Okay, here we go. As of today I’m at 193 lbs., which isn’t still the 190 lbs. I had planned to be at by now. That doesn’t necessarily make me a failure as much as the inability to run the Disneyland 5k does but hey, I’ve kept the weight off and managed to lose a few more pounds in the process. To me, that defines success.

As far as an updated picture goes, yes, I have one of those, too:

As was the case last year, we spent the day celebrating at Disneyland since we have Annual Passes. The only notable differences in my appearance besides weighing slightly less? I now have a goatee and yesterday, got my ears pierced. Yes, I did. Must be a Midlife Crisis thing

So there’s your anniversary update and as I’ve said many times over, if I can do this, I know that anybody can. All it takes is a commitment and the willingness to follow through with it.

Thanks, and I’ll post when anything changes—hopefully for the good!

Click to enlarge

<< BTW, this is NOT the best picture of me. My face looks…well, deformed or something.

This is a goodbye of sorts.

As you may well know, I started 200by40.com with the intent of tracking my weight loss progress as I tried to reach my goal of weighing 200 lbs. by my 40^th birthday.

Today is February 14^th, which is also happens to be my 40^th birthday and, as you may also know, I reached my goal of 200 lbs. on September 27, 2008—way ahead of schedule.

I have decided that, while I have derived great pleasure in blogging about everything having to do with [my] weight loss, it’s time to put things into perspective and temporarily walk away from the blog.

While this may not be the final post here, it may well be the last one for a long time as I will now concentrate on training for the Disneyland 5k—my first one ever—taking place this September. In between now and then I will do a few 5k walks and, should I have a camera with me, I will post pictures of the events. And don’t worry—all posts will remain intact as will the domain, meaning anything you may have bookmarked will still be in the same place.

Once again, I would like to thank everyone who left comments, e-mailed me, or simply came by to visit (except for you spammers who try and get past Askimet’s death grip–you’re fools for trying!). I do find it a bit humbling and amazing that a normal guy like me would inspire many, many people to get motivated into losing weight. What started out as a simple goal turned out to be something life changing to those who recognized that it’s entirely possible to lose weight if they put their minds to it.

Before I sign off here, I would like to wish all of you good luck with your weight loss program. Regular visitors know that it wasn’t uncommon for me to say things like “You can do it!” or “Never give up!” in my posts. What many don’t realize is that those weren’t just words; I meant them from the bottom of my heart. If I can do this, I have no doubt that anybody can.

Why? Unlike those trying to push diet pills, I’ve been there. I can relate to and understand the struggles of weight loss and being overweight. I know what it’s like to wear size 48 pants, run out of breath when playing with my son, have clothes get smaller and smaller, be ridiculed about my size, be stared at when going to fast food joints, barely fit into the seats on the train, look in the mirror and not like what I see, be intimidated when entering a gym.

But I chose to change all that. I challenged myself to get busy and change my lifestyle and here it is, my 40^th birthday and I weigh 197 lbs. I went from a sloth to someone who is going to run in a 5k. Think you can’t lose weight? I beg to differ. (By the way, at today’s weight I have finally reached the golden 100 lbs. lost level.)

While I could go on forever, I want to share with everybody some things I learned about weight loss since starting this blog. In no particular order, here is that list.

• It’s not easy to lose weight, but it is possible.
• Effective weight loss takes time.
• Diets don’t work, only a change in lifestyle does.
• Keeping it off is just as hard as losing it.
• Reward yourself when you have reached milestones or personal goals.
• Don’t let anything or anybody stop you.
• You control the food, it does not control you.
• Eat less, move more.
• Know your BMR and understand how it works.
• Take pictures of your progress. You won’t regret it.
• Nobody is going to lose the weight for you.
• Don’t be lazy. Stay as busy as possible.
• Everything in moderation, especially treats and sweets.
• You will have “those days”, so don’t let them get you down.
• Regret nothing and make no excuses. If you fall off the horse, brush yourself off and get back on it.
• Stay focused and never lose sight of your goal.
• Find your motivation: a weight goal, your family, etc.
• Don’t resort to pills, diet drinks or other so-called weight loss products, gastic bands or other forms of surgery for weight loss. This is your time to shine, and you can do it because you’re better than all those things.
• Think of everyday tasks (laundry, yard work, etc.) as ways of burning calories, not chores.
• Educate yourself on [proper] nutrition and know what you are putting into your body, your temple. It’s the only one you’ll ever have.
• Don’t push yourself. Know when your body has had enough and needs to rest.
• There are no shortcuts to losing weight—it’s all or nothing, so find that “on” switch and never look back.
• Resist temptation, and finally…
• NEVER GIVE UP

