John (reality TV show interview cut-away): After I left Omniture, I worked for a small startup company that had me working long hours with barely any time for myself. They also had a snack room with tasty treats that I loved such as hot tomales, Reese's Pieces, Red Vines, and more. Consequently, I put on 5-7 extra pounds in a short 3 month period.
Meet Fat John. Fat John was tired, cranky (ask Dana), out of shape, and unhappy. He was the heaviest he had ever been . . . ever! 190.6 lbs to be exact.
In April, Fat John decided to make a change for a job with a little more stability and a better work/life balance. Along with employment at iBAHN, he was given a free membership to Dana's gym - Lifetime Fitness. It was the first day on the job at iBAHN, April 19th, that Fat John decided that his "shape" was a little out of whack and decided to set a goal to get to his pre-marriage, pre-mission weight - 172.
18+ pounds was not a ton to lose, but he wanted to make it a lifestyle change. It was convenient that Fat John's wife is a group fitness instructor and had many tips to help him in the process. She told him that if he lost it through exercise and watching his caloric intake, that he would be successful.
John (reality TV show interview cut-away): "When I was in the Philippines, I remember my mission president, President Evans, telling me that I could do anything I wanted and make something a habit if I put my mind to it and to stick with it for 21 days. After 21 days, he said, the task would become second nature and a habit. I took that advice to heart and decided to hit the gym for 5-6 times per week."
Starting out, it was difficult for Fat John to maintain any exercise for 45 straight minutes. Fat John got bored, sore, tired, lazy, etc during the first 21 days. He had shin splints, a hamstring and calves that were always tight, thoughts of quitting ran through his head daily. He wondered if he would ever make his goal. A goal! Fat John knew that if he were to have a goal, that he would need to have a reward. He always wanted a PS3 with NCAA Football to play (to also use for Blue Ray disks on his 47" Sony LCD). That, he decided would be the reward for meeting the goal.
Here was his game plan:
1. Exercise 5-6 times per week. Starting out with easier exercises - eliptical machine, lifting weights, slower treadmill jogging (9:00+ minute miles). These would later build up to more difficult exercises (running sub 8:00 minute miles, heavier lifting, and riding his road bike).
2. Healthier eating: smaller portions, 5-6 times per day. Breakfast? Oatmeal. PACK A LUNCH. Dinner - smaller portions (use smaller plates and slow down, stopping before you think you are full). Drink a lot of water.
Look for ways to cut calories:
(a) Sugar-free syrup on whole wheat pancakes (instead of sugary syrup on regular pancakes). Trust me, the syrup tastes good.
(b) Sugar free popsicles in the evening when feeling "snacky".
(c) Protein shakes right after a workout. They don't taste like a frosty, but get over it. They taste a lot better with ice.
(d) Almond butter: a good source of protein and healthier than peanut butter. Goes great with sugar free jam, regular jam (berry of course), or bananas.
(e) Oatmeal for breakfast: 1 packet of low sugar oatmeal mixed 50-50 with plain oatmeal. Healthy filler with a good taste. Don't make it too thick - it's like eating paste.
(f) Whole wheat bread, pasta, etc. It tastes better. Avoid bleached, enriched flour at all costs.
(g) NO SODA / POP / WHATEVER YOU CALL IT: not even diet . . . and for heaven sakes no sugared soda. Cheat every once in a while, but drink cold water when thirsty.
(h) During the day, snack on fruit, carrots, granola bars (healthy types).
(i) Eating out: Make a healthier choice, share, eat rabbit food (lettuce) and taste the more unhealthy choice made by your spouse (thanks Dana). Don't eat the whole meal if it is HUGE. Take the rest home.
3. Tracking towards the goal: weigh in every 5-7 days (not daily) at the same time of day. Mornings will be lighter and afternoons will be heavier. Daily fluctuations do not matter. Even small weekly gains are OK as long as the trend over 2-3 weeks is still downward. Keep track of the weigh ins and only report if the weight is down from the prior weigh in. Log weights in a spreadsheet and show progress on a chart in Microsoft Excel(Fat John . . . ok, John {fat or skinny} is a nerd).
4. Reporting: when progress is made, tell someone. Tell Dana, a co worker, mom, siblings when you hit certain milestones. Celebrate in the moment, then look forward to the next milestone by working even harder the next workout.
5. Have smaller goals along the way:
(a) Run a 5K, 10K (I wanted to run the freedom festival 5K 2+ minutes faster). I ended up running it 3.5 minutes faster.
