Long time, no blog

Hi both of you,

When last we left our intrepid blogger, he was celebrating an all time low.  Then things changed a little.  He want from 248ish a week ago Thursday to 261ish last Tuesday.  No foolin'.  Apparently a long weekend in NJ eating buckets of Johnson's Popcorn as well as filet and pizza and whatever the heck else was within freakin' arm's reach will do that to you.  Who knew?

But from 261 Tuesday I lost about 12 pounds by this past Saturday, when I "officially" weighed in for the week.  I was back to 249.8, which is where I was on June 11th.  Then I decided to try to not blimp up this past weekend, and I was still in the high 240's today instead of up a bunch.  Granted, I spent several hours in 100 degree weather Sunday pulling weeds, and then a couple more today putting down mulch, but whatever it takes, right?

On a side note, I'd like to welcome spammer Jay to the program with my first spam comment.  Go Acai berry!!

Slow and steady wins the race, right?

I was down another 1.4 this week.  Not this morning mind you, when I was up 2, but this afternoon, after running 3 in the hot sun.  But I'm happy with 1.4 a week, if I can do that consistentlty.  1.4 per week from now until the (maybe) St. Lucia trip in January would be another 40 pounds, and I'm only trying to lose another 30.  Therese bought the Insanity workout DVDs off ebay this afternoon, so we're going to start doing those.  Anyone here have any experience with it?  I hear it's incredibly hard.

The weigh in I've been waiting to see!

New all time low!

Saturday evening, after Erin and I worked on my car in the heat of the day for 3 hours, I stepped on the scale and saw 249.8!  I called Therese in to verify it.  Naturally, much of it was due to dehydration, but even so I was very excited.  November 19th of last year was the first time I got into the 250's, so it only took me 6 1/2 months to lose ten pounds!  At this pace, I'll be in the 230's by January!

Of course, since it's me we're talking about, I celebrated my accomplishment with a big steak dinner Saturday night (although I didn't actually finish the whole steak!).  I didn't work out yesterday, but I'll be back on the wagon today.  I just want the official weigh in later this week to show something in the 240s and I'll be happy.

Thursday Weigh-in, Friday Edition

I was 252.2 yesterday after my afternoon run.  That's down 1.6 from last week.  I don't have multiple barbeques to go to this weekend, so I'm hopeful things continue to improve.  This morning after racquetball with Anil I was 251.6, which is only a couple tenths off my lowest yet.  I'm going to try Peggy's gallon of water suggestion, and Joan is absolutely right that I need to start strength training.  I just find it very boring.  Maybe I could invent a game that involves lifting weights...

Weigh in coming today...

I weighed in this morning and I was down from last week, but just a little.  I'm going to try to run or cycle this afternoon and see if I can juice the number a bit more.  Sit tight!  (I know you're all on the edge of your seat wondering what the number is, right?  No?)

Back to the grind

So the weekend is even more challenging when there's an extra day of it!  We attended 3 barbeques this weekend (and turned down a fourth b/c the kids got sick), plus I ordered pizza on Saturday night.  At least I made an effort at counteracting the food with some exercise:  racquetball Friday, Frisbee Saturday and tennis Monday.  Even so I was back up to 259.6 this morning.  I think that's probably a little less than after last weekend, but last weekend I had a two hour soccer game on Monday night to help me.  We played hoops tonight and I'm hoping to play more Frisbee tomorrow night, so I have some hope of being down this week.  But as of this morning its going to take about 6 pounds to get there...

Another picture from Dan F.

Hopefully nobody will be serving these this weekend!

Reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated

I know I don't post as often these days, but it's because I don't want to sound like a broken record.  For six months now I've just maintained my weight.  Sometimes I get discouraged and stop trying for a few days and gain a few pounds.  Then I get annoyed that I wasted all that exercise and work so I lose those same few pounds back.  Like many people, I'm just stuck in a rut.  I'm exercise plenty, I just eat too much.  And besides being swimsuit season, this is also barbeque season.  What's a meat-loving former fat guy to do?? 

It's depressing b/c instead of being excited by the upcoming long weekend, I'm dreading it.  I only lose weight during the week, when I have my regular routine and normal sized meals.  This weekend is full of pitfalls, with poker Friday and cookouts to attend ALL THREE weekend days.  All I'm thinking about is how to get through the weekend without blimping up again.  (And for all of you whose advice is "Just don't eat that much," that's not particularly helpful.  Obviously if I had that level of self control, I would never have been 300 pounds in the first place...)

After last weekend, I was in the low 260's.  (I didn't weigh myself b/c I just knew that I was.  After 6 months of being in the same narrow range, I pretty much know what my weight is without weighing.)  This morning (after soccer Monday, hoops Tuesday and track workout last night) I'm 253.8.  So once again the cycle continues.  My goal this week will be to break that cycle.  I have determined that this will be the week that I remain strong over the weekend and hit a new low next time. 

One last note:  Welcome to new watcher "Katty Z" from the Czech Republic!

What would 50 pounds look like??

From my buddy Dan Flook:

Exerspy

So Peggy lent me her Exerspy device, which is pretty cool.  You wear it all day and it tells you how many calories you burn, how many steps you take, how many hours/minutes of activity you had, etc.  Given my age/height/sedentary job, Peggy determined that I need to burn 3023 calories a day to maintain my weight.  Obviously, that means I need to burn more than that (or eat less than that) to lose weight.  I figured a typical day not exercising would be less, and it turns out it's a lot less.  Something like 2400 calories was all I burned in a non-exercise weekday.  I'm sure a weekend would be more than that b/c I'm not sitting at a desk all day.  On days I exercised, I burned about 3500 calories.  So I guess it reinforces what I knew, but it give me specific numbers to shoot for, i.e. eat 600 few calories on a day I don't get to exercise.

