Can't Do It Today

Took the day off from working out, as my legs were still pretty sore. Drank more water. Upped my calories to the 2,400 range. Ate clean.

Put on 1.8 pounds.

282.4

I have too much going on to focus on this crap today. Guess we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Oh, Good.

I was worried I may have reason to be PISSED this morning, but I see that my weight went up another FULL POUND, so all is well.

280.6.

I mean, heaven forbid I have six perfect days, and I PUT ON almost FOUR POUNDS.

Water was up, carbs were in range, went for a 3-mile walk in the morning, at 100% clean - add a pound.

I don't know what the hell is going on, but I'm sick of it.

I've been eating under 2,000 calories for the last four days, so I'm thinking I should bump it up to 2,200 for a couple days, keep the water levels up, and keep active. If I don't see some movement in the right direction soon, I might just lose it.

If weight loss is the best motivation for weight loss, then weight gain when doing everything right is the best fuel for quitting.

I'm frustrated beyond what my words can get across right now. I'm angry.

Not Happy

279.6

Look at that number, then look at the post below this one, if you haven't already.

My last 4 weigh ins:

277.2
277.0
279.4
279.6

What have these four days been like?

Perfect.

Working out, clean eating, turning down temptations - everything I'm supposed to be doing.
I've been staying in the 1,700 - 2,200 range for calories, too. No junk food. 100% clean for almost 5 days.

The only things I may be doing less than 100% are my carb and water intakes. I had too many carbs Thursday night (good carbs, but still carbs), and not enough water in general recently.

So, I'm back out the door to do something active. Probably just a 2-3 mile walk/jog mix. I'm way sore from yesterday, so I won't be sprinting, and I am dealing with a dislocated thumb (long story, not as bad as it sounds), so gripping weights is out.

This is pissing me off. NO WAY should I have put on 2.6 pounds over the last two days. Not the way I've been doing things.

You want fire? Here's the fire. I'm a freaking raging inferno right now.

Today Was a Good Day

I weighed in at 277.0 yesterday, and my eating was perfect, save for one extra bowl of Fiber One. Yes - one bowl of Fiber One.

So, I get a 279.4 this morning.

Nossir.

I was pissed. At 8:45, I texted my brother and told him to meet me at the park. He did, and we ran sprints (with a parachute drag), did some hand walks through my ladder, then lead each other on some routes with the football.

It was my best and most complete workout in weeks, which probably isn't saying much. Still, I feel amazing tonight.

In other news, we went to a birthday party tonight. Cake (twice), cupcakes, and pizza were on the menu. What did I have? Two rounds of side salad. Hells to the yeah. No pizza, no cake, no cupcakes. It sucked, because I was crazy hungry at the time, but I am so freaking proud that I made it through the day clean.

Now, on to tomorrow.

The scale better cooperate.

Quickie

I am back solidly under 280, which is a nice feeling. I weighed in at 277.2 this morning, down over EIGHT FREAKING POUNDS from this time last week. I screwed up bad to get back that high.

This is the third time I've made a statement like this, and so far I'm 2-for-2. I said the same thing at 300, and 290 after I screwed up and went back over those numbers.

I will not see another 280 on that scale again. I'm not going back there. Ain't gonna happen.

I have every intention of seeing a sub-270 by the end of the month.

Body Fat Percentage

OK, yikes.

So, we bought some calipers tonight. Using the Jackson/Pollock 3 Caliper Method, I discovered that my current body fat percentage is 21.35%. Now, I don't put a ton of stock in this number, as the measurements were so all over the place that we could barely get the readings to match up. My numbers ended up being averages of several measurements.

Anyway, to get to my goal of getting under 14% (I'm aiming for 11%), then I have a long way to go.

According to these measurements, by current lean body weight is 220.22 pounds, meaning (I think) that if I have 11% body fat, I should end up weighing around 242. Maybe I'm doing that wrong. No idea.

Still, 242 is 7 pounds above my final weight goal of 235, so we'll see what happens when I get down that low. Until then, I'll just be happy to get my fat butt under 20%.

Quick Update

Back feels about 90%. Going to start my quest for 100 push ups on Monday morning. Give the back another day or two to feel better.

Weight came down another 1.6 today. Tomorrow should get me back into the 270's.

As of right now - 8:35 p.m. local time - calories are resting comfortably at 1,353 - allowing me a nice bowl of shredded wheat before bed.

Talk to you all later!

Back Pain

I have too much of it. As soon as we get insurance, I'm going in for some Dr-suggested physical therapy. I was told several months ago that my muscles and tendons and stuff are all tight in my lower back, and a few weeks of PT would clear it right up. Until then, I may have issues with back pain.

Yep.

