Week 7 of My Weight Loss Journey

Week 7 Update: Started Blog at 205lbs - Now Down to 197.2lbs

Well, I'm seven weeks in to this plan and so far so good. This morning I weight in at 197.2lbs. I do have to say that I can't trust this number to hold as there were extenuating circumstances this week. 

Once again, I was called out of town for work. However, I did hit my 10K steps on Monday and Tuesday and even managed 9K steps on Wednesday, the day I drove home. But Thursday was a different story. The hotel didn't have a gym so I brought my resistance bands and did 3 sets of exercises in the hotel room.

Turns out that I had conveniently forgotten - or didn't want to think about - a dentist appointment. Turns out that after two failed root canals, they just ended up having to pull on of my molars. Luckily, it is way in the back by my wisdom tooth so it's not noticable. However, it did mean that from Thursday morning until Friday lunchtime, I didn't eat anything. I had ZERO appetite! In fact, I was also told not to elevate my heart rate to aid the blot clot in forming so I didn't do any walking or weights.

I actually weighed in at 195.2 Friday morning as a result of not eating. I did make myself eat on Friday and I have more of an appetitie today. I'm limited to soft foods so I've stopped trying to watch my carbs and am instead enjoying jell-o, pudding and flavored yogurts for a few days until I can eat more solid foods again. I did push the envelope today and I had a deli-meat chicken sandwich with havarti cheese. All soft foods and I took little bites on my good side to be extra safe. 

I know what you're thinking. Since you've started this blog, you've only lost 8 pounds! It's true. BUT - I can see some muscle tone I didn't have before. I feel better. My clothes fit better. I have more confidence. But most of all, I don't really feel like I'm lacking anything. Sure. I'd love to eat more sweets, but here's the thing. I have had sweets and I'm still losing a pound per week. Over a year, that's 52 pounds and again, I don't feel like I'm dieting. It feels more like being more aware. I can have ice cream. I can have cake. Would I like more. Yep. Do I need more? Definitely not. Before, I'd have given in to the moment but now I'm making smarter choices. 

Week 6 of my Weight Loss Journey - Work Got in the Way

Week 6: It's hard to Make Progress When Work Keeps Getting in the Way

Well, honestly, it wasn't the worst week. I just didn't make any progress and I did take a tiny step backwards but I'm not too worried. Actually, I just double checked and I only went from 194.4 to 200 this week, which is pretty darn good considering I didn't work out until today. 

I didn't do anything Monday and on Tuesday, I had to go out of town for work for 3 days which was unexpected. I found out Tuesday around noon, and I was on the road at 5 p.m.  

The hotel mentioned a fitness center but I couldn't find it anywhere. I'm actually going back this week so I'll figure it out. I could have done in-room body weight exercises, but I was honestly pretty beat. Work, combined with 95 degree heat - and really hot heat if you know what I mean - was not conducive to exercise. In fact, the last few weeks, it has either been unbearably hot and humid or it's been pouring rain!

On the trip, I knew I'd end up eating fast food given my travel budget but I had a workound of sorts. Breakfast was served at the hotel and I just had eggs and sausage. For lunch on the two days I was away, I just had those little "lunch on the go" chicken salad and Tuna salad kits. They come with a cookie, fruit cup, tuna or chicken salad and crackers. They are somewhere around 300-400 calories. 

Dinner however, was another thing. Chipotle the night I got there. Burger King one night, and Dairy Queen the night I left to come back home. Where I also "treated" myself and got a cookie dough blizzard. Supposedly, it was over 1,000 calories for a medium according to the Google Health fitness app. I found that hard to believe, but I guess it is what it is. So that was my "Cheat Day" since the other days were more in-line with calories even though I was way over on carbs all the days. 

I got home late Thursday and Friday was another travel day for me and I let the day get away without any exercise. But today - Saturday - was much better. I did my ankle exercises, I worked out with my weights and kettlebell and I hiked around 3.75 miles. 

Since I have to travel again on Monday and be gone Tuesday & Wednesday, I will be better prepared. I plan on taking my resistance bands with the handles and if it turns out that there isn't a gym, I will have something more than just body weight exercises I can do. And I will do them. I am comitted. I think I'll even make a video of my "Hotel Room Workout". 

