I Used to Keep Time in a Bottle

Wow, I logged in this weekend thinking that I had not been on here in a week or maybe 10 days.  Wow, was I ever wrong!  It’s been forever.  Where did that time go?  I guess in all my excitement of not having to go to class or do homework in the evenings, I have allowed myself to goof off like crazy.  I have been catching up on reading (HOBBIT & LORD OF THE RINGS, plus HARRY POTTER  5 and 6, amongst others).  I took a break from watching wrestling for awhile because it was becoming an obsessive hobby, but I have been easing back into it, watching a little here and there.  Plus, I am learning to enjoy MMA, thanks to watching a season of THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER (thank you, Netflix).  So, with all that in place, I have completely spaced about writing on this page.  So to all five or six of you readers out there:  I apologize. 

What’s to share?  First, Melody and I will do measurements on Thursday morning because it’s been awhile.  I am scared because I seem to have a mental block about getting past 350 pounds.  Every time I get close, then I go up 4-5 pounds.  Then I get close again, and then back up.  Melody suggests that I add more activity on my days off from her to jumpstart my system, particularly something that I don’t normally do.  I can’t very easily go hiking or running at the beach given my trasnaport situation, but we agreed that I would try doing some “laps” on the staircase in my complex.  It’s five floors high counting the two parking levels, so 10 times up and down a few times a week should properly kick my butt into gear.  We worked out today — guaranteeing that I am sore lots and lots — so I will start the stair thing tomorrow. 

Speaking of today. . .we did medicine ball workout today.  It was only 6 exercises:  lunges, rows, one-legged deadlifts, pushups, an overhead carry, and rainbow presses, all with a heavy ball involved in some way.  The last one is a squat where you also lift a ball over and across your head in a rainbow shape.  We have done them before several times, but they always whup me — especially because I am basically doing 30 squats in a row, a feat that would nearly defeat me even without a heavy ball involved.  Anyway, it was a great workout even if it took me the whole hour to do two sets of each exercise, hating every minute of it.  It left my legs exhausted and my arms and upper body like jello.  Good times. 

I needed a good day because last week I had a total bust of a workout.  Even though I had eaten decently and gotten 6 or 7 hours of sleep, I was completely exhausted.  We had to cut the workout very very very very short.  I was really frustrated but just couldn’t do it (the only other time I struggled so badly was the time I tried to work out on 90 minutes sleep several months back).  She suggested that I was perhaps coming down with something and that everyone has a bad day now and then.  So we rescheduled, and I made sure to get some good rest that night.  It was bizarre — even walking home was almost painful, so maybe I did have something wrong that day?  Fortunately, I felt better the next morning.  (Mel says there was a guy who kept working out with another trainer at one of her gyms once for a month when he had strep; she’s pretty sensitive about not working out when you are sick!)

I went to my first yoga class this weekend, at my church.  It turned out to be really light, which I needed.  See, I have been waiting for 6 months or so to start taking any yoga, having tried it in years past and suffering so badly due to my current physical condition.  This time worked out really well because the free class has been on hold for the summer, and this weekend started the new season.  So the teacher kept things nice and easy, which suited me just fine.  I was a little sore that day, but none at all the next morning.  Woohoo! 

Enough. . .

Workouts are Like Bad Medicine

Not a lot of new info to report since my “baby 300″ workout.  One thing that happened over the weekend was that I got a major grocery delivery from Vons.com, something I had been meaning to try (well, I was going to try albertsons.com until Von’s was recommended to me).  Worked great — they were here in the first 39 minutes of the 2-hour window.  My fridge and cabinets are overflowing in a way that hasn’t happened since I moved into this apartment because I have had to keep my grocery purchases small to be able to carry them far.  Having a full larder is like just doing laundry or coming back from the cleaners.  You feel like you can have or do anything you want!  Much, much better than when running low, and you have to choose between canned tuna and canned tuna.

Monday’s workout was a killer.  We did everything using those giant rubber balls, and I think I discovered some muscles in my back and shoulders especially that I didn’t know I had.  We have done things using the resistance ball before, but never has the whole workout surrounded using them.  Mel called it “advanced”, and  think she was right. 

