FatBloggers.net A little push to lose the tush.

This week, I declared war on sugars and sweets. If you review my menu, you’ll see that there was a dramatic cut in desserts. I still did natural sweets (fruit, juices), a few snack items, and protein bars, but other than that, you’ll have a difficult time finding the old habit of a dessert at the end of every lunch and dinner.

The reason was mostly for my gout because it is still hanging in there (though doing the best today that it’s been since last Monday). However, I also decided that this would be something I stick with to fight off the gout and to kick start my weight-loss in the right direction.

This is my fifth straight week of losses on the scale and I want to see what I can do to keep up the momentum. Even my “celebration” dinner tonight was a Chick-Fil-A wrap with only part of the dressing, some baked tortilla chips, salsa and water. It’s a celebration because that was actually what I was craving more than sweets. Of course, I had not eaten nearly enough during today because I forgot to bring some fruit for snacking. This will have enhanced my loss somewhat, but I still think most of it was that winning battle against desserts.

I’ve kept up my exercise routine as well. I’ve only missed a couple of sessions due to my gout, but I ended up doing some while working through the pain of that ankle (in fact, sometimes it felt better after the workout than before). Like John quotes from his trainer, pain is weakness leaving the body. I’m here to say goodbye to gout and goodbye to that old me. The new me is here to stay and make me an even healthier man as I get closer to goal.

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 282.4 lb
Current weight: 278.6 lb
Current loss/gain: -3.8 lb
Total loss/gain: -40.4 lb
Distance to 50: 9.6 lb
Distance to WW Goal: 28.6 lb

Cross-posted to WebCudgel.com

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Sometimes, what you eat catches up with you. I went to work yesterday with a twinge of a gout attack; I still managed to get in my workout. Today, I went to work and, after one hour, returned home. The pain was such that I could barely think; I couldn’t concentrate and was just wasting my time there.

This has been one issue I’ve had many times in the past.  I would get a workout routine going and then have a gout attack that would take me out for a week.  Then I’m having to start all over.  Of course, most of the time, that was due to not drinking enough water.  I know now that this is not the case.  I need to eliminate sweets for a while.

What caught up with me started with Friday night’s happy hour (Cinnabon cheesecake), Saturday night’s card game with an elderly friend (Peppridge Farms cookies, banana bread, and other cookies at church), Sunday (sweet cereal and pancakes), and a few servings of soda, resulting in the aforementioned gout attack.  Ironically, today’s meeting was discussing good health habits and one of them was cutting back or eliminating sugars and alcohol. Since those are obviously big contributors to my gout (there are different primary triggers from different sufferers), I made a personal promise to cut back on the processed sugars for the next week. This means I can still have fresh fruit. The only exception will be my protein bars that I sometimes use to replace lunch after a workout.

So today was the first time I missed my workout. My exercise partner took advantage of today’s schedule to go vote at lunch. I guess I’ll be working out the rest of the week (if my gout improves tonight).

I obviously have issues with control on the weekends and I really need to work on that. It is so much easier on weekdays when I have a routine.

Still, in spite of my weekend, I extended my loss streak to four weeks. I can do better and I will.

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 282.8 lb
Current weight: 282.4 lb
Current loss/gain: -0.4 lb
Total loss/gain: -36.6 lb
Distance to 50: 13.4 lb
Distance to WW Goal: 32.4 lb

Cross-posted to WebCudgel.com

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Yeah, my workout buddy warned me about this, but I had hopes otherwise. I only lost 0.2 though I’m sure I lost more than that in weight (fat). However, as I workout with a weight-training regimen in addition to cardio, I’m going to build muscle (which is much denser than fat, thus weighing more than fat for the same physical amount). Of course, a few things I consumed over the weekend didn’t help much either.

As for the workouts, each time I go, I think I come back with a different set of muscles aching or weak (Monday I felt like I was 50 years older barely able to get up from my chair and push open doors). Today was mostly triceps that bothered me. It’s finally working itself out as I sit here to type up this post. I stuck to the schedule of four times a week though my workout buddy skipped out on Thursday last week due to prior lunch plans. The full regimen I completed each day is below after the “read more” link along with my menu for the week.

I know I can do this and I want to defeat this belly. I have so many other indicators that I’m doing well (my pants are no longer tight fitting; I’m wearing smaller sizes including the new XL shorts I bought for my workouts versus my older XXL; my endurance is building for the elliptical and I’m increasing the weights I’m using or doing more reps). With all these indicators, I can’t let myself give in to self-defeating thoughts when the scale says 0.2 pounds lost. I’ll get there… eventually… but I’ll get there.

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 283.0 lb
Current weight: 282.8 lb
Current loss/gain: -0.2 lb
Total loss/gain: -36.2 lb
Distance to 50: 13.8 lb
Distance to WW Goal: 32.8 lb

Cross-posted to WebCudgel.com

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I feel like CRAP!

