Long time no blog (Long post)

Hey.  Ok so it has been a while since my last post.  Time to catch you up with what has happened to me over the past two months.  First let me start with, I have continued to lose weight.  I have now lost just over 90 pounds as I approach my fifth month of this journey.  It has been a busy two months since my last post. 

Shortly after my last post back in early May I packed up my belongings and returned home to Maryland.  Three months at my parents house was amazing.  They got me started on my journey and gave me lots of support in those first and probably the most difficult months of changing your life.  I do not believe this would have possible without their love and support.  I had to return to Maryland for other business and I felt that I had the tools and my routine down that I could continue to success on my own at home.  My parents were worried and made sure I knew that their door was always open and I could return if I need to. 

The first week of my return was crazy as my house was in pure chaos with unpacking and just cleaning up the mess I had left behind.  It took about a week of hard work to get the house back in order so I could start my routines back up again.  But the great thing about it was that I was able to do the cleaning!  Being able to move again is so amazing that only someone like me in my former state can truly appreciate.  I don't remember the exact weight losses I had per week but I continued my average of about 5 pounds a week.  Some weeks higher, some weeks lower but I keep slimming down and that's the point.

Just two weeks home and I was heading back to South Carolina.  But I was driving down!  I met one of my first goals of getting on a plane again!  It had been a good decade since the last time I flew.  Not because I am scared, I love it actually, I wish I could be in the cockpit flying it.  (That's a future goal)  Anyway, I was a bit nervous about the whole experience.  I had not flown since before Sept. 11, 2001 so I didn't know the new security procedures and standing in long lines and walking great distances had been a nightmare for me over the past several years.  I gotta tell you, I got thru it all so easy!  Standing in the ticket and security line wasn't a problem.  My back would have been hurting 5 minutes in and the sweat would have started dripping soon after.  These issues were no more.  I was able to endure the lines AND walk to my gate with barely any discomfort.  That was one hurdle passed.  Now to get on the plane and hopefully sit in my seat.  It was a tight fit to squeeze into the coach seat and it was a good thing I had gotten a second seat so I could lean over into that second seat.  My shoulders along were too big for one seat.  It was a short flight to Charlotte so hurdle two was passed.  Now I just had to claim my luggage and meet my ride.  Even though I couldn't find where my baggage was coming out and walked up and back in the whole baggage claim area looking for it, again with little trouble before finding it and meeting my dad outside. 

So the reason I flew back down to my parents was because we were having a family vacation to the Outer Banks!  The last time we were there was for my sisters wedding four years prior.  It was a lovely week but full of struggles for me.  The wedding was on the beach and I could barely walk down there even with the help of a walking stick.  This time none of those past struggles were a problem.  Not only did I walk down to the beach but I actually got into the ocean.  Something I haven't done for probably a good twenty years.  Me and my brother in-law went boggie boarding several times, flew kites on the beach, swam in the pool, went bowling and played at the arcade the day it rained and even played a round of mini-golf and hit some balls on the driving range!  It was a great week but ended too soon. 

Once we returned to Charlotte me and my dad drove back up here to Maryland where we stayed for just a day as we then headed up to my parents summer place in the mountains of Pennsylvania.  The trailer had been closed up all winter and needed to be cleaned and stocked up for the spring/summer/fall and the grass was way over due for a cutting.  My father handled most of the outdoor stuff while I cleaned and organized inside the trailer.  We only spent a few days up there but I enjoyed myself as I hadn't been able to go up there for several years.  Another goal met! 

So after returning to my home and my dad headed back down south it has been about two weeks that I was off my routine.  I didn't dare weight myself but just started back on my routine.  After a week of that I was back to my Wednesday weigh-ins. Thankfully I did weigh less than when I left for vacation.

So the next two weeks or so went by ok.  I just focused on my routine and continued to lose weight.  Then the curveball came.  My god-daughter was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma.  She's thirteen and the daughter of my best friend.  I couldn't really focus on me and what I was doing any more, my thoughts turned to them and how I could help them.  I spent several days up at Johns Hopkins Hospital visiting her and my friends during this time.  The charity and fund-raiser in me popped his head up and I had to do something.  So I focused on building a web site for Catie to try and collect donations to help pay for the medical costs.  www.helpcatiefighthodgkins.com was created.  So far we have received some donations and that's great.  We started a raffle for her and I helped her family clean and paint a new bedroom for her and I was able to purchase a new bed for her so when she comes home from her chemotherapy appointments she will have a comfortable place to recover.  During this week or two there was some stress eating and I had my first no loss week since I started my journey.  It's understandable with what was going on but I needed to refocus on me now that I had set things in place for Catie.  I can maintain the web site and the other things going on while I get back to my routine.  So that  brings us up to date.  Today's weigh-in was great.  7.4 pounds lost this week once I refocused my energies.  I am about 9 pounds short of my first major goal of lossing 100 pounds!  I'm gonna push hard this week and see if I can hit it next week.

