Losing It 9 Week Update: Progress and Setbacks

Every weight loss challenge/effort is going to experience some progress and some setbacks. The motivation to work out and eat better has not really been a problem. Progress. The execution at times has been lacking. Setback. And some times that darned scale just doesn’t tell you what you want to hear!

Over the last two weeks since my family has been out of town, I have really kicked it into high gear (which for most in shape people is probably what they do for a cool down). I’ve found myself a walking regiment and route that seems to work for me. It gets me about 2.5 miles a day and has two separate legs of it which are up hill (one at the beginning and one at the end) which presents a nice challenge.

9 weeks into this challenge I’ve lost 9 pounds. I firmly believe that had I pushed myself more and been more dedicated to my diet and exercise routine that the number could easily be around 20, but life sometimes gets in the way and there’s nothing you can do about it but push through. Truthfully, I needed that doctor’s visit and a little nudging from a good friend in the health and wellness industry to really get my act together...but it worked, and I have.

Over the last two weeks I have made two major dietary changes. First, I’ve been eating spinach salads for lunch every day. I usually add carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers, and green peppers to the mix with a healthy crouton and light ranch dressing for flavor. I’ve also added grilled chicken at times as well. The other thing I’ve done is started “snacking” on fruit leather (Archer Farms from Target). These are about 45 calories each and equal ½ of a daily fruit serving…which is more than the zero I was getting before.

So the efforts are certainly there, and I believe that if I keep doing what I’m doing, the weight should continue to drop. As it stands, 9 lbs in 9 weeks is pretty good, I mean, that’s 1 pound a week so that’s not bad. I’m sure I’ll need to increase my output in the coming weeks and look forward to the challenges that presents, but for now, I’m still hanging right in there.

Losing it Update: Cough Like You Mean It!

Let’s start with the weight loss. This past Saturday, I weighed in at 258.4, so we’ll go ahead and round that down to 258. I have not seen that number since then, and weighed in at the doc’s office at 261, but since I have to rely on my home scale, we’ll call it 258 and a 7lb weight loss thus far (and will throw in a give or take .5lbs to be fair).

The 6 week mark marked the time for me to go in for a physical. I had wanted to be able to go in on 6 solid weeks of exercise and eating better but (here comes my laundry list of excuses summed up in one sentence) a lot of things got in the way of that, not the least of which has been the un-June like heat we’ve been experiencing out here in the East. As a result, I haven’t been able to exercise as much as I would’ve liked, but I’m managing.

I had forgotten what all was entailed in a physical. For some reason, I was pretty nervous about the whole thing…I mean, really, I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think I’d get some form of bad news through the process so I guess this was just the beginning of that inevitability. My doctor and I talked about my medical history and that of my family as well as what other concerns I had about my current medical state. Towards the end, the suggestion was made that I get a tetanus shot...great! I asked if I could get a sucker for my troubles like my daughter does when she gets shots…nope!

The exam went fine for the most part…blood pressure a little high, but other than that, doing pretty good, though there was a particular moment where I was asked to cough like I meant it…which gave me a chuckle. She also asked if I was exercising regularly. If you’ve never told a doctor that one of the things you do to exercise is jogging in place while playing a video game you should try it, the incredulous look you get in return is priceless. “Does that really get your heart rate up?” She asked. I thought, “lady, if there’s no difference between jogging and playing the game and sitting around and playing the game then guess which option I’ll choose?.” Of course it makes a difference! I’d actually lost 14 during a previous fitness challenge pretty much doing exclusively that. It was on to the shot and blood work after that exchange.

Let me just say that I am not a huge fan of shots/and or needles in general. In fact, knowing this, I was asked to leave the room when my wife got the epidural on our first child. So as you can imagine, I was less than thrilled that in addition to getting blood taken, I had to get a tetanus shot. Two days later, my arm is still sore from that particular experience.

Afterwards, I asked the nurse if I was now safe to step on a rusty nail. That got a laugh and a hardy “no!” Tetanus isn’t to be messed around with though. In fact, shortly after the death of General Robert E. Lee his horse, Traveler had the misfortune of stepping on a rusty nail and that was it for him. So it is no joke. Here is an interesting nugget from Wikipedia, (so it must be true). The rough surface of rusty metal merely provides a prime habitat for a C. tetani endospore to reside, and the nail affords a means to puncture skin and deliver endospore into the wound.

The results came in and I’m borderline high on my cholesterol which I'll go on some medication for, and not out of the woods on my blood pressure which I am being asked to take daily, so I feel like I fall into the category of having a lot of work left to do. Here’s to some harder weeks ahead!

Losing It - 4 Week Update

4 weeks into my challenge I find myself about 5 lbs down. When I stepped on the scale this past Saturday it read 260. 4, so I'll take it and round it down to 260.

The challenge started off with a bang, but my efforts have slowed of late due to a vacation and the hottest June I can remember pretty much ever. So, I've been pleased with my 5lbs of weight loss,  but know that my inactivity can't help my next few weigh ins. The hot weather does keep me sweting, but still, gotta get back on the horse, even if that means going out to exercise at dusk.

Thanks for caring and keeping me motivated!

I'm Losing It!

Several years ago, right before I met my wife, I participated in a fitness challenge. At the time I was single, didn’t have a lot going on, and could really focus on the challenge. In 10 weeks I dropped somewhere between 35 and 40 pounds. Since then life has gotten a little wider for me and I have easily put back on the weight I lost and then some (like 60 pounds).

12 weeks before my 30th birthday last fall, I thought a fun little gimmick would be to try to lose 30 pounds by the time I turned 30. It didn’t work. In fact, I might have even gained a little. I don’t consider myself “fat”, but I am not where I want to be. I owe it to myself, to my wife, and especially to my kids to be as healthy as I can be and to be around as long as I can be.

As such, I have decided to take my goals to the inter-webs and post them here on my blog and on other forums and social media outlets that I currently use. I’m calling my challenge the “Losing It” challenge. This is not a crash diet and I have set no specific time table for when I want to hit a certain goal, I just know that things need to change, even if it is slow and steady.

So here’s what I’m going to do. I have started a workout routine that I will add to weekly. I am going to do my best to cut out sweets but for the weekends and special occasions. And, I am going to post my progress here once a month. For weekly updates, I will post a “Losing it” box on the right hand side of this blog and put my weekly weigh in results there.

One of the big challenges I will face in this is that eating healthier often requires the consumption of fruit. Which, outside Watermelon, I don’t eat, so if anyone out there has any healthy tips for me for good foods to eat, or good vitamins or nutrients, please let me know.

If you have been looking for motivation to improve your fitness or eating habits, you are welcome to follow my progress and post your own in my comments section. Or, if you want to just help motivate me, become a follower on this blog and keep tabs on my progress!

Wish me luck!