Okay, the not-quite-as-late Day 2 blog is here!
As you know, if you've read any of my other blogs, I have a history of being able to lose weight relatively easily, once I get started on a healthy eating and exercising plan. The main problem, of course, has always been I never finish the program out to my goal, and then I gain so much back.
One thing that never ceases to amaze me, however, is how fast eating clean can make a difference in how I feel. Counting last week's false start, I've had two pretty clean days (Thursday and Friday), followed by two regular days (Saturday and Sunday) followed by two more clean days (yesterday and today).
Already I feel the difference. I don't mean I'm ready to go out and run a marathon, but just the simple act of eating clean makes such a difference in how your body works, which in turns controls how you feel.
How in the world do I ever let myself get into those little streaks of eating bad, overeating? And how did I let that go on for so many years? Of course, next month when two of my kids have birthdays, I may be looking at that cake and ice cream and say "heck with how I feel, I WANT SOME."
We'll see.
For now, things are going well. Today was one of my busier days at work -- Tuesday always is. We have a weekly then two sections for the daily stacked on top of each other during the day, so it's truly run as hard as you can go from the moment I arrive until I leave. Actually, more than that -- I usually log on early early morning and get a few things done from the house before heading in.
But, I did manage to stay on the eating plan and get 32 minutes of cardio tonight. Here's the breakdown of what I've had today:
Breakfast
Eggs -- two whole
Lean ham -- 1-1/2 ounce
Lunch
Grilled chicken breast (olive oil marinade) -- 6 ounces
Black beans (1/8 cup)
Mozzarella cheese (1/4 cup)
1-1/2 cup of mixed lettuce and greens
Fat free Greek Yogurt
Snack
1/2 stuff zuchinni from last night's dinner
Banana
First Dinner
Lean roast pork -- 5 ounces
Baked sweet potato -- 5 ounces
Second dinner
Chicken breast with BBQ rub -- 6 ounces
Regular baked potato-- 6 ounces
that lower-calorie so called diet butter -- 1-1/2 tablespoon
Snack
Chicken breast with BBQ -- 3 ounces
Instant mashed potatoes (1/2 cup)
Totals for the day
1,820 calories
48 grams fat
187 grams protein
Water -- 75 ounces
Diet soda -- 60 ounces (yeah, that's bad)
Okay, I was a little high on the fat today, primarily because of the lower-calorie "diet" butter. That alone was 8 grams of fat and 72 total calories. I probably should have skipped the mashed potatoes as a snack, too, which was a whopping 120 calories. I could have traded the potatoes for another 3 ounces of the chicken, gotten better nutrition and saved 30 calories. That and the butter-thing are two small poor choices that really add up!
Exercise:
Cardio, stationary bike.
32 minutes, levels 3-4 at various times, 11 miles covered, 385 calories burned.
Well, thanks for stopping by. Come on back for my next blog, I'll tell you how much I weighed on Wednesday morning, after two days (I know, you're not supposed to weigh-in like that, but I did!)..
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Day 1A -- 60 in 60
That's right, since I had a bit of a false start with the original Day 1, this will be day 1A.
Of course, even this is late. I usually try to do my blog at the end of the day, late at night, but was simply too tired last night. So, you get the LATE Day 1A blog. Since it's late, I'll be quick and to the point.
Monday I did weight training for the workout, and did okay on the eating. Perhaps even came in too low there. And remember, many days I'm going to spell out exactly what I do, exercise wise, as well as what I eat. I figure if anyone wants to give this a try, this can be a bit of a model to follow (though if you're not used to working out, you might want to go easier on the weights at first).
Also, I'll share some good, tasty, healthy recipes along the way!
Here's my workout for the day (Monday)
Weights (Chest, shoulders, triceps)
Bench Press
135 pounds -- 10 reps
165 ponds -- 8 reps
195 pounds -- 8 reps
225 pounds -- 6 reps
195 -- 8 reps
Incline Bench
115 pounds -- 15 reps
100 pounds -- 12 reps
Seated flyes (machine)
95 pounds -- 2 sets, 12 reps each
Shoulders
Seated rear shoulder flyes (machine)
120 pounds -- 2 sets, 15 reps each
Seated side raises (machine)
85 pounds -- 2 sets, 10 reps each.
