Well here we go.

This will be my journal. I'll try to follow a format I see the other member's have used. So, first off I'd like to start with a couple of things.

This morning I ran 2.49 miles in 26'51". This turns out to be my fastest yet, and for the past couple of days, it's been getting faster. I'm not exactly sure why. I will qualify the run by saying the first .7 miles is actually walking. My goal is to eliminate all but a couple of driveways length of walking to warm up (I live in suburbia). I also use two houses to cool down at the end. This should take 3 weeks.

I also have recently signed up on FitDay.com and started trying to track what I eat. Yesterday it looked like I ate 1700 calories worth, and today 2000. I'm still getting the hang of it, and the first thing I notice is that I eat a ton of carbs (gram-wise). Based on what I am reading on the forums here, that's too much I think. This is balanced against what I feel is not over-eating at all. The rest of this weekend will be carb heavy too, as it is Easter weekend and all the good holiday food that goes with it. I will try my best to keep it in check.

Lastly I leave you with a picture of myself from last summer at a beach. It's the only one I could find. Of course I don't like having pictures taken of me in only swim trunks for obvious reason. My wife commented to me today that she was proud of me for even taking off my shirt. I am really big in this photo. Next week I will start the series of "posed" pictures that are common on this forum for the sake of tracking progress.

This morning my 2.5 mile route was completed in 27'01". This again has been my fastest run to date. I have also figured out what the last three chunks will be to eliminate the walking part of the route. I'll be glad to accomplish that goal.

I have been tracking my calories as best I can in FitDay.com. Again, I notice that a good percentage of my diet is carb based. This is a percent of grams, and a percent of calories. I think that's how you calculate it.

My wife noticed today I have particularly bad breath. I searched through the forums here and found references to this being sort of normal and caused by a low carb diet and possibly being in a state of Ketosis. I'm not sure if I am in that state, as my total calories are around 2000, but most are from carbs. But, my breath is bad. I also read where I need to up my water intake. I'll try to do that.

I'm looking forward to Monday, when I officially start the strength training part of my "journey".

watch them knees. Try to do some low impct cardio as well and not only running.

I'm looking forward to Monday, when I officially start the strength training part of my "journey"

Great!
Don't get hung up on scale weight if you are a newbie
to resistance training. newbie gains can really mess with your head if you become too attached to the scale.

Shahar.

watch them knees. Try to do some low impct cardio as well and not only running.

I am actually really enjoying the running, when I miss it (due to rain, or forgetting my cold weather coat/hat/gloves when I'm out of town, I really feel a craving for it or even a little guilt. But I will look into the other. Now that I belong to a gym, rain days don't have to be no cardio in the early morning days. Thanks!!

Don't get hung up on scale weight if you are a newbieto resistance training. newbie gains can really mess with your head if you become too attached to the scale.

New members get a one hour training session, and for me that starts at 7PM on Monday. They also offer 3 additional sessions with a trainer for $100. I am thinking about going for that too. I think they will design a workout regime and even suggest an eating plan based on my goals? I'll look into it and decide. I figure getting an hour with a certified trainer for $33/hour can't be to bad, especially for someone who's kinda new to this (I was a member of a gym back when I was 25 for a few months, why oh why didn't I start all this then?)

I just had to write a post this morning. Last Saturday I mentioned that I wanted to eliminate the last portion of walking from my 2.5 mile route (other than a short warm-up walk at the beginning, and a short cool-down walk at the end). I mentally divided this up into 3 more sections to be converted over the next 3 weeks.

This morning, I got to the house on my street where I would eventually be transitioning from walking to running where I wanted to be in 3 weeks. I_Just_Did_It. I broke into my jog right there. I met the goal 3 weeks early. I am so freaking happy.

I also weighed myself (official weigh-in day). I am 213 lbs. 1lb lighter than the last official weigh-in a week ago, 1/2lb heavier than Friday. Considering what I did eat yesterday, I'd say that's pretty good.

More later tonight.

Tonight was my first time at the new gym. My trainer conducted a bit of an interview about what my goals were, what my current fitness activities were, etc. He also performed a bunch of measurements to. He wrote them down on my sheet, but I forgot to ask to copy them down at the end of the session. But I do remember some of them.

Weight: 221 lbs. Damn shoes, clothes, etc.
Body Fat 25.5%; I'm actually relieved it wasn't over 30%. It was measured using a handheld device made by Omron. Didn't get the model number.
Chest: 48"
Waist: 39" This surprised me a little. I am wearing 36 inch jeans now, and I can almost get a pair of 34's on.
Arms: 13.5" I have no idea if this decient or not, I suspect not.

He then took me through a number of the free motion machines. Squats, Lat pull down, bicep curl. I am going to have to learn all these yet.

We then went through a 15 minute session where I was to start by running in place, then go through a series of motions. Such as squats, then squats while raising a dumbell over my head, etc. I was to get my heartrate up and strain a little bit, an 8 out of 10 effort. What killed me was the muscles in the front of my legs. I guess running does nothing for those.

We then ended the session discussing where to go next. I did sign up for 3 more 1 hour sessions with him over the next couple of weeks.

Now for the pics. Oh man....

Good job with the running!:tu: It will continue to get easier if you keep at it.

Hello fellow soon-to-be-39er!:D

Progress is already very visible since the time of your beach shot!:tu:

Yes, amazingly enough, running and walking don't build leg muscles as much as people think. At least not like squats do.:nono: They'll help your running.:nod:

Tuesday 4/10

Morning run: 2.51 miles, 25'47", pace: 10'16"
A little slower than yesterday, but kinda cool being in the 25 minute range for this distance.

Wednesday 4/11

Morning run: 2.49 miles, 25'04", pace 10'02"
While I was running, I kept thinking today is really hard. I could really feel my quads during the run, I thought I was going to end up running really slow. So I was completely surprised at the end of the run to see I was faster than yesterday and a second faster than Monday when I started this circuit change.

I have been trying to eat in 6 "meals" a day. I've noticed that I'm not so hungry before I have my traditional "lunch" or "dinner". Before I just accepted that as part of losing weight, but maybe this will even out my energy level and keep things more even.

Here was yesterday's meals:

Meal 1: Great Value Instant Oatmeal, 4oz glass of Blueberry Pomegranite juice.

Meal 2: Medium Johnathan Apple

Meal 3: Ham Salad Sandwich (one slice bread), small serving Lay's baked potatoe chips

Meal 4: Trader Joe's Protein shake (64 grams + 1 cup water)

Meal 5: Grilled Chicken breast (5 oz), 1/2 cup long and wild rice, 1 cup broccoli

Meal 6: 1 slice of Whole Wheat Bread with 2 tbs Natural Peanut Butter

Wednesday 4/11: Afternoon workout session at the gym

I got to the gym for about 45 minutes in the afternoon. I basically tried to repeat as many of the machine based exercises my "trainer" showed me on Monday in the time I had alloted (I had to be home by 5:30PM). I tried to do 3 sets of 12 reps on each machine. I also played around with the weight since I don't really know where I need to start. What I need to do is take a little log book with me as it's hard to remember exact specifics as I write this. Basically I did squats, leg extensions, bicep curls, prone leg extension? (I need to learn all the language for this so other understand me), and a machine where you push the bars away from your chest as you are seated. The advice I got from my trainer (who happened to be there and was kind enough to stop by and chat for a few minutes) was to start heavy and just be able to complete the 12th rep. Then maybe move down a weight notch as you go into sets 2 and 3.

Thursday 4/12

Morning run: 2.49 miles, 25'07", pace 10'05"

The run this morning felt difficult. No real change in time or pace, but I felt as though I had to mentally get through it. It could be all this new change all at once (nutrition changes, new workout routine) since I felt my quads again, especially at the beginning when my gait felt short.

Hey Dash. Just stopping by to say hi and welcome to JSF. Good job with your progress so far. You really seem to be taking this head on. Your pics seem to be pretty close to where I was. How tall are you?

Hey thanks for the nod. I'm 5' 10". I did run again this morning, it was a few seconds faster yet, but I did not load the data from the iPod as I had to get up a half an hour earlier than normal (which for me is 5:10AM) and get in my run before I had to take my dad to the train station for his trip back to Chicago.

I'll update this tonight after I get my workout at the gym in. I am planning on stopping by an office supply store and pick up a little journal notebook for tracking what I do there.

Friday 4/13

Morning Run: 2.51 miles, 24'52", 9'53"

I'm stoked on my run this morning. While it felt a little easier, it also felt like I was really working at it at the end of the run. But what gets me is that I now have an under 10'/mile pace for the first time! Now I will again qualify this by saying the first couple of houses I pass are walking, then I break into the run. The last couple of houses before I get home are also down to a fast walk. I am thinking about eliminating that from the run and only starting and stopping when I actually run.

Evening Workout:

This would make it the third time I've been to the new gym (the second time on my own). Here's what I did:

Squat:
80lbs x 12 reps
90 x 12
100 x 12

Chest:
60 x 12
80 x 12
90 x 12

Bicep:
80 x 12
90 x 4 then 60 x 8
60 x 8

Leg Curl:
90 x 12
100 x 12
110 x 12

Tricep:
50 x 12
60 x 6
50 x 6 then 40 x 4

Leg Extension:
60 x 12
60 x 12
60 x 12

Shoulder:
50 x 12
50 x 9
40 x 10

Horizontal Leg Curl:
70 x 12
70 x 12
70 x 12

These were all FreeMotion machines, except the last one which was a Paramount.

Please feel free to offer any advice or criticism if you like.

Next Monday evening I'll be back in the gym with my trainer.

Saturday 4/14

Morning Run: 2.58 miles, 24'54", 9'38" pace

This mornings run felt good, much of the soreness from the past couple of days is gone now. I wonder if new soreness will kick in here later today or tomorrow from the workout yesterday.

I've been weighing myself every morning after my shower this past week. This morning I weigh 206.5. This past Monday I weighed 213. That's 6.5 lbs in 5 days. That seems like too much of a drop. The only changes I've made are starting strength training, eating 6 smaller meals a day, and tracking what I eat on Fitday.com. I may not be eating enough. Some days were 1700 kcals, and other days were 2000. My target (I think) is 2000. I need to fine tune and make sure I am accurately tracking what I eat, and probably get into more of a standardized eating regimen (such as Meal #1 is always x, Meal #2 is y) and not vary so much.

Monday 4/16

Morning Run: 2.43 miles, 23'23", 9'35" pace

This morning's run felt good. No real drag. I do however start to feel like I'm really working at it towards the end. I made a slight change to how I capture the data and the length of the run this morning. I decided to start the iPod when I actually start jogging, then stop it just as I stop jogging and cooldown with a fast walk. So the data doesn't have any warmup or cooldown walking in it. I also lengthened the run by a few driveways in the middle thinking this would keep my run at 2.5 miles. I didn't quite make it so I'll have to add some more tomorrow.

