Fatbet - Join Us

Every few months or so I start up a new Fatbet with family or friends. It has kept me in check and has provided me with some healthy competition for this whole weight loss gig.

What the heck is Fatbet? Fatbet.net was started by a few guys back in 2007 when they realized that their upcoming Hawaii vacation was looming and a conversation (bash fest) started about who was fatter and who could lose more weight by the time they left. After a very early version of the newer, polished website they realized that losing some weight could be a fun and competitive sport. Fatbet was born! For their whole story, check this page out.

Basically you get a group of people together interested in losing some pudge. You set a wager or a penalty to make it competitive then everyone sets their goals. Your actual weight is never shown but the amount you want to lose is shown. There is also a message board where you can write in taunts and/or encouragement to each other. I have found that there is some taunting but it always ends up on the encouraging side because as you lose you want others around you to succeed as well!

With that, I'm writing today to invite anyone who would like to lose a few pounds to join in on our newest Fatbet!! It started today and will run through August 31st. A penalty or wager has not been set yet, though...that is still up for debate.

Check it out at Fatbet.net and if you decide you'd like to join us (which I really hope you will!) then click on this link: http://www.fatbet.net/joinbetreg.aspx?JoinBetId=2953&Digest=4BPVANrZzwI7m4aozBGDlQ

Hope to see you on there...or, at least hear about yours:)

100 Push-Ups : Final Update

I opened my mouth a few weeks ago and now I'm starting to wonder if it was what I said that is making baby not want to come out. I mentioned that I made a goal of doing 100 consecutive push-ups before baby was born! Idiot...who puts that kind of pressure on their self (or their unborn child) but me?!

Last night I finished my 3rd day of week 6...the final day of the prep. All I have left to do now is 100 push-ups. I'm ready. I've taken all the necessary steps and it's on me now. What will it take to succeed? Ugh. One thing I noticed right away when I'm doing a long set like that is I get extremely bored and agitated. I'm not even really tired and I want to give up because it's an annoying motion to keep going through. Hard to explain but my goal is to put that all aside, put it behind me so I can finish this little challenge. Maybe tonight I'll give it my first shot!? Seconds after I finished my 9 sets of over 245 push-ups, Sally looked at me, congratulated me then said... "Oh great, now you can finish and do your 100 tomorrow?!" I laughed.

So, maybe tonight then? One thing that I'm excited about and gives me confidence is that after a big night of push-ups I awoke to little or no pain. My muscles have no recollection of the stress put on them last night. I kind of wanted to be sore to prove that what I've been doing is not going unnoticed by my own body...hmmm. I'm over it.

Wish me luck...and if you are just starting this challenge...keep at it. It's flipping hard at times but you will be SO surprised at what your body is capable of. I remember on week 3 looking at week 6 and thinking, "oh hell no, there is no way!!"

I'm on the third week of Sit-ups and am about to start the squats! I'm excited:)

Good luck to the newbies...Cheri, Dennis, Chris and Natosha! Let me know how you guys are doing!! I'm gonna keep you honest right here on this little blog of mine:)

National Doughnut Day?

Yes, it really exists. It was created by The Salvation Army back in 1917 as a way to boost morale of soldiers fighting in WWI. It takes place on the 1st Friday of every June.

Did I celebrate? Yes.
Was it because I need a boost in morale (and sugar)? No.

Without bringing my political views into my blog (which may be a little unavoidable) I have to explain my thoughts on eating doughnuts. I would have to say it reminds me of the saying "Guns don't kill people. People kill people." But people wouldn't kill people with guns if there weren't guns around. (told you, couldn't be avoided).

Anyways, it reminds me of it because doughnuts alone will not make me a fat ass again. Eating 5 doughnuts in a day every week will, though. True story, I used to work for my dad and this saleslady brought in two boxes of doughnuts every Tuesday (or Wednesday?) and since my job was "cleanup kid" I could roam the shop and not worry about getting in trouble. I would "clean" the lunchroom on that day every week. I honestly used to scarf down or "cleanup" about 3 - 5 of those fried delights...glazed ones, powdery goo filled ones, fritters, maple bars, etc, etc...

