So most of the posts thus far have been on Facebook, but I've decided to push back more into the blogging realm.
The short summary for those who aren't on my Facebook is the following:
In November (2014) I weighed 227.5 lbs and entered into "Weight Loss Bet 2.0" with my friend Dani. We had previously done this bet back in 2010 (March - July) and I went from 213 to 188.5 for a loss of 24.5 lbs. I "lost" the bet because Dani hit her goal, but my goal was 185. I said then that it was worth the $100 I had on the line as I was happy to "lose" when it meant losing almost 25 lbs.
For the new bet, we set our goals for mid-March, again giving ourselves about 20 weeks. My goal was 200. As we neared our goal, I knew I wasn't going to make it and Dani wanted to keep going past her goal, so we revised it and set our new date for August 5 with new goals. My new goal was 185, which you may note is my original goal from the first bet in 2010.
Additionally, my friend Sam and I had a side bet that we put together. As of January (2015) I was struggling and had lost much of my early progress between Thanksgiving to New Year's. To help us both keep active and fit, we committed to a daily exercise minimum, and if we didn't hit that minimum we'd owe $5 into a "penalty jar" and at the end of the bet, which was until March, we'd tally it up and donate it to a charity of our choosing. Well, we both ended up with $0 in penalties by March. My minimum daily routine was a 20-30 push ups or 1-2 miles. By March is became a habit, and as of today (Day 163) I've only missed 3 days (I don't count the days I missed because I was sick - important not to over exert yourself when you're health is not up to the task).
My recent mini-goal has been to get to 200 (which I just realized was my original mid-March goal) by Pride (June 13, 2015), and as of this morning, I'm 198.6 which, while not an "official" Wednesday weigh in, is a legit pre-workout weight. I was 199.8 yesterday, but I wanted to get two full days in under 200 before I said anything.
The encouragement, kind words, tips, and feedback I've received over the last 7.5 months been very helpful, and greatly appreciated.
What I want to do is take a moment, though, and explain what my motivation is for posting about my weight loss journey. I have a couple of reasons that drive why I do this.
The short summary for those who aren't on my Facebook is the following:
In November (2014) I weighed 227.5 lbs and entered into "Weight Loss Bet 2.0" with my friend Dani. We had previously done this bet back in 2010 (March - July) and I went from 213 to 188.5 for a loss of 24.5 lbs. I "lost" the bet because Dani hit her goal, but my goal was 185. I said then that it was worth the $100 I had on the line as I was happy to "lose" when it meant losing almost 25 lbs.
For the new bet, we set our goals for mid-March, again giving ourselves about 20 weeks. My goal was 200. As we neared our goal, I knew I wasn't going to make it and Dani wanted to keep going past her goal, so we revised it and set our new date for August 5 with new goals. My new goal was 185, which you may note is my original goal from the first bet in 2010.
Additionally, my friend Sam and I had a side bet that we put together. As of January (2015) I was struggling and had lost much of my early progress between Thanksgiving to New Year's. To help us both keep active and fit, we committed to a daily exercise minimum, and if we didn't hit that minimum we'd owe $5 into a "penalty jar" and at the end of the bet, which was until March, we'd tally it up and donate it to a charity of our choosing. Well, we both ended up with $0 in penalties by March. My minimum daily routine was a 20-30 push ups or 1-2 miles. By March is became a habit, and as of today (Day 163) I've only missed 3 days (I don't count the days I missed because I was sick - important not to over exert yourself when you're health is not up to the task).
My recent mini-goal has been to get to 200 (which I just realized was my original mid-March goal) by Pride (June 13, 2015), and as of this morning, I'm 198.6 which, while not an "official" Wednesday weigh in, is a legit pre-workout weight. I was 199.8 yesterday, but I wanted to get two full days in under 200 before I said anything.
The encouragement, kind words, tips, and feedback I've received over the last 7.5 months been very helpful, and greatly appreciated.
What I want to do is take a moment, though, and explain what my motivation is for posting about my weight loss journey. I have a couple of reasons that drive why I do this.
- It keeps me honest. Many of you watch and comment on my progress and having to report both the good and the bad helps when I'm eyeing that piece of cake or that cocktail. My friend and I that are losing weight together have been brutally honest with each other about what is going right, what isn't, and when we've cheated and we know it. That kind of communication and honesty helps during the bumps and plateaus.
- You've told me it's helpful to you. I have a number of friends who are on their own health initiatives (staying active, losing weight, gaining muscle, etc) who've publicly and privately said that my posts have been good at helping them stay motivated. They've also stated that they appreciate the posts when I'm not doing as well, when I don't hit my goals and when I'm backtracking. The main thing there is I try to show that this is not a short term "always successful" endeavor. There WILL be failures. There WILL be set backs. There WILL be times to say "screw this" for a few days. The important thing is to understand that in the long term process there will be short term disappointments, so it is important to keep an eye on the bigger picture. So in that vein, I'm going to be honest and put it out there when I go weeks without a loss, when I gain for seemingly no reason, when I gain for reasons I absolutely know (like saying "screw it" and having that slice of cake or have that tasty cocktail), when I'm tired of the work and effort, as well as the times I lose the weight, have a great workout, and days that I feel much much better.
The key thing with all of this is that everyone's body is different. My successes can't be compared to your successes. What I consider a bad day, might be someone else's amazing step forward.
So bottom line, I do this to be supportive as well as get support.
Good luck to everyone on keeping up healthy, satisfying, and productive lives, however that may play out in your world. :)
So bottom line, I do this to be supportive as well as get support.
Good luck to everyone on keeping up healthy, satisfying, and productive lives, however that may play out in your world. :)
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