Back Again

Forgive me bloggers for I have sinned. It has been over 1 year since my last blog entry.

Wow, over 1 year. A lot has happened since my last blog entry. I was recently inspired by a friend to give this a go again, so let's me sum up the year. 

October of 2011 

I ran my first 10k and was well on my way to hitting my first major weight goal of 260. I was 12 pounds away. After the 10k something something in my head said to stop running and unfortunately I listened. I can't really say for sure what it was. I was stoked after my 10k, I had a good time but I just stopped running. 

Skip ahead to June 2012. 

I had gained back a bit of weight (15 pounds), and knew I needed to get back off my ass and start running again. A friend of mine pushed me and pushed me and finally after a a month getting back into the swing of things, in July I ran my first 7.3 miles pretty much non stop, it was great. I was back on track! 

In August 

I did my first Zombie mud run (as a zombie) and had a great time. I was certainly going to hit my weight goals...so I thought. In December I slowed down again. Just got bored and tired of all this weight loss stuff. The constant tracking of foods, and the calorie counting, etc... I simply gave up. Of course, I wish I hadn't. 

Let's skip to now and the reason I am blogging again. 

I'm back to 30 pounds gained back of my 53 lost. All those pounds I swore I would never let come back on are there again, it's frustrating! Not only that, but clothes are not fitting, I am tired all the time again, and I can feel the old lazies starting to come back. 

This needs to STOP! 

I know the only person who can get me back on track is me. All the people I used to work out with are far above my fitness level now and I'm back to working out alone. I'm missing the people who used to push me all the time. I promised myself I would get back on track.

What am I doing?

I started to eat Primal last week and so far it has been going well. I went a week eating totally clean. Until today that is. I missed breakfast, was really hungry and someone brought in some crappy food....I went to town on it. I feel like crap now of course, but I made great choices the rest of the day. I'll get back on this and drop the pounds again. I just hope I can stick to it this time. 

My ramblings are done for the day. Back to reading more inspirational blogs. :) 

I'm Featured!

Today is a very exciting day. My blog is actually being featured on Fitblogger. It' a wonderful site put together by  Rita Barry and features a ton of great articles on fitness related stuff. You should all definitely check it out here: Slow and Steady:The Fat to Fit Diary.

Stay tuned for some more stuff coming from The Fat to Fit diary in the near future. I think you'll like what I have in store.

NSV's...Gotta Love Em'

No weigh-in post today. No product reviews this time and no whining about defeats. Instead what I have for you today is an NSV (non-scale victory) that I have been waiting on for a while.

A few weeks ago I placed a bid on some pants from The Great Clothing Exchange (GCX). When you are losing weight at a decent pace you don't always have the cash to go out and buy new clothes all the time. GCX helps with that by having people put clothes on the site that they can no longer fit into. You leave a comment on what you want and if you win the item (random pick from comments) all you pay is shipping costs to the person who put the item(s) up. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me (did I mention I got 6 pairs of pants for $14).

Well I won the items I bid on and I just got the package today. I bid on a few pairs of pants that I figured I would be able to fit into pretty soon. I was wearing size 48's and I said to myself that I wasn't going to buy pants again until I could fit into at least 44's, that would be 2 sizes down. My 48's were starting to fall off my ass and I knew I could at least drop one size but I was not sure about 2. So when the pants arrived today I immediately tried them on to see how much more weight I needed to lose to fit into them.

Holy weight loss Batman!...I fit into the 44's with room to spare!!!

I am super excited! That means I am one..count it....ONE size away from being able to shop for pants in a normal store!! You can sometimes find 44's in a normal store, but they are few and far between. 

Oh happy dance!!!

So mark this as one big NSV for me baby!! This is also my weight in day for the Biggest Winner contest I'm. Hopefully I have some more great news tonight from the scale's point of view!

Next up...another VLOG!! 