Today I had just one. I feel like hell now but it reminded me of the time when I stomached triple the amount and probably mixed it with a Mountain Dew. What I'm trying to say is that over time I've changed and I don't "need" the doughnut fix. I realized it back then and went cold turkey and didn't eat a doughnut for over 6 years...I broke when Krispy Kremes were introduced to Seattle. And since, I've only had them here and there.

I changed my mind about how to deal with food and have found a very satisfying balance. I never deprive myself, ever. I can do the cold turkey route but if I like something then I should be able to have a taste every once-in-a-while, right? Well, that's how I see it. I spent the better part of my journey getting my eating habits in check. I've discovered how I work and I've enjoyed life along the way.

Instead of a big bowl of ice cream...I enjoy a few scoops in a cup.
Instead of 5 doughnuts...I have just one
Instead of a bag of chips (full-size)...I dump a portion into a bowl and then stop. (sometimes I stop, chips are my kryptonite)
Instead of many cheap, weak beers...I go for a few nice beers.

Calories are important...they are one of the most important parts of the whole calculation of weight loss. We know that. But, I'd argue with anyone that deprivation will be the downfall of your weight loss goals! When you finally break, the guilt that comes with that is so big that it will throw you into such a funk that "you might as well just keep eating whatever you want because you've already failed yourself!" Trust me, I've been there...many, many, many times.

So, go enjoy a doughnut...celebrate this strange holiday!
(and don't play with guns or deprivation, they are both killers in their own ways!)

Congrats to Andrew!

My blog buddy from New Zealand, Andrew, just completed his first marathon! He masterfully recapped his experience on his blog "Andrew is getting fit"...I urge you to check it out!!!

In it, he quotes a poster that was put up near the end of the race...it hit a nice chord for me too. "It's not that I finished but that I had the courage to start."

Nice work Andrew!

Humbled...

Part of what makes writing day in and day out (or every 4th day;) so interesting and rewarding is the people you connect with. Old friends, family and people on the other side of the world have come to this blog to leave me a comment or two... I've been inspired by them and have somehow inspired them, too.

I didn't really struggle at weight loss in the past few years because I wasn't trying to lose weight. For many years I just lived. I ate what I wanted, drank what I wanted, both too quickly. That's a recipe for disaster. Yeah, I felt gross and sick at times...I felt guilty moments after eating something... I was dilusional to how I looked, yes, I've been there. I was always aware of it but I made every excuse (I still make some now)...one of my favorites that always makes me laugh is when I told Sally that "my body must like being 250 so I'll just shoot for that" Ha ha ha. Absurd!

Lately the onset of a stall... a long, boring plateau has just flipped me around. I've written about this way too many times but I kinda lost it, I just wasn't trying as hard. I'm finally feeling a resurgence as of late and have heard so many amazing comments from people around me. I want to share one from my cousin Wendy! She has hit a milestone goal for herself and I have to call her out!!! I hope this is OK Wendy:)

"I just wanted to let you know that this morning when I weighed myself, I was seeing 110! I reached my goal and I am so happy! I owe much of my motivation to your blog and really appreciate you being so honest with your journey of weight loss. For awhile I felt, after 30 you just can’t be as thin as you were in High School. You have been inspirational to me to get back in my good habits and continue to reach for my goals. I have been stuck in the “5 lbs over my goal weight” for about three years now so this day is very exciting for me. Last summer I was even 10 lbs over, so that was very difficult. I can finally fit into my Sevens…are they even in style now…it’s been awhile. I was stuck in what I called my “big girl Hudson’s” for a few years...refusing to buy bigger sized clothes except for one pair of Hudson’s I got on sale at Nordstrom’s. Just kidding…thanks, Jeff! I will continue to follow your journey as I attempt to maintain what I have accomplished. I never thought I would see 110 again, so I am proof it’s possible! I had many things going against me, but I did it to my surprise. I know you’ll be seeing 210 in no time!"

