The Wife Weighs In...Week 21

Happy Leap Day, GHMIW fans!

This month has been ridiculous. I feel as though I am just running in circles. Work has been so busy and we've had extra commitments and I have just felt like we haven't had a moment to take a breath. Yuck.

Between Tony's business trip, a co-worker being out with pneumonia, and our family working hard to avoid contracting the stomach flu, this has not been my most focused week. I did not get to the gym even one time...not even for yoga on Monday! Boo!

But, I had a very good loss this week. Hurray! I finally broke through the plateau. That gives me great motivation to stay on track next week, so that I might be able to continue the momentum.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Until next week,
Laura (a.k.a. Elle Tee Jay)

2/22/08: 187.0 pounds
2/29/08: 184.2 pounds (a loss of 2.8 pounds)
Total loss: 44.2 pounds (only 0.8 pounds to a 45-pound total loss!)
Next goal: 182.0 pounds (2.2 pounds to go)

P.S. Laura's shortest...update...ever.

The Wife Weighs In...Week 19

Happy Friday, GHMIW fans!

I feel as though I have some renewed momentum today. What a relief.

I have been on a weight loss plateau since the Christmas...up a little, down a little, and not really going anywhere. After almost six weeks of standing still, I started to panic a little...this is how things usually begin to unravel. My fear was that the little ups and downs were going to start becoming a series of little ups and ups, then a series of big ups. I needed to get things back on track...and fast.

Inspired by my darling husband's stand-off over the last couple of weeks, I decided to take a stand of my own. For me, it began yesterday. I logged each and every crumb and morsel that passed my lips yesterday, something I haven't done for a long time.

In addition, I made a bold move yesterday morning at the gym. Some of you may remember the horrible experience I had with a personal trainer when I joined the club. Since then, I've wanted to talk to a different trainer about designing a new weight program for me, but I've been fearful, thinking that it might be another disaster.

I started talking to one of the club's female trainers yesterday morning (I'll call her "Stef"...'cause that's her name) and before I knew it, she was apologizing for the last trainer's behavior, running me through a new assessment, and setting me up with an appointment to work with her next Tuesday morning.

Stef is friendly, positive, and supportive. She understands that I am a mother of two with a full-time job and not a lot of extra time to spend at the gym. Plus, she doesn't care that I can only afford to work with her once every three to six months. I can't wait for next week's session and am hopeful that starting a new strength training program will help build on the momentum I'm feeling this week.

I had a good loss this week and am at my lowest weight since beginning this journey. (Hurray!)

I may have broken through the plateau, but I am not resting on my laurels. This is only the first step in the turn-around. I will probably relax a bit (but not a lot) over the weekend, as I will be spending it at the cabin with Tony's family. However, the stand-off will be back in full effect on Monday.

Until next Friday,
Laura (a.k.a. Elle Tee Jay)

2/01/2008: 188.4
2/08/2008: 186.8 (a loss of 1.6 pounds)
Total pounds lost: 41.6
Next goal: 182.0 pounds

Who The Heck Is That?

It is amazing how fast I have forgotten who I used to be.

I stumbled across this video today while looking at some footage of the girls from this summer. I was shocked!!!

Sure I've been looking at photos of my former self but they don't quite capture the "grandeur" of the man I used to be.

Watching this I realize just how much I have changed and not just my physical appearance. I even move differently now that I don't have 5 feet of belly in front of me.

In this video I look and walk like my lovely wife did when she was 8-months pregnant.




What a difference 6 months and a few hundred miles can make.

Tony
12/18: 217.2lbs
Goal: 220 lbs. ACCOMPLISHED
NEW GOAL: 214
3.2 lbs. to go

Another Milestone

Ha-Ha! Get it ? It's a pun. "Milestone" and this post is about me running.

Sorry you don't know what this post is about yet do you?

I RAN FOR 3.1 MILES YESTERDAY.

I know I am shouting. I'd do it from the roof top if they hadn't barred the door after that unfortunate naked bird watching incident this summer.

