Thursday, December 4, 2008

Week 10 - Day 64 - 301 Days Remaining

I did my circuit training workout last night and it was hard. I feel weaker of late, the exercises seem harder to do. It might be a result of doing my exercises more quickly. I notice that I usually have 1:10 remaining after the step, 0:35 left after the arm exercises, and 0:10 left after the leg exercises. Lunges are getting easier, squats are harder, but I finish them more quickly now.

It's time again for a review of progress made!

Starting Weight: 284 pounds
Week 1: Lost nine pounds / nine overall - 275 pounds
Week 2: Lost six pounds / 15 overall - 269 pounds
Week 3: Lost two pounds / 17 overall - 267 pounds
Week 4: Lost three pounds / 20 overall - 264 pounds
Week 5: Lost four pounds / 24 overall - 260 pounds
Week 6: Lost one pound / 25 overall - 259 pounds
Week 7: Lost four pounds / 29 overall - 255 pounds
Week 8: Lost three pounds / 32 overall - 252 pounds
Week 9: Lost two pounds / 34 overall - 250 pounds

Starting Waist: 50 inches
Week 4: Lost three inches / three overall - 47 inches
Week 9: Lost three inches / six overall - 44 inches

So despite Thanksgiving over indulgences and weighing in five pounds heavier just two days ago, everything is very much on track. I couldn't be happier with my training program at this point!

For the last week I haven't done my run/walk exercises, only circuit training. My training program has evolved quite a bit since the beginning. I feel that letting my run/walk training slip is a Bad Thing and I should get off my lazy butt and do it. I think the reason that it's slipped lately is that it's just so easy to do my circuit training in the evening (in the house!) after the kids go to bed. Doing the run/walk entails going to the YMCA since the sidewalks have been slippery a lot lately.

I've been doing decent on sleep, but I need to get in bed an hour earlier so that I can wake up and get to the gym!

Breakfast
2 egg whites and 1 whole egg [2P]
1/4 cup shredded fat free cheese [1P]
1 1/2 pears [3C]
1/3 tsp. olive oil [1F]
7 whole almonds [2F]
1/2 cup 1% milk [0.5P/0.5C/0.5F]

Lunch
3 1/2 ounces hamburger [3.5P]
2/3 cup peas [2C]
1/2 apple [1C]
21 peanuts [3.5F]

Afternoon Snack
1 stick string cheese [1P]
1/2 apple [1C]
6 peanuts [1F]

Dinner
TBD

Evening Snack
TBD


Yesterday's Diet
Breakfast
2 egg whites and 1 whole egg [2P]
1/4 cup shredded fat free cheese [1P]
1 banana [3C]
1/3 tsp. olive oil [1F]
7 whole almonds [2F]

Lunch
3 1/2 ounces beef with taco flavoring [3.5P]
2 slices low carbohydrate bread [2C]
1/2 apple [1C]
21 peanuts [3.5F]

Afternoon Snack
1 stick string cheese [1P]
1/2 apple [1C]
6 peanuts [1F]

Dinner
3 1/2 ounces hamburger [3.5P]
1 slice low carbohydrate bread [1C]
2/3 cup peas [2C]
21 peanuts [3.5F]

Evening Snack
1 whole egg [1P]
1 slice low carbohydrate bread as toast[1C]
little bit of jelly [1F]

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Week 9 - Day 62 - 303 Days Remaining

So... it's been hectic over the Thanksgiving holiday. I have been keeping up with my circuit training workouts, but the run/walk workouts have slipped. My diet is going well overall, but was sorely pressed over Thanksgiving.

As of last Thursday, November 27, I had lost 32 pounds overall weighing in at 252 pounds.

However, I did a weight check this morning and Thanksgiving was worse than I'd thought. I currently weigh 255 pounds. We'll see if I can work off those three pounds in the few days remaining until Thursday.

Breakfast
2 egg whites and 1 whole egg [2P]
1/4 cup fat free shredded cheese [1P]
1 banana [3C]
1/3 tsp. olive oil [1F]
8 whole almonds [2.5F]

Lunch
3 ounces chicken breast with melted provolone [3.5P]
1 apple [2C]
1 clementine orange [1C]
21 peanuts [3.5F]

Afternoon Snack
1 stick string cheese [1P]
1 clementine orange [1C]
6 peanuts [1F]

Dinner
3 1/2 ounces taco meat [3.5P]
24 tortilla chips [2C/3F]
1 1/4 cups lettuce [1C]

Evening Snack
1 stick string cheese
1 clementine orange
6 peanuts

November 24, 2008

Week 8 - Day 54 - 311 Days Remaining

Diet and training took a hit Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I'll call those three days the "Lost Days." Hey, if we can have a "Lost Decade" I can lose three days, right? I will say that I only ate Dinner and an Evening Snack on Sunday to try and compensate for an overindulgence of calories on Friday and Saturday. Maybe I can call it a dry run for Thanksgiving...

Things are mostly back on track today though. I didn't get over to the YMCA because I was up too late and then forgot to set my alarm clock to 6:15AM instead of 7:30AM, but I plan to work out at home tonight.

Breakfast
1 whole egg and 2 egg whites [2P]
1 ounce diced ham [1P]
1 banana [3C]
9 whole almonds [3F]
1/2 cup 1% milk [0.5P/0.5C/0.5F]

Lunch
4 ounces salmon [3P]
1 apple [2C]
1 kiwi [1C]
21 peanuts [3.5F]

Afternoon Snack
Skipping to help control calories from weekend abuse.

Dinner
Chinese Buffet (healthy)

Evening Snack
Skipped.

