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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Like the title says, I’m finding that the math plays an
important role in weight loss. I've
never been one to consistently count points or calories. My approach was more, shall we say,
instinctual. It worked for me, up to a
point. Keeping a food diary (Myfitnesspal) has changed the game for
me. The process has been much smoother
and the results are becoming more apparent.
These are my calorie counts for September 1 – 7:
Day
Total Cal.
Exercise Cal.
Activities
Monday
2,129
233
Walking
Tuesday
2,012
362
Weights
Wednesday
2,021
1171
Zumba/Weights
Thursday
2,093
1280
Cardio Kickboxing/Weights
Friday
2,166
1248
Zumba/Weights
Saturday
2,002
1378
Zumba/Weights
Sunday
2,162
1378
Zumba/Weights
To lose 1 pound per week, I need to consume no more than
2200 calories per day or 15,400 calories per week. I averaged 2,084 calories per day, for a total
of 14,585 calories for the week.
I burned 7,050 calories through exercise. Subtracting my exercise calories from my
total consumed calories left me with 7,535 calories consumed for the week.
Since I came in under my calorie goal, I should have lost 1
pound, according to the plan. Factoring
in the underage and the exercise calories, I should have also lost an
additional 2.2 pounds, bringing the total loss for the week to 3.2 lbs.
Since weight loss isn't an exact science, let’s say that my
numbers are off by twenty percent. That
would still mean a loss of 2.6 lbs. for the week. Still nothing to sneeze at!
I won’t know any of this for certain until I weigh in at the
end of the month. But, I do know that I’m
wearing clothes that I couldn't wear last month, I’m constantly pulling my
workout pants up (these were the ones I bought to replace the last set.), and I
continue to receive positive feedback.
One of the best things to come of this new plan of action is
that while I’m controlling my intake, I’m never hungry or feeling weak. As a matter of fact, I've increased the
poundage and/or the number of sets in almost all of my resistance training
exercises.
Deer near the walking trail
Though I’d like to be in the gym every day, I know that I
have to give my muscles time to rest and repair. I plan on working out five days and taking
two consecutive days off from the weight training. I’ll take a walk through the parks on those
off days, as I see no reason to suspend the cardio.
I did find a short term goal to work toward. Halloween falls on a Friday this year, so I’m
sure that there will be costume parties to attend. Over the years, I've had a few costume ideas in mind that I’d
wanted to wear, but my physique wasn't “right” for them. This year may be different. I’d like to make my costume choice by the
weekend of October 18th. That’s
the carrot that I’ll be shooting for.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Another week goes into the books. I mostly stayed on point with my exercising for the rest of the week, since my "anniversary" post.
I ended the week with a good leg session. The squat racks were in heavy use, so I hit the incline leg presses instead, working my way up to 360 lb. leg and calf presses. The racks finally opened up by the time I finished doing the rest of my leg exercises, but my leg muscles were aching at that point, so I skipped the squats.
Zumba class has been better than normal, lately. We’ve been working through more core and strength routines. The room has been seriously motivated.
My appetite has been decreasing over the last couple of weeks, so my food intake has slowed.
I picked up the suit that I mentioned in my last post. The alterations had been completed and I was anxious to see the final results. The fit was excellent. It almost felt strange to be wearing a suit that fit so well, after wearing my old, now too large, suits for so long.
I’ll be getting in some extra cardio, next week, in the form of dance practice. My wife and I will be attending a large Latin dance event on the coming weekend and I want to polish my moves a bit. We got in some East Coast Swing dancing this past weekend, which is a good start, as EC Swing uses pretty much the same timing as the Cha Cha.
I also have a class reunion picnic to attend next month. It will be a tank top and shorts kind of gathering. I’ll use that event as extra motivation as I work out in August.
I found another article that I wanted to share. It discusses the levels and frequency of exercise needed to positively impact your health.
How Much Physical Activity Do You Really Need? http://gizmodo.com/how-much-physical-activity-do-you-really-need-1589801744
"Physical activity has recently come to be seen as one of the best forms of medicine available. Studies have shown that simply getting on your feet can ward off all manner of ill health, from cancers to cardiovascular diseases. But how much do you need to do to reap the benefits?"
Today marks eighteen months since I restarted my person fitness challenge. I took the day off from work to “celebrate.” I went in to the gym early, did a Zumba class and a workout. After finishing up, I headed to a clothing store to do some shopping.
Since I have a wedding to attend and all of my suits are now too big, I finally broke down and bought a new one. Now for the good part: The regular fit suits didn't work for me. The jackets fit, but the accompanying pants were too large. I had to buy an athletic fit suit! I haven’t worn an athletic fit suit since I was in my twenties!
Finished with the shopping, I went home to change and headed back to the gym for more weight training and a second Zumba class.
