Author: marksloan2017rbl

As I sit here and think about the last 12 weeks, I realize it was not as much time as I thought it would be. It seems as if the kickoff meeting was only two or three weeks ago. I purposely did not title this a challenge because I have no plans to end it. It is truly a journey and with any journey there are hundreds upon hundreds of highs and lows.

Week one was really awesome until I stepped on the scale and saw no weight loss but I pressed on. There were weeks that were really good and weeks that were really bad. There were some weeks because of sickness and job requirements that I did not get to go to the gym. There were some weeks that I pushed too hard and some weeks that I went too easy. But I have to remind myself this is a journey not a short term challenge.

I did not reach the target I set for myself before the challenge ended, which is why I call it my journey. This is hard for me to write this part of me feels as though I failed and part of feels as though I succeeded, however with any journey there are highs and lows. Apart from the weight I did loose, I was able to develop better eating habits,  lower cholesterol (below 200 for the first time in over 4 years) and I feel better overall. The most important thing I gained from this is unfettered friendship from day one from total strangers. All my Eastside Team members, my Coach Misty and Rob accepted me with open arms and treated me like I was family, not just part of the family of Christ but like blood family. Everyone has been there with me when I was at my lowest and when I was doing well.

God will find a way to put you where he wants you, only if you allow him to. This was such an amazing 12 weeks, but it is just the start to my 12 week journey. With the help of GOD and my new family I plan on continuing this journey with the hopes of being a part of RBL 2018 in some fashion. I want to be able to give back or pay it forward to others the things that have been given to me.

My prayers are with all of the 2017 RBL contestants and those in previous years along with Rob and everyone that takes part in or sponsors the program.

May God richly bless you all!

Mark Sloan

This challenge has taught me one thing, well reminded me that FAT is easier to put on than take off. While I have not experienced the drop in pounds that I wanted, I have seem a huge change in the way my clothes fit.  12 weeks is only the beginning, this is a lifestyle change for me now. My eating style has greatly improved. I eat more often now and not as much.

I realized that I was starving my body. By this time next year I hope to be an inspiration to the next set of people going through the RBL process. This program has given me so much! Awesome friends that are way more supportive than I could have ever imagined, A great wellness coach, Misty you Rock!! And someone I want to be like when I grow up, which is Rob D. and more friends! My eastside team members feel like family.

For several years I have always wanted to be in a position to help and serve others. I believe God is finally starting to open the doors to allow me to fulfill his will for me. As I continue to pray for those going through this journey, I would ask that you pray for me.

 

As the 12 journey quickly speed by, I find myself in a time constraint dilemma. I find it harder to get to the gym every day, as my job and home demands have increased. Still I take joy in knowing I have had to tighten my belt up by 2 notches despite the lack of movement on the scale.

I do find it easier to eat clean. Most of the bad cravings are gone and I struggle with eating fried food. The few times I have ate fried food, my stomach felt uncomfortable. This is truly a journey that I have went to far in to turn back. I challenge myself daily to do the best I can through the strength of the Lord.

I wish all my fellow team members the best and see you at the final event.

PS. this is not my last blog!!

So the week of March 6th keep me out of the gym. This was due in part to my job. I have to perform 2 Jobs for 5 weeks and the workload finally caught up with me, there were many late nights that week at the plant.

Thankfully, God seen fit to give me some relief the week of the 13th, I was back to just my job. I get some good workout in this past week and thankfully to my new learned eating skills I was able  to maintain my weight during the off week. I didn’t loose any, but I am more thankful that I didn’t gain any.

This is truly a lifestyle change. I am not able to express how thankful I am that God, lead me to apply and place me with the most awesome team. I could not have purchased a better team than the one I am on. God is great in so many ways. I give him all the Glory for allowing me to be on this journey. I use to be fearful of trying to loose weight, but no longer. I have already had to tighten the belt up twice, the inches are shrinking! God in heaven I thank you for This Program, the sponsors, The Y, my coach Misty and Rob for having a passion many years ago and sharing that passion with others. It is my prayer that I can helps others make and believe in this lifestyle change.

