Hey all, its week 39! I'm down to 13 weeks left to hit my year mark. I have some mixed emotions only because I may miss my goal of 100 pounds lost by October 15th, but we are gonna keep working!
I had to shut down the running this week to rest my knees. I however did not take a break from the cycle. Last week I hit 38 miles on the bike and so far this week I am sitting at 24, with another 15 mile ride planned for Saturday. so that will put me to 39, who knows I may go 16 to make it an even 40 for the week. I got some new cycling shorts with built in gel pads in them. Oh what a difference! My ride last night was heavenly!
So here is the good, bad and ugly of it. I am still on my plateau! I thought I was moving off of it, but I was wrong. As of this morning I was still sitting at 227.2, another week of no weight loss. I am still down 63 pounds and still have 37 pounds to go to hit my goal. I am so confused at this, but I will not quit! All of the cardio and strength training , and nothing to show for it on the scale. I however did retest my body fat percentage last night and remeasured, and that showed some great results!
June 15th/ July 15th/ Difference
Body Fat: 30.30/ 29.40/ - .90%
Neck: 17.5/16.75/ - .75 inches
Chest: 43/46/ + 3 inches
Waist: 41/41/ no change
Hips: 45.5/44/ - 1.5 inches
Thighs: 25/26.5/ + 1.5 inches
Calf's: 15/17/ + 2 inches
Biceps 12.5/14/ + 1.5 inches
Forearm: 9/11.5/ + 2.5 inches
Based on the measurements I know I am reshaping my body. I am gaining inches in my muscles and losing inches of fat in my hips and waist. So although I have not seen the numbers on the scale change, there is positive changes happening. Eventually I will have to start losing weight again, but I am not going to obsess about it. I will just keep trying to mix things up and get proper nutrition and calories, and see where it goes. There really isn't any other alternatives, because I am not going back to being fat, lazy and out of shape.
Til next week, keep it moving!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
07/08/2011 Week 38 ...
It is week 38 and I think I may slowly getting off this plateau I have been on. I have been working hard to zig zag my calories and been very careful with my nutrition. I can only hope I keep seeing the numbers move down!
I started the week at 228.5 and am now down to 227.2, so it wasn't a huge loss, but it is down over 7 pounds from 11 days ago. I am down 62.8 pounds. I only have 37 more to go to hit my 1 year goal of losing 100 pounds. It is getting so close, but feels soooo far away! One step at a time I guess. They say the great wall of china was built one brick at a time, so I guess my situation is no different, one pound at a time and I will eventually get there.
I hit another personal best on my mile time and did it in 10:22 this morning and that was after a heavy leg workout. One of these days soon I will go under 10. This has been a pretty tough week as far as mileage goes. I am sitting at 25 miles on the bike (10 mile and 15 mile rides) and just over 2 miles running. Maybe next week I can get 30, its something to shoot for anyways.
Til next week guys!
I started the week at 228.5 and am now down to 227.2, so it wasn't a huge loss, but it is down over 7 pounds from 11 days ago. I am down 62.8 pounds. I only have 37 more to go to hit my 1 year goal of losing 100 pounds. It is getting so close, but feels soooo far away! One step at a time I guess. They say the great wall of china was built one brick at a time, so I guess my situation is no different, one pound at a time and I will eventually get there.
I hit another personal best on my mile time and did it in 10:22 this morning and that was after a heavy leg workout. One of these days soon I will go under 10. This has been a pretty tough week as far as mileage goes. I am sitting at 25 miles on the bike (10 mile and 15 mile rides) and just over 2 miles running. Maybe next week I can get 30, its something to shoot for anyways.
Til next week guys!
Friday, July 1, 2011
07/01/2011 Week 31 Nothing says the 4th of July like pumping up!
Another week has flown by and it has been eventful! It is getting a lot easier to wake up at 5:30am to get to the gym. I am seeing results and getting stronger. It is worth the lack of sleep. I gotta give a big shout out to my partner is crime Brian "Big Papa Pump" Boykin. He has been keeping me honest and working me into the ground. I forgot how much I loved it!
