Weigh In: Week 37, 38 & 39

I can't believe I've missed several weeks of posting. Life has been extra busy. Work, school, and life in general has been taking every second of my day. The good news is that I haven't gained any weight with all of the added stress of being busy. I've even lost some weight!

I'm again back below 400lbs. I weighed in on Friday at 399lbs. I'm back to where I was before our trip to Boston. It took me nearly 2 months to lose the 10lbs that I gain during a week in Boston. It's amazing how quickly you can pack on the pounds, and how hard it is to lose them.

I'm currently battling a wicked cold, and have been bending my diet rules. I've been drinking OJ and other calorie filled fluids in an attempts to increase my vitamin intake to help beat this cold. As part of my diet I try not to drink any calories, so I'm a little worried about my weigh in next week, but I'd rather gain weight and get well sooner, than lose weight and be sicker longer.

See ya Friday!

Weigh In: Week 36

Almost under 400lbs again. Lost 3lbs this week. The next 6 weeks will be a challenge. On Monday I start training a 6 week training class for work. As the trainer I rarely leave the training room, and I wont be able to do the walking I normally do on breaks and lunches. I will need to find another way to get my walking in. Might require waking up early and walking... That sucks.

See ya next friday.

Weigh In: Week 35

I was scared, and I still am scared. Last Saturday I was out to dinner with my girlfriend and I started to not feel well. I started to have some really bad chest pain that went through my chest and to my back between my shoulder blades. At first this wasn't a big deal, but I've had this pain before. I get this same pain when ever I get a case of acid reflux, and I had eaten some spicy food at dinner.

Soon after the chest pain my heart started to flutter. It felt like my heart would race, pause, and then beat like normal. This caused a rush of heat to pass through my body, followed by a rolling tingly feeling, and then I got light headed. Again, I've had these symptoms before. In 2003 I went to a cardiologist for these same symptoms. I wore a holter monitor for 24 hours to monitor my heart. The cardiologist diagnosed me with having PVC. PVC isn't life threatening, but it was a wake up call that my body couldn't take my weight. The cardiologist said they could give me beta blocker to prevent the PVC, but I hate taking medication. So I research online and found that people have been able to control them through diet. Low carbs, sugar, and no caffeine. Changing my diet stopped my PVC.

I've had all of these symptoms before, but never at the same time. Having all of this happen at once started to scare me. Ok... scared might be an understatement. I was freaking out! I tried to stay calm externally so not to freak out my girlfriend, but it took every ounce of self control to maintain my composure.

The symptoms got worse and worse, so I told my girlfriend that I wanted to go to the hospital. While checking in at the ER I was at my worst. I felt very discombobulated. When the nurse asked my for my birthdate and last 4 of my social I had to really think about what the answers were. My hands were shaking and I felt like I was going to collapse.

The ER was very busy, but they got me in for blood work, EKG, and chest x-rays quickly, and then sent my back out to the waiting room. After waiting in the ER for 3.5 hours I figured that I wasn't having a heart attack or dying, because they surely wouldn't have left me out there if they saw something negative on the test. During that 3.5 hours I also started to feel better. A 100% better in fact.

I started to recall what I have eaten that day. Starbucks, buffalo wings, bagel, spicy food, alcohol, fry bread... Carbs, sugar, caffeine, and more carbs. Everything that I shouldn't be having while on my diet, and everything I shouldn't be having while trying to prevent PVC and heartburn. At that point I chalked it all up to my lack of being health that day.

After 4 to 4.5 hours of being in the ER I finally talked to the doctor. He agreed with my self diagnosis, but pointed out something worrisome on my EKG results. He said there was some possible damage to the anterior part of my heart. This is usually caused by an old heart attack, but I've never heart heart attack-like symptoms. He advised me to go to my primary doctor to get an echocardiograph.

On Thursday I saw my doctor and got a new EKG. He said that there indeed is some "minor abnormalities" in the anterior of my heart. He said that it was nothing to be worried about, and I can continue with life as normal. So I get to continue to diet and walk. He also scheduled me for the echocardiograph, but due to work schedule conflicts I wont be able to get the test until November. The doctor was ok with waiting, so I feel comfortable with waiting.

