So we're half way through the 11 "Fabulous in Fall" challenge. This has been a great motivator for me, and I'll be sad to see it end in another 5.5 weeks. But the blog will continue, so I'm still publicly accountable. (at least in my own head... no idea who's actually reading :) )
So this half week is producing excellent results, though I don't know for sure why. I've been staying under on points, but staying a lot closer to the line than in weeks past. I have been exercising more ... btw, I did get my afternoon workout done yesterday, and will be hopping on the treadmill as soon as I'm finished here. Though even after only a week of having a membership, I am really missing the Y this weekend :)
Anyway, this morning I was at 357.8, putting me up to 35.0 overall!!! (4.4 on the week) I did go ahead and tell L to push my goal out to 50 instead of 25, but I'm considering sending her another e-mail to move it to 60. 50 (which will take me to 342.8) should be fairly easy now that I only have 15 to go with 5.5 weeks left... though 60 is a stretch. It would mean doing almost as well in the second half as the first.
So the question is whether I would rather have a goal I'm pretty confident I can meet... and avoid the discouragement that would come in not reaching my goal... or if I would rather have a goal that would make me push really hard in the last week to try to reach it, and run the risk of not getting there.
Because I know I've done damn well on this challenge regardless of the final goal (after all, I've already blown the original goal out of the water), right now I'm leaning towards putting the goal just out of comfortable reach and pushing myself to reach it. Because I may not reach this new target, but I would hardly call it a failure.
Oh, and this most recent reading means that I've lost 21% of the weight I need to lose for End Obesity in 2008! And even if I just stay level for the next three days and end the week where I am right now, my pace for the long term goal drops to 2 lbs a week.
With 350 within shooting distance for next week, I want to establish a few new goalposts for the coming months. I'm pretty sure that somewhere between 350 and 345, I will have re-lost all the weight that I regained after my first serious diet in 2005, and will be working on new ground from that point on. Then at roughly 310-315 I will be down to my high school graduation weight, and anything beyond that will put me at least overweight I've been in my adult life. Stay Tuned!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
hodgepoge of random thoughts
So I had expected that one nice side benefit of my diet would be that Liz and I would start digging ourselves out of credit card debt a little faster, because I wouldn't be spending so much on junk food. This month is decidedly not a testament to that.
Now, to be fair, we spent a lot on the Niagara trip and the big barbecue, and the join up fees at the gym, and buying gym clothes and gym shoes that all won't be repeated every month.
So I'm not worried so much as disappointed. I had looked forward to smaller bills at the end of the month as another morale boost, and I'm not getting it.
But everything else is going according to plan, so I can't complain.
So far this (calender) week I've been 6/6 on my morning treadmill (doing full miles on Sunday and Wednesday), and I've made 4/5 of my evening workouts at the Y. I missed Wednesday because I was stuck in Columbus. I'm actually going to miss going to the Y tomorrow (they're closed for some minor remodeling) and again Sunday (they're only open Sundays in the winter), but I will do a upper body workout here tomorrow and maybe a second session on the treadmill Sunday to make up for the missed leg workout.
I've also been at or under points every day since getting back from the vacation, including counting up all of my points from the BBQ.
I'm making a concerted effort not to weigh myself until at least Sunday morning, because I spent all last (challenge) week weighing myself every morning as soon as I rolled out of bed. It was fun in that I was down every day, but then frustrating because I had a sudden upswing at the end of the week. (I had been down to almost 9 down on the week). So only doing a midweek and a end of the week report was the deal I managed to strike with myself.
It's sad though, I'm craving weighing myself right now almost as bad as I have craved any non-point-friendly food throughout this diet. I am so quick to develop addictions it is pathetic. Thank God I never tried smoking!
While I've been good at points, I feel as if I could be doing a lot better on individual food choices. Liz made up some coke cake cupcakes for me (thanks again for the tip!), and with the particular cake mix (organic from Whole Foods) and the smallish cupcakes that we made, they work out to only 1.6 points each. But they don't have any fiber or protein or omega 3's or anything... they're just purely empty calories. So they don't push me past my points goal, but they do fill up space on my chart that could be better used getting good vitamins and proteins.
My deal with myself is that I can only have one as dessert to a healthy meal, with a glass of skim milk, and only one a day. I did break down and have two yesterday, so I refused to have one today.
Another food choice issue is making sure i have enough protein. I've never been so close to being a vegetarian in my life. Not that there's ever any chance of me becoming one in earnest. But the only meat I've had in the past four days was the shrimp in my tv dinner at lunch today. I've been finding proteins in milk, eggs, cheese, and beans mostly, but I think I need to work harder at making sure that I am getting enough of those if I'm going to continue cutting meat out of my diet.
Another challenge is that I don't think I'm drinking enough water. Which is odd... drinking lots and lots of water is like the only healthy habit I had back before I ever even thought about weight loss. I'm used to being always thirsty, and I do my very best to always keep water on hand. Therefore I haven't bothered tracking my intake, as I just knew intuitively that I drink far more water than I need. But sitting down to think about it the other day I began to question that assumption. I think I will start actually adding water to my spreadsheet for the next couple of days and try to find out.
Ok, so this has rambled on enough. Thank you so much for checking in with my progress and for all of your support!
Now, to be fair, we spent a lot on the Niagara trip and the big barbecue, and the join up fees at the gym, and buying gym clothes and gym shoes that all won't be repeated every month.
So I'm not worried so much as disappointed. I had looked forward to smaller bills at the end of the month as another morale boost, and I'm not getting it.
