I woke up to a surprising 240.6 lbs this morning. That means that I lost about 7 lbs since Friday. I know it's mostly water weight (as evidenced by the terrible leg cramp I had yesterday), but it feels good to see the number drop so much.
Back in 2005 I reached critical mass. My scale didn't go high enough to show me how much I weighed, so I went online and found one that went to 350 lbs. I can't describe the feeling of horror and disappointment I felt when I stepped on that scale and it read 345 lbs. I was killing myself, and I didn't even realize it. I didn't know what to do with myself, but nature intervened. Hurricane Rita hit the coast of Texas that September, and we had to evacuate. After the storm, I came back early to get back to work. I had no electricity and no clean water. I lived out of an ice chest for about a week, and every morning I'd wake up in a pool of my own sweat. Somehow I managed to lose 5 lbs., and that was the impetus for this continuing journey. I saw that it could be done, but I still didn't know how to do it myself. I did what I could, but it was a slow process.
In the summer of 2007 I moved from Texas to Wichita, KS. Shortly after that I took my first fitness class from Chris Haines. It's been a bumpy road of weight loss and weight gain since then. No fault of Chris'; I just have some very bad habits that I'm breaking. I had lost about 50 lbs with Chris' help, but I put it back on. That didn't do too much to boost my self-esteem, but thankfully Chris never gave up on me.
I mentioned to Chris that I would like to try a fight at least once, and in September of 2010, Chris offered to start training me. Here we are, seven and a half months later, and I'm down 68 lbs. That, with the weight I lost before I met Chris, is about 105 lbs lost since I sadly hit 345 lbs. It's been a long time coming, but I finally hit the 100 lb mark. I know I still have a long way to go, but I'm more motivated now than ever. My first amateur fight is less than a month away, and Chris has me training harder than ever.
"Do you regret this yet?" Chris has asked me that a couple of times with a smile on his face. I'm not going to lie, this is arguably the hardest thing I've ever done, but I certainly don't regret it. Do I regret losing weight and getting in better shape? No. Do I regret getting healthier and adding years to my life? No. My body aches, and I don't think I've ever physically pushed myself this hard before. I can honestly say that I'm doing this with no regrets.
Having never fought before, I'm dealing with a bunch of nerves and emotions. Chris told me something today that I hadn't thought of. He said to imagine my victory because I deserve it. I do deserve it. I have worked damn hard to get this far, and I'm going to keep working hard until I achieve my goals. Look for me to get my hand raised in victory on May 14th. I deserve it.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Let's Get It On
I'm so happy to say that I woke up to 248.6 lbs this morning. I thought my scale was playing a late April Fools joke on me, but after several weigh ins, I convinced myself that it must be true.
When you hear Marvin Gaye say, "Let's get it on," you probably have thoughts of taking a beautiful woman and making sweet love down by the fire, but when you hear Mills Lane or Big John McCarthy say it, you know someone's about to get their ass whooped. Well this blog is about the latter. I got a text from Chris Haines yesterday, and he asked me if I wanted to fight on May 14th. Nervous, excited, and fearful, I agreed to fight. The first thought that crossed my head was, "Shit! I'm going to have to take my shirt off in front of people." I'll get over that as soon as the punches start flying.
I was a ball of nerves yesterday, but it soon turned to nervous excitement. I called my mom and my brother to share the news with them, and they were really supportive. Then I called a couple of good friends, who were also very supportive. I'm trying to stay positive, and not dwell on my fears. I don't want to get knocked out, and I don't want to crap my pants. Anything beyond that, and I'll be happy with my performance. If I can go the distance like Rocky, I'll feel victorious. But in all honesty, I'm not training to lose - I'm training to win. I want to win. Two men are entering the cage, and one of us has to win. Why can't it be me? So I'm focusing on as much positivity as I can. I'm visualizing my victory, and trying to suppress any thoughts of defeat.
I don't want to discuss too much about my training camp or our game plan, but today was the first day. It was pretty rough. Chris and I talked afterward, and he gave me some good advice and words of encouragement. As nervous as I am about this fight, I'm really looking forward to it. I want to see what I'm capable of. What's my limit? Can I go beyond that limit? I'll soon find out.
My family, my friends, and everyone at Delano MMA and Fitness has been really great. Thank you all for your support and encouragement. I'll keep you updated as things progress. All or nothing!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Keep On Keeping On
The good news is that I finally broke through my plateau of the 260s. Unfortunately I can't give an accurate weight because my scale was teasing me this morning. I'm somewhere between 256 and 258 lbs. In addition to the fitness class, I've also been taking Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Delano MMA and Fitness. It's an incredibly fun challenge, and it will make you sweat buckets.
