Week 5 day 2

Wow 0400 is early when you have been up with a new born.

I had all kinds of ideas to write about today but couldn't log on so I guess the blog world will have to miss out on whatever unintelligent thing I thought was funny at 0600 this morning.

Today's work out.
20 min on the elliptical. A step harder and faster than yesterday.

The weights cycle as normal. Heavier on the weights and a little faster to keep the heart rate up.

Added 100 sit ups to it as well. New life in the work out routine again as I am close to breaking through a threshold that is acting as a bit of a mental block.

Week 5-Day 1

Took some time off to welcome my second daughter home. While that was filled with stress and emotion things have settled in and I am not prepared to get back to normal.

Worked out this morning just a light 35 min jaunt on the elliptical. 60 sit ups. Just light to see what I could do to get back into it.

Breakfast
Omlett with has browns....mushrooms and tomatoes

Lunch
A fiber one granola bar and lime aid (330 tot. Cal) Still full from lunch

Will get back to regular postings now.

Week 4--Day 3

Got convinced to break the all liquid diet. Went to Cafe Rio and had a chikcen taco. I had a free meal coming to me there and so it made the decision a no brainer. Oh well. Checked the scale this morning and it hasn't moved an inch. I cannot figure this out for the life of me. Lose 6 pounds week 1 and then a pound or so since? The heck is going on?

This morning's workout was good. The usual 25 min on the elliptical and weights. Doubled up on the weights in terms of reps though.

Yesterday's meal
Breakfast
Nothing

Lunch
Cafe Rio Chicken tacos
No rice or beans

Dinner
4 pieces of toast with Peanut butter

Dessert
None

Week 4-Day 2

Yesterday was a good day. Today is shaping up better. Now that I have said that it will all go to hell but right now I feel good.

Yesterday's meals

Breakfast
16 0z red bull 16 oz of citrus Vitamin water stuff is nasty.

Lunch 24 oz Jamba the 330 cal type

Dinner 24 oz Jamba again the 330 cal type. 4 pieces of toast with peanut butter. Ensuring there is some fat and protein in the diet. A glass of 1% milk also

Dessert Table spoon of cookie dough.

It is getting easier and easier to resist certain foods. I believe that allowing myself the "special treats" on the weekend is helping that although might not be helping me acquire the figure I so desire.

Today's workout
35 min of elliptical. Increased resistance every 5 min. Was awesome!!! Brought my perfect push up to the gym. Did 45 push ups on that and 60 sit ups.

I don't think staying on an ENTIRELY liquid diet is realistic and thus I had planned on the peanut butter toast. It is pretty harmless in nature. I may want to drop it to 2 pieces from four though.

Week 4--Day 1

Enfused with energy this morning. Don't know why. Didn't sleep well and certainly 0400 came way quicker than I would have liked.

Decent weekend. Broke down Saturday and ate a doughnut. Really wanted one. Lunch was non existent and had pizza with the family for dinner. Not a good day.

Sunday was "one-meal day" for us in the faith. Dinner was simple but good. Baked potato little bit of butter. Lots and lots of brocolli. Filled my gut with ribbon candy which is heavy on the sugar. DANG IT!!!! Had about 3/4 cup of mint chocolate chip ice cream and a small piece of BOLT themed birthday cake. All in all a bad weekend but this week will be stellar. Liquid only diet for at least three days. Thursday brings great potential in life as we are expecting our second daughter that day. Let's hope the diet survives my week off from work.

Today's work out
20 minutes of 9.5 incline on the treadmill
100% 3x10 on weights
80 situps.....broccoli kicked in had to stop before I pooped my pants.

Week 3--Day 5 Weigh in

So very anticlimatic any more. Weighed in at 207. Not much progress. Guess I try harder next week.

Not a whole lot going on.

Yesterday's meals
Breakfast ? Don't remember likely because I didn't have anything

Lunch 4 small chicken tacos

Dinner
a 12 oz steak and steamed rice and veggies

Dessert Tablespoon of cookie dough

Week 3--day 4

Frustration has set in. Not losing any more weight, which would be fine if I could see or feel a difference and I can't. At least not today. Had such a solid start and and while the workouts and diet has intensified nothing, in terms, of weight has happened.

