Half way! Yippee!!!!

Weekly Stats Current: 249.4
Weekly Loss: 3.6
To Go: 74.4
Total 75.6

I had a great Christmas and I hope you did too! I gave myself a great gift, I am now half way to my goal of losing 150 lbs!!!!!! I am really happy about this!!!! It is nice to see my "To Go" number be smaller that my "Total" number! I really think I am going to make my goal. Getting below 250 is the lightest I have been in over six years and I am definitely in much better shape. I also wanted to hit 250 by the end of the year and I made it with a few days to spare. That will help out at being at 240 by the end of January.

New Years is coming up. Maybe resolutions don't work for you, but they say if you write down goals, you have a much better chance of making them. What are you health and fitness goals for the upcoming year? Write it down and work on it. It is well worth any effort that you need to put forth.

My goals:
1. Lose 10 lbs a month until I reach my goal weight of 175. (This should happen by the end of this summer!)
2. Be in good enough (great) shape to:
a. Hike Big Baldy by the end of May.
b. Hike Timpanogos by the end of September

Star time!

Weekly Stats Current: 253.0
Weekly Loss: 2.4
To Go: 78.0
Total 72.0

Got another 10lbs star this week! And I am three lbs away from the half-way mark. A long, hard journey to get here, but it has been worth it. The second half of the journey will bring more hard work and a big payoff!

I made it through another Christmas party with lots of tempting food in good shape! None of the desserts grabbed a hold of me either! I have one more party on Christmas Eve, but it's at home with plenty of healthy options.

Special shout out to Gordon for still getting in a good ride despite the snow on the ground. Sounds like he had fun doing it as well.

Hope everyone has a great Christmas! Stick with staying healthy! Think about some goals for next year to get even healthier. I will share mine with you in the next week or so. Merry Christmas!!!!!

The New Snow Workout!

Weekly Stats Current: 255.4
Weekly Loss: 4
To Go: 80.4
Total 69.6

A great but challenging week! I am within .4 lbs of getting another 1o lbs star. It has been a bit since I have reached the 10 lbs star reward due to the change in the routine by coming off the strict diet, but I have been happy with the getting back to exercise and the progress I am making there. I was looking over my stats over the past 6 weeks and after the week and a half of stabilization where I gained some weight back, I have been on track of 10 lbs a month. I hope that my body keeps responding well. I am also still struggling a bit with my being sick, but I do feel much better.

I made it past the Gudmundson Christmas Party without a set back as well. Barbara fixed a nice prime rib, creamed potatoes and other yummy stuff like spinach and artichoke dip, but I had just a bit of each and loaded up on a salad that one of my daughters brought and skipped dessert.

The snow workout that the title refers to has to do with the snow we got Saturday night and all day Sunday. We had a storm swing in from the south west which brought some extremely wet snow. I wasn't able to get to it until after church. I needed to get the walks and drive done before the family arrived so I had a great workout that I normally wouldn't get on Sunday after I shoveled and snow blowed. The blower helped, but it was so wet, it was still a lot of work.

Christmas is a week from Friday! Hope you holiday fun continues and you don't have a blow out of your own when it comes to weight gain. Janet made a comment on my Facebook status that she likes to diet this time of year. Crazy at it sounds, it is a good strategy. Really watch what you eat this time of year and it has a double pay off. You don't put on that extra pounds that can be so hard to take off after the first of the year. It is almost like a double coupon day at the store if you lose a little weight as well. Same goes for working out. If you keep it up through the holidays, you don't have that hard ramp up after the first of the year! Good luck to you all! Hang in there!

A lucky break!

Weekly Stats
Current: 259.4
Weekly Loss: .6
To Go: 84.4
Total 65.6

I am still fighting off being sick. I didn't even feel good enough to exercise until last Wednesday. Even after I started back up, my weight was all over the charts. When I was up a couple of pounds on Saturday, I didn't have much hope of a weight loss this week. However, I stuck to it and after exercising this morning and clearing the walks I was down .6 this morning. Not as much as I want to lose in a week but after struggling, I am more than happy with it. Not only that, I broke into the 250s. Yea!!!!! And I have lost 65 lbs now!!!! Yea!!!!!! And the workout actually felt pretty good today as well!!!!!

When I was clearing the walks, I attempted to do the snow blower splits. That is where you are cruising along, hit a patch of ice, your feet start going in different directions and you body contorts all over the place. I am glad I have lost weight and have been working out or I think I would have gone down hard. Instead, somehow I kept my balance and finished the job. I am just glad that my daughter didn't see me. She tends to laugh hysterically at this type of things for days! Not good for the self-esteem.

I made it through a couple of party's and eating out. I have found that if you look for the good stuff and load up on that and just have a small serving of things that are questionable. I also have had enough fortitude to skip dessert and that really helps. As far as a restaurant goes, chicken and fish are my friends. Just make sure they are grilled with no extra creamy sauces. Often you can choose steamed vegetables as a side and that helps as well.

Good look to you all. Don't make food the main focus of your holiday cheer. Figure out ways to add to the Christmas spirit in other ways. Lend a hand to someone who needs it! Keep up the good work!

Sicko

Weekly Stats
Current: 260.4
Weekly Loss: 2
To Go: 85.4
Total 64.6

I should put an asterisks behind my weight loss for the week because it is an estimate. I have been weighing myself after the workout in the morning, but I have been sick since last Wednesday and was only able to get in three workout sessions. It's a good sign that you are making progress mentally and physically when you regret that you missed work outs! I hope I can get back to working out tomorrow.

