The 2007 FAT GUT Challenge

Here's a picture of Norm during the Super Bowl, so as you would expect, the boys (pathetically) have returned to their slothful, hedonistic, chip snacking, cookie crunching... oh, never mind.

They traded their good health & fitness for doughnuts and chocolate. They surrendered weight loss for weight gain. In short, both of them gained back their bellies. And so the need for a new challenge.
The 2007 FAT GUT Challenge.

If you saw them on the water this past summer, they resembled princes of Poseidon - taught muscles and hard abs. Things have changed since then. Norm has ballooned to almost 10 pounds heavier than he was at Door County last year, and put on 2 inches of disgusting fat around his middle. Dave is no better. He tipped the scales at 205 pounds this winter.

Because Norm has no possible chance of beating Dave in a fair fight, we separated them into their own personal challenges. So rather than competing against each other, they set their own goals and are competing against themselves.

On this site, we've separated their stories into individual sections. Follow their progress as they stive to reach their goals. You can add your comments in the Submit Your Own Blurb section below.

...but once a car swerved to miss Norm crossing the street, and ran out of gas before it got around him. When Norm steps on the scale it says...'to be continued'. At his weight, the only thing that's attracted to him is gravity. The picture on his drivers license says 'continued on back'. Norm is so fat that he's half Irish, half Scot, and half German. He once was diagnosed with that flesh-eating virus and his doctor gave him three years to live. He's been turned down by Weight Watchers three times. During his former career at the local community college, Norm was offered a Chair of Philosophy . . . until they found out that he needed a sofa!

And Dave, he's another story. Dave auditioned for a part in Raiders of the Lost Ark and got the part of the big rolling ball. NASA wants to use him to plug the hole in the ozone layer. When Dave opens the fridge it says "I give up..." After God created Dave, he rested on the seventh day...He had to. When he goes to the movies, he sits by everyone. And Richard Simmons can't stop laughing. But Dave is polite. The other day he gave up his seat on the bus to five ladies. Here's Dave after the game.

Norm's challenge statement is, "I will try to achieve my goal by following the Body-for-Life Challenge."

The Body-for-LIFE Challenge is a 12-week healthy living contest based on the proven principles of balanced meals, strength training and cardio exercise. Participants record their progress with before and after photos.

"I will take my before photo on February 2nd," Norm states. "That will officially begin my 12 week challenge."

That being said, the challenge becomes more personal. Can a 50-some year old, in fact can Norm, transform his toad-like body into a living copy of the statue of David (except for the penis thing that statue has going for it). You may want to see your bookie today.

Here's Norm's body stats as of Jan 22, 07.
Weight: 190 lbs
Chest: 44 inches
Waist: 42 (relaxed)
Hips: 39.5
Thigh: 22.5
Body Fat Percentage 30% Rough estimate by plugging numbers into a website

To do this he must weigh 175 pounds by the time they leave. "It's tuff getting old," Dave was quoted as saying.

His stategy is to put miles on the the treadmill. After work and time with the family, he may get downstairs at nearly 10:00 PM. 35 minutes of running and a quick set of weight lifting brings his day to an end. Or is it the double Tanqueray & Tonic that brings his day to an end?

The following is a running narrative of Dave's experience as he strives to reach his goal.

Janurary 28, 2007
Dave's been pretty busy around the house. They've been stripping wallpaper, painting, and dealing with the associated mess that goes along with that kind of thing. "I've sort of hit a mini-wall with my workouts," Dave lanemnted. "I'm putting in the miles but the weight is just not coming off." He's almost decided that his Hawaii goal was a bit to ambitious. "But I'll look great for Door County," he added.

Editor's note: It's funny, the pounds seemed to fly off when Dave was in the BMI Challenge with Norm last year. Hmmmm.

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Week 1: It looks like Dave won week 1, losing a whopping 7 pounds and an entire point off his BMI! Norm only lost a pound which translates into only .2 of his BMI. It looks like a battle between the tortoise and the hare - and we all know how that race finished. . .

Week 2: Dave increased his lead again losing another 4 pounds. That's another .5 off his BMI. Norm Lost 2 pounds, which took off .3 from his BMI. If this trend continues, it looks like Dave should be an easy winner in June. Stay tuned !

Week 3: Once again, Dave pulls farther ahead. Determination and hard work paid off. That's what will win this challenge. A back injury and two major snow storms (no walking days) took a toll on Norm's quest. The good thing is, he didn't gain any of that weight back. The tortoise plods on.

Week 4: One month into the BMI Challenge, and Dave has firmly ensconced himself as the leader. The secret of his success? "I quit snacking at night," Dave reports. "There were nights that I would snack continuously from dinner to bedtime. Now, I've cut that out. Jogging four miles a night on the treadmill and a weekly tennis game help shed the pounds." Norm's excuse for his less-than-stellar start? "Chris and I were already eating a healthy diet," Norm states. "There's really no change I could make in my eating habits to cause weight loss. Plus, I'm running a psychological race - giving Dave a false sense of security. He'll start feeling bad because he is winning so easily, and he'll back off. Just as Dave's program hits a plateau, I'll come roaring by." So that's it folks. It's too early for anyone to claim victory. There's still 11 weeks to go.

