My Story and The Plan

Hi, my name is J Brian (group responds HI J BRIAN). I am FAT. I have been for most of my adult life.

I will be A Fat Boy No More.

Three years ago I started a journey to become A Fat Boy No More. And since September 2007 I have been publishing my success and failures. This Blog follows me from the day I first started my weight loss journey and it focuses on the everyday struggles that people with weight problems have.

Prepare yourself for a very real and very challenging event in my life. I commit to being as honest and as clear as I can be in the webpage to chronicle my ongoing battle with my weight. The pictures can be explicit.

After 12 years of being bigger than I should be... ok lets just be honest. I was not big I was fat. I have been over weight and muscular for most of my adult life. But the muscular part has been over shadowed by a large layer of fat on my body. I've eaten too much and I lived a sedentary life. In December 2006 I weighed 320 pounds. The morning I weighed myself and saw that I was over 300 pounds I essentially went into a deep depression that day and I am sure that I ate another 5 pounds worth of food. But that night I decided that enough was enough. My weight problem had become more than just an appearance problem it became a health problem, a self esteem problem and it was starting to affect my business and income. I had to do something. And I had to be held accountable. Technology is a good thing. I decided I had to put it out there. I started texting everyone in cell phone saying "Officially a fat ass now I weigh 300". I had been lying forever and telling people that I was 250. And no one questioned it.

The first step I took was to hit the gym and cut my calories. I looked on webmd and found out how many calories there where in a pound (3500) and decided to create this formula to determine how many calories and how much extra exercise I had to do to lose 60 pounds by May 27th. My annual trip to Key West Florida. By February I had lost 25 pounds. On a plan that was essentially the same thing that Weight Watchers teaches you. Then life hit me. After being so good I just got tired of it. I had no real support structure. And so I just relapsed because I was on a diet. Not a life change. But between March and August I essentially maintained my weight loss. In April I got a part time job working in a restaurant as a bartender. Everyone thinks I was crazy to do that but the truth is I just needed something to make me active. I needed to get off my lazy fat ass and be active. I gave up sweet tea and I stopped eating beef for the most part. I chose bison. Which taste so similar and has a familiar texture but had half the calories. Nothing else really changed.

But I did not lose the weight I wanted. When I was in Key West I looked like a beached whale and I felt horrible. I have a picture from that trip that show the folds of fat on my back. I was so depressed after that trip. So I essentially just maintained until late July when my best friend Michelle told me that a guy we both worked with a few years back had lost a lot of weight thru some medical weight loss plan.

I kinda brushed it off. I was looking into Lap Band or some other surgery. Then another friend of mine saw Brad as well and said Brad has lost a lot of weight. So I called Brad and he told me about the plan thru Emory Hospital. I went to an info session on the plan and decided to enroll.

Before you consider any type of surgery please look into medically managed weight loss. IT WORKS. Your doctor or the Bariatrics department of your local university hospital can direct you. Too many of my friends had surgery and lost a lot of weight and regained it. Even with a smaller stomach you can eat ice cream all the time and gain it back. I have a friend that just did that.

So this is what I did initially. Follow my blog posts from the beginning and see the transformation.

Remember

Don't give up today because you fucked up yesterday.

30 December 2008

December 30, 2008

The end of a challenging year is upon us. Today the US and the world is facing a huge Financial obstacle. I have had a mix of success this year. From a weight and health standpoint I have to be extremely proud of what I have accomplished. I continue to fight a battle with my weight and not always do I feel like I am winning. I have lost weight and I have added a significant amount of Muscle to my frame. I have also added back some of my fat. My weight fluctuates between 235 and 245. I will blame the holiday season for some of that. But not all of it.

My challenge for 2009 is to keep the fat off. I am less concerned with the number on the scale but I still consider it a good overall indicator. Beginning Jan 1, 2009. I am switching my focus for the month from Muscle building to running and cardio. In the last few weeks I have had a few comments from guys at the gym asking if I am a power lifter shows that I have added a lot of muscle. Its time to trim it down some. March 2009, I plan to return to muscle building.

