JustIn Control

Today marks the last day of JustIn Control and what better way than to recap the 10k I ran on Sunday. (you may see some of the same pictures from Sarah's blog and some pictures have "proof" on them because the race photos are craaaaazzzy expensive, so I just took a screen shot of the proofs. Sorry)

The day started in a rush. I planned on waking up early, doing my devos, having a bowl of Wheaties and get mentally prepared before the big day. But the morning went completely different. I woke up just minutes before the Tatos showed up to pick us up. So it was wake up, get dressed, and out the door.

We had time to grab some coffee and oatmeal from Starbs to get a little fuel in our bellies and then it was over 152 to head to Santa Cruz.

Our ladies dropped us off and immediately I felt overwhelmed and crazy excited all at once. They had some people from a local gym or something doing warm up exercises which meant a lot of techno music and dancing around. They had huge inflatable beach balls that people were bouncing back and forth and you could just feel the excitement and energy on that foggy Santa Cruz morning.

Kissing the baby for good luck.

Even though I anticipated about a 10 minute mile, we moved up to around the 7 minute mile marker because there were 15,000 people and to get stuck behind a bunch of walkers would have really slowed us down even more. They had some local girl sing the national anthem and then a guy with a horn came up and played that famous trumpet line that everyone knows for horse racing (ba ba ba bababada bababada ba ba ba bum) the crowd of 15,000 surged and we all got really close to each other, eagerly anticipating the gun...tension built, excitement rose, the guy held the gun up in the air as we watched eagerly for our freedom to start running...then the gun fired...and we.......walked. I mean really really slowly walked. It took us over 2 minutes just to hit the start line. It was like being in line for a ride at Disneyland.




After we crossed the start line, we walked some more. Then the road closed in and we were funneled into a tighter group. Very slowly but surely it started to open up. Now we could pick up the pace a little bit but we were still forced to go at the pace of the people in front of us. We were jogging, but pretty slowly. After a half mile or so we could really start picking up the pace, but it wasn't until mile 2 that we found our stride.

All along the way there were bands. Every type you can think of. Drum circles, punk, country, one band was so terrible it was almost good, metal bands, A huge group of old people playing ukuleles (kind of like the salvation army meets the polyphonic spree), there was a marching band, bagpipe bands, 80's glam rock cover bands, one guy just playing his drumset by himself, Japanese drums, etc. When you take Santa Cruz and say "hey we need bands to play" you are going to get quite the turnout. It made the run amazing.


One little gem I did not expect to deal with was this thing called running uphill. I guess I expected maybe one or two (due to Tato's analysis) but there were a lot of hills, steep hills, steep long hills. Actually the whole race is one big gradual uphill. So around mile 3-4 I was really feeling it in my legs. I knew I wouldn't stop, but it made for a much more difficult run than I anticipated.


Every couple of miles they had water stations. At mile 4, Tato and I decided to grab a cup of water just like the pros. I also had developed a pretty strong cramp in my right side and thought the water might help. Well let me tell you, running with water is not easy my friends. I grabbed the dixie cup while running, took a sip, and kept running and the water was splashing everywhere. I tried to take another sip and more water got on my face than in my mouth. I eventually just crushed it like the pros do on tv and threw it on the ground (though I thought of myself as a bit of a litter bug).




The cramp eventually went away and soon enough we hit mile 5. From here on out was uncharted territory for me. Due to a really busy schedule lately, I was never able to get to 6 miles in my training. So this day would mark not only a major accomplishment, but a new record for me. Tato and I picked up the pace and I anticipated seeing my wife's beautiful face and her beautiful pregnant belly at the finish line and I could not get to her fast enough. Tato was incredibly encouraging and we even high-fived to get ourselves pumped for this last mile. Luckily Jesus was on our side too because the last 1/4 mile or so is downhill. This made for awesome speed at the end and huge, gazelle-like strides.




Then there at the finish line I saw my wife, with a smile on her face and a camera in her hand and everything slowed down. I crossed the finish line in 1:04:15 and could not be happier. I didn't care about time, I just cared about finishing what I started and finishing strong. I set out to run 6 miles without stopping and did it. I set out to make my wife proud of me and did it. I set out to prove to myself that I could do it and did it. I was victorious.