The First Fat to Fit Diary Vlog

I never thought I would do this! Enjoy while I still have it posted. ;)

Weight loss totals:

Starting weight: 320 pounds

May weigh-in: 274.2

June weigh-in: 272.2

Total loss so far: 47.8 Pounds
Short term goal: 260 pounds (12.2 pounds to go)

Long term goal: 200

The Biggest Winner Contest Week 1 Wrap-Up

Week one of my city's Biggest Winner Contest is over and I had my second weigh-in last night. I worked hard this past week and the fruits of my labor were 2 pounds coming off the scale!

I ate fairly well last week and I worked out hard. My eating could have been better (as always) but I do think my time working out was well spent. If I can keep this pace up, I will be very happy with a 2 pound loss every week. I’m not sure that pace will win the contest, but I will be extremely happy with another 16 pounds gone by July 1^st.

I was talking to a friend last night as we were walking (at a great pace I might add), and I think I’m  at a slight disadvantage with this contest. I have been working out for over a year now and have lost 50 pounds. Someone who is just starting could conceivably lose a bunch of water at first and therefore put them at a big lead no? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not worried.  I would love to win this, but I would also like even more just to drop the pounds.

This week started off OK. I got a good workout in yesterday and I was going to take off today, but I kind of slipped up a bit and had a big not so healthy lunch. So I’ll hit the gym tonight and hope for clean eating tomorrow. I really wish I could stay away from good food. It’s hard for me to pass up and it slips me up all the time.

Also I had a slight freak out at the beginning of last week that I will post about later. It had to do with getting my blood results back from the doctor and let’s just say I’m a bit puzzled at the results.

So, what are some things that you do that helps to stay on the good eating track? Also how do you combat the urges to snack at night? They seem to hit me hardest then.

Contest Weight loss totals:

Starting weight: 274 pounds

Week 1: 272 pounds

Total loss so far: 2 Pounds
Contest ends July 1^st.

Fat Guys Can Run (My Guest Post)

A bit ago I told you all that I would let you in on how my first 5k went. Well I am honored to let you know that you can read it on Amy's blog over at FatGirlsCanRun.com. It was only my second guest post ever and I was truly flattered that she would want me to share it over there.

So head on over and take a gander! I had fun writing it and I hope you get something out of reading it. Oh and thanks again Amy for the great opportunity. I really means a lot that you let me share it on your blog.

You can also follow Amy on Twitter and enjoy her tweets like so many others already do.

A Prodded Post

At the thoughtful and much appreciated prodding of my friend Patrick (@Rspnsblty199), I'm going to give you a rundown of how the first week in May went for me. This is actually something I should be doing every week but I don't always get to it...OK almost never get to it.

May 1st weigh-in

"The Stairs"

Not much is new since my Official Monthly Weigh-In post. This past week was pretty good as far as my eating goes. I hit the gym when I was supposed to and got some decent workouts in. I also had some lazy workouts, but at least I got out there. The "secret" to this whole weight loss thing (or part of it) is to move more than what you were before and I am definitely doing that. I need to get back on the weight training kick I was on, but with it being so nice out lately I just wanted to workout in the park. I've taken to continuing my HIIT training on a nice set of stairs there and I'm actually enjoying it.

Oh, and as you might have read in my Biggest Winner post, that contest started yesterday and my first official weigh-in is today! I know, it's kind of weird that my first weigh-in is a day after the contest starts, but it's a city wide contest and there are weigh-in sites all around the city. My site lets you weigh-in every week on Tuesdays and Thursdays so today is the first day I am able to do it. No big deal though. I don't mind giving the others a  one day head start. They are going to need it! ;)

Click for vinnyslavin.com

Last but not least, this past week I have been working on a new website. I put it live last night but it is FAR from being done. I just wanted to see it up and test my plugins for the comment section. If you would like, stop on by and take a look around. Click some links, test some buttons and make a comment. You can reach it at www.VinnySlavin.com. I have some very cool things planned for it and it has nothing (or very little) to do with fitness. It's kind of a place for me to get my other views out. It's also going to be a place where I can let my inner geek flow, write about product reviews, and possibly get some interesting conversations going on today's news topics. I'm really going to try and make it a site you'll want to visit daily. Keep in mind though that I am a major n00b when it comes to WordPress, so don't expect a fantastic site just yet. I'm still learning. Also I don't mind suggestions or critiques of the site either. So let the comments flow...good and bad.


