I’m NOT a Loser 07.15.11

Weight Loss
Weight: 265.0
Weight: 265.5
Net Weight Change : +0.5
Total Weight Loss : 46.0

Notes:
Debauchery finally caught up to me this week, but a half pound is a small price to pay for the excellent weekend and week I've had. I'll lose it plus some more next week. I doubt I'll get down to 260 even, which means I'll miss the goal I had set earlier, but I'm not too worried about it anymore. As long as I maintain net losses for the month, I'm happy.

I’m a Loser 07.08.11

Weight Loss
Weight: 267.5
Weight: 265.0
Net Weight Change : -2.5
Total Weight Loss : 46.5

Notes:
This week I discovered two facts: A Bud Light is worth fewer points than a Killian's Irish Red, but regardless of which you drink, it's hard to keep count and even harder to do the math after you've emptied thirteen or fourteen of them into your belly. So... I lost track of my points and just gave up trying to count them sometime around 10PM Saturday night.

I'm not sure how I managed to lose 2.5 pounds considering the insane amount of food and beer I ingested over the last week, but maybe the equally insane amounts of exercise had something to do with it. I fully intend to be very bad this weekend as well, so I'm guessing my debauchery will catch up to me at the scales next week, but I'm thinking it doesn't matter much. I wanted to be down to 260 in time for a book signing on Jully 23rd, but it doesn't look like I'm going to get it lined out in time. I've lost 8.5 pounds in three weeks. It won't kill me to back off and enjoy life just a little bit. And who knows? If I keep swimming, lifting, and biking like I have been, maybe I won't gain a pound. We'll soon see.

I don't want to buy more clothes now, because I still have about 25 pounds I intend to lose, and any clothes I buy today are going to be too big in three months. But the clothes I bought three months ago are falling off of me now.

I've never been much of a clothes horse. I never enjoyed shopping for new things to wear. But when I get down to 240, I'm going to donate all of my current clothes (except for one set, which I'll be wearing) to the Salvation Army. Then I'm buying new stuff all around - shirts, jeans, underwear, socks, slacks, shoes, and a few tailored suits. It may be the the first time I will enjoy clothes shopping in my entire life.

Along similar lines, I have two tattoos I've been designing for years, one for my back and one for my belly and chest. I'm going to get them when I'm finally back in good shape.

Anticipation of these things keeps me motivated.

I’m a Loser 07.01.11

Weight Loss
Weight: 270.5
Weight: 267.5
Net Weight Change : -3.0
Total Weight Loss : 44.5

Notes:
I used all of my weight watchers points this week, and then some. But I also exercised my ass off (literally.)

I probably would have lost more, but I haven't slept well; I skipped a gym day, and I've been in class all week which forced me to shorten all of my workouts (and it's so easy to hit the vending machines right outside the classroom while we're on break!) I was hungry all week long no matter how much I ate. I think it was because I increased my exercise.

But even with all that, I still lost three pounds, which puts me firmly below 270 pounds for the first time in nearly a decade.  When I first started losing weight, I had to buy new shirts and pants because the old stuff was just too big.  Since then, I've been washing them in cold water and letting them air-dry because I was worried they'd shrink and I wouldn't fit in them anymore.  However, this past week I've been washing with hot water and drying on high heat, trying to get them to shrink a little bit so they'll fit me better. I don't want to buy new clothes again already!

One final note:  I shaved my 1-mile swim time down  to 37:06.  I'm hoping to finally get under 37:00 next week.  I tried to get there today, and I really thought I had it, but I came in at 37:18.

I’m a Loser 06.24.11

Weight Loss
Weight: 274.0
Weight: 270.5
Net Weight Change : -3.5
Total Weight Loss : 41.5

Notes:
It was a good week for me. I tracked my points all week, and despite the goody day on Tueday and the employee appreciation day on Wednesday, I lost all of the vacation poundage plus a half pound more. If I can maintain that rate for the next couple of weeks, I will reach my 260 pound goal by July 23. Hell, I might even beat it.

