I noticed that my time is slipping.
I started this on 16:8, 16 hours of fasting, 8 hours of feeding (2pm to 10pm so I can have dinner with the family).
Then I noticed that I'd stop eating around 9 instead of 10.
Today I looked at the clock and saw that it was 2:40, almost an hour past my start-eating time, and last night I again stopped at 9. So today was actually 18 hours of fasting.
I feel great!
I used to be able to eat an entire box of Mac-n-Cheese by myself. Last night I barely got through 3/5 of a box before I had to push it aside. I used to make sure I'd finish what I took, even if I was over full, but not last night. No interest.
So, I think it's...working!
Also, I know daily scale checks are damaging. I'm stopping that (got batteries for our scale). 2 days ago I was 290, this morning I was 286. From this point on, I'm only checking weekly on Saturdays with the rest of my measurements.
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Being Slightly Hungry Is Not the End of the World
Something I read recently that really struck a chord was that Americans have been trained to believe that feeling hungry is one of the worst feelings to have.
We get this message from all of our media, from our families, from the wives' tales that are told about diet and fitness. Food is a massive industry in this country, probably the biggest scam since the original food pyramid. All paid for by the industries that have the most to gain from us constantly consuming.
Something that also resonated with me was the idea that is core to the IF lifestyle: How can your body burn fat if it has a bunch of calories sitting right there in your stomach ready to be broken down quickly and easily into sugars? The answer, of course, is that it can't. We've evolved to burn simple carbs quickly and our bodies prioritize them because in our ancestors, simple carbs were rare treats.
Now that works to our disadvantage. If you have processed simple carbs sitting in your system, your body will burn those and stash the harder to process stuff as fat for use later, just the way it's built to do. Instead of burning carbs, we have to re-teach our bodies to burn fats.
In keto, they call this ketosis. Lowering carb macros so low that fat is your preferred energy source, followed by protein, and finally carbs.
I wonder if IF sort of hijacks this ketosis process without necessarily being on a keto diet.
All I really know is that I feel better now. I ignore the slight hunger feelings that I get throughout the morning quite easily. I feel more energetic. It's easier to get out of my chair and wander around the office, or go for a walk around the lake across the street. So, whatever is happening, it definitely feels like it's working.
Side note - I got batteries for my scale last night and this morning, my naked and fasted weight was:
290.0 lbs
We get this message from all of our media, from our families, from the wives' tales that are told about diet and fitness. Food is a massive industry in this country, probably the biggest scam since the original food pyramid. All paid for by the industries that have the most to gain from us constantly consuming.
Something that also resonated with me was the idea that is core to the IF lifestyle: How can your body burn fat if it has a bunch of calories sitting right there in your stomach ready to be broken down quickly and easily into sugars? The answer, of course, is that it can't. We've evolved to burn simple carbs quickly and our bodies prioritize them because in our ancestors, simple carbs were rare treats.
Now that works to our disadvantage. If you have processed simple carbs sitting in your system, your body will burn those and stash the harder to process stuff as fat for use later, just the way it's built to do. Instead of burning carbs, we have to re-teach our bodies to burn fats.
In keto, they call this ketosis. Lowering carb macros so low that fat is your preferred energy source, followed by protein, and finally carbs.
I wonder if IF sort of hijacks this ketosis process without necessarily being on a keto diet.
All I really know is that I feel better now. I ignore the slight hunger feelings that I get throughout the morning quite easily. I feel more energetic. It's easier to get out of my chair and wander around the office, or go for a walk around the lake across the street. So, whatever is happening, it definitely feels like it's working.
Side note - I got batteries for my scale last night and this morning, my naked and fasted weight was:
290.0 lbs
Monday, January 15, 2018
First week of IF is done!
Not much to report so far.
Sunday my mom took the family out to dinner at Olive Garden to celebrate her paying off her mortgage. I had a couple of limoncello long-island drinks, and a pile of pasta. I think the alcohol and sugar in the 2 drinks really hit me hard. I could feel my heart pounding hours later still.
My scale doesn't have batteries, and I don't have measurements of my body from before I started.
Something I'm going to do every Saturday is measure around my belly, and waist, each Saturday. Hopefully I'll see some changes in measurement.
Non-scale-victories are even more important that seeing that number move.
But, my ultimate goal is to get below 200lbs for the first time in 12 years.
