Hey There!
So the scale says I am back to 34 lbs down this morning. I did not expect a record week, and was not going to be surprised if I gained.
Right after I did my blog entry last week, I PINGED my back picking up my son repeatedly (once at a really weird angle.) I have been in consistent back pain since then and my workouts have suffered.
I iced, rested and did some back stretches and exercises, and today it feels the best it has all week. (I am still only 70% but I am getting back on the workout train tomorrow. Modified ... but back at it.
I could have pushed myself this week even though I have been in pain, but I reminded myself that I am in it for the long haul and I need to get my back feeling better, and that is more important than a few workouts.
I have used the analogy in conversation, that I might be making different decisions if I was trying to lose a bunch of weight fast for a wedding or some other event. This is not the case though. I have my eye on a more permanent prize and one that takes a lot longer but stays a lot longer and equals real life change. This has guided many of my decisions in my journey so far.
This has been a setback week, and as long as I have many more moving forward weeks, and only a few setback or stagnant weeks, I am going to be as happy as Ralph Macchio in a wax factory on "Free Sample" day! (Wax on ... Wax off)
I will let you know how the week goes as I get back on the 103in365 Express!
Have a good week and remember that large goals take a long time, and things won't go perfectly all the time. It is how we how we organize our efforts, reorganize our efforts when necessary, and get back on the train without giving up, that is going to make all the difference.
Scuba
Monday, January 28, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Day 113 of 103in365: 38/103
Hey There,
Right out of the gate, I will report that I lost 1 lb. this week. (I've had worse.)
That puts me at 38 LBS into this thing!
Gluten-Free January is going very well. I am still GF, although I did not recognize that there were croutons in the salad tonight and ate part of one. (I think I will live.) Franz Bread has the best GF bread I have found so far. (Since you asked) I have tried several brands at this point, and Franz got it right!
I got some really good advice from some GF supporters (that I need to put into practice). They both suggested that I beware of just substituting as much GF carbs for the wheat carbs I used to eat. They wisely suggested to take this opportunity to cut back a bit on carbs some altogether. I am going to work harder on that this week. (Thanks for the advice, even if I have not followed it yet.)
I suffered from a cold this week (no excuses), and I just felt zapped of most of my energy. I did not get as many workouts in as I have been doing recently. That is going to change this week.
In the past few months I have been getting in roughly 4 or 5 workouts a week. They vary in intensity, in what I am doing and they also vary in length of time. I would say that I rarely have been working out longer than 45 minutes, and much of the time. shorter than that. Sometimes I do 2 short workouts in a day, instead of 1 longer one.
This week, partially due to my cold and partially do to my history around weight loss, I came close to hitting yet another wall. I struggled with the motivation to workout as much as I should have, and I made some eating decisions that were not perfect.
I was reading back on some of my older entries, and as I suspected, this is not the first I am having this discussion with you, and it won't be my last. I am very excited about how much better I am feeling. I am very excited about hearing how much different I look already. I am very excited about how much better my clothes are fitting. That is a lot of excitement!
All that being said, I still find myself needing to push through this sabotaging "urge" and this learned response to a noticeable level of weight loss success. Until now, I have always said to myself whether consciously or unconsciously, "I Say. Well done old man. Jolly good show and all that. Now sit back and relax a bit". This is one of the main reasons I have not been successful in the past. I have historically fell back into a comfortable and easy (eat more and exercise less) lifestyle.
Not this time Toodles!
I thought back today to a documentary that we watched about Air Force One. (The plane(s) not the movie) (Good movie though with Harrison Ford) (I like that guy) (As much as I know about him at least)
Anywho, this documentary talked about all manner of fascinating facts about Air Force One. Digression in 3 .... 2 .... 1 ....
Did you know that there are actually 2 identical Boeing 747-200Bs that serve as Air Force One so that if one has a problem, they just switch to the other one faster than you can say "Luke, we're gonna have company!" (Sorry. Harrison Ford on the brain.)
