Okay, I didn't post my longish blog Sunday, the one were I said I was going to talk about a study that seemed to indicate fat people, like me, might be destined to be fat (which I refuse to accept). I didn't blog Monday, either.
The reason?
Well, truthfully, I haven't been doing so well.
Regular readers will recall about two weeks ago I completed 30 days of eating clean. I had intended to simply continue that, at least until the weekend, if not beyond, but my wife and youngest child showed up at the house with THREE LARGE Pizza Hut pizzas, I was starving, didn't have anything prepared, so at the end of Day 31 I broke the consecutive day clean eating streak.
No biggie, right?
That was a Thursday night. Friday was good, but that weekend I went off the diet both days. Then last week I was fine Monday through Friday, but ended up taking both Saturday and Sunday off the diet. Yesterday, Monday, I was doing okay -- probably even under-eating a little -- until I got home and, well, I didn't do so well last night either.
I've still been working out. Last week I did miss a couple of planned cardio sessions, but I did an extra one on Saturday, which is normally my off-day, and yesterday morning I was at the gym on the bike. And I definitely haven't been slacking with the weight training.
That's the way so many of my previous weight-loss efforts have gone, though. I'll do great for a few weeks, drop 15 or 20 pounds, then a bad weekend sends me going the other way, gaining weight, eventually ending up heavier than I was at the start.
I really don't want to do that again.
Truth is, I could quit now, if I could hold my weight where it is, and be much better off than I was when I starting this. Even after these past few days, I'm 42 pounds lighter than when I began. I'm healthier, stronger, smaller, and I feel much better. I've been amazed at how fast the weight dropped off, how much my strength and conditioning have improved in such a short time.
But when I started this, I said my goal was to lose at least 80 pounds. Bad stretch of days or not, I'm still chasing that 80-pound loss.
That's not the only reason I started this. When I'm done with the weight loss, I want to run a 5K (3.1 miles) in less than 30 minutes. That might be laughable to some, but back on March 9, when I started this, it would have taken me 15 to 20 minutes just to walk a half-mile, and I couldn't have walked a 5K. Even now, it would take me forever to finish a 5K course.
I want to hike to the top of the Peaks of Otter. For those of you not from around this area of Virginia, the Peaks is on the Blue Ridge Parkway, in Bedford County. There are two peaks there, one that's quite popular called Sharp Top that's about 3,800 feet. or so elevation, and the other is Flat Top, which is around 4,000 feet elevation. Both have hiking trails, with Sharp Top's trail listed at around 1.5 miles (though some say 1.3 miles). However long it is, it's one tough climb.
Not to overstate the case, it's not like you're climbing Mount Everest, but it's a continual upward climb, over a well-worn yet rough-terrain trail. One guide I found simply gives this warning: This is a steep and strenuous route and should be attempted only by those in good health.
I can recall climbing that trail a number of times when I was a kid and teen-ager. At the top are these huge house-sized boulders. I can recall once a friend of mine and I climbed atop those boulders and watched a thunder storm roll in below us, at lower elevations. Cloudy or clear, it has some incredible views, and I'd like to think I could climb back to the top again, probably some 25 or 30 years since the last time I did it.
Beyond that? I don't know. We'll see. But for now, I know I'm not going to do any of that by letting myself get derailed on this little weight loss effort.
For now, my immediate goals are to get back on the regular, every day healthy eating and working out (including cardio!). Later, we'll see about pursuing some of those longer-term goals.
Now, I'm not going to write down what all I've eaten over the past three days, but I do want to keep you updated on the workouts.
Sunday, May 22.
Legs
Squats
135 pounds -- 10 reps
185 pounds -- 8 reps
225 pounds -- 8 reps
275 pounds -- 6 reps
225 pounds -- 10 reps
205 pounds -- 10 reps
Leg press
400 pounds
2 sets, 10 reps each
Lying Leg curl
90 pounds
3 sets of 10 reps each
Standing Calf Press
500 pounds -- 2 sets of 10 reps each
Machine weighted crunch
125 pounds -- 25 reps
Monday, May 23
Cardio
Stationary Bike
45 minutes 16.25 miles
600 calories
And, that's about it for today. I'll be back on later tonight with a separate blog updating you on today's eating and working out.
Thanks for stopping by!
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