The Weigh-In Week 77

225! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A gain of .8. Not bad considering today was my first workout since last Thursday...oh and that whole two days of holiday feasting.

There are two caveats to the 225.

1. I weighed in on my in-laws scale again so I am sure there is a little discrepancy with weighing in on a different scale.

2. I weighed in after my run this morning. As always I sweated a lot on my run so I was probably a few quarters low in the water weight.

Are you impressed that I got up and went for a run outdoors the day after Christmas?

I am.

It was a beautiful day for a run and it felt so good to get out.

Last week I calculated my miles for the year and realized I was only 6 miles short of making 500 miles for the year.

I never set out to make any kind of mileage goal for the year but since I am so close to such a nice round number, I am going to make 500 happen.

After this mornings run I have only 2.4 miles to go.

I'll be back in a week for a New Years weigh in.

Hope everyone had a merry holiday.

Tony
12/26 225 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go

P.S. Thanks Dad for being such a dedicated guesser.

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 77

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!!!!


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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
12/25 224.2 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go

The Weigh-In Week 76

224.2. That is what it said on the scale this morning. "Technically" a gain of 1.8 pounds.

I say "technically" because I feel that I am with in my rights to actually claim a .2 pound loss.

Hear me out.

By my calculations I ate approx. 2 to 2.5 pounds of rice last night. We went out to a Thai restaurant with a group of friends. I ordered Curry. I love Curry. There was lots of sauce. It required lots of rice.

When it comes to Curry I am a charter member of the clean plate club.

So let's say 2.5 pounds of rice. I probably digested a half pound of that. Which leaves 2 pounds of rice sitting in my tummy.

1.8 - 2 = -.2.

Ta-dah! A .2 pound loss for the week.

What?!!!? You're not buying it?

Come on its Christmas! Where's your generous holiday spirit.



Merry Christmas Everybody!
I hope you all have a happy and joyous holiday.
See you in a week!


Tony
12/19 224.2 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go

Guess How Much I weigh Contest - Week 76

I was planing on letting everyone know that I'm going on Holiday Hiatus until after the New Year, but I think it's pretty obvious that I have been on Holiday Hiatus for the last two weeks already. There will still be a contest and weigh-in each week, but don't expect any other updates until after January 3rd.

That leaves us with this weeks weigh-in. This has been a good week. As of right now I weigh exactly what I weighed last Friday. Considering how much holiday junk food has been shoved in front of my face this week, I think that's a pretty good accomplishment.

Normally I would guarantee a loss tomorrow morning. But, I have big plans tonight. Laura and I are heading out on the town with our "crew" for our annual holiday get together. Which means I won't be eating my normal reserved Thursday night meal. And thus the non-guarantee on tomorrow's weigh-in. I think a loss could still be possible but even if I have a small gain due to a rich and delicious meal out I know it will just be a little blip...gone by Saturday.

Plus I plan on kicking it extra hard on the treadmill this afternoon!


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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
12/18 222.4 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go

The Weigh-In Week 75

It's a Christmas miracle!!!!

222.4!!! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 2.4!!!!

I am shocked. I didn't think I had much of a chance at a loss this week, let alone a nice big loss. This gives me renewed hope for getting...and staying under 220 for the holidays. This loss also motivates me to keep kicking it in to gear.

In anticipation of a gain I had planned on writing about how I was going to try and just minimize the damage until the new year and then kick it into high gear after January 1st. But now I saw screw that! I'm kicking it into high gear right now.

Have a great weekend everybody.
Tony
12/12 222.4 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go

Guess How Much I weigh Contest - Week 75

I am not going to lie to you, I am scared about this week.

Do to circumstances beyond my control I had to skip workouts on Friday and Monday. I haven't weighed myself since last Friday either. I think I was too scared to see the truth. I'm off for a run right now but it may be too little, too late. Guess we'll find out tomorrow morning.

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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
12/11 224.8 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go

Dyslexia wins again.

My lovely wife has often suspected that I suffer from a mild case of dyslexia. Mostly because I am constantly inverting or screwing up numbers.

To lend further credence to my lovely wife's suspicions, check out this comment from some anonymous soul about this weeks weigh-in.


"124? Dude, that's not a gain - that's a huge loss (I mean, typo)."

So yeah, that should have said 224.8.

Funny thing is I typed wrong again just now.

Could just be a case of wishful typing.

The Weigh-In Week 74

As predicted a gain.

124.8. That's what it said on the scale. A gain of 3.8 pounds. That holiday weight just didn't want to go away. Back on track this week. I can not end the year above 220. Which means, I have to get some insurance before the holidays. I'm going to try my darnedest to get under 220 for next week. A tall order I know...but I need the motivation.

Sorry about the lack of photos. I manged to lose our camera...or it was stolen, not sure which one yet. Either way it will have to be replaced.


I stopped on my way into work to offer a ride to an injured runner. He was an older guy limping along. It looked like he'd pulled something and he was going nowhere fast. I figured it would be good karma to offer a hand. I know I'd want someone to stop if I was far from home and the temp was hovering around 10 degrees.

Turns out the guy was only a few blocks from home and didn't need a ride...although he apparently needed someone to talk to. He took ten minutes to tell me his whole life story before telling me he was fine. Nice guy though and not a bad way to break up the boredom of the morning drive.

Have a great weekend everybody. Ours is packed with family fun, hope yours is to.

Tony
12/05 224.8 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go

Guess How Much I weigh Contest - Week 74

Excuse me, can someone fix this broken record player?

There will be a gain this week. Sorry to disappoint. You deserve better. I deserve better. I will do better next 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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
12/04 221 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go

The Weigh-In Week 73 and Race Report

I got a little overwhelmed by leftover turkey and balck Friday super shopping and trips to see Santa and general holiday laziness and never quite got around to weighing in as I promised.

Sorry, but really I can't imagine there were too many people frantically hitting refresh Friday morning to see how my Gabble Gallop race went.


First the weigh in.