Progress Photos at the End of 6 Weeks

I did want to show my progress at the end of 6 weeks though. This is what I look like going from 212 to 199. I'm pretty excited actually. Hard to believe my gut is that much flatter. Sorry about the underwear shot. I took it for my own benefit. It was to shock me into action with how gross I felt and I gross I thought I looked. But it was then the only picture I had once I started losing weight. Again, that was at 212lbs and my heaviest was actually 213 although I don't think a pound would look any different. As I mentioned above, this after pic is me at 199lbs although today I did weigh in at 200 with going away for work. But the after pick was technically at the end of week 5, but again, I don't think a single pound is going to look to drastically different. I was just so excited to get below 200, that I took this picture on that day. 

 

Weeks 4 & 5 of my Weight Loss Journey. I've Lost 14lbs So Far

Week 4: July 5th - 11th

I finished my 4th week but not much had changed. Despite little change, I'm super happy about it. Why you ask? Well, this past week was my 11 year anniversary which also coincided with a week of vacation. Typically, people gain 10lbs when they go on vacation. I only gained 1.2!! 

Only gaining 1.2lbs includes eating and drinking on my anniversary. I didn't track anything. I just enjoyed the day. It also includes me missing my Thursday workout. Well...I could have worked out, but again, I focused on my anniversary which was amazing. 

Once vacation was over, I was ready to get back on track. Three workouts per week, watching my carbs and tracking my food same as before. 

Week 5: July 12th - 18th 

Keeping to my macros but honestly getting a little closer to my TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), I lost 1.8lbs this week. There was one small difference. After 4 weeks of using the same weights for the upper body part of my workout, just 10lbs, I increased the weight to 15lbs. I know it doesn't sound like to alot to most people, but with no rest between exercises, the arms fatigue very quickly. I tried to go up to 20lbs just to see, but my form was breaking down too much so I was smart and went with 15lbs. 

I only did one run this week and no track workout. However, the 1.47 miles I ran was a hard effort and with the hills, I still eeked out a 12:30 pace. Slower than my mile time, but again, a half-mile farther and with hills. 

So, as of the end of this 5th week, I'm down 6lbs since I started this blog, 14 pounts since I said "No More!!" when I hit 213lbs. It's nice to know that all that knowledge I had came back to help me. I guess I just had to reach a breaking point where my "should" became a "must". 

My Weight Loss Journey: 2 Week Progress Report

It's Been To Weeks: Progress Report

Well, it's been an interesting two weeks. I was really doing great. Low carbs, resistance training twice per week but then I got off track after Father's Day. 

I had lost 4 pounds in the first week which was mainly water weight due to eating fewer carbs. But I was still happy. Going back to April 9th, when I was 213, being at 201 was so great!

But lately, I keep going over on carbs and the water weight is coming back. However, I do feel like I look better. I see little areas that definitely look better. I can't really say what it is, but my clothes fit better. The other day I took my belt in a notch was really motivational, so even though the scaled has crept back up, my clothes are fitting different. Another way I can tell is that my gut is much smaller. I no longer have to suck in my gut to see the numbers on the scale. 

It's amazing what a difference just a few pounds can make. 

In addition, I found a mile road race in August that I have signed up for, so I now have another layer of motivation to get back in shape and lose weight. While not a hard and scientific number, it is a rule of thumb that for every pound a runner loses, they speed up 1-2 seconds per mile. So if I can drop 10lbs by August 22nd, I should be 10-20 seconds faster than I am now. On top of that, with working out and doing speed work, I should get faster as well. 

I did a time trial today and ran a 12:18 mile. 8 weeks from today is the mile race. My goal is to run it sub-10. My Oh Shiz Goal is to run it sub-8 but that is going to be REALLY tough. But then again, like I said, that's my "Holy Shiz" goal. 

I may not get there in 8 weeks, but I will get there.

Welcome to Hotjohnnie.com! My Fitness Journey to 180lbs.

Welcome to Hotjohnnie.com! 

I know, I know...maybe you're not sure what you clicked on, but the name intrigued you. If you were looking for porn, man, you are in the wrong place. However, if you are feeling lost at times. Wondering where the hell the old you went and how you get back some of that 'rizz that you've lost, this just might be the website for you. 

I'm in my late 50's. And let me tell you; getting old is not for the weak. This crap feels really hard some days. I'm tired. Sore. Frustrated. Overweight. Out of shape. Did I mention tired? But all in all, I'm still trying although not as hard as I should be. I've let myself go. I work a full-time job that keeps me pretty much in a chair all day long. I'm either sitting at my desk, sitting in my car, or sitting at a work site talking to people. 

