Wednesday Night...

Monday's weigh-in was good - I dropped another 7 pounds last week, and our team as a whole did well. Nandy, who is leading the ladies, had a rough time - she worked so hard last week, and only lost a couple of pounds. She totally put me to shame with how hard she worked, and I felt bad that her numbers weren't that great. But her weight loss will pick up again soon. She got to go on TV Tuesday, and got a lot of compliments, so I hope that offset her disappointment. Brenda got to go with me to our weigh-in, and she got to meet everybody in person that she only previously knew through my stories.

 

Tuesday night we had our group meeting, and Donna showed us a group of photos of food servings that we had to put in order from highest calories to lowest calories. They were things as varied as fried shrimp, chocolate, chicken wings, Doritos, and macaroni and cheese. We settled on the correct order as a group, and then she told us that every serving contained exactly the same amount of calories. I had a suspicion, because in my head I kept coming up with somewhere between 300 and 400 calories. After discussing portion sizes and reading labels, we shared stories about experiences we had had as heavy people. Tammy had the funniest stories, and we laughed, not at her, but because we could relate. I recounted my last visit to Six Flags and the Ninja roller coaster. I watched and listened as the ride operators pulled each safety restraint into place - "Click-click-click-click-click-click"... "Click-click-click-click-click-click"... but when they came to my car, the safety restrain made this noise:

 

"Click."

 

The bar was down as far as it would go on me, and I spent the entire ride in sheer terror that I was going to fly out. I'm looking forward to going back with a normal-sized lap and a normal-sized belly. Others told similar stories about airplane seat belts and narrow seats. Our group meetings are always so enjoyable - I almost wish we had them weekly.

 

Wednesday morning's workout was really good - Johnnie had been trying to get us more on schedule with our workout, and this morning, it was like everything clicked. He challenged me to move on up to a heavier set of dumbbells, and I have the hardest time telling him "no". But I have learned that Johnnie is a better judge of my abilities than I am, and he was right. I had to go lighter for one exercise, but other than that, I did well.

 

There's one last holiday to get through - New Years Day - and then we will be on our regular schedule pretty much from now until the end of the competition. My next short-term goal is to be down 13 more pounds after the next two weigh-ins. I'm scheduled to be on TV on Tuesday, January 12th, and I hope to be able to say, "Only 2 months in, and I'm halfway to my goal." That means I have to get a 7 and a 6, or an 8 and a 5, or some combination that adds up to 13 pounds over 2 weeks.

 

It's Weigh-In Time Again...

Some weeks the time flies so fast between weigh-ins - this has been one of those weeks. Having a day off in the middle of the week really shortened it, as did moving our workouts with Johnnie from Monday / Wednesday/ Friday to Tuesday / Wednesday/ Saturday. I'm hoping the scale will be kind to me this week - I've made it through several parties, church functions, and Christmas day without cheating a single time. I'm hoping for at least a 5 lb. loss this week, but I should be grateful that I've only had one week where I lost less than 5 pounds.

 

This week we begin making our television appearances with PHC - I was up first, but Nandy asked if she could switch with me and do hers while she is off work next week. She will be on NBC Augusta this Tuesday morning during their 11:00 AM newscast with Donna from PHC and, I assume, either Liz Hill or Jay Jefferies.

 

I talk about Nandy a lot - she has been leading the ladies for five weeks now. She has been absolutely killing herself in the gym these last two weeks, and is getting her mile on the treadmill in under 9 minutes. I'm not there yet, but improving. Nandy is like me in that, on that first night in the TV studio when we found out we were selected for the competition, she figured she didn't have much chance at winning. She was the lightest competitor in the entire group, but in the ensuing weeks, she has gotten a taste of being in the lead, and now she's hungry. We got our names on the PHC sign last week - we still have to get our picture made in front of it. I'll have to see if we can show up at PHC at the same time in our red team ABL t-shirts.

 

I had another round of people telling me how good I look at church this morning. It's funny - people don't look me in the face now; they look at my mid-section when they talk to me. Makes me feel like I have something on my tie! It would still be nice to talk about something else every now and then, but I appreciate the support of my church family and my facebook friends so much. I could not do this alone, and I am grateful that I don't have to.

 

This week will be a light week around the church - I'm not planning to keep regular office hours, and I plan to take advantage of the opportunity to get a lot of extra work in this week. I can't afford to drive to the gym all the time, so I may have to get some Rocky-Balboa-style, no-equipment workouts in. Anybody know where I can go flip tractor tires across a field?

 

 

Christmas Morning

Every family has their own traditions around the holidays, and we are no exception. Brenda baked Hello Dollies, a wonderful treat that some of you know as Magic Cookie Bars - little bundles of sugar, fat, and cholesterol disguised as graham cracker crumbs, chocolate, butterscotch, coconut, and lots of sweetened condensed milk. My buddy Jan sent us a box of her famous sugar cookies, which are THE best cookies in the world. We had Christmas Eve lunch at Pizza Hut with a family in our church - their family has been doing it for years, and they always invite us. It's always Pizza Hut, it's usually the buffet, and we usually end up griping about the lack of pizza and/or dessert on said buffet. So many of our traditions are built around food, aren't they? I haven't had any of these treats this year, and I don't intend to. I want to get through this Biggest Loser competition and be able to say, "I never cheated, not a single time." In two weeks, we will be a third of the way through the competition. Fortunately, I'm a third of the way to my goal, so I'm pretty much on track to hit my target weight of 190-ish. It's going to get harder - it takes more work to get my heart rate up these days because I'm in better shape than I was in November.

 

My Christmas list was a little different this year - a Reebok Step, a pair of 15 lb. dumbbells, and a stopwatch. I got 2 out of the 3 items - Brenda and Debbie couldn't find the Step. When the bank account comes back up a little bit, I will find one and treat myself to a post-Christmas Christmas present! Last week I picked up the Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout video, which is actually quite like some of the stuff we do at the gym with Johnnie. In fact, we have done most of the exercises on the video at least once in the last two months. I will work through that video at least once today, maybe twice, and will have to get my walking done inside the church, because it's pouring rain here, and because I usually make up my daily walking deficit in Walmart, which is obviously closed today. But I will also take the opportunity today to rest myself - while the muscles have gotten used to exercise, the ankles, knees, and hips are still screaming, even through daily rounds of ibuprofen. I consulted with my mentor, Kristy, and she felt like a day of resting would be a wise course of action, not only for the rest, but because the change in routine might kick-start my body into another intense round of weight-loss. I don't always take Sundays off from the gym - in my mind, the best day to take off would be the day AFTER weigh-in, and the worst would be the day BEFORE weigh-in.

 

I'm so grateful and pleased with what has happened thus far - I feel better, I look better, I'm faster and more agile, and I've managed to forge a slight lead in the competition (although the only day the lead matters is May 15, four and a half months from now). This has truly been a life-changing experience for me, and hopefully a turning point to a longer and more productive life.

 

I'm thankful also for all the people that God has brought into my life since we began, starting with those in my immediate sphere of influence - Kristy Youngblood, a former teen from my youth group in the 90's, whose own journey inspired me to apply for this program, and who gives freely of her time, guidance, and encouragement; our trainer, Johnnie; our nutritionists Mark, Donna, Savannah, Priscilla, and Patricia; my teammates Nandy, Lisa, Tammy, Bronnie, and Charles; our friends on the blue team Tanner, Tim, Colin, Laycee, Ashley, and Lori; their trainer, Barry Allison; and the many folks who stick their head in to encourage and congratulate us from time to time. I'm thankful for my church family who supports and encourages me week in and week out; I'm thankful for my friends on facebook who read my ramblings and lend their support from places as far away as Alaska and Korea. I'm thankful for my terrific wife, who gives me her love, support, and encouragement every day. I'm thankful for my pastor/boss, Don Stone, who fully supports me in this effort, and doesn't mind when I come dragging in late on those mornings when Johnnie has run us to death and the chiropractor has pushed my backbone through my chest wall. Last, but most important, I am thankful to our Lord Jesus Christ, who gives me the strength every day to walk in obedience to Him. "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2) 

 

To all of you who read this blog, may God bless you with a merry Christmas and a happy, HEALTHY new year!