I made my first ever 5K yesterday. Way ahead of schedule. I guess I am trying to cram all the victories in before the end of the year.

I still can't believe it. I ran for 34 minutes straight...without even stopping once. It may not seem like a big deal, but to me it's like I've accomplished the impossible dream. This is my Everest.

Now I have to build up to running 5K consistently and work on upping the speed a little. All in good time.

Another nice thing happened yesterday. A friend gave me a gift to celebrate reaching my goal. I hope she knows what a wonderful gift it was. It was the perfect thing at the perfect time.

I am on a precipice here. This week is going to be a busy one, full of lots of temptations. All ready our office is stuffed to the rafters with holiday gifts from clients and vendors. All most all of them involve popcorn or chocolate or both. Plus I am going to have to go out of my way to get 3 of my workouts in this week, a situation that would make it very easy for me to skip working out all together.

But thanks to a simple act of kindness I'm not worried anymore about getting through the week. It was a reaffirmation of what I have worked so hard to accomplish and it made me realize how much I don't want to disappoint all the friends that have come along for this ride... and how much I don't want to disappoint myself.

That simple act of kindness was the inspiration I needed to push through to 3.1 miles yesterday and to push away handfuls of popcorn and chocolate and cookies.

I plan to be a very good boy this week. I want next Friday to be as happy as this past Friday was. Heck I want the rest of my life to that happy!

Tony
12/11: 218.4lbs
Goal: 220 lbs. ACCOMPLISHED
NEW GOAL: 214
4.4 lbs. to go

Cookie In Hand

This weekend I narrated a Christmas concert at my church. Afterward, there was a very nice candlight reception with punch and fancy Christmas cookies. There were a lot of people there that I hadn't seen in a while , so a lot of folks were shocked at the new, slimmer me.

It felt good to have a night of compliments and gushing after reaching my first goal. It kind of brought everything full circle.

Except... every single time someone came up to compliment me on the weight loss, I had just taken a bite of Christmas cookie.

Which lead to this exchange.

Complimenter: "Wow you look great. How did you do it.?"

Me: (With mouth full of cookie) "Watched what I ate and exercised."

I can't imagine the answer was to convincing as cookie crumbs flew from my mouth.

Sadly I kind of over did it on the cookies that night. But I redeemed myself with just two small cookies after Sundays performance.

I guess that's not really redeeming myself is it? I probably should have skipped the cookies all together. Just more proof that reaching the goal is only half the battle.

Tony
12/10: 218.4lbs
Goal: 220 lbs. ACCOMPLISHED
NEW GOAL: 214
4.4 lbs. to go

The Weigh-In Week 26

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!!!!!!!!



218.4!!!! That is what it said on the scale this morning!!! A loss of 5lbs.

This one is no flu fluke! I hereby declare Goal #1 Accomplished.

It feels like this has been a long time coming ,but really a year to lose 70 lbs. is not that long. And honestly, the last 62 of it only took me 26 weeks! I'm not bragging...in fact, I still can't figure out why I didn't do this ten years ago. I guess it's all about the proper motivation.

And I'm not done yet. 220 was an arbitrary goal. I choose it at random before I knew what my real goals were going to be. Over the last 26 weeks I have a much better understanding of those goals.

NEW GOAL #1:
214 by January 1st. A loss of 4.4 lbs. This is a pretty ambitious goal considering the holiday feasting and if I don't make it I'm not going to beat myself up. To make the goal I will have to lose 1.2 lbs a week.

At 214 my BMI will be 29.8 which would move me out of the Obese classification and into Moderately Overweight. It would be nice to start the new year Overweight.


NEW GOAL #2:
199 by May 29th 2008...my 34th birthday. I'm not sure if I will ever make it under 200lbs, but why not shoot for the moon huh? To achieve this goal I will have to lose .78 lbs. A week.

