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!