Triceps
Cable press-down
130 pounds -- 15 reps
130 pounds -- 12 reps
130 pounds -- 10 reps
Weighted, seated crunch (machine)
95 pounds -- 15 reps
95 pounds -- 12 reps
That's it for the first day. You'll notice I do some work with machines. I prefer free weights, but the machines sometimes offer two advantages. First, I've got a bit of a forearm issue from an injury a couple of years ago, and if I put too much stress on it (such as doing standing flyes with dumbbells), I can find myself out of workouts for a week or two.
Second, they can offer a little bit of a cardio effect. Last night I was working out with my youngest son (usually both of my sons work out with me, but the older one was working). So during the shoulder portion of the workout, we each took a machine, did a set, then switched and did a set of the next exercise, then the next, then the next, with no rest breaks in between. Same with the triceps and ab work. That's hard to do with free weights because you have to change weights on the bar, which gives you a bit of a rest time. With machines, you just pull a pin out and slip it back it on the weight pack and you keep on moving.
We also probably went a little light on the shoulders. I wanted to do some overhead presses, but some older guy was more or less camping on the over head press machine (By that, I mean he would do a set, then just sit there for four or five minutes, like it was his living room sofa, before doing another set, then just sitting there. Man, do the work and move on!) We could have done presses with the barbell, but we were running a bit behind, so we just skipped it.
As for the eating? Here's how the day played out.
Breakfast
2 whole eggs
2 ounces lean ham
Lunch
Check breast, grilled, with some spicy coating -- 6 ounces
Black beans -- 1/4 cup
Mozzarella cheese -- 1/8 cup
Mixed lettuce/greens salad
Snack
Greek Yogurt (light, fat free)
First dinner
Lean Pork (grilled, light olive oil-based marinade) -- 5 ounces
Mixed veggies -- 1-1/2 cup
Second dinner
Stuffed zucchini (recipe below)
Snack
Baked tilapia -- 5.5 ounces
Totals
1,240 calories
38 grams fat
163 grams protein
Water -- 60 ounces
Diet soda -- 48 ounces
Well, clearly I need to up the water and cut back on the diet soda. Otherwise, I was a little low on total calories and protein for the day. I had intended to also have oatmeal at breakfast but ran out of time, a banana with my yogurt for the afternoon snack but wasn't that hungry, and I had intended to eat the fish, along with a sweet potato, for dinner. Unfortunately, I was running late from work when I got home and we went to the gym, so when I returned home I was too hungry to wait for it to cook, so I just had the stuffed zucchini for dinner, the fish for snack, and no sweet potato.
Oh, well, the diet's a work in progress.
Here's the recipe for stuff zucchini:
A zucchini cut in half length-wise, hollowed out, then stuffed with a mixture of 1-1/4 ounce lean ground beef, tablespoon of tomato sauce, tablespoon of spaghetti , a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese, all baked in the oven).
Well, I'm off, flying into Day 2A. Thanks for stopping by, come on back tonight to see how the day goes.
Of course, even this is late. I usually try to do my blog at the end of the day, late at night, but was simply too tired last night. So, you get the LATE Day 1A blog. Since it's late, I'll be quick and to the point.
Monday I did weight training for the workout, and did okay on the eating. Perhaps even came in too low there. And remember, many days I'm going to spell out exactly what I do, exercise wise, as well as what I eat. I figure if anyone wants to give this a try, this can be a bit of a model to follow (though if you're not used to working out, you might want to go easier on the weights at first).
Also, I'll share some good, tasty, healthy recipes along the way!