They told us we couldn't stop and had to keep moving and sadly I didn't get to give my wife a kiss (plus my brain was still trying to catch up with all that just happened). We kind of just went with the flow down to the beach where we picked up our gift packs that included apple juice (which really never tasted so good), a t-shirt, some snacks and a bunch of ads to buy stuff. I called my wife and hearing her voice and thinking about how proud she was made me emotional. I'd love to blame my crying on the pregnancy, but the reality was just that I was so happy and knowing how proud she was of me was a lot for me to handle...and it was the pregnancy.



This marks the end of my little JustIn Control experiment (it had to end sometime). I am not at the exact weight that I plan on being but I think it has served it's purpose. Exactly a year ago today I began this journey and you came with me. I set out to lose weight and get healthy without using a gym, a fix-it-all diet, or any gimmic. Just good old fashioned eating right, exercising, and accountability. I dropped over 35 pounds and ran a 10k. I've had my ups and downs, my major successes and major failures, but you have stuck with me. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Well even though this is the end of JustIn Control, it is not the end of me being healthy and losing weight. I am going to continue on this journey and continue with the momentum I've gained with this major accomplishment. Tato and I are already talking about future races. We know we are going to do a 10 mile race in January and probably a half marathon next summer. Running races is really a lot of fun. I may never get onto American Gladiators (because it is canceled) but I would mark this journey as a success. I have developed good discipline, the awareness of what I eat, and the joy in exercise.




I'm going back over the journey from the beginning for nostalgic sake. If you have nothing to do and want to follow along from the beginning go to http://justincontrol.wordpress.com/page/9/ and see how far we've come. I'll leave the blogs up forever so I always can come back and see what this journey was like when I need encouragement.

Thank you so much for all of your support. Without you I don't know where I'd be. Thank you for your honesty, thank you for commitment, thank you for your encouragement, thank you for believing in me.

Love you guys
Justin

Posted in: on Thursday, July 30, 2009 at at 10:06 AM 7 comments  

I have been so busy these last few weeks and a lot has changed in those weeks. I apologize that there have been no updates, but I'm here and if anyone is still out there reading this, here is your update.

First I officially started at the church. It is so amazing to actually look forward to coming into work each day. My first week of work consisted of going to Summer Camp (a trip I would usually have to use my vacation time for and now it's part of my job). I tried to keep up on my runs while I was there but a combo of altitude change and schedule prevented those dedicated workouts. I did run around a lot and even went on a couple mountain bike rides. But alas, no 10k training.


Then we got back and Sarah and I took off for Lake Tahoe for a couple of days to celebrate our 3 year anniversary. It was an AMAZING time of reconnection, relaxation, and rejuvenation.
Our pastor let us borrow his tent trailer and we went to Tahoe Valley Campground (a Slavich tradition that has now become an official Richter tradition). We slept in (i even took a couple of naps, which never happens), played games (I got owned at Gin Rummy but my manhood returned when I owned at Connect Four), read books, and turned off electronics (minus my phone in case of emergencies. I've got a preggo with me). But seriously just we just relaxed.

We went out to a super nice anniversary dinner with a view of Lake Tahoe right at sunset and it was awesome. The food was amazing and the service was fantastic. They even gave us a little anniversary desert for free (it had a chocolate "happy anniversary" thing on top of it too.) We were actually sitting next to a couple who was also celebrating their 45th anniversary. So cool to see people celebrate long anniversaries like that.

I did actually go for a couple runs in Tahoe because I have a crazy supportive wife. There was no way to judge exactly how far I ran, but I am assuming it was around 2.5 miles for 2 days based on pace and time ran. But I'll tell you, 2.5 miles in Tahoe on mountain bike trails feels like 7 miles in Morgan Hill on the track. I was beat after the run.

Well we got back and I got into the swing of things here at church. It got really busy and again, no more running. Dreading my weigh in on Monday I stepped to the scale...and to my surprise...


That's right my friends...214!!! A new JustIn Control record. If that wasn't inspiration enough I got my bib number in the mail.


Wharf to Wharf is just a little over 3 weeks away! It is time to finish strong.

I am going to really kick training into high gear. This week, there has been no running unfortunately, but it starts today.
Here is the plan for the rest of the week

Wednesday:3 miles
Thursday: 3 miles
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 4 miles

Posted in: on Wednesday, July 1, 2009 at at 9:31 AM 6 comments  

Thanks for calling me out Kacey.