The exercise was always a big help, but probably the biggest change I've made has been in my diet. Casey (the woman who beats me up at the gym) asked me if I wanted to join her in her Lenten fast. It consists of no flour, no sugar, and no dairy. I had to say goodbye to my bread, pasta, chocolate milk, and a few other things that I'm too embarrassed to admit that I was eating. Now I have to eat more fruits and vegetables to satiate my hunger. I know it's common sense - and Chris has been trying to drill it in my head for years, but it's tough to resist those temptations sometimes. I'm hoping most (if not all) these new habits will stick. As I told Casey, it was difficult in the beginning, but now it's a piece of cake...a piece of flourless, sugarless, dairyless cake. Joking aside, I am looking forward to trying some new recipes. I've enlisted the help of my friend the Level VI Kitchen Wizard to help me find some cool new recipes to try. I'll have more on that later.
I've been encouraged to list some of my goals and accomplishments too, so here goes. I don't know why, but I promised Amber that I would do a six mile run with her this summer. Now that Spring appears to be here, I'll be running more. I can jog about a 1/4 mile without stopping, but my next goal is to run a whole mile before I have to take a breather. I think that can be realistically accomplished by the end of April or the beginning of May (weather permitting). That's the most pressing goal at the moment; there will be many more to come.
Here's what I've accomplished so far. I've lost about 50 lbs since August. I've gone down a size in pants and belt. I'm actually pretty close to tightening my new belt to the next notch. I've been wearing some old jeans that I had grown out of, but now I can fit them again. It's nice when people ask if I bought new jeans, and I get to tell them, "Nope! These are old, but I can fit in them again." Yup, that make me feel good about myself.
When I was still tipping the scales at 300 lbs, I took some body measurements. Nothing to be proud of I assure you, but I'm glad I did. It's a good way to track my progress. Here's my progress so far:
Measurements (in inches)........Then............Now
Chest.............................................51.5.............49.5
Forearm........................................12.25..........12.13
Waist.............................................58.5.............51.25
Thigh.............................................25................24.5
Hips...............................................45.5.............43
Calf.................................................17................16.25
Bicep..............................................15.75...........15.25
Neck...............................................18.25...........17.5
Thank you all for your help and support. I'll see you in the cage...sooner or later.
The exercise was always a big help, but probably the biggest change I've made has been in my diet. Casey (the woman who beats me up at the gym) asked me if I wanted to join her in her Lenten fast. It consists of no flour, no sugar, and no dairy. I had to say goodbye to my bread, pasta, chocolate milk, and a few other things that I'm too embarrassed to admit that I was eating. Now I have to eat more fruits and vegetables to satiate my hunger. I know it's common sense - and Chris has been trying to drill it in my head for years, but it's tough to resist those temptations sometimes. I'm hoping most (if not all) these new habits will stick. As I told Casey, it was difficult in the beginning, but now it's a piece of cake...a piece of flourless, sugarless, dairyless cake. Joking aside, I am looking forward to trying some new recipes. I've enlisted the help of my friend the Level VI Kitchen Wizard to help me find some cool new recipes to try. I'll have more on that later.
I've been encouraged to list some of my goals and accomplishments too, so here goes. I don't know why, but I promised Amber that I would do a six mile run with her this summer. Now that Spring appears to be here, I'll be running more. I can jog about a 1/4 mile without stopping, but my next goal is to run a whole mile before I have to take a breather. I think that can be realistically accomplished by the end of April or the beginning of May (weather permitting). That's the most pressing goal at the moment; there will be many more to come.
Here's what I've accomplished so far. I've lost about 50 lbs since August. I've gone down a size in pants and belt. I'm actually pretty close to tightening my new belt to the next notch. I've been wearing some old jeans that I had grown out of, but now I can fit them again. It's nice when people ask if I bought new jeans, and I get to tell them, "Nope! These are old, but I can fit in them again." Yup, that make me feel good about myself.
When I was still tipping the scales at 300 lbs, I took some body measurements. Nothing to be proud of I assure you, but I'm glad I did. It's a good way to track my progress. Here's my progress so far:
Measurements (in inches)........Then............Now
Chest.............................................51.5.............49.5
Forearm........................................12.25..........12.13
Waist.............................................58.5.............51.25
Thigh.............................................25................24.5
Hips...............................................45.5.............43
Calf.................................................17................16.25
Bicep..............................................15.75...........15.25
Neck...............................................18.25...........17.5
Thank you all for your help and support. I'll see you in the cage...sooner or later.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Busy, Busy, Busy
Woke up to 265 lbs this morning. My weight isn't dropping as fast as I think it should, and it's definitely not from a lack of exercise. That only leaves the diet portion of my training, and sadly I haven't been as strict as I should be. I'm making changes to remedy that problem.
