The Run to 299 - Day 5 - A Special Interview

Pounds to 299.9: 7.33

Today's Weigh-in: 306.2
5-Day: 307.32

First things first, my body is crazy, man! The ONLY thing I've done differently over the last week is make sure I'm drinking my daily supply of water. That's it. I'm doing very little zig-zagging, my shoulder is still keeping my from really working out, and my schedule has kept me from partaking in an active lifestyle.

Still, with a weigh-in of 306.2 today, I tied my lowest weigh-in to date, and I dropped my average another .44 pounds in one day, and 3.4 pounds in the last seven days. With three weigh-ins of 307.8 or higher dropping off over the next three days, I have a real shot at dropping to the 305 range by Monday.

Now, with all of the weight dropping off, I'm very happy. But I can't please everybody - or everything.

Today I am pleased to bring you an exclusive interview with somebody who is, for lack of a better description, angry about my weight loss.

Please welcome the KA Lead Fat Cell, Sal Ulight.

KA: Sal, thanks for being here today.
Sal: Don't worry, I'm not going ANYWHERE.

KA: Sal, how do you feel about having lost so many friends and close associates over the last year?
Sal: It's never easy to lose friends. Most of us have been together since 2002, so we've really bonded. We used to hang out around your ass and talk about sports. But now, there are fewer of us.

KA: Sure, I can understand that. Tell me, how are you guys coping? I mean, those of you that are left?
Sal: Honestly, we're just trying to hang on. The water is hurting. We just don't like water. So, when water is in, it's tough for us to really do anything. It used to be that our business partners, the Calories, would show up en mass to help us cling to you, but now it seems even they are working against us.

KA: What do you mean?
Sal: Well, the Calories are still coming in, but it's almost like they're trying to flush us out. We don't hear much from the Little Debbie's or cheeseburgers these days. Instead we get whole wheat pasta, and beans. It's kind of a shock for us, but we're trying to find ways to adjust.

KA: So, how many of you are gone? And how many are left.
Sal: You know the answer to those questions. You post them here every day. Ass.

KA: I know, I just want to hear you say it.
Sal: Screw you, man. And the horse you rode in on!

KA: Come on, Sal. Let's handle this like adults, shall we? Let's think on the pleasant memories. Can you share something nice from the old days?
Sal: Yeah, I guess. (Pause) Well, I remember a few years ago, you got fired from a job you loved because you worked for that jerk. And, on the way out of the store, you stopped and got some of those Little Debbie's we all love so much, and you went home and ate 'em all. That was special.

KA: Are you crying?
Sal: No. Not at all. Maybe a little. Yes. Yes, I'm crying. You have to understand, those times were great for us. Our numbers were on the rise. We'd have parties in your arteries almost every week. It was tough to get some of to leave. Then, about a year ago, there were so many of us that we didn't know what to do! I mean, out of boredom we started closing your throat at night...

KA: Apnea!

Sal:Yep, that was on us. Anyway, we'd give you a massive heartburn just from thinking about a burrito...

KA: Reflux!

Sal: Yep, all us. Let me finish. We used to give you migraines every week. We used to make your joints ache. We made your face break out, too. You were a 6' 8", 360 pound Cedar Point for fat cells. And now...our lives are changing. We don't have enough of us left to do that to you anymore. We may break out the occasional headache, but our best days are behind us.

KA: Well, I sure hope you don't expect me to apologize for any of that.
Sal: You're selfish. You're a selfish ho!

KA: That makes no sense.
Sal: YOU make no sense. Why are you doing this to us?? WHY???

At that point, Sal left the room. I'm sad to be the one to report this, but after my weigh in of 306.2 this morning, down 1.6 pounds from yesterday, Sal has not been heard from. His friends and family members fear the worst. They have asked that I help you find him.

The Run to 299 - Day 4

POUNDS TO 299.9: 7.77

Today's Weigh-in: 307.8
5-Day: 307.76

Just some quick notes this morning:

> Today marks my 8th day in a row taking numbers off of my 5-day. It's one of my longest streaks in months.

Last 8 averages - 310.88, 310.74, 310.54, 310.18, 308.92, 308.32, 307.96, 307.76. I'll take that anytime.

> I tried pushups again the night before last, and on my second rep, I felt the shoulder twinge that I've become so used to. My shoulder had felt great for almost a week, so I decided to try it again, and now I'm back where I was 7-10 days ago. When the situation allows, I'll be headed to see good old Dr. Pepper. Or would it be Diet Dr. Pepper?