Stay tuned!

Take care, until next time!

Have your cake and eat it too!

Hey.  During my weight loss journey I have had to make sacrifices to achieve my goals.  I had to cut out the sodas.  Stay away from the fast food joints and worse of all cut out the sweets and junk food.  As I have been doing this I've been working on collecting and testing recipes that are mostly healthy and won't shoot my calorie intake thru the roof.  I found this great site called Pepperplate.com that you can import your recipes into and use it to plan out your dishes ahead of time.  It even creates a shopping list for you based on the dishes you selected.  Another nice feature is the list of sites that you can import recipes from.  Once such site was called Skinnytaste.com.   I picked up several recipes I wanted to try including some interesting crock pot dishes but then I took a look at their dessert section.  They had several low calorie dessert option that would allow you a taste of what you were craving without blowing your diet.
    Today I tried my hand at one of those recipes called a Homemade Skinny Chocolate Cake. This was a pretty simply cake to make and I think it came out awesome!  Each 2.5 inch square piece are only 163 calories and help quench that chocolate craving you may be having. So if your really craving something sweet and yummy don't deprive yourself.  Treat yourself!  Check out some of the other recipes on Skinnytaste.com and here is the link for the skinny chocolate cake recipe.

Take care, until next time! 

Where there's a will theres a way!

Hey! So today is weigh-in Wednesday. I had a good week losing 8.6 pounds. And that even included a trip out to a restaurant for dinner one night. So not too shabby if I do say so myself. That puts me at just over 60 pounds since I started this journey 10 weeks ago. Every week I post my weigh-in numbers on my facebook page and my friends and family comment and leave supportive statements and it's been great to see those. I have other friends that are currently going thru their own weight loss journey's and between the replies they get and the ones I get, I noticed a recurring theme. "How are you doing it?" and "Where do you get the will power?". That's what this blog is going to be about. The Willpower to improve yourself.

I don't think I have the answer to these people's questions. I believe that everyone has their own reasons for doing what they are doing. I can only tell you mine. My willpower comes down to this. I want a better life for myself!!! For the past several years I didn't care about myself. I tried to help other people when I could but I didn't love myself. I did the bare minimum to get by in the world. As long as I could go to work and provide for myself, pay my bills, I really didn't care about anything else. Eventually it just got too hard to do that any more and I hit rock bottom. I really think this has been like what an alcoholic or drug addict goes thru. I had to hit my lowest point before I woke up and said NO MORE!

 Two years ago I was close and I hired a private trainer to come to my home and help me work out. He was great and I dropped some weight but once the sessions where over I just went back to my old ways. I wasn't yet desperate to change my life. Late last year and early this year I hit that mark. And just like an addict I went away and got into therapy. In my case it was moving in with my parents so I could get proper nutrients and get myself set on a exercise routine. I'm nearing my goal of 100 pounds before returning home to continue my journey. Just like an addict I have to return to the real world and continue what I have learned here. Will I be successful? I think so. I have a lot of goals and things I want to be able to do and I have a solid core group of friends that will help and support me when I return home.

If you are one of the people that wonder where I get the willpower, just ask yourself if your happy with the way you are? If not, make a change. Start off small. Get a food scale and measure your portion size. Count your calories. When you see how much your eating you will make the change. Try to get a small walk in each day. I know its difficult and frustrating when you first start but before you know it you will get into a routine and you will be doing these things like it was perfectly natural. I'm a walking billboard that says you can do it! You just have to flip that switch inside your mind from negative to positive.

Take care, until next time!

My life's theme song

Hey. Those of you that have seen the classic movie "I'm gonna get you sucka!" will understand this blog. In the movie the hero has a troupe of musicians that follow him around town playing his theme music. One of the characters in the movie asks what they are doing and he replies "Every good hero needs a theme song." or something to that effect. Well this hero was dancing in the shower the other day and realized I need to change my theme song. What does this have to do with weight loss? Well, my old theme song was a short funny song I liked by Liam Lynch called "Whatever!" And for the past several years that was my attitude in life. I was unhappy and depressed and didn't care that I was slowly killing myself by eating fast food for just about every meal. So as I said, I was taking a shower listening to a LFMAO song called "Sexy and I know it!" when I had the idea to make this my new theme music with one small change. My lyrics would be "I'm gonna be sexy, you know it! Cause I work out!" I've never thought of myself as sexy and probably never will but this was just a fun way to show my resolve to get fit. Weigh-in Wednesday is just two days away. I'm hoping for a good week. I'm hoping to hit 60 pounds total weight loss. A long way to go but I'm feeling better and stronger each week. Take care, until next time!

