Dear Fat

Dear Fat,

It's been a while since we discussed your presence. For most people, forgetting about you around the Christmas season is simply a conscious oversight in order to put more effort into shopping, decorating and gorging. I understand you use this mostly to your advantage. Well, dear sir, the good news for me was that I did not succumb to your temptation this season. While you may have been snickering in hiding that I have not written on my blog in over a month, I am here to assure you that you have not won. We have quite the war ahead of us, and, while there will be many battles, I will eventually come out on top. You hold the cards at the moment, but my outlook is changing. Instead of saying that you are 35% of me, I will now say that I am 65% not fat. I even got up early this morning to tell you how I feel, and I plan on doing so again, so please let your friend Lazy know what he's up against as well.

But I digress. Fat, please take this as another appeal to transform yourself of your own accord, so we can forego this horrible dance and work together as a team. Failing that, I will be forced to convert you into energy and expend you against your will. It is not my nature to apply unwelcome pressure to another, but my hands are tied. Please try to understand.

Sincerely,

Edward the (soon-to-be-not) Fat Guy

From the soon-to-be-unemplyed Fat Guy

As of December 10th, I will no longer be employed. I have mixed feelings about this. If you read through my previous posts, you'll see that I rarely eat much on the days that I work, so I believe I will do better with taking care of myself. Also, this gives me the opportunity to develop my business, Redshift Designs. On the other hand, there is going to be a lot of stress in my life during the transition.

I would appreciate any tips people have about handling the stress of being unemployed and also any tips on the stresses of venturing out on my own business.

One thing that really helps me when I am stressed is baseball. In light of that, my lovely wife helped me set a sheet up over the swing to practice throwing. Also, I think it is more important than ever to go to the gym and get in some cardio.

Here are the stats for today:

Date: November 26, 2010

Weight: 290 pounds

Went to bed last night at: 1:00am

Got up at: 11:00am

Exercise: Sanding and mudding kitchen wall. 20 minutes throwing baseball.

Food:

Breakfast - oatmeal raisin cookies

Lunch - turkey, applesauce, apple pie

Dinner - quesadilla

Drink: Sporadic drinks of water. Two glasses of apple juice.

UPDATE: My wife would have you know that the oatmeal raisin cookies I had for breakfast were whole wheat and sweetened with succanet instead of sugar. Consider yourself informed...

It's Cold and Rainy...

The storms have moved in and its getting pretty cold outside. I need to find some good activities for exercise inside. I'm used to walking to work, but I'm a wuss and can't really take it. I jog the stairs at work, but there are only ~12 up to my office. Any ideas?

Date: November 17, 2010

Weight: 289 pounds

Went to bed last night at: 1:00am

Got up at: 7:00am

Exercise: Not much activity today. The cold that I have been fighting seems to have backed off most of the way and I have a bit more energy.

Food: Banana, fiber bar, hot dog

Drink: Too little water...

Vitamins, etc.: Cod Liver Oil (Yay! Vitamin D!)

Its Way Past Time to Post Again

Its been a few days since I did this, but I'm not going to try to catch up. I have today's info below. I've been pretty sick the last couple of days, and its no surprise its taking me a while to get better. I know I need to start eating better, and I've been given a lot of great ideas, but I just can't seem to get going. I'm going to try to be more positive this week.

Here are the stats for today:

Date: November 14, 2010

Weight: 289 pounds

Went to bed last night at: 1:00am

Got up at: 5:00am

Exercise: Not much activity outside of going to church.

Food: Banana, meat/beans/rice/cheese in a bowl, a couple corn dogs.

Drink: Sporadic drinks of water.

Vitamins, etc.: Two probiotics.

10th Day - 287 Pounds

I went to the gym last night and worked out for about 30 minutes. Then I went over to the community center and went swimming with the girls for another 30 minutes.

I went back to work today, and again I'm realizing that I didn't eat right or drink enough today. I need to start making a lunch and taking it with me every day. I also need some way to remember to eat and drink throughout the day; I get busy at work and don't think about it.

Here are the stats for today:

Date: November 10, 2010

Weight: 287 pounds

Went to bed last night at: 12:00am

Got up at: 11:00am

Exercise: Stairs at work and a small amount of hefting logs.

Food: Pretty much nothing.

Drink: Sporadic drinks of water.

Vitamins, etc.: Two probiotics.

How I Felt: Today started off well, but I slowed down quite a bit. I should have realized that I need to eat something every now and then...

9th Day - 286 Pounds

Woohoo! Down to 286 today! I weighed myself three times to be sure it was right.

I ate well again today, but I again did not get enough water. I'm also going to go out to the gym with a friend and then I'm going swimming with the family a little later tonight.

Here are the stats for today:

Date: November 9, 2010

Weight: 286 pounds

Went to bed last night at: 1:00am

Got up at: 10:00am

Exercise: Heading off to the gym and maybe going swimming later.