Sunday my mom took the family out to dinner at Olive Garden to celebrate her paying off her mortgage. I had a couple of limoncello long-island drinks, and a pile of pasta. I think the alcohol and sugar in the 2 drinks really hit me hard. I could feel my heart pounding hours later still.
My scale doesn't have batteries, and I don't have measurements of my body from before I started.
Something I'm going to do every Saturday is measure around my belly, and waist, each Saturday. Hopefully I'll see some changes in measurement.
Non-scale-victories are even more important that seeing that number move.
But, my ultimate goal is to get below 200lbs for the first time in 12 years.
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Day 5 Complete
Day 5 was easy.
No, that's not true.
I still have to think about it all morning and remind myself not to go get some food. Part of the problem is that I'm in a lull at work.
The nature of our business means that we have a sort of feast/famine routine where we work like crazy for a few months, then we have a few weeks between sales pushes where we have a bit less to do. After working like crazy, those lulls feel like nothing is happening.
With no work to distract me, the time goes by at a crawl, and that gives me lots of time to think about the fact that I'm not eating.
Also, 10pm seems to come earlier each night...I think "oh, I'll go grab a snack before my fast starts again" and look at the clock and it's 11pm.
Again, my shirts are definitely starting to feel a bit less tight around my belly, but without a scale I don't know for certain if that's just water loss - I've been peeing a lot more during my fasts - or that I'm actually losing some size already. It would be incredible if it's already starting to change my body composition!
Around (the widest part of my belly)
57.5"
Waist
48"
No, that's not true.
I still have to think about it all morning and remind myself not to go get some food. Part of the problem is that I'm in a lull at work.
The nature of our business means that we have a sort of feast/famine routine where we work like crazy for a few months, then we have a few weeks between sales pushes where we have a bit less to do. After working like crazy, those lulls feel like nothing is happening.
With no work to distract me, the time goes by at a crawl, and that gives me lots of time to think about the fact that I'm not eating.
Also, 10pm seems to come earlier each night...I think "oh, I'll go grab a snack before my fast starts again" and look at the clock and it's 11pm.
Again, my shirts are definitely starting to feel a bit less tight around my belly, but without a scale I don't know for certain if that's just water loss - I've been peeing a lot more during my fasts - or that I'm actually losing some size already. It would be incredible if it's already starting to change my body composition!
Around (the widest part of my belly)
57.5"
Waist
48"
Friday, January 12, 2018
Day 4 of IF on the books
I found myself watching the clock more than the other days this time.
I actually stopped eating around 9pm - that's when we put the kids to bed - so I technically did 17:7.
Then, last night, due to bedtime again, I didn't feel like I got enough calories in before 10, so I had a glass of milk at 11, so today will be 15:9.
I don't think it matters much, these hour+/- differences, as long as I get into a fasted state for a good amount of time.
I don't own a scale, so I have no idea if it's working yet or not, but I sort of feel like my shirts might not be as tight...not really sure yet.
So, here goes day 5, and I'm already hungry at 9am...I'm sure there will be days like this all over the place. I will not break my fast, though!
I actually stopped eating around 9pm - that's when we put the kids to bed - so I technically did 17:7.
Then, last night, due to bedtime again, I didn't feel like I got enough calories in before 10, so I had a glass of milk at 11, so today will be 15:9.
I don't think it matters much, these hour+/- differences, as long as I get into a fasted state for a good amount of time.
I don't own a scale, so I have no idea if it's working yet or not, but I sort of feel like my shirts might not be as tight...not really sure yet.
So, here goes day 5, and I'm already hungry at 9am...I'm sure there will be days like this all over the place. I will not break my fast, though!
Monday, January 8, 2018
Science-Based Six Pack
I got pulled in by an ad on Youtube before a video I was trying to watch.
It was by Thomas DeLauer and it was about his program Science Based Six Pack.
It appealed to me because it lets me eat the same things I eat, while just moderating my schedule of eating, and adding some core exercises.
I don't have anywhere near the $100 he wants for his program, so I'm just winging it based on the basics: 16 hours of fasting with 8 hours of feeding between. For my schedule, this works out to eating between 2pm and 10pm and fasting from 10pm until 2pm the next day.
I already do much of this, between sleeping and eating late lunches at work, so all I have to do is cut out snacks.
I don't really care about a six pack, I've never had that even when I only weighed 150 lbs in my 20s. I just want to get below 200lbs again.
So, this is day 1, January 8th, 2018.