Also, there is a sizable crew of folks that keep these two planes in perfect running order. Another interesting fact is that even though those two 747s are what we know as Air Force One, really Air Force One is any Air Force plane the President it currently on.
One of the pilots in the documentary said something that really stuck with me and is the reason I got onto the topic of the President's plane in the first place. He said that every time the President is on Air Force One, it is an official Air Force Mission. He went on to state that everything and everybody has to be perfect because when they have the President, it is a "Zero-Fail Mission."
I like that. Zero-Fail Mission! There is no acceptance of failure! No matter what has to be done. Whether the plane has to be switched out, refueled in midair, or any number of prepared contingency plans, the mission can not and will not "Fail".
I am on a "Zero-Fail Mission" to lose and keep this weight off, and to get and stay fit! That means that I have to continue to prepare contingency plans for anything that might come up on my personal mission too. I have to continue to not accept anything but success and not accept failure. That is how committed I am to these goals! I am doing whatever it takes this time, and that is a level of commitment I have not had before.
Are you that committed to your main goals right now? Are you committed to doing whatever it takes to succeed this time, no matter how long it takes! (and no matter how many times you have come short before now?) If not, that is where you need to be. That is the only way you or I are going to reach any of the goals we maybe previously felt were unreachable or too difficult.
I hope you think of your most important goal(s) with me right now and declare with me ...
"I am on a Zero-Fail Mission!"
Scuba
Right out of the gate, I will report that I lost 1 lb. this week. (I've had worse.)
That puts me at 38 LBS into this thing!
Gluten-Free January is going very well. I am still GF, although I did not recognize that there were croutons in the salad tonight and ate part of one. (I think I will live.) Franz Bread has the best GF bread I have found so far. (Since you asked) I have tried several brands at this point, and Franz got it right!
I got some really good advice from some GF supporters (that I need to put into practice). They both suggested that I beware of just substituting as much GF carbs for the wheat carbs I used to eat. They wisely suggested to take this opportunity to cut back a bit on carbs some altogether. I am going to work harder on that this week. (Thanks for the advice, even if I have not followed it yet.)
I suffered from a cold this week (no excuses), and I just felt zapped of most of my energy. I did not get as many workouts in as I have been doing recently. That is going to change this week.
In the past few months I have been getting in roughly 4 or 5 workouts a week. They vary in intensity, in what I am doing and they also vary in length of time. I would say that I rarely have been working out longer than 45 minutes, and much of the time. shorter than that. Sometimes I do 2 short workouts in a day, instead of 1 longer one.
This week, partially due to my cold and partially do to my history around weight loss, I came close to hitting yet another wall. I struggled with the motivation to workout as much as I should have, and I made some eating decisions that were not perfect.
I was reading back on some of my older entries, and as I suspected, this is not the first I am having this discussion with you, and it won't be my last. I am very excited about how much better I am feeling. I am very excited about hearing how much different I look already. I am very excited about how much better my clothes are fitting. That is a lot of excitement!
All that being said, I still find myself needing to push through this sabotaging "urge" and this learned response to a noticeable level of weight loss success. Until now, I have always said to myself whether consciously or unconsciously, "I Say. Well done old man. Jolly good show and all that. Now sit back and relax a bit". This is one of the main reasons I have not been successful in the past. I have historically fell back into a comfortable and easy (eat more and exercise less) lifestyle.
Not this time Toodles!
I thought back today to a documentary that we watched about Air Force One. (The plane(s) not the movie) (Good movie though with Harrison Ford) (I like that guy) (As much as I know about him at least)
Anywho, this documentary talked about all manner of fascinating facts about Air Force One. Digression in 3 .... 2 .... 1 ....
Did you know that there are actually 2 identical Boeing 747-200Bs that serve as Air Force One so that if one has a problem, they just switch to the other one faster than you can say "Luke, we're gonna have company!" (Sorry. Harrison Ford on the brain.)
Also, there is a sizable crew of folks that keep these two planes in perfect running order. Another interesting fact is that even though those two 747s are what we know as Air Force One, really Air Force One is any Air Force plane the President it currently on.
