Wow, you blink and all of a sudden 8 days have gone by since the last post. I’ve been busy with school, a two day seminar on interpersonal communication at work and well, actual work at work. The school work has started in earnest so there’s a bit less free time these days.
Around this time two years ago, I was making arrangements to go to my 10 year high school reunion. I realized that not only wasn’t I as slim as I envisioned I’d be for my reunion, I was probably the heaviest I’d ever been. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to anything by the reunion but with the help of a coworker’s encouragement, maybe I could by the 15 year one.
It’s been a long two years, there’s no doubt about that. I can’t say I had goals set for two years out but I’m happy where I’m at. I stopped weighing myself at regular intervals but do know I managed to escape a summer of hearty eating without any weight gain. Lets take a few moments to look at the successes and opportunities of my current regiment and progress.
Successes
- The gym has become a part of my life. I still dread it at times but have managed to keep a routine despite moving two buildings away from the gym and starting school.
- I’ve worked out alternating weeks of 45 min x 2 days and 30 min x 3 days on the stair master. I’ve upped the “level” here and there and have really managed to lean out and power up my quads and calves.
- I add in upper body weight training when I can and have maintained my strength there. I took a few months off to focus on cardio but eventually refocused out of fear of losing muscle mass.
- People comment on my weight loss. It’s rewarding when people you haven’t seen in awhile (even heterosexual males) ask if you’re losing weight. It makes you want to keep going to the gym and pumping when you’re exhausted at the 40 min mark.
- I picked up some Under Armour shirts on sale and love the stuff. I thought it would be mostly hype but it largely isn’t. A full review of it will come eventually.
Opportunities
- Still sporting a decent sized spare tire. There was a story posted in the gym of an empoyee that lost 70 lbs in a year. I’m admittedly not working as hard as he did but I probably should have more to show for my efforts after two full years.
- I’m still having issues with portion control. I’m doing late morning/afternoon Kashi GOLEAN bars via my amazon subscription and have a decent lunch, but dinner has been less than successful. I like food way too much not to enjoy my own delicious cooking. While I do cook healthy and try to limit intake, it doesn’t always work that way. Curse you cooking skills! I’m sure not limiting my alcohol intake hasn’t helped but that’s something I won’t give up.
- I haven’t made much use of my bike. I stopped riding to work because we don’t have showers in our building and the road to the office seems a bit too dangerous. I’d like to get some saddle time with fall approaching but I just don’t know if that’s going to happen with homework.
- I haven’t touched the Wii Fit but a hanful of times in the last two months. It’s still getting used by the wife, so it wasn’t a waste, but I should really be making better use of it.
kashi = gas.
Why not up to 1 hr 3x a week? Don’t say you don’t have time, you can make it. Id say you’ve done well and are now beyond 1.5 hours of activity per week.
It’s either because a) I’m lazy, b) I get paid to work out and don’t want to push my luck or c) both.
FWIW, I up the intensity as my body permits to try and prevent plateauing. I started at Level 1 x 45 min and now I’m doing Level 4 x 45 min and Level 5 x 30 min.