This weekend went OK nutrition wise. I did notice my total calories were up a bit than during the week, but not grossly so. But I finished my first week here and tracking through Fitday with a 5 lbs loss. This might be a bit too much. I am starting to see where having a set meal plan makes some sense. I am going to try to standardize at least Meal 1 and probably through Meal 4 (Meal 5 is "dinner" at my house and my wife has more control over that, but she understands my desire to eat better).

Tonight is my workout at the gym with my trainer (for this and 2 more sessions). I'll post what I did and a weekly update picture later tonight.

This afternoon's workout session at the gym with the trainer went well. He asked to move my time up to 4PM from 8:30PM, and I could accomdate him.

We worked on Chest, Abs, and Arms. He ended up showing me some new machines and various body weight exercises. I know we used a chest press machine doing a level, incline, and decline press. He had me do a set of push-ups to failure, and I got in 22 (the army won't probably come looking for me anytime soon). It was hard to figure out what to call them all and then write them in my little book, so I didn't. We even did a little cardio boxing where I put on a couple of mits and hit his hands (and he had the convex mits on). All in all, I left the gym in a sweat and figured I did get a good workout. I can tell my pecs and triceps are going to be sore.

I did ask if I could use their body fat instrument and he said he'd like to do that at the end of the week for our training session, so that will be this Wednesday. He did say they have a caliper, but with trainer/trainee they don't like to use it at first due to "privacy/personal space" issues. He said he would use it if I wanted, as long as I was comfortable.

Here's a couple of weekly update pictures. No real change I can see, even though the scale says I lost 5 lbs from last week.

I just had to add my own quick review of a Protein/Fiber bar I just ate as Meal #4.

It was a Kashi GoLean Chocolate Almond Toffee bar. Dear Lord that thing was like a huge candy bar. While I didn't think it tasted bad, it was wayyyy to sweet. I think this may have something to do with my not eating many sweets in general anymore. I bought a couple of these types of bars to try out as an experiment. Sometimes I'm away from home for work on an overnight trip, and so I thought one of these once in a while would be good to carry along. I can tell the bar is sitting in my gut as I type this. I'm sure it's not the worst thing I could put in my body, but I don't think I'll buy another. I did a little net research while comsuming said bar, and found out that the 31 grams of sugar it contains is a bit to high. Tomorrow I get to try a Clif Builder's Chocolate bar. I am expecting similar taste/results based on that "sugars" content.

My trainer yesterday mentioned he likes Pure Protein bars he gets at Sam's Club and the fact they don't contain nearly that much "sugar". I think I may try some of those and even take them with me to San Antonio next week.

Tuesday 4/17

Morning Run: 2.62 miles, 25'10", 9'36" pace

This morning's run felt good. I made another change to the route. I lengthened it a bit so that I start tracking my run when I transition from walking to running, then stop as I cool down to walk. So no walking is in the data.

Wednesday 4/18

Morning Run: 2.43 miles, 23'23", 9'35" pace

I had to go out of town for business yesterday, so this morning's run was from my hotel. It's completely flat and I tend to run a little faster than normal. I also was proud of myself when I had dinner last night. I ate in the hotel restaurant, which is very good considering. I had Peppercorn crusted Yellow Fin Tuna with Brown Rice and Broccoli. I didn't have any wine or dessert to go with that (even though they are covered by expenses). The hotel usually puts out a tray of fresh baked cookies in the evening for arriving guests, I didn't even have one.

Tonight is my workout at the gym. I am expecting a leg, lower body workout.

On my drive home from where I work (about 3 1/2 hour interstate driving) I chose to try a Clif Builder's bar, Chocolate. This bar was much better. It did not taste sickeningly sweet. I still thought I was eating a large candy bar (and at 270 calores, 20 grams of protein, and 43 grams of carbs I suppose I was eating a relatively healthy one). So this one is better than the one I had yesterday.

Wednesday 4/18

Evening Workout:

Last night was my 2nd offcial session with my trainer at the gym. We worked on legs and shoulders. I ended up doing many different things, such as squats, leg extentions, lunges with small dumbells, shoulder presses, plank exercises, etc. It there is one thing I have learned so far is that we train hard. I am exhausted and dripping with sweat at the end of the session. He pushes me farther than I would probably push myself. I definately see value right now in working with a trainer. But, there is a monetary cost to this and my plan is to work for a few weeks on my own before I go back for another training package (at roughly $50 a session).

Thursday 4/19:

Morning run: 2.61 miles, 25'15", 9'38" pace

Another good run. I could tell I was a little dehydrated from the night before (my mouth was a little dry). I was tired during the last 3/4 mile (which occurs right after a short steeper grade in my subdivision). I could tell my pace was a little slower during the run as I felt like I was working harder. This could be due to the workout last night. I also think tomorrow morning's run could be harder still when my soreness sets in. We'll see.

Please feel free to make any comments or suggestions. I am planning on posting a meal plan in the future, but with my upcoming trip next week, I probably do it after. What I should do in the mean time is my my FitDay journal entries public.

Friday 4/20:

Morning run: 2.65 miles, 25'58", 9'45" pace

This mornings run felt a little more tiring. I think my legs workout from Wednesday played a role. Turns out when I got back, my pace was 10 seconds slower per minute, adding almost a minute to the whole time.

I also tried a Pure Protein chocolate bar yesterday as my Meal #6. It tasted good, and was not as sweet. Much like the Clif bar I had. I ended up buying these for my trip next week.

This afternoon for lunch I went to a local Mexican restaurant and tried to eat as clean as I could. I had the faijitas and ate the chicken and vegetables, but I did use two flour tortillas. I also had 3 chips with salsa. I think the reason I opted to do this was twofold. I noticed that my daily calorie total as hovering around 1700. And so far today with lunch included and my meal #4 I'd be at 900, and thought this was a little low. So I probably indulged a little. I still didn't eat as much of the lunch as I have in the past, so I take heart in that.

This morning I weighed 205.5 lbs which is 2.5 less than monday.

Just a quick update this morning.

I took Amtrak to San Antonio, TX this past Saturday and Sunday and had a great trip. We were an hour late into the station, but that was because Union Pacific Railroad decided to throw a train in our way at the last hour, we literally crept by making our way into San Antonio.

I've kept up my running in the morning through the streets of downtown and it's been great. My route is about 3 miles and it takes me past the Alamo. City running is a little different since you have to keep your wits about you and watch for cross traffic. I do run across intersections when the light is not in my favor, but I do look both ways and sometimes have to run down the side street a few hundred feet before I can cross.

Nutrition during the day is going OK. I am keeping my meals small, but it is tough. They do have fruit available, and I did bring some protein bars and some Nitrean with me. Dinner is with some colleagues and is tougher yet. And breakfast is either $15 or what the have at the conference and this morning was sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwiches. I'll do my best to keep things to a minimum and hopefully not have much recovery when I get home.

That's all for now.

Way to keep it together on a trip Dash...I am sure it's tough.

Yesterday's watch word was discipline. I felt bloated and like I ate too much after having Mexican for dinner the night before. I decided that I needed to try to keep to what looks like normal eating patterns. They did have a conference sponsored dinner with drinks last night, and I basically gave away my drink tickets to a friend, that was hard. They also had a pre-dinner snack with nachos, taquitos, etc. I didn't have that, but I ended up eating fajitas without the torillas for the dinner.

I have been running 3 miles each morning, and I seem to be getting fast at doing it. This morning my pace improved to 9:19 min/mi. I'm no henderjr or jchantleau, but I feel like I'm improving even while out of town on business. The route I am running in the morning is actually longer than my normal at home route.

I do miss my home an family. San Antonio is a great town, and a neat place, if you ever get the chance to visit, do so. But, I am really looking forward to flying home tomorrow afternoon.

What are you doing on your trip Dash? What kind of work do you do?

I'm at a TapRoot conference (by System Improvements). It's basically a cause analysis tool. When things go wrong, stuff breaks, or human errors are made, these tools help you analyze why the failure took place and what to correct or fix to keep it from happening again.

I'm a mechanical engineer in what's called the Corrective Action Department.

I had a great talk with a couple of folks at lunch about running and fitness. It confirms a lot of what I have read here on the forums, and basically reinforces that I am going in the right direction personally.

Well here is the post return journal entry after getting back from San Antonio, TX. First off, I had a great trip to San Antonio on the train. We ended up a hour late into the station, but overall it was very enjoyable. I got to see Texas' bluebonnet flowers in bloom in whole fields of them between Ft. Worth and San Antonio.

Nutrition during the conference had it's good points and bad. I was able to keep up some semblence of what am trying to learn and accomplish. But the choices were limited. For instance, for breakfast one morning, all they had was breakfast tacos. I drank tons of water during the conference, which made for interesting sessions. At night, eating out in a restaurant was a little harder. My only weapon was to not eat so much of what I was served.

As far as fitness was concerned, I was able to run everyday I was there. I even lengthened my normal route, and did 2.93 miles each morning (running right past the Alamo through the streets of downtown). I did not however do any strength training.

When I got back Saturday, I weighed myself and found that I stayed the same, 205. I was relieved! The next challenge was the weekend. My little girl turned 6, and we had birthday cake, I love birthday cake. 'nuff said.

So... this morning, I completed a 5K run (which I had started the week before I left on that Saturday morning). I weighed 204. So for the week, I am down a pound.

Tonight I start back into my strength training. I am looking forward to breaking the 200lb barrier, and working building my muscles.

My mom come to visit over the weekend, and she commented that I was wasting away (mother's always worry don't they). I'm not, and I still have lots left to go. That's all for now.

My mom come to visit over the weekend, and she commented that I was wasting away (mother's always worry don't they). I'm not, and I still have lots left to go. That's all for now.

I get that all the time from my family. I haven't changed much in almost two years but yet everytime they see me they say something.

Some of my "larger" relatives love to tell me that I'm too skinny and should gain some weight. :rolleyes:

Tuesday 5/1

Morning run: 3.12 miles, 28'07", 9'00"/mile pace

Wow, this was cool. This is fastest pace I have run so far, and it was a 5K. I wasn't expecting that, but cool none the less. A few people have asked me if I plan to enter any races. I haven't thought of that yet, but maybe I will. I'd almost like to get to a 10K run before I embark on that.

Last night I had my last paid session with my trainer at the gym. If there is one think I learned, he pushes me hard. I come out of the session exhausted. We worked on back and biceps. He also through a couple of 2 minute sessions of an elliptical in there, at a fast pace and hard. Those really winded me. Now, the challenge will be for me to work on my own while trying to keep up that intensity. My plan for now is to develop a routine and keep at it for 6 - 8 weeks, then maybe sign up and pay for some sessions with the trainer.

The body composition results were when I started, 25.5% body fat at 221 pounds (clothed), last night I was 21.2% body fat at 206 pounds. So am I glad of the progress.

