Losing Weight Day By Day - Blog http://www.losingweightdaily.com/?is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std The ongoing saga of one man's battle of the bulge(s). The struggle, pain, and successes of losing 100+ pounds. en-us Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:35:00 PDT Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:35:00 PDT me@losingweightdaily.com me@losingweightdaily.com More Tyler http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=104&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std Seriously, this guy's arm strength is unnatural. He's like an acrobat on that bar! Incredible

]]> Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:35:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=104&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std strength training Losing Weight Daily - Year 2, Week 8 http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=103&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
I've been consistently hitting the gym for 8 days straight. And hitting it hard, too. I pushed through a pretty rough workout Monday and took yesterday off from strength training, focusing instead on a lot of cardio. I'm slowly building up the discipline necessary to maintain weight loss and a fit lifestyle for the long haul.

Food has been a different issue. I've spent a lot of time evaluating how I approach food. I've seen some positive changes - like practicing delayed gratification rather than indulging in whatever craving I have, and eating only until I'm full - but I still struggle with grazing and eating too late at night.

Stress is a pretty big factor this week. There are a ton of little projects going on at work as well as generally large and ill-defined changes at the job too. My overall anxiety level is up. Stress and weight loss go funny together. I notice that on my toughest days I have no appetite and push on through the day, barely noticing my lack of eating. But when that happens too long - it becomes super easy for me to start binging on whatever I can find as soon as I get home. I need to stock my desk with healthy snacks so I can at least eat something to keep my metabolism going. But on the other hand, at least I avoided the vending machine successfully today.

So that's that. Here we are 8 weeks in - pushing through the longest single stretch of fit living during this whole journey. I'm a little concerned about getting stuck on a plateau, but I'll do my best to be real careful about my eating this week to lose the 2 pounds I need to lose this week to stay on track for my next benchmark, 290 by Sept 30.
]]> Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:15:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=103&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std stress progress Incredible Feats of Strength! http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=102&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std


He's got his own website now - if you have some time check out his other videos that detail his work out routine and more.
]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:18:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=102&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std motivation inspiration strength training Losing Weight Daily - Year 2, Week 7 http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=101&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
So I ate steak, but also filled up on veggies and hummus. I stayed hydrated as best I could and avoided drinking too much alcohol. I missed the gym but took a long walk up and down the boardwalk with my partner. I had ice cream, but just one scoop.

And it was back to the gym on Tuesday.  Even though I was only out of my routine for a couple days (and did get in a Saturday workout), I still found it tough to get back in the swing of things. It's possible, too, that I'm just getting used to it and after a break, it doesn't feel as tough as it once did. Though tonight the gym was crowded, and that always leaves me a little intimidated and unmotivated.

I've pushed back my weekly weigh-in to allow for a little time to recover from a high calorie weekend. That said, it's just the beginning of September and as of last week I was well on my way towards my monthly milestone of 290 by Sept 30. Hopefully I haven't undermined my progress too much, but then I tend to correctfor such things quickly enough if I stay focused. On to the Fall!

]]> Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:16:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=101&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std People Start To Notice http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=100&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std We played golf today. We try and whack at some balls every so often during the spring, summer, and into the fall. My dad's birthday was yesterday (and I ate waaaayy too much) so my partner and I went out to his place in New Jersey and played a round of golf this morning.

It was a nice day for golf. A little humid, perhaps, especially considering I was not playing my best and ended up all over the course. I also found myself running up and down hills a lot today - this course being on a "mountain" - chasing the little white monster that would not just go in the hole. So there I was, running around up over down around and all the way around again the courses, realizing that this was both a great workout, and my pants were falling down. So today for the first time I had to pull my belt tighter and latch it into the fourth hole! It's getting to the point where i may need new pants because there's more cloth than there is belt.

But all the golfing aside, I started to step ever so lightly into that stage where people start to notice a change. I remember a few years ago when I was attempting a weight loss program and had started going to the gym, I had lost maybe seven pounds and this kind old lady I worked with asked if I was losing weight, because I looked like it. That made my day that I had hardly begun but she took the time to notice and say something. ]

This past week, a somewhat-surly but kind-on-the-inside old New York executive assistant asked how I was (we don't run into each other that often) and said I was looking good. My dad and his girlfriend said the same thing this weekend.

It's nice when people notice and say so. I have a friend who has long struggled with her weight and says she hates it when people say they notice when she loses weight. I can understand that - a big part of me (well, what isn't a big part of me ...) would love to just crawl up in a cave somewhere, lose weight, and come back out again. Because to be losing weight and have people notice and say something just calls attention back to the weight again - back to how much you have to go, and how hard the failure will be if you don't make it.

