Weekly Weighin: The More Things Change...

It's Friday, so this morning it was once again time for me to face the scale. I didn't make it to the pool this week, but I've been really good about doing morning workouts in my living room each morning. These are the weeks that I don't know what to expect.

According to the scale, my ambivalent feelings about my weight loss were completely warranted as I neither gained nor lost any weight. Once again the scale read 199. I guess I'm a little bummed to have not lost any weight, but part of me is just happy to have stayed below 200.

It's been a bit of roller coaster lately.

I've lost, gained and lost weight. Now I appear to be sitting still. This week I'm going to really step it up and make things happen.

Weekly Weighin: There & Back Again

First of all, if you got the reference in the title of this post, I owe you one hug. Now that we have that out of the way, on with the morning's blog. It's Friday, and I'm posting in the morning, so you know I must be happy with the results of the morning's weighin.

Last week was the first time I've gained weight since I started this journey. Suffed to say, I was mildly displeased. This week, I really cranked up my diet (less than 1,600 net calories every day). I also got in two good swims at the Belton High School pool and a pretty good living room workout yesterday morning.

All that to say that I was confident I'd lost weight this week, but I wasn't sure how much. All I wanted was to weigh less than I did two weeks ago. I figured that would go a long way to erasing the shame of last week's gain. Stepping atop this scale this morning, fingers cross, muttering to myself: less than 99.8...less than 99.8...less than 99.8...

Sure enough, the kind little robot registered my new weight as being 99.4. That means that I lost all the weight I gained last week plus an extra 0.4 pounds.

My goal for this week? I want to lose enough weight that even if I gain weight again the week after, I'll stay below the 200 mark. I call it Ambitious Mediocrity.

Weekly Weighin: Relapse!

So... I weighed in Friday morning. I haven't posted the results yet. If you guessed that the results didn't have me sprinting to a keyboard, you guessed right. For the first time since I began this journey in May, I stepped aboard the scale and saw a number from my past. Sure enough, I gained weight, and it sucked.

After a 45 minute workout at the Summit that didn't include swimming, I stepped on the scale, stepped off, stepped back on again, got off, removed my shoes, stepped back on, and felt the joy drain from my heart. Last week I dropped below 200 pounds for the first time since high school. At that time, I said, "All I can think about right now is that after years in the 200's, I will not be going back. Yeah, baby!" Well, seven days later the scale read 202.4, making me not just fat, but a fat liar.
The funny thing is, I was so sure I was going to have gained weight last week, but I was unprepared for it to be the case this time around. In retrospect, I don't know how I didn't expect it. Thanks to the closing of the Summit pool and my brilliant M-W-F incident, I only got in one swim last week. While I went on a lot of runs with my dog, none of them really constituted aerobic exercise (we haven't gone much more than a mile.).

On top of all that, my diet was not what it should have been. I'd be great for the first two-thirds of the day. Then, I'd get home for dinner and eat big helpings of delicious (not healthy) food. I even had desert a few nights. On what planet could I have thought that would result in weight loss?

Sufficed to say, this just got real. I might have thought it was real before, but I was mistaken. As of Friday, I was three pounds heavier than the week before. I have four days to lose those pounds, and that's what I'm going to do.

Weekly Weighin: Yeah baby!

As of this morning my wife and I'd weight both begin with the same number. No, this is not my way of saying that she's gained 100 pounds. I'm saying that this morning the scale read 199.8 (under 200, but just barely)! Come to think of it, baby Sydney's weight also starts with a 1. It just has one less digit. How left out is she going to feel when she breaks the 20 pound mark?

I have to say, I was extremely surprised. I've been looking forward to this milestone since I began this journey in May, but I did no think this would be the morning. My sore back has really thrown off my workout regiment this week, and I thought it was more likely that I would see a weight gain than a loss. Sufficed to say, it was a pleasant surprise.

I can't remember the last time I weighed less than 200 pounds. I know I've been over 200 for the entirety of my marriage. I think I'd probably have to go back to my sophomore year of college (coincidentally timed around my 21st birthday).