It was by Thomas DeLauer and it was about his program Science Based Six Pack.
It appealed to me because it lets me eat the same things I eat, while just moderating my schedule of eating, and adding some core exercises.
I don't have anywhere near the $100 he wants for his program, so I'm just winging it based on the basics: 16 hours of fasting with 8 hours of feeding between. For my schedule, this works out to eating between 2pm and 10pm and fasting from 10pm until 2pm the next day.
I already do much of this, between sleeping and eating late lunches at work, so all I have to do is cut out snacks.
I don't really care about a six pack, I've never had that even when I only weighed 150 lbs in my 20s. I just want to get below 200lbs again.
So, this is day 1, January 8th, 2018.
Monday, November 7, 2016
Keto Day 22
I started #Keto again 22 days ago.
As of day 20, I was down 19 lbs to 273.
This weekend I had a little trouble hitting my macros and getting in my water, so I have sort of plateaued here for a minute. Getting back on schedule by having to get back to work, I should pick right back up again.
CW: 273
SW: 292
Lost: 19
GW: 180
Left: 93
As of day 20, I was down 19 lbs to 273.
This weekend I had a little trouble hitting my macros and getting in my water, so I have sort of plateaued here for a minute. Getting back on schedule by having to get back to work, I should pick right back up again.
CW: 273
SW: 292
Lost: 19
GW: 180
Left: 93
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Week 1, Day 2, Research Mode
Day 2 - research mode.
I've been looking at various keto recipe websites. I've been reading the FAQ on the Reddit r/keto. I've used the macro calculator to get an idea of where I should be.
1902 kcal Daily Calorie Intake
25 g Carbs (5%, 100 kcal)
125 g Protein (26%, 500 kcal)
145 g Fat (69%, 1302 kcal)
That's not sustainable for me yet. I'm still trying to figure out where the carbs are hidden in my daily routine - like in my non-dairy sugar-free creamer, and in Splenda that I used to sweeten my tea - and root it out.
Surprising to me, hamburger seems to be high in carbs. At least that's what MyFitnessPal says.
Onwards and hopefully downwards ( in weight ).
I've been looking at various keto recipe websites. I've been reading the FAQ on the Reddit r/keto. I've used the macro calculator to get an idea of where I should be.
1902 kcal Daily Calorie Intake
25 g Carbs (5%, 100 kcal)
125 g Protein (26%, 500 kcal)
145 g Fat (69%, 1302 kcal)
That's not sustainable for me yet. I'm still trying to figure out where the carbs are hidden in my daily routine - like in my non-dairy sugar-free creamer, and in Splenda that I used to sweeten my tea - and root it out.
Surprising to me, hamburger seems to be high in carbs. At least that's what MyFitnessPal says.
Onwards and hopefully downwards ( in weight ).
Monday, October 17, 2016
Week 1, Day 1, #Ketogenic Lifestyle Reboot
Today marks the first day of my ketogenic journey.
Almost 4 years ago, I embarked on changing my eating habits and adopted the ketogenic lifestyle. For 4 months, I was successful, and I lost 40 lbs. Then, the holidays hit, and my resolve dissolved.
Today, I'm rebooting.
I'm not under 20 grams, but I am under 50 for the day so far.
I don't plan on blogging each day, but I'll update at least once a week.
Current Weight: 285lbs
Goal Weight: 190lbs
Almost 4 years ago, I embarked on changing my eating habits and adopted the ketogenic lifestyle. For 4 months, I was successful, and I lost 40 lbs. Then, the holidays hit, and my resolve dissolved.
Today, I'm rebooting.
I'm not under 20 grams, but I am under 50 for the day so far.
I don't plan on blogging each day, but I'll update at least once a week.
Current Weight: 285lbs
Goal Weight: 190lbs
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Kickstarting a New Ketogenic Phase
Hello.
I'm a husband, a dad, and addicted to carbs.
A few years ago, I tried the ketogenic diet. In 4 months I lost almost 40 lbs.
Then, autumn hit, and my mom started baking, and my resolve was dissolved in a flurry of butter cookies. I told myself "We'll just do a modified keto diet, just a few carbs added back in for fun." That was 60 lbs ago.
Since then, I've had some drastic events happen in my life. I contracted meningeoencephalitis which hospitalized me for 9 days. It left me with PTSD and some other harder to define mental deficits. I also, in the course of figuring out how my brain had changed due to that sickness, learned that I am bipolar. Looking back into my past, I can see the peaks and valleys of my manic-depressive cycle, and my illness triggered the disorder to get an order of magnitude worse.
