Progress Report: Week 4

This week was a pretty good week overall in terms of the goals posted last week.

1.  Drink less pop, more water - I drank about 1 pop less per day and drank far more water.  I have a container at work that holds 30oz of water and I drank at least 1 per day and drank an extra glass of water at home in addition to the 20-30oz I drink while exercising.  I plan to continue this goal through the next week as well.  Many places suggest that you should not drink pop at all, I like it too much to dump it completely, I've tried that before.  For me this is a case of enjoy in moderation.

2. Stay on track with calories - I'm still in the 1700 to 1800 calorie range most days. I had a few days of 1500 to 1600 calories.  As this is a work in progress, this goal also carries to next week.

3. Continue to exercise regularly - As predicted, this goal is pretty much money.  I actually increased the amount of some nights' exercises.  Muscle memory is a wonderful thing, I am now back up to running 4 to 5 miles on nights I run, even though I've switched to barefoot running shoes.  The increase of time is what has lead to results this week, and I plan to continue this also.

As a result, my scale was very kind to me this morning.  Weight loss this week: 3 pounds!!  This brings my total weight loss so far to 7.8 pounds!

By the numbers:

Weight loss this week:                  3 pounds

Percent lost from previous week:  1.5%

Total weight lost:                          7.8 pounds

Total percentage lost:                   3.8%

I read in a couple of places that taking fish oil also aids in weight loss as well as a host of other things including many heart healthy things.  I've started taking it on a trial basis to see if I notice any benefits they claim.  More to come later.

New Developments

This week I took a couple of steps towards doing the Tough Mudder, a 10-12 mile obstacle course (www.toughmudder.com for more information). I procured a weight bench and 300 pounds of iron to pump.  I've decided to do more strength training to strengthen my core, especially since I have ceased swimming due to scheduling issues. 

The second step was to sign up for a warm-up race: the Warrior Dash. 

2012 is the first year for the Nebraska edition of the race.  A number of co-workers are also doing the race as well.  It should be a lot of fun and a good gauge as to how much harder I will have to work over the summer to be able to survive the Tough Mudder or Spartan Race.

The Warrior Dash is also a fundraiser for St. Jude Research Hospital.  You can donate to them to help me reach my goal of $250.  Use this link to donate!  www.mystjudeevent.org/lot4

Measurements

Today I decided that I would like to keep a little more detail to find out where I actually lose the weight, so I took some initial measurements at 200.2 pounds.  Here they are in centimeters, at this point I think I'll spare you the picture.

Arms: 33.5cm
Calves: 39.5cm
Chest: 110cm
Hips: 101cm
Neck: 39cm
Thighs: 60.5cm
Waist: 101cm


In case you were wondering, 33cm translates to about 13 inches, that's right watch out for my 13" guns! Eat your heart out,  Lou Ferrigno.

Week 3 progress report

It's the end of the third week, time for the check-in.  I dropped 1.4 pounds this week!  Total weight loss is 4.8 pounds!

I'm pleased that I have continued in the negative trend, though I was hoping for higher poundage this week, in the 2 to 3 pound range.

I do have to admit, I am still trying to settle into eating properly.  Most days I still eat 1700 to 1800 calories when I should be eating closer to 1500.  The problem stems back to my sweet tooth.  I really like cookies and candy.  This week also saw the reemergence of one of my favorite candies:  Jube Jel Hearts.  It's kind of ironic that one of my favorite candies only shows up during my least favorite "holiday."  So I bought a couple of bags of them while I they are available; and have since finished them (Yes, two bags, in a week).  However, I have refrained from buying additional bags.

At this point, I'm still shooting for progress, not perfection.  I have made significant progress, I survived the weekend without destroying my diet and munching all day long.  I only had one really terrible day eating wise - that was Thursday, more on that in a minute.  And I've done a good job of mixing up the exercise types and will soon be adding strength training.  I plan to buy a bench and weights to do at home to make up for my lack of swimming.

As for Thursday, I did eat a little more than I should have, but I was also planning on working out to even it out. We had ordered pizza and I had an extra slice and basically had to make up another 350 calories or so in exercise.  The reason we got pizza is because my wife had taken the day off sick to recover from her cold and to hopefully regain her voice. While home, she saw a pizza commercial and had to have it.  That wasn't the problem though.  The problem was we determined she needed some cough suppressant and we didn't have any, so I made a late run to the pharmacy to get some and by the time I got home, I didn't have enough time to workout sufficiently AND get to bed at a decent hour so I skipped the workout.  So it turned into a poor day, but I don't think it broke the bank as you can tell from the results.

So in the spirit of progress not perfection, here are my goals for the upcoming week.

1. Drink less pop, more water.
2. Stay on track with calories 1500 to 1600 per day.
3. Continue to exercise regularly.  This one is good, but as the week progresses may be more difficult if I come down with what the rest of my family had last week.

Progress report by the numbers:

Total weight lost this week:           1.4 pounds

Percent lost from previous week:  0.69%

Total weight lost:                          4.8 pounds

Total percentage lost:                    2.34%

Weigh day.

