Steve Dunham

Well… all good things must come to an end. And so it is for the “Weekly Weight Loss Challenge.” After 20 weeks, I have decided that I need to step back and evaluate my progress (or lack thereof! : -)  It’s not that I have reached my weight loss goal yet - because I have not. And I intend to continue to do my best to eat well and exercise regularly, but I have been struggling the past month or so to remain motivated and committed, so it’s time to give it a rest. Besides, Ronda and I are leaving for Paris next week for our twenty fifth anniversary and I’m pretty sure I won’t be eating or exercising particularly well while we are there. Crusty french bread… snails in butter and garlic… you get the picture. So the plan is that after we get back I can regroup and then attack again with full force.

I actually lost a little weight last week and have ended these twenty weeks at 220 lbs. with a total weight loss of 7 lbs. Not particularly impressive, but at least I am in negative numbers and not the other way around! : -)

Here is what I am learning to be true:

• At 47 years of age, I can no longer afford to eat poorly. Junk food must be eliminated from my diet and be replaced with healthy alternatives.
• I cannot lose any significant amount of weight without serious cardiovascular exercise.
• I need to add strength training to my regimen.
• My physical, spiritual, intellectual, and emotional health are all closely intertwined with each other and my success in any one area is affected good or bad by the level of discipline I maintain in them all.
• Long-term commitment to good health is the key to being successful… not short-term diets and sporadic exercise.
• The key to being successful with a long-term commitment is to approach it “one day at a time.”
• Living “one day at a time” means I am trusting God to help me, moment by moment, and I am able to give myself grace when I “screw up” knowing that tomorrow will be a new day.
• Discipline and grace are equally important and are the two most important concepts that I need to wrap my head around as I continue to seek physical, spiritual, intellectual, and emotional health.

Thanks to all of you who participated in this challenge. And congrats to Tyler who “schooled” us all! I promise to write soon with a new goal and commitment but in the mean time… stay well.

OK peeps… time for your final “weigh-in!”

Here’s my results for the RagamuffinTop Challenge week #11.

Starting Weight: 222.6 lbs.
Last Week: 221 lbs.
This Week: 220 lbs.
Goal Weight: 190 lbs.

A couple of months ago you guys voted for your favorite presidential candidate on the Fun Friday Poll and Mike Huckabee won by a slim margin. Now that it’s down to the two candidates, who would you vote for if elections were today? Comments as to “why” are heartily encouraged!

I’m sorry I haven’t been blogging much lately. Things have just been really busy in my life and I haven’t been very motivated to write. I even forgot to put up a “Fun Friday Poll Time!” last week. So I thought I would start with a poll about my weight loss.

DON”T CHEAT and look at the chart below unil AFTER you take the poll!  

: -)

Don’t

PEEK!

: -)

No REALLY!

DON”T PEEK!

That’s right… two weeks straight of “gaining” weight for me. That’s the worst I’ve done since I started the challenge. I don’t really have any excuses except that I have been letting my negative emotions and thinking have too much power. It’s something that I have struggled with my entire life. I let a couple of days of missed exercise or overeating become an excuse to give up. So I share this confession with you all today to release my burden and ask that you pray for me next week. Here is my own prayer for today.

“Lord, today I surrender my negative thinking to you and ask that you give me the strength to get back on track. I surrender my eating and exercise habits to you knowing that you will provide the strength and discipline I need to make it through today and the rest of the week. Thank you for reminding me that I can do ‘ALL things through Christ who strengthens me’! Amen.”

Time to weigh-in peeps!

Here’s my results for the RagamuffinTop Challenge week #10.

Starting Weight: 222.6 lbs.
Last Week: 220.4 lbs.
This Week: 221 lbs.
Goal Weight: 190 lbs.

Last week I sucked… sucked at eating, sucked at exercise, just sucked in general. (Is it OK for me to say “sucked”)

: -)

This week is sure to be better.

Pray for me that it is.

OK Guys… time to WEIGH-IN!!!

Since I started blogging a few months ago, I have gotten into reading more and more blogs. I use the Google Reader to subscribe, manage , and read. It’s a very cool tool. I counted this morning that I am subscribed to 32 different blogs! I don’t read every post thoroughly - just scan them until I see something that really looks interesting. But I was surprised at how many I had actually subscribed to over the past few months. How about you… are you a blogoholic?

Take the poll!!!