I'm medicated now, using Seroquel each day, so the effects of my bipolar disorder are less drastic, but it's also not been helpful for my willpower, for whatever reason. I tried just dropping candy from my life, and made it 21 days before I had cake. Then I made it a further 20 days - I didn't lose any weight while off sugar, so I became very disillusioned with the process - before I just quit and went back to my old habits.
I'm currently on the upwards side of 285 lbs. This is the heaviest I've been in my life. I feel it, physically, every minute of the day.
I get winded just tying my shoes.
I can't play physical games with my kids because I get too tired, or my lumbar goes out of whack.
If the zombie apocalypse happens, I'm bait.
So, I'm researching, and I'm planning, two things I barely did last time. Lack of variety was my undoing last time, so I won't make that same mistake.
Something else I didn't do last time was secure the support of my family. I started a diet that wasn't suitable for my wife or kids. This time, I want to have family-friendly menu choices that only require minor adjustments for me, and are still yummy and nutritious for my kids.
After making some lists, some menu plans, and purchasing the right foods for our kitchen, it'll be off again, seeking ketosis.
I'm a husband, a dad, and addicted to carbs.
A few years ago, I tried the ketogenic diet. In 4 months I lost almost 40 lbs.
Then, autumn hit, and my mom started baking, and my resolve was dissolved in a flurry of butter cookies. I told myself "We'll just do a modified keto diet, just a few carbs added back in for fun." That was 60 lbs ago.
Since then, I've had some drastic events happen in my life. I contracted meningeoencephalitis which hospitalized me for 9 days. It left me with PTSD and some other harder to define mental deficits. I also, in the course of figuring out how my brain had changed due to that sickness, learned that I am bipolar. Looking back into my past, I can see the peaks and valleys of my manic-depressive cycle, and my illness triggered the disorder to get an order of magnitude worse.
I'm medicated now, using Seroquel each day, so the effects of my bipolar disorder are less drastic, but it's also not been helpful for my willpower, for whatever reason. I tried just dropping candy from my life, and made it 21 days before I had cake. Then I made it a further 20 days - I didn't lose any weight while off sugar, so I became very disillusioned with the process - before I just quit and went back to my old habits.
I'm currently on the upwards side of 285 lbs. This is the heaviest I've been in my life. I feel it, physically, every minute of the day.
I get winded just tying my shoes.
I can't play physical games with my kids because I get too tired, or my lumbar goes out of whack.
If the zombie apocalypse happens, I'm bait.
So, I'm researching, and I'm planning, two things I barely did last time. Lack of variety was my undoing last time, so I won't make that same mistake.
Something else I didn't do last time was secure the support of my family. I started a diet that wasn't suitable for my wife or kids. This time, I want to have family-friendly menu choices that only require minor adjustments for me, and are still yummy and nutritious for my kids.
After making some lists, some menu plans, and purchasing the right foods for our kitchen, it'll be off again, seeking ketosis.
Friday, June 19, 2015
Tale Of The Tape
Potential for embarrassment: high.
These are my measurements. I'm not proud, I'm not happy. The only silver lining is that my arms are symmetrical, so at least I have that going for me.
Measurements & Body Composition
Girth & Circumference Measurements as of 6/15/15
· Upper Arm – Bicep (left): 16.25”
· Upper Arm – Bicep (right): 16.25”
· Chest: 47.75”
· Waist (arms at sides, feet together): 46.25”
· Abdomen (across belly button): 51.5”
· Hips/Buttocks (feet together): 48”
· Thigh (left): 26”
· Thigh (right): 25.75”
Body Mass/Composition Numbers as of 6/15/15 at 12:00 pm – no fasting
· Weight: 268.4 lbs
· Body Fat %: 39.7 (healthy range for your gender & age 11 – 22%)
· Body Water %: 46.1 (Normal Range 50 – 65%)
· Muscle Mass: 153.8 lbs
· Physique Rating: 3 (High Fat % w/ High Muscle Mass Index)
· Metabolic Age: 50
· Bone Mass: 8.0 (Normal Range 8.1)
· Visceral Fat: 22 (Healthy Range 1-12)
Basically, the most important numbers here are the body fat percentage and visceral fat rating. Visceral fat is the fat deep inside your body surrounding your organs (viscera, obvs). I've often wondered how I can have a large belly, but still feel strong abs just below a relatively shallow sub-dermal fat layer, and now I know.
