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.