It's official: I'm off the BP meds. I hope to never see them again.
I haven't weighed myself in a few days because frankly, I don't want to watch the rollercoaster. I ate okay all week, with a few over-do-its that still involved the right nutrient ratios and foods, followed by junk on Saturday and Sunday, but overall I did okay. The struggle: staying focused on this stuff. The problem: overload of life wrecks planning, which translates into tougher times during the week.
Still, having done what I've done, I know my weight is still around 290. If it's high today, it'll be down tomorrow and Wednesday. I don't mind hovering here for a while but it's time to get moving again. I just have so much work strife to fight through that I can't focus on that now, not so much, but still I keep walking it out. Some part of losing all this weight and growing more fit is learning not to gain it all back, so like the diver, I must be unafraid to sit at different depths as I acclimate, repeatedly, until I can finally breath fresh air at the surface.
My work in the box at CrossFit is proving difficult, as usual, but also REWARDING AS USUAL. I struggle to get in three WODs a week because of work and life. I'm thinking that my regular four- and five-WOD weeks are gonna be a reality again soon, though, but I was beginning to doubt myself, to look at what I was doing and how I was doing it... Where is the intensity now? Where is that gut feeling that I have to push harder to survive and thrive? Where's the gut-wrenching fear? I have begun to wonder if it's an act with me these days. Am I not a habitual cheater and liar, a sympathy-hound looking for absolution because despte all evidence to the contrary, I can't really do what I'm so obviously doing?!? Can I?
I am so dreadfully used to the fear and surprise, that shamefully I must admit that I miss the wall, the moment where I get to quit because "I'm fat" or "I physically cannot do that." They're honest reasons, but I wait for the failure point and it doesn't come, so the inevitable conclusion is that I must simply keep going until I hit the wall for real. And so lately, in the box, that's what I've tried to do.
Here's what happened.
Saturday I did the WOD in 17:35. We ran/jogged outside (using pose form if possible) at whatever pace we could for a quarter-mile, then did 50 squats of body weight, and repeated it to get to one mile and 200 squats. Since it was our first running WOD John mentioned that if our bodies couldn't take it, or a part (like a knee) was troublesome, there was no shame in shortening or modifying it drastically because, well, it was the first time back. I was a potential target for that fairly and honestly offered trapdoor. I did not need it. I never walked or gave up. I waited for the need to quit but it never came. In fact, I think if I did it again this coming Saturday, I'd do better. I felt great just finishing. Even though it's early, I thought for the first time that maybe, just maybe, I could do the Boilermaker for real in July.
I drove the neighborhood counting road trails and found good quarter- and half-mile courses around the block. I also found a 5k I can do. I am actually beginning to think I can maybe run. What's more, despite a pounding one mile a few days before (in Vibram Five-Fingers!), my legs and feet feel decent for some reason. They're supposed to be killing me.
Today, I did 12 reps of hanging power cleans with front squats, plus seven deep ring rows (instead of pull-ups), for as many rounds as possible in twenty minutes. I did 7 rounds plus 8 reps of the HPC/squats. I have never before successfully held the bar with my fingertips on my shoulders, so the front squat has eluded me... UNTIL TODAY. I still have to work on my form, and my wrists ached and scared me, but I fought the fear, trusted my trainer, and lost another excuse. As my arms and wrists become stronger and more flexible, the platform that is my upper arm and shoulder will become easier to achieve, and my front squats will begin to improve dramatically. I started at the girl prescription weight (65 lbs) and ended (at 85 lbs) close to the male prescription weight of 95 lbs. I also did 40 2-handed KB swings with the 54 lb. kettlebell almost effortlessly, even doing a few overheads.
It's nice to feel like I'm working hard again. It's nice to see progress again. It's nice to feel good again. I can taste it again, and I want more. So you can imagine my relief at this last Sunday... we prepared food ahead, and thus my eating week will be better.
I feel like I'm back.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Day 57 - Weight 289.4 lbs. - Final Daily Post
Today is the last day, complete with a final block of paleo-iffy chocolate, putting me at 29 points. I'll stand on that. I like my pre-CrossFit choco-snack with Tara chocolate (fat block!!!), almond butter, natural 80% dark Ugandan chocolate, some natural deli meat, and a tarantula butt (a.k.a kiwi fruit). Tell me, doesn't a kiwi fruit look like a tarantula butt?
