Post Holiday Week Update

I hope that you had a merry Christmas.  To paraphrase Bob Cratchit, "I was making rather merry this week."  I thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas week.  There was plenty of food, fun and fellowship, though I tried to keep the food part under control.  I can’t say that I was entirely successful where the desserts and treats were involved.  I indulged more than I should have.  Knowing this, I kicked up my activity levels and banked some calories by consuming fewer calories at breakfast and lunch.  Even so, I was not looking forward to my weekly weigh-in.  To my surprise, I broke even; no loss or gain.  While I didn't gain, the downside is that I would probably have posted a loss if not for the extra dessert calories.

Activity

I skipped Monday’s workout to attend a group Salsa class, which turned out to be a really good decision.  It was a really good time, with dancing afterwards.  If you have chance to try a class, I highly recommend that you do it.

I had some good workouts at the gym, with a double session on Friday.  I mixed in more minutes of reverse stepping on the elliptical machine, spent a little more time on the track, and tried out a few more machines.

Goals

It looks like I’m going to miss my goal of wearing a smaller pants size by New Year’s Eve.  I’m closer, but they’re still not fitting comfortably.  I’ll push that goal to January 23, 2014, which will be the one year anniversary of the restart of my fitness journey.  On a related note, I’ll be doing Daniel’s Fast again, starting on January 2nd.  This is the three week fast that helped get me back on the fitness path when I tried it last year.  By coincidence, I happened to watch “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” on HLN tonight, a film about film about a guy who is 100 lbs overweight and his weight loss journey.  His program included fasting and juicing.

Motivation

I had some good motivational moments this week.

• I spent Christmas Eve with friends and extended family, some of whom I hadn't seen for months.  I got lots of positive feedback and congratulations on my progress.
• While viewing a slideshow of family pictures, my three year old grandson was happily pointing out everyone he recognized.  When a "Before and Current" comparison picture of me came on the screen, he identified me in the "current" photo, then asked "Who is that?" while pointing to the "before" picture.
• I ran into an acquaintance in Zumba class who I hadn't seen for several months.  She was happy to see that I was still in the class and complimented me on my weight loss.

Salsa

I don’t know how many calories I burn during a night of Latin dancing, but I’d guess that it’s a fairly significant amount.  More importantly, it’s a lot of fun.  As I suggested before, if you get the chance to learn, take it.  Here’s a video that I've found helpful.  It doesn't take the place of live lessons, but it may give you a taste of Salsa sabor (flavor).

Weight loss to date: 40.2 lbs.

Still On Track

I was out of the gym for four days straight this week, doing holiday stuff.  That’s probably the longest stretch that I've gone without working out since I started this year.  I did manage to get my walks in, did my “snow shovel workout” and had a salsa lesson, so I wasn't exactly sedentary.  When I finally got back into the gym, on Thursday, I had some very good workout sessions.  I worked with fairly heavy weights, paying attention to maintaining proper form.  I’m trying to concentrate on “feeling” the particular muscle(s) that I’m working.  For instance, when I’m using the pec deck or doing incline dumbbell flies, I try to pull with the pectorals, not the arms.  When I get to the top of the movement, I contract (squeeze) and hold the muscles for a second, then return to the starting position.  I try to control the negative (return) movement just as much as the positive, so no swinging the weights or letting gravity complete the rep.

I mixed in more of the reverse stepping on the elliptical machine and some crouched stepping.  I can really feel the effects in my quads and glutes.

I feel like I’m doing pretty well in the diet department, even with the holiday temptations, so I’ll continue with the plan.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I weighed myself.  I weighed in 1.8 lbs lighter than last week.  So, less work equaled a loss.  I've quit trying to figure it out.  It just gives me a headache!

I again got lots of positive reinforcement:  My dedication to my workouts was complimented and my wife’s trainer noted the changes in my physique.  The icing on the cake was my wife telling me that she could see the “placeholders” for my abs.  I’d been doing some extra core work, so it was nice to know that it’s beginning to pay dividends!

My mini goal for next week is to sell out during my workouts and close out the year strong.

Weight loss to date: 40.2 lbs.

The Snow Shovel Workout

Last winter my wife talked me into buying a snow thrower.  She’d seen me in the driveway huffing and puffing, taking forever to clear the snow with the shovel.  It was so bad that my neighbor, who has about twenty five years on me and has a plow service taking care of his driveway, would come out with a shovel and pretend work in his drive, so that he could keep an eye on me!

