Hey, Weight A Sec!

I Have Been Weighed, Measured, and Found Wanting

2012-01-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

My new scale has arrived! I have my starting weight: 236.2.

My Body Mass Index (BMI) is 31.2, which puts me in the obese category. BMI has its problems, but it is a good rough estimate.

I want to get my BMI into the normal range (around 24ish). But I'm flexible about how to reach this goal. The most obvious means for lowering my BMI into the normal range is to lose weight. Losing 56 pounds would get me there (I would weigh 180).

But I'm a flexible sort of fellow. Perhaps I am overweight. Or maybe I am just under-tall. I am totally open to growing a little taller, as my weight would be more appropriate on a taller body. Given my current weight, I will need to grow to 6' 10" to fall within the "normal" BMI range. That's 9 inches taller.

... Anyone know how to safely and painlessly grow 9 inches? Lemme know...

No Baseline Weigh-In... Yet

2012-01-16T16:02:00.002-07:00

Our bathroom scale has vanished. It's possible that it suffered an untimely death after someone killed the "messenger."

Or it may have just flaked out. I was having some issues with it before I stopped weighing myself.

But, I have another one on order from Amazon that should be in by tomorrow, so after many months of scale avoidance, I will finally know what I weigh. For better or for worse, I suppose that even discouraging knowledge is power.

In the meantime, I also now have some refillable water bottles, and that will help me keep hydrated with water, lest I reach for my more preferred and less healthy drink, Coke!

Fast Food is King - All Hail the Conquering Menu

2012-01-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

Our family has been eating a lot of fast food, especially after the kids went back to school in the fall. All the kids' activities mean that something is going on almost every evening. It is so seductive (not to mention quick!) to hit the drive through, order off of the value menu, and viola, instant dinner, at an affordable price! And, there's no dishes to clean. No prowling through the refrigerator or pantry looking for something to eat. No need for frequent trips to the grocery store. Why, we have a McDonald's just up the street from us, so it's just a quick drive for a quickie meal at a reasonable price.

In Our House, McDonald's is King

How often do we go to the local McDonald's? I keep track of the places I go using Foursquare. The person that goes to a venue the most is the 'mayor' of that venue. Any thoughts on who that might be? Anyone? Okay, yes, just call me "Your Honor.". 13 check ins in the last 60 days! And, my wife is probably there more often than me, since she will bring food on her way home.

No, I don't have any shares in McDonald's. I can't help that Every Bite is Pure Joy. It says so right on the bag!

There are undeniable advantages of fast food. Quick, convenient, and relatively inexpensive. What's not to like?

Actually, I'll let Admiral Ackbar tell you:

It's a trap!

I guess it's just human nature that bad habits tend to take hold more quickly and insidiously than healthy habits. When January came, my wife declared that we would be doing no more fast food. I was hooked on fast food, but I didn't fret. Sure enough, half way into the month, and that bad habit is coming back around for a return engagement, just as powerful as before.

You will end up doing what you reinforce. For my family, fast food has become the norm. It is a challenge breaking that cycle. But perseverance is the key. And now that I'm back on board on healthier eating, we will present a more united front against the convenience of unhealthy meals from a paper bag.

A Plea to Fitness Bloggers

2012-01-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

So yes, it had been a year and a half since I posted. And I assumed that I wasn't the only one that might have taken some time off to ~~recharge his batteries~~ completely abandon everything he had been working for to go crazy, gain weight, and lose fitness. So, I wasn't surprised when I saw that some of the fitness/weight loss blogs I had been following hadn't been updated for a while.

What was a little discouraging was the number of blogs that had been deleted outright. Why does it matter? Because those blogs I was following (and others like them) contained insights that may help others struggling with the same problems, and fighting to achieve similar goals.

It's one thing if the blog is costing you money, but if you are using a free blogging service, why not leave the blog? Perhaps you have decided that you're done with it forever. But then again, you might change your mind down the road. And who knows? Your words might help motivate someone else.