But then on the other hand, this is hard work, and it should be acknowledged and encouraged. It ups the stakes when people notice - it makes it real, because if I fail, they'll notice that too. If I make it, it will show them that I have it in me to accomplish even my life's greatest goal. It's like a commitment device. So I'm happy to have people notice the little changes - and I'll let you know as anyone says so.]]> Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:15:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=100&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std eating out encouragement commitment devices sports Well, There We Go! http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=99&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
Actually, I did this yesterday morning with a weigh-in of 297. I was really happy, but also cautious, because that was three pounds in a day. And while that's great, that's fast. And while that speed is fine for a short while, I really want to be careful about losing too much, too fast. Rapid weight loss has its problems (gallstones, loose skin, and other unniceties). That being said, if my body is burning up energy and doing it efficiently, who am I to stop it?

But to try and curb any sort of unhealthy free fall, I went a little heavier on the calories yesterday, or so I thought. I felt full. I felt over-full. Last night I got a salad for dinner, but by the time I got home from the gym, I wasn't even hungry, so I didn't eat it (I picked off the cheese and bacon shards as a pre-gym snack). I thought I might gain a pound or two back, you know, stabilize a little bit under 300. But nope - this morning was another half-pound-plus. Go figure.

The thing is, I recognize I have been eating less and exercising a whole lot more lately. Even in eating less, I don't feel like I am starving myself at all. I start the day with a coffee and a fruit cup (or yogurt parfait) from Starbucks. I usually have a salad and a bread roll for lunch. And then for dinner I may have a salad, or maybe some chicken or other protein, or a SmartOnes microwave-meal (though really, our house is empty of food right now). For a nighttime snack I've been having a spoon or two of peanut butter. And you know what? I'm satiated. And in the gym, I'm very much kicking my own butt with all this intervals training I've been doing.

So I'll take this weight loss, of course! I'm finally below 300 - it's the first time in probably two years that I have been! 100's, here I come!]]> Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:23:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=99&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std progress weigh-in I Need to Remember it's a Day-By-Day Journey http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=97&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
Every day when I get home from the gym and step into the shower, I use the time to imagine my future. I think about what I'll look like, what people will say, all the activities I'll be able to do and the improvements to my daily life that being fit and trim will bring.

Occasionally I catch glimpses of myself in window reflections. Or I try on a shirt, or step on the scale for a mid-week checkup, and all that post-workout hope just fizzles into a heap of "Holy Crap."

The reality is, I weigh a lot. And it took many, many years to get to this point. There is no way it's going to come off quickly. There are times I wish it would all just melt away. As a kid I prayed that God would let me wake up thinner. But there isn't a super pill or a special prayer that instantly fixes everything. It's a journey. And it's long, and it's hard, and it's frustrating, and sometimes it's discouraging. That is, if you focus only on how far you have to go.

I love to hike; near my college there was a trail then went straight up the steep incline of the nearby foothills. It was a mile and a half long (not so bad) that went from nearly zero feet above sea level to over 1,500 (yikes). It's a pretty quick incline, it's a lot of work, and it's a great workout. When you're climbing up this trail, you have a great opportunity to look around you, see nature, see how far you've come, see your town grow smaller and smaller below you. You also occasionally can see up the trail and how far you have to go. That's the part that's dangerous - because while its good to understand the whole journey, if all you focus on is the end, you'll only end up tripping on the rocks, roots, and potholes directly in front of you. When you're hiking up the long mountain trail, you've got to pay more attention to where you are than where you're going, or else you fall down the mountain.

For me, that's how it is with this weight loss journey. Thinking that my BMI will finally be normal only after losing 130+ pounds is discouraging. Lumbering about my giant frame in my muumuu-sized clothes is discouraging. But when I focus on the daily journey - on making each day count, I feel much more rewarded. And mistakes mean less, because I can fix it tomorrow.

It's a day-by-day journey. And I'm losing weight daily.]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:20:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=97&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std struggle encouragement Losing Weight Daily - Year 2, Week 6 http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=96&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
So was this morning's weekly weigh-in at 300.4 pounds. No, it's not a huge drop from last week. And it's not quite at the below-300 mark I want to be at by the end of August. But it's damn close. And considering that I went out for dinner on Saturday, Sunday brunch, and even last night (with just a half hour walk to account for my workout), I'll take it. I still have a couple days before the end of the month - and I think I can lose a half pound by then.

I'm a bit concerned for this weekend, though. Friday is my dad's birthday, so we're going out for dinner. Sunday and Monday we're going to some friends' shore house, and I'm a little concerned about healthy eating and time away from the gym for the whole weekend. But that being said, I've been much better about making healthy choices even at restaurants - something I've otherwise been notoriously bad at. So considering I should meet my 300 goal by this weekend, I think i'll be okay.

