Dropping 50

The one problem with losing weight…

Travis — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:08:16 +0000

I know, you all think I am crazy for thinking there is anything wrong with losing weight. Hear me out. As I have been working out it has been great to see the inches come off. I have not been able to see the pounds come off, but I know I am getting slimmer. I look a lot better, and I fit into my clothes a lot better. However, as I continue to lose weight I will continue eventually not fit into any of my clothes. A lot of the pants I was wearing a couple of months ago already are too big to wear. This is a good problem to have, but it means I have to go buy some new clothes. So, the only problem with losing weight is the fact that I have to go shopping for new clothes.

This may not be too big of a problem, as it is time I fix my wardrobe anyway. I am not into fashion, my wife does all of my clothes shopping. I usually tell her to buy basic clothes that do not draw attention to myself. Now that I am losing the weight I am willing to try new clothes that look great. She recently bought some jeans for me from Lucky Brand Jeans and I love them. They are a little flashier than some of my other jeans, but I like them a lot more. I wanted to pass some good information along to all of you as well, today only you can receive FREE SHIPPING on your order of Lucky Brand Jeans. They have a lot of their jeans on sale for up to 30% off, so don’t miss out on this great deal. Buy some new jeans that will replace the old baggy jeans you will have as you continue to lose weight.

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Running in the mornings

Travis — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:15:10 +0000

I have been plugging away at the gym for several months now, and I have not been able to see a lot of progress. Last week I decided I needed to step up and really work my butt off at the gym every morning. I decided to start running at the gym every morning. I knew this would be difficult as I had not run, without it being involved in a sport, for a long time. Last Monday I decided to start running, but in an effort to not kill myself I started out slowly. The first day of jogging I started for 10 minutes, and then I walked the rest of the workout. I was definitely tired, but it was not too much to handle. The next day I ran for 11 minutes, and then walked the rest of the way. This has gone on for over a week now and I ran for 16 minutes this morning. My plan is to get to the point where I am running for 30-40 minutes every morning. Once I can do this consistently, I will increase the speed I am running at. Right now I set the speed on my treadmill to 5.0. I realize this is not a very fast speed, but it is a nice jog that will get my cardio running effectively.

Like I said I have been doing this for over a week now and I love it. I feel better at work, and I am much more effective. I have had energy at night after work, and I have had a blast playing with my 19 month old daughter. Before I started running, I was usually tired at the end of the work day. I have more energy, and my clothes are fitting better. I will continue to run and hopefully the pounds will start to come off. I have temporarily quit playing basketball in the mornings so I can focus on my weight loss. I have set a goal to get down to 210 pounds before I start playing basketball again. This will motivate me to work even harder now, because I love playing sports and I can’t wait to get back on the basketball court.

I was in a rut and I needed something to take me out of it. Running has provided that spark for me. If any of you are in a rut, I would recommend looking at your workout and finding ways to increase your workload.

Healthy Choices Questionnaire

Travis — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:38:56 +0000

I saw this list of questions on another blog and I wanted to create my own to give myself the boost I need to make healthy choices that one day will lead me to reach my weightloss goals.

1.What do you love about your body?
My eyes

I have always had people comment about my blue eyes.

My strength

I have always considered myself to be physically strong, despite the extra weight.

2.When did you surprise yourself with your physical strength?
When I carried a filing cabinet all by myself a week ago. I also carried the same filing cabinet with another guy and he complained about how heavy it was. I was surprised I was able to carry it all by myself.

3.When were you braver than you thought you could be?
When I started this blog about losing weight. I knew it was going to be tough to detail how out of shape I am. So far it has been great, and it has helped me focus on the weight loss.
4.When did your self control blow you away?
I absolutely love Mountain Dew, and Coke. I used to drink it everyday, in large quantities. I have not had soda for over 2 months now, and the desire to drink soda is gone. I can’t believe I was able to do it, and actually stick with it.

5.What is your proudest moment ever?
My wedding day, and the birth of my 2 children would top the list.

Whenever someone asks if I am losing weight, or comments on me looking better. It is a work in progress, and when I hear compliments like that I realize I am in the process of accomplishing my goals.

6.When was the last time you felt beautiful?
As a guy I don’t know if I have ever felt beautiful, but I felt really good about myself the summer I got married. That is the last time I can look back and see that I was in great shape. That was 4 years ago.

7.Why do you deserve to meet your goals?
I am working my butt off every morning in the gym, and I am trying to eat a healthy diet. However, the real reason I deserve to meet my goals is my children. They deserve a healthy and strong father to play with them, and do activities with them. My wife is also very deserving of a fit husband.

I want to look in the mirror, or at a picture and think positively of how I look. It has been awhile since I have felt that way, and it is time to get back to that pont.

