Matt, where have you been?

Well I have been busy y'all.

Let me just tell you that my first Holiday season on plan has been a disaster.  I am gaining a bit here and there and have already committed to getting going at the first of the year.  You don't have to tell me that I should not wait.  I know, but honestly my mind is so cluttered right now that it is difficult to have the focus that is requires to lose weight.  So why have I lost focus?  Well the Holidays for one, and some personal issues that I prefer not to get into.

The thing is that I have found that when you con concentrate on your weight loss goals and you are seldom distracted it is a much easier path to follow.  Obviously the path becomes rocky and difficult to stay on when your distracted.  I wonder if any of you have found this to be true.

I am trying at this point to be upbeat about my progress but it is difficult.  My stall is now well over 3 months and I am making excuses.  Hopefully I can get the steadfast resolve back in 2009. 

So what else has been going on with me.  Well I can tell you one of the "distractions" has made me very happy.  I am an engaged man now.  I hear the collective sigh of all the ladies out there.  This one got away from you.  You will be happy to know that Carrie and I are extremely happy together and I am engaged to my best friend.  So buck up ladies.  This I can tell you.  There are others like me out there. :-)

Happy Wednesday to all and to all a good night!

Binging on carrots

Well yesterday was pretty clean points wise.  I did have taco bell for dinner in a rush but I was able to do it without going over in points.  No I probably did not cover the good health guidelines, but I was happy.

Today has been good thus far.  Fruit and a chicken blt salad from mcd's.  I will say I am a bit hungry right now but I am putting off my banana till a bit later.  I need to drink a bit more water today to as I am noticing a headache coming on and that would also help with the hunger.

Overall I am feeling pretty good about the week so far.  I am going to try to not overdo things this weekend, but I am making no promises.  We have events planned all weekend.  Football games, birthday dinners, and just weekend stuff.

I am hoping to get in some serious exercise over the weekend though.  Lets hope that happens!

Claw marks on the wagon

First I want to thank you guys for your supportive comments yesterday. My readers, lurkers or not are so supportive. I really feel like am friends with you all.

The claw marks I spoke of are from me trying to get back on the wagon. I will say that I wrote everything down yesterday. I also did great till I got home. Most of the bad stuff has been removed from the house. BUT... I ordered a taco pizza for dinner last night. Genius! Oh and before that I had a whole bunch of the french's dried onion things you put on top of green bean casserole. Also some marshmallows. Basically anything in sight. I was not even that hungry. Thank goodness Carrie stopped me at three slices. I was ready to dig in for more. Tonight the pizza goes in the trash.

So 62 points later I was done! Hole crap 62 points? yep 62! It is what it is. At least I wrote it all down.

So today is a new day. Starting off with water rather than Diet Coke. I am sure some of you understand what a undertaking that is all by itself. I am enjoying some mixed fruit for breakfast. I have to tell you that I really enjoy the frozen fruit for a snack or breakfast. Let face it. I did not get to 400lbs on fruit it would take an act of god to over do it on fruit. Plus it is wildly nutritious. See:

I pick this up at Sam's club in a big bag for about 8.50 for a 6 lb bag and it lasts just about a week. Like I said it is a really good evening snack. ( I know I know, this is coming from the guy who indulged on chips and dip 2 nights ago)

So there you have it. I am going to at least post a recap of my previous day so you guys can give me the swift kick in the butt that I need.

I almost forgot to share this. That would be my boy on the gong!

Well I guess I deserved that

300.8!  Look to your right and you will see that I gave gained 8 lbs since late October.  I did however weigh in last night.  I knew I would gain.  I knew I would be about 300.  I was hoping to be under it but so be it.  But this is the thing.  I went to my sons 4th grade holiday performance which I will have to show you guys just cause he played the GONG!  Anyway back on topic, we came home and after a good clean day of eating I ended up sitting down to some chips and deans french onion dip.  Are you kidding me.  What was I thinking?  Why is it even in the house?

I am in a funk guys.  I was at 301.6 on Aug 26 of this year. In just over 3 months I have managed to lose basically nothing.  My motivation is for crap.

I can tell you that football season has not helped me.  We are talking College not pros just so you guys know.  But every weekend has been food and beer and tailgating.  Just so you all know.  Tailgating is not a key ingredient to success in weight loss.  I have had fun no doubt but I had less fun knowing that I was hurting myself in the weight loss department.

Now there has been an ugly by product of those weekends.  All the great habits I formed from January to August are gone.  I rarely log on to the WW boards.  I have not logged on to track anything in weeks.   I have not been recording my weight.  It is just painful.

I am going to try to refocus today.  Only today and I will worry about tomorrow when it arrives.  Today I will not go off plan.  Today I will track everything I eat.  Today I will exercise 30 minutes.  Finally, today I will remove all the crap food from the house.

Trotting Turkey

Well I made up for not running in the Gobbler Grind by running the Turkey Trot.  It was a slow race, mainly because the track was too small for everyone.  2000 people on a 10 foot wide road.  The race started and it took me at about 90 seconds to get to the start line.  Still walking for another 40 yards or so until we finally started jogging only to slow to a walk again at the first turn.  Then we were back on pace.  Or so I thought.  The first mile was a slow one but I tried to compensate by going a bit faster and that was a mistake.  I had to walk for about 50 yards or so toward the end of mile one.  The rest of the race was pretty relaxed and normal and I finished at about 35:20 adjusting for the time it took to get to the start.  Overall not bad, but not what I would have liked.

Now after that I went on a food induced rampage.  Oh turkey gravy poured from the heavens as we enjoyed not one, but 2 thanksgiving meals with all the fixins (as we call it here in the midwest).  My stomach is just now feeling somewhat normal after the crazy foodness I consumed.  I will make sure I make it to my WW meeting tomorrow so I can stay accountable.  We will be back on track.  get off the couple of lbs I know I gained and get back into a groove.

Gee I sure am comfortable.

OK so I am wondering if this happens to a lot of people.  You lose some weight, you make some behavior changes, you still have some more weight to lose, but you get comfortable.  You stop losing and start to revert back to behaviors that got you to the heavier you.

Has that happened to you?

I am pretty certain that is what is happening to me.  I hit 300 lbs, lost 100 lbs and got comfy.  I am still not real happy with what I see in the mirror, but I am not as repulsed as I once was.  I am more physically fit than many many people.  So I am comfortable.

Then comes the self destructive behaviors.  I might drink to much on occasion or I might indulge in things that were completely off limits before.  Chips and Ben and Jerry's indulgences.  I am telling myself that once the new year rolls around then I will be back on track.  I just don't want to gain a bunch over the holidays.  I don't want to gain anything over the holidays. 

I try to look back and see what I have done, but honestly in this particular case I try to look forward most of the time.  I feel like focusing on gains and losses can lead to that aforementioned self destructive behavior.

So I am asking you guys today.  Did you comfortable along the way?  What did you do to break the cycle?

In other news, I am running a 5k to replace the once I missed.  The Parkville Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day.  Weather is gonna be a bit chilly, but I am looking forward to the race. 

Beyond that, Enjoy your Thanksgiving.  I plan on having some great food and great company.  This year in particular I am thankful for my family, my friends, my new found blogging friends, and for the my health and the health of my family and friend and all of you guys! 

Gobbler Grind?

Oh yes I would love to tell you I went out and ran the 5k, but that would be a flat out lie. 

Word of advice to runners over the age of 30.  Don't go out for a few (and by a few I mean a few pitchers) margaritas the day before race day.  Seems like common sense now.  Oh well.  I might try to run a race on Thanksgiving morning.  I am also fighting with a sinus infection that I did not want to make worse, but really it was the booze.

Tomorrow I am going to dive into the thought that we reach a significant milestone and then subconsciously start self destructive behaviors.  Not sure where that once is gonna take us but it should be interesting, and probably long.  Better bring your reading glasses tomorrow. 

Till then.  

Willie Nelson and I are old pals!

I was back "On the road again" last night.  I made ol' Willie proud!  I ran a 5k training run last night.  I came out really strong and finished a bit weak.  Honestly exactly what I expected.  I am not disappointed at all, in fact my time was not horrible for me.  I cruised in with a 36:26 so I am happy with that.