We spent our Thanksgiving with our oldest daughter Hillary and her family. We had a nice time in spite of being sick. Both Corey and Emily came down with something as well, but I think we are all glad we went.

I could have posted another great week I think if I would have been healthy, but 2 lbs is still great considering it was Thanksgiving week.

Another good thing is that I got comments about my weight loss from at least three different people who don't know about my weight loss efforts. That means it is becoming a little more obvious that I am losing weight.

Hope you all made it past Thanksgiving without blowing it to badly! Keep up the good work.

Back on track!

Weekly Stats
Current: 262.4
Weekly Loss: 4.8
To Go: 87.4
Total 62.6

This week was great! I lost a good amount of weight and I passed my previous low from a couple of weeks ago. I think the transition back to losing weight has happened. I finally got my workout DVD in the mail. I think it is the slowest that Amazon has ever been getting me something. I guess that's what I get for going for free shipping!

I think the DVD workout has helped turn things around. I have found that the Biggest Loser exercise program is based in circuit training. The idea is to do weight-training, but at the same time keep your heart rate going. The DVD did just that by having you work out with dumb bells in had most of the time, but also doing lunges and squats at the same time. They also have a great warm up and cool down after. What I did was to do the warm up, then the beginner level, but then paused the DVD while I did twenty minutes on the elliptical. I then got the DVD going again and did the cool down. I think it has really given me a good work out and it ends up taking about 50 - 60 minutes from start to finish.

I was talking with the kids last night about all the different benefits I have had with both working out and eating better. Things such as sleeping better, less snoring, feeling tons better, being able to do more, more energy, happier, and on and on. It has been a great blessing for me. I am looking forward to feeling even better as time goes on.

I heard from Rachel last week. She is continuing to work out despite being busy with her boys and being the YW president in her ward. Keep up the good work. The rest of you be good during the holidays, keep working out and don't gain any weight and maybe even lose a bit! Let me know how you are doing!

A week of stabilization!

Weekly Stats
Current: 267.2
Weekly Loss: -3.4 (gain!)
To Go: 92.2
Total 57.8

You would think with my worst weight gain since I started that I would be a bit upset, but actually I'm not. Here's why. This was my first week off of my strict diet. I had a choice to go into maintenance mode or get back into exercising and eating right. I chose the latter and knew that I might have a rough first week weight-wise which I did. My body seemed like a sponge of taking whatever I ate and making the most of it. The great thing is, is that I have never had a more healthy eating week than I did this last week. I was really good about what went into my body. I didn't consume any more that 1800 calories a day, which at my weight and exercise plan I should lose weight. The biggest payoff however was exercising. I probably averaged 50 minutes on every day except Sunday. And I felt great! I haven't had this much energy in a long time. I figure this has to do with several things. The last diet took a lot of weight off, so I wasn't having to deal with 60 extra lbs. I also got off the sugar roller-coaster which has made me feel much better. Another benefit that has been hard for me to explain, but I know to be true, is that my metabolism has been out of whack for several years. I feel that the diet helped turn that around as well! It has been a great blessing for me. Disappointing about the weight gain, yes, but the overall benefits of eating right, exercising at the level I am and feeling much better offsets the negative.

Other benefits to me and others. I have been good about getting to bed early. I have been able to get out of bed every morning before the alarm went off! For me that is almost unheard of. Another great benefit is Barbara says she hasn't heard me snoring at all. Not only makes her sleep better, but mine to as I get more unobstructed air!

I really feel that if I keep on eating healthy, watching my calories (including keeping a detailed food log), and exercising, things will soon turn around and I will see a the consistent and healthy weight loss that I am looking for.

Keep up the great work everyone! Let me know how you are doing on your health, diet and fitness goals and programs. Gordon had a great trip down to Moab with a bunch of biking buddies. Sounds like they had fun! Hang in there everyone!

Six Week Milestone - One Sack of Concrete!

Weekly Stats
Current: 263.8
Weekly Loss: 4.6
To Go: 88.8
Total 61.2

Yeehaaaa! I finished up my six week strict diet and lost 42 lbs during the six weeks. Was it hard? Yes! Was it worth it? Yes! I posted another gold star for losing another 10 lbs as well! And as I noted a few weeks back, I have lost one bag of quick-set concrete!!!!! I can really feel the difference.

Now what? This is a critical part of any weight loss. What do you do when you go off a diet? If you just have the attitude that it's over and let up, guess what happens? Yup! Kaboom. Back up you go. I don't want to do that again! I definitely need to lose more weight. I still have 15 lbs to go to make it to half way! So this morning, after a lot of research I have decided to get back into exercise and keep losing weight. My new goal is to lose 10 lbs a month which works out to about 2.5 lbs per week. It seems doable. As many of you, I am a fan of the Biggest Loser. I looked around and found out some of the strategies for at home loss.

In a nutshell, times your weight by seven and that is your daily caloric intake. Do a 4-3-2-1 as far as eating. Four servings of fruits and vegetable. You can have more if you want, just make sure that you have equal serving of vegetables and fruits and don't go over your daily calories. Three servings of healthy protein. Two servings of high fiber grains. Lastly, one serving of extras, such as healthy fats. You are supposed to eat three meals a day, plus two snacks. It is important to keep a food log to track calories and the 4-3-2-1.

I started out this morning by exercising for 40 minutes (much to my surprise)! I did 20 minutes on the elliptical and then headed out the door for a 20 minute walk. I couldn't believe the difference doing both having dropped the lbs over the last six weeks. And it was great to have breakfast!

