Author: Byron

 

Ok Ok Ok…. Christmas has come & gone. The New Year is here and in next couple of days the conversation will be what is your New Year’s Resolution or goals for 2015? Some will say save money, spend more quality time with family, read a few books, put down the smart phone at dinner & actually have a real conversation or just simply try to complain less in the New Year. Most people will say something along the lines of lose weight, get in shape, and eat healthier. The problem with this age old goal is most people have it as a New Year’s Resolution but don’t ever quite get there.

As the New Year approaches, I want to continue encouraging anyone out their who have had weight loss as a goal but have struggled with it over the years. Also, having lost over 50lbs in the past year, I realized the hardest part was getting started. Once, I got started, it was a little bit easier week to week to keep pushing on. With that said, I still have long way to go but I want to continue to stay On The Grind in 2015 and what better way is to host a weight loss challenge to make sure I get my butt in gear.

So I came across this site DietBet where I could host a weight loss challenge. This is a website that allows people to simply bet on themselves that they will be able to lose a percentage of their weight in an allotted amount of time and all those who reach their goals within that time will have a chance at splitting the pot with other participants that reached their goal. In kicking off the new “On The Grind” blog and Facebook Fan page, I have decided to host a four-week challenge using DietBet. You can join us by going on the site and searching for “2015 OnTheGrind Weight Loss Challenge” or clicking on this link.

 

The DietBet Challenge

DietBet offers a 4 week challenge, sort of like a “Kickstarter” in which everyone who participates, the goal of this particular game is to lose 4% of their body weight in four weeks . Example: If you weigh 160 pounds you would be expected to lose 6.4 pounds during the four weeks and your goal weight would be 153.6 pounds. A group is formed with people of similar interests. The people within the group are required to submit their current weights (with picture verification) to DietBet. The cost of any particular each game range from $25, $35, $50 and up to $100

During the 4 weeks, members of the challenge will have access to a private page on the site where they can weigh-in regularly and communicate to others within the group. Participants will be able describe some of the struggles they may be going through or even give tips of motivation for others to keep up the weight loss. After the end of the four weeks, there will be a final weigh-in through DietBet. Everyone that makes their goal weight will split the pot amongst all the other winners.

 

How do you join us?

1.     Click on link “2015 OnTheGrind Weight Loss Challenge”
2.     Join the OnTheGrind weight loss challenge
3.     Get signed up with game for $25 bucks by Monday, January 5, 2015.
4.     48 hours before the Challenge DietBet will ask you to submit a picture of yourself in “airport security attire” on a scale with a key word  that will be provided by DietBet.

Note: This is all managed through the DietBet website, not by me. I don’t have access to anyone pictures or actual weight.

 

I am excited to start this challenge with all of you and encourage you to tell your friends and family members to join if they need a little motivation to lose weight. This is a group or challenge open to all who are interested in joining. If you are ready to kick your 2015 Weight Loss in gear and are willing to bet on your own success PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS! Go ahead and get signed up today!

And I created a quick cheat sheet to give you a rough idea of what is 4% of your body weight…

Let’s get On The Grind in 2015…

 

“I have a wedding come up in the spring and I want to get in shape for that” or “I want to be able to show some abs by next summer.” Or, here is one we always here, “My New Year’s Resolution is to look good by the summer”. Goals can’t be vague and nonchalant; n order for them to hold truth, they need to be specific & precise.

I know that saying I just want to “be healthy” sounds like the right thing to say but that is giving yourself way to much leeway and will lower your motivation when you really need to push yourself. Goals need to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time Sensitive). 

SPECIFIC  Setting out to just to “eat healthier”; you are really selling yourself short. Vague goals give people too much room for failure. So be precise and say, for example, that you want to lose 20lbs, reduced your body fat to around 12% and run a 10K within 10 months.

MEASURABLE You should be able to track your progress, both in the short-term goals and long-term goals. Short-term goals would be like is two lose 1lbs by next Sunday. Or, I will try to hit 500 calories burned the next time on the treadmill. By setting the smaller weekly goals, this will keep you on track for your long term goals.

ATTAINABLE If you are saying that you are going to start working out 6 days a week at your local gym and you barely have enough time to take the kids to practice, help with homework, & even cook dinner every night, then you might start with, I will go on a walk after dinner for 20 minutes each day. It really needs to be something that is maintainable.

