Quickies

> No scale at my Dad's, so I have NO idea what my weight has been for the last three days.

> Nobody takes my eating better thing seriously, so I've been bombarded with crap food. I've had virtually no choice as to what I eat, so I'm focusing on portion control.

> It's been non-stop family stuff since I got to Michigan - I'll try to do some push-ups before I go to bed.

> I'll be back on Thursday, and the train will resume it's roll towards 315 then.

> Thank God. This post knocks those damn pics a little further down the page.

Please, Forgive Me.

I've been fighting with this for a few weeks. Do I post my pics, let everybody in on just how disgusting I am, and then let them watch the transformation? Or do I just show the final product, and let them wonder how nasty I really was?

Well, every since Beck posted her pics a few weeks ago, I've had the urge to follow suit. But I just couldn't do it.

Until tonight.

I took some pics. I liked what I saw (in comparison). I am doing it.

I'm very, very sorry.

WARNING:

IF YOU'VE RECENTLY EATEN, WAIT 30 MINUTES BEFORE VIEWING THESE PHOTOS.


First, let me explain the sudden, um, "hair loss" in the second pic. See, I was bored, and I had a razor. That's what happens when work-from-home dad's get a little spare time.


Anyway, I can see the changes - finally. Even from 1-06 to 1-27, which is when I started REALLY working with weights and push-ups.

Dare I say I see a little definition under the lard?

Maybe.


I'll pose again on 2/15, when I plan to be down to 315.

Again. I'm SO sorry.

Here's A Quiz

What happens when you take one of your highest recent weigh-ins, and replace it with your lowest weigh-in?

Well, your 5-day average drops from 325.3 to 324.5, for one thing.

It's a new low for me, folks. I can officially say that I'm back on track.

Not much else to write about now, but just had to let the "masses" know the good news.

For more good news, check Beck's No Excuses later today.

An Edited Goal

Is this cheating? I don't think it is.

I am changing up my 2.15.07 goal. I don't see ANY way I can get my 5-day down to 315.4 or lower in the next 20 days. If I can, great. Bonus. But I don't see it happening. I'd have to have a DAILY calorie defecit of 1,750 calories each day for the next three weeks.

So, here's my new plan: Weigh in at 315 by 2.15.

As Expected...

My weigh-in this morning was back at 324.5, up a pound from yesterday, but fully expected after making a 2.5 pound drop. My 5-day dropped another two tenths, and it should make a nice dip tomorrow once I get that ugly 327.5 off of my record.

Not much else to report this morning.

Diet was fine yesterday. Dealt with the stress as best I could.

I do have a headache this morning, so there's that.

Might have more later, but for now I just wanted to get something on "paper".

TGIF.

More Proof that Life Doesn't Care About My Weight Loss

Just got a call from my dad in Michigan, and - long story short - my Grandfather had surgey a few days ago, but he's old, and it appears now that his lungs couldn't handle the stress.

He's in extremely critical condition, and he also had a heart attack during his recovery efforts this morning. The doctors don't expect him to make it through the next few days.

This guy has escaped death at least a dozen times before. He's taken a lot of risks - surgeries, new medicines - and he's had some struggles - heart disease, pulminary issues - yet he's always pulled through. I guess anything can happen.

So, I doubt I'll be focusing on my diet or lifting today, as I sit here waiting for "the call." This will make the fourth loss in the last 2.5 years for me. My grandmother, my best friend from high school, and my mom have all passed in that time frame. It's not been an easy stretch.

More later, I'm sure.

Holy Cow!

Yes, Holy Cow, indeed.

So, I had an AWFUL four-day stretch. I mean, it was pitiful. Like I said yesterday, I ate everything I wanted. The willpower was gone. I was also sick, so I think I completed 1/2 a workout in those four days.

Well, I woke up feeling great yesterday, fought through a tough workout, and nailed my diet for the day.

I weighed myself - for the heck of it - part way through the day yesterday, and I weighed 324. For the middle of the day, it was a nice number, but I obviously put no stock into it.

So, off to bed I went. I had a pretty decent night's sleep - up a couple times due to neighbor noise, and I had to take a bathroom break once. Still, in bed a little after 11, up at 6:30. Not too bad for us.

My first stop (after the john) was the scale. My weigh-in today?

323.5 - the lowest I've been.

