Fit Happens Chapter 4: Weight For It...How I Met Your Weight Loss Goals

Everybody loves (another) comeback story. It all starts circa November 2008.

Step 1: Decide to join a gym.

Step 2: Work out hard core for a 2-year period and lose 45 pounds. You become a running machine.

Step 3: Get a job where you work from home and start night class at the same time.

Step 4: Stop going to the gym. Plump up and regain a whole bunch of weight (and then some). You become a washing machine.

Step 5: Join weight loss contest with several friends in order to repeat/exceed results seen in Step 2.

Step 6: Don't repeat Step 4 - ever.

As I reside in Step 6, I have been complimented quite a bit about my decreased figure, including from some people who I wouldn't expect to notice such weight loss.

It's the beauty of changing ourselves for the better. Whenever a person decides to change something about themselves like quitting smoking or losing weight and they are successful for an extended period of time, his or her friends are quick to point out how much better they look (or in the case of smoking, congratulate them on the progress made in not smoking). Never mind the fact that you should have made better decisions about your diet or not started smoking in the first place - those people who focus on these things as a habit are not complimented nearly as much as they should be. We love comeback stories in sports, but it hits closer to home when the comeback is made by you or someone close to you.

(Editor's note: I had to edit some of the paragraph below because I wrote this story last night under the notion that I would be repeating as the monthly champ of Fit Happens. Since it didn't happen, I had to bite the bullet and edit it to the truth)

In the two months of the weight loss contest, I have already lost exactly 20 pounds (down to 215.6). I got a little ahead of myself by posting a picture of my weight after working out last night. I was so close to winning the first two months of the contest. It was something that I did not think was possible when entering the month. I figured that with all the weight I lost in January that I would have great difficulty going back-to-back. Nick took Month 2, but I am still on top of the overall leaderboard w/ 8.49%.

Dave	-16.0 lbs	-5.54 %
Hippo	-20.2 lbs	-8.18 %
LionEsquire	-18.6 lbs	-7.62 %
B-Bo Knows Weight Loss	-20.0 lbs	-8.49 %

Challenge...Accepted:

As many of you have read in the previous blog, one of the challenges I set forth in February was not consuming any alcohol in the month of February after the Super Bowl. I am proud to say that I easily succeeded in this task. In addition to the happenings in Fit Happens Chapter 3, I had a few other times where drinks were present and I was really tempted. The last such instance was at Twin Anchors Ribs (great ribs), where a 40 minute wait meant that I had to stand like a sardine in a can while watching a bunch of people drink what I assumed was sweet, delicious craft beer out of the tap.

In addition to halting my alcohol consumption to nil, I have also increased the intensity of my workouts. It was my goal this month to be able to run on the treadmill for 3-4 miles by the end of the month, which I was able to do. I would have like to have worked out a few more times (I worked out 14 of the 28 days of the month - aiming for 100 gym visits during the 6 month contest), but the important thing is getting my ass motivated to the gym.

The diet has improved a little. A lot less snacking and eating/ordering out, more home-cooked meals. I ordered Pat's Pizza (the South Loop version) only once, which is a rare thing for me. I've only had Pat's twice in the current calendar year. If you've ever had their thin crust pizza, you'd know how easy it would be to down an entire pizza by yourself - ok, maybe not you, maybe the November, chubbier version of me would know.

I expected that losing 4-to-6 pounds was the realistic goal for this month, given (1) the fewer days in February and (2) the weight loss plateaus that come after a month or two of working out. Luckily, the combination above really worked in my favor, and I am happy to say that I exceeded this goal by a pound.

Not as light as the picture posted Thursday night, but still a 7 pound weight loss for February (exactly 20 lost overall)

Sandcastles in the Sand

Now as far as the challenges ahead in March?

