Friday, February 29, 2008

Bummer

Today's Weigh-In: 212.6 lbs. (bummer)
5-Day Average: 211.56 lbs.

Sigh. I didn't hit my goal for this month, so the new goal of 210 by 3/7 stays. Now that I've gotten my back all fixed up I've been back in the gym 3 times this week. I let my diet slide a little the past 2 or 3 days, and it's caught up to bite me, as I haven't been able to really get under 212 (except for that one 209 weigh-in). Today is my weekly cheat meal day, but I'm going to try to keep it very reasonable. I've got a crap-ton of stuff to do tomorrow, and I won't be getting to exercise this weekend, so I've gotta make sure I eat right. Being very strict on the Zone seemed to be really good for my progress, so I'm going to go back to measuring everything and making sure that my ratios and blocks are right (no more estimating). I think that will bring me back on track to a good 1.5-2 lb. per week loss.

Also, I'm going to call some of you out. Seems as though it's been pretty quiet on the FAT front. Has everyone been slipping up and are too afraid to come out of the woodwork? You all know who you are, even if you can't make a big post, at least post something so we know you're still in the game. Don't make me come and get you, and drag you kicking and screaming to the computer.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Re-evaluating

Today's Weigh-In: 209.0 lbs. (new low)
5-day Average: 211.56 lbs.

I seem to be hitting new lows like crazy these days, and it feels great. I don't know exactly what I'm doing right (that I wasn't doing before) but I'm happy with the progress being made. If I can maintain a 209 weigh-in for the next two days I will reach my goal of 210 average by the end of the month.

I'm closing in on 20 pounds lost so far (1.56 pounds more to go from my average) so that feels like a good milestone. That puts me at about 40% of the way to my goal of 185 pounds, so I have about 25 pounds more to go. I've been at this since the beginning of October (working out and losing weight that is, I started the blog in November) so it's taken me about 5 months, which puts me at an average of 4 pounds a month. That's pretty crappy, but when I look at the numbers I didn't actually start losing any weight until mid-November, so a more realistic average would be about 5.6 pounds per month. If I can maintain that (admittedly conservative) pace it should take me a 4.5 more months to get to my goal, which would be mid-July. So it doesn't look like I'll be at my goal by Memorial day, but I should be pretty close (195 pounds by my estimates). When I hit 190 I'm going to re-evaluate my goal weight again (based on body fat percentage) to see whether I need to adjust it lower or if 185 will be enough to be at 10%.

This is a long journey, but I'm determined to make it, come hell or high water.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Chugging along

Today's Weigh-In: 211.4 lbs (new low)
5-Day Average: 212.16 lbs.

Nothing really new on my front. I'm going to the chiropractor today to get my back fixed so I can get back to working out (hopefully I can get in a workout tonight). The weather here in southern California is absolutely beautiful today; mid-70s, sunny and clear, not too humid. I would love to go for a jog, but I gotta get my back fixed up first. Oh well. Time to eat some lunch :)

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Can't complain

Today's Weigh-In: 212.6 lbs.
5-day Average: 212.56 lbs.

It's looking like the 212 weigh-in wasn't a fluke, as I've weighed in at 212 and a fraction for the last 4 days now. So it looks as though I won't hit my goal of a 210 average by the month's end, but I'll be darn close. Can't complain about that :)

I've had to take quite a few days off from exercising in the past week as the muscles in my shoulders, back, and neck have been bothering me quite a bit. I talked to my mom about it and she recommended I go see our chiropractor, which I plan on doing at the earliest available opportunity. I don't want to be out of the game too long or I'll get complacent.

Other than that, everything is going well with me. Diet has been good. I got a new bed so my sleep has been getting better. I'm in a pretty good groove now, which I think has contributed to my faster weight loss this month. Now I just gotta make sure I stay in it.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Lift those weights!

Today's Weigh-In: 212.0 lbs. (new low)
5-day Average: 213.8 lbs.

Whew! I was afraid that since my average climbed up a bit yesterday that I might be in trouble, but this morning I saw a new low. I worked out twice yesterday, and ate perfectly, so I know I earned it. I've just gotta keep earning it.

