Looney Junes: My Crazy Busy Month from A to Z

It's been a hell of a month for yours truly. A little bit of everything has happened. A tour of the alphabet is in order....

Awesome girlfriend and cat family. I'm loving the new set-up and loving it even more with the loving g/f and cats that inexplicably entertain me on a daily basis. We've all adjusted to the new neighborhood quite well.

Bowling this summer. Our team has sucked so far this year. However, to start the second half of the year, we swept our first series. Let's see if this carries over into July & August.

Cell Dwelling at US Cellular Field. I've gone to a few games there this June, both unique in their own ways. I experienced my first-ever fog delay on a Monday night game when the White Sox faced the Blue Jays. I also attended the second game of a doubleheader on June 28th as the White Sox blew a 9th inning lead against the Indians.

Donations. Thanks to a last-minute pledge for money in my St. Jude/Warrior Dash efforts, I was able to gather a total of $1070 from my network of family and friends. I know those kids at St. Jude appreciate every single dollar donated. Thank you to everyone who donated.

Exercise. I need to find a gym soon or find new workouts to do. I don't want to regress to what I was before January 1st.

Fit Happens Champion. Over 30 pounds lost. Still have about 20-25 pounds to go before I'll be completely happy.

Game 6 - in both NBA & NHL Finals. Watched both in different venues (NBA at home, NHL at a bar). Each viewing experience left me shocked and reaffirmed why I love watching sports - the unexpected, unscripted drama that you can't get anywhere else.

Holding pattern. I had big plans coming up (trip to Seattle, new bowling league in Fall) that may need to be put on hold with the layoff. Hoping that I can find work quicker than the three months it took between jobs last time.

Ink for my computer. Yep, need some more ink. I had no idea what to write for the I portion of this blog, as you can tell.

Job search in progress. Yep, out of a job starting the end of day, July 5th. Any help would be much appreciated.

(5)K runs. I did my first one in quite a while on June 2nd. Fittingly enough with one of the guys who helped get me into shape. Thanks Chris. Going to try making them a monthly thing. Might hold off on this, depending on cost of 5K. Me needs to save some dough, yo.

Logan Square - love the new neighborhood feel. Moved here June 1. Love it here so far.

Mohawk. It may be short-lived, especially if I start to get interviews soon. I got it in dedication to my cousin Marilyn and the Warrior Dash run. Plus I look awesome with it.

Networking. It's the key that got me my last two jobs. It's exactly where I picked up when I heard the news of being laid off. So far, it has not produced results, but I have faith that my networks will be what gets me employed again.

Olivers. This remains my go-to suburban bar, particularly after bowling on Wednesdays before heading back to the burbs. I caught most of Stanley Cup Game 1 there, the end of Game 4, and always share good stories and good times with my friends there.

Pizza places. My favorite part of moving into a new Chicago neighborhood is to try new pizza places. I do miss Pat's Pizza, but there's a few good joints around here that I'm sure we'll enjoy just as much.

Quarterback Keeper. In less serious news (or more serious, depending on your level of fantasy football interest), trying to decide who to keep in my fantasy football league. Earlier in June, I was thinking Kaepernick. Now, I'm thinking Peyton Manning. I'm not sure how much longer Peyton has. I can keep either one of these guys for the next three seasons. Who would you choose?

Rear ended on June 14th. It was my second accident in a row where my car was not in motion when I got hit. Luckily, it was only a few minor bumps on the bumper. The guy who hit me offered to pay for my troubles, but I was not about to bother with that.

Stanley Cup Playoffs. Definitely the most active I've been involved with hockey in my life (from betting it to watching it). While I give bandwagon people a hard time, I have no problem with them. Bandwagons breed new fans of a sport, and that's never a bad thing - as long as people take the time to learn the sports they follow.

