July 25 Weigh-In, Week 337

It has been three weeks since my back started hurting.  It is hurting much less now, but I don't feel it's in good enough shape to go back to my exercising.  I think I must have over done it with some of my weight training.  I miss the running and weights.  Hopefully next week I can start back up.

However, we leave for our annual camping trip next week.  We will be gone for 2 weeks.  The rest of August, I will be doing a lot of traveling.  I am determined to keep track of everything I eat.  However, I don't know when the next time I will be home on a Thursday morning to do my weekly "official" weigh-in.  Every morning I am home, I am sure I will weigh myself. 

Last week, I learned that I lost 4 lbs. in two weeks.  Without exercise, I thought my weight loss would slow down.  Instead, I lost 3 lbs. this last week.  Go figure.  I think that my metabolism is higher from all the weeks of exercise, but if I don't get back to it soon, I am certain it will slow down.  I am so happy.  My weight this morning was 298lbs.  What a relief to be under 300!  I think I can be more relaxed about it mentally.  I know I am in the 200's for a long time.  However long it takes, it takes.  In fact, it isn't about a weight goal.  It's a lifestyle goal.  I am living that lifestyle.  Each day, I can reach my goal.  If I don't in a particular day, oh well.  As long as I don't make my "oh well's" the lifestyle, every thing is peachy.

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

July 18 Weigh-In, Week 336

I missed last week's weigh-in because I was at a youth conference.  It was at Purdue University.  I did not make the healthiest choices.  University cafeteria food has certainly changed since I was in college.  They had a Mongolian BBQ for Pete's sake, A Mongolian BBQ!  I heard about the freshman ten.  I think today it must be the freshman twenty.  Anyhow, I indulged.  It happens.  Dare I say that I did nothing wrong.  Now I am back to healthy eating.

On Friday July 5th, I woke up with a sore back.  I don't remember doing anything in specific to hurt my back.  I went ahead and did my run and my weight training.  Saturday I did my weight training and rode my back Saturday evening.  Sunday, I was in terrible pain all day.  Monday, I left for the conference.  The pain was there all week, but thankfully not as bad as Sunday.  There was a lot of walking and stairs. I even did a little "English Country Dancing" which is closer to square dancing than line dancing.  Think Pride and Prejudice.  I am still in pain and have not done any cardio or weight training since that Saturday.  If it still hurts tomorrow, I will call a chiropractor.

After the poor eating and lack of exercise, I was praying that I remained even.  I was in for a treat this morning.  I weighed 301 lbs.  This means that I have lost 25 lbs since April and 79 since I began.  I am extremely encouraged.  It's not just the numbers, but I have started to notice that my pants are fitting better and I have to bring my belt in.  I really hope that I can start exercising again soon.  I miss it.

Living Fit Is My #1 Job! 

July 4 Weigh_in Week 334

On this Independence Day, I am thankful for all the brave men and women (and their families) who have served to protect our freedoms.  So many have given up so much so that I can live in peace and prosperity in this country.  My own struggle with fitness seems callow compared to their struggles.

This week has been really good fitness-wise.  I found myself feeling fit, though I don't look it.  What I see in the mirror doesn't reflect how I feel.  The whole psychological aspect of this journey mystifies me.  I have read some stories of people who went from obesity to fit, yet they say that they still struggle with thinking like an obese person.  I just don't get it.  I am not saying that it isn't true.  I believe it is.  But I don't know if I think like an obese person or not.  What I do know is that I have been feeling like a fit person.

This brings up another psychological point that mystifies me: Emotional Eating.  Apparently, emotional eating is BAD!  Whenever I looked for definitions of emotional eating, I found that by those definitions everyone must be emotional eaters.  What does make sense to me is that some people turn to food when they are angry, depressed, sad, or anxious.  So I can see that eating as a way to deal with negative emotions is bad.  In that sense, I don't think that I am an emotional eater.  In fact, It tend to lose my appetite in those situations.

I don't know how anyone can eat without emotion.  I like to enjoy the food I am eating.  I enjoy the look of food, the smell, the texture.  I enjoy eating with the people I love.  I enjoy celebrating with a special meal including the dessert.  Certainly, I don't need food to celebrate, but there is nothing wrong with it either.  Though I have not researched it, I suspect that every culture has special foods tied with their celebrations.  However, this doesn't mean I need to stuff myself silly.  I can enjoy the celebration, the people I am with, and eat a delicious meal in moderation.

Losing weight is not one of those occasions that I celebrate with food.  It is its own reward.  Even better has been feeling fit.  That is a much greater reward than the scale number.  However, the scale number this morning was a nice reward in itself. I lost 2 lbs. since last week.  I now weight 305 lbs.  I am inching closer to that 300 lb.  mark.  I am looking forward to seeing a 2 rather than a 3 at the beginning of my weight. 

