Week of Working Out - Nov. 1

Here is a list of the exercise I completed during the past week,
October 26th – November 1st.
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Monday: WALKING – outdoors at 5:00 PM; 4 mile out-and-back course with 2 loops around the complex for 4.62 miles; 1:03:38.00 hours; temp of 48 with winds from SSW at 5 mph; beautiful walk, if not a bit chilly; 867 calories burned.

Tuesday: RUNNING – outdoors at 5:45 PM; 1 mile WALK to warm up, then run of 4 miles with splits of 9:52.00, 9:31.66, 9:42.53 and 9:30.45, for a total of 38:36.64 minutes running, followed by a 3.62 mile WALK to cool down/additional workout for a total of 1:05:04.52 hours walking; course was 2 loops of the 4 mile route, with 2 loops around the complex to end; temp around 50, winds from SE at 7 mph; both knees hurt terribly bad – grinding pain on the inside bottom part of knees – during the entire first mile (hence the slow first mile split); the slow first mile running set the slower pace for the rest of the run; once the knees warmed up? the rest of the run went better; there was no mental block keeping me from completing the fourth mile; the walk felt chilly from the temp drop with the setting sun and sweat from running, but it was still a great workout; 895 calories burned walking and 627 calories burned running.

Wednesday: WALKING – outdoors at 5:30 PM; 4 mile out-and-back course with 1 loop around complex, then 2 mile out-and-back course with 2 loops around the complex for 6.93 miles; 1:35:40.00 hours; temps from 58 down to 53 with winds from SE at 14 to 21 mph – chilly in that direction; legs felt tired and knees still a little sore – I may be pushing the exercise a bit too far; lot of traffic at every intersection I crossed – it was beginning to piss me off; 1,315 calories burned.

Thursday: Rest – rainy weather all day and not motivated enough to set up the bike trainer in the garage; felt terribly guilty about not netting a low number of calories – those 1,350 calories for the day felt like a massive (but tasty) weight on my consciousness.

Friday: Rest – still rainy (even though the weather man said it wouldn’t be); when it did clear off it was already late and I decided to use the day for another break.

Saturday: RUNNING – outdoors at 1:30 PM; 1 mile WALK to warm up, then an amazingrun of 4 miles with splits of 8:55.54, 8:48.60, 8:48.35, and 8:26.92, for a total of 34:59.41 minutes running, followed by a 5.62 mile WALK to cool down/additional workout for a total of 1:30:01.68 hours walking; course was 2 loops of the 4 mile route and the middle two miles repeated a 3rd time, with 2 loops around the complex to end; temp of 53, winds from W at 10+ mph; the entire workout was fantastic, but the run was especially impressive: each split was quicker than the last, and that includes waiting for traffic and stopping to tie a shoe during the 3rd mile – fastest, best run since the training I did for the marathon a few years ago; everything was perfect; 2 hours later and my legs were tired; 1,238 calories burned walking and 625 calories burned running.

Sunday: WALKING – outdoors at 7:30 AM; 4 mile out-and-back course, and the middle two miles were repeated a 2nd time, with 2 loops around the complex for 6.62 miles; 1:28:08.00 hours; temps of 49 with winds from S at 9 mph; the entire walk was nice and uneventful; 1,191 calories burned.

Counting Calories - Week of October 26th

2 weeks ago…
Recommended calories to be consumed per day for a moderately active individual at 224.4 lbs with a weight loss goal of 2.7 lbs for the week: 1,878 (day)

Total calories consumed (week) --> Total calories consumed (day)
9,953 (week) --> 1,421 (day)

Net calories consumed (week) --> Net calories consumed (day)
4,633 (week) --> 661 (day)

Calories burned (week) --> Calories burned (day)
5,320 (week) --> 760 (day)

Last week…
Recommended calories to be consumed per day for a moderately active individual at 220 lbs with a weight loss goal of 2.7 lbs for the week: 1,837 (day)

Total calories consumed (week) --> Total calories consumed (day)
9,806 (week) --> 1,400 (day)