But that will only happen if you leave your words for others to enjoy. Even if you are "done" with your fitness blog, please consider leaving it intact. And if you want to be really nice, some sort of goodbye or status message is helpful, as well.

Thank you for your consideration.

I've Been a Bad, Bad Boy

2012-01-08T12:28:00.002-07:00

So, my last post was in April 2010. The optimist might interpret that I quit posting because I made my goal weight, am eating and exercising as I should.

But the realists would win the day: I haven't just fallen off the wagon. I fell off the wagon. Then it backed over me. And ran over me again.

How bad has my avoidance of of All Things Healthy and Right been? I can't remember when I was last on a scale. Even now, I don't know how much I weigh. But I'm going to put that on my "to do" list.

Some basic facts:

I am much more likely to watch what I eat (and more importantly, how much I eat) if I track what I'm eating.
I am much more likely to keep exercising if I exercise regularly, track my progress, and it becomes a habit.
I am much more likely to stay motivated if I track my weight, and can see improvement.
I am much more likely to keep the above in mind if I post my progress and interact with those that will help me stay focused, both online and in life.

Finally, I would like to apologize to those that have left me comments asking if I'm still alive and well. I'm alive, and have not fallen into a well, despite appearances. I had comment moderation set for comments left on posts more than 30 days old... but I didn't have notifications set to tell me about them. I think I stumbled across them well after the above mentioned wagon had run me over. Please forgive the silence.

Inquiring Minds Wanna Know!

2010-04-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

Another Phoenix Suns game was on last night. I skipped the push-ups I had planned, however, since my triceps are still quite sore. Body-For-Life emphasized that you should not work out muscles that are still sore from the previous workout, even if it means you have to skip a day. Paraphrasing what I remember from the book, your body is already trying to rebuild the muscles damaged during the previous workout, and damaging those muscles again short circuits the healing process, and actually slows the muscle building process.

And then there's CrossFit. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law were doing it, and invited me. You are supposed to work out every day, and you may work the same set of muscles two days in a row, sore or not.

So, which concept is "better" in reality? It seems like one would work better than the other, but I don't know enough about muscles and weight training to know.

Does anyone else out there know, or have any good guesses? What has worked out better for you?

And next time, if I can't do push-ups, I'll do sit-ups, or some other muscle building exercise. I gave up too easily last night.

Every Day!

2010-04-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

I'm a WALKER!

I've been putting effort into daily exercise. I'd like to see how long I can keep going. I played racquetball on Sunday evening. Evidently, even regular walks improves my cardio fitness enough that I was able to run around the court without being totally winded and wiped out. That said, there wasn't a ton of running; my friend and I have cancelled our standing racquetball appointment for several weeks now. Frankly, it was a victory just making it to the court. The fun and exercise was something of a bonus.

I walked and ran for almost 3 1/2 miles on Monday, at a pace of 4.3 miles per hour. My middle son has joined me on most of my walks (he rides his scooter), and it's been enjoyable. He is really excited about it, too. He keeps asking if I'm going for a walk soon. That might help provide that extra push to get out there. For this walk, my oldest boy came with us, too. He evidently doesn't like my walks as much as his brother, and I doubt he'll come with me in the future. I did throw in some running during this little stroll, just because I like being out of breath, I suppose.

I had to watch the Phoenix Suns basketball game last night, which is obviously a higher priority than walking. But I wasn't as lazy as it might sound. I did 3 sets of push-ups during commercial breaks. I went almost to exhaustion on the first set, and slightly less so for the other two. I wanted to have use of my arms this morning. If I went all out, after not having done them for a while, I doubt I could move my arms the next day. I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but my arms this morning.... they weren't working right. My brain would tell them to do something, and they would kind of do it, but not move quite right. It's a little disconcerting. It took me a moment to remember that it was the push-ups. My triceps are complaining this evening, but complaining in a good way, not in a PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE MAKE IT STOP sort of way. So, it's good.

