A new perspective (SS)

For years I have been cursing my body for being fat, being tired, not working the way it use to; but, after watching a video that my mother had made us of collected home videos, I decided to look at this issue of me VS my body differently.
In this video, I watched myself grow from a crying (actually screaming) infant in a crib, to a very pretty young woman of 17 in cut-offs up my ass and halter top. My hair covered both my back and my ass. Actually, if you really want to know, I was quite the looker. I had a great body!
This sent me looking into a box of photos for pictures of myself. I wanted to see where I changed, where things went fat.
When I dated my daughters' father, I was still hot. Still wore cut-offs up my ass and tube tops (remember those?). OK, I got married and pregnant. I looked good pregnant. In fact, unless you saw me from the side, you would never know I had a baby in my belly. In between babies, I was again hot...my hair was short and I look skinnier than before I had baby #1.
Baby #2 comes along. I was a fat pregnant woman and it shows (I believe I gained 45lbs w/ her). Hummm.....
Nothing changed from that pregnancy much, except I kept getting fatter. I can prove it in the pictures. My kids grew up and I grew out.
So where do I place the blame? Kids? husbands? Genes?

How about me?
I take the blame.
Nobody has a relationship with my body like I do. It is mine. It is the place I carry my brain and my heart. It is my soul's home. It is my temple, if you think biblically.
My body hasn't done anything to me, I have done my body wrong. There is nothing wrong with my body except what I have done to it. I'm sorry for this. I wrote my body a letter to apologize and I would like to share it with you. You might want to try writing your own letter (to your body, not mine).

Dear body,
We have been together for almost 49 years now and I have spent a considerable amount of that time neglecting you. For this, I am truly sorry. You have always been there for me. You were my constant companion on all those long runs we took; all those 880 yard races we won; you carried my most precious cargo for me--my daughters; in our youth, you helped me taunt those boys in that yellow bikini and those cut off shorts; together we baled hay, rode horses, swam lakes; you helped me be the boy my father never had, learning to hammer, use power tools, canoe and fish; and all the men in my life have held you and loved you, so that they could love me.
I am sorry for mistreating you. I am sorry for not taking better care of you, my body. Hopefully we have another 49 years together, but if we don't, what ever time we do have, I am forever from this day, your keeper.
From this day forward, I will treat you with the utmost respect. I will nourish you with healthy food; I will give you plenty of exercise; I will rest you when you are tired. Hopefully I can undo the wrong I have done to you.
SS

MIA no more

Has it really been two weeks? Time is just flying by. Sorry I have been neglecting my duties as your Alpha female, but life has seemed to get in the way!! Here are my excuses:
1. I'm planning a wedding (over the phone!) So...
2. I have been working a lot! (to pay for the wedding)
3. Hubby and I have been working on the bedroom re-do project
4. Hubby and I have been planning parties (it was fun, thanks for coming!)
5. Hubby and I have been spending an extra-ordinary amount of time together in the spine position (and I ain't talking sleep)
6. I have been suffering from some siatic nerve pain (either from exercising or #5)

I am happy to report that I have maintained a 16 lb weight loss and dropped a dress size. But I haven't lost any more weight.

Today I walked 80 minutes and kept my level at fat-burning the whole time! I have decided to do a calorie count for a few weeks and see how that goes. I decided this because I always keep track of how many calories I burn on the treadmill and then it amazes me when I put those calories back in my mouth--its why I don't really get any where with this weight loss. And it is SHOCKING to see how many calories I can consume in a day without even realizing it.
Supposedly it takes 3500 calories to gain a pound. If you consider that I burn only about 500+ calories in 80 minutes on the mill, I would have to be on it every single day of the week and NOT EAT ANYTHING to lose ONE pound. Of course this doesn't take into account the other normal movements that burn calories, but still... the math boggles my mind!!!

Well, that is the excitement in my life. Keep up the good work and drink lots of water.

Question for the day...How many calories do you think an OLD HAT Stout has?

MIA

ShortStory is missing in action. It has now been 2 weeks since she posted or commented on this site. Pretty poor if you ask me, since she created this monster... Anyone have any theories?

Alpha Groovin'

I think I’m hitting my groove. During dinner last night I noticed myself getting full a lot quicker than usual. Not as hungry all the time.

Exercise report – last week I worked out in the gym 4 times and walked at lunch 4 times.

And then I took Friday off and setup for a Boy Scout Orienteering competition, which required me to hike about 4 miles in the woods, up and down hills, off trails, etc. Saturday I essentially repeated Friday’s exercise. I did go to the Here Comes the Sun party Sat. night, but I kept the drinking and eating to a minimum. Back to Scout camp Sunday morning. By the time I got home Sunday afternoon I was dead tired. But I think my plan of kicking the diet in the pants by cutting out beer and increasing exercise is working. I dropped about 5 pounds last week and was down this morning, (instead of losing ground over the weekend because of too much partying).

Looking forward to a good week this week. Weather is shaping up! Getting outside more. Feeling good about the diet…. I’m Alpha Groovin’.

1 week , 2 weeks, 5 lbs and counting!

