Coming out of a rut!

Well I guess I lied, new blog not till after the 1st... So here until after the new year!

I been down in a rut lately. Just had a lot on my mind and have been letting it affect me more that I want it to. Maybe its the holiday season. Usually it's a great time to be around family, friends and overall happy time, this year just seems more of a saddend feeling. I read a quote that got me thinking and has helped get me out of my funk. Still in one but it will get better I am sure, I will deal with it and keep on going! NO I am not mad at anyone, NO I didn't do something to make the wife mad haha it was just me and how I felt... Time to kick it in high gear!!! Have Tough Mudder/Warrior Dash/Marathon waiting for me in 2013!!!



SAYYYY WHAT TUBBY??????? MARATHON????? I have been going back and forth about competing in a marathon. Why not run the half marathon first? F that haha once I know how hard it is I will not want to run the full so go big or go home SON!!!!! I want a fun one, like the rock and roll one. The one where they have a band on corners and what not. I know I will not be fast at this run. Hell I would love to finish and get a metal!!!! Would be great! This will keep me running even when the snow hits here in Illinois. I hate running on a treadmill. I get so bored and end up cutting my runs short! I love running outside even does anyone even read my blog? haha if you do message me on fb 1 and 2nd person that say they do get free 2nd place looks good on you tshirt, get ahold of me via text or fb... ok back to topic if its cold. I think what I really love is running past Teds Garage, McDonalds, Pizza Hut and the Mexican place... Know why??? THE SMELLS!!!!!!! Damn it makes me smile when running past those places. It just smells so good and I can get my fix and NOT have to eat it. Mexican I usually have once a week tho. Shrimp Taco Salad! So damn good but mcd and teds and pizza hut smell amazing when you are 2 miles into your run!

The quote that snapped me back was this "You've gotta wake up every morning and ask yourself, 'How bad do you want it?' How much work are you willing to put forth for the things and people you want and need in your life? Nothing great comes without effort. But I promise you that if it's something of great meaning in your heart and something you need in your life... EVERY risk, EVERY step and EVERY drop of sweat will be worth it.

That quote helped motivate me when I needed motivation. I have given over a year of my life to get into the shape I am now, and I plan on giving the rest of my life to get in the best shape I have ever been in. I love helping people achieve their goals and helping them any way that I can. Friends have told me that they have started to watch what they eat, workout, and make better decisions because of what I have done and that shocks me when they tell me that. Never really thought of it before but it feels pretty damn cool. I want to get into great shape really bad. Well how about good enough shape to do my messed up runs and challenges haha. Yes I have made small sacrifices, but it is well worth it because of the way I feel compared to years past!

Christmas is right around the corner! I set a goal to weigh 210 by Christmas day! I will fight to hit that goal the next week and half so here it goes! Hoping to stay on track thru the holidays with all the food, parties and friends getting together! Can not wait to set the 2013 New Years Resolutions and beat them down!!!

Thankful For...

Ok on Facebook for the month of November people wrote everyday what they were THANKFUL FOR. This being the last day of November I thought I would just put 1 blog on what I am thankful for. If you know me and seen my FB post I post things off the top of my head, didn't think I could go a whole month with being serious! So what are you thankful for?

I am thankful for a lot of things! Alison for being the wonderful person she is. She puts others before herself and has been a great motivator at keeping me on this road I began over a year ago to get healthier! I am amazed by her on a daily basis. I could not have asked for a better person in my life than her. I truly thank god every night that I meet her! We have been married for 4 years and been thru some great times and some sad times. It is amazing that I found someone that I can not wait to spend the rest of my life with! I could go on and on about her and she knows how special she is to me!

