Duckman's Weight Loss Journal

[duckman]

Some of you may have known, I have gone through a pair of physical ailments that has limited my ability to stay in shape. First, I had the weird infection in my right leg that caused permanent nerve damage. Second, I had surgery last year to remove the back of two vertebrates in my neck that were compressing the spine.

Before these problems came about, I was a “gym rat.” I used to workout seven days a week either strength training or doing some cardiovascular training. I was in very good shape during those times. I weighed 185 lbs and was able to bench 245 lbs and run a 5 ½ minute mile. I was able to participate in numerous sports like basketball and football; however, those days are gone.

Today, I've been struggling to keep my weight under control because I haven't been able to consistently workout. It's been three years since I was a regular in a gym.

The good news is that I have been cleared by my doctors to not only do cardiovascular training, but I can also return to strength training. So today, I am starting a workout regiment to get back into shape. I will start off slow and eventually get back into full fledge weight lifting once I lose some weight.

My doctor has recommended that I start with three 30-minute cardiovascular sessions and work my way up. I'll follow his recommendation until I can do five 30-minute sessions and have lost 20 lbs before I start my weight training.

Here is my starting weight: 217.5 lbs.

Wish me luck!

[fantastic flying froggies]

Luck!

[duckman]

Week 1

220.0 lbs.

Interesting. I replaced my sugary soda with diet soda and water. Plus, I started walking on the treadmill to get myself used to being active again, but I actually gained weight. I may need to adjust my diet more because I should have at least maintained my weight. It could be water weight as well because I've been drinking a lot of water due to craving the sugar from my old soda. I'll step up my workout regiment this week as well.

[MikeVick7]

I started in a similiar situation as 3 months ago I was weighing in at 230lbs and today I'm down to 185. So I can kinda relate to what you're going through, well without the medical ailments. But it's good to see that you can at least be somewhat active now, since that is key to losing weight. So I wanted to stop by and wish you luck.

I also stopped drinking Coke for 2 1/2 months and only recently have I started to drink Coke Zero, but I only drink about 1/3 of a 20oz bottle a day at the most. It might be in your best interest to just drop soda altogether for a while.

[ice4277]

Originally Posted by duckman

Week 1

220.0 lbs.

Interesting. I replaced my sugary soda with diet soda and water. Plus, I started walking on the treadmill to get myself used to being active again, but I actually gained weight. I may need to adjust my diet more because I should have at least maintained my weight. It could be water weight as well because I've been drinking a lot of water due to craving the sugar from my old soda. I'll step up my workout regiment this week as well.

One thing I noticed about weighing myself from when I lost a bunch of weight...try to do it at the same time of day each time. Your body weight will fluctuate and it can mess with your mind, especially if it goes up a couple pounds in a short time. I usually found that doing it in the morning was the most consistent.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by ice4277

One thing I noticed about weighing myself from when I lost a bunch of weight...try to do it at the same time of day each time. Your body weight will fluctuate and it can mess with your mind, especially if it goes up a couple pounds in a short time. I usually found that doing it in the morning was the most consistent.

I agree with that. First thing in the morning, with nothing in the stomach, seems to be the most consistent.

Also duckman, remembers that, as your body rebuilds muscle mass, you may kind of get stuck around the same weight for a little while, replacing fat weight by muscle weight. It's not always in the numbers on the balance but also how you feel in general.

While I didn't change much in my eating habits since last September, although I do restrain myself on soda drinking and sweet dessert eating during weekdays, I've now lost a good 12 lbs, mostly by being more active than I used to be, i.e. I do karate now about 4-5 hours a week. But even more important is the fact that I feel my belly being tighter, I've found a bounce back in my steps, all in all, I feel about 20 pounds lighter, but as I said, the balance now reads 195 (even read 193 on a fluke morning ) when it used to read 207. I've not been at 195 since forever it seems, always hovered around 200, at least since our first son was born a good 9 years ago.

My main point is that it takes time to build back shape, but if you're dedicated to it and you like the exercise you are doing, as I remember you saying that you really liked strength training, then you'll get it done. It just won't happen overnight but I'm sure you knew that already

Good luck with your program!

FM

[duckman]

Sorry for the lack of updates. I hurt my back a couple weeks ago while doing some yardwork, so I had to take some time off. I still kept records of my progress despite the lack of exercise. Here ya go:

Week 2

219.0 lbs

Week 3

218.0 lbs

Week 4

216.0 lbs

A nice progression there. I've been laying off the soda except for an occasional diet one. I'm happy to see that my weight kept going down despite not being very active due to my back.

Good news is that I feel well enough to start back up though I will take it slowly as I don't want to reinjured myself.

