Today's Weigh-In: 203.0 lbs. (new low!)
No 5-day average since I hadn't weighed in for the past 3 days, but it looks like I'm going okay. I ate perfectly yesterday (under 2200 calories), drank lots of water, and got in a great workout. This morning I got up and worked out again, and although I'm starting to get sore, I don't feel injured any more. Depending on how I feel I'll either take tomorrow or Thursday off and get 3 more workouts in this week. I really think that it's the lack of exercise in the past 2.5 weeks that has caused my weight to stagnate so much. Hopefully I'll stay healthy and can continue at my current pace for a while.
I had one of my Ahi steaks from TJ's last night, and it was amazing, way more tasty than I thought it would be. And super healthy. Also, I made some hummus last night which is delicious and pretty low calorie (I forgot to put olive oil in, but I decided it doesn't really need it as it's pretty darn good). I've been eating that with carrots whenever I get a bit hungry and want a snack. These steps should help me to keep my calories down while not depriving myself of quality food. See you guys later.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
New week
No weigh-ins for the past 2 days. I just didn't think about it before I ate, and there's not much point in weighing myself after I eat. I know I've been a bit flaky lately, but I want to get back on track here. I've restarted my calorie counting as of today, because it helps a lot. I stopped counting for a while, and it seems as soon as I did that the weight stopped coming off. Just a little bit extra here and there really kills the progress. Anyway, my neck and back are feeling quite a bit better, and I got in one workout on Friday, which didn't hurt too bad. I'm going to work out again after work today, and hopefully I can get in a good 4 or 5 workouts this week without hurting myself. I bought a bunch of good food from Trader Joe's yesterday so I should be good on the healthy food front. They sell tahini there, which is awesome as I've been looking to get some so I can make my own hummus (I tried subbing peanut butter but it doesn't taste right). Bought me some Ahi steaks and some buffalo burgers as well, just to branch out a bit from the chicken/salmon/beef that I've been eating so much of.
Here's to a new, hopefully injury-free, week.
Here's to a new, hopefully injury-free, week.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Sigh
Today's Weigh-In: 206.0 lbs.
5-Day Average: 205.73 lbs.
Arg. It looks like I'm not going to hit my goal this month. I would have to lose 6 pounds in 8 days to do so. This is extremely frustrating, because I've been kinda stuck around the same weight for a month. I haven't been able to exercise since my last post due to the pain in my neck. I used a foam roller to try to get the knots out, which helped a bit, but I really need professional help, so I'm going to the chiropractor again tomorrow. It's just so frustrating to be continually getting these small injuries that force me to lay off exercising for a week at a time. Add to that the fact that I didn't get a chance to go shopping for almost a week, and was forced to eat the crappy food that was the only thing in my house, and it's a recipe for failure. Thankfully I went shopping yesterday and stocked up on my healthy essentials, so my eating is back on track. Hopefully I can get back on track with working out after tomorrow, because my back/neck are killing me and nothing I have done has fixed it. I'm considering buying a new pillow, because the one I have now sucks balls and I wake up stiff and sore every day. Sigh. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to chock this month to the history books and keep moving forward as best I can.
5-Day Average: 205.73 lbs.
Arg. It looks like I'm not going to hit my goal this month. I would have to lose 6 pounds in 8 days to do so. This is extremely frustrating, because I've been kinda stuck around the same weight for a month. I haven't been able to exercise since my last post due to the pain in my neck. I used a foam roller to try to get the knots out, which helped a bit, but I really need professional help, so I'm going to the chiropractor again tomorrow. It's just so frustrating to be continually getting these small injuries that force me to lay off exercising for a week at a time. Add to that the fact that I didn't get a chance to go shopping for almost a week, and was forced to eat the crappy food that was the only thing in my house, and it's a recipe for failure. Thankfully I went shopping yesterday and stocked up on my healthy essentials, so my eating is back on track. Hopefully I can get back on track with working out after tomorrow, because my back/neck are killing me and nothing I have done has fixed it. I'm considering buying a new pillow, because the one I have now sucks balls and I wake up stiff and sore every day. Sigh. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to chock this month to the history books and keep moving forward as best I can.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Basic status update
Today's Weigh-In: 207.2 lbs.
5-Day Average: 205.16 lbs.
I stepped on the scale today, hoping for a sub-205, only to be crushed with the weight (no pun intended) of a 207. I started racking my brain, thinking "What did I possibly eat to cause that to happen?" Then I remembered: I started creatine this week, and as a result I'm retaining water (which happened the last time I took it). So then I felt a bit better.
