The Week In Review

One week of P90X down, twelve to go.  Actually, as of tonight, I am 8 days down with 82 to go!  Last Monday, when we started, I wasn't sure what to expect so I skipped the club that first night.  When I was done with that night, which was Back and Chest, my upper body was exhausted.  But, I realized I kind of missed going to the club.  As hard as P90X was, I didn't feel like I hadn't gotten enough cardio.  The next day, not knowing what Plyometrics involved, I decided to hit the treadmill before coming home to Tony Horton.  Well, Plyometrics turned out to be much more aerobic than Back and Chest was!  I probably should have skipped the club.  The next morning, Lori wanted to go to the club early because she had to work that night.  So, I joined her for a half hour on the elliptical.  I came home that night and decided I still wanted to hit the treadmill again.  By the time I had finished Shoulders and Arms and Ab Ripper X, I had done over three hours of exercise that day!

Now, I don't know if Tony Horton would recommend that I do cardio every day on top of P90X.  But, I can't help myself.  I can't seem to keep myself away.  Part of it is a fear that if I don't keep up what I have been doing, that I won't be in shape to tackle the 14ers I have planned for this summer.  I keep thinking that P90X is a great mix, but not quite as much cardio as I would like to keep in my current condition.  But, I think there is another part of me that just likes going to the club.  I am addicted to it and I had a hard time skipping it last Monday.  So, I decided to keep going every day and I have.

So, here's my week in review...

Monday - P90X-Chest & Back: 53 minutes, P90X-Ab Ribber X: 16
Tuesday - Treadmill: 64, P90X-Plyometrics: 59
Wednesday - Elliptical: 32, Treadmill: 52, P90X-Shoulders & Arms: 60, P90X-Ab Ribber X: 16Thursday - Treadmill: 63, P90X-Yoga X: 92


Friday - Treadmill: 58, P90X-Legs & Back: 59, P90X-Ab Ribber X: 16

Saturday - Treadmill: 64, P90X-Kenpo X: 59
Sunday - Treadmill:65, P90X-Stretch X: 58

Late Sunday, I realized I had exercised 14 hours and 46 minutes over the last week!  I added an additional 2 hours and 13 minutes tonight!  My body feels a little achy.  And, today I felt the usual Monday morning blues.  But, that's more likely the fact that I still can never go to bed at a reasonable hour on Sunday nights.  I have felt good every other day since I started.  Yes, I might be a little nutty in the head.  But, that's my kind of week!

Here's to the second week of P90X feeling as good as the first...

199.4

Survived a Monday unscathed.  One week of P90X in the bank and loving it!

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 30 - no change, Total - (10.4)

199.4

Nice... back under 200 and back over 10 pounds lost for the month. 

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 29 - (1.6), Total - (10.4)

201.0

Down a little.  Still hoping to get back under 200 by Tuesday... despite P90X. 

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 28 - (0.4), Total - (8.8)

201.4

Four days of P90X down!  It's brutal.  But, I wanted brutal, fully expected brutal, and that's what I got.  So far, I love it.  My body isn't overly sore, but I have a general achiness in all of my joints.  But, I love that feeling!  Bring on Day 5!

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 27 - (0.4), Total - (8.4)

201.8

Extremely surprising...  and equally disheartening.  I will pretend that it is somehow related to Day 3 of P90X and all of the weightlifting I did last night.  My brother reminded me that this was possible.  But, I am not sure that I would see it this quickly.  So, now I am exhausted, sore, and grumpy!

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 26 - 1.2, Total - (8.0)

200.6

I absolutely have to get back under 200 by February 1.  Today was a good start.

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 25 - (2.0), Total - (9.2)

Do you feel thin...

