Interesting Workout Tip

Found this while looking for individual Football workouts:

Try 'Hundreds' it is a muscle blaster to the max. The way to do hundreds is to lift 1/4 of what you normally would lift for 100-reps.

For example if you normally lift 200 pounds on the bench press you would cut that amount to 50 pound more or less. Your goal would be to bench press 50-pounds 100-times. Your first few reps will seem easy but before you get to a total of 100-reps your muscles will give out. Rest for only a minute or so and then continue from where you left off.

Lets say that you were only able to do 25-reps before your muscles gave out, then you would need another 75-reps to finish your workout.

You want to have a total of 100-reps. You do not want to count sets you only want to count reps. Do as many sets as it takes to reach a total of 100-reps.

You can only do hundreds on two major body groups at a time and never on the same day. Try this workout.

Do your chest workout on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays only. On Tuesday and Thursday workout you back. Rest on Saturday and Sunday.

Do one exercise of 100-reps a day (only) and you are done with that muscle group for the day. NO MORE! You DO NOT WANT TO OVER DO IT.

This is a major wake up call for your chest, back, or what ever muscles you want to work on. You can do the same type of work out for your other body parts. For example, try working out your biceps and triceps together or quadriceps and calves. Do not do all these work outs in one day because it is too much for the body to recover from. You will need plenty of rest to go along with your workouts.

Remember that your body needs to rest in order to build muscles. Your muscles grow when you give then time to recover.

This is from a high school football coach giving free advice on a website, so I don't know how much credit I give it, but it's interesting. I can see doing push ups like that on my strength days, and adding in some cardio on my off days. But my cardio is swimming, and I'm guessing I'm not supposed to use the same muscles for cardio as I do for my strength training.

It gives me something to think about, though.

I Might Be Out Of Line

So, I've been somewhat obsessed with my most recent pictures. Not in a bad way, but in a "wow, I'm happy" way.

I mean, even the difference of 12 pounds from June 8 to July 27 is incredible. As Billy showed us all last week, the closer you get to your goal, the more noticeable even the smallest weight change becomes.

A month ago, I was convinced that I had to get down to 245 to look even close to where I wanted to be - and that very well may still be true. But after seeing the difference between 298 and 286, I'm no longer convinced. If I stick to my sprint swimming, add in some curls, and get back to my pushups, 260 might look pretty freaking nice.

So, let's assume that I do only have 26 pounds left to lose until I'm a point where I'm actually fit. What does that mean about my 'classification'? After years of always seeing myself as fat, I have a hard time looking at those pictures and thinking that I still am.

Chubby? Sure.
Overweight? Yeah, I think so.
But obese? Not anymore.
Fat? I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

Yeah, I said it. I'm not fat anymore.

Don't get me wrong. I'm in no way satisfied with where I am. I'm not content with being "not fat." I'm looking forward to seeing my next round of pictures 10 pounds from now, then 20, and finally, 26. I think I'll finally be able to look at myself and feel a little pride with what I see in the mirror.

To be honest, I have pride now. As we all know, this isn't easy. Working out? That's easy. Eating better? Easy. But we've taken it a step further than that. We've changed our entire lifestyle. We're re-creating ourselves. Or maybe we're just finally realizing who we are.

I'm Kevin, and I'm not fat, I'm a little overweight.

Shameless Plugs

> Mile High Sports has a new site - I write every Friday
> I have a new blog with new stuff Wednesday and Saturday.

> Also, in case you missed them, I posted some fairly impressive new pics over the weekend. These shots make me think 260 is going to look pretty good.

What Would You Be?

Today's Weigh In: 286.4
5-Day: 287.12

So, I know we're pretty much all in this for the betterment of our overall health, and to allow us less embarrassment about our bodies, but I'm curious about something.

If you guys were doing this for a career in athletics, what sports would you want your body ready to handle when you hit your goal? What kind of body do you want to end up with?

Do you want a boxer's body? A swimmer's body? A basketball player's body? A wrestler's body?

I'm honestly not sure what I want.

My first thought was the body of a less-than-buff UFC fighter, like Gan McGee. He's 6' 10", about 265, so I'd have to be about 245 to look similar.