I haven't posted because this week has been insane. In case you haven't heard, this is my last week at Crystal Graphics. I have been offered a full-time job at the church as the youth pastor. I am so excited, overwhelmed, and humbled with how blessed we are. But that means there were a lot of loose ends to tie up at Crystal Graphics before I left.

The weigh in was uneventful as usual and I think I know why. I don't think I have been eating crazy, but, like my friend Cristin, I think I justify eating certain things because I am working out so much. So my diet has not been as strict. I want to get back on track...and quickly.

This week has been an almost total failure. I did run 3 miles on Monday but have not been able to run since. Last week was tough to get all the runs in too. I only ran 3 of the 5 days.

I'd love to promise to do great next week, but I am going to be at Summer Camp with our youth group (the first time it will actually be part of my job). My wife suggested that I just repeat this week next week if I can. I am going to try and hit some trail runs and try to measure out the distance. My wife has a Nike + and I am going to try to stick the little monitor in my shoe (even though I don't have the special shoes). I don't know if it's going to work, but I'll try.

I will work on the diet thing and see if we can't get this weight rolling off again. I will say that when I ran 3 miles on Monday I was amazed. I honestly think that is a Justin Richter record. I can not think of another instance in my life where I have ever ran 3 miles before. It was great. I even had a little left over to push it hard at the end. I have started this thing where the last 1/8th mile or so, I'll run as fast as I can to finish strong. I don't know if I got a whole 1/8th in, but I was able to finish strong. It is a mental thing really. Just knowing that I could push it hard at the end means a lot to me. It is really encouraging.

I'm sorry I am so late posting. I don't think I'll be able to post next week until Friday or Saturday because we are leaving so early for camp and getting back pretty late. I'll do my best to watch what I eat, but am subject to camp food all week.

This is my last official post from a Crystal Graphics computer and it feels so good.

Posted in: on Friday, June 12, 2009 at at 12:06 PM 1 comments  

I totally forgot to post yesterday. Sorry everyone.

Weigh in was uneventful...217 (apparently I'm stuck)
Running went great, though I didn't get the 6 days in I was hoping. But I did find by day 3 that I was really enjoying it and it was easier than when I started. I even shaved 30 seconds off of my 2.5 mile jog. I am holding about a 10 minute mile, which isn't lightning but functional.

This week the program actually has me stepping back a little bit.

Week 6:
Warm Up! Then jog 2* miles 4 to 6 days. (*Yes, cut back, let your body consolidate it's gains).

Yesterday my wife and I went to the track (i've been running on the street lately) and for the first 3 laps I was hurting and wondered what happened, but right about lap 4 I hit this burst of energy and finished the 2 miles strong. I felt great afterwards with energy to spare.

It is so crazy to see how my body is adjusting to running. I was pretty beat week 1 when I had to jog 1/8 of a mile...now I am jogging 2 miles with energy to spare. Awesome.

I know the weight loss will come and I am not discouraged that I'm stuck at 217. It is more funny now. But starting next week, I really start upping the running. Technically by next week I can run a 5k, so we are almost half way there.

Have a great week my friends.

ps. have you seen the 4D ultrasound pictures of our daughter Grace? You can see a lot of them on my facebook or you can go to my wife's blog at http://sarahrichter.wordpress.com/

But here is a sneak peak

Posted in: on Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at at 12:41 PM 6 comments  

So I was just looking at JustIn Control 1.0 and looking at how far we've all come together. Pretty awesome indeed. Then I looked at the graph...I started this journey on July 28th, 2008. You know what is sooo rad...guess what day my 10k is on? July 26th. Just 2 days shy of being exactly a year since we began this journey I am celebrating by running 6.2 miles. What an awesome thing to think about.

Thank you to everyone that has stuck with me.
My beautiful wife Sarah, Dad and Mom (Slavich), Lee and Jenann, Cristin, Kacey, The Tatos, Danny and Lo, Alyssa, Lindsey, Mike, Marisa, and everyone else that pops in to check on me but doesn't comment (feel free to comment)...thank you so much.

Posted in: on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 at at 2:04 PM 3 comments  

Made it back alive. Sorry I'm posting a day late, but we got back really late last night. This morning was a little crazy and I didn't get a weigh in, so I'll do that tomorrow.

