Another week down, and I’ve lost another lb! I’ve been replacing a lot of clothes over the past few weeks. I owe another before and during photo, and I’ll post it shortly:)

Probably the biggest change I’ve noticed is that I’ve had the energy to keep battling at a stressful job that has me growing faster than I ever imagined possible. On top of that I still have the energy to be fully present, and participating in the theater performances, baseball games, and the other things that matter most.

I’m dealing with all the ups and downs this crazy life is throwing my way. I’m winning more battles than I’m losing, and that’s how you win a war!!!

Here’s my latest before and during update.

After close to 5 months I’ve started entering into maintenance mode. It would be going well, but I’m not quite there yet.

I’m down another pound this week. I’ve never gone this far before, and have hit a mental wall. It’s time to buckle down again and stay determined.

This journey has never been about weight only. Weight is only one battle in a multi-front war. By continuing to conquer the mental aspect of health/life, the rest will fall into line.

Mission accomplished! I’m down 100lbs from when I started this journey.

I set a personal goal to reach 230lbs by April 16th.

I still have about 6 weeks left on my program and have a new goal. 210lbs by June 6th.

4 months down and 2 more to go! It’s before and during picture update week as well.

This week I was able to lose another 3 lbs. I have 7 more to lose in the next 2 weeks to hit my first goal. It’s going to be difficult as the weekly loss is slowing down. I was on my game this week:)

In addition to the 3 lbs, I lost an inch around the stomach, and a half inch from my the neck, hips, and chest.

It’s weekly update time:)

I’m down another 5lbs this week.

This is a pretty big milestone to be down 90 lbs since I began on December 4th.

Down another 2 lbs this week. Goal is 5 again for next weeks report.

So as a reward for the 6 lbs last week my son and I went to the BYU Stanford NIT game! Great game, but the outcome could have been better.

Since nobody seems to care about NIT games we were able to get 2nd row seats!!!

After last weeks 1 lb loss I set a goal to lose 5 lbs this week. I lost 6! As a reward I’ll plan a trip to a BYU Baseball game here in NorCal!

The pictures are from Monterrey where I spent half the week. Each morning I did a run or walk along the most beautiful beach path.

One of the things I’ve been doing over the past few weeks is waking up at 4:30am every day. This helps me to get the most important things done before the day gets crazy. It’s about a 2 hour process.

• Scripture study
• Ponder time (meditation)
• Self Improvement
• Review plan for the day
• Exercise

My first reaction this week was disappointment. After all, I’ve been averaging an amazing amount of weight lost each week up until now. I did all my other measurements and did lose a half an inch around my chest over last week which is kind of nice:) All in, it was a good week, but feels a bit hollow.

Accountability

I did pretty good on my eating this week, but there were a few things I did consistently that added up.

1. I ate a whole avocado each day. Before I was doing half. – 819 calories (1638 divided by 2)
2. I ate about 5 of the mini Kind bars this week. – 450 calories
3. I ate a few of the Quest bars (3 for the week). – 570 calories
4. I ate a small bag of Almonds as well. – 190 calories

All these things are just fine but I can’t expect my body to continue on the same track it was on if I alter the plan. I can’t just will the weight to come off. I need to be consistent. All in, I ate about 2000 calories this week outside the norm. This is the first week I’ve even attempted to count calories, but I have to be accountable.

The Fix

This week I will actually stick to the plan that got me the results in the first place. In addition I will track calories for the first time just to make sure I’m mindful of what I’m doing.

The Lesson

This journey isn’t centered on weight loss. It’s much bigger than that. Weight loss is something I can easily track however, so this is why I put so much emphasis there. I’m trying to conquer the beast within that believes I am entitled to do whatever makes me happy in the moment.

This past week I rewarded my self a little bit because I’ve been making great strides. The problem with this thinking is that if I consider food as the reward system, this will lead me to be back in the same place I was a few months ago.