Another thought I had was an NFL Tight End. Something like Tony Scheffler of the Denver Broncos. He's 6' 5", 250, so I'd need to be a muscular 265 to look similar.

What about you guys?

My Wife is Crazy

She thinks because she only lost 3.2 pounds this month that she's failing in some way. She's always preaching to "look at the measurements. The measurements don't lie."

Take thine own medicine, Doctor.

This is a split shot of her in early June and this morning. Weight difference? I dunno, maybe 5-6 pounds. ACTUAL difference? Unreal.

Now, maybe she'll shut up.

:-)

Damn.

A Little Help?

Anybody know where I can find a list of what swimming stokes work which muscle groups? I haven't been very successful, so far.

Anyway, my sad Challenge results are in. I'm not amused.

I HATE fluctuations. I know I don't weigh the 287.6 that showed up on my scale this morning. I can feel the water retention in my stomach and hands. I must have had too much sodium last night, or something.

I lost a total of 5.4 pounds over four weeks. That's not acceptable to me. The first two weeks I was dealing with a nasty plateau, then I flipped the switch back on July 13. I lost 1.6 pounds in three days for my weigh-in last week, and I was on pace for a 5-pound weight loss this week. Then Dr. Fluctuation crept back into my life - on a Sunday morning.

I hate that clown.

I guess it could have been worse. I could still be 293 where I started.

My suggestions for the next challenge:

Monday weigh-ins
Saturdays are the days most of us have outside-the-lines activities - dinners, friends, parties, etc. I think we should be allowed to de-stress from a long week on Saturdays, recover on Sundays, and weigh in on Mondays.

Total % Lost
I think, since many of us have very different goals and targets right now, and since we're all at different points of our transformations, we should go with total % lost next time. If I start at 285, and I lose 10 pounds, then I lost .035% of my total weight that month. Likewise, if Billy starts at 190, and he loses 7 pounds, he will have lost .037% of his body weight. I lost more weight, but he lost more in relation to his starting point. So, he would win. Just a thought.

That's all I got. Hope everybody did well. And if you can find any info on what strokes build which muscles, I'd appreciate the help.

Picture Day! Yes, You Get the Boxer-Brief Treatment.

Today's Weigh-In: 286.4

I will be heading to the pool for an hour this afternoon, so I fully expect a weigh-in in the 285's tomorrow, ensuring a Closer's victory. I think that would give me a 5-ish pound loss this week, and a 6.5-ish pound loss over the last two weeks.

Anyway, off to the pics.

Before (12-2005): 365-ish
Now: 286.4


Before (June 8, 2007): 298.6
Now: 286.4


And this one is for the ladies. Or for my ego. Either way. It's a Billy-inspired pose. Enjoy.

Seriously?

Why? Why would they do this?

About last Night

Swimming:

30 Hard Minutes of Various Strokes (snuck out to see a movie with that title when I was 16.)

Concentrated Mostly on the Breast Stroke, and some other stroke that I don't know the name of, where you lie on your back, kick, and kind of do a snow angel. I tried to do it HIIT-style, but it's tough in a pool. Essentially, I went one lap, then treaded water for 30 seconds or so, then hit the next lap.

15 Minutes of Casual Swimming (a cool down, if you will.)

I was pooped last night, and my shoulders and parts of my back are sore this morning.

No pool tonight as my boss is coming over to work on some things, and to have dinner. And maybe no pool tomorrow, as Beck is likely going to have to work all day. Maybe there will be a spare hour in there somewhere.

Eating:

It's easy to stay under your calories when you have no food in the house. I barely topped 1,500 yesterday, and that was only because I was craving a late-evening bowl of Honey Nut Cheerio's.

Today will be similar, though we're having turkey lasagna for dinner, and that's about 500 calories per slice. I happen to be a 2-slice guy. And don't worry, it's whole wheat pasta, and low fat cheeses.

My Weight:

286.4.

For those of you keeping score at home, that's a 2.4 pound drop from yesterday, which was my lowest weigh-in to date.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I can lose weight like the Lions lose football games - easily - if I have the right tools to do it. Again, in college, I weighed in on January 5th at 297. My weeks consisted of basketball three nights per week, an occasional trip to the weight room, and eating Burger King, Pizza, Little Debbie's, and nasty cafeteria food. By the end of the semester - late May - I tipped the scale at 239. I lost 58 pounds in a little over five months while eating like CRAP.

