COMPARISON PICTURES

Here are some comparison pictures of me at my three and six month marks. I also added a visual representation of what I can fit in my original jeans. Hope you guys enjoy.

                                         

 

  

I didn't really have a comparison shot for this one but I thought it was funny. 

 

INSPIRATIONAL VIDEO

I think I need to make one of these videos for myself for my halfway point. What do you guys think?

FLOATING

Spring is coming and when you live in Central Texas that means people are getting ready to go back outside and enjoy the beautiful weather that the area has to offer. One of the activities that a lot of people my age enjoy to do is float the river with friends. Unfortunately, I have never done this before because I never felt comfortable floating in an inner tube. When you are constantly worried about a floating device's structural integrity, that should send a signal to yourself that something is wrong.

 I always felt left out, knowing that when friends would come into town, they would go float ,but I wouldn’t get to go. At first I felt like they didn’t want me to go, but then I soon realized they didn’t want to ask me because I always just said 'no' to any kind of outdoor/physical activity. The constant non-invites would just lead to me feeling animosity towards the idea of floating the river. I would think “how stupid of an idea is it to float a river…it sounds boring and dumb,” but really I was just masking the anger I felt at myself for not being able to do the simple act of floating in an inner tube.

But as the weight goes so does a lot of anger I had for things. I am learning that the more weight I lose the happier I am becoming with myself. Before, the feelings I had about something were heavily predicated on my weight. The views I had on floating the river are the same ones I had about playing basketball again, or skydiving (coming soon) but those views are changing with the weight. This is a topic I bring up a lot but I am starting to see more emotional changes than physical at this point of my transformation. I have been in the same jeans for almost two months now but it feels like my heart has grown out of my chest…haha okay Sam that might be too cheesy, but keep it if you want….
***EDITOR'S NOTE: That last part was, for me, way too cheesy. But it's true. Ricky may have had a big ass, but it has never been as big as his heart. So I'll keep it, but only because it's true, and only because I get to say so. If you don't like it, please, feel free to email me at idontgiveacrap@shutup.com***

Anyways, this year will be much different. I plan to venture into the world of floating with friends many times this spring and summer. So if anyone would like to come join me on my maiden voyage, I was thinking of doing a trip around spring break. And be ready for a good time, because that is all that seems to be going down at the moment, people.

WEIGHT CHART

I have been getting questions about how much weight I have lost from week-to-week, so I feel that sharing a spreadsheet of my progress would be an easy way to get everyone involved. As you can tell, there are good weeks and bad weeks, but every week I sweat the same, I ate pretty much the same, but the weight came off at different rates. That has been one of the biggest things to overcome, so far: the feeling of failure when you weigh yourself on the scale. The best way to overcome this is realizing that this journey is a marathon, not a sprint,and you can’t have uniform change. Numbers are great and they give you markers for how far you have come, but there are more important things at this point. For instance, seeing someone smile because of the lifestyle changes I have taken on, or knowing that someone has gained inspiration from my actions to get themselves healthy. Those are what really matter to me, and thankfully you guys are responding!