Now I am going to kissing the dreadmill goodbye forever.  If it means not winter running then so be it.  I will get on the elliptical.  I HATE the dreadmill.  I am now pretty excited about the race this Sunday.  I don't really have any time goals so my goal will be to have a great time.

Up 2.8 and a Duathlon?

So up 2.8 lbs. and not all that surprised.  I will qualify the weigh in a bit as I made the switch from gym shorts to jeans for the winter.  I was also in a long sleeve T rather than short.  Not that it made up the entire 2.8 but it might have made up a bit. 

Tonight I plan on getting in my run.  Well plan is not the word as much as I must.  if I have to go to a lighted park to do it I will.  I have to run a bit in the elements and get my endurance up a bit.

The question I eluded to is this.

Would you tackle a Duathlon (run / bike) in April if you ran your first 5k in October?

They have 2 courses a one where you run 3 miles and bike 7 and another where you run 5 miles and bike 15.

The first question as I stated above -
Would you do it?
and then
Which one would you do?

This is the link for all of you jumping in to join me. 

Shakespeare's Pizza MaxTrax Duathlon April 11 2009

And just so you know Shakespeare's has some of the best Pizza on the Planet.

Tried the dreadmill again.

I HATE IT I  HATE IT I  HATE IT!  Yes that is the little kid in me screaming and yelling that I just hate something.  Well I know better now and will not do that again.  It was just silly to try it.  The first time I did it I did not like it.  The second, same result.  Then I went outside and actually enjoyed running.  NO MORE TREADMILL FOR ME.

That said I logged a measly mile and struggled through every bit of it.  Then I hopped on the elliptical for 45 minutes and did a full circuit on the weights.  I was in the gym for almost 2 hours.  The girlfriend must have thought I had been abducted by workout aliens.

I will go to weight watchers tonight.  I will weigh in wear jeans and probably gain a couple of pounds.  I confident I am still under 300, but I just need to put it all together again.  Oh well.  If I stay at 300 for the rest of the year I will look back at 2008 as the year I lost 100 lbs.  but honestly I am hoping for a bit more.  We shall see.

Gobbler Grind on Saturday

Holy crap!  I looked at the calendar and I am running a 5k this Saturday.  I have run all of 6 miles since my last 5k.  This should be interesting.  I am not sure what to wear, I am praying for some decent weather and hoping for a good run.  Nothing like going into your second race cold huh.

This week I will refocus on running.  I am still going to try to break my personal record set my last time out.  I will run a minimum of 2 miles tonight and try to get in the entire 3.11.  I will continue to life and work out full bore until Friday when I will do 2 miles and then 1 mile on Saturday.

Holy Crap!  Sunday is race day.   But I should get a tech shirt out of this one!

Do you know what day it is?

Well I would not have know either if it were not for George. You see early in my weight watchers journey I was searching for other blogs to read and I came across the B.A.D blog. Authored by one of the most amazing people who love to meet someday.

I found George because he at one time did weight watchers, but his blog is about everything in his life. His faith, his struggle with weight, his family, and diabetes. George and his family are amazing. Read up and you will see.

You should check out his blog and give him a shout out to say hello. Click below to get B.A.D.

I encourage you to learn more about the disease and do what you can. If all you can do is pray for a cure then please do. For now I am praying.

Why to work out in the morning

So I worked out this morning.  I did not get that run in last night.  I have a tone of excuses but basically it all boils down to running out of time.  I had all kinds of things come up.  I had to work late, I had to pick up the little one and get some dinner going and, and, and, and.

So I rolled out this morning at O' Dark thirty and hit they gym.  45 minutes on the elliptical and some weights.  I feel good and I had nothing going on at 4:30am.

It is funny how nothing comes up at 4:30 in the morning.  You don't have to work late, or pick up kids, or worry about traffic.  It is just you and the sunrise.  pretty peaceful really.  I walked out this morning and paused for a moment before heading to the gym.  I listened.  I could only hear a couple of cars.  It was nearly silent.

One of my favorite times to be outside is in the evening during a snow shower.  It is just silent.  I just love that.  Sorry I kinda got of on a tangent there.  But in our world of constant stimulus I crave silence more as I get older. 

Change in plans

For today anyway.  I did not sleep all that well last night and in the back of my head I knew that today's weather was going to be good enough for running outside.  Sooo  I am going to get my run on tonight and bust out a 5k training run.

I am planning on this being a pretty relaxed pace, which for me is just above a brisk walk, but I am thinking a 12:30 per mile pace would be good.  We will see how I feel this afternoon.  It is funny with running.  You can plan an easy run and find that you are ready to really get after it and end up running at a much faster pace.  Or on the other side, and it seems like this happens more often than the former, you could plan on a faster run and end up with dead legs and struggle through your entire run. 

But struggle we will right?  Of course.  I was telling someone yesterday how interesting it is now that I am in some semblance of physical fitness that you might hit a point in your cardio work out where you want to stop but after a few minutes you get through it and you are on cruise control.  That is a good feeling to know that even though your mind is telling you that your done, and your muscles are beginning to tell you they are tired that you can keep going.

Point of all that.  We all just need to keep going.  Of course when I say "we" I really meant "I".  I need to keep going with the exercise.  It is to important to the process to just forget about it.

Yea Baby!

I made it to the gym.  I didn't even get lost on the way there.  The alarm went off at 4:30 and there was some bargaining going on.  Sleepy Matt on my left shoulder said, "Hey, you don have to be to work until 8, go back to sleep.  Then a more motivated Matt reminded me what I wrote in this very blog last night.  I will make it to the gym I said.  I made it to the gym and got in a great workout.

I walked in finding the elliptical machines still sitting where I had left them.  I hopped on and decided that I should be ambitious and try to knock out 45 minutes at a low "level".  I managed to do the whole thing and according to the calorie counter I burned over 1000 calories.  I may or may not be accurate, but I can tell you my heart rate was between 140 and 160 most of the way.  Only one or two spikes in the middle and it was lower at the beginning and end.

Then I managed to hit the weights.  While I did not do a full circuit on the upper body I did manage to get in 3 sets each of presses, curls, triceps extensions, and chest fly's.  The thing that really bugs me is the amount of strength I lost.  That alone is motivation to hit the gym.

So tomorrow.  The alarm will blare its hideous tune and I will rise and go to the gym.

Changing the subject for a hot second

What the heck is up with The Biggest Loser these day.   Entertaining yes, but there are some very nasty people on the show this season.  I for one watch the show to be entertained, but even more so to be inspired.  To hear the hateful words coming out of the mouths of some contestants is just ridiculous.

I will work out in the morning

I will work out tomorrow morning. I will get my ass out of bed and go to the gym. I will, I will, I will.

I ate it because it was there.

And the roller coaster headed down a to a new low last night.  You want to see what waited for me there?

We decided after working in the ward for 5ish hours that cooking was out.  So order a pizza.  So far we are good.

Mistake One:  Order a medium (papa johns only does thin crust in large pizzas.

Mistake two:  Order that badboy you see right above rather than my normal Garden fresh

Mistake three:  Oh God how I do not want to admit this but I am so maybe next time I will realize that I was full a long time before I stopped.
Back to Mistake three:  I ate the whole thing.

BY MYSELF.

What that hell was I thinking.  I know I know it is only one meal and one day, pick myself up and move on.

The question is more about motivation.  Why did I eat the whole thing?  Eating an entire pizza in one sitting qualifies as a binge.  I was hungry when I started and ended up miserable when I was done.  I wish I could answer the question.  Right now the best I got was I ate it because it was there.

TV Workout and a quick thank you

Ohhh the the benefits of a morning workout.  How quickly we forget.

So this morning I was just laying in bed after time had passed where I could get out for a run or go to the gym with enough time and I though.  Morgan said something about Fitness on Demand on Time Warner.  I searched it out this morning and guess what...  IT WAS THERE.

I queued up this men's fitness cardio workout that focuses on the core.  Let me tell you this 22 minute work out was great.  Well at least for sweating and huffing and puffing.  I am guessing I might be a bit sore from it but I am feeling good and full of energy this morning.  I am not sure the TV workout is for me but I can tell you that it is better for me than laying in bed.

On the food front... Well I suck.  I have come a long way and that is great and all but I need to focus.  The holidays are coming up.  Comfort food is coming out in droves with the cold weather.  At least I am holding steady.  I am still below 300 so I am happy for the that.