I ran my simulated 5k on Saturday morning and had a time of 36:53, that's a pace of 11:55 a mile. I also had a speed workout this week and beat my previous mile time and went under 11:30. I am hoping to get it around 10:00 a mile by Duathlon time. I have had a little stiffness in the knees this week and cut my running from 4 days to 3 days, and still ice religiously. I need to work into and slow it down. I don't need to be shelved for another 3 months for tendinitis!
So I figured I had been on a plateau for a few weeks and did some research on how to break one or get off one. I went over calories on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and by Monday morning I had gained 3.8 pounds. I then cut my calories each day until this morning. I lost 5 pounds from the Monday weigh in and am hoping that I can say adios to this plateau. I am going to be doing something called "zig zaging" my calories. Your body gets used to the same amount of calories everyday and then adapts. I need to keep it guessing so it cant get comfortable. I will still be eating around 13,000 calories a week, but I will be eating over 2000 someday and around 1300 on others. I don't want to get back into a predictable pattern until I have gotten past this plateau. So on to the numbers!
I started the week at 230.0 and by Monday was up to 233.8. As of weigh in this morning I was 228.5 and down 1.5 pounds for the week bringing my total lost to 61.5. I still have 38.5 to lose before October 15th to hit my goal. I am hoping with the added strength training and cardio along with keeping my body guessing I will be back to my 2-3 pounds a week and will be back on pace in no time!
I have added a few races to my schedule and will now be running my first official 5k on July 23rd. I will still be racing the Y 5k on August 13th and then the Dualathlon on August 27th. I am then targeting November 5th for the "Rock and Roll" Half marathon in Savannah. I am hopeful that my knees will hold up and I can train. This is a very lofty target, but I really want to put it out there and see if I can get there.
I hope everyone has a safe and Happy 4th of July. God Bless America!
I ran my simulated 5k on Saturday morning and had a time of 36:53, that's a pace of 11:55 a mile. I also had a speed workout this week and beat my previous mile time and went under 11:30. I am hoping to get it around 10:00 a mile by Duathlon time. I have had a little stiffness in the knees this week and cut my running from 4 days to 3 days, and still ice religiously. I need to work into and slow it down. I don't need to be shelved for another 3 months for tendinitis!
So I figured I had been on a plateau for a few weeks and did some research on how to break one or get off one. I went over calories on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and by Monday morning I had gained 3.8 pounds. I then cut my calories each day until this morning. I lost 5 pounds from the Monday weigh in and am hoping that I can say adios to this plateau. I am going to be doing something called "zig zaging" my calories. Your body gets used to the same amount of calories everyday and then adapts. I need to keep it guessing so it cant get comfortable. I will still be eating around 13,000 calories a week, but I will be eating over 2000 someday and around 1300 on others. I don't want to get back into a predictable pattern until I have gotten past this plateau. So on to the numbers!
I started the week at 230.0 and by Monday was up to 233.8. As of weigh in this morning I was 228.5 and down 1.5 pounds for the week bringing my total lost to 61.5. I still have 38.5 to lose before October 15th to hit my goal. I am hoping with the added strength training and cardio along with keeping my body guessing I will be back to my 2-3 pounds a week and will be back on pace in no time!
I have added a few races to my schedule and will now be running my first official 5k on July 23rd. I will still be racing the Y 5k on August 13th and then the Dualathlon on August 27th. I am then targeting November 5th for the "Rock and Roll" Half marathon in Savannah. I am hopeful that my knees will hold up and I can train. This is a very lofty target, but I really want to put it out there and see if I can get there.
I hope everyone has a safe and Happy 4th of July. God Bless America!
Friday, June 24, 2011
06/24/2011 Week 36 This cant be right... There is no explanation!
Alright guys its been another week of brutal morning workouts and evening runs and rides! I am feeling good and more importantly there is NO knee pain. My brother in law is a Chiropractor and he mentioned a few months ago that it may be tendinitis and I needed to stop activity and ice it. Well I did what he said and the pain is gone. I have also lost almost 40 pounds since the injury so I think the rest, ice and weight loss have all contributed to the health of my knee. I need to make sure I don't go too hard to0 early to make sure that it stays that way. I still regularly ice my knees after runs as a precaution, so I am hoping I am in the clear.
