To say I started this whole ironman adventure at a plus size is an understatement. I finally got around to weighing myself in August 2012.......279 lbs. And I am only 5'7" tall and that is stretching it! For those who know me, I have always struggled with weight issues. In fourth grade I was selected to be Santa in the school play and it wasn't because I could act, but more due to my full figure even in fourth grade. Then in sixth grade I lost the weight. In high school I started to fill out again. As a sophomore I decided to play basketball and wrestle in the same season, so off it came. That was the last time I saw anything close to 145 lbs which was the lowest weight I was approved at by the doctor. My senior year I was listed at 195 on the football roster, but at least then I could run a 4.7 second 40 yd dash.
Freshman 15? More like freshman 50! Then I went home for the summer and got back down to around 200. Sophomore and junior years I gained it back. I remember trying to snow board for my first time that winter and I couldn't buckle my own bindings. That was the turning point. When I moved to bozeman I joined a gym and started dropping weight. I was down to 215 when we went to Moab for spring break and I felt awesome! I was never going to gain weight again!
I moved to Colorado in June 2002, and moved back to Helena in June 2003. During this time I dropped a few more pounds and was sitting around 175. Then I started an office job and started wild fluctuations again. Up to 230, but got engaged and didn't want to be fat in the wedding pics. Bam, back to 220, but then decided to do the peaks to prarie triathlon. So, down to 190 for that.... Only to start the climb back up. This time it really took off. I flew up the scale, not exercising and sitting at a desk all day. During this time I broke down and joined weight watchers. The diet would probably have worked if I stuck to it more than a couple of weeks.
In June 2012 we found out that Lindsay was pregnant and I was in crises mode. How could I be a good dad if I could hardly bend over to tie my own shoe? Playing on the floor with my kid sounded next to impossible! I started walking in the mornings and trying to watch what I ate. Whether I was losing weight I didn't know, because I was too scared to get on the scale. In July my parents had an "intervention" of sorts. Basically they said they were concerned about my weight and offered to help me financially if I wanted to join the Ideal Protein Diet which they had both successfully used to lose weight. . It took me about a month to decide, but in mid-August I went to my first session. I weighed in at 279 lbs.
The ideal protein diet is essentially a low carb, low calorie diet that is high in protein. The plan has you eating three of their pre packaged meals a day. Two meals and one snack. You make your own dinner following their plan. As with most diets, if you stick with it and don't cheat you can lose weight. This one worked for me because I was held more accountable due to one on one sessions with my diet coach every week. I followed the diet strictly for the first 60 lbs. Then I basically moved to phase 2 and have since lost another 38.2 lbs, in about twice the time it took the first 60. So as of today, I have lost 98.2 lbs.
Thank you to everyone who has provided encouragement and support in losing my weight! My parents, my wife, and my diet coach played a tremendous role, THANK YOU!
While I have lost nearly 100 lbs, I have learned that the battle is not over and due to my addictive food habits it will likely never be over. However I would like to have around 10-12% body fat for the ironman race. So I have much more work to do!
Freshman 15? More like freshman 50! Then I went home for the summer and got back down to around 200. Sophomore and junior years I gained it back. I remember trying to snow board for my first time that winter and I couldn't buckle my own bindings. That was the turning point. When I moved to bozeman I joined a gym and started dropping weight. I was down to 215 when we went to Moab for spring break and I felt awesome! I was never going to gain weight again!
I moved to Colorado in June 2002, and moved back to Helena in June 2003. During this time I dropped a few more pounds and was sitting around 175. Then I started an office job and started wild fluctuations again. Up to 230, but got engaged and didn't want to be fat in the wedding pics. Bam, back to 220, but then decided to do the peaks to prarie triathlon. So, down to 190 for that.... Only to start the climb back up. This time it really took off. I flew up the scale, not exercising and sitting at a desk all day. During this time I broke down and joined weight watchers. The diet would probably have worked if I stuck to it more than a couple of weeks.
In June 2012 we found out that Lindsay was pregnant and I was in crises mode. How could I be a good dad if I could hardly bend over to tie my own shoe? Playing on the floor with my kid sounded next to impossible! I started walking in the mornings and trying to watch what I ate. Whether I was losing weight I didn't know, because I was too scared to get on the scale. In July my parents had an "intervention" of sorts. Basically they said they were concerned about my weight and offered to help me financially if I wanted to join the Ideal Protein Diet which they had both successfully used to lose weight. . It took me about a month to decide, but in mid-August I went to my first session. I weighed in at 279 lbs.
The ideal protein diet is essentially a low carb, low calorie diet that is high in protein. The plan has you eating three of their pre packaged meals a day. Two meals and one snack. You make your own dinner following their plan. As with most diets, if you stick with it and don't cheat you can lose weight. This one worked for me because I was held more accountable due to one on one sessions with my diet coach every week. I followed the diet strictly for the first 60 lbs. Then I basically moved to phase 2 and have since lost another 38.2 lbs, in about twice the time it took the first 60. So as of today, I have lost 98.2 lbs.
Thank you to everyone who has provided encouragement and support in losing my weight! My parents, my wife, and my diet coach played a tremendous role, THANK YOU!
While I have lost nearly 100 lbs, I have learned that the battle is not over and due to my addictive food habits it will likely never be over. However I would like to have around 10-12% body fat for the ironman race. So I have much more work to do!