Progression

This entry will have more and more photos added along the journey. So please come back to this particular entry from time to time. CS

This was actually day one of the journey. 254 pounds of handsome yet not so happy man. This was Febuary 24/08







































Now at 251. Still not smiling much but on the way. Three pounds ain't a lot but it all eventually adds up.
























Now around 247 even though the picture doesn't show it...Yes I do have something to smile about.














This is around 232 with 22 pounds lost. Look!
I am starting to smile and I have extra room in my pants. To put it in full perspective, I had to lose a little weight just to squeeze into these pants, but at 22 pounds lost, I have room to spare...I also am no longer scared to show my feet.






















Skipping over many photos of foot and scale...In this shot with Ted, I am around two hundred something teen pounds. The shirt I am wearing I have had for YEARS. My favorite print but could not get it over the belly. I think you can see some progression in these shots, especially the love luggage that has finally turned into love handles. Still on the journey and losing and taking more and more photos.

This current shot below is a blurry 209. I know my feet don't show it but I am smiling much more these days.

You know for years many friends of mine would offer me food as a good jesture or favor, more than likely to get a good response, do something nice and get a smile out of me. All this time it was losing weight not offering everything fried, dipped in chocolate, or drowned in butter that does it. Growing up I was a plate finisher to the point of using a slice of bread to get the the last bits of gravy, butter of what ever else was there. You know that phrase..."Girl you look so good I could sop you up with a biscuit"? Well I think the person that originated that was probably watching me eat...Or maybe I originated it.
Now friends...I am not saying to stop taking me to lunch, and so on. Just understand that "if" I go I will not do like I did in the past and finish mine, yours and the strangers food at the table next to us. Also understand that "if" I go, I have taken that meal into account and will make adjustments in the rest of my day food and workout wise. So "if" I go, I will make that sacrifice for any of you who wish to buy me lunch.

To the right is my most recent pic now at 50 pounds gone. I still need to work on my smile some but beleive me...I am smiling on the inside.

God bless you and look for updates on this post. CS

Count Down to Under 200

Today I stepped on the scale and I was under 210 "Less Hips!" "Less Hips!" "HOORAY!"
I had a real good week of exercise and eating right and of course that is key. I was unable to swim as much because of time and I've changed my lifting workout (which is very good to do from time to time) to no free weights but all machines. Also instead of a few body parts a day, I am now working the whole body a few times a week. I also have a few no lifting days with just cardio for about an hour per session plus some ab work. I have found out that using the machines is much more comfortable and no plates to load. The only problem is that you never really know the true weight you are able to lift. BUT! Since I am 43 and not intending to enter a power lifting competition any time soon, I don't need to know that I can actually bench 400 as long as I am still (and I am) workin my muscles to fatigue. Also I have notice my shoulder pain is less and less using the machines and because I don't have the fear of dropping a weight on myself I am getting a better range of motion and more repetitions even when the muscles are fatigued.
Yard work is staying in my repertoire of things to do for exercise and over the weekend I did quite a bit. Lawn mowing, planting, finishing my compost box, shredding old branches, raking leaves, and setting rocks are all the things I did outside this weekend and right now we are hitting about 99 degrees daily. This keeps the sweat going so a lot of water drinking is a must and I like my cold H2O. This week I also have cut more carbs but not totally. Two taco's mid week, a PB&J for lunch one day, and carbs from some of the sugars in my juice have been there but no days where I can say I overdid it. This brought me from around 214 in the beginning of the week to around ("LOOK AT IT") 208 at my best scale reading for the week. The picture I am posting may say 209-210 (Sorry for the blurryness...and the ugly feet) but I am happy to no longer see the 200 teens. So now the count down is on to get below 200.