As for this weekend, I didn't get all of my runs in unfortunately. I did get one in with my brother though. This whole weekend was super packed. But there is no discouragement, just excitement to get this week done right. There were moments of not the greatest eating (sometimes due to a lack of options) but all in all I definitely did not indulge as much as I normally would have. So I get a silver star.

This week's workout is pretty straightforward...

Week 5:
Warm Up! Then jog 2.5* miles 4 to 6 days.

I am going to do my best to hit all 6 days, but I have some family coming into town on Saturday.

Should be a good week. Thank the good Lord for holidays and short work weeks.

Posted in: on at at 1:02 PM 0 comments  

I'm sorry I am late in posting. I promise I am not flaking.

Week 3 went great. I actually really liked running the 2 miles straight. I actually found it easier to keep running instead of the broken up walking/jogging routine.

As for the weigh in, Monday morning showed the familiar 217 that I had last week. However, I did a mid-week weigh in and saw a number that, has been eluding me since we began this journey together. 215.2. That's right friends I saw a 215. I even took a picture of it to make sure I wasn't dreaming. So the 1.8 pound increase was disappointing but it could have had something to do with what I ate the night before or payback for my LOST finale ice cream sundae, but whatever the case, I am encouraged and excited that I saw, if only for a moment that 215 actually exists and is attainable.

I would say that I am definitely going to hit it this next week, but we'll see what happens because Sarah and I are headed down to my folks in Southern California to celebrate my sister's graduation. I know I can show some control down there, but it usually is a food fest. Don't worry, I won't go crazy.

Plus I need to remain focused because I was not able to get my run in yesterday. What that means is that I will have to run Tuesday through Saturday meaning I'll have to run down there. Plus we aren't leaving till Monday, so I'll have to get in my Monday morning run down there too. I will do my best to post Monday night when we get back, but if I'm late next week too, I apologize.

Here is the workout for week 4 (to be honest I was hoping it would ramp up a little more than it is, but I have to trust the process.)

Week 4:
5 workouts this week.
Day 1: warm up, then: 1/2 mile jog, 1/4 mile walk, 3/4 mile jog, 1/4 mile walk, 1/2 mile jog: total 2 1/4 miles. Go home.
Day 2: warm up, then: 1 mile jog (4 laps) 1/4 mile walk, 1 mile jog; total 2 1/4 miles. Go home.
Day 3: warm up, then: 2 1/4 mile jog (9 laps) NO WALKING!
Day 4: Repeat Day 2
Day 5: Repeat Day3

Posted in: on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at at 9:00 AM 1 comments  

Thanks Matt.

Posted in: on Friday, May 15, 2009 at at 10:10 AM 1 comments  

Well I am on my way out the door to go start the week 3 workout. I needed to catch up on some much needed sleep this morning. The only problem is that when I got home, Sarah and I had some dinner, then I realized, "whoops, I need to go run still." So now I have a full belly and am probably going to puke. Just a heads up.

The weigh in showed yet another 2 pounds down. 217. Headed in the right direction still. The embarassing thing was when I had to go to the doctor today to get a physical for a class B license and their scale showed 222. Which put me in the dangerously obese BMI category and the doctor gave me a talking to. I think those scales are stupid. For my height, the recommended weight is like 145. I'm sorry, but I would look skeletal. Anyway, I told her about my journey and the weight that I lost and then she cut me some slack. I'll tell you though, looking at where I was at my biggest was really scary. I was deep in the dark blue. I definitely am glad I did some course correcting and started heading back the other direction. I have to get to 210 to get out of the danger zone completely. I am just one square away.

For those that are interested, here is the workout for the week. This week changes things up and gives me a different workout each day. I'm excited. Last week was great and by the end of the week I didn't feel like I was going to die anymore. Today might be a different story.

Have a great week.

Week 3:
5 Days this week:

Day 1: Brisk 5 minute warm up walk, then:
1/2 mile jog, 1/4 mile walk, 1/2 mile jog, 1/4 mile walk, 1/2 mile jog; total 2 miles. Go home

Day 2: 5 minute warm up, then: 3/4 mile jog (3 laps) 1/2 mile walk (2 laps) 3/4 mile jog; total 2 miles. Go home.

