May 3rd, 2010 - I can't believe it is over and I am here at the last week. I would have bet anyone all the money to my name that I would have not even made it close to this day. It has been a long hard road and I think I have done pretty well. Do I wish I could have dropped more weight? You bet your boots I do, but at the same time, I went from single handedly propping up coke stock with the amount I consumed in a day to having only 5 in the past 90 days.
I went from an all star-breakfast order at waffle house to egg whites and wheat toast and I have not missed a training session with my trainer since I hired her the same week this whole thing started. I have lost some weight and sent some kids to their dream trip to Disney World. I also have learned a few new things about me along the way too. My whole reason for doing this was to be able to walk back into my Fraternity's 20th anniversary party a new, better looking man and I still have some more work to do but I still have plenty of time. I want to thank healthy trim for everything they have done and lord knows I am going to miss these pills, but it is not the pills that I owe so much to healthy trim it is the drive and support they have given me to change me life and become a better person and for that I will not be able to say thank you enough.
April 26th, 2010 - So believe it or not, I’m currently writing my blog post via my iPhone in my car parked outside an office building because I had to change around my morning because of work and just plain forgot. I can't believe this challenge is almost over and part of me is really glad that is coming to an end. The pressure at times has gotten to me trying to do my best for these kids. However, the part of me is going to miss having this to push me forward every time I wanted to quit.
I have started to think about what I an going to do post this challenge and I will be the first to tell you I am little worried to see how I fare when it just about me. However, right now it is about how much money I can still milk out for these kids so that is all I am focusing on now.
April 19th, 2010 - So the Lord finally smiled down on me this week and let me lose a little weight for the first time in a while. I am not going to lie, I am really glad it happened because as we all know, last week I was anything but thrilled with my current progress.
This weekend was spring cleaning for my house and part of the reason why it takes an entire weekend for me to do it is because I get easily knocked off task by old things like boxes of photos and random old junk I am not sure why I have or where it came from. However, while I was cleaning, I came across an old pair of pants that I am not really sure whom they belong to. They were a size 42, which is something I have not been in since the end of middle school or early high school and I am also certain they are not mine.
So as I am standing there looking at these pants, I thought it would be funny for me to try them on and run around the house and make everyone laugh because, let's be honest, a fat guy in super, super tight pants is funny no matter who you are. So I pull on the pants and button them and run out of the room. The only problem was that no one was really laughing because they kinda fit! They were still tight, don't get me wrong, but I was able to pull on and button a size 42 pair of pants. When I weighed in at the radio station I was also out of my size 48 pants.
I still have a little time left before this is all over so maybe, just maybe, I might see myself wearing a 42 really soon.
April 12th, 2010 - This week's blog is going to be me ranting a little bit because I am not going to lie, I am little bummed out at the moment. I have been working super hard at the gym and trying my best to watch what I eat, but sadly I have hit a brick wall. I have not really lost any weight for a bit now and it is starting to get to me. On the upside, I am currently at 289 and when at first I hit that mark I was pumped, it was even my facebook status for almost a week. However I have not been able to move that scale since then, and at best I have been only able to maintain my current weight and it is a frustrating feeling. The old Me would have given up, claim a small victory and go back to my old life of Zaxby's chicken and sweet tea by the gallon (and don't think it has not crossed my mind). I mean I am down nearly two pant sizes and also an entire shirt size and that awesome for me. Perhaps this is where I get off the train and learn to love the place in my life. However, the new Me has not jumped off the tracks yet. I don't know exactly what I am going to have to do to break through this latest setback, but lord knows I am going to try everything till the cows come home. I have a few weeks left and I have laser like focus to get this done.
April 5th, 2010 - Well to the final month of the challenge, it is hard to believe that I only have 29 more days to go before this whole thing is over. Part of me is going to miss all this when it is over and part of me is slightly glad that the weight of the dreams of children are no longer on me refusing to eat a candy bar. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter because bless my heart I sure did. This was the first time since the challenge began that I had been around a large group of people who have known me a for a long time. While I know I have lost weight (about 30 lbs) and I know my clothes are feeling big on me, from a personal standpoint I have not been able to tell much of a difference… However, yesterday was awesome because everyone was asking how I lost the weight and let me tell you it was amazing! All day long everyone would come up to me and tell me how awesome I look and wanting to be part of my shopping party when I go buy new clothes. I must have written down the name and web site for Healthe Trim ten times yesterday. I’m also pretty proud that I was able to stuff upwards of 300 Easter eggs full of candy and ate only one or two small pieces while I was at it. I even made it through all the wonderful food without feeling like I threw everything away on one meal.