Well I'm one week into Phase 1 of South Beach; 2 weeks into my gym routine and I've lost 5 lbs. I don't realy see it or feel it yet, but it's enough to keep me motivated -- and that's what counts at this point!

I'm not suffering and in fact, finding some really good stuff to eat that I enjoy. Luckily I picked a very popular diet that's been "out" for quite a while -- you can Google: South Beach recipies and find all sort of good stuff. The lack of alcohol has not been a problem for me, but I haven't put it to the social-test yet (Wednesday I'm Hatting, so that will feel odd -- who orders Ice Tea in a micro brewerey?!) I'm still craving milk, but not at EVERY meal. Sunday I get to move into Phase 2 where I can add some stuff into my diet -- like l-f milk and alcohol -- so yes! I will be having a tall cold glass of milk with breakfast and I will be catching the Blues Jam at the Hat!

I'm settling into my gym routine - it's no longer complete torture to get out of bed at 6:15 to head to the gym. And as my sister would say, "then I get to like myselft for the rest of the day!" I really do feel really good about myself that I have exercised and also just that I already have it behind me for the day!

5 lbs is an tiny little start - but it's forward momentum - this is good! :)

Nuts about Cats & Rabbits

Thank god I love salads because it's the only form of the "vegtable group" I embrace. But I really DO love salads and I'm having an especially good one today.

Nuts about Cats & Rabbits
(I made up the name! Infact, I made up the salad!)

fill a plate with chopped Romain hearts
sprinkle sparingly with finely shredded FRESH Parmasian
sprinkle generously with chopped Walnuts
crumble Salmon over top (the stuff from a pouch works well)
Salt & Peper to taste
drizzle reduced-fat Ceaser dressing
Toss and eat!

YUM!

The Hobbit Diet

I was thinking about this whole eating every three hours thing when I remembered part of the "Lord of the Rings" movie... the hobbits have just started travelling with Strider and begin unpacking their cooking equipment. When Strider says that they've already had breakfast, they say, "No, this is second breakfast."

Discussion ensues: "He doesn't know about second breakfast? How can he not know about second breakfast?", "Does he know about elevensies?", "I don't think so.", "Does he know about onesies?"

My inner Strider really doesn't care for stopping what I'm doing for breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, lunch, onesies, or any of the others...but I'm on the Hobbit Diet, so I'll keep on downing yogurt, roughage, and the occasional high calorie, but oh so good, beer.

Alpha Particles (are really really small)

Been a week since I blogged. Since last Tuesday, I have worked out at the gym four times and walked for an hour at lunch four times. Trying to keep up the pace. Diet has been good, though Friday and Saturday were killers, lots of beer! This week I have been doing very well. Going to fore-go the beer for awhile. Should be easier with a Boy Scout weekend coming up to keep me occupied.

Gym notes: I have been making significant strides in the strength area. Personal 2 personal bests to note. Incline Bench press of 205 lbs. This is significant because I never got over 200 on this exercise before shoulder surgery. The other was last night. I did a rack pull of 500 lbs (like a dead lift but the weight is suspended just below your knees). I thought I might get 400 lbs but I kept going. Finally hit the 1/4 ton mark on something.

Diet is starting to hit a groove. Yogurt and maybe oatmeal for breakfast. Spinach/Tuna salad for lunch. Dinner I don't worry too much about, just watch portions. Protein shake in the afternoon or at night if I'm hungry.

Now a little more encouragement from that scale would be nice.

A Day at the Beach

. . . or in this case, a day ON the Beach -- South Beach to be specific. I started So Bch on Sunday - so this is day 3 - and so far so good, sorta. Phase 1 of So Bch is tough, especially for me - for the first 2 wks you are really limited in what you can eat -- lean proteins and only the strictest carbs (veggies). Chicken and Fish are good with me, so that works, and I love salads, and I can do REAL eggs, so that is pretty much my diet for the next 11 days (and the past 3). I'm just not much of a veggy eater (outside of salads). And although having no alcohol for 2 weeks will be a bit of a bummer (and probably good for me for a lot of reasons!) the ABSOLUTE hardest thing -- the thing I am already nearly willing to kill for is MILK! I love milk! Everytime I eat anything from noon to bed time I ache for a tall cold glass of milk. I think it's in my genes (my father was a dairy farmer!).

But I am willing to stick with this - I am "gaurateed" to lose 8 to 12 lbs in the first two weeks and then when I move on to Phase 2 I can reintroduce fruits, whole grain carbs and DAIRY! So, no matter what else I do on Sunday 4/2, I am going to dive into the biggest, coldest glass of low-fat milk I can find!

I am determined -- between the gym and hopefuly finding an eating regiment that suits me, I am going to DO IT!

The Scales of Inequity...(Ginger)

Weighed in this morning and my weight isn't moving...but at least my body fat percentage is. I'm down 4 points since I started the walking thing - woo hoo, I am now LESS than half fat!!

I know that my clothes are starting to fit differently - I got dressed up for an interview today and I had to pin the waistband on my skirt and my pantyhose were too big (dont you hate that!!!). I feel better, and even though I want to start the St. Patty's day celebration right now, I'm still going to go out and walk first. Still, it would have been nice if my weight had gone down even a little... I've been pretty much sticking to the diet (still having problems eating every three hours). Hopefully next week the scale will move downward, in the meantime I'm just going to work on wearing out my walking shoes.