Accepting the new you.

Hey. So for many moons I have been pretty much a shut in. Yes I went to work...until that got too hard to do. But I rarely did anything else and more to the point rarely went anywhere else. The internet and me became good friends. I could order anything I wanted, including food, and have it delivered! I no longer had to go to places and struggle with what should be an easy task of walking into a store, doing some shopping and coming back out. Most people don't give it a second thought. But when your morbidly obese it's a nightmare! Sometimes I would talk myself out of a purchase just to not have to go get it.

Now that I have lost 50 pounds and can move around a lot better I want to do more things. It's spring time and the weather is beautiful here. I want to go out and play. But ole' fat me in the back of my head is saying...you can't go out...Your gonna get tired...It's gonna hurt...Sit back down.

If you hear ole' fatty in the back of your head...tell him to STFU!

Take care, until next time!

THATS A SERVING!!!

Hey. Last week I was not happy with my weekly weight loss and was forced to take a hard look at what I was eating. Even though I have been eating healthier I felt that I may have been misjudging the amount of food I was ingesting. To help with that I bought a digital food scale to start weighing the food. The first time I used it I was very surprised at how much, or how little, a serving of food actually was. With most things that you eat a serving size is usually around 3 ounces. The first time you see this it's pretty shocking. Especially living in a nation of "Biggie" or "Value" sizing. I doubt most people even know what a real serving size would look like.

Anywho, today is weigh-in Wednesday and I have been using the scale as much as possible since I got it. I also want to add that this was a hard week as it was Easter and there was lots of food and candy easily available. However I was strong and came through the week losing 8.8 pounds! That puts me at just over 50 pounds in 2 months time. Since I started this I have probably been averaging about 5 pounds a week so I think the scale and measuring my intake really helped me drop more weight this week. Lets hope the trend continues next week!

Take care, until next time!

Have some fun!

Hey. Today was weight-in Wednesday. I lost four pounds this week. It's a little low due to a couple days off from my knee hurting. I had to ice it down and pop advil's like candy but it's better now. I have been at this for five weeks now and I'm at 34.5 pounds lost so far.

I have to confess I was a bit depressed from this weeks weight loss. Several friends reminded me that 4 pounds lost is still a loss! It's just been 5 weeks of a lot of sweat and effort and I have along way to go and I was letting it get me down. So that's where today's blog comes in. I took a day off from the gym to rest my muscles and to do something fun! I decided to go see a movie. Not a big thing you think. But I haven't gone to the movies in a long time. It was too hard to walk from the parking lot into the mall and to the theater. I would be out of breathe and my back would be killing me. Today I was able to walk in and see a movie pain free thanks to the weight I have lost so far. I enjoyed a good movie and had a soda and some milk duds to celebrate my weeks of hard work. I also took a drive to a nearby village to check out a gaming store I found on the net. I purchased a new card game a friend told me about and headed home.

By the time I returned home I was in a better mood and I felt my batteries have been recharged. I'm ready to head back to the gym tomorrow and to continue my journey. So make sure you take the time to have some fun so you remember what it is your fighting so hard to have again. A life.

Take care, until next time!

Hit the Gym or go to Costco!

Hey. So last week I wanted to try and increase my gym time from 3 times a week to at least 5 times in the hopes that this would burn my fat and calories and my weekly weigh-ins would get a little higher. So I hit the gym 4 days in a row and by Friday I needed a break! Everything hurt. I needed to go to best buy to look for a new compact fridge for my room and my parents wanted to take a trip to Costco later in the day, so I agreed to join them.

As most store trips go Best Buy was pretty standard. There were ten employee's standing around the computer and TV section of the store as I did laps around the appliance section of the store with no one to help me. I finally snagged a passing employee to help me get the compact fridge I wanted down off the upper shelves. The multiple laps around the section and the lifting and carrying of the fridge helped me to obtain my step count for the day and shot my calorie burn right on up the scale!

A short time after installing the fridge in my room it was time to head to Costco! Everyone packed into the truck and off we go. I haven't gone shopping with my parents in forever and during this trip I was swearing to myself "Never again!".
I am not a leisurely walker/shopper. I like to get in and go what I'm after and get out. My mother, not so much! Up and down aisles, most of which had nothing she wanted. By the end of the shopping trip I was exhausted! I actually burned 580 calories OVER my daily target.

