Week 14 of My Fitness Journey

Making Progress - I'm Dialed Back In!

Well, it feels good to be dialed back in. This past week, I worked out, ate right and got back under 200. I weighed in this morning at 199lbs. 

This week was crazy at work and I had to travel, but honestly, that helped. I used my Black Card at Planet Fitness to go to the gym while I was out of town and got in a great workout. I tracked everything I ate and I even sat down before dinner and figured out what macros I had left and what I could therefore "afford" to eat and still stay within the macros. 

I hate to say it, but this is easier to do when I'm not at home because I don't feel judged, or weird, or like I'm not eating what was made at home. I'm sure I've mentioned that we have a LOT of pasta dishes, rice dishes that are just a lot of carbs and apparently my body just doesn't like them anymore. Trying to stay under 120g of carbs at home can be challenging because I don't weigh out what I'm eating when it's home cooked. Packaged foods, which I know aren't the best for me, at least have the macros on the box or can so it's easy to know. I do have a food scale but I know me and I know I won't weigh out dry pasta, and then try to get that right after a whole pot has been cooked. 

I also got a suit, got it tailored and it looks really good. It was not a fancy suit by any means, but it's amazing how a proper fit can make any suite look good. 

I got my Covid shot and flu shot yesterday and woke up feeling fine this morning. No sore arm or any symptoms. I swear the key to avoiding a sore arm the next day is to workout after the shot. Get those muscles moving. The one time I didn't do that, was the only time my arm hurt the next day. 

I think the big take-away for me this week was that consistency and tracking (as best I can) is really going to be the key to this whole journey. Working out when I don't feel like it. Tracking macros even if it feels like a pain, etc. 

Weeks 10, 11 & 12 of my Weight Loss Journey

It has been a rough couple of weeks if I'm being honest. I haven't been keeping up with this blog for one. But the worst is that I have done a horrible job of tracking my food, tracking my macros, and exercising according to my schedule. 

Everything seems to have just crumbled over the last few weeks. Yes, work has been difficult. Long days, nights and lots of travel, but honestly, when I was traveling, I was on point! Everthing fell apart when I was back home. 

While traveling, I was alone, so I would walk at night, even in the dark. But when I am home, I tend to stay in. I can't seem to get out of bed in the morning to exercise and then at night, I'm either working late or I have a break where I could walk, but it's so hot outside, it's the last thing I want to do. So what gives? How bad has it been? Let's look back together. 

Week 10: Week ending August 22nd

Last week, I ended the week at 200lbs and was disappointed in myself. But this week I ended at 198lbs. I was really happy! I was getting back on track! I worked out Tuesday, but then missed Thursday and Saturday. I'm not sure why other than I was just crazy tired at night. I did manage to get in 10,000 steps on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday! All in all, despite some missed workouts, I was doing well. 

Week 11 Week ending August 29th 

I ended the week at 200lbs. Back where I was 2 weeks ago. This is when the wheels started coming off. I was away at work but did manage to keep in my calories and macros on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday along with getting 10,000 steps in Monday and Tuesday. I fell short on Wednesday but that was a sitting in a car and office all day and getting home at 9 p.m. kind of day. I did get in one workout on Thursday, but that was the only one. From Wednesday, through Saturday I stopped tracking everything. It was hit or miss if I'd enter something or not. Some stuff I ate wasn't in the app and I wasn't even sure how to track it. I could have asked ChatGPT to give an estimate, but I was lazy, didn't do it, and then the next day, couldn't remember everything I had the day before. It was not good. 

Week 12 Week ending Sept 5th

It's Wednesday, Sept. 2nd today and I'm catching up on this blog. So, here's the update for this week so far: 

On Sunday I hiked 4 miles, but I went over on calories and carbs which became the trend for this week. Monday and Tuesday I was pretty much glued to my desk doing ballot proofing and then I was on-call basically each night in case more proofs came in. I should have been using my walking pad if nothing else, but I didn't even do that.It would have been a great way to pass the time between proofs.  

