Well the last nearly two weeks has been a bit of a challenge.
I tried to go to the gym right after having the cold but that was no good. Then due to other obligations I had a few missed gym days. Then last week, I was dog-sitting at my parents house all week and that just took me out of my element. I slacked a bit on the no snacking rule, and I missed more gym workouts.
Good news is, I didn't set myself back too far I dont think. I jumped on the scale last night and was still at 232.5... so hopefully I just lost some time and progress but did not have a setback.
I'll wait until later this week, after a few more gym sessions and back to more controlled eating and weigh myself at the same time in the morning again before I put an official weight number up.
The good news is even if everything didn't go as planned this month, I'm sticking with this. I didn't abandon it yet and I don't plan on it!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Roadblocks, Day 18
Speed bumps might be a better term than roadblocks.
This has been a rough week. I was sick with a cold over the weekend, but I stuck to my diet and made sure I ate all my meals. On Monday the 12th, I weighed in at 232.5 pounds! Down 9 pounds in two weeks!
Well I'm sure part of that was the funk my body was in and the energy it was burning fighting the cold off. I missed Monday at the gym while recovering which bummed me out. And yesterday, my regular Wednesday day session was cut short due to time, I only had time for cardio. Also I still felt slightly weak and my breathing was a little stressed due to left over congestion.
Last night I weighed in at 235, which is good even though it's not my lowest. I know its going to vary but it's headed in the right direction. I'm going to miss the gym again tomorrow, heading off to a cabin on Orcas Island with some buddies. Even with the missed workouts I'm still eating healthy, although that'll be a challenge this weekend on my short little vacation. But when I get back Monday it is business as usual.
Overall I'm losing fat and building muscle. I feel thinner even if I don't look it yet, and I just feel better. My neck doesn't get so sore anymore while at work. I got a body fat analyzer I ordered from Amazon.com yesterday, so I'm going to start monitoring that. While I build muscle, the weightloss might slow down, but the body fat analyzer will give me other ways to track my progress and stay positive.
This has been a rough week. I was sick with a cold over the weekend, but I stuck to my diet and made sure I ate all my meals. On Monday the 12th, I weighed in at 232.5 pounds! Down 9 pounds in two weeks!
Well I'm sure part of that was the funk my body was in and the energy it was burning fighting the cold off. I missed Monday at the gym while recovering which bummed me out. And yesterday, my regular Wednesday day session was cut short due to time, I only had time for cardio. Also I still felt slightly weak and my breathing was a little stressed due to left over congestion.
Last night I weighed in at 235, which is good even though it's not my lowest. I know its going to vary but it's headed in the right direction. I'm going to miss the gym again tomorrow, heading off to a cabin on Orcas Island with some buddies. Even with the missed workouts I'm still eating healthy, although that'll be a challenge this weekend on my short little vacation. But when I get back Monday it is business as usual.
Overall I'm losing fat and building muscle. I feel thinner even if I don't look it yet, and I just feel better. My neck doesn't get so sore anymore while at work. I got a body fat analyzer I ordered from Amazon.com yesterday, so I'm going to start monitoring that. While I build muscle, the weightloss might slow down, but the body fat analyzer will give me other ways to track my progress and stay positive.
Friday, February 9, 2007
238.0 Pounds, Day 12
Well, actually I weighed myself last night at that weight. At one point during the week I was at 237.5 which was cool... but these little fluctuations are bound to happen.
I'm making some adjustments... I've decided that I probably shouldn't eat these pre-made sandwhiches at work cuz they have mayo on them and I really dont need that. Plus they don't always have ones with wheat bread and white bread isn't worth much. I'll probably also adjust my workout schedule soon... I do about 25 minutes of cardio, then 12 different weight/resistance exercises. As I get a bit more tone, I want to expand my cardio... and I already spend nearly 2 hours at the gym 3 days a week so I'll cut back on some of the different machines I work on.
I ordered a body fat analyzer thingy online at Amazon that hopefully will arrive sometime next week. Since the weight loss is going slow due to muscle gain it'll help to have some data to give me encouragement.
I'm also tracking my progress on cardio and resistance training so I can see improvement. And I took a picture with my camera on a tripod so I can take how my appearance changes. Any little thing I can do to encourage myself and stay on track.
I'm making some adjustments... I've decided that I probably shouldn't eat these pre-made sandwhiches at work cuz they have mayo on them and I really dont need that. Plus they don't always have ones with wheat bread and white bread isn't worth much. I'll probably also adjust my workout schedule soon... I do about 25 minutes of cardio, then 12 different weight/resistance exercises. As I get a bit more tone, I want to expand my cardio... and I already spend nearly 2 hours at the gym 3 days a week so I'll cut back on some of the different machines I work on.
I ordered a body fat analyzer thingy online at Amazon that hopefully will arrive sometime next week. Since the weight loss is going slow due to muscle gain it'll help to have some data to give me encouragement.
