really - to do it on my own. I needed to prove to myself that I could start something like this and stay with it long-term. I needed to find the motivation to finally put the failures behind me and do something about my ridiculous weight gain over the last 22 years.

Now, however, roughly nine months into it, it's time for help.

As I've said recently, I am in unchartered territory here. I have kept at this program longer than any other. And though the last couple of months have been sketchy, by and large it's been a success.

But ultimately I'm not going to maintain long-term weight loss on a low-carb diet. And we all know that exercise - which I have shunned with a passion - is essential to getting all the excess weight off and then keeping it off.

So, Wednesday I go meet with one of John's trainers in Anderson. We lay down a meal plan. He begins training me 3-4 times per week. And, if all goes well, my goal to be half the man I was in December gets catapulted into a whole new stratosphere (I reason that if I'm twice the man I used to be, as I tell people, don't I want to become half the man I already am? Chew on that one for a while).

In any event, for the next couple of weeks I won't be posting weigh-in totals. It will take that long for my body to get acclimated to the switch in diets. But when I do start posting again, it will take into consideration the weeks I skipped.

I will also be drawing line - literally - separating Week 37 from Week 38 and below, signalling the start of this new phase of my program.

As much as I hate the idea of the gym, I'm actually excited about this. Talking with John and Vernon - his top trainer - today, I got the feeling I was important to them. That I mattered.

And most importantly that I'm not going to be taken advantage of by either of them.

In the grand scheme of things, you can't ask for any more than that.

I will keep blogging during the next two weeks. So keep reading.

And keeping offering up the comments and emails of support. I need all of them I can get.

A Little Help From A Friend?

Hadn't intended on posting so infrequently this week.

But the schedule changes due to the fear of bad weather kind of threw everything into a frenzy. Plus my brother and his wife are in town.

And my youngest daughter broke her ankle earlier today at fall softball practice. Got called out of the press box at Clemson for that one. Nothing like spending a college football Saturday in the emergency room.

Thankfully she's okay, and remains in pretty good spirits.

Anyway, I mentioned in a previous post or two that I may have some help on the way. Well, Monday afternoon I meet with a professional trainer to see what we can come up with.

If all goes well, I'll be hitting the gym soon.

God help me.

Better Than Expected

Just got to the office after weighing in this morning.

I was down three pounds this week, after being up four pounds on my bye week. I still have to think that the gain the previous week was due to finally being completely over the stomach virus. At least that's what I'm telling myself.

So anyway, I sit at 61 pounds lost. And maybe - just maybe - I've got some momentum heading in the right direction.

And as I'm writing this. I just got a phone call. Help may be on the way.

One other note. As of today, I'm 15 weeks away from doing this for a full year. Needless to say this is uncharted territory for me.

In any event, here's The Scorecard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7
Week 34 - Lost 2
Week 35 - Lost 5
Week 36 - GAINED 4
Week 37 - Lost 3

Back In The Saddle

I'm back.

Tomorrow I'll hit the scales again and see where we are. I expect to be up 2-3 pounds, because even though I didn't post a weigh-in last week I did hop on the scales. And I was up a bit, even after what I considered to be a strong week. What I figured was that my body finally bounced all the way back from the stomach virus.

In any event, I would like to tell you that there's been some big revelation this past week. That I found the Holy Grail. That the motivation I've been lacking suddenly came to me in a moment of devine intervention.

I'd like to tell you all that. But the reality is that I'm no more mentally stable than I was last week when I signed off.

And I guess that's to be expected as I try to get over this latest hurdle. I've been bouncing around between 57-62 pounds gone now for about two months, and can't seem to move forward.

The temptations are harder to ignore. The motivation is waning. The fight is getting harder and harder.

So, I've started looking for help. There may be something on the horizon. I'm not sure yet.

But as soon as I know, you will.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Bye Week

I'm considering this a bye week. Schedule just picked up dramatically. Situation with Anthony. Mentally I just needed a break. Weigh-ins will resume next week.

Sad Evening

Just got back from the funeral home in Liberty.

Anthony's family was receiving friends tonight. The funeral is tomorrow and I won't be able to go because of work, so I wanted to make sure I saw him this evening.

It was a difficult thing, as you might imagine. But I did get to meet Anthony's sister, Pam, and several other members of his family. And I'm pleased to report that there was a huge crowd there, people coming in and out the entire time.

Goes to show how well loved he was.

