Week 13

Alright, well I missed posting last week and Im late on posting this week...so lets catch up. Last week I took a break. I was told to take one every 4 weeks or so to rest my body. This week I started late with the workout so I decided to just do light cardio to work myself slowly back into my rythym before I really kick it up a notch next week. Here's the bad news, during my week off and over the holidays...I ended up gaining 4 lbs. Im up to 250lbs. BUT, Im not going to let that discourage me, Im going to take it as a lesson and move on and work just that much harder in the gym. But, not to make it seem like Im turning my gain into a POSITIVE aspect, but I was informed that it isnt SUCH a bad thing to gain a couple pounds every now and then, it lets your metabolism think its safe, until you hit the gym hard and it gets confused and it gives your loss that extra little 'mmphfff'. So next week I go back to my hour long intervals and I begin working with weights. Im very excited.

Week 12

Alright, so last week was sort of a recovery week for me. The week before I didnt go to the gym at all because I was sick. I still had a lingering cough last week (and still do) so I just did light cardio all week, just to keep myself moving. But this week is where things get ramped up. Here's what things are looking like for me. Mon, Wed, and Fri I do an hour of cardio. For now, Ive chosen swimming. I went tonight and made up my own little routine. I swam the length of the pool and back, tread water for 5 mins, pull myself out, 15 flutter kicks over the edge of the pool, 15 situps, 15 pushups, then I repeat for an hour. Now, on Tue and Thur I have been given an intense interval workout, it goes as follows:

5mph for 3 mins

8mph for 1 min

3mph for 2 mins

11mph for 1 min

3mph for 3 min

11mph for 1 min

3mph for 3 min

11mph for 1 min

3mph for 3 min

11mph for 1 min

3mph for 5 min

3mph for 20 min (incline of 3 or higher)

8mph for 1 min (take off incline)

3mph for 1 min

8mph for 1min

3 mph for 1 min

8mph for 1 min

3 mph for 1 min

8mph for 1 min

3mph for 1 min

8 mph for 1 min

3mph for 5 min

So that's gonna be pretty intense but my weight loss has slowed so I have to get a little more intense with things to kick things back into gear. So lets see how it goes.

Week 11

Alright, so last week, I was out all week with bronchitis. It was pretty bad...at least bad enough to keep me out of the gym all week. But on the bright side, somehow, I weighed-in today and I am now at 248lbs. A loss of 4lbs from my last weight-in. So that's definitely good news. I was going to step it up a notch this week since Ive noticed my losses starting to slow, but I decided against it. I am going to continue the interval training I have been doing and start my new, more intense routine next week, once my body is back to 100%. Although I DO feel better, I know Im not fully back to myself yet, and I dont want to overdo it. So not much change this week, but I'll post my new routine later, once I have it perfect.

Week 10

Alright, so there's not much to really say after the update I made yesterday...or was it the day before? Anyways! I got back into the gym today and it was a little tough. I still have a lingering cough that's making me feel really crappy. So needless to say, running was kinda tough. But Im going to make it a point this week to push harder in the gym since I missed out on a lot last week. I know I had to have gained a couple of pounds since the last time I was at the gym. With Thanksgiving and little activity do to being sick. My next weigh-in is a week from today so lets hope for some positive results!!