Had I known chocolate was a point, I might not have tried it. That would have been a mistake, in my book. Perhaps I'd have had it less often--who knows if it'd have helped me or hurt me? But either way, honest marking is what it is. If you're gonna tackle this lifestyle change thing head on, you have to be somewhat uncompromising, but there has to be some elasticity as well. You can't sink into a pit of depression because you broke down and got the cheese fries once.
Yet you empower yourself greatly each time you forego the cheese fries. That shamrock shake you can't miss in March, well, it'll taste the same next March. Pizza is great, just don't have it often--in fact, make healthy food so yummy that the kids beg to try it! It worked for us. And if you keep from indulging over and over, it gets easier. Now, I can't wait to go out. If I went out twice a month I'd still live. I just have to decide if I'm willing to accept whatever consequences there are. And if I do things right, the consequences are that I enjoy myself instead of feeling guilty.
Thanks to CrossFit's paleo Zone eating, I've finally found a diet I can live with, have fun with, and get GREAT results with. As Cheryl has said a million times, if you go off for one meal due to a night out or something, just go right back on so all those chemical balances don't get out of whack. And as my trainer buddy Ralph at the YMCA has said a million times, have a cheat meal, not a cheat day. This paleo Zone thing makes that not only possible, it's favorable. You gotta keep ties with regular American crap food so you don't get sensitized. May as well enjoy the practice! Also, as with all things CrossFit, variation and surprising the system are good things to do once in a while.
I'll keep posting once or twice a week. Why not? If I have to ditch it I will, if not, I'll just enjoy the ride. Either way, I hope you, reader, got something out of this. That'd make this just that more valuable and special.
Love, Kevin ;)
Menu
Breakfast (4 blocks)
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 1 HB egg, 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup broccoli
- 1/2 cup blackberries, 1/2 tsp. olive oil, 15g chopped nuts
Snack (2 blocks)
- 1 cup Chan chili
Snack (2 blocks)
- 4 Tricia meatballs, 1/2 cup natural salsa
Lunch (4 blocks)
- 2 cups Chan chili, a pile of spinach
Snack (2 blocks)
- 1 block dark 80% chocolate, 1 Tara chocolate, 1 kiwi fruit, 1/2 tsp. almond butter, 2 oz. natural deli meat
Dinner (4 blocks)
- 2 cups Chan chili, ~2 cups spaghetti squash
Total water consumption: 9+ quarts throughout the day, including coffee and tea
I will never post my menus regularly again. Thank God. I'm so sick of that. Really. ;)
Based on the rules and all that, my total points for the day: 0
Total points: 29
Yay! I did it!
Had I known chocolate was a point, I might not have tried it. That would have been a mistake, in my book. Perhaps I'd have had it less often--who knows if it'd have helped me or hurt me? But either way, honest marking is what it is. If you're gonna tackle this lifestyle change thing head on, you have to be somewhat uncompromising, but there has to be some elasticity as well. You can't sink into a pit of depression because you broke down and got the cheese fries once.
Yet you empower yourself greatly each time you forego the cheese fries. That shamrock shake you can't miss in March, well, it'll taste the same next March. Pizza is great, just don't have it often--in fact, make healthy food so yummy that the kids beg to try it! It worked for us. And if you keep from indulging over and over, it gets easier. Now, I can't wait to go out. If I went out twice a month I'd still live. I just have to decide if I'm willing to accept whatever consequences there are. And if I do things right, the consequences are that I enjoy myself instead of feeling guilty.
Thanks to CrossFit's paleo Zone eating, I've finally found a diet I can live with, have fun with, and get GREAT results with. As Cheryl has said a million times, if you go off for one meal due to a night out or something, just go right back on so all those chemical balances don't get out of whack. And as my trainer buddy Ralph at the YMCA has said a million times, have a cheat meal, not a cheat day. This paleo Zone thing makes that not only possible, it's favorable. You gotta keep ties with regular American crap food so you don't get sensitized. May as well enjoy the practice! Also, as with all things CrossFit, variation and surprising the system are good things to do once in a while.
