Challenge Completed

The Carolina Wholesale Biggest Loser Weight Loss Challenge concluded Friday, December 9, and while my team came in 2nd place, I still have reasons to be proud of the results.

Final Weigh-in: 196.4 lbs

Final Weigh-in: 196.4 lbs

I lost a total of 19.2 lbs overall, which is 4.2 lbs over my weight loss goal, and 4th overall in terms of individual weight loss. Those above me lost 31.8 (!), 27.6 and 24.5 lbs, respectively. Collectively, the 21 participants lost a total of 216.6 lbs. That's about a pound more than my starting weight, meaning we lost an entire "Me".

I have posted a chart of my weekly results below:

Just because the challenge is over doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying to lose weight. The company is planning on doing another weight loss challenge that awards points for exercising and maintaining your current weight, among other things. I'm not sure yet if I will participate, but I would still like to get my weight down to 185 and maintain it while trying to live a healthier lifestyle.

Thanks for reading about the Weight Loss Challenge. Hope you've enjoyed it. Cheers!

Final Week

This week marks the last week of the Biggest Loser Weight Loss Challenge at Carolina Wholesale. Last week was my best week to date, in terms of weight loss, but was the result of a combination of work-related stress and a nasty cold that curbed my appetite for a few days.

12th Weigh-in: 197.4 lbs

I lost 6.6 lbs, but as I said above, it was mostly due to a cold and some work-related stress, as I barely did any exercise. Okay, I walked twice and played two soccer games, but that's it.

The final weigh-in for the challenge was originally scheduled for Monday, December 12th, but has since been changed to this Friday, December 9th. Well, I'm out of the office on Friday, so my final weigh-in will be Thursday (tomorrow), December 8th.

With my appetite returning to normal, I've already gained back 2 lbs since weighing in Monday morning, putting me right around my initial weight loss goal of 15 lbs. I would love to weigh-in tomorrow at 197 lbs, but I will honestly be happy to weigh in at 200.

My team currently sits in a very close 2nd place in the standings, so it looks like we will find out either Friday or Monday which team has earned the right to call themselves The Biggest Loser.

Holiday Hangover

Lots of food, snacks, dessert, beer and very little exercise resulted in gaining 2.2 lbs last week.


11th Weigh-in: 204.0 lbs


Okay, so there's less than 2 weeks remaining in the challenge. I'm 4 lbs away from my goal and my 3-person team is sitting in 2nd place.


My goal this week is to lose the 2 lbs I gained last week and put myself in a good position to reach my weight loss goal next week.

Edit: I would like to mention that all of last week's eating, snacking and drinking was done in the company of family and I would do it all over again. No regrets, had a great Thanksgiving and I hope all of you did as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have two weigh-ins to update this week since I forgot to write one last week.

9th Weigh-in (last week): 204.4 lbs

10th Weigh-in (this week): 201.8 lbs

So I gained a pound at last week's weigh-in, but bounced back this week by losing 2.6 lbs.

I am now less than 2 lbs away from reaching my weight loss goal with just under 3 weeks remaining in the challenge. This figures to be a tough week for anyone trying to lose weight, as Thanksgiving, and all the great food that comes with it, is tomorrow.

My goal for this week is simply not to gain any weight, while trying not to overindulge on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, dessert and beer. Okay, perhaps I'll overindulge a bit, but counteract it with extra walking and I should be good.

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Double Digits

So I lost 2.6 lbs this week which puts me at 12.2 lbs under my initial weight. Double digits! And now I'm less than 3 pounds away from my goal with 5 weeks left.


8th Weigh-in: 203.4 lbs


I'm encouraged that I was able to drop over 2 lbs this week after seemingly hitting the wall. This gives me confidence that I can continue to shed the pounds and not just reach my goal of 15 lbs, but possibly exceed it.


We're headed to The Lodge tonight, one of my favorite MNF spots, and I will be treating myself to a bison burger, tots and a few brews (Fact: I would have treated myself regardless of today's weigh-in, but at least now I won't feel guilty about it). Let's go Eagles!

Halfway Point

We've now reached the halfway point of the Biggest Loser Weight Loss Challenge, which means there are only 6 weeks remaining.