What an amazing thing to read! So happy for her...and you are safe with your Seven jeans...they are still cool :)

Have a great weekend everybody! And, keep the faith! It's gonna happen:)

"Keepin' the Faith"

It's a saying that often adorns all email communication between Dennis and me. It's not really meant in a religious aspect but more for the actual word and meaning of faith itself. Of the many definitions of this word the one that best encompasses what is meant is: the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a promise (person, engagement, etc...).

We go back and forth about our newest conquest, our newest personal record and pretty much anything that keeps us headed in the right direction. It's very evident that having support has played a HUGE role in my ability to stay the course, to keep my sites set on my goal and to keep pluggin' away!

My "faith" and obligation is only as strong as I want it to be. Fortunately, I have Dennis to keep me striving to outdo myself (or him) in various ways. He credits me for keeping him in line which is great because I have found (as most humans probably do) that it's easier to say, than do. I've done a lot of both. This blog has allowed me to "say" a lot and it in turn keeps me honest and I "do" a lot as well. That's how it works with Dennis and I.

Often times, the "faith" is my loyalty to Dennis, to Sally, my readers and to myself. I can't let them and I can't let myself down...gotta keep the faith. It will happen!

Flea Circus

You've undoubtedly read about how you can train fleas to jump a certain height, right? If you haven't read this quote… I learned about this way back in college and it stuck with me (thanks Mom & Dad for tuition, figures I'd remember the important things)… While reading this you should make a few connections with our motivation (or lack thereof) or possibly, as I've realized for myself, you'll see a pretty strong correlation between your goals or expected results and your efforts.

"Flea trainers have observed a predicable and strange habit of fleas while training them. Fleas are trained by putting them in a cardboard box with a top on it. The fleas will jump up and hit the top of the box over and over and over again. As you watch them jump and hit the lid, something very interesting becomes obvious. The fleas continue to jump, but they are no longer jumping high enough to hit the top. When you take off the lid, the fleas continue to jump, but they will not jump out of the box. They won't jump out because they can't jump out. Why? They have conditioned themselves to jump just so high."

This all came up because of a push-up email Dennis and I have been sending back and forth recently. Well, that's how it started anyway. I was doing a burnout of push-ups the other day and I got to 32ish and I stopped and got up. I had more in me, my body just said "you're done, dude, get off the filthy ground." So I did. The next day after the email thread had started and Dennis push-upped about 40 or so I got back down without any thought of how many I was going to do. I hit 51. Hmmm. When I typically do my sets of push-ups I usually stop at 25. My thought was this: have I been conditioning myself to only be able to do 25 push-ups at a time?

As the thread went on we talked about hitting this point and the awareness of our own walls and "lids"… what we haven't figured out is how to break this conditioning… how do we let ourselves achieve greater goals and see the potential? I suppose it's just "keepin' the faith" as Dennis leaves every email to me... yes, a lead in to another post... (to come)

Suckin' (warm & flowery) Air

I kept my promise yesterday and I jogged my normal 5 mile loop! Except that I was sucking air the whole way...and not to mention the trees are in bloom (pastel pinks and whites) right now so I was breathing predominantly pollen! Luckily I'm not allergic, well not that allergic to pollen... but it got to be a little overwhelming at times. It was one of the more uplifting and beautiful runs I've gone on in awhile but also one of the hardest mentally! Coming off of 3 weeks of nada (Spanish for nothing) I kept wanting to walk and almost talked myself into thinking it was smart to do so. But I persevered, I pushed on, wading through the thick, aromatic pollen blanket until I finally reached home.

My goal was to See 210 by the end of this month... at this rate that means I have about 1.25 pounds to lose per week...totally doable, especially if I'm working out regularly now too! I have a birthday party to attend tonight so it's a test. How badly do I want to make this happen? Only time will tell, in fact 24 days will tell.

I woke today feeling alive! It's that post-workout numbness that courses through your body that gives you a sense of purpose and excitement for the day to come. I love waking up early to watch the day take shape and feel like my body is doing the same! Wish me luck on the home stretch! I'll keep you posted with my progress!!!

Rolling with the Metaphors

My back is 75% now…it actually feels like 85% but I'm allowing for 10% failure rate because I'm at the point where my mind is saying it's good to go but one move in the wrong direction could have me laid up again. I was having a tough time this week getting myself motivated to try anything…I figured some rest has got to be good for me!