But everything else is going according to plan, so I can't complain.
So far this (calender) week I've been 6/6 on my morning treadmill (doing full miles on Sunday and Wednesday), and I've made 4/5 of my evening workouts at the Y. I missed Wednesday because I was stuck in Columbus. I'm actually going to miss going to the Y tomorrow (they're closed for some minor remodeling) and again Sunday (they're only open Sundays in the winter), but I will do a upper body workout here tomorrow and maybe a second session on the treadmill Sunday to make up for the missed leg workout.
I've also been at or under points every day since getting back from the vacation, including counting up all of my points from the BBQ.
I'm making a concerted effort not to weigh myself until at least Sunday morning, because I spent all last (challenge) week weighing myself every morning as soon as I rolled out of bed. It was fun in that I was down every day, but then frustrating because I had a sudden upswing at the end of the week. (I had been down to almost 9 down on the week). So only doing a midweek and a end of the week report was the deal I managed to strike with myself.
It's sad though, I'm craving weighing myself right now almost as bad as I have craved any non-point-friendly food throughout this diet. I am so quick to develop addictions it is pathetic. Thank God I never tried smoking!
While I've been good at points, I feel as if I could be doing a lot better on individual food choices. Liz made up some coke cake cupcakes for me (thanks again for the tip!), and with the particular cake mix (organic from Whole Foods) and the smallish cupcakes that we made, they work out to only 1.6 points each. But they don't have any fiber or protein or omega 3's or anything... they're just purely empty calories. So they don't push me past my points goal, but they do fill up space on my chart that could be better used getting good vitamins and proteins.
My deal with myself is that I can only have one as dessert to a healthy meal, with a glass of skim milk, and only one a day. I did break down and have two yesterday, so I refused to have one today.
Another food choice issue is making sure i have enough protein. I've never been so close to being a vegetarian in my life. Not that there's ever any chance of me becoming one in earnest. But the only meat I've had in the past four days was the shrimp in my tv dinner at lunch today. I've been finding proteins in milk, eggs, cheese, and beans mostly, but I think I need to work harder at making sure that I am getting enough of those if I'm going to continue cutting meat out of my diet.
Another challenge is that I don't think I'm drinking enough water. Which is odd... drinking lots and lots of water is like the only healthy habit I had back before I ever even thought about weight loss. I'm used to being always thirsty, and I do my very best to always keep water on hand. Therefore I haven't bothered tracking my intake, as I just knew intuitively that I drink far more water than I need. But sitting down to think about it the other day I began to question that assumption. I think I will start actually adding water to my spreadsheet for the next couple of days and try to find out.
Ok, so this has rambled on enough. Thank you so much for checking in with my progress and for all of your support!
Lunch in Cbus?
I will be in Columbus this Sunday, but have no real plans other than just to be able to hang out with Liz for her commute. If anybody who reads my blog from the Cbus area is free and would like to meet up for lunch (especially if you have any WW friendly lunch ideas) shoot me an e-mail (mgibbonscamp at gmail .com) so we can get together.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Shamelessly Stolen Insperational Material
Text in plain type is stolen from Becky's Bar and Grill, and in bold is my own comments on it:
------------------------------------------
I say the next time you feel “[following WW's] is Too Hard” consider how hard it was/is to:
Shop in Specialty Clothing Stores (Layne Bryant, The Avenue, Catherine’s) your choices are limited.
For me it is Casual Male XL (formerly Casual Male Big and Tall), which is the only place I can buy any clothing other than socks.
Missing Out on Pool Parties because you're too embarrassed to wear a bathing suit in front of your friends.
I have definitely done this. I love to swim (ok, so I love to play in the pool, not exactly swim), but I've only done so twice in the past three years (both times at Niagara when Liz and I had the hotel pool to ourselves) or maybe even longer than that. It's not so much my friends I'm ashamed of, but the way I know I look even to complete strangers. I know I'm disgusting, and I don't want to ruin other people's time in the pool... so I just stay away.
Not being able to wear your favorite outfit because it's too small.
Not wanting to hug those close to you because you don't want them to feel your rolls of fat.
Not going to the movies, because squeezing into the seats for 90 minutes is too uncomfortable.
Not dancing at weddings because you don't want people staring at the "fat chick" on the dance floor.
At work, twice a year, we have retreats at state parks for one and a half days, and the night between the two days always involves a DJ/dancing in the bar from like 9-1. I have managed to keep myself tipsy enough at two of the four I've attended to get myself out on the floor and just have fun. The first of the four I skipped entirely and hid in my room all night, the third there wasn't a decent bar and I was too sober/self conscious. There's one other guy, a Managing attorney, who is almost (but not quite) as overweight as me, but he has a lot more confidence than I do. And I hear my friends/coworkers making fun of him at times, and I know they'd think the same about me if we weren't friends (or maybe just if I weren't in the conversation)
Not attending family gatherings because you don’t want people to see how big you’ve gotten.
Not going to a picnic or summer barbecue because you’re afraid the lawn furniture won’t hold you.
I have broken a number of our folding chairs at home, [over time, not like all at once] and I refuse to sit in chairs which aren't either metal or really solid wood.
Not attending your high school reunion because you don't want old boyfriends seeing how much weight you've put on. Or old friends thinking "what happened to her?"
For me, I was already fat in high school... and it was at least part of why I don't think there is a single person who will be disappointed that I didn't show for the reunion. I will only go to my 10 year (next Spring) if I feel that I've lost enough weight to surprise people.