My family is very special to me as well. If it were not for my parents I would not be where I am today. I truly believe that. I take traits from both of them. For better or worse ha. Think I take being a people pleaser from my mom and my stubbornness from my dad haha. They have taught me a lot in my 31 years of life, and there is no way I could ever repay them for it. I am extremely proud of what they have accomplished and what they have taught me. I am grateful that they are always there for me. Anytime I need to talk or whatever it may be I can count on them. I am also thankful for my extended family as well. This is from my in-laws which I could not have ever in my wildest dreams of asked for better in-laws, they are truly amazing! The support I get from my family as a whole is amazing!

They say friends are family that you choose, I really believe that. Some of my friends I have known my entire life, some since high school & college and some just recently. You really can not help who you become friends with. I am thankful I have you all in my life. Its funny sometimes you can go weeks without talking or even months and when you get back together its like nothing has changed. Tho I do not think I have gone that long from being around friends. Thank you all for being there for me thru some tough times and good times, and I truly would do anything for you guys! Well except burry another body again, btw Jason we need to talk about that... LOL JK damn CIA going to be on my doorstep! Look forward to many good times with old and new friends for sure!


I am thankful that I got my ass in gear to get in overall better health! It has NOT been easy by any means. I wish I could sit here and say oh it was a breeze, but in reality its fucking hard work. Some of you can walk by a bakery or bake cookies, cake or anything and not think about it. May have 1 just to see how it taste. Me well I think i have to try a dozen to make sure it was correct ha.. But it is true, I have never had self control for as long as I can remember. I can remember one thanksgiving over at my grandma jeans house. I was younger in grade school. I would eat so much that it was hard to get to sleep at night becuase I was so full. I know you can say hey thats being  young... But it didnt stop heck even up until a few years ago I would still eat like that... Maybe thats why I got to 300lbs.. But I am glad that I decided to get into better health. Yes I had some motivation to get there, and that same motivation could have broke me down again to just eat the way I used to but I made a promise and I am not looking back. I feel amazing compared to where I was before. I have tons of people to thank for that! Wife and Family is a given! But also an thankful for WeightWatchers for giving me a plan that works and not being a diet but a way I want to live the rest of my life! My ww Leader Beth, I have went to many different ww meetings and meet many ww leaders, tho they are all good at what they do I just never really stuck with it. She has really motivated me to stick with it and is a great leader! I am thankful for the experiences ww has given me. I truly think I would still be 300+ if I did not start the program. I have even been interviewed by ww casting for commercial spots and other plans. Tho I did not make the 3rd cut they still want to keep me in mind for future things which is exciting for me!

I have many more things I am thankful for but these are the main. Thank you for reading my blog. I am currently working on a new blog layout that I am hoping to debut the first or 2nd week of December! I will post on here what the new address will be and hope you all follow me on there. This was started as a way for me to write about my weight loss for 1 year to reach a goal! It has really helped me to write about it and I will continue to do so and hope you enjoyed reading it. 

Thank you all!

Donny

Holiday Season

So the holiday season is upon us! What a great time to see friends, family and eat some good food! At the beginning of November I set a goal of being 210 by Christmas. I am currently at 218 and think I have a good chance. This past week and a half has been great! NO NO NO I have not lost weight I have actually gained but just a tad. Come on it was MANCATION and THANKSGIVING.... What is this mancation you ask? :)