At this point I'm not really doing anything extra to lose weight. I am simply trying to live healthier. Hopefully the way I am eating and exercising now is the same way I will be living years from now. I may cut back on the workouts eventually as life gets more hectic with the girls, but I hope to still keep working out 3 to 4 days a week.

For now I am just letting my body do it's thing and find its own equilibrium. If that happens to be 210 instead of 190 I am just fine with that.

Which brings us to...

GOAL FOR LIFE:
Stay Healthy, Look Healthy!

I'd like to tone my body and put on more muscle and I will be able to run a 5k before this is through....but my biggest goal of all is to be healthy, at whatever weight I net out.

Only seven votes this week so no big winner. The closest was my Cousin Ali, who has been a huge supporter from the very beginning. Her guess of 3.4 may have seemed crazy high to the rest of you, but I say it was crazy like a fox! Way to goal Ali.

And thank you again for all of the support and encouragement you have all given me. If I've said it once I've said it... I couldn't do this without you all.

Have a fantastic weekend everybody!

Tony
12/7: 218.4lbs
Goal: 220 lbs. ACCOMPLISHED
NEW GOAL: 214
4.4 lbs. to go

P.S. That first picture is me doing the "Rocky" move...not me trying to show off my muscles!

Guess How Much I Weigh Conest - Week 26

I would like to take a quick moment to clear up somethings I said yesterday. If you read the comments on the post "Nancy Makin..." you may have noticed my lovely wife and I seem to have a difference of opinion . Don't worry we are not feuding...just having a very civil discourse.

Honestly Laura makes some very good points and her comment gives me the chance to clarify what I was trying to say yesterday but didn't quite get right.

First and foremost I was 100% wrong to lump Weight Watchers in with other fad diets.

Yesterday I wrote, "She did exactly what we all should be doing. She came to terms with her problem and found the willpower to overcome it."

What I meant to say was: "Wouldn't it be great if we all had this kind of willpower. To be able to overcome our problem with sheer will and determination."

In no way did I mean to imply any of us should try to do this on our own. We need our support groups, whether they be family, friends, your Weight Watchers meeting or an Internet community of like minded souls. The support is integral to the process.

What scares me and really ticks me off are the hundreds of thousands of "get skinny with no effort" schemes out there that people are sinking millions of dollars into, because they are so desperate to make a change without having to deal with their real issues. Fad diets, miracle pills, celebrity trainers that sound more like television evangelists; these things piss me off. They are get rich quick schemes that prey on the insecurities of our vulnerable self image and self worth and they are not what we need to make a difference in our lives.

"Find contentment and value in yourself." If you really need some book to tell you what to do, write that on a blank piece of paper, fold it in half and call it your new diet bible.

Thank you to my lovely wife for encouraging me to clear up my muddied thoughts.

Now on to the contest. I am very excited. This has been a good 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.

Stats for the week of December 3rd.
Walked / Ran: 10.7 miles

Calories Consumed: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have consumed aprox. 14567 calories.

Calories Burned: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have burned aprox. 26936 calories.

30% of my calories have come from fat.
9% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.

49% of my calories came from carbs.

19% of my calories came from protein.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!

Tony
12/6: 223.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
3.4 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.

Nancy Makin Loses 530 Pounds

I know Nancy Makin 's story has been all over the media this week. And it should be! It is an amazing thing that this woman was able to accomplish.

If you have been living under a rock, Nancy Makin is a woman who lost 530 pounds. She started at 703 lbs and over the course of 3 years got down to 170.

There are two things that I really appreciate about this story.

First. This woman was able to do this own her own. She didn't need Weight Watchers or Atkins Or South Beach or a $1000 an hour trainer. She did exactly what we all should be doing. She came to terms with her problem and found the willpower to overcome it.

"I achieved this on my own, in a natural way, with no surgical procedures having been performed. No particular 'diet' plan was followed; no pills, potions or ab-crunching exercises played a part in my recovery," she wrote in a congratulatory letter to herself."

Being overweight is not a problem money can solve. Even with surgery, if you don't get to the real root of your weight issues, the weight will never stay off.