One more quick story from the trip. When I packed my suitcase, it was bulging and heavy. I was worried it would be over the 50lb airline limit. It was 43 lbs. When I got home I had the bright idea to try and weigh myself holding the suitcase. I registered 257 lbs, that's 0.5 lighter then the heaviest I recorded when I started all this. I was floored. That suitcase was heavy!

Wednesday 5/2

Morning run: 3.11 miles, 28'43", 9'12"/mile pace

This morning's run was my out of town flat run. I had to think about adding length to the run to get to 5K as I hadn't done that yet. So I ran from the hotel out on my normal path. Then the voice prompt told me I had reached the half way point, just as I was about to turn around at a particular point in the route. So, I just ran the route back along were I had been so that I arrived back at the hotel just as I would complete the 5K.

Last night in the middle of the night, I woke myself up because my right shoulder (or a muscle that connects my shoulder down to my back) was sore. And this morning, both my biceps are sore. Talk about DOMS, I got'em. That's a good thing right?

This afternoon, I am planning on stopping by the gym on my way home and doing my Wednesday workout. I plan to work my legs and shoulders. I also need to update my weekly pictures, as I haven't done that yet. Maybe tonight.

Great job on your progress Dash...I wish I could run that far...I never was good at running long...err or short...distances. I went on a mini vacation Monday and Tuesday and came back a pound and a half heavier...we did pretty well too I had salmon for dinner salad, a Scallop and eggplant appetizer and a onion soup (with moz cheese [I know it was bad]) then for breakfast I had the egg beater omelet (yes they actually had that as an option). The wife and I even did cardio in the fitness room and then went swimming after that...Must of been loaded with butter or something...cause we ate right.

Anyway... keep up the good work...you and I started at the same time and have the same build (well I am heavier) so it's good motivation for me to keep up with your progress.

Thursday 5/3

Morning run: 2.57 miles, 23'51", 9'16"/mile pace

My run this morning was shorter than usual. It has been raining here this week, and when I got up at 5AM this morning, I checked and saw that while the pavement outside my house was wet, it didn't look like it was raining. So, off I went, a 100 yds into the run, I noticed a very list mist coming down. As I went on, it picked up. By the time I got to about 2 kilometers into the run, it was coming down harder, basically a light rain. Another problem developed while I was running. I had to take a crap. So here I am, the rain is coming down slightly harder yet and I have growing discomfort in my lower region. So I decided to cut off about 1/2 mile off the run and just go home. So instead of a full 3.12 miles, I only ran 2.57 miles. Turns out this was the normal length before I changed my route. Oh... I hate that feeling in the morning which usually develops while running, which happens on occasion. I wish I could change the timing of when I have to go.

The workout yesterday went well. I worked on my legs and shoulders. I approached a point on a leg extension machine where my legs were quivering uncontrollably while performing the exercise. I was pleased with the effort I put out.

Sorry to hear about your shitty run. ;)

Friday 5/4:

Morning Run: 3.11 miles, 28'35", 9'09"/mile pace

This mornings run was fine. A little difficult, but good to have completed it none the less. It was wet pavement again, but no rain, so I completed the whole thing as planned. I thought to myself that maybe it felt slightly more difficult than usual for a couple of reasons. First, this would be the morning that my legs would be slightly sore from the previous Monday's workout, though they aren't really sore. Secondly, the air was obvious near 100% saturation, so I wonder if oxygen exchange in the lungs is less efficient?

This afternoon after work I head to the gym to work on my chest and arms.

I have to commend my wife last night on what we had for dinner. She planned "chicken patty on a bun", which is sorta what my 1st grader has at school on occasion. She asked me if I would like a grilled chicken breast (on a whole wheat bun) instead of the Tyson breaded chicken patty the rest of the family would be eating. She even made a cup of steamed broccoli for me, they eat baked french fries (which I did not). The killer of course was me sitting at the table watching the kids eat a fudge bar and my wife eating a brownie (a Ghirardelli box brownie mix where she added a little peppermint extract). That was painful, but I persevered. The last challenge of the night nutrition wise, was with a group of buddies. The host usually has brownies, chips, popcorn, for all to eat, but I only had a Diet Pepsi and brought my own Pure Protein Bar. Now I know it sounds like I'm campaigning for a medal, but rather I thought I'd just share what I faced yesterday night. (and then I went to bed at 11PM, where I normally hit the sack at 10PM, I'm a little sluggish this morning).

I have to commend my wife last night on what we had for dinner. She planned "chicken patty on a bun", which is sorta what my 1st grader has at school on occasion. She asked me if I would like a grilled chicken breast (on a whole wheat bun) instead of the Tyson breaded chicken patty the rest of the family would be eating. She even made a cup of steamed broccoli for me, they eat baked french fries (which I did not). The killer of course was me sitting at the table watching the kids eat a fudge bar and my wife eating a brownie (a Ghirardelli box brownie mix where she added a little peppermint extract). That was painful, but I persevered. The last challenge of the night nutrition wise, was with a group of buddies. The host usually has brownies, chips, popcorn, for all to eat, but I only had a Diet Pepsi and brought my own Pure Protein Bar. Now I know it sounds like I'm campaigning for a medal, but rather I thought I'd just share what I faced yesterday night. (and then I went to bed at 11PM, where I normally hit the sack at 10PM, I'm a little sluggish this morning).

Last night while I eat my ground turkey and steamed broccoli my wife and daughter were sucking down chinese food!:mad: The smell was maddening!:mad: But, I made it through! Your doing great DashZ good job with the running. I ran my entire half marathon with the lower pain!:o not fun! :eek:

Friday 5/4:

Morning Run: 3.11 miles, 28'35", 9'09"/mile pace

This mornings run was fine. A little difficult, but good to have completed it none the less. It was wet pavement again, but no rain, so I completed the whole thing as planned. I thought to myself that maybe it felt slightly more difficult than usual for a couple of reasons. First, this would be the morning that my legs would be slightly sore from the previous Monday's workout, though they aren't really sore. Secondly, the air was obvious near 100% saturation, so I wonder if oxygen exchange in the lungs is less efficient?

This afternoon after work I head to the gym to work on my chest and arms.

I have to commend my wife last night on what we had for dinner. She planned "chicken patty on a bun", which is sorta what my 1st grader has at school on occasion. She asked me if I would like a grilled chicken breast (on a whole wheat bun) instead of the Tyson breaded chicken patty the rest of the family would be eating. She even made a cup of steamed broccoli for me, they eat baked french fries (which I did not). The killer of course was me sitting at the table watching the kids eat a fudge bar and my wife eating a brownie (a Ghirardelli box brownie mix where she added a little peppermint extract). That was painful, but I persevered. The last challenge of the night nutrition wise, was with a group of buddies. The host usually has brownies, chips, popcorn, for all to eat, but I only had a Diet Pepsi and brought my own Pure Protein Bar. Now I know it sounds like I'm campaigning for a medal, but rather I thought I'd just share what I faced yesterday night. (and then I went to bed at 11PM, where I normally hit the sack at 10PM, I'm a little sluggish this morning).


That takes some major willpower. WTG!

Saturday 5/5

Morning Run: 3.11 miles, 27'33", 8'50"/mile pace

Saturday mornings are always my fastest run. I sleep in maybe an hour (getting up at 6AM instead of the usual 5AM), but I usually take my time getting ready to run. I don't generally rush out of the house like I do during the work week. Again this morning the air was saturated from the rains this week. I felt like I was putting in a good effort. I have one portion of the run that I nicknamed "Crawford Hill" that's the steepest climb in the neighborhood, the name comes from a famous hill in Nebraska. So, when I got back and checked my time, I found out I ran the best 5K I've done so far. I used a pair of Nike+ shorts for the first time today. The shorts don't have traditional pockets, except of a small form fitting pouch for the iPod. Well, you can't see the screen, but they do give you a raised "button" on the shorts that goes directly over the center button on the Nano. When I got to the end, in order to stop the workout, you have to hit the top button, then scroll down to end workout. Well, you can't see that, and I didn't do it right, so I'm running and trying desperately to extract the iPod. So basically I ran a little extra, but it didn't get logged in the data. I'll have to see if there's a better way to do this.

Friday 5/4:

Workout:

I worked my Chest and Arms. I'm not really keeping track of how much weight I'm using on the machines (such as writing down the reps and weights), but I am doing 3 sets of 12 - 15 reps. I try to hit a weight were by then end I am really struggling or can't do it without dropping the weight. I did do a number of exercises such as Flys, Chest press (straight, incline, and decline), worked my triceps quite a bit, and also worked my biceps a little (thinking I have a "Back and Bicep" day). I guess the test use is whether I'm sore in a day or two. I also did some plank exercises. I probably need to nail down a whole routine, order, and weight so that I can track progress.

For a Post Workout Shake, I had Nitrean in 16ozs of skim milk. I didn't want a repeat of Krispy Kreme donut and Isopure Grape flavored protein drink. I looked for some Dextrose at Trader Joe's, but they didn't have it, and my bananas were too green, so thus the milk.

Oh, also, tonight will be my cheat meal. Since it's Cinco de Mayo, we are going to have Mexican (at home) with Margaritas. I guess the reason we are celebrating is more that we love Mexican food rather than having any ties to the country or it's people.

Monday 5/7:

Morning Run: 3.11 miles, 27'56", 8'57"/mile pace

This morning was a good run. It has cleared up and the road was dry. Even the cloud cover was basically gone, so it's starting to get light out. I had some trouble starting my run using my iPod. The Nike+ shorts I hand on's button wouldn't start the run. So I had to back track and try again. I did find a better way to end it. I can feel/tell where the play/pause button is, and when I hit it data stops. Then I can fish it out of my shorts and stop the workout.

I weighed myself this morning. I'm 204. During the past week I saw it as low as 200. I was really hoping to break that barrier, but it will be next week. I attribute the no-lost-weight this week to my cheat meal (mexican, pico de gallo, and two big mugs of frozen margaritas, homemade). That and a scoop of ice cream on Sunday. I'll need to develop more discipline this week and heading into the weekend. While I know not to obsess over the number, it's a big hurdle to cross none the less.

Tonight's workout will be back and biceps.

Tuesday, 5/8

Morning Run: See below

I woke up this morning at 5:05AM and had that feeling like I just got up and did this (running) just minutes ago. Sort of like where did time go? Where did my days, weeks, go? Almost like that feeling Bill Murray's character in Ground Hog Day got. Anyway, I got up and ran. Every step towards my goal.

For fun, I thought today I'd upload a screen dump of the data from my run this morning.

Monday afterwork I worked on my back and biceps. I did the standard bicep curls, push-ups (I did 22!), dumbell curls (where you go through the full range of motion, then half ranges). I used the assisted chin-up machine. I did "Supermans" (I think), and leg lifts (back against some sort of big half ball and lifting your legs up to your stomach. The biggest thing I thought about was what should be my single biggest back exercise I should do. I'm still not sure what I should be doing in that area. After the workout I had a Nitrean shake with some crushed ice and a banana blended in, then dinner about 40 minutes after that. I sure hope all this is going to pay off.

