The past several weeks have been devoted to my doctoral work. Just yesterday I presented and defended my dissertation prospectus, passed my exam, and reached ABD status (or “all requirements completed but the dissertation” for those not familiar with the academic lingo. And though the real work begins now with me finishing my dissertation and finding a job, the time has also come to bring my focus back to my health. It’s time for a new project, so if you have a worthy cause, or a favorite, smaller charity that would appreciate a donation, I would like to know! Just comment below or send me an e-mail at john [at] fitlanthropist [dot] com.

Also, I have decided to make two concrete goals with my wife that are going into effect immediately:

1. Eliminate carbonated beverages from my diet.
2. Eliminate sugar from my diet.

Holli has never been much of a consumer of carbonated beverages, but I have. I gave them up once, and don’t know how I managed to incorporate them so heavily into my daily consumption. In terms of sodas, those were heavily reduced some time ago, and now they’re completely gone. However, in lieu of Diet Coke and other diet sodas, I drank a lot of the calorie-free, flavored sparkling water-type drinks. As “healthy” as they may seem, I just don’t think my body needs them. It’s going to be water, water, water from now on.

And in terms of sugar…it’s just horrible. I mean, I applaud those of you who can regulate it just fine, but I don’t want to crave it anymore. So, Holli and I are going to do a sugar detox first before introducing foods back into our diet that have natural sugars in them (like fruits).

Sorry for the long pause, but I’m back, and Holli, Christy, and I hope to post some interesting and vital posts over the next few weeks!

And again, give me your recommendations for our next fundraiser!!

Okay, gente. The first installment of The Fitlanthropist is over, and I am in the process of collecting my donations. $10. $10. That’s all I’m asking for. I lost ten pounds, and I’m paying $10 into the donation pot for Free Arts of Arizona. I would LOVE if you would join me by donating BEFORE next Friday, January 22 (you can do so by going HERE).

I am not quite at the point where I’m ready to evaluate how this went (because I still need some donations), but I would like some preliminary input from you all…and you’ll get the chance to win a $15 iTunes giftcard compliments of the Fitlanthropist. Here’s what you need to do:

Leave a comment for me with your name and tell me how I can improve what I’m doing with The Fitlanthropist.

Be brutally honest. There are a decent amount of readers (I check the stats once in a while), so I know some of you must have something to say. I need to hear it, else there’s no way I can improve, nor will I reach future fundraising goals! After you leave your comment, I’ll assign you a number in the order you post and next Friday (Jan. 22), I’ll use a random number generator to “draw” our winner. And again, you’ll get a $15 iTunes gift card.

Neato, right? You don’t even have to pay for postage.

Go!

Weigh-In Wednesday – Jan. 7, 2010 from The Fitlanthropist on Vimeo.

Well, friends, it’s over. I set a goal of 15 pounds and lost 10…and frankly, I’m pretty happy about that. I had a few doubters going into this, and rightfully so. It didn’t seem logical to some that I might actually be able to lose weight over the holidays, but miraculously, I did.

So, what does this mean? This means that I am in need of DONORS. $10 is all you have to commit, and you can pledge your donation by going HERE. That page details all the ways you can contribute. Once you pledge your support, I will contact you individually to solicit your donation. Once all of the donations have been collected, they will be sent to Free Arts of Arizona. However, time is of the essence. I need these donations in ONE WEEK, so that I can start building the next project, which will most likely last longer, and have a higher goal. So, again, please pledge your $10 donation HERE, and I’ll be in touch. Some of you have already done so, and one individual has made a sizable flat donation, and for that I am grateful to all of you…but we need more.  Wednesday, January 14th is the last day I’ll accept any pledges for Free Arts of Arizona, so please sign up today…

Weigh-In…Tuesday? – December 15, 2009 from The Fitlanthropist on Vimeo.

So, now the real work begins. Time to step up and find the donors. Who will match me? Who’ll take my challenge? Who will at least give a little? And who’s willing to send me a cool product for a giveaway?

Stick with me guys, this is going to get interesting!

Speaking of votes, because of the slow start, and because I wasn’t able to notify the organizations until today, I am going to extend the voting until Monday, November 9th. Voting will cease at 6 p.m. EST (or EDT…or whatever the East Coast is on. Hey, I didn’t grow up with daylight savings time, sorry!)

A big thanks to those of you that have taken interest so far…it’s very inspiring, and more importantly, MOTIVATIONAL!

