Keeping Active

Summer is finally in full swing.  We started getting some consistently hot days in July and it's carried over into August.  It's been about a month since my last post.  In that time I've managed to stay motivated and lose over five pounds.  I credit the loss to a couple of factors.

First, my activity levels have been way up.  This tends to happen in the summer months usually, but I've kicked it up a notch, this year.  I mentioned in my last post that I was planning to take up my tennis game again.  Well, I've been playing weekly since then.  As I suspected, there was rust aplenty to be shaken off.  I'd also forgotten about the sudden stops and cuts and the lateral movement.  Sore knees and ankles quickly reminded me!  I'd expected soreness in my waist from swinging the racket, but that never happened.  I'm assuming that all of the abdominal work that I do in my regular exercises had me ready for the required movements.

My game has improved over the weeks.  My forehand stroke came back first.  My backhand returns are becoming more consistent.  I'm still putting too many first serves into the net.  Overall, returning to the game has been a lot of fun.  I plan on continuing to play until the weather stops me.

I've also been doing quite a bit of walking, with a little running / jogging thrown in.  I've been taking my grandson to his football practice.  While he's practicing, I walk / run the track that circles the football field.  I try to walk for as long as they practice.  I've also been going on one to two mile walks, with my wife, after I get home from my usual workouts.  We've also spent time walking through some of the metro parks and taking road trips that included architectural walking tours.

Summer brings lots of outdoor festivals and concerts.  We attend as many as we can.  These give us more opportunities for walking, and even better, chances to dance.

I continue to hit the gym and get my strength workouts in, as well as the fitness classes.  I just keep the schedule fluid.  I'm not in the gym as much as I am in the colder months, as I want to take advantage of the outdoor activities, whenever possible.

Next, I'm doing a better job with my eating.  My meals and snacks have been healthier and I'm doing better with portion control.  I've been planning more meals and splurging less.  I even picked a couple of tools to help.  First, I bought a set of food containers.  These help me when I pack my lunch.  I find these work better for me that using sandwich bags to pack my items.  The amount of  food that fits in the containers is less than I'd usually stuff into the sandwich bags.

Second, I bought a portion control divider.  You place it on your plate and fill the spaces with various food group items.  You remove the divider and dig into your well balanced plate.  Over time, I imagine, visualizing portion sizes will become easier.  This will be especially helpful when eating out, as restaurant portions tend to be on the large side.  I've also upped the amount of water that I'm drinking.  Adding a lemon slice to each glass makes it easier for me to drink more frequently.

Of course, encouragement is a great motivator.  I've received a lot of positive feedback recently.  I was even encouraged to become a Zumba instructor.  I don't have any plans on becoming one, but it was nice to be asked.   I've also continued to draw motivation from the perceived negative comment that I mentioned in my July post.

Well, that's about it for now.  My plan for August is to continue to plug away with more of the same.

In case you're curious, the statistical summaries that I posted come from the Endomondo fitness app.

Reps and steps!

Embracing the Process

I'm finding that I really enjoy swimming (or at least, learning to swim.).  I seem to have a knack for it.  Makes me wish that I'd started sooner.  My shoulder, upper back, chest and leg muscles ache afterwards in a different way from working out with weights.  I know a lot of the strain comes from incorrect technique, which results in unnecessary exertion.  I'm also surprised at the amount of energy that I use.  But, it's all good.  Just part of the learning process.

Shortly after my last post, I got back onto the scale.  I found that I'd picked up eight pounds.  It's amazing how quickly the weight can creep back up.  I refocused on my eating and lost three of those pounds by the next weigh in.

It's funny listening to people "weigh-in" on my plate.  I get all kinds of comments, like:

"Are sure that's enough?"
"That's a lot of carbs."
"I could never get full just eating that."
"Do you really like that?"

I'd drive myself nuts if I tried to follow all of the advice that I'm given.  The one common thread is that most folks seem to be impressed with my level of physical activity.  Sometimes, I even surprise myself.  Take last week, for example.  It consisted of two Kickboxing Cardio classes, three Zumba classes, three sessions of resistance training, swim class, a night of Latin dancing, a fashion show (and reception) and dinner and a movie with friends.  Now that the weather is finally breaking, yard work, home maintenance  and metropark activities will start getting added into the mix.  Also, the free concerts will be starting up soon, giving us more opportunities to dance.

The biggest kick that I've had with the warm weather, so far, has been pulling the shorts out of storage.  I work legs equally as I work upper body.  The result, this season I can see the muscularity in them.  It's a good feeling.

Additional motivating factors included speaking with a colleague who had dropped over fifty pounds.  It was great hearing his story and seeing how proud he was of his success.

Well, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing, making adjustments here and there.  Summer is almost officially here and I'm looking forward to all of the activities that it brings, like grilling.  I'll leave you with a picture of my first grilled dinner of the season.

Reps and steps!

Glimpsing My Journey Through Another's Eyes

Recently, I was talking with a friend and the conversation turned to exercising.  My friend asked if I used headphones when I worked out.  Lately, I've been wearing them less, mostly because they're just one more thing to keep track of when I pack my gym bag.  I mentioned that the downside to not wearing headphones was that people were more apt to start a conversation during my workout, interrupting the rhythm.

I usually keep working as we're talking, but I told my friend that I'd be thinking, "We need to wrap this up.  Can't you see that I'm still fat!?!" My friend was surprised at that statement.  She told me that not only wasn't I fat, but I'd kept the off the weight that I'd initially lost, which she felt was the hardest part of the process.