... or do you mentally think of yourself as heavy still?  That was the question my mom asked me last week in an e-mail.  Great question!  I hadn't given it much thought.  That's not entirely true.  I gave it some thought early on in this journey, even before I started seeing any success.  But, I haven't thought of it since then as much as I had originally expected to.  To answer the question... no, I no longer think of myself as heavy.  I do think it takes a little longer to get out of that mindsight once you have been obese.  I believe I continued to think of myself as obese, or at least very heavy, all the way until I broke 215 pounds.  Not sure what the significance of 215 was, other than it being goal of mine over the last 10 years or so.  I still felt overweight.  But, I no longer felt like I was fat.  When I broke 200, I stopped thinking of myself as overweight.  I still know that I carry some extra weight in my stomach and chest.  And, I am still working on that.  But, I finally feel like I am at a "decent" weight for me.  Do I feel thin?  Well, no.  I can't say that I feel thin.  Let's see how the next 88 days of P90X go!

The reason my mom asked the question is because of all of the stories you read and see on television, specifically on The Biggest Loser, about people losing the weight but still struggling with mental issues.  I have seen many contestants on Loser talk about not feeling worthy.  I never felt that way, not even slightly.  I have always felt like I deserved to be thinner.  Many people who go through this journey talk about how unhappy they were.  I certainly didn't like this part of my life.  I was extremely angry and disappointed in myself.  But, I could never say I was unhappy.  I still lived a pretty happy life... I guess as happy as a 315 pound man could.

So, I'm not sure why I never struggled with these same feelings.  Maybe I don't hang on to my "fat person" mindset because I never accepted it in the first place.  I told you, even at 315 pounds, I still thought of myself as an athlete... even if I looked like an NFL lineman and less like a quarterback.  I don't think I ever looked in the mirror and truly realized how bad it was.  Maybe being slightly delusional is a good thing when it comes to weight loss journeys.  In my head, I am finally getting close to matching how I looked at myself all of these years.  Maybe it is easier because I was thinner when I was younger.  Not sure, but I am guessing a lot of the people who struggle with being thin were never thin at any point in their life that they can remember.  Lucky for me, that's all I remembered!

I guess having to get under 215 to not feel obese might actually indicate that I struggled with some of these feelings more than I am letting on.  I do know that I still have really ugly moments where I feel like I am eating as I did a year ago and it concerns me.  At those moments, for a split second, I do feel fat again.  I see an image of that man in the mirror I disliked so much and it gives me a sick feeling in my gut... or maybe that's from the fatty foods I have just eaten.  The good news is that these moments are fleeting and I don't let them become trends.  The good news is that I react positively to these moments and let them motivate me further.

Here's to always believing you are deserving of anything you have worked hard for...

Oh, by the way, 202.6 this morning.

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 24 - (0.4), Total - (7.2)

P90X

Finally, I began P90X tonight!  Actually, WE began P90X tonight.  I had always planned on waiting until I broke 200 to start.  But then, in November, my brother asked if I would be willing to start early so that we could do it together.  By together, I mean in spirit only as my brother lives in San Diego.  It was intended to provide moral support and encouragement... and a little brotherly motivation.  But, from the time we agreed to start a couple of weeks later up until the time that those same two weeks had passed, my brother got impatient and started it on his own.  Since he didn't wait, I decided to stick to my original plan and wait until I saw 190-something. 

Sometime after that, my brother must have stopped doing the program.  Not sure when that happened.  He never brought it up again and I never asked.  When I finally broke 200 almost two weeks ago, he and I once again made a pact to start the program.  That was last Monday.  Due to some technical difficulties, I wasn't ready to start on Monday.  Frank insisted that it just made sense that we start on a Monday.  So, we were once again delayed by a week.

Now, I have to tell you that as excited as I have been about starting P90X, I have also felt a slight trepidation hidden in the shadows of that excitement.  I was worried that I couldn't handle it... or maybe that I didn't want to handle it.  I was worried about my knee... a knee that, while markedly improved compared to a year ago, is still and will never be 100%.  I was worried about my stomach.  While I have done some ab work over the last 10 months, it has still been minimal.  I still find myself a little paranoid about working my stomach too hard ever since my surgery three and a half years ago. 