 

 

Before And... During.

This is for the benefit of those of you who don't follow me on facebook... the picture on the left is me before I started this journey, and the picture on the right is 47 days, 50 pounds later... I must have lost all 50 of it out of my face!!

Sunday Afternoon...

So I have discovered that when I wear my old (and baggy, now) clothes, I notice the weight loss. But when I put on something new in a smaller size, that's when everyone else notices. We had our church Christmas party last night, and because I have "downsized", my clothes did, too. I felt very self-conscious because I know they are talking about me... I caught people staring at me all night long; when I walk up, it's the only topic of conversation. It's not that I don't appreciate the support - I do - but May is a long, long way away; it'd be nice to talk about something else between now and then.

 

I worked out Saturday morning with Nandy & Charles; then Saturday afternoon, I went to the gym to work out with Barry and his trainer, Vic. Vic is a very soft-spoken, very encouraging guy. The workout was pretty tough - of course, he gave me the heaviest weight to work out with, and I'm still feeling it today. The legs are killing me with DOMS, something I haven't experienced in several weeks. (For those of you who don't know, DOMS is Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness - it's when you finish work and say, "that wasn't so bad", and then the next day you can barely move.)

 

We have had a good weekend at church; the Keffers were at our party Saturday night, providing music and entertainment. They stayed over and sang in our morning service, as well. What makes this relevant to this discussion is the fact that Mrs. Keffer became my friend on facebook, and has been following my progress since the beginning of this process. It was nice to see her and talk to her in person - she is a very positive, uplifting lady, and the encouragement she offers is invaluable, as is that of many people across the country.

 

One other interesting thing happened last night at the church party; people were saying that they had seen my name on a sign... turns out that PHC put Nandy and me on their marquee sign - something to the effect of "Biggest Losers Ed & Nandy lost 60 lbs." I guess Donna put us up as their latest success stories!

A Pretty Good Day...

My day started really early today - because I had some things I needed to help my wife with, my day started at about 3:45 this morning. I was in the gym by 4:45, left at 6:00, delivered a fake fireplace to my wife's workplace for a decorating contest, hit the chiropractor's office at 8:30, then off to work.

 

I was feeling pretty lousy today - my feet hurt, my knees hurt, my hips hurt; I'm starting to feel the effects of working out every single day and not sleeping much at night. I got a new pair of tennis shoes, and they are rubbing the tops of my toes raw - bleeding-through-my-socks raw. I decided to ask for the afternoon off - I took a little bit of time to run by a couple of stores for some pants. I grabbed a couple pair in the size I thought I needed and tried them on to make sure they fit... I had to go back twice for smaller sizes! I am now down to within 2 inches of my waist size when I got married 21 years ago. I got a pair of slacks for work, and a pair of blue jeans. I never weigh in at PHC in jeans, but today, I didn't care what the scale said... I wanted to show off my new size! When I got there, Johnnie was there with our official Biggest Loser t-shirts, very much like the ones on the TV show. I managed to land a shirt smaller than the one I originally ordered, thanks to Mariah at NBC.

 

Meanwhile, I got a "shout out" from my trainer on TV - Johnnie did an interview this morning with Liz Hill of channel 26, and mentioned me by name in the context of me leading the contest at this point in time. He then turned around and called me to tell me about it, and about the shirts coming in.

 

While at PHC, I weighed in, and on their scales, I had lost 3 more pounds since Tuesday. I never trust those numbers, because they aren't the ones that count in the contest. But progress on their scales means they don't bug me about what I'm eating, and everybody is happy.

 

All in all, it was a good day, in spite of the pain. Headed to bed now so I can get up in 6 hours and do more damage to my legs and feet...

Hanging On By a Thread...

Tonight was weigh-in... the results were not spectacular for our team, to say the least. No one gained, but the losses were small. We got our tails kicked by the blue team this week, which probably means we will get our tails kicked by Johnnie come Wednesday morning.

 

A couple of small victories for me personally, though - I lost enough (5.4 pounds) to get me out of the 300's. I have now lost 43.6 pounds since our starting weigh-in on November 2nd, a span of 38 days. I am also still in the lead for the third week in a row, and my buddy Nandy leads the ladies by a hair for the fourth straight week. She told me on the way out of the gym tonight that everybody was aiming for her (the girls on the other team have made it their mission to take the lead away). She reminded me so much of The Biggest Loser Season 7's Tara, who complained that she was walking around in the house with a target on her back. Jillian told her, "welcome to the world of being successful... embrace it... come on in, the water's fine". I told her to embrace it, and accept the challenge as an opportunity to put this thing out of reach.

 

After I left the gym and got my usual Monday night treat (Chick-Fil-A char-grilled sandwich), I was headed to the house when my phone rang - caller ID said it was Johnnie Hughes, our trainer. I immediately assumed he was calling with instructions for a brutal beating on Wednesday, or possibly even Tuesday, one of the days we are on our own. But I was wrong - Johnnie called to congratulate me on holding the lead and breaking the 300 pound mark. He may have been looking for a bright spot to lighten his mood - we know we disappointed him this week, and it showed. He thanked me for working hard, and it meant a lot to me that he took the time to call. I'm a nobody on his schedule - just a big, slow guy trying to take advantage of a 6-month window in which I am trying to reach my goal weight. I have 142 days left in which to lose 100 pounds (more, if I can do it). That's about three-quarters of a pound a day. I can do that, but it sure would be nice to have a couple of big weeks to get a jump on it.

 

Now that the pressure of our Christmas program is behind me, I should have some more time and energy to devote to the task of losing the weight. My feet and legs hurt; my back is starting to bother me some; but it's time to step it up!

Friday Afternoon...

This is, without question, the busiest weekend of the year for me. Our outdoor light display and music starts tonight and runs through Sunday night; tomorrow morning we have one final choir rehearsal for our cantata Sunday morning. One part of my focus is on getting everything done for both events; the other part of my focus has my eye on the short-term goal of breaking the 300 lb. barrier in my quest to become Augusta's Biggest Loser. If all goes well, I will be in the 290's by weigh-in Monday night - I think I'm only about a pound away.

 

I'm working at a slower pace on the Christmas stuff this year - I have to eat properly, and I have to make time for exercise at the gym and on my own. My meals are taking longer (no fast food), and my errands are taking longer to run (parking out in the boonies); but I think the slow-down is helping me keep my balance right now. Maybe this weekend won't be so stressful.

 

Nah, who am I kidding??

 

Anyway, I'll be back Monday night, hopefully with some good news from the weigh-in!

The View From the Front...

If you happened to see my facebook status Monday night, I lost another 5.4 pounds this week, bringing my total to 38.2 pounds lost from November 6 to December 7th. Yes, I still weigh over 300 pounds, but I'm only 4 pounds away from breaking into the 200's. I have a chart on the wall in my office where I have a pound countdown that goes from 342 to 203, and I just realized that I am over a quarter of the way to my original goal of losing 140 pounds! That's 38 pounds in 32 days! Yeah, I was a little upset over last week's 3.6 pounds, but how can I be anything other than grateful and proud of 38 pounds in 32 days! And for the second week in a row, both leaders are on our team - I am leading the men for the second week, and my teammate Nandy is leading the women for the third week straight.

 

Johnnie likes to remind us that in the competition, there are no moral victories; but in our personal struggles, there are. Resisting temptation at a Christmas party, shopping for smaller clothes, tossing out the "big" clothes, and doing things we've never done before (or haven't done in a LONG time) are little victories that push us forward towards our main goal.