		Change in Pounds		% Change
Date	Weight	Last Week	Start	Last Week	Start
7/23/09	370.00
7/30/09	362.00	8.00	8.00	2.1622%	2.1622%
8/6/09	362.00	0.00	8.00	0.0000%	2.1622%
8/13/09	360.00	2.00	10.00	0.5525%	2.7027%
8/20/09	355.00	5.00	15.00	1.3889%	4.0541%
8/27/09	351.00	4.00	19.00	1.1268%	5.1351%
9/3/09	348.00	3.00	22.00	0.8547%	5.9459%
9/10/09	347.00	1.00	23.00	0.2874%	6.2162%
9/17/09	337.00	10.00	33.00	2.8818%	8.9189%
9/24/09	335.00	2.00	35.00	0.5935%	9.4595%
10/1/09	333.00	2.00	37.00	0.5970%	10.0000%
10/8/09	329.00	4.00	41.00	1.2012%	11.0811%
10/15/09	322.00	7.00	48.00	2.1277%	12.9730%
10/22/09	321.00	1.00	49.00	0.3106%	13.2432%
10/29/09	316.00	5.00	54.00	1.5576%	14.5946%
11/5/09	314.00	2.00	56.00	0.6329%	15.1351%
11/12/09	309.00	5.00	61.00	1.5924%	16.4865%
11/19/09	303.00	6.00	67.00	1.9417%	18.1081%
11/26/09	303.00	0.00	67.00	0.0000%	18.1081%
12/3/09	299.00	4.00	71.00	1.3201%	19.1892%
12/10/09	299.00	0.00	71.00	0.0000%	19.1892%
12/17/09	299.00	0.00	71.00	0.0000%	19.1892%
12/24/09	292.00	7.00	78.00	2.3411%	21.0811%
12/31/09	289.00	3.00	81.00	1.0274%	21.8919%
1/7/10	287.00	2.00	83.00	0.6920%	22.4324%
1/14/10	283.00	4.00	87.00	1.3937%	23.5135%
1/21/10	280.00	3.00	90.00	1.0601%	24.3243%

SIX-MONTH MEASUREMENTS

I am happy to bring you guys good news today. The past six months, I have put a lot of hard work in, and at every step of the way I have seen fantastic results. The six-month mark is no different! Even as I write this, I am still in shock by the numbers. If you would have told me this is how much weight and inches would be gone, I seriously would have laughed right in your face.
Thomas, Diana, Paul, Christine, Jason and Mariesa have done such a great job pushing me to my limit every time I step into Workshop Fitness. A big "thank you" to them all.
Also, a special thanks to Dale Dudley, Bob Fonseca, Charlie Hodge, Matt Bearden, Angela Davis and Daniel Gallo for letting me be part of the morning show which lead to this opportunity. All of you have made the past six months possible and I don’t know how I could ever repay you for all the fortunes you have sent my way. Now that we have that out of the way, let's get to some real numbers.





Here are my numbers from July 23rd, 2009

Weight: 370 pounds
Arm: 19.25 inches
Neck: 17.75 inches
Chest: 58 inches
Waist: 64 inches
Hip: 63 inches
Thigh: 28.5 inches
Calf: 19 inches





And here are the numbers taken January 25, 2010

Weight: 280 pounds
Arm: 16.75 inches
Neck 16.25 inches
Chest: 44.5 inches
Waist: 44.5 inches
Hip: 49 inches
Thigh: 24.5 inches
Calf: 17.5 inches


So in six months I have lost…

90 pounds
2.5 inches on my arms
1.5 inches on my neck
13.5 inches on my chest
19.5 inches on my waist
14 inches on my Hips
4 inches on my thighs
1.5 inches on my calves

Total: 56.5 inches lost!

Diana, the trainer who does the measurements, also added along the way two measurements on my waist but I didn’t include it on the list because we didn’t do them originally. These numbers to me are something that I can look back on and realize that I accomplished something I never thought was possible. For the longest time I just assumed I would always be a big guy, and that there was no alternative. That is not the case anymore, and I am proud to say the trend will continue. I am proud of my first six months of weight loss, but I am ready to prove some people wrong that don’t think I can finish what I started. Watch out, because I am coming full force for six more months, people.


EDITOR'S NOTE:
As editor of this blog, it is my pleasure to both see these fantastic results and to be able to help Ricky through his feats of weight loss by doing some grammatical house keeping. Though I knew Rick was a man determined to shed some serious pounds, I honestly never thought I would see him flourish into the person that he is today. I had the pleasure of seeing a guido-ed-out Ricky this past weekend at a "Jersey Shore" theme party, and to see his confidence, swagger and overall happiness was something that made my heart swell with pride. (And not to mention seeing his shaved chest and bronzed visage, neither of which hurt.)
Ricky has not won his day with a loud shout and shaky hand, but with a steady voice and staunch commitment. His determination to change his life serves as a contrast to the parlance of our times, where the youth of today so often take things for granted. So kudos, Rick. Here's to another 6 months and another 90 pounds. You are a man that I love.

