Made my 100!

I have finally made my 100lb weight loss. At last week's weigh in a was down a total of 107lbs!

Back in June I had come across a sports nutritionist on Facebook. Her name is Tosha Knopp. She is a bariatric surgery patient and had her surgery in 2013. As she was going through her weight loss process she realized that she was not getting the proper nutrition and decided to become a sports nutritionist. Through her process she has decided to form a company called Bari-Fit. Her process focuses on macro-nutrients, proteins, fats, carbs and fiber. She was offering, at the time, to set macros for patients. I read about it and thought it was a good idea. In June I was going through a little bit of a stall on losing weight and as soon as I had my macros set and started following them, the stall was broken and my weight loss continued. Fast forward to the end of August and she had officially launched Bari-Fit and was doing not only macros but also developing a weight lifting regimen for patients. After talking to her and talking to Heather, I decided to retain Tosha as a personal trainer. The first week after having my macros adjusted and a weight training regimen I lost a whopping 6.1 lbs in one week!  Tosha knows her stuff and I am proud of being a part of the launch of her new company helping those who have gone through the surgery. With her help and guidance I hope to gain more strength, muscle and reduction of body fat. I've even gone so far as submitting pictures to Tosha for use on her website www.bari-fit.com.  I can't believe that I did that. Prior to the surgery I NEVER would want my picture taken, let alone shirtless. Now I have them up for the world to see. Any rate, here are pictures from my 100lbs weight loss. Scroll down to previous posts for before pictures.

Finally made it!

Well I finally made it. I'm under 300lbs for the first time in 20+ years. The last time I remember being 300lbs was the first time I went on Weight Watchers. That was in 1988-1989. I went on the program and lost 50lbs. I then proceeded to gain that all back and more.

I was bummed last week. I figured since I was so close the week before to being at or below 300 I would have surely made that goal as well as a 100lb loss by months. I actually gained about 2lbs that week. I, as well as my nutrionist/trainer feel that the gain was my body adjusting to my new workout regimen.  Three weeks ago Heather and I made a commitment to get to the gym and get our body's in shape. We have been getting up at 4am every morning to get to the gym by 4:30 and we work out until about 5:15. We have been consistent and dedicated. There have been many mornings that I've gotten up and don't feel like going, but I do. The nice thing is that once I get to the gym I love it. I never thought I would hear myself say/think that. Me, lazy ass, liking the gym. I like the way that it energizes me, and I like the results that I am getting. I love that I am showing my kids that it is smart to be healthy!

I have nowhere to go but down from here (weight wise). Attitude and energy are way up!

Until next time.

So close I can taste it!

Yesterday I did my weekly weigh in. I've now surpassed 95lbs lost, 95.7 to be exact! I'm so happy with my new life and my weight loss. 95 pounds in 4 months!  The so close part is that I am less than a pound from being under 300! I can't remember the last time I was near here. It has been more than 20 years! I remember when I went on weight watchers for the first time just out of high school. At that point I weighed 300 even. I've got between 80-90lbs left to go.

Heather and I started back at the gym this week. Well I guess I should rephrase that, I started back at the gym. Heather has been going since she is training to run her half of a half marathon in November. I made a commitment to get started back at the gym. I need to start getting more cardio and weight training so that I can tone and build muscle. With all of the weight loss I don't want saggy skin.  I don't have time to work out in the evenings. With soccer practice and just being downright tired after work (I work 10 hour days) I figured the only time that I can work out is early in the morning. Since I have to leave for work by 6, that means getting up super early. Heather and I have gotten up every morning at 4am this week to get to the gym by 4:30. We work out until 5:15-5:30. I did miss one day due to server problems at work, but I was still up at 4:30. I like getting my workout done early. Yes I am tired, but I also feel energized throughout the whole day. The only problem is that I crash by 8:30-9, but most of the time this week I haven't gotten to be until after 10.

Next report will hopefully be a big celebration. I should be at 100+ lbs lost and under 300!

