Theantijared@theantijared Wow, your tweet on Facebook was very revealing!

I thought I avoided it!

I thought it would forget about me!

I thought I would not have to do it!

I was wrong!

I hate getting tagged for things. Facebook is really good about that. Every time I sign on, I have a virtual plant, or someone says yes to the question "Does Tony like apples?" or I have to take a quiz about shoes because Bobby Roy scored a 72 on it!
Do not get me wrong, I love Facebook. I refused to do it for so long until my wife and brother told me I should. I love it because I will never have to go to a High School Reunion!

For what now!

I know what they are all doing. Lets save the chit chat!

Then I have Twitter, which links to Facebook. So everyone can see at 6:34pm that I love apples, or work is stressful, or I updated a blog! I like Twitter, hate the word tweets!

Plus, I do get to meet a lot of people in both, and they are a lot easier to use than MySpace. MySpace to me is super complicated. All I know is Tom is my friend!

Anyway, my wife tagged me in the "25 random things about you" that everyone is doing. Well, I am not popular enough to be different, so I thought I would do it as well. And no, I will not write 25 times I love broccoli.

25 Randoms:
1. After being with my wife for five minutes, I knew I would spend the rest of my life with her.
2. I started this blog in April, I did not tell any friends or family (including wife) about it until the beginning of October.
3. I have lost 212 pounds. The most weight I have lost previously was 80 pounds, and that was before I met my wife.
4. Although my dog barks at 2am, 3:05am, and 3:55am, I would not want her out of my life.
5. My favorite color is orange.
6. I am the only person in the world who cried during the movie Click with Adam Sandler. I realized if I did not lose weight, my life would be in fast forward, and I would miss everything.
7. I am envious of my wife's career. I always wanted to do accounting. I love working with numbers.
8. Only three people at my work know I have a blog. None of them talk about it because they feel lucky to know me personally.
9. I have no desire to ever run a race. I am happy being in the gym all day.
10. I have been offered to promote/endorse/try over 10 products for this blog, all from companies I have heard of. I have turned them all down.
11. I have not lost sleep over anything since I was 11 years old.
12. I have a hard time forgiving and forgetting. My wife keeps me straight about that.
13. Although I do not call my parents very often, I love them very much.
14. I was voted most spirited in high school. I was incredibly upset about it because I was also voted best sense of humor, but I was only allowed to have one, and they decided to brand me with spirit!. So for the rest of my life, I have spirit, how bout you!
15. I am surprised how popular my blog has gotten. I remember when I was happy to get 25 hits in a day, with me being 23 of them. I recently had a day where I had over 6,000 hits.
16. My brother is my hero.
17. I have not weighed 208 since I was in college.
18. I believe that my life will change with one phone call/one email.
19. The day I found out I was going to be a father was the happiest day of my life.
20. I love telling people my story on here. The reason I do this is to motivate people, or at least let them know that weight loss is possible. That is why I try to tell my story in so many different avenues.
21. I love sports, but not as a fanatic. When the Cleveland Browns lost the 1986-1987 AFC Championship games (The drive and the fumble), I realized that sports were never going to be as special to me again. In fact, I will be working during the Super Bowl tomorrow, my choice!
22. My family truly cares about me.
23. People who tell me how much I have moved them mean a lot to me. It means even more if I have never spoken to them or met them before.
24. I love my job. With the economy the way it is, I am happy to be good at what I do. Sometimes, I do not know if I am good at restaurants or good at motivating people.
25. My favorite music is old school rap (80's rap like Audio Two, Gucci Crew, NWA, etc.).

There you go, very random!

Please, if you are not already, be my friend on any of the social networks. The links are on top!

Tony meets the Red-Headed Hurricane!

When you start out your day with a awesome shout out from a hero, you know it is going to be a great day!

I have said a million times that I am a Mizfit fan!
I love her writing!
I love her determination!
I love the fact that she supports over 350,000 "weight loss/healthy living" bloggers!
I love her videos!
I love the fact that every comment she leaves me is either at 6:10am or 6:10pm!

Good people bring out the best in me!

Everyday I look for inspiration. I hear that I inspire people, but I am not going to say I am an inspiration.

I am just a guy who was sick of being selfish!

Inspiration can come in the smallest form, or something huge.

Today, in honor of Mizfit, I found my inspiration at the gym!

6am!
There I was, right on the elliptical machine. The gym was slow at the time. Of course there were the regular characters, which included

The BlackBerry Twins- Texting ladies!
Male Model Man- He should be on GQ
Heart Rate Babe- Some woman who always has her two fingers on her neck
Flirting Guy- Some guy who always chats with the BlackBerry twins.
"This is for my girlfriend" guy- A guy who does not want to be there, but is because of the love for his girlfriend!

The workout was going good. Then...I saw her. I saw the newest, most impressive character I have ever seen hit my gym. I would like to introduce:

The red-headed hurricane!

This woman had short red hair (hence the name). She was in her 40's, and wore all black. A black tank top, black shoes, and a black skort!

I had twelve words I never thought would be in this blog. Skort was one of them. Now the list is eleven...wait....mothball.. okay, now it is ten!

While I was on the elliptical, I saw this woman do the most impressive workout I have ever seen!

She did over 100 chin-ups
She did One armed push ups
She did diamond push ups of a bench press
She benched 165 pounds. I swear this woman weighed like 100 pounds!

I was in awe. The only other woman I have seen do a hard core workout like this is one that did arm curls with oil in the supermarket!
Then, she did the most amazing thing I have ever seen.

She stood in the corner, and one of her exercises was standing back flips.

Yeah, she did like 20 back flips in a row!

WOW! Watching her determination, and her workout pushed me hard. I worked out a lot harder than I usually do, and I really try to work out hard.

It is amazing where inspiration comes from. Sometimes for me it is an employee at work, who says something that makes me feel good. Sometimes it is my wife who makes a wonderful comment. Sometimes it is you who writes such nice things to me.

Sometimes it is my dog, but this morning, she was not so inspiring.

As shy as I am, I had to say something to the hurricane. After my workout, I went up to her. I have never gone up to a stranger at the gym. I do not talk to strangers, even if they have cauliflower (I do not eat candy anymore!)

I looked at her and said:

"ummm, uhhhhh..wow! Uhhhhh...your workout is awesome!"

I type much better than I talk

She knew what I was trying to say. I do not think I was the only one who has ever said this to her. I loved her reply:

"Thanks man! I still have five pounds to lose!"

Wow! That made my day. I love confidence, and I love how she inspired ME to work out harder.
When I left the gym today, there was only two unanswered questions I had:

1. So many people have inspired me, how many people have I inspired?

2. The hurricane must be thinking about cutting off her foot, because I am not sure how she is going to lose five pounds!!

What inspires you to do the things you do each and every day?

A sweet portion of reality!

Today started like any other day. I woke up with the dog barking.

Nothing new!

I checked my email and responded to a couple of them.

Nothing new!

I put on a hoodie and was off to the gym.

Nothing new!

I went on the elliptical machine, and worked out to Lady GaGa Goo Goo Dolls Clarkson.

What???

Anyway, while I was on the machine, I was super excited and surprised to see a leader from Weight Watchers! She is this triathlete who is all about fitness, which I love. She is nice, and loves to talk, which is something I like to do as well!
She went on the machine next to me, and started to work out and chat with me.

This was very exciting!

I had so many questions, like how many people does she motivate, how many meetings does she do, etc.

Before I could say anything, she asked:

"Tony, why did you join Weight Watchers?"

Hmmm...easy! I told her the story of the numbness in my arms, and going to the doctor, and how he told me I needed Gastric Bypass surgery or I would die.

This is where my whole day changed. Actually, she said something to me that I should have realized, but I have never thought about. She put my whole life in perspective with one comment:

"Wow! Look at you. Even if you wanted it, you could not get gastric surgery now!"

She made that comment at 8:04am. I was on the elliptical machine for 4 minutes and 32 seconds. I had so many questions to ask the leader.

I did not say another word!

No, nothing else came out of my mouth. That comment consumed me. What did she mean I could not have the surgery. Why not? Did I lose the weight?

After working out, I ran home and Googled Gastric Surgery Requirements.

This is what I saw

One of the qualification requirements is your body weight. If you weigh a hundred pounds or more than your ideal body weight or you have a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than forty, you may qualify for the procedure. You should also have been subjected at least six months in structured weight loss programs monitored by your doctor but have shown little or no progress in losing weight. Medical conditions that can be improved with weight loss are also one of the criteria for Bariatric surgery. If you possess one or more of these conditions including arthritis, bladder weakness, diabetes, heart problems, high blood pressure or hypertension, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea, then you may qualify for the surgery.

I realized that I was not over 100 pounds overweight anymore, and my BMI was 31.0. The surgery that was supposed to save my life eleven months ago could not be performed on me.

I proved my doctor wrong! I proved a lot of people wrong!

I guess I am going to have to come to terms that I am not obese. I am closer than ever to not being overweight. It is a weird feeling.
Don't get me wrong. It is A WONDERFUL FEELING!!! I guess it does not seem real!

When I set out on this journey, my goal was to get healthy. That is all I wanted to do!

Now, I can say that I have done it.

See, I knew I loved Weight Watchers leaders :)

Time to pay it forward!

So today, I was off from work. So that meant I finally got do do a few chores around the house.

I hate the term chores. I feel like after I do my chores, I will get my allowance. Actually Rebecca, where is my ten bucks?

Anyway, one of my "chores" was to take all of my old clothes and donate them to charity.

I started to go through, and I did not realize how many clothes I had that were too big now.
I have donated before, but I still had a lot of big clothes.
Well, big for me now.

2x, 3x, 52 waist pants, etc......

I came across a 4XL shirt that I tried on. I could have put 3 of me in that shirt.

I also put on a pair of 56 pants, and was able to fit in one pant leg!

When I looked at my 4XL shirt and 56 size pants, I realized something:

Those were to small for me at one time in my life!

At 420 pounds, I wore a 5XL shirt and size 60 pants.

In a way, I was angry with myself. In fact, I have been angry for over a year! I might be angry for a very long time!

How could I have done this to myself! how could I have done this to my family!

Why didn't I realize when the size 56 pants, which were so big on me now, did not fit before I would eat better. Why did I still live the way I did.

I couldn't believe that I used to pay cash for fast food so my wife would not find out
I couldn't believe I was too heavy to adopt a baby
I couldn't believe I could not wear a seat belt
I couldn't believe that there was only one store I could shop at for clothes, and I was close to the last size they had in the store.
I couldn't believe I used to eat four pounds of Chinese food for breakfast
I couldn't believe that I could eat two large pizzas from Pizza Hut and still be hungry
I couldn't believe I couldn't go to the bathroom properly
I couldn't believe I would only sleep for an hour a night because I was afraid I would die
I couldn't believe I could not go on an airplane
I couldn't believe that after seeing my wife cry over my health, I still refused to take my heart and cholesterol medication
I couldn't believe I could not get a stress test on my heart because of my health
I couldn't believe that my heart rate was 230/200 one time at the doctor's office, and the doctor was shocked I was alive
I couldn't believe the numbness in my arms
I couldn't believe the heartache I put so many people through
I couldn't believe how selfish I was

Worst off, I couldn't believe it took me so long to change!

People ask me how do I stay so strong now. How is it that I have not slipped up, you know, eaten a piece of cake or a slice of pizza.

People tell me I will fail. The odds are against me. Once a over eater, always a over eater.

Here is why I will not fail. I am tired of being selfish. I am tired of only caring about myself!

I owe it to my wife who has been there for me for eight years
I owe it to my family who has been there for me, through the good and bad
I owe it to my baby who needs to see what a good father I can be

That is why I do what I do. That is why I write with passion. That is why I have no advertisements on here, and I respond to emails so quickly, and I think about posts for hours.
Because every time I get a bad comment, and I think about it, someone will send me a comment like this one today,when I talked about being in the gym:

I was confused! I was also embarrassed to ask anyone!
Thanks for this post. I have never stepped so much as a toenail into a gym: I feel intimidated.
There's hope for me yet :)


It is time for me to succeed, and to pay it forward!

Blogging, Blogging...duh.duh.duh....he's a Blogging machine!

Here is a bonus blog post for the day!

It is Super Bowl Week!

Since I am a Carolina Panthers fan I am not very excited about the game.

On one hand, the Arizona Cardinals destroyed the Panthers in the NFC Divisional game. On the other hand, I do not like the Steelers.