This week has been pretty good on the exercise front. I've been in the gym on all my prescribed days so far, and I hope to be in there the next 2 days as well. I had a bit of a problem this morning as I was doing my Crossfit workout, in that when I was doing overhead squats I got a crazy migraine-like pain in the back of my head and had to stop. Once I cooled down I could feel that it was coming from my upper back and neck, so I've gotta watch out for that. It feels okay now, and I have a foam roller coming in the mail that I will be using in the future to release the tension in that area, but it was kinda scary, as I've never had anything like that happen to me.
Diet-wise this week hasn't been bad, but hasn't been 100% either. I really need to go shopping since I'm out of a lot of food that I normally use as staples (chicken, chili, salmon) so I've been eating more beef and other not-so-lean meats. I plan on remedying this ASAP, as I kinda like the food I eat on a regular basis more than this other stuff.
That's it for me, hope everyone is on track.
5-Day Average: 205.16 lbs.
I stepped on the scale today, hoping for a sub-205, only to be crushed with the weight (no pun intended) of a 207. I started racking my brain, thinking "What did I possibly eat to cause that to happen?" Then I remembered: I started creatine this week, and as a result I'm retaining water (which happened the last time I took it). So then I felt a bit better.
This week has been pretty good on the exercise front. I've been in the gym on all my prescribed days so far, and I hope to be in there the next 2 days as well. I had a bit of a problem this morning as I was doing my Crossfit workout, in that when I was doing overhead squats I got a crazy migraine-like pain in the back of my head and had to stop. Once I cooled down I could feel that it was coming from my upper back and neck, so I've gotta watch out for that. It feels okay now, and I have a foam roller coming in the mail that I will be using in the future to release the tension in that area, but it was kinda scary, as I've never had anything like that happen to me.
Diet-wise this week hasn't been bad, but hasn't been 100% either. I really need to go shopping since I'm out of a lot of food that I normally use as staples (chicken, chili, salmon) so I've been eating more beef and other not-so-lean meats. I plan on remedying this ASAP, as I kinda like the food I eat on a regular basis more than this other stuff.
That's it for me, hope everyone is on track.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
New Pics and Measurements
I took some new measurements the other day. It turns out I haven't posted measurements since January, so the differences are quite dramatic. All numbers are in inches:
Bicep: 14.25 (-0.5)
Neck: 16.75 (-0.25)
Waist (flexed): 37 (-2.5)
Waist (relaxed): 38.5 (-2.75)
Hips: 37 (-4)
Thigh: 23.5 (-2.5)
Chest (flexed): 43.25 (-1.75)
Chest (relaxed): 41 (-1.5)
Calf 16 (-0.5)
I'm extremely happy with those. I also have some new pictures. You can compare them to the last set of pictures here.
Bicep: 14.25 (-0.5)
Neck: 16.75 (-0.25)
Waist (flexed): 37 (-2.5)
Waist (relaxed): 38.5 (-2.75)
Hips: 37 (-4)
Thigh: 23.5 (-2.5)
Chest (flexed): 43.25 (-1.75)
Chest (relaxed): 41 (-1.5)
Calf 16 (-0.5)
I'm extremely happy with those. I also have some new pictures. You can compare them to the last set of pictures here.
Progress and Frustration
Today's Weigh-In: 203.2 lbs. (new low!)
5-Day Average: 204.88 lbs.
Hey everybody. I'm still alive, and my weight is still headed down. Haven't had any booze or beers for close to a week now, and I actually feel much better: less anxious, more awake, stronger in the gym. My back is still feeling good, even after heavy deadlifts yesterday, so I think I'm in the clear on that. My strength training workouts are great, and I'm really enjoying them. I'm up to 200 lbs. for 5x5 on squats, 200 lbs. 5x5 on bench, 125 lbs. 5x5 on shoulder press, and 1x5 @ 260 lbs. on deadlift. One of the personal trainers at the gym yesterday came up to me and warned me that I shouldn't bring my shoulder press all the way back down to my chest; he's an idiot. In fact, everyone at Bally Total Fitness is an idiot. None of the PTs there have any clue what they're talking about, nor how to actually get in shape. Heck, only about 2 of them even look like they're in shape themselves. Their game is all about machines, reduced range of motion, and stringing customers along without getting results. That's why I love Crossfit so much, everyone there is knowledgeable and has training from real experts. Unfortunately, if I want to do strength training in addition to CF, I'm stuck at Bally for now, so I'll just attempt to avoid anyone with their opinions about my program from now on, or just tell them where to stick their advice. This dude had some more inane nuggets of "wisdom" he tried to share but I made it fairly obvious his advice was not welcome.
Now that I've got that off my chest, back to the topic at hand. I feel good and healthy, so I'm hoping I can get all 5 workouts that I have planned for this week in safely without killing myself. I'm going to start a cycle of creatine when I get it in the mail, mainly to reduce my recovery time and allow me to do a bit more work in the gym.