I know for a fact that if I would have the privilege of a gym, or a more free schedule, I'd be down frighteningly close to my 260 goal right now. Last January (2006), I weighed in at 365 pounds at a Dr's visit. Today, I weighed 286. That's almost 80 pounds in 21 months, only 10 or 11 of those months was I actually trying to do something about it.

This is why I've been so frustrated. I know I can lose weight much faster than I have been. I know how my body works. You can look back and see it in this blog. When I hit the reset button and took control of my eating, and made sure to ride every night, I lost four pounds in five days. I've lost 8 in 14 days. I've done that a few times over the course of these eight months.

Sure some of it was may fault for losing focus. I'm the first to own up to my errors in this journey. You don't have to re-gain control unless you lose it in the first place. That said, I was out of control in college, and I lost 60 pounds because I had the ability to exercise.

It's frustrating as all get out to know I COULD be doing better, but I don't have the means with which to do better. Bad foot, 2 jobs, 2 kids, no spare cash for the gym, broken bike...I have a lot of things working against me.

Yet here I am, sitting at 286.4.

Always moving forward.

EDIT

This also puts me at 61 pounds lost since Thanksgiving of 2006. That's a decent number.

For the Record...

I just want everybody to be on the same page.

Long walks and runs/jogs of any length are out, as my foot does not handle the stress well, anymore. I'm guessing years of carrying around 300+ pounds after two major surgeries has taken its toll. With my bike broken, the pool is my best bet.

And I wasn't exaggerating when I said that my spare time with two kids and two jobs allows me, at best, to make lunch or hit the bathroom.

As for making time, I think you all know me better than that by now. If I felt there were time, I'd take it. If I could get up at 6 and hit the pool while Beck was getting ready, I'd be all over it. But the pool is closed until 10am, and I am obviously busy during that time.

Could I have left people hanging and gone swimming this week? Yep. But that's not who I am. I had a scheduled phone call with my new boss. I told a person coming to buy a chair I'd wait for him. I wanted to keep the kids out of Beck's hair while she worked so she wouldn't get frustrated, and could get her stuff done. For better or worse, I'm an "others first" guy. If I feel that somebody else needs my help, helping them becomes the priority.

Last night, Becky said that can be a fault for me sometimes, too. Maybe she's right. But if I feel people need me, or are relying on me, I don't want to give them any reason to doubt my ability to meet those needs.

I'm just rambling, I guess. I just wanted everybody to know where I am, and that I'm not looking for excuses. Everybody's advice is appreciated, and I wish it were just as simple as "make time", "go walk", "make it happen", etc.

Right now, it's not.

Anyway, in the midst of all of this, I hit a new low of 288.8 this morning. Something to build on, I guess.

Yep, Billy's Right

I'm out of it, right now. No passion, no drive, no desire. I had a few days of defeat, and they have rolled into a lackadaisical feeling about the whole thing.

Here's the deal:

My bike is dead. It still rolls, but that's about it. I hit a bump, and the handlebars turn to the right. But the tire stays straight. It doesn't shift, anymore. The back tire is bent so badly that keeping speed on a level surface is like trudging up a hill in low gear.

So, I decided to switch things up and hit our pool. Just taking my shirt off to go in the pool was a tough step, but I did it. Beck and I stayed in there for a good hour - swimming laps, doing handstands, lifting the other person as high out of the water as we could - it was a solid workout. I was winded when we were done, and I was sore the next morning.

So, I figured this would be my new free gym. I planned to go back Sunday, but Beck had a project to finish, and I stayed home to help keep the kids out of her hair so she could work unimpeded. No pool Sunday.

Monday we had a guy coming over to buy a recliner we were selling. He was supposed to be here at 7, but he got lost and didn't show up until 7:45. By the time he checked the chair and we loaded it up, it was after 8. I was waiting for a phone call from my boss at 8:30, so no pool on Monday.

Last night we had to go run some errands and get some dinner, and by the time we were back, I had a migraine the size of Tokyo. No pool Tuesday.

Tonight, Becky's sister is coming up to learn how to swim, as she's preparing to go into the Air Force, and she needs to know the basics for a survival course. It'd be a little odd for me to teach her, so Beck will go swim with her, and I'll stay here with the kids. No pool tonight.

