Fighting Through It!

Yesterday morning I stepped on the scale. It was nice to see that the results were not as bad as thought they would be.

I had a loss of 2.8 pounds. Not as well as I was hoping, but a loss is a loss.

I really feel I dropped the ball this last month big time! I know for a fact that I could have made better choices when it came to my meals and I could have put in allot more time at the gym.

So were do I go from here. I am trying not to beat myself up to bad. Don't get me wrong I am really bummed, but I am not done! I just need to keep telling myself that I am not going to win every battle, but I will win this WAR!

There are times I ask myself "How do other people do it?" or "Why did I not do something about my weight sooner and am I to late?" I am find myself really struggling and hope I can get out of this rut I am in.

I need to pick myself up, refocus and get my shit together!

Weigh-in postponed and Disapointed!

I decided to postpone my weigh-in today until next week. Having a busy weekend with a soccer expo and V-day Sunday. It was a bit crazy and for some reason I felt overwhelmed.

Yesterday was a hectic day! We were off early as a family to a soccer expo. We spent a few hours there to see a variety of things and I got some ideas for practice. From there we went to a favorite of the families for lunch then we decided to take a drive to the Santa Monica Pier for a walk. It was a gorgeous day in So. Cal about 80 degrees but also a long one!

Today for V-day my wife made everyone breakfast and we all ate to much. We were going to do some yard work then off to an early dinner today but we got lazy and my wife's allergies kicked in. Later that day after a nap she got up and made a great spaghetti dinner for us and one of my son's friends. And once again we ate to much!

So I took a few steps back this weekend and I know it will hurt my progress and this was another reason for the postponement.

Tomorrow is a holiday (Presidents Day) and we will get the yard work done for sure. In addition to that I will get to the gym as guilt creeps in as I have not been since Friday and that will make it 3 days since my last work-out.

This month has been a real struggle for me big time! I feel I have not been as consistent as I have been in the previous months. I am disappointed with myself and need to look at setting small goals to get my confidence up. I really need to refocus and pull myself together before I really start to tail spin out of control.

I am just so frustrated right now!

Valentine Weigh-In

Sunday will be my next weigh-in. It will have been 5 weeks since my last one on Jan 11th. I am bit pessimistic as to what the outcome will be. I am hoping for at least a 3-4 pound loss I will just have to wait and see.

The past 5 weeks has been a bit of a roller coaster ride ride for me. Work has been hectic and it has been busy around the house with the kids. I have had a few bad days and I think this will cost me a pound or so. Last weight was at 293 so if I can break the 290 mark I will be ecstatic.

On another note this week has been good. Diet has been on par, I have gotten to the gym 3 days this week and will get at least another 1 or 2 in by Sunday. So at least I will have a strong finish this week.

I also have to tell myself again that the scale is not my only measuring tool! I also have my fat monitor so if there is a drop in my fat % and BMI then this will be a plus. In addition to those I always have my clothes. I am down to the last notch on my belt and I was able to fit into another pair of jeans that I have not worn in more than a year!

So until my next post I hope you all have a great few days!

What a Weekend!

Well, I don't know about everyone else but I though the game was Great! The Saints had a slow start and I thought that the Colts were going to find there groove, but when they were kept off the field for almost 3/4 of the 2nd quarter they need time after that to ramp up again.

Saturday night we had a great time at Monster Truck Jam and the best part it didn't rain. In addition it wasn't that cold either.

I had a chance to hit the gym Saturday morning and had a great workout. Overall this weekend with the Monster Truck event and the Super Bowl I feel I didn't over indulge and ate OK. Don't get me wrong I could have done better, but I feel I did fine.

Back on Track, Monster Trucks, The Super Bowl & Rain

It was nice to get back on track this week! I was able to get to the gym on Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and had some good workouts. Today being Friday I will be dropping in to do some cardio before I run my errands this afternoon.

My meal selections this week has been good. Eating a solid breakfast, fruit or nuts as a snack in between meals and Low-Cal dinners.