> I need to get my average down to 303.5 to put me at the half-way point, counting down from the 87 pounds I set out to lose in November. It occurs to me that, had I shown even a little restraint and self-control over the years, my 52+ pounds lost since last January could have been enough to get me to my goal weight.

> I could only stomach (no pun intended) about 40 minutes of the FAT documentary on PBS last night. It pissed me off because, of the first 4-5 people they spoke with, only one claimed responsibility for her actions. "I control what goes into my body", she said. As for everybody else? Blame it on genetics. Blame it on society, who puts food everywhere. Blame it on your friends or your family, who are all big, too. Blame it on a "food addiction."

In fairness, they may have gone away from that as the show progressed, but I wasn't going to sit there and listen to people make excuses for another 90 minutes to find out. The truth is, of the millions of obese Americans in this country, maybe 5 to 10% of them truly have uncontrolable weight issues due to illness or genetics. And I'm not judging anybody. Lord knows, I'm one of the 90% who just refused to take control for so long.

But I took control, and now I'm half a bikini model lighter.

> I put my information into about eight different ideal weight calculators, and I got pretty much eight different answers on where I should be. One said I should be around 179, which is just assinine. Another said I should be no higher than 220, which is still crazy. At 239, I looked anorexic. A few others bumped my target weight to the 240-250 range, and only one said that 259 was an acceptable weight for somebody with my height and build. The moral of the story is this: It's an imperfect science, and I'm going to get to a weight where I feel and look good, and can live healthy. If that's 260, great. If I find I need to be closer to 245, fine. But I'll worry about that when I drop this full 100 pounds.

Have a great day, everybody.

PS - My invitation to anybody with a marketing, sales or PR background is still open. Shift will be growing, and I need people who want to get and stay involved to sign on. Email me at kevin(dot)antcliff(at)gmail(dot)com for more information.

More Later...

But it wasn't great. Wasn't awful, either.

I have some work to do to get this where it needs to go.

For those of you who are involved with Shift the Web site, or for anybody who would like to be involved (marketing, writing, forum posting, sales, etc.), we're going to have to renew our focus. The site will be given a minor redesign, the new pages will be added, and we'll be working towards some pretty major events in the near future - that I'm going to need your help with.

The Shift brand needs to grow, and it's starting soon.

The Run to 299 - Day 3

Pounds to 299.9: 7.97

Weigh-in: 308.0
5-Day: 307.96

This is going to be a short one, though I hope I can follow it up with some great news later today.

My meeting with the Publisher is later this afternoon, and my presentation is all set. I'm nervous, as I want this badly for more reasons than I can possibly list here. I'm trying not to get too worked up about it, as most of the time when I get my hopes up, they come crashing down. And I don't think I could handle that this time.

Having the chance to run a magazine that I felt such a passion towards while providing my family with a better, more comfortable life - it's all I really want.

But I also know that there won't be any final decision made today. My best hope is that I walk out of this meeting with them saying that they're interested, and need to discuss some things among themselves. Just as long as I don't hear "no" today, I'll take some hope with me.

Wish me luck, and I hope to be the bearer of good news later tonight.

By the way, I'm less than 8 pounds away from getting out of the 300's FOREVER.

The Run to 299 - Day 2, Post 2. "The Pictures"

I've kept them small, because I don't want anybody to feel forced to view what I look like shirtless.

Let me apologize to Kristen and TJ. Now that I realize that people I've known for years are looking at this, it makes it tougher to post them. I know you guys could have gone several more decades without having to view me half-naked and been just fine.

If you look at the first pic here, you can see that my upper body is starting to take a shape besides "round." My center is actually slimming down and becoming more contoured, if that's even the word for it. You can also see that my neck and chin are...well, there. They weren't so obvious under all of the fat. And my fat face appears to be going away, too. Thank God.

Why this one isn't as small, I have no clue. Forgive me for making it so visible to the human eye.

Anyway, you can see a few things here.

For one, look at that gut. I mean, I looked 18 months pregnant on the left, and I look more like I'm in my first tri-mester on the right.

For two, my rolls are going away. I had them on my middle back, the back of my neck, and a big one at my waistline.

Third, my lower back has a form, as opposed to the stright line that used to go frommy shoulders to my enormous can.

Lastly, you can plainly see that I wear Hanes Boxer-Briefs. That's not related to the weight loss, but I just thought I'd address it.

