Two Month Recap

Here we are 2 months in and still going strong!

I am so pleased with myself; I have gone 60 days of logging my meals and exercise, I have been going to the gym now for over 3 weeks, I have had a personal trainer for 2 weeks and I have been blogging regularly over this time as well with over 20 blogs done in these 60 days!  WOW!

Now lets review:

1. Polar Bear Swim - January 1st is ideal time for this.  I am very proud of this and look forward to doing it again in 2017!
2. Start a regular published V-log about my weight-loss struggle - ( I believe that my story can inspire others and help me see myself and who i am and how my negative thinking affects me. by recognizing this I hope to change this.)        I have 3 or 4 videos now on my youtube page
3. Not cave in  when it comes to meal choices - (there are 4 adults in my house and I usually eat whatever the consensus is even when i know it is not healthy.)  I have been doing well on this but there is always room for improvement
4. Be more an active participant in my life - I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines  ( I feel like since we are at 2 months gone now and I have stayed on top of this that I can safely say completed)
5. Get regular exercise. ( I would like to join Pure Gym this year when i have some spare cash - Pure is essentially open 24/7)   I have made specific time when at work to go for a walk around the shop every hour and I have joined Pure Gym and Juicery in Penticton
6. Celebrate my victories - ( i am humble with my current victories as I am knowing/feeling there is a failure coming soon)   I have been trying hard to celebrate all my small victories and have recieved wonderful support from so many great people giving me encouragement. Thank you for all your messages and strength!
7. Be a better husband to my wife. ( I let my stress and depression come out in a negative way and let it creep out with sarcasm and passive aggressiveness)
8. Do more things that I would usually pass on from being insecure and afraid. 

So obviously I have kicked butt in crossing off some things from my list so I am starting a new revised list:

Revised Goals February 2016 (to include previous goals) - some are more of a long term type goal but they are all still attainable with some hard work and persistence.

1. Be more of an active participant in my own life
2. Be a better husband to my wife by being less sarcastic and more open to how I am feeling.
3. Do more things that I would usually pass on from being insecure and afraid.
4. Be less than 400 pounds
5. Be less than 300 pounds 
6. Be less than 200 pounds
7. Hit my step count of 10,000 a day 5 or more times in a week (have done this 2 weeks in a row!)
8. Average 60000 steps a week or more   ( I am averaging almost 11,000!)
9. Be a regular at my local gym (3 to 5 days a week on average)    I go 5 to 7 days a week sometimes twice a day too! 
10. Buy clothes at a "normal" store 
11. Not need a Sleep Apnea machine
12. Join a fun league sports team for spring / summer
13. Join a fun league sports team for fall / winter
14. Become a jogger (can't believe I just wrote that!)
15. Do a Disney Marathon with my lovely wife Tabitha
16. Take up MMA/kickboxing/boxing type of sport 
17. Inspire others by my story and have my story help them achieve dramatic weightloss in a healthy way
18. Have 1000+ followers of my blog and Vlog each
19. Do a photo diary of my weightloss transformation
20. Have a regular trainer that I see every Month ( at least once ) - ( I changed this one to "month" not week due to expense)

I feel like I have accomplished alot in my first 60 days and while my goals now are bigger and harder to reach due to it will take time but I feel confident knowing I have already crossed off 9 goals and on the verge of 2 more.

If you are struggling or wondering if you can go through your journey and have success, all I can say is if I can you DEFINITELY can! All it takes is to believe in yourself and truly desire the end results; I know I am not at my goal results but I know I will get there, the only person stopping me on this journey is me.

SW 447

LW 428

TW 431

+/-     +3

LTD  -16

this is a frustrating week for me.. I killed it at the gym all week and although I did have a couple indulgences my calories were under every day.. Oh well I will just do super awesome this week coming up and get back on track!

Friday's Rants, Rambles and Chaos of Thinking: Cravings

I don't know why but the other day I was craving some toast and peanut butter, with a little bit of raspberry jam. Okay, who am I kidding I wanted all the toast in all the land with heaps of crunchy peanut butter and globs of fruit filled jam; the kind of jam where there is still big chunks of fruit in it.

