Day 7 - End of Week One and Monday's Spotlight

Well that's the end of week one.  Overall pretty good, we'll have to wait for the scale tomorrow, but no matter what it says I know I've started making real change this week.

Lots of people help me with this journey, and every Monday I intend to recognize some of them. Today I want to talk about the guy who has developed the workout program I am following.

Robert Foster, Owner of www.trainersonsite.com , and his wife Michelle are a potent health combination. Robert is an accomplished Personal Trainer, Michelle a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. Between the two of them is a ton of knowledge about the human body and how to get it healthy.

I met Rob through Karate a couple of years ago, and quickly recognized the intense passion he has for physical training.  Rob keeps himself in top shape, working out daily in addition to Karate, and delivering training sessions for clients. He does all this while still finding time for his wonderful family.

Rob and Michelle have been cheering me on as I try to get healthy for the last while now, and their help in this 100 day challenge cannot be understated.

Besides designing my workouts to maximize what I can do, while avoiding exercises that could trigger old injuries I deal with, Rob has given me a program I trust, at a level that provides sufficient challenge for change. He checks with me on a regular basis to see what is working and what isn't, he calls or emails just to let me know he is there to help me achieve my goals.

The passion these two have for fitness, the energy they bring, the belief they show in me being successful is infectious, and I am forever grateful for having them help me start this journey.

Today's Workout

TRX and Strength

Calories Eaten - 2222
Calories Burned - 3240

Day 3 - Planning the Weekend

First an admission.  I had a meeting to go to tonight, had an errand to run after it. Got home late.

Did NOT want to go do my row. No matter how brief the rowing workouts are right now as I build my form and stamina for longer sessions, I just had no desire to do it.

But I did. I went downstairs and did my planned session.

Why?

Because I got myself into this mess partially by taking shortcuts. Taking the easy way. Letting my bad planning become an easy excuse to not workout, or make a good meal choice, or just be lazy as a husband, father, son, friend.

This is about action. This is about seeing things through. So to the rower it was.

Speaking of planning, I'm away this weekend, so there will likely be no update until Sunday. I'll be off with no Internet access.

Does that mean no workouts? Bad meal choices? No accountability?

HELL NO!!

My DW (darling wife) has been hard at work making sure that I will have the right meal choices with me. It's amazing the support I get from her.

I've planned my workout schedule around my weekend. Friday, before I leave I have a strength workout from my friends @trainersonsite.  Then Saturday is a scheduled rest day, and Sunday I'll be back in time to get my rowing workout in again.

It's this planning that's key. When we just react to what is happening we don't always leave ourselves enough time to do the right thing, so we do an easy thing.

I can't do that anymore, it lead me to misery, so I have a plan for how to maximize what I can.  Sure the unpredictable happens, but we pretend it happens way more than it does. We know Sunday traffic is bad coming home from the cottage, but we pretend to be surprised when we get home at 10pm, too late for a workout.  (For the record I am leaving early and expect to be home mid afternoon, lots of time)

Don't set yourself up to fail. Have a plan. Take action. Give yourself your best chance at success for all your goals.

See you Sunday with a recap.

 - by the way, every Monday I will be featuring someone who inspires me to push myself, these are friends and family that I admire for their own stories, efforts or support. Be sure to check in on Mondays to see who is featured each week.

Today's Workout

Rowing 2400m

Calories Eaten - 2163
Calories Burned - 3448

Be well!

100 Days

100 Days.  Little more than 3 months.

How much has changed in your life?

 How much of your life have you changed?

100 days ago I had a huge eating binge. How huge? 14579 calories.

14579. No that's not a typo.  That includes at one point 5536 during a 40 minute car ride home from downtown.

Can't live like that. You cannot go out and eat a weeks worth of food in a day and expect life to be grand.

100 days ago I had my last binge. I'm proud of that. But what can I do with the next 100?

What could I do to change the fat man by November 26th?

I made a commitment 100 days ago not to go on any more crazy binges. I've battled binges all my life, and 100 days later I've been successful so far.

So lets lay down a new challenge.

A good friend of mine Rob Foster is the owner of Trainersonsite.com. Rob is a great guy and he's been trying to help me for a while now. Despite my struggles he has maintained his energy and drive to see me through it all.

So what if I made this commitment. I'm going to follow Rob's program he's given me for the next 100 days.

