I Am The World’s Worst Weight Loss Blogger

March 29, 2009 · 35 comments

I should probably just end this post with that - I Am The World’s Worst Weight Loss Blogger. But from the beginning of this blog I have committed to writing about the good and the bad and so here I go - the bad continues. Take a look at my weight loss graph and you’ll see I have spiked up to 288, which is almost back to what I started at. I’m having a hard time focusing on what I want to write about, so here are some rambling thoughts on where I am at.

I started a new job on March 2nd. That morning I got up early and lifted weights and did 30 minutes of cardio. It was a great start to a new job and a renewed focus on my health. It lasted all of that one day. No exercise since then. But worse than that is that I have started eating fast food again - most likely all of the weight I have gained in the last month can be attributed to morning McDonald’s and Subway or Hardees for lunch. Part of the problem is that with a new job comes new locations and new eating establishments. I haven’t worked hard enough to figure out the healthy places to eat and so I go to what is fast and convenient.

The good news, however, is that we are going to start homeschooling our kids this fall. Why is that good for my health? Because that means my wife will be working much less which means we need to start pinching those pennies. And eating out all of the time will not be on the budget. So I know I have said this a thousand times before but as of today, no more fast food and greatly reduced eating out. The challenge will be to be good while eating out when my company is paying for it.

While this next month will include a bunch of travel I have started to figure out my schedule and I should have time most mornings to get my exercise in.

I wore a pair of my “fat pants” last night that I had previously shelved as I dropped down into the 260s. I actually donated a bunch of my fat pants (I was confident I wasn’t going back up again) but kept one pair as a cruel reminder. What was cruel was fitting into them comfortably last night.

My water intake has been just terrible. I’ve got to invest in a good reusable bottle.

Not only have I been ignoring my blog and my health but I have been ignoring my fellow weight loss bloggers out there. I haven’t been reading about your progress or your struggles and I have not been joining in on the conversation. I feel bad about that. I’m not providing support in any way and that’s what this community is about.

I have said too many times “this will be the week I start anew” so I’m not going to say that. But what I will say is that hopefully I am starting to figure out my schedule and how I can adjust to it and hopefully that means good things.

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{ 34 comments }

Mary - A Merry Life March 29, 2009 at 11:11 am: Eh, I’ve been there. I let the same things happen to me when the new year started. Instead of getting all fired up like everyone else I let most of my good habits slip. I understand how hard it is especially with changes like a new job. Just commit to getting back into and you will. You can do it John!
Charles Martin March 29, 2009 at 11:27 am: You can do it. You’ve done it before. You’ve just had a major change in your life (new job) and with that old habits creep back in. You’ll get back to your new habits soon enough.
JC March 29, 2009 at 11:32 am: John, sure you fell off the bandwagon for a little while. So what? What are you going to do about your bad habits now? You still have today to take control, then you have tomorrow and the next day. I started a new job back in November, the transition was a bit of a challenge because I work the 3rd shift. I got used to it and now it’s normal. You will get used to your new job too.

Have you ever thought about changing your dieting methods? I noticed your weight spikes and was thinking you may benefit from exploring different approaches than what you are currently using? Ever thought of doing a PSMF(Protein Sparing Modified Fast)? Lyle McDonald has a wonderful book called the Rapid Fat Loss Handbook. It’s a phenomenal read and many, many people have had a lot of success using the diet as prescribed.

Glad to see your blog active again and hope this is just one of many more updates.
MamaBearJune March 29, 2009 at 1:36 pm: John, have you ever read Men’s Health? They have some awesome articles on the best meals to get when eating out and the best restaurants to go to. Subway is high on the list. Here’s a link to one of the articles: http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/25787/americas-healthiest-restaurants/