Needless to say I did not have any as it would have been a slippery slope. For me my cravings are usually "crunchy/crispy" related such as toast, chips, crispy chicken wings etc. Chocolate is nice don't get me wrong but I just prefer the crunch or the salt form whatever is I get the crunch from. 

Other than the other day, which now that i think of it was just before I got sick, I have not really had much of cravings. I have surprised myself a lot on that one actually. I  thought i would be craving more of the Margarita/daiquiri for Saturday's Mexican nights or toast and peanut butter for breakfasts. I did make a Strawberry Daiquiri last weekend, and I only had one. It went really well with my Sweet Potato Nachos!

It has been going well and I have been surprised that I have not struggled as much as I expected. It truly is easier to do when your fully into making the change within yourself and you recognize your areas of weakness. I recognize my areas and try to turn it into a strength for me. I work at recognizing the whats and whys and use that knowledge to understand and improve myself.  I know what it is I get cravings for and so I work at having healthy alternatives for it. I also try to do something incompatible with that craving, for example: I cant eat something crunchy or salting if I am drinking 500 ml of water first.



We all get cravings, what do you do to control them or control yourself?

Wednesday Windup: The power of Fitbit

Oh how I love my Fitbit.

I am just truly getting addicted to the challenges. I love checking to see where I am amongst the pack of fit people. and I like to think that I am right up there with a bunch of them. There are a few people who seem to average 15,000 to 20,000 steps a day whom are just out of reach for me (for now anyways!). 

I love getting my little awards

Unfortunately i forgot to take a pic when they popped up on my screen so I had to get these stock ones from the internet.

I also love to taunt and encourage my friends to help motivate them and myself to do better to get more step in to ultimately be healthier. I see my steps average now versus the way it was 2 or 3 weeks ago, so much change! I went from about 6,000 on average to around 10,400 average (would have been higher but there were 2 days that I was feeling out of it so I did not reach my daily goal). 

It is so important to have people around you that support and help motivate you to achieve your goals. I am very blessed to have so many in my FitBit friends list who are supporting me.

If you are wanting a supportive FitBit buddy add me!Send me a message with your email and I will add you!

Happy Stepping everyone!

My First Week .. Again.. Kind Of....

So this is my second go around at having a first full week. 

Before you get up in arms and be all "What the fridge!????!!!"; I am referring to my first full week with having a personal trainer. Her name is Kelsey and she is awesome. I admit technically I don't have her all week but rather I had her last week for a day and we sat down went thoroughly through my health history, my goals for myself, my wants from a trainer and what i am looking to get out of this process. Afterwards she got me in the gym and we went through each equipment and figured out a routine that i was comfortable with that hopefully wont aggravate any personal mechanics such as my knees or lower back which are not the best due to my size. 

Brief Health History for Scott Mac 101:

I do not have diabetes - family history on dad's side yes

I have a good strong heart - dad's side has history

Doc says I am in great health just need to lose weight

Wonky left knee 

Right shoulder I had rotator cuff injury

lower back pains - due to weight of course

Kelsey seemed pleased that my recent visit to Doc provided great information about my health

Next was my goals:

Goals 101

 From Me -Lose weight - 10 pounds a month

 From Me- lose weight first then long term build strength and cardio for sports activities

From Kelsey - guide me in right path, check in to keep me accountable, have follow up sessions

Simple enough for Kelsey and I to work on.

The next part was the equipment. Now i know that not much has changed in 30 years since I was in Jr high in the "Dungeon" but we were never truly taught the proper use and body form when using the equipment but I learned quick from Kelsey : 

Feet shoulder width apart

Toes facing straight out

Knees slightly bent (if standing)

Belly button towards my spine

Shoulders back and down

Breathe in before starting

Breathe out through the exercise as I attack the weight

She repeated this to me a hundred times so I think I got it.

