The Officialish FOFC Weight Loss Dynasty

[Radii]

1/10: 323
2/10: 310.8
3/10: 306.4
4/10: 299.4
5/10: 292.2
5/17: 290.6
5/24: 292.4
5/31: 286.6


So my last weigh-in wasn't a complete anomaly. I had actually knocked myself out of ketosis by eating too many carbs somewhere and didn't realize it at first. But after 5 months on a super low carb diet its extremely easy to get back in, and once I did I dropped a pound a day for the rest of the week. So that's neat.


I'm the only one that's posted here for about 2 1/2 weeks now. How's everyone else doing?

[PilotMan]

As many times as I've started and stopped I'm not sure I'm allowed to post in here. Anyway, the last two days I've worked out and lifted more than I've done in probably 7 or 8 years. I was sore yesterday and today, wow, I haven't been this sore in what seems like forever. Every move hurts. Lol. Not sure if I should rest today or just push through and get it done.

My weight isn't good. It's not the highest it's ever been and lately I've been trending down, but my food choices aren't great.

[tarcone]

I need to drop 14 pounds. I thing I did about amonth ago was to change my lunch routine. I ate a sandwich, potato chips, an apple and water for lunch everyday. I took a salad for a week. With sugar free salad dressing, an apple and water. I lost 4 pounds in that week. Amazing. I didnt stick to it. But it was interesting how cutting the carbs out of my diet had such a big affect.
I need to get back to that.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

As many times as I've started and stopped I'm not sure I'm allowed to post in here. Anyway, the last two days I've worked out and lifted more than I've done in probably 7 or 8 years. I was sore yesterday and today, wow, I haven't been this sore in what seems like forever. Every move hurts. Lol. Not sure if I should rest today or just push through and get it done.

My weight isn't good. It's not the highest it's ever been and lately I've been trending down, but my food choices aren't great.

Give today a rest day. Your body needs the rest days to heal the muscles that you worked out and make them stronger. Overworking your muscles, especially when not used to it can lead to injury if you are not careful.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

As many times as I've started and stopped I'm not sure I'm allowed to post in here.

I've started over in this thread publicly 5 or 6 times i'm sure, and that doesn't include every effort i've made half heartedly to lose weight. Welcome back!

[Kodos]

It's not how many times you get knocked down; it's how many times you get back up.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Radii

1/10: 323
2/10: 310.8
3/10: 306.4
4/10: 299.4
5/10: 292.2
5/17: 290.6
5/24: 292.4
5/31: 286.6


So my last weigh-in wasn't a complete anomaly. I had actually knocked myself out of ketosis by eating too many carbs somewhere and didn't realize it at first. But after 5 months on a super low carb diet its extremely easy to get back in, and once I did I dropped a pound a day for the rest of the week. So that's neat.

I hadn't visited this thread in a little while but this update made me smile. Very happy for you! That's what, 36 lbs dropped so far? How do you feel? I guess you must be beginning to feel the positive effect of the weight loss. 36 lbs is a lot of weight that your knees aren't supporting on every step anymore. Again, kudos to you!

FM

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by tarcone

I need to drop 14 pounds. I thing I did about amonth ago was to change my lunch routine. I ate a sandwich, potato chips, an apple and water for lunch everyday. I took a salad for a week. With sugar free salad dressing, an apple and water. I lost 4 pounds in that week. Amazing. I didnt stick to it. But it was interesting how cutting the carbs out of my diet had such a big affect.
I need to get back to that.

Take it easy. The whole "getting back in shape/lose weight" thing is a marathon, not a sprint. Yeah, it's a running analogy but I was using it way before I started running, with many of my jarate students. I see people come in, sign up and they want to tear up the place the first couple of weeks. At first they want acces to all hours of clss, advanced or beginner and I have to slow them down some. Nobody got out of shape or overweight overnight. As sad as this sound, nobody gets in shape overnight. It might take time so give your body some rest, it'll thanks you in the long run...

FM

[PilotMan]

Well after some serious stretching and knowing that I was going to rest tomorrow I went ahead and gave it a go. It went better than I thought it would. Did my normal routine, but switched up a bunch of exercises and didn't overdo the weights. Sitting in the sauna for 10 minutes after was great. I have to take advantage of these nice hotel gyms. So much better than anything I have access to at home.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

I hadn't visited this thread in a little while but this update made me smile. Very happy for you! That's what, 36 lbs dropped so far? How do you feel? I guess you must be beginning to feel the positive effect of the weight loss. 36 lbs is a lot of weight that your knees aren't supporting on every step anymore. Again, kudos to you!

Thanks.

