And the Wednesday Blog moves to Thursday...

Yep, in keeping with the week's theme of blogging a day late (and being far more than a dollar short), I bring to you the special Thursday edition of my Wednesday blog.

Same story -- busy with work, with writing, with working out, and next thing I know the clock's on the upward swing toward 1 a.m., so I didn't manage to get back online for my blog last night. I do PLAN to blog again tonight, but here's the quick scoop on how Wednesday went.

The workout today was particularly challenging. You know how some days you just have it, and some days you don't? Well, this felt like a "don't" day. I did increase my weight and reps some during the chest workout, but really seemed to run out of gas about the time I hit shoulders, so the rest of the night was a struggle, and I even fell off a bit on the weight or reps.

Workout
Chest, shoulders, triceps

Chest
Flat bench press
135 pounds -- 10 reps
185 pounds -- 8 reps
225 pounds -- 6 reps (yeah! My first time back to 225 pounds in a good, long time!)
210 pounds -- 8 reps
200 pounds -- 8 reps

Incline barbell press
135 pounds -- 8 reps
145 pounds -- 6 reps

Flat bench dumbbell chest flys
40 pounds, 2 sets, 10 reps first, 12 reps second

Shoulders
Seated Barbell Overhead press
95 pounds -- 8 reps
105 pounds -- 8 reps

Seated machine side raises
110 pounds -- 10 reps 1 set, 8 reps second set

Seated Rear Deltoid Flys
125 pounds -- 2 set, 10 reps each

Triceps
Tricep pressdown
160 pounds -- 10 reps
150 pounds -- 10 reps

Seated machine tricep dips
255 pounds -- 15 reps

And that's about it for Wednesday. Thanks for stopping by, and check back in later for the actual Thursday blog on Thursday. I'll get it done...really...I think...most likely...

Eight-week Weigh-In And Meeting a Blog Reader!

Today marks exactly eight weeks since I officially started the weight loss efforts, and I weighed in this morning at 245 -- that's 34 pounds less than when this started. That's a lot, at least to me. I still have a long way to go, with a goal of losing 80 pounds of fat, but I'm getting close to the half-way point!

I also met someone in real life who's been reading my blog. Well, I mean other than relatives. When I walked into the gym tonight the center's director, a guy named Greg Hampton, was working with a new member, walking the person through a workout on the Nautilus machines. But when I walked in he stopped for a minute, told me he'd been reading the blog and enjoyed seeing my progress. (I would put a link to him here, but some folks don't like that, and since I met him in real life and not online, and didn't ask if it would be okay, I'll forgo that).

A little bit later, after Greg was done with the new member, he came over to where I was working out to chat a few minutes, mostly just to see how it was going, make a few encouraging comments on my work and progress, that sort of thing. I have to say I really appreciated him doing that. Devotees of my blog will know that I've made little comments from time to time about a piece of equipment there not working, or some other little problem, but all in all it's actually a really nice facility. I work out at The Carroll Wellness Center, and it's really more of a community center than strictly a gym. 

Don't get me wrong, they have a lot of weight equipment, and some big dudes working out hard, just like you'd see at a more hardcore gym, but they also have an indoor swimming pool, a gym, indoor and outdoor walking tracks, and a lot of activities for kids and families (they even have a child care service so parents can get a break from their kids to workout).

It's not perfect -- but then whatever is -- but it's a good center and some really friendly staffers. It's hard to go in or out of there without getting a smile and a hello from at least two or three of them. Anyway, I'm not trying to turn this into a commercial for the center, but it is a nice place to workout, with a load of alternatives for whatever you want to do -- my wife and youngest do Zumba there three or four nights a week, and several of our crew occasionally utilize the basketball courts, so we definitely get a lot out of the center.

For today, I was on my own working out -- my son was a little under the weather so he decided to sit out. 

Today's schedule:

Workout

Weight training -- chest, shoulders, triceps

Chest

Flat bench barbell press

135 pounds -- 1 set, 10 reps

185 pounds -- 1 set, 8 reps

210 pounds -- 1 set, 8 reps

200 pounds -- 1 set, 8 reps

190 pounds -- 1 set, 8 reps (just barely -- not having a spotter is great motivation to finish off that last rep!)