But it goes to one of my fundamental pet peeves. Often we don't show how much we care or appreciate someone until after they're gone. And then it's too late. At least for the deceased.

That idea - honoring and appreciating someone while they're still alive to enjoy it - is the genesis of a plan we're going to implement at Upstate Challenger Sports. If all goes according to plan, early next year we're going to pick out someone to honor and throw a massive dinner for them. Guest speaker. The whole works.

That's in the future, though. Unfortuantely, Anthony's future was cut short. But his memory lives on.

And as much as I hate funeral homes (another story for another time), I'm glad I went tonight.

Rest in peace, Anthony.

In Memory of Anthony Bell

I just got off the phone with a guy named Joel Aiken.

Joel and his best friend, Anthony Bell, have both been fans of the station - and my show - for years. I've gotten to know both extremely well, and consider both friends.

Joel called to inform me that Anthony's family found him dead in his bed about three hours ago. Apparently he had been gone for some time, maybe as long as 12 hours before his body was discovered.

Body was discovered. Sounds so impersonal. So news-ish. Such an unfit ending for a young man who loved God, loved his family, and loved his Clemson Tigers.

For someone who was trying desperately to save his own life, Anthony deserved a better fate.

You see, Anthony and I are - or were - in a similar battle. A battle with obesity. But as big as I am, Anthony was - and I'm guessing here - probably 300 pounds heavier than me.

He and Joel were an odd couple. But a fun-loving odd couple.

Anthony and his beat up old van, lugging both Joel and himself around town. Be it to practice or to one of my show lunch stops. Here they'd come. Anthony always looking out for his little buddy Joel, who would either be on crutches or negotiating his way around in a wheelchair.

There were numerous times in the past three or four years that Anthony and I had talked at length about our weight issues. Everything from where to buy clothing that would fit, to trying to find the motivation to lose weight and get back part of our lives.

Ultimately we both found the motivation. But we chose different paths.

Whereas I began my current program in December, Anthony chose to have gastric bypass surgery. It was a long, excruciating decision for him I know. But ultimately he decided it was the best path for him to take.

He had the surgery in April, and when he last weighed in just a week or so ago Anthony had lost over 150 pounds. He'd had some minor complications, Joel told me. Things like dehydration and ulcers.

But the doctors apparently attributed it to the stress he was under not from the surgery, but from the constant vigil he held over his terminally ill father.

Anthony lost his father less than a month ago. The last conversation I had with him was that day, when he called to tell me his dad had passed away. We talked for probably 20-25 minutes, and at the end Anthony kept telling me how much he loved me, as only a Christian man could.

I told him that his dad wasn't suffering anymore, and that he had lived long enough to see Anthony take the step to extend his own life.

Whether that step - the surgery - was ultimately responsible for his death won't be known for a few days. An autopsy is scheduled before the funeral takes place.

Gastric bypass surgery is dangerous. It has a mortality rate with it. And it's because of those risks that I chose not to have it.

Again, I don't know what killed Anthony. I don't know if there were surgical complications that went undetected. I don't know if he lost too much weight too quickly and his heart couldn't take it.

I don't know if it was just his time. Time for him to be with his dad.

What I do know is that as I sit here writing this, it's hard to imagine that he's really gone. And, as you might imagine, it really hits home.

We shared a love of sports. We shared a love of radio, albeit from different sides of the business. And we shared a battle that some of you know well, but many of you never will.

And now he's gone. And I'm still here.

And I can't help but wonder why.

Anthony was a preacher, a singer, a foundation and a fan. An uncomplicated man, his loves were simple, and they were pure.

I can only hope he went peacefully. I can only pray he's at peace.

Keep his family in your prayers. Joel too. Joel likely will have to preach his best friend's funeral this week.

And on a much less important note, keep me in your thoughts and prayers, too.

This one hurts. And it's going to take some time to get over.

Smack Me, Please

This is the kind of stupid thing I do.

I had a great weigh-in today. Back-to-back weeks with a loss for the first time in ages. I follow that up with a good day, food-wise. No overeating. Staying within my limits. Drinking the requisite lake full of water.

Then my wife comes home from church, carrying a pizza. Left over from the youth meeting tonight.

Initially, no problem. Just grab the top off one piece and leave the crust alone. Pepperoni and cheese. Fits into my low carb diet, and a nice little diversion from the norm.

Twenty minutes later, I ate a whole piece. Crust and all.