Hey Dash what does the graph chart?

Guess I should have explained that....

The vertical axis is pace I believe, and the horizontal is distance. The dots along the run are mile markers. So I'm running downhill as the graph goes up, and uphill as the graph goes down.

Hey Dash, question for you.

With your photos, are you supposed to flex/suck it in/whatever? I only took my pics with my gut sticking out about as far as I can make it go. Should I not do that?

I don't do any flexing or sticking out. I just stand there. I figure when I actually have some nice biceps, and back, then I'll flex 'em for ya. So I guess I'm not to that stage yet.

Wednesday 5/9

Morning Run: 3.12 miles (5K), 27'29", 8'48"/mile pace

Good run this morning. I finished in the fastest amount of time yet so far and I shaved a second or two from the pace. I think that's pretty cool. I did try push myself here and there. I even tried to pick up the pace at the very end. I'm wondering if I should sprint the last 100 or so meters.

This post is late today since I am out of town on business. I eat really well tonight. There's a local restaurant in Effingham, IL called Nieburg's Steakhouse. They have simple steak and chicken on the menu. So I had a grilled chicken breast with vegetable medley, a small salad with some cottage cheese on the side and a slice of there wheat bread all for $10.

I am planning on going to use the hotel's fitness center after I'm done with this post. We'll see how that goes. I'm also happy that I am 200lbs on the mark this morning. I hit this last week, but I am hopeful that I will keep that weight down until next Monday when I "officially" weigh myself, which basically means I record it in my Excel spreadsheet graph.

Thursday 5/10:

Morning run: 3.11 miles (5K), 26'34", 8'31"/mile pace

Wow! I hit under 27 minutes for my 5K this morning. I even got a message from Paula Radcliffe on my best 5K so far. I was stoked. Now, I should qualify this as my run outside the hotel I normally stay at in Effingham, IL which takes me through the adjacent suburban neighborhood. If you know Illinois, it's basically a flat run. But still. I went fast (for me). Watch out Jesse, here I come!

Wednesday evening workout:

I went down to the fitness center at the hotel last night to do a workout. They have an all in one machine where you can do some basic things. So I opted to do bicep curls, tricep push downs, benchpresses, and an incline situp. It was OK. Definately not my normal gym workout and equipment. Supposedly there is a regular gym near the hotel I could proabably pay a once day fee for. I'm thinking it might be worth it the next time I'm hear. I'll just have to expense it as part of dinner ;)

Thursday 5/10:

Morning run: 3.11 miles (5K), 26'34", 8'31"/mile pace

Wow! I hit under 27 minutes for my 5K this morning. I even got a message from Paula Radcliffe on my best 5K so far. I was stoked. Now, I should qualify this as my run outside the hotel I normally stay at in Effingham, IL which takes me through the adjacent suburban neighborhood. If you know Illinois, it's basically a flat run. But still. I went fast (for me).

Congrats on the new personal record! :tu: That's one awesome thing about the sport. You don't need to have anyone else to do it and competition can be just against yourself.

Watch out Jesse, here I come!
You're on your way! I started out not being able to go more than a few blocks. I could use some JSF competition!

Friday 5/11

Morning Run: 3.11 miles, 27'09", 8'42"/mile pace

I was about 30 seconds overall slower today than yesterday. That's not too bad considering my normal route around my house is hillier than Illinois. Having said that, I also think it was due to my initial starting pace for the first 1/2 mile. I compared today's run to my best 5K and I could see a difference in the graphs. I also noticed that my legs, calves really, felt tight when I started out and then loosened up later in the run. I proabably don't do enough or possibly proper stretching before I leave. I do sort of lift up on my toes to stretch out my calves and also try to touch my toes before I go, but I don't have any real regimented process.

Tonight after work I plan to hit the gym and do a leg and shoulder workout. I also pre-planned a PWO shake made of 60 grams of Nitrean and 35 grams of Dextrose. When I'm done, and about to leave the gym, I figure I can fill the shaker with water, and drink it on the drive home. Usually within an hour I'm having dinner with my family.

This weekend is our kids school picnic. The school brings in a small Carnival setup and there are rides and the obligatory cotton candy stand that includes funnel cakes. But none for me. I plan to save that for this summer when we go back to our hometown in Indiana where they have a real fair. I'll be on vacation and won't deny myself some that (though this year I might do it more moderation).

Friday's Workout (5/11):

I completed my leg and shoulder workout as planned Friday after work. I think I may have gone up in weight a little on the squats, and leg extentions and leg curls. I do notice that with the leg extentions, towards the end (usually during the last rep) my leg shakes sort of uncontrollably. Not sure what this is, or if I should be concerned. But I got through it.

I tried my Nitrean + Dextrose combo, and man is that much sweeter, even with only 1/2 the weight of Nitrean. Tastes even better of course.

Saturday 5/12:

Morning Run: 3.5 miles, 30'11", 8'37"/mile pace

I had a good run, though it felt like work a bit. I also decided to start running a little farther than 5K on Saturday mornings. So I ended up going an additional .4 of a mile. It's a big mental block for me it seems. But I've noticed other runners on this forum that go varying distances, some of the in the 5 mile range. I also am suffering from an annoying injury it seems. Occasionally I clip the inside of my ankle joint with the other shoe as it passes. It basically torn the skin and sort of smarts. No effect on my ability to run and I probably didn't notice it doing that before in the winter since I had long pants on.

Monday 5/14:

Morning Run: 3.12 miles, 26'24", 8'27"/mile pace

Today's run felt great! I even hit a new fastest time/best 5K run. This is really cool. I also clipped my ankle again while running, and it hurt when I did it. I had a sock covering that part, but it bled anyway.

Today is a really cool milestone for me. I am now officially under 200lbs! I am so happy about this. I weighed myself this morning at 197. Last Thursday it dipped below 200, but I don't count it as offcial until Monday when I graph it on my Excel spreadsheet.

My reward is a new Nike Triax C8 Heart Rate Monitor watch, which I just ordered this mornign from Amazon.

Tonight I plan to work on my back and biceps at the gym.

Wow congrats on the sub 200 milestone...I should be there in 6 months (or less I hope).

Wow congrats on the sub 200 milestone

Ditto that. Big milestone!!

Tuesday 5/15:

Morning Run: 3.12 miles, 26'27", 8'28"/mile pace

I felt really good running this morning. The weather is fantastic right now, clear, in the upper 60's. I got smart and put a band-aid on my ankle before I ran, just in case I clipped my ankle. I didn't clip it though today.

Yesterday afternoon's workout was good. I did bicep curls, push-ups, rows, assisted chin-ups, dumbell curls, some sort of leg raises (with that half ball in your back). What I really need to do is kick this up and notch and document exactly what I am doing and how much weight I am using so I can track progress.

I used the Omron Body Fat tester and got 20.4%, down 1% from last time. This represents 156.8 lbs lean mass. During the last reading of 21.2% my lean mass was 162.3 lbs. This represents 5.5 lbs lean mass loss and 9 lbs total (or 3.5 lbs fat loss). That doesn't sound good. Should I be changing something up?

This represents 5.5 lbs lean mass loss and 9 lbs total (or 3.5 lbs fat loss). That doesn't sound good. Should I be changing something up?


What's your diet look like?

Here's the link to my Fitday public profile. In general I am trying to hold to 2000 calories a day with a P/C/F ratio of 40%/40%/20%.

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=DashZ

Wednesday, 5/16

Morning Run: 3.13 miles, 26'54", 8'35"/mile pace.

This mornings run was decent. It was a bit chilly this morning at 54 degrees, but that just helps me stay a bit cooler while running. I have been feeling like the mornings come to quick and feel a little monotonous, but I was reminded about the posts I've read recently where you never regret completing a workout or run in this case when you finish. So John Stone and the forumers helped me keep going.

Last night I sorta had a cheat meal. My middle daughter graduated from kindergarten, so we took the family out to Chuck E Cheese's (a pizza restaurant with lots of games for kids to play, like skeeball). I had two pieces of pizza (and Diet Coke of course). The total calories was 2100 for the day, so I felt like I basically fit it into my plan. I hope I've got the concept right for this.

I've received from feedback from a post I made about my "lean loss" weight. Looks like I shouldn't be too worried, and that some is expected, but to try to minimize it. I do try to take in quite a bit of protein, using Nitrean to help boost my daily intake when needed (and of course post work out)

Have a great day!

Thurday 5/17

Morning Run: 3.15 miles, 27'25", 8'41"/mile pace

I had a good run this morning. Chilly again as yesterday, only about 54 degrees F here. That just means I don't start sweating until later in the run.

Yesterday afternoon I worked out at the gym on my chest and arms. I stopped by and talked to my trainer before I began and got his take on my weight loss breakdown. He seemed a little concerned, and asked me if my cardio was in excess of 80% max heart rate, which I don't really know yet. He claims you will burn muscle over that range. He advised keeping my heart rate between 60% and 80% for optimal fat burn. I also mentioned how lately I wasn't experiencing DOMS. I need to work harder. He gets upset with himself if he doesn't experience that. So, I did try harder.

Friday, 5/18

Morning Run: 3.12 miles, 27'57", 8'57"/mile pace

While I think I had a good run this morning, I did notice my performance suffering. It was cold this morning, only 49 degrees here, and so I worn my long running pants and a sweatshirt. So I thought that might have something to do with it. But I also figured out, my left hamstring is a little tight. I'm not sure if I pulled it a couple of days ago or not, but that coupled with the cold really slowed me down I think. Today, my heart rate monitor is supposed to arrive and I was really looking forward to using it, but I think I will rest tomorrow and not run.

This afternoon I plan to go to the gym and work on my legs and shoulder. I may have to change up the routine or not hit my hams as hard due to what I am feeling.

On a personal note, our mini-van had an air conditioning compresser and clutch seize up. My wife noticed it the other day, both a ticking sound and an off smell. On the way to the dealer this morning for service, while stopped at a light, I noticed some vapor. or smoke coming from the engine compartment. Talk about just in time service. Anyway, the dealer says this will run me $2200. Ouch!

holy shit $2200? That's a raping...they got you by the kahonies that's for sure.

Monday 5/21

Well, after my morning run last Friday, my left hamstring really did tighten up. I had to make the decision to cancel Saturday morning's run. I normally take of Sunday morning, and this morning I tried running again. I got about .9 km into run and my ham was tightening up and not gettign looser. So I stopped and walked home. I did wear my new heart rate monitor for a little bit and saw my HR was up to 139 at one point.

Due to my mini-van woes, I missed my workout Friday afternoon. I did however make it to the gym Saturday afternoon and did fine.

