And Then I Fucked Up…
Well hey there. It's been awhile. Surprised anyone still cares enough to stop by. It's much appreciated. Now let me just get to it...
I was on a roll. I was helping people. Some people actually called me inspirational (blushing). I lost over 70 pounds. I was working out with my wife 5 days a week. I ran my first 10k. I was happy.
And then I fucked up... <cue the backstory>
Back in November I felt like I was finally making a difference. I was receiving more and more email with questions about my journey, and I was happy to help any and all who would listen. I even had a few major blogs contact me, asking if I could do a guest post. Sweet! I decided it was time to have my first "competition" in December. I even came up with a clever (I thought) name: The #NoFatChristmas Challenge! Brilliant! I was all set to take December by storm and then all of the sudden, I fell into a state of depression that I hadn't experienced in years... Shit. :/
I am not sure what triggered it, but it was as real as can be. I felt sad. I felt cold. I felt alone.
It was at this point where I fucked up. I let the depression win. I stopped running, and started eating like I was running twice as much. I stopped going to the gym. I broke every rule I had made for myself. I ignored every piece of advise I ever gave - and just started eating to comfort myself. Wow. I am a moron. Wait - actually I am just human. Humans make mistakes. Yeah. That sounds much better than that whole moron thing, right? #MoronicHuman?
Getting Back on Track
During this entire process, I stopped visiting the blogs that I came to follow and I didn't feel like talking to anyone about my problems. Hell - I wasn't even entirely sure what they were anymore. All I knew is that I didn't want to talk to anyone about them. This was another bad choice. My blog has always been my way of venting. My way of sharing my feelings. If nothing else I should have been blogging about what I was going through. It could have helped. I even received an email from my friend Jon asking how I was doing, since he hadn't heard from me in awhile. That was awesomely thoughtful. The other day I stumbled upon some bookmarks to a few blogs in particular that helped inspire me to get myself back together. A special thanks to Jon, Steve and David for their inspirational blogs and kind words. Your support is much appreciated.
Wednesday Weigh-In
So I got up off my ass and had my first real weigh-in of 2012 today, and here are the results: I am up 12.6 pounds and 3.6% body fat. Mellon Farmer!!!
So here I am, though I am far from where I started (240+ pounds), I still feel that I have a tough journey ahead. I am not putting this off any longer. It's time for me to get back on track. It's time for me to remember my mantra: Fitness is a journey, not a destination. Start your journey today. Tomorrow is just an excuse.
The 2011 #NoFatChristmas Challenge!
Everyone has been there. I have. You have. They have. Yeah. Like I said. EVERYBODY. Let me set the stage...
It's Christmas morning. You open presents. You eat. You spend time with your family. All is well. You tuck the kids/dogs/cats/other species of critters into their bed(s), and sit down with your laptop to relax. THEN IT HAPPENS...
You open up the photos you took throughout the holiday on your shiny new digitial camera - but something is amiss! Surely there is something wrong with the lens! There must be! In every photo, you look 20 pounds heavier than you thought you were! WTF?!??!
Then you realize what happened. The weather started getting colder, the desserts more delicious, and somewhere between the turkey on Thanksgiving and the cookies on Christmas morning, you fell of the fitness wagon! AGAIN! Damn it!
I know this because it has happened to me. Not once, not twice, hell, not even thrice - but for YEARS I shuddered each and every time I looked at a Christmas photo. NEVER AGAIN.
So here is the plan. We are going to join forces this season and help each other through what is easily the toughest time of year to either get into or stay into shape.
The Rules
Starting December 1st, you must:
- Take an initial weight and waist measurement
- Keep track of all calories consumed and/or burnt each and every day
- Workout for at least 7 hours a week
- Check in with the challenge by posting these activities to the #NoFatChristmas hashtag
- Help all others who rock the #NoFatChristmas tag to stay on task - we are a team!
I know what you are thinking! What do I win if I lose the most pounds or inches! Drum roll please..... NOTHING! There are no winners and losers here. And actually - you get something MUCH BETTER than nothing. You get to wake up Christmas morning knowing that you gave yourself the BEST gift you could have - a healthier you! Those who complete the challenge will also be immortalized on this website with a sweet digital plaque designed by your's truly! :)
So who is with me? Comment on this post to officially throw your hat in the ring. Do it for yourself. Do it for your family. Do it so we can all have a #NoFatChristmas together! :)
Unexpected Motivation
Sometimes motivation can come from where you least expect it.