The only bummer for this week is that the Rain is back. It rolled in last night and will be here until Sunday morning. This really puts a damper on things because I am going to the Monster Truck show Saturday evening with the kids. It will suck if it rains on us at the stadium tomorrow evening. So I will be going out today and get some rain poncho's for us.

The Super Bowl is Sunday! Now I don't have a team that I follow, but it really doesn't matter as long as we have a great game. Not sure at this point were I will be watching it but I have a few options in the works.

So hope everyone has a great weekend and until next time...

Great to be back

So last night was my first visit to the gym since last Thursday. When I first got there I was a bit lazy and was not motivated at all, but after about 15 min on the treadmill I was good to go!It felt good to get back to the gym and get my heart pumping and the blood flowing.

My weeknights just got busy again as my daughter just started spring soccer and I will be assisting with the team. We will be practicing twice a week so I will need to schedule my workouts around this.

In just under 2 weeks it will be time to check my progress. I am a little worried that I may not be were I would like to be. I will cross that bridge when I come to it. Until then I will continue to work my behind off and just stay focused.

Recovery Week!

Well folks I kind of fell off the wagon a bit this weekend! and I haven't worked out since Thursday and boy do I feel lousy.

Friday my son had the day off from school so he asked me if we could hangout. So he has been bugging me to go to a Hot Dog Stand in LA called Pink's Famous Hot Dog's. So I decided that Friday would be a good time to do this. We had a great day, but I could have made better choices!

Saturday was a another day. I was enlisted to help a friend move so my brother picked me up and we had a quick coffee and donuts in the morning lunch was skipped so when dinner came around I binged. I caved big time, fell off the wagon took two steps back call it what you want I didn't do well..

I am trying not to beat myself up to much, but I need to get back on track this week with my eating and workouts.

I enjoy spending time with my brother, but when we get together I tend to really slack off big time. I need to take better control of my eating habits when I am with him. I tend to convince myself " it's ok you have been good for a few months now!" I can't do that! and I think that is what angers me the most about myself. It's like I have a little devil on one shoulder and angel on the other one and both screaming in my ear.

So this week my goal is to re-focus and get back on track.

They Fit Great!

Sorry for the delay in my update about the jeans but as Billy Crystal would say...

Darling they LOOK MARVELOUS!

Mater of fact I need to wear a belt with them! I was very pleased with the way they looked and felt. I was even surprised that I had to use a belt with them.

With my new discover that my old jeans fit I plan on going through my closet and dig out some other clothes that I haven't worn in awhile. I hope to find some other treasures!

I had a great workout both Wed and today. Wed was just a cardio day for me so it was 45 min on the treadmill. Today it was scheduled day with my trainer. I told him that I had a few beer's the night before some fries and hot wings! He looked at me and smiled and said "Well it looks like we will just have to do a little more tonight!" It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but he enjoyed all my extra grunting and complaining!

Another day

I had a great evening workout yesterday! I showed up I was focused and ready to go. Started out with free weights and it was chest/triceps day. Completed my session and felt really good after. Once I completed that it was off to do 30 min of cardio.

As I mentioned a week or so ago I switched up my workout scheduled. I added some different exercises and changed up the routine. This as my first day with the new chest/triceps and I was pleased how it went. This week I will be able to get a really good idea how this new set up will be.

Tomorrow I will be pulling out some old jeans I have not been able to fit into for over a year. The reason I am doing this is because my current jeans are getting BIG! and my wife said they are starting to look a bit baggy.

So until next time.. Have a Great Day!

Start of a New Week

I am finally able to get back to a normal week of work and workouts. The past 2 weeks have been a bit hectic as I was commuting a lot back and forth from LA to San Diego. With this week I plan to get back to my 4 day a week routine.

The rain finally stopped Friday night and both Saturday and today have been nice, clear and brisk days. I will be going to the gym this evening after the Vikings Saints game this evening to start my week. I should have got off my ass yesterday and went just to get some cardio in on the treadmill, but I got to lazy. So this evening I will make up for it.