I haven’t been eating right, I haven’t been blogging, I haven’t been to the gym but once since last Wednesday, but it is still weigh-in day for the warriors. So off I go to the RAC, with a dose of Tylenol Daytime Cough & Cold in my system.

The first thing Mikki says, “Geez John. You look like crap”. Thanks, I feel like I look. I told her that everything in me said to stay home, sit in front of the TV and sniffle. I know that you are thinking the same thing. When you don’t feel like working out, don’t, stay at home and when it passes, then go back to the gym. Wrong! Mikki says that you should do what you can to get your heart rate elevated. Getting that blood pumping actually increases the immune systems of your body. But, before I got by blood pumping… I stepped on the scale.

Anton, A drumroll if you please…

Week 0 - 317.2 lbs.
Week 1 - 312.9 lbs.
Week 2 - 311.7 lbs.
Week 3 - 308.0 lbs.

Total Loss - 9.2 lbs.

Pain is weakness leaving the body.

–Mikki McGirr, Personal Trainer

**Cross-published on I Reject Your Reality & The (Pendleton) East Oregonian

It has been 2.5 months since I was able to say this, GOAL ACHIEVED! I am officially half-way between where I started (392 lbs.) and where I want to be (230 lbs.)!

There is a great website called NaturalPhysiques.com that puts the weight you want to lose, or in my case, have lost, in a bit of perspective.

You entered 81 pounds (37 kilograms).

81 pounds is the average weight of a 11-year old boy. ** My son is 11 years old, but weighs a SOLID, 105 lbs

How Much Fuel Is That?

To lose that amount of fat would mean to burn 283,500 calories! That is the equivalent of 9.13 gallons of gasoline (a $29.13 value at Dave’s Chevron in Pendleton today). Humans, however, are far more efficient than cars, getting about 912 “miles to the gallon”. If you could dump this many calories into the tank of a Honda Civic, you would be able to drive it about 311 miles before running out of gas!

This amount of energy would …

• Brew about 791 pots of coffee, or
• Light a 60-watt light bulb for 5,492 hours ( 229 days = 0.63 years)

Cutting 283,500 calories is the same as saying “no” to:

• 3,544 apples, or
• 2,835 bananas, or
• 16,676 cups of cabbage (ick!), or
• 1,955 baked potatoes, or
• 3,544 large eggs, (1,181 omelettes at Denny’s) or
• 2,363 cups of 2% milk, or
• 204 pounds of ground beef, or
• 3,259 glasses of wine, or
• 878 Snickers bars, or
• 1,181 Clif Bars ( 1,575 Luna Bars), or
• 2,040 cans of Coke, or
• 1,668 pints of Guinness beer, or
• 576 Big Macs, or
• 550 Quarter Pounders with Cheese, or
• 405 Whoppers, or
• 859 Subway 6″ Oven Roasted Chicken Breast sandwiches, or
• 1,668 Taco Bell crunchy tacos, or
• 1,206 slices of pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut

What it Takes to Burn 283,500 Calories

To burn 283,500 calories, a 190 pound male would have to:

• Backpack for 469 hours (20 days) nonstop, or
• Walk for 1,086 hours (45 days) at 3 mph straight, or
• Walk 3,259 miles (2,037 kilometers), or
• Bike for 822 hours (34 days) at 10 mph, or
• Bike 8,217 miles (5,136 kilometers), or
• Play basketball nonstop for 452 hours 19 days), or
• Play billiards for 1,313 hours (55 days), or
• Go bowling for 1,095 hours (46 days), or
• Stay on the golf course for 822 hours (34 days), or
• Spend 365 hours (15 days) playing competitive football, or
• Jump rope for 345 hours (14 days) straight!

You would have to walk the length of England about 5.43 times to burn 283,500 calories.

How Long it Will Take?

The range for safe weight loss is about 1 to 3 pounds of fat per week. It could take anywhere between 27 to 81 weeks (6 to 19 months) to safely and reasonably lose that amount of weight. **It took me 57 weeks…  right in the ballpark.

Without further delay…. Anton, A drumroll if you please…

Starting Weight (Dec. 22, 2006): 392 lbs.
Starting BMI: 51.7
Weight Today (Feb. 19, 2008): 310.6 lbs.
Current BMI: 41.0

Weight Change This Week: -1.2 lbs.
Total Weight Lost: -81.4 lbs.
NEXT GOAL: Less than 40 on the BMI! (8.6 lbs. to go)

Do… or Do Not… there is no TRY. –Master Yoda

Yes! This has been one heck of a week with many struggles, but many positive experiences as well.

Food: I only had one drink that was not on the core plan (a couple of glasses of wine last night). I managed to cut back on sweets and increasing fruit and vegetable intake. I took my lunch three days out of the five. I did not have any food at the movies Saturday night (Fool’s Gold was a fun movie).

