Things to learn from Zombies

Zombies hate fast food, and so should I.

(Of coarse, some day, I want to be 'fast food', and in order to do that I need to avoid fast food!)

Stay on Target

So, that's what I've been trying to do - stay on target with my daily points.  So far, so good.  I haven't posted in a few weeks, but I had a 0 lb loss week on my Easter Sunday weigh in.  That week was kind of out of whack.  But I kept on going and pulled a 5 lb loss the next Sunday to make up for it.  Then this past week I pulled a 4 lb loss.
-22 since starting WW on 3/11/12
-32 since the start of the year
I can't argue with the results, this WW seems to work.  Especially since my working out has been very sporadic, and the only exercise I've been doing is reffing soccer.  Granted 5 games last week seems to help.
I think this is sustainable.  I don't feel deprived.  I've come to grips with the fact that it may take me 2 years or more to lose all my weight.  I could really see this happening.  It's early though, and I just need to take it one day at a time.  I'm learning to watch my portions, and be a little more picky about what I eat.  Old habits die hard.  I still eat too much fast food, but I budget it into my daily points, and I don't over-do it like I used to.

A good reminder

A man with a Plan

This is not me, but it could be. I have one of those charts on my office wall. It's a project plan. At any given time, I can look at it a know where I should be and how my project is going with the goals I set out.

For my weight loss, I have a plan too. It's called Weight Watchers. And so far, so good. I've been doing a lot of reading on WW message boards, and a common theme is 'staying on plan' or OP for short. When you are OP, you are tracking your points, and staying within your daily and weekly allotted points on the Points Plus system.

So far, so good. Stayed on plan this week. Didn't get to the gym as much as I wanted to, but I'll keep after it. It needs to become a habit.
Anyway, 3 lbs lost this week.
-13 in 3 weeks on WW (-22 since the start of the year)

Slow and Steady wins the race

We've all heard the old tale about the tortoise and the hare. The rabbit, built for speed, and an obvious favorite, did not win the race. It was, in fact, the lowly tortoise that won the race. The tortoise, who took his time, but stayed the coarse, and eventually beat that crazy rabbit.
I'm finding that this is the mantra of WW. Like, many diets, they highly encourage you to only lose 1-2 lbs per week or no more than 1% of your body weight (whichever is greater). I've always heard this, but really paid no attention to it. Pfffft! only losing 1-2 lbs a week was for losers or those who were so close to their goal that that was all that was reasonable. Serious losers, those who watch what they eat to the gram, those who exercise an hour+ each day, those who are hard core, they, they can lose up to 4-6 lbs per week, maybe more. I know - I've done it. Yet it doesn't work in the end. Because I'm fat again.
So, this time, I'm taking the role of the tortoise. It's hard. Those big loses previously, really kept me motivated. But maybe, just maybe, they are on to something here. It's a lifestyle change, not a diet. I'm not hurrying up to do this, so I can get back to my real life after I've lost my weight. Hello! Getting back to 'real life' gets you back where you started. I need to change the way I eat - something I can maintain for the rest of my life. This is what I'm trying to learn w/ WW.
So, all of that being said. I lost 3 lbs this week, which is just about right for me. I was hoping for more. But I've got to remember, I'm the tortoise in all of this.

Maybe Chuck is right....

We'll get to Chuck in a minute.

So, 2012 did not start the way it should have or the way I was hoping.

I could make a ton of excuses....
-my ankle still hurts,
-work has been busy and stressful,
-side business has been busier than usual for this time of year,
-my kids have too much damn homework that I have to help with,
-and on and on and on.
But one thing I'm learning at my current place of work, is that excuses just don't cut it.

Either you got it done, or you didn't.

When I last posted, I was about to get my Achilles tendon scraped, hoping to alleviate some pain in my heel. Yeah, well, all that did was relieve me of $500 for my co-pay. My heel is marginally better, but not much. I'm kind of back to the mindset that I just need to exercise, work through the pain, and it will eventually heal itself. It did this last time. In 2008, I was having similar pain, and the more I exercised (being careful with it), and the more weight I lost, the problem basically went away. So, I'm working through it.