And, I was right to worry.  P90X is a bitch!  I don't think Tony Horton intended this program for out-of-shape 46 year old born-again athletes.  I don't think it was meant for guys with bum knees and resectioned colons.  My knee bothered me enough that I had to pull out the knee brace.  I couldn't do everything on that DVD.  But, I didn't quit.  And, I won't quit.  I will put a different DVD in every night and I will keep doing whatever I can until I can do no more.  I think if Tony saw me a year ago, he would have been fine with my effort tonight... even if I still kind of felt like a loser.

The "we" doesn't include just my brother either.  My wife, Lori, wanted to attempt it as well and was there in the living room struggling through each exercise with me!  What a great feeling to have both my wife and my brother going through this pain and torture at the same time.  Makes it that much easier.  And, as far as I can tell, Lori is planning to be by my side tomorrow night as well.  Right Lori?

The final "before" and "after" pictures from my journey will have to wait.  Now that I have started this, the Day 90 photos will have to be used rather than the Day 1 photos taken tonight.  I promise you are only about 13 weeks away from seeing those nasty "before" captures.  Hang in there.

One day down, 89 to go!  Here's to Tony Horton and his madness... 

203.0

Another even pound.  One week to go.  Need to push that number back up to 10 pounds at least and finish under 200.

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 23 - 1.0, Total - (6.8)

201.0 / 202.0

That's my weekend, and the last week, in a nutshell.  This week has felt like a celebration week for me.  Time to get busy again.  I need January to be as good as it started.  The last week starts tomorrow. 

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 21 - (1.8), Total - (8.8)
TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 22 - 1.0, Total - (7.8)

202.8

A brief summary of January to put my eating habits in perspective...

Day 1 - Lost 2.0 pounds
Day 2 - Gained 3.6 pounds
Days 3-15 - Lost 13.4 pounds
Days 16-20 - Gained 4.8 pounds

Seriously Anthony?!  You can't string together one entire month without falling back in to your gluttonous ways?!  Stupid potluck.  So, does this mean I get balloons and congratulations again when I go back under 200?

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 20 - 1.8, Total - (7.0)

201.0

Like I said, yesterday was not a good day.  Today the office is having a potluck.  So, today won't be too much better.  I think what bothers me most yesterday is the breakfast burrito I ate.  I still maintain that I am perfectly okay having exceptions.  But, they should at least be EXCEPTIONAL!  I hate when I waste calories on average food.  After I ate the burrito which I barely enjoyed... though I kept eating it... I grabbed the package so that I could enter the nutritional info in to myfitnesspal.com.  I wanted to cry when I read it was 610 calories!  There are a lot of 600 calorie items out there that I crave and love.  This burrito was not one of them.  At least I can say that the calories I have consumed today were worth it!  There was some mighty fine stuff in that potluck.  Alright, tomorrow I get my focus back once again.

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 19 - 2.0, Total - (8.8)

199.0

Note to self... just because you broke 200 doesn't mean you are done.  Those pounds go back on a lot quicker than they come off.  Two straight days with too many extra calories.  I have always said that I am okay with having exceptions for those things I love.  But today, I ate something that was average at best and very high in calories.  Shame on me...

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 18 - 0.4, Total - (10.8)

198.6

Nothing else to say this morning...

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 17 - (0.8), Total - (11.2)

199.4

Oops.  A little too close to going back over 200.

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 16 - 1.4, Total - (10.4)

198.0... 115 Pounds Lost!

Another good day and another .8 pounds lost.  Hard to believe that ten months in and 115 pounds later that I could still be losing weight at the pace I have over the last two weeks... 13.4 pounds in 13 days!  Still proves my theory that my plateau wasn't a plateau at all... simply me being my dumb self.  When I stick to the plan, good things happen.

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 15 - (0.8), Total - (11.8)

198.8

No change.  And, I am still thrilled.  Yesterday, I went to lunch with my department to celebrate a birthday... with a side celebration of my weight loss.  The place was the Sunset Inn.  Let me remind you that I have not had a green chile slopper in about a year!  The 'Set is one of the places that I took out of my restaurant rotation despite loving their food.  I know my weaknesses and so I just stayed away.  The birthday boy said to me, "So, are you probably just going to eat a salad?"... in that tone of disgust when people really want you to be bad just this once.  I said no... and he gave me a fist bump and a smile.  I may have exhibited some unknown-to-me willpower over the last 10 months.  But, I am no robot.  I was having the slopper damnit!

