8 months later

When I started this blog, my first post included a "topless" photo of myself. It was the 335+ pound version of me. The photo would be the initial motivation to start my weight loss journey. This morning I took another picture of myself after being on hiatus for a couple of months.

8 months and 100 pounds later:

The guy on the left wore XXXL shirts. The guy on the right has been wearing a few XL shirts lately.

The guy on the left was wearing size 46 in the waist. The guy on the right is wearing size 40.

The guy on the left was out of breath after climbing a flight of stairs. The guy on the right has another 5k race on June 4th.

The guy on the left was sick and tired of being sick and tired. The guy on the right is the result of that.

The guy on the left wanted to be around for a long time for his family. The guy on the right is going to be around for a long time for his family.

So I've lost more than 100 pounds

And here's the proof:

I was totally taken aback when I saw that number show up on the scale Friday morning. I thought I'd be close to 236, maybe 235.5 if I was lucky but definitely not less than 235. It feels really, really good. I never thought I'd lose 50 pounds. I've lost over 100 freaking pounds.

Now the next stage in my journey begins and that's maintaining my weight. I know I never want to go back to where I was. There's a whole lot that the thinner me is looking forward to doing. That includes spending as much time at the swimming pool as I can with Luke this summer. It also includes looking good in a tux for my brother's wedding. I'm not going to be the fat brother anymore.

Just take a look at the picture below (from December 2009):

There are too many of those and it's time for new ones.

Another perk is that I'm no longer obese according to my BMI. Now I'm just overweight. :)

Yet another before and after photo

I was going through my closet the other day and now have a dozen fewer shirts to wear as they are way too big, all of them XXXL or XXXLT. Also in my closet was a suit that I've worn maybe 4 or 5 times over the last 6 years or so. I hated wearing it because it was too tight and I would have to wear a white shirt and I looked huge in white.

I can remember trying to suck my gut in when it came time for formal pictures wearing that. It was tough buttoning the jacket comfortably.

I put it on and now it just hangs on me. The pants are loose and so is the jacket around my midsection. The first picture is from my sister-in-law's wedding in 2007 and the other picture is from last week. Enjoy!

I'm less than 2 pounds away from losing 100 pounds since starting this website. I haven't taken a picture lately like I did every month but I will once I hit the century mark.

What a difference a year can make...again

This past weekend I attended the Kansas Sampler Festival. It's an amazing yearly event. I attended last year as well.

Here's what I looked like then and what I looked like this year:

XXXL on the left. XL on the right.

I was embarrassed looking at the pictures of the XXXL version of me. The huge shirt just wasn't helping one bit and I looked terrible. Now I'm wearing an XL and I think I look good wearing it. I'm gaining more confidence in what I wear. It's an awesome feeling.

Another before and after photo

I have another before and after photo to share.

The left side is September 18th, 2010 and the right side is April 30th, 2011.

The old me couldn't run the entire 5k. The new me has run two 5k races in 2 weeks.

The old me was testing the limits of XXL shirts. The new me is swimming in them now.

The old me had a goatee to "hide" my fat face. The new me has one because it looks good (I'm told).

The old me had a lot to be happy about. The new me couldn't be happier.

Yesterday's 5k

Lots of highs and a few lows from yesterday's 5k in Topeka. My hope was that I would improve my time but I was 1 second slower than my last 5k. My time was 28:52 yesterday. The race started at 3 pm so that was a little bit of an adjustment but I don't think it had any effect on how I ran. I strained my right calf in the first half of the race and it's still sore today. It's a little bit better right now. Also, my gut started aching around the same time and I wasn't sure if I was going to throw up or what. It lasted the rest of the race and about 10 or 15 minutes after.
I had a decent breakfast, my usual oatmeal with flaxseed meal and also some strawberry greek yogurt. Lunch was lighter with just some vegetables. Looking back, I didn't drink near enough water both in the days before the race as well as yesterday morning and leading up to the race. Maybe a sports drink would have helped some too.
After the race, I went to a sports bar and "celebrated" by ordering whatever I wanted. I overdid it on what I ate and my wife told me she saw the old me. I felt that way too. I inhaled my food and had a lot of it. I had a cheeseburger, onion rings and a beer. I can't forget the spinach and artichoke stuffed mushrooms before my meal either. I also helped my wife finish her french fries. I was definitely the old Shawn for one meal. None of what I ate gave me the pleasure or satisfaction that losing 95 pounds or being a healthier person has. It was good to get that out of my system to remind me that I'm not missing anything.
On the bright side of things, I FINISHED ANOTHER 5K. I didn't stop running once as much as I felt like it and I still finished strong and with a decent time. I've come a long, long way from eating like a pig to where I am today.
If I'm going to keep this up, I really need to run and exercise on a more regular basis. I am looking forward to my next 5k on June 4th.

Here's a picture of me near the finish line from yesterday's race taken by SeeKCRun.com