I really mean the last one. Not once during my entire program did I ever stop and tell myself, “You can’t do this.” It was at those times when I got mad and worked even harder. Not once did I doubt myself–I simply refused to give up, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. (In fact, I may consider having the phrase tattooed on my arm somewhere as a reminder of what it took to get where I am today.)

And remember that before starting any weight loss plan, please consult your physician. It only makes sense.

By the way, I found the hamburger I will be eating on my birthday as I promised myself I would. It will not be from the place previously mentioned but instead I will go to Carl’s Jr. for a new item called The Big Carl and oh, it’s a beauty. I almost started drooling when I saw it the other day (when I ordered my usual Charbroiled BBQ Chicken sandwich, by the way–360 calories, 4.5g fat, 4g fiber).

Having practically abstained from eating hamburgers for almost 3 years, I’m not concerend with calories, fat, or anything else I usually take into consideration when eating. I think you’d agree that after losing 100 lbs. the right way, with no pills, no surgeries, no excuses and no regrets, it will be something I truly deserve.

At the top of this post you will find a picture of me, finally posing in my size 48 Fat Guy Pants. Guys and gals, I used to fit in those–seriously. I only kept them as a reminder of where I was and where I am now. I will never fit into them again!

Goodnight, and thanks for everything. Stay focused and never give up–NEVER.

Your friend,
Dave

Oh, and “(weightlossstory485939@gmail.com)” from “(weightlossstory485939@gmail.com)’s Weight Loss Story”? Please stop trying to spam my blog. Your site is a fake, losing that much weight is unhealthy, and you’re just an annoyance now. You’ve been blacklisted and all of your comments will be filtered as spam, and I don’t advertise any “weight loss” products such as yours here. So post real before and after pictures of youself, allow comments on your “blog” and then we’ll talk.

I also moderate all comments so please quit wasting your time. Thank you.

Finally!

The finally tally:

• Starting weight: 297.1 lbs.
• Today’s weight: 199.9 lbs.
• Total weight lost: 97.2 lbs.
• Total time: 2 years, 9 months, 27 days

So what’s next? I’m going to Disneyland. No seriously, I am! The family and I are heading out not to celebrate my victory but to just have some fun. Lots of walking to be had.

But I thought I’d leave you with this before I go out for the day. The video below is for the song “Limelight” by The Alan Parsons Project. While it may seem cheesy, almost akin to Michael Bolton’s “When I’m Back on My Feet Again,” the songs lyrics are what often carried me through this journey. I swear, if it were a record I would have worn it or the needle out. (Kids, go ask your parents.)

So meaningful were they that I quoted a portion of them on my banner. But please, don’t let me tell you what to think. Check out the video and lyrics below to see what I mean.

I can see the glow of a distant sun
I can feel it inside
Maybe this day could be the one

I can hear the roar of a distant crowd
They are waiting for me
Calling my name
Shouting out loud

Holding on isn’t always easy
I ain’t gonna change my mind

Limelight, you were all I ever wanted since it all began
Limelight, shining on me, telling the world who I am
Limelight, don’t let me slip right through your fingers
There’s a long way to fall
After the years of waiting
I’m gonna show them all

I can see the world in a different light
Now it’s easy to say
Where I went wrong
What I did right

I can hear the beat of a different drum
Take it all in my stride
Hold my head high
Second to none

Holding on wasn’t always easy
Nothing can change my mind

Limelight, you were all I ever wanted since it all began
Limelight, shining on me, telling the world who I am
Limelight, don’t let it slip right through your fingers
There’s a long way to fall
After all the years of waiting, I’m gonna show them all

Maybe the role’s not easy, maybe the prize is small
After all the years of waiting, I’m gonna show them all

My next post or update will be my acceptance speech, if you will, in which I thank everybody who played a part in this. And if you’re reading this, what else is there to say?