Kelsey tested my comfort ability on different machines and with different ranges of weights; part of me wanted to be the typical guy show off stuff but I knew better; I knew if I showed off it would be a detriment to my getting healthy so I was patient and listened to my body and what felt comfortable since I haven't really done anything like his for so long.

Through this process a routine was set which is about 20 to 30 mins long; simple and covers a bit of everything. She told me to continue with my walking as well and if i feel too sore one day from the weights to skip it as long as I continue with my walking.

So this is my routine now, well that and trying to convince myself to be at the gym at 5 am to get my weights in so that in the evening Tabitha and i can go get the steps in together. Every day at a time, every step at time and we will reach that journey!

SW 447

LW 432

TW 428

+/-    -4

LTD -19

Friday's Rants, Rambles, Raves and Chaos of Thinking: Everyday is a fight

Happy Friday to you all!

This last week was a big fight for me. So many days I struggled, I could hear myself give excuses and not want to go to the gym; and when I was there I could hear myself wanting to quit after the 20 min mark. It is a constant battle of wills right now as I hear my inner asshole dialogue saying "Give up", "You're not worth it", "You're going to fail anyway why try", "Listen to you're body it hurts and is sore if you stop this you will feel better". 

Funny though as I have given up before and it sucks, it makes things worse and it puts me farther behind from my goal. I have fought everyday to push through this and the more I do the more I will push out that voice that says I will quit. I am literally convincing myself everyday that I am worth it and that I can succeed, that the pain my body feels is a good pain and that the pain will go away as I get healthier. Every day I am making this choice to fight for my life, I have been sitting on the bench for most of my life, watching the game and now its half time and I want to play.

When you have lived 85% of your life being overweight you come to have a lot of self doubt and apprehension of ability to succeed in weight loss. So many times as you gain weight you are teased, made fun of and what not growing up,; then as you transition into an adult you find that things you could do before have disappeared because you dove in to schooling or career or relationships and made other parts of your life a priority. Once you are an adult in the middle of your life you look back and realize where you truly are, you recognize that you have chose other avenues in life that lead you to not taking care of yourself,. You have chosen poorly in your health and all you truly know is bad habits; binge eating, emotional eating, giving up on trying to exercise and be healthy. You have no track record of success, and without that record you are broken.  This has been much of my life, I chose other people, work, food, everything I could over myself and my health. I did this to myself again, I had once temporarily fixed my outside without fully fixing the inside of me and it lead me back to this point.

I had lost the weight in 2004 and was down to 200 pounds, I was doing fantastic, living in the middle of nowhere and focusing on myself. Then I was back in the real world and immersed myself into my work and never learned the work life balance. 

I can truly say that this is my priority now; I won't let anything take away from this balance. I used to believe it was just a matter of having time for work and my wife but I realize it is more than that. I have to make time for me and focusing on me and doing it all within the day. Going to the gym with Tabitha has been great for many reasons, we can spend time doing an activity together yet focus on our individual health together. We are our biggest supporters of each other and I feel it is making us stronger as a couple. We share the wanting of having a long healthy life together and being more active in our lives. We have talked about one day golfing together and joining a fun league ball team; although I think she is more interested in me playing and her watching and socializing so it may just be me that joins but she will come out to enjoy the activity.

For now though I fight myself every step of the way. I hear the asshole voice in my head and I fight to ignore him, to push him aside and to keep carrying on. It is not easy but everyday the voice gets a little quieter. One day I will silence him once and for all.  Everyday that I go and work out, that I log my food and exercise I gain momentum in succeeding. I get strength from knowing I am doing it, that I am persevering where I used to fail. In the last few years I would last maybe 30 days and although right now I am only a couple weeks into my gym routine I am over 40 days of conscious food logging and healthy food choice making, I am over 40 days of deliberately getting exercise in some form or another be it walking around the shop at work or apartment walking.  I have truly made this the year of Scott Mac and I am proud of how I am continuing still 7 weeks later; the best and worst thing about that is the only person that can take that away from me is me. 