One of the pilots in the documentary said something that really stuck with me and is the reason I got onto the topic of the President's plane in the first place. He said that every time the President is on Air Force One, it is an official Air Force Mission. He went on to state that everything and everybody has to be perfect because when they have the President, it is a "Zero-Fail Mission."
I like that. Zero-Fail Mission! There is no acceptance of failure! No matter what has to be done. Whether the plane has to be switched out, refueled in midair, or any number of prepared contingency plans, the mission can not and will not "Fail".
I am on a "Zero-Fail Mission" to lose and keep this weight off, and to get and stay fit! That means that I have to continue to prepare contingency plans for anything that might come up on my personal mission too. I have to continue to not accept anything but success and not accept failure. That is how committed I am to these goals! I am doing whatever it takes this time, and that is a level of commitment I have not had before.
Are you that committed to your main goals right now? Are you committed to doing whatever it takes to succeed this time, no matter how long it takes! (and no matter how many times you have come short before now?) If not, that is where you need to be. That is the only way you or I are going to reach any of the goals we maybe previously felt were unreachable or too difficult.
I hope you think of your most important goal(s) with me right now and declare with me ...
"I am on a Zero-Fail Mission!"
Scuba
Monday, January 14, 2013
Day 106 of 103in365: Weigh-in Monday 37/103
Hey There!
First things first. I hit an all time low today ... on the scale. (Not an "All Time" low, just an all time low for 103in365. Which is still AMALZING!)
I clocked in at 281 LBS! That gets me to 37 LBS total now!
What are you going to talk about this week Scuba? I am so glad you asked!
This week I have really been thinking about and focusing on, KEEPING THINGS FUN!
There is so much in our lives that is not fun. If we go about our health and fitness in a way that is also not fun, well, ... good luck Ginger!
Getting and staying fit needs to be fun because it is also a good deal of work and takes a good deal of energy and planning. Loosing 37 lbs did not happen by accident and it did not happen because I was dreading every day and dreading every workout. It happened, (you already know this about me if you have been reading some of my other blogs) because I am making and keeping it fun this time!
Listen to me now and believe me later! That is a full time job all by itself. But here is the rub. If I were to stop putting so much effort into making and keeping this whole thing as fun as possible, there is little chance I would have had the success I have had so far, and even less chance I would have the success that I am going to have in the near future.
I have been having fun in some ... well ... fun ways! I've been watching movies while I am working out for one thing. I really liked working out to Premium Rush this week because most of the movie is Joseph Gorden-Levitt (you know I got his name off IMDB because I don't commit many actors names to memory. I am usually all "I just saw a good movie with that one dude from that other movie") riding his bike around Manhattan in a hurry. When he would speed up, I would speed up. The only thing is that I can't get as much air with my stationary recumbent bike as he was getting on his bike on the screen.
I like watching action movies when I work out, because if it gets to introspective, I slow down to ponder my place in the universe and forget to put the pedal to the medal. Don't get me wrong. I really like movies that make me think. Especially ones that make me think, or I will be too lost to enjoy myself. (I know what you are thinking. "Someone found the Italics button". Wait till I find the Bold button.)
If you have any good movie recommendations, please let me know. Especially ones that might be good to watch whilst working out. Next on my watch list, or re-watch list in this case, is Transporter and Transporter 2! That Jason Statham is a Bad A!
I have made reference to some of the ways I am having fun working out. The speed bag and the Wing Chun Dummy are two of the things that are really motivating me to workout because I love doing them and I want to keep getting better at them. Unlike the recumbent bike, for instance, there are a lot of skills and practice involved in them and that challenge is helping my motivation a ton!
Also, I am having an increasing amount of fun planning and cooking meals. Especially because it is Gluten-Free January (which is going great by the way! Thanks for asking) and that's really making me need/want to be more involved in what I am eating and cooking. My momma didn't raise no fool, so I was smart enough to marry a chef! (I am smarter than you thought, huh?) My amazing wife and I are having an increased amount of fun in the kitchen planning and cooking more often and experimenting with new and delicious ways to eat healthier and for me to do it GF.
