The title of this journal comes from the phrase they use about people quitting smoking - "Don't quit quitting!" If you quit, and start smoking again, quit again. So long as you don't quit quitting, you're doing OK.

Twice now, I've started down this journey only to derail myself. So I'm starting again.

Here are the stats from my all time high in January, and now.

January 1, 2007
Weight: 259
Height: 6' 1.5"
Body Fat: 35%
Chest: 46.5"
Waist: 46"
Hips: 45.75"
Thighs: 29"
Calves: 18"
Bicep: 15.75"
Forearm: 12"
Wrist: 7.5"
Neck: 17.5"

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i244/croz_2006/Fitness/Croz_1_15_07_Before.jpg

October 18, 2007
Weight: 236
Height: 6' 1.5"
Body Fat: 31%
Chest: 44"
Waist: 44.25"
Hips: 45"
Thighs: 27.25"
Calves: 17"
Bicep: 14.875"
Forearm: 12.5"
Wrist: 7.25"
Neck: 16.5"

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i244/croz_2006/Fitness/Croz_10_18_07_During.jpg

Yeah, some improvement, but not enough. You can read my rant at myself over my lack of progress on my old journal's final post. (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showpost.php?p=536774&postcount=178)

The overall goal is to get down to 10% body fat, while maintaining as much lean mass as possible. Right now, that would be 183 lbs, or 53 pounds less than I am now. But the goal is 10% BF, not a specific weight.

One thing I learned about myself last time, with the help of my very wise wife, is that I'm a sprinter, not a marathoner. I can maintain intense focus and consistent activity only so long, then I need a change of routine or I get bored and stop. So I'm going to be making changes along the way, and setting mini goals to mark the end of sprints.

Weight training will be 3 days per week, with 2-3 days LISS cardio on the other days. The cardio is more about cardiovascular health than weight loss.

Weight training will be using Darden's HIT routine, full body workouts, single set to failure. I can see doing different things later, but for now, this works for me.

Diet, to start, will be the "Get Lean" diet from Darden's New High Intensity Training book. It's different than what most recommend here, but from experience, I know it works for me. I can consistently lose 2-3 pounds per week on it while maintaining lean mass. I'll be doing that for at least 4 weeks while I put a longer term plan in place.

Onward!

Rock on, Croz.:tu: This is a great way to approach your new beginning. I've found that a good way to keep on track is to work out at the same time every day. I even do the same days of the week usually. Get in the groove and it becomes a part of your life. Appreciate how you feel after a good work out, later in the day. Strive to feel like that all the time. You've always been very supportive of me and if there's ever anything I can do to help you, just ask.

Thanks Carguy! You're still one of my fitness heroes. If you can do it as a decrepit old man, then I can certainly do it! :lol:

Workout timing is going to be the big challenge here. With my work schedule, and the time I'm on the road, I'm going to have to go week by week. I should be able to define what days I'm going to do weights and cardio before the week starts, based on my schedule.

Had a good workout today. I'll post the results later.

OK. First mini-goal.

Company XMas party is on December 15th. That's 8 weeks from Saturday. Since I can lose between 2 and 3 pounds/week on the plan I'm following now, I should be able to lose 20 pounds by the XMas party. Throw in 1 extra pound because I like nice round numbers, and my goal is to be at 215 by 12/15.

I did lift yesterday for the first time in a few weeks. Everything is done single set to failure. Progression rules are: If you cannot do 8 reps before failure, you go down in weight next time. If you can do more than 12, you still go to failure, but you go up in weight next time.

Everything is done at a 4/4 cadence, except trunk curls or crunches, which are at a 10/5 cadence. You don't pause at the top or bottom of a movement, so the muscle is under load the entire time.

My squat weights seem low, because I've switched from machine squats to barbell squats. I definitely like the way it seems to hit other parts of my quads, and more stabilizing muscles, but I'm keeping the weight low until I have form nailed.

Squats: 125 lbs - 12 reps
Calf Raises: 315 lbs - 9 reps
Deadlift: 185 lbs - 9 reps
Lat Machine Pulldown: 140 lbs - 10 reps
Bent Over Row: 115 lbs - 9 reps
Side Lateral Raise: 25 lbs - 8 reps
Shoulder Press: 75 lbs - 10 reps
DB Flies: 40 lbs - 10 reps
Bench Press: 85 lbs - 9 reps
Barbell Curls: 65 lbs - 8 reps
Lat Machine Pushdown: 90 lbs - 8 reps
Trunk Curls: 10 lbs - 8 reps
Forearm Curls: 40 lbs - 10 reps
Reverse Forearm Curls: 20 lbs - 10 repsLISS cardio today. I have some time blocked out this afternoon to go downstairs and do that.

it sounds like your off to a great start :tucool:

and WOW you can lose 2-3 lbs a WEEK?? damn... I'm lucky if I get more than 1 lb to come off in a week ;)

It's easier when you're starting out from being a big fat slob. At that point, you can fart and lose 2 pounds! :lol:

Hi Croz

Just wanted to say best of luck with your transformation :tucool:

It's easier when you're starting out from being a big fat slob. At that point, you can fart and lose 2 pounds! :lol:

LFMAO :lol:

Hi Croz

Just wanted to say best of luck with your transformation :tucool:

Thanks. 6' 6"!?!?!?! Holy cow! They grow 'em big in Ireland!