Finally.  Thank you for the comments yesterday.  I think you guys are right and maybe we need to dream a little more and share that with our little ones.  All this thought of losing sight of our dreams has made me think about my own dreams and happiness.  It has also made me think about my child and all the children out there.  So I pass this along to you parents and future parents.

Let your children dream and dream BIG.  Encourage it.  As simple as it sounds, do it.  We get caught up in our daily lives of work and the news we are fed with every day.  Shelter you kids more from the negativity of the world.  It makes me think of  the song "Accentuate the Positive", check out the lyrics.  This was what we need to do more of in our lives.

Accentuate the Positive-

Gather 'round me, everybody
Gather 'round me while I'm preachin'
Feel a sermon comin' on me
The topic will be sin and that's what I'm ag'in'
If you wanna hear my story
The settle back and just sit tight
While I start reviewin'
The attitude of doin' right

You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between

You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium's
Liable to walk upon the scene

To illustrate my last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do just when everything looked so dark?

(Man, they said "We'd better accentuate the positive")
("Eliminate the negative")
("And latch on to the affirmative")
Don't mess with Mister In-Between (No!)
Don't mess with Mister In-Between

(Ya got to spread joy up to the maximum)
(Bring gloom down to the minimum)
(Have faith or pandemonium's)
(Liable to walk upon the scene)

You got to ac (yes, yes) -cent-tchu-ate the positive
Eliminate (yes, yes) the negative
And latch (yes, yes) on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No, don't mess with Mister In-Between

I will focus more on the weight loss and exercise now.  Lets face it.  I proved it to myself for the millionth time.  Start your day off with some exercise and you just feel better.  Plain and simple.

How do you explain dreaming big to a 9 year old.

Wow. Last night was a tough one. I am sure many of you have children and may have been through this but I really struggled with how to explain "dreaming big" to my 9 3/4 year old. He would be upset if I referred to him as 9.

Last night at dinner we were talking about Charlie's post about what we want to be when we grow up. We talked about dreaming of growing up to be something and I asked my son what he wanted to be when he grew up. Now I knew I would not get an answer because he never seems to know. I am fine with that. What I got this time however was altogether different. My son said, "I don't want to dream about what I want to be because I do not want to be disappointed.

I was floored. I was sad. I wondered if this is only my child or were there many children who feel this way. I tried to explain dreaming big is a good thing and remembering those dreams is important. Honestly I was devastated. I felt as if my 9 year old son was actually 39 and uttering those words after a long day at work.

Is innocence lost the appropriate term. I am not sure. I am not sure you can get back to where he should be. The whole world is available to him and he should feel exactly that way. I hope that I have not gone wrong in some way.

Sorry for the lack of weight loss talk lately, but I would really love to get your guys take on this. Any psychologist out there?

Art.

Well I am going to take a break from weight loss blogging today and talk about art. Charlie over at Back to the Fridge asked what we wanted to be when we grow up. I came up with a few things really and at nearly 35 years old I figure that it might be time to grow up a bit. That said I am also in no big hurry.

So one of the things I mentioned was Photography. In particular fine art photography. You see way back in high school my tow best friends were photogs for school publications. At the time it seemed logical to take the photography class to hang out with them. Well it turned out that I was struck by the photography bug. My friend both went on to other careers but are excellent photographers. Jay is one of the best sports photogs I have seen, even to this day he can take amazing shots. Like this.


Then there is my buddy Jason who is actually back in school and getting is Masters of Fine Art in Digital Photography. Who can come up with stuff like this.

So I guess I should also share some of my stuff to:

Here are a few of my favorites.

Tulips at Bellagio

 
Stargazer in Black (Photo I did for my girlfriend last Christmas)UPDATE:  Here is the original

  
I took this picture of a puddle in my driveway and then edited the color and saturation.



This is a photo from a camping trip. I took this photo from under the leaves on a slightly overcast day. you would think this is a black and white photo, but it is shot in color.



And my favorite is what I call "Inverted day at Shedd" I took all these images and then inverted the colors on them. I matted them on a piece of Plexiglas I painted black and then hand sanded swirls into. This is the finished product.

Election Day and skipping weigh in.

Well I think I pretty much held steady this week, I am not going to weight in tonight and will just forgo it for the week.   I have to get out and exercise rights that others before me fought for.  Voting is important to me.  More important that hitting my meeting.

I am also planning on some good exercise by raking leaves for a couple of hours.

Sorry guys I just don't have a ton to say lately.

Ohh, I would say that if you have never had a honeycrisp apple.  You should try one.

Happy Election day everyone.  Go out and exercise your rights.

Holy Guacamole!

Happy Halloween everyone.  I hope all of you enjoy a safe and fun Holiday.  Here at work people are dressed up.  I am sporting my brand spankin' new Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run For The Cure T-Shirt.  The thought of being Three Hole punch Jim passed my mind but, I needed to wear this bad boy.  Thanks to my awesome girlfriend for picking it up for me.

The other thing going on today is goodie day.  Lets just say it is 10:30 am and I am already 10 pts down for the day.  It is not looking good.  I will do my best to hold my own, maybe try to get a quick run in this afternoon and be as good as I can tonight.  However I was tasked with making the guac for a Mexican Halloween Celebration.  Not to brag but my guac kicks but and has addictive qualities.  Now I know that Avocados have the "good" fat, but lets face it.  Calories are Calories.  Oh and did I mentions the chips and tacos and cheese and not to mention all the sweets about the office.  Ugh... 

Tearing myself away from the bowl of guac now and trying to strategically plan my path through the office to avoid all the goodies.  Happy Halloween y'all. 

Gobbler Grind 5k

On November 23rd I will embark on my second 5k.  I should get a tech shirt for this one which is a big bonus.  The only goal I have for this one is to not freeze my butt off and to attempt to beat my previous time. 

Care to join me?

Reduced fat?

So I was at the the grocery store picking up some necessities and was going to pick up some Oreo's.  I picked up the reduced fat as an good weight watcher should.  Then I noticed that the full fat variety was on sale.  Well this Weight Watcher also happens to be broke so I took a look at the labels.  Are you kidding me!  Only 10 calories difference?  Granted the 2.5 grams of fat is pretty substantial but to me I felt like those 10 calories should have been more like 70.  True the calories are reduced, but I feel like if your going to offer a product that you are claiming to be healthier than your original version, it should be considerably healthier.

Just my 2 cents.

Huh. Isn't that strange

I am thanking the weight loss gods today.  Somehow I managed a Biggest Loser like 8 pound lose this last week.  Even after all the beer and pizza and just poor choices from the weekend I lost and lost big.  It may still catch up with me and I am prepared for that.  However I am back to tracking and should be able to get back to the gym again soon.  I did however manage a run last night.

I RAN to the Weight Watchers meeting.  How nuts is that.  It was a 3.25 mile run that kicked my but.  I was slow and was reminded very quickly why I like to keep to the side roads.  I had to stop 4 different times for traffic.  I just hate that.  There were other things that were more of a factor.  For instance, not running since the race.  The other was the hills.  Oh my goodness.  I had no idea it would be that brutal.  I made it though even with a little kick at the end.

So you might be wondering what I did the rest of the week to lose 8 pounds.  I wish I could tell you exactly.  I cut out most of the diet coke and all of the frozen box lunches and I tracked everything during the week.  More than anything I think my body was ready to be done with the weight.  I looked at a line graph of my weight loss and found that on 2 previous occasions after a stall I have losses come up in successive weeks.  And the first was generally pretty significant.

So I cannot explain it.  I just go with the flow and try to keep the train rolling. 

Why do I do that to myself?

I am beginning to think that I have a problem and this is not a good one to have.  After having a very positive week on plan I "celebrated" over the weekend.  I had a card game Friday night and then the Mizzou game on Saturday.  The problem is not so much with food although I did not make great decisions I did not really over indulge or binge on any food.  I lost control of what I was drinking and 2 days later I am paying for it.

Let me detail this weekend.  Friday was poker night at Matt's house.  Good friends telling stories and losing money.  It was a great time.  I had a beer in my hand ALL NIGHT.  I was drunk.  Not felling down but definitely well past tipsy. 

