Category Archives: Weight Loss

Discussions on my challenge of weight loss.

My Insanity weight loss progress through May 15, 2010

May 15, 2010 12:19 pm / 14 Comments /

As you may know from previous posts, my main goal in doing Insanity was to lose weight. I personally believe that people who have their weight under control experience fewer health problems than overweight people. I don’t say this to deride people who struggle with their weight. I am one of those people. Weight control has always been a problem for me and because of news given to me by my doctor, I had a choice to make. That choice was to start taking medication regularly to help manage my blood pressure as well as potentially dealing with diabetes or get healthy enough so that my body would naturally do that for me. Seemed to me that losing weight was the easiest way to handle this issue naturally.

When I started insanity on March 15, 2010, I weight 289.5 pounds. I had been fluctuating in weight between 289 and 295, and as recently as July of last year had weighed in at 307 pounds. Looking at the exercises in the Insanity program I thought it was reasonable to expect a significant weight loss over the course of nine weeks, so I set a weight loss goal of 40 pounds. That meant that as of the end of my ninth week I wanted to weigh 250 pounds.

Today I am happy to say that I have hit that goal. I weighed in this morning at 249.5 pounds and I am beyond excited at the prospects this presents. I have so much more energy now than I did nine weeks ago. I have a zeal for living life again. I feel like I have earned my life back and that my health, fitness and weight is now something that is totally within my control as opposed to me being controlled by it.

I have not felt this accomplished in a long time. I have not felt this driven, this motivated, this inspired or this hungry in a long time. I wish I could put into words how awesome a feeling it is to hit a goal like this in the time I did it in. But honestly I think the only way for you to get a real grasp of how it feels is to try it and do it for yourself. Short of that, all I can say is that I am on cloud nine right now and feeling unstoppable. I really wish I could share this feeling with you.

To get a feel of what 40 pounds of fat loss coupled with some pretty good muscle development looks likes, check out my before and after picture.

My weight loss results through eight weeks of Insanity
Week Date Weight Loss Total
0 03/15/2010 289.5 - -
1 03/20/2010 289.5 0 0
2 03/27/2010 285.0 4.5 4.5
3 04/03/2010 277.5 7.5 12.0
4 04/10/2010 271.0 6.5 18.5
5 04/17/2010 269.0 2.0 20.5
6 04/24/2010 266.0 3.0 23.5
7 05/01/2010 261.0 5.0 28.5
8 05/08/2010 255.5 5.5 34.0
9 05/15/2010 249.5 6.0 40.0
Posted in: Insanity, On Health, Weight Loss / Tagged: , , , ,

My Insanity weight loss progress through May 8, 2010

May 8, 2010 5:10 pm / 1 Comment /

Excitement and happiness doesn’t even come close to describing how I feel today. After my eighth week of Insanity I have lost a total of 34 pounds. Starting at 289.5 pounds on March 15, 2010 I am now 255.5 pounds as of today.

My goal was to be at 255.0 today, but I am so stoked to be at 255.5 that I am really not that buggered by that half pound. I am really just plain excited for hitting my goal. I have one more goal left for this first Insanity program: 250.0 pounds by next Saturday. I know I can hit it.

Heck, as excited as I have been all day I may just run circles around my neighborhood until Saturday. ;)

My weight loss results through eight weeks of Insanity
Week Date Weight Loss Total
0 03/15/2010 289.5 - -
1 03/20/2010 289.5 0 0
2 03/27/2010 285.0 4.5 4.5
3 04/03/2010 277.5 7.5 12.0
4 04/10/2010 271.0 6.5 18.5
5 04/17/2010 269.0 2.0 20.5
6 04/24/2010 266.0 3.0 23.5
7 05/01/2010 261.0 5.0 28.5
8 05/08/2010 255.5 5.5 34.0
Posted in: Insanity, On Health, Weight Loss / Tagged: , , , ,

My Insanity weight loss progress through May 1, 2010

May 1, 2010 8:34 am / 6 Comments /

I’m cranky right now. Not because I didn’t lose weight but because I didn’t lose as much as weight as I had hoped to. I wanted to be at 260 pounds this morning after my workout. And I think if I would have used my head yesterday and not eaten like an idiot I might have actually made that. Yesterday after my workout I was 260.5 pounds. This morning after my workout I was 261.0 pounds. That is not where I wanted to be and I am a little disappointed in myself for not hitting my goal.