I forgot our scale at home so I weighed myself on my in-laws scales. Yes I said scales. One scale had me at 219 on Thursday morning. The other had me at 222. I'm going to make the official weigh in weight 221, since my mother-in-law thinks her digital scale is about 1 pound off from ours at home.

Bummer that I bumped back up over 220 again but sadly not unexpected. It's going to take a bit of a miracle to get back down under 220 this week. I just couldn't resist all those yummy pies!!!

As for the race, it was a ton of fun. Not my best race...in fact it may be my slowest time yet. But Laura and I had a great time getting up early and heading down to the lake. Laura ran into a bunch of people she knew, and I think she was a little proud to be one of those "crazy people who would get up and go for a run on Thanksgiving morning when it's only 22 degrees outside." I know I was pretty proud.

It sure helps a lot to have two awesome in-laws who are willing to take care of and bathe twin 2 year olds and cook a dinner for 12 at the same time, just so the kids can go be wild and crazy.

Here are the race results:

28:27.4 Was the official time

I finished 366 out 910

I was 299 out of 401 Men

I was 58 out of 97 Men 30-39

My pace was 9:10 per mile.


I think everybody's times were a little slow. It snowed like crazy from 5am to 9 am the morning of the race so by the time we started at 9:30 the roads were crazy slippery. I think being so careful not to fall wore me down faster and as I got tired I slowed down even more to avoid slipping, resulting in a slow last 1.1 miles.

In the long run (no pun intended) I was out to have fun, so mission accomplished.

Tony
12/01 221 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go

Guess How Much I weigh Contest - Week 73

I almost forgot.

I am expecting small up tick on the scale tomorrow due to a lack of workout and a big lunch today. Hopefully only temporary.

The weigh in and thanksgiving day race report will be up sometime on Thursday or Friday.

Have a wonderful, merry Thanksgiving everyone.

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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
11/26 219.4 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go

Quick Reminder

The Guess How Much I Weigh contest will be tomorrow (Wed.) with a weigh-in on Thursday, Thanksgiving.

See you tomorrow.

Tony

The Weigh-In Week 72

219.4!!! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 2.6!

Hurray. Back below 220 again and feeling good. This is going to be a tough week to stay on track but I am determined to keep this good streak going right on through the holidays.

I really want to reach Christmas with some progress from where I was last year.

You know what, that's kind of the wrong way to look at it. This whole thing was about getting healthy, not just losing weight and that has been what this year was about. And on that end I have made some huge changes.

So let's rephrase. I would really like to get down to or close to a new low by the end of the year, but if I don't I will celebrate all of the amazing athletic accomplishments I have had this year and feel no regret about the the year I have had.

Have a great weekend everybody.
Tony
11/21 219.4 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
A little less to go

Guess How Much I weigh Contest - Week 72

This has been a good week. I finally feel like I am back on track for the first time in a month. I should be looking at a nice size loss this week (fingers crossed) and if all goes well today, I should be back under 220 by tomorrow morning (double fingers crossed).

I am going to work really hard to minimize any gains that may show up next week due to Thanksgiving. I'm doing the Thanksgiving morning run with my lovely wife and then I hope to get one or two more workouts in while we are off celebrating the Holiday. I really don't want to go 4 days with no workouts!

Also, due to the holiday, next weeks way in will be on Thursday morning. No way am I weighing the day after Thanksgiving.


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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
11/20 222 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go

Jonsing For Tri Season

I have been getting to know a guy in my building who is a hardcore Iron Man triathlete. We seem to be working out in the gym at the same time a lot lately. Today we spent an hour trading training tips.

You may think that I did all the listening but this guy was asking me a bunch of questions about my weight lifting routine. I felt a little like a ten year old kid trying to explain to a big league all star how to hit a t-ball. None the less it had me feeling really good about the changes I have made in my life.

The fact that I can have a conversation about working out with a guy like that and not have him laugh in my face in the first 15 seconds says a lot abut how far my commitment to training has come.

Our conversation also got me jonesing for triathlon season...and it got me thinking about starting to do more cross training in the gym over the winter to be better prepared for my triathlons next summer.

I singed up for my Thanksgiving 5K this morning. I doubt I'll set a new PR during this race, but I am starting to fell like it could be a good race. I'm excited to have some goals again...even if just for a brief time.

Tony
11/18 222 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go

The Weigh-In Week 71

The punishment is over!!!!

Turns out the worst part about the punishment is the embarrassment of posting these pictures. I was very close to not posting them. There is something weird about voluntarily posting pictures of your bare belly. Believe me I get no exhibitionist thrill out of this.

222! Thats what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 2 pounds.


Not quite the 4 I had hopped to lose...then again after gaining 2 pounds over the weekend, I did technically lose 4 pounds since Monday. Turns out spending the weekend raking leaves may be good exercise for the muscles but it doesn't burn as many calories as one might think.


Just have to make it through this week to avoid more consequences, and I am determined to make sure that happens!

Looking at these two pictures side by side does go along way towards making me feel better about posting bare belly pics. It's amazing what losing 40 pounds and hitting the gym for a year does for a guy. Just imagine what the picture on the left would have looked like when I was at my heaviest of 288. On second thought, don't imagine that...dear good please don't imagine that!

Even better. Here is a picture of 222 me superimposed over 262 me. Check out how much less space I take up now!


Looks like my sweet, wonderful, lovely wife and I are going to do some kind of run on Thanksgiving morning, so I've got something new to train for. Which is exactly the motivation I need right now.

Up until Wed. I was having a seriously hard time getting back into the swing of running. Things finally feel like the are starting to click though.

This week big winner would have been my dad. He nailed it right on the head with a guess of 2lbs.

Next week I am determined to be back under 220...and stay there for the rest of the year...or forever... which ever comes first.

Have a great weekend everybody.
Tony
11/14 222 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go

Guess How Much I weigh Contest - Week 71

Just a quick check in before I run to an all day off site meeting.

I should have a loss this week...as long as I can avoid the treats at the meeting. I don't think I am going to make my goal of losing 4 pounds though.

Not sure that I can take another week without TV, so wish me luck.

