Week 5:

I did better at getting to the gym this week! Yeah for that, but there wasn't much gain in the weight department. Since this week was the first week of school and our family is getting back into our daily routine I am going to take it as a positive.  It is amazing how having to get up 45 minutes earlier can really affect your morning.  It can be pretty rough getting up at 4:45 AM but I know I need to do it so I can get back to the house in time to get the family going.  My weight was still sitting at 289(ish) so I need there is still alot of work to be done.

Corn Fest Run

Today is the corn fest...where a bunch of people come to ship and buy a bunch of "crafty" stuff. The nice thing about it is I get to do my morning jog through downtown with no  traffic because the Main road is shut down. Two miles here I come. Oh and the scale said 289 not huge progress but movement in the right direction.

Week 3:

Another typical week in the life of a guy trying to lose some weight...the scale said I lost a pound but I am not sure...I am not going to argue with it and I will take what I can get.  I did not have a good week working out.  So I definitely need to do better with that next week.  I just learned that my gym got wifi so I am thinking about shutting down running for the year and focusing on the arc trainer and elliptical machine, they are inside and i'll have netflix...so might be win win.  Not sure yet.

Week 2:

So my second week is in the books and so far so good. The scale was at 290 so I was down another pound. This week was light on workouts but I had other cardiovascular activities including helping some family move. Today is several miles of walking in Lititiz at their yearly craft bonanza. So two weeks down and only a bunch more.

The ever popular Reboot.

For the last several months I have not been as diligent as I have in the past regarding my weight loss goals.  I have been working out and running rather consistently but I have been eating more then I should.  Thus I have not loss any weight since the beginning of June.
So I decided that I am going to treat my weight loss journey to the ever popular reboot.  I am going to forget what I have done in the past and consider this week as ground zero.  So at the beginning of the week I weighed in at 292 and this morning I weighed in at 291.  So in the course of a week I loss a pound.  It's a start.

Hot Weather is here

So the hot weather is officially here in South Central, PA!  It was + 70 when I did my run at 7:00 am this morning and it does not feel like it is going to get any cooler anytime soon.  The scale said 285 this morning so that is not to bad.  I am actually not that concerned with the scale because I got 3 runs and 3 workouts in this week and right now I am feeling pretty good and I know that is what really counts!

So if you haven't already, get up, get out, and get done!

Running is tough work:

I am not going to be one that says running is easy and is for everyone because quite simply it is not.  But if you are able to get up and get out there and do it...it can be one of the best feelings in the world. 

Today was a tough day and I didn't have my best run but I can feel good that I was able to get up, get out and get done in 33 minutes.  Yep that is not a blazing fast time (11 min per mile) and I did fade a bunch at the end...10 min pace at 1 mile, 10:30 min pace at 2 miles and then 11 min pace at 3 miles...but I did complete all 3 miles...and now that I am sitting at my desk writing this blog post I have to admit I feel good, my legs are sore, but I feel good. (and I am stinking hungry already and it's only 10:10 am)

So far it seems that my increase in calories is not adversely affecting my weight loss.  I am feeling fuller then I have recently but I am still hungry at night, so I need to make sure I don't snack. The scale said 285-286 this morning...so I'll go with it.

Week of Working out and Running:

This week has been a good week for me. I have got three good workouts in and a 3 mile run and tomorrow is 18 holes of golf along with a run in the morning so I am looking at 5 days of activity, I like that. 

I weighed myself twice today, once at the gym (291) and at home (289). so the weight is not that different but it is up a little over the last month. I haven't been cheating (much) on my diet so I am going to try something drastic.  I am going to increase what I eat. 

 Previously I was consuming 1920 calories per day to try to keep my weight loss going.  over the last month I have been averaging 2 runs per week (2-3 total miles) and 3 (45 min) workouts.  I do not believe I have been consuming enough calories to keep my metabolism up and my body burning fat.

So I have decided to up my calories to 2400 per day from 1920 based on a formula from this site (http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm#). The key to this entire strategy is that I continue working out / running on a daily basis.  This way I continue to build muscle and burn fat. Only my work over the summer will tell what actually happens.

Weekend of Run:

So I firmly realize that our scale at home stinks...one time I get on it says 285 then next it says 295...I am about to unpack the Wii just for the scale portion of Wii fit.  But I will at least be happy about finishing 3 miles in 32 minutes.   I have been completing 2 miles consistly so it was time to amp it up a bit.

Summer Time Routine:

Alright So I am officially into the summertime routine and man did I miss it.  I have been able to get up later but still get my workout and run in.  And so far the results have been good in the last two weeks I have been able to drop a combined 4 pounds, so for you record keepers out there that means I am at 287 and back to 80 lbs lost.  I am doing my best to keep this up and to keep moving forward.

But not everything is all roses, running was tough today and I had to trudge through my 2 miles.  Hopefully if I keep up this pace and drop a couple more pounds that the running will come easier.

