Some Motivation to Get Off My Butt and Get Moving

Drew Carey: No More Mr. Fat Guy

by Robert Moritz

published: 09/26/2010

Drew Carey is just a shadow of the man he used to be, and that’s the way he likes it. The former star of The Drew Carey Show and Whose Line Is It Anyway? and the current host of The Price Is Right has given himself until Oct. 31 to achieve the ambitious goal he set last November. He is aiming to reach 170 pounds—92 less than the desperately unhealthy 262 pounds he used to weigh. Not only has he succeeded in changing his body, he has changed his life.

Sitting down for breakfast at a West Hollywood diner recently, Carey, 52, ordered his new “ usual”: scrambled egg whites with a side of fruit. In the old days, he’d start his mornings with pancakes and an egg, sausage, and cheese sandwich, washing it down with four cups of coffee sweetened with eight-plus packets of sugar. Now he quenches his thirst with bottomless glasses of water. And he’s loving it—really. “The hardest diet I was ever on was the one when I was fat,” Carey declares. “You can only wear fat clothes, you don’t feel good, your sex life gets damaged, you don’t have energy for anything. It’s horrible.”

Photo Timeline: Drew Carey's Battle of the Bulge

Through better nutrition, daily exercise, and good old-fashioned willpower, the famously funny fat guy from Cleveland with the 44-inch waist and XXXL shirts has given way to a good-looking, fit, and happy 185-pound guy in a short-sleeve shirt (size M) and 34-inch pants. The incredible shrinking Carey rhapsodizes about the divine experience that is healthy living, especially his enhanced clarity of thought and renewed vigor. “This is how you’re supposed to feel every day,” he says. “This is what I should have felt like my whole life!”

But the comedian is the first one to point out that he’s lucky to have made it to this moment. “I always thought I was going to die before I was 60,” he says matter-of-factly. “My father died of a heart attack in his 40s. I’m not an idiot. The writing was on the wall.”

A former Marine reservist who once aced the Corps’ physical-fitness exam, Carey has been battling the bulge ever since he left the military in his 20s and hit the road to do stand-up. As he describes it, his “slow creep” upward commenced with a “That’s okay” uptick from size 32 to 34; led to an “Uh-oh, I better start doing something” alarm bell at size 36; and, finally, entered the rationalizing “I’ll just go out and buy bigger clothes” phase when he reached sizes 38 and 40. “If the weight gain had occurred overnight, you’d think, What happened to me?” he says with a sigh. But because it was gradual,  “you just get used to being sick.”

Exclusive Photos: Drew Carey Flaunts His New Frame

Nine years ago, however, Carey got a reality check when he experienced chest pains that were diagnosed as heart disease. He underwent an angioplasty and had a stent inserted in one of his arteries. At the time, it motivated Carey to adopt a healthier lifestyle, and he exercised and lost weight. But when his mother became terminally ill in 2002, his new routine fell by the wayside. Shuttling back and forth between his home in Los Angeles and her hospice in Cleveland, he grew depressed, stopped working out, and haunted diners. “I was miserable,” he recalls. “I remember being in Vegas and ordering a burger. When it didn’t kill me, I started eating one every day and went back to my old habits.”

Fast-forward 2555 hamburgers to November 2009. At 262 pounds—his heaviest ever—Carey was poised to bust the seams on his 44-inch pants, a symbolic barrier for him since it was the largest size carried by the Gap. He had also developed a litany of weight-related health conditions, including type-2 diabetes. But it was Connor, fiancée Nicole Jaracz’s 5-year-old son, who gave him the incentive to get serious. “I couldn’t keep up with him,” Carey admits. The comedian would be left breathless and sweating after just a few minutes of playing. “I’d be like, ‘Connor, I can’t,’ and he’d say, ‘C’mon, Dad!’ That was a terrible feeling. I thought, I’m never going to see him graduate high school.”

Carey sent a plaintive e-mail to Marc Vahanian, the trainer he’d worked with after his 2001 surgery. It said: “Are you still in the lifesaving business? Because I need to have my life saved.” Vahanian started Carey on a fitness routine and in February referred him to Dr. Chris Renna, who has 30 years of experience in preventive medicine. Renna devised a customized nutritional and behavioral program. “Drew was at a crossroads, and the distance between where he was and serious medical problems was really very short,” the physician says. “His behavior had brought him to the precipice.”