Once I reach my ideal weight (not sure what that is yet) then I will switch to maintenance mode, but this doesn’t mean I can then eat what I want, when I want to, in whatever quantity I prefer. It’s critical to break this cycle by rewiring my thinking. This is clearly a work in progress for me. Stay tuned.

When I lose 5 lbs this week I’ll reward myself by buying tickets to a baseball game!!!

This week it’s been fun to start removing my 2XL clothes from the rotation. It’s great to see some of my old wardrobe from 5 years ago fitting like a champ:) I was a top buttoner this week at an 18 1/2 neck size and it fit comfortably.

if you recall from a previous post I started running again at week 5. I stopped running shortly after that. I had back surgery a few years ago, and started to feel some tightness in my back. Due to this, I decided to hold off running until after I dropped more weight. Mission accomplished! I ran 3 times this week at short distances while wearing a back brace for extra support, and it felt great. I’m still going to ease back into running while I continue to strengthen my core muscles to better support my back.

Another key to this week was I have been working to refine a morning routine. I’ll share more about that in the future as it takes better shape. I’ll say this though. Getting up at 4:30am allows me to get a lot done before the rest of the world wakes up.

It’s pretty amazing how consistent the weight loss has been. Expecting it may slow down soon. I’m 8 lbs away from the lightest I’ve been in a few decades, and excited to see what happens.

In a few weeks I’ll be getting rid of all my 2XL clothes. I’ve never been one to wear hats because they have never fit very well. There were a few hats here and there, and decided to try one on. It fits!

My neck size is down to 18.5 inches. This is significant because it’s hard to find standard shirts with neck sizes bigger than that. I get around it by not buttoning the top button. It works just fine, but doesn’t look quite as good. I was able to button the 18.5 this week, but it was still just a bit too tight. I anticipate next week I’ll be a top buttoner:)

Another 5 lbs down!

What’s notable about this to me, is I’m doing this during the most stressful time of the year with my work. Stress is one of the leading causes of weight gain. Historically when the stress is high I’ll eat my way through it:)

This time I’m coping very well. Here are the main things I’ve noticed during this stressful time.

• Mindfulness – I’m able to better manage my emotions by pausing and focussing on my breathing when waves of stress arrive. Then I focus on gratitude for my blessings. When you focus on the things that matter most, everything else kind of gets put into it’s place. One example of this was in a majorly stressful moment I simply took a deep breath and went outside to play catch with my son. I was able to return to work in a different, clearer, mindset.
• Increased Mental Capacity – I have noticed ideas are flowing much better. I’m able to process information more rapidly. Our brain is a supercomputer, and when you feed it the right programming it will thank you with increased wisdom. Programming is what you are eating as well as the information you take in.
• More Energy – I’m able to work more effectively longer. I’m also not so worn out by the end of the day that I can’t spend time with my family. I’m thinking of cool hobbies to start up. These things weren’t possible a month ago.
• Community of Support – I’m still tempted all the time. Food is good! Bad food tastes very good much of the time. I’m grateful that the food I’m eating does taste good so there’s minimal suffering going on. That said I’ve missed the traditional foods that I associate with Holidays. The community of friends, coworkers, family, and people who would like to see me fail (I’m haven’t encountered one of these yet, but I’m sure they’re out there) drive me in those moments when I feel like tearing into something that I know could derail my gains.
• Meals Made Easy – I mentioned the food I have access to is good, and perfectly proportioned. I eat 6 time a day. The best part, and critical part for me is it’s all planned out so I don’t have to go hunting for food when I’m hungry. In the past I would stop to get a bite wherever was convenient, and that typically led to poor choices. If I was driving I needed a milkshake to stay awake right? That’s the program my brain was running. It’s running a new program now!

Stress is a killer, but you can cope with it much better when you have a good physical and mental health health balance.

