May

29

Losing Motivation - a song

Filed Under Belly Off, Diet, Exercise, Fitness, Food, Health, Lose Weight, Motivation, News, No More Fat Dad, Tips, Turbulence Training, Weightloss | 8 Comments 

Sang to the tune of R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion”

Oh, I am bigger
I’m bigger than you
And I’m growing
The lengths that I will go to
To eat some moon pies
Oh no, I’ve said too much
I ate it up

That’s me at McDonalds
That’s me in the fridge, I’m
Losing motivation
Trying to lose all my weight
And I don’t know if I can do it
Oh no, I’ve said too much
I haven’t worked out in weeks
I thought that I was stronger
I thought that I could cheat
I think I thought I could eat that fry…..

As you have probably noticed, I haven’t been posting much here or in any forums.  This blog is a funny thing.  It’s been an amazing tool in my weight loss journey and has connected me to fantastic people throughout the world.  It kept me going when I wanted to quit before and picked me up when I stumbled.

But this time I didn’t just stumble, I completely fell off the wagon and gave in to all my bad habits.  And as I spiraled down into a deep abyss of self destruction (it really hasn’t been that bad, I’m just taking some creative license for dramatic effect) I turned away from the support that NMFD has offered, forsaking it for moon pies, M&Ms, ice cream, fast food and soda.

As I mentioned in my last post (has it really been almost 2 weeks since I stopped posting regularly?), I think completing the SEAL Fitness Challenge was a catalyst for my fall.  I had worked so hard for 5 months to prepare for the challenge and when it was over I didn’t have a new goal to reach for that would keep me on track.

Sure there’s the triathlon coming up in July, but I just did the friggin Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge, a triathlon will be easy!  That’s what I’ve been telling myself when I’m sure nothing could be further from the truth.

I’ve had plenty of reasons to make excuses for not eating right and not exercising but I’ve finally come to a point where I know that if I continue down this path, I will be right back where I started in January.  Undoing all the fantastic things I’ve done so far.

When I took that first stop off the wagon I was at 178 pounds.  That was just 8 pounds away from my target weight of 170.  The last time I weighed myself (last Monday), I was up to 180 pounds.  I actually avoided the scale yesterday because I didn’t want to see me go over 180.  I’m actually surprised I’m not heavier because when I do something I go all out.  I’ve eaten a lot of crap food, drank my first sodas and hit fast food joints for the first time this year.  For me, it’s all or nothing.

I’ve worked out sporadically during the last two weeks and had a camping trip that I hiked up and down hills for two entire days but I haven’t kept a regular schedule and I haven’t done any kick-butt workouts since the 14th.

Today, with this post, I’m officially picking myself up off the ground, dusting myself off and jumping back up on that wagon and getting back on track.

I still have a triathlon to prepare for and a transformation contest to win.  I’ve wallowed in self-pity for the past few days and it’s time to get over all that and move on.

That’s the difference between the new me and the old me.  I know how to move on and not kill myself over mistakes and I know exactly what I need to do to reach my goals.  That knowledge is very empowering.  In the past, I really had no clue how to get in shape and undo all the bad I’d done.  But now I do know and I’ll put all that knowledge to use to reach my goal of 170 pounds and winning the transformation contest.

May

21

I’m back

Filed Under Belly Off, No More Fat Dad, Site news | 3 Comments 

If you haven’t noticed, I haven’t been very active this past 5-7 days.  Between preparing for my final Juniper test to my weekend camping trip with Alex to a short trip to DC for a Google seminar, I haven’t had much time to sit down and write any posts.

I’ll sit down tonight and catch up on my writing.  You’ll find out how my last weigh in went and how I’m struggling with my motivation right now.  So stay tuned and thanks for reading!

May

18

Weekend of camping + weekend of camp food = a wash I hope

Filed Under Exercise, Food, Fun, Kids, No More Fat Dad | Leave a Comment 

I just got back from a weekend of camping with Alex.  We are part of the YMCA Adventure guides group and this was our spring camp out.  We had a lot of fun together even if it was a bit muddy and wet at times.

The camp ground we went to is in south east Ohio, where it gets pretty hilly.  The last two years I’ve gone, this camp has wiped me out by Saturday after lunch.  Not this time!  I was fine hiking up and down the hills all weekend long with Alex, exploring Bear Cave Trail, going fishing (Alex caught his first fish!), hiking to the archery range, canoeing, the fathers playing 2-on-2 football and a lot more.  In fact, I’m still feeling good today, I’m actually considering a 2 mile run later tonight.

