It’s been a month since I did my bike tour and 5k and while I wrote about them on my personal blog, I simply didn’t do it here. Shame on me. At any rate, here’s a copy of that post for your enjoyment. I’ll have a little bit more later on tonight.

Enjoy!

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Well, this last week sure was a busy one.

As I had mentioned in this post, I rode my bike in the Long Beach Marathon Bike Tour for the second year in a row. That means that it was another day of waking up at the crack of dawn (or 4am to be precise), preparing my stuff, eating breakfast and then making my way downtown to find my assigned parking lot, ride my bike to the starting line, then wait for the 6:30 start time. A lot of preparation but a lot of fun.

In the end, I trimmed my time down to 1:42:43 which is about 5 minutes less than my time last year. It was a beautiful day and it’s always humbling to be riding the bike trail along the beach to see the sun rise with the sound of the waves crashing in the background. I love this event and look forward to it in 2012.

Do I look exhausted?

Nah, I was fine. I could have gone a bit longer but hey, 26.2 miles was cool. And in case you didn’t track me, here’s how it looked:

Believe me, it’s not all that bad.

With that done, it was time for the rest of the week in which I worked overtime on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the latter two days going in at 6:30 am. And oh, did I mention that I also worked my night job on Thursday and Friday from 5:15 to 8:30 or so? Told you I was busy.

But wait, there’s more! On Saturday, I participated in my first 5k mud run down at the Del Mar Fairground/Racetrack which is just within the San Diego city limits. While not as early as the morning of the bike tour, I woke up and pretty much did the same thing in terms of preparation, breakfast, etc. Then, of course, hit the highway for the 90-minute drive to beautiful San Diego.

I’ll admit that the mud run was about the toughest and most unsanitary thing I’d ever done in my life but I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was also one of the most memorable and fun. It’s a party atmosphere at the event and all participants get a free beer at the end (although I ended up giving my ticket to someone since I don’t drink). My finish time was 46:47.5 and keep in mind that’s with trudging through mud and over obstacles.

As far as the course goes, it’s crazy. There are obstacles such as tires, walls, hills and of course, mud pits. Most of those are not too bad to deal with but crawling through the mud pits proved to be tough for a few reasons.

First, there is netting above the pit so you have no choice but to crawl on your belly to get through. As the run continues, the netting gets lower so by the last one you are up to your chin in mud.

Second, the mud is more like infield clay from a baseball diamond so it will really do a number on your knees if you aren’t careful. I survived without much damage.

Also, it’s hard to wipe mud from your eyes when your hands and shirt are covered in the stuff. Next time: goggles. Another thing to remember is that regardless of how light an outfit you wear, it will still absorb liquid and that weighs you down like mad.

So how did I fare? Here’s how I went into it…

…and here’s how I came out of it:

Great event, great volunteers, great crowd. There’s just not much more you can ask for.

Well, except for maybe eating one of these afterward:

This here is a 1/2 pound Steerburger which from Boll Weevil, a restaurant with locations only in the San Diego area. All my life, I’d been going to the original one on Midway but it was closed down years ago. Whether I was in town to visit relatives or go to a ballgame, I never made a trip to San Diego without going home with one of these babies in my belly, and Saturday was no exception.

I’ll work off the calories later. I was enjoying the day too much at this point

This was taken before the run and will post a few more taken with an actual camera (not phone) later.

Summary: finished in about 42:00 or so but I’ll post my official time when I get home. Right now I’m relaxing with the family at Wild Rivers where we had to run through a wading pool of sorts.

Had a great time and looking forward to doing it again!

UPDATE 8/28/11: Alright, since I’ve got some time to do it, here are some highlights/memorable events from the run.

The day started at 5am since I had planned on leaving by 6am to get there in plenty of time for the start at 8am. Irvine isn’t exactly a long drive but when you go to events like this, you just never know what the traffic will be like so it’s always best to plan for any unexpected delays.