But yeah, the gym, that hasn't been happening. I think I've only been 6-8 times since the first of the year. Not good. I just can't seem to balance work, and home and stuff and get to the gym. I know it's a matter of priorities and a measure of self discipline to get myself out of bed in the morning, TURN OFF THE ALARM, and go the gym. It's been crazy. Many mornings I've had my bag packed the night before and been ready to go, and that alarm goes off at 5:30, and i will hit the snooze button multiple times for an hour. Getting up and going to the gym truly falls into the 'habit' category for me. The more I do it, the more my body gets into a routine. I made it there 2 days last week. I also made it this morning, and I'm hoping to keep the habit going.

So, now to Chuck. Yes, I found some inspiration in the Round Mound of Rebound. The Weight Watchers commercials started coming on at the beginning of the year, and they were pushing their WW for Men program with Charles Barkley and other men pitching the product. I normally don't get drawn in by celebrity endorsements (I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't even use the program), but it piqued my interest. I'd always steered clear of WW because it was a chick thing. When I lived in Florida, my company had a WW group that met at our facility. I sent an email to the coordinator, and she told me "well, you can come to the meetings, but we've never had a man attend before." Sure, men have done WW, but not very many. But now, they were actively pitching it to guys. So, I looked into it, and it seemed pretty good. I could do their program online, and I didn't have to go to meetings. I was especially attracted to Points Plus system. Holy cow, you mean that I get to eat more because I'm a bigger dude? Yes, the system takes into account gender, as well as your current weight, etc. Next big +, they have all of those Smart Ones dinners and food at the store. Cool, no more guess work. When I'm having a brain fart, and I don't know what to eat, they give me a whole host of options, and I just have to choose one that stays within my points. And finally, online tools. They have the apps for my iPhone for entering and tracking what I eat. The cherry on top, no sign up fee if I commit for 3 months. Done!

I started a week ago on Sunday. It was weird for the first couple of days. You mean I can have carbs? But I can't have carbs if I want to lose weight. I can have this piece of pizza? Yes, yes you can. You just have to do things in moderation and stick to your points for the day. I got my allotted points for each day, and I was able to stay within them with little or no problem. What it did show me is that, if unchecked, I really do overeat each day - hence I gain weight. Anyway, after a week on the program, I'm happy to report that I lost 7 lbs! (and I only went to the gym twice, and I ate carbs!). Bottom line, there is nothing magical about WW's program, but in reality it is about making healthier choices, eating good foods, having the flexibility to eat what you like, but in moderation, and tracking what you are eating - it totally makes a difference. In all of my years of losing weight, I do my best when I am tracking my eating.
Here's to a new journey. New goals, new attitude, new chance at getting my life back.

Thanks Chuck!

2000 in 12 in 2012

That's my new goal.
Specifically, it means that my goal is to run 2000 meters in 12 minutes in 2012.
The motivation: This is the time for the endurance run for a Grade 7 referee.
I am currently a Grade 8 soccer referee. This means I can referee most levels of state youth soccer, both recreation and competitive. Getting to Grade 8 was fairly easy, I just had to sit through a class and take a test. Grade 7 is much tougher, as it requires the test, plus a physical fitness test, evaluations, ref'd 100 or more games.
The physical fitness test consists of the following: Run 2000 meters in 12 minutes or less. Rest 15 min. 100 meter dash in under 17 seconds 50 meter dash in under 9 seconds. Rest 15 min. Ladder Drill (5+10+15+20+25 meters) in under 50 seconds. Agility Run

Now, your average in shape dude probably looks at that and says "no big deal". Not me, it scares me because I know I can't do it right now.
I'm going to concentrate on the 2000 meter run first, and if I can get into good enough shape for that, then I think the other areas of the test will follow.
My goal is to be able to pass the fitness test by March 31st next year - when the spring season begins. I will have to wait a bit longer to get my upgrade, as it will take a while to get 100 games in.
Why am I doing this? Call me crazy, but I like it. I love the sport, and I enjoy being out there on the field and running around. To get to grade 7 is a challenge, but it puts me on the path to be able to work higher level games, even college games, and who knows from there.

