A Pound Of Celebration

Weigh-In: 298.0
5-Day: 297.16 (boooo!)

Well, yesterday was my Birthday/Father's day, and I let loose a little. Didn't eat clean, but it was a special occasion. It ends up that I put on a pound over the "holiday" weekend. Not exactly thrilling, but I think on days like that, you should be allowed a little fliexibility. We did walk a good 2.5 miles, so that may have taken the edge off a little.

So, that brings me back this 297 number my body appears to have grown attached to. I liked it, at first. 297 sounds much better than 360 or 347. But now that I've been in the 297 range for two weeks, I think it's time to say buh-bye.

My issues (and yes, these are all excuses), are many. No gym. No trainer. No friends. No bike. No money. And not much in the way of time. Plus, I HATE running. It's the most boring excercise in the universe. I LOVE running for a reason - to beat my man back on defense, to run down the overthrown bounce pass, to tackle the dude with the ball - but just running to run? I've never been able to do it. Back when I was in pretty good shape, I could run about 3/4 of a mile without stopping. Then I'd drag my sorry butt another 1/4 mile to say I got the whole thing done.

But I digress...

Fact is, I've lost 50+ pounds by eating smarter and increasing my activity. I walk to the store, now. I play with my kids more. I run up the stairs. I toss the football with Beck at the park. I've been on more 2-3 mile walks in the last four months than I've been on in my life. I've even topped 7 miles a couple of times.

I think if I were trying to get a Men's Health body, I'd have a little more fire about it all. But Beck and I were talking yesterday, and it's always been my goal to get healthy, and stop being so fat. I never had any intentions of going on the extreme food intake plans that many of you are on. I still eat carbs. I love me some pasta. And I dig me a sandwich. The change has been that I've gone from white flour to whole wheat or whole grain. And instead of a box of Little Debbie's, I'm more inclined to grab an apple, or some baby carrots.

I'm not worried about eating low carb, or low fat. I'm just trying to eat better, and live smarter.

And that's worked, so far.

But I have a feeling that the whole "better and smarter" approach will only take me so far. I need to kick it up a notch. In an ideal world, I'll have a bike with a 21" frame delivered to my door today. I found one on Craiglist for $150, but if you read Beck's post this weekend, you know that ain't going to happen. Next best, I'd mysteriously make 6-7 friends, and we'd all go play some pick-up ball a few nights a week. But unless my kids suddenly allow me out of the house, I don't think I stand much of a chance with that one, either. Maybe I'll win a gym membership from a contest I never entered...

I dunno. I've been very proud of myself during this seven months. I'm pretty sure I'm the only member of the Coalition doing this 100% on their own - no gym, no trainers, no memberships, no workout buddy, etc. It's just been me, some walking, some jogging, some push ups, and the motvation from this blog.

But I sense that I'm going to need something more, soon.

I bought the new Men's Health last night (get it - good stuff), and I was actually upset that I got it. It tells you all sorts of things you can do to get stronger, faster, and better, but it's all under the assumption that you have a gym or a trainer. Or the money with which to acquire the needed pieces - sports leagues, personal trainers, etc. Well, that's not me. I have a couch, a floor, and two kids. As well as enough stress to bury a lesser man.

I have a lot of things working against me. Again, that's part of why I'm so proud of myself. I've slipped a few times, but I've never fallen. A year ago, I would have been curled up in my bed asking for my blankie. I've trudged through some major crap, and I've overcome many obstacles.

Getting this last 37 pounds off is just another one. I might not have an "ideal" solution on the table, but I haven't had much in the way of ideal circumstances at all since November. And I think I've done OK.

I'll figure this out. I always do.