What a week...

This was a rough week for me. After a couple weeks during which I felt like I had boundless energy, I just never felt like I could get on track. I couldn't be bothered to track what I was eating or plan my meals. There wasn't one day in which I remembered to bring a lunch. In addition, I just couldn't find the motivation to move my body. Ugh.

On a positive note...please cue the "Hallelujah Chorus"...I lost enough at my weigh-in to put me under 200 pounds for the first time in about 7 years! Hurray!

As a negative, I think the 0.8 pound difference was all in my outfit...that's right, no jeans today. I will take it as a loss (I know..."marathon, not a sprint"), but it doesn't have the same feeling of victory it would have had otherwise.

You know, I had an epiphany yesterday. I tend to lose focus every time I have a ridiculously small amount of weight to lose in order to reach a milestone. I've begun to believe that my subconscious mind and my body are in cahoots, and my subconscious is the ring leader.

SUBCONSCIOUS: Psst...Body...you there?

BODY: Hey, hey! What's the skinny?

SUBCONSCIOUS: Not so loud! She might hear us!

BODY: Sorry. What's up?

SUBCONSCIOUS: I've been thinking...it's only two-tenths of a pound...we could totally slack off this week and it probably wouldn't even make a difference.

BODY: Oh, thank God. I've been keeping my mouth shut, just waiting for someone else to say something. Who does she think she is, anyway?

SUBCONSCIOUS: I know! Plus, that hip-hop dance video made you look like an idiot.

BODY: Real nice...thanks.

SUBCONSCIOUS: Just calling 'em like I see 'em, B...just calling 'em like I see 'em.

They are mounting an insurrection and I need to gently remind them who is really in charge. I have another milestone within reach this week, so I am going to have to really work to combat those slacker urges. Wish me luck as I go back into battle!


Have a fantastic weekend!
Laura


09/28/2007: 200.2 pounds
10/05/2007: 199.4 pounds (a loss of 0.8 this week)
Total loss: 29.0 pounds
Mini-goal #1: 199.9 by 10/15/2007; ACHIEVED!
Mini-goal #2: 30 pounds lost by 10/15/2007; 1.0 pounds to go

Weigh-In Week 17

228.6! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 2.8 pounds! And week two of the new "Streak".

This one was probably the most unexpected loss so far. I did not get a lot of running in this week and I ate out or had a catered lunch nearly every other day. Guess this lends even more credence to the idea that my body has adjusted to my new diet .

Here are the things I am excited about:

I only have 8.6 pounds left to get to my first goal!

I am only .8 pounds away from losing 6o pounds!

I passed another "ten" milestone this week.

Being under 230 pounds for the first time since being a sophomore in college!

So yeah, I am excited!

Here is something else that I am excited about. The winner of the Guess How Much I Weigh Contest this week is My Lovely Wife. Way to go sweetie. You have always been my biggest supporter... or my shrinking supporter...or my own special biggest losser...well you know what I mean.

Sadly we didn't get 10 votes this week, but I think My Lovely Wife can expect a special prize tonight any way. "Wink, Wink. Nudge, Nudge"

That's what she said!

Wait a minute, I don't think I used that right.


Here's proof that I do indeed wear things other than white t-shirts and jeans. This is one of my new Steve and Barry's outfits. Pretty stylin' huh?

Have a great weekend everybody.

Tony
10/5: 228.6 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
8.6 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Conest - Week 17

Another busy week. Rain and a packed schedule kept me from working out as much as I would have liked this week. I did get a work out in every day, but instead of doubling up cardio and strength, like I normally would have, I alternated between cardio and strength every other day. Which means about half the miles this week on my walk/runs.

Once again I have no clue what to expect tomorrow, but it sure would be nice to get down under 230 and have less than 10 lbs. to my first goal weight.

I know I missed recipe Wednesday yesterday. Sorry. I'm just an in demand guy this week.

Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.

To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.

I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.

Since I didn't start tracking calories until Monday I only have three days of info for you. From Monday to Wednesday I ate 6696 Calories and burned 11184 Calories.

Sorry for the lack of stats. I have started tracking again. I am determined to keep it up so next week there should be a lot more info.

Good Luck!


Tony
10/4: 231.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
11.4 lbs. to go

p.s. Don't forget you can subscribe to the e-mail edition of Guess How Much I Weigh . Simply enter your e-mail address in the space to the right.

Onslaught - A Dove Film

As you know from my impassioned defense of Britney Spears' waistline a few weeks ago, I am a father who is deeply concerned about my girls and the relationship they well eventually have with their bodies. My lovely wife and I have both struggled for years with our weight and we are making every effort to overcome that struggle so we can be positive role models.

On the other end of that spectrum is societal pressure for young girls to be thin and to dress and act too sexy at way too young an age. My girls are not quite 2 years old, so hopefully I have some time before these become issues we have to face.

Regardless, this new ad from Dove really hit home.



As someone who works in the ad industry it would be very easy to take a cynical look at this ad... but as a father I applaud Dove for what they are trying to do. Especially if it helps start a dialog about unhealthy stereotypes.


The Real Beauty Campaign in general has taken a pretty honest approach at dealing with womens bodies. And it has done it in a non-glorified, non-self congratulatory way that I admire. It's like the United Colors of Benetton ads for female body image. I don't know if these ads are breaking through into the collective conscious, but it is a good start.



I am glad to see they are extending this campaign to reach out to parents . I really like the tag line: "Talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does." I encourage all you parents to take a few seconds to head over to The Campaign For Real Beauty site and check out some of the materials they have there for talking to your daughters about body image.

And Dad's don't shy away from this subject. This is not "woman's work". Your daughters look up to you and value your opinions. You can add a very valuable perspective to this dialog. Man up and do it.

Tony
10/2: 231.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
11.4 lbs. to go

p.s. I am fully aware that I am getting sucked into perpetuating a viral marketing campaign...just like Dove wants. But again, if it starts a positive dialog, I could care less about being someones shill.

Saggy Crotch Retraction

Turns out my lovely wife called it "saggy bottom" not "saggy crotch". She would never be so vulgar. I should have known better.

I have a confession to make. I did not return to calorie counting on Friday as I had previously promised. Truth is I have not counted calories in nearly two weeks. I will do my best to start today. I think I have been doing OK with out it, but it also seems like my calorie count might be creeping up a little bit without the checks and balances of knowing how much I am eating each day. As much of a bother as it is to keep track, I still think I need it.

If nothing else, starting to track calories again will be a reaffirmation of my commitment to my journey.

Tony
10/2: 231.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
11.4 lbs. to go

Baby Don't Got Back

I am back to owning only one pair of jeans!!!

I was proudly modeling my new $7.99 Steve and Barry's jeans for my lovely wife and her mother this weekend when it was determined they were all wrong for me. Apparently I have no butt. Even when I was at my heaviest I had no butt. It's my curse.

Since I have nothing to fill out the back end of my jeans I end up with what my wife so tactfully calls "saggy crotch". All the material that is supposed to contain my ample backside, instead sags down between my legs. If I were a 12 year old hip hop kid or one half of the dynamic duo known as Kris Kross, this look would be perfect. Instead I am a 33 year old suburban father with a disappearing beer gut. In other words I should not have saggy crotch.

So the jeans are going back to S&B's... and this time I will bring my wife along to pick out my pants for me. I have learned my lesson.

Tony
10/1: 231.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
11.4 lbs. to go

p.s. How can it be October already?!!!