 

We don't have exact percentages yet, but my hold on the lead is very tenuous, at best. Most of the other men are right behind me, and my advantage could hinge on as little as one pound. The lead will probably change quite a few times over the next 5 months, but the only day that counts is the last day - May 15th. On the national show, the difference between winning and losing is a quarter of a million dollars - the differential between winning and not winning here on the local level is not nearly as dramatic - probably a few hundred bucks in prizes.

 

But, hey - as long as I'm doing all this work, I might as well try to win the thing, right?

A Grain of Salt...

Friday was rough... I was feeling a little weak Friday morning when I reported to the gym for my workout. I assumed I was just a little tired - it's that time of the year. I'm not usually much for stopping during my workout, but I had trouble making it to the end of the allotted time on almost everything we did. My teammates began asking me if I was OK, and I said, "I'm fine", trying to shrug it off. I pushed on through for a few minutes, but then I heard someone (probably Lisa - she's "Mom" to the rest of us) tell Johnnie that I was gray, and someone else said I had no color in my face. He checked my pulse, and my heart rate was fine. We were almost finished with our workout, so he had me just slow down a little bit. When I got home, I started thinking about the previous day and what I had eaten and, more importantly, what I had drank. I had nearly a gallon and a half of water on Thursday, but I didn't get rid of nearly that much. When that happens, I surmised to myself, there is usually one culprit: sodium. Time to start reading labels a little more closely! I ran by the store and bought a bunch of the lowest sodium tuna I could find, and then made sure I ate nothing with more than a trace of sodium in it for the rest of the day. I drank the same quantity of water on Friday, but with vastly different results. After watching the scales not move all week, Saturday morning I woke up two and a half pounds lighter, and feeling a LOT better than I did Friday!

 

 

There's No Time To Be Healthy...

Today is December 3rd, and our two biggest Christmas season endeavors will be over in 10 days. As I frantically try to get everything done that needs to be done, I am reminded how I put on much of this extra weight. This is the time of the year I tend to skip meals like breakfast and lunch, and then use those missed meals to justify those double cheeseburgers, large fries, and 44 oz. (or larger) soft drinks at dinnertime. I used to stay up really late working on projects, sometimes until 2 or 3 in the morning, in an effort to get everything done before the cantata or musical, whichever we happened to be doing at church. This year is different - staying up late is out the window, because I have to get up at 4:30 in order to be at the gym at 5:30 AM. This morning I got up at 4:00 to be there by 5:00, because Johnnie asked us to do 20 miles on the bikes today, and getting there earlier was the only way I was going to be able to fit it in before the ride home, cooking breakfast, washing dishes, and getting ready for work. I am discovering that some things I just have to leave undone, and some things I have to find other people to help me with. I have a powerpoint presentation that has to be done by Sunday, for which I have none of the information yet; I have to re-mix the entire soundtrack for our choir's Christmas cantata; we have the stage lighting to hang in the auditorium; we have to plan out how we are going to set up for the choir and other audio needs during our outdoor Christmas event next weekend; and numerous other tasks to handle. In between all of that, there are the daily workouts, visits to the chiropractor, appointments at PHC Wellness Center.

 

But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I have been provided, and I have to make getting healthy a priority. Without that, there's no energy, no creativity, and I will burn out quickly. I always figured I didn't have time to be healthy; now I realize I don't have time NOT to be healthy!

A pretty good day...

Today I hit a small milestone for myself... during our workout this morning, we got to the part where Johnnie has us do wall push-ups (exactly what it sounds like- doing "push-ups", but against the wall), and he said, "Ed & Nandy - it's graduation time. You two are going to do real push-ups today." I froze - he had just evaluated me last Wednesday to see what I could do, and it took me a whole minute just to knock out 4 of them then. But I got down, and whaddya know... 10 push-ups! Not even "girl" push-ups - the real deal! I know that's probably not a big deal to many of you reading this, but people who weigh in the 300's generally don't get a lot of push-ups done. After our time with Johnnie was up this morning, I ran home to take Brenda to work, and when I got to her workplace, I realized that I had a little left "in the tank", so I went back to the gym for an hour of cardio - 30 minutes on the treadmill, and 30 minutes on the recumbent bike.

I have been dreading tonight's weigh-in... sometimes you know that your body is just not doing what you want it to... well, that, and there's the whole "stepping-on-the-scale-and-not-seeing-any-loss" thing, too. I've been working hard, and did not cheat during the Thanksgiving holiday, but I could tell the pounds have not been coming off like I wanted them to. Our trainer let us know all week long that he wasn't happy with us losing the weigh-in last week, and I was very worried. Tonight they weighed in the largest man on the other team, and he gained. I was next, and when it was only 3.6 lbs, I was disappointed that it wasn't more. But when all was said and done, our team had won the weigh-in, I was leading the men in percentage lost so far, and Nandy was still leading the ladies. We're both looking to surpass the 10% mark next week - each of us only needs about a pound, but hoping for much more!

No fish...

It's early Saturday morning, and I have roughly 60 hours before our next weigh-in. I have to confess, right now I feel like the disciples who complained to Jesus when they said, "Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing." I went to our church Thanksgiving dinner and said "no" to a hundred different food choices, opting for turkey, green beans, and carrots. Thursday we went to Mom's for Thanksgiving, and I had turkey, green beans, squash, and sugar-free Jello for desert. Ham, macaroni & cheese, spicecake muffins, and banana pudding were some of the dishes I passed on. Friday night we attended a 50th anniversary party with food galore, and I dutifully filled my plate with raw carrots, raw broccoli, boiled shrimp, cantaloupe, and strawberries. And no cake. I drink nothing but water now, with the occasional exception of 3/4 cup of low-fat milk per the food plan. I'm allowed to have a diet Coke a day, but I haven't indulged more than once a week.

 

So far this week I've added 3 hours of additional gym time to my workout schedule - today is 20 miles on the bike, plus my normal five miles of walking.

 

The clothes are getting bigger; the suit coats button comfortably again; the compliments keep rolling in.

 

And yet... the scale won't budge.

 

It didn't budge last week, either, until the very last day of the week. I was 313 Monday night; I'm still 313 Saturday morning.

 

Our PHC counselors are out of touch - it is the holiday weekend, after all. We can't expect for them to be there 24/7. So I am on my own to decide what to do... do I go back to a stricter diet that saw me lose 14, 7, and 7 pounds the first three weeks? Or do I stick with the plan I'm on and hope for the best?

 

I wonder what the disciples did that night out on the lake. Did they hold their nets differently? Cast them further? Move to different spots on the lake? Add bait? Row faster? Row slower? Speak more softly?

 

I think the point of the story is that, as long as they were trusting in their own efforts, nothing improved the situation.

 

Two things happened when Christ showed up that night of futile fishing, and I don't know which one is more relevant: one, that when Christ showed up, suddenly the fish did, too; or two, these professional fishermen had to humble themselves and admit that they were clueless as to why they were suddenly unable to do what they had done all their lives.

 

Hmm.....

 

 

The Day Before Thanksgiving...

Well, it's Wednesday, which means that this morning was the first workout with our trainer since our weigh-in Monday night. It was a SERIOUS workout, too! We did exercises, running, lifting, treadmill, lats, elliptical trainer, rowing, and recumbent bike. And most of us are still having to do all this while carrying severe amounts of excess weight.

 

I think the powers that be are afraid we are all going to run off the rails with our diets on Thanksgiving. At this point, it doesn't concern me at all. It's not "willpower" - it's understanding that I'm working too hard to throw it all away for a meal. Our trainer told me today that you can ruin weeks of working out with one day of uncontrolled eating. It's not just the extra calories; metabolism, sugar and salt levels, and other biological factors can get all messed up. Maybe if we spent the day being thankful instead of spending the whole day focused on food, it might be beneficial.

 

We had our church Thanksgiving dinner last night, and I cheated. No, not with my diet... I went through the line before anybody else and fixed my plate, and stuck it in the microwave. Not because I'm special, but because I usually end up going through the line last, and the few dishes I picked out that I could eat from would probably have been empty if I had waited. Instead of lingering over the dessert table, I brought a couple of sugar-free Jello cups for my sweet tooth. Then I hid in the kitchen and ate to avoid any discussions of what I could and couldn't eat!