Lately, when I hit a lull like this I've gotten a friendly kick in the backside and/or reminder to keep on plugging away! I have heard from a lot of you recently during these tweaked back days and I really appreciate it. Last post I mentioned a metaphor that I wrote to Dennis…well, he wrote back. He sent me a metaphor that got me to think about those times when you are either in a lull or incapacitated in some way. Dennis and I write back and forth to keep each other motivated and it works! Lately I've been talking the talk but he's walking the walk. 4 of 8 days he has done his routine and is just killin' it, good stuff. Wish I could say the same.

The metaphor was a good one, it reminded me that I can keep going through motions to not lose the "fire" I've built over these many months. He simply titled it "Pilot Light". During an email to him I told him that I was going crazy driving on my running route and that I really missed all those things that I physically can't do at the moment. He countered with giving me a few non-impactful exercises I could do that would isolate all movement away from my back…then said "why pilot light? I guess, because it's something to keep the fire burning until you come bursting back, exploding onto the scene with full speed and power…" So basically he just reminded me to go through the motions, do a little careful exercise to not lose the momentum I've worked so hard to gain!

An Off Week (courtesy of a tweaked back)

Last night I went out to my newly cleaned garage to do some dumbbells. I was going to do the routine that I posted a few posts ago. I love how quick and effective it is. What I don't like is how I thought I could just pick up where I left off. I worked up to using a 30lb dumbbell last time. This time I started with one. During the 3rd movement (the bent-over row) I was trying it a few different ways to make sure I was getting the full and intended effect. Except... I moved too suddenly and quickly in precisely the wrong direction.

Damn! Figures it has to happen on my low week! I hit 214 and 215 numerous times!

I'm doing OK but it means all activity has ceased. I can walk but it's painful (and robot-like). I can't do push-ups, no yoga, running (ha ha, yeah right) and weight lifting is out for sure. This week I'm focusing on my food intake. I have no choice. I'm also trying to find any sources on stretching and how I can help my back heal faster.

My posts for this week will probably concern more about recovering from injury. I just got done reading an article last week about roadblocks in your workouts. Injury was on there as was having a baby. Guess I should go find that one again:) Wish me luck in my recovery!

Preparing for Changes

...and I'm not talking about diapers

Everywhere I turn people tell me that "once you have a baby everything changes." Can we get a more boring, blanket statement? I don't do well with the ambiguous, I need specific things that will inevitably change so I can prepare myself for them now. I like to be prepared, mentally and physically.

A friend of mine, Shane, was chatting with me back and forth via email and he finally gave me a little of what I was asking for, some hard truth. He laid it out there for me and as I suspected it was something that being privvy to it maybe I can start to make small changes now to lessen the blow later. What he told me was that the bulk of his weight gain happened right after his first daughter was born and it was simply the fact that all your schedules (sleep, food, work, etc…) are all screwed up. His advice was get a routine that works for you now. How I've expanded this in my brain (this is where my preparation comes in) is to identify my weaknesses and eliminate them or at the very least, control them. Since then, Shane has kicked it up a few notches and has been losing weight steadily and has found a new vigor, a new fire in his daily battle to get rid of the fat…meanwhile, Shane has dropped more pounds while welcoming a new baby. Between his wife and him, they've lost close to 100 pounds! That's amazing!

Then I was talking to my sister the other night and she was telling me about how hard it is when you need to make something quick for the kids and you end up eating it too. I'm assuming it was something like tater tots and fish sticks or something like that (at least that's what I envisioned). I didn't have much of a response at the time because, well… I hadn't really thought of that as being a problem. I'm sure I'll be faced with more and more "things" like this as I become a dad. I suppose that's what makes these parenting styles, right, everyone has one and no one's is as good as your own! The first thing I thought about after I hung up the phone with Diane was, "can't they just eat what you would fix quickly for yourself?" I know, I know…I have NO idea, and I oversimplify…but here's my dilemma. One of the problems that I've identified about myself is that I pretty much will eat whatever is near me. If we have it, I'll probably eat it. We buy chips every once-in-a-while for lunches, mainly Sally's lunch, and I can't help myself! On the other side of that, if we have a lot of fruit and veggies around…I eat that too. (I do have to interject…I have actually gotten better at just eating when I'm hungry and limiting my portions…it just sounds more desparate when I say I'll eat anything:)

I guess I have a lot to learn and even more to prepare for…and I suppose that's what being a parent is all about. That's probably why I won't get too many hard facts or too many specifics, right? There's too many to list and wouldn't it be like trying to tell someone all the changes you'll go through during your 20's? It's humbling already, but I'm ready for it!