Does that sound desperate?


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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
11/13 224 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go

Guess Who's Crazy Busy

This guy, that's who.

Sorry for my absence this week. I've got a lot on my plate and not enough time to...eat it. Umm I don't think that is right.

Any way... the punishment is going well so far.

I am greatly enjoying my salads. No really I am. Sure they aren't the healthiest salads on the planet but at least I'm eating salad.

Skipping TV hasn't been too bad, although I will be more than ready to catch up on this weeks shows by the time Friday rolls around.

I'm not doing so good with the cooking dinner though. I'm making the effort but the timing has been tough. And honestly I just kind of forgot on Saturday night. I'm cooking tomorrow night though...even though Laura ordered all the grocery's

Tony

The Weigh-In Week 70

224! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A gain of 6-pounds.
(I thought a 224 picture would be too depressing.)

Told you I had been bad.

New effort starts today...as does my punishment. I'm really looking forward to my salad for lunch!

I'll be spending the weekend raking leaves in the freezing cold rain and snow. That has to be good for dropping a few pounds. I am shooting to lose 4 pounds this week. A guys gotta dream big.

I just went looking for a picture of the last time I weighed 224. Turns out I have never had a 224 weigh in. Here's the cool / scary part, the last time I weighed more than 223 was way back in October 2007...over a year ago. Good motivation to lose this gain and lose it quickly...and never get back here again.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Tony
11/06 224 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Heck Of A Lot to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 70

I managed to do a lot of self sabotaging over the last 2 weeks. I quit going to the gym and started eating way more than I should have. At first I convinced myself it was my right as part of the grieving process to let myself go...then I just got lazy and self indulgent.

So here's the deal. I am going to have a huge gain this week. I have stepped on the scale once in the past two weeks, and it was not good. I don't know how big this big gain is going to be but I know it's not going to be pretty.

I am ready to face the consequences. 3 weeks ago I made another promise to have 4 losses in a row. I did great on week one and took last week off. So tomorrow's weigh-in will officially be week two of the "4 Week Challenge". And I have every intention of taking my punishment like a man. This means:

1. I will have to cook dinner every night for the week.
2. No TV for the week from Friday to Friday (excluding the Girls Bedtime Movie)
3. I have to replace one meal everyday for that week with a salad.
4. The following weeks weigh-in photo will be a picture of my shirtless belly.

Man I forgot all about the salad for a week part. Oh that sucks!

But I have to be held accountable for my actions.

I continue to creep up heavier and heavier every time I fall of the wagon. That must stop.

And just to clarify, to have a successful week next week I only have to have a loss from this weeks weigh-in. I don't need to get back to the week one low... not that I would complain.



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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
11/06 218 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
10 to go

A Eulogy For My Grandfather Ken Overholt

My grandfather passed away on October 27th at the age of 89. The following is the eulogy I gave at his funeral. I am not posting this in search of sympathy or because I am proud of the these words (which I am).

I post it here for two reasons.

1. My grandfather was an extremely important part of my life and he was a huge supporter of my journey towards a healthier life. Over the last few years every time I saw him he would always greet me with, "Hi Ya Skinny!"

2. Due to the random nature of the Internet hopefully this page will be stumbled upon by someone searching for "Ken Overholt" allowing my Grandfathers memory to live on.


My Grandfather
A Remembrance

About ten years ago I met someone at a party who knew my Grandfather from way back in the day, back when Grandpa was still selling cars.

This man said to me, “Your Grandfather is the best salesman I have ever met. There is not a thing in the world he couldn’t sell and not a person on the planet he couldn’t sell it to”

I won’t lie to you that made me proud. Who doesn’t want their Grandfather to be famous? But being a famous salesman is not what made me most proud of him.

Because even back then I had figured out something fundamental about my grandfather. At his core, being a salesman was not what defined Ken Overholt.

A salesman was what my grandfather was… it was not who he was.

Who Ken Oveholt was, was a dreamer.

My grandfather looked at the world differently.

In his eyes every piece of junk had the potential to be something great.

This is the way he saw people too. In his eyes every person had the potential for greatness.

This is what made my Grandfather such a great salesman.

It’s the same thing that made such a great man.

He wasn’t selling things, he was selling happiness.

I believe that every car he sold, every machine, everything, was simply his way of trying to make people happy. He was doing his part to make their dreams come true.

For my grandfather being a salesman was never about making a sale, it was about giving people joy, the only way he knew how.

Ken Overholt was never Willy Loman, if anything he was Walt Disney.


Over the past week we have had the opportunity to gather together to grieve and rejoice, to share stories and to talk about what Grandpa meant to each of us.

Every single person at some point said the same thing; most of them had the chance to say it to Grandpa himself.

“Ken, This is what you gave to me."

"Ken, This is what you taught me.”

It was obvious to me that Grandpa’s dreams were infectious.

But I guess that has always been obvious to me.

I am so very fortunate to have had such a close relationship with my grandfather my whole life.

We worked together, we played together and he always encouraged me to follow my dreams.

All that time we spent together has had a major impact on my life.

It is one of the foundations of who I became as a person.

Because I too am a dreamer and a schemer.

And we all know my grandfather dreamed up a lot of schemes.

To Ken Overholt every musical instrument had the potential to make beautiful music…whether he knew how to play it or not.

Every car had the potential to be a vintage Oldsmobile convertible.

Every boat has the potential to take you some place you’ve always dreamed of going

And every lamp had the potential to shine bright… no matter how old or rusty it may be.

Thank you grandpa, thank you for teaching me to chase after my dreams. Thank you for teaching me to always see the potential instead of the limitations.

That is what my grandfather gave to me and I am eternally grateful.

Granpa Ken

Hey guys,

I am going to take this week off.

Last week my Grandfather made the decision to discontinue dialysis which he has been on for the last few years due to kidney failure. He has been moved to hospice care and is surrounded by his loving family.

As you can imagine writing about my weight loss issues is the last thing on my mind. So, for the fist time since I started this blog there will be no Guess How Much I Weigh Contest this week.

