Hack to Hero: The Journey Takes Shape

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'd first like to start by sincerely apologizing for keeping you folks out of the loop for so long -- the last 10-12 days have been incredibly busy for Heather and I and I am just now getting time to get back where I belong -- behind a keyboard.

Despite my lack of communication with you, I have been making slow but steady progress in my journey to Erin Hills and, God willing, the 2017 U.S. Open. The last two weeks may have been busy, but they've also been quite exciting.

First, I'd like to announce that I have partnered with a "wellness guru" named John Murphy to help me me achieve my goals. There will be plenty more on and from John in the near future on this blog and from me.

One thing you will see in the very near future is that John is the perfect match for me and my journey for a number of reasons, but none more important than the transformation he made himself a couple short years ago.

Second, Heather and I have both been doing extensive research looking for the best diet/nutrition plan for us and believe we have found our book -- "The All-Day Fat-Burning Diet" by Yuri Elkaim -- to follow.

Honestly, I haven't done too much of the reading -- yet -- but Heather has already seen results and enjoys the judgement free attitude and leisurely pace at which Elkaim allows you to go. For my journey, obviously, there isn't much time -- but there is some.

This may sound silly, but considering that changing my body is almost a secondary goal, I'm admittedly more concerned about my golf game than my body. Seeing pros like Jason Dufner and Carl Pettersson go through quick, extreme changes in their physique and subsequently struggle mightily with their games soon there after.

I, obviously, do not have the luxury of ending up in this situation, so I'm more than content for the body transformation to be more gradual than abrupt.

So far, it's been a little more than three full weeks since I began this journey and I've already lost three pounds -- not a lot, but it's a good start. I've only played one round of golf (living in New England is tough) but have spent hours practicing my putting in the apartment! So at least I'm doing something.

And since I've lost a little weight already, I wanted to make sure ya'll have a reference point at the end of this journey, so below I've included -- reluctantly -- the ubiquitous "before" bathroom selfie photo. Not that I'm ashamed of my body, but I feel bad that you have to look at it:

Sorry about that...

Until next time, duffers!

-Matt

This was not where I played on Sunday....Unfortunately 

Hey all!

I know in the last blog I promised you an update last Thursday. Unfortunately for the sake of the blog, I was quite busy this weekend and unable to get in front of my laptop for more than a few seconds at a time.

That being said, I’m back with an update – And I’ve found more than a few hurdles that I am not only going to need to clear if I’m going to succeed in my goal, but may very well need your help in doing. First, however, here’s a look at my vitals for the day:

Weight: 250 lbs.

Diet:

-          4 eggs, cheese and ketchup

-          16oz Orange Juice

-          Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

-          11 Home-made chicken nuggets, Honey mustard sauce

-          1 20oz Sprite Soda

-          4 20oz bottle of Spring Water

-          1 box of Mike & Ike candy

-          12oz whole milk

-          3 “Back to Nature” Thin Mint cookies

Exercise:

-          3 sets each: planks, 20 jumping jacks, 20 crunches

Golf:

-          None today, but had arguably the most satisfying 82 of my life on Sunday afternoon (I’ll get into that soon)

Obviously, there’s already some visible progress being made! I’ve dropped an LB on the scale and actually got to play 18 holes of golf. Knowing that I live in Western Massachusetts and its January, that in and of itself is a bit of a miracle. It was 58 and sunny on Sunday this year; last year it was 7. So there ya go.

I played Oak Ridge Country Club in Agawam and, as you might imagine, conditions were less than ideal. Having not swung the wrenches in about two months, it was just nice to get out there and make some swings. An 82 is in no way a good score, but it felt much more like a 74. Consider the two three-putts, inconsistent firmness of the greens and a couple of really, really bad bounces on the frozen greens and it was a pretty good day.

My goals for the 2016 season was to work on two things: Hitting greens and making putts. On Sunday, I hit my share of greens (not nearly enough, but great for the year’s first round) and made every comebacker I left myself on the afternoon.

What became evident was that I have a lot of work to do when it comes to dealing with on-course issues and bad breaks. I need to learn to be more like Tom Watson and less like Greg Norman. So, like I said last week, if any of you know a good head doctor, feel free to point me in their direction…

Off the course there was plenty I learned, too. Like, that dieting is going to be a real bitch if I keep caving to cravings. I’ve added salads to my diet (which, for anyone who knew/knows me knows is a very recent addition. I had never eaten an entire salad until this January) and cut out my No. 1 vice, Coca-Cola, almost completely from my diet in the last three months, opting instead for diet soda and the occasional Sprite. Those two items will be the next to be systematically eliminated from regular consumption.

Tomorrow and Wednesday will present my biggest issues – Moe’s Southwest Grill and Cozy Corner Pizza being readily available during my lunch break. I have GOT to stop eating entire pizza’s and cups of Moe’s queso every time I have the chance. It’s just not healthy let alone conducive to my succeeding in this mission.

Unfortunately, will power has never been one of my strong points and this will continue to be an issue throughout the journey if I’m not careful. Again, if anyone knows that head doctor….

If you haven’t checked it out yet, I spent a portion of my Sunday talking to great, Adam Fonseca at GolfUnfiltered.com for a podcast about my journey. If you’ve got a spare 45 minutes, give it a listen!

If you have any recipes, exercises or information that has helped you and might help me, I’m open to it – this is a community project for all you golf nerds like me, I just happen to be (and am honored to be) the lab rat. You can message me on Twitter @HacktoHero27 or via email at hacktohero@gmail.com.

Come back late this week for more, and a detailed look at my week and progress.

As always, thanks again for following along!

-Matt