So, now for what you've all been waiting for. I lost a pound this week. I'm now down to 406lbs. I've been scared straight, and I'm 100% focused on my diet. I need to lose this weight. My body can't take it. I have too much that I want to do. Dying in my late 20's or early 30's is not an option.

If you're over weight and looking for inspiration please let my story inspire you. Learn from my mistakes, and do what ever you have to do to make yourself healthy.

See ya next week.

Weigh In: Week 33 & 34

I completely forgot to blog last week. Oh well, it's not like I had good news to report anyway. My was my GF's birthday filled with good food, and I had a general lack of self-control with my food and snack choices. Up 4lbs, but it's good motivation to get back on the horse.

See ya next week.

Weigh In: Week 32

It's amazing how long it takes to take weight off, and how easy it is to put it on. I lost 4lbs this week. That's nearly half of what I gained during our week of vacation. That brings me to 405lbs. Must get back under 400lbs ASAP! 6 more pounds. It's going to take some hard work, but I'm hoping to lose it within a week or two.

My foot is feeling fine and the weather has cooled off. I should be getting back to walking a couple times a day again. I actually miss the walking. It sucks while I'm doing it, but I feel great after.

See ya next week!

WEIGH IN: WEEK 31

Sorry for the late post, but I've been on vacation for the last week in Boston. Saw a lot of history, walked a lot, but ate a lot too. A lot of good food. I weighed in this morning and I'm up 10lbs. That's 10 well earned pounds. I'm not beating myself up over it. I knew it was going to happen. Now I just get back up on the horse and continue with my weight loss plan. I should be able to recover from the gain within a couple of weeks.

See ya Friday!

Weigh In: Week 30

Maintaining. I can't complain. It's been a crazy past few weeks, and will stay that way for a couple more. If I can stay at a net zero for the next few weeks than I will be very pleased with myself.

Weigh In: Week 29

Nothing to report this week. Didn't gain. Didn't lose. Still nursing a hurt foot. I'm hoping to start walking again next week and return to the path of weight loss.

Weigh In: Week 28

No loss. No gain. I can't complain. I got a busted up foot and haven't been able to go on my walks, and my GF has has some family issues that have added stress. We held strong and tried hard to eat right. Our efforts paid off this week by no gaining any weight. My foot still hurts like a mofo, and Patricia is out of state till Monday. Must try hard to stick to our diets and hopefully I will not gain anything by next weigh in.

Take care,
Jim

Weigh In: Week 27

Holy hot damn! I'm no longer a 400 pounder. I got on the scale this morning to see a beautiful 399. 50lbs lost and under 400. Awesome! Now I have 4 more pounds to lose to match my high school senior weight.

Here is the full graph of what my weight loss has been so far over the last 27 weeks.

Happy Friday! See ya next week!

Weigh In: Week 26

Slowly moving down. Lost a pound this week. So close to being out of the 400s. If I can lose 2 pounds next week I'll be a slim 399. Must focus.

See ya next week.

Weigh In: Week 25

Big fat lazy blogger here. I completely neglected to blog on Friday. I guess the thought of good weather all weekend distracted me. Well I didn't lose or gain. Now I have 4 more days to try and lose something before the next weigh in.

Have a good week!

Weigh In: Week 24

Another week another 2 pounds gone. Nearly 6 months and I've lost nearly an average of -2lbs a week. That's a respectable amount. In that past I would have wanted much more. You read success story after success story of people losing 100lbs in 6 months, but where are they now? And losing weight that fast just isn't realistic in my life.

I've been making small life style changes that I can live with the rest of my life to stay at a healthy weight once I get there. I'm way please with 2lbs a week. Now I just gotta keep up the pace.

Weigh In: Week 23

Even with a dinning out packed weekend I still managed to lose a pound. Patricia's parents were in town, and there was a lot of good food about. By Monday I had gained 5 pounds. OUCH! So I lost the weekend's 5 pound and an extra one over the course of the week.

I know I've said it several times, but if I could just have more self control on the weekends, then my weigh ins would be more impressive. I must find away to control my diet on the weekends.

As always my weight loss graph is at the top of my blog.

Have a good week!

Weigh In: Week 22

405lb today. 4lbs less than last Friday. I'm now back to where I started before our mini vacation to my mom's. If I can keep this pace up I'll out of the 400's in 2 weeks. I'm really looking forward to that.