[duckman]

Week 5

215.0 lbs

Another good week. I did a lot of walking this week around campus. My back is feeling much better and I should be able to go to the gym to use the oliptical machine this week.

[FrogMan]

good show duckie, good show.

Me, what was once a fluke morning at 193 every once in a while has turned into steady weighing in at 193 and even one weigh in, last Saturday before our big competition, at 191.5. I was simply in shock about it, had to weigh myself two of three times to make sure

Good luck going back to the gym. Start slow, keep going steadily

FM

[JeeberD]

Keep up the good work, duckie!

I started dieting and going to the gym about two weeks ago when I was at 228. When I weighed myself this morning (after having eaten breakfast) I was down to 222. I've got just over three and a half months until the wedding, so hopefully by that time I'll be down to at least 215 (if not 210).

[GoldenEagle]

I missed the first time around, but best of luck. I could stand to lose a few pounds as well.

[JeeberD]

I hope you don't mind if I bump this with my own progress, ducky, but yesterday I was down to 220.2...down eight pounds in three weeks! And this morning I was down to 219.8!

I can definitely see some changes already. My love handles are almost completely gone and my fiancee' says she can see a difference in my chest. And my arms are getting much more defined thanks to the gym. Hopefully I'll be one sexy mofo when the wedding rolls around...

[JeeberD]

And of course I went and ruined it today by treating myself to some Indian buffet for a birthday treat. And the family is taking me to a German restaurant in Fort Worth tonight...

I'm gonna have to work out like a motherfucker the rest of the week to catch back up.

[duckman]

Yesterday, I was going to update this, but I was having network problems with my DSL.

Week 6

214.5 lbs

Not earth shattering, but I did make some progress.

[JeeberD]

At my official Monday morning weigh-in I was a very nice 218.2...down ten pounds from where I was a month ago. Hopefully I'll lose even more this upcoming week since I won't have a birthday to tempt me into eating poorly.

My goal for next Monday will be...below 216.

[duckman]

Good job, Jeebs!

I forgot to weigh myself before I ate this morning. I'll be sure to do it before I do tomorrow morning.

[duckman]

Week 7

214.0 lbs

Week 8

217.0 lbs

I really don't know what to think about my three pound gain over the past week, but it might have to do with water weight since I was replenishing my fluids after being out in the heat all day yesterday. I'll weigh myself in a few days to see if some of the weight comes back off.

[JeeberD]

Last week was baad for me as well. I went to the Indian buffet one day, had thai food twice, and on Saturday had friends over and had steak, baked potatoes, and lots of Shiner and Patron. When I weighed myself on Monday I was at 220.2.

Of course, last night I worked my ass off in the gym and I was back down to 217.0 this morning. So hopefully I'll stay closer to that than Monday's weight...

[JeeberD]

Monday morning I was at 215.0, a 13 pound loss over the past six weeks!

[ice4277]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Monday morning I was at 215.0, a 13 pound loss over the past six weeks!

Good stuff!

[JeeberD]

Thanks! It hasn't been as hard as I was expecting. All it takes is some willpower to stay away from the food I love so much that is so bad for me and the desire to get my ass to the gym...

[ice4277]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Thanks! It hasn't been as hard as I was expecting. All it takes is some willpower to stay away from the food I love so much that is so bad for me and the desire to get my ass to the gym...

I hear ya. I dropped 80 pounds this way. If you put your mind to it, you can do it, especially if you have a goal (like your wedding).

[JeeberD]

214.8 today. I'm amazed I lost anything at all, I wasn't very good this past weekend... :o

[duckman]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

214.8 today. I'm amazed I lost anything at all, I wasn't very good this past weekend... :o

Better than what I have been going through. I've been so busy that I don't have time to exercise or eat the stuff I know I should. My weight has been holding at 216 for the past couple weeks.

[JeeberD]

There's gotta be a Wendy's nearby, ducky. Side salad and chili is your friend!

[JeeberD]

212.6 yesterday morning...I've officially lost over 15 pounds! There's still two months until the wedding, so hopefully I can drop another ten or so...

[JeeberD]

210.8 on Monday morning, down 17.2 pounds! I'm starting to wonder if it's at all possible for me to make it down to 200 by wedding time...just under two months from now. If I do, I'll be ecstatic. If not, my weight loss has been going better than I ever thought it would.

[duckman]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

210.8 on Monday morning, down 17.2 pounds! I'm starting to wonder if it's at all possible for me to make it down to 200 by wedding time...just under two months from now. If I do, I'll be ecstatic. If not, my weight loss has been going better than I ever thought it would.

Great job, Jeebs! At the pace you are going, you will get there or be very close to getting there.