And for those of you saying we should take the kids to the pool? The kids are 2-years-old and 10 months. If Beck and I both go, we each get one kid, and neither of us gets a workout.

It feels like EVERYTHING is working against me. I'm now working three jobs from home if you count the kids, so time is even more rare for me. I have about 2-3 hours per night that could be set aside for "me" time, but it seems like we always have something going on that prevents me from taking advantage of those open hours. And if Beck has anything going on - side projects, sister coming up, needing some rest - it's my job to let her get those things done by keeping the kids out of her hair.

I don't even have time for my old school push up routine. I'm stretched pretty thin with job 1, job 2, and kids A and B right now. Spare time during the day allows me to eat a sandwich, or go to the bathroom.

I keep thinking, "Hey, I'm working now. I can go get the boxing membership, or a 24HourFitness membership, and the problem is solved." The problem is, I don't get paid for another three weeks, and August is the month where we're going to be catching with all of our bills from the months where I wasn't working.

Rob blogged yesterday about feeling like he was on four flat tires. I feel like I'm trying to go forward while the car is in reverse. As hard as I try to go forward, something is pulling me backwards.

I wish there were just a switch I could flip to get out of this rut, but the truth is, I just need some time. Time for me to get my workouts in, and time for me to mentally come out of this.

Better

Weigh In: 289.2 (new low)
5-Day: 290.32

Hasn't been a great 24 hours on a personal level, so I'm not going to be very talkative today. But I did just want to document the weight, and show that my fluctuation only lasted a day this time around. I guess I can deal with that.

Why I HATE the 5-Day

Weigh In: 291.8 (What in God's name??)
5-Day: 290.84

I've been the king of body weight fluctuations over the last several months. If you've been following my blog for any length of time, than you know my body likes to freak out on me, and jump up two, three, even four pounds overnight quite often, usually for no good reason. It's as frustrating as "frustrating" can be, but it's just what my messed up body does.

Well, the evil Dr. Fluctuation has struck again.

Up over two pounds from yesterday's weight, with a quick and intense, against-the-wind 3-4 mile bike ride, and perfect eating. Makes sense, huh?

Now, I will admit that I ate poorly on Tuesday night. Beck and I were both under strict deadlines, and we didn't have time to cook dinner. So, we took the easy way out, and got pizza. I ended the day about 500 calories over my target of 2,400. But that was two days ago, and it was 500 calories. I don't think that played that big of a role in a 2-pound fluctuation today.

How long does it take for your body to register what you put it through? If I eat 2400 calories today, but I box, ride my bike, play some basketball, and take a run, and I burn 3500 more than I take in, will I lose a pound tomorrow? Will it show on the scale a few days from now? On the same token, if I don't work out at all today, and I eat 5,900 calories, will I put on a pound tomorrow?

I've done variations of both over the last seven or eight months, and from my experience, it seems much more likely that the latter will happen. I've eaten 500 to 1,000 calories over a few times, and I've put on three pounds the next day. I've eaten 2400 on the nose, and burned 2000 calories off, and my weight stays the same, or barely budges. Sometimes, it's even gone up a few pounds.

Of course, I've also eaten 1,000 calories over, and lost a pound the next day.

I know it's not an exact science every time, but I wish I understood my body a little better than I do. It would help take the edge off of these funky weigh ins.

Let's just hope I can drop back down by Sunday.

Continuing my 2-Blogs-Per-Day Trend...

I'll just post this. No words are necessary. Though I will say I'm a good 11 pounds lighter now than I was in the June picture.

Whee!

Weigh In: 289.6 (Goal Accomplished!)
5 Day: 291.12 (Gotta get this 293.2 off my record!)

Finally, I hit my first goal on time in this transformation.

I was hoping to weigh in under 290 at least once by 7/22, after weighing in at 294.4 on the 13th. That gave me nine days to lose 4.5 pounds. With four days to go, I'm already down 4.8 pounds.

Some important facts about the number 289:

I have now lost over 70 pounds since January of 2006.
I have now lost over 57 pounds since Thanksgiving 2006.
I am now under 30 pounds to my goal weight of 260.