Alpha Bet Soup

Went walking today at lunch again. Got out before the snow started. That's 3 times this week. During my walk I stopped in and checked out Boardwalk Spa and fitness, on Monroe in the old Waterworks Building. It was bought out by Strength Beyond a couple of months ago. Pretty preppie. Lots of ellipticals, treadmills, bikes, awork class going on, lots of pretty machines. The free weight room is small and doesn't have enough Squat Equipment for me, but it was empty while every where else was crowded. I can use my membership there and might want to work in some noon workouts especially during boat season.

Speaking of Squats, I had a new personal best Tuesday night doing Good Mornings, 290#, 3 reps. Good mornings are a type of squat to strengthen your Gluts and lower back. http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/GluteusMaximus/BBBentKneeGoodMorning.html.
Felt good. Back to the gym tonight!

microe!

Fitness professionals' top-12 list (short story)

I ran across this list and wanted to share it with you.
The American Council on Exercise asked 36,000 fitness professionals what they considered to be the most important exercise items.

Their top-12 exercise essentials were:
1. Good shoes
2. Fun or appropriate music
3. Free weights
4. A positive attitude
5. Comfortable clothing
6. Lots of water
**(Microe, skip to #8)**
7. A supportive sports bra
8. Safe, well made equipment such as cardio machines
9. Weight training gloves
10. Enough time
11. A workout partner
12. Fresh, clean air and sunshine

Source: American Council on Exercise 2003

Adding Alpha Cardio

Well I finally got off my but today and added some cardio exercise. I went walking at lunch, clocked about 2.5 miles around downtown GR, which I'll work into 3.5 miles soon as long as the weather cooperates with no heavy snowfalls. My walking partner of for the last couple of years went with me. We got out before the front came through and the weather was gorgeous. My walking friend is a petite woman in her early 40's who is trying to loose weight, but really isn't fat at all. I've almost always had women as walking partners, guys are just too lazy I guess.

Anyway, I decided that my walking shoes were shot and if I didn't want ankle problems or plantar fasciitis, that nasty pain in your heel, it was time for a change. So I stopped into DSW on West Main and got some new Reeboks.

I also was back at the gym tonight. Upper body work out, arms, shoulders and biceps. Good work out. I'll sleep well tonight. Ate well today also. Still need to work in some better snacks but things are coming along. l8r.

Walking into a Headwind (Ginger)

Whew - just got back from my afternoon walk and I think maybe I was a wee bit ambitious...I looped over to 2nd St then up to the high school and found myself walking back against one heck of a headwind. My hair now looks like I paid a professional to tease it for hours, or like I was just electrocuted...

Got a little off track last week...missed a day of exercise and cut a couple others short, ate like crap, you know the general "oh woe is me, so I'll make myself feel worse" drill...so I only lost .8 of a lb (but I'm still taking all the points I can get!!!). I love this kind of pre-storm weather though, so when I got back from errands I was really looking forward to going for a walk...and I enjoyed it, but dang I wonder how much added resistance that wind kicked in, I think I may be feeling it tomorrow!!

Monday, Monday...(shortstory)

Well, it is Monday morning...again. I always have a hard time getting started on Mondays b/c I have been taking the weekends off. I did drink one too many beers on Friday night and one too many White Russians on Saturday night (along w/ the good snacks) but my mental health is better for it and I am looking forward to this week of exercise. My body was dragging yesterday and is dragging a little today so I decided to skip the treadmill and head outside for my daily walk for a change of scene and because it is so beautiful out there.
According to my pedometer, I covered a little over three miles. I did take my walkman and my favorite exercise cd, and I did find myself walking to the beat of the music and not really caring who saw me. There may be rumors!
I am always of two minds when walking outside. I walk with the same purpose as I do on the treadmill and listen to my music to keep me motivated; but, I really enjoy listening to the sounds of town, the birds and squirrels, even the barking dogs. I like to look around me and see what I can discover in the places that are familiar, yet never really looked at. Then I catch myself. I am strolling and sight-seeing rather than exercising. Nothing wrong with that, except it defeats the goal I started out with.
A couple things did catch my eye today. They made me feel renewed, the way Spring makes us all feel.
I was delighted to spot three deer playing on the edge of the vineyard on 72nd St. and Nursery. Some brilliant yellow crocus have forced their heads through the cold ground near a fence on Union St.
Enjoy your life today. Eat good food, do some exercise. Love yourself. Do something kind for someone else. Think Spring.

End-of-week check in (shortstory)

How is everyone doing out there? I have made it thru another busy week. I worked all week and kept to the exercise routine except for yesterday b/c I went looking for a couch for the Elvis room--which I found, and bought, and brought home and didn't have time to exercise cuz we were hungry and needed to eat.
I had the day off today and have been cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. I even cleaned my coffee grinder?! I have so much energy lately. It is a good thing. But I forget to blog. Sorry. Which is why I am checking in today to make sure you are all on track.
Keep up the good work.

