Getting back to basics

     For those of you who don't know, I was eliminated last week from the Big Loser competition, I gained .8 lbs. Initially I didn't feel hurt by the elimination. I already set my mind to the idea that I won't look at this as a "competition" and that I need to do all I can get an edge on my competitors. In the beginning they were looked at as my competition and  I saw them as a threat. Now I know them as my friends, and I'm happy to be going through this experience with them and the things that we've learned from each other. Just like every other issue that you may face in life, there's nothing like having someone there by your side who is going through the exact same thing as you are. In the end, I was very upset about the outcome of our Wednesday meeting but not because of what you might think. I'm upset that I gained weight! Looking back at before I started this program I worked for Five Guys Burgers and Fries. I got a free hamburger and fries every day I worked. Drank soda and powerade all day and didn't exercise! At home I would eat at least half a pot of rice, have 4 packages of Ramen Noodles with 3 eggs and whatever else I felt like eating. At that rate I figured I would have moved on to being close to 500 lbs. but oddly enough I maintained at 415 lbs. With the better food choices I've been making, the more effort I've been putting into my days and even "thinking" healthy I think I should at least be loosing 5 lbs a week. But I didn't, I gained weight and that's very upsetting and frustrating. Making me feel like I put forth all that effort just to gain weight, I was under the impression that it was supposed to go the other way around.
     I think now, in this blog, would be the part where I evaluate what went "wrong" in my week that contributed to me gaining weight and resulting in being voted out. But I'm not going to do that. I took the necessary time I felt I needed to just be in my own thoughts, kick myself for getting too cocky and am ready to move on. I've made the choices I thought were necessary last week, I know that it helped me physically and emotionally. It's just that gravity and I didn't agree with each other at the scale. Last week I walk/ran a 5K in 49 minutes, I swam 900 meters in 45 min (which is something I've never even attempted), I did 2 sets of 15 (real) push ups on the little balance ball thing that they have at the gym and when I first started this contest I could only do 3! I pushed my three babies in a stroller through the entire stop sign hike out in Ivans! FORGET WHAT THE SCALE SAYS! I had one of the best weeks of my life, physically, than I have had in....I can't remember when I was that active. I fit my clothes a lot better, I can wear more of the clothes that I have, I don't mind walking up the stairs, getting off the floor doesn't make me lose my breath, I don't have to hold my breath to tie my shoes, when I watch tv lying down I don't have to strain to look over my stomach to see the tv...the list goes on and on! I entered this contest to lose weight and I have! I entered this contest to be happy and I am! I've come here with many objectives and I've been accomplishing them. Ya being the winner would have been awesome let alone it would've been really nice to at least make the top 3 but the bottom line is that it doesn't matter what place I'm in. In the long run, my wife and my kids are getting everything from me that I couldn't give them before losing the weight and WANTING to be more active.
     Three more weeks are left and that's a whole lot of time to really do some damage in the gym, out on the road and less at the table ( hehe, get it...damage...at the table :)...well I thought that was funny, anyhoo). I'm sticking with the game plan and going back to the basics. You bite it you write it, go hard or go home. There's no need to be fancy about anything, just do it. Once these next three weeks are over, you will be seeing a lot less of me ;). Aloha!

No more stress for me!!

     THAT'S IT! I had the most stressful week I've ever had with this whole weight loss thing and I am done with all that stress and worry about how my week is going because I'm gonna take Nike's advice and "JUST DO IT!"  I had thoughts of how everyone else was doing and I would just hope I was doing enough to keep up with them. I would try to get technical with my work outs by trying to make sure I didn't work too hard and end up being counter-productive. I also made sure that I was doing enough and was constantly unsure with myself whether or not what I was doing was adequate enough or not. I think the base to all this nonsense was the thought that I was part of a game/competition. Without even thinking about it my competitive self was whispering through the back of my head egging me on and pushing the stress of getting the big "W" and telling me that I need to be methodical about how I approach everything and be analytical. I wanted to win it not only for me but also "do it for the family" and everything else that comes along with that attitude. Boy was I wrong about going about it like that! And so I'm here to tell you that it's not a game, contest, thinking game or what have you. I've lost 34.6 lbs. up to this point and you know what?....I've already won. My kids have a more active Father again, my have has someone who shares the idea of..."hey ya we should go on a walk" or "ya, next chance we have lets take the kids on that hike."
     My decisions over the course of these past six weeks have been a massive change in my thinking and desire to want to do more "productive" things. Rather than sit at home and play xbox, watch a movie or sleep. I have most of my life back that I had before the weight gain. And soon enough I'll ready to run the court again for some basketball for more than 5 minutes. I'm actually going to participate in a 5K this Saturday WILLINGLY! This past week I was upset with myself because I ONLY ran just under 2 miles. REALLY?...I can't believe I made it through a jog past the first block down the road, and that's down hill! The other day I was at the gas station and was feeling hungry because I haven't eaten in a bit so I went inside to find something and (long story short) I came out empty handed. There's also a Jack in the Box right next door and that drive thru was calling me by my FULL name and I managed to drive in the other direction. The old me would've gotten candy and a soda from the gas station then an Ultimate Cheese Burger meal, Large, four regular tacos and a chicken sandwich and a jumbo jack. That just makes me wanna hurl reading about it...LOL.
     Here's the bottom line, I'm coming at it full bore these last four weeks and I'm gonna KILL IT!! I'm not going to worry about everyone else, how they stack up to me or if I'll be in the bottom two the next week. I'm doing this for ME and everything else will just fall into place. Should I happen to win along the way, sweet as, it'll be an awesome treat for working so hard but if not...NO WORRIES! I couldn't be happier working with any other group of people than the one I'm with now. The support we all have for each other and the friendships we've built isn't something that's just handed to you, I call them Blessings. We all deserve to "win it all" and in the end, we already have.

