July 3, 2008
2008-07-03 (269 lbs.)
6:30am Peanut butter and banana sandwich, 20 oz. Gatorade
7:00am 60 minutes strength training (legs)
9:00am 1 svg spinach, 1 svg turkey, 1 svg cottage cheese with flax seed
11:30am 6 oz. chicken breast, okra, brussel sprouts, mixed veg, tomatoes, chiles
1:45pm .75 svg beef jerky, 1 banana
3:30pm 1 svg protein powder
5:30pm 2 svg carrots, 6 cups popcorn
8:30pm salad
Calories: 2054
Protein: 143g
Fat: 65g
Carbs: 252g
July 2, 2008
2008-07-02 (270 lbs.)
6:15am Turkey and pepper-jack sandwich, 1 cup cottage cheese
7:00am 60 minutes strength training
8:00am 12 oz. Gatorade
8:30am 60 minutes 20/20/20 aerobics
10:00am Peanut butter and banana sandwich, 1 cucumber
12:00pm 1/3 head of steamed cabbage, 8 oz. ground beef
2:00pm 1 svg peas, 1 svg spinach
4:30pm 1 svg corn, 4 oz. tilapia, 1 svg spinach
7:00pm protein shake, 1 tbsp flax oil, 50 grapes
Calories: 2395
Protein: 207g
Fat: 82g
Carbs: 234g
Why Exercise When You Can Lose Weight Just By Dieting
2008-07-02 (270 lbs.)
A few weeks ago, my brother’s in-laws saw me for the first time in several months. They were amazed at how I looked. One of the questions she asked me ever so carefully and tactfully was, “How come you don’t have all the hanging skin under your chin?” Those are not her words. She was much more gracious in the way that she asked, but, essentially, that was what she was asking.
Not only am I happy to answer questions like that (since it gives me the opportunity to talk about the need we all have for exercise), but she’s family and family can ask those kinds of questions. “I exercise,” I replied.
This morning, I was talking to a lady at the fitness center. She looks very fit and has one of those personalities that makes you enjoy being around her. She asked me how much weight I’d lost. I told her and then commented that it’s been a little tough to get myself going again after taking time off to rest. “How much more do you have to go?” she asked.
“100 pounds,” I answered.
“No! You don’t have that much to lose.”
“I weigh 270 lbs.” She didn’t believe that either at first. In actuality, I still have a lot...
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July 1, 2008
2008-07-01 (271 lbs.)
My calves are almost back to normal. I’ll be ready to do a leg workout on Thursday. It will be the same workout, so hopefully it won’t take as long to recover this time. Cardio on the elliptical was ok today. I have to work a lot harder now to burn as many calories. My knees are a bit sore. I need to vary my cardio and make sure that a couple of sessions each week are in the water.
I was very relieved today to see my weight back down to 271. Although I’ve seen my weight fluctuate by as much as 7 lbs. in a day, it’s still a terrible feeling when it does. Seeing 276 yesterday, though, was probably the best thing that could have happened. It helped me snap back into focus on my eating.
8:30am Bowl of cereal with protein, 1 svg flax seed, 1 banana
10:30am 1 svg pecans
12:30pm Salad (salmon, tomatoes, onions, chiles, winter veg –2.5 svg broccoli, cauliflower – balsamic vinaigrette dressing), 40 grapes
3:30pm Turkey (6 slices) and pepper-jack (1 slice) sandwich
4:15pm 40 minutes elliptical
6:00pm 8 oz. extra lean ground beef, 2.5 svg Italian blend veg, 15 tortilla chips
9:30pm Protein shake, 1 banana...
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June 30, 2008
2008-06-30 (276 lbs.)
Wow! My weight is definitely going in the wrong direction! That’s not gonna happen. True to what I said yesterday, I planned my menu today and stuck by it. 2300 calories is not too bad. I’ve been thinking about the break during June. I really needed it; however, it’s a big test for me too. I’ve come a long way, but I still have a long way to go. It would be easy to just be content here, but it is not to be. I can’t be content here. There are too many opportunities that await me just a short 100 lbs. lighter from now.
