Barnes @ Work (May Update - 31 LBS and counting)

I started this journey on January 3. Here I am on May 9. Four months into this transformation and this is where I stand. A weight I haven't purposely seen in over a decade.

I'm currently 180 lbs. I started at 211 lbs. 31 lbs shed in four months. A state of mind renewed. Looking slimmer in pictures than I think I have since high school. I can't believe it!

Let me say that again. THIRTY-ONE POUNDS LOST. I went from averaging 14-17 mins a mile in January to 13-14 mins/per mile when I started running at the beach in February to now averaging 11-12 mins.

I got to reconnect with Cleveland Cavaliers coach (and fellow USD alum) Mike Brown last month, who I first met in 2010. But I'm just amazed how slim I look in this photo.

April was such a good month for me. I forced myself to run further and push harder than I thought I could do. I went from running 5 miles one week to chasing six the next. Last week, I ended April and started May running 6 miles, 3 days a week.

I'm now running from the beginning of Redondo Beach to the beginning of Hermosa Beach. It blew my mind that it's a 3-mile run and when I hit the Hermosa border, I almost get giddy and want to keep going even further because I can't believe I've run into another city.

Barnes @ Work! (April Update)

On my fourth month of working out and here's the progress for you.

Current Weight: 187-188 lbs.
Weight Lost Since Jan 3: 23-24 lbs.

What I learned in March is that as much as I'm working out, I had to change up my diet a bit. I had been going cold turkey on sweets, carbs and anything that was going to add to be unhealthy. But since I've been working out more and running more, I realized that I had to eat more so while my diet is still pretty consistent - no eating past 8-9 p.m. if possible, save sweets for the weekend and salads/water with most meals - I've had to eat more since I'm burning more.

March saw me cross the 4-mile barrier and now I'm consistently running 4 miles two to three times a week. The next goal was 5 miles. Monday, I ran 4.96 miles nonstop. Today, I ran 5.05 miles. Cross another one off!

Barnes @ Work! (193 Lbs. and Counting)

February 28th's work (Photo by Evan Barnes)

Sunday was my 2-month anniversary of starting my working out. I gave folks an introduction at the end of January and it's time to give y'all an update.

February brought a lot more changes and challenges. None was bigger than leaving my neighborhood course and taking it to the beach. I had been wondering if it was time because I knew that running uphill and on those curves would mean that running on the beach boardwalk would be a breeze.

First time I did it was on Feb. 11 and I ran 2.89 miles. For you mathematically challenged folks, that's just over 1.44 miles straight down and back. The last run I did in my neighborhood was 2.17. Right then, I knew I was going to have some more fun.

February 15, I passed the 3-mile barrier. The boardwalk is so peaceful and beautiful that all I need is my music and it's just following my motto. Eyes down, feet forward, clear mind and push myself to match or beat what I did the day before.

Why I'm Running

As most of you who know me know, I've been running most of this month. I've never really been a runner outside of playing sports although I used to run at Manhattan/Hermosa back in 2006-07. This is something as challenging as anything I've done.

Those of you I've told about why I'm doing this probably will think this is old news but I figured I'd share a bit more of the backstory. One of the things I've tried to do more here is share more of myself instead of just my opinions. So with that said, here's how I got here.

I barely played any sports in 2012 - no church league basketball or volleyball and I cancelled my gym membership to save additional money. I fell into my usual eating habits since college even though I was shopping more, drinking more water and eating out less. The worst is me eating late since I work in the afternoons. I tried to commit to walking to Starbucks to hang out and write but that didn't last past a month.

End result? I wondered why my face/body got bigger in pictures. The pic on my Google+ profile looks nothing like the photo I use at work, which was taken in 2010. I was always a big guy since my doc says I'm big boned but I prided myself on being nimble (Folks who've seen me dance can confirm this) and not letting myself act bigger than my body was. But now, I was becoming what I feared.