I do love all the press conferences that go on all week.

So I thought I could answer some more questions that have been sent to me.

Q: Loose Skin? You got it? Are you going to get surgery to get it off?

A: I do have some. Believe it or not, I actually do not have as much as I thought I would. In fact, with working out, I think some of it has toned up. I have some in my upper arms, thighs, and a little on my stomach.
I wrote a post about it before, and I think it is a very valid question. Here is my response:
I am going to live with the skin. It does not pose a health risk, although the surgery does, and it is VERY costly! The only way you really can see the skin is if i am naked. So I do not think anyone will be seeing the skin.
It also reminds me about the struggle of weight, and how I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination (no pun intended!)

Q: How much Water do you drink a day? Do you only drink water?

A: I drink about 1.5-2 gallons of water a day. I take in a good amount of fiber, so I need the water to clean my system.
I did start to have a cup of black coffee here and there. I never was a coffee drinker before. Now, I enjoy my cup.

Q: Does Weight Watchers like you? Do you still post on the boards?

A: Yes and No. The majority of people I have met in this journey have been members of Weight Watchers, which are some of the nicest people in the world. Not only supportive, but very helpful!
The main WW...not so much. They have told me that I lost the weight too quick, and I will not become a leader because in order to become one, you must be the weight that WW says is a "desired" weight. For me, it is around 160. Sometimes at 208, I think I look too skinny!
I do believe in the program, and it has helped me, along with many other things.
On the boards, I rarely post now. Sometimes I will sprinkle a comment here or there, if I update a picture or something. i am a nuisance to the die hard threaders out there, and I understand their point! The truth is, I am not a good forum person. I post and run. Email, Facebook and this blog are the best ways to get in touch with me, since it goes to my phone!

Q: Do you belong to any other weight loss/fitness communities?

A: Yes! I LOVE SPARKPEOPLE!! It is like Myspace meets Facebook meets Forums meets Blogs! I have not met a single mean person on there. In fact, I have met some of the nicest people on there! Very supportive and it gives some awesome information!
I also like Traineo and Myfitnesspal. If you know of any more, please share with me! I meet such nice people in all the groups!

Q: Who are your favorite Bloggers?

I have a ton.I am going to highlight them more often! They are all on my blogroll. Some are more fun than others, but all are great. Here are my personal favorites, part one:

1. Carlos- The best 48 seconds you will get out of any day. Bold, brash, honest! Love it!

2. Pamela- Kept off over 150 pounds for some time. Also, let me know if you meet someone nicer. I have not!

3. Israel- His website is like Disneyland! Mine is like a mechanical horse in front of a grocery store!

4. Mizfit- How does this woman have time to write witty comments on so many blogs. Another real nice person, and a fun writer!

5. Linda- This English Teacher has a great blog, and puts things in perspective!

6. Giyen- It is like the cereal Kix. Don't know why, but I love it! No, I know why, she writes very well!

Here are some others. If you are looking for Inspiration:

Karen, Wes, Spunkysuzi, Steve

If your blog is not on my blogroll, let me know an I will pop it on. Also, I love so many blogs that I think I will highlight some every so often. more than once a month!

Q: Do you get a lot of negative email?

A: Yes! I get a lot now. It ranges from I cheated, to I am a cocky SOB, to I will gain the weight back soon. At first it bothered me. I would like if I said it still does not bother me.
The funniest thing that put it into perspective was I got a anonymous email. No name, nothing, just the email address. Here is what the email said:
" I wish my blog was popular enough to get negative email!"
I guess it comes with the territory :)

Those are some questions I have gotten. let me know if this interests you. I love answering what I can!

What's up with that ab rollin', bench pressin', squatin',running a micro-mini marathoning 212 pound losing guy with the sweet hoodie!

A lot of people ask me how did I start working out, and so many people have come up with the notion that I have lost 200 pounds by working out six times a day!!!!!
As a bonus to my blog, I want to do a little series of how I have lost the weight. Here is part two... THE WORKOUT!


Have you heard about this guy who was the King of Rock and Roll?

Yeah, his name is Elvis!

Oh...well, who is that Tony guy?

That is me, let me tell you how I lost 200 pounds!

My name is Tony P. I live in Florida, have a wonderful wife, a pup, and a baby on the way.

I do not like to exaggerate, so let me tell you the absolute true story of how my workout journey began and developed.

I was sleeping in February of last year, when I heard this voice:
"You need to go to the gym!"

I got up quick, and looked around. My wife, who was next to me was sound asleep. Again, I heard the voice:

"You need to go to the gym!"

I got nervous. Who was saying that? Then I heard:
"You need to go to the gym, and take me out to poop!"

I yelled at my dog for her "Field of Dreams" impression, but she did have a point. For a week, I was eating better, and I wanted to make a commitment to move a little.
I walked the dog, and then headed to the gym for the first time, although I have been a member at the gym for a while.

Wishful thinking I guess!

I walked in the gym, and I saw a ton of people working out, none looked like me. While cute girls were working out with the word "Pink" on their butts, I was wearing my 5XL shorts, which could have been used as a movie screen to view "The Pink Panther".

There was so many machines and weights. I was confused! I was also embarrassed to ask anyone!

Then, the lights went off at the gym, except one spotlight on a treadmill. I walked toward the light, and the treadmill started to talk:

"Hi Tony! I have been expecting you. I am a treadmill! Good luck!"

So I got on the talking treadmill.I mean, did I really need instructions for that. You just walk! I was on for two minutes at a rate of two MPH. My back was hurting, and I was out of breath. I was done!
The treadmill starting laughing.

"Two minutes! That is all you got!"

With tears in my eyes, I looked at that treadmill and said:

"See you tomorrow!"

The next day, I walked on the treadmill for three minutes. Then four. I moved up to ten minutes, and twenty. I wanted it bad. I hated the fact that the treadmill laughed at me.

Finally, after a month or so, I was walking for 60 minutes at about three MPH. I was no fitness expert, but I felt great. The treadmill was impressed as well:

"Tony, I am proud of you! You stuck with me, and that is great.You proved me wrong! But it is time for you to be with someone else. He is a jerk, but he will help you in your venture to losing weight. Treat him just like you treated me. In fact, there he is!"

The treadmill pointed to the elliptical machine.

I went to the elliptical machine, and he was mean!

"Listen chubs, you ain't gonna make it with me, you hear!"

I got on the elliptical machine, and went for about 48 seconds. It was so different that the treadmill. I felt my legs tighten on the machine. I was done!

The elliptical machine was just laughing when I left. It made me mad!

The next day, I went back to the treadmill who told me he wanted nothing to do with me!

"Get on that elliptical!"

So I did, with the same passion as the treadmill. It was hard, but I would go on it every day, for a little at a time. Finally, I lasted on for 65 minutes. I was sweating, and felt great!

The elliptical machine looked at me and said:

"Wow, you did it man! 65 minutes! You are in the club now! I want to introduce you to all my friends, the circuit trainers!"

The circuit trainers are great as well. They are twelve machines that I workout with three to four days a week. I do the machines quick, to build muscle and lose fat. They have really helped me with my muscle development!

The treadmill, elliptical machine, and circuit training have helped me get to where I am today.

Truth is, it does not matter what you do, as long as you do it! Moving is the most important thing. Doing it consistently is even more important. maybe you can not afford a gym, maybe you just want to walk around the neighborhood, maybe you want to play on a Wii Fit.
At first, you will not be a superstar, but after some time it gets easier. Confidence starts to build up, and you start feeling good. True, maybe you will not lose a ton of weight, but you will feel a sense of worth by moving more and more everyday! At least I know I did!

Wow,If my dog did not motivate me to go to the gym, none of this would have happened!

Phhhoowwww-whoooow-wooooow!

Some people say I have willpower!

Some people say I have determination!

My wife says I am crazy!

I agree with my wife!

I am a weird person. I always have been. That is not an insult to myself, nor is it disrespectful!

I am just plain weird!

Here are some examples of my weirdness!

Weird #1-I have not had a drop of Alcohol since I was 22 years old, which is over 10 years. Here is the only reason why:
I was out at a club with a bunch of my friends many years back. one of my friends was not drinking. We were all having fun, but he was sitting there. So I asked him:
"Why aren't you drinking?"
His response:
"Alcohol is for people with low self esteem!"
It is the dumbest comment I have ever heard. Yet, for some reason it stuck with me. Since then, I have not had a drink.

If only he would have said that about Meximelts!

Weird #2- I have not had a regular soda since 1990
During the Snackwell era, "diet" drinks were everywhere. I made a commitment to never drink a regular soda.
It went much further than that. I would only drink a diet soda if it was canned or in a closed bottle. For some reason, I would think that someone would try to switch drinks on me, and make me drink the sugar! Also, if I felt that the drink did not taste "diet", even if it was bottled or canned, I would spit it out, and throw it away!

FYI- I gained over 700 pounds and lost 440 during 1990-2008, the "diet" soda era.

Weird #3- I have to wear Grey shorts to my Weigh In each week
Whether I gain or lose, I always wear Grey shorts. I still wear a pair of 2XL shorts that are too big on me. I wear those, a white shirt, no socks, and untied shoes. I think there is magic in the Grey shorts.

Well, this week, I wore black shorts!

Driving to my weigh in, I reflected on the week:

1. I ate real well. My portions were in line, and I decided to only eat raw vegetables. So my wife would roll her eyes while I ate a head of cauliflower. Just so you know, I think she writes those negative comments on my blog (I'm kidding, it is my puppy that writes annonymously!!!)

2. My workouts have not been as intense lately, so I decided to take five days off last week. It does not sound like a big deal, but when you have worked out for six to seven days a week for the last year, it is different. I finally worked out on Sunday, and had a great workout! I was happy!

3. Work was stressful. Restaurants are a little scary in this market. Luckily, we were busier than expected. I think the Super Bowl being two hours away helped business.

4. Blogging has been fun. I have dealt with the annoyance of being the annoyance on forums. I will admit, I am not a very good "threader". I say my piece and leave! People hate that!

5. I did not nor will I ever watch The Biggest Loser! I do not care if it is the best season ever!

With all of this in my mind, I walked into Weight Watchers.
The receptionist behind the counted knew me, although I have NEVER seen her before. She was telling me how different I looked.

Wow, she looked different also. Again, I have never seen her before.

She was a very chatty receptionist. That I liked! She was bubbly, and full of life.
That is what I needed!
When I got on the scale she said:

"Hmm, you gained....no wait, you lost...no, hold on"

WHAT!!! Was there a hanging chad on my weight?

"There we go, great job! You lost .8 pounds!"

.8 pounds lost, I was happy! That makes it 212 pounds lost. Yippee!
I think she felt bad because she told me I gained at first. I told her:

"Do not feel bad at all! It was my fault. I should have worn the Grey shorts!"

Sidenote- The title of this post is dedicated to the special person in my life!

How MacGyver lost 200 pounds with a toothpick, dental floss, and a rusty nail part one!

A lot of people ask me what I eat, and so many people have come up with the notion that I have lost 200 pounds by eating apples only!!!!!
As a bonus to my blog, I want to do a little series of how I have lost the weight. Here is part one... THE FOOD!


Have you heard about this guy who lost 200 pounds by eating only apples and broccoli?

Yeah, his name is Jared!

Oh...well, who is that Tony guy?

That is me, let me tell you how I lost 200 pounds!

My name is Tony P. I live in Florida, have a wonderful wife, a pup, and a baby on the way.
I am generally a good person, but have always had an eating problem. I just never could control my eating. It is still tough to this day, and will always be.
Working in a restaurant for 14 hours a day can wear on you. It can also make for horrible eating habits!
Fast Food and Chinese Food were the way of life! At 400 plus pounds, I was consuming over 8000 calories a day. The problem with that was I was not a Olympic swimmer! My breathing was rough, my life was bad. The doctor told me I needed to make a decision in life. Gastric Bypass was the best way to go.......

WAIT WAIT!!!!!

That is when I decided to skip surgery and change the way I eat!

Change the way I live!