Down 2.5 pounds from yesterday, and .9 pounds down on my 5-day.

Now, I honestly expect that number to level back off in the 324's or 325's tomorrow, but it was a step in the right direction, and one that I needed to see badly.

Also, my new 5-day weight is 325.5, a new low for me so far. My previous low was about a week ago at 325.8. The day after I hit that mark, I started my stretch of daily failures.

I'm telling you right now, there's no way in hell that happens again. I can't tell you how great it feels to see all of these new lows. I went through the fire, and came out better for it. I felt like failing, but I wouldn't give in.

I've got three more days to kick this up another notch. Can I make it to 323 by Monday? Is 320 out of the question? Yeah, 320 is probably out of the question, but it makes my 315 on 2/15 seem a little more attainable.

Have a great one, all.

God knows I will now.

EDIT:

It should be mentioned that I now have 21 days to bring my 5-day average down to 315.4.

I'll have to drop my 5-day by an average of .48 pounds each day from here on out.

Doesn't seem too realistic at this point.

Picture Coming Later

So, looking for clothes to wear to my dad's wedding, I tried on a suit coat I purchased about 6 months ago for job interviews.

Too big.

The shirt that I wore under it, which was WAY too tight to wear to work as of the end of September?

Too big.

So, I reached for a sportcoat I wore when I was in college - 10 years ago. I was 299 on my first day that year, and this jacket was a hair big on me - but not by much. I actually tried it on about three weeks ago, and I couldn't even get my arm all the way in. And buttoning it? Yeah. Not so much.

On it went...

Almost perfect. The shoulders and back are a little snug, but I could wear it if I had to. But since I don't need to wear it until February 17th, I've got time to get it right.

Anyway, a few pics of me in clothes that were too tight two months ago are coming later.

Seeing Daylight

Well, I didn't do anything special, but I feel different this morning. I think I've finally broken out of my rut.

To be honest, I've eaten like CRAP the last four days. My calories stayed down, but easily 1/3 of my calories were empty. I've downright craved cheesecake, burgers, chinese - if it's bad for me, I've wanted it. And at least once each day, I've eaten it.

But it's out of my system this morning.

It's been an emotional and stress-filled few days. "Depression" is a word that comes to mind. But all that seems to be gone as I type this. I woke up in a good mood. Ate a decent breakfast. Got some work done. Kids are happy and feeling better.

It's a new day, people. And I'm all over it.

Better Than Nothing

Not a lot to report.

Yesterday was an AWFUL day as far as stress & bad news was concerned. I won't go into a lot of detail, but we'll just say that it was a very bad day.

I'm also still fighting off some sickness and fatigue.

Still, I worked out as much as I could - running through only two sets of my usual three. I just had nothing left in the tank after that second round. But I'm glad I at least put forth the effort to keep moving.

I'm still not feeling wonderful today. I'm worn out and under the weather. I'm still hoping to do something active today - push ups, sit ups, squats - anything to keep the body moving. But I'm pretty sure I have two sick babies at home with me, so it could be a challenge.

In other news, my weight was back down 2.5 pounds from yesterday, but with a 327.5 and a 328 on my 5-day, the average only dropped a tenth. Better dropping than rising, though. The 328 drops off in two days, and the 327.5 drops off in four. So I need to keep on top of things to see a nice drop off on Saturday.

My goal for this week:

Change the blog name to "The 64" or lower by 1/29

Trying to Focus

Fact: My blog title dropped from The 68 to The 66.5. Not awful, but could have been MUCH better.
Fact: I screwed up Friday night, and it has had a ripple affect on my transformation.
Fact: My 5-day has gone up each of the last four days - 325.8, 326.1, 326.2, 326.5.
Fact: My diet was near-flawless yesterday. I actually had to add calories because I was so low.
Fact: My weight went up 2 pounds from yesterday.
Fact: I've been sick/sleep deprived for five days, and have only worked out once in that span.
Fact: I am still sick today, and achy in many places.
Fact: I am stressed out. Actually, that's an understatement.
Fact: I'm frustrated and weak right now. Losing focus quickly.

So, here's the plan. I'm going back to how I was on Day One of this thing: Every calorie gets placed into FitDay; I'll do some sort of excercise numerous times throughout the day; I'll ignore cravings; I'll snack on healthy snacks - carrots, apples, Fiber cereal, etc. Doing that, I was losing around three pounds per week. But, I went away from that to try a different routine, and my progress has slipped noticeably.