Yesterday I had the nerve to bend over, and my lower right back just twinged. I'm now hurting.

Oh, well.

In other news, I went from 283.2 to 281.6 yesterday, and I consumed about 500 calories over what I wanted, coming in at around 2,500 or so.

Gotta run, but it feels good to be back on track and seeing that number on the scale head back ion the right direction.

Later, ya'll.

To a Great '08

Well, I felt bad because I was going to be stealing Melissa's idea of posting my goals, but then Rob posted his last night. So, now it looks like I'm stealing from at least two people.

The truth is, I am. So deal with it, and don't judge me.

I had a tough time coming up with specific goals to reach during some point in 2008. I wanted to run a 5k, but with my foot the way it is, I don't think I could train for it. As it is, sprints make it sore for days, and there's too much fragile equipment in there. I don't know if I could do it.

And weight-lifting goals are tough, too. If I said I wanted to bench 300 pounds, I'd have no clue if I could do it, as I don't have access to any weights or a spotter to train with.

So, as is my m.o., I'm making due with what I have. Here are my goals for 2008:

I will wear a size 36-waist pant in 2008
This one is odd. I'm a 38 now, and I have a good 30-50 pounds to lose. But I have zero fat on my hips where I wear my pants. The smallest I ever recall being is a 38, and that was when I was 239 after college. It's possible the 38's were baggy. And my 239 was not a healthy 239. So, I may get into a 36. I guess we'll see.

I will be under 14% Body Fat in 2008
I don't even know what I am now, as we don't have calipers. If the online calculators are right, I'm still in the mid to upper 20%'s. If that's the case, I have a lot of work to do.

I will do 100 push ups in one sitting in 2008
Doesn't sound like much, but when Men's Health keeps telling me that a very fit guy can do around 50, I figured 100 would be a good one to aim for.

I will do 100 sit ups in one sitting in 2008
Probably not the same sitting as the push ups, though. I don't do sit ups. Never have. So this one may be more challenging than the push ups. I've gotta guess that if I can do 100 push ups and 100 sit ups, I'm doing pretty well.

And finally...

I will weigh 235 in 2008
Not a major weight loss goal, as I'm in the upper 270's right now. I could hit 235 by the end of March or early April if I work my ass off. And I hope to. But I need it to be a healthy and strong 235.

And keep in mind, I was sure I wouldn't need to go under 260. I was sure that was the magic number for me. But I need to be under that if I want to end up looking how I want to look.

I want to have the build of an athlete. Look at Ben Wallace, or Chris Webber from back in the day. Webber came into the NBA at 6-10, 250. Wallace spent his time in Detroit at 6-9, 245. I'm not saying I plan to look like these guys in the next 12 months. I'm not a moron. But I hope to look a whole lot more like them in 12 months than I do now.

So, there you go. They are my listed goals for 2008. I may add more as I think of them, but I think these do a good job of motivating me as I move forward.

Hope everybody had a great New Year's Day!

Thank God the Holidays are OVA!

Man, that sucked. No will-power. No limits. No success. I failed this 4-week period BADLY. I haven't weighed myself this morning, and I may not, but the last time I weighed in I was 277.4. Not pretty. I won't bore you with all of the details, and sum it up by saying I was lazy and I ate too much.

But that's done, now. If you look at the images, you'll see the two presents I got from Becky this year (among others, of course). It's a Sparq Training Agility Ladder, and a Sparq Training Resistance Schute. I had no pants, and it's cold in Denver these days (plus there is still a good 6" of snow on the ground), but it's warming up, and I also received a killer Under Armour hoodie, and an Under Armour head and face mask for outdoor training.

Further, we're being flown in by our new bosses to discuss the new project(s) we'll be working on for them, and Beck and I have decided we need to be slimmer than we were when we met with him in early December. So, we'll each be working toward the goal of taking 10 pounds off of our current weights before we fly in to Detroit.

So, now I just need to get it done. I'm sick and embarassed about my eating and workout behavior over the last few weeks. I know better, and I expect more out of myself. This funk has just been tough to pull out of, and I'm not sure why. I honestly just have not cared, and that worries me.

So now I need to push myself. Likely harder than I've pushed myself so far in this process. And I have two great new tools to use. Running my sprints should be fun, and by fun I mean painful. But hard work is the only way I'm going to get where I want to be. And I'll be working strength into the routine, as well. That ladder? Hand walk from right to left, one hand in each rung, then walk back, push up in each rung. I'm sure I'll think of other painful things to do for strength with that ladder as I go along.

Anyway, I'm back. Again. Not to get too Biblical on you, but Proverbs says (and I paraphrase) that a just man falls seven times, and rises up again a seventh. I'm on four or five, so I ain't don, yet. And I don't plan on being done until I get where I want to be.