Tag Archives: FIGHT FOR FIT CHALLENGE

The FIGHT FOR THE FIT CHALLENGE is old news.  It's time for a fresh new contest, and an easy way for you to win a FREE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND SHIRT!  It's time for ORB IN ACTION!!

Just e-mail yours truly (andyphyman@gmail.com) a picture of yourself (or you and your friends) wearing an Original Retro Brand shirt at work or play, with a brief description of what you do for a living and/or what you love to do for fun while sporting your Original Retro Brand gear.  We'll post your picture and description on this blog when we receive, and on the Original Retro Brand Facebook Fan page. The Original Retro Brand Staff will choose the photo/description each week, that they believe best represents the spirit of the Original Retro Brand Fan, and the person who sent in the photo will win a FREE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND t-shirt!  Meet the judges....

Kat (Texas shirt) is shown here in a behind the scenes shot at an ORB photo shoot.  She is the west coast, and international sales rep (Shoot location: Santa Monica).

Justin and Danny make up our art department team.  They create all the art that goes onto every ORB tee. Justin is wearing a Toronto St. Pats shirt, and Danny is wearing the Cuban baseball shirt (Shoot location: The ORB office in downtown Los Angeles).

I will be judging as well, but you've seen enough pictures of me already.  I will show you this picture that I took walking over the bridge on Interstate 75 in Atlanta, on my way to the Georgia Tech-Wake Forest game because I just thought it was cool.

I was able to get a few shots of some folks at work and play wearing Original Retro Brand before the game at the legendary Steamhouse Lounge, and while I was at the game.  Check em out....

The beautiful bartender from the Steamhouse is Sarah, and she is a rabid Yellow Jacket fan.  She took a minute to step out from behind the bar and hang with Hunt (with hat) Archbold on the sunny outdoor deck.  Hunt writes a weekly sports column for the Atlanta newspaper, The Sunday Paper.  The two lovely coeds pictured above right are Angela Lyman (left), and Liz Byars (right), both doing the Original Retro Brand justice amidst the sold out crowd at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

So remember to send your picture with your best description to andyphyman@gmail.com to enter the contest.  A new winner will be announced every Monday through Christmas Eve.  We will then take all the winners, and pick the overall best picture for our grand prize winner and announce on New Year's Day.  The Grand Prize will be your choice of 4 Original Retro Brand t-shirts.  Also remember to stay updated on all that is Original Retro Brand by following us on Twitter and Facebook.  Can't wait to see your submissions and good luck!

It's Halloween.  It's over.  Last photo of my scale and my stanky toes has been taken.  3 months ago I had my official mid-life crisis moment after my wifes' cousin Carter thoroughly kicked my arse in basketball, and the reality of how grotesquely fat and out of shape I was hit me like a tornado.   (http://originalretrobrand.com/blog/?p=502)  It truly was a defining moment in my life.

I was in a hurry to get to the gym that fateful night, and quickly grabbed the shirt I would change into when I got there out of my closet.   I was disgusted when I put on my favorite Original Retro Brand Georgia Bulldogs shirt.  It was not nice and loose like when I purchased it 4 years earlier.  It was a chore to get it on my blubbery, pear shaped, obese frame, and I could barely breathe it was so tight....of course I could barely breathe after Carter ran around, over, behind, upside down, and everywhere else in crushing me on the basketball court.

That was it.  I wanted my life back.  For my son, for my wife, and for my BULLDOGS SHIRT!   I decided I would mix business with pleasure to help motivate myself back into shape.  Thus the "Fight For the Fit Challenge" was born.   So with my bosses blessing, and as most of you reading this know, a FREE Original Retro Brand shirt was given out the past 13 weeks to the customer who came closest to guessing my weight.   My goal was to lose 30 lbs in 3 months.  244 down to 214.   I figured putting myself in front of an audience would motivate me (and my stomach) to not embarrass myself by not losing the weight.   I also wanted people to know how strongly I do believe in the product I REALLY DO WEAR AND LOVE (I think I have about 150 Original Retro Brand shirts in my closet and that is not enough!).  I ran, played basketball, baseball, soccer, lifted weights, and even swam in my Original Retro Brand shirts the past 3 months, and they did not shrink, nor did the logo's fade after dozens of spin cycles.   They remain as soft and as comfortable as when I originally got them.    And now they fit me again....

Yes, I am proud to say that while I did not lose all 30lbs, I did see the scale say 219 lbs, and that is a sight I have not seen in 27 years.

And after I EAT A FEAST OF FAST FOOD today, and overdose on my sons Halloween candy, I fully intend of getting back in the gym and losing that last pesky 5lbs.   I've had brief (very brief) moments of losing 5-10lbs in the past, and have always gained them back quickly and then some.   I guess I am like any addict when it comes to food, and realize I could always overdose at any time.   This time, however, I really think I can make it last.  I feel better, have more energy, and enjoy playing basketball without having to call an ambulance when I'm done.  Beating Carter on occasion feels good too!