Hi Croz, just stopping by to say hi and to wish you good luck with your latest endeavor.

I also have Darden's book and followed it's lifting protocol for the better part of a year. Interestingly, I looked for the book a couple of weeks ago and despite spending far too much time searching for it, I still can't find it. Did you take my copy? :lol:

Hi Croz, just stopping by to say hi and to wish you good luck with your latest endeavor.

I also have Darden's book and followed it's lifting protocol for the better part of a year. Interestingly, I looked for the book a couple of weeks ago and despite spending far too much time searching for it, I still can't find it. Did you take my copy? :lol:

Shit! You caught me. I didn't think anyone would notice the big "Property of Seltzer" stamp inside the cover...

Shit! You caught me. I didn't think anyone would notice the big "Property of Seltzer" stamp inside the cover...

Funny stuff. Well, as long as you're putting it to good use you can keep it.

Have a great weekend!

Just wanted to say good luck. I know exactly what you are saying about never stop starting. I have been starting since around '98 or so.

Jim

Thanks a ton guys! I really appreciate the support.

Croz.

Hey Croz, I really like the title of your journal. Its something for me to keep in mind myself.

Anyway was just stoppign in to say hello and good luck :)

Hey Croz, I really like the title of your journal. Its something for me to keep in mind myself.

Anyway was just stoppign in to say hello and good luck :)

Thanks Archie, I appreciate it.

This weekend was a mixed bag. Wife and 1 son were sick so no workout. Normally, I'd take my other son to the kid zone at the gym, but he had basketball and was wiped out, so I spared him. :) He's doing pretty good at b-ball though. Fortunately for him, he's on a team with a lot of grandstanding ball hogs who like to stay outside and try to hit 3's. (These are 9 year olds!) He's the only one willing to get inside and grab rebounds. Starting to pay off for him. 2pts and 3 rebounds on Saturday.

On the plus side, I finished the bathroom project from hell finally. Lots of 'functional strength' workouts on that one. Basically, we replaced everything but the tub. It's taken far to long to get that done, but I'm actually smiling on a Monday morning because I know the second bath is COMPLETE! And I now know how to lay ceramic tile flooring.

On the minus side, missed workout and my fridge reached room temperature. They're supposed to be colder than that, I think! You don't realize how many times you go to the fridge on a daily basis until you're living out of the overflow fridge in the garage. Drinking Tampa tap water is a no-no, so I was forever running out there to get cold water.

New fridge gets delivered today, which is a plus.

Weights today, probably this afternoon.

I don't think I've ever been this tired before.

I'm not talking about hard physical work/exhaustion tired. I'm talking pure lack of sleep.

My youngest son is still fighting that virus. As part of it, he feels like he has to use the bathroom about every 45 minutes. (they ruled out a urinary tract infection) He was in bed with us last night, and about every 30 - 45 minutes he woke me up to go to the bathroom with him. (the stomach cramps are scaring him, so he doesn't want to go alone.)

I'm literally fighting the urge to close my eyes right now. I was supposed to hit the gym this afternoon, and all I can think about is getting home and going to bed.

Hopefully, this passes quickly....

This first week has been a disaster fitness wise. My diet has been OK, but workouts have been scarce. While I can say that there are a lot of 'good reasons,' sick kids, sick wife, etc. the reality is that these types of things always come up. Have to find a way around them.

Goal is still to lift today. Have a few things to finish before I go downstairs to the gym...

OK. I got something done.

Made it to the gym today for 40 minutes LISS cardio at about 75% MHR.

My wife hasn't been able to make it to the gym this week either, so we have a gym date night scheduled for tonight. I plan to lift then.

2nd day in a row getting back over 1 gallon of water for the day. Been a long time since I did that.

Well, my wife forgot about our lifting date, and made other plans! If my son isn't too wiped out after his basketball game, I'll put him in the kid zone for an hour and do some lifting today.

But even if the workout has been lagging, the diet is working. I'm down 2.5 lbs to 233.5. So that's right on track to meet my goal.

Congrats on the continued weight loss and staying on track.

Thanks, Paul. I appreciate the continued support.

------------------

Took my son to his basketball game this afternoon. This is an 8-12 YMCA youth team. Nothing serious. The games don't even have referees. It's much more about teaching the game than about serious competition. Most of the kids on the league have never played an organized team b-ball game.

Well, in every youth league I've ever been involved with, there's always ONE coach who gets really hardcore about things. We played him today.

Ugh. He even brought his own whistle and decided to ref the game.

I'm not a big fan of the trend to not keep score, etc. But this was the opposite extreme. Takes a big man to get some 8-9 year olds to the verge of tears.

At least I didn't get to the verge of a fist fight like I did a few years ago with my older son's baseball coach. :)

-------------------------

No time at the gym today, but I'm determined to get some kind of workout in. I have some dumbbells here at home. The weights are a little low, but I'll make up some other way.