See ya next week.

Weigh In: Week 21

I'm a lazy blogger. Couldn't even remember to post on Friday or over the weekend. Oh well.

I gained weight last week. 4lbs to be exact. Last Friday we took a trip south to visit my mom for an extended weekend. We spent 4 day eating and lounging around. It was much needed rest. When I weighed myself Wednesday morning I had gained 7lb. I'm sure a lot of it was water from the extra salt I ate, because by Friday morning I had lost 3 of those 7 pounds.

I'm not beating myself up over the gain. It happens. But I'm back on horse and looking to be below 400.

See ya on Friday.

Weigh In: Week 20

Didn't lose any weight this week. Not surprising. It was Molly's 9th Birthday this last weekend and it was food galore. Looking back at the massive amount of inappropriate food I ate staying the same weight is pretty damn good!

On a another good note. My 4XLT shirts have been extra baggy and uncomfortable to wear. I slipped on a 3XLT and it fit perfectly! I'll probably camp out in the 4X's a little while longer. Who can afford to replace all of their clothes ever 6 months? Not me.

Remember my graph is at the top of this blog, and if you have time check out my new acoustic demo I recorded. You can click on the facebook link on the side bar to hear it. --------------->

Have a good week!

Weigh In: Week 19

Yesterday was crazy busy, and I forgot to blog. I weighed in at a pound lighter. 405lbs now for a total of 44lbs lost. I can't wait to break out of the 400's. I might even pee my pants in excitment!

See ya next week!

Weigh In: Week 18

This morning's cheat day bagel is going to be extra good! I lost 3 pounds this week, and Patricia lost 4. We've walked less due to the wonderful Portland rain this week, but we've been extra good with our diets.

Well, I don't have much else to say today. See ya next week!

Low Calorie Recipe: Fajitas

Here is one of our favorite diet friendly recipes. We make this about once a week. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

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Fajitas

1 lb – Chicken Breast - Boneless & Skinless (You can us Skirt of Flank Steak, but that will add more calories)
1 Medium Yellow Onion sliced
1 Large Red Bell Pepper julienne
1 Large Yellow Bell Pepper julienne
2 cloves of garlic Chopped
1 Lime
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
½ tsp Paprika
½ tsp Cumin
Dash of Cinnamon
Salt and Pepper to taste
8 Fajita sized La Tortilla Factory brand Smart & Delicious Tortillas

Cut up chicken breast into bite sized strips and put them in a large bowl. Juice the lime over the chicken in the bowl. Add in Garlic, Chili Powder, Paprika, Cumin, Cinnamon, salt and pepper and mix well to coat the chicken. Set it to the side to marinate.

Cut up the onion and bell peppers.

Spray a large frying pan with non-stick spray and place over high heat. Add the chicken mixture to the pan. Once the chicken is half way done (About 3 minutes) stir it and add in the onions and bell peppers. Cook until the chicken is fully cooked and the onions soften while stirring frequently.

Take 2 tortillas and fill them with chicken, onion, and bell peppers. Add 1/8 cup of cheese to each tortilla.

Eat them.

Those 2 fajitas are around 280 calories or so. Add a half of a cup of refried beans (140 calories) and you have a tasty meal for around 420 calories.

Weigh In: Week 17

This week is the greatest 1 pound gain ever! So, I went up a pound from last week. Big deal. It was bound to happen sooner or later. What's so amazing about this gain is that I had a TERRIBLE weekend. Sure, I had my normal cheat Friday, but Sunday was Mother's Day and I did not make the right food choices. Chicken fried steak for breakfast at a new delicious restaurant, pizza and a bunch of other junk. Monday morning I weighed myself to check the damage. I gained 7 pound in 3 days!

With my re-found 7 pounds I struggled all week. I'm not sure if over eating re-stretched my stomach, but I was hungry all week. It seamed to be all I could think about. It was a constant battle of what I wanted and what I needed. Throw in some stomach trouble and not being able to eat my favorite snack of celery dipped in buffalo ranch sauce and you have the makings of a diet disaster. So, even with a 1 pound gain this week will go down as a victory in my books. I may have gained 7 pounds in 3 days, but I lost 6 in 4 days.