I know, my 5-day still has me over 291, but I have a 293.2 that drops off tomorrow, and a 291.8 that will drop off the next day. So, even if I maintain my weight (which I have ZERO plans to do), I'll drop under 290 in two days.

Whee!

An Addendum to my Last Post

So, I've been swamped today. No time for breakfast, period. I've been sitting at my computer working since I posted my last blog entry.

Just a few seconds ago, I was able to get up and use the restroom.

And there was my scale.

So, I disrobed, got on top of it (the scale), and weighed in.

289.4.

So, my question is this:

If I haven't eaten anything, haven't worked out, just sat at a computer for 3 hours, can I use this as my real weigh in? Had I eaten, gone for a walk, etc, I'd say no. But I've done nothing but type for three hours. Though I did change a diaper.

What say you?

Soooooo Close

Weigh In: 290.0 (new low!)
4-Day: 291.5

Got up, jumped on the scale, got a 291.0, then realized I had to "use the bathroom." I used said bathroom, and jumped back up on the scale. Got a 290.0. I felt excited, yet frustrated. To get that close to a somewhat big goal is painful. Close, but not close enough.

Well, as I was getting dressed, and preparing to start the day, I realized I had a little left in the tank, if you know what I mean. So, back in I went, forcing out what little remained. Thinking I may have gotten rid of another .2, I jumped back up on the scale, only to see the 290.0 again.

So, the goal will have to wait another day, it seems.

Still, I'm pretty happy. This puts me down 4.4 pounds since Friday. That's not too shabby, especially since I had no time for my bike ride yesterday. I'm working two jobs simultaneously - three if you count the two kids - so anything besides work/responsibility has to wait until after the hours of 7am and 6pm. Last night we had to head right out the door after dinner for a meeting with my boss, and that lasted until 9:15pm. So, it wasn't going to happen.

Still, I was all over my diet - eating 100% clean, and I was able to see another pound come off. I guess I'll stop complaining about the .2, and look at the big picture.

I'm back on track.

We Have Made Contact...

I was bored, and thought I'd weigh myself, just for the heck of it.

290.0

That's with no workout yet today, and regular food intake. I won't count it, as a midday weigh-in could be way off of accurate. But I made contact with the next decade down, and I likes it. If it holds up, that's 4.4 pounds in four days.

Shows what a person can do when he puts his mind and heart into it.

Hidden Fat, My REAL Weight Goal, Visualization

Weigh In: 291.0 (lowest ever!)
3-Day: 292.0

This is my third day in a row with a nice weight loss, and I am very excited about that. Since I reset this whole thing on Friday, I've been all over this 'weight loss' thing. The diet, if anything, has been too good. I had to cheat last night to get my calories up to the 2,400 range. My last three days were 1,600+, 1,800+, and then around 2,450 last night. I need to get the calories up before my body starts conserving my fatness.

We've all talked about the fact that once we hit our original weight goals, there's a great chance we're going to need to re-evaluate and take some more poundage off. Well, I've known that for a while, but I think it's starting to sink in just how far I have to go, still.

I have about 32 pounds to go to get to my original goal of 260, which is what I weighed when I met Becky six years ago. As I look at myself in the mirror, or rub my big, ol belly, I have to think that I probably have most of that 32 pounds hanging above my belt buckle. If I were to totally get rid of my belly 32 pounds from now, I'd be a happy man. A) I don't think I can, B) That leaves a lot of fat that others might not see.

You all know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the little hangy stuff under your arm, up by your pit. I'm talking the little pouch on the pubic bone. I'm talking the upper thighs, just south of Crotch Land. I can't estimate fat weight by looking or jiggling, but I've got to assume that I have another 10 pounds - at least - that is hiding in my crooks and crevices.

So, I'm thinking 245 is more along the lines of where I need to be when this is all over. I was 239 in college, but I was a bean pole. I didn't work out at all, so I honestly looked anorexic. I know I have more lean mass now than I did then, and as I continue working, I'll build more. I'm hoping 245 looks good on me.

But how good? Billy and others were talking about visualizing yourself with the body you want to have, and I've been thinking about it a little since then. The truth is, I have NO idea.

Many of the FAT members have seen this, but I used to want to look like former NFL player and pro wrestler Bill Goldberg. Dude's just a big muscle.