On a warm day in February, I looked at my beautiful wife and said "It's time!"
I started to control my portions. At first, I would eat frozen dinners, and 100 calorie snacks. I was on Weight Watchers, and I was given a lot of points (Calories) a day. I was given 44 points, which is like 2400 calories.
Going from 8000 calories to 2400 calories made the weight come off quick. I was losing more than 2 pounds a week. I guess I had a better metabolism than I thought! I lost most of my weight within the first four months. It made me nervous!
I was losing, yet, I felt hungry.
When I really started to get into Weight Watchers, I learned about a program called Core. Core is similar to South Beach. Basically, it is a "more bang for your buck" mentality. There are certain foods on the list you eat, and you eat until you are hungry.
The foods were fruits, vegetables, beans, lean meats, starches (One a day), etc. It sounded interesting. I mean, I have eaten apple pie, but never an apple. I have had a mango smoothie, but never a mango. I have had chicken and broccoli, but never steamed broccoli.

What did I have to lose?

Then I read a book about fiber that also helped me with my eating decisions. It showed me how 35grams of fiber a day will help your metabolism and keep your cholesterol down.Mine was over 300 at the time. Again...

What did I have to lose?

So I started Weight Watchers Core/South Beach phase two. That is what changed my life!
I eat a variety of foods. I do not get bored at all. There are so many now to choose from. In fact, when I was morbidly obese, I thought there were two kinds of apples. Red and Green!
Nope, there are tons:

Golden Delicious
Fuji
Honeycrisp
Rome
McIntosh
Ambrosia
Grapple
Granny Smith
Cameo

But apples and broccoli were not the only thing I ate.

Raspberries, Strawberries, Mango, Broccoli, Cabbage, Onions, Mushrooms, Salmon, Sea bass, Chicken, Asparagus, Cottage Cheese, Soy milk, FIBER ONE!!!, All-Bran, Oatmeal, High Fiber Crackers, Salsa, Fat Free Cheese, Black beans, Lentils, Barley, Beef Jerky,Eggs, Cauliflower, Egg Beaters, Soups Galore!, Pears, Carrots, Cantaloupe, Grouper, Ground Chicken,Turkey, Green Beans, Spinach, Lettuce, Oysters, Crab Legs, Lobster......

The list goes on and on.......

The funny thing about this is that I am a Chef. I recently got promoted at work, but I will always be a Chef. When I first started this journey, I looked around my kitchen at work, and saw so many unhealthy things, but i also saw a lot of healthy things as well. I realized that I needed to make different choices. Sure, it is not easy, but I do realize it was well worth it in the long run.
So part one of my transformation was changing the way I ate. I did it, and it was HARD! Then I asked myself...

What did I have to lose?

Oh yeah, 200 plus pounds!

Let me get a side of Fear, grilled, with a little salt please!

If someone came up to you every day, and told you they were going to punch you in the face, but never did, you would finally look at that person and say:

"Just punch me in my face already!!!!"

That is how I felt when I was over 400 pounds.

I would wake up every day, thinking it was my last. It sounds silly, but it is true. Unless you have been that weight, it is so hard to imagine.
At 5 foot 6, and 420.2 pounds, every day seemed like it was my last.

I would feel a pain in my chest, and think I was going to die of a heart attack.

I would feel numbness in my arms, and think I would die.

I remember squeezing into my car, and thinking if I got in a car accident, I would not be able to get out.

I remember being at work, and wondering how I would get out quickly if there was a fire.

People are motivated by a lot of things. Money, power, success, failure........

I am motivated by fear

Fear is a powerful thing. It makes people work hard, and do things they never thought they could. Fear will eat at you, and will make you think twice about doing something.

Fear can also be your best friend.

When I started on this journey eleven months ago, I have never lost weight for fear. I have always been 80-120 pounds overweight, and would lose 20 pounds here or there just to gain back more. I lost weight to fit into clothing, or look better. I never looked at it as death.

At 420.2 pounds, I have not done a "diet" in over eight years. I was scared.

When I first started doing it, I controlled portions. It worked out well. In fact, I was losing a good amount of weight. Then I realized something:

Can I do this for the rest of my life?

Then I switched my foods while controlling portions. I cut out processed foods (Except Fiber One) and ate fruits , vegetables and lean meats primarily. I have never done this before. Again I asked a question:

Can I do this for the rest of my life?

Then I added fitness to my life. I made working out a priority. I would wake up at 3am sometimes just to make sure I got in 65 minutes on a machine. Again:

Can I do this for the rest of my life?

I think about it every day. Losing weight is not easy, for anyone!

Then I look at my wife, and I see how happy she is with my weight loss. How happy she is that my heart rate is in line, and my cholesterol is 112, and she can hug me, and that I will be around for a bit.
I look at my wife's belly/future baby, and realize that would not have happened if I was over 400 pounds. How can I take care of a baby at 400 pounds?
I look at people who have not seen me for a while, and pull me aside, and tell me how much they have prayed that I lose weight.
I look at the majority of people who visit my blog, and take bits and pieces from my story. True, 99% of people are not going to be as extreme as me, but then again 99% of people do not need to be as extreme as me. Wearing a size 60 pants is extreme!
Truthfully, I have no option but to live the way I do. If I do not, I have the chance of being over 500 pounds. It is not a question of if I slip up, it is a statement of I can not slip up. I have too much to lose.
Than I realize that I am happy with my option because I do not really have another one.

Life is not peaches and cream! With the economy and job market in turmoil, people ask me why are you always so happy.

I am happy because I am living to see the economy and job market in turmoil!

Enough!

I wanted to blog about being on a ladder, but waking up to 20 emails over this post I wrote yesterday made me reconsider.
When I wrote a reply to the blogger via my blog, I was not upset, or hurt, or angry for that matter. I was annoyed. Now that my blog is a little more popular than it was three months ago, I get TONS of negative comments and emails. At first it bothered me, but truthfully, this is a blog. I mean, I have a life outside of here, and if I really get hurt over comments, then I should not be doing this.

Plus, I never go after anyone. I do not leave negative comments, or do I personally go after people for their weight loss triumphs or failures. There are people who are much more successful than I am. I applaud that!

Also, this is the last time I am going write about this!

When I came home yesterday, a blogger who I read mocked me in a post she had.

SHE HAD EVERY RIGHT TO!!! IT IS HER BLOG!!!!

She has since taken down the comments, which I do not understand why. It is her blog!
She clearly wrote that I was annoying, and I thought I was God.

Here is what people do not know about me. I do not mind confrontation. I also do not mind debates. Just remember, I am pretty good at both! If I feel like my character is being attacked, then I will defend it. I am also very good with words. Not the best, but I can hold my own!

So I wrote back. I did not insult anyone, but mainly defended myself. I wrote why I do what I do, and how I expected an anonymous writer to make rude comments about me, not someone who is on my blogroll. It was not mean, but direct. I wrote it, forgot about it, and went to bed.

I have a wife, a baby on the way, and a fun SUNDAY OFF!!! I was excited actually!

When I woke up, I had emails galore, and the blogger quit blogging.

I do not want anyone to quit their passion. Her blog is good, and I read it, but I also want people to understand that I have a blog, and I have an opinion. If I feel that I am being mocked, then I will defend myself. I will say this one more time:

Do not confuse my kindness for weakness

Either way, I wrote this blogger an email not to quit. I did not fluff up the email, but wrote it in a way that she has given so many people courage and hope.

Dear Blogger,

After working a 14 hour day yesterday, I will admit, I found it incredibly annoying that you wrote those comments that were clearly about me. It is your blog, and the beauty of a blog is that you can write whatever you like. That is why I have one! It was very odd that someone who has given me such hope and good luck throughout my journey would mock my words. I was not hurt, or sad. I was really just annoyed.

Whether I am 200 or 400 pounds, I have always been strong.Confrontation has never been an issue.

I am like that Frosted Mini Wheat you see on TV. Some people see my unfrosted side, and some see my frosted side. You saw my frosted side.

On my blog, I always talk about hope. It is cheesy, and fluffy, and wonderful. I remember being over 400 pounds and going on boards, and having no hope. If you do not agree with it, that is cool! I do it so that person who was like me could maybe realize that their is a possibility.

If I say I will fail, or I will gain my weight back, then what hope is there for any dieter? Surgery is the best option then.
My journey is more that just me, it is for everyone who has sat in the doctors office and cried because their is no way they can lose 50,100, or 200 pounds!
I am not God, I just do not want to meet up with him earlier than expected.

Just know that you can write anything in your blog. Blogging is a safe haven! But also know that I am not stupid. I can put two and two together.

If you want to quit writing , that is up to you. I do not think you should, you are a fun writer. I read it every week!

I am not sorry for the post I wrote. You should not be as well! I still have you on my blogroll, and will never take it off. I still have a lot of respect for you.


Tony

Wow, that 400 pound guy is perfect!

I usually write a fun little blog about something positive in my life, or what I want to do with my life.

Here is what some people would like me to write:

No, today I am going to be negative. I am no inspiration!

For what?

I mean, what does it matter! I have been overweight my whole life. I have been over 200 pounds since I was 11 years old!
I have done numerous diets, and have failed at them all. I have done Susan Powter, Atkins, South Beach! I mean, what does it matter!

I am going to fail again. Why is this time any different?

I talk about working out. I mean, who am I fooling? I am not going to go in a year or two. Why do I even bother? I mean, I go there, and work out with people who are trying to lose weight, and we are all going to fail anyway.

I should just stay home!

And if I want a piece of cake, then why not? I mean, what does it really matter.

This whole weight loss thing is stupid! I am going to fail!

I mean, I annoy so many people with my positive attitude and determination.

A blogger is irritated with me!
Here is a woman who always left nice comments on my blog. She was one of my first followers, and I read her blog every week. She is someone I considered a "blog" friend.
She is having a bad week, which I feel bad about. SO she wrote some comments that were clearly about me. That puts my in a dilema. On one hand, this is someone who I respect, and someone who I follow in blogland. But.....

does that mean you can insult me, and call me annoying and irritating and not expect a response?

Maybe she is right! I am annoying! I mean, I will gain back the weight! I will fai..................

Wait, I might be annoying, but I will not fail! No, not this time!

She has no idea!

I realized something that people like this person do not know:

I have failed before...many times!

I have gone to my old ways....many times!

I do not think I am an inspiration...many people do!

People confuse my kindness for weakness. They always have. Trust me, I am not weak. I am very smart! Before you want to insult me, and call me annoying, and blast what I have accomplished, walk in my shoes:

When you were 12, did you pray to God that you would get a disease so you could lose weight?

When you were 18, did you cough blood because you were out of breath?

When you were 30, did you cry because you were turned down for adoption because of your weight?

People might be sick of me. It is true! I am a positive person. I have every right to be now. I use my blog to give people hope, including myself. Writing about a bad day, or something that irritates me does nothing for me!

I am not perfect. If I was, I would have never been over 400 pounds!

I never lost weight because my wife would find me more sexy. No, I did it so my wife would not find me dead of a heart attack.

Will I go back to my "old ways"? The truth is, I can't. I have way too much too lose. I have a baby on the way now.

So to everyone who wants to blast me, tell me I am annoying, I lost weight the wrong way, and wish I would break a leg so I can not work out. To all who find me obnoxious, and wish I would gain back my weight and hope I eat a bag of cookies

And to all that want me to fail, I have only one thing to say:


Keep waiting...because it will never ever happen!!!!!!

Broccoli

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results

-Albert Einstein

The first time I ever heard this quote was during a movie on Cinemax at 3:30am. It was a love scene between a psychologist and her patient, and she kept on repeating the quote.

The movie was bad, but I fell in love with Einstein's quote. It made so much sense to me!

I am looking in the media now, and I am seeing so many people gaining back weight. Oprah, Eric Chopin from Biggest Loser, and even Randy Jackson are struggling.

So what hope do I have?

I have lost over 200 pounds. I have done so pretty quick!
My fear is that I will gain back all of my weight, and then some.
I hear it from so many people.
I will gain my weight back, I should have gotten the surgery, and once an addict always an addict still circle in my dreams.

I have lost weight before, many times actually. Always to gain it back.

I see people at WW meeting who have rejoined three times.
I see people who "kind of " do South Beach a few times a year
I see people who eat Jenny Craig food with Chips Ahoy!

Why am I different?

Then, like a rainbow in the sky, I read something that gave me hope!
It was one of my favorite bloggers Jennette Fulda (Pastaqueen) talking about food addiction. She was talking about being a food addict, which I am as well. Here is what changed my thought though:

Well, the answer is that food addicts are not addicted to all foods. I've never heard of someone being addicted to broccoli. It might taste good roasted with olive oil and tossed with pine nuts and Parmesan cheese, but I've never sat on my couch thinking, "Oh my God, I want to binge on broccoli!" And even if I did, it's broccoli. How much damage can a load of cruciferous vegetables really do? I'm not going to start sprouting green florets out of my head.