Her comments got me to thinking later.  I'd been down on myself because this stubborn belly fat is still an issue for me.  I sometimes focus on the problem areas, rather than looking at the whole picture.  So, I mentally listed all of the positives that I could think of.  It was a pretty long list.  Here are few of them:

My friend was right, I've kept the weight off for nearly two years.

I'm stronger than I've been in years.

Ditto for stamina and endurance.

Every week brings more muscle tone.

While I'll never be confused with a "clean" eater, I plan my meals much better than I have before.

I exercise at least three days per week.

Just this weekend, my grandsons and I were running around the yard and playing in the trees!

My swimming instructor has decided that I'm part fish (lol).

So, the current "pity party" is over and I have enough ammunition to keep the next one at bay for a long time!

Reps and steps

It Was A Pretty Good Week

The gym is replacing the floor in the exercise room, so the various classes have been cancelled for about ten days.  I've been walking the track as a substitute cardio session.  I may also put in some time on the elliptical machines for the duration.

I'm still using the fitness trackers.  I'm finding that they do provide motivation to be more active and to get more sleep.  The syncing between the Pebble and the Up app has still been missing steps, but not as many since tried a suggestion that I found in the Pebble forums.  There was another suggestion on how to force a manual sync that I plan on trying.

If the soreness in my upper back, shoulder and chest muscles are any indication, then the swimming classes are going well.  I plan on adding time in the gym's pool to my regular workout schedule.

Speaking of which, the workouts continue to improve.  I think that I've settled into a pretty good groove lately.  The decrease in my caloric intake hasn't seemed to affect my energy levels, like it has in the past.  In fact, I was able to hit some new maxes on a number of exercises.  My current favorite is preacher curls.  I added fifteen additional pounds to that exercise.

I updated my fitness goals in the MyFitnessPal app.  The new calculations reduced my caloric goals by sixty calories per day.

All in all, I'm feeling pretty good with my progress.  I may even hop on the dreaded scale after this morning's workout!

Reps and steps!

Adding Swimming to the Exercise Mix

I've been using the Pebble Jawbone Up app for a few weeks now and I've discovered some inaccuracies in the data transfer process between the watch and the companion phone app.  The watch seems to count my steps pretty accurately, but some of the step data is not being recognized by the phone app.  There has usually been a discrepancy of about 400 steps between the two apps, with the phone app showing fewer steps than the watch app.  The worst case was when the phone app missed 7,000 steps!

I've done some research online and found several references to the issue, but no real fix.  The best suggestion was to use the watch app's primary watch face, as to the two secondary ones seemed to produce the largest errors.  It happened that I was using a secondary watch face when the 7,000 steps were missed.

Even with the errors, I think that using the app has been beneficial.  Reviewing my sleep tracking data has encouraged me to get into bed earlier and get more sleep.  I've improved my sleep time from an average of five hours per night to seven.  I hit or surpassed my 10,000 steps per day goal an average of five out of seven days.

I was reading an article recently on creating successful morning routines, when one particular section caught my attention.  It talked about starting the morning with a quick workout.  The author suggested using an app called The 7 Minute Workout as a guide.  I downloaded the app and gave it a try, at the beginner level.  The app guided me through a series of exercises, with video instruction.  It was more difficult than I anticipated, but not hard to do.  It definitely provides a morning boost!

This week, I took my first swim class since high school.  Back then, my swimming teacher was pregnant and couldn't do much in the pool.  The substitute was not very effective, so I never learned to swim properly.  My wife and I are considering taking a Caribbean cruise in the next year or so and would like to feel comfortable in the water, so we're taking the class together.

The class was pretty small, three adults and two teens.  It was held at the local high school.  We started out with the basics, holding on to the side of the pool, learning kicks.  It was after the instructor corrected my kicking technique that my muscle memory kicked in.  While I felt that my initial instruction had been incomplete, apparently I had learned some things.  I found that I was able to swim half the length of the pool.  Of course, my technique was pretty bad, with plenty of wasted motion, but I felt that I did pretty well.  The instructor called me her "over-achiever." LOL!

My gym has a pool that is used mostly for water aerobics, but there are times when its available for open swimming.  Since water aerobics participants need to be able to stand while exercising, the pool is pretty shallow, only 4 - 4 1/2 feet deep, making it  a perfect place for me to practice.

I've been focusing more closely on my caloric intake.  I've been mostly staying under my calorie goal and not touching my exercise calories.  My challenge goal is to do this consistently for 45 days, ending on April 30th, when I'll do a weigh in.

My regular workouts continue at a good pace.  I'm looking forward to the weather warming up so that I can add outdoor walks back into my routine.

That's it for now.

Reps and steps!

Once More Unto the Breach

It's still cold and snow covered around here, but I got all of my scheduled workout sessions in, except one.  I pushed myself a little more than usual this week, which led to some of the best sleep that I've had in a while.

I've also decreased the weight that I've been using on my squats.  I've opted to go lighter and focus more on the technique.  This has helped me to go deeper into the squat, really working the muscles.  I'm careful not to drop below parallel, that is, keeping my thighs parallel to the ground.

I don't know if I've mentioned it, but, I'm kind of a tech guy.  I like trying out various gadgets and gizmos.  I recently bought a Pebble smart watch.  I went for the original black and white e-Ink display model, not the new color one.  I read that all of the Pebble watches would eventually be upgraded to the new operating system, so I settled on the less expensive model.  One of the things of interest to me was that the watch came with a Jawbone app called Up for Pebble.  It functions independent from the phone, so I can wear the watch when I workout, just like I would a fitness band.  I haven't used it long enough to form an opinion about it, but I'll pass along my observations as I go.