I used the snow thrower last winter, and it did make clearing the driveway much easier, but I resented having to use it.  Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate the fact that I have people who care about me and my well-being, but it was still a serious blow to my ego.

We've had snow falling on and off for the last few days.  While the city trucks have done a good job of clearing the streets, they've pushed a lot of snow into the apron of the driveway.  I decided to skip the gym tonight and open up the driveway.  I grabbed the shovel instead of starting up the ‘thrower and got started.  I cleared the apron up to the sidewalk and realized that I hadn't stopped for a rest and my breathing was pretty even.  I kept going, clearing the rest of the driveway, the side entrance, the front stairs and walkway.  By the time I was done, I’d broken a light sweat and was breathing a little heavier.  Truthfully, I believe that I breath harder using the elliptical machine than I did shoveling snow this evening.

My heart rate recovered quickly and I had no aches afterwards.  It felt really good to knock off driveway in that fashion.  I felt completely vindicated.  The cardio and resistance training is really paying dividends.  I joke with my wife, when she asks me to do some physical chore, saying that these aren't “working” muscles, they’re just for show.  It seems I was wrong.

Holiday Festivities

The holiday season started in earnest this week.  Lots of food and parties.  It took some doing, but I managed to keep things in check.  I ate relatively small portions and only had small desserts.  I tried to satisfy my sweet tooth with offerings from the fruit trays.  When the dust settled, my weigh-in showed 1.4 lb gain.

In spite of the scale, I view this week as successful.  I didn't overindulge and got in some good workouts.  The mirror and my clothes both show me that I continue to make progress, particularly in the traps, delts and pecs.  I’m also seeing more definition in my quads and calves.

I strained a bicep and had to rest it a couple of days.  It’s still a little sore, but manageable, as long as I cut down on the poundage.  I've also been fighting off a cold, which has left me feeling a little tired.

Inspired by an acquaintance at the gym, I've started stepping backwards on the elliptical machine for the last five minutes of the set.  It was a little awkward at first, but I'm getting my speed up.  I also had a conversation with some others, whose physiques I admired, about their diets.  They pretty much confirmed what I already knew:  I need to eat more vegetables.  I mentioned that I’m not a big fan of vegetables.  They told me that it was all about the preparation and suggested that I look up some recipes on the internet and give them a try.  I plan on doing my research, selecting a couple of recipes to start with and making them after the holidays.

Weight loss to date: 38.4 lbs.

Accomplishing A Hidden Goal

I woke up about fifteen minutes before my alarm was set to go off this past Saturday morning.  I’d set the alarm to get to the gym early so that I'd get a full workout in before the start of the Zumba class.  I was so stoked to get to my workout, I'd awakened early.  As I was getting ready to step out into the twenty three degree morning, it occurred to me that I’d accomplished a goal that I hadn't consciously set:  I’d made a lifestyle change.

I’m not sure when it happened.  I know that it must have been a gradual process.  After thinking about it, I decided to list the changes that have become part of my daily routine:

• I use to stay up into the wee hours of the morning.  Now I get 6-8 hours of sleep per night.
• I've changed my eating habits, consuming much healthier food and portions.
• I would keep at least two two-liter bottles of pop in the house, going through one a day.  I drastically reduced my consumption and I don’t keep any bottles in the house.
• My snacks are healthier.  We almost never have chips, pies, cakes, etc., in the house.
• I truly enjoy working out for the workout’s sake.  I actually feel guilty if I don’t get my workout in.

It was pretty cool to realize that this is who I am now.  Its encouraging to know that if I apply the same principles to other areas of my life I have a good chance of being successful there, too!

December's Goals

I missed a couple of workouts and had one shortened this week.  This turned out to be for the best, as I was starting to feel a bit run down.  I felt more rested for the workouts that I did get in.  I was more relaxed and focused.  I got into a pretty good groove and the exercises flowed really well.  At the end of the week I’d lost 1.4 pounds.

Like last week, I got a lot of compliments and encouragement.  I’m continuing to make strength gains and have started introducing “forced reps” into some of my exercises. 

