Out of the abyss; My continuing journey of enlightenment, physically, emotionally mentally.
- Thread starter toodamtall
- Start date
toodamtall
Active member
Very happy with the shorts. Used them today. They do a god job taking the edge off of the soreness. Facing reality, I still need to take more weight off and spend more time on the bike to get used to it, But they definitely helped. Saturday is supposed to be a pretty nice day, weather-wise, so I'm hoping to get out and do a few more miles. Working my way back up. There was a time, many years ago when I used to regularly cycle around 100mi (160km) a week. I no longer have any interest in doing those kinds of miles, but I sure wouldn't mind being able to be in the kind of shape it takes to do 15-20 mile rides a few times a week.
It's a fun and healthy kind of exercise and much easier on the knees than running.
toodamtall
Active member
Push and legs
Bench press 5x5x140lb (+ 5 reps). Last time I tried for 140lb, I couldn't do the last set. This time I did all 5 sets. TBH, it was easier than I expected.
Seated leg press 5x5x400lb
Leg extensions 5x5x145lb (+5)
Leg curls 5x5x170 (+5lb)
BB overhead press 5x6x60lb
Pec flys 5x5x145lb (+5)
Another solid workout. Scale said 272.0, BF% of 25.2. I'm collecting this all in a spreadsheet so I can see over time. My night shift schedule tends to mess with me, switching from nights during the week to being a daywalker on weekends. I tend to be at my lowest on Fridays, then up again on Tuesday afternoon after switching back to nights overnight Monday. I expect this to be a cyclic trend when I start charting it, but as long as the overall trend line is down on both weight and BF%, then I'll call it progress.
Bench press 5x5x140lb (+ 5 reps). Last time I tried for 140lb, I couldn't do the last set. This time I did all 5 sets. TBH, it was easier than I expected.
Seated leg press 5x5x400lb
Leg extensions 5x5x145lb (+5)
Leg curls 5x5x170 (+5lb)
BB overhead press 5x6x60lb
Pec flys 5x5x145lb (+5)
Another solid workout. Scale said 272.0, BF% of 25.2. I'm collecting this all in a spreadsheet so I can see over time. My night shift schedule tends to mess with me, switching from nights during the week to being a daywalker on weekends. I tend to be at my lowest on Fridays, then up again on Tuesday afternoon after switching back to nights overnight Monday. I expect this to be a cyclic trend when I start charting it, but as long as the overall trend line is down on both weight and BF%, then I'll call it progress.
Cate
Long term member
Hi, TDT. I'm not sure if you read my last post, but I congratulated you(sort of) on being down 10" in waist measurement, giving up smoking & I can't remember what else. It's going to take some time to get used to the new format & I'm not sure I will, but I'll try. Just thought I would say hi! 
At least we have more smilies, even if they weren't easy to find!
At least we have more smilies, even if they weren't easy to find!
toodamtall
Active member
I did manage to see your post before it disappeared and thank you very much! It will definitely take a bit of getting used to the new format, but most of the info seems to still be there, minus a couple of posts.Hi, TDT. I'm not sure if you read my last post, but I congratulated you(sort of) on being down 10" in waist measurement, giving up smoking & I can't remember what else. It's going to take some time to get used to the new format & I'm not sure I will, but I'll try. Just thought I would say hi!
toodamtall
Active member
Life on life's terms...
One of those phrases used often in alcohol/addiction recovery. Something that, I think, all of us struggle with at times. Something bad happens, reach for comfort. Maybe a pastry or a cigarette, alcohol or a drug. Funny thing is when we do this, we serve the immediate need for a coping mechanism. Something to make us feel better. Something to dull out the racing thoughts. Something to calm our emotions. Something to numb the grief or pain. It works... in the short run. The problem is, we do two things. first we teach ourselves that we have a short term solution to whatever is bothering us, so the next time something happens we reach for it (we know it works, right?), thereby creating a potential habit. Second, as is often the case, the coping mechanism potentially comes with its own set of pitfalls, which can turn into a cycle.
Ex: I drank too much, did something really dumb. I'm embarrassed, ashamed by what I did. I don't want to feel the shame and embarrassment, so I dull out the feeling by getting another drink and numbing it.
Food can be the same. "I can't believe I ate half the cake". Guilt, shame, weight gain, then negative self talk. "Well I already blew it, might as well finish the cake".
The trick is to not fall into the trap. The longer we follow these behaviors, the more ingrained they become. They become so ingrained that we lie to ourselves and others about it. We hide things, We justify things. We manipulate situations so that we can have an excuse.
Somehow, and bit by bit I'm learning, we have to understand that feelings of sadness, grief, anger stress, etc. are just emotions. They are only thoughts. They will pass. If you can stick it out enough to let the feeling run its course, it changes. Its just life. It isn't always roses. We do dumb $@#% sometimes. Other people do $#%^ to us sometimes. Things happen that we occasionally have zero control over. That's just life. You can react to it, or you can respond to it. There is a difference. I've spent most of my life reacting. Now I'm working on responding. I have a ways to go. I'll just keep plugging at it.
One of those phrases used often in alcohol/addiction recovery. Something that, I think, all of us struggle with at times. Something bad happens, reach for comfort. Maybe a pastry or a cigarette, alcohol or a drug. Funny thing is when we do this, we serve the immediate need for a coping mechanism. Something to make us feel better. Something to dull out the racing thoughts. Something to calm our emotions. Something to numb the grief or pain. It works... in the short run. The problem is, we do two things. first we teach ourselves that we have a short term solution to whatever is bothering us, so the next time something happens we reach for it (we know it works, right?), thereby creating a potential habit. Second, as is often the case, the coping mechanism potentially comes with its own set of pitfalls, which can turn into a cycle.