I've set the goal for next week of NO missed workouts. Made a bit tougher by the fact that I'm on the road 2.5 days next week. But I'll pull it off.

My memory is not playing tricks with me, you have a new thread. :)

Hope you put "Paul's book" to good use.
Good luck! :nod:

My memory is not playing tricks with me, you have a new thread. :)

Hope you put "Paul's book" to good use.
Good luck! :nod:

Thanks eleonardo. Yeah, it's a new journal. I was getting tired of staring at all my false starts in the old journal.

I did get some form of weight training in tonight. I couldn't go to the gym, but I have a pair of 20 lb dumbbells and a single adjustable dumbbell that goes to 45 lbs.

So I did some variations on my usual routine. One legged squats, one legged calf raises, dumbbell rows, etc.

Not the ideal, but it felt good to push some weight around.

OK. Day 1 of my "week of no missed workouts" went fine. Made it downstairs for a lifting session this morning.

Made one small change to my routine. I replaced calf raises with calf presses on the machine. I'm trying to keep my time between exercises to no more than 60 seconds as the HIT plan recommends. I can pre-stage almost everything, but not my squats/calf-raises/deadlift part if I use the smith for the calf raises. So I tried the calf presses today instead, and kept everything to a 60 second max between exercises.

Unfortunately, my problem today was that after squatting, I had the most trouble getting the plate on the leg press almost extended so I could do my calf presses. So I ended up pushing weight that was way too low, as evidenced by the reps.

I'll try again Wednesday and see if I can make it work. Otherwise, I'll go back to the calf raises.

Here are the results for today:

Squats: 125 lbs - 12 reps (no change) - I'm still keeping the weight low while I work on form.
Calf Press: 140 lbs - 25 reps - definitely going up in weight on Wednesday!
Deadlift: 185 lbs - 11 reps (+2)
Lat Machine Pulldown: 140 lbs - 11 reps (+1)
Bent Over Row: 115 lbs - 10 reps (+1)
Side Lateral Raise: 25 lbs - 9 reps (+1)
Shoulder Press: 75 lbs - 10 reps (no change)
DB Flies: 40 lbs - 10 reps (no change)
Bench Press: 85 lbs - 10 reps (+1)
Barbell Curls: 65 lbs - 9 reps (+1)
Lat Machine Pulldown: 90 lbs - 8.5 reps (+.5) - I was killing myself trying to get that 9th rep!
Trunk Curls: 10 lbs - 9 reps (+1)
Forearm Curls: 40 lbs - 11 reps (+1)
Reverse Forearm Curls: 20 lbs - 12 reps (+2)Other notes: I'm still working on squat form. I'm having trouble getting even to parallel, and I really tend to go up on my toes at the bottom of the squat.

On the trunk curls, I'm supposed to be doing them at a 10/5 cadence. Today, I positioned myself where I could see the clock throughout. I was going to fast before! They were killing me today!

OK. Day 2 of my perfect gym week is in jeopardy! :D I made the 4 hour drive to our company HQ last night after work, and completely overslept this morning. So I need to try to get some cardio in today.

I may slip out today for a bit and go to the gym, or I'll stop there before I make the 4 hour drive back tonight.

When I come here, I deliberately stay in a hotel that has no fitness room at all. Because they don't have anything, they give corporate users a free day pass to the giant Lifestyles Fitness next door, so I certainly have access. I just need to do a better job getting my ass out of bed!

Definitely sore today from yesterday's weight training. Pushing hard, keeping my times between exercises short and focusing on form have definitely brought some new stresses into my workouts.

Feels good!

Thanks eleonardo. Yeah, it's a new journal. I was getting tired of staring at all my false starts in the old journal.

I did get some form of weight training in tonight. I couldn't go to the gym, but I have a pair of 20 lb dumbbells and a single adjustable dumbbell that goes to 45 lbs.

So I did some variations on my usual routine. One legged squats, one legged calf raises, dumbbell rows, etc.

Not the ideal, but it felt good to push some weight around.
It won't ever be ideal, important is you got some work done. Consistency is key. Now I'll try to hold to it, too ;)




Feels good!

:tucool:

It won't ever be ideal, important is you got some work done. Consistency is key. Now I'll try to hold to it, too ;)




:tucool:

Thanks eleonardo!

Good to see your still at it :) And YAY on the 2.5lb drop.

How many boys do you have if you don't mind me asking? 3?
I just have one. He's 4 months so no b'ball yet, though he seems to get a kick out of seeing his mum attempt to shoot hoops :p

Good to see your still at it :) And YAY on the 2.5lb drop.

How many boys do you have if you don't mind me asking? 3?
I just have one. He's 4 months so no b'ball yet, though he seems to get a kick out of seeing his mum attempt to shoot hoops :p

4 months old and you don't have him playing yet? Those college scholarships for basketball aren't just given away! Get him to work!!!! :lol:

I have three boys. 16, 9 and 7. It's my 9 year old, Luke, who plays. He's loved to play driveway basketball since he was about 6, so he's pretty good at shooting. He just has to work on everything else. Took about 2 practices before he realized that all of the "moves" he pulls on his old man in the driveway don't really apply in the real game. :)

That game was a bummer for him. He's on a team of 8-12 year olds. There are three 11-12 year olds who are only interested in hitting 3 point shots, so they're always hanging way back and throwing up these bricks that rarely ever go in. Since Luke's younger and shorter, I was trying to teach him about staying inside, taking the easy 2, and trying to grab rebounds.