I managed to get several training runs in this week and had my first training bike ride. I was really excited to run my fastest mile since I have been training. I then followed the next mile up with another mile under 12:00 minutes! I am really hoping to get my average down to about 9 minutes before the Tri. I have managed to run about 6 miles so far this week, biked 5.5 miles, and swam 1500 meters. I have another ride this afternoon and will probably try to stretch that one out to about 10 miles. I am also running a trial 5k tomorrow morning to establish a baseline time to work against. So for the week I will be over 24 miles of total distance! On to the numbers!!!
So now that I have got the good news out of the way, here is the bad. After all that I did this week. 3 days of lifting and almost 12 miles covered, I lost a whole .6 pounds! That's right, I basically lost nothing this week. Last week 230, current weight 229.4. Total lost 60.6 pounds. I cant explain it. I have been diligent with my diet and have been keeping under my calorie counts every day. I also have been using my low carb, low sugar protein after workouts. I know I have been getting at least 500-1000 calories a day of deficit. That should equate to 1-2.5 pounds of weight loss. I have heard that the first couple of weeks of a weight training program that you may gain weight as you develop more muscle which is heavier than fat. I am not sure how much I buy into that, but I will just keep doing my thing and increasing my miles. Eventually it will have to come off, right????
So I am seriously considering changing my Tri to a Dual. Instead of swimming you run, then bike, then run. I haven't fully decided that yet and will still try to keep my swim sessions. I just don't know how excited I am to swim in a pack and get kicked and or elbowed. I also think I may be slightly allergic to chlorine. I feel sick, my head hurts and I get all congested after swimming in the pool at the Y. I definitely don't want to keep swimming if it makes me feel ill.
Til next week guys, keep on moving!
I managed to get several training runs in this week and had my first training bike ride. I was really excited to run my fastest mile since I have been training. I then followed the next mile up with another mile under 12:00 minutes! I am really hoping to get my average down to about 9 minutes before the Tri. I have managed to run about 6 miles so far this week, biked 5.5 miles, and swam 1500 meters. I have another ride this afternoon and will probably try to stretch that one out to about 10 miles. I am also running a trial 5k tomorrow morning to establish a baseline time to work against. So for the week I will be over 24 miles of total distance! On to the numbers!!!
So now that I have got the good news out of the way, here is the bad. After all that I did this week. 3 days of lifting and almost 12 miles covered, I lost a whole .6 pounds! That's right, I basically lost nothing this week. Last week 230, current weight 229.4. Total lost 60.6 pounds. I cant explain it. I have been diligent with my diet and have been keeping under my calorie counts every day. I also have been using my low carb, low sugar protein after workouts. I know I have been getting at least 500-1000 calories a day of deficit. That should equate to 1-2.5 pounds of weight loss. I have heard that the first couple of weeks of a weight training program that you may gain weight as you develop more muscle which is heavier than fat. I am not sure how much I buy into that, but I will just keep doing my thing and increasing my miles. Eventually it will have to come off, right????
So I am seriously considering changing my Tri to a Dual. Instead of swimming you run, then bike, then run. I haven't fully decided that yet and will still try to keep my swim sessions. I just don't know how excited I am to swim in a pack and get kicked and or elbowed. I also think I may be slightly allergic to chlorine. I feel sick, my head hurts and I get all congested after swimming in the pool at the Y. I definitely don't want to keep swimming if it makes me feel ill.
Til next week guys, keep on moving!
Friday, June 17, 2011
06/18/2011 Week 35 Beasting with Bryan!
What a week! This was my first full week of strength training and I am sore! I am feeling muscles I forgot I had. A big shout out to my workout partner/trainer Brian Boykin! He is a complete beast in the weight room and is destroying me every workout. It really makes a difference to have someone to workout with. It keeps you more focused and I think we push each other to work harder. It also helps me to not hit the snooze button at 6am, because I know he will be there. I don't want to be a lazy guy and leave Brian hanging at the gym. Besides the strength training I also started my sprint triathlon training program. http://www.ytriseries.com/register/race-7/ I am doing the couch to 5k running program and met with the swimming director at the Y to develop a swimming plan. I am getting my bike this weekend and will start road training next week. I want to compete in the series next season. So needless to say between workouts, work and family my schedule is packed!!! Here is a sampling of my weeks until August 27th:
Monday: AM: Chest/Triceps PM: 5k training
Tuesday: AM: Back/Biceps PM: Cycling training
Wednesday: AM: Shoulders PM: 5k training
Thursday: AM: Legs/Abs PM: Cycling training
Friday: AM: Swimming PM: OFF
Saturday: AM: Swimming PM: 5k training
Sunday: OFF
I also met with the fitness director and had my BMI and measurements taken. I will have them done each month to see my progress in cutting body fat and seeing the inches melt away!
