Today is the 10th update of my goal to to return to race weight by April 13th. I am in a "sort of" competition with my brother-in-law Mike to reach our mutual goal of 169 pounds. See my first blog for details on where we started. I think you will see we both tackle weight loss in a completely different way. The goal of this series of posts is to show how a couple of average guys get back to their goal race weight.

 If you have read any of my previous posts you know that I have not exactly been losing weight fast. I have been enjoying my post-Ironman off season. (Maybe a little too much) After focusing on Ironman for the last two years I am having a difficult time getting back to that same level of motivation. Finishing the Ironman was a life long dream and everything else seems irrelevant. That is not to say I haven't been working out. I did run 125 miles last month and rode the bike trainer for an hour once a week. I enjoy running but I just have not been able to generate the internal motivation needed to tackle another major event.

So where am I? With exactly 10 days to go before my self imposed weight loss deadline of April 13th I am far off the mark.

Current weigh-in:    180          Goal Weight: 169

I have lost exactly 9 pounds this year. According to my math I would have to lose 11 pounds in the next 10 days to reach my goal. My brother-in-law Mike already reached his goal 3 weeks ago.

In case you are wondering the picture on this post is what I call my Poster of Shame. I started this years ago whenever I needed to lose some weight. Basically I write my weight on a poster and hang it up in my office so I have to look at it all day. Even this tactic has only had minimal impact on my motivation to lose weight. Not to blame the weather but it is hard to get motivated when it is snowing in March.

Even the Good Times Spring Series has been affected by the terrible weather. I look forward to running in this series every year and was hoping the competition would increase my motivation. Well, last night was the first race and guess what....Coldest Good Times ever! Thirty-something degrees with a heavy wind...I had to wear my winter running gear...Winter will just not let go....check out the story and video here. (your VTR host placed 17th)

The good news is that we are now in April and the extended forecast looks much better. (Of course as I write this post the windows of my house are rattling from the wind and it is freezing out) As soon as it gets warmer I will start to get some outdoor rides in and running will be much more enjoyable. Good weather is motivating for everyone. The first day it is 60 degrees on a weekend day you will see a ton of runners and cyclists on the roads. It makes you wonder where everyone has been for 6 months.

The bottom line is that training without a goal is tough. If I didn't truly enjoy running I would have slacked off big time. With no impending events that "scare" me, I don't feel like I have to get serious. We will see what happens....for now I will run in the Good Times Series every week and see if I can be competitive in my new age group.

Today is the ninth update of my goal to to return to race weight by April 13th. I am in a "sort of" competition with my brother-in-law Mike to reach our mutual goal of 169 pounds. See my first blog for details on where we started. I think you will see we both tackle weight loss in a completely different way. The goal of this series of posts is to show how a couple of average guys get back to their goal race weight.

 My Results

With exactly 4 weeks to go to reach my goal I am still losing weight at an extremely slow pace. I now weigh 181. I have seen 180 on the scale numerous times over the last few weeks but the facts are I have only lost 8 pounds since January 1st. I think I was confused with the contest. I thought it was who could lose the weight the slowest. I still have 4 weeks to go....I won't bore you with the details....Focus on Mike....He's the man!

Starting weight: 189   Mar 16th weigh-in: 181   YTD loss: 8 lbs

Mike's Results

I did it!!  169!!

For what is is worth, I would have won the biggest loser for the second year in a row. Check out my weight loss blog from last year to see how I lost over 60 pounds and won the biggest loser competition at my work in 2012.

Since January 1st I have lost 13% of my body weight.  At that weight I would have been runner up overall in last year's competition (and I still have three weeks to go and weight to lose).  I am writing this on the eve of my March 16th weigh-in, and to be honest I did not want to get off the scale this morning.  I saw a weight I thought was impossible to ever see. I know I talked about it a lot.  A real lot for anyone that would listen...possibly too much (sorry family).  But I said it, and kept saying it until it happened. This morning I was at a predictable 170.8. I know I have been talking about 169 for a while now, but at 170.8 I feel I accomplished what Dave and I set out to do. Tomorrow I will wake up and I will be 169.  But at the end of the day, a number is just a goal, an ideal.  

