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  1. Week 35

    Jan 25, 2009


    That's a little more like it. A week of breaking even got me a little demoralized earlier this week. Down but not out is a more appropriate credo now though. I realized that last week's lack of progress could be blamed on poor eating habits. I simply did not eat enough to continue losing weight. This week I came back with a new strategy to eat 1,800 calories a day. I did so by eating six times at about 300 calories each. Adhering to this gave me the appropriate fuel to lose this week rather than allowing my body to think it was starving.

    FatBlogger Charles has suggested that I don't smile enough in my weigh in photos. He's right. I've got a lot to be happy about. My plan is working well and I've experienced weight loss every week except one since June. I would also like to announce my intention to participate in a half marathon in September. I've got my sights set on the Bar Harbor Bank & Trust - Mount Desert Island YMCA Half Marathon. It's a little hilly but I think I can train for that. It's just another goal to work toward, one that I hope to achieve with flying colors just like I've done with the others I've set. Number one reason to smile : I've lost another 2.4 pounds this week!

    Starting weight : 315 lbs. Last week : 235 lbs. This week : 232.6 lbs. Since previous weigh in : -2.4 lbs. Total weight loss : 82.4 lbs.

    Posted by Unknown at 2:20 PM | Labels: | 3 comments |

  2. I guess I'm over my little downer from earlier this week. Some poor decisions over the past weekend and early this week just got me depressed a little, but I'm feeling optimistic. It's amazing the emotional roller coaster an undertaking like this can put you on. Thankfully I've felt more up than down and this week I'm feeling strong for weigh in and getting 'back on the horse' so to speak.

    A really great run yesterday afternoon lifted my spirits. I took off down the beach and ran until I hit a wall. I headed north up Old Orchard Beach and ran until I hit a literal barricade. A pile of stones marks the end of the beach, actually in Scarborough, and the outlet of the Nonesuch River. I then turned around and ran straight back up the beach into a headwind and the crazy glare of the sunset. All in all I ended up doing about 6.4 miles. Running is a fantastic way to clear out the cobwebs inside one's brain. If you're considering taking up running for fitness benefits please also consider not only the physical effect, but the amazing peace of mind it can bring as well. Your mental fitness is important too.



    Having already taken three days off this week I figured it was pretty important to get a workout in today as well. Into the gym again, and while I do regularly find the place excruciatingly dull, today wasn't bad. I took it a little easy. I figure I'll hit up another run tomorrow and set my mind on a race on Sunday. I'm not sure I've mentioned the Jimmy the Greek's Frozen Four Miler. The race is to benefit the Old Orchard Beach Summer Camp Scholarship program and runs right past my home. Figured I would be a fool for not running a race that ran right past my house, so I'm game.

    Details from today's workout are available below thanks to Buckeye Outdoor's embedder. I spent some time on the elliptical today as well as the recumbent bike. I've heard reference to being in 'bike shape'. I figured being a runner would put me in the optimal shape to take on anything but damned if biking still doesn't take it out of me. Great lower intensity cardio workout today though.


    Posted by Unknown at 7:54 PM | Labels: | 2 comments |

  3. Week 34

    Jan 20, 2009

    Am writing this one a little late. Also didn't include a picture. I'm such a slacker. Actually that slacker feel has permeated my whole mentality as of late. I've hit a bit of a roadblock. I've come to a few of these so far in the journey. There have been days that I've just wanted to give up. Thankfully I've learned that those obstacles can be overcome. It's just a little hard to put down that feeling in the moment.

    I think a lot of it has to do with the current lack of variety in my routine. I've been limited by the weather slightly in that it's more difficult to run in the snow, especially since the snow has been so frequent lately, and the treadmill and elliptical provide so little inspiration. Getting into the gym is a chore. I really wish I could hit the trails again. It's indeed possible to continue hiking in the winter with the right gear, but that's gear I don't got. I want desperately to try snowshoeing and x-country skiing, but again, funds run a little dry to be spending on sporting goods right now.

    So is this an impasse? Do I ditch the whole effort? Of course the answer is no. It's also inappropriate for me to berate myself for stalling this week when I've come so far. I call on you the community to help me light a fire under my ass. You've been so supportive thus far and your cheers have often kept me going. Creative ideas on how to keep active during the winter also welcome. Thanks all.


    Starting weight : 315 lbs. Last week : 235 lbs. This week : 235 lbs. Since previous weigh in : 0 lbs. Total weight loss : 80 lbs.