The treatment is the same as it is for anyone who is obese: reduced calories; reduced refined starches; reduced saturated and poly fats and increased unsaturated; increased physical activity (cardio mostly, but also strength training).
The main difference is that I don't have to do a bunch of crunches and be disappointed that my belly isn't going away because tighter abs over the top of a bunch of visceral fat is still going to be a big belly.
As much as I hate cardio, it's going to have to become - almost literally - my bread and butter.
These are my measurements. I'm not proud, I'm not happy. The only silver lining is that my arms are symmetrical, so at least I have that going for me.
Measurements & Body Composition
Girth & Circumference Measurements as of 6/15/15
· Upper Arm – Bicep (left): 16.25”
· Upper Arm – Bicep (right): 16.25”
· Chest: 47.75”
· Waist (arms at sides, feet together): 46.25”
· Abdomen (across belly button): 51.5”
· Hips/Buttocks (feet together): 48”
· Thigh (left): 26”
· Thigh (right): 25.75”
Body Mass/Composition Numbers as of 6/15/15 at 12:00 pm – no fasting
· Weight: 268.4 lbs
· Body Fat %: 39.7 (healthy range for your gender & age 11 – 22%)
· Body Water %: 46.1 (Normal Range 50 – 65%)
· Muscle Mass: 153.8 lbs
· Physique Rating: 3 (High Fat % w/ High Muscle Mass Index)
· Metabolic Age: 50
· Bone Mass: 8.0 (Normal Range 8.1)
· Visceral Fat: 22 (Healthy Range 1-12)
Basically, the most important numbers here are the body fat percentage and visceral fat rating. Visceral fat is the fat deep inside your body surrounding your organs (viscera, obvs). I've often wondered how I can have a large belly, but still feel strong abs just below a relatively shallow sub-dermal fat layer, and now I know.
The treatment is the same as it is for anyone who is obese: reduced calories; reduced refined starches; reduced saturated and poly fats and increased unsaturated; increased physical activity (cardio mostly, but also strength training).
The main difference is that I don't have to do a bunch of crunches and be disappointed that my belly isn't going away because tighter abs over the top of a bunch of visceral fat is still going to be a big belly.
As much as I hate cardio, it's going to have to become - almost literally - my bread and butter.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Sugar Is More Addictive Than Cocaine
That's what all the headlines are saying these days. Some are reporting a statistic of "8 times more addictive than cocaine".
What I've found is that a lot of these articles are quoting a study that was poorly done, and lacks much credibility. But, that doesn't mean it's not at least partly true. I think that sugar becomes a habit, more than an addiction, but it's a habit that extremely hard to break because of the rewards your brain experiences - sugar fuels every cell in your brain.
This year, I tried to stop eating added sugar and what I call sugar vehicles: candy, desserts, etc. I did really well for 4 months, but then I decided that I could have cake on my birthday, which became my birthday weekend, which became my birthday week, which rolled into my son's birthday week, and I couldn't be rude and not have some of the cake my wife made for him...and the snowball grew until I was back into full swing sugar mode again. I "fell off the wagon" as it were.
I've managed to taper off this week, but I still find myself grabbing something small. Wint-o-green Lifesavers are my kryptonite, and my office stocks a 3 lb bag of them in the break room. It's all to easy to succumb to that smell, and grab a handful on my way to one of the conference rooms, or back to my desk after getting a drink. We also have some granola bars, they're the lower sugar variety compared to some others, but still have 12g of sugar each.
This reminds me that I also started logging food, but I can't keep that up. It's just too annoying to either write down and research, or scan each food's bar code into an app (and if you have fresh food without a bar code, then you're back on the research mode). I do it for a week or two, and then find myself skipping meals, then skipping days, then just uninstalling the app. The accountability is good for me, as well as the educational habit of reading labels, but it's just not a sustainable activity for me in its current form.
What I've found is that a lot of these articles are quoting a study that was poorly done, and lacks much credibility. But, that doesn't mean it's not at least partly true. I think that sugar becomes a habit, more than an addiction, but it's a habit that extremely hard to break because of the rewards your brain experiences - sugar fuels every cell in your brain.
