Real Life Update 3, Merry Christmas (0 lbs. lost)

257 lbs.
112 lbs. lost since 12/7/07

If you are new to loseforthefuse.com please read the first post or pledge here.

Cookies, pies, candies, and lots of big dinners, ahh the Holidays!  I'll take a 0 week over Christmas any year, especially considering the gym was closed and I only got to work out twice this week.  Honestly, if I can kick off 2009 in the 250s I'll consider the Christmas season a huge success.  I love the fact that I can enjoy time with friends and family, eat some yummy stuff, and know that in the long run it will be fine.   Now that I think of it, I'm really craving another piece of pumpkin pie.

See ya' next week!

Real Life Update 2, Dropping Down the Charts (4 lbs. lost)

257 lbs.
112 lbs. lost since 12/7/07

If you are new to loseforthefuse.com please read the first post or pledge here.

I guess eventually these 4 or 5 pound weeks will cease to happen, but it's a pretty clear sign that I still have some work to do.  Again, initially I wasn't sure the 250s were a realistic goal and now I can't help but think the 230s might be a reality.  I also should repeat that it's not necessarily about the number it's about the little day to day choices that make me healthier and give me more energy to do the things I need to do.   In two weeks, barring an illness, I will have spent the entire calender year without being sick.  The worst I can remember is that I developed a slight sore throat when our heat kicked on for the winter, but that was just for a couple hours that one morning.  I'm pretty sure this will be the first such year in my 32 calender years of post womb life.  Amazing.

Speaking of not focusing on just the weight number, I never did mention that I had another BFP test done 2 weeks ago when I closed out the first year.  BFP (body fat percentage) is a much more accurate look at health than BMI (body mass index) since BMI fails to account for factors like muscle mass or body structure.  You can see the BFP chart in this post and it should give you an idea.  My BFP this past test was at 21%, another 2.5% drop from where it was in July and getting pretty close to the magic %18 when I officially enter the fitness category (currently I am acceptable).  Compare this to BMI, where I just this week crossed into the "overweight" category.  BMI considered me obese a full 5 months after BFP has said I was acceptable, not only that but BMI still considers me overweight and likely always will (215 is where I become normal according to BMI and 190 is my BMI center).   Let's just say I prefer to go with the BFP for my assessment.  The problem is that the tests aren't as easy to calculate as just putting height and weight into a calculator, so many people don't get them done.  If you are serious about checking out your progress I would highly recommend finding someone to test your BFP every couple months.  The tests are usually around $20-$30 and will do much more to assess you fitness than the BMI does.

That's it for this week, we shall see if the Christmas cookies continue to have no effect next week.

Real Life Update 1, Wii Fit Scale in Effect (2 lbs. lost)

261 lbs.
108 lbs. lost since 12/7/07

If you are new to loseforthefuse.com please read the first post or pledge here.

Week 1 in the real world.

I'm not sure how this will go now that the official first year is over.  I want to continue using this blog as a place for accountability and hopefully to launch others into losing weight for FuseFM.  I'll likely try to continue with the Friday posts at least while I am still losing weight on a week to week basis.  Once I level off, we shall see.

How about that before and after shot?  It's a bit shoking, even to me, to look back and see how big I was.  I didn't feel that big, I don't remember being that big, but there it is, clear as day.

This week I will be shifting my official scale from the gym scale to the Wii Fit scale, so there is a little bit of adjustment with the number.  Wii Fit consistantly comes in about 2 pounds less than the gym scale so it's a bit decieving to say I lost 2 more pounds this week.  Not decieving enough that I won't take it mind you, but still a little decieving none the less.  Still it was a good week, and I feel really good about where this will go in the future.

Thanks for continuing to check in, and be sure and let me know if you are interested in doing Lose for the Fuse in 2009!  I'll probably be leading a group of about 6 for 6 month periods starting sometime in January or February, but we still have to iron out all the details.

Week 52 update, One Year Later (2 lbs. lost)...