If I could lose just a few more pounds over the next 29 days I think I would be really happy with how much progress I have made. Until then I am going to keep on working. Thanks for stopping by.
March 29th, 2010 - Good Monday to all of you and welcome back to my blog. This is going to be a short post this week, my job has kept me even busier than normal and to be honest I don't really have much to report. It seems mother nature does not want to let us have spring for more than a few hours each week, so my grand plans of playing sports has been put on hold. I am going to have to continue to rely on the gym as the main outlet of my exercise for a little while longer. I did reach a small milestone this week in that I was about to walk on the treadmill for over an hour and a half without getting extremely tired or worn out. In fact I did not even plan to walk that long, the treadmills at my gym have televisions on them and I got started watching a movie (Clear and Present Danger) and before I knew it the movie was over and I was still walking.
Counting today there are 35 days left on this challenge and each day seems to be flying by faster than the last. In a perfect world I would quit my job and my life and spend the next month focused solely on this challenge. But since that is not an option, I am going to have to do the next best thing and that is push myself even harder than I have been over the course of this challenge. I need to take the last 30 or so days and see what I am truly made of. I know I have worked hard and committed myself to this challenge but I need to dig and find what else I can to make sure I finish strong. So wish me luck and have a great week.
March 22nd, 2010 - Happy Monday, guys and welcome back. In my last post I was so focused on my goal of buying awesome new clothes that I forgot to wish everyone a happy St. Patrick's day. So to that end, I hope all of you were able to celebrate the luck of Irish and had some good ole fun. For me it was a nice simple evening in a pub near my house, I had to stay away from the beer though ( too many calories and all) but it was still a good time for sure.
It is funny what events lead you to new ideas. This weekend was amazing, it was not too hot or too cold, it is was the Goldielocks of weekends. The sun was out and it felt amazing to be outside and it got me thinking about how much I miss sports. In college I was always up for a softball game or a two hand football match, but I would be lying if those events did not also include a large amount of beer. I would not be shocked in the slightest if you told me by the time we were done playing I gained weight instead of burned any off. For thelove of god, we used kegs as bases!
I want to play sports again and I am looking everywhere I can to find places to do it (also taking suggestions as well). I want to play tennis, softball, flag football.... anything that gets me outside and moving at the same time. I think this is really good idea and I hope I am able to figure something out.
Other than that, I am trucking along. I have still not missed a single gym date since this all began. As it stands now I am about 289- my scale does not want to stand firm on a number twice in a row so I am going to take the lower number and run with it.
PS. I might be repeating some one else, but there is a facebook group called Bert's Big Adventure's Healthy Trim Challenge that we started and if you would like to pass along any comments you have you're more than welcome to do it there. Thanks for all the support!
March 15th, 2010 - Hello boys and girls and welcome back. I hope y'all are doing well and glad you are taking a moment to check in on me. We are going to try something a little different this week. Instead of me simply updating you about my
weight, eating habits and feelings (blah feelings) we are going to talk about something new. Last week I was asked by my friend what personal rewards I wanted out of this challenge aside from sending these amazing kids on a trip of a lifetime. Something more solid than simply being a thinner, healthier person.
So over the past week I made a list anything and everything I thought I could want by time this challenge is over, and then I took the list and set it on fire (the bartender was not thrilled I did that indoors by the way).
The reason why I hated my list after I was done writing it was because everything on it made me sound like I was having a breakthrough moment on the Doctor Phil show and I realized I was trying too hard to make my list sound impressive or noble. Would it be great to have my doctor stop telling me that I am cutting my life span by 10 years for every year I continue to be overweight? Sure, of course, who in this world does not want to live a long life? But I will be the first to say it is not what I daydream about. Do I want to be able to be able to sit on a plane and not get dirty looks from the unlucky person that got the seat next to me? I am not going to lie that would be a nice change of events, but I never I really cared that much about what other people think of me anyway.
