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04 August 2014

Hey everyone!!! I've missed you all tons. Sorry I haven't been on recently. No excuses, just facts: Work has been crazy, the kid has been crazy (she's almost 14!), I've been trying to keep up on weight-loss and muscle-gain, and on top of it all, I've been trying to start dating again. Ugh! That's not nearly as much fun as I thought it would be. When did dating become like a job interview process??? Ugh.

Anyway, something had to give, and I'm sorry, but FS took the brunt of that.

It doesn't change that I think about you all a lot, and am definitely rooting for you all!!!


<H2>Happy Anniversary</H2>
5 days ago (July 31) was my one-year anniversary from starting my weight-loss journey, and I've been wanting to come on and give you all an update, for anyone that may be interested.

First, some pics... the old ones you may remember.




And now some recent ones... from within the last few weeks:




<H2>In the last year...</H2>

&nbsp; - I have lost just about 150 lbs.
&nbsp; - I've put on muscle (see in the pics)
&nbsp; - I no longer need my CPAP machine
&nbsp; - The doc took me off all the meds I had been on (Blood Pressure / Cholest / Triglycerides)
&nbsp; - My BMI has gone from 49.5 (!!) to 27.6
&nbsp; - My body-fat percentage was over 60%, and is now right around 27% (just entering "average" for my age)
&nbsp; - My resting heart rate is 55 (considered better than "excellent", into "athlete"!)
&nbsp; - Gone from size 48 pants, to size 34
&nbsp; - From 3XL shirts to Medium
&nbsp; - I feel tons better


<H2>What I'm "doing" now</H2>
So, while I don't recommend it for anyone actively losing weight, I've stopped counting calories. @NM is going to kill me. But I've gotten into a bit of a routine, between protein shakes, and standard things I eat, things don't change too much for me day-to-day. Then when I go out, I don't worry too much about it. I'm currently in a slow weight-loss process, but I don't have to track calories for it. And it is working for me. Built into this is some intermittent fasting periods, so I'm still doing that.

Biking: Since I work from home so much, I have the ability to go for a bike ride on my lunch-break. Which I do. Almost every day, I go for a 10 mile spin. At about 14mph, I'm back in about 45 mins... enough time for a quick cool down, and back to work. I've logged over 600 miles in the last two and half months!

Weights: Still doing one and a half to two hours a day, every two of three days (two days on, one off, etc). I do occasionally skip a day, if something comes up, or if I'm not feeling it, but then I go right back into the routine.


<H2>What's next?</H2>
According to the body fat percentage, my target weight is 165. I still don't know about that. Seems pretty low. Right now, I'm aiming for 180. When I get there, I'll probably aim for 170. I keep re-assessing as I go down. But there's definitely still plenty to do... it's hard to see with clothes on, but it's definitely there. And the BF scale is my wingman. It knows all. Don't worry, I won't over-do it. I promise.


That's it for now -- just a quick update. Like I said, I'm still rooting for you all! I may not respond, but I do get your journal entries in the mail, and have been keeping up on your progress. Keep ROCKING, all of you!!!

Rob
Weigh-in: 190.2 lb lost so far: 149.8 lb still to go: 10.2 lb Diet followed 100%
   (37 comments) losing 1.2 lb a week

29 May 2014

Hey, everyone.

I'm still getting clobbered at work. Between that and taking care of the kid, and helping mom out where I can... it leaves little time for FS. Ugh. I really miss it, and ALL OF YOU! I know some on here may feel I'm snubbing you, but I truly am not -- certainly not with any intention. But working so many hours, keeping up with my family, and still trying to be good about exercise and food choice is not leaving much time to breathe. It will probably be this way for the next few months until this project settles down a bit. Until then, I'll post when I can, and do my best to respond to people here and there. Please accept my apologies. I miss you all!!!

I actually began this journal more as a "note to self", to help organize some of my thoughts so I could refer to them later. As I wrote it, I realized others on here might benefit from some of this info. So I changed a few things, and turned it into a journal entry. I hope it helps someone.

