Journey to 100
Journey to

In the past 4 1/2 months, I’ve been able to lose over 50 lbs. I write this article about halfway through my journey to lose 100 pounds within the year. The reason I’m barely getting to blog about this topic is honestly because until now, I wasn’t sure of myself enough to broadcast my struggle with weight loss to the world.
So I kept quiet to avoid the embarrassment of having another “New Year, New Me” failure and have to answer to friends and family when they ask why I made that resolution every year for the past decade. I think one difference in committing to this journey now is because I have seen my family be hospitalized so much due to bad health, diabetes and heart problems, I wanted to make sure that I can personally make an effort to stay away from those bad habits. My parents are both overweight and diabetic and my father has survived 3 heart attacks, triple bypass and recently was released from the ICU in early June. My whole life I have struggled with being overweight and watched my parents go in and out of the hospital for health issues.
So for the year of 2017, I plan to lose 100 lbs and share some stories and experiences of my journey and others I meet along the way.
The toughest part thus far is definitely the mental game. The mentality to diet with daily temptations, holidays and gatherings through the year has already been a constant test of discipline. Especially after going out, drinking or simply socializing, it becomes exponentially more difficult to control your urges.
But after all the late night slip ups, skipped gym days, and lazy Sundays, the reason I continue to go after this is because of positive things I know are on the way from this decision. I’m blessed to have so many influential people around me, keeping me on track and teaching me more about nutrition and fitness.
In my family, food is used as a tool of reward, celebration, and comfort. The combination of Thanksgiving hams, Father’s Day cheesecakes, and Sunday BBQs have taken their toll. My mom has been fighting diabetes for the past few years and it has affected her eyesight, hearing and feet, making things at home more difficult due to her health.
I’m definitely working on avoiding these issues, but since I stopped playing football I have consistently gained weight for 6 years in a row. I have shot up from 210 lbs, to my highest of 315lbs in mid February this year.
Currently I am 260lbs and have rigorously worked out and dieted through these past few months to shed some weight. One major thing that helped me lose weight is incorporating Juice into my diet with natural fruits and vegetables. I started the whole journey with a 3-day juice diet from Suja, that I bought at Costco for just under $30. After 3 days of heavy cardio gym sessions and juice fasting, I lost 15lbs to kick start my diet. Now I have added short juice fasts into my life doing one for 3 or more days monthly to stay on track with my goals and keep my pallet trained to fresh foods.
As the year goes on, I will make weekly posts going into detail about my diet and exercise regimen in case you feel inspired to try it out, but I can’t wait to share the stories of some other friends who are on a similar path and losing weight all year too!
For any specific questions or advice on what has worked for me, feel free to contact jdbailey@openkanvas.com
Stay Tuned!
Weekly Playlist
Things that got me through the Gym:
- FKJ ft. Masego — Tadow (https://youtu.be/hC8CH0Z3L54)
- Tee Grizzly — First Day Out (https://youtu.be/F4oGd60G--Q)
- Lido ft. THEY — Not Enough (https://youtu.be/2OJDT6VydTc)
- Rejjie Snow — Sunny California (https://youtu.be/D13BgOYeam8)
- Boogie — N**** Needs (https://youtu.be/JPl4FJKCeAU)
- Sylvan LaClue — Grateful (https://youtu.be/x6i4usHqm5Q)
- Mars Today — Stuck (https://youtu.be/rjYNByudlpA)
Weekly Craving
Carne Asada Burrito from Los Tacos in West Hollywood

Recent Workouts (Cardio Heavy)
Elliptical 3.0 miles (30 mins
Stairmaster 30 flights (10 mins)
Crunches — 300 total (10 mins)
2 sets of planks — 60 secs each
15 mins Sauna
Recommended Hike:
Fryman Canyon, Studio City, CA