The bummer was that his practice at doing that was starting to pay off. He grabbed 2 rebounds and stole a pass from the other team. But each time, he took 2 steps before he started dribbling and was called for traveling, losing the ball.

Plus side to it all was that when he grabbed a rebound late in the game, he started dribbling right away! He wasn't going to let that happen again!

He even went to the other coach after the game and said, "See, I started to dribble that last time!" He's so cute.

Thanks for the support Archie. And get that little boy out on the court!

Hey Croz, good progress man :tu: ! Keep it up for a few more weeks and you'll love the way you'll look. On another note since you're avatar is that of Mr. Incredible when ever I read your posts I get his image in my head. :p

Hey Croz, good progress man :tu: ! Keep it up for a few more weeks and you'll love the way you'll look. On another note since you're avatar is that of Mr. Incredible when ever I read your posts I get his image in my head. :p

Thanks Ndude. I appreciate the support. Past 2 days have been tougher. Yesterday, I got caught in the office all day. I should know that happens when I go to HQ. After that, I couldn't bring myself to go to the gym for an hour before my 4 hour drive home.

So my "week of perfect gym attendance" became my "week of almost perfect gym attendance" on day 2!

To top it off, I discovered last night I have a bad habit of snacking on the 4 hour drive home as a means of staying awake. (It's a really boring drive across the Florida farm/swamp areas.) I ate way too much in the way of salty snacks last night. So much so that the scale says I gained 7 pounds in 24 hours! :lol:

I'm not worried, because I know that's food and water in my system. It will clear out quickly.

Mr. I is my hero. I LOVE that movie. It's my all-time favorite. While also being a very fun and funny movie, I think the underlying message is really important. While the super heroes were doing what all of society expected them to do, they were miserable. They were hiding who they were in order to not make anyone else feel bad.

It was only when they started doing what they were meant to do that they flourished personally and found a way to be accepted by society.

Love it!

I wasn't going to let 1 missed workout turn into 2. I had some time blocked out this morning to go to the gym downstairs, before it gets too busy at lunch.

Then one of our VPs called and we had a long discussion about some future product stuff. All the while, my Outlook reminder was beeping at me to get to the gym. I didn't get freed back up until almost lunchtime, and the office gym was already packed.

So I got in the car and raced to the gym by my house. I did a very fast, all machine workout. Followed my usual single set to failure system. I had to make some changes to exercises, but still worked every muscle group pretty hard.

I can post the results later, but I don't include any results in my 'off' workouts in my progression system.

Made it back in time to shower and be on a conference call.

I do really like that weighted standing crunch machine they have for abs at my gym though. They're really burning still.

Hi Croz, nice going on your consistency of late. Keep the momentum going, even if a given workout isn't ideal.

Hi Croz, nice going on your consistency of late. Keep the momentum going, even if a given workout isn't ideal.

Thanks Paul. I appreciate that. I'm having a hard time seeing making a few workouts in a row as consistency, but it is improving. More importantly, I'm trying to change my frame of mind so that I elevate the priority of the workout. Missing a workout is a much bigger deal to me now than it was. I'm working to keep it that way.

Today's workout wasn't my usual plan, but it was interesting. Since I was using machines more than pulling bars around, it changed the dynamic a bit. My shoulders are feeling this workout more than they were my old one. By the time I got to my shoulders in my usual workout, my arms and hands were fatigued from pulling deadweights, bent over rows, etc. So my shoulders weren't hit as hard. Today I was able to hit my shoulders harder.

I'm determined to see this routine through for a while longer, but I can certainly start to see the advantages of a split for more specialization later on.

Ya gotta start somewhere and what I think is very noticeable is your change in attitude and how you're now placing a higher priority on the workouts than in the past.

4 months old and you don't have him playing yet? Those college scholarships for basketball aren't just given away! Get him to work!!!! :lol:

:lol: That whole post just made me clucky. I should probably keep away from this journal for the sake of my livelihood.:D

LOL Croz, I love the title to your journal. It's so true :) Don't stop starting. Everyday is a new day to kick some more butt. Hang in there :)

Ya gotta start somewhere and what I think is very noticeable is your change in attitude and how you're now placing a higher priority on the workouts than in the past.

Thanks Paul. I appreciate it.

:lol: That whole post just made me clucky. I should probably keep away from this journal for the sake of my livelihood.:D

Archie, please don't stay away! I'll try to make sure I don't make you "clucky" any more, so long as you tell me what "clucky" is! :D

LOL Croz, I love the title to your journal. It's so true :) Don't stop starting. Everyday is a new day to kick some more butt. Hang in there :)

Thanks Zoetastic. I'm determined to make it work this time!

Not enough Advil in the world...

I've been working on coordinating 4 major projects with dev teams in another company. Really working hard to keep everything moving toward deadline.