263 lbs.
106 lbs. lost
0 weeks left
Total Raised for FuseFM: $1600

If you are new to loseforthefuse.com please read the first post or pledge here.

One year later:

- my waist size is down from a 54 to a 42

- my boys now play with my excess belly skin instead of my excess belly fat.

- I can run a 5K in 25 minutes a mile in under 8 minutes.

- I can weigh myself on most store bought scales.

- I can wear an XL shirt comfortably instead of a 3X uncomfortably

- I can touch the my actual belly button.

- I can see where I'm aiming (TMI?)

- I don't grunt every time I stand up or sit down.

- I haven't been sick in over a year, as opposed to developing a nasty cough or sinus infection every 3 months.

- I have face wrinkles

- My shoes are looser.

- Strange women stop me at church to tell me how good I look.

- I have turned a fat beard into a cop stache and then into a baby face.

- I eat salad occasionally.

- I also still eat pizza and cookies..

- The only liquid I consume is water.

- My knees don't hurt, my back is great, and I don't get debilitating headaches.

- I wear T Shirts as regular shirts.

- I sneak feels of my muscles flexing, and smile.

- I can do 30 push ups as opposed to none.

- I weigh 263 pounds instead of 369.

- I'm still not finished.

106 pounds! It's a great feeling and there are a lot of people I need to thank for making it possible in this past year.

Thanks to FuseFM whose great music and ministry was the motivation I needed to stick with it (and also great workout music)

Thanks to the staff at FuseFM who have consistently encouraged me and put up with my non stop talk about this stuff.

Thanks to my wife who has taken up the slack when I've spent time in the morning working out or running (oh, and of course her undying love and encouragement)

Thanks to my sons who have been the most direct in keeping me accountable. ("You're still fat Dad, keep doing it.")

Thanks to my family (immediate and extended) who have been so kind and encouraging through this process (except for my brother, who wondered if I would pay him a dollar a pound if I were to gain weight, but what are little brothers for if not to keep you humble.) Mom and Dad, I hope you know how much your example and love are an inspiration for me trying to make wise choices, both in this avenue and others.

Thanks to my supporters who have put their money on the line to keep me going.  Your gifts to FuseFM will be used to great effect.

Thanks to Autumn Hale and Clare Family Fitness for working with me and teaching me so much about how my body works and how to work my body.

Thanks to Nike and Ipod for inventing the Nike+ system and allowing me to use it to amazing effect.

Thanks to Coleman Railway Center for their support and new workout facility in my home town.

Thanks to the apple growers of the world, I think of you every afternoon around 3.

Thanks to God for his patience with my addictions, and continued forgiveness.

Thanks to you for reading this blog and commenting below.

Please continue to check in here at loseforthefuse.com  I plan to post weekly updates (for a while at least) to keep me accountable as I continue this life long journey.  Also be listening for more details on long term plans for how Lose for the Fuse can continue to help others and raise money for this station.

Stay tuned for a final banner update and the 12 month photos!

30 more pounds til I'm skydiving approved!

Week 51 update, Building the Suspense (???????)...

??? lbs.
??? lbs. lost
1 week left
Total Raised for FuseFM: $1600

If you are new to loseforthefuse.com please read the first post or pledge here.

With just a few days left, I thought I'd build the suspense a bit.  OK, fine, I just didn't want to weigh in after all the turkey and fixins of last week :)  Whatever the case it's been interesting to see the poll results on where you think I will be by Friday.  It's pretty spread out, with nobody think I will be at 265 or more (hope your right) and one lone soul thinking I can break the 260 mark before the final (for the year) weigh in.  I've been keeping an eye on things and lets just say that it's safe to say I will be below 265 but I'm pretty sure I won't be able to drop under 260 (sorry faithful friend).  More interesting still is the poll on where I will level off before next summer, with most people putting me in the 230s.  That would be incredible.  If you had told me when I started this that I might get to the 230s I would have laughed at you.  I honestly thought the 260s would be a stretch (remember I started at 369), yet now it looks possible.  By the way, I heard recently that most sky diving places use 225 as a weight limit, anybody care to guess what my new goal is?