7th Weigh-in: 206.0
I did not lose any weight last week, but on the bright side I also didn't gain any weight.

Although I started this challenge off strong, I've only lost 1.2 lbs over the past 3 weeks. Despite my recent ineffectiveness, my 3-person team, Team Orange incidentally, currently sits atop the standings in first place for percentage of overall weight lost.

I created the chart pictured below to show how I have progressed through the first 6 weeks of the challenge, and it's obvious that I need to do something differently in order to continue losing weight. I have been stuck just under the 10 lb mark for a few weeks. I still believe I can reach my goal of losing 15 lbs total, I just have to do a few things differently although I'm not exactly sure what.

I started doing some jumping jacks this week immediately following my lunch-time runs at work, but I doubt that alone will make a difference. I will take the weekend to come up with something and post about it next week after my next weigh-in.



Sorry for another late post this week, but things like Halloween, laundry, soccer and general laziness got in the way. I will try to post results sooner next week. Hope everyone enjoys the weekend!

Nothing Worth Writing Home About

This week's post is a little tardy, but I guess I just wasn't too eager to inform you that I only lost 0.2 lbs this past week.

6th Weigh-In: 206.0
I am beginning to feel like I have hit the proverbial wall as we head into Week 6 of the Weight Loss Challenge. I've only lost 1.2 lbs over the past 2 weeks despite running an extra 1/2 mile every day during lunch.

I will continue to run an extra lap during lunch this week in addition to walking after work and eating healthy. Hopefully I see results at the scale, otherwise I will have to shake up my routine.

Knee Pain & Eye of the Tiger

So I've ramped up my running at work this week and today I struggled with knee pain after only two minutes or so into my run. I had a problem with my shins after the first week of running, but this was the first time my knees have really bothered me. Maybe it's the extra running this week or maybe it was an after effect from last night's soccer game. I'm not sure, but either way, my knees were throbbing.

I was about to succumb to the pain and decide to walk my 3rd lap when my iPod timely served up Eye of the Tiger. Visions of Rocky whoopin up on Clubber Lang (or perhaps, for you Modern Family fans out there, Phil Dunphy renewing his vows with Claire in Hawaii) successfully pushed me through the final lap.

I hope my knees don't become an issue throughout the rest of the weight loss challenge, but it's reassuring to know that if they do, it's nothing a little music and extra strength aspirin can't handle.

Still Losing...

Okay, so it was only a pound lost this week, but that's still better than gaining weight, right?

5th Weigh-in: 206.2

I'm now down to 9.4 lbs under my initial weight with 8 weeks remaining in the weight loss challenge.

I was really hoping to lose more weight, but I guess I'll just have to work a little harder this week. I ran an extra lap today during my lunch break in an effort to kick this week off right. The extra lap didn't kill me, so I think I'm going to try to do an extra lap every day this week and see how it works out.

I had planned to have dinner and drinks tonight while out for MNF, but that was before I learned I'd only lost a pound, so now I am rethinking it. The MNF Crew is headed out to Duckworth's and I understand they have an extensive craft beer list, which means I will be enjoying a few brews at the very least.

Bouncing Back

After last week's minor setback, I rebounded this week and lost 5.4 lbs.

5.4 lbs lighter this week.

4th Weigh-in:  207.2

Last week I added running to my walks during lunch and continued to make healthy meal choices. Jen and I also went walking in the evening 5 days last week.

The extra exercise certainly paid off and I feel pretty good about the challenge as we begin Week 4. I am currently 8.4 lbs under my initial weight and more than halfway to my goal of losing 15 lbs.

I'm excited to continue this trend and keep shedding the pounds, but tonight I'm going to enjoy a couple of beers and watch the Lions/Bears game on MNF. Cheers!

A Step Back

So after losing 5 lbs the first week of the challenge, I managed to gain 2 lbs this past week. 

3rd Weigh-in:  212.6 lbs

I did many of the same things this past week that I did during the first week (walking, eating mostly healthy, playing soccer), yet disappointingly, I actually gained weight. Many of my co-workers kindly suggested that muscle gain could have contributed to the increase, but everything I'm doing is designed to trim fat, not add muscle.