Well, I was right.  Not stellar results, however, still positive.  I lost one pound this week.  With the day off from work I'm still struggling diet-wise too.  But I haven't given up yet, I am on my bike pedaling as I write this, warming up for the workout.  Even if I spin as long as I plan I will still be over my net calories for the day.  Here's hoping I can get back on track again, the rest of the week.

Update: By the numbers.

Pounds lost this week: 1

Percent lost this week:  0.49%

Total pounds lost: 3.4

Percent Total lost: 1.16%

Weekend

I'm not going to lie.  This weekend has been tough, and I'm thinking this week's weigh in is not going to be as rocking as my first.  The week had been pretty good for the most part.  I worked out Sunday through Thursday in preparation for my work's holiday party on Friday.  Working out 5 days straight was tough and something haven't done in a long time.  It was tough to keep the pedals moving on Thursday.

I made it through with a pretty good effort though, and felt good going into the rest day.  I ate well on Friday knowing that the food at the party would be delicious because they wouldn't make anything the healthy way.  I'm sure the food was basted in fat, coated in butter, and sweetened up with sugar.  Basically the wrong way to do anything for somebody trying to watch their calories.  Even so, I felt I ate fairly reasonably, and didn't go overboard.

Then Saturday came and we were taken out to breakfast by some visiting family.  Also delicious.  I got my favorite omelet breakfast at Perkins and proceeded to devour it.  It was amazing.  I also decided I would look up the calorie content when I got home so I could enjoy the breakfast, then plan the rest of the day around it.  I had quite a sticker shock when I looked it up, I had pretty much eaten my entire calorie allotment for the day.  Oops.

I was planning on doing a yoga video, but never really found 90 minutes to actually do it among everything else I did, including replacing a facet in the kitchen, ,which only took 90 minutes, which is pretty awesome if you know anything about how long my projects normally take.  Perhaps the most amazing part is the fact that I didn't have to go to the hardware store at all, I actually had all the necessary parts and tools when I started!  That never happens!  But I digress...

Not really sure what else I did, but it wasn't working out; I know that.  I had eaten pretty sparsely the rest of the day with a sandwich for lunch and popcorn and chips and salsa in the evening.  However, my kryptonite decided to show up this weekend as well: cookies. (Duhn, Duhn, Duhhhhhhnn)  Not just any cookies, Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies.  I pretty much ate half the box in the morning and the other half in the evening.  Not good.

Lifestyle changes are hard and have to go in baby steps, so today is a new day and time to get back into it. I'm planning a good work out with my new shoes.  I'm excited to get shoes that fit properly, hopefully it will get me so I can run longer.  I'm also planning to do another plyometerics workout this week, hopefully I won't hurt as much this time.

Nobody ever said getting back in shape would be easy.  Two weeks in and I've made a lot of progress, but some of the old habits still have a pretty strong foothold.  It will take more than a few poor decisions on a Saturday to detour me this time.  I don't think undone everything I've done these first two weeks, but I am bracing for less that stellar results in my weigh in tomorrow.  Time to get back to making better choices.

Here's a picture of my old to new shoes. I'm excited to try them out this afternoon!

Breakthrough!

I had neglected to bring my morning snack to work today. This is a real problem, just under the def con alert system...I think. I feel miserable and/or get cranky if I don't get the snack. So while on my morning break I meandered over to the break room and in the corner is the ever-present, friendly, unhealthy vending machine. I gazed through its slightly greasy, finger smudged window, trying to find the one overpriced morsel that will help me in my dire situation. I stood there with my puzzled look for nigh on a minute trying to figure out if the "healthy choices" are actually healthy or just more healthy than everything else. I narrowed it down to two finalists, pretzels and M&M's.

I debated back and forth...

...pretzels are better for me...but M&M's are awesome...

...pretzels are a better deal...M&M's make me feel good...

...pretzels are salty, really salty and if you take off the salt it's messy...M&M's are still awesome, but high in calories...

Back and forth, forth and back. I neared the money slot thinking if I put my money in, it will somehow make the decision easier. I inched closer and closer to the slot but still not nearer to a decision.

....then BOOM!

I froze, dollar bill in hand. I realized, I don't need anything this machine has to offer. I slowly backed away from the machine and walked around the corner to the cafe (which is also overpriced) and found a banana to take back to my desk and eat! At a fraction of the calories, it was immensely better for me,  and I didn't get the guilty feeling or the feeling that I needed to run an extra mile on my off day.

With the crisis averted, I could resume working without danger of unleashing a fury of hunger induced mayhem on an unsuspecting client or co-worker.

First Weigh-in

So it has been a week since I started with this adventure.  Getting into the habit of eating smaller portions and staying in an acceptable calorie range has had its bumps.  While I've stayed under 2000 for most of the days, the days where I've eaten more, I have tried to make up for with better exercise.

So far it has paid off! I've lost 2.4 pounds over the course of the week!  That's 1.17%.

