Return weigh-in

I lost 4 1/2 lbs for two weeks worth of time! That's -100.5 lbs all together =D  I still met my goal of 2lbs a wells which now with my new job is the most realistic. I only made out to swim 4 times in those two weeks because I haven't gotten used to my new schedule. A lot of the time I was unmotivated to go swimming because waking up at 4:30am everyday made me exhausted and on my days off I wanted to relax. But I feel that motivation again and I hope God continues to provide discernment and strength! Through it all though, He has been great at letting my calories be spot on =)

Weekly Weigh-In

Lost 5.5 lbs this week! Idk how because I was only able to go swimming 1 day last week because of the new job (and Sbux), moving, and buying a car!  I know my weight loss will slow down said I won't be working at Starbucks but my nutrition will hopefully still be great and swimming! 2 lbs a week will hopefully be more reasonable.

Weekly weigh-in

Lost 4 more lbs this week! Super nervous because I start my interpreting job today! It's going to be a big change from my Sbux job and the hours especially. I was working 3-4 days a week with 5 hour shifts but now I'm going to be working 5 8 hour shifts but I'm glad I get to do what I'm going to do. I'm super blessed and thankful God has provided this for me and my family! I'm worried about how it'll affect my swimming and eating but I pray that it won't. I won't be able to do as many long swims but I still for sure want to do it on my days off and shorter swims when I work 3-12am!

Weekly weigh-in

Lost 4 lbs this week! I'm nervous because I'm getting a physical next Wednesday to see how my body is doing overall, especially with all this weight loss.  I'm a pretty big hypochondriac so it'll be good to know what's going on!  That being said, it's good to know that even if the worst thing happens, like dying, that means I get to be with the Perfect Creator for all eternity with my brothers and sisters in Christ! 

Weekly Weigh-In

Lost 4 more pounds! Last week of school so no more awesome outside pool 😭 but I'm blessed to still have 24 he fitness to go when I want! I swam a mile and a half for the first time today =D that's 54 laps (108 lengths) it can be so hard swimming my long days but it's all just mental. Like when I hit 18 laps and I realize i still have 36 more to go. When I used to run I dealt with the same thing but at least I learned how to deal with it. 

Weekly Weigh-in

Lost 5 1/2 lbs this week! I'm going to try to go get a physical done soon to see how my body is being affected. Last time I lost the weight, I was told I could've gotten a heart attack because of losing so much muscle!  And since I don't think I gained the muscle back when I gained the weight, I want to make sure I'm healthy enough to go as hard as I am! Swimming has been amazing still! Upping it by 3 laps every week since I do one freestyle, one breaststroke, and one butterfly in repetitions! I'm up to 51 laps (102 lengths) and thankful God continues to give me strength!

Weekly Weigh-In

Lost 5 lbs this week! It's so hard-ish going out to restaurants to eat and this being my wife's bday week, plenty of that happened. So many things sounded so good but it's easy to fall back into old habits so I'm glad God is continuing to give me the strength to order what I should be eating (which ends up being delicious as well!) still a ways to go but betting closer every week! 

Weekly Weigh-In

Down 3 more lbs this week! I am so grateful and blessed that God continues to give me the strength to keep on going. This is exactly 3 months since I started swimming and counting calories. I'm down a total of 67.5 lbs! I'm feeling a lot better but my body still hurts when I'm on my feet for a while. I used to have to take 6 Advil per every 5 hour shift because my knees would barely handle it. I've been working down to 4, then 2, and last week I didn't take any for my Friday and Saturday shift but I did take 2 on Sunday because my leg felt like it was going to pop off.  This week I didn't take any fri-sun but I work today and tomorrow so we'll see!

Weekly Weigh-in

I'm not sure how... But I lost 7.5 lbs this week! I was hoping at least 5 because I was 5 away from the threes, but that's awesome! I've been upping my swimming/intensity. Today was my first day doing 42 laps! I've been craving foods but God has been great in giving strength to resist. People ask me why I don't have just 1 but it's because I know myself... Once I try it, my cravings increase tremendously! I'm glad God is answering all the prayers people had for me. I checked my previous weights in my kaiser profile and it said I was 381 March '14 so it's awesome that I'm getting close to that! Crazy that I gained 80 lbs in a year 0_0 marriage didn't help the way I was already eating 

Weekly Weigh-In

Lost 5 more lbs this week! I'm so close to the 3's! I hope I can do it by next week but I'm sick again so I'm taking a couple of days off from swimming. Whenever I get sick I start to crave a lot of stuff but God has been good in allowing me to stay strong! 402 would be 60 lbs so even if I don't get to the 3's, maybe I can hit that goal =)

Weekly Weigh-In

Lost 5 more lbs this week! That's 52 lbs all together =D I have a LONG way to go! But by the grace of God, I'm losing instead of gaining! God has been so great in providing strength to continue eating right and swimming 6 days a week! I know a lot of people were and continue to pray for me and it's awesome seeing how God is answering those prayers!