Can I dream for a second with you?  If I can keep up this routine of running and working out for the summer...there is a real possibility that I can hit my 260 goal by the end of August.

Alright, dreaming over now back to work to make it happen.

Making some Progress

I am making some progress in my summer weight loss project.  I am down two pounds from my previous weight of 293 and I am working hard at staying at it this time.  One thing I have not been doing is taking my weekends seriously.  This now changes my weekends are back to tracking the calories.  I have been doing better with my running in the morning but that won't really kick off until my wife finishes school for the year...then I can start my morning run at 6:00 am and still get to work on time. (yeah for running with some daylight)

Now my next goal is to post more regular blog updates...not necessarily because of all my avid readers but because it keeps my task more in front of me and helps keep me motivated and accountable to this task.

Keep on chugging

I am starting to get into the groove of running again. I went today and Thursday. Neither were good times but I improved today from Thursday. The scale was slightly under 293 yesterday so there was some improvement there as well.  I am doing some interval training for my 2 mile runs. 1 min slow 2 min steady 1 min slow 30 sec fast then repeat for the entire run.  It is helping me get my wind back. Things are going good!

Midweek Update:

The scale hasn't moved at all this week but it hasn't moved up so that is good. I just completed 197 push ups in my work to doing 100 consecutive push ups, 197 are in sets of 15 - 18.  I should be doing my test for 100 consecutive on Wednesday next week. I have not been doing good on my running though. I have been lazy on Tuesday / Thursday and I need to get back into the habit of my morning run.  We are finally getting to consistent 50 degree weather in the morning which will make it more inviting to do.

I have 3 days to be good so my number on Friday has a shot at being a good value!

Week ends on a positive note

1 week down in my reboot and so far so good.  The scale was at 293 this morning which means I am down 5 over the course of this initial week. I get an extra day of exercise tomorrow when the youth group goes paintballing and I get to either run for my life or run on the attack...we'll see which will be true.

How did I fall off the wagon so easily?

I love the quote from the remake of batman that Thomas Wayne tells a young Bruce, "And why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up."  I thought of that quote as I did not come anywhere close to my goal of 280 by Easter. It might have even been an epic failure that I have not experienced in quite some time.

On easter morning i actually weighed 298 pounds.  Yes, I was 2 pounds away from 3 bills again and I cannot have that. So that sobering fact has made me just a little more motivated then I have been in a long time.  Specifically with my eating habits.  I have been largely ignoring my fitness pal and have been eating more then necessary in the evening.  So I have broadened my timeline and I am back to the basics.  My new, new goal is to be at 260 by mid august.  Again it is a pretty aggressive goal but that is OK I want to get this done and over with for good.

This morning I weighed in at 294 so at least my body knows which direction to go. Now my mind has to keep it going in that direction.

This lent was not all bad. I started my push-up routine at doing 37 push-ups to doing 155 this mornings. And I started my sit-up(crunch) routine at 92 and I completed 203 this morning. So there has definitely been some strength gain over the last 5 weeks.

It isn't a total reboot of my weight loss program but I am treating it like it is.  My current weight was 298 and I want to get to 260. Which means I have 38 pounds to go and the spring / summer seasons to do it in.

Another Week Down

The push-up and sit-up routine is going really well for me. I am enjoying the progression I have been making.  I need to get in a better habit of running more during the week. I did get a good run in today so I am feeling really good right now.

My goal for next week is to watch what I snack on in the afternoon after work and into the evening. I have not done a very good job of it.  I am also going to concentrate on running this next week. It felt really good to get a run into today and I want repeat that experience next week. (several times)

I have said it several times in recent weeks but I am stating it again that I am rebooting this process and I am going to start working toward getting to my final weight. I have been hovering at 290 for the last several months and I want to get off this plateau that I have been on and get to where I want to go.

Today I start.

Digging the Pushups

So I am really digging the push up routine that I am currently doing. My first day consisted of doing a total of 37 push ups in total, now I am doing 72 push ups in total.  The sit ups are also going pretty well, I started at 92 in total and now I am at 132 in total.  I am working really hard to watch what I am eating and to continue to exercise regularly.  I am not sure what my weight is at right now because I am not weighing in regularly.  Once Easter gets here I will update at where my weight is at.

New Workout Day 1

I started my new workout plan this morning and boy am I a little sore.  I am planning on being able to do 100 consecutive push-ups, 200 consecutive sit-ups and 200 consecutive squats.  I am also doing regular resistance training as well.  Tomorrow I am going to be focusing on cardiovascular training via the elliptical, arc trainer or treadmill.  I hope that sometime soon I will be able to run outside...hopefully this week if it is warm enough outside.

Mon, Wed, Fri - 100's series of training
Tues, Thur, Sat - Cardiovascular training (hopefully outside)

I found a direct correlation of my weight and how much I ran. Last summer when I was at the height of my running plan I was at 276...I am going to get back to that and amp it up with some body weight training.