The winner of the final weigh-in has won TWO Original Retro Brand shirts and a bodybugg from 24HR Fitness ($250 value!).   As I've mentioned many times, the bodybugg is an amazing motivational tool that I used (and will continue to use) during the challenge.  The revolutionary new bodybugg makes it easy to manage the calories you consume and burn so you always stay in control of your weight.  Thanks again to 24HR Fitness for donating the bugg to me for the challenge.  Now to the final winner......There were 3 customers who guessed I would weigh in at 219lbs.  Thus I had to pick the winner from an Original Retro Brand hat. And the winner is Conor Cameron from Glenview, Illinois.  Conor was already notified, and has chosen a Georgia Tech, and a Northwestern shirt for his prizes.

Now that the contest is over, there is one important thing I must admit to.  I have been telling a lie.   NO, I really did lose 25 lbs.  No, the lie is that I've been saying that today was the last chance to win a FREE original Retro Brand tee shirt.   The truth of the matter is that the Original Retro Brand will begin a NEW
contest next Monday that will allow you an opportunity to win a FREE shirt every week AGAIN!   As long as there are 52 weeks in a year, your chance to win a FREE Original Retro Brand tee every week will be possible!   So be sure to check in next Monday, and every Monday to find out how YOU can win!

A final thanks to all of the folks who gave me words of encouragement throughout this entire process.   Thanks to Carter Deems for being my basketball buddy.  Thanks to Kevin Whitlark for his accurate cartoon renderings (onalark.com).  Thanks to the 77 people who voted for me in the poll.  And to the 20 people who voted against me?  Congratulations...you were right (except I didn't eat one twinkie the entire time.  I think I'll get one today).

$5 was donated each day of the challenge to the American Cancer Society's Relay for life. Please check them out and give if you can - I believe it's a great cause.

Where did the time go?  The Original Retro Brand FIGHT FOR THE FIT challenge that started back on August 3rd, is about to come to an end this Saturday, October 31st with my final weigh-in.  12 lucky folks have won a FREE Original Retro Brand shirt, including today's winner.  Whoever guesses my weight closest for the Halloween finale, will win a Bodybugg from 24Hr Fitness in addition to 2 Original Retro Brand shirts of their choice!

My goal of losing 30 lb's in 3 months so I could fit my Georgia Bulldogs XL Original Retro Brand shirt, and dress as an Original Retro Brand model for Halloween, will not be met I am sad to report.    I was only able to lose 1 measley lb this past week, leaving me 7.5 short with just 5 days before final weigh-in (I will not be going on a 5 day fast!).  Anybody that has battled the bulge knows that it is so extremely difficult to lose the weight, and so much easier to gain.   You bust your butt all week, and then even just one day of indulgence can tip that frickin' scale a notch against you.  I had the pleasure of working a trunk show this past Saturday with my pal Angela, and took the liberty of gorging on all of the delicacies that were offered (7 layer taco dip X 30 dips = thousands of empty calories) and that simply led into a lazy Sunday in which I will not elaborate what foodstuffs were consumed ( Egg McMuffins, pizza, chicken parm, wings, chips, and even some fruit!).

Hey, I'm not into walking the catwalk anyway.  And even though I won't reach my goal, my Georgia shirt actually does fit me well enough for me to proudly wear in public again.   I promise to give my all out this last week and break that dang 220 mark.   I haven't seen the scale say 219 or less since I was in college, and that is 27 years ago.

Before I forget, the winner for this week is Dante Samuel of Brick, New Jersey.  He has chosen an orange New York Islanders shirt - one of my personal favorites.   This is the comment he left and I couldn't agree more:  "220 is the psychological breaking point and too tough to break…..220.5"    Regardless, I am going to break that 220 barrier as my last shot at some glory!

If you are just reading this blog for the first time, why not take a shot at winning a FREE shirt from Original Retro Brand.   All you have to do is enter what you think I will weigh this coming Saturday in the Post/View comment section of this blog post.  Whoever comes closest will win (in the event of a tie, which happens frequently, names will be drawn from an Original Retro Brand hat to determine the winner).   You could also win a Bodybugg from 24HR Fitness.  The Bodybugg is an excellent motivating device which counts your calories on a daily basis, in addition to nutritional breakdowns, advice, etc., and has easily helped me lose weight during this challenge.

This will also be the last week of donating $5 a day to the American Cancer Society's Relayforlife.   It's a great cause, please check em' out if you can.  You can follow my progress (or lack of..) on Facebook and  Twitter.