In the last 100 days I helped myself. Now lets start getting help from experts.  I'm going to take advantage of people who want to help me, like Rob.  I'll  use tools like bodymedia.com and Myfitnesspal.com to track my food for the next 100 days, making sure I finish in the negative at least 6 days out of every 7.

Lets spend 100 days and start reversing this fat man. Lets spend 100 days together and see what happens.

100 days ago I had my last binge. Today starts the next 100 days. Join me, see how it goes.

Check back here frequently, my goal is to update as often as I can, daily whenever possible so that people can see the progression.

The 260lb bounce

For those of you losing weight, do you have a number that gives you trouble?

I do, 260lbs.

I've been over that number for along time now, and every time I approach it I bounce off it like some sort of damned trampoline.

I can't tell you the number of times I've hit it, like some sort of perverse paddle ball I slam into 260, then BOING, 261, 262, 263, refocus, 262, 261, 260, 259.8 (feel the trampoline stretch...) BOING 261 262.

I'm sick of it.

So the question is why? And I hate the answer.

The answer is me.

 I focus for a few weeks, I maintain my discipline, and about the time I get near that milestone, I start to slack off. It happened again over the last couple of weeks. My commitment, particularly to healthy eating, started to slack off a bit and the hard work I had done to get down to 260 goes out the window.

The number actually means nothing. Nada, zilch. It's only in my head because I let that correlation start to convince me that somehow 260lbs is different than 261.

It isn't. It's just a number, one of many I have to work through in order to achieve my goals.

How many of your life's challenges are like that? How often do you say, "oh, that's the one I can't get past"? Are you being honest with yourself? Is it a true milestone? A true obstacle? or just something you let get into your head?

 Is it simply you?

My demonic trampoline isn't 260lbs, its my own inability to maintain the commitment required to punch through it.

I was 261.4 this morning, after being 260.2 earlier last week. When I next write this blog, my goal is to be able to tell you that I maintained my discipline, that I ate healthy, that I exercised, and that I blew a giant hole in that 260lb trampoline, and tossed it in the trash, never to see it again.

Find your obstacle, the one you can't get past, and spend the next couple weeks with me breaking through it. Come back here Feb 6th with your own tale of conquest!

Follow me on twitter @fatfitman

A new year begins for all, and a new decade for me!

Monday seems like a good day for regular blog entries, so we'll aim for that going forward, as I said before, ideally weekly, but bi-weekly at the least.

Welcome to 2012 everyone, a new beginning to the rest of our lives. A chance as we say goodbye to the old year to say hello to new habits and a new outlook.

And for me, a special milestone last Thursday, my 40th birthday. Celebrated in fine style with my beautiful wife.

You can't ever move forward unless you know where you have been, and you can't measure your changes unless you know where you are now. So, some key points for where I am now.

Current Weight : 261.4 (made it through new years and my birthday with a 3lb loss, not bad, now time to really go)
Current BMI: 35.4  (Obese Class II)
Waist Circumference : 45in (40inches is the point at which heart and diabetes risk increases)
5K Personal Best : 43:03.9
# of pushups before exhaustion = 18 (ugh, wow that's low)


Turning 40

I've been asked a few times in the last few days if turning 40 has bothered me, if I feel older. The simple answer is no. But there is a more complex one.

Turning 40 has been difficult for one reason, from a standpoint of health very little has changed for me in the past decade. Make no mistake, overall my life is VASTLY superior to where it was 10 years ago. Family, job, happiness, all dramatically better. But the one thing, the health of this now 40 yr old body, that hasn't changed. I've gotten older, but I've missed so many opportunities to get fitter.

So rather than languish on that shortcoming, I need to use it to power me into the next 40 years. I don't want to waste 10 years, 10 weeks, 10 days or 10 minutes in my drive to a healthier 41 year old me. I don't like feeling this way, and it is in my power to stop.

They say you are only as old as you feel, well I can't wait to find out how much younger I feel as the weight comes off and the energy goes up!

I have to give a couple of shout outs here, first thanks to @bl11courtney for the retweet recently, great to have some many new people on board with me!

Second, to my friend NS, congratulations on your 30lb weight loss. Your success is inspirational!

Hang in there everyone, keep at your plan, keep looking at your goals, keep yourselves and others motivated for change, and lets all change together!

@fatfitman

And now the hard part

So, 2 weeks ago, 265lbs

This morning 260lbs.