Still walkin'...(Ginger)

I'm coming to enjoy these afternoon walks...it'll suck when I actually have a job and can't take them anymore!! I've found that between 4pm and 5pm is kind of my productive "dead zone", so that's when I'll go out.

Its nice to get out of the house(sometimes I spend so much time inside that I feel like an agoraphobic), smell that little bit of spring in the air, and literally clear my head. Aside from my musings on nifty houses I couldn't tell you what I'm thinking about as I meander along - and that's just the way I like it.

The downside is that sometimes that clear head alows a sneaky coherent thought through. I was thinking about my new scale, and how I programmed it; I always thought I was 5'8" until I stood next to Comrade, who also claims to be 5'8" - either she's taller or I'm shorter, so I told my scale I was 5'7.5". Anyway, as I approached my front door I realized that I'd also told my scale that I was 34. I did the math and realized I was 35 (yes, I know I'm the puppy of this group...stop laughing!) - holy crap, I'm on that downhill slide to 40!! There are times that I'm just amazed by how quickly time passes - maybe if I'm thinner I can at least keep up with it.

Update from the Alpha Male

Semantics – 10-8-ious commented that, “Look, big boy, don't assume just because you are the only male on the site that you are Alpha”. Well I can assume that, technically, being the only Male to be blogging on this site I am the “Alpha Male”, the “Beta Male” and even that dirty old bastard. I didn’t say I was the only Alpha just the male. The only thing I don’t claim to be is “The Alpha and The Omega”, and to that I don’t even measure up.

Motivation – I am motivated mainly from a health standpoint. I could care less what size clothes I wear as long as I can find a selection in the store. I have no desire to look like any run-way model, be it the anorexic or the big beautiful type. It is my health that has me worried. I want to feel better over all, live longer and get back into the kind of health that allows me to do some of things I like to do without pain or complications. I know if I lose a substantial amount of weight and get back into a regular exercise routine, that 1) my sleep apnea will get back under control and I can put the CPAP back in the closet, 2) my high blood pressure will go down, which keeps me from having nasty things like a heart attack or stroke, 3) I’ll have more energy and in general feel better, which is a big thing with my hectic life style, and 4) sex and sexual performance is always better when you are in good shape! Funny, I never used to think about the health issue, but my lack of attention has contributed to a lot of my health problems along with getting older. I can’t reverse the clock, so…. I am truly motivated to get in better health and that means losing weight and exercising regularly.

Diet – After falling off the wagon this past weekend, (kind of on purpose) I have gotten back into the swing quickly this week. Breakfast and lunch are back under control as is late night snacking. I have started interjecting healthy snacks at more frequent intervals, which seem to be keeping the cravings wolf away from the door better. These snacks include fresh fruit, nuts, Balance Bars and “Shit Shacks”. SS’s are the protein powder and milk or Zone Shacks. Seems to help.

Exercise – Back at the gym Monday and Tuesday. Felt really good. I have been maintaining 4 times a week for a couple of weeks, showing really good progress in all areas. I hit a personal all time high last night with Squats, Box Squatting 300 lbs (previous was 280 lbs from 2 years ago).

Challenges - Wednesday, I like to have a “hump day” beer. Also need to get back to walking regularly for cardio workouts.

α Male

Motivation (shortstory)

Kerri and I took a weight loss quiz in Prevention Magazine. One of the questions asked, "What is your motive for loosing weight?" There weren't any right or wrong answers, but it essentially said you must be motivated for yourself, not anybody or anything else (like a wedding).
Over the past month, I have spoken to a lot of people about their motivation to exercise or diet and everyone has something that motivates them. Mine is my daughter's wedding and this is my sister's also. Some women just say, "my butt" or "my gut" or "I have never been this fat in my life."
Rarely do I hear anyone mention the motivation is health. Rarely does anyone approach weight loss and exercise as a life changing decision. I know I am guilty of this. Some of you may be guilty of this. I think we all have a tendency to look at this type of change as a short-term goal that once achieved we don't have to think about it again. I believe this because a lot of people have been on diet and exercise plans before and are still on them or starting again. I believe this when I hear how many people use to have gym memberships (like me) and never used them or are "going to start a program, any program...again!"
I give us all credit because we keep trying, but I think if we changed the motivation, and changed our skills at being motivated, we might see this as a long term health issue that becomes part of a lifestyle rather than a must-do every Spring! Isn't it funny how thoughts of Spring can be a motivator?
The Mayo Clinic Plan gives some tips on staying motivated and I will list some of them here for you:
1. Start slowly. It reads that one of the common mistakes that people make is starting at too high an intensity and progressing too quickly for your body (which has been doing nothing up until you threw it on the treadmill at 4 MPH). This can lead to injury, soreness and stiffness which may lead to abandoning your program. So start slowly and progress slowly. If this is a committment for life, you have the rest of your life to get your body to walk 4 MPH.
2. Make a commitment. It takes three months to develop a healthy habit. If you can stick with your program for three months you are more likely to stay with it long term.
3. Choose activities you enjoy. Boredom is the major reason people stop exercising.
4. Broaden your definition of physical activity. Everyday activity such as walking the dog, taking the stairs, riding your bike to the store all promote health. Doing something everday is what counts.
5.Choose activities that fit your lifestyle. Do you like to exercise alone or with a group?
6. Learn discipline. To make a permanent change, you have to be disciplined. If you tell yourself you are going to take the stairs instead of the elevator--then do it, even if you decide when you get to them you don't want to.
7. Plan for exercise. Reserve a time slot each day for physical activity. If you wait to find time, you won't. Schedule exercise like an appointment.
8. Avoid all-or-nothing thinking. On days when time is tight, do less, but do something.
9. Support your plan with other healthy behaviors. Get enough sleep. Drink plenty of water. Eat healthy food. Reduce stress. Stop smoking.