I'll keep posting once or twice a week. Why not? If I have to ditch it I will, if not, I'll just enjoy the ride. Either way, I hope you, reader, got something out of this. That'd make this just that more valuable and special.
Love, Kevin ;)
Menu
Breakfast (4 blocks)
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 1 HB egg, 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup broccoli
- 1/2 cup blackberries, 1/2 tsp. olive oil, 15g chopped nuts
Snack (2 blocks)
- 1 cup Chan chili
Snack (2 blocks)
- 4 Tricia meatballs, 1/2 cup natural salsa
Lunch (4 blocks)
- 2 cups Chan chili, a pile of spinach
Snack (2 blocks)
- 1 block dark 80% chocolate, 1 Tara chocolate, 1 kiwi fruit, 1/2 tsp. almond butter, 2 oz. natural deli meat
Dinner (4 blocks)
- 2 cups Chan chili, ~2 cups spaghetti squash
Total water consumption: 9+ quarts throughout the day, including coffee and tea
I will never post my menus regularly again. Thank God. I'm so sick of that. Really. ;)
Based on the rules and all that, my total points for the day: 0
Total points: 29
Yay! I did it!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Day 56 - Weight 289.6 lbs. - The Final Countdown
I'll post a menu for the day but this is all about summing it up and making sense of what I've been doing.
You probably do not know what this means to me. I don't know if I'll have "won" or not. I'd like to, but it's not a big deal. The Big Deal is two-fold: one, the results drive me to continue the fight beyond the challenge, and two, I didn't quit. I've lost weight and gained muscle. I went through some crazy stuff. There were times that I wondered if I should continue. I had to walk step by step forward in faith until the light broke as I passed through tunnel after tunnel, until I hit The Zone. I wanna ride it forever. I can honestly say that I'm never going back.
It's the 'not quitting thing' that really rocks me. I usually quit. It's what I do, or have done, anyway. There are times when you run out of steam, or life gets in the way, or you just have to make a tough decision others may disagree with, but I did my best to avoid excuses and walk this out to the end. I thank God I did, because I'm in a whole new world now. Special thanks to Cheryl, John, and all my friends at CrossFit as well as everyone else who's given me endless encouragement, and especially my wife Alice who has walked by my side this whole time--so much so that she's a CrossFit girl herself now.
When it hurts, when you're scared, when what's happening to you can't be easily explained but it's bad, when you smell the bear scat and hear the rustling, when the territory is virgin and you've only got 18 rounds left in the magazine with no food, there are no excuses and you gotta dig deep. And I have finally discovered that I can do that. I haven't reached the depths or gone as far as I think I can, but I can see it and taste it now. It's real.
My old trainer Tom, who took me on a powerful but perhaps ill-advised hike of Giant Mt. in the Adirondacks (a High Peak) several years ago, told me something similar: The mountain doesn't care. It just "is." You can make it down, you can fall and die, you can cry or laugh, but the mountain doesn't care.
I needed that.
So now, armed with this truth, will I keep up the good work or do what I have so often done in the past--that is, feel good about the accolades and then drop out? I'm gonna keep going. It'll be less strict in some ways, stricter in others, and I'll keep my mind open to more learning because remaining teachable is one of the most important things in life.
I will also be going out to eat sometime soon. Sushi, anyone? I'm gonna plow down as much raw tuna, whitefish, squid, octopus, salmon, and cooked eel as will fit into my tummy. Each comes sleeping on its own bed of rice, secured by wasabi glue and perhaps a bit of seaweed, waiting to be dipped into a mixture of soy sauce and wasabi just before going into the front end of the energy factory.
Today has been spent cooking and relaxing. My knee is iffy and a tad swollen inside and I'm concerned about the Monday night WOD, but I'll live. I wanted to make sure we're ready for a good week because I suspect this coming weekend will, as I mentioned, involve restuarant eating. And I have benchmark WODs to hit this week.
Praise God. In the name of Jesus, I press on, gratefully.