Net calories consumed (week) --> Net calories consumed (day)
4,177 (week) --> 597 (day)

Calories burned (week) --> Calories burned (day)
5,629 (week) --> 804 (day)

Week of October 26th…
Recommended calories to be consumed per day for a moderately active individual at 214.8 lbs with a weight loss goal of 2.7 lbs for the week: 1,789 (day)

Goals for the Week
Total calories consumed (week) --> Total calories consumed (day)
9,450 (week) --> 1,350 (day)

Net calories consumed (week) --> Net calories consumed (day)
3,850 (week) --> 550 (day)

Calories burned (week) --> Calories burned (day)
5,600 (week) --> 800 (day)

*All of the calculations are based on averages for the week and day.

Week of Working Out - Oct. 25

Here is a list of the exercise I completed during the past week,
October 19th – October 25th.
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Monday: Rest – physically exhausted; could not bring myself to workout (a mistake because of the rainy weather later in the week).

Tuesday: RUNNING – outdoors at 5:45 PM; 1 mile WALK to warm up, then run of 3 miles with splits of 9:08.35, 9:21.17, and 9:17.35, for a total of 27.46.87 minutes running, followed by a .62 mile WALK to cool down, and then a 2.62 mile WALK out-and-back- course with 2 loops around the complex for a total of 1:00:23.33 hours walking; 58 degrees, and perfect until the last mile or the run and the 2nd workout when a rainy mist arrived, but never got too bad.

Wednesday: WALKING – outdoors at 5:00 PM; 4 mile out-and-back course; 55:52.53 minutes; temp of 62, but with huge drop during the last quarter mile as a rain storm blew in, cutting out my normal 2 loops around the complex; left knee felt a bit sore.

Thursday: Rest – rainy weather all day and not motivated enough to set up the bike trainer in the garage; felt terribly guilty about not working out for the second time this week.

Friday: WALKING – outdoors at 5:15 AM; .31 mile loop around complex; 4:29.08 minutes; too rainy to continue; low 40’s and windy; a bust of a workout, but at least I tried.

RUNNING – outdoors at 7:30 PM; 1 mile WALK to warm up, then run of 3 miles with splits of 9:05.54, 9:22.91, and 9:09.25, for a total of 27:37.53 minutes running, followed by a .62 mile WALK to cool down, and then a 2.62 mile WALK out-and-back- course with 2 loops around the complex for a total of 59:42.47 minutes walking; temp of 41, winds from WNW at 8 mph; could really feel the chill from the west, but had a nice view of the stars above and a shiny crescent moon; leg stiff the first mile of the run, but loosened up after.

Saturday: WALKING – outdoors at 7:15 AM; 7.24 mile out-and-back courses (4 mile loop and 2 mile loop) with 4 loops around complex; 1:42:14.00 hours; temp of 31 with winds from WSW at 5 mph making it a chilly start, but it seemed warmer when the sun came out.

WALKING – outdoors at 4:00 PM; 2.93 mile out-and-back course with 3 loops around complex; 41:28.44 minutes; 54 degrees with light rain sprinkles.

Sunday: RUNNING – outdoors at 3:00 PM; 1 mile WALK to warm up, then run of 4 miles with splits of 8:53.04, 9:11.55, 9:06.32, and 9:23.96, for a total of 36:33.93 minutes running, followed by a 3.62 mile WALK to cool down/additional workout for a total of 1:04:12.07 hours walking; course was 2 loops of the 4 mile route, with 2 loops around the complex to end; temp of 53, winds from N at 10 mph; could really feel the chill and strength from the north; blasted through a longer workout because I felt great coming off my weight loss for the week; later in the night my legs are exhausted after three big days of working out.

Progress Report XXXV - October 25

Weight: 214.8 lbs.
Loss/Gain: - 5.2 lbs.

44.8 lbs. to Goal (170 lbs.)
15.2 lbs. to New Goal (199 lbs.)