When I read this, I looked at the plate of food I was eating, and it was a big plate of raw broccoli, with salt, garlic, and a little salsa.

In fact, over the last year, I have completely changed the way I eat! I only eat fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fat free dairy, and the occasional low fat beef jerky (high in sodium)

Broccoli has been my favorite food over the last year as well. Every day, I have eaten about a pound of it. Most of the time raw, but sometimes steamed. I put a little seasoning on it, and pop it in my mouth like Tic Tac's. I absolutely LOVE broccoli. I look forward to eating it every day, and can not remember a day in the last year that I have not had any!
When she wrote that, I realized I shouldn't be so worried.

I'm not going insane! I have changed.

I am not eating the same foods I used to, nor am I craving them. I am loving new foods. Apples, broccoli, fish, eggs, and cottage cheese are all of my passions. They have been that way for close to a year now, and I have not strayed off yet.
In fact, I do not think I ever will.
I have finally done what my grandfather always told me:

"If you want to lose weight, learn to love foods you did not like before!"

Thank you grandfather. My son/daughter will thank you when I am there for them! I am not going to go insane this time around!

Get out!

Here is quick blog post, because I have another one I want to write!

If you have Facebook or Twitter, and are my friend, then you saw that I was kicked off the Weight Watchers forums! I was told not to post or reply anymore, in a nice WW way.
It was bound to happen. I expected it, and I am not mad.
I have been using the WW forums to let members know that there is hope to lose 200 pounds. I would write a message, and then tell people to email me.
I did not promote my blog, although it was on my profile page, and I did say I had a link to some before and current pics.
I never did this for personal gain, or a pat on the back. I did it for hope!
I remembered being 400 pounds, and writing on the forums. I would get snapped at, or told my question was stupid. It made me keep my thoughts inside.
So WW gave me my final warning today. They removed every post I have put on over the last few weeks.
When I would post a thread, I would get over 1000 new WW members to my blog, and over 200 emails with questions, and I responded to them all.
I guess that is why I am a little sad, because I was able to help so many WW members.

Don't worry, I will find a new way!

Weight for a response!

Day three of my mega e-mail mix!

I have received a good amount lately, and I have responded to them all!

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yeah! (I am saying that like the Kool-Aid man would!)

I do not think any slipped through the cracks......... except for someone who wanted a blog interview.

I have done a few interviews which has been cool ( Muata and John).
I have also spent over an hour answering questions for others which have not been published. Some of these were supposed to be out in November.
If you know me from my writing, you know I do not like to wait for things. So what I have decided to do is take some of your awesome questions, and put them here in a little self interview!

The Anti-Jared self interview (With the help of awesome emails!)

Q. "Why do you always take pictures with your hands on your hips?"

A. "Because for the first time in a LONG time, I can. It has been a while since I can put my hands on my hips. It is a great feeling. Also,if you see me walk around now, I always walk with my hands behind my back (Like I am being handcuffed). I do that for the same reason!

Q. "When did you start seeing results?"

A. "The first day! I felt more energized, and I was happy that I controlled the way I ate. Every day I did this, I felt better, and more confident. Then, clothes felt better, and my movement was more rapid. I realized that I can live like this. Sure, I would sacrifice a pizza or a burger, but it felt really good to live!"

Q. "Tony, you do not have to answer this if you do not want to, but was it really hard to go to the bathroom?"

A. "Yes it was. I could not stand at a urinal, nor could I properly wipe myself. The bathroom was by far the most humiliating thing for me when I was morbidly obese. It still beings tears to my eyes today. I remember the weight I was able to go properly, it was 347! I do not wish it on anyone, but I know that I will maintain my weight loss for that reason alone!"

Q. "Do you really work 70 hours a week?"

A. "Ask my wife! Ha, yes I do. I work a lot, and I blog, and I spend time with my wife. I am at work over twelve hours a day, and I am able to answer email from my BlackBerry. When I get home, I will hang out with my wife if she is not sleeping. At night, I will blog and answer emails that I have not done during the day. I also work out at least once a day, if not twice. The only thing I really cut out is video games, and a lot of television."

Q. "Do you really think you will be on Oprah, or a show like that?"

A. "Hmmm, I don't know? I used to want to be on there, but the small blogging community is awesome! I am able to answer a lot of questions, and get support as well.The only reason I would like to be on there is to inspire more people, which is truly my passion. Losing weight/Getting healthy is worth it, and it is not that hard. It is making sacrifices, but worthwhile ones. I made a lot of decisions, and I think that if people could make some small sacrifices, they would see the result!"

Q. "You always make fun of the people at WW meetings. Why do you go?"

A. "Trust me, I need WW more than it needs me. Those meetings I go to give me a lot of hope. I hear how some people have lost weight, and how some struggle. It moves me each time. I always try to find the humor in a situation, but I do love going!"

Q. "Do you want to make money off of your blog?"

A. "No. For me, it is not about money, it is really about giving people hope. When I was 400 pounds, I would give anyone whatever money I had to lose weight. I know how people can be.
As someone who has lost over 200 pounds, I guess deep down I have some sore of responsibility to the weight loss community. I have to be able to give people answers or hope. It is important to me now.
Believe me, I am not a dumb guy! I actually have a very good business sense. I know I could make a good amount of money if I wanted to. It is not about that for me. It really is about helping out.

Q. " Do you love your wife?"

A. "With all of my heart!"

Q. " Anyone famous ever email you?"

A. "Hmmmmm, not really. I did get a nice email from the author of Hungry Girl saying I looked great. That was pretty cool!"

Q. "Wow, 200 pounds in 10 months. Is that a record?"

A. "You know, I have lost 211.2 pounds in 10 1/2 months now. Here is the way I look at it. There are people who have lost more weight than me (Kim) and some that lost it quicker than me (Eric). I am living healthy, and I am happy. I am not one to compete. Health is not a competition. I am just so thankful that my wife does not have to worry about me as much as she used to."

Q. "What is one word that describes you?

A. "DETERMINED!"

Three minutes!

First off, I want to thank everyone for all the great emails that were sent to me! I have gotten a ton the last couple of days, which is great! I think I answered all of them, but I am sure a few slipped through the cracks!
I love the email system, because it is personal, and you are not putting yourself out there for everyone to see. Forums can be tough sometimes!For me, I never did very good with forums. I would always ask the "dumb" question, or I would never even ask the question I really wanted to. Emailing someone was always the best for me!

A couple of things though:

This is my blog, not a forum. I really appreciate comments, but I write incredibly fluff pieces, nothing to offend anyone. I try to write something so you and I are entertained for three minutes out of the day. If something I write really offends you, or irritates you, then email me! Putting a comment for all to see, and embarrass me, well, save that for your blog. Also, have some courage and do not post nastiness Anonymously! I will keep that two cents!

Also, I want to make it clear that no one, and I mean no one, asks dumb questions. When you send an email to anyone, do not state "This may seem like a dumb question...." There are no dumb questions! Except the one time I asked if love was a zero point snack!

One other thing, please do not down play YOUR weight loss. I do not like hearing
"I know you have lost 200 pounds, but I have only lost 80!"
Any weight loss is tremendous! Especially anything over 20 pounds! There are so many people who gain weigh. Living a healthy lifestyle is a great achievement!

Anyway, I got a couple of emails asking where I have been.
Wow, I did not realize I was gone?
I have not posted in two days, but I can see your point. I usually blog once to twice a day!
So let me get you caught up. Work has been busy and stressful. I am now working at 5am on Monday morning, which means......

I have a new weigh-in day! Tubular Tuesdays!


That is right, this week, I weighed in today, Tuesday, Barack day!
So I went to WW, and it felt weird.
No Barb...No Beth.....
Just women I have never seen before!
I went on the scale without a "How are ya Tony", or anything.
It felt awkward, like the first day I was there 11 months ago!
When I went on the scale, I got no reaction.
At 209.8 pounds, I am very aware that a plateau is coming. I am also aware that I will be gaining a pound here or there, with no rhyme or reason!
The women handed me my little WW book where she documents my weight loss, and did not say a word.
I left because I had other things to do today! Like this.....



I worked out, cooked for my wife's office, and did some paper work at the store. All on my day off!
Super JARED!!!!

Anyway, when I looked at the WW log book, I saw that I lost .8 pounds!

Lost .8 pounds!!!!!!! THAT IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

That means I have lost 211 pounds.

So please keep on sending emails. I will reply to questions I receive. If you do not believe I send answers back, check out Brandi's post!

Buh-Nun-Nu-Nun!!!!

Work has been very busy for my the last three months.... actually the last five years!
After the holidays though, it slows down, but I have been a little busier than expected. That is a good thing.
I have always worked a lot of hours. I hear about people who work a eight or nine hour day, and I do not remember the last time I have done that. My days are around twelve to fourteen hours, closer to the fourteen mark. I do not mind, because I have done it for so long.
My wife understands as well. This is nothing new for her. She knows that I put in a lot of hours. It is a good feeling of pride for our family as well.
With all of that being said, I also love blogging. Better yet, I love to write.
I have sacrificed some TV and some other hobbies for it, but it is sooo worth it!
I am not the best in my family by far, and my grammar are bads, but I really try to put forth a lot of effort in every post.
I also put forth a lot of effort into answering every email I get. Some slip through the cracks, and I apologize for that. But for most, I give an immediate response.

With that being said,I hate when bloggers/inspirations say they are too busy to reply to an email. It infuriates me!

Believe it or not, I have only been "truly" been blogging for about four months now. I have had this blog for about nine months, but I rarely posted before.
In September,a pretty popular weight loss blogger really inspired me to write more, because of her witty posts, and constant postings!.

I loved her posts!

I wanted to tell her how much she inspired me, so I took an hour of my day, and I wrote her a wonderful email, really telling her what she meant to my writing.

No Reply!

I resent it to her a month later, with an addition of my weight loss, and thanked her once again. I also asked her a question about blogging.

No Reply!

It made me mad. I spend all of this time, and I got nothing back. Plus, it was not like I was writing to Mark Twain! I mean, a popular blogger still has a day job, and is not that busy!!!

Anyway, I forgot about it, and put a lot of effort into this blog. I still have a free blogger account, but really focused on my posts. I also focused on letting people write about their blogs. I love it when new bloggers and my friend bloggers promote their blog on here. It is a great feeling!!!

With my weight loss, my blog started to get a little more popular. I get a few hits, and I love it!
Well, on one of my posts, my inspirational blogger left a comment.



It had a link to her blog, and told me what a inspiration I was.

I deleted it!

She did it the next day as well.

I deleted it.

I then sent her a email telling her not to post comments on my blog. I told her the story about my email I sent, and how I got no reply. I did not appreciate her trying to get more hits off of this site, which she was obviously trying to do. All she had to do was send a quick thank you!

Now, that email I got a response to. Go figure!

I vow to everyone that I will send back an email. Now, if you write me about how you want to lose weight and love cheeseburgers, or the generic "I want to lose weight, help!" then maybe not.
But I get about 60 emails a day, and most of them are genuine. I do not care how popular I get, I will always reply!

The Buh-Nun-Nu-Nun is the sound my Blackberry makes every time there is a new email. I LOVE that sound!!!!

I am proud to be an inspiration! An inspiration inspires others, which is what I love to do!

Whitney said "You can't take away my dignity!!!"

When you are a 400 pound chef, no one forgets you.
Every time people would come into the restaurant, guests would come up to me and say "Big Boy, how are ya!" or "Wow, the food MUST be good here!"
It bothered me, because I was known for my size, and not for my talent!
I was incredibly insulted by one guest a while back, which I thought about when I went to GNC this week.
About 3 years ago, I was working at the restaurant. It was a slow night, and the guest came up to me and said
"Sir, I really need to talk to you."
That is never a good thing I In my mind, I was thinking that the guests was upset about their food, and I was going to have to buy their meal.
When I went to the guest, he told me he wanted to speak to me outside.
Outside! Wow, this really was important!
I went outside, and he said:

"Sir, I just want you to know that my wife and I come in here a lot, and we are both very concerned. You are getting heavier each time we come in. I am not saying this to insult you, I am worried for you. I see that you have a wedding ring, and I assume your wife would like you to lose weight. My wife and I own a diet supplement company, and I would like for you to try these diet pills."