I am very happy today. All the frustrations and soreness of this process suddenly feels completely worth it. I'm not even focusing on the remaining 20 pounds I need to lose before I reach a healthy BMI. All I can think about right now is that after years in the 200's, I will not be going back. Yeah, baby!

Weekly Weighin: Half-way Healthy

Is it just me, or has this been an impossibly long week. I've done a better job of getting in workouts. I used the weight bench in my garage Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Wednesday and this morning, I went for some long swims at the Summit. Since Monday, I've been really good about my diet (last weekend...not so much). All that to say, I didn't know what to expect when I stepped aboard the Summit's scale after my workout.


Tired and a little dehydrated (drinking water means gaining weight) I stepped onto the dreaded apparatus. It flitted about between decimal points and landed at 208 pounds and a few decimals (Do those even matter? This isn't trigonometry.)This represents a total weight loss of about 21 up to this point.

I'm happy with the loss. I really am, but part of me can't help but feel a little impatient, knowing that I am still 21 pounds away from a healthy BMI. That means I'm half-way there. At this rate, it may be the end of the year before I get there.

Of course, all that matters is that right now I'm heading in the right direction.

Weekly Weighin: 20 DOWN!

This has been a bad week for my fitness regiment. This morning's workout was my first since Saturday. So you see, I did not have high hopes for this week's weighin.
Sure, I've been paying attention to my diet, but it's a lot harder to stay within my calorie allowance without getting credit for calories burned. All this to say, I was pretty sure that I'd be looking at gain.

Thankfully, that was not the case. Stepping atop the scale at the Summit I was extremely surprised to see that my weight was an even 201 pounds. That's done a little more than a pound from last week, bringing my overall weight loss since starting this journey in May to 20 pounds. This is a milestone that I'm very excited to hit. Up next, I want to get below 200 for the first time in a decade!

I don't know to what I should attribute this week's weight loss. It's hard to believe that diet alone could be successful. Perhaps after a few intensive weeks of training my body was happy to have a respite. Regardless, next week it's back to work. I have another milestone to hit.

Weekly Weighin: Closing in on milestones

It's Friday, which means that this morning I dragged myself out of bed and headed over to the Summit Family Fitness Center to workout and weigh myself in. This is my 13th weigh in since I began this journey back in May, and I'm closing in on a few milestones.

After a quick 2,050 swim, I again made use of the Summit's new family changing rooms and their awesome swimsuit dryers. Dried off and full of dread, I made my way over to the scale. After the pain of the plateau I hit earlier this month, I was happy to see my new weight was 202 pounds. That's just one pound lighter than last week, but I'm grateful for it.

I'm one pound away from having lost 20 pounds total. I'm only three pounds from dropping below the 200 pound threshold for the first time since freshman year of college. That would also mean I'd love 10% of my initial body weight. I'm looking forward to hitting those goals over the next couple weeks.

Weekly Weighin: FINALLY!!!

It's Friday, which means that this morning it was once again time for me to step atop the Summit's scale and potentially start blubbering as if I were watching a Beaches marathon on Lifetime. It had been a long three weeks since the last time I'd observed any real weight loss, and I needed to see some movement on the scale this morning.

So, after getting in a really good swim workout, I prepared myself for the scale. This might sound simple, but it is not. Three painful week of null weight loss have made me paranoid about every ounce of weight. Therefore, I toweled off this morning like I was the wicked witch trying to avoid melting away. I’d dry myself off, wring out my shammy, and towel myself off more. I kept this up until I was dryer than a Baptist wedding (one to which members of my extended family were either not invited or frisked upon entry). Then I made my way over to the dreaded device.

Once again, at this juncture I was still looking to jettison any foreign weight. I took off my glasses. I took off my watch. I plucked my eyebrows and trimmed my nose hairs (this last part did lead to some strange looks from my fellow gym-goers.) Then I stepped aboard and prayed.

I don’t really even know what number I was hoping for, but I know I didn’t want to see 206 again. Fortunately, I didn’t. To my unmitigated delight the scale read 203.4. I know I don’t usually include the decimal, but I’m so happy that I can’t help it. Finally after almost a month I’ve lost weight again, 3 pounds no less! This brings my overall weight loss to 18 pounds since the beginning of May. I’m hopeful that, in the next week or two, I can take that number past 20 and break through the 200 pound threshold. I haven’t been there since I was a teenager, and man will it feel good.

