Recently in WeightLoss Category

I went on vacation last week and at the start of the vacation I got a horoscope that read "The next 30 days will be an adventure." That's always advantageous when you're on vacation, I guess, and so I was excited. And it's come true. In spades.

When I left for vacation I was considering a change in career. I've been kind of burned out on programming and computers in general, and then something cool happened that I can't share fully yet, but someone called me about an opportunity and just that brief contact rekindled a lot of feelings I hadn't had in a while. I wish I could share more, but I can't. Not yet anyway.

So while that was playing out, I had a blast in Ocean City. We went swimming, I rode the tilt-a-whirl with my kids and niece until I was certain I was going to hurl, ate myself silly, totally fell off my diet (and still lost weight! French Fries FTW!), and just had a wonderful time.

Came back, found out that that opportunity that rekindled my interest wasn't going to happen, and was sad, but still happy because I felt renewed.

I picked up with my diet and I lost even more weight, coming in below 300lbs for the first time in forever. I finally am at the point where I need to start shopping for more clothes.

Then I get a call and I'm offered the position of coach for my kids' soccer team and accept. I'm nervous as all get out and excited about the opportunity and can't wait, so I've been working on getting myself ready for that, and then yesterday I got a phone call.

The "someone" has a new opportunity and wants to talk to me.

It's only been 15 days and it's been a whirlwind already. I can't wait to see if it continues.

Life is great.

Today's the first day in two years that I am below 300lbs!

Excuse me while I (literally) dance my ass off.

I'm having trouble crossing that 300lb mark, but I'm officially down 40lbs now. I've lost 12% of my gross body weight so far. That's huge. I'm still huge, but not as huge...

I'm still sticking with Atkins, because it's working. And please note that when I say Atkins I don't mean that I'm eating bacon by the ton. This is more of a vegetables and meats thing. Today I had meatloaf (breadcrumb free), green beans, red leaf lettuce salad from our garden, and water. I'm stuffed, and I feel great.

The one thing that's amused me so far is how great I feel at places like the pool, even though I'm fat, I'm not as ashamed to take off my shirt. From the outside that's got to look funny, right? "Why does that fat man look so happy to take his shirt off?" But when you consider it, and I do, I feel great about losing 40lbs.

My goal is to hit 215lbs, or a total loss of 37%. I don't know if I'll get below 215, but I've given myself two years to find out. One thing, however, I promise I won't subject you to any shirt off before and after pictures.

I weighed myself yesterday and I've lost thirty pounds now on my diet. It didn't really sink in how much that is until this morning when I got dressed to go into Philadelphia. The clothes that I haven't worn in over a month were suddenly much looser. I buttoned up my shirt and spun around for a minute with my arms outstretched. I felt like...Cary Grant, even though I don't look anywhere near what he looked like. I still felt very stylish and fit.

I thought to myself "Ten more pounds to go." I've promised myself that once I'm below three hundred pounds for two days in a row I'm going to have a party, with all I can eat steak. I'm going to cut loose, but it's still going to be diet-friendly.

However, I have to keep reminding myself that I can't rush this. This is not a race. Well, scratch that. It is a race, just not a sprint. It's a race against that moment when the doctor looks at me and says "You've ignored the warning signs for too long and you have diabetes." or "You're not going to live past 40 years old." But this is about changing myself in more ways than just my appearance. This is about being a better husband and a better father. This is about setting the example for my kids that taking care of my health is just as important as working hard at my job and spending time with them. It's easy to get distracted in the rush of parenting and give in to bad behaviors. I've done it, and I see my friends do it. It's hard to cook the right things for yourself and your family. Just throw some mac and cheese on the stove and cook some hot dogs and we'll eat that. And then we'll go get ice cream because it's the only time we can get together as a family.

I'm fighting against that. I'm showing my kids that I'm fighting against that. I got myself a bike and I ride with them almost every night. I'm teaching my kids how to jump rope. We play on the trampoline, we go swimming, we go walk on the golf course at dusk and look for lost balls. I'm trying to turn our family time together into something other than dessert and watching TV. Though I do still take them out for Rita's once in a while.

Once I've hit my intermediate goal I'll reevaluate what the next milestone will be and what my reward will be for hitting it.

But truly, between the clothes fitting better, feeling better, having more energy, and spending time with my family, what I'm doing to lose the weight is just as rewarding as the treats I promise myself along the way.