I feel like I've let this thing turn into too much of a challenge or a game - something that I can win or lose. It isn't a competition. I need this change for so many reasons. I need to feel better about who I am. I need to feel the sense of accomplishment. I need to be healhty. I need to be here for my family.

Nobody needs to leave me any "don't quit, you can do it!" comments. I'm not going to quit, and I can do this. I have no intentions of staying this fat, worthless pile of human that I feel like I've been for so long.

That said, this is a tough stretch for me. It doesn't take much to derail your transformation. One meal, one night, even one snack can be all you need to get off track. I made one bad decision on one night. And that has sent me into a tailspin of sorts.

Down? Yes.
Out? Not even close.

Not Good

Well, as most of you read, Beck slipped up on Friday, and I joined her. We both chose to have a bad night eating, and while it was great at the time, I regret it horribly today.

Until last night, I've been averaging around four hours of sleep per night. I've had no energy, and I've been craving crap non-stop. I finally gave in Friday, and paid the price when I weighed in on Saturday morning. The scale read 328, taking my average from 325.8 to 326.1. And even though I did great yesterday and tipped the scale back at 325.5 this morning, the 328 caused my average to go up ANOTHER tenth to 326.2.

I'm obviously not too happy with this, but it does serve as a sobering reminder. One day can screw you up. There is no way I can hit my 5-day goal of 325.4 by tomorrow morning. I'd have to weigh in at 322. Still hypothetically possible, but not likely.

My goal was in reach. I could have nailed it, maybe even surpassed it. But because I chose to go overboard, there's no way.

I'll keep that in mind the next time I feel like taking a day off.

Old Habits

Maybe it's because I'm not feeling great. Maybe it's because I haven't slept much the last three nights. Maybe it's because I've had to slack on my workouts because of my wrist.

Maybe it's because I'm weak.

No matter the reason, I find myself in the middle of a struggle right now.

For the last 48-72 hours, I have been craving crap foods. Pizza, chinese, burgers, Snicker's, ice cream - I've wanted it all. I've felt fat and weak, even though my clothes fit great, and my 5-day is steadily dropping. I look in the mirror, and instead of flexing the new muscles, I feel disgusted. I don't have the willpower right now.

I'm surviving OK. Except for two, small diet blunders (neither of which put me anywhere close to my BMR), I'm holding course. It's just that, for the last few days, I haven't actually WANTED to hold the course.

I'm adjusting my focus. This is about long-term change. I'm going to go through some spots like this, I understand that. I assume that once I get through this, I'll be right back on track. I just have to hang on until it passes.

Still, it's like The Perfect Storm. Everytime that boat made it through a crashing wave, there was another one right behind it. And just like that boat, I'm turning to meet the waves head-on. If I can avoid capsizing, this storm will pass.

I think.

I Got Nothin'

Kind of a quiet day on the life transformation front.

My eating was great yesterday. I dropped down another half pound today (thanks to a 330 dropping off my 5-day). Not much to report.

I did post something in the Shift Forums (which already have over 40 posts, by the way) about my wrist hurting. I can do push ups, but any other lifting - curls, shoulder presses, rows - and I get a sharp pain in my right wrist kind of lined up with my pinky. It's 100% fine until I start to lift.

Maybe I just need to give it a coupe of days off. Not too long, I hope. I've got goals to hit.

For Rob

From Rocky Balboa

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that!"

Wow.

EDIT:

Milestone: The Big 2-0

Total Weight Lost Since 01/01/06: 33.1 pounds
Total Weight Lost Since 11/23/06: 20.1 pounds

Wow. I gotta tell ya, seeing that number feels damn good, people.

Here's a little secret. I cheated last night. I had a horrible day, but I was surviving. Then, I for some reason talked myself into Sesame Chicken on white rice for dinner last night. Did I know it was wrong? Yessir. Did I have the opportunity to do something different and healthier? Oh, yeah. Yet, there I was eating breaded and fried chicken over carb-filled rice, covered in sesame sauce. I still ended up under 2,800 calories (my BMR is 3,505), so it could have been worse. Still, I'm a little disappointed in myself.