This next week is going to be very significant for me. If all goes as planned, it will the the week I FINALLY drop under 270 pounds. I've been working towards this for a long time, and I am excited to surpass this personal obstacle.

I’m NOT a Loser 06.07.11

I gained three pounds since my last weigh-in two weeks ago. Considering that I haven't tracked my diet, have barely exercised, and ate/drank like a man scheduled for execution, I guess a three pound gain isn't too bad.

It was this time last year – right after a week down south with my parents – that I got off track and regained all the weight I'd lost (plus some.)

I cannot let that happen this time. I was committed to getting right back into the swing of things when I returned, but I got swimmer's ear from the lake water and had to stay out of the pool all week, and I was up late working on the novel, which meant I woke early enough to get the gym only twice.

I have the swimmer's ear whipped, and I'm tracking my diet again. More importantly, I intend to keep my chunky ass at home for the next few weekends, which means I won't have as many opportunities to break my diet and I should be able to get back into the habit of eating correctly.

I'm behind schedule as far as where I wanted to be in terms of overall weight loss, but I won’t let that discourage me. I have roughly five weeks until my first book signing event, and if I can get down to 260 by then, I'll still have 20 pounds to go before I reach my goal, but I'll also be content with the progress I've made.

I’m a Loser 05.27.11

I had another stagnant week where I didn't track my diet or exercise. I lifted weights and swam a mile every day, but I ate pretty much whatever I wanted. The end result? I lost one pound. Memorial Day weekend is another eating/drinking holiday, and my mouth waters at the mere thought of grilled steaks, juicy brats and hotdogs, strawberry shortcake, and BEER. However, I am trying to kick out of my funk and have been tracking my diet and exercise again since yesterday. I hope to be relatively good this weekend. I'm going to try to lose 4.5 this week so I can hit 270 and have lost 10 pounds for the month of May. I think I can do it, but we'll just have to see. A few months ago, a 4.5 pound loss would have been easy, but it's getting harder now that I have less to lose and I'm getting tired of denying myself the foods I want.

I’m NOT a Loser 05.20.11

I didn't do enough exercise this week to bother tracking it. I totally blew out my left calf either Monday or Tuesday morning, and I've been limping around ever since.

I also didn't track my diet.

I broke even for the week, neither gaining nor losing.

I've had a rough week. My calf has hurt all week, and I've gotten soaked while limping to or from work every day this week. If this goddamned rain doesn't dry up soon I'm going to lose my mind.

The breakup with Tasha hit me harder this week too. I'm doing OK, I guess, but I haven't been sleeping well, and I've been drinking much more than usual, and I think I'm depressed because I can't seem to give a fuck about much of anything.

My tattoo is healed enough for me to return to the pool, and I can barely wait. Next week will be better in every respect.

I’m a Loser 05.13.11

Weight Loss

04.05.11 Weight: 278
05.12.11 Weight: 275.5

Net Weight Change : 2.5
Total Weight Loss : 36.5

Stats, 05.05.11 - 05.011.11

Allowed WW Food Points: 448
Earned WW Activity Pts: 26
WW Food Points Eaten: 349
WW Points Remaining: 125
Daily Calorie Target: 1780
Average Daily Calories*:2076

Notes:

If you've been tracking my progress, you'll see my activity points are low this week when compared to past weeks. This is due mostly to the fresh tattoo which limits the ranges of exercises available, but also because I've stopped counting points for walking at work and stretching after workouts. WW says these activities are worth the points, but I can't justify counting them when such activities are as easy as breathing.

I ran or walked almost every day this week, with some pushups, crunches, pull-ups, jump rope, and mountain climbers thrown in for good measure, but I injured my left calf Wednesday night, and that forced me to switch to mountain biking until the bad weather put an end to that too. I'm trying to maintain a healthy level of exercise, in spite of circumstances arrayed against me, but I am getting frustrated. I will be glad when I can get back into the pool and weight room becasue at this rate, by the time the tattoo heals, I'll be too lamed up do anything except finger flutterkicks and face crunches.