Update

What a week its been so far. I went and ran on Monday and Tuesday, but then I got sick. Unfortunately that means that I havent exercised since Tuesday night. I am trying to stay positive about it and although I havent been working out, Ive been trying to stay active still, and I am still eating healthy. And even though I am not exercising, I am giving my body a little rest. But I am taking meds and trying to get better so that I am ready to hit the gym Monday evening.
I am also proud to say that I didnt go crazy on Thanksgiving. I know that this time of year with Thanksgiving and Christmas, a lot of people have trouble staying on track with their fitness and nutrition plans. I made a promise to myself that I wouldnt let the holidays get the best of me. I had one plate and a small piece of pumpkin pie and that was it. So once I get past Christmas I should be home free.
Some good news. I have been in contact with a recruiter who I came across on a Coast Guard recruiting forum. He told me that once the weight is down, I look like a very good candidate for active duty recruitment. He also gave me the name of a recruiter who works at my local office, who he is very good friends with. My plan is to have the weight off by June or July at the latest, hopefully start the recruiting process right away, and hopefully be one of the first in line for fiscal year 2012, which starts in October. Its little bits of good news like that, that keep me motivated. I have about 44lbs til my max weight, then I have to be 5lbs under before I can be sent to MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station)...so just about 50lbs to go.
Now that I know that I CAN lose the weight...50lbs doesnt seem like all that much. I am going to continue to work hard and stay motivated and get into that recruiting office as soon as possible. Still not able to get on my computer, so Im not sure how long it will be before I can post pictures. Regular entry coming up on Monday!

Week 9

Alright everyone, some good news and bad news. Bad news first. No pictures this week. My computer is currently out of commission and Im using my Mom's laptop, so once my computer is fixed, I'll post the pictures for this week. Good news? I weighed in and Im down to 252lbs, which means Ive lost a total of 22lbs!!!! I am very happy about that. No big changes really. Still doing the interval training, added a little more protein to my diet (egg whites, light peanut butter, etc.), and trying to push myself physically whenever I can. I keep myself motivated and I think that's what's been helping me lose the weight. Everyone who wants to lose weight has SOME sort of motivation as to why they're doing it, so just use that motivation and keep it in mind at all time. Whenever I feel myself about to have a weak moment, I think about the Coast Guard and boot camp and what my boot camp graduation will be like and how proud my friends and family will be, and it grounds me and gets my mind back on track. Speaking of track, I was running a little late tonight and decided against the gym, but I went to the local middle school track and decided to time my mile and a half, just to see how much work I had to do before boot camp. I did A LOT better than I thought. I thought I was gonna be WELL over 20 mins, but I ended up doing it in 17:09. I have quite a bit of work to get down below 12:51 but I'll set small goals for myself until I get there. Its all about the small goals. The bigger and more out of reach the goal, the less likely you'll reach it. For example, if I say "Ok, next time I run the track, I want to cut my time down to 15:00." 2 mins doesnt seem like a lot, but it is when you're running. Instead, I'll just try and cut my time by like 10-15 secs a week. That way, if I set a small goal, not only is it a little more doable, but once you see that you completed the goal, it encourages you to keep going. I think losing weight it more of a mental challenge than it is exercise and nutrition. As long as you stay active, eat right, and stay focused. You should be fine.

Anyways, once I feel comfortable with the intervals Im doing now, I'll step it up a notch. Other than that, for now, no big changes. I'll post those pictures from this week when I can.

Week 8

Alright, so this was a pretty productive week. I started the new exercise routine I outlined in a previous update. I was worried because it didnt sound like much at first, but its a hell of a workout. I decided to cheat a little and take a peek at my weight a week early. Im now down to 157lbs...a total loss of 17lbs. Im very happy and very proud of that result. The thing is, I know Ive lose more over the time Ive been working at this, put there have been a few times where I put a couple pounds on here and there. That's why one of my goals for this week is to focus more and work harder on the weekends. When I go out with friends or travel on the weekends, its hard to eat regularly and eat as healthy as I do during the week. So I want to work on that for sure. And another thing Im gonna start doing is cutting down on smoking until I quit completely. I feel once I quit I'll be a lot more effective in my exercises.

I try and surround myself with as much motivation as possible. I research the Coast Guard a lot, I watch videos of boot camp, whenever I go to Cape May to visit my girlfriend I try and soak up as much as possible. And also, a lot of people of been telling me Ive looked like I lost weight and that definitely keeps me going. Im really excited at how Ive stuck to this and at the progress Im making. I know its moving slowly but I dont want to rush it, and it will be worth the wait once Im in the United States Coast Guard and I can begin doing the things that interest and excite me.