[infomercial]

On the exercise front... We've still being walking 1 to 2 miles a day. About 2 weeks ago I got some Skechers Shape-ups. Those things ROCK! Not only has the walking been easier on my knees, but they have been making my legs BURN! In less than 2 weeks I'm already starting to get some of the cuts back into my calves like I used to have when I played football in high school. It's awesome! If you can shell out the $130 for this shoes than I say do it. They are well worth it. I'm even thinking about getting another pair or two to wear everywhere, because they make my knee feel so much better.

[/infomercial]

Happy dieting!

Weigh In: Week 16

Hot damn! Not even IN-N-OUT could slow me down this week! I'm a slim 408lbs. That's 4lbs lost this week, and 41lbs lost since I started this whole thing. Here is a full graph from when I started dieting in January.

Normally I would do something to celebrate obtaining my mini goal of losing another 20lbs, but I'm so close to my first big goal of 395lbs that I don't want to derail myself. Alright, I need to get ready for work.

Have a great week!

Weigh In: Week 15

Sorry for the late post. I was on a trip to the Bay Area in California and couldn't weight myself on Friday. But I did weigh in before I left on Thursday and I was down a pound. I just weighed in this morning at I'm up 3. 3 pounds ain't bad for a 4 days of eating and drinking! I'm sure I can shed the added weight by Friday. See ya then!

Weigh In: Week 14

Week 14 and still going strong! Down another 2lbs which bring my total weight to 413lbs. RAD! Slow and stead. I've been fortunate to not hit a plateau yet, so I can't complain.

So, is there something you would like to know about what I've doing for weight loss? I've been thinking about posting some of our low calorie recipes that we have found. They've been helpful to us, so maybe helpful to you.

See ya next week.

Weigh In: Week 13

Another week, and another 2lbs. Down to 415lbs today. Pretty excited about that. Because of the weight loss challenge at work we've started walking daily. Not much. On average we walk 1.2 miles a day. Some days more. Some days less. The loop we walk at work has a good sized hill that we walk down and up. It was not a pleasurable experience the first few times, but now the walks are getting easier.

What I need to do now is maintain better control of my diet on the weekends. I take 2 steps forward during the week and then take a step back on the weekend. I seam to gain 3-5lbs on the weekend, so every week I re-lose that weight and then some. I'm not going to stop treating myself on the weekends, but maybe treat myself a little less.

See ya next week.

Weigh In: Week 12

It's been about 3 months and I've lost 32lbs. Not too shabby. This week was rather hard. I've been feeling extra snacky and I've been giving in more frequently. Gotta stop that. I'm also starting up a weight loss challenge at work with 5 other co-workers. The goal is to lose 5-7% of our weight and do at least 150 minutes of exercise a weeks. If we reach our minimum goal than we win $250 for a charity of our choice. If we exceed our goals we have the chance to win more for our charity.

I figured I might as well do it. I've already made up my mind to lose the weight. Maybe this will push me to exercise more. Couldn't hurt.

See ya next week!

Weigh In: Week 11

HOT DAMN! 3bs lighter this week for a total of 31lbs lost so far! Considering I was on vacation all last week I am WAY pleased with my efforts. At 419lbs I am 9lbs away from my lowest weight last time I did the whole diet thing, and 9lbs away from my second mini goal (20lbs increments)!

I changed my blog layout as you can probably see. I moved my graph to the top of the page, because having it on each post was really slowing it down. Plus I was getting tired of copying the code over to each post.

Is there anything you want to know about what I do for my weight loss? I'm open to answering any questions. Fire me an email of leave me a comment.

Happy Friday! See ya next week!

Weigh In: Week 10

Blogging mobile, so this will be short. Down another pound. Slow and steady. See ya next week.

Weigh In: Week 9

9 weeks in and there is still downward movement. Slow movement, but movement. I'm very proud of myself. Down another pound this week. Technically down 1.5 pounds because last week I was 423.4lbs and this week I'm 421.8lbs. I round up or down to avoid dealing with partial numbers, so today's total weight = 422lbs.

Oh, and no Voodoo this week. I almost died last Friday.