Here's my workout for the day (Monday)
Weights (Chest, shoulders, triceps)
Bench Press
135 pounds -- 10 reps
165 ponds -- 8 reps
195 pounds -- 8 reps
225 pounds -- 6 reps
195 -- 8 reps
Incline Bench
115 pounds -- 15 reps
100 pounds -- 12 reps
Seated flyes (machine)
95 pounds -- 2 sets, 12 reps each
Shoulders
Seated rear shoulder flyes (machine)
120 pounds -- 2 sets, 15 reps each
Seated side raises (machine)
85 pounds -- 2 sets, 10 reps each.
Triceps
Cable press-down
130 pounds -- 15 reps
130 pounds -- 12 reps
130 pounds -- 10 reps
Weighted, seated crunch (machine)
95 pounds -- 15 reps
95 pounds -- 12 reps
That's it for the first day. You'll notice I do some work with machines. I prefer free weights, but the machines sometimes offer two advantages. First, I've got a bit of a forearm issue from an injury a couple of years ago, and if I put too much stress on it (such as doing standing flyes with dumbbells), I can find myself out of workouts for a week or two.
Second, they can offer a little bit of a cardio effect. Last night I was working out with my youngest son (usually both of my sons work out with me, but the older one was working). So during the shoulder portion of the workout, we each took a machine, did a set, then switched and did a set of the next exercise, then the next, then the next, with no rest breaks in between. Same with the triceps and ab work. That's hard to do with free weights because you have to change weights on the bar, which gives you a bit of a rest time. With machines, you just pull a pin out and slip it back it on the weight pack and you keep on moving.
We also probably went a little light on the shoulders. I wanted to do some overhead presses, but some older guy was more or less camping on the over head press machine (By that, I mean he would do a set, then just sit there for four or five minutes, like it was his living room sofa, before doing another set, then just sitting there. Man, do the work and move on!) We could have done presses with the barbell, but we were running a bit behind, so we just skipped it.
As for the eating? Here's how the day played out.
Breakfast
2 whole eggs
2 ounces lean ham
Lunch
Check breast, grilled, with some spicy coating -- 6 ounces
Black beans -- 1/4 cup
Mozzarella cheese -- 1/8 cup
Mixed lettuce/greens salad
Snack
Greek Yogurt (light, fat free)
First dinner
Lean Pork (grilled, light olive oil-based marinade) -- 5 ounces
Mixed veggies -- 1-1/2 cup
Second dinner
Stuffed zucchini (recipe below)
Snack
Baked tilapia -- 5.5 ounces
Totals
1,240 calories
38 grams fat
163 grams protein
Water -- 60 ounces
Diet soda -- 48 ounces
Well, clearly I need to up the water and cut back on the diet soda. Otherwise, I was a little low on total calories and protein for the day. I had intended to also have oatmeal at breakfast but ran out of time, a banana with my yogurt for the afternoon snack but wasn't that hungry, and I had intended to eat the fish, along with a sweet potato, for dinner. Unfortunately, I was running late from work when I got home and we went to the gym, so when I returned home I was too hungry to wait for it to cook, so I just had the stuffed zucchini for dinner, the fish for snack, and no sweet potato.
Oh, well, the diet's a work in progress.
Here's the recipe for stuff zucchini:
A zucchini cut in half length-wise, hollowed out, then stuffed with a mixture of 1-1/4 ounce lean ground beef, tablespoon of tomato sauce, tablespoon of spaghetti , a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese, all baked in the oven).
Well, I'm off, flying into Day 2A. Thanks for stopping by, come on back tonight to see how the day goes.
Monday, April 3, 2017
60 in 60 April Fool's!
Those of you reading this blog may remember last week, I think it was Thursday, I started a little program called 60 in 60, which was really about dropping 48 pounds in 60 days.
Well, APRIL FOOL's -- I really wasn't starting Thursday. I'm starting today.
Okay, that's not entirely accurate. I did start Thursday, just as I outlined in that day's blog. And Friday was going along just fine and dandy, I had eaten healthy all day and arrived home Friday evening ready to head to the gym and that's when I saw our driveway was full of cars.
Seems we had a visitor. A young man who's a close friend with most of my kids, who's in the Army, was home for a short leave. My sons wanted to put off our workout until Saturday, so they could hang around with him, and by the time all was said and done we took the crew out for a late Mexican dinner.