Menu
Breakfast (4 blocks)
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 1 HB egg, 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup green beans
- 1/2 cup blackberries, 1/2 tsp. olive oil, 15g chopped nuts
Snack (1 block)
- 1 oz. chicken, 1/2 tsp. coconut oil, 2/3 cup strawberries
Lunch (4 blocks)
- 2 cups Chan chili, 1 apple
Snack (4 blocks)
- 8 Tricia meatballs, 1/2 cup sauce, 1 tbsp. c-raisins
Dinner (5 blocks)
- 6 oz. paleo meatloaf, 1 cup green beans, 1/2 tsp. butter,
Total water consumption: 9+ quarts throughout the day, including coffee and tea
It's all good! Based on the rules and all that, my total points for the day: 0
Total points so far: 28
You probably do not know what this means to me. I don't know if I'll have "won" or not. I'd like to, but it's not a big deal. The Big Deal is two-fold: one, the results drive me to continue the fight beyond the challenge, and two, I didn't quit. I've lost weight and gained muscle. I went through some crazy stuff. There were times that I wondered if I should continue. I had to walk step by step forward in faith until the light broke as I passed through tunnel after tunnel, until I hit The Zone. I wanna ride it forever. I can honestly say that I'm never going back.
It's the 'not quitting thing' that really rocks me. I usually quit. It's what I do, or have done, anyway. There are times when you run out of steam, or life gets in the way, or you just have to make a tough decision others may disagree with, but I did my best to avoid excuses and walk this out to the end. I thank God I did, because I'm in a whole new world now. Special thanks to Cheryl, John, and all my friends at CrossFit as well as everyone else who's given me endless encouragement, and especially my wife Alice who has walked by my side this whole time--so much so that she's a CrossFit girl herself now.
When it hurts, when you're scared, when what's happening to you can't be easily explained but it's bad, when you smell the bear scat and hear the rustling, when the territory is virgin and you've only got 18 rounds left in the magazine with no food, there are no excuses and you gotta dig deep. And I have finally discovered that I can do that. I haven't reached the depths or gone as far as I think I can, but I can see it and taste it now. It's real.
My old trainer Tom, who took me on a powerful but perhaps ill-advised hike of Giant Mt. in the Adirondacks (a High Peak) several years ago, told me something similar: The mountain doesn't care. It just "is." You can make it down, you can fall and die, you can cry or laugh, but the mountain doesn't care.
I needed that.
So now, armed with this truth, will I keep up the good work or do what I have so often done in the past--that is, feel good about the accolades and then drop out? I'm gonna keep going. It'll be less strict in some ways, stricter in others, and I'll keep my mind open to more learning because remaining teachable is one of the most important things in life.
I will also be going out to eat sometime soon. Sushi, anyone? I'm gonna plow down as much raw tuna, whitefish, squid, octopus, salmon, and cooked eel as will fit into my tummy. Each comes sleeping on its own bed of rice, secured by wasabi glue and perhaps a bit of seaweed, waiting to be dipped into a mixture of soy sauce and wasabi just before going into the front end of the energy factory.
Today has been spent cooking and relaxing. My knee is iffy and a tad swollen inside and I'm concerned about the Monday night WOD, but I'll live. I wanted to make sure we're ready for a good week because I suspect this coming weekend will, as I mentioned, involve restuarant eating. And I have benchmark WODs to hit this week.
Praise God. In the name of Jesus, I press on, gratefully.
Menu
Breakfast (4 blocks)
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 1 HB egg, 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup green beans
- 1/2 cup blackberries, 1/2 tsp. olive oil, 15g chopped nuts
Snack (1 block)
- 1 oz. chicken, 1/2 tsp. coconut oil, 2/3 cup strawberries
Lunch (4 blocks)
- 2 cups Chan chili, 1 apple
Snack (4 blocks)
- 8 Tricia meatballs, 1/2 cup sauce, 1 tbsp. c-raisins
Dinner (5 blocks)
- 6 oz. paleo meatloaf, 1 cup green beans, 1/2 tsp. butter,
Total water consumption: 9+ quarts throughout the day, including coffee and tea
It's all good! Based on the rules and all that, my total points for the day: 0
Total points so far: 28
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Day 55 - Weight 290.4 lbs. - Winding Down?
