Good Morning People,
This is week four of this journey. I have to admit i was a little upset with myself last week. I only lost 4 pounds, i was looking to lose around 6. I had a few little cheats as ill call them and im sure they are the reason why i didnt lose as much as i wanted to. I am currently in death con 5 mode, ready to give it all i have plus a little more. The next four weeks im going to push myself until i reach these goals. Mardi Gras is right around the corner and this shirt is still hanging in the hallway, i must wear it. I also have roughly 18 days to run this mile, im closer and closer each day. Ive learned that we often our our worst enemies. I have got to push myself so i can be satisfied with the outcome. This morning i was excited to get to the gym and workout. Our warm up consisted of 25 jumping jacks, 10 squats, 10 push-ups, and 5 Burpees, three rounds. Its strange that the warm up is no longer that hard for me. When we first started i thought i was gonna die after the warm up, but now it just leaves me wanting more. Our workout this morning consisted of Sit-ups, ring pulls, squats, and push ups. We had to stay at each station 4 minutes doing each work out 20 sec and then a 10 sec break. My goal for each station was to get to 5 reps for 8 rounds in the 4 min. It was an extremely hard workout. round 1 and 2 are easy, after that the pain sets in and you really just wanna lay on the ground. Every workout im constantly amazed that i am finishing it. Never had i imagined that I would be the person i am right now. I mean im buying fresh meat, fruit and veggies. i used to buy frozen pizza, wings, white powdered donuts, and 2 gallons of chocolate milk. Now Im this healthy fat guy, im sort of like a hybrid Tahoe, big but good for ya. I had the pleasure of talking to my wonderful mother this morning, who by the way said she did not want to be mentioned in the blog. She knows that is an impossibility for me. My mother is doing zumba, and im so proud of her. She said she feels like Beyonce, clearly shes not, but she has a few moves in there. As i walked around Walmart this morning, im sure everybody heard our conversation, as we tend to talk loud on the phone with each other. One of the greatest things we talked about was a lifestyle change. I told her im not on a diet, thsi is a lifestyle change, a transformation, we have to start paying more attention what we put in our bodies. if we treated our bodies like we do our cars we would be much better off. My mother is such an amazing woman, who by her actions has taught me so much. People often say that im such a funny guy, i get my humor from my mother, she cracks me up. As children she was always pushing us to do great things, and to be great people. three years ago she almost died, and now she is up doing zumba three days a week. She is an inspiration to me because she continues to push her sel;f and learn new things. As i journey forward, ill continue to have her words of wisdom in my head. I am going to push, and push untill i cant go any further, the first step is getting up. Salt and pepper said it best.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Saturday Morning Cardios
Good Evening,
Its been a busy weekend. Sorry for being late with the blog. This Saturday morning was my first Saturday workout with the group. Every Saturday I'm bringing a guest and they are going to blog about their experience at Versus. My first guest was Krista. Krista thinks she is a work out master. I remember good times when i would sit on her couch eating krispy kreme donuts as she completed her P90X. The only encouraging words i had for her were " Superman" and "Banana". lol. She has always worked out, and she has an amazing body to prove it. I just knew she would want to be my first guest. The whole week we grew excited and nervous at the same time. I did not know what Nathan was going to have us do, but i knew it would be challenging. I go to pick Krista up, and she comes outside all decked out like she was going to play tennis with one of the housewives of Beverly hills. Soon i noticed the nervousness in her eyes. As we pulled up to Jackson Trail, i see a ton of fit, skinny, good looking people, stretching and talking. Instantly i wanted to turn around and go back home. Luckily i had my ace right there to keep me focused. We did our normal warm-up, which for Krista was a breeze she finished ahead of me and then started stretching like she in the Olympics. Our workout for the day would be to run 200 meters, at the end of the 200 meters, we had to do 10 kick-backs. Run 200 meters back to the start line and do 10 jumping squats, we did all of this for 20 min AMRP. I did 3.5 rounds, which i am still amazed at. Krista completed 5, and some guy in blue did like 7. It was an awesome workout and probably one of my favorites. Its such a nice feeling to run in the wild as i would call it. I will tell you that if you run on the trace have your middle finger ready for the bikers. Supposedly the bikers have the right of way, i don't agree. The bikers on the trace were a little cocky and rude, if i had not been out of breath i would have thrown a stick into one mans spokes, take that "coming on your left". Here is Krista's Blog about our workout, you will notice that she uses great grammar, it should be a much needed re leaf for all of my educated followers.
Krista take it away:..........
What did I just do? I took my level of pride from a 7.5 to a 1.3. Of course I knew the "versus workout" would be challenging. . . I prepared myself early- had a healthy dinner the night before and turned in early for plenty of rest. 8 am, alarm goes off, I'm up and out of bed like it's the first day of school. I put on my cute workout gear, eat my 70 cal. Light and Fit Activia yogurt, grab my bottled water, bandage my blister and wait for Matt's text. We arrive at the Jackson Trace about 9 a.m. There are about 20 or so people standing around, stretching and such. I'm excited. I've worked out my whole life and just recently started eating healthier, jump roping, plyometrics, and all around trying to do better. I'd seen changes in myself and was ready to be put to a different challenge. We join the group. We all know that no matter how much one may argue against it, there is a certain competition among the female class. Whether that be a good or bad thing, it's inevitable. So not only do I want to do my best, I also don't want to be the slowest chick out there looking like I've never set foot in a gym. We begin our stretch and matt tells me I'm showing off. "Um, this is how I stretch, Matthew." Then I refer to The Office episode where Michael Scott hosts a Run for Rabies Cure and gets mad because Toby is stretching and taking it too seriously. Lol. Anyway, Nathan- the instructor- tells us our workout is to run to the orange cone (400 meters), do 15 kick backs, run back and do 15 jump squats. Each set was 1 round and we had to do as many rounds as we could in 20 minutes. Easy, right?? So we start lining up and he tells those who will be running faster, to get towards the front. Matt goes straight to the back. Lol So I get somewhat toward the front but not too far so I don't get embarrassed. We are about to begin when a girl comes and gets in right front of me. Immediately I'm thinking "Oh, for real?" But when we started running, I was glad she did bc then I would've been more embarrassed. She was good and unknowingly challenged me to do better. The beginning was basically a "ooh look at me, I'm running fast and I'm really fit," the middle was more like "uh, for real!?" and the end was a "is he ever going to stop us?!" Nathan was very encouraging. He didn't yell, he only encouraged positively in a soft voice. Which I found comforting in my time of pain. At round 5, he tells us "30 more seconds, get your last squat jumps in." "Happily!!," I thought. As soon as I was done, I checked around for my partner. There he was coming up right behind us all with such integrity. He did 3.5 rounds! I was so proud of him. I ran to him so we could finish together like we were a real team. I should've started yelling at him like a drill sargeant just to see what he'd do. Lol So I go to stretch, right? And I notice this girl staring at me so I look up at her and she says "Um, are you going to vomit??" ... Wow. "No, just stretching, thanks!" We finished the workout off with about 10 group pictures and headed back with a new sense of self. I'm glad I did it and if anyone wants to back out now, I'll gladly fill their spot.