Sam

SIX MONTH MARK TOMORROW

(DEC 08)

It is hard for me to imagine that it has been six months since I started. 

Looking at pictures from July gives me chills, and even looking at pictures from October helps me realize how much progress I have made. The halfway point is here and it still feels like I am just starting. Next week I will post my six-month mark-- inches lost and weight lost-- but I haven’t been posting them because I still haven’t seen my old trainer, Diana, to get them done (communication breakdown! My bad guys.). 

The numbers don’t matter as much as they used to.

(JAN 10)

 

When I first started this, all I could think about was how much weight I was losing, or how many inches were coming off. When it wasn't coming off as fast as in the beginning, around month 3-4, I started getting frustrated and was losing faith that my body would still change. It was only after talking to all my trainers and getting their input that I felt better about how my weight loss would slow down. My body would still be building muscle, I would still gain endurance and I would still see my body transform-- I just had to have patience. It was that kind of assurance that has really pushed me away from the idea of looking at the numbers towards really just worrying about the experiences.

 

3 months ago, I couldn’t have played a game of pick up football in the park with my buddies for 2 hours. 6 months ago, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to get a number from a girl I had barely talked to.  There are just so many experiences that have occurred in the last six months that have really shaped my life in a new direction. 

(JAN 10)

 

But with all the good things that are coming my way, I also need to come to the realization that I am not done yet, that I need to find new ways to be active and new ways to be social. If I sit satisfied, letting the complacency build, I will remain static, something that I don't want. Although I am incredibly happy where I am, I know that there is still so much more work to get done.

A MOMENT I WOULD LIKE TO FORGET

As I approach the six-month mark of my weight loss journey, I have realized that as my weight decreases, my world has become a much happier place. To make sure it stays that way, I often try to remember some of my lowest moments in life so that I won’t let myself get back there again.
This is one from about two years ago.

 I was doing an internship with a media company in Austin while still attending Texas State in San Marcos. The business I was interning for was relatively close to my grandmother’s house. I would sleep over there two nights a week so that I wouldn’t have to make such a crazy drive in the mornings I had the internship. One night, when I had to make the drive to my grandmother’s house, I decided that I would do my normal stop at McDonald’s and grab a bite to eat. Because I hadn’t eaten since that morning I was starving, and I decided to treat myself to a 20 piece Chicken Mcnugget meal (Large fry and large coke included). When I pulled into the driveway of my grandmother's house, I was about to walk in when I realized that I didn’t want my grandma to see me eat such a huge meal, so I ate the McDonald’s in my car instead.

Chomping down on the food, I always loved to cover the nuggets in McDonald’s BBQ sauce (the only way to eat these things, may I add) and as I was about to put it in my mouth some of the sauce fell on me. Except that it didn’t hit my shirt, it hit my belly.
I looked down and my shirt wasn’t covering my stomach.
The shirt I just recently bought for my internship couldn't even cover my gigantic stomach…A 5X SHIRT COULDN’T CONTAIN WHAT I HAD DONE TO MYSELF. I really don’t know what I weighed at this point, because I never got on the scale, but when a 5X shirt can’t cover your body, it hits hard.
I began to cry uncontrollably in the car as I still ate the food. I couldn’t believe how little control I had over myself. The food made me sick, hate myself and was tearing my life apart, but I still ate every last bite. I sat in the car and cried even after the food was gone because I realized at that moment that my life would be over soon. I had no control over what my body did. It only knew pleasure from food, and even though I knew it was crippling everything I wanted myself to become, I still let it happen.
I cleared up the tears and walked into my grandma’s house as if nothing was wrong. That night I made a promise to myself that I would take full advantage of anything that came my way with losing weight.