To let you all know why this is imortant...
I have not been below 200 since my Navy days and even then staying below 200 was a real struggle. At one time the struggle was 170 or below, then 180 or below I think I skipped over 190 then all of a sudden I just could not get below 200. I was over 200 through most of high school, then some where in 1984 I had to lose 40 pounds to get into the Navy. I lost 75 by my entry date then during my time in the Navy I started slowly creeping up in weight and the struggles were on. I read about 5 years ago that it is very unlikely that a person over 40 will lose weight to a good level if they enter their forty's over weight. I have a word for that. "BULL" If you set your mind to it to have a better life style, you will start doing the things you need to do to get there. For me this is probably my biggest self made monster, the monster of overeating and I feel that I have it conquered. Losing the weight is the results of having it conquered. Most will think that nothing is conquered untill the goal is reached. I like to think that reaching the goal is the result of a conquering journey.
Well it is Sunday and I am soon to be back at church. Will write more later as the countdown to 200 continues. God bless you. CS

10 More Pounds

Today I went to the Spectrum Club Tezel location. One big advantage of going there for a little change was seeing my old friend pictured next to me, Ted Carreras. Another New Jerseyite that (like me) does not say Joisey. Ted & I worked together about 8 years ago at the Northwest Racquetball & Fitness Club in sales. We had many good times together there and were usually #1 or 2 for our location in sales. Seeing him working the desk reminded me of how friendly a guy he is. I don't think I have met anyone else that remembers everyones name and usually the last detail they discussed. Good seeing you again Ted.

Today I am FINALLY under 215. The day of the show (see the link in the "More of the Journey" blog entry) I weighed in at 224 and today stepped on the scale at the Tezel club and it read
213(point something I can't remember). So that puts me around 41 pounds lost. Still not into my goal shorts but getting closer. Workout wise I only did a little abdominal work THEN 30 minutes on the elyptical followed by 20 minutes on the Tread Climber followed by 30 minutes of laps in the pool. My swimming has surprised me that I could go for that length of time but that's a good surprise. Since starting at the health club (Thanks again to SA Living & Spectrum clubs) I have been able to do more different exersizes than I have been doing before, especially swimming and I average 5 days a week in the club. The weights feel heavier than ever, and I am not lifting as much as I used to by a long shot but the body weight and inches are dripping off and that is the main goal. The Hip is doing fine and I saw my doc this past Wednesday and he gave me a good at-a-boy for the weight loss (his exact word were "that's to be commended"). Leading up to this whole weight loss thing were severe pains in my right hip that had me limping badly and even waking up in the night in pain. Recovery from the surgery also was no picnic but when Dr. Evans gave me the ok to do some low impact exercise I went for it. Mainly hiking at Eisenhower Park, our home treadmill, & bowflex and cutting my food intake was the key.

What I would say to anyone wanting to lose weight is this.

YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER YOUR FOOD INTAKE. Working out without proper eating is like putting bad gas into a great sports car. Since most of us want to LOSE WEIGHT we have to remember..."We are not a great sports car yet" BUT we are working on it. So in our case it is like putting bad gas into a clunker. It will run, but it usually sputters along the way. If you are not sure what to do, get to a dietician (in my case I eventually saw Heather "AWESOME LADY" King via Spectrum Clubs) or at least a good book (not a fad book) and start doing at least one thing that you can maintain. Add another, then another, then another good eating habit and low and behold one step at a time you will be onto a good eating "LIFESTYLE". If it's a diet and not a lifestyle, you will start the yo-yo going again.

YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING. Mainly make a decision. I said this to Shelly Miles via email but not on the show. Everyone know's how to go for a walk and most of us already know what foods to stay away from or cut down on. Make that decision and don't let anything stand in your way. Along this path, there were nights that I would cook a meal for my family, and a little something different for me...Or my dish had less or no sauce, or no bread and so on. This way I could eat with the family but with out the excess empty calories.
I did say don't let anything get in your way...This means be creative. Can you take your kids or spouse on your walks? What active energetic games can you play with your kids? Do you have a dog? Take him or her with you. In short...Every workout does not have to be 100 crunches, the treadmill, and weights. Include those close to you so eveyone will be enjoying you along your path to good health. Remember...The better "YOU" you can be, the better "YOU" everyone else will experience.

LET THE "SNOWBALL AFFECT" TAKE PLACE. Once you get started, and you see and feel some results you will be motivated to do more. An avalanche usually starts with a small break of compacted snow breaking lose. It picks up more snow as it goes. It eventually has the potential to take trees and houses and everything else in it's path. My first week I lost about 2 pounds. Some weeks I lost 3, some only one. Those weeks added up to now 40 pounds lost and several inches lost, and wearing clothes I could not wear before. I called it "Shopping in my own closet". More about the snowball. Eventually those around me started asking the typical question...How are you doing it? When they realized that I was doing something that any of them could do and that there was no big secret thing...Some of them started doing it to. Like the avalanche, others were getting swept up along with me. I know a snowball gets larger as you roll it but in this case think of the snow as fat. The more you lose, the more you will be able to do, the more you are able to do (and do) the more you will lose.