I know that weight watchers and other groups like it have made a real difference in a lot of peoples lives. But in my mind what you are paying for is motivation and if you can find that yourself instead of having to pay someone to do it for you, more power to you!

Which brings me to the other thing I really appreciate about this woman's story. Weight was never her problem.

"I've heard so many times, I said it myself, if I could only lose 40 or 50 pounds, I'd be so much happier. I've found on this journey that the opposite is true."

"Unless you focus on what's going on inside and start to feel better about yourself you won't be able to stop the cycle. The key is to find contentment and value in yourself by reaching out and doing something not for you, and the weight will come off as a side effect."

I really like that . "Find contentment and value in yourself." It can be a lot harder than you think to do it, but it is the crucial first step. For me it has made all the difference in the world. It's why I can say with confidence this is not a diet this time around. It's a whole new life!

Tony
12/5: 223.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
3.4 lbs. to go

Memories...Misty, Watercolored Memories

It was all Christmas all the time at the Johnson house this weekend.

We had a visit with Santa, got our Christmas tree, decorated the house and woke up to a winter wonderland on Sunday morning. It was the kind of magical weekend that memories are made of. Naturally I was in a nostalgic mood.

I love Christmas. This month leading up to the holidays is my favorite time of year. I love the music, the lights, the hustle and bustle, the shopping, the crowded malls, the hunt for the perfect gift. I love it all. But mostly I love the time spent with my family and the memories of all those Christmas' past.

Give me a second to wipe the tear from my eye.


So like I said I was in a nostalgic kind of mood this weekend. My lovely wife and I have been talking a lot about how this will be the girls real first Christmas... at least the first one they will understand. Which got me thinking about the first Christmas I remembered.

As I was thinking about it, I was overwhelmed with memories of my Dad with a mustache. When I was growing up my dad was a dead ringer for Tom Selleck, only like 30 times less cheesy. Even though my Dad hasn't had a mustache for more than 20-years, all of my Childhood memories feature my dad wearing the "Selleck". Those first impressions of our parents are hard to change... and I wouldn't want to.

This gave me another thing to be thankful for this holiday season. My girls Christmas memories will not feature a father with a tummy like a bowl full of jelly. If I can continue to make this healthy lifestyle work (and I will) my girls will never know the fat guy that I was for most of my life. To them I will just be Dad, good, old silly dad.

That is about the greatest gift I could ask for this holiday season.

Now I'm getting misty again.

Tony
12/3: 223.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
3.4 lbs. to go

BRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

This could be completely psychosomatic, but I am cold all the time now. A few people have said it's because of the weight loss. Less fat to insulate my body. That sounds a little goofy to me. I'm not a biologist but I always thought it's the skin that feels hot and cold. If the fat is under the skin how does it insulate.

On the other hand I am cold, cold, cold!!! Chilled to the bone as they say. And since the bone is under the fat maybe there is some truth to this missing insulation thing.

When I was going to school in Duluth I used to wander around our drafty apartment in shorts and a t-shirt in the middle of the twenty-below winters. It drove my roommate nuts. Last night I got home and even with the thermostat set at 71, I still had to put a sweater on.

If skinny does equal cold it's a small price to pay for living healthy I guess. I'll just have to add a few sweaters to my Christmas list.

On two completly unrelated notes:

I completed my first 2 mile run yesterday. I set the treadmill a little slower and and ran as far as I could. Around 1.5 miles I decide I could push it to 2! That is a huge, huge step for me!

I am quickly working away at my "Thanksgiving 5". There's even a slight chance that I might get a loss this week. It's a small chance, but a chance none the less. Keep your collective fingers crossed.

Tony
11/28: 221 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
1 lbs. to go

Just for Fun

I noticed a lot of overly simplified, "Here's How Much Your Thanksgiving Gorging Will Cost You" talk in the media over the last few days and I thought I would jump on the band wagon!

