• 02Dec

    Hello Everyone. I apologize for the delay, but I picked up some sort of a bug last week, and I’ve been pretty out of it for the past several days.

    Anyway, in lieu of the typical Sunday weigh-in, I waited until this morning to make my official step onto the scale. The results, however, were better than I expected. I was at a lean, mean 220 lbs. I started the quest at 222 lbs., and while I’m not down a ton, I’m still down after Thanksgiving. That’s a good sign. Things are going in the right direction.

    Today’s lunch isn’t going to help any, though. In honor of my boss’ birthday, we took a trip to an Indian restaurant in St. Louis’ Central West End called Rasoi. It was absolutely delicious, however, it was also a buffet…the place where things get out of hand in a hurry.

    I filled myself with Indian food, but I guess it could’ve been worse. There was a lot of chicken and rice. Yeah, that’s no consolation, but still, it’s better than nothing.

    Anyway, I need to get back on the horse, back in the groove and get myself to where I need to be before those Christmas cookies start rolling in…

    Brett

  • 05Jun

    Hello everyone. Well, the day has come. We had the rehearsal dinner tonight, but I wanted to post this before tomorrow…because, well, I don’t think I’m going to have time tomorrow…

    Original Weight: 297 lbs.
    Last Week’s Weight: 218 lbs.
    This Week’s Weight: 216 lbs.
    +/-: -2  lb.
    Goal Met? yep!
    Weight Lost since 7/6: 81 lbs.
    Total Weight Loss: 98 lbs.

    Well, Like I said a couple weeks ago, I’m not quite there…but, I have dropped 98 lbs. since my highest recorded weight, not to mention several pants and shirt sizes. I’m extremely proud of the work that I’ve done, and I will continue to work hard to hit my goal.

    I’m also proud to finally marry the woman I have loved for the last eight years. It was surreal seeing her walk down the aisle tonight, and it wasn’t even the actual wedding. Tomorrow is going to be a wonderful day. Thank you very much to everyone that has been involved in this process (Mr. and Mrs. B, Dad, Joe, Bridesmaids and Groosmen, etc.). We couldn’t have done this without you, not just the wedding stuff, but you’ve been there for our entire relationship, so thank you.

    Also, thanks to everyone that has kept up with my weight loss trials and tribulations through my little corner of cyberspace. It’s been a battle, but many times, the only reason I won is because I was able to use this forum to keep myself honest and accountable. So thank you all for that.

    Not that I’m going anywhere…well, maybe just for a week, but still….I’m going to hit this goal, even if it takes me the rest of the year (It won’t, don’t worry…). So, I’ll continue to update the blog, so keep checking back to see my progress with weight loss and in my first year as a married man.

    Thanks again everyone. I promise to get you a wrap up of the wedding and post some pictures as soon as I can.

    More….at some point…

    Song of the Day: Everything - Michael Buble. This is going to be Wendy and my first dance, so I had to go with it.

    -Brett

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  • 31May

    Hello Everybody. We’re getting close…we’re less than one week from the big day. I haven’t eaten that well this week or this weekend, so let’s see the stats:

    Original Weight: 297 lbs.
    Last Week’s Weight: 217 lbs.
    This Week’s Weight: 218 lbs.
    +/-: +1  lb.
    Goal Met? no…
    Weight Lost since 7/6: 79 lbs.
    Total Weight Loss: 96 lbs.

    So yeah, just like I suspected, I’m up a pound this week. You know what, though? That’s OK. I was just thinking about it today how it’s OK if I have a bad day or even a bad week every now and again. It may set me back a little, but not a lot…and it certainly keeps me sane. Sometimes, you just have to eat some terrible food. It happens. I certainly paid for it, but like I said, it’s OK.

    I have one more week until the wedding, and I’m about 18 lbs. away from my goal. No matter what I do this week, there’s no way I’m going to hit 200 lbs. by June 6th. However, that’s perfectly OK. I’ve dropped more weight in the last year or so than I ever thought possible. I’m not going to stop. I’m going to press on. I’m going to hit that goal, it’ll just take a little longer than expected.

    And, as Stuart Smalley used to say on SNL, That’s…ok…It’s been a valiant effort of running, weight lifting and really teaching myself portion control (every time I say that, it makes me think of a very inappropriate Prince song…). Never in one million years did I ever think I had it in me to be able to do this. Even if I don’t lose another pound, I’ve done this much. I’m on the cusp of being 100 lbs. slimmer than my highest recorded weight. I had no surgery, I didn’t cut out carbs, I didn’t read any books or manuals or anything like that. It was based on sheer will power, and I’m proud of myself for that.

    Like I said, this quest isn’t over, and neither is the blog. I’ll keep going until I hit my goal. I went to the doctor the other day, and he told me I’d added 20 years to my life expectancy by dropping all this weight. That’s pretty cool to hear.

