Wednesday, October 29, 2008

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

Monday, October 27, 2008

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.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

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.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

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

Saturday, October 18, 2008

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?

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

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

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

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, October 12, 2008

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.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

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.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

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

Monday, October 6, 2008

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.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

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