I’m down another 4 lbs after a week in Vegas. Full disclosure* I had eaten too many cashews, and kind bars, or it would have been 5 or 6 lbs. That was the extent of my debauchery in Vegas I’m happy to report.

The week in Vegas was neat for a few reasons. number one my clothes fit, including my suit jacket that I had out-grown. Secondly, I was amazed at how many people noticed the changes. Many of them have been following me on Facebook but others just hadn’t seen me in a few months. It was pretty dramatic!

I want to thank all those who have been encouraging me through this process. While I’m doing this for me, the support has been overwhelming. I can’t understate the value the encouragement from friends and family have been. It’s a huge help in holding me accountable. I have good days and bad days. Easy days and hard days. Only 4 months to go!!!!

I did my 2 month pictures, and the difference is pretty amazing to me. This represents 62 lbs of weight lost so far.

I’m down another 5 lbs! That’s 58 pounds in less than 2 months!

This was a big unpacking week from the move, and I found a container of clothes I had packed away because they didn’t fit. They fit now!

Courage is an important part of the journey. Within a few more months I’ll be in uncharted territory. I’m committed to victory regardless of what I encounter.

In ancient Greece when their armies would land on the enemies shore, the first order of the commander was to BURN THE BOATS! 

They believed in the power of necessity and knew how to motivate the troops.  With no boats to retreat to, the army had to be successful in order to survive. As the soldiers watched the boats burn, they knew there was no turning back, there would be no surrendering.

One of the things I’m doing this time around is donating or throwing my clothes once they don’t fit. It’s one of the ways I’m burning the boats. I can never return to my former self.

Mindset

Having the right mindset is a big part of creating lasting change. When I learned what I’m about to share I thought why is this the first time I’m learning this. I’ve heard it before I think, but didn’t learn it.

I want to issue a challenge. Learn about mindset, and make it part of what you do each day. Let this information help you in decision making.

There are two types of mindsets that I learned about from a book called “mindset” by Carol Dweck.

Fixed Mindset

This is the mindset where I lived almost always. I need to do things the way they’ve always been done, and I only have certain control over what happens. I can influence my life for sure in the fixed mindset, but only to a certain extend.

One of the biggest challenges for me in a fixed mindset is the fear of failure. I don’t like letting people down. I’m a people pleaser by nature so it follows that the fear of not living up to a socially imposed standard can be debilitating.

Living life like this is stressful. Stress can limit what your willing to tackle. We are endowed with limitless potential. I’ve always believed this but a fixed mindset does a fantastic job of stunting growth in every area of life.

Shakespeare once said “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” This is a very true statement, and it’s time to remove the shackles.

Growth Mindset

This is the mindset where I live now much of the time.

With a growth mindset you aren’t afraid of failure. Failure is another opportunity for growth. The truth is we won’t fail at everything we do, but it’s a good thing to fail. I love the term “fail forward”. When we try something and it doesn’t work we can smile, educate ourselves, and try again.

Think for a moment about people you know and respect who don’t seem to have a care in the world. Many of these people are probably just like most. They have a silent internal battle raging at all times. But, there are others who just seem to live life without a harness. They are fun, successful, and they seem to be aging better:)

Attitude is everything in the growth mindset. Simply decide to be the best you, you can be, not even knowing what that means and go for it!

This was our big moving week. We relocated from Lincoln CA. to Suisun City CA. This will save about 3 hours commuting time each day.

I was able to hold strong to the program, and have lost another 5 lbs. I’ve settled into this trend of 5 lbs weekly which is a blistering pace for me. Super excited about this and expect it will slow down soon as I start to reach my first goal weight.

I noticed I had a lot more stamina and energy moving boxes and furniture over the past few days. It was still exhausting, but can’t even imagine what it would have been like for the out of shape me from a few months ago.

I’m beginning to implement a few different learning tracks for myself as well. I’m learning more about finance. Also, how to enhance my brain performance. I’ll post more specifics in future blogs, but for now I need to get back to work:)