They list the best and worst lunches, things to get at the supermarket, all KINDS of helpful stuff. The editor is also one of the authors of the Eat This, Not That series. Hang in there, we all go through good and bad times.
Miche March 29, 2009 at 2:39 pm: John - don’t beat yourself up too badly - that’s one of our downfalls, as I’m sure you know - stress in mind and bod are terribly for us and you’ve had a deal of it. (I’ve been AWOL from my blog for 2 mos. and feel badly, but I’m back on the road…) I know you can get this going again and I’m rooting for you - so are so many others! Some times just feel more right to commit than other times - I know you want this!
Cammy March 29, 2009 at 3:37 pm: There probably aren’t many (if ANY) of us here who haven’t had to “start fresh” at some point. Or at several points. I know I sure have. A life changer for me was reading the Japanese proverb: “Fall down seven times, get up eight.” I think my numbers were more like 17 and 18, but the thing is, I did get up. You can, too!

Btw, Subway is a good bet if you have to eat on the go. It’s all about the choices. (Tuna=bad; turkey=good)
Cynthia March 29, 2009 at 4:23 pm: We all have slips and need to start anew. So don’t beat yourself up. Instead, take some time tonight and look up places to eat near your work place and come up with some healthier options.

Consider also taking lunch to work. Perhaps your wife could fix extras and you could use the leftovers for lunch. Perhaps you could fix some simple fare to bring. Just remember, there are always options. Our goal is to find them and use them to our benefit.

Fast food is a tough one. Even though there usually are healthier options, it takes a mind of steel to choose them once you are in the joint and faced with all the less healthy foods that you like. It’s probably better to simply find a few places where you can get a quick lunch that isn’t fast food. Subway does have reasonable options, their salads are good and you can get double meat! Maybe bring some olive oil and vinegar to work so you have a healthy dressing option.

Hang in there… you aren’t alone. I’m recovering still from my last big lapse.
Greg March 29, 2009 at 4:47 pm: Don’t be too hard on yourself. Sounds like you’ve got a lot of stress in your life right now, so things have to be prioritized. Getting your feet wet with your new job goes right to the top of the list. Once you get settled into your routine, it will fall back into place.
CJ March 29, 2009 at 6:24 pm: Just wanted to say hi. I got to your site via Tony, the anti-jared! Your struggles are our struggles, believe me! You are not alone! I’m on the roller coaster with you! Keep trying. Never give up!
Kimo March 29, 2009 at 8:33 pm: Don’t beat yourself up too bad. Congratulate yourself for having the will to come back admit your downfall and will to carry on. I don’t know how many times you been up and down but I’ve been there at least 5 times in the past 7 years or so. Like CJ says we’re on the coaster with you.
Get into your new job, settle into your new routine and try again.

Kimo
AndrewE March 29, 2009 at 10:13 pm: It’s scary how quickly we can fall off the wagon. Having said that it’s good to know we can always get back on. Welcome back John.
beth March 29, 2009 at 11:44 pm: this happened to me too, I gave away so many clothes and had to go and buy new bigger clothes. shudder…. But, weight loss isn’t a one time action. You aren’t alone!
Tony March 30, 2009 at 2:48 am: Hey, I’ve fallen way off the wagon too. It’s just part of the weight loss game I guess. Hopefully, we can both get back on track ASAP.
Lyn March 30, 2009 at 5:41 pm: Come back when you’re ready… but don’t be afraid to poush it a little, even if you don’t really feel like it.
Angie March 30, 2009 at 10:02 pm: John,

I don’t think you are the worst weight loss blogger in the world I just think you are an incredibly honest one. I agree with all the above comments - one bad spell does not a failure make! I know you have the determination to get back up - even if you have to do it over and over and over again. I am FINALLY trying to take control of my weight loss issues (I wrote about it here: http://crabbydeal.blogspot.com/2009/02/okay-heres-thing.html) but it is not easy - even with a big huge eye opener like I received this weekend.
I continue to look to your site for inspiration and honesty and shared struggles. Keep up the good work - all the way around!
Merry March 30, 2009 at 10:36 pm: John, you shameless hussy -

No, sorry, not even in jest can I be mean to you. Angie is right. So long as you’re still posting, you’re not the worst. Especially when you’re trying to get back into balancing work and Life (only one of those deserves the capital letter).