Then Saturday I went to my sons basketball game and then we were off to Columbia for tailgating and the Mizzou game.  It was Homecoming weekend and we always stay Saturday night for Homecoming weekend.  We tailgated before the game and I always have a drink in my hand, at halftime, more beer, after the game, um you guessed it, MORE BEER.  Back at the Hotel, MORE BEER, of and a few margaritas.

Noticing a pattern here.  I am not sure it was binge drinking, but I defiantly did not know when to say when.  My entire body still hurts.  My mind is a bit foggy still and my stomach is still churning away.  I believe it is going to be necessary for me to forgo alcohol in situations like the.  Situations where I can drink in such excess that I am just hurting my body.  I seem fine having a couple drinks with dinner, but when I am in a social setting where everyone else is drinking I guess I feel the need to partake in excess.

Obviously this has only a bit to do with weight loss.  Alcohol does not help your weight loss efforts.  I feel though that this is more about control.  There are times when I feel out of control when I am eating as well.  There are times when I think we all need to loosen up a bit.  This was not one of those times.

Not quite sure why I am post this other than to be fair with my readers.  I feel like sometimes I omit my struggles from my blog and I think you guys need to know the everyone I have ever spoken to about weight loss talks about struggles.  So I am posting this one.  I also think that by putting this out there and admitting this problem to you guys then maybe I will think better of it next time I am in that situation.

A much much better week and a look at the last month or so

Well I will quickly tell you that this last week has been so much better.  I have been staying within my points, I have given up diet coke (again), and have been eating pretty clean.  I did have Papa Johns Garden Fresh pizza for dinner last night because it was easy and I had the parent teacher meeting and all.  But other than that I have been pretty much on track.  I think I will have a decent loss coming up on Tuesday as long as I do not blow it this weekend.  I will be making every effort to not over indulge on the beer and tailgate goodness.  We will see how that goes.

Looking back over the last month or so I can tell you a couple of things that happened to me that caused me to stall out.  Or at least things that I think contributed to me stalling out.  The first is frozen box syndrome.  Be it Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice or Weight Watchers, they all have these froze meals.  They are pretty small in size for a guy of 300 lbs on a 6'2" frame.  I have been eating those primarily for lunch over the past couple of months.  I think that lead to more binges and definitely lead to an increase in sodium intake.  Combine that with the fact that I had began to drink more and more diet coke and it was a recipe for disaster.

Factor two is more psychological.  I was training for the 5k.  I was really putting a lot of energy into that training and put my dietary concerns on the back burner.  I stopped tracking my food intake and was not all that concerned.  I needed fuel to run right?  Well maybe if I were an elite athlete maybe, but for a guy who was just heading out to try to finish.  I needed to focus on both.  I to restate.  I lost sight of the real goal which is to loss weight and get healthy.  The 5k was awesome and I will continue to run and run in races, but I will remember that I need to keep my priorities straight.

In the coming months I will be running at least one if not 2 races before the end of the year.  Both will be 5k's.  I will get back to the gym and start my weight training again.  I will also get reacquainted with the elliptical.  Most importantly I will be tracking my food again. 

On a side note-
I write this blog primarily for myself and try to make it as readable as possible for those of you who happen across it.  So given that I do have a pretty loyal readership I will throw it out to you guys.  Is there something you want me to discuss, a question I can answer?  My readers are always great and I appreciate all of you, even you lurkers out there. :-)

If I don't see you prior to Monday, have a great weekend!

Eggs are good!

Its funny how we can get off track and forget what worked so long ago.  This morning I made eggs.  2 eggs fried (in pam) served atop a plain piece of toast.  A total of 5 points for you weight watchers out there, but for those of you non weight watchers.  Those 2 eggs only have 160 calories and are loaded with 13 grams of protein.  Bingo!  What a difference getting in more calories and protein to begin my day made.  I should take my own advice more often.  Now if I could just get back to the gym.  Does anyone have a map?

Race Pics!

Below is pre-race at my house.  To the left is my brother Zack, down front is our Dad (Ken) holding Chuck Norris, To the right is my buddy Jay and of course in the back is the bearded wonder.  That would be me.

The rest of the pics are near the finish.  I had never saw my peeps taking pics.  I was focused on finishing strong


 

New weigh in day up 3.2 lbs

Well I am not going to lie that just kinda sucks.  That said I am not to worries about it.  I am back to tracking and I am trying to cut out the diet coke again.  I feel like I will probably rolling down the track again by next week and have the 300 number fading away in my rear view mirror.

I have changed back to Tuesday meetings.  I guess I feel more at home on Tuesdays.  The Thursday meeting is big and the leader is full or energy, but to me it is just not the right fit.  Last night I was able to identify why I like Tuesdays better.

At last nights meeting I was able to share my experience with people and get some conversation going.  With all the people and the dynamic of Thursday meetings that was more difficult.  So my move to Tuesday may be selfish, but I think it will make a difference.

In other news.

I am looking for another race before the end of the year.  I might be a bit hooked on the racing thing.  I am looking at couple of different runs nearby I just need to look at dates and see what might work out.  I plan on doing 5k races through the end of the year and another one in the spring and then move up to a couple of 10k races and get ready for the half marathon for this time next year. 

Who would have ever thought?  Matt Keeling is a runner.

What a great race! Race Report 5k - 33:54

So for those of you just joining me I am going to recap a bit. About 3 months ago I had this idea that I could run a 5k. I trained for a a couple of months and signed up the the 5k race of the Kansas City Marathon. I will tell you that I was nervous the week leading up to the race but I ended up running and doing pretty well. So on with the race report

The night before the race I did not sleep all that well, but I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to roll. My dad, brother and best friend Jay were at the house by 6 am and we were out the door by 6:15 and to the race by 6:30 or so. Upon arrival we were met by about 7500 people all preparing to run either the full or half marathons and the 5K. I must say that it is a completely impressive to watch about 6000 people running down the street as they took off down the street. 6000 half and full marathoners took off before the 5k runners. About 15 minutes later the 5K race began.

Once the race began I concentrated on not starting to fast and probably could have gone just a couple of seconds faster for the first mile. The second mile is mostly uphill and I felt like I ran that pretty well. Then what goes up must come down and mile 3 was pretty much all downhill so I was able to cook through that pretty quickly. I was somewhere near the middle of all of the 5k people and near the lower 3rd of all the men running it. Over all I am very proud as I was able to set a personal record and ran the race in 33:54. I think maybe I left 5 or 10 seconds out there but over 33 minutes I feel ok about that.

I crossed the finish line with my best friend Jay. My brother was about 3 minutes behind us and my dad was about 3 minutes behind him. I first want to thank Jay for running with me and holding back a bit so he and I could finish together. I will work hard so when we run our next race he will not have to hold up. I then would like to thank my dad and brother. I am so proud of both of you. My brother went out and ran the race basically with no training. My dad at age 65 ran the race in 39:11. He did his best to train a little and signed up at the last minute along with my bother. I am so proud of my brother, dad and Jay I am not sure I can express it.

At the finish line I was met by my girlfriend, her mother, my mother and Jays wife (who is also one of my very best friends). I was so happy to cross the finish line. Now I feel like it is time to start over again. As mentioned before I intend on getting back to my original plan and write stuff down and my plan also involves getting back to the gym. I am going get back to the elliptical and weights. I am going to cut back on the running for right now. I intend on increasing distance but only running once or twice a week while hitting the gym 3 or 4 times a week. This time next year the goal is to run the half marathon. And maybe even a full marathon in 2010. We will see as alot can happen between now and then, but for now that is the plan.

Overall I loved running the race and will run another soon. I now consider myself a runner. Thank you to all of you out there who have supported me both virtually and in person. I think you all know who you are. Not to get all sappy but I love you all and you all have a special place in my heart.

Just really quick

I was successful in my race. I ran the whole thing and likely set a new personal record. I am waiting for the results to post and they should be up by 3pm. I will give you the full rundown on the race later on today once I have the results. Thanks to everyone for all your support!

It's Go Time!

In more ways than one.   I have less than 24 hours until I will be running in my first organized 5k race.  If I look back at where I was when I decided to do this here.  I mentioned that I would have to train my butt off on Aug 20th just to run the whole thing.  Then on Sept 27 I was bragging about running a sub 35 minute 5k.  I might just break a personal record tomorrow.  I might not.  I will definitely accomplish my goal though.  I will run the whole darn thing.  So with 20 some odd hours to go it is GO TIME!