Still, I am actually very happy with myself that I lost five pounds this week. Yes, five pounds. that is a huge win for me and puts me that much close to hitting my first weight goal of 250 pounds, which I plan to do two weeks from now. So if it comes across that I am whining about not losing enough weight, please don’t read me wrong. I am not cranky about that. No, I’m more upset with how I handled my eating yesterday knowing what I wanted to achieve today. That said, here is my progress so far.

You think Insanity works?

My weight loss results through seven weeks of Insanity
Week Date Weight Loss Total
0 03/15/2010 289.5 - -
1 03/20/2010 289.5 0 0
2 03/27/2010 285.0 4.5 4.5
3 04/03/2010 277.5 7.5 12.0
4 04/10/2010 271.0 6.5 18.5
5 04/17/2010 269.0 2.0 20.5
6 04/24/2010 266.0 3.0 23.5
7 05/01/2010 261.0 5.0 28.5
Posted in: Insanity, On Health, Weight Loss / Tagged: , , , ,

My insanity weight loss progress through April 24, 2010

April 24, 2010 10:56 am / 7 Comments /

The good news: I lost weight.

The bad news: It was only 3 pounds.

Actually this isn’t totally bad news. Considering that I spent four of the first six days this week learning the program I can say that to lose any weight in the first week of any program that changes as much as this one does is a win. In fact, as I look back, I can clearly see that I lost no weight in my first week of Insanity. So I am happy about losing some weight this week.

I am now 23.5 pounds lighter than when I first started Insanity. I am 16 pounds away from hitting my first of two weight goals, the first being to reach 250 pounds, the second being to reach 220 pounds. I have three weeks to get to 250 on Insanity. I wonder if I can do it?

My weight loss results through six weeks of Insanity
Week Date Weight Loss Total
0 03/15/2010 289.5 - -
1 03/20/2010 289.5 0 0
2 03/27/2010 285.0 4.5 4.5
3 04/03/2010 277.5 7.5 12.0
4 04/10/2010 271.0 6.5 18.5
5 04/17/2010 269.0 2.0 20.5
6 04/24/2010 266.0 3.0 23.5
Posted in: Insanity, On Health, Weight Loss / Tagged: , , , ,

My insanity weight loss progress through April 17, 2010

April 17, 2010 8:55 am / 2 Comments /

As much as I hate the fact that I only lost 2 pounds this past week, I can honestly say that I am pretty satisfied that I have lost more than 20 pounds since beginning Insanity five weeks ago.

If you have any doubt that this program works, dispell them. See for yourself that this program does indeed work.

My weight loss results for the first five weeks of Insanity
Week Date Weight Loss Total
0 03/15/2010 289.5 - -
1 03/20/2010 289.5 0 0
2 03/27/2010 285.0 4.5 4.5
3 04/03/2010 277.5 7.5 12.0
4 04/10/2010 271.0 6.5 18.5
5 04/17/2010 269.0 2.0 20.5
Posted in: Insanity, On Health, Weight Loss / Tagged: , , , ,

My Insanity weight loss progress

April 10, 2010 9:00 am / 8 Comments /

Since today marks the end of the first four weeks of Insanity for me I wanted to post my weight loss progress for you to see that this program does indeed work. I am so stoked for the progress I’ve made and I cannot wait to see what the last four weeks will bring.

Something to note… on Day 2 of the program my weight ballooned to 293.0 pounds and stayed there for the next few days. So the first week on the program, while it shows a 0 pound weight loss, was actually a loss that mitigated the gain I had in the first few days of Insanity.