The Delicious Debacle

I was mostly on track with my diet up until Friday.  We had an early morning celebration at work which involved baked goods.  I went to lunch with a colleague and enjoyed a plate of bu'n thit nuong, a Vietnamese dish that has become one of my favorites.  For dinner, we met with friends over St. Louis style spareribs.  The evening was capped off with vanilla ice cream over a warm brownie, topped with whipped cream.

I attempted to offset Friday's excesses by keeping below my calorie goals and not eating back any of the 2400 exercise calories that I'd burned on Saturday and Sunday.

Non Scale Victories

I was told that in addition to my lost weight, it looked like I'd lost 10 years, too.

One person told me that it seemed like I'd lost more weight, while another remarked that my arms looked bigger.

Goals

I'm still dealing with the belly issue.  It's smaller, but still not gone (Yeah, I know that brownies and ice cream don't help!).  I haven't really set any mini goals lately.  I still don't have one in mind, but I'm sure that something will come to me soon.

Reps and steps.

The Gym Versus the Weather

For these last couple of weeks, my workout story has been mostly about the weather.  It's been cold and snowy.  Some days, it was not about desire or motivation.  It became about clearing a path through the snow.  Last week, I cleared my driveway three times.  As I type this post, the temperature is -4 degrees F.

Fortunately, when I've made it to the gym, I've been able to do some quality workouts.  I even reached a few personal bests:  I worked through the entire stack of plates on the pec deck, curled 110 lbs on the preacher curl bench and moved up to 40 lbs on my standing dumbbell flies.

My diet has been okay.  I made better choices and practiced portion control.  My weight seems to have plateaued again.  I'm considering doing seven to ten days of Daniel's Fast to get things moving again.  For now, I'll continue to tweak the plan and stay the course.  Full disclosure:  I did treat myself to a late dinner splurge meal on the way home from a dance, last Friday evening.  It was a decadent and delicious Po' Boy with Cajun chips.  I regret nothing! LOL!

I upgraded my phone to a Samsung Note 4.  It came with S-Health fitness apps installed.  I've turned on the pedometer to track my steps.  The goal is to reach 10,000 steps per day.  That's been pretty hard to accomplish in this weather.  I'm averaging about 4,000 steps per day, not counting the steps in my fitness classes.  The app sends a notification if I'm inactive for a long period and reminds me to move.  This has come in handy at work, where I ride a desk.  I get up and walk for a couple of minutes instead of sitting.  I've also used the heart rate monitor.

Overall, I feel good about how things are going.  It's great to feel strong and healthy.   I thought about that on trash day, oddly enough.  In the first picture, you can see some trash bins.  I'd piled up so much snow from shoveling that I couldn't reach my tree lawn from the sidewalk to place the trash bin.  I took the bin to the street side, grabbed it by the bottom and the handle that the garbage truck uses to empty it.  I then hoisted it onto the snow mound.  The shape of the bin made the lift a little awkward, but the weight was not a problem.

Well, now I need to decide whether I'm going to brave this wind chill warning of -25 to -30 degrees and hit the gym or do a more limited set at home with the weights that I have here.  To be honest, home gym is looking pretty good!

Reps and steps!

Day 730

Friday, January 23, 2015, marked 730 days into my restarted fitness journey.  2013 was mostly about losing weight.  2014 continued along that path, but then became more about getting fit.  I ditched the scale and concentrated on developing my physique, with mixed results.  My ending weight for the year was practically the same as the first year’s, staying at around 50 lbs. of total weight loss.  So, while I didn't gain much weight, I didn't lose any either.

On the other hand, the body shaping / muscle development went really well.  There was noticeable development in all of the muscle groups.  I decreased my body fat and reclaimed clothes that I hadn't worn in years.  I said “Goodbye” to the “Big and Tall” clothing section in 2014 and “Hello” to spandex workout gear.

My diet improved over the first year.  Finding and using the MyFitnessPal app and site was a very important part of that.  Before I started using it, I’d been regaining some of the weight that I’d lost.  The app made me take a hard look at what I was eating.  I made the adjustments and took off 14 lbs.

I've been pretty consistent with my exercise program, usually getting in a minimum of three workouts a week.  Diet, while better, is still not what it should be.  I’m indulging myself a bit too much, taking in too many fat calories, even though I mostly stay within my caloric goals.

My imperative for 2015 is to research healthier alternatives and incorporate them into my diet.  I need to create better meal plans that include healthier between meal snacks.  I see this as my final hurdle to maximizing my fitness and reaching my health goals.

Speaking of which, the goals that I set for 2014 were to:
…incorporate the dietary lessons learned on the fast into my normal diet.  I had enough success here to do no harm.  More focus and effort will be required to actually meet this goal.

…get my waist size down to a size 32.  I didn't make this one, though the last belt I bought was a size 34.  Even though I didn't make goal, I consider that a win.

…have a visible “six pack.”  I give myself “honorable mention” on this one.  I've done a lot of core work and, sometimes, I can see hints of them.  More incentive to trim the fat that’s covering them.

…further refine and develop my musculature.  This has been a win.  I’m very happy with my progress in this area.

Some Non Scale Victories from 2014

I feel stronger and healthier.  I seem to be more resistant to colds and the like, with faster recovery times.

Picking up a 35 lb. dumbbell and having to check the weight markings because it felt like I’d grabbed a 20.

Discovering Cardio Kickboxing.  Aside from the intense workout, I've learned some pretty cool punching and kicking combinations.

Upping my overhead barbell press to 110 lbs., dumbbell curls to 55 lbs and pec deck to 170 lbs.