But today is another day. I screwed up last night, but I'm still standing.

I ordered some new jeans last week from Old Navy. My 44's (which were perfect in late November) are now so big that they fall off WITH my belt on. I ordered 42's, hoping that they'd work. With me, it seems like every jean company makes a different size of "42". I just hoped these weren't too tight.

They came yesterday, and I tried them on.

Here's the bad news: They don't fit that well.
Here's the good news: They're already a little too big.

The moral of that story as it relates to my cheating last night? It's simple. NOTHING is going to stop me. This isn't about how many times we fall, it's about how many times we get back up. And as long as we get up every time we fall, we WILL nail our goals. For every loss we have in this war on fat, there are 10 victories.

There is no hitting the wall, because we break through any wall that gets in our way.
There are no excuses, because "excuse" is just another word for "fail".
There's no quitting, because when we've gone as far as we can, we go just a little further.

My name is Kevin Antcliff, and I've lost 20 pounds using the latest fad diet. My plan? Eat better, and exercise more. It's crazy, but it works.

Good News, Good News, Bad News, Pimping

>> OK, here's the deal. If not for a nasty 330 still on my record over my last five days, my weight would have seen a nice little drop this morning. I weighed in at 325, my lowest mark of this transformation. If I can stay in the 324-325 area, my weight will drop to the mid 326's tomorrow, putting me in a decent position to hit my goal of 325.4 by Monday. I lifted hard yesterday. I dare say it was my most painful weight workout since I started. I lifted more weight than I have in years, and I went to exaustion in every set. I lifted at 11am, and by 3pm, I was hurting. Still am now.

>> I haven't worn my wedding ring in at least 18 months. Fat fingers will do that. It's important to Beck and I that I get it back on so all the women will stop hitting on me because wearing these rings means something to us. I tried it on last week, and I cold get it most of the way on, but it took a little Crisco to get it back off. Out of curiosity, I tried again last night, and it was a perfect fit. Slid right on, slid right off. Not earth-shattering, but it still felt really great.

>> I'm not sure if it's the way I slept, or if I overdid it with the shoulder presses or push-ups yesterday, but I have a serious pain in my shoulder blade, just to the right of my spine. I've had this before, and I never knew where it came from. It's usually a 3-4 day thing. Turning my head to the left? Ow. Lifting my head off of my pillow? Ow. Looking up? Ow. I'm in no mood to cut back on my activities, so we'll see how much I can do with the pain. Maybe I'll just bike and do some leg lifts today.

>> As has already been mentioned, the Shift forums are open for business. Drop by, register, post a little, get to know your other FAT Coalition members, etc. I'd love for this to be a nice little hangout for like-minded people.

Have a great Tuesday, all.

Nothing Bad, Nothing Good

Since January 1st, I've had three weigh-ins that weren't 328, 329, or 330. That's it. The three that I had were 326, 326.5, and 326.5. What does that mean?

I have no idea.

You'd think with weigh-ins like that, my weight would be pretty much stationary over the last 14 days. Well, it ends up that I've lost 3.4 pounds in that time. Not great, but better than nothing or adding.

I ate great yesterday, getting back on the horse after a dreadful Friday and Saturday. I'm going back to my roots. In December, I averaged around 3 pounds per week of weight loss. I ate great - nothing bad went into my body, and I was working out in some form every day. I went away from that over the last 2 weeks, and I've slowed down quite a bit.

I've also decided that I'm adding weight, and removing reps. I'll be aiming for technical failure on my 6th rep in each set. I was content with getting to 10 or 12, but I want to build some muscle, not just tone what little I had when I started. We'll see how it works over the next two weeks.

As for the name of the blog, I COULD change it to The 67, but with an average weight of 327.7, I feel like I'd be cheating if I rounded down instead of up.

So, welcome to The 68. Enjoy that number while you can. It won't be here next Monday.

This Week's Goal:

Drop 5-day average to 325.4 or lower by 1-22-07

The Shift Forums

Are now open. They aren't even close to being finished, but if you'd like to post, get to know the FAT members, ask a few questions, etc, just go here:

http://shifthf.com/forums/index.php

Shift should be up and running by the first of next month, and it's going to be amazing.

Closing In On 20

If you'll notice my sidebar, you'll see that my weight lost since I really kicked this into gear on Thanksgiving has topped the 19 pound mark.