My Younger Days

Me in 1992.

I was a runner when I was younger and ran pretty consistently up until age 30. After that, I was a stay at home dad for most of the time. My ex and I would alternate. She'd have a baby and I'd work while she stayed home. When the baby was a little older, she'd go back to work and I'd stay home. After our 3rd kid, we decided she was much better suited for working and I was better off staying at home full-time. She could make a LOT more than I could at the time so if I worked, it was just barely covering daycare. As a result of full time-stay at home daddy duties, I ran less and less until I wasn't running at all. In 2012, I decided the kids were old enough that I could go back to work. 

Fast forward to 2024 and I'm divorced, remarried, and now technically "obese" on the BMI charts as I went from 160lbs on our wedding day to 199lbs. I'm not happy at all about my weight and it seems that working out and trying to run again are not helping. I can lose weight for a little bit, but the minute I stop trying, the weight comes back with a vengence. On top of that, when I do try to run to lose some weight, I can't because I've developed Plantar Fasciitis. So what do I do? In 2024, I decided it was now or never if I wanted to run a marathon. Running a marathon was a lifelong goal but I just never felt like I had the time to train. So I threw out that excuse, switched to barefoot style shoes after reading "Born to Run" and trained myself from June 2024 to March 2025 and finished my very first marathon in 6:15. Very slow from where I used to be, but I did it and I did it pain free. 

After the marathon, I got the post-marathon blues. I had that very-common (apparently) case of hitting a major goal and then getting very down and blah about everything. Running no longer appealed to me. Trying to train for a 5K seemed pointless. After all, I had run a marathon. Where's the challenge? I was stupid, but that was my feelings at the time. So after 6 months of not running, when I did try again, I had a whole new pain. My Achilles, Soleus, and probably some other parts I'm not aware of, basically locked up. They had become so used to the demands of marathon training that when I stopped cold turkey, the just "shrunk up". Now when I get up and try to walk, it feels like my ankles have no flexion and it's very painful. They do loosen up after 5 minutes of walking so I figured all was not lost. 

My Experience and Why I Know I Can Do This

I have a Bachelor of Science in Social Studies Education. However, prior to that, I had studied Kinesiology at the University of Texas in Austin. While I didn't graduate with a degree in Kinesiology, I did take a lot of course credits in the subject. As you may have noticed from above, I also love running, even if it doesn't always love me. When I was younger, I was obsessed with running and exercise in general. I was always small and weak as a kid and picked on a lot. Running was my outlet. I remember when I got a weight bench, I was so excited because I could get stronger and be an even better runner. 

In addition to studying the subject of fitness since my teen years, I am also a certifed running coach with the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) as well as through the American Sports & Fitness Association. I'm also a certifed Health & Nutrition Coach. At one time, and I may do it again, I was a certified personal trainer but I let it expire since I wasn't doing anything with it at the time. 

Hotjohnnie is Born

Which brings me to the present. Between January and April of 2026, I hit an all-time high for my weight 3 different times in just the month of April. In fact, I was over 200lbs for all of April, May and so far in June. I got on the scale one day, after vacation to be fair, and weighed in at 213lbs which was my heaviest!! Keep in mind, in High School I was around 113-115lbs. Once I started lifting, and went to college, I was up to 130-135lbs. I'm not a big guy and I have a small frame. I have never been over 200lbs so this is a real wake up call for me. I look in the mirror and don't recognize the old, tired man looking back. So I decide like I did with the marathon, that it's now or never. I have to fix this. 

Which brings me to Hotjohnnie.com. For years when I was younger and desperate to make more money, I joked about resorting to a "Hotjohnnie" type website to sell myself...LOL. So now, in an attempt to change how I see myself and to motivate myself to make this change, I figured why not? Minus the selling myself of course. So let's do this! 

Since April, I've taken my weight from 213 down to 205 as of today's weigh-in. I'm pretty excited to see progress and to be honest, it's just been small things. How am I doing it? Follow me on my journey to get back under 200lbs. and I'll show you. 

I'd love to get back to 160lbs, which is what I weighed when I married my beautiful new wife in 2015, but my focus is actually on 180lbs. If I can put on a little muscle and look good at 180lbs, I'd be happy with that.  

I don't know how often I'll post, but please follow and hopefully I can share what I know, what I learn along the way, and what I do, and help you if you're on a similar journey.