I caught myself the last week or so getting hungry in the late evening around 10pm or so. I was craving chocolate big time! I need to figure out what I can do to curb these cravings. I was lucky that we had one of those low fat 90 calorie granola bars for me to chow down other wise it would have gotten messy. I really need to look into other snacks I can munch on when this happens. We have fruit like bananas, apples, raisins and such that I try and mix it up, but I need to see what other options are out there for me as this seems to when I am at my weakest and start going through the cupboards.

New Workout, Cravings and Water!

Yesterday, was my scheduled evening with my trainer. I showed him my revised workout plan and he said it looked good. He mentioned to me that he was going to sit down with me and revise it next week anyway. We did tweak it a bit, but overall we are both happy with it.

On another note what I have noticed since changing my eating habits back in October is that certain things that I craved I no longer crave them. I was a big time Milk drinker before this. If I was thirsty it was a tall glass of milk I reached for. Whenever I went out to eat it was a Coke or Pepsi not it's water. I still will have a glass of milk with dinner every now and then, but it will come after I have finished my meal. I also always had to have mayo on my sandwich it was a must. Now, it's mustard and as was suggested light sour cream sometimes. It offers the same consistency but less calories and fat.

Today for instance I was at a conference that included a box lunch. We had a choice between Turkey, Roast Beef, or a Veggie sandwich. I went with the turkey and only had half of it in addition I was able to swap the chips for a small bag of carrots and the cookie for some apple slices. After eating that I was more than satisfied.

My biggest hurdle is my water intake! It's not that I don't want to drink 8 + glasses a day it's the fact that I have to go to the restroom all the time! I am running back and forth so much I just may count that as my Cardio for the day!

Until my next post have a great evening!

When it Rains it Pours!

Rain, Rain and more Rain! Here in So California we are getting one of are worst storms since 2005!

I am starting my 7th week of my strength training at the gym. I decided Sunday evening to take a look at were I was at with the amount of weight I was using and the types of exercises I was performing. I feel it may be time to evaluate my progress with my trainer when I speak to him tonight.

They say as a newbie that you will show some gains about 4-6 weeks into your program. I will have to say that this has been true for me. My clothes are fitting different and my wife has noticed my "luv handles are shrinking" was I excited to hear this!

Sunday, I took what I was doing and modified it a bit on a couple fronts. I increased the amount of weight with some exercises and replaced a few of the exercises with others that work the same muscle groups. Yesterday, I decided to try one of my plans. I was pleased and will have my trainer take a look and get his recommendations tonight.

I am not looking to get HUGE! just tone up. From what I have read and the few people I have spoken to they say it may be difficult to both build muscle and lose fat. Since I am a newbie when it comes to lifting weights I may be in a situation were I hit a wall soon and I may have to concentrate more on fat loss then building muscle in the future.

At any rate I will figure it out and do what I need to do to meet my goals, but until then I will continue with what I am doing!

What a Week!

Well, I survived the week and was able to get to the gym on Friday and Saturday!

One of the challenges I had this past week was the fact that I was unable to really pack lunches for myself. I had several meetings that were working meetings both during lunch and dinner. I am trying to teach myself that I can still eat healthy while ordering off a restaurant menu.

I will not lie I did go astray and had a beer, a glass of wine or a few bites of an appetizer, but I am not going to beat myself up! I did my best and overall I feel I did fine. I know I will be faced with these challenges everyday because this is life! The thing is I am more aware of what I am doing now and not just closing my eyes. I am reading the menu and asking questions about how the meal is cooked and what is in the meal. I am still learning and have so much more to learn.

So, today is my rest day and I will be back at he gym tomorrow for another week of workouts and another day closer to my goal! Until then we will be going to the last game of my daughters soccer tournament and later this evening we are all going to see a movie.

Now I know why they call it Hump Day!

