Uncharted Territory!

Ahoy! It was a very busy week, as late April through early June is "the Gauntlet" in my family—filled with birthdays and special occasions. But even with family meals and cake, I managed to stay strong and moderate my intake without starving myself. So this morning ...

262.6 lb.

Weekly Loss: 3.4 lb.

Total Loss Since 1/25/2014: 16.4 lb.

265 pounds was my first big milestone — representing the lowest weight I had achieved since before 2001. And now I've sailed past it by a few pounds. It's exciting! Now that I've hit the first big goal primarily by diet I'm going to ramp up physical activity and soon start some weight training to tone up. Already I'm getting remarks about how now that my waist is slimming up a bit it emphasizes my broad shoulders and makes me look taller.

 (Taken yesterday at my nephew's birthday lunch.)

Not only am I starting to feel better about the guy in the mirror, but I know that both my sleep apnea and lower back issues will be helped by getting to a healthier weight. I'm hopefully dodging adult onset diabetes that my Dad once dealt with, high blood pressure, etc. I'm going to keep at this for the long haul.

Thanks to my family and friends for their support and encouragement. See you at next week's weigh-in!

One Mile to the Milestone

Okay, so after the being a bit naughty for the Easter holiday I've been careful about food journaling and better choices for the past week, so instead of another slow-crawl week I shot down.

Quick aside: Back around the time my daughter Liz was born in 1997 I was about 260 pounds. For the next seven years I would only gain weight because of near-constant eating to stay awake while suffering from untreated sleep apnea, combined with bad habits and lazy lifestyle ... well, I got way-big, way-unhealthy. Since then, the lowest/best weight I've achieved was 265 lb. a few years ago. Well, this is what the scale said this morning:

266.0 lb.

Weekly Loss: 7.4 lb.

Total Loss Since 1/25/2014: 13.0 lb.

So if I lose even one pound over the next week, I will have tied for the best weight I've had since sometime in the late 90s! It's my first major milestone on this road to better health and self-confidence. I'm excited to blaze past it and into awesome uncharted territory.

Thanks for the love and support, everyone. It all keeps me going!

Movin' On Down!

While I'd done pretty well during the course of last week, I was concerned that I'd break even or—worse—have gained slightly because I allowed myself to indulge at the annual Easter family feast. I prepared two hams (declared by Mom to be the best hams ever) and the remaining food, wine, and dessert was also delicious. I actually didn't eat nearly as much as I once would have stuffed into my face-hole if only because my stomach can't handle the amount of food that it once could.

So this morning I weighed in, prepared for the worst ...

274.4 lb.

Weekly Loss: 1.0 lb.

Total Loss Since 1/25/2014: 16.6 lb.

Whattaya know! I managed to still lose a pound over the last week. Not bad—and thankfully no more feast temptations for a while!

Micro-Progress

The past week wasn't as easy to stay focused on monitoring what was going into me, as we had several get-togethers and celebrations in which eating and drinking (yes, that kind of drinking) was part of it. I didn't indulge to the level of the old days, but I certainly wasn't doing the weight loss plan any favors. The good news, though, is that I did manage to make a tiny bit of progress on the morning weigh-in. Realistically, I maintained. Which isn't as bad as losing ground (and gaining lard).

274.4 lb.

Weekly Loss: 0.2 lb.

Total Loss Since 1/25/2014: 15.6 lb.

Back to being a good boy this week, since Easter is coming up and the temptations of a big family dinner (I'm making TWO hams, apparently) and Cadbury Caramel-Chocolate eggs abound. Have a good week, everyone!

April Showers

Another very early morning on little sleep, and already had to do a half hour of driving in the pouring rain. But today is Monday and it was time for a weigh-in!

274.6 lb.

Weekly Loss: 4.4 lb.

Total Loss Since 1/25/2014: 15.4 lb.

Ten more pounds to go to reach my first big goal: 265 lb. That's my best weight from a few years ago. This time I'm going to hit that mark and keep going. I'm building up the physical activity level for a while before I start adding on weight training to tone myself up. I can't wait to get the pool open and swim laps every day!

Stay on target ... stay on target ...

Back At It!

Yes, it's been awhile. In 2013 I really let things go for a good long while in regards to my health/fitness goals. Major changes happened in my life, including and especially moving my fiancée down from Ohio and merging our families into one huge Brady Bunch. Nikki is so sweet and loves me regardless of my size, it was easy to let old bad habits creep their way in.

By the holidays I had reached about 295 lb. I was almost back where I had started years ago.

I was not okay with this, so I decided to form a plan for the coming year. I would start with small changes at the beginning of the year and ramp things up one stage at a time. I stopped drinking sugary stuff and switched back to water, coffee, and tea. I limited desserts and snacks. By my birthday (1/25) I had dropped five pounds, which was at least a start.

Now I'm back to more seriously watching my intake with a goal to lose at least a few pounds a week. And so far, so good!

Weekly Weigh-In: 279.0 lb.

Yes, I've lost 16 lb. since Christmas and 11 since my birthday! I had vowed long ago not to ever again let my weight creep over 300 lb. (Anyone who knew me or had seen pictures of me before I started sleep apnea treatment 10 years ago knows I topped out at 323 lb.) My short-term goal is to get back to where I was in 2012—my healthiest weight in more than a decade—and then keep going.

Next Step: Increase activity level by regular walking along with diving into more physically demanding spring chores. We're planning to open our pool this year, which means this summer I'll be able to swim laps every day. I'd also like to join the gym and start weight training to tone myself up and get in better shape.

Nikki isn't asking this of me, but for my own health and self-image I want to accomplish these goals this year. I'm going to go back to recording my progress here once a week both as a personal journal and for those who would like to cheer me on.

Look for a leaner, healthier Jamie this summer out on the road!