Well that was my first week in May. I'm still waiting for my first clothes shopping trip since starting to lose weight and that might be coming soon. I can't wait to see how many inches I've dropped.

 
So what about you? How did your first week in May go? Do you think your goals will be hit by month's end? Let me know, I love hearing about it.

Official Monthly Weigh-in and April Wrap-Up

Like every first of the month I laid in bed this morning wondering what the scale will read when I step on it. For this weigh in I wasn’t expecting good things.  April wasn’t any more stressful than any other month, but I did let the food get the best of me and I gave in to way too many urges. I really need to work on that. It’s really hard for me to say no to food when it’s staring me down. Sometimes I can control it, but this past month I didn’t do so well. My nightly food binges are the worse. The only way I can seem to control them is to head to bed early and that can’t happen all the time.

This month wasn’t all bad though. I did run my first 5k race (that was supposed to be a casual practice walk for my first official one May 22^nd) and I logged some pretty decent miles for the monthly Go the Distance Challenge. I’ll talk more about my 5K later when I guest post for FatGirlsCanRun.com!

When I got on the scale this morning I wasn’t expecting a big loss. Actually my thought was; I hope I didn’t gain too much. I honestly thought I would have been OK with a slight gain. I'm super excited about my 5k and I know I’m getting healthier so a slight gain would be OK for the month after eating the way I did.

So what did the scale have to say about all this?

The Proof!

OK, so it’s a measly one pound loss from last month, but I will take it! We all want to see the scale numbers move drastically down each time we step on it. So after all the problems I had with night binges this past month, I can honestly say I more than OK with a one pound loss.

Oh…and did I mention I ran a 5k?!

I've gained a great deal of knowledge so far. One of the most important things I’ve learned is this is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. I will hit my goal weight; I have no doubts about that. I would also like to hit it by December. If I do, fantastic, if I don’t, I’ll just keep moving!

Weight loss totals:

Starting weight: 320 pounds

April weigh-in: 275.2

May weigh-in: 274.2

Total loss so far: 45.8 Pounds
Short term goal: 260 pounds (14.2 pounds to go)

Long term goal: 200

Biggest Winner Contest

Last night was my kickoff meeting for a weight loss contest that I signed up for. It’s put on by my city (St. Charles, MO) and it’s sponsored by a few hospitals and businesses. When I first heard about this I jumped at the chance to sign up!

It’s an 8 week challenge and the person with the biggest percent of weight loss will win. I’m not sure what you win yet as they will announce that at the first weigh-in May 9^th.  This past fall when they held this contest the prize was a 2 night stay at one of the fancy downtown hotels and a BodyBugg. I really don’t care about the prize though. I just want another challenge, a chance to compete, something to spark the drive.  

The kickoff meeting was OK, although I am a bit skeptical on my blood pressure results. They said my blood pressure was 132/86. This kind of made me mad. Last year before I started this weight loss journey I was eating anything and everything bad for me and not exercising at all. I had my blood pressure and cholesterol checked then and it was 120/80. How in the hell did my blood pressure go up?!! I am eating 50x better than I was eating this time last year, I hit the gym 5 to 6 days a week and I lost close to 50 pounds. Not to mention that I dropped my resting heart rate from the 80’s to the 50’s.

I could feel a panic attack coming on!