I haven't been exercising at all for the past 6 weeks or so. I assume once I start making that a better habit I'll notice more. I noticed massive changes when I first changed my eating habits in January. When I'm eating poorly I'm eating tons of fast food. So there are obvious benefits when I stop doing that and start cooking more. There were also huge benefits to the switch to super low carb/keto for me that have remained throughout. Those changes kicked in in full force when I was around 310-315. Past that, I can't tell a difference. I know there is a difference, and I know its a big one, but to this point I'm unable to quantify any difference right now to 30 pounds ago.

Again, with exercise, which I know I need to get started seriously, the sooner the better, I know I'll feel it more. I'm not complaining, mind you, the differences I feel from eating better in general are amazing and totally life changing. But that did happen before any significant weight loss, and I have so far been unable to observe anything major since then. It'll come though

[PilotMan]

I have the exact same problem. I walk around at 6'4'", 290 and for me to drop to 270 really doesn't show at all. I think if I could get to 250 and replace some of this fat with muscle I might look the best I have in years. One day at a time.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Radii

Thanks.

Past that, I can't tell a difference. I know there is a difference, and I know its a big one, but to this point I'm unable to quantify any difference right now to 30 pounds ago.

It's not noticeable like that, but your body is already thanking you. I lost 40 lbs and when I hit 15 lbs, I also didn't really realize it until I picked up a box of stuff that I knew was exactly 15 lbs that's when it hit me, how much weight I was carrying every day.

Go pick up a couple weight plate that total 30 lbs and simply walk with them in your arms for maybe 15 minutes... that's what you were carrying on you that you are not carrying anymore. It's NOT nothing...

FM

[Radii]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

I have the exact same problem. I walk around at 6'4'", 290 and for me to drop to 270 really doesn't show at all. I think if I could get to 250 and replace some of this fat with muscle I might look the best I have in years. One day at a time.

Oh I definitely look a bit different between 320 and 280, I'm not sharing them but I am taking the occasional progress pic and have a couple pictures of when I was 325 or so. My 4X shirts are a little too big now, 4X shorts fall off and can't be worn anymore, 2X shirts don't quite fit yet but they can be put on without ripping apart incredible hulk style

The stuff I was talking about in that post is more about feel, the desire to have more energy, being able to get the day started better instead of waking up feeling like crap, naturally having a higher activity level because it doesn't hurt to do basic things like bring in groceries or take a flight of stairs etc. That's where I noticed huge improvements initially on the diet change but really no difference due to the next 30 pounds after that thus far.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

Go pick up a couple weight plate that total 30 lbs and simply walk with them in your arms for maybe 15 minutes... that's what you were carrying on you that you are not carrying anymore. It's NOT nothing...

Yeah, this is a very good point Its absolutely a huge difference thinking about it that way.

[hoopsguy]

Long time no post. I've been floating between 175-179 for most of the year and hoping that I'm able to break through that 175 pound threshold by the end of the month.

After a really lethargic first part of the year, I've gotten out running the last couple of months. About 40 miles/month for April and May, while running about 10-12 times per month. Got a couple of 5k runs in. Now that I've got a work assignment that is local and scheduled to run through the end of the year, I think the time is right to actually get a little more regular with my running schedule. I'm going to follow the Hal Hidgon intermediate 5k plan.

Hal Higdon Training Programs

Have the first week in the books (well, long run tomorrow) and just trying to ease into the idea of running 5x a week instead of 3x. I'm legitimately taking it easy on the "easy" runs rather than finding some sliver of a personal best to go after as a challenge for myself every run. Like, "hey, if I push myself at the end here I can get a top 3 400m time!" Which I think is fine to do from time to time, but if I'm upping my mileage then I don't want to end up gimping myself chasing after some largely meaningless accomplishment. Bigger picture in mind.

Beyond that, my wife and daughter are joining me in doing a 30 day ab challenge from Facebook. I was pretty confident that I would win this challenge, but they have both survived so far and today was the first day where I felt some suffering trying to do my reps. I'm quite sure someone will tap out next week, just hoping it isn't me.
30-day-abschallenge_zps6b51b597.png Photo by louisemcentee | Photobucket

Beyond that, it would be good to finally kick the Coke habit. I usually stick to 1/day on weekends, but the workday routine gets me having 2/day. Zero would be a nice lifestyle change, along with packing a lunch instead of eating out every day. I think those are changes that I can/will integrate and hopefully see some results on the scale.

I'll look to record weekly numbers, at least for the summer, so Radii has some company in here. Would really like to see what I can do on a 5k this fall if I manage to shed 7-10 pounds ...

[Radii]

1/10: 323
2/10: 310.8
3/10: 306.4
4/10: 299.4
5/10: 292.2
6/10: 284.8

I lost another 1.8 pounds last week. So 5 months in, 38 pounds down. The last 3 months in a row I've lost between 7-8 pounds. I can't really ask for more than that.

I had a 3 month checkup with the doctor today. A1C was 4.2, which probably as low as it can go. Essentially non-diabetic as long as I avoid carbs.