300.4 is the lowest number I've been in a long, long time. I'm making progress - I'm making good progress. My shirts are definitely looser. I'm stronger - in the course of the last six weeks I've not only met my strength training stabilization goals, I'm starting to press harder. I'm doing a lot of high intensity interval training and my standard pace on the elliptical is much lower than it used to be. I actually used the rowing machine for a full 15 minutes (now that's a workout!).

I have hope. I have some big goals. I'd like to be losing 10 pounds a month, which is perhaps a bit ambitious, but I think it's doable. I need to be generally more careful about eating and eating out, and especially ward off the late-night munchies. I need to build muscle. I need to press on. This time it's different - this time I'm making real progress. ]]> Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:18:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=96&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std clothes eating out restaurants progress success updates A Fitness Addiction http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=95&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
It's easy to get addicted to food. Or to booze. Or to smoking or any other myriad of unhealthy activities. But I've never really thought I could find myself addicted to fitness and healthy living until now. I don't know what it is about my current cycle of pursuing weight loss (my grandfather's words really did kick me in the butt pretty hard), but I've been going at it like an animal lately.

Every day I get home from work and I go straight to the gym. Never before have I felt this way. In past cycles (a cycle being the time that I'm actually trying to lose weight - basically those short periods between falling off the wagon), I would always try to go to the gym when no one else was there - say, 5:30 am or after 9 or 10 pm. I was intimidated by the other people, by the equipment, by the journey.

And even when I was there, I would divvy up my work depending on what I felt like doing. Some days I really didn't feel like busting my butt and sweating like a monster, so I would do strength training. I wasn't very strong, and my haphazard approach didn't make me any stronger.

These days its different. I go to the gym regularly - it's like a feeling that I need to go there, even if my schedule gets thrown off I still try to make it downstairs (I know, I have such a long way to travel - 8 whole flights! in an elevator!). And gone are the days of haphazard training - every day I'm doing strength training for about 45 minutes and cardio for 30 - 45 minutes. And at least every other day I do Intervals, the non-Interval days I'm pacing at a pretty high clip.

I don't know what's gotten into me, but I feel like this will finally be the time I change.
]]> Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:18:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=95&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std exercise working out success A Little Fishy http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=94&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
Let me just say there is no such thing as a magic weight loss pill. So despite the benefits I'll be exploring, I have no expectation that the addition of fish oil will suddenly cause my fat to just melt away. Also, I suck at taking daily pills. Seriously. I'll probably make these bottles last a year simply because I never remember to take the damn things. But all that being said, I decided to add in these two supplements (which are rather large pills if you ask me) because it's a clear part of a healthy life I've been missing.

If you've bummed around the weight loss sites you've probably seen the mention of fish oil as a great supplement. More and more research is showing that fish oil has a positive effect on the body overall. Fish oil and it's richness in Omega-3 fatty acids are known to:

  • reduce pain and inflammation
  • its good for the heart - balancing the good and bad cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, and breaking up clots before they risk causing heart attack or stroke
  • improvements in memory, recall, reasoning and focus
  • reducing depression
  • protection against cancers
And key to our discussion here, it helps weight loss! A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed combining 6 grams of fish oil per day with regular exercise (45 minutes three times a week) lost more weight than those who only exercises, took another kind of oil and exercised the same, or only took fish oil without regular exercise. The key here is that the fish oil regimen must be combined with exercise, as with any and all weight loss regimens, but fish oil can greatly assist!

Of course, 6-grams is a lot, but every little bit helps. So I choose a pill from GNC that was high concentration. I'm starting with one a day, and may increase that overtime. If you want to try it, let me know how it goes. Choose a high-concentration pill, and just be warned that the first couple of days might result in fishy-burps. They're really weird, but you're body adjusts after a day or two.

In addition to the fish oil I've started taking a multivitamin. With my schedule and adjustment to the amount and types of food I'm eating, I'm not necessarily getting all the nutrients, minerals and such that my body needs. So I've started supplementing my diet with the vitamin to supply me with the god stuff. It's not directly tied to weight loss, but it's healthy.

So that's my update from the weekend. New pills. No magic. Just healthy.]]> Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:37:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=94&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std strategy diet healthy lifestyle supplment Losing Weight Daily - Year 2, Week 5 http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=93&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
By all counts, it looks like I might actually fall below 300 by the end of the month - just 10 days away! I don't even know when the last time I was under 300 was. 301.6 - it's like I can see hope on the horizon, finally!

I took just one day off last week - Friday. I went a little over and above, with eating out both lunch and dinner, and rather large meals too. I haven't really eaten like that in long enough that my body was not happy with me by the end of the day.

