I'M A MAN...I'M 40!

Celebrated the BIG 40 last week(and weekend). Had a lot of fun with family and friends, maybe a bit too much fun, but hey you only turn 40 once. Thats what everyone kept saying to me as they bought me shots :) It truly was a great time!

The biggest thing that I noticed about my birthday was how easy it is to change peoples idea of who you are and what you want in life...let me explain that comment. I'm lucky enough to be on the radio and always express what it is I like and have amazing listeners that always seem to spoil us on our birthdays. Normally for me that meant CAKE and JERKY and POP and PEPPERONI and whatever other high in fat and chance of death meats that I could think of! I LOVED THAT stuff and talked about it all the time. Guess what I always got from everyone??? That stuff of course...it was who I was! This year I recieved A VEGGIE CAKE(veggies put together to look like a cake, complete with cucumber candles), tons of veggies, nuts and fruits! At my birthday party I still did get a few bottles of sweet tea vodka, haven't changed every bad habit, but for the most part it was all stuff that was HEALTHY!!!

It means A LOT to me that so many people care enough about my Health and about me doing the right things that they changed their gifts to things that would help me continue to change my life. Guess I better not let them down :)

Excited to report that I am still hanging around the BIG 99 pounds lost. I have certainly hit a plateau in the last 8 weeks. After losing 3 pounds a week for quite some time things have tapered off. However I still feel so great and I can't lose site of the fact that I have still lost about 1 pound a week for the past 8 weeks as well. Lets face it in a year that would put me at another 52 pounds gone and real close to were I want to be. REMEBER THIS IS FOREVER...SO WHO CARES IF IT TAKES A YEAR OR LONGER TO GET THERE...POINT IS I'M GONNA GET THERE!!!

VACATION and HOLIDAYS...challenging weeks ahead...HOWEVER those are just excuses to fail. I am looking forward to to an excuse free end to 2010!

As the old saying goes...

Failing to Plan, is planning to fail!

I know that sounds soooo cliche', but the longer I live the more I realize that all these goofy sayings became popular for a reason, THEY'RE TRUE!

So Thanksgiving is obviously a challenging time for anyone that is trying to watch what they eat. I went into the ole' Turkey Day with a Plan, it's safe to say I was the Man with the Plan. I was gonna eat lots of veggies and salad and then have some turkey. BOOM...I will be full and life will be good! I am happy to report that is exactly what happened! NO pie...NO Stuffing...NO potatoes! I know I know I'm amazing...I have more willpower than a 6 year old on his 20th trip up the sledding hill. OH WAIT...the bad stuff is coming! So after hanging out all day long around the Turkey Day Temptations...at like 7:30 that evening(lunch was at 1) I decided to try one bite of my sons pumpkin pie! LOOK OUT someone apparantly turned on my FAT FAUCET! That then led to a few rounds of me vs. stuffing, me vs. 1 slice of pumpkin pie, then me vs. Buffalo Chicken Wing dip(I honesly wanted to smear this spicy treat all over my body, probably should have, way less fattening), I think it was the most calories I have consumed in at least 5 months! OH man it was soooooooooooo good I thought that I would never eat the right way again. That was until Friday morning when I woke up and noticed a horrible smell in my house and a pain in my stomach that felt like I was about to give birth to Andre the Giants baby! Lesson I learned...
IF you treat your body great it treats you great. IF you then treat it like crap it...I think you get the rest!

Here is exactly what I realized about my struggles that day. For the first part of the day I had a plan and it worked great. For the end of the day...the veggies were gone...the plan was gone. I just didn't plan ahead and that led me down the wrong path. Overall I still consider the 4 day weekend to have been a success. There were a few more battles late on Saturday night that involved a drink or two and then a left over breaded chicken patty the kids didn't finish. :-( I didn't lose any weight this week, but I did stay steady. Sometimes I realize that in it's self is a victory.

For a quick weight update I am now down to 294 and hoping to hit the 100 pounds lost by next week. That means a great week and hopefully I can drop another 4 pounds. It's been awhile since I've had a big week like that, but I feel like my body is ready for it once again. Mike Nilson(my trainer from U-District) has me super focused on the positives right now, think about how I would have eaten a year ago, think about how much more fit I am then last year, the key is not to lose sight of the biggest goal of all and that is overall improved HEALTH. No doubt I am winning that battle...the continued weight loss will just be the added benefit of doing the right thing.