And while that's all good and fine, I think he might be TOO muscular for me. I don't want to look like a pro wrestler, but I wanna look like I could be one if I wanted to.

Really, my only visualization shows me in a form-fitting Under Armour shirt, and having it look good. Pretty simple, I know, but check this commercial out, and you'll see WHY I want to end up where this guys are (-ish).

Week 3 Stats

Weigh In: 291.8

That's only one pound down from last week, but it's 2.6 pounds down from my "reset" on Friday. I worked my tail off the last two days - bike rides, swimming, perfect eating. I'm kind of proud that I made it down over two pounds since I got my head back on straight.

No push ups for me today, at least not this morning. My bad shoulder has been acting up this week, and my last set of push ups on Friday was pretty painful. So, I'll chill out today and see if it feels better by tonight. Hopefully so, as I still want to break 20 in the challenge. Guess we'll see.

For the record, I'm fully expecting to be down in the upper 280's by this time next week. I'm aiming for a weigh-in of at least 288 next Sunday.

Have a good Sunday, all.

Square One

It dawned on Beck and I last night that we were slowly allowing ourselves to slip back into our old habits. Between us and our two-year-old, we took out almost a full carton of ice cream last night because of some new stress we didn't handle well. We had pizza two nights ago to 'celebrate' my new job. Our diets have been poor this week. I don't think either of us have gone over our caloric max by much, if at all, so it could be worse. But it's the direction we're going that worries me.

Back in October, when I decided to start this whole thing, I blogged about how food was my go-to celebratory or mourning partner. Little Debbie's, cheesecake, cookies, pizza, wings, chinese...a little bit of everything. I recognized back then that food was my biggest enemy, and over the last seven months, I've done a pretty good job of forming new habits, and making good choices. I mean, I asked for more broccoli last week. I hated broccoli a few months ago. I snack on carrots, people. Not even with dip - just carrots.

I'm in a better place, now.

But over the last month, I've let myself lose focus. My workouts have become sporadic, even with the bike. And while that's not all my fault, I know I could be trying harder. My food intake is also becoming an issue, again.

I'm back at 294 today. I've been stuck in the 292 - 296 range for over five weeks, now. That can't happen.

I think that part of my problem is that I've become content. I look better, I feel better, I have no pants that fit - all signs that I should be on a weight-loss commercial as an 'after' picture. But I've allowed myself to forget that I'm still taking 'during' pictures. I'm proud of the weight I've lost. But I'm not done.

So, as of right now, I'm erasing everything I've done. Today is Day One of my new weight loss program. This blog will follow on my journey to lose 34 pounds.

Here are my general goals:

> Ride at least one hour per night, five nights per week.
> Count calories daily.
> Stay at or below 2,406 calories per day.
> Keep 'cheats' to 10% of total meals per week.
> Complete 3-4 sets of max push ups per day.
> Work up to 30 elevated push ups.
> Get back to a size 38 waist.

Here are my weight-loss goals:

> Weigh in at 289.8 at least once by 7/22
> Weigh in at 279.8 at least once by 9/1
> Weigh in at 269.8 at least once by 10/10
> Hit my goal of 260.0 at least once by 11/10

I don't like the fact that I feel I need to start from scratch, but drastic times call for drastic measures, I guess.

...

Stress Levels Lowering

I've been failing miserably the last few days. Less working out, more eating out. The stress has been KILLING me, and Becky. It's been tough. Long nights, wet eyes, anxiety attacks...and I'm not making any of that up. It's been rough.

But our stress level will be lowering, soon.

I was just offered a job as the Editor in Chief for Colorado Hockey Insider. It's part time, with good perks, but it'll take care of our financial needs. And adding in the fact that they'd like Becky to do some of the design, that's extra pay to help us take care of our needs, and then some.

I thought to myself last night that one of my biggest personal issues is that my daughters had no real reason to be proud of me. I was a diaper-changer, and part time HTML editor. Not much to look up to. But this gives me the opportunity to make them, and my wife, proud.

It's just what I've been needing to relieve us from our stress, and to take care of things we badly need to have taken care of. Our truck needs tires - BADLY. Our kids are growing out of more clothes every day. My wife is shrinking out of hers every day. And daddy needs some contacts, baby.

