Next Stop: Skinny Town

I will keep this brief, as I am currently enjoying the Braves 2-0 lead over division foe, Philadelphia Phillies.

This last week was a great week, although it didn't start out that way. After my weigh in last Saturday, I was 223 pounds and I was feeling pretty good. So, Monday after I was done at the Rocky Mountain Revue, I headed home and called Annie and asked her to order pizza for dinner.

I hadn't had pizza in a long time, not since the beginning of the challenge. I enjoyed my 5-Buck pizza very much. Then on Tuesday I was out at the Flash Factory in Lehi and someone there had ordered some pizza from Papa Johns. I figured, I had done so well that I deserved more pizza. I had two slices. Wednesday I was determined to eat better since I had our race on Thursday, but lo and behold, I had pizza Wednesday night from this place in Provo.

Yes. Three days in a row I had pizza. Needless to say I went crazy exercising on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and wouldn't you know it, I weighed in at 220 pounds on Saturday!!!!!!

I was so excited at the gym, I nearly started my musical celebration again, but I withstood.

Here are the stats for the week.

WEEKLY UPDATE, JULY 27, 2008

WEIGHT: 220 pounds- Hopefully next Saturday I am under 220!

FOOD EATEN: Way too much pizza, no more for me for a while.

EXERCISES DONE: Another 5K run, and running on the treadmill with the incline set to 15.0... that is very difficult and burns a lot of fat.

Thanks for the support and wish me luck.

Another 5K Run

Annie and I did another 5K run on the 24th of July in Provo. Things went great and we both improved upon our times from the 4th of July. I came in at 28:06 (previous time of 29:36) while Annie finished at 32:00 (previous time of 34:35).

I was going to take a video camera and record some of my running, but I thought twice about that when I thought about possibly stepping in a hole while I was trying to film and rolling my delicate ankles, so this is the only photo I have.

I am currently searching the races that are coming up in hopes of finding a few more to do in the next month or so, I will keep you all posted.

I am off to the gym right now, really going to go at it today and tomorrow before my weekly Saturday weigh in.

Thanks to everyone.

Creeping up on 220!!!

Imagine my surprise when I stood on the Gold's Gym scale on Saturday! Imagine my jubilation! Imagine my pure pride, imagine the tears swelling up in my eyes as I reflected upon the work and struggles I had gone through these last seven weeks. Imagine how weirded out, but yet proud, that tiny Asian man at the gym was after I hugged him coming off the scale. Imagine the chills that were shot down my spine as I ran from the scale to my car, through the human tunnel made by all in attendance at that glorious occasion. Picture a kid, eight pounds thinner, jumping for joy with the 2:00 p.m. ladies yoga class as we enjoyed my success together.

In deed, the day was good and the work is showing forth marvelous fruits.

I stepped on the scale and saw 223 pounds... eight pounds less than when the challenge began. There are so many people to thank, I don't even know where to begin.... so I won't.

I have another 5k coming up on Thursday, I promise pictures and video footage from that race will be put up that day. I will be carrying a camera and will be filming me during the race.

WEEKLY UPDATE, July 22, 2008

WEIGHT: 223 pounds... look out 220, here I come!

FOOD EATEN: pretty good for you food, although there has been a couple pizza breakdowns and of course, otter pop season is in full bloom and I can't just let those go to waste. But other than those things, I am doing great.

EXERCISES DONE: Too many to count, we're talking running, crunches, biking, and dancing.... lots of dancing.

Wish me luck everyone and check back for the 5K updates. Thanks to all who have encouraged me.

One more pound!...and some sideaches

I missed the update yesterday, but am posting the information right now.
One more pound has been shed off the blob that I have called a body for the last couple years. That brings me down to a 225 pound mark that I am pretty proud of.

One thing that has been driving me insane is the constant appearance of side aches while I am running. I have tried everything from not drinking soda to regulating my breathing while I am out running. If anybody has any idea on what might stop or slow down the appearance of side aches, I would love to hear them.

Please let me know if you can help me out with the side ache problem.

Other than the constant pain in my sides while running, I have really been enjoying my running experience. Running on the treadmill is about the worst thing ever, never have I been more bored while running, I am also taking suggestions for how to improve my treadmill experience.

I look forward to the suggestions and advice from everyone. Thanks.

WEEKLY UPDATE, July 14, 2008

WEIGHT: 225- Lost one more pound this week, I think I had a big smile on my face when I stepped on the scale at the gym... and thanks to the removal of my chapstick from my pocket, the weight was lost.

FOOD EATEN: I was doing awesome until yesterday. We had a barbecue for Annie's dad's birthday and I let myself go a little bit. There was a fantastic cake that I dove into like a homeless man. There were peanut butter bars that were enough to make Mary Kate Olsen breakdown and eat. There were hamburgers that looked so good off the grill that I couldn't help but enjoy one.

EXERCISES DONE: Lots of running... I will be starting a new running schedule... I will be running shorter distances on Monday-Friday of the weeks and then on Saturday I will be embarking on a much longer run, in preparation, hopefully, for a half marathon in January. who knows though, I could crap out by then.

Thanks everyone and wish me luck.

Week 4

28 days have come and gone since the beginning of the Flan Challenge... and it has been a splendid 28 days.
I hope everyone's Fourth of July was all they expected it to be, I know mine was.
Annie, my dad, my sister Kaitlyn and I all ran the Freedom Run 5K race on the morning of the Fourth of July. It was a great way to spend the morning and I felt so refreshed.
I finished with a time of 29:36... not too bad. I felt pretty good (despite the huge, pregnant ladieS that passed me in the process... yes I said ladies... plural.)
This is the most recent picture of me that is out there... and I am proud to say that those five pounds are nowhere to be found in the picture.
I am registering for another5K race on July 24th in Provo, in hopes of surpassing my time of 29 minutes.
I want to recap some of the highlights from my first four weeks as a "healthy" human.

• Swearing off Skittles- I've done it a thousand times, I had another break down last night at a movie and gave in and tasted the rainbow.
  
• Running Shoes- what a difference good running shoes make... I feel like I am taken seriously now when I am running and that I am not just another fat guy on a quest to lose weight.
  
• Others eating- if you can recall, Mr. Quinn's adventures at the Costco eatery. This was one of the toughest things for me to go through, watching Travis down so much food in so little time and knowing that the mere sniff of it moves my stomach over my belt.
  

these are some of the many highlights I have had in the first four weeks. Here are the weekly statistics.

WEEKLY UPDATE- July 6, 2008

WEIGHT: 226 (still the same as last week, but I feel much better. I found myself removing everything before I step on the scale at the gym. I remove my chapstick even, as if that is what is weighing me down.)

FOOD EATEN: Much better... I added asparagus to the regimen over the week and it was delicious. Grilled on the BBQ and fantastic. There are no more Skittles at my parent's house, however; my mother replaced them with peanut M & M's... not better.

EXERCISES DONE: The 5k was the biggie for the week and it was great. I also ran a mile on the treadmill, with the incline at 5.0... very tough.

Anyway, wish me luck and thanks for the support.