Morale of the story. If you don't want to go to the gym, go shopping!

Take care, until next time!

What's your goal?

Hey. It's weigh-in Wednesday! This week I lost 5.6 pounds! That's over 30 pounds in one month. I've started going to the gym every day this week. I have also changed my bike routine. Instead of doing my bike ride in the afternoon I do it the moment I get home from the gym so my metabolism stays high for longer and I get everything done in 2 hours. Its very tiring but so far I'm liking it.

Today's topic, having reasonable goals set for your weight loss. Presumably there is a reason why you started your journey of weight loss in the first place. Those are your goals. Here are some of mine.

In no particular order:


I haven't been to a theme park in over a decade. I want to be able to walk around a theme park and get on every ride I want to ride. I miss the thrill of roller coasters and can't wait to spend a day screaming my lungs out.

Even though they suck, I want to be able to go to a Baltimore Orioles game. I want to walk down Eutaw street and get a Boog's beef sandwich. I want to buy front row seats and be able to sit in them! Most of all I don't want to hurt or be out of breath when walking from the parking lot into the stadium.

I want to go back to the beach. I love swimming and I love the beach and haven't been to the nearby ocean in probably two decades. I want to walk the boardwalk and fly a kite on the beach. I want to boogie board in the waves.

I have never been on a cruise. I'd like to take one and scuba dive/snorkel in the clear blue water of the Caribbean.

I've never been to Las Vegas. I want to fly out there and see everything! Maybe even win a small fortune! :-)

It's been about five years now since my wife left me. It's about time to get a girlfriend and do the things that couples do together.

Well that's some of the bigger items I want to be able to do.

Take care, until next time!

Music is the Key!

Hey. Ok so weigh-in Wednesday was yesterday. I lost 5.5 pounds this week. It's an acceptable amount considering I was sick and missed two days of workouts. But that's not what I want to talk about today.

Today I just wanted to talk about the importance of having some good music to help motivate you in your workout. At the gym I have a playlist on my phone for some general good rock/pop music. Stuff with a good beat and makes me want to tap my feet. I keep it on random to mix it up but I usually hear all the songs.

When I ride my bike I use my iPad to view TV shows via Netflix but usually the shows end before my ride is over so I quickly put on some music. I've found that some good powerful rock music can help me push harder and finish my ride on a high note. For whatever reason that music gives me a boost and makes me push more. You have to find what works for you but I believe music is a key to a good workout.

Take care, until next time!

Two week gym anniversary.

Hey. So today was the end of the second week me and my father have been going to the gym. It was a good workout today. I increased the weight on the machines I was using and I found a new piece of equipment I liked. So I will be adding that to my routine. To celebrate, I purchases two Planet Fitness towels for me and my dad. Tired of using the coarse paper towels they provide in the gym.

Let me take this opportunity to say...WEAR A DAMN SHIRT! I don't need to see some fat old dude with his gray hairy chest sweating all over the machines. NOT COOL!

But it did give me an idea to pitch to the manager of the Planet Fitness. They should take a picture of me in just my gym shorts. Make a life size cut out of it and put it out front of your gym with a sign that reads..."Don't end up like this guy! Join Now!"

Anyway, it was a good gym day. I feel good, tired, but good. Oh yeah, my pants keep falling down too so I guess I need to tighten up. Another good sigh I'm losing weight!

Take care, until next time!

Well ain't this some S#$T

Hey. So week two's weight-in is here. As I have seen season after season on The Biggest Loser the week two numbers are usually never good. I have fallen victim to that same fate. Only 1 pound lost this week! Now as was pointed out to me by a good friend I have been working out at the gym and I may have gained muscle over the past two weeks. Muscle weights more than fat and so I may not have lost that much weight but I may in fact lost the FAT and gained some muscle. So there is my silver lining. :-)

I'm a little bummed I didn't have a nice big fat number this week but I was expecting it so I'm ok. I am determined to get this weight off and be a happy fully functioning member of society once again!

Take care, until next time!

Working thru the pain

Hey. It's Sunday. Left calf muscle is still tight. Did my morning bike session. I was able to bike 6.3 miles. It felt okay while I was biking and I went farther and could push it harder today than I could yesterday. I feel like my afternoon bike session is a go! Had my post workout orange, gonna take an advil to relive some of the muscle pain and rest a bit.

That's all for now. Take care, until next time!

First Injury.

