But will I be your biggest loser?

You know, that question is really loaded. So I did not win the biggest loser contest at work. Lost out to a person who had a shorter road to 10% by about .8% but I am not sad. I have now lost about 30 pounds and just purchased a pair of 38 jeans that fit and do not look painted on. I find it crazy to be happy about 38s but I am and it shows, or so people say. This weekend should be fun. I will see people I have not seen in months, who last saw me at almost 40 pounds heavier than I am now. Crazy. The battle with gluten continues and it is getting harder. It seems that the intolerance I had built up thru my life is now all gone and any wheat now really does a spell on me. But we adapt and that has been fun. We recently got in a shipment of Gluten-free cake mix, baking mix and 26 pounds of corn pasta. If you did not know us you may think we were Italian. Anyway onwards and downwards...

Twenty, twenty, twenty, twenty pounds ago.......

Woo...So I got in this morning and stepped on the scale expecting to see my weekend gain back again and was pleasantly surprised. 256.6 stared back at me from the readout. That magical little number represents a 20 lb drop since I began this mess 6 weeks ago. Wow, just wow. I say I can not really see it in myself, but others say they can, and clothes do fit differently. I went out Friday with the wife and kids and tried on pants in a size I have not seen since my days at the orange university in the hills of SC. The times they are a changing. Twenty down, now to do it 2 more times.

New year and new challenges.

Good Day and welcome to the Year 2011. This is the year it all changes for you. What? You say it has all been said before? No, I am sure this is a new statement.

Yes, it has been said many times and will be said again in the future. Here we are in a new year and the goal is still the same, Fat man's journey to 200 pounds. I can not speak for the others you have heard from on here but it has been a journey that has not gone well. Sure there have been small victories but the war is far from over.

In December of this year I received news that I have allergies to egg, wheat, corn, shellfish and a variety of nuts. I was prepared for a couple of these items as they are the reason I had the test in the first place, but others shocked me. I have developed a reaction to cashews and undercooked eggs that caused me to ask my doctor about it come physical time and he ran a small battery of tests. When it came back with wheat I was floored. I am a man who loves his wheat in all the forms, bread, cake, BEER, ugh Beer. Luckily the allergies are not the kind of falling on the floor and needing a shot but they could develop into it.

So, what does it mean for me? I get to run thru an elimination diet. Cut out everything that includes the things on my allergy list for several weeks and then one at a time reintroduce them to see how my body reacts to them. This should help in another aspect of my life, my weight. This is going to help me work on integrating more fruit and vegetables into my eating habits. That has to be good, right?

OK, that is all for now. I plan on tracking this as I go along gentle viewer and I hope it entertains.

Going Primal

A friend sent me a link to this blog the other day. [Thanks Alli!]

Mark's Daily Apple

On the blog Mark talk about his book "The Primal Blueprint", where he explains how to "Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and boundless energy."

After another friend [Thanks Daniel!] had talked about the book I decided to buy it and see what all the buzz was about. I haven't finished the whole book but so far it has been an interesting read.

I'd encourage you to stop by Mark's Daily Apple and check it out. If you like what you see, consider picking up a copy of his book.

After I finish the book, I'll post a longer review.

Not all calories are created equal...

This is an interesting article a friend posted earlier today on Facebook. (Thanks Sami!!!)

Some tidbits...

"Today, 55 percent of sweeteners used in food and beverage manufacturing are made from corn, and the number one source of calories in America is soda, in the form of HFCS."

" The average Westerner consumes a staggering 142 pounds a year of sugar"

I'm sure this topic is one that could be debated back and forth but the article is a good read even with the occasional over dramatic flare.

Check it out if you'd like to know more!

Link: Sugar May Be Bad But This Sweetener Is Far More Deadly

Dale: More Swimming...

Swam Friday and Today. 1/2 mile each day. Slowly getting my speed back up. I had to swim around a bunch of kids today, the lifeguards forgot to keep a lane open for lap swim. They eventually noticed I was having to slalom around kids to get from one end to the other and they moved the kids into another lane. All in all I like swimming and it's a good workout so I'll keep it up. Eating has been going pretty well, except for the fact that there was a pig pickin' this weekend so that wasn't the most healthy fare. Well the pig was pretty healthy but all the other stuff that was there wasn't. :) It was all tasty though.

Now I'm off to make a sandwich and head into the office for some fun and exciting work!

Sound exciting I know...

Groceries....

So I decided to pick up some groceries. I noticed that I was pretty much out of food in the house. I guess it was time. Only so much you can do with frozen strip steaks when you don't have anything to make with it.

So now I have fresh fruit, fresh veggies, milk, bread, all kinds of good stuff. Plus today or tomorrow I get my delivery from Papa Spuds! Fresh veggies, fruit, bread from a local online farmer's market. They have organic and locally (most things) grown stuff! I'll let you know how it turns out.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to post more recipes in the next few days.

Stop Eating You Fat Bastard

Originally that's what I was going to call my new blog. :) I thought some might not take it in the right light. So I decided to call it the Trek to 200. Is it possible for a fat guy to get down to 200 lbs? I guess we'll find out!

Check out my FAQ for more information on me and what the plan is.

I don't know if it will work but what the hell, it certainly can't hurt. :)

Check back and see how I'm doing if you're interested. If not no big deal. I'm doing it for me, not you.