My grandfather was an amazing man who lived a pretty amazing life. I was very fortune to have an extremely close relationship with him and he had a great influence on the way my life has turned out.

All of Grandpa's family spent this weekend together at his side, sharing stories. It was an uplifting experience and has helped immensely with coming to terms with this transition.

Please keep my Grandma in your prayers.

I'll see you next week.

The Weigh-In Week 69

218! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of .6!

A small loss this week, but considering how crazy the week was, I will take any loss I can get.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Tony
10/23 218 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
10 to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 69

(ed. Note: It's Friday morning and I just realized this never got posted yesterday. I must have hit the wrong button)

Sorry I have been absent this week.

I was sick on Monday, Swamped making up for it on Tuesday and in meetings the last two days. Despite some heavy stuff going down this week I am still determined to keep to my goal.

I even managed to squeeze in 2 workouts on Tuesday to make up for my sick day.

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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
10/23 218.6 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
10.6 to go

The Weigh-In Week 68

218.6! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 1.8 pounds.

Week one of the new Weight Loss Challenge down.

I get the feeling you guys may be as feed up with this whole yo-yoing weight thing as I am....or maybe your hust getting bored....and really who could blame you.

Only two votes this week. Teresa came the closest with a vote of 1.2.

Hopefully things will be a little more exciting in the next few weeks with some big losses.

Have a great weekend everybody.


Tony
10/17 218.6 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
10.6 2 go

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 68

I feel like I am starting over...for many reasons.

1. Weight: I was above 220 pounds for the first time in months. An my weight has been staying on the high side more and more these days. I have had this goal of getting to 208 for more than 6 months now and I have made no real progress. Basically, when it comes to weight I am right where I was last December, almost a year ago. Granted that means I have maintained my weight loss for a year now, but I feel like I am really ready to start making progress again.

2. Workouts: I majorly changed up my workouts this week for the first time since last March and between the fumbling of figuring things out, the sore muscles and the butt kicking run, I feel like I am at the begging again. Which is good, because it means I am making progress.

Here's what I figured out about my strength training: My routine is pretty solid, but I have gotten lazy. In doing some research I realized that I am doing the right exercises but My weights were way too low. I found a few good articles on how to determine how much weight I should be using, and in some cases I was under by 30 pounds or more. After getting to the right weights on Tues. I could really feel a difference. The first time I have a good sore from lifting in months.

As for running I did some hardcore interval training yesterday and it really kicked my butt. I manged to do 3.6 miles at a and average of 9:30 a mile but I had to walk a lot more than I have had to in months. So interval training is definitely going to become a more permanent part of my workouts. At least once a week, and probably twice a week most weeks.

HERE'S THE IMPORTANT PART:
The Weight Loss challenge I set for myself a few weeks ago was really good motivation. So I am going to do it again...but bigger and better. This time around I am guaranteeing 4 WEEKS of WEIGHT LOSS...in a row. Starting with tomorrows weigh-in.
If I fail to lose weight in any of those weeks I will suffer the consequences for that week.

The Consequences:
1. I will have to cook dinner every night for a week.
2. No TV for that week from Friday to Friday (excluding the Girls Bedtime Movie)
3. I have to replace one meal everyday for that week with a salad.
4. The following weeks weighing photo will be a picture of my shirtless belly.

4 weeks, 4 Consequences.
All inspired by your suggestions from the last challenge.

The goal here is to be at 208 by Christmas and to be at a new low (under 213) by Thanksgiving.


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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
10/16 220.4 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go

Race Report

As promised a little more detail on the big 10K race this weekend.

It was crazy hot for this late in the year, so our 10:30 start ended up being almost to late. I think it was in the mid 70's by the time we finished the race.

My plan was to try and keep up with my dad for as long as I could. That plan didn't last too long. Within the first half mile my dad was about a quarter mile ahead of me and by 1.5 miles he was out of site.

And I wasn't moving any to slow. I finished my first mile in 8:12. Way faster then I had planed or wanted to. My goal for the race was to average a 9 minute mile pace.

I had no clue I was going so fast (for me)... I just got caught up in the flow of the race. Unfortunately at that pace my leg muscles got really tight and didn't loosen up until somewhere in the 4th mile.

I gradually slowed my pace. I think mile two was around 8:45 and mile 3 was right at 9. I finished the first three miles in under 27 minutes!

And then we hit the hills. They weren't to bad at first. In fact by mile 5 I was thinking I might be able to finish in 55 minutes, something that seemed unconceivable to me when I started.

The last mile killed all those dreams. That last mile was all most all uphill... at least that's what it felt like. I think my last mile was a 10:30 mile or slower.

And by the time I crossed the finish line I was hurting. As you can see from this picture here.



So I finished in 57:03. 3 minutes faster then I thought I would. It ended up being a 9:14 per mile pace. I am ecstatic at how well the race went.

Once again the weather was perfect, the atmosphere was great, the other runners were fun and supportive and the scenery was superb. We were running through the woods on paved trails and it was the peak of fall leaf season, so there was plenty to look at during the race.

The only downer on the day was my daughter Maggie getting stung by a bee. That's why she's not in this cute photo. She recovered like a champ though. After 20 minutes of crying on mom's shoulder and a chocolate bar, she was full recovered and ready to run her own race...which she says she won!


I am starting to figure somethings out with the new workout routine. More on that later.

Tony

A New Beginning

The race went great!

Once again we could not have asked for a more beautiful day.

I'll give a full race report later in the week when I have more time and some pictures loaded up.

The good news is, I met my goal of finishing in under 1 hour.

My official time was 57:12...although my watch said 57:03.

I finished 266 out of 605 racers.

My dad finished in 53:45 and my brother-in-law finished in 50:46. Evan was just 19 people short of cracking the top 100!


So now I find myself in a weird place.

I have been in training for one event or another for nearly a year now. I started my hardcore 5K training last January and moved from that to Triathlon training and from that to 10K training.

I am going to hold off for a little while on choosing my next "life goal". I want to concentrate on trying to get back on track to getting to 208 pounds, which is the only goal on my original list that I have left to reach.