Now, that was a lot of exercise, but I ate everything that everyone brought to camp, and you can bet there weren’t a lot of healthy choices.  I did pack bananas and watermelon along with a case of water bottles.  But the rest of the food was all junk but it was oh so good.  I basically threw my good nutrition out the window for the weekend and hope that all the exercise will counter act all the junk food and when I step on the scale tomorrow I see no gain or loss, we’ll see.

I’ll post some pics of the camp later this week.  I just wanted to get a quick post out since I’ve been gone for 3 days.

May

15

Winner of the Fuji Crosstown 2.0 bike is…

Filed Under Contest, Fun, Kids, News, No More Fat Dad | 1 Comment 

…jenelle cal

Janelle was one of the first entrants to the contest. Zach picked the lucky winner out of all 71 entrants by drawing her comment out of a box.

Congrats Jenelle and thank you to everyone who participated in this fantastic event and thank you to Lipton for asking me to hold this contest for all my readers.

May

14

No More Fat Dad is doing something to help fight childhood obesity

Filed Under Exercise, Fitness, Food, Health, News, No More Fat Dad, Site news, Weight loss | Leave a Comment 

A month ago, I wrote a post about seeing fat people everywhere, and in large numbers.  Originally, I was just making an observation about how large our population was and how I really had never noticed until now because I was one of the overweight masses.

As I  composed that post though, my view point changed and I went from just making an observation to wanting to take an active role in helping those who struggle with their weight.  And the people I feel need the most help, because they have the most opportunity to change, are the overweight children in our society.

To that end, and after much thought and consideration, I have decided to donate 25% of all the money (not that it’s a lot) I make from the No More Fat Dad website to the HealthCorps non-profit organization.

I decided to donate to the HealthCorps because of their holistic approach to teaching kids about nutrition, exercise, weight loss and the emotional aspects of good health.  Even though there are no HealthCorp programs here in Ohio, I’m hoping that one day they will come to my community.  But in the mean time, I know I’ll be helping out kids somewhere who will get a great education about living a healthy lifestyle.

Here’s an excerpt from their website describing what they do…

“HealthCorps® educates American youth about the workings and wonders of their bodies through in school seminars on diet, nutrition, and exercise. HealthCorps empowers children to become educated consumers and to make shifts in behavior that can be measured by changes in rates of obesity and physical fitness as well as mental resilience and self esteem.”

Now, what can you do to help me help the kids?  On June 1st, I will be launching a brand new No More Fat Dad website.  In preparation for this new site, I’ve been lining up some new partnerships for an expanded NMFD Store.  Every time you buy something from the NMFD Store, 25% will go towards a donation that I will make to the HealthCorps at the end of each month.

So, when you need to buy whey protein mix or a new treadmill or a new workout program, please come check out the new NMFD Store and help support a very worthwhile cause.

Stay tuned & thank you!

May

11

Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge - Recap

Filed Under Belly Off, Exercise, Fitness, Health, Motivation, Navy Seal Fitness Challenge, News, News, No More Fat Dad, Turbulence Training | 7 Comments 

“PASS HIM, BEAT HIM, DON’T LET HIM BEAT YOU!!!”

That’s what I heard as I slapped the wall of the pool and started my last lap. The guy I was sharing a lane with, who started 15 seconds ahead of me, was only 2 or 3 lengths ahead of me and the SEAL standing over our lane yelled at me, encouraging me to dig deep and give everything I had. Even though I’d easily completed this swim during practice sessions, when it came time for the real thing, I didn’t think I had much left to give.

After just 3 laps, with 7 left to go, I was already drained and fighting a mental battle in my head. I think I let the thrill of starting the competition take me out of my game. Instead of focusing on form and pace I was sprinting right from the start and that wasn’t how I wanted to start. After the 4th or 5th lap I re-discovered my form and was able to fight my way through until that last lap. Then, with a SEAL yelling at me to win, I dug deep and swam as fast as I could and beat the guy by a second. That was a small victory for me because my lane partner was in awesome shape and probably about 10-15 years younger than me. On top of that, I wasn’t the last one to finish the swim, there were quite a few other’s still slogging through their swim which gave me some extra time to rest before the push-ups.

After everyone had completed the swim and we had our 10 minute rest, our group, the Purple Team, headed outside for the rest of the challenge. It was a perfect day for the challenge. The temperature was somewhere around 70 degrees and not a cloud was in the sky.