So much for the diet or the workout, right?
Then Saturday morning I realized we were really, really low on groceries. Never start a new eating plan the day before grocery day.
So, I just scrapped the whole thing and decided to OFFICIALLY start the 60 in 60 today, Monday, April 3 (although we did get a good weight workout on Saturday anyway).
Now, I realize, especially given my track record of, shall we say, less than stellar success at this weight loss and fitness thing, this is not an auspices start to my 60-in-60 program.
But, today I'm back on the eating plan, with a date at the gym tonight. And, I did lose a few pounds over the past four days anyway, though we're not going to count those. We'll start today, with a new weight in of 282.8.
So, my first goal here is to come in at 271.8 a week from now, and overall to come in at 234.8 within 60 days.
Starting TODAY (really, truly, the real deal this time, I mean it...)
Well, APRIL FOOL's -- I really wasn't starting Thursday. I'm starting today.
Okay, that's not entirely accurate. I did start Thursday, just as I outlined in that day's blog. And Friday was going along just fine and dandy, I had eaten healthy all day and arrived home Friday evening ready to head to the gym and that's when I saw our driveway was full of cars.
Seems we had a visitor. A young man who's a close friend with most of my kids, who's in the Army, was home for a short leave. My sons wanted to put off our workout until Saturday, so they could hang around with him, and by the time all was said and done we took the crew out for a late Mexican dinner.
So much for the diet or the workout, right?
Then Saturday morning I realized we were really, really low on groceries. Never start a new eating plan the day before grocery day.
So, I just scrapped the whole thing and decided to OFFICIALLY start the 60 in 60 today, Monday, April 3 (although we did get a good weight workout on Saturday anyway).
Now, I realize, especially given my track record of, shall we say, less than stellar success at this weight loss and fitness thing, this is not an auspices start to my 60-in-60 program.
But, today I'm back on the eating plan, with a date at the gym tonight. And, I did lose a few pounds over the past four days anyway, though we're not going to count those. We'll start today, with a new weight in of 282.8.
So, my first goal here is to come in at 271.8 a week from now, and overall to come in at 234.8 within 60 days.
Starting TODAY (really, truly, the real deal this time, I mean it...)
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Ready, set, GO! Day 1 of 60 in 60...
 |
| My scales on Day 1, this morning. |
how it's going.
First, I know, I know, I said my goal is 48 pounds in 60 days, and that remains the plan. But you gotta admit, 60 in 60 sounds better than 48 in 60. Right?
Okay, I started out day 1 with measurements, to see just where I am, and I'm telling you it's bad. I tipped the scales this morning at 288.6 pounds.
Wow.
And I'm not about to tell you the rest of the measurements. Later, after I've lost a bunch of inches, we'll revisit what day 1 was. For now, I'm targeting 11 pounds in seven days. That's all that matters -- 11 pounds the first week.
The way I'll do this is I'll go through my day's eating, give totals for calories and certain micro-nutrient counts, then I'll give you the scoop on my exercise for the day.
This is Day 1, and I'm still feeling my way through this some. After completing the day, I realize my fat content is high, though the total calories aren't so bad. Still, that's something to work on.
Here's how my day went in terms of nutrition.
Breakfast
2 whole eggs
1.7 ounces lean ham
Lunch
Boiled chicken breast, 6 ounces
3/4 serving whole wheat penne noodles
3/4 cup mixed veggies
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce.
Snack 1
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup canned pineapple
Snack 2
Fat free Greek yogurt
First Dinner
5 ounces ground chicken
3/4 cup mixed veggies, onions, papers
Second dinner
Two hamburgers (low-fat meat, 2.5 ounces each)
Two whole wheat buns
Super-thin cheddar cheese on the buns, along with tomato slices
Totals for the day
1,640 calories (not bad)
52 grams fat (kinda bad)
170 grams protein (okay)
Diet soda -- 48 ounces
Water -- 54 ounces
Okay, not a bad first day. More than half my fat came at second dinner. I had planned on a lower-fat meal, but when I returned home from the gym my wife had already cook the burgers on the grill, and they were made with low-fat ground beef, so I went ahead and ate them.