But here's the important stuff: I still have a long way to go. As AMAZING as it's going to be to hit 299.9, I have to keep reminding myself that I still have 39.9 pounds to go after that. As great as I feel now for coming so far, I'll feel worlds better when I hit 290, 280, 270 and 260.

Man, I hate posting these things.

The Run to 299 - Day 2

Pounds to 299.9: 8.33

Today's Weigh-in: 308.4 (called it)
5-Day: 308.32

Well, not much of a response from the gallery yesterday, huh? I get to within 8.9 pounds of a massive milestone, and everybody clams up.

Well, even though it made for a quiet comment section, it did help me realize something about myself. Similarly to how several of you rely too much on the number on the scale to give you a warm fuzzy about your life transformation, I rely too much on the feedback from others.

At Easter? 15-20 people there, most of whom had seen me at my recent heaviest. Number of comments: Zip. It bothered me. I still haven't had a comment from anybody outside these walls about how I look or how I'm doing.

I mean, I've lost over 51 pounds since last January. That's not noticeable? Somebody in this world has to see how different I look and say something. Don't they? Knowing that others are taking notice, appreciating my effort, and - God forbid - getting inspired to make the change themselves would be so motivating for me that I wouldn't know what to do with myself.

I know I'm focusing on the wrong things here. I see my numbers. I see how close I am to being outside of the 300's for the first time in at least four years, and the last time in my life. I've lost over 50 pounds since January of 2006, and almost 40 pounds since Thanksgiving.

But I guess it's just nice to hear it sometimes.

Oh well.

OK, enough of that. Here are a couple of quick antecdotes for Day 2 of The Run to 299:

> My driver's license currently states that my weight is 340 pounds. When I applied for it, I lied on the form because I couldn't deal with seeing "360" everytime I looked at the thing. So, six months later, the weight is still wrong. Only this time, it's because I weigh almost 32 pounds less that the number on the DL.

> In February of 2005, I had a meeting with the execs from Haas Rock to discuss the beginnings of Motor City Sports Magazine. I had to go spend money I didn't have on new pants and a new shirt, because I didn't have anything that fit. I have another meeting tomorrow with the same guys to discuss the beginnings of Shift, and I'm in a similar situation. I have nothing to wear. Two years ago, everything I owned was too small. Today, the same pants and shirts are all way too big.

And that's why I don't need positive reinforcement to keep going. I know what I've done, I know how I've done it, and I know that I'm still going.

Coming Later (MAYBE!)

My new before/during photos. Not sure I'll have the nerve to post them now that somebody I know is reading!

The Run to 299 - Day 1, Post 2

Pounds to 299.9: 8.93

So, here's my theory about the 306.2 weigh-in:

I went to bed sick last night. I ate a small portion of pretty much everything on the table at our Easter Dinner - Lasagna, Ham, Cheesy Taters, Cream Cheese Corn, Deviled Eggs, and Brownies - and I don't think my body appreciated it. So, my body decided to find the quickest route possible to get that food out of there. Not to get too detailed, but we'll just say that I spent a few, quality minutes on the porcelin throne last night before I went to sleep.

So, I'll be SHOCKED if the 306.anything holds tomorrow. I'll be fine if it does, but I'm not expecting it.

Still, the weigh-in today leaves me with 8.93 pounds to lose to get my average under 300 pounds for the first time since, I'm guessing, roughly December of 2002. I was around 270 when I got married in May of '02, and the weight gain started right there. So December is probably pretty close.

I don't have a very detailed plan of attack to get to my 299.9. I think it's just going to boil down to doing what's right, and being patient. Nothing new, really. The sooner, the better, but I know how my body works, and I'm prepared for six or seven days stuck on 304, with a sudden drop to 299. This could take anywhere from 10 days to three weeks. That doesn't matter right now. I'm looking at that number - 299.9 - and focusing on nothing else. Even if my scale number doesn't move, I'm a day closer to hitting that milestone.

I'd like to try to get some basketball in this week, and our local Rec Center has boxing classes for $37 a year. It may be worth looking into. It's also supposed to be warmer over the next few days, so we might be able to get back to our nightly walks. We found a trail that stretches for several miles, and it's hilly - but paved. So, we can take the stroller.

I guess that just about does it for Day One of The Run to 299. This is going to be a big week, so wish me luck.

The Run to 299 - Day 1

Today's Weigh-In: 306.2 (WHAT???)