 

This will probably be my last post before Thanksgiving, and I would like to express my gratitude specifically for this experience. I am thankful to God for bringing me to this place in my life. It was no accident, and nothing that I did, that got me into this process. I'm thankful for our trainer, Johnnie Hughes, who is gifted in uncovering hidden potential. I'm thankful for my teammates - five unique and terrific people - and especially thankful for my "Big Sis" and my "Little Sis". I'm thankful for all the people at PHC who have given so much to us already. I'm thankful for the six other competitors on the blue team - a constant reminder that we have to do better, and also an encouragement, even though we only see each other once a week. I'm thankful for my support system - my family, my church, and my facebook friends scattered across America. Not one day has passed that I have not received encouragement, and not one day has passed that I have not needed it. I'm not going to lie to you - none of this is easy. If you've ever watched The Biggest Loser, we are doing much of the very same thing they are, on much of the same equipment, but without the 24-hour access to trainers, chefs, doctors, massage therapists, producers, etc.

 

The most important things in my life are God, my wife, my children, and my church - and while this experience is taking time away from most of these, I will be a better person, and better suited to be all I can be in all those roles. It will pay huge dividends.

 

Finally, thanks to those of you who read my blog postings at echavis64.blogspot.com. Maybe you will find some humor, some empathy - maybe even some hope - as I write on a daily basis. Have a happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

 

Ed

 

 

Weigh-in After Three Weeks

Johnnie worked us out really hard this morning; instead of parading up and down the main aisles in the gym, he got permission for us to use the childcare room for our workouts, since the aerobics room is occupied at 5:30 AM. It means having to haul weights and steps further, but we have a softer floor, and pictures of Superman all over the walls!

 

There are four ladies on our team; three of them had a really hard time shedding pounds this week. Our nutrition coaches tried to jump-start everyone this week, but not every idea works for every person. 1-2 pounds was about the norm - Tammy lost 6, I think, but she had just gotten some thyroid issues straightened out. She was due to have a good week. Next week we're looking for everyone to do really well.

 

I had a pretty good week again this week; I lost 7.6 lbs, for a total loss to date of 29.2 lbs. I started at 342.8, and I am down to 313.6. Hopefully, that "3" in front of my weight will change to a "2" in the next couple of weeks!

 

Tomorrow I start on the regular PHC plan, where I will have to count calories and make more food choices. It's a little scary having to take responsibility for that kind of freedom, knowing that every choice I make could have big consequences! It's not a drastic change, though, from what I'm already doing.

 

There will be lots of opportunities to "cheat" this week; church Thanksgiving dinner Tuesday night; then Thanksgiving itself on Thursday. I don't anticipate any problems... I'm too focused on getting out of the 300's, for the first time in a long while!

Sunday Night... The End of a Long Day

Tonight I am extremely grateful for all the support my church family is giving me. Our Sunday School class, about 50 people, started clapping when I announced that I had lost 7.4 more pounds last week. I'm getting all the "you look so good" comments already - I wonder what I will look like in 6 months when we reach the finale!

 

We are all going through some aches and pains right now... for some reason, it's been a tough week. But as my teammate Lisa pointed out, we've had some good times at workouts this week. We celebrated our trainer's birthday on Wednesday, we got to go outside and run some pseudo-sprints in an empty lot, and we've all been working very hard.

 

I met up with Nandy at the gym today for some treadmill time. Lisa was going to try to come, I think, but we didn't see her. I could write a whole post about each of my teammates, but Nandy and I have a lot of things in common. We both moved around as kids, both were in the band and non-athletic, and we're both burger/pizza people. To a person, everyone on our team talks about her sunny disposition and the way she lights things up when she's around. We are blessed to have her on our team!

 

Maybe in a future post soon I will take the time to write about all my teammates, because they each bring something different to the mix. If any of them are reading this, you guys are the absolute best, and I already know that if I needed something, I could count on each of you! Shared experiences build strong bonds.

 

It's well past my bedtime, and it has been a typically exhausting Sunday. Grabbed some lunch right after the morning service - we went to Ryans, and I am proud of myself. Baked chicken (no skin), collard greens, green beans, and salad. No rolls, no macaroni, no desserts! Then straight to the gym, and just about straight back to church after that.

Friday Night...

It's Friday night... time to break out the meds and home remedies for the usual ailments - sore joints, cramps, and all those good things that go along with trying to transition from sedentary to athletic.

I needed a little extra attention today from the fine folks at PHC. Mark and Donna came to work out with us again this morning, and I stole some of her time today. She addressed my concerns, and later on in the day, Savannah called to follow up. I know we are a living, breathing advertisement for them, but their care and concern is genuine and much appreciated.

Our trainer Johnnie changed some things up for us today. As one of my teammates wrote earlier today, we have turned the first corner in our workouts. "Longer", "faster", and "harder" are the watchwords for this week, and going forward. Five minutes into today's workout, he already had us sucking wind and fighting off cramps! But it's for our own good, and we all know that. None of us wants to disappoint him - that is a bigger motivator than any repercussions we might receive as a result of a difficult week.

Two big things happened for me today - one at workout, and one at home. We ran this morning what Johnnie called "something that looks kind of like sprints", and apparently on this particular morning, I was the fastest person running. I have never in my life come in first in a footrace, and without any disrespect to my teammates, it felt pretty good to not be bringing up the rear.

I've brought up the rear, physically, my entire life. It is exhilarating to experience a different result.

The second thing was that I pulled out a shirt - almost brand new - that I haven't been able to wear in quite a while. I slipped it on today and it fit, with a little room to spare.

Tiny steps, to be sure, but steps in the right direction! It's been a good day all in all.

No Apologies Necessary...

Today's been a long, long day. I woke up about an hour before the alarm went off, so my day started at 3:15 this morning. I got to the gym early and put in some treadmill time before our workout started at 5:30. Johnnie had us do a mix of new things and old things today. He went easy on our arms today, so I got through everything else pretty well. There is a big aisle down the middle of the gym that we use for a large part of our session; it's big as in "long", but it's not very wide, so we have to dodge a lot of traffic. Someone from Augusta Magazine came out this morning to get our names, ages, occupation, and weight loss goals. One by one he took us away from whatever we were doing, just for a minute each. I don't know if our trainer Johnnie has ever trained people with this much media scrutiny on his pupils, but he took it all in stride. Nothing seems to rattle this guy; I hope our team makes it easy for him, because we are seriously focused on what we are doing. Johnnie's birthday was today, so we made a little fuss over him before our workout. The Red Team is truly a family, one that has formed in a very short period of time. I'm grateful for all these people God has brought into my life, and I hope I can be as much of a help to them as they are to me. Everyone wants to be THE biggest loser, but at the same time, we all want each other to succeed.

 

Wednesday workouts seem to be the ones that get to me the most. Two weeks in a row now I've gone home feeling sick, and crawled back in bed for a little while. I don't do that on Mondays or Fridays, or any of our cardio days. Other than the variety in the workouts, I try to keep the exact same routine each day - wake up at the same time, eat breakfast at the same time, etc. I'll figure out what it is... maybe my body just hates Wednesdays.

 

Last night we had a two-hour long session with our nutrition coaches. It probably didn't have to be that long, but they are taking lots of time with us, answering questions, suggesting ways of preparing food, etc. It was a turning point for me, because they told me that I could add some milk and some cheese back to my diet. Those are the only two things I have really missed, and that glass of milk this morning was pure heaven!

 

It's kind of funny - everybody at church tonight was apologizing for mentioning food, or for eating candy, or whatever. Those things are not temptations to me, and they never have. The times I'm tempted are when I'm by myself in the car, or bored, or tired. Ya'll don't have to say "I'm sorry" every time food is mentioned... it's ok. Really.

