A Catch-Up Post

It’s been two weeks since my last post.  I’ll cover both weeks in this post.

The week ending May 18, 2014:
The crazy weather we were having made it harder to maintain my motivation to get to the gym.  The week started off with temperatures in the seventies and ended in the mid to high thirties.  I got in a good workout on Monday but didn't get back to the gym until Friday.  Friday and Saturday’s workouts were fairly light.  I got in an “extra” workout on Sunday morning.  That turned out to be the best workout of the week.

The week ending May 25, 2014:
I was much more motivated this week.  I think Sunday’s workout carried over into the new week.  I worked heavy most of the week.  I need to get my cardio exercise levels back up, but overall, I was satisfied with my output.  I did suffer a slight setback on Saturday.  I tweaked my lower back again, after adding weight to my deadlifts.  With the help of some ibuprofen and extra yoga stretches, I managed to work out on Sunday and my back felt better as the day went on.

I picked up 1 pound over these last two weeks.  Again, while I want the weight loss, the body shaping is much more important to me.

Motivation

I attended a wellness lunch & learn, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Good Fats, Bad Fats,” and learned that my diet isn't too terrible.

Being mistaken for being younger than my age is a pretty good motivator.  Having it happen twice is even better.

Starting to feel comfortable working out with my shirts tucked in (Yeah, I know, but sometimes it’s the little things.).

Weight loss to date:  39.8 lbs.

Moving Down The Scale Again

I got back onto the losing track, dropping a pound.

I maintained my regular workout regimen, though I didn't get in as much cardio as I would have liked.  I did make up for some of it by going Salsa dancing Friday and Saturday nights.

I did get some help with my diet from an unlikely source.  I was channel surfing and happened upon the Dr. Oz show.  By coincidence, he was talking about foods that fill you up, but help with fat loss.  One of the foods that he mentioned was soups, which I decided to have for a few of my meals.  I'd also gotten away from packing a lunch.  I started doing that again, too.

Like last week, I discovered my little victory of the week because of the weather.  It's warmed up quite a bit, hitting the high seventies/low eighties, so instead of exercise pants, I decided to wear shorts to the gym.  Apparently, my body has changed since last summer.  My shorts were loose.  I drew the drawstring tight and wore them anyway, but I'll need replace some of them.

I noticed another thing, this time, because of it's absence.  People would sometimes refer to me as "big man" or "big guy."  I haven't heard that in a while.  I'm not even sure when they stopped, but it's kinda nice that they have.

Weight loss to date:  40.8 lbs

Putting on the Brakes

I slowed my weight gain this week, but didn't stop it.  I wound up with a two pound gain.  I’m still feeling good and I continue to get compliments on my body shaping.  As I mentioned in my last post, I feeling very strong.  I’m handling significant weight at the gym.  For instance, I was able to pyramid up to 60 lb. dumbbell curls.  I’m thinking that the strength gain is partly because of the extra calories that I’m consuming.  Right now, I’m having trouble striking a balance between losing the fat and increasing muscle size.  I’m confident that I’ll eventually work it out.

My little victory of the week came from yard work, of all places.  I went to mow the lawn, wearing a t-shirt.  The day was colder than I thought it would be, so I went to dig out a sweatshirt.  This photo shows the result.

It's things like this that help me to stay positive, even when the scale is giving me contrary information.

Weight loss to date:  39.8 lbs

Falling Back Into Bad Habits

I had kind of a stressful week and fell back into some old habits this week.  Specifically, I drank way too much pop and ate way too many baked goods.   Snack foods and fast food also found their way onto my table.   I drank less water and ate fewer healthy snacks.  I wound up with my largest weight gain since I restarted my fitness journey:  3.2 lbs.

This gain occurred despite a very active week.  I got in six workouts, most of them using heavy poundage.  I walked four times, did three Zumba classes, one cardio-kickboxing class and five sessions on the elliptical.

I don’t feel especially heavy and my clothing is still fitting okay.  I’m definitely stronger and feel fitter than I’ve felt in a while.

I decided to take a picture right after Saturday’s work out to use as part of a comparison grouping.  The picture on the far left represented where I was at my starting point in January 2013.  The middle photo is from January 2014.  The picture on the right was taken April 26, 2014.

I think that I’m still making progress, in spite of the readings on the scale.  The way many of my shirts are fitting indicate to me that I’m making muscle gains.  Still, I decided to cut the safety net.  I bagged up all my pants that were size 40 or 42 and will be donating them to charity.  This leaves me with sizes 36 and 38.  I’m still wearing both sizes right now, depending on the cut.  Now, that potential crutch has been eliminated.  I won’t have the option of wearing those big clothes again.

Inspiration

I had some folks comment on my determination and ability to sustain my momentum over these past 15 months.