Tomorrow I'll do better.
As for the exercise, this was a cardio day. I'm not that big of a cardio fan, and you have to realize I'm starting from ground zero here with cardio -- I haven't done any real cardio in close to a year, so this will be pathetic, at least in the beginning. I enjoy the weight training days, and even through my fatdom, I've been doing a bit of weight work here and there with my sons, so I'm not actually starting as a beginner there.
Anyway, for today's workout:
Stationary bike (levels 3 and 4)
32 minutes
10 miles
365 calories burned.
I'm feeling pretty good right now. It's late -- nearly 11 -- and I have about an hour's worth of proofreading to do on a novel. Actually, a lot more than that, but that's all I'm going to get done tonight.
Any questions or comments, please feel free to post them here and I'll answer.
Thanks for stopping by.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
60 pounds in 60 days?
Yep, that's what I've been looking for -- the perfect diet and exercise program, the one that has the weight just melting off of you.
It's out there, right? Every yahoo who's read a nutrition article or taken an exercise class thinks they have the perfect plan, it can't be hard to find, right?
Sorry folks, it ain't out there. I've searched high and low, Googled, Yahooed, WedMDed, I even Binged (we'll keep that just between the two of us, okay?). I've checked out bodybuilding sites, running sites, diet plans. I even made a visit to Oz (the doctor and the wizard),
Best I can find are a few plans that promise 8 pounds in two weeks! Up to 20 pounds in two months!
Up to two dress sizes in two weeks! (Um, not that I'm into, you know, dressing in dresses -- though, if it would get me 60 pounds of fat loss in two months I'd be tempted to slap that thing on and just call it a full-body kilt).
Of course, I knew going in there's no such thing as a 60-pound in 60-day plan. So I'm going to put together my own nutrition and exercise plan, with the goal of dropping 48 pounds in 60 days. Not exactly 60 pounds, but still -- 48, that's a HUGE challenge, you have to give me that.
Think I can do it? One of my kids has already weighed in saying no. We'll see.
Here are my weekly/monthly goals.
Week 1 -- lose 11 pounds
Week 2 -- drop 5 pounds
Week 3 -- drop 5 pounds
Week 4 -- lose 5 pounds
That leaves me two more days until a full 30 days are up, and I'll drop one more pound those days, for a grand total of 27 pounds the first month.
We'll take a look at setting weekly goals for the second month at that time.
Here are the ground rules I'll go by:
1. No drugs or supplements that screw around with your metabolic rate, heart rate, or anything like that. The ONLY supplements I may take will be protein powders/drinks, possibly some fish oil for achy joints, and maybe a few vitamins, though that would be a first for me, and a potassium supplement. The potassium is probably a must -- I've been down the road of severely low potassium levels before, and believe me it ain't pleasant (and it's far worse than a few cramping calves).
2. No days below 1,000 calories, and probably none below 1,200 calories.
3. Hold or increase strength over the two months.This is a key -- I want to exercise and eat in a manner that retains, or increases, lean body mass and strength. The weight loss has to be all fat!
Well, that's about it. All-natural, no ultra-starvation diets. Other than that, I'm pretty much anything goes.
I've already got a pretty good idea of what I'll be doing -- high protein with lots of lean meat, moderate carbs with lots of veggies, and low- to moderate fat, spread over five or six meals a day. Combine that with lots of water intake, three to four cardio sessions a week and three weight training sessions and it ought to be simple, right?
We'll see.
Anyway, that's the plan. Tomorrow morning -- Thursday. March 30 -- I'll do the official weigh-in and measurements. Every day, as I have time, I'll blog, telling you about the day, outlining what I ate for the day, what exercises I did that day, maybe tell you a little bit about what's going on at work, with my kids, my writing, whatever.
And each week, on Thursday, I'll weigh in and report the results.
Of course, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to drop them off here and I'll respond. Heck, go head and put in the comments whether you think I'm crazy or not....go ahead....
Ready?