The next test was push-ups. My swimming lane partner and I teamed up for this as well. He went first and knocked out 83 which was pretty impressive. Then came my turn and when they said “Push ‘em out” I started fast and furious. The first 30-35 were pretty easy to get through and all I was trying to do was to get to 42 (the minimum requirements for a brown shirt) as quick as I could. I got to 40 easily enough when my partner said “now it’s just sets man, just do sets” so I pushed out sets of 5 before I’d take a rest (in the up position). SEALs were walking among the participants giving encouragement and advice, helping motivate us to do our best. My body finally gave out mid-push-up with about 15 seconds to go in the 2 minutes. After the swim, those push-ups were hard.

We immediately jumped into the sit-up phase, with my partner going first again. He had a good steady pace going and friends of his watching on, shouting support as he cranked out 80+ sit-ups in the 2 minutes.

As I laid down on my back getting ready, I was feeling pretty good. So far I had reached my goals for the swim and the push-ups and sit-ups hadn’t been a problem for me in the past, 50 would be achievable. I don’t know what happened but by the time I reached 30 sit-ups, my mid section was done. I had to fight with everything I had to keep going and I’m proud to say I never quit, I did as much as I could in 2 minutes without giving in.

On my last 2 or 3 reps there were SEALS standing & kneeling around me yelling “PUSH, DON’T QUIT, YOU CAN DO IT” trying to encourage me. And even as I was struggling, these warriors shouting for me to give it everything I had to laugh inside. All I could think about was how 20 years ago when my boot camp company commander and drill instructors would yell the same things, I thought they hated me or they were making fun of me or how much PT sucked. Now I know my Company Commander and his crew were encouraging me as much as these SEALs were, but just the fact that I was doing this because I wanted to (as much as I wanted to join the Navy, nobody really wants to go through boot camp) made for a completely different reaction.

Unfortunately, I didn’t reach the minimum target to get a brown shirt which bummed me out a bit as I got up off the ground. But that dejection didn’t last long because I was determined to continue to give it my best as I finished off the challenge with pull-ups and the 1.5 mile run.

Going into the challenge, I knew pull-ups were going to be my weakest event. Even though I’ve been working on them for 5 months, it’s only recently that I’ve really progressed. I had yet to try any unassisted, always using the weight assisted machine at the gym.

Dangling there in front of your entire team and a few SEALs, I felt vulnerable and exposed, there really isn’t a place to hide when you’re 1 of 6 people hanging up in the air. Still, as I’d seen in the previous events, everyone was there to encourage the participants. So, even as I flailed about in the air trying to do a few meager pull-ups, there were people supporting me, talking me through the pain and motivating me as I dropped to the ground.

Again, I didn’t reach the target for a brown shirt, but I didn’t feel bad about it by now. I knew I had been giving it my all through all 4 of the event’s I had completed so far and there is no shame in that. And I also knew that every SEAL crew member that was there didn’t judge me by my numbers. Each guy judged me on the fact that I was there on a gorgeous day putting myself through this tough physical challenge when I could have just as easily sat around my house and not participated at all.

The final event was the 1.5 mile run. The track we were on was longer than a standard track, it was only going to take 4 laps to complete the run. I actually liked that, because running around the same track doing lap after lap would have been boring as hell for me.

When the group started off, I quickly dropped to the back of the pack, the proverbial tortoise racing the hares. But I had learned from my swim, don’t let the competition take me out of my game. So I kept my pace and just chugged along the best I could. I finished my first lap in a little under 3 minutes and settled in to a good steady pace. As each lap went by, my pace actually increased, I knocked about 10 seconds off with each lap. On the final lap I actually started to pass some of the guys who raced off ahead of me in the beginning. As I rounded the last corner I started to run as fast as I could but I was fighting a cramp that started around the beginning of the last lap. Cramp and all, I finished strong and beat a few guys so I was happy. I wanted to through up or pass out, but I was happy.

All and all, I was very happy with how I performed. While I didn’t get the brown shirt I wanted, I was close and I’ll get it next year. In our group of 15-20 guys, I was probably the 2nd oldest there with most of the kids being high-school or college aged. We had 1 guy (a guy who runs track for Notre Dame, he lapped my on the run) earn the blue shirt and two guys walked away wearing the brown shirts.

Here are my results, the final scores will be posted on the Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge web site in the next few days. When they do come out, I’ll link to them as well.

  • Swim - 11:53
  • Push-ups - 63 in 2 minutes
  • Sit-ups - 39 in 2 minutes
  • Pull-ups - 4
  • 1.5 mile run - 11:36 (a 7:44 mile pace)

The Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge was a great event and I’m glad I participated. When I first decided to do this back in January even the idea of me doing all the events made me tired. But over the last 5 months I’ve trained and got myself into a lot better physical condition than I’ve been in for years. I was confident heading into the challenge and while I didn’t reach my goal of attaining a brown shirt, I can still hold my head high knowing that I gave everything I could.