Video: Go Behind the Scenes of Drew's PARADE Photo Shoot

For the first two weeks—a detox period—Carey’s diet was restricted to lean protein, lots of vegetables, limited fruit, few starches, vitamins and nutritional supplements, and at least 64 ounces of water a day. The austere menu left him “wanting to chew my arm off,” he says, yet he stuck with it. By week three, Renna had analyzed Carey’s blood-test results to prepare charts of “ core,” “neutral,” and “avoid” foods. The “core” list alone has a huge variety of choices—over 230 items including mahi-mahi, lamb, goat cheese, and rice.
At the same time, Carey began a six-days-a-week workout program. Starting with 30 minutes of light exercise (keeping his heart rate below 126 beats per minute), he progressed over the next six months to 45 to 60 minutes of daily aerobic activity on a treadmill or an elliptical machine, his current regimen. After a few rough weeks, Carey got inspired, both by his rapid decrease in weight and by the increase in compliments.

In March, he broke the 250-pound barrier.   To celebrate reaching this first milestone, he went to Neiman Marcus and asked a personal shopper to pick out clothes, a ritual he repeated when his waist shrank to 42 inches and then to 40. He especially relishes the memory of the day he passed the 38-inch mark. “That was a big deal, because it’s the cutoff size at many stores.”

Soon Carey was looking forward to his morning workouts, something he attributes to his renewed energy and keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the future. “When I was working out, instead of being like, ‘I’m so tired,’ I thought, I’m going to do a 10K run, and this is how I’m going to feel at mile three and mile four,” he recalls. “I could see myself in the clothes; I could feel the breeze. That way, I wasn’t just on a treadmill going nowhere. I had a goal in mind.”

Before & After: 9 Celebrity Weight-Loss Wonders

Carey’s weight kept dropping at the rate of about three pounds a week. After 10 weeks, his doctor told him that his diabetes symptoms had reversed and that he no longer needed to take medication. In June, Carey went on vacation to Africa and carried Connor on his shoulders without breaking a sweat. Finally, on Aug. 15, he tweeted from the finish line of a race: “Just ran my first 10K in almost 25 years. Sub-60. Then I had my first ice cream since January. :)”

But then Carey followed the cone with an entire pepperoni pizza and a cupcake. The next day, he ate another pizza, leaving him a few pounds heavier and feeling sick. He learned a valuable lesson from his relapse which he posted above his bathroom mirror: “Eating crappy food is not a reward—it’s a punishment.”

According to Carey, being healthy doesn’t mean banishing the occasional cupcake or slice of pizza from one’s life. “It’s no problem if you’re eating well all the time. But an entire pizza? I might as well think that hitting myself in the face is a reward,” he says, adding that for his next celebration he’ll treat himself to a massage or a quiet day with a book.

Photo Timeline: Drew Carey's Battle of the Bulge

Carey attributes his remarkable success to two factors: his decision to commit 100% (“ Working out and eating right isn’t an extra thing I do. I told myself, ‘I’m going to make this part of my job’”); and having the support of Nicole and Connor, as well as an experienced team to help him. While he acknowledges that he is wealthy enough to hire an array of specialists, he believes that anyone can find an affordable nutritionist and gym and join a local or online group like Weight Watchers. “You just have to be willing to reach out,” he declares.

As for his next goals, Carey is thinking about running more races, maybe even a marathon someday, and is toying with the idea of re-taking the Marine Corps fitness exam.

But ultimately, Carey’s most profound triumph can’t be seen in a number on a scale or a belt size. Rather, it’s the gift of a long and healthy future. The message was poignantly brought home in July after his 64-year-old brother, Neal, died of a heart attack.

“I felt like I could have been attending my own funeral,” Carey recalls somberly. At the burial, he turned to his brother Roger, 58—another slim-down success story who went from 240 pounds to under 200—and said, “Man, let’s make sure we don’t gain our weight back. We don’t want to end up like Neal.”

Carey is determined to keep his end of the bargain. “Connor doesn’t make fun of Dad’s belly anymore,” he proudly reports. “I look in the mirror and I feel like I’m in my 20s again.” He savors a final bite of cantaloupe and adds, “I feel like I have my whole life back. I could live to be 100 now.”
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A Tale of Two Diets
When Drew Carey decided he wanted to drop to 170 pounds in November, he faced a daunting task: He weighed 262 pounds and had a 44-inch waist. To reach his goal, he needed to exercise and completely overhaul his fat- and sugar-fueled diet. Here, from breakfasts to beverages, is his before-and-after.
 