I did walk yesterday, but I did it in the morning. I had to work late last night, so I walked before work. It was a 2 mile walk, at a 4.4 mile per hour average pace. There was some running thrown in there, too.

And then there was tonight. When I got home, my wife was outside. It was a cool, breezy day today. There aren't going to be many more of those here in Phoenix. I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk with me. She declined. What I failed to take into account was that my younger two children were right there, and they were very enthusiastic about going on a walk with us. So, I went with my two younger children. At first, I thought I'd have to walk really slow, but it was okay. We managed close two miles at a 3.5 mile per hour average pace.

My walking streak may be in jeopardy tomorrow. There's a Suns game tomorrow night. Maybe if I get home early enough, and it's not too hot, I'll walk before the game.... decisions, decisions.

Ramblin' Man

2010-04-20T09:56:00.002-07:00

Another Rambler

I am having more trouble than usual figuring out what to say this evening. This writing thing doesn't come naturally to me, and I am humbled by those that are able to write humorous or insightful posts, day in and day out. I don't know how they do it.

When I re-engaged into getting more fit, I decided I was going to try to find some sort of picture that relates in some way to what I'm writing, if only tangentially. I took this picture myself, and I'm rather proud of it, for some reason. It look longer than you might think to actually get photos that showed both sides of that same coin! I was up way past bedtime. I know the photos aren't a big deal, but it's an opportunity to be creative.

Thanks for reading, and commenting. It's nice to know who is out there, and some of the feedback gets me to thinking... not always deep thoughts, but thoughts, nonetheless.

Helen got me to thinking about the .2 on digital scales. I get caught up on the technicality of gaining 0.2 pounds. 0.2 pounds is 3.2 ounces. It is really useful to know that I gained 3.2 ounces? Perhaps .2 too precise to be useful... besides as a motivational tool, of course!

Kyle has also given me some things to think about. Quoting parts of the two comments:

When I was losing the bulk of my weight, I didn't step foot into a restaurant without prior researching the calorie content of theirs or similar offerings and already knew what I'd eat.

[...]

Didn't want all that to sound too harsh Paul, but family events didn't stop me from being absolutely strict with my intake and maintaining my progress...you shouldn't as well. Tough love!

[...]

... since it isn't a race, you can decide what kinds of habits can be ingrained into your lifestyle over what length of time. Of course, that means that you need to stay motivated by other means besides scale victories.

It didn't sound too harsh, and I'm not going to get my feelings hurt. Back in January 2007, my employer sponsored Body for Life. I was fully engaged with that program for a time, and adhered to it strictly. I lasted 9 weeks. There were several factors that contributed to my fall. There were the 4:30am workouts, because that seemed to be the only time I could find to consistently do them. I remember going to dinner with the extended family to a place that was rumored to have the best burgers. I say "rumored" because I went with something healthy. My mother-in-law tried to talk me into relaxing for the night and getting a burger, but I refused. I should have felt good about that decision, happy that I had the willpower to make the "right" choice. Instead, I felt food remorse... for the food I denied myself. While my wife tried to be supportive, she asked me more than once when this whole Body for Life thing ended. I was asking for whole grain foods, lean meat, and other food that wasn't part of our normal shopping trip and menu. It was a 16 week program, but the underlying idea is that you would keep with the program the rest of your life. It was apparent that this sort of program was not going to work for me.

Instead, I compromise. Progress isn't as great as it would be if I followed a strict meal and exercise plan, but I weather the storms a little better. I'm looking for a habit that I could continue indefinitely. If I lose an average of 2 pounds a week, I'm pretty happy. Later on, I'll be doing well to lose 1 pound a week.

The comments hit on something else that I've been thinking about: motivation. As Kyle said, motivation must come from sources other than scale victories. This is true for everyone. The scale is finite. You eventually reach goal weight (barring distraction). Then what?