June 15th:
BMI: 30.30%
Chest: 43''
Waist: 41''
Hip: 45.5"
Thigh: 25"
Calf: 15''
Forearm: 9.5"
Bicep: 12.5"
I will retest on July 14th and update my numbers.
Now onto the weight loss! After all I did this week I was surprised to see that I hadn't lost any weight this week. I spoke to the trainer about that and she said it is common for people to gain a little weight the first week or two of a new strength training program. I guess I will have to go with that for now. I know the amount of work I put in this week and although I did not see the results on the scale, I know I have gotten stronger, built more muscle and improved my cardio and running. Current weight: 230 , 0 pounds lost for the week. I am still down an even 60lbs. I know that with the increased activity level that I will lose weight and am confident I will get to my initial goal of 100 pounds lost by October 15th. I didn't really exercises to lose the first 60, so I know that by doing all that I will be doing I will start losing at a faster pace then I have been. I upped my calorie intake this week to keep up with the demands of all the activity and will keep my calories at that level this week and see what happens. I talked to my nutritionist about it and she said I am definitely within a good calorie range for my activity level. So we will see on the scale next week.
Til next week!
Monday: AM: Chest/Triceps PM: 5k training
Tuesday: AM: Back/Biceps PM: Cycling training
Wednesday: AM: Shoulders PM: 5k training
Thursday: AM: Legs/Abs PM: Cycling training
Friday: AM: Swimming PM: OFF
Saturday: AM: Swimming PM: 5k training
Sunday: OFF
I also met with the fitness director and had my BMI and measurements taken. I will have them done each month to see my progress in cutting body fat and seeing the inches melt away!
June 15th:
BMI: 30.30%
Chest: 43''
Waist: 41''
Hip: 45.5"
Thigh: 25"
Calf: 15''
Forearm: 9.5"
Bicep: 12.5"
I will retest on July 14th and update my numbers.
Now onto the weight loss! After all I did this week I was surprised to see that I hadn't lost any weight this week. I spoke to the trainer about that and she said it is common for people to gain a little weight the first week or two of a new strength training program. I guess I will have to go with that for now. I know the amount of work I put in this week and although I did not see the results on the scale, I know I have gotten stronger, built more muscle and improved my cardio and running. Current weight: 230 , 0 pounds lost for the week. I am still down an even 60lbs. I know that with the increased activity level that I will lose weight and am confident I will get to my initial goal of 100 pounds lost by October 15th. I didn't really exercises to lose the first 60, so I know that by doing all that I will be doing I will start losing at a faster pace then I have been. I upped my calorie intake this week to keep up with the demands of all the activity and will keep my calories at that level this week and see what happens. I talked to my nutritionist about it and she said I am definitely within a good calorie range for my activity level. So we will see on the scale next week.
Til next week!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
06/12/2011 Week 34 Its a love hate relationship...
The ultimate frustration has set in! I am so happy that my knee has seemed to calm down, but so utterly frustrated with my lack of any real weight loss in weeks. I feel so lost right now. I think I need to meet with a trainer to see if I need to adjust my calorie intake. I don't think I am eating enough calories for my activity level. I feel like my body is just holding onto everything it can. Not knowing is the frustrating part. I don't know how to jump start this thing! Suggestions are always welcome. I am learning as I go.
The good news... After a few hours on an elliptical and the treadmill this week I am experiencing NO knee pain, which is fantastic. I am feeling like I can get serious about running again, but will take it very slow this time. I am eyeing a sprint tri in August, so I will start working towards that. Praying my body holds up this time. I am also really happy about being able to stay on the elliptical for a full 60 mins. My stamina is increasing and getting that cardio stamina will really help in Tri training.