In no way would I take a pill from a stranger. I have seen enough ABC after school specials to know that drugs from people I do not know is bad! But, I am polite! I remember looking at the pills, and saying

"Thank you, I will do so."

The next words out of his mouth were

"Great! Also, when you get home, take some before pictures so we can advertise you taking them!"

I walked away, took those pills, and threw them out!
I WAS HURT!!!!!
I mean, at 400 pounds, I could not defend myself. I also could not believe that someone was trying to make money off of my health!
I remember telling my boss about this, and he was so insulted, that he told the guest to never speak to me again, or they would be banned from the restaurant.
He was upset with me that i did not have the courage to stand up to the guest, since it was a personal attack.
He told me if that ever happens in my lifetime, I need the courage to stand up for myself, in a polite way of course. He said that dignity is the most important thing a person has!
I loved my old boss!
Anyway, so this week, I went to GNC to buy a multivitamin.
When I went in, there was a "cute" girl working who seemed to know her stuff.
I told her I wanted a multivitamin, and she was showing me all of these vitamin packs, and what not. Actually, she was helpful!
I ended up getting a good vitamin, and then she asked me if I wanted this diet pill that was on sale, which I do not remember the name. I told her no very nicely, but she kept trying to sell it to me. I really was trying to be nice, when all of the sudden she said:

"Well, don't you want to knock off 20 pounds for your wife?"

That was it for me! My dignity was in danger! So, here is how the conversation went after that:

"Young lady, what is the most weight someone lost on those pills"

"Well, I heard of someone losing 60 pounds."

"Okay, what is the most weight lost of anyone you know. Anyone!"

"I once knew a guy who lost 95 pounds!"

I pulled out my Blackberry, and showed her my 420 pound picture.

"I have lost 210.4 pounds without pills. I think my wife will be okay with my 20 pounds left!"

I really hated doing it, but I felt bullied! I was not going to let someone take my dignity again.

After staring at the picture, she said what I wanted her to say the whole time I was there.

"I can ring you up at the register when you are ready!"

My dignity will never be in danger again!

You mean I can sell my integrity for $1.03 a month! Where do I sign!

I am nice, but I am also very passionate about things. I also like to voice my opinion!

I love blogging now! I am going to admit that I put my heart and soul into this. I love making people laugh, cry, and enjoy themselves for 5 minutes a day!
I carry around a notepad, and I write down ideas for future posts. I have over 40 ideas so far, which include:

"The women at a WW meeting doing the electric slide over the new 2 point Banana Nut Crunch Mini Bite Snack Love Skido!"

"100 calorie snack...fact or fiction!"

"Is yelling a good exercise!"

Well, today I am going to put my opinion on what so many bloggers have been writing about the past couple of days.
The topic has been "Weight Loss Scams".

Yes, it is true!

If you have been overweight as long as I have, you know they have always been around, way before the Internet. I remember them all!

The newest one is the Acai Berry Blog! Just in case you want a funny version of it, I did mock it here two months ago. There us a million of them on the web now!

Anyway, it is is a fake blog about someone who said they lost weight and you need to try the pills.You get a trial, and then pay some money for them.They are everywhere! I have seen them for about a year now.
Well, Steve from Weightlossweapons.com did a little expose on them, and warned readers about them. When I first read it, I thought it was AWESOME!!!! I even posted a positive comment on his blog, which by the way is great!
Other bloggers started to write about it as well, including my friend John and the ever popular Pastaqueen!
Now, here is where I am confused. I went back to Steve's website, and on the right, he had Google ads. Here were the first three topics on his ads, that he sponsors:

"Lose 18 pounds in 4 days"
"Lose 15 in 2009"
"Get Skinny in 11 Days"

So here is someone who basically is like the Woodward and Bernstein of weight loss scams, yet he has advertisements on his website for the same thing, which some people would call promoting.

It irritated me because many bloggers who hate the scams actually have them on their own site!
Uhhhhhhhggg, maybe I just do not understand some bloggers mentality.
I mean, I blog for fun. I love inspiring people. I love getting comments, and I love emailing people. I really love it!
I am not going to get rich from blogging or writing, I know that! I do like the fact that it helps people work out harder, or skip dessert!
I understand the premise of advertisements!It helps pay the bills! I mean, so many bloggers do it!
Why do so many bloggers have the weight loss scams as advertisements on their site!

What is the point?

Do I really need YOU to click on a ad to lose weight?

What I would like YOU to do is read the posts that I put a lot of pride and joy into!

For free, I will educate you so that you will not have to be worried about a scam!

For free, you can email me, and within a day, I will respond to you. I know the passion people put into emails. i am the same way!

For free, you can be my friend on any social network! I do not turn down anyone.

So I have come to the conclusion that I will not put advertisements on this site just to have them on here. It is not worth it!

No, if I need money I will get a second job. I will not sell you a heart attack in a bottle!

Sure, I might promote or review something that could help us in the weight loss struggle, but I will not be hypocritical.I will not promote the very thing that I can not stand, that stupid berry or quick weight loss!

Here is what I will promote for free:

"I lost 200 pounds in 2008 with apples, working out, and blogging!"

The 6 point hunka hunka burning love snack!!!!!

Whenever I read comments from my posts, sometimes I see a couple of funny little nuggets floating in there.
That is right! Sometimes, you ladies like to throw in a few comments that make me blush!

"You are a hunk!"

"What a hottie!"

"Are you bringing sexy back, yeah ;)!"

It is a new experience to be flirted with!
Usually, I am the one that does not get noticed, except from my wife.
Now, I feel like I need to be on the Cover of "Dynamite" magazine with Scott Baio and Ricky Schroder.

Oh year, it is not 1984......

I mean, I need to be the star in High School Musical 20! That is hip, right?

Anyway, I did not want to tell my wife this but.......

I have been quite the stud this week.

Maybe it is the way I wear my Wal-Mart pants?

Maybe it is the way I wear my sweatshirts, with the all-sexy hoodie addition?

Maybe it is just my fantastic charm of rolling my eyes every three seconds!

Anyway, I got hit on not once, but TWICE this week. I am a regular Fonzie! Ayyyyyyyyy!

The first time was when I went to the supermarket. I was incredibly excited because Fiber One was BOGO (Buy One Get One Free). When I was checking out in line, there was a real nice older women scanning my products. She looked like Aunt Bee from the Andy Griffith Show. She asked me how I was doing today. I told her:

"I am fine."

Then, all of the sudden, she said:

"Yes you are!"

A little shocked, I said:

"Yes, that is what i said!"

She winked at me, and then I realized that the charm of my Old Spice deodorant has kicked in! I understand getting hit on by a cougar, but a dinosaur?

So I just smiled, and was on my way.

I realized the Anti Jared was simply irresistible!

I did not tell my wife about it because I thought it was too weird.

But, lightning struck twice!!

I went to Sam's Club three days later, and when I was looking at some salsa to get, two women old enough to be God walked by me. One walked right up to me, and told her friend:

"I am standing next to this hunk!"

I tried to walk away, but all I could feel was a hand squeezing my tush, and then this whispered in my ear:
"
Remember, don't take wooden nickels and do not eat yellow snow!"

I appreciated the wooden nickel pointer, but I live in Florida. Was the yellow snow comment really necessary!

Finally, after this instance, I realized that my manly charms were too much! I realized that after losing 200 pounds, I was too much man for women born during the Civil War!

I finally told my wife!

When I was telling my wife, she did bring up a good point! She asked me:

"Okay, so these women were older. But, what if you did get hit on by a young beautiful woman, which could and would happen? What would you do!"

It took me half a second to answer that one!

"Hmmmm, I would stick with the woman who loved me at 400 pounds just like she loves me at 209.8 pounds!"

Yes Tattoo, 9.8 pounds till Onederland!

Ricardo Montalban passed away today at the age of 88.

Although he acted in like 9 million different things, I can only remember him as Mr. Roarke on Fantasy Island.
He made wishes come true, but:

Be careful what you wish for, it just might come true! (Yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah!!!)

Well, in "Real Life" there is a Fantasy Island. That is right, it is a place that I used to live at, but have not been there for quite some time. When I was there, I did not appreciate it, but now I will cherish it!

It is a place where most healthy people live at, and are loving life.

It is a place that most, if not all, weight loss warriors want to go one day.

That is right, it is known as "Onederland"!

When I got involved with losing weight seriously, I learned all the lingo. NSV (Non Scale Victory), SV (Scale Victory), WI (Weigh in), Lifetime (Lifetime member at WW), and the most annoying term BLS (Biggest Loser Spoiler!)
When I was losing weight at 420 pounds, someone told me I was close to Threeville.

Yes, Threeville is where you weigh 300-399.8. I was excited!

Anything to get out of the 400's!

I was loving life in Threeville. Working out was still tough, but I was eating well, and I could see a difference in my life. Breathing was easier, and my back pain was going away! All of the sudden, things started to fit me. Clothes were actually getting to big for me!

Wow, I was getting used to this Threeville.

Then, while weighing around 320, someone told me about another place I would like. It was called Twoterville.

Twoterville is where you weigh 200-299.8.

Twoterville? Sounded great! So I worked hard, and in the summer of 2008, I moved there. Twoterville is a nice place, especially if you were used to Threeville. My workouts got much better, in fact, dare I say "intense"! Clothes were falling off of me. Seat belts were fitting, chairs with arms were not my enemy. Now, I still live in Twoterville, so it is definitely not a bad place to live, especially from 400 pounds.
Now, I have come to the realization that I am very close to the mecca of all weight loss lands, Onederville! Actually, I am 9.8 pounds away, which means I will probably be moving there within a couple of months. I am shocked and amazed that I have an invite!
So many people who I admire for their weight loss live in Onederland. Even Oprah moves out of there from time to time. Most Hollywood actors and actresses live there, and most WW leaders live there. most of my family lives there!
And soon, this former 400 pound guy is going to live there, forever. Once I go to Onederland, I can not go back. I understand this! It is going to be too nice there!

So I am packing now, and I look forward to seeing all of my friends there as well!

And when I get there, I will say "Welcome to the Real Fantasy Island!"

Horton hears a poo!

My life has changed a lot over the last year.

Now I blog, have lost weight, gotten healthier, and got promoted at work, and have a baby on the way.

Sure, I know it can change at any moment. I can lose my job during this economic downfall, or sprain my ankle and not be able to work out.
Trust me, I think about it.
I am pretty sure that I will always eat the way I do, because I do enjoy it now. It is not work, it is fun now. I really do not miss the way so many processed foods made me feel!

The one thing that I NEVER thought would change about me over the last year is my lack of television watching.

My DVR doesn't even know me anymore.

I used to watch every reality show, a few sitcoms, and the news. I used to spend probably 4-5 hours a day watching. Now...not so much. Actually, I thought Hell's Kitchen and Top Chef were the same show!
In fact, my wife had to remind me that yesterday was the American Idol premier. Wow, I would have never predicted that!

I also would not have predicted that I did not care!

So it was a little weird that I was watching TV this morning. At 6am, there was not a lot of options!
But I did watch a infomercial by Celebrity Fitness Trainer Tony Horton selling"The 10 minute trainer!"
Tony was telling me that I could have the body I wanted in only 10 minutes a day. Just pop in a DVD, and work with him for 10 minutes!

Wow! 10 minutes! I was intrigued!

Tony was telling me that he knew I lived a busy lifestyle.
Check!
Tony was telling me that he knew I had a six pack of abs somewhere.
Check!
Tony was telling me that I wanted to wear those jeans that made the guys go crazy.
Hmmmm, not check! But, I did want to wear jeans!

Tony told me the secret was the revolutionary "Superstacking" system that combined every plan into one! Cardio, Upper Body, Lower Body, Arms, Back, Babysitting, Dancing, and Cooking all in 10 minutes! Just pop in the DVD, work with some big rubber band, and I am on my way!

I knew there was a catch. I mean, this system probably cost....like 380 dollars!

NONONONO!!!! If I acted right away, I would get "Express Shipping" which is still seven business days, and only two payments of $39.99 with over 4,000 free gifts, including a Clapper, and a Blade-Be-Gone for my old razors!

