Ready for China!

Mike on Feb 4th 2011

I made my goal and finally broke 250 lbs today! This morning I was 249.4. That puts me at 72.2 lbs lost on the scale and probably over 90 lbs of actual fat lost, considering the amount of muscle I’ve concurrently gained in the last year. I’ll continue to be very strict for the next couple of days to see if I can drop another pound or two, but then Sunday we’re going to Pappasito’s. We leave for China on Tuesday and the diet is going to be on hold until we get back at the end of the month.

Feels great to finally break 250…the last 25 lbs were tough, but lately I’ve been pleased to see the weight coming off quickly again. My guess is that I have another 40-50 lbs to go, and it all looks downhill from here.

Filed in Wednesday Weigh-in,Weight | 3 responses so far

The First Great Clothes Purge

Mike on Jan 30th 2011

Yesterday I went through my closet full of clothes and did my first Great Clothes Purge of 2011. I tried on almost all of my clothes, tossing aside things that were too big, worn out, or I just didn’t like any longer. I also sorted things that fit me again, will fit me very soon, and are still way too small.  Today I’m going to go through my dresser and do the same thing.

I was amazed at how many things fit now. Several months ago about 90% of my clothes didn’t fit. When I started my fitness program about a year ago I was wearing XXXL shirts and 42-inch waist jeans.  Yesterday I discovered that lots of my XL shirts now fit…at least half of them. I also had to toss out all of my 3X shirts (some of them looked like clown shirts on me). I wear XL and some XXL shirts, and I can now wear two of the three pairs of 36-inch waist jeans I have. One fits good, one is a little tight, and one is still WAY too tight. My latest belt is now also on the last hole and I’ll have to get a new one. I expect within the next couple of months all the XXL will finally have to go and all of the XL will fit. Who knows, maybe I’ll even be able to squeeze into my 34-inch jeans by then, too.

One side note: as of this morning I’m at 253.8 lbs. That’s 4 pounds to go to break 250 before the China trip. I’ve got one week left, and I believe I can do it. I’m being crazy strict on my diet and I’ve switched my workouts back to endurance-type routines rather than strength building, to help fat-loss. I also got a Kindle a couple of weeks ago and now use it to read while I’m doing the elliptical after my 45 minutes of weight-training. That distraction has enabled me to do 30 minutes on the elliptical every time without any trouble. Those changes have pushed me up to burning 700-900 calories per workout. It’s good to see the weight steadily coming off at a good pace again, after it slowing down for so long.

Filed in Encouragement,Exercise,Motivation,Weight loss | 2 responses so far

Under 250 before China?

Mike on Jan 18th 2011

That’s the question. Can I finally, after a year on my program, break the 250 lb barrier before we go to China? We have our dates set. We leave Feb 8, and I want to switch my diet around Feb 6 to get my energy-level up and give myself a couple of days to adjust to eating differently before we go.

As of this morning I am at 259.6, up 2.2 lbs from where I was before the holidays. So that leaves me 19 days to drop 10 pounds. That’s roughly half-a-pound per day until then. I think for me that is very doable. The goal is certainly arbitrary, but I think it would be encouraging to finally break that barrier before we leave on the trip.

On an entirely different note, I continue to make strength gains despite my strict low-calorie diet. Losing fat and gaining any significant amount of muscle at the same time is tough, but it can be done. I’m very careful to get a lot of protein and nutrition, so it is working well. About a week ago I squatted 315 lbs, which is essentially what I weighed when I started all this a year ago (and could barely squat with only the bar and no weights on it). I also did lunges all the way around the gym carrying a couple of big chains on my shoulders (which is kind of humorous actually). When I started I could only do about five lunges at a time, while using a stick for support. Go, me!

Filed in Diet,Exercise,Weight,Weight loss | 4 responses so far

No New Year’s Resolution Required

Mike on Jan 4th 2011

Like most people in America, I threw my diet out the window during the last three weeks of December. I ate pretty much everything that sounded good and wasn’t nailed to the table. I’m generally not a sweets person, but for whatever reason during that time I wanted SWEETS! If it had sugar in it I was eating it. Ice cream, candy, cookies, more candy, some more ice cream, cake, more cookies, ice cream again, throw in a pumpkin pie shake, add some more candy, and don’t forget the pie!

I enjoyed it tremendously and of course gained some weight, but that didn’t bother me in the slightest. I knew that the holidays would end and then I’d be right back to normal…no New Year’s Resolution required, because that’s my lifestyle now. In fact, by last weekend I was actually starting to get tired of the sweets and other junk and was ready for good, healthy, low-calorie food again. So, as of yesterday I’m back on the strict, low-calorie/high-protein diet. I’m also being careful to do some time on the elliptical after my weight-training every day to increase the fat burning.

There was one side benefit, however, to all those calories during the holidays…I made some strength gains, which don’t come easy with a low-calorie diet. Last Thursday I did 305 lbs on my deadlifts. That was exciting considering when I started out a little under a year ago I was doing something like 95 lbs and feeling like I was going to die afterwards.

My current goal is to lose as much fat as I can before our big adoption trip to China. We could be going within the next ten days or so, but it could be as long as five or six weeks. In any case, I’ll be hitting it extra hard until then.