Find out today that the brass at both companies made major changes in direction to 3 of the four projects, requiring rework, etc. My boss told me everyone had been notified.

So I send out "OK. How do we get things back on track with all of these changes" emails to all the teams. Unfortunately, 2 of the 4 teams hadn't actually been told. :mad:

What a day. Oh well. One more call to get through in a few minutes and then I'm sneaking downstairs for my cardio!

Not enough Advil in the world...

I've been working on coordinating 4 major projects with dev teams in another company. Really working hard to keep everything moving toward deadline.

Find out today that the brass at both companies made major changes in direction to 3 of the four projects, requiring rework, etc. My boss told me everyone had been notified.

So I send out "OK. How do we get things back on track with all of these changes" emails to all the teams. Unfortunately, 2 of the 4 teams hadn't actually been told. :mad:

What a day. Oh well. One more call to get through in a few minutes and then I'm sneaking downstairs for my cardio!

Corporate communications at its best!

Corporate communications at its best!

You said it!

Did 18 minutes HIIT cardio on the bike this afternoon. First time I've done HIIT.

Wow! My kind of cardio! Short, intense and a total ass-kicker. I'm still sweating, and I showered!

Heh don't worry about the clucky thing. Basically means I want more kids, or for mine to grow up, but not too soon if you know what I mean.

Anyway good to here the HITT went well :)

Heh don't worry about the clucky thing. Basically means I want more kids, or for mine to grow up, but not too soon if you know what I mean.

Anyway good to here the HITT went well :)

Got it. Clucky = 'Mother Hen' :)

Thanks archie!

Made a conscious decision to pass on my lifting session today. Got my stuff done at work and was going to head downstairs to the gym.

But you know all that little stuff that builds up? The stuff that's not important enough to scream, "DO ME NOW!" but still nags at your mind?

I had a TON of that stuff. So I decided to spend the last 2 hours at work doing a lot of it and getting it out of the way. "Clearing the decks" so to speak, for Monday.

Chose a little mental fitness over physical fitness.

Should be able to lift tomorrow instead of doing my cardio.

Well, I weighed in this morning and the scale consistently said 238!.

I know my nutrition hasn't been top notch this week, but since I was already eating at a deficit, I have a hard time believing I consumed the 17,500 calories over maintenance that would be necessary for me to gain 5 pounds of fat.

Unless I've been sleepwalking and eating gallon tubs of lard without realizing it!

My body's holding on to something. It will let go of it at some point, I'm sure.

Luke had a good game today. He's really improving as a basketball player, rather than just being a driveway shooter. 4 rebounds, some good defense and decent offense. Still has a bad habit when he grabs a rebound of turning his back to the basket and hunching over the ball to protect it, which takes away any opportunity to shoot.

Oh well, one step at a time.

After his game, I hit the weight room and got a quick lifting session in. It was another fast all-machine session. Keeps things moving, but I really want to get back into my regular lifting routine next week. I've already blocked my time out in my schedule to give myself a better shot of getting it all done.

Trying to stay motivated. I realize now that there is some muscle under all of this fat. If I try my pathetic attempts at posing, I can see some decent development all around. It's only really showing yet in areas where I'm naturally lean, like my forearms and calves.

Just have to focus on getting rid of the fat... :bb:

Unless I've been sleepwalking and eating gallon tubs of lard without realizing it!


LOL! Yeah, that must be it.

Seriously, the gain can be due to numerous reasons, from just ordinary body fluctuations to water retention due to inceased sodium, to.....

You get the point. A few days ago I gained almost three pounds in a day and I know that I ate at a deficit. It was a head scratcher, but I didn't freak as I knew that it was going to be temporary.

Have a great weekend.

Thanks Paul. I figure that's what it is, but it's persisting longer than I expected. We shall see...

Today's no workout. Yard work day! :cry:

OK. Where to start...

First, this weight jump. I'm still consistently weighing 238 after that "temporary" spike almost a week ago now. I'm really clueless as to what happened. I really tried to find a reason, but can't.

I even had my wife weigh herself to make sure the scale didn't suddenly break and start adding 5 pounds to everyone.

I can only think of a few things that might be happening.

One, for some reason, I'm still holding on to water and it will eventually go away and the mystery 5 pounds will vanish quickly.

Two, I was really at 236 to start, but my drop to 233.5 was actually me getting dehydrated, and when my body recovered, I jumped back up and actually I've put on a bit of weight.

So, apparently, I'm still bulking. :mad:

Either way, there's nothing I can do to change what already happened. I intend to just stick to a below maintenance calorie level, cardio and lifting as planned. If I do all of that, then eventually the weight will come off.

Yesterday, was not the day to start back down my road to fat loss. Eating wasn't terrible, but no workout.

We got some terrible news about my wife's friend. She's pregnant with twins, and they discovered she has a semi-rare condition where as soon as she gives birth, (C-section or otherwise) she'll start massive hemorrhaging. It will basically be a race at that point to get everything fixed and sewn up in time. Apparently, for the babies, it's about 50/50 chances. For her, more like 80/20.

They've started compiling a list of possible donors so they can build a safe blood stockpile. Fortunately, I'm her blood type, so I'll be able to help a little.