Weekly Weighin: Are you kidding me?

It's Friday, and that means stepping onto the Summit scale for the first time in a week. I don't mind telling you that this is the first week that I haven't felt dread over the proposition. Between last week's zero lose and the fact that I really brought it this week, I knew I was in for a big number. Of course, I was wrong.

Last week I was frustrated by not having lost more weight, but I knew I could only blame myself. I hadn't put in the time at the gym (just two real workouts), and my diet was far from a priority. Bouncing back from that experience, I worked my butt off this week (unfortunately, not literally). Monday and Tuesday I got up early and worked out to the Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga (it may sound funny but it's not...it's torture). Then, for the first time in about twelve years, I put in three consecutive swim workouts Wednesday, Thursday and this morning. What's more, these weren't wimpy swims. I wasn't just floating for 40 minutes. I was really pushing. I did a number of sprints as part of interval training, and I timed myself on longer distances.

Approaching that scale this morning I felt great. I felt deserving. Then I stepped aboard...and I felt like I'd been kicked in the pants. I lost weight, but it was definitely in decimal form. For the last two weeks I'd weighed in at 206.8 pounds. This morning, the scale read 206.2. For those of you whose calculators don't have room for a decimal (and who didn't excel in middle school math), that means I've only lost one half of a pound in the last week. HALF A POUND!

This puts my weight loss to date at 15 pounds after 10 weeks of working out. I know I should be focusing on that 15, but I can't help but feel the 10 in marrow of my bones.

How does that happen? I worked out. I watch my calories like they were invading enemy forces. I did all the things I was supposed to do. I feel like I got gypped. I know, I know, I should be grateful that I lost something or that I didn't gain weight. I'm not grateful, though, I'm frustrated. How am I supposed to get my lazy butt out of bed at 5:45 to workout, when it hasn't really paid off recently? Wouldn't it just be easier to stay fat and just hang out with my wife and baby?

Don't worry. I haven't given up. I'll be back to work this week. I just hope that next Friday the scale is a little friendlier.

Weekly Weighin: A few days late

Friday was both a holiday from work and my fifth anniversary (You hear that, Middle School Bully, I've been married to a totally hot lady for five years!), but I still dragged my over-sized butt to the Summit. After all, I've got an embarrassing web journal to keep.

I hopped in the pool and, after a quick warm up, decided to time myself on a 1000 yards. Once again I used the 300 on - 50 or 100 easy method, focusing on a steady pace. My time was just over 14 minutes. Assuming I could keep that pace, which I think I can, I'm on track for a 25 minute mile. I'd really like to be closer to 20 minutes for the relay, but there's still time.

After my swim, as is the painful custom of this blog, I stepped aboard the Summit's scale...and did not smile. I really wanted to be under 205 pounds. That would have made me an official light heavyweight as opposed to my current heavyweight status. Alas, it was not meant to be this week. The scale read 206 pounds, the same as last week. That's zero pounds lost. Here are some possible explanations:

1.) Clearly the scale is broken (This is not the case. It started at zero and didn't move until I stepped on it.)

2.) Surely I've just swapped muscle for fat, and one of those weighs more. (I don't feel all that much stronger.)

3.) Maybe I was still wet with pounds of water from the pool. (No can do. I towelled off with the scale in mind.)

4.) Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I only got in two good workouts (I did a measly 20 minutes of aerobics Thursday.) all week and I wasn't paying vigilant attention to my calories.

That last explanation has the painful burning sensation of truth. I got complacent last week. I think I was so accustomed to seeing the weight drop that I forgot how I had gotten it moving in the first place. This week I'm on it. I'm going hardcore, and the scale is going to reflect it come Friday morning.

Weekly Weighin: 06/26/09

Well, it's Friday and that means another dreaded trip to the Summit's scale. By my count this is my ninth time aboard the scale since I started this journey, my eighth since I began working out regularly.