We did get there in plenty of time so we checked out the few exhibitor booths that were there. I tried a sample of a drink called Body Armour and it wasn’t too bad so I need to look for that the next time I’m shopping. We sat around for about 30 minutes before I had to get in line according to my anticipated finishing time, do some pre-race stretching, listen to some of the rules, etc.

This is a shot of the field from where I was standing, in the “29:00 – ???” group:

After the National Anthem and a prayer (more people seemed attentive to the former than the latter), the horn sounded and we were off. We trudged along through the parking lot of Wild Rivers and out onto the sidewalk the made a u-turn, where the first water station was. It was poorly manned and most of us had to wait for our water to be poured which is not good.

Despite that, I have to admit that I felt pretty good as I started on my way and at about the first mile, I was in my zone as I usually am. The run came back into the parking lot and started to wind through Wild Rivers itself for the first of two laps. During the second lap, we had to run/walk/wade through this (photo was taken after the run):

This was a most welcomed break from the rest of the course which at times was rather narrow and definitely blocked with walkers and people with strollers, who should have been kept at the rear of the field. Not only that, the wait to get into this Lazy River was just ridiculous as some people removed their shoes before entering.

Up until this point, according to my Endomondo app, I was averaging 11:30 per mile but my lap time for the last mile dropped dramatically as I “ran” through the river: 16:40. If not for that, I could have finished in about 34 minutes or so but considering the wait time and the conditions (but especially the wait time), this was not unexpected.

I crossed the finish line at 42:29 with an average pace of 13:14 according to my chip results. And in case you’re wondering what 5k looks like, here’s the course as recorded by Endomondo:

That seems like a good distance but once you’re up and running, it’s really not. Here’s the portion of the course known as the Lazy River, as noted by the dark blue line:

And although I didn’t finish anywhere near the Top 3 in my age group, that didn’t stop me from pretending I did:

So despite the event’s flaws, I had a good time participating as well as hanging out at Wild Rivers afterward. Next event: the Long Beach Marathon Bike Tour on October 9, 2011. I started my preparation by buying new tires today so I’m ready for that one.

Oh, and those Asics running shoes I’m wearing? I bought them at Savers a few months back for a mere $3.50. They were practically new and half price on the day we were shopping, so that saved me some money for sure

By the way, part of the run is a challenge to “Beat the Cow” or someone running in a cow costume since the Chick-Fil-A is a huge sponsor. And if you do beat the cow, you get a free meal.

Did I beat the cow?

No, I didn’t. I got beat by a dude in a cow costume. But at least I wasn’t a sore loser about it:

I told the bovine I was disappointed for not beating them but there’s no shame in that. The cow consoled me with a friendly pat on the back. We’re cool.

I’m done for the night. My legs are starting to feel the effects of the run and I need to relax!

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’s time to bid a fond farewell to yet another t-shirt size that has dominate my life over the years: XL.

Yes, like the 2XL size before it and my size 40-48 pants, the XL shirt has finally gone the way of the dinosaur. Ann picked up at least three L shirts for me the other day and I’m happy to report that all of them fit and fit well. I’m sure they might be a bit snug once they are washed but for now, I’m reveling in my victory!

On the progress front, I seem to have hit a dormant phase but that’s okay because I think I know the reason why: my quest to drop those last few pesky pounds by my vacation in October is starting to take its toll.

It seems to me that this same thing happened the last time I put a strict limit on things, back when I was still averaging 3 lbs. lost per week. By that account, I should have been at my goal by July 29th, but here I am and I’m still not there yet. Even before July 29th rolled around I noticed that things weren’t going as smoothly and I blamed that on my expedited deadline, not my original one of February 14, 2009. So I scratched it off my calendar and forgot about it.

Miraculously, I began to lose more weight. Go figure.

It’s taken me well over 2 years to drop the 90+ lbs. I have, so it seems silly to push deadlines in order to reach my goal earlier than anticipated. I’ve learned that the only thing it leads to is overeating, disappointment in your progress, and falling into old habits.

While I’d love to lose these last 6 lbs. before October 7th or so, I’m going to forget about that date and keep on doing what I’ve been doing for the last couple of years.