I can't be 100% sure but I think Monday, April 4 is the final day and will begin a week of redoing the benchmark WODs from eight weeks ago. Tomorrow, Sunday, is Day 56 so it makes sense. Given the impending end of the challenge, I'm gonna leave a single chocolate block for Monday's pre-WOD snack, which is one point, so I come in under 30 points.
I saw 290 today. I'd like to see 289 by Monday morning, but either way I've already lost more than 25 pounds since the challenge began--that's net weight because I've added meat and lost fat. The truth is that if I keep working, 289 is inevitable, as is 189. It's just a matter of time.
I looked closely in the mirror today while washing my hands at the movie theater, and my face was so different. I can't say for sure that I'm completely sold on my sorry attempt at a moustache--Japanese guys have more than I do--but I like the way it's different. Maybe not recognizing myself is a good thing. That other guy is gone for good. In perusing the CrossFit pics on the Facebook site I got to one of my favorites of Ashley and me post WOD, kinds hanging out together for the camera. That guy has the discipline haircut but his face... it's vaguely familiar but it's not me anymore.
I have begun all these paragraphs with the word "I." That's not the best writing; usually I try to mix it up better. Oh well. God help me if a client reads this stuff...
I might be a wake-up away from seeing 289 on the scale so I must press on.
Menu
Breakfast (4 blocks)
- 1 HB egg, 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup blackberries, 1 cup broccoli
- 15g chopped nuts, 1/2 tsp. olive oil, 1/4 cup cottage cheese
Snack (4 blocks)
- 110g sweet potatoes, 6 oz. paleo meatloaf
Lunch (4 blocks)
- 4 oz. natural deli meat, 2/3 tsp. coconut oil, 7 nuts, 1/2 tbsp. c-raisins, 130g sweet potatoes
Snack (2 blocks)
- 2 oz. natural deli meat, 1 oz. paleo meatloaf, 3 nuts, 1/2 tbsp. c-raisins
Dinner (5 blocks)
- 2 oz. paleo meatloaf, 4 oz. chicken, 220g sweet potatoes, 1-1/2 tsp butter
Total water consumption: 9+ quarts throughout the day, including coffee and tea
So close. Ya know, I've quit just about everything else I've tried. Based on the rules and all that, my total points for the day: 0
Total points so far: 28
I saw 290 today. I'd like to see 289 by Monday morning, but either way I've already lost more than 25 pounds since the challenge began--that's net weight because I've added meat and lost fat. The truth is that if I keep working, 289 is inevitable, as is 189. It's just a matter of time.
I looked closely in the mirror today while washing my hands at the movie theater, and my face was so different. I can't say for sure that I'm completely sold on my sorry attempt at a moustache--Japanese guys have more than I do--but I like the way it's different. Maybe not recognizing myself is a good thing. That other guy is gone for good. In perusing the CrossFit pics on the Facebook site I got to one of my favorites of Ashley and me post WOD, kinds hanging out together for the camera. That guy has the discipline haircut but his face... it's vaguely familiar but it's not me anymore.
I have begun all these paragraphs with the word "I." That's not the best writing; usually I try to mix it up better. Oh well. God help me if a client reads this stuff...
I might be a wake-up away from seeing 289 on the scale so I must press on.
Menu
Breakfast (4 blocks)
- 1 HB egg, 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup blackberries, 1 cup broccoli
- 15g chopped nuts, 1/2 tsp. olive oil, 1/4 cup cottage cheese
Snack (4 blocks)
- 110g sweet potatoes, 6 oz. paleo meatloaf
Lunch (4 blocks)
- 4 oz. natural deli meat, 2/3 tsp. coconut oil, 7 nuts, 1/2 tbsp. c-raisins, 130g sweet potatoes
Snack (2 blocks)
- 2 oz. natural deli meat, 1 oz. paleo meatloaf, 3 nuts, 1/2 tbsp. c-raisins
Dinner (5 blocks)
- 2 oz. paleo meatloaf, 4 oz. chicken, 220g sweet potatoes, 1-1/2 tsp butter
Total water consumption: 9+ quarts throughout the day, including coffee and tea
So close. Ya know, I've quit just about everything else I've tried. Based on the rules and all that, my total points for the day: 0
Total points so far: 28
Friday, April 1, 2011
Day 54 - Weight 291.2 lbs. - Okay, NOW I'm ready
I had to take a break from all this stuff for a few days (hence the lack of posts). By that, I don't mean "eat off the program," I mean focusing on other things to regain balance that I had obviously lost. It wasn't my body that needed this break. My body was fine, I guess. It was my mind and spirit. I needed to refocus and renew. It is vitally important--whatever the "consequences" to me in this challenge might be as a result--that I recognize where I'm at and act on that knowledge before I get into real trouble.