Everyone's journey in life can be a bit bumpy but we all have to fight our way forward in order to truly enjoy the journey, if we don't we are stuck in the middle or forced to turn back and go through the same hills, valleys and ruts that got us to the point we are in now, so fight every step of your journey because you are worth it!

Wednesday Windup : The McFly Theory

So this new lifestyle.. I am getting used to it.

I have been really into the Fitbit challenges lately, I even won my first one last weekend between me Tabitha and a friend of ours. I was quite happy about this!

I have really been pounding it hard at the gym and my fit bit shows it:

 The above was just a sample of some of the days I have had.. GREEN IS GOOD, all the time!

Funny thing has happened to me this last week; I have gotten support from all over and I wasn't quite expecting it either! I finally met Vanessa from Pure who had hooked me up with a FOB for 24/7 access to the gym and she ended up giving me a hug, and I always say I am a hug dispenser, so that was cool. Then 10 mins later as I am just 5 minutes into my tread mill activity an older gentleman (55 to 60 range I am guessing) came up to me while I was on the treadmill and smiled and gave me a fist bump then walked away. I have received twitter comments from FitBt Support 6 days in a row just saying way to go! I even git a head nod just for showing up one morning from someone that was already at the gym at 5am. It was weird / awkward /cool though. To me it reinforces the decision I made was right in going with Pure and going with focusing on my health this year.

Although I have had a couple weeks here and there where there was no weight loss (maybe a quarter pound gain at most) I am still on track for losing 10 pounds a month which is my minimum goal for myself each month. A total of -15 pounds so far with 2 weeks left in this month, I am very proud of that accomplishment so far. I am also hoping that as I get healthier and my endurance increases as well as my general activity increases that this number kicks up a gear or two so by the end of the year I surpass my 10 pounds a month an can be under 300lbs by January of next year, now that is a lofty yet doable goal to reach that I truly believe I can achieve!

I can never say enough about how important it is to believe in yourself, to celebrate your wins and to rewrite your immediate history, because when you re-write your history, the out come that you were headed for will change (I am going to call this the McFly Theorem).

Sure I may not be able to actually go back in time and change my future but, by staying dedicated to taking better care of myself I am lengthening my predicted longevity in life, thus turning back time and giving me a longer, healthier and happier future.  After all is that the point of this journey to finding me?

PURE-ly one step forward to Lesson # 5 The Door to Success.

Good morning all! I want to talk about my joining a gym experience this week.

There is no secret that I was nervous ( and still am ) about having joined a gym. It is not something I have been comfortable doing because it is just not my element to be in; but as this is the year of Scotty Mac I am pushing outside of my boundaries. I had been in conversation via Facebook with Vanessa at Pure Gym and Juicery for a while now and she has done really well to help me feel at ease with my apprehension to starting a new part of this journey.  Taking that first step through the door has been tough, I am constantly thinking that people are watching and judging me, though I know they are not. 

The day we went and joined (Tabitha came with me) Vanessa was away but she set up my visit with her business partner Carolyn whom was gracious enough to show us around and tell us about the Pure experience and made us feel accepted and comfortable. Carolyn talked to me about personal trainers they have on staff and after some thought and discussion with the wifey I thought it best to hire a trainer once a month to keep me on track and develop a routine for me to do. Upon further discussion with Carolyn I was told that they have a trainer organizer who will call me and ask me some questions on what I am look for from a trainer and where my goals are and then that will help determine which of their trainers will work best with me and my goals. I like this process. I think it is very important to be matched with the right person who has your best interests at heart and matches their style and strengths as well. I have joined temporarily to other gyms and I have felt more like a number or a dollar bill and not actually welcomed as an individual. Pure has rectified this belief that all gyms are about making money off the individual and not about representing the health and wellness that people are searching for.



Since I first started talking with Pure I have felt that they genuinely care for me as a client and are personable and helpful if I have any questions or concerns and are willing to help find answers if they don't have them readily available. I found when I joined the Penticton Racquet and Fitness Club before that I was just a money grab, that they were not concerned for thier client or the customer experience. Maybe that is just me and my chef/hospitality background, I just expect service of a certain standard despite wherever it is I am.  Simply put, going above and beyond for a customer at any location or business wins my loyalty.