How did that just happen?

It has been 2 weeks since I posted something on this blog?!?! How? Why? I could probably set here and make up about 30 excuses, some which would be hilarious, but I'll save everyone the time and just own the fact that I haven't been FOCUSED!

I saw an NFL guy with a T-shirt today that said FAITH...FOCUS...FINISH! Kinda hit at the exact right time. Things haven't been horrible for me the past couple weeks, but I certainly haven't had that super strong FAITH in what I'm doing or the FOCUS at all. I feel like I get on track for a few days and then just kinda let life get in the way. Now with all that said I am still doing about 80-85% of the things right when it comes to nutrition and I have been getting excercise as well. The bottom line is that I hit a bump in my road to success and have stalled around 297 pounds. That made me lose FAITH a little in the fact that I am gonna be 225 in the future. Then I sat down and read my own dang blog talking about being FITHEADED and changing forever! I am in this forever...so getting stuck with only losing 2 pounds in a few weeks has to be looked at as a small bleep on my big ole forever radar! FAITH...FOCUS...FINISH it's exactly what I needed.

BTW...the trip to Nashville was a blast and I was super excited that I did a good job of keeping on track with nutrition. Ok I did have a few chicken wings and a had to try some Tennessee Whiskey at Dierks Bentley's Bonfire...but hey...as Mike Nilson tells me "you dang well better have enjoyed it if you did it" YUP!

BACK ON TRACK...FITHEADED...I SEE WHO I WANT TO BE...

FAITH...FOCUS...FINISH...thank you overpaid athlete :-)

Food Drive, Halloween, and The Devil!!!

Three things that can destroy your life...especially when trying to be healthy. First of all the Food Drive was such an awesome week. I just love collecting food and money from all of our amazing listeners that just seem to make the food drive a success every year. It was great seeing sooooo many people through out the week...I got enough complaints about my weight loss that I'm suprised my head didn't swell up like Jack from Jack in the Box. The tough part about the food drive is the fact that people also bring us so many treats for us to eat during the long week(I was also amazed how many people brought me fruit or nuts or something healthy). At one point we had bags of starburst, redvines, cookies, muffins, cinnamon rolls, italian sandwichs, poptarts...the list goes on and on...and lets not forget we were in the Tomato Street parking lot with a free meal pass at one of my favorite places in town! Temptation was EVERYWHERE! But I really just kept thinking about what Mike and I talk about all the time, and that is sacrifice. GIVE UP SOMETHING GOOD FOR SOMETHING BETTER! Now it's easy to say give up a cookie for some grapes...or give up that cinnamon roll for an apple with almond butter...but it does get real tricky when you have to do it time after time after time all week long. That is why I try not to have that type of food around my house very often. Would an alcoholic have beer in the fridge all the time??? Doesn't seem like it would be too successful. Needless to say I did survive the week(other than the cold I have and lost my voice for a few days). My nutrition was not too far off. I did sneak a few of the red vines and had to have 2 bartlett mini donuts...but other than that the week was a success. It's pretty awesome how powerful your mind is when you just set it on something positive.

Halloween...oh how I love thee. From the parties....to the candy...to the dress up...trick or treating with the kids. So much fun, but lets face it, the holiday is not based on healthy decisions. We also have a little tradition here at our house that includes the wife making up a big ole thing of chili and a few friends stop by through out the night and hang out for awhile. So I sit here typing on this Sunday afternoon and I'm proud to say that I have only had two pieces of candy the whole weekend and those were last night at about 2:30am when I got home from a night of Halloween parties. Seems like 2:30 in the morning is when a LOT of bad decisions are made :-). I will consider to rolls of smarties to be a victory for a 2:30 decision. Today I knew the rest of the candy was gonna be out so I made myself my very own try of "candy".... a big ole veggie tray and I have snacked on it all day long. I think I tricked myself into a nice treat. No candy...no desire for it either. It's pretty cool I just gave up something good for something better!!!

The devil...oh that was just another temptation that made the title of this post seem cool. Although my devil this weekend was certainly Sweet Tea Vodka. As good as I did eating all week and avoiding the candy...I did have a few too many of the ole sweet teas. The good news is...80/20 rule. 80 percent of the time do it right...20 percent of the time enjoy what you are doing that isn't perfect. I try to keep myself more like 95/5 for the weight loss...but this past week and halloween weekend was more of an 80/20 deal and I still feel great. Beats where I was a year ago and I can't wait to see next halloween and the food drive. I am so excited to see what a healthy future will look like.

