1000 Hikes in 1000 Days: 52 Pounds - 52 Weeks (1995

New Years Eve - 1995 (~175 Pounds)

52 Pounds in 52 Weeks

New Year's 2016 Weight: 240.9

Week 16 Weight: 249.2

Total Weight Loss: +8.3 Pounds

Friday April 22, 2016: 249.2 lbs

It has been more than a week since I have done any regular movements. I did have one hike last weekend, limped my way around Arroyo Verde, but other than that, I'm back on the See Food Diet! Perhaps there is a reason why I have gained back some of this weight - it's like, eww...

I still plan to lose 52 Pounds in 52 Weeks; which means that I now have 36 weeks to lose 60 pounds. So much for making this an easy 1 pound a week task. Oy - and with this food storage and rest that I am going through, I wouldn't be surprised if I bounced a little higher before pulling back. It will for sure be a challenge, but to help motivate me, lets take a look back on- ME :)

1999

Before the digital age, we took pictures and actually printed them. Over the years and displacements, most of my old pictures have vanished. Fortunately I did find a twiggy pic from 1995 and then this one above, taken on my old boat, sailing down the Cuyahoga. Under that flabbiness and long hair, you can nearly see the outline of a six pack that I once sorta had. I benched 300 pounds then and squat nearly double that. But that was then. I then moved to California...

?2001? - staying skinny (dark hair)

2002 - Standing Proud with the guards by the Golden Gate Bridge

2003 - Oh No!!!

This is what I looked like a month before my son was born. However, only a year removed from being in decent shape and a couple years from my peak, at age 28, could I go from Fat to Fit?

...6 Weeks Later

About a week or so after my son was born, this is what I looked like. I basically sprinted every day. I could no longer run the sub minute quarter miles, but I did speed around that track in about one double 00. I ran my first 5 miler, 20 laps around the Ojai track in 90 degree heat. I ate like a rabbit and topped that off with an hour work out in the gym each day. I wasn't lifting very heavy, but the 6 week dedication gave me this:

Yay baby - that's right! At the time I was working full time, third shift for the newspaper. The money was not very good - I was renting a room in a dumpy house. Shortly thereafter, I picked up a second job and then a third job. I wasn't too far removed from being homeless but I was working my way back to stability...

Dude, my legs!

I'm fortunate to even have these pictures. I made a video, called "My Body" and I still have the old VCR tape. I'm surprised that the VCR and tape still work. I took the pictures off the TV and there you go.

2004 with my then girlfriend, soon to be wife

My baby's mamma whom I would marry in 2008. Together we made a home and life together. But, I think I started to become too comfortable, which is normal. In 2004, I was still in good shape.

2006, getting a little thick

I was probably right around 200 pounds. These are my left over muscles. I wasn't working out. The pick above was taken at Red Rock in Vegas. It was hot, way hot... I didn't do too much hiking back then. Also, I started my new job just a year prior, the job that I am still at. The job that keeps me stuck inside in a cube Monday - Friday. Let the layers of fat begin...

2008, a month before making marriage official

She for sure is getting more beautiful by the year - where as I am chubbing up. See it in my face and...

2009 ...see it in my gut

This was out on Lake Mead. It's a proud belly. We owned a condo, kids were growing up healthy. What more could you ask for?

2010 The 1000 Hikes Begin!

In January of 2010, I weighed 220ish pounds, which was my heaviest ever. In three months, I dropped down to about 199 and ran the LA Marathon. I was 35 years old and learning life that I could not drop weight like I used to. I had become quite lazy over the past few years. With basically no working out, I went bezerko in those three months to be able to run the 26.2 miles. Ah, never again, but I did it.

However, as the year progressed, I became very lazy with my health. I bought a house, great price, great views, this will be my million dollar retirement, but stuck in a rut, what do I do... Well, as the story goes, it was November 2010, I just turned 36 and I began my journey of hiking 1000 trails in 1000 days. The picture above is one of my first hikes. Looking at me there, I look pretty skinny, compared to now...

2011 - Green Sand Beach (Hawaii)

Hawaii, where I got stung by a bee!!!

**I was sucking it in. I held up okay, fought off the gravity pull of my gut, but this vacation only added to the weight. Fortunately, I was hiking every day, -- Every Day. This kept me nearby consistent so that I would not become obese. Hiking is great for keeping it even, plus the adventure is amazing...

2011 - New Zealand

Yay, I go everywhere man! I can see that I am starting to get old here, chubby but I can still fly. Maybe not as high as I used to, but I was holding an umbrella.

2012 - I can Jump over Shaq!

I suddenly found a surge of energy, drinking a Four Loco with my wife. I guess I can still jump and I was still climbing mountains. I'm years now removed from the gym, no sprints, no weights, and my body is slowly absorbing mush. Legs are still working pretty good so, all is well...

2013 - Mineral King - Franklin Lakes

Love this place. My favorite journey during my 1000 Hikes. Just a month before I climb...

Mt. Whitney with Adam!

This was my final hike. I walked up this mountain quite heavy. I may have been close to 220 pounds. Even though I was hiking every day, I was eating every day too. I gained only a few pounds from November of 2010 to August of 2013, but the distribution of the weight was the real problem. Other than my sturdy legs, I lost most of my muscle weight and gained some rolls of fat. But then, I retire from hiking and basically fall off the map until 2016, this year...

Enchanted Rock - Austin Texas

I'm around 240 pounds here. Surprised I can still get up like that, lol, stop it... I was in the midst of a rebound, compared to week 1 (below) of my 52 week goal to bring my weight back to the 1990's...