First things first though. The achilles tendon is getting scraped on Nov 11th. Looking forward to getting this pain out of my ankle.

To Be or Not To Be?

Here I am again, asking the same old questions. To be fit, or not to be fit, that is the question. You would think the answer would be obvious, but saying and doing are 2 different things.
Status Update:
-So, after my busy May post, I really got out of the groove. I just plain quit working out. I've never been any good at working out in the summer months - too much to do. Life is too busy. I put back on 20 lbs. I kept telling myself - I need to get back to the gym, need to start eating better, but alas, nothing changing.
-My dad came into town to stay. Then he passed away sooner than expected. Big transition there, lots of emotions to deal with. I could write a whole post on how his health affected mine, and how his health was an example to me of what not to do. I don't want to die when I'm 67.
-Work has been busy.
-Side business has been busy.
-School started again. I really did not expect that I would repeat every grade 4X during my adult life. Did I mention I hate homework.
-I'm the fat ref. I wanted to be in better shape for the Fall season, but that obviously didn't happen. So, for the moment, I'm the fat ref. I hate it. I could do so much of a better job if I were just in better shape. Still 2 - 3 weeks left of this season. Not much will change about my physique in that time. The hope is for a better showing next spring.
-Part of my problem is my achilles heel - and I'm not talking donuts. I have a big ol' bone spur on my heel, and it is raising holy heck with my achilles tendon. The pain is such that I'm walking with a slight limp, and I need to get it fixed. I'm going to try an 'in-office' procedure in a few weeks, and see if that helps. If not, then it's foot surgery to remove the spur.

So, why 'to be or not to be'? I have a buddy who is big into weight loss contests, and always organizing them. There was one over the month of August - and I failed miserably at that one. Another one starts tomorrow. It goes for about 5 weeks. It's only $25 to enter. I don't know if I have the umph to enter. Ideally, I should. I need something to get me going. How do you change, when you know what the right thing to do is, but you don't feel like doing it.

Super

Will this madness called May never end? I absolutely hate and love this month at the same time. It's great, it has Mother's Day in it, and my wonderful wife's birthday, and my little brother's birthday, and we even get a holiday. It also contains lots of school things going on, performances, and lots and lots of baseball games, soccer games and the like. It is a very, very busy month. To add on top of that, I'm a guy who can't say no. Can you ref 5 soccer games this week? Sure! Can you get this major construction project done? And my project, and my project, oh, and mine too? All to which I gladly say YES! AM I NUTS???? No, just sleep deprived.

So, I managed 1 day of working out last week. It was with a trainer, and it was great. I was sore for 2 days - and that was only the result of doing an introductory workout with him for 15-20 min. (Yes, I've got a long way to go). But, did I mention that I Ref'd 5 games last week. A double header on Wednesday, a double header on Thursday and a single game on Saturday. I also ran the Deak's Run for Hope 5k on Saturday (more about that in another post). I spent Sunday trying to recover.

Anyway, I ended up being down 2lbs on Friday's weigh in, and I'm heading in the right direction again. I decided to sign up for 6 sessions with the trainer at my gym. So, starting this morning, I'll be working with him once a week for 6 weeks. I think this is what I need to kick my butt into gear and keep going. He had me doing chest/shoulder super-sets this morning. It was killer. My arms and shoulders feel like jelly today. Good workout though. I'm a little embarrassed about how weak I am, but I can't get stronger unless I put the work in. And he pushes me in a way that I won't push myself. I will almost never lift to failure on my own, but when he is working with me, I can do that and gain the benefit of pushing my muscles to the limit. Now I just have to keep going. These last 2-3 weeks of May look killer busy on the schedule. I still have to find time for me, and to work out, and to eat right.

I'm no superman yet, but I'm working on it.