Being in that environment, around hundreds of other men and women who pushed themselves just as hard, was exhilarating. Having never taken part in even a 5K, I felt like an intruder when I walked through the doors that morning. But when I had finished, I knew I belonged and that challenging myself with events such as this was something I wanted to do a lot more of.

And, even though it may sound cheesy, putting on that Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge t-shirt, with the Navy SEAL Trident really meant a lot to me and I’m proud to wear it and display the Fitness Challenge decal on my car. I know there aren’t too many people who would attempt this and I want everyone to know I am one of those people.

No More Fat Dad wearing my white Navy Seal Fitness Challenge shirt Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge Leaderboard Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge requirements

May

11

No More Fat Dad is back up

Filed Under No More Fat Dad, Site news | 1 Comment 

Sorry for the site being down the past day or two, there was a billing error that took NMFD down but I’m back up now.  Of course, this all happened while I was at the Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge, so I didn’t even know about it until I got back yesterday evening.

I’ll have my SEAL Fitness Challenge results posted later this evening for anyone who’s interested so stay tuned.

May

8

I’ve come a long way - 50 hours until the Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge

Filed Under Exercise, Fitness, Motivation, Navy Seal Fitness Challenge, News, No More Fat Dad, Progress, Weight loss, Weightloss | 8 Comments 

The clock is slowly ticking and in a little over 48 hours I will take part in the first physical challenge I set as a goal for myself when I started my weight loss journey back in January. The Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge is this Saturday, and my time slot is at high noon.

I chose the SEAL Fitness Challenge because it seemed so unattainable to me 5 months ago. I couldn’t run a half-mile at a slow pace, let alone run 1.5 miles at an 8 MPH pace. Heck, the first intervals I did were at a running speed of 7 MPH and I could barely keep that up for 30 seconds before I was gasping for air.

When I attempted my first swim I made it all of 2 laps (100 yards) before I had to stop. My arms were not going to move anymore and my lungs were about to burst. The thought of me getting through 11 laps was inconceivable.

Don’t even ask about how many (or few) push-ups I could do when I started the Men’s Health Belly Off program. I had to start with modified push-ups (on your knees type).

Pull-ups? HA, I couldn’t even hoist my 208 pound body up to that bar even 1 time, in fact I don’t think I even budged when I tried my first one.

After 5 months of hard work and dedication, I am a completely different person physically. I still have bigger goals to reach but the SEAL Fitness Challenge doesn’t seem as daunting of a task and I’m confident I will come away with a brown shirt at least (white shirt for just attending, brown shirt for passing the minimum standards, blue shirt for passing the competitive standards).

I am now running intervals at a 12 MPH pace and was able to run the 1.5 miles at a 7.5 MPH pace without a problem last week. I need to step that up to an 8 MPH pace to meet the 11 minute target (thanks for catching that Kirsty) which I’m confident I will do.

Just this morning I completed the 500 meter swim without stopping and came in with a time of 12:15, which is 15 seconds better than the target time. If it wasn’t for me swallowing a mouthful of water on my second to last lap, I would have had an even better time. I’ll be sure not to do that on Saturday.

Push-ups will be no problem, I have two minutes to pump out 42 of them. The last time I tried (a few weeks ago), I was able to knock out 40 in that time and I know I’ve improved my upper-body strength even more since then.

Sit-ups are not a concern either. I have 2 minutes to whip through 50 and I was able to do that 2 months ago. I think sitting on a ball all day long has something to do with already having a strong core.

The only part of the test I’m concerned with is the pull-ups. I haven’t progressed as quickly with them as I would have liked. I’m still using the assisted pull-up machine at the gym, but am down to only 10 pounds of offset weight. I can take solace in the fact that I’m usually pulling my own weight up before the little weight sled catches up to my knees. For the test, I have to get through 6 with no time limit. I’m reasonably confident I will make it through, I’m sure the adrenaline will help.

It really is amazing to look at the progress I have made since I first set this goal for myself. I’ve gone from an out of shape, fat dad to a reasonably fit dad who will pass a strenuous physical test that some guys who are 10-20 years younger than me will struggle with. I’ve accomplished all of this in the span of 5 short months.

I’ll be sure to post my results when I get back on Saturday & I’m hoping to have some pictures too.

