Update #4 - A Tale of Two Scales

"It was the best of scales and the worst of scales..."  You might be wondering why I am "quoting" Charles Dickens as I begin my post.  Well, it started out being a very frustrating weigh-in day at the office.  About a month ago, I bought a digital scale from Target for our office.  I've been weighing in every Wednesday on this scale and it has been pretty consistent and accurate in measuring my weight.  Today I jumped on the scale and there was no change in my weight from the previous week.  I knew that couldn't be right because I really had a good week of workouts and eating.  I did "two-a-days" from Saturday through Tuesday (except for Sunday), alternating swimming and running so there was no way I could have stayed flat.  I was pretty amp'ed up about it, so I got in my car and drove to the local 24Hour Fitness and used their balance beam scale which is pretty accurate.  So, after weighing myself at the gym, I am down 2.4 lbs to 200 lbs.  Needless to say, I was relieved and encouraged by my continued progress.  To celebrate the accomplishment, I enjoyed a gourmet burger from Red Robin.  Stay tuned for next week's update...

One more thing, some of you may be thinking that I am simply looking for the scale with the most favorable readings.  It turns out that some plumbers came to our office last Friday to fix our hot water heater and during the course of draining the hot water heater they got the scale wet and I suspect it shorted out.  That's my story and I am sticking to it. 

Update #3

Today was weigh-in day and I am happy to report that I weighed in at 202.5 lbs, down 2 lbs from the previous week.  My goal was to drop 4.5 lbs this past week; however, I received several comments indicating that losing that much weight in one week wasn't healthy.  I took that advice to heart and made sure to keep my weight loss at a safe level.  To that end, I went to Dairy Queen on Friday night after the GCM football game and had a foot-long cheese coney, large tater tots and a large vanilla Coke.  To top it off, I had an ice cream cone dipped in chocolate (that kind that gets hard when it hits the ice cream)!  Thank you Mr. Dairy Queen Ice Cream Man!  By the way, many of you have asked for me to post my "Before" picture so here it is!

I'll be posting my next update next Thursday so stay tuned...with a little luck and some hard work I should be right at or a little under 200 lbs. 

Update #2

I am a little late with this entry but things have been busy at work so I am just now getting around to posting my weekly update.  I weighed in on Wednseday and my current weight is 204.5, down .7 pounds from the previous week, and 9 pounds overall.  I was expecting a little more of a weight loss since I did some pretty intense workouts but I guess there will be weeks when, for whatever reason, the expected weight loss doesn't happen.  I am beginning to see visible signs that the weight is coming off, which is definitely a source of encouragement and motivation.  For example, my pants and shorts are fitting a little looser.  I also had to cinch my belt down one notch which is encouraging.  Overall, I am pleased with my overall progress but a little bummed about the last week's scant weight loss.  Nevertheless, my buddy, Travis, and I are looking forward to a better week this week and my personal goal is to lose 4.5 pounds.  That will put me at 200 pounds on my next weigh-in.  I can't believe I would ever be excited about hitting 200 pounds since I had never been heavier than 190 pounds but I guess that's what happens when you're pushing 40 and your body no longer responds like it's 18!

I was supposed to work out yesterday but I ended up taking a day of vacation and spent the entire day relaxing with the family. Today, I hit the pool at 6am and got a good 30 minute swim in. Tomorrow is weigh-in so I'll be posting my results in the morning.

Update 1.5
One of my weaknesses is craving Taco Bell food. Well, I found a Burrito Chicken Supreme on the Fresco menu with 340 calories and 8 grams of fat. It was off the HOOK!

Fitness Challenge

This is my first post from my iPhone which I think is way cool.  My friend Travis and I are going head to head in a fitness challenge.  My goal is to get to 180 pounds by my 40th birthday in December.  I am on my way to reaching my goal but I thought if I posted my achievements on my blog for all the world to see I would be more likely to stick to it.  I officially started my challenge on September 16th, 2009 and I will be posting (YIKES!) my "Before" pictures later this evening.  Stayed tuned for my weekly update this Wednesday.