270.0

I made it! Had to have a nice workout yesterday and today to make it, but I made it! It is really rewarding to lose weight, and my pants are looser.

I will still update this from time to time with how I am doing. Eating season is fast approaching (Halloween to New Year's Day, sometimes including the Super Bowl), and I hope to not gain too much then. I may have to hit low carb again between halloween and Thanksgiving just for good measure.

272.6

Working hard, not too hungry, but definately running out of low carb options. I will enjoy taking a well controlled week off from low carb. The plan is lots of fiber, low fat, protein rich foods for the week (I always feel better when I eat more protein than carbs, no sleepy 3pm).

274.0

Right back on track. Always try to remember that salty foods will make you retain a lot of water.

I am hoping to get down below 270 by Friday, and really want to continue on after the contest is over to see what 260 feels like. I haven't been there since before I got married...

280.2

Ah, nothing like destroying last week's work with a single camping trip. I only went off low carb Sat. night and Sun. (all day) and gained an incredible 5 pounds!!! I am sure a bunch of that weight is water weight from all of the salty foods I ate over the weekend. I will have great strides early this week from drinking lots of water and getting all of that sodium out of my system. I expect that I probably gained an actual 2-3 lbs of fat from the binge eating, but it was probably worth it. You can't go camping without comfort food.

The trick this week will be to workout along with the low-carb diet to maximize potential weight loss before the final weigh-in on Friday.

275.2

By the way. these weights are all "As-is" dressed for work with phone and keys and wallet. At home on the scale just before my shower I was 270.0, coming along.

278.0

After a big (low carb) meal this morning and a lot of water (also essential to any weight loss program)

279.2

Low carb works really well. It was a tough weekend with brownies and such in the house, but I have to get down there before the 8th.

281.8

OK, so I've fallen off the bandwagon a bit lately. Yesterday was the first day of low carb for me. I would love it if people would ask about a low carb diet. There is so much info out there, but people should really know how something is going to affect thier body before they try it. I do NOT suggest a " low-carb lifestyle", but I think it is an effective short term means to lose a bunch of weight fast.

I'm shooting for about 20g of carbs a day right now and will probably up that to about 30 next week, depending on if I take any "days off" before then.

279.8

Not bad for after a weekend of bachelor padding it. More tomorrow, Happy Labor Day!

278.2

Sorry I missed most of this week. It has been a bit busy at home, wish it was busier at the office, but I think back to school has a lot of schedules mixed up.

I gained a couple pounds over the weekend again. They sure are tough. We did go up to Kenecott Mine with the kids and it was a lot of fun. We spent about 3 hours there walking around and checking out the visitor's center. I have been trying to move a bit more this week, some exercise, but a lot of projects in the shop. Gotta try to nail down some good exercise time. I'm really trying to hit 270 before Monday the 13th, when low carb kick's in. If I can do low carb and be exercising I can probably lose another 20 lbs before the 8th of October when our biggest loser contest ends. I would love to be in the 250's for the end...

279.2

Now we're talking. Did some good work out in the shop yesterday and this morning, always helps me break a sweat. Monday I'll start an actuall exercise program for 20-30 mins per day of good elevated heart rate and such.

281.2

No progress, but I'm not gaining :) This is actually good data for me to have. I am getting a feel for how much I can eat without gaining weight. Remember, earlier I said that I was eating about half of what I would normally eat. As near as I can figure I was eating between 3500 and 4000 calories per day before, and now I am roughly shooting for 2000 to 2500 calorie diet. This is very likely close to my BMI or Basal Metabolic Rate. BMI is the measure of how many calories your body burns during your normal daily activities. Many factors affect your BMI, but the biggest are activity level and muscle mass. I am a big, strong guy, but I am not terribly active. That is the next stage in this process, EXERCISE!!!

281.2

Back on track for the week. I am still just trying to eat less then normal, no real change in diet other than a multi-vitamin. I am also eating less fast food, just because it is too easy to pack in a TON of calories really fast. I am going to Cafe-rio for lunch today with my sweet wife for a back to school celebration. This is our first year with all 3 children in school all day.

284.0

Weekends are always tough for me. I am around food more and have more liesure time, when it is easy to have a long hard stare into the fridge. But Monday's here and another week is ahead of me to get refocused and to get busy working hard.

We had a great trip rock-crawling with the scouts in American Fork canyon. Forest Lake is beautiful this time of year and there were salamanders everywhere. Camp food is not exactly "diet" food, and my wife is a really great cook and she made a delicious Saturday night dinner.

281.2

The same today as yesterday. I'd better kick it in a bit today because the weekend is going to be tough. I will be doing more physical work, because I will be camping with the scouts, but we have a good menu planned, and what's funner than eating on a campout. Must, practice, moderation...

281.2

I thought yesterday's was a bit low. I probably was a little dehydrated when i weighed in yesterday. I did have 2 "Moulderburgers" since yesterday's weigh in, one last night and 1 for brunch. That's all I've eaten so far today, but I will have a reasonable dinner and be good.

280.2

OK, this is even a bit fast for me. I didn't eat much yesterday, and was hungry a bunch because of it. For breakfast I had 4 tiny twice baked potatoes, lunch lightly mayo'd sandwich (not light mayo cause that's just sick), and dinner (late ~9pm) about 2 cups of strawberry mini spooners (Mini-wheats).

284.4

Ok so the last post (my first in the series) was my first weigh-in from Friday. After a weekend of eating normal ammounts I have lost about 5 pounds. Still just eating smaller portions.

289.8

That is my weigh-in weight for our boggest loser competition. If you haven't signed up yet please call 801-796-7961 and make an appointment to weigh-in. I hope to use this blog to document not only my progress in the competition by to clearly state the "why" behind my weight loss techniques.

Let me give you some history about me, I had always been very skinny, had difficulty putting on weight, etc. in high school. That changed on my mission in Alabama. Being on a bike most of the time meant my appetite went way up, and I was getting older so my metabolism was slowing down. We were also fed extremely well with dinner appointments of good southern cooking nearly every night. I went out about 185 and came home about 245. Since then I haven't really gotten out of control. When I met Sarah I had just been on a fad ephedrine diet and lost about 20 lbs (down to 225). When I got married I was 255, and have just crept up a few pounds per year over the last 13 years of marriage. I would be happy to get down to my freshly married weight of 255, and could realistically only get down to about 225 or 230 as an absolute low. I don't think it would be healthy for me to lose 35 pounds in 8 weeeks, but I am shooting for a good 20 pounds before the end of biggest loser.

The plan for the first couple weeks of the competition (which ends October 8, 2010) is to eat like a human. There is no secret about why I am heavier than I should be, I love food. I love cooking old favorites, and trying new things that sound really good. I enjoy the time spent with family and friends while eating, and enjoy making people feel welcome by feeding them well. I don't believe anyone has left the Moulder house hungry after being invited for dinner. All of this means that I just eat too much food, so the plan for the first stage of this project (I love projects) is to simply eat smaller portions. No crazy diets, no low carb (yet), no grapefruits, just eat about half of what I normally eat. I figure this will put me in the ideal 2000 to 2500 calories per day relm.

I usually start this by fasting for 24 hours with lots of water. I didn't get to do that this time, but I think it helps shrink my stomach so I don't feel so hungry. The key is breaking the fast with as small of a meal as you can so your body doesn't feel like it is just holding out for "the big one" at the end of the fast.

It is always a good idea to take a good multi-vitamin while losing weight. The extra nutrients really help cut down on cravings, so I've started those as well.

Good luck with your own weight loss goals and keep watching here for more updates!