Day 557 - Weigh-In
by Spacegoat on Mar.15, 2009, under Weight Loss
Good morning. It’s been 556 days since that fateful morning in late August when the ever present feeling that I needed to change my life finally reached a tipping point and I decided to see what it would be like to try to drop a few pounds. I was pretty sure that I’d give it a shot and give up after a few weeks. I wouldn’t have thought that eating 3 squares of properly portioned whole foods a day would have gone so far to improve my health. I wouldn’t have thought that my new found well-being would drive me further and push me to quit the weekly drinking binges, and give me the strength to finally quit smoking. Who would have thought that the natural high of a good exercise and a sense of accomplishment is all I really needed? 556 days ago I changed my life, and I didn’t know it.
Now, on day 557, it’s time to stop counting. I made a commitment to log my weight weekly on this web site to help motivate me to stay on course. This morning the terms of my commitment were reached, and I am posting my last weigh-in. My goal was to drop below 200 pounds for the first time in my adult life, and 556 days and 166lbs later, I did it. Today I weighed in at 199lbs for a loss of 2lbs this week and 166lbs overall.
Where do I go from here? Well, I’m not done losing weight yet. My BMI is 29. I’m no longer considered obese by that measure but I’m still over weight. I figure I will need to lose another 20 to 25lbs to be considered “normal.” I don’t really care about body mass indexes though. I figure I will know it when I get there, but I’m thinking I will end up somewhere in the 180s.
I’m going to start doing things differently from here on out. I think I got a pretty good sense of what’s good and not so good for me in the last 18 months. It’s time to ease off the calorie counting and start eating more instinctively. I’ll stick with most of the foods I’ve been eating, but I’ll give myself permission to indulge (but not over-eat) at a restaurant every once in a while. All the while I will continue to track my weight and adjust my habits as needed.
I’m going to make some changes to my exercise routine as well. My daily walk is not enough any more. I don’t think I’ll quit. I love my walks. They are a great break from work. But to get a proper exercise I need to speed walk for an hour. That can be a pain in the Skyway amongst all the people, and a little reckless for that matter. So I’ll try to slow things down and cut the walks short. Instead I will spend more time at the gym using the treadmill and the elliptical trainer, or walk or (gasp) even run around the lake after work. I was also talking about getting a bike way back when. I may still. I would like to borrow one first and see if it’s something I would enjoy. I’m going to change my focus to strength training for now. I’ve been avoiding it because of the weight gain it causes, but I know it will ultimately make me more lean and give me better tone. With my fat man skin, I could sure use the tone.
I dunno, there are some details to work out yet but I’ll find my grove and stick with it. This is the end to my big “diet” but it’s a new beginning for me as well. I’d be a damn fool if I allowed myself to slide after making it so far, but that’s not going to happen. Now is the time to develop the good habits that will keep me in good health for the rest of my life.
As for this web site, you will see some changes. I’m not going to be posting weigh-ins anymore, but I will surely update you on my progress from time to time. I’m kind of thinking I’d like to make this web site a mash-up of all the web stuff that I like to use. I’ll have a bunch of widgets for things like Twitter, Netflix, last fm etc. and I’d also like to get in the habit of sharing some of the things I stumble across on the internet. So keep in touch, but mind the construction.
Finally I want to thank you all for being there for me. I know some heavy stuff has been happening with a lot of you this entire time. I tend not to talk about personal matters on a public forum, especially not other people’s. Just know that I’ve been thinking of you and drawing my strength from the examples you all set. Thank you, and be well!
March 15th, 2009 on 12:28 pm
CONGRATULATIONS, BRETT!!!!! Way to go!
Very happy for you that you reached your goal.
You know, I bet you weigh even less due to all that “fat man skin” you were talking about. There’s quite a bit of poundage in excess skin. Hate to say it, but all the toning in the world won’t get rid of it. So what I’m saying is you should be even more proud of yourself!
March 15th, 2009 on 1:09 pm
Thanks Andi! I know I’m not going to lose the baggage. I should get some surgery. Not to cut out the skin but to make skin pockets. How cool would that be? OK, that’s kinda gross.
March 16th, 2009 on 10:40 pm
Wow. This is cool
March 16th, 2009 on 10:41 pm
Oh yeah … do we get a new set of pictures now?
March 17th, 2009 on 10:01 am
Yeah I suppose some pictures are in order. I went out and got a haircut yesterday and got some new clothes over the weekend. I’m looking fabulous today! So maybe I should put some pictures up tonight.
March 17th, 2009 on 4:13 pm
BRETT!!!!!!!!!! Congrats are so definitely in order!! I am a very happy camper for ya. What you have been able to accomplish is awe inspiring and AWESOME!! I know thatit wasn’t always easy and certainly had its fair share of frustrations but you hung inthere and to your credit you got to your goal
It is an ongoing evolution and you are about to embark on the next phase. One which I know you will enjoy and be challenged by at the same time. We will need to plan our adventure to Bryant lake Bowl in the near future as well. Bowling is exercise too 
March 17th, 2009 on 5:22 pm
THANKS MICHELLE!!! Yeah it’s going to be kind of nice. Nothing much has changed yet. I’ve been eating what I usually do although I’m not tracking it. I was thinking it would be nice to go out and eat a big ol’ cheeseburger or something, but I don’t have a particular desire for it. It will be nice to have the freedom to indulge on occasion though. I just need to find the occasion.
March 18th, 2009 on 7:54 pm
Dude…. I can’t begin to express just how proud I am to call you my brother. What you have accomplished is simply amazing. People struggle and fight their intire lives to only fail at what you’ve managed to do in 18 short months. It is a true testament to your personal strength and will power. I think that is the biggest acheivement. The weight loss comes naturally if you do the right thing It’s that inner strength and that desire to make a change that really pulled you through. I hope that you will take that new found inner strength and apply it to every aspect of your life. If you can do that the skies the limit. I know it’s cliche but you have proven that ordinary people can do extrordinary things when they put their minds to it. I know you will go forward to do even greater thing.
You’ve been a real motivation to me and I hope will continue to let me look to you for further inspiration.
Congrat and much love
March 18th, 2009 on 9:38 pm
Awe shucks Sis, ’tweren’t nothin’. OK, it’s pretty cool, but I do think I’ve had certain advantages that made it much easier for me. For instance I never really had an eating disorder. I just ate poorly. I wasn’t an emotional eater or even a food lover. Learning good eating habits was half the battle. Dealing with hunger wasn’t even a problem. Back in the day I would go over 24 hours without eating just because I didn’t want to bother feeding myself.
The other half was a battle though, and yes I’m really proud of what I accomplished, and I do hope I can apply the lessons I’ve learned to other aspects of my life.
In fact thanks for the pep talk! I’ve been in kind of a funk lately about work. I could sure apply some of that personal strength to my job!