08 November 2008

End of a cycle and time to move forward.

In earlier posts, I announced that I intended to add a significant amount of muscle. And I have done just that. I am pleased to announce that in the last 3 months and primarily in the last 6 weeks I have been hitting the gym 6 days a week and pushing myself to lift heavy. I cut out a lot of aerobic exercise- hell you only have so much energy. I have added 13 pounds of muscle over the last 90 days.

To accomplish this I had to increase my calories to feed the growth about 700 kcals per day. That is a lot and Now its time for me to take a break from the heavy lifting that I was doing. Along with that's 13 pounds of muscle there were a few pounds of fat as well. This is expected and I was very happy that I did not gain any more than I did. After losing 82 pounds of fat I have added back about 13 pounds to my weight so I weigh between 238 and 240 on a daily basis. Seeing that number increased freaked me out at first and emotionally it was hard to evaluate my health on things other than a scale.

The most important thing it seems is how do your clothes fit? Well the facts are. My size 38 jeans fit exactly as they did before except the legs are tight now, and there has never been belly lap over. My t shirts are tighter in the chest , shoulders and arms. The belly fits the same. I will post some new picts in a few weeks.

Today is my last day in the heavy lifting and heavy protein cycle I started 12 weeks ago.

I am actually looking forward to the change. I have hurt my knees and my right wrist in this process. Nothing permanent, just some stress. Sunday I will take a break as I do and Monday will begin a new 6 week cycle. Lighter weights and shaping. More aerobic exercises, yoga and for my birthday ( December 20) I am going to finally buy that bicycle I have wanted for a while. I hope that I can eliminate a few pounds of fat in this next cycle. I will be consuming about 700 calories less per day. Check back soon.

30 October 2008

UPDATE 10 30 2008

Tuesday will be election day and I expect that Barack Obama will win the office of the President.  This will be a historic event and I feel that the next 4 years will be a very difficult time for the new president.  I am going to take this opportunity to make a long term goal.  At the end of this first term.  I will maintain a weight management program to keep myself healthy.  I am not a big fan of very long term goals and I will not put an exact number on the weight goal as it will change.  My initial weight loss plan was designed to eliminate weight.  The vast majority of this weight was pure fat,  but my body composition has changed.  My fat content while higher than I want is well within an "average healthy" range.  

I am finishing a cycle of adding muscle.  I will take a 6 week break starting in two weeks were my primary focus will not be on muscle gain but on fat loss and muscle maintenance.  

18 October 2008

Maintaining weight is hard

... especially when you are trying to get bigger. My goals have changed from trying to lose weight to building muscle. While I have added significant muscle mass there is some fat gain as well. I have decided to continue my current "bulking up" plan thru the end of October and my primary monthly health focus will for November and December will be to reduce the amount of body fat.

My specific goals are to build muscle and trim fat-- this is often hard to do. My waist is smaller than it has ever been.

11 October 2008

October 11, 2009

Its been more than a year since I started my journey.  I have taken what was a weight loss program into a whole body transformation.  I have spent the last 3 months focusing on building muscle more than losing weight.  I have actually gained some weight.  I would contend that a great amount of the weight is muscle.  I will be posting some new body photos in the near future.

27 September 2008

On the Run again

Earlier this year I followed the c25k plan to run a 5 k race in early July.  After completing this I stopped running.  I have not been a big fan of running I find that it puts a lot of strain on my body.  I feel that I may have trained only for a specific goal.  It was a very good experience from the standpoint of weight loss and body trimming.  This last week.  I started a modified c25k plan.  I am training 5 days a week and I am essentially running/walking 2 miles a day.  In 12 weeks I plan to be running 3 miles a day.

This week has been very successful for me.  I am taking the weekend off and will continue on Monday. 

I am also setting goals for October.  My focus in October is my running plan and training on my back muscles.

Hope all is well.


21 September 2008

ONE YEAR DOWN

Today I celebrate my first anniversary of my journey. This health journey has been a great one. I have seen a huge amount of success with my weight loss and with my overall health. I have spent the last year changing every aspect of my life. I have built muscle and learned to control my appetite. This has been hard. Do not get me wrong. There are days I just want to go to an all you can eat desert bar and go crazy.

