And the Results are In!!

Yes indeed, a picture is worth a thousand words. But, I think I'll add a few extra words to this picture to try to fully explain its' significance.
If you've checked out the blog belonging to Mr. Stover, you'll know that he weighed in today and posted at 236 pounds. Yes, that's right, I lost 48 pounds and he lost 49. Therefore, I admit, HE IS THE BIGGEST LOSER I KNOW.
But, lest he be allowed to gloat over this "victory" of sorts, allow me to further explain the situation at hand:

1) In the Fall of 2005, we both were accepted with Baptist World Missions as missionaries. 16 months later to the very day, our support was raised and we were preparing to head to the field. 3 months after we began serving the Lord on foreign soil, Mr. Stover finished raising his support (which is a lower amount than ours), and made it to Poland.
**Round 1 goes to the Joneses (Technically it was round 1 and 2 but I'm not counting the actual process of getting approved by BWM.)

2) I have more kids than you.

**Round 2--Joneses again

3) I have more supporting churches than Mr. Stover.

**Round 3--Joneses, no question.

4) I got married while you were still trying to convince Ginger that you were worth it.

**Round 4--Mine again.

5) We raised more funds for our O and P than you ever dreamed.

**Round 5--Still the Joneses

6) I was motivated to lose weight long before you ever realized your obesity. I play golf better than you too. And you've got a fat round head.

**Round 6--No contention

7) Finally, after all this time, you won something. Yes indeed, after three months of competition you beat me by ONE POUND. I'll not make mention of your shady trip to America and your medical condition that you were aware of before we started the competition. I'll not make mention of the scale at the Doctors office in Bangkok that said I was over 290 pounds just before we began our competition. I'll not make mention of the fact that if my scale hadn't have broken, I would have beaten you by 10 pounds easy.

8) My blogs are wittier and funnier than yours.

Round 8-100: Matt Jones for sure.

SO, in conclusion, CONGRATULATIONS!!!! You beat me by 16 ounces. Yes, I drank a 16 ounce glass of water and therefore you won. You have every reason to rejoice. WOW, what a champ. You worked out 6 days a week, didn't eat for three days and shaved your legs just to end up 16 OUNCES lower than me. I concede, you've won ROUND 7.
So, in a boxing match you can win your one round but you're still the BIGGEST MISSIONARY LOSER in the end.

Thanks to everyone who kept up with this saga. We've had a great time doing this. I feel great, I look, well, better at least. Like Jason, I thank my wife who one night looked at me while I was laying in bed without my shirt and said "WOW, what's that laying beside you?" She was referring to my stomach. Needless to say, I found great motivation in her words.

Thanks to Jason who made losing weight fun. Lord willing, we'll keep the weight off and live longer than our 50's now.

Also, thanks to Caleb and Brady. If it weren't for them watching their daddy lose all the time, Jason might not have been motivated to lose this much weight.

Who's the new guy?

SO, maybe I don't look totally different than I used to, but I think it's a pretty big change. Speaking of pretty big changes, we have made our move to Surin and have our address here now. If anyone wants to send something, please take note of our new address

Matt Jones

P.O. Box 4

Amper Muang

Surin, 32000

Thailand

For now our phone number is still the same.
Keep an eye on the blog later this weekend. I'll be posting my total weight loss soon . . . .

WHO'S THE LOSER NOW????

So here we are the day after my leg of the competition ended. WOW! I celebrated this morning by having chocolate chip pancakes. Oh man, five chocolate chip pancakes can do a lot for your disposition. For lunch, it's pizza and for supper Courtney is making meatloaf, mashed potatoes, homemade bread and a bunch of other stuff. It's going to be a good day for sure. At least for me, maybe not for Mr. Stover who has 11 more days to anguish in the pangs of diet-hood.

So, on to more important matters.

How much weight did I lose in the past 3 months? Well, as I've meditated on this day for quite a while now, I've concluded that this is the best way to handle this situation . . .

I'm not telling how much I lost.