Many members of the FAT coalition have been kinda quiet lately; fire up them keyboards and let us know how you're doing, even if it's crappy. That's what we're here for.
5-Day Average: 204.88 lbs.
Hey everybody. I'm still alive, and my weight is still headed down. Haven't had any booze or beers for close to a week now, and I actually feel much better: less anxious, more awake, stronger in the gym. My back is still feeling good, even after heavy deadlifts yesterday, so I think I'm in the clear on that. My strength training workouts are great, and I'm really enjoying them. I'm up to 200 lbs. for 5x5 on squats, 200 lbs. 5x5 on bench, 125 lbs. 5x5 on shoulder press, and 1x5 @ 260 lbs. on deadlift. One of the personal trainers at the gym yesterday came up to me and warned me that I shouldn't bring my shoulder press all the way back down to my chest; he's an idiot. In fact, everyone at Bally Total Fitness is an idiot. None of the PTs there have any clue what they're talking about, nor how to actually get in shape. Heck, only about 2 of them even look like they're in shape themselves. Their game is all about machines, reduced range of motion, and stringing customers along without getting results. That's why I love Crossfit so much, everyone there is knowledgeable and has training from real experts. Unfortunately, if I want to do strength training in addition to CF, I'm stuck at Bally for now, so I'll just attempt to avoid anyone with their opinions about my program from now on, or just tell them where to stick their advice. This dude had some more inane nuggets of "wisdom" he tried to share but I made it fairly obvious his advice was not welcome.
Now that I've got that off my chest, back to the topic at hand. I feel good and healthy, so I'm hoping I can get all 5 workouts that I have planned for this week in safely without killing myself. I'm going to start a cycle of creatine when I get it in the mail, mainly to reduce my recovery time and allow me to do a bit more work in the gym.
Many members of the FAT coalition have been kinda quiet lately; fire up them keyboards and let us know how you're doing, even if it's crappy. That's what we're here for.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Everything is A-Okay
Today's Weigh-In: 205.2 lbs.
5-Day Average: 206.0 lbs.
As you can see my weight is back on the downward slope, which feels great. I haven't drank any alcohol at all, which is definitely helping my weight loss, but it's also allowing me to clear my mind a bit and break some bad habits. I enjoy drinking, but when it becomes habit instead of something you actively choose to do, I believe that's not a good thing. Anyways, I went to the chiropractor and got my back fixed up on Thursday, and I got back into the gym on Saturday, and everything felt great. I didn't have any pain or soreness, and my flexibility and strength were still excellent. I feel good today, not too sore, so hopefully I'll be able to get all my workouts in this week and continue to see more progress on the scale. I'm so close to 200 I can taste it.
5-Day Average: 206.0 lbs.
As you can see my weight is back on the downward slope, which feels great. I haven't drank any alcohol at all, which is definitely helping my weight loss, but it's also allowing me to clear my mind a bit and break some bad habits. I enjoy drinking, but when it becomes habit instead of something you actively choose to do, I believe that's not a good thing. Anyways, I went to the chiropractor and got my back fixed up on Thursday, and I got back into the gym on Saturday, and everything felt great. I didn't have any pain or soreness, and my flexibility and strength were still excellent. I feel good today, not too sore, so hopefully I'll be able to get all my workouts in this week and continue to see more progress on the scale. I'm so close to 200 I can taste it.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
So far, so good
Today's Weigh-In: 207.2 lbs.
5-Day Average: 207.1 lbs.
Well, my first alcohol free day went very well. I ate perfectly (under 2200 calories), had no drinks, and got a good 8 hours of sleep. The scale did not reflect this, but it will. My problem is that I've strained by lower back quite badly, and have not been able to work out since Monday. I think it is a result of attempting to deadlift too much, but who knows. I'm going to the chiropractor tonight to have an adjustment, and hopefully that will make it feel good enough to resume my exercise activities.
I took some new measurements the other day, but I don't have them with me right now, so I will try to update tonight with those and some new pictures. I'm also going to start a cycle of creatine, hoping that it will help speed my recovery times, which are quite lackluster for someone my age. Dunno if it will affect my weight, but recovery is more important to me, to be honest.
5-Day Average: 207.1 lbs.
Well, my first alcohol free day went very well. I ate perfectly (under 2200 calories), had no drinks, and got a good 8 hours of sleep. The scale did not reflect this, but it will. My problem is that I've strained by lower back quite badly, and have not been able to work out since Monday. I think it is a result of attempting to deadlift too much, but who knows. I'm going to the chiropractor tonight to have an adjustment, and hopefully that will make it feel good enough to resume my exercise activities.
