The Father's Day Initiative

It's Father's Day!  Did we make our goal to lose a certain amount of pounds by this day? 

I came up a little short of my goal but was successful in my effort.  My target was to lose 15 to 20 pounds by this date.  While I didn't reach 15 pounds, I did break into double digits...reaching 12 pounds lost. 

Over this timeframe, I realized there would be good weeks and not so good weeks...especially when I went out of town and my routine was thrown off some.  When this occurs, you just have to manage thru it and then get back on path to keep things going.

While this day is here and tomorrow it will past, my goal to reach 15 to 20 pounds lost will continue.  I think I will add something different to my goal now.  What is it?

I want to be able to fit comfortably in my Army Captain Dress Blues and/or Class A uniforms...last worn in 2001...the year I got out of the military.  I think (hope) I will be able to do that if I hit that 20 pound mark.

Let's go for it.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

Be T.R.U.E.

The Father's Day Initiative...T-8 Weeks

2 Months to go!

What's the progress?

I've crossed into the double digits...currently sitting at 11 pounds dropped.

It appears to be getting harder and harder to get even 1 pound knocked off now. Because of that, I am now trying to target my workouts to burn in specific locations. Just this week I decided to incorporate cycling into my routine...to switch up the muscles being worked.

There are a couple of guys at the gym that has been on the same journey to knock off some pounds. In speaking with them, they are now continuing to give me motivation. One has knocked off over 40 pounds and the other over 70.

That's what this is all about...providing motivation to help others reach their goals. Whether it's losing weight or starting a business or living an honest life, we need to find ways to encourage each other in a productive way.

I hope to knock off 6 - 7 more pounds over these next two months...3 per month. Once there, I will then start working on sculpting. We'll see how that goes once we get there.

What's your progress?

Be T.R.U.E.

The Father's Day Initiative

Father's Day Initiative...T-11 Weeks

2 &1/2 months to go!

What's the progress?

For me, I ended the month of March on a pretty good note.  I didn't reach my stretch goal for the month, but got  1lb away from it.  Yesterday morning after I finished my aquatics regiment, the scale showed that I am now down 9lbs.  My stretch goal for the month was to be at the 10lbs mark. 

With over 2 months left in the initiative, I am going to target burning 3lbs off per month.  If done, I will be at my lower limit goal of 15lbs well before Father's Day.

I'm continuing to switch up my workout routines to challenge my body and work different muscles to ensure I can continually burn those unwanted calories that hang out in the wrong places. 

Once Easter hits, I can go back to eating chocolate.  I have been great thus far, and really haven't been tempted much...other than the three (yes 3) times my wife made homemade brownies in the house.  I didn't eat any.  I do plan to eat less chocolate than I did before Lent...less Cookies & Cream ice cream...try to stay away from that Subway chocolate chip cookie when I get the Daily Value Meal ($3.99).  We'll see how it goes.

I want to thank one of my cousins that has been pushing through this also and has already reached his overall target goal...great feedback to keep me motivated to reach my goal.

What's your progress?

Be T.R.U.E.

The Father's Day Initiative

Father's Day Initiative...T-16 Weeks

It's been a few weeks since the last update.

It's been an okay month for me despite several challenges that have come up derailing some of my routines. Over the past few weeks I have managed to drop a total of 4 pounds. I must say that I'm feeling good about my progress thus far...reaching a total of 7 pounds lost thus far. I hope I can keep it going over 16 more weeks.

My plan is to keep my steady routine of hitting the gym/pool as often as I can...4 to 5 days a week. Now I must say that Lent is going to help out tremendously. I am giving up chocolate for Lent and that's going to cut out a lot of desserts I like to eat. We'll see if a few more pounds can come off leading up to Easter.

What's your progress?

Be T.R.U.E.

Father's Day Initiative...T - 20 Weeks

What's the status?

I had a better week from the previous one. I was able to knock off 2 pounds this past week. I couldn't depend on my workout routine much because of a cold virus that decided to hit me early in the week.

I did cut down on my bread intake some by staying away from the breakfast buscuits and I plan to continue this week with the same strategy. I hope to pick my workout routine back up. I will try to extend my swimming routine by at least 10 minutes this week. For those that swim, you know that 10 minutes of extra swimming is a long time. We'll see how it goes.

What's my target for this week?...another 2 pounds. If I can do that, I will be 1/4 (25%) towards my overall goal.

Let's see if this initiative can keep going in the right direction.

What's your status?

Be T.R.U.E.

C Wells

Father's Day Initiative

Here we go fellas. It's time to get moving.

At a recent gathering of families, a friend of mine declared that he was going to cut his weight down by a significant amount and wanted to put it out there so we could hold him accountable going forward. After thinking about it, I decided I would join in with him to declare an amount of weight I will drop. I want to open this to all fathers out there. It's NOT a challenge to see who can lose the most weight. It is an initiative to get fathers inspired.

Why be inspired? We needed to make sure we are in the best shape possible to ensure we live a long life for our kids...to see them grow up to be adults...to see our grandkids grow up...and maybe be blessed to see a 4th generation come into the world.