Exercise Hours: 8:00:20.25 hours (walking: 6:28:21.92 hours; running: 1:31:58.33 hours)

Exercise Distance: 37.58 miles (walking: 27.58 miles; running: 10 miles)

There were a couple of days of rest this week that made the remainder of the week a bit more structured and stressful than normal. No matter, I rose to the challenge and banged out three big days of working out, resulting in three straight days of netting a negative number of calories. All of this, I’m sure, helped to create that awesome weight loss I achieved.

I did some calculations (I’ll post more about them later), and then some extrapolation while running, and it is possible - however unlikely – that I could reach my original goal of 170 lbs. by the end of the year if all could stay the same as it is now. It’s impossible – especially with the upcoming winter weather conditions, two big holidays and the food that entails, and an increasingly busy work schedule. Still, it’s cool to think that the possibility exists.

I do have one giant bag of Halloween candy sitting on my kitchen counter, tempting me to tear into it. I won’t; I’ve become disciplined. And I don’t want the guilt of seeing my calorie graph all messed up. But it’s there. Calling…

Oh, and did I mention that I bumped my run today up to 4 miles? It’s been over 2 years since I ran more than 3 miles. It was a big mental block to power through, but I hope since I did it once I can do it again. We’ll see Tuesday, my next day to run.

I Tried

Last night I went to bed hoping I'd wake up early enough that I could squeeze in a workout before work. The waking would be hard enough, but even if I did manage to wake in time, there was still the constant rain that would need to have cleared.

I did pull myself from bed. I checked the window, and it looked as if the hard rain had passed. I could still see some plops in the puddles, but I geared up for my workout.

Within moments of my walk it became clear that even such a little amount of rain was going to soak me (and my shoes) to the point that I probably wouldn't be able to run a workout after school. I turned back from my walk and here I am.

(I wish I could afford that gym membership because then the weather could suck it.)

At least I tried.

End of the Week Crunch

My apathetic Monday, and the rainy weather today, has left me in a bit of a bind concerning my caloric intake this week. I was impressed with my weight loss last week (4.4 lbs), and hoped to recreate it again this week. To do so, I needed to consume about 1,400 calories a day, while adding in enough exercise so that I only netted 660 of those calories.

Between Friday and Saturday I must now average a burn of 1,243 calories a day through exercise to reach this goal. That's double workouts. And those are draining experiences.

I'll be curious to see if it happens. If it does, I wonder if the two days of rest and one day of 1,500 calories consumed will have an impact on that weight loss number.

And if I don't meet my weekly calorie goals, I wonder just how much weight I will lose?

(It better be at least 2.7 lbs - the weight loss amount "promised" based on a "moderately active" lifestyle and a diet of 1,837 calories from www.thedailyplate.com.)

Stressed Eating

I eat when I'm stressed.

That becomes obvious on days like I had today when I try to follow my careful counting of calories. I'm not going to splurge and gorge myself on food, even though I want to do just that. I'll maintain my daily goal of less than 1,400 calories, but it won't be easy.

I guess I have always been aware of this connection between stress and food, but it's never been as painfully obvious as it was today.

Ah, weight loss. You enlightening bastard.

Calorie Counting

From October 11th to October 18th, for my weight of 224.4 lbs., and attempting to lose 2.7 lbs. during the week, it was suggested that I consume 1,878 calories a day to meet my goal. That would be 13,146 calories for the week.

I ate a total of 9,953 calories during the week (~1,421 calories a day). With exercise, I consumed a net of 4,633 calories during the week (~661 calories a day).

I ended up losing 4.4 lbs.

This week I’m supposed to shoot for 1,837 calories a day. I think I’m going to try and keep it right around the 1,400 calories I consumed last week and see if I see the same results.

What I really want is a heart rate monitor that also tracks the calories burned. I want to wear it throughout the day to get a more accurate count on the calories burned to help plan the calories I can safely still consume and healthily lose the weight I want to lose to reach my goal.

Week of Working Out - Oct. 18

Here is a list of the exercise I completed during the past week,
October 12th – October 18th.
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Monday: WALKING – outdoors at 5:00 PM; 2 mile out-and-back course; 27:08.69 minutes; temp of 42; sore left leg: outside of knee, Achilles tendon, and blister on heel.