Gotta say I am pretty happy about that. Worked out more days than not in the last 2 weeks, ate better (though not perfect) and ultimately am rewarded with 5lbs of weight loss.

Last time I saw the sub-260lb me was earlier this year, and not long before I found ways to short circuit myself. Hopefully this time I can say goodbye to the 260lb me forever.

What's to stop me?  The holidays.

Every dieters nightmare, the holidays bring with it turkey, stuffing, chocolates, wine, candied yams, mashed potatoes made with cream, more wine,  snack foods, appetizers.

And that's just the food.

Parties, drinks with neighbours, office lunches, festive specials.

And that's just the events,

Shopping, crazy malls, food courts, what to buy, interminable lines, out of stock, in-laws coming over, every weekend booked from now til January.

Basically, it is 6 weeks of high-stress, surrounded by the food that got me (and many of you) into trouble in the first place.

So how do we get past it? Well, first acknowledge it's going to be hard, be ready for it. I won't be expecting 2lbs a week out of myself over the next few weeks. I do however expect to continue losing. With that in mind this is the time to be especially vigilant on all those days you don't have an event.this is not the time of year for a quick trip to Wendy's, or for some extra little weekday treat. This is when 90% of your meals have to be very healthy options. Balanced, filling, healthy meals, because the other 10% are going to be trouble.

As for that other 10%, well, a few tips. Avoid loading up on breads, enjoy the main courses, avoid the appetizers. At parties, stay away from those easy snacks that seem to keep filling your mouth while you chat with friends. Watch how much you are drinking, switch to water when you can. Be very mindful of EVERYTHING you put in your mouth this month, don't mindlessly snack.

Lastly, but importantly, exercise. It's a busy time of year, but this is when you have to say "My health comes first" find the time to work out. Morning, after shopping, before bed, just get moving. Find ways to sneak in extra burn, don't fight for the close parking space at the mall, park in the far reaches and enjoy the walk. the exercise will help with all the extras we are bombarded with, and its a great way to bleed off some of the stress.

It's this time of year where we face the most challenges, re-focus, put in that effort, and make this a truly happy, and guilt-free holiday season.

I'll see you all at the malls. I'll be in parking lot Z, Row 30, right next to the abandoned shopping cart.

@fatfitman

Motivation in 140 Characters or less, thanks @BL11Austin

Journeys of change are hard. Ask anyone who is on one or try one yourself and you'll see. If you know someone who has quit smoking, lost weight, kicked a bad habit, gone back to school, well, then you know someone who has challenged themselves and come out better for it. But take a second to appreciate just how hard a trip it was.

It's never an easy trip, and there are lots of pitfalls along the way. Lots of reasons to just go back to what is comfortable. Lot's of reasons to simply live in the now instead of being focused on your future.

And sometimes we need a little help, and sometimes it comes from surprising sources.

Earlier this week I posted a blog quoting Austin from The Biggest Loser. When I sent out a tweet tagging Austin I immediately got a response from him encouraging me. But that's not where the story ends.

The next day was hard, really hard. I didn't want to work out. I wanted to eat about half a tub of ice cream and just feel better for a minute. Then I took a quick look at my blog, I noticed that my last entry had 10X the amount of traffic I normally get. But I didn't know from where. I logged into twitter and discovered to my great joy that Austin had tweeted a link to my blog to his followers, and all these eyes had come over to read my story.

All these people, many in the same boat as me, reading about my struggles, my achievements, my journey.

And a funny thing happened. My motivation went through the roof. My next entry couldn't be about a failure. I couldn't let myself down and have to share that with everyone.

Austin, this young 20-something from California had, in under 140 characters, got me off a couch and out the door for a run.  The ice cream forgotten, a healthy snack in its place. My journey uninterrupted. The struggles of the last 6 weeks erased, I wake up this morning back to 258.6, those extra pounds shed and me ready to continue.

I know weight loss, and any self-help goal has to be motivated by your own desire to change, it has to be a little bit selfish. But sometimes we all need some help. Sometimes it's a friend with a kind word. Sometimes its a family member with nothing more than a look. Sometimes it's a quote, an image, a TV show that gets us moving.

And sometimes its a stranger, a young man, tweeting from California, who gets us going again.

Thanks Austin,  I needed that.