When it comes down to it, I know exactly what I want. I want new clothes! I know it’s weird to hear a 24 year old straight man claim that want he wants the most in life is a new wardrobe, but hand to god, that is exactly what I
want. I have been reading GQ and Esquire since I was 14 years old and every month without fail there is a suit, shirt, sweater or pair of pants I think is cool and wish I could own. Currently, I can count the number of stores
that I know carry my size on one hand. By time this is all over, I want to be able to walk into any store in the world and not have to worry if they carry my size. I want to be comfortable with dropping large amounts of money on high quality suits and shirts without having to have them custom made or fear that my size is going to yo-yo so much that is not worth it. I want to be able to dress nicely at bars and restaurants without worrying that I am going to get overheated in them and sweat like I ran all the way there. They say a person should dress for life they want, not the life they have, and I believe there is a lot of truth in that saying. It is hard to take someone seriously in business or personal life when they don't look well put together. It is a known fact that better dressed people go further in life.
So welcome to my goal. Laugh, judge and even call me Sally all you want. But by time this challenge is over I will be shopping for whole new set of clothes. I will be the best dressed 24 year old anyone has ever met and I will look darn good too. I am even going to cap the whole thing off as an extra special treat for myself by getting a custom made Brooks Brother's tuxedo for my fraternity's 20th anniversary formal and I am going to look legendary, people clap, tears come, high fives will happen and it will be awesome.
I’ve got roughly a month and half more to go, and it is time to pick up the pace. I have already made arrangements to up my gym time and if I have to live off slim fast and water for the few weeks, then so be it. Wish me luck and I will let you know how it turns out.
Mar 8th, 2010 - Over the past day or so I have been trying to think about what I wanted to write in this week's blog. I have come to week five now and to be honest I don't have anything awesome to report. When I started this challenge five weeks ago, I would honestly sit around and freaked out in my mind that I was going to fail. I was going to let these kids down and I was going to let myself down. 318 pounds is not an easy thing to lose. it took me 20 plus years to gain it and how was I ever going to lose enough to make a difference in getting a family to Disney World. I was always planning my "out" move, the excuse I was going to tell the radio station about why I needed to leave this challenge and the rational argument I was going to use on myself when I finally did quit. However as we can see I am still here and the planning and the figuring my "out" has all but gone away. I said last week about all of this is becoming habit for me and I contend I was right. I just do what is needed to be done and not put too much thought into the process at all. It is a strange sort of peace of mind I have come across and I hope it stays. I assume there are road blocks and traps up ahead I can't yet foresee and I don't look forward to dealing with them. I still don't like the food I have to eat and let's face it the gym is boring as watching paint dry. However I am not fighting it anymore and I am liking the road I have been traveling down so far, so I plan on staying on it for a while and see where it takes me.
My best friend asked me today what I wanted out of all of this. He told me aside from helping the kids what is the result I want. Sadly I have never thought much about it. It has always been about the kids and not failing in public. I want to be thin and I want to be in better shape but those are lofty and vague goals and part of the reason I have not put too much thought into what I want is because I never wanted to set myself up for disappointment. However I think it might be time to think of a few goals, something I would like out of this and that is what I am going to do. Over the next week I am going come up with a list and see if they are not something I can achieve while I am at this for the kids.
Mar 1st, 2010 - Welcome to week four ladies and gents! I can't believe I really made it! I am finally under 300 pounds for the first time since middle school and I am so pumped right now. Granted my weight is only 295 but still there is no 3 in front of that number so I am going to take it and run with it. I have also reached my very first goal in this challenge, which was to raise at least 1,000 dollars for the charity. I want to be able to say I personally sent a family to Disney and I am hoping I am almost there. My clothes are starting to fit a little better and my pants are not as tight as they used to be. I will be the first to tell you, this is an amazing feeling. I still don't need new clothes, but I am hoping if this trend continues I will have to go shopping in a few weeks to buy smaller sizes for the first time in my life.
This week went by super fast and honestly I am not really paying much attention to the details anymore. I know what I need to eat to get me through the day, and for the most part I am alright with the food choices that I have to pick from. I like going to gym (can't believe I just said that), since it is a nice way to get away from my busy life and just be with my thoughts. It has started to really become second nature to me. My hope is this is the start of true life changing habits.
Feb 22nd, 2010 - As corny as it may sound, this challenge is not one giant obstacle to overcome, but several little ones I have to face each and every day. I want to be able to say that each challenge I face I stare down and move on, but life is not easy and sometimes you fail. However, it is recovery that sometimes matters more than what you failed at in the first place. Last week I said how nervous I was about the upcoming week because week four is normally the time where my wheels come off. Life catches up to me and I fall off the wagon and back into the same routine that I have been in all my life.