I've been within 20 pounds of goal twice. There were many contributing factors to why I lost my way, but scale motivation was one of them. The first 20 pounds is easier to lose than the last 20 (once you get started). The calories you can have and still lose weight shrink. You've gained some level of fitness, and subsequent fitness gains become more difficult. When I hit 200 pounds each time, I hit a weight plateau, and got stuck. I did all the "right" things, yet I'd bounce around on both sides of 200. Ultimately, the last 20 pounds was more stubborn than I was.

I'm looking for a re-match.

But finding the will and motivation, especially later on, will be the battle, and the war.

The Week In Review

2010-04-19T06:00:00.043-07:00

There are weeks when you work hard, give every effort, do every bloomin' thing right, and still gain weight.

This was not one of those weeks. In fact, I feel fortunate, like I got away with something. Despite that feeling, I know I haven't really gotten away with anything.

From an exercise standpoint, I came unhinged. I put in one good walk earlier in the week, and I played racquetball last night. That not good enough. I'll need to redouble my efforts next week.

I did okay with my meals until Saturday, when I had a couple of calorie-rich meals. I expected the scale to punish me on Sunday morning. Instead, I gained just 0.2 pounds between Saturday and Sunday mornings. That suggests to me that I was on my way to a loss prior to those "calorie-fest" meals.

I got myself righted again with eating on Sunday. My ability to get myself back on track is key. Not every day or every meal will be a good one. The bad meal days can disrupt my momentum and could mess with my motivation, so I need to be wary.

My end of week (averaged) weight was 231.8 pounds, down 4.0 pounds from the previous week. Woo hoo! I have lost 8.2 pounds in the last 4 weeks.

My end of week (averaged) body fat percentage was 30.3%, down 0.7% from the previous week. That's great! It would have probably been even more impressive had I exercised as planned, but I digress. I have lost 1.8% body fat in the last 4 weeks.

I need to do at least 3 cardio workouts next week. I'll also do push-ups two days this week.

Guess the Calories!

2010-04-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

I've been away from home pretty much all day today. My aunt was in town, so the family went to lunch at Carlos O'Brien's, a Mexican food restaurant. I ordered this:

Shredded Beef Enchilada with Sour Cream, Rice, and Refried Beans with Cheese, from Carlos O'Brien's

I ate most of it. The question is, about how many calories is this? Guesses at the table ranged from 800 to 3000.

The family took my mother-in-law out to dinner this evening, as well. We went to Buca di Beppo. We ordered three large entrees and shared amongst us. I wasn't really hungry from my big lunch, so I got a slice of pepperoni pizza and a slice of lasagna:

Pepperoni Pizza & Lasagna from Buca di Beppo

I had taken a couple of bites of the lasagna before I remembered to take a picture of it. It sorta looks like the piece was much larger, but no... it had fallen over. How many calories was this?

Called Out

2010-04-17T11:41:00.001-07:00

Ron called me out this morning. In my previous post, I said that I would exercise the next day. That was yesterday. Ron wanted an update on how that went.

It didn't precisely go as I had intended.

The day started out well enough. When I got up, my back was feeling better , and I had some energy. I went to my doctor appointment (sore throat, darn it), then I came home and swept out the garage and sprayed the weeds. While I sprayed the weeds, I reflected on the positive affirmations I made. I said that I would wake up with energy. Check! The pain will be gone. Check! And I will exercise. Soon! (I went to bed last night with the thoughts of a well-filled checking account, a painted house, and world peace. Alas, it didn't work out quite the same)

After I paid the bills, we did our weekly grocery trip. And then, we went shopping for camping gear, for we plan on camping soon. Our last camping trip 4 years ago didn't go so great, and it took this long for camping to sound like a good idea again.

[camping digression]
My family went camping with the cub scouts about 4 years ago. We borrowed a tent from my brother-in-law. Another family had sleeping bags we could borrow. Away we went!

We had fun during the day. The night was another matter. It went and got very cold. The thing was, we didn't have much to insulate us from the cold of the earth. I had forgotten how much heat the cold ground can leach from one's body, and we all froze... well, all of us except my baby girl. She was comfortable in a well-blanketed bayonet that was up off the ground.