Exercise: I did one more day of walking 2.2 miles during lunch on Wednesday. Yesterday and today, I finally got to exercise with my workout buddy, Jason. Both days involved 20 minutes on the elliptical (aka the torture rack for my quadriceps), 20 situps, 15 leg lefts, and then 30 minutes on free weights, machines and bench press (Monday and Wednesday on one group of muscles, a different group on Tuesday and Thursday). My legs and arms were Jello yesterday. Today, they were just plain sore.

I mentioned in my last weigh-in that I would post my menu. I’ll list it below after the “more” link.

Although one weigh-in months ago took me to the 40 pounds lost mark, I consider it a fluke as it dropped back down almost 9 pounds the following week. So, in my books, today’s weight loss of 36 pounds is my personal lowest.

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 285.2 lb
Current weight: 283.0 lb
Current loss/gain: -2.2 lb
Total loss/gain: -36.0 lb
Distance to 50: 14.0 lb
Distance to WW Goal: 33.0 lb

Cross-posted to WebCudgel.com

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214.6! That’s what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of .6

So close once again!!!

I am extremely happy with this small loss. Not so much because the loss is small, but I am under 215 for the first time in well over a decade. And being under 215 means I am no longer OBESE.

I have been saying for the last few months that I need to get to 214 to have a BMI that is considered no longer obese, but technically I just needed to get under 215.

Most of you guys probably know this by heart, but here is the run down for the newbies.

A body mass index of 30 or higher is considered Obese. A BMI between 25 to 29.9 is considered Overweight. I am at 29.9. Just squeaked in under the wire.

So I am excited, but I’m saving the celebration until I get under 214 since that was the original goal.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Tony
2/15: 214.6lbs
NEW GOAL: 214
.6 pounds to go

I think that I would be very happy to have this kind of weigh-in every week of the 12-week Weight Warriors Challenge.

hmmmm… 5 lbs x 12 weeks = 60 lbs!
I could live with that

Looking at my previous numbers, I have to go back to last August to find the last time I had a 5 pound week. This week was filled with a lot of hard work, but seeing the first significantly lower number on the scale in some time, made the pain worth it!

Anton… May I have a drum roll please…

Starting Weight (Dec. 22, 2006): 392 lbs.
Starting BMI: 51.7
Weight Today (Feb. 12, 2008): 311.8 lbs.
Current BMI: 41.1

Weight Change This Week: -4.8 lbs.
Total Weight Lost: -80.2 lbs.
NEXT GOAL: Halfway to GOAL! (0.8 lbs. to go)

Do… or Do Not… there is no TRY. –Master Yoda

Seems I’m finally getting somewhere. Though I have not started the workouts with the workout buddy, I have started pushing myself to exercise anyway. Yesterday and today at lunch, I did a 2.2 mile walk in about 40 minutes. Today’s walk was tougher than Monday’s because I went a different route that turned out to have a larger number of inclines.

Hopefully, tomorrow, I’ll be working out with Jason and exploring new levels of pain. I’m looking forward to it because I could never make myself do it, but to have someone else encouraging me will make it easier. At least I keep telling myself that; I’ll let you know more when I finally experience it.

As for food, I’ve been making myself take my lunch more. I prepared a few meals ahead of time on Sunday so I didn’t have to think about it or rush off without it because I’m late and then buy fast food I don’t need to have.

I’ve also started pushing myself to write down what I eat and plan on posting my meal “plan” next weigh-in. This will have an limiting effect on my choices. After all, if I don’t want you to see something on that meal plan, then I have to decide not to eat it. So I just might skip that donut at work, because I know I’ll have to tell you guys too.

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 287.6 lb
Current weight: 285.2 lb
Current loss/gain: -2.4 lb
Total loss/gain: -33.8 lb
Distance to 50: 16.2 lb
Distance to WW Goal: 35.2 lb

Cross-posted to WebCudgel.com

Recipe of the Week:  Easy Mexican Rice

• 1 can Rotel tomatoes (undrained)
• 1 can corn (undrained)
• 1 can black or kidney beans (undrained)
• 1 cup brown rice
• Season to taste (I used cumin and fajita seasoning)

Pour everything into a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce to low and let simmer covered for about 10 minutes or until rice is done.  Makes 4-6 servings.  If you are on Weight-Watchers, the recipe is core for those on the core plan.

215.2!!!! That’s what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 1.6!!!!

And, a new low for me!

Finally I have dropped below my pre-holiday low of 216.2.!!! As you can probably tell from the exclamation points I am ecstatic. It took seven weeks, but I am finally back on track!

I wish I had more time to revel but I am swamped today. So one more quick pat on the back…(pat, pat)…and we’ll move on.

The goal this weekend is to eat sensible and get a workout in with my Dad. Hopefully I can avoid starting Monday with a big gain. If I can manage that, I think I have a good chance of hitting my 214 goal next Friday. Which would move me out of the severely overweight classification.

Obesity I’m coming for you!!!

Tony
2/08: 215.2lbs
NEW GOAL: 214
1.2 pounds to go.