Week 7

Alright. It feels great exercising again. Even though it was a tough week not exercising, it was worth it. I feel rested and recovered and ready to lose more weight. I tried out the interval training today. Even though it was only 15 mins, it was definitely a workout. I probably could have done more, but I wanted to take today and see how I feel tomorrow. I dont want to overdo it. Since I updated twice last week, there isnt much else to say this week. Come back next week to see how the rest of this week goes.

UPDATE!!!...again

Alright, so this week that Ive taken off has been pretty tough. Ive stuck with eating healthy but the fact that I havent been exercising at all has been really bothering me. I decided to do my 3rd weigh-in a day early. I did it this morning. Im down to 258lbs. That means Ive only lost 2lbs since my last weigh-in. It bothers me that I didnt lose more...but I have to stay in the mindset that Im 2 steps closer to my weight goal. The past 7 days have not been a vacation though. As I said, I kept up on my diet, and I have been researching, thinking, and speaking with my "fitness advisor" to change up my routine a bit, improve upon some things, and get my body ready to lose more weight. When you first start a fitness routine after being idle for many years, your body isnt used to it, so it melts calories, and thats why at first, I saw a big loss in the first few weeks. The trick is to not let the loss slow down.

If you start a fitness routine and you never change it up, you will see results at first, but soon your body will adapt and the results will start to slow. Exercise is exercise and you wont stop losing weight all together, but you'll lose very slowly. Since I started, I have been running/walking 2 miles each night, 5 nights a week. Tomorrow, I will start a new routine involving interval training. Here's what it will look like:

Warm-up: 5mph (slow jog) 5 mins

Work Interval: 8mph (run) 1 min

Recovery Interval: 3mph (walk) 3 mins

Work Interval: 8mph (run) 1 min

Cool-down: 3mph (walk) 5 mins

Total: 15 mins

This will happen 3 days a week (Mon, Wed, Fri). Then light cardio (probably 2 mile walk/jog) 2 days a week (Tue, Thur). Now for the interval training, 15 mins doesnt seem like a long time but its tougher than it sounds. And as time goes on, it will get harder. It moves up in levels. The reason it works is your endurance and metabolism increases. It burns a lot of calories in half the time. So instead of burning calories during and shortly after the workout, it burns calories all day. If it seems to easy, I will reevaluate with my advisor and we will jump up a level, but apparently those work intervals are no joke, and this type of workout can be dangerous if you do too much before you're ready.

I will still incorporate push-ups and situps in my routine. Before a workout and before bed. I will also be adding a few new workouts to this portion of my routine. Here's how it will look before a workout and before bed:

Push-ups: 15

Sit-ups: 15

Flutter Kicks: 15 (counted: 1-2-3-1, 1-2-3-2, etc.)

Squats: 15 (feet shoulder width apart, hands on hips, bend at the knees keeping back straight and put hands out in front of you as you bend, hands back on hips as you straighten your legs.)

These exercises will increase by 3 reps every week. I will also be adding stretches into my daily routine. Instead of listing them all, you can find them at these 2 sites:

http://www.military.com/military-fitness/workouts/stretching-plan (all stretches listed)

http://www.military.com/military-fitness/health/new-lower-back-plan (Hamstring stretch 1 and 2 and Hurdler stretch)

These stretches will be performed first thing in the morning and immediately after a workout. This will increase flexibility and decrease the chance of injury.

My diet for now is good. I just need to add more protein. I will be doing that immediately. I also want to incorporate more veggies into my diet.

These are the changes being made, some will be permanent, others will only be around for the next 3 or 4 weeks until my routine gets switched around again. Lets see how it works. Regular Monday night entry will still be done tomorrow evening.

UPDATE!!!!

