Well maybe not mid month.. Let's just say I tried to get a post done mid month.
Due to some sick babies and a little bit of a crazy life. We didn't actually get to start our DDP yoga routine on 2/6 like we planned. We started on 2/17. With that being said, I have managed to stay more physically active so far this month, than I have since high school.
The nutrition side of things has been going great. I'm really starting to feel great. I did have my first bad food episode. I was traveling for work, and my coworkers decided to go get BBQ. I went along with it and ate way more than I should have. The positive news, the next morning I woke up ready to go. I didn't get derailed, I just took a one meal detour. I have also still not had a soda!!
I'm not sure how much I have lost so far this month. I know I'm still shedding inches at a pretty alarming rate. At this point none of my pants that I have bought in the last 6 months fit me. I have had to add two new holes to my belts.
I feel so great, but I'm trying to keep it in perspective. I know I'm still in the first battle of a very long war. The Yoga sessions are going great. Amy is keeping me accountable to do them. It's a huge help to have her pushing me, and pushing herself to do this. I'm beginning to get a lot of my strength back in my body. I'm able to do things I could not do a month ago. A few nights ago I spent 40 minutes playing, and wrestling on the floor with our oldest two. When it was over, I wasn't tired, or in pain.
I still haven't decided if I will ever share this blog with anyone other than my wife. If you are reading this, it means I have. It's a tough pill to swallow knowing that I put myself in a situation like this. The good news is things are looking up. What used to be a mountain, is shrinking every day. Some day I will be walking on flat ground again. Until then, I'll keep putting in work.
Hopefully I will get an end of month update on here close to the first.
Until next time,
Big Matt
Monday, February 24, 2014
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Round 2
Although I just started the blog today, I wanted the first two post to catch everyone up to speed.
2/4/2014
Goal: Exercise 15 minutes a day.
This month, my challenge is to exercise every day. That could be some type of cardio on xbox fitness, a long stretching session, a walk with the kids. Something to change my life from sedimentary to ACTIVE.
Amy and I decided to order and start doing the DDP Yoga program. It is great for folks who can't physically do normal exercise programs. At almost 400 lbs, it's hard on my already torn up knees and ankles to run. So I'm going with an alternative method, that has had amazing results for people in my situation, and those in much worse. It was hard for me to get past the stigma of doing yoga, but I need something.
We did the introduction video on 2/2, it is basically 30 minutes of learning the 13 frequently used positions. I was surprised at how much it was really working my body out, and it was kind of fun.
So we ordered it and will be starting the full program on 2/6 when the DVDs get here. Until then, we are going to continue doing the intro video each evening.
At this point, I'm a little nervous. I know that I need to exercise to reach my goal, I just don't know what I can do at this point. Part of the program is to take pictures before you start the program. I have those and will post the beginning pics, and my 30 day pics together when I get there.
If you are curious about DDPYoga, Go to www.DDPYoga.com. There is a lot of information there, you can also search you tube and see tons of videos about it. I'm anxious to get started and see what it can do for my journey.
Until next time.
-Big Matt
2/4/2014
Goal: Exercise 15 minutes a day.
This month, my challenge is to exercise every day. That could be some type of cardio on xbox fitness, a long stretching session, a walk with the kids. Something to change my life from sedimentary to ACTIVE.
Amy and I decided to order and start doing the DDP Yoga program. It is great for folks who can't physically do normal exercise programs. At almost 400 lbs, it's hard on my already torn up knees and ankles to run. So I'm going with an alternative method, that has had amazing results for people in my situation, and those in much worse. It was hard for me to get past the stigma of doing yoga, but I need something.
We did the introduction video on 2/2, it is basically 30 minutes of learning the 13 frequently used positions. I was surprised at how much it was really working my body out, and it was kind of fun.
So we ordered it and will be starting the full program on 2/6 when the DVDs get here. Until then, we are going to continue doing the intro video each evening.
At this point, I'm a little nervous. I know that I need to exercise to reach my goal, I just don't know what I can do at this point. Part of the program is to take pictures before you start the program. I have those and will post the beginning pics, and my 30 day pics together when I get there.
If you are curious about DDPYoga, Go to www.DDPYoga.com. There is a lot of information there, you can also search you tube and see tons of videos about it. I'm anxious to get started and see what it can do for my journey.
Until next time.
-Big Matt
The first 30 days.
I knew that I have a serious problem. I'm addicted to food. My portion size is so ridiculously out of the realm of what any human needs, that I have literally been killing myself. I knew I had to beat my addiction to food, if I ever wanted to do this. It was time to start eating to live, not living to eat.
After I told Amy that I was ready to do this, we sat down and made a plan. Actually, she challenged me to a goal she set for her self for January.
Month 1 Challenge: No soda, No fast food.
WOAH! Hold on. Seriously, I'm on the road for work 3-4 days most weeks, and I live on Dr Pepper. You want me to go without both for a month....
I didn't think I could do it. That small challenge seemed monumental a month ago.
Now it's January 1. Here we go. No soda, no fast food.
This was a crazy month. I worked a ton of hours and was on the road for work almost as much as I was home. It would have been SOOO easy to give up before I ever got started.
