218.8 – A New Beginning?

My weight has remained stagnant for several weeks now. Just teetering below the dreaded 220 mark. I’ve done just enough to make sure to not cross that barrier again, but not nearly enough to start losing the fat on a regular basis like I was early on in my Fit Gator journey. I really wanted to get under 200 lbs for my trip to Gainesville, but that is fast approaching in only 15 days. Blink and it will be here before you know it.

I wasn’t really sure why I’m not losing weight. I mean, yeah, I know physically it’s because of poor nutritional choices and not exercising as much as I should. But I was trying to go deeper. To figure out what mental block has been holding me back. Where is the drive and determination that I used to have? Where has that desire to be the Fit Gator gone?

Some days I have it – that spark. I’ll eat well and exercise my ass off.  I’ll lose a couple of pounds and breathe a sigh of relief, “I can still do this.”, Other days I don’t have it.  I don’t get enough sleep and I get super lazy and complacent. I don’t prepare or plan out my meals so I eat crap like Subway or Chick-Fil-A. And because I’m so sluggish, I’ll down a Coke in hopes that the caffeine will perk me up. But the sugar rush usually gets me crashing about the time I’m home from work and need to do my Insanity workout. I do the workouts, but often I’m so lethargic that I’ll half-ass them, taking unauthorized breaks when I probably don’t really need to – definitely not ‘digging deeper’ as Shaun T yells at me to do. Then I’ll skip my late night cardio sessions. All this usually leads to a small weight gain the next morning. I see 220 approaching and I force myself to dial it back to make sure I never weigh that much ever again.

On a positive note, I guess that’s better than it was, when there were many more days that I didn’t have any motivation than when I did.  But “better than I was” is far from where I need to be. It’s not good enough. It’s still shit. Ah, but there is light at the end of this tunnel…

I had a good talk with my wife Rachel the other night. We analyzed the mental barriers that have been holding me back and how to break through them. We acknowledged that deep within me, that flame of desire still burns. The Fit Bet, the side bets, all of that was there to help motivate me, but they’ve come to discourage me. The countdown of days until the deadline, which was supposed to create a sense of urgency, has ultimately backfired.

Inside my mind, knowing how far behind I got on my weight loss after my mother passed, has caused me to think very negatively. Like “Why even try? There’s physically no way a 40-year-old man can lose that amount of weight in this remaining amount of time.” So I talk myself out of exercising. I talk myself into eating fast food. “I can’t win the bet, so why try?” But Rachel helped me see the big picture. This isn’t about buying Rick some beer or wearing a stupid t-shirt. This isn’t about just hitting a goal weight. This is about getting healthy. This is about adding years to my life. This is about being a role model for my kids. This is about a lifestyle change. This is about living!

SDV.

209.0 – Single Digits!

Wow! Single digit 200s. Finally! Ten pounds away from Onederland (which is getting one’s weight back in the “one hundreds”)!

Also, I can scratch off another Strong Gator
Goal since I finally got my weight under 200 lbs.

I’m now down over 29 lbs and at my new lowest weight yet – and rapidly closing in on the half way mark of the total 65 pounds that I needed to lose.

Today’s a new day with new challenges – so make em count people.

SDV

Old Shorts

Ok. So I tried on an old pair of shorts today (forget that their hideous and camouflage – I’m going out to mow my yard; cut me some slack) and they buttoned up with no problem!

This is significant for me because when I was heavier these shorts used to fit me the tightest. I literally had to take in a huge breath and suck in my gut to even attempt to button them. In fact, I stopped wearing them altogether the past 2 years because they were simply too small and I was tired of being in denial.

Anyway, I’m off to mow the yard for the first of what I’m sure will be many times this year. Just thought I’d share.

*Yes, for those of you paying attention, that IS the godawful FSU shirt that I’ll have to wear if I lose my FitBet with Rick hanging on the wall behind me. Rachel put it there for me to see everyday as a reminder to stay focused. Eyes on the prize!

212.0 – Subtle Changes

Okay! 212.0! Almost 27 lbs down and now at my lowest weight yet.

So as I’ve said, I’ve lost enough weight now that people are noticing without being prompted or without any knowledge of me even trying to lose weight.