All joking aside, I had a epiphany today, and realized two things:

1. I really envy people like Tony Horton. Here is a guy who obviously worked hard to get the results he has, yet he can go on TV and sell this shit (Sorry Dad, I had to swear on this one) product to millions. I never could do it! I remember being a mortgage broker years ago, and doing bad because I could not charge people too much for my services.
If I had 10% of his chutzpah, I would be a millionaire. I just can't lie to people. 10 minutes is a great start, but it is not going to get you into cardio heaven! Not lying is a blessing and a curse.

Trust me, I wish I could say I lost my weight with this product, or the Acai Berry, or a Bowflex.

Alas, I did not. Now, Fiber One, Weight Watchers, The F-Factor Book, Broccoli, IPod, National Gyms... I can promote you! You got me where I am today, and I am thankful.

2. I spend a hour of my life watching this infomercial. That is 60 minutes. I could have worked out 6 times to this product. The truth is, I have a flabby stomach, and I am starting to see muscle definition, yet I work out at least a hour a day, six to seven days a week. If I have 60 minutes to watch this show, then I have time to work out, or eat healthy, or spend time with my wife. Heck, I have time to do whatever.
I guess "in a nutshell" life is about sacrifices. I sacrificed my health for work, or TV, or really anything that was not going to better me the next day.

Trust me, I am not saying give up work, or TV, or anything like that. But truly ask yourself if you have time? And if you are going to spend $80 on this product, why not spend it for six months at a gym?

I am saying that if I had 60 minutes to watch Tony Horton, then I had 60 minutes to go to the gym!

Defending a Pancake!

So I have gotten a couple of emails about my wife eating a pancake in front of me.

"Jared, that is so cruel!!! Didn't you want to eat it"

" You are an inspiration, but I can not believe your wife ate that delicious pancake!"

"Hey, weren't you supposed to pimp my blog?"

Sometimes, I think it is harder for my wife to see me eat berries than it is for me to see her eat a pancake!

This post goes out to all of the boyfriends,girlfriends, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, and everyone else who lives with or knows someone who is on a diet/making a life change/ trying to live better. Here it goes!

I am sooooooo sorry! I am the one that needs to change, not you!

You see, I always wanted the world to change around me. I wanted to live in a healthier world without changing myself. I wanted a ban on all fast food restaurants, and I wanted to be forced to eat healthy. Then, the truth hit me:

It will never happen! Never Ever!

My wife has "a" pancake. The pancake has a calorie value of 145. That is less than a frozen dinner, or a 2-3 point snack for you WW's out there. She can control her food portions. She does not have a eating problem!
I have never eaten "a" anything, except "a" lot of food! I know this about me.
After 32 years, I have come to terms with it. Sometimes I wish I could just eat a pancake, or eat a cheeseburger, but it is not going to happen!
So I have to enjoy other foods. I do not feel deprived! It is a awesome way of life! I am glad I am doing it!
Today, I drove by a Taco Bell. I saw that the drive thru was packed!

People have not changed.

I saw a woman eating a burrito. She only had one. I remembered what I used to eat there:

3 Baja Gordita Beef, 7 Layer Burrito, Burrito Supreme, Grilled Stuffed Burrito, and a Diet Pepsi- Total Calories- 2591.

Side Note- I have not had a "Diet" drink in a year, but before that, I have only had "diet" drinks for the last twenty years. With that being said, I do think there is a correlation with diet drinks and hunger. I mean, I did gain over 250 pounds while only drinking "diet" drinks!

I drove by a McDonald's today, and the drive thru was packed as well.

People have not changed.

I remember going through there, and ordering a ton as well:

3 Double Cheeseburgers, Big Mac, Grilled Chicken Club, McRib (When in season of course) and a Diet Coke- Total Calories- 2911.

I have....I mean I had no control. I am much better now. In fact, I have not been tempted for a year.

I do not think I will ever be tempted again!

Sure, I will overeat, but it will be apples and broccoli now. How exciting!
There has been a little negativity in the blogging world, but I would like to say one thing, since I am kind of an inspiration. Do not expect people around you to change. You need to! You need to be strong. There will always be temptation on every corner. Change your habits. I promise it will lead to success!
Anyway, my wife can eat what she wants around me anytime! If I fail at this, then I fail. No one else!

Plus, my berries were much better than that pancake!

People

I do not know much about women, but my wife has taught me two things:

1. You can not have enough shoes

2. There is a HUGE difference between Target and Wal-Mart

I have always been a fan of "anything" Mart (Wal or K) but my wife loves Target. I guess it has the upper class of crap we need!

Anyway, we went shopping a couple of weeks ago, and while checking out, she pointed to the "People Half Their Size" magazine. We are both suckers for weight loss magazines!
She looked at it, and said:
"Look honey, those women lost 154, 119, and 126 pounds! You totally lost more than them! Way to go!"

I smiled, but then made the mistake of opening my critical mouth:

"Yeah, I lost more, but I did not lose half my weight! So what they did is more impressive!"

My wife looked at me and said

"You know.....like you are not going to lose half your weight!"

So I gave it time, a whole 10 days from that incident!

Today, I have officially lost more than I weigh. I weigh 209.8 pounds for the first time since...oh hell, I do not even know! I lost 1.8 pounds this week, and 210.4 pounds overall.

I realized that I have inspired many, but now more than ever it is time to inspire more. I am reading a lot about people who are struggling, and making comments like

"There is always tomorrow!"

"I did great until Friday night!"

The truth is, we all struggle. I have done so for 32 years!
I hope that I am proof that it is well worth it to be on track. I know I have proven it to myself, which is important!
Believe it or not, I lost 17.4 pounds since Thanksgiving where the average person gains 5.6 pounds. Not bad!
Trust me, I am not bragging or gloating. I have put in a ton of work and sacrifice! It is not easy for me because "I am a guy", or " Ohhh, you work out". No, I watch everything that goes in my mouth. I eat well so I can post a weight loss on Mondays for all of my friends (you!) to see.

And one day, a newspaper or television show will pick up my story. Maybe I can inspire more! I am not worried about the money or fame. I just wished there was someone like me when I was struggling.
Someone who was so big he could not go to the bathroom, and now he is running on the beach picking up seashells.
Someone who used to eat at every fast food restaurant, and now is passionate about healthy options.
Someone who had to go to the chiropractor four days a week, and now goes to the gym six times a week.
This morning the gym was empty and Weight Watchers had 5 people in the meeting.
They were both packed last week! What happened to the New Years resolutions!
Okay, I am getting off my soapbox now. I do want to say i am glad I do inspire people who follow this blog (Once was 3 people, now it is 153!) It makes me feel good. I will leave you with this I-Report I did on myself and a picture of me with my old shorts, Jared style!

It is nice to be half the man I used to be! I was a lot of man before!

Stairs!

Somebody once told me the best way to overcome a fear is to go at it head on.

That is the way I felt about stairs this weekend.

I have never been a fan of stairs before. I do not think any overweight or "out-of-shape" person is. Whenever I went to the mall, I never took the stairs, I took the escalator. Whenever I went to the doctor's office, I went on the elevator. I always avoided stairs! In fact, I rarely went up the stairs in our house. There was no reason to, unless I wanted to be out of breath halfway up.

Three years ago, stairs embarrassed me. It also scared me!

In December of 2005, I went to Minnesota for a week long work function. I remember having to find a 5XL coat for the week, which I did at the ol' reliable "Casual Male"
I also remember having to personally pay to upgrade my flight to first class, not because I wanted the extra beverages and snacks, but because it was the only seat that could "barely" hold me and it was cheaper than getting two seats.
When all of that was taken care of, I was off to Minnesota. It was a leadership conference for work, which was good. I learned a lot, but felt out of place, as always at that weight.

There was one day we were going to give back to the community, and donate out time to a battered woman's shelter. I love giving back, so i was excited. I remember that we all went give our time, and most were looking forward to it! The office we were going to work out of was on the tenth floor of an old building. Everyone went to the elevator just to find out...

The elevator was not working!

Everyone sighed. It was a burden for most to climb those stairs.

Not me, I was horrified! It was impossible to do it!

As a 400 pound guy, climbing those stairs was scary.

But, I needed to do it. I could do it!

After getting to the third flight of stairs, I realized I could not do it. No way in the world was I able to go up those ten flights. Embarrassed, I sat down on the third flight, and did not go with the rest of the group.
I waited there for an hour, until everyone was done. When the group got back, no one questioned me at all. They all knew why I could not go, because I would have had a heart attack if I were to climb the stairs. In fact, the only comment was made by a higher up who said

"You really should lose weight."

That day bothered me, and even through getting healthy, I did not go up stairs.

This weekend, the hotel had tons of stairs everywhere. Although I am pretty confident with my fitness level and weight loss, I had those same scared feelings all over again.

I wanted to go on the elevator! I wanted to go on the escalator! Anything but the stairs!

But something inside me had to prove that i was better than stairs.
So I did it, I went up three flights of stairs. Something weird happened:

I was not out of breath!

So I kept on doing it this weekend. I must have gone up and down the stairs over twenty times. It felt great.I ran up the stairs once, and jogged up another time. I was smiling from ear to ear each time. People were staring at me like I was an idiot.

I wish the higher up at work would have been staring at me this time!

What fear have you overcome?

A day at the beach!

Well, here I am in BEAUTIFUL St. Petersberg!

We are staying at a really nice resort this weekend, and we have done nothing but relaxed! Walking on the beach, picking up seashells, and watching the waves has consumed our last two days!

People always want to know what I eat! When you lose over 200 pounds, it is like something of a phenomenon. People ask me:

" What do you eat on a daily basis?"

" What did you eat on (Fill in your holiday here)?"

" Do you eat pasta?"

My favorite question is "What do you eat when you go out!"

Well, here is goes!

Being in St. Petersberg, most restaurants are very expensive and trendy! There are no Chili's or Outback, and I really can not look up the nutritional information on the computer. So what I do is.......

Eat the exact same thing that I always do!

That is right, I always order something crazy in a restaurant. I pay much more for my food, but I am happy with what I get. Here is an example of our breakfast:

My pregnant wife has not had an issue with overeating or portion control. She is on vacation, and can eat whatever she wants, so she does. Here is her meal:

Yep, a chocolate chip pancake, fried potatoes and bacon. Looks great! She said it was wonderful. Total price, $7.75.

I have had issues with eating my whole life. Now, after almost a year, I have learned to eat well. here is my meal:

Yep, I had a bowl of berries and two eggs. It filled me up, and I had protein, good fats, and fiber. It was delicious! Total price- $16.75.

Eating healthy is expensive, but well worth it. Sometimes, I wish I could order whatever I wanted to. It would be easier!

Truth be told, I am more passionate now about food than I ever was. I really enjoy my fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. I get very excited when I eat them, and I feel great afterwards.

I also know that this is a way of life. There are no more exceptions. Now, I see results with eating healthier. I mean, look at the picture on the side. I am wearing jeans! The last time I wore jeans, George Bush Sr. was in office. That was a while ago!

So we are going to go back to the beach now, and then to dinner.

I can not wait to eat my $100 created meal of oysters, crab legs, and salad!

Heaven and Hell

So today I had some work done to my car. i was irritated, but not a big deal at all! I drove my wife's car to work today, which is similar to mine.
I realized that when you are used to something, it is weird not to have it.
My car has satellite radio in it, and my wife's does not. So down the road, I am wanting to listen to some Hot Jamz, Howard Stern, or Sirius hits 1, but instead I was listening to this thing called FM Radio. I also realized how annoying commercials are.
I finally turned the station and I heard one of my favorite songs, which is "Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys.

Sometimes a smell or quote or a song can trigger a memory. This song brings a story to mind.

About three years ago, my kitchen was running rough. I was understaffed, and busy so everyone had to do the job of two or three people! We all pulled together though. but there was a lot of negativity!
I had a dishwasher at the time who always smiled and danced around! I always thought he was a couple nickels short of a dollar, but he did a really good job, so I did not bother him. No matter how mean people were to him (and they were mean to him!), no matter how many times people threw food on him by accident, or made him take out all of the trash, he was always happy.

Sidenote- being a dishwasher is a very under appreciated job! Finding a good dishwasher is like having a great kicker for a football team. If you do not have one, you will never win.

Anyway, this guy never asked for money, nor did he complain about his hours. He did a great job, in a real rough environment!
I pulled him in the office one day and told him I was giving him more money.
He told me no!

That is the only time someone ever told me no for more money.

I kind of went off on him:
"Listen, you do a great job here. I do not want to lose you. I have had horrible turnover lately, and this is not the best environment to be in. Especially for a dishwasher. I do not want you to quit, and I see how people treat you! I want to compensate you."