This year, I tried to stop eating added sugar and what I call sugar vehicles: candy, desserts, etc. I did really well for 4 months, but then I decided that I could have cake on my birthday, which became my birthday weekend, which became my birthday week, which rolled into my son's birthday week, and I couldn't be rude and not have some of the cake my wife made for him...and the snowball grew until I was back into full swing sugar mode again. I "fell off the wagon" as it were.
I've managed to taper off this week, but I still find myself grabbing something small. Wint-o-green Lifesavers are my kryptonite, and my office stocks a 3 lb bag of them in the break room. It's all to easy to succumb to that smell, and grab a handful on my way to one of the conference rooms, or back to my desk after getting a drink. We also have some granola bars, they're the lower sugar variety compared to some others, but still have 12g of sugar each.
This reminds me that I also started logging food, but I can't keep that up. It's just too annoying to either write down and research, or scan each food's bar code into an app (and if you have fresh food without a bar code, then you're back on the research mode). I do it for a week or two, and then find myself skipping meals, then skipping days, then just uninstalling the app. The accountability is good for me, as well as the educational habit of reading labels, but it's just not a sustainable activity for me in its current form.
New Fitness Plan
For my new gym, I've taken a new path to fitness.
I plan to alternate cardio and strength training, with cardio taking the fore. Previously, I've been content to just strength train - mainly because I get so bored with cardio, and also because I've yet to find a form of cardio that doesn't cause me pain.
My current plan is to do cardio on Mon-Wed-Fri and strength on Tue-Thu, taking the weekends off.
Sundays are my new "Scale day" and I won't weigh myself during the week anymore.
Yesterday was my first cardio day, and I rode a regular upright exercise bike. The first thing I noticed was that it hurt my butt - like, a lot. I figured that this was because I'm not used to supporting all 260 pounds of me on a small portion of my inner ass cheeks. For the record, the discomfort never faded, I just got accustomed to it.
The next thing was that my feet started to hurt, which surprised me. The outer edge of both my feet started to ache, and I think this is because my form is bad. I have to ride somewhat bowlegged in order to get around my gut, which means that I'm putting uneven pressure on my feet, knees, ankles, and hips. Which lead to the 3rd thing I noticed, which happened around the 15-minute mark, my left hip started to ache like it needed to pop or something.
Overall, though, I did manage to ride for 25 minutes and hit my cardio range. I rode something like 4.5 miles, and the machine at one point said "Congrats! You just rode the equivalent of a 5K race" so, there's that. I broke a good sweat, though, so I felt like I accomplished my goal, and I pushed through the pain.
After cardio, I did some core strength work on my abs - my degenerative disc disease, ruptured and bulging discs can only be helped by making my core stronger. Years of being overweight (and an 8-year career pushing around hundreds of tons of cargo per year) have been stressful on my back, and my body shape causes me to carry all of my weight in my lumbar, which is bad. I'm trying to get real strength in my abs, while also strengthening the muscles that line my spine in order to carry that weight with muscle instead of bone and cartilage.
That's it for the time being. I'll post another update with my body measurements as soon as my gym manager sends them to me, in case anyone is curious.
I plan to alternate cardio and strength training, with cardio taking the fore. Previously, I've been content to just strength train - mainly because I get so bored with cardio, and also because I've yet to find a form of cardio that doesn't cause me pain.
My current plan is to do cardio on Mon-Wed-Fri and strength on Tue-Thu, taking the weekends off.
Sundays are my new "Scale day" and I won't weigh myself during the week anymore.
Yesterday was my first cardio day, and I rode a regular upright exercise bike. The first thing I noticed was that it hurt my butt - like, a lot. I figured that this was because I'm not used to supporting all 260 pounds of me on a small portion of my inner ass cheeks. For the record, the discomfort never faded, I just got accustomed to it.
The next thing was that my feet started to hurt, which surprised me. The outer edge of both my feet started to ache, and I think this is because my form is bad. I have to ride somewhat bowlegged in order to get around my gut, which means that I'm putting uneven pressure on my feet, knees, ankles, and hips. Which lead to the 3rd thing I noticed, which happened around the 15-minute mark, my left hip started to ache like it needed to pop or something.
Overall, though, I did manage to ride for 25 minutes and hit my cardio range. I rode something like 4.5 miles, and the machine at one point said "Congrats! You just rode the equivalent of a 5K race" so, there's that. I broke a good sweat, though, so I felt like I accomplished my goal, and I pushed through the pain.