Looking back over this time, my initial feeling was that I’m not as far along as I thought I’d be at this point. But, upon further reflection, I think that I've done pretty well.
•Staying committed to the process for eighteen months is a cause celebration in and of itself. It hasn't always been easy, but I've managed to stay pretty consistent.
•I think that I’m more comfortable with how my physique is developing. I’m trying not to put so much pressure on myself in the quest for my goal state.
•While I may occasionally stumble, overall, I continue to make progress.
One of the best things that I've done was to kick the scale to the curb. Not worrying about “making weight” has been pretty liberating. There are plenty of other, more motivating ways to track progress.
The “Little Things”
Sometimes, it’s the little things that provide the strongest motivation. Here are a few.
•Sitting comfortably in an airplane seat.
•Buying a smaller belt.
•Catching my reflection and thinking, “Not bad.”
•Not shopping in the Big and Tall section.
•Handling heavier weights.
•Noticing females checking me out.
•Putting on old clothes and finding them to be too big.
•Being asked about how to lose weight.
…and the best one of all…
•Catching my wife checking me out when she doesn't think that I've seen her doing it!
Well, Day 730 will be the next major milestone for me. I’m looking forward to getting there!
Not much to report for this post. A got in a few sessions at the gym and a Zumba session. I ate lighter during the week to bank some calories for the Fourth of July barbecue. I did pretty well. I didn't overeat and I limited myself to one dessert.
I did hit a minor milestone this weekend: I replaced my belt. The buckle was starting to come loose on my old belt from pulling it tight. The best part is that my new belt is a size 36 (See “The Significance of Size 36”)! I didn't try the belt on until I got it home. I have to admit to having some trepidation as I was sliding it through the belt loops. As it turned out, it wasn't necessary.
On a related note, you may remember my post “Fitmodo - The Science of Fat.” Well, I came across another Gizmodo article on fat called, “The Science of Losing Belly Fat.” It is a good article, with some useful information. It also confirmed the training method that I've been following:
"The question of what specific type of exercise will give you a better chance of reducing the jelly in your belly was answered, among other studies, in April, 2014 in the Journal of Sports Sciences. Researchers found that aerobic training combined with resistance training was much more effective at improving the levels of visceral and subcutaneous fat, compared to those who did just aerobic training alone."
I feel like I’m finally getting back to normal. I made it to the gym four times last week. I began adding weight to my exercises and only felt an occasional twinge in my back. My cold is gone and my wind has mostly come back. I walked on three afternoons and got in two Zumba classes. I also started the “little experiment” that I mentioned a while back. I've been tweaking my diet, trying to find the “sweet spot.” If I drop too many calories, I struggle with having enough energy to do a proper workout.
I weighed in for the first time since March 18th. I gained .8 lbs, which wasn't too bad. I assume that I probably gained a little weight during my inactivity, so I don't see this as a bad number at all.
I got to burn some additional calories when I went salsa dancing this weekend. I was looking forward to dancing to the music of one of my favorite Latin bands, Son Gitano. I’d also added a few more patterns to my repertoire and was eager to try them out. They all went well, except for one, which we will never speak about again (My wife's description of the pattern was: “Now, that was just crazy!” LOL)!
This happened to be an annual, semi-formal, event. I wore the same suit that I’d worn last year and it was huge on me! I ditched the jacket as soon as I got into the club and spent the rest of the evening tightening my suspenders between dances. So, it’s official: All of my suits are now too big for me and need to be replaced. This is kind of a problem, since I plan on shedding more fat, I really don’t want to buy any nice suits right now. I may have to invest in a couple of inexpensive suit separates for the interim.
I got some motivation from an unexpected source. I’d been going through old photos to post on Facebook for “Throwback Thursdays.” I came across some of my pre-flab pictures. While I don’t want to get that small again (I actually like having some size), the pictures reminded me of what I’d done before. Being as fit as I was, when I was younger, is harder to get back to now, decades later. But, I believe that it’s possible to regain much of it. In fact, I’m determined to make that happen.
The week began strong. Monday through Wednesday, I got in some good workouts. My back was much better, so I started adding more weight. Zumba class was high energy and I even jogged a few laps on the track. Then I got hit with some kind of bug, which put me down for the rest of the week.
As if that wasn't bad enough, we found that a chipmunk had gotten into the house. We spent the weekend trying to get rid of it. It zipped around, hiding under the furniture in the family and living rooms. We finally came up with a plan of attack. We opened the front and side doors, figuring if we gave it an escape route, it would take it. We didn't know what piece of furniture it was hiding under, so I had to lift up each piece until we found it (This provided the resistance training part of the workout.). My wife was positioned to force it toward the doors. Then, I chased it out the door (That was the aerobic part.).
On Monday, I was still feeling like crap. I was tired because I couldn't sleep. My coughing kept waking me up. I finally broke down and started taking cold medicine, which helped me sleep, but left me feeling groggy in the morning.