Ugh. Didn't do much at all yesterday but try to comfort my wife. I can't imagine the sense of helplessness they're going through. To go from the joy of having these babies to the dread and fear that must be consuming them now.

Makes that 5 pounds seem pretty irrelevant!

On to better topics...

I'm traveling today, but back in the gym tomorrow.

That's a sad story really :( Let's hope that everything will work out for the babies as the mother.

Fitness related; don't stare yourself blind on the scale. If you put in the work, the results will follow :nod:

That's a sad story really :( Let's hope that everything will work out for the babies as the mother.

Fitness related; don't stare yourself blind on the scale. If you put in the work, the results will follow :nod:

Thanks eleonardo. I hope everything works out too.

As to the scale, I just find it confusing more than anything. I try not to get scale crazy. That's why I only weigh myself usually 1x per week. But when you're trying to lose fat, it's hard to ignore the scale completely.

I hope everything turns out okay with your wife's friend and the babies. When is she due?

On a lighter note, the scale can be an evil device at times. For some inexplicable reason I managed to gain 2.8 pounds yesterday. And it's not because my starting weight was abnormally low. As Eleo wrote, just keep doing the right things and you'll be going in the right direction.

I hope everything turns out okay with your wife's friend and the babies. When is she due?

On a lighter note, the scale can be an evil device at times. For some inexplicable reason I managed to gain 2.8 pounds yesterday. And it's not because my starting weight was abnormally low. As Eleo wrote, just keep doing the right things and you'll be going in the right direction.

That's what I'm working toward. Just a little disheartening to get back on the horse, see some immediate progress and then get thrown for a loop like that. (did I mix enough metaphors there?)

Thanks Paul. Always there. I appreciate it.

That's what I'm working toward. Just a little disheartening to get back on the horse, see some immediate progress and then get thrown for a loop like that. (did I mix enough metaphors there?)

Metaphors, similies (no, not smilies), exposition, foreshadowing. You're reminding me of helping my kids with their languange arts homework.

Thanks Paul. Always there. I appreciate it.

You're welcome and I'm glad to. The reality is that I get more than I give from JSF.

I agree completely Paul. I get so much more out of this than I put in.

Here's a question for you: What lifting regimen did you follow after you stopped using Darden? Do you like it better?

Aw, that news about your wife's friend and her little one's is very sad Croz. :( Pregnancy is supposed to be a special and exciting time, and hearing news like that really must be terrifying for a mother (and her loved ones, of course). I truly hope that everything turns out okay in the end.

The scale seems to be giving you a bit of a hard time, which can be frustrating, but just keep on working hard (like your already doing :)), and I'm sure that in a couple days, things will straighten out and you'll be dropping pounds again. :tu:

Aw, that news about your wife's friend and her little one's is very sad Croz. :( Pregnancy is supposed to be a special and exciting time, and hearing news like that really must be terrifying for a mother (and her loved ones, of course). I truly hope that everything turns out okay in the end.

The scale seems to be giving you a bit of a hard time, which can be frustrating, but just keep on working hard (like your already doing :)), and I'm sure that in a couple days, things will straighten out and you'll be dropping pounds again. :tu:

Thanks for the kind words bballer143. The condition is pretty scary, and it appears that the odds for everyone are basically 50/50. It's essentially a race against the clock to get the babies safe and get her taken care of to the point she doesn't bleed to death. She's on bed rest now, and will go into the hospital in a few weeks to spend the last 14 weeks of her pregnancy in the hospital. I have no idea how her husband is coping. I'd be a basket case and totally unable to function!

They're putting the donors list together and I'll be having some blood tests soon to make sure I don't have anything nasty in my system. Then I'll start giving blood closer to her due date. At least it feels like there's something I can do to help.

On the weight thing, I think I figured out what happened. I'm now just going on the assumption that I am really 238, and starting from there.

I also have to say that this is an amazing place. I've received postings, private messages and emails all being supportive. Thanks to everyone!

I agree completely Paul. I get so much more out of this than I put in.

Here's a question for you: What lifting regimen did you follow after you stopped using Darden? Do you like it better?

Croz, I answered the first question in my journal before I saw that you asked it here also. So as not to repeat you'll find the answer there. As to the second question, which do I like better, I don't have a preference. I'm glad I followed HIT and would consider doing so again, but like any lifting protocol it gets stale after a while, at least for me.

Thanks for the info Paul. I'll check it out.

-----------------

Took my son to basketball practice today. After they did drills, they did a "parents vs. kids" scrimmage.

I need to do more cardio! And lose a lot more fat!

Fun, but exhausting.

Took my son to basketball practice today. After they did drills, they did a "parents vs. kids" scrimmage.

I need to do more cardio! And lose a lot more fat!

Fun, but exhausting.


Nah, just do more parents vs. kids scrimmage games. That will help with your goals. Certainly more fun than the treadmill. :)

It was a blast! We got schooled by a bunch of 8-12 year olds. But it's not like we were trying our hardest. I only threw a couple elbows. :lol:

Thanks for the info Paul. I'll check it out.
[quote]

You're welcome and I'm glad to pass on the info just as others around here have done for me.

