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.

19 November 2009

OctoberFast is now 34 by 36!!!

" HUH? " would be an appropriate response.  When I began my weight loss journey I weighed 310 pounds.  I've now achieved a weight of 225, with some ups and downs along the way.

When I started my weight loss my jeans were big boy size 44 relaxed fit.  I now wear a size 36 jean but feel that a size 34 is where I'm going to be happy.  So today I bought a pair of 34 jeans (regular fit).  I can wear them but they are too small.  Breathing would not be an option as they are now.  But give me another 10- 15 pounds.  So My goal by my birthday is to wear these size 34 jeans...a full 10 sizes smaller than when I started.  I'm going to follow my OctoberFast Diet program with a few modifications.  Including some allowances for higher calories (clean calories mind you) on lifting days.  And a once a week treat meal.  I am going to eliminate all ground meats (including Bison).  I am also going to require that I eat salmon or some other fish (not including shell fish which are allowed normally) 3 days a week.

I've also decided to rename the OctoberFast Program.  Now it will be Fat Boy No More Cleanse or FBNM  Cleanse.

jbriancrawford.blogspot.com
Posted by at No comments:

14 November 2009

challenges

Cheesecake was made by Satan. 'nough said.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]



Posted by at No comments:

12 November 2009

Plateau is the word of the day.

Merriam-Webster defines Plateau as an intransitive verb meaning  to reach a level, period, or condition of stability or maximum attainment.  Good or Bad I have reached a plateau.  I've seen no weight loss in the last week or so and its perfectly normal.  My body has to adjust.  When you reach a plateau you have to think about it in the most positive manner.  You have reached a point at which you body has reached stability and maximum attainment.  Does this mean that you should do something dramatic and cut your calories dramatically-  Absolutely NOT.  Does this mean that you will not be able to lose more weight? Again NOT.  Let your body rest. Don't push it for a few weeks.  Watch your calories watch your activity level and give your body a few weeks to adjust.  And in a few weeks you will start to see results agin.  


Jbriancrawford.blogspot.com
Posted by at No comments:

05 November 2009

Cleansing Program (AKA OctoberFast)


Instructions (for Men or Women)


This is a 30 day diet plan designed to help you adjust your weight in a short time. This is not a long term diet plan. Your goal is 1500 Calories per day. You have a 10 percent variance in either direction before you should be concerned. MAX 1650 and min 1350. Do not push 1600 everyday. Do not try to cut down to 1400 everyday either. You are aiming for 1500 calories.


Requirements
No Bread/ Tortillas
No White potatoes
No fried foods
No candy, sweets, cookies
No ground beef
No full fat cheese
No Sugar




What you can eat!


Veggies (Carrots, Broccoli, Green Beans, Squash, Tomatoes, Onions, whatever you like)
Lean meat (bison, pork, chicken, beef tenderloin, venison, turkey)
Limited Fruits
Sweet Potatoes
Grits
Oatmeal
Low Calorie Cereals
Skim Milk
Eggs (Limited)
Egg Beaters
Lettuce, Cabbage
Salsa
Guacamole
Butter Spray
Low Fat Yogurt


Sample Daily Menu
Breakfast (240 Calories)
Breakfast Bowl (170 Calories)
Instant Grits (One Packet prepared and flavored with Butter Spray) 100 Calories
Chopped Bell pepper (1/8 cup ) 10 Calories
4 oz Egg substitute (equivalent 2 eggs) 60 Calories
Prepared grits then add pepper and eggs, microwave for 2 minutes, mix together.


½ Cup Activia Yogurt Light (70 calories)
Very filling


Lunch (495 Calories)


7 oz Grilled Chicken Breast 280 calories
1 oz BBQ sauce 40 calories
1 oz Guacamoles 25 Calories
½ Cup Carrots Cooked 40 Calories
½ Cup Green Beans 40 Calories
Three Slices Tomatoes with ¼ cup fat free cottage cheese 65 Calories




Dinner (715 Calories)
8 oz Beef Tenderloin (500 calories)
1 medium to large baked sweet potato (170 Calories) use butter spray and cinnamon and splenda
½ cup Broccoli cooked tender add Butter Spray (45 Calories)


Total calories 1450


The most important thing to keep in mind is to find some low calorie but filling foods to eat with every meal. Sweet Potatoes are very filling and have about 170 calories. If you have trouble eating breakfast Use Slim Fast TYPE Ready to Drink Shakes. Wal- Mart, Target and Kroger have their own versions. I actually prefer the store brands.


You should try to have two or three types of veggies with a small amount of protein in each meal. A chicken breast with Broccoli,  green beans and cooked carrots. Very filling.


Look for more sample menus to come in the near future.


How can you tell how much calories are in specific items? NutritionData.com is a great website.






















Posted by at No comments:

30 October 2009

OctoberFast is complete and the results are Awesome

After fighting so hard to keep my diet and weight in check... and falling off the wagon on occasion. I took the last month to "correct" my weight.

At initial weigh-in on September 29 I had reached a heart breaking 255.5 pounds.  If you go back you will see that in December 2007 I had achieved a weight of 227.  Shortly after, my weight floated in the 230-240 range.  And I was perfectly ok with that.  However in the first 10 months of this year I slowly gained 15 to 20 pounds.  After 30 days of a very strict (with a few exceptions) I have lost 25.3 pounds.

Today I weigh 230.2.

This was not by starvation.  This was by determination-- increased activity and tight control of my diet.

I'm in the middle of publishing the details of my OctoberFast Plan.  Look for them in the next day or so.

I'm taking a few days to allow my body to relax and enjoy a few of the items I essentially forbid myself to have in the last month.  Cheesecake is definitely in order.  And Monday I'll be continuing with a modified version of my last OctoberFast... my new eating plan... ok we'll make it Tuesday.

thanks for your support.



jbriancrawford.blogspot.com


Posted by at No comments:

26 October 2009

Three days left in OctoberFast.

My goal for OctoberFast was 20 pounds.  I've reached 22.5 pounds down.  

My Reward for my success is a big ole piece of cheesecake with Chocolate and Caramel Syrup.  YUMMMMMMMMM

So Thursday at Midnight I'm taking my happy self to Taco Mac and having a draught Guinness and cheese cake.  I'm taking the weekend off of tracking to enjoy halloween.  And I'm going on my next program starting November 2nd.  

I'll  publish total results for OctoberFast along with the actual detailed plan and sample menus this weekend as well as announce my next set of goals.

Thanks for your support especially to my Facebook friends.

Jbriancrawford.blogspot.com
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)