Take yesterday for instance. I happened to pop onto Twitter and see that someone had posted that they were going to challenge themselves by doing 100 crunches each day for the next 7 days. I don't know what possessed me, but I quickly replied "I'm in!" and began asking others if they were interested. If you have been reading my posts lately, you know that I have been dragging ass lately - and perhaps this was just what the doctor ordered.
I must take a second and apologize at this point, because I didn't mean to turn someone's personal challenge into a group event. However, I do believe their is strength in numbers. Thanks for being a good sport and letting us tag along! 
Now it's day 2, and the one has become six. One person inspired SIX people to get up off their asses and work just a little harder to reach their personal goals, whatever those may be. That is amazing. It's the power of social media. It's the power of our new found era of digital friendships that can be as real as the ones we had with out childhood friends - mostly because we can easily find others that share our same goals, our same dreams.
I may only have 270 or so followers, but go ahead, ask me about any one of them. I can probably tell you their goals, their ambitions, their faults, and perhaps even what their favorite healthy snack is. I know because I reach out and try to help when I can. I care. I care because no one cared when I was struggling. I care because few others will. I care because I feel everyone should.
We are all in this together. There is a strength we can all hold onto when we work together and help each other. Let's keep pushing everyone. Do it for yourself. Do it for each other.
So Far, So Good…
Well it's been almost a week since I started trying to get back on track, and so far, so good.
I haven't worked my way back to my workout routine yet, however, I did manage to run a 30 min 5k on both Saturday and Sunday, and my calories and food intake are finally starting to shape up...
It can be hard due to client lunches and work events to eat healthy, but I have managed. For example, today I was invited by a client to grab some Mexican food. Instead of ordering a greasy fried WHATEVER, I got a chicken taco salad, no sour cream - and I didn't eat the shell. I even skipped the chips they brought to the table. Now THAT'S a challenge!
It's getting easier to stay on track again, so I think I can say that I worked through my little "fall off the wagon" and am now ready to get back into routine.
I know I say this frequently, but THANK YOU to all who helped motivate me and get through all this. I was feeling pretty down, and my Fitness Friends helped to pick me back up again.
Thanks for being there for ME. Now it's time I get back out there and start motivating others again!
How My Shoes Helped Me to Achieve a New Balance…
I love New Balance Shoes...
I know, I know, you are probably sitting there amazed at my clever play on words in the title of this post - who wouldn't be?
I have had a few emails since my last post about what gear I have used/liked during my battle with obesity, so here goes nothing...
Someone said "the shoes make the man" right? Right? Shit. Ok. Maybe not. I don't know. But the point is that I REALLY, REALLY love my NEW New Balance 690's (thanks goes to the wife for the hookup!) and wanted to share it with you.
Those of you who were here last week know that I used these sexy bitch's as my shoe of choice when I completed my first 10k race, and let me tell you I am still loving them!
As you can see from the lovely photo to the left, I have been a fine purveyor of all things New Balance for quite some time. Fat Miller might be a jerk, but even he, at 240 pounds LOVED his NB 473's. In fact, my two pairs of beat up 473 Trail Shoes are still alive and kicking for casual use and grass cutting duties - I just can't part with them!
Why am I such a fan of New Balance you might ask? Consistency. Every time I go shopping for new athletic shoes, I compare cost to comfort, and time and time again, I walk away with a pair of good ol' New Balance shoes in my hand. They are always comfortable, and I have yet to get ONE blister while wearing them. Whether I was 240 or 150 pounds, these shoes have been my best and only friend while out running.
No, I am not sponsored by New Balance (yet!), but I can wholeheartedly recommend checking out their shoes the next time you are in the market for a pair. You won't find a better value in a running shoe, and the 690's in blue just kick ass... :)
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Helpful Resources
- Detour Bars The best protein bars on the planet!
- Lose It! The calorie counting app that changed my life.
- New Balance The ONLY shoes I will ever buy.
- Ntense Workout The best gym in Northeast Ohio. Period.
- RunKeeper I never enjoyed running until I started using this app.