    Anyway, we have plenty of wedding stuff to do. I’ll try to keep you abreast of what’s going on as much as I can, and I’ll definitely post some pictures after the big day so you can all see them.

    Thanks for sticking with me. It’s been a battle, but all of you have been right in the trenches with me, especially my family, friends and fiancee…soon to be wife…very soon.

    Now, if we can only get this wedding to go as smoothly as this weight loss thing…

    More tomorrow.

    -Brett

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  • 17May

    Hello everyone. I apologize for the lack of posts, again, but it seems like every week closer to the wedding becomes a busier week in my life. Anyway, here are the stats and an update on the weekend.

    Original Weight: 297 lbs.
    Last Week’s Weight: 223 lbs.
    This Week’s Weight: 221 lbs.
    +/-: -2 lb.
    Goal Met? Yes.
    Weight Lost since 7/6: 76 lbs.
    Total Weight Loss: 93 lbs.

    Well, it was a very good week and a very good weekend. Yesterday, my brother pulled together a great bachelor party for me, which ended up being an all day and all night event. We began with the Cardinals game against the Milwaukee Brewers. It was a pretty boring game, as the redbirds went down 1-0, with the only run coming in the first inning.

    However, it was awesome, because there was a group of about 15 people there hanging out and watching baseball. I had a great time. After the game, we went to a bar down the street, Mike Shannon’s, and awaited the Preakness to begin before the second half of the night started, which also involved horse racing.

    We stayed at Shannon’s for a while before moving the herd down to the local Hooters a couple blocks away. Now, let me say this, the “theme” of Hooters, and you all know what I’m talking about, does nothing for me. The food, however, does. I really enjoy the wings. They are fantastic, seriously, and I took down plenty of them along with plenty of beer.

    After Hooters, we drove east to Fairmount Park, a local horse track in the St. Louis area just across the Mississippi on the Illinois side. It’s a really fun time. You can get in for $2.50 and make $2 bets on each of the $8 horse races that occur that night. I hit three races and came out just slightly ahead for the night, which was great. My brother, though, nailed race 8. He picked the winner, the horses that finished first and second (exacta) and the horses that finished first, second and third (the trifecta). He walked away with a cool $47 on a $6 bet. Awesome.

    Today, I was back at the ballbark, this time Wendy was with me. We had great seats in the upper deck but right behind home plate. When we got there, we were sitting in the sun, which was a little warm. By the 2nd inning, we were begging for the sun to come back. I felt like Han Solo when he was searching for Luke on the iceworld of Hoth. Not cool, wind…not cool….

    Anyway, it was a good ending to a great weekend. I ate and drank plenty yesterday, but it didn’t set me back at all, as I was still down. I only have until this coming Saturday to get down to tux weight, so I have to work extra hard this week.

    More tomorrow.

    -Brett

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  • 26Apr

    Hello everyone, I’m back for the weigh-in. It’s been a somewhat unexpectedly busy weekend, culminating last night with me picking up a new computer! More on that in a bit, on to the stats:

    Original Weight: 297 lbs.
    Last Week’s Weight: 228 lbs.
    This Week’s Weight: 224 lbs.
    +/-: -4 lb.
    Goal Met? Can I say yes?
    Weight Lost since 7/6: 73 lbs.

    I’m back baby! That’s what I’m talking about. See, back to basics, right? I don’t need to count calories or participate in fancy workouts. I’ll just run and lift weights, and there you go! Awesome!

    Anyway, yesterday ended up being a busier day than I thought. Wendy had some running around to do, which was met with great success, and I rode around and peeked at a few computers, since my old one was just about dead. It’s an old man, and it’s just his time. I ended up finding one I really liked and going back to get it last night. It was a whirlwind of excitement.

    Also, Wendy and I stopped at Kohl’s because I had a gift card that I got for my birthday last year. I picked up some new polos, all sized XL. This may not seem amazing, many people buy shirts every day, what’s the big deal? The big deal, for me, is that when I started this thing, I couldn’t slip into anything under 3XL. Now I’m down to an XL, which is a normal size. That’s prett remarkable.

    Since it was so nice, Wendy and I busted out the grill last night and I threw some steaks on. We also had some baked potatoes and some pasta salad, with carrots, cucumber, wheat pasta and a little fat free italian dressing. Delcicious.

    Anyway, I’m off to the golf course.

    More tomorrow.

    -Brett

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  • 19Apr

    Hello everyone. It’s Sunday, so that’s on to the stats.

    Original Weight: 297 lbs.
    Last Week’s Weight: 229 lbs.
    This Week’s Weight: 228 lbs.
    +/-: -1 lb.
    Goal Met?: Again, not quite
    Weight Lost since 7/6: 69 lbs.