Tuesday: RUNNING – outdoors at 5:30 PM; 1 mile WALK to warm up, then run of 3 miles with splits of 9:26.07, 9:59.41, and 10:05.92, for a total of 29:31.40 minutes running, followed by a .62 mile WALK to cool down for a total of 23:24.09 minutes walking.

Wednesday: WALKING – outdoors at 5:00 PM; 2.62 mile out-and-back course with 2 loops around complex; 36:33.97 minutes.

Thursday: RUNNING – outdoors at 5:30 PM; 1 mile WALK to warm up, then run of 3 miles with splits of 9:33.04, 9:47.32, and 9:35.99, for a total of 28:56.35 minutes running, followed by a .62 mile WALK to cool down for a total of 22:59.13 minutes walking; temp of 48, calm but cloudy; run felt quick, but great.

Friday: WALKING – outdoors at 11:00 PM; 2.62 mile out-and-back course with 2 loops around complex; 35:52.19 minutes; temp of 43 with light drizzle, but it was calm; used the stress of the day to power through the walk, and felt amazing afterward.

Saturday: RUNNING – outdoors at 7:00 AM; 1 mile WALK to warm up, then run of 3 miles with splits of 9:33.64, 9:32.93, and 9:30.38, for a total of 28:36.95 minutes running, followed by a .62 mile WALK to cool down for a total of 23:19.89 minutes walking; temp of 39, calm and still dark to start; no leg troubles except for sore blister during the mile warm up.

WALKING – outdoors at 8:00 PM; 2.62 mile out-and-back course with 2 loops around complex; 36:34.38 minutes; nice walk with no leg problems at all – the lanced blister was much improved.

Sunday: WALKING – outdoors at 8:15 PM; 2.62 mile out-and-back course with 2 loops around complex; 36:00.21 minutes; temp of 56 with 11 mph winds from the south; blood blister on left side of waist is sore, but didn’t bother me during the walk; was jumpy in the dark because of scary movie this afternoon – the heart rate was definitely up.

Progress Report XXXIV - October 18

Weight: 220 lbs.
Loss/Gain: - 4.4 lbs.

50 lbs. to Goal (170 lbs.)
21 lbs. to New Goal (199 lbs.)

Exercise Hours: 5:28:57.25 hours (walking: 4:01:52.55 hours; running: 1:27:04.70 hours)

Exercise Distance: 26.34 miles (walking: 17.34 miles; running: 9 miles)

This has been a great week for exercise. I’ve been out everyday (some days more than once), and I’ve lengthened my walks to include another 9-10 minutes. My big concern is that when the weather finally turns bad (i.e. snow and/or ice) and I can no longer walk and run on the roads, I’ll drop back out of the habit. I don’t have the money to afford a monthly gym membership, so I’ll have to get creative.

The diet is going well. I like the up and down of my graph of calories consumed on days I run instead of walking. It makes a neat pattern. I’m still keeping both my total calories consumed and my net calories less than recommended until I can judge just how accurate the program is in predicting my weekly weight loss based solely on my height, weight, daily activity level, and the exercise I put into the program. I’m not starving, but I do get pretty hungry after longer workouts.

I did add another serving of vegetables to the dinners I ate this week. I’m hesitant to add more fruits until I can find some lower calorie fruits I enjoy.

Picked up a couple of treats (Smokin’ Cheddar BBQ Doritos and fun-sized 3 Muskateers bars) at the store – we’ll see how portioning out these impacts the diet. (I did notice that it was more difficult to fit them in today and not exceed my daily calorie goals.)

Damn Double Heel

No, I don't really have a double heel. Although the blister on my left foot has grown nearly that large.

I struggled with blisters earlier in the year when I was working out as much as I've been the past few weeks. I can't remember if they ever went away, or if I just managed them with lancing and draining.

I thought about taking a picture and posting the blister in all its disgusting glory, but decided against it. Why ruin a good day for some unsuspecting person visiting the blog?

I did lance the mother, and will see how things go with another, shorter workout later today.

Progress Report XXXIII - October 11

Weight: 224.4 lbs.
Loss/Gain: - 3.8 lbs.

