Progress Report XXXVII - November 8

Weight: 212.6 lbs.
Loss/Gain: + 1.4 lbs.

42.6 lbs. to Goal (170 lbs.)
13.6 lbs. to New Goal (199 lbs.)

Exercise Hours: 1:02:41.00 hours (walking: 1:02:41.00 hours)

Exercise Distance: 4.62 miles (walking: 4.62 miles)

Not the best way to start November. I did not follow my diet. I did not exercise. And there was no good reason why I fell back into familiar bad habits. (Well, aside from stress and laziness.)

Monday through Saturday I raided the leftover Halloween candy stash. I also ate McDonalds twice and had pizza one night. I’m sure all of this wouldn’t have been so terribly bad if I’d done the even the easiest of workouts.

I’m just pleased I didn’t gain more weight than I did. Here’s to hoping I can turn things around this week. So far today has gone pretty well.

Here's my last 10 days of calories consumed and calories burned:


Here's my last 30 days of calories consumed and calories burned:


Oh, and if you’re curious to see my daily nutrition/exercise progress, check out my page on The Daily Plate.

A Disaster of a Week

This week - at least the first half - has been a total failure. No exercise. A crap-ton of candy consumed. Just poor choice after poor choice. I've already eaten more than my normal week's worth of calories, and that was by Wednesday.

Doing some calculations, it does look like I might be able to salvage some of the week. If I can reign in the calories to my weekly goal of 1,400 a day, while also burning a minimum of 800 calories a day over the next three days, I might be able to maintain my weight. Best case scenario would be a loss of maybe a pound, but I'm not holding out any hope. I thoroughly screwed myself earlier in the week.

It's frustrating how easy it is to fall back into bad habits.

Counting Calories - Week of November 1

2 weeks ago…
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)

Last week…
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)

Total calories consumed (week) --> Total calories consumed (day)
9,328 (week) --> 1,333 (day)

Net calories consumed (week) --> Net calories consumed (day)
2,225 (week) --> 318 (day)

Calories burned (week) --> Calories burned (day)
7,103 (week) --> 1,014 (day)

Week of November 1st…
Recommended calories to be consumed per day for a moderately active individual at 211.2 lbs with a weight loss goal of 2.7 lbs for the week: 1,755 (day)

Total calories consumed (week) --> Total calories consumed (day)
9,800 (week) --> 1,400 (day)

Goals for the Week
Net calories consumed (week) --> Net calories consumed (day)
3,850 (week) --> 550 (day)

Calories burned (week) --> Calories burned (day)
5,950 (week) --> 850 (day)

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

Progress Report XXXVI - November 1

Weight: 211.2 lbs.
Loss/Gain: - 3.6 lbs.

41.2 lbs. to Goal (170 lbs.)
12.2 lbs. to New Goal (199 lbs.)

Exercise Hours: 7:56:08.25 hours (walking: 6:42:32.20 hours; running: 1:13:36.05 hours)

Exercise Distance: 37.41 miles (walking: 29.41 miles; running: 8 miles)

This was another great week for me with regards to exercise and weight loss. I did have ambitious plans of fitting in 50 miles of exercise distance, but with two days of rest it was impossible to accomplish. Still, I’m pleased with the amount of exercise I did manage. (I had a run Saturday of 4 miles at a pace of 8:44 minute/mile – one of my best runs in the past few years!)

I also managed to meet my calorie goals for the week. Actually, I blew them away. And that might not be a good thing – there is only so much of a calorie deficit a body can handle. I did only manage to lose 3.6 lbs., down quite a bit from last week’s 5.2 lbs., and it’s frustrating because I ate less and worked out about the same, but it’s still a loss, so I can’t complain too much.

November is a new month, so I’m going to try different approaches to the calorie goals and weight loss expectations. Some of this will come with the change in weather and some will come with an increase in workload. My hope is to maintain a large weekly weight loss (at least 2.7 lbs.) while also getting a bit more than 1,400 calories a day.

October was a bang-up month! I ended up losing 21.2 lbs. over the month, for an average weekly weight loss of 4.5 lbs. And check out my graph for calories consumed and netted over the course of October.


Oh, and if you’re curious to see my daily nutrition/exercise progress, check out my page on The Daily Plate.

Week of Working Out - Nov. 1

Here is a list of the exercise I completed during the past week,
October 26th – November 1st.
---
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.
---
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.)