I felt I had developed a productive stride after 2 weeks of not seeing the scale move, if finally moved and moved a good bit. Now it has stalled and went 1 pound in the wrong direction. I haven’t changed my routine, still eating healthy and working hard at the gym. Feels frustrating but I can feel a major difference in the way my pants fit. My main motivation right now is Tim Bryant he is a beast on the treadmill and is killing the cardio. I am trying to catch him!! the race is on!! Go team East Side.

After several weeks of hard work I can see that some things are becoming a habit. Choosing the right things to eat are almost becoming second nature.

Tonight My son ate pepperoni pizza with extra cheese – my favorite, I was able to resist and ate my grilled chicken sandwich and a few pretzels!!.

It is amazing at how differently I look at food. I really do not understand how this mental change happened so quickly but I am thankful it did.

Go Team East Side and all of the RBL Team!!

I had a productive week at the gym, even though Satan continues to try and prevent me from going. After 2 weeks I finally started to see my weight drop, which is a wonderful feeling. I am doing good with the diet. It is amazing to be eating more than I normally do and seeing the weight go down.

I use to never ear breakfast or snacks, but as I settle into my new routine it has become easier to to eat 3 normal meals and snacks. I can feel my body changing. I have been pushing very hard with the weights and spending an hour on the elliptical after my weight training. I can really feel the muscles in my back and legs changing.

I am thinking that I have lost more than the scale shows because my clothes fir very differently, especially my pants. So my theory is that I have gained a considerable amount of muscle which has caused the scale to not move as much as I would like to see.

Finally, I do want to thank everyone for the prayer and support that has been sent my way. It is what has kept me in the fight. If not for the team support I would have gave up. Every day is still a struggle, but I hope that my endurance and honesty will encourage someone.

So, I normally do not open up to the level I am about to. This journey has been very difficult, not because of working out or altering my diet as most would think. This has been extremely difficult because Satan has attacked me on a personal level to prevent me from continuing on this journey. He has launched a full frontal assault with swords that have cut to the bone.

Saturday 2/11/2017 felt like Satan and everyone of his demons were bearing down on me. I am not proud of my next comment, but under that pressure I was going to give up on this journey.  With a firm decision of withdrawing from RBL2017, I informed Rob and my coach after many tearful moments to inform them of my decision. At this point I had no faith in myself, was ashamed and felt like a failure. I have only been this low one other time in my life, and I was once again ready to give up on everything.

Rob and my coach would not accept me giving up and gave me the tough love and support I needed. Misty my coach told me the following “as a wellness coach, I listen to people’s goals daily and I’ve noticed that they’re always focused on themselves. But you were different. You didn’t just want to focus on you, but on others, which is what Jesus commands us to do in Matthew 22:39”.

It was at that point I realized how wrong and weak I was during this attack. The attack came very swiftly and had knocked my guard off. My point in all of this is we are human. Even when we feel we a spiritually strong, something can knock us off track and leave us confused and wondering. It is in these times we must lean on Jesus and others to help us regain our footing on a sure foundation.

So, when life gets tough and you feeling like giving up – DON’T! – reach out to Jesus and fellow Christians. It is these people who will always have your back! Thank you Rob Dempsy and Misty Beachham.

So as week 2 comes to a close, I feel really good. Even though I am not dropping any weight, I can feel muscles I haven’t felt in a long time. There not sore they feel more defined. I can a slight difference in my biceps due to pushing harder. Really feeling good. not feeling as sluggish  as I did, more energy and better sleep at night. Thank the Lord, His Radio and all the sponsors for this opportunity. Go Team East-Side we got this!!!

 

OK so 2 hours at the gym this afternoon to work off some frustration has me feeling really good! The big struggle is eating often enough. My Job is really demanding right now, but I have to find a way to get some snacks in. Guess I will be headed to the store to find some snacks I can carry around. Overall this journey is awesome and I have meet so many great people in just one week! I am blessed to be a part of this journey.