The streak is over.
The 1972 Dolphins can uncork their champagne. Joe DiMaggio and Cal Ripken have nothing to worry about. Maya Moore and company over at UConn can rest assured that my own personal weight loss streak has come to a close, and while not nearly impressive as the women winning something like 958 consecutive games, I was on a pretty good run.
How good? Since I began Weight Watchers, this blog, and the linking quest to lose 60 pounds by the wedding, I had not experienced a single weigh-in where I actually added pounds to my frame.
There were times when I stayed flat, others where I posted significant losses, and many more weigh-ins where my weight would drop incrementally. I had a system down: be very good about counting points from Monday-Thursday afternoon. Bust my butt at the gym, burning anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 calories per workout. Get weighed on Thursday, then allow myself to take a few liberties from Thursday night through Sunday. Come Monday (again with the Jimmy Buffett), Indulgent Matt would once again give way to Intense, Obsessive Matt, and any pounds gained over the weekend would be gone within a couple of workouts.
When my body fat percentage was much higher and I had many more pounds to lose, the process worked without fail. But 70 -plus pounds later, there's not as much to lose, my metabolism is catching up with me, and I haven't made all the dietary changes necessary. I accept that, and I know I have to be better, otherwise 80 pounds is never going to happen.
Above all things, weight loss is about self control. I've never been an alcoholic or a drug addict, and thankfully I've never found myself on the business end of an intervention. My understanding is, however, that a person cannot change unless they accept that change is necessary. That philosophy was at the heart of my problems with weight, and likely will continue for the rest of my life.
For years, I was comfortable with being the friendly fat guy. I figured everyone loved having a chubby, funny, and huggable lout around, so in a way, I decided I was serving a role to society. But then you look at all the side effects of obesity, and you realize you are paying a huge price, and not just in terms of health. I was unhappy, and change was necessary. It's taken a great deal of discipline, more than I've ever required for any endeavor I've taken. But it has paid off in spades.
Since 2005, I have lost more than 100 pounds. At the risk of personal shame, I'll state the truth right here. At my worst, I weighed well more than 300 pounds. When I look back at those photos, I feel ill. I never want to look like that and feel like that again, especially given the many blessings in my life. I have plenty that I need and want to be healthy for, so why is temptation creeping back in?
The answer: temptation is natural. Everyone experiences it in some form. Mine comes in food. Megan and I are now less than two months from our wedding date. With the bridal showers and weekends with family come heaps of incredible goodies. Last weekend, red velvet cupcakes were my Waterloo, coupled with too much pizza and cookies consumed merely because they were there.
I overindulged, and for the first time, I wasn't able to make it up at the gym. I tried my best, but on Thursday, I was a pound heavier than I was the previous week.
The defeatist in me wanted to beat me up. However, the defeatist has to compete with a the new optimist that has emerged, and as such, I have a decision to make. Do I scrap my quest and decide I've done all I can? Hell no. There's still bathing suits to consider. Was this a wake-up call? Unquestionably, and unlike many an early morning, I refuse to hit the snooze button.
Then, there's this: gaining the occasional pound is part of the weight loss process (that according to the Weight Watchers leader). People go up and down, week by week, but as long as the overall trend is downward, I should be okay.
The temptations are not going to stop. Let's see how much self control I possess, and by all means, let's start a new streak next week.
Some red velvet STATS!
Days until wedding: 58.
Weight lost in Week 36: 0.4 lbs
Total weight loss after Week 34: 71.4 lbs
Weight lost in Week 37: + 1 lb. Call the Pentagon, we've got an emergency!
Total weight loss after Week 36: 70.4 pounds Cancel the Pentagon, we should have this under control.
Progress toward 60 lb goal: 117.3333 percent
Progress toward 80-pound goal: 88 percent
Consecutive weigh-ins without gaining weight: 0
Weight left to lose: 9.6 lbs. Look out, elliptical. I'll be kicking your butt regularly.
Interesting nugget of new job: I am in charge of the college's Facebook account. hehehehe.
Number of town meetings sat through this week: not a one. Ah, academia.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
More changes than merely measurements
Let's paint the scene a bit before we begin...
9:16 a.m. on May 6, 2010. Shots are fired at an East Hartford apartment complex. Three people are killed, a fourth is shot. The police department's PIO is meeting with media as investigators try to figure out what happened. Reporters from every television and newspaper outlet in the state is swarming, looking for information. At the JI, second deadline is fast approaching, and breaking the story in time for the afternoon paper is critical.
Had this all happened on May 5, I would have have been one of those reporters on the scene. On Thursday, however, I was watching it all unfold on TV news, checking for updates on the computer, and reading Facebook postings from journalists.