Weekly Weigh-In

Lost 6 lbs this week! I went from not minding swimming to enjoying it and now I LOVE it! Swam my first mile today! Worked up from 12 to 36! My calories have been great by God grace!

Weekly weigh-in

Lost 4 more lbs this week! By God's grace I've more than doubled what I started being to swim and my nutrition has been great!

Weekly weigh-in

Los two lbs this week. This week was pretty rough because I have the bad habit of weighing myself daily. The whole week I wasn't loosing weight. I kept on running to God because I was really struggling with my motivation.  My motivation when I started was definitely to get healthy but my greatest was to glorify God in one of the ways that I struggle with the most. I was super stressed out all week because I knew I had to update it. This was the week I worked the hardest because I was swimming twice a day for most of the week and my nutrition was really good. 2 lbs a week is my goal so I reached it but I know that even if I don't lose any weight, I need to keep on going! At least I'm not gaining!

Weekly Weigh-in

This week was one of my hardest because I couldn't control my nutrition or exercise as much as I have been able to. I went to The Master's Seminary for most of the day Monday and then had Bruxies with a friend, (waffle sandwich place) went to Vegas Thursday-Saturday, and went to Red Robin with friends on Sunday. One of the hardest parts was celebrating a friend's birthday at my apartment and not eating any chips, cake, or ice cream! I must've underestimated my calorie intake because I was only able to go to the gym 3 times! We got back from Vegas at 11:30pm Saturday and I went swimming after that to catch up!

Weekly weigh-in

This week was the hardest because I've been sick for three weeks now and with the cough ive had and how bad I felt I didn't go to the gym so my body could rest but just by staying on my calories I was still, by God's grace, able to lose 4 more lbs!

Weekly weigh-in

I'm down to 436 so I lost 5.5 lbs! This week was really hard because I've been really sick so my nutrition had to be on point, which by God's grace I haven't messed up yet!  Swimming has been great! I've worked up from 12 laps to 21 (I do intervals of 3. 1 freestyle, 1 breaststroke, and 1 butterfly then repeat)

Weekly weigh-in

I lost 5 1/2 pounds this week! I'm sure it'll start slowing down to like 2 lbs per week but for now it's good!  No mess ups yet, swimming has been great and God has given me the self control to keep eating healthy and logging my calories!

My Plan

I've successfully done this before, only through God's grace when I went from 440 to 225, and I plan to do pretty much what I know works and what I consider the best/healthiest way possible.  There are certain ways to trick your body into losing weight (don't mean to offend anyone) such as atkins diets where you basically cut out as much carbohydrates as possible so all the fat that you eat, your body can't store.  Your body NEEDS carbs!  Yes you can survive with very minimal carbs and your body might look great but as my anthropology teacher, also one of the few leading forensic people around, told me one time, "I would rather do an autopsy on someone who smoke and drank their whole life than on someone who was on the atkins diet."  Like i said, you WILL lose weight if you follow it but your insides will get messed up.  Your brain needs carbs to function properly, your whole body does.  The other problem with most diets is that they are very short term or goal oriented and same goes for contests or other such motivations that can end.  What happens after months of not eating carbs and you eat carbs?  For most people they will overindulge for the lack of carbs they had in the past.  What happens when you win a weight loss challenge?  You might want to go celebrate or feel that you deserve some food you might not have been eating and fall into the trap of treating yourself.  In one of my Dietetics classes i learned that around 90% of people who lose a significant amount of weight will gain it back, and a non lifestyle change is usually what causes people to relapse.  By God's strength i was able to keep my off for a couple of years but then when i injured myself and i couldn't run the 5 miles a day that i would, the depression hit and i fell into my old habits because i remember being angry at God, even if i didnt express it in that way, for allowing that to happen to me.  So i will eat the normal recommended allowance for a person at a regular weight which is 2,000 calories.  Losing weight is INCREDIBLY easy in theory!  If you eat 1,999 calories per day and you burn 2,000 calories, you will lose weight (over time of course because 1 lb = about 3,500 calories)  If you eat 2,001 calories and you burn 2,000 you will gain weight over time.  I know because of my size i burn more than the two thousand by being at work running around, my 15 minute walk to and from class, and with swimming.  I'm not trying to lose 20 lbs a month like last time because i was told i could've gotten a heart attack because i lost too much muscle.  I am aiming at the 2 lb/week which i will achieve my 200 lb (for now) weight around September of 2017.  If you want to know how many calories you burn i definitely recommend the Bodybugg which is a device that measures your calorie burn by more than 90% accuracy.  I used to see how many calories i burned that week versus how many i ate and before i weighed myself, i knew how many pounds i should have lost and it was right 95% of the time!  All my planning is for nothing without the power that God can give me because i've tried loosing weight i dont know how many times but without Him, my selfishness gets the better of me.