The only thing that calmed me down was the 3 ladies standing behind me in line. I overheard one of them say that she has never tested that high with her blood pressure and she gets it checked by her doctor monthly. The other two ladies chimed in and said the same thing. This prompted me to turn around and say mine seemed high also. Now just to be on the safe side I am going to have it checked again very soon, because if I don’t my panic attacks will come back and I haven’t had one in over 6 months. I also do not believe that my blood pressure was that high. If it was that high it was probably from them sticking me 3 freakin’ times in the arm to grab my blood! Oh, and I would also like to point out that the lady who was taking my blood pressure had a name tag on and her position was marketing coordinator. I would have felt better if it was nurse, Doctor or even nursing student.  

Ok….calm down Vin…BREATH!

All ranting aside, I’m sure they wouldn’t have let anyone draw blood or take blood pressure that wasn’t qualified to do so. I was just a bit mad at that point.

It was a pretty cool meeting.  I received my weekly weigh-in location and all the other info I needed to prepare for the start of this.

I really think I have a good shot at winning this. It won’t be easy but I have an awesome support group behind me (all of you)! My biggest challenge will be getting my binging under control. It’s been a bit tough as of late, especially at night but I think I can gain control.

Well, wish me luck. Hopefully by July 1^st I will be able to post on here that I am the St. Charles Biggest Winner!

Progress? Should I See It Yet?

Something has been bothering me as of late. I’ve lost 45 pounds so far and I can’t see the difference from my 320 pound self when I look in the mirror. It bothers me because I’m afraid I will never see the difference. I’m worried that even when I am 200 or less that I will still see myself as 320 and that will be a problem.

Now don’t get me wrong. I can tell the difference in my clothes and in my overall fitness level. I know I'm losing weight. I just can’t see the same thing that others say they see in me. I’m not even sure I’m supposed to see a difference in myself with only 45 pounds gone. Maybe I’ll start to see it in another 20 pounds or so. All I know is that when I look down at my belly and look at my face in the mirror, I don’t see a change, and that bothers me a bit. 

I do however love at how my fitness level is progressing. I’m walking long distances, running short distances, and working out more than I ever have in the past 13 years. I feel better (although not great) about my eating habits and I’m sure my blood work is much better as well (I’ll have that checked again in a week or so).

I don’t usually post pictures of myself because I tend to shy away from the camera a lot. I think I need to start doing it more though. I figure I can’t have my followers hold me accountable when they can’t see any progress (or lack thereof). 

The first picture on the top is of me at my heaviest (320 pounds) and the pictures in the bottom right and on left were taken last week at 275 pounds. I wore the same shirt to try and give myself some perspective.

320 pounds August, 2009

275 pounds April, 2011

275 pounds April, 2011

                                                                                                                                                                                
I have a long way to go, but I really believe this time I'm going to hit my goal and keep it off. Hopefully the next set of pictures you'll be able to see a much bigger difference. 

I would also like some feedback from anyone who might have struggled with visually being able to see their weight loss progress in themselves. How did you overcome it or do you still struggle?

Slipping

Dear Fat Vinny

Stop…just STOP! This past week you’ve given into all the urges, gone to the gym just 3 times and tonight binged your way to making me feel guilty. I need you settle down and go back to letting the skinny me try to come out again. I can’t go back to the way I was. Why do you have to pop up after we just had a great weigh-in? Why are you trying to halt all the progress I have made so far….

JUST GO AWAY!

This past week I’ve been eating like shit, I’ve been lazy and just a bit depressed overall. Today I didn’t eat breakfast, ate tuna for lunch (150 cals) and then for dinner I was starving! I know that’s wrong and I know what that leads to, but I did it anyway. So what happened after that? For dinner I went out and went crazy on hot wings…I mean crazy! Driving there I knew what I was doing, I thought to myself that I should make a better choice. But fat Vinny was hungry dammit and he was going to have some wings!