For those of you who read this blog and do not live in Pueblo.  The slopper is a cheeseburger in a bowl smothered in green chile.  Of course, if you are not from Pueblo then you may also not know what green chile is.  And if so, I feel some sadness for you.  I don't get the regular hamburger slopper off of the menu.  My buddy and I order it with the Italian sausage instead of the hamburger, adding even more kick.  We also skip the top bun, which is mainly because it's too much bread for me soaking up all of that green chile. But, that works nicely now since it saves me a few starchy calories.  The final change to the order is that we ask for the french fries on top of the sandwich so that they get doused in the green chile as well.  It is close to heaven.  And to be honest, the whole special order came from my friend Russ.  While I still believe that Coors' Tavern would win if you had a vote taken in Pueblo, I am a Sunset fan and agree with the Food Wars television show panel who voted the Sunset Inn as the best slopper joint in town.

The lunch was incredible as always.  Not sure how long it will be until I have another.  But, it was worth the wait.  And, the best part of this whole post is this...  I did not gain any weight.  With a small dinner and a good workout, I remain the same.  I would have been okay with a few tenths.  Just didn't want to go back over 200. 

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 14 - 0.0, Total - (11.0)

198.8

The biggest fear the morning after weighing in under 200 is gaining just enough to go back over that barrier.  Not that it would be the end of the world, but I really don't want to see it again... even once.  Had another bad feeling this morning.  Unwarranted, obviously.  But, I guess I am being cautiously pessimistic.  Glad to see that I was down another .8 pounds... that's 12.6 over the last 11 days!  Maybe I can lose enough by next week so that I can celebrate like normal people... with a big fattening lunch!  Some things never change...

I wanted to give a big THANK YOU to Doug and Cassandra Naylon for all of their support and the nice plant they sent yesterday to congratulate me.  In case you were wondering what you sent, the very descriptive card said "green plant".  lol.  But, it's really nice!

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 13 - (0.8), Total - (11.0)

Thank You!

Let me start by saying thanks! Thanks to everyone who follows this blog, has supported me on Facebook, sent me e-mails of encouragment, or had kind words over the last ten months. Much is written and talked about regarding the negatives of the internet. But, the positive power of social networking can be a great thing. I am not sure I could have done this without this blog and without Facebook. Ten years ago, I would not have received the positive feedback that I needed to be successful.  So, thanks again to every one of you. I wish I could list each of your names individually on this site. Your support has been truly amazing!

The picture says it all.  Well, actually, that blurry picture doesn't say as much as it should.  Too bad I couldn't have a real photographer around to help me this morning!  Not sure if it was me shaking with excitment, deliriously tired from not getting enough sleep, or the camera's struggle to find something to focus on, but that picture sucks.  No matter.  The only thing that counts is that the number begins with a "1" and not a "2".  Again, for the first time in 16-17 years, I am under 200 pounds.  I usually delete blurry pics immediately.  But, I think I will probably save this one!

This morning, I wrote the words "Finally!".  Later, I thought to myself that those words weren't fair to myself.  I think being so close for the last two months made it feel that way.  It seemed like I was going to get there at any time and then I would sabotage myself again.  I had become a little more anxious about the prospect of hitting my goal and even started doubting myself a little bit.  I think that's where that word came from.  But, after losing 113 pounds in 10 months, it hardly seems appropriate to use the words "finally".  If you told me in March that it would take me two years to get here, I would have been more than content.  So, I apologize to myself.  Please strike those words from my earlier blog.

I didn't cry this morning.  I have cried on many mornings, both on the scale and in front of the mirror.  Six months ago, I would have guaranteed you that I would cry the morning I broke this barrier.  But, I think there was a sense of inevitability this week.  I was pretty confident that today would be the day.  I haven't slept well this week and it was even worse last night.  I woke up extremely exhausted.  I wanted so badly not to have to go to the club this morning that I think I actually felt more relief than excitement when I saw that number.  Maybe tonight I will finally get some sleep.