I thought that promise would be fulfilled with being a contestant on “The Biggest Loser,” but that never panned out. Eighteen months later, Workshop Fitness has become everything I could have dreamed of and more. With their help I have lost 90 pounds off my starting weight. With their help I have gained more confidence than I ever thought I could have had and with their help I will become the person that the guy eating 20 nuggets in a car while crying will never recognize.

PICK UP BASKETBALL GAME

I have previously written about my love for basketball a couple of times. As a child it was one of the activities I truly excelled at, and as my weight increased, my skills diminished. My ability to be as effective as I once was also went by the way side. I had forgotten what basketball meant to me. I just couldn’t accept the fact that I wasn’t in good enough shape to feel worthy of playing.

Luckily, I rediscovered my love for basketball last Sunday.

One of my friends is a coach in the area, and was telling me he had to run the open gym at his high school. Another friend of mine asked me if I wanted to go up there and play some basketball with the high school kids. I really wasn’t sure about it, because although I knew I was in the best shape I had been in years, was I ready to see what I was made of on the basketball court?

As I walked into the gym a lot of old memories came back to me that hadn’t really resurfaced in a long time. Memories of my childhood: spending hours in gyms going to basketball tournaments, participating in summer camps and practicing long hours with my dad.

There is a certain smell that basketball courts have that no other place on this earth has.  Our sense of smell is our strongest sense in terms of memory recall, and for me, walking into the gym, with that musky, enameled-wood smell brought me back to my youth in a way that is hard to explain. The smell reassures you that life can be stopped and that for a short period, you can go back to better times. 

I grabbed a basketball and started shooting around.

Let me tell you this-- it did not come back to me, at first.  I was missing all over the place, and I could barely dribble the ball. I once felt invincible on the basketball court, yet now I had feelings of doubt and discouragement. That really only lasted for about the first 15-20 minutes, because I started hitting shots, dribbling between my legs and I could move around with more ease than I can ever remember. So when the opportunity arose to get in a 5 on 5 game, I was feeling prepared to get after it.

The last time I played a pick-up game was at Texas State, probably about two years ago. I was on my first attempt to lose weight, and I had gone from about 400 to 360. I felt I was ready to get down on some basketball, and some guys let me jump in. Oh, boy was I wrong.

 I was winded within five minutes, and I barely did anything for my team. This is what I feared as we were starting the game, the fear that even after another 70 pounds lost I still would not be ready to play a significant role in a basketball game.

As the game started I didn’t really know what to do or where to stand. It had just been so long since I last played. Thankfully, I had an old buddy on my team that I used to play with all the time and he was guiding me. The first couple of times I had my hands on the ball I was feeling nervous and cautious, not really knowing what to do. But it all slowly came back to me, and I just felt like things started clicking as soon as I scored my first bucket.

 I got tired as the game progressed, but I never felt completely winded. I also felt faster with the ball than I have ever really felt on the court. I kept having all these thoughts about myself playing basketball in my late teens. When I was in middle school I was a king, and even early in high school I could hang with a lot of the players, but around junior year I just couldn’t play to the level I expected from myself.

And for me, it all came back. And I was better than ever. I was in better shape than anytime in high school- or ever, for that matter- and it showed. 

The game lasted for about an hour, but the memory of the game will last a long time.

During this journey of getting in shape, losing weight, creating confidence for myself and living life I sometimes over look the small things that once brought me so much joy.  I forgot that I used to love basketball so much that it was my literally my life. Now that I got a glimpse of what I have been missing for all these years I have no plans of losing it now, and the possibilities of my improvement make each day that much more exciting.

DRIVE THRU DIET

My editor Sam Brown wrote the following post and hopefully I can get him to contribute more in the future. He has been a huge part of what makes my blog interesting and readable. Thank you sir for your help. 