It's really crunch time now, folks.   Maybe I need to do more crunches?  Maybe I reached a plateau because I really kicked butt this past week, but only lost 2lbs!!   I actually beat my nemesis, Carter, 3 games to 2 last night in hoops.  I lived on bags of frozen fruit and almonds all week, lifted weights, ran, did sit-ups, and ONLY LOST 2LBS??!!!

I even faced the ultimate temptation on Saturday, as I was assigned to cover the Georgia Tech-Virginia Tech game:  TAILGATE.   Lucky for me, I got caught up in Atlanta traffic, and arrived at the tail-end of the tailgate.  I was only able to scarf down the last remaining brat, burger & brew.

My good fortune continued as I took my seat behind the Yellow Jacket end zone.   As luck would have it, a beautiful & bubbly coed name Megan was sitting right next to me (I've been happily married to my own beautiful Georgia Tech coed for 14 years - hi honey!).   What are the odds she would be wearing an Original Retro Brand shirt?   Very good.

The odds were also in favor of Georgia Tech. They defeated # 4 ranked Virginia Tech behind 3 rushing touchdowns from quarterback Josh Nesbitt.  For the moment, my prediction for Georgia Tech to take the ACC crown (see post from September 8,) looks like genius.  On the flip side, I picked VTech to lose to Miami, and Boston College (they won both) and for them to defeat Georgia Tech (they didn't).......genius not the word.

So now I have 12 days to lose 8.5 lbs.  Can you say colonic?  I can't, and won't stoop to such drastic measures to reach my goal.  I know it doesn't look good right now, but I am still determined to play this out, and continue to work my arse off.   Maybe the scale was off today, and I'll have a 4.5 lb swing going into the last week.  If I can drop at least 4lbs, I have an outside shot at this thing.

Now to announce the winner of the FREE Original Retro Brand t-shirt for week # 12:  Chris Glavine from Novia Scotia, Canada, guessed my weight right on the money @ 222.5 lbs.   Chris has chosen the Montreal Allouettes shirt from the Canadian Football League, and we will send it out asap.

Thanks as always to 24HR Fitness for their generosity in sending me a Bodybugg for this challenge.  Don't forget that in addition to the shot at a FREE Original Retro Brand shirt every week, a Bodybugg will be given away on the last weigh-in of the challenge (10/31 - Halloween!).   $5 a day has also been donated to The American Cancer Society's Relayforlife, since the start of the "Fight For The Fit",  and will be continued until the challenge is over.  Please give if you can!

FIGHT FOR FIT FLASH:  My XL Georgia Bulldog shirt is feeling pretty comfortable and almost LOOSE!  It's been through about 50 washes, and is STILL standing strong.  Durable, soft, and comfy as ever!

73 days are in the books - only 19 days left in the Original Retro Brand FIGHT FOR THE FIT CHALLENGE.  Hang in with me just 3 more weeks!  My goal was two-fold;  firstly to get my fat a** in good physical condition after an eye opening mid-life crisis moment that occurred back in late Summer (see this post from July for details), and secondly by accomplishing step one, I could then fit comfortably into my old beloved extra-large, extra comfortable, extra durable, extra retro Georgia Bulldog Original Retro Brand shirt that used to fit just fine 4 years ago.  At the time of my mid-life crisis, it fit me like a dang sausage casing (really tight)!!

I think I've attained step one.   After dropping 3.5 more lbs this past week, I feel like I'm truly back in good physical condition.  It was 4 years ago that I actually participated in a mini - triathlon (1 mile swim, 25 mile bike ride, 6 mile run) and yes, it was the "Clydesdale" division, and yes, I came in second to last, but I did finish!   The point is I can run 3 miles a day now with my eyes closed and it feels GREAT!

Step 2 still has not been attained, however.  I may be in good physical condition, but physical SHAPE is another story.  I still have that putrid rubber tire (oh, the shame of being called the "Michelin Man," and " The Round Mound of Rebound" most of your life)!  Losing the remaining 10.5 lbs via extra cardio, serious sit-ups, push-ups, and weight room activity should deflate that tire and get me into the shape I really need to be in - Original Retro Brand shape!!    They have so MANY shirts I want!   Soon the Harlem Globetrotters, Indy 500,  Hamilton Tiger Cats, Texas Longhorns, NY Islanders, and Denver Bears will be mine....ALL MINE I TELL YOU!!

One shirt that won't be mine, will be going to the winner of this week's FREE Original Retro brand shirt....Veronica By of Katy, Texas, guessed 224.5 exactly!   She has chosen a Northwestern Wildcats shirt from the College Vault, and we will send it out immediately.  The Cats are an impressive 4-2, and hopefully the shirt will bring Katy and Northwestern good luck against a tough Michigan State team this Saturday.