BEWARE OF DISTRACTORS. The biggest distractors are.
Missing meals.
Joining others in a double cheeseburger at lunch.
Missing workouts.
Listening to the common phrase..."Just once won't hurt you"

Let's go one by one.

Missing meals (mainly breakfast) and Joining others will happen if you don't have food with you. I bring my breakfast and lunch and snacks to work with me. I won't get hungry because I have food with me. I won't eat badly becasue I packed all the right things.

Missing workouts will happen if you don't realistically plan them into your day. More people that I talk to about working out all seem to have the same reason for not doing so..."I just don't have the time". We all have the same 24 hours use them wisely. Get a good 30 minute DVD or written routine you can do at home. If you have cable turn from the typical shows and turn to Fit TV and DO one of the workout shows. (Guess what...that channel also has healthy eating shows)
If you don't plan it, it usually won't happen.
If it happens unplanned, it is usually so sporadic that it will only be enough to make you feel exhausted

"Just one won't hurt"...DON'T LISTEN! YES IT WILL!
If I have an alcohol addiction, one drink can set me back. Addicted to bad foods? Stay away.
I can almost tell you the exact meal that ended each attempt at a trying to eat healthy. Why? Because these things triggered something that wanted more and more and more and more until poof it's months later and I can't fit certain clothes again.
Now this is important. YOU CAN GET BACK ON THE HORSE IF YOU HAD A SLIP.
If you ate one cheesburger, understand that it's one cheesburger and not a lifestyle. If you ate that entire cake? Same thing. You went to a BBQ and ate non stop for hours? Same thing. Just don't go from life event to life event with out an intent to eat healthy. Get a smaller piece of cake. Limit the amount of ribs and brisket and all the trimmings. Do a workout before you go. Take part in "ACTIVE" activities while you are there. If there are none, suggest some.
Distractors will make you a native to the worlds largest nation...PROCRASTINATION

Well this is enough of listening to myself ramble on. I hope someone reads this and get encouraged. Remember two things
Like Nike says..."Just Do It"
and??? Don't Quit.

I did all of this with my new hardware in place. You can do it to. CS
Look>>>>>>>>>>>>>My actual hip implant!------->

A New Day One

Well, this was Monday May 19 and my new day one.
I am now working out at Spectrum Clubs here in San Antonio "FOR FREE" thanks to SA Living & Spectrum Clubs and thanks to all of my encouraging friends, at church, here in town, and all over the US sending me emails of encouragement. The contest is over but life goes on. Next goal? Under 200 pounds. Donning my SpongeBob Bandana and workout clothes, I WILL make it. Next week I have an appointment with Registered Dietician Heather King to get my food intake in order. Till then Iwill keep steppin, walkin, lifting and stretching and logging all of my meals so she will see all of my "On my own" mistakes.

The above picture is me on the Precor Eliptical trainer. No shock, and kinda like cross between a cycling and running. The weight loss also has a lot less pressure on my new hip which allows me to do alot more much more comfortably.

See that picture below? Just imaging me thinking to myself..."oooohhhhh, that feels sooo good" Lower back stretch. Another Precor machine but for streching.
One of the restrictions with the new hip parts was not to break 90 degrees between my thigh and torso. I am recovering well and able to get well beyond that restriction.


I will post more soon so please come back. CS

More of the Journey

That is Claudia (13) on one arm and John (4) on the other. That's two of my three.

Well, by the time this picture was taken 4 weeks had gone by as well as 11 pounds. Over this weekend my workout suffered as did I. No treadmill, or bowflex or weights. This weekend it was Friday and Saturday replacing about 23 feet of Cedar Fence. Going to home depot, loading the wood, knocking down the old fence (except the post) and putting up the new was the workout of the weekend. I would take hiking and lifting anyday over that but because it was only about 23 feet or so of fence, there is much more to go. By Sunday, everything hurt, neck, back, legs and arms, hands and feet. I did a good curcuit on the Bow Flex Sunday night and today (Monday) I can just feel the ending of the work pains from Fri & Sat. My body fat is down a little also and I will look at that again tonight to be sure. One thing that still feels the burn is my sunburnt shaved head. Next time I will wear a cap or a bandana.