Catching up

Crazy. That's the word for it. I've been meaning to do blog entries for the last two weeks, but each Friday (weigh-in day) has found me busy going and doing something else. Truth in blogging moment here: I am a thief. Truth be known, I write my blog from my desk at work each Friday, like I'm doing now. I try to wait till lunch time, but I don't always do that. Technically, it is stealing and I really need to quit doing it. Anywho, I've been busy, but there has been a lot to say, so here are the bullet points:
-On April 22, I weighed in, and I had lost 2 more pounds. Yeah me. But, I was still disappointed, because my sis and I had a 'no sugar' bet going on for the week prior. I won. Again, yeah me, and she owed me $30. I can have will power, but only for a week at a time. The disappointing part was that I had hoped to do better because I wasn't cheating.
-That week showed me how often I reach for sugar. I think I've been fooling myself thinking I was following some sort of eating plan.
-I think it's a combo of the calories and what you eat (carbs, proteins, fats, etc). I think you have to watch both.
-The following week I didn't work out at all, except for 1 day, Friday. And I ref'd a game Wed night. That's it. Boo!
-On Friday, April 29, I gained back those 2 lbs I lost. Dammit! But ya know, I didn't work out, and sugar came back into my life, because our bet was done on Easter. Did I mention that I really like sugar?
-Later that day I got on a plane and went to San Francisco with my mom. Fun trip. Great time seeing the city. Great food. Too much of it in fact.
-Downer moment. Had to ask for a seat belt extension on the return flight. I got by without it on the way there, but my seat was different on the way home, and while I could get the regular belt latched, it was uncomfortable. Dammit! Reality check!!! That, right there, let's me know that I have a way's to go still. Did I mention I hate being fat?
-Good moment. Mom to me "you need new jeans, those are too big on you". I know mom, but I like comfy, but thanks for noticing.
-Downer moment. Looking at my pictures from the trip when I got home. Unfortunately, I had to snap a few with me in them. I still look way fat. The oversize jeans didn't help. This is why I avoid pictures of me like Osama Bin Laden avoids capture. But again, reality check and motivation.
-Good moment. Those pants I bought a few weeks ago (when I wanted to get into a smaller size, but found the whole thing very uncomfortable to wear them one evening), well I'm wearing them today. They aren't my baggy, comfortable ones, but they fit. Yeah me.
-As I said, lots going on. Work and kids games, and more work, and the yard. Springtime is busy. Maybe that's why I always do well in the winter, and the spring and summer kill me.

Sometimes I feel like this guy.

But I'm sticking with it.

Capable of so much more....

These are words that I've always dreaded. Growing up, there were always reminders of the fact that I had all the gifts and tools to do great things, but I always seemed to fall short.
-I'm a smart dude, but I pulled very average grades.
-I am/was 6'4", and big and strong, but was a very mediocre HS athlete.
-I am a friendly person, and get along well with others, but I don't seem to be a great leader.
-I am a decent engineer with good creative intuition and instincts, but I'm not world class.
-I make decent money, but I live in a small house, and I'm not really getting ahead.

Potential vs. reality.

A lot of this has to do with work ethic. In some ways, I am a hard worker, but I know that I am very lazy too. I totally admire people that have a strong work ethic. They are the people that seem to succeed in life, they are the ones that set goals and achieve them, they are the ones who take every ounce of talent that they've been given, and couple it with hard work, sweat and determination to get the very most out of life. They give it their all, and are not afraid of failure. They don't just get by, they get ahead.

How does one change their work ethic? I don't think its by blogging about it. Is it God given, or is learned? Does it have to be taught or instilled by a parent, or can it be self taught as an adult. To be honest, I'm not totally sure. I don't even know if it can be changed. But, I am going to try and find out.

So, why this thought, this week. Well, cuz it was another mediocre week, a week that could have been so much more. Another week where I did lose weight, but I was not on my game, and my eating sucked, and the results could have been so much better. It is a balancing act. It's tax time. Lot's going on with kid's baseball and soccer. I've starting refereeing soccer. Work is busy and stressful. There's a lot going on. Yet, all of these factors didn't make me eat a blueberry muffin today. Some of them may have made me miss a workout or two. The thing is, I still see the whole situation as something that I can manage, its fixable. The major question is, if not now, when?