Having to ask for a seatbelt extension on the airplane.
I think i've said before in this blog... I do whatever possible to avoid flying because I'm afraid they'll make me purchase two seats.
Yes, journaling, weighing and measuring your food, exercising, and attending weekly meetings is hard but being over weight is much harder and so much lonelier.
Hell yes.
------------------------------------------
I say the next time you feel “[following WW's] is Too Hard” consider how hard it was/is to:
Shop in Specialty Clothing Stores (Layne Bryant, The Avenue, Catherine’s) your choices are limited.
For me it is Casual Male XL (formerly Casual Male Big and Tall), which is the only place I can buy any clothing other than socks.
Missing Out on Pool Parties because you're too embarrassed to wear a bathing suit in front of your friends.
I have definitely done this. I love to swim (ok, so I love to play in the pool, not exactly swim), but I've only done so twice in the past three years (both times at Niagara when Liz and I had the hotel pool to ourselves) or maybe even longer than that. It's not so much my friends I'm ashamed of, but the way I know I look even to complete strangers. I know I'm disgusting, and I don't want to ruin other people's time in the pool... so I just stay away.
Not being able to wear your favorite outfit because it's too small.
Not wanting to hug those close to you because you don't want them to feel your rolls of fat.
Not going to the movies, because squeezing into the seats for 90 minutes is too uncomfortable.
Not dancing at weddings because you don't want people staring at the "fat chick" on the dance floor.
At work, twice a year, we have retreats at state parks for one and a half days, and the night between the two days always involves a DJ/dancing in the bar from like 9-1. I have managed to keep myself tipsy enough at two of the four I've attended to get myself out on the floor and just have fun. The first of the four I skipped entirely and hid in my room all night, the third there wasn't a decent bar and I was too sober/self conscious. There's one other guy, a Managing attorney, who is almost (but not quite) as overweight as me, but he has a lot more confidence than I do. And I hear my friends/coworkers making fun of him at times, and I know they'd think the same about me if we weren't friends (or maybe just if I weren't in the conversation)
Not attending family gatherings because you don’t want people to see how big you’ve gotten.
Not going to a picnic or summer barbecue because you’re afraid the lawn furniture won’t hold you.
I have broken a number of our folding chairs at home, [over time, not like all at once] and I refuse to sit in chairs which aren't either metal or really solid wood.
Not attending your high school reunion because you don't want old boyfriends seeing how much weight you've put on. Or old friends thinking "what happened to her?"
For me, I was already fat in high school... and it was at least part of why I don't think there is a single person who will be disappointed that I didn't show for the reunion. I will only go to my 10 year (next Spring) if I feel that I've lost enough weight to surprise people.
Having to ask for a seatbelt extension on the airplane.
I think i've said before in this blog... I do whatever possible to avoid flying because I'm afraid they'll make me purchase two seats.
Yes, journaling, weighing and measuring your food, exercising, and attending weekly meetings is hard but being over weight is much harder and so much lonelier.
Hell yes.
Me at the end of week 4
I didn't know this photo was being taken. In the original, I'm just in the background of a general crowd shot, but it isn't half bad for all that that. I've cropped it so Its just me.
This was taken September 20, 2007. That morning I had weighted in at 368.3
week five roundup
So I had a mixed results kind of day yesterday. I thought I was doing fairly well on food, though I ended up being stuck in Cbus too late to make it home for my trip to the Y. But I ended up being just slightly up from Tuesday, after a week of steady declines. On the bright side, I found a store where I could buy myself a few pairs of gym shorts, so now I don't have to wash laundry every single time I go to the Y :)
Today's Status:
Weight: 362.2, down 6.1 on the week, 30.6 overall.
My target pace for End Obesity in 2008 is still 2.1
Today's Status:
Weight: 362.2, down 6.1 on the week, 30.6 overall.
My target pace for End Obesity in 2008 is still 2.1
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
trying to estimate points
I am somewhat stumped on doing my points for lunch today. I had lunch at the North Markets, at the Mediterranean stand. They make this stuff they call spinach souffle, which is basically spinach, feta, peppers, garlic, and onions. I'm sure it has some Olive oil in it, and it baked in such a way that it all sticks together, so I'm guessing some amount of egg.
Has anybody made something like this and can forward me a recipe so I can figure out my points?
Has anybody made something like this and can forward me a recipe so I can figure out my points?
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
If you could bottle it, you'd make a billion dollars
So I can't really explain my recent enthusiasm or my recent results, except in terms of each other. Where the energy and the focus has been coming from is open to more debate. My best guess is that doing well while on vacation somewhat shocked me into a more deep down, instinctive confidence in myself and my ability to do this. Plus, I have more energy generally right now than I have had for a long time.
Which, as an aside... if Calories are a unit of energy, and we eat food to get energy, why is it that dieting causes a increase in energy level? Liz said yesterday that it was simply a matter that I had a lot less weight to carry around than I did before, and that may be part of it. But not all... I really feel just bouncy and upbeat most of the day.... like I want to start dancing or jogging in place just to burn off the extra energy or something.
Anyway, going back to the theory that my enthusiasm is generating my results and my results are generating my enthusiasm... today I'm down to just under 362. Two days left to go for the week, and I'm already past 6 lbs on the week!
On the down side, at some point i HAVE to slow down. I figure that right now, I have so much extra weight that the dangers in losing too fast are nothing compared to the dangers of carrying around the weight... and I just assumed I would slow way down after the first couple of weeks as my body got used to the new diet and rebelled against the effort. That clearly hasn't happened yet.