Next week I will talk more about how life has been Gluten-Free. (teaser) So far it has been great and its really working out just as I had hoped it would.
Take away for this week: Don't forget to work really hard to have fun! It probably won't happen if you always leave it up to chance and your goals are too important to leave anything up to chance!
Work hard to play hard!
Scuba
First things first. I hit an all time low today ... on the scale. (Not an "All Time" low, just an all time low for 103in365. Which is still AMALZING!)
I clocked in at 281 LBS! That gets me to 37 LBS total now!
What are you going to talk about this week Scuba? I am so glad you asked!
This week I have really been thinking about and focusing on, KEEPING THINGS FUN!
There is so much in our lives that is not fun. If we go about our health and fitness in a way that is also not fun, well, ... good luck Ginger!
Getting and staying fit needs to be fun because it is also a good deal of work and takes a good deal of energy and planning. Loosing 37 lbs did not happen by accident and it did not happen because I was dreading every day and dreading every workout. It happened, (you already know this about me if you have been reading some of my other blogs) because I am making and keeping it fun this time!
Listen to me now and believe me later! That is a full time job all by itself. But here is the rub. If I were to stop putting so much effort into making and keeping this whole thing as fun as possible, there is little chance I would have had the success I have had so far, and even less chance I would have the success that I am going to have in the near future.
I have been having fun in some ... well ... fun ways! I've been watching movies while I am working out for one thing. I really liked working out to Premium Rush this week because most of the movie is Joseph Gorden-Levitt (you know I got his name off IMDB because I don't commit many actors names to memory. I am usually all "I just saw a good movie with that one dude from that other movie") riding his bike around Manhattan in a hurry. When he would speed up, I would speed up. The only thing is that I can't get as much air with my stationary recumbent bike as he was getting on his bike on the screen.
I like watching action movies when I work out, because if it gets to introspective, I slow down to ponder my place in the universe and forget to put the pedal to the medal. Don't get me wrong. I really like movies that make me think. Especially ones that make me think, or I will be too lost to enjoy myself. (I know what you are thinking. "Someone found the Italics button". Wait till I find the Bold button.)
If you have any good movie recommendations, please let me know. Especially ones that might be good to watch whilst working out. Next on my watch list, or re-watch list in this case, is Transporter and Transporter 2! That Jason Statham is a Bad A!
I have made reference to some of the ways I am having fun working out. The speed bag and the Wing Chun Dummy are two of the things that are really motivating me to workout because I love doing them and I want to keep getting better at them. Unlike the recumbent bike, for instance, there are a lot of skills and practice involved in them and that challenge is helping my motivation a ton!
Also, I am having an increasing amount of fun planning and cooking meals. Especially because it is Gluten-Free January (which is going great by the way! Thanks for asking) and that's really making me need/want to be more involved in what I am eating and cooking. My momma didn't raise no fool, so I was smart enough to marry a chef! (I am smarter than you thought, huh?) My amazing wife and I are having an increased amount of fun in the kitchen planning and cooking more often and experimenting with new and delicious ways to eat healthier and for me to do it GF.
Next week I will talk more about how life has been Gluten-Free. (teaser) So far it has been great and its really working out just as I had hoped it would.
Take away for this week: Don't forget to work really hard to have fun! It probably won't happen if you always leave it up to chance and your goals are too important to leave anything up to chance!
Work hard to play hard!
Scuba
Monday, January 7, 2013
Day 99 of 103in365: Weigh-in Monday 35/103
Hey There!
So I came in at 283 LBS this morning! That is the lowest I have been yet! (which is the point, right?)
Last night I tried on a bunch of my clothes and made a pile of clothes to donate that fit too loose or look too baggy. It is a pretty big pile!
It turns out that I have been hanging out in the 44 waist size for some time. I have gotten as big as needing a 46 too. I am officially a size 40 today and I can feel and see the difference!
My goal is to feel really comfortable in a size 36. I have been a size 36 once in the last decade or so, so I know that it is a reasonable goal for me.