5-DAY: 308.92 (HUH???)
Weight Lost Since 01/06: 51.1 (WOW!)
Weight Lost Since 11/06: 38.1 (REALLY?)
Pounds to 299.9: 8.93

I'll post more on this later, but I wanted to get it out there for the blog name change. I have a feeling the 306.2 is a phantom number that will climb back up 2-3 pounds tomorrow.

My body confuses me. It'll do nothing for three weeks, then drop three pounds in 72 hours.

Anyway, back with something more detailed later.

Tips and Suggestions

While I clearly am no expert on weight loss (just read my last several blog posts), I do feel as through I've learned quite a lot along the way that could be useful to the 3-4 new FAT members who have recently joined up.

What you're going to see here is nothing more than what's worked for me. Some are actual nutrition tips that you could find in Men's Health, others are just tricks I've tried that have worked. The old-timers here already know most of this, so consider this post my own little welcome to the new ladies.

1. Don't let yourself get hungry
You should be eating 5-6 times throughout the day. Start with a decent-sized breakfast, a small mid-morning snack about 3 hours later, a healthy lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, a hearty dinner, and a small evening snack. You should eat the most at breakfast, and work down from there. Here's the breakdown I use (the % indicates how much of your daily calorie intake you should consume at each meal):

Breakfast: 30%

Morning snack: 10%

Lunch: 20%

Afternoon Snack: 10%

Dinner: 20%

Evening snack: 10%

2. Track Your Calories
Most of us have a pretty good idea of the number of calories we're taking in, but counting calories is the only way to really see it. And seeing can sometimes be the difference. A few good sites to use are Fitday.com, calorie-count.com, and laboxing.purewellness.com. I prefer LA Boxing because it has many more visual aids to let you really see what you're taking in, plus it has the most in-depth breakdown of what you need for your body type and goals.

3. Know your BMR
Find out what your body burns just by existing, then add in your activity level. That last part is tricky. Use this calculator, and be sure to choose the right level of your daily activities. And be honest with yourself. Pumping up your level does nothing but hurt you. As an example, let's say you're a 5' 6" woman weighing 200 pounds, and you're 30 years old. Your body burns roughly 1,700 calroies per day just to keep you alive. When you add in a moderate level of daily activity, you find that your BMR is 2,200 calories. To lose one pound per week, you should be eating no more that 1,700 calories per day.

4. Zig-Zag
So, using the example above, you should be eating 1,700 calories to lose weight. Don't just eat 1,700 calories every day. Your body is smart, and it will adjust to the routine. Change things up by zig-zagging your daily intake. So, today, eat 2,200 calories. Tomorrow, eat 1,500 calories. Saturday, take in 1,850 calories. And Sunday, take in 1,300. You still average 1,700 calories per day over that stretch, but your metabolism has to work harder to keep up and adjust to your intake.

5. Water!
This one can be filed under "physician, heal thyself", as I rarely drink all the water I should. But when I was drinking 64 ounces plus, and following the other guidelines above, I lost over five pounds in one week. I'm not saying that'll happen to you, as every body is different. But water will help. Water and fat are natural enemies (oil and water don't mix, right?), so the two can't exist in the same space. Drink the water, help flush out the fat.

6. Can't Get to The Gym? Drop And Give Me...As Many As You Can
Here's a column I wrote for Shift last month. A pushup-only routine is not ideal, but if you can't get to a gym, they will help. They are one of the most complete excercises you can perform. It works the chest, the shoulders, the upper back, the triceps, the abs, and even the biceps - a little. If you can't do a regular pushup, get on your knees, or lean on a kitchen counter, and build up from there.

7. Veggies, Fruits, Nuts, and Whole Grains
Eat 'em. Don't overdo the whole grains, though. You can overdo it on good carbs, too. But the fruits and veggies are a great source of fiber, which you need. Which brings us to...

8. Get Your Fiber
My target is 38g of Fiber every day. It helps keep you feeling full longer, helping you control your hunger, and it grabs onto other foods in your system and helps to flush them out.

Those are the basics I can think of right now. If the other long-time FAT people would like to chime in, feel free to do so. One thing to keep in mind is this: You're not going to be perfect. You should strive to be, but don't quit if you slip up. This is a process. It's a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. Nobody in the FAT Coalition is on a diet. We're all changing the way we lived our lives. You can still have a slice of cheesecake now and then. You can have a cookie or two. But it's about moderation, and learning that those kinds of foods no longer have a home inside your body.

In all seriousness, if I can give up those kinds of foods and lose over 36 pounds, anybody in the world can. But by making little changes and setting some good habits in my life, I realized this isn't all that hard.