Need do better next week.

This was a tough week and I didn't get to the gym like I wanted to. But I at least ended it on a good note. Ran 2 miles today in 22 minutes, its not my best time by far but it was a good benchmark to improve on.  I also decided to do some 100's training which is pushups situps and squats and trying to be able to do at least 100 consecutive for each. Daylight savings is tomorrow so it will be bright enough in the morning to run, I am looking forward to getting back at it...one final note, I am not weighing myself until the Monday after Easter...I want a surprise for the work I am going to put In.

Beautiful Saturday

It is a great day in south central pa. And I am going to take advantage of it by going for my first official run of 2012. Now this wont be my longest ever but it will be 2 miles.  I am actually really looking forward to getting back to it.

Week 1 in the Books

Week 1 is in the books!  I had a pretty good week, I did end up snacking more in the evening then I would like to but I did offset the snacking by getting to the gym 4 times this week!  30 Minutes of either Arc trainer or Elliptical Machine and then some nautilus weight training. My body is feeling it right now but it is a good feeling! I really want to get back into shape so when Winter finally breaks I am able to run outside in the morning once we spring ahead in time.

Here's to my motivation keeping up during this Lent season and beyond.

Back on Point

So over the last 2 months I have not fallen off the wagon but my wagon has not been moving forward.  My last blog post mentions that I was at 289 and then I dropped down to 283 after a week of being sick.  Once I got back to health my weight went back to 289 and since then it has gone to 292. I have sat there for several weeks.

Today I start my way back on the path. I am using this Lent season to push myself back to working out in the morning regularly.  This way I get several weeks of working out in the morning Monday - Friday.
Today was a good morning and I got to the gym, 30 minutes of cardio and then weight lifting on top of that.

The next six weeks will be very important to me.  I want to really try to be down to 280 by Easter morning.  It is a very aggressive plan but I am going to give my best to get it done!

Getting over a 24 hour bug:

So getting the 24 hour flu really screws up your weight loss tracking.  Yesterday I weighed 289 and this morning I weighed 283.  That is a whole lot of water weight to lose in a day.  Anyway I still believe I am heading in the right direction and once I get back to 100% I will proceed back on course, but at least for this weekend I think I am taking a little break and rest up.

Weight watchers works?

So it seems that weight watchers has a lot in common with calorie counting...It works when you stick to it.  This morning at the gym my weight was a shade over 289 so that means there is a 2 pound difference from when I started. Now I am sure that me making sure to get my 3 - 4 days of exercise in has something to do with it. But  I have to admit that weight watchers is no harder to do then calorie counting, in fact it might be a little easier? I preface that with the fact that I am using an app on my droid and the app I selected does a pretty good job.
It's a good feeling to get back on track and having my wife along for the journey makes it better since I have an accountability partner in my house who keeps me in line.

BTW, I really want winter to go on by, so I can get back to my running routine outside...treadmills and elliptical machines are a really bad substitute.

Mid-Week change

My wife has expressed interest in starting weight watchers for her New Years Resolution and being the good supportive husband that I am...I am going to do weight watchers with her.  We decided to buy the books on ebay and we both found an app on our respective smart phones that will assist in this endeavor. I don't quite understand the weight watcher method yet so I hope the books help.  I placed all my info into the my app and it gave me 61 points to use per day (woohoo cookies here I come).  Yesterday was a very normal day for me (eating wise) and I only used 47 points, 9 for breakfast, 11 for lunch, 19 for dinner and 8 for snacks. So I had 14 points left over?  Is this good or bad? Does it mean I didn't eat enough?  If I look at what I ate via calories, I was right at my 2100 calories. So this is going to be an adjustment for sure.

Week 1 down:

Week one of my re-dedication is done.  And it went pretty well for me.  I didn't get to the gym the magical 5 times this week but I did go my usual 3.  I also learned that I need to self control better for my dinners.  I am doing perfectly fine with breakfast and lunch (averaging 400 - 600 calories) but I seem to go a little overboard on my dinners.  My weight stayed the same through out the week, 291.  I really need to get to the gym on tuesday and thursday just so I can get my cardio in, which will help jump start my weight loss.
I think I am going to look for a 5k around that occurs around April so I have a target to shoot for when I need motivation for my cardio training. I'll let you know what I find!

Round 1: FIGHT!

Alright so my final push to 250 started today! First the good, I got to the gym and I stayed within my calories today. Now bad is my starting weight is a little higher then anticipated, 291...ouch. 
But that is OK because it is a start. I have decided to go to the gym 5 times a week. My plan is to go in at 5:00 am and be done by 5:40 am. Hopefully I can stick with it...3 days are for lifting and 2 are for running.
The difference this time around is that my wife is going to be my accountability partner over the next several months I look forward.to her keeping me on the straight and narrow.
I am shooting for just over a pound per week so this journey should be over in August.  Stay tuned for more frequent updates and all the related excitement that goes with it!