Be sure to tune into 101.7 FuseFM this Friday for the final weight and for an afternoon of stories and info about the whole process.  I'll be taking calls and celebrating a great year of getting healthy and raising money for FuseFM.  If you don't live in the area be sure and listen online at myfusefm.com!

Thanks so much for all your support and be back on Friday for the grand finale, er... grand continuation.

Week 50 update, Another good week as the Holidays loom. (2 lbs. lost)...

265 lbs.
104 lbs. lost
2 weeks left
Total Raised for FuseFM: $1600

If you are new to loseforthefuse.com please read the first post or pledge here.

265.... wow.  15 more pounds and I won't even have to slide the big weight passed the 200 mark when I weigh in.  Yeah, it's the little things that make me happy.  Not much else to say this week other than 2 weeks left and Thanksgiving is coming fast.  In other words, the day before my second to last weigh in I will be eating all day long and be thankful for every second (and seconds) of it.  Wonder how that will impact things?

Stay tuned to find out!

PS. It's not too late to pledge or donate!

Week 49 update, The Journey Continues. (2 lbs. lost)...

267 lbs.
102 lbs. lost
3 weeks left
Total Raised for FuseFM: $1600

If you are new to loseforthefuse.com please read the first post or pledge here.

Now it gets interesting.  No more big celebrations, no preset goals, just living life and making wise choices.  Another 2 pounds down this week is really encouraging.  I wanted to make sure that I kept the numbers on the decline, especially right after the momentous triple digit summit had been reached.  I wonder more each day where I will land, it wasn't too long ago that 250 seemed like a stretch, now it seems almost inevitable.  240?  230?  Certainly I will never see the 220s, right?  It's kinda cool knowing that it doesn't really matter wherever I end up will be a healthy place to live and I will be able to embrace and enjoy life more than I could just one year ago.  I'm curious to know what you think.   I'll throw two polls up on the blog today, in one I'd like you to guess at where you think I will be on December 7th (the full year) and the other what you think my lowest mark will be by my Birthday next spring (5/26).  I have my own guesses, but I'm curious to know what you think.  Keep in mind Thanksgiving will be the week before my final weigh in.  Just sayin', that's all.

Thanks for all the encouragement, 3 weeks to go!!

Week 48 update, WAIT, I HAVEN'T BOUGHT THE CONFETTI YET!! (5 lbs. lost)...

269 LBS!!
100 DOWN!!
0 TO GO!!
4 weeks left
$16 per lb pledged
$1600 raised

If you are new to loseforthefuse.com please read the first post or pledge here.

Well, didn't see this one coming, and to be perfectly honest I wasn't prepared to celebrate this milestone quite yet.  I was thinking that once I got within 3 pounds I would make that final push.  But apparently my body decided to have one of "those weeks".  So here I stand 100 pounds lighter than I was exactly 11 months ago.  It's a bit mind boggling that I would have a 5 pound week this late in the game, but apparently I still have some weight to lose.

So what does this mean?

Are you done losing weight? Uh no. I've said from the beginning that nothing changes once I hit my goal.  I love going to the gym,  I enjoy my eating schedule and portions, and I haven't cut out any foods from my diet that I want to add back in.  My body will continue losing weight as long as it wants to, and my guess is I will land in the 250s somewhere early next year.

There is still a month left and I pledged a dollar a pound, what do I do?  You have a choice.   You can give the $100 (or remainder thereof) at any point you feel like.  You can also decide to continue to sponsor me through the 7th of December and give $1 for every pound I lose in the year.  Your commitment was for 100 pounds, but every dollar is appreciated.

I didn't pledge per pound but I want to celebrate your goal with a gift to the station, can I do that?  Sure!  You can fill out a form and put the amount in or you can go to our website (myfusefm.com) and click the paypal button and donate now, just make sure you mark it as lose for the fuse so we can get a tally of how much has been raised.