Last week I really tried to kick up the exercise and I did a pretty good job. Unfortunately, I only lost .4 lbs. again… I guess I kicked up the eating too!  ; -) 

I am determined to have the graph continue in a downward line from now on, so I am committing to keeping up the exercise and doing a better job on the eating.

OK GUYS… time to WEIGH-IN!!!

Here’s my results for the RagamuffinTop Challenge week #9.

Starting Weight: 222.6 lbs.
Last Week: 220 lbs.
This Week: 219.6 lbs.
Goal Weight: 190 lbs.

We’ve been going through the book Deadly Viper Character Assassins in our staff meetings for the past few weeks. It’s a book about leadership integrity and has what must be one of the coolest looking book layout/designs currently on the market. (the content is good too!) But I digress… Last Tuesday, our new lead pastor, Mike Goldsworthy, brought up the fact that we all need to have a few people in our lives that we can be truly authentic with - people who can encourage us but also give us a swift kick in the butt if we need it. (I don’t remember if it was actually Mike who said it or it was a quote from the movie clip we watched… but that was the gist of it)

I’ve been part of a mens group who for the past few years have met regularly to share the “stuff” of our lives, and it has really helped me to grow both both spiritually and emotionally. But let me admit this right upfront - being part of an accountability group where I let a few guys in on who I truly am was not my own idea! A good friend of mine pushed me to do this for almost two years before I finally relented and took the plunge. I’m an introvert by nature and it takes me quite a while to develop relationships with people to the level where I could consider sharing the intimate details of my life with them. But we formed the group, and over time I have really begun to trust these men. The stories that we share with each other help me to know that I am not the only one who struggles with loneliness, doubt, bad habits, and the many other difficulties of life. Sharing my life with these men has helped me in many different ways, but probably the biggest thing I have taken away from the group is a better understanding and experience of God’s grace, both toward myself and others.

So all this got me thinking about the blogosphere and how strange it is that some of us feel comfortable enough to be quasi authentic/vulnerable in front of a vast internet audience (or at least in front of the few of you who happen to stop by every now and then!) when in person we often struggle to do the same. Why is that? I don’t think I know the answer for sure, but I do know this. I have noticed a marked difference in some of the relationships I have at church, both with staff and members, because of this blog. And I don’t think I am imagining this. I will admit that in the past I had a hard time “connecting” with some of these people. And it’s funny, but ever since I started blogging and sharing more of who I am through this digital medium, I have seen a real transformation in the way we more frequently and openly relate to one another in person. Of course these are people who experience me both here on this blog AND in “real life,” but there is also a growing number of you who I only have “relationship” with via the posts we write and the comments we make on our respective blogs. And at times, we can all become quite transparent. I like to call it “blogthenticity”, and it is really rather fascinating to me.

I used to think that I needed to project who I should or wanted to be in order to find acceptance and love, but I have found that people are most attracted to you when you just “be yourself.” Even if they don’t agree with everything you believe in or stand for, they respect you because they know you are who you say you are. And they in turn are more comfortable to open up and be themselves because they see no falseness lurking in the background. You are just a person like everyone else - with strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures. But, through the grace of God, you have accepted all those parts and are comfortable in your own skin. That is what some people might describe as emotional and/or spiritual “integration.” And I would say that it is also a key determining factor of either success or failure for those of us who desire to be people of integrity. Thoughts?

P.S. I am in no way implying that I have gotten to a place of full “integration”… but I AM on the journey.  : -)

* This post has been added to Watercooler Wednesday *

You will notice that I changed up the chart a little so it is easier to read. The first several intervals are monthly, while the last few are weekly. Hopefully, this makes sense!

I had another poor week. I only gained .4 pounds but the main issue is that I did not exercise at all. I really need to recommit to the process and get going again. How embarrassing to show my lack of discipline to the WHOLE WORLD on a regular basis! But the truth is that none of us can really fool the people who are the closest to us. I know that my friends and family can see it all. It’s just less painful to “not talk about it” and pretend that they don’t notice it when I continue to gain weight and swell up like a balloon!   : -)   That’s why I am committed to posting my progress on this blog, good or bad, until I reach my weight goal. I NEED the accountability… so thanks for sticking with me through this process!

OK All… it’s time to WEIGH-IN!

Here’s my results for the RagamuffinTop Challenge week #8.

Starting Weight: 222.6 lbs.
Last Week: 219.6 lbs.
This Week: 220 lbs.
Goal Weight: 190 lbs.

We had a great time last week vacationing at my parent’s ranch. We hiked and fished and had an all-around good time!

I posted a couple of slideshows here for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!