Weigh-In Week 42
272
2 Pounds. Had a great week last week...and the best part? The weather is getting warmer. Snow is starting to melt. You can even start to see grass in some of the wide open spaces. Granted it is a big muddy mess out there, but it is still nice to see.
I started the middle section of week 5 of the Couch-to-5k today. With two exceptions: Instead of a 5 minute walk in-between, I am only doing 3 and I also throw in a 3 minute walking cool-down at the end. I, on occasion, get into these mental blocks, perhaps because of the monotony of the treadmill, but it seems that sometimes I have to push it to get through the 8 minutes and sometimes I look down and am amazed that it has been 8 minutes already. I try to only focus on my breathing and the music being piped into my ears. But this whole running for fun thing is still pretty new to me. I am sure that in time I will get better at putting those little things out of my head. And time is one thing I have plenty of (I hope).
86 Pounds down!
Posted by: MastrGunr on 08 March 2010 at 12:32 | Comments (4) | Permalink
Weigh-In Week 41
274
Nothing lost, nothing gained. I had a couple of great workouts last week, but unfortunately I was unable to get on the treadmill Friday. It was beautiful out yesterday, so I tried to get out and maybe do a little jogging through town, but it was way too icy and wet to get proper footing. I was looking forward to it too, but it is not even safe to run in the streets yet.
I am very surprised how well my body is adapting to jogging. I can see (and feel) considerable improvements from week to week. Now, if I can just get over the boredom of the treadmill...but that perhaps will not happen until I can safely run outside.
I am excited and a wee bit anxious to see what this coming summer has in store. I plan on spending as much time with my daughter outdoors as I possibly can. I feel as if I have a new lease on life. Why did I wait so long?
Still 84 pounds down.
Posted by: MastrGunr on 01 March 2010 at 14:40 | Comments (1) | Permalink
Weigh-In Week 40
274
Another pound for the cause. I was actually watching the scale more this week. Jumping on it every other day or so and it was interesting to see how a person's weight can fluctuate up and down from day to day. My weight was down 4 or 5, up 2 or 3, it was like watching a roulette wheel wondering which number it would land on come Monday morning.
I am really starting to like the Nike+ iPod device. It is just another way to keep me accountable and I can notice the progress not only physically, but graphically as well. My pace is still pretty slow (I think you could clock my mile with a sun dial), but I will get there eventually. I still look forward to working out and now with this new toy I find myself trying to beat what I had done the session before. I also found out that the Nike+ device does not work on the elliptical. I jumped on the elliptical on Friday to test it out. There must not be enough impact or forward motion to register a pace. Even though when I was done on the elliptical it told me I did 4 miles in 30:34 (now why can I not do that on the treadmill?). Time will tell I guess. Here is the link to the data that I have uploaded so far:
nikerunning.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikeplus/en_US/plus/#//runs/history/813556096/all/allRuns/
84 Pounds down! Still pounding away.
Posted by: MastrGunr on 22 February 2010 at 9:11 | Comments (1) | Permalink
Weigh-In Week 39
275
Five pounds! I was very happy to see the scale with a five pound deficit this morning. I can still, from time to time, notice subtle changes in my body. I was able to hike the belt up another notch this last week, which is always a good sign.
I was able to hit the treadmill three times last week, but was hoping for four. This week is a short week for me (only work Monday - Wednesday), so I will probably hit the treadmill Monday and Wednesday, then hit the elliptical Thursday or Friday. I am curious if the Nike+ sensor works on the elliptical? It will be interesting playing around with it a bit.
It is about 14 weeks until the Fargo Marathon. I keep wondering if I will be ready in time. I know that I can walk it if need be, but my goal is to run the entire thing from start to finish. I am not going to push myself too hard, if I can help it, but it is hard. I am focused on what I need to do. I just hope that my body does not fail me.
83 Pounds down! Bring on those triple digits!
Posted by: MastrGunr on 15 February 2010 at 7:48 | Comments (3) | Permalink
New Gear
This week I picked up a couple of new items. I finally picked up a new pair of shoes. After trying on a handful of different brands/models, I finally went with the Nike Pegasus+ 26:
Of all the models I tried they had the best feel and support -- from what I could tell. This may sound unusual, but the moment I tied them on I wanted to start running.
I also picked up the Nike+ iPod Sport Kit ($30 at Best Buy). In the package there is a sensor that you either put in a cut-out in the sole of all new models of Nike shoes, or placed in a pouch in your laces. This thing seems to be able to read any and everything, but heart rate. The package also included an adapter that plugs into the iPod Nano and links wirelessly to the sensor. Or, if you had an iPod Touch or iPhone, it already has the technology built in to read the sensor. Via iTunes it uploads all of your data to Nike's website, where, once you have created a profile, organizes everything in a nice dashboard. You can see an example from my run yesterday here (nikerunning.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikeplus/en_US/plus/#//runs/detail/813556096/1886400381/all/allRuns/).