Gluten-Free January is going great! It is not easy, but I have not cooked or eaten this much "clean" and healthy food in ... I don't know how long. There is not a lot out there in restaurants (maybe specialty restaurants) or at convenience stores (maybe specialty convenience stores) that is gluten free, so I have forced myself to have a much higher investment in planning and preparing my meals. Here is the best news. I am having a blast!
I love cooking. I have just gotten lazy over the years and Gluten-Free January is helping me to get unlazy about cooking and cooking healthier! That's one result I'd hoped to have and it has been even more that I expected! I've been cooking so much this week and my amazing wife has been supporting me by cooking some fantastic food and putting together some sock-popping-off chicken salads!
I am certainly not going carb free! I am eating corn tortillas, gluten-free bread, brown rice etc. I am generally eating less carbs overall in the journey, but really not by a whole lot. I have been so curious how I would feel and how much weight I might lose going gluten-free. In one respect this seems like a big change, but really it does not seem that way to me. This is just challenging, but in all the right ways!
As I spoke about last week, I have two pictures in a less "fat hiding" t-shirt that my amazing wife took of me in the beginning of October. She took a few pics of me in that same shirt a two days ago. The picture quality is not very good, but I'll take better pics next time. Here is what 35 LBS less looks like on me.
Before
Now
Not bad! Its a start! I have a long way to go, but I am on my way and moving forward!
That reminds me of one of my favorite Simpson's quotes. It is from one of the aliens. Kang to be exact.
"Tonight I say, we must move forward, not backward; upward, not forward; and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom!"
Don't forget to twirl!
Scuba
So I came in at 283 LBS this morning! That is the lowest I have been yet! (which is the point, right?)
Last night I tried on a bunch of my clothes and made a pile of clothes to donate that fit too loose or look too baggy. It is a pretty big pile!
It turns out that I have been hanging out in the 44 waist size for some time. I have gotten as big as needing a 46 too. I am officially a size 40 today and I can feel and see the difference!
My goal is to feel really comfortable in a size 36. I have been a size 36 once in the last decade or so, so I know that it is a reasonable goal for me.
Gluten-Free January is going great! It is not easy, but I have not cooked or eaten this much "clean" and healthy food in ... I don't know how long. There is not a lot out there in restaurants (maybe specialty restaurants) or at convenience stores (maybe specialty convenience stores) that is gluten free, so I have forced myself to have a much higher investment in planning and preparing my meals. Here is the best news. I am having a blast!
I love cooking. I have just gotten lazy over the years and Gluten-Free January is helping me to get unlazy about cooking and cooking healthier! That's one result I'd hoped to have and it has been even more that I expected! I've been cooking so much this week and my amazing wife has been supporting me by cooking some fantastic food and putting together some sock-popping-off chicken salads!
I am certainly not going carb free! I am eating corn tortillas, gluten-free bread, brown rice etc. I am generally eating less carbs overall in the journey, but really not by a whole lot. I have been so curious how I would feel and how much weight I might lose going gluten-free. In one respect this seems like a big change, but really it does not seem that way to me. This is just challenging, but in all the right ways!
As I spoke about last week, I have two pictures in a less "fat hiding" t-shirt that my amazing wife took of me in the beginning of October. She took a few pics of me in that same shirt a two days ago. The picture quality is not very good, but I'll take better pics next time. Here is what 35 LBS less looks like on me.
Before
Now
Not bad! Its a start! I have a long way to go, but I am on my way and moving forward!
That reminds me of one of my favorite Simpson's quotes. It is from one of the aliens. Kang to be exact.
"Tonight I say, we must move forward, not backward; upward, not forward; and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom!"
Don't forget to twirl!
Scuba
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Day 93 of 103in365: Weigh-in Monday 32/103
Happy New Year!
Let me tell you something I have figured out.
The scale is not to be trusted!
Last Monday, the thing told be that I had gained 2 lbs, then on Thursday, it told me I had lost 6 lbs in 3 days (and one of those days with a very carby Christmas day!)