As I said in my previous post, I was going to wait until next week to take my break. After starting out on my usual 2 mile walk/run last night, I quickly realized that it may have to happen this week. I was so uncomfortable while running that I could only do 1 mile. One of the main reasons I was going to wait until next week was because I have a weigh-in coming up next Monday morning and I wanted to see some results. But one thing I have learned so far is you have to listen to your body. You can tell the difference between a healthy burn from exercise, and actual pain. I was really feeling it in my knees and my upper thighs. The reason I got right out there and started running in the beginning was because I have never been a strong runner and I wanted to get used to it for boot camp. But when you're as heavy as I am, running can be hard on the knees and ankles and the legs in general. So unfortunately I have to stop this week and rest my body, let it restore, and get it ready to lose some more weight next week. I will use the rest of this week to research weight loss, try and find some things I may be able to do differently, change things Im not doing enough of, or doing too much of, etc. See if there are any aspects of my routine I can improve upon...anything I can do differently that may benefit me more. So we'll see what happens. I may have lost some weight, I may have gained a little, I may see no change at all. But that's what all of this is about...learning as I go along. As impatient as I am and as much as I want the weight gone, I have to do this the right way and I may take a few steps forward one week, a few steps back the next week, and no steps at all the week after that. The key is, not letting anything discourage me and remembering "there's always tomorrow." So we'll see how it goes. I'll update Sunday to list all the things I plan to do differently for the next 3 or 4 weeks. Then after that we'll probably move into a whole different routine. Always keep the body guessing. Then Monday we'll get into my 3rd weigh-in, etc.

Week 6

Alright, week 6...not very exciting ha. I was going to start working with weights this week, but my "fitness advisor" said Im not ready for that yet. That will come in week 8 of training, so in blog "Week 9." Next week I will be taking a break from all exercise. I will keep eating healthy, but my body needs some time to reset, rest, and recover from several weeks of training. Not only will it help me recover, but it will "trick" my body. After a week, it will have gotten comfortable with not exercising, then, after a week and I start to be active again, my body will start to work hard to compensate for a week of no training. In turn, I should lose quite a bit of weight. But as Ive learned, losing weight is all about finding what works and what doesnt and adjusting accordingly.

Im excited to change things up a bit in a few weeks. I dont want my body to get used to what Im doing now. When your body adjusts, you wont be very effective in your efforts. Like I said, nothing very new or exciting happened this week, so...until next week.

Week 5

Alright everyone, week 5 marks weigh-in number 2! I weighed-in at 160lbs today for a total of 14lbs!!!! I am very pleased with the results. I am trying to stay patient. 14lbs is GREAT but I would have loved to have lost a lot more. But I reached my goal of losing 5lbs before the next weigh in. I have been setting small goals for myself. Doing a few more push-ups and sit-ups a night, running a little further than usual before stopping to walk on my nightly runs, taking the stairs more at work, etc. The thing that I like about setting these little goals, although small, it shows that your body IS changing and you ARE making progress. Not much change in my diet. I am still eating the same things, simply because its easy AND healthy...but I can feel myself slowly getting bored so one of my goals this week is to experiment a little bit with different foods. This week Im going to start doing weight training. I want to avoid gaining a lot of weight in muscle so Im going to lift low weight with high reps. When you weight train, it shreds calories, speeds up your metabolism, and increases strength and flexibility. Im still focused on my goal and have absolutely no intention of giving up or letting myself slip. I still have a long road ahead of me but the fact that I am making obvious progress is what's keeping me pushing on.

