Update: Jan. 21 - Jan. 31 (Hunger Games)

The first 10 days of this challenge have been interesting. I haven't had many PGA TOUR shifts so it's difficult to see just how seriously everyone is taking this. But after reading Rob Bolton's latest One-and-Done article, I have more motivation:



#NoDaysOff is basically what I took from that. I'm mainly joking but this did somewhat implement a sense of resistance when seeing some new groceries arrive in our snack basket at my house. Since the Hunger Games started I have not eaten any snacks aside from a granola bar and one bag of Little Bites blueberry muffins.

There were rumors circulating that Chris Dunham had eaten less than 1,000 calories for the past two days to which D.J. Piehowski replied, "Yeah there's no way he can sustain that." I have been eating about 1,200 calories since the competition began. I have also been hitting the exercise bike most days. I have burned 3,942 calories using the bike alone for the first 10 days. That's an average of 394.2 calories burned per day.

When I've eaten out, I have pretty much only eaten at Panera and Whole Foods. Panera lists the amount of calories through their website and I've been ordering online a lot which makes it very easy to see and keep track of the total calories per meal.

When not at home, my mother has made healthier options for me to eat.

I am confident that I've already lost at least 10 pounds and know that when the group sees my weight loss during the second weigh-in, they will step their game up even more. It seems like everyone is already taking it more seriously than I thought they would so this is why I'm worried about the ethics. It sucks eating just lunch and dinner and working out when I can but it surely isn't torture.

The Hunger Games Begin: Intro, prep and mindset

The "Hunger Games" is a weight-loss competition amongst PGATOUR.COM staffers that lasts about two months (Jan. 21 - March 16). 

There are seven people involved and whoever loses the most weight (percentage wise) in that time period will win $100 from each of the six losers ($600 total). As soon as I realized money was involved, I questioned the ethics of this challenge to which Mrs. Detlefsen (one of the staffers) replied, "Well we did this last year!"

Chris Dunham and Bryan Mullen made jokes about "bulking up" prior to the challenge but I thought they were kidding. I'm pretty sure they weren't. I decided to eat unhealthy on the day leading up to the challenge. I had two jalapeno burgers and a small fry from McDonalds for lunch. For dinner I really piled it on by eating a giant plate of spaghetti. I added extra cheese and extra butter to the noodles and washed it down with four beers. Just looking at those pictures makes me want to wave the white flag and quit right now.

The morning of the first weigh-in I had another big plate of spaghetti at about 8:45 a.m. and chugged water during the 30-minute drive to PGA TOUR Headquarters. 

I think I gained four pounds within the past 24 hours because for the first weigh-in I clocked in at 204.6 pounds. ....

And so the Hunger Games begin and the odds are ever in my favor. I have a few advantages as well as disadvantages in this new Weight Loss Challenge for PGATOUR.COM staffers.

Advantages:

• $600 means more to me than it does to the other staffers
• I am younger (by at least five years) than the others so it should be easier for me to lose weight
• I have lost 40 pounds before so I know what it takes
• I get motivated by the smallest things, so when there's a big initiative, it's easier to focus

Disadvantages:

• I do not have a lot of time to work out
• I do not have the most weight to lose
• I am taking a vacation for the three days leading up to the final weigh-in
• To meet my girlfriend's dad
• He likes to drink
• Therefore I'll have to drink
• Therefore I'll have to lose more weight earlier
• Therefore it'll motivate the others to lose more after that first weigh-in