Goals for 2015

My goals for 2015 are pretty much the same as I set for 2014.  The main lesson that I've learned (relearned?) is that to be truly successful, I must fully incorporate all three fitness pillars:  Proper diet, exercise and rest.  Doing two and a half will only get me so far.

Through the grace of God, I've come a long way in these past two years.  Even with not fully meeting my goals, I've been successful.  I’m stronger, fitter, and healthier, with more energy and stamina.  I've met new people and made new friends, both online and off.  Best of all, my dedication to the process motivated my wife to create a schedule and start hitting the gym herself!

I’m looking forward 2015’s successes and hoping that you’re finding yours, too.  Beast mode on!

Reps and steps!

Sweat Don’t Lie

I had originally planned for this post as a reflection of last year and my goals for this year.   Then I remembered that on January 23^rd, I'll be at the two year anniversary of my fitness journey.  I decided to save my reflections for that post.

I will say this, 2014 ended up seeming like a “set-up” year.  I feel like I've laid the foundation for real success.  The only thing left to do is to put in the work to make it happen.

With the end of the holidays, I've been working at getting back to my normal routine.  The exercise schedule was fairly easy to fall back into, diet, however, is another matter entirely.  Over the holidays, I indulged myself, probably too often.  It’s been jarring to go back to simpler meals.  I knew that I was in trouble when the market put the paczkis out early this year.  I bought a half dozen and ate three of them in one day!

One thing that has helped me to focus are the successes of some of my contemporaries who are on the same journey.  A couple have made amazing progress.  Their progress has helped to relight my fire to get this thing done.  I feel that while I've made progress of my own, I've been doing some “coasting,” especially in the diet area, which just adds unnecessary time (and calories!) to the process.

Sweat Don’t Lie

I've come to enjoy the exercise part of my regimen tremendously, especially as I see how the exercises are reshaping my body.  I try to leave it all on the gym floor when I work out.  Recently, one of the big guys approached me after I’d finished a set.  I’d done a class earlier and I was drenched in sweat.  He said, “You’re really getting’ it!” I laughed and said something like “Yeah, I’m doing a little something.”  He said, “No, sweat don’t lie.”  That recognition of my efforts felt pretty good.

I thought about that as the gym has been invaded by the “Resolutioners.”  The folks whose New Year’s resolution is to get in shape.  I've had to adjust my work outs because of the added members, but I haven’t been resentful of their presence.  I've been in a position to speak with and encourage a few of them.  Most will quit before the end of February, but a few will stay.   Maybe my encouragement will help.

Looking at the more rounded bellies of some of the newbies reminded me of my start nearly two years ago.  They also reminded me of how far I've come.

Reps and steps! 

The Return of an Old Foe and the Emergence of a New One

Well, it’s been about two months since I posted my last update.  I had a lot on my plate, both personally and professionally, in addition to the usual holiday commitments, which consumed much of my time.  This will serve as my “catch-up” post.

The Return of an Old Foe and the Emergence of a New One

I've been very pleased with my recent progress.  I've been receiving a lot of positive acknowledgement from others and it’s become more evident to my own eyes.  Sometimes success brings carelessness and not a little hubris.  Because I’d been doing so well, I started “rewarding” myself.  My old friend, Coca-Cola, was making regular appearances again at meal time.  Chips, cakes and pastries were finding their way back into the house.  Some of my clothes started fitting a little tighter.  That’s when I recognized my new enemy:  Complacency.  I was becoming complacent and that was going to eventually lead to a major setback.  I realized that while I was staying mostly within my calorie goals, the fat calories I was taking in weren't helping my cause.

As the saying goes, “You can never out exercise a bad diet.”  That was proving to be true.  I found that I’d picked up a few pounds leading into the Thanksgiving holiday.  I committed to eating more sensibly for the rest of the holiday season.  By better planning, I was able to enjoy the holiday parties and dinners, while re-losing the extra weight that I’d picked up.  My diet still isn't as clean as it could be, but it’s better than it’s been recently.  I’m just happy that I was able to recognize my mistakes and correct my course before I went too far astray.

Positives

Health:  Many of the people around me, at home and work, have been sick over these past few months.  A couple of times, I got a few of the symptoms, but they never fully took hold or lasted overnight.  I credit my healthier lifestyle with strengthening my immune system.  It probably also didn't hurt that I had gotten my annual flu shot!

Appearance:  I am enjoying the physical changes that I'm achieving.  It’s such a kick to see my muscles develop and to watch the fat decrease.  Others have noticed, too.  I've gotten compliments from the fitness instructors at the gym, acknowledgements from “the muscle guys” and kudos from others.  One of my most fun experiences of the holidays was seeing the surprise on the faces of some of my extended family at our annual holiday gathering!

Achievements

• I bought a new belt.  It was a size 34”.  When I started this journey, I was wearing a size 42”.
• I bought more sweaters and vests.  I used to hate how I looked in them.  I felt like a sausage!
• I burned the safety net.  I donated two leaf bags full of my larger clothes to charity.  No turning back now!

In my next post, I'll be taking a look back at how I did in 2014 and to finalize my goals for 2015.

A look back (Get it? LOL)!

Steps and Reps!

My Week of Gym-cation

I needed to burn some “use it or lose it” vacation days, so I took the week off.  I didn't have any real plans for the time, so I decided to make it a “gym-cation.”  I was able to get to the gym in the morning hours and try some of the daytime classes.  Over the course of the week, I think I worked out with every Cardio Kickboxing and Zumba instructor in the gym.  On some days, I pulled some double sessions, even attending my usual classes.  Hitting the weights in the mornings was awesome.  The gym was fairly empty, so I didn't have to wait to use the machines, racks, benches or weights.  I had some great workouts.  My most challenging day consisted of an hour of Zumba, ninety minutes of weight training, and an hour of Cardio Kickboxing.  By Friday evening, I couldn't pick up another weight.  Luckily, that was an upper body weight day, since we were heading out to a Salsa costume dance that evening.