Every day seems to be carb heavy. Fancy cinnamon rolls from this place in Old Fort, NC, Pasta dishes for dinner, burgers and fries for dinner and/or lunch. Tonight we had a pasta dish that I love! I call it Chicken Crack. It's pulled chicken in a pasta with bread crumbs, butter and garlic that make these little crunchy-textered things in the food. With hot pepper flakes, it's got a little kick to it and it's just addictive. I could eat the whole pan of it and I always eat way more than I should so I know the scale will not be kind tomorrow. But again, it'll just be water weight. This morning, I was 202.6, down from 203 yesterday, but again, I know it's just water weight from all the carbs. I just need to get back on track. 

I really like the Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday so I decided after some back and forth, to just wait and do my workout as scheduled on Thursday. I did not get in my 10K steps, but I did walk for 30 minutes, and that was actually nice. It was just over 1.6 miles so not too shabby for high 80's/low 90's when I walked after dinner. 

The Rest of the Week

Thursday 

Thursday I worked out for the first time in a week and a half and it felt good but really tough. It kicked my butt and on some of the exercises, I was definitely ridin' the struggle bus. I started tracking again so I started of the day with a breakfast of steak and eggs. Almost 60g of protein!! Things were looking good, but then I had a series of rough calls, caved and ate an oatmeal cream pie. I definitely stress eat. I never noticed it or realized it before, but I definitely do. For lunch I had a bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and red onion. I know the bun didn't do me any favors. I did get sweet potato fries instead of regular. I actually really like that as a substitute. But then, the drive home, more calls. I figured lunch was not ideal so I got a DQ dipped cone on the way home. The sad thing was that it wasn't even that good. The ice cream tasted off. Like it was ice cream mixed with cool whip or something really odd. For dinner, I had leftovers of the dish I call Chicken Crack, so more protein but also A LOT more carbs.

Friday 

Friday was a crazy day at work and I didnt' eat lunch until after 3pm. I had a McDouble and a Happy Meal with 6 Mcnuggets so I could get the Godzilla Toy. Yes. I am that nerdy. For dinner we went to a new "taco" place in Asheville. I had a quesadilla and margarita. We got table guacamole and of course my wife and step-daughter got food and drinks too. It was over $130 with tip!!! Absolutely insane. Honestly, the moment I saw the menu, I wanted to leave. Asheville is getting worse and worse on how expensive it is. It wasn't even good which is the worst part. Give me Papa's and Beer on Tunnel Rd any day over Xico. Anyways...no walking, hiking or anything. Just eating. 

Saturday

Today we went to the Hellbender Festival in Spruce Pine, NC. Lots of walking. I hit 10K steps, so that was good. Lunch was Bacon Cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, onion. I did have a small DQ Blizzard. Dinner was very light becuase I wan't hungry. I did workout and again, it kind of kicked my butt, but it was better. 

Most of this week, Wednesday-today, I weighed 202.6. Everyday the same. Very strange. It's like my body found a weight it likes. But I know I need to move more. Tomorrow and Monday I have off, so hopefully the weather is nice and I can get in some hikes or some running. Walking at the very least is the goal. 

Week 9 of My Weight Loss Journey: Work Keeps Happening

How Am I Supposed to Get in Shape if I Work All the Time?

This was a tough week. Work was crazy. I had a conference I had to attend at the beginning of the week. That was Monday and Tuesday. Then Wednesday through Friday I was glued to my desk proofing November's ballots. I think I mentioned I work in elections. It's a lot like being an accountant. It's not crazy work ALL the time, but there are definitely times of the year where it picks up. And no, it's not just one day a year on Election Day. To put on an election starts months in advance. There's candidate filing, creating the ballots, proofing them, coding for the equipment, testing the equipment to ensure the coding works, recruiting & training pollworkers, loading supplies, etc. All of that is either work I do or things I'm asked about and have to help new directors deal with. Any way, back to my journey. 

The Good: 

I did manage to walk 10,000 steps Sunday, Monday & Tuesday. I also walked 10,000+ steps today as we went on a hike. I have also been staying consistent with my resistance training. Again, it's just at home with adjustable dumbbells and a kettlebell, but I like it, I can see changes and it keeps me consistent. In fact, Thursday I absolutely did NOT want to workout. It was 10:40pm and all I wanted to do was go to sleep. But I sucked it up, told myself it's just 10 minutes, and I did the workout. 

The Bad:

I went to the bar to hang out with work friends and had beers. 2 the first night. 3 beers the second night. I know what you're thinking. 2-3 beers? That's it? Well, yes, so I guess I could put that part up in the good column, but they were beers nonetheless. So lots of carbs. On top of that, I fell off the tracking calories and macro wagon on Wednesday, Thursday AND Friday and kind of went crazy with carbs. 