Weigh In: Week 8

I love Fridays! I weigh in on Fridays and Fridays are diet cheat days! On Fridays I gorge myself silly on everything I've been depriving myself of all week. Today I start off with maybe the greatest doughnuts on earth. Voodoo Doughnuts! See the photo on the right? That's a Voodoo dozen + a few extra that I picked up to share at work. That photo is enough to make any fat guy cream his jeans. Hot damn!

Ok, enough about inappropriate diet foods. After all, this is a diet/weight loss blog, right? I lost another pound this week. I'm really proud of myself. 8 weeks in and I'm still going strong. I have my moments of weakness, but I'm hoping soon to have created a lot of new health eating habits.

PS.
I feel miserable after eating just one doughnut. Stomach feels queezy and I think I'm about to go into a sugar coma. Doughnuts = The devil!

Weigh In: Week 7

Drum roll please! I lost.... One pound. Thats a lucky one pound though. I gave in to my snack cravings this week. Hunger got the best of me. What can I say? Next week shall be better.

Weigh In: Week 6

It's been an awesome week! Patricia (My girlfriend) and I have both lost 3lbs this week. Good week indeed. We've started taking 15 minute walks together during our breaks at work weather permitting. We live in Portland, OR... We wouldn't want to mess up her hair in the rain, right? At least she doesn't want to mess it up.

I'm really looking forward to my graph only showing downward progress. I'm just a few weeks away from that.

Happy Friday!

Weigh In: Week 5

Only a pound lost this week. It happens. I'm still pleased with myself. I was definitely more generous with my calories this week. I'll have to get back to it next week.

Weigh In: Week 4

I hit my first mini goal! I lost 3lbs this week for a total of 20lbs! So, what are my mini goals? My mini goals are to lose weight in 20 pound increments. So 429lbs, 409lbs, 389, etc... are my mini goals. My bigger goals are to hit 395lbs (my weight as a high school senior) and 316lbs (my weight as a high school freshman). My long term ideal weight is 270-275lbs.

I'm way excited for my first mini goal! I'm enjoying a celibatory White Chocolate Mocha. Damn its good. Damn good.

See ya next week!

Weigh In: Week 3

Not as good as I hoped for, but still a loss so I'm happy. Down another pound. Total loss = 17lbs in three weeks. Not too bad. What I'm worried about is next weeks weigh in. This weekend will be a bad diet weekend for me. I have an anniversary dinner with my GF and the Super Bowl with the fellas. Both events will be jam packed with unfriendly diet foods. Sure, I could eat something else with less caloric value... But whats the fun in that?

Next week when I have more time to write I'm going to write about my weight loss goals, but for now... Here's the graph! See ya next week.

Weigh In: Week 2

It's been a hungry week. A good week, but a hungry one. I did find a new snack that has really helped out though. I've been mixing about a table spoon of buffalo sauce with 1 teaspoon of ranch, and dip some celery in it. It's ALMOST like eating buffalo wings... Ok, maybe not "almost" but it does give you the slight hint that you were maybe eating some hot wings. Yea, that's more like it.

Anyway, I'm done another 3lbs. Sweet! See ya next week.

Weigh In: Week 1

A week and a half from my doctor office weigh in and I'm down 13lbs to 436lbs. No exercise other than my normal daily routine. I just made sure to eat somewhere between 1,800 and 2,100 calories a day. I know I'll have to add in some exercise at some point to continue weight loss, but for now this is working. I'm sure next week wont see so much weight loss, but this is a good start and I'm proud of myself.

My name is Jim and I'm fat.

I need an all time low... or is it high? I switched medical providers this year and made a visit to my new doctor last week. It was the first time in a while that I stepped on a scale. The scale creeked under my massive weight and they the LCD screen displayed numbers that made me cringe. 449lbs. The heaviest I've ever (knowingly) been.

At that moment I knew something had to change. I used to have weekly posts about my weight loss, or lack there of, on my old blog. It was very helpful in keeping me motivated and accountable. So, I welcome you to my new blog. I will be weighing in weekly on Friday's and posting a graph tracking my weight loss. I just got a new scale that will weigh my fat ass, because I brake regular household scales that only go up to 350lbs. I have no reason not to weigh myself and track my stats.

See ya Friday!

-jimbo