And Now For Something Completely Different

I have just come from the gym, and I am all noodle-y in the arms and legs (in fact, even typing this is a bit tough).  Today we did a modified version of The 300 Workout.  The goal was to finish in 15 min, but it took me 17:55.  Here’s what I did, non-stop as best as possible:

• 30 Lat Pulldowns
• 30 Deadlifts (with a barbell of about 40 pounds)
• 30 pushups (on my knees, of course)
• 25 jump-ups (on about a 4 inch step)
• 25 squats
• 25 wipers (lying on back with weighted bar held straight up; bend knees and twist them side to side like a windshield wiper)
• 25 crunches
• 25 clean-and-press (25 on each arm with a 15 pound dumb bell)
• 25 lunges on each leg
• 3 “sprints” up and back (probably 15 yards – I use quote marks because in no way can I sprint yet, but it was a kind of jog I was proud of)

I think that’s everything.  I was completely fried afterwards, but I felt good about the whole thing.  After about a 5 minute rest, I tried to start another exercise, but we stopped after 5 reps.  It was clear I was done.  Melody said we’ll try this workout again in a month.  I just looked it up online, and it seems to have been a kind of fitness test, and it’s a lot more strenuous than the one I just did.  I figure if it can help me look like those guys in The 300, then it’s all worth it. 

I am just coming off of a bad eating experience.  Last weekend, I was vacation, and I ate a lot of crap (it all tasted good, to be sure, but it was a lot).  This whole week hasn’t been much better, as I have been out of groceries and eating out a lot.  But I am going to the grocery store later today, and I’ll be able to get back on the horse as they say.  I want to beat myself up for it all, but I have to keep remembering that doing something week after week and month after month is hard.  No one is going to be perfect every day, but we soldier on.

It’s all good. . .

She Drives Me Crazy

Okay, no one drives me crazy, for the purposes of this posting.  Oh, except for that stupid math.  I just posted some new measurements, and they are bizarre.  First off, nearly everything is down.  In particular, my chest and waist and hips have decreased somewhat, which pleases me.  But then you notice that my neck went UP a quarter inch.  ????  And my arms and thighs are bizarre in how they don’t match.  I would assume that at least in my arms, the right side would always be bigger — my being right-handed and all.  Also, I was really frustrated about the bodyfat.  Melody shushed me, though.  She said that the electronic device she uses for measuring has a 3% range of variance, so a difference of 0.3% is not at all unusual.

But I suppose I am in this bizarre limbo right now, losing pounds but slowly gaining some muscle and dealing with crazy floppy skin.  In the end, the number are good, though.  I continue to be down, and there’s not a lot of complaint I can make.

A couple of days ago, I pulled my belt tight to 6 notches without even realizing it.  It was a little tight, but it was definitely the tightest I have gone on it yet!

I need more groceries.  I think I may try to hit up Whole Foods Monday evening.  I am tired of shopping at Ralphs, and I haven’t been to WF in months.  I’ll have to take a cab home, though. . .

Communication Breakdown!

Okay, so I updated my weight to 354.  Nice, huh?  I am so very close to my first goal weight of 350.  Another week or two and I should bust right past it (especially if Mel keeps kicking my butt in workouts like last Friday and this morning!).  On Friday, we did a lot of squats, among many other things, this time with 26-pound weights.  I really felt good about the squats, getting nice and low and not really suffering as much as usual during them.  BUT, my legs were sore all weekend, more than they have been in awhile — although Melody, if you are reading this, you must know that I am always a bit sore from my workouts. LOL

Then today we used medicine balls to do stuff I have already done before — but at a terribly evil level.  Lunges holding the ball out in front, trying to touch the floor.  Two-handed rows with a ball that you couldn’t grip.  Pushups on two medicine balls instead of the floor.  More stuff like that.  None of it was pretty, and I had to rest a lot between reps, but it felt good afterwards.  [Right now, I am not so sure.  ]

I called this posting “Communication Breakdown” because I had miscommunicated something to myself and to you.  As I was updating my weight page, I noticed that the math for total loss was wrong.  Instead of being 80 pounds down as of this weekend’s weight, I am 81 pounds down. 