AGAIN I miss you all. I hope you're doing GREAT!


<H2>Binge Eating</H2>
Last night I had a pretty solid binge -- and it wasn't my first one since losing all this weight. I have been slowly coming to the conclusion that I finally came to last night: I still have a binge problem. Of course, I should have come to that realization a bit sooner, but I tend to be kind of dense when it comes to myself. And women. I'm dense on that topic, too.

I decided to Google "how do I stop binge eating", and found this great article by Nia Shanks:
20 Tips for Breaking Free from Binge Eating. Wow, she did a very nice job laying it all out. If you've ever had any issues with binge eating -- especially if you suspect you still do -- you should read this.

Now a lot of these I already know, and am good about keeping conscious about. And to be honest, virtually ALL OF THEM, I was doing for a long while on my big weight loss -- some without even realizing it. As I read the article last night, the points that really stuck out for me were:

#3 ("Stop trying to be perfect")
#6 ("Celebrate ALL victories and don’t dwell over minor set-backs")
#7 ("Ditch the rigid rules")
#15 ("Be kind to yourself")

These four are all kind of related -- they are all sides to the same die. And to me, they are truly the crux of the issue. IMHO, if you really want to stop binge eating, these are the 4 points that really matter most.

It was when I came to #3 ("Stop trying to be perfect") that I remembered at my best I was doing this one, and somewhere along the way I kind of stopped. I think at first, being "perfect" worked because I was already in my stride. Being "perfect" isn't a problem, of course -- until you hit an obstacle. That's when it breaks down. That's when you berate and lash out at yourself for failure. That's when the self-destructive behavior really begins. That's when the wallowing in self-pity kicks in full force; when you de-evolve (devolve?) and allow the door to open for continued self-destruction.

But obstacles happen. It's life.

<H2>Fits and Starts</H2>
I've kind of been stuck in fits and starts for the last few months. It isn't that I'm not trying. Believe me, I'm TRYING HARD! And I think I've slipped into this "being perfect" model again. That was what I used to do with all the other diets -- the old ones that didn't work. Finally last year I got past all that. And my biggest hurdle in getting there was the decision I'd made: if I fell, I wouldn't dwell on it, I wouldn't bite my own head off; I'd just stand up, dust off and get moving again. Making a mistake was human, and I had to accommodate it, but not encourage it. Instead of "Go big or go home", when I fell, I had to not green-light more bad choices; I told myself that one little blankety-blank was no big deal, but it was time to stop and move on. I'd gotten pretty good at that. Sometime around Christmas or into the New Year, I think I stopped doing that. Or at least I had stopped being good about it.

Nia Shanks' bullet-points on this (above) are all very good. I kind of wish she'd put them together in her list. I think they would have had more power. But, at the height of my success, I was doing all of them. And last night I realized I needed to do them again.

If this topic interests you, you should read what she says on each point. She has a lot of good information within each bullet point I've listed here. I've only put the bullet points, but she provides a great deal more information about each, and it is all good. Take a look.

<H2>Weighing and Cheat Days</H2>
She has a number of other points in her article as well -- 16 more to be specific. And they are all good points too. You have to remember that these are the points that helped her in her own personal struggle. Two more in particular caught my attention:

#4 ("Stay off the scale")
#5 ("Ditch cheat days")

As I mentioned in my last journal, I've decided to do #4. And while I have not recorded my weight on FS in awhile, I've been less than perfect about staying away from the scale. I really do think there is something to this. Especially when you get closer to goal and the scale just does not move like it used to. Going forward I'm going to tighten down on all these points -- sort of aim for perfection in handling imperfection. Hah!

And "cheat days". Ugh. This and my carb-backloading kind of go hand-in-hand. While I do think carb-backloading has been very valuable for me, I still haven't quite dialed-in two aspects of it:

The first is when I need it. There are times it works, and times it does not... and I have yet to discover the method for knowing in advance when that is. I wish there were some gauge on our bodies that would tell us. Nothing is ever that simple. But the second thing I have struggled with when I carb-backload is that it is so easy to get carried away. I honestly believe this second one also plays into the first... sometimes I may have needed the carb-backload, but it failed because I overdid it. Ugh. I have to work on this. I think the key here may lie in "listen to your body" ... a sub-point Nia Shanks raises in her text on point #7 ("Ditch the rigid rules").