This week my diet has been good, but between a busy work schedule and my baby daughter decided to regress a tad in her sleeping schedule (if only I could burn calories making excuses), I didn't get in the number of workouts I'd like. I had a very, very quick DVD workout Tuesday. Wednesday I swam a really easy 1500, and this morning I did my Not2K.

Sufficed to say, I was nervous, but I'm pretty happy with the results. I'm under 207 pounds now. I say "under 207" instead of "206" because there are decimals on the scale, and, truth be told, they were closer to 207 than not. Still, in fairness, last week's weigh in was a little over 208, so I can comfortably say that I lost about a pound and a half this week. This takes my overall weight loss up to 15 pounds.

By next week, I hope to no longer qualify as a heavyweight but instead be a natural light heavyweight. We'll see.

Weekly Weigh In

After my swim this morning, I stepped atop the scale at the Summit Family Fitness Center for the eighth time since I started this journey. My weight was 208 pounds, down another two from last week. This puts my overall weight loss at 13 pounds after seven weeks of working out. I may have done a little fist pump atop the scale.

Another moment of glee came when I realized I'd forgotten to pack my belt this morning...and that I really needed it. I'm not certain, but I think I might finally have dropped down a pant size. This weekend, I may buy myself a new pair of jeans. These won't be skinny jeans, mind you, but skinnier jeans.

Weekly Weighin

This morning I let myself sleep in until 6 a.m. (it's the little joys that mean the most), and made my way over to the Summit. I'd decided last night that I just wanted to get another swim. Of course, I didn't get to the pool until about 6:45, which limited my time in the water a bit. When all was said and done, I ended swimming 1,600 yards in about 30 minutes.

I got out feeling good. Then I remembered I had to weigh in this week, and I started to feel not as good. In fairness, I've probably been a whole lot better with my diet this week. I haven't eaten any fast food whatsoever, and Tara and I have been picking some pretty healthy dinner recipes. Still, I really hadn't worked out except Wednesday and this morning's swim. I was scared of what the scale would reveal.

Imagine my elation when I looked down to see my new weight was 210 pounds. That's three pounds light than last week. Apparently swimming and watching what I eat actually pay off. Who knew?

I can't wait to see what happens when I actually swim three or four times a week. I'll be wearing Calista Flockhart's hand-me-downs in no time.

Weekly Weighin

Man I didn't want to get out of bed this morning. Where did the night go? I seriously considered just skipping this morning's workout, and if it weren't for this blog, I probably would have. It's times like these that I'm grateful for this opportunity to disgrace myself on the interweb. It keeps me accountable.

I had intended to do the other half of the fat burning workout in my Men's Health Gym Bible this morning. The book says that you should take a day off to recover between them, but I thought I was feeling fine. What could it hurt? That was last night, about 15 hours after the first half of the workout. This morning, about 24 hours since the sweat session, I woke up in pain.

I feel as those someone used laproscopic surgery to insert white hot pieces of rebar into my quads. This is how Atlas is going to feel the morning after he puts down that big globe of his and takes a nap.

So rather than do the Men's Health torture routine, I only did about 15 minutes of weights. I focused on my upper body...because I figured it was less likely to bring about tears. After the weights, I did a solid 20 minutes of interval cardio. I tried to keep my heart rate above 120 the whole time. During the intense intervals, it got up to 145. Sufficed to say, it made me sweat like a pig, and my heart was singing soprano by the time I got off the elliptical.

When all was said and done, I stepped back aboard the scale for the sixth time since I started this program. Last week I weighed a svelte 214 pounds, this week I weigh 213. For those of you non-math majors, that's a one pound loss after another seven days of sweating and being sore. All told, I've lost eight pounds in the last five weeks.

Stepping off the scale, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't frustrated. Is this supposed to be this hard? I guess I just expected that as much as I've changed my routine, the fat would just drip off of me.


My feeling of frustration followed me to the locker room, and it wasn't until I started getting dressed that I made a happy discovery. My jeans have gotten pretty loose. I can't quite pull them down without unbuttoning them, but it's close. I don't know if that means I've dropped down a size, but it did make me realize that I'm making real progress.


Rome wasn't burned in a night. This is going to be a long road. Lucky for me, I've committed to at least another 47 weeks of traveling.