As part of that I am trying to figure out what my new workout routine should be. Sadly I am completly lost when it comes to the non-running training.

The strength routine I have been following came from a triathlon training book from the early 80's and I don't think it is working for me anymore.

I have pretty much plateaued for the last few months. Mostly do to my lack of understanding and a lack of pushing myself.

I want to find a good all around work out that includes running cardio, fitness, strength and sculpting.

I think I am starting to figure out the basics but I also think I have a lot of trial and error ahead of me as well.

I have considered hiring a personal training to help design a workout for me, but where is the challenge in that...besides those people cost money!!!

For now the search continues.

As always, advice is appreciated.

Tony

The Weigh-In

220.4! That's what it said on the scale this morning! A gain of 3.6.

I Blame last nights happy hour. Honestly. On Thursday morning I was at 218.8. A good size gain, put down from the 219 I started the week at. So to have gained almost 2 lbs in 1 day seems a lot more like leftover beer weight then it does actually weight gain.

Which should make it easier to get rid of next week.

I have the big 10K race on Saturday. I am a little nervous since I have been so sedentary this week. I got a 6 mile run in on Sunday (in the freezing rain) and a 5 mile run in on Wednesday (in my parents sauna basement). Unfortunately neither run was stellar. They were both a struggle, which is not where I want to be the week of the race.

I am putting on a positive attitude though and I think I can reach my goal to finish in under an hour!

This is the last official event I have on my calender. So I have been thinking about how I am going to change my fitness routine after this and what I am going to do to keep myself motivated...but we'll talk about that next week.

Have a great weekend everybody. Wish me luck at the race.


Tony
10/10 220.4 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go

Guess How Much I weigh Contest - Week 68

This has been a long, intense week of classes, so forgive me if I am brief...or incoherent. All my thinking energy is used up.

On the food front I think things are going well, I have actually manged to lose some weight as the week has progressed. That has as much to do with all the sweating I did during my 5-mile run last night in my parents sweat box of a basement as it does with my good eating choices.

And I am making some good eating choices...for the most part. It helps that I am being presented with very reasonable options and that the snacks and things are kept off our tables and kind of hidden away. I have to make an effort to snack.

So my routine has been, eat breakfast at home to avoid the pastries, a light health-ish snack in the mid morning (carrots, cheese and crackers), one trip to the lunch buffet and one trip only, and then I allow myself a pick me up in the afternoon...usually a heavenly mix of cheese and caramel popcorn. Trust my, by 3pm I need some kind of sugar pick me up.

Like I said, I have amazingly lost some weight as the week has progressed...unfortunately, I have not lost anywhere near what I somehow gained over the weekend.

There was no way I was getting away without a gain this week. Mostly because of lack of exercise. Last nights run is the only workout I will manage to squeeze in this week. So the goal here is to be good and minimize the gain. So far, so good.


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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
10/09 216.8 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
8.8 lbs. to go

The Weigh-In Week 67

216.4! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of .4 pounds.

Not a huge loss, but a loss none the less! Thus saving me from having to plan and cook all of our meals next week. Once again I say Phew.

Now in my defense I did plan and cook at least 2 meals this week. And I shopped for and planned tonights dinner. And I found a bunch of new recipes for us to try in the next few weeks, so no one can say I'm not doing my part.


You won't be hearing from me much next week. I am in a week long class, which is going to present a whole bunch of problems.

1. Apparently you are well fed at these classes. So I am going to have to exert some serious self control. One part of my plan is to eat at home every morning and skip the pre-class continental breakfast.

2. Since I workout on my lunch break, I am not going to get too many workouts in next week. Which is a bummer since I've finally got myself back into my workout routine at work.

3. Next Saturday is the big 10K race. I am going to have to squeeze in my final runs next week in the evenings after the girls go to bed.

Knowing all these challenges were coming next week was one of my main motivators for pushing hard to have two consecutive losses.

We'll see how next week goes, but I think I may try to get three consecutive weeks of loss starting the following week, as a good run up to Thanksgiving.

I am sad to say that this weeks winner would have been Laura with her guess of 0. I'm not sad that she would have been the winner. In my mind she's always a winner. I am sad that 0 is the closest to what I lost. But like I always say. A loss is a loss.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Tony
10/03 216.4 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
8.4 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 67

It would appear that I am still working off some bad eating over the weekend. I am less then a pound and a half away from having a loss this week. I am doing a 6 mile run this afternoon, 4-miles of it are supposed to be at 9 minute miles. The sweat alone should count for about three pounds of water weight.

As long as I eat well today I should have a chance at a loss.

On the upside, I did my 3-mile run on Tuesday in 26:54. That's the fastest 3-miles I have done since my last 5K race. I was worried my speed has been decreasing as I've increased my miles. Seems those people at Runners World really do know what they are doing! Thanks Runners World.


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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
10/02 216.8 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
8.8 lbs. to go

The Wife Weighs In...Week 47

You know, there was a time when I had a couple spare minutes on a daily basis to catch up on facebook, read a blog or two, or even catch up on a little personal e-mail. Lately, it seems as though all that extra time has completely disappeared. I don’t feel like I have time for anything that used to be part of my routine, including my workouts and meal planning. I have been exhausted all the time.

Here’s the question: is my “lack of time” an illusion? Am I using this imaginary lack of time as an excuse to not do the hard work that needs to be done? And, is this illusion of not having any time compounding my supposed “exhaustion”?

These are the issues I’m working on right now as I am trying to get to the heart of this weight loss plateau. I’ve been sitting within the same four-pound range since March, just before Tony and I went on vacation. Now, as cold weather is looming, I need to find some renewed motivation so that I don’t backslide during the winter. More on this story as it develops.

One positive note…this is the first autumn (for as long as I can remember) where I haven’t had to buy new “cold weather clothes” because the ones from the previous year were just a little too tight. That feels awfully good.