Yesterday's meals

Breakfast
Banana and Fiber One bar

Lunch Chicken soft taco no cheese rice on side. Chips and fresh salsa appetizer

Dinner Ordered Chinese food. Had BBQ pork and steamed vegetables and rice.

Dessert N/A

Todays workout

40 min on the elliptical, again mostly in reverse. 40 Situps.

Week 3--Day 3

This will be quick. I like using the blog as a food diary to remind myself of what it is I am taking in every day and hold myself accountable for that.

Breakfast-Nothing. Fruit cups are too costly and I can control the hunger until lunch. BLAH BLAH BLAH most important meal my eye. When I was at my most athletic and best I never ate breakfast. Going back to that.

Lunch. One Arby's regular roast beef Sandwich. Maybe five french fries.

Dinner: 4 pieces of toasted bread with crunchy peanut butter.

Today's workout

25 min. on ellipitical Most in reverse. Working the buns is NICE!!!!

Hit the weights and abs after.

Only using the protein supplement for days I use the weights. Too pricey after my sample is gone to just crush through a bottle a week.

Week 3--Day 2

Yesterday was a good day.

Fruit cup for breakfast as well as some of the new protein supplement I was given. Supposed to be 30g of Protein per serving. You are supposed to take two servings (scoops) per meal. That would be 180g of protein just from the supplement. Nutrionists say you are supposed to get one gram of protein for every pound you weigh. So with all the food I take in every day that is about right. Problem is, this powder is nasty.

Lunch: foot long chicken breast sandwich no cheese lettuce, tomato and pickle. Got a little bit of sauce this time because otherwise this thing is too dry.....on wheat bread of course.

Dinner: The wife was given a gift card to Applebees has a baby shower present so all weekend she talked about going and using it on Monday. So last night we gathered the Bug and went to Applebees. Difficult to eat health at resteraunts but on a budget it's even harder. We did the 2 for $20 special they have. For an appetizer we chose fried cheese. I only had one and let the wife and the Bug eat the others. I ordered a 9 oz strip steak with vegetables and mashed potatoes. Ate the vegetables first and I am thinking they were steamed in butter. The steak was good (adds protein) and I only had maybe 4 bites of the potatoes. Shared a dessert but again let the wife and the bug eat most of it.

Today's workout was good. 40 minutes on the elliptical trainer. Changed it up and went backwords on the light paces to work more of the butt as it needs a lot of work. Getting this weird cramp along my right shin....comes and goes in spasms. Odd.

Oh well. I will keep pushing.

Week 3--Day 1

A new resolve. I love it when something that you want so bad (me being skinny) is something that you can hold on to. When you realize that it isn't something that you just want and "have to have" like a new cell phone or a new Abba CD.

This weight loss competition has reignited a fire inside of me and further a family member reminded me how much I used to love being fit. It wasn't that I lost that love or passion but certainly had new love's put in place. Training at the gym filled a whole in my life that my family has now filled. I had my priorities right but have now found a way to make it all work together.

I am grateful to my family for their patience with me as I adjusted to the new schedule and it certainly will still be a battle but we are seeing results and as long as I get a quick nap in I have enough energy to make it through.


The weekend wasn't too bad. Saturday had the draft party with JMC and had a handful of chips there. Had my usual fruit cup for breakfast at work. Dinner was another story. Was in the skybox at the Jazz game and I had what amounts to half a diet coke a chicken breast and a half, two cups of vegitables and about two whole pineapples.

Sunday breakfast I had one toaster strudel with icing. No lunch went to the in laws for dinner and had two cups of spaghetti and sauce and A LOT of broccoli. For dessert I am pretty sure I had 9 small chocolate chip cookies. Bad for the hips but very good for the lips!!!

Todays work out was good. Solid 20 minutes on the elliptical. Pushed myself very hard. Then hit the weights and did abs. Got some protein/creatine supplements. I hope that will keep feeding the muscles want they need so that they grow and eat the fat that is on me.