MANCATION is a vacation with the boys! It is a quest to visit EVERY NFL STADIUM! We decide a game to go to when the NFL schedules come out before the season. It usually consist of a Colts game or a Bears game. We alternate every year. This year Happened to be Patriots vs Colts at Foxborrow aka BOSTON!!!! Now one good thing about Mancation is it usually entails great FOOD, BEER, and some memorable moments. This year was no exception. The seafood out there in Boston was AMAZING!!!!!! Fresh seafood, clam chowder, oysters, lobster, scallops... I mean whats not to love! We went to some amazing places to eat, drink, and almost get thrown out of lol... You can not go to boston and NOT take a tour of Fenway Park. The oldest stadium in MLB! 100 years old. It was a great tour and if I ever see a game there I def want to sit on the green monster! Best seat in the house! Another thing we do on Mancation is if there is a brewery in the area we make sure to tour it! This year we had SAM ADAMS!!!!! Love their Oktoberfest so was excited to take the tour! We made our way to the brewery and it was very small compared to all the other breweries we have toured before. Basically 1 room they only take  you into, they only brew beer in Boston for Boston! They have 2 other breweries that supply the rest of the US, one in Ohio and one in Pennsylvania. But the tour showed us how they work and they told us that all the beers are experimented with in the boston brewery. We were able to try a few beers and one of the beers we tried is not out in the market yet they are just testing it to get feedback. A lemon zest beer, which I did not give high marks on. It really did taste god awful. But thats my opinion. Next was DOYLE'S, the first place Sam Adams was sold! The trolly tour driver made the trip! He was very funny and loved to say DOYLE'S... Just the way he said it made you want to ride the trolly around and listen to him talk. DOYLE'S is where Tim Robbins was taken out of a bar to be killed in Mystic River.. Its where they celebrate winning cases in Boston Legal, its a really old bar 130 years old!  This was around one pm and we had been drinking since sam adams around 11:30.... The drinks never stopped until early the next morning so yu can imagine how our night went, we had good food, drank a bunch of longislands, made new friends, almost got kicked out of cheers, went on a 7 mile historic walk, seen john handcock and paul reveres grave, walked the streets the red coats did, and ended the night as some irish pub drinking what I think was a clear long island... Can't tell you much more commmmme on our wives may read this lol... It was a successful mancation, already looking forward to next years trip!!!! oh and the colts got SPANKED!

Us at Cheers! Oh btw its is NOTHING LIKE THE SHOW. The only thing on the show that is from this place is the sign we are standing by and the steps going down to the bar. Inside it is very small and they DO NOT LIKE YOU BEING LOUD NO MATTER HOW MANY LONG ISLANDS YOU HAVE HAD.... Oh and its not cheap 2 bottles of beer came up to $21.50 but I can say I had a beer at Cheers!!!



Turkey Day
Well I was home all of 2 days before Thanksgiving events kicked off! I was already dreading standing on the scale from mancation and now I had to deal with, drinks, turkey, stuffing, pies, fudge, taters and gravy, and much more! Ugh the holiday are the worst for weight control. But I went in with my goal of getting to 210 by Christmas in mind. I actually contained myself NO Pecan pie, 1 slice of pumpkin, turkey and stuffing. I did not stuff myself so bad that I felt miserable! It amazes me at the control I have had gained over eating. Heck not to long ago I would have said WeightWatchers whaaaaaaaaat and been all over that food! Eating till my stomach was about to burst. But now I actually have control and feel good about it! So after visiting with family, and eating I knew I had to go weigh in on Black Friday... HELL NO I DID NOT GO SHOPPING! I went in to see the damage I did with eating and basically living the way I want the rest of my life.... There were only a handful of us 6, 7 tops there. Small compared to the regular meetings I go to. But stepped on the scale and UP 4 pounds... Hey hey thats not bad for not working out for a few days and basically eating whatever I damn well wanted to!!!!

So whats up next, CHRISTMAS then NEW YEARS....
Ah the food and drink keep on coming. Holiday parties, friends, and family then finish it off with playing dress up downtown Chicago with the wife and friends! Can not wait, open bar downtown! I have sworn off drinking until new years and OREOS... If you know me I LOVE OREOS... I mean I have 1 a day people! haha.....

Well Recipe Time... Have not done this in awhile!

REINDEER POOP AKA No-Bake Fudgy Snow Balls

No oil, no butter, no baking required. There's much to love about these no-bake cookies, they are healthy, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, vegan, and they taste great too.