In an effort to capitalize on Subway's successes with the moon-faced man-boy Jared, Taco Bell has began marketing the "Drive-Thru Diet," a collection of lower-calorie options from their 'Fresco Menu.'

Here's the Drive-Thru Diet menu and website.  They poured a bunch of money into this, obviously:

http://www.drivethrudiet.com/

Their spokesperson, Christine Dougherty, has lost over 54 pounds during the last two years, a feat she feels is due largely to her "healthy" choices from Taco Bell's menu.  

Here is a CNN.com story which pretty well defeats the notion that you can just eat tacos and be fit.  

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/05/taco.bell.diet/index.html

If you eat less calories, then any diet (for a while) will work.  Nothing beats a balanced, well-rounded diet with high protein and lots of exercise.  

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

2009 was a great year.

I had some experiences I will look back on later in life and think, “Man, it does not really get any better than that."  With the new year upon us, I am ready to look over the past year and get my new goals ready for 2010 so I make sure I don’t lose focus in my weight loss journey.

 

In 2009, I wanted to be 290 pounds by December 31^st.  I reached this goal on December 30^th, when I weighed in at 289 pounds!  For the year, I lost a total of 81 pounds.  That is hard to type because it doesn’t feel real.  Telling myself that you are smaller than when you were in high school is a little scary, because I look at myself and I have a hard time believing that I was this big in 9^th grade, but it is true.  As I get smaller and smaller, I will have to think about the 7^th and 6^th grade times just to remember even being this small. 

My goal weight is 190 pounds by July 23rd, which is what I weighed in about the 6th grade.  Let that roll around your head a little bit.  July 23rd is the one-year anniversary of this whole thing, so I figured it was apt a date as any.  I got 99 pounds to go in a little under 7 months.  The race to the end will be tight, but I have faith.

 

In 2009, I also wanted to bench press 200 pounds by the end of the year. This has always been a goal of mine.  I have always had leg strength but never upper body.  When I started lifting at Workshop Fitness my first max lift was 160 pounds back on July 23^rd.  Last week, I did 200 pounds for the first time! It was a battle with the bar, but after two times of almost giving up I powered through it and made it happen.  What is crazy is when I last lifted 160, I was weighing in at around 370, but now I lifted 200 and weighed 290, so I am getting closer and closer to being able to lift myself up from  a ledge-- just in case I fall. The goal for bench press is to be able to lift 250 by, once again, July 23^rd.

 

Finally, I wanted to get to a 15 minute mile.

I sort of crushed this goal, because I had the 15 minute mile by Thanksgiving, and then I got a 12 minute mile the week before Christmas.  Now, I am looking to get a 7 minute mile by July 23^rd. When I first started I was walking 20 minute miles, and being exhausted after 2.  I just did 2 miles at about a 13 minute pace and felt okay, after.  I want to increase speed, but also increase my distance.  Small steps, people, but we will get the stamina in there, too.

Some personal goals for 2010 are to continue to eat healthier, read more, become more involved with religion and faith and to finally stop to smell the roses every once in awhile. This last goal is really hard for me because I am trying to never be satisfied with what I do until I have truly reached a goal, but I have to realize that every step in the process is something to be proud of whether it be a step forward or backwards.  I am sure I will come up with 20 more resolutions as this year moves on, but for me they all lead to one giant goal in mind: Making myself happy, and if I can do that then I have achieved what life is all about. 

IT FINALLY HAPPENED

This week in Houston I did something that I haven’t done since I was almost 13 years old and I the reality of the situation hasn’t hit yet. I finally bought clothes that were not sold at a big and tall store! It did not come easy though and I will tell you why.

It all started this past weekend as I was searching for Christmas style clothes for a party I was going to. I thought that it was a tacky Christmas party and I had nothing to wear for it. So I went to Casual Male Big and Tall to look for something I could wear but they had nothing as I expected (I don’t think Casual Male understands that if they had some funny Christmas clothes that young overweight people would snatch them up because tacky Christmas parties are all the rage these days). So I decided that I would brave going to Target to look for a Christmas shirt.

