Scott Sheppard now Fits in his Britches (sort of)

It's a Friday, so let's talk about something besides Autodesk technology. Here is something that happened two Fridays ago.

In a previous blog post, Scott Sheppard is Too Big for his Britches, I talked about how my tuxedo pants did not fit so I wanted to lose weight. I had no interest in replacing my tuxedo as well as all of my other pants. My wife was participating in a fitness challenge, so I decided to eat those same foods and take advantage of the fitness room at Autodesk. At age 59, this was the first time that I had ever dieted in my life. The whole thing was a new experience. Previously I had been blessed in that my age and metabolism allowed me to eat anything I wanted and as much of it as I wanted. That was then. Alas, this is now.

I started the challenge at 201.3 pounds on April 26 and ended on June 1 at 182.8 pounds. I was preparing to go to an Alameda Boys & Girls Club board meeting on Friday, so I decided to try on my tuxedo pants before putting on my normal pants for the evening. I am happy to report that losing 18.5 pounds made my pants fit (sort of):

I say "sort of" because although I can put all three hooks in all three eyes, they're quite snug. At least, I don't have to buy a new tuxedo which was my aim.

Though the challenge has ended, I will continue to use the fitness room and make better food choices so that the weight does not come back. Thanks to my friends and work colleagues who have been very encouraging during the process.

Update: Today is June 15, and I weigh 182.0 pounds, so I have not put the weight back on even though the challenge ended 2 weeks ago. It's all about systems instead of challenges. I have changed my routine permanently.

Fitness is alive in the lab.