After cardio, I did some core strength work on my abs - my degenerative disc disease, ruptured and bulging discs can only be helped by making my core stronger. Years of being overweight (and an 8-year career pushing around hundreds of tons of cargo per year) have been stressful on my back, and my body shape causes me to carry all of my weight in my lumbar, which is bad. I'm trying to get real strength in my abs, while also strengthening the muscles that line my spine in order to carry that weight with muscle instead of bone and cartilage.
That's it for the time being. I'll post another update with my body measurements as soon as my gym manager sends them to me, in case anyone is curious.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Long story made short
I'll write the full story in a future post about my winter, but here's the TL:DR version:
I got meningitis, encephalitis, and pneumonia all at the same time and was hospitalized on Dec 12, 2014. I went into a general seizure in the ER, and was induced into a coma for 4 days, then hospitalized for an additional 5.
A month later, I was back at work, but even today I'm still feeling effects - mainly to do with strange speech issues like fumbling over words or mixing up sentences.
Today, I signed up for a gym membership, and last weekend, I picked up a new Fitbit Charge.
Here's to Starting Over!
257 lbs
I got meningitis, encephalitis, and pneumonia all at the same time and was hospitalized on Dec 12, 2014. I went into a general seizure in the ER, and was induced into a coma for 4 days, then hospitalized for an additional 5.
A month later, I was back at work, but even today I'm still feeling effects - mainly to do with strange speech issues like fumbling over words or mixing up sentences.
Today, I signed up for a gym membership, and last weekend, I picked up a new Fitbit Charge.
Here's to Starting Over!
257 lbs
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
050 Breaking it Down
It's been a week since my last post.
I've been hovering at 269 for a while now, and it's pretty depressing, but I'm not doing enough to change it, which is also depressing.
Two nights ago I really started to be annoyed at the fact that I can't just get up and jog, trot, or do anything much more than walk, on the spur of the moment. I used to be able to break into a light run, or even sprint, at will, now I feel like my spine would fall out of my butt and my shins would immediately degrade into splints. I really miss the ease of being able to jog across the street when the crossing signal starts to flash. I find myself having jealous pangs every time I watch an actor break into an easy run.
So, yesterday I took the kids and wife to a running shoe store to get fitted properly for some good shoes. We went to Sole Sports Running Zone, a Phoenix-specific store, and were really pleased with Micaela's attentiveness and knowledge. I'm not putting up this information as an ad, by the way, just informational in case you decide to try them out.
They did video analysis of our running (ok, brisk walk) to see how our pronation was. I had self-diagnosed with over-pronating a couple of years ago, and the video confirmed it. My wife is actually almost perfectly neutral. We each tried on several pair of shoes, different brands and stability levels, I settled on a Mizuno Inspire 8, my wife got something unpronouncable in Nike. We also got some non-cotton socks to go with our new shoes.
My intention is to go out and run/jog/trot/speedwalk around the block at night after the kids are in bed. I failed to try last night, for which I have several excuses, none very valid.
This morning, my weight on the scale is 267.0. Time to get back to business of getting that number down again.
I've been hovering at 269 for a while now, and it's pretty depressing, but I'm not doing enough to change it, which is also depressing.
Two nights ago I really started to be annoyed at the fact that I can't just get up and jog, trot, or do anything much more than walk, on the spur of the moment. I used to be able to break into a light run, or even sprint, at will, now I feel like my spine would fall out of my butt and my shins would immediately degrade into splints. I really miss the ease of being able to jog across the street when the crossing signal starts to flash. I find myself having jealous pangs every time I watch an actor break into an easy run.
So, yesterday I took the kids and wife to a running shoe store to get fitted properly for some good shoes. We went to Sole Sports Running Zone, a Phoenix-specific store, and were really pleased with Micaela's attentiveness and knowledge. I'm not putting up this information as an ad, by the way, just informational in case you decide to try them out.
They did video analysis of our running (ok, brisk walk) to see how our pronation was. I had self-diagnosed with over-pronating a couple of years ago, and the video confirmed it. My wife is actually almost perfectly neutral. We each tried on several pair of shoes, different brands and stability levels, I settled on a Mizuno Inspire 8, my wife got something unpronouncable in Nike. We also got some non-cotton socks to go with our new shoes.
My intention is to go out and run/jog/trot/speedwalk around the block at night after the kids are in bed. I failed to try last night, for which I have several excuses, none very valid.