I have one more week before this tattoo is healed enough for me to return to my regulary scheduled exercise. My bitching notwithstanding, I'm glad for the break and also for the chance to devise a decent workout that I can use when I go on vacation this summer. I was doing pretty well last year until I took a week away from my regular life, after which I didn't get back into fitness and exercise for six months. I regained every damned pound, plus some. This year I will not let that happen.

Even without exercising as much, I lost 2.5 pounds. I did really, really well with my diet this week. My doctor has asked me to use MyFitnessPal on my phone because it tracks calorie and nutrient intake. It means that I have to put my diet into two trackers (MFP and Weight Watcher's,) but I don't mind, because the MFP has awesome search capabilities to find food nutrition values, which I can use to calculate Points for foods that are not in WW's database (which is not very comprehensive at all.) Also, WW counts zero points for most fruits and veggies, but MFP still counts those calories, so if I try to meet the calorie goals in MFP, I come in 14-20 points under my allowed daily WW points. I'm pleased with the results so far, but I know that I'll have to abandon the calorie counting when I get back into the gym heavily, because I can't lift weights and also subsist on the pittance of food I eat when I try to hit my calorie goals.

*Adjusted for deductions earned for aerobic exercise.

I’m a Loser 05.06.11

Weight Loss

04.28.11 Weight: 280
05.05.11 Weight: 278

Net Weight Change : -2
Total Weight Loss : -34

Weight Watcher Stats, 04.28.11 – 05.04.11

Allowed Food Points: 448
Earned Activity Pts: 80
Food Points Eaten: 386
Points Remaining: 142

Notes:

After a month of being in a rut, slightly depressed, not exercising, and eating pretty much whatever I wanted, I am finally back on track. I exercised every day, even if it wasn't the hard workouts in the morning. I did something every day. I even jogged twice. I haven't ran in so long that I can't remember the last time I did it. It's been at least four or five years ago. I hurt all over as a result, but it feels great!

I was also very good with my diet, and when it was all said and done, I lost two pounds. I was hoping for a bigger loss, but it is my first week back on track, so if I can keep it up, maybe it will catch up with me next week, and I'll drop four or five.

I have even more incentive to stick to my diet and exercise regiment, because this week I was diagnosed with insulin resistance, a precursor to Type 2 Diabetes. The doctor says we've caught it early enough that there's a very good chance that I can turn the tide and avoid diabetes. Better yet, I am already doing almost everything text-book perfect to help myself. He told me to extend my aerobic workouts from 30 to 40 minutes, eat more complex carbohydrates, and stay away from simple carbs as if they were cyanide.

I'm not worried. I just need to make minor adjustments to my workouts and diet, and I should be fine. One of the reasons I started running again was that after this weekend I will be out of the pool for a few weeks due to a tattoo that I'm getting altered. So I need to fall back onto something else for a little while, but I think I have all the bases covered.

I’m NOT a Loser 04.29.11

I'm posting this late, but back dating it  in the title just to keep my naming convention clean.

I didn't t rack my points last week, and I gained a pound.  In the bigger scheme of things, I broke even for the month of April.  I was 280 pounds when the month started, and I was 280 pounds when it ended.  It was a tough month, with visiting friends, a big eating holiday, a bout of pretty severe depression, and terrible weather.  I could get all pissed off because I should be at 270 now, but instead I will keep my head up, keep my mood light and positive, and focus on getting back on track this week.  There's no sense in being angry about not losing when I can be happy about not gaining.

I’m a Loser 04.22.11

Weight Loss Results.

04.14.11 WW Weight: 280.5
04.21.11 WW Weight: 279

Net Weight Change : -1.5
Total Weight Loss : 32

Weight Watcher Stats, 04.14.11 – 04.20.11

Allowed Food Points: 448
Earned Activity Pts: 19
Food Points Eaten: 401
Points Remaining: 66

Notes:

I gained two pounds last week and didn't even bother to post an update. I meant to, but I got busy, and never got around to it. This week was tough for exercise, due to allergies, and very poor sleep most of the week. I only made it one day. I plan to make this week better, but that's what I said last week after I gained two pounds. I think I'm in a little bit of a slump.

