DO IT NOW!

Week Thirty

2009-08-02T05:59:00.000-07:00

Previous Weight: 204
New Weight: 203
Weight Loss this Week: 1 pound
Total Weight Loss: 22 pounds

Week Twenty Nine

2009-07-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

Previous Weight: 206
New Weight: 204
Weight Loss this Week: 2 pounds
Total Weight Loss: 21 pounds

I think 2 pounds a week is pretty good. Obviously I'd like to see more than that, but I suppose this way it's more likely to stay off. I've been eating well. I haven't been watching my portions at all, and I've been eating into the night, so I could definitely improve in both of those areas, but I've been eating good foods. I've also been exercising, but not nearly like I should be.

Tomorrow I move on to Phase 2 of the South Beach Diet, and I'm going to work hard at "slowly" adding things back into my diet. My usual problem is that I binge on all the things I haven't been eating. My next goal is to get to the weight that I was at when I took my head shots. 4 pounds to go!

Week Twenty Eight

2009-07-18T07:08:00.000-07:00

Previous Weight: 208
New Weight: 206
Weight Loss this Week: 2 pounds
Total Weight Loss: 19 pounds

Week Twenty Five

2009-06-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

Previous Weight: 208
New Weight: 208
Weight Loss this Week: 0 pounds
Total Weight Loss: 17 pounds

Not as good of a week, but I did work out three times and at least I didn't gain anything. It all started with Junior's Cheesecake!

Week Twenty Four

2009-06-20T06:01:00.000-07:00

Previous Weight: 210
New Weight: 208
Weight Loss This Week: 2 pounds
Total Weight Loss: 17 pounds

It's been a good week, and I feel a lot better!

Week Twenty Three

2009-06-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

Previous Weight: 203
New Weight: 210
Weight Loss over the past 12 weeks: -5 pounds
Total Weight Loss: 15 pounds

I just recently put up a post on our family blog titled, "An Overdue Update." Well, if that one was overdue, then this one is really past due! Sorry. It's been a crazy time with graduation, finishing up my MFA, and especially this transition into the industry. Unfortunately, with the stress, I started turning to comfort food, and comfort snacks, and comfort cookies between snacks, and comfort rice crispy treats from Dylan's Candy Bar (which is located right around the corner from my agents office!).

I really got to a point where I was being pretty reckless. I felt horrible and my self esteem was probably hurt the most. Especially as I've been visiting Casting Directors, Agents, and other industry professionals and not feeling comfortable in my own skin let alone my own clothes.

So for the past 12 weeks, during my absence, I've been all over the place weight-wise. I've had good days where I would try to get back, but then fall off again. I think I even got up to 220 again at one point! Anyway, I've recommitted to eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep! My most immediate goal is to get back to looking like my headshots when I was at 200 pounds. So here we go!

Week Eleven

2009-03-22T13:51:00.001-07:00

Previous Weight: 203
New Weight: 205
Weight Loss this Week: -2 pounds
Total Weight Loss: 20 pounds

Okay, so after my "I'm done with head shots" celebration, we took a trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania. I ate a lot of chocolate, and I don't feel the slightest bit guilty!!! We had a great time, and now it's time to get back to work! Tomorrow it's back to school, back to phase 1 for a bit, and back to working out regularly!

My immediate goal is to undo the damage I've done in the past two weeks and get back down to 200 pounds.

Week Ten

2009-03-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

Previous Weight: 200
New Weight: 203
Weight Loss the Week: -3
Total Weight Loss: 22 pounds.

Sorry for the delay in posting. After I took my head shots I ate a cookie... and a slice of pizza... and another slice of pizza... and so on.

Week Nine

2009-03-07T18:44:00.000-08:00

Previous Weight: 206
New Weight: 200
Weight Loss this Week: 6 pounds
Total Weight Loss: 25 pounds!

I MADE IT!!! My goal was 200 pounds by head shots, and I still have 3 days to go! I'm by no means done with my weight loss goals, but it's a nice mile stone. My next mile stone is 195 pounds because that's the lightest I got back when I was working really hard to lose weight a year and a half ago. That's also the lightest I've been since before my mission, and therefore, the lightest that Chrislynn has ever seen me. So I take my head shots on Wednesday, and when I get them all taken care of I'll post some new pictures.

Week Eight

2009-02-28T11:45:00.000-08:00

Previous Weight: 208
New Weight: 206
Weight Loss This Week: 2 pounds
Total Weight Loss: 19 pounds

Two pounds seems to be my weekly weight loss average. I hope I can up that a little bit for the next two weeks to meet my goal of 200 by head shots. I think I can do that. I've been very good with my diet this week. I only worked out 3 days during the week though. I can definitely improve that. The good news is:

This is the lightest I've been in 2009! I'm only 6 pounds away from my March 11th goal, and I'm only 11 pounds away from the lightest I've been since high school!