But exercising has been going well. I increased my interval pacing this week to be 90 seconds low and 30 seconds high, increasing the high rate to 95 - 100 reps per minute. It's definitely a workout, but it feels good by the end. And at one point this week, I used the rowing machine for a full 15 minutes - the longest period ever (and that's one of the tougher cardio routines for me). I've now reached my stabilization goals on all my weight exercises too, so I'm going to keep working at those weight levels for a couple of weeks and really build a good baseline to build more strength this fall.

I'm happy with where I am, but I need to be careful over the last week of August not to blow my progress. I'm so close to finally breaking through 300, I want to make it!
]]> Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:59:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=93&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std progress Little Updates http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=92&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
Not much else to report, really. I've taken a lot of time to get things really back up and running on the blog, so I added a new goal: Learn to Surf, as well as a few new motivational movies and pictures, and a new Inspirational video.
]]> Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:33:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=92&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std Losing Weight Daily - Year 2, Week 4 http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=91&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std


That initial rise was to be expected - I didn't work out and then my back went out which really derailed me. But then I started working out constantly, but maybe not eating so well. By a midweek checkin this past Sunday, I had jumped to 308 pounds! By Monday it was almost 309! What in the world was going on!

So starting Sunday, I started hydrating. I hadn't done such a good job of drinking water (and had quite the night of alcohol on Friday) in the recent days. I stuck with my workouts and on Monday and Tuesday, I started interval training. I was hoping to at least get back down to 306, but this morning I was surprised to see such a low number!

Rapid weight loss is dangerous - losing five pounds in a few days is no good, but then I think a lot of that extra weight was water. Hydrating cleared out the excess junk and brought me back down to a healthy weight. So while I have no intention of losing so much weight every week, it's nice to see once more that the body wants to be healthy - and will respond when you push it there.]]> Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:14:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=91&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std weight loss hydration progress ButtKicker, Thy Name Is Intervals http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=90&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std Feel like you're in a rut with your exercise regimen? Need to boost your cardio intensity but can't quite eek out a faster pace? Lookin' to get past a plateau? Burn fat faster? Or just stop getting so darn bored doing the same routine every day?

Try Intervals. Not familiar? Then you're in for quite a ride.

Intervals are rather straightforward. You simply alternate between periods of high intensity and low intensity exercise. The goal is to get your heart racing for a little bit, and then it slow down again, and then repeat. Most trainers will suggest going at this for 20 to 30 minutes - and believe me, that's enough!

I do the bulk of my cardio on the elliptical machine. On an average day lately, I shoot for 7 minute miles for at least 4 miles (and have been hitting 6:30 more often), which is a quick enough pace to keep the heart going without totally killing myself. But when its a day that I decide to do intervals, the pace doesn't matter - it's the speed with which I do them. My current basic Intervals routine is 2 minutes low and 1 minute high. For two minutes I'll go at a speed about 60-65 revolutions (strokes, leg movements) per minute. Then for a full minute (which is also when time suddenly slows to a crawl, mind you), I press as hard as I can maxing out at 85-90 revolutions per minute. Then I repeat.

The thing about intervals is I can really feel them working. My heart races and then has ample time to slow down (called active recovery) in time to kick start again. After a couple of sets my energy is usually at a peak for a good 15 minutes, and I can often press as high as 100 revolutions per minute, which is about as fast as my legs can go without falling off the machine.

Intervals have been a part of weight loss and fitness circles for a while - if you ever take a look at the "Weight Loss" program on some computerized cardio equipment, the shape of the graph is all about the mountains and valleys. But what has been street knowledge amongst the lay fitness community has found itself with some scientific backing.

In one Australian study, 45 women were put on a cycling routine that involved 20 minutes of intervals, at 8 seconds high and 12 seconds low.
"They lost three times more weight as other women who exercised at a continuous, regular pace for 40 minutes," UNSW Associate Professor Steve Boutcher said.

Their success was due to higher amounts of chemical compounds called catecholamines that are produced in increasing amounts when linked to interval sprinting; the resulting chemical reaction drives greater weight loss.
That's a pretty fast interval, and there's some hints that that's what's necessary. If you make the low period too short, or allow your heart rate to fall too slow during the active recovery, it's not going to have the same effect. Think of Interval Training as if it were your normal workout, and your normal pace, but with injections of ultra-high boosts. Intervals should boost your average workout, not average out to be the same as every other day.