Filed in Diet,Exercise,Lifestyle | 3 responses so far

Wednesday Weigh-in: 257.0

Mike on Dec 8th 2010

I’m happy to say that the speedy weight loss is continuing. This morning I hit 257.0, which is 3.8 lbs for the week. As Louanne would say…”woot, woot!” I also hit a new high for deadlifts today: 285 lbs for 3 reps, the same as my squats.

My loose goal now is to drop at least another 20 lbs before we go to China in the next 1-2 months. That would put me at about 85 lbs down on the scale and over a 100 lbs of actual fat loss. I’m beginning to see the “end” in sight now…of fat loss, but not of working out. My lifestyle is different now, and for the rest of my life I’ll be working out every week and building muscle. I’ll just be glad to leave Fat Mike behind. He can go live somewhere else, and I won’t even be visiting him.

Filed in Exercise,Lifestyle,Wednesday Weigh-in,Weight loss | 4 responses so far

Wednesday Weigh-in: Thanksgiving Shmanksgiving!

Mike on Dec 3rd 2010

After over three months I am FINALLY out of the 260s. Whew! That was a long one. Granted, during that time I spent a couple of months eating an increased calorie diet and making significant muscle gains (my squats went up 60 lbs) but it was still a long time coming to see “259.8” on the scale this morning. Wednesday my weight was 260.8, which in itself was a new low, but this morning’s 259.8 was an even greater relief and motivator for me. That puts me at having lost 61.8 lbs on the scale, but it is realistically more like 75 or 80+ lbs of fat I’ve lost, considering the amount of muscle I’ve gained in the last 10 months of weight-training.

Thanksgiving was last week, and now I wonder if I should celebrate Thanksgiving every week, because I ate a lot of sweets last weekend…a LOT…and yet dropped weight like crazy this week. I’ve lost 4.2 lbs since Thanksgiving morning. Okay, okay, maybe I shouldn’t eat that stuff every weekend…but wouldn’t it be grand?

Filed in Motivation,Wednesday Weigh-in,Weight | One response so far

Gains and Losses

Mike on Nov 12th 2010

After my last post a few weeks ago I modified my diet, but I quickly found that my stress-level immediately increased again and my energy-level dropped. Clearly I still wasn’t ready for a reduced calorie diet again. Therefore I reversed my decision, still modifying my diet to be healthier (well…except for several days of Halloween candy) but without any significant calorie reduction. Simultaneously, I made some amazing strength gains, which indicates that I have definitely increased my muscle mass.

I’m now working with my trainer four days per week instead of three, and since I switched to a strength-building regimen a couple of months ago, my bench press has gone up from 205 lbs to 235 lbs, my deadlift from 235 to 265, and my squats have increased an amazing 70 lbs from 205 to 275. The deadlift and squat maximums were at 4 and 3 repetitions respectively, which means my one-rep max would be significantly more than that. This has continued to be fun and I have no intention of switching my exercise routine. I did, however, finally switch back to a reduced calorie diet on Monday, without any significant energy-loss or stress.

Hopefully now I can see some significant weight-loss again, since I have lost very little in the last four months—only about 5-7 lbs. At the beginning of the week my weight was at 270 and as of this morning it is 266.4 lbs. It is very hard to lose fat and build muscle at the same time, but I’m making every effort to do so. I will continue with my strength routine and have tailored my diet to maximize my chances. I’m eating about 1800-2000 calories per day, with low carbs, low fat, and high protein. I’ve been eating three omlettes per day made with six egg whites (that’s right, 18 eggs), a large chicken breast with brown rice, a protein shake, and a few snacks like some string cheese and popcorn.

My hopeful goal is that I can see the 240s by the time we travel to China a couple of months from now.  We’ll see what happens.

Filed in Body Composition,Diet,Exercise,Weight loss | 2 responses so far

Like a Man on Death Row

Mike on Oct 18th 2010

Each day, for the last several days, I ate like a man having his proverbial “last meal.” I’d been on a break from my weight loss diet for about two-and-a-half weeks and felt like I was almost ready to get back to it. But before committing to a strict diet again, I was determined to enjoy some of my favorite foods. So each day we ate something different that I knew I wouldn’t be eating for awhile. I had Pappasito’s, Buca di Beppo, Louanne’s lemon birthday cake, Pizza Hut, Cookie’s and Cream ice cream, Chicken Express, ice cream at Braum’s, Pei Wei, a Blizzard at Dairy Queen, and so on. Last night I finished it up with a pizza buffet at Double Dave’s. I enjoyed every bit of it.

As of this morning I’m back on it, having my egg whites, chicken breasts, protein shakes, and the like. I’m hopeful that the three week break gave me a boost and I can see some good results again. As for my workouts, I’m sticking with my strength training regimen rather than going back to the endurance and cardio stuff I was doing before. The thought of that still stresses me out, and I’m having a lot of fun doing what I’m doing now. I still do cardio most days, but it isn’t anything excessively intense — most of my intensity is in strength training.

I needed the break badly, but now I’m fully ready to move forward with the weight loss again.

Filed in Diet,Weight loss | 4 responses so far

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