The shooting happened the very next day after I left the Journal Inquirer and five years of reporting, a career that started outside of San Diego, led me home to Middletown, and brought me to the scene of many breaking news events in East Hartford. I've covered homicides, murder trials, the state legislature, feuding ice cream truck drivers, plenty of education matters, ComicCon, renegade emus running amok, and even competitive eating contests. I've also had my image frequently on the second page, announcing the latest results of my weight loss progress and inviting everyone to read along.
Come Monday (ah, Jimmy Buffett), that's all over. I begin work as a communications coordinator for Goodwin College, and I have bid farewell to the JI newsroom. Frankly, it's a weird feeling... I know it's the right move, but alas, five years is five years. I've been a reporter longer than I was a college student or just about anything else. I'm excited too. This is going to be a great change, and I am ready for it.
Of course, it is heaping another big change in my life onto an already tall pile. In 2 and a half months, I'm getting married. I've lost 71 pounds and counting within the last eight months or so. I am working toward a Master's degree in education and certification to teach high school English. Now, in the midst of all of that, I'm changing careers. Might be a good time for me to take a deep breath. But all these changes are for the better. I have absolutely no doubt about that.
And with all these changes, I am determined that my physical measurements will continue to get better. According to my most recent figures, I've lost about eight inches off my waist and chest. My arms are getting slightly bigger, while my shoulders are losing their broadness. My head, however, continues to be massive and the recipient of many a bruise.
The new job is going to mean (gulp) a new routine. Through this personal challenge, the gym has been my destination during every weekday afternoon or mid morning, depending on my work schedule. Now I'll no longer have to worry about night meetings, so goodbye, split shifts. Instead of starting the day around 7, my mornings will now start at 9. As a result, I'm moving my workouts to the morning, meaning that by 7:30 a.m. on week days, I'll be treadmilling away.
A couple things to get used to here. First, getting ready for work in a locker room surrounded by strangers in various stages of undress. High school Matt didn't even like taking off his shirt in the locker room; now he'll be waiting in line for a shower. That definitely could take some time to adapt.
Second, a person's body weight changes throughout the day. Typically, you are lightest after you wake up and your stomach has had nothing to digest for several hours. By the end of the day, I can be seven pounds heavier after three meals, various snacks, and all the liquid that has been consumed. Weight Watcher weigh-ins, meanwhile, are in the late afternoon, usually after I've had my "last chance workout" to burn away whatever breakfast and lunch calories are in my system. This tactic has been effective- I can be as much as five pounds lighter by the time I finish exercising. At the same time, I usually appear as if someone has pushed me in the pool. Oh well.
I'm interested to see whether the routine change will yield new results, positive or negative. Varying routine is supposedly good for weight loss, but I've come to rely on that Thursday afternoon blitzkrieg. I just hope the stats continue to be reasons for celebration.
So farewell to the newsroom, the bylines, and the crime scenes. For a while, you've been all I've known as a professional, and, as crazy as it sometimes made me, I'll miss the scrambling around. It's much harder to say goodbye to the friends, and thankfully, I don't really have to do that. I'll be close enough that a lunch is always a possibility.
And the Great Wedding Fast will continue, though the author will soon have a new business card.
Past deadline, I'm filing some STATS!
Days until wedding: 72. Just about 10 weeks.
Weight lost in Week 33-34: 2.2 lbs
Total weight loss after Week 34: 70.2 lbs
Weight lost in Week 35: 0.8 lbs
Total weight loss after Week 35: 71 pounds
Progress toward 60 lb goal: 118.3333 percent
Progress toward 80-pound goal: 88.75 B+
Consecutive weigh-ins without gaining weight: 35
Weight left to lose: 9 lbs. That's less than a pound a week. Can it be done?
Towns written about during years as reporter: San Diego, Chula Vista, El Cajon, Lemon Grove, and La Mesa, CA; Middlefield, Durham, Middletown, Cromwell, Portland, East Hampton, East Haddam, Haddam, New Haven, Meriden, North Haven, South Windsor, East Hartford, Manchester, Windsor, Hartford, Storrs, Glastonbury, East Windsor, Bolton, Hebron, Enfield, Windsor Locks, Tolland, CT.
Rough estimate of bylines: 2,300.
Most obscure story: tie between the ice cream truck duel and the emu.
9:16 a.m. on May 6, 2010. Shots are fired at an East Hartford apartment complex. Three people are killed, a fourth is shot. The police department's PIO is meeting with media as investigators try to figure out what happened. Reporters from every television and newspaper outlet in the state is swarming, looking for information. At the JI, second deadline is fast approaching, and breaking the story in time for the afternoon paper is critical.