In another study about six months later, it was found that no matter what state of health the test subjects were at (sedentary or athletic), after Interval Training "the amount of fat burned in an hour of continuous moderate cycling increased by 36 per cent and cardiovascular fitness increased by 13 per cent."
It did not matter how fit the subjects were before. After interval training, they experienced not only an increase in fat used and in aerobic capacity, but also an increase of enzyme activity in the muscle.
Of course, just like every other day, when you do intervals, the fat burning cannot be offset by eating more ... even though you really, really want to. I'm hungry right now, but I've already had dinner and I'm drinking water, but I can feel that those intervals do what they're supposed to! What's nice is you can do them as part of any aerobic activity - elliptical, rowing, walking, running. Just get your heart racing! That could be running, or it could be cranking the incline on the treadmil way high for a few minutes.

Give them a shot, and feel free to yell at me about how much they suck. But then stick with them and we both should start seeing some improvement on that evil bathroom scale.


]]> Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:09:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=90&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std exercise I Wanna Be An Athlete http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=89&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
This is the first year I've watched the Olympics and really enjoyed them. I think in all years past I was so anti-sports simply because I didn't feel like I could participate. I was always the fat kid, the one who couldn't keep up in gym class. The only sport I ever did okay at was floor hockey as a defender, because I didn't need to run very far. I never felt like I could participate, so I didn't learn anything about sports. So I always felt left out, and watching sporting events just reinforced it.

But this year, I'm in a very different place. I'm working to lose weight, to be fit, to get stronger. I'm more in tune with my body, and I'm starting to respect myself more for it. Because of that I'm really finding myself to have an affinity and a lot more respect for athletes and those who train their bodies into physical excellence.

I want to be one of those people.

I don't just want to be thin and trim, or muscular, or ripped, buff, or svelte. I want to take hold of life and really live it! I don't want to specialize in any one sport; I want to learn karate on Tuesdays, boxing on Thursdays, and kayaking, roller-blading, biking, hiking, tennis or running on Saturdays. I want to be one of those people who don't think twice about just being physically active. My obesity is standing in the way of that, and some day, it won't.

I have a lot of ideas about what kind of goals to have here. I could run 5Ks, 10Ks, or half-marathons. I could pursue a belt in martial arts, or learn to box. I don't know. The body I want isn't just for the sake of looking pretty, its for being more, better, and stronger than I ever have been.]]> Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:41:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=89&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std goals sports olympics athletes Eeps! MidWeek Check-ups http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=88&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
It's actually a little frustrating, because I've been doing so well in the gym. I feel stronger, my clothes even feel a wee bit better. But when I really think about it, I've been eating crap. Friday night we went out and drank a lot. I've not been hydrating with water. I've been binge-eating whatever I could find. All no good. All largely because my fridge is empty. So today it's to the gym again, continuing my routine and laying on a little heavy with the cardio. It's drinking lots of water and hydrating (because I can feel I'm retaining water from not being hydrated enough). And It's to the grocery store! Because when I've not been eating well its time to focus on counting those Weight Watchers points.
]]> Sun, 10 Aug 2008 08:41:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=88&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std struggle Restructuring My Gym Time http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=87&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
Gaining muscle is essential to losing weight. Muscle at rest burns calories just to exist (basically), fat doesn't. Plus when I lose the fat, I gotta have something there to take its place or else I'll just look like I melted. So I've been working muscles regularly - usually once or twice a week. And to set a bench mark to reach for, I created "stabilization points" for myself on key exercise machines. For example on the Chest Press my Stabilization Goal is 6 sets x 12 reps x 95 pounds. Once I can do that consistently and easily, I'll know I've reached a clearly defined level of strength I've not been to before. The alternative is flopping around the gym from week to week without any real sense of how strong I am, without any focus and no gains.

Yesterday I realized that was where I was. Looking through my little book, I had no pattern to the strength training I've been doing. What exercises I do depends on how I feel, who else is in the gym (intimidation is a big factor for me), how sore I am, how much time I have etc. And the reality was, I haven't been getting stronger. I burn plenty of calories and am sore for a few days but I've not been seeing any significant gains in strength!

So I've started a new regimen. Using my stabilization goals as a bench mark, I've divided the 12 major strength training exercises I do into three day programs, rotating through major muscle groups on each day. My program now consists of:

Day One is the Chest Press (pectorals), Leg Extension (quads), Hip Adduction (inside hips), and Compound Row (back, biceps).

Day Two is the Overhead Press (shoulders), Seated Leg Curl (hamstrings), Hip Abduction (outside hips) and Lateral Pull-down (back/traps)

Day Three relies mainly on the overhead cables: Bicep Curl, Tricep push-down, Standing dead lift (back/traps) and Cross-over Chop (abs/obliques).