To gain that 5 pounds in 5 days I had to consume an extra 17,500 calories. That is above and beyond the normal 13,000 calories I would have consumed in that same time period. For a five day grand total of 30,500 calories! Whoaaaa!

By my rough calculations that is the equivalent of eating five 9-pound turkeys in 5 days!

On the flip side, I burn around 650 calories for every 45 minutes I spend on the Treadmill. It would take me 20 hours on the treadmill to work off those excess 17,500 calories.

Makes my legs sore just thinking about it!

Getting Back on Track

We had a lovely Holiday trip to Iowa for Thanksgiving , although I am very glad to be home sleeping in my own bed. Sadly the wonderful trip was not so wonderful on my waistline.

First the good things:
1. I worked out twice while on "vacation". I ran 3.1 miles on Thanksgiving and thanks to a little prodding from my sister-in-law and her dog, I posted my best time yet! I also got in some strength training on Saturday morning.

2. I didn't spend much time eating when no one else was eating. No binges, no sneaking midnight snacks, no hiding food.

3. Despite my best efforts, we avoided all the wonderful Ice Cream shops in Bettendorf, Iowa... and there are some amazing Ice Cream shops in Bettendorf, Iowa!

Now for the bad news!

I gained 5 pounds since my weigh-in last Wednesday. Some of this I am sure is simple day to day fluctuation, some of it is due to the fried chicken I had for dinner last night, but most of it is from throwing away the calorie counter and eating whatever I wanted for the last 5 days.

I wouldn't say that I went crazy and gorged myself at every meal, but I probably ate the most of everyone at the table at every meal. And I had a lot of seconds.

I am not ashamed or disappointed or upset. I gave myself a free pass for the week and I used it to my full advantage. Now it is time to get back on track! Today I start tracking calories again. And I will hit the gym with renewed vigor.

Here is the other positive. I had been back sliding on my snacking over the last few weeks. Now that I have satiated that craving, I feel a renewed energy for eating healthier again.

In some ways taking a week off may help me get back that passion that I felt when I first started this journey.

Not that I am trying to justify!

Tony
11/21: 221 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
1 lbs. to go

p.s This mornings weigh-in was not "an official weigh-in", thus no change to the sign off until Friday.

The Weigh-In Week 24

221! That is what it said on the scale this morning. A gain of .2 pounds.

I think the scale gnomes messed with the scale because they were ticked at me for cheating and moving the weigh-in!

Actually, I realized this weekend that I have allowed Friday and Saturday to become free-for-all days, where I eat whatever I want. Then, come Monday I workout like crazy and eat healthy and evreything evens out. I guess I just didn't have enough time to even out this week.

There's always next week...or the week after that.

Have a great Thanksgving everybody.

Tony
11/21: 221 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
1 lbs. to go

p.s. Sorry about the late post. I just couldn't get to the computer this morning.

New Suit. New Haircut. New Man!

Thanks to some quality veg time this weekend I am feeling like my old relaxed, mellow, Spicoli like self.

I spent a good portion of the weekend looking at myself in the mirror. We established long ago that I am an extremely vain person, so I apologize for nothing.

My lovely wife and I attended the wedding of a good friend on Saturday. Due to my crazy schedule last week I had to leave all of my prep work to the last minute. Which meant I had to pay an outrageous sum to get my haircut at a fancy salon. I felt crazy guilty about it until I got home and looked in the mirror. I have not had a new hair style in about 7 years, and that's only because my lovely wife finally convinced me to start putting "product in my hair". So I am sporting a new 'do I and I love it!

I am also sporting a new suit. I found this awesome suit that is just a smidgen to big for me on the clearance rack on Saturday afternoon. It was nothing short of a Thanksgiving miracle. This is one of my favorite things about weight loss, being able to shop anywhere, anytime and expect to find clothes that fit!

I have been reluctant to buy a new suit until I am done shrinking. I have never been much of a suit guy, but I finally broke down and bought the first suit I have owned since I was 11 last February. I wore the suit 4 times, then lost 60 pounds. When I went in a few weeks ago to see if the suit could be tailored, the salesman laughed so hard he was crying.

