This weeks theme is disappointment with a reality check. I knew it was coming, I saw it in my trends, and I thought I did extra this week to fight it, but in the end, it happened. I didn’t hit my goal weight for this week, losing only 1 pound. That was a pretty depressing moment, but it’s still a loss and I’m happy with that.
The total weight lost each week has gradually been decreasing. I started off with a quick 4 pounds, then 3 the second week and 2 last week. I saw the trend and did a little extra this week to try and reverse it. Instead of three 13 minute interval sessions and one 20, I did two and two. I increased my speed on my intervals to a max of 8.7 mph and I added weights to some of the sets in Workout A and Workout B. The weather was decent (for the middle of winter) so I even walked to a meeting at church (a little over a mile) on Monday and then took my dog for a 3 mile walk on Saturday.
In the end, it was all for just 1 pound. But, I can look at my measurements, feel my clothes on me and see the pictures and I see significant improvement over last week. While the scale may say I only lost 1 more pound, I can tell there was muscle gain and that my body is still transforming like I want it to.
Overall
As you can see, I’m kind of upset with my weight, but overall I’m very happy with the results I’m seeing. My hips are the only thing keeping my pants on at the moment. I’m still trying to figure out if I stick it out in these clothes for a little longer, or if I get some “in-between” pants that will hold me over until I reach my ultimate goal. I don’t want to spend too much on some clothes I’ll only have for a very short time. Would it be cheaper to take my pants into a tailor to have them taken in?
A minor theme of this week could be discovery. I’ve re-discovered my Adam’s apple and I’m discovering my abs too. It’s funny, I never thought about an Adam’s apple in all my life. But now that I can see it again, after many, many years, I’m looking at it a lot just to make sure it’s not my waddle still. Along with my Adam’s apple, I guess you could say I’m re-discovering a jaw line too. My razor doesn’t go straight from my cheeks to my neck without the head of the razor ever swiveling.
My abs are starting to show up too. I don’t have a 6-pack yet, more like a 2, maybe 4-pack. It’s not solidly defined yet, but I can see the ripples and my stomach in the front view pics looks more defined and tight. I didn’t expect to see that type of definition until the last week, if at all. Now that I’m seeing it and looking at my pics, I’m wondering if a size 32 waist is even a realistic goal. I may just need to get down to a 34, we’ll see.
Food
Preparing snacks and meals for the day has become a habit now. I don’t forget to pack, even if I’m in a hurry. It’s a lot easier now that I know what I like and have a general plan in my head all the time. The mainstay of my diet has become oatmeal, almonds, low-fat string cheese, cottage cheese, tuna, spinach, peas, whole wheat english muffins, peanut butter and low fat chocolate milk. I add different fruits and veggies to that mix and drink about a gallon of water a day.
Dinners can be challenging sometimes because my wife isn’t cooking any different just because I’m trying to lose weight. It’s not that she cooks crap food, she keeps it healthy as much as she can. But with two young boys, sometimes crap food is on the menu. This is when I rely on portion control. In fact, this past weekend, plans fell through for the boys to sleep over their grandparents house. We didn’t have a meal planned (we were going out without them), so we got pizza. I ended up ordering plain pizza (which is my favorite anyways) and having just two slices. I made a spinach & pear salad to eat before the pizza so the two pieces were more than enough to satisfy me.
If my weight loss hits a plateau this week (I don’t think it will, in fact I think I’ll rebound from this past week), I’ll have to start counting calories more diligently by using FitDay.com. I’ve been trying to stay away from being obsessed with calories, opting to just eat healthy, but that may not get me to where I want to be.
Exercise
It was another good week of exercise. I’ve added light weights to my workouts and have really been focusing on form. It’s amazing what 10 extra pounds can do to you in the lunges and squats (and to think I used to carry that 10 extra pounds around daily). I’m looking at possibly getting a weighted body vest to wear for the entire workout and I’m definitely getting a chin-up bar this week.
I ended up modifying my goal for total number of intervals based on feedback from Craig. Instead of 6 interval sessions a week, I’m going for 4 (two 13 minute sessions and two 20 minute sessions). I’ll walk around the neighborhood on the other days (weather permitting). And, in light of my big summer fitness goal, I will be doing 2 of my intervals on the stationary bikes.
Results
We all know by now that I only lost 1 pound during the last week. Here’s the rest of the story (last weeks numbers in parentheses)…
- Weight - 198 pounds / 90 kg (199/90.26)
- Chest - 39.5″ / 100.33 cm (39.75/100.97)
- Waist - 39.5″ / 100.33 cm (39.75/ 100.97)
- Bicep - 12.5″ / 31.75 cm (12.5/31.75)
- Thigh - 22.75″ / 57.79 cm (23/58.42)
- Calf - 14.5″ / 36.83 cm (14.25/36.20)
I’m going to have to check on my thigh measurements, because they seem to be fluctuating. I thought I was taking them in the same spot each week, but maybe not.
Look for a new page that shows all my progress pics together. I think it helps to see them all together as it really shows the progress made over the past 4 weeks.
Goals
My weight loss goal for this week is 3 pounds. I think all the hard work I put into last week really showed up as muscle gain this past week and the fat loss will follow. I sure don’t want my weight trend to continue, as that would mean 0 pounds lost and that just isn’t an option.
As for exercise goals, I’ll do 4 interval sessions (two 13 minute sessions and two 20 minute sessions), with two of those sessions happening on a stationary bike. If I’m going to be shooting for a 65 mile ride in the summer, I better get started now so my ass is used to sitting on a saddle.
I didn’t get to swim this week because the pool was closed for a swim meet the day I went in. I will get 30 minutes in the pool this coming Saturday so I’ll do 500 yards in 30 minutes.
Finally, I will get a chin-up bar this week and continue adding/using weights to my workouts so my body gets stronger and doesn’t get used to the same thing over and over. And heck, as my body gets lighter, bodyweight workouts get easier and that’s not what I want.
Right there w/ ya. Last week I lost 0 lbs and boy was I bummed. The question becomes, ‘Now what?’ We both know the answer to that one; Keep with it! It will come. It has to. We can’t be feeling like we have and not have any results to show for it. They are there and they will continue to come. It may take longer, but I’ve come to realize that my bodyfat was not built in one month, so I will not be losing it in one month either. Don’t ever give in or give up! You will be No More Fat Dad! (just like me)
Hey Ari, thanks for the comment. You’re right, this is a long term process and I can’t be discouraged with just one way in. Thanks for the encouragement, it really does help!
hey steve, not sure why, but your comments on my page have been going to spam. weird. i guess i’ll just have to start checking my spam now, haha…
anyway, i think i mentioned before that although it’s great to have mini-goals, keep in mind the mathematics of it all. also remember that your body adjusts to changes, so sometimes you have to tweak things in your diet or workouts to get it to respond.
also, i haven’t started a bellyoff page on the menshealth site. with work and home life it’s hard enough for me to keep up with my current blog!
keep up the good work!