My 6+ Mile Weekend... Also FAIR! (MILESTONE ONE ACCOMPLISHED)

Hey y'all

Excuse me I'm sorry for my southern twang escaping. I went to the Mountain state fair yesterday with my partner and it got me in southern mode! All kidding aside I woke up yesterday with a zeal for life and a plan for my day. I hopped on the treadmill and walked 3 Miles! For some reason counting the miles and not the minutes makes the walk so much easier for me. I guess the best way to describe it is that when I'm doing a 40 minute walk I occasionally flip back and forth between the time and distance and it seems too often that no time passes. It drags along and at that point becomes a chore. So I started looking at the mileage and that has seemed to make all of the difference. I hopped off after my 3 miles and I felt great! I just completed my first milestone on my way to becoming a spartan!

(Occasionally I will update my milestone list on my original post so be sure to go back and check to see what all I have left!)

Once my workout was done I relaxed and did some shopping for a while and then it was off to the fair! We had an amazing time (No rides were ridden) I don't trust carnival rides or any rides for that matter. I had purposefully eaten light that morning so that I could get my fill at the fair. We walked through the food area and the smell of the deep fried fatty fat fatts smelled sooooo good and I saw several giant turkey legs go by. there was so much heavenly aroma but we abstained at first to see what all the fair had to offer.

We went up to the livestock area and saw the Moo-ternity Ward (Completely Serious) and we saw all the exotic animals my favorite always being the Brahman Bull:

He is just so floppy and cute I want to hide in his neck folds..... I know sorry.

Anywhooooo

It was around this time that I had a little breakdown of sorts. We walked around and saw all of these animals young and old and with the exception of a select few "Show Breeds" I realized that all of these animals will meet an untimely, entirely not by their choice, end sooner or later. I got teary-eyed and turned to my partner and voiced my distress. He understood and we walked more. I started thinking about those turkey legs I saw when I came in and wondered how much steroids that bird was given to produce a cut of meat that large. I wondered about the quality of life of the animals that we eat everyday. I worried about my impact of my 27 years of eating meat nonchalantly and not knowing how many animals had to suffer so that I could lay back and balloon up to 374lbs at one point....

This is why I have decided to go vegetarian. It will be a slow process at first because I am currently off of Beef, Pork and Chicken but I still eat shrimp and seafood for the time being. I am slowly trying to replace my proteins with vegetarian alternatives (Tofu, Tempeh, Nutritional yeast, Etc...)

And before anyone asks I will not be THAT friend that faults anyone else who wants to continue eating meats. This decision is for me personally and I would never push it on anyone else.

Anyway....

It's time for a shower and a nap!

(Day 2 of 3 Miles!)

August 29th 2016 .... the day is coming!/ SPARTAN CHECKLIST!

So since I have committed to this spartan race I went to the pain staking process of finding a race. I have found a race that is almost exactly 1 year away from today. That race is the Spartan Race in Black Mountain NC...

 http://www.spartan.com/en/race/detail/837/results#.VfKvgdqiq08.facebook

 I am a little nervous because this is the only one I can find close enough to a year from the start of my journey and it is the intermediate course. However, with that being said.... I fully plan to complete it even if I have to drag my ass over the finish line.

Now... How does one prepare for a spartan race? Good question. I have no earthly idea but I plan on knowing soon. I have done research and watched videos of runs and it seems that the obstacles rely on lots of running and upper body strength. So I have come up with the following checklist for myself in order to keep myself on track and to be able to see the progress that I have been making.

Weight

• Get below 300lbs
• Get below 275lbs
• Get below 250lbs
• Reach goal weight of about 225lbs

Exercise

• Walk for 3 miles (Completed 9/12/2015)
• Walk for 4 miles
• Walk for 5 miles
• Run for 1 mile
• Run for 2 miles
• Run for 3 miles
• Run for 4 miles
• Run for 5 miles
• Do 15 assisted push ups 
• Do 20 assisted push ups
• Do 5 regular push ups
• Do 10 regular push ups
• Do 15 regular push ups
• Do 20 regular push ups
• Do a single pull up
• Do 5 pull ups
• Do 10 pull ups
• Do 15 pull ups
• Do 20 pull ups
• Be able to climb a rope

Food

• Eliminate fast food completely (With the exception of healthy fast food I.E. Neo Burrito and Subway)
• Eliminate excessive intake of diet sodas (one per week)
• Drink water constantly
• Eliminate meat from your diet slowly (To my readers this is not a necessary fitness step but it is a step that I have been wanting to make for a very long time.)
• Always make the healthy choice even on cheat days (Within reason)

Emotionally

• Let people help you that are willing to put in the time and effort
• DO NOT let people get you down
• Think positive from here on out!
• Remove "quit" and "can't" from your vocabulary

If I can get through these things I feel that I will be ready once August rolls back around... 

I can do this.

I know it!

And so it begins...

Hello all!

Welcome to my new blog! If you have followed any of my previous blogs you know this blog will last about a couple of weeks and then fall on it's face once I get bored with it. Hopefully this will not be the case with this one but we shall see...

So by the title of this blog you can probably guess that this blog is going to be about health and you would be correct. This blog is going to be a journey of sorts for me. A weight loss journey. 

Lets start at the beginning, I have not always been a big guy. I never struggled with my weight when I was kid and I was a fairly active child. When I got out of high school I was actually at my skinniest weight of 225lbs:

This was most likely due to the fact that I was still  living at home and my mother is an avid health nut to this day. Also I had a lot to do when I was living at home. I worked a part time job and went to school full time while I also did community theater in my off time. 

Once I moved out on my own is when the trouble started for me. I was attending college full time and working part time but now I had bills that I was expected to pay and classes that I had to study for and still be able to make it in bright and early for my job. I turned to food as my de-stresser and I found out that I had a knack for cooking. 

I would buy calorie rich meals and not worry about the consequences because the food made the stress feel like it was going away little by little. As my stress went up my food consumption went up as well. I would try half-assedly a diet every now and then but my heart was not fully in it. 

Although I was never diagnosed with it I can assure you I was dealing with some severe depression. It effected my mood, my relationships, and even the way I looked at the world. I was living in Virginia and my typical day would consist of waking up at 4AM to get to work at 6AM. I would stop by McDonalds and buy two sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits and a third sandwich which would vacillate between a McGriddle or a steak, egg and cheese bagel.... I was not at a good point in my life. At my heaviest weight I was around 374lbs.

So... now that I have thouroughly depressed all of you it's time for the good news... Since I left Virginia and moved back home to Asheville, NC I have dropped 50lbs

BEFORE                                             AFTER        

I felt great with that weight off but my heart wasn't completely in it for myself. I can list a million and one reason why I have failed at losing weight in the past and short list of those include:

• Vanity
• To be noticed more
• To be desirable
• To have worth
• To be able to wear cool clothes

To all of you who have successfully lost weight you can see the red flags from a mile away. All of these reasons are superficial and ultimately for someone else. I wasn't ready to commit for myself.

Which brings us to the purpose of this blog... I would like.... if I may.... to take you on a strange journey... (If you get that we can be friends) But in all seriousness I am going to be going on a very large journey soon and I need support from friends, family, strangers, confidants, and anyone who has found themselves in the same boat I have been on so many times. 

I have always wanted to run in a Spartan Race/Mud Run but you have to be in some very good physical condition to do so. So this my pledge to you all but mostly to myself. In a year's time, I Zack (State Your Name) will be physically fit enough to run in and complete a Spartan Race/ Mud Run.

I hereby so decree it.