the further i journey into weight-loss

May 2011

January 2012

May 2012

Oh man. It's been 365 days since I was considered a big dude...

Celebrating a year of weight-loss and general good health. So I deleted the post where I did a progression about 5 months ago. Figuring that since I've hit the gym hard it's best to show the progression from beginning... to my Hot for Con goal... to today. Considering my bucket list for D*Con this year calls for furthering my physique, felt I would'n't get called out too hard for this post.

Besides, everyone likes a good success story right? And I believe I'm succeeding. 

Weird seeing me a year ago, and then even weirder seeing how I'd progressed since January of this year. 

In the May of 2011 photo I believe I was down to 240.
In the January of 2012 photo I was at 190 exactly.
In the May of 2012 photo I'm sitting at 180.

Goes to show that purely looking at the scale isn't everything. I don't know the ancient Chinese equations of muscle vs fat, but I do know that my face has lost a good deal of roundness since January and there definitely seems to be less of me. And that's only 10 pounds.

10 pounds was hardly noticeable when I started, which is something that brings a lot of people down when they first start their weight-loss journey. It brought me down, you could read my older posts on the subject, but you stick with it and 10 becomes 20 and the pattern continues until you see dramatic results.

The smaller you are, obviously, the more dramatic each pound gets and the more muscle you add...well I'm just babbling on about stuff that is common sense...

Just excited and proud, staying humble of course, but seriously dude, it's been a long road.

There's a difference with the way the world interacts with me these days, one I'll explore with you later, but just know that it's different. For better and worse, and the experience has been fascinating to say the least. For now I'm carving straight through the heart of my bucket list and, like last year, nothing will stop me.

As for the other items, I'll be posting about them soon enough. The tone tonight is light hearted and I expect a return to the more jovial side of life for a few posts. There's a revelation that I've got bigger fish to fry then previously explained, these pursuits, and others I haven't mentioned are making all the difference in the shape of my smile.

To quote a song...

"I use to hate cell phones. Now I hate car accidents."

Maintain.

It's been a good, long, exaggerated minute but I somehow pulled myself away from the machinations of life to update you on a few details.

First and foremost let me give this wonderful slice of delicious news. I met my goal weight on the day of dragon con. That's 190 pounds, 60 pounds total lost.  Even a month after D*CON I've maintained that weight. Here's a picture, try to contain your excitement (cause I can feel it from here).

Hot for Con was a success, and I believe I led you on to believe there would be more written about this but I'm a tease and tired, also there's places to go and stray puppies to deliver. I'll check in more often and let you in on my next handful of healthy goals.

No internet for me

Im without the thing I love most in my life. The internet. Writing this post from my phone, be strong.

I will come back for you.

08/10/2011

Days until Con : 22

I have to admit something to you, because I feel like we've got a good thing going here and I don't want to ruin our friendship, I ate pizza. Yeah. So I understand if you want to see other bloggers, or if you think we're just not right for each other.

I mean I did just post about this health revolution, then I stuffed my face with pepperoni and canadian bacon pizza for lunch.

But that's fine, I'll bring it when I work out, and I'll stand taller tomorrow (metaphorically). Pizza is the ultimate sin food for me, it's so bad for me yet oh so good. Like it just screams at me in this cute little voice "but but haames!" and i'm all like "screw you pizza, you're no good for me. we've done this before and it just won't work out for me."

Then pizza gets all angry and ghetto.

Then I have to eat it.

Then I get fat.

The end.

Welcome Back Stiver

08/09/2011

Days until Con : 23

Enough! I'm tired of not being able to post as frequently and I'm taking a stand. For the next 23 days I will keep this thing updated because I made a solem vow, to myself, and though the promises I attempt to keep to myself don't always pan out this will sure as hell will.

Besides, I just got an email from someone who was inspired by what I'm doing and things like that deeply touch me. Because I have become passionate about helping people taking care of themselves and helping them get into a position where they look and feel wonderful, a place I've recently just arrived at.

The feedback from my latest experiences out in the wild have been nothing short of emotionally awesome. So it's back to posting every day, back to the super awesome exercising (did some stupid awesome exercising for the last two days) and just doing everything that feels right and good in the world.

Since it's been a minute let me fill you in.

I've been taking my new found health, opening the doors and taking it for a test spin, not being a whore or anything like that, but you know going out there and being seen. Also testing my willpower against that bitter struggle against the super tasty bad for you foods.

And winning, because I own face like that.

You cannot believe how addictive it is to see people you haven't hung around in awhile and they say "wow" or "you got skinny". Yes, I can see how this can transform guys into d-bags, but I remain firm on being a nice guy who made a healthy choice in his life. Also, the temptations of eating unhealthy simply aren't there.

It's like quitting smoking though. (Which I've also struggled on)

There's always the yearn, that flamilar comfort and nostalgia of great food or a good smoke, but overall it's just not worth it. I shared a red velvet cake with three people, and that was okay. That use to be unheard of. I drink water with every meal now, WATER, I barely knew what that was last year other than it's a component necessary in coffee making.

I eat better foods while others around me gorge on the stuff I use to believe to be righteous and necessary. Did I just compare delicious food to religion? How far off am I really? Anyways, like cigarettes, there's this place you go to when you remember the moments fondly but accept the entire experience as negative. I do sometimes enjoy and indulge without shame yet I don't let it become habit. In one of the many health related postcast I listened to it was said that losing weight is simply exercising, eating right, and making it your lifestyle for at least 60 percent of the time.

I believe it.

Through my journey I've definitely indulged and got off track, but never so much that I couldn't get back on. Had I completely surrendered my entire diet or body to a restrictive plan I think I would've failed this entire thing. But I've lost a total of 51 pounds, and while that's not as much as some of the other weight lost stories, it's been a world of difference to me.

Now I have 23 days to finish the job. Roughly 10 pounds to lose, which use to seem like such a daunting task, now it's merely a fly I shoo away. Then I'll enter Dragon Con a man of 190 pounds, something that hasn't been seen since high school.  Long term I should be settled in at 175, which about 5 months ago seemed like an impossible dream but I now realize it's something I'll have accomplished by Christmas.

Happiness with myself and life, a gift I seemed to have opened early, because I deserve it.