Finally! an opportunity to reset and rest. I have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off since Monday!

It was nice to get to the gym today since I have not been since Sunday and will not be able to get back again until Friday. For the last few months I have been going 4-5 days a week, but this week it's only going to be 3. I can't believe I am going to say what I am going to say now..

"I missed going to workout the last few days!" WOW! I really said it!

This evening's workout was GREAT! It felt good to be moving and lifting again.

The last few day's I have had the opportunity to test myself. What I mean is that both Monday and Tuesday and tomorrow I will be in some sort of meeting that will run through lunch and/or dinner. So selecting off a menu has been a challenge to some extent, but so far so good.

Well, off to bed as I have another busy day tomorrow!

The Numbers are in!

Today was the Big Day! I stepped on scale and took all stats within about 20 min of waking up this morning.

So as the say "Let's cut to the chase"

Weight: 293.1
BMI: 41.5
Fat %: 39.6

A quick recap:

August 2009: 323 lbs
October 2009: 317 lbs (gym workouts begin and eating habits change)
November: 310 lbs
December: 301 lbs (weight training and working with a trainer starts)

I am down about 30 lbs since August. I am motivated and have realized I CAN DO THIS! I just need to stay on track and not get Lazy!

Today, I have a few things to do around the house and some errands to run, but I will be back at the gym to start my week off this evening.

As for future weigh-ins go I will be doing them the first Sunday of each month. I think this will provide me with a consistent schedule to measure my goals.

Last workout before weigh-in

Today is a beautiful day in So Cal! and it will also be the last workout before my weigh-in on Sunday morning. This weigh-in will be my first since I started weight training and working with a trainer last month.

It has been about 5 weeks since my first day with my trainer. He has provided me with allot of information and encouragement. My plans are to continue to utilize him on and off over the next year, but I need to see how this is going to fit into my budget. Until then I will continue until the end of the month.

The other day I was contemplating on purchasing a Fat Loss Monitor. Well, I pulled the trigger on that and it came in the mail the other day. Again, my reason for this was it will provide me another tool to measure my progress.

Sunday is a big day for me. There is a little fear because of the unknown. The last time I weighed myself I was 302. I don't know what to expect, but I have noticed my clothes are fitting a bit bigger. My belt has moved three notches and I can wear a shirt that I would have not worn in September.

So come Sunday I will have my numbers for my weight, BMI and Fat %. Until then have a great few days!

Work and The Scale - Things that get in the Way!

I had an opportunity to work from home today which was great. The only drawback was that I found out next week I will need to work from my San Diego office (2 1/2 hour drive each way) for 4 days! Now, I need to figure how to get my workouts done at a reasonable hour.

The best thing about working from home today was that I was able to get to the gym in the late afternoon and very few people were there. I felt like I had the whole place to myself, we had about 8 people in the whole place and it was real nice.

I have been thinking over the last week or so of maybe purchasing a Fat Loss Monitor. The reason I have been contemplating this is because of the following. I need something else beside the scale as a measuring tool. One of my problems that I have had has been to overcome the battle with the scale and it numbers. I think by using an additional tool such as a Fat Loss Monitor that measures Fat % and BMI is that it allows me another means to measure my accomplishments.

Anyhow those are my thoughts for today...

What a Day!

Holy Cow Batman! today was a heck of a day at work. I had a pretty good idea it was going to be a little busy, but today was a humdinger and the my gym time almost didn't happen!

It started off with me getting about 30 min late. Now, I am only 18 miles from my office in Los Angeles, Ca, but if you get on that freeway at the wrong time you are looking at an easy hour commute or more. I end up about 15 min late and grab a cup of joe(black) and get up to my office. I don't even have a chance to turn on my computer and I have staff at my desk and the phone ringing.