Incline barbell bench press

135 pounds -- 2 sets, 10 reps each

Flat-bench dumbbell flyes

40 pound dumbbells -- 2 sets, 10 reps each

Shoulders

Seated barbell press

115 pounds -- 1 set, 8 reps

100 pounds -- 1 set, 10 reps

Machine side raises

115 pounds -- 2 sets, 10 reps each

Seated machine rear delt flyes

140 pounds -- 2 sets, 10 reps each

Triceps

Lying curl bar tricep extension

50 pounds -- 2 sets, 10 reps each

40 pounds -- 1 set each

Seated overhead dumbbell extension

60 pounds -- 1 set, 10 reps

Abs

Seated Machine Crunch

125 pounds -- 2 sets, 15 reps each

Food for the day

Breakfast

Coffee

Eggs -- 1 whole, 2 whites

Oatmeal -- 1/3 cup dry

Lunch

Chef Salad (not in the plans for the day, but I rarely get to eat lunch with my wife, so yeah, I went out today for lunch because she was around, and the chef salad was the ONLY thing on the menu that would qualify as healthy, clean eating)

Note: The salad was about 3 ounces turkey, 3 ounces ham, 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, lettuce, some grape tomatoes, and a few onions. NO dressing.

Snack

Fat free Greek yogurt

First dinner

Center cut pork loin, 4 ounces

Mixed veggies -- 1/2 cup

Second dinner

Garlic chicken -- 5 ounces (and I do mean GARLIC --I could walk through a room full of vampires right now and be safe)

Baked potato -- 5 ounces

Diet butter -- 1 tablespoon

Total for the day

1,270 calories

45 grams fat

124 grams protein

water -- 65 ounces

diet soda -- 30 ounces

I might get a little snack before bed, if I do I'll update. If not, that's it for the day.

Well, this wasn't in the plans...

Today was a bit of a struggle, with a bad cold. Actually, it started yesterday, and by the end of the day I was feeling pretty bad, and it only grew worse overnight and into today. Bad sore throat, stuffed up sinuses...you know the drill. Haven't felt like eating as much either, though I forcing it down.

Anyway, as you can imagine, the workout wasn't the greatest. I had already decided to forgo cardio this morning because of the knee (which is doing much better), but I went a little lighter with weights tonight as well -- fewer reps in some cases, fewer less weight in others, and just not as much as I normally do. I thought I'd be able to do a regular workout, but about two-thirds of the way through the chest portion of the work, I was already feeling like I was running out of gas, so not a great day with the weights.

I did weigh again today -- 246 pounds, or THREE more pounds lost since Sunday (well, 3.5 to be specific)!

That's about it for the day. Here's my workout and eating:

Weight training -- chest, shoulders and triceps.

Chest

Dumbbell bench press

60 pounds -- 1 set of 10 reps

90 pounds -- 2 sets 8 reps each, plus 1 set of 7 reps

Incline barbell press

135 pounds -- 2 sets, 8 reps each

Machine seated chest flye

125 pounds -- 2 sets, 10 reps each

Shoulders

Seated Barbell press

115 pounds -- 1 set, 6 reps

95 pounds -- 1 set, 10 reps

Seated machine side raises

110 pounds -- 2 sets, 10 reps each

Triceps

Press down 

150 pounds, 2 sets, 12 reps each

Abs

Seated weighted crunch

125 pounds -- 1 set, 15 reps

Food for the day

Breakfast

Coffee

Eggs -- 1 whole, 2 whites

Southwestern hash browns -- 2/3 cup

Lunch

Ground chicken -- 2 ounces

Kidney beans -- 1/2 cup

Cheese -- 1/8 cup

Salsa and corn

All on a mixed green salad

Snack

Fat Free Greek Yogurt

First Dinner

Lean pork -- 4.3 ounces

Brown rice -- 2/3 cup cooked

Second dinner

Baked chicken breast -- 3.75 ounces

Red potatoes baked in olive oil -- 6.5 ounces

Totals for the day

Calories -- 1,220 (plus whatever might be in Dayquil and cough drops)

Fat -- 31 grams

Protein -- 120 grams

Water -- 85 ounces

Diet soda -- 24 ounces

Entering The Danger Zone (Also Known as the Delusional Zone)

Okay, maybe that title's a little dramatic, but let me explain.