Hey. So today is day 10. I woke up with a slight calf pull. I may have over done it on the calf press at the gym yesterday. Then again you have to tear muscle to build muscle. Anyway it's Saturday so no gym for two days. That should give me enough time to rest the leg. I have two bike sessions scheduled for today. I'm gonna take it easy on the first session and see how the calf muscle feels. It might just be tight and a good stretching session might help it out.

That's it for now.

Take care, until next time!

Gym manager likes me!

Hey. So today I'm at the gym and I'm almost done today's workout when the manager of the Planet Fitness comes up to me and shakes my hand. He said he's been watching me since I came in a couple days ago and was impressed with me and that I don't quit when working out. Pretty kewl boost of morale!

Oh, I'm now biking two sessions a day on the days I don't go to the gym. I did 12.5 miles yesterday!

I was so happy with my weight drop on Wednesday I sneaked a peak this morning to see if I dropped any more. I lost another 5.2 pounds. That's 22 pounds I've lost in 9 days! I'm feeling good. Eating good. I have noticed that I can stand up and walk farther before my back starts to ache. So it's working and I'm happy about that! Looking forward to a lot more coming off!

Take care, until next time!

Weigh-in Wednesday!

Hey. So one week down. I started on a Wednesday so my weight in days will follow in weekly increments. Ok so the first week wasn't too bad. I got settled in at my parents house. Got my bedroom and a spare room all set up for me. Put the exercise bike in the garage. I started out doing two fifteen minute sessions on the bike. Thinking this should give me my half an hour or exercise per day. I started on a low tension setting but gradually increased the level until I was comfortable with it.

I am averaging just over one mile every five minutes on the bike. All of my sessions have ended with me biking over 6 miles in the half an hour period. Some sessions I have pushed harder and made it 7 or even 8 miles. On Monday my father and I went to the local Planet Fitness where I have a gym membership. My father gets to come in free as a guest on my membership so it works out great as he's trying to be supportive of me and lose a few pounds himself. Gym workouts for me are mostly about building muscle. Muscle burns calories and the fat. This first day at the gym was mostly about finding some equipment I am comfortable using and trying to establish a routine. We went around 10 am to get in between the early morning people and the lunch crowd. Most of the equipment was available and there was no wait to use anything. We had a good workout.

So I guess I should tell you what you want to know. How much weight did I lose? Well it was a good week. I lost 16.8 pounds!!!

Just a pebble on the beach as far as my goal is concerned but it's a good start!

Take care, until next time!

Getting Started.

Hi. My name is Gary and like two-thirds of Americans I am obese. Actually I am morbidly obese by medical standards. I won't be posting my actual weight as that is private and a bit humiliating that I didn't care about myself enough to stop what I was doing to myself.

My weight got to be such an issue that I was basically unable to continue going to work. Each morning became harder and harder to push myself to go to work as I didn't look forward to the walk in from the parking lot. By most standards it wasn't a long walk at all, except for me. At the end I was stopping and resting two to three times before I actually made it to my desk. Walking to the bathroom was also a strain on me. I was usually out of breath by the time I got there and would need to take a seat and rest before heading back to my desk.

This just became too much and I had to reverse the direction my life was taking. With the help of a friend, I packed up some essential equipment and items I would need and moved in with my parents several states away. Aware that I would probably lose my job and would be living off of my savings for several months as I try to reduce my weight to something I can manage my life at.

A bit about my habits that got me to where I was. I drank several soda's a day. Did not eat well at all. Sometimes only eating once a day. Usually that would be a large meal from McDonalds, Chic-fil-a or Wendy's. These meals would be very high in calories and fat and after returning home from work with my pile of food I would eat and watch tv and not move much. This went on for several years until my knees started hurting just to get up off the couch.

My lifestyle outside of work was very limited. I hardly ever left my house on the weekends unless it was to go get more fast food. I couldn't walk very far so anyplace I went was always difficult and as I couldn't use the facilities at most places I would just stay home. Usually on Saturday nights I had some friends come over and we would order food and watch a movie. I even had my groceries delivered so I wasn't getting any exercise there either. And so I ate, and slept and did much of nothing with my life. Week after week, month after month, year after year. Until now!

Currently I am using the Body bug as seen on The Biggest Loser to track my calories and exercise, I ride a stationary bike every day for at least 30 minutes and have started going to a gym for strength training and to build muscles to burn the fat off. I am just shy of one week in and I'm doing pretty well. Have not had a soda since coming down here and have been drinking 6-8 glasses of water each day. With the help of my parents I have been eating healthy meals and get the 5-6 small meals a day I need. Every so often I will post my weight loss and other tidbits on this blog.

Hopefully it might inspire others to take charge of their life like I am trying to do. All my best!