As you can see, through the first four weeks of Insanity I have lost a total of 18.5 pounds. Looking a little closer, you can see that I actually lost all that in the last three weeks. Yes, this program does work.

My weight loss results for the first four weeks of Insanity
Week Date Weight Loss Total
0 03/15/2010 289.5 - -
1 03/20/2010 289.5 0 0
2 03/27/2010 285.0 4.5 4.5
3 04/03/2010 277.5 7.5 12.0
4 04/10/2010 271.0 6.5 18.5
Posted in: Insanity, On Health, Weight Loss / Tagged: , , ,

The sweet taste of progress

October 17, 2009 9:04 pm / 4 Comments /

Three months ago , at the request of my doctor, I took a blood test to measure my overall health and the results of that test were alarming to say the least. Since then I have been working very hard to curb my sugar and sodium intake and, after I received the results of the blood test I took today, I have to tell you I am pretty excited this time around.

The main item I was concerned with was my blood sugar, which last time around was a staggering 142. This time it was down to 105 which is an enormous gain in my opinion. Yes, it is still over 100, but not by much, and it is significantly lower than it was just a few months ago. So I am confident that three months from now my blood sugar will be well under control.

The lab test items that I thought were significant improvements on this lab over the last lab where:

Prior lab results vs. today’s results
Test Standard Last time This time
Glucose, Fasting 60 – 99 mg/dL 142 105
Triglycerides <199 mg/dL 151 73
Cholesterol <239 mg/dL 188 154
HDL >40 mg/dL 42 43
LDL <129 mg/dL 116 96

All in all, in the core category areas of concern, I have made significant improvement. No, I am not at all close to being “done” improving – I still have a family to stick around for ;) – but I am very happy with what has transpired over the last three months.

I am also excited about the physical transformation I am undergoing. I have lost just over 30 pounds in this time, have dropped six inches in my waist and about six inches in my chest. I am feeling better about me, about my health and about how much longevity I may be adding to my life. Not to mention that I have an indescribable desire to exercise.

I am looking at different exercise plans that I can do at home right now because I would love to take advantage of this momentum I have developed. I know that coupling exercise with my current sugar-free, low sodium, lower calorie diet will have extraordinary results to say the least. But really excites me is that I can attack my health issues from two different angles: diet and exercise.

I think doing it this way will position me for a longer life, which means more time with my wife and kids overall. And lower life insurance premiums. Which means more savings. Which means I might just be able to afford that motorcycle I have been wanting so very badly.

And seriously, have you ever seen a really fat guy jamming down the highway on a sport bike? Me neither.

For the men: If you are fat (be honest with yourself on this), start working to lose some weight right now. Don’t wait. You owe it to your wife, your kids and yourself. And I can say with 100% certainty that your wife will undoubtedly love being able to be closer to you. ;)

Posted in: On Manhood, On Marriage, On Parenting, Personal Messages, Weight Loss / Tagged: , ,

Working works

September 19, 2009 5:10 pm / 5 Comments /

Today I had to be accountable. This is something that I should be doing anyway, but it just had to be done today. And the coolest thing is that it allowed me to reap a grand harvest.

Today my wife and daughter had a scheduled outing. This meant that I had a morning home with my four other kids. It also meant that the promise I made to handle some of my “honey do” list items needed to be honored.

So I set out this morning to fetch some things I needed for some of the fixes and such that I needed to make today. I bought wooden stakes, some light bulbs, light switches, light switch plates, nails, a rake, some duct tape and some Vaseline. Ok, I didn’t buy duct tape and Vaseline. ;)

I got home from the store and made some breakfast and got started. And I worked it. Hard.

I trimmed the bottle brush trees on the side of our driveway. I raked the little patch of yard below the bottle brush. I trimmed some street level bushes. I trimmed a bush in the tan bark patch near my garage. I straightened up that tan bark. I pulled some weeds in the yard. I removed some dead bushes to clear a path for living plants to grow. I fixed some bender boards in the back yard. And I replaced two switches in my kitchen that needed to be replaced.

