New Belt

Not too long ago I broke down and bought a new belt. I really didn’t want to. I’d had that belt for many years and I wanted to keep it as a reminder of how far I’ve come.

It got a little ridiculous though having a huge amount of belt sticking out and flapping around. So I ordered a new belt. Well I must not have picked the right size. I thought large would be right, but I’m already on the last hole of this belt now. When I first got it I think I was on the third last, which should have been my hint that I got the wrong size.

Maybe I’ll take this opportunity, seeing as I’m likely going to need a new belt again soon, to just visit the leather shop and get them to cut my old belt and add a bunch of new holes in it for me.

That way I can keep the amount they cut off as the reminder, and have my favourite belt back as well.

 

Making my way to 80

With my weigh in this morning I’ve busted over another barrier, down from 189 to 186. This puts me at 72 lbs lost since January 1st, 2014.

When I hit 80 lbs lost, which is getting closer and closer, that will finally put me in a BMI of being healthy. It will still be the high end of healthy, but I will no longer be classified as overweight.

I know BMI isn’t everything and it is just a calculation based on height and weight but I think it is a pretty good goal to have. At this point I still have a fairly good roll around my abdomen and with only 8 lbs to go I doubt it’s going to be gone. But once I hit that healthy weight threshold I’ll concentrate less on losing weight and more on building muscle again.

Hopefully this will keep me in the healthy weight range but also get rid of the roll. I’m getting very excited, but will be even more excited when the belly roll is gone.

Jul 9th, 2014 Weigh In

Weigh in for July 9th, 2014: 186.0 lbs

Change From The Inside Out

During the visual transformation I’m going through I’ve realized that I have some work to do inside as well to make my life more healthy. It’s not just about being physically healthy but also mentally as well.

It has taken a lot of mental work to get to where I am physically today. As I realized the other day taking my shirt off at the beach, I’ve got a ways to go in this area as well.

As I get physically healthier I’m realizing that it’s up to me to make me happy. I’m not saying that I’m not happy because I have a fantastic life, an amazing supportive family, a good job etc. However I’m still a person who relies on outside influences affect my happiness. For those who know me and know my resume I have a habit of getting a new job, staying there for a while and then leaving for something else. Maybe the job didn’t satisfy me in certain ways, maybe it wasn’t challenging enough, maybe I just got bored. Those aren’t the only reasons I’ve left jobs but all those things have come into the decision making. Really though is it up to my job to keep me engaged?

Of course it certainly helps if a job meets those needs, but really it is up to me. Now I’m not saying I’ll never leave a job again. If I ever get an amazing offer for a dream job I’ll obviously consider it. But I can be happy and engaged no matter what the job.

Yesterday I started reading a book I’ve been meaning to for a long time, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey. I’ve had it on my bookshelf for years and it’s been on my reading list for longer than that.

I’m only just getting into it but it’s already given me much to think about and work on. In the beginning it talks a lot about changing your perception and working on yourself. This relates to all aspects of life not just professional. The more I think about the more true it is. It goes back to something my mother used to say, I don’t recall the exact wording but something along the lines of, “If you go into it with a bad attitude you’ll have a bad experience, if you go into it with a good attitude, you’ll have a good experience.” In other words it’s up to you. A catch phrase at a previous job was “Choose Your Attitude” and although I don’t think it was lived by a lot of people there, it is still true.

So going forward I’m working on making a very conscious effort to work on myself and not rely on anything else to keep me happy.

Jul 2nd, 2014 Weigh In

Weigh in for July 2nd, 2014: 189.0 lbs

Beach Day

Today was the first beach day that I’ve had since losing all this weight and it was fantastic.

The weather was absolutely perfect. Just a few fluffy clouds in the sky and the sun shining. The temperature was pretty close to 30° C.

There was a couple great moments for me today, the first one was when me and two of my kids hoped in a little inflatable boat to head down the river and we all actually fit in comfortably. If this had of been last summer it would have been tight and awkward.

The next big thing was when we got to the lake. I’m so used to being so self conscious when it comes to the beach. I hated taking my shirt off with other people around. Even though I know I’m in much better shape and at a pretty decent weight I still had those feelings for the first few minutes as I stood around with my shirt on watching the kids run out into the water.

I had to actually remind myself that I wasn’t the same person I was last summer. I still have extra weight on of course, but really not much to be ashamed of with my shirt off. So off it came and out into the water I went. It was a great feeling coming to that realization. I know I should have been comfortable with who I was no matter my weight and not worry about what other people thought of me, but I really couldn’t help it. I wasn’t happy with myself was the biggest part I’d say.

I still have a ways to go before I’m completely satisfied with how I look with no shirt on, but I’m proud of how far I’ve come. So today I went shirtless and felt good about it! Looking forward to spending many more days like today where I can just be me and have a great time with my friends and family instead of being insecure. And as the summer goes on I’ll just keep getting in better and better shape and losing more weight until I get to where I want.  Can’t wait for that day too.

Eating Troubles

Even though I’m basically six months into this journey I still have severe issues with food. It really is like some sort of addiction. I think quitting smoking years ago was easier than quitting my bad eating habits.

Certainly after six months of no smoking I didn’t crave it anymore. I could be around other people smoking and it didn’t bother me or cause me to want one.

This past week has been really rough. Part of the reason is in the pictures above. There have been four birthdays celebrated at my house this week and my wife has made amazing treats for each of them (I only had pictures of three).

My biggest problem with eating is portion size though. You should be able to have treats like this from time to time without it affecting weight loss at all. It’s good to treat yourself. My problem is I have big pieces, and then go back for more.

Being on the 5:2 diet I’m pretty sure my stomach has shrunk which should help matters but I need to get used to it. The past two days I’ve had too big of portions of supper even. To the point where I actually physically hurt when I’m done. I really need to learn to take less and slow down when eating. That way my body can tell me I’m full before I jam to much food, that I don’t need, into me.

Jun 25th, 2014 Weigh In

Weigh in for June 25th, 2014: 189.0 lbs

It’s easier to give up heroin than obesity

If you have an hour this is certainly worth a listen. Be warned though it is a bit scary and depressing but I think important.

There are also a couple NSFW words scattered throughout.

http://www.cracked.com/podcast/why-food-industry-way-more-evil-than-you-think/

Second 10k run

I was able to get out early again today and did my second 10k. I was just barely able to keep it under an hour, which was my goal.

Here’s a cool Google Earth video of my route. You will need the Google Earth plugin to see it.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/render_route_video?route_key=1352658185891664952&site=mapmyrun.com