Thursday, December 31, 2009

October and November overview

As the month of October goes it was the the same old thing each time a visit was made to the gym. Get on the treadmill for 30 min them elliptical for 15 then home. I also begin to change my eating habits. As I discovered from the Internet I need to eat 5-6 meals to keep my metabolism going. I decided to put myself on 2200 calories a day in addition I registered with http://www.livestrong.com/ to keep a food Journal.

November: As I educated myself a bit more I decided to work in some of the machines at the gym. As other gyms they have a variety of machines so I start simple and begin with some leg, chest/overhead presses, bicep, triceps and crunch machines. I fumble around with these machines, but eventually get a grasp of how they operate.

At the beginning I try and get in and out in about 40 min. Then realize that's not going to happen! If I am going to do the machines and cardio I am looking at about an hour or a bit more.

So, throughout the month of both October I am weighing myself every week first thing in the morning and do notice a drop in weigth! The first week in November I am at 310 lbs not bad 11-12 lbs lost since October. I am stoked and I continue my routine. The one thing I due start to do is become bored. It is the same thing 4-5 days a week Sunday-Thursday with Friday and Saturday rest and start again on Sunday.

Right after Thanksgiving I am approached once again by a trainer. He introduces himself and tells me he has noticed that I have been coming in on a regular basis and thinks it would be good to get some training assistance. He then proceeds to tell me about a 1/2 price deal they got going!

Here we go again!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

First day at the gym, machines, trainers and the internet!

Well, October finally rolls around and the Gym by the house is open for business. Now let me also mention my Wife has also joined with me as we will be doing this together. Do I tell her what is going thru my mind for real.. Heck No!

So we go in show them the contract and Bang! they take are picture and give us are membership cards and a brief tour of the complete faciltiy. The next evening we show up with workout towels and waters in hand. But, I have no idea were to begin.. I am a bit overwhelmed.. I look around and I am still baffled.

Now, let me remind you I have never had a gym membership in my life. As for the equipment in this place it reminds me of one of those medivel toture chambers. So I find the least intimitating thing...

The Treadmill! I figure I can't screw this up!

So, I figure out how this thing works push a button here, a button there get my Ipod going and start walking.

45 min later we are done we pack up are stuff and drive home. That's it! Later that evening I think "I need to do some research and figure out what machines to use and how to workout."

The next day I Google away. I read all sorts of things and don't know how many sites I visited. Now with my brain on overload and ready to explode. I am more confused than when I started.

Still attendance at the gym is regular and I jump between the treadmill and the newly discovered elliptical machine. I narrow my web sites to a few that have forums that I can troll around on and try and set up a plan of attack. Then it dawns on me as part of the membership we get 1 free consultation with a fitness trainer. I plan on taking full advantage of that or not!

I locate a trainer and ask hem about the "free session". He is more than happy to sit down with me. He begins with asking what my goals are and I explain lose weight and gain some muscle. He says he can help and I say "Fantastic!" He takes me to the floor and we do a few workouts. Now, don't get me wrong I think this is great, but I want to find out more about the machines and how to use them. 20 min we are done and we go back to the desk and then it happens I should have seen it coming like a train THE SALES PITCH!

I though I was buying a car and I HATE buying a car! when we are done I walk away still unfamiliar with the machines. Google here I come again!

On a side note I did get my free training session...

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Casting continued and a new Gym membeship!

Ok, to continue are "Biggest Loser" casting short adventure. Both my brother and I submit all the things they need such as pictures, bio, video and paperwork and the waiting game begins. As we wait for a call or email I really begin to think about what I am going to do and how I am going to lose weight. In the mean time we have several contacts with the casting company and we are being considered! WOW! Both of us are excited and then we get the call...

"Sorry, we really liked you guys but the network is looking for couples that are bigger!" I say "Between the two of us we weigh over 700 pounds." "Sorry, but we would like you try for next season or we have a few more shows in the development" I am thinking "so you want us to hold off until January and try again in hopes that we pack on a few more pounds so we are bigger!"

To make a long story short we both look at each other and say "What the hell! we're to skinny."

So, that ends or "Biggest Loser" adventure...

After that over the next few weeks I am really thinking about how I am going to go about losing weight. 1) Do I buy some home gym equipment? (which will end up as a place to hang my clothes) or 2) join a local gym? (a potential money pit). Both will cost me money which I am short of but I need to do something. As I contemplate what I am going to do my brother tells me he is really considering the lap band. I decide on a local gym that is opening up near my house and he decides on the band. He is excited about the band I ask him to come with me and join the gym and we can do this together. He says in his own words that he wants to do the band.

So, I visit the staff at the gym and sign up. The funny thing it's not even done being built! When I join it is mid-August and they tell me it should be done the first of September.
Not even close it doesn't open till the first week in October.

Now, knowing I will be going to the gym once it opens I begin to attempt to change my eating habits sometime in late August. I weigh myself and I am 317 lbs starting September. A month later as I start at the gym I weigh myself again...