This dishwasher, who never talked, just sang songs by Cameo, looked at me, and said the weirdest thing:

"You know what the difference between heaven and hell is? Nothing. They are the same, just the way you look at it. This is my heaven!"

With that, he went back to work. He still works for me to this day, making the same amount of money.

When I heard that song, I thought about that quote today. I am listening to Oprah being upset she is 200 pounds, yet I am excited to get to be 200 pounds. I see people write me to tell me they "Only" lost 60 pounds, yet so many people gained weight last year! I see people complain about things in their lives they can change, yet I see this woman being so strong!

I am a very "glass half full" person, and I guess I am a little irritated with the "glass half empty" people. There are situations we can control, yet some we can not. Either way, it is life, and we should deal with it.

In 2008, I went through a lot of issues, but I always came up on top. For the first time, I did not go to food when the economy got rough, or when there were family issues.

No, I made this comment that made my wife's eyes roll:

"Uhhh, I ate too much broccoli!"

I changed, but I have always been positive. I am in heaven now! I want others to realize maybe they are there as well, and not in hell!
I am kind of glad i heard that song today. Hearing it made me realize something else:

I need to buy my wife a damn Sirius radio!

A Fun Trip!

Before I start, I want to thank all of you who pimped your blog! I added every one into my blogroll. Let me know if you want to be added on!

Anyway, back to the post!

Pack your bags!
We are going out of town this weekend!

I realized that old pictures of me are rare, and I do not have an old picture of myself where I smiled. Here I am with a stained fleece at Disney World! All I remember was my back was hurting, and I was tired. My wife is smiling yet I could not smile! Why not! I was with the woman I love!

Then I remembered that being over 400 pounds does not bring so much happiness!

This weekend my wife and I are celebrating our five year anniversary! We have been together for over eight years, but this weekend marks our five years of holy matrimony!
We are going out of town to a resort at the beach to relax and go to some stores! Plus, there is a gym at the resort!

After looking at this picture, I realize why it is important to go this weekend. At 211.6 pounds, I weigh less than I have in a LONG time.
When my wife and I went to Disney, we were celebrating our two year anniversary. It was tough for me! I could not fit on a lot of the rides, walking was a chore, and forget about sitting at a booth in a restaurant! Not really the happiest place on earth.
I have written this before, but I felt like I let my wife down on that trip. She was so excited to go to Disney, yet I really could not keep up. I did not want to walk to many places, nor did I want to be there. She understood. She seems to always understand!
Life was so hard over 400 pounds. I can not talk about it enough! If I ever write a book, the first 200 pages is going to be me writing "Being over 400 pounds is hard!" because it is! You just want the time to go by. Nothing is rewarding.
Being 211.6 and in shape is different. I am actually excited about going away for a weekend. Although I work a lot, it will be nice to be away from the restaurant for a few days!
I also feel that I owe this trip to my wife. For our five years, I am giving her the gift of me walking to different stores with her! I am giving her the gift of being able to hug her after dinner! I am giving her the gift of having the energy to run around all day!

All I want back is an I-Phone!

My wife knows how important this blog is to me as well, so I am bringing the camera and my laptop! She knows that writing keeps me on point in my journey!
We are staying at a resort that has Internet access, so that I can update my blog. I think that is pretty cool. Plus, my wife likes to sleep in, I do not!

So this weekend, my wife and I are inviting you as well!

So let me know who is driving. I got shotgun!

The National Body Challenge

You know, I have changed the way I live. So many people are doing the same in 2009, which is great! Here is the only problem with that...

So many people do not know how to live a healthier life!

It is true. Living a healthy life can be tough at first.

What to eat, when to work out, if you should work out, etc.

I get emails from people who ask me how to get started, is Weight Watchers for them, is fiber the answer, how long to workout.
I try to answer as many of them as I can.

I did get a link for a website I would like to share...

Before I even get into this, I did not get any type of payment or reward for talking about this. I was sent a link to this website, and i saw that it was not about losing weight, but getting healthy. My wife's eyes gleamed when she saw that, so I wanted to promote it. Now, I can not wait for the day where Fiber One comes and pays all of my bills to promote their cereal. Yum!
It is The National Body Challenge by the Discovery Network. It is pretty cool. It is free, which is great with this economy. It gives a lot of information for people who are starting to live a healthy life. Perfect for 2009!
Plus, I think there is a free 30 day gym membership somewhere in there for those who are thinking about joining a gym.
Check it out!

Pimp YOUR BLOG Tuesday!

I am on a blogging tear lately!
I have decided to try to make more frequent posts. Why? Well..........
I really think that blogging helps me with weight loss! Actually, I think blogging helps people lose weight.

It wasn't like that for me four months ago!
In fact, if it weren't for my wife, you might have never seen this blog!

I remember starting my blog in April. I didn't tell anyone I was doing it. I just wanted a place to write down my weight loss, and a few ideas I had. I am not the best writer in the world, but I love to put my ideas on paper!
I got the idea of a blog from my brother.
About 90% of you know who my brother is because he has brought a lot of traffic! For the ones that do not, he is Joe Posnanski. He is a sports columnist for the Kansas City Star, Sports Illustrated, and he has also written two books, and is on his third.

Yes, these are books that you can get at any bookstore anytime. They are not "Internet only" books.

He is the best writer I have ever known, and I am not saying that because he is my brother!
Anyway, he started a sports blog that got national attention. I think he has had over 6 million hits on his site so far!
I have never been known as a writer. I was always the chef, the one who loves restaurants!

So, believe it or not, I had the blog for six months without telling anyone about it. It was personal to me. I did not want to be ridiculed for my writing! I was already working hard to lose weight, I did not want anything distracting me!

I remember getting a comment from my friend Carlos, and wondering how he even found my blog? It was weird.

So around the end of September my wife found my blog. She was the first person close to me to know about it! Don't ask me how she found out about my blog, but she did!
She read the six posts I had, and started to cry. I guess it was weird for her to see my feelings in writing. It was touching to her, with a little humor as well! She was telling me how wonderful they were, and she never knew that I was a great writer.

Me... a great writer?? Not sure about that.

She told me I should write more. She said that not only was my weight loss inspiring, but it was actually a very interesting story.

Table for 200 lost please!!!!

Orlando, FL- Young Chef/ Managing Partner was at his end. At 400 pounds, surgery was his only option. So he thought!
With the help of Weight Watchers, The F-Factor Diet, and exercise, Tony has lost over 200 pounds!!! And the surgery never happened!

She inspired me to write more. She said The Anti-Jared could be very popular!

I blogged a little, and added some pictures of my progress....then I got some nice comments..........

After that, I started to post a little more frequently. I wanted more people to see it, but as you know, getting traffic is rough! I added pictures, but it still was tough!
I asked my brother to help me promote my blog, and he wrote a little piece about me in his blog.
It helped me big time!
After that, I started to promote it as well. I went on all the weight loss forums and would tell my story. I was known as very annoying, but I really think that my story is a good one!
I posted often on my blog, and I tried to be as candid and honest as I could.
Truth be told, it has helped me with weight loss. I work hard so I can blog about it. I love writing about what I eat, and the WW meeting I go to. It is a lot of fun.
I work extremely hard on this blog. It takes me a little while to think of a fun post!
I have now written over 100 posts. Some are great, some are not so great!!!
I have has comments from so many people! I am very thankful.
Trust me, I read "tons" of blogs every day. I love your blogs! I know about what you eat, and what obstacles you overcome. It is like I know you without meeting you! It is so much fun.
Believe it or not, I also get frustrated when you do not post often.Once a week, or once a month is not enough for me!!!
I want to promote as many of your blogs as I can. I know how hard it can be to get people to view your great writings. Let's see how many great url's we can get on here! Please, on this post, leave your blog address and a brief comment about it so others can see your blog.
I also have not updated my Blogroll in forever. Let me know if you would like to be on there!

You never know who you will inspire!

65 minutes!

I am usually off of work on Tuesdays. It is a great day for me to catch up on sleep, and doing things around the house.

But I am working today, Well, not yet, but in a little while. I was going to take a vacation this week being it was my 5 year anniversary, but I decided to just take off the weekend.

So when I woke up, I was a little irritated. Granted, I make my own schedule at work (to a point, I am very fair!), but I just did not feel motivated to get up.

I am sure you have felt that way before!

The dog was very annoying. I just wanted to sleep. She just wanted to bark.

She won!

Finally, around 6:30am I woke up. That is late for me, I am usually up around 5am. I really felt behind!
I was considering skipping the gym today! I wasn't in the mood to go. I wasn't motivated at all. I really did not need it!

Plus, so many bloggers are busting on the gym, calling machines "dreadmills" and "eskiptical craphines". So many bloggers are talking about how silly the gym is, and the irony of how we do things in there that we should be doing in real life.

Well, I am a blogger. I am losing weight. Maybe the gym is not for me today either!

Then I washed my face, and looked in the mirror. I saw a guy who I did not recognize. I saw someone who ten months ago could not go to the bathroom properly. It was someone that did not go to the gym 10 months ago. No, no, no! He couldn't go! He went to the Chiropractor four times a week instead! One hour at a time, $65 dollars a session!

His back was so bad he could not stand up for more than 20 minutes. People begged him to lose weight. He didn't care. Pizza was more important than life!

I saw some one who could barely walk down the isle for his wedding. Who could not walk through Disney World. Someone who could not walk down the grocery isle with his wife!

Then I looked again, and I saw someone who absolutely loves the gym now. It has changed his life completely! He runs inside the gym! He runs outside the gym!

For what, a marathon, 5K, bi/triathlon!

No, he does it to take a walk with his wife, and play catch with his child in the future. He does it to live past 40!

65 minutes a day changed my life! it still does!
My gym will only allow you to be on a machine for 65 minutes. Sure you can be on longer, but it only tracks for 65 minutes.

After I washed my face, I realized I was being a baby! I realized it was time to go to the gym!

I got dressed and went to the gym!

And for 65 minutes, I was loving the elliptical machine! I will probably go to a boxing class tonight as well!

Good Luck!

"Good Luck Tony!"

That is what Cristy said to me today......

Wait, I am getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning!

Today is Monday, which is my favorite day of the week. It is weigh in day, or game day!

I woke up to the pup-a-barking! I went to walk her, and she said:

"You know father. I hear you talk about apples a lot, but raspberries have a lot more fiber. Actually, they have 8 grams per serving, and I know you watch your fiber intake!"

Wow, I have one smart pooch!

After walking her, it was off to the gym, and was working out between the BlackBerry twins! Texting away like crazy. It made me work out harder. I had a great workout!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

After the workout, it was off to my weigh in. I went to weigh in early because I had to rush into work right after. I had to take care of a few issues at the store, so I only had time for a quick pop on the scale.
Of course, I am an idiot and forgot that it was every one's New Year's Resolution to lose weight.

Weight Watchers was packed! I wasn't sure if I was going to weigh myself, or I was in line to get Springsteen tickets!
When I was in line, I saw a regular from the meeting Cristy! She is nice, and I think she has lost over 20 pounds in two months, which is AWESOME!!!
She was telling me she did not eat so great for New Years, but she had a wonderful time with her husband!
I was happy for her!
She went on the scale before me, and the leader did not say a word. She just handed her book back to her.
Yeah, that means a gain!
Cristy looked at her weigh-in, and said

"Huhhhh, well, worse than I thought, but it is only one week!"

I was happy she looked at it that way!
After that, she looked at me and said "Good Luck!"
Good luck?
I appreciated her comment, because she is very nice, but it made me think. This journey has been nothing about luck!

I thought of my past week, and the obstacles I overcame, just like every week the last ten months!

I thought about my wife, who is pregnant. She is in this awesome phase called the "I don't know!" phase which consists of me driving everywhere to get her a snack! I love it!!!

Actually, I am so happy about the baby, that I will deal with driving around!

I found myself in the Wendy's drive-thru for my wife. My wife can eat in moderation, I can not. I know this! Was I tempted to get something? No!
I could have, but I did not want to!

That was not luck, that was will power!

When I sat for a meeting with my boss this week, he wanted to split an order of Chicken Marsala and Penne Alfredo with me. I looked at him and said "No, I am not hungry!"
I could have eaten with him, it would have been an easy solution. I could have said we can have a salad, but I knew what he wanted to eat.
I am the one that needs to sacrifice, not him!