But I may have a way to get kicked out of it. I read a fitness article recently that reminded me of some fundamental weight lifting axioms that I had either forgotten or talked myself out of following, and I learned some new things too. So I'm going back to basics, and I'm excited to get started.

I'm also switching my schedule. These past few months I've been working out three days, taking a day off, and working out three more days. It meant that I had to lift one, sometimes two, days every weekend, but it wasn't an issue because the weather was shitty and I was staying off the roads most of the time. However, now that the weather is improving and my endurance is built up more, I'm swapping back to working out five days straight and taking the weekends off. This last week was supposed to be the first week of the new schedule, but I fooled around and let it go to hell. So next week is the new First Week. Hopefully it will go better than the last two.

I’m a Loser 04.08.11

Weight Loss Results.

3-21-11 Gym Weight : 284.8
4-04-11 Gym Weight : not measured (got my weeks mixed up)

Net Weight Change: N/A

3-31-11 WW Weight: 280.0
4-07-11 WW Weight: 278.5

Net Weight Change : -1.5
Total Weight Loss : 33.5

Weight Watcher Stats, 3.24.11 - 3.30.11

Allowed Food Points: 448
Earned Activity Pts: 32
Food Points Eaten: 490
Points Remaining: -10

Notes:

I think I got my weeks mixed up and forgot to weigh in at the gym this week, thinking it was next week. Oh well, I guess they could have and should have called, if they cared.

The boxing class finished last night, and I'm sad that it's over. I really enjoyed the class, and I hope to continue training with that coach at his gym. I've tried many styles of martial arts and fighting over the years, but there is something about boxing that really appeals to me. I can't explain it other than to say it feels... pure.

I have no idea how I lost 1.5 pounds this week. Training at work forced a change in my morning schedule and screwed up my workout plans. Candy abounded in the class, and I ate my fill of it. I experienced a tremendous amount of emotional stress and duress this week, and I had NO WILLPOWER to be healthy. On the plus side, I didn't drink myself into a stupor or get put in jail for fighting, but I could not make myself go to bed on time, get up on time, or refuse the siren call of junk food. If it was in front of me and I wanted a bite, I took it. I'm hoping, if I am very good this next week, last week's indiscretions won't catch up to me, because I am under 280 pounds for the first time in years, and I don't want to slide back into that bracket.

I really must be mellowing in my middle age. In times past, when I was really upset, I drank like a fish, fought like a pitbull, and fucked like a stallion. Now I just stay up late, skip the gym in favor of sleeping, and pig out on junk food. I'd be disgusted with myself if I didn't find it so funny.

I’m a Loser 04.01.11

Weight Loss Results.

3-21-11 Gym Weight : 284.8
3-28-11 Gym Weight : not measured

Net Weight Change: N/A

3-24-11 WW Weight: 287.0
3-31-11 WW Weight: 280.0

Net Weight Change : -7
Total Weight Loss : 32

Weight Watcher Stats, 3.24.11 - 3.30.11

Allowed Food Points: 462
Earned Activity Pts: 97
Food Points Eaten: 414
Points Remaining: 145

Notes:

It was a tough time, following a week of eating whatever I wanted, but I did all right. Not great - but all right. To my credit, it has been a very stressfull week, which usually leads to more eating, less sleep, and less exercise. I have also struggled with allergies and clogged sinuses, which has made exercise difficult. Despite all that, I lost the 2.5 pounds I regained last week, plus 4.5 more.

Despite my breathing problems, I beat my swim time again on Saturday, getting my 3/4 mile time down to 27:30! The rest of the week I did well to get it all done in under 33:00, and the last day I swam I could only do a half mile, but I stuck with is as best as I could. If I can get my lungs cleared up, maybe I can start swimming a mile again.