MAKES: 21
SERVING SIZE: 1
WW PTS: 2 PTS


  
Ingredients:
15 pitted dates
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup whole roasted unsalted almonds
1 tbsp honey (agave if vegan)
2 tbsp water (or more if needed)
3 tbsp confectioner's sugar
Directions:
Add almonds to your food processor and pulse until ground. Add dates, cocoa powder, honey, and water. Mix until it forms a sticky mass. If it seems too dry, add a little water, 1 tsp at a time. Wash hands and using damp hands (keep sink running) measure 1 tbsp and roll into a ball with the dough. Set balls on parchment paper.

Put confectioner's sugar in a bowl. Roll balls in your hand and then roll in sugar.
Can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.

Motivation and Goals

7 months from now I want to be a lifetime member to WeightWatchers! That is my GOAL... I need MOTIVATION in order to reach my goals! I know that weight is only a number and that you can not judge how you do by the number on the scale... But this was my goal from Day 1 when I started this weight journey! I have roughly 40 more pounds to go. I know that it will be harder these last 40 than it was for the first 80. Man that does not sound right 121 pounds lost. That is what I am shooting for. The thought of me losing that much is crazy to me. Crap my wife doesn't even weigh what I am losing. That is crazy to me.

I found that setting short term and long team goals keep me motivated. Not only weight goals but other goals like fitness or even how I feel etc. Ill share some of my new goals at the bottom of here but along with setting goals I have found that reading others stories and talking with people that have accomplished what I have set out to do is just as motivating! Some days when I have ZERO motivation I tumblr motivational quotes, or motivational stories, transformation pictures. It  gives me that little something I need to get out and run that night, or to workout!

What Motivates you to change? What drives you? I love listing to these type of things. If you don't mind sharing I would like to listen.

What drives me is I hate losing. I set my goal and I want to reach it. I don't care if its a pick up game, saying lets run 6 miles, words with friends, tic tac toe, I just hate losing. The thought of me not getting to my goal is what motivates me. Yes I have some help on the way. Friends and Family help me along the way, even if they dont know they are helping. A simple compliment can make you feel great and want to keep it up! I have had 4 friends start insanity in the last week. Some have told me its because they seen the results with me and it really picks you up. Most have asked me about it because they know that is one of the programs I use for cardio. Its a GREAT program and if you are dedicated you will see results! I tell myself its 6 days of Hell with one day off. Right now I am in Round 3 of it and week 3 of month 2. Hour long cardio workouts I tell you can be hell. But LOVE the results of this workout. My friends that are starting out I say this to you: Just stick with it and know that it will kick your butt its not called insanity because its easy.

Past Goals made for New Years Resolution
So in 2012 I would like to accomplish these tasks!
1) Wear and Fit into XL T-Shirts 


Currently wearing XL t-shirts and getting rid of my 2XL and 3XL shirts!!!!! Accomplished!!!!

2) Finish Tough Mudder (Sunday, March 17th 2012)
Tough Mudder was canceled due to weather! I did finish warrior dash in record time!!! But am running Tough Mudder Chicago in 2013!

3) Run 15 Miles without walking

Well my runs are now 6 mile runs or 5... I am going to sign up for CHICAGO Marathon 2013!!!! This should be interesting

4) Walk into a store and purchase jeans I am currently in 36/38 W jeans depending on the brand! This is huge since I was in 42/44 and even got up to 46 W jeans!

5) Stay Determined and Motivated
 working on that year round!

NEW GOALS
1) FINISH Tough Mudder Chicago
2) Become WeightWatcher Lifetime by May 2013
3) Be 205 by Christmas (currently 218.8)

Activity!!!!!!!!

Well since summer and the warm weather is giving way to the cold do you have a problem getting in ACTIVITY???? In the summer/spring it is so easy to get in your activity, with events that are outside and fun to do. I will take a day of mowing the yard rather than walking outside and seeing my breath in the cold air! Days seem short because it is dark when I get off work.

Working out has helped me start to shape up. Well as best as I can. I started with just running/walking and now that has went to 5/6 mile runs 3/4 days a week. Then I added in the Insanity workouts and that has kicked my butt! I am currently in my 3rd time thru (on month 2 end of week 2). Then finally I started weights and cardio up in the mornings.  Running outside is actually bearable with the UA leggings and cold-gear. Feels good to not be over heated like running in the summer does to me!