In what other way is it GO TIME?  I am glad you asked.  As you can see by the weight loss tracker to your right I have been stuck right around 300 for a while now.  I have been very lax in my efforts to write all of my food intake down and my exercise has consisted exclusively of running.  Beginning Monday I am going to begin anew.  I am going to rededicate myself to tracking and getting to the gym.  I will not give up running, but it is going to be a weekend endeavor.  I am going to get back on the elliptical and hit the weights.  The most important thing is going to be to track.  Not exceed my daily points and get this train rolling.   I feel very lucky that I am still on the tracks, I just need to move.

If any of you out there are struggling I invite you to join me in rededicating your efforts.  I think we all know what needs to be done, we just have to get our heads right.

ITS GO TIME!  

Nervous?

What if I am not at the right place at the right time?   What if I start of to fast and end up having to walk?  What if I sleep through the whole darn race?  And then there is the what if I look like a fool? 

But on the flipside, What if I do really well and break my own personal record?  I am just nor sure how I am supposed to feel leading up to my first official 5k.  I am excited and nervous and all of those things combined.  I feel like I am ready.  I have tremendous support from everyone around me.  So I guess that leaves it to me to get through the nerves and do it.

Tag! Well ok I will play.

Alright I got tagged by SuperDave to tell 6 random facts or interesting things about myself. I am going to play along, but I am not sure how interesting this will be. However random I can do. In turn I think I will tag, Will, Craig, and Tony

1. I am a big fan of fly fishing. My buddy Jason and I stopped in Missoula MT for an impromptu fly fishing excursion and it is absolutely one of my favorite memories. Fly fishing is peaceful and exhilarating all the same time. The small trout that you catch on a fly rod on 2lb test line is pretty rewarding.

2. I am an IT guy by trade, but never really want to do anything with computers when I go home. I just prefer not to think about it. I would much prefer to do something with my hands. One day when I am rewarded with retirement I hope to take up woodworking and build furniture or something.

3. I can play poker for hours on end (if I am winning and have the cash to stay in the game). Hopefully I can get a game together soon. I miss playing cards. Once upon a time I was pretty good.

4. This is probably true of everyone who has written a blog, but I never thought it would really get read. In the great big world that is the Internet we found each other and the blogging community is a very cool and supportive bunch.

5. I lived in Gurnee IL during 2005-2006. I took a job as IT Manager at Community Trust Credit Union. I ended leaving that job to return to KC to be closer to my son. I am happy with my decision to return to KC but I regret leaving that job all the time. The was by far the best job I have had. It was a great opportunity with great people. Thank you to Madeline for the shot, I am just sorry I was not there longer.

6. Back when I was a kid I would run wind sprints with the likes of formal Kansas City Royals, Frank White, Amos Otis, George Brett, Hal McRae, and others. Back when I was a kid the guys would come outside the stadium to the natural grass to run before the games because at the time they had Astroturf on the field. I would guess they did not want to get injured, but I would also guess that it was much cooler on the grass. My dad always wanted to make sure we got there when the gates opened so we could see batting practice and maybe snag a ball or an autograph. That gave me the chance to run with my heroes of the day. Little did I know my hero was the one taking me to the game in the first place. Thanks Dad.

Wow.

What a weekend.  First lets just get it out there.  My Tigers lost.  They got beat and they looked bad the whole game.  Another night game on tap for the now #11 ranked Tigers and this one will match us against the #1 Texas Longhorns.  Umm that could mean 2 weeks of PFLDS (Post Football Loss Depression Syndrome).

Lets talk for a moment about PFLDS.  I am not sure what to do about this.  I am so invested in this team, both financially and emotionally.  I woke up yesterday and was just numb to it.  I was in a bad mood for a lot of the day yesterday and today I don't want to be around people much at all.  PFLDS is an epidemic which has no cure other than for your football team to sack up and get a victory.  Thank goodness I separated myself from the chiefs a few years ago or else I would in a world of hurt.

But all is not lost.  Friday evening I went out for a 2 mile run, that ended up being a walk run because of an asthma attack and I did not have my inhaler.  But then I turned around the next morning and ran the course for the upcoming 5k this weekend.  The course good and I am sure I will run it a bit faster with a crowd.  The second mile is almost all uphill but it is not too steep so it was not bad, but going back down the same hill a couple of blocks over was awesome.  I finished in 35:15 and did not put in a kick in the end.  I figure I will get it under 35 without much of a problem. 

Then this was the best exercise of all.  I went here. I went to the corn maze with my son and my dad and we had a great time.  We made our way through the longest maze and then through the one of the others.  I would guess a total off about 4 miles of walking and running a back tracking and just plain fun.  If not for going to the Corn maze with my dad and son...  PFLDS would have taken over my weekend. 

Sometimes it just makes no sense.

So I was heading in the the WW meeting last night expecting a small gain, hoping for a small loss and what did I get...

2.4 pound loss

Holy crap!  Immediately I was thinking back over my week and wondering what I had done.  I literally had not run a step and had not worked out at all the entire week.  I ate decent, but nothing like I ate those first several months on plan.  So what happened?

Honestly I think that there is very little explanation.  I did what I could to make good choices but that was about it.  I think my body was just ready to give up those couple of extra pounds.  We get so tied to the scale and what it says and no matter what anyone says we still go back to it and look at it as our judge and jury.  I would love to tell you that I am no longer going to be that way, but I will tell you that I think I have come to the conclusion that continuing to move forward is the right thing.  Do your best and move on.  Don't concern yourself with a small gain, just move on.  Track trends and learn from them but do not obsess over them.

I hope you all have a great weekend.  I know I will!  We have a great slate of college football this weekend!  I will be at the Mizzou vs OK St game tailgating and screaming till I have no voice and I cannot wait.  My buddy Will over at 4XLT is on the side of the Cowboys of OK St but I cannot hold that against him.  He is doing great in his weight loss efforts too.  Check out his blog, you will be happy you did.

Almost Famous

Nah, not me, but I did get mentioned in as a Top 100 weight loss blog here.  Funny thing is that a number of the blogs I read are on there.  I am not sure what authority this blog has, but I will certainly take kudos when they come my way.

On to weight loss or lack there of.  Oh motivation where have you gone.  I feel like a big bowl of blubber lately.  I am running a couple of days a week and my diet has been suspect.  My plan is to complete my training for the 5k, run it as beast I can and then get back in the gym.  I think my knee will appreciate the rest as they have been buggin me lately. 

I am also think I will be pretty content to maintain my losses for a while.  I will be trying to lose, don't get me wrong, but I feel like I need a bit of a break.  I need to let my body and mind adjust before making another big push.  Or at least that's my story.  I will still blog and update you on what is going on.  I will still head to WW meetings.  I will focus on my exercise and trying to stay healthy.

Of course my plans may change tomorrow, Stay tuned.

What a weekend!

Not really on a diet front, but did you happen to see the Missouri Tigers take the Cornhuskers out to the woodshed. Most lopsided loss at Lincoln since 1955. Folks I am just gonna tell you now. If the defense happens to be even halfway for real this Missouri team will be playing in January.

So what the heck does football have to do with weight loss? Well basically that food log I promised got thrown out the window on Saturday and Sunday. I did not make great choices, particularly with the booze.

Saturday was great until dinner. I ended up with pretzels for breakfast, boiled shrimp for lunch but then came dinner. I had what I call Cajun Rangoon with Ala mer dipping sauce (look for more info on that below), Etouffee with rice and some cajun butter and bread. Now I did fine with the etouffee. I had maybe a cup and a half, so that was fine. And the rangoon was pretty light and I did my best to limit the sauce. But the beer. Lets just say I probably blew over 20 pts in beer. I was drinking Bass and then a couple of local brews that are stronger than your average beer. 9.0% and 10.5 abv respectively.

Sunday morning was breakfast out with our best friends Jay and Kelly! I had and omelet and some hash browns and a biscuit. That was more brunch so we ended up with chicken and shrimp with a twice baked potato for dinner. BUT.... in the middle of that was half a pint of Ben and Jerrys. Yikes! This sweet tooth thing is just brutal. Maybe it is an ice cream tooth. I also had some evening chips and salsa, but it was baked scoops so I feel a bit better about that.