I needed to set a goal for myself to reach for December.  I wanted to get away from the “lose x number of pounds” model, since that doesn't seem to really be the best measure for me.  I decided to make it a size challenge.  I figure that we’ll probably do something for New Year’s Eve, so I’ll buy myself a new pair of pants to wear to the event.  My goal will be for that purchase to be in the smaller size that I mentioned last month.  They should not just fit, they should fit comfortably.

I don’t plan on changing my approach.  Though, with all of the upcoming holiday parties, I’ll need to keep an eye on the refined sugars.  I’m sure I’ll have some, but I don’t want to over indulge.

Weight loss to date: 39.8 lbs.

Thanksgiving Week

I didn't think that I’d be able to maintain last week’s level of intensity with my workouts, so I focused on simply remaining consistent.

I banked some calories early in the week, because I planned on sampling everyone’s cooking when we got together for Thanksgiving dinner.

I got my workouts in Monday through Wednesday.  I hadn't planned on working out on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, until I found out that the gym would be open that morning, so I got in a bonus workout.  I considered doing another double session on Friday, but I was a little tired and decided to take it easy.  I was planning on taking my wife Salsa dancing that night and Friday would have been a leg workout day.  I decided not to mix them.  I spent some time practicing a few new Salsa patterns, which I guess could be counted as an aerobic workout.  I was feeling less tired afterwards, so I pulled out the dumbbells and did a high rep, low to medium weight workout.  After a fun night of dancing, I managed to get to the gym on Saturday morning and completed my regular elliptical, resistance training, Zumba workout.  Plus, I did a little extra track work after the Zumba class.

After all of that, I weighed in 2.8 lbs heavier than last week.  Go figure!

Anyway, I had so many positives this week that I can’t help but consider it a successful week.


I received a number of compliments and encouragements from friends, acquaintances and even strangers.  The best was the reaction I got from a friend that I hadn't seen for a few months.  It’ll keep me encouraged for quite a while!

In an October post, I mentioned that I was close to getting into the next lower pants size, but that I wanted to wait until after the Thanksgiving holiday to try them again.  I got them fastened on Saturday!  They aren’t comfortable enough to wear regularly yet, but a win is a win.  This means that I've dropped three pant sizes since I restarted my fitness journey!

Speaking of pants, the ones that I’m wearing in the photo from Salsa night were bought over a year ago.  I knew that they were too small when I bought them, but I hoped that I’d eventually be able to wear them.  Eventually came this past Friday night.

To stay positive and motivated, I try to read lots of positive, motivating articles.  Here are a couple that I thought I’d share.

Mentally Strong People: The 13 Things They Avoid
Expect Immediate Results. Whether it’s a workout plan, a nutritional regimen, or starting a business, mentally strong people are “in it for the long haul”. They know better than to expect immediate results. They apply their energy and time in measured doses and they celebrate each milestone and increment of success on the way. They have “staying power.” And they understand that genuine changes take time.

How Long It Takes to Burn Off a Thanksgiving Dinner 10 Different Ways
The jury is out about how much the "average American" actually consumes on Thanksgiving every year. Some claim it's 4,500 calories, others say it's between 3,000 and 5,000 calories. Either way, considering the recommended daily calorie intake is between 1,600 and 2,400 for most of us, it's safe to say that we'll be putting in more than our bodies will appreciate.

Weight loss to date: 38.4 lbs.

Perceptions - Half Full or Half Empty?

This week’s weigh-in had a much better result than last week's.  I lost 4.4 lbs.  How I got there was a bit convoluted.

Early in the week, I got a bit impatient with the process.  I’m not sure what caused it, but I was feeling like I wasn't seeing enough progress for all of the work that I was putting in.  I started focusing on the areas that weren't quite as successful.  I was looking at the glass as half empty.  Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, I was feeling like I hadn't made any real progress, which led to some discouragement.

I started to question the process, wondering if I should try to find something new, which got me thinking about processes in general.  I came back to a painting process that I follow.  When I’m creating a painting, I work in stages.  I've named one of those stages the “ugly” stage.  This is the point where the painting has most of the elements and sometimes, colors, laid in, but it’s still a mess.  It’s at this point when a painting is most likely to be abandoned.  To finish it, you have to look past the painting’s current state and trust the process to take it to your final vision.