I started feeling better by Wednesday. Thursday was my first good night’s sleep. Friday, I felt well enough to give the gym a try. Friday is a Zumba class night. My normal routine is to first do 30 minutes of elliptical, to get warmed up, then it’s off to the hour long class. I didn't think I could do both this Friday, so I went straight to Zumba.
By the end of class, I was a little winded, but I was able to keep up with all of the routines. After class, I spent twenty minutes on the weights and machines, just to see how the muscles felt. I just did upper body exercises, with bench press being the most strenuous. I find exercising the lower body requires more energy than upper body work, so I decided to wait before trying those again.
The twenty minute workout went okay. I thought about ending the session in my usual way, with core work and some yoga stretches, but I ran out of steam, so I just went home instead.
I felt pretty good on Saturday. I did my complete workout and the Zumba class with no problems, except for the occasional cough. I wanted to get up and go to the gym this morning, but I couldn't push myself out of bed, so I took today as a rest day.
I didn't have much of an appetite over the week, except for breakfast. I had a full breakfast almost every day. I’m talking potatoes, bagels, jam, sausage, bacon…the works! I skipped lunch three or four times and didn't do my usual snacking. I kind of picked at dinner, but ate quite a bit of comfort food to make myself feel better.
A Couple of Observations from the Week
Even though I was not feeling well, I really wanted to work-out each day and was very disappointed that I couldn't. That reminded me just how large a role that fitness has come to play in my lifestyle.
After Saturday’s Zumba class, I was standing in the middle of the room, talking with another member of the class. The front and side walls of the room are mirrored. As we were talking, I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror. Now, we look in the mirrors all of the time, both in the classroom and on the gym floor, but we're usually focusing on a specific movement or body part. This time, I caught the whole package. It was like seeing myself for the first time. My muscles were pumped from the resistance training and my core was tight from the floor exercises and Zumba class. I really saw the progress that I've made. I know that doubt will creep in again at some point, but I’ll keep that picture in my mind to counter it.
Sorry for being so long winded, but I wanted to catch everything up with this post since I didn't feel well enough to write last week’s post.
One last thing. The song, "300 Violin Orchestra," by Jorge Quintero, pumped me up Saturday, when I really needed it. Have a listen:
I was still dealing with some back discomfort over the week, but nothing like before. I continued the yoga stretches into the weekend. They definitely lessened the discomfort and helped with my mobility. I was able to get in two workouts, two Zumba classes, and a couple of elliptical sessions. I also did four of my afternoon walks. All in all, I felt pretty good about my physical activity.
My diet, however, was another story. It was all over the place. I overindulged in some of my favorite foods; thick sliced pizza and ice cold Coca Cola. Leading up to Fat Tuesday, I made the mistake of buying a half dozen box of apple paczki. I didn't eat them all by myself, but I accounted for my share of them. Then, on Fat Tuesday, there was a small party which involved a large assortment of donuts.
Combined with last week’s inactivity, I assumed that my feasting would cause me to show a higher number when I weighed in. Imagine my surprise to find that I’d lost 1 lb! I’m chalking that loss up to having built up a faster metabolism.
I want to get back the experiment that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, but my main focus is not straining my back again. I've been wearing my weight belt to help support my lower back when I do squats and some of the standing exercises, like dumbbell raises. I also reduced the poundage. Aside from squats, I felt that performing dead-lifts would give me a good idea of how much I’d recovered. I was able to do four sets of ten, 135 lbs each, without any discomfort. The most discomfort in the session came from an unexpected source: Shoulder shrugs. I guess I didn't consider the stabilizing role the lower back plays in that exercise.
For the upcoming week, I plan on continuing to take things slowly. I definitely plan on eating better!
I skipped Friday’s gym workout to clear the driveway. I got up early to get to the gym Saturday morning and found the driveway and street covered by a few inches of snow! I figured once I got off the side streets, I’d have an easier time on the main roads. Wrong! The main streets were just as bad as the side streets. I made it to the gym, got in some elliptical steps, resistance training, Zumba, and extra core work.
The roads were better on the way home, but it had continued to snow heavily while I was in the gym. The wind had created some snow drifts, so it was time for yet another snow shovel workout.
I was about three quarters finished when this happened:
It continued to snow for the rest of the day and through the night, so Sunday brought the third snow shovel workout of the weekend.
One thing about shoveling snow; you work pretty much every muscle group! I had no trouble sleeping this weekend.
Motivation
I got my wedding band on again for the first time in years. I’d had it re-sized once, but didn't want to do it again. That just seemed like an admission of defeat to me. I had to use lotion to get it off again, but I’m much closer to wearing it full time again.
I had a few people in the gym comment on my weight loss. The best one was a comment on how fit I was looking. I appreciated all of the comments, but that one really motivated me.
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).