Testosterone is still a huge issue, my energy level is just bad, and my testosterone remains extremely low. We're increasing my dose back to what it was last year, and I go back in two months to see how that impacts my bloodwork. The long term goal is to see how my body responds once I'm at a normal body weight, and to hopefully not need anything.

We're not worrying about cholesterol right now, next time I go back we'll check it. Mine is high, but it should be coming down on this diet and with weight loss.

I did go for a walk 3 days last week, but that's not enough and exercise continues to be an issue. My ideal goal is to be walking daily for 20-40 minutes and to be doing strength training of some sort 3 days a week. I remain far from this goal.

Overall, great progress, but still things to work on

[BYU 14]

That's awesome Radii, almost 8 pounds a month, keep it up buddy!!!

[hoopsguy]

6/14: 175.7

Ran 5x this week, which is in line with the running training plan that I'm following. Kept up with the 30-day ab deal, although I'm not sure I'll hold up another week. Yesterday was very tough and if my wife was not still doing it I probably would have wussed out by now. Alcohol consumption was low this week; think I had 3 beers. Probably averaged 1.5 12oz Coke's per day, with the variance coming from lunch where I don't know what size is or track refills. But that is the area I want to attack in the coming week. Finally, had pretty good sleep this week. 9 hours last night and at least one other night during the week and I'm guessing only one day with less than 6 hours.

I haven't worked up a spreadsheet for my exercise, meals, Coke, alcohol yet like I did last time I was serious about weight loss. Perhaps I'll do so if I'm not below 175 next week.

[Radii]

1/10: 323
2/10: 310.8
3/10: 306.4
4/10: 299.4
5/10: 292.2
6/10: 284.8
6/17: 283.8

A bit of a slow week, even though technically the end result is another pound down. I got some exercise 3 of the last 7 days, which is better but still needs improvement. I also ate out 4 times in the last week, not something I want to make a habit, but not a huge deal as long as its not a trend.

[hoopsguy]

6/14: 175.7
6/23: 174.6

Later weigh-in than normal since I was out of town on Saturday. Will be same deal next weekend. Kept up both the running and the ab challenge. I'll be trying to split up my abs and running rather than doing abs after running; hit wall really hard earlier in week when rationalizing "different muscle groups" and starting during my running cool down.

From a habits perspective, had more junk food than normal over the 10 days with Father's Day and then the wife buying a cake for dessert with our dinner this past weekend. Caffeine was down until the last weekend, when I binged. Was outside of my routine at home and was lax. Slightly better food choices, smaller portions especially over the past weekend.

Overall, decent result. I've had a tough time getting below 175, and this was the first day I've weighed in at that number in awhile. So I'm not sure to trust it or if it represents finally moving past some weird body threshold. Realistically, I know that if I sustain the level of exercise I'm at right now that I should see incremental progress. But I also have to make some dietary adjustments to get down to 165 and sustain it.

[Radii]

Seeing something below 175 sounds like a good start, even if its not quite permanently below yet!

[Radii]

1/10: 323
3/10: 306.4
5/10: 292.2
6/10: 284.8
6/17: 283.8
6/24: 281.4

Condensing the history some so that list doesn't get crazy long Very solid week this week, the fact that I can still have a 2 pound loss in a week almost 6 months in makes me happy.

3 days exercise this week again, better than 0, but still need to be doing a little more.

Officially over 40 pounds lost now.

[hoopsguy]

Nice work, Radii. Has been very consistent weight loss for you over the first half of the year.

[hoopsguy]

6/14: 175.7
6/23: 174.6
6/30: 174.9

Well, up a smidge. Once again, weigh-in day was the only day checking in under 175. The last two weeks I've had to move weigh-in day on account of being out of town, which has allowed it to fall the day after my 10k run. I'll be returning to Saturday next month.

On the fitness front, it has been a very strong month. I ran more than I've ever run before in a single month, posted my fastest 5k time and second fastest 10k time, and stayed with the ab challenge all the way to the end. Assuming I do my final workout that evening, which should be a lock ... didn't do 29 days to stop on the 30th.

I'm expecting to sustain that level of effort into July, but if I want to realize weight loss it seems pretty clear that I need to work on food choices and portion control. I think I've been cognizant of these areas over the past month, but not consistently making good choices. I'm a little disappointed to still be hovering around 175 at this point after running 20x last month and pounding out over 2,000 crunches but remain optimistic that I'll see results with a sustained commitment.

To-do this week:
1.) Buy something to take lunch to work in rather than eating out.
- Bringing lunch 15x this month is the goal, have to believe those will be better food choices across the board.
2.) No more than 1 Coke per day this week, none before lunch.
- Will be harder earlier in week; I don't do this much at home.
3.) Beer that I've got in house today (about 8) should sustain me through 4th of July weekend
- Without breaking out silly amounts of wine either

[Radii]

1/10: 323
3/10: 306.4
5/10: 292.2
6/10: 284.8
6/17: 283.8
6/24: 281.4
7/1: 280.0

Moving right along, I wore jeans for the first time in a few months over the weekend, and they were hilariously big, I need to buy new ones, but since I don't wear them often I'm going to wait until the fall I think. I've moved up 4 holes on the belt that I wear, so that's neat.