I have talked to several over the past couple weeks. Most are still on track of maintaining and improving the health. Chris and Rick have both done well on losing weight. I don't remember the exact numbers, but it has been an impressive amount for both of them. Mike and Sarah ran about 4 miles on Saturday! Great job! Bill H. is always inspiring on the amount of work he puts in! 16 miles on Saturday. He has qualified for the Boston Marathon two years straight now. I hope he gets a chance to go this year. Way to go Gordon on keeping the bike rides up. I have enjoyed looking at your ride logs. Hope to be going on a couple with you this summer! Sorry if I missed any deserved shout-outs. Hope the rest of you are doing well!

Heading down the stretch

Weekly Stats
Current: 268.4
Weekly Loss: 6.0
To Go: 93.4
Total 56.6

Another good week. I have been on this strict diet for five weeks now. I am pleased with the results. Even though it has been a challenge at times, it has paid off. This is the last week, and then I need to make sure that I replace it with a plan that will not only maintain the weight loss, but continue to lose. I have noticed with each successive week on this plan that even though I continue to lose at good numbers, the weekly results are getting smaller each week. My plan is to increase what I eat, but make sure I get good exercise as well. I hope to be able to lose about 2.5 lbs a week. If I do this, I can lose another 60 lbs my the end of April! The holidays are up ahead. That will be the biggest challenge for sure.

After I stabilize and get some exercise behind me, I will be curious how I do going up the initial stairs at Dry Canyon. I am about 40 lbs lighter than the last time I went up. I may not be able to try this though, it all depends on the weather which has been a bit finicky for the past month. I do have several options for getting in some good workouts both at home, around the home and I even have a few months left on my gym membership.

Thanks again for all the encouragement from many of you. Keep up exercising through the holidays and be careful of what you eat. This is an easy time of year to put on several unwanted pounds. Think things out before you put it in your mouth!

50 lbs Milestone!

Weekly Stats
Current: 274.4
Weekly Loss: 6.2
To Go: 99.4
Total 50.6!!!!

I made a significant milestone. Since I started on this weight loss journey, I have lost 50lbs! I am only 1/3 of the way (weight!) to my goal, but I feel like I can do this!

Saturday, I had a yard project to get done. Our mailbox has been wobbly, so I decided to cement the post in and replace the box. I bought a 60 lbs bag a quick-set concrete for the job. I carried it the short distance from the back of the van to the project. I cradled the bag in my arms right next to my body and felt how heavy the bag was and could feel the extra pressure in my legs. I realized I was not carrying much more that I had lost! No wonder I was struggling physically! No wonder my energy has been sapped at the end of the day. No wonder I was having trouble getting up the trail on Baldy! I am looking forward to losing the better part of two more bags! If I feel this much better now, how much better will I feel when that weight is gone as well!

I have two more weeks to go on this strict diet that I have been on. I have been thinking through what it will take to maintain the weight loss and make it through the holidays. I can't let down my guard!

Hope all continues to go well for everyone! Gordon keeps posting the rides he goes on. He is in great shape both weight wise and physically. Hopefully next year sometime, we can go on a ride! Keep up the good work everyone!

Happiness!

Weekly Stats
Current: 280.6
Weekly Loss: 7
To Go: 105.6
Total 44.4
Exercise - Hiking and yard work.

My happiness comes from several things this week.
1. I lost another 7 lbs!
2. I hit another 10 lbs goal (see the new star?)
3. This is the lowest weight I have been in a few years.
4. I am fitting into clothes that I haven't been in for a while!
5. When I hit my next 10 lbs goal, that will make it 50 lbs I have lost since I started my blog.
6. I went hiking in Goblin Valley this week and felt much lighter on my feet!
7. I made it through my third week of this six week strict diet!
8. Even though I still have a long way to go, I am optimistic about making it to the end!

Thanks for all the encouragement along the way. It has helped me stay motivated and accountable. It was fun to hear from the progress that you are all making as well. It feels like we are in this together to get and stay healthy! Keep on going!

A Better Week

Weekly Stats
Current: 287.6
Weekly Loss: 5.8
To Go: 112.6
Total Lost 37.4

Just finished off the second week of my strict diet. This week was much better as my body finally made adjustments to the reduced calories. Monday night, I just started feeling half decent and it has been pretty good ever since. I had to fight through what was like a constant headache and craving, not so much from my stomach, but my something in my brain that was being denied that it was used to getting. That may not make much sense, but that's how it felt. Probably not to different than trying to go off any other addiction. I was determined to see it through the first week and I'm glad I did.

This week had a couple of challenges. With the severe reduction in calories, I knew that I wouldn't have a lot of energy reserves. A lady that we home teach, had her dog put to sleep after he was struggling with so many health issues. She asked Corey and I if we could bury her dog in her back yard. The ground in Orem used to be a river bed I believe. Just a few inches down there are many rocks that are cemented in clay. It takes a great deal of effort to dig very far down. I learned that early when I moved to Orem and ditched my yard by had to put in a sprinkler system and also planted a several trees. Corey was of help, but it was hard for both of us. I didn't even get a chance to eat before since both Corey and I had to be somewhere by seven. I'm glad we got the job done and we both had a better appreciation for each other after that.