Let's roll!
 |
| Okay folks, I'll admit, my idea of a 60-pounds in 60-days plan may be just a taaaad extreme. |
Best I can find are a few plans that promise 8 pounds in two weeks! Up to 20 pounds in two months!
Up to two dress sizes in two weeks! (Um, not that I'm into, you know, dressing in dresses -- though, if it would get me 60 pounds of fat loss in two months I'd be tempted to slap that thing on and just call it a full-body kilt).
Of course, I knew going in there's no such thing as a 60-pound in 60-day plan. So I'm going to put together my own nutrition and exercise plan, with the goal of dropping 48 pounds in 60 days. Not exactly 60 pounds, but still -- 48, that's a HUGE challenge, you have to give me that.
Think I can do it? One of my kids has already weighed in saying no. We'll see.
Here are my weekly/monthly goals.
Week 1 -- lose 11 pounds
Week 2 -- drop 5 pounds
Week 3 -- drop 5 pounds
Week 4 -- lose 5 pounds
That leaves me two more days until a full 30 days are up, and I'll drop one more pound those days, for a grand total of 27 pounds the first month.
We'll take a look at setting weekly goals for the second month at that time.
Here are the ground rules I'll go by:
1. No drugs or supplements that screw around with your metabolic rate, heart rate, or anything like that. The ONLY supplements I may take will be protein powders/drinks, possibly some fish oil for achy joints, and maybe a few vitamins, though that would be a first for me, and a potassium supplement. The potassium is probably a must -- I've been down the road of severely low potassium levels before, and believe me it ain't pleasant (and it's far worse than a few cramping calves).
2. No days below 1,000 calories, and probably none below 1,200 calories.
3. Hold or increase strength over the two months.This is a key -- I want to exercise and eat in a manner that retains, or increases, lean body mass and strength. The weight loss has to be all fat!
Well, that's about it. All-natural, no ultra-starvation diets. Other than that, I'm pretty much anything goes.
I've already got a pretty good idea of what I'll be doing -- high protein with lots of lean meat, moderate carbs with lots of veggies, and low- to moderate fat, spread over five or six meals a day. Combine that with lots of water intake, three to four cardio sessions a week and three weight training sessions and it ought to be simple, right?
We'll see.
Anyway, that's the plan. Tomorrow morning -- Thursday. March 30 -- I'll do the official weigh-in and measurements. Every day, as I have time, I'll blog, telling you about the day, outlining what I ate for the day, what exercises I did that day, maybe tell you a little bit about what's going on at work, with my kids, my writing, whatever.
And each week, on Thursday, I'll weigh in and report the results.
Of course, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to drop them off here and I'll respond. Heck, go head and put in the comments whether you think I'm crazy or not....go ahead....
Ready?
Let's roll!
Monday, March 27, 2017
Uh oh...now life gets serious...
Hey folks, it's me...the fat boy who WAS going to lose all kinds of weight and get fit.
Remember?
If not, just scroll through my old blog postings, where I chronicled my amazing journey to weight loss, fitness....and failure.
A quick refresher.
I started last year, I think around the first of March, with the goal of losing 100 pounds. That's a lot, but I weighed in that day at 279 -- and I'm only 5'10". Heck, even at 179, I'd still weigh almost 30 pounds more than I did at my old high school graduation (more on that later).
Of course, I'm cursed with being the King of Yo-Yo dieting. If you look up that phrase in the dictionary, you may very well see my picture. It's nothing for me to drop 15-20 pounds in a month, only to gain it back the next month, and then some.
But 2016 was going to be different! First, I had never weighed that much, and something just had to give. I felt bad all the time, my blood pressure was through the roof, and it was just no fun being that big.
Second, I was going to do this handy dandy little blog, chronicling my efforts -- no, my success -- along the way. What was even cooler was getting a few tweets and comments from Mark Webster. Those of you who read my blog regularly back then (my sisters, my children, once or twice my wife) remember him as the Dude Who Ate (And Worked Out) Like The Rock For 30 Days.
So I was set, inspired, and rolling -- dropping 45 pounds in 60 days. And then...nothing.