Time moves veeeeeeerrrrrry slooooooowly when you're laying frozen on the ground, unable to sleep. But then it got more exciting! Yay for excitement! One of our kids had an accident, soaking the sleeping bag, and I think even the neighboring bag. I have repressed some of the details of that awful night, but I ended up putting on extra layers of clothes and giving up my sleeping bag. I think I huddled under a blanket, but I can't quite remember. At some point during all this, another kid needed to go to the bathroom. We were none too warm in the sleeping bags, never mind out of them. But there you have it. Camping just hasn't sounded very appealing since then. Until now. Fools!
[/camping digression]

After we bought some camping gear, we got it all sorted out and into containers. We tried out our new folding chairs. Then we decided to try setting up our tent. We bought it years ago after our previous camping debacle, and it had never been out of the box.

We let the kids play in the tent a little while, and then took it down and packed it back up. It was evening by this point.

And then, yeah, I sat down with the wife and we watched TV. I feel bad for not exercising last night.

My hammies are a little sore today from the bending yesterday. I don't count that as a sufficient workout.

Today is going to be a challenging food day. After my son's basketball game (we leave in 8 minutes), we're eating lunch out. My great aunt is in town for a few days. Another dinner out is happening tonight for my mother-in-law's birthday. I'm going to try to get out tonight and exercise, depending on how late it is when we get home. It's been way too long since my last real exercise, and yes, too many excuses.

Sore

2010-04-15T21:54:00.002-07:00

I'm Sore-ing

I joked that I might be sore today from jumping off the sofa so often while watching the basketball game last night. I did manage to hurt myself, but not because of last night's game. No, I hurt myself at work. A muscle in my back in the shoulder blade area towards the spine is annoyed with me, and it is somewhat uncomfortable when I sit or lay down. It gets really aggravated when I move around.

How I injured myself is the saddest part of all this. I'd like to tell you that it happened because I pushed myself too hard while exercising... but all I did was twist my head around to look around me, and felt an unhappy twinge.

Despite my lame injury (ha! lame injury! I crack myself up), I'm in good spirits, and really wanted to get out tonight and exercise. I'm not going to risk aggravating the cranky muscle this evening, however. Hopefully after a good night's sleep, my body will forgive me for looking back behind me this afternoon.

What a goofy way to hurt oneself.

Tomorrow, I'm going to wake up with energy. The pain will be gone. And I will exercise.

Unconventional Workout

2010-04-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not walking, swimming, running, hiking, fencing, juggling, or riding a unicycle. I'm watching the Suns-Jazz basketball game. But that's not to say I'm not exercising. I'm jumping up off the sofa with regularity. That counts, right? Whew! I'm going to be sore tomorrow!

I Am Seriously Bummed

2010-04-13T21:41:00.001-07:00

I'm a Phoenix Suns basketball fan. There's an important game on tonight, but since I worked late this evening, I would not be able to see the whole game and take a walk.

But you know what? I did it anyway. I took that walk. I was out and about for about 50 minutes. I pushed myself. I ran for a stretch of it. I was tired, but satisfied. I was really looking forward to actually seeing my progress... excited, even.

But it was not to be. Inexplicably, the phone only recorded the first little part of my workout -- Only the first two minutes, in fact.

I realize this may not seem like a big deal. Logically, I know that the point of the exercise is to improve my fitness. What my phone says really isn't important.

While I know all this, I still feel the loss. The instant gratification part of me likes to see results. Part of my motivation is tied to the numbers. Did I exercise longer? Did I go faster? How fast am I moving? How many calories was that, anyway?

I suppose I'll just have to be satisfied with putting in a good effort... but I guess the good effort is the truly important part.

Another Week, Another (Small) Loss

2010-04-12T22:50:00.000-07:00

I seem to be running perpetually behind these past few days, in part because my dear wife was out of town this weekend. So, it was just me and the kids. Not a big deal, really... not like it was when they were younger, and I would end up frazzled in no time at all. These days, I can go up to a whole hour at a time, frazzle-free!