As I mentioned, I ref'd my first ever soccer matches this week. It was bad and good.
The bad: It was cold, windy, raining, sleet and a little bit of snow. The field was a a big patch of 3 inch deep mud, and wide pools of standing water. By the end, I couldn't tell that I had black shoes and socks on, because I as brown from the knee down.

The good: I think I did a good job. I only had a couple of calls questioned, and the games went well. And in the end, I had a coach tell me "it' nice to have a ref who knows what they are doing". I pride myself on knowing the game. I know that I have a ton to learn about ref'ing, but I'm excited to learn. I know, I'm a geek. The other part of the good is the fact that it gets me out there running around a bit. Extra movement and calorie burn is always a good thing. And it provides a bit of motivation too. My uniform is a bit snug, and I just don't want that. I also want to be able to move around a bit better on the field. I don't want to be the ref that the players complain about because he is always out of position to make the right call.


My head is still in a good place. I know I can do better. I'm working toward that.

Current Weight: 347 lbs. <> 2 lbs lost this week <> 43 lbs overall in 15 weeks.
Current BF%: 37.4 <> Down 0.1 this week. <> Down 4.3% in 15 weeks.

Ch ch ch changes

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Don't want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time

It's the chorus from the song by the same name by David Bowie. It's a subject that I've been thinking a bit about lately. Changes in life are difficult, and people generally don't like to change. I know I don't like to. Keep an even keel, and keep the ship on coarse, and all is well. Yet, we find things in our lives that we are not satisfied with, things that could be better, but they require the "c" word, change. Change is often likened to eating an elephant, a task so large, and so daunting that most don't even want to consider attempting it.
If you think about the elephant differently, a bunch of small meals instead of one large, large feast that would be impossible to finish in one sitting, the task seems more obtainable. And that addresses another issue, time. You see, change takes time, and we live in a society of of instant gratification. Change takes too long for most. So, true change takes time, long term focus and dedication. You have to view it that way. Small steps, over time, making a difference in the overall change.

Weight loss is a giant elephant for me. I ate most of him once over 9 months in 2008. I didn't eat all of him, but I ate 140 lbs of him. Trouble is, he came back. That elephant is really pesky, and I don't like him much, but I have to deal with him. If I want him to go away forever, I've got to quit doing the things that keep him coming around. He likes it when I eat fast food. He likes it when I don't work out very hard, or not at all. He likes it when I buy muffins at Costco, claiming they are for the family. That elephant really needs to go for good. He stinks, breaks stuff and I don't like having him around.

I guess I've just been thinking about the process this week. The motivation, the daily changes, the perspective, the ups, the downs. I feel like I'm in a good place right now in my journey. I'm feeling stronger all the time. My fitness level is getting better. I did an hour on the elliptical yesterday at a 150 bpm heart rate. Am I perfect? Not even close. I ate cheat food at least once a day for the past week. Eating right is a major deal for me. I know that I have to keep working on it. I know that I have to break down this elephant into smaller pieces. Why do I eat foods I shouldn't? I've got to break in down into smaller bites or battles, battles that I can win.

All that being said, I lost that 1 pound I gained last week, and a little more. I'm not perfect, but I keep going. This whole thing is a process, a journey. Keep the perspective, and keep up the effort.

Turn and face the strain....

Current Weight: 349 <> Down 2.5 lbs from last week. 41 lbs overall in 14 weeks.
Current Body Fat%: 37.5 <> Down 0.3 from last week. 4.2 overall in 14 weeks.