1. Hawaii: Have I mentioned I am going to Hawaii for work this month? Oh....yeah. I'm going to Hawaii this month. Yeah, awesome. As far as my weight loss project goes, I hope I don't have to put it on hold while I am here. I know the idea of all expenses paid will make drinking tempting. I don't think it'll be much of a problem, but it does present its temptations. I'm hoping there's a gym I can work out there at least a few times.
2. March Madness: Per my usual doings, I am taking off for the March Madness tourney. This has presented itself as an ugly convergence of gambling and beer in my recent past. Again, I believe my self-control is much better than before, so I should be ok. I may need to work out a little harder in the days to follow the first two days of the tourney.
3. St. Patty's: Actually, this day shouldn't be a problem. I've never gotten into the spirit of this "holiday". In fact, I mostly despise it thanks to an incident involving my brother nearly getting ran off the road on the day of the Parade (that story is for another day). 

Clap Bet

Now that the second month of the "contest" is over - which at this point has served its purpose and then some for all involved - I am looking to continue the weight loss and have adjusted my goals slightly based on the results of the first few months. Here are a few of the things I am cheering for myself to accomplish in the next four months and beyond:

1. One of my original goals was to get under 200 pounds by the end of the contest. That still remains a goal, but I'd like to take it a step further and say I'd like to get under 195 (possibly to 190) by the end of June.
2. I am looking to run a race at some point during this contest. I have a variety of races to choose from, but may be limited in my choices. The Shamrock Shuffle is in April and is an 8K. I'm not sure if I will be in the shape I'd want to be in to run an 8K. Even when I was back in shape in 2010, I was not running 8K or more outside of my intense 7.5 mile treadmill runs.
   
   Other races I am looking to run: United Run for the Zoo at Lincoln Park and/or the Warrior Dash. Unfortunately, the latter requires me to race in the very first heat of runners, likely by myself since the group of friends I would like to go with are racing the next day. I'd be racing that day if it wasn't for a work conference in Florida I am going to that day.
   
   The likely race to run is the Run for the Zoo. If anyone wants to join me for this, please let me know. By then, I believe I will be in 8 minute-mile shape.
3. Of course, one of my goals is a "No shit, Sherlock" goal: I am looking to win this contest. But I feel all of us agree that the weight loss contest was more of a motivating technique, a means to an end, to change behaviors that needed to be changed. I am delighted that the four of us have been keeping in constant contact during the two months, sharing our positive stories, motivating each other and congratulating certain milestones reached. Everyone has lost a significant amount of weight so far. At this pace, no one will have to worry about any of the detrimental sides of the bet (like changing avatars/gamer tags or wearing a dress to dinner with the guys).
4. I am still looking to get to the gym 100 times in the 6 months. I have gone 28 times in the first 59 days of the year, meaning I have to average 18 visits to the gym per month the rest of the contest. If I am able to do that, I believe all of the goals above will be achievable.

In the next chapter or so, I am going to try interviewing some of the other contestants to see their progress in this contest and what they have done to lose weight.

I hope you enjoyed the latest legen.....wait for it.....dary Fit Happens chapter.

Fit Happens Chapter 3: The No Booze Cruise (Part 1)

As I did three years ago, I have devoted the month of February to no alcohol drinks whatsoever (editors note: we shall never speak of the events of February 3rd, which was reserved for the consumption of a plethora and variety of craft brews imbibed during the 49ers loss in the Super Bowl).

This no-alcohol month was done in two parts: (1) to give myself a challenge that I knew would be tough, especially with how many alcohol-based situations I am in on a weekly basis and (2) to help in the process of losing weight for the Fit Happens challenge.

I knew the chances of repeating as the Biggest Loser based on percentage for the month of February would be difficult, so I figured some kind of dietary change had to occur for this to happen (in addition to working out harder and more frequently).

I have kept track of all of the potential drinking opportunities and how difficult it was for me to abstain from drinking. I'm actually surprised at how often I'm in drinking situations, which surprises me that it surprises me.