I'm to the ten percent weight loss mark, which is also roughly analogous to my half-way mark (I want to lose 72 pounds, half of which is 36. A ten percent loss equals 31 pounds.) I really want to do something to celebrate, but I don't know what I want to do.   If the weather was warmer I'd go camping.  If it wasn'tcounter productive to my goals, I'd have a party.  If I had a girlfriend, we'd celebrate in bed all weekend.  I guess I'll just work on various projects and maybe allow myself time to play some video games.  Wow, what a party animal I have become.  : (

I’m NOT a Loser 03.25.11

Weight Loss Results.

3-07-11 Gym Weight : 284.7
3-21-11 Gym Weight : 284.8

Net Weight Change: +0.1

3-17-11 WW Weight: 284.5
3-25-11 WW Weight: 287.0

Net Weight Change : +2.5
Total Weight Loss : 25
I didn't track points this week.

Notes:

It's been a tough week for physical fitness and weight loss. It started last Thursday when we had a "goody day" at work, and I did not restrain my appetite. I ate pretty much whatever I wanted. The pig-out trend continued through Friday and the weekend. I ate and drank as much as I wanted, and I stopped tracking my points.

I pulled a muscle in my neck during a concert Saturday night, which severely hampered my gym activities. (That will teach me to headbang like I'm 16 instead of 36.) The pool shut down due to malfunctioning pumps, which also reduced the exercise I intended to do. I had Monday and Tuesday off from work, and my sleeping and eating patterns suffered without the structure supplied by the work environment. The weather sucked, and something in the air has my eyes and sinuses on fire, so I stayed inside, plopped down on my butt for most of my mini vacation.

So, to summarize this past week: I ate WAY, WAY too much, and exercised WAY, WAY too little.

I'm not being too hard on myself; I've been doing really well these past few weeks, and it's not going to kill me if I take one week to eat what I want and not go to bed with a rumbling belly every night. The results from the weigh-in prove that I can't allow myself to do it very often or for very long. I think I've also proven that when I have time off from work, I need to try to stick to my regular schedule as closely as possible to keep from throwing everything out of whack. It was also bothering the bejeezus out of me to have that .5 pounds dangling on the weight every week. I had hoped to lose X.5 pounds to even it out, but gaining 2.5 works too, I guess. My OCD is satisfied.

I'm back to doing what I'm supposed to do, tracking my points and exercising as much as my injuries will allow. I'll make up for these gains next week, and be under 280 pounds before I know it! If I am very good and lose 5 pounds next week, I'll clear 30 pounds for three months, which averages to 10 pounds per month or 2.5 pounds per week. That's not too shabby.

Despite my poor performance last week, the new jeans I bought are already so lose that I need the smaller belt I purchased. When I bought the jeans, they were so snug that I worried they would shrink in the wash and I wouldn't be able to wear them. I also increased weight on a couple of lifts this week, and I may try to increase my shoulder lifts to 35 pounders next week. If I can do it, it will be the first time EVER that I've been able to lift that much with my shoulders. Also, even though it's technically not part of last week's performance, I'm going to steal some thunder from the current week to say that I beat my 3/4 mile swim time today with 27:01 as the new time to beat!

I’m a loser 03.18.11

Bodyfat & Weight Loss Results.

3-07-11 Gym Weight : 284.7
3-14-11 Gym Weight : Not Measured

Net Weight Change: N/A

3-10-11 WW Weight: 288.5
3-17-11 WW Weight: 284.5

Net Weight Change : -4
Total Weight Loss : -27.5

Weight Watcher Stats, 3.10.11 - 3.16.11

Allowed Food Points: 462
Earned Activity Pts: 107
Food Points Eaten: 398
Points Remaining: 171

Notes:

I think this was the best week I've had so far, in terms of diet compliance and exercise. I ate less than my allowed daily points on every day except Saturday and Wednesday. Saturday was the night I went to the concert, and dinner at IHOP consumed the rest of my daily points and 20-some of my extra weekly points. On Wednesday I had to get to work early and overslept too late to pack a lunch. I also had appointments in town after work and had to eat out for dinner as well, so I dipped back into the extra weekly points before the day was over.

