Quick weigh-in
Posted December 2nd, 2008 by Jeff J. SniderAs of this morning, I was 349.2 pounds. That’s 52.6 pounds total that I have lost, and 109.2 left to go. But only 14.2 to meet my goal for this month.
The Gas Challenge: Pounds vs. Pennies
Posted October 8th, 2008 by Jeff J. SniderGuess what, Gas Prices? I’m callin’ you out! A couple months ago, I was about 400 pounds, and you were about 400 pennies a gallon. Now, I am 352 pounds, and you are 337 pennies a gallon (here in Eagle Mountain as of this afternoon). Do you have what it takes to beat me in the long term? Bring it on!
I’m not stopping until I get down to 240. Can you, Gas Prices, get down to $2.40 a gallon? I’m watching you. First one to 240 gets an ice cream cone!
Weighing in, and the New York posts are done
Posted September 22nd, 2008 by Jeff J. SniderFirst of all, I have finally finished writing up our New York experience over on our family blog. It took two posts, which you can find here and here.
I finally weighed myself after New York, and I was right — no gain, no loss. Pretty successful vacation, all things considered. But that was a week ago. As of Saturday night, I am sitting at 359.2 pounds. That’s right, I’m below 360! That’s a total of 42.6 pounds, which is quite the accomplishment for me, and I am pretty pleased with the way things are going. I’ve been amazed at how much self-control I’ve had — at times when I used to would have slapped together some nachos or made some mac & cheese or something, I’ve instead had a small bowl of healthy cereal or a banana or a low-carb Slim-Fast or — most groundbreaking — nothing at all. Of course, it also helps your self-control when you don’t keep the crap around the house, because life’s easier when nachos aren’t an option. But I have two small kids, so there is ALWAYS mac & cheese available to be made, and I’ve been very good about not making it. (I did make it once this week for lunch, but I used whole-wheat pasta and fat-free cheese and made a very small serving, which is still an improvement.)
Another weigh-in, and talk of goals
Posted September 8th, 2008 by Jeff J. SniderWell, now that I have actually given out the URL to this place, it’s time for me to start keeping up over here. I’ve felt myself stall lately, so I need that extra motivation anyway.
As of this morning’s weigh-in, I am at 365.6, for a total of 36.2 pounds lost. After dropping 19 pounds in the first two weeks or so, it’s been 17 in the last five weeks. Obviously, it’s not healthy to consistently lose 10 pounds a week, and I think at my size 3-4 pounds a week is a realistic, healthy goal. As I get closer to the ultimate goal, it will slow down, of course; I just need to get into as many healthy habits as possible, so that even slow weight loss at that point will still be real progress.
Speaking of goals, one thing I thought of is that I need intermediate goals. My ultimate goal is to get to 240 pounds, but that is far away, so it’s not the proper motivation at this point. Especially because the lightest I’ve ever really been at this height is 280 (and that was when I was still a 17-year-old kid, when my bones and everything were still growing), so I don’t have any idea what I will look like at 280, let alone 240. I may get to 250 and realize that THAT is my perfect weight, or I may get to 240 and decide to keep going to 220. All I really know is that “only 125 more pounds!” isn’t the right motivation for me at this point.
The first goal I can really think of is to get down below 300. I’ve never in my life weighed less than my drivers license said, so that will be a big deal. But even that might be too far out for a preliminary goal.
I could just do goals in 20-pound increments, but that seems to fabricated to me. I want my goals to actually mean something. I think I will go with 329 as my next goal, because back before Lindsay was born, Bethy and I were doing really well working out and stuff, and I got down into the 330s, but never into the 320s. So when I get there, this will officially be the most successful weight-loss effort I have ever had, which will reinforce the fact that THIS is the one that’s actually going to work. So my next goal, I guess, is 329.
Anyone out there have any feedback on goals and how I should go about setting them? Is 36 pounds still too far away for a preliminary goal? What think ye?
My first weigh-in
Posted July 31st, 2008 by Jeff J. SniderLike I said in my introductory post, the first sign of trouble was when my scale started throwing an error instead of telling me how much I weighed. (In retrospect, the first sign of trouble should have been when I had to buy a scale that went up to 380 … or maybe earlier.) I didn’t find out until a visit to the doctor that I had topped 400.
Yesterday, on July 30, 2008, I stood on my scale, expecting to see “E” again. But glory be and the saints be praised, it worked! As of yesterday afternoon, I weigh 383 pounds. That’s 19 pounds in nine days, which probably seems like a lot to you skinny people out there. But at my size, two pounds a day is a perfectly healthy way to start.
I could not be more pleased. I’ve been very food-conscious over the past nine days, focusing on three things:
1) Limiting my portions.
2) Choosing healthier meals.
3) Choosing healthier snacks.
Because I’ve still been recovering from the sinus infection that sent me on that fateful doctor visit in the first place, I haven’t gotten into the exercise stuff too much yet, so my entire focus has been on the food. I have made great progress on all three of those items, and I am confident that as I continue to stay vigilant, the weight will continue to fall off. It’s not as easy as the little 1-2-3 list makes it seem, but the concept is definitely that simple.