I haven't been keeping track of my weight. I'm not concerned with it at the moment due all that has been going on the past couple weeks. I do plan on getting serious about it soon due to the possibility of not having to work after the summer. I've been approved for enough financial aid that I can quit my work-study position. That'll open up more time for me to do a serious workout regiment.

[JeeberD]

Thanks, duckie.

Hopefully you'll find the time to start working out soon. It really does take a decent amount of time...the pounds really didn't start coming off until school got out and I could find gym time much more readily.

With that being said...no "official" update this week. After a weekend of drunken debauchery on the Guadalupe river and eating out with friends, when I stepped on the scale Monday morning it wasn't pretty...217 or so. I figure most of that is water being retained from salty crap I was (over) eating, so the weigh-in doesn't count. But if I'm not back down to 211 by next Monday, I'm going to be SO pissed at myself...

[JeeberD]

210.2 on Monday. Up a pound today thanks to my 4th of July BBQ, but I fully expect to be below 210 by this upcoming Monday. I've gotten a number of comments at work about my weight loss, so that's helping to keep me motivated. I've also decided that my the time my 30th birthday rolls around next May that I'm going to be in the best shape of my life. So that should keep my eating right and going to the gym after the wedding...

[Lorena]

Before my Photography Dynasty thread, I never used to frequent this section of the forum, so I didn't see this thread.

Good luck Jeebs and Ducky! I need to shed a shitload of weight myself... hope ya'll don't mind if I make myself comfortable on the bandwagon

[JeeberD]

Welcome aboard, DC!

This morning I weighed in at 208.0...an exact 20lb loss since I started dieting and working out about two and a half months ago. Of course, it won't be an official 20lbs until next Monday morning, but I'm pretty damn happy!

[duckman]

Great job, Jeebs! I'm not doing too much right now. I have started eating a lot less fast food at lunch by eating sandwiches at home and been eating breakfast in the morning to get my metabolism started earlier.

[JeeberD]

Down to 206.8 on Monday morning, and down a few pounds more since then...

[Lorena]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Down to 206.8 on Monday morning, and down a few pounds more since then...

Wow, that's awesome Jeebs!! You'll be down to 200 in no time!

As far as mine, I go down, then help myself to some no-nos and go back up. I swear, we gotta stop buying this junk or losing this pudgy stomach will be an uphill struggle.

Out of curiousity, how are you guys losing the weight? We haven't been eating anything with sugar and have lowered our bad carb intake.

[JeeberD]

I've just been watching what I eat and how much of it I eat and going to the gym four or five days a week. I've been making sure to eat breakfast every day in order to get my metabolism started nice and early, and I'm eating lots of salad and low (or non) fat foods...

[JeeberD]

At one point last week I was down to 203.8. But then I was bad on Saturday and when I weighed in this week I was at 206.0. Not bad, but not where I would have liked to have been.

One month until the wedding! Can I hit 200 by then?

[duckman]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

At one point last week I was down to 203.8. But then I was bad on Saturday and when I weighed in this week I was at 206.0. Not bad, but not where I would have liked to have been.

One month until the wedding! Can I hit 200 by then?

Have you tried taking a week off? I know it sounds crazy, but it works. It tricks your thyroid gland into generating more hormones which will promote weight loss. I used this technique all the time when I was trying to trim down during my weight training days. It's almost like restarting a computer.

[JeeberD]

Interesting, thanks for the tip. I'll have to give that a try...

[Lorena]

If anyone is interested in some freeware to track your weightloss, go here -----> Soundtell's Weight Tracker. It plots your weight in a graph so you can see your progress.

[JeeberD]

I'm at 205.0 this morning. I think I've kind of plateaued and my muscle gain has evened out with my fat loss. Of course, I haven't been as good the past couple of weeks as I was earlier on in my diet, but that's partly due to working more daytime shifts and being at home for dinner with the fiancee. It was so much easier to be good when I could just eat a sandwich for lunch and then after work pick up some salad and chili from Wendy's instead of trying to figure out something that we both want...

[duckman]

If you are concerned about whether you are losing body fat, go to one of those health food/supplement/athletic equipment stores and buy one of those "pinchers" to meaure your body fat. You can determine your body fat percentage that way.

[duckman]

Week 0

Weight: 214.5 lbs

Time to climb back on the horse.

I've completely given up on soda of any kind and have switched to pure water. I'm going to eat Subway for lunch and eat something healthy for dinner. Basically, I'm going to get very serious about my weight loss. My back has been bothering me due to all the stress from the weight gain.

I'll be doing a daily diary. My goal is to get down to 200 lbs before I start weight lifting to take some stress off the back before beginning.