Speaking of our van, it looks like we've had a catastrophic AC compressor failure that has put wear debris all through the system. The front AC only develops 10lbs of pressure and the rear isn't working (with the new compressor). The dealer talked to an AC shop and they basically said my expansion valve is blocked, and that flushing the system won't do any good. So now we are talking about replacing the evaporators, condensors, and these valves. $6000. Yep, that's right. Now to give the dealer a little credit, they knew this wouldn't be acceptable and were trying to contact the district manager before I called and wanted a status. So, no word yet on what will happen. But I ain't paying $6000 for an AC system. Ugh.

My nutrition has been a little off this weekend. After a normal dinner Friday night, I had a little ice cream. Then I proceeded to try to get 3 car seats into the back of my car, and after I succeeded, I wanted to take the family for a test drive. So we went to Baskin Robbins. I shared a lowfat ice cream with my wife. I also had a brownie and ice cream Sunday after dinner. So I was cheating a little here and a little there (I've actually kept up the normal portions and such quite well). So the stress is getting to me a little I suppose. Not very John Stone like. For all my transgressions, I only gained a 1/2 lb officially this morning.

John Stone doesn't have multiple kids, a mini van or a daily commute to work so he doesn't know what stress really is like.:lol:

We only have one car and the brakes are going...I am waiting on a paycheck to come in to get them fixed. We've been limiting our driving to a minimum.

We have a small four door Saturn SL-1 and we also have three kids...it's tight back there. Sometimes to tight as they start their fights.

I have decided tonight that I am going through a rough patch nutritionally. I'm justifying little extras, namely the brownies and chocolate chip banana bread my wife made. The brownies were my idea from the weekend, but she made the banana bread today. Man was it good. My total caloric intake today was definitely in bulking mode. My will power is weaker at the moment. I think it has something to do with work and life stress at the moment. Our van repair is still going to cost nearly $2500 (Honda decided to go 50/50 cost wise, and we basically get a whole entire new AC system). I'm waiting for word on a new job position in my company, and I'm not enjoying what I do currently. I'm only human, and my wife even commented to me that she appreciated I wasn't becoming a total fitness nut case (I think she thought aliens abducted me and replaced me with a natural peanut butter and vege-loving clone). My left leg is suffering from a pulled ham string or tendon. So I won't be able to run in the morning for the next few days like I like to. This weekend we are planning to visit our parents in Indiana, and I know we'll have some nice bar-b-que, and my mother-in-law is already planning on making one of my favorite chocolate cakes she makes.

The next couple of days I will be out of town on business and many of the fresh baked home temptations (did I mention the homemade cracked wheat bread she made for me over the weekend?) will not be there. I feel like I'm starting to slip off the horse. I'll get through this. I've made it this far, but I still need to go further.

I am going through the same kind of rough patch...I am noticing the motivation dwindling...but I still am making strides in my progress...my weight is still going down...I feel better about myself and I think I am starting to look better. Those are the things that drive me.

This site keeps me honest as well. I have cut my counting of calories a bit just because I know approximately how much I am eating a day now.

I signed up for the June 100 Challenge...I am hoping that will keep me going...maybe you should sign up too...and we can see where we are at at then end sort of a friendly push for each other to see who has the higher number. What do you say?

Hang in there on the nutrition we all go through it. My monday night meal was a disaster for my weight loss but I moved on and Tuesday was clean clean! Take care of that hamstring. Stay motivated!

Man..... this no running is killing me. I hate it. I really love getting out there in the morning. But I need to rest up and heal.

I spent the night out of town last night at a hotel. While my whole day was pretty good and clean nutritionally, the late evening was a disaster. I hate a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream, the whole thing... and a couple of cookies. Ouch.

Earlier in the evening, I stopped by a JCPenny's and tried on some new Levi jeans. I could get on a pair of loose fit in size 32! (regular fit are a bit to tight through my quads). They were snug, but, I can't believe I could wear them. And then I ate the ice cream.

I'm only human, and I got right back on the horse this morning.

Thanks all for the words of encouragement. I may just yet join the June 100 point challenge. It would give me a new level of accountability (though I am worried about what to do during a 3 day weekend vacation I have planned in mid June).

Oh.... this afternoon I go to the gym and work on my chest and arms. At least I still have the motivation to do that.

Thursday 5/24:

No Morning Run

My leg/hip/ham is still bothering me. I hope this clears up soon. I'm sure it's not helping with my overall fitness. The caloric burn of the run is not contributing to my goals. Errr.

I did go to the gym yesterday afternoon and work on my chest and arms. I used the usual machines, chest, seated chest press, overhead tricep cable pulls, etc. What I noticed is that I managed to gain 10 lbs of resistance. For instance, I use a "tricep" machine and a week before I did 15 reps at 60, 70, and 80 lbs. So I decided to start with 70 lbs. That felt too easy, so I upped it to 90 on the next set, and then finished with 100. So yesterday I felt like I made some progress. I notice a slight soreness this morning. But in a way, I'd like to be able to feel some real soreness. That way I know I'm hitting it hard.

Our mini-van was fixed and returned yesterday afternoon. Honda came through and covered 50% of the repairs. The other 50% was mine, but it was at Honda's internal reduced prices. What was going to be potentially a $6000 repair ended up being slightly less than $2500, and that included a coolant leak problem they found for about $400 - 500. So in an ironic sort of way, I'm happy I got away with paying much less??

Good job hitting the weights. Glad to hear the car problems worked in you favor.

I'm back from my weekend in Indiana at my parents. They put in a new pool and it was about all the "exercise" I got all weekend. Did more damage to my weight (haha). But, I am back in the saddle and going to focus on getting these last 20 lbs off of me. I'm still feeling pain in my left leg and thus no running. This is really pissing me off. I feel like I've lost a big chunk of calorie burning exercise. I need to decide if I should call a doctor and have it checked out, or just put up with this slow recovery (it does seem to be getting better, except when I aggrevate it).

Rather than taking a cab from the Van Buren Street South Shore train station in downtown Chicago, I decide to walk the 12 blocks down Adams Street to Union Station, where I boarded a train to St. Louis. I think that didn't help, but it didn't cause a huge amount of pain

Due to travel to Indiana last Friday, I missed my workout, I also missed it yesterday due to travel. So... I plan to hit the gym tonight to make up for Monday, and then get back to the regular schedule tomorrow.

It's good to be back home (though the rest of my family is still swimming in Indiana for the week), and to be back on the straight and narrow path to fitness.

One last cool thing that happened. My father-in-law nearly fell over with surprise when he saw me. They had the reaction to my weight loss that I was hoping to hear.

One last cool thing that happened. My father-in-law nearly fell over with surprise when he saw me. They had the reaction to my weight loss that I was hoping to hear.

That's great...it's amazing how this will motivate you to no end.

I saw my mother this weekend and got a similar experience.

One last cool thing that happened. My father-in-law nearly fell over with surprise when he saw me. They had the reaction to my weight loss that I was hoping to hear.

Those types of reactions are awesome. :tu: I love it when I get those. Sadly I've been around the same bf/weight for a couple years now and there aren't many people left to get a reaction like that from besides my, gulp, ten year class reunion coming up in mid July.

One last cool thing that happened. My father-in-law nearly fell over with surprise when he saw me. They had the reaction to my weight loss that I was hoping to hear.

I love that too!:) When I orginally lost 110 pounds and went back to my old work place to chat with a few friends one of my old coworkers was standing right in front of me and had no idea who I was! Her jaw hit the floor! Let that motivate you! It does me.

Thanks guys. I was feeling pretty good when I got that response. On the other hand, my wife's aunt didn't even say anything when we visited her later that day. Oh well, no problem.

My leg/hip seems to be getting better. I don't notice as much dull pain this morning. I figure I may be out for another week. This no running thing is driving me crazy. I notice every single person as I drive to or from work running along side the road and wishing I could be out there.

I had a pretty good nutrition day until the very end. I had some cookies. I read this morning about how John Stone felt like he crashed. Lately I've been feeling the same. Except I gave into my temptations. Damn!

So, today is planned as a "get with the program" day. Right after work I will go to the gym and work on chest/biceps/arms. For dinner tonight it's smoked Alaskan salmon and a small sweet potatoe. No cookies. Nitrean for last meal of the day.

I've also decided I'm going to join in on the June 100 point challenge. I need the lesson in discipline. I will state here though, that I will allow myself some cheat meals during the upcoming weekend vacation in the Indianapolis area.

Keep me honest guys.

Glad to hear about the reaction to your progress...that is the best!

I truly hope that you heal up quickly so you can get back at it 100%!

Yesterday was steller compare to the past several days. My eating was clean and on target. I went to the gym after work and sorta combined my biceps/chest/and arms workout. I ignored my back, but based on the fact I'd love from my chest and arms to look their best before my back, I prioritized it for just yesterday.

My leg is feeling better again today. While I still notice a little bit of something or soreness, I'm hoping in the next week I'll be able to get back to running. I tried to use an elliptical yesterday, and while that was a little better than walking on a treadmill, I still think I have to take it easy.

I signed up for the June 100 point challenge which starts tomorrow! In the plan I have down 5K runs like I normally do. I don't think I'll be able to start tomorrow doing that, but as soon as I can I will. In mean time, I won't deduct a point for that.

So far so good today, but I know we will be having pizza for dinner. My wife and kids get back from Indiana this afternoon and I am so looking forward to their being back in the house. I really find it hard to function normally when they are not around. I miss them very much.

Glad your fam makes it back in today! I dont have any kids, but I know my wife and I miss each other a lot if one of us has to travel or be away for a few days...even after nearly 6 years of being married.

Glad the leg is feeling better...I am nursing a lower back twinge of pain that I am afraid is going to keep me from running if I am not careful, I should probably have my chiro at least look at it :confused:

Well.. I think Hender gave me his cold. It's been coming on for a day or so now. I don't feel bad, but I sure am using up a lot of Kleenex.

Today I start the June 100 point challenge. I had a pretty good day nutritionally yesterday, but did end the day with a cheat meal. So today is the start of my discipline and dedication.

I'm back tipping the scales at just over 200 lbs (202 to be exact this morning). All this lack of exercise and eating too much has taken a temporary toll. But no matter, it will be short lived. I will update my start stats in my challenge post tonight. I also plan to take some pictures and post them here in the journal tonight as well. Then I'll take some on June 30th.

I will be going to the gym and working on my legs and shoulders this afternoon. My cold and how I feel my temper it a bit, but I don't think so.

I've been mentally working on a plan for return to running. My leg (or hip joint which is probably more accurate) is feeling a little better yet again, but I can still feel something off. I plan to go for a walk on Sunday through the neighbor hood to test it out. If I'm fine. I will do a short easy run Monday morning. Then get back to running 5Ks by the end of the week. If for some reason, I detect some aggrevation or pain in the joint, I'll continue to rest it. Heck, I've got a brand new heart rate monitor that I haven't even been able to use yet!