I'm all about setting goals when I'm trying to get healthy and lose weight. I'm usually not that good at keeping them, but that's a different matter.

However, my goal today is to do 10 pushups every hour on the hour for the next 8 hours. It doesn't seem like a lot, but 80 pushups today should be a good start, and an hour inbetween should let my muscles rebuild.

I just did the first set of ten, so I feel good.

One other thing I wanted to note real quick while I'm thinking about my diet and how it's going...

I feel gross. Maybe I'm not eating the right kind of protein, and I'm getting too much fatty and processed foods, whatever. I feel gross. I'm happy I'm losing weight. I'm happy I'm getting healthier, but I've kind of lost the will to eat.

I'm hoping that I can get some better protein at the store and some more salads and round out my choices a little better. Because honestly, I feel like a sausage.

I'm on Atkins Day Nine, so second week of the "Induction" phase. I had a dream about Oreos last night. I actually woke up in a panic because I dreamt that I ate an entire tray of cookies in one sitting. I really miss chocolate. Really really miss chocolate.

Other than that, I'm doing great. I'm lifting weights and I'm down 15lbs total, so I feel good. I just wish my brain wouldn't taunt me while I sleep.

Today is my fourth day doing Atkins, so a little over a quarter done with Induction. I feel good today. I woke up early, I had a lot of energy, and felt really clear-headed for being up so early. I don't want to ascribe that to Atkins directly, because it could just be a function of doing something for myself and losing weight in general.

I've been hearing a lot of concerns from friends and colleagues about my health while on Atkins, so I'm going to schedule an appointment with my family doctor for next week. It's probably time for my yearly physical anyway.

Last night I was really jonesing for a dessert. I was going nuts thinking about all of the sweet junk food my wife's got stocked in the house, so I kept eating small portions of lunch meat until I wasn't in anyway hungry. This morning I had a twinge of craving for chocolate, but I'm okay.

I need to start exercising more regularly, but I don't have the space at home. It seems like every corner of my house is jammed with junk leading up to our neighborhood yard sale, and I cancelled our gym membership trying to save money. So I need a place to work out. I'd also love to find someone who'll work out with me and motivate me.

I'm down another pound today, so that's awesome.

All in all I feel great.

Three days into Atkins and I'm really craving an Oreo.

Or a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.

Or some ice cream.

Or anything with some chocolate in it.

Today's my second day of eating Atkins. I'm in what's known as the Induction Phase, which is an appropriate term, considering the overwhelming amount of protein and fat I'm encouraged to eat, I feel like I'm being inducted into a fraternity and this is all some sick prank. I'm still convinced at this point that Atkins really works by making you completely sick of eating for such a long time that you just give it up and go do something else that's interesting.

"Hey, I'm hungry. Let me check what I can have this week. Eggs? Eggs again? What the fuck. I'm going on a bike ride instead."

At least that's how it's been in my own head. I still have to go to Rite Aid and get some pee-strips to see if I'm in ketosis yet. That's another fun aspect of the diet. So why am I sticking with the diet if I'm bitching so much? Because I don't want to become a diabetic. I don't want to wake up at 40 and have my doctor tell me that I'll be dead in a year. I want to be able to ride roller coaster rides with my kids. I want to be able to run around with them, and coach them in sports. I want to look good again. I want to be healthy and live to see them have kids. I want to stop being embarrassed when I take my shirt off at the pool. I don't want my kids to call me fat any more. I don't want my kids to get teased about having a fat father, and I know it's going to happen.

So I'm weighing my food, reading labels, and eating heroic quantities of meat. I went to Giant today and tried to find a bunch of different ways to get protein in my diet and keep the carbs out. I waved good-bye to the naan and the pretzel bread. I promised the grapes and apples that I'd be back soon, and I even blew a kiss at the Oreos, because you know, we have this special relationship...

All in all, so far the hardest thing for me to adjust to has been cutting the milk from my coffee, and it hasn't been easy, but I didn't think it would be. It was easy to put the weight on, and it would be easy to continue doing nothing about it, at least for right now. I'm tired of easy. I want results. And I've already had them. I'm down three pounds so far, so I'm sticking with it.

[UPDATE]: As part of deeper research into ketosis, I came across a link on Wikipedia about Ketogenic Diets, which are a high-fat, high-protein diets used to control seizures, primarily in children. I'm on Trileptal for my seizures and it works really well, but it's nice to know that this diet can help add a layer of control.