I'm starting to feel a bit under the weather. Actually, I've felt somewhat crappy for the past few days, but today it's definitely kicking into high gear. I'm taking tomorrow off from working out, as I have to clear my room for my new bed before I go to work, so that should help. I really don't want to get sick.

So last night I did another CrossFit Total, so I could compare my score with my brother's. These are 1-rep maxes. Here are the results:

Deadlift: 335 pounds (30 pound record)
Back Squat: 245 pounds (15 pound record)
Shoulder press: 150 pounds (5 pound record)

Not too shabby for me. I want my squats to be stronger but I'm getting there. I'm pulling personal records pretty much every time I try a 1-rep max, and I've increased my deadlift by 105 pounds just this year so far, so I can't really complain.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Reassessment

Today's Weigh-In: 213.8 lbs.
5-Day Average: 214.4 lbs.

My weight seems to be stuck around 213-215 right now, which sucks, cuz I've only lost .4 pounds in the last week. My diet over the weekend could definitely have been better, and I was somewhat sick for the past few days so no workouts. But I'm back at it today, eating Zone and exercising. I got in a workout this morning, and I'm also going to do the CrossFit Total tonight (1-rep maxes of back squat, dead lift, and shoulder press) to compare with my little brother's score. Since this morning's workout was just squat cleans I think I should be alright. My goal of 210 by the end of the month is looking dim, as I would need to lose .55 pounds a day for the next week. Oh well, I'm not going to stress about it.

I seem to lose weight in spurts. I will drop 4-5 pounds in a short amount of time, then I'll be stuck at a weight for a week or two. I don't know if it's just my body, or if I'm slacking on my diet/exercise. I'm pretty sure it's not the exercise, since I've been pretty consistent on that. My diet really is quite good most of the time, but sometimes I start to get hungry for more food than I'm allotted, and my willpower gives. I don't eat bad foods usually, but I think I might just be eating too much sometimes. I need to bring back my slow-down technique for eating (when you eat, slow the F down, and allow your stomach to tell you when it's full). That worked well for me when I first began this process, and I think I need it again.

I really don't want to adjust my ultimate goals, and if I can get to 210 by early March I will only need to lose a little over 6 pounds a month through June to reach my goal of 185. That's a lot of weight in a little time for me, so I'm not completely sure I can do it, but I'm definitely going to try. Summer calls to me. I've moved my goal of 210 to March 7th so I still have a definitive date to shoot for. I think I can make it.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Picture update

Today's Weigh-In: 214.0 lbs.
5-Day Average: 214.16 lbs.

I finally got the change to take some new pictures, and I thought I would share them. Keep in mine that I've only lost 5 pounds since the last ones, but my body composition has changed quite a bit since I started doing CrossFit. The last set of pictures can be found here.




























































I kinda look like I have some kind of palsied arm in the last one, but it's just cuz my camera wasn't centered. My left arm is actually normal looking :)

Lost some of the love from the love handles, and I can actually see some muscle definition now, but I still have a long way to go. Pictures are nice because they are unforgiving. I always look in the mirror and think "wow I look rad" but pictures tell the true story. That's it for me.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Nothing special

Today's Weigh-In: 213.8 lbs.
5-Day Average: 214.32 lbs.

Nothing really to say today. I didn't work out cuz I was lazy this morning. Simple as that. I'll be hitting it extra hard tomorrow as a result.

One thing I have found out is that I can't wear my pants without a belt any more. They completely fall off. Last week I had the belt on the first notch, but this week I had to up it to the second notch. The problem with this is that my smaller pants still don't quite fit, but my normal ones don't either. I'm in pants-flux.

I know I promised pictures a while ago, but my camera was giving me issues. Well, I found some batteries that actually work with it, so I'll take some pics this weekend.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Destroyer of worlds

Today's Weigh-In: 215.2 lbs.
5-Day average: 214.64 lbs.