I don't know where, but somewhere down the road there'll come a time where it is just more unhealthy to lose five or six pounds a week than it is to carry that extra weight. If my strange and unprecedented (for me, that is) sharp decline hasn't begun to level out on its own by then, I'll have to rethink some of my strategies.
But for right now, I'm loving it!
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Liz and I found this particularly unflattering photo of me from last summer, to post as a "before" photo. We're at my parent's house, and Liz talked me into wearing her sunhat for a photo. The way I'm sitting really emphasizes my enormous gut, so it is slightly exaggerated (but not as much as I'd like to pretend). You see now why there aren't many photos of me from this period... I can barely stand to look at ones like this myself.
Which, as an aside... if Calories are a unit of energy, and we eat food to get energy, why is it that dieting causes a increase in energy level? Liz said yesterday that it was simply a matter that I had a lot less weight to carry around than I did before, and that may be part of it. But not all... I really feel just bouncy and upbeat most of the day.... like I want to start dancing or jogging in place just to burn off the extra energy or something.
Anyway, going back to the theory that my enthusiasm is generating my results and my results are generating my enthusiasm... today I'm down to just under 362. Two days left to go for the week, and I'm already past 6 lbs on the week!
On the down side, at some point i HAVE to slow down. I figure that right now, I have so much extra weight that the dangers in losing too fast are nothing compared to the dangers of carrying around the weight... and I just assumed I would slow way down after the first couple of weeks as my body got used to the new diet and rebelled against the effort. That clearly hasn't happened yet.
I don't know where, but somewhere down the road there'll come a time where it is just more unhealthy to lose five or six pounds a week than it is to carry that extra weight. If my strange and unprecedented (for me, that is) sharp decline hasn't begun to level out on its own by then, I'll have to rethink some of my strategies.
But for right now, I'm loving it!
----------------------------------------------
Liz and I found this particularly unflattering photo of me from last summer, to post as a "before" photo. We're at my parent's house, and Liz talked me into wearing her sunhat for a photo. The way I'm sitting really emphasizes my enormous gut, so it is slightly exaggerated (but not as much as I'd like to pretend). You see now why there aren't many photos of me from this period... I can barely stand to look at ones like this myself.
Monday, September 24, 2007
joining up
Today has just been a red letter day for my weight loss goals. I was feeling good about my progress and confident in myself, so Liz and I went and got a membership at the local Y. (Besides, some of the comments I got in response to my entry on joining a gym helped me decide that I was being unduly paranoid.) Liz is happy because she can go swimming in their indoor pool, and I'm pleased with their exercise room.
Today was a day off from strength training, so I only did a couple of short sets on the stationary bike (the exact same model I used the three days in Niagara), and tried out the various leg muscle machines. Tomorrow I'll start experimenting with the various upper body work out machines, and try and develop myself a workout.
My exercise schedule is now: treadmill in the morning every day, then evening workouts every day, alternating bike/legs and upper body workouts. Of course this will have to be flexible where my schedule simply doesn't allow this much time devoted to the gym... but my theory is that I'm doing enough that I can afford to miss one or two every now and again, as long as I always go back as soon as possible.
And once I hit 350 I'm going to start adding in some jogging to my treadmill workout every day. My plan is to try working my way up to running in a couple of 5 k's in 2008, and we'll see where to go from there.
I'm a gym member, can you believe it?
Today was a day off from strength training, so I only did a couple of short sets on the stationary bike (the exact same model I used the three days in Niagara), and tried out the various leg muscle machines. Tomorrow I'll start experimenting with the various upper body work out machines, and try and develop myself a workout.
My exercise schedule is now: treadmill in the morning every day, then evening workouts every day, alternating bike/legs and upper body workouts. Of course this will have to be flexible where my schedule simply doesn't allow this much time devoted to the gym... but my theory is that I'm doing enough that I can afford to miss one or two every now and again, as long as I always go back as soon as possible.
And once I hit 350 I'm going to start adding in some jogging to my treadmill workout every day. My plan is to try working my way up to running in a couple of 5 k's in 2008, and we'll see where to go from there.
I'm a gym member, can you believe it?
outed
Another big milestone happened just ten minutes ago. For the first time someone who didn't know I was on a diet complimented me on my weight loss :) One of the secretaries in the office (who is a refreshingly frank and outspoken person) stopped me in the hall and said "hey, you've lost a lot of weight, haven't you?" So I've been outed at least somewhat at work now, which may make it a little easier to stick to the diet at group functions, if it means that people are less likely to be offended if I don't share in their snacks or if people are less quick to offer desserts to me.
But most importantly to me... It's the first concrete confirmation I have that my progress is starting to change my appearance. (Liz has said I look better, but I always have to wonder whether that's just because she knows I'm making progress and need the affirmation).
And in related news, the shirt, pants, and belt I'm wearing today were all in the "too tight to wear" pile at the beginning of the challenge.
ps. if you don't read the blog on the weekend, scroll down... i've got about five posts since Saturday.
But most importantly to me... It's the first concrete confirmation I have that my progress is starting to change my appearance. (Liz has said I look better, but I always have to wonder whether that's just because she knows I'm making progress and need the affirmation).
And in related news, the shirt, pants, and belt I'm wearing today were all in the "too tight to wear" pile at the beginning of the challenge.
ps. if you don't read the blog on the weekend, scroll down... i've got about five posts since Saturday.
is it midweek already?