Week 4

Alright everyone, its officially been one month since Ive started this whole thing. And about 3 weeks since Ive actually started eating right and doing some activity. Ive seen some major changes. I compared week 1's pictures to this week's and I think you can definitely tell a difference. I feel great and I constantly have a lot of energy. I notice a difference in flexibility also. My diet hasnt really changed much. Still eating the same things. Trying to experiment with different foods but I have no knowledge of cooking so its hard. One thing I have noticed the biggest change in is my running. Every night, I go on a 2 mile walk/run around my neighborhood. Ive noticed that since my first week, I can run for longer, I dont get out of breath as fast, and when I am out of breath, it doesnt take as long to recover. This makes me happy because my biggest worry when it comes to boot camp is the physical portion...especially the run. So if its taken only 3 weeks to notice a difference in my running progress, Im hoping by the time I go to boot camp I will be fully prepared. I am however, still working on my push-ups. I choose not to listen to music when I run, mainly because it helps with the mental portion of running, and I wont have music to listen to in boot camp so by the time Im there, I'll be used to it. Ive learned that running is almost more mental than physical. Once you block out the "MY LEGS ARE ON FIRE!" or the "I CANT BREATHE!" its not that bad. I use the sound of my breathing and my feet on the pavement to pace myself. And its slowly becoming less of a chore. I feel myself getting close to actually enjoying it...which is something I never thought I'd say. Up until now I havent used any weights at all because I want to focus on losing the weight and not gaining weight in lean muscle mass. But Ive been told by a few friends that if you lift weights that arent very heavy and just do more reps, it actually helps burn fat and calories. So next week I'll probably incorporate some weight training 2 to 3 times a week. But next monday is weigh-in number 2! My goal is to have lost 5lbs. If I dont lose that much, I wont be too heart broken because you should usually lose 1-2lbs a week, just as long as I LOSE weight and I havent put any on...I'll be happy! Until next time!

Week 3

So today was the first weigh-in! The scale we have here at the house is sort of wonky. I've heard you should always weight yourself twice...so I did...and got 2 TOTALLY different numbers. So I weighed myself a few times and got the weight 265lbs a few times. So for now, that's what Im assuming is my current weight. My goal for this week is to get a new scale! So that's a total loss of 8lbs! So while that's definitely progress...more so than Ive seen since I left the recruiting office over a year ago...I want more. Which is good because I'm hungry for it, but I'll go ahead and call this first couple weeks a "practice round" I know what works, I know HOW to do it...now lets ramp it up a little bit. Im gonna start working out harder. Im gonna be VERY strict with my diet. I'll admit, while I haven't been bad with my diet, I have made a few decisions that could have been better.

Also, I had my first experience with "diet on vacation." and let me tell you...its not easy. I was in a hotel with my girlfriend and healthy food wasn't just a fridge away as usual. So I didn't eat as much as I should have an my food choices weren't the best. But I worked it off tonight with a good run.

Like I said, Im gonna step it up starting this week. Another weigh-in during week 5. So we'll see how it goes.

Week 2

Alright, so I decided to update every week instead of every day. Ive learned that in weight loss, things dont get exciting or interesting on a day to day basis. The first week went really well. Im a 21 year old boy so I dont know the first thing about cooking, so right now my meals are pretty much the same day to day. In the morning I have 2 egg whites and 2 strips of turkey bacon with a glass of skim/fat free milk. Between breakfast and lunch I usually have an apple or some peanuts (unsalted). Some people prefer almonds but Im not very partial to those. For lunch I either have a ham sandwich with mustard. Mustard is a good substitute for mayo because it has 0 calories. Or a salad with fat free dressing. With that I usually have a handful of "veggie sticks" You can buy them at your local grocery store. They're like chips but they look like vegetable straws and they're not bad for you. The only thing is, they're salted, so I dont have very many of those. Between lunch and dinner I, again, usually have an apple or some peanuts. I usually alternate those snacks. If I have an apple early in the day, I'll have peanuts later, and so on. For dinner I usually have a chicken breast with some sort of vegetable. Usually broccoli. I bought a George Foreman grill. They're cheap, they cook things fast, and they squeeze all the bad stuff out of the meat. Since some of these foods can be sort of bland, I tend to add crushed red pepper to it. Gives it a little kick. You can find it in the "seasoning" section of your local grocery store. For a snack after dinner I usually have some Yoplait yogurt. They come in a million different flavors and they're fat free and only 100 calories. All I drink is water throughout the day as well. Every night when I get home from work, I go for a 2 mile walk/run. And at several points throughout the day, I'll drop down and do 10 pushups, situps, flutter kicks, and squats. I was told to give myself a few little goals every week. It'll show me that my body is changing and growing and it will help me move my progress along. So my plan is every week to do 5 more reps of previously mentioned exercises.