Its been a busy weekend. Sorry for being late with the blog. This Saturday morning was my first Saturday workout with the group. Every Saturday I'm bringing a guest and they are going to blog about their experience at Versus. My first guest was Krista. Krista thinks she is a work out master. I remember good times when i would sit on her couch eating krispy kreme donuts as she completed her P90X. The only encouraging words i had for her were " Superman" and "Banana". lol. She has always worked out, and she has an amazing body to prove it. I just knew she would want to be my first guest. The whole week we grew excited and nervous at the same time. I did not know what Nathan was going to have us do, but i knew it would be challenging. I go to pick Krista up, and she comes outside all decked out like she was going to play tennis with one of the housewives of Beverly hills. Soon i noticed the nervousness in her eyes. As we pulled up to Jackson Trail, i see a ton of fit, skinny, good looking people, stretching and talking. Instantly i wanted to turn around and go back home. Luckily i had my ace right there to keep me focused. We did our normal warm-up, which for Krista was a breeze she finished ahead of me and then started stretching like she in the Olympics. Our workout for the day would be to run 200 meters, at the end of the 200 meters, we had to do 10 kick-backs. Run 200 meters back to the start line and do 10 jumping squats, we did all of this for 20 min AMRP. I did 3.5 rounds, which i am still amazed at. Krista completed 5, and some guy in blue did like 7. It was an awesome workout and probably one of my favorites. Its such a nice feeling to run in the wild as i would call it. I will tell you that if you run on the trace have your middle finger ready for the bikers. Supposedly the bikers have the right of way, i don't agree. The bikers on the trace were a little cocky and rude, if i had not been out of breath i would have thrown a stick into one mans spokes, take that "coming on your left". Here is Krista's Blog about our workout, you will notice that she uses great grammar, it should be a much needed re leaf for all of my educated followers.
Krista take it away:..........
What did I just do? I took my level of pride from a 7.5 to a 1.3. Of course I knew the "versus workout" would be challenging. . . I prepared myself early- had a healthy dinner the night before and turned in early for plenty of rest. 8 am, alarm goes off, I'm up and out of bed like it's the first day of school. I put on my cute workout gear, eat my 70 cal. Light and Fit Activia yogurt, grab my bottled water, bandage my blister and wait for Matt's text. We arrive at the Jackson Trace about 9 a.m. There are about 20 or so people standing around, stretching and such. I'm excited. I've worked out my whole life and just recently started eating healthier, jump roping, plyometrics, and all around trying to do better. I'd seen changes in myself and was ready to be put to a different challenge. We join the group. We all know that no matter how much one may argue against it, there is a certain competition among the female class. Whether that be a good or bad thing, it's inevitable. So not only do I want to do my best, I also don't want to be the slowest chick out there looking like I've never set foot in a gym. We begin our stretch and matt tells me I'm showing off. "Um, this is how I stretch, Matthew." Then I refer to The Office episode where Michael Scott hosts a Run for Rabies Cure and gets mad because Toby is stretching and taking it too seriously. Lol. Anyway, Nathan- the instructor- tells us our workout is to run to the orange cone (400 meters), do 15 kick backs, run back and do 15 jump squats. Each set was 1 round and we had to do as many rounds as we could in 20 minutes. Easy, right?? So we start lining up and he tells those who will be running faster, to get towards the front. Matt goes straight to the back. Lol So I get somewhat toward the front but not too far so I don't get embarrassed. We are about to begin when a girl comes and gets in right front of me. Immediately I'm thinking "Oh, for real?" But when we started running, I was glad she did bc then I would've been more embarrassed. She was good and unknowingly challenged me to do better. The beginning was basically a "ooh look at me, I'm running fast and I'm really fit," the middle was more like "uh, for real!?" and the end was a "is he ever going to stop us?!" Nathan was very encouraging. He didn't yell, he only encouraged positively in a soft voice. Which I found comforting in my time of pain. At round 5, he tells us "30 more seconds, get your last squat jumps in." "Happily!!," I thought. As soon as I was done, I checked around for my partner. There he was coming up right behind us all with such integrity. He did 3.5 rounds! I was so proud of him. I ran to him so we could finish together like we were a real team. I should've started yelling at him like a drill sargeant just to see what he'd do. Lol So I go to stretch, right? And I notice this girl staring at me so I look up at her and she says "Um, are you going to vomit??" ... Wow. "No, just stretching, thanks!" We finished the workout off with about 10 group pictures and headed back with a new sense of self. I'm glad I did it and if anyone wants to back out now, I'll gladly fill their spot.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
WOW!
