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Blog
Becoming a Youth Soccer Coach
I want to lose weight so I can coach my daughter’s soccer team this fall.
My daughter played in her first game ever this past Saturday — t-ball — and she did great. I practice with her at home and she’s naturally athletic — tall and fast.
While her t-ball coach does a fine job, I’m a very much a type A personality and am incredibly competitive. I would do some things differently, things that I picked up while coaching youth (10-12 years old) football a few years ago. For starters, kids, especially the younger ones, need to see an insanely energetic coach; they feed off of the energy and excitement. Kids need to be active at all times during practice — otherwise they get bored and distracted.
So goes their attention, so goes any ability to teach them anything.
While my daughter does well in t-ball, she excels at soccer. We have a soccer ball and a portable goal (pictured above) that we play with in the front yard. I’ll often kick the ball around by myself to burn some calories while she’s on her scooter or doing something in the yard. I played soccer through the YMCA for several years when I was a kid — playing again is like being reacquainted with a long-lost friend.
Knowing that I’ll make a good, hopefully great coach, something youth sports leagues around the country desperately need, I’ve already committed to coaching my daughter’s soccer team this fall. I’m more than fit enough to coach the kids in my condition today — but I want to get in really good shape. I want to be able to run up and down the soccer field while keeping a high level of excitement for the kids, not gasping for air every 5 minutes.
I want a high energy practice every week. As a coach, it will be my job to make sure the kids have fun and learn the basics of soccer.
The more fit I am, the better I’ll be at my job.
Posted by Shawn Tyler Weeks on April 16th, 2013
Robert Lost 48 Pounds by Counting Calories
This is part of my continuing series sharing readers’ weight loss success stories. Do you have a weight loss success story? E-mail me at shawn@344pounds.com.
Robert Quill Lost 48 Pounds by Counting Calories
I’ve been following your blog since January 2012.
My story is very similar to yours, had never been thin, had been on 23 different diet plans in my life and of course put the weight back on and more.
In January 2012 we went to Disney World for a two-week vacation. We were getting ready to come back on the plane and I realized I didn’t have anything comfortable to wear in the uncomfortable plane seats, and had to buy new clothes to fly home – 3XL. On the plane ride home I had a long chat with myself about my weight. I was determined that no matter how long it took I was going to count calories, eat less and get my ass off the couch.
We got back home and I joined Weight Watchers; after 8 weeks I realized I didn’t need to sit around and talk about the food I was or wasn’t eating I could do this without paying someone. My plan was first to get my eating under control and then join a gym. I started eating less on February 8, 2012 and joined my first gym class May 1, 2012. I started my journey at 310 pounds. I am now 262 pounds. So far I have lost inches, gained muscle and have lost a total of 48 pounds.
Of course, I’m far from my goal. I’m going to keep going.
The great thing is that this is now turning into a lifestyle because it has slowly been integrated into my life. Sure I’m not a Saint by any means, I still have days where I eat a 200 gram bag of wine gums, but for the most part I keep on track. I would like to reach 200 pounds (I think that is realistic).
I want to thank you for helping me. Sometimes when I would feel like I couldn’t do it I would visit your blog and just pick random posts and start reading to become motivated again. Now I’m so motivated I’m thinking of becoming a fitness trainer myself. At our local gym we have a class called “The Biggest Winner” (play on the Biggest Loser), and I want to teach that class because I want other overweight people to know that if I can do it they can do it. I want to be part of their journey.
Thank you so much for showing the world that there is no magic pill or potion and that weight loss takes time (1 – 2 years) and that it’s a lot of hard work. In fact, you never stop and it takes work to maintain the weight loss you’ve already achieved.
I recently purchased your book and I’m excited to keep this with me as I continue my weight loss journey.
Posted by Shawn Tyler Weeks on April 12th, 2013
Deaths
As promised:
Over the last few years, we’ve lost a lot of people on my dad’s side of the family. It all started when my dad passed away in 2010.
Last year, I lost an uncle. Over the last few months, I’ve lost another uncle, the remaining one on my dad’s side, as well as my grandfather. Minus my son, there are only two men left with the family name. If we go, so goes the family name.
Just a few weeks ago, I lost a friend. Her name was Lorrie Fenn.
Lorrie owned a popular weight loss blog called the The Token Fat Girl. Lorrie and I have e-mailed back and forth over the years. We took turns complimenting each other’s miscellaneous weight loss milestones. We gave each other motivation and talked about the dynamics of running a popular weight loss blog.
It makes me sad to think how she passed — she was at the gym and had just finished a run on the treadmill. She succumbed to cardiac arrest.
She was 30 — by only a day.
I’ve had a strange feeling of guilt every time I’ve tried to sit down and craft a blog post over the last few weeks. I had to come back, though — I always do.
I’m glad I’m back.
