Most of you know by now that I have challenged myself to eat right and lose weight over the next 12 weeks with the help of Total Fitness Connection. I will turn 45 later this month and I've carried this belly of mine around long enough. Like most people my age, realities begin setting in and you know it's time to do something. My aim is to not only improve my own health but that of many other people like me who need to stop putting it off and start taking it off!

During my 12-week intense diet and workout regime, I will be monitored by my trainer Travis, my nutritionist Sarah and my physician Dr. James Jarvis to make sure I'm taking full advantage of the program. They will help me eat right, workout for the best results and ensure I stay healthy through the whole thing. While you can check here and on the Allen Challenge web page for weekly updates, we will also be monitoring the progress of 5 other co-challengers from South Central Kentucky. While they are responsible for starting their own program at the gym of their choice, we will still keep you up to date on their progress.

Well, I have the first week behind me and it was pretty tough on me. The diet I could actually handle better than the workout as you'll read in the following updates.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 29
Excited and a bit apprehensive about my first day at workout. While I am looking forward to taking off the weight, I honestly don’t want to work for it. You know what I mean? But as trainer Travis tells me “it took a while to put it on – it’s gonna take a while to take it off”. On this first day, trainer Travis puts me in the pool walking laps. I never realized it could be so difficult! After the workout, I meet with my nutritionist Sarah and go over my meal plans. The key is to eat less but more often. In other words, don’t try to eat the usual 3-squares full of calories. I will now eat 5 times a day but with less portions and healthier foods. The key is to limit my caloric intake to 2000 calories per day. Today’s Diet: the old stuff for the last time…AM: sausage and biscuit with medium Coke. Lunch: 2 McD’s cheeseburgers, large fry, large Coke. Supper: Baked potato with chili and cheese, glass of iced tea.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30
My second day in the pool. Amazingly, I don’t feel any soreness but my calves do feel a bit tighter than before. Trainer Travis has me doing laps along with jumping jacks, leg kicks and running in place reps in the pool. Today’s Diet: AM: Apex fit mix drink with skim milk and a banana. AM Snack: Special K strawberry bar, 1 tbsp. peanut butter, Coke Zero. Lunch: Lean Cuisine beef tips with corn. PM Snack: Apex cookie with a small orange juice. Supper: Healthy Choice meal with blackened chicken, Coke Zero.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31
First Weigh-In: 283 lbs.
It’s Halloween but I’m resisting the candy. I’m not a big candy eater anyway. I do feel somewhat weaker today than in previous days. My legs feel more fatigued than before and in several ways, I’m not looking forward to working out in the pool. But trainer Travis puts me through the reps again…this time for a longer length of time (feelin’ the burn!). Today’s Diet: AM: Apex fit mix drink with skim milk and apple slices. AM Snack: Special K strawberry bar, Coke Zero. Lunch: 6” Subway tuna salad sub with lettuce (no cheese or chips) and a Diet Coke. PM Snack: a tangerine and 1 cup of skim milk. Supper: leftover chili (1 cup) with 3 crackers, iced tea.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1
I am so tired. I really don’t want to workout today. God help me if I have to go back into the water doing jumping jacks and walking laps. I am sick and tired of the water and frankly the workout routine. I got to have variety, otherwise I will get bored with the routine and not stick to it. So, trainer Travis meets me at the door as I walk in to Total Fitness and says we’ll shake things up today. That’s fine…but I just want to go home and take a nap. But, I decide to stay and see what trainer Travis has in mind. Thankfully, no pool time today…it’s all treadmill and weights. Wow, the newer treadmills are really something with fans and audio inputs so you can watch TV while jogging. Our treadmill at home is currently subbing as a closet with clothes hanging all over it! Trainer Travis starts me out with a steady jog around 3mph and constantly checks my heart rate. We’re trying to get an average heart rate of 135 to 140bpm on a regular basis. As I start to run, it actually feels pretty good. I can tell the pool workouts have helped the endurance of my legs. About half way through the 30-minute workout on the treadmill, trainer Travis raises the incline and speeds up the pace between 3 and 4mph. I want to stop right away but Travis makes me keep going. I don’t think I’m going to make it but then it’s over. 30-minutes jogging a mile and a half burning 200 calories! My average heart rate…137bpm which Travis says is perfect. After