So that was the weekend. Looking back I do not feel quite as bad about it, but it was definitely not that great weekend I thought it would be on the diet and exercise front. Oh yeah.. I have not run since Wednesday.

So back to it this week.

Now on to the Cajun Rangoon Recipe -
I would love to take credit, but Roni over at Ronis Weigh and her cooking site Green Lite Bites Gave me this idea. Here is the link to the recipe that got me started. Wonton Pizza Bites.

Basically I followed the same idea I just stuffed the wrappers with dirty rice and Cajun shrimp or dirty rice and Cajun turkey. Use some water to get em sealed up and put them in a mini muffin pan. Note: I think you could probably get away with a cookie sheet if you sealed them up well. Bake them at 375 for 15 minutes or so and bing bang popcorn! Appetizer! Oh but the Ala mer sauce....

Basically I put a TBS of butter in a pan and sautéed green onion, garlic, and fresh parsley until just br0wn, added about a 1/4 cup water and cooked it down to get all the goodness from the pan. Then add 1 pint heavy cream and Cajun seasoning to taste (for me that would be alot) and begin to stir, add parmesan cheese to thicken. I always end up using some cornstarch to get it thicker and in this case a I got it to a glue like consistency. And there you have it.

I have now typed another novel.... sorry guys. See you tomorrow.

Friday food

Not the greatest, but points are good.

Morning
2 item egg	4
1 large banana(s)	2
Subtotal	6
Midday
1 large banana(s)	2
1 6-inch Subway Club® Sandwich (with less than 6g of fat)	6
Subtotal	8
Evening
1/2 serving pringles (28)	4
4 oz cooked chicken fillet	3.5
1 cup cooked carrots	1
1 small apple(s)	1
2 Tbsp feta cheese	1.5
olive oil - Quick-added food	2
1 1/2 large potato(es), baked	4.5
3 items Reduced-Fat Chips Ahoy	3
Subtotal	20.5
Anytime
No entries for this meal time.
Subtotal	0
Food POINTS values total used	34.5

The Chocolate shake incident of October 2nd 08

A good day, and a weigh in that was even.  I gained nuttin and I lost nuttin.  A delicious taco dinner and I was well within my points.  I had points to spare.  I was golden!

Then it happened.  We went to Target to get some jeans for the kido and what is right across the street????  McDonalds.  I was in the drive through and had ordered a chocolate shake before I knew what had happened.  To make matters worse I ordered a large, 32 oz chocolate shake.  The one of 1160 calories and 27 grams of fat and a scant 2 grams of fiber.  Oh is was so good.  And I felt like crap after both mentally and physically.

So now that it is over I am back to the plan.  I am making a commitment to write everything down from today for 1 week, then I will try to start over.  I pay for the damn website I might as well use it right.  I will also list my daily food journal on the blog for increased accountability.

On that note.  I will see you all later tonight!  Have a great day. 

GO TIGERS! 

On the importance of exercise - A month in review

So over the course of September I lost a grand total of 3.4 pounds.  That is about what weight watchers wants you to lose.  So why did I lose them.  I certainly was not because of my stellar eating habits.  While they were not bad, they were not great either.  I do not anticipate them improving until after the first of the year.  As I have mentioned football season is upon us and there is serious tailgating to be done.  So how did I lose the weight this month???

I will tell you.  I ran 40.3 miles in September.  I burned an estimated 9652 calories.  So what does that tell me.  It tells me that I burned enough calories running to create a calorie deficit to allow me to lose some weight.  Somewhat plain and simple.  If I lost 3 pounds I would have had to create a deficit of 10500 calories.  I did the mostly with exercise.  More to the point if I had not got in the exercise my loss would have been pathetic.  Now I should probably factor in tomorrows weigh in and if I gain I will.  But I think is is important to remember from time to time we overcomplicate this whole battle. 

The battle breaks down this way.  You have a Basal Metabolic Rate.  This the number of calories you burn at rest over the course of a day.  Mine is 2631, you can find yours here.  So basically that is my jumping off point.  If I want to sit on my butt all day I can only take in those 2631 cals and maintain my weight.  So if I want to lose I have to create a calorie deficit.  So I do it by running.  You could do it by walking or biking or dancing or whatever makes you happy.  The point is that you have to create that calorie deficit.  Doing on diet alone is very difficult.  So get moving y'all.

I did want to comment quickly on running.  I would have never thought I would feel ready for a 5k race.  at this point I feel like I probably could have trained for a 10k but let not put the cart before the horse.  I am completely ready to roll on this 5k.  I ran 40 miles in September.  I will easily eclipse that in October and hope to maintain through the winter.  I still look at that number of 40 miles and shake my head.  I thought I was destined to be the guy who could never run a mile at one time.  Now I am trying to get faster while running 3 miles at a time and from time to time more.

Wow, that was difficult

I put in 4.33 miles last night.  Initially I thought it was 4.1, but I went back and mapped it out and 4.33 was the number.  I feel a bit better about my time now.  56.16 over that distance is not great but considering I had to walk a bit I am ok with that.

So why was it so tough?  Well a couple of things happened.  First was that I ended up running on grass.  Not the nice park grass, but the junky grass beside the road.  This was a first for me and it kicked my butt.  Second was a bit of a asthma attack during the run.  I think that will be the last time I go out without the inhaler.  And last would be the hills.  The first 2 miles were just brutal for me.  There was once hill that I had to walk.  I had made it up a hill that was almost a half mile long overall and then there was this killer hill that was all of 150 yards, but it was just really steep.  The kind of hill that you fear in snowy conditions in a car.

Once I got through that hill I finished pretty strong and ran the rest of the way.  I guess I still have some work to do on hills.

Do you guys have issues running on grass like that?  I know Dave is a trail runner.  Maybe he can shed some light on that.  I am also fighting a possible ligament strain in my foot.  I will have to monitor that one.  I would also love to hear if anyone else has fought the foot strain and what they did.  Right now I am thinking I might get some new inserts for the shoes as new shoes are not in the budget.

Have a great day everyone.  Go Tigers!

Kick Arse!

Well I woke up this morning and decided to get out for a run. I did my normal 3.11 mile (5k) loop and had a great run. Lets stop for just a hot second. I just said a normal 3.11. Just a little over 8 months ago I tipped the scales at 400 pounds. Now I am saying that I RAN MY NORMAL 3.11 MILE LOOP. The all by itself is a complete success. But that is not all that happened today. I ran a sub 35 minute 5k. For me this is one heck of an accomplishment. That is my best ever training run ever.

I did have music on this run for the first time. I would be curious to know if other runners run faster with music.

Regardless. Saturday is a good day!

Another loss!

Down 0.8 more.  Nearly a whole pound.  I will tell you that I will take whatever I get during the football season.  We tailgated as I already mentioned earlier in the week and that of course involved a few beverages.  With all of that and the the exercise I got in I still managed to lose just a bit.

Next up...  Get comfortably below 300.  The next 2 weeks should allow for some progress as I have no tailgates to attend.  I should have time to get ready to the run coming up in 3 short weeks.  Hopefully I can get to the gym a few times for some upper body work.  I feel like I am getting a touch weaker in that area so I need to get back to the gym.   So we will see what happens.   Regardless I am below 300.  I never intend on visiting the other side of that number again.

Training and a good running week so far

OK so Craig asked me what I had done to prepare for my upcoming 5k.  Well I would like to tell you that I used the Couch to 5K training program but I did not.  I used something more like this (click here).  And even that I did not stick to.  Basically I increased my distance as I felt comfortable.  When I first started I was able to run a single mile.  Over the course of about 5 weeks I increased up to the 3.11.  I did incorporate a 5 mile run one day but that was probably a mistake.  I am going to continue to run the 3.11 for the most part and try to get a long run in on the weekend.  Right now my pace is decent.  I am hoping for a sub 36 minute race.

I have also adopted schedule of sorts for my runs.  Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and  Wednesday are the 3.11 mile days.   Thursday and Saturdays are off, so that will leave the longer run for Friday.  Of course that would be best case.  As I mentioned before.  The goal is 12 miles a week.  Anything over that is gravy.

I am a BL addict.

OK I need to do this.