Typical Week
Sunday - AM: Run (2/5 miles) then Insanity
Monday - AM: Elliptical, Weights, Jacobs Ladder, • PM: Run (2/5), then Insanity
Tuesday -Elliptical, Core Workout  • PM: Insanity
Wednesday - AM: Elliptical, Weights, Jacobs Ladder, • PM: Run (2/5), then Insanity
Thursday -Elliptical, Core Workout, Insanity • PM OFF
Friday - AM: Elliptical, Weights, Insanity • PM OFF
Saturday - Rest or If I have a race...

Usually rack up anywhere between: 75-125 activity points in a week. Sometimes more or less depending on what all I get in.

I also just recently starting sitting on a medicine ball at work to help with posture and what not. I actually like it a lot better than sitting in a chair. Maybe that's because I am a little weird.

What do you do that helps? I am always open to suggestions!!!!! Here is to losing more and getting to my goal!

Well Well Well its been a few months! Back on July 12th I weighed in at 231.8, down from 301! I am not weighing in at 218.8. I have been sitting at this weight for a few weeks now unable to get lower! I thought back about my last year I devoted to losing the first 75lbs and came to the conclusion that writing about it actually helped me get thru ruts and keep on track! So here I am I have 35/40 more pounds to go before I hit my ultimate goal of weight between 180/185.

As I sit here and think I am wanting to lose a total of 121 pounds! To me that's crazy to think that's even possible. I sit at 83ish pounds already and I wonder where the weight has gone. Why didn't I do this earlier in my life!!! I truly think with working out, eating right, and staying on goal I will reach my goal by late spring. I am shooting for the end of April or beginning of May so roughly 6 months to shed 35/40 more pounds! Let the weights/running/insanity/elliptical workouts begin!!!!!!!

DAY 365!!!!!!!!

Day 365 of 365!!!!!

 Well it's the moment of truth. Day 365!!!!!! It has been one year since I made up my mind to get in better overall health. I wanted to work off 75 pounds. I was going to have to change my whole lifestyle of eating and working out. I was going to have to learn discipline.

Weight
July 12, 2011 = 301.9 lbs
July 12, 2012 = 231.8 lbs

That's a grand total of 70.1 pounds in exactly 1 year! I did come up a few pounds short of my 75 pound goal but I am very happy with the outcome. I am not going to tell you all it was easy and that I had no problems along the way. It was fucking hard! I had slip ups, there were days that I ate till I was sick or wanted to quit. But I had set up goals along the way to help me get thru ruts. Even if it was a simple goal as just lose a pound this week or lets try not to gain. Monthly goals of 3 pounds or 5 pounds. I always had to have a goal set, how else was I going to reward myself with some kind of treat haha.

So how did I do it?
I starved myself ha, just kidding. I can tell you what worked for me was starting weight watchers, help from family and friends, and exercise. Seems so simple, why didn't I think of this when I was in my twenties???? Weight watchers was a HUGE help to me. I was leery at first really. I have tried weight watchers before and was successful in losing a little weight but had gotten off it because why pay someone to tell me to eat right. It is much more than that I now know. Yes, I do go to the meetings. Every Thursday you can catch me in the meeting sitting there and mostly listing. Its comforting being in a room with people that go through the same struggles and to hear what they have to say about what works and what doesn't work for them. I found an amazing leader that the program has worked for. Actually a leader that is the same age as myself. I am not saying that the older leaders are not good by any means, I just simply can relate to her more than I could someone that is 20-30 years older than me. What WW taught me was that I can eat whatever I want. If I want pizza one night I can have pizza, by god if I want that blizzard I can have it. May have to work a little harder that week but you know what I can have it. It has taught me what a portion really is. It really gave me that discipline to weigh out my food, to really look ok this is a cup, or this is 4 oz. Not just to throw it on my plate and think well that looks like a serving. Trust me, what I thought was a serving well lets just say it was a serving for a family of 2 or 3. I have learned a lot from them and will continue to do so.