My posts generally have a chart involved. So I felt it necessary to include one, even though there was no logical reason to. So, here is my gratuitous chart:




Anyway, this is what I'm working on now. I'm so glad I found this article. I've come so far, and only have about another 30 pounds I want to lose. I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that the struggle for that last 30 may be just as hard as the first 140 lbs I lost -- if not harder.

By the way, in case you were wondering... a Google search on "how do I understand women" didn't really provide a whole lot of value. I guess they are mysterious even to the miraculous and otherwordly power of Google. I bow to the mystic and unknowable power that is the better gender -- the only question for which Google holds no answer.



TAKE CARE ALL, and BEST WISHES to all of you!!! Keep rocking, and keep smiling!
Weigh-in: 202.0 lb lost so far: 138.0 lb still to go: 22.0 lb Diet followed reasonably well
   (12 comments) gaining 0.7 lb a week

15 May 2014

Ahhhh, work. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

1) Getting paid

Ok... number 2. Number 2...

Ummm. Hmmm. That's about all I've got.

Everything else about it really bites... especially this week. Sorry I'm scarce all, but work has bumped itself back to the fore of everything. I'm trying not to let my weight-loss or workouts suffer for it. Never easy, but so far I'm keeping my head above water. What's taking a hit (as always) is my journaling and reading your journals. For that I'm sorry!!! But I'm still thinking about you all. Take care and keep smiling.

FYI, inspired by all the scale-weigh-in boycotting going on lately, and also because a few times my own progress has been stymied by getting down about a weigh-in despite hard work on my part, I've decided to put a moratorium on weigh-ins for me for awhile. I don't think I'll go **weeks** at it like so many of you, but I'm not doing daily weigh-ins for a bit. I'm going to put my head down, do things the way (weigh!) I know how, and let the scale work itself out on its own.

BTW, I've been doing some great workouts lately. With the nice weather, a lot of biking, and I'm averaging 10mph rides for about ten miles along the local riverside bike path. This is together with my usual one to one-and-a-half hour long weight lifting sessions.

I've stopped recording workouts on FS for the last couple of months, because my work gives us dollars towards healthcare if we log with them, and I got really tired of recording it in both places. Sorry, FS, but the $$$ wins. But trust me, I'm working out more consistently than ever, and the muscles are coming in nicely. One of these days you all just may suffer a shirtless pic. Hah! Probably not. I'm way to shy for that.

BTW, speaking of the workout recording... I've been using MapMyFitness (free on the web,
www.mapmyfitness.com) to log my bike rides (it interfaces with my company's healthcare stuff). Wow that thing is really neat, if you've got a smart phone. It keeps a GPS log of exactly where I go, how far I go, average speed, as well as geographic elevation, and all kinds of neat stuff. Then, along with Google Earth, you can even do a 3D "ride through" of your journey (whether it is biking, running or other). It's really neat. Anyone into biking / running with a smart phone should check it out. Pretty nice! Check it out.

Anyway, all. I'll try to squeeze in a few more journals as I'm able... and I really do want to read through all your journal entries too. Ugh, I hate when life intervenes. I'll catch up soon! BEST WISHES ALL!!!!

Oh, shoot... one last thing. I just found out (inadvertantly) that I'm down another pant-size!!! I'm in size 36 pants now!!! Woo hooo!!!! That's down 12 sizes from where I started. I didn't even think I'd be ready for them yet, but on a lark I decided to try them when I was swimming in my 38's. Amazing. Had to buy another new belt too! Wooo hooo!!! :D

Again, all... talk to you soon! Keep smiling, and keep working hard. BEST WISHES EVERYONE!

06 May 2014

Weigh-in: 199.6 lb lost so far: 140.4 lb still to go: 19.6 lb Diet followed 100%
   (25 comments) losing 8.4 lb a week

05 May 2014

Hiya everyone!!!