Now, an hour afterwards, I'm beating myself up over succumbing to the temptation.

Understand, one piece of pizza in the course of the week will mean little in the grand scheme of things. But it's that kind of action - that weakness - that has haunted me throughout the last couple of months.

And, really, for the last 22 years or so.

A piece of pizza here, something else there. No problem, I say. I've got it under control.

Next thing you know, BOOM.

Weight gain.

This is my quandry in a nutshell. Constant, daily small battles wrapped inside this huge war I'm fighting.

Welcome to my world, boys and girls. Keep your hands and feet inside the car.

Positive Momentum

Been a couple of months since this has happened.

'Bout time. Now at 62 total.

The Scorecard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7
Week 34 - Lost 2
Week 35 - Lost 5

Post-Virus Update

I popped over to Clemson this morning for my usual post-weekend gander at the scales.

No numbers here, because my official weigh-in day isn't until Wednesday, but I was down a fairly dramatic number. For me anyway.

I've had a very good week so far. And then there was the virus that wiped me out for 24 hours beginning last Wednesday afternoon. In fact, I can't help but wonder if I'm still showing some of the effects of that whole ordeal.

While in the past my weight would come back within a day or so after such an episode, it doesn't appear to be happening this time. At least through this morning. And up until yesterday I was still having a little grab in my calves from time to time, as if they wanted to cramp up on me.

Well, we'll know for sure Wednesday morning.

I just want another week with a loss. It's been a while since I posted back-to-back winning weeks.

By the way, those of you who started this with me back in December, where are you?

Talk to me.

Not What I Had In Mind

I've been looking for a little kick-start to get back in the swing of things. But this is ridiculous.

Wednesday when I got home from my after-show lunch, I was hit by some sort of stomach virus. I haven't felt that bad in a long, long time.

I lost so much fluid that my arms and legs began cramping as the evening went on. A nurse friend of ours wanted me to go to the emergency room for an IV, but I didn't feel like moving. Instead I settled for Gatorade and hoped for the best. Thankfully, that was enough to get me through the night.

I did go in and do my show on Thursday, though I really shouldn't have. It was early Thursday evening before things finally seemed to get back to normal. Even today, though, I'm still feeling a little tug in my calves.

Had I the time Thursday morning, I would have popped over to Clemson to see what the scales said. Would have been interesting, I'm sure.

As it was, I was lucky to be upright at all.

What effect will it have on this week? I guess we'll find out soon.

Starting Over, Starting Slow

Weigh-In Day. Trying to approach things with a new attitude.

So, finding out this morning I lost two pounds over the last week has me feeling pretty good. Let's hope it's the beginning of a good, long stretch of positive (or should that be negative?) weeks.

The Scorecard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7
Week 34 - Lost 2

Spinning Wheel

Just a quick note here. Checked the scales this morning, and the report was encouraging.

Don't know what's going on here, but I can tell you this. I thought I was fairly stable emotionally. As this experience progresses, I'm not so sure anymore.

I might be a candidate for Springer before too much longer.

Okay, not quite that bad. But you get the idea.

I've been seriously considering just checking out for a week or two. No blog updates, nothing. But after some thought I realized that isn't going to help anything. I have to find the mindset I had at the beginning, all the way back in December.

To that end, I've gone back and re-read my blog, start to finish, for the first time - reminding myself of why I started and how far I've come.

Lately I've been dreading weigh-in day, worried about the damage I'd done. It wasn't that way in the beginning. I was excited about hitting the scales.

If it sounds confusing or meandering, it well may be. I'm not sure if I'm making any sense or not.

But one thing I'm not going to do is quit. Not again. Not this time.

I've got too much at stake.

Finding "It" Again

I've had nearly 36 hours to digest yesterday's weigh-in.

While I still don't know how a seven-pound gain is possible, I have spent some time in quiet reflection on my situation. I've been looking at the past couple of months, not just last week.

In the heat of battle, the major issues appeared to be temptations while traveling and other assorted cheating. And those have played a role in my current position, that of a man trying very hard to remain calm while the quicksand slowly rises around his ears.

The bigger issue, though, is this: Slowly, over the course of time, I've made little allowances that have turned into bad habits. Too much diet soda. A small piece of bread nicked from my wife's dinner. Little bits of dessert and/or other forbidden foods.

Yeah, it's only a bite here or a dab there. But it adds up, and suddenly I've realized that the program I started back in December isn't exactly what I'm doing now.