I've been working out everyday for about a week and a half, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is quickly becoming my favorite part. I can't say that there's anything easy about it, or that any of it comes naturally to me. Ironically though, my weight sort of works in my favor. Sunday night I was rolling with some of the guys at Delano MMA and Fitness. I was in the mount position trying to put a submission hold on this guy, and he tapped out before I could even get the hold on him. Then I heard him say, "I can't breathe." That's embarrassing, but in competition, I think that's still a victory.
This was my first time taking Jake's BJJ class. I've been wanting to do it for quite some time now, and I finally got my chance. It's incredibly intense, and a great workout. After a good warm up and a few drills, we got to roll for the rest of the class time. I was a little timid because I'm the new guy in class, and I'm really not sure what I'm supposed to be doing. I said I'm going to be really good at this, but right now, I'm not really good at this. I rolled with Dave for a little bit before I almost suffocated him. Then I rolled with Gary and Bryan. Everyone was incredibly helpful and supportive - Gary especially. He corrected a lot of my mistakes and gave me a bunch of pointers.
I was so tired and sore when I got home; I couldn't wait to get to bed. I had trouble sleeping that night because my muscles ached so badly. I really didn't want to go to fitness class the next morning, but I don't want to start those bad habits again. I forced myself out of bed and made it to class. It's been that struggle almost every morning, but so far I'm still making it.
A day or two ago Chris suggest that I try a Friday night fight. He said I can wear my protective gear, and it's basically hardcore sparring. For a second there the shit got real. I wouldn't have to worry so much about hurting my opponent, but they wouldn't worry about hurting me either. I can live with that, but my biggest concern is: do I have to take my shirt off? Yes, I have at least an ounce of vanity in me, but the Lord continues to teach me the virtue of humility. It's all or nothing, right? I'll give my all, even if I have to take my shirt off.
One last thing. My buddy Greg hasn't been able to make it to the gym like he'd like to. I know it's driving him crazy, and it's driving me crazy too because he's supposed to be my sparring partner. I'll feel so much better about sparring with a guy because I won't have to worry so much about hurting him. I know Casey is a woman who beats me up pretty good when we spar, but I'm still afraid that I might accidentally hit her and hurt her. I just sparred with Amber the other day. She's incredibly skilled, but still, I accidentally kneed her in the leg and caused a charlie horse. She said she was ok, but I felt terrible. So, Greg, feel better, and hurry up. We have some training to do.
I've been working out everyday for about a week and a half, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is quickly becoming my favorite part. I can't say that there's anything easy about it, or that any of it comes naturally to me. Ironically though, my weight sort of works in my favor. Sunday night I was rolling with some of the guys at Delano MMA and Fitness. I was in the mount position trying to put a submission hold on this guy, and he tapped out before I could even get the hold on him. Then I heard him say, "I can't breathe." That's embarrassing, but in competition, I think that's still a victory.
This was my first time taking Jake's BJJ class. I've been wanting to do it for quite some time now, and I finally got my chance. It's incredibly intense, and a great workout. After a good warm up and a few drills, we got to roll for the rest of the class time. I was a little timid because I'm the new guy in class, and I'm really not sure what I'm supposed to be doing. I said I'm going to be really good at this, but right now, I'm not really good at this. I rolled with Dave for a little bit before I almost suffocated him. Then I rolled with Gary and Bryan. Everyone was incredibly helpful and supportive - Gary especially. He corrected a lot of my mistakes and gave me a bunch of pointers.
I was so tired and sore when I got home; I couldn't wait to get to bed. I had trouble sleeping that night because my muscles ached so badly. I really didn't want to go to fitness class the next morning, but I don't want to start those bad habits again. I forced myself out of bed and made it to class. It's been that struggle almost every morning, but so far I'm still making it.
A day or two ago Chris suggest that I try a Friday night fight. He said I can wear my protective gear, and it's basically hardcore sparring. For a second there the shit got real. I wouldn't have to worry so much about hurting my opponent, but they wouldn't worry about hurting me either. I can live with that, but my biggest concern is: do I have to take my shirt off? Yes, I have at least an ounce of vanity in me, but the Lord continues to teach me the virtue of humility. It's all or nothing, right? I'll give my all, even if I have to take my shirt off.
