I busted my butt and this is what I get?

3.2 more pounds gone is what I get! How about that for a teaser title? I have now lost just over 60 pounds. I am not sure what weighs in a exactly 60 pounds but I guess you could say 3 20 lb bags of potatoes maybe. I can tell you this that I was over at a friends house last night and got a whole bunch of perspective. I was helping him with some concrete work and I carried an 80 pound bag of concrete mix around the house. I had it up on my shoulder and I could immediately feel the pressure in my knees. It was probably the best eye opener I have had to date on what I was doing to my body. So much so that I would recommend to someone who has lost a significant amount of weight and does not feel much different to find something the weight what you have lost then go up and down some stairs or just walk around your house. You will quickly realize all of the good things you have done for yourself.

So thats it. 60 pounds in just over 3 months. I am happier, healthier and feel much more optimistic about the future.

I must be crazy!

I just signed up for a 5K. Me. Matt Keeling. Matt Keeling of 342 lbs signed up for a 5K. I figure it is something else to work towards. I have until October 11th to be able to do it. I know I can walk it. I am not sure there would be a real problem there. But my goal is to run it. I am not going to set a time on it. But I would like to run the whole way. I am going to follow the couch to 5K training program on www.coolrunning.com. I think I might wait for a couple of weeks before I start to train, but I will definitely be hitting the treadmill more at the gym. I will keep you updated on my progress.

Backyard Gym - Free Membership with no monthly dues. JOIN NOW!

The thing is normally I hate leaves, and really not just leaves but anything that could possibly need my attention in the yard. Mowing, planting, raking, trimming and cleaning up brush have been activities that I have avoided at all costs in the past. Between allergies and weight moving around like that outside was more than just a chore. This weekend that all changed. I went out and bagged nearly 30 bags of leaves over 2 days. Planted a bunch of flowers and actually enjoyed my time outside. I am sore today, but not cant walk sore, just a dull ache sore. I was tired at the end of the day but I has such a sense of accomplishment as opposed having the feeling of shame that my lawn looked so bad. I drove up to my house after doing this cleaning and actually felt pretty good about what I saw.

So what the heck does this have to do with weight loss? I am glad you asked. The yard was my gym this weekend. While I did not sweat as much or have my heart rate at the same level, I was working out there most of the day Sunday. I have no idea how many calories I burned, but I know that given the amount of time I at least equaled my normal gym time if not exceeded it. So if your on this journey with me, get out and do some yard work. Your back yard is a gym and you don't even have to pay $45 a month for it.

No Shirts, no shoes, no.... well just a post about clothes

Clothes are hard for a guy at 400lbs. At 34 years old you still want to look 28. I have been shopping at the big and tall store since pretty much just out of college. I shopped Eddie Bauer catalog for a very long time but their style did not stay with me. I cannot explain to you how happy I was when just before last weekend I go into a size 46 jeans. Now I know to some of you out there you are thinking 46 is huge, but that is down from a very comfy 50 just back in January. Not to mention (and I may have) that these are relax fit jeans not loose fit jeans. It just feels so good to start to wear some "cool" clothes. Everything is fitting better and differently.

How different? Oddly shirts are getting longer. I figure 2 things have happened here. The first is that I have stopped stretching my shirts to make room for my gut, the second it that I must have lost some weight in my shoulders, chest and upper back. A guy on the Guys on a Diet board on WW mentioned that you lose from your head down. Not sure that is true, but it kinda makes sense.

On to other things that fir funny. My shoes that were very comfortable before are now loose. I guess less swelling or something. I don't know, this one has me stumped.

So has anyone else run into these issues.

Was I off track? No, but it sure feels good to be back on schedule.

I got back to the gym this morning. I went Monday and Wednesday nights and got in good workouts. I dragged my lazy ole bones out of bed this morning and went to the gym. I feel so much better. I am in a much better mood and I feel like I have energy to spare. I have mentioned this in past posts, but I am sure no one will mind reading it again. Working out in the morning is the best. You have this perception that you can't get up and that you will be more tired after and drag throughout the day, but really it is the exact opposite. The is an energy return. The blood is pumping your adrenaline is up and you just generally feel better. So there you have it.

Completely unrelated - FOOD FIND! New to me anyway.

Western Bagels - Very Blueberry Bagel with WW cream cheese. Thats 2 points y'all! for a bagel and cream cheese. No it is not Einstein Bros or Panera Bread Co, but it aint bad eitther!

I am following the plan pretty well I guess. Weigh in update

I will just blurt it out there. 2.2 more pounds off this body forever! I was a bit surprised though. I thought I would lose but I was figuring less than a pound. Goes to show me how much the exercise really pays off.

I have this ritual of calling my brother after every weigh in to let him know how I did. I called him up as usual and told him the news and his comment was, "That's just amazing, you must just be following the plan perfectly" Then I told him about the few beers I had over the weekend and the Coon Ass Chicken I had from Jazz Louisiana Kitchen, an not to mention the several bites of the chocolate beignet I had. So I told him that I was not following the plan to the tee but that the exercise really helps to offset those choices that are less than healthy. It also got me to thinking about my last post about striving for perfection and then about living this lifestyle forever. I will tell you right now that I am gonna eat at Jazz again and the choice I make will probably not be healthy but I know that I can still succeed doing that. I just have to turn around and workout a little more and eat a few less calories the next day or two. I guess my point is that perfection might be unattainable, but then again what I did this past week may have been closer to perfection than I realize. I enjoyed some things that are nor particularly healthy, but in moderation, I also made healthy choices the majority of the time and I did my best to get in my good health guidelines. In my mind that is living the lifestyle and if I am doing that, then maybe I am close to perfection.

Lets strive for better rather than perfection

I was out reading my normal round up of blogs and wandered over to Kathy Calculates. She had issued a challenge to people to have a perfect Monday. Stay within your points and get in your 8 good health guidelines. Now as I was not part of this challenge I can honestly say I was not perfect. She wrote today about a better Tuesday. I was struck by this because I struggle so much with trying to be perfect that I end up beating myself up for not being perfect. Even worse i have been know to blame others. This is my journey and while I need the support of the people around me, ultimately I am the one who puts the food in my body. So I guess my point for today is to make sure that I do not beat myself up so much and stop blaming others for my failure. From hence forth I am taking responsibility for my own actions. I will strive to be better everyday in one small way. That may be being more active or eating better or just having a better attitude. Today I am choosing to have a better attitude about everything. I will have a positive day. I will weigh in and be happy with the results. I will not allow outside influences to bring me down. Today will be a good day.