When you're trying to drop some weight, early success is a double-edged sword. When you start hitting that 15-pound, 20-pound mark for weight loss, you feel great. Clothes that fit are now loose, clothes that were too tight to wear now fit (though maybe a tad snugly). You start to think this just might work.

That kind of success breeds more success -- it makes you want to work a little harder, see even more success.

BUT...it's also dangerous. You know you're dropping weight, you know you're being successful, when you pass by a mirror you can see you're a little bit different. It's so easy to think "hey, I can eat an extra snack, I can have a candy bar, I can take an extra night off."

Why not? You're losing weight, you're feeling good, what's the big deal?

Here's where the "delusional" part comes in. I can tell you from that long-term yo-yo dieting experience, if you're as big as I am, dropping 20 pounds is great. It's worth celebrating. But, you're really not as "slender" as you think when you glance at that mirror, you're really not that much different than when you started. You really can't afford that extra snack, that extra off night, skipping that workout.

But it's hard to remember that.

No, this isn't a long-winded way to say I fell off the wagon today. I had a good day. But that's the point I'm at now -- I know I'm making progress, can measure it, see it, but this is the point where so many of my other weight loss efforts meet their end -- when I start finding it too easy to cheat just a bit here, a little there.

I suspect there are plenty of people who have had the same experience. What's the answer? Well, I guess it's simply just don't do that. Easy, right?

We'll find out.

I've had a pretty good day on the eating and a good day in the gym, so here's my results:

Weight Training
Chest, shoulders, triceps

Chest
Dumbbell Bench Press
55 pounds, 1 set, 10 reps
90 pounds, 1 set, 8 reps
85 pounds, 2 sets, 8 reps each
85 pounds, 1 set, 7 reps (yes, that was to failure)

Incline Barbell Press
135 pounds -- 1 set, 8 reps
115 pounds -- 1 set, 8 reps

Seated Machine Chest Flyes
125 pounds -- 2 sets, 10 reps each.

Shoulders
Seated Barbell Press
95 pounds, 1 set, 8 reps
115 pounds, 1 set, 6 reps

Seated Machine Side Raises
110 pounds, 2 set, 8 reps each

Seated Machine Rear Delt Flyes
140 pounds, 2 sets, 8 reps each

Triceps
Seated Overhead Dumbbell Tri Extension
65 pounds, 2 sets, 10 reps each

Standing Tricep Pressdown
150 pounds
1 set, 12 reps
1 set, 8 reps

Abs
Seated Machine Crunch
110 pounds
1 set, 15 reps
1 set, 12 reps

Cardio
Okay, this is a little off tonight, because someone else was on the main stationary bike at the gym, so I did my first 10 minutes on a recumbent bike, which is those bikes where you're sitting back, almost lying down, pumping your legs without really having to do much of anything. I call it the lazy bike. I hate them (so naturally, our gym has FOUR of those and just one regular stationary bike). After 13 minutes on the recumbent bike I was able to get 27 more on the regular bike. Ten of those minutes were at level 6, the rest at level 5.

Total for both bikes
40 minutes
14 miles
435 calories

Food for the day
Breakfast
Eggs -- 1 whole, 2 whites
1 ounce lean ham
Coffee

Lunch
Boiled, skinless chicken thigh -- 4 ounces
Brown long grain rice -- 1/2 cup
Veggies -- 1/2 cup

Snack
Salad (lettuce, one boiled egg, 1 ounce lean ham, fat-free dressing)
Greek Yogurt

Snack 2
Greek Yogurt
Not-so-lean ham -- 1 ounce

Dinner
Tilapia -- 4.35 ounces
Baked potato -- 6 ounces
Diet butter -- 1 1/2 tablespoons

Snack 3
Cheerios --1 cup
Milk -- 3/4 cup

Total for the day
1,360 calories
32 grams fat
123 grams protein (way too low)

Water -- 85 ouncs
Diet soda -- 24 ounces

Eventually, Even Mr. Miyagi Agreed...The Belt DOES Matter

Some of you may remember how I took issue with Mr. Miyagi in an earlier post, explaining that the belt does matter, even though he said it didn't (See Mr. Miyagi was wrong -- it IS all about the belt).