As I was cleaning out my closet, I came across a robe that I’d forgotten that I had.  Even though it was a “one size fits all,” it would never stay closed on me.  That issue is gone now.

Well, I can’t redo the week, so I just need to move on.  I’ll try to make the adjustments with my diet and continue working toward my goals.

Weight loss to date:  41.8 lbs

Making Some Gains

This week was pretty uneventful, except for the weather.  The photos on the left show last Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday.  I took advantage of the nice weather Sunday and went for a walk in the Metro Park, hitting some of the walking trails and climbing down to the creek bed.  I ended the week with some more time at the beach (Yes, it warmed up again by the weekend!).

At the gym, I got in my usual workouts, plus I went back to the cardio kickboxing class.  I think I’m going to make it a part of my regular routine for a while.  I didn't have any issues with my diet last week, though I did eat more for breakfast than I did last week.  I think that the extra food made a noticeable difference in my energy levels.  I continued with my usual snacks, eating a small lunch and observing portion control for dinner.  This all resulted in a one pound weight loss.

I continue to notice signs of progress.  My shirts are fitting a little differently in the upper back and chest.  I've started doing bent over dumbbell rows again.  In the past, this exercise has been great for developing my upper back muscles.  Depending on how I feel, I work with 60 – 75 lb. dumbbells, performing three sets of ten reps with each arm.  I've also added incline presses to my chest work.  I’m doing 90 – 100 lb. shoulder presses and 90 lb. shoulder shrugs.  My shirt sleeves are starting to fill out, too.  I’m up to 90 lb. reps on the preacher curl bench and 50 lb. dumbbell curls.  Tricep exercises are in the 45 – 60 lb. range.

I feel like I’m on track to hit some of my body shaping goals by July 23, which will be the eighteen month point of my fitness restart.  It’s possible that I may not hit the weight loss goals, but I consider that less important than reaching my overall fitness targets.

Inspiration

This time, my inspiration has nothing to do with me.  I have a cousin who is a little older than me, who has had some fitness issues in the past.  He managed to turn them completely around.  He’s become a runner, averaging 5-6 mile runs.  He eats very clean and has become a smoothie guy, making his own fruit and vegetable smoothies.  He works out regularly in his home gym.  He’s probably now in his best shape since his time in the military.  His success helps to motivate me to keep working towards my own.

Weight loss to date:  45 lbs

A Little Self Evaluation

I managed to resist a number of temptations over the week.  For the most part, I ate lean for breakfast and lunch.  For dinner, I practiced portion control.  The workouts went well and I even tried cardio kick boxing, which is no joke!  We went hard for the entire hour, with no breaks.  I managed to get in an hour of resistance training afterwards, but I was tired when I finished.  Even so, the scale showed a two pound increase for the week.

I decided to try “the pants test,” to get a second opinion.  I tried on some of my smaller pants and found them to be a little snug.  So, this lets me know that I did get a bit larger.  It’s hard for me to determine if my waist has gotten bigger or if I’m gaining size in my hip and thigh muscles.  I've really been hitting legs.  Using a weight belt has taken some of the strain off of my lower back, which enables me to increase the amount of weight and number of sets when I squat.  This is just something that I'll need to keep aware of.

I cropped this picture of myself from a larger image.  I liked the image because it was taken from a completely candid shot.  No posing or standing completely erect or tightening the gut. It provided a nice opportunity for me to evaluate myself in a relaxed state.

The Evaluation

I've been focusing (obsessing?) on my gut, which I really want to flatten.  As I've mentioned before, I sometimes see it as being larger than it actually is.  The photo shows it as still pudgy, but certainly not as big as it was a year ago.

I can see growth and development in my biceps and forearms.  My chest area looks tighter and more developed, too.

I think that I’m in a good place, right now, progress wise.  As if to emphasize this, I ran into an acquaintance, at the gym, who I hadn't seen for a couple of months.  He was impressed with the progress that I’d made since our last meeting.

It also appears that my “dimples of Venus” have become deeper and more noticeable.  After doing some research, I found that this is probably partly a benefit of my increased core and lower back work.

We took the grandsons to the beach, the same day as the photo was taken.  To get down to the beach, you have to use a long flight of stairs.  On the way back from the beach, the three year old was tired, so I scooped him up and headed up the stairs.  I passed some people on the way up.  It wasn't until the rest of my group had reached the top that I realized I wasn't winded at all.

Finally, I thought I’d share a funny moment from the gym.  I was on the elliptical machine, flipping through television channels, when I happened upon one of my favorite comedies, “Blazing Saddles.”  People must have thought that I was crazy, as I was laughing all the way through my set!

Weight loss to date: 44 lbs.

Returning to Form

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.

Weight loss to date: 46 lbs.