If you're interested in tracking my progress, here's my food diary: http://www.thedailyplate.com/diary/who/MauriceReeves

I have been working hard on the weight loss, though last week was kind of a wash. I pushed myself Sunday and Monday night and when I woke up Tuesday, I was sore, which is generally a good thing for me, but I didn't sleep well because my son likes to climb into bed with my wife and I and apparently, when he sleeps, he grows to 6 foot tall, and takes up the entire bed in all directions, so...I ran to Philadelphia for a doctor's appointment, and when I say ran, I mean it. The train was late heading to Philadelphia so I dashed to SEPTA, dashed off SEPTA, running around the UPenn campus to the hospital, all while carrying my laptop and a nice big heavy hardback novel.

By the end of the day my back hurt and I wasn't able to sit comfortably or exercise.

So much for thinking that strengthening my core was going to help me in situations like that.

Three days later I wasn't really able to walk without limping and wincing, and I was sure I'd done something permanent to my back, my wife worked all the kinks out with a massager and suddenly, the next morning, everything was perfect again. Huzzah for spouses! She saved my life. It felt that way.

Now I'm back to exercising and I feel wonderful.

Alright, off to a client meeting for me, but when I return, I'll share my wonderful weekend adventures at DirectBuy with everyone.

I've been working hard at the weight loss, paying more attention to the foods I'm eating, exercising, saying no to deserts, doing all the things right.

This morning I stepped on the scale, I'm down 5 pounds in 19 days, which doesn't seem great, but I'm also down an inch and some off my waist which is...AWESOME!.

Yesterday I walked out during lunch and hiked around the parking lot. It's built into the side of a hill, so it really is a hike up the one side. Then I went home and ran around the neighborhood with the kids. Then when they went into the house I jumped rope for a few minutes, which was about all I could do, but it was enough to kick my metabolism a little higher.

I feel great. I feel wonderful. I put on Nina Simone's "Feeling Good" this morning and it just keeps looping on the iPod.

"It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me....AND I'M FEELING GOOD!"

A huge hat tip to my buddy Ranzino for giving me the kick in the butt I needed.

You can track my progress at both Traineo and The Daily Plate.

I looked at myself in the mirror. "I'll never fit on any of the rides".
My wife looked up from the laundry. "Don't be ridiculous, there are heavier people that go to DisneyWorld and go on rides".
"I won't be able to take the kids on any rides when we get there. 'Daddy, why are we only watching the rides?'"
"Oh stop it. You'll be fine".

The problem is that I didn't feel fine then. I haven't felt fine for a while. I've slinked around embarassed by my weight for years. One time walking through the hospital to a doctor's appointment, an old woman leaned in towards her husband and said "Look at the belly on that one".

I can't fault people for noticing. I do have a prodigious stomach, large and round like those on a Buddha statue. I'm not morbidly obese I'm not wearing size 60 pants, or even size 48. I can walk up the stairs without a break in the middle. I can run around the yard with the kids.

I'm just...overweight. I've got a programmer's gut, honed from years of Mt. Dew and sitting around programming. From junk food and treating myself to sweets and cheeseburgers and other "naughty" foods. From choices I've made over the last few years.

So I decided to do something about it.

I joined a website, traineo.com to help me track my weight and my progress. I resubscribed to Men's Health, and I'm eating better. I'm cutting back on the regular soda and drinking more and more water. I run up the stairs at the parking garage at the end of the day...well, by floor 5 I'm huffing...but I'm trying. More exercise, better food, a leaner Mo.

And all seemed great when I lost 6 lbs in the first week! Praise the Lord, right?!? I gained them right back. Ooo. Not awesome.

But I'm not despairing, because my pants already fit a little better, and I can feel the muscles tightening up under the blubber, and I feel better.

Paying attention to what I eat and do feels better; it feels like the right thing to do. It's the right thing to do so I can go on those rides at DisneyWorld. It's the right thing to do so I don't get noticed for my Wal-Mart sized gut. It's the right thing to do for me because it's my health, it's more time with my wife and kids, and it's the good example I set for them. And by caring about me I'm showing them I care about them too.

It's not going to seem like much, but I did 0.3 of a mile today running. Yeah yeah, I'm fat and out of shape. That's why I'm happy I did that much. I'm hoping that in the next 6 months I can be doing more than a mile a day in the morning.