As I've mentioned often in my previous posts, one of the driving motivational tools I've been using in this challenge has been the Bodybugg, donated generously by my friends at 24HR Fitness.   Remember, they have donated another Bodybugg to be given as a grand prize to the person who comes closest to guessing my weight for the final weigh-in, scheduled for Saturday, October 31, 2009 - Halloween.   I've also been donating $5 a day to the American Cancer Society's Relayforlife.  It is a great cause - please check them out.

WEEK BY WEEK FIGHT FOR FIT LOSS/GAIN RESULTS:

Week # 1 : Starting weight:  244  Weigh-In:  241.5   - 2.5

Week # 2: Starting weight:  241.5  Weigh-In: 239.50   -2

Week # 3: Starting weight:  239.50  Weigh-In: 237   -2.5

Week # 4: Starting weight:  237   Weigh-In: 235  -2

Week # 5: Starting weight: 235    Weigh-In: 233   -2

Week # 6: Starting weight: 233   Weigh- in: 229  -4

Week # 7: Starting weight: 229   Weigh-in: 232  + 3

Week # 8: Starting weight: 232   Weigh-In: 229  -3

Week # 9: Starting weight: 229   Weigh-In: 231  +2

Week # 10: Starting weight: 231  Weigh-In: 228  - 3

Week # 11: Starting weight:  228   Weigh-In: 224.5  - 3.5

Week # 12: October 19th   ?

Week # 13: October 26th   ?

week # 14: October 31st - FINAL weigh-in

I had a plan for the FIGHT FOR THE FIT CHALLENGE this past week.  Even though I would be taking my 4 year old son on a road trip from Cartersville, GA., to Rye Brook, NY  to see my cousins' daughter get Bat Mitzvah'd*,  I was going to WORK OUT every day and at least SUSTAIN my latest weight of 229lbs.    Me and my plans.  The idea of saving $500 by driving a billion miles, instead of flying, was a bad idea.  The kid's DVD player broke down, I had EXTREMELY painful neck & back spasms for 10 hours that a bottle of vicodin couldn't put a dent in, and the 3 hrs it took to drive 1 mile in torrential rainfall during rush hour from the New Jersey Turnpike over the George Washington Bridge, almost had me in tears.

Things got better for me (not the diet).  On the first night of the trip,  we crashed at my friend Sean's crib in Richmond, Virginia.   I was a beaten man upon arrival and a mouthwatering, large cheese pizza and tall iced vodka cocktail awaited me (Paul had the pizza and passed on the Vodka).    My willpower was back at the George Washington Bridge, and the imbibing began.  While Paul played gleefully with the Batman doll Sean gave him, I double-gleefully sank into the sofa, gorged on pie, and watched  Georgia Tech-Clemson/Steelers Titans; calories be damned.

Arrival at the hotel in New York meant room service.  Paul and myself  gleefully (again) spent a small fortune on all things bad for FIGHT FOR THE FIT challenge.   Let it be noted that Paul is not concerned in any way with FIGHT FOR THE FIT CHALLENGE, and I enjoyed sharing his double portion of macaroni and cheese.

Up next at the temptation table was the Bat Mitzvah celebration itself.   Fully catered, fully delicious, fully fattening.   Jewish guilt fully fulfilled.   After the crowd left, I hung with my cousin (the very man who brainwashed me to be a Georgia Bulldog fan before I ever stepped foot below the Mason-Dixon line) and picked at leftovers while watching the Georgia-South Carolina shootout.  Throw on the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet at the hotel, and the noshing during the 16 hour road trip BACK to Georgia, and you have your first FIGHT FOR THE FIT FAILURE!!!

So after finally breaking through last week, and LOSING 4lbs to get below 230 for the first time in about 20 years, I GAINED 3 OF THEM BACK!!!  That means this week's winner of the FREE Original Retro Brand shirt is Peter Schrager of New York, New York.  Peter came closest and guessed 230.   Peter has been informed, and has already made his choice - this Ole Miss beauty pictured to the right below.

As always, there is a silver lining- A BIG ONE.   I got to be with my Mom & Pop, sister & niece, brood of cousins, and many family friends who I see maybe twice a year at most if I'm lucky.   On my drive back, I had plenty of time to think about the amazing few days we had.  I would happily trade the past 4 days for 3 lbs  anytime.

I will borrow a portion of a famous line from Joe Namath, and say the following:  I will lose that blasted 3 lbs this week, and weigh in at 229 next Monday - I GUARANTEE IT!

You can follow my progress (or lack of)  on Twitter and the Original Retro Brand Fan page on Facebook.

* Bat Mitzvah -  In Judaism, it is a  Jewish girl, who has turned 13 years old (or for a girl in the Orthodox movement, 12 years old), and who has gone through a ceremony that represents acceptance of some responsibilities which symbolizes their coming of age. The terms are also commonly used to refer to the ceremony celebrating this event.