At this point I was around 21-22pounds lost.

I remember raising my shoulders and pulling in my stomach to get these pants on. NOW??? They're too big. The workout of the week or the last two weeks has been? Yard Work!!!
Walking while pushing a weight called a lawnmower that is not self propelled, raking leaves and grass, turning my compost pile, cutting over grown rose bushes (OUCH!) and other shrubs and more plain hard work outside. Up and down ladders and trying to finish my
out door place of rest on our back patio has been most of what I have been doing and it leaves me much more sore than any hike or weights. One other lifestyle change has been instead of taking a nap on Sunday between services I have been doing some of this work mentioned.

This is Shelly Miles, me and Leslie Bohl Jones.
I have been watching the SA Living Show for a few years now. I have found out through the show and emails we have sent back and forth that these two are a class act and very down to earth. Meeting them only secured what I had already known. What really secured this was my wife also saying how nice they both were. The day of the finale for the online losers was my wifes birthday and more importantly her day off from work. We went to the studio and had a great experience. We were allowed to stay after our segment of the show. Took this awesome picture then eventually made our way home for my wife to change clothes, got off to breakfast...(No food before the show, I had to weigh in that day) Another contestant (Marci) and I were given prizes for sticking it out online. I lost 30 pounds and Marci 32.

My wife Julia and I later went out to one of our favorite hikes at Pedernales State Park. We went for a short but challenging hike there because the hike is across an exposed rock river bed.

Where I am sitting here is not totally surrounded by water but there is also no direct or real
path to get there. Just jump some rocks and avoid the water and you are there.

That is me below and the beauty below right is my wife Julia. Iam soo glad that she likes to go hiking and likes the outdoors. Our honeymoon? We hiked several location between San Antonio and the Grand Canyon. Big Bend, The Catwalk outside of Silver City NM, The Grand Canyon, and Enchanted Rock were all hiking spots on our honeymoon. We also hiked on Mother's Day.

Well today I was right at 220 pounds this morning. My ultimate goal is between 160-170 so the road is before me and much work is to be done. Keep me in your prayers and come back to see the progress. God bless you all. CS

San Antonio's Biggest Loser

Many moons ago, I wanted to join the Navy. One problem...I was over weight. I had to lose 40 pounds just to get in and I ended up losing 75. I got down to 150 and I was in great shape. Over the years in the Navy I yo-yoed up and down with my weight until it became impossible just to get under 200 pounds. The years after the Navy was more of the same except it became hard to get under 220 and that has been my sticking point for many years. The opportunity came around for San Antonio's Biggest Loser and I decided to give it a try. Now the problem.I was still recovering from hip surgery back in November of 07. I had a Birmingham Hip Resurfacing surgery with new metal inserts at the top of my femur and in my hip socket. I also had a good sized incision in my hip to get those things in place. I think I was about 10 days off of my cane when I showed up for the casting call. I did not get selected BUT! Shelly Miles & Leslie Bohl Jones are the host of the San Antonio Living show. They are two of the nicest ladies you will ever find any where. The 6 contestants were selected THEN, they increased that number to 9 THEN, they announced that anyone that wanted to register online could do so and there would also be an online competition. This is where my journey begins.
On February 24th of 2008 I began a journey to better health. Still getting over a cold and was sick all week, but getting with the program.

This was me on day one. 254 pounds according to the old home scale.














The first thing I realized I had to do was KILL THE SCALE!
IT LIES!!!




Well, since this journey is about calibrating me,
I decided to do some self calibration instead of
calibrating the scale.
We have a treadmill at home as well as a
Bow Flex resistance machine. I like hiking quite a bit so My favorite hiking spot would also be on the exercise menu. Food? Well, I amnot much of a dessert and sweets person so all I had to do there was get away from the fried everything, cut down on the carbs, don't skip any meals and go for smaller portions and lower calories.