Thus my reluctance to buy a new suit until I know I will be able to wear it for awhile. But I couldn't pass this one up. In fact I am wearing the suit coat today...and I wore it yesterday... and Saturday. That is how much I love my new suit.

So I was felling pretty h-a-u-t-e, HOT!

See for yourself.



Losing weight has giving me the confidence to be more daring in what I wear! That could ultimately become a dangerous thing.

The only thing hotter than me at the wedding was my lovely wife who was "turning heads and breaking hearts by the dozens" hot. She was finally getting her well deserved accolades for all the hard work she has put into her own healthy lifestyle. I couldn't have been prouder to have her on my arm while people gushed over how good she looked.


My old suit will be going up for sale on E-Bay after Thanksgiving. I think it is a size 52 R. If anyone is interested drop me a line.

Tony
11/19: 220.8 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
.8 lbs. to go

The Wife Weighs In...Week 9

Good morning, GHMIW fans!

All right…let’s get it over with. Get a cup of coffee…it’s going to be a long one.

I am bitter. Here’s the story:

As reported last week, I visited our local gym/club/den of Satan for a tour of the facilities. After some general waffling (mmm…waffles) I went back Saturday morning to enroll/enlist/sign away a little piece of my soul. I avoided signing up for any extra programs, which was a big success for me. At that point, we set up an appointment for the first of two complimentary consultations with a personal trainer.

Sunday morning at 8:45, I left for the gym. I was bright and shiny, excited about the first day of the rest of my life, excited about the prospect of my new lifestyle, excited about the new body I was going to earn. I was like a little girl on her first day of school (maybe it was the pigtails). At 9:00, I sat down in front of a rather large 27-year old with a shaved head. I’ll call him "Jason" (‘cause that’s his name).

I told "Jason" that I had lost 35 pounds and that I had about 50 to go. I also told him that my ultimate goal is being able to wear more body-conscious clothing (okay, let's be honest...I told him I would like to have a body that could pull off slutty clothes if I so chose) and, while I am excited to reap the health benefits of exercise, my main motivation is pure vanity. He liked my honesty. I thought we were off to a good start.

This was an assessment session, so I got on the treadmill, did some (very few) push-ups, and some stretching. I also had my body fat measured. Let me say that I was not shocked when I found out that the results were not glowing. I haven’t exercised on a regular basis in over 10 years. It wasn’t an earth-shattering realization that I am not the picture of fitness. I know that I am a "before" (or possibly an "a little while later")…I was there because I want to be an "after."

Over the next 20 to 30 minutes, Jason told me (among other things) that my eating was "for sh*t," rolled his eyes when I mentioned Weight Watchers, and scoffed at my mention of a yoga class by telling me it was "really only glorified stretching." What was most annoying was that he really didn’t listen to anything I had to say. He would ask me a question, then start rolling his eyes and shaking his head before I’d even completed my answer, all the while watching what was going on in the rest of the gym instead of focusing on me and our conversation.

In that short amount of time, I went from being an intelligent, sassy, strong, confident woman who had made positive and successful changes in her life to being a stupid, lazy "fat chick" who had achieved nothing and had no idea what she was talking about. And, for a brief moment, he succeeded at making me see myself through his eyes.

We made an appointment for 8:00 Monday night. I met my neighbor Ali for yoga at 7:00…definitely not just glorified stretching. I loved it. By the time I sat down in front of Jason once again I had some sore muscles, but I had shaken off the negative stuff from the day before and was ready to get to work. It didn’t go well. The workout was tough (which I was fine with), but I didn’t have his full attention and he wasn’t supportive. I had hoped for an experience where I felt like I had a partner in the fight, but he was all about negative motivation. I felt as though he was trying to motivate me by making me feel bad about myself, like he was punishing me for being out of shape, instead of wanting to help me achieve something. It was really yucky.