I really like the thought of being paired up with the right trainer. I know that ultimately all trainers have the same goals in making you healthier in your training regiment but to have a trainer who has a niche for certain aspects of training that match what I am looking for is great. I can't imagine a trainer who has a niche of bulking and strength building be the ideal trainer for someone who is looking to lose body mass, nor do I expect a trainer who specializes in endurance / triathlon type of athlete would be the best for someone who is morbidly obese and just starting their journey in weightloss. So to be matched with someone who has my goals in mind and suits their training style is a huge advantage. Do I have visions of a Jillian Michaels or Dolvett Quince kicking my ass, yes, but I also know that whomever I am paired up with will be well aware this is not some TV show or game, they will be focusing on me and my goals and not be wary of any yellow or red lines.

As I confront this discomfort in starting a new routine at a gym I am gaining strength within myself. So long I have been afraid to try for fear of failure. So many times I just said to myself why bother, I will just fail so what is the point. I have doubted my ability to succeed but now there is something within me that has changed, I truly feel it. The switch was flipped, the brain has reset or better yet rebooted and is going through all the malware and viruses that are in the hard drive and is defraying the system and cleaning out the junk.  The only thing holding me back is myself. writing the blog the other week about my 2016 goals update helped me realize even more how well I have done and the successes I have had thus far. Don't get me wrong I still have days where I have doubts and want to just blow off the day but I am growing to ignore these days more and more. I am proud of how far I have come so far; I am proud of my accomplishments to get to this point. For me to say that in less that 60 days into the new year I have lost almost 15 pounds, that I have joined a gym, that I have done a polar bear swim, that I have cut our carbs by 80% from my meals, that I am doing this under my own initiative and still going strong, that I have been logging in to my fitness pal for over 30 days in a row and have made so many more subtle changes in my life that have supported my goals. Hell I am still blogging 2 to 3 times a week and have been completely open about my struggles. I take pride in receiving messages from readers saying that I am inspiring them. I love hearing the "way to go" or "I wish I had your fire/determination/organization of self". I love the fact that my fit bit challenges keep me accountable and I feel pushed to better my self and fight for a chance to win one of the challenges.

I am excited to go on this journey with Pure and see where this journey takes me. I am allowing myself to dream a bit bigger and feel like these dreams could be a reality. To think I might just be at my goal weight by the time our cruise comes around; that I may be able to do things on this cruise that I am currently too heavy for such as: Waterslides, Sky-Ride, Zip Lining, Jet Boat

Runners, fly without a seatbelt extender. Before January 1st 2016 it was all just a dream for me, but now I feel that as I continue on this path it might just be a reality one day.

Lesson # 5

At the end of the day when you make this journey to lose weight you have to be comfortable and build trust with the routine, with the place you go and trust with the people you choose to work on your health with. I am sure there are many people much like me who are nervous at the though of starting at a new gym but when you feel comfortable and build up that trust at the beginning it is easier to continue on knowing that you have a great support system around you. So when it comes to decide where you are wanting to go to for a workout be sure that it is right for you and that you are comfortable with it. being nervous is okay but just be comfortable knowing that where ever it is that they have your goals in mind and will be best in supporting you reach those goals.

 My drive and motivation comes from within, it pushes me to be successful.  I sometimes feel surprised of where I have come from already and where I am at now. I am addicted to pushing my own boundaries and stopping of  being afraid of certain things I would not do before. I love challenging myself like this and doing what I have done so far now that I wouldn't have done before, what a great feeling!  Knowing and beginning to believe that the only thing stopping me from living my life the way I want is me, why would I give up on myself if I am the only one holding me back?

Push to find your passion, strive to better yourself, and keep on this journey; it may get bumpy and you may go off road but what a ride!