 

I have set a pretty lofty goal for myself this week... and working very hard towards it. I'll report back next Monday and let you know how I did.

A few thoughts for the Red Team on Tuesday morning...

Good morning (again), guys... just some thoughts:

The blue team has 3 men; we only have 2.

The blue team has 2 ladies who started at over 300 lbs.; we have 3 ladies who all started at 261 or less.

We have the lightest player in the entire competition on our team.

They have a trainer who has done the Biggest Loser thing for 3 years running.

On paper, we should be inferior. But we're not.

We are not fighting this battle on paper; we are fighting it with determination, desire, and direction. It must be fought in the gym, in our workplaces, and in our homes. Every day. ALL day.

Most of you said last night that you wanted to pull double digits this week. It is possible, but not without stepping up our game. Whether it's tightening up the diet, more time on stairs (welcome to your new upstairs life, Nandy!), or making sure you get your extra 10,000 steps or more, do SOMETHING to take it up a notch. If you want radical results, you have to make radical changes. Our bodies are used to this new level of activity, and if we do not change it now, we will send our metabolism back into hibernation. Don't get comfortable, don't be satisfied, and don't be lulled to sleep by a false sense of security.

Stay humble; stay confident; execute all phases of the game with precision and determination. Ask questions - these people who are helping us are full of knowledge that will help us on the way. Sometimes we can learn more in the 5 minutes after a workout or a nutrition meeting than we learn during the actual session itself. Set your goals higher than you think you can achieve, and if you come up a little short, be proud of the fact that you accomplished more than you would have without that goal. If you aim for nothing, you'll hit it every time.

Tammy, there is not one person on this team, including Johnnie, who is disappointed in you. We are all disappointed for you, but do not think for one single second that you have "let us down." You're getting your body used to moving around; once you get those thyroid issues under control again, you will be just fine. You are contributing as much to the group dynamic as anyone else, and as the saying goes, there is strength in numbers. If anyone don't think the whole "working together" thing is important, go to the gym when you know you will be there will be all by yourself, and then see how motivated you are to push yourself.

Be proud of what we have accomplished so far, but remember the next weigh-in is only 6 days away!

Ed

P.S. - The blue team is not the enemy - our extra pounds are the enemy. Stay focused!

Our 2nd Weigh-In...

This morning was a good workout - Monday morning is when we have our "last chance" workout; even though it isn't much worse than what we do on a regular morning, Johnnie makes sure we are aware that every little bit counts. Weigh-ins are Mondays at 7:00 PM.

 

Today after our workout I came home and cleaned carpets, then did odds and ends chores, threw a football with my son, and watched my profile air on the evening news at 6. Bridgett had asked me a lot of questions about the spiritual ramifications of obesity, self-control, and the like. I went into Galatians 5 and I Corinthians 10, and she seemed interested in what I had to say. Of course, none of that made the 3 minutes of video they actually aired. But our church got in there, along with our name, so if one person hears about our church who wouldn't have otherwise, it was worth it. Mega-apologies to our
Awana workers who had their whole night turned upside down last Wednesday because of what they wanted to film!

 

So tonight, we show up at Omni for our weigh-in, and my teammate Charles comes in with four red roses, one for each of the ladies on our team of six. That was so cool of him to do that! I told one of the girls, "I'm sorry, but I'm just not that thoughtful of a person!" It was very much appreciated by the ladies - I'm glad he did that for them.

 

The weigh-in commences - they pretty much went in alphabetical order tonight, so I was up pretty quick. 7.4 lbs lost this week - my teammates were stoked. The girls lost between 4 and 6-ish lbs each, except Tammy, who was having some thyroid medication problems this week. Hopefully they will be straightened out soon. She said she felt like she let everybody down, and that she didn't want Johnnie to be disappointed in her. Johnnie said, "the only way I will ever be disappointed in you is if you quit." When all was said and done, thus far our combined weight loss for all 12 participants is 188 lbs, and our red team is responsible for 113 of those lbs., if I understood correctly. We'll see the charts in the morning.

 

After the weigh-in, our team, trainer, and nutrition coaches met in one of the classrooms, the same one we weigh in. The atmosphere in there had to be somewhat like the Colts' locker room after they pulled out a win over the Patriots Sunday night! Johnnie was downright giddy, but reminded us that we have a target on our backs now. Even if we had to subtract the 35 lbs. that Charles has lost, the remaining 5 of us have still lost more than all six of the blue team.

 

Keeping things in perspective, though, the red team / blue team thing is just extra motivation. We are 12 people who are trying to reclaim their lives, and have been thrown a lifeline. I have to give a big thanks to my teammates - Lisa, who has become like a big sister to me, and is the brains and motor of our team; Nandy, my little sis, who is always smiling and probably has the most in common with me as far as food issues; Tammy, who models perseverance every single day in the gym; Bronnie, who to me represents determination to succeed; and my buddy Charles, who usually has something either funny or insightful to say. I have no earthly idea what I bring to the mix, but I appreciate the love and acceptance by everyone on our team, and by our trainer, Johnnie.

 

Off to bed - week 3 starts at 5:30 AM Tuesday!

Aren't Sunday Afternoons for Naps and Football?

Sundays have traditionally been our day to go out and eat with friends - usually Ryans, occasionally Applebee's or Harbor Inn Seafood. None of those places have anything I can eat right now, but it's OK. I eat with a purpose now - to give my body what it needs to get rid of fat. I guess the things I miss right now are milk and cheese - but when it's time, I will enjoy them again. Until then, it's chicken, shrimp, and vegetables, which would be an absolute feast in most corners of the world.

 

I went walking today in the little bit of time I had between church and getting ready for choir practice. Johnnie doesn't want us killing ourselves 7 days a week, but the flip side of that is this: if I take every Sunday and get zero exercise other than the regular routine of the day, that's three and a half weeks I've squandered of this opportunity by the end of 6 months.

 

My body is holding up fairly well - no sore feet, no stress injuries other than a sore right ankle, which I injured a little yesterday in a small treadmill mishap. The arms are still weak; hopefully I can overcome some of that this week.

 

I'm overwhelmed by the support from my church family at the outset of this process. My profile airs Monday night during the local news at 6 and 11. They filmed mine at church Wednesday night, so we should get some exposure for our Awana program and our church as a whole. I may have mentioned this in an earlier post, but as Bridgett Williams was looking for a good spot to film a segue, she asked, "Don't you have a cross anywhere in here?" Actually we don't, and never have. So she shot it with our pulpit over her shoulder (Darrell, your pulpit will be on TV Monday night!)

 

I have to close... the rest of my day at church begins in 45 minutes.

 

Red Team - tomorrow morning is our "last chance" workout. Bring your "A" game!!

Friday the 13th...

We have now made it through one complete week with our trainers, and as far as I know, no one has quit or died. Tomorrow they have planned to go walking at the Augusta Canal - the entire length - but most of our team is either working or out of town. I don't know about the blue team. I will hit the gym in the morning, and then to the church for a full day of work. Got wind of a rumor today about a photo shoot tomorrow, but again, most of us would not be able to attend. I do know that we have not had our group "before" photo, which will be displayed prominently at Omni and PHC. Yesterday morning I stopped to look at the before and after photos of last year's contestants - I hope they are all still living their life change.

Thanks to facebook, people scattered across the United States are sending me their well wishes and support on this journey. Some of them barely remember me from high school, I'm sure... some were friends in college, or friends in the ministry. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to all of them, because their comments mean so much to me.

I've already been asked for advice on losing weight (as if one week of ABL has made me some sort of expert!) Two things come to mind that I do feel qualified to share, both of which I have learned this week. First of all, if you have a significant amount of weight to lose, your chances of doing it alone and being successful are slim to none. One of the first emails I got from a teammate said that if it had not been for the group support, she would have walked out of the gym. A year ago my doctor examined me and handed me a nutrition guide - I said to myself, "I'm not eating that junk", probably as I rolled through the drive-through at Burger King or McDonalds. On my own, I did not have the impetus to change.