BUT
I made it. The first week wasn't horrible. I did pretty good outside of a few insane cravings for soda. By the second week, I started actively tracking my calorie intake each day. Using the my fitness pal app. I was given about 2500 calories a day, and I was staying under that without feeling hungry. Towards the end of the second week, I got stuck out on a job and had to get fast food. After an hour discussion with Amy, she convinced me that it was ok. That I just needed to make smart choices when I was faced with those situations. So I did. Over the course of the month, there were 5 times that I had no choice, but to grab something quick. I found that there are several healthy options at every fast food place, and when in a crunch, they actually work for me.
By the third week, I really started paying close attention to what I was putting in my body. I cut back even further. I started eating a lot more fruits and veggies, both for snacks and at mealtime. By the end of the month, I found myself staying around 1800-2000 calories a day. It was working. The soda cravings were dying down, and for the first time in my life, I was content eating "healthy".
Amy and I had started really looking at the meals we eat on a regular basis. We started finding things in each meal that we could change, to make them healthier. Whole wheat pasta and lean beef for spaghetti night, chicken instead of beef for tacos. Eating less cheese on EVERYTHING. Simple, small changes that make a HUGE difference.
It's really crazy, just how much I ate before. Learning what I have about calorie intake over the last month, I realize just how bad it was. I could easily sit down and have a plate of food with over 3000 calories.. for one meal. My mind had convinced my body that it needed that much to be full.
It's been an interesting, informative, and hard 35 days. The journey is still just beginning. I still struggle DAILY with food choices and the temptation of just saying screw it. The results fortunately speak much louder than my doubts.
One month down. 24lbs lost.
Start : 1/1/2014 a miserable 397 LBS
Now : 2/1/2014 a less miserable 373LBS
I know it's one small victory on the road of my LONG journey. It's a pretty damn good start. I know I won't lose everything I need to just from changing my diet. Which brings us to next months goal. Exercise!
Until next time.
-Big Matt
The start.
Hello all,
My name is Matt, and I'm a fatty.
I'm 30 years old, I have an amazing wife Amy, and 3 amazing kiddos, Ella, Jack, and Molly.
This Journey is as much about them, as it is about me.
The majority of my life has been spent overweight. It has ebbed and flowed, went up and down. There have been times where I was certainly big still, but not obese. The last five years has been a roller coaster ride of weight loss and weight gain. When Amy and I married in June of 09, I weighed just under 320 lbs. I certainly wasn't healthy, but with my frame, I didn't feel terrible. I was still able to play football and do pretty much anything physically that I wanted, or needed to do. I quickly shot up to 360lbs over the next year and a half. When our second child was on the way in 2011, I decided it was time to do something about it. I started a fad diet (atkins) and was working out/ walking 4-5 times a week. I lost 35lbs in 3-4 months. When Jack was born, we spent 10 days with him in the NICU. I completely stopped following atkins, and never got back in to working out after that 10 days.
Fast forward to December 2013. We now have 3 amazing little kiddos.There are so many things I want to do with them, but there is so much that I can't. I step on the scale the week before Christmas, and I'm 396lbs. WOW. I knew I had gained a little weight.. But I had no clue.
I have known for longer than I care to admit that I would have to face this battle some day. If I truly wanted to have a long happy life, I had to do this. If I wanted to see my kids grow up, and be an active part of their life, I had to do this. You would think that would be enough, that those things alone could force someone to change.
Unfortunately, it's not that easy. If it was, no one would be overweight.
I have decided to share my journey. Partly because I think it will help me stay accountable, and partly because I hope it helps someone else start their own journey. Please keep in mind that I'm working to find what works best for ME on MY journey. Everyone will be different.
My name is Matt, and I'm a fatty.
I'm 30 years old, I have an amazing wife Amy, and 3 amazing kiddos, Ella, Jack, and Molly.
This Journey is as much about them, as it is about me.
The majority of my life has been spent overweight. It has ebbed and flowed, went up and down. There have been times where I was certainly big still, but not obese. The last five years has been a roller coaster ride of weight loss and weight gain. When Amy and I married in June of 09, I weighed just under 320 lbs. I certainly wasn't healthy, but with my frame, I didn't feel terrible. I was still able to play football and do pretty much anything physically that I wanted, or needed to do. I quickly shot up to 360lbs over the next year and a half. When our second child was on the way in 2011, I decided it was time to do something about it. I started a fad diet (atkins) and was working out/ walking 4-5 times a week. I lost 35lbs in 3-4 months. When Jack was born, we spent 10 days with him in the NICU. I completely stopped following atkins, and never got back in to working out after that 10 days.
Fast forward to December 2013. We now have 3 amazing little kiddos.There are so many things I want to do with them, but there is so much that I can't. I step on the scale the week before Christmas, and I'm 396lbs. WOW. I knew I had gained a little weight.. But I had no clue.
I have known for longer than I care to admit that I would have to face this battle some day. If I truly wanted to have a long happy life, I had to do this. If I wanted to see my kids grow up, and be an active part of their life, I had to do this. You would think that would be enough, that those things alone could force someone to change.
Unfortunately, it's not that easy. If it was, no one would be overweight.
I have decided to share my journey. Partly because I think it will help me stay accountable, and partly because I hope it helps someone else start their own journey. Please keep in mind that I'm working to find what works best for ME on MY journey. Everyone will be different.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)