Dan Nied's 100 Days is the chronicle of one man's quest to improve his health in 100 days. Feel free to email him at nieddan@yahoo.com with any questions or comments you might have.
You knew the weigh-in on the 100th day wasn’t going to be easy, right?
If you thought I would waltz into the gym this morning and pump out a 298 reading on the scale, then walk off with a smile on my face then, you just don’t know me very well.
I got up super early today because I had to go guest host on the morning radio show here in town. So at 6:30 I rose and realized that I didn’t really have to be in the studio until about 7:30. I was excited, almost like a kid on Christmas. This is the day where, if everything goes well, I will A) get under 300 for the first time in years, B) go to Denver, one of America’s finest cities, for lunch, C) see my old roommate in Colorado Springs, my old place of living D) Get filthy drunk and enjoy good food in moderation.
So it was easy to get up. I went right to the gym and decided I would just weigh in and leave. That is, until I got on the scale.
It was a bit of a kick in the crotch when I weighed in. All I wanted was a 299.9 reading. That would have made me very happy. So what happened? I hit 300 on the fucking dot!
Now, that is a one pound loss since Tuesday and progress was made. No doubt 300 is a milestone for me, and something that I was pretty happy to achieve. But I wanted to be under 300.
So I looked over at the elliptical machine. Looked at the clock and decided to fucking go for it. I climbed on for 22 minutes, a quick 400 calories, and got the fuck off.
I weighed in again.
299.2.
And there you have it. I did it. I got under 300 for the first time in nearly six years. Sure, maybe I had to shed some water weight to do it, and maybe the celebratory two parmesan bagels with jalapeno cheddar cream cheese put me back over the 300 mark, but who the fuck cares? I never planned on being under 300 after this weekend. But I did it, even if it was for a few minutes.
Article comments
1 - Michael J. West
Congratulations.
2 - Elvira Black
71 pounds in 100 days--freaking awesome! Congrats to you, Dan. That is totally amazing.
3 - zingzing
good job, mr. nied! i'll keep reading if you keep writing. it's like a soap opera with less stupid shit. more shit, but less stupid shit. poop references. 270 is your next goal. who knows. by the time you are 29, you could be mr. america or something. and what does mr. america do? why, he beds miss america, doesn't he? hell yes, he does. hell yes.
4 - Lisa McKay
Congratulations, Dan. It's damn hard work, and I'm very glad to see it paying off for you. This really has been a fascinating series, and I hope we'll hear more from you on this subject in the future.
5 - Matthew T. Sussman
I just watched the Simpsons last night where Homer tried to gain weight (to 300 lbs) to go on disability and work from home.
So please take this in jest when I say: "Uh, Dan, towel rack."
6 - DJRadiohead
Inspiring. Well done and keep it up.
7 - Ken Edwards
71 pounds is really amazing Dan. Congratulations. With this kind of determination, I have no doubt you will reach your goal of 270.
8 - sal m
the best thing that you've said is that you don't just want to be less fat, but that you want to be healthy.
that's the best attitude that you can have, especially for the long haul.
9 - chantal stone
Congratulations Dan! I'm really proud of you, we all are. People make goals for themselves and fail all the time. You met your goal, and you deserve a pat on the back for it. Not only have these past 100 days been a testament to your willpower, but also to your character. Well-done, my friend!
10 - Ramona
Nice. Plan out your next 100 days. It's worth it.
11 - htom
A m a z i n g. Congratulations.
12 - Victor Plenty
Congratulations, Dan! I find it fascinating that your 100 day journey ended so precisely on the target you set for it. You spent months thinking about the number 300, and you got exactly the number 300.
Of course, the target you were thinking about more often than any other was not actually the target you really wanted. This happens to people all the time. To your credit, instead of giving in to disappointment as so many people do, you made an extra effort to hit your readjusted target, and got the results you had truly hoped to see.
Well done! Here's wishing you many more successes along the same lines.