Overdue update

It has been a crazy summer at our house. We started a project in our master bed room and what was the office, now the couples cave. On July 4th weekend I started ripping up the floors in both rooms. Since the dogs spend the bulk of their time in the rooms, and the fact that Bandit is now 16 years old and senile, the room was starting to smell of dog pee. We decided to pull up all of the flooring and do stained concrete. I have to say it was a hard process to prep it, but the actual application was rather easy. We're now back in the rooms after almost a month and we are pleased with the results.

Now on to the weight loss. As of Friday, July 31, 2015 I am down a total of 90.3 pounds! I am so happy and pleased with myself. As I told Heather a week or so ago, the only regret I have about the surgery is that I didn't do it 15 or more years ago!  I'm down from wearing a size 5x shirt to comfortably fitting in a 2x shirt. I've gone through all of my old clothes and donated most of them, or will be soon. I'm buying new clothes in limited quantities as I know I won't be at these sizes for very long.

Tomorrow starts my serious gym work. We are getting up at 4am to head to the gym. It is not going to be fun getting up that early, but I don't have time to work out any other time. With soccer and life in general mornings are my only time. The bad thing is that I have to get up that early since I have to leave for work by 6.

I'll try and update more frequently from here on out.

10 weeks out

Well I am just a few days past 10 weeks out. As of this morning I am down a total of 67.5 pounds! Hello 320's. Hopefully I won't be staying long!

I feel great. This week has been crazy and I have been tired. Not from the surgery or the weight loss though, it has been because of lack of sleep.

I just started working with a fitness/nutrition coach. She works heavily with getting macro nutrients in. I will be starting next week with her plan of protein, carbs, fat, and fiber.

Sorry for the shortness of this post, but I don't have a whole lot to say this week. We're gearing up for a soccer tournament with Evan's team and the weather is going to be HOT!

7 Weeks Out

I am now a little over 7 weeks out. Down a total of 55 lbs and feeling great. We've been forgetting to do comparison shots from pre-surgery so we took them tonight. Here they are. I'd say a noticeable difference!

I'm happy with the progression. It is just going to continue getting better and better! I also had a NSV  (Non Scale Victory) on Friday evening. Evan came to give me a hug and he was able to put his arms completely around me!

6 Weeks Post-Op

I am now a day past 6 weeks post-op. As of this morning I am down 49.5lbs!

Along with my weight being down so much, I am also thankfully shrinking. I've gone from wearing a 52" waist pant to a 46".  I've also gone from 5XL shirts to a loose fitting 3XL. I should be into 2XL very soon.

As for my diet, I'm pretty much on regular foods now. The only difference is the amount of food that I can eat. My portions are 3oz and I am sticking with that and measuring. I did have a stall in weight loss for a couple of weeks but after doing some reading I found that stalls usually happen because of either not getting enough water or not getting enough protein (or both). Since then I have been trying as hard as possible to get my 90-100 grams of protein a day. That is hard to do just eating 3 3oz meals a day. I've supplemented this with drinking protein shakes in between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner. The shakes that I like are Premier Protein chocolate. They give me 30 grams of protein per shake, very little calories and about 10 grams of sugar which is good.  Starting this week I have also had the Premier Protein bars for breakfast. These are OK, not my favorite as they are very dense and it definitely takes more than 30 minutes to eat the whole thing!

I still haven't taken comparison pictures from the day before surgery. Heather and I both keep saying we need to do that. Maybe this weekend we will have time.

I have also started going to the gym on a regular basis. I never thought I would say this but I LOVE going to the gym. I have taken advantage of the personal trainer that is offered from when we signed up and am now on a workout regimen. Now the only thing is that we need to get a little more consistent in going during the week. It is difficult to do workouts during the week due to the boys soccer schedules.  My plan right now is to do my gym stuff on Friday Saturday and Sunday and then the rest of the week either cycle in the mornings or walk during practices.

Speaking of bikes, I just bought a new one! I will be picking it up this Friday and I'm so looking forward to it. I went with a mountain bike this time to use for both training and to be able to ride with the boys and as a family easier. I'll put pics up of the bike once I bring it home on Friday.

Until next time....