The one thing I promised myself when I got back into this, is that no matter what happened, I would be real about my experience. So, here’s me being real: I’m failing.

While sending the check off to Free Arts was a great feeling, hoping that our small, collective effort could help, the time lapse has yielded nothing good in terms of my weight. I feel my body changing, and it sickens me. Now, I’ve always been content with who I am, and have mostly been able to carry out my life with a decent dose of confidence, but I’m feeling the great effect of doing nothing.

I’d like to get started with the next fund raiser, and in fact, I’ve got a really unique, small foundation that I have some ties to that I think is very deserving. However, in order for me to pick up where I left off, I need to lose weight.

Yes, you read correctly. I gained weight back. I suck.

I have, however, started running again, though after a few weeks, I managed to find myself in a rut. I am not much of a morning person, so I’ve not been getting runs in. It’s getting way too hot out there…and I need to find away to get up early and get motivated again.

I’m not going to tell you how much I’ve gained back (it’s not much), but I need to get back to my magic number so we can start the dang fund raiser.

It’s time to stop failing.

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!!

And I mean donuts as in more than one donut per person. At the time, it seemed like a decent idea. We were both in the mood for a treat, so John went and found us one. I don’t think a treat once in a while is going to wreck our goals.

The problem isn’t that we ate a treat, it’s that we ate too much of it. That much sugar in the body at one time just isn’t a good thing. A blood sugar spike can cause you to feel weak and tired. Not to mention that I just felt angry at myself for giving in to my cravings. I worked out yesterday morning and then neutralized the benefits by overeating.

I guess the thing to take away from this experience is that right after making the mistake of eating too many donuts, we picked ourselves back up and got back on the wagon. We got up early this morning and worked out. We are back to trying to eat healthy foods.

Living a healthy lifestyle is not easy. We have setbacks all the time. But the main thing is to keep doing small things that move us toward our goals. It isn’t the one messup or the one workout that will make or break things. It’s the things we do every day that matter.

Photo by D Sharon Pruitt

Dance Dance Revolution. Does anyone play/do it anymore? It has a workout mode which I’ve used several times before, though I’m skeptical about most exercise video games. Typically, we had tracked our calories, but at that point, I was running 3+ miles every other day, and any time the statistics popped up afterward showing the amount of calories we burned and the ‘equivalent’ of how much we jogged, I balked outright. There was no way. So, now, instead of calories I am going to do it by time…because I’m fairly certain that a half-hour is a half-hour is a half-hour. And that’s what I did tonight: 30 minutes of dancing on DDR.

If any of you still use DDR as a fitness tool and it’s helped you, let me know. I’d love to hear.

I was instantly impressed with what I saw on the site. As someone who has, in former times, caved in to fad dieting or other gimmick-like health programs, I found Well, Then to be a realistic, refreshing alternative driven by individuals who all have a common goal: to be well. Now, while I’m specifically targeting my weight, Well, Then is so much more than that. Any visitor to the site will at some point read, “Wellbeing isn’t something we are. It’s something we do. Something anyone can do.” People can sign up for a free account (in the same vein as Facebook or Twitter) and post stories, videos and status updates about what they’re doing to be well, and this is something I’ve really enjoyed. I always hesitate to point out what I call “gimmicks” in terms of health and weightloss, because I never know if someone I know uses a certain product or takes cartain supplements…heaven knows I don’t want to offend anyone, but Well, Then seems to be full of pragmatic, sensible ideas that I’ve enjoyed reading and look forward to incorporating into my daily lifesytle.

I have been asked to be an activator for Well, Then, and I’m honored an excited to do so. While I’ve found several unique stories to help me better my health, there’s so much room for growth on the site, and surely someone out there is looking for your healthy stories. I would definitely encourage you to start an account and share your stories with others. Part of my hope with the Fitlanthropist was to inspire others, and I think that many of the folks on Well, Then will be very inspirational to others, as well. Also, under the terms of my agreement as an activator and for transparency sake, Well, Then and Harvard Pilgrim have ‘compensated’ me with a Flip MinoHD Camera valued at approximately $199 to help me make better use of my video weigh-ins and other video updates on the Fitlanthropist, as well as the videos I will also be uploading to Well, Then.

You can view my Well, Then profile HERE.

I hope you guys will take a look and sign-up. I realize that there are probably more social networking sites than necessary out there, but trust me, if you care about your health and want to find a new, innovative community full of people with similar outlooks on health and wellness, it will be worth your time.

(And, just so you know, Well, Then has accounts on Twitter and Facebook, as well!)

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!

Also, I don’t want folks to think that I chose this first period of Nov. 1 to Jan. 1 mistakenly. I realize that it’s pretty much the time when most Americans add to their waistline…all the reason this becomes more of a challenge. Though, I would like to point out that part of the time frame in which I lost 30 lbs last year covered the Holidays as well.

I can do it again.

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!