I walked four days in a row last week, which was probably the difference between a small weight loss and a gain. I have walking on my calendar for every day now. So that's good. Now I just have to not ignore the calendar reminders, like I did this evening.

This past week, I averaged 235.8. I averaged 236.6 in the previous week. So, I lost almost a pound. ALIAGS: Any Loss Is A Good Loss. In 3 weeks, I've lost a little over 4 pounds.

Body fat percentage was a little better. I was at 31.3% for the previous week. Last week's average was 31.0%, for a loss of 0.3%. It may not sound like much, but I'm pretty happy. Body fat percentage tends to go down very slowly. Again, I have to give credit to the end of week walking I did. My body has been complaining about it, but it has been on vacation too long. Break time's over!

Coastin'

2010-04-06T22:07:00.000-07:00

I admit, I've been coasting these past few days. I have not gotten off the couch and exercised in several days, and my motivation has been waning a bit. I believe the two are related. The more I exercise, the more I want to exercise, and the less I exercise.... well, you get the idea.

I haven't been doing so great from a food standpoint, either. It haven't exactly been horrible... but I have been going through the motions. I keep forgetting to drink water. I've heard that sometimes the body will signal hunger when you really just need water. I believe it. I've been craving soda more lately.

I'm going to walk tomorrow. There. I scheduled it. It's going to happen!

I'm going to drink at least 6 cups of water, too. No, make that 8. I can do 8.

I feel better already.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T09:22:00.000-07:00

Me Watching My Favorite TV Show
(photo by
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jon_gilbert/)

Happy Easter!

Today's my weigh-in day, and the results are good, overall. For my weekly weigh-in and body fat percentage for the week, I take an average of today and the previous 6 days, so it's a seven day average. Since my weight and especially body fat percentage readings can bounce around from day to day, the average gives me a better picture of whether I'm headed in the right direction.

My weight (average) for this week is 236.6 pounds. Last week's average was 238.0, for a loss of 1.4 pounds. I subscribe to the notion that any loss is a good loss, so I'm pretty happy. On the other hand, my past two weigh-ins (today and yesterday) were gains (and above the average), and that is a bit of a disappointment.

My body fat percentage (average) for this week is 31.3%. This is a loss of 0.1% over last week's 31.4% average.

I need to get out and exercise more. I only walked once this week. That's not going to get the job done.

Tammy of From Fat to Fab has started a challenge for the month of April for all participants to lose 10 pounds. This is going to be quite the challenge, but I'm going to give it a shot.

A Long Walk

2010-04-01T19:08:00.002-07:00

A Long Wok

Yesterday was a good day. Thanks to César Chávez, I had the day off. I was feeling lazy, so it took me a long while to get out of the house. Once I did, though, I walked for nearly an hour, walking for nearly 4 miles. One of these days, I'll be running again, but for now, I'm keeping the ol' heart rate up just by walking (quickly). It was a beautiful, somewhat windy day. The stiff breeze kept the bugs from getting too obnoxious. I was pleased that my legs and feet weren't all tingly after my walk, like they were a few days ago. The only downside was a seriously unhappy left foot. It hurt while I was walking, but it got ten times worse when I took my shoe off. It felt kind of like the bottom of my foot cramping up, only with sharper pain. I'm limping around a bit today, but I think I'll live.

I avoided temptation today, in the form of calorie-rich, individually wrapped brownies. One of my co-workers gets the assist, though. Someone read the number of calories per serving: two hundred and something. Annnnd, a "serving" was half a brownie. What's up with that?! Who eats a half a brownie? The answer: No one eats a half a brownie, but 200 calories looks a lot better on the label than 400 calories. I just get a little annoyed by the deceptive labeling. Half a brownie, indeed!