Friends and family have helped me along the way as well. From encouraging words to helpful things they have tried and done over the years, and great recipes that most of you have seen or tried while visiting my casa. Most have taken notice of my change and have asked what I have been doing differently which I will gladly tell them what has worked for me. Everyone is different so you have to make the plan work for you.

Why do I do these things?
Well not far into my challenge, I had one of my good friends talk me into signing up for TOUGH MUDDER. If you do not know what tough mudder is go to their websit www.toughmudder.com and watch the video, its basically a 12 mile race though mud, water, hills, and doing some crazy obstacles and then running through 10,000 volt electric lines at the end. What got us to sign up for this is we ran a race called warrior dash. Which is a 5K though mud, water and some obstacles. Which wasnt so bad. I finished in an hour and ten minutes. Which for me that was pretty good considering I was 300lbs and it was over 100 out. So after the race we start talking about these other races. I am thinking to myself, hell NO. I can barley run half a mile without stopping and you want me to do 12 miles. Soooo of course I said YES lets do it! I think my brain says NO but my mouth didn't get the message. So We sign up to run the tough mudder in early march in Indiana, AND tough mudder in June again. So I thought not bad I can train and get through them both may take some time but hey this will push me to lose the weight.

Well March rolls around and they postpone the Tough Mudder due to it could be freezing and they really do not want us to freeze to death. So I thought not a problem they change the date to June... Well wouldn't you know it is the same weekend as warrior dash!!!!! Well we could have both said hell with that we are only doing tough mudder, BUT what is the fun in that. We thought to ourselves LETS DO BOTH THE SAME WEEKEND.... Warrior Dash on Saturday, Tough Mudder on Sunday. Now while this may not be a problem for some of you, lets recap me=300lbs well I was hoping to be 250 ish by then or lower but hey thats going to be alot for this guy!

Weekend starts with Warrior Dash, its only about 100 outside so your typical Illinois muggy weather and we are about to start the race. Its a 5k with 12 obstacles. Last year I ran it in over an hour. This year I crossed the finish line in 38 minutes. I was really amazed at my progress, I have been running and getting in better shape but I had no clue that I would better myself by that much! So onto Tough Mudder... Well as we were at dinner that night it started to pour down. I guess they got a TON of rain so when we went to bed that night and email came out canceling the tough mudder event for Sunday. So after a little complaining about it being washed out we came to terms with it and decided not to ask for a refund but to just sign up for the Tough Mudder 2013 Chicago. So just when i thought I was going to get out of it I turn around and sign up to do it again... I have been told I'm not right in the head haha. So I am still training for this, which I think is good. It will keep that competitive edge that I have.

I also have started Insanity workouts, along with back to the gym. I am currently in my 2nd round of Insanity and I LOVE IT. It is some intense workouts but it really gives you results. Great workouts can not say anything bad about them at all! Can not wait to really see the results of my hard work!

Keep it up

I know that the scale is not the only measure of success. Yes I have dropped 70 pounds and it feels great. My knees really have stopped aching, my bad is no longer stiff after sleeping or playing softball. My joints feel good and I know that it is only going to get better!

I have gone from a 3xl t-shirt down to a XL in this year
shorts/jeans have gone from a 46W to a 40W
wedding ring slips on and off easily tho the wife may not like that but it feels great to not have it feel like its strangling my finger.

I know that to keep on this track I have to continue doing the things that I have learned. Hard work pays off and I know that now.

So now that my 365th day is over I have a new goal in mind. 

1) Weigh in at 195 by Christmas
2) Keep working hard at it.

I have much more work to do and look forward to it now. Thank you everyone for all your helpful words along the way!

I think its time for some new shorts.....