"Hi my name is Matt and I am a Biggest Loser-aholic"

I generally do not care for reality TV.  I got sucked into Survivor the first year, but I broke free from its grasp.  Biggest Loser however has endured.  I look forward to it as much as I look forward to the Office every week.  I cheer teams and people and I just think it is decent television.

I guess more than anything I feel like it is real people doing something that ultimately is inspiring.  They are taking the steps to become more healthy.  But are they really?  I know they are doctor supervised, but where are they now.  Are they able to keep the weight off? 

Oh well regardless I am hooked I will watch and see how they do try to pick up a little tid bit of information from time to time.

On a somewhat related note, I wonder if Weight Watchers sees an increase in membership shortly after Biggest Loser starts?  

OK, on to more important stuff, I ran 3.11 miles last night.  Slow and steady.  My left calf is either cramping for 2 days or strained.  It is feeling better this morning so I will be out again tonight, but man it slowed me down.  I suppose the running back to back 5k's could slow a guy down to.

Have a great day everyone!

Personal Record

Last night I had every intention of going on a long run.  Seriously like 5.75 miles long.  However I did not get going until about 7pm and it light was going to be an issue.  So I decided to bust out a 5K and see if I could turn in a really solid time.  I feel like I was successful.  I ran the 3.11 miles in 36:13.  That is by far the best 5k I have run.  I bested my previous record my over a minute.  I would not say it was an easy run, but I felt good about it.

Tonight, I will still run the 3.11, but I will not be trying to set any records.  Just want to get the run in.

Also I have not been getting in the runs I would like to the past couple of weeks,  Part due to illness part due to laziness.  From here on out the goal is 12 miles per week.  If I can log 12 a week I know I am getting in some good runs.

How was your weekend?

So another weekend goes by and I have some catching up to do.  A weekend full of delicious goodies at the tailgate and some other poor choices leave me in a position where I need to bust my but and get in a good run tonight and several more this week.  Need to burn those calories right back off.

Who can complain though.  I had a great weekend.  See pic below.

How was your weekend?

299, lets hope we are here to stay

And finally it is official.  I probably got myself in to trouble talking about it so much over the past several weeks and months.  Now though it is official and I am below 300 for the first time since I can remember I think it is pretty important to get comfortably below 300 so I never go back.

I look back at where I was and try to recall what all has changed.  Some things are hard to put a finger on, but I think day in day out I have more energy.  I know my body feels better, my knees hurt less, my sleep patterns are better, and just overall I feel more healthy.  I will say that mentally I am stronger overall, but even at 101 lbs down I am definately learning new things.  At some point complacency sets in and it is hard to overcome.  I am doing my best to make the right choice most of the time, but doing that all the time is just not realistic.  Maybe that is the way it should be.  Maybe that is a sign of "living a lifestyle".  

I have now lost over 100 pounds.  I am going to reflect a bit and get back at it.  If you are struggling I reccomend refelting and looking at how far you have come.  I might post a reflection post later.  Till then.   Thank you to everyone for all of your support.  I have a ways to go yet but I am not sure I could have done it without all of you guys!

Breaking up your routine

So lets discuss for a moment breaks in your routine.  Tuesday I logged a 3.11 mile run, then yesterday I ran 2 miles.  I will tell you I planned to run 3 but I simply could not.  My legs were a bit sore and stiff going into the run yesterday and I was hoping after some stretching and running the legs would come around, but they did not.  I had to quit after 2 miles.  I am happy I got out but it really made me think about breaks in routine.

This break the I experienced was due to illness and bad weather.  Sure I could have run inside, but I didn't.  So after 7 full days off I ran on Tuesday.  The next day my legs were sending me a message.  Something like "Hey man it has been a while".  Then today after my run last night.  The legs are saying, "take a day off bro".  So after a week of inactivity my body had already started to slip.

I have noticed the same thing in weigh training.  I have not been to the gym for weight training in a couple of weeks.  I will not be able to do what I was doing before.  I am comfortable with that.

This morning I got to thinking about our diet and how when we get out of the routine how quickly our body becomes accustomed to the dealing with food higher in fat and calories.  And mentally how easy it becomes to justify the margaritas and chimichanga.  I guess this is just something I had not thought about much before this whole thing started.

I am not sure what to do about it other than to keep moving forward and try to avoid those "breaks" as much as possible.

On somewhat of a side note, I am switching my weigh in day to Thursdays.  I skipped a week and tonight I head back.  I have no clue what to expect tonight, but I am going to go with it and move forward. 

Spinning my wheels

Well I did not run last night.  I got all ready to go and then decided to go to the gym instead and then my motivation just went away.  I have been eating like crap lately.  Not tracking a darn thing.  I am probably not eating as bad as I once did but I will say it feels like the wheels are coming off.

So why all this now.  Why after just yesterday I wrote about not giving up those things I love so much.   Well I guess it is because out feeling change from day to day.  I guess it is because I I am 4 and a half weeks away from a 5k that I signed up for and I am sitting here not doing a whole lot about it.  I know I can finish.  But I would like a strong run.

I need to not only get back to the exercise routine, but also need to be better about the choices I am making.  So what do you guys do when you motivation is down and you know that you need to get back on track?

Weekend Update

I guess it is time to confess. I did not run a bit after Monday of last week. I did not eat the best and I did not weigh-in last week. I was sick for part of the week and the weather just plain sucked.

But what about the good stuff. Well as far as weight loss is concerned, um not much, but I had such a good weekend. Lets begin with a Friday which was filled with running around to get everything ready for game day Saturday. Let me just explain that when my friends and I tailgate we go all out a couple of times a year. This week was my turn and it was "Omelet Day" which involves me chopping up a bunch of stuff and a lot of preparation. It was a 10 or 11 item omelet bar and everyone had a great breakfast. We had biscuits and gravy, although I restrained myself on that one. We also hade hash browns.

You might be thinking that the day was a complete loss for weight loss, but there was one highlight were that was concerned. I would guess that I threw the football around and ran around with my son for every bit is 2 and a half hours. Then there was the walk to and from the stadium. So all was not completely lost.

I will do little to try to explain the beat down that Mizzou laid on Nevada. If you are a fan of football and in particular football where the ball is all over the field. I strongly encourage you to check out Mizzou this season. The defense will continue to improve, but this offense is just crazy good. A little stat from ESPN. Chase Daniel has more touchdowns (seven) than incompletions (six) the past two weeks. So to say that I enjoyed the game would be an understatement.

That evening I had an anniversary dinner with my girlfriend. I will not go into detail, but it was probably one of the most amazing dinners I have ever had. More because of the company than anything else. We had great conversation for every bit of 2 hours at the table. You know you have a keeper when you can sit down and chat for that long after being together for any length of time.

So how do you complete a good weekend like that. Well my girlfriend, my son and I went to visit her sister and husband last night for dinner. The kids played we all talked and just had a really nice relaxing evening. I really love her family, they are some of the best people who I have ever had the opportunity to get to know.

For those of you thinking that you were reading a weight loss blog, I suppose I should apologize. I just started typing and the above is what came out. I can tell you I have 3 miles planned for tonight and will be back to eating right this week. I am going to try to refocus my energy to continuing my losing ways. However I currently have no weight loss goals other than to make it through the college football season at the same weight. If I can do that I will actually feel pretty good. I cannot allow myself to be unhappy and deprive myself. I have had too much fun for too long at these tailgates and parties. Basically I think you have to set your priorities realistically. It was realistic for me to put weight loss first for all that time. Right now it is not. Maybe I am wrong for moving it to down on my priority list, but I feel like happiness should always be first. Don't worry I am not going to fall off the wagon or anything. I am just going to do the best I can and not worry as much about the scale. So tonight, I run.

Go Tigers!

URI and a skipped weigh-in

So after my run on Monday I started to feel kinda crappy.  I went to bed early and then hit made it to work the next day only to head home about noon and then to the doctor the following day.  Upper Respiratory Infection.  Antibiotics that look like they should be fed to horses and I am back.

I decided not to weigh in on Tuesday and will be switching back to Thursdays for my weigh in and meeting.  I am making this change for a couple of reasons.  I need a change and I think maybe having a few days on "scheduled" time will help me refocus after rough weekends.  I am also not to enamored with the new leader.  She means well and I hope she continues and becomes a bit more comfortable as a leader but for now I need to feel more engaged in the process and there is a bit of a disconnect.