In the next week or so I will post the outline for the next leg of my journey.

Thanks your your support.

20 August 2008

All about building Muscle

I have changed my focus from losing weight to building muscle. I am now working out 5 to 6 days a week. And I Expect to add some weight with this heavy weight training plan.

My weight loss has stopped essentially. In a month I will be celebrating my one year anniversary of my weight loss journey and I have not decided what to do yet. I am planning on posting pictures as a slide show of pictures from before the journey through the time of my liquid diet, into transition and up through the the current time.

I have Two 5 K walk/runs planned for the coming months. October 4 will be the Ted's Montana Grill 5k Run/Walk and Fun Run. and the Later in October will be the Aids Walk in Atlanta.

I am looking at getting a bicycle. I find that I get really bored of running but a bike will give me more scenery to look at . I hope all is well.

30 July 2008

Weight Training and Body Changes

It has been a month since I Blogged because I have considered this Blog a Weight Loss Blog. As of today I am changing the blog to incorporate more of a body change theme rather than a weight loss plan. Since I originally started my plan at Emory I have spent a significant amount of time working with my weights to change my body.

I believe... in order to lose weight you must address your diet. Weight training will not help you lose weight. I have gained a few pounds since I expanded my weight training but my waist is smaller and my clothes fit much better. My body definition is changing everyday.

In the next few weeks I will share what I am doing to change my body.

25 June 2008

Week 8 of C25K Training

I have been a bad blogger again. I have completed 7 weeks of my c25k training and I have completed day 1 of week 8. 7 weeks ago I was running a minute and a half at a time. Today I am running 28 minutes at a time.

My legs are getting huge and my body fat is falling away. I made a big mistake and shaved off my goatee. One of the girls I work with told me i look cherubic (like cupid) I would post picts of me but there is no way in hell I am going to post the 12 year old cupid boy that I look like.

I have had some great success since I joined the weight watchers core plan. I get plenty of protein and I have lost at least 5 pounds in three weeks. Saturday is my next weigh in and I expect to have lost a few pounds more.

Hope all is well

08 June 2008

Run Fat Boy Run Pt 2

Well this was my first weigh in day after being in weight watchers. I am not expecting to lose a bunch of weight but I need some support and Help with my life long weight management plan. My group leader Melanie is Great.

After a few weeks of some slight increases in diet I lost 4.2 pounds in one week. This rate of loss is not expected to happen long term but it was a good kickstart. I DO not like the scales at WW because I think they are off a little. My scale at home was perfectly set with the scales at Emory. But I am going to adjust my weight to the WW scales for consistency. My beginning WW weight on May 30 was 240.4. My weigh in today was 236.2 a loss of 4.2 pounds regardless of the actual figure a 4.2 pound loss in one week is too good to be true.

Also today was my completion of my longest run yet. I ran for 20 mins without a break. For my friends who are runners that is not a lot but for us couch potatoes. Thats HUGE BABY. Check back in a few days.

06 June 2008

LOTS TO REPORT

Since my last post I went on my annual trip to Key West Florida. That was one of the best trips I have ever had. And the best thing is my fat ass could not fit into an airplane seat comfortably. Its such an incredible difference.

I met some new friends there and became re acquainted with some folks I have met before. I gained 0 (zero) pounds while I was on the island. I never over ate. I did drink a little more than I should have. The good thing about Key West is you walk everywhere so problem with drinking. I also ran everyday that I was on vacation except the day I traveled down. The day I got back before I went home I went to the gym.

I am in the middle of week 5 of my c25k training and that should be completed tomorrow. Its getting harder but I am able to tackle it better than I thought.

Last saturday I joined Weight Watchers as I feel that I need ongoing support with weight management. I do not feel that the plan at Emory has provided as much in the maintenance portion as I have in the past and there is no accountablility with their ongoing support. I decided to follow the Core Plan . I will give updates on this as I go along.

