Monday, August 26, 2013

Finding what inspires you.

     Everyone has that moment where they are hit with the reality that they need a goal and they need to reach it no matter what. For the past few weeks I have been thinking of my goal of getting down to 190lbs. Can I reach this goal, should I reach this goal? Well the answer is yes and YES! When you enter a race you sign up to finish! You don't get half way and say, "Well that's good enough." That coach inside you is screaming, "You can't stop now! There is much more in you and now is the time to give it all you've got and finish this thing!"
My buddy Greg after the Spartan Race.

     This past weekend my buddy Greg volunteered and ran in a Spartan race. In this same race there was a team with a few members who were multiple amputees. Below is a video of them completing one of the obstacles. I personally have never been faced with the type of challenge they are faced with, not just in the race but also this thing we call life. Watching them complete the challenges of that race and finish has inspired me to not just meet my weight goal but also continue to train so that I can complete one of those races! One thing to keep in mind is you must absolutely have a support system of people who will add giant amounts of positive support in your direction. Its hard at first but it is important to limit the amount of time you spend with people who say that you can't do something. If you have the mindset that you can and you have proper support then there is no doubt that you will!

     Now is the time to make some goals for yourself. Don't wait till New Years Eve to come up with a list. Make one now. What better time than now to get fit? Schedule an appointment with your Doctor and ask them what they think is a good plan of action for you. Have a list of programs with you and ask them their opinion on it. Last year I asked my Doctor about Take Shape For Life fueled by Medifast and he had nothing but positive things to say about the program and highly encouraged me to start on it, "ASAP!" So I did and you folks have been reading my blog ever since I started. This coming Sunday will be the 1 year mark for me and so far I have lost over 114lbs with Take Shape For Life.

     I know you can do it, no matter what path you pick! Just like you all I needed was that inspiration and a good dose of positive mojo. Just pick your head up, dust yourself off, and lets rock this thing!

All the best,

Mike

http://myroadtoweightloss.tsfl.com/explore

*Results vary. Typical weight loss on the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan® is 2-5 lbs per week for the first 2 weeks and 1-2 lbs per week thereafter.


Monday, August 19, 2013

Reaching those goals!

     When I first started out on this road to weight loss I was not too sure I would be able to do it. Sure I had some lofty goals, but in the beginning they seemed so distant and out of reach. Right now I am at 112lbs lost in under a year and have gone down 10 pants sizes! Oh did I mention that I just ran in a 5k event here in Maryland? Did I also mention that I ran the entire thing in under 38 minutes?!? My official time was 00:37:50.3 that is right, my fastest time ever! Last year on this date it was still sinking in that I was 360lbs and only 40lbs away from being 400lbs again. I knew I had to do something, and I could NOT afford not to!

     This past weekend was the River Valley Ranch 5k & 10k Trail Run. My friend Greg and I had set a goal last year of running the 5k race. I am looking forward to being able to do the 10k trail race next year. As we were finding our place at the starting line, with the 10min per mile group. We noticed a big guy come walking up getting in line behind our group. As he was walking past us we could not help but hear him complain about how far he had to walk from his car to the starting line. He went on about how his walk was basically 5k already. I really hope he was kidding because it was only a few hundred feet at best. I looked at Greg, shrugged and thought to my self, "I bet you $20 we do not see him cross the finnish line." Both Greg and I were watching for him but he never showed up again. Then it hit me. Last year that was us. Both Greg and myself could not walk up the stairs from my basement without getting winded. Now we are running or walking 5k several times a week, and Greg is training for a half marathon!

Greg and I before the race. Me on the left. Greg on the right.

We had just left the starting line!


     I know what you are thinking. Right now you are saying to yourself, "I have got to get out and start running!" Well sure you could do that, but what you should really do first is take a good hard look at what you are eating and drinking. This is why I went with Take Shape For Life fueled by Medifast. Yes just like any other health program there is a cost, but this is the only one where I saw awesome results personally. All of my meals are provided and measured for me by Medifast, and the only meals I have to make are my Lean and Green meals. I am not buying groceries for myself, I am not spending money to go out to eat. In fact we are saving money with this meal plan! I needed a program that forced me to start thinking about what I was eating and how much. I used to just love eating fried chicken, and now just the sight of it makes me sick. The old me would go to a KFC and order a 6 piece meal and 2 extra biscuits with a large rootbeer and potato wedges. The new me would slap that out of my hands and pull me along by the ears!

     I strongly recommend finding someone who has been where you have been. This is why the free Health Coach from TSFL was worth it to me, a person that went through the program before me who could properly guide me along the way. Which is why I became a Health Coach myself! I want to help others, and I firmly believe in the TSFL program! No it is not the only one out there but it is the one that worked for me. I just have 58lbs till I get to my goal weight. So what is stopping you from starting down your own road to weight loss? For me I had to face the facts and stop looking for excuses. It is as easy as saying, "I want to do this, and I AM going to do this!" I am here and I can help you find the way to the path that I found last year, with some much needed help.

These are size 50 pants that fit me perfectly last year! I am now down to a size 40.
http://www.myroadtoweightloss.tsfl.com/explore

*Results vary. Typical weight loss on the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan® is 2-5 lbs per week for the first two weeks and 1-2 lbs per week thereafter.