Good Afternoon Everyone,
Im sitting here in my office and all i can say is wow! It was a pretty intense morning to say the least. I pushed myself further than i have ever been pushed. At one point during the workout i was like " I AM NOT DOING ALL THIS SHIT, IM GONNA STOP AT ROUND 6, PRETEND TO THROW UP, AND TAKE MY ASS HOME" I had already given up on myself, but i remembered all the people who are following me and didn't want to let yall down. So if you see me around and im moving slow blame yourselves. LOL . I start with the warm-up. Today's warm up was 25 jumping jacks, 5 push-up, 10 sit-ups,5 jumping squats, and 5 groiners (bur pee's little cousin), Three times. I know what you are thinking, that is a work out in its self. After I almost died from the warm up, we moved into our WOD. The WOD was Burpees, sit-ups, and weight squats. Weight squats are squats with 10llb dumbbells that you have. When you squat, as you thrust up, you use the momentum to raise the dumbbells and repeat. We did all that in what i call the COUNTDOWN FROM HELL. We did 10 each, then 9, then 8, then 7, then 6, then 5, then 4, then 3, then 2, then 1. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Around round 6, i was determined to give up, my legs were buckling, i had been passing gas for the last ten minutes, and i was right out tired. I never would have imagined that i would be able to finish this workout. As i lay there on the floor in a pool of my own sweat, i knew i had to finish if not for myself but for my followers. The whole time im thinking what the hell have i gotten myself into. Why didnt i try to play the piano, or learn a new language, there is nothing like a Fat, Bilingual, Pianist, its a classic look. I didnt learn the piano, beacuse it was not going to change my life. I wanted a lifestyle change and thats what ive got. I pushed on through and made it to the end. I will never forget this day, this was the day that i stopped using excuses. Everybody has an excuse as to why they cant and won't do something. If you stop using those excuses and just get the shit done, you will feel 100 percent better. I could have easily got up, and left and there was nobody there to stop me. Sometimes you just have to encourage yourself and keep going. In the Black church we sing a song " Lord, im running, trying to make a 100, 99 and half wont do, Lord im running, trying to make a 100, 99 and half wont do". That song got me through this work-out this morning. I was not gonna be happy if i stopped at round 6, i had to keep going. When i got to round 1, i wanted to start crying because i had finally completed something that challenged me, i had overcome an obstacle and made it my bitch. For years i had given up on so many things. I wanted to have a Masters degree by now, I wanted to have a huge house in the hills, i wanted to be a senator and educator, i was gonna be a star. I let small little challenges stop me from completing my dreams. Today i got confirmation from myself that I can do all things. My whole life i have been going to church and hearing " I can do all things, through Christ that strengthens me," I never really understood the meaning until this morning. I had to ask for help this morning. I was laying there thinking i cant do this, Lord help me. I know what you are saying, I cuss, I drink, Im gay, im not the friendliest person you know, but i know when to ask for his help. I swear to GOD like a mighty flowing wind, he gave me a much need push. I hate to go all CHURCHY on yall, but im giving real emotion. At the end of the work out, i stood there amazed, that i did this and all i could say was WOW! I stepped outside the Gym, rain pouring, my legs, back and butt riddled with pain, and thought to myself WOW!
Im sitting here in my office and all i can say is wow! It was a pretty intense morning to say the least. I pushed myself further than i have ever been pushed. At one point during the workout i was like " I AM NOT DOING ALL THIS SHIT, IM GONNA STOP AT ROUND 6, PRETEND TO THROW UP, AND TAKE MY ASS HOME" I had already given up on myself, but i remembered all the people who are following me and didn't want to let yall down. So if you see me around and im moving slow blame yourselves. LOL . I start with the warm-up. Today's warm up was 25 jumping jacks, 5 push-up, 10 sit-ups,5 jumping squats, and 5 groiners (bur pee's little cousin), Three times. I know what you are thinking, that is a work out in its self. After I almost died from the warm up, we moved into our WOD. The WOD was Burpees, sit-ups, and weight squats. Weight squats are squats with 10llb dumbbells that you have. When you squat, as you thrust up, you use the momentum to raise the dumbbells and repeat. We did all that in what i call the COUNTDOWN FROM HELL. We did 10 each, then 9, then 8, then 7, then 6, then 5, then 4, then 3, then 2, then 1. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Around round 6, i was determined to give up, my legs were buckling, i had been passing gas for the last ten minutes, and i was right out tired. I never would have imagined that i would be able to finish this workout. As i lay there on the floor in a pool of my own sweat, i knew i had to finish if not for myself but for my followers. The whole time im thinking what the hell have i gotten myself into. Why didnt i try to play the piano, or learn a new language, there is nothing like a Fat, Bilingual, Pianist, its a classic look. I didnt learn the piano, beacuse it was not going to change my life. I wanted a lifestyle change and thats what ive got. I pushed on through and made it to the end. I will never forget this day, this was the day that i stopped using excuses. Everybody has an excuse as to why they cant and won't do something. If you stop using those excuses and just get the shit done, you will feel 100 percent better. I could have easily got up, and left and there was nobody there to stop me. Sometimes you just have to encourage yourself and keep going. In the Black church we sing a song " Lord, im running, trying to make a 100, 99 and half wont do, Lord im running, trying to make a 100, 99 and half wont do". That song got me through this work-out this morning. I was not gonna be happy if i stopped at round 6, i had to keep going. When i got to round 1, i wanted to start crying because i had finally completed something that challenged me, i had overcome an obstacle and made it my bitch. For years i had given up on so many things. I wanted to have a Masters degree by now, I wanted to have a huge house in the hills, i wanted to be a senator and educator, i was gonna be a star. I let small little challenges stop me from completing my dreams. Today i got confirmation from myself that I can do all things. My whole life i have been going to church and hearing " I can do all things, through Christ that strengthens me," I never really understood the meaning until this morning. I had to ask for help this morning. I was laying there thinking i cant do this, Lord help me. I know what you are saying, I cuss, I drink, Im gay, im not the friendliest person you know, but i know when to ask for his help. I swear to GOD like a mighty flowing wind, he gave me a much need push. I hate to go all CHURCHY on yall, but im giving real emotion. At the end of the work out, i stood there amazed, that i did this and all i could say was WOW! I stepped outside the Gym, rain pouring, my legs, back and butt riddled with pain, and thought to myself WOW!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Gummy Bear
Good Evening Everyone,