Eventually, though, the wise old Mr. Miyagi even came to understand there are times when it's all about the belt, as illustrated in today's video.

What's that got to do with me, other than demonstrating I may have an unhealthy obsession with 80s movies?

Well, I'm hear to talk again about the belt. In that earlier post, you may recall, I was happy because I was able to squeeze (and I do mean SQUEEZE) into my belt, on the first hole. It had been several weeks since I could even wear a belt, so getting it around me and buckling it -- not matter how hard it was -- was a major achievement.

Today I notched that same belt on the second hole -- and comfortably, too. I'm down to the second hole!

Sometimes, when you're trying to lose weight, a scale can be a poor indicator of your progress. I do my weigh-ins first thing out of bed in the morning, presumably meaning day-to-day comparisons should have some validity. Still, all sorts of factors can throw those day-to-day checks. If I eat too late the night before, if I'm retaining a little more fluid one day -- there are all sorts of factors that can throw the weigh-in off a bit. In my case, even though this is Wednesday, I still have the effects of Sunday's off-day (and the unplanned off-night the evening before).

So yeah, when I stepped on the scales this morning, I wasn't all that happy.

And seeing your weight fluctuate the wrong direction can be a diet-killer. You think, "Heck, all that work, all that dieting, for THIS? Why bother," then you go off and eat a half-dozen tacos.

There's a better way -- while the scale might not always be the best indicator of how you're doing, the measuring tape doesn't lie. If you're losing inches, you're losing fat. And even without an official measuring day, the one quick indicator of how you're doing is the lowly BELT.

So when I slipped into the second hole -- comfortably -- I didn't much care what the scale said, I knew I was still doing right. The Belt always tells the truth!

Now for my workout and food for the day.

Workout
Weight training, chest, shoulders and triceps

Chest
Dumbbell Bench Press
55-pound dumbbells, 1 set, 10 reps
85-pound dumbbells, 3 sets, 8 reps each
85-pound dumbbells, 1 sex 6 reps

Incline Barbell Press
115 pounds, 2 sets, 8 reps each

Flat-bench Dumbbell Flyes
40-pounds, 2 sets, 8 reps each

Shoulders
Seated Barbell Press
95 pounds, 1 set, 8 reps
115 pounds, 1 set, 8 reps

Machine Lateral Raises
105 pounds, 2 sets, 10 reps

Rear Deltoid Machine Flyes
125 pounds, 2 sets, 10 reps each

Triceps
Lying Curl Bar Extensions (also known as nose breaks if you don't do them correctly)
50 pounds, 1 set, 10 reps
60 pounds, 1 set, 8 reps

Cable press down
150 pounds, 2 sets, 10 reps

Abs
Seated Machine Crunch
110 pounds, 1 set, 15 reps
110 pounds, 1 set, 10 reps

Now, for the food component of my new healthy plan.

Breakfast
Eggs (1 whole, 2 whites)
Mushrooms

Lunch
Denver steak -- 5 ounces
Mixed veggies -- 2/3 cup

Snack
Salad (lettuce, boiled egg, tomatoes/carrots/mushroom)
Dressing

First Dinner
Boiled chicken breast -- 4 ounces
Mozzarella cheese -- 1/4 cup

Second Dinner
Chicken Fajitas (No, NOT the fajita mixture I mentioned last week, the really BAD-for me stuff) These consisted of a total of four ounces of chicken breast, onions, peppers and salsa, along with a little bit of mozzarella cheese on two whole-wheat tortillas.

Snack
More fajitas mixture (2.5 ounces chicken, onions, peppers, salsa, mozzarella), but NO tortilla.

Total for the day

1,415 calories
57 grams of fat (a little high)
155 grams protein

Water -- 75 ounces
diet soda -- 24 ounces

Well, folks, that's it for the day. Later this week I'll do an official weigh-in/measurement, and maybe talk a little about some of the changes I'm seeing and feeling as I move toward the fourth full week of this!

Thanks for stopping by.