To the numbers! I managed to lose another pound and get down to 230. So I am down 60 pounds overall. But I have only lost 10 pounds in the last 8 weeks. I am falling further off pace and really need some help to get back on track. I may try a new approach this week. I wont divulge my plan, but will see if it works and then report next week.
Til next week!
The good news... After a few hours on an elliptical and the treadmill this week I am experiencing NO knee pain, which is fantastic. I am feeling like I can get serious about running again, but will take it very slow this time. I am eyeing a sprint tri in August, so I will start working towards that. Praying my body holds up this time. I am also really happy about being able to stay on the elliptical for a full 60 mins. My stamina is increasing and getting that cardio stamina will really help in Tri training.
To the numbers! I managed to lose another pound and get down to 230. So I am down 60 pounds overall. But I have only lost 10 pounds in the last 8 weeks. I am falling further off pace and really need some help to get back on track. I may try a new approach this week. I wont divulge my plan, but will see if it works and then report next week.
Til next week!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
06/04/2011 Week 33 Let the games begin!
Another week has flown by. My kids spent the week in Pennsylvania with Grandma and Grandpa, so needless to say we went out often and had a vacation type of week. I didn't get to the gym or work out (with the exception of a test run I took on Friday morning) and probably had too many calories. I still managed to see a loss on the scale. So I will take it. It is buckle down time and I have an appointment set to get a body composition test done this week. I want to see how my body fat percentage changes when I start lifting weights. I know I may not see the results on the scale all the time, but seeing my percentage change will let me know its working and changing the way my body looks. That way I wont get so discouraged if I dont see the numbers I want on the scale. Now to numbers:
My starting weight was 232, I lost 1 pound again this week and am now at 231, a total loss of 59 pounds. I am still off pace by 3 pounds, and am losing weight at an average of 1.78 pounds a week. So I really need to ramp up my efforts in the gym. I have mainly lost weight with just diet alone, but I think if I want to continue to see the weekly losses I am used to I will need to add cardio and strength training. So I have laid the gauntlet down and have made a pledge to start on Monday. No excuses, vacation is over. It is time to get serious and get this party started! I have to lose 2.15 pounds a week for the next 19 weeks to hit my goal. It will be hit on time.
So I tried a run on Friday to test my knee and it went pretty well. I ended up running for a minute and walking for a few minutes, then running for a minute or two for a mile. I didn't feel any pain in my knee and I haven't had alot of pain in my knee for the day after. I may try to do another run or two this week and very slowly get back into running shape. Lets see if the knee holds up this time. I may have just tried to do too much to quickly. I could feel a huge difference running yesterday, as I have dropped about 30 pounds since my last run. I felt stronger and quicker.
I included an updated picture at the bottom of the blog. It is right above my "before" picture. There is quite a difference in the two pictures. I am so glad I don't look like that guy any more. I feel better, and I feel better about myself.
Til next week!
My starting weight was 232, I lost 1 pound again this week and am now at 231, a total loss of 59 pounds. I am still off pace by 3 pounds, and am losing weight at an average of 1.78 pounds a week. So I really need to ramp up my efforts in the gym. I have mainly lost weight with just diet alone, but I think if I want to continue to see the weekly losses I am used to I will need to add cardio and strength training. So I have laid the gauntlet down and have made a pledge to start on Monday. No excuses, vacation is over. It is time to get serious and get this party started! I have to lose 2.15 pounds a week for the next 19 weeks to hit my goal. It will be hit on time.
So I tried a run on Friday to test my knee and it went pretty well. I ended up running for a minute and walking for a few minutes, then running for a minute or two for a mile. I didn't feel any pain in my knee and I haven't had alot of pain in my knee for the day after. I may try to do another run or two this week and very slowly get back into running shape. Lets see if the knee holds up this time. I may have just tried to do too much to quickly. I could feel a huge difference running yesterday, as I have dropped about 30 pounds since my last run. I felt stronger and quicker.
I included an updated picture at the bottom of the blog. It is right above my "before" picture. There is quite a difference in the two pictures. I am so glad I don't look like that guy any more. I feel better, and I feel better about myself.
Til next week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)