Stuff I learned this weekend

Me getting back after my 'run'

1) I am not near as in shape as I think I am. We went to our cabin in the mountains this weekend, and I thought I'd be a good boy and get my workout in on Saturday by doing a little jogging. If you follow the main road from the end of our driveway to a a dead end gate, it is exactly 1 mile. I thought I'd do an out and back. Now, this route, does have a few elevation changes. It about killed me. It was about 45 deg outside, w/ snow and slightly muddy roads. I did ok, but it took me 32 minutes to do those 2 miles. I was a little bummed about that. I've done that route quicker in the past. I was also pretty sore. The treadmill is very forgiving. Oh well, reality check.
2) Being frugal doesn't usually mean comfortable. I bought a pair of pants on Thursday that were 1 size below what I am wearing right now. My thought was, if I am going to lose weight, why not get a pair that I will grow (down) into. I fit into them, but the waist was tight. I went to a function Saturday night wearing them. Ugh! Most uncomfortable 2 hours of my entire weekend.
3) I set up my workout for April. Change is always a good thing.
4) Calories in vs calories out. This may deserve its own post later, but a conversation I had with my bro-in-law got me thinking about how this little cornerstone of the weight loss world may not be totally true - or at least may not be bound in good scientific theory.

Well, back at it for another week. Need to lose that pound I gained last week, and a few of his friends too.

No joke!

I hate April Fools Day. I'm just not a prankster, and I don't like deception, even if it is just for fun.

I wonder if my scale knows that it's April Fools Day? It must, cuz it said I gained 1 pound this week. I'm hating that, but it is what it is. I'm disappointed, but not depressed. It just makes me resolve to do better at watching what I eat, and giving more time and effort at the gym.
It's about the journey and the change, not 1 week's result.

A Reason to Run

I think I've said it before, but just to be clear, I hate running. Even when I was an athlete in high school, I still dreaded running. I loved playing football, basketball, and the like, but I hated conditioning and hated running. I've come to grips with my dislike for this activity and I do it anyway. It is a fantastic way to get in shape and stay in shape. The late fitness guru, Covert Bailey once said, "show me how fast you can cover a mile, and I will tell you what kind of shape you are in".
So, this morning, I'm on the treadmill at the gym, doing my heart rate thing (keeping it between 135 and 145), thinking "I know I can go faster than this, I know I can cover a mile faster than this." But the end game here is to burn fat, not to cover ground asap. I then got thinking about the 5k's I want to do this summer. I can think of 3-4 I want to run. The first one that I was really planning on was a 5K on the 4th of July in Centerville. BUT, I had another one brought to my attention that I think I will do first.

Let me introduce Deak.

Deak has an extremely rare Chromosomal abnormality, simply titled Ring 18. Deak's parents are friends of my little sister. I've only had the pleasure of meeting Deak once, but I feel like I know a lot about him due to reading his mom's blog. He is one cool little kid, and he inspires me quite a bit. And despite all of the odds stacked against him, he is a fighter and so are his parents.

Deak's mom has put together a charity benefit 5K on May 14th in Kaysville.

I am so there.

Here is a link to the race: Deak's Run for Hope

Go there, read about Deak, read about his life, and you too will be inspired.

So, I've got some getting ready to do. I'll still be doing my heart rate based training each week, but I'm going to throw in some training to improve my stamina and cardio efficiency to get ready to run. Thanks Deak! See you on May 14th!

More Number Weirdness

This morning's workout was on the elliptical. Talk about a wide variety of numbers for calories burned, during a 50 minute session, keeping my heart rate between 135 and 145.

Precor Elliptical (with my heart rate signal, weight entered, and age entered): 850 calories

Polar FT-7 HRM: 540 calories

SparkPeople: 1058 calories

Seriously!?!?!

Now, before anybody thinks I'm getting hung up on numbers, I'm not. I'm just a geek, and wonder why the numbers vary so much. I tend to think the real number lies somewhere above what the Polar is telling me, but not much more, maybe 10% more. Each system has it's own limitations. I think the Polar would be the most accurate IF it were also taking into account my BF%. But, now that I think about it, it may be worse. I'm a 350 lb guy right now. If I were this weight but 20% body fat, my lean body mass would be somewhere around 280, vs the 37% body fat that I actually am and my lean body mass is around 220. Which engine burns more fuel? The 220 or the 280? Obviously the 280. None of these systems asks me my body fat %, and are probably making assumptions to arrive at a number. I'm going to keep digging into this.

Not that any of this matters anyway if I'm not tracking my calories - which I have done a really bad job at lately. Must resolve to do better at that. Usually if I'm not tracking my calories, it means I'm not eating right.