Do you know how you’re not supposed to go grocery shopping while hungry? Well the same applies when ordering food apparently. Not only did I order 18 wings, I also ordered mozzarella sticks. I knew all along that it was wrong and I would just regret it after, but I let it happen anyway.  I also know that my stomach can’t handle that much food anymore. My mind however wants to eat like I'm still 320 pounds.

This post is really just for me tonight. I need to write these actions down and be honest with myself that I still can’t be trusted around food. I need to be constantly aware of what I'm eating and write it down. To be honest though, it’s getting tiresome. A year of this is starting to get old and I’m afraid I’m slowly slipping back into my old ways. I’m afraid Fat Vinny is going to win and that 320 I used to be will come back and then some.

Boredom is setting in.

I need to switch things up a bit. The problem is my anxiety keeps me from trying new things. I’d like to take a fitness class, maybe a spin or a core class, but I can’t bring myself to go. I always talk myself out of it. I really need to work on that. The funny thing is, I think my social anxiety comes from being overweight. It’s being overweight that keeps me from trying new things…heh…weird, and a bit disturbing.

Tomorrow is a new day, and a new set of choices to make. I’ll wake up feeling bloated and fat from all the salt I took in today and I’ll feel like crap. The good thing is that I know I don’t have to weigh myself for another 3 weeks.  Hopefully I’ll make better choices and Fat Vinny will step aside and let the Fit Me take control again.

Ya know what?

Screw that! The Fit Vinny WILL take control tomorrow! I WILL make better choices and I WON’T feel like crap!

I also realize that this is all just talk and I need to take action. So, I’ll leave you all myself with one of my favorite quotes.

“It comes down to a simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying."  

- Andy Dufresne (Shawshank Redemption)

Official Monthy Weigh-In and March Wrap Up

This is a few days late, but I rarely blog on the weekends. Anyway…on to this past month’s weigh-in!

I came into March feeling a bit down at February’s weigh-in. I had gained 5 pounds and it was the first gain I had in a long time, so I was feeling it a bit in the motivation category. A 5 pound gain is a big deal to me seeing as I’ve really only been losing 5 pounds a month anyway.

I was determined to have March be different. My goal was to lose 10 pounds to get back on track. I needed to lose that 5 from February and another 5 for March. A 10 pound loss would give me my highest weight loss for a month yet.  I really really needed this to regain some lost motivation and get my head back in the game.

March brought with it a new accomplishment as well. I walked my furthest distance yet…10k! I can’t remember the last time I walked 6.2 miles.  Actually, I’m not even sure I have ever walked 6.2 miles before. I know as a kid (who loved to ride a bike), I rode that far, but walked…I’m not sure.  I even kept up a decent pace too completing it in 1 hour and 40 minutes. I bit below my usually 5k time, but I’m not going to be upset about that.

I also kept a decent diet. Yeah, I cheated a few days, but I only went over my calorie goal 2 days. So all in all I was expecting a good weigh-in come April 1^st. Did I get it? Well, my official weight loss for the month of March was…

275.2!!

For those of you not keeping score that is a 9.4 pound loss for the month of March!! I just about hit my 10 pound goal and I am extremely happy. My motivation is high right now and in the past 2 days alone I have walked a total 10.85 miles! WOW, what a way to start off the month. I also just agreed last night to do a 5k race on May 22^nd. That will be my first chipped race!

I have a good feeling about April now. I think maybe I can drop another 10 pounds this month and totally start my countdown to the lowest weight I have been at in 14 years (260). That will also be the first goal I had set for myself when I first started this.

I’m not sure who is going to find my blog this week. But if you are reading this and just starting out, or in a rut or plateau and feeling like giving up…there is a quote that is passed around this community from time to time…

“Just keep swimming” –Dora

Weight loss totals:

Starting weight: 320 pounds

February weigh in: 279.4

March weigh in: 284.6

April weigh-in: 275.2

Total loss so far: 44.8 Pounds
Short term goal: 260 pounds (15.2 pounds to go)

Long term goal: 200