After talking with Annie last week, she has changed my strength training to be more muscle building. She is focusing on upper body. I am responsible for training legs (she gave me the workout to do) and for doing my cardio. It’s a different pattern of working out which is an adjustment for me. It means I’ll be strength training 4-5 times per week instead of 3. I’m still keeping up my cardio as well (at least 5 sessions), and I’m not quite sure how to fit all this together yet. I’ll get it though.
My calves are still sore today. I sit for an hour or more, and when I get up I have to waddle for a few steps until my calves lo...
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June 29, 2008
2008-06-29 (271 lbs.)
Annie was gone to a conference Friday, but she left a leg workout for me. It felt great. I did three sets of leg extensions then three sets of hamstring curls with a lap running in between each set of each exercise. I then alternated three sets of squats with 3 sets of 30-step walking lunges. The lunges are the source of my sore behind. Annie said carry 30 lbs. I didn’t think and picked up two 30 lb. dumbbells instead of two 15 lb. dumbbells. When I got to my second set of lunges I realized my mistake but thought, “I did the first set with 60 lbs. Why not do all of them that way?” The final exercise was a trip up 48 steps. On every other steps, I did 10 calf raises. I finished everything and was ready to fall over, but it felt good. I was tired all day, but it was that good kind of tired knowing that you worked hard. I knew that I’d be sore the next day and that doing cardio on Saturday was very important to keep myself from getting too stiff.
Saturday morning came, and I awoke. I sat up and threw my legs over the side of the bed for a quick trip to the bathroom. As I stood, I was gripped by a sudden realization that this was not going to be a quick tr...
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Alison Sweeney on Rachael Ray -- What she does to maintain her weight and health
2008-06-18 (278 lbs.)
Alison appeared on Rachael Ray last year, and they replayed it today. Alison talked very briefly (no details) about her struggle with weight during her teenage years. As an adult, she decided she wanted to be an actress, eat healthy and live a long life.
Alison empathizes with the contestants on Biggest Loser. Her role as a host is as much being a cheerleader for them as anything else. She likes that Biggest Loser doesn't emphasize the "perfect weight" or size. It is more about being happy, fulfilled, and a long life. It helps people take their life back rather than just be obsessed with reaching a weight goal. The happiest part is to see the contestants succeed.
What works for Alison's weight maintenance? For her, it's exercise, and while she's not wild about it, she has found ways to make it work for her.
1. She's very competitive, so when she plays basketball or racquetball, she doesn't quit playing even when she's laid out on the floor exhausted.
2. She has an iPod on which she keeps her favorite shows. She only allows herself to watch them when she's at the gym. (I've got to use this one!)
3...
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June 14, 2008 - Road Trip: Day 5 - Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park
2008-06-14 (276 lbs.)
LEAVING VEGAS
I went back and read yesterday’s post and started laughing. I was amused at the “picturesque” overly-descriptive language. It’s not that I did it on purpose. I was looking at the pictures I took, and, as I viewed them, the feelings of awe and wonder came back to me as I wrote. How do you convey such visual delectables? Words and pictures are inadequate. Even complex vocabulary cannot express the experience of what I saw. The mountains are so vast, the shape of the land and rocks draw such a contrast of lines, the colors change so drastically and quickly as they fold together, there’s no way to capture it in words or pictures. So what happens when you try? You end up writing paragraphs full of excessively vivid terminology that doesn’t sound anything like the way that you normally speak.
I’m at it again today, though – trying to describe the indescribable. They say that anything can be bought in Las Vegas. After this morning, I believe it. While I was getting ready, I saw a commercial that I probably won’t forget though I will try. You can even buy political condoms! Who do you plan to vote for, McCain or Obama? I’ll refrain ...
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June 13, 2008 - Road Trip: Day Four - Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Las Vegas
2008-06-13 (276 lbs.)
NOTE: Just like yesterday's post, click any picture below to see it full size.