My good, good, good friend (@Issy) -- that I've been neglecting for FAR TOO LONG (ok, that fits **ALL of you!) -- has commented about my lack of journals recently.

She is definitely right... but that's not altogether new either. I usually don't journal much unless something happens. And not much has been happening. Well, at least not much as far as my weight loss is concerned. But I really should apologize to you ALL, I know I just haven't been as supportive lately. And I need to get on that. Life has a way of swirling in on you like that sometimes. But I've got to get over it and make the time. This I know.

So, why hasn't there been all that much to report? Let me back up a bit.

So a few weeks ago (Apr 11th to be precise) I was positively giddy about getting to 199.8 -- just under 200. As you can see by my weight chart... um... well... it isn't under 200 any more. Funny story about that... You know how they say you have to watch your intake and manage that against your calorie burn?

From experience now, I can tell you that is surprisingly true!

Ok, ok, not much of a surprise really, but who's counting?

Anyway, from there I did a bit of a carb backload, per my plan... so I knew I wasn't going to stay under the 200's for long, but the plan was to then STOP the carb backload after a couple of days and get back under the 200's fairly quickly. I had a bit of a spiral since then.

<h2>Tornado Spiral Kerfuffle</h2>
You can see by the little chart detailing my fiasco how things went up and down a lot, but with a distinct up-trend.



Anyway, this is what has happened the last 25 days... that last one (200.8) is this morning. I'm just now getting a chance to post it.

Anyway, when that 207 came in, I finally had to level with myself: I'd done this for months... I knew what to do, and how to do it... I'd been strong, and my plan is to continue to be strong, even in maintenance. I never want to go back. So being weak and loose just WILL NOT DO.

<h2>Fly in the Ointment?</h2>
Then very interestingly, I noticed something. I had no problems. None. Not a one. Not even a craving for one of my go-to golden foods -- those were the cravings that had been driving me insane. As I was pouring myself a well-earned glass of Diet Pepsi it occurred to me that all those months I'd been being good, I had completely restricted all pop. I had not allowed myself any, not even a drop. In the last couple of months, I'd eased up on that rule. As I was standing there, it suddenly occurred to me that all through my *problem* I'd been drinking the stuff. In fact, I'd eased up quite a bit on it... it's no calorie, right? And I personally have not had any issues with the artificial sweeteners I use (but I tend to use Stevia, Monk-fruit, or Sucralose {Splenda}). But I suddenly thought it was really odd that I'd quit it, had no problems losing a lot of weight. Resumed drinking it, and now was struggling... stopped for a couple of days just because I was being strict, and again -- no problems.

I poured it out and decided not to drink it.

To be honest, I have absolutely no idea if these two things are related in any way. It could just be that my resolve strengthened and that's what I'm seeing. But if they aren't related, it seems awfully coincidental. One thing to keep in mind is that I do not add aspartame to anything on my own (and that's what's in my Diet Pepsi)... but I've not been strongly against any artificial sweeteners. At the same time, I've been trying to stick to the better ones (Stevia / Monkfruit), but Sucralose just tastes so much better to me... so I try to mix them and keep the sucralose down.

Anyway, I haven't had any since that 207 mark.

Well, all, I'm spot-on now, with nary a craving or an impulse to "cheat". I haven't decided if I'll carb backload this weekend or not... but I'm leaning toward not. We'll see. The last few days have been "fasting" days for me... I haven't built the bank back up yet, but it's almost there.

My daughter and mom are both doing great. We memorialized the anniversary of my brother's passing this weekend -- so some of the weekend was a bit reserved.

BEST WISHES TO ALL! I'll try and make the rounds and see how you're all doing... but I'm kind of bummed I won't be able to tell much because of all your scale-eschewing. KEEP SMILING everyone!!!
Weigh-in: 200.8 lb lost so far: 139.2 lb still to go: 20.8 lb Diet followed 100%
   (15 comments) losing 11.2 lb a week

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