I will try to resume my running this evening with a quick 2 mile jog.  Maybe the dog and I can chat about what is bothering him.  Or maybe I will put a dog bone in my pocket and toss it to him. :-)

I will certainly provide an update for you guys this weekend after Mizzou smokes Nevada.  Not that this is a sports blog, but I am calling it right here.  45 - 17.  I will be there with my son this weekend.  Tailgate omelets are on the menu!  something I can do pretty healthy really!

8.04672 kilometers

That would be 5 miles. Umm yes 5. I ran 5 miles last night. I did this in just over an hour and that was with a pesky dog who quite honestly scared the daylights out of me.

So how did it go? Well I have heard other runners mention a groove or a zone that you get into. I thought I knew what they were talking about as I would get into a grove at about 1.5 miles. I really felt that groove at about 2.8. I was strong. My last 2 miles ended up nearly identical in time to my first two. 11 and 13 minutes. Basically due to hills on mile 2. Mile 3 was right at 12 minutes. I was tired. My legs were a bit dead last night but I am not sore today.

So what about this dog. Well this chocolate brown Shar Pei mix comes out from a yard barking a growling and I had to scream because I was startled and then back down a bit. The whole ordeal took 15 seconds, maybe 30. I am not sure. I can tell you this that I was shocked that midway through the 5th mile I had some reflexes. I jumped and got into a wierd kinda stance preparing for the worst. The owner came out and apologized and off I went. This dog normally barks at me and come midway out in his yard but this was way different. I am kinda glad I dont have a heart rate monitor cause it would have been going nuts. I was pretty frightened. How do you guys handle dogs in a situation like that?

So that is it. 5 miles. I weigh in tonight with no expectation. If I can I will try to get a run in after, but I am not sure it is in the cards tonight. If not, the pavement will be waiting.

Something Borrowed.

Well I am borrowing an idea from Andrew over at Andrew is Getting Fit.  Check out my route from my run last night.

For those of you playing along at home let me describe the route as there is some doubling back.  Starting at the green arrow head east on 51st Terr and follow it around on to Brooklyn.  Head west on Vivion to highland and then follow the line.  Once you reach Garfield you head south on Garfield to Vivion and head back east to Olive and then head north.  Circle around back to Vivion and head west to Brooklyn and then head north and follow Brooklyn all the way around to Garfield and head south.  Finish at the red arrow.   3.11 miles.  37:31 minutes. 

Wahoo!

What's on the menu?

Kathy over at Cathy Calculates asked if I had switched to light beer and if we had switched up our tailgate menu since joining WW. 

An excellent question.  The answer I have is yes and no.  I still drink the beer I want to drink.  For instance, Saturday I was enjoying Bass.  But as far as food goes things are still pretty much the same, but we have more veggie trays and things like that then we do bags of chips.  I try to limit my intake of the brats and burgers.

This weekend the menu looks like pulled pork sandwiches from smoked pork loin, so while not exactly a chicken boob sammy, it is better than a brat.  Salad, veggie tray, and some Texas potatoes (not sure what that is, but I am sure it will be good). 

So you see if  eaten in moderation all will be fine.  Anymore the tailgate is a good time to throw the football around, have some laughs and enjoy time with friends.  I love football season.

Lots of beer = weight gain

Well that pic you saw in my last post, that was before I had a number of beers.  I shall keep the number private, but lets just say that I did not drive home.  So end result, I gained a pound.  Sure glad I did not weigh in on Saturday now.  So what do I do now.  I stay on plan and get my exercise in is what. 

Have a great day!

No weigh in and a progress photo

So I promised a weigh in Saturday to find out if I made my stated goal of less than 300 by the first Mizzou football game. While I am actually pretty confident that I made it I decided to not weigh in. The reason is quite simple really. While if I did not make my goal I would have been fine and I would have not been upset about it for a long time I would have been upset about it that day. That day was going to be a big party and had I by chance made it, the day would have been ruined for me. So I will weigh in this week, probably on Wednesday as I have plans on Tuesday. So i guess the lesson is that while goals may drive us we need to nake sure that those goals do not ruin our days.

So without any further ado:

at about 300

at about 350

ah yes this would be 400ish

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Now that is much better

So after getting good sound advice from other runners and from people whose advice I trust very much I took all of yesterday off.  No weights, no bike, no exercise period and boy it paid off.

This morning I rose at 5 am and hit the bricks.  I changed my route slightly to eliminate a short but extremely steep hill and that helped.  I ran 2.25 miles in 27:26.  That would be a personal best pace for me of 12:11.  So I think this new  2+ miles route is a bit better.  there are still hills, but just not that one that I dread.  Lets put it this way.  from one house to the next on the block that this hill is on I would say there is a 10 incline.  So maybe 10 ft incline over 70 ft or so.  I am sure I could figure the grade, but what I know is that it is killer for me.  But I learned something else today.

During the last 2 tenths I started to lift my knees a bit more.  This created more speed and longer strides at about the same cadence (not sure if that is a running term, but I am using it anyway).  So I get away from the straight leg shuffle and look more like I am running.  The other thing this does is keep my breathing under control because when I run things move (my excess girth) and if they to quickly breathing becomes extremely labored in a big hurry.  So I will try to lift my knees a bit more on tomorrows run of 2 miles.  then Monday will be an off day with some lifting.

Tomorrow I will do my run and weigh in to see if I made my 299.8 goal.  I will post tomorrow afternoon to let you know.  And maybe I will take a picture or two.  I think I can safely say that the progress is not going to vary to much over a few tenths of a pound if I don't make it.

Question for the runners.  You run and that conditions your legs for sure but if you lift do you ever do any strength training for your legs?  I have been just working on upper body strength training and not doing anything with my legs.  What do you guys do? 

That was the most difficult run I have had

So I went out for a two mile run last night.  Had to stop and walk after one hill and could not make it all the way up another.  Probably walked 200 yards in all.  I just ran out of gas.  My legs felt tired from the get go.  So tonight I will rest them a bit.  I will head to the gym and I will ride the bike but at a more leisurely pace.  I will also hit the weights and do the sit ups.

Do any of you runners out there struggle with dead legs?  I thought early in the day that they felt strong, but once I started my run they just started talking back and telling me I was nuts.

Almost, but still I am pretty darn happy

OK OK, I might be just a shade disappointed, but I am going to weigh in on Saturday to see if I "officially" my personal goal.  I lost a fantastic 4.8 lbs this week. leaving me 1.8 lbs to get below 300.  For those of you just joining us, the goal was to be below 300 by the time of the first Mizzou football game that was originally noted in this post here.

Now I know that goal was / is aggressive and I know all the things about not reaching your goal, but I am seriously not upset about this one.  I might make it by Saturday, I might make it by September 30th, who knows.

I do know this, I will weigh on Saturday, take the results and have a great day regardless.  After that the goal is to run that 5k in October.  My energy will be very focused on that and I am sure weight loss will come along with that.]

Thanks for all the well wishes yesterday.  I really do appreciate it.

Nervous for the first time in a long time.

Well weigh in day has arrived and I am a shade nervous.  Maybe not nervous but anxious.  Hard to tell the difference.  See I got up and for the first time I ran in the morning.  Like 5:20 in the morning. 

How beautiful it was this morning.  The moon and stars were still shining.  It was even a bit cool as I stepped outside.  Today's run called for 2.25 miles and I was able to complete it without much problem.  I am noticing some trends though.  Hills kick my butt is one.  My breathing has to be controlled and I am hesitant about steep downhill runs because of knee injury.  The breathing thing is interesting I have a hard time with it with all of my bulk shaking around as I run.  I think that it is just hard for my lungs to perform normally as they are being tossed about un-naturally.  Just a thought anyway.  My run today was 2.25  for 28.35.  That is a pace of 12:42 a mile, this is my fastest pace yet and longest distance.  I very happy with my progress and will continue to keep you updated.

Now, why am I anxious?  Well I have really busted my tail this week and I want to see what the scale says.  I still think I will be short of the 6.6 lb loss I need to get below 300.   Regardless I am pretty excited and honestly if I don't get there, I might just weight in Saturday morning to see if I can get there before the first Mizzou game.  That would be pretty exciting for me.  I cannot tell you the last time I weighed 2-something.  It is almost a dream.