But now I’m beginning to notice some subtle changes myself. I can see a more definitive jaw line on my face now. I can tell my stomach has gotten smaller. My clothes are fitting better – jeans and shirts that used to be almost too tight, now fit easily; some almost to big now even. My wedding band is feeling looser. I’m assuming I’ll need to get it resized when this is all said and done.

My scrubs at work are getting baggier. Currently I wear XL scrubs and one of my Strong Gator Goals was to fit in size Large scrubs comfortably. I could probably squeeze into them now, but I’m going to wait until I get back under 200 lbs before I make the switch. I haven’t been sub-200 lbs since 1999! So this is getting pretty exciting.

I only have today and tomorrow left to put some distance between my target weight and actual weight. My target weight to hit this Saturday to remain on target to win the Fit Bet is 212.4 lbs. Gotta maintain my focus these next few days.

8 Mile Dusk Run!

I Just ran 8.01 mi in 1:30:25. No walking!

8 freaking miles?! Where the hell did that come from? The farthest I had ever run in my life up to this point was that 5.2 miles I recently ran for that Boston run.

So I went out around 8p to get in a run. It was unseasonably cool. Around 61 degrees. My plan was to run 4, maybe 5 miles at a slow pace, just to burn off some calories. I would decide which one of those distances once I got close and then see how I was feeing.

I hit the minimum 5k, 3.1 mile distance and was doing great so already I was thinking 5 miles was in order. Before long I was passing the 4 mile mark and feeling no ill effects so I pressed on. As I reached 5 miles, I was kind of in a zone and got excited at the prospect of running a full 10K (6.2 miles) distance. Heck, the farthest I had ever run was during the 5.2 mile Run for Boston race I did a few weeks back so adding to my distance would be sweet.

I neared the 6 mile mark and my legs and lungs both still felt great. Rick had told me that he and Denise had run an 8 miler earlier in the day themselves. How cool would it be for me to tell him that I also ran 8 freaking miles! So I continued on. Past 6.2 miles, and then past the 7 mile mark. I still wasn’t tired. I began toying with the idea of running a full 15K (9.3 miles) in my head. If 8 miles is crazy, then 9 miles would just blow Rick’s mind.

So I ran… and ran.. and ran…. And as I heard my time and distance being announced every minute through my phone app, it was blowing MY mind! 6 miles – wow…then 7 miles – Are you kidding me?!… then 7.5 miles – How am I doing this?!

But my right knee was getting sore. It had already gotten dark, windy, and colder. Plus I think wolves were chasing me, so I decided to cap it at the 8 miles. My wife Rach, was texting me, worried if I was ok. I had been gone longer than usual and like I said, it was dark.

So there you go. I ran 8 miles and never walked once. I still can’t believe I was able to do that.

http://www.jogtracker.com/HistoryDetails.aspx?SyncID=7c0bd783-3645-4420-9206-cd8064bb5371&UserName=arsampson

213.6 – Official Weigh-In

Well I’m basically where I was this past Sunday, sitting 25 pounds down from my starting weight. I am just slightly less by about .2 lbs, so I’m officially at my lowest weight yet!

Plus I’m still on track to hit my goal weight range of 170-175 by the end of my fitness bet with Rick on August 30th.

Like I said, I’d like to put some distance between my actual weight and my target weights because the closer I get to my goal weight, the harder it’s going to be to lose the weight. I likely could have lost more weight this weekend except that I did have those three poor nutrition days.

All that being said, I’m extremely happy to be at my lowest weight yet, to still be on target to win the FitBet, and to be this close to the last stretch of the 200’s – the single digit 200’s. So close to getting back into the 100’s that I can taste it!

213.8 – 25 lbs down!

Down about another pound since yesterday and that’s with a slight increase in calories. Plus we had Nuberri last night. But while my boys were still enjoying their Gainesville weekend without me…

Missing man formation, Day 2

I was busy running 3 miles, walking 2, and doing an hour on the elliptical last night at YouFit.

The 25 pounds last is significant in more ways than one for me. For starters it’s just a milestone number – 25. But 25 was also my jersey number for any sport that I played growing up. Basketball, baseball, and football. So that’s pretty neat to finally reach that amount in my weight loss so far.

214.6 – Official Weigh-In

Boom! Looks like the double cardio yesterday and calorie restriction worked well for me once again. Exactly 3 lbs below the 217.6 I needed to be in order to remain on target to hit my FitBet goal weight of 170-175 by the deadline of August 30th. I’m now officially down 24 lbs since I began on March 11th.