I thank you very much for the support. It is most appreciated. I hope this blog has served as an inspiration to you in your quest to lose either 5 lbs. or 95 lbs. Whatever your goal, keep in mind that you can do it with some hard work, sacrifice, patience, exercise and an education on eating right. You have to want it–simple as that.

I’ve said this a million times here but I’ll say it again: if someone like me can do it, I have no doubt that ANYBODY can.

Comments as usual are welcome but since I will be out today they will not be moderated, so don’t be surprised if you see lots of spam or otherwise. I will weed through it all when I get home are now being moderated as usual!

More later, and definitely in the future. I’m not done yet

Your friend,
Dave

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It seems that me theory of looking beyond my goal weight has definitely worked. By putting aside that number that had been taunting me for what seemed like an eternity, I have managed to break the 202 lb. mark with today’s weight of 201.9 lbs.

While it may not sound like huge deal to you, it is for me since I’d been stuck in the 202s for a long time. It’s great to finally be out of them and get motivated once again!

Oh, and with today’s weight, my total is now 95.2 lbs. lost since 2006! That’s a Milestone for sure! My original goal is in sight but I’m still concentrating on my reaching new goal of 190 lbs. so that these last few will not slap me in the face.

We’re taking our son to the park tonight so it’ll be an evening filled with lots of running around and I’m really looking forward to it. That boy keeps me busy but it’s a lot of fun.

Stick with it, readers! You can do it!

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I’ve got a little time before I have to get to work so here are the numbers. More stats and stuff later!

• Weekly Weigh-In #25: 204.1 lbs.
• Last week’s Weigh-In: 205.6 lbs.
• Gain/loss of: -1.5 lbs.
• Weekly average lost: 2.0 lbs.
• Weight loss to date: 93.0 lbs.

UPDATED 12:20 p.m. or so

So alright, it looks like this week’s loss makes up for last week’s rather lame 0.9 lbs. lost. This puts me back into my doctor-recommended goal of 1.5 lbs. to 2 lbs. per week, so despite the lame sentiments of a particular commentator, I’d say I’m doing just fine.

By the way, what was the point of that comment? Was it supposed to bring me down or something? FAIL!

And I reached yet another milestone: 93 lbs. lost! WOO HOO! Yeah, it’s not exactly 95 lbs. but at this point, any round number is worthy of celebration.

Oh, and I posted a little sticky at the top of the page for Yahoo! Shine readers that visit my blog. I have noticed a steady increase in traffic from my single post there and thought I’d let them know that there probably won’t be any more posts over there as it’s just too much work. I used to do it with my personal blog and MySpace before realizing that it usually requires more than a simple cut-and-paste command. I prefer to post everything here and know it will work rather than post it elsewhere and have to tweak it umpteen times before it’s the way I want it.

So if you’re here from Yahoo! Shine, welcome and thanks for visiting. I’m glad to have you here. I’d recommend, however, that you bookmark this blog or subscribe to my RSS feed via Google Reader or reader of choice.

Finally, here are some Wii Fit progress photos. As usual, keep in mind that Wii Fit–30 minutes a night of various workouts–is only part of my plan that also includes walking nearly 2 miles a day (about 30 minutes) and proper diet. Also take note that as I’ve said in the past, Wii Fit’s scale isn’t all that accurate.

And I can’t stress this enough: visit your doctor before starting any weight loss plan. I did; you should, too.

Click on images to embiggen:

• BMI at start: 33.11
• Current BMI: 29.19

Still high, I know. But I’m getting there. Now here’s the weight chart:

Wii Fit weight:

• Start (May 25, 2008): 230.3 lbs.
• Current: 203.9 lbs.

My real weight:

• Start (May 25, 2008): 231.0 lbs.
• Current: 204.1 lbs.

So as you can see, there are slight discrepancies between the two but sometimes they are even larger than that. Please don’t put 100% reliance into the Wii Fit “scale” as it’s nothing more than a tool. Buy a nice glass bottom scale for more accurate readings.