Can you not bring food from home? Much healthier eats that way, plus it saves a lot of money.
Andrew March 31, 2009 at 2:06 am: Come on John, you can DO IT!! So you have a major change in your life (new job) and you have some readjusting to do to fit in your healthy lifestyle habits, these things take time.

I agree with some of the comments here; DON’T STOP BLOGGING!

A suggestion would be to start blogging a Daily Food Log just until you get back on track, this will also give you some accountability to keep going!

Come on mate, YOU CAN AND YOU WILL!

Take care,
Andrew
Israel March 31, 2009 at 11:45 pm: I am going to try a different approach…

Stop lolly gagging and do something!!! You know what you have to do. Just do it. One step at a time. Stop worrying about the end of the tunnel and go through it already.

Sheesh. Enough B.S. Eat right. Drink Water. Get some exercise in. It’s really that simple. Control yourself!

Best of luck bud. I missed reading your stuff. Had been coming here once a week but saw nothing.

When I blog, I do really well. So I blog.
Lori April 1, 2009 at 10:07 am: You know what you need to do. It’s time now to get back to what worked in the past and find a way and not an excuse. You can’t change your actions that you have done to get here, but you can decide on what actions you will take forthwith.

Blogging and reading other peoples’ blogs and participating may be the key that helps you stay on track.

Good luck!
Charlie G. April 2, 2009 at 11:14 am: Just starting out myself….again. I always start out good but then fall back into my old ways. Gonna try blogging to see if that keeps me in track. Look forward to following your blog.
Steve v4.7 April 2, 2009 at 1:44 pm: That’s life, John. The thing that’s great about it is that it’s chock-full of choices. Coincidentally, that can also be the worst thing about it. The really cool thing is that all you have to do is choose. You choose, you do, and then you reap the result. If you get really good at choosing you’ll get really good results. Simple- but that’s what works for me.

Your history proves you’re capable. Repeat it.
Steve@weightlossweapons.com April 2, 2009 at 9:19 pm: Hey John don’t beat yourself up over it. Life gets in the way all the time and that is not going to change, so you will have to.

Keep us posted I miss reading your posts as well.

Steve
Joey April 5, 2009 at 11:36 am: I feel your pain. I had McDonalds yesterday for the first time in months. Not proud of that. Nor am I proud of the way I have been eating lately. You are not alone as you can tell from the comments above.

Just get back in the saddle and get back to work. You know what to do to be successful.
John April 6, 2009 at 8:44 pm: What do you eat at McDonald’s and Subway? At the former, a standard egg mcmuffin w/o butter (actually, it’s gross liquid margarine that they use) is really a pretty good, dare I say healthy, breakfast. At the latter, well, Subway is among the greatest gifts to healthy fast food, but it does depend upon your sandwich of course. I’ve gotten in the habit of leaving out the cheese and asking them to go easy on whatever sauce I’m in the mood for. It’s the little things that make a difference.
Keith (My Body Fat Blog) April 7, 2009 at 5:18 am: Its so easy to return to your old diet and when you do, the weight comes back ten time easier than it was to lose it.
We all have bad days you just need to get back on track as quickly as you can. Visualize how you will look and feel when you reach your target weight.
I’ve lost over 30 pounds this year and my life has improved so much. Losing weight is not easy, and junk food tastes delicious. But is ten minutes of pleasure eating it worth a lifetime of unhappiness.
Tim April 7, 2009 at 10:30 am: Letting your weight take control of you again is not the worst thing in the world as long as you have recongnized it. I agree that the smaller budget is going to work in your favor. Keep us updated!!!!
Tom Rooney April 7, 2009 at 12:09 pm: John,

I see about 25 or so comments from a whole lot of people that really care about you. You’re not letting them down, but you may be letting yourself down. Starting a new job is one of the most stressful things anyone can do, but putting bad habits on top of stress can be a double whammy.