Well, temptation is a funny thing and it hits you when you least expect it to come. I expected to have trouble while I was traveling for work, but I never knew the town I was visiting one night this week was twenty minutes north of Athens until I passed right by it and there was my temptation, one of my favorite places in the world to eat right there in downtown Athens. After a long day of work and being two and half hours from home - and starving to boot - I ended up in the last place I should ever eat. I failed; I fell off the horse, right into the mud. I lost the battle with my will power and that is how the story goes. However, even with my bad choice in restaurants that night, I did not eat as bad as I used to there. It was water instead of sweet tea and while my main course was the last thing in the world anyone would ever consider healthy it was a smaller size then I have ever ordered before in my life and it was only a bite or two of the side dish and then I walked away. Did I enjoy my meal, you bet I did. It was the first decent thing I have eaten in three weeks and it honestly made miss everything I gave up that much more.
However, a funny thing happened the next day. I got right back on the horse, and did not miss a beat for the rest of the week. I did not want to cheat again or quit this program. Never before in my life has this happened. For me, once I was down I was out for the count when it came to diets. This time, not only did I regain my footing and move forward, I made extra sure to watch what I ate to make up for my mistake and it was not as hard as I thought it was going to be. I still made all my gym time for the week and I am still cruising along. As I start into week four I have a slightly better understanding of what it is going to take to achieve my goals and I am not as scared of a slip up as was before. Do I think it is going to happen again? No, but I am an overly confident person. The truth is, this is life and in life we mess up and we fall down but I saw myself get up this week which means I might honestly have more fight in me than I have ever had before.
Feb 15th, 2010 - Hello and welcome to week two of my weight lost challenge. First off, I am happy report that as of this morning I weigh 306lbs, which is down from the 318lbs I weighed two weeks ago at the radio station. So, for those of you keep score at home, Healthe` Trim owes Bert’s Big Adventure 600 dollars.
This past week I have been thinking a lot about the old saying “bad habits die hard,” and I realized how much that rings true. The first week was really easy to push though many of my old ways, from not wanting to try my friend’s new cookie recipe to ordering water instead of Coke at a restaurant. My friends and my parents were over-hyped about the challenge and were checking in on me just about every few hours the whole first week. However, as week two has set in real life has come back and it has been a little harder to stay on task. I again made it to the gym, 4 times this week which was above my personal goal which is amazing. But over the past week I also had to travel a little more for work which meant I had to find more meals on the road and had to eat with other people who are not dieting at all. I am happy to report that I am still going strong and have not fallen off the wagon yet. However, it is hard to eat for the first time on this diet at places I used to love when I did not care. It is the little things you want the most, from the warm bread and butter they bring everyone else at the table to the French fries everyone else got with their meals.
As I enter week three, I am starting to get a little nervous, I have never made it past four weeks with any kind of diet or exercise plan. Week three for me is when the first bump or hiccup in the road happens and by week four I am so far off the pace or goal that I give up and move on. So this week’s goal is to stay focused and not let anything get in my way, including myself.
Feb 8th, 2010 - Hello, and welcome to my blog. Over the next 90 days I am going to try my best to explain everything that is happening in my life as I try to reach my goal of losing this weight and getting as much money for these kids to go to Disney World as I can. Personally, I am very pumped for this challenge and still can't believe I was one of the people chosen. This is a great honor and something I am taking very seriously both for myself and for the kids. It is hard to believe that just 5 days ago my weight and my story was told to all the listeners of this station and then posted on the website for the world to see. For anyone that is looking for a jump start this is certainly one way to go. Meeting Matthew, the founder of Healthé Trim, and the other contestants was a great way to start this whole thing off. It is really nice to know that I am not the only one in this challenge and that there are people facing the same kind of life changing hurdles and goals as I am.
The easy part so far has been taking the pills - the schedule is not complicated at all and as long as you remember to drink enough water (10 glasses!) each day then you're good. I was really worried that the pills were going to make me feel weird or sick or possibly grow me a third arm. However, I am happy to report none of that has happened. The pills do give me energy and so far I have not missed my coffee or caffeine much at all. The hard part so far has been trying to change everything else. I am proud to say I have made it to the gym 3 times since the challenge began and so far it has not been too bad. The hardest part for me is changing my diet. I was not over an over-eater but made really bad food choices, so I have spent the last few days to trying to find new foods I like (if anyone has any suggestions let me know) and keep track of how much I eat. Luckily my iPhone has once again saved the day! I found this great app that not only keeps track of my calories but lets me look up food from restaurants so I can tell how bad they are for me before I order, which is great for me because I have to eat out a lot for my job. For the first full week of this challenge my goal is to get settled into a routine of eating (the right food) and working out.
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