Without further ado (listed by the date where temptation presented itself)

1st - As is the case every Friday, bowling always presents its share of temptation of delicious beer, usually 312. It is also harder to not drink when the team when you are bowling is a bunch of booze hounds - which was the case today. Seeing as though I bowled below average this particular week (peaking at a 191 in game 2) as our team got swept, a pint couldn't have hurt. Temptation Level: Medium

2nd - This day contained visits to two separate bars - Olivers and Zante's. Oliver's was with the family (not with my usual Wednesday night hooligans, so no difficulty there. Zante's was a different story.

Here's a story on Yelp a few years ago from someone who went there:

• Elite '13
• 304friends
• 160reviews

• Dana G.

Frankfort, IL

 1/6/2011

If there was a hell mouth for douche bags this is definitely one of them.

Do not come here on a weekend if you like your sanity. This place THINKS they are a Chicago club and so do the people that frequent it. They have a freakin' bathroom attendant... seriously thanks but I can wipe my own damn hands and I'm not paying you a dollar for a stick of gum. The door guys/ bouncers are rude (probably from the hair gel leaking through their skulls.

AVOID AVOID AVOID

This summary sums up my thoughts on the place. The best part of the place this particular night was that there was one table of awesome people and an awesome birthday girl. Otherwise, this review is how I feel about the bar. So needless to say, the urge to drink this night was particularly high. I did buy drinks...but they weren't for me. Ada (the birthday girl in question) and Jen enjoyed a lemon drop shot as part of my birthday drink gift. My 3-4 glasses of water were my only beverages consumed. Temptation Level: High; Total Bar Visits: 2; (Month-to-Date: 2)

3rd - (We're forgetting about this day. Damn Ravens)

6th - Wednesday night bowling doesn't usually have the same alcohol temptation that Friday does, but there are a few teams we enjoy bowling against whose enjoyment of a couple drinks might get our team to do the same. However, when the team you are facing is named "BYE" and has no people on the team, the possibility of being tempted by them is nil. After bowling is usually a trip to Olivers, but sticking with the theme of a BYE week, my usual duo of knuckleheads were both MIA - no appearance to Olivers necessary. Temptation Level: Low

8th - Another bowling night, but with a team that doesn't interact with us in a way that others do (where there may be a shot here and there), there was no temptation to drink, although sadly, I have to say we all did take shots from a shot glass. They contained water. I bowled well that night (610 series, topping out at a 241 in the first game), so that's all I really need from a bowling night I realized. Temptation Level: Low

9th - I went to visit my friend who lives in Bloomington. If you know anything about us, you'd know that pretty much every time we've hung out (dating back to the start of our friendship in college times), there has been a couple of beers consumed. We did go to a bar, but we just grabbed lunch and then hung out at his place before heading back home to the South Loop in the early evening.

After this was one of the most alcohol-filled situations I've been in: Geno & Jen's engagement party. Over two dozen people were at the party - I believe all of them except one thinning white boy with a faux hawk were drinking something that night. With celebration drinks and clinking glasses surrounding me, I stayed strong with my 36 ounce water jug (between Bloomington and this party, I refilled the jug about 8 or 9 times - over 300 oz's of H2O in my body throughout the day). Talking about brewing beer with Ed didn't help matters. We also went to a bar (The Shamrock) after for a couple of drinks. But, as is the theme with this story, I stayed strong. Temptation Level: High; Total Bar Visits: 2 (Month-to-Date: 4)

10th - Another day with G & J, another day of bowling, but surprisingly, not as much temptation. This bowling league on Sundays is more of a social league than a serious one, but on this particular day, no one on the team was drinking. I'm a substitute for the team, bowling when needed. Afterwards, we went to Diversey's to grab dinner and catch some of the Blackhawks game. Again, shocked to see no one was drinking. Jen and I left before the game ended. However, at the bar, I set up my next drinking temptation event, which coincidentally enough, involved going to a Blackhawks game. Temptation Level: Low; Total Bar Visits: 1 (Month-to-Date: 5)