I ran out of testosterone last week and am still having issues with insurance in getting more. It didn't seem to have an immediate effect on weight loss, but I fear it will soon. I struggle already when I feel decent to build an exercise routine and increase my activity level, so the difficulty level on that has been seriously increased given how run down I feel and my energy level without the medicine.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Radii

1/10: 323
3/10: 306.4
5/10: 292.2
6/10: 284.8
6/17: 283.8
6/24: 281.4
7/1: 280.0

Moving right along, I wore jeans for the first time in a few months over the weekend, and they were hilariously big, I need to buy new ones, but since I don't wear them often I'm going to wait until the fall I think. I've moved up 4 holes on the belt that I wear, so that's neat.

I ran out of testosterone last week and am still having issues with insurance in getting more. It didn't seem to have an immediate effect on weight loss, but I fear it will soon. I struggle already when I feel decent to build an exercise routine and increase my activity level, so the difficulty level on that has been seriously increased given how run down I feel and my energy level without the medicine.

Way to keep chuckin'!

[hoopsguy]

6/14: 175.7
6/23: 174.6
6/30: 174.9
7/5: 175.1

Weight up on weigh-in day, but overall this week was pretty positive. I was under 175 for the past four days in a row. Went as low as 173.2, which is a weight I haven't seen in months. Cut my coke consumption down to less than one/day, up to about 36 hours without the caffeine and think I'm on the way to breaking this habit (again.)

So what led to weight being up? The last two days have included some 4th of July eating. Although I've exercised more restraint than I would most of the time, there has still been more alcohol, more sweets, and some food choices I would not make at home.

Heading into next week, I've grabbed food for packing my own lunch instead of eating out. I'll also try to target getting seven hours of sleep per night and keeping up the exercise regimen. If I do those things, while dropping pop, then I expect to have a nice weigh-in next Saturday and reverse the upward trend of the last couple of posts.

[Radii]

1/10: 323
3/10: 306.4
5/10: 292.2
6/10: 284.8
7/1: 280.0
7/10: 281.0

At my last weigh-in I was at 280.0. A couple days after that I was at 278.5. But I made a pretty big change over the last week that I'm hoping will stick. I joined a gym. I have the means to do everything i want at home, but I'm just not doing it. So I'm hoping that adding a bit of accountability by doing this will get me going properly. I've been three times so far and am going this evening again.

So anyway, I gained 5 pounds after my first day at the gym. Obviously I didn't eat 15,000 calories, so that's water weight. My understanding is when you first start strength training after being sedentary for a long time your body hangs on to a lot of extra water as part of the process to repair muscles that you haven't used in awhile. I'm not sure if I'll lose a ton overnight at some point as that water gets released, or if that's just a new baseline weight for me as long as I continue to work out seriously. I don't care either way.

Also, I'm increasing the amount of protein I eat to go along with the intent of being much more active, and am eating 100 calories more a day to aim for a more moderate calorie deficit (still about 20%, but I was notably above that before). So we'll see if that causes more randomness or if I go back to a straight downward trend.

I have an Omron scale that does body fat %, but I think there are some known inaccuracies with it, so i check it every so often but haven't relied on it much. When I started in January it would report me at 40% body fat. Right now it says 37.5% body fat. I would have no problem with weight loss slowing a bit if it meant that my body fat % dropped faster and I added muscle. I'm going to ask at the gym today if they have a set of calipers and someone who knows how to take measurements properly.

[hoopsguy]

6/14: 175.7
6/23: 174.6
6/30: 174.9
7/5: 175.1
7/12: 174.8

Guess the good news is the weight was down in what turned out to be a miserable week. Work hours were very high, sleep was very low, and I didn't get as much exercise as I normally do. On short sleep and long hours diet struggled and I made none of the positive changes I outlined for last week.

So I suppose the weight went down a smidge based almost entirely on what an outlier the Saturday weigh-in was last week relative to the overall progress of the previous week.

Anyway, just planning to roll over the behaviors I outlined last week to this week and see if I can get my Saturday weigh-in down a more meaningful amount for next week.

[Radii]

1/10: 323
3/10: 306.4
5/10: 292.2
6/10: 284.8
7/10: 281.0
7/17: 278.6

And We're back to a "normal" weight loss pattern for me after my 2nd week of going to the gym. With added activity I am seeing my weight bounce around more from day to day. I've been checking bodyfat % with my scale too and the average for me this week was 37.1%. I know these things aren't the most accurate but I'm hoping they are good enough to show a downward trend over time? One of the trainers at the gym is going to be taking measurements for me tomorrow as well, something I never do b/c I feel like I do it differently every time and just get frustrated at myself.