REALISTIC Even with the most straight forward plan and the strongest will power, your body can only handle so much. Be realistic on what you will be able to accomplish. If you have 40 or 50lbs to lose, I’m not sure if you really want your goal to be doing a full 26 mile marathon in 6 months after your initial start.

TIME SENSITIVE Create deadlines and make sure your goals have a sense of urgency. Give yourself six months to a a year to drop 40 to 50 pounds. It didn’t take you a few months to put it on so it won’t be just few months to take it off.

Bottom line is, set some realistic goal that you can hit and continue to grow from. There will be weeks where the weight seems to be coming off with no problem. As you progress, there will be some weeks where it seems as if you have hit a brick wall but as long as you keep pushing, you will eventually get there.

Stay On The Grind….

That’s right, go ahead and get started. Go for a walk or a run. Cook up a healthy recipe. Clean off the clothes off the treadmill in your bedroom. Look up a workout plan that fits your schedule. Whatever it is, go ahead and get started.

So what if you can only walk a few minutes before you are completely out of breath. So what if you haven’t used that gym membership in two years. So what if you have never really cooked a healthy meal. It doesn’t matter you can start today! Matter fact, start right now.

So many people say “After Thanksgiving, I’m going to start back working out. Or I’m gonna get back in shape after the New Year. So many people talk about it what they are going to do. They tell their friends, families, and co-workers. Then they go on Facebook & update their profile and Twitter to make these big disclaimers that they are going to start this new life journey on this particular date. My question to you is “Why Wait?” What’s holding you back? Did someone tell you that you had to wait? I’m giving you permission to go ahead and start.

You could get started right now so by the time the spring gets here, you can already be into a pretty good routine. You could be seeing the fruits of your labor right now. You don’t need to tell anyone. You don’t need to post it on Facebook. You don’t need to Tweet it. Just get started. I have come to a realize that a lot of people actually say that they want to lose weight or get healthy but truth be told, they just like to hear how it rolls off their lips. Losing weight and living a healthier life requires work.

Work is defined as an activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.

It did not mention that work is you “talking” about what you want to do or “wish” you could do. It is simply doing it. I realize that is hard. You may not have work out equipment at home. You may not have that gym membership but that doesn’t mean you can’t start. Start at whatever level you are currently at. Don’t worry about that person who can run faster, lift heavier, or workout longer. Start at your level.

You don’t have to have all the carbs, proteins, and fats all figured out and that it’s 3,500 calories in a pound. That’s all good stuff to know but all you need to do is start. I’m going to get off my soapbox on with this rant & rave and just say “Get Started”.

Hi and welcome! I’m Byron.

 

 

I’m a husband, dad, and now a blogger (Never thought I would say that). This is my family Barbara, Brianna, & Bryce!

 

Between work as a program analyst, wife’s crazy work schedule, kid’s sports almost everyday after school, then throw in a long commute each day, I stay pretty busy. I have an absolute love for food. Raised in “The Magnolia State” (Mississippi), I love Cajun cuisine and pretty much anything smothered or fried. You know what they say “You can take the boy out of the South but you can’t take the South out of the boy.” Or however it goes…

From throwing a shot put and discus on my high school track team to running miles on top of miles in the Marine Corps, trying to keep fit has been part of my life the past couple of years. I definitely enjoy getting up bright and early to get a nice 40 min workout in before heading off to work. Living in Southern California, there is no reason for not getting any physical activity in because it is pretty much nice weather year round.

Now, this wasn’t always the case. I was the fat kid growing up and was called everything from fat, overweight, hefty, chunky, and swole (like a permanent bee sting). I remember my mom having to get my clothes from the “husky” section at JCPenney growing up. They must have known I was going to be a big kid because as a toddler someone in my family came up with the nickname Hogbear. What in the world is a hogbear? As I got older, my uncles tried to make it sound cooler like “How is the biggest bear doing today? Or Say Hog, can you help me out this weekend? Oh well, I lived through it and I guess those are the things that have made me the man I am today. And I can still laugh about it.

The reason for starting this blog is to encourage busy moms and dads to keep pushing towards their fitness goals. Whether it is that person who is just starting out or just someone struggling with eating the last piece of cheesecake, I want to inspire each and every person to keep going. With so much negativity in the world, it is pretty easy to give up or give in when things aren’t working out the way you planned. I figured, why not try and inspire others whether it is a story, a joke, a picture or just a simple quote. Sometimes all you need is that little extra uumpf to help get you through the day.

 

Stay On The Grind…