Welcome to the FAT Coalition, and good luck! We're all here if you need us!

I'm Done. I Quit. I Give Up.

No, not on the entire weight-loss, just on trying to figure by body out.

Today's Weigh-In: 309.8
5-Day: 310.74

309.8? How? I took a mile-long walk last night. And I had ice cream for a snack (low-fat, but still). And that makes me drop 1.5 pounds off of my weigh-in?

I'll never understand how my body works, I guess. In the meantime, if it wants to give me a 309.8, I guess I'll shutup and take it.

Coming Later

For the newbies to the Coalition, I thought I'd jot down some basic principles that I've learned, as well as some suggestions I have that have worked for me over the last four months.

What is Going On????

Today's Weigh-in: 311.4
5-Day: 310.9

I'm gonna keep this short, because the longer the post, the more likely you'll read some four-letter words.

I've eaten 95% clean the past three days. My worst foods have been a couple teaspoons of sugar in my cereal, and a no-fat, no-cholesterol pizza crust. I've been staying as active as I can be around the house - playing with the kids, cleaning fast and hard, etc - same things I'd been doing.

Yet I'm putting on .3 to .5 pounds a day?

This weekend Beck and I are heading to the Colorado foothills to do some hiking. We're talking 5% grade, 1,500-foot elevation increase, rocky trails, the works. It's gonna kill us. It should be a great workout.

But on Friday night, we're attempting a big-time zig. We're going to Dave and Busters here in Denver, and we'll each be eating something that will be bring our clean eating average down a few percentage points. It won't be anything bad - no burgers, fries and milkshakes - but it'll be something to make our metabolism say "What the f- ?".

I know, it's a journey, blah, blah, blah. But this is annoying the crap out of me.

*********************************************************************************

New FAT Member

Everybody head over to the newest addition to the FAT Coalition, and introduce yourself to my old friend Kristen. I haven't talked to her in at least 10 years, yet she popped up on my radar a few days ago (MySpace is crazy). Go check out her blog, and welcome her to the group as she fights along with all of us.

Welcome, Kristen!

SHIFTing My Attention

As several of you know, my dream job is to run my own magazine. I've done it before, as part owner of Motor City Sports Magazine in Detroit, though that didn't end as well as it started. Still, even after one year of prep time, and four issues, I knew that heading up a magazine was what I wanted to do. I loved the deadline drama, I loved helping my writers figure out their stories, I loved it all.

Well, once we started the Shift Web site (which has been horribly neglected, and I apologize), I started thinking how the concept of Shift would make a good magazine. Support, success stories, product reviews, family-friendly health tips - the works. Take all that's right with titles like Men's Health and Fitness, but make it a high-class, family-based magazine, helping others to learn how to shift their lives by first shifting their minds and bodies.

Starting a magazine out of thin air is tough. Actually, it's borderline impossible. If you don't know somebody with money or connections, your dream is likely to stay just a dream.

I sent a few emails out, talked to a few people I knew - and got nothing back. It wasn't looking good.

Well, yesterday I sent an email to the publishers of the magazine I'm currently working for. They publish four titles, including a national nursing magazine. My email was just a "got any advice for me?" kind of thing, but I laid out the idea for Shift, and sent him the image you see here.

The response I received shook me to my core.

I am meeting with the President of Haas Rock Publications next week to discuss Shift, as they are intrigued by the idea.

Now, this is just a meeting. No guarantees. But it's a step closer than I thought I'd get for a long time.

Now, how does this effect FAT? Well, one section I want in this title is a "Success Stories" section. Before and after photos, bios of the subject, an interview, words of wisdom from the person in question, etc. And my first targets would be you, the members fo the FAT Coalition. Again, no promises, but if Shift does come to life, you have my word that I'll use it to give you all the credit you deserve.

Wish me luck, as I'll be preparing a proposal for Haas Rock over the next five days, hoping to make this magazine look so good they can't possibly say no.

Fluctuations v4.0

Wow.

This really pisses me off.

Today's Weigh-In: 312.5
5-Day: 310.6

So, I gained half a pound in my 5-day becuase I gained THREE pounds in my weigh-in.

Now, there were some things working against me yesterday. For one, I didn't do anything active besides play with the kids and clean the house a little. No walk, no pushups. Bad, Kevin.