I think there are a lot of good tips here for long term changes. Good luck to everyone this week. Let us hear how you are doing or let us know if you need encouragement.

Timing is Everything! (10-8-ious)

I wasn’t exactly ready to start this new group plan on 3/1. I didn’t have my mind in the right place and I hadn’t quite figured out the exercise thing, but I was getting close to getting serious. I went to town on Saturday to purchase a new and good scale (who knew they were so expensive?!) and I had to have a new pair of jeans as mine are all worn out (the ones that fit anyway). I won’t go into the ugly details of trying on jeans, suficive to say, I did not buy any. I returned home to find one message on the answering machine. It was from the local gym in town (that I used to belong to years ago) they are offering a special to former members - $20/month! SOLD! (how did they know I was out shopping for jeans?!) I spend $40 a month on my damn fingernails – I think melting my butt off is worth at least $20! So I called them back, made an appointment, went in today, signed the paperwork and I am a member!

So here is my plan: Every weekday that I am not headed out to a meeting in the morning I will be headed to the gym for a full cardio and weight workout and likely once or twice over the weekend (this will give me 4 to 5 workouts/wk). And I am going to eat sensibly withOUT counting every carb, calorie and fat gram I consume (I am SO sick of obsessing over what I eat!)

Long Term Goal – maintain a size 10
Short Term Goal – 15 lbs by July

Here I am (shortstory)

I was having some technical difficulties with the computer...don't know what, but its working again. So here I am and very happy to see all the team bloggers. Welcome everyone. A couple others have asked to join so I will be inviting them too.
I have been doing a lot of research and reading on subjects such as motivation, methods to change behavior, etc. so I will be blogging on those this week.
I have managed to stick with my exercise routine everyday so far. I am not seeing it on the scales, but I am feeling it already in my clothes, and all of a sudden I am very aware of how my body feels when I move it (yes, some things are sore).
Yesterday I took the day off and ate chicken wings and drank beer. That was good. Today I will be going on my longer walk and then back to the hour on the treadmill Monday.
Lets make sure we are in touch all week and keep each other motivated.
I promise to post everyday, Microe!

At Last, Some Progress (Ginger)

Well, after the new scale shocker last week, when my new high-tech scale arrived and told me that I weighed 12 pounds more than the old one said I did, today I found I've lost 3.2 lbs (I'll take all the points I can get!!!).

Unfortunately the day has gone downhill from there - I've spent most of the day looking for/applying for jobs online, and I've now hit the point where I'm screaming at the computer...one of my job search engines pulled up some really juicy-looking jobs, but one was in L.A. (as in California), and the other was in Memphis (as in Tennessee)- and yes, Michigan was in my search parameters...

Time to vent some frustration by taking a walk (healthy, healthy!), but I do reserve the right to end that walk at the Old Hat...or absolutely anyplace that serves alcohol.

1 hour later: Whew, that gentle slope on Orchard going up to Nursery kinda sneaks up on you...definitely feeling better (and sorer) than I was an hour ago.

SS What Gives?

Ok, so we sign up and start participating and Shortstory disappears into the abyss of the bit bucket. No posts lately! No reports? What gives? Don't expect us to carry you along here, you started this goat rodeo!

Speaking of mutten, it is lunch time. I'm having Salmon/Spinach Salad. (I know that has little to do with goats, but the are both eatible.) The spinach salad last night tasted really good for some reason so I decided to repeat at lunch. Bon-Appetite

Back to the gym.

Back is feeling better. I went to the gym tonight as planned. Worked my Upper Body so no strain on the back, we will try that tomorrow.

Got back on the daily eating plan. Light Breakfast, light lunch, Balance Bar late afternoon. Big spinach salad and salmon patties smothered in Sisterworks Tomato/Horseradish Sauce for dinner. Good stuff. l8r, microe

What is My Scale Trying to Tell Me?

Okay so we started this yesterday -- 3/1, right?! My meetings got cancelled, so I was working from home all day. I thought, "great! I can start the exercise thing today!" NOT --the day got away from me. I looked at my ski machine and I looked at my sneakers several times during the day and said to myself "you need to exercise - you have no excuse not too." Well apparently I don't need an excuse, I just didn't! UGH What I need is some dicipline! But here is the weird thing -- after a week or so of being just sort of so/so about the whole diet thing (because I knew I would get serious on 3/1) I got on the scale yesterday and I had lost 3 and 1/2 lbs -- without really trying! Wow! That's like winning the lottory without buying a ticket (and they said you had to play to win - HAH!)

