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.

Burning Calories on the Dance Floor

As far as exercising in the gym goes, this wasn't a very productive week.  My first day in the gym was Sunday.  For what it’s worth, Sunday’s workout was pretty good.  Instead of doing upper or lower body, I worked everything.  I kept the weight moderate and only did one exercise (three sets of ten reps) per body part / muscle group.  I also threw in some time on the elliptical.

The diet continues to go well.  I think that I'm making better choices.  For snacks, I've increased the amount of fruit and nuts and reduced much of the junk food.

I’d planned on being at the gym more this week, but I wound up spending time with the family and enjoying the weather.

I did get in quite a bit of cardio.  As I mentioned in my last post, this was the week for a big Latin dance event.  I spent some time in the evenings practicing.  I'd forgotten that another Latin band was performing a set in the park on Wednesday evening.  We attended that event and spent the evening dancing.  My legs ached the next day.  We'd danced on grass and uneven ground, not the best surfaces to dance on.  Luckily, I was fine by Friday, the day of the larger function.

Friday night's event was packed!  We got there early, when there was still a fair amount of room to actually dance.  By the end of the evening, we were pretty much shoulder to shoulder.

I know that I talk about dance as a form of cardio exercise, but I was curious to know if any serious studies had been done that might support my hypothesis.  I did some research and came across a recent study on Latin dancing and exercise which had been published in the journal, Human Movement Science.  The researchers concluded that adults seeking to become more physically active could select this particular genre of dance to take part in as engagement over two sessions weekly would mean meeting the physical activity guidelines for physical and psychosocial health maintenance (Garber et al., 2011; WHO, 2005, 2010).

Physiological and perceptual responses to Latin partnered social dance

Pablo A. Domene, Hannah J. Moir, Elizabeth Pummell, Chris Easton

Human Movement Science 37 (2014) 32–41

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2014.06.009

Perceived benefits of dance were assessed via the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale, and measurement of state intrinsic motivation during dance was undertaken using the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory.

I know that I've always felt better after a good evening of dancing!

Finally, on a completely unrelated note...SEE THIS MOVIE!  We enjoyed it immensely!

Continuing to Build Upon Success

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?"

Adios for now!

18 Months Into My Personal Fitness Challenge

Sometime ya just need to flex!

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!

Closing In On Eighteen Months

This was another typical summer week, as far as exercise goes.  It started out spotty, but I was able to finish strong, hitting the gym Friday through Sunday.  Saturday’s workout went particularly well.  I think that I did pretty well with my diet this week.

I got back on the elliptical machine again.  I was surprised to find that I couldn't maintain my old pace.  Other than that, I was able to get through the session with no problem. 

I added some new tunes to my workout playlist.  It's amazing how much of a difference the right music makes when I'm working out.

Here's another fitness article that caught my eye.  It discusses a recent study about the negative health effects caused by the rise in inactivity in the U.S. population.  It also includes a video titled, “The Truth About Fat.”

Exercise Yer Body!

It’s Lack of Exercise—Not Calories—That Make Us Fat, Study Says

http://time.com/2964554/its-lack-of-exercise-not-calories-that-make-us-fat-study-says/

The Stanford University researchers looked at NHANES data over the last 20 years, and found that the number of U.S. women who reported doing no physical activity went from 19.1% in 1994 to 51.7% in 2010. For men, the number increased from 11.4% in 1994 to 43.5% in 2010. During the same time frame, the average BMI of men and women also went up.

Progress!

Wednesday, July 23^rd, will mark my eighteen month on this journey.  I plan on posting a critique on my progress so far. 

Hope to see you then!

Fresh Air and Free Weights

I didn't get in nearly enough strength training last week.  Some unforeseen circumstances cropped up that kept me out of the gym.  I only got in two exercise sessions last week.  Looking at my calendar, time in the gym will be sporadic in the early part of this week, but I should be able to make up for it towards the end of the week.

Knowing that my exercising would be inconsistent, I've been watching my food intake.  I've been planning more of my meals, particularly breakfast and lunch.

As I mentioned before, I’m getting most of my cardio outside of the gym during the summer months.  For instance, this weekend, I took time away from a picnic that I was attending and spent some time walking a newly mown path, through one of the local parks.  I also spent an enjoyable evening Latin dancing and then danced some more at an event the next afternoon.

Last week, I had my annual check-up.  My biometrics were all good.  I got kudos from my doctor for sticking with my program over the year since my last visit.  He also supported my decision to cut back on using the scale, stating that gaining lean muscle and reducing fat was a much better measure of fitness.

I came across another fitness article that I wanted to share.  In the article, “Fitness Crazed,” the author writes about trying various types of exercise, with little success, until he started consistently using free weights.  In my own experience I've found that I make my best gains with free weights.  Free weights engage the stabilizing muscles, as well as the main muscle group that I’m focusing on.  They provide a greater range of motion and force me to concentrate in a way that machines don’t.  I use both machines and free weights in my routines, but the best pump almost always comes from the free weights.

Fitness Crazed
New York Times
Daniel Duane
May 24, 2014

“I went to the gym and, per Mr. Rippetoe’s instructions, did three sets of five reps in the squat, dead lift and standing press. Then I went home and drank milk. Two days later, I did three sets of five in the squat and the bench press. I repeated this basic pattern, alternating the dead lift with the power clean, for a year, adding a little more weight to the bar in every lift, during every session.

Now for the astonishing part: It worked. I was able to lift a tiny bit more every single time.”

That’s it for now.  See you next week!

A Little More Progress

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."

Well worth a read.