Vaporizing The Pounds: Reset 02

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

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

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

Here are my victories for the week:

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

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

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

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

Weight loss to date: 37.4 lbs.

Vaporizing The Pounds: Reset 01

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

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

The resistance training split is:

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

Cardio training includes:

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

Tales From The Journey

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

Weight loss to date: 34.4 lbs. (corrected)

Vaporizing The Pounds - Reset

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

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

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

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

Looking forwarding to a more successful outcome this time around.

Vaporizing The Pounds - 11

I weighed in a day late, but the result was worth the wait. I dropped 2.5 lbs. I've lost nearly a third of the weight needed to reach my target!

Motivation

As I putting away my fall/winter clothes, I had the realization that come September/October, a lot of these things won't fit any more. God willing, I've worn a lot of them for the last time.

Weight loss to date: 27 lbs.

Vaporizing The Pounds - 10

I stayed the same this week. No loss, but no gain either. Actually, I was satisfied with the results. I missed three days in the gym and my diet consisted of eating on the run. I managed to get things under control by the end of the week.

Motivation

I lost yet another notch on my belt, so I only have one left. In the interest of complete disclosure, I think I wore my previous belt longer than I needed to. When I bought my current belt, I started out in the middle, leaving three notches to the end. So, I've lost two notches in two weeks, which means I'm close to dropping another waist size.

My strength and endurance continue to increase. I'm seeing more of this physical changes due to resistance training.

On my last post, someone raised some safety concerns about my weight loss plan. This prompted me to do some research to make sure that I was on point. By and large, I found that I was doing okay. My research reaffirmed some things and I also found some new information.

Here's the nutshell version of my findings:

What is a safe amount of wieght to lose per week?
.5 -2 lbs per week for less heavy people, 3-4lbs for heavier people.

Eat Spicy Foods - There is evidence to show that spices, especially chili, can raise the metabolic rate by up to 50% for up to 3 hours after you’ve eaten a spicy meal.

Build Muscle - Increase the amount of muscle in your body. For every extra pound of muscle you put on, your body uses around 50 extra calories a day. This is because muscle is ‘metabolically active’ and burns more calories than other body tissue even when you’re not moving. Your metabolism will remain elevated for up to 12 hours after you exercise.

Focus on performing strength-training exercises in order to build your muscle. Pair these exercises with regular aerobics programs, which will help you to burn excess fat and calories.

Aerobic Exercise - As well as the actual amount of calories burned during exercise – studies have shown that sustained, high-intensity exercise makes you burn more calories for several hours afterwards.


I searched on a variety of government, medical and fitness sites. Don't just take my word for it, do some research of your own. There is a lot of good information out there, but be careful of the "junk science" sites who promise quick weight loss after using their method or gimmick.

Weight loss to date: 24.5 lbs.

Vaporizing The Pounds - 9

After another disconnected week, I'd lost another 1.5lbs. I'll try again next week to get everything in. The great thing is that I'm continuing to lose weight regardless.

Motivation

More personal bests at the gym:

• 5.5 miles on the elliptical machine
• Hitting 540lbs on the leg press machine
• 80lb dumbbell rows

I also lost a notch on my NEW belt.
Getting more "You're losing weight." comments.

One of things that keep me going during my workout is music, especially when I'm on the elliptical machine. I thought that I'd share a few of the songs on my playlist that keep me moving.

• They Way You Move - Kenny G and Earth, Wind & Fire
• The Way I Am - Eminem
• Voodoo Chile - Jimi Hendrix Experience
• Malaguena Salerosa - Chingon
• Housecall - Shabba Ranks & Maxi Priest
• Let's Get Down - Tony! Toni! Tone!
• The Game - Motorhead
• Tango in Harlem - Touch and Go
• One Night in Bangkok - Murray Head
• Bust Your Windows - Jazmine Sullivan
• Cupid Shuffle - Cupid
• Disturbia - Rihanna
• I Just Want to Be - Cameo
• Rock Lobster - The B-52's
• Walk This Way - Run-DMC
• Theme From The Black Hole - Parliament
• Lose Yourself - Eminem

Weight loss to date: 24.5 lbs.

Originally posted: April 11, 2009 at 11:05am

Vaporizing The Pounds - 8

At the end of a hectic week I'd lost 1.5 lbs. I fell short of my goal, but I still feel good about the loss and I learned some things from the week's events.

Because my wife and I were getting ready to dance in the Dance Showcase, my schedule was thrown completely out of whack. I only made it to the gym three times and since we were eating on the run, my diet wasn't nearly as balanced as it should have been. I started to expect that I would actually gain weight. I did get in four sessions with the Power Mile group, though.

In spite of the fast food (and one tremendously tasty corned beef on rye!), I still lost weight. That was a great feeling. One of my main reasons for exercising is to speed up my metabolism so that my body becomes more efficient and burns calories at a faster rate, even when at rest. This seems to be happening. The body shaping resistance training appears to be paying off as well.

Motivation and Learning

Had I planned better, there was a good chance that I would have been able to make my weight goal of losing 7 lbs by April 4th. This knowledge is very motivating for me.

I had to buy new clothes to wear in the Showcase and I found that I had dropped one waist size. I also replaced my old belt with a new, smaller size.

Two personal bests in the gym this week: 4 miles on the elliptical machine and pyramiding up to 500 lbs on the leg press machine (10 reps!).

BTW, the Showcase went really well. We'll receive our critiques in about a week. It was a great experience. Dinner was awesome, too: Filet Mignon for the main course and Italian Cassata cake for dessert. The dance afterward was fun. After seeing some of the pros and more experienced folks dance, I know that I've still got a long way to go. At least I'll be fitter as I learn.

Weight loss to date: 22.5 lbs.

Originally posted: April 6, 2009 at 5:39pm