I took the photo and then I crawled back in to bed... anxious to go back to sleep for another hour.  Not sure what made me think that I would be capable of falling back to sleep.  My excitement was overwhelming!  I sat there thinking about calling my brother, mother, father, sisters, and kids.  I thought of telling my friends at work who have helped me so much along this journey.  I thought of how I couldn't believe what I had just seen.  In the end, I thought of everything but falling asleep again.  I should have gone to the club...

Shortly after getting to work, I received flowers and balloons with a "Congratulations" balloon on top.  Lori had sent me a note telling me how proud she was of me.  I managed to hold in the emotions when I was standing on that scale, but that little note from my wife was the straw that broke the camel's back.  It was bound to come out eventually I suppose.  I cried when I read that note.  Thanks Lori for the note and being there every single day for me!

The other thing that touched me was the text message I received from Steve Garcia.  He said he was at work and couldn't check the blog.  But, he was so anxious to know if I had done it that he had to text me and ask!  That made my day and I was thrilled to tell him yes.  Steve and I have a mutual-inspiration thing going on.  Thanks Steve!

Today felt like a birthday celebration.  In fact, I may remember this day as my re-birthday.  Now the next phase of my journey begins.  Fortunately, the changes I have made are permanent.  I don't see much, if anything, changing over the next year.  In fact, I am doing better to start the new year then I have in a few months.  I will continue trying to extend my streak.  I can begin to work on these last few pounds and settling in to this new body.  My brother and I, once again, plan to start P90x next week... a plan that was delayed once before.   

Here's to Phase II of my journey...

I DID IT! 199.6!

I woke up an hour early this morning.  The intent was to allow myself the opportunity to go to the club this morning if I was close to breaking 200.  When I woke up, I had a bad feeling that I wasn't going to break 200 and an even worse feeling that I really didn't want to go to the club!  Not feeling 100% and way too tired today. 

Not sure if I would have made myself go or not.  Fortunately, I didn't have to make that choice.  The present I was hoping for was there on the scale.  At 6:00 A.M., I stepped on the scale and saw "199.6" light up!  Finally!  I got the number I have so desperately wanted to see over the last 10 months! 

The photo and more of the story will be posted tonight...

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 12 - (0.8), Total - (10.2)

Like A Kid At Christmas

I feel like a kid at Christmas.  I guess the only difference would be that the anticipation that kids feel on Christmas Eve is combined with a certainty that what they are anxiously waiting for will be there in the morning.  I, however, do not have that same certainty.  I feel pretty positive.  Other than a small handful of M&Ms and a couple of Ruffles potato chips, I have had a perfect day.  But, I still have an anxiousness and uncertainty that most children don't have to deal with the evening before receiving their gifts.  Maybe that's not quite true.  Maybe not knowing if Santa Clause will end up bringing you that one thing that you really desire is very similar to how I feel tonight.  I can't recall.  Maybe there was even a little anxiety associated with just hoping that Ol' Saint Nick would find your house and not have anything like the Heat Miser or Cold Miser getting in his way. 

I know it's crazy.  But, I actually think I may have trouble going to sleep tonight.  I am truly that excited at the very prospect of waking up and finally breaking the 200 pound barrier.  I can still hardly believe it.  Even when I set this goal 10 months ago, I am not sure I thought it was really possible.  I thought I had a good chance of losing some weight, even substantial amounts.  But, I don't think I really believed that I could ever get to 200 again, let alone in 10 months!

Here's to tomorrow morning and the only gift that I want... well, besides the usual one regarding waking up...

200.4

So close.  Tomorrow might actually be the day.  I want it so badly that I may just starve myself today.  I definitely think I will be getting up early to go to the club before I weigh.  I can hardly contain how excited I am about possibly breaking this barrier after 10 months.  I never though I would see these numbers on the scale again.  Of course, now I have just jinxed myself.  I am guessing that they will be bringing in Manhattan's for lunch and Lori will tell me that Mi Ranchito's is offering us free dinner tonight... with unlimited margaritas!  Down 1.4 from yesterday, 9.2 this year (and month), and 11 over the last eight days!