When I told him that I couldn’t afford the more than $500 a month to work with him, he completely wrote me off. Obviously, my priorities weren’t in the right place and my goals weren't really all that important to me. When I asked him about planning a session every three months or so, in order to assess my progress and change up my program, his response was, "Well, I guess it would be better than nothing."

I left the gym feeling kind of embarrassed, kind of ashamed, and kind of like I should ask for my money back. All this from a gym whose sell line is… wait for it… FEEL GOOD INSIDE.

I went back Tuesday morning at 6:30 (very sore) for 45 minutes on the treadmill, and felt better. I went back Wednesday morning at 6:30 (still quite sore) for an hour on the treadmill, and felt even better. I decided to take sort of a "to hell with him" attitude about the whole thing and use it as additional motivation for my success. I went back to the gym on Thursday morning at 6:00 for cardio warm-up, strength training, and an additional 30 minutes on the treadmill, and felt pretty darn fantastic. My attitude about the club has turned around (okay, it's not really a "den of Satan"). I even ran into an acquaintance who works out early every morning...she was positive, supportive, and glad to see me.

This week marks some major successes. Joining a gym, overcoming the scourge that is "Jason" (who totally didn’t even have the decency to say "hello" when I greeted him with a cheery and smiling "good morning" on Wednesday...jerk), getting to the gym at an ungodly hour three days in a row, and finding out that I think am really going to enjoy this exercise thing. Hurray for me!

So, why am I so bitter? I gained 1.4 pounds.

This leaves me with 5 weeks to lose 8.8 pounds, including Thanksgiving. Therefore, I am readjusting my goal. My new goal is to reach 182 pounds by February 1. 182 pounds will move me from being obese to simply overweight…and won’t that be a happy thing?

Have a great weekend, all…and a happy Thanksgiving! No weigh-in for me next Friday, unless I decide to find a WW meeting in Davenport, Iowa. I know it’s a possibility, but is my actually making it there really all that likely?

Laura

11/09/2007: 192.4 pounds
11/09/2007: 193.8 pounds (a gain of 1.4 pounds)
Total loss: 34.6 pounds

New mini-goal: 182 pounds by February 1
11 weeks and 11.8 pounds to go!

P.S. Thanks to Angela for being so supportive about my wanting to give in to evil foods last week. I also had a lot of support from other friends and family (thanks, too!), who congratulated me for not giving in to my cravings. After reading that, I thought to myself, "The word 'cravings' seems a little off the mark. It’s not really about just wanting to enjoy some French fries…in fact, it’s not even really about the food at all." DING! What an epiphany.

P.P.S. I wonder how it’s going to be before Tony tells me to get my own darn blog and stop trying to take his over.

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 23

So instead of posting this way late, I will post it way early.

I have no clue how I did this week. I lost track of tracking again. Honestly my head is spinning this week. It's been even busier than I thought it was going to be. I think I have been pretty good though... except for last night. I put in a 13 hour day yesterday. Around hour 12 we ordered in pizza. I partook fully. Well three-quarters fully.

Go ahead and let the wild guessing begin!

The weigh-in will most likely be delayed on Friday. I am in meetings until sometime after lunch.

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.


Tony
11/14: 223.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
3.4 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.

Crazy Busy

Just a quick check in. I have a crazy busy week this week so you might not hear from me as much.... and the Guess How Much I Weigh contest may be posted late on Thurs. I am taking Thursday morning to record a series of children's books for an educational company here in town. More on that later.

Here is the exciting news from the weekend. After two days of hardcore yard work, I stepped on the scale this morning and saw some very good looking numbers. I am going to do my best to stay off the scale for the rest of the week. I also promised myself that I will try to eat well and exercise this week despite the insane schedule. Hopefully we will all have something to celebrate on Friday morning.

And Tonight will be the third day in a row that my lovely wife makes it to the gym! Way to good sweetie!!! I am very proud of you!

Tony
11/12: 223.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
3.4 lbs. to go

The Wife Weighs In...Week 8

Good morning, weight loss fans!