Summary: 

This morning I weighed in at 200lbs. I was so happy the last couple of weeks being below 200 consistently. However, considering the beers, the carbs, breads, sweets, etc., gaining 1.2lbs since last Saturday is not the end of the world. However, I was up 2.4lbs from the week before that last week so I'm up a total of 3.6lbs over the last two weeks. THAT also is not the end of the world, but it is a harsh reminder that I need to focus and track. When I track my calories, I do much better. 

Week 6 of my Weight Loss Journey - Work Got in the Way

Week 6: It's hard to Make Progress When Work Keeps Getting in the Way

Well, honestly, it wasn't the worst week. I just didn't make any progress and I did take a tiny step backwards but I'm not too worried. Actually, I just double checked and I only went from 194.4 to 200 this week, which is pretty darn good considering I didn't work out until today. 

I didn't do anything Monday and on Tuesday, I had to go out of town for work for 3 days which was unexpected. I found out Tuesday around noon, and I was on the road at 5 p.m.  

The hotel mentioned a fitness center but I couldn't find it anywhere. I'm actually going back this week so I'll figure it out. I could have done in-room body weight exercises, but I was honestly pretty beat. Work, combined with 95 degree heat - and really hot heat if you know what I mean - was not conducive to exercise. In fact, the last few weeks, it has either been unbearably hot and humid or it's been pouring rain!

On the trip, I knew I'd end up eating fast food given my travel budget but I had a workound of sorts. Breakfast was served at the hotel and I just had eggs and sausage. For lunch on the two days I was away, I just had those little "lunch on the go" chicken salad and Tuna salad kits. They come with a cookie, fruit cup, tuna or chicken salad and crackers. They are somewhere around 300-400 calories. 

Dinner however, was another thing. Chipotle the night I got there. Burger King one night, and Dairy Queen the night I left to come back home. Where I also "treated" myself and got a cookie dough blizzard. Supposedly, it was over 1,000 calories for a medium according to the Google Health fitness app. I found that hard to believe, but I guess it is what it is. So that was my "Cheat Day" since the other days were more in-line with calories even though I was way over on carbs all the days. 

I got home late Thursday and Friday was another travel day for me and I let the day get away without any exercise. But today - Saturday - was much better. I did my ankle exercises, I worked out with my weights and kettlebell and I hiked around 3.75 miles. 

Since I have to travel again on Monday and be gone Tuesday & Wednesday, I will be better prepared. I plan on taking my resistance bands with the handles and if it turns out that there isn't a gym, I will have something more than just body weight exercises I can do. And I will do them. I am comitted. I think I'll even make a video of my "Hotel Room Workout". 

Progress Photos at the End of 6 Weeks

I did want to show my progress at the end of 6 weeks though. This is what I look like going from 212 to 199. I'm pretty excited actually. Hard to believe my gut is that much flatter. Sorry about the underwear shot. I took it for my own benefit. It was to shock me into action with how gross I felt and I gross I thought I looked. But it was then the only picture I had once I started losing weight. Again, that was at 212lbs and my heaviest was actually 213 although I don't think a pound would look any different. As I mentioned above, this after pic is me at 199lbs although today I did weigh in at 200 with going away for work. But the after pick was technically at the end of week 5, but again, I don't think a single pound is going to look to drastically different. I was just so excited to get below 200, that I took this picture on that day. 

 

Weeks 4 & 5 of my Weight Loss Journey. I've Lost 14lbs So Far

Week 4: July 5th - 11th

I finished my 4th week but not much had changed. Despite little change, I'm super happy about it. Why you ask? Well, this past week was my 11 year anniversary which also coincided with a week of vacation. Typically, people gain 10lbs when they go on vacation. I only gained 1.2!! 

Only gaining 1.2lbs includes eating and drinking on my anniversary. I didn't track anything. I just enjoyed the day. It also includes me missing my Thursday workout. Well...I could have worked out, but again, I focused on my anniversary which was amazing. 

Once vacation was over, I was ready to get back on track. Three workouts per week, watching my carbs and tracking my food same as before. 

