THE BIG 3-0!!!

No... not my birthday... I've still got about 7 months left before I have to deal with THAT "Big 3-0"...
I just did my final weigh in for this phase of my diet... and I've now officially lost 30 pounds (in 58 days)! That's freakin' crazy!
I'm at the lowest weight I've been in about 10 years. I'm 12 pounds below my inital target for this diet... and I even lost 2 pounds more than my newer re-adjusted target! Any more weight loss would probably not be good, so from here on out, it's all about maintenance and toning.
The difference in how I look and feel is astounding, and I plan to take all the habits I've picked up during the early pahses and continue applying them to my everyday life from here on out. But the occasional plate of nachos or piece of pizza will definitely be a welcome treat now that they are allowed again!
This process reminded me how much I love to be active (which is the complete opposite of how I felt right before the diet) and how great it feels to look in the mirror and be happy with what I see. I take pride in the hard work I've put into this... and it's so cool that the results are clearly visible!
Never thought I'd make it this far...and I wouldn't have been able to if not for friends and family keeping me focused and on track. Thanks to everyone for their support!
.

Drink, drank, drunk

So, now that my diet is officially "done", I'm allowed to go back to eating and drinking anything I want (in moderation, of course).
Some of my dear, dear friends see that as a free pass to drag me out and get me sloshed with them. Since I'm allowed to drink, that means I should, right?
Everyone seems to think that. Everyone except me.
Mind you, I'm thrilled to once again have the option to have a glass of wine with a nice dinner or a beer with the boys... but when it comes to going to the bars and knocking back shot after shot (after shot) of Jack? Not sure I am up for that anymore.
Sure, the couple of months I spent hanging out at the bars with the boys was a lot of fun... and fairly necessary during that period of my life. But that's not really me. Never was.
And now that I'm getting things back on track in so many areas, that's one place that I think I just don't belong anymore. I just feel too good physically after all of this to put that many toxins back in my system. And the escape alcohol provides is just a temporary one. I would much rather be proactive and work to make my life better through positive change than hide from it at the bottom of a bottle.
Don't get me wrong. I'm sure that a special occasion will arise now and then that calls for such celebration... maybe I'll even kick a few back at Joey's wedding this weekend...
...but for now, I think the forecast is looking fairly dry...
.

Finish line...?

I'm at the finish line...
Not only did I wrap up this weekend's rush script (before the deadline), but today is officially the last day of my diet (well, actually tomorrow is the last day, but I'm going to be at Cedar Point, so I'm giving myself a free pass)!
So tomorrow, I can finally take a nap, ride a roller coaster, eat some french fries and drink some whiskey. Prefereably not all at the same time. That might get ugly...
But as one set of trials ends, many more are sure to begin.
As of Wednesday, I'll be back in this crazy game called life, ready to face whatever new challenges are coming down the road. And I must say, some of the things ahead of me look like they could potentially be very bright...
A few years ago, no one would've ever expected me to say this... but change is good.
I kinda like new beginnings...
Who'da thunk?
.

I demand a recount...

One pound? After all that -- the dieting, the exercise, the mental anguish -- I only lose one freakin' pound this week?!?
AAARGH!
Okay... step back and look at this rationally, dude...

You've lost 27 pounds now... in 50 days. That's more than a half pound a day!
You lost an unexpected 3 pounds last week... so it had to even out a bit eventually.
You still lost something. It could have been worse. You could have broken even... or even gained weight.
You're eating more now, so the weight loss will obviously be less drastic than the earlier part of the diet when you only ate raw fruit and veggies.
You're only one pound away from reaching your target weight... which is the lowest you've been in about a decade!
Oh, and there's always next week...

Okay. I feel better now.
Thanks, me!
.

"After"

JER had a good point in his comment on the previous post.
And while I don't have a pic from during the "BEFORE" section of my diet, I might as well give you a look at me now.
Yay, camera phones!

26 down...

Well, as of this morning's weigh in, I've lost 26 pounds in the last 45 days. Not too bad, eh?
At this point, I've lost most of the weight I'm going to lose now (though I still expect another pound or two here and there), and it's just a matter of maintaining and toning up from here on out.
Only two weeks to go until I can eat and drink whatever I want again (in moderation, of course). My first day off the diet is perfectly timed with a family trip to Cedar Point.
Cheese-on-a-Stick, here I come...!
.

Rolling out...

Before I started on this diet, I can't remember the last time I saw 8:00 AM. Now, I'm up well before that every day and ready to work out by about 8:30. Some days, I'll even get up around 6:30 just so I can get my workout done with and start my workday earlier. Where has the real Marc gone?!?
This morning I'm going to go Rollerblading. As Jeremy said, I'm bringing 1994 back with style.
The last few times I've been skating, I've done around 10 miles or so, usually on the paved bike paths in the Summit County park system.
Not sure which trail I'm headed to today (probably Hudson)... but I'm hoping to get in at least an hour of exercise.
Then it's straight into another workday. More later...
.

Diet of Doom

For those of you who haven't seen me lately, I've been doing this insane diet over the past month or so. It's absolutely kicking my butt... but in a good way!
Why? Well, I wasn't getting nearly as much exercise as I would've liked and I was eating a lot of pre-prepared meals and take-out all the time. Working at home (alone) does that to you, I guess. And those habits were just making me feel... blah. So I took action. And if you know me, you know I don't do anything half-assed.
The first 9 days were a detox period. Getting all the bad stuff out and only putting good stuff (fruits and veggies only) in. It was exhausting, but it really shocked my system into gear.
The next three weeks, I got to have a tiny bit of meat and dairy each day, plus the occasional bowl of cereal. And again, lots of fruits and vegetables. Mmm.
Now, in phase 3, there's more meat and dairy options... and I can even add in whole wheat bread & pasta and the occasional cookie!
Still no alcohol, fried food, white bread, white rice, white pasta, potatoes or delicious baked goods (cakes, pastries, etc) for a while.
Oh, and I'm also exercising about an hour a day, 5 times a week.
So far, I've lost over 20 pounds in 30 days. To be honest, I feel great. And some have said I'm not looking too bad either. :)
Just three more weeks in this phase and then I can go back to eating and drinking anything I want again (in moderation, of course). Not a bad deal.
I know I can make it...
...but, man, I REALLY want some freakin' nachos right now...
.