Starting Line.

Advocare 24 Day Challenge

An Introduction

The purpose of this blog is to share with you my experiences taking the Advocare 24 day challenge. My name is Pete Byrne and I am a 37 year old teacher in north suburban Chicago. I am married and have a two year old daughter and a baby boy on the way (due April 26^th). My main goal for taking the challenge is to lose weight and improve my overall health. I am happy the challenge will be completed before the baby boy comes, then he will see me in a not-so-sloppy state.

The last time I worked out was two days ago and afterwards I weighed myself. The result: Three hundred and fifteen pounds. I’m embarrassed to even admit that aloud, in written form, via sign language, or in any manner. It really disgusts me. How could I get this out of control? I’ve always been a bigger guy, as I played collegiate football as an offensive lineman. We are the hogs. We are big, we’re nasty, and we eat what we want, when we want, and by any mean necessary.

“Mark Schlereth, Jeff Bostic, Raleigh McKenzie, and Jim Lachey. <3. This was the second incarnate of the Hog Line of the Redskins, but the one I was more familiar with.”

That’s when I was in my early twenties though. My playing weight in college fluctuated. As a greenhorn freshman, I was a svelte 260 pounds. During high school I lifted weights, but not seriously. When I got to college I learned how to truly lift weights the proper way, in order to gain strength for my playing career.
I also learned how to drink beer. A lot.

“This bad boy would run me less than $10 when I was in college, and would account for a whole night of fun!”

By my sophomore year I had ballooned up to 290 pounds. When I stepped on the scale I was shocked by the number staring me in the face. I immediately thought, “I’m a Big Mac away from three bills”. Okay, that’s not entirely accurate. The main culprits for me in college were two-for-two Whoppers and Joe’s Hot Dogs. My order was always the same: Two chili-cheese dogs, small fry, large onion ring, and a grape Nehi. It took a lot of trial and error to get that order right. Since then I’ve actually returned to Joe’s and placed that order again. The smell in my car the next day reminded me of the only negative aspect to eating at Joe’s.

“I’m still convinced that those grease spots on the asphalt aren’t from cars, but from years of onion ring and French fry induced indulgence.”

This is my main problem. I love to eat. I live to eat. I eat and eat and eat. Food is so good. I love going out to eat at fancy restaurants and eating multiple small courses consisting of exotic foods. I also love going to the local greasy spoon for an Italian sausage and beef combo with a side order of cheese fries. I also love soda pop. I think it’s an addiction, as does my wife. Despite only drinking caffeine-free diet soda, I still crave it all day long.

I also love to cook. I’ve even been told by some people that my cooking is fairly decent. Trying new foods, new recipes, and new techniques in the kitchen is exciting for me. I’m not scared to try anything in the kitchen. Baking is a whole different animal. I don’t really get all crazy and drooling over sweets. I am more of a meat, cheese, potato, and pasta guy. Give me sustenance, and give it to me NOW in mass quantities.

Now in the past I had always been able to lose weight by making better choices at meal times, skipping fast food, and by working out. In my mid-to-late twenties I entered into a running phase. I finished a half marathon in a decent enough time (just under 2 hours) for a 270lb guy. By eating correctly and working out, I could always make the weight just melt off.

However, now I’m older. Thirty seven years old to be exact, and my attempts at running and working out just don’t “take” the way they used to. I wouldn’t call myself “lazy”, at least not overly lazy. It’s just I have a little girl now, and a little boy on the way! They are the main reason for this new found desire to get in shape and stay in shape. I realize a lifestyle change is necessary.

“Carly Rose, or C-Rose. The apple of my eye, and the number one reason I don’t want to be fat anymore.”

I also realize Rome wasn’t built in a day. However, since I’ve began to work out again, I am noticing its taking me a lot longer to get my endurance level up, and my weight to come down. I wouldn’t even say its taking me longer. It’s taking FOREVER. After a month of working out and eating right, I’ve only lost seven pounds. I realize this is the correct way to lose weight: a little at a time. I’ve read that experts say you shouldn’t lose more than a pound or two per week, but I’m WAY overweight. My clothes don’t fit very well anymore. It’s frustrating to think it’s going to take me another FOUR years to get down to an acceptable weight range! I just can’t wait that long. In the past, when I don’t see results fairly quickly, I tend to give up and not work at it as hard. Slowly I gain back the ten or so pounds I was able to take off, plus an extra pound or two for good measure.

“This is my self image. All my weight collects in my gut and midsection. My legs are those of a finely tuned athlete. It’s depressing.”

Over the years, those “good measure” pounds are what lead me to today. I just can’t carry this weight anymore. I’ve developed sleep apnea and I just generally don’t have the energy anymore that I once had. I wear a C-PAP (or as my wife likes to call it: a “mask” to bed. I fall asleep on the couch every night entirely too early. When I horse around with C-Rose, I get tired more quickly. An exorbitant amount of stairs can get me winded if I forget to breathe. It’s sad, really. My cholesterol is dangerously high. My blood pressure is under control, but only via prescribed medication. Ten years ago I was training for a half marathon and knocking out six mile runs, three times a week. Now, I can run a mile….. sometimes, when my shins don’t feel like they are going to snap through my skin, or when my calves don’t feel like swollen fireballs. It’s just time to make a serious change.

This brings me to today. I heard about Advocare and the 24 day challenge from my wonderful sister-in-law, who also shared it with her husband. When I heard about the success they had, I realized I wanted to try it out. In this blog, I intend on sharing my experience and giving a day to day account of what I am eating and how I am exercising. I will also share sporadic weigh-in results. I don’t like to weigh myself too often. If I don’t see progress from day to day, it can get discouraging for me. Usually, I will weigh myself once per week.

*caveat: I’m not trying to sell anything here. I’ve never purchase an Advocare product prior to a few days ago, and I am not invested in Advocare in any other way except my $186.00 investment for the 24 day challenge.