Saturday and Sunday, I stuck to the cardio classes, no weights.  By the end of my gym-cation, I was tired, but satisfied.  I’d pushed my body hard, tried new exercise routines, increased some weight poundage, and had come out okay.  I wouldn't want to do this every week, but I wouldn't mind doing it again at some point.

I wanted to weigh myself, but my scale wasn't working.  I bought another digital scale, set it up, and hopped on.  I was dismayed to find that I’d gained more than five pounds!  I rechecked the setup instructions and found that I’d skipped the initialization steps.  After I initialized the scale, I weighed myself again and found that I’d lost 2.5 lbs. (Much better!).  That brings my total weight loss to 50.1 lbs.

Like I promised in my last post, these are the photos of my Halloween costume.  I went as Robin Hood.  We had a fantastic time at the dance.  There were some great costumes being worn at the club.  I also enjoyed my impromptu Sherwood Forest (otherwise known as "the backyard.") photo shoot.

I felt that my body looked pretty good in the costume.  I credit the body shaping done with the weights.  Diet, sleep, and aerobics are also very important, but, in my opinion, nothing shapes you like resistance training.  Fifty pounds is not an insignificant amount of weight to lose, but I think my current state makes it appear that I've lost more than that.

Motivation

I was told that my body slimming was very noticeable.

I was asked if I was an athlete and if I was in training for an event or sport.

I was complimented on my hard work and dedication.

As I was packing my summer clothing away, I came across my fatigue pants from my service in the Air Force.  I decided to see if I could get into them.  While holding my breath and sucking in my gut, I was able to zip and fasten them.  Though I was hard pressed to breathe normally, I was wearing size thirty four pants that I’d last worn nearly thirty years ago!  I was stunned!  When I started this process at size forty two plus, getting into a size thirty four seemed like a fantasy.

Reps and steps!

The Mirror Is Becoming Kinder

The last few weeks have been pretty eventful.  My exercise schedule is back to normal.  I've picked up the intensity again on the strength training and have added a number of cardio classes to the mix.  It’s been good to work out with so many different instructors, all with different styles and approaches. That variety helps to keep the work fresh and interesting.  The diet has been good, though on a few heavy work out days, I ate into my exercise calories.

We found a couple of Halloween parties to attend, so I did wind up buying a costume.  It wasn't one of the costume ideas that I'd been considering, but it did have one crucial element that the others lacked:  It matches my wife's costume! LOL!  The first party is a week before Halloween, the second is on Halloween.  I’ll post pics from the second event.  I bought my costume online.  It was nice to be confident enough to buy it, knowing that it would fit.  I couldn't have done that less than two years ago.

About the “mirror’s” change in attitude…

I've noticed some very positive changes in my physique lately.  Actually, that’s not quite right.  Said more correctly, I’m very happy with the changes in my physique lately.  The image that I see reflected back to me is so much closer to the goal image that I see in my mind.  I like the way I look in my clothes.  I like the muscular development.  I find that I’m seeing more of the positives and less of the negatives.

Now, when I make an assessment of my physical condition, it’s less of a criticism and more of a critique.  I’m not sure when I turned this corner, but I’m glad to have done it.  I don’t think that I was ever hyper-critical of myself, but there were times when I doubted my progress.

Now, when I look in the mirror, the change is pretty obvious.  There’s no longer a question of if I’m succeeding.  My reflection says, “Yes.”

Getting used to my “New Normal”

As I was doing an orientation of with some new employees, the thought hit me, “This version of me is how these people will think of me.”  They never knew the heavier me or any of the stages in between.  This got me to thinking about my grandsons.  They’re all pretty young, the oldest being six.  Chances are, as they grow older, they won’t remember my former look.  It’s all pretty strange and exciting.

Motivation

• While shopping for underwear, I came across a sale brand which sized their product different than I’m accustomed to.  I'm used to a waist size large as being designated as 36-38".  Their large was 38-40".  Their medium ran 34-36".  I went with the medium, which were a perfect fit!
• I was mistaken for being younger than my age (This one is always a morale booster!).
• Someone assumed that I’d reached my goal state and asked what was next for me.
• A couple of people complimented my exercise ethic.
• A few people complimented my physique and weight loss.
• We had a pre-Halloween party at work and someone took a snap of me.  I paired it with an earlier picture.  Here’s the result:

Reps and steps, baby!

Staying the Course

Not a whole lot to report these week.  It was very much like last week, as far as exercise and diet go.  The early part of the week was busy, with no time to get to the gym.  I did well on with my allotted calorie count, though I did exceed it once.  I got in three Zumba classes, two weight workouts and spent a little time on the walking track.

I've upped the resistance in a few more exercises.  I've been able to do 100 lb military (overhead)

barbell presses.  I moved up to 40 lb single arm dumbbell flies and got in some 60 lb dumbbell curls, but my form wasn't good.  I also added some straight arm press downs to the mix.

The gym mirror has been pretty motivating lately.  I'm starting to see the muscles working as I exercise.  That pushes me to work them even harder.

I'm still getting lots of encouragement and acknowledgement on my weight loss and body shaping, which I truly appreciate.

I learned a couple more weight loss terms:

The Whoosh Effect:  Presumably the body pulls water into the muscles and out of other tissues (fat cells).  In lean individuals, appearance is often drastically improved.