The Old Drew

The New Drew

Breakfast An egg, sausage, and cheese sandwich on an English muffin with pancakes; or steak and eggs with toast, hash browns, and pancakes Lunch A turkey club sandwich or tuna melt with French fries; or an entire pepperoni pizza Dinner Spicy chicken fettuccine with a cream-based sauce and bread Snacks A bag of Doritos with ranch dressing Beverages Gallons of Pepsi and multiple cups of coffee with two sugars each

Breakfast Scrambled egg whites with a side of fruit Lunch A turkey burger (without cheese), steamed broccoli, and a green salad with balsamic vinegar Dinner Grilled chicken breast, a steamed green vegetable, and a green salad with balsamic vinegar Snacks An apple, a handful of grapes, or a sugar-free popsicle Beverages At least 64 ounces of water a day

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Drew Carey’s Fitness Formula
So how did he do it? Hard work. Drew Carey’s new workout regimen consists of a cardio and strength-training mix, resulting in six days of exercise nearly every week. Here’s an inside look at Carey’s routine from the last week of August.

Monday
Type: Bike, treadmill, swimming, water jogging or elliptical
Time: 45 mins

Tuesday
Type: Bike, treadmill, swimming, water jogging or elliptical
Time: Three 15-minute intervals

Wednesday
Type: Bike, treadmill, swimming, water jogging or elliptical, plus weights
Time: 30 mins, plus time with weights

Thursday
Type: Bike, treadmill, swimming, water jogging or elliptical
Time: 45 – 60 mins

Friday
Type: Bike, treadmill, swimming, water jogging or elliptical, plus weights
Time: 30 mins, plus time with weights

Saturday
Type: Long, slow distance jogging/running
Distance: 7 km

Sunday
A well-deserved day off!

Source

Interesting

Some interesting photos I've seen lately.

Poster

Going Through The Motions in My Own Little World

I sometimes think that I am self absorbed, "population me". I talk to a friend and only half listen, interjecting what's going on in my life (because that's way more important) and not really paying attention to what's going on in theirs. I pride myself on being a good listener (unless I'm so absorbed into something and not paying attention), so this is difficult for me to admit.

I heard this song, "My Own Little World" by Matthew West, and thought, that's how I feel sometimes. The world revolves around me, and all I have to do is look up and help the person standing next to me and it won't just be about me..."my own little world is not about me."

This song ties in a bit to my previous post "Damaged goods - what will you become?" Listen to the chorus of the song, "What if there's a bigger picture? What if I'm missing out? What if there's a greater purpose that I could be livin' right now? Outside my own little world."

Matthew West "My Own Little World"

Matthew West is a great artist, I highly recommend his music. Another song that often convicts me, which ties into being self-absorbed, is The Motions. The song talks about just living your life and the routine of things, not feeling anything (emotionless), "'Cuz just okay's not enough, help me fight through the nothingness of this life." Listen to the chorus: "I don't wanna go through the motions, I don't wanna go one more day without your all consuming passion inside of me. I don't wanna spend my whole life asking what if I given everything, instead of going through the motions."

"The Motions"

I apologize, I had problems embedding the videoes.

Damaged Goods - what will you become?

I'm borrowing part of my title from this devotion from Proverbs 31 ministry. It's over a week old, but I just read this last night and it really stuck with me. The message in this devotion is really good and a small bit of it can relate to my nephew's blog post about Support Your Troops. Quoting from the Proverbs 31 devo, "Look around you. Is there someone in your life, your family or your church that you consider "damaged goods"? Don't miss an opportunity to reach out to them, to love them. You just might find a friendship that is good...and sweet."

Anyway, what stuck with me, from this devo, was the part about not living the life I dreamed of as a kid. This message was also repeated at our church last night, when a missionary from Gabon Africa spoke about her calling and when she knew that she had to go into the mission field. I'll get into more detail momentarily.

I don't normally talk about my faith, I kind of keep it to myself - afraid you'll judge me, call me a Bible thumper or something like that - but I'm going to step out in faith and hope that you'll still keep reading, despite if I get preachy. I don't mean to be, and if you know me, you know it's not like me to be preachy.

Back on topic... The message at church was that this girl felt God was calling her in high school, to go into missions. When it was time for college, she knew she had to do something to make a difference. I'm not exactly what kind of doctor she is, but she's at the Bongolo Hospital in Gabon, Africa (as I mentioned earlier), serving God as He called her to do when she was younger.

I often think about what I was called to do. I grew up in a Christian Reformed Church (CRC) and they have an all girls group that was called Calvinettes. I believe I was in 6th grade when they decided to pair us up with an adult to be kind of our mentor, friend, whatever it was called. My mentor was a woman at our church who did the Sign Language for one deaf lady, which I thought was really cool.