As for exercise - well, the points speak for themselves. I totally busted my ass this week and did not slack off a single day. As a result, I'm sore, stiff, and cranky. My house is a mess and all my other projects are behind schedule too, but I don't care because I am stronger and leaner than I was a week ago. I increased weights on every lift that I do. It's taken me months, but I finally have my shoulders built up to where I can lift with 30 pounders again. Before the summer is over, I'll be using 50 pounders and my shoulders will be the size of soccer balls.

I already had a bad day in my new week. Thursday was "goodie day" at work, and I ate enough for three people. I ate all my daily points by lunch and had to tap into the extra weekly points in order to eat what I wanted for dinner. At that rate, I'll not do nearly so well in this mext week. But I'm not worried. I've been working really hard, and it's not going to kill me to take it a little easier and eat a little more once in awhile. If I don't indulge once in awhile, I'll get pissed off and quit. The trick is to not let one bad day set a precedent or be a justifaction for having a bad week.

I worry also that I'm losing the weight too fast. On the other hand, I know I'm eating enough and not exercising too excessively. Also, I suspect the big losses will not be as common once I get down to a certain body fat percentage. Right now the weight is just melting off because it takes so much energy to move all this mass from point A to pint B. In a month or two I'll probably have to work even harder to get half as much lost simply because I'll weigh less and I'll not be working as hard to haul my ass around on a daily basis. If it was easy to have six-pack abs and huge pectorial muscles, everyone would have them.

(Bonus points to anyone who caught the Ren and Stimpy reference.)

I’m a Loser 03.11.11

Bodyfat & Weight Loss Results.

2-21-11 Gym Body Fat: 29.5
3-07-11 Gym Body Fat: Not Measured (they stopped measuring this when they changed the scoring system)
Net Body Fat% Change: N/A

2-21-11 Gym Weight : 289.8
3-07-11 Gym Weight : 284.7

Net Weight Change: -5.1

3-03-11 WW Weight: 290.5
3-10-11 WW Weight: 288.5
Net Weight Change : -2
Total Weight Loss : -23.5

Weight Watcher Stats, 3.03.11 - 3.09.11

Allowed Food Points: 462
Earned Activity Pts: 39
Food Points Eaten: 479
Points Remaining: 22

Notes:

Looking at the points surplus, it seems I did worse on my diet and exercised less this week than last. I did eat a lot; I had an old friend come into town last weekend, and I was not inclined to damper our fun with stingy eating habits. I ensured that we ate very, very well, and I don't feel a bit guilty about it!

I also made the mistake of going to work on Wednesday with lots of change in my pockets, and I fell victim to the vending machine's siren song not once, no twice, but thrice... I also did not get into the gym as much as I planned, due mostly to bad sleep and extreme difficulty getting out of bed in the morning.

However, on the plus side, I started a boxing class to get a little more aerobic exercise and conditioning, and while I ate a lot this week, I had a much more stable diet. There were no binge days like last week.

I forgot to pack my breakfast this morning and ate a big breakfast in the cafeteria at work – nearly twice as many points as usual. Looking ahead to coming days, I foresee dinner out on the town Saturday night . If I can get watch my food choices closely today and get through Saturday night without breaking the diet, I believe next week will be the week I finally have the "perfect" diet week, barring unforeseen stressors, complications, or surprise attacks by rabid Reese's Cup monsters (in the event of Reese's Cup attacks, I MUST defend myself, right? It's too bad that human saliva is the only known weakness of these dangerous creatures…)

I’m a Loser 02.25.11

Bodyfat & Weight Loss Results.