Food: French toast for breakfast; bread and peanut butter for a snack; homemade pizza pockets, peaches and corn for late lunch.

Drink: A couple glasses of orange juice; a couple glasses of water.

Vitamins, etc.: Two probiotics.

How I Felt: It was a really good day. I felt good about the food I was eating and really enjoyed the time I got to spend with my family. I think I did a really good job of thinking positively today.

8th Day - 289 Pounds

I was reading about walking for exercise and came across this link:

http://walking.about.com/od/healthbenefits/a/aerobicwalk2005.htm

According to this site, walking at medium intensity 5-7 days a week will aid aerobic fitness. That sounds good to me. I walked for an hour today, and a half-hour last night. I'm definitely going to get my walk on again tomorrow.

Here are the stats for today:

Date: November 8, 2010

Weight: 289 pounds (If I want to be picky, I'm down to 288.5)

Went to bed last night at: 1:00am

Got up at: 11:00am

(note: I have two kids that wake up a lot during the night. I did not get 10 hours of sleep last night.)

Exercise: One hour of walking around the neighborhood.

Food: Bowl of oatmeal with raisins and almond milk for breakfast, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch. I have not had any dinner, but I'm not particularly hungry, so I might grab some fruit later tonight.

Drink: I just noticed that I did not have any water today. I better start drinking...

Vitamins, etc.: Two probiotics.

How I Felt: It was really nice to be home today with my family while working on my web design. I had my ups and downs, but altogether, I felt pretty good. I need to work a little bit harder on the positive thinking, though.

7th Day - 289 Pounds

Check out this awesome video one of my friends sent to me:

It's Jack LaLanne's 10-Point Plan. The first thing on his list is exercise, which is something that I haven't been doing too well so far. Second is nutrition; I need to be better with the amount of food and the foods that I eat, and I especially need to be better about water. Third is positive thinking. I think for this upcoming week, I'm going to focus on the first three only and see where it gets me.

Here are the stats for today:

Date: November 7, 2010

Weight: 289 pounds

Went to bed last night at: 1:00am

Got up at: 5:00am

Exercise: Very low daily exercise (church, cooking dinner).

Food: Two pieces of toast with peanut butter for breakfast; leftover shepherds pie for lunch; homemade chicken nuggets and fries for dinner.

Drink: About 24oz.

Vitamins, etc.: Two probiotics.

How I Felt: I was incredibly tired today and took a nap in the middle of the day. My only real regret is that we didn't go for a walk as a family; it is now too dark and cold for the kiddos. I suppose I could take the dog for a walk by myself, though. Hmm, I might do that...

6th Day - ?? Pounds

I didn't weigh myself today. It was pretty much an extension from yesterday's apathy. The days that I have like this are the biggest problems for my weight, I think. I had a great evening with my wife and went to a very inspiring church meeting, so I'm feeling like I'm pulling out of my funk.

Here it is:

Date: November 6, 2010

Weight: ??? pounds

Went to bed last night at: not sure

Got up at: 12:00pm (yeah, one of those days...)

Exercise: Very low daily exercise (work).

Food: Frozen yogurt after church meeting and shepherd's pie for dinner.

Drink: I've had about 20 oz of water since I started writing my posts.

Vitamins, etc.: Two probiotics.

How I Felt: My day was terrible, but I've felt better all evening, especially after I got some food and water in my system. I'm going to do better tomorrow.

5th Day - ?? pounds

I didn't weigh myself for day 5. And I don't remember my facts and figures. I totally slacked on this for this one. But here it is anyway:

Date: November 5, 2010

Weight: ??? pounds

Went to bed last night at: 3:00am

Got up at: 9:30am

Exercise: Low daily exercise (work).

Food: Can't remember

Drink: Somewhere around 4-5 8-oz glasses.

Vitamins, etc.: Two probiotics.

How I Felt: Had a bad day. That's why I didn't blog. Sorry...

4th Day - 290 pounds

Well, I didn't make anything to eat before bed last night, and I woke up one pound heavier. That said, I made a lot of really good decisions. Seeing as its very late tonight, I'll keep my dialogue short. I really appreciate your support and suggestions; please keep them coming.

Here it is for today:

Date: November 4, 2010

Weight: 290 pounds

Went to bed last night at: 1:30am

Got up at: 10:30am

Exercise: Moderate exercise. I walked to work (2 miles; 11:00am) and walked to the MAX (.25 miles; 9pm) and home from the MAX (.5 miles; 9:30pm).

Food: Two slices of whole wheat toast with peanut butter for breakfast (11am); assorted fruit, a small handful of tortilla chips and two bites of cake as a snack (8pm); leftover pasta bake for dinner (10:30pm).