So this morning I get on the scale and it is speaking arabic -- the first two characters looked sort of like "ba" and then the next two characters looked sort of like upside-down Fs. Hmm -- I haven't seen this one before. (And then it alarmed me that my scale had room for 4 characters! YOWSA!) So now I am hoping that my 3 and 1/2 lbs was not a battery malfunction -- I was feeling so good about it!

Okay - I am out of town tonight. I should be home by mid afternoon tomorrow -- I AM GOING FOR A WALK (I'm pretty sure of it!)

Diet Quirk

Here is something from an eating perspective. All the dieting I've done over my life, and I think I just figured out something. In diet mode I like a light balanced breakfast. 2/3 Cup of Oatmeal and a Cup of Cottage Cheese or a Yogurt. That has been working fine.

Lunch I go for another light balanced meal about 400-600 calories. Tuna or Salmon or Chicken with fruit, like pears or peaches or pineapple.

Snack on the home commute, like a Balance Bar.

When dinner hits I am pretty in control, no big cravings, can proportion well, etc.

Here is the quirk. If I eat too much at lunch, say add some chips, maybe a full size turkey sandwich, a single cookie, I'm in trouble! The rest of the day goes to hell! I start getting hungry in the afternoon, the candy jars on peoples dess start calling me, I feel like stopping on the way home for beef jerky or something and dinner I scarf everything in sight!!!!

Lunch really sets my tone for the rest of the day. Anyone else seeing this?

Exercising with the Alpha Male..

Ok, so guys do things differently. Yup, we are motivated by different things, but actually if you think about it, alot of it has to do with personalities and not just gender. So here our some incites into my preferred exercise routine.

First, I love walking or cycling.......with one caveat, I like my walking and cycling outdoors. It has to move. I get bored after 10 minutes on the treadmill, 20 minutes and I bolt for the door. I need that change of scenery. So to get to 20 minutes of treadmill time I get out the iPod and crank up some really robust George Thorogood or Stray Cats or Stone Temple Pilots, etc., close my eyes and really rock.

I am hoping for a little bit more temperate weather because my favorite walking places outdoors are at lunch in downtown Grand Rapids or after dark in Paw Paw. I like to put in 45 minutes to an hour on either route which gets me at least 3 miles. GR affords more hills and challenges, but the Paw Paw walks are plenty aerobic, but relaxing.

Stationary Bikes, don’t cut it either, they don’t feel natural. I mean if you are doing serious cardio on a bike and you’re a guy, you should need a good nut massage afterwards! Sitting back, reading a magazine in a chair with pedals isn’t really biking! Besides those stationary bike seats at the gym are slippery and I keep sliding out of the seat with my slick nylon-blend shorts. So if I’m pedaling, it is hunched over, on a ball crushing seat, looking down at asphalt and road kill.

I mentioned gym, yes we belong to Strength Beyond. We, as in Sweetpea, Thomas and myself. We don’t have a treadmill or stationary bike at home, so that is where we go if we are going to use one. As I said though, I prefer my aerobic work au-natural. The main purpose of the gym for me is strength training. I find strength training helps me get through diet plateaus. Also exchanging fat for muscle mass is a good thing.

I try and strength train four times a week. Two days on upper body/chest and two days on legs/back. I use a fairly advanced routine for each that alternates speed/explosive workouts with maximum weight workouts. Aaron DePalma owner of Strength Beyond got me going on this a couple of years ago and it really works. The workout is almost exclusively using free weights and old style rigs, instead of the fancy machines, and is performed in the basement of the gym where the hard rock and heavy metal are playing as opposed to the Oprah and Game shows on the TV upstairs. I stopped however about a 18 months ago because of broken clavical. Yes the shoulder that I had arthroscopic surgery on last October. I am happy to say that the surgery was a resounding success and I am back to over 80% of what I was lifting when I stopped, with no pain or problems that caused me to quit.

I usually perform these workouts alone as finding someone interested in this kind of work out and has the flexibility to hook up with my busy schedule is tough. With some of the business commitments I have had lately I’ve had to adjust my work out schedule quite often. Strength Beyond helps out in the repect as it is open 24 hours Monday – Friday, and shorter hours Sat and Sun.

I worked out Monday night (upper body speed workout) and last night, Maximum effort Back and Legs. And I over did it a little.... See I normally don’t work out on Tuesday, I have Boy Scouts on Tuesday and well I didn’t get home till 9 pm. But I had missed my Sunday workout, so I felt I needed to get in another work out. As Liz was coming in the door from SiS, I was headed for the gym, about 9:30. I intended to work heavy box squats, lots of weight on a bar across your shoulders, sit down on a box and then stand back up. But even though only Aaron the owner and I were the only ones in the free weight area, he was using the squat rack. So I went to plan “B”, Maximum Effort Dead Lifts.

Now this kind of fired me up for two reasons (this is where the guy thing really comes out). First, when I was lifting a couple of years ago this was one of my better exercises. I had worked up to lifting 365 lbs off the floor without a belt. Respectable enough to get me on the “progress board”. The mark is still there. Not great but respectable, (you try lifting 365 lbs).

Second Aaron, who is ripped and big as an ox, was doing some advanced dead lift work on the squat rack and was putting some big iron on. So me being the typical Alpha Male wanted to prove I was no slouch.