Day 3: 5 minute warm up then: 2 mile jog (8 laps) NO WALKING!!! Catch your breath and go home. Good job.

Day 4: Repeat day 3

Day 5: Repeat Day 2.

Posted in: on Monday, May 11, 2009 at at 7:42 PM 3 comments  

This has nothing to do with weight loss, but everything to do with showing appreciation to my greatest supporter.

Posted in: on Sunday, May 10, 2009 at at 2:26 AM 2 comments  

Today started off week 2 of my training. It was quite a jump up from last week. Here is the workout for this week.
4 to 6 days per week) Start with a 5 minute warm up walk, then alternate walking & jogging and walk only half the distance of each jog, as follows:
Jog 1/4 mile (1 lap) then
Walk 1/8 mile (half lap)
Jog 1/2 mile (2 laps)
Walk 1/4 mile (1 lap)
Jog 1/4 mile (1 lap)
Walk 1/8 mile (half-lap)
Jog 1/2 mile (2 laps)
go home
Total 2 Miles

Quite the jump from the 1/8 mile walk/jog for 1 mile of last week. Now I'm jogging 2 laps. It was all good. I was a bit tired, but I missed a day of working out last week, so I essentially had 3 days off and then had a late dinner that did not sit well this morning.

After I got back from the run, I took Ema the dog out for a 1.5 mile walk. Then on my lunch break I went and played a little disc golf with Tato (not a strenuous workout, but can work up a little sweat.)

As for the weigh in, only lost a pound. 219. But I am not discouraged and am still all the more excited for this week and the weeks to come.

Thanks for checking in.

Posted in: on Monday, May 4, 2009 at at 4:10 PM 3 comments  

Lee, in regards to your comment...
I didn't delete JustIn Control 1.0. That's weird you couldn't find it. But you did make me go back and look at the old numbers...

Here is what I found when I started this whole adventure

8/21/08

Waist - 46 1/2″
Hips - 43″
Thighs - 27″
Chest - 46 1/2″
Arms - 15″
Neck - 17″

So in comparison to today's numbers...that means
Waist (belly) - Down 4.5"
Hips - Down 1"
Thighs -Down 1"
Chest -Down 2.5"
Arms -Down 2"
Neck -Down 1"

What an encouragement! Thanks for bringing that up Lee.

Posted in: on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 at at 1:18 PM 5 comments  

I got up and ran this morning at the Live Oak track. It was awesome. I am going to continue to try and do that each morning, but getting up so early may eventually take a hit on me.

As promised I did take my measurements this morning. They were a little bit humbling, but again, I have to look at this point as a starting point. JustIn Control 1.0 was about getting some control over my eating habits and breaking the out of control cycle that was my life. And the result of that was dropping almost 30lbs. Now, for JustIn Control 2.0 it is about training, fine tuning and continued weight loss.

So given that this is the starting point, here are the embarrassing results

Waist- 42"
Hips - 42"
Neck - 16"
Chest - 44"
Thigh - 25"
Calves - 16"
Upper Arm - 13"

I didn't take pictures yet, but those are probably going to be for me (for awhile) because I am still super embarrassed of what I look like with my shirt off. Plus you would think I used an intense white filter on the film because of the intense whiteness of my skin. But as I begin to feel more confident, I'm sure I'll come to a place where I'd feel confident sharing those knowing I'll never go back there again.

This week is starting off great and I am so excited about my new goal. But now I get to go hear my baby's heartbeat and no matter how great of a day I'm having during this training, there is nothing better than hearing my little girl's heartbeat. Have a great day super supporters.

Posted in: on at at 8:28 AM 2 comments  

Today was day #1 of my training for the 10k. The workout was pretty easy and I felt like I could do more, but the instructions are very clear that I am supposed to go home after 1 mile. Here is what my training looks like this week:

Week 1:

Go to a local track because the distances are exact. Once on the track walk 1/2 lap, then jog 1/2 lap, walk a half, jog a half for 1 mile. You will alternate jogging & running 8 times (4 each) and complete 4 full laps, that's exactly 1 mile. Now no matter how good you feel, go home. Do this 4 to 6 days a week; never less than 4 days or more than 6 days weekly.