Our revival meetings at church were huge, and I got back on track with work. I didn't take time to track eating as carefully but I ate right. I didn't block perfectly but, with my experience up to this point, I was able to stay away from temptation and eat basically right. I might have eaten a bit more or less here and there, but as my weight will attest, I didn't do to badly! I missed CrossFit and looked forward to tonight's WOD, during which I pushed myself but had a bit of a tough time. Some minor shoulder pain turned into a "Kevin worries about his heart" issue, and it made a mess of things. I think I could have taken a good 90 seconds--or more--off my WOD time had I not been so afraid for my heart. As you can tell, I survived, as always.
On a lighter note, taking a shower with my wife has become easier now that we're both thinner. Maneuvering to get better coverage by the shower head & all that. You know... no, you don't have to imagine it.
I posted recently that I'd like to see the bottom of 289 before the challenge ends. I don't know if it'll happen but I do know this: What I've been doing rocks! When I hit 287.6 lbs. that will be a loss of 100 pounds since January 2010. Not counting my first official day of the challenge, where I was still carrying water weight from the weekend of not-so-good eating (322.6 lbs.), I consider my true initial weight as the Day 2 number (316.0). That means that as of today, I've lost almost 25 lbs. during the challenge. Truth be told, I wanted to lose twice that. I am not ungrateful or unhappy! In fact I'm thrilled and still driven to win. Also, I recognize that I must have put on some muscle during that time. I must have! I can't easily measure that but given the gains I've made in the box, I've obviously lost more fat than the scale shows.
My pants size has dropped as well, and today I wore size 48 jeans for the first time in a while. Yes, they were a bit tight. I should probably drop another five pounds before wearing them again. But I wore them all day and my kidneys still worked fine.
This challenge is almost over, but the journey begins anew every day. So I press on!
Menu
Breakfast (4 blocks)
- 1 HB egg, 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1 oz. chicken, 1 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup blackberries, 1 cup broccoli
- 15g chopped nuts, 1/2 tsp. olive oil
Snack (4 blocks)
- 110g sweet potatoes, 1 ugli fruit, 6 oz. paleo meatloaf, 6 nuts
Lunch (4 blocks)
- 3+ cups fry mix, 3 oz. shrimp, 2 oz. chicken, 1 tbsp. c-raisins, 1-1.2 tsp. butter
Snack (2 blocks)
- 1 block 85% dark chocolate, 1/2 tsp. almond butter, 1 Tara chocolate, 1 Kiwi fruit
- 2 oz. natural deli meat
Dinner (5 blocks)
- 7.5 oz. paleo meatloaf, 1/2 tsp. butter, 110g sweet potatoes
Total water consumption: 9+ quarts throughout the day, including coffee and tea
Almost there... almost there... Based on the rules and all that, my total points for the day: 1 + 1 from the other day
Total points so far: 28
Our revival meetings at church were huge, and I got back on track with work. I didn't take time to track eating as carefully but I ate right. I didn't block perfectly but, with my experience up to this point, I was able to stay away from temptation and eat basically right. I might have eaten a bit more or less here and there, but as my weight will attest, I didn't do to badly! I missed CrossFit and looked forward to tonight's WOD, during which I pushed myself but had a bit of a tough time. Some minor shoulder pain turned into a "Kevin worries about his heart" issue, and it made a mess of things. I think I could have taken a good 90 seconds--or more--off my WOD time had I not been so afraid for my heart. As you can tell, I survived, as always.