It Didn't Happen

2010-03-31T11:59:00.000-07:00

We had a celebration breakfast yesterday for several people that were retiring from our division, including my boss, who retired after 20 years of service. There was quite a lot of food: a pile of bacon, 3 different kinds of sausage, lots of egg dishes, and a variety of desserts. I have a weakness for bacon, and I just had to try all 3 varieties of sausage. Some of the egg variants hit my plate, and some sort of bread and a tasty cake. Looking down at my two plates of food, I thought, "whoa, I wonder how many calories this is??" And I realized I had no clue. So, I went into problem solving mode. I reasoned since I had no idea how to account for breakfast, I just wouldn't account for it! Comforted by my own brilliance, I went to the vending machine and got a soda. Since I already didn't record my huge breakfast, I didn't record the soda, either. After all, I'd already screwed up. Lunch came and went, and I wasn't hungry, so I didn't eat. I worked until 7pm last night, and my wife was on a photo shoot, so she stopped by for food from the Clown. I had a 10 piece order of chicken nuggets and another soda. Nope, no record of it!

So, it didn't happen. None of it.

Right?

The Wake-Up Call...s

2010-03-27T12:33:00.002-07:00

I didn't get a "wake up" call that motivated me to get back on track for improved fitness. I received several calls. I tried to ignore each as they came in, but the more I got, the more difficult they were to ignore. And I put a great deal of effort into ignoring them.

Some of the highlights (lowlights?):

Feeling "run down" and "blah" nearly all the time.
Increased number of NPN (nudges per night) for disturbing my poor wife with my increasingly loud snoring.
Waking up achy more frequently in the middle of the night because I laid in one position too long.
Size 38 jeans. I've been in size 36 jeans for several years now. Last year, I was almost into 34s. Never have I been up to 38s... until earlier this month. I put them on for the first time, expecting (okay, hoping) that they'd be loose. But no, they fit comfortably.
A pair of shorts that have always been too big for me now fit.
I can no longer button the top button on even my largest button-up (collared) shirts, a first. The shirts already looked a little ridiculous on me when I bought them, since in order to get a shirt with a collar that fit, the body of the shirt was big on me. Now the shirt still too big for my body and and collar doesn't fit. Boo!
Frequently sore feet. It doesn't take much. Standing more than a few minutes will do it.
Marked decrease in the number of push-ups I can do.
Decreased flexibility.
Walking up a flight of stairs at work leaves me winded.
Running a short distance to catch a bus left me completely out of breath, and left me sore for 3 days afterward.
I started realizing the number of trips I was making to the vending machine to buy another can of calories (soda).
My wallet started realizing the number of trips I was making to the vending machine to buy another can of calories.
Being 3 pounds away from my all-time high weight.
Math! 240 pounds now minus 199 pounds (last year) is a gain of 41 pounds.

I really should answer my calls more promptly!

The Danger of the Big Meal

2010-03-26T16:00:00.005-07:00

Conventional wisdom is that it is best to eat several smaller meals a day. Yesterday's experience emphasized that there might be something to that wisdom.

I only managed to eat a couple of slices of raisin bread in the morning. Then I got busy running errands with the family, and managed to completely miss lunch. By the time we had a chance to stop for food, it was early evening. We were all starving. So, we went to Costco, and I went to town:

One and a half pieces of Costco combo pizza. If you aren't familiar with Costco pizza slices, they are large -- So, one plate of this pizza plus half of my youngest son's pizza.
64 ounces of soda (almost half of a 44 ounce soda that I topped off before I left).
A quarter of a hot dog.

When all was said and done, dinner was almost 2100 calories, all by itself -- within my target calorie range for the day.

But that's not all! Later in the evening, my wife brought me a McDonald's apple pie, and another 32 ounce soda. I guess the memory of being hungry was still with me. I gobbled down the apple pie and drank the soda. I showed a teeny bit of restraint. I was really wanting to graze for more food, or the calorie hit would have been even worse.

My grand total calorie count for the day: A mere 3,000! Woof!