that, he takes me to the weight room. Now, I gotta be honest with you all…I wanted to cuss so bad after this. We went from machine to machine doing at least 12 reps on each. I was about ready to give trainer Travis “what for” a couple of times. I know he’s pushing me in the right way, it’s just my body wants to quit…give up…and not come back. But I know I’ve got to keep going. This is the period when many people do give up thinking it’s too hard to keep up with the pace. Trainer Travis assures me it will get easier with time. I hope he’s right. After my workout, I meet again with my nutritionist Sarah to discuss my tiredness. I give her a brief rundown of what I’ve been eating and she suggested I up my carbs and protein intake a little more. She also suggested I drink more water and that will cut down on the cramps and tightness in my legs. Today’s Diet: AM: Apex fit mix drink with skim milk and a banana. AM Snack: Special K strawberry bar, small orange juice. Lunch: Lean Cuisine Panini sandwich, Coke Zero. PM Snack: Apex cookie and 1 cup skim milk. Supper: A salad with baked chicken nuggets and 1 tbsp. honey mustard and a Coke Zero.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2
Okay...after yesterday's workout, I'm ready to head back into the pool! I'm not sure I'm going to like weights at all. Trainer Travis seems to think I can handle the treadmill better than he thought. In fact, he told me I seem to be exhibiting better upper body strength than he anticipated. All of this is very encouraging but it still doesn't ease the tightness and some soreness I feel in my arms and legs right now. This is the first day I really feel the effects of my workouts all over my body. The diet is still going well. I'm looking forward to the weekend so I can "reward" myself a little for surviving the first week. After doing some more reps in the pool, trainer Travis tells me to take a brisk 40 minute walk sometime during the weekend to keep me from getting stiff and to get me prep'ed for Monday. Today's Diet: AM: Apex fit mix drink with skim milk and apple slices. AM Snack: 2 tsp. peanut butter on graham crackers with 8oz. orange juice. Lunch: Captain D's baked fish with rice and green beans, iced tea with Splenda. PM Snack: 1 cup light vanilla ice cream Supper: O'Charley's mini-burgers (without the buns), side salad and iced tea with Splenda.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3
Ahh...no workout today! Do I cheat or stick with the new diet? Believe it or not, I really don't want to cheat on what nutritionist Sarah has outlined for me. She told me that eating right is about choices...making the right choices even when you go out to eat. Today, I want to relax, take in the nice weather and maybe get with some friends later. We need to go to the grocery store, so Shelia and I start on our usual Saturday morning routine of eating breakfast at Cracker Barrel and heading to Wally World before the crowds set in. 'Cracker Barrel' you ask? Why not? Remember, it's about making the right choices when you go out to eat. Later that afternoon, we head to The Lighthouse in Sulphur Well for some wonderful country cooking served family style. Even though I was tempted to overdo things there, I resisted stuffing myself beyond full like before. I looked at this as a real test of my willpower...and I believe I passed! Today's Diet: AM: Cracker Barrel 1 pancake with light syrup and Promise spread, 2 Egg Beaters low fat scrambled eggs, 2 slices of bacon, water. AM Snack: Peanut butter crackers and orange juice. Lunch: 2 slices of whole wheat bread with 6 slices of lean turkey and fat free cheese with lettuce, Coke Zero. Supper: The Lighthouse - 3 small pieces of lightly fried catfish with 2 portions of country ham, a serving of lima beans, green beans, stewed potatoes, 1 biscuit, iced tea with Splenda...no desert.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4
This Sunday I am running house sound at Hillvue Heights Church, so I'm up by 5:30 and will be at church through all three morning services until about 12:30. My main goal today is to make sure I budget in at least 40 minutes to walk as trainer Travis suggested. On days when I run audio at church, breakfast is provided for the tech team. Today, someone must have known I had started my diet because there was a fruit salad cocktail waiting there! I resisted the chocolate chip pancakes and only ate one piece of sausage. After church, a well deserved nap and then my brisk 40-minute walk down the road and back. It was a beautiful day but a bit on the breezy side for walking. It reminded me a bit of the resistance I feel when walking in the pool at Total Fitness. Today's Diet: AM: Fruit cocktail, 1 piece of sausage, Diet Dr. Pepper. Lunch: Baked chicken with rice, 1 cup of corn, slice of whole wheat bread, steamed vegetables, iced tea with Splenda. Supper: 2 slices of whole wheat bread with 6 turkey slices, fat free cheese and lettuce, side salad, Coke Zero, Edy's frozen Strawberry fruit dessert.