Weight is up a little bit today, but I think it's due to having a Pollo bowl from El Pollo Loco for dinner last night (high in sodium). Other than today's weigh-in everything this week has been great. I completely skipped 214 so far, and landed in the mid 213s. My eating has been great (I would say 90%, which isn't bad at all). Workouts have been great and intense. Today's workout was especially brutal:

3 rounds, 21 reps, then 15, then 9, for time, of:
95 pound thrusters (think of a front squat plus a shoulder press as you stand up)
Pullups

This workout is called Fran, and it's notorious among CrossFitters for being so simple, yet such a destroyer of worlds. I did it as prescribed (no substitutions or assistance). Took me just under 15 minutes, which sucks, but it's the best I could do, and I finished, so I'm happy. My lungs were on fire, though. Here's a sweet video of the current Fran record, which is insane. Give it a try sometime, it's fun :)

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Eat your vegetables

Today's Weigh-In: 213.8 lbs. (new low!)
5-Day Average: 215.15 lbs.

The weight loss train just keeps on a-chuggin'. This no alcohol thing seems to be working pretty well. My food consumption has been good but not 100% clean. My mom bought me a box of Reese's peanut butter cups (the small ones) for Valentine's day, and I've had a few, but I'm being very moderate about it. In the past I would have polished it off in an afternoon. I put them in the freezer so they're out of sight (and frozen candy tastes good). Other than that my eating has been great. I'm starting to get the hang of the Zone, and once you do it becomes a lot easier. I've also started using more favorable carbs (raw vegetables, fruits) as opposed to unfavorable ones (bread, crackers, tortillas, etc.) and it changes the amount of food you eat by a *ton*. I eat 4-block meals, so I can either have 4 small corn tortillas as my carbs, or a head of lettuce, a cucumber, an orange, and some broccoli. So instead of being hungry, you're totally stuffed at each meal. Now I just gotta stock up on veggies since we're running low.

My workouts are still awesome, and I'm getting stronger every day. I deadlifted 305 pound yesterday. I can now do 10 pullups unassisted (not 100% strict but I get my chin over the bar), and I can do dips now as well (was never able to do them in the past). CrossFit is definitely an awesome way to get in shape.

Edit: You know what I just realized? I haven't had heartburn in months now. I used to have to take Pepcid or Tums every single day, often multiple times a day. Now I don't get heartburn, ever. Also, my legs don't hurt any more, like they used to all the time. I checked my blood pressure the other day, and I am completely out of Stage-1 Hypertension. My score was 129/85 if I recall correctly, and this was after I drank an energy drink full of caffeine and climbed some stairs. 6 months ago it was 145/95 on a consistent basis (I would take my measurements right after I woke up). I still have a ways to go to get completely out of the danger zone (need to be under 120/80) but there's definitely progress being made here. These aren't things I normally think of, but they popped into my head and I wanted to share.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

It's alive!

Today's Weigh-In: 215.4 lbs.
5-Day Average: 215.8 lbs.

I'm really happy to continue seeing 215s on my scale. I didn't get a weigh-in yesterday, but I did get a new battery, so the scale lives. I've knocked off two pounds from my average in the last 7 days, which is awesome. My eating this weekend hasn't been 100% optimal but it hasn't been bad. I continue to choose good things, but I'm just not as sure about the portion sizes as I am during the week (since I tend to measure everything out). But then again I tend to eat less often on weekend days, so larger portions should be fine. Either way, I feel good, and I hope I can continue this pace through the end of the month (so that I can meet my goal of 210 by March 1st).

Friday, February 8, 2008

Death of a scale

My stupid scale's battery died today, so I have no weigh-in for the challenge. I'll try to get a new one this weekend. Speaking of batteries, I bought some new rechargeable batteries for my camera, charged them up, and put them in. The camera then told me to change the batteries, as they're dead. I'm beginning to think the problem isn't the batteries, but the camera itself. Which sucks, because that means I'm going to have to send it somewhere (or take it to a repair shop) and I don't want to do that. Oh well.

I stuck pretty well to the Zone diet yesterday, but 16 blocks is not enough food (a block is a macronutrient measurement used to create your meals). I'm upping it to 17 blocks today, which I think is more in line with where I should be so I get enough protein. Other than that it's been pretty easy to follow, and I don't feel run down or anything so good times.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

In the Zone

Today's Weigh-In: 216.8 lbs.
5-Day Average: 216.92 lbs.