Well.. I think Hender gave me his cold. It's been coming on for a day or so now. I don't feel bad, but I sure am using up a lot of Kleenex.

Today I start the June 100 point challenge. I had a pretty good day nutritionally yesterday, but did end the day with a cheat meal. So today is the start of my discipline and dedication.

I'm back tipping the scales at just over 200 lbs (202 to be exact this morning). All this lack of exercise and eating too much has taken a temporary toll. But no matter, it will be short lived. I will update my start stats in my challenge post tonight. I also plan to take some pictures and post them here in the journal tonight as well. Then I'll take some on June 30th.

I will be going to the gym and working on my legs and shoulders this afternoon. My cold and how I feel my temper it a bit, but I don't think so.

I've been mentally working on a plan for return to running. My leg (or hip joint which is probably more accurate) is feeling a little better yet again, but I can still feel something off. I plan to go for a walk on Sunday through the neighbor hood to test it out. If I'm fine. I will do a short easy run Monday morning. Then get back to running 5Ks by the end of the week. If for some reason, I detect some aggrevation or pain in the joint, I'll continue to rest it. Heck, I've got a brand new heart rate monitor that I haven't even been able to use yet!

Yep that sounds like my cold. Mine lasted about a week but never got that bad. Just an annoyance.

Good luck on the June 100 Point Challenge. Might be just the motivation you need.

Injuries suck! Hopefully you can run soon. My wife wasn't able to run in the race yesterday due to a knee she twinged earlier in the week.

The cold is almost gone. It didn't turn into a cough fest, and I'm using less Kleenex. It's just like Jesse describes, lasting about a week and being more annoying than anything.

On a weight related note, I'm back under 200 (199.5) both yesterday and today. So I am happy about that.

I know I haven't taken pictures like I promised, but the past two nights I have been busy up to bed. Last night my wife and I rented Night at the Mueseum from Amazon Unbox on our Tivo. It was a good movie, fun light hearted comedy. I also was impressed with the technology. It downloaded the night before, and played with out skipping (yeah! and of course). What actually impressed me was the video compression quality. I didn't notice any difference between that and a DVD. I will say that we don't have an HD TV, so maybe it would look different on a a better set.

My nutrition is going great and just fine. Today I plan to take a long walk through my subdivision to test out the hamstring injury. I think I can do that and maybe start transitioning back to running mid week I hope.

I had a good day yesterday. Weight training wise, it was an off day. I made Sunday morning breakfast my cheat meal for the past week. I had 2 fried eggs and 3 bacon, and yes, the eggs were fried in the bacon grease. Some hash browns, toast and juice.

It was a gorgeous day yesterday, and our family managed to eat every meal outside under our umbrella table. I love dining al fresco.

I got the urge to go out and try to test to see if my inury is healing up enough to walk again. And by that I mean fast fitness walking. I know it's not running, but it's the first step. So in the evening I put on my tunes and went walking. I can still feel the leg a little bit but it went OK. So after about .5 mile I swung by the house and grabbed my heart rate monitor and decided to test a short easy run. I went another .5 mile and definately could tell my injury was still healing. I got my heart rate up to 160 during the test, and I watched to see if I could run at a 8'30" pace. When I got back, and the rest of the evening, my leg sorta felt "used". But when I got up this morning, it felt much better.

So, I don't think I am just yet ready to start running 5Ks again. So I have decided to start walking on Wednesday morning, and then take it from there. Maybe when I don't feel any hint of the injury, I could start running again.

What do you all think?

Oh, and I hit the gym after work tonight, back and biceps. Oh.... and another good thing. I tipped the scales at 197. I'm back to where I was before the Memorial Day Weekend eat fest.

I had a good day yesterday. Weight training wise, it was an off day. I made Sunday morning breakfast my cheat meal for the past week. I had 2 fried eggs and 3 bacon, and yes, the eggs were fried in the bacon grease. Some hash browns, toast and juice.

It was a gorgeous day yesterday, and our family managed to eat every meal outside under our umbrella table. I love dining al fresco.

I got the urge to go out and try to test to see if my inury is healing up enough to walk again. And by that I mean fast fitness walking. I know it's not running, but it's the first step. So in the evening I put on my tunes and went walking. I can still feel the leg a little bit but it went OK. So after about .5 mile I swung by the house and grabbed my heart rate monitor and decided to test a short easy run. I went another .5 mile and definately could tell my injury was still healing. I got my heart rate up to 160 during the test, and I watched to see if I could run at a 8'30" pace. When I got back, and the rest of the evening, my leg sorta felt "used". But when I got up this morning, it felt much better.

So, I don't think I am just yet ready to start running 5Ks again. So I have decided to start walking on Wednesday morning, and then take it from there. Maybe when I don't feel any hint of the injury, I could start running again.

What do you all think?

Oh, and I hit the gym after work tonight, back and biceps. Oh.... and another good thing. I tipped the scales at 197. I'm back to where I was before the Memorial Day Weekend eat fest.

Don't rush back...make sure that its fully healed. Better to take your time with it. It will heal up and you'll be out there running before you know it. Keep hitting the weights. Who knows you may come out faster!

It's been almost 2 months since I posted my first photo. So, here's an update. I can see small changes, but in general I am actually 17 lbs lighter in the photo I just took.

It's been almost 2 months since I posted my first photo. So, here's an update. I can see small changes, but in general I am actually 17 lbs lighter in the photo I just took.

I can see a difference all over. Would be easier to see if you put them side by side. :tucool:

yeah put them side by side...I see much improvement...good job.

June 5:

Morning Walk: 1.47 miles, 23'11", 15'41"/mile pace

Well I've decided to get back to doing something that resembles running. I decided to go slow (based on jchantelau's advice) and get back to at least walking in the morning. I could still feel something of a pull in my leg, but it wasn't bad and it didn't keep me from walking. When I was done, I was fine and have been the rest of this morning. But, since I am still feeling something, the plan is to walk every morning until I don't feel any twinge of pain, and then start running again.

I did work on my biceps and back yesterday. I need to post what exactly I'm doing, but I don't have my little notebook with me at the moment. Then you can see my "routine". I will say that most of it is performed on FreeMotion machines, and I do incorporate some dumbells and barbells into the routine as well.

Thanks jhender and redwolves for the compliments on seeing the change. I am starting to notice it too, but I can tell I have a long way to go yet. I did weigh myself on the scale this morning and was 195, the lowest I've seen so far, so my Memorial Day Weekend eat fest damage is over and done with.

Haven't made one in my regular journal for a couple of days, sorry.

June 6:

Morning Walk: 1.44 miles, 22'30", 15'32"/mile pace

Normal morning walk. I still feel a little bit of twinge in my leg. Hoping this gets better.

Workout went well. I did a regular chest and arms workout (last week I combined it with my biceps since I had a missed workout in May)

June 7:

Morning Walk: 0.68 miles, 10'48", 15'44"/mile pace

Got out this morning, but thunder, lightening, and the start of rain cut things a bit short. But I'll count it as I am still in recovery.

Last night I finally started clothes shopping for myself. Got some shorts, and a few polos. Very cool is that I now wear a 32" waist, and my shirts are large (as opposed to XL). I even tried on a medium polo, and while it fits, its a bit too form fitting, and as yet doesn't look good. I probably will be able to wear those, but only for showing off, and for that I'll need to get rid of the handles on my side. My wife and I had a great time, and we also went out to Maggiano's Little Italy as a cheat/celebration/date.

Tonight I work on my Legs and Shoulders. It will be a regular workout, but I need to pay attention to that left leg. The mall walking I think aggrevated it a little.

First off great job with your progress!:tu: Keep hitting the weights your doing great.

Good job getting out there to walk. I always keep the idea of quality over quantity with my mileage.

I'm running less miles during the week but I'm seeing improvement in pace and overall how I feel during. A lot of that I credit to strength training and cross training on the bike. Fantastic work so far though!:claphigh:

Go eat cheeseburger...skinny!:D
kidding of course...No cheeseburgers.:nono:

June 8:

Morning Walk: 0.68 miles, 10'48", 15'44"/mile
The morning walk started out fine, but under threat of storms. As soon as I started walking I saw lightening in the distance, but heard the thunder several seconds later. So I went on. Later it started to rain, big drops but only a few at a time. So I decided to go home as my route had taken me back close to my house. So it was a bit shorter than I wanted, but I got it in.

The workout went well. I worked on my legs and shoulders. I upped my weight on the squat machine to 200, and 220 lbs. I know it's not with a barbell or free weights, but I think this is good as I am learning form and how to do all this stuff as I am still a beginner. I keep thinking about all the posts and advice I read here on JSF; how I should be doing free weights; I even think I hear Mastover talking about it. I'll get there.

June 9:

Morning walk/run: 1.93 miles, 25'19", 13'06"/mile
I started out my morning walk as usual, but 1.1 miles into it I decided to try an easy run. I think the pace as 9'30"/mile, which is a full minute slower than I had been running, but i *was* running! It definately felt better than my test run last week, but the recovery is still on going. I think another week of walking and I'll be back to it again. I'll start with easy runs, and work back up to 5Ks, then I am going to do 5Ks three days a week and interval/HIIT runs the other three. I wore my heart rate monitor this morning and hit 154bpm while running up a slight grade on the street.

Tonight our family is going to our church picnic where they have carnival rides and fair type food. But none for me. I'll have bottled water and save the fair food for the "real" fair coming up in Indiana where I'm from later this summer.

June 8:

Morning Walk: 0.68 miles, 10'48", 15'44"/mile
The morning walk started out fine, but under threat of storms. As soon as I started walking I saw lightening in the distance, but heard the thunder several seconds later. So I went on. Later it started to rain, big drops but only a few at a time. So I decided to go home as my route had taken me back close to my house. So it was a bit shorter than I wanted, but I got it in.

The workout went well. I worked on my legs and shoulders. I upped my weight on the squat machine to 200, and 220 lbs. I know it's not with a barbell or free weights, but I think this is good as I am learning form and how to do all this stuff as I am still a beginner. I keep thinking about all the posts and advice I read here on JSF; how I should be doing free weights; I even think I hear Mastover talking about it. I'll get there.

June 9:

Morning walk/run: 1.93 miles, 25'19", 13'06"/mile
I started out my morning walk as usual, but 1.1 miles into it I decided to try an easy run. I think the pace as 9'30"/mile, which is a full minute slower than I had been running, but i *was* running! It definately felt better than my test run last week, but the recovery is still on going. I think another week of walking and I'll be back to it again. I'll start with easy runs, and work back up to 5Ks, then I am going to do 5Ks three days a week and interval/HIIT runs the other three. I wore my heart rate monitor this morning and hit 154bpm while running up a slight grade on the street.

Tonight our family is going to our church picnic where they have carnival rides and fair type food. But none for me. I'll have bottled water and save the fair food for the "real" fair coming up in Indiana where I'm from later this summer.