1st - Work with your wife for some help. When you look back, that’s why you married her to be partners in good and bad times. Diet and exercise falls under one of those times. Bag lunches are much better than the extra baggage you’ll pull with you by doing fast food.
2nd - Schedule, schedule, schedule Get on one. That means going to sleep at the right time, exercising at the right time and eating at the right time. You put order in your life and life will be better.
3rd - Set some priorities - If you blog you’ll get feedback which is good, so make a time to do it. Maybe just 2 days a week to get back into it. Say every Wednesday and Sunday or Tuesday and Friday. Twice a week can get some reinforcement back in your life.

I’m pulling for you bud and know that you can fix this.

By the way, you’re not the world’s worst blogger.
Wes April 9, 2009 at 5:06 pm: Don’t worry, dude.

I am a lazy, lazy man, and it sounds as though we’re close to being in the same boat. I started working out in October and have lost around 30 pounds, to date(started at 286 - I’m 5’9″). I gained back 6 of those pounds in just 2 1/2 weeks by slipping back into my old habits, but starting last week, I jumped back on the workout bandwagon and then Monday decided to cut out all sugar and beer, to see if that will help me reverse the damage.

I haven’t read your whole blog(just found it), so I don’t know if you have a workout buddy, but you should seriously find one. It is one of the most tremendous aids you can have.

It’s good that you’re being honest with yourself about your progress. I’ve found that when I start slipping, I also stop monitoring myself, because it’s easier for me to ignore it and pretend like I’m doing fine than it is to see myself losing ground. Just establish a small, short-term goal and get back on the horse!
Mike April 10, 2009 at 3:18 am: Friend,

So what, you fell of the “wagon”.
Just get back on.

Please don’t give up.
Jessika April 10, 2009 at 5:10 pm: Don’t get too down on yourself if you just do a few good things every day. even if the overall outcome is negative.. you’ll get there.

i just started reading your blog btw and i love it
Charlie Hills April 13, 2009 at 10:26 pm: The “worst” means you quit and you obviously haven’t quit. People can relate far more to those with real-life struggles than those with fairy tale successes. Good to see you back!
Melanie Thomassian April 16, 2009 at 4:26 am: Hey John,
The best thing you can do it just tell yourself, “So what, I fell off the wagon for a little while! It’s not the end of the world!”

The worst thing you can do is start beating yourself up, because then what happens is you think, “Aw, what’s the use continuing!”

Instead focus on what you want to achieve, for example:

- being around to see your kids grow up
- having the energy to get where you want in life etc

Remember, weight loss is a journey! It’s not always easy, but you CAN do it!

“Success is not a destination, it’s a journey!” - Zig Ziglar
Jenks April 16, 2009 at 7:08 pm: We all get distracted, life sometimes just gets in the way of what we know we should be doing. With that said, the post that got me hooked on your blog (at least I’m pretty sure it was your blog), is one where you interviewed someone about their success. So here’s an idea that might inspire you…how bout getting together some interviews of ppl that have gotten distrated and then refocused. Good Luck getting back on track.
Mr. Meltdown May 17, 2009 at 7:50 am: Hi John,
First of all I think that title was a bit inaccurate claiming to be “THE WORLD’S WORST WEIGHT LOSS BLOGGER.”

I think that you are just honest about your progress, but that is not a bad thing. People visit our Blogs to read about our lives to assist them in learning about weight loss.

Since you’re such a great person and honest that builds trust, character and respect. I think the bad bloggers are the ones who claim to lose weight and have not lost a single pound.

Keep on trucking my old pal and I know your going to pick it back up because you’re aware of your habits now.

I love fast food also but instead of having a McDonald’s Big breakfast make healthier choices like a Fruit ‘n Yogurt Parfait (w/o Granola) 5 oz is just 130 calories for breakfast or Caesar Salad (w/ Grilled Chicken) 10.9 oz is about 220 calories.

I would also recommend bringing your own water jug with you and keep crystal light packs with you instead of drinking them evil drinks like pop or sugar juices.

You can do it man and you know I have your back because I know you have mine!

Weight loss online is a team effort and I know you can do it!

So keep up the good work and let’s lose this weight and get healthy.