Trans mount. I needed a new one of these for my car (I couldn't tell you what a trans mount is or where it is in my car). I was about to get a new one and pay $400 last month at Firestone, but they didn't have one for my model car. Luckily they didn't - totally forgot about what was covered by CarMax and the warrant. Just got it fixed by CarMax for the low price of free.99.

Uncle Brian. Still is awesome to say. Will always be awesome. Every moment I've had to hold my nephew Brayden has been a fantastic moment. The last two times I saw him this month, he has been looking around and soaking in his environment. Can't believe he's already six weeks old.

Victory parade. I debated whether to attend the Blackhawks parade, but my parade experience in 2010 was all I really needed. Millions of people, with even just 5 or 10 percent of them drunk and an even higher percentage annoying, was not my cup of tea for this year's celebration.

Warrior Dash completed on June 16th. It was much tougher than when I did it three years ago. Glad to be a part of Team Carter.

eXcel Spreadsheets. As I was transferring files to my personal email before my work computer is taken away, I forgot how many excel spreadsheets I've worked with over the years. Many of my blogs had data stored in excels.

Year is half over. The year has flown, but it feels like this month has lasted longer than 30 days, as you can see by this blog.

Zombie Seinfeld. I caught this production on June 14th, right after the rear-ending. It was an excellent adaptation of Seinfeld that does not require one to love zombies (I can't stand zombie stuff) or even Seinfeld. Great job by Jeremy & Dan Eden, as always.

Warrior Dash/St. Jude Donation Update - Thank You All

To all of those who have donated towards my Warrior Dash run for St. Jude tomorrow, for those who have been an inspiration in my second round of weight loss, and for my great network of family and friends, I want to say thank you.

With a couple more donations yesterday, I have been able to reach over my $1000 goal, which I raised from my initial $500 back in April. The initial donations I received from all of you was overwhelming and has inspired me to keep going for higher goals (both for donations and for my fitness level).

Inspirations/Dedications

My Bohawk, in honor of my cousin Marilyn

Here are but a few of the people I have in mind when it comes to this race and the donation efforts:

• For my cousin Marilyn who passed away in 1989 after developing a brain tumor as a child, but I know is with us in spirit. From this donation process and dedication, I have learned that people live as long as you keep their story alive.
• For my brother, who as a kid was slowed down only by the leg braces which remained between his legs for years.
• For my friend Jim, who was just medically cleared of the colon cancer that he found out he had last summer. He is the ringleader of the crew of people racing on Sunday, otherwise known as Team Carter.
• For my cousin Kyle, who is currently going through chemo for a brain tumor. His battle is far from over, but he is doing as well as he can, thanks to a strong spirit and a great support network.

There may be a few others I'm missing, and I apologize for this. Some of you may have donated money to this cause with someone else in mind, and I'll gladly dedicate the 3.1 miles to them as well.

What is the Warrior Dash?

Speaking of the race, for those not familiar with the Warrior Dash, you'd probably be interested to see some of what the race has to offer. Take a look at some of the obstacles on the course: http://www.warriordash.com/obstacles.php

When I did this three years ago, I was actually most worried about the Cargo Climb and getting stuck in the rope. And I almost lost a shoe in the Muddy Mayhem portion of the race. If I'm not mistaken, the race ended with the Warrior Roast. It looks more intimidating and dangerous on the webpage than it actually is.

This isn't a race about time for me, but for enjoyment. I will likely walk very small portions of this race to regain energy, as this isn't your typical 5K. They will have times for the race, but I couldn't care less.

Sadly, I won't stand out too much in this at the Dash

I was going to wait till race day to show this picture to the world, but I figured I'd show you what I'm wearing for the race. I was looking to get a California Raisins shirt to wear in honor of Marilyn (I believe that was a favorite of hers), but instead I got a D.A.R.E. shirt and a headband in the colors of the 80s. The great thing about this race is that people dress up even more than this, so I will look like a businessman in this outfit compared to some of the other costumes.