Drink: About 20oz water (I didn't do nearly as well today...)

Vitamins, etc.: Two probiotics.

How I Felt: I had a very difficult and stressful day, but I think I handled it pretty well. The toast and brisk walk to work felt really good in the morning, but then my good habits slowly slipped.

3rd Day - 289 pounds

Well, considering yesterday, I'm really glad that I didn't gain any weight today. I really never noticed just how bad my diet is... especially because I feel like I eat good food all the time. I'm beginning to wonder if this is just a fluke or if maybe I just THINK I'm eating good food all the time because I'm proud of myself when I do, but I don't think about it when I don't.

My goal today was to drink more water, especially after the comments people have been leaving. I think I've always known how important water is, but I've never really understood it enough to apply it consistently. Also, I have decided to cut out the soda in my life. Maybe I'll have one now and again, but not in any significant amount.

When I decided to start this blog, my wife wondered if I would really be comfortable sharing this kind of information every day. I figured that I would be fine and that this would be a great help to me because of all the motivation I would receive. Now, just three days in, I feel a lot of support from everyone, but I also feel a little embarrassed about my diet. I think every time I look at a cookie, I'm going to tell myself, "you can eat that cookie, but remember, you have to tell EVERYONE that you did..." Even so, I'm really liking this idea so far. I hope you are all enjoying it, too.

My quick analysis for the day is that I did a lot better with the water, but I felt full all day, so I didn't eat anything. I didn't realize this until a little while ago, so I might make myself something light before bed. I'll let you know tomorrow. :D

So, a little shamefully, here are today's numbers:

Date: November 3, 2010 (Happy Birthday to my sister, Dre)

Weight: 289 pounds

Went to bed last night at: 3:00am

Got up at: 8:30am

Exercise: Low daily exercise. Stairs at work and, well, the other stairs at work.

Food: A couple homemade whole wheat doughnuts and 2 Wendy's chicken nuggets that the girl's didn't eat.

Drink: About 60 oz of water

Vitamins, etc.: I took the probiotics last night and I'll take 2 more tonight. No antacid last night, probably not tonight either.

How I Felt: I don't think my mood was affected as much by my diet tonight as it has been the last couple of days. I had a good day and I don't feel exhausted at the moment, even though this is usually about the time I slow down.

2nd Day - 289 pounds

I must have weighed myself incorrectly last night, because I don't think I really lost three pounds in 12 hours. I'm really impressed with the response to my first posting, and I hope you all are commenting and telling your friends about this. I am really excited about losing this weight, but, as I said yesterday, I need some big support.

And, ugh, I didn't realize how bad my diet really is. I don't drink nearly enough water, I don't eat enough and I don't eat good things at work. I'm so lucky that my wife is amazing and makes healthy, balanced dinners.

Well, here it goes again:

Date: November 2, 2010

Weight: 289 pounds

Went to bed last night at: 2:30am

Got up at: 9:30am

Exercise: Low to moderate daily exercise. Stairs at work and another trip to the grocery store.

Food: A slice of pizza at work; Baked pasta, canned pears, and applesauce for dinner.

Drink: A little bit of water, some soda at work

Vitamins, etc.: Probably a couple more probiotics tonight. I'm not having any heartburn tonight, so I'm hoping I don't need to take an antacid.

How I Felt: I felt pretty good this morning. Work was pretty stressful, but I made sure to keep myself positive. I feel pretty tired tonight, but that's to be expected considering the lack of food and exercise today. I'm hoping to go to the gym on my lunch break tomorrow.

1st Day - 292 pounds

Welcome to the inaugural post of the Fat Guy blog.

I am 24 years old, 6 feet, 2 inches tall, and 292 pounds (with 35% body fat). I work as an office manager for a small wood stove shop and have a membership to a fitness center at the local community center.

My goal is simple. I'm going to lose weight until I feel that I am no longer fat. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what that means. Maybe that goal will only be obtained when I reach 200 pounds or maybe it'll be when my body fat percentage is under 15%. Either way, I've decided that my own motivation is not enough, so I'm going public. I will blog every day about my progress; some posts will be short and quick and some may be quite a bit longer.

So, without further ado...

Date: November 1, 2010

Weight: didn't weigh

Went to bed last night at: around 11:30pm

Got up at: 10:15am

Exercise: Low to moderate daily activity including stairs at work and walking through the grocery store.

Food: Some corn chips at work, a couple zucchini bread muffins before dinner, catfish and baked potatoes at dinner.

Drink: A couple glasses of water at work, a couple glasses of orange juice with dinner.

Vitamins / Other Intake: Going to take two probiotic capsules before bed, maybe a 750mg antacid as well.

How I Felt: I've been really tired all day, but I'm not sure how much of that is due to being sick this last week. My obvious lack of water and balance in my diet probably have a lot to do with it.