and while i’m not sure yet whether i’ve won the month of august or not (and i’m almost certain i didn’t win the contest overall), i did manage to drop 24lbs this summer, and have added crazy amounts of muscle mass in my legs, arms, shoulders, and chest. this picture was taken earlier today out on pensacola beach @ 261lbs:

as i mentioned in previous posts, i’ve a long way to go still, but what a difference in body, mind, and spirit having worked so hard the last 3+ months to change 20 years of poor eating habits and virtually no exercise. the daily exercise (weight-lifting, circuit training, and biking) has really jacked up my metabolism. the healthy eating (more fruit, veggies; less meat and processed foods; calorie counting; normal portions; LOTS of water) has helped me feel better, and fuels the workouts. seeing and feeling the results is its own reward.

i’m thankful to Tim for agreeing to do this contest with me – we both needed some motivation to get started, and this was just right. Tim, i’m glad you probably won this contest, and the check is in the mail. truthfully, i can’t put a price on how much better i feel, but i’m glad we didn’t bet more than we did. :-)

and a final note: for all my silliness about how tough jillian michaels is, i met her daddy this past week. billy blanks is beating me far worse than jillian ever has. how do i respond? i say, “thank you mr. blanks, please can you hurt me some more!?”

or, Goals and Reflections

this is the final post (for now) that started with Part I, Part II, and Part III. check those out for the history.

at this point, 11 weeks into this lifestyle change, i’ve:

• lost 21lbs
• gained crazy muscle mass
• started drinking mass water
• dumped junk food and bad eating habits
• become jillian michaels’ circuit-training bitch
• been biking daily
• started weight training
• begun eating lots of fruit and veggies througout the day
• felt better than i have in 20+ years

i’ve still got a long way to go. i’m currently 264lbs, which, at 6′ tall, still puts me way out of healthy range. much of what i’ve read suggests having a target or a goal, but i’ve resisted this because i don’t want this to become something i HATE doing because i’ve not lost this or that amount of weight, etc.

what i WANT my motivation to be is to simply continue eating healthy, feeling healthy, using exercise and eating right to accomplish this.

if i were going to set a target weight, i’d probably shoot for 220lbs (in the back of my mind it sounds like a good, attainable, healthy number).

things i’m noticing

• i’m insanely aware of my body now – this never used to be the case.
• my skin is getting tight
• my feet are shrinking (took my birkenstocks in a notch last month, and having to do it again now!)
• my breathing is much more… full? easy?
• muscles are getting bigger and tighter (a strange sensation)
• my stomach is shrinking (but still has a lot more shrinking to do)
• my arms don’t jiggle
• my face has gotten lean (and the wrinkles that have been poofed out by all the fat – they’re shining through now, and i don’t care!)
• i’m very aware of the foods i’m eating, how MUCH food i’m eating, and the choices i’m making
• it’s taking a lot more work to get my heart rate up, pushing me to do longer and harder sprints on the bike, and add more weight to the barbells
• my clothes are getting too loose (can anyone contribute to my Scott Needs New Clothes Fund?)
• there’s almost a “high” that lasts for hours after a good workout – that alone is motivation to push it and work hard! but the increased stamina is also huge!

as i explained in Part I, this started out as a bet with my friend Tim. Tim has won both june and july, and i told him a few weeks ago: i feel so damn good, i’d rather lose the whole kit and kaboodle and continue this lifestyle beyond the contest rather than win and have gained nothing in a healthy lifestyle sense. i’m loving these changes!

now, in the interest of full disclosure, i need to admit that i started this journey during my summer off. being a high school teacher has been beneficial in the sense that i needed to work on getting these changes integrated when i was able to be incredibly flexible. school starts back next week, so the journey continues, but now under “real life(?)” circumstances. i’m going to be struggling with getting up early to get the first half of my workout done, then finishing up the second half after teaching high school juniors and seniors all day.

a final observation:

i’m very thankful that at age 40 and after 19 years of marriage, with some exercise and weight training, i can still make hott chicks swoon. here’s to the hottest chick in my life!

or, Addition and Subtraction

so, a quick re-cap: Part I explained the bet, the biking, building muscle mass, and the lack of weight loss. Part II explained my dawning realization in regards to needing more than just biking, and how i became Jillian Michaels slave at the end of june, beginning of july.