And with less stress comes more focus on my weight loss. And better control over my eating.

For the first time in a LONG time, things look good for us.

I'm a happy guy tonight.

Not This Week

I don't like losing. I sure don't like being last place in anything. It won't happen again. Mark it down.

You're All Screwed, Now

As (kind of) spoken by John McClane (who I want to be like when I grow up):

"Now I have a mountain bike. Ho-ho-ho."

My weakness in this whole thing has been a lack of desire to do things I hate - running, elliptical, stationary bike, etc. I've always had to enjoy what I was doing for it to take hold. It's a shortcoming, and I've paid the price. Yes, I've lost a rather impressive 63+ pounds since last January, and an also semi-impressive 51+ pounds since Thanksgiving. And I've done it with NOTHING in the way of tools. It's been family walks and push ups. But I could have done much more had I made myself get on one of those machines before now.

Well, the problem is now solved.

I just got back from a 10-mile-ish bike ride, during which I never stopped peddling. Slight inclines, slight declines, didn't matter. I kept pumping the legs. I'm hurting right now, to be honest. About a mile in, my biking muscles were all, "Dude, what the hell??" Coming up my three flights of stairs, my legs all but gave out twice, and as I sit here, they are shaking just a little. I'm not sure I can do this every day right now. I may have to build up. It hurts.

But I love it.

I've always been able to bike. Even when I hit the wall, I'm able to push through and keep going. When I was a kid, I used to pretend I was on CHiP's, and it motivated me to go fast like Ponch and John. That doesn't work as much these days. Still, I made it. I loved it. And now, the weight will melt off this frame of mine.

There were some issues. I'm gonna need a new seat. I've never been to prison, but I have to assume the whole "violation" thing feels similar to that narrow seat getting lodged places upon hitting a bump. And the shifters are screwed up. It only has three gears: "Way easy", "kind of easy", and "Dear Lord, make it stop." But a bad bike is better than a good TV show any day.

I hate to say it, but the GOYADS are screwed. You had a shot before I was mobile, but now it's all over. Ten pounds in July? Pssshhhht. I've got your ten right here, and here's three more. You heard me. Thirteen pounds. Bring it.*

*The following was written while Mr. Antcliff was still in a euphoric state. It's possible he won't remember any of this when he gets out of the shower. He cannot be held accountable for these words. Please don't be mad at him. He knows not what he does.

Guess What I Got??

It looks NOTHING like this, and it needs some serious work, but I needed a pic of a red Mountain bike.

It needs some new handlebars, some brakes, probably a bigger seat, and a good cleaning - but what do you expect for a $20 thrift store bike? I don't think it's quite big enough, either. But I'd rather be a little snug on a bike and getting some exercise than comfy on a couch watching TV.

In bad news, I'm getting frustrated with my weight. Several days ago, Beck and I gave into the stress - again - and we ate too much. We paid for it the next day. My weight was back up to 298.6. That's 5.6 pounds overnight from BBQ wings, ice cream, some drinks, and some candy. I worked my way back down to 297-ish on Monday, 296.8 on Tuesday, 296.2 on Wednesday, 296.2 again yesterday, and I'm back up to 296.4 today.

I ate pretty clean on the 4th - a few chips, one scoop of potato salad, a piece of steak, a deviled egg, and two cookies spread out over three hours. If I went over my calories, it wasn't by much, as I ate accordingly for breakfast and lunch. Plus, we went running Wednesday morning, played "go get it" catch for another 30 minutes, and then we played catch for a while again that evening before the fireworks. Yesterday I ate very clean, but I was probably about 200 calories over my 2,406.

The bike is going to help. It has to. The plan is to ride at least 10 miles every day, seven days a week. I did that when I was in high school, and I stayed in pretty good shape - and that was with a crappy diet. I'd like to think that solid eating, 70+ miles a week on the bike, and other activities with the family (football, walks, etc) will get this weight off pretty quickly.

Let's hope.

Foot Update

Well, after sleeping on it, I have realized that my foot freaking hurts. I am taking this to mean that my foot would greatly appreciate me not using it for activities such as jogging, running football routes, taking long walks, or standing on it for an extended period of time.

That kind of limits my activities, huh?