As for today's weigh in, I was up a pound.  Given Caroline's First Communion party Saturday and then Dan's graduation party Saturday night, and given all the extra subs and chips and sodas we got that we didn't need, I guess I'm not too upset with that number.  Therese and I have been playing tennis in the mornings after dropping the kids off at school, so that's been nice.  Exercise that involves games is so much better than that which just involves running.

Time to start weighing in again

I was 254.8 today, my first weigh in in 3 weeks.  While that's up, it's not devastating.  The weather has been very good for outdoor exercising and pool season fast approaches, so those should be motivators.  Therese and I also joined a coed tennis league at our club, so that will be good exercise on Wednesday nights.  Also good for my humility, since I'm terrible at tennis.

Thanks to the readers I have left for your encouragement.  (Peggy, what's the "Exerspy" you mentioned?)

I'm not done

Thank you to Bill for bugging me.  I took a week of b/c of the Hawaii trip, and since I've been back I've just been lazy.  This morning I was 256, which is up 5 from my pre-Hawaii days, but not as bad as I expected.  I'll run tonight and see what tomorrow brings.  Thanks for hanging with me, everyone!

Didn't weigh in this morning

I should have, I know.  And after basketball Tuesday, I was back close to last week's weight.  But my law office meeting yesterday involved 3 dozen donuts for some reason (who buys 36 donuts for a meeting with 20 people??) and I had a couple of them.  Anyway, I leave tomorrow for some exotic destination (I'm sure Therese will be on Facebook within minutes of arrival), so I'm going to enjoy myself for a few days.  (Is poi fattening?)

This weekend did not go as well as last weekend

I'm into my 7th month of doing this now, and I still don't have much restraint.  It's depressing.  I did well not gaining much weight last weekend, but this time I was not so lucky.  It definitely seems like weight is much easier to gain than lose.  I can work hard all week and lose a pound, or let my guard down for a couple days and gain 7 or 8.  To make things worse, I'm now sick also.  Went to bed last night at 9 and didn't get up this morning until 9:30.  Oh well.  Maybe the sickness will take away my appetite or something. 

The hardest pound of my life

I worked out every single day from last weigh in to today (Thursday) and I ate pretty well.  Some days I did double duty, like Wednesday when I ran 3 miles at the track workout and then played an hour of racquetball.  All that and I'm down ... wait for it ... a pound.  Whee!  The 240's that once seemed sooooo close now seem like a long way away.  The 4.8 pounds last week were WAY easier than this 1.2 pounds.  I know, I know, "at least you're still down" or "you're building muscle" or "once you're past this plateau next week will be better."  I sure hope so.  There's no way I can lose 30 more pounds if this is how hard it is to lose 1. 

I'm sure a day at a park sponsored by Hershey is the thing to get me back on track...

Will this be the week?

I was so feeling the 240's this weekend, but I haven't made any progress the last two days, even though I ran both days.  Little mini plateau, maybe?  Basketball is on for tonight, and the track workout is tomorrow, so I have reason to not make it.  Except for all the eating.  But that's what bugs me.  I've actually been eating well, bean soup, chicken breast, salad, egg white omelets, etc.  What more do you want of me, oh gods of thinness?? 

[Answer from thinness gods]  "Lift some weights, girlie man!"

Another decent weekend

This afternoon after running in the a.m. and doing yard work in the afternoon I was 253.2, so only about half a pound up from Thursday's weigh in.  My M.O. for weeks was to gain 7-9 pounds on the weekend and then frantically lose it Monday-Thursday, so this feels weird to me.  But I'm guessing it will work much, much better than the old system.  Which, of course, didn't work at all.  I even took the kids to Nathan's tonight and only got a kiddie sherbet for myself, even though the kids were having hot fudge sundaes.  The next few days all look beautiful for running or cycling or whatever, so I can't afford to waste this weather. 

Have a great week everyone and thanks for all the comments and encouragement!

A good week for once!

I was 252.6 today, a new low.  Given that my unofficial high was 301, that means I'm closing in on 50 pounds.  Which blows my mind since I was looking at myself in the mirror the other day and I'm still really fat.  Someone who can drop 50 pounds and still be fat must have been REALLY fat before.  It's depressing in a way. 

The big difference between this week and most others is that I didn't blimp up over the weekend.  Even with Easter and several parties this weekend I held back as much as possible.  I also was pretty active, with Ultimate Frisbee Saturday morning and then backyard Frisbee later Saturday and Sunday.

Therese left this morning for 4 days in Vegas, so I'm alone with the kids till Sunday.  A lot of mischief can happen in that time, so I hope I stay strong.  I really want to be in the 240's for my trip in two weeks to an undisclosed mystery location, so I do have a goal.  But now that I'm so close it doesn't seem like much of a goal.  230's maybe??

Very Excite

(Did anyone get the Borat reference?  No?)

So I had volunteered to be a backup on Rick's 7 on 7 over-30 soccer team, and our first game was last night.  I'm glad to report that I was in better shape than half the guys on the team, so I spent a good amount of time on the field.  Great workout, even though I was terrified of making an fool of myself.  Will said after the game that "there were some things you could have done better."  Thanks, boy.

Anyway, with some restraint this past weekend (Wow! What a concept!) and yard work yesterday in the heat and soccer, I'm already down below what I was at Thursday's weigh in.  Normally I'm about 10 pounds up on Monday, so that's a huge development for me.  I have high hopes for a new low Thursday.  But then Therese leaves for Vegas Thursday and I'm by myself all weekend without my diet guardian angel, so hopefully things don't go to heck this weekend.