I will keep you all updated on how this race goes. Unlike the 5K I completed at the beginning of the month, I have no goal for time. I'd expect somewhere in the 32-33 minute range, but again, time is not of the essence in this one.

Last-Minute Donations

If you'd like to make a last-minute donation (June 15th) to provide a little more money to St. Jude than my network already has, follow this link and donate what you can:

https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?programId=2252&userId=964629&eventId=333033

Again, I appreciate all of your donation efforts and sharing of my St. Jude page to get even more donations. It means a lot to me, my family, and most importantly, the kids of St. Jude.

Chapter 11 Fit Happens: The B-Bo Dynasty?

Rule of thumb: if you ever have the opportunity to refer to yourself in the third person, make sure you are doing so in the context of success.

With that being said, B-Bo feels pretty confident in his ability to speak in the third person vernacular for this particular blog - the eleventh chapter of Fit Happens.

The final weigh in was earlier on Wednesday, and while B-Bo was not delighted to see his bid for a third victorious month in the contest (out of four) fail when Williams posted his weigh in for April, he was still quite satisfied with his second place finish for the month, which accompanies his second-place finish in February. Here are the results from the month, followed by the overall results through 120 days:

User	lbs	%
Dave	0.6 lbs	0.22 %
Hippo	-1.4 lbs	-0.64 %
LionEsquire	-5.6 lbs	-2.51 %
B-Bo Knows Weight Loss	-3.6 lbs	-1.73 %

User	lbs	%
Dave	-15.8 lbs	-5.47 %
Hippo	-28.8 lbs	-11.66 %
LionEsquire	-26.4 lbs	-10.82 %
B-Bo Knows Weight Loss	-30.8 lbs	-13.07 %

As expected, this month was the lowest amount of weight loss and weight loss percentage for a winner of a month. Each month has been more difficult for the contestants to lose weight. Note the totals below for monthly breakdown in weight loss:

	B-Bo	Hippo	Chris	Magic Bus
Jan 1 - Feb 1	-13	-11.4	-13.2	-11.8
Feb 1 - Mar 1	-7	-8.8	-5.4	-4.2
Mar 1 - Apr 1	-7.2	-7.2	-2.2	-0.4
Apr 1 - May 1	-3.6	-1.4	-5.6	0.6
May 1 - June 1
June 1 - July 1
	-30.8	-28.8	-26.4	-15.8

So what will be different this month? What will be the next step in B-Bo's dominance? Some thoughts:

1. Nike+ - I just got this app on my Android, which tracks my distance, time, path, and calories burned for each run I do. I plan on using it just for outdoor runs. I believe it will get me to run outside more in preparation for the Warrior Dash that I am doing in June. Also, with this being my last month in the South Loop, I need to take advantage of the nice running area by Grant Park and the Lakeside.
2. Weights - I will be trying to incorporate weights (not free weights, but more machines and dumbbells) into my workout. This should help me shed weight at a slightly faster clip.
3. Shakes - Jen just bought us a blender that we plan on putting to good use. I just finished my first shake that had strawberries, bananas and oats, among other things. I believe having these shakes on a regular basis in lieu of some of the junk I may eat will help my diet out. (Just noticed that items 2 and 3 can be rearranged to become Shake Weight)
4. Outdoor Sports? - I hope to play an outdoor sport of some sort on a somewhat regular basis (basketball, softball, whatever). Perhaps joining a league is an option.
5. Below 200 - The above items, as well as the continued intensity of workout that I've been doing throughout the months, will hopefully help dip my weight to below 200 pounds. It would signal me reaching my contest goal a month ahead of time and would be a major accomplishment for me as I look to continue my healthy journey.
6. Uncle B-Bo - I am looking to reach the Below 200 goal before I become an uncle. Whether I have a niece or a nephew, I would love to be under 200 pounds for his or her entire life. With my sister-in-law due in about three weeks, I may not achieve this goal, but I'll do my best to get there.