I’ll post what happened between now and the next Weekly Weigh-In. It should be interesting!

As far as exercising goes, last night I was just dead tired and failed to do my nightly Wii Fit. I went to bed at 10 p.m., the earliest I’ve gone to bed in what seems like an eternity.

Sometimes you just have to.

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• Weekly Weigh-In #15: 218.8 lbs.
• Last week’s weight: 221.8 lbs.
• Gain/loss of: -3.0 lbs.
• Weekly average lost: 2.3 lbs.

Victories and Milestones all around!

At today’s weight of 218.8 lbs., I have officially cracked the 210s. Happy? You bet. This was the one plateau that I thought would be insurmountable but here I am. It wasn’t so long ago when I felt stuck in the 230s but with a lot of hard work and proper diet, in a little over a month later I’m in the 210s.

The belt I bought not so long ago to replace my old Fat Guy Belt is up to its 8th notch. When I bought it I was on the 4th notch so there’s definitely some progress there. And being that there are holes all around the belt, it might be a while before I buy another one.

I actually fit into a size L shirt and shorts yesterday. Ann and Anthony went down to K-Mart and hit the clearance racks for some new clothes. Not only was I pleased at what they bought me, but I was also happy that it all fit! I’m slowly replacing my old wardrobe with new and smaller duds.

An updated progress photo will be coming soon since I bought Ann a nifty new digital camera over the weekend. If I can get her to take one I will post it later tonight. If not, I did my usual bathroom-mirror self-portrait shot earlier today.

As far as food goes, I continue to track my Points in the Excel chart which I have since placed on Ann’s outdated HP Jornada 520 handheld PC instead of my USB thumb drive. It’s ugly, old, slow and chunky, but it works great for this purpose as well as creating Word documents when I’m on the train to work.

Exercise: I continue to walk 1.5 miles a day and do between 30-45 minutes of Wii Fit each night. In fact, last night I achieved a score of 176% on the jogging exercise. My previous best was 101% but I put the Wiimote in my back pocket and it seemed to calculate everything better. (I usually hold it in my hand and pass everybody, end up with an uneven pace, etc.) Either way, my shirt is still fairly drenched by the time I’m done. Hydration! I needs it!

By the way, if you want to see my Mii show up on your Wii, my code is 6162 3298 6869 7586. Add me and I will add you!

That’s all for now. Stick with it, guys and gals. If I can, you can

UPDATED 10:37 p.m.: As promised, a new photo has been added to the Progress Photos page (scroll to bottom). So head on over there, or save time and see the new image here. Note my obligatory “look of concern” pose

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• Over 1,000: Total number of blog hits so far since March, for which I thank each and every one of you! (It’s not that amazing but shows me people are interested.)
  
• Over 100: Total number of Weight Watchers Points Excel chart downloads so far (both versions)
• Zero: Total number of donations since adding the link. Hey, it had to be said

But perhaps the most important one of all…

• 70: Total lbs. lost to date!

I feel incredibly thin today and I like it. In fact, I may have to hit Old Navy soon because my 42 pants are starting to get, um, bigger. Ann tells me that they have some men’s jeans on clearance so I may have to check it out this weekend.

Recognition is beginning—finally! A co-worker told me I was starting to “wither away” since my pullover jacket is getting baggier by the day. (Note to self: look for smaller one of those at Old Navy, too.) When I told her I used to weigh nearly 300 lbs. she had to push her eyes back into her head.

I’ve got another post in the works that may hit the blog tonight. It’s about what I had for lunch today and, despite how tempting the food may look because of its ingredients, how you should always read labels when you’re trying to lose weight.

On the exercise front, I think I’ll give the Wii Fit a night off. I need a change, so it’s back to the sit-ups (at least for tonight).

Oh, and Anthony picked out some new, smaller clothes for me as an early Father’s Day gift: size 40 shorts and two XL shirts. I tried them on and yes, they both fit. I’m amazed

Watch for the other post later. Until then…see ya!