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 11 - (1.4), Total - (9.4)

201.8

Really?!  It kind of feels like God is just taunting me now.  lol.

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 10 - 0.4, Total - (8.0)

201.4!

I wanted so badly to be down this morning.  I wanted it so badly that I almost got up an hour early to go to the club to ensure it happened.  But, when I went to bed I weighed myself and realized that I was most likely going to be down slightly.  I was thrilled.  Both because I really didn't want to get up any earlier than I already do on Mondays, especially given the snow that fell overnight.  But, even more than that, I wanted to prove to my friend Will that I could actually lose weight over the weekend!  Down .6 pounds from yesterday, a new low, and down exactly 10 pounds since last Monday's weigh-in and 8.2 pounds since the start of the year.  Ten pounds in one week!  Oh so close to finally breaking the 200 pound barrier and feeling incredible!

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 9 - (0.6), Total - (8.4)

202.0!

Yes!  After almost a month, I finally record a new low!  Down another pound and staying focused... much easier when there are not countless temptations paraded in front of me on a daily basis.  I am down 9.4 pounds over the last six days!  My previous low was 202.4 recorded on December 9.  I have seen a lower number twice, 201.4 and 201.8.  But, those were both unofficial post workout weights.  I don't usually weigh after workouts.  But, when I get close to 200, I have a tendency to weigh out of curiousity.  I am going to the club now and will likely weigh when I get home.  Based on my very consistent 1.4 pound loss that I typically experience at the club, I could actually see a number as low as 200.4 in a couple of hours!  Almost there...

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 8 - (1.0), Total - (7.8)

203.0

Another solid day of exercise and eating right and I find myself only .6 away from my previous recorded low.  That's 8.4 pounds down since Monday!

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 7 - (1.8), Total - (6.8)

204.8

Yes, you can eat at Red Lobster and still lose weight! 

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 6 - (0.6), Total - (5.0)

The Streak Almost Comes To An End

It's a good thing I like streaks.  It's great that I like besting my own records.  Even better that I like bragging about my streak to others.  So, after 302 days, I found myself facing the end of the streak tonight.  After getting out of work late, we joined my mom and my sister for their farewell dinner before they embark on their trip back to San Diego tomorrow.  If they weren't leaving in the morning, I would have skipped tonight's dinner so that I had time for the club.  After dinner, we went to the Events Center to watch Pueblo South and Pueblo Central play. 

I was tired even before the game started.  After an overtime thriller, I was even more exhausted by the time I got home at 10:30.  The club closes at 10:00.  So, there I was faced with the decision of whether or not to go to bed and get some much needed rest or brave the elements and take a walk in the freezing night.  I grabbed the leash and watched my walking partner, Duke (who you may remember as my son's money-grubbing husky), flip out as he realized he was going for a walk.  I did such a good job bundling up that I managed a good sweat by the time we were done with our hour-long fast-paced jaunt.  I wasn't thrilled at first.  But, it took me only about 10 minutes to realize that I wouldn't regret the decision.  I was right.  Great night.  Great walk.  Great sweat.  Great decision.

Here's to making great decisions even when they don't appear to be such when they are made...  and too 303 straight days...

205.4

The whole weight loss thing goes much smoother when you are not eating 3,000+ calories every day...  bowel movements as well!  Down 1.6 pounds and back in my groove. 

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 5 - (1.6), Total - (4.4)

'Tis The Season

No, I am not referring to the holiday season that just passed.  'Tis the season for basketball, specifically high school basketball.  Not that I don't enjoy the NBA or college game.  But, I love prep hoops.  I look forward to those first games played before the Christmas break.  I anxiously await the four Pueblo city schools playing their girls/boys quadruple headers at the Events Center.  I spend Mondays looking at the Sporst Slate in the Pueblo Chieftain and planning my week.  If I lived closer to Denver, I would fill my nights bouncing from gym to gym.  I love these four months that culminate with the state playoffs at the end of February and early March and lead up to my favorite sporting event of all, March Madness.