How does it feel?  Well, it's weird.  It's kinda like a birthday.  You want to celebrate and enjoy it, but you really don't feel any different.  You know you are a year older, but it's been a long process so the day to day aging doesn't hit you.  100 pounds is a lot, but it took 11 months so I don't fell that much different today than yesterday.  Having said that, I'm still pretty stoked.

Will you still blog here every week? Yes. At least through the end of my year long journey, and probably beyond.  We have big plans for loseforthefuse.com so it's safe to say that there will always be something to watch here :)

Big plans, eh? Yeah, I would love to pass on my experience to others in the mid Michigan area and continue to support the Fuse while doing so.  We are currently working out the details, but we will likely launch a new "Lose for the Fuse" program in early 2009 that involves training, gifts, prizes, possible health club memberships, and more for participants.  If you know anyone who loves the station and would like to lose weight to raise money for us, let them know that we will likely be taking registrations in December for a 6 month or so program.  Like I said, the details are still being ironed out (crazy wrinkly details) but we want this to grow into something special for you and us.

What if you gain weight next week?  Shame on you, let me have my moment will ya?

Thanks again for the support and I'll be back next week with more and hopefully still in the 260s!

Week 47 update, The Wall? Nope, Just Krispy Kreme (0 lbs. lost)...

274 lbs.
95 down
5 to go
5 weeks left
$16 per lb pledged
$1520 raised

If you are new to loseforthefuse.com please read the first post or pledge here.

First, I have to say thank you so much for all the suggestions on what to do now that my ring is averse to staying on my ring finger.  There were some great ideas and I'm going to chew on them for a while before making my decision, so feel free to continue to offer more suggestions or vote for your favorite.

Speaking of chewing on things, this week was a bit out of order in the eating department.  Not that I broke down and just decided to forgo my new patterns, just that we had a fundraising week at FuseFM and that always means lots of food around.  Plus, my wife recently bought some cookie dough for a friend's fundraiser, which resulted in both uncooked and cooked cookie dough being consumed.  I have decided that fundraisers are perhaps the biggest threat to healthy eating in the history of mankind.  Whatever the case, my new metabolism and work out schedule was enough to keep any new pounds from showing up so I'll have to be satisfied with a zero week.  It's especially encouraging considering yesterday someone brought in a box of Krispy Kremes and keeping to my commitment to not change anything I would want to change back a had one (OK fine, one and a half), because there will never be a day when I will not partake in free glazed fried dough, period.  At the end of the day, this puts me back on the pound a week train to hit 100 in a year.

Thanks for checking in, and maybe a more typical schedule this week will provide better results next Friday!

Week 46 update, My Naked Ring Finger (2 lbs. lost)...

274 lbs.
95 down
5 to go
6 weeks left
$16 per lb pledged
$1520 raised

If you are new to loseforthefuse.com please read the first post or pledge here.

I've known for a while now that my wedding ring was getting a bit big for my newly svelte fingers. I haven't fretted it too much because it was loose when I got married 13 years ago and never lost the habit of checking with my thumb ever few minutes to make sure it was still there (That's also due in part to me losing it at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for 24 hours on my honeymoon but that's a story for a different day). This week however I had an experience that changed my mind. My periodic thumb check came up empty, as in no ring here go look elsewhere. Now, I know that I check my finger at least every 10 minutes so it would seem a pretty easy task to retrace my steps for the last little bit and find it. One problem, I had been cleaning. Within that short time frame I had done laundry, dishes and emptied trash. Three nightmare scenarios for premature ring loss. As thoughts of sifting through bags of old banana peels and meat juices began circling my brain, I did the thing I've learned to do first (goes back to the honeymoon story, remind me to tell you sometime) I prayed. Nothin' fancy, just made sure that I knew that it was in God's hands and not mine, and that if it was His will it would be found. Opened my eyes, decided to check the laundry first and it was sitting on top of a pair of Jeans awaiting my arrival.