I am at 321! WTF!

I have to ask myself "Will this work or am I just throwing away my money for the next 2 years with this stupid membership!"

Next...My first months at the Gym!

Monday, December 28, 2009

My Journey begins...

Well, my journey begin back in late July. I was driving to work one morning and noticed a sign for a casting call for "The Biggest Loser" season 9. I phoned my brother to see if he was interested in going to the casting call with me as they were looking for couples for the upcoming season.
Now let me tell you a bit about my brother. My Bro is 3 years younger than me. He is 6 feet 3 inches and weighs in at 405 pounds! Now the dynamics of our family is this. On my fathers side hypertension runs in the family along with high cholesterol. I have been fortunate enough that I have not been diagnosed with these ailments yet even though I weighed 325 pounds. I figured it was just going to be a matter of time before I was struck with these medical problems if I continued down the path I was on. My brother has not been so fortunate and he has to take medication for both and is type 2 diabetic! So I figured I needed to lose weight and so does he we might as well face the music.
So, we go to the casting call and we both look like fit people! I was amazed at the size of the people that were there. We meet with a casting director and have or interview and think nothing of it after we leave. As we take off we both decide we are hungry and we want Lunch so we got this place in LA called "Pinks" now they are famous for there chili hot dogs http://www.pinkshollywood.com/.
We arrive and place are order and we each devour 2 10" dogs and split a huge order of onion rings and chili fries! Below is the picture of us at Pinks!



So we get a call back for Biggest Loser and we have an on camera interview. They like us and inform us that they need us to fill out some paperwork submit some pictures and make a video. We do some filming and watch the video and then reality hits us like a 2x4 upside the head WE ARE TWO FAT MEN! I was embarrassed and sad that I let myself get that big! My brother and I have a great sense of humor and laughed it off, but you could see it botherd both of us.

Below is a few of the pictures we submitted.



THE STORY CONTINUES TOMORROW...



Sunday, December 27, 2009

Who I am and Why am I doing this!

Well, I never thought I would start a blog in my life, but here I am! There are a few reason's why I did decided to this. My main reasons was I needed a place to put down my thoughts such as my hurdles, my victories, my frustrations and my rants in my journey to losing weight. This Blog is for me! If on the off chance people do read this I want them to know that you are not alone out there and their are others like you who are struggling with being obese/fat and who are also trying to do something about it.

I understand that this will be a long journey and it will require me to make lifestyle changes! I also know it sounds easier then it sounds.

So back to Who is this Guy!

Well I am 41 year old guy who is 5 feet 11 inches and was 323 when I started my adventure in October 2009. I have a Wife, Son and Daughter and they are the reason I need to lose the weight and get healthy. I want to be around to enjoy them as they get older and be their when they start there families.

Growing up I was always a Big Boy! I grew up wearing Husky brand pants as a kid (I think they were made by Sears) and they had this big brown label on the right rear pocket that said "HUSKY". I was never able to wear what I called regular clothes. As I got older it became harder to shop in stores for off the rack (still have that problem today). Most if not all the time it was order from the JC Penny or SEARS catalog and this continued thru Jr High. Now growing up I played soccer and little league and even then uniforms were a bit small for me. I remember one year in baseball I had to have a completely different jersey from my team because they did not have my size! So in the team picture there I am standing out like a sore thumb..

When I started high School it got a bit taller and played football. This is when I lost a few pounds, put on some muscle, but still was big. I played offensive guard so I needed to be able to hold my own. Here also is were I got tagged with the nickname of "Side of Beef". I sometimes look back at that time and wish I would have taken my fitness training more serious and continued on after high school, but it is what it is.

After graduating one thinks that they are always going to remain at their high school weight. Wrong! as like some/most we stop doing the regular activities that we did in school. Now, don't get me wrong I continued some activities such as backpacking, hiking and some softball leagues but it just wasn't enough and I got REAL lazy and that is why I am at were I am. I will say it again!

5 feet 11 inches and over 300 hundred pounds!

Above I mentioned I was doing this for myself and my family. Well, it is mostly for my family. I want to grow old with my wife and enjoy my kids as I get older. I say this because of my Dad.

My Dad was not only a parent he was my best friend! I lost him in March of 1994 he was only 51 years old. He was a "big guy" they would always say, but he was also not healthy. He was not a drinker or smoker but he did not take care of himself when it came to what he ate and because of this his weight was about 350 or so pounds and was a type 2 Diabetic. In addition he was also trying to control his blood pressure.

I, my Mom and brother lost him at age 51! he was unable to be around to not only see his 4 grandchildren but to get to know then and enjoy them! He also was not around for my Mom and my borther and I.

I was never mad at my Dad when growing up but sometimes I get mad at him for not being here now!

So that is where I am at in my life now and why I need to change it!

to be continued...

Tomorrow: What I have done since August 2009.