This is a short week due to my late weigh in last week, so it is already time for the midweek report. I'm marching along at a great pace this week! I've already passed 365, so down to less than 15 to go before the big 350 checkpoint. I almost said goalpost, but that's not right, my total goal is much further. This is just the first milestone along the way.
Speaking of ultimate goal, I have set a very very challenging, but ultimately possible goal for myself. I'm sure everyone who has tried to lose weight has used, at some point in their lives, a BMI calculator to gage where they are. At 6'1", and an insane number of pounds, I am of course far into the "morbidly obese" category. I've been tracking my estimated bmi as I go along, and it is plummeting nicely right along next to my weight.
And that brings me to the big goal. I'm calling it "End Obesity in 2008."
For my height, my estimated bmi will go from "obese" to "overweight" at 227 lbs. If I continue to keep my average loss per week as high as 2.1, I will hit 227 on Christmas day, 2008. Right now, even excluding that 12.8 first week, I have been averaging 3.93333 per week. And I'm already at just over 3 for this week, and we're only half way through.
Now, I have no way to know for sure that this will happen. After all, losing the ten pounds from 370 to 360 has got to be easier than the ten pounds from 237 to 227. I will have to lose the first 100 pretty fast, to allow myself the time to lose the remaining pounds more gradually. It will require a lot of hard work, a lot of sacrifice, and a lot of believing that I can do this.
And, as always, a lot of support from my friends and fellow travelers.
Another photo from Niagara, Liz likes to play with the timed photo feature... she claims its the only way to get a good photo of her.
Speaking of ultimate goal, I have set a very very challenging, but ultimately possible goal for myself. I'm sure everyone who has tried to lose weight has used, at some point in their lives, a BMI calculator to gage where they are. At 6'1", and an insane number of pounds, I am of course far into the "morbidly obese" category. I've been tracking my estimated bmi as I go along, and it is plummeting nicely right along next to my weight.
And that brings me to the big goal. I'm calling it "End Obesity in 2008."
For my height, my estimated bmi will go from "obese" to "overweight" at 227 lbs. If I continue to keep my average loss per week as high as 2.1, I will hit 227 on Christmas day, 2008. Right now, even excluding that 12.8 first week, I have been averaging 3.93333 per week. And I'm already at just over 3 for this week, and we're only half way through.
Now, I have no way to know for sure that this will happen. After all, losing the ten pounds from 370 to 360 has got to be easier than the ten pounds from 237 to 227. I will have to lose the first 100 pretty fast, to allow myself the time to lose the remaining pounds more gradually. It will require a lot of hard work, a lot of sacrifice, and a lot of believing that I can do this.
And, as always, a lot of support from my friends and fellow travelers.
Another photo from Niagara, Liz likes to play with the timed photo feature... she claims its the only way to get a good photo of her.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
my "new" shirt
Liz and I are heading out to do some shopping, and I am wearing a shirt that five minutes ago was in my "too small to fit anymore" pile. :)
Dieting sucks... but losing weight is a blast!
Dieting sucks... but losing weight is a blast!
back to normalacy
That was a fun week. To bad real life isn't like that. This week I'm back to work, back to my normal routine. But its good to have weeks off from the real world sometimes.
The BBQ went well yesterday. We had 13 people (counting me and Liz), and the weather held out beautifully. As always, Liz and I over bought on the menu... less than a quarter of anything we put out ended up being eaten, only one of the 13 bottles of wine ended up being opened, that sort of thing. But everything turned out well, and I think everyone had fun.
Diet wise, I did very well, imho. I'm down slightly over a pound from yesterday morning, putting me past the 25 lb mark! I've decided to shoot for 350 by the end of the challenge (moving my goal out to 42.6.) I'm a good bit over half way there, with more than half of the challenge to go, though of course I can't count on having another 12 lb week in the remaining 7 weeks.
Now, to the treadmill!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
week four results
Better late than never, eh?
So I got home from vacation yesterday, and did my "Thursday" weigh in this morning. I'm very very pleased to report that I managed to stay almost even while on vacation. I only gained back .1 from Sunday! It took a lot of hard work, and a lot of saying "no thanks" when I really wanted to say "gimme gimme" but knowing the consequences and knowing how proud I would be to be able to report a loss for this of all weeks helped me get through.
Plus the vacation itself was exactly what I needed. I don't think I've ever spent a week relaxed so completely.
Today is going to again be somewhat of a challenge. I'm hosting a BBQ for the SEOLS new attorneys crowd. Liz and I are making fairly healthy stuff to serve, the trick will be to watch my portions :) On the bright side, since I will likely be tending the grills, I'll have something to help keep me away from just eating all evening.
Thank you for your continued support and encouragement... this wouldn't be happening without my friends behind me!
Current Status:
Weight: 368.3
Total Loss: 24.5 lbs
Progress for week 4 report: 3.3 lbs
So I got home from vacation yesterday, and did my "Thursday" weigh in this morning. I'm very very pleased to report that I managed to stay almost even while on vacation. I only gained back .1 from Sunday! It took a lot of hard work, and a lot of saying "no thanks" when I really wanted to say "gimme gimme" but knowing the consequences and knowing how proud I would be to be able to report a loss for this of all weeks helped me get through.
Plus the vacation itself was exactly what I needed. I don't think I've ever spent a week relaxed so completely.
Today is going to again be somewhat of a challenge. I'm hosting a BBQ for the SEOLS new attorneys crowd. Liz and I are making fairly healthy stuff to serve, the trick will be to watch my portions :) On the bright side, since I will likely be tending the grills, I'll have something to help keep me away from just eating all evening.