That about wraps 'er up for Chapter 11. Hope you enjoyed this latest edition. I will return either later this month or at the beginning of June to share my latest adventures and hopefully another winning month.

Peace.

Fit Happens Chapter 9: Halfway There

In case you missed the individual profiles on each of the contestants from the past week, click the links below to read about our individual trials and tribulations:

Profile 1 (Chris)
Profile 2 (Hippo)
Profile 3 (Magic Bus)
Profile 4 (B-Bo)

We're halfway done with the Fit Happens Weight Loss Challenge sponsored by Papa Johns. Papa John did not sponsor us unfortunately, so we will not be able to give away two million free pizzas. April Fools!

Weight as of April 1: 208.4, a loss of 27.2 pounds. Currently leading in Fit Happens.

And the good news? I'm still in the lead...but barely. Below are the standings at the halfway mark.

User	lbs	%
Dave	-17.6 lbs	-6.1 %
Hippo	-27.4 lbs	-11.1 %
LionEsquire	-20.8 lbs	-8.52 %
B-Bo Knows Weight Loss	-27.2 lbs	-11.54 %

Other good news? I won the month of March, but barely. Thanks to my slightly less plump exterior compared to Hippo, who lost the same amount of weight but lost a less of a percentage.

User	lbs	%
Dave	-1.6 lbs	-0.59 %
Hippo	-7.2 lbs	-3.18 %
LionEsquire	-2.2 lbs	-0.98 %
B-Bo Knows Weight Loss	-7.2 lbs	-3.34 %

That makes two victorious months and one second-place finish out of the three months of the contest. Can't complain with that. Hell, I'm shocked I have lost 27+ pounds so far. I figured to get about 20-22, but 27 is a nice cubed number.

So what's next?

For me personally, there's a lot going on in the next month that can help me continue going strong in the contest:

1. Exercise bike - Thanks to a client of Jen's moving to Georgia, we inherited a free exercise bike for the apartment a week ago. It currently sits in our living room behind our couch facing the TV. I have used it three times and Jen has used it once or twice. I believe this will get used more than home exercise equipment that I've used in the past. Last year when I lived with my parents like a cool 29-year old, we inherited a machine of my grandma's that was covered in dust. After cleaning the dust for that and using it a little, it is currently gathering dust in the garage. The goal: use the exercise bike 4-5 times a week to ensure it does not turn into a coat rack with a plug.
2. Warrior Dash - I signed up for the Warrior Dash on Friday, ensuring that I will continue to run on the machine (and hopefully some outside as the weather allows it) to get into better shape. I hope to be in the 190s when I'm racing in June.
3. Zoo Run in June - I may be running this with fellow Fit Happens member Chris. It would be the day after me and Jen move into our yet-to-be-determined new apartment. It's a 5K, so I shouldn't have a problem running it at a decent pace (for my first 5K in a while, it'd be nice to have a 9 minute mile pace).
4. Free Time - For reasons I'd rather not discuss right now or at least online, I may have some more time to myself coming up. If this is the case, I will focus on making sure to maximize this time to working out and getting into better shape.

Not sure when I'll update this again (maybe next month). Hope you've been enjoying this series so far.

Fit Happens Chapter 8: Participant Profile 4 (B-Bo)

What better way to close out the participant profile section of Fit Happens than to interview yourself and talk in the third person in the process.

File photo of B-Bo. He has since gotten a lot skinnier and his tan has decreased significantly.

As the last official member of Fit Happens (a name he helped coin), B-Bo knew he had a good chance of winning this contest based on his previous attempts of losing weight when joining his gym (then called Cardinal Fitness) in 2008. In his first three months of working out there, he lost over 20 pounds.

However, unlike last time, B-Bo needed a little extra push, some motivation to work out. He had tried to get back into going to the gym last year, but he was never fully able to motivate himself to go the gym as frequently as he used to, at least not enough to see a health impact from it.