So, armed with a new pair of running shoes, what did I have to do right away? You got it! Hit the treadmill. The run felt good yesterday in the new shoes and I did not notice any pain in my legs or knee at all. It was actually quite comfortable; I just wish the treadmill was not so monotonous. Spring cannot get here fast enough.
Posted by: MastrGunr on 12 February 2010 at 8:20 | Comments (1) | Permalink
Weigh-In Week 38
280
I was not surprised to see the extra couple pounds on after being on vacation for a week. I could not always make the healthiest of food choices, that, and not stepping one foot on a treadmill or elliptical for a week and a half...but no worries.
It took considerable will power this last week and a half to stay away from the treadmill/elliptical, but I needed time to heal and had to give myself that time. It did not prevent me from feeling like I was being a sluff-off all week though. The rest did do some good. I jumped on the treadmill today and my legs (knee and shins) did not trouble me at all. I have yet to purchase new shoes (they will be one of my first acquisitions once the U.S. Government feels they have had my overpaid tax revenue long enough and decides to give it back to me), but while I ran today, I took special care in stretching and I paid more attention to my form. I made sure to land on the heel and roll towards the toes, increased elevation, plus stretched out my stride a bit more. I felt a tad more winded than before, but I chalked that up to the increase in elevation and to the simple fact that I had not done anything for a week +.
I am looking forward to getting back on track, but I will try not to push it as much as before. I will stick with hitting the treadmill 3-4 days a week, rather than the 4-6 that I was trying to do. That is until the snow melts away a bit, then I plan on being outside as much as I possibly can through May....and beyond.
I received several wonderful comments about the pictures I posted on 25 January. Thank you one and all! It is always wonderful seeing results. I still cannot believe the changes myself.
Posted by: MastrGunr on 08 February 2010 at 12:42 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Weigh-In Week 37
278
Eight pounds for a total of eighty pounds! Eighty pounds....oh how it rolls off the tongue. I will be out of town all next week, so I figured I would weigh in this morning -- a few days ahead of time.
Over the past couple weeks I have been dealing with a couple issues. For one, after the storm that stranded me indoors over Christmas and I proceeded to shovel my way out to the road that Sunday, I damaged a muscle under my right bicep. The brachialis muscle (see image 1), I think it is called, and it is taking a hell of a long time for it to heal. I cannot do any curls, or lift any weight for that matter, with my right arm, which is very hard not to do.
The other issue that I am having just reared its ugly little head the end of last week. I did something to the tendon that connects my left quadriceps over the knee (see image 2)…and it hurts like the Dickens. For the arm, the doctor mentioned that it takes some time to heal and to possibly work on strengthening the triceps to compensate. For the leg, ice and rest. I was hoping to hit the elliptical one more time this week, but I really do not want to push it, as much as it is killing me to not do anything. I do not want to fall behind, but on the other hand I do not want to injure myself further and be down and out for a longer period of time. So, this next week out could not have come at a better time. Maybe, depending on how it feels, I will try to run on it next Thursday or Friday. I will have to play that by ear.
I am surprised every time I look in the mirror at the image that stares back at me. I have not seen this person since I was probably 25 years old. And when I was going through the pictures that were taken earlier this week, I did not even recognize myself. If you want a reference, go back to 19 November 2009 and look at the photos that I took there. That was two months and 5 or 6 pounds (at the time of the 25 January 2010 photos) ago. What a change that just running and eating right can make.
80 Pounds down and 53 left to go! What’s next?
Posted by: MastrGunr on 29 January 2010 at 8:30 | Comments (2) | Permalink
Updated Pics
Here are updated pictures...Before and Now. A little bit of a change.
Posted by: MastrGunr on 25 January 2010 at 21:20 | Comments (5) | Permalink
Weigh-In Week 36
286
I have come to a few realizations of the past couple weeks. First and foremost, why am I in such a damn hurry? I know that I get anxious to become fit and get rid of this excess baggage that I have been carrying around with me for the past 15-20 years, but that is the reality of it...how can I expect to lose in one year what has taken me 20 years to thoughtlessly and recklessly pack on? A reader commented a few weeks ago stating "Keep your long term goal of a sustainable healthy lifestyle in mind..." If I keep doing what I am doing, eating healthy and exercising, eventually I will get to where I want to be. I will continue, from this point forward, to weigh in every week to mark progress, or lack thereof, but I will not let that control me or frustrate me any longer. I am very proud of what I have accomplished so far, in all honesty, a short time. I have to date lost 72 pounds. I am doing 4 miles every other day, non-stop on the elliptical. There is no possible way, even two months ago, that I would have been able to do half that. I am going to continue to train for the 5K, plus this week I am going to start working in a weight lifting regiment.