On a lighter note, taking a shower with my wife has become easier now that we're both thinner. Maneuvering to get better coverage by the shower head & all that. You know... no, you don't have to imagine it.
I posted recently that I'd like to see the bottom of 289 before the challenge ends. I don't know if it'll happen but I do know this: What I've been doing rocks! When I hit 287.6 lbs. that will be a loss of 100 pounds since January 2010. Not counting my first official day of the challenge, where I was still carrying water weight from the weekend of not-so-good eating (322.6 lbs.), I consider my true initial weight as the Day 2 number (316.0). That means that as of today, I've lost almost 25 lbs. during the challenge. Truth be told, I wanted to lose twice that. I am not ungrateful or unhappy! In fact I'm thrilled and still driven to win. Also, I recognize that I must have put on some muscle during that time. I must have! I can't easily measure that but given the gains I've made in the box, I've obviously lost more fat than the scale shows.
My pants size has dropped as well, and today I wore size 48 jeans for the first time in a while. Yes, they were a bit tight. I should probably drop another five pounds before wearing them again. But I wore them all day and my kidneys still worked fine.
This challenge is almost over, but the journey begins anew every day. So I press on!
Menu
Breakfast (4 blocks)
- 1 HB egg, 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1 oz. chicken, 1 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup blackberries, 1 cup broccoli
- 15g chopped nuts, 1/2 tsp. olive oil
Snack (4 blocks)
- 110g sweet potatoes, 1 ugli fruit, 6 oz. paleo meatloaf, 6 nuts
Lunch (4 blocks)
- 3+ cups fry mix, 3 oz. shrimp, 2 oz. chicken, 1 tbsp. c-raisins, 1-1.2 tsp. butter
Snack (2 blocks)
- 1 block 85% dark chocolate, 1/2 tsp. almond butter, 1 Tara chocolate, 1 Kiwi fruit
- 2 oz. natural deli meat
Dinner (5 blocks)
- 7.5 oz. paleo meatloaf, 1/2 tsp. butter, 110g sweet potatoes
Total water consumption: 9+ quarts throughout the day, including coffee and tea
Almost there... almost there... Based on the rules and all that, my total points for the day: 1 + 1 from the other day
Total points so far: 28
Day 51 - Weight 293.2 lbs. - Stay On Target... Stay On Target
Today I resolved not to eat off the plan. I also resolved not to worry too much about the details of that, because our prep this week was a bit lacking. For example, we made all this chicken last week and should probably have frozen some of it. That way it'd not have needed to be thrown out.
I will probably be posting this late, as with the last post, because I need to do some writing and that might involve a late night or early morning.
The challenge ends soon, and though I am struggling right now I wish to end strong. I hope to have better planning in the near future for a spot-on finish.
And so I press on.
Menu
Breakfast (2 blocks)
- 1 HB egg, 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce, 1 string cheese, 7 nuts
Lunch (4 blocks)
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 15g chopped nuts, 1 Tara chocolate, 1/2 cantaloupe
More Lunch (5 blocks)
- 1 cup Chan chili, 2 string cheese sticks, 1 tbsp. c-raisins, 6 nuts
The rest... I don't even remember but it was no points!
Total water consumption: 9+ quarts throughout the day, including coffee and tea
Gotta keep going... Based on the rules and all that, my total points for the day: 0
Total points so far: 26
I will probably be posting this late, as with the last post, because I need to do some writing and that might involve a late night or early morning.
The challenge ends soon, and though I am struggling right now I wish to end strong. I hope to have better planning in the near future for a spot-on finish.
And so I press on.
Menu
Breakfast (2 blocks)
- 1 HB egg, 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce, 1 string cheese, 7 nuts
Lunch (4 blocks)
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 15g chopped nuts, 1 Tara chocolate, 1/2 cantaloupe
More Lunch (5 blocks)
- 1 cup Chan chili, 2 string cheese sticks, 1 tbsp. c-raisins, 6 nuts
The rest... I don't even remember but it was no points!
Total water consumption: 9+ quarts throughout the day, including coffee and tea
Gotta keep going... Based on the rules and all that, my total points for the day: 0
Total points so far: 26
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)