The second thing I think I've learned this week is that if you make little changes in your life, you will get little results. If you make temporary changes, you will get temporary results. It takes revolutionary change to achieve revolutionary results. My changes in the past were changing from lots of pizza to a little pizza; double cheeseburgers to single cheeseburgers; three donuts to two donuts. The scripture that comes to mind is II Kings 13:18-19, where Elisha is on his death bed, talking to the king of Israel, Joash, about how he would win battles without Elisha's presence:

"And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice." He had failed to plan ahead for the battle he could not see, and thus exerted little effort. Little effort produces little change and meaningless victories.

Did anyone see this week's episode of the NBC show, "The Biggest Loser"? Daniel, who had been voted off in season 7 and brought back for season 8, was voted off again. They showed him going to visit his season 7 partner, and he had gained back everything he had lost, and probably more. His explanation was, "I'm busy... I work every day. I'll lose the weight when I get around to it." I could only think, "what a wasted opportunity". I only beat out 400 people to be selected for this contest; he, along with Daniel, had been chosen from among hundreds of thousands of applicants.

I don't want to waste a single day of this tremendous opportunity.

Smile For the Camera...

Last night, the local NBC affiliate sent their evening anchorwoman, Bridgett Williams, to our church to tape my profile for the local news. We kind of flip-flopped things around and had our opening ceremony half an hour into club night. They filmed opening ceremony, some handbook time, and a 15 minute interview session. She was very nice, and actually ran some things by me before she said them for the camera. She kept asking me, "Does that sound OK?" I just shrugged and said, "It's your show..." I did have to give her the correct pronunciation of my last name - we'll see Monday if she got it right. The finished piece airs in Augusta (GA) on NBC Augusta channel 26 this Monday during the 6 PM and 11 PM news.

 

Did my cardio workout this morning with my teammates and learned a lot. We have become fast friends - they are all extremely supportive of everyone else on our team.

 

I went to PHC (nutrition counselors) around noon today and was pleasantly surprised to learn that my blood pressure's top number (systolic) had dropped 9 points just in the one week I have changed my diet and started exercising. According to their scale, I had lost 2 more pounds in the last two days (although the scale at Omni showed more than that). They were pleased with my progress thus far.

 

I am looking at this upcoming weigh-in a little differently than the first. I knew the first one would be good, but I'm aware that I've only got three and a half more days to make a difference on the scale.

 

And with that, I'm off to Walmart to try and get the rest of my 10,000 steps in today.

Top Ten Things I Couldn't Do a Week Ago...

10. Squat down to pick something up off the floor.

9. Completely fill my lungs with a deep breath.

8. Lie down at night without foot / calf cramps.

7. Roll over in bed without gasping for air.

6. Balance on one foot.

5. Get up in the morning without a backache.

4. Pass by a fast-food place without thinking they had something I needed right then.

3. Climb the stairs to my office without getting winded.

2. Button my pants without having to "suck it in".

1. Understand that a treadmill is used for something other than hanging clothes on.

Kicking Into High Gear...

Things are going fast and furious already in ABL world. Monday morning we had our workout, Monday night our weigh-in and some treadmill time, Tuesday morning our first cardio day without our trainer (good job, everyone!) and appointments at PHC for our personal consultation. I was all excited to get our diet plan - ready to do the "real deal" - and then came the news that we would be on pretty much a diet of chicken, shrimp, and veggies for two more weeks. I don't eat shrimp any way but fried, and I'm not fond of any of the vegetables on the list. But I'm eating exactly what they are telling me to eat, and I think having such a restrictive diet is changing the way I think about food. I guess the analogy that makes sense to me is, I wouldn't put Pepsi into the gas tank of my car just because I like Pepsi. I put gasoline in my car because that's what it takes to make the engine run. Ever since I've been old enough to make my own food choices, I've eaten what I wanted based on what tastes good, not on what it needed to make the "engine" run right.

On a happier note, my bloodwork came back, and everything is in normal range - cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. - except my blood sugar is very slightly elevated. Somehow in spite of my habits, my genes must have been predisposed to normal levels on all that stuff. I was fully expecting them to tell me that my blood was 40% cheese.

P.S. I made up a chart with every pound I need to lose on it - after 1 week, I'm 10% of the way to my goal.

This post is just to put the logo up, so my future posts will show this on facebook instead of us 12. Pardon the interruption...

First Weigh-In...

Well, apparently I didn't do too much damage with the chicken and rice mix-up yesterday... weigh-in was tonight, and it went well. I lost 14.2 lbs, our team lost 80-something lbs., and all 12 of us together lost 138 lbs. I'm not sure who was happier - our trainer Johnnie, or us! Three of us realized that we could squeeze in a cardio workout after the weigh-in - why drive all the way there just to stand on the scale? Thank you, Kristy, for reminding me of the importance of seizing every moment - I can honestly say for this day, I did all I could do.

 

Tomorrow begins a new week - but tonight is a happy night of celebration for Red Team!

 

Chicken and Rice - So Simple, but SO-O-O Good!

Scientists generally divide land animals into one of two main groups - herbivores and carnivores. If I were an animal, I would be a carnivore - a meat eater. The first two days of our Biggest Loser Flush were all about vegetables and fruits. I have not traditionally been all about vegetables and fruits, but, "I'm doin' the work - I'm not a slacker!" (to quote Bill Murray in What About Bob?) So I have been looking forward to this day ever since I found out about it, which was Thursday night. My dear wife grilled some chicken breast and cooked some brown rice, and oh, my... what a feast!

I told an abridged version of my Biggest Loser story to the class I currently teach on Sunday morning - some of them don't have internet access, and had not heard - and what an outpouring of support! Some of them are looking for help; a few were dispensing tidbits of advice. I'm grateful for such a close church family that I can be tranparent with - some asked my starting weight, and after giving them my standard answer of "two Subarus and a Fiat", I told them. (It's 342.8, in case anyone is curious.) I have nothing to hide now... most people don't have to deal with their weight struggles in such a public fashion. So much for a little support group ("Hi, my name is Bob..."). My journey will be chronicled by TV cameras, with little snippets of it airing every now and then.

Instead of lying down for my usual Sunday afternoon nap, I'm at the office - walking, cleaning, trying to keep moving. My unofficial trainer wrote me this morning and encouraged me not to waste a minute, and not to come down near the end of this thing six months from now and realize that I had not done all I could do.

As I write this, my buddy Lisa called me to see how I was doing. She's such an encourager - I could learn much from her. She is in the same state I am, which is "pretty sore, but better than yesterday". I feel guilty for not making many phone calls, but I'm not a caller - I'm an emailer/texter.

Tomorrow it's back to the gym for all of us, and another day of nothing but vegetables. I also have to sit down and go through my photos for channel 26 - they're coming out to do my profile this Wednesday. I'm looking for my last "skinny" picture, which is probably somewhere around 2nd grade. There's a lot to keep up with in this experience; I've never really kept a personal calendar per se, but I'm going to have to start. Between workouts, weigh-ins, group meetings, individual consults, and media requirements, it's a pretty hectic schedule!

Saturday Night - Turkey Fry!

First of all, my apologies to the Lighthouse Class at LRBC for skipping out on the turkey fry tonight. I'm sure the food and fellowship were wonderful! It's not the fact that there's temptation to eat wrong, or too much; I'm smack in the middle of "detox", and there would have been nothing there I could have eaten. Sorry guys!

This morning we learned how to properly use a recumbent bike and a treadmill for fat-burning. I had been looking forward to the bike, because I knew from physical therapy that I would enjoy that.

Pretty much wrong. Johnnie took all the fun out of it and killed us this morning! But we learned so much today on an "off-day", and I am so thankful that even when with his other clients, Johnnie took time out of his morning to train us.