Optimism

I live with an eternal optimist.  She sees the possibility of goodness in every situation, every single person in every area of our lives.  As I have been thinking about optimism lately I came to wonder if people are predestined to be optimistic or pessimistic.  Kind of a lame thought if you got stuck on the half empty side!  As I've read more and more about it and have searched my life for examples I've concluded that we have a choice everyday whether or not we are going to look at something through rose colored glass or not.  I don't know about you but I vary widely from day to day, maybe that's my innate sense of over-dramatizing things, or is it over-analyzing things and reacting too sensitively to the analysis?! 

I have found that living with a person like Sally has helped me see greater potential in what I can achieve. Optimists tend to make many, many plans and truly think that they can achieve all these goals. They crazy thing is, they usually do. Being optimistic can piss off pessimists. I know because I used to wallow in my own bouts of pessimism like a pig in mud pulling any and everyone down around me because so and so was achieving something I would rather not hear about. Yeah, wow. But for the most part I'm a pretty positive guy, in fact, I'd say I'm optimistic.  

Especially now. As the weight came off and I fought through those days when I thought it was a waste of time or I thought I was destined to be a fat guy forever an amazing transformation took place within me. I became optimistic. I now believe in myself and I believe that if I make a goal I will achieve it. It is a powerful thing and it's very contagious! I'm lucky to have someone like Sally around me at all times reminding me that I can do it and most importantly that I WILL do it. 

I found a few articles about Optimism and it's benefits on our health and well-being. Very interesting stuff. Check it out if you are interested. Here, here & here.

And...if you are needing an inspiring quote or two on any topic go to this great site: ThinkExist

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." ~Winston Churchill 

TMI : Too Much Information

The other day I was talking to a co-worker about my weight loss.  Normally I don't talk about much at work except work but lately I've been chatting more about my personal life. With baby on the way and an obvious change in my appearance it's hard to escape it!  The girl I was talking to had so many questions and wanted to know exactly what it was that I did in order to lose as much as I have. I swear not everything has been so cut and dry as I've made these last few posts seem but I really did have two distinct thoughts while I was listening to her. 

The first is that there is just too much conflicting information at our fingertips these days. I recognized this early on as she was telling me how she's doing this and that and not eating this but eating that and so on and so on (a run-on sentence is best in describing how the actual conversation went!).  I began thinking of how I sifted through all the information grasping onto what turned out to be useful nuggets. Exhausting! One day it's okay to do this then the next day it will lead to certain death. We are so fortunate to have information but maybe it's all the information that makes us quit prematurely? Just a thought...which actually led to my next thought. (which is...)

Clearly, we are all different people. Different shapes, different sizes, different ideas of how it should be done and most importantly we will require our own special code that must be cracked. Once you crack your own code you are in the money, trust me! It was easy to realize that I overate, it was difficult to figure out how to limit my portions and stick to it. It was super easy to realize that I didn't work out enough and it was a helluva lot harder to not only start but keep up a regimented exercise routine. 

Don't get me wrong...I don't have it all figured out, I still struggle with many things that life throws at me!  I just realized though, after talking with my co-worker, that maybe I've just cracked my own code (yes, I'm foreshadowing possible postings in the future...I didn't just use an obvious metaphor such as "cracking ones code" for nothing!) 

Thanks to all of you that have checked out our Photo Blog...the response has been very positive and helpful! If you haven't checked it out...go here.

Burning (Calories) Man

While I was jogging yesterday (during the first good mile) I had this thought. Is there a calculation out there or a program that exists that could tell me how many minutes of a specific workout I would have to perform to burn off the amount of calories I'm about to ingest? In other words, I'm about to pop into my mouth an amazing truffle that is 50 calories...how long will I need to run and at what pace?