There are a few tweaks to be made to my diet.  One would be to not eat ice cream sandwiches, every night.  The good news is the box is gone, and I resisted buying another box yesterday while grocery shopping.  The last batch was the Skinny Cow version, even so they had 140 calories that I don't need.  Not on a daily basis anyway, because let's face it, I had a hard enough time eating just one per day, let alone going a day without one when they are in the house begging to be eaten.

I'm excited that I have had some initial success and lost a healthy amount of weight this week.  Hopefully the trend will continue.

And now for a random tip:

I read a tip in Men's Health the other day.  It said to put the healthy snacks eye level in the refrigerator because it makes it easier to snack on something that is better for you.  I might give it a try, but I think that it won't make a too much of a difference.  I'm ok with moving the carrots out of the way for an bite of cookie dough or something.  Maybe it's the extra calories burned while moving the healthy food....

Lifestyle changes

As I reflect on my goals, I find there are two main difficult periods where it is easy for me to slip up.

The first is the initial two weeks or so.  The change from blissfully eating an astronomical number of calories of whatever I feel like, mostly cookies, to reasonably portioned meals and snacks consisting of mostly fruits and vegetables.

My sense of portion size is so warped, it takes at least two weeks to recognize what an actual portion should be and secondly grow used to the feeling of not constantly being stuffed.  There are times during the mornings and the afternoon after starting eating correctly where I feel famished simply because I've been eating too much previously and it is incredibly tempting to snag a candy bar or other snack to feel better.  Which after I eat it and the sugary satisfaction wears off, I feel terrible.  I find that the satisfaction of a candy bar is basically over as soon as it leaves the confines of my mouth.  What a waste. Not only was the satisfaction short lived, it is also a disproportional gain in calories.  In economic terms, not much bang for the buck.

To add to my problems, after returning home, before to long, I find myself wandering into the kitchen.  I think it is mostly a force of habit to just go to the kitchen for a snack if I'm not doing anything.  A mindless stroll to the kitchen.  Even though I may not realize how or when I got to the open refrigerator, I feel bad to leave empty handed (or stomached may be a better description).  That is the second major battle in the first couple of weeks.  Mindless or idle snacking.  Snacking for the sake of snacking. 

Once I get over these first two weeks, the second problem starts to creep in.  And it is just that, a slow subtle creeping into my thinking.  It usually comes after a period of starting to see results or just when I start to make better choices a habit.  I feel confident in how I've been able to reign in my unruly portions and have a good habit of exercise in place.  I think to myself, "Hey, I'm doing good, I think I should reward my self and have an extra cookie(or ice cream)."  Then suddenly, BLAM!, I've eaten half a package of Chewy Chips Ahoy or something.  Then I think, "Eh, it was only one day, just get back into it tomorrow."  Then tomorrow comes and BLAM!  I eat the other half of the package of cookies and have ice cream to boot.  That's a little exaggerated, but unfortunately not by much. 

I think admitting these things "out loud," is the first step to admitting I have a problem and a first step to being able to be on guard against two of these major distractions in terms of my diet/lifestyle change.

It starts...

205.

I would like to say that is the result of my most recent bowling excursion, but that would be false.   It is actually the number my scale had the audacity to show when I climbed upon its humbling platform.  Not to bad when you think about the past 4-5 years.  Back then, I was at my highest, a hefty 226.  I joined a "biggest loser" contest at work and lost a total of 25 pounds.  Since then, I've managed to keep 20 of those pounds off to hover around 200-205. In more recent years, I started doing endurance races starting with a marathon and triathlons the following year.  After each round of races I'd find myself at a nice 183ish, only to find myself bounding back up to the 200 range in the off season.

Despite my best efforts (sort of), this year was no different.  I completed my longest race ever an Ironman 70.3 in 6 hours and 28 minutes and in the week that followed I was back to the 182 weight. 

Now it's 1/3/2012 and I'm back to 205.  For those following along at home that's a 23 pound increase in less than 4 months.  Between Christmas and New Year's I was feeling my worst, my pants felt tight, I became breathless going up stairs and generally felt crumby.  It sucks.

I kept making excuses: "we just had a kid," "I don't feel like working out tonight."  "I've got too many other things to do."

Well, it doesn't take any extra time to eat right or better (better in this case is simply less, I'm no health nut).  And as I have proved before in training for these endurance races, I can suck it up and just do the exercise.  That's what I am going to do.  That's why I've created this blog so you can follow along with my journey.

Since goals are important, here is what I hope to accomplish in the next 73 days (including yesterday).
1.  Eat smaller portions, between 1500-2000 calories per day
2.  Exercise for 30-60 min 5 times per week.
3.  Lose 20 pounds (approx. 2 pounds per week).

By doing this, I should be back near the 185 by my birthday and well on my way to having another successful summer race season with random races (5k leg of a tri with my family, the tough mudder, maybe a 10k or bike trip, possibly a marathon...I can't quite get it out my head) and trimming down to my ultimate goal of 170 by the end of the summer.

Thanks for reading and hopefully you get something as you embark with me on this journey.