Sorry for being so late posting the new blog. im sure everyone lost some sleep today waiting on me to post. You can read my blog and then go to sleep and have a good nights rest. Today's workout was a bitch. We did our normal warm up, but we added jumping squats. Im pretty sure they are called something else, but i can not remember the name. You squat all the way down like an old Asian man and then you jump into the sky. Im not racist its the only thing i could think of. They were pretty rough but i am amazed that i was able to do it. On to the WOD. WOD stands for work out of the day. Today's WOD was a 20min AMRP. AMRP means As many reps as possible. Our Goal was to get to five, i got to four and i was beyond proud. We did a down and back run,sit-ups, walking lunges and kettle bells. Kettle bells was actually my favorite, i know that may surprise some people, but i enjoy lifting weights and i felt like i was. A kettle bell is this black ball with a hook on it (get your mind out of the gutter..lol...lol..) Anyways and you stand with your feet square, you squat and bring the kettle bell forward with your arms straight to your eyesight. It was pretty tough but i really enjoyed it. I didn't think i was gonna make it to four rounds. I had already told myself i was gonna shoot for three. When i had completed three my body was screaming " sit yo fat ass down". Nathan being the great PT he is pushed and encouraged me to do one more round. I pushed myself and made it through. There is no greater felling than not giving up. I have to say the first time i met Nathan he was completely drunk at a bar in New Orleans for the Super Bowl. He was leaning all the way back but standing up somehow. I never thought that i would have so much respect for a person. Which is rare for me because as we all know I'm never intimidated by anyone nor impressed, it takes a while. Nathan has shown himself worthy of my respect. Anybody that can get me to run 800 meters deserves much respect. Had it been ten years ago i would have cursed him out and probably thrown him off the loading dock. Which by the way Steve we need to get cleaned up, we have to run past an old rusty grill and a bunch of cheap wood. Im sure its a hazard. LOL..sorry Steve. I'm only two weeks into the gym and im already trying to organize it. lol..its what i do! I feel amazing and i think im starting to look amazing. Im a server and every table has to have drinks. I used to hate getting drinks because my feet would hurt and i gotta walk all the way to the back..yada yada yada. I know that sounds crazy. When you are overweight you try to make everything as simple as possible if they ordered sweet tea or water the pitcher was right there on the dining room floor and i would not have to walk back to back to get a refill. God forbid they order a coke they better drink it slow they were never gonna get a refill unless Derrick happened to walk by the table. LOL. It was a lazy lifestyle. Now i enjoy walking, I enjoy being busy at work because i feel like i am working out while working. Its an amazing feeling to no longer be so lazy. I remember days when i used to have a bag of M&M;s under my bed along with a 12 pack of fruit punch just in case i got hungry or thirsty at night. I know its so shameful but i did. Ever since i was little i have had a love affair with gummy bears. I still do, they are just awesome pieces of goodness. The gummy bear was my comfort food. I remember i would get 5 dollars a week allowance for cleaning my room. As soon as my mama would put it in my hand i would walk down the street to Vickers Gas Station and buy the 2 for dollar bag of gummy bears. I was the happiest child alive. As i grew older and fatter the gummy bear continued to be a major part of my life. Its all i ever wanted. Its strange how we let certian things that are meant to be pleasurable contribute to our misery. The gummy bear has contributed to this misery we call obesity. No more gummy bears for me, well maybe one or two..just not one or two bags. This week i will be focusing on running that mile Mardi Gras is right around the corner and i have got to meet this goal. Everyday i pass the grey shirt hanging in my hallway and I WILL BE WEARING THAT SHIRT SOON. Maybe if i lose enough weight i can become a stripper, or i could just sit on a plane with no seat belt extension.
Sorry for being so late posting the new blog. im sure everyone lost some sleep today waiting on me to post. You can read my blog and then go to sleep and have a good nights rest. Today's workout was a bitch. We did our normal warm up, but we added jumping squats. Im pretty sure they are called something else, but i can not remember the name. You squat all the way down like an old Asian man and then you jump into the sky. Im not racist its the only thing i could think of. They were pretty rough but i am amazed that i was able to do it. On to the WOD. WOD stands for work out of the day. Today's WOD was a 20min AMRP. AMRP means As many reps as possible. Our Goal was to get to five, i got to four and i was beyond proud. We did a down and back run,sit-ups, walking lunges and kettle bells. Kettle bells was actually my favorite, i know that may surprise some people, but i enjoy lifting weights and i felt like i was. A kettle bell is this black ball with a hook on it (get your mind out of the gutter..lol...lol..) Anyways and you stand with your feet square, you squat and bring the kettle bell forward with your arms straight to your eyesight. It was pretty tough but i really enjoyed it. I didn't think i was gonna make it to four rounds. I had already told myself i was gonna shoot for three. When i had completed three my body was screaming " sit yo fat ass down". Nathan being the great PT he is pushed and encouraged me to do one more round. I pushed myself and made it through. There is no greater felling than not giving up. I have to say the first time i met Nathan he was completely drunk at a bar in New Orleans for the Super Bowl. He was leaning all the way back but standing up somehow. I never thought that i would have so much respect for a person. Which is rare for me because as we all know I'm never intimidated by anyone nor impressed, it takes a while. Nathan has shown himself worthy of my respect. Anybody that can get me to run 800 meters deserves much respect. Had it been ten years ago i would have cursed him out and probably thrown him off the loading dock. Which by the way Steve we need to get cleaned up, we have to run past an old rusty grill and a bunch of cheap wood. Im sure its a hazard. LOL..sorry Steve. I'm only two weeks into the gym and im already trying to organize it. lol..its what i do! I feel amazing and i think im starting to look amazing. Im a server and every table has to have drinks. I used to hate getting drinks because my feet would hurt and i gotta walk all the way to the back..yada yada yada. I know that sounds crazy. When you are overweight you try to make everything as simple as possible if they ordered sweet tea or water the pitcher was right there on the dining room floor and i would not have to walk back to back to get a refill. God forbid they order a coke they better drink it slow they were never gonna get a refill unless Derrick happened to walk by the table. LOL. It was a lazy lifestyle. Now i enjoy walking, I enjoy being busy at work because i feel like i am working out while working. Its an amazing feeling to no longer be so lazy. I remember days when i used to have a bag of M&M;s under my bed along with a 12 pack of fruit punch just in case i got hungry or thirsty at night. I know its so shameful but i did. Ever since i was little i have had a love affair with gummy bears. I still do, they are just awesome pieces of goodness. The gummy bear was my comfort food. I remember i would get 5 dollars a week allowance for cleaning my room. As soon as my mama would put it in my hand i would walk down the street to Vickers Gas Station and buy the 2 for dollar bag of gummy bears. I was the happiest child alive. As i grew older and fatter the gummy bear continued to be a major part of my life. Its all i ever wanted. Its strange how we let certian things that are meant to be pleasurable contribute to our misery. The gummy bear has contributed to this misery we call obesity. No more gummy bears for me, well maybe one or two..just not one or two bags. This week i will be focusing on running that mile Mardi Gras is right around the corner and i have got to meet this goal. Everyday i pass the grey shirt hanging in my hallway and I WILL BE WEARING THAT SHIRT SOON. Maybe if i lose enough weight i can become a stripper, or i could just sit on a plane with no seat belt extension.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Lean Meat, Team work and Burpees Oh My!)