I took some new measurements the other day, but I don't have them with me right now, so I will try to update tonight with those and some new pictures. I'm also going to start a cycle of creatine, hoping that it will help speed my recovery times, which are quite lackluster for someone my age. Dunno if it will affect my weight, but recovery is more important to me, to be honest.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Doing what it takes
Today's Weigh-In: 206.0 lbs.
5-Day Average: 207.0 lbs.
My average blows. It seems I'm on a plateau. I have 21 days to lose 7 pounds if I want to reach my April goal. The only times I've hit those kinds of numbers is when I cut alcohol completely out of my diet. So that's what I'm going to do: from now until May 1st there will be no alcohol. I think that, along with my new routine, should shake things up to put my body back in fat burning mode.
That's all for today.
5-Day Average: 207.0 lbs.
My average blows. It seems I'm on a plateau. I have 21 days to lose 7 pounds if I want to reach my April goal. The only times I've hit those kinds of numbers is when I cut alcohol completely out of my diet. So that's what I'm going to do: from now until May 1st there will be no alcohol. I think that, along with my new routine, should shake things up to put my body back in fat burning mode.
That's all for today.
Monday, April 7, 2008
New schedule
I didn't get a chance to weigh in this morning, so I have no clue how much I weigh. I had a good time this weekend, but I didn't eat super clean. Saturday I went to House of Blues Anaheim and saw Bad Religion play (which was awesome), but I had a few drinks and some not-so-good snacks after we got home. Yesterday my buddy's wife threw him a birthday party, which was a lot of fun. The downside was that there was pizza and cake, which I had some of (2 pieces of pizza and one small slice of cake). To be honest, I don't particularly like pizza that much, but I had to eat something because we were there from 2 until 8. No alcohol or anything there, so that was a plus. I got in a good workout on Saturday, and another one this morning, so no worries in that department. I'm changing my workout schedule to focus a bit more on strength training. Here's my new plan:
Monday, Thursday, Friday: CrossFit workouts, just like always
Tuesday, Saturday: Stronglifts 5x5 program (workout A on Saturday, workout B on Tuesday)
I really want to get my squat up to 300 lbs. (my 1 rep-max is 250 currently) and my deadlift up to 400 lbs. (currently 345) so I think focusing a bit more on heavy lifting is the way to go. Plus it just feels good to move some iron. This way I will continue to get stronger, but I will also get the great intensity and body adaptation that CF provides without sacrificing anything.
Monday, Thursday, Friday: CrossFit workouts, just like always
Tuesday, Saturday: Stronglifts 5x5 program (workout A on Saturday, workout B on Tuesday)
I really want to get my squat up to 300 lbs. (my 1 rep-max is 250 currently) and my deadlift up to 400 lbs. (currently 345) so I think focusing a bit more on heavy lifting is the way to go. Plus it just feels good to move some iron. This way I will continue to get stronger, but I will also get the great intensity and body adaptation that CF provides without sacrificing anything.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
April goal: 200 lbs.
Today's Weigh-In: 206.2 lbs.
5-Day Average: 206.2 lbs.
I seem to be getting out of my rut. I've focused on not doing things out of habit, both at work and at home, and it's really helped me to be aware of what I do without thinking. I've also been trying to do things that I normally don't do (or haven't done for a long time) such as hang out in the jacuzzi, read a book, or play video games (which I used to do all the time but haven't been able to do recently). I've also focused on organizing my life (and my surroundings) a bit better, and that has helped me to stay focused. As a result my mood and outlook are improving.
My weight is also going down again (yay!). Yesterday I had a new low of 205.6 lbs. and I'm hoping to beat that again this week. I've cut alcohol almost completely out of my diet for now, and I'm just focusing on working out hard and staying injury-free. I'm going to set a pretty aggressive goal (for me, at least) of getting to 200 pounds by May 1st. I didn't make last month's goal, but I got pretty close, and if I can keep my eye on the prize I should be able to make this month even better.
5-Day Average: 206.2 lbs.
I seem to be getting out of my rut. I've focused on not doing things out of habit, both at work and at home, and it's really helped me to be aware of what I do without thinking. I've also been trying to do things that I normally don't do (or haven't done for a long time) such as hang out in the jacuzzi, read a book, or play video games (which I used to do all the time but haven't been able to do recently). I've also focused on organizing my life (and my surroundings) a bit better, and that has helped me to stay focused. As a result my mood and outlook are improving.
My weight is also going down again (yay!). Yesterday I had a new low of 205.6 lbs. and I'm hoping to beat that again this week. I've cut alcohol almost completely out of my diet for now, and I'm just focusing on working out hard and staying injury-free. I'm going to set a pretty aggressive goal (for me, at least) of getting to 200 pounds by May 1st. I didn't make last month's goal, but I got pretty close, and if I can keep my eye on the prize I should be able to make this month even better.
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