Part III deals with the additions and subtractions i had to make once i realized that physical activity wasn’t the only factor in weight loss.

The Additions:

• in mid-july i started a second DVD workout from JM in which she uses weights – a completely different type of exercise! i quickly left 5lb free weights behind and am up to 12 and 17lbs (depending on the exercise) and have started using the weights with and without the DVD, adding some and ditching others. this has made a HUGE impact! i’m floored at the difference in my muscles, my skin, and the further increased stamina. (my next addition needs to be a weight bench!)

• i had been doing really well in june and july about not drinking any regular pop, only diet… but the diet pop had to go, too. Adding significant quantities of water was important. i started drinking at least 3-4 liters a day starting mid-july and have quit the pop. another big difference! (don’t covet my Life is Good water bottle! i’m not sharing!!)

• one of my conditions when starting all this was that i would NOT start a fad diet or begin consuming things that i hate eating (cottage cheese, tuna, & rice cakes all come to mind). i would eat things that i liked and loved, but would start paying attention to how MUCH of those things i ate. now, i love fruits and veggies, but for years i would simply snack on the things that i felt were easier (and cheaper) to grab: pop, chips, little debbies, a big-ass bowl of frosted flakes. we added a lot of those fruits and veggies to our lives, and now we’re eating a lot healthier during both our main meals AND snacking. (little debbie called my cell the other day and was cussing like a sailor over the drop in profits)
• i’ve also never counted calories before, but had to add this to my regimen, too. i didn’t realize just how much i had been eating before this! amazing, the difference when you start to pay attention! i was easily eating 3000+ calories a day prior to june, and probably still eating 2000-2500/day until july. once i started adjusting, i was hungrier for a while, but that’s where the apples, granola bars, yogurt, and clementines come in! now i’m down to 1500/day give or take 100, and have learned to pack fruit when leaving the house. i’m not counting religiously, but i’m eating serving sizes instead of whatever can fit on my plate and mentally keeping loose track so as not to go over 1500 calories a day.

The Subtractions:

these are some of the things that had to go -

• eating out – no more drive-thru’s, no more chinese buffets – i thought i would really miss this and get cravings, but it hasn’t happened (yet). we’ve saved BOATLOADS of money eliminating this, and eating a lot healthier and more responsibly, too! (the portions are so ridiculous, then factoring in all the junk that’s in the food… lise and i started going to the fast food restaurants’ websites for the nutritional info and were STUNNED – a Wendy’s chicken go wrap, medium fry, medium frosty = 1150 calories?? HOLY CRAP!! need more convincing? watch the movie SuperSize Me)
• junk food – little debbie is pissed. willy wonka is turning violet. coca-cola, frito-lay, and mars candy put together an incentive package flush with cash for us to come back – we declined. their stock declined, too.
• pop – even diet. now, i still have a coke zero every so often, but it’s not my main fluid like it was before.
• HUGE portions – this took a while to get used to, and getting the stomach shrunk to where i wasn’t hungry when just finishing a meal, and learning to snack on fruit and healthy stuff in between meals – it’s all been very worthwhile.
• processed foods – meals in a box, veggies in cans, junk with lots of sodium and preservatives. we’ve not eliminated everything here, but have made significant gains.
• excuses – i’ve spent years making excuses for not being more physically active, for not eating healthier, for not taking care of myself. those had to go.

the addition of the weight training, water consumption, healthy foods, and counting calories has made a significant change in my body and the weight loss.

now, i did lose the month of july to Tim by 1/1000 of a percentage point, but i’m hopeful that the month of august will be mine!