My goal is to crush 20 by the end of this week.

20 is a big number. That's like giving birth to a year-old child.

Slow but sure.

This Isn't Right

OK, so, here's the deal.

My legs? Yeah, they hurt worse today then they did yesterday. I didn't expect them to feel great, but I was hoping for improvement. The things are killing me right now.

And let's talk weigh-in. I know, I'm not supposed to pay attention to my daily weight, but it was up FOUR POUNDS since yesterday. FOUR POUNDS. My average dropped a tenth, which is what I should be focusing on, I know. But still, I can't help but feel that I'm starting to move in the wrong direction.

I've been keeping my calories down, though I admit they haven't been the best calories the last two nights. That's what happens when you have no food in the house, and no time to get any - you order out. But again, I haven't topped 2,500 calories in weeks.

Maybe it's water retention from too much sodium? Maybe I added four pounds of muscle since yesterday? Maybe my this pair of boxer-briefs weighs four pounds more than the pair I had on yesterday?

Well, my goal today is to eat CLEAN - which will be tough because of the no food thing. Also, drink a butt load of water. If it IS water, it should be out of my system by morning. If it's not, then I need to step it up.

I need to hit 315, and I'm running out of time.

I'm Sorry...

But Kevin will not be posting today. I am his PA, Cliff.

Mr. Antcliff is currently in bed, unable to move his legs. You see, he went running for the first time since April of 2001 last night, and though he did OK, he's in severe pain right now. On a 1-mile trek, he ran for the first tenth, walked for the next 2-3, ran for another 1/2 tenth or so, walked some more...you get the picture.

Kevin does want me to share with you that he is very proud of himself for a few reasons:

1. He never stopped moving. He was either running or briskly walking the entire time.
2. He came close to quitting easily three or four times, but he did not allow it to beat him.
3. He's looking forward to doing this again tomorrow, if he can move his legs.

He also thinks he might need a new scale. He weighed himself three times in five minutes this morning to test it, and his results were - in order - 325, 330, and 326. Scales are expensive, however, and Kevin fears he'll step on a good one and find his weight is actually much higher than he's believed it to be to this point.

Just another challenge for him to face.

He says he might be able to post later, but for now, he needs his profin and a leg rub.

Until then,
Cliff

I Ran

Damn, am I out of shape.

More tomorrow, but here's the summary:

I ran about 1/3 of a mile in a 1-mile journey. Much further than I figured I'd go.
I wanted to quit, but I wouldn't let it happen.
I'm sore already.
"Right Here. Right Now" by Fatboy Slim is a GREAT running tune.

I feel great right now. My goal is three days per week, working up to a mile without stopping as soon as possible.

Night, night, FAT people.

One More Thing...

I'm going running tonight. Real running - sweatshirt, workout pants, gloves, on the street - the real deal. I haven't gone running in at least five years, so I expect lots of stopping and puking.

It should be fun!

That's Better

I worked out hard yesterday, adding in another set to each of my at-home weight moves, and adopting the "just one more" approach to my lifting. When I get to technical failure, I force myself to do one more, with the best form I can muster up. I also added in some ab work to my at-home routine yesterday - leg lifts and crunches.

Diet? nailed it. Beck and I were both snacky last night, and that's usually dangerous. She (willpower!) had nothing, as she was out of calories for the day, and I had whole wheat bread with some peanut butter on it. Ain't nothin' wrong wit dat, baby.

So, I stepped on the scale this morning, and I came in at 326.5 - a new low for me in this transformation.

Here's the down side of using the 5-day average: When you hit a number like 326, you want to tell people you weigh 326. But, in my case, it only dropped my average to 328.8. It'll be another 2-3 days until the average shows a significant decrease.

But the important thing here is that I needed some sort of proof ths morning that I was doing OK, as my discouragement was getting tougher to deal with. Seeing that scale nearly knocking the 325 mark fired me up a little bit.

I was never off the horse, but I had slowed it to a trot. Now I'm galloping this sucker to 315. I've got 36 days to drop my average 13 pounds. Doable? I think so. I guess we'll find out.

Carry on, FAT people!

A Cruel Joke

So, on Sunday I felt all weak and depressed, and I had to convince myself it'd be OK and not quit. I moved on, recovered from a workout and ate well yesterday, and felt good about staying on the horse.