Crisis averted.

So now the question is what do I do with the ring? Before, even though it was loose friction would do it's appointed work and keep it from falling off. Now though, it's so loose that friction never has a chance to enter in to the equation. Gravity can literally pull my ring off my finger without ever having it touch the skin on the way down. Here are some of my ideas, let me know which you like the best or suggest your own.

Get the ring resized - Probably the most obvious and typical. However, being a person who hates being obvious and typical this is fairly unappealing to me. I also have this thing about my ring, that I like it to develop character and perseverance like my marriage. I've never had it "cleaned" it has a crack in that I've never had repaired, and I like it better because of these things. They are the scars and stories that make both an object and the marriage it represents more interesting, unique, and full of story. I think too many times we over polish our marriages when the character we develop in those scratches is much more genuine and compelling. I like my ring to reflect a story and now part of that story is that I've lost so much weight that it doesn't fit anymore. Plus it cost money.

Get a ring tattoo - I've been thinking about this one for a while now. I like the idea of a permanent marking to convey the permanence of my marriage. But the more I've researched it the less I think I want to go this way. First, it again eliminates the story of my existing ring as mentioned previously. I've also heard that the ring tattoo fades and blurs very quickly because of it's location. I've also seen a few and they never look as cool as you think they should in your head. Plus it would hurt a lot, oh, and cost money.

Wear the ring on my middle finder - This is my current temporary solution. The ring right now actually fits pretty nice on the middle digit. What I don't like is that it feels strange and will take some major getting used to. The good news is there isn't a cost involved, but I still have a hard time with the idea of wearing the symbol of my marriage on a symbol of profanity and vulgarity. I worried if someone ever hits on me, thinking I'm available, I would show her my ring and she would think me much more rude than I intended. (By the way, I am perfectly aware of how delusional I am to think this would ever happen, but just for argument's sake.)

Wear the ring as an earring or nose ring - How awesome would that be? The answer, not very.

Wear the ring on a chain - The Biggest Loser method of choice. I can see myself going this route, except for a couple things. It would always be getting tangled in my headphones and I'm just not a chain kind of guy. I know this one has some general cultural acceptance, but it just doesn't feel right for me.

So there you go. I'm looking to you to help me figure this out. Be as creative as you want in coming up with other ideas or let me know which idea you think is best and why. Until the solution is found, my ring will be snugly aplace my central digit. If you don't believe me, I'll be glad to show you.

Week 45 update, A Pound A Week Shall Do Just Fine (1 lb lost)...

276 lbs.
93 down
7 to go
7 weeks left
$16 per lb pledged
$1488 raised

If you are new to loseforthefuse.com please read the first post or pledge here.

You know how in "Wheel of Fortune" or "The Price is Right" they spin the wheel and it flies around really fast but then as it slows those last few clicks are slow and measured until it reveals the result?  That's the feeling I'm getting as I push toward the goal.  I can't complain too much, because one pound a week is exactly what I need to get to my goal in a year, but I was just kind of hoping that I would hit it before Thanksgiving hit, if you get my drift.  I keep reminding myself that nothing is changing even once I hit the goal, but it's still hard not to want to blow by it instead of this pound by pound thing.   I just have this feeling that I have another big week in me and if I can put all the variables into effect I can cross the 100 pound mark even before November hits.  We shall see.

One more thing before I press on towards another Friday weigh in.  Someone commented in last week's post that it appeared as if I was solely focusing on cardio.  It made me realize that I don't emphasize enough in the blog how much weight training I'm doing every week as well.  Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I only run for about 10 minutes and then work out different muscle groups for another half hour or so.  It's a vital part of this whole process and I highly doubt I would feel as healthy as I do (and look as good, wink, wink) without it.   There are many who have traversed this road long before me and we each have to find our own way, but in my opinion that way has to include some form of controlled eating, weight training, and cardio.  All three are important and have been highly beneficial for me.