Part IV Finale Preview: Reflections and Goals

or, I Am Jillian Michaels’ Bitch.

after the first month of this weight loss contest with Tim (see Part I), when i had lost only 1lb (due to muscle mass buildup, and my not paying attention to any other area of my life in regards to this), i did my homework and realized, among other things, that i needed to do more than just exercise my legs.

honestly, i had no idea who jillian michaels was when i got the first workout DVD – Banish Fat and Boost Metabolism. she looked tough and there were a LOT of fantastic reviews on amazon.com – what more did i need?

holy. crap.

again, i stress that at this point, besides a month of biking, i had not exercised since high school sports (20+ years ago).

when i attempted the 55 minute workout that jillian michaels puts you through – well, let’s just say that i made it to about the 20 minute point, stopping three times, and thinking my lungs were going to explode and send my lifeless body down the river of sweat coursing through the room.

it was CRAZY!! jillian michaels is CRAZY!! i was talking with lise later in the day and mentioned offhandedly this observation. lise said, “oh, yeah. she’s tough!” i looked at her bug-eyed and said, “how do you know jillian michaels??” and it was her turn to look at me like i was nuts. she said, “she’s the trainer on The Biggest Loser, dumbass! she’s the one who takes the worst of them and wins!” oy vey! no wonder i’m getting my butt kicked!!

it took me 10+ days before i could get through the entire workout in one session (and i still had to stop 2-3 times).

but then something clicked. i don’t know if it was the rhythm, my body adapting, finding my pace – not sure, but i started being able to push it through the whole routine without stopping.

and wow – talk about an endorphin rush! i AM jillian michaels’ bitch!

the cardio, the ab workout, the stretching, the planks – i felt great afterwards and for the entire day! not to mention that it seems to be a natural appetite suppressant (at least it is for me). i started noticing things like my ability to breathe easier, more muscles getting toned, a huge increase in stamina, increased flexibility in my arms and legs, and an overall healthy “high” feeling.

so at this point, i was still biking once a day, plus now working out to jillian.

other things needed to change, too! and other things had to be added. tomorrow i’ll tell you my next step…

Part III Preview: The Addition and The Subtraction

or, How I Roll.

several months ago, i challenged my friend Tim to a weight loss contest. i knew i needed to get serious about it, and i knew he felt the same way. we started off at the very end of May and the contest is set to run through the end of August. i won’t release details, but the stakes are cold, hard cash – something i figured we’d both need as an incentive.

i waited to talk about this with many folks because i wanted to make sure it would stick. as of yesterday, i’ve lost 20lbs, have built up some sweet muscle mass, and haven’t felt this good since high school (if even then).

i’m a bit ashamed to admit that i’ve not seen my weight south of 270 in well over a decade. about 4-5 years ago, i hit 320 and got a bit weirded out. the picture above is still shocking to look at and think how incredibly overweight i was. i lost 30+ lbs over the next 2 years by changing eating habits (exercise? aw, hell no!), but got stuck in the 280′s, give or take 5-10lbs. when the scale showed 265 on Sunday? wowza!

so, back in may i figured i was gonna have to get off my rear and do some physical activity. i dusted off my bike and started riding. and thought i was gonna die after only 3 miles. i mean, seriously. my head hurt, my lungs were exploding, my legs were shaky, my knees were killing me! Â i could do little more than shuffle into the house and lay on the kitchen floor for a half hour when i finished.

insane.

but i kept at it. slowly over the next several weeks i worked up to 8-10 miles, increasing speed, duration, and finally biking twice a day, riding up to 20 miles a day.

now, i was getting a bit frustrated at the beginning, too. for the first 3-4 weeks, i actually GAINED weight. i was feeling good, but wasn’t seeing the change on the scale.

so i started to do some homework on exercise, on biking, on weight loss – i never even thought about muscle mass! i never considered that, after years of being only moderately active and no exercise since high school, i would be regaining muscle that would weigh more than the fat it was replacing!

at the end of our first month, i eventually had a net loss of only 1lb.

i also started to realize that simply biking wasn’t going to be enough. it was exercising and strengthening only one part of my body. i hadn’t made any big changes in my eating (besides getting away from what i would have called “the REALLY bad junk food”) or portion sizes, wasn’t looking at calories or what i was drinking.

these things were going to have to change if i was going to win this contest! Tim took the first month’s prize, but i was determined to modify my attack and take him down!

part two preview: scott gets schooled by a sassy chick in tights