Within a day there's no particular order, and ab crunches are sprinkled between day one and two. After Day Three is a day to rest from strength training. And of course I intend to do cardio on all days. I'll keep at this little regimen until I'm "stable" at the weight levels I want to be at. Then I'll move on and keep building muscle, getting stronger, and losing weight.
]]> Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:31:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=87&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std strategy exercise strength training Losing Weight Daily - Year 2, Week 3 http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=86&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
It's frustrating when I can go strong for two whole weeks, gain strength, lose weight, only to just give up. That's really what it feels like - I just stop. I convince myself one day to take a break, and then something distracts me the next day, and before I know it everything I've built is being torn apart through lack of motivation, inspiration, whatever.

The only way to get back on the horse before it spins out of control is to start again. As soon as my back loosened up enough to move without crying, I knew I had to get back in the gym - I had to get moving again. And once I do that, once I feel the surge of those endorphins and the feel-good aspect of working out (no matter how gross I feel, look, or feel like I look), it's a whole lot easier to go the next day, and the next one after that.

So here we are starting week 4 and I'm set to make serious strides!]]> Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:23:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=86&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std progress weigh-in Ouch http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=85&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
Last week we had two nights of impromptu guests and one night of going for dinner with an old friend. Guests are always welcome at our house and impromptu ones all the more. We enjoy people just coming over (provided we know who you are) and making themselves at home. Except that if I don't work out in the morning like I prefer, it can screw me up. And also, I like to drink with friends. And cook for friends. So combine drinking, and eating, with lack of exercise, and you have a recipe for weight gain.

I had Friday off, and this past weekend we were going up to the Catskills for a wedding. The plan for the Catskills was nice and healthy. Good times relaxing, playing some golf, going innertubing down a river. All very healthy and generally good for the soul. And I planned on making up for a week of alcohol and minimal exercise by working out good and hard on my Friday off before heading upstate.

The problem, however, is that a slight twinge of soreness in my back Thursday evening and Friday morning, slowly turned into a whole lot of discomfort and then pain over the course of Friday. My back muscles were going into spasm and there was nothing I could do about it. By the time we loaded into the car for the 3.5 hour drive, I could barely carry the golf clubs I foolishly thought I'd be able to use by morning.

Saturday was just as bad. I couldn't move. No golfing for us. I had to skip the innertubing for fear of not being able to get up and down in and out of the water (and good thing, by all reports, since the water was rough). By the time the dinner party came around Saturday night, merely standing in line or trying to walk about would bring tears to my eyes and cause such pain I would sweat. Advil doesn't touch this kind of pain - no, for this, only Vicodin would help. And even then, it only helps enough to keep you from committing suicide.

By Saturday night it felt like my entire back and seized and I feared the worst. But by the time Sunday rolled around and we finally rolled out of bed I was able to stand. I did need a pain killer but I was ablt to stand and walk around for the multi-hour, outdoor up-and-down hills and stairs wedding. It was slow going at times, but it was okay. By last night I was back in my own bed, and though my back is stiff and still hurts a bit, I was able to go to work and make an important meeting with a client.

So it's been a tough week. I'm not sure if I will make it back to the gym tomorrow or not. I didn't eat so well over the weekend, but at the same time my suit definitely felt looser than it has before - so I think I'm making some progress and I think I can feel it in my clothes. But its a good reminder that along the journey towards pleasure, there is always a opiate-worthy amount of pain to be dealt with.

Post Script
Be careful with Vicodin (Oxycontin). We happened to have a little bit on hand for emergencies (my back tends to go wonky, and my partner has occasional severe pain as well).  Apparently it's easy to get addicted to. For me, it just did enough of the job to dull the pain but did not take it completely away, so I don't see its allure for myself. And moreover, it causes sedation. But not a fun kind of sedation. Because you're already in pain, the sleep Vicodin puts you into is not restful, relaxing or restorative. It's just ... unconsciousness. Only use major painkillers when prescribed by a doctor and stop using them as soon as the pain becomes remotely bearable or treatable by OTC killers. ]]> Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:10:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=85&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std struggle pain Legislating Health, Part 2 http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=84&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
I am a fan of government persuading its people toward healthier living. I've written here on the nature of a fat tax or insurance rebates - I think they're great ideas worth exploring. We already do this in the U.S. - we tax cigarettes. And in New York City and possibly soon the entire state of California, they've banned transfats. New York City has gone above and beyond bans and instituted requirements that fast food joints (or places with standardized food preparation guides) include the caloric information on their menus - above the counter or on the table. And that, I've begun to find out, is a terrific idea.

We've only really started to see the calorie counts appearing across the city recently, or maybe I only really started paying attention recently, but it's begun to make a difference for me already. The thing about doing Weight Watchers is that there is a formula to calculate points, and that formula is weighted on calories. So having the count of calories in any given food goes a long way in knowing the approximate point values, which empowers me to make healthy choices when dining out.