Lunch for all the right reasons

Marcos, Brandon, Kevin and Mike

I had the chance to go to my Celebration Lunch today with Mike Nilson(U District PT), his brother Marcos(who has lost 60 pounds) and his brother-in-law Brandon(who quite frankly is just a picture of health). We went to Ionic Burrito and had some unreal build it yourself salads. All of us eat the exact same way and what I found to be interesting is that we do it for the same reason but with some different motivators.

MIKE's REASON...
Mike is incredibly fit and certainly doesn't need to worry about weight loss...however he feels healthier than ever by changing his nutrition...and for the first time in his life has an unreal six pack! Mike said even when he was a pro athlete and his job was to stay in shape the best he ever had was a four pack...his new found six pack is all because of his change in nutrition. Don't worry ladies at some point I will convince him that a shirtless photo is neccessary. :-)

MARCO'S REASON...
Marcos is a great story. He was right around 230 pounds. Not a guy that you looked at and said wow he needs to lose some weight...he is what I would describe as the average guy! He decided he wanted to drop some weight and try to get healthier. He was struggling with always being tired and generally just not feeling at the top of his game. At our lunch today he was down a total of 60 pounds and just looks amazing! He is super lean and healthy as can be. His energy is at an all time high and so is his overall outlook on life! Plus I enjoy the heck out of his new suit he was wearing today...you know I'm a sucker for fashion!

BRANDON's REASON...
I didn't get a chance to talk with Brandon much today because he was able to show up just at the end of our lunch after he finished school today, so I don't really have all the scoop. What I do know is that Brandon is one of the most fit and driven people I've ever met. He almost makes Mike look soft(ok that's not really possible) but this guy is unreal. He is super into his nutrition because he just knows it's the best thing for his body and that's what he wants to do to be the very best. I look forward to getting to know him better and share more of his story.

KEVIN's REASON....
Of course weight loss was my original motivator and now I realize it's all about my health. The great news is that by doing the right things with my nutrition the weight loss just follows along.


So together we have 4 very different stories, but we all share the common goal of overall good health. As you know I am not working out crazy hard yet but I am doing stuff that is successful for me. Marcos is a guy that works out on occasion. Mike and Brandon are certainly excercise nuts and it shows...but what I like is that we are all having success doing the 80%(nutrition) and then different success levels with the other 20%(excercise).

I'm looking forward to another weigh in on Monday for myself and I'm hoping that I start to hear some great stories from anyone else out there that is starting to change their lives forever!

Have a great weekend!

Inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes...

This time around I couldn't be more pleased that shape and size is me! I'm so pumped that my story is inspiring people to change their lives. I have heard from so many of you blog readers that are saying that you are using my story to change your life, and that is AWESOME! When I decided to share my story I was honestly hoping it would help someone...even just one person and I would be happy! Just wanted to say GREAT JOB to everyone who is ready for a change and let's do this together! I'm not going anywhere and I am more than happy to share advice, struggles, quality jokes, etc. LET's GET FITHEADED together FOREVER and say goodbye to the old you!

BTW off to my 299 celebration lunch today with Mike, Marcos, and Brandon! Can't wait to talk to these guys and get even more motivated about the future! I'll share how it goes...

I knew I would be close but...

So I took the Monday morning walk downstairs in nothin but my boxers to do the weekly weigh in. I knew that I would be very close to breaking the 300 pound mark...I sucked it in(which i'm certain doesn't really change anything but I feel cool doing it) and took a look down at the ole' digits. Drum roll please...bdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdb....299.1!!! I let out a primal scream that I'm certain woke the neighbors. I also did a little touchdown dance ...thank goodness there were no officials to flag me for excessive celebration. I know its just a little step on the way to greatness, but it sure felt good nailing that first goal. Next milestone... with dropping 9 more pounds I will reach the 100 pounds lost! Wow! The big goal that Mike Nilson and I are shooting for is 275 by my 40th Bday on December 16th!