Glad to hear you were actually able to run some. Nothing wrong with using the machines and the Free Motion machines are fantastic for free movement like dumbbell work.

Have a blast at the church picnic!

Yesterday:

Sunday was rest day. It also was my planned cheat meal for dinner. That included fried chicken, noodles with homemade gravy, steamed broccoli, and white wine (Chardonnay). For dessert I made a Tres Leche cake my wife and I saw this past week on Good Eats. I've heard of the name before, but never had the cake. It looked good, so we decided to make it for dessert. It basically is a sponge cake with 3 types of milk poured over it (evaporated, sweetened condensed, and half and half). That soaks in, and then you whip cream and spread it over the top. Man was that good. I had a big slice (or two :tu:). Very good cake, I would definately serve this to my friends and family.

June 11:

Morning walk: 1.46 miles; 22'50"; 15'33"/mile pace

The walk this morning was fine, but it actually felt a little more sore, but I think I know why. Tonight I am going to the gym to work on my back and biceps. Oh... and I brought the rest of the cake in to work to feed to my co-workers. :evil:

I hit a new low on my weight; 193! Woo hoo!

June 12:

Morning Walk: 1.48 miles, 23'36"; 15'54"/mile pace.

Last night my leg was hurting (not terribly) right after mowing the lawn. This morning it felt better, and I got impatient at the end of the walk and tried to run (easy and light), but found I couldn't without pain. This injury is slow to heal and getting me frustrated. Ugh!

Not much going on today. Take care and have a great day.

I hit a new low on my weight; 193! Woo hoo!

Congrats on the new low!

193 congrats

June 13:

Morning Walk: 1.61 miles; 25'21"; 15'40"/mile pace

You can tell I must have strained my leg some more. It didn't feel a whole lot better this morning. My walking pace is slower. I really need this to heal up and be better. I could just stop walking and rest until it is totally fine. I don't want to do that though, especially since I am in the June 100 point challenge. I am at least counting this as my cardio.

I am out of town yesterday and today, and my nutrition was right to plan. Last time I was in Effingham, IL I went nuts and bought some ice cream and cookies and ate them in my hotel room. Today's breakfast at the hotel was an Egg Beaters omlet with ham and veggies, no cheese. Very cool they have that instead of regular eggs.

This coming weekend we are going to Indiana to Connersville for Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine. My little guy is going to love it, my daughters did like it when they were younger, but at 7 and 6, they may not enjoy it as much. I think once they board the train for the ride, they'll have fun.

June 13:

Morning Walk: 1.61 miles; 25'21"; 15'40"/mile pace

You can tell I must have strained my leg some more. It didn't feel a whole lot better this morning. My walking pace is slower. I really need this to heal up and be better. I could just stop walking and rest until it is totally fine. I don't want to do that though, especially since I am in the June 100 point challenge. I am at least counting this as my cardio.

I am out of town yesterday and today, and my nutrition was right to plan. Last time I was in Effingham, IL I went nuts and bought some ice cream and cookies and ate them in my hotel room. Today's breakfast at the hotel was an Egg Beaters omlet with ham and veggies, no cheese. Very cool they have that instead of regular eggs.

This coming weekend we are going to Indiana to Connersville for Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine. My little guy is going to love it, my daughters did like it when they were younger, but at 7 and 6, they may not enjoy it as much. I think once they board the train for the ride, they'll have fun.

Congrats on the new low, wow, 193 is awesome progress! We saw Thomas the tank engine up in Strasburg, PA visiting my folks and my daughter went nuts, she loved it.:jumping: We didn't ride but she still had a blast!

That cake sounds awesome!

June 14:

Morning Walk: 1.47 miles; 23'13"; 15'46"/mile pace

The morning walk was a bit better this morning than yesterday morning. Not much real "cardio" in my opinion. I figure I'm doing this to keep in the habit more than anything, get up at 5AM and get out there doing something.

Today is a general rest day. Just eat right and stay on course.

Hey Dash! Congrats on the new weigh in numbers!

Our church fair (a 5 day ordeal, Sat-Wed) ended last night...it presented lots of challenges nutritionally...I gave in a had a couple ice cream sandwiches and some Italian Beef...whoops.

Pics on the last page are looking good...your arms are beginning to get some increased definition along with your delts...thats a great sign!

Man... go away for the weekend and I can barely find my journal....

June 18th:

Morning Walk: 1.44 miles; 22'10"; 15'23"/mile pace.

This morning's walk felt the best it has since my injury, but I can still tell I've got a twinge of it left. I will attempt a test run this weekend to see how I am feeling. Reading everyone else's journals about their running makes me long for it even more.

This past weekend was great. Our family attended a Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine in Connersville, IN. My youngest had a great time and really liked the event.

I do have a comment on MapQuest. Don't use it. My wife took the time to print up a bunch of directions from Connersville to our hotel, from our hotel to the pizza place that night, etc. While she entered the correct addresses, Mapquest took us to the wrong places! We found everything, but it sure made for an interesting evening.

On Saturday we went to a water park in Plainfield, IN. We all had a great time, the weather was perfect. I even felt good about what I have accomplished and not so intimated to walk around in only my swim trunks (where were a new medium , since the old XL ones were way to big).

Well, I'm back and motivated to shed a couple of extra pounds I picked up from the cheat meals/weekend.

Tonight I am back at the gym, working on my back and biceps. I need to make them hurt!

Man... go away for the weekend and I can barely find my journal....

Just bookmark this link. http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=35520 Then you'll get to the last post of your journal!

June 18th:

Morning Walk: 1.44 miles; 22'10"; 15'23"/mile pace.

This morning's walk felt the best it has since my injury, but I can still tell I've got a twinge of it left. I will attempt a test run this weekend to see how I am feeling. Reading everyone else's journals about their running makes me long for it even more.

Hopefully everything feels good and you can get back to running soon. I know it drives me nuts when I have to take a break from it.

Hang in there on the running. Keep hitting the weights! I'm with you it would drive me nuts too! Sounded like a fun time over the weekend! Mapquest got us lost once and we haven't used them since!

Thanks hender and jc! Your words of encouragement are appreciated. That said here's this mornings stats:

June 19:

Morning walk: 1.44 miles; 22'03"; 15'16"/mile pace.

A couple of things to note here in the data. The length of the walk is about .03 miles shorter than a couple of days ago, the total time is a bit shorter, and the pace is a bit faster. I think the length is shorter because of the way the Nike+ records data, but I am getting a little faster which I think means I'm healing up more and more. I haven't changed the actual route or length at all. So, this Saturday morning after the majority of the walk is done, I will break into a slow run and try it out again.

I did have a good workout yesterday. But, so far today, I haven't felt any DOMS, which is slightly depressing. When I'm at the gym, I work to a failure point, i.e. I can't complete the reps in the set at the prescribed weight with good form. But then the next day, I don't feel the effects. I thnk later tonight I will post up the details from yesterday's workout for others to view/comment on.

June 20:

Morning Walk: 1.58 miles; 23'35"; 14'55"/mile pace

This morning's walk was better still and a little faster. I can still feel a slight pull in my leg, but I am confident that by the weekend I will fair better at the test run.

OK, here are the details from this past Monday's workout at the gym. I walk around and write down everything I do in a small black book I carry with me through my routine. Most of the exercises are performed on FreeMotion machines with a few using dumbells and a barbell that has set weight on it. I'm still learning the names for these exercises so the best I am going to do is use the "label" on the machine for what it is.

Bicep (sit in the machine and pull up on a weight stack)
1st Set: 70lbs x 15 reps
2nd Set: 80lbs x 11 reps; 60lbs x 4 reps. What happened was I couldn't pull up the 12th rep and so switched the weight stack to 60lbs and was able to complete 15.
3rd Set: 70lbs x 12 reps; 60lbs x 3 reps.

So I call the failure point when I can't complete the motion. I then will drop down the weight to complete the set.

High Row
1: 100 x 15
2: 110 x 15
3: 110 x 15

Push Up
29, 17, 11

Here I do three sets, but each set is done to failure. I did look back at the last time I did this exercise and made it a mental goal to do one more in each set. I did it, and I think knowing how many I had to do to better myself helped.

Assisted Chin-Up
1: 85 x 15
2: 85 x 11; 100 x 4
3: 100 x 15

The way I understand this machine is that the less weight you use, the stronger you get. The goal is to use no weight at all. I hope to get there someday.

Ball-In-Back-Leg-Up
15, 15, 20

Here I just do 15 each, but basically its a half ball in a stand that you press your back into and then lift your legs up so that your quads are parallel to the ground. I figure it's doing something.

Barbell Curl
30 lbs x 15 reps x 3 sets.

See I do get over to the free weight area. I actually getting more mentally comfortable going over there. There are a lot of younger and very much stronger guys than I and it intimidates me a little. Remember, mentally I still think I am 24.

Plank

Left side, Center, Right Side. 1 minute each

Bicep, 2nd Time
1: 70 x 14; 60 x 1
2: 70 x 6; 50 x 3; 30 x 6
3: 40 x 20

Here you can see my biceps are getting tired. I am having trouble lifting the weight.

Now, the next day I felt a little bit of soreness, but not much. On the one hand I think I need to push harder, but on the other I can't. I think the "can't" is probably more mental. When I was working with the trainer, I could tell I want'd to "please" or "impress" him so I probably gave it extra effort. The other day, someone at the gym came over and advised me that I wasn't getting the full range of motion I needed to on the Bicep machine. He assisted me a little when I struggled. I was able to complete the motion, but afterward he mentioned that he barely helped at all. The mere thought I was being helped seemed to get me to complete it. So, maybe I do need a buddy or friend to workout with, I might be able to accomplish more in shorter time?

Any thoughts or comments on my routine? Please free to post.

Are you doing a split routine or full body? How many days a week? Sorry if I missed that in your journal.

That was the Monday Back and Bicep workout. Wednesday is Chest and Arms, Friday is Legs and Shoulders. I'm not following anyone's "plan" right now. Sort of what I learned in the introductory sessions with the trainer and learning the machines.

I'll try to post the same details from this afternoon's workout either tonight or tomorrow. (and then again on Friday)

June 21:

Morning Walk: 1.44 miles; 21'30"; 14'50"/mile pace

This morning's walk was faster still. I do think I am getting better. I did notice a slight pull, more like a sore muscle towards the end of the walk. The test will come Saturday after I run for about a mile to test things out, and then how I feel after that.

The workout was good. I completed my chest and arms. I will post the details of what I did like I did for my Monday workout once I get my little book out again. I always try to reach a point where I can no longer complete the movement, or I feel really taxed by the end. I hope this is the way to do it. Part of me always wants to make sure I complete and finish, i.e. don't fail. That's my nature, I want to win. But, I think I need to re-frame what "success" is in the gym. If I can't complete the final set without dropping the weight, maybe that should be "success". This is becoming partly a mental game as well.