I'm enjoying the gym, I still have 2 more weeks of my introductory month where I get 3 classes per week there. The classes are small group (2-6 people depending on how many show up so far), two of them are a bit more cardio focused, moving through circuits of exercises that are timed, though some of the exercises are things like dumbbell overhead presses, or bodyweight squats while holding some extra weight. The third is more weight training focused, still bodyweight/TRX band type stuff, but less cardio involved. Both of them have a good bit of core work.

I still have to decide what to do after this introductory period. The consistency/schedule/accountability of it definitely makes it worth something, but cost is an issue. They have different levels of plans available, so its not an all or nothing thing.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

Guess the good news is the weight was down in what turned out to be a miserable week. Work hours were very high, sleep was very low, and I didn't get as much exercise as I normally do. On short sleep and long hours diet struggled and I made none of the positive changes I outlined for last week.

Hanging even in a crappy week seems solid enough. I know if I'm not getting enough sleep for more than a couple days everything goes to hell quickly.

What's your goal weight? I assume dropping the sodas, even if its just a 1 a day habit, would be the best thing you can do to get there, but god knows I know how hard that is to do.

[hoopsguy]

Goal weight, for now is 165. I was there a couple of years ago driven mainly by kicking soda + portion control. I'm doing considerably more exercise now (predominantly running) so I think this should be pretty attainable.

I do remember last time at 165 being glad to realize the goal, but also feeling like a commitment to fitness would allow me to lose considerably more weight. At this point, I want to see how I feel about my weight/fitness/health at 165 and then make what I hope is an honest assessment about a good "goal weight 2.0" that should represent a final destination.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing what kind of running times I can post at 165 compared to what I've done over the past year in the 175-180 range.

[hoopsguy]

6/14: 175.7
6/23: 174.6
6/30: 174.9
7/5: 175.1
7/12: 174.8
7/19: 174.0

Weird week. Our daughter was staying with grandparents this week so I had a couple date nights with my wife and also had another work happy hour to host. Not a recipe for good eating. Coupled with scaling back on my mileage for running due to being cautious with a minor injury (have 5k and 10k next week) and my frustrating inability to walk away from Coke ... well, it could have been a lousy week.

However, I did a good job with portion control outside of those dinners. The weight today feels fairly consistent with the overall weights I've been seeing for the past three weeks if not necessarily on Saturday mornings.

Eating/alcohol should be normalized for next week. Exercise will probably be a little low in terms of mileage, but pushing for peak performance for the 5k (and 10k a week from today, but that will be after the 7/26 weigh-in) so I expect that to be good on that front as well. Would be great to finally break through the caffeine headaches that keep pushing me back for a coke/day, but I think emphasis this week will be more on healthy eating and sufficient sleep.

Edit: had a nice moment yesterday after our daughter returned home and asked me, "did you get skinnier while I was gone?" And I think that is happening, as I've moved a notch on the belt and am struggling to find the right fit on my running watch that I've used without ever thinking about this for the past year.

[Radii]

1/10: 323
3/10: 306.4
5/10: 292.2
6/10: 284.8
7/10: 281.0
7/17: 278.6
7/24: 279.8

So my expectation is for this to continue for at least another couple weeks, possibly longer. My daily weight is bouncing all over like crazy still, and I'm pretty sure its a change brought on by my efforts at the gym. I've decided that I'm going to go ahead and pay to continue with the training program I'm doing now. I am clearly getting a ton out of it and there is no way I would be able to push myself this hard on my own.

My sleep schedule has normalized a bit and I'm getting 8 hours sleep more frequently than I was before. I'm also finding myself capable of getting through the day without a nap a bit more frequently even without my testosterone prescription, which is great.

Last Friday we did measurements at the gym, I forgot to write them down myself, but I'll check them again after a month and see how I'm doing. My expectation is that my weight will bounce around some b/c of water retention but that I'll lose some inches. We shall see. As far as the fitness/strength stuff goes, next week is "testing week", all of the workouts will be measured in some fashion (don't know the exact details yet) with the idea of re-testing every 4-6 weeks to gauge improvement. As a numbers freak, that's very appealing to me.


As far as my eating habits go, I have started counting calories daily again, just to make sure that I am not allowing my calories to creep up. Yesterday I hit my calorie goal just right, but my macros were a little off, like 35g more protein than intended and a bit less fat than intended. Not a huge deal but if I'm gonna start counting calories again I will try to get that closer.

[Radii]

I think I will just track this here instead of starting a new thread. My first benchmark testing was done today at the gym. Next Wednesday and Friday will be other tests of some sort as well.