Until Friday,




(Consider this last Friday's weigh-in)

8/08/08: 183.0
9/19/08: 186.2
9/26/08: 185.2 (a loss of 1 pound)
Total loss of 43.2 pounds
3.2 pounds to next mini-goal of 182.0

Now We Are Cooking

So I baked my first ever apple pie last night and despite doing half the steps wrong it turned out pretty darn good.

To be completly honest I have to admit Laura did all the hard work. She peeled and cut all the apples and then decided to go to yoga class last night. Instead of cleaning up and leaving the pie making to her, I decided to give it a shot.

I know baking an apple pie in a week when I am trying to lose is maybe not the best strategy in the world. But, at least I'm helping out with the cooking!

And despite the pie being "nearly" magnificent, I had just one small slice.

I am sure Laura is rolling her eyes right now. I kind of spent a lot of time going on and on about how good my pie was last night. She may be a little sick of hearing about it by now... but the rest of you...no eye rolling.

Tony
09/30 216.8 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
8.8 lbs. to go

Nearly 9 Miles

Sunday's run was supposed to be an 8-mile run. Due to the inaccuracy of the Nike+ set up I borrowed from a friend, it turned into a nearly 9 mile run.

My dad and Brother-In-Law and I headed out into a wet foggy morning early on Sunday. We could barely see ten feet in front of us. Thank goodness I had company because there was no view to distract me. Although, it was kind of fun running through the foggy. Very mysterious.

When we got to the place we thought was 4 miles, the Ipod said we had another 3/10 of a mile to go. So we pressed on. When I double checked our run on Map My Run.com, the route ended up being closer to 8.7 miles.

Either way I am extremely proud of making another huge running milestone.

Just two more weeks before the big 10K race and I am finally starting to feel like I have a chance to finish in under an hour.

It's a big week of runs this week. 3 miles tomorrow. 6 miles on Thursday. 2 Miles on Friday and another 8 miles on Sunday.

Tony
09/29 216.8 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
8.8 lbs. to go

The Weigh-In Week 66

Wheew! No cooking for me this week!

216.8! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 2.2 pounds.

And a loss of 1.8 from my Thursday morning weigh-in.

I am going to have to keep up these hard runs on Thursdays. They sure seem to help with the weigh-ins.

Now I just have to keep it going for next week.

As for Laura's "consequence", I agree it was an excellent idea. It's not a bad idea in general for Laura and I to get back to planing and cooking more healthy meals.

We haven't been eating that bad at home, but we have been in a "slap it together at the last minute" mode for a few months now. So we we'll talk this weekend about both of us taking a more active roll in meal planing and prep.

Big weekend this weekend. No painting!!

We are however spending the day tomorrow getting ready for winter at the lake. Which means taking out the docks and boat lifts. Good thing I've been back to the gym this week.

And I have to do an 8-mile run on Sunday. Luckily my Dad has said he's in for the run. We'll see if my brother-in-law wants to join us.


Looks like Mom had the closest guess this week with 1.6.

Have a great weekend everybody.
Tony

Tony
09/16 216.8 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
8.8 lbs. to go

The Big Decision...

Holy buckets! Did my day get away from me or what?

While I am delightfully fond of a number of your suggestions for possible weight-loss incentives for my darling husband (and he is darling, by the way) I have made the decision to be a little selfish.

Taking a cue from Nana Heather, if Tony does not lose weight this week, he must plan, shop for, and either prep or prepare five healthy dinners for his family next week. He will also need to report his meal plan on this blog by Monday.

I will be willing to help with the shopping over the weekend. And, if everything is ready for me to just throw in a slow cooker or in the oven, I will also be willing to help in the execution of the dinner. Even at that, it will be a huge load off my overscheduled shoulders.

I know this is not as fun as some of your suggestions (I'm talking to you, Kara and Andrew), but I think it will help get Tony's eating back on track (mine, too) and get us back into the habit of planning our meals and eating in a more healthful manner.

That's it, peeps! My weigh-ins resume tomorrow!
Elle Tee Jay

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 66

I am getting a little nervous. I am down this week, but much less than I thought I would be by now. In fact I am down less then a pound.

I'm doing a 5-mile speed work run today so that should help. If I eat well today I should be fine tomorrow. I kind of thought this would be a breeze.

Well, it's no fun if there's no drama.

I still don't know what Laura will decide for the Official Consequence. She'll be making her decision sometime today. Again I am a little nervous. When I first proposed this idea, I figured it would be enough motivation that I would lose a ton and never have to worry about the Consequence. So in my mind the wilder the better. Now that there is a real chance that I might have to face the Consequence...well some of those options look very frightening.

Positive thoughts everybody.

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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
09/15 219 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
11 lbs. to go

The House is Done...Almost

As far as I am concerned the house is done.

The front windows still need to be scrapped...but that's not painting...and my godsend of a father-in-law said he would take care of that today.

There is also a tiny little bit of trellis under the porch that needs to be painted, bit I don't count that as part of the house. It's like fencing...or something.

So I declare the house painted.

Which means I don't have to burn the house down.

Luckily it was a beautifully weekend for painting and with Laura's parents in town to help, everything went extremely well.

I even managed to squeeze in a 4 mile run on Sunday morning.

On the downer side, both girls were sick this weekend and I seem to have caught their cold. Which made for a pretty miserable Sunday night.

So far we have had some pretty out there suggestions for consequences for failing at the Two Week Weigh In Challenge. I think Kara's suggestion wins the originality prize.

You have until Wed. to get your suggestions in. Laura will announce her decision on Thursday morning. (I should really discuss these things with her first I suppose, instead of just roping her into my schemes without her knowledge. Sorry Sweetie.)

I am starting to get a little nervous about this challenge...so it's off to the Gym for me.

Tony
08/22 219 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
11 lbs. to go

The Weigh-In Week 65

219! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A gain of 1.6 pounds!

I just checked. It has been 6 weeks since I have had two losses back-to-back.

Here and now I guarantee to you...in writing...I will have two straight weeks of losses over the next two weeks.

What happens if I don't lose weight two weeks in a row?

Well first of all I am going to lose weight two weeks in a row....