Fatfitman

Don't go backwards

A very good friend of mine (JL) said something once I have always loved. "Let the bridges I burn light my way"  Though he wasn't exactly making the point I am, the sentiment is the same. Don't go back the way you came, don't even allow yourself the option. Always move forward and create situations where moving forward is the only choice.

I mentioned in my last blog I needed to change my workouts because of an injury (which by the way I will be seeing a specialist about in July). So since one of my goals this year is to run in a 5K race, I figured i would start my training for that.

but how do I get myself out and doing it? Well, the easiest way to stop saying "I'll start tomorrow" was to force myself into a situation where tomorrow wasn't an option. I registered for the 5K race that is held in concert with the Mississauga Marathon. The 5K is held May14th. That's a mere 5 1/2 weeks away. That leaves me about the bare minimum amount of time to go from couch potato to struggling runner. I do not expect to be able to run the course by then, but I do expect to be able to run most of it. If you want to see a handy program for going from couch to run click here.

So last night was my first crack at the distance, finished in 43:59. Mostly a brisk walk, but for the first 20 minutes I alternated running and walking as per the program above. My neighbourhood is very quiet, beautiful and a little spooky in the dark I discovered.

The main thing is i know have a goal, an immediate one, one I can't ignore and delay and say I have lots of time for. I've committed to this run, I've left myself no option to slack off in the training. For the next 6 weeks it's all about getting ready for that day. Moving forward, one step at a time. I have my plan, my route is laid out, all I have to do is execute it.

I'll keep you up to date on the progress.  What's your goal, and what are you doing to get yourself there?

3 Months in..An Overdue Update

So where have I been?

Stalled and stalling.

I did not want to write this blog. See, blogging is easy when you're doing well, it's a chance to motivate others and celebrate your own successes at the same time.

But what if you haven't been succeeding? what if you've been failing...Miserably? What if a diet health blogger yesterday saw they gained 4 pounds over the last month or so and decided to celebrate that misery by having an ice cream cone and a slice of pizza?

How do you put your failures out there right alongside your successes?

Well, something like I just did I suppose.

I mentioned previously that I had suffered a training injury. For those who have been asking, the injury has not healed, in fact it has become worse. this has stopped me from continuing my P90X training, at least for now anyway.

Stopping the workouts is not an excuse for weight gain, anyone serious about a journey to a healthy weight knows that the number one thing that makes an impact is what you eat, not what you burn. But stopping the workouts had an unexpected effect on me. It broke my routine, it sapped my motivation. It made me stop thinking about the penalty of bad choices because I just went back to all my habits before the changes.

This can't continue. I still need to be below 220lbs before Dec 31st (minimum) I made a commitment, to my readers, to my family, and, most importantly, to myself.

So, step one, admit I screwed up. Say it aloud, get it out there. Be accountable for it (thanks JB). Blog about it. the blog and knowing people are reading it is immensely motivating for me. I should have been on here a bunch, I wouldn't have slipped as far.

Step two, make adjustments. Watch the input of food, watch it closely. Find a new exercise routine until my wrist is healthy. Looks like I'll start prepping for the 5K a little earlier than I had planned.

Step three, keep it up. Do it today, then tomorrow. Small good decisions, made consistently, until I'm back in the pattern again.

Back on my feet folks, off the coach and away from the nachos. Hope you'll continue to join me.

Fatfitman

Not all pain is gain

So chaos has reigned around my place recently. We've been battling sick kids, a leaky basement, a collapsing pool liner, and our own illnesses. Quite a 2 weeks.

To top it off I suffered a training injury about a week ago that has just been getting progressively worse. As a result I cannot do most of my strength building exercises, so my P90X routines have come to a crashing halt until my wrist heals. I can still do excerpts from them, but not the full workouts.

To top it all off my treadmill broke and now I need to have a service call on it.

I am in an excuse-rich environment. I could easily just back it in and say "it's not my fault". however, i didn't.

what i did do was pay even closer attention to what I could do. I watched my calories. i watched my choices about portions, types of food, putting myself in vulnerable situations. I reached out to my support network for help a few times.

So this morning, the leak is fixed, the kids are getting better, the service guy is coming for the treadmill soon, and hopefully by the weekend I can start moving and burning more. But, the real question I had was, how did I do through these trials?

So I stepped on the scale.

258.8

WHAT?????