I'm sore today... soaked in epsom salts (thanks, Kristy!) this evening. Johnnie told us not to exercise on Sundays, so we get a day off. I'm almost afraid to take the day off for fear of losing the gains I've made so far. But muscles have to be repaired. I'm looking forward to tomorrow - PHC is letting me have all the chicken and fish and brown rice I want to eat tomorrow! After two days of veggies and fruits, I'm ready for some "real food". It won't be KFC and Red Lobster, but still...

Oh yeah, almost forgot... this morning when I got dressed at the gym, my belt went down a notch! Woo-hoo!!

Well, here's all 12 of us... we aren't all exactly to scale! Front row, 1st 6 people are the red team - Bronnie, Tammy, Nandy (that's not a typo, just a really cool name for a really sweet girl), Charles, me, and Lisa. All those other people are the blue team, most of whose names I can't remember right now because we only met once. The guy on the top left is Tanner; he's Lisa's son.

In Through the Nose....

We made it through our first workout this morning without passing out, getting sick, or dying! I got a little nauseated, and some leg cramps and back pain, but I made it home in one piece. We did exercises that, when you sit and watch someone else do it, you think, "that doesn't seem so bad".  And to complete the illusion, our trainer introduced each new exercise with, "all you gotta do is..." But in all honesty, our trainer Johnnie is not only pushing us, but teaching us. He had us high-stepping up and down the main aisle, where we paraded past skinny little "perfect" people  on their treadmills and bikes. But after a few seconds they 'disappeared', and there was no one 'there' but us.

 

Just gotta remember... in through the nose, out through the mouth.

 

 

 

 

EARLY Thursday Morning - A Note to My Teammates

Wow - I woke up at 4:30 without an alarm clock this morning - my body must be telling me it's time to get ready for all this! I don't have to be in the office until around 9, so this is about a 3 hour time shift in my day. And I like to stay up late (I'm a night owl) -- those days are over.

 

I appreciate what Nandy wrote last night - I get tears in my eyes thinking about the enormity of the opportunity we have been given, and when I think about all the changes that are about to take place. Some of you have a past full of athletics - not me. This is my first chance to be lighter, faster, stronger, and more confident than I have ever been in my life.

 

I hope each of you has a strong support group - not because you "have" to have it, but because shared excitement feeds off of itself. I am blessed to have a church family to share my joys (and sorrows) with, and they are so excited for us! The kids in our Awana Club are so excited that the TV cameras are coming to Awana next week!

 

Have any of you thought about a specific goal regarding your weight? I was talking to a buddy of mine Tuesday morning about all this, and he said, "Well, you're a big guy - you'll never be, say, 190." Well, 190 is well within the range of what my normal weight should be - in fact, 172-197 is the weight the insurance tables tell me I should be carrying to maximize longevity. So I guess my ultimate goal (whether I reach it by May or not) is to break the 200 lb. mark and get into the 190's. That would put me trying to accomplish what Bernard accomplished - losing somewhere around 150 lbs. - a 45.5% body weight loss.

 

Just one more thought - we won't see much of them, but there are 6 other wonderful, equally-as-deserving, equally-as-motivated people as we are who are going through this process along with us. While we don't want anyone from the blue team to be THE Biggest Loser, my sincere hope and desire is for all of them to reach their full potential, as well. One of our red team member's heart (Lisa) is on that blue team (Tanner), and we want him to be wildly successful, so that he doesn't have 20 or 30 or 40 years of carrying all the baggage around with him.

 

Have a great day - see you all at PHC tonight, and at the gym in 24 hours!

 

"Believe in yourself, trust the process, change forever."

Calm Before the Storm...

Well, we're in the calm before the storm. I got my blood drawn this morning for the labwork that PHC will use to determine my dietary needs. I can tell them they're going to find a lot of cheeseburgers and pizzas floating around in there! The girl at the lab was not extremely friendly, but she was very efficient, and the experience was nearly pain-free. (I hate needles.) I also went to see my doctor today, and with an EKG, an "open-your-mouth-and-say-ahhhh", and a few deep breaths, he determined that I am at least healthy enough to participate in Augusta's Biggest Loser. He did not, however, guarantee that I would survive!

 

Tomorrow (Thursday, November 5th) is the last day for the next six months that will not begin with a 5:30 AM workout. I feel like I'm about to join the army! I received emails from some of my teammates today who were talking about working out together on the "off days" (days without the trainer). I want to, but I suggested that we wait until after day one to decide if we can do day two right behind it!

 

We are all very excited, and ready to go... but I have not yet decided if my theme verse will be "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me", or "Master, carest thou not that we perish?"!!

Augusta's Biggest Loser, Unofficial Day One

Last Friday I received a phone call from the promotions manager at NBC Augusta, telling me that I had made the final 15, and that I needed to be at the station at 7:00 PM on Monday to talk to the people from Omni and PHC. I took a seat in the back row of the three rows of chairs they had set up for us. As the chairs began to fill in, I thought, "I wonder if they will assume that the people sitting closer to the front want it more?" So I moved up and told everyone that I was afraid they would send the back row of contestants home. No worries, though. Jay Jefferies, the morning weather guy, picked up the papers from the table and said, as only a true Southerner can say, "It's ALL YA'LL!" We received congratulations from him and Liz Hill, the morning anchor, and then were introduced to various people standing around the newsroom. Trainers, nutritionists, chiropractors, ad people came up to speak to us. We then had to get up in front of the group, introduce ourselves, and tell why we were there. Afterwards, the masses began to depart for home, leaving us to take "before" photos, hop on the scale, and exchange numbers and email addresses. We were cautioned not to go have a "last meal", but to begin immediately watching what we ate, drinking plenty of water, laying off the diet sodas, and doing the best we could with what we already know until we have a chance for PHC to analyze us and put together a nutrition plan. Between now and Friday, it's off to the doctor and the lab so they can figure out what I need. I've already been in contact with my trainer and my other team members, and am enjoying getting to know some really terrific people.

Well, here we go............. Augusta's Biggest Loser!

Test Post

Trying a new desktop blogger thing... hoping to make new posts more habitual!

In the beginning God...

I read a news item Sunday night that told about an "academic" who has decided that in the original Hebrew, the Bible doesn't really say that God created the heavens and the earth, but rather that He "separated" the heavens and the earth. Her conclusion is that God did not create the earth itself, just everything on it.

 

It's hard to remember sometimes that God created the skeptics, too.

What do you mean, "read my Bible?"

The Center for Bible Engagement in Lincoln, Nebraska has just completed a landmark research study that reveals regular church attendance has little to no effect at all on behaviors like marital infidelity, drug dependency, financial crisis, emotional sickness, or other undesirable behaviors. They discovered the real "tipping point" of spiritual maturity happens when we encounter the Bible at least four times a week.

Reading the Bible four or more times a week. Who would have thought?

I'll be your friend, but not a very good one...

Facebook. Everyone is on facebook these days. It's been interesting to find people from the past - high school, college, early days in the ministry - and the present. If you know me and you are on facebook, please feel free to send me a friend request. But I will warn you ahead of time, I'm not a very good "friend".

If you send me a button or a piece of flair, I probably won't acknowledge it or send anything in return. You can invite me to your favorite events, ask me to join a cause, or hit me with snowballs and water balloons. I don't mind, but everything gets an "ignore". Automatically. I don't even think about it. I don't need to take a quiz to find out that I know nothing about music in the 80's, films in the 90's, or TV in the 60's. I don't care if my IQ is lower than Peyton Manning's or higher than Herman Munster's.

Life is too busy and too complicated in the real world; I don't have time for all that in the digital world. If you want to "friend" me, fine. But don't expect very much.

6 Things Everyone Needs to Know About E-Mail & Internet

1. No one in Nigeria is going to give you $12 million to help them transfer hundreds of millions of dollars into the U.S.

2. No restaurant or business is giving away free gift cards - not Target, not Applebees - none of them.

3. No bank is going to send you an email and ask you for your account information, your PIN number, or your social security number.