I put on a few pounds in the weeks leading up to my vacation. 7 to be exact. So I was around 239. I have reduced that to 234 this week.

Check back for updatest and thanks for your support.

20 May 2008

May 20 Training for the 5k continues

I have now completed day two of week three of my c25k training.

Some training sessions are fairly easy and others are not. Today was one of those harder days for some reason. I am two days away from my key west trip and i finally feel that i will have a half way decent "pool body" There will be some jiggle but there will not be any beach whale thoughts.

Hope all is well.

14 May 2008

5 Training Sessions Complete

Tomorrow is my sixth training session.  My body is sore as hell.  Seriously sore.  Also this training has made me very very hungry.  I have to figure out how to deal with it.  I have one week left til my trip to Key West... YAHOO!!!

09 May 2008

Run Fat Boy Run- Part 1

I completed my first week of training for the 5 k. I will direct you to the two websites that helped me with this weeks training.

c25k.com and www.ullreys.com/robert/Podcasts/page4/files/category-7.html

The first link tells you about the plan but the podcast that you use while you are actually running is great. Robert's idea for the podcast coach is awesome. I was sweating more than I ever do with my normal workouts.

I completed the first week and now I am getting ready to start on week two. This past week I did the program on Monday Wednesday and Friday but this next week I am changing my days to Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Wednesdays are very difficult from a schedule standpoint for me.



I feel like I did a really bad job of eating yesterday. I just grazed like cattle all day long. With two weeks left to my vacation I am not happy with this. So I am going to have to be extra diligent.

Hope all is well.

05 May 2008

My next Challenge 5 k Run

Today I started training for a 5 k run.  Atlanta hosts the Peachtree Road Race (10K) every 4th of July.  The registration is and has been closed but I have decided to train for it anyway.  I am following a plan called Couch to 5 K.    c25k.com

I started my training this morning and I feel great.

Updates to come.  

22 April 2008

I have been a bad Blogger

It has been exactly one month since I have written and that is not a good blogger. The last month for me personally and professionally has been a struggle. Its also a good example of what can happen to your health if you do not make it a priority. I have maintained my weight loss for most of the month without a major issue but in the last week I have put on about 6 pounds or so. Some of this is water weight. Too many carbohydrates and no enough green vegetables. Some of my bad habits are creeping in and it took me a few weeks to start realizing it and to decide to adjust it.

I was at a bike rally this week and healthy eating and bike rallies just do not mix. The general atmosphere is eat, DRINK and be stupid. Alcohol is adding too much to my caloric intake.

Carbohydrates have also been creeping in. To much bread and to many french fries. I have discussed this before. Carbs are not good for ME. They cause a trigger which makes me eat and I have let them in. Not the good carbs but the bad ones have "come a creepin back in".

I have 30 days til my trip. I weigh about 238. In 30 days I want get down to 220. I made that plan originally a month ago and thought I was Ironman. Well Iron weighs a lot. I admit I have an issue with carbs and will cut out the processed carbs... I will also give up my Pizza (oh how hard that will be) and I will give up any trips to diners.

This month will be a clean month. Lean protein. Bison and Chicken- Green and yellow veggies- and I will start using meal replacements to streamline my health.

Physical activity- The gym has always been my friend. The treadmill has become monotonous to me. I have not been good about my aerobic activity. This is hanging as well.

I have seen some great improvements in muscle mass however.
Check back in a week or so for an update.

22 March 2008

March 22- Two months to Key West

May 22nd, My Friend Greg and I leave for my annual trip to Key West. My weigh loss focus has changed some in the last month or so. The numbers on the scale are important for my overall health but my health and the appearance I believe is a better indicator of health. My weight is fluctuating within about 2 pounds everyday. I do not feel that I am losing weight anymore. Since being able to return to a full schedule of lifting I find my focus has shifted to doing that. Lifting and is more important than just getting the numbers on the scale to be smaller. I am reassessing my goals.

Yes I would love to be able to say I have lost 100 pounds (209 would accomplish this), but this 209 goal was designed so I can say that I lost 100 pounds, not for any other purpose.