1ST UPDATE: I hope you dig the new template. The place needed a fresh look!

2ND UPDATE: After tinkering with the new template, I realized it cropped my pictures. So I’m back to this one. Sorry…

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But I was good. I sampled just about a little of everything, including the wedding cake, and it sustained me until dinnertime when I just had a few healthy munchies instead.

There was turkey, ham, fruit salad, rolls, and a delicious salad. And even after all of that, I gained such a minimal amount that it’s not worth mentioning. I also have an updated picture that you can see on the Photos page (scroll to the bottom, of course).

Today we literally spent the day in the backyard after a trip to Lowe’s for some plants and other goodies. I stayed active the entire day between yardwork and laundry so I’m sure I’ve maintained and not gained. Lunch and dinner were of the chicken variety. Because of all of the activity, I’m skipping my Wii Fit routine for the night.

Oh, and here are a few Victories for the week:

• I can now wear size 40 pants!
• I can now fit in an XL dress shirt!

That’s pretty much it for this post. Weekly Weigh-In #11 is a few days away and I’m excited about it! See you then.

Second, it appears that my Weight Watchers Points Excel chart is turning out to be a big hit with readers. (WordPress allows me to see which links readers have licked on and the Excel chart has gotten quite a few downloads.) Taking that into consideration I’ve taken it upon myself to update the Excel chart to include a few new goodies, and I think you all will like it.

I’m doing some tweaking and testing to make sure everything is working properly (as I am not The World’s Best Excel Formula Dude). And as usual, it will be completely editable by you.

Check back in a few days or better yet, subscribe to my blog by using Google Reader or click the “Subscribe” button on the right and choose your favorite to know exactly when the latest entries are posted.

Oh, and few more Victories. A neighbor and a few co-workers have inquired about my weight loss by telling me my face is starting to look thinner. I don’t expect it to grace the cover of any magazines soon, but I have to agree with them after looking at some of my old photos.

Gotta exercise. Stay focused, people!

Today was Bagel and Muffin Day at work as is every second Wednesday of the month. While the temptation to eat a muffin was indeed great, I opted for the Asiago Cheese bagel and Weight Watchers cream cheese–9 Points total–and a glass of Rice Dream.

The bagels are bought from Noah’s and if you haven’t had them, they are tasty. The muffins, on the other hand, are purchased in bulk from Costco and while they do look mighty tempting, you just gotta say “no” to them.

After returning to my desk I decided to look up the nutritional value of those Kirkland Signature muffins. Here’s what I found out, and I’m glad I passed on them (Weight Watchers Points are in bold):

• Almond Poppy Muffin (670 cal, 38 g fat, 2g fiber) 16.5
• Blueberry Muffin (610 cal, 32 g fat, 2 g fiber) 14.5
• Chocolate Muffin (690 cal, 38 g fat, 3 g fiber) 16.5
• Orange Cranberry Muffin (690 cal, 38 g fat, 3 g fiber) 16.5

Info courtesy Dottie’s Weight Loss Zone

Wow. Just wow. That’s an average of 665 calories and 36.5g of fat per muffin. At this rate, the fiber content doesn’t even matter. So if you ever come across one of those things, don’t walk away from it–RUN!

And after literally at least a year of sitting in our shed, I dragged the Ab-Lounge out of retirement. You see, we cleaned out our garage last weekend and how have room to park the car in there. I still don’t believe it, either. I think we’re the only ones on the block that can do that.

Anyway, I now have room to use the Ab-Lounge once again and when done, hang it from a hook on the wall. And let me say this: after not using it for a while, it hurts.

Finally, I’m not really sure how to categorize these (as Victories or Milestones). But here’s a few things I’ve noticed lately:

• My new belt, which I started on the fourth notch, is now up to the sixth notch!
• My size 42 pants are slowly getting baggy!

That’s about all I got for now. Once again, thanks to all of you who have been reading this and are finding inspiration in my trials and tribulations. Keep on coming back; there’s always something new