I used to help out in nursery and I always felt bad because I could not communicate with the deaf mother when she came to pick up her daughter. She was hard to understand and I felt I had to talk slow and loud (cause that helps, right?), so she could understand me.

Anyway, by the time I went to college, I knew I wanted to work with the disabled, afterall, I had worked 7 years at a residential facility for the handicapped and loved my work. Special Ed was my declared major going into school. Part of the reason I chose the school I went to was because their education program put me in the classroom one day a week as a teacher aid...I hated it! I was in a regular classroom of 30 kindergartners...I just wanted to play with them and could not teach them how to write the letter B - I mean it's really not that hard, is it? Well, obviously, I realized that I did not have the patience for teaching. I changed my major to computer programming - figuring there's good money there...you really need some serious math skills there - something I lacked. I went one semester undeclared, then transferred schools to go into Speech Pathology. I didn't do very well in Phoenetics, and really the only reason I went into Speech Pathology was because I could take Sign Language 1 & 2, that was the right reason, wasn't it? Needless to say, I changed my major again, to English, which is what I ultimately got my degree in.

After graduating from college, I moved half way across the country to IL, from NJ, in case you didn't already know that.

After getting a job as an editorial assistant/production editor, I realized I wanted to do more than just rewrite press releases, so I changed jobs, where I would have the opportunity to write more articles. I was there for 1.5 years when I began to reconsider my career choice, sign language always coming to the forefront of my mind. September 2000, I was registered for classes at Harper College for Sign Language. I took 3 semesters of classes - although in October 2000, my now husband, proposed. I took 2 classes in the Spring semester, then the wedding in July and I never went back.

A year ago I was unemployed and considering going back to school for Special Ed again. But, again, Sign Language kept coming up. My sister asked me, what will make you happy? I remember when I was taking Sign Language classes, I was happy. I still catch myself signing sometimes. I know I still remember a bunch of stuff. Weird thing is, I'll be in my car, listening to the radio and I'll just start trying to sign the song on the radio, same thing happens at church (although I don't do full hand motions, but you can see my hands moving ever so slightly - I mean, I don't want to draw attention to myself). :)

Early last week on the KLove morning show, Lisa (one of the DJs) was talking about how in her daughter's dance class there is a deaf mom, if she hadn't taken some sign language classes, she would not be able to talk to this other mother. How learning sign language opened this door for her and how she doesn't have to alienate this mother because she can communicate with her.

So, to tie it all together, the devo, the sermon and the message on the radio continue to convict me that I am not doing what I was called to do. What were you called to do? Or, the more secular question, which applies no matter how old you are: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Some verses from last night's sermon:
I Peter 2:9: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Matthew 4:16: the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."

Matthew 4:23: Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Matthew 4:23 is what the mission of the Bongolo Hospital is - to follow and do as Jesus did in this verse.

Get Running

So, I weighed myself this a.m. and I was 188.2. I know you're not supposed to weigh yourself every day 'cause your weight fluctuates so much. So, I need to figure out what day of the week I'm going to weigh in. Maybe Friday, before the weekend weight gain and after I've had a chance to work it off? :)

I picked up this app, Get Running, for my iPod - it was only $0.99 - I haven't gotten any app for more than that on my iPod...what can I say, I'm cheap. Looks like a good app, reviews are good. I'll keep you posted.

Now I need to get running shoes and to figure out what days I want to run. I figured until I get that all figured out, I'll at least start walking, like they suggest at Get Running's website. Walk briskly for 30 minutes - I can do that! Taz will love it too.

One of these next posts will be a list of my goals. Like I pointed out in yesterday's post, my nephew has a blog and he has a post about goals, which got me thinking about what my goals are. So, they're not all exercise related, but you're going to hear them all anyway. Until next time.

Update - 3.5 months too late?

So, it's been about 3.5 months since my last post. Sorry.

I've been hearing a lot about this C25K (Couch to 5K) and my nephew now has a blog about running (you really should check it out). A few friends, earlier this year, trained and ran a 5K. I'm really starting to consider running. My golden retriever would love it. The app, C25K, is only $2.99 in the iTunes Store - it allows you to listen to your own music and gives audio prompts when it's time to change...perfect! You can't go wrong with something like that. First, according to my nephew, is to get a good pair of running shoes - they can be over $100, but shoes are important.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted.

My weight, yesterday, was 187.4. I certainly need to do something. I need to take a picture of myself in tight clothes - you know how people who want to lose weight always take pictures of themselves in baggy clothes to hide, well, I just hate that. I'm going to take a pic of myself in tight clothes and watch my progress as those clothes get too big.