I miss my basketball family during the offseason.  I miss all of the refs, players, and coaches that make up Colorado basketball, especially those here in Pueblo.  For a group of people who's passion, like mine, is high school basketball, it is surprising how little contact we have when the season ends.  I might run in to some of them from time to time.  Some of them I will see during football season.  But, I will cross paths with many of them only during these four months.

This particular hoops season is even more special for me.  First, because my son has taken over the freshmen coaching reigns at Pueblo South High School, the very same job that I held just three years ago.  Just when I think my kids can't keep making me proud, I am proven wrong while watching my boy coach a freshmen high school basketball game or my little girl play in a CSU-Pueblo jazz concert. 

The second, and more relevant - at least to this blog, reason that this particular season is special is, of course, that my basketball family hasn't seen me in over 100 pounds!  Just when I thought I was close to being done hearing how people don't recognize me, a new wave of people that I haven't seen in eight months is reacquainted with the new me.  I look forward to walking in the gym and seeing those surprised faces.  I can't wait to wander around the Events Center and watch people I know walk right past me. 

Tomorrow night, Centennial will play East and South will play Central at the Events Center.  I will be there.  I will get up and walk around more than usual.  Yes, I am vain.  But, while I have been hard on myself throughout this journey, the one thing I won't avoid or deprive myself of are the compliments that seem like a fitting reward for all of my hard work.  Here's to basketball season. old friends, and surprised faces...

207.0

Good.  At least I earned this weight loss.  Pretty good day.  A small piece of Little Caesar's pizza away from being an almost perfect day.  Down 1.8 pounds.  Maybe today I can be even better and get that perfect day.

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 4 - (1.8), Total - (2.8)

208.8

I wish I could celebrate the 2.6 pounds lost a little more.  But, I didn't deserve to see that this morning.  Another fat-filled day.  The only thing I can attribute the loss to is the amount of salt I consumed on Sunday via Frank's Red Hot Sauce.  I love Frank's.  So much that when the wings or chicken are gone, I still find myself dipping Frito's and chips in it!

I will take it just the same and try to get started again... today... 

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 3 - (2.6), Total - (1.0)

New Faces... And 300 Straight Days!

There is an annual phenomenon that happens at health clubs across America.  I alluded to it a couple of days ago in my New Year's post.  It's the annual pilgrimage that takes place in January as countless millions set out with renewed hope at finally keeping their resolution to get fit and lose weight.  Health clubs and gyms are filled with enthusiasm...  and lots of people.  This phenomenon is duplicated in a reduced form at the beginning of each month during the year.  You can even see a slight difference each and every Monday. 

As expected, the Pueblo Athletic Club was packed tonight.  I would guess that there were easily triple the amount of people that are normally there.  Every machine was being used.  The track was full.  The parking lot was full.  The staff was busy showing potential newbies what the PAC has to offer.  

Unlike many of the PAC regulars, I like the influx of new recruits.  I like the excitement that New Year's resolutions bring.  I like the energy.  I like a club full of enthusiastic people trying to change their lives.  I am rooting for each and every one of them to be successful.  I hope and pray that they all can put in 300 straight days of exercise... the number I reached today!  A friend tonight said it will thin out by the end of January.  My son reiterated the same sentiment tonight.  And, I know they are right.  I fully expect that next Monday will be less crowded.  The next Monday will be less than that.  And so on.  That bums me out.  As I said the other day, I can only hope that it thins out less than it has in previous years.  I want some new "regulars"!   As a matter of fact, I would like some of these folks to show up every Friday so we don't feel so alone in the club! 

Sure, we had to park a little further away and that really sucked considering how bitter cold it was out there tonight.  But, I don't mind.  Some of the regulars think they are entitled... like they own the place.  They expect to use "their" machine.  Yeah, I gravitate towards a couple of treadmills that I like and that tend to be slightly more reliable than the others.  But, I am not upset when I don't get to use them.   I don't get angry because people are walking the wrong way on the track.  That attitude, at least to me, seems against everything that a health club should be about. 