When you're at a restaurant, you don't always know what actually goes into your food. What kinds of oil or dressing do they stick in there. Do they use butter, or is it breaded? And no one wants to grill the waitress about the entire food preparation steps, chances are she doesn't know herself. For example, if you're trying to eat healthy, you would think that any ol' restaurant has salad, and salad is always a healthy choice. Right?

Not always. Take TGI Friday's for example. They include the calorie information on the menu but just about every salad they have weighs in at way over 1,000 calories. 1,000! In a salad! Who knew? Turns out the lowest-cal food at TGI Fridays is actually the chicken pot stickers which are, by the way, tasty. But it just goes to show you that you don't know what's in restaurant food, and the calories may not always be what you expect. But if you're in New York City, you've got a better chance at eating healthy while eating out (and New Yorkers eat out ALL the time). Right now it's only at restaurants that have standardized preparation - mainly fast food - but I hope that regular restaurants will begin to make this type of information available too, even if the don't have to.

It's a great step and frankly, I wish it would become the standard for this nation of fatties and people who have no idea how to eat and live healthfully anymore. If we give ourselves the tools to measure food, we'll have a better chance of not having a collective coronary some Tuesday night when the escalator is out of service. ]]> Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:21:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=84&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std civil liberty fat tax New York City Losing Weight Day by Day, Year 2, Week 2 http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=83&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
It's my lowest recorded weight for this entire weight loss journey. Sure its only 2.5 pounds lighter than last week, but it's 2.5 pounds lighter than last week! That's both a healthy pace, and I've never been that low! Year 2 is off to a great start, it would seem.

I had a couple nights this week where I didn't behave as well. I ate too much, binged a couple of times. I'm not feeling as hungry these days, which is good and a result of weaning off over-processed carbs that melt into fat and leave me hungry just a little while later. I still eat too much bread, and had one night where I went a wee wild on the ice cream, but beyond that, I did reasonably well.

In the gym, I've been doing pretty well. I skipped two days last week because of busyness, but made up for it with three days (Thur, Fri, Sat) of really intensive weight-lifting. My obliques are still a tad sore (not that we see any abs-related results when they're buried under a foot of fat, but I can feel them!). I took Sunday off, because it was a bit tough to move, but on Monday I blew myself out of the water!

My usual cardio routine is the elliptical machine. Typically, a good pace for me is about 7 minutes per mile. When I've been lazy, that's a real workout, but occasionally I can beat it by a little bit. Two days ago, though, I set all new records for pace and endurance. I did 5.5 minute miles for the first three miles, and then 6 minute miles for the last two, for a total of five miles in about 28.5 minutes. I couldn't believe it - I've never done cardio that well. Two weeks ago I went on the elliptical after my latest long break and couldn't break 7 minutes, and nearly threw up in the process. Now look at me just two weeks later. It's kind of weird.

So I'm happy with where I am. In just a little bit I will FINALLY be under 300 pounds and I'm nearly about to cross from being Morbidly Obese to Severely Obese. Hey, it's progress, right?

This week I'm not as sure about. We're going up state for a wedding - and weddings are always a little touch-and-go health-wise. Plus I won't have as much time to really do a good workout (and I don't want to do too much on weights this week lest I not be able to move over the weekend). But I'll do my best to be careful about what I eat and I should be okay by next week's weigh-in. ]]> Wed, 30 Jul 2008 08:22:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=83&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std exercise progress weigh-in Are You Eating Your Vegetabls? http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=82&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std For anyone who's watching what they eat to lose weight, the importance of a well-balanced diet should be clear. I'm not an advocate of going to an extreme; there's some merit in all types of food - even sugar. The problem is not having sugar, or eating meat, or enjoying pasta. The problem is when we eat too much of any of those things (or eat a bastardized over-processed version of those things - like white bread - that don't appear in nature). I like eating meat. I like eating pasta. And so I do. As part of Year 2, I'm working on decreasing the amount of bread and pasta and cranking way up the amount of vegetables I eat.

Vegetables - the scourge of the child's dinner plate - are really quite good for you. And if you prepare or cook or pair them in the right ways, they can be really quite tasty. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of stroke, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, kidney stones, and bone loss.

Vegetables are a rich source of potassium, dietary fiber, folate, and vitamins A, E and C (the A,E,C is also a good way to get to JFK airport in NYC ... sorry, local humor). That means better control of blood pressure, lower cholesterol, healthier blood, infection-protection, and more scientific stuff. For the rest of the quick list, check out the Food Pyramid propaganda website.

