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The Weight Challenge is Back On!

After gaining almost all of the 30+ pounds he lost during their first attempt, Nick Murdocco is back on the wagon in joining his host Gary Whittaker on the road to better health. It's been a hard trek for us, both physically and mentally, but one that is typical of many obese people trying to lose weight.

For my part, I had a very hard time losing 10 pounds while Nick was on the fast track towards on amazing 30 pounds of grade A cellulite loss. However, I also fell off the wagon and gained it all back. I decided that just trying to diet (barely), and using my elliptical machine (barely) was not enough. One thing that I did notice is that having the support of your family was key for me in my success. When I was trying to lose weight the first time, my wife was not, which led to really bad food choices at home. However, when my wife chose to get on a special diet which involves paying for meals, I essentially lost my first 5 pounds through "osmosis". Now, with no bad food in the house, and a new dedication on not ordering or picking up fast food, I decided to get back to Young Pow MMA gym.

Losing Weight Through "Young Pow" MMA

It's been awhile since either Nick Murdocco or myself have commented on our weight loss challenge. I had lost the same 10 pounds twice since we started our challenge, and I am afraid to ask Nick how bad these last couple of weeks have been for him. Nick had done such an amazing job, having lost over 30 pounds, but I am afraid for him on how much of that he gained back. For my part, I gained half back, for a total of 5 pounds.

My diet and exercise routine were strictly confined to my home, with no medical or professional assistance of any kind. For people that are as overweight as Nick and myself, I have to think that the place that has been the source of our weight gain should not be used as the center of our training for weight loss. It has just been so easy to fall back into our bad habits, as we can so easily fall back into the same traps that enveloped our fatness in the first place. Be it stress at work, hours on end (or on our ends) of sitting down working on our computers or watching tv, to think that we can overcome our obesity without working out was a surefire recipe for disaster.

Enter Young Pow, Ile-Perrot's newest gym, and the first full MMA gym to open up in the west island. I discovered Young Pow during an interview I had with pro-fighter Nelson Akawui Riquelme who was preparing for his fight at XMMA 6. Located right next to Ile-Perrot's huge fitness center called "Island Gym", and in the same building as a youth center serving 12-17 year olds, this new MMA gym is situated in a prime location which will only improve once the construction is finished that will allow access to Grand Boulevard directly from Highway 20.

Phase 2 is OVER!

If you have been following the contest, you may be thinking that somehow Nick shed his remaining 6 pounds in order to win the 2nd phase of the reach, but that is not the case. Instead, I am throwing in the towel for this leg of the race and have conceded the loss. My last several weeks have been a dietary disaster and I have taken a step back, so there is no way I could even have hoped to beat Nick. However, rather than just giving up, I am instead trying to capitalize on my new found drive to lose 20, and Nick has graciously allowed us to start Phase 3 early.

I lost 30 pounds in 8 Weeks, So I guess I should Share My Secrets

Nine weeks have passed since my co-host Gary and I had embarked on our Pound 4 Pound weight-loss Challenge and in that time span I was able to thus far bid adieu to 30 pounds. I apologize in advance to everyone for not writing as frequently as promised, but between covering the Montreal Impact, Montreal Junior as well as doing a bit of actual exercise myself, I have been neglectful of my writing responsibilities where this topic/ lifestyle change is concerned. I will promise to write more often in the future as I'm still in the quest for the best me and still have a "tad" further to go.

So how did I lose 30 pounds in 8 weeks?

Phase 1 Terminated!! How I Lost The 20 Pounds

So it has been over 2 weeks since I updated the events of Gary and my Pound 4 Pound challenge and I do admit I was feeling guilty about it, but I'm glad to say phase 1 is over and I did in fact take it by losing 20 pounds before Gary and it took me 4 weeks to do it. Gary only lost 10 pounds in that same span, but it ain't as easy as it looks folks ! I am also sure that now that phase 2 begins, Gary might even have the upper hand... How did I lose the 20 pounds? what is my strategy for round 2?

And We Have A Winner!

The Challenge:

Be the first host of the Franchise to lose 20 pounds

The Reward:

The satisfaction of a slimmer waistline, and watching the loser write out a check of 40$ to the Quebec Heart and Stroke Foundation

Week 2 in the Pound 4 Pound Challenge : ...And Reality Sets In

So after last week's triumph over Gary, having lost a whopping 12 pounds, I though I had the perfect combination of eating habits and exercise to make this a cake walk. I thought week 2 was going to be just as easy and almost as fruitful in results. I thought wrong ! 

1st Week In and I Lost 12 pounds!

While I knew I was going to lose quite a bit of weight ( 5-7 pounds) if I stuck to my game plan, I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I would end the week weighing 12 pounds lighter! More importantly, I beat Gary by a landslide as he lost 4 pounds and am closer to winning the "Pound 4 Pound" challenge that we are in together.

I Have Become a Scale Whore

In the midst of week 1 of my Pound 4 Pound weight loss challenge against my co-host Nick, one thing has become very apparent to me, I have become addicted to my scale. This is not the first time I have tried to lose 20 pounds, and each time I found I would be spending way too much time thinking about how much I weighed, rather than what I needed to do to shed those unwanted pounds. I said in my first post on the subject that I would only weigh myself on the Sunday morning for my official weigh in, but I have been doing it much more than that. It's only Thursday, and I think I have spent more time with the scale than I have with my family.

Did I Just Accept A Weight Loss Challenge??

I did. So be it. I have embarked in what I hope will be the last diet, of my life. At the same time, it will be one that is perpetual for the rest of that same life. I want to start off right now by no longer calling it a diet, but rather a lifestyle change. For the sake of not having to explain it to everyone outside this circle however, I will continue referring to it as a diet. As I embark on this challenge, I will use this medium to document my feelings, goals, and growing hatred I feel towards my portly, pleasantly rotund partner on the airwaves, Gary Whittaker who was the instigator of this challenge.