1-07-11 Gym Body Fat: 28.0
2-21-11 Gym Body Fat: 29.5
Net Body Fat% Change: +1.5

1-07-11 Gym Weight : 290
2-21-11 Gym Weight : 289.8
Net Weight Change: -0.2

2-17-11 WW Weight: 296.5
2-24-11 WW Weight: 293.5
Net Weight Change : -3

Weight Watcher Stats, 2.17.11 - 2.23.11

Allowed Food Points: 469
Earned Activity Pts: 36
Food Points Eaten: 423
Points Remaining: 82

Notes:

I wasn't expecting excellent news when I weighed in at the gym on Monday, not after the gain I had at weight watcher's last week, but I sure as hell didn't expect only a 0.2 pound loss and a 1.5% body fat gain. The trainers at the gym say I shouldn't get discouraged, because this is going to happen from time to time, but ... well... damn it!

On the plus side, I lost three pounds since last Thursday. So that's something.

I hit the gym hard last week, and as result, my aching and sniveling body convinced me to take it easier this week, but I also cut my food intake back to the lowest levels since I started Weight Watchers. The folks at WW say I should eat the full allowance of points every day, but my body has this crazy notion that it can do what it wants instead of what I want, and it needs to get back with the fucking program. Now.

So, that means I will not be using any more of my "extra" points; I will not be using any of my Activity points, and I will use 50-55 of my 60 daily points until my body figures out that I am not screwing around. I am sick of this shit, sick of not being able to move. I should be able to control one thing, it should be my own boby, but even it thinks it can tell me to fuck off while it does its own thing. I will not stand for it.

I’m a Loser 02.18.11

Bodyfat & Weight Loss Results.

1-07-11 Gym Body Fat: 28.0
2-14-11 Gym Body Fat: not measured this week
Net Body Fat% Change: N/A

1-07-11 Gym Weight : 290
2-14-11 Gym Weight : not measured this week
Net Weight Change: N/A

2-10-11 WW Weight: 294.5
2-17-11 WW Weight:296.5
Net Weight Change : +2

Weight Watcher Stats, 2.10.11 - 2.16.11

Allowed Food Points: 469
Earned Activity Pts: 87
Food Points Eaten: 501
Points Remaining: 55

Notes:

I don't understand why I gained two pounds this week. I ate a little more than usual, but I worked out ALOT more.  I wasn't expecting an avalanche of fat to be gone, but I thought I'd lose at least a pound.  It makes me feel like the entire last week of aching muscles, ignored cravings, and growling belly were all for nothing, and even though I'm trying to be cool about it, I am really so pissed off that I can barely see straight.

Still no word on the rankings for the gym weight loss contest. I'll have the second weigh in next Monday.

In other news, I've changed up my workout routine a little bit. I was working out five days a week, without interruptions, and taking the weekend off, but it was wearing me out. So I started working out three days and taking a day off, and then working three more. That was an improvement, but swimming three days straight was not giving my upper body time to fully recover, so I've started doing the elliptical machine on the days I do lower body lifts. That means I only swim every other day, and so far it's working really well.

I've been thinking about the two pound gain, trying to make sense of it.  I compared last week's exercise and diet numbers to the ones I have for the entire year, and all the numbers line up.  There's nothing out of the ordinary.  According to the numbers, I should have lost weight, or at least broke even.  I definitely should not have gained.

I think some of it was due to muscle mass increase (I lifted often and very hard last week.)  I think some of it was water weight as well.  I didn’t work out or go to the steam room Thursday morning because it was a day off in my new workout rotation.  I also ate a heavy lunch (pizza subs) with friends.  I also used the elliptical last week, and I know it didn't burn like swimming does.  There's also a good possibility that my big loss to weeks ago was due in part to dehydration, so I didn't really lose a full five pounds, and some of the weight I gained this week was due to rehydration since the previous weigh-in.

So I suppose it makes some sense.  I'm not going to let it get me down.  As Natasha pointed out, I've gone down another hole in my belt, and my watch will soon need another link taken out of the band to keep it from banging against my wrist bones, so I must be doing something right, no matter what the scales say.

