Bragging on Mr. Blaylock

For those of you who follow this blog, I just want to say it's an honor that you share this journey with me for better or worse.  It's amazing what a little midnight confession via blog will do for you.   It was liberating for me to get to share my frustrations, struggles, and feelings of inadequacies in recent posts. Often it takes me getting  real to see clearly.  The fog has lifted, and I found the fun again.  I'm feeling extra motivated today!  (By the way, I'm another pound down! Woo Woo!)

...But today's post is not about me  I get to brag a little about Mr. Blaylock!  Where do I start?  Oh how about he's lost 18 pounds in four weeks!  Holla!

Actually, he's lost so much weight so quickly that we are having to watch to make sure it's not too fast.  GRADUAL weight loss is desired.  The slower the loss, the greater the likelihood of permanent weight loss.  Rapid weight loss is mostly loss of water and lean body mass.  The goal is FAT loss which is done at a slower pace. (More on this later.)

We often have eyes bigger than our stomach.  Sometimes we desire more than we need or can handle in eating as well as in weight loss.  Remember it took a long time to pack on the pounds.  It's not all going to just disappear.  Think "health" instead of "weight loss."   We want to be a healthy weight, and there is a healthy way to get there.  It seems like a lot of work to only lose 1/2 to 2 pounds each week, but that's the recommended weight loss goal.  Of course, a bigger person might lose more at first, but the loss per week should taper down as the weight lowers.  If HEALTH is your goal, then the food choices seem more effortless and the slow weight loss is just a fruit of your good choices. 

So back to the hubs...    It all started when I took some photos of him. He was embarrassed of how he looked in the pictures.  This somehow revved the engine of health, and he literally changed overnight.   We typically have nutritious family meals, but  Wayne's super-sized motivation has transformed our whole family into health even more.  He is being a great example for our boys.  They  have such a healthy view of eating and exercise.

So how has he done it?  The good old-fashioned way!   Wayne has been monitoring his portion sizes.  He still eats regular foods but might only have one piece of pizza.  He quit eating late at night.  He chooses more fruits and vegetables.  He drinks tons of water.  I think he forgot soft drinks exist.  Neither of us are buying junk food now.  His stomach growls more often, and he eats when it growls.  The biggest change is how active he is.

Exercise is priority for him, and the transformation has been amazing.  He makes sure he gets in a good aerobic workout almost everyday.  He began slowly at first by walking two miles. He is now up to jogging four miles almost everyday, plus tennis, bicycling, practicing tee-ball, or jogging while pushing the stroller.  The fun things with the boys don't count in his exercise routine.  These activities are just extra little goodies that have ultimately earned him an eighteen-pound intentional weight loss. 

It's changed our family dynamics.  We can't really exercise together since our guys are so little.  Somebody has to be on call.  Tonight there was only about thirty minutes of daylight left after the tee ball game.  Wayne let me be the one to close down the day.   I so loved jogging at sunset!  Then I did bedtime while Wayne ran on a treadmill at his fantastic sister's house.  We are still figuring out how to fit and increase our physical activity into our busy life.  It's just another piece of our family puzzle.  There is a place it will fit. Sometimes it means that I walk the driveway after the sun has gone down.  Sometimes Wayne stops by the university stadium to run the stairs on the way back home after errands.   Last night, Wayne started supper then I took over cooking when I got home and he went for his run.  By the time he got back, supper was ready.  We ate together as a family.  The menu was lean hamburger steak with sauteed mushrooms, mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, and crowder peas.  The boys had a frosting-free pumpkin cupcake for dessert.   We started the bedtime procedures then I went for my jog.  Quite a juggling act, and we are getting better with plenty of planning and practice.  My cousin recently told me that she and her husband got to go for a jog together the other day and it felt like a date.  I'm beginning to understand that.     

I'll keep you posted on his weight loss journey as well as mine.  Now I'm REALLY enjoying this journey!   It's so much fun to have the whole family super motivated and enjoying this journey together.