But what happens if some sort of catastrophe occurs and I don't?

Well that is up to you.

I want you to propose appropriate penalties for non weight loss. Nothing gross or pornographic please...because really, no one wants to see that.

The final judge on which of your suggestions will be made the official stakes of this wager will be My Lovely Wife.

You have until next Wednesday to submit you penalty ideas.

The weather is supposed to be beautiful this weekend. The house will be painted by Sunday night...or it will be burned down. There is no in between on this. I am tired of painting!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Tony
08/19 219 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
11 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 65

Have I mentioned how much I love my legs?

Now that my back is feeling better, and my leg is healed after the goat attack, I am finally making it back to the gym for some weightlifting.

On my first day back yesterday, I spent some time checking myself out in the mirror. You can't help it, they are everywhere in the gym. Also, I am incredible narcissistic.

It reminded me that I love the way my legs look now. They are the one part of my body that I wouldn't change anymore.

I may not have "real runners legs" yet, but I think they are kinda sexy! And I don't care if I have to be the one to say it.

It makes me sad that shorts season is rapidly coming to a close.

I have not been so good with the craving suppression this week, so I would not be surprised if there is a slight up tick on the scale tomorrow. Just because I won't be surprised, doesn't mean I won't be disappointed.

I am off for another "short" 4-mile run.

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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
09/18 217.4 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
9.4 lbs. to go

Checking In

It was kind of a miserable weekend around here. It rained for pretty much 48 hours straight starting Saturday morning and going right through Sunday night.

Despite the crummy weather I managed to accomplish some stuff.

We didn't quite get the house painting done, but we are getting darn close. If the weather cooperates, I think we can get everything finished up this weekend.

Dad and I had a great run on Sunday morning. By some miracle the hour we were out running was the only nice weather we had all weekend. We did a nearly 7.5 mile loop around Medicine Lake. 7.43 miles to be exact. In 1 hour, 16 minutes.

This week is a rest week for me, just 3 short 4 mile runs, starting today.

Wow I just realized what I typed. I just called a 4 mile run a short run! My whole outlook on running is changing with these new long runs.

Got some good news / bad news from my doctor this morning regarding my back.

The good news is I seemed to be healed up pretty well. The pain in my back has turned into a stiffness that tends to go away a few hours after I get out of bed and the pain in my leg is pretty much gone. So for now no further treatment is needed.

The bad news is I most likely have a bulging disc that when it gets aggravated causes my back problems. Hopefully it well never become a worse problem.

The doc gave me some back exercises to start doing to strengthen the muscles around my lower back. Hopefully that will help.

I am off to hit the trail.

Tony
09/16 217.4 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
9.4 lbs. to go

The Weigh-In Week 64

217.4! That's what it said on the scale this morning! A loss of 2.6 pounds!!!

Once again I was wrong in my guess. Yesterday I said today's loss would be much less than I was hoping for. Turns out it was much more than I was hoping for. I expected a loss of 1 pound or less. I was hoping for a loss of 2 pounds. Losing nearly 3 pounds did not seem in the cards for this week. So to say I am happy would be a dramatic understatement.

Those long runs really do help. Between the calories and the sweat I probably left more than a pound on the treadmill yesterday.

I made 6 miles in 65 minutes yesterday. My training had me doing 6 miles in 60 minutes. I ended up having to walk more than I wanted and was pretty disappointed...but then I remembered it was only like a month and a half ago that I was barely making 4 miles in an outing. So making six any way I can is still a darn good accomplishment, especially after a week and a half off from running and a bum leg.


Our big winner this week is the always optimistic Andrew. Andrew if you didn't live in New Zealand I'd send you an eggplant as a prize, but it would probably rot by the time it got to you. And there's that whole "it's illegal to send produce to a foreign country thing".

We are hoping to finishing painting the house this weekend and I have a seven mile run scheduled with my Dad for Sunday morning. A busy weekend to say the least. Let's just hope the weather cooperates.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Tony
09/12 217.4 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
9.4 lbs. to go


P.S. I just looked at the t-shirt pics. Looks like I need to get a new marker. If you look real close you can tell the shirt really does say 217.4.

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 64

Want to here something amazing? I ate eggplant last night....and liked it. Thanks to my lovely wife and her savvy cooking skills.

Those of you who know my aversion to all things vegetable should be suitably awed.

I know that eggplant is not technically a vegetable...but close enough.


Getting back on track is coming along, slowly but surely.

My back pain is pretty much gone, unfortunately there is some residual weakness in my left leg that won't go away. So, I have to go see a specialist next week and possibly have an MRI. Not something I am excited about.

The leg didn't really hurt on my short run on Tues. And since I have wasted way to much time not running, I have decide to go ahead with my training for now...at least until a doctor tells me to stop.

Which means a six mile run today. Probably on the treadmill from the look of the weather outside.

As for this weeks weigh-in, there should be a loss, but a much smaller one than I was hoping for.

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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
09/11 220 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
12 lbs. to go

Back On Track...Hopefully

My back is starting to feel better. I'm not 100% yet but I am getting there.

I am heading out in a little while to try my first run in over a week. Fingers crossed.

My running is not the only thing that has gotten off track, my eating has gotten a little out of hand as well.

Between the back pain and a stressful week last week, I let my food discipline fall to the way side.

Actually, as Laura pointed out last week my eating has gotten pretty lax over the last month. Sort of a gradual downhill slide.

So time to reign things in and start making smart choices again. Not to mention I have to start fitting in to all the winter clothes I bought last year when I was at my lowest weight.

Wish me luck on the run.


Tony

The Weigh-In Week 63

220! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A gain of one heck of a lot!

Not a lot of time this morning due to car trouble and another chiropractic appointment, so I'll just say, I am darn glad this week is over and I am looking forward to a fresh start on Monday!


Have a great weekend everybody.

Tony

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 63

My back is starting to feel better. It's got a little ways to go but at least I'm not wincing in pain every time I stand up.

Unfortuntley it seems one of the side effects of all the Advil I am taking is....well let's just say things aren't move any too fast.