Yesterday I weighed in at 286. So that makes me down 32 lbs (thus the 32/103).
I have read and talked to people about weighing yourself for the intent of tracking your weight loss and I do almost everything that is suggested. Weigh yourself infrequently because there is so much fluctuation in your weight, even inside the same day. Weigh yourself at the same time of day in the same clothes etc. There are so many factors that make the scale fluctuate even if you follow all the appropriate scale etiquette. What you have eaten or drank and how long ago, how much water are you drinking, are you retaining water, how much salt are you consuming, when was the last time you exercised, etc. (Exhausting!)
Here is my feeling about the scale. It is a useful tool to give you an idea of your success, but not as the end all or definitive measure of your progress. Instead, you should pay attention to how you feel, how you look and the inches you have lost.
So that is enough of that!
I will continue to show my weight loss every week, but starting next week, I am going to show more pictures of me and report on inches lost too. (I have a picture that I took on October 3rd in a shirt that is not as "fat hiding" as the shirt that I am wearing in the pic I posted on my first entry on Oct 1. That is the shirt I am going to use for comparison pics.)
Here is the skinny on my January plan. This is day 1 of "Gluten-Free January"! I began today and I am going to cut out all Gluten from my diet for at least the whole month. I want to see how I feel without all the wheat products in my diet. (THEY say it feels great) I also like that even on day one, I am experiencing an expected additional need to plan to eat purposefully and specifically. These are important characteristics of any healthy eating lifestyle.
I will let you know how my first week went next week! I am excited to try something very significant and very new. I am excited to see how much weight I will loose by needing to plan my meals better, for what I am learning and will continue to learn about nutrition and Gluten-Free and Clean Eating and to be able to share my experiences and newly gained knowledge with you!
Consider committing to some healthy changes for this New Year so that you can not only be more healthy this year, but you will also be around to experience many more New Years!
Have a great week and Happy New Year!
Scuba
Let me tell you something I have figured out.
The scale is not to be trusted!
Last Monday, the thing told be that I had gained 2 lbs, then on Thursday, it told me I had lost 6 lbs in 3 days (and one of those days with a very carby Christmas day!)
Yesterday I weighed in at 286. So that makes me down 32 lbs (thus the 32/103).
I have read and talked to people about weighing yourself for the intent of tracking your weight loss and I do almost everything that is suggested. Weigh yourself infrequently because there is so much fluctuation in your weight, even inside the same day. Weigh yourself at the same time of day in the same clothes etc. There are so many factors that make the scale fluctuate even if you follow all the appropriate scale etiquette. What you have eaten or drank and how long ago, how much water are you drinking, are you retaining water, how much salt are you consuming, when was the last time you exercised, etc. (Exhausting!)
Here is my feeling about the scale. It is a useful tool to give you an idea of your success, but not as the end all or definitive measure of your progress. Instead, you should pay attention to how you feel, how you look and the inches you have lost.
So that is enough of that!
I will continue to show my weight loss every week, but starting next week, I am going to show more pictures of me and report on inches lost too. (I have a picture that I took on October 3rd in a shirt that is not as "fat hiding" as the shirt that I am wearing in the pic I posted on my first entry on Oct 1. That is the shirt I am going to use for comparison pics.)
Here is the skinny on my January plan. This is day 1 of "Gluten-Free January"! I began today and I am going to cut out all Gluten from my diet for at least the whole month. I want to see how I feel without all the wheat products in my diet. (THEY say it feels great) I also like that even on day one, I am experiencing an expected additional need to plan to eat purposefully and specifically. These are important characteristics of any healthy eating lifestyle.
I will let you know how my first week went next week! I am excited to try something very significant and very new. I am excited to see how much weight I will loose by needing to plan my meals better, for what I am learning and will continue to learn about nutrition and Gluten-Free and Clean Eating and to be able to share my experiences and newly gained knowledge with you!
Consider committing to some healthy changes for this New Year so that you can not only be more healthy this year, but you will also be around to experience many more New Years!
Have a great week and Happy New Year!
Scuba
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