Week 82 Weigh-In

Last Week's Weight: 239.2 lbs.
Today's Weight: 238.8 lbs. (-0.4)
Total Lost: 141.2 lbs.

Fat Ratio: 20.9%
Lean Mass: 188.9 lbs.
Fat Mass: 49.9 lbs.
Waist: 46.0 inches

Just checking in from vacationland. I managed to squeak out a little loss. This makes 6 consecutive weeks that I have lost weight and have over 14 lbs. lost for the Labor Day challenge. Perhaps, I might lose 15 by next week.

Anyhow, I did well on my 10 mile race. It was crazy. There was over 12,000 people who ran that day. I am not sure how many ran the 10 mile, but it was a crowded run for the entire distance. Three strange things happened on the run. A frat house was handing out Krispy Kreme's on the route. YUCK!!! Second, a radio station was handing out small cups of beer. I started to wonder if this was the Homer Simpson race. Third, people (men & women) heading off into the bushes to relieve themselves. Does anyone remember Billy Carter? Anyhow, the place was a zoo. I am not sure I like that big of a crowd. Now, I am thinking about doing a half-marathon at the end of October. I must be nuts!!!!

I some more about vacation later. Hope everyone is doing well.

Spider, Captain, and Brad...Get it together!

"Pain is just the feeling of weakness leaving the body"

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

Odds and Ends

This morning the temperature was 48F. The water temp was 68F. I took my sweats off and froze as I stood there in my skin tight tri shorts. The lake looked eerie with the vapor rolling off it. I wondered if anyone was watching this insane, under dressed, tubby man walking out into the water. Diving in, I realized that I was much warmer in the water than out. As I began my swim, thoughts of what others observing me evaporated with the water vapor. I focussed on stroke technique, proper breathing, and keeping balanced in the water. Before I knew it, the sun was up, the swim was over, and thoughts turned to what it would be like on the day of the triathlon.

Now, for something completely different. Will at 4xlt left me two questions, I would like to address.

"How's your body and skin taking the dramatic weight loss?"
I think my body is taking it quite well. My shape is not changing in all the ways that I had hoped, but I am still quite aways from a healthy weight, so that may yet come. Although, I am anticipating that it's a result of the abuse I have done to my body. Then again, I can't expect a 39 year old body to look like a 20 year old body despite the Bowflex commercials. As far as the skin goes, I think that can be answered under the second question.

"I've heard stories of people having particularly saggy skin left from where they carried their fat - namely in saggy stomach pouches, man boobs, and arms. 140+ pounds in, are you running into that as well?"

You can see from the pictures that I have what I call a "belly flop." That is the part of my stomach that flops over like a big fold. So far, it has not tightened up, but it doesn't seem to have grown worse with the weight loss. I don't think it's sagging down any more than it ever did except there is a lot less to hang over. Around my navel and down the center part of my stomach, you can see wrinkles caused by sagging skin. The funny thing is that when I run, it makes a flopping sound. I am not sure anyone else can here it, but it make me smile.

On my chest, there are fat deposits below my pecs going around to the side. So my nipples seem to hang below my pecs. Again, this doesn't seem to have grown worse with the weight loss and may tighten up later.

Hanging off my triceps to my armpits there is some hanging skin. I hope that this will tighten up as well.

The final place I have noticed anything is a little sagging skin on my upper inner thighs.

I don't know exactly how things will shape up as I continue to lose weight. I certainly hope that things will tighten up, but they may not. I get the impression that this the sagging skin is more common with the bariatric surgery when rapid weight loss occurs. I don't consider that I have lost weight rapidly. Certainly, there have been spurts of greater weight loss, but all in all, I think my loss has been gradual. I am averaging 1.7 lbs. per week which is well within the 1-2 lbs that is recommended as safe weight loss.

Anyhow, my real goal is not 190 lb weight loss, despite my blog name. That was just a ballpark figure based on bmi. My ultimate goal of course is to continue to live a fit lifestyle. That includes getting my fat composition under 15%. 15% for men is considered healthy. Therefore, once I get under 15% and hold that for a year, I will reevaluate skin sag and such. If things haven't tightened up enough then I will consider surgery, but I doubt I will be able to afford it. "Hey kids, let's go dumpster diving for our food so daddy can feed his narcissism!"

BTW, check out Will's website. He has accomplished quite a bit.

On for something completely different. We leave tonight for week. We are going to my dad's house to get it ready to sell. During this time, we will go to out next race called the Crim. I will be running 10 miles (yes miles, not kilometers) and my daughter will run 5k. It's supposed to be the biggest race in Michigan and a lot of fun. However, I am not sure if I will have the chance to log in my next weigh-in, so my next one might be the last one for the Labor Day Challenge. Don't think I will be laying around drinking beer for a week and eating pizzas.

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

Week 81 Weigh-In

Last Week's Weight: 241.8 lbs.
Today's Weight: 239.2 lbs. (-2.6)
Total Lost: 140.8 lbs.