Despite the General Logic’s order to rest, the excitement of today’s impending battles with the sun and the expectation of unknown awes at the beauty of creation (as well as my bladder) awoke me several times during the night. Finally, at 6 am, I surrendered to my impatience and law awake in bed pondering what foes I might face. My imaginary feet began their walkabout fantasy on the floor of the Grand Canyon.
“Turning Japanese, I’m really turning Japanese, I really think so.” Where did that come from? The mind does funny things when it is allowed to wander. That phrase was from a song I haven’t heard in years, and, quite frankly, I’d rather not hear it again. No telling why it emerged from the memory’s prison cells now. I’ll sentence it to another 20 years and hopefully it will die before it gets parole.
It wasn’t long before my dream of the Canyon was to be real. We entered the little VW Cabrio (essentially a convertible Golf) and the drive was underway. I was finally starting to relax on this vacation evidenced by my forgetfulness. Is this d...
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June 12, 2008 - Road Trip: Day Three - Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, and Flagstaff, AZ
2008-06-12 (276 lbs.)
PETRIFIED FOREST AND PAINTED DESERT
It is said that you will find the greatest hospitality in the Southeastern United States. Though she has never taken up residence in the Southeast, I think that Joseph’s mother must have been transplanted, because she was just as friendly as any southerner I’ve met. True to southern style, she fed us as well. Not only was dinner wonderful last night, but she made a very nice breakfast this morning as well. After breakfast, Joseph said goodbye to his children who will be staying with their grandmother for the next month as they do every year. We got in the car and headed for the Petrified Forest.
It is illegal to take any of the petrified wood out of the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert. (they are adjacent to one another), so on the way out of Holbrook, we stopped at a petrified wood gift shop. We didn’t plan to buy anything. It was a chance for me to see what could be done with petrified wood. They had it in all sizes from polished rocks (left) to jewelry to furniture. There was one table there priced at $...
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June 11, 2008 - Road Trip: Day 2 – Salisaw, OK to Holbrook, AZ
2008-06-11 (276 lbs.)
Day 2 started with a bang – literally. Kayla accidentally tripped over Bryson as she was standing next to the vent of the AC unit on the outside of our motel room. As she stumbled, she kicked the vent and cut a gash out of her foot. We did emergency surgery with a towel and 3 bandaids, loaded up, grabbed some breakfast to eat in the car and took off.
I’m still tired from yesterday and not enough sleep last night, so I’m sure that today’s post will be a mix of observations and random thoughts. For example, I think it was 1903 when the first car (a Cadillac) was invented. Prior to that, I guess people were riding horses and wagons and buggies and such. It’s amazing to see the miles and miles of flat land here in middle America. Just a little over 100 years ago, these miles that we’re covering at 90mph were being ridden by our predecessors on horses and in wagons at perhaps 5-20mph depending on the speed of the horse. (I don’t know how fast horses run.) Now, we drive at 70+ miles per hour without paying much attention to it all. When you consider the land from that perspective, it makes you think about what our forefathers perhaps experienced not so long ago.
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June 10, 2008 - Road Trip: Day 1 – Knoxville, TN to Salisaw, OK
2008-06-10 (276 lbs.)
I started my day off food-wise very well with a couple of pieces of swiss cheese toast. A little while later, I had some eggs and toast. Not long before time to leave, I decided that I better eat a healthy meal, because I’d be on the road for 10 hours or so. No telling where we would stop or what would be available at those stops. That proved to be the case.
In the movie Monte Python and the Holy Grail, there is a scene where a knight is making a valiant charge across a field to a castle to rescue what he thinks is a damsel in distress. He rushes, and rushes, and rushes. It shows the same clip of him charging up the hill several times. If you’ve seen the movie, you’re probably at least grinning right now. Our departure today was much like that knight’s charge. We planned to pack the car starting at 11 and be on the road by 12:30pm. After packing the car, we left promptly at 1:05 – or kind of left. Joseph, my neighbor with whom I am taking the trip, realized three miles down the road that he had forgotten his energy drink mix. It was just a quick trip back so we turned around. As we headed the opposite direction, we heard a strange intermittent rat...
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