Thanks for the comments and please if you have other questions just let me know.  I'd love to start passing on more of what I've learned as I click, click, click toward the goal.

Week 44 update, Candy Wings, Chimichangas, and Lots of Exercize (3 lbs lost)...

277 lbs.
92 down
8 to go
8 weeks left
$16 per lb pledged
$1472 raised

If you are new to loseforthefuse.com please read the first post or pledge here.

Turns out that whole excercize thing is the key.  I had some meetings this week and of course all the usual snacks and over eating that go along with such endeavors.  This included (but was not limited to) mounds of these incredible wings which instead of some sort of BBQ or Wing sauce had this candy coated syrup, and two huge chimichangas (and some flautas) at a local Mexican place.  So how on earth did I end up 3 pounds lighter this morning?  Running.  While at the hotel I took advantage of the treadmill and ran at least 30 minutes each morning AND EACH NIGHT.  Now, in the 10+ months I've been doing this I have never done a night work out until now, and I must say, not bad at all.  As long as you don't have to be asleep within an hour after you finish, it's actually quite refreshing.  Of course I also ate much better the rest of the week so it was only a couple days of indulging as opposed to constant slacking.  The end result is that today I stand 8 pounds away from the 100 pound mark and ready to blow by it sometime in November (so I can start depression binging after the election).   Hopefully next week I can make it two nice loses in a row instead of this 3 steps forward, 1 step back thing I seem to be doing.    I just can't get passed the fact that even if you cut off my thumbs, I can still count the pounds I need to lose to hit my goal on the remaining fingers.

SOMEBODY THROW AN OCTOPUS ON THE ICE, IT'S GETTING CLOSE!

Week 43 update, Too Much Slacking, Time to Refocus, (1 lb gained)...

280 lbs.
89 down
11 to go
9 weeks left
$16 per lb pledged
$1424 raised

If you are new to loseforthefuse.com please read the first post or pledge here.

Well, perhaps I should be a little more focused.  With fall pushing the temperatures downward the urge to stay snuggled in my comfy comforter is becoming larger.  I also imagine my body wants to hang on to it's insulation a bit more as well.  But the main problem is that I had that extra scoop in many meals this week (it's so hard when your spouse is such an amazing cook) and exchanged apples for candy bars a few times at work for my afternoon snack.  Add to that not running on Tuesday and Thursday (brrr, seriously, brr) and I'm not extremely surprised to see a pound appear.

What does it mean?

Just that I need to refocus and continue to make correct decesions so that it turns back around and heads in the right direction.

Come back next week and see how it goes!

Week 42 update, Multiples of 10 are Fun, (1 lbs. lost)...

279 lbs.
90 down
10 to go
10 weeks left
$16 per lb pledged
$1440 raised

If you are new to loseforthefuse.com please read the first post or pledge here.

Apparently this is the week that our base 10 numerical system comes into full effect at Lose for the Fuse.   Here's the lowdown, after playing 100 holes of golf Friday and weighing in at 279, I have 10 days to lose 10 pounds to have lost 100 pounds in 10 months or I can take 10 weeks to lose 10 pounds to have lost 100 pounds in 1 year.  Catch all that?  Well, it doesn't really matter, the point is I'M 10 POUNDS AWAY FROM THE GOAL!

As it gets closer and closer I'm thinking more about the things I want to do once I'm done losing weight. 

- Clothes shopping

- Go to Cedar Point (and not need three workers to come over to lock me into the Raptor)

- Get some Chiro and Massage work on my new body

- Go skydiving

- Help others do the same thing (lose weight that is, not go skydiving)

- Walk around shirtless all the time

OK, maybe not the last one, but you get the idea.  I might not get to do all these things (unless congress passes some sort of skinny Dice bailout fund so I have the dough.) but I'm excited knowing that they are all possibilities in the future. 

It's the home stretch now, if you've been waiting to pledge, wait no longer.  Anyone care to wager when I will hit the 100 pound lost mark?