I do have to say though, I was a little disappointed that I didn't lose 5 pounds just from shaving my sideburns after Merry Wives. They were pretty ferocious! Good luck, and keep it up to everyone!

Week Seven

2009-02-21T08:29:00.000-08:00

Previous Weight: 210
New Weight: 208
Weight Loss This Week: 2 pounds
Total Weight Loss: 17 pounds

Okay, so I'm starting to lose again. This has been a better week. It' still been a little tough. Little Richie has had really bad tummy pains all week, Chrislynn was feeling kind of icky, and I pulled something in my back/neck/shoulder. I had some really good days though, and I've started doing Tae-Bo again. Yeah, yeah, I know Tae-Bo isn't really in any more, but I just love it! It's fun, and it's the only workout tape I've ever done that makes me feel like I did when I was playing football in Texas. So I've incorporated that and I've still been lifting weights at the gym. I'm looking forward to an even better week coming up!

My head shots will be taken on March 11th! 8 pounds to go before then!

Week Six

2009-02-14T06:07:00.000-08:00

Previous Weight: 210
New Weight: 210
Weight Loss This Week: 0 pounds
Total Weight Loss: 15 pounds

It was another pretty crazy week. I didn't lose any weight, but at least I didn't gain any. The kids have been sick this week, and that has really taken over our schedules. It's also kept us up a lot at night, which makes us tired through the day, which makes me not want to go to the gym. Luckily my movement class has really been kicking my butt! Well, it's time to kick it in to high gear! I think I've decided on a photographer for my head shots, and I would really like to be under 200 pounds when I take them. So that's my most immediate goal!

Week Five

2009-02-07T06:16:00.000-08:00

Previous Weight: 208
New Weight: 210
Weight Loss This Week: -2 pounds
Total Weight Loss: 15 pounds

Booo! So I survived Tech rehearsals, but I just couldn't survive a visit from the in-laws! Okay, it had nothing to do with them. I suppose I've been on the edge just waiting for an excuse for a while. Even though the show I'm in right now has been a blast to work on, there's a lot of pressure on opening week. The nights have been longer, so my sleep has been less. I've got more to do during the day, so I haven't been working out as much. And food was just the next thing. So I've gained two pounds, but I"m not going to do away with this blog and eat Bon Bons all day. I'm going to have a better week and get back on track!

Week Four

2009-02-01T08:10:00.000-08:00

Previous Weight: 209
New Weight: 208
Weight Loss This Week: 1 pound
Total Weight Loss: 17 pounds

Another slow week, but this time I was expecting it. I've still been eating nutritiously, but I've gotten a little carried away with some things. On Phase 2 I can reintroduce whole grain breads and fruits. I should still watch the amount though, and I wasn't very strict. I can also have dark chocolate now, but not in the amounts that I've been eating. So technically I haven't been eating things I shouldn't, I've just been eating a little too much of some things. But hey, I still lost a pound, my pants are feeling looser, I worked out hard this week, and I went through 12 hours of Tech rehearsal yesterday without eating a single cookie or donut!

So now it's February, and I'm moving into the 2nd month of this life style change. I feel good. From the very beginning my main focus has been a recommitment to live the word of wisdom:

Eat Nutritiously
Exercise Regularly
Get Enough Sleep

I feel that a month later I have made great progress, and it has already changed my life.

Week Three

2009-01-24T12:06:00.000-08:00

Previous Weight: 210

New Weight: 209

Weight Loss This Week: 1 pound

Total Weight Loss: 16 pounds

Well, the numbers aren't as impressive this week, but I don't feel discouraged. I was a little disappointed when I first read the scale, but then I remembered that this is what happened the first time I went on the diet too. I lost a lot of weight in the first two weeks, and then it got a lot slower. Plus, I had a good week! I ate the same as I have been, and I worked out every school day. I feel good, and I'm now only wearing size 34 pants. So I'm moving on to Phase 2 today, which means I got to eat oatmeal for breakfast! It may not sound too exciting, but I've been craving oatmeal for 2 and a half weeks!

My work out schedule:

We live close to the gym, and my schedule this semester allows me to go every day for a bit. So I start with some basic pillates, then I lift weights, and then I do cardio for 30 minutes. I also have a pillates class once a week. I worked out a lot this week, and I am so sore!!! I'm so sore that I am surprised when I walk past a mirror and don't see a ripped stud staring back at me. The image in the mirror just does not match the soreness in the body! But I'm glad to be working out! It feels good!

Week Two

2009-01-17T09:59:00.000-08:00

Previous Weight: 216

New Weight: 210

Weight Loss This Week: 6 pounds

Total Weight Loss: 15 pounds!