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     It's been way too long since I've done one of these things and I have so much that has gone on and much I've learned. I've had a really good weight loss where I feel I needed to do a lot more and last week I felt like I pushed it like Superman and ended with (what I feel) a disappointing 2 lb. loss. I faced a really discouraging state of mind and didn't know what to think or where to go. But thanks to an amazing wife and an even more amazing wife :) I cleared my head and am back on track.
     Taking a step back to look at the big picture I've come a long way and much has gone in to what I have been doing. In just 4 weeks I've lost 26.8 lbs and feel really good. I still can't say I feel good about the total loss (only because my expectations are a lot higher but that's another story) but I feel good physically. I went on a bike ride with my family for the first time in my (almost) 7 years of marriage. I want to go on hikes now, with the family, and I wouldn't even think about walking down the street. It's been so awesome to be able to tie my shoes without having to hold my breath and stress to tie it part way, take a breather and finish the rest then do it all over again for my other foot. I'm not selective on what shirt to wear because they all fit now. It's not that much of a chore to change the babies diapers or change them because it's not hard to bend over to sit on the floor and get back up. When I go to church I'm not holding my breath half the time in fear of a button popping on my shirt and being able to relax and know that the "Crack-en" isn't staring at anyone behind me.
     26.8 lbs down! That's approximately 107 lbs. of pressure off my knees! I'm happy and healthy which is what I pray for everyday. I'm happy to be where I am at this point and no regrets. I learn new things about being healthy that I should have known already but am fortunate that I can teach it to my kids while they're still young. Keep it real ya'll and until next time...Aloha!

Big Loser Bio

 

Mike

 

Starting Weight:  415
Body Fat Percentage:  43.1%
Age: 31
Height: 6' 2"

Who I Am:

I was born in Provo, UT, grew up on an Indian Reservation
in Arizona and now live in Washington Fields. I served an

LDS mission to the Philippines. My main interests are my

family. I have six kids, my oldest is 10 and youngest is 6 months.

I'm the youngest of 7 and have five sisters. I'm a nerd when it

comes to hobbies, I like playing video games and solving

different types of rubiks cubes. I've also ventured into gas

powered RC trucks and tinkering with various electronics.

I was raised to learn the culture of my ancestors and have

been dancing since I was five. My next step is to learn to

sing and play the guitar and ukulele. I played a lot of sports

back in the day and am looking to get  back in shape so I can

get back to the active life. My passion in life is to be the

greatest influence in my family's lives. I want to lead my

life that will inspire and encourage them just as my father

did for me.

Pet Peeves:

When the toilet paper doesn't roll out towards you, when people squeeze the tooth paste from the middle and not the bottom. Socks that are inside out and street lights outside of bedroom windows.

Favorite TV shows and Movies:

I like Lost, Psych and Thundercats.

My favorite Movie is Surf Ninjas and Old school martial arts movies.

Food that is your biggest weakness:

Spam, eggs and rice. Spam musubi, rice, rice and more rice :)

What motivated you to enter this contest?

 

My decline in health, activity, inability to keep up with my kids

all day everyday. Biggest reason is my family history of health

related issues, mainly dealing with the heart.

Big Loser Update!!

I've never been so nervous in such a long time! When I stood on the scale for my second weigh-in for my "Big Loser" 2011 I was shaking so much the scale wasn't reading properly :)...but once I got my nerves under control I weighed in at a "SLIM" 398 lbs!!! That's a loss of 16.6 lbs in my first week! I haven't been under 400 lbs. in almost 4 years! It wasn't easy...it definitely wasn't the funnest thing I could think of...but it was well worth every minute, every drop of sweat, every bit of pain I felt! I almost feel like Rocky at the top of the steps and putting my hands in the air with a huge feeling of accomplishment. Thinking about what a huge step this is in my life on my way home I was almost in tears, knowing that step by step, I'm gaining more of my life back and more time I'll have with my children. Much alohas and mahalos to ALL my supporters, you've been there when I definitely needed it!