Good Morning,
Well it's been a full week of dieting and working out. I feel awesome and like I can rule the world. This mornings workout was no fucking joke. The warm up as you know always kill me. I told my self that I wanted to put more effort in the warm up and I'll feel better during the workout. This morning I did just that and I felt like I did a better job. Our warm up consisted of 25 jumping jacks, 10 PVC pipe squats, 5 push ups, 10 sit ups, and run. We did this three times around the second round is when I usually say to myself " just leave and go to McDonald's and get the usual", but I am so determined to lose this weight I kept going. If McDonald's would come out with a breakfast burrito, hash brown and hi-c orange gum that would make me happy, kinda like the one in willy wanka. After the warm up we always do a nice stretch and PT( Nathan) coaches us on diet and nutrition. The work out this morning consisted of 2-6 min rounds of the following: 15 BURPEES( I'll explain what these are in a minute) sit ups, squats and ring pulls. We got a 1 min break in between praise God. Burpees are the devils gift to fat people in the world along with fried Oreos and supersonic cheeseburgers. Imagine you are standing up,then fall into the pushup position , and bring your feet towards your hands lift your body up and clap( I saw barbara clap so I did the clap I'm not sure if we were supposed to clap, but it added some flare to it so I was fine...lol) and repeat. I know it's some bull shit. Doing BURPEES has been the only thing along this journey that I have felt defeated on. I hate losing in anything. Wheather it be the casino, monolopy, cranium or coloring. I hate losing. I felt like I lost today with the BURPEES so I'm determined to win next tie we do them I'm gonna practice at home. I have to get these down. Good thing was the OGM's hate them too. OGM's are the oak grove moms. Any group of ladies that are in my life have to have a name it just makes me feel better. I have my bayside high girls, and of course the angels. The angles by the way have started working out and eating healthy too I'm so proud of them. Bayside high has always worked out I just never listened lol. After the workout for the day we did a 400 meter run, which I ran more than I walked this time. I'm getting closer and closer to that mile. Bourbon stret better watch out I'm gonna be pounds lighter and rolling with three healthier women. When I was done I got a personal consolation from Steve and Nathan. When I say personal consolation it makes me feel better. During our conversation they went over my diet log. I can no long have A&w diet footbed, which by the way is awesome. Somehow I'll ween myself off of it. I also learned that I have got eat more lean meats and increased meal frequency. These men are so knowledgeable in everything fitness, glad to have them and their company on my team. Next week I'm going to three workouts a week, I'll be joining in on the Saturday workout and I'll be having a guest join me as well. After the workout my guest will blog through my blog about their experience, this is the scheduled guest, Krista, Amanda,Katie, Sherri, Jennifer, and Ruth. I hope these ladies are ready, I feel like Amanda and Sherri are going to try to out do me so I'm gonna prepare extra for their workout. Teamwork is so important in all of this and I really wanna thank the OGm's for being so helpful and encouraging, stay focused ladies, Barbara lay off the bread, and Andra leave the animal cookies alone. Untill next week..stay healthy and remember if ya wanna be lean ya gotta eat lean( Nathan said that) I just know I make it sound better!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
A Sore Winner
Good Morning Everyone,
Just left Versus, and I am worn out. We had an amazing workout. Our workout this morning was pretty rough for me. Its the warm up that always gets me and for some reason i feel like the warm up should be the work out...but its not. Our warm up consist of a run: down and back, the infamous SUPERMAN, 25 jumping jacks,squats, and sit ups. We did the warm up three times. At this point I'm like what the Hell just let us go home. Then on to the workout. The workout consisted of 5 stations, one minute at each station, three times. the stations were sit-ups, push-ups,air squats,running, and ball drops. Ill be the first to tell you that ball drops is about some bull shit. You have this 15LB ball and you drop it on the ground, and follow to pick it up. Ball drops are basically squats with extra pain. I did it though. I will say that these women I work out with are some positive ladies. I feel like a superstar when I walk in. "hey Matthew, looking good, keep up the good work." Sometimes i feel like i should respond like Johnny Bravo..."Thank ya mama" ..lol..that is so funny to me. In all seriousness they are amazing, and I'm glad i have them there to encourage me. I would return the favor but i am normally out of breath. Yall know I'm stuck up, so I cant call Nathan our coach, he has to be my personal trainer. It just makes me sound rich. That guy is amazing, always encouraging, and uplifting. At the end of our workout we had to do a 400 meter run, on the street, with moving cars, and there was a lite drizzle. In my eyesight it was a thunderstorm.I walked most of the way but at the end there he was yelling (well he really doesn't yell, it was more like him just loud talking) for me to finish it out running. While i was walking i saw him down there being that i was the last one, and i kept saying to my self.." I hope this motherfucker doesn't encourage me to run". He did and because i don't want to let him down nor myself i did, and i'm so proud to have him on my team. At the end of the run, we talked about dieting. I have got to kick it up a notch with my dieting more lean meats and veggies. He did say and i quote " when i go to