SW: 447

LW: 435

TW: 432

+/-     -3

LTD: 15

Friday's Rants, Rambles, Raves and Chaos of Thinking: Valentine's Day & The Red Shirt of Doom

Over the past 10 years I have seen my weight slowly increase from when I had previously lost 160 pounds, and like many other people who struggle with their weight I gained it all back and then some. As my weight crept up I would slowly see and feel my clothes get tighter and eventually they would be banished to the back of a drawer or closet never to be worn again. They would stay there for a few years before they would be put into a bag to go to charity despite me holding on to hope that they would have fit again one day. I my wife would continue to buy new clothes for me as I had lived in a constant state of denial about needing clothes. I would always say "Look, they fit!" as I would pull on the tight fitting shirt or pants and then I would get a grunt from Tabitha saying "Just because you can put it on does not mean it fits!" She was right. 

I still have the first dress shirt I got when we went on our first Valentine's Date in 2008, a full 10 months after being together. It is a nice burgundy coloured shirt and it is still one of my favorites, however it has succumbed to the relic section of our closet, the old age home of shirts where they live out their last days longing for day of old. Every once in a while I put it on just to see.. see if I am close to wearing it again and the answer is always the same: no.

I have seen a few blogs and posts of people whom have kept an old shirt or pants and did a comparison for reference of their progress. They do it for them to feel good about themselves especially when it is hard to see the complete progress they are achieving, and I want this. Although this shirt is not from my goal weight or when i was near my goal back in 2004/2005  to me it will be a true recognition of the progress I will have made. I still have a ways to go to get into this shirt and I don't expect to fit in it anytime soon but I do expect to fit in it again. I have a date in mind when I would like to fit in it and that gives me about 9 months until our anniversary. I would love to surprise my wife by wearing it, she has seen me try to put it on and took the following picture and I am sure will read this and know but I won't let her know when it does fit. It will be a small yet huge victory for me and a great goal to have. 

I have many goals I am hoping to achieve in the next 2 years, airplane seat belt extender free, breaking the 4's, 3's and 2's (I can't imagine wait to be in one-derland), to be able to buy regular clothes off the rack at any store and have it fit properly, to get rid of this damned sleep apnea machine, to be more active throughout all the seasons of the year by being involved in many sports and hobbies, to be able to go on our cruise in 2017 and be able to go zip lining or on a weight restriction excursion without the worry of being too overweight, and so much more.   

As I have said many times I am just focusing on the small things in my everyday life, be it new daily habits, change of attitude in certain things or just finding the next attainable goal. Right now it is being less than 400 pounds, I am 35 pounds away so this is very attainable in the very near future, Easter is my plan, this is only about 7 weeks so plenty of time! That makes it 5 pounds per week for weight loss so it is a bit aggressive however it is attainable. 

How do you think I should celebrate this big milestone coming up?

Finding Inspiration

Today I thought I would discuss with all of you Blogs/Vlogs that inspire me.

Every journey starts somewhere and before I started on this one I did some online research as to what other people are and have accomplished. I was trying to gain some insight and motivation as to where to begin and what to do so I searched Blogs and Vlogs trying to find some inspiration, trying to find a connection with where that person is or was and where I am now, the following are my favorites of what I have found.

In no particular order here are my favorites and why:
 (click images for links)

1 -  Lauren is fun, honest and real. She shows her emotions and doesn't hide her struggle. She has lost 147 pounds and just works hard to motivate others. You will laugh and cry and just feel inspired when you watch her videos. 

2 -  Name says it all. Again very realistic in talking about the challenges of an obese man who decides to take up running. He talks a lot about what others won't and finds the humor in most everything.

3.   Decent Vlog nice to see before and afters and helpful hints/

4 -  On Instagram there is The_Walking_Joey which is a phenomenal feed. Joey was 661 pounds and has lost 156lbs in less than a year so far! (started 6/13/15). Great story and good at progress reports.

5 -  another good blog for tips and for motivation

Anyways here was a few of my faves that I regularly check out. Please take the time to check out their pages and accounts and give them some positive encouragement.! 

While searching within for your inspiration go online and find inspiration through others, knowing you are not alone in this struggle.