First weigh-in

I will be updating my weight every Monday from now on!  The 462 was from when I started a week and a half ago so this one is a little more than expected! And usually the first week you lose the most from water weight and that! But now I'm at 

So that's -15 lbs in a week and a half! My goal is 2 lbs per week! 

Background

My whole life I've struggled with my weight.  Since I was a baby, I had been overweight, except for a brief period where I was super sick.  I love my mom, she's amazing and one of the most loving people I know but because of that love, she overindulged me not knowing how harmful it would turn out to be.  At least once a year, once I started middle school, she would push me to lose weight and would do whatever I needed for support and food/exercise to become healthier but it would usually last 2 weeks to a month.  A lot of people blame parents, and there is a little truth to that albeit most of the time it's just ignorance.  The older I got, the more I realized I couldn't blame anyone but myself. I tried, I TRIED, to lose weight I don't know how many times where I would lose 20 lbs! But then gain 40 =\ then lose 20 lbs again! But then gain more back.  In 2008 I started working at Starbucks and weighed 440 lbs. I'm not quite sure why they hired me (apart from God's sovereignty) because it's counterproductive to have someone of that size to work at such a fast paced job.  This was were I started seeing, even though He always has, God work in my life. After being there for 8, without changing my habits, my friend Ellen pushed me to go workout. When I got there and weighed myself I was shocked!  I was at 390! I had lost 50 lbs just by moving around at Sbux so I thought, "might as well keep on going!" I started off by walking 5 minutes and my feet were killing me! Then the next week I was able to do 15 minutes! The following week I jogged for a straight minute and I felt like crying because I couldn't remember the last time I was able to jog! Little by little I was able to increase my speed and endurance.  Every month without fail I would lose 20 lbs! I couldn't be more thankful to God because I knew it wasn't my own strength but the one he was giving me.  Nothing could tempt me and I had always been so quick to fall into temptation.  In little less than a year I had gotten down to 225 lbs! It felt amazing! But unfortunately my pride got to me.  I remember thinking, "I've lost all this weight and that person can't lose those 10 lbs they complain about?" (Forgetting the strength that GOD had given me) "I eat so healthy but I still don't look it to people who barely meet me... People still call me 'big guy' although I've lost over 200 lbs?" So after this, was when I got humbled.  4 years ago, after mastering regular backflips on the trampoline at Sky High, I tried to do a backflip off of the wall and although I was able to do 3, on my fourth, I landed wrong and I over extended a tendon on my left foot and it tore.  This led to me not being able to run, which at the time was my passion. I would run at least 5 miles a day and usually 10 miles 3 times a week. The most I have ever run is 16.75 miles, right before my injury, training for a marathon.  This led to depression, laziness, and a lot of bad habits and that's when I started gaining weight back.  I always thought, "okay I gained five pounds but I'll really stop myself from gaining weight when I'm at 250" then came 250, "okay 275" and so on. I tried several times to lose weight but with minor victories because my motivation was totally wrong.  Before I got married I went to the gym to weigh myself and I was ashamed that I had gotten to 390 and felt horrible... All that hard work for nothing. I thought once I got married it was easier but it got harder not to buy the bad stuff. Now, 6 months after marriage, I went to the gym again knowing I had gained more weight but I was thinking less than 440, which had been my highest, I became over taken with sadness when I saw the number... 462. 22 more lbs than the heaviest I had ever been.  All that work gone to waste.  I came home, shared with my wife and cried and asked her to help me and we prayed.  I honestly feel like my body can't handle to gain any more weight. Everything causes me to sweat, I can barely do simple things without my heart going crazy.  I've been praying and asking God that I may glorify Him in this like I'm supposed to and that I need Hos strength.  Last time I lost the weight I wasn't saved and this time around I know I have a lot of friends and family to keep me accountable. God has been giving me crazy motivation and this week has been great as far as nutrition and exercise. Because of my injuries and size, swimming has been excellent exercise! Even after a week of exercise and cleaner eating, I feel a little better and don't feel like I'm going to get a heart attack and have to wait a couple minutes outside of class so people don't hear my heavy breathing after I walk the 15 minute walk. If you read this I'm asking for prayer and support in any way possible!  By God's grace, I know how to lose the weight after having studied nutrition.  What I need is the growth in self control and motivation only He can provide.  I know God does everything for His glory and my good so like David says, "1 I love you, O LORD, my strength. 

2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

Psalms 18:1-2. I'm not doing this just to look better or so that things are easier to do but to glorify Him who is worthy of all praise!