Weekly Weighin

Before the wife, baby and I headed out of town for the weekend, I made my way to the Summit Family Fitness Center this morning for a brutal workout and a slightly less brutal weigh in.

So, where am I after almost a month of healthy(ier) living? Well, I weighed in this morning at a bulbous 214 pounds, one pound lighter than last Friday.

To be fair, I've been rounding down previous week's weights. While I reported a weight last week of 215, it was actually 215.4. This week's weight was 214 even, so really I lost about a pound and a half. If you factor in a bowel movement I had a few minutes after I weighed in, my weight loss is probably closer to two pounds. When you really get serious, taking into account the altitude and barometric pressure, I probably lost about 143 pounds...roughly. Did I mention that I've been weighing in on Jupiter. The gravity is much stronger there. In actuality, I'm actually disturbingly petite. You should probably be worried about me.

To be honest, I'm a little disappointed to only see a one pound weight loss this week. I've been working hard, and I really feel like I've been seeing results. Perhaps it was a super noticeable pound.

Goooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllls

I should start with a confession. I was not an especially good boy this weekend. Aside from mowing the yard and shopping with my wife (a near marathon by my standards), I didn't get in a real workout. I realize that if I want to reach my goals, I'm going to have to start looking at the weekend as time off of work...not time off of being fit.

That said, I realized this weekend that I haven't really talked about any specific goals of my own. I've said I want to lose weight and get healthy, but that's pretty vague. How much do I want to lose?

It's hard for me to think in terms of a goal weight that isn't attached to my favorite sport, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA...Most folks know it as "ultimate fighting"). I've been watching MMA for a few years now, and I'm thoroughly addicted. To be clear, I have no intention of ever actually fighting. I tried taking a class once, only to discover that I don't like getting punched in the face. Still, when I think of my potential weight loss. It's in relation to the UFC's weight classes and titleholders.

Currently, and for some time now, I'm a Heavyweight (206-265 ibs). That means that I'd been facing likes of the tank-shaped fellow on the far right. Brock Lesnar has to cut weight to make the 265 pound cutoff. I don't want to be Brock Lesnar.

If I drop another ten pounds, I'll be a Light Heavyweight (186-205 ibs). That's probably the most exciting group of fighters to watch, in my opinion. The new Light Heavyweight champ is Lyoto Machida. He's the kind of Karate Kid that would have been a nightmare for Ralph Macheo. Truth be told, even fat I'm too small for that weight division.

Next up would be the Middleweights (171-185 ibs). Right now I'm 30 pounds from fitting in with this group, and that seems like a pretty ambitious goal. Still, when I look at belt holder Anderson Silva, I start to lose bowel control. Again, those guys are pretty tall. If I end up putting on a lot of muscle, this might be a good goal.

If I end up looking wiry (isn't that a beautiful dream?), Welterweight (156-170 ibs) is where I think I should be. Welterweights like champion Georges St. Pierre often walk around much heavier than 170 pounds and have to cut weight before fight day. If I can get under 185 pounds, I'll just imagine that's the case with me.

The last UFC weight class is Lightweight (145-155 ibs). At one point, Lightweight champ B.J. Penn was my favorite fighter. Not to put too fine a point on it, though, but barring the amputation of a limb, I don't see myself weighing 155 pounds. Remember, my goal is to lose weight and get healthy. I have no plans of implementing an eating disorder into my weight-loss arsenal.

Weekly Weigh-in

Well, it's Friday, so it was time for me to weigh-in at the Summit Family Fitness Center. Each of the preceding weeks, I had posted a loss of 3 pounds. This week...not so much. I weighed 215 pounds. If that number seems familiar, it's because it is exactly what I weighed last Friday.

I shouldn't be surprised by this lack of improvement. I worked out one less morning this week than I did last week.

Still, I feel better than I have the last few weeks. My ability to get through a workout without wanting to vomit has dramatically improved. Moreover, this week I felt like I was finally starting to see results, subtle as I might be.

All the same, losing nothing is better than gaining, I suppose. This week I'll have to redouble my efforts to ensure I have better news next Friday.