The Andre Agassi Foundation for Education (Las Vegas, Nevada)

The Andre Agassi Foundation for Education is dedicated to transforming U.S. public education for underserved youth. The Foundation drives reform by engaging in practice, policy and partnerships that provide quality education and enrichment opportunities… We put these beliefs into practice at Agassi Prep by closing the gap between the low level of funding the state of Nevada provides and the appropriate level of funding that is required to deliver a quality education. By applying passion and discipline to our work we create an environment in which children can excel.

Free Arts of Arizona (Phoenix, Arizona)

Free Arts of Arizona is a nonprofit organization that brings the healing powers of the creative arts to abused, neglected and homeless children by partnering with over 100 group homes, treatment centers and shelters in Maricopa County… Many of the children we serve have been removed from their families due to abuse or neglect, and have been placed by the state into a group home. Still other children live with one parent in a domestic violence shelter or both parents in a homeless shelter. Some children live in residential treatment centers where they work to conquer painful issues of physical and sexual abuse, substance abuse, and violence. The creative arts give children a way to identify their emotions and express them through a positive medium. The creative arts give children the tools they need to improve self-esteem and social skills. The creative arts give children a voice.

Nuçi’s Space (Nuçi Phillips Memorial Foundation) (Athens, Georgia)

The mission of Nuçi’s Space is to prevent suicide by providing obstacle-free treatment for musicians suffering from depression and other such disorders, as well as to assist in the emotional, physical and professional well being of musicians. To accomplish this mission, Nuçi’s Space actively participates in treatment, educates to destigmatize mental illness and advocates for sufferers.

You will see off to the side a box where you can cast your vote. I urge you to vote soon (limited to one) and to please continue to spread the word. The voting will end next Friday, November 6th at exactly 12:01 p.m. I’ll immediately post the winner afterward.

These three organizations represent causes I care about, but also have geographical significance as well. I was born and raised in Arizona, my wife was raised in Nevada (near Las Vegas), and we currently live in Athens, GA. It was nice how the final three came out.

Okay…go! Vote! Now!

First Weigh-In Wednesday – October 28, 2009 from The Fitlanthropist on Vimeo.

Seems to me that runners are often doing something along similar lines…raising money per mile run or something like that. And though it’s been quite some time since I’ve headed out to pound the pavement, I’m hoping I can get back in the swing of things…perhaps I’ll do the Couch-to-5k program again, as it seemed to be quite useful, not to mention pretty fun!

Also, I’ve gotten some e-mails from a handful of people with some questions (this is a good thing) and I will be updating my FAQ page to get everyone current on how this is going to work. Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or e-mail me at john [at] fitlanthropist [dot] com!

There’s a lot to be done, and I conteplated not starting until I had everything in place, but in heeding my wife’s suggestion of, “You’ve got to start someplace,” I am going to proceed…and hopefully be able to incorporate some others’ help in making some decisions. Like which organization I’m raising funds for…

In the words of the not-so-immortal Jimmy Buffet: “Come Monday, it’ll be all right…”

I’m getting less shy and more candid about my life over the past couple of years. In that time, my wife and I quit our jobs and moved from Arizona to Georgia, I started a Ph.D., we had our son, I was challenged exponentially in my doctoral program (this will surely be strung out in other posts, so I’ll spare you here), I discovered relatively late in my education that I had a learning disability, I watched a loved one go through substance abuse issues, I discovered I had diabetes, and I summarily watched other areas of my health decline. Needless to say, it’s been a challenge.

So, I thought that I needed to get serious…and creative. I started a blog thinking that it would be a useful tool to help keep me accountable in my weightloss. And, in fact, the many readers of Fat Guy in a Little Coat did just that. They were warm and supportive. I, for the most part, was also relatively anonymous. I kept my ordeal to myself, a few others close to me, and to my new supporters. Then, I decided to go public and let all of my family and friends know. This time around, there’s no secrecy–I plan on being up front, honest and real. I had started running (I even ran a 5k and won an award in my age division) and in a matter of months, I lost 30 pounds. I was happy with my progress.

But then I stopped. And here I am with those 30 pounds back in tow.

So, I am here to start anew. This, as the title indicates, is my “new, new” beginning. I realize that I may be starting from scratch again, but I think that my health, my family, and my cause are all worth it. I hope you will explore this site and follow my endeavor. It’s not necessarily a new concept, but it is an experiment  I’m excited to be involved in. And yes, I also hope that you will become a matching donor for my dollar-per-pound goal, or make an in-kind donation once I have settled on the organization I wish to donate to.

Here’s to a new beginning.