258.8

I broke through that damned 260lb mark. Put it behind me..Forever.... I'm not going back over that number ever again in my life. I haven't been under 260 since probably last summer, and despite all that went on the last few weeks, I managed to find a way to slay the 260lb Guy and now am looking forward.

I feel energized, I feel proud, I feel like I overcame obstacles that would have sent me scurrying for a Burger King Whopper in the past.

Don't let your obstacles lead you to excuses. Find a way around, over or through them. You might be amazed at what you are capable of when you stop believing that you can't do something, or that something is too hard.

The sweetest victories are the ones we are surprised by, fight those tough battles my friends, the rewards are worth it!

NOTE:  I received a note from a follower asking for help. When she makes Kraft Dinner at home she almost always eats the whole box, invariably feeling guilty and a little ill afterwards. She wanted to know how to avoid that.  Well, besides not cooking it (or having it in the house to start with) I would suggest the following. As soon as it's ready, take the pot, walk over to your trash and throw half of it away. Don't wait until you taste it and start to be seduced by the processed cheesy salty goodness. If you must have it, force yourself to limit it by getting rid of half before you even start.

If anyone has any other questions I'll try to answer them in future entries. 

Nothing happens in a straight line

I'm just back from 2 weeks on the road. The first week was for business in Cleveland. More on that later. The second trip was 10 days in Florida with my family. To save on airfare we drove down.

In a straight line it is 1184 miles from Toronto to Fort Myers, FL. By car it is 1520 miles. 340 miles, 20% of the trip is zig zagging your way down the highways, 340 extra miles because it's not a straight line drive. We have to go around obstacles like hills, lakes, valleys.

Weight loss is similar. I'm not just going to go and drop 50 straight pounds...I wish. I'm going to have good days and bad, good weeks and bad. I'll get to my goal, but I'll have travelled a lot further than 50lbs to get there.

On January 30th I announced I had lost that first 10lbs. well, a few weeks on the road has proved to be a detour. I now weigh 263.8.

I could get all depressed here, and quit the process. I could say, well, it's bad, so I'll start tomorrow and have a nice grilled cheese and bacon sandwich for lunch. but just like driving to Florida, i want to get there. I don't want any more detours than I have to make. So the bodymedia armband is back on, I have an exercise date with my wife tonight, and we start pushing deeper into the process.

Some people have been asking me how I managed on the road with food and exercise.  Well, it is HARD!!! Driving along seeing nothing but McDonald's, Cracker barrel, KFC...All poor choices. Subway was my salvation. Turkey subs, light or no mayo, lots of veggies, water to drink. healthy snacks in the car, made before we set out by my wife. Planning a little, waiting until we saw a Subway saved untold calories.

During the business trip it was even worse. At least in Florida we were staying at my parents house allowing us to cook. While in Cleveland I had to really watch what happens in the restaurants. Salad appetizers, dressings on the side, choosing small beef dishes (careful with chicken, many restaurants saute, or sometimes even presoak the chicken in butter!), went out for fish one night.

I was less successful with the exercise, in Cleveland I should have done much more, in Florida lots of walking.

All in all 2lbs or so gained after 17days on the road is not terrible. It's a detour. I didn't go too far out of my way, and I am ready for the next leg of the journey. I have to push hard these next few miles to make up some lost time, but overall...I'm still on course.  How about you? Still on that good track?

How do you fit it in?

Family. Religion. Friendship. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business. - Montgomery Burns

He could just as easily have been talking about fitness it seems.  Probably the number thing I am hearing from friends and family is where do you find the time to work out every day? I won't lie to you, it's tough. Two toddlers, a career, new house. It's a challenge when it's 9pm, all I want to do is sit down on the couch with my wife and watch TV.

But everyone does that, and the latest data shows we're all getting progressively bigger and more out of shape. And I've always done that, sat in front of the TV. And I've gotten progressively bigger and more out of shape. My favourite definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. How can I expect to get healthier, how can I expect to achieve my goals if I just sit here.

So last night my DW (darling wife) and I went downstairs after the kids were in bed and worked out together. I have to give her special credit here, last night was a resistance workout, she is not a fan of these, but she stuck to it and worked hard. She's also promised to join me tonight for the Yoga DVD. I always look so awkward compared to her doing Yoga, but I'll be doing it nonetheless.