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

June 27 Weigh-In Week 333

I have been on track with my fit lifestyle.  I feel more physical, if that makes any sense.  In fact, I feel different than how my body looks.  In other woods, the excess fat doesn't fit with how I am living.  Slowly, week by week, month by month, and year by year, I am going to look more and more how I feel.

This week I lost 2 lbs.  Yes! 

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

June 20 Weigh-In, Week 332

I wonder why I looked up and started to record how many weeks again.  In one sense, it is depressing that after all this time, I am where I am.  On the other hand, it is a motivation.  After all this time, I can't just give up.  I need to keep going until living fit is all I know. 

This week, I upped my exercises.  I have started to ride my bike on the days I am not running.  As far as strength training, I have been doing only the very basics, just doing one set of reps for each muscle group, split into three days.  This week, I have added more sets for each muscle group.  For example, I went from doing a set of chest presses to doing chest presses, flyes, and push-ups.  I have divided these over 6 days.  I like strength training. 

It's a wonder that I can fit all this stuff in a week.  Sometimes, I wish I didn't need to work so that I would have the time for all the other stuff in life. But life isn't all about me.  I need to prioritize.  I need to prioritize the time to live fit or I won't have the time to live.

This week, I lost 1 lb. on the scale.  I always hope for more, but it's far better (psychologically) than seeing a standstill or a gain.  Over time, the pounds have added up and will continue to add.  That's 17 lbs. since I rebooted in April, and 71 lbs. from my all time high.  I am feeling good about that.

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

June 13 Weigh-In, Week 331

It's been a crazy week concerning weight.  I thought I was going to remain static or even have a slight gain.  I have not stopped exercising or eating healthy.  I weigh myself most days, though my official weigh in is Thursday mornings.  Those unofficial weigh-ins were not encouraging.  I mentioned last in my last what I believe that weigh-ins do and do not tell us.  No use in rehashing that.  I know that some advocate weighing yourself only once a week, but as much as it drives me crazy, I am interested in the fluctuations.  I am curious if any pattern emerges over the long haul.

This weigh-in showed a respectable loss of 1.5 lbs. from last week.

My short-term goal is to get under 300 lbs.  Once I get under 300, I will be in the 200's for quite a while. Psychologically, I will find it very encouraging to see a 2 rather than a 3 at the beginning of my weight.  I was hoping to get there by July, but at the rate I am going that will not happen.  Though disappointed, I am okay with that just as long as I continue to live a fit lifestyle and continue to make progress.

Concerning exercise.  Last week we took the week off from running and biked instead.  I think this was a good switch-up.  We are back to running this week.  Strength training has been mostly lifting weights.  I have a set of Power Blocks which are a type of nesting dumbbells.  I love them.  I have been lifting 3x a week.  Next week, I plan to spread the lifting out over 6 days and add a few things. A few years ago when I got my Achilles injury, I had not strength trained in a long time.  I mostly got all my exercise from running with some biking and swimming.  I plan to keep up the strength training along with the cardio.

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!   

June 6 Weigh-In, Week 330

I remain 311.5 lbs.

To me this is one of the most diabolical things about weight loss.  I try to make this whole journey about living fit.  The biggest part of that for me is activity and food choices.  The emotional and psychological aspects are important as well, but I have not focused on that too much.  Like any journey, there are different markers along the way.  When going some where, you use markers like time, distance, road signs, and land marks.  When living fit, some of those markers are time and distance with cardio, lbs. with weight training, ease of climbing stairs, being proud of everything you have eaten, # of days not eating that late night snack, blood pressure, sugar levels, cholesterol, resting heart rate, medicines no longer needed, etc...  The one marker that seems more daunting than all the rest is weight loss.

Weight loss deals simply with the numbers on the scale.  It tells you a lot, but it tells you very little.  How's that for illogical thinking.  What I mean is that changes on the scale over time tells you something is going on.  That is important!  What it doesn't tell you is exactly what and why.

I am not really interested in losing weight.  I want to lose fat.  I am no expert, but if I understand it correctly, metabolism is directly connected to muscle.  The more muscle we have, the higher our metabolism will be.  I know there are other factors involved such and hormones and glands, but that doesn't change my point.  If I lose muscle weight, the scale goes down, but I am much worse off for it.  On the other hand, if I gain muscle, the scale may go up, but I am much better for it.  In one case, I will be less healthy and more likely to gain fat.  In the latter, I will be more fit and likely lose more fat.

The other factor the scale doesn't reveal is hydration.  One thing I learned when I used to watch the Biggest Loser is that the amount of hydration can change your weight by several lbs.  We should all be well hydrated, but regardless, water weight is not something the scale reveals.

Weight change over time, tells us something is going on.  Weight change does not tell us how much muscle, fat, or water is lost or gained.

While I was hoping for a loss, I need to remind myself that I am eating healthy.  I am doing cardio 3x a week.  I am doing strength training 3x a week.  In many respects I am living a fit lifestyle.  Therefore, I must conclude that there are good changes going on inside.  I should not worry about the number on the scale. That will come.

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!