[quote=Croz;543994]It was a blast! We got schooled by a bunch of 8-12 year olds. But it's not like we were trying our hardest. I only threw a couple elbows. :lol:

Keep throwing those elbows and get the best of those youngins now to establish the psychological advantage because before you know it they really will be taking you to the cleaners. :lol:

I hope you're in the midst of a fine weekend.

I hope you're in the midst of a fine weekend.

Thanks. The weekend was good. It started out crappy because my teenager made a boneheaded mistake, and I had to write a check for $400 on Friday because of it! :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

On the plus side, my garage got cleaned out Sunday, and this weekend that big pile of cut brush the previous owners left us is getting cleaned out! :evil:

He has some work to do to work this off.

On the workout side, it's been mixed at best. I'm on the road and was going to hit the gym last night after work. I ended up passing out very early, and then sleeping through my alarm this morning! I slept for 12 hours! I can't remember the last time I did that.

So no workout yesterday, and none today. (After work tonight, I have the 4.5 hour drive home.)

My goal for today is to make sure I don't munch my way into oblivion on the drive home, as is my usual habit.

We had similar weekends :lol:

Well, I'm pretty frustrated.

I've had some strange, nagging aches lately. The worst in my right Achilles tendon, but nothing to sideline me.

Then, this morning, I pulled the risky, reckless move of closing a window. And I felt that pull in my lower back. Same feeling that sidelined me in April getting out of the shower.

This one doesn't feel as bad. I'm able to move around a little, but I'm definitely out of commission for a few days again. I'm working from home, sitting with a heating pad and taking anti-inflammatories every 6 hours.

Crap.

How frustrating. Get well soon!

How frustrating. Get well soon!

Thanks Paul. It is very frustrating, but at least this one isn't as bad as last time. It's coming along pretty well.

I think I'm going to be held to a week of LISS cardio only and then I'll start lifting again.

One upside to having a bad back... Football on TV!

And today's Michigan v Ohio State. GO BLUE!

OK. Maybe watching college football is not so good for the stress level. I can't see how they can get a 65 yard punt return called back by penalty, and then, in the NEXT DAMN PLAY, a 65 yard touchdown run.

ARGH! :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Hey Croz-
After talking to you this weekend, I decided to check out your journal. Keep up the good work!

Hey mr incredible,
Sorry to hear about the pain in your lower back. Hopefully with the break from weights it will mend quickly.
I got a niggling pain in my upper back so after another nights rest I will most likely be in the same boat as you.

Hey Croz-
After talking to you this weekend, I decided to check out your journal. Keep up the good work!

Hey mr incredible,
Sorry to hear about the pain in your lower back. Hopefully with the break from weights it will mend quickly.
I got a niggling pain in my upper back so after another nights rest I will most likely be in the same boat as you.

Thanks IROC and archie. The back is definitely on the mend. I'm probably going to stick to my plan for just cardio this week, and then start lifting again next week.

Frustrating part is that I know a lower body weight and a stronger back will prevent a lot of this in the future, but every time it happens, I'm knocked out of commission for a few days!

Oh well, back at it...

OK. Maybe watching college football is not so good for the stress level. I can't see how they can get a 65 yard punt return called back by penalty, and then, in the NEXT DAMN PLAY, a 65 yard touchdown run.

ARGH! :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

One of the more interesting sequences in an othewise mundane game to watch. I'm not a big college football fan, just don't have the time to follow it, but Carr seems to be getting a raw deal. C'mon the guy's 121-40 in 13 seasons and is supposed to be a real class act. At least they gave him the opportunity to "resign".

I'm glad to read that your back is feeling better.

One of the more interesting sequences in an othewise mundane game to watch. I'm not a big college football fan, just don't have the time to follow it, but Carr seems to be getting a raw deal. C'mon the guy's 121-40 in 13 seasons and is supposed to be a real class act. At least they gave him the opportunity to "resign".

I'm glad to read that your back is feeling better.

Actually Carr was not forced out. Rumor has it that he has been planning to retire this year for a long time. I now for at least 6 months, everyone was expecting this announcement.

In fact, Les Miles is expected to be named new head coach after he plays for the championship game at LSU. He is a Michigan alumni and he was an assistant at U of M for a while.

Carr was always a bit too conservative for me, but he was a real class act. In fact last year, he negotiated 2 year contract extensions for all of his assistants knowing he was going to retire after 1 year. That way, if a new coach fired everyone to bring in his own assistants, he knew his team would have a year salary while they looked for new jobs.

He never had the Schembechler personality that made him a national figure, but he's almost an equal part of the heritage of the U of M program.

Well, the back's back up to about 90% or so. I'm hoping to hit the gym today for some cardio and maybe a little lifting. The office is closed today so that means getting away from the house for an hour or so. That could go either way.

I have a huge tree trimming project to get done this weekend, that will happen today or tomorrow. We'll see.

Last week sucked in the gym. I ended up finding out Sunday I had to go on the road Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday, I skipped the gym to get 100% of everything I needed done, done. So when I left the office Wednesday, I turned the company cell/blackberry off and I won't turn it on again until Monday morning.