(b) when your workouts become more difficult, and you are able to handle it, treat it as an accomplishment (i.e. running 3.2 miles at a 7:00 minute pace - great job self!).
6. Allow yourself to cheat a little: don't worry if you have to miss a day of exercise. Be flexible. Go out for ice cream, a treat, etc, but remember to eat a smaller portion.
Here is how the journey went (graphically):
Notice how there were plateaus - at those times I had to pick up the pace or change to a different exercise.
On Tuesday, August 11th, 2010, Fat John hibernated (and will hopefully never come back) and "goal reached" John finally emerged. 190.6 to 172 happened. It was very difficult. It took me nearly 4 months. It was not easy for me. There was no miracle, no pill, no secret diet, no HCG shots . . . only sweat, blisters, chaffing (TMI, I know), disappointment, perserverance, and victory!
In the mean time, I learned a lot and hope anyone reading that wants to lose a few or a lot more can use what I learned to get started. I found out a lot about myself and my limits.
The journey is not over. I think 172 is a good base, but now I want to continue to reduce my body fat percentage and get stronger, more flexible, and have some 6-pack abs for once in my life.
PS - I just went 10-2 in my first season with BYU on my PS3 . . .
John, Hailee, and Cam playing miniature golf at Boondocks. 
Hailee can do the splits, this is her "good" leg. And yes, Cam now has hair!
Cam got into Hailee's "craft" cupboard. 
Cam's first time at Hogle Zoo. She loved it, Hailee loved it, but their favorite part was definitely the ice cream cones. 
One of the many faces of Cam.
Hailee continues to enjoy and excel in her gymnastics class. She started preschool this fall and she has loved every minute of it. She likes to learn, but mostly she can’t wait to see what the craft is for the day. Dana’s dilemma now is, what to do with all the “cute” things she brings home! Hailee loves princesses. Her favorite princess is Sleeping Beauty, because her dress is pink and she has blond hair. She is looking forward to Kindergarten this next year almost as much as her Mom and Dad are.
Camryn is in nursery now. She has to begin her 2 hours there with as much drama as she can muster. Tears, screams, tight hugs. . . but she forgets within 20 seconds that she didn’t want us to leave. She’s very social and settles right into her environment wherever she is, making life as a parent on Sunday, much more enjoyable. She has seen her fair share of doctor’s offices in her short 20 months of life, but she will be seeing more of them in the coming months. She has a tufted hemangioma (a purple and red birthmark) on the inside of her left arm. We noticed is starting to grow in July and continued to watch it, despite steroid creams, grow to the point it is at now. She was given steroid injections in the middle of December to hopefully slow the growth until we can get it removed by the plastic surgeon at Primary Children’s in January. We’ll keep you posted.
House. On February 26, 2009, we closed on our first home in American Fork. If you have followed our moving saga, we had some rough times looking for the perfect home. We wanted a big yard, a finished basement, near schools, a big master bedroom and bath, good size kitchen, and relatively new (nothing 80's or earlier). After many months of looking, we finally found our home on the AF / Highland border. It is not our "dream home", but is very much what we want. It was built in 1994, so it has some updating to do, but we are excited to personalize it to our tastes. We hope we can stay for many years as we love our neighborhood and ward.
In July, John called, and in one of the most spontaneous things he has ever done, told me that he wanted to go on a cruise in December. Dana was really surprised, but very excited to finally go some place tropical and get away from the bitter cold of Utah. Dana’s parents watched the girls (thanks so much!) and we flew to San Diego. We booked it on the Holland America line (which we later found out was more of the 60+ crowd) and had a wonderful time. The food, beds, and service were top notch! Other than the little bit of motion sickness that we had on the first and last days, we loved every minute.
Our last stop, Cabo, was definitely the most beautiful and clean. We decided to go through the markets to buy souvenirs from the locals. Dana was pretty nervous about negotiating on price, but John was seasoned from his mission to the Philippines. We ended up getting some rings for Dana, some other jewelry, dresses for the girls, and a couple of wood carvings for John’s office. Good memories. After that, we took a water taxi out to Lover’s Beach (or the other side . . . divorce beach). It was a beautiful paradise. John snorkeled and Dana tanned. What a relaxing venue. We will definitely be going back some day. More details and pictures will follow after we get our blog butts in gear.
She has become a great mom and wife. Our relationship is quite funny, as Netti may attest to. Living with us, she must think that we either are madly in love or at each others' throats with no in between. We both have our cranky moments, but have a great time teasing each other and just hanging out. 
Any hair growing tips?? 
Cam will love this when she is older!
Thanks mom, Sherry, Hailee and Camryn for making me smile.