Still about 41 lbs to go though, so there’s a lot if work yet to be done. But hey, saying I need to lose 40 lbs sounds a lot better than saying I have to lose a daunting 65 lbs like I did not too long ago. 🙂

216.8 – Run For Boston

I ran 5.2 miles yesterday! And I did it without walking at all. I wasn’t sure I had it in me, seeing as how I’ve never run further than 4.2 miles in my life.

Badassfitness.com put on an impromptu race here in Tallahassee to raise money fit the Boston Red Cross. The 5.2 miles represent the final 5.2 miles that many runners in the Boston Marathon could not finish due to the terrorist bombings. After the bombs went off, the majority of the remaining runners were stopped at mile 21. We wanted to finish the race for them. The race raised over $12K which is awesome since there wasn’t an entry fee and they were only accepting voluntary donations.

The organizer said when she set this up, they expected about 50 people. What they got was over a thousand!

When I started the race, I tried to set my pace around 12 minutes per mile in order to conserve enough energy to run the entire way. But initially I was caught in the crowd and was running at just over 10 minutes per mile. Eventually the crowd spread out and I was able to slow my pace.

The first 2 miles were pretty easy for me even though there were some hills. I hit mile 2 at about 22 minutes into the race. Soon I came up on mile marker 3 and started getting a cramp in my side. I pressed on. About 3.5 miles into the run, I started getting occasional chills. Not bad, but it was odd because it was 80 degrees and a little humid. But I kept on.

http://www.tallahassee.com/videonetwork/2317086477001/Tallahassee-runners-run-5-2-miles-to-support-Boston-in-wake-of-tragedy

Throughout the run I was caught amidst some runners using the run/walk method. So one minute they’d be passing me, then soon I’d be passing them as they slowed to walk. I don’t know why but I found that to be kind of annoying.

Eventually, around 4 and a half miles into the run and nearing the end there was one final hill. It was a long and climbing hill. The majority of the runners around me decided to walk up it instead of running. But I couldn’t stop now. I’d come this far. I’d already surpassed my longest running distance ever (4.2 miles). So I dug deep and thought about those poor victims in Boston. That was enough to ignite me up that hill and fortunately away from those run/walkers.

Soon after, we turned the corner and I could see the finish line. As I passed the 5 mile marker I could see the faster runners who already finished were all waiting at the finish line cheering the rest of us on. No way in hell was I going to stop now. In fact I actually found some hidden energy to pick up my pace, stand up tall and run across that finish line.

It was an awesome feeling to know I ran that far and never walked. And even more awesome to see the community come together for such a great cause. I celebrated last night by having some Barnaby’s pizza, but the good karma I put in at the race gave back as I’m now down to 216.8 pounds! One third of the way to my FitBet goal!

SDV

219.0!

Kick ass! Wow. Can I say that I really did not expect to see that this morning. I went slightly above my calorie quota for the day yesterday, but never made it to the gym.

After dinner, we got the kids bathed and read then some books as we attempted to get them to sleep.

It was just after 9p, so I changed into my workout gear. The kids weren’t quite asleep yet, but they were quiet and calm, so I told Rachel that I was headed out. That’s when she told me that she wasn’t feeling well. She’s been having some gallbladder issues recently, so we assumed this was what was bothering her.

She told me that she didn’t feel comfortable at home by herself while the kids were still awake and while she was nauseous. I told her I would hang out until they both fell asleep. This was about 9:30. Looked like it was going to be yet another late night at the gym and very little sleep afterward.

I laid down with Drew, our youngest daughter, who seemed to be the most awake of the two, trying to get her to fall asleep. It worked. Well sort of. She got me to fall asleep too. I woke up around 10:30, got out bed, and tried to perk up to make myself go to the gym.

Fuggetaboutit. I was exhausted. I probably haven’t had more than 5 hours of sleep any night in over a week. So I simply just went back to bed. I was prepared to see no drop in weight this morning, and in fact was even a little concerned about a small gain.

So needless to say, I am very happy with where I am. To remain on target to hit my goal weight by August 30th, I need to be at 220.2 lbs or less this Saturday. Unless I really muck it up today it tomorrow, I’m pretty sure I’ll be ahead of the game by then.

Plus I knocked out another Strong Gator Challenge by getting my weight below 220 pounds! Rock on.