And then I weighed in.

Even though my average has dropped one tenth in each of the last two days, my weigh-in number has jumped up two pounds. I tip the scale at 330 on the nose this morning, while my 5-day shows me right at 329.0.

So, what's the BEST possible thing to happen to a guy who is struggling with his weight loss/life transformation? Give him a really bad day, followed by ANOTHER bad day. That's the way to derail a program, right there!

I'm not as discouraged as I sound, but I am frustrated. I know it's insane to expect great things every time you weigh in, but I would be OK with the scale either staying put, or moving slowly down. Up doesn't work for me. If my average jumps back up over 330 again, I'll snap. I know I will.

So, today is another day. Woke up with a major migrane, so I'll do weights from home later today, and try to get on the bike or the tread for 30 minutes tonight after Becky gets home.

Dear Tomorrow,

Please show me below 330 when I step on the scale in the morning.

Love,
Kevin

Not An Encouraging Sunday

Well, for the first time in a good four years, I went to the gym yesterday. Going in, I felt pretty good. I had worked my way up the push-up food chain - from tall counter, to kitchen sink, to floor - so I knew I was stronger than the last time I was in there. I mean, I've been working with 90 pounds and two dumbells for almost four weeks now, so of course I was getting some major improvements.

And then I hit the weight room.

I won't go into detail here, as I'm honestly too damned ashamed, but I came out of that place realizing just how weak I had become while letting myself go. I was ready to quit. Seven weeks, and I was still as weak and pathetic as I was years ago.

It took me most of the day to come around. I had two equally loud voices arguing in my head. One was telling me to screw the whole thing - I was too weak to go on. The other was telling me to shut up, and pick up the intensity - make sure I wasn't this out of shape a month from now.

I'm going with the second voice.

Today, I'm too sore to move. But tomorrow, I'll be heading back to the clubhouse work out room for 30 minutes of cardio, and Wednesday I'll hit it for 30 minutes of weights. I've only got 30 minutes in the morning while Beck is getting ready for work, so I'll need to make it count. Three days of cardio, one day of weights at the gym, and three days of weights from home. That's the new plan.

As a reminder, I've gone through these first seven weeks with no personal trainer, no trips to the gym, no cardio sessions, no overly drastic diet changes, and very little time. I'm coming up on 18 pounds lost this week. I'm hoping to see that number increase by a large margin now that I'll be picking it up a little bit.

Here's to a better Monday than Sunday.

The Pics Are In

And I'm not thrilled.

I was hoping to see some more noticable change from my December '05 photos, but the difference was minimal. Becky sees more change in my pics, and I see more change in hers.

The one thing I have to realize is that I'm starting off at 360 pounds, so losing 30 won't be as noticable as if I were starting at 300. That said, my February photos should show some more obvious change, as I should be in the 40 pound loss range by then.

As for my weight today, I weighed at 328, bringing my 5-day average to 329.2. So, I'm still heading in the right direction.

Now, the bad news.

Today is a planned gorge day. Our kids are heading to Grandmom and Granddad's for the night, and Beck and I are heading to local burger joint called Red Robin, where we'll be spending a gift card we received for Christmas. We will not be holding back. We'll eat anything we want - hamburger, fries, shake - but for this meal only, then it's back on the wagon.

Just pray that we don't enjoy it so much that we stay there and spend hours downing everything they'll put on our tables.

Having said this, it's important to note that Beck and I will be heading to the gym at our clubhouse tonight to work as much of our lunch off as is humanly possible.

Is it bad to take a meal off?

I wouldn't suggest it, but we're going to do it, anyway.

Passion

A friend of mine will soon be joining the FAT Coalition. I'm not sure if he'll start a blog, but he will be one of us in spirit.

He informed me of this via Instant Message a little while ago, and I proceeded to pour out my tips, hints and suggestions. I mean, I HAVE lost 30 pounds, so I must be an expert. Anyway, it was while spouting out my recently acquired wisdom that I realized something: This is my passion, now. It used to be sports. Now, it's health and fitness.

So, allow me to pimp Shift Health & Fitness again, just for a second.

This blog is great. I can share my thoughts, post my results, celebrate when I hit a goal, etc. But I can't truly affect and change lives with this blog. That's why I'm starting Shift. Men's Health is good with information, but there's no support. I want Shift to split the two. Sure, you can get info on the latest work out trend, but you'll also hear from somebody that's going through exactly what you're going through. Best of both worlds.