In the end, all that matters is moving more and eating right. These number tools are fun to play with, but none of it matters unless you are doing those two things.

Going by the numbers

I finally got my HRM monitor!! I happened to be looking in the classifieds over the weekend, and found a guy who had just posted the exact Polar FT-7 HRM I was looking for. Brand new, only opened the package, for $40 less than I could get it online. Called him immediately and went to his house Sat night and got it. Wahoo!

I fiddled with the thing on Sunday. Got all my stats put in. Layed there in bed for 10 minutes doing nothing trying to determine my resting heart rate. It was right around 70. True resting heart rate should be taken first thing in the am though. But in that 10 minutes I layed there, it said that I burned 30 calories - doing absolutely nothing. If I extrapolate that out over an hour, it's 180 calories in an hour. If I take it further to 24 hours, it would mean that I burned 4320 calories in a 24 hour period. Huh? By all other accounts my BMR is 2500-3000 calories per day(not including exercise). So, I don't where the discrepancy is, but I found that interesting.

I was a dope again over the weekend, and stayed up way too late watching Season 3 of 24 (curse you Netflix!). Hence, no gym on Monday. Today, however, I made it. I hit the treadmill with my new HRM on and ready to go. The treadmill immediately picked up the signal from my transmitter (yes!). Today's goal was to keep my heart rate between 135 and 145 bpm. For me this means alternating between walking and light jogging. My workout time was 50 minutes, and I covered about 3.25 miles. I can cover that distance faster, but my heart rate goes a lot higher if I do, and I'm trying to keep it in the 'Fat Burning Zone'.

Here's where it get's interesting. I had put my weight and age into the treadmill like I always do. At the end of my workout, the treadmill told me that I had burned 669 calories. My FT-7 however, told me that I had burned 554 calories. When I put the activity into Sparkpeople, it told me that I had burned 470 calories. So, going by the numbers, how many calories did I actually burn in my workout? Being the engineer that I am, I'm going with the average, the number in the middle, the 554.

I will keep going with the FT-7. I need a bigger chest strap. The one that it comes with does not fit my 52 in chest. Luckily I can order one. This will be an interesting experiment as I keep going.

Reaping and Sowing

The Law of the Harvest. The adage is about as old as time itself. As you sow, so shall ye reap. Whatever you put into something dictates what you get out of it. The more planning, preparation, attention, focus and devotion you give to a project, a garden, a child, a spouse, anything in your life, it generally turns out well. We all know that if we neglect something, it will rarely turn out well.

As I was trying to think about how to theme my blog today, sowing and reaping came to mind. Why you ask. In a weight loss effort, such as I am now engaged in, and have been many times in the past, the law of the harvest is so very applicable. No, it's not an exact science. Not always do the efforts you put in for one week, dictate the results you see at the end of the week. I sometimes think that we fail to take a step back and gather in the whole picture.

My week was mediocre. I did not track my food as well as I should have. I did not eat as cleanly as I should have. But, I didn't overeat. I tried to keep my calories in check even though the foods weren't the best. Exercise was hit and miss. I skipped a couple of days at the gym in favor of sleep, but I've also had good workouts the last three days. It was kind of an up and down week. Frankly, I thought I would see little to no change on the scale this week. 2 pounds was a nice surprise. I wanted a little more than that, I wanted to be under 350, but I hadn't put the work in - eating, workouts etc.

Often times, I have to ask myself "How bad do you want it?" What am I willing to give up or change to get this weight off and live healthy? Change takes time. 2 of the biggest things I have to change are 1) to quit eating at fast food restaurants - meaning that I need to pack my lunch more often, and resist the urge to pull into the drive thru when I feel a little hunger pang, and 2) I need to go to bed earlier. The reason I missed the gym is that I stayed up to late over the weekend, and that threw my sleep cycle way off.

If I want better results, I've got to give it the effort it deserves.

Weekly Weigh In:
Current Weight 350.5 lb <> 2lb lost this week. <> Down 39.5 overall in 12 weeks.
Current Body Fat% 37.6% <> 0.1 down this week. <> Down 4.1% in 12 weeks.