Now I'm not sure what to do. Running is out. Walks are leaning towards out. No money for a gym (pool!) membership. Same with boxing.

Finding that bike sure would be a good thing right now.

We're going to go to a local pawn shop that sells bikes tonight. Hopefully we'll get lucky and find a big boy bike.

Sometimes it sucks being 6' 8".

Running Wild

Kind of.

This is a picture of a 400m running track, similar to the one at our local high school.


I ran it today, just to see if I could do it. There was about a 15 second period of time where I walked at a very quick pace, but the rest of the time, I jogged.

When I reached the 1/2-way point, the voice of rationalization started spouting off in my head.

"Dude. You went 1/2 way around the track. That's pretty good! Go ahead and walk the rest of the way. You never used to be able to go this far, so be happy. No need to push yourself."

I had no part of that.

It wasn't easy, but I made myself keep moving. I slowed down, sure. But I didn't stop. I don't stop, anymore. I always move forward.

I was actually kind of bummed that I walked those 100 or so feet. I am proud that I was able to go that far, but I wanted to go all the way. Still, I'll take what victories I can get. And I DO see this has a victory for me.

For the sake of numbers, 400m is 1,312.33 feet, just under 1/4 of a mile. My time, including the walking was 2:33. That put me on pace for just over a 10-minute mile. I'm sure I would have slowed more as I fatigued, but I'll take the 2:33 and be proud.

In other news, my foot seems to be holding up, even after running routes for Becky. If we had time, I would have stayed out there catching passes for hours. It's how I am. I sometimes struggle to get going with exercise, but once I get moving, it's hard to make myself stop.

Also, no go on the bike. Which sucks.

Everybody have a good one!

I'm Out

Everybody have a fun, fantastic Fourth! Be healthy, but have a good time.

A Little Less Painful

Weigh In: 294.0 (up .4 pounds)
5-Day: 293.56 (up .12 pounds)

294 is better than 295.4, but it's still painful.

I emailed a guy with two large-framed bikes for sale for $10 each yesterday, but I haven't heard back. That would be a huge difference-maker for me right now. Having a bike would allow me to get away from things for an hour or so a day, it would allow me to work off about 600 calories extra, and it would allow me to feel free once in a while.

It's strange how something as simple as a bike - when attaining one is out of your reach - becomes so important. Right now, a bike is the Holy Grail to my Monty Python. It's the Lost Ark to my Indiana Jones. It's the Red October to my Jack Ryan.

It would be nice.

Pending

I'm not weighing myself again for another hour. I refuse.

Here's the deal: My calories were perfect yesterday. I ate clean, and I came in roughly 200 calories under my target of 2,406. Now, I DID have too many carbs. I had a piece of whole wheat lasagna for lunch, and we had whole wheat spaghetti (with turkey meatballs! Mmm!) for dinner. There's a lot of carbs in Italian food, even if they are good carbs.

But would the carbs make me gain almost TWO FREAKING POUNDS from yesterday? I have a hard time believing that. Yet, my scale read 295.4 this morning.

I'll weigh again in an hour. Maybe I'll lose some weight in the restroom.

Or maybe my body has just decided that 2,400 calories just isn't going to cut it, anymore.

I don't know, but STILL being in the 290's is starting to get frustrating.

I Found It!

It was hidden on the hard drive we moved over to the new computer.

So, allow me to do it right:

Weigh In: 293.6 (wrong way!)
5-Day: 293.44 (new low)

I Hate Days Like This

I have nothing to say. Not a thing. No words of wisdom. No complaints. No issues that need to be dealt with. Nothing. Just....nothing.

Weigh In: 293.6 (wrong way!!!)
5-Day: I have no idea. My computer died, and we lost the spreadsheet. Which sucks.

That's about it, guys. Sorry to bore you today.

Buh-Bye.

The Challenge - Week 1 Numbers

Starting Points

Weigh In: 293.0 (tied for my lowest)
Elevated Feet Push Ups: 10

4-Week Goals

Weight: 282.8
Push Ups: 25

**EDIT**

Feel free to chat about the Challenge at the Shift Forums. You may have to register, and wait for me to approve your account. Please let me know what name you'll be using so I know you aren't a porn spammer. Rob, this means no spamming porn, man.