The contest came a callin' and B-Bo answered. Today, he shares his story in the third person to tell us about his motivations and goals for Fit Happens:

1.       What made you decide to do Fit Happens? In December, I was emailed by Chris about this idea that they had about a weight loss contest. I had been dragging my feet about working out, despite having a pretty decent gym in the basement of our building. I've also wanted to lose a little weight for a while, but I had no motivation and drive when trying to restart my workouts last April. Thankfully for this email, I had the proper motivation. After we bickered a little bit about the layout of it, the contest was all set and ready to begin on January 1^st.

2.       What were your goals to come out of this? I won’t lie and say having a chance to win some money wasn’t a little motivation before we started the contest. But once I went to the gym on the first day of the year and weighed myself, it was all about my health at that point. It made me realize I needed to go back to Brian circa 2008 and started working out and eating a little better. I forgot how good it feels to listen to some music, dripping with sweat as I toil away on the treadmill. There's a sense of accomplishment from it, and plus, it's helped with increasing my overall energy on a daily basis. I actually look forward to my work outs because of it.

3.       What changes have you made to your daily habits during the contest? I am now way more active than I have been since starting my current job in July 2010. I try going to our basement gym about 4-5 times a week. And if I know I’m going to a bar within a couple miles, I’ll walk there instead of taking a cab or other form of transportation. Diet-wise, I have been eating a lot less. I can’t say I’ve eliminated bad foods (don’t think I ever will), but when Jen and I do order out, I will order chicken Caesar salads more frequently than I used to. The diet is probably the thing I have to work on the most—I have no problem motivating myself to work out anymore.

4.       Have you ran into any difficulties during this contest? If so, how have you overcome them or trying to overcome them? To be honest, I haven’t had any difficulties during the contest. Maybe at the beginning, it was difficult to accept that I had gotten so out of shape that walking on the treadmill at 4 miles per hour was a challenge. Now, I’m back to running my 6+ mph pace and have signed up for the Warrior Dash in June, the second time I will have participated in the race.

5.       When the contest is over, do you think it will be hard to keep up this level of intense workout and/or diet? Being a numbers guy, I will miss the weigh-ins once or twice a week and seeing how everyone has progressed and how I compare to them. Outside of that, I think this contest has done exactly what it was meant to do. It has gotten us into better eating and workout habits.  And I believe all of us are fully capable of living long, healthy lives. If this is the start of it for all of us, then I’m glad to be a part of it.

6.       Entering the second half of the contest, what are your goals for the next three months? Have you had to adjust them as time has passed? I’d like to keep losing weight at the rate I have been the past couple months (around 5-6 pounds per month). I know the first month’s output of 13+ pounds is likely unattainable again in the course of the contest. And I’ll be the only one who says it, but hell, I want to win this damn thing. It’s something I would be very proud of—even if I don’t win it, I plan on keeping up with the work outs and eating better.

As far as my goals go, the only way I’ve had to adjust them is to expect more of myself. My original goal was to get under the 200 mark (losing 35 pounds). Now that I am over 25 pounds lost at the halfway mark, I feel like readjusting the goal to a lower number (like 190 or 195) would be a good thing to do.

7.       What do you expect your final weigh-in to be? Originally, I would have been happy to be at or near 200 when we reached the end of June. Now, I’d like to be around 190 but am expecting something closer to 195.

8.       In your honest opinion, who do you think is going to win the contest? All of us are capable of winning the contest if we do the right things to our body—eating the right food, getting the proper weekly activity, etc. That being said, I think my motivation to get into shape is just as strong as these gentlemen. And with the small lead I’ve built at the halfway mark, I believe I’ll be able to carry that over into the last three months and come out ahead as the Fit Happens Champ.

Not to go cliché, but at the end of the day, we’ll all be winners as long as we continue to reach the goals we set out to reach when we started in January.

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.