When you have a goal, a dream, a journey, never forget you can't get there by standing still. You can't rise above the masses by simply doing what everyone else is doing. You have to put in that extra effort. you have to do the things others are not. You have to find it within yourself to stand up, get away from the couch, away from the TV, away from your comfort zone and start putting in the work to get to your goal. Unlike what Monty Burns said at the start of this blog you do not have to sacrifice those around you, you can find ways to make them part of it. I challenge all of my readers to do something tonight that moves you a step closer to your goal. If you are serious about your own goals you'll find the time.

It's worth it.

Mind Willing Body Screaming

I'm drenched in sweat, my arms ache, It's 1030 Sunday night and I have just collapsed at the end of my second set of diamond pushups. My basement floor is very comfortable. Nice and cool, lost of space to writhe in agony.

I started P90x last night. There are 3 variations of the program, classic, cardio and doubles. Lets forget doubles. Its for the heavy duty fitness junkies with loads of time. The classic variation is a bit more resistance training oriented than Cardio, although both programs have elements of the other.

The first classic routine is Chest and Back. The best way to work those muscles are push ups and pull ups. Different variations of each, with some weight training mixed in. 12 exercises in all, 2 sets. Push ups and pull ups eh? ok, I did Basic once, how hard could this be?

Did I mention I did basic 17 years ago? And that I haven't done true exercise in a while? I completed the program, perhaps setting new lows in P90X history for reps. Pull ups are a special level of hell. Overhand, under hand, wide, narrow, all the different variations, but ultimately pull ups are about one thing, Strength to Weight ratio. Let's see, I weigh 262lbs, and have the upper body strength of a small child. Total Pull ups - 0.

But here is where I like this program, in every routine is a demonstration of a modified version to be used when you are starting out. Use a chair under your foot and push with one leg to assist you doing pull ups, or do your push ups on your knees. All designed to make this program inclusive.

I had to work hard, It was late when I finished, but I did finish. Heart rate nicely elevated the whole time, and according to my bodymedia device I burned about 590 calories that hour.

One of the catch phrases you hear a lot of on the videos is just press play. Don't worry about how many reps, don't worry if you can't keep up, just be here, show up, try. I think that's a lesson for all of us, no matter what we are doing. We can choose to be intimidated, to believe we can't do something, do shy away when we can't do something well. Or, we can press play, we can try, we can approach with the attitude , its not that I can't do it, it's that I currently struggle with it, but I am here, I am going to try, and I am not going to quit.

Don't quit

Press Play

Go do whats hard if it's going to lead to a better you

Tonight: Plyometrics

An Object at rest

Well, my first month is over and it's time to see how I've done so far. The good news is I am down 10.4 lbs!  I was thrilled this morning to see that number. 262lbs is still way too big, but a 10lb loss is a great start in one month. With my goal  being 50lbs (minimum) this year, it feels great to be early in the year and 20% of the way there.

I want for a moment to thank my wife for her support in the first part of this trip. It's been very challenging moving and trying to do this, and her help has been huge. Also a number of my friends for your encouraging words and support. Especially JL who took the time to break down some numbers for me on what I had done to that point, then used those to motivate me when I was a little low. It is awesome to have the support level I have had in this journey so far

But weight loss was only part of this journey. The other part was my fitness level. I can lose all the weight I want, if I am still not feeling athletic then I have only gone part of the distance. So, it's time for phase two. Start moving big guy, and moving hard!

I have exercised on and off for years, treadmills, elliptical, free weights, machines, even yoga (try it guys, it's a MUCH harder workout than you think!) The problem was, I would get lost in the sea of suggested workouts, what to do today, how much weight to lift, etc etc.

About 6 months ago one of my co-workers mentioned he was doing the P90X routines. Now this co-worker, JB, is in fantastic shape. When we go on the road he is up at o-dark-thirty for his first workout and then goes back to the hotel after work for an hour workout before dinner. He's a machine, and I am a bean bag, but the program was fascinating. The guess work over what exercise to do is handled  by the videos. 90 days of workouts, each day planned for you, all the workouts a manageable 1hour in length. Targeting different muscles, even different goals. Some days are cardio based, others strength, some flexibility, its all laid out. I tried a week a while back and really enjoyed it, but lacked the dedication to see it through.

I don't lack the dedication any more, I've shed those first 10lbs. Now its time to really bring it. The first DVD will go in tonight. The idea is 90 straight days (1 day off every 7) but I'll have to modify it a bit, life happens. But my rules will be no consecutive days off. If I must miss a day, I MUST do the next day.