So I started at 135 lbs and quick lifted 10 reps. Aaron in the mean time was somewhere around 350 lbs and headed up. I Jumped to 185lbs and 5 reps. Feeling good. Aaron was at 450. Me, 225 two reps. Aaron hits 500. 275lbs two reps, Aaron yanks 550. I’m feeling good though. I Jump to 315 lbs, one rep. A struggle but not bad, no doubt it was ever going up. I stop and watch Aaron pull 600.....

Ok, so let me put this in perspective for you. I’m standing on a 2 inch platform. The weight is resting on the floor. I don’t have a belt on, cause I’m exercising, not competing. The belt will help you lift more, but usually doesn’t protect you from injury. Anyway, I pick up 315lbs…. I don’t care who you are, when you put over 300 lbs back on the mat it crashes down and all the people upstairs can hear it.

Aaron, who is working on a rack, top half of the dead lift only, picks up 600 lbs and when he drops that puppy you swear the rack is coming apart! Then we chat a little. We talk about this odd phenom, where you go up in weight and the heavier weight goes up easier than the lighter one. It is weird, your muscles seem to get warmed up just right or something. He hits the 600 lbs again for one rep. CRASH! I’m inspired.

I haven’t been Dead lifting a lot since I got back into lifting two months ago, mostly squats, which works legs. Dead Lifts work more back. But I just pulled 315 and I feel good, inspired at the big guys 600. Yeah I can get 335 I’m thinking. I throw a couple of dime plates on the bar and un-rackit. I step up on the platform and start to psychic myself. You’ve lifted 30 pounds more than this! Bend over and grab the bar, left hand out, right hand in. Get your butt down, drive with your legs and stomach till you get it going then stand up. Concentrate………..Pull!

It starts up slowly but it is moving, never had one moving that I couldn’t finish. Pull…..it’s coming. But there is a slight problem. I didn’t get the butt down, in fact my ass stuck up like Howard Stern blowing a big fart! The weight is moving but I’m not quite in the position I want to be and about ¾ up I feel the twinge. I pull it the full way. I standing straight now holding 335. Shit. I’m gonna be stiff in the morning. CRASH I put it down. Dumb ass. You knew better than to go 100% without more work on form! But I smile anyway and think, screw it, I got 335.

In the mean time Aaron gets his 4 sets in at 600 and tells me how good he feels. Funny I forget to mention that I’m sore. But I do complete the rest of my work out. It’s not serious, just a slight strain and the rest of the exercises keep it moving. Besides I need the leg and glut work.

Oh yeah, It is stiff today. But I think my diagnosis is correct, it is not a serious, more of a warning than an injury. Today is an off day from workouts, back on Maximum Upper Body tomorrow, probably Floor Presse. No getting careless there, not going to re-injure the shoulder. Legs/Back on Friday. I’ll be back in the saddle by then. Wiser, the stiff back reminding me what can happen if I don’t keep the Alpha Male in the cage.

Off to the Hot Tub. Try and give an update tomorrow……. Microe

Up and Moving

Well, today was Day One of "Create an Exercise Plan and Actually DO IT", it was also my "day off" (off of remodeling work, that is). I slept until about 9, at which point the cat literally got in my face and tickled me awake...brewed a big pot of coffee and got the computer up and running. I've had a painting brewing in my head for a while, and today is my day to get going on it. Since no one can take a picture of the inside of my head (THANK GOD!!), I've started using Photoshop to develop the images and then I print them so I have a point of reference when I start painting.

Originally I was going to walk at noon, but I was on a roll, so I decided to wait until 2, at 2 I was still humming along, so I decided to wait until 3...at about 3:10 my Photoshop suddenly shut down for no apparent reason; maybe it was a glitch, and maybe it was the exercise gods telling me to get off my butt.

I went out and walked a big loop from Kids Dream, the snowmobile trail north to Walker St (appropriate, don't ya think?), Walker Street to the railroad tracks, did a mini-loop-de-loop around the old Eaton (?) building (I love old factories and warehouses, don't ask me why), then back to my house. I have absolutely no idea how far I walked, but I was gone 50 minutes, and would have been "glowing" if it wasn't so cold out. My thigh muscles are comfortably warm, it was nice to get outside, and I got to snoop a little around an old building, which is one of my favorite things to do. I can do this...although it does still feel strange to be walking without a dog, I don't think the cat would go for it.

My plan is to alternate days of walking & riding my exercise bike. I'm just going to judge by time rather than distance for now (1/2 an hour at least), I'll do it 6 days a week with Sundays off and we'll see how things go. I'll integrate weights in next month - "The Biggest Loser" site has a good plan that includes lunges, crunches and all those other painful exercises that are really good for you ;-)

I'm also filling up a 2 liter bottle with water every morning and making sure that I've drank the whole thing by the end of the day to flush out my system.

Well, back to photoshop...glad you got up and walking too SS!!