Had this all happened on May 5, I would have have been one of those reporters on the scene. On Thursday, however, I was watching it all unfold on TV news, checking for updates on the computer, and reading Facebook postings from journalists.
The shooting happened the very next day after I left the Journal Inquirer and five years of reporting, a career that started outside of San Diego, led me home to Middletown, and brought me to the scene of many breaking news events in East Hartford. I've covered homicides, murder trials, the state legislature, feuding ice cream truck drivers, plenty of education matters, ComicCon, renegade emus running amok, and even competitive eating contests. I've also had my image frequently on the second page, announcing the latest results of my weight loss progress and inviting everyone to read along.
Come Monday (ah, Jimmy Buffett), that's all over. I begin work as a communications coordinator for Goodwin College, and I have bid farewell to the JI newsroom. Frankly, it's a weird feeling... I know it's the right move, but alas, five years is five years. I've been a reporter longer than I was a college student or just about anything else. I'm excited too. This is going to be a great change, and I am ready for it.
Of course, it is heaping another big change in my life onto an already tall pile. In 2 and a half months, I'm getting married. I've lost 71 pounds and counting within the last eight months or so. I am working toward a Master's degree in education and certification to teach high school English. Now, in the midst of all of that, I'm changing careers. Might be a good time for me to take a deep breath. But all these changes are for the better. I have absolutely no doubt about that.
And with all these changes, I am determined that my physical measurements will continue to get better. According to my most recent figures, I've lost about eight inches off my waist and chest. My arms are getting slightly bigger, while my shoulders are losing their broadness. My head, however, continues to be massive and the recipient of many a bruise.
The new job is going to mean (gulp) a new routine. Through this personal challenge, the gym has been my destination during every weekday afternoon or mid morning, depending on my work schedule. Now I'll no longer have to worry about night meetings, so goodbye, split shifts. Instead of starting the day around 7, my mornings will now start at 9. As a result, I'm moving my workouts to the morning, meaning that by 7:30 a.m. on week days, I'll be treadmilling away.
A couple things to get used to here. First, getting ready for work in a locker room surrounded by strangers in various stages of undress. High school Matt didn't even like taking off his shirt in the locker room; now he'll be waiting in line for a shower. That definitely could take some time to adapt.
Second, a person's body weight changes throughout the day. Typically, you are lightest after you wake up and your stomach has had nothing to digest for several hours. By the end of the day, I can be seven pounds heavier after three meals, various snacks, and all the liquid that has been consumed. Weight Watcher weigh-ins, meanwhile, are in the late afternoon, usually after I've had my "last chance workout" to burn away whatever breakfast and lunch calories are in my system. This tactic has been effective- I can be as much as five pounds lighter by the time I finish exercising. At the same time, I usually appear as if someone has pushed me in the pool. Oh well.
I'm interested to see whether the routine change will yield new results, positive or negative. Varying routine is supposedly good for weight loss, but I've come to rely on that Thursday afternoon blitzkrieg. I just hope the stats continue to be reasons for celebration.
So farewell to the newsroom, the bylines, and the crime scenes. For a while, you've been all I've known as a professional, and, as crazy as it sometimes made me, I'll miss the scrambling around. It's much harder to say goodbye to the friends, and thankfully, I don't really have to do that. I'll be close enough that a lunch is always a possibility.
And the Great Wedding Fast will continue, though the author will soon have a new business card.
Past deadline, I'm filing some STATS!
Days until wedding: 72. Just about 10 weeks.
Weight lost in Week 33-34: 2.2 lbs
Total weight loss after Week 34: 70.2 lbs
Weight lost in Week 35: 0.8 lbs
Total weight loss after Week 35: 71 pounds
Progress toward 60 lb goal: 118.3333 percent
Progress toward 80-pound goal: 88.75 B+
Consecutive weigh-ins without gaining weight: 35
Weight left to lose: 9 lbs. That's less than a pound a week. Can it be done?
Towns written about during years as reporter: San Diego, Chula Vista, El Cajon, Lemon Grove, and La Mesa, CA; Middlefield, Durham, Middletown, Cromwell, Portland, East Hampton, East Haddam, Haddam, New Haven, Meriden, North Haven, South Windsor, East Hartford, Manchester, Windsor, Hartford, Storrs, Glastonbury, East Windsor, Bolton, Hebron, Enfield, Windsor Locks, Tolland, CT.
Rough estimate of bylines: 2,300.
Most obscure story: tie between the ice cream truck duel and the emu.
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