Reaching My Prime

Travis — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:57:42 +0000

I never thought losing my extra 50 pounds would be easy, but at the same time I never thought it would be this difficult. I have been at it for a couple of months now and I am not seeing a lot of improvement. Granted, I have been a slacker since the birth of my son. I have lost some weight, but not a significant amount to where I am feeling better about myself. I get so frustrated when I see pictures of myself, and it drives me crazy that I have let myself slip so much. I was watching a movie at the gym this morning (I love working out at Gold’s Gym in the Cinema Room), and there was a line in the movie that caught my attention. The lead actor went back to his town for the holidays where he ran into his best friend growing up. He always wanted to have a relationship with her, but she was not interested until this visit. He was an overweight kid in High School, and not attractive at all. She was the main cheerleader, and the hottest girl in school. After graduation he moved away to Los Angeles and got a good career, and lost his weight. At the end of the movie they get into a fight and they started flinging insults at each other. The insult that caught my attention and hit close to home was when he said “You hit your prime in High School”. When he said that, I realized that I hit my physical prime in High School as well. I was in great shape, and for whatever reason I quit working on it. I have a desire to get back to my old figure, and make it so my prime physical condition is not a memory. I want to be able to say when I am in my 30’s that I am in my prime physical condition. I am 26 now, and I have lost a couple of years that I could be in prime physical condition. I owe it to my wife, my kids and myself to get back in shape!

I am dedicated to get back to my prime physical condition, and I could use your help. I am currently looking at diets to go on. I am not looking for a quick fix, but rather a diet that will help change my lifestyle. Several people have told me about South Beach, and that is the frontrunner right now. Let me know if there is anything else out there that will help me get in shape!

Weight Loss Progress

Travis — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:06:49 +0000

Sorry it has been awhile since my last post. My wife and I had another baby recently and I have been preoccupied with diapers, feedings, and taking care of my 18 month old daughter.

I have had some progress, although it is not as much or as fast as I would like I can’t complain. I have broke the 230 barrier, and I am now down to 229. I have been focusing on eating better, and maintaining a healthy diet. Although I have not been able to work out as much as I would like, I have still been able to lose because of changes to my diet. Hopefully the weight will continue to melt off and I can acheive my goals.

I have heard from several sources that it is better to lose weight gradually, and I am working on changing my lifestyle so it will have a lasting impact. I have been good about not getting frustrated at the speed I am losing the weight, by looking at the big picture.

Basketball

Travis — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:40:32 +0000

This morning I played some pick up basketball games. I usually play every Tuesday and Thursday, it is a great workout for me because I love competition and I love the comrraderie that I have with the guy’s I play wih. We have a great time with each other, and we are getting in shape in the process. This morning when we went to the gym it was very hot. It reminded me of my soccer game this week that was extremely hot! I was sweating before we even started to play. We had several great games and we played for about an hour and a half. It was a great time and I probably losta lot more than I normally would have because of the heat. Just my luck to have 2 extremely hot workout sessions in the same week. I guess that is what happens when you live in the dessert.

Soccer Game

Travis — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:44:26 +0000

Last night I had an indoor soccer game and it had to be over 100 degrees in the building! We play in an old warehouse and we had a pretty early game so the sun was still blazing down on the all-metal building. It was 94 degrees outside, and it had to be much hotter inside. I could hardly breathe as I was running around and I probably drank a gallon of water. My wife is pregnant and it was so hot in the building she went out to the car and cooled off with the air conditioning. Although it was uncomfortable, it was probably one of the best weight loss workouts I have had in awhile. My shirt was drenched by the end of the game, but I felt really good! Plus, my team won the game. It was a great workout and probably very effective, but I wouldn’t mind it being a little cooler next game!

Weigh In

Travis — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:34:03 +0000

I finally broke downa and bought a new scale. Weighing in wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, it wasn’t as good as I was hoping for either. I am weighing in at 230 now, so I have dropped 5 pounds since I started this blog. I have heard that it is best to slowly lose the weight by changing your lifestyle. That is what I am trying to do and hopefully I will see better results in the long run. I have done the quick weight loss diets and they never seem to work. I lose a bunch of weight real quick and then once I am at my desired weight I ease up on what I was doing and before I realize what is going on, I am 50 pounds overweight again. SO it has been a slow process, but I am seeing results and I feel better. The scale we had before was so old it was probably inaccurate. All of my clothes are feeling better and I can tell I have lost weight in my face and torso, so I think I was heavier than I originally thought I was.

I will be able to keep you updated better on my weight loss now that I have a scale, it is even a fancy scale that will give me my body fat %. That was a shocker, I couldn’t believe how high my body fat % was! When I was in high school, albeit with a better metabolism, I had a body fat percentage of 8%. My body fat right now is at 30%, which is really unhealthy and makes me determined to lose the weight!

No More Pictures of That Fat Guy - 2

Travis — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:40:21 +0000

So my wife took some more pictures the other day and I was pleased with how they turned out. Yes, I wish I were not as heavy as I am now, but I am seeing results and that is rewarding. I went from hating every picture of me about a month ago to being okay with them now. I have a ways to go, but I feel so much better about myself and I am so much happier than I was a month ago!

Diet

Travis — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:49:06 +0000

It was dificult to pass up all of the sweets with the holiday weekend, but I am proud to say I did very well with my diet. I am not sure I have ever formally posted what diet I am on. That is because it is my special diet that I made up for myself. Basically all I try to do is eat healthy foods, pass up the sweets, no more sodas, and eat at the right times. It works well for me and I am seeing some success with it. I have found that when i am on a restrictive diet I end up torturing myself and dropping the diet after a few days. With this diet there are no foods I can and can’t eat so there is no torture. I am more conscious of what I eat and think about it beforehand rather than eating whatever is in front of me like I used to.

I still have not bought a scale so I do not have any weigh in results. I will keep you posted when i finally break down and weigh in. I know I am improving and I don’t need a scale to see that.