    Posted by Unknown at 6:23 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  4. Brrrrrrrrrr! Absolutely brutal today. As of yet unconfirmed reports say that Maine hit an all time record low of -50 degrees F today. Not here in my neighborhood though. We only saw about -15. I wasn't really sure I would be able to get a run in today but thankfully by the time I got home this evening it had warmed up to about 12 degrees F. I've run when the temp was sitting in the teens before so with a bit of time spent on preparation I wasn't really scared. I was looking forward to getting a few good miles in to share with my new friends.

    While interacting with The Runners Round Table I met cewtwo, a member of What's a Few Miles Among Friends?. He told me a little about their group and then graciously asked me if I would like to participate. A few tweets later and I'm on board. The concept is to post the longest of your weekend runs to the group board. It's a bit of a virtual running club.

    I love the idea. The group seems extremely supportive. The page has been in place since Summer of '07 and is going strong. Many of it's members participated in the recent Walt Disney World Marathon. I think this could really be a place for me to learn and be encouraged by the successes shared by others. I'm on the brink of networking overload but dammit, it's just so much fun to meet new people, especially runners. I'm really starting to feel like I'm part of something special.

    Posted by Unknown at 8:10 PM | Labels: , | 1 comments |

  5. It's in the Beans

    Jan 12, 2009

    I'm fairly new to the idea of sports nutrition and the need to fuel during exertion, cuz well, I never exerted before now. My wife dropped some Jelly Belly Sport Beans in my stocking this year so I figured I would give them a try when I went out this evening. I was feeling pretty sluggish when I got home so I thought they may just provide the lift I was looking for.

    I don't have much basis for comparison since I'm not all that schooled in endurance yet but I think it's fair to say they worked pretty well. I felt compelled to do a tempo run with a few intervals thrown in for good measure. I can't help but wonder if I would have found the motivation to do so without that blood sugar spike to help me along. My time was pretty good too @ 30:21 over 3 miles. I'm quickening. It feels great.

    I've posted to my log at Buckeye Outdoors, the training page I'm using pretty consistently right now. This will most definitely streamline the way I've logged my workouts here on the blog. Going forward I will be embedding my training logs to future blog posts. Thanks Buckeye!


    Posted by Unknown at 4:45 PM | 1 comments |

  6. Week 33

    Jan 11, 2009


    Ahhhh, yes. Another great weigh in. Thankfully I've bucked the trend of ~1 pound weight losses I experienced just over a month ago. I'm back to 2 pounds a week or more. Going with 2 pounds per week, I'm actually 3 pounds ahead of my goal weight for this week. This has gotta slow down at some point. I have to prepare myself mentally for the point when losses are lesser and harder to obtain. I've always heard that those last 10 pounds are a bitch.

    As I continue to lose the weight, I have to wonder what the endgame actually is. Do I have a target weight? Possibly it's a different number like BMI or fat percentage. At what point do I stop worrying about losing weight and just maintaining a core level of fitness? These are all things that I will be thinking about going ahead as the idea of living life as a trimmer, fitter, and just plain healthier person becomes a reality.

    Starting weight : 315 lbs. Last week : 237.6 lbs. This week : 235 lbs. Since previous weigh in : -2.6 lbs. Total weight loss : -80 lbs.

    Posted by Unknown at 5:20 PM | Labels: | 1 comments |

  7. Gym 3.1

    Jan 10, 2009

    It's been a super long time since I've posted something from the fitness room. Actually today is a bit of a jumble of a lot of information since I haven't posted for a bit and wanted to catch up a little. I've had a lot of things on my mind lately regarding running, resolutions, and the online community.

    First lemme say, I'm quite proud of myself today. I managed to do my quickest 5K today and while it was on the treadmill rather than the road, I'm happy I finally broke 30 minutes with 29:49. It's not as much of an effort to rock those faster paces now. In addition I also hit the cross trainer for 40 minutes. Coincidentally that distance was also 3.1 miles, hence the hokey title of this post. I needed to get something in today. I've been feeling very lazy lately since I can't get outside. I COULD get outside but am a little weary of it since SteveRunner's recent mishap on icy roads, which are the same icy New England roads I run on. I'm sticking to the treadmill a little more. I just couldn't face 7 miles on that dreaded machine today so I decided to make it a fast cardio burn instead w/ a tempo run. That worked out great I think. Consider it a 'last chance workout' a la Biggest Loser. Looking forward to weigh in tomorrow. Here's today's workout:

    29:49 5K on Treadmill, 0% incline
    40 minutes Cross Trainer, Cross Training setting #2, Resistance 12, 120 strides per minute

    Average heart rate : 147 bpm Maximum heart rate : 178 Percentage of cals burned from fat : 45% Kcals burned : 750

    A little on the running community. You're aware that I'm on Twitter, Facebook, and Map My Run, but I found a couple other social networking and media pages to waste my time on. I've signed up for Buckeye Outdoors, a training site that I'm now logging my workouts on. The page also features training plans for every need. I am thinking about possibly doing a half marathon this fall and plan on utilizing Buckeye to plan my attack. The other is the Running Blogs Superfeed, a feed aggregator put forth by Nigel of Running From the Reaper to which I've submitted this blog for inclusion. Please visit both sites to show your support.

    Good luck to all those running the Walt Disney World Marathon tomorrow. I'll be following Gordon of Running to Disney via tweets, but wish all the best to everyone else participating. Well wishes are reciprocal you know, and I hope some of you runners will be thinking of me and my weigh-in tomorrow with your fingers crossed. See you all then.

    Posted by Unknown at 5:31 PM | Labels: , | 0 comments |

  8. Week 32

    Jan 4, 2009


    May I please refer back to October 13th's post Goals, in which I stated :

    "With the success of my previous goal, I've decided it may be in my best interest to set another. I've set my eyes on 240 pounds, or 75 pounds total. At two pounds per week that puts me at the first weigh-in of 2009, January 4th."

    Well, it's the first weigh-in of '09 and I'm EXTREMELY proud to say that I did it. I succeeded in achieving the exact goal I projected two and a half months ago! That's two goals I've nailed straight. I feel unstoppable. This is the lowest number I've seen on the scale in my entire adult life. I would like to remain humble but I feel if there's anything worthy of patting myself on the back for it's this.

    It's been crunch time for the last week or two but now I finally feel like I can relax slightly. Don't get me wrong, there's still work to do. I'm not talking about a 4 day Dominos binge. I think I'll celebrate with a artfully crafted fine ale tonight. I've earned it.

    Thanks so much to everyone who has helped me get this far. I'll be looking to you for your continued support in 2009. The next goal is April 12th, which I hope will bring 215 pounds to the scale, a total loss of 100 pounds. That date also happens to be my birthday, and so I see this date as potentially being my rebirth. I'm elated right now. I'm spilling tears of joy. Again, thank you all!

    Starting weight : 315 lbs. Last week : 240.8 lbs. This week : 237.6 lbs. Since previous weigh in : -3.2 lbs. Total weight loss : -77.4 lbs.

    Posted by Unknown at 1:19 PM | Labels: | 2 comments |


  9. I've come to the end of the most productive year of my life thus far. I feel fantastic. I got married in May, and what was that other thing? Oh yeah! I lost about 75 pounds. Both events have shown me that I have far more dedication than I ever knew. 2008 was the year I finally learned to love myself, and in turn, allow myself to be loved. I've learned much about myself. I've grown while I've shrunk.

    So where does that leave me going forward? My resolve has so far proven fairly strong, but like everyone else I'm thinking about my shortcomings in the last few days and looking ahead at how to change those issues. My resolutions for 2009 are as follows:


    Give more time to my grandmother. - That's an important one.

    Run a 10K - I plan to get a few more 5Ks under my belt this year and tackle at least one 10K. Probably mid-year.


    Quit smoking - I've mentioned this here before, and it's probably the demon I tangle with the most. I've not given up though.


    Post to the blog more frequently - 'Nuff said.


    Continued weight loss - April 12th is the projected date for me to have lost 100 pounds total. Projecting out a little further, June 14th is a 115 pound goal. This depends to some degree on if 2 pounds per week continues to be an attainable goal. These goals may have to be tweaked as time goes on.

    New Year's resolutions are a dime a dozen, and so few who resolve actually follow through. I think I've formed a solid enough base so far that these goals going forward are completely attainable. I've shown resolve in 2008 and I've got no one to prove anything to but myself. I've kinda become a pretty harsh critic of myself though, and I DO feel as though I still have something to prove to ME. Here's to '09.

    Posted by Unknown at 3:30 PM | 1 comments |