For another, last night was our cheat meal night. We decided to have one less-than-perfect meal in the middle of the week in the hopes that it would A. Help our zig-zag, and 2, Kick our metabolism up a notch. Nothing too bad - just a little outside our normal meal. We had homemade pizza on a fat-free and cholesterol-free crust. After toppings (canadian bacon and cheese), each piece was about 180 calories. I had 5 pieces, putting my total for the day at just over 2,000 calories. After adding in a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios for an evening snack, I topped out just over 2,300 calories.

Lastly, I only had two glasses of water yesterday - maybe 20 ounces total. I hate water unless I'm extremely thirsty, so it's tough for me to drink 64+ ounces just to drink it.

That said, whenI lost my 5 pounds two weeks ago, I was drinking 64-80 ounces per day. Guess I need to force it down.

All-in-all, it's just frustrating. To see a 312.5 on that scale just crushed me. I really felt that I was done with those types of numbers, but I really should have known better, I guess. My body does this to me all the time. I can hear my fat talking to itself now...

"Guys? We have a problem. Kevin is almost under 310. If he drops below 310, there's no telling what he's going to do to us next. We've already lost many of our friends along the way, and I don't want to lose any more than we have to. My plan? Simple. Let's kidnap some water and hold it hostage. He'll weigh himself in the morning, see he went up three pounds, and it's off to the Little Debbie's! We can do this! Fat Foreverrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!"

Or something like that.

What the fat doesn't know is that a few months ago, I might have done just that. But I've grown up a little since then. I don't see this as a dead-end, I see it as a detour. I'll take the long way around to get to where I'm going, but I won't turn around.

That's not how I roll.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Special Slimming Kevin Announcement

Check back later today, and I'll be making an announcement that could impact every member of the FAT Coalition in the future. I'd make it now, but I want it to have it's own post.

Also, I notice a lot of you call FAT "Fat And Trim". That makes no sense. You can't be fat and trim. Actually, it stands for "FIT And Trim."

See you back here later today.

310.1

I'm as close as I can get to 310 without actually BEING 310.

My weigh-in today actually went up .4 pounds, which I wasn't too pleased with, but them's the breaks. My goal is to go under 310 for good tomorrow. I'm aiming for a weight of 309.5 or less.

The plan for today: 100% clean eating, a walk with the family tonight, trying another round of pushups/situps.

Hopefully that will be enough to put me over the hump.

I haven't been keeping track of my calories for about four days now, though I haven't eaten anything outside of my normal routine (with the exception of the aforementioned brownies), so I know the range I've been in is normal for me. Still, I'll go back to it today in an effort to more accurately zig-zag.

Now, for some non-weight-loss stuff.

My good friend TJ commented on my page yesterday, and I followed his profile to a new blog he started. Looks like yesterday was Day One. He's a great writer, and an even better guy, so drop by his page and check it out. His blog is Write Field, so you can guess at what the content will be.

Also, I'm trying to convince TJ and his wife to move out here next year, so I'll have somebody to workout and play basketball with. Plus, my wife's company has a softball team, and TJ used to play semi-pro baseball. I'm sure he'd qualify as a ringer.

One last weight thing: I have some family pics posted on my MySpace page, should anybody want to check them out.

Closer

Today's Weight: 309.8 (first time under 310 in at least 3 years!)
5-Day: 310.2

Well, it wasn't an earth-shattering weight-loss week. I dropped another 1.7 off of the average, bringing my number left to lose down to 50.2 pounds.

It seems like whenever I have a good week (almost five pounds last week), I follow it up with something a little less impressive. Still, taking the average, I've lost three pounds per week over this two-week stretch. I'd be thrilled to keep that pace up for the next 3-4 months.

The big thing for me is getting that ".2" off of the number. Getting my average to under 310 would be a nice milestone that will help me to refocus to hit 299. As soon as the .2 is gone, I'll be changing my posting technique. All of my posts will go under the heading of "The Run to 299", as I document my last days as a guy weighing over 300 pounds. My original plan was to be at 299 by the 11th. While that's still mathematically possible, it's not likely. And I'm OK with that. I've stopped worrying about when I hit my goals, and I've focused on hitting them - period. If I hit 299 in 9 days, great. If I hit it in three weeks, great. As long as I'm a little closer every day.

Now, onto something pretty impressive for me.