I want this site to blow up. I want it to grow by leaps and bounds. I want companies to want to be associated with us. I want it to turn into a monthly national health and fitness magazine.

Join me. Join the forums, tell your friends, ask your boss to advertise, promote us any way you can. Together, and I know this is cheesy, we can make a real difference.

OK, carry on.

329.5

Ceeeeelebrate good times, come on! (dun dun dun dun dun dundundun) Wahoo!

As you can see by the title of the post, my 5-day average weight has dropped under that nasty 330 mark. This is massive for me. I am now 69 pounds away from hitting my goal of weighing 260 by July 4th. I have now lost a total of 30.5 pounds since January of '06, and 17.5 pounds since the day after Thanksgiving.

When I got my license a few months ago, I lied and said my weight was 340, because I couldn't deal with seeing 360 on that thing. Well, my license is now horribly inaccurate, as I weigh 329.5.

To mark hitting my first goal, I have decided to change the name of the blog on a Friday. Now THAT is special. Plus, with a blog titled "The 69", I'm bound to get a lot more traffic from random searches. For those of you that find the blog by searching that very special number, welcome!

OK, Kevin. Get a hold of yourself. You aren't done. You've still got a LONG way to go. Just keep doing what you're doing. Keep working. Stay focused.

I'm adding a new goal - we go camping to a huge lake in Wyoming every summer. It's a group of roughly 15-25 people. For the fist time in my entire life, I will take my shirt off in a public setting by the time we start camping in June.

And I'm gonna look damn good when I do.

WELCOME TO THE COALITION'S NEWEST MEMBER

Welcome, Whyves! We hope we can help you along your journey.

On The Threshold

Man, I am SO freaking close to that 329 mark.

I'm not sure why being out of the 330's is so important to me. Maybe it's just because it'll be me hitting a goal that I've set for myself. Maybe I need that extra bit of motivation to keep going. No matter the reason, I'm almost there.

Tomorrow should be the day. If I weigh in at 330.5 or less (I was 329 this morning), the average will drop below that dreaded 330. I know I mention my weight time frames a lot on this blog, but it's been a good 30 months since I was 330 or under. I was at the Dr's in November of 2004, and I weighed 335.

It'll be nice to be that "thin."

On to other things...

Beck and I will be taking our monthly progress picture on Saturday. We both fit into things that didn't fit a month ago, we've both been working out, we've both been taking care of our diets, and we both feel lighter than we did when we started this thing. We should see a change for the better.

My fear is that we won't. What do we do then? I know what we SHOULD do, but that's always easier said than done. I mean, if I still look like I weigh 360, I don't know if I'll be able to handle it. Well, I don't know if the old me would be able to handle it. This will be the transformed Kevin's first test, assuming nothing has changed in the photos.

I have faith that I'll be OK, but only time will tell.

Everybody have a great Thursday!

In Case You Missed It

This is a repost of something I tossed on the site a few weeks ago. It was squeezed between a couple other posts that day, but I wanted to make sure everybody saw it.

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Bonus Material

You know, as Rob, Becky and I (and now Billy and Dave!) go through this whole transformation, it's easy to focus on the obvious changes. Our pants are looser, our shoulders look bigger, we might see part of an ab, etc. We focus - rightfully so -on what the scale says, and how many calories we take in on any given day.

But I'm starting to notice some other changes. Changes that could mean that my body has more life in it now than it did five weeks ago.

Back in January of '06, I was given a C-Pap machine. It's an oxygen mask you wear at night that keeps your air passage open. Mine closed an average of 83 times per hour thanks to my sleep apnea. Sleep apnea, for those that don't know, is an affliction that keeps you tired and weak in the short-term, but could also lead to strokes and heart attacks in the long term.

Well, long story short, I can't sleep with that mask on. Too uncomfortable. So, because of that, I often wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air, or choking. An average of one to two times each week, normally.

But since I've started eating healthier and excercising, I haven't woken up choking or gasping once. Apnea is partially caused by being severely overweight. I was 365 when I was diagnosed. As I sit here at 337 (now 330!) - still a long way to go - this is proof that I'm on the right track.