Now for part two of this update.....my new set of work outs that I'll be committing to doing this week. I swear I have never felt like I wanted to cry while working out since the 5th grade! I got my booty worked so hard I couldn't believe it. But all I could think about was the future I've been granted through this program. Humangous Mahalos to 94.1 for setting this up and accepting me, the Washington Rec for this opportunity they are giving us all to participate in the contest. Most of all...to my family, my wife Kanoe (Vannessa for all those with a "?" over your head..lol) and kids for making smile and get off my booty when I just want to sit and sleep for the rest of the day...I love you all! It's starting to not seem like a contest but such a huge life changing event that I will never take for granted.....my next weight loss goal for this coming week will be no less than 12 lbs. I know it's possible and I need all the help and support from everyone! Kia Kaha everyone and Aloooohaaaaa!!!!

Big Loser fears...

     I can't say that I headed into the "Big Loser" challenge with a full head of steam. I think I was more excited about it when I didn't know I was accepted to participate. Now it's too the grind stone, gloves are off and it's time to put your fat (well...mine) where your (my) commitment is. My first meeting, yesterday, with my trainer Chad went nowhere that I expected. He had me working circuits of four exercises each. It seriously KICKED my butt. I never had the feeling to literally throw up when working out. I felt nauseous, dizzy and like I was just going to fall over a couple times. But I persevered and made it through the most grueling 40 minutes I've been a part of in a VERY long time. In the end I was happy, it hurt like no other, I couldn't hold myself up and didn't want to move. But I was happy that when my commitment was put to the test, I passed.

    Now came day two (today). I was on my own. No Chad, no other kind of motivational voice to push me through it and I was worried that I wouldn't push myself as hard as I did when someone was there. About 30 minutes later you had one exhausted 400 plus pounder breathing heavy, sweating and wanting to collapse! (I know that just painted a beautiful picture for you but stay with me here...lol) I feel almost inspired by myself that I was able to push myself when it was only  me watching. But I know it was more than just that. All my friends and family that are behind me and supporting me with this LIFE CHANGING experience I'm a part of. For any other reason, I don't think I would have the mind set that I do now. Although my muscles say otherwise, I feel great and full of excitement and energy. I look forward to the next 10 weeks and hope I keep up the hard work. There will be times that I want to quit but I know I'll make it through it. I believe that, for me, the hardest physical challenges will by my first two to three weeks. Coming from years of working harder in my mind than in the gym, the tables will turn and I will get my life back. Aloha!

The New Beginning

Ok folks, the alarm has sound, the weights are in and it's T minus 11 hours to my first work out to to kick off my "Big Loser 2011" experience. I weighed in at 414.6 lbs. and I'm super excited to get things moving. I've been eating so much of what ever I want and when I want that I'm almost tired of eating :). So at least for the moment I'm with not needing to go to Five Guys, Roberto's, or any Chinese buffet. I'm definitely going to be trying a lot of new work outs and exercises that I thought were for people other than me, especially Zumba :). But the gloves are off and this weight is getting evicted cuz this Poly boy is ready to fit not fat. All who are following I thank you again for your encouraging comments and knowing that you're there will definitely  help me when I need it most. Keep it posted, Mr. Mike out! Aloha.

Big Loser Challenge

     Now don't get it confused with "The Biggest Loser" but this is the start of my mission/journey/adventure...or whatever you want to call it, to a healthier and lighter on the feet life. Let me take you on a walk through a part of my life that has brought me to this point. 


     Weight has never been an issue for me. Even when I was at my heaviest I just sort of laughed at it and rationalized that since my physical abilities didn't seem to be effected much I thought I was alright. I've always been athletic and busy so I never watched what I ate because I always found a way to work it off, mostly through playing basketball and football. Throughout my life I would gain weight then lose it really quick, then gain it back, then lose it again. My most previous weight gain, however, wasn't like the times before. I was already weighing at 340 lbs when my father passed away in 2007. A very short two months later I was easily over 400lbs. My main source of "comfort" was that lovely little white grain called "rice." That has always been my favorite food and was my best friend when it came to food :).

    Now I'm at a point where I need to make a decision if I want to work at living a long healthy life or have health complications as early as right now. There has been many cases of some sort of heart disease in my family from diabetes to heart attacks. Losing weight won't be the ultimate answer to avoid what history has shown me but it is definately a good way to start, and stops my life from getting shorter.

    The Planet 94.1 has started its "Big Loser" contest this year and is going to kick off the first weigh in this coming Wednesday the 19th. I'm one of the very fortunate people that has been picked to participate. There will be 10 people total and the contest will go on for 10 weeks. I'll be following the Weight Watchers diet plan and working out with a trainer from the Washington City Rec Center at least two times a week. I'll be updating my progress as much as possible, from what I ate to what types of work outs I did. Of course it's a competition and I want to win but my main goal is to drop the weight and get back on track to staying fit. As of right now I'm 6'0", 43.1% body fat making my total weight at about 408 lbs. and my body burns 3326 Calories/day when at rest. Tonight will be my "last supper" and I'll be ready to rock and roll come tomorrow after weigh ins.

     In closing keep an eye out, especially every Wednesday to see the happenings and the update on my weight. It's been an exciting time for all of this and its been coming so fast I hope its going to work out. At times I feel nervous like I would before a football game, the only difference is that this is way more important. Thank you much to everyone who is behind me and supporting me in this contest and hopefully in ten weeks you'll be seeing a lot less of  me ;). Aloha!