I didn't know if I was allowed to use the local High School track (Live Oak) so I found a dirt track behind the old Target that equals out to just about 1 mile. I ran the difference to make it a mile but here is where I went

View week 1 in a larger map

(The blue lines are walking, the red lines are jogging)

After talking to Tato, I found out that it is ok to use the Live Oak track before the kids get to school. So, tomorrow I am getting up at 5:30 in the morning and going for a guerrilla running mission at Live Oak.

As for my weigh in...220. It is an even number that only allows room for growth (or loss I should say). I planned on taking all of my measurements too. A sort of pre-training assessment. But the day got away from me (as I post this at 11pm) and so that will have to be for another day.

Only 12 weeks to go.

Posted in: on Monday, April 27, 2009 at at 10:59 PM 2 comments  

So...after the last post, I realized that I was getting the most excited about setting a fitness achievement goal. I saw that training for a goal would work to my benefit on the other two choices...losing weight and fitting into smaller clothes.

So after Cristin's post about the "couch to 10k" idea, I googled that and found a totally reasonable workout. She is coming to visit tomorrow so I'll talk to her more about it, but that is what I am going to work towards.

And just to keep me extra motivated, we went out to dinner with the Tatos last night and Pamela mentioned a 10k race this summer called the Wharf to Wharf in Santa Cruz. Basically you run from Santa Cruz to Capitola. So...I just registered.

I have such a mixed feeling of excitement and overwhelmedment (is that even a word). I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd be running a race. Let alone running for 6.2 miles. Running for fun??? Seriously???

Training starts Monday and the race is July 26th. So that means I have about 12 weeks to get into shape. I am so blessed to have such a supportive wife and supportive friends. Tato is going to run it with me too. A little healthy competition makes it even more exciting. But to be honest, I just want to finish the race strong and prove to myself that I can do it.

Sorry I jumped on the goal thing...Lee's comment got me thinking. "What does motivate me?" and having an attainable goal gets me pumped. So 10k, here I come.

Posted in: on Thursday, April 23, 2009 at at 3:59 PM 8 comments  

I felt like posting a mid-week post on some of my thoughts so far. I also want to say that I really appreciate your votes and comments on the goal thoughts. I actually am getting very excited about setting up a goal and then working to accomplish it.

The more I think about it, they are all kind of tied in together. by working towards a physical accomplishment, I will naturally lose weight and then fit into smaller clothes. Based on the votes so far, it looks like you guys are voting that way too. I looked at Cristin's suggestion of a "couch to 10k" workout plan. I think that's awesome and I felt pretty motivated. I am going to see her this weekend and I'll ask her more about what she does and how it's worked out for her.

My wife spoiled me last night and got me two new shirts. It's crazy, she just buys me shirts in large, and the work out fine. Last night at youth group I was wearing an old black Dickies shirt and she said that it is not flattering because it is so big on me now. Awesome.

Even though my wife is preggers, I feel like I get some of the weird cravings. Last night it was a Root Beer Float. Sounded so awesome, but you will be happy to know that I found the "Eating Right" diet vanilla ice cream and got Diet Root Beer. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I think it was about 100 calories and could have been sooooo much more by using the regular delicious Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and at least 200 calories in using regular root beer. And to be honest, it didn't taste bad and solved the craving urge.

I also decided to break out the George Foreman grill this morning to cook some grilled chicken for lunch. I've only ever used it to cook hamburgers and bacon. Chicken is so easy to cook. Just took me 7 minutes and I had my lunch all ready. I've forgotten how awesome this grill is.

All in all, my mid-week check in is that it is going really good. I feel like this week is kind of a cleansing week and preparation week. I am really looking forward to working towards a goal next week.

Posted in: on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at at 11:59 AM 1 comments  

I posted a poll on the page to get your opinion.

I was told early on that it is good to set specific goals to keep yourself motivated and feel like your are working towards something. In JustIn Control 1.0 the goals were to be 199 by my birthday in January (didn't happen) and to get on American Gladiators (which was canceled.) So that failed. But I really really like having a goal.

Please take a look at the poll to the right of this page. I'm keeping it open for a week and next Monday we'll discuss the results.

For the final answer "other" please add your own suggestion via a comment on this post. I just gave 3 basic ones, but if you want to be creative, I totally welcome it.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

Posted in: on Monday, April 20, 2009 at at 3:35 PM 4 comments  

...and not in a good way. This last week was so stressful and out of control because work was insane and I was super stressed about teaching big church this last Sunday (which you can listen to after Wednesday @ http://www.calvarygilroy.com and click on "sermons").