This morning, my weight on the scale is 267.0. Time to get back to business of getting that number down again.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
037 267.0
Still paying the price of slacking off for the last week and a half. 267 is a disappointing number, even though it's still 11 pounds lower than I started. I had hoped to be down 16 pounds by now at 2 pounds per week average.
Still, down is better than up.
...or something.
Still, down is better than up.
Keep
Calm
and
Count
Calories
...or something.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
036 A New Hope
Yesterday started a new dedication to getting back on track.
Then I went out to the bar with my wife - one of the very common things we used to do that has become extremely rare - and had 2 Guinness. We've become teetotalers since the kids were born, it's quite sad.
After the bar, I was starving since I didn't eat dinner before the kids went to bed, so I stopped at Jack-in-the-box. Sourdough Jack burgers are my cryptonite right now. And curly fries.
So, went over the calorie budget, but it was worth it.
I can't believe I have a hangover after 2 beers, though...
Then I went out to the bar with my wife - one of the very common things we used to do that has become extremely rare - and had 2 Guinness. We've become teetotalers since the kids were born, it's quite sad.
After the bar, I was starving since I didn't eat dinner before the kids went to bed, so I stopped at Jack-in-the-box. Sourdough Jack burgers are my cryptonite right now. And curly fries.
So, went over the calorie budget, but it was worth it.
I can't believe I have a hangover after 2 beers, though...
Monday, February 4, 2013
028 to 035 - Slacking Off and Giving In
Ever since I took a simple comment personally on Facebook, one that wasn't at all out of place, but just rubbed me wrong, I've lost a lot of motivation.
I talked myself out of logging food. I haven't been drinking nearly enough water. I have been more sedentary than usual. I even hid the feed for the weight loss group my sister-in-law runs on Facebook so that I wouldn't need to watch all of their successes and such.
Then, yesterday was Superbowl, and I started indulging in Bad Things even the night before: Entenmen's donuts, Pringles with sour cream ranch dip, and several pints of beer. Plus eggs and waffles and bacon and sausage, etc.
I've gained back 4 pounds since the last week in January.
Time to get back on the wagon. Fire up the LoseIt app and get to work.
I talked myself out of logging food. I haven't been drinking nearly enough water. I have been more sedentary than usual. I even hid the feed for the weight loss group my sister-in-law runs on Facebook so that I wouldn't need to watch all of their successes and such.
Then, yesterday was Superbowl, and I started indulging in Bad Things even the night before: Entenmen's donuts, Pringles with sour cream ranch dip, and several pints of beer. Plus eggs and waffles and bacon and sausage, etc.
I've gained back 4 pounds since the last week in January.
Time to get back on the wagon. Fire up the LoseIt app and get to work.
Friday, January 25, 2013
024 Maintaining
My mantra seems to be: not enough water yesterday, finished under calories, didn't do enough exercise.
Gotta change that somehow.
Errata from yesterday: Typo'd the weight. Wrote 256.6 when it should have been 265.6. I didn't suddenly lose 12 pounds.
Calories: -1054
Burned: 3065
Steps: 2281
H2O: 52 oz
Weight: 265.6
Gotta change that somehow.
Errata from yesterday: Typo'd the weight. Wrote 256.6 when it should have been 265.6. I didn't suddenly lose 12 pounds.
Calories: -1054
Burned: 3065
Steps: 2281
H2O: 52 oz
Weight: 265.6
Thursday, January 24, 2013
023 Making Progress it Seems
My sister-in-law said something the other day that made a bit of sense to me. She said that she was eating too few calories for too many days in a row, and needed to break the budget to surprise her metabolism for a minute.
Based on that, I decided to say yes to a hamburger from Jack-in-the-box last night. Just a sourdough cheeseburger with bacon, and a small curly fries, that's all. I broke my budget by less than 100 calories, but got it back in burned calories from my steps during the day.
I felt like I'd splurged and eaten an entire weeks's worth of fast food in that one sitting. How perspective changes.
Calories: -340
Burned: 3078
Steps: 2038
H2O: 72 oz
Weight: 256.6
Based on that, I decided to say yes to a hamburger from Jack-in-the-box last night. Just a sourdough cheeseburger with bacon, and a small curly fries, that's all. I broke my budget by less than 100 calories, but got it back in burned calories from my steps during the day.
I felt like I'd splurged and eaten an entire weeks's worth of fast food in that one sitting. How perspective changes.
Calories: -340
Burned: 3078
Steps: 2038
H2O: 72 oz
Weight: 256.6
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