Week 1

Over the last year of my life I have decided to take some initiative and get rid of my fat ugly gut.  Some of you may have seen me within the last year and some of you may have not.  Since around May 2011-Now (April 2012) I've lost about 70lbs.  It's taken a long time losing that much weight, but it also took a long time packing it on.  One thing I regret about my weight loss so far is the lack of documentation regarding my progress.  I have no 'Before and After' pictures, or any real starting dates and what not.  So it's kind of a bummer to try and think back to when all of this started.  I do however remember getting to that point where I knew I needed a change.  I would sit on my bed to put my socks on and my gut would get in the way so I would have to hold my breath in order for me to bend over far enough to put my socks and shoes on.  I would have problems getting in and out of cars.  As soon as I got home from where ever I was (bars, dinner, ect.) I would change out of my now 'Fat Jeans' and straight into PJ's.  My waist had expanded to a tight fitting 44, and I was pushing the boundaries of a XXL shirt.  The thought of having to shop at a Big and Tall store was horrifying.  I always told myself if I ever felt limited by my weight I would change it, and that time had come.

So I started down the long road of turning my enormous self into a happier version.  I had tried a few different diets but didn't want to stick to any that didn't include Taco Bell and Alcohol, until I got serious.  My friend Cody Hughes had some awesome success doing Atkins and so had my Dad, so I decided to give that a shot. I already loved eating meat and after some research it seemed like a good way to go.  So around May I started my new diet.  For the previous 5-6 years I had avoided a scale at all costs so I wouldn't have to face the reality of my poor health.  I had a starting weight of a whopping 355 lbs!  Thats a BMI of an estimated 49.5%!  There certainly was a lot of Mike Lutin to go around.  The weight loss is exciting!  On my diet I could step on the scale each morning and see a lower number everyday!  It's easy to lose weight when you're that big.

I would say after about 4 months of dieting I was down to about 305.  50 lbs in 4 months wasn't easy but I sure felt a lot better.  At that point I had some life changes and took a break from focusing on dieting.  I didn't really go back to my old ways, but I did get a little lacks on my self-discipline.  My biggest pitfalls are booze and Taco Bell, and generally the 2 go hand in hand.  That's how you end up eating 3000-4000 calories in a day.  In the ensuing 6 months (Oct 2011-March 2012) I had lost an additional 5 lbs or so down to an even 300 lbs.  Not bad considering that got me through the Holidays without much focus on weight loss.  Then came spring.

I knew that at the beginning of April me and some friends were going to be taking a vacation to Vegas and I didn't really want to have to purchase 2 plane tickets to sit my still overweight butt.  So I started up my strict dieting.  My girlfriend did not like my 'boring' diet since we didn't get to go and eat out a lot.  She tells me diets are for losers haha.  Anyways I stuck to my guns for about 2 and half weeks and lost an additional 15 lbs.  Not bad for giving up after St. Patty's day.  So after a week of buffets and the typical 'Vegas Experience', walking around Breckenridge, CO, and being sick for about a week, I was stunned to find out that I had broken even.  Which judging by my luck at slot machines was a huge win for me.  I weighed in on Easter (4/8/12) at 285.  So this is where I'm standing, a total loss of 70 lbs, or a small child worth of fat.

I want to create this Blog to track my remaining weight loss.  My short term goal for now is to lose 35 lbs by the end of summer (8/31/12) and get down to an even 250.  Since I graduated high school at about 220 that would put me within reach of being there.  I may not update this every week, but I will be sure to keep you up to speed on my progress periodically.

Here's as 'Before' as you're going to get:
St. Patty's day 2011 (est. 355 lbs)

Please don't be afraid to comment!!!