When I see success, I do not see it in black and white.  In my life I have seen that successful people understand this.  The "Success" they set out for is rarely what they end up with. It usually is close to the original form, but not exactly. Happiness is realizing this and growing into new adventures. 

Since I won the Percussion biggest loser competition last April, I have lost another 25 pounds. In the last year I have lost over 75 pounds and kept it off. People say that I inspire them, but frankly, I would not be here without the support of those who reached out to me and told me I encouraged them. You are the inspiration that drives my success!

 Starting weight: 192.5   Mar 16th weigh-in: 169.8  YTD loss: 23 lbs

 Next Update March 30th!

Today is the third update of my goal to to return to race weight by April 13th. I am in a "sort of" competition with my brother-in-law Mike to reach our mutual goal of 169 pounds. See my first blog for details on where we started. I think you will see we both tackle weight loss in a completely different way. The goal of this series of posts is to show how a couple of average guys get back to their goal race weight.

Dave

Week Three Summary and Results:  
As I write my third update I feel like the last three weeks have just been a continuous string of excuses. Now, don't get me wrong. My excuses are legitimate and completely make sense. The problem is excuses are the reason people gain weight and also are the reason it is difficult to lose weight. The last ten days I have actually gained a pound. During this time I was still sick and on antibiotics, was on vacation in Florida for 5 days, and had a couple of late nights out. You could say that only gaining a pound during a vacation along with my other excuses was a victory. The problem is I could come up with legitimate excuses every week. The bottom line is that three weeks deep I have only lost 1.5 pounds.

 Exercise:

 Sunday- ran 4 miles easy

 Monday- off

 Tuesday- off

 Wednesday- ran 8.35 miles

 Thursday- ran 5.25 miles with a couple of pickups

 Friday- off

 Saturday- Ran 5.1 miles easy

Sunday- off

 Totals: 22.7 miles of running in 8 days

 Results:

 Starting weight: 189    Jan 21st weigh-in: 187.5     Total weight loss: 1.5 pounds

Mike

 Week Three Summary and Results:  
Well, week three was rocky. In the last 8 days I have only lost .6 of a pound. Transition from the juice fast, two Patriots playoff games, and a scheduled annual bar crawl. If you know anything about me, you know that I know any success has its share of failures. The only separation between failure and success is picking yourself back up. During the first Patriots playoff game, I kept telling myself I only want to eat because I am stressed, so I didn't. Success. The bar crawl started out good, but drinking and weight loss don't really mix in my opinion. Finished the night with French fries, but it was an example of the 5% of the time I feel I can eat for enjoyment. Failure. Two hours on the Elliptical and probably at least three days to wash the salt and bloat out of my system. So here I am at the end of week three, still at it, and excited to get to running season. I am looking forward to a three hour event in June and then a seven hour event in September. But for now, I will drink water, clean up my system and get back on the mat. About 10 pounds to go in two months.

 Exercise:

 Sunday- 40 minutes elliptical

 Monday- 75 minutes swimming + 45 minutes yoga

 Tuesday- 1 hour spin class

 Wednesday- 90 minutes elliptical + 1 hour yoga

 Thursday- off

 Friday- off

 Saturday- 1 hour run

Sunday- 2 hours elliptical

 Totals: 1 hour of running + 1 hour spin + 1.75 hours yoga + 1.25 hours swimming + 4.2 hours elliptical in 8 days

 Results:

Starting weight: 192.5   Jan 21st weigh-in: 182    Total weight loss: 10.5 pounds

Week Three Recap:

The last 10 days were not what either of us wanted. Both Mike and I enjoy having a good time. The challenge is how do you enjoy life and lose weight at the same time. The problem is most of the fun things in life are not conducive to weight loss. Eating out, drinks with friends, and big family dinners are not the recipe for weight loss. So what do you do? Stop having fun? Finding that perfect balance of moderation is the key to a happy and healthy life. Setbacks are a fact of life and moving forward is the only way to deal with a setback. After a devastating Patriots loss last night the only positive is now I won't have to write a post explaining why I gained weight during a Super Bowl party.

Next Update January 27th!