1 Package of Easy Mac (340 Calories) + 1 3oz. Package Tuna (90 Calories) = Cheapest Tuna Caserole Ever.

Add pepper and hot sauce as garnish.

The death of Mike's mom, (my second mom), another family member falling ill to heart disease, and my own creeping pain in my knees and ankles convinced me that it was time to start losing weight seriously. I want to be around to see my kid's kids, and it's very important to me.

I don't know if you've experienced this, but while I was at the gym tonight, I caught sight of myself in the mirror and was shocked at what I saw. I really looked awful. I can't believe I let myself go this bad, and gained this much weight. I think that when you start exercising, you finally can look at yourself honestly and recognize what you look like.

All this time I avoided the scale and the mirror and just attributed my tightening jeans to my poor laundry skills, but I've put on a lot of weight.

I stood there for a minute, in front of the mirror, and thought "Take a good look. You don't ever want to be this man again".

I'm Dew-Free for 29 days now. Weird to think that I'm talking about like an alcoholic talks about spirits, but that's what Mt. Dew was for me, an addicition. And you can tell. It's still stuck around my waist.

I'm still hovering around the 320 lbs mark, even though I'm fasting. I've seen a significant reduction in my appetite from the fasting, and I'm hoping that will carry on when I'm done and I'll be able to lean on that for some weight loss.

I've gotten back on the habit of exercising, getting up early and hitting the treadmill before I get to work. When I'm done with that I jump rope for a minute. (Don't laugh, I suck at it and I keep tripping myself up)

When I get better with the jumprope and it doesn't hurt quite so bad, I'll increase it by 15 second imcrements. I should set an end goal so I can feel better when I get to it. I think I'm shooting for 2 2-minute sprints with the rope with a 30 second break in between.

So that's where I am now. Some days I feel like "Eye of the Tiger", and some days I feel like Grandpa Simpson. I'm so out of shape...

Today's Weight: 315 lbs.
Today's Exercise: 30 minutes on the Elliptical Trainer. That bitch of a machine says I'm only burning 50 calories when I use it for 30 minutes. That just doesn't seem right.

# of Mt. Dews Drank: 1 24oz. bottle

Other newsworthy events:
I entered into a competition with my buddy Chris Allwein to see which one of use can hit 218 lbs first this year. He has several distinct advantages over me in this endeavor. He weighs less, he's single and has more time to exercise, he has a treadmill at home, and he's already got momentum because he's already lost a bunch of weight. But I just look at these as motivators, not obstacles.

The best way to stick with something like a diet is if everyone knows about it, and what your progress has been so far. So here goes:

Today's Weight: 316 lbs
Today's Exercise: 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer

# of Mt. Dews Drank: 3 24oz bottles (they're so hard to stay away from)

This month's goal: Get below 300 lbs. That's less than a pound a day. That should be doable.

So I was sitting at work thinking about trying to lose weight, and why I wasn't, and I realized that I have been sitting around for the last 8 months just waiting for someone to make me lose weight. Like the Keebler Elves would just pop up and magically shave away the pounds.

"Oh! You've lost 10 pounds so far boy-o? That's great, here, have an E.L. Fudge."

Definitely not the right way to lose weight.

I have been yo-yo-ing a bit with the weight, but I'm finally back on the Atkins full-time for now. It's been a little harder with Owen being born, and most of my meals eaten on the run, but so far, I've been good.

I did have a Mt. Dew today. It felt nasty.

But that's beside the point. Today I'm down to 318 lbs!!!!!!!!

That's a 25 lbs loss from my heaviest. It feels great.

I'm still struggling with my weight loss. Some days feel much better than others, but the weight never seems to stay off.


I drove to Adams Ricci Park in East Pennsboro and did the Marine Daily 16. I like the exercises and they are easy enough to do every day, but hard enough that I lose weight.


The weekends are hardest for me to keep the weight off, and I'm glad I got this opportunity. I had to send McKenna with Heather and her mom grocery shopping so I could do it, but it was worth it.


I hope that next weekend I may be able to go to hike up to the top of Pole's Steeple and take some pictures. I feel guilty leaving Heather behind when we have so little time together as it is, but for my own continued health and longevity, I need to lose weight. Simple as that.


Weight as of today: 340 lbs.