Becky made brownies on Friday night. Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies. Soft in the middle with a crisp crust. Amazing brownies. We each had a small piece on Friday night, making sure we kept the calorie level low. I then proceeded to eat exactly ZERO brownies on Saturday. We took the brownies to my brother's house last night (where they also had peanut butter apple pie), and I ate, again, one small piece. And I only did that because I knew I was WAY under on my calories at that point yesterday. We then too the remaining brownies home, and I noticed I was getting pretty snacky. There were the brownies, smiling seductively at me, and whispering my name softly like a gentle summer breeze. I got up from the couch, walked into the kitchen, grabbed a plate and a knife, and proceeded to cut up an apple, which I ate in the place of that brownie.

It's amazing to me how different I am, now. That never would have happened four months ago. I would have eaten two brownines, and two big glasses of milk.

Beck and I did the math yesterday on the kinds of calories we used to take in on a somewhat regular basis. The following is a realistic number of calories for me on a bad day as recently as four months ago.

Breakfast: Two doughnuts, 1 large glass of milk - 590 calories
Lunch: Four McD's double cheeseburgers, 1 Med. fry, 1 large Coke - 1,350 calories
Dinner: One large sausage pizza, one large glass of milk - 2,400 calories
Dessert: One box of Little Debbie Peanut Bars, two large glasses of milk - 2,110 calories

Total calories: 6,450

And those numbers are NOT an exaggeration. Did we eat like that every day? No, of course not. But once or twice a week? Absolutely. It was disgusting. I'm so glad that "Old Kevin" is dead and gone. Now, "New Kevin" still enjoys everything on that list, but the difference is that I understand the concept of moderation. Those things were part of my everyday routine, and now they are, at best, an occasional snack. And I haven't had doughnuts or Little Debbie's in over four months.

I sometimes eat in three days what I used to eat in one. And that's why, even though I haven't been able to excercise as much as I'd like, the pounds are still coming off.

All part of the transformation.

**Side Note**

My shoulder felt good enough for me to get a set of pushups in each of the last two days (16 and 15 - I'm not complaining), but it won't let me do anything more than that. I'm hoping it's a good sign that it's seemingly getting better, and allowing me to get a little work in before it gives out on me. Maybe doing a set a day, as well as some strengthening work on it will allow it to get back into form.

We shall see.

Ah, Tan Shirt. We Meet Again, After All These Years.

Haven't worn this shirt in a good four years. I tried it on last fall, and I could barely button the dang thing due to "excess belly syndrome", commonly referred to as "I Was A Lard Ass."

Small steps.

Clarification Time

Quickly from yesterday:

I'm very thankful for the time I have with my two girls. I love being here to see them learn things and develop. I love having that extra time. But my issue is that I'm a man, and I don't feel like one most of the time.

My duties (pardon the pun) are to change diapers, make bottles, and pick up the living room. I do this while my wife is out earning our only income. Now, I'm not too old fashined to think that Becky should only be cooking dinner and washing clothes while I go hunt the Mammoth to feed the family. But I do feel that I should be contributing more than I am right now.

Unfortunately for me, this is the only place I fit in - as a stay-at-home-dad. The truth is, even if I found work, it would have to pay me enough to get us a second car, daycare, extra gas and insurance, and leave enough left over for us to start getting ahead.

It's a tough position.

I never said or even implied I have nothing to be thankful for. What I said was, I can't expect to get comments about my weight because I don't see anybody except my two kids pretty much all week. As far as getting weight-loss compliments goes, I'm at a disadvantage.

OK, enough of that.

I went back to my zig-zag yesterday after having three days that were pretty similar - inadvertantly. My reward this morning was a weigh-in that floated between 309.5 and 310. I'm not greedy, so I'll go with 310. Now, because of the stupid 313's that popped up, my 5-day stayed the same today. And even if I'm 310 again tomorrow, it's going to go up a little bit. But, as soon as those 313's drop off, I'll be in pretty good shape for my run to 299.

I've decided I'm going to go see a Dr. about my shoulder after I get paid next. The pain comes and goes, but it's here more than it's not. It's gonna make it hard for me to get to 260 with one arm.

That's about it for today. TGIF, and here's to hoping that the weekend is better than the week. It's been a long one.

That's Better

Just when I was beginning to think that the 310 I had last Sunday was a fluke, I was awarded with a 310.5 on the scale today.

Why the 313's had to hang around go long, I don't know. And I would be surprised if I've seen the last of them. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Now, allow me to indulge myself and complain for just a second.

Back in October, I was in downtown Denver for a meeting. The people I met with are the execs at Mile High Sports Magazine, where I currently work on a contract basis as their "web guy". At the time of this meeting, I weighed at least 347, likely a little more, as I hadn't started my transformation, yet.