ONEderland:  You've fallen below 200 lbs and are in the "100's."

I think that I have a shot at making ONEderland by Jan 23, 2015, which will be the two year anniversary of the start of my current fitness journey.  I'm not overly concerned about the weight total, but it would be a nice milestone to achieve.

A Matter of Perspective

About 5 years ago

My son stopped by the other day and mentioned that he and his wife were planning a birthday party for my oldest grandson.  They'd been looking through pictures of my grandson's first birthday party when they came across a photo of me, from almost five years ago.  My son commented on how he could hardly believe the difference between then and now.

Seeing the photo was a surprise.  In those days, I usually made sure that I was the one taking the shots because I really didn't care to see myself in pictures, other than head-shots.  I probably weighed around 280 lbs in that photo.  Looking at the picture made me realize just how far I've come.  Even at this incomplete stage, I could pretty much declare victory right now when compared to where my health was in this photo.  Though, there are still times when I look in the mirror and see my former self.  There are times when I feel just as heavy as I looked in the photo.  On those occasions, I turn my focus to the positive aspects of my journey.  I force my perspective back to reality and see myself as I am now.  I reflect on the progress that I've made and the goals that I'm pursuing.

A recent photo

The last time I posted a weigh-in was in June.  I'd lost 38.8 lbs.   Since then, I've lost another 8.8 lbs, bringing my total weight loss to 47.6 lbs.  I'm closing in on matching my largest weight loss total, 51.8 lbs, which I was, unfortunately, unable to maintain.  I feel confident that I will surpass that total, now that I have a better plan in place.

This week was a challenging one, as far my diet went.  I attended a retirement party, two going away parties and a birthday party.  While I did eat too many pastries and baked goods, I still managed to stay within my calorie count on the day of each event.  This was with minimal dipping into my exercise calories.

I didn't get into the gym until Thursday.  Even then, I didn't get to the weights until Saturday, so I got in four days of cardio and two strength training sessions.  It actually felt good to have had so much time off.  I was very rested when I got back to the weights.

Inspiration

I was out shopping with my wife when a Fall jacket caught my eye.  I thought that it would be a good interim replacement for my now too large leather jacket, which I mentioned in a previous post.  The jacket was on sale, but the sign stated two prices.  One price for "regular" sizes and ten dollars more for big and tall sizes.  Eighteen months ago, I would have had to pay that additional ten dollars.

My job has a health program where you submit your biometrics to get a discount on medical coverage.  I got my results from my doctor's office and plugged in the numbers.  My current numbers were better than last year's numbers in every category!  The software's assessment was basically, "Keep doing what you're doing."

Well, here's looking forward to another successful week!

Working Out in White

I usually wear dark colors when I workout.  Darker colors being more slimming than lighter colors.  Recently, I started adding white shirts into my workout clothes rotation.  My body has gotten slimmer and "tighter," so I thought that I'd give it a try.  Though I still have some fat around the middle, I didn't feel self-conscious about it, even after I sweated through the shirt.  This was a breakthrough that I wasn't expecting or even thought of as an issue.  It's funny that such a simple change could feel so empowering.

While I'm on the subject of clothes, I'm happy to report that I'm firmly in the pant size 36.  I'm able to wear almost all of the size 36s in my closet.  This means that the next stop will be a size 34!  This is a huge motivator for me.

Great walking scenery

Exercise this week went well.  I got in four resistance workouts, three Zumba classes, and one Cardio Kickboxing class.  On my off-days, I walked about four miles in total.  On one particular walk, I got into a good rhythm, passed a couple of people as I walked on a decline.  I tried to maintain the same pace on the incline portion of the trail and began to break into a light sweat.  As I was on the incline, I heard tapping behind me.  It was an older gentleman, using a walking stick.  He greeted me as he effortlessly passed me, looking as cool as a cucumber!

The diet also continues to go well.  I've even started introducing vegetables into my meals (I'll wait for you to recover from the shock before I continue. LOL).  I'm still coming in under my daily maximum calorie goals, so the portion control seems to be working.  I can see some of the results of keeping the food diary when I'm working out.  It's encouraging to see my the workings of my muscles reflected in the gym mirror as I'm doing reps.  I take this to mean that there is less fat covering them.

Next Week's Goals

I'll be attending a few farewell parties next week.  My goal will be to keep the over indulging to a minimum.  I plan on banking some calories, by having light breakfasts and lunches on those days, to help me to meet this goal.

Burn, Calories, Burn!

Monday was a great day for a walk.

I got in a couple of walks on Monday and Tuesday, my workout rest days.  I did five days of weight training, four Zumba classes, and a Cardio Kickboxing class.  If I haven't mentioned it before, the Cardio Kickboxing class can be pretty challenging.  We punch, kick, bob, weave and jump non-stop for an hour.  It's definitely a stamina builder.

Keeping the food diary (Myfitnesspal) continues to go well.  Now that I have about forty days worth of data entered, the reports become useful.  In addition to tracking calories, I can review other intakes, such as sodium, carbs, fats, and protein, enabling me to make adjustments to my diet, as necessary.  The amount of data that the site gives you access to is amazing.  Data becomes knowledge and "Knowledge is Power."  That power translates into better management of my fitness/weight loss plan.

Calories Burned

An example of the reports is the Calories Burned chart.  The chart illustrates the calories that I burned last week while exercising.

Exercise Calories Burned Last Week

9/8 - 9/9:  Walking

9/10: Weight Training/Zumba

9/11:  Weight Training/Cardio Kickboxing

9/12 - 9/14:  Weight Training/Zumba

Motivation/Non-Scale Victories (NSV)

Thursday evening was unseasonably cool, so I grabbed my jacket on my way to the gym. It was noticeably big on me. That was an unexpected win. The bad news is that it's my favorite leather jacket. The good news is I get to go shopping for a new, smaller one!