I’m a Loser 02.11.11

Bodyfat & Weight Loss Results.

1-24-11 Gym Body Fat: 29.1 (I thought he said "29.9" but I was wrong.)
2-07-11 Gym Body Fat: 28.0
Net Body Fat% Change: -1.1%

1-24-11 Gym Weight : 297
2-07-11 Gym Weight : 290
Net Weight Change: -7

2-03-11 WW Weight: 299.5
2-10-11 WW Weight: 294.5
Net Weight Change : -5

Weight Watcher Stats, 2.03.11 - 2.09.11

Allowed Food Points: 476
Earned Activity Pts: 60
Food Points Eaten: 503
Points Remaining: 24

Notes:

I'm doing well, staying on (or a little ahead) of my projected weight loss schedule, and I am happy with the results thus far. I feel an awesome difference in my energy levels, flexibility, and mobility. My arms and legs are hard as rocks. My chest and back are filling out and firming up again. My love handles are shrinking, and my Dunlap belly is receding. I'm no longer ashamed to tuck in my shirt tails, and the other day I used hand rails to swing and "vault" down a set of stairs - a move I used to do all the time but hadn’t done in so long that I'd forgotten that I used to do it.

I had two days where I succumbed to old habits and ate entirely too much due to emotional/stress overeating, and it will catch up to me, but I don't think it will hurt my momentum too much.

I have no idea where I've placed so far in the weight loss contest at the gym. I don't know the man who's running it, but as near as I can tell, he's just a few IQ points on the smart side of retarded. I guess I shouldn't expect much from the muscle head. I guess there's a reason he's working in a gym rather than an astrophysics lab, but I'd think even the most brain-dead jock would understand that it makes people more competitive to know where they rank in the contest, and it doesn't do any good if the rankings are released too late. I could also understand if the contest involved a hundred people, but there's only nine of us.

I’m a Loser 02.04.11

Bodyfat & Weight Loss Results.

1-24-11 Gym Body Fat: 29.9
1-31-11 Gym Body Fat: Not measured
Net Body Fat% Change: N/A

1-24-11 Gym Weight : none
1-31-11 Gym Weight : Not measured
Net Weight Change: N/A

1-27-11 WW Weight: 301.5
2-03-11 WW Weight:299.5
Net Weight Change : -2 pounds

Weight Watcher Stats, 1.27.11 - 2.02.11

Allowed Food Points: 476
Earned Activity Pts: 37
Food Points Eaten: 461
Points Remaining: 52

Notes:

Two weeks ago I got to the gym almost as much as I wanted, but I ate much more than I should have. This week I did really well with my diet (no gorging on Guys' Night helped a lot,) but I didn't make it to the gym as often as I planned. I'm happy with what I've accomplished, though. I increased all my lifts by 5-10 pounds, and I got my half-mile swim time down to 18:00 even! I don't remember ever being that fast before. This next week I am going to try to bring it all together. I'm going to do every thing I can to stick to the diet AND make it to the gyms five days of the week. Then we'll see what kind of results I get!

I've done some looking ahead. When I get down to 240 pounds, I will be allowed 50 weight watcher's points a day (I get 60 per day now.) A ten point difference may not sound like much, but when that equates to food that doesn't go into my rumbling belly, trust me, it is very significant! So I looked at how I'm eating now, and realized that I could make that goal now if I could make some minor changes.

If I could force myself to drink green tea without putting honey in it, I would shave off 4 points per day
If I switch to using regular milk instead of chocolate milk, I would shave 1-3 points per day.
If I ate one less fiber granola bar per day, I would shave 3 points per day.

It doesn't sound like much of a sacrifice, but my concern is that I really look forward to those cups of chocolate milk and those granola bars, and I worry that I'll have bigger issues sticking with the diet if I can't have those little bits of sweetness throughout the day. I'm not worried about the green tea; I'll just stop drinking that nasty stuff all together if I have to cut the honey out