Initial results:

The first three were of the "how many can you do in a minute" variety

Pushups: 7 from knees, 9 more elevated (arms on bench instead of the floor)
Situps: 33 crunches (I did one situp, sort of, probably shouldn't have counted, I can't do a full situp yet)
60 degree TRX Band Rows: 23

Plank: held for 51 seconds, done from knees instead of toes
Half Mile Run: 7 minutes 31 seconds


I'M SO OUT OF SHAPE. But I'm sure this is way more than I could have done 3 weeks ago when I first signed up. And I'm looking forward to doing better next month. I have no idea what the other two testing sessions are going to be, but I like the idea. Obviously measuring progress is something that is very appealing to me.

[Kodos]

Keep plugging away! Persistence pays off.

[hoopsguy]

6/14: 175.7
6/23: 174.6
6/30: 174.9
7/5: 175.1
7/12: 174.8
7/19: 174.0
7/26: 172.8

Longer write-up later this weekend. Up stupid early in order to run my first 10k race later this morning, after posting some pretty big improvements in my running performance during a 5k Thursday night. I'm posting some of the running stats since there is a health element to those as well (weight, average heart rate) along with some of my nerd run tracking content.

4/12 Cubs 5k Weight: 179.0 Time: 26:31 Cadence 80 Heart Rate 167 Suffer 94
5/3 Hanover Park Sprint to Spring 5k Weight: 176.9 Time: 23.04 (4.4 km) Cadence 159 Heart Rate 171 Suffer 90
5/22 Chase Corporate Challenge 5k Weight: 176.7 Time: 28:31 (5.5 km) Cadence 164 Heart Rate 166 Suffer 109
6/14 "Fast Run" 5k Weight: 175.4 Time: 24.34 (5.0 km) Cadence 165 Heart Rate 165 Suffer 83
7/24 Run for Gus 5k Weight: 173.8 Time: 22:54 (4.9 km) Cadence 166 Heart Rate 173 Suffer 94
7/26 BigTen 5k/10k Weight: 172.8 Time: ??? Cadence ??? Heart Rate ??? Suffer ???

[hoopsguy]

So last week was an odd one in terms of exercise. I did a couple of aggressive short-distance runs over the weekend, then rested Mon-Wed to get ready for my Thursday 5k. I've been training pretty aggressively - about 5x/week - for this one over the past couple of months and I wanted to give myself the best shot at a good time even if it meant a little less exercise. I was maybe moderately better about portion control over this time in hopes of not giving back weight, but there were no major efforts to eat healthier or anything along those lines.

After the race, which went better than I had hoped for, I gorged on Portillo's Italian Beef and a Cheese Fries at 9:30 PM. Some small part of me recoiled at the choices I was making, as I was unable to finish the meal. But the larger part of me felt that this was an entirely appropriate reward for the training I had done the last few months. And given that I lost another pound between Thursday morning and the weigh-in Saturday, I think my body agreed that Portillo's was a proper conclusion to 5k training.

For the upcoming week I'm anticipating another fairly light exercise week in terms of total miles run. I'll be revamping the exercise a bit for this month to incorporate some biking and try to get up to 6x/week, up one day. 4x running, 2x bike. Along with some kind of a push-up challenge, as I need to work with my daughter on these (she is 7) for her black belt testing next spring. However, for this week my wife is out of town which will limit my schedule flexibility a great deal. So I'll find 45 minutes where I can but resign myself to a semi-recovery week before hitting August hard.

I'm convinced I'll never cut out caffeine. Stuck on one/day, no real consistency on when the headaches start. Maybe next week when my wife is back and I have a chance to normalize my sleep schedule ... or just suck it up and play through headaches for a few days. But I'm very bad at breaking the habit in that fashion, based on past/failed efforts.

Now I need to find another run to put on the schedule for sometime in late August ... and hope that it isn't 85 degrees w/85% humidity at 7AM when that date arrives.

[Radii]

Day two of testing week at the gym today, "Endurance Test"

30 minutes on the clock, do the following:

Run 250m
15 pushups (knee pushups for this first set)
15 TRX Band Squats (a little easier than bodyweight)
15 bent over rows (15 lb dumbbells)
15 kettlebell swings (8 kg kettlebell)
15 push press (15 lb dumbbells)
100 jump ropes (my uncoordinated ass just gets to jump 100 times)

Then repeat in reverse (so back to push press, swings, rows, squats, pushups, and finish with another 250m run. Only have to do jump ropes once in the middle). For my second set of pushups I had to drop to a modified version using a bench for some elevation to make it easier.

When I finished there was 10:17 left on the clock, so it took me 19 minutes 43 seconds. There were 7 of us there and I was the slowest, but also the newest. The "advanced" groups do the same test format, but 500m run and 30 reps of each exercise I think.


One more testing day on Friday, I'm assuming that one will be the most strength focused.

