Reaching For A Different Me

Here are some more progress pics:

20080106-20080308-progress_3.jpg


20080106-20080308-progress_4.jpg


Tonights routine was kind of a wuss-out, rather than a workout:

  • Deadlift ==============> 3 x 10 x 115 lbs
  • Barbell Curls ============> 3 x 10 x 65 lbs
  • Hack Squat =============> 3 x 10 x 65 lbs (held last rep for 20 seconds. wow)
  • Pushups ===============> 3 x 20

It's only one or two lifts fewer than I normally do, but the difference was the pace. At the YMCA, I was very focused on getting in, doing my thing, and getting out. At home, I slowed down. I think I made a mistake by having the TV on. What's on when I'm doing my workout? The Simpsons and Family Guy.

I've gotta put a CD player down there and put some good music in, to keep me going.
 
openczun said:
It's been about two months since I started this change in lifestyle. I'm doing things gradually, not expecting to slim down overnight. Here's my progress so far.

January 6th => 199 lbs
March 8th => 187 lbs

I'm going to continue doing the big lifts -- dead, squat, and some form of chest work. However, I am going to start doing cardio as my main exercise. If I really want to be healthy, I need to increase my lung capacity. My family also has a history of bad hearts...so I need to bite the bullet and start getting my system clean.

20080106-20080308-progress.jpg


20080106-20080308-progress_2.jpg
Click to expand...

Great work!!!..... great results... keep going and keep shocking your body.... :)
 
You can definately notice some improvement with your back. As for the TV...it should stay off while your working out. Music is best and not distracting. Actually Ive read a couple of articles which mention studies that demonstrating uptempo music has a positive effect on training.
 
It's starting to happen again....

This is what happens with me: I choose a pursuit, or hobby, or "area of knowledge"... I make it my focus. I obsess over learning more than just the basics. I get to a certain level of proficiency.... and then, without warning, I just begin to lose interest. I move on to the next thing.

I think somehow I'm wired to seek a breadth of experience rather than a depth in a few. Either that or I have commitment issues.

I need to figure out a way to get past this time-frame in my pursuits. Doing so would help me not only personally, but also professionally.

I think the problem lies in my abstract goals. I need to change from "I want to lose weight" to "I want to lose xxx lbs". Or from "I want to gain strength" to "I want to increase my XXXX lift by YYYY lbs". I also need to attach it to a timeline -- give myself some deadlines. It's all well and good to lose 20 lbs, but if I take 10 years to do it...that's not really a win. I think that's what I need to do.

Once the fire starts to flicker, I start making excuses and before I know it, I'm on to the next pursuit....not having really accomplished anything.

If anyone reads this and has had a similar problem, comment with what has worked for you.
 
openczun said:
It's starting to happen again....

This is what happens with me: I choose a pursuit, or hobby, or "area of knowledge"... I make it my focus. I obsess over learning more than just the basics. I get to a certain level of proficiency.... and then, without warning, I just begin to lose interest. I move on to the next thing.

I think somehow I'm wired to seek a breadth of experience rather than a depth in a few. Either that or I have commitment issues.

I need to figure out a way to get past this time-frame in my pursuits. Doing so would help me not only personally, but also professionally.

I think the problem lies in my abstract goals. I need to change from "I want to lose weight" to "I want to lose xxx lbs". Or from "I want to gain strength" to "I want to increase my XXXX lift by YYYY lbs". I also need to attach it to a timeline -- give myself some deadlines. It's all well and good to lose 20 lbs, but if I take 10 years to do it...that's not really a win. I think that's what I need to do.

Once the fire starts to flicker, I start making excuses and before I know it, I'm on to the next pursuit....not having really accomplished anything.

If anyone reads this and has had a similar problem, comment with what has worked for you.
Click to expand...

I feel for you as I can also be like this.... I am either "all" or "nothing" and dont seem to be able to do things in healthy moderation... then yes interest drops and so does all that fire and motivation.... BUT on a positive note its wonderful that you are recognising this and willing to do something about it.

For me goals work wonders - big ones like I want to be 60kgs by August 1 2008 and also weekly goals like I want lift heavier by 1 kilo per week and I want to be able to do 40 pushups without failing etc etc.... I guess also measurements of success will help - not just kilos but fitting into old "skinny" clothing (i try on my skinny jeans and pants every Sunday night - I know it sounds a little obsessive! but the delight comes in seeing how much better they fit each week until one day they will fit!)... I have a weight loss graph which I fill out monthly to remind myself how far I have come.....

Hope this helps - good luck - dont be afraid to look back and pat yourself on the back and look forward to results you want to acheive. :)
 
Here's my new plan.

First -- I named a goal: 173 lbs by May 1st, according to my bathroom scale.
I'd been weighing myself at the YMCA and the last weigh-in was 187 lbs.
Two days later, the bathroom scale said 182.