I think that’s all for now. Thank you to all who continue to visit and leave kind words. Those keep me going when things get tough, and I hope that my progress motivates you into losing weight the right way.

The journey is almost over–thanks for being a part of it!

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Just a quick note to say that as of today’s weight of 206.5 lbs. (which could most definitely change by the time Tuesday’s Weigh-In rolls around), I have reached the 90 lbs. lost mark with a total of 90.6 lbs.

I’m patting myself on the back as I type which is pretty darn difficult to do if you really think about it. But does this mean it’s time to rest? I think not! This will continue until I reach my goal and then go further!

Last night our family went to a local Concert in the Park with our neighbor and his daughter. And kids being kids, they didn’t want to sit around and watch the show, no. They had more fun running around and I decided to join them.

We ran. We spun around. We played Hide-And-Seek. We got tired. And while we all got caught up in the moment and thought about how much fun they were having, the thought of staying active was always in the back of my mind and it most definitely felt good.

Then, of course, I did my usual 30 minutes of Wii Fit when the kid went to bed.

My point of all this?

Don’t be lazy! Stay busy! Trust me when I say that every little bit of movement helps! Nobody’s going to lose the weight for you and the answer is not in a stupid little pill that some site will most likely be pushing when they steal the content of this post.

If you want it, you have to work for it. Simple as that.

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For years, I had labored under the delusion that I was perpetually 210 lbs.* because that’s what my California driver’s license had listed. This made for interesting looks on those few occasions when I was pulled over or the many times when I was asked for I.D.

But my friends, today things are different.

As of this post, I now weigh 210.1 lbs. which is just a hair shy of what my driver’s license reads. It’s so close that I’m going to go ahead and count it as being yet another Milestone in my weight loss progress. By tomorrow I should be there so what the hey, good enough. I can now proudly show my license when asked and not be ashamed about the listed weight. The picture, on the other hand, will need to be updated since I look like King Big Mac**.

And at my current weight it also means that I’m getting closer to kissing the 210s goodbye! Wow…remember when I felt stuck in the 230s and 220s? It wasn’t that long ago, peeps!

Moving along…

In a previous post, I had mentioned that shaving has become a little more routine since my face isn’t as chunky as it once was. Back then I had to shave every other day as opposed to every third day.

Well, now I’m shaving every morning. For a guy that couldn’t grow facial hair if he tried, believe you me when I say this is really odd. I need to invest in some more shaving cartridges. Or maybe I’ll add them to my Amazon Wish List…

And WOO HOO! It’s Subway Thursday! Today’s the day I stroll on down to the local Subway for my footlong Veggie Delite so that I have lunch for today and tomorrow. $5 for two days of lunch is a pretty good deal.

That’s it for now. See ya later!

* Paraphrasing from the movie A Christmas Story. At least I give credit. ** King Big Mac refers to a term uttered by late L.A. radio DJ Bruce Vidal, who my brother worked with many years ago. Bruce once said that he looked like “King Big Mac” in a picture my brother took of him because he had a mouthful of food at the time. We still use that phrase today. We miss you, Bruce!

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Does Week #20 bring good news? Let’s see.

• Weekly Weigh-In #20: 212.1 lbs.
• Last week’s weight: 212.7 lbs.
• Gain/loss of: -0.6 lbs.
• Weekly average lost: 2.1 lbs.
• Weight loss to date: 85.0 lbs.

While this week’s results aren’t all the surprising given my crazy food weekend, the loss keeps me within my recommended range and that’s definitely a victory in my book. A loss is still a loss no matter how you slice it.

But what could make such a small even better? I’ve reached the 85 lbs. lost mark–finally! I’d been struggling at 84+ lbs. lost for a long time but some hard work and my willingness to get over that mark got me there. And I’m happy about that.

For this, the 20th Weekly Weigh-In, I thought I’d share my last 19 results with you. Go ahead and check them out and see what I was thinking back then and how, no matter what my thoughts, I was never ready to throw in the towel (and you shouldn’t be, either). You’ll also see that there were times when I thought I was “stuck” in the 240s/230s/220s etc., revisions to my stats, different exercise routines, etc. If you need to find some motivation in reaching your goal, these might just help you. (Note: all links open in a new window or tab.)