Ex: I drank too much, did something really dumb. I'm embarrassed, ashamed by what I did. I don't want to feel the shame and embarrassment, so I dull out the feeling by getting another drink and numbing it.
Food can be the same. "I can't believe I ate half the cake". Guilt, shame, weight gain, then negative self talk. "Well I already blew it, might as well finish the cake".
The trick is to not fall into the trap. The longer we follow these behaviors, the more ingrained they become. They become so ingrained that we lie to ourselves and others about it. We hide things, We justify things. We manipulate situations so that we can have an excuse.
Somehow, and bit by bit I'm learning, we have to understand that feelings of sadness, grief, anger stress, etc. are just emotions. They are only thoughts. They will pass. If you can stick it out enough to let the feeling run its course, it changes. Its just life. It isn't always roses. We do dumb $@#% sometimes. Other people do $#%^ to us sometimes. Things happen that we occasionally have zero control over. That's just life. You can react to it, or you can respond to it. There is a difference. I've spent most of my life reacting. Now I'm working on responding. I have a ways to go. I'll just keep plugging at it.
toodamtall
Active member
Workout post
Bench press 5x5x150lb
Seated leg press 5x5x400lb
Overhead BB press 5x5x60lb
Leg curls 5x5x160lb
Leg extensions 5x5x145lb
Pec Fly's 5x5x130lb
Seated Calf extensions 3x10x130lb
Did not go cycling yesterday. Brutally hot. I did do some quick maintenance on the indoor spinning bike though, so hopefully I'll at least do that tomorrow.
Bench press 5x5x150lb
Seated leg press 5x5x400lb
Overhead BB press 5x5x60lb
Leg curls 5x5x160lb
Leg extensions 5x5x145lb
Pec Fly's 5x5x130lb
Seated Calf extensions 3x10x130lb
Did not go cycling yesterday. Brutally hot. I did do some quick maintenance on the indoor spinning bike though, so hopefully I'll at least do that tomorrow.
toodamtall
Active member
Had some gorgeous cucumbers from the farmer's market. Sliced them into rounds and bagged them up for work. Brought some caramelized onion and balsamic hummus to use as a dip for the cukes. Also brought some pastrami and cheese. Will load the slices like a cracker. Its easy enough for me to maintain a Keto diet if I have enough low carb snacks and meal ideas around me. If I let my mind wander too much, it will call me into the break room where all of the BAD stuff is.
True for any diet other "convenience all the way", I think. Prepping helps so much!
toodamtall
Active member
Finally seeing a loss after my uptick last week. Official weigh in tomorrow, stay tuned...
Too hot today for outdoor cycling, so I dusted off my spinning bike, threw on the cycling shoes and put my little JBL headset on. When I'm doing stationary cardio, I have to push myself to stay on. I have this little trick. When I'm getting close to 20 minutes, I'll tell myself to stay on the bike until the song that just started is over. Depending on the length of the song that could be 21, 22 or whatever minutes. Part of my little Jedi mind trick here is this: I always put my playlist on shuffle and I have some long songs in my mixes. For instance, Anesthetize by Porcupine tree, which is 17:44 minutes or the live version of Whipping Post by the Allman Brothers, which is around 22 minutes long. Every now and again one of these shows up toward the end of what I had planned as a workout. Assuming I'm not pressed for time on something else, I'll ride it out and get a longer workout. Today wasn't one of those days (and actually, I was pressed for time) so my spinning session was only 22 minutes long, total time.
Too hot today for outdoor cycling, so I dusted off my spinning bike, threw on the cycling shoes and put my little JBL headset on. When I'm doing stationary cardio, I have to push myself to stay on. I have this little trick. When I'm getting close to 20 minutes, I'll tell myself to stay on the bike until the song that just started is over. Depending on the length of the song that could be 21, 22 or whatever minutes. Part of my little Jedi mind trick here is this: I always put my playlist on shuffle and I have some long songs in my mixes. For instance, Anesthetize by Porcupine tree, which is 17:44 minutes or the live version of Whipping Post by the Allman Brothers, which is around 22 minutes long. Every now and again one of these shows up toward the end of what I had planned as a workout. Assuming I'm not pressed for time on something else, I'll ride it out and get a longer workout. Today wasn't one of those days (and actually, I was pressed for time) so my spinning session was only 22 minutes long, total time.
toodamtall
Active member
Workout
Cable lat pull downs 5x5x150
Cable Rows 5x5x145
Delt fly's 5x5x115
Seated leg press 5x5x400
seated leg extensions 5x5x140
Seated leg curls 5x5x165
seated calf extensions 3x10x140
Cable lat pull downs 5x5x150
Cable Rows 5x5x145
Delt fly's 5x5x115
Seated leg press 5x5x400
seated leg extensions 5x5x140
Seated leg curls 5x5x165
seated calf extensions 3x10x140
toodamtall
Active member
So, hit the scale at work in full gear at 277, so definitely a drop. I had drifted back up to 283 last week after my lack of exercise and initial bump from starting keto. Now its dropping, so the ketosis is working. Good thing too! B (wife) makes goodies on her Thursday off to bring to the AA meetings we go to. She is a fantastic baker. Usually cookies and such. As good as they are, I'm usually okay with walking away from them. Yesterday, she made a fresh blueberry shortbread crumb cake. Shortbread crust, blueberry filling, crumb topping.
I walked away from it. Heard all of the oohs and ahs from our friends about how good it was, while sitting with my coffee.
If I'm going to deny myself something like that, then I damn well better get a weight loss out of it!! LOL.
I walked away from it. Heard all of the oohs and ahs from our friends about how good it was, while sitting with my coffee.
If I'm going to deny myself something like that, then I damn well better get a weight loss out of it!! LOL.