Ack! The LATE Day 10 Report (Okay, This Is Day 11, But I Won't Tell If You Don't)

Well, I missed getting my daily report out yesterday -- though it was NOT because I had a bad day. Just really, really long. Watching basketball really takes it out of you!

Seriously, I just didn't get the blog done until really late, and I figured all of my fans would be long-gone to bed, so I thought maybe I should wait until today to post Friday's news.

Anyway, Friday was a good day -- at home on a basketball-watching vacation day again, so the routine was a little off, but all was good. Since I'm posting a day late, I'll just give you a quick rundown,

Workout -- weight training
Chest, shoulders and triceps

Chest
Barbell bench press
135 pounds, 1 set of 10 reps
185 pounds, 4 sets of 8 reps each

Incline barbell bench press
115 pounds, 1 set of 10 reps

Machine seated chest flyes
115 pounds, 2 sets 12 reps each

Shoulders
Seats Barbell Press
65 pounds, 1 set 10 reps
105 pounds, 1 set 8 reps

Seated Side Raise (machine)
95 pounds
2 sets, 10 reps each

Triceps
Tricep pressodwn
150 pounds, 2 sets 12 reps each
150 pounds, 1 set 10 reps

Abs
Seated Crunches in the ab machine
95 pounds, 2 sets, 15 reps each

Now, for my food

Breakfast
Greek Yogurt

Lunch
Lean Pork Chop -- 6.25 ounces
Bake potato -- 7 ounces
Diet Butter

Snack
Boiled chicken breast -- 4 ounces
Mozz cheese -- 1/4 cup

Dinner
Chili Verde (I told you there was a lot left over!)
Mozz Cheese -- 1/3 cup
Corn torilla wraps --2 of them

Snack
Granola Cereal - 3/4 cup
Almond Milk -- 1 cup

Total for the Day
1,445 calories
48 grams fat
139 grams protein

First Day Report -- March 9

Okay, one of the things I hope to do is write up a daily report...well, each day I guess. Just listing what I've eaten, the total nutritional breakdown (protein, fat, etc.), and a summary of the exercise for the day, along with my morning weigh-in results for the day.

So, here goes.

Morning weigh-in -- 277.8 pounds (that's 277 plus a decimal point that's not showing up so well)

Breakfast
Coffee
Eggs (2 whites + one whole)
Mushrooms

Mid-morning snack
Greek Yogurt (fat free)

Lunch
Rice (3/4 cup)
Mixed Veggies (1/2 cup)
Flank Steak (4.4. ounces)

Afternoon snack
Big salad -- just mixture of lettuces/carrots along with olives and mushrooms
Dressing (2 tablespoons)

First Dinner
Rice (3/4 cup)
Boiled chicken breast (6 ounces)
Mixed veggies (1/2 cup)

Second Dinner
Spaghetti, which consisted of 1-1/4 servings of whole wheat noodles, 3/4 cup sauce, and a bit of Parmesean.

Late Snack
Half-cup of low-fat cottage cheese (yum yum!)
Two sour pineapple rings (well, they're not supposed to be sour, but they are!)

Okay, so far, I've got a grand total of:
1,633 calories
32.9 grams of fat
145 grams of protein (way too low, really)

In addition, I've had 80 ounces of water and 32 ounces of diet Mountain Dew.

Now, for my workout
A quick note; I rest about a minute between each set, sometimes left. While there's a lot of sets here, it really only takes about 25-30 minutes to do these if you just keep moving, keep working. None of that sitting around and doing one set every ten minutes like some folks in the gym.

Chest
Dumbbell Bench Press
50 pound dumbbells, 1 set, 10 reps
70 pound dumbbells, 3 sets, 10 reps each
70 pounds, 1 set, 8 reps.
Barbell Incline Press
115 pounds, 2 sets, 10 reps each

Shoulders
Machine Overhead Press
105 pounds, 10 reps
95 pounds, 10 reps

Side Lat Raise Machine
95 pounds, 2 sets of 10 reps each

Triceps
Lying Curl Bar Extensions (forehead busters)
40 pounds, 2 sets of 10 reps

Machine Press Down
245 pounds, 1 set of 12 reps

Ab work
Machine crunch, 95 pounds, 15 reps.


That's all folks. I'm wiped out!

If you have any comments or questions, leave them below and I'll respond!