Week 5: Or should we call it weak 5? That's all Norm's performance could be called. He gained a full pound back. Dave's plan to fatten Norm up during his visit to Minnesota must have paid off. However, a closer inspection of Norm's performance may be warranted. According to the tape measure, not only has Norm lost nearly two inches off his waist, he has gained 3/4 inch on either thigh, 1/4 per calf, and 1/4 per bicep. All those miles on the road and that weight training is building mass in his large muscles. The result is a nearly zero weight loss over-all. While all that sounds good, it doesn't help his prospects of winning the challenge. Dave, on the other hand, continues on track for the winning bottle of wine. His purging event of a week ago paid big dividends at the time, and he managed to capitalize on it by only gaining one pound back. With only ten weeks to go in the challenge, it would take a miracle to derail Dave's juggernaut to a well earned victory.

Week 6: Could it be that Norm got his metabolism ramped up enough to finally show a significant weight loss in one week? We asked Norm what he did different. "There's comes a specific hour in the evening when a cultured gentleman traditionally partakes of a strengthening cocktail. I cut back on that activity this week, and voila', three pounds disappeared." Lifestyle change, eh? "Oh, I got my allotment of malts and distillates this weekend," he added. "Let's not get crazy with this thing!" But a loss of three pounds barely made a dent in Dave's lead. He lost another two pounds. "I'm running almost six miles, three times a week," Dave explained, "And with the tennis, I'm staying highly motivated." All these two have to do now is stay the course for another nine weeks. There will be no losers, only winners!

Week 7: Two weeks in a row, Norm showed decent weight loss. Three pounds last week and four pounds this week. "I've been on the bike almost every night this week," explained Norm. "And yesterday I rode 26 miles. It was crazy. I just kept riding. As long as the rain stays away, I'll be able to continue." Again, four pounds weight loss is great for Norm's personal BMI, but hardly a major in-road to Dave's commanding lead. "I was a little worried this week," Dave said. "But I'm still pleased with the progress I'm making." Dave's lead at the half-way point is twice Norm's BMI loss. With just eight weeks to go, the question is, can Norm catch up? Don't change that dial!

Week 8: Another week gone by, another two pounds off Norm, and another four pounds off Dave. The day is rapidly approaching when victory for Norm will be physically impossible. Norm's response? "If that happens, rather than a competition with Dave, I'll be competing with myself . . . with my personal goals." He added, "But maybe I should start looking around for a good wine shop." The only hope for Norm will be Dave's scheduled cosmetic appendectomy. We all wish him well with that.

Week 9: Both Norm and Dave lost a pound this week. Dave is wearing his old jeans and Norm has cinched in his belt two notches. Although Dave's lead seems insurmountable, both combatants have agreed to press on to the end. When Dave comes to the Cities in May, they may get a look at the competition-a preview of the Door County showdown. The boat should be in the water by then, so maybe Norm can pack a few pounds of beer into Dave.

Week 10: Ten weeks of this madness, and it's not over yet! There's still five full weeks until the weigh-in. Physically, Dave is in the rocking chair. All he has to do is maintain. Norm has what appears to be an insurmountable obstacle in front of him. Dave has put in the miles, ignored his cravings, and deserves the victory. However, a couple of good back-to-back weeks for Norm, and things could get dicey again. That's why they call it a challenge.

Week 11: Dave and Norm both lost two pounds this week. Their Sunday morning phone conversation went something like this . . .

Dave: "Ohmygod Norm, my butt used to look so fat in those old slacks. Now, I can't even wear them. They're just too big."

Norm: "I hear you, my friend. Remember last summer, those swim trunks I wore. Now I'd have to tie a rope around my waist just to keep them up." (They both snicker)

Dave: "Every morning I spend hours in front of the mirror deciding what to wear."

Norm: "You too?"

Dave: "You know Norm, we are going to look soooooooo good at Door County this summer, the wives won't recognize us."

Norm: "Yeah. Won't we look great. But you've done so much better than I have. You'll be hanging around with Lauren. You guys guys won't pay any attention to me." (Norm pouts)

Dave: "It won't be like that, Norm. We'll pay attention to you. I promise."

So there you have it folks. Even though Norm's chances of winning this are close to the Hindenburg's chance of a safe landing in New Jersey, Dave and Norm still encourage each other to press on.

Week 12: Boats, beer, bikini clad babes (meaning Pat), and brownies added up to a bad BMI for Dave. He gained two pounds this week. Meanwhile, Norm lost another pound. Little does it matter, though. To lose this one, Dave would have to go on a binge of biblical proportion. There's not enough deep dish in the entire city of Chicago to make a difference. Godfather's stock would go through the roof before it would make a difference. The cows could come home and be gone again before Dave could blow this lead. So Dave, eat up. This Bud's for you!

Week 13: It's too close to the final weigh-in to post the data here. You will have to wait until Door County to see the final results. But preliminary reports suggest that both Dave and Norm are listening the Sirens of the Seas, and indulging in women and drink. (Their respective wives, of course.) Boating and booze have taken a toll on the BMI challenge. All interested parties will have to be in attendance at the Door County weigh-in to see the results . . .