Keep on going!

Variables

In continuing with my science and math theme from a few days ago, I'm talking variables today. Variables are those things in an equation that are not numbers. They are usually represented by letters such as x, y, a or b. When the variables in an equation change, the outcome of the equation changes.
One good practice in scientific processes is that you never change more than one variable in an experiment at a time. If you do change more than one variable at a time, then you don't know which variable had the greater impact on the outcome, or if they both equally shared in changing the outcome. This is a no-no if you want to truly understand how each variable affects the outcome.

Had enough science yet?

The same applies to the 'this or that' that I was talking about last week. There were a lot of variables I wanted to tweak to see if I could increase my weight loss (outcome). The problem was that I did a little of all of them, and my results were pretty good this week.
1. I tried to eat more protein and less carbs. Was I perfect, eating a 3g protein to 1g carb ratio? No. It was more like 2:1. But still, more than I had done before.
2. Exercise at a lower heart rate. Instead of pushing it up to 148 - 158 bpm, I kept it 130-140 bpm. Did it help? IDK. I still felt like I got a good workout. I know I didn't burn as many calories overall, but maybe there is something to this 'fat burning zone'. BTW - I still have yet to buy my HRM.
3. Drugs. Yes, I take medication to help me lose weight. I take Phentramine. I truly think, that in 2008 when I lost so much weight, it was the phentramine doing most of the heavy lifting. I think my body is used to it now, and so it is not as effective. So what did I do. I upped my dosage to what it was in 2008 before I quit taking it. 1.5 pills per day instead of 1. This is likely the largest factor for my success this week, but who knows for sure. Eventually I'd like to get away from this stuff.

So, changing which variable made them most difference? Again, I don't know. This is why you should only change one thing at a time. And even then, the human body is so complex that it still may throw you for a loop.

Well, another week, another little bit of me gone.

Numbers for this week:
Weight: 352.5 Down 4.5lbs this week. Down 37.5lbs overall in 11 weeks.
Body Fat%: 37.7% Down 0.6 this week. Down 4% overall in 11 weeks.

Listen to my heart

As an engineer by trade, I love numbers. My kids think I'm a bit weird, that is, until I can totally explain their math homework. But anyway, I love numbers, and metrics, and trends, etc. There is science behind losing weight. At the very center, make calories out be greater than calories in, and you have the basic equation for losing weight.

I am able figure out the calories in part, and track it using Sparkpeople or any calorie counting program. BUT how do you know how many calories you are burning? If you work out on a treadmill or an elliptical, it will tell you a few things. If you hold the hand grips, it will tell you your heart rate. If you enter your age and weight, it will give you a calories expended output. There is a limitation to those numbers.
1) They are not 100% accurate. The treadmill does not ask for my body fat % or how fit I am, so the calories it says that I'm expending are probably an average.
2) I believe the heart rate to be fairly correct, but you have to hold on to the sensors to get a reading each time. I'd rather not have to do that all the time.
3) The machines are only a snapshot of what you are doing while on them. What about when I lift weights? What about when I jog somewhere other than a treadmill?

Calories expended during the day is a studied science, but something that is still unique to each individual. I have a formula that I found that takes into account your lean body mass ( meaning that its the muscle part of things that is doing the work, not the fat).

It is stated: BMR = 370+(21.6 x Lean Body Mass(kg))

That produces a number that says I need X number of calories just to function each day. You then get to put a multiplier on it if you workout. In my case, the multiplier is 1.5. This is called TDEE. It stands for Total Daily Energy Expended.

Right now, mine is around 3800 calories. If I stay under that, by say 1000-1500 calories per day, then I lose weight.

So, back to the ways to measure my calories out. I need a device. I need a tool.

Right now I am considering the following:
Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor
Garmin FR60 Heart Rate Monitor
BodyBugg Calorie Tracker

I've had a polar HRM before, and I liked it. There are pros and cons to each. I'm leaning right now toward getting one of the HRM's (Garmin or Polar), and then, maybe later picking up the Bodybugg.

I'll let you know what happens.