I still want to lose the weight. But my goals are going to be smaller. so 10 pounds by April 30. Which will put be around 220 or less.

Thanks for the comments.

06 March 2008

77 days til Key West!!!

Every year I take a trip to Key West with a small group of friends. There is a core group of three that generally go but this year only two of us are going and I think we are just going to keep it that way this year. The Trip is paid for and Greg and I are both trying to get ready for pool time in Key West. Well I have been working on Key West for about a year and a half now and I am excited about my weight loss but I would like to lose another 20 pounds. My weight has fluctuated this week by about 2 pounds on a daily basis and I have had NO time in the gym in a few days. In Atlanta right now there is a flu like illness that seems to be going around and I had it a few weeks ago. I feel well but I am still congested. I have been disappointed with my gym performance this week. First. I have had little time to hit the gym. Second when I have been to the gym I have been preoccupied with work and third I have little energy when i actually get into the gym.

I am going to make some changes beginning in the morning. GYM comes first. Aerobics come first at the gym and I will do Resistance exercises four days a week. I currently do them 6 days a week. I think this is wearing me down while I have this ongoing chest congestion. I hope to make this adjustment for a few weeks and then resume my previous level of exercise.

I have started reading a new book on weight loss recommended to me by my friend Chris who is following a similar path that I am. He is on the Optifast plan but he is continuing the Liquid phase longer than I did (this is very common). He has also limited his resistance exercise while he is very strong on his cardio work (much more than I).

The Beck Diet Solution (Judith S Beck Ph D.) deals with Cognitive Therapy and Weight Loss and teaches you how to think like a thin person. Expect Mini Book Reports in future weeks.

26 February 2008

Tuesday February 26, 2008 85 days to Key West

I weighed myself yesterday and I have started to trim down further. Two weeks ago I had added a few pounds back. Eating got a little out of hand. I went from about 232 to 237 in a few weeks. 5 pounds generally does bother me on my frame but the idea that a trend may be beginning was very unattractive. I tightened up on my maintenance plan. (trying not to call it a diet anymore) And have lost 10 pounds. I weighed in yesterday at 227.4 pounds. I think this is the low end and generally it will take a few days to stabilize. So for the next few days it will generally fluctuate between 227 and 230. I have seen this happen a few times with my weight loss. I will weigh in and that weight will be great but the very next day it has gone up a little. That seems to be what I call body adjustment.

The meal plan I described in my last blog is working well for me. I spent the last week of so in bed because I had major chest congestion and was put on an anti-biotic. I essentially took a week off from the gym but I ate every day based on my net 1500 plan. I ate to 1500 calories.

I am happy with this week even tho I did not spend much time at the gym.

My good friend Greg and I are planing out annual guys trip to Key West. We fly in to key west on the 22nd of May for 5 days of escape. In the past we have eaten too much, drank (way) too much and a lot of bar hopping. I do not think this is going to change much this year. (outside of the eating part) However, for the first time in years I will wear an actual men's bathing suit versus fat boys shorts.

My intermediate goal is to be down to 209 by May 22. I generally do not want to put time frames on my weight loss but I am in this case. Key West last year was a huge awakening for me- or rather the beached whale pictures that came out of that trip were. I lost 20 or 25 pounds by the time I was there but was still huge. This year will be different. 85 days til key west and I plan to lose 20 pounds by then. I look forward to snorkeling this year.

I am also planning to start a new book this week. Its called The Beck Diet Solution. My friend Chris (who joined the same plan I did about 10 weeks after I did suggested it). This book deals with the mental and psychological thought processes of being thin. Expect a book review next week and If I like it I will put a link to the website on my links section.



16 February 2008

Happy Valentines Day Phase 2 Complete

Final weigh on today was 230.4.  My total weight loss has been exactly 60 pounds since September 21 2007.  I plan to continue to use Optifast and other meal replacement aids to assist me in my weight maintenance.  There are some days that you just eat to much and you need some support the next few days to keep those pounds off.  The nutricianist in the program believes that products like Slim Fast (I am cheap and use Kroger brand Slim RITE) are not a bad meal replacement.    Now comes the hard part of the plan. Maintain and continue to lose.  I have decided that I want to lose another 20 pounds.  I should not put a time limit on it but I am.  May 22 is my goal date.  That is 12 weeks away.  Or 1.5 pounds per week.  