The other challenge of the week is after we went to my uncle's funeral, my Mom and Dad offered to buy us all lunch at Golden Coral. If you don't know it is an all-you-can-eat buffet. I wasn't sure how I was going to stay on plan and eat there. But I headed to the salad bar and started with a foundation of lettuce. They had some chicken, shrimp and steak cut up into small pieces,which I was able to get my 100 grams of protein from my "approved" list quite easily. I then found some vinaigrette hanging out by the other dressing and I was set. I did grab another plate and got a little extra chicken and some salmon and put some strawberries with it and I was more than satisfied with what I ate! I didn't gain any weight and I didn't blow my diet! Whooohoooo!!!!!

Got good reports this week from others who are sticking with their health goals. Gordon is still going strong on the bike! Way to go! Lisa H. is hanging in there and still making progress losing weight! Yesssss! Rachel has kept up her training after completing a half-marathon by training for another! Wow!!! Bill H. finished the St. George marathon with a personal best time!!!! He has already started up training again and is looking towards the Boston marathon which he as qualified for two years in a row now! Impressive! Barbara has been faithfully keeping in shape for many years now! Amazing job!!! Thanks to all for the inspiration and examples that you set. I hope the others are doing good as well.

Two breakthroughs!

Weekly Stats
Current: 293.4
Weekly Loss: 9
To Go: 118.4
Total 31.6
Exercise - None

Back from my three week (thought it would be two) hiatus. I decided during my rest period that I would really focus on the weight loss. I did gain a lot by my exercise, but I also realized that my body was really taking a beating with all of this extra weight. I looked at various options and have decided to go on a very strict diet. It has been a tough first week, but my body is adjusting to the change and I am dropping weight. The weekly loss above really is just my net loss since my last reporting three weeks ago. I gained some back during my recovery. I actually lost 14.2 lbs this first week on the diet. I realize that this won't keep up at this rate, but it was a good start.

I was able to fill in another star! I passed two thresholds. I've not lost 30 lbs and I broke the 300 lbs level. Yippee!!!!! Hopefully I will never see 300 again!

Haven't heard how others are doing. Hopefully when I post my stats, I will get some feedback how others are doing. If you took a break, get back at it! We are all cheering for you!

Two Week Reporting Hiatis

On Saturday, Scott (who is a fellow co-worker) and I went on a four mile hike up Dry Canyon and over across the front of Big Baldy on the Curly Springs trail. This was to be the day that we hiked to the top of Baldy, but as I mentioned earlier, it was too much to attempt. I just wasn't ready to do it. This hike that we took was hard enough as it was. Both Scott and I, as we compared notes this morning, were wiped out the rest of the day on Saturday. We were however both happy with the progress that we have made over the summer. There is no way I could have hike this distance and climbed like we did at the beginning of the summer.

I decided even before the hike that I was going to take a week to recuperate. I have learned that after a hard workout that it takes a lot out of me and I have been running a bit on empty as it was. So this week to rest up and regroup. Next Monday, I am going to focus on getting my weight down. I will still exercise, but my main goal is to get some serious pounds off. I will resume my reporting the week following after I have started off in my new direction (same goal just adjusting how I will get there). If you don't see a post on September 28th, I invite all to get after me because I committed to do this and I don't want to stop until I reach my goals.

Lisa H. continues to do well. She has helped keep me motivated! Thanks Lisa! Chris and Rick are off to great starts on their diets. They are working together to get the weight off and so far so good, 9 and 15 lbs is something to cheer about for sure. Keep hanging in there!

Back on the downward slope

Weekly Stats
Current: 302.4
Weekly Loss: 2
To Go: 127.4
Total 22.6
Exercise - 5/5 Days – 30+ minutes

With school back up in full swing for the kids I have been lucky to get in the minimum of 30 minutes of exercise. But in ways this was probably good. I have been feeling run-down lately and I think the bit of a cut back and not going on a major hike on Saturday allowed my body to catch up a bit. I am happy with the 2 lbs lost especially with the long holiday.

Saturday I had so much to do, I decided to just work really hard on some of the more physical chores and I did work up a good sweat just doing things like washing the car. Normally I would have run to the car wash, but I saved some money and got a good workout as I went as fast as I could. Silly I guess, but it worked! Doesn't work for everyday, but you can work exercise in some ways that you might not normally think of.

For the holiday, we hiked Upper Provo River Falls. It has been a couple of years since we have been there. It isn't a strenuous hike and is quite enjoyable with the beautiful water falls. I guess being in better shape helped as well.

Big shout out this week to Sarah, Mike and Rachel who ran their half marathon this weekend. They had made it a goal to do it and they all finished!!!!! Great job you three. Lisa H continues to make steady progress. Keep up the good work. Gordon keeps going on some great rides and keeping in shape. I'm sure Martha has lost some lbs as well as busy as she has been lately. Barbara continues to amaze me with her ability to get out of bed as early as 5am and get exercising within a few minutes. My body just can't do that first thing. It takes me a bit to wake up enough to get going. She has been doing this for years now and is in great shape and has a lot of energy to go with it. Emily has been working hard and thinking more about being fit! Good for you Emily! Keep up the good work everyone!

Steady as He Goes

Weekly Stats
Current: 304.4
Weekly Loss: 0
To Go: 129.4
Total 20.6
Exercise - 5/5 Days – 40+ minutes

Not much progress the past few weeks. I have for sure put my exercising in. Hopefully the scales will crack here soon.

I have enjoyed going up the canyon for my daily walks through the summer. With school now in session, I have to make sure I get out the door so I can get back in time to get the kids off to school. That makes it pretty dark when I start. Don't know how much longer I will be able to go. We'll see.