November 20, 2008 - Measurement Day

Week 8 - Day 50 - 315 Days Remaining

I had a nice run/walk workout at the YMCA this morning. The treadmill is so smooth that I was able to increase my speed over what I can run at outside. No hills, perfectly smooth, and a cushion when my feet come down, the treadmill is much easier to run on than the road.

I lost four pounds this week, weighing in at 255 pounds, for a total of 29 pounds overall. My goal is to weigh 225 pounds so I'm just shy of half way there! I have to say I'm ecstatic with my weight loss progress to date. Losing 29 pounds in seven weeks is very encouraging!

Breakfast
1 whole egg and 2 egg whites [2P]
1 ounce cubed ham [1P]
1/2 cup 1% milk [0.5P/0.5C/0.5F]
2/3 cup applesauce [2C]
1/2 apple [1C]
9 whole almonds [3F]

Lunch
Prepared salad from the cafe'. Heavy on the dressing, so way too much fat and calories. Skipping my afternoon snack to ease that out of my system.

Afternoon Snack
Skipped.

Dinner
I'm eating out with the kids tonight. I'll skip my evening snack to make up for restaurant food.

Evening Snack
Skipped.

November 19, 2008

Week 7 - Day 49 - 316 Days Remaining

I had a good circuit training workout at the YMCA this morning. I hopped on the treadmill for 10 minutes to warm up, and 10 minutes to cool off. I ended up having to drop my crunches to get the length of my workout down so that I would be home in time to get Thomas up, fix breakfast, and pack lunch. I think I'll integrate crunches into my warm up/cool down phases on Friday and reduce the treadmill time to five minutes instead of ten.

Breakfast
1 whole egg and 2 egg whites [2P]
1/4 cup fat free cheese [1P]
1 banana [3C]
10 1/2 whole almonds [3.5F]

Lunch
3 1/2 ounces ham [3.5P]
1 piece bread [2C]
1/2 apple [1C]
21 peanuts [3.5F]

Afternoon Snack
Skipped today. I was in a meeting for most of the last half of today and didn't get to eat it.

Dinner
4 ounces baked salmon [3.5P]
1 1/2 cup green beans [1.5C]
1 cup sliced onion [1C]
1/2 cup sliced carrot [1C]
2 cloves garlic [0P/0C/0F]
1 tsp. olive oil [3F]
With the weather turning cold, I was in the mood for a warm dinner tonight. Most of my meals are much less impressive, but sometimes it's nice to take the time to fix a hot meal with lots of veggies.

Evening Snack
1 ounce ham [1P]
1/2 apple [1C]
6 peanuts [1F]

November 18, 2008

Week 7 - Day 48 - 317 Days Remaining

I need to get back on my "early to bed, early to rise" sleep schedule. With the weather being cold and snowy now my plan is to move my base of operations to the YMCA. My YMCA closes early so I can't go over at 9:30PM and do a workout. That means I need to get up early and go over to do my workouts, yay (ugh)! I'm going to try and slip over tonight for my run/walk workout, but we'll see how it goes.

My diet, at least, continues apace:

Breakfast
2 whole scrambled eggs [2P]
1 ounce block cheese [1P]
1 1/2 apples [3C]
10 1/2 whole almonds [3.5F]
I hardboiled eggs to take to work, but when I got there and cracked them open they weren't cooked all the way through so I bought two eggs from the cafe'.

Lunch
3 1/2 ounces hamburger [3.5P]
1 piece break [2C]
1 kiwi [1C]
10 1/2 whole almonds [3.5F]

Afternoon Snack
1 stick string cheese [1P/1F]
1/2 apple [1C]

Dinner
3 1/2 ounces pork chop [3.5P]
1 cup broccoli [1C]
1/2 cup fruit cocktail [2C]
10 1/2 almonds [3.5F]

Evening Snack
1 stick string cheese [1P/1F]
1 kiwi [1C]

November 17, 2008 - Ramblings

I read this article today. Growing up in southeast Ohio, it's pretty accurate about the general sentiment on people's attitude toward health, "I have bigger issues than my health." I was sent to work in London for two weeks last year and, upon my return, noticed the same thing someone in the article mentions, people here are fatter (me included). I don't know what exactly is the cause, but for me it has always been so convenient to eat whatever I wanted (junk food is very affordable and easily available... especially compared to fresh fruit and vegetables... why is that?), drive wherever I need to go (there aren't even sidewalks in the part of Dublin where I work!), and find entertainment around home instead of doing any real activities outside.

The article's point about the $9.99 Kentucky Fried Chicken challenge (buy a family meal for $9.99 at the grocery store vs. the $9.99 KFC meal deal) is also alarmingly accurate about how people eat as well (people like me before 7 weeks ago...). When money is tight and you aren't paying much attention to your health anyway, feeding your family deep fried food with a lot of extra carbohydrates (mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits, etc) for $9.99 is a tempting offer.

In the past I've felt the same way as one of the people they interviewed, "I need to make more money so that I can eat healthier." Assuming (hah!) that what I know about eating properly now, based on the Zone diet, is valid I think it is possible to eat healthy meals on a tight budget. I don't think I'd be able to eat so much fresh fruit, or even the types of meat that I currently enjoy though. Rice is very cheap to buy large amounts of and bread is similarly cheap. Unfavorable carbohydrates to be sure, but by controlling portions it would be possible to get the necessary carbohydrates for meals easily and affordably using those two foods. I think it might be a challenge to constrain fat intake as opposed to getting enough when shopping on a budget. I think protein would be the most expensive part, meat is just expensive.

Maybe I'll try my own little experiment in the weeks ahead of shopping for food in the Zone while on a tight budget and post my results.