And again, the point of these is to repeat them once a month as a way to measure progress. I forget if I've mentioned it or not, but my trial month is over but I really enjoy the training/classes they run and I don't think I could push myself as hard as these guys push me, so I went ahead and committed to a year of this.

One more update Friday, then I intend to consolidate these into one big monthly post, or just start my own thread or whatever

[JediKooter]

Well, back on the weight loss wagon again. After being unemployed for almost a year exactly, I ballooned up to 262 pounds (not much else to do when you can't find a job). Fattest I've ever been. At 6 American feet and being single...not a good combo when trying to find a lady friend.

Anyway, been on a 'diet' for the last month and have dropped from 262 to 249. I'm sure a good portion of that loss was water weight, but, still happy with the results regardless.

I am doing the Keto diet, which seems to be a bit of a hybrid of the Atkins and Paleo diet. I've completely cut all sugar, grains & starches, I have way more energy than normal and I'm sleeping much much better. So far so good, so I will continue to stick with it.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

I am doing the Keto diet

Good to have you in here!

I've been on keto since January, all my weight loss this year has been on it, i've definitely noticed lots of benefits outside of just the weight loss as well.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Radii

Good to have you in here!

I've been on keto since January, all my weight loss this year has been on it, i've definitely noticed lots of benefits outside of just the weight loss as well.

Awesome! It's been easy for me because I never was a sweets person, my problem was portion sizes + lack of exercise. How have these last 7 months gone for you? Any issues with finding foods or anything like that?

I've been following the keto reddit (not sure if you have seen it) and a lot of my motivation comes from the progress pictures people post.

[Radii]

my problem was portion sizes + lack of exercise. How have these last 7 months gone for you?

I really fit into the standard keto concepts around insulin resistance and hunger and fat storage. Even eating healthy carbs I could never keep my appetite under control. On keto my blood sugar is always consistent, and I'm just almost never hungry and not limited by the need to eat which is just an amazing feeling as a diabetic. Feeling that steady and good all the time makes it really easy to stick to it and not cheat.

Originally Posted by JediKooter

Any issues with finding foods or anything like that?

Not really. I'm not someone who cares a lot about variety though, so I eat the same breakfast with bacon and eggs every single day and never tire of it, etc. Same thing with rotating burgers/pork chops/chicken of some sort for dinner with some occasional fish or steak or roast mixed in.

The times I have gotten a little bored or wanted something new I've never had trouble finding an interesting recipe. Every so often someone will post on the keto subreddit with like a giant imgur album of all the awesome things they're eating, but most of the time I highly prefer "simple and repetitive" over "time consuming but unique"

Peanut Butter Cups - Keto-Style Fat Bombs FTW | screwed on straight

That recipe fixes any sweet cravings I have. I don't get cravings much anymore at all, but I do like keeping those peanut butter cups around and having one a day as a little treat w/o carbs. I did experiment with some other desserts here and there, mainly cheesecake type stuff, but a lot of those recipes use things like sugar free jello for flavor that has a bit of an aftertaste that I don't like.

I've been following the keto reddit (not sure if you have seen it) and a lot of my motivation comes from the progress pictures people post.

Yep, I spend a fair bit of time there. I like helping the newbies there since I remember being a little overwhelmed and having a lot of simple questions at the start. The never-ending stream of progress posts is really great too. There's a bit of a cult-like atmosphere that bothers me at times, but those threads are easy enough to ignore


reddit.com/r/ketorecipes is also good if you're looking for new things to try.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Radii

I really fit into the standard keto concepts around insulin resistance and hunger and fat storage. Even eating healthy carbs I could never keep my appetite under control. On keto my blood sugar is always consistent, and I'm just almost never hungry and not limited by the need to eat which is just an amazing feeling as a diabetic. Feeling that steady and good all the time makes it really easy to stick to it and not cheat.

This for sure. The whole up and down thing would drive me nuts. There were times I would wake up in the morning feeling hungover and I haven't had a drink in weeks. That doesn't happen anymore.

Not really. I'm not someone who cares a lot about variety though

This is me as well. Last week for dinner was scrambled eggs and seasoned ground beef...all week and I loved it. I used heavy whipping cream for the scrambled eggs and man, it made sweet love to my taste buds.

Peanut Butter Cups - Keto-Style Fat Bombs FTW | screwed on straight

I've been tempted to try these due to Reese's Peanutbutter Cups being one of my all time favorite sweet snacks.

Yep, I spend a fair bit of time there. I like helping the newbies there since I remember being a little overwhelmed and having a lot of simple questions at the start. The never-ending stream of progress posts is really great too. There's a bit of a cult-like atmosphere that bothers me at times, but those threads are easy enough to ignore

Nice! I have yet to post anything there, just mostly me trying to absorb everything on there. Ok, I'm glad you mentioned the cult-like atmosphere that seems to be an underlying theme. The conspiracy theory stuff really turns me off after some severe eye rolling on my part and people seem a bit too willing to jump on the 3:15 to Conspiracyville.

reddit.com/r/ketorecipes is also good if you're looking for new things to try.