I usually lower the weight and finish the set. I'm OCD like that and can't end the exercise without completing my reps!:D

Nice fast walk!

June 22:

Morning Walk: 1.43 miles; 21'37"; 15'06"/mile pace
The pace was a touch slower this morning and the total time was 7 seconds longer than yesterday. The good news is, I can definately tell I'm feeling better. I'm excited to try a test run tomorrow morning.

I challenged myself majorly nutritionally (great gramme eh?) last night. Our family decided to go to a local ice cream store (Oberweis, which is big in Chicago, but has made it here to St. Louis) to celebrate my oldest daughter's successful completion of swim classes. It is my absolute favorite ice cream. Their chocolate malts are fantastic, definately worth cheating for or saving up for. I did not have anything. I walked into the store (and my wife reminded how wonderful it smelled in the store) and had nothing. I didn't even help the little ones lick their cones to keep them from dripping (I can be so helpful at times :D). After that I was at friend's house and he was serving chips and homemade brownies. I brought a Nitrean shake. That was a tough mental challenge. But I know I am having my cheat meal tomorrow night. We are going to a state park and having grilled hamburgers, homemade potatoe salad, and I'm making a Devil's Food Chocolate cake. So I won't go completely without.

June 22:

Morning Walk: 1.43 miles; 21'37"; 15'06"/mile pace
The pace was a touch slower this morning and the total time was 7 seconds longer than yesterday. The good news is, I can definately tell I'm feeling better. I'm excited to try a test run tomorrow morning.

I challenged myself majorly nutritionally (great gramme eh?) last night. Our family decided to go to a local ice cream store (Oberweis, which is big in Chicago, but has made it here to St. Louis) to celebrate my oldest daughter's successful completion of swim classes. It is my absolute favorite ice cream. Their chocolate malts are fantastic, definately worth cheating for or saving up for. I did not have anything. I walked into the store (and my wife reminded how wonderful it smelled in the store) and had nothing. I didn't even help the little ones lick their cones to keep them from dripping (I can be so helpful at times :D). After that I was at friend's house and he was serving chips and homemade brownies. I brought a Nitrean shake. That was a tough mental challenge. But I know I am having my cheat meal tomorrow night. We are going to a state park and having grilled hamburgers, homemade potatoe salad, and I'm making a Devil's Food Chocolate cake. So I won't go completely without.

YOUR DIALED IN! AWESOME! Looks like DashZ has jumped on the fat loss train!:tucool:

June 23:

Morning Walk: 1.89 miles; 24'43"; 13'02"/mile pace
This was my test run morning. I started out like I have been for the past few weeks, walking. I get a little past 1 mile and go into a test run. While walking I barely noticed my leg. When I started running, I could feel it a bit more which felt more "tight" or not flexing much. I didn't really notice a lot of pain, but I knew it wasn't 100%. The rest of the day was fine, I quickly recovered and didn't really notice it much at all. So, I've decided to give it another week with another test run on Saturday June 30th. Maybe I'll go for 1.5 miles on it.

Our family went to a state park for an evening picnic/cookout. It was my cheat meal for the week. We made hamburgers, some homemade potatoe salad, tomato-basil-mozzarella salad, and Devil's Food Square chocolate cake :evil:. It was good, but I messed up a couple of aspects of the recipe. Apparently I turned off the oven while fiddling with the timer. I noticed this about 20 minutes into the baking, so I turned the oven back on and let it go a little longer. I also scaled the chocolate frosting recipe wrong and added too much milk. It all came out good in the end, but I pride myself on being a bit of a serious amatur chef. I haven't been able to practice much while getting back into shape! :lol:.

June 25:

Morning Walk: 1.4 miles; 20'47"; 14'47"/mile pace
How's that for fast walking?! I pushed myself to walk fast to stretch out my leg and maybe make it work a little to get some flexability back. I need to run!

Tonight is my back and biceps workout. And I still need to post up some details from my other workouts on here. I'll get to it.

On more detail: My official weekly weigh in has me at 193. I've basically lost the couple of pounds I picked up from my vacation. I'll have to watch that a bit more next time. (which will be the very long July 4th weekend).

Nice going with the nutrition choices this past weekend and I'm glad to read that your leg is getting better albeit slowly. Also, nice going on losing the vacation weight.

I had to smile when I read about your baking experience because I also like to cook also and I don't think there's anyone who cooks or bakes regularly who hasn't been in a similar situation where things are going awry. It's at times like this that the experience really pays off.

I did something similar, but in someways opposite last night. I was grilling a pork tenderloin roast and I initially put the burners on high to heat the grill and then intended to lower two of them and shut one off to use an indirect heating method. Well, I placed the meat on the grill and then ran upstairs to take a quick shower. As I'm in the midst of showering it dawns on me that I never adjusted the heat. :bang: That quick shower was even quicker than I anticipated and fortunately I got to the grill before any lasting damage was done. I did have some extra babying to do, but the end product was fine.

Just throwing up a quick post.

I've been real busy here the last week and not much time to post.

I tried running yesterday morning, while I really don't feel any trouble with my leg during the day, as soon as I start running I notice it. It doesn't tend to work itself out after about .5 mile either. Very frustrating, not sure if I should begin consulting a doctor, or just keep letting it heal... slowly.

Nutrition in general has been good. But I've noticed my fit day weight graph is a bit too steady over the past month. I'll be up a couple of pounds, then a few days later down a couple of pounds. I wonder if I've reached a plateau. I may just try to reign in my total calories a bit on the short end. But... I have 4th of July coming up where we are going to be visiting family. Big picnics and out to eats. I'm sure I'll back slide a bit. I *do not* want to end up over 200 again. Currently I'm 194.5 two days ago I was 192.5. I even once saw a morning of 190.

Just throwing up a quick post.

I've been real busy here the last week and not much time to post.

I tried running yesterday morning, while I really don't feel any trouble with my leg during the day, as soon as I start running I notice it. It doesn't tend to work itself out after about .5 mile either. Very frustrating, not sure if I should begin consulting a doctor, or just keep letting it heal... slowly.

Nutrition in general has been good. But I've noticed my fit day weight graph is a bit too steady over the past month. I'll be up a couple of pounds, then a few days later down a couple of pounds. I wonder if I've reached a plateau. I may just try to reign in my total calories a bit on the short end. But... I have 4th of July coming up where we are going to be visiting family. Big picnics and out to eats. I'm sure I'll back slide a bit. I *do not* want to end up over 200 again. Currently I'm 194.5 two days ago I was 192.5. I even once saw a morning of 190.

How long has it been now? It seems like its been a little while. I would probably consider seeing a doctor just to be on the safe side.

I'm trying to catch you on the weight!:D I'm at 204! You got me by 10pounds!

Ah.... had to find my journal again. I know, I need to book mark it....

Anyway. I was on vacation last week over the 4th holiday. Had a good time back home again in Indiana. Saw the parade in my hometown, the fireworks at the fairground in the evening. Swam in my parents new pool, and even went to the beach in Michigan City, IN.

We video taped the kids playing on the beach and plan to but a DVD together. My wife caught me on tape. While I am pleased with how I look compared to last year, I most definately have a long way to go.

I did pick up 5 pounds over that week, and will be back again in 2 weeks to go the county fair at the end of the month.

So much work to do.

On the running front. I was able to do about 1.5 miles of easy running. No running hard. I put up with what little pain/soreness was left in my leg, and actually did it 2 times that week.

This week I am continueing to make running progress. I walk about 10 minutes and then run for about 10 - 15 minutes. So I think I am finally getting back to.

I didn't go to the gym last week, but I have been going this week. Tonight is my Wednesday workout. I expect to be a little sore since I took a week off.

My nutrition has been rocky a little lately. Partly due to vacation and partly due to finally getting an answer on a job I applied for within my company. The answer was no, so I had a pity party for myself. I need to work on emotional eating. I won't kill me, but it's not helping progress.

On a related front, I now can comfortably wear size 31 jeans (32 inseam). I haven't worn that small of jeans since high school (I think). As a matter of fact, I'm not sure I can get any tighter. I can tell my hips (bone) are being compressed a little. If anything, this is probably my size and I should get my love handles eliminated so that I actually look good wearing them (with no shirt).

Well, it's good to be back.

Welcome back and sorry to read about the job situation. Are you considering seeking out a new employer now that you didn't get the job you applied for?

I was in a similar situation once and I wound up leaving.

Sorry to hear about the job. 31 inch waist, wow awesome job. Sounds like you had a great time off!!

Monday July 16th:

Morning Run: 1.42 miles, 13'18", 9'20"/mile pace

I'm running again!!!! Last week I'd try out more running time, and a little bit of distance. I still feel the last bit of twinge in my hip, but it doesn't cause any real pain. I went out on Saturday morning and did about 2 miles. This morning I decided not to start my iPod until I was actually running, so the data you see here is all running. You can tell I'm slower than I was at my best 2 months ago. But I plan to work on that. I still walk about 5 - 6 minutes before I run, figuring I'm warming up a bit beforehand. My plan is to try to keep up these shorter runs (at an easier pace) for the rest of the week and see how I do. I expect eventually all signs of any injury will disappear. I hope to be back up to 5Ks then. I also plan to do some interval or HIT type training once the last bit of twinge is gone.

As you can tell this past week or so have been rough and taxing on me. I have been on the road a lot for work (where I travel 2 to 3 hours to one of our power plants and spend the night away from home). It really drains me, makes it tough to keep up my diet. And that coupled with my anticipation of trying to get a new job, but not getting it emotionally taxed me. I've learned some things from it though. I can keep up my fitness. I usually don't have trouble getting to the gym or going out for a run when I feel depressed. In fact, these last couple of days where I was able to run for 15 - 20 minutes really lifted my mood for the day. I think I'm addicted to endorphins, or what ever that brain chemical is. I think that was missing from my routine as well.

So I've been letting my eating slide a little. A little ice cream here, some cookies there. Prettty soon I was pushing 197, or staying the same. So this past week I tried to get back on track and tighten things up a bit. It would work for a day or two, but then Haagen Daz called :mad:.

Imagine my surprise this morning when I forced myself on the scale. 192.5!! I dropped weight. 192 is the lowest I've been ever (since starting this whole thing). I also watched Casino Royale for the first time last night with my wife. I understand the admiration many here have for Brad Pitt, but I'd put Daniel Craig in the same boat. I grew up with the whole 007 franchise in the 70's and 80's (though I was really too young for the first few with Sean Connery, but I have seen them). 007 was always the epitome of style, cool, cunning, and toughness we all aspire to.

Anyway,

Seltzer, Jason. Thanks for the encouragement and concern. I'm trying to determine what to do next. I do need a change, and with a family it gets complicated a little. My current plan is to give myself 6 months to find a position within my company, after that, I will start looking outside. As a matter of fact, I need to call someone today about a current opening that really appeals to me.

That's all for now.