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 week 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 just in the month of April. In fact, I was over 200lbs for all of April, May and so far in June. I get on the scale one day, after vacation to be fair, and weigh in at 213lbs which was my heaviest. Keep in mind, in High School and College, I was 130-135lbs, soaking wet. 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" website. So now, in an attempt to change how I see myself and to motivate myself to make this change, I figured why not. 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.