So I am kida bloated at the momment... and I have no clue how that is going to effect weigh-in, but I can't imagine it is going to be good.

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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!

Tony
09/04 217.2 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
9.2 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.Tony

Good News, Bad News

I had every intention of posting yesterday...but yesterday turned into one of the crummiest days on record. In fact it started out crummy then had some crappy piled on and ended with a whole load of pure suckiness.

The worst news is my back is out again. After painting the house all day Friday and Saturday I woke up with a sore back on Sunday and by Monday I was barely able to get off the couch.

I landed at the chiropractor yesterday and I am feeling a little better but it's looking like no running again this week.

Which really sucks because I had an awesome run on Sunday. I made my first 7-mile run!!! My dad and I hit the road on Sunday morning and made a 7-mile loop in 1 hour and 14 minutes. No records were broken, but it was an amazing run nonetheless.

I know I keep saying this, but never in a million years did I think I would be running 7-miles.

I am learning I really like having someone to run with on these long runs. Since we were running a slightly slower pace, my dad and I were able to chat the whole time which made the miles fly by.

I think I am going to have to find some running partners for my Sunday runs.

The other big news this weekend was my daughter Ellie attempting to water ski. Did I mention she is only 2-1/2?

I'll post some pictures and tell the story later. Busy week here in The Twin Cities! And I'm not even protesting the RNC.

I'm off to the chiropractor again.

Tony
09/03 217.2 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
9.2 lbs. to go

The Weigh-In Week 63

217.2! That's what it said on the scale this morning! A loss of 2 pounds.

I told you that 2 pound gain last week would be gone this week. Now I just have to keep the moment going again.

My 7 mile run on Sunday should help. Although, I have to tell you I am a little anxious about it. I'm still not feeling up to speed with running yet. (Pun Intended.)

I did 5 miles on the treadmill and barely made it to 4 miles before I had to take a short walk break.

7 Miles may hurt but I am determined to do it.

Our big winner this week is my dad with a guess of 1.8. I have to say with so many votes this week i am a little surprised that no one guessed 2lbs on the nose.

Enjoy the holiday weekend everybody.

Tony
08/29 217.2 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
9.2 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 63

It would seem that my attempts to ride my bike to work are cursed.

On Tuesday night Laura and I had a rare date night so she picked me up at work with the plan that I would ride my bike in Wed. morning.

Wed. morning we awoke to the sound of thunder and pouring rain. I contemplated calling a cab, but by the time I had to leave the rain seemed to have subsided.

I was wrong.

I had only gotten about 5 minutes from home when the skies opened up and drenched me with 15 minutes of hard stinging rain.

My one saving grace was going to be the fact that I had finally printed out a map of my rote to work so for once I wasn't going to get lost and I didn't.

Unfortunately I found my "perfect route" completely ripped up by construction so I had to make a detour once again.

And then.... about a half mile from work I got a flat tire on my bike! Talk about insulting injury. I walked it in, tired, soaked and dirty.

There is a very good chance that was my last attempt to ride to work this year.

The rest of the week has gone well. It looks like I am heading for a good loss this week.

Although it is turning out to be a little harder to get my running back on track. Tues. I did a short 2 mile run and I thought I was going to die. Hopefully today's 5 mile run goes a little better.

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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!

Tony
08/28 219.2 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
11.2 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.Tony

The Weigh In

219.2! That's what it said on the scale this morning.

A bigger gain then I expected, but it will be gone next week.

The house painting is moving slow but picking up speed. Who knew two toddlers would slow us down so much....oh and the potty training doesn't help.

Did I mention we were masochists?

We are off to the state fair today for a well deserved day of fun, then back to the painting tomorrow.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Tony
08/22 219.2 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
11.2 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest Week 62

Hello.

It's been a while.

Let me reintroduce myself.

I'm the guy who can run 6 miles.

All at once.

Without walking.

In under 1 hour.


Sorry I've been absent all week. I may have forgot to mention that while on vacation I was taking a vacation from writing as well.

I am also taking a break from 10k training with the exception of the 6 mile run I made on Monday...which was awesome. I finished the run in 59:56...that still counts as under an hour!

We've been using our vacation to paint our house and I hurt everywhere...which is the main reason I am taking a break from the running this week. I am seriously soar from spending so much time on a ladder, painting over my head.

I will be getting back on track with running, eating, and writing next week.

As for this weeks weigh-in, I have no clue what to expect. I am thinking a little gain. I don't think all the painting is going to offset the big dinners and margaritas (it is vacation after all!).

So once again your guess is as good as mine.

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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!

Tony
08/21 216.8 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
8.8 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.Tony

THe Weigh-In Week 61

216.8! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A gain of .8

Not bad considering how bad I thought it was going to be.

I'm sure my big run yesterday helped.

I completed my first 5 mile run yesterday. I finished 5 miles in 46 minutes on the treadmill. It was also my first speed work workout. I burned nearly 900 calories during the run and probably sweated out 4 gallons of water.

This Sunday is supposed to be my first 6-mile run. Even two months ago 6-miles would have seemed impossible to me...now it just seems scary, but doable. It's not going to be fast, but I plan on finishing.

Wish me luck.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Tony
08/14 216.8 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
8.8 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I weigh Contest - Week 61

Same old story...different week. I can almost guarantee there is going to be a gain this week. I got busy, I got off track, and I ate out a few to many times...compounded by the fact that I didn't offset the eating out by eating way better on the none eating out days.

Operation; Eat It pretty much fell by the way side as well, which didn't help.

The good news is I continued to exercise without even a second thought despite the hectic week and I never fell into a binge situation which I have been want to do when I know a gain is inevitable.

Two steps forward, one step back.

The other good news? Life gets back to a normal schedule tomorrow, so I am back on track with Operation:Eat It and calorie tracking. We are on a staycation next week, and I plan to work super hard to stick to my workout routines and not snack myself to death. If you live in Minnesota and have an wild desire to do some house panting next week drop me a line. I hear it's good exercise.

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.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!

Tony
08/14 216 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
8 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.Tony