54.4 lbs. to Goal (170 lbs.)
25.4 lbs. to New Goal (199 lbs.)

Exercise Hours: 4:10:47.94 hours (walking: 3:40:03.15 hours; running: 30:44.79 minutes)

Exercise Distance: 19.1 miles (walking: 16 miles; running: 3.1 miles)

Boo ya! Another week of weight loss. I’m steadily working my way towards my goal. It was a good week, with exercise every day and the diet strictly followed. What I need to do now is increase the exercise so that I can increase my calorie intake – 1,500 calories a day is not a lot of food. Don’t get me wrong, it’s enough; I’m not starving, but I guess I just wish I could have a little more leeway in my choices.

Run for the Roses (my 13th consecutive showing at this run!) was a lot of fun. My uncle Jeff came with me this year, and we had a great run. It was chilly, but not unpleasant. I’m going to do my best to find the motivation to add running to my workout regime. It would be nice to run until the weather forces me off the roads.

Week of Working Out - Oct. 11

Here is a list of the exercise I completed during the past week,
October 5th – October 11th.
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Monday: WALKING – outdoors at 8:30 PM; 2 mile out-and-back course; 26:53.21 minutes; temp of 60; felt quick, but was probably due to the fact that I haven’t exercised since the end of July.

Tuesday: WALKING – outdoors at 5:30 PM; 2 mile out-and-back course; 27:27.37 minutes; temp of 52 with winds of 21 mph; out trying to beat the rain – and I succeeded, barely.

Wednesday: WALKING – outdoors at 5:00 PM; 2 mile out-and-back course; 27:42.01 minutes; temp of 66 with winds of 14 mph; legs a little stiff and sore heels where I’ve had blisters from walking in the past.

Thursday: WALKING – outdoors at 4:30 PM; 2 mile out-and-back course; 27:41.81 minutes; temp of 49; just the right amount of chill in the air for a short walk; feeling less stiff, but there’s some new-to-exercise chafing that’s annoying.

Friday: WALKING – outdoors at 4:15 PM; 4 mile out-and-back course; 55:21.57 minutes; temp of 53; perfect, beautiful walk; feet sore from rubbing in shoe on inside of both heels.

Saturday: WALKING – outdoors at 5:30 PM; 2 mile out-and-back course; 27:08.48 minutes; temp of 39; blister on left inside heel is a pain, but not while walking.

Sunday: RUNNING – Run for the Roses XXIII – 5K; 9:00 AM; 30:44.79 minutes – 1st mile split: 9:55; 2nd mile split: 19:35; temp of 30 degrees, but bundled up I was warm by the 2nd mile; very fun run; felt great even hours after the race; no problems at all with blister on left heel; ran with Jeff.

WALKING – outdoors at 12:00 PM; 2 mile out-and-back course; 27:48.70 minutes; temp of 40; nice recovery walk after the run earlier in the day.

Progress Report XXXII - October 4

Starting weight on October 1st: 232.4 lbs.
Weight: 228.2 lbs.
Loss/Gain: - 4.2 lbs.

58.2 lbs. to Goal (170 lbs.)
29.2 lbs. to New Goal (199 lbs.)

Exercise Hours: none

Exercise Distance: none

So I was gone for a while. Okay, not a while – a long time. I could make excuses, but they won’t change what’s happened. Basically I quit exercising and quit watching what I ate. I ballooned back up to 232.4 lbs – only 4.4 lbs from where I started this year. And this was after losing close to 30 lbs!

Frustrating, to say the least.

I’m back on the warpath now. I started with the beginning of the month – October 1st – weighing in at 232.4 lbs. Over 3 days I’ve managed to lose 4.2 lbs by simply eating the correct foods at the right portions. I’m holding myself accountable for the calories I’m eating, and it has worked wonders.

I’ll start the exercising again this week, and we’ll see where it goes from here. I know my original goal of 170 lbs is unreachable (with healthy weight loss), so I’ve adjusted my expectations and hope to reach 199 lbs by December 31st.

August 23	October 4