Pierre & Geno

12th - I was invited to go to a Blackhawks game with Geno, for the low price of buying him a couple rounds of drinks. At this point, he knew that I was not drinking this month - and as such, he respected my stance of not drinking this month. We took a free shuttle from The Crossroads to the United Center. After not drinking there amid a 3-2 Blackhawks defeat, I went back to the bar with Geno (but not before running into New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas, who I took a picture of with Geno). The urge to drink was a little higher than the previous temptation, but certainly not as bad as it's been this month. Temptation Level: Medium; Total Bar Visits: 1 (Month-to-Date: 6)

13th - I headed to Atlanta for a few days, where I was to meet with my co-workers, including my new boss (who I had never had the chance to meet before). I was in my hotel room for several hours before I got a call from him to meet him at the hotel bar. As I did many times so far this month, I explained my no-drink situation, so my beverage of choice was water throughout the 48 hours together. I also managed to avoid drinking at a restaurant we went to when Jake got into town. I did take a shot of something - strangely, it was an oyster/calamari shot. I assured the new boss that I would be enjoying adult beverages with them on our company trip next month in Hawaii. Temptation Level: High; Total Bar Visits (including the hotel bar): 2 (Month-to-Date: 8)

14th - The second night featured dinner with a client in a downtown restaurant and visiting a pub where the boss wanted to see an old friend of his that he hadn't seen in a couple years. The client dinner was fantastic - no drinks, no worries. Same with the visit to the bar. We didn't stay there long, as every one of us was tired and wanted to get some shut eye. Temptation Level: Low; Total Bar Visits (including restaurant): 2 (Month-to-Date: 10)

15th - I got back into Chicago around 7:30 pm, just in time to get back to the suburbs for bowling. Like the bowling situation on the 1st, we faced a team full of guys who are never shy about their consumption of buckets full of piss water known as Coors Light. Avoiding drinking was not a problem though. Temptation was lower than normal, considering the team we are bowling against. One thing I did notice - as I go with beer drinking at bowling, so goes my team. Not once this month has my team had a beer to drink while bowling. Temptation Level: Low

More to come on this as the month finishes. I will also update everyone on my weight loss and whether or not I am able to defend my Biggest Loser crown from January. Peace!

No Time to Weight

It's been a week of being on medication and going to see a physical therapist, and so far, so good. The back appears to be getting better, and hopefully by the time the month's worth of physical therapy appointments are done, I will be back to normal. I'm really tempted to test it out by bowling a game, even though that's how I threw out the back. But for now, I'll be smart and sit it out while watching my teammates bowl. Watching from the sidelines has been difficult. When you get used to a routine - and when you're passionate about something like I am about bowling, it's tough to watch it and know you can't do it.

One thing I'm glad that I haven't missed too much, surprisingly, is beer. These medications (for pain reduction and muscle relaxing) are not to be taken with alcohol. I'm sure most medications are that way, but I've taken this as a serious warning. The few beers I have had in the past week have been well after I took my last medication (like 6-7 hours), and in each situation, I only drank a beer.

Even watching people drink hasn't been as bad as I thought. Normally, that would be the biggest form of pressure to drink - when your peers are pouring down the suds. The ability to resist has been better than I imagined.

I was told by my physical therapist that losing some weight would help the back. This has inspired me to try eating healthier in addition to the reduction in alcohol consumption. As of 8/15/2011, I sit at 217 pounds, so we will see how this change of diets (in addition to moving around a little bit) will help my weight loss (and in turn, my back).

I did so good with my working out the last time 3 years ago and threw it all away in the past year. I need to get in the workout mindset again. My friends Jen and Steve are doing a good job with it- so much so, that when they came over last week for a swim and BBQ, they brought over some turkey burgers.

I need to get into the eating right/exercising regimen again. Let's hope that I (as well as Steve, Jen and any of my other friends who are aiming to get healthy/healthier) can get this in order.