Some starting numbers (these are almost as sad as my weight, but this blog is about openness and accountability)

Day 1
Weight 262
Chest 43in
Waist 45in
Hips 43.5in
Maximum push ups: 18
Heart rate after 2 min of jumping jacks: 170bpm
1min later:146

I have other numbers you record at the start of P90x, but those are the key ones. We'll check in on those after the first 30 workouts and see how I am doing.

Thanks again to everyone for the help so far. Stay with me, share your journey, and good luck with your goals!

Back to it

Distractions Distractions......Truthfully? Excuses excuses. And I am good at excuses. Really good..Especially to myself.

Since last blog I have moved houses, had some sick kids, travelled for business, and been sick myself. Now, some would say it is reasonable to take some time off from a quest during these times. That it is unreasonable to try to exercise, diet, make healthy food choices, and maintain a blog when life is so busy. I fell into these "reasons" in the last 2 weeks.

Here's the problem though. Like a person trying to quit smoking, or an alcoholic trying to quit drinking, I cannot simply "let up for a day". 1 day becomes 2, becomes 4 becomes a fortnight.  And in no time, unchecked, the old habits come back, the weight comes back. The motivation for change subsides, the accountability evaporates.

I can't let that happen. I have to make this healthy life a priority. It has to be above excuse, beyond reproach.

While I was away on business I had 5 mealtimes. Of those 5 I made exactly 1 good choice. bad odds..I had several hours in the evening to myself and the only thing I exercised was my remote control hand.

Can't do that and succeed. No matter what your endeavour, letting up for a couple of weeks puts you in a hole. You have to find a way to maintain the momentum. For me it's blogging, its watching The Biggest Loser, it's stepping on the scale and taking stock of where I am.

I was very lucky the last two weeks. Moving is hard work, and the exercise was helping me to keep losing weight while my food choices slipped.

So no more excuses, no more 2 week vacations from the effort. I'm making good progress. I need to keep driving forward. This is a year long journey, and like a job, you only get so many weeks off if you want to be successful. Those were my two weeks.

Think about you and the challenges you face on your own journey. Have you taken a few days off from your goal? Days that were counter-productive to what you were trying to achieve? Did you feel better or worse for the time off? I know my answer.

Bodymedia - Weight control through technology

I am not a Bodymedia rep, sales guy or marketer, these opinions are my own, and I gain nothing from any sales or clicks on the bodymedia website. I have not included a link as I do not want anyone thinking I am gaining from this. You can easily google bodymedia and it will take you right there.

We all need some help if we are trying to gain control of our eating, weight, exercise habits. I'll be using a tool from Bodyedia called the FIT armband. This device helps me monitor exactly who many calories I burn over the course of my day. It's worn on your non-dominant arm and measures things like temperature, perspiration, movement etc.

The idea is to take the guesswork out of your daily calorie burn...Not just how much you burn on the treadmill, but all day, everyday, while you work, while you sleep, while you play with your kids.

Why is this important?  Well, weight loss is essentially a math equation. If your calories burned exceeds your calories eaten, you will over time lose weight. About 3500 calories per pound.

The key thing is the accuracy of the measurements, treadmills and other exercise machines will give you an approximation, but they can be off substantially. Plus, you don't know how much you are burning in all your other activities.

The FIT armband doesn't just track calories, it tracks sleep, how long your moderate exercise was, how long you exercised vigorously, how many steps you took.

All of this information is helpful, but of limited usefulness if you aren't tracking everything you eat...And I mean EVERYTHING.  Snacks, portion sizes (accuracy is important!), drinks, sauces (a diet killer) etc etc etc. Included as part of the FIT program is access to some online software that makes tracking your food daily an easy task. The software is simple and intuitive, with an encyclopedic database of food, including many restaurant and brand name packaged food. if its not there, you can add your own.

How effective is it?  You'll see it used on virtually all the contestants on the Biggest Loser (very motivational show btw if you are trying to lose weight). I personally used it to lose 15lbs early last year, I regained them when I stopped using the tool. I know at least one other person who used it to great effect as well, losing over 20lbs.

Its not the answer for everyone obviously, but it's the tool I'll be using for my journey. If you have your own successful tools, I'd love to hear about them.