One last thing. My buddy Greg hasn't been able to make it to the gym like he'd like to. I know it's driving him crazy, and it's driving me crazy too because he's supposed to be my sparring partner. I'll feel so much better about sparring with a guy because I won't have to worry so much about hurting him. I know Casey is a woman who beats me up pretty good when we spar, but I'm still afraid that I might accidentally hit her and hurt her. I just sparred with Amber the other day. She's incredibly skilled, but still, I accidentally kneed her in the leg and caused a charlie horse. She said she was ok, but I felt terrible. So, Greg, feel better, and hurry up. We have some training to do.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Great Week 2/14 - 2/18
I made a real effort to at least double up on classes this week at Delano MMA and Fitness, and for the most part, I did. I guess the most important thing I learned this week is: I'm tired. Holy smokes was this week hard. Some days were harder than others. Tuesday I was dragging ass all day, but Wednesday, as tired as I was, I felt energized. I know that doing Jiu-Jitsu that day was the impetus for that great feeling. Maybe it's some sort of endorphin release; whatever it was, I was in a great mood that day. I don't know what it is about Jiu-Jitsu, but even after just a few classes, I can feel a change in myself. It's a real confidence booster. Already I feel - no...I know this is something I'm going to be really good at. I don't have any physical evidence to back me up; I just know it in heart to be true.
Today's workout ended on a great note. I got to do a little sparring with 3 different opponents. Two of them were women, and the other was a guy. It was really fun to spar against a guy who is closer to my level of experience. I don't feel that I did that great against him, but at least I don't feel bad about hitting back. It's great exercise, and a lot of fun.
One of the women I sparred with was pretty funny. It was her first time, and she was really hesitant to take a swing at me. It's always awkward the first time around, but I think she got into it. I didn't throw anything back at her, but I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't duck and dodge her punches as well as I should have. Thankfully she doesn't hit that hard yet.
Easily my most formidable opponent is Casey. If you've read previous posts, she's the woman who always beats me up. She has a strong punch, and a lot of heart. She kept catching me with a hook today, and it really lit me up. If I can get to the point where I can block and/or dodge her punches, I'll feel like I've made some major improvements. Until then I'll just be happy to stay on my feet.
Today's workout ended on a great note. I got to do a little sparring with 3 different opponents. Two of them were women, and the other was a guy. It was really fun to spar against a guy who is closer to my level of experience. I don't feel that I did that great against him, but at least I don't feel bad about hitting back. It's great exercise, and a lot of fun.
One of the women I sparred with was pretty funny. It was her first time, and she was really hesitant to take a swing at me. It's always awkward the first time around, but I think she got into it. I didn't throw anything back at her, but I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't duck and dodge her punches as well as I should have. Thankfully she doesn't hit that hard yet.
Easily my most formidable opponent is Casey. If you've read previous posts, she's the woman who always beats me up. She has a strong punch, and a lot of heart. She kept catching me with a hook today, and it really lit me up. If I can get to the point where I can block and/or dodge her punches, I'll feel like I've made some major improvements. Until then I'll just be happy to stay on my feet.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Get On Top Of Me
My scale was all over the place this morning, so I'm going to estimate my weight to be somewhere between 265 and 267 lbs. Pretty much the same as the past month or so. I'm not too happy about that, but still I continue with my plans.
I didn't make it on time to the 8 am class, but I was early for the 9 am class today. I used the extra time to warm up with some jumping rope. Chris has had me mixing up my jump rope routine to make it a little harder. If you've ever seen a Rocky movie, I can do pretty much all his jump rope techniques. That may not sound like much to you, but I never thought I'd be doing the criss-cross jump rope. That's pretty easy for me now. The one that I had trouble with a couple of months ago was the one where you jump on one foot twice, and then switch to the other foot. That's not a great description, but it's the technique you see at the beginning of this video. In the beginning I couldn't balance well, and my rhythm was way off. I just wanted to throw my hands in the air and go back to the regular jump rope style. Chris pushed me, and I eventually got it down pretty well. I could tell that my left side was weaker though because I had more trouble balancing and hopping from that side. My left side has gotten stronger - not quite as strong as my dominant right side, but a noticeable improvement. I can actually get a pretty good, fast rhythm with that style now. Again, I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but these are little things that I never thought I'd be doing.
Now for the big things. After the fitness class, I took my first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class. I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about this. I know it's not going to be easy, but the best things in life rarely are. It's awkward at first having a guy sit on your chest, but you get over that pretty quickly. You have to. This definitely works a bunch of different muscles than my other training because I got tired pretty fast. So that's another great aspect of it. I don't have a whole lot to say about it just yet because I just started, but if anyone wants me to put them in an armbar, I can. All in all, I'd say I had a great day of training, and I'm looking forward to many more great days with the guys at Delano MMA and Fitness.