That was not luck, that was determination.

Of course, my boss did decide to say after I told him I was not hungry:

"Oh yeah, I forgot Mr. Skinny! Why don't we just split a damn ice cube after lunch!"

Mmmmmm, cold and refreshing! Yum!

When the gym closed early on New year's Eve, I made sure to wake up early to get two workouts in on New years Day.
I could have slept in, I was sooo tired. but I knew that working out was important!

That was not luck, that was courage!

So there is no luck in my life. I have worked hard the last ten months! I do not question my Weigh In's. I have doubters, but live with me for a week, and you will see how I lose the weight!
When i got on the scale, I was looking right at Barbara! i was not shocked with the results. Happy, but not shocked! She said:

"Tony, 3.2 pounds down this week! WOWOW!!!! During the holidays also. You should be plateauing right now. You are amazing. You know, it is going to be hard for you to be a Weight Watchers leader, being you lost the weight so quick!"

"Barbara, I do not need the "WW" part in front of the title to know that I am a leader!"

Barbara!

First of all, thank you all so much for the comments! Right now, on January 4th, we are at$1.72! Not bad, actually awesome! I am also going to post more often as well, so there is more of a chance to comment.
My last post was about the crazy WW meeting I went to on Saturday. I am going to get weighed in tomorrow morning at my regular meeting.
I thought I would tell you about the reason why I love Weight Watchers, and my WW inspiration, Barbara!
When my doctor told me I needed to have surgery, I was scared. Who wouldn't be! I wanted to do anything possible to lose weight without surgery.
Then I remembered Weight Watchers. I knew that it was a lifestyle, but that was about it. I knew it was different than Jenny Craig, but not sure why?
I have never been a member, but my wife was a LONG time ago for a quick minute. I remember going to my wife, and telling her I was going to join.
She was excited. mainly because I was talking about getting healthy.
I told her I was going to go to a meeting, and she chuckled.

"Weight Watchers is a great program if you stick with it.I do not know if meetings are what you are looking for. A lot of women there. In fact, I have never seen a guy in a meeting!"

I told her I agreed, although deep down I didn't. Whether it was men or women, I needed to be somewhere where people were struggling with food.

I needed to know I was not the only one!

Before Weight Watchers, I "dieted" for a week. The main reason for this is because I wanted to get weighed in. For the last 8 years, I wasn't exactly sure what I weighed. At the doctors office, I was "known" as 400+. That is because when I got on the scale, I weighed more than the 400 pound scale.
After a week, I went to my first meeting! I remember walking in, and seeing three women sitting down with Beth, my leader, talking to them. I remember looking around, and thinking this is not for me.

I can do this on my own!!
I started to walk out.

When I was halfway out the door, I heard a voice say
"Sir, can I help you."
It was Barbara, the receptionist.

"Uhhh,no...well, I was looking to be a member."

"Okay, well why don't you take a seat in the meeting, and we will sign you up afterward." Barbara said.
I did not want to sit in the meeting. The next thing out of my mouth makes me laugh, and cry at the same time."

"Ma'am, will that scale really tell me what I weigh? I have not truly weighed myself in a long time!"

This comment moved her! I do not think she has seen someone over 400 pounds in a meeting before. Most of the women I saw were maybe 30-40 pounds overweight at the most! She knew I was embarrassed, and I did not want to be there. But I needed to be there!

"You know, I think the scale will tell you what you weigh. And if you stick with it each week, I think it will be easier. I will tell you what, lets sign you up now, and I will give you some books to read. If you have any questions, give me a call here, but you do not have to stay for this meeting. But I really want you to come to the next one!"

With a white shirt, Grey shorts, and no shoes/socks, I weighed in over 400 pounds. That was ten months ago.

I have not missed a weigh in since. I always go in a white shirt and Grey shorts, no matter what!

Each week I go, Barbara is there to support me. She is my biggest fan!

The truth is, having Weight Watchers, The Anti-Jared blog, my wife, and a wonderful family makes my weight loss exciting! As much as I joke, I need them just as much as they need me!

So tomorrow, I will weigh myself with Barbara.I am excited to tell you the results. I am not sure how it will come out, but I know one thing.....

I know the scale will hold my weight!

Spanx!

It is so rare for me to be off on a Saturday! I NEVER get a weekend day off, so when I do, I have so much planned........ but yet seem to be very lazy!

Well, today I wanted to go to a Weight Watchers meeting. I wanted to go all week, but have not had the time! I weighed in this Monday, but was not able to stay for the meeting. Work has been very busy as of late, which is a good thing!
So today, I went to a different Weight Watchers, about 20 minutes from my house. I have never been to a Saturday meeting, so I thought it would be fun. I have made the commitment to tell my story at different meetings , and maybe inspire others.
Believe it or not, I am kind of a shy guy.

Side note here, but if you have not been to a Weight Watchers meeting, you should go. It is amazing how many people you see who have the same struggles that you did/do. It is a big help!

So I went into the meeting today, and it was packed! I looked around, and as always, I was the only guy there.

Ehh, who cares, we are all in this for a healthier life, right!

The leader gets up, and starts talking. Her name is Jen. She is this very young girl (23 I think she said), who I could not understand very well. The first thing she said was she has quit and joined three times. No lie! After that, I think this is the monologue

"So um, like New Years was OK. Not great, but good, points were okay.Stupid M and M's! Like, who eats one!Then my BF told me to put on a HAWT shirt! I put on the shirt and yelled "Muffin Top!" Uhhhhh, I hate that! But seriously, like who eats good on New Years anyway!"

I wasn't sure if she was on drugs, or I needed to ask her to the prom!

Anyway, she was spunky, so all the women in the meeting loved her! It reminded them of what it was like to be young during the Great Depression!

I loved it, because I knew it would be great blogging material!

She was very interactive, and she asked me a lot of questions. I loved it! I answered them back real quick, and she was very intrigued by me (keep in mind she did not know I lost 200 pounds!)

Then she said something that sparked me,

"I bet you are like one of those guys that eats Big Mac's because it is in your point range, right!"

Now, I am a humble man. But, that comment irritated me a touch.
So, for the next 5 minutes, the floor was mine. I got up, and started telling people about my story. I told them how I lost all the weight in 2008, and how I learned to eat. I told everyone how working out became my life, and how proud my wife was of me.

I looked around, and it seemed like everyone was moved by what I was saying. It felt good!

When I was done, the leader looked at me and said:
"Oh my gawd! Like 200 pounds is a lot! But ladies, a great way to lose weight like that guy is to Wear Spanx when you go out to eat. Like, you can't eat as much. I tried to eat Pumpkin Pie, and said like "get in my belly pie!" but like.....
Then I realized that the women were loving her! They were whooping and high fiving each other like it was the Arsenio Hall Show!
All because of this Spanx thing, which I guess is like a girdle. I am not sure! I am a guy!

I did learn that this meeting helped me out because I do not want Spanx, or some cream to help me lose weight. The leader inspired me! I want to live a great life. I have joined Weight Watchers once, that is it. I do not want to be a three time joiner. I do not want to fail!

On my way out, a woman came up to me and said

"Sonny, that is a lot of weight you lost. Quite the inspiration!"

Well, at least I moved one of them!

Give Your Two Cents!

I am a blessed man!

Having lost over 200 pounds, a baby on the way, and a wonderful family, I can honestly say that I have so much to live for!

It was not always like that for me.

When I was over 400 pounds, life was rough. I was not much of a husband. I did not have the energy to live. Moving was a chore. In fact, I did not have the energy to hug my wife for over 5 years.
My job was tough. I sat down all day because I could not get the energy to move around the restaurant. Sure, I did a good job. But for how long.

It felt like the movie "Groundhog Day". Every day was a struggle, and it was always the same day!



Then in February 2008, I made the change that helped me live again

I learned how to eat. My food might be a touch boring, but it works.
I learned to work out. The elliptical machine might be boring, but it worked.
I learned how to journal my life in a blog. Sometimes my posts are boring, but....

Hey, you saying my posts are boring!!!!!!

The truth is, I hated being called an inspiration until so many of you have done so. Believe it or not, but every single person who visits this site, or leaves me a comment helps me with my weight loss! I believe that blogging is a HUGE factor in losing weight.

And now, it is time to give back!

There is an awesome blogger named Mizfit who donated 10 cents for every comment on one of her posts to a great charity. It is an awesome idea! I want to do it too!

So that is what I am going to do for all of 2009! Actually, for as long as I have this blog!

As of today, I am starting the "Give Your Two Cents!" program. For every comment you leave on any post on my blog from this day forward, I will donate 2 cents to a monthly charity. Give me ideas on some awesome charities you might know of!
This month it is St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. It is such a great organization. I can't even begin to go into how many children they have helped.
The minimum my family will ever donate is $50 dollars, but the sky is the limit.I mean, I do write about 30 posts a month. 100 comments each time will be $60 per month.

I want to raise as much money as possible.

And you can leave any kind of comment you like! Here are some examples:

"Tony, you are an inspiration"
"Jared, you stink!"
"I lost 15 pounds with the Acai Berry!"
"I have a blog called....."
"dhjgkabsfkgf"

I have been called an inspiration for a while. Well, a true inspiration helps others. And that is what I want to do! Plus, your comments are my inspiration!

Also, steal this idea if you like it!

As always, email me any questions you might have!

Fat Chef!

New Years Eve was a crazy night at my restaurant!
If you go out to eat that night, you know how crazy restaurants can be! Well, mine was not different.We were very busy! At one point, it seemed like we would not be able to seat all of the people that came in! Yikes!
But as always, everything turned out well. The staff did an awesome job, and the food looked really good! My chef has done a very good job with the quality in my restaurant.
The guests were very pleased as well. When I walked around and talked to the guests, they all were so pleased with the food, and service! A lot of them are regulars, and I love talking to them. It makes me feel good to know that I have done a job well done.
I went by one table who looked familiar, but I could not figure out why? It was an elderly couple, and the older gentleman was raving that this was the best experience they have ever had in the restaurant. The food was great, and the management was pleasant. He asked for my business card so he could complement me to our corporate office.
This couple has not been back in the restaurant of over 4 YEARS!!!! He was telling me that 4 years ago, they had a problem with the "Fat Chef who could not order tonic water!"
Wait a second? I was the chef 4 years ago? Yes, I was plump as well!
Then I remembered. I knew this guy! I call him... "Tonic Bastard!"

4 years ago on Valentine's Day, we were slammed. I am talking about incredibly busy, busier than I have ever been in my life. I was cooking, and trying to organize the food. At 400 pounds, I was sweating like crazy, all over everything. I was tired, and exhausted as well, but I was still working hard. Everything was going beautifully!
Well, as the Chef, not only was I in charge of the food, but also in charge of the orders. I ensured that the restaurant never ran out of any product.
All of the sudden, while being extremely busy, this old man grabs my jacket and asks "You the Chef!"
I was 400 pounds in a Chef Jacket with my name and title on it! Hmmmmm....
I really wanted to say "No, I am the man of your dreams!" but his tone did not seem like he was ready to dance with me. I told him I was the Chef, and then he let me have it.
For some reason, I was out of tonic water in the restaurant. I did not order any, and I was too busy to go to the local supermarket to pick up some. This guy was yelling at me, telling me I was incompetent, and stupid. His wife could not enjoy dinner without a "Gin and Tonic" and I ruined his Valentine's Day!
I remember apologizing and offering him another drink on me, but he would not listen. He just kept on telling me how stupid I was. Then i remember him saying " Maybe you shouldn't be eating so much and you should do your job!"

In any type of service industry, you need to remember two things:
1. Do not take things personally
2. Do not pick battles with guests.
If you can not do that, you will fail!

This guy wrote a letter to corporate on me, but never put my name down. He just referred to me as "Fat Chef!". I also remember being the butt of some jokes in the region. Chefs would say "Hey Fat Chef, do you need to borrow a sip of tonic!" and stuff like that.
From that day forward, I learned not to run out of things. I always have to learn things the hard way! But, at least I learned!

Anyway, back to the present. So this guy was telling me the story about the "incompetent fat chef", and I realized he has no idea who I was. I listened to him praise me, yet insult me. It was kind of flattering, yet degrading.

He thanked me for a great evening, and asked "What was that fat chef's name?"

As I said in a lot of posts, I do not lie!

I answered back " The fat chef? They call him Jared, and I do not think we will ever see him again!"