I'm not phat, I'm FAT!

This is gonna be lengthy... and as a disclaimer please understand this is not intended to put anyone else down, it's simply a view which I carry of myself.

Here it is, my new worst enemy. In the physics world my weight has reached nearly 195 slugfeet/second squared (or 195 pounds) HOLY MOLY! Considering the weight on my drivers license, issued two years ago, was 160 pounds, I have really put on the pounds. During cross country season last year I was around 165 pounds average, once track season rolled around I was 170 - since I become a distance sprinter in the spring I have to have more muscle - thus the result of more weight. Ok, so that still means I have gained 25 pounds since the end of my collegate running career in May, just six months ago. The reason for this is because I have not ran more than a dozen times since then - definatly not enough to keep my weight where it usually should be.

Here's the plan for the pounds, so to speak. I gained the weight because I was not running - true.. but I wanted to get out of shape to have a purpose to be in shape. It might sound crazy, but it's true. There is nothing more motivating that not having something. I also am going to prove a point about todays weight loss craze. You don't have to take pills, do 8 Minute Abs or Buns of Steel and then eat next to nothing - all you have to do is exersice enough on a regular basis. So my goal weight is to hit 170 pounds again, that will be a little difficult, but I WILL do it... and you can follow my progress from the comfort of you chair, or feel free to join me, do what I do, and you are guarenteed to be able to eat whatever you want and never have to worry about gaining weight again. I would know about the eatting, because I am a human garbage disposal. During competative racing seasons I have witnesses who have seen me eat four (4) full size plates of spaghetti, ten (10) pieces of garlic bread and wash it down with three (3) sixteen ounce (16 oz.) helpings of Hawaiian Punch, all in one meal. BELIEVE IT, I put most football players to shame.

So here's what is gonna happen. Starting today, Monday November 7, 2005 I am going to begin the process of running all over again. Weight loss probably won't come for about a month or so from now, but once it starts there is no way I will be able to put the pounds back, as long as I follow MY program I created. Remember, this is going to happen over the holiday season too! Now we really have a challenge huh! So the plan for today is to run, non-stop, for two (2) miles. That's it. No more, no less, two miles and DONE. Sure, throw some push-ups and sit-ups in there too, but I won't exert myself. I'm going to do this the comfortable way. Rain, snow, wind or shine, I will follow my program. OH, and by the way, my wife is going to join me in this, it's always more fun to have someone to exersice with.

I will give you a brief overview of how this is going to work. If you want to do this, but don't think you can run the distances or feel it is uncomfortable, try to walk these distances at a brisk pace. It is actually better for your body to run & walk when you are beginning a running program. To begin, we are going to run three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday - this will give us 2 days off on the weekend from running, but a walk or hike is suggested. For the first two weeks (6 runs) we are only going to run two miles, the next two weeks we will move to 3 miles, then to four miles. Once we are comfortable running four miles every three days, we will begin running four times a week and begin with three miles for those runs. We will build up to five miles over time, like the cycle before, then begin running five times a week at four miles and build up from there. By this time running will be comfortable and we can continue to run more miles everyday - eventually ten miles will be nothing, just like it was six months ago. So by that shedule, I won't be running more than 25 miles per week until the week of February 6, 2006 - that's three months from today. This is coming from someone who put in three times that amount per week in college...but the point is not to show how fast I can get in shape, it is to prove that anyone can lose weight that follows a running routine.

Here's the dietary side. I am sure most of you are thinking. "But Nolan, you said I could eat whatever I want!?" That's true, eat whatever you want, however you will find there are foods you won't want to eat, just because you will want to avoid them when running. Here's the only rule I am going to follow - drink water. Drinking water will actually add weight, but it is water weight and it will help you more than you think. I am going to drink a glass of water before eatting meals, this fills your stomach and you tend to eat less also.

Ok, so that's all I am going to do. Easy breezy Japanezy. Follow a running routine, drink water, and I will probably go for a 1-2 mile walk every evening/night just to keep my muscles limber - thight muscles are annoying and when you are as out of shape as I am a walk doesn't hurt either. Here's proof for you 'non-believers' that I actually tilted the scale to nearly the 200 mark - fully clothed.

I will try to post daily on my progress. Until again

-=Nolan=-