[duckman]

Week 1

Weight: 213.5 lbs (-1.0)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first week has started off well as I lose 1 pound of my thick frame. I was only able to workout once this week (a brisk 30-minute walk) due to some things I had to get done before the kiddo arrived. I will start on my regular routine tomorrow in the morning. I plan on starting with three 30-minute sessions of cardio at the campus gym. I'll work my way up to doing it 5 days a week.

I have been faithful to my diet except for yesterday when I went to the baseball game with my son. We had some pizza and Coke while we watched the game from the stands. I figured one day wouldn't hurt and from the looks of it I was right. I have been eating Total for breakfast along with some turkey bacon and a glass of orange juice. For lunch I have a 6-inch sub from Subway. Finally for dinner, I have eaten my usual meals in the past, but in smaller portions. It seems to be working for now, but I will change it up if things slow down.

I have been drinking a lot of water as well. It has really helped curb my appetite and it has caused some unexpected results. For one, I am sleeping better. I have been kind of wound up after the death of my dad, but I have been sleeping much better now I don't load up on soda through out the day. Also, I don't feel crappy all day like I have been. It's has been amazing for me.

Anyways, week 1 is in the books. I think I'll do my daily diary once I get to lifting weights again. I really don't see a reason to make entries that often until I get to that point.

[duckman]

Week 2

Weight: 215.5 lbs (+1.0)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Although I did go slightly backwards in my program, I'm not really concern by it. My son has been down this week, so we have gone out to eat a few times. I have also been drinking a lot of water due to the heat and I would suspect that some of it is water weight.

I have been eating breakfast every morning and only eating something light for lunch. The place where I have backslid has been in the dinner department which will be remedied now that the kiddo is back in Kansas.

I went to the gym 3 times this week. I'm extremely out of shape. I can only last 10-15 minutes on the oliptical machine before my legs (especially my nerve damaged one) hurt so bad I can't stand it. I do finish off the final 15-20 minutes with a brisk walk on the treadmill. I'll work my way back on the oliptical by walking for 15 minutes prior to the getting on and finishing off with the oliptical. My plan will be increase it by 3-5 minutes until I can go for 30 minutes.

[MacroGuru]

Not to threadjack, but I want to pull a jeeber in this post, and let you all know, I have dropped 15 pounds in the past 2 1/2 weeks.

I am now down below 200, which I haven't been able to get to since 97.

I am taking a protein shake called STACK for Breakfast and Lunch, eating a healthy dinner, and drinking a ton of water...I do spoil myself with 1 20 oz cherry coke a day, but with my workout and this diet, I am still in a caloric deficiency and low enough carbs it isn't hurting me much. I probably would drop more if I stopped the soda altogether.

BTW....I am doing my wifes workout....and it kills me....

[Lorena]

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

Not to threadjack, but I want to pull a jeeber in this post, and let you all know, I have dropped 15 pounds in the past 2 1/2 weeks.

I am now down below 200, which I haven't been able to get to since 97.

I am taking a protein shake called STACK for Breakfast and Lunch, eating a healthy dinner, and drinking a ton of water...I do spoil myself with 1 20 oz cherry coke a day, but with my workout and this diet, I am still in a caloric deficiency and low enough carbs it isn't hurting me much. I probably would drop more if I stopped the soda altogether.

BTW....the workout I am doing is my wifes....and it kills me....

15 lbs in 2 and a half weeks is AWESOME!! Grats Macro

[JeeberD]

Congrats, Dennis!

Still in the same old area. But life has been EXTREMELY hectic the past week or so and I haven't been able to eat as well as I would like (or get tot gym as often, either)...

[duckman]

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

Not to threadjack, but I want to pull a jeeber in this post, and let you all know, I have dropped 15 pounds in the past 2 1/2 weeks.

I am now down below 200, which I haven't been able to get to since 97.

I am taking a protein shake called STACK for Breakfast and Lunch, eating a healthy dinner, and drinking a ton of water...I do spoil myself with 1 20 oz cherry coke a day, but with my workout and this diet, I am still in a caloric deficiency and low enough carbs it isn't hurting me much. I probably would drop more if I stopped the soda altogether.

BTW....the workout I am doing is my wifes....and it kills me....

That is impressive. I used to be able to drop large amounts of weight in a short time frame, but I have been able to do that in quite some time. I would be just happy with 1-2 pounds per week, but I always like seeing these type of stories.

[MacroGuru]

thansk everyone....

I think the main aspect of the weight loss, besides the diet is the 30 minutes on the stair master, in 10 minute intervals.

I am set on Speed Training, and start at a level like 4 or 5, then go for my first 10 minutes, rest for 2, go for 10 on the next level up, rest for two, then go for 10 minutes again on the next level up...I do not normally sweat, and this has me drenched from it...