Thanks again for all the encouragement.

Week 2-- Day 5 Weigh in

Son of a .......

Weighed in. Offically only down an pound. Take the jeans off and in work out clothes I am down three from last week. As for the competition though, I only lost a pound. GROWL. Just have to work harder. The good news is the other two GAINED weight.


This morning's workout was tougher than normal. I like that. Worked hard and I expect I will continue to turn up the effort and drop this weight.

Yesterday's meals

Breakfast...Fruit cup

Lunch....a single roast beef sandwich from Arby's

Dinner....two cups of pasta and a small amount of marinara sauce

Dessert...a tablespoon of chocolate chip cookie dough

Working tomorrow. Hopefully will drag my butt out of bed to get to the gym.

Week 2--Day 4

The heat has arrived to the Greater Salt Lake area. I know, I know 80 degrees isn't hot to you. It is hot to me. I can't sleep when it gets above 75.

Yesterday's meals.
Breakfast
Fruit cup

Lunch
Usual Wednesday Chicken Soft Taco and rice
I decided to cut the cheese out this time in hopes that it will help

Dinner
Two roast beef sandwiches, no sauce or cheese. Just bread and meat.

Dessert
Two table spoons of frosting.

All in all not too bad. I am not sure how Wednesday lunch shakes out in the calorie arena but I am sure it isn't the end of the world.

Today's work out
30 minutes of solid good effort interval training on the ellipitcal. Then hit the weights for 3x12 at 100%. Only did three excercises though. The machine is pretty simple and I haven't yet mastered all that it can do.

Feel better about today's effort, hopefully I can keep it up.

Weigh in tomorrow. Two week mark!

Week 2---Day 3

Had a great night last night. The wife had a doctor's appointment so it was just me and the bug running around in the front yard chasing birds we can never get and looking for butterflies that were really moths.

This mornings work out was about the softest I have had. I tried to run thinking that it would help my self image some how. The shin splints and knee pain were too much. I am weak but this was too much for me. I shut it down, put the treadmil on incline to 10 and walked up hill for 20 min then did some hanging ab/leg lifts and then took a shower. I have resigned myself to the eliptical unless I am only walking. Need to strengthen the muscles around my knees before I can full on run.

Meals yesterday

Fruit cup for breakfast. Various citrus and in season fruits.

Lunch 21 oz Jamba light. 1 sourdough pretzel

Dinner 3 fried eggs (no butter used, calorie free spray) 3 pieces of toast. Made this mostly because the Bug wasn't eating and I know she loves Dad's famous eggs.

Week 2--Day 2

They talk about runners hitting "the wall" I think I have a similar thing in my journey to lose weight. This is why I have had trouble lately staying in shape. I hit a mental road block. I would like to blame it on my expectations being too high but that isn't it this time. I don't really have expecations. I think, mostly, that I am mentally weak. Fatigue has set in. I need to not let myself sleep in on the weekends despite wanting the rest so badly. I also need to push myself a lot harder than I am.

Yesterday's meals.

No breakfast.
12" chicken breast on wheat sub with lettuce tomato and pickle
Two pieces of home made wheat crust pizza. Very heavy on the cheese. Probably a mistake but needed something that wasn't chicken and pasta.

Today's work out was 30 minutes of interval training on the eliptical and then 90% on weights.

This is where I need to push myself. My knee is in a lot of pain but that is managable. I would like to hit the weights more but I only have so much time. I am currently looking for a work out that works with the resources I have as well as within my time frame. Any ideas I would appreciate it.

Weekend Recap Week 2--Day 1

After Friday's weigh in I was pretty excited. I had no expectations and so to drop 6 pounds was pretty good. The problem I know face is where I set the bar to keep losing weight.

Saturday morning I worked. I had plans to come in and work out but decided to stay in bed and rest up. Had a fruit bowl for breakfast instead of the normal doughnut. Had a roast beef sandwich for lunch then pulled weeds for 2.5 hours (yeah my flower boxes in front my house were THAT bad). Felt good to be out in the sun but it made me realize exactly how little effort I put into things.