No, worse than nothing. I started the ever-dreadful regain of the weight. I made a couple of half-hearted attempts at getting back on it, but I just got lazy, started eating bad, quit working out, and not only did I regain every single pound but...yes, you know what's coming ...I gained EVEN MORE. A few weeks ago I topped out at 298 pounds, if you can believe that.
Thiiiiissssss close to 300.
I've dropped off some since then, seemed to have settled around 285 pounds, but wowzers, that's just too much weight. Still, I haven't managed to get myself to any kind of consistent healthy eating plan, I'm not doing any cardio, though I have been hitting the weights some.
But then it happened. The notice that changed everything.
I discovered vanity.
Okay, let me explain. This morning, I received a FB message from an old friend from high school, a guy I graduated with. It was a group message, with a handful of us on it. Seems my alma mater -- Roanoke Valley Christian School -- will be marking 40 years since its first graduating class.
Let me take a moment to emphasize this is NOT 40 years since I graduate, but 40 years since the school held its first-ever graduation. We don't want any misunderstandings here.
Anyway, this friend, who I shall call...I don't know, maybe "Lewis," was asking out help in collecting the whereabouts of old RVCS alum, and in the course of the group message -- which kept growing during the day as we found more of us on FB -- someone suggested we have a reunion of our graduating class.
Well, that seems like a swell idea. Other than a dozen or so of us getting together a year or so after we graduated, we haven't had any kind of get together. Being a rather small group -- our class only had 25 students -- we were fairly tight-knit at the time, though we drifted apart relatively quickly.
Then it dawned on me -- no one will recognize me because there are freaking TWO of me now. I mean, I'm nearly twice as large as one my graduation day, when I came in at a svelte 150 pounds.
Given that the school's graduation is June 2, and any reunion we have would probably be around that date, I am in full panic mode! This is, after all, March 27. That's only 66 days away.
You better believe, I've spent my spare time today hopping around the net, looking for the miracle fitness plans that melt 80 pounds in 60 days. Yeah, yeah, I know, I'd still need to drop another 20 to 30 pounds, but hey, let's not go overboard -- 100 pounds in 60 days might be just a tad unreasonable.
So, my search for the 80-pound-loss-in-60-day plan took me to...well, it's late, this has gone on really long, so check back with me tomorrow when I share the miracle plan I found.
See ya then, and thanks for checking in after all these months...
Remember?
If not, just scroll through my old blog postings, where I chronicled my amazing journey to weight loss, fitness....and failure.
A quick refresher.
I started last year, I think around the first of March, with the goal of losing 100 pounds. That's a lot, but I weighed in that day at 279 -- and I'm only 5'10". Heck, even at 179, I'd still weigh almost 30 pounds more than I did at my old high school graduation (more on that later).
Of course, I'm cursed with being the King of Yo-Yo dieting. If you look up that phrase in the dictionary, you may very well see my picture. It's nothing for me to drop 15-20 pounds in a month, only to gain it back the next month, and then some.
But 2016 was going to be different! First, I had never weighed that much, and something just had to give. I felt bad all the time, my blood pressure was through the roof, and it was just no fun being that big.
Second, I was going to do this handy dandy little blog, chronicling my efforts -- no, my success -- along the way. What was even cooler was getting a few tweets and comments from Mark Webster. Those of you who read my blog regularly back then (my sisters, my children, once or twice my wife) remember him as the Dude Who Ate (And Worked Out) Like The Rock For 30 Days.
So I was set, inspired, and rolling -- dropping 45 pounds in 60 days. And then...nothing.
No, worse than nothing. I started the ever-dreadful regain of the weight. I made a couple of half-hearted attempts at getting back on it, but I just got lazy, started eating bad, quit working out, and not only did I regain every single pound but...yes, you know what's coming ...I gained EVEN MORE. A few weeks ago I topped out at 298 pounds, if you can believe that.
Thiiiiissssss close to 300.