the Mexican place, i get the fajitas and i just eat the meat, onions and green peppers, i eat a few chips and maybe a little sauce"..he basically told me, i can eat la Fiesta Brava again. I just now have a better understanding of what to eat. Chicken and broccoli it is. I feel amazing. My friend Holly has sort of been my inspiration for losing weight. She has lost a shit ton of weight. I've dealt with her weight loss not so well. At first i thought she was using drugs, and wasn't telling me. My assumption and lack of asking sort of separated us for a while last year. i felt like i wasn't there for her, and i'm sure she felt the same way. I remember we had this long talk one day , and when i say it got real...the shit got real. I saw her give me emotions that she never had before, and from that talk she said one thing that has stuck with me.."you were not there". It hit me like a pound of bricks. I realized that i wasn't. Holly has always been there for me no matter what,. whatever i needed, whenever, or wherever.I thank her for being so open and honest. I said to my self if Dub can do it so can I. My mother even said it " You need to get like dub!" Dub is Holly's nickname. I have so many people along this journey that have been here with me. I often say " Don't show up, when i blow up," and the response has always been " we are here now." (that doesn't mean yall will get any money when i blow up,Krista, Nicole, Double A, Jennifer, Sonyer, Dub, Latisha, Sherri, Ruth, or Brad). After last Thursdays workout, i could barley walk, or do any day to day activities. I was so sore that i wanted to go #2 standing up. It was an awesome feeling to be sore from working out and actually feeling the results. I am proud to be a sore winner, beats being a sore loser any day ( just don't play cranium against me!)
SORRY FOR THE SPELLING AND GRAMMAR I JUST DON'T CARE. I JUST WANNA GET MY EMOTIONS OUT, AND I GOT TO GO TO WORK.
Just left Versus, and I am worn out. We had an amazing workout. Our workout this morning was pretty rough for me. Its the warm up that always gets me and for some reason i feel like the warm up should be the work out...but its not. Our warm up consist of a run: down and back, the infamous SUPERMAN, 25 jumping jacks,squats, and sit ups. We did the warm up three times. At this point I'm like what the Hell just let us go home. Then on to the workout. The workout consisted of 5 stations, one minute at each station, three times. the stations were sit-ups, push-ups,air squats,running, and ball drops. Ill be the first to tell you that ball drops is about some bull shit. You have this 15LB ball and you drop it on the ground, and follow to pick it up. Ball drops are basically squats with extra pain. I did it though. I will say that these women I work out with are some positive ladies. I feel like a superstar when I walk in. "hey Matthew, looking good, keep up the good work." Sometimes i feel like i should respond like Johnny Bravo..."Thank ya mama" ..lol..that is so funny to me. In all seriousness they are amazing, and I'm glad i have them there to encourage me. I would return the favor but i am normally out of breath. Yall know I'm stuck up, so I cant call Nathan our coach, he has to be my personal trainer. It just makes me sound rich. That guy is amazing, always encouraging, and uplifting. At the end of our workout we had to do a 400 meter run, on the street, with moving cars, and there was a lite drizzle. In my eyesight it was a thunderstorm.I walked most of the way but at the end there he was yelling (well he really doesn't yell, it was more like him just loud talking) for me to finish it out running. While i was walking i saw him down there being that i was the last one, and i kept saying to my self.." I hope this motherfucker doesn't encourage me to run". He did and because i don't want to let him down nor myself i did, and i'm so proud to have him on my team. At the end of the run, we talked about dieting. I have got to kick it up a notch with my dieting more lean meats and veggies. He did say and i quote " when i go to the Mexican place, i get the fajitas and i just eat the meat, onions and green peppers, i eat a few chips and maybe a little sauce"..he basically told me, i can eat la Fiesta Brava again. I just now have a better understanding of what to eat. Chicken and broccoli it is. I feel amazing. My friend Holly has sort of been my inspiration for losing weight. She has lost a shit ton of weight. I've dealt with her weight loss not so well. At first i thought she was using drugs, and wasn't telling me. My assumption and lack of asking sort of separated us for a while last year. i felt like i wasn't there for her, and i'm sure she felt the same way. I remember we had this long talk one day , and when i say it got real...the shit got real. I saw her give me emotions that she never had before, and from that talk she said one thing that has stuck with me.."you were not there". It hit me like a pound of bricks. I realized that i wasn't. Holly has always been there for me no matter what,. whatever i needed, whenever, or wherever.I thank her for being so open and honest. I said to my self if Dub can do it so can I. My mother even said it " You need to get like dub!" Dub is Holly's nickname. I have so many people along this journey that have been here with me. I often say " Don't show up, when i blow up," and the response has always been " we are here now." (that doesn't mean yall will get any money when i blow up,Krista, Nicole, Double A, Jennifer, Sonyer, Dub, Latisha, Sherri, Ruth, or Brad). After last Thursdays workout, i could barley walk, or do any day to day activities. I was so sore that i wanted to go #2 standing up. It was an awesome feeling to be sore from working out and actually feeling the results. I am proud to be a sore winner, beats being a sore loser any day ( just don't play cranium against me!)
