I need a better way to organize this info

After my workouts I edit a text document on my iphone to keep track of what and how I did. When I started I didn't think I would keep using this to track, so I didn't even have dates and its all a mess. Pretty much what I track is total time, time for a 5k, num of calories. I did lose data on 4/22, but I know I did the 5K in 44:00 minutes.

Two years later... still fat.

I forgot this blog was here. It was almost exactly two years ago to the day I made the 112 days... post. Like every other time I decided to lose weight, something happened and I went off that plan. I don't remember what, but I probably hurt my back, had issues at work or some other excuse. I know it doesn't take much to derail my efforts.

So I started again the end of last month, the 31st of March. No real goal in mind when I started. I just figured it was time. So I headed to the Y one morning before work and did a workout. Then the next day I went again. And the next day.

Its been 27 days and I've gone to the gym a lot, along with done other exercising. 255 when I started. 236 right now. I'm quietly proud of myself, while at the same time embarrassed I'm as overweight as I am.

I'm going to use this blog to track my status. I'm working towards... wait for it... a 5k race. But this time its not 112 days away, but instead 45 days away.

The gym has been basically all treadmill, which normally I hate running. I like the challenge and the different ways you can measure progress. Each day I do at least a 5k, even though I'm not even close to being able to run it non stop yet. On the first day, I couldn't jog for more than 45 seconds. Last Friday I did 13 minutes. Progress. I feed off of that.

112 Days to go. . .

I'm taking small steps.  First I'm getting my eating in order, which I've done a great job this week I must say.   I'm not going to blog about everything I eat, because that would just get tedious.  If I have trouble eating 'well',  I may start doing that.   Along with the eating, I've started getting out after dinner for a long a walk in the woods.   They've been averaging about 45 minutes.  There are lots of hills and uneven ground, so its not a casual walk, and my heart rate is raised the whole time.   And at the end of the walk I scale the ridge in the back of my house which gets my heart really pounding.   My wife is trying to figure out what I do back there that gets me so sweaty.   The idea is that my ankles and knees get used to doing some work (along with my heart), and skim off a little bit of weight before I try to actually jog.  Maybe I'll walk my neighborhood 5k this weekend.  Or maybe just half of it.

 

So I hopped in the car and drove out 3.5  miles( I realized a 5k is about 3.2) in my neighborhood.   Holy crap thats a long way.  And the 'route' I picked is incredibly hilly.   I'm not sure I'll ever be able to do that.  I'll be shocked if I can walk it in an hour, never mind run it in less than that. 

 

Oh, as of yesterday I'm down to 258.  Not a big deal seeing how when your as big as I am your weight fluctuates with the wind. 

The Game of Calorie Counting

Calorie counting is a mixed bag for me. In the beginning, I don't mind it. Its like a game. After a while it gets frustrating. If you eat something from a package, the number of calories is right there. Easy to tally up. But the idea is that most of the stuff you eat shouldn't come from a package. For example, the pasta salad my wife made. It has light mayo, onions, peppers, cashews , past, and I think thats it. But when I have my bowl of it, are we talking 300 calories? 600 calories? 800? See, it becomes a guessing game. I need firm numbers.

So to maintain my current weight, with no activity like I was doing prior to this journey I would need to have my caloric intake between 2350 and 2500 calories. To lose weight, I should be consuming less calories, but not too few, because your body will fight to retain those calories... fun stuff.

So for today:

• Sausage Egg and Cheese english muffin. 530cals (based on calorie-count.com) This will be good to cut out, but I still need a bunch of calories in the morning.
• Big bowl of cantaloupe. 180 cals (2 cups)
• Snack - baby carrots 50 cals
• Lunch - Pasta salad 500 cals? Not sure.
• Two 24 fl oz pepsi. I will go cold turkey this week at some point when I run out, and be done with that part of the problem.

Hmm, I should have brought something else to snack on like pretzels to get from lunch to going home. Not sure what dinner will be. But when I get home I'll have only had 1250 calories. I don't think I should be having 50% of my calories after 5pm for the day. Let the calorie counting game begin!

Edit: 220 calories for a small bag or pretzels!! Geez.

261 Pounds

I weighed myself last night. 261 pounds. And although I don't really subscribe 100% to the BMI thing, according to it I'm morbidly obese. Its not that I disagree with the obese part, but in order for me not to be obese according to the BMI charge I would need to weigh 164. I think I was 10 years old the last time I weighed 164 pounds. But that's besides the point.

261 pounds is the most I have ever weighed. I don't feel fat, at least most of the time. Its the pictures that get me. I don't recognize myself. Self-image is a funny thing.

This isn't the first time I've gone through this weight loss thing. But now my son is around, I have some additional motivation. Also, my wife doesn't let me sleep in the same bed with her because of my snoring ( I don't blame her).

So here is the goal. In mid August there is a 5K race in Manchester. I want to run that. RUN, not walk. So my first step is to start eating healthy, and cut out the Pepsi. Oh Pepsi, my friend. Then I've been doing some reading on how a fat person starts running, the best way to ease into it. I think next week I'll start the actual jogging.

I even parked on the far side of parking lot this morning... small steps.