My goal is to try to give ya a little something everyday to think about or look at that might help get you going on the road to your own weight loss. So here are the basics of what I eat and what I avoid...It is consider a Primal Diet....
Good Foods include...
Chicken, Fish and other lean meats
Eggs
TONS of veggies
LOTS of Fruits
HEALTHY FATS...Nuts, seeds, oils, a few of my favorites have become ALMOND BUTTER and COCONUT MILK

The biggest things I avoid...
PROCESSED FOODS
POP
Breads
Refined Sugars


Thats a simple overview of what I'm doing. If you have questions feel free to shoot me an email I would love to talk to you more about it.

Goodbye FATHEADED KEVIN...Hello Milestone

I am getting super close to being under 300 pounds for the first time in over 7 years...and most importantly for only the second time ever in my adult life. I am very excited. I SHOULD TOTALLY CELEBRATE WITH a late night romp at Jack in the Box with an ultimate cheeseburger....NOT. What makes me different then the old "fatheaded kevin"(those how i refer to my old corrupted mind) is that I realize that it's just the next step in being healthy forever and I still have a long way to go, so let's just keep focused on my ultimate goal which is some sort of healthy weight around 225 pounds. I've always thought KEVIN JAMES and 300POUNDS went hand in hand...kinda like Hasselhoff and Baywatch. It's how I've always seen myself from the inside(does that even make sense???)...no matter if I was 285 or 385! I just thought...I weigh 300 pounds(285 on drivers license)> The funny thing is for the first time in my life I am starting to see myself from the inside as being 225....quite frankly...I"M SEXY. I feel like I am healthy and I am 225...I look in the mirror naked and certainly realize that I am still 300 pounds(dim lights only)...but as my mother used to say it's whats on the inside that counts. OH MAN how true is that...moms do know best...It's what's on the inside that counts...when the inside you wants something different...it will happen! Goodbye to FATHEADED KEVIN...I think I need a new nickname....?

If you think you can or think you can't you're right!

So I know this is the first post on here and I'm already 85 pounds into my weight loss so I feel like we are starting in the middle of the process....but better late than never. I will tell you all about what I've done to get to this point ...but let me start with just saying more than anything it has been my attitude! Before I would diet and lose 30 to 50 pounds and then be "happy" with myself and call it good. A year later the weight would be back and maybe I would do it again...blah blah blah. Does this sound fimilar to anyone????? I bet it does!!! I just decided that this time it was going to be FOREVER not FOR AWHILE. Not sure if I made up that phrase but I love it and it is soooooooo what keeps me going. It's not like if I have a bad day I get so frustrated that I screwed up my diet....I just say...OK I'm one meal away from being back to eating healthy. If you look big picture (FOREVER)...it's funny how little set backs don't ruin your attitude. I am human and I make mistakes...but the bottom line is that my mistake now might be a fruit smoothie from mcdonalds or a diet pop...instead of the mistake being a big mac and a large sweet tea.

I lost the first 50 pounds by really changing my diet...I started eating fish and lots of fruits and veggies and a low fat diet. Tried to make a ton of healthier decisions when it came to eating. It was great but like always I hit the 50 pound mark and then I was stuck...I still had a great attitude and wanted to lose weight but it wasn't working great. Thats when I went and saw an old friend of mine...Mike Nilson who is one of the owners of U District Performance Therapy. I went to Mike with the idea of getting me back to a workout program that would help me burn calories and kick the weight loss back into high gear! Mike and I worked out about 7 years ago together and it was the only time that I got below 300...I was about 288 and felt great. I worked super hard with him and I knew that was what I needed right now in my life. However when I met with Mike in August he tells me that he has really changed his thoughts on weight loss and healthy living and says to me that he is super excited that I came to him because he thinks he will be able to change my life FOREVER....wow just the word I needed to hear. Let me just tell you...HE WAS RIGHT...the simple concept is that NUTRITION IS 80% OF THE BATTLE WITH WEIGHT LOSS AND EXCERCISE IS 20%. I have worked my butt off in the past and lost weight, but not very much. Since the end of August when I started with Mike I have lost another 35 pounds...HERE IS THE BEST PART....MY EXCERCISE CONSISTS OF A 30-40 MINUTE WALK...plus a very small amount of resistance weight training. Bottom line...I am not working very hard at all and the weight is coming off. The reason...NUTRITION...I finally believe it's not working your butt off that is the biggest piece to the puzzle the biggest piece is what you put in your body! I get it NOW and I will do it FOREVER...not FOR AWHILE. OK so I have rambled enough for my first entry...I will tell you all about the nutrition as we go along. For now decide if you want to change forever??