Week 5: July 12th - 18th 

Keeping to my macros but honestly getting a little closer to my TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), I lost 1.8lbs this week. There was one small difference. After 4 weeks of using the same weights for the upper body part of my workout, just 10lbs, I increased the weight to 15lbs. I know it doesn't sound like to alot to most people, but with no rest between exercises, the arms fatigue very quickly. I tried to go up to 20lbs just to see, but my form was breaking down too much so I was smart and went with 15lbs. 

I only did one run this week and no track workout. However, the 1.47 miles I ran was a hard effort and with the hills, I still eeked out a 12:30 pace. Slower than my mile time, but again, a half-mile farther and with hills. 

So, as of the end of this 5th week, I'm down 6lbs since I started this blog, 14 pounts since I said "No More!!" when I hit 213lbs. It's nice to know that all that knowledge I had came back to help me. I guess I just had to reach a breaking point where my "should" became a "must". 

Weight Loss Journey - Week 3

It's the 3rd week of documenting my weight loss journey and things are going good. I woke up and got on the scale and weighed in at an even 200! I've very happy because I'm making progess. I'm not feeling hungry. And I've lost 5 pounds since starting this blog. It is said that 1-2 pounds per week is a good range for weight loss because it typically means you're losing fat and not muscle. So, what have I been doing?

I've been doing a simple resitance training at home with my dumbells and kettlebells. It only takes me about 10 minutes so it's something that I can do even if it gets late and I just want to go upstairs to bed. With the dumbells, I do 10 x arm curls, hammer curls, tricep kickbacks, overhead press, side raises and front raises. I take no rest in between. I go from exercise to exercise. Once I'm done with those, I switch to the kettlebell and do the following. 15 x Goblet Squats, kettlebell swings, deadlift. On my last workout I did add 15 x single leg RDL (Romanian Deadlift) switching legs of course to work both sides. I really felt this one and could tell there was some weakness there. This exercise will become a regular as I know it'll help my running.

Speaking of which; I ran this morning at the track above McCormick Field. It's a really nice track and not crowded on a Saturday morning. At least not this Saturday morning. I did one of my favorite track workouts: Sprint the straightaways and jog (or in my case today, walk) the curves. It's basically a HIIT workout on the track.  

As far as eating goes. I am tracking as best I can. Some things just aren't in the database but I can add somethings if it has a nutrition label. For other things, I'll take a picture and ask AI to estimate the calories and macros and then manually add it based on those numbers. It must be fairly accurate becuase it's working for me. If I happen to have a sweet, which has happened, I will focus really hard on no or very little carbs the rest of the day. This has been working too as I haven't felt deprived of eating what I like. It just requires more planning for the rest of the day. 

In fact, just yesterday, I planned for ice cream at the end of the day. I left myself enough calories and carbs in reserve to have two scoops of ice cream (vanilla and chocolate) with chocolate chips. 

April 9th I was 213 and started losing weight just trying to move a little more but I ate pretty much the same. From April 9th until June1 I just focused on moving more and that got me to hover around 208-210 the whole time. Since I've cut back on the carbs, I've noticed that the old adage is true - Weight loss is done in the kitchen. Obviously, moving helps too, but the carbs are what as moved the needle the most for me. At least so far. 

 Video Walkthrough of My Macro Calculator

I wanted to show you how my spreadsheet works for calculating my macros. If you like this tool I made, let me know and I'll be happy to share it with you.

Unfortunately, there is a size limit to videos I can post, so I had to give up the sound to get it to fit.

Basically, I walk you through entering your information in the green fields. At times, you may need to enter a result from a yellow field but most of the time, the cell that needs it, will pick it up automatically. 

You'll enter your age, weight and goal weight. If you know your height in inches, great! If not, and you're bad at math, I have a mini-calculator you can use. The next thing to enter is your gender and then your activity level. 

Once these are entered, you'll see your BMR or Base Metabolic Rate and your TDEE or Total Daily Energy Expenditure. If the "For Weight Loss" field is red, you are too low. Simply click in the formula bar and adjust the default -500 to something lower like -300 or -250 so that you get to where your "weight loss" calories are higher than your BMR figure. 

You'll see your macors below. Botht the calories from each macro as well as how many grams you can from each macro. 

The way I did this was simple. I took my goal body weight and multiplied it by 1 for protein. I then took 35% of my current body weight to calculate my fat needs. What remains is what I can allocate to Carbs.