Why fathers? I wanted to focus on fathers to give us an extra push that others may not need. As fathers (and also husbands for many), our plates are full and time may be limited. This is a simple initiative to get all fathers to go that extra mile and work to become healthier than you are today.

What do you need to do?

All you need to do is state the amount of weight you are committing to knock off. You don't need to state your current weight...we don't need to know that. You can then post any progress on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. I plan to create a Facebook page specifically for this so progress updates can be easily posted.

I would like to set an initial "milestone" date for Father's Day. Let's see what we can lose up to that date in June. Then we keep going after that.

Now I will start things off by declaring I will lose between 15 - 20 pounds. Now I'm accountable to everyone reading this.

How much do you declare to lose?

Be T.R.U.E.

C Wells

The Princess Chronicles

I recently took part in a Holiday party at a Family Resource Center located in the Atlanta metro area. It was an event that allowed single mothers to be in one ballroom to enjoy a well prepared meal and fellowship; while the kids were in another room with volunteers playing, talking, and watching a movie. One of the extras is that gifts were provided to the kids and for the kids to give to their mom. The gifts provided to the kids were a set of books.

The books given to the kids were prepared to be age appropriate for each kid. Well there was one little girl that was very sad (tears being shed) with the books she received. She really wanted a princess book that some of the younger girls received. I think some of the other volunteers may have thought she was being ungrateful. Once I sat down with her to get her to stop crying, I asked her about the tears. She went on to tell me that she doesn't like "chapter" books...she likes princess books. I realized her sadness wasn' t solely based on her liking princess books. The root of the matter was the chapter books she received was not age appropriate for her. A simple mistake made by the volunteers distributing the books.

I then starting talking to her about princesses and asked her if she was a princess. She said no she wasn't but that she had princess items at home. I told her that she is a princess and that every little girl is a princess. She then told me something that really struck a chord with me as a father. She said, "My daddy doesn't call me a princess". Without even thinking, I told her that she is a princess and that she will always be a princess know matter what. I felt a lot better when her tears dried up and we then found a book that she liked and read it from cover to cover. By the time the party was over, she was all smiles again and greeted her mother with a big smile of party enjoyment.

Now initially I was wondering who the father was and why doesn't he tell his daughter that she is a princess and that she is his little princess. I realized that maybe that's something some fathers don't say to their daughters.

It is my belief that every little girl should feel as though she is a princess and hear those words of acclamation...and if possible, that acclamation should come from the father. I think I tell my 2-year old daughter everyday that she is my beautiful black princess...if not everyday, then I know it's at least 6 days of the week. And I know she receives it.

So to all the "Pops" out there, as we go into this holiday season, tell your daughters that she is your princess and you love her. Even if she is grown, tell her. I feel this is one of the best gifts we can give to our daughters...making them feel they are royalty to us.

Be T.R.U.E.
C Wells

How Many Times?

Now I truly love my kids with every inch of my mind, body, and soul. But why do they make it a point to call my name a minimum of 50 times a day. Sometimes I just want to ignore them because in some cases, they don't want anything. They are just calling "Daddy".

One thing I do realize, and I consistently check myself to make sure I'm not slipping in the good father category, is that my kids want my attention. The thing is that it appears (maybe I am exaggerating a little) they want my attention every minute of the day. As I said before, I consistently check myself to see if I am spending the quality with them that they and I need to ensure our relationship lacks at nothing.

You see, while the consistent calling of "Daddy" gets tiring sometimes; I can't imagine not hearing the "Daddy" calls. It lets me know that they know "Daddy" is here and will always be here for us. I want them to always know that I am here...right now, in the near future, in the far future, and even when I depart this earth.

Yeah son and baby girl, you can call "Daddy" as many times as you want. I will always answer.

Be T.R.U.E.
C Wells

For The Right Reason

It's been a long time...almost 2 years. Man, what have I been doing over this timeframe? Well, trying to be the best father I can for my kids. From my now 17 year old stepson, to my 6 year old son, and now my 2 year old daughter. It's been a constant and busy journey...with time being more precious than any jewel on this earth.

Still, I have no valid excuse why I haven't been submitting posts to my blog. Heck, everyday I have experiences, thoughts, ideas that running through my mind and I say..."I need to write that down and put on the blog". I guess I've been lazy or I would say that I've been undermining the need to document what's in my mind.

This morning, something hit me (not literally) and I realized I have to start pushing information into my blog. Surprisingly, it's not for the original reason why I started this blog some years ago...which is "To Restore, Unite, and Empower fathers". This morning I realized that I need to capture and document my thoughts in this blog to ensure I pass along the wisdom I gain over the years to my children.

You see, my boys will be fathers one day and my daughter will have a husband that will be the father of her children. I need to leave them with as much knowledge possible so they can learn the do's and don'ts of fatherhood...learning from my ups and downs. I owe this to them. Yes, I will consistently talk to them about different things in life, but when it's written down and archived, they can always fall back on what's written and published.

So it's my goal to keep a rhythm going with this blog. The posts may not be long, but they don't have to be. It may be two or three lines that I want to capture and share on the blog that may say more than 3 pages worth of words.

I just have to stay committed...and know that I am doing this for the right reason.

Be T.R.U.E.
C Wells