I'm still eating better, but I've got to make myself get back to the hard-line stance I had early on.

No more "It's just this" or "It's just that."

Willpower. I don't have nearly enough of it. Not lately.

And that's where I am today. Searching.

Again.

Point of Exasperation

I thought I had seen it all during this process. But I hadn't.

One week after the scales showed I lost six pounds, today when I weighed-in they showed I had GAINED seven.

Gained seven.

How the hell is that possible? I ate less food this week than I did last week. For the last two weeks I've stayed closer to the diet than I have in a while. Down six one week, then up seven the next?

I even called Danny Poole, the head trainer at Clemson to see if something was wrong with the scales. But he tested, checked, weighed himself and they are exactly where they should be.

I'm really too stunned to be upset. Almost numb, even.

Going into this process I thought I was a fairly strong person, emotionally. And for the most part I have been. But I don't know if I can take swings like this.

If I did something to warrant such a gain, I'd admit it. But seven pounds? You've got to be kidding me.

I just don't know what to say, how to react, or how to even begin to process something like this.

The Scorecard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6
Week 33 - GAINED 7

Taking A Breath...

Finally have a quiet moment alone to further update Ye Olde Blog.

I'm sitting in the main area of the press box here at the J.B. (Red) Owens Complex in Easley, again site of the Big League World Series. This is the eighth year Easley has hosted the event, but the first our station has broadcast games.

We - well, I - decided we would do 16 of them over the course of the eight days, and it's been a blast. The only trouble, if you want to call it that, is getting up for my show at 7 a.m. every morning and not getting back in bed in the evenings until midnight or later. It's been that way all week, but that's fine.

I'm getting to do baseball on the radio. What more could I ask?

This tournament is one reason I believe I had such a good weigh-in yesterday, losing the six pounds. Since Saturday of last week, I've been working day and night and haven't had time to think about cheating on the diet plan.

As long as I'm busy, the cravings don't bother me. I get hungry, yes. But then I eat at the appointed meal time here at the stadium and I continue with my work. I suppose it's the old "eat for fuel, not for pleasure" deal (although I will admit that Tuesday night, the night before my weigh-in, someone brought funnel cake and deep-fried Oreos to the press box. I'd never had a deep fried Oreo. So I tried one. Unbelievably good!!! Fortunately, it didn't hurt me. And that's the only slip-up I've had in over a week).

Anyway, the other help has been the constant water-drinking I'm doing while on the air. Sometimes I get out of habit and don't drink as much as I should. Not often, but it has happened. It did on vacation (so did a number of other things, apparently).

The point is, I suppose, that I got back to a business-like approach this week and it paid off.

Now the trick is to keep it up. I need to string some positive weeks together and get my average back up.

Oh, and keep the comments coming. I really do read every single one of them.

If this blog ever becomes a book, they'll all be included.

Free Falling...

Not much time right now, because I'm in a break on my show. But today was weigh-in day.

After running in place, and even losing ground, over the past few weeks, I finally put up a crooked number in the right column.

Scales at Clemson today said I was down six pounds. That's 61 total.

More later on why I believe the turnaround happened. But needless to say, my mood is a bit brighter today.

The scorecard:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2
Week 32 - Lost 6

Catching Up

This week has been a blur because of the work I've been doing putting together the Big League World Series broadcasts that we have currently the air every day at WCCP. Just haven't been able to get to the blog until now.

Checked the scales this morning and the news was good. Just have to hold it together for the next two days.

The key this week has been getting back on track, food-wise. My bad habits from being on the road carried over. As one of the folks who commented on an earlier post surmised, it didn't just end with "a handful of potato chips and a few Oreo cookies." It was way too many of both, and some other off-limits treats on top of it.

I'll expand more on the mental struggle I've been going through later, when I have more time. But I want to say thanks for all the comments of encouragement and attempts to kick me in the ass.

I do appreciate it, and keep it coming.

Funk = Weight Gain

I will have more to say about this week's weigh-in later. But here's the scorecard, updated with this morning's results:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)
Week 31 - GAINED 2

Slow To Come Around

I'm still here, just been keeping to myself.

Been in something of a funk all week.

Wife and kids are out of town on a church youth trip to the beach. Having to deal with some family stuff on my own in their absence. Also, I have to figure out how to drive two cars at once to the garage to get brakes fixed on the same day.

And at work, things behind the scenes have been extremely frustrating of late.