Since I started this whole thing a week ago today, I already feel so much better everyday. I have more energy all day, Im always in a good mood, and I feel great about myself, and even though it may or may not show in the progress picture that Ive changed in size, I feel like I have. And a few people have already told me it looks like Ive lost weight. Mainly in my face. They say that weight loss shows from the head down. It really amazes me how quickly the body gets used to healthy eating. This weekend my girlfriend ordered a few pizzas for her and I and the family for a rainy Sunday. I had a couple slices and a little later, my stomach turned sour and stayed that way the rest of the day. Its ok the have some "not so good" food once a week. Im not saying go out and eat McDonalds all day. But have a couple slices of pizza, eat a piece of cake at a birthday party, etc. That way your body says "oh no, this stuff isnt good" and it works harder to get rid of that food. But overall I think it was a good week. Im gonna weigh in every 2 weeks, so next monday we'll see how much progress Ive made.

And So It Begins...

Lets start off with some background info. My name is Corey, I am 21, and I live in Virginia Beach, VA. The reason I am writing this blog is because I am trying to lose weight so that I may join the United States Coast Guard. Just over a year ago, I walked into my local recruiting office and I was told "Get down to 200lbs and come back and see us." Now...if I had started training that day, I probably would have been VERY close, if not actually in the Coast Guard. But I went through many ups and downs with weight loss. I started and stopped countless weight loss routines since that day. It wasnt until last week when I finally decided that I CAN do this and I WILL do this. Currently, I am 273lbs. My maximum weight according to Coast Guard Recruiting Standards is 208lbs. My goal is to get down to about 195lbs...and I want to do it by my next birthday (July 5, 2011) Im doing this with some advice Ive been given by close friends and family, and even people I dont know. Is it possible to get down to that weight in that period of time? Im not sure...but I intend to do my best.

The reason I am making this blog is to help myself track my progress, and I also want to help people that are in the same situation as I am by showing them you dont have to starve yourself, or spend money on "6 minute abs" or other scams, and you dont have to wake up at 4:30am and run 3 miles 7 days a week and eat small, bland meals to reach your goal. Now I am in NO way a professional or very experienced at all in this subject...Im just doing my best and seeing what works along the way. That is the point of this blog. You dont just wake up one day and say "Im gonna lose weight!" and get right out and make the necessary changes. It takes time to really motivate yourself into doing it. Believe me...I know. And you arent going to do it all with just the snap of your fingers. You're going to have days when you fall back on your diet, or you dont feel motivated to work out. And that's what I want to document to help myself by looking back and seeing what I need to do differently, and showing others what not to do and how to avoid speed bumps. Everyday I will post something. It may be a 6 paragraph story, or just a 3 word check-in. But everyday I will post what I ate and how much activity was done, etc. The only thing that may help me and other may not have at their disposal is the amount of activity I do at my job. I am a walking courier at a law firm in Norfolk, VA. We occupy 4 floors of the building and every 30 mins, I have to walk the floors (at a brisk pace) and drop off/pick up mail. Not to mention other tasks having to be done throughout the day including lifting heavy objects, etc. I work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. So that's a lot of activity. Also, every monday evening I will post 2 pictures of myself. One picture of the front view of myself, and one from the side. Wearing the same thing and standing in the same place in the same position. Since one post a week is quite often when it comes to weight loss, you (and I) may not see much difference in size or shape. And every 2 or 3 weeks I will weight myself on Monday morning and I will post my new weight, whether I lost or gained. I have to be totally honest in this entire process.

This isnt going to be easy. Im going to go through good and bad times. Some weeks I may have gained some weight, some weeks I may have lost a lot of weight. Either way I will alter my routine accordingly and I will update every change and every positive and negative I come across. Until next time.

-Cor.