4. No password is completely safe. Strengthen your passwords by including upper and lower case letters, at least one number, and at least one punctuation mark, particularly for online banking or credit account access.

5. If you have a facebook or myspace account, don't post any personal information that you don't want the whole world to know, such as your email address, your real address, or your phone number.

6. Any email you are not expecting should be treated as suspicious, even if it's from someone you know. If you ever get an email from, for example, me, with a subject line of, "You've GOT to see this!" or "This is the funniest thing I've ever seen" - DON'T open it. (And by the way, don't be offended if you send me something and I don't open it - if I'm not sure it's safe, I don't open it. And neither should you.)

And always remember, if you want to check out a story before passing it along, just go to snopes.com and type what you are looking for in their search box. More often than not, you will discover the truth about that missing girl, the guy who is drugging ladies with perfume samples in parking lots, or the patient who will receive 3 cents for every forwarded email.

Stay safe!

Fight the Freedom of Choice Act Petition

There are so many phony petitions floating around the internet - everything from "Madelyn Murray O'Hare is trying to take religious programming off the air" to "x amount of signatures will help cure this sick child" - that I hesitate to even mention one. But this one is real, and I think it deserves our attention.

 

During an address to Planned Parenthood in July of 2007, then-candidate Senator Barack Obama said, "The first thing I'd do, as president, is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing that I'd do." Well, he's president now, and he is waiting on the House and the Senate to send him the Freedom of Choice Act, a lethal piece of legislation that has been floundering in committee for five years, but will possibly make it to President Obama's desk. This act will lift all federal restrictions on abortion, including partial birth abortions, and could possibly be used to force faith-based hospitals to perform abortions against their will.

 

The group Americans United for Life has started an online petition drive, and has collected over 600,000 signatures to date. Their intention is to have this petition ready to deliver to Congress as soon as the bill comes out of committee. I urge all of you who read this to go to their website, http://www.fightfoca.com, and add your name to the list.

 

Signing the Freedom of Choice Act, it turns out, was not the first thing President Obama did when he took office. But he clearly indicated his stance and his intentions by overturning the Bush administration's ban on using federal funds to subsidize abortions in other countries.

 

Please visit this site and sign the petition.

 

P.S. - Madelyn Murray O'Hare is not trying to take religious programming off the air - she's dead. But those who would seek to destroy the moral fabric of our nation, unfortunately, are still quite active.

A Really Weird Song...

Saturday afternoon I was making my third trip to the hardware store, and as I listened to the local contemporary Christian station, I heard this little ditty coming out of my speakers.

Britney, I'm sorry for the lies we told
We took you into our arms and then left you cold
Britney I'm sorry for this cruel cruel world
We sell the beauty but destroy the girl
Britney I'm sorry for your broken heart
We stood aside and watched you fall apart
I'm sorry we told you fame would fill you up
And money moves the man so drink the cup

I know love goes around the world we know
And you never see it coming back
You never see it coming back
I know love goes around the world we know
And you never see it coming back
But I can see it coming back for you
Yes coming back for you

Britney I'm sorry for the stones we throw
We tear you down just so we can watch the show
Britney I'm sorry for the words we say
We point the finger as you fall from grace

Wow... does this guy (Bebo Norman, a young artist from Columbus, GA) really think that Britney Spears' spending habits, addictions, and bizzare behaviors are OUR fault?? And that we owe her an apology of some sort? And in the grander scheme of things, THIS is what passes for legitimate Christian music? After hearing this meaningless tripe, what a contrast to sit in church not 24 hours later and hear this one:

I boast not of works, nor tell of good deeds,
For naught have I done to merit His grace.
All glory and praise shall rest upon Him,
So willing to die in my place.

My trophies and crowns, my robe stained with sin
Was all that I had to lay at His feet.
Unworthy to eat from the table of life,
Till Love made provision for me.

I will glory in the cross, in the cross,
Lest His suffering all be in vain.
I will weep no more for the cross that He bore,
I will glory in the cross.

I'm not knocking contemporary Christian music - but why do so many artists think the way to reach the world is to take God OUT of their music?

Just my two cents' worth...

What Have We Gotten Ourselves Into?

How well do you know the man who was just sworn in at noon on Tuesday?

*On economic policy: "We should be guided by what works."

*On minimum wage: advocates raising it to $9.50 per hour (do you really want to pay $9.50 for a value meal at McDonalds?)

*On education: opposes school choice vouchers, opposes the teaching of intelligent design as fact, and supports merit pay raises to teachers, with the standards being set by... teachers.

* On energy: opposes the construction of nuclear plants, called McCain's proposal for 45 new plants "not serious, not new" and "not the kind of energy policy that will give families the relief they need." (Meanwhile, his home state of Illinois has more than half of its energy produced by nuclear power plants.)

* On vehicle energy: wants to ban the production of any vehicle that does not get at least 50 miles per gallon by 2030.

* On health care: wants universal health care by 2012, and plans to fine companies who do not provide health care for their employees.

* On housing: proposes a 33% increase in capital gains taxes on the sale of homes.

* On immigration: opposes deporting illegals; supports giving drivers' licenses to illegals; voted against declaring English to be the official language of the federal government.

* On foreign policy: does not believe that Iran, Cuba, or Venezuela pose a serious threat to the U.S.

* On the military: supports growing the number of troops, but wants to kill our missile defense system and slow the growth of Future Combat Systems (the primary military modernization program). Also would make Selective Service Registration mandatory for women as well as men.

* On abortion: has consistently refused to label himself as either pro-life or pro-abortion; voted for funding to provide contraceptives to students.

* On marriage and sexuality: voted against the amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman; supports giving "civil unions" the same status as married partners; "I do not agree... that homosexuality is immoral." "I strongly believe that African-Americans and the LGBT community must stand together in the fight for equal rights." (LGBT is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender.)

Ladies and gentlemen, your president, Barack Obama!

No pressure...

I missed a phone call yesterday morning, and spent the day playing phone tag with the caller, Dr. David Wood. As we talked, I recalled how my phone number got into the phonebook of a world-renowned evangelist. Dr. Wood is the founder of several ministries - Operation Go, The Witness Project, and Faith in Action. After I was recruited to take a PowerPoint presentation and develop it into a video for Faith in Action, Dr. Wood has been steadily providing me with additional projects - some small, some big. I recently finished a 15-minute video on his 6-year strategy for reaching India with the gospel.

 

When the phone rang, I thought he was calling to discuss the latest project he had for me - a previously-discussed plan to update some of their older videos with newer information. "Bro. Ed, I love the India video, but I need to know if you can edit it down from 15 minutes to about 9 minutes. I need to show it at a church next weekend, but I need it to be shorter. Can you produce a shorter version of it and have it in my office by Wednesday?" "Sure", I said, and began working immediately after supper. At midnight, I was finished, and quite proud of my efforts.

 

He called me back today during lunch. "Bro. Ed, I really appreciate your work on cutting that video down to 9 minutes. I'm going to be presenting the India ministry during Sunday School next Sunday morning, and they suggested that we bring a 2-3 minute video segment to show during Sunday School, to whet the people's appetite for the entire presentation Sunday night. Can you cut it down to 3 minutes? This is for the largest church in Alaska (Anchorage Baptist Temple), and this will be shown during a live television broadcast. There is a lot of money for the India project riding on this... and I need it by Wednesday, too."

 

No pressure.......

 

"Sure", I said. I finished my lunch and began working. The fastest way to get this done was to start completely over from scratch, instead of trying to cut and paste a preview video together from the footage I already had developed. Trying to decide which 3 minutes of narration to keep out of a 15-minute presentation was no small feat. Dr. Wood had written the script for the original video, and here I was, leaving 80% of his message on the cutting room floor. I could only hope that the 20% I chose is the right part. I suppose I will find out when he gets the DVDs on Tuesday.

 

It is very humbling to realize that the videos I create will be used to help Dr. Wood share his vision with churches all over the United States. I'm grateful for the opportunity to help their ministry in this small way.