Well, going into yesterday's meeting with the same people, I honestly expected to hear some comments about my weight loss. I even wore a shirt with vertical stripes to make me look taller and slimmer.

After the 45-minute meeting was over, I shook hands, said "see ya later", and headed for the door.

Not a word.

I don't know why it's so important to me that somebody notice what I've been doing and comment on it, but it is. I mean, I've lost 34 pounds since Thanksgiving. That's noticeable, right? I've lost almost 50 pounds since this time last year. That's good enough for some people to make it onto a Slim Fast commercial wearing old pants and holding the waistline out to show how "thin" they are now.

I've gone through some major changes in the last four months, and it sometimes feels like nobody outside of my apartment even notices. I've always been somebody who's needed positive reinforcement, and it makes it tough to feel motivated when I don't get it. I guess I just want somebody to recognize the changes, and be impressed with the effort.

Some of you have people from work who log on and comment. Others have family members. A few have both, it seems.

I guess I'm at a disadvantage. I'm in this house with a 2-year-old and a 6-month-old 50+ hours a week. I don't interact with anybody with my job, I have no friends to speak of, and my family - even though I've asked - won't take the time to read about what I'm doing here. I guess it's tough to find people to notice what you're doing when you don't know any people who care.

And here's where Old Kevin would grab some doughnuts and drown his sorrows. I barely contribute to this family financially anymore (and we have major needs right now), I have no personal life, my family is all about doing their own thing and expecting others to follow, I don't have a single friend in Colorado, and these two kids are the only people I talk to from 7am to 6pm every day. It's depressing. My family seems miserable, and there's nothing I can to do help it.

But New Kevin knows that what's going on around him should have no bearing on what he puts into his body. And so far it hasn't - luckily.

Even if I'm still lonely, poor, and half a man in four months, I'll be lonely, poor, and half a man who is in great shape.

No Time

On my way out the door for a meeting that could breathe serious life into my career, so no time to post much.

Good thing, too. I'd just end up bitching and moaning about ANOTHER 313 on the scale.

Grrrrr.

Wish me luck.

Fluctuations v3.0

I'm not a happy man this morning.

As I've mentioned numerous times before, my body fluctuates like nobody's business. For the most part, I've come to expect a weigh-in two pounds higher than a nice, low weigh-in back-to-back. But even though I've "prepared" myself for it, it still BLOWS to see it on the scale.

For example, I hit an all-time low (and a four-year low) of 310 on Sunday. I assumed I'd be back as high as 312 yesterday, and, sure enough, I came in at 311.5. Now, my history sughests that today's weigh-in would be right around 311 again. Maybe even back to the 310 range. Instead, I get a freaking 313. So, with two more days of clean eating, I've actually put three pounds back on in two days.

There were a few subtle differences between the last 48 hours and all of last week. For one, no walk yesterday. For two, no zig-zag. My totals were only about 10 calories off for the last two days. Though I don't see how eating 2100 calories a day for 48 hours would contribute to putting on 3 pounds. Also, I had two bowls of cereal yesterday (wheat chex and honey nut cheerios), and I added a tablespoon of sugar to each for taste. Again, I can't see how a combined 50 calories would play that much of a difference in the weigh-in.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not as down as the blog seems. Shoot, I took all of the dates off of my goals yesterday, showing that I don't care WHEN I hit my weights, as long as I DO hit them. But I'd much rather be stuck on 310 for a week than start moving in the opposite direction.

I just worked my tail off last week to see that 310 on the scale, and now I've got to work it off again just to get back down there. I know - it could be water weight. I know- the body's weight can fluctuate as much as four pounds a day. But it doesn't make it any easier to see it.

In Other News

>> My shoulder felt MUCH better last night, and I was set to resume my pushups and situps today. But when I woke up this morning, the discomfort was back. Maybe it'll loosen up as the day goes on, and I can still get a few sets in tonight.

>> Boxing is a no-go for now. After I had my pay cut, we just coudn't justify it. It was pretty much a choice between diapers and formula or boxing lessons. We went with the kids on this one. That said, I'm going into talk to the Execs at the magazine tomorrow about expanding my duties, as well as the web site I currently run. If it works, it would be a huge boost to both my career and my finances.

>> I still adore the Food and Activity log at LA Boxing. It has everything - weekly summaries, personalized carb/fat/protein targets, graphs that show your progress - and lots more. If you're looking for a very cool tool, check it out here.

That's it for now. Have a good one, all.