So, going by the bathroom scale, I have 7 weeks to lose 9 lbs.
I think that's reasonable, considering I have yet to really introduce cardio.

I made a spreadsheet that will track my exercise, water consumption, calorie macro breakdown,
and weight in lbs. I put a goal weight for the end of each week, so that I know about where
I stand, and what I need to do for the next week.

At the end of every week (Fri - Thur), I'll post my stats for the week.

Now I just need follow-through.... which I don't normally have a problem doing.
 
I finally started doing cardio yesterday. I ran on the treadmill -- not very long, but long enough for right now.

Here's what I did:
2 min - jog warmup
2 min - fast run / sprint
5 min - jog
2 min - fast run / sprint
5 min - jog
2 min - fast run / sprint
2 min - cool down

(followed by a 2x10x90lb dumbell squat, just for fun).

Running felt a lot better than it has before. Doing intervals like that kept it interesting, gave me a pretty decent workout, and left me generally feeling really good about running.

In the past, my core muscles were too weak and even jogging was really uncomfortable. Yesterday it felt really dang good. I'm excited to go back on Tuesday and do it again! (Monday is lift day, Sunday is rest day :) )
 
Boom.

I'm lifting too light.

How do I know? Because I upped my deadlift by 70 lbs and barely broke a sweat after 5x6. It's ok though, I had wanted to take it slowly, concentrating on form at the beginning. I had never lifted with a barbell before, so I wanted to get used to the feel of it.

Progress is coming. I'm close to milestone 1.

Running tomorrow. I'm excited.
 
I may miss my first milestone.

I was doing well, until yesterday. I got home from work late (surprise surprise) and my son was running a 104 deg temperature. So we had to take him in to the doctor. He was basically inconsolable all night -- sleeping in 30 minute increments every few hours. Needless to say, my workout took a backseat.

I woke up this morning feeling pretty crappy also. So whatever he has/had, I am getting too. Not good. It comes with an overwhelming sense of fatigue, which doesn't exactly make me want to exert myself in the gym.

So Thursday's milestone may be missed....but not by much, so next week should still be within reach. I'll keep pushing for it.
 
It was a very strange week. I missed my first milestone by 1 lb.
The whole family got sick. I missed several workouts and a few days of work.
I had one day I was severely under on calories, and another I was moderately over.

The interesting thing is -- this week so far, I am WELL below my goal for the week already.
Maybe I was just in a little plateau.

Attached is a pic of my goal spreadsheet for the week.
 

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Ran again. I'm lovin cardio. I never thought I'd say that, but it's true. I knocked the s*** outta that treadmill tonight. I did another HIIT session (well, high intense for me) and felt beaten, but fantastic ( is that possible ) ?

Weigh in for week 2 milestone tomorrow morning....should be a good one.
 
Milestones

This morning was the weigh-in for my next milestone.

The goal was 180 lbs. My weight: 175.8 lbs.

Although, looking at the average for the week, I'm probably around 176.5 lbs. Still beyond the milestone.

The next milestone is 178 lbs, so technically I could slack off a bit....but I'm not going to. :) It's also about developing good habits. Tenacity is a good trait to have. So I'm going to cultivate it.
 
I'm going to need a new goal.

My original goal was to get to 173 lbs by May 1st. Well, the scale read 173.8 this morning. I know because of water intake and measurements fluctuations that I shouldn't take a single reading as gospel, but it is in line with my recent progress.... so I may reach my goal ahead of schedule.

It's good in a way, but it also is hurting my motivation a bit.... I'll have to think of a new, more outlandish number.
 
Goal Weight For Today: 178 lbs

Actual Weight : 172.8 lbs

So yeah, I'm lower than my final goal weight now.
I think I've lost muscle though, because I haven't been able to lift in between running days.
 
nice work man! and a great town you live in. I have run from the stadiums area over the bridges all the way up that big hill past the trains up to that great seafood place in frozen temps. Hey- you shoul set that goal!

Run from the William Penn to the seafood place (sumthin sumthin Brique??) , if I remember right it is about an hour each way.

YOU DO THAT RUN AND YOU WILL BE THE MAN!!!!!

FF
 
I'm still alive, for anyone who's paying attention. I've just been extremely busy at work, so I haven't had much time to post. I have been watching calorie intake, running, and a little lifting and I'm still on target for my May 1st goal. I've really come to love running. Very strange, considering I hated it before. I'm thinking about a 10k or even a 5k as a medium-term goal....to keep myself motivated. I don't know the first thing about long distance running though...and running on the ground versus a treadmill. I guess I've got some research to do.

FF - yes, you're right, Pittsburgh can be quite beautiful ! Just make sure you run in the right neighborhoods. Not sure what seafood place you mean, but running down there near the point is a great place, regardless !
 
yeah, that's what I've been thinking about --- 5 or 10k. I actually just posted about it earlier tonight. :)
 
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