Fat Ratio: 21.6%
Lean Mass: 187.5 lbs.
Fat Mass: 51.7 lbs.
Waist: 46.5 inches

My wife bought me an "inspiration" shirt for our anniversary. by "inspiration," it was supposed to be a shirt I couldn't wear until I lost more weight. It was a large, not XXXL, not XXL, not even XL, but simply large with no prefix. So I tried it on and it fit! Granted it probably runs a little large in the sizing, but it fit none the less. My poor wife. She tried the same thing last Christmas, only the shirt was XL at the time.

Anyhow, I was please to have such a large loss since we had an anniversary, a day at the county fair, a night at our favorite restaurant with awesome homemade desserts, a trip to the city which included eating out, a wine tasting, and a picnic. It's a wonder I didn't gain a ton...but then again, I am learning new habits. I am learning to respect myself. While my eating wasn't always the healthiest, I certainly didn't pig out.

Now, I have hit the next 10 lb. marker. It took about 3 months...well actually, I plateaued for 2 months, and lost he weight in the last month thanks to phase 2 of my fitness scheme. Since I started my blog, I have always taken the ugly truth pictures at every 10 lb. loss. So without any further adieu, here they are...










For comparison, you can find my 250 lb. pictures here and my first pics at 368.6 are here and here. I didn't take any at my high of 380 lbs. or at 370, but you can still see quite a difference anyhow. It makes me sick just to see those pictures, but I am certainly grateful that by the grace of God I have continued on this journey of fitness of which I pray that I remain for the rest of my life.

"If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else."--Yogi Berra

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

12 Mile

I ran 12 miles this morning.

Woohoo!

Ugh!!!!!

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

Week 80 Weigh-In

Last Week's Weight: 243.2 lbs.
Today's Weight: 241.8 lbs. (-1.4)
Total Lost: 138.2 lbs.

Fat Ratio: 22.5%
Lean Mass: 187.4 lbs.
Fat Mass: 54.4 lbs.
Waist: 47 inches

No time to comment much today. It's our 19th wedding anniversary. I had hoped to get to my wedding weight (235 lbs.) by today, but no dice. It's not a big deal. It just would have been cool. One thing, I have noticed as I approach that weight is that my proportions are not the same as back then. I think all that weight has taken a toll on my body shape. I guess that is just part of the consequences I must live with.

Till death do us part.

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

Deja Vu

On Friday, my wife was helping me with my swimming cap. After drying it out, she sprinkled it with a little talcum powder. When I got over to put my cap and goggles away, I noticed that she got some powder on my goggles. I was about to say something about her getting powder on my goggles when I was struck with Deja Vu. I could swear that it happened before. It couldn't have happened before. Friday was the first time I wore a swimming cap. None the less, it sure seemed like it all happened before...only this time, I didn't make any comment to my wife.

I don't believe in past lives, reincarnation, alternate realities, etc... I know how the mind works as far as striving to make associations and connections even when they don't exist. Something similar happened in the past with other items or there was some jumble of dreams from which my mind connected.

Anyhow, I love these kinds of experiences. It reminds me how wonderfully fascinating the mind is. It reminds me how terribly creative I can be. For a split second, it makes me wonder if someone hit the rewind button on the story of my life.

Living Fit Is My #1 job!

Week 79 Weigh-In

Last Week's Weight: 247.0 lbs.
Today's Weight: 243.2 lbs. (-3.8)
Total Lost: 136.8 lbs.

Fat Ratio: 22.1%
Lean Mass: 189.5 lbs.
Fat Mass: 53.7 lbs.
Waist: 47 inches

This plateau is officially over. I was quite thrilled to the loss this morning. Even more important, I have really noticed some differences in my fitness. My regular running pace has increased. All the swimming has developed my shoulders much faster than weight lifting alone did. Even though, I still feel awkward with the freestyle stroke, I am getting faster and feel better. I don't know exactly how to explain it, but I feel strong. I feel muscular. Of course, my feeling doesn't match the body I see in the mirror, but who cares. I take this feeling of strength as a sign of getting fitter.

Speaking of swimming, we took the kids to the beach yesterday. Swimming in the open water is more challenging than swimming in the calm pool. I need to start training in the open water at least a couple times a week. That will be good since the lake is much closer than the pool, and there is no charge to use the lake.

I need to get some new tires for my bike. I have a hybrid that I will be using for the triathlon as I can't afford a road bike at this time. My current tires are more mountain bike-ish, so I need to get some slicks. Hopefully, that will help a little bit with the speed. I am not sure what I can do to make it a more aerodynamic ride, but that's what I got to work with so it will have to do.

Oh yeah, I do have a race before the triathlon, it's a ten mile run in a couple of weeks. It's not easy to train for both things, but hopefully, the 10 miler will help with more overall fitness for the triathlon. I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew.

"Practice yourself in little things, and thence proceed to greater."--Epictetus

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!