Weekly Weigh-In

I stepped on the scale again Friday morning for the second time since I started this year-long commitment two weeks ago. My new weight is 215. I'm far from slender, folks, but I have lost six pounds in two weeks. It isn't much, but it's progress, and I'm happy to see it.

Day One: Am I doing this right?

Well, I did it. I woke up this morning at 5:30 and dragged my self kicking and snoring to my first real workout in a long, long time.

First things first, let me say that at 5:30 in the morning I'm, at best, mostly dead. Human beings are not meant to wake up at 5:30 for anything short of a house fire. I wasn't ready for exercise. I was a zombie. Fortunately, my wife is a pretty sound sleeper, so she didn't wake up to my cries of "BRAINS!!!"

Knowing my endless potential for making excuses to myself, I took the time last night to set out everything I would need last night. I put on my gym clothes, picked up my bag, and headed out the door. I will say this about 5:30 in the morning. I didn't need my sunglasses.

I have heard that it can be hard sometimes to find free cardio machines at the Summit, but apparently the big crowds wait for dawn. I had the lay of the land. It was only at that moment, however, that I realized that I had no idea what machine I would want. Cardio equipment all look like variations on the hamster wheel to me, so I had no real preference. I decided that one of the ellipticals would be best because it allowed me to pump my arms while running. I just thought I'd get self-conscious trying to figure out how to hold my arms, otherwise. I could just picture myself on a treadmill, arms crossed across my chest. I don't know much about fitness, but that seemed off to me.

So I stepped aboard the elliptical only to again discover that I was way outside my element. I guess I thought things would start up when it registered my weight. Instead, I was faced with HAL from 2001. It asked me what kind of workout I wanted and then gave me about a dozen options. Interval 1? Interval 2? Was this computer code? Did I need to understand Linux to operate one of these things? In my mind, exercise would be more popular if it patterned itself after fried chicken. Wouldn't you like your workout in either sweaty or extra sweaty? After a few terrified moments, I settled on fat burn or something that sounded destructive.

Here's the thing, I'm either not doing it right or cardio is incredibly boring. For more than half an hour, I pretty much just hovered in one place. Sure HAL said I went three miles, but I didn't. I just ran in place, pumping my arms. Like a moron, I'd forgotten my headphones, so I couldn't listen to any of the Summit's TVs. I had a book, Steven Johnson's Everything Bad is Good for You, but I dare you to try reading while sprinting in oblong strides and pumping your arms. I'm pretty sure your brain would explode. So there I was, running in place with nothing to do but sweat. Essentially, this machine was nothing more than a human juicer.


Thirty-three minutes later HAL said I was done. I'd intended to go for 45 minutes, but who am I to argue with a supercomputer. I hopped off the hamster wheel and headed towards the water fountain. I refilled my empty water bottle and noticed that they keep a large scale in that corner. Morbidly curious, I stepped aboard. I guessed I've been trained by watching the last two hundred seasons of The Biggest Loser because I was surprised when the digital counter didn't dart around a fifty pound increments before settling on my weight. Instead, it flashed right away. It turns out, I am currently weighing in at 221 pounds. This isn't the heaviest I've ever been, but, sufficed to say, it's a few pounds more than I weighed back on the Ray High School Swim Team. While I have no intention of ever wearing another speedo, I don't plan on weighing 221 for another day. That is my starting place. Where I end is up to me.

After getting my face slapped by reality, I headed over to rows of weight equipment. Instead of hamster wheels, circuit weights remind me of those brain puzzles my grandmother always used to give us for Christmas. I'm not sure which direction I'm supposed to face. I don't know whether to hold the bar with my hands or my ankles.Thankfully, they have illustrations on them. The thing is, I don't want to be the guy who needs to look at pictures to figure out weight equipment, so I did my best to pretend I was looking over the machine at the TVs on the wall. "Huh, who's winning that lacrosse match, now?"

I worked my chest, shoulders and arms. I did three sets of ten for everything... because that sounded like a real thing. I'm pretty sure I at least was sitting in the right direction each time.
That was it for my first workout. All told, I think it was a success. I survived, so that's a start. I'm not too sore just yet, but that's what tomorrow is for.

I'll keep you updated with posts much shorter than this one.