So, yeah, um, you go, me.

Break on Through to the Other Side!

Three new pieces of fantastic info!

1.  Finally broke through the 360 plateau.  This Saturday, measured at 357!  Woohoo!

2.  Moved my belt in a notch the other day without even realizing I was doing it!

3.  I did two REAL pushups the other day!  And I have done at least one each day since.  Long time coming on that one.

Enough for now.  So far so good.

The Long and Winding Road

I have made some updates: Measurements, Photos, and Weight.

I have been frustrated by the stagnation in weight. I guess this is another of those famous plateaus you hear so much about — I had a similar one around 380, to tell the truth. I am thinking of maybe going to smoothie-only for about two days to jumpstart my system. I may do that later this week or even this weekend if things stay the same. I have read that in small doses, it’s good to “shock the system” now and again. (The operative word being SMALL doses — many people take that concept to the extreme.)

I am quite pleased about the measurements, though. Everything is down where it should be. The only numbers that went up were the ones I would hope and expect to improve: Arms and Thighs. I would hope my arms improved as muscle mass develops, weak as they were. And my thighs can’t help but develop muscle with all the squats, step-ups, and lunges Melody has me doing!

My clothes are feeling good, too. I have been wearing size 52 slacks, and they feel a little baggy (Remember, I started at 58, and those were snug). My 52 jeans, which were borderline tight when I bought them, are now too big. And I am a notch deeper on my belt. Can’t complain. I even wore my size 50 shorts all weekend, the first extended shorts-wearing I have experienced in probably two years!

This is a busy time for me, as I have two summer intensive classes crossing over each other right now. In a few weeks, that’ll all be over. But I am still making my 5:30am workouts (3 1/2 weeks and counting at that time slot). The other week, I learned just how important it is to get a good sleep before my workouts, as I really, really struggled after having been up very late working on a paper. But it was a good lesson.

To conclude: I am not happy about the weight right now, but I am generally pleased with the whole picture. As I come upon 6 months at the end of July, I am going to get into the doctor and have my blood pressure, cholesterol, etc checked. I hope to see major improvements.

So until next time. . .

Monday, Monday

Still recvovering from my last workout. We did mostly cardio that time, with a lot of punches and kicks. Oh, and some more of those danged walking lunges and tricep dips and knuckle pushups (still on my knees — I keep trying a real one, and I am getting closer; today my pushups were faster). And those weren’t the only exercises. A butt-kicking workout, but a good one.

I promised to share some good victlories. Well, one really nice one, actually. The other day, I was talking to a former classmate. We sat together two quarters ago, and I hadn’t really seen him in almost 4 months. The first thing out of his mouth was, “Wow, you’ve lost a lot of weight!”

That’ll make your day — I don’t care who you are. . .

You’re the Best Around!

I just posted an update to the weight page:  360.  Only averaged about a pound a week since the last measurement, which kinda sucks.  But still down three pounds!  I am about 4 months into the program now, and I have lost almost 75 pounds.  Man, I am excited as can be!  I just realized I have fallen behind on doing measurements, so I will try to get some taken next week.

This week, I started 5:30am workouts with Melody.  It’s been tough to get up, but I always feel better all day long knowing that I did something really good.  Okay, so I also tend to feel sore all day long, but who’s counting?  Today, I did 25 inch-worms at the gym (one set of 15, and another one of 10).  I remember when I first tried to do ONE and couldn’t do it.  She suggested that I could do a pushup at the end of each one, but I just laughed bitterly.  Still, I was pleased with my performance.  On Wednesday, we upped the kettle bell swings and rows to 44 lbs from the previous high of 36.  Definitely difficult to do, but I didn’t feel so bad as I expected.

That’s enough for this posting.  Next time, I will share some non-gym victories this week.

Can You Picture That?

I finally uploaded the photos from June 3, 2008.  You can see that I am wearing pants two sizes smaller than the previous set of photos, and those pants are soon to be replaced by shorts or another size smaller pant.  So I’ve got that going for me, which is nice. . .