But wait, there's more. Now, I am not an advocate of completely cutting out meats and dairy from your diet. I like meat and dairy. They are excellent sources of protein as well as laundry list of important vitamins and minerals. Meats are a part of a healthy diet, but in many cases, we modern people eat far too much meat. If you think back to the caveman days, we only ate meat if the men managed to kill it that day, and we certainly didn't have it every evening! We relied much more on fruits and veggies the womenfolk gathered.

Meat is important, but it comes with a price. Just a little bit of meat packs a huge caloric punch. The likelihood is that in these days, a simple serving of chicken is not going to fill you up, and so you'll eat more. And more. and more. And all of a sudden those health benefits of protein and assorted minerals is drastically overshadowed by the colossal amount of calories you just absorbed (and probably turned into fat).

The reality is, protein is available from more than just meat. The thing is that meat has what are called "complete proteins" - which means they have all the amino acids your body needs to build new parts with all in one package. Handy, but costly. Vegetables, you may or may not realize, also have protein - the same protein as meats! The difference is that most vegetables are "incomplete." But they're incomplete in different ways, so mixing your veggies will usually get you the amino acids you need.

Veggies also take up a lot more room in your tummy, making you feel full faster. And they have dramatically lower calorie counts, which means you can fill up on veggies (and just a little bit of meat) without knocking yourself over the edge of healthy energy intake.

And if you need more proof going veggie can work - check out Gerry Pugliese from DiseaseProof. He dropped 60 pounds and found the buff bod hiding inside just by eating lots, and lots of plant food.



So are you eating your vegetables? Yum yum!

(Sure, I may have used this post as an excuse to use those veggie & fruit bath photos. Who, me? There's more like them in the motivations section.)]]> Sun, 27 Jul 2008 10:19:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=82&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std eating healthy eating diet cooking vegetables When You Can No Longer Blame The Fat http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=81&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
But what I do not know is what will happen to my state of mind when I lose this weight. When I'm not fat - or at least not obese - will I still have self-esteem issues? Will I still hate myself? Will I ever be able to accept a normal or nearly normal weight?  A cousin of mine never has been able to accept herself - even when she was gorgeously normal weight. My partner fears this for me as well - he doesn't want my self-esteem to be tied to my weight, because if I ever gain it back, he doesn't want me to lose that esteem again. That's fair, but I think it will still always play a major role in how I view myself.

We use our weight as a coping mechanism. We use it as an excuse. And if we don't address our normal coping mechanisms, if we don't understand ourselves well enough to know what is truly a weight-related issue and what may be another emotional issue, we could find ourselves stranded without an excuse. In the video below, Amber from Melting Mama's blog reaches out on this issue. She's been struggling with an issue lately that in the old days, she would cope with by blaming her weight and binge eating. But after weight loss surgery, she's physically incapable of doing that, and she not longer has her crutch. It's her warning to pre-operatives to be prepared to address the emotional side of being fat when you no longer have that excuse, but it goes just as well for anyone who loses weight.

This comes from the Melting Mama blog here - where you can offer her a little note of encouragement, or at least send a graceful prayer out for her.
]]> Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:02:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=81&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std bariatric surgery emotional eating depression self-confidence News from around the web http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=80&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
Are you obsessed with your weight? Weighting Line has a few things to watch out for, or else a careful awareness of your weight and its impact on your life (and your quest to lose it) can turn into an unhealthy obsession.

Losing WAY over 200 pounds is no easy task. But Mike Boyd did it, and Mr. Low Fat Body has the story.

When you get on a treadmill, do you just walk, and walk, and walk? Boring! Avy Barnes has a neat little routine that utilizes the incline on your treadmill. I've been using this in my own treadmill sessions and it really does get the heart pumpin'!

Don't like veggies? It could have something to do with your values.
]]> Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:14:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=80&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std Oh to be 300 again http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=79&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std
This is significant to me because it's right about where I left off when I fell off the wagon a couple months ago. I'm fairly confident I gained a good amount of weight in that time - when on vacation I felt fatter than I'd been in a long time - but the last week and a half allowed me to reset. (I didn't weigh in last week ... I didn't want to risk that kind of discouragement).

It's just a short little jaunt down to the 300 mark. Finally after more than a year of struggling with this weight problem I'm nearly at my first little goal. After that, I'm headed toward 288 - or a 10% loss in body weight. Then 275 - or about what I weighed when I moved to New York. Then 250 - past a barrier that plagued me all through college. Then 225 - what it says on my driver's license (but didn't actually weigh even when I got it). From there the first major finish line is in sight!
]]> Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:10:00 PDT http://www.losingweightdaily.com/blog/post/?i=79&is=lwd&im=rss&ic=std progress encouragement weigh-in