I had a surprisingly good week this week. You know, one of those weeks where you don't think you did all that well but are pleasantly surprised when you step on the scale?

Despite a good loss, I felt as though I was dangerously close to veering way off-path. I didn't have a binge or anything like that, but I felt that familiar exhaustion creeping up on me...that feeling of just being overwhelmed. I was overhelmed by a couple of big projects at work, by my outside commitments, and by the things I know I need to do at home. My greatest desire this week was to take solace in foods I know I shouldn't be eating, foods I haven't eaten in months...cookies, chips, french fries...anything sweet, salty, greasy, or full of fat would have done the trick.

This was not a desire for a quick splurge, which is something I can handle. This was something much bigger and much deeper. Fortunately, I was able to rein things in, but it was a very scary feeling. It was a huge reminder that in order for me to reach my goal and keep the weight off, I am going to have to ever-vigilant. For me, heading off-track can happen in the blink of an eye.

On a positive note, I am pleased that I was able to identify that feeling and keep myself from taking the first step down the slippery slope. I had an 8th straight week of loss, and shaved another point off my BMI...down to 31.

As an additional success, I actually visited the local gym and got the tour. I plan to call later today to schedule a time to register. This is a HUGE step! So, by next week, I should be a woman with a gym membership and at least a few workouts under my belt. Wish me luck!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Laura

11/02/2007: 194.6 pounds
11/09/2007: 192.4 pounds (a loss of 2.2 pounds)

Total loss: 36 pounds
Next mini-goal: 185 pounds by December 21

6 weeks and 7.4 pounds to go!

The Weigh-In 22

223.4 Lbs. That's what it said on the scale this morning. Both a loss of 2.2 and a gain of 2.6 depending on whether your glass is half full or half empty of water or a Brandy Manhattan.

I am extremely happy with this result. 2.2 is a great loss over the past two weeks, considering I didn't really watch what I was eating last week. I'm still in great shape to reach 220 in the near future.

Marathon not a sprint...marathon not a sprint....

No winner again this week, but Heather was the closest with a guess of 2 lbs even. Nicely done Heather, nicely done.

I am having crazy computer problems so I'll keep this short. Of course I have an insanely busy day. Busy day + bad computer = stressed out Tony... I look forward to taking that stress out on the treadmill in a few hours!

Tony
11/9: 223.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
3.4 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 22

I am going to tell you right now, last week was a fluke brought on by a fluke worm.

I just looked up what a fluke worm is ...eewwwwww!

So it wasn't a fluke worm. That was just a clever play on words, but my giant loss last week was definitely the result of a stomach bug and lots of dehydration. My weight jumped back up on Sunday and has been bouncing around all week.

I knew this was going to happen so I am not disappointed. I am still way ahead of schedule to reach my goal. And just having 220 in sight is exciting. I don't know if I'll reach my goal by Thanksgiving, but if I were a betting man, I'd bet you a few bucks I'll make it by the second week in December.

So here is what we are going to do. We are going to throw out last weeks results and pretend like they never happened.

Your guesses this week should be based on how much my weight has changed from my weigh-in 2-weeks ago. 2-weeks ago I weighed in at 225.6.

This has been a great week for exercise... not such a great week for eating. No major binge sessions, but I did succumb to a candy bar on a hardware store run on Sunday and I did break down and have Chipoltle on Monday. Hopefully the new exercise routine will win the battle of the burrito.

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.

REMEMBER: Your guess this week is based on how much my weight has changed from my weigh-in 2-weeks ago. 2-weeks ago I weighed in at 225.6.
FORGET 220.6 EVER HAPPENED!

Stats for the week of November 5th.
Walked / Ran: 9.52 miles

Calories Consumed: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have consumed aprox. 18809 calories.

Calories Burned: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have burned aprox. 26306 calories.

33% of my calories have come from fat.
9% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.

49% of my calories came from carbs.

16% of my calories came from protein.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!

Tony
11/8: 220.6 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
.6 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.