Hey everyone! Come on out tomorrow to the inaugural 2WalksforYou walk at the Riverwest walk. I will be there walking and it starts at 11:00AM! See you there!!

http://www.kjrh.com/dpp/news/local_news/channel-2-and-george-flickinger-are-getting-healthy-in-2-walks-for-you-in-tulsa

Been a month since....

Wow, last entry is Feb. 25th. Sorry, I have been totally busy! I do bring you good news! As of last Friday, I have lost 39 pounds! I now weigh 416 pounds down from 455 on January 4th! Still walking and riding my awesome bicycle! You probably will see more timely updates on Facebook-look me up!

Small victories...

Let me first say that I am sorry for the lack of updates. Life is busy but I still need to keep all my followers up to date (thanks, Mom!). I have had some ups and downs, the most disappointing was last week when I weighed in I had gained 1.5 pounds! It was after two record-breaking snowfalls here in Oklahoma that pretty much stopped everything for those two weeks, including my exercise routine (if you want to call it a routine). My diet has also gone downhill as I have eaten several fast food meals but I stuck to my guns on the no french fries thing and the no soda thing. So, I believe it’s time for a little re-focus….

I have been riding my new bicycle that my awesome friend George Flickinger gave me as well. I rode to church one time-about died in the process! I just ride it once every few days around the block-about a mile. So, I have still been exercising….just need to take it to the next level…haven’t been feeling enough burn!

So, I stepped onto the fat man scale this morning fully expecting bad news. To my delight, it said that I had lost 3 pounds! I had to step off then on again to make sure. That brings my total loss to 33.5 pounds since starting my journey on January 4th! Woohoo me!

I have to share something else, though….last Sunday while driving I experienced a pain that I had never felt before. I almost had to pull over and stop! It was a severe abdominal pain that started right below my breastbone and radiated around to my back. At first I thought it was gas or stomach cramps but I have experienced those pains before and this was different. The pain subsided after about ten minutes and I went about my business….
I have experienced this weird pain a few more times during the week until last night. Then I felt the pain start again. This time it was worse. I couldn’t get comfortable. The pain was pretty severe so I decided to lie down in bed. No relief and I pondered going to the ER to get checked out. I thought to myself, is this a heart attack? I thought it may have been heartburn-haven’t ever had much problems with that so I guessed that was it. As I lay in bed I silently prayed and asked the Lord to help me with the pain and it went away-lasted about 30 minutes this time. Hmm…..

Blown Away...

Blown away is my term of the week. I am so very blessed to have friends that are rooting for me and concerned for my health. I want to share a story about one of my good friends and his great big heart.

As my journey to lose weight…err…change my life began earlier, I was visiting with good friend George Flickinger about the weather. George is one of the meteorologists at KJRH-channel 2 in Tulsa. It was earlier this month that I spoke of getting out and walking and changing my diet in order to lose weight. George was genuinely interested in this and wanted to help. I said sure, I could use a friend, trainer and accountability partner. To my delight, he told me that he could and would do that. Now, granted, George is not a formal trainer, but he is fit and very healthy and loves bicycling. George said that he wanted to walk with me during my lunchtime at work. There is a walking track less that a mile from my workplace that I have had my eye on for some time. We discussed back and forth ways for me to get in shape. Walking is excellent and that’s where we started.

My first walk at the track was solo. I was too embarrassed to have anybody walk with me but I made it around the track-barely. It is almost 1.5 miles around the track and you have to realize that I have been almost completely sedentary for many years. A couple of days later George met me at the track. We walked while he talked and I panted. I jokingly raised the idea of bicycling after reading about a man’s journey on a bike. His starting weight was in the fives! George said I have a bike for you, Jeff. I was shocked. I asked him if he thought it was heavy-duty enough for me and he said that he would take it to the bike shop to let them have a look at it. I was like, you would do that for me?? He said that he would love to.

Now for the blown away part……
During another conversation, I asked where the bike came from. I noticed that George was a tad hesitant on answering me. He slowly told me the story of how he got the bike. I could sense the emotion as he told me how he had acquired the bike. Read about George’s bicycle story below...

CANNONDALE STORY

Tears dried up yet? I’ll admit, when I heard of the history associated with the Cannondale and George’s willingness to trust me with this prized possession, I cried too.




I am still in awe at the generosity of this fella named George. I am in awe as well at the countless emails, text messages, Facebook messages, etc. that I have received. You guys rock! I know that I am doing this for myself, but I am motivated by the benefits of a longer life, feeling great, and all of you, my friends. Enjoy these pictures of George, me, and my new bike!!






Oh yeah, almost forgot....I am down to 429 from 455!! Another weigh in tomorrow!

Update....finally!

Don't have much time, but wanted to share a few things....
I have lost 23.5 pounds since Jan. 4th. Down from 455 to 431.5! Pants are getting too big, time to shop for some smaller jeans! Hooray! I've been doing my best to put in 1-2 miles per day walking and have kept my caloric intake in order. 900-1400 calories per day. I'll update more later with some big news!!!

Ups and downs...

Well, I weighed in yesterday(Friday). I had lost another 3 pounds! That makes the total 18.5 pounds since Jan. 4th. I feel kinda blah about it though. While I still have the passion and drive to keep going, I feel a tad let down that it was only 3. I know that there will be ups and downs, and I figure I didn't lose more 'cuz I didn't walk for a week. I made up for it Thursday-at lunch, George Flickinger and I walked the track that is near my work. We clocked 1.25 miles! That was more than I had walked at one time in many years! My foot hurt the rest of the day though. Then, after supper, Stenton, Chrissy, Michelle and I went to the rec center and walked another mile! Total distance Thursday=2.25 miles!! That might not seem like much for you, but it is a HUGE milestone for me!!
Friday I didn't walk in order to rest my foot. Go and google sesamoiditis and you'll understand about my foot. I will walk today. In fact, I might do another 2 miles. I cannot let my foot be an excuse for me not walking! I am also waiting anxiously on my bike that my good friend George is getting outfitted for me. Can't wait!!!

Feel the Burn!

Well, Tuesday I had my weigh-in. Down to 440! That's 15-1/2 pounds in a week! Walked 2.25 miles total yesterday! Didn't think it was in me:-) My foot was killing me last night but this morning it feels a lot better. Looking forward to getting my bicycle soon! I have so many friends rooting for me and helping me-love you guys and thank YOU for caring about me! I weigh in today so stay tuned....