On another cool day, I grabbed a long sleeve fleece jersey to wear.  I hadn't worn this particular shirt much because the stitched lettering irritated my chest.  Turns out that the stitching wasn't the real problem.  The real problem was how tightly the shirt fit.  Tightness isn't an issue this season.  Plenty of room now.

A Gym Public Service Announcement (PSA)

When removing the pin to change the weight on a stack of plates, make sure that the bar that is connected to the cable is not heavier than the lightest plate. I took a thump to the head by forgetting this rule. Luckily, my head is hard, the bar was light, and it didn't have far to fall.

I also managed to get distracted and catch my fingers beneath a dumbbell.  Again, it was only a slight injury.  No real damage done.

That's all for this week.  Hopefully, the coming week will go smoothly.

Settling Into a Good Groove

Not a whole lot to report this week.  I made it to the gym five days this week, which included four Zumba classes.  My diet continues to go well.  Seeing my food choices in writing, with the myfitnesspal app, has really helped me stay on track.  I burned some additional calories with an evening of Swing dancing to a live band.  I hadn't danced Swing in quite a while.  It was a nice treat.

I learned a new weight loss term this week:  NSV.  According to the Urban Dictionary, NSV stands for Non-Scale Victory.  “NSV is a dieting and weight loss term for noticing your weight loss success off the scale.”  Examples of NSVs are getting rid of clothes because they are too big or shopping in the "regular" stores.  So, it seems that I've had a number of NSVs over the course of my fitness journey, but didn't know to call them that.

Motivation

• I noticed stretch marks in the bicep area, so the muscles are definitely growing.  Now that the marks are apparent, it also means that it’s time to up the vitamin e.
• I got into another pair of shorts and a pair of jeans, neither of which I could wear at the beginning of the month.
• I've managed to finish under my calorie goal for most of the last twenty five days.  This is outside of the exercise calories that I've burned.

I need to find another short term goal to work towards.  I don’t have anything on the calendar, so far, to use as a carrot.  I’m sure that something will pop up soon.

That’s it for now.  I’ll be firing up the grill for the Labor Day holiday, which may become a splurge day.

Standing on the Verge

After last week, I feel like I'm on the verge of making real progress.  The MyFitnessPal app and website seem to have been the missing piece of my fitness puzzle.  Keeping a more accurate count of my caloric intake is turning into real progress.

I've been using the app for about three weeks now and the results have been noticeable.  I've moved down a belt notch and the few 38" waist pants that I'm still wearing are becoming too large.

I got in six days of exercise last week that included 6 weight training sessions and 4 Zumba classes.  After Friday's workout, I accepted the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge from a friend.  Let me tell you, having a bucket full of ice cold water dumped on my head was quite the experience.

I've been getting more positive comments on the body shaping, lately.  One person asked if I was losing weight.  Another told me that I was losing weight.  Still another mentioned that I looked cute in my workout gear.  Cute wasn't the look that I was going for, but I'll take it (lol).

I was successful in reaching the goal that I set for myself.  I was able to comfortably wear the smaller cut shorts to the reunion picnic!  As an added benefit, I got into some of the other 36" waist pants that I've had waiting in the wings.  As was the case with the shorts, they aren't comfortable...yet.  But, coming from wearing size 42s, just getting into size 36s doesn't seem quite real.

I'm feeling very positive and encouraged.  I even considered getting on the scale, but decided to wait until the end of September or the beginning of October to weigh in.  I'll have been following my updated diet plan for about 10 weeks by then and should have lost at least 10 pounds.

I drank too much Coca Cola this week.  Still not up to my old levels, but more than I should have.  I had couple of Cokes on the nights that we ate out with friends and I shared a large Coke and a tub of popcorn at the movies.  The saving grace was that the workout calories that I'd banked covered my excesses.  I was still remained under calorie count.  The value of regular exercise paid immediate dividends in this case.

Speaking of exercise, I've gotten so used to doing it, that I feel a little guilty on my rest days.  On those days, I make sure that I at least get in a walk.  Now, I've found a place to walk that is really convenient.  The city added a fitness trail to some nearby green space.  Twenty exercise stations make up the fitness trail. You walk briskly or jog between stations.  I tried it out and was able to work through about two thirds of the stations.  Eventually I'l make it through all of them.

Jumping back a paragraph, the movie that I saw was "Get On Up (The James Brown Story)."  It was an excellent movie. I predict a Best Actor nomination for Chadwick Boseman and Best Supporting Actor nod to Dan Aykroyd.  I highly recommend it.

Like I wrote earlier, I think that I'm on the verge of finally breaking through on this fitness journey.  Suddenly, the journey doesn't feel like I have that much longer to go before I reach my goal.  Not that it has gotten any easier, but I feel like I have a good plan and that its paying off.  I'm feeling more confident that I'll get it done within the time frame that I'm shooting for.  The last thing I want to do is to be facing the same challenges as I'm dealing with now, at the two year point.  Hope and fear are great motivators!

I'll leave you with couple of pics taken near the fitness trail.  I was goofing around, having "Fun with Boulders!"

No boulders were harmed in the making of these photos.