I had planned to leave a bit early as I had promised Dyan that I would take Nick to music lessons. I should have known better to think that was going to happen! (getting home early)

My intentions were to get home early hit the gym for about an hour or so run back home pick up Nick and then off to music lessons. Wrong! I forgot that we had to pick up my nephew across town so he could go lessons with us. Well, we made it to lessons on time, but I did not make it to the gym until almost 6:45.

The reason I wanted to go early was I new that everyone and their brother would be there being Monday after the New Year, and I was correct.

It was like a Disneyland. Not a treadmill or elliptical to jump on! A Zumba class was in session and people were getting ready for the spin class after that.

I was able to secure a treadmill after about 10 min for a quick warm up. after that it was off to the free weights and machines. I ended up having a fantastic workout and felt good afterwards so it was well worth the wait.

Hopefully tomorrow will not be so hectic...

A New Decade, A New Year and a New Me?

Yesterday January 2nd was my first day back in the gym since the 30th. Actually both my wife (Dyan)and I had are first workouts of the New Year. It was nice to get back to the routine.

I have a busy next 2 weeks , but my intentions over those weeks is to try and maintain the 4 workouts a week. I am pretty sure over the last month or so things have slowed down at work for most as I know that they have for me. With the New Year here and a return to work tomorrow "life kicks up again" Kid's back at school so evening homework is back in the mix of things, Nick's music lessons resume, Rachyl's spring soccer practice starts and I have a new staff member to train at the office!

This morning we are getting a late start and I still am trying to motivate the kids to get chores complete. Dy and I plan on going to catch a movie around 2:30 or so and then come home and it is off to the gym for and evening workout.

With 2010 just starting off I hope I can remain motivated over the next months. I know I will have some challenges ahead of me and the road will not be all downhill, but I am trying to stay focused and on track. Some days I think "Will I be able to do this" and I have to answer with "I have to" and keep reminding myself that this is not only for me, but for my wife and kids.

2009 comes to an END!

First off let me say "Happy New Year!" to all. Been a bit busy since my last update.

So, back on Thanksgiving I am approached again by a trainer and sit down with them and commit to one month of training with a fitness instructor. I plan on working with him 1 day week. I figure at least I will get some guidance as to a workout routine for strength training.

After doing some more research it comes to my attention that I need to incorporate strength training into my workouts. I am hopeful that working with a trainer he will be able to point me in the right direction. I meet with "Mike" a young guy about 25 or so. He tells me he use to be about 270lbs. I think to myself "yeah right" then he shows me a picture! I think "he's not kidding." He just may be able to help me!

I sit with him and we discuss my goals once again. He tells me that we can accomplish this without a problem as long as I am committed to at least 3-4 days a week at the gym and change my eating habits. He goes over with me a plan as to what healthy items I need to incorporate into my meals.

Next it is off to the free weight section of the gym. For the next hour or so we discuss each exercise and he sets up a 3 day workout routine. He is very informative and answers all my questions. We then sit back down and continue to discuss nutrition. He recommends a few supplements that I should look into to assist with my nutrition needs.

Mike, is a nice guy and has been very helpful since I started working with him. He ends up working with me a few extra days over the month of December and I am grateful for this. I am feeling better and I can see some encouraging results. My only concern now is I would like to continue to utilize him over the next few month, but I need to figure how to incorporate this into my budget.

I made a determination that I would not weigh myself until January 11th this will give me at least a 1 month time period since incorporating weight training into the mix of things. From what I have been reading I understand that one does not change fat to muscle and that muscle weighs more than fat. What I have noticed since doing the strength training is my clothes are fitting different and my belt notch is moving. I expect that when I do weigh myself I will be right around 300 lbs or so. If this is the case then it would be about a 23 lbs loss since October.

I am trying not to get to hung up on losing the weight as long as I bring my total body fat % down. Next time I meet with Mike he will do some measurements and take my body fat % again. (When I first meet with him we did the same thing) If I remember correctly I was above 40%! So even though I may not lose the 75lbs I would like to by October if I can build some muscle and get my fat % lower then that will be an accomplishment in it self!