Thank you for your continued support and encouragement... this wouldn't be happening without my friends behind me!
Current Status:
Weight: 368.3
Total Loss: 24.5 lbs
Progress for week 4 report: 3.3 lbs
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Vacation Report - Day One
I had a exemplary first day of vacation yesterday. I had a 4 point cereal for breakfast, salad and soup for lunch, and grilled tilapia and steamed veggies for dinner. I also found out that our hotel has one of the best hotel fitness rooms I’ve seen, so I was able to get a strength training in this morning.
I also used the exercise bike while I was at it, since I don’t usually have access to one of those. It was surprisingly difficult. I think I will try to hit at least that each day I’m here, and maybe add a cheap bike to my list of things to buy when I have some spare cash. I guess that my slowly progressing treadmill workouts would transfer some ability to pedal as well... but apparently they use completely different muscle groups in your legs, or they use them sufficiently differently that the two do not duplicate each other.
Also in the win column, I spent a lot of time walking just for the sake of walking yesterday.
As to the vacation itself: We only got to Niagra at around 3, and the trip up was fairly uneventful. Liz and I walked down to the falls, and up the river a ways, and explored Niagra Falls (the town) itself for a while. My parents and my brother and his wife went and played around in the casino, but I really don’t have much interest in that. I did go down to the falls after dark to see the light show, and got there just in time to see the fireworks, so that was fun.
Today I think I’m going to try to do some of the touristy stuff that I’ve never gotten around to trying despite numerous stops at the falls. Like the Maid of the Mist boat ride and the trolly tour, those sorts of things. We’re also having lunch in a tower on the Canadian side over looking the river. And tonight my mom has gotten all excited about experiencing a Hard Rock Café because neither of my parents have ever been to one.
Then tomorrow Liz and I will probably spend the day on the Canadian bank, and maybe seeing her mom and brother can come down so the four of us can hit some pubs on the Canadian side.
Anyway, one day in, and doing really well so far. Now for day two.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
outta here
I've been working extra hard this week to try to build up a bit of a buffer before going off to Niagra. I've done pretty well. I'm down 3.4 on the week, taking me to 368.2, and 24.6 down over all. And I haven't used any flex points for the week (in fact, I've been hitting about five points down each day so far, so I think I have my appetite more or less under control.)
I'm leaving tonight at around 4, picking Liz up in Cbus at 5, having dinner with her there, then off to my parents, where we will be leaving at around six thirty tomorrow morning. Today I will be packing and making sure we don't leave any food out to spoil, that sort of thing. My friend Melissa has agreed to stop in to take care of the cats, which is a huge relief. Last time we went out of town for a week I had to put one cat into boarding with the vets and one with Liz's grandfather in Zanesville.
So my goal in Niagra is to do well enough that I don't gain back any more than that 3.4. Wish me luck. I will be taking my laptop, along with a cd containing a copy of my points spreadsheets, and I'm pretty sure I'll have internet in my room.
So if knowing is half the battle.... what are the challenges facing me this week? Well, I won't be at home where I have reduced sodium tuna, sugar free peanut butter, skim milk, and only whole wheat in any flour products. I'll be eating at restaurants, and who knows what ingredients they use! And my parents are of an age and social economic background that when they eat out... it is buffets only. Well, maybe not only, but at least 99% of the time. Only eating at buffets and having a mentality that you clean your plate was one of the several factors leading me to develop the horrible eating habits that have stuck with me all my life. Then there is my brother... a horrible influence on me when it comes to food. He is probably a little overweight, but definitely not obese, but he eats like a frat boy. Even more than I do at my worse moments. We'll stop at subway, he wants three footlong subs, that sort of thing.
And there's the absence of my treadmill. This week if I want to walk a mile... I have to do it in public. That'll be hard. I've always been afraid to exercise in public. I mean, admit it, if you see someone who's nearly 400 lbs huffing and puffing on a treadmill, your first reaction is "yeah right, who's he trying to fool." One of my goals in life is to reach a point where I'm not ashamed to go in and ask for a gym membership. I'm not there yet.
Anyway, I have lots to do today, so I better get back to it. Wish me luck, cross your fingers, pray, send me good vibes... whatever you're into, and hopefully i'll make it through the week without too much damage :)
I'm leaving tonight at around 4, picking Liz up in Cbus at 5, having dinner with her there, then off to my parents, where we will be leaving at around six thirty tomorrow morning. Today I will be packing and making sure we don't leave any food out to spoil, that sort of thing. My friend Melissa has agreed to stop in to take care of the cats, which is a huge relief. Last time we went out of town for a week I had to put one cat into boarding with the vets and one with Liz's grandfather in Zanesville.
So my goal in Niagra is to do well enough that I don't gain back any more than that 3.4. Wish me luck. I will be taking my laptop, along with a cd containing a copy of my points spreadsheets, and I'm pretty sure I'll have internet in my room.
So if knowing is half the battle.... what are the challenges facing me this week? Well, I won't be at home where I have reduced sodium tuna, sugar free peanut butter, skim milk, and only whole wheat in any flour products. I'll be eating at restaurants, and who knows what ingredients they use! And my parents are of an age and social economic background that when they eat out... it is buffets only. Well, maybe not only, but at least 99% of the time. Only eating at buffets and having a mentality that you clean your plate was one of the several factors leading me to develop the horrible eating habits that have stuck with me all my life. Then there is my brother... a horrible influence on me when it comes to food. He is probably a little overweight, but definitely not obese, but he eats like a frat boy. Even more than I do at my worse moments. We'll stop at subway, he wants three footlong subs, that sort of thing.