But no matter what my weight was at any given time, I was still determined to reach my goal which is now just 12.1 lbs. away–that’s it!

Well, my stomach’s grumbling. Better feed it some good stuff. And remember, folks: easy does it. I know that firsthand. So don’t rush your weight loss or you’ll only end up disappointed.

See ya!

#1: 251.0 lbs.
#2: 248.0 lbs.
#3: 245.0 lbs.
#4: 241.9 lbs.
#5: 238.5 lbs.
#6: 236.9 lbs.
#7: 233.0 lbs.
#8: 232.5 lbs.
#9: 233.5 lbs.
#10: 230.7 lbs.
#11: 228.9 lbs.
#12: 224.3 lbs. (sick)
#13: 225.7 lbs.
#14: 221.8 lbs.
#15: 218.8 lbs.
#16: 216.4 lbs.
#17: 217.3 lbs.
#18: 214.4 lbs.
#19: 212.7 lbs.

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Ah, Week #19. Here we go.

• Weekly Weigh-In #19: 212.7 lbs.
• Last week’s weight: 214.4 lbs.
• Gain/loss of: -1.7 lbs.
• Weekly average lost: 2.1 lbs.
• Weight loss to date: 84.3 lbs.

First off, and I hate to add what seems like such meaningless and futile text, I came across yet another so-called weight loss blog using one of my posts. If this were my personal blog then I wouldn’t care, but since I’m losing weight the right way, I take offense to sites that use my posts to push weight loss pills. As such, from this point on I will include the text you see above in each post here on 200by40.

Now that that’s out of the way…

This week sees a loss of almost 2 lbs., which is about my doctors’ recommended average per week. Anything more than that is definitely a bonus so I’m happy with the results. But truth be told, I was 212.5 lbs. a few days ago, just before my aunt’s big 84th birthday celebration where I ate quite a bit. I’m not concerned; this was a once-in-a-lifetime thing so I took advantage of it. Not only that, she’s got a pool so I was able to work some of that food off very easily. It’s back to the program today as it always is after a heavy weekend.

If you’ve been following my Weekly Weigh-Ins since the very beginning, you’ve seen some changes. With last week’s weigh-in numbers, I started to include my total weight lost. This gives me and everybody else out there an easier way to keep track of things…just in case you can’t see that little Traineo icon on the right…

One of the stats I’ve since dropped has been the “If I Lose…” stat since, well, I began to feel it was screwing my progress up. In the beginning I was losing somewhere near 3 lbs. a week average so including that stat was fun as it gave me an idea on when I would reach my goal.

Today, July 29, is when I should have reached my goal based on my then-average weight loss in pounds per week. But here I sit with less than 13 lbs. to go instead. Oh well; the plan was to be there by my 40th birthday which I will no doubt achieve.

This week’s Milestone: size 38 pants! That’s right, guys, I’ve officially dropped 10 sizes the right way. If this isn’t proof that one doesn’t need pills or surgery in order to achieve their weight loss goal, then I don’t know what is (*thumbs nose at lap-banders everywhere*).

On the exercise front, Wii Fit continues to whip me into shape! Here are the latest results, taken after today’s Body Test:

I was about 233 lbs. when I started in May. I’m now on my 66th day and at this point the bar graph can’t be seen in its entirety, so I had to zoom out and show it this way. Even so, you can see how much progress I’ve made.

And I promise a new Progress Photo is coming. Ann took one of me at the party but I was holding my cousin’s one-month-old son (which really made me want another ) and you can’t really get an idea of what I’ve achieved. But I did get that wonderful new baby smell all over me.

That’s it for today. More news as it happens. See ya, and stay focused!

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• Weekly Weigh-In #16: 216.4 lbs.
• Last week’s weight: 218.8 lbs.
• Gain/loss of: -2.4 lbs.
• Weekly average lost: 2.3 lbs.

I don’t have much to say today as I’m still a bit under the weather, but I do know that I’ve passed yet another Milestone: 80 lbs. lost!

More later once I get back from the doctor and if I feel better. I’m kinda run down today so I may just take it easy today instead.

Hope you’re feeling better than I am and your program is giving you the results you want. So far, I’m not disappointed

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