I'm down 15 pounds, I can fit snugly into a 34 pant, and I feel great! I've finished two weeks of Phase 1 of The South Beach Diet, but I think I'm going to stay on Phase 1 for another week. My friend Lanny, and my sister Kd inspired me to make some specific goals.

Weight. As of right now my goal weight is 180. We'll see when we get there. I'm not as concerned with what the scale says as I am with my pant size, how I feel, and what I look like in the mirror.

Pant size. I was shocked last fall when I fit into a size 34. I thought there was no way. Now, I'm almost back into a 34, and I've still got a big belly. So my goal is to get into a 32. This is my goal for a couple reasons. 1 - 32 is my favorite number, and 2 - if I get into a 32, my waist will be the same as my inseam, which seems like an appropriate thing.

Belly. I don't want a belly.

So those are my goals at this point. We'll see how they evolve. Before I end this post I just want to thank Chrislynn for all she does to help me and keep our family healthy. This would be impossible if Chrislynn wasn't so good at making delicious Phase 1 approved meals! She's also really hot, and that gives me incentive to not be a fatty, mc'fat, fat.

Week One

2009-01-11T17:43:00.000-08:00

Sorry the dates are a little off on these first two entries. It took me a little while to get organized, but I started when we got back from Idaho on the 3rd. So my first weigh in was on Saturday, January 10th, yesterday...

Starting Weight: 225
New Weight: 216
Weight Loss This Week: 9 pounds
Total Weight Loss: 9 pounds

9 pounds in one week! I've been strict on phase one of the South Beach Diet, and we've been getting to bed on time. Those are two of my three goals. You know, basically live the Word of Wisdom. Eat nutritious food, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. So I haven't been exercising. It's hard with 8 hour rehearsal days and how cold it is outside. I have a plan for once school starts, but I'll try and do as much as I can before then. So the first week went well, and it really does help to step on the scale and see a big difference!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-11T07:34:00.000-08:00

Last summer I went to a doctors appointment, and he said because of my age it was time to start monitoring my cholesterol. I was kind of annoyed, but I did the blood work and went back later to get the results. Basically my good cholesterol was very low, and my bad cholesterol was very high. I wasn't happy about the news, but it didn't really cause any change. Then, a little while later my dad had a heart attack, and that woke me up a little. I was doing a show at the time with a guy who was on The South Beach Diet. He knew I was trying to lose weight (independently of the health reasons), and he was always eager to suggest this diet. I wasn't interested. However, after hearing about my dad, he suggested this diet for the health benefits as well as the weight loss (now I understand they go hand-in-hand). So, I took his book (South Beach Diet Book) with the intention that I would keep it for a few days and then give it back pretending to have looked it over. Well, I did look it over, and it sounded doable and healthy unlike other diets I have tried. So I thought I'd give it a try, and Chrislynn got really excited about it.

Anyway, to make a long story even longer, I lost 10 pounds the first week, 10 pounds the second week, and then a couple pounds a week once I moved onto phase 2 of the diet. I went from a pant size of 38 to a loose fitting 34. I felt great, and my back pain (which is something that I live with constantly) was significantly reduced. My total weight loss was 35 pounds from July to about October. I started at 230, and got down to 195. That was the first time I had been below 200 since before me mission. Then... during my second year of graduate school, we had our second child. School was really tough, and we now had two babies. My mom and my in-laws came to help us (and they saved our lives), and part of that help was a lot of comfort food. Then came Thanksgiving, then the Holidays, then the toughest semester of an already tough program. And all of the sudden I was back up to 215. I made a couple of feeble attempts to start phase 1 again, but I never really committed. After a busy summer, in which we were living out of suitcases, I put on even more weight. I never got all the way back to 230, but I've been bouncing between 215 and 225 for a while now.

So... the time has come to take this seriously again. I want to lose weight because it's been on my "list of things to do" since I was a senior in high school. I want to lose weight so I can play more easily with my babies. I want to lose weight so I can be more attractive for my wife. I want to lose weight to improve my confidence and castability as an actor. But most importantly, I want to lose weight because I want to be healthy. As if the heart attack, the epilepsy, and the diabetes weren't enough, my dad's recent cancer scare has once again made me question my own indestructibility. It's time to do better, and I figure if I do this out in the public (or on a blog) I may feel more incentive to be diligent. So here we go! Brace yourself. This wont be pretty.

Start Date: January 3, 2009
Starting Weight: 225
Pant Size: 36
Belly (at belly button): 46

I will weigh in every Saturday, and only on Saturday. Then on the first Saturday of every month I will measure my belly and pant size. I invite anyone to do this with me. Start your own blog and I'll put a link to the side of mine, or you're welcome to send me your info and I'll put it on this one. Let's do it!