Also, I have somewhat severe acid reflux disease. That heartburn kills me when it hits. It's bad enough that I've been prescribed meds for it for the last two years.

I'm happy to report that I have not had any heartburn since the diet changed. Nothing.

This is why I'm doing it, people. Sure, I'd love to look like Bill Goldberg, or any number of Men's Health cover men, but that would just be a bonus. I want to live past 40. I want to see my kids graduate college and get married (in that order, girls). I want to retire to the Bahamas with my skinny, healthy wife.

It starts here. It ends here.

Crap.

Up another 1/2 pound, but my average is down a tenth. I'll take it.

Still fighting for that 329 mark. It'll be a good day when I get there.

On another note, I thought I'd go over some of the new foods I've been eating during my little transformation here. Much of it I never thought would get inside me of my own doing.

Here's my top 5 new foods.

1. Sara Lee Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Better than regular whole wheat, slightly sweetened, and HALF the calories.

2. Zone Perfect Nutrition Bars
At least a dozen flavors, most of which taste like a candy bar. 210 calories, and 21g of protein in each one. You can get a box of 5 for $4.56 at Target.

3. Brown Rice
I'd had it before and hated it, but a few weeks into the transformation we tried it again. I can barely notice the difference, now.

4. Iced Tea
Yes, tea. I grew up hating tea, but Beck got me to try some a few months ago, and now I dig it. Tastes better than water, and it's good for you!

5. Ground Turkey
Turkey chili, Turkey burgers, Turkey anything. My wife's chili (just ask for the simple recipie) is only about 250 calories per cup, and it'll take care of your protein and fiber needs for the day.

There's plenty more, but these five are the ones I look forward to most. Eat these, and you'll have a great base for some simple, healthy meals.

IN CLOTHING NEWS

I have a pair of jeans. They don't fit. I tried them on about 2 weeks ago to verify that. As a joke, I tried them on last night. As I was telling Becky that I couldn't even get them past my butt last time I tried them on, I realized they were at my waist, and I was buttoning them up. I wore them the rest of the night, and I'll be putting them back on later.

I haven't worn these jeans in at LEAST three years.

I claim a victory.

Not Much to Report Today

On the scale, I was 1/2 a pound up from yesterday, but my average dropped two tenths to 330.9. I think I'll finally break the 329 barrier by Thursday or Friday - hopefully.

ShiftHF.com is on its way, and I have two of my three writers set. If there are any professionals - trainers (Josh the Destroyer, I'm talking to you), nutritionalists, doctors, etc - who may want to chip in with knowledge and/or instructions, please let me know.

As of right now, I have a young lady who lost 100 pounds, then regained much of it after being in an auto accident - and is now RE-losing it. I also have Rob from Fourth and 100 who will be adding his stuff to the Shift family.

I'd like a professional to A. Add some credibility to our efforts, and B. Get some real, true, professional guidance. So, if you know anybody, send them my way.

Other than that, another day, another 1,500 calories.

Carry on.

Can I Get Partial Credit?

My goal by this morning: 329
My five-day average: 331.1
This morning's weigh-in: 329.5

Seriously, can I get a little Woot-Woot for the milestone? I know I'm not actually at 329 because of the whole 5-day thing, but still, to see that scale dip under 330 for the first time in at least 30 months feels damn good.

Beck and I worked out hard together last night (not like that, pervs), pushing ourselves, and getting our blood pumping. It felt amazing. I didn't do the total body, which I probably should have, but I curled, I shrugged, I pressed, and it should be mentioned that I did push ups. Real, manly push ups.

As a reminder, when I started this whole thing, I could do FOUR push ups on the sink, and ZERO from the floor. Over the last seven weeks I've worked up to 20+ on the sink (I'm now using a close grip for my tri's), and sets of TEN from the FLOOR. If you're keeping track at home, that means I'm "benching" roughly 60% of my total body weight, which puts me at 198 pounds. My max bench ever was 225, so a few more weeks, and I should be getting close.

In other news, in one week, I've taken an inch off of my waist, a half-inch from my neck, and I've added a half-inch to my biceps. In ONE WEEK.

This is AMAZING. For those of you doing this with me, DO NOT STOP. Seeing and feeling the improvements is all I need to keep moving. But you don't see or feel a thing if you slow down or quit.

Keep with me, people.