Well, I figured my weigh-in would go up, but it's still under 217 so I'm fine with it. My average is still dropping as well, although not quite as quickly as I would like. Oh well, as long as it keeps trending downward I shall be happy.

I'm trying out the Zone diet based on the suggestion of the CrossFit community (and others, such as Jay). I need to stock up on vegetables and fruits though, since it suggest craptons of them (it uses them as the main source of carbs, instead of grains/potatoes). For now I have to use "unfavorable" carbs for some of my meals until I can get to the store. I don't eat white bread or white rice, so the ones I do have are not the worst (whole grain breads, brown rice, etc.) so I'm not overly concerned. I did the calculations and it is suggested that I eat 16 blocks of protein, carbs, and fats. I'm having a bit of trouble with the fat blocks, since I tend to eat a larger amount of fats than are recommended, but I'll tweak it to perfection as I go along.

That's it for me today, hope everyone is doing well.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Kick in the teeth

Today's Weigh-In: 215.0 lbs. (new low!)
5-Day Average: 217.0 lbs.

Wow, it feels good to put the words "new low" on there. I've been bouncing around between 216 and 220 for so long now that I just needed something to give me a psychological boost. I've been eating really well so far (calorie-wise) this week, and I was hoping for 216, but I got 215 instead. That's 3 pounds less than yesterday, so I'm not sure it'll stick, but I hope it does. I didn't do anything yesterday to dehydrate myself or anything, so I dunno. I'm just glad the scale is moving again. If it does stick that will signal 15 pounds lost since I started. Yay.

I went to the dentist yesterday for the first time in two years, and guess what? I need like $2000 worth of treatments done (no cavities, but I have a periodontal infection and I need my wisdom teeth removed). That's $2000 that my insurance *doesn't* cover, so that blows. That's also not including the braces that the orthodontist recommended, which would cost me $2600 out of pocket. So that's a kick in the teeth (no pun intended) that I wasn't expecting. It won't affect my goals or anything, but I just wanted to rant a bit.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Beer sandwiches

Today's Weigh-In: 217.4 lbs.
5-Day Average: 217.72 lbs.

I've been weighing pretty much at 217.2-217.4 for the past 4 days now (just waiting for a 219 to drop off the average). I'm hoping to see 216 tomorrow.

This weekend wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. I did eat some snacks at my parents' house yesterday during the super bowl, but I didn't really eat much else, so as far as calories go I think I was okay. I'm on day 4 of the no alcohol month, and I'm feeling pretty good. No beer sandwiches for me (props to whoever gets that reference). The weeknights are going to be the hardest, though. I have a habit of coming home, making dinner, and having a few beers. So I'm going to need to keep myself busy (read: away from the TV) to help forestall that.

I've also kept up my workout goal so far, got in 5 days last week, and I went this morning, so I'm 100% on track. You know, it feels really good when you know you're doing everything right. Heck, even my motivation at work has improved a lot, so there are benefits to this that might not be so obvious.

That's it for today, here's to a great week.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Time to start

Today's Weigh-In: 217.2 lbs.
5-Day Average: 218.08 lbs.

Almost away from 218 (finally). I was getting kind of sick of that number anyway.

Today starts my alcohol-free month, and I feel really good about it. I think I'll be able to put up some decent numbers this month. I'm thinking I am probably going to start adding some additional cardio after work to help boost my calorie deficit. Just some light jogging or elliptical work ought to do it. I would do something like ride a bike to work, but I live 10 miles from work, so that would be a bit of a trek.

I'm also going to try adding a bit of light skill work in the evenings, to get better at some of the things I'm bad at. This includes adding some pullups and dips, especially, because I'm really weak in those areas. I'm also going to add some rehab exercises for my shoulder, which I hope will allow me to exercise without it bothering/limiting me.

A couple of people at work have commented on my weight loss, which is really motivating. What's crazier is that I've only really lost 12 pounds, but my body looks way different now. My face isn't bloated, my stomach barely sticks out, and I look all-around slimmer. I'm hoping to post some new pictures this weekend, I think there will be a noticeable difference.