And there's the absence of my treadmill. This week if I want to walk a mile... I have to do it in public. That'll be hard. I've always been afraid to exercise in public. I mean, admit it, if you see someone who's nearly 400 lbs huffing and puffing on a treadmill, your first reaction is "yeah right, who's he trying to fool." One of my goals in life is to reach a point where I'm not ashamed to go in and ask for a gym membership. I'm not there yet.
Anyway, I have lots to do today, so I better get back to it. Wish me luck, cross your fingers, pray, send me good vibes... whatever you're into, and hopefully i'll make it through the week without too much damage :)
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Fabulous week 3
I'm very excited about my week 3 results! Now, next week likely won't be at all the same, because I'm spending the week on vacation with my parents... but this gives me a good morale boost right before a challenging week. I'm guessing I'll end up a pound or two back up in next week's report.
Today's Status:
Weight: 371.6
Change since last week: down 5.8
Change since day one: down 21.2
Mood: Extremely pleased, but cautious about the upcoming week.
Today's Status:
Weight: 371.6
Change since last week: down 5.8
Change since day one: down 21.2
Mood: Extremely pleased, but cautious about the upcoming week.
Monday, September 10, 2007
momentary setback - notes from last thursday
So I had something akin to a crisis of faith Thursday night, which Liz helped me through, and I was back on the straight and narrow by Friday morning. Here's what happened:
We had a reception at my office on Thursday because our office had been open in Chillicothe for thirty years. A couple of people, well one actually, got way extracurricular about food for the party, and we had just an insane amount of really good food. I made it through several hours, but then made a cardinal mistake... I told myself that it wouldn't be so bad to have just one or two of our Paralegal's amazingly wonderful meatballs. I'd been so good this week, right.
And then two became god knows how many. And I had shrimp cocktail and lots of whole fat cheese. I did manage to avoid the chocolate fondue and the cake, so that's something. When I started out with this blog, I said one of my biggest weaknesses is the inability to have "just one." This really applies to everything and anything, not just food. I can come home from work and do housework all evening, but I cannot come home, watch a half hour of tv, then get up and do housework all evening. It just never works out. Once I rationalize giving myself an inch, it always builds up to a mile.
And its like I don't even realize what I'm doing until its too late. So I got home, and thought about how my night had gone, and just kind of freaked out. I lost all confidence in myself and in my chances of making this whole project work.
Fortunately Liz was home, and she convinced me that the most important "just one" to learn to do is to be able to have just one really bad day, and then get back on the horse tomorrow. And that bouncing back tomorrow is something I can do.
And that's what I did, and now I've been back on task for the past 4 days. I'm feeling confident and upbeat.
Now, if I can just avoid being in the same room as those meatballs from now on :)
We had a reception at my office on Thursday because our office had been open in Chillicothe for thirty years. A couple of people, well one actually, got way extracurricular about food for the party, and we had just an insane amount of really good food. I made it through several hours, but then made a cardinal mistake... I told myself that it wouldn't be so bad to have just one or two of our Paralegal's amazingly wonderful meatballs. I'd been so good this week, right.
And then two became god knows how many. And I had shrimp cocktail and lots of whole fat cheese. I did manage to avoid the chocolate fondue and the cake, so that's something. When I started out with this blog, I said one of my biggest weaknesses is the inability to have "just one." This really applies to everything and anything, not just food. I can come home from work and do housework all evening, but I cannot come home, watch a half hour of tv, then get up and do housework all evening. It just never works out. Once I rationalize giving myself an inch, it always builds up to a mile.
And its like I don't even realize what I'm doing until its too late. So I got home, and thought about how my night had gone, and just kind of freaked out. I lost all confidence in myself and in my chances of making this whole project work.
Fortunately Liz was home, and she convinced me that the most important "just one" to learn to do is to be able to have just one really bad day, and then get back on the horse tomorrow. And that bouncing back tomorrow is something I can do.
And that's what I did, and now I've been back on task for the past 4 days. I'm feeling confident and upbeat.
Now, if I can just avoid being in the same room as those meatballs from now on :)
Sunday, September 9, 2007
midweek again
Here we are at the midweek update for week 3. Just a quick note for now. I have a longer entry planned to discuss my somewhat disastrous Thursday, but I haven't had a minute to sit and write yet. Maybe this evening. Today I'm working on the bathroom remodeling project - the goal today is to finish the painting and install the new linoleum flooring.
I did manage to do my mile yesterday at 2.2 mpg, 5.0 incline. This week I think I will work on a more varied routine, ranging the speed and the incline a bit. I haven't worked out the details, I guess I'll just play it by ear.
Anyway, today I'm 2.1 down for the week, not bad especially since I was .9 up on Friday morning. I'm feeling pretty good and confident. No expected major hurtles in the way this week, so I'm shooting for 4 lbs on the week.
Next week I am going to Niagara with my family, (Monday-Thursday) and then hosting a barbecue at my house for SEOLS attorneys on Saturday (the 22nd), so I'm guessing I'll lose a little ground there.
Ok, back to work.
I did manage to do my mile yesterday at 2.2 mpg, 5.0 incline. This week I think I will work on a more varied routine, ranging the speed and the incline a bit. I haven't worked out the details, I guess I'll just play it by ear.
Anyway, today I'm 2.1 down for the week, not bad especially since I was .9 up on Friday morning. I'm feeling pretty good and confident. No expected major hurtles in the way this week, so I'm shooting for 4 lbs on the week.