Two Sides of the Same Coin

2010-03-25T10:12:00.002-07:00

It's two sides of the same coin: When I am engaged in a fitness plan, and it is a part of my life and routine, it is difficult to imagine a time when I wouldn't be exercising and taking notice of what I eat. I distinctly remember thinking that becoming more fit wasn't really all that difficult. I would run, and the more I ran, the easier it became. I drank more water and less soda, and that became easier too. As my fitness improved, my energy level increased, and life seemed a little less "foggy." I found myself thinking that nothing could stop me, and couldn't imagine a time when I would again slide into my old bad habits, where lethargy would snare me in its uncaring grasp.

And then it happened. One day, I didn't feel like exercising. One day turned into another. I was still feeling good, and the weight was staying off. Kinda nice, not having to work at keeping the weight off. Bonus!

But then, as more time passed, the weight crept up, my energy level dropped, and my desire to exercise dropped off precipitously. I got to the point where I didn't feel like getting back in shape. Worse, I didn't care so much that I was gaining weight, or that I'd get winded just thinking about climbing stairs. I mean, why bother with any of it?

So, this feels rather familiar. I feel somewhat motivated, but not gung-ho about getting more fit.

I'm looking forward to reaching the top of this vicious cycle... and staying there.

The Self-Destruct

2010-03-23T19:58:00.003-07:00

A little over a year ago, I weighed 199 pounds and was in reasonably good shape. Due to a number of reasons, I quit exercising, and I quit recording my weight. I would step on the scale every morning while getting ready for work & would notice the number going up, but I could not find the will to do anything about it. My last recorded weight prior to today was on March 10... 2009.

Fast forward one year. I weigh 240 pounds, and my overall fitness would charitably be described as 'un-'. From a logical point of view, it makes no sense. I have a family history of diabetes, yet I drink soda like it's going out of style (up to several a day). I like food. When it tastes good, I want more of it. Logically, I know my portion sizes are way too large, and that of course I'll gain weight if I eat all that food.

If only fitness and weight loss were a purely logical matter.

It's time to regroup. To that end, I'm starting out small. I've started two things right away. First, no more than two sodas a day. Second, I'm going to track what I eat, which will keep me more honest on portioning.

And away we go.

Oh, How Time Flies

2009-12-15T18:40:00.002-07:00

I can't believe so much time has passed since my last post. Silence for me is usually not a good sign, and this silence is true to form. I started off re-focused on what I was eating. Thanksgiving came. I didn't lose weight, but I didn't gain any, either. Not too shabby!

But then I sort of got... hmm, distracted. So much for a sustained effort!

In any event, thanks, Linda, for nudging me awake, as well as the kind words. I was not deliberately taking a break, it just sort of worked out that way.

Today was a good day. I ate well, only had one (!) soda, and drank plenty of water. A string of good days begin with a single good day. Tomorrow will make two in a row!

I still need to establish an exercise routine. I did pull out the ol' Wii Fit a few days ago. It made fun of me.

Aaaaand finally, I starting playing around with the 'Calorie Counter' application on my phone last night. It may be useful.

I hope things are going well for everyone. I'll try to stay in touch!! :-)

Not According To Plan

2009-11-16T21:36:00.004-07:00

I did not keep specific track of what I ate this weekend. Nonetheless, I didn't go crazy, so while I didn't do myself any favors, I don't think I messed myself up, either.

I came into today with the idea of getting back on track. Instead, my wife stopped by work with my daughter. It made my day. We went out to lunch, and had a really good time. Alas, I didn't give a thought to portioning. I've been well fed today!

One silver lining is that I've cut my soda intake back from where it was last week, and drink more water during the day.

Also, it's pretty nifty that after all this time, a couple of people still stop by. Thanks, Ron, Andrew! And yes, indeed, it takes consistent effort to get into a good routine, but it only takes a few days to fall back into my old ways.

I'm off work for the next couple of days. Being around home traditionally makes things a bit more difficult (I totally wanna graze when I'm home). We'll see how it goes.