SORRY FOR THE SPELLING AND GRAMMAR I JUST DON'T CARE. I JUST WANNA GET MY EMOTIONS OUT, AND I GOT TO GO TO WORK.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
"Last Time," the words that saved my life
Good Morning,
Wow! Is all I can say. i get up this morning pumped and ready to go. I couldn't sleep a wink, from excitement and nervousness. I listen to nappy roots " Good day", and i jump in the car and head off to change my life. I couldn't even find the place. I was looking for this huge sign that would read " Versus: Welcome to Hell", no sign. Versus is in this small building and kinda looks like a garage. Its not the typical gym i am used to. I'm used to to a huge state of the art place, with loud TVs, music blaring, girls dressed like they are going to the club, and men with six packs and sweaty balls. What i found was a place full of positive energy. It was simple and straight to the point. As you all know I'm what they call stuck up. As i walked up the brick stairs into this loading dock they call a gym, i thought what the hell is this? I thought i was going to a "real' gym. I was at a real gym. A gym where the instructors know your name. You can look in their eyes and see the passion they have for fitness. the passion they have for you to become a better person. I was so encouraged and empowered. As the group started slowly walking in, i notice that im the only man in the class. I also notice that if you taped three of these women together i still weigh more than them. I did not let that get me down i was ready to go. The warm up..which i thought was the workout lasted forever. We then started doing the actual workout and this is where for a split second i was like FUCK THIS! I pressed on though. I was surrounded by these wonderful encouraging women. Women just like me that wanted to change, wanted a better body, and better health. They showed me the ropes and what i needed to do. Our instructor this short man, with a soft, and well spoken voice. When you think of boot camp, you think of fatigues, and drill sergeants. He was none of that. He was a well trained instructor, who with his soft words gave me pure hell. I thank him. We had to do 8 sets of each workout. We got a chance to rest in between. as i lay there on the ground, dripping with sweat, maybe a tear or three, i thought please say we are done, he never did. Then those famous words " Last TIME", were called out. It was like he could see the pain in my eyes and knew i needed rest. 'Last time", there is a last time for every thing. I have promised myself that this will be the last time i let my weight get out of control. The last time i let food control my life. Now i'm stepping into a new phrase the " First time". This was the first time i have truly given something my full dedication, but it wont be the last.
Wow! Is all I can say. i get up this morning pumped and ready to go. I couldn't sleep a wink, from excitement and nervousness. I listen to nappy roots " Good day", and i jump in the car and head off to change my life. I couldn't even find the place. I was looking for this huge sign that would read " Versus: Welcome to Hell", no sign. Versus is in this small building and kinda looks like a garage. Its not the typical gym i am used to. I'm used to to a huge state of the art place, with loud TVs, music blaring, girls dressed like they are going to the club, and men with six packs and sweaty balls. What i found was a place full of positive energy. It was simple and straight to the point. As you all know I'm what they call stuck up. As i walked up the brick stairs into this loading dock they call a gym, i thought what the hell is this? I thought i was going to a "real' gym. I was at a real gym. A gym where the instructors know your name. You can look in their eyes and see the passion they have for fitness. the passion they have for you to become a better person. I was so encouraged and empowered. As the group started slowly walking in, i notice that im the only man in the class. I also notice that if you taped three of these women together i still weigh more than them. I did not let that get me down i was ready to go. The warm up..which i thought was the workout lasted forever. We then started doing the actual workout and this is where for a split second i was like FUCK THIS! I pressed on though. I was surrounded by these wonderful encouraging women. Women just like me that wanted to change, wanted a better body, and better health. They showed me the ropes and what i needed to do. Our instructor this short man, with a soft, and well spoken voice. When you think of boot camp, you think of fatigues, and drill sergeants. He was none of that. He was a well trained instructor, who with his soft words gave me pure hell. I thank him. We had to do 8 sets of each workout. We got a chance to rest in between. as i lay there on the ground, dripping with sweat, maybe a tear or three, i thought please say we are done, he never did. Then those famous words " Last TIME", were called out. It was like he could see the pain in my eyes and knew i needed rest. 'Last time", there is a last time for every thing. I have promised myself that this will be the last time i let my weight get out of control. The last time i let food control my life. Now i'm stepping into a new phrase the " First time". This was the first time i have truly given something my full dedication, but it wont be the last.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
The Night that the Lights went out at Sonic
Good Evening,
I feel so stupid. I thought that the boot camp started on Jan 17, but it actually started on Jan 10. This put me into a real panic, I'm not ready, i don't want to start yet, and i don't have the money yet. I count all trials as joy. I had to prepare some how for this nightmare I'm putting myself through. I'm sharing all of my deepest thoughts, wants, and desires with possibly the whole word. This in its self is a challenge. I'm so used to being such a hard ass and not opening up to many people. Who do i blame for this, my father Eddie. He was such a hard man to deal with, treated people like shit, treated me like shit, and only cared about himself. That's what i thought of him my whole life until he died. Me and my brother had the privilege of going to his apartment to "clean up" after he died. I expected to find a huge life insurance policy, loads of cash, some gold, and some nice clothes. What i found was myself in 40 years. We were the same person, thought the same way, acted the same way, folded our clothes the same way, cooked for 400 people even though it was for one. person the same way. All these years of ignoring him, i was really hurting myself not him. This person that i hated was myself. He taught me through his actions to trust no man. He taught me through is actions to open up to no man. He taught me through is actions to never let anyone walk over you. He taught me through his actions to always care about that might dollar bill. He taught me how to be him. I'm grateful for that lesson because i have the opportunity to turn things around. I don't have to be alone, mean, hateful, and sneaky. Its OK to love, its OK to share, its OK give. Papa thank you for teaching how to be a man. I wish i had learned that we were the same person 10 years ago, and I'm sure my life would be better. Life isn't destined to be a walk in the park. Life is more like climbing a mountain. Right now I'm in the valley ready to start the climb to victory. Wow i didn't mean to get all Dr. Phil on y'all. Tonight was my last night of freedom. The last night i got to eat what i wanted. I kinda feel like an inmate of death (def-for all my black friends lol) row. Eating my last meal alone. I sat there at the bar eating a fried country steak with white gravy, mashed potatoes with brown gravy, and two huge slices of Texas toast. As i started to eat it, i was like WAIT!, i should have went to sonic. Holy crap what was i thinking. My last night to eat unhealthy, and i choose a country fried steak, and not a super sonic double cheeseburger. My life is over as i know it, i should have went to sonic. either way i press on. Tonight the lights went out at Sonic, tonight they hung a fat man. Tomorrow my journey will start. I'm ready, prepared, and set to go. I will admit I'm a little nervous, but i know that will be calmed in the morning. I had the privilege of spending some much need quality time with a very intelligent person, and they told me to love your self, and be confident. Sorry Sonic see ya in 8 weeks!