Next week I am going to Niagara with my family, (Monday-Thursday) and then hosting a barbecue at my house for SEOLS attorneys on Saturday (the 22nd), so I'm guessing I'll lose a little ground there.
Ok, back to work.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
week 2 report
So I finished week 2 at 377.4, putting me 2.7 down on the week and 15.4 down over all.
I finished out the week in a mixed way. I was on the road all day Wednesday, which presents challenges. I ended up doing very well on avoiding temptation and picking healthy foods, but poorly on exercise. I did my treadmill in the morning (2.2 mph, 5.0 incline, 17.5 minutes). But Liz and I stayed in a hotel in Cbus last night, and I made the mistake of assuming that a "fitness center/gym" as advertised on their website would include some free weights or a lifting machine or something. Unfortunately all they had was a treadmill and an elliptical. So I didn't get my strength training in last night. Then I had to get up and be in Chillicothe for work, and the fitness center wasn't open until after I had to be on the road, so I didn't get my treadmill in this morning.
I will try to do a weight training this afternoon, and maybe a short treadmill if I have the time/energy to do both. Unfortunately, this makes two workouts and a treadmill that I've missed in the past week. I've got to do better on that.
On the bright side... the author of the Abs Diet (my exercise routine is based on the outline in that book) actually recommends dieting for three full weeks before adding an exercise routine to the mix. So in a sense I am ahead of the curve. But I will do better. No more excuses!
I finished out the week in a mixed way. I was on the road all day Wednesday, which presents challenges. I ended up doing very well on avoiding temptation and picking healthy foods, but poorly on exercise. I did my treadmill in the morning (2.2 mph, 5.0 incline, 17.5 minutes). But Liz and I stayed in a hotel in Cbus last night, and I made the mistake of assuming that a "fitness center/gym" as advertised on their website would include some free weights or a lifting machine or something. Unfortunately all they had was a treadmill and an elliptical. So I didn't get my strength training in last night. Then I had to get up and be in Chillicothe for work, and the fitness center wasn't open until after I had to be on the road, so I didn't get my treadmill in this morning.
I will try to do a weight training this afternoon, and maybe a short treadmill if I have the time/energy to do both. Unfortunately, this makes two workouts and a treadmill that I've missed in the past week. I've got to do better on that.
On the bright side... the author of the Abs Diet (my exercise routine is based on the outline in that book) actually recommends dieting for three full weeks before adding an exercise routine to the mix. So in a sense I am ahead of the curve. But I will do better. No more excuses!
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
The lesson for today is...
Well, two lessons actually. First, a single day of slacking can ruin an otherwise productive week. Second, a single day of slacking can be made up for by an otherwise productive week.
So before Sunday i was down like 3 lbs for the week. As of this morning i am up half a pound on the week. I did rather poorly on Sunday. So I may not be able to post big improvements this week. On the other hand, had I not stuck to my diet the rest of the week, I would have been up a lot more, and its good to know that in an emergency I can have one really bad day and still stay more or less even for the week.
It's still annoying though. I mean, I knew I would slow down a lot this week, but this is a little ridiculous. Still, two days left to make some progress on the week. Here goes.
So before Sunday i was down like 3 lbs for the week. As of this morning i am up half a pound on the week. I did rather poorly on Sunday. So I may not be able to post big improvements this week. On the other hand, had I not stuck to my diet the rest of the week, I would have been up a lot more, and its good to know that in an emergency I can have one really bad day and still stay more or less even for the week.
It's still annoying though. I mean, I knew I would slow down a lot this week, but this is a little ridiculous. Still, two days left to make some progress on the week. Here goes.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
midweek update
So today is the half way mark for week two.
So far this week is going well. I'm down 3.6 lbs for the week, bringing my total to 16.3. I've gotten up to do my treadmill every morning, and I think I'm making good choices on meals.
Yesterday I did a mile on the treadmill ... 2.0 mph, 5 degree incline. So that's one milestone reached a little early. This week I'm going to try to get accustomed to 2.2 mph, so I can try a mile at that speed next Saturday.
Today will be a challenge. I've been roped into attending a birthday party for my grandmother's new husband (her fourth). He's actually an ok guy, so I don't mind the party all that much. The two problems are 1) my grandmother will no doubt want to serve a traditional Appalachian farm family meal... all meat, grease and starch with nary a veggy in sight, and 2) her husband is very proud of his home made, full fat, full calorie, ice cream. Which, to add insult to injury, isn't very good. So I will just try to have as little as I can get away with without upsetting family politics, and hopefully not backslide too much today.
So far this week is going well. I'm down 3.6 lbs for the week, bringing my total to 16.3. I've gotten up to do my treadmill every morning, and I think I'm making good choices on meals.
Yesterday I did a mile on the treadmill ... 2.0 mph, 5 degree incline. So that's one milestone reached a little early. This week I'm going to try to get accustomed to 2.2 mph, so I can try a mile at that speed next Saturday.
Today will be a challenge. I've been roped into attending a birthday party for my grandmother's new husband (her fourth). He's actually an ok guy, so I don't mind the party all that much. The two problems are 1) my grandmother will no doubt want to serve a traditional Appalachian farm family meal... all meat, grease and starch with nary a veggy in sight, and 2) her husband is very proud of his home made, full fat, full calorie, ice cream. Which, to add insult to injury, isn't very good. So I will just try to have as little as I can get away with without upsetting family politics, and hopefully not backslide too much today.
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