My hike of the week was to the Y. My son Corey went with me and we had a nice time together. We took in the great view and talked quite a bit. I was able to hike at a pretty good pace. I just have to keep in mind how much I have improved over the summer as far as being able to hike.

A couple of shout outs. First one to Martha for losing 4 lbs! Way to go! Gordon gets one for his awesome bike rides! He is definitely in great shape and is lean and mean! Haven't heard from others who are on track for getting in better shape. Keep on trying!

A Bit of A Setback.

Weekly Stats
Current: 304.4
Weekly Loss: .4(gained)
To Go: 129.4
Total 20.6
Exercise - 5/5 Days – 40+ minutes

Saturday was a day of reckoning for me. I had the time to see how far I could be up Dry Canyon. I was hoping to make it to the saddle. I hiked for two hours made it to just over 7000', but still was about a mile short of the saddle when I knew I needed to turn back. I had a hard time making it back to the van because I was so drained. I realized that I better not try to make it to the top of Baldy in two weeks. I would be putting myself at risk if I pushed it to the top (over 8000'). I will now aim for a late spring / early summer attempt after the snow is all but gone. In ways I am disappointed, but I when I think how far I have come I should be proud of the progress I made at the same time. I did make it up a couple of miles on a fairly steep hike. There is no way when I started this that I could have done it. On my first hike with my son, I didn't even make is a quarter mile before I turned around. Now I can make it that far with out too much effort. My hope for the postponing the hike is to take off quite a bit of weight and keep working out for an even better fitness level.

As far as my weight goes. It looks like a similar thing that I saw a couple of weeks ago. The hard work out on Saturday seems to make my body hold on to the weight. I was 302 yesterday morning and I would be surprised if I dropped back down tomorrow somewhere around there.

Lisa H. is doing well in her weight loss. Way to go! Keep up the great work. Sarah and Mike ran 12 miles on Friday! That was awesome. Gordon G. is keeping up on his biking and I suspect Martha is doing well on her goals! Everyone hang in there and I will too!

Another Star!

Weekly Stats
Current: 304.0
Weekly Loss: 4.4
To Go: 129
Total 21
Exercise - 5/5 Days – 40+ minutes

It's nice to have some good results after a disappointing previous week. Last weeks weigh in was quite weird. The day after being up 2.6, I was down 2.4. My body was doing quite the roller coaster. This week losing 4.4 lbs makes up for the bad week before. In a couple of weeks, I should be below 300lbs. That will be a good psychological boost I hope.

My workouts went well this week. We had something going on Saturday morning so I wasn't able to do my Dry Canyon hike, so I went on Friday morning before work. I am pleased with my progress. I didn't have to stop near as often and felt like I could have gone further if I had the time. I am still kind of worried about the hike though, it is coming up on September 12. That will be here before I know it.

Thanks again to everyone's encouragement in various forms. It has really helped and I know that being accountable has been good incentive as well. Hope your fitness and weight goals are going well for you all!

.... and Yet so Far!

Weekly Stats
Current: 308.4
Weekly Loss: 2.6 (gained)
To Go: 133.4
Total Lost 16.6
Exercise - 5/5 Days – 40+ minutes

Last week I was so close to the 20 lbs goal. This week I went the wrong direction! I was completely surprised because of all the activity I put in. So it's time to look at averages. I am averaging 1.28 lbs lost per week since I started. At that rate it will take me 117 weeks, or 2 years and three months) to lose the weight I want to lose. I don't think I want to take quit that long! I need to watch what I eat better. I think it is the hardest thing for two reasons. First is being aware of portions and second is estimating how many calories you are consuming. I have been most successful when I have tracked what I eat, but I don't want to spend money to track it online and I don't have a good way to track it any other way. Any suggestions?

For my main activities this week, I knew I wasn't able to hike on Saturday so I hiked to the "Y" on Friday morning before work. It is a steep trail, but well maintained. I made it to the small trail that cuts over to the bottom part of the Y. I had to turn around because I was tired and I also needed to get to work. I was happy with the hike though. Saturday was kind of a pay-off. We went to an Allen family reunion. D&D had a nice sports court. Many of us got involved in several games of Speed. I was surprised how long I was able to play. It was a blast to be able to do so. The exercising has paid off. I haven't just gotten out and played like that in a long time. I even had fun playing horse shoes.

Hope you all had a good week!

Sooo Close!

Weekly Stats
Current: 305.8
Weekly Loss: -4.2
To Go: 130.8
Total Loss: 19.2
Exercise - 5/5 Days – 40+ minutes

So close to the next 10 lbs star! I was worried about this week's weight loss since we were on the last week of having family in town and also a family reunion. It turned out I was quite busy as well and didn't miss any exercise so I it all came together for a great weight loss week. I feel like I can really start focusing in on eating right for a while now that everything is settling down now.

Yesterday, one of my daughters expressed a desire to eat better and exercise more. I hope to be a good example to her as well. It would make it all worth it if she can do something that I know is so hard! Hang in there Emily! You too Lisa H.! Mike, Sarah and Rachel keep up the great training! You guys are soon coming up on your half marathon run! If I missed anybody on my shout out, sorry but I am cheering for anyone who is trying to improve their health.

I am pretty committed to my Baldy Hike on September 12th. I have about half dozen people who said they will do it as well! Maybe we can have a beat BGoody contest. We'll see.