I went to the men’s department to find something that was suitable and I luckily came across a “Mr. Grinch” t-shirt. Walking into the dressing room I felt nervous about putting the shirt on. I had worked so hard to lose about 80 pounds now and to not get in this shirt would make me feel like it was for nothing. Then I remembered that this whole experience is about becoming someone new so I told myself if it doesn’t fit it will soon enough with all the work you are putting yourself through. Cautiously I threw the shirt over my head and slid it on and it fit! I did a little jig in the dressing room for my minor celebration and then realized that I was about to purchase a shirt from Target, not Casual Male. I have spent almost have my life up to this point buying shirts, pants, belts, you name it at one store and now I was getting closer and closer to ending that trend. So what did I do after I found out I could fit in the shirt? Of course I went back out to find some other clothes that would fit and I found an awesome jacket that fit me too. The best part is that I spent a fraction of what I normally spent on clothes at Big and Tall at Target.

What this all boils down to for me is that sometimes it is hard for me to see how much change my body has gone through but when a moment like this occurs I know that I am doing something right for myself. Five months ago I would have laughed at the notion of buying clothes at Target but now I wonder where my next purchase will be because I am no longer bound by fat guy law to Casual Male.

WHAT A WEIRD WEEK IN HOUSTON

The other day, during my trip to Houston, I had a little episode that I think I just need to vent about.

The day started so beautifully, as I got to meet up with my friend Brandon at Southpaw Guitars in Houston. It is the only left-handed guitar store that I know of, and it's also my personal slice of heaven. We stayed there for about two and a half hours jamming together, talking to the owner about the history of the store, and just catching up. After we finished up we decided to go watch "Avatar," so we headed to the theater to get the tickets and find somewhere to eat.

Well, the choices were not so hot around the area, but we decided to go to Red Robin. Once we got in there I got this huge craving for a bacon cheeseburger.  Before I started working out all the time and watching what I ate, a bacon cheeseburger is all I ever got when I ate there. I tried to talk myself out of it, but it was like I couldn't control myself. I ordered the burger, and when it got to the table I have to say it looked like a million dollars.

The lettuce looked so fresh; the hamburger looked perfectly cooked; the bacon's aroma set off flashbacks to my days of late-night grilling at the Fuplex. (My residence for the better part of my college years, and a bastion of unhealthy living choices across the board.)  As I devoured the hamburger I thought about a lot of things: What my trainers would think right now?  What am I thinking right now? What if someone who knew about my weight loss battle saw me eating like this...

I was slowly killing myself eating a burger.

I felt so horrible about a burger.  It was awful.  I couldn't even enjoy it.  As we finished up and went to the movie I felt so bloated and disgusted with what I had done.  A lot of feelings that I had felt before this whole thing started to come back, and though I was hiding my feelings well from, inside there was a battle between my head and my heart. My head was saying "It is just a hamburger-- you ate well the entire rest of the day and you won't eat anything like that for the rest of the week," but my heart was saying "This is the beginning of the end, all that hard work for nothing."

Thankfully, the movie didn't happen.

I got to go home, but I spent the next two hours resisting working out because I wasn't supposed to do any heavy cardio or lifting while in Houston.  That lasted about 2 hours before I gave in to the temptation of working out. A 2 mile jog later and my back was killing me and my legs were throbbing in pain, but somehow I felt a little better.  That didn't last either, because I had just broken two rules with my trainers.  It wasn't a good way to start my week without training. I am now learning that my weight is just one issue that I need to deal with during this time. I also need to find a way to contain my compulsive tendencies so that I can live my life without constantly being worried about things like eating one burger, or trying to fix it by doing something I shouldn't do. Hopefully I can fix my interior as I smooth out the exterior of myself in the next 7 months.