The answer I've come up with after hours of exhaustive searching on this convoluted thing called the world wide web is no, not really. If you want to figure this out there are a few different things to take into consideration. How many calories will you burn doing a specific exercise for your specific weight during a minute or an hour. Thankfully I came across multiple, very easy to use sites that have a calculator that does just that. So far the one I like best is here. After you've determined this, then you'd have to find an example. Let's say that truffle I was talking about...50 calories, not bad for a truffle...how long will I need to do the exercise of my choice in order to burn the caloric content of my chocolate treat? There must be something out there that can do this in one easy to use calculation...right? Nope, I had to take matters into my own hand.

I created a simple (very simple) spreadsheet that I have to enter numbers into but shows me very clearly the work I have to do to shed the calories I'm about to eat. It could be useful for making up my mind, maybe it'll get me to think: "do I really want to eat this" or "I have to run how far to burn that?" or on certain days I could use this as an excuse "If I run for 7 miles, tonight I can eat that whole Ben & Jerry's pint all by myself". Thank God those days are over;)

I'm still trying to figure out how to post my spreadsheet but here's a screen shot of what I made for myself to help me "weigh" the pros and cons. Yes, a horrible pun that unfortunately was intended:) Also, if you would like me to tweak the spreadsheet and make one for you I'd be happy to...just let me know your current weight and your exercise of choice! I'll input the numbers and send you your own cool, calorie calculator! 

Ode to Sigg

My brother-in-law, Jafar, sent me a text that made me laugh then got me to think. It was a small poem about his Sigg bottle that Sally and I got for him for Christmas. When we gave it to him we gave him the rundown on the benefits of having a reusable bottle (yada yada) and I told him how I find that I drink a lot more water because of it. Jafar and I talk a lot about our eating (or over-eating) habits and when he sent me this text it hit a chord because I have come to the realization lately how important it is to drink water all the time. I find that if I'm not at work, I don't drink nearly enough. I'm working on it, but without further ado…here is the text I received this morning:

"Take a swig out my sigg helps prevent me eatin like a pig! Ya dig!" ~Jafar

I was searching around for a scientific interpretation of Jafar's poem and found this strikingly similar message:

"If there is a slight dehydration the thirst mechanism may be mistaken for hunger and one may eat when the body is actually craving fluid."

Personally, I like Jafar's quote…It rhymes, it's to the point and it's backed by science!

Here's a picture of Jafar and his wife, Hailey, during a photo shoot we did of them awhile back. This was before he had his new Sigg...just think of how much higher he may have jumped!




Just a reminder...I'm still hoping more of you will share songs that you like when you work out. I'm thinking of compiling them all onto my iPod and taking them out for a jog...just enter them in the comments field of the last post!!



One last thing, DRINK MORE WATER!

Worldwide Support Group

Why Blog? I've been talking a lot about support from friends and family but as I'm reaching out and checking for new inspirations all over the internet I'm finding more and more people that are blogging about the same thing and I've started linking to my favorites.

I stumbled upon a guy named Andrew from New Zealand (check out his blog). He has already lost 113 pounds and has really changed his life! The other day I was thinking how funny it was for the past 4 or 5 years how I always talked about running when I "used" to do it "a lot". I did have my running phase back in 2000 and I probably lost some weight but I was better at being a bachelor and gained it all back and more. As I was making the final turn onto Greenwood off of 82nd the other night (a rare clear night) I got inspired. I was thinking about all the new inspirational blogs I've been reading and some of the running tips I had read about and it all made sense. I'm a runner again.

The other night we had Amy (Sally's best friend) over for dinner and she has started training to do a half-marathon. I realized the only thing preventing me from joining her is me.

So…why blog? To find inspiration! With the internet connecting people globally I am creating a virtual support group! Amazing blogs from people on all continents! I was on Andrew's blog and he had this video posted about another blogger.

Dietgirl…an Aussie living in Scotland, lost half her weight (175 lbs!) and has written a book about her experience:) Enjoy!

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