Two Legged Stool

Weekly Stats
Current: 310.0
Weekly Loss: +2.8 (gained)
To Go: 135.0
Total 15.0
Exercise - 5/5 Days – 40+ minutes

This week I feel like the contestant on Biggest Loser who gains weight for the week! Devastation! However I know where I went wrong. It isn't hard to figure out. I was perfect on my exercise. I made my 5/5 goal and exercised long enough. Saturday was a real hard workout! More on that later. I also did fairly well on sleep. Even though family was here, I tried to get to bed at a decent time. So that was a great accomplishment as well. That was two legs of my three legged stool that were solid. My missing leg was watching what I ate. We had several family get-togethers with lots of good food and I wasn't very careful. It ended up being my downfall this week. I need to be diligent in all three areas if I plan on being successful.

This Saturday's hike up Dry Canyon went well. Sarah came with me and was very patient with my slow hiking. It was raining a bit plus the steepness ended up making me soaked to the skin. I lost 5 pounds of water from the hike itself! It was great to have Sarah along. We had a great time talking and catching up. We even got passed up by a bunch of elderly Korean hikers. They opted for the steep ridge-line trail to get to the top of Big Baldy, but it proved to be too much for them and they turned around. We stayed to the right and we got further than I have been this year. I took the GPS and it looked like we had about a 4 mile round trip. Still a ways from the top of Big Baldy, but progress none the less.

I plan on giving a better accounting next week! Hang in there on your health goals as well!

Mr. Dee Hyde Ration

Weekly Stats
Current: 307.2
Weekly Loss: 2.2
To Go: 132.4
Total 17.8
Exercise - 5/5 Days – 40+ minutes

Good week for several reasons. First I had a decent weight loss. There were some definite challenges with family in town for several weeks and lots of good food available, but I tried not to eat after eight and it seems to help.

I got to exercise with one of my daughters (Rachel) this week. Well kind of I guess. She would drop over and pick me up and we headed over to the canyon. She would walk a bit of the way with me and then off she would run and leave me in the dust, but just being together for a bit was fun.

Firday into Saturday we went camping at Blackhawk campground. The loop was so big that it was easy to get in enough exercise on Saturday morning as Rachel and I walked the loop twice. I got a taste of what Rachel was experiencing with the altitude change. Blackhawk sits at about 8000' so I was really huffing and puffing especially up the inclines. It was also a bit warm and I couldn't get enough water the rest of the day. We all had a good time of while we were there.

With the temperatures hitting the century mark over the past few days, I need to be sure and drink plenty of water. Make sure you are getting enough water too!

Good Things Come in Three

Weekly Stats:
Current: 309.4
Weekly Loss: 3
To Go: 134.4
Total loss so far: 15.6
Exercise - 5/5 Days – 40+ minutes

Good week in many ways. One of my originally stated steps is to lose 2 lbs a week, but I also know that with a bit of focused effort I can do a bit better on occasion. With that focus this week, I was able to loose an extra pound and that is great. I think this is significant since I had several food challenges this week. We had a ward party, I went to a family party and we have had family from out of town come in as well. All of these meant good food and lots of it. I tried to be conscience of what I choose to eat from the food tables and came out without any damage. Fortunately there was lots of fruit and vegetables which could fill my plate with, enjoy and not pile on a lot of extra calories.

A little tweak in my exercising was helpful as well. I still walked or hiked for exercise, but some days I worked on speed and cut the time, on other days I slowed down a bit but worked on length and time. Both have their place in the workout and they complement each other.

I think the biggest change I made this week was cutting back on desserts. There were several days I didn't have any desserts or snacks all day. The other change was not to eat any thing after 8pm. Both of these have helped in the past and this week bore it out. I wasn't perfect, but because of those days that I did, it made a big difference!

This week's hike was Dry Canyon again. I made it further than I have in the past and with less stopping. I made it up to the first split from the Dry Canyon trail to the top of Big Baldy. From what I remember though, I don't want to take this trail to the top. It climbs steeply up the front of Baldy. I think I want to make it to the saddle behind Baldy and take another trail to the top from there. I need to ask around to see if I am right.

Lessons learned this week. Avoid eating late, cut back on the snacks and keep doing a little more each week and over time you will be amazed how far you have come.

Your Darn Well Shootin!

Weekly Stats:
Current: 312.4
Weekly Loss: 1.4
To Go: 137.4
Total Lost: 12.6
Exercise - 5/5 Days – 40+ minutes

Lost weight in spite of a long holiday weekend! That is great for me! However, in the same breath, I could have done better by passing on a few things. We went camping for a few days and had a lot of good food, but we also hiked (more on that later) and I kept active doing other things as well. The water tap wasn't right handy so we had to make several trips to fetch water for the dishes and such.

Physically I amped it up on my walking during the week. I was averaging about three miles each time, but I was really exhausted heading into the three day weekend. I was able to get a lot of good sleep when we camped and that helped out quite a bit. Also being away from the stress of everyday life helped out as well so I did come back refreshed and happy that we went.

On Friday, we decided to hike to Buffalo Peak. It is a good hike because you can get to the back side of it from the Squaw Peak road. It is about a mile, but the last part is fairly steep so you get a good workout. Everyone did well, there were some yellow flowers in bloom throughout the hike and the overlooks into Rock Canyon, Squaw Peak and Utah Valley make the hike very enjoyable. Everything was great until we headed down. There were people camped down by the road that were doing target practice. I was a little concerned, but it looked like they were shooting into a solid background. Everything was OK until we heard the sound of semi-automatic gunfire. It first sounded like bottle rockets were going overhead, but we soon figured out they were bullets zinging through the air and trees. I started whistling, but the gunfire continued. I thought our best option was to get down of trail as quickly as possible. The trail went on the other side of the ridge from where the gunfire was coming from. Emily was probably the most upset of all of us and was right behind me in coming down quickly. She said a prayer and after a bit yelled, "WE ARE PEOPLE, WE ARE NOT ANIMALS!!!". I don't know if they could hear her or not, but the gun-fire stopped right after. I think her prayer was to much avail! We were down of the mountain in record time I think. I drove down to where we knew one group was firing, but they were only shooting shotgun and 22 rifles. When I told them about the semi-automatic firing, they said they heard it too, but it was further down the road and they were unsure exactly where. We never did figure out who or where was firing.