Had a light dinner with the family consisting of chicken, pasta and vegitables. Only had a small serving of that. I am sure there is some light snacking involved as well but can't recall.

Sunday is a different story. Even the wife was getting on my case about my snacking. DANG IT!!! For breakfast I had a banana and 8 oz of milk with a carnation instant breakfast mixed in. Not a bad start but it was when I got home that I fell off the wagon. I had a handful of jelly beans, 4 tablespoons of icing a piece of bread, shared popcorn with the wife but pretty sure I ate most of it. For dinner we had bow tie pasta and peas. Some string cheese. Not sure what else but I don't think it's all that bad.

Woke up and came in to the gym this morning. Felt good but I am tired now. I hope I get used to the schedule soon.

Week 1---Day 5 Weigh in!!!

OK so let us begin with yesterday's meals. For breakfast I had a small fruit cup. Ate a small roast beef sandwich from our in office cafeteria for lunch and for dinner I have 2 cups of steamed carrots and two pieces of wheat toast. Fell off the wagon a bit. Every other Thursday I donate blood and they give me fruit by the foot as a treat to get my blood sugar back where it needs to be. I had two of those and a payday candy bar. I regretted it for sure.

I woke up this morning very groggy. Tough night I guess. I thought I slept. I didn't nap yesterday like I did the rest of the week so that may play a role.

Ran on the tread mill for 25 min. Got 1.75 miles in but paid the price in my knee. Then did 100 situps again. There is another person who works out at the same time and is very talkative. Kind of ruins my workout. At least makes it take longer.

The weigh in happened and I have dropped 6 pounds this week. I work tomorrow morning so I will work out again as well. Feels good to know I made some impact.

Week 1---Day 4

Wow. I know that 0400 is the same time every day but for some reason it feels earlier and earlier. Man, I need to stop whining.

On Wednesdays I typically go to lunch with a dude here at work. We go to this great home-style Mexican restaurant as he is attempting to add "spice" to my life. Yesterday was no different. I had a chicken soft taco and a side of rice. Not too terrible but I should have asked for no cheese on the taco. I also enjoyed the chips and salsa. The plan was that I would eat that and that alone for the day. Didn't happen that way.

The wife had a Doctor's appointment and so I raced home from work and hung out with the little one. We ran and played it was a good time. Wife came home and wanted something other than what we had in the house. I knew her car needed fuel so I offered to gas it up and grab dinner. She wanted Arby's. I was planning on just getting her a meal and the little one a kids meal. The wife wanted me to eat with them saying the taco wasn't enough for the day. Long story short I ended up with one of their market fresh cold cut turkey sandwiches. Not bad flavor. The Arby's website says it has 708 calories and 29 grams of fat. UNREAL!!! I won't do that again.

Today's workout was another round of the 30 minute interval training and weights. Upped the weight and decreased the reps. Feel good. Looking forward to tomorrow!

Before Picture

So it has been asked that I post photos (before, during and after). I will post a before photo now and call it before/during as I am 3 days in. The photo is actually from last October's trip to Hawaii but I am the same shape now that I was then.....ROUND!!! Start poking fun at fatty!!!

Week 1--Day 3

The soreness has set in, just a little though.

Woke up this morning and the mind was foggy but the body seemed willing to go so I came in to the little work out room we have here in the office. I jumped on the eliptical machine for 30 minutes of hard interval training. I have failed to mention an article that I read that said that interval training burns twice as much fat as just normal caridio. I am going to give that a try for the remainder of this week and all of next week and see where we are at that point.

I like to mix it up betweent the eliptical machine and the treadmil for two reasons; avoiding boredom is primary and since having both my knees repaired 4 years ago I haven't been the same. I need new running shoes. Anyone have ideas?