It would be a shame if Mr. Stover found out that he was just a couple pounds away from beating me and then decided to fast for a couple days to lower his weight quickly and win. So, my plan is to post my weight the morning after Mr. Stover concludes his diet on the 22nd. That way, we can announce our weight the same day and Jason is FORCED TO CARRY ON IN HUNGER FOR 11 MORE DAYS! My wife verified my weight today and took pictures of the scale. I'm emailing that picture to a pastor friend in America for proof that he received them on the 11th. That way when Mr. Stover loses, he can't cry "FOUL."

Also, we've never really talked much about awards for the winner of the competition but I've given that some thought too. I'm calling Mr. Stover out. If he's man enough, he'll accept the following conditions: If I lose, I will drink no Carbonated Beverages and no Dunkin Donuts for THREE MORE MONTHS. IF he loses, he can't drink any carbonated beverages or EAT POLISH DONUTS for three more months.
Check out his blog and send him a message. Tell him if he's man enough, he'll accept these conditions. http://www.stoversinpoland.blogspot.com/

So, check back in a few days because I'm going to post some pictures of before and after.
Thanks to all who have kept a regular check on our progress.

Is it over yet??

Yes indeed, we're down to the wire. I officially began my diet on Tuesday, March 11, 2008. That's just three days from now. It's amazing that in just a few short "EXTREMELY LONG" months that my lifestyle could change so much. I haven't had a Coke of any sort, that means NO MT. DEW and no sweet tea for a long time now. I've lost a good bit of weight and I feel a lot better. My uncle commented that I look like I'm 19 again. I think I had more hair back then.
So, I've been running a lot. I never thought the day would come when I would enjoy running. Before this diet I had never run more than 2 minutes at a time EVER. Last night I ran 19 minutes straight at 8.7 kilometers an hour which was 3 kilometers. That's a mile and a half roughly. Crazy. I've been doing 5 Km recently and that's about 37 minutes.
So, we're coming up on the big day but the problem is that Mr. Stover gets an extra 12 days to lose weight because he started after I did. So, I don't want to ruin his motivation by announcing my weight right now. In other words, I've got three more days and then I'll make my announcement to the world. Check back on Wednesday for final results for me.
I am making a formal challenge to Mr. Stover. DISIRREGAURDLESS--that's good Tennessee talk--DISIRREGAURDLESS of who loses the most weight, I'm challenging him to maintain the weight loss and post again on DECEMBER 30, 2008.
Any one can lose a little weight but it takes a person with CHARACTER to KEEP IT OFF. Check out his blog at http://www.stoversinpoland.blogspot.com/ and challenge him to try to keep the weight off for another 6 months.

Where Have I Been?

So, here I am sitting in Surin, Thailand, my new home.
I do deeply apologize for not posting my blog on this past Saturday. I ask for the forgiveness of everyone but Mr. Stover.
I was unable to post for the past few days because I had to take an EMERGENCY trip to Cheeseburgerville in the foreign country of Sissyanopia. I had to make some quick decisions to get some much needed treatment for an infected hair follicle. I think I'm better now and the good news is that my trip only raised my fellow missionaries' insurance premiums by 40%!! How exciting.
So, a couple weeks ago I made a claim that was bold and daring, much like Mr. Stover's hairstyle. I claimed that I would break the 250 pound or not drink a Pepsi for 4 months. That week I elected to not post out of respect for my nemesis and good friend, Mr. Stover who was very sick and on his way to Sissyanopia, uh oops, I mean America. That week, I did break the 240's and made it to 248.
Since that time, I've been celebrating and eating too much. Hey, it isn't like the competition is that tough.

So, here's the breakdown: 247 pounds on this past Saturday.
No Cokes or sweet tea for nearly three months.
Not much exercise either but I'm joining a workout place tomorrow here in Surin. I'm already making plans to shave my head and go on a 5 day fast to lose a lot of weight at the end. The big problem is that if Mr. Stover shaves his feet and back, he'll drop 20 pounds easy overnight.

Next week, IT ENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!