Lesson learned this week: Increase your cardio rate by exercising in a war zone!

Back on Track

Weekly Stats
Current: 313.8
Weekly Loss: 2.6
% Weight Loss: .80%
To Go: 138.8
Total 11.2
Exercise - 5/5 Days – 40+ minutes

I am happy with today's report. It reflects the good week I had. Exercising went well and I was able to fit it around a busy week.

The weather was great on Saturday. I was able to go up Dry Canyon again and made it further than I ever have. Every quarter of a mile is filled with steep climbs and I really get huffing and puffing, but I think a once a week workout like that is good. I made it a little ways above the Curley Springs trail. The part of the trail that I climbed from there winds it's way up to the saddle. I would like to make it up to the saddle by the end of July, but we will see. I feel that would put my on pace to make it to the top of Big Baldy by the second weekend of September which is when I would like to make the first of the three summits.

Things I've learned this week: 1)It is hard to drink enough water! I was really busy Saturday and I don't think I stopped sweating until I got clean up for Stake Conference. I was thirsty all weekend. 2) I need to get a good nice sleep on a regular basis in order to eat right. When I get tired, my body sends out signals that it is hungry, but I really think what is needed is a good nice sleep. Makes it especially hard at the end of the day not to snack.

Change of pace. Change of Shoes.

First the weekly stats:
Current: 316.4
Weekly Loss: -0.2
% Weight Loss: -.06%
To Go: 141.4
Total 8.6 Exercise - 5/5 Days – 30+ minutes

I did well on eating this week until Saturday night. Kind of a funny story. Barbara asked me where I wanted to go for dinner. I was debating back and forth and decided on sushi. Barbara had not gone before and was reluctant, but I knew she liked sea food and thought after one bite she would love it. Well after one bite, I knew that I was never going to take her out for sushi again. You would have thought we were eating fried rat instead of fish. I ended up eating more than my fair share of sushi to say the least.

Sunday was hopeless for portion control and eating right, but boy was I treated good on Father's Day! I had a 6:30 am meeting to go to and Barbara fixed me a nice breakfast before I headed out the door. Over and beyond the call of duty! Lunch was fixed immediately upon my arrival after church and then the mother of all dinners! Prime rib, creamed potatoes, homemade rolls, great appetizers and yummy desserts. It is amazing that I only gained .4 of a pound this week!

Exercise went really well this week except for Saturday. I got up a bit late since I had driven to Moab and back on Friday. It had already rained a bit and it looked like more was on the way. I thought it might not be a good idea to go up Dry Canyon if it started raining hard. I decided to go for an extra long mileage up the Provo Canyon trail which is paved. I think I would have been ok except for to things. I went four miles, but should have gone three, and I wore the wrong shoes. The shoes I wore were too loose and I ended up with big quarter sized blisters on the balls of my feet. I was in quite a bit of pain the rest of the day. I had to doctor up the blisters three times before they stopped swelling up. Luckily I didn't have much to do the rest of the day and was able to stay off my feet. I fresh pair of socks and proper shoes got me out the door this morning with a little soreness, but manageable.

Lesson learned (I've been taught this lesson before.) Proper foot wear makes all the difference.

Right Where I Need to Be

Weekly Stats
Current: 316.2
Weekly Loss: 2.2
% Weight Loss: .68%.
To Go: 141.2
Total 8.8
Exercise - 5/5 Days – 30+ minutes / Average of 2 miles of walking each time.

One of my goals was to lose on an average of 2 lbs a week. I am right on this week. I also hit my exercise goals which I am happy with. I seem to be able to hit 2 miles a day when I walk the canyon. I am really happy with this as well.

Hike of the week: I hiked Dry Canyon again on Saturday. I have been fortunate not to get rained on during my hikes considering the weather we have been having. It got to the trail head about 10 and the temperature was great. I made my goal to make it to the Curly Springs trail junction. It is only .5 miles up to it, but the key work it UP. It is quite steep in several sections and it leaves me huffing and puffing and causes me to take several rest along the way, but man is it a good workout. From the junction, the Dry Canyon trail heads up to the right and towards the saddle behind Baldy. My next goal is to make it a short ways up the Dry Canyon trail towards the saddle. I have hiked it before, but it was quite a while a go. If memory serves me correct it is more steep climbing, I want to be able to make it up to the saddle by the end of July, but we will see what kind of progress I can make going up the second part of the trail over the next few weeks. I am glad that I remembered that I had some walking poles. They have been helpful in both uphill and downhill (especially downhill!).

Tip of the week: Water and fruit are your friends. If you are having problems with hunger/cravings, a lot of times, you are just thirsty. Drink a nice tall glass of water and see if that is what your body is trying to tell you. Still hungry, grab a piece of fruit. It is low calorie compared to what else you might quickly grab and tends to satisfy that craving rather fast. Include another glass of water with it and I bet you will be more that happy that's all it took to get you past that challenge.

Hang in there and I will too!