I think the real reason I added weight this week was because I overindulged a bit at a cookout on Saturday. I consumed plenty of beer along with chips, hotdogs, coneys and had a peanut butter milkshake for dessert. One day of overindulgence erased 6 days of healthy eating and exercise. I will do my best to make sure that it does not happen again during the rest of the weight loss challenge.

On a positive note, I am still 3 lbs under my starting weight and on pace to reach my initial weight loss goal of 15 lbs. I'm still confident that I can attain my weight loss goal.

A Good Start

Week 1 of the weight loss challenge is in the books. This morning we had our second weigh-in and I think it's safe to say that I had a pretty good first week, as far as results go.

2nd Weigh-in:  210.6 lbs

That's 5 lbs less than my initial weigh-in. This is more weight than I expected to lose and it was certainly a pleasant surprise. It is one-third of my initial weight loss goal, which I may have to alter, but I will wait a few more weeks before making that decision.

This week I will continue to walk during my lunch break and make healthy food choices while hoping for similar results next week at the scale. I'm headed out to Selwyn Pub shortly to watch some football and enjoy a few tasty adult beverages with the MNF crew. Which reminds me, both of my fantasy football teams are approaching 3-0, so between that and losing 5 lbs...win-win, right?

Week One Comes to a Close

It's the last day of Week 1 of the weight loss challenge, so how have I fared so far? Well, I walked during my lunch break every day during the work week as well as Monday evening after work. I also played soccer on Thursday night at Revolution Park and I have another game tonight at Strikers Soccer Center, weather permitting.

I have made mostly healthy food choices all week. We went out to Chili's on Friday night with our friends and I had the avocado burger w/fries and a Sam Adams Octoberfest. We actually tried going to Olive Garden, but the wait was too long. Before heading over to Chili's, we met Brian Shaw, winner of the 2011 World's Strongest Man Competition which was held at Wingate University earlier this week, while he was waiting for a table. Brian Shaw is a BIG man, 6'8" 460 lbs to be exact, but he was very polite and friendly. Anyone who thinks those guys are just oversized lumberjacks are sadly mistaken. They train extremely hard for those competitions and it definitely motivates you when you hear them talk about their workout regimen. It was a neat experience.

Saturday was a lazy day. Jen and I had planned to play tennis in the morning and then take care of some yard work for most of the afternoon. Mother Nature had other plans. It poured on and off all day long and we had to cancel any plans of going outside to do anything. I feel a little guilty about not doing anything active yesterday, but it's fine, it's just one day. Today is Sunday, NFL football starts in about an hour and Jen and I are going to a bar down the road to watch the Eagles take on the Giants and then I have a soccer game tonight, where I'm sure to burn off some calories before our second weigh-in tomorrow morning.

If I am adhering to my initial statement of losing 15 lbs over a 12 week period, I will be happy if I weigh-in around 213 tomorrow. I'll be sure to let you know. For now, enjoy your Sunday!

MNF and Beer

Yesterday was Day 1 of the Weight Loss Challenge. It was also a Monday, which means Monday Night Football. I go out with a group of friends nearly every Monday to watch MNF and last night was no exception.

Our MNF crew went out to Whiskey Warehouse last night and, aside from trying one of my buddies' sweet potato fries, I didn't eat any of their delicious food which includes burgers, sandwiches and wings. My wife, Jen, made us roasted broccoli & garlic with brown rice and beans for dinner before I went out. What I did have, however, were a few beers. And I'm not talking about light beers. I enjoy real beers. Porters, stouts, red ales, white ales, wheat ales, hefeweizens, Belgians, any beer by Dogfish Head, you get the idea. I have my father to thank for my beer passion (thanks Dad).

Many of these beers are full-bodied, full-flavored beverages that pack many more calories than your average light beer. This will pose a problem for me during the challenge, but I will not be switching over to light beers. I intend to carry over the healthier eating habits and more frequent exercise routines established during these 12 weeks and integrate them into my daily life after the challenge ends. With that said, I don't want to treat this time period like a diet where I give up certain food/drinks completely and then go back to them afterwards.

I want to complete this challenge without giving up a few things in my life, and drinking real beer is one of them...because a future without real beer is no future at all.

Beer and MNF go hand-in-hand.