Yesterday's meals
16 oz Full Throttle Energy drink (sugar free)
16 oz Jamba Juice (light) Company nutrional information claimed it had 278 cal and 1 gram of fat
2 Roast beef sandwiches on whole wheat bread with less than a tablespoon of light ranch dressing.
2 Jelly beans
One table spoon full of icing left over from the cookies the wife made

If I can curb the sweet tooth with fruits I think I will be OK. That has always been my down fall.

I am reading more and more that breakfast is crucial and little meals throughout the day are best to keep the metabolism spiked. A grocery trip is planned so that I can start bringing lunches/snacks to work to see if that holds true.

That is all, I have been distracted too many times.

Week 1--Day 2

Not as sore as I thought I would be. I was not looking forward to waking up this morning and feeling the aches and pains of the "first day back" from a long lay off.

I remember the days of "two-a-days" for football camp or hell week at soccer tryouts. I wish I was back in that kind of shape again. Guess every journey starts with the first step or something lame like that.

It was suggested to me that I post before during and after photos. Not so sure I like the idea but I guess the point of this blog is for motivation so I may give it a shot.

What I ate yesterday:
120 oz of water. Mostly tap but I had one bottle of Dasani water then just refilled that
12" Subway sub. Grilled chicken breast with lettuce, tomato and pickle. No cheese no sauce
Had about 12 crackers with a light cheese as a snack
8 jelly beans
1 home made chocolate cookie
One whole grilled chicken breast
Steamed BROWN* rice
Steamed carrots

In everything I have read since Saturday it appears that white things are frowned upon. No white bread, no white rice. None of it. Apparently the fiber and other nutrients are zapped out when they bleach it or something. BROWN RICE is horrible. Plain anyway. I certainly hope I get used to the taste because as I battle to lose weight there won't be any white rice on my plate.

Went to bed late last night, late for me anyway. 1100 p.m. comes way to quick when the sun stays up until 8:30. Tucked the little one into bed and then stayed awake and talked with my wife. That was nice.

Day 2 workout.

20 minutes of interval running. Rotated between a mild jog and full on as fast as my knees would let me go. Felt good.......when it was over. Got 1.75 miles in but burned twice as many calories according to the machine anyway. Then I did some weight training. 3 sets of 20 reps on about 70 percent weight. Not bad for a first day back on weights in a while.

Looking forward to Friday's weigh in. If, for nothing else, the motivation to keep going.

Week 1--Day 1

So the gauntlet has been thrown down. As I explained the "challenge" to my wife it was within earshot of my Father-in-Law because of the Easter gathering at his home. He then stepped up to the plate and issued the same challenge. Apparently the only way for men to be motivated to lose weight is to wager food, or at least wager something. Must be something within the mind that requires a challenge. Needless to say the pressure has mounted, having a 54 year old man call you out is what I would call "humbling".

Woke up this morning at 0400. Well really woke up at 0130, 0200, 0330 and was in and out of sleep from then until I got up at 0400. My 18 month old struggled to stay in bed and finally was allowed to sleep in ours as I got up.

Got into the work out room here in the office at about 0430 and ran for 2.5 miles. I walked a bit in there but nothing too significant. It is my goal to run a 5k every day, regardless of time. I didn't make it there today. Found too many excuses and cut it a touch short. I will make it tomorrow.

Completed 100 sit ups, suprised myself given the large belly.

Tomorrow a 45 min run is planned or the 5k whichever comes first. Followed by use of weights for the upper body.

I will also post the amount of calories consumed per day in an effort to keep me honest about what I am intaking.

Day 1

Hello to anyone who can read. I am fat, fatter than I have ever been. I am watching a friend shrink his waist before my eyes while I make excuses for why I am not committed to do the same. I blame my wife and daughter but really they want me to lose the weight too. Work is stressful but excercise helps to relieve that stress so I am not quite sure what my problem is besides out right laziness.

In an effort to break the habit of eating and doing nothing I will be keeping a new work out schedule and soliticing help for meals and work out routines to keep it interesting.

As an added note I have started a wager with two other individuals with monthly weigh-ins and the individual with the least weight loss over the month buys the other two lunch.

Feel free to post ideas or just poke fun at me.