I'm also tracking my progress on cardio and resistance training so I can see improvement. And I took a picture with my camera on a tripod so I can take how my appearance changes. Any little thing I can do to encourage myself and stay on track.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
"Diet", Day 9
Things are going pretty well so far. I might not look different but I definately feel different. The weight training still leaves my arms and legs tired and a bit weak, but overall I feel like I have more energy. Motivating myself to go to the gym isn't so hard... its a little rough on workout days in the morning, but by the time I get out of the office I'm ready to go.
My diet isn't really isn't a diet, hence the quotes in the title. Really I'm just changing my eating habits. My old eating habits would go something like this:
Breakfast: Nothing
Lunch: China Express from the Safeway Deli (can't find nutrition info online, but I doubt its very healthy)
Dinner: McDonalds (probably averaging 1300-1400 calories based on what I'd order)
And I'd snack on whatever was available.
I ate that nearly everyday. In large portions too.
I'm still struggling to make breakfast a regular occurance... I sleep in too much and skip it sometimes, but I know for a healthy lifestyle I should eat it. I'd say now that each of my meals is averaging around 400 calories per meal, and that means that with breakfast I consume about as much calories all day as I used to just for dinner.
The best part is... I'm not starving myself or hungry hardly at all. Sometimes I get a little hungry right before dinner but it's dinner time, I'm supposed to be ready to eat. The biggest challenge so far is still mental. I see these smaller dishes and don't think they'll fill me up. My brain wants me to snack during the day.
Drinking water helps with the snacking urge. And as for the smaller servings? I eat slower and take smaller bites, so that by the time I'm done I can already feel myself getting full.
My diet isn't really isn't a diet, hence the quotes in the title. Really I'm just changing my eating habits. My old eating habits would go something like this:
Breakfast: Nothing
Lunch: China Express from the Safeway Deli (can't find nutrition info online, but I doubt its very healthy)
Dinner: McDonalds (probably averaging 1300-1400 calories based on what I'd order)
And I'd snack on whatever was available.
I ate that nearly everyday. In large portions too.
I'm still struggling to make breakfast a regular occurance... I sleep in too much and skip it sometimes, but I know for a healthy lifestyle I should eat it. I'd say now that each of my meals is averaging around 400 calories per meal, and that means that with breakfast I consume about as much calories all day as I used to just for dinner.
The best part is... I'm not starving myself or hungry hardly at all. Sometimes I get a little hungry right before dinner but it's dinner time, I'm supposed to be ready to eat. The biggest challenge so far is still mental. I see these smaller dishes and don't think they'll fill me up. My brain wants me to snack during the day.
Drinking water helps with the snacking urge. And as for the smaller servings? I eat slower and take smaller bites, so that by the time I'm done I can already feel myself getting full.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Temptation, Day 8
At the office it's pretty easy to control myself. No candy, no snacks, drink water. Well the office is easy most of the time. Last week we had three company functions with beer provided... add to the fact that this weekend was Super Bowl Sunday and I picked a bad week to try to start living healthier.
I did pretty well though... I skipped beer at the functions and had red wine at one of them instead. Super Bowl Sunday was a bit tougher though, and hosting a party at my place I did break down and have a couple Michelob Ultra's. Wine or Scotch just doesn't cut it with football unfortunately. I know these little breaks will slow down progression but as long as I keep hitting the gym regularly I'll continue to be in better health overall week over week.
My arms are still tender from gym sessions last week, but I'm looking forward to going again tonight.
I did pretty well though... I skipped beer at the functions and had red wine at one of them instead. Super Bowl Sunday was a bit tougher though, and hosting a party at my place I did break down and have a couple Michelob Ultra's. Wine or Scotch just doesn't cut it with football unfortunately. I know these little breaks will slow down progression but as long as I keep hitting the gym regularly I'll continue to be in better health overall week over week.
My arms are still tender from gym sessions last week, but I'm looking forward to going again tonight.
Friday, February 2, 2007
239.5 Pounds, Day 5
Pounds aren't exactly melting off, but I'm not worried. I'm not on a super strict diet so I don't expect them to fly away. It is going to take a few weeks until my body gets strong enough that I can get a good work out at the gym. Sure I can walk on a treadmill, and I can use an excercise bike at low resistance... but until my body catches up and I have the endurance to hit those machines hard, it's going to be a slow process.
But during that process I'll build muscle and drop fat. And as my stamina increases, I'll be able to burn more fat. I was still sore today from Wednesday's workout... and hitting the gym again is just gonna make it worse. But the soreness isn't a horrible pain... its that "good hurt" if that makes sense... and as I get into better shape the duration and intensity will subside.
But during that process I'll build muscle and drop fat. And as my stamina increases, I'll be able to burn more fat. I was still sore today from Wednesday's workout... and hitting the gym again is just gonna make it worse. But the soreness isn't a horrible pain... its that "good hurt" if that makes sense... and as I get into better shape the duration and intensity will subside.
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