Here's to the annual January migration of newbies... I wish you every success and continued willpower...

211.4

I guess Mondays in 2011 are going to suck as bad as they did in 2010.  Who am I kidding?  Why do I keep blaming poor helpless Mondays when it's really gluttonous Sundays that do this to me on a weekly basis?  That is a habit I really need to change in 2011.

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status: Day 2 - 3.6, Total - 1.6

207.8

It's a new year, it's a new day, it's a new life... and I'm feeling good!  Down 2 pounds to start off January!

TJWIGMFBAFANAD Status:  Day 1 - (2.0), Total - (2.0)
(The January Where I Get My Focus Back And Forget About November And December)

Happy New Year... Now Get Busy!

Okay, all of you people who have told me that you were going to get started as soon as the holidays were over.  To all of you who have said that I have "inspired" you.  You know who you are.  No more talking about it!  The holidays are over.  So, get off your butt and get busy.  No really, I mean it!  Right now.  Stop reading this blog for an hour and go do something.  Since the club was closed, I started the new year off by bundling up and taking my son's husky on a great hour long walk through the snow.  The snow was so bad in places that I felt like I was hiking.  Now it's your turn.  Put a dvd in.  Do some yoga.  Lift some weights.  Do anything.  But, get busy!

Okay, I shouldn't be preaching on this night.  For the second straight month, I gained weight.  I start 2011 at 209.8 pounds.  I really wanted to write about that sign at the Pueblo Athletic Club that said the average American gains 8-14 pounds over the holidays.  First, because I have never understood how an average can be "8-14".  Wouldn't that be an average of 11?  I will give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they were referring to multiple studies where the average has been somewhere between 8 and 14...  but, I know better.  Secondly, because I so badly wanted to disprove this theory and actually lose weight over the holidays.  And, if I hadn't enjoyed last night so much, I would have.  But sadly, I fell victim to the holidays like most of you.  Though I can say that I went from 207.8 on November 1 to 209.8 on January 1.  So, I still gained less than the average American!  Goodie for me...

I won't make a resolution.  I have made countless resolutions over the years and failed.  But, I will promise to continue doing what I have done over the last 10 months.  No resolution.  Maybe we will call it a renewed focus.  The holidays are over.  No more excuses.  No more people telling me that "it's just one day". 

I will be back in the club tomorrow morning...  along with all of the throngs of people who made their resolutions and will begin strong tomorrow or on Monday.  Sadly, the club will thin out as January progresses.  I wish it would stay busy.  I wish everyone could find the motivation I found to change their lives.  I will pray that the decline in numbers is less drastic than in normal years.

Despite my two pounds gained, I woke up this morning with a smile on my face as I reflected on this past year.  I start 2011 over 100 pounds lighter than where I started 2010.  Last year, I did not wake up and go for an hour long walk in the cold and snow.  We went to Village Inn for lunch today and I had a garden salad.  Last year, I would not have had the garden salad.  I am different now and I believe that the changes are permanent.  Not that the last two months haven't made me question my resolve or made me a little nervous.  But, I am confident that this is a minor blip on the radar screen of my life.  Maybe next year I can go through the holiday season without gaining any weight!

As we close the book on 2010, I would like to reiterate my thanks and appreciation for all of you who have read this blog, provided continued positive reinforcement, and also provided inspiration to me along this journey.  You are the reason this was possible.  Knowing you were reading this blog, knowing how much you cared, knowing what this meant to so many is the reason why I have been successful.  The blog was all about accountibility and you were who I was accountible to.  I am not sure I could have done any of this without this blog.  So, thanks again for being there for me.

Here's to each of you finding your motivation to make changes, whether they be weight-related or not, and here's to a great 2011...

Okay, you are still reading this and you never got up.  I get it, you wanted to finish reading first.  I am done now.  SO, GET BUSY!!