On top of all that, despite my declaration at the end of my last post, I'm not real confident in tomorrow's weigh-in.

As my mood has darkened this week, again I've allowed myself to make excuses and allowances. A handful of potato chips here, a few Oreo cookies there...all small temptations I couldn't pass up. And those are things I haven't been giving in to through this entire process.

The last couple of days have been much better, but late last week and into the weekend might have doomed me to another gain this week.

I suppose we shall find out in the morning.

Weigh-In Day

First time on the scale in two weeks, coming off vacation.

I gained one pound in the last two weeks.

On one hand, that's not bad. I cheated a bit while we were away, but I also got a significant amount of exercise walking around those blasted theme parks. So to have gained a pound really isn't that big a deal.

Except to me, now, it is a big deal. I've been treading water for a few weeks now, and I still find it way to easy to make excuses or write off the one pound here or one pound there.

At some point, enough is enough.

I'm not one to make bold predictions most of the time, but I'll be surprised if I have another weight gain anytime soon.

Anyway, the scorecard after 30 weeks:

Week One - Lost 9
Week Two - Lost 3
Week Three - Lost 3
Week Four - Lost 0
Week Five - Lost 9
Week Six - Lost 5
Week Seven - GAINED 2
Week Eight - Lost 0
Week Nine - Lost 5
Week 10 - Lost 1
Week 11 - Lost 3
Week 12 - Lost 0
Week 13 - Lost 7
Week 14 - Lost 1
Week 15 - GAINED 3
Week 16 - Lost 5
Week 17 - GAINED 3
Week 18 - Lost 4
Week 19 - Lost 3
Week 20 - Lost 0
Week 21 - Lost 6
Week 22 - No Weigh-In Due To Traveling
Week 23 - Lost 1 (Covers Week 22 as well)
Week 24 - No Weigh-In Due to Schedule Change
Week 25 - Lost 0 (Covers Week 24 as well)
Week 26 - Lost 1
Week 27 - Results thrown out due to scale malfunction
Week 28 - GAINED 1
Week 29 - No Weigh-In Due To Vacation
Week 30 - GAINED 1 (Covers Week 29 as well)

Home Again

It's Saturday morning. Made it back home shortly before 8 p.m. Friday.

Had a great trip. The kids had a blast, and that's the most important thing. Adding my nephew to the mix with my two daughters was a laugh riot pretty much the entire trip. Couldn't have asked for a better time.

After Kings Island last Monday, we went to Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio) on Wednesday. Again, I was able to get around the park with no weight-related issues. I was, however, very sore of feet and legs - they're not used to that much walking, at least not yet.

Thursday at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland was a little worse, from a soreness standpoint.

But still, all in all, one thousand percent better than I was on vacation last year.

Wednesday's weigh-in will be interesting, because I did cheat a bit while gone. But we'll see. Not going to lose any sleep over it.

But now that we're back in town and back to the regular routine, it's time to tighten up.

Fun is fun. But it's time to rededicate myself to this process and quit treading water.

The kids have their roller coasters, I have mine.

One Down

Made it through Kings Island yesterday without much difficulty.

Sore legs and feet. But no problems walking around, no gasping for air, no back pain. A world of difference from almost exactly one year ago.

It points out the obvious to me. If I'm doing this well after losing roughly 60 pounds, how well will I be after another 60?

It comes down to mindset, and something I catch myself doing too often. When I have success, have a good week, my first reaction is "Celebrate. I can relax for a while now."

Instead I should be kicking myself in the ass to do better. To do more. To work harder.

More than six months in, and that's still an issue. I suppose I thought it would get better a bit more quickly.

Chalk up another lesson learned.

Anyway, today is a travel day. Heading to Sandusky, Ohio, where tomorrow we take in Cedar Point. By the time this trip is over, my kids and nephew will have had their fill of roller coasters.

At least for a little while.

First Of Two

Today is the first of two theme parks in three days.

My legs already hurt.

Should be two good days of exercise, though. At least that's the plan.

Took in two Cincinnati-Washington games this weekend. Both wins for the good guys. Nice time at the park, and did very well controlling the eating. So far, so good.

But the highlight, from a parental standpoint:

My youngest daughter, a Reds fanatic, got to meet her favorite player - Adam Dunn. Got an autograph, a picture and a hug. She was so excited she was shaking and nearly cried.

Can't remember when I've seen a smile so big.

Unless it was her daddy, watching the whole scene play out.