Weigh In – August 31, 2010

Previous Weight: 351.8 lbs
Current Weight: 357.6 lbs
Loss/Gain: +5.8 lbs

So there it is… I’ve gained 5.8 lbs in the last couple of weeks.  I’m not too stressed out about it because it’s just a number and I had fun gaining that 5.8 pounds.

I did alright on food yesterday even though I did sneak in a Grande Chai Latte from Starbucks and a few Mento’s that I had in my car.  My morning, as usual, started off with a chocolate protein shake, meds and then lots of water.  For lunch I had a turkey sandwich with a few spicy nacho doritos and for dinner a small bowl of vegetable soup and then a small chicken breast that was in the fridge.  I didn’t log my calories like I had planned, I’m going to make note of them today though since I have everything fresh in my mind.

I went to the gym, as usual, and put in a 2.5 mile walk on the treadmill while listening to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo…  the book started off a little slow but seems to be picking up…  it’s not quite as interesting as Daemon/Freedom but I’m committed to finishing it and will probably move on to the two sequels when finished with Tattoo.

Plans for this week are to continue doing what I’m doing and hope for the best.  I’d really love to get under 350 and be on the lower end of the 300′s.  I consider that a goal of mine….  Yesterday I came across a photo of me at my highest weight and was surprised when I had a hard time looking myself in the face.  It definitely serves as a reminder of how far I’ve come, it’s too bad that I’m stuck on how far I have to go.  I’ll post it soon…  I need to scan it.

Do Epic Shit

Starting tomorrow I’m going back to basics.  I’m going to start logging my food again and I’m going to ramp up my exercise routine.  It would be an understatement if I said that I’ve been a little bored lately and I think I need to change things up in order to get back on track.

I haven’t been on the scale in a couple of weeks and I’m pretty sure it’s not going to look good.  Lots of beer and BBQ were consumed this weekend at a family reunion party up at the lake.  I’m not too worried about the number on the scale, though I am starting to feel a little down about my weight.  I’d like to knock off another 50 or so pounds as quickly as possible…  I’m just not quite sure what needs to be done in order to make that happen.  There’s so many things that I want to be able to do right now and my body is holding me back, it’s extremely frustrating.  So here’s to getting back on track.  Wish me luck!

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Last January I started walking across the dam at a nearby lake and when I first started this walking adventure I was only able to get to the end of the dam before turning around and heading back to my car.  The trail/road continues up a small hill that I had no interest in attempting to walk up.

A couple of months ago my walking partner suggest that we start walking half way up the hill.  I wasn’t very happy about having to push myself up the hill, but over time walking half way up the hill became the norm and as my body adjusted to the climb, I started wanting to go all the way up.

I’ve been walking up at the dam now for several months and I am happy to report that the hill no longer owns me, I own the hill.

I actually look forward to these morning walks now…  I have a friend that joins me and having someone to talk to each morning has been helpful while I try to deal with my issues.  I’ve also been outside more this year than I have in a very long time…  and I’m looking forward to the day when I can ride these trails on a bike (my ultimate goal).

Lance Armstrong’s Favorite Tech

“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.” — Lance Armstrong

Recently Lance Armstrong was asked what piece of technology improved his training and general fitness level the best, his answer… a simple bathroom scale and the motivation to get your exact weight each morning was the most important tech he used.

I like that.

Curious, how often do you weigh yourself? I weigh daily just to make sure I’m keeping up with my program.

Mind the Gap

I’m sorry that I haven’t been around much lately, I’m an introvert and sometimes I retreat inward to process my thoughts and emotions, I think I’m coming out of that phase now, we’ll see…

I wanted to post a quick update on how I’ve been doing, I’m down another 7 or so pounds since my last update, I’m almost out of the 350′s and it feels really great.  I’m starting to notice some interesting changes in my body, most noticeable is how much the size of my stomach has gone down.  I now have a noticeable gap between my gut and the steering wheel of my car.  Feeling smaller is certainly a good thing but at the same time it feels a little awkward, I’m not quite sure how to explain it.  I need to lose another 20lbs or so before the end of August, we’re having a family reunion and I want to make sure that I’m noticeably smaller to my family members.

My employer has asked me to stay on until the end of August while at the same time dumping a rather large project in my lap.  I’m pretty sure the stress of not knowing what the future will hold has caused me to retreat inward.  I try to not worry and just focus on my goals which seems to be working for now.  I’m thinking about ebaying most of my possessions and moving somewhere.  Reboot.

“It’s only after you’ve lost everything that you’re free to do anything” — Tyler Durden

Separate the Body from the Mind

The other morning I was on a walk with a friend and we were discussing cravings and I mentioned that I was going to go pick up a donut at a new donut shop that just opened up near my home.  I justified my craving by saying “sometimes my body just wants a donut”, we laughed and he told me about his love for Cinnabon and how he indulged the last time he was at the mall (there’s no Cinnabon in our town).

After the walk we said our goodbyes, hopped into our cars and went our separate ways.  On my way home I decided that my body did not want the donut and that it was my mind telling me that I wanted the donut and I was using the excuse of checking out the newly opened donut shop to cheat on my “diet”.  Instead of going to get the donut I chose to drive home and drink a protein shake instead, my normal routine.

Today I decided that I wanted to stop by Safeway to pick up a Sandwich for lunch and while I was there I grabbed a box of cookies from the bakery section with the intention of taking some photos of me eating a couple and then flipping the rest off and making funny faces at them.  I was bored and the idea popped into my head at the store and it sounded like a fun afternoon project.  I bought the cookies (and sandwich), came home and ate the box of cookies.  No photos were taken.  No joy was had.

My body feels terrible right now, I’m bloated and I have a headache.  Sugar overload I’m guessing…  I’m not going to come down on myself for eating the cookies though…  they were good at the time and I guess I don’t hate cookies as much as I proclaim.  I’m going to move on from this failed little experiment and hopefully learn from it.  When I bought the cookies I knew that I’d eat at least a few of them, but certainly not the whole box. ugh.

I’m just wondering how come I choose to not eat the donut on one day and then chose to eat a box of cookies the next? Tonight, the gym will punish me extra for this.