I'm still walkin' and talkin'

It took me a morning of contemplation, an hour of Dr Phil, two pots of coffee, three hours of ebay, two trips to the front door to talk with the Fed Ex and then UPS man before I finally put on my exercise clothes and headed upstairs to the treadmill.
It is very cold upstairs because we have no heat up there so I bundled up in a hoody with the hood up and my mittens on, hauled up my exercise journal, both cds, my list of exercises that Kerri wrote out for me and my "before pictures."
Sure, I'm ready for this.
I started the cd and then the treadmill. I started walking. Slowly. The music, which I had picked out with a purpose, began picking up tempo so I began picking up speed. Sure, I can do this.
The songs I chose for my exercise background noise were songs that made me feel good at sometime in my life. I started out with some slow tunes such as Gillian Welch's "Miss Ohio" and Otis Redding's "I've got Dreams" sung by Oh Suzanna and then before I knew it I was walking 3 miles an hour to Bruce Springsten's "Born in the USA," Henley's "Boys of Summer" and Cheryl Crow's "Soak up the Sun." I put some Tone Chaperones on the cd because I love "Hug, Hold, Squeeze You" and it makes me think of my hubby. The cd starts slowing down again with ZZ Tops "I'm bad, I'm nationwide" and ends with a song that always reminds me of my dad--"Silver Thunderbird" by Jodi Messina. When that song ended, I was finishing up with my weight routine.
Sure, I really did this.
I'm not sure what happened, but I started concentrating on the music and before I knew it I was dance walking like a crazy fool on my treadmill. I refused to look at the time or distance, but then after awhile, I completely forgot to look because I was in my own little world or some world I hadn't been in for a long time. I had stripped off the mittens and hoody and had the fan blowing!
It wasn't until I got this terrible urge to pee (oh yea, I had TWO pots of coffee before this) that I realized I had been on the treadmill for about 45 minutes and had walked nearly 2.5 miles. I wasn't ready to be done but I HAD to pee! So I stopped the treadmill, ran to the bathroom, ran back up stairs, started the treadmill and...where did that world go I was enjoying?
I got off the treadmill after 60 minutes and 3 miles. I will probably resent this at work tomorrow!
I completed ALL of the weight exercises for my upper body that Kerri suggested although, I will admit I could not do 12 reps three times, so I settled for 10 reps two times. I know for a fact that I have disturbed my sleeping bicepts, and they are already not happy with me.
I know what you are thinking and I agree with you. I enthusiastically over-did it my first day. Will it discourage me for tomorrow? No, I'm not going anywhere near the treadmill tomorrow.
Tomorrow, I dance to a whole different group of songs. And my arms get a rest because tomorrow I work on toning the flabby muscles of my butt and tummy.
Sure, I can do this!

Hope your first day was as successful!

PS. Welcome to Microe who is going to join our team blog! Yea, a guy point of view!

The plan starts today...

I have invited folks to blog on this site so please view often to see how everyone is doing. If you got an invite to join this team site and don't want to do it right away, save the email and join later. 10-8 has joined the diet blog team and I have a feeling we will be hearing from her soon.
I have been preparing for today. I had hubby blow up the "big blue ball," daughter showed me some good exercises to do with it and some small weights, I went grocery shopping after removing the junk that wandered in the cupboards when I wasn't looking, bought a new journal and I had hubby take a picture of me in my bathing suit.
Let me explain the bathing suit picture. It has a lot to do with the skewed image we have of ourselves--both physically and mentally.
I spent a while looking at the pictures before placing them in my diet/exercise journal. I felt the need to come to terms with the fact that as much as I don't like my body shape and weight, it is me. I can see in a picture what others see. I can also see what I like and don't like--I like my ankles and wrists, I don't like my thighs and abdomen and arms.
Looking at the picture was like looking back through time and taking inventory of a life: those thighs developed because I was a runner until my bladder repair and my doc said "quit running." The tummy is from my dad's side of the family. I remember standing around with my cousins in about 8th grade comparing our tummys--and we were all related on my dad's side. If you put different period clothes on me I could be either one of my grandmothers--the stout one from England or the stout one from Ireland. Since my father and mother are both first generation Americans, the stoutness hasn't been bred out of us yet--almost--if you look at the generation after my sisters and me! About the arms--those are my mothers!!!
The picture helped me be at peace with some things, realize that I can't fight others, and understand that this is going to have to be a long committment with my self. If you are willing to hang in there with me, I am willing to hang in there with you.
Hope you have all done what you need to do to prepare to be the best you, you can be! (Did I steal that line from someone?)
This is my plan for the first week: 6 days/week
Mon: walk 30 min weights
Tue: dance 60 min toning
Wed: walk 30 min weights (today)
Thu: dance 60 min toning
Fri: walk 30 min weights
Sat or Sun will walk for endurance

Next Monday I will adjust what I think needs adjusting but I am pretty much sticking to these activities. I am going to attempt to increase times on the walks by at least 5 minutes/week. The long walk on Saturday or Sunday will be a prep for some distance walking I want to do this summer. I will let everyone know what day I am going and if you want to join me, please do.
Those of you who are going on vacation--find some exercise to do while you are there!! Those of you, like me, who have hubby's trying to loose weight or get healthy--keep in mind that men are different than women and will lose weight faster and be more motivated. They love us and will understand that the best thing they can do for us is be supportive. Any of you husbands that want to team blog--plese let me know.
Good luck everyone!