I feel so stupid. I thought that the boot camp started on Jan 17, but it actually started on Jan 10. This put me into a real panic, I'm not ready, i don't want to start yet, and i don't have the money yet. I count all trials as joy. I had to prepare some how for this nightmare I'm putting myself through. I'm sharing all of my deepest thoughts, wants, and desires with possibly the whole word. This in its self is a challenge. I'm so used to being such a hard ass and not opening up to many people. Who do i blame for this, my father Eddie. He was such a hard man to deal with, treated people like shit, treated me like shit, and only cared about himself. That's what i thought of him my whole life until he died. Me and my brother had the privilege of going to his apartment to "clean up" after he died. I expected to find a huge life insurance policy, loads of cash, some gold, and some nice clothes. What i found was myself in 40 years. We were the same person, thought the same way, acted the same way, folded our clothes the same way, cooked for 400 people even though it was for one. person the same way. All these years of ignoring him, i was really hurting myself not him. This person that i hated was myself. He taught me through his actions to trust no man. He taught me through is actions to open up to no man. He taught me through is actions to never let anyone walk over you. He taught me through his actions to always care about that might dollar bill. He taught me how to be him. I'm grateful for that lesson because i have the opportunity to turn things around. I don't have to be alone, mean, hateful, and sneaky. Its OK to love, its OK to share, its OK give. Papa thank you for teaching how to be a man. I wish i had learned that we were the same person 10 years ago, and I'm sure my life would be better. Life isn't destined to be a walk in the park. Life is more like climbing a mountain. Right now I'm in the valley ready to start the climb to victory. Wow i didn't mean to get all Dr. Phil on y'all. Tonight was my last night of freedom. The last night i got to eat what i wanted. I kinda feel like an inmate of death (def-for all my black friends lol) row. Eating my last meal alone. I sat there at the bar eating a fried country steak with white gravy, mashed potatoes with brown gravy, and two huge slices of Texas toast. As i started to eat it, i was like WAIT!, i should have went to sonic. Holy crap what was i thinking. My last night to eat unhealthy, and i choose a country fried steak, and not a super sonic double cheeseburger. My life is over as i know it, i should have went to sonic. either way i press on. Tonight the lights went out at Sonic, tonight they hung a fat man. Tomorrow my journey will start. I'm ready, prepared, and set to go. I will admit I'm a little nervous, but i know that will be calmed in the morning. I had the privilege of spending some much need quality time with a very intelligent person, and they told me to love your self, and be confident. Sorry Sonic see ya in 8 weeks!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Blogging before Da Jogging
Good Morning,
So this is the begining process of the journey im about to embark on. Krista will be the first to tell you that i cant spell. Its the truth i would love to blame Ms. Sables my fifth grade teacher, but we had spelling test every week. I would love to blame my mother but she never allowed ignorance in her house. I think ill just blame George W. Bush, he is the reason i cant spell. Ill have to apologize for the grammar as well it may be a little off. When i started typing i was looking for the little red line to appear, it didnt, and i cant seem to find the (ABC) button for spell check, so looks like im shit out of luck. I just found the abc button, all praises be unto God. So i have to say that i am a little excited about doing this boot camp and this blog thing. i feel so important, or i make myself seem so important either way im ready. I am nervous though, setting up this blog. It was telling me to read the instructions first, and watch the video, now yall know i didnt do that and im not. so im just gonna be like every other man in the world and figure this shit out on my own. i do hope that somebody will read this, ive put lots of effort into making sure everybody knows excalty what im doing. Along with the blog i will have a food journal too. I will be open and honest about the food im eating at all times. Hopefully when i feel like cheating and going to sonic to get a super sonic cheeseburger with extra cheese no mayo no ketchup add bacon, sonic size tots and a route 66 rootbeer, i wont because i know you bastards will be reading this, and some idiot will walk up to me at work and be like "matt you cant be eating sonic" and i can walk around pissed off...fun fun fun. Again i am excited..sorry for calling yall bastards and idiots. with all the being said there are a few people i would like to thank. First Lonny Johnson, he is my stepfather, but really he is my daddy..especially at firestone. He has diabetes ( that was a hard one) , and went on a weight loss journey and has lost lots of weight. He claims he is at his Military weight when he first joined, i say he has about 50 llbs to go. Second my mother, she has been wanting me to loose weight for a long time now, and even though im almost 30, i still want her approval on a lot of things, im not doing this for her but i know she will be able to sleep better at night knowing that i wont weight the combined weight of my other two siblings. Somebody else eat the red velvet. lol. Third facebook and photos, when you get tagged in a photo and all you see is your back fat thats when you know you need to loose weight. fourth my wonderful friends, i have some amazing friends, loving caring always there for me. I think sometimes they wish i would become famous so they can reap the benefits. " dont show up when i blow up". Seriously they are awesome. Im so controlling, demanding, bitchy, rude, mean and hateful at times...but they like me anyway. I promised myself that i would be open and honest with this journey, so if you dont like me cussing or saying inappropriate ( another hard one) things, please dont read this..i want to show raw emotion and let everyone know what it really feels like to go to weight loss boot camp. I just hope they put me in the back, so i can pass gas freely!
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