Woohoooooo!!!!

Weekly Stats
Current: 318.4
Weekly Loss: 5.4
% Weight Loss: 1.66%
To Go: 143.4
Total Lost 6.6
Exercise - 5/5 Days – 30+ minutes

Two important things happened this week and they are both related. First of all, I was struggling increasing my exercise time using the elliptical that we have. Despite being on the lowest incline and resistance, I was having a difficult time making it over twenty minutes. I decided to try a walk up the canyon on the Provo River Trail for a change of pace. I was able to go 30 minutes quite easily! I think something is wrong with our elliptical. Maybe the calibration is off. Regardless, I think I will work on walking for a while. It is much less stressful on me, I enjoy getting out and I can go longer.

The second great thing that happened is that I lost weight. There are many factors that contributed, but I think I was over-stressing my body with the elliptical and my body was working on building and repairing my muscles. Walking seemed to put me more into a fat-burning mode. Two other factors were donating blood and missing two meals on Sunday, but I think that was minor in comparison to the walking.

On Saturday, I headed up Dry Canyon again. I was able to do about a 3/4 of a mile round trip which may not seem like much, but the first part of the trail is quite steep. I was huffing and a puffing quite a bit. I did make it to the part that I call the "steps", where the rock creates some natural stairs. I was happy about making it that far. Next week my goal is Curly Springs.

All in all a great week!

Wrong Way - Right Way?

Here are my weekly stats: Weekly Stats Current: 323.8 Weekly Loss: +1.0 % Weight Loss: +.31%. To Go: 148.8 Total 1.2 Exercise - 5/5 Days - 22 minutes

When I go from the scale, it looks like I am loosing the battle. However, I am still increasing my exercise time, hitting my days/week goal and am getting stronger. I have to keep things in perspective as well. I use Monday as my weigh in day and I try to weigh at the same time each day. When I weighed in this morning, I was up a pound. However, I do weigh myself daily and the interesting thing is on Saturday, I had weight in at 320.4. That would have been a great number to report! I didn't feel like I over ate as much to justify a 3.4 lbs weight gain, so I just have to attribute it to my body is still adjusting to the change in exercise. I will try to keep all things in my mind. I am pleased with my exercise progress and feel like this is a good foundation to start with. When I am up to 30 minutes, 5 times per week, I will focus in on the diet a little bit more.

My son Corey and I went on a hike on Saturday morning, up Dry Canyon. It has a steep start and I had to rest a bit, but knew that I made it further than I would of just a couple of weeks back. My goal is to hike to the top of Big Baldy which sits in front of Timpanogos by the end of summer. Not the hugest of mountains at about 8,000', but a good challenge for me. It is the start of my three mountain challenge during the next three year. Big Baldy this year, Timpanogos next year, and Kings Peak the following.

One motivator for me is to have goals associated with my weight loss and these three peaks are part of that motivation. What do you do to keep yourself motivated?

Week 2 - No loss - Little gain

Sorry to be late posting. My plan is to update each Monday, but we had a busy memorial Day. Today was quite busy as well so better late than never.

I appreciate all the comments that I received on my initial Twitter/Facebook update. It has been very encouraging!

My weight loss was a bit disappointing, but I am very pleased with my exercising. I reached my goal of 5 days a week and added a minute each time, so I am now up to 20 minutes on the elliptical. I want to focus on my exercising as my first goal and then work more on my diet. I have been better on portion control and trying to eat more healthy so that has been a good step as well.

One thing that I looked at as far as exercise was to think about how I have been successful in the past. Several years back, I was exercising regularly when I worked out at lunch. Since I am working close to home now, this is an easy option for me, so if I don't get up early enough to work out in the morning, I use lunch time as my back up, which this last week was every time. Think about a time when exercising worked for you and see if that will work for you now. I welcome any comments on how you make exercise work for you.

Now for the weekly stats:

Weekly Stats Current: 322.8 Weekly Loss: +0.2 % Weight Loss: +.06%. To Go: 147.8 Total 2.2 Exercise - 5/5 Days - 20 minutes

A weight gain of .2 lbs is not reaching my goal of two lbs a week, but considering that in the past a long weekend usually meant overeating, I am glad it wasn't a big weight gain. I think next weeks update will be better.

Here we go

I have made many attempts to lose weight. I have had successes, but I have had many failed attempts as well. I have reached the point where my weight is becoming a major obstacle in what I not only would like to do, but need to do as well. I have been thinking lately about what I have done in the past that have been successful. One of these has been accountability. I plan to use this space to come clean of where I am at, what my goals are and give a regular report of my progress. My main goal is to help me reach my goal, but a hoped for side effect is to motivate others to reach their goals, not just weight loss, but other areas that you have dreamed of doing, but for one reason or another have left undone.

That being said, here is my initial attempt of being accountable to myself and to those who might want to follow along.

Baseline (this is a hard thing to admit to, but is part of the accountability)
5/11/2009 - Weight - 325 lbs, Exercise - Very little other than doing what needs to be done around the yard.
Goals - 1) Ending weight - 175 lbs. 2) Lose at least 2 lbs a week. Total weight loss - 150 lbs. 3) Exercise a minimum of 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

Weekly Stat:

Date	Current Wt	Weekly Loss	% Loss	Lbs To go	% to goal	Total Loss
5/18/2009	322.6	2.4	0.74%	147.6	1.60%	2.4

Exercise - Started off with 10 minutes on the elliptical and ended the week by doing 13 minutes. I will keep increasing 1 minute per day until I am to 30.

Good start!