Do I tell you all of this to tempt you to pat me on the back? Not at all. I tell you this because I really, really didn’t want to do it. But I had made a promise to my wife that this weekend I would take care of some of the things that she has been waiting a very long time to be handled. She has been exceptionally patient, and very gracious, and I have been very nonchalant in my promises. It was time. She had waited long enough and I had gone back on my word long enough.

Men, there is a lesson in this for you. If you tell your wife you are going to do something, do it. Don’t whine, don’t make excuses, don’t not do it. Just get it done. My wife was very appreciative of me taking care of these things. And I was happy to do them. I didn’t want to actually do these things. But I wanted to show my wife that I am her man, that when I say I am going to do something I do it, and that she means enough to me to be honest and accountable to her.

Yeah, it was only a little fixing up and cleaning up here and there. But it allowed me to cross a few things off the list of things that need to be handled. And it also allowed me be a man to my wife. I love doing that.

And you want to know a wonderful side benefit to all of this? I lost four pounds today. How awesome is that? Heck, I may just spend all winter doing some kind of physical on the weekends. It’s almost like a trip to the gym without all the meat heads, gym rats and expensive memberships.

Posted in: On Manhood, On Marriage, Personal Messages, Weight Loss / Tagged: , , ,

A little closer to being a little littler

May 16, 2008 4:47 pm / Leave a Comment /

Yesterday morning I stood on the scale knowing that I had to have gained 50 pounds over the last two days. I have eaten like crap and was feeling like an even fatter turd than I already am. Not wanting to face off with my epic failure I decided to close my eyes and get on the scale.

To my amazement I had actually lost 2 pounds since last week. That’s right. I am now at 300.5 pounds. Yes, I am still fat. But I am losing weight still. And I am not trying that hard to do it.

So I made a promise to myself. I will start trying now. I have lost about 20 pounds without putting any real effort into it. Since that makes me sick just thinking about it, I believe now is a good time to start applying myself.

I am planning on making Friday mornings my official weigh-in morning. I am going to start charting, honestly, what my weight is so I can make a visible, conscious effort to maintain a steady loss. I am going to try to lose weight.

I have done this before. I have mentioned before that in 2002 I lost an incredible 107 pound between January and October of that year. It was a pretty consistent 2.5 pounds per week for 40 weeks. I want that again. I want to be the good looking, healthy, slender male what I was at the end of that run. I want to fit into a size 32 pants again. I want to be able to wear a size “L” shirt. I want to be able to shop at Macy’s. I want to be a better me physically.

I am committing myself to it. And I am a little nervous because I really have no time for me right now. I am just hoping that I will be able to steal myself away from everything else long enough to give myself some much needed attention. So the next time you are having drinks, toasting one another or otherwise remembering folks, remember me and wish me luck. I would really love to be able to write about this again months from now being 2/3 the size that I am now.

Posted in: Personal Messages, Rants, Weight Loss / Tagged: , , ,

Somehow it keeps coming off

April 28, 2008 7:44 pm / 2 Comments /

I am not trying, but it seems that the more terrible food I eat nowadays the more weight I am losing. I am not sure how this works, but it is working. And I am not complaining.

In my defense I am not eating terrible ALL the time. I have actually cut back quite a bit on high sodium foods, fast food and high fat foods. I have also started drinking a ton of water every day. This has helped tremendously.

One thing I have yet to do is get back to the gym. I want to. Ever so badly. But life situations do not allow for that at the moment. But I will get back there soon enough. And I am sure when I do I will lose even more weight.

Until then though I am happy with the way things are going. I am not feeling driven by weight loss, I am not feeling deprived or hungry.

I am, however, feeling better about myself since my clothes is feeling better and I am feeling better. I am hoping that changes for the better when things start heating up with me losing weight. But like I said, until then I am still happy.

And I am still wanting junk food late at night. But at least now I am telling myself no. Usually. ;)

PS It wasn’t a huge loss from the last time, but this weekend I was at 304.5. A loss is a loss. Especially when you are not trying all that hard.

Posted in: Personal Messages, Weight Loss