I definitely peek at this a couple of times a week. Now if I can overcome the laziness on my part...

[Radii]

1/10: 323
3/10: 306.4
5/10: 292.2
6/10: 284.8
7/10: 281.0
7/17: 278.6
7/24: 279.8
8/1: 279.4

Yup, still pretty stagnant. Gym 4 days this past week (the normal 3 training sessions + I went once on my own and did a newbie HIIT workout on an exercise bike for 20 minutes). I went out to eat one time too many, I do need to plan a little better for my evening gym classes, if there aren't leftovers ready to eat when I get home at 7pm-8pm I am going to end up getting chicken wings instead of cooking, which isn't the worst thing in the world but not something I want to do too regularly.

Still telling myself I'm going to wait a few more weeks to get measurements to see if I'm losing inches before I worry about the weight not moving. Even though I've had a number of people tell me up front that this might happen, its still hard not to get annoyed


Oh, and we didn't do the strength test thing today at the gym. Trainer suggested that since I'm brand new and still in my first month that we skip that one this month and start doing it next month. I think he's worried that I might see numbers I don't like and get discouraged. But I wasn't about to complain today, b/c I was the only person there. With the Friday sessions I'm paying for a 4 person class, so when I'm the only one there I am getting 1 on 1 training for $10. I'll take that every chance I can.

Originally Posted by JediKooter

I've been tempted to try these due to Reese's Peanutbutter Cups being one of my all time favorite sweet snacks.

If you trust yourself not to pig out on them, I highly recommend it! They are the best tasting things I've found so far. If you can't resist and eat 3 or 4 at a time it can get out of hand quickly though.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Radii

1/10: 323
3/10: 306.4
5/10: 292.2
6/10: 284.8
7/10: 281.0
7/17: 278.6
7/24: 279.8
8/1: 279.4

44 pounds is pretty damn good. Weird how it has come to a crawl now though. Hopefully it will pick up again soon.

If you trust yourself not to pig out on them, I highly recommend it! They are the best tasting things I've found so far. If you can't resist and eat 3 or 4 at a time it can get out of hand quickly though.

I can trust myself, just need a nice cold tall glass of whole white milk to go along with them.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

Weird how it has come to a crawl now though.

It stalled when I went from nearly 100% sedentary to signing up for a gym membership and beginning a program with a trainer 3 days a week. Apparently this is not uncommon and will obviously be way better for me in the long run

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Radii

It stalled when I went from nearly 100% sedentary to signing up for a gym membership and beginning a program with a trainer 3 days a week. Apparently this is not uncommon and will obviously be way better for me in the long run

Ahhh ok. That is definitely a good trade off then. I'm waiting to get down to around 225-ish before trying to work out. Mostly due to my horrible knees and them having to hold up less weight by then.

[hoopsguy]

6/14: 175.7
6/23: 174.6
6/30: 174.9
7/5: 175.1
7/12: 174.8
7/19: 174.0
7/26: 172.8
8/2: 171.6

Not 100% sure how much trust to put into weight this week. The scale that I've got has a nasty habit of "sticking" on the same weight for several days in a row. Which is hard for me to accept for 3-4 days, being at the same 1/10th of a pound. Anyway, I had one day this week where I got a unique weight; all of the others showed the same weight as the day before.

Not much new on the progress report. Overall exercise was down with my wife out of town for 3 days and limited flexibility to get out and run while watching my daughter. But I did get my runs in over the past weekend and latter part of this week. Including a new personal record for my 10k, which was exactly one second faster than a friend who ran with me. Good times

I've also decided that I'll add some biking to my running this month. I'll try to increase my running distance for a 3rd straight month (63/124/131 for last 3) while tacking on a few bike rides and maybe getting 50km exercise through that outlet. I need to find some kind of a push-up routine, both to have some upper-body exercise as well as help teach my daughter how to do them. I know about the 100 push-up challenge, but don't think I'll do that this month. Very willing to take suggestions from other readers if they have anything ... otherwise I'll either make my own or scour the Internet looking for something interesting later today.

Eating - portion control pretty good, pretty limited booze. Food choices themselves remain counter-productive and I'm still addicted to caffeine. I'll need to correct these issues over the long-term to sustain good health, but the motivation isn't there at the moment to make a meaningful course correction.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

Including a new personal record for my 10k

Congrats, and congrats on seeing some progress, even if you're skeptical for now, hopefully its at least showing the right trend if not 100% accurate.

Food choices themselves remain counter-productive and I'm still addicted to caffeine

Hm, are you just drinking diet soda for the caffeine? For some reason I thought it was the sugary stuff. As long as its not impacting your sleep I'm not sure that's really all that big of a worry?