Weight Loss by Month: February 2021

 August – November 2020: 30 pounds 

January 2021: 7 pounds

February 2021: 5 pounds

This was a really great month. As it turns out there's a big difference for me from 35 to 40 pounds lost. All of a sudden, my L t-shirts fit properly. I was able to put away all the XL and that felt pretty great. 

Also, I'm now back to what I was when I left Colorado. Which means that I'm the fittest I've been since 2016. Which means I now weigh the same as I did in these photos. 

Except for about 10 days at Christmas, I've pretty much been on track for 7 months straight. Just keep stacking good months on good months. 

- - -

So 42 down. Another 18 and I'll be at what I was in college. 

So even though I'm not at a goal weight, I'm already reaping the rewards of the progress. This isn't like saving up for a jet ski, where 2/3 of the way there you still don't have a jet ski. I'm definitely happier to be at this weight than I was last summer. 

And it's going to be good for me in the long-term that it's taking so long to get to a goal weight. Because for me, maintenance is going to have to look pretty darn close to my weight loss habits. So the longer I make these habits part of my life to lose weight, the easier it will be to keep them during maintenance. 

I'm now able to start thinking about some of the outdoorsy bucket list goals from hikes to rock climbing walls to a ropes challenge course to playing tennis often, all things that seemed laughable just half a year ago.

Two Days Later

Winning a Super Bowl is really, really hard. 

A ton of great players and teams have never done it. Some first-ballot hall of famers have won one. 

- - -

Leading up to Super Bowl LV, it was tempting to think about back-to-backs, dynasties, and the idea that Mahomes was never going to lose a playoff game again. So sure, that's gone. No back to back. No three-peat. No dynasty. 

But in a way, it makes the Super Bowl LIV run even more special. 

Getting the bye on the last week of the regular season. 
The Houston Texans 24-0 comeback. 
Winning the Lamar Hunt trophy at home in front of 80,000 Chiefs fans. 
And then the 3rd and 15 comeback in the Super Bowl. 

Having it actually happen when I lived in KC and could go to the parade. 

When you choose to follow a team, watch their games, buy their tickets, think about draft picks, wear their shirts, invest part of your heart in their outcomes, everything that happened last year is all I ever need. 

So That's What a Super Bowl Loss Feels Like

I'm definitely glad it happened in this order. 

In other words, this loss would have crushed me last year. 

- - -

The Bucs kicked the Chiefs ass. Outplayed on both sides. Specifically the Bucs defense overpowered the normally unstoppable Chiefs offense. The Eric Fisher loss was huge, but even with him in there, it seems like this D was too strong. 

And Brady gets #7. He leaves New England and instantly brings a title to Tampa in his first year. He has more than Belichick, more than any franchise in the league, including the Patriots. 

More than Jordan. 

Greatest of all time. 

- - -

I thought Brady was too old. In week 1, the Bucs lost to the Saints and I posted this.

Then he lost to Nick Foles and the Bears and didn't know what down it was and became a meme. 

Then they got blown out by the Saints 38-3. 

Then the Chiefs went in and blew their doors off in Tampa. 

The Bucs didn't even win their division. No bye. Three road playoff wins and then blows out the defending Champs in the Super Bowl. What a run. 

- - -

So I'm glad I bought all that LIV merch. I'm glad I made such a big deal out of it on this dang website. It sucks to lose a Super Bowl but I'm satisfied. I went to a parade a year ago. Mahomes is a warrior. I'm good.

A Work of Art

 

One year ago today, everything changed. 

First, look how desperate the game situation is. Down 10 with just over 7 minutes to go. Chiefs have only scored 10 points in the first 53 minutes. Now they need to get 10 more in the last 7. Even if you score a touchdown here, you still have to get the ball back and score again. 

And it's 3rd and 15. They know you're going to pass. It's hard to convert 3rd and 5 in crucial situations, let alone 3rd and 15. 

And then Fox has Mahomes' stat line on screen. 181 yards. 0 tds. 2 ints. If the 49ers defense can make a stop on this drive, they win the Super Bowl. Mahomes gets a rep as a guy that chokes in the big games. The 49ers get a parade. The Chiefs face the Super Bowl hangover loss effect. All of that is one stop away and it's 3rd and 15 from the KC 35. Everything in this paragraph was so very likely at this moment in time. 

And then, in a snap, it wasn't.