The "Ugly Stage" and a more refined stage

Reaching this minor epiphany swung my perception back to the “half full” state and turned the remaining days into one of the most focused weeks I've had since restarting my fitness plan.  I paid more attention to my diet and turned up the intensity of my workouts, even pulling a double set on Friday.  I have to admit, by Saturday’s workout, I was running on fumes.  I was at the 10 minute mark of a 30 minute set on the elliptical and thinking of packing it in, when I remembered something that Austin Carr said while commentating a Cavs game.  He said that the team wouldn't be successful until they learned to play past tired.  I “played past tired” from the elliptical, to an upper body set, through a Zumba class.  I was rewarded with the 4.4 pound weight loss.

This week’s total helped me to break through a sticking point.  Now, I need to build on this success, which just happens to have come right before the biggest feasting holiday on the calendar.  So, this week’s strategy turns out to be the same as last week’s strategy:  Trust the process and follow the plan.

Weight loss to date: 41.2 lbs.

A Mixed Bag

I had kind of a chaotic week.  Due to my schedule, I missed a few workouts and ate out more than I would have liked.  So, it wasn't unexpected that I wound up posting a 1.2 lb weight gain this week.

I don't feel too bad about it, though.  I'm confident that I'll be back on track next week, plus, the weight gain was balanced by a number of positive comments and observations from others.

My biggest boost came early in the week.  As the weather has gotten colder, I had to go to the storage bin to get some of the winter clothes that I'd packed away in springtime.  I grabbed a sweater, put it on and was swallowed up by it!

Even though I knew that I'd made changes to my body shape, I was still surprised at how loosely the sweater was hanging.  I did manage to find a sweater that fit, but that fit looked much better that it did last year.  I'm aware that I'm still sporting a spare tire, but it's much more deflated than when it started out.

In the gym:

I'm seeing good progress on my biceps since I've worked preacher curls into the mix. I've become more consistent in working my core and I'm noticing that its becoming much stronger.  I'm knocking out shoulder shrugs with 95 lb dumbbells.  I'm also starting to see more definition, here and there.

Weight loss to date: 36.8 lbs.

Diet - Moderation, not Deprivation

Even with getting in some good workout sessions, I only had a small weight loss of .8 lbs this week.  If  I was solely focused on weight loss, this would have been a disappointing result.  But I realize that the scale only measures pounds.

"Vaporizing the Pounds" has become sort of a misnomer.  I've become less concerned with losing losing pounds and more focused on building muscle while reducing fat, in other words, getting fit.

A treat (and I still lost weight that week.)

I knew that I wouldn't stick with restrictive diets, hosts of supplements and the like.  That's why I've gone with portion control.  While I've cut down on many of the high fat / high calorie foods that I like, I haven't eliminated them from my diet completely.  This is by choice.  I moderate my food choices, but I don't deny myself.  Instead I make compromises.  For example, instead of buying a cake for dessert, I'll buy a single doughnut.  If its not in the house, I can't eat it.

I probably could make faster progress eating more strictly, but I don't believe that I would maintain it for the long haul.  I've managed to keep off the weight and inches that I've lost so far.

I'm not saying that this is the "right" way to approach weight loss, but it seems to be working for me.

Switching subjects, I held off on trying on the smaller pants again, which I mentioned in my last post.  I want to wait until the weekend after Thanksgiving day, just to see how well I manage the portion control thing.

Weight loss to date: 38.2 lbs.

Vaporizing The Pounds: Halloween

I  borrowed my grandson's shield and put together a makeshift Captain America costume for Halloween.  While it wasn't on a superhero physique, it was nice that there wasn't as much of me hanging over the belt this year!

This week's weigh-in was a wash.  No loss, no gain.

That being said, I found that I'm really close to moving down to the next pant size.  I'm talking over the hips, less than an inch to fastening, close.  To speed the process along, I tried to eat really lean early in the week.  I also incorporated more running into my fitness program.  I made it through Monday's workout fine, Tuesday...not so good.  I ran out of energy during the workout and had to scale it down to finish.  I figured that I just hadn't taken in enough calories to sustain the level of effort that I was expending.  After the workout, I was ravenous.  I bought a pizza on the way home and  finished off half of it in a single setting!