And I plan to do this with food and exercise.  My plan is to consume a net 1500 calories per day.  

What do I mean by "NET".  Well its pretty simple.  I can consume 2000 calories in a day as long as I then do 500 calories of measurable cardio exercise.  So my goal is to eat 1500 calories daily. But the treadmill can add more calories to the day.  

Follow me on this journey.


11 February 2008

Feb 11 Three days left in Phase 2

I have had a great weekend of maintaining and losing weight. I have been at the gym and making great strides. This week I am eating normal food but in a controlled manner. I have been good this weekend and I feel that my weight loss is starting to increase again. I have had three weeks of essentially no net loss and acutally a gain last week. Transition is hard only because you "tempt fate". I have had some good days and others I have just gone over board. Other people in my class have continued to lose weight and have actually lost as much in transition as they did during the first phase.

My workouts have improved. My bench press and leg presses have increased.

10 February 2008

Saturday February 9

In the last two days I have tightened up my diet and have made some changes to ensure that I will be able to continue to lose weight. I have decided that I would like to lose another 20 pounds. So my weight loss will have a goal of 215 by March 31st. That is 20 pounds or so in 6 weeks. I am hitting the gym and eating lean and green.

I decided to forgo the treadmill today and hit the park instead. Atlanta weather today was great. I walked the park twice. approx 4 miles.

08 February 2008

Week 20 One Week Left. Challenges

This week I faced my biggest challenges. Busy with work and life sent me off my diet plan more than I could have imagined. After my weigh in Tonight I am re evaluating what I have done this week. While I am happy with my results over all I am not happy with the last week. I have lost between 52 and 56 pounds. There is a lot of fluxuation in my weight right now. I would like to weigh 215.

23 January 2008

Jan 22, 2008

I am half-way through my transition plan so I have 3 weeks left as an active participant in the weight loss plan.  Last week I gained .6 pounds because I am eating real food again in limited amounts.  So there are fluxuations in your weight depending on what you have eaten that day.  I was not overly concerned about this as I had eaten a few hours before my weigh in, which is about 5 pm each thursday.  When I was only on liquid intra-day weight changes were predictable.  Now that is not true.  My morning and afternoon weight can be 4 pounds different.  Drives me crazy.

Once I complete my transition stage I will report that differently.  It will still be thursday but it will be based on naked morning weight.

16 January 2008

Week Three of Phase Two

It has been a few weeks since I posted.  December 28th I entered the transition phase. Week one was Hard as hell.  Essentially I gave up one of my five shakes and added back 2 oz of protein, a cup of veggies and a cup of fruit.  I was a very unhappy camper.  Week two was much more doable.  It added a little more veggies but i had the same number of shakes.  Week three- My current week has been better...  a little more food but I gave up another shake.  So I am currently having 3 Shakes a day and some food.  
Last week I eliminated lifting from my works out. I essentially just needed a break from it.  I added or expanded rather my cardio.  I am now doing the treadmill at 4mph with a 15 degree incline.  I do this for 250 calories.  I am pushing this to 320 calories.  
This week I have returned to lifting.  I am now breaking my workouts into three sections.  Chest Shoulders, Legs and Calves, and Arms and Back.  
My weight loss has slowed to a trickle.  My nutritionist believes that my "fat loss is being overshadowed by my muscule gains".  I will take that, happily.

Thanks for your continued support.

03 January 2008

January 3 2008 Happy New Year

Day 105  Phase 2 one week down.  This has been the most difficult week so far.  I am essentially eating a mini meal a day made up of 2 0z of protein a cup of veggies and a cup of fruit.  The fruit is ok but the rest of it just makes me hungry.  Not a very happy camper.  I weighed in at 233.6 so I lost .2 pounds.  I ate more than I should have. I know  Total weight loss is 54.8 pounds