I didn't make it on time to the 8 am class, but I was early for the 9 am class today. I used the extra time to warm up with some jumping rope. Chris has had me mixing up my jump rope routine to make it a little harder. If you've ever seen a Rocky movie, I can do pretty much all his jump rope techniques. That may not sound like much to you, but I never thought I'd be doing the criss-cross jump rope. That's pretty easy for me now. The one that I had trouble with a couple of months ago was the one where you jump on one foot twice, and then switch to the other foot. That's not a great description, but it's the technique you see at the beginning of this video. In the beginning I couldn't balance well, and my rhythm was way off. I just wanted to throw my hands in the air and go back to the regular jump rope style. Chris pushed me, and I eventually got it down pretty well. I could tell that my left side was weaker though because I had more trouble balancing and hopping from that side. My left side has gotten stronger - not quite as strong as my dominant right side, but a noticeable improvement. I can actually get a pretty good, fast rhythm with that style now. Again, I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but these are little things that I never thought I'd be doing.
Now for the big things. After the fitness class, I took my first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class. I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about this. I know it's not going to be easy, but the best things in life rarely are. It's awkward at first having a guy sit on your chest, but you get over that pretty quickly. You have to. This definitely works a bunch of different muscles than my other training because I got tired pretty fast. So that's another great aspect of it. I don't have a whole lot to say about it just yet because I just started, but if anyone wants me to put them in an armbar, I can. All in all, I'd say I had a great day of training, and I'm looking forward to many more great days with the guys at Delano MMA and Fitness.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Some Days Are Harder Than Others
Yesterday I was really bummed out because my scale said that I was back up to 271 lbs. It was a real wake up call that I was doing something wrong, and I'm positive it's somewhere in my diet. Today my scale read 266.2 lbs. I don't know if my scale is broken, but I don't think you can lose 4.8 lbs in one day. Whatever the case may be, this is the only scale I have so I have to trust what it displays.
I hate circuit training. I mean I love it, but I hate it. Chris has been putting us through a lot circuits lately. I recognize the benefit, but, man, they're hard. Yesterday was a good workout with one embarrassment. Chris wanted us to do (try and do) some pull-ups. Never in my life have I been able to do a pull-up. I just don't have the upper body strength for it yet (but it is one of my goals). The best I was able to do was hang from the bar and raise myself maybe an eighth of an inch. The worst I did was to not even be able to grip the bar well enough to just hang. It's just another in a series of reminders that the Lord is teaching me the virtue of humility.
I got some pretty decent rest last night, and I figured I'd be feeling good today. I felt good, but my body disagreed. I was sore, mostly in my arms and shoulders from my wimpy pull-ups. Today's circuit didn't help either; each exercise felt increasingly harder. Tire flipping, squatting medicine ball toss, double box jumps... it just kept getting harder and harder. In between each exercise we had to jump rope. After each exercise I couldn't wait to jump rope so I could rest and try and catch my breath. How often does it happen that you look forward to jumping rope so you can rest? Today might have been the first time for me. No matter what though, Chris won't let you give up on yourself, and I really needed that extra motivation today. That goes a long way with me, and that's one of the main reasons I like going to my gym. Now I just need to muster the strength to get through the rest of the day.
I hate circuit training. I mean I love it, but I hate it. Chris has been putting us through a lot circuits lately. I recognize the benefit, but, man, they're hard. Yesterday was a good workout with one embarrassment. Chris wanted us to do (try and do) some pull-ups. Never in my life have I been able to do a pull-up. I just don't have the upper body strength for it yet (but it is one of my goals). The best I was able to do was hang from the bar and raise myself maybe an eighth of an inch. The worst I did was to not even be able to grip the bar well enough to just hang. It's just another in a series of reminders that the Lord is teaching me the virtue of humility.
I got some pretty decent rest last night, and I figured I'd be feeling good today. I felt good, but my body disagreed. I was sore, mostly in my arms and shoulders from my wimpy pull-ups. Today's circuit didn't help either; each exercise felt increasingly harder. Tire flipping, squatting medicine ball toss, double box jumps... it just kept getting harder and harder. In between each exercise we had to jump rope. After each exercise I couldn't wait to jump rope so I could rest and try and catch my breath. How often does it happen that you look forward to jumping rope so you can rest? Today might have been the first time for me. No matter what though, Chris won't let you give up on yourself, and I really needed that extra motivation today. That goes a long way with me, and that's one of the main reasons I like going to my gym. Now I just need to muster the strength to get through the rest of the day.
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