I've dropped off some since then, seemed to have settled around 285 pounds, but wowzers, that's just too much weight. Still, I haven't managed to get myself to any kind of consistent healthy eating plan, I'm not doing any cardio, though I have been hitting the weights some.
But then it happened. The notice that changed everything.
I discovered vanity.
Okay, let me explain. This morning, I received a FB message from an old friend from high school, a guy I graduated with. It was a group message, with a handful of us on it. Seems my alma mater -- Roanoke Valley Christian School -- will be marking 40 years since its first graduating class.
Let me take a moment to emphasize this is NOT 40 years since I graduate, but 40 years since the school held its first-ever graduation. We don't want any misunderstandings here.
Anyway, this friend, who I shall call...I don't know, maybe "Lewis," was asking out help in collecting the whereabouts of old RVCS alum, and in the course of the group message -- which kept growing during the day as we found more of us on FB -- someone suggested we have a reunion of our graduating class.
Well, that seems like a swell idea. Other than a dozen or so of us getting together a year or so after we graduated, we haven't had any kind of get together. Being a rather small group -- our class only had 25 students -- we were fairly tight-knit at the time, though we drifted apart relatively quickly.
Then it dawned on me -- no one will recognize me because there are freaking TWO of me now. I mean, I'm nearly twice as large as one my graduation day, when I came in at a svelte 150 pounds.
Given that the school's graduation is June 2, and any reunion we have would probably be around that date, I am in full panic mode! This is, after all, March 27. That's only 66 days away.
You better believe, I've spent my spare time today hopping around the net, looking for the miracle fitness plans that melt 80 pounds in 60 days. Yeah, yeah, I know, I'd still need to drop another 20 to 30 pounds, but hey, let's not go overboard -- 100 pounds in 60 days might be just a tad unreasonable.
So, my search for the 80-pound-loss-in-60-day plan took me to...well, it's late, this has gone on really long, so check back with me tomorrow when I share the miracle plan I found.
See ya then, and thanks for checking in after all these months...
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Hmmm...nothing clever for a headline today, but I'm still at it!
Yes, I made it to the end of Day 2 of my return to the healthy eating and weight loss.
But it's late, I'm tired, so I don't have a lot to say today, other than I'm on my way to 199!
Now, for my day:
Exercise
Cardio
Stationary bike
47 minutes
16 miles
575 calories
Food for the day
Breakfast
Coffee
Eggs -- 1 whole, 2 whites
Lean ham -- 1.5 ounces
Lunch
Ground Turkey -- 3.5. ounces
Rice -- 1/4 cup (nothing magic about a quarter-cup, other than that's all that was left)
Mixed veggies -- 1/2 cup
Fat Free Greek Yogurt
Snack
Blueberries -- 1/2. cup
Fat Free Greek Yogurt
Dinner
Ground Turkey -- 4 ounces
Mixed veggies -- 1/2 cup
Chicken -- 3 ounces (just a little snack)
Lean turkey patty
Sweet potato -- 5.5. ounces
Diet butter
Totals for the day
1,420 calories
55 grams fat
128 grams protein
Water -- 70 ounces
Diet soda -- 24 ounces
But it's late, I'm tired, so I don't have a lot to say today, other than I'm on my way to 199!
Now, for my day:
Exercise
Cardio
Stationary bike
47 minutes
16 miles
575 calories
Food for the day
Breakfast
Coffee
Eggs -- 1 whole, 2 whites
Lean ham -- 1.5 ounces
Lunch
Ground Turkey -- 3.5. ounces
Rice -- 1/4 cup (nothing magic about a quarter-cup, other than that's all that was left)
Mixed veggies -- 1/2 cup
Fat Free Greek Yogurt
Snack
Blueberries -- 1/2. cup
Fat Free Greek Yogurt
Dinner
Ground Turkey -- 4 ounces
Mixed veggies -- 1/2 cup
Chicken -- 3 ounces (just a little snack)
Lean turkey patty
Sweet potato -- 5.5. ounces
Diet butter
Totals for the day
1,420 calories
55 grams fat
128 grams protein
Water -- 70 ounces
Diet soda -- 24 ounces
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