May

7

Tips from Jillian:Calorie Counting Made Easy

Filed Under Diet, Food, Lose Weight, Tips, Weight loss, jillian michaels | Leave a Comment 

Counting the number of calories you consume daily is a must if you want to reach your goal weight. After all, how will the “calories in, calories out” weight-loss formula work if you have no idea how many you eat every day?

Getting an accurate calorie tally is easy on days when you can measure all the meals and snacks you prepare with the help of measuring cups and a scale. Once you’ve measured, you can get the right number by adding up the calories based on portion size. But, how can you estimate calories when you can’t measure ahead of time?

If you find yourself in a situation where you can’t measure your servings, here are some useful tips for assessing portion sizes using your hand:

  • The size of your fist is roughly equal to a cup-size serving of cereal, wild rice, black beans, etc.
  • The size of your thumb is roughly equal to an ounce-size serving of cheese.
  • The center of your palm of your hand, without fingers, is roughly equal to a 3-ounce serving of fish, chicken, beef, and so on.

I told you it was easy! Now you have no excuse to blow your calorie limit for the day!

A great calorie counting book that I’ve used for a long time, and that Jillian constantly recommends, is the Calorie King book.

May

6

Turbulence Training - Original Workout - Week 4 Review

Filed Under Belly Off, Eat Stop Eat, Exercise, Fitness, Health, Lose Weight, No More Fat Dad, Progress, Turbulence Training, Weekly review, Weigh-in, Weight loss, Weightloss | Leave a Comment 

Last week was pretty challenging for me. Between preparing for Zach’s 1st Communion (house work, honey-do list, yard work, etc…) and studying for my Juniper tests, I didn’t have much time to workout. I still ate pretty well, though I did stuff myself a bit too much at Zach’s party. That said, I still ate a lot less and a lot better than the old me would have at the same party.

The danger I’m running into now is putting everything on cruise control and just coasting.  Everything I’ve been doing since January 7th has become habit.  I don’t forget to pack my snacks for work anymore, I have my gym bag packed and ready to go every morning, I eat good foods, all the stuff that was a struggle not so long ago is second nature.

The problem is now that these tasks are all routine, it can be very easy to slip out of the good habits I’ve developed over time.  I know I’ve talked about this before, it seems to come up every month or so for me.  I find myself losing the laser sharp focus that got me to where I am and I end up having a week that I’m lucky to have lost anything, if not gained.

The good news is, I am able to spot this when it happens and re-dedicate myself to staying fit and healthy.  One of the biggest reasons I’m able to spot this trend before it’s too late is this blog.  Having to recount each week, look at the numbers and think about what worked and what didn’t has been a huge help in keeping me on task.  That, along with all the support and comments I receive, are a major reason for my success.  Thank you everyone!

OK, so how bad did I do this week?  Actually, not as bad as I had thought I would.  Preparing to step on the scale yesterday morning, I kept telling myself I would be happy with just maintaining my weight of 179 but I was preparing to see my first weight gain.  After stepping on and off the scale 3 times to triple check, I was happy to see I’d actually lost another pound.

After a week where I only worked out one time, ran intervals twice and ate too much at a party on Saturday, I was extremely pleased with the results.

There are two things I did last week that I think helped me when I thought there was no hope.

First, I did about 3 to 4 hours of heavy yard work on Sunday.  A lot of digging, raking, mowing, stooping, bending, pulling, lifting, etc…  That was a workout in and of itself.

Second, I tried my first intermittent fast.  I got a copy of Brad Pilon’s “Eat Stop Eat” program and read through it earlier in the week.  After finishing the book, the idea of a 24 hour fast  made a lot of sense so I decided to try it out.  I started my fast on Saturday at 5:00 (after eating the party goodies) and ended on Sunday at dinner (5:30).  I’ll put together a more in-depth review, but suffice to say, I don’t think felt hungry the entire time. In the end, I think following Brad’s “Eat Stop Eat” program is what saved me from any weight gain and helped knock almost an inch off my waist.

Even with the reduced workouts and indulging in cake, ice cream and other party treats, my weekly results are pretty decent.  Here’s the stats for this past week.

  • Weight - 178 pounds / 80.91 kg (179/81.36)
  • Chest - 38″ / 96.52 cm (98.25/97.16)
  • Waist - 36″ / 91.44 cm (37/93.98)
  • Bicep - 11.5″ / 29.21 cm (11.5/29.21)
  • Thigh - 21.75″ / 55.25 cm (22.75/57.79)
  • Calf - 14″ / 35.56 cm (14.25/36.20)

And here are the progress pics from this week…

Turbulence Training - Original Workout - Week 4 Progress Pics - Front

Turbulence Training - Original Workout - Week 4 Progress Pics - Side

 

 

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