    Well, I think I’ve hit the plateau-ist of plateaus. I’m glad I’m still going down, if ever so slightly, but I have no idea what to do here. I’ve changed my workout, I’ve eaten pretty well. Last night wasn’t so great, but I had a pretty good week, though. I’m not sure what to do here, but I better start figuring it out soon.

    Anyway, that’s about it. The Blues are back home tonight. Let’s hope they can get a W.

    More tomorrow.

    -Brett

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  • 12Apr

    Hello everyone. I’m sorry I haven’t updated, but it’s been a busy few days. Let’s go to the stats:

    Original Weight: 297 lbs.
    Last Week’s Weight: 229 lbs.
    This Week’s Weight: 229 lbs.
    +/-: 0 lb.
    Goal Met?: Not quite.
    Weight Lost since 7/6: 68 lbs.

    Well, I didn’t lose any weight. This has been a pretty busy week, though, so I’ve been up and down in terms of eating right. Wendy was out of town this weekend with her bridesmaids in Chicago, so last night Alex and I hit up our standby, the Gumbo Shop. It’s an incredible place, but all of the food is fried, so not very good for you. Having taken down that giant plate of fried seafood alone, I’m glad I didn’t gain any weight.

    Anyway, there are more important things going on…can I get a LET’S GO BLUES!? That’s right, the St. Louis Blues are headed to the playoffs. They’ll end up either in sixth or eighth depending on their game this afternoon with the Colorado Avalanche.

    The Blues clinched their playoff spot Friday night at home. I was just down the street at Busch Stadium, watching the Cardinals beat the Houston Astros in the first of their three-game sweep this weekend. I was actually paying more attention to the Blues updates on the big screen than I was to the Cardinals game.

    We went on a hunt for playoff tickets afterwards, but the box office was closed by the time we got over there. No worries, though, we locked down some for game two of the first round. I can’t wait for some playoff hockey.

    Sorry again for the delay. I’ll be back on a more regular schedule this week.

    LET’S GO BLUES!

    -Brett

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  • 05Apr

    Hello everyone, as I’m sure you know, it’s time for the stats:

    Original Weight: 297 lbs.
    Last Week’s Weight: 232 lbs.
    This Week’s Weight: 229 lbs.
    +/-: -3 lb.
    Goal Met?: Yes, but I think I need to recalculate.
    Weight Lost since 7/6: 68 lbs.

    Alright, seems like I’m back on track. I did have wings last night, though. This time, however, they did not set me back at all. After we watched the St. Louis Athletica, the new professional women’s soccer team, lose their home/season/league opener to Chicago, there weren’t many options, and the wings took it.

    Losing seems to be a theme. I lost weight, the Athletica lost AND the Blues lost. They lost in OT, which means they still gained one point in the standings, but Nashville won in a shootout, tying them with St. Louis. This puts the Blues in ninth place in the West and out of the playoffs, for now. They still have three games left.

    Well, I don’t have much planned for today, which is really nice…I’m off to go enjoy that.

    More tomorrow.

    -Brett

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  • 22Mar

    Original Weight: 297 lbs.
    Last Week’s Weight: 234 lbs.
    This Week’s Weight: 237 lbs.
    +/-: +3 lb.
    Goal Met?: No
    Weight Lost since 7/6: 60 lbs.

    I had a really good week going, and I completely ruined it last night by eating way too much terrible food.

    That’s all I can really say about it.

    More tomorrow.

    -Brett

  • 15Mar

    Hello everyone. I apologize for the lack of post yesterday, but it was a very busy day as the paper chase concluded. I’ll talk more about that tomorrow, but I wanted to get to the stats:

    Original Weight: 297 lbs.
    Last Week’s Weight: 234 lbs.
    This Week’s Weight: 234 lbs.
    +/-: 0 lb.
    Goal Met?: Not quite.
    Weight Lost since 7/6: 63 lbs.

    Well, I didn’t lose any weight this week…but I didn’t gain any either. After the meals I’ve had, it still seems like a victory. Friday night, Wendy and I met some friends at Momos, a greek place in St. Louis, where I had some grilled lamb and beef dolmades (a grape leaf stuffed with beef, rice, etc.), along with some hummus/other dips and this amazing chocolate dessert. Last night, Wendy and I went to the ever-so-close House of Wong with her sister and brother-in-law, where I feasted on a delicious empress chicken dish, fried rice and some edamame.

    Also, we bowled both nights this weekend…I’m not sure why, we were just in a bowling mood. Of course, with bowling comes beer, and with beer comes calories. But, like I said, I didn’t gain weight, so that’s a good thing.

    Anyway, It’s been a good weekend, and I’m sad to see it end. In typical Irish fashion, I’m going to dine on some nice corned beef and cabbage for dinner…

    More tomorrow.

    -Brett

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