Posted by Shawn Tyler Weeks on April 6th, 2013
Blog
Becoming a Youth Soccer Coach
I want to lose weight so I can coach my daughter’s soccer team this fall.
My daughter played in her first game ever this past Saturday — t-ball — and she did great. I practice with her at home and she’s naturally athletic — tall and fast.
While her t-ball coach does a fine job, I’m a very much a type A personality and am incredibly competitive. I would do some things differently, things that I picked up while coaching youth (10-12 years old) football a few years ago. For starters, kids, especially the younger ones, need to see an insanely energetic coach; they feed off of the energy and excitement. Kids need to be active at all times during practice — otherwise they get bored and distracted.
So goes their attention, so goes any ability to teach them anything.
While my daughter does well in t-ball, she excels at soccer. We have a soccer ball and a portable goal (pictured above) that we play with in the front yard. I’ll often kick the ball around by myself to burn some calories while she’s on her scooter or doing something in the yard. I played soccer through the YMCA for several years when I was a kid — playing again is like being reacquainted with a long-lost friend.
Knowing that I’ll make a good, hopefully great coach, something youth sports leagues around the country desperately need, I’ve already committed to coaching my daughter’s soccer team this fall. I’m more than fit enough to coach the kids in my condition today — but I want to get in really good shape. I want to be able to run up and down the soccer field while keeping a high level of excitement for the kids, not gasping for air every 5 minutes.
I want a high energy practice every week. As a coach, it will be my job to make sure the kids have fun and learn the basics of soccer.
The more fit I am, the better I’ll be at my job.
Posted by Shawn Tyler Weeks on April 16th, 2013
Robert Lost 48 Pounds by Counting Calories
This is part of my continuing series sharing readers’ weight loss success stories. Do you have a weight loss success story? E-mail me at shawn@344pounds.com.
Robert Quill Lost 48 Pounds by Counting Calories
I’ve been following your blog since January 2012.
My story is very similar to yours, had never been thin, had been on 23 different diet plans in my life and of course put the weight back on and more.
In January 2012 we went to Disney World for a two-week vacation. We were getting ready to come back on the plane and I realized I didn’t have anything comfortable to wear in the uncomfortable plane seats, and had to buy new clothes to fly home – 3XL. On the plane ride home I had a long chat with myself about my weight. I was determined that no matter how long it took I was going to count calories, eat less and get my ass off the couch.
We got back home and I joined Weight Watchers; after 8 weeks I realized I didn’t need to sit around and talk about the food I was or wasn’t eating I could do this without paying someone. My plan was first to get my eating under control and then join a gym. I started eating less on February 8, 2012 and joined my first gym class May 1, 2012. I started my journey at 310 pounds. I am now 262 pounds. So far I have lost inches, gained muscle and have lost a total of 48 pounds.
Of course, I’m far from my goal. I’m going to keep going.
The great thing is that this is now turning into a lifestyle because it has slowly been integrated into my life. Sure I’m not a Saint by any means, I still have days where I eat a 200 gram bag of wine gums, but for the most part I keep on track. I would like to reach 200 pounds (I think that is realistic).
I want to thank you for helping me. Sometimes when I would feel like I couldn’t do it I would visit your blog and just pick random posts and start reading to become motivated again. Now I’m so motivated I’m thinking of becoming a fitness trainer myself. At our local gym we have a class called “The Biggest Winner” (play on the Biggest Loser), and I want to teach that class because I want other overweight people to know that if I can do it they can do it. I want to be part of their journey.
Thank you so much for showing the world that there is no magic pill or potion and that weight loss takes time (1 – 2 years) and that it’s a lot of hard work. In fact, you never stop and it takes work to maintain the weight loss you’ve already achieved.
I recently purchased your book and I’m excited to keep this with me as I continue my weight loss journey.
Posted by Shawn Tyler Weeks on April 12th, 2013
Deaths
As promised:
Over the last few years, we’ve lost a lot of people on my dad’s side of the family. It all started when my dad passed away in 2010.
Last year, I lost an uncle. Over the last few months, I’ve lost another uncle, the remaining one on my dad’s side, as well as my grandfather. Minus my son, there are only two men left with the family name. If we go, so goes the family name.
Just a few weeks ago, I lost a friend. Her name was Lorrie Fenn.
Lorrie owned a popular weight loss blog called the The Token Fat Girl. Lorrie and I have e-mailed back and forth over the years. We took turns complimenting each other’s miscellaneous weight loss milestones. We gave each other motivation and talked about the dynamics of running a popular weight loss blog.
It makes me sad to think how she passed — she was at the gym and had just finished a run on the treadmill. She succumbed to cardiac arrest.
She was 30 — by only a day.
I’ve had a strange feeling of guilt every time I’ve tried to sit down and craft a blog post over the last few weeks. I had to come back, though — I always do.
I’m glad I’m back.
Posted by Shawn Tyler Weeks on April 6th, 2013