Strange Sources of Inspiration

This was a very balanced week.  I did well on both fronts; exercise and diet.  I’m finding the MyFitnessPal app and website to be a very useful tool to help keep my eating on track.  I’m consistently falling below the goal calorie count.  Not far below, but a noticeable amount.  I’m not starving myself, just choosing which calories to consume more wisely.  I actually snack a lot during the day, especially during the workday.  The photo below shows a variant of my usual snacks.  I eat half in the morning, after breakfast.  The other half gets eaten in the afternoon, following lunch.  They keep me from hitting the vending machines, which is a good thing!

I had one glass of Coke and one cinnamon raisin bagel this week.  That’s a big win for me.  My wife and I split a decadent dessert this weekend, but I had the calorie count to cover it, so I wasn't overly concerned with eating it.  As an example of how my numbers stack up, here's my MyFitnessPal results for Sunday.

Since I exercise on most days, I usually have a lot of "bonus" calories to burn.  For Sunday, I had 90 minutes of resistance training, followed by 60 minutes of Zumba.  We also got in more dancing this weekend, which was added to my exercise calories.

Inspiration?

I was having an issue with irritation in my armpits.  I tried switching soaps and deodorants, but neither seemed to help much.  To make it even more difficult to pin down the cause of the problem was the fact that it wasn't happening daily.  It took me a while, but I finally figured it out.  With all of the weight lifting I've been doing, my shoulders, back, arms, and chest have gotten larger.  Some of the smaller cut shirts were actually rubbing against my armpits, chafing them!  It’s probably a little strange that I was more pleased about the muscle growth than I was relieved for finding the cause of the irritation!

Nov 2013 ---------------- Aug 2014

Goals

In my last post, I mentioned that I wanted to be able to wear certain pair shorts to a picnic at the end of the month.  So, my goal was to be able to wear the shorts comfortably.  Well, I got my dates wrong.  The picnic is this coming weekend, instead of the end of the month.  I lost a week that I thought I would have.  I don't plan on making any drastic changes to my diet, so the only thing left is to add exercises and see what happens. 

Well, that's another week in the books.  I'll let you know if I meet my goal, or not, in next week's post.

Celebrating The Calories That Weren't Consumed

This was a very successful week, both workout-wise and diet.  On the workout side, the week was very consistent, then I got to really pound it over the weekend.  The diet was good, too.  I removed or limited my consumption of two foods that I felt were holding up my progress:  Coke and cinnamon raisin bagels.

Before I get to the food portion of this post, I wanted to finish up with the workouts, particularly the weekend's workouts.  I took Friday off from work, as it was the day of the wedding that I mentioned in a previous post.  I got to the gym early and hit the weights really hard.  I'm happy to report that my new suit fit fine and was comfortable through the wedding and reception.  The reception was a cardio-fest for me.  Lots of dancing, plus I learned a few new line dances from the teens and twenty-somethings.  I made it to the gym Saturday morning, blasted my legs in a series of exercises, and then went to a spirited Zumba class.  I got to the gym later than usual on Sunday and found that I was in time for the start of yet another Zumba class, just as I finished my upper body workout.  Finally, I tackled the lawn and yard work to finish out the day.  I've also started using the True Stretch Cage, to work out some of the after exercise kinks and to improve my flexibility.

I mentioned my love of the fizzy beverage, Coca Cola, a few posts ago.  That hasn't changed, but I decided to push back against it.  A 20 oz. bottle of Coke contains 240 calories.  I could easily drink two a day during the work week and order a glass or two if we're eating out over the weekend.  One pound equals 3,500 calories.  I've been doing nearly 3,000 calories a week in Coke alone!   I'd been having cinnamon raisin bagels as part of my work week breakfast.  They're 280 calories a pop.  That's another 1,400 calories per week.  Obviously, that had to stop.  This Business Week cover and article, "Coke Confronts Its Big Fat Problem," helped to seal the deal for me.

A friend mentioned that she was using a free calorie counting app called, "myfitnesspal" to help stay on track with her diet.  I decided to check it out.  I'd kept food diaries in the past, once back in the pen and paper days and again, on my Palm Pilot, using a Palm database based on Weight Watchers' point system.  This app is leaps and bounds over the old methods. myfitnesspal determines how many calories per day you need to consume to lose a pound by the end of the week.  It has a large, searchable database of foods items.  You can also use it's bar code reader to input food information.  It takes calories burned during exercise into account and adjusts your calorie count accordingly.  It really makes you think about what you're eating when you do the math.

This past week, I had two Cokes and no bagels, eliminating approximately 3,900 calories from my diet.  If I can do similarly for the rest of the month, I won't have to worry about needing to work off an additional 15,600 calories or 4.5 lbs!

Below are the goals the myfitnesspal recommended for me.  To lose 1 pound per week, I should consume 2200 calories daily.  My exercise calories burned are subtracted from my food calories consumed.  You can clearly see how valuable regular exercise is.  The exercise calories are the total of 1 hour of strength training + 1 hour of Zumba + 30 minutes of lawn mowing.  Because of the exercise, I was able to eat a little more and still close the day with 1007 calories to spare.

Motivation

Having my new suit fit comfortably during actual wear was a motivating factor for the week.  Wearing a ribbed tank top this week that I hadn't thought I'd be able to wear this summer was also a plus.  Seeing the numbers on how my fitness regimen affects my overall calorie count was also gratifying.

Short Term Goals

In another post, I mentioned that I'd be attending an reunion picnic at the end of the month.  I bought a pair of size 36 shorts from the Young Men's department to wear to the event.  Young Men's clothing is cut smaller than Men's Regular (I think that its the equivalent of "Juniors" for Women's clothing.).  I tried them on, once I got them home.  I could fasten them, but they were tight.  My goal is to be able to wear them comfortably to the picnic.

That's all that I have for now.  I just plan to build on this week's successes.