I added additional calories to my meals and the rest of my workouts went well. Highlights include:

• Squats: 285 lbs
• Dead-lift: 185 lbs
• Curls (dumbbells):  50 lbs

I found a exercise that I really like.  I don't know what its actually called, but I refer to it as "staggered push ups."  There is a bar set up on a rack.  The bar can be adjusted to four heights. I start doing incline push ups at the lowest height, pyramid up to the highest, then back down to the lowest. The second to the lowest height gives me the best stretch, so I do extra reps when I'm at that level.  This exercise gives me a wicked pump, even better than the bench press or dumbbell flies.  To mix it up, I plan on using the same configuration to do decline push ups, by placing my feet over the bar, varying the height.

It was really great to wind up eating more this week and still lose inches.  I'm enjoying the fact that I'm adding muscle while burning off the fat.

Weight loss to date: 37.4 lbs.

Vaporizing The Pounds: Reset 02

This week I managed to make better food choices, while sticking to my mantra of “Moderation, Not Deprivation,” and was rewarded with a weight loss of 3 lbs.

I thought that I'd included a "Before and Current" photo as a point of reference.  The "before" picture was taken in the summer of 2012.  The "current" photo was taken today.

I had some pretty good training sessions this week.  The zumba classes were high energy and the resistance training was more focused.  I feel like I’m on the verge of hitting my next fitness level.

Here are my victories for the week:

• For the first time, I ran more laps than I walked.
• I lost another belt notch.
• I got more notice and positive comments about my weight loss / body shaping.
• I increased the poundage on almost every resistance exercise.

A weight loss memory:
My wife and I had been seated in booth in a restaurant that I liked.  The problem was that the booth tables were affixed to the floor, so they couldn't be adjusted, which made for an uncomfortable meal.  We went back to the restaurant recently and got a booth again.  The table position was no longer an issue and the meal was great!

Motivation:
I have pair of jeans that I bought a while ago, with the thought that I’d eventually be able to wear them.  I tried them on last month and was able to close them for the first time, but they were still tight.  I tried them again this week.  Time to cut the tags off!

I know that I still have quite a way to go, but I’m feeling pretty good about my progress.  Looking forward to getting after it again next week!

Weight loss to date: 37.4 lbs.

Vaporizing The Pounds: Reset 01

I usually weigh myself on Sundays, but I forgot to do it yesterday.  So, I weighed myself today and had a loss of 2.4 lbs.

Since January, I've dropped two pants sizes and one shirt size.  My workout regimen is a little different than last time, due to my schedule.  Every week I get in 4 resistance training sessions and 5 cardio sessions.

The resistance training split is:

• Upper body:  Arms, Chest, Upper Back, Lats, Abs (2x)
• Lower body:  Shoulders, Lower Back, Legs, Abs (2x)

Cardio training includes:

• Walking 1 mile during lunch break (5x)
• 30 minutes (2.5-3.0 miles) on the elliptical machine (5x)
• 1 hour Zumba class (4x)
• I've also just started running/jogging 1 mile (3-4x)

Tales From The Journey

Last summer, I went to a conference.  The seats on the flight were uncomfortable, I had a hard time buckling the seat belts and we won’t even go into the full body photos taken.  This summer, the trip to the conference was a completely different story.  I had room in my seat and I had to tighten my seat belt.  The guy sitting next  to me said that he was glad to sit next to someone who wasn't spilling out of the seat, unlike on his previous flight.  The full body photos were much better, too.

Weight loss to date: 34.4 lbs. (corrected)

Vaporizing The Pounds - Reset

My last post on this blog was on Monday, April 27, 2009.  Since then, I regained almost all of the weight that I’d manage lose.  An injury knocked me off the exercise path and I didn't get back on until this year.  Not that the injury itself kept  me from the plan.  I just got out of the habit of doing the things that were working.  As those things slid down the priority list, the pounds crept back on.

This January (2013), I joined some folk at my church who were planning to do Daniel’s Fast.  In a nutshell, under the fast I couldn't eat dairy, meat or processed foods for 21 days.  At the end of the fast, I really felt good and decided restart my fitness regimen.

When I began this blog in 2009, my starting weight was 279.5 pounds.  At the time of the injury, I was down to 252.5.  I started this new campaign weighing 271 pounds.

I’ll use the next few posts to bring my story up to date and share some of my observations and experiences.

Looking forwarding to a more successful outcome this time around.