I ate bad, didn't exercize and basically turned into everything I had been fighting for so long...and the scale talked back. 220. 4 pound weight gain. What a bummer but all I can do is bounce back.

I had a talk with my wife last night and asked her to keep me super accountable. We really just had to get through last week and the stress and pressure of teaching, but now I have no excuse...the weather is nice (though hot), no new pressures, and work is settling a little bit.

Posted in: on at at 3:18 PM 0 comments  

My apologies for being late.
I appreciate the feedback from you guys. I think you really helped me understand realistic goals for this and I can totally do that.

The weigh in stayed the same 216. I didn't really exercise and did not expect a loss last week. This week is going to be crazy too so I don't know if another loss is going to happen. But we'll see.

I think once I break the 216 plateau things are going to really start rolling. I appreciate your support and a special thanks to my wife for calling me out last night and telling me to post so I can stay accountable.

Posted in: on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at at 6:41 AM 1 comments  

ok ok...so this whole JustinControl 2.0 did not start off strong. Im sorry. I planned on making more updates and staying on top of things and we are starting off where I left JustinContol 1.0...excuses and busy time.

The weigh in also was familiar 216. Great...going down, but same old story.

I wanted to ask you, my readers, what your expectations are. I need your help. What do you think this blog should be? What features? How often the updates? What do you expect from me? Your help in this is so important. Because I put a lot of fake expectations on myself and then don't meet them, then feel like a failure, then wallow in my misery and never update the blog.

So help me out will ya? You came here to check this out and keep me accountable, what were you looking for?

Posted in: on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at at 1:43 PM 4 comments  

Sorry everyone, I heard people were unable to leave comments.

The problem has been fixed and I'd love to read what you wanted to say.

Please try again.

Thanks.

Posted in: on Monday, March 30, 2009 at at 4:44 PM 3 comments  

So...it has been awhile since you guys have heard anything from me. Let me get you up to speed.

This last month has been a month of pregnancy (my wife, not me), sickness, and a bit of disappointment at the weight loss. I came to a place where I didn't know if I wanted to continue on with JustIn Control. Not that I wanted to gain all the weight back, but I didn't want the pressure to have to keep updating especially because there was no progress. I think the lack of progress was due to not being able to exercise and not being really strict about what I was eating. There was also some left over disappointment from not hitting my weight goal by my birthday and I found out that American Gladiators is canceled. So the two goals I set were not going to happen. Overall, kind of a depressing thing.

So I just took some time off. It was a well needed break. A chance to re-evaluate what I was doing this for. During this time I took a break from the pressure of posting, exercising and strictly watching my diet. To be honest...I indulged on more than one occasion. But the truth is that I am ready again.

Taking the time off was really good for me. It gave me a glimpse into what I could become if I don't battle these bad habits. It was also good because even though I felt defeated I saw recent pics of me and realized how much I actually have lost. And this comes after the break where I wasn't trying. It was very encouraging and opened my eyes to the success of this journey.

I also just want to say thanks to my 3 consistent commenters (Lee, Kacey and Lindsey) for calling me out and checking on me. It means a lot.

So now I'm back and ready to get back on track. I don't know if it was seeing the pics, feeling gross from some bad food choices, or the spring time weather but I am really really excited for 2.0. I am going back to the basics that launched this journey. Even today I am getting ready to go for a jog back at the park I fell in love with last year.

So what has this break done to me? I expected a gain...like I said, I indulged. But luckily it was not too bad. 219. This came as a shock to me. I really expected more. So my body is still in the fight even though I wasn't trying and it seems only fair that my attitude and mindset jump back in the fight too.

As for the blog...
I switched over to Blogger because it gave more creative freedom. I have more control over design and features. Something I really enjoy. The banner is temporary. I am working on a really sweet one, but it is going to take some time. There are going to be new features and tools. I am really going to try and make this a great resource for me and for you. I know I'm a dreamer but I want to make some of my big goals on this site a reality. So please check back often.

Now I am off for a run. Thanks for sticking with me. I really appreciate it.

Posted in: on at at 11:31 AM 5 comments