Over the past months I have strictly, 100% been working on cardio. I realized -- thanks to my brother eventually beating it into my thick skull -- that I need to get back into lifting weights once again. It is really not my favorite thing to do, but I am going to stick with it. Like everything else, I will start out slow. I think I am going to follow the program that Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser has laid out in his book "Are You Ready!" If you are at all interested in losing weight, getting healthy and in shape, I would really recommend this book! I believe I had mentioned it a few months ago in a post, but it has helped me considerably and if nothing else, it is a quick read and it is a good reference.
I am extremely happy to move away from the low-carb diet for the last time EVER! I did not like it at all, but at the time I felt like it was a necessity. While on the diet I felt bogged down and sluggish. Felt like I was undoing all that I worked hard to do over the past several months...but like I said before, I am stubborn. I had to try it and as you can see by the big numbers above, and I really think that it did not improve anything. Good riddance!
So, back to eating healthy. I think I was getting complacent with what I was eating before and not keeping track of the exact calories. I am now an excellent judge of how many calories are in most food out there, but I fell out of keeping track of everything I consumed day to day. I will not fall into that trap again, not saying that I was eating too many, on the contrary, I believe I was eating too few and possibly that was the reason I had not been losing. Hard to say, but I am going to try to stick around 1500. Well above the minimum 1200 and well below what my body burns in a day. We will have to see how that goes. Either way my exercise will increase as time goes on.
I am more motivated and enthusiastic as ever and feel like I have considerable momentum. A lot of that has to do with you, my constant readers. :) I really appreciate all the advice and well wishes that I have received in the comments.
72 pounds down and it is now a new beginning.
***Had a mistype on the weight. :) For some reason I added an extra 100 pounds.
Posted by: MastrGunr on 25 January 2010 at 7:52 | Comments (4) | Permalink
Stubborn
I made a change to my diet this last Wednesday. I am not quite sure if it was for the best, but stubbornness won out. I switched my diet to low-carb for two weeks. Only two weeks...to confuse my body a bit. I know that most of you do not believe in the low-carb solution. I do not much care for it now that I have been eating and living healthier these past months, but it kept gnawing in my mind that I had to make some sort of change. Once I get something in my head, something different to try, something that I think will help me progress just a step or two ahead, it is hard for me to let it go until I at least try it. That also is why I am limiting it to two weeks. If you have ever done the low-carb diet, you know that at the two week point (allegedly from what I understand) is when your body does this miraculous change and flips some sort of switch changing the way your body processes. It switches from burning carbs to burning fat. I have been on this diet several times, but the problem with it is that you do not always eat healthy. All of the meat, eggs, cheese, etc. And a person gets bored with it quite quickly. I plan on doing it very lean though with lean meat, chicken, turkey, egg whites, veggies.
I know that I get impatient. I guess I have been spoiled by getting results almost every week. I know that I should not be in a hurry, but I have come a long way and I can see the finish line down the road. I guess I just got frustrated going one step forward and two steps back. Either way, I am getting this “diet” change out of my system and I will move forward like always. I will NEVER give up even after I reach my goal. I am committed to this Journey for life!
I have been putting my time in on the treadmill, four days a week now. At least for the past couple weeks it has been, and every workout I can tell how much I have improved from one day to the next. The major problem that I am having at the moment…or should I say over the last three weeks or so, are my shins. And they seem to be getting worse instead of better. I do every shin/calf stretch I can find and it still does not seem to help. I am going to read up on how to fix them, but in the meantime, for the next couple weeks I am going to only do the elliptical. My shins never bother me when I step off of that machine, plus it gives me an outstanding cardio workout. I figured if I give them a rest for two weeks, then jump back on the treadmill to test them out. I do not know. It has been sixteen or seventeen years since I ran last and that was for my yearly Physical Training test. It had been another four years previous to that that I had to run every day. We will have to see how it works out.
I do not know if I will be able to go the entire month without weighing in. Every time I walk by the scale it seems like it is calling out to me. Maybe I will commence with the weigh-ins when I switch back to my normal healthy eating habits. Sound like a plan?
Posted by: MastrGunr on 18 January 2010 at 9:27 | Comments (3) | Permalink
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