I was planning to get back to lifting full-schedule next week, but I'm going to be on the road Tues-Thurs. The hotel I'm at has a cardio only fitness room. The place I usually stay at gives a day pass to the huge gym next door when you stay there, but they were booked.

Well, not suprisingly, my HIIT cardio session this morning handed me my ass. Too many days out of the gym, mediocre nutrition, poor sleep and not nearly enough water daily.

I only got about 10 minutes in, and then my legs were done. I couldn't even switch to LISS, I just had nothing left. My quads and calves were completely spent.

I'll be lifting this afternoon. For the next month, I'm taking a break from the Darden plan and doing more cardio (Darden calls for none, I've been doing some) and using Mastover's 25/8 plan (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?p=546108#post546108).

Should be interesting to take a break from the Darden routine and try something different.

Didn't make it to the gym at all yesterday. Was just intending to do cardio.

Turned out to be a good news/bad news thing. I'm on the road and staying at a hotel that always had a cardio only fitness center that was available 24/7. Turns out they closed it and instead you get a day pass at Bally's down the street. That's the good news.

The bad news is that the Bally's closed at 8:30 and I found out at 8:27 after I got to town!

But I will be in the gym tonight after work, that's for certain!

Hit the gym tonight after dinner as planned. We ended up taking some customers out for dinner and I gave it some time after that and hit the gym.

I started the 25/8 workout today, rather than Monday because of my work schedule. It's been a nice change from the HIT full-body workouts I've been doing. Kind of nice to specialize on an area a bit. I'll do this for a month and then see what I'm going to do.

Here are the results:

DB Bench: 2 w/u set at 20 lbs, 5x10 at 35 lbs
Seated DB Press: 3x10 at 25 lbs.
BB Rows: 1 w/u set at 75 lbs, 3x10 @ 115
Triceps Pushdown: 2x10 at 90 lbs.
DB Curls: 1x12 & 1x8 at 30 lbs.Diet's been about as good as it can be on the road, when I have no way to prepare anything. They brought a ton of pizza into the office today, but I convinced my boss and co-worker to go out so I could get a grilled chicken breast and salad.

Have to work on my hydration. I've fallen off the water bandwagon. I've been a big-time Diet Pepsi addict for years. I've discovered if I start the day with water, and keep drinking it, I'm OK with hydration. But the minute I drink some Diet Pepsi, I'm toast. I end up drinking it all the rest of the day.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to kick it cold turkey. But that means kicking my significant caffeine addiction. I'm not looking forward to that, but I'll have to do it soon.

Cardio in the morning before work.

Business trips are always challenging, but it seems as if you're doing doing quite well given the constraints.

Thanks Paul. I come here 2x per month, so I've now found 2 hotels that include day passes to real gyms, and have refrigerators and microwave's in the room. I'll try next time to pick up some food when I get in town and see if I can better manage my meals that way as well.

All that talk about how good I was doing on my business trip, and I blew it all. :mad: Thursday night, I was going to participate in a client dinner and make the long drive back home after that. I got to dinner a little late and they had ordered family style at this fantastic Italian restaurant.

There was SO MUCH FOOD and it was all spectacular. I know the key there is portion control, but I failed, pretty badly. Badly enough that when I weighed in for the December 100 challenge this morning I was up a pound.

Apparently, I'm bulking. :mad:

On the workout front, I've decided to restart Mastover's 25/8 workout on Monday. I wasn't able to do the Monday workout last week until Wednesday night. I was going do to legs this morning, but it's our annual Christmas light day (December 1) and I knew I'd be up and down a ladder all day. With that leg workout, there was no way I was getting lights done. Plus it would have screwed up my Monday workout as well.

I did discover that while the 25/8 workout doesn't look bad, it's a killer. I did the arms/chest/shoulder day Wednesday, and my triceps are still killing me. With that in mind, I know legs day is going to be brutal.

So Monday, I'll start over with the arms/chest/shoulder day and do legs as scheduled Thursday. My "pipecleaner arms" as my oldest son calls them, could probably use the extra work. :lol:

Work is killer busy right now and I find that makes it easy for me to make excuses for missing workouts, not eating right, etc. So I joined the December challenge to try to give me a little extra motivation. My original goal of being 215 by 12/15 is gone now, so my goal is to drop at least 12 pounds of fat in December.

We all have a tough time during the holidays, you just gotta get back on the horse. Look's like you're doin' that, :gl:.

Glad to see you in the challenge Croz.
Hopefully it will be good for you. I'm in it this time again to improve on last challenges stats :o
But also this is the holiday overeating month for me, so hopefully while in the challenge I will be more aware of exactly what I am and am not doing.
pipe cleaner arms :lol:

Croz-
We haven't heard from you in a while. I hope all is well!

Croz-
We haven't heard from you in a while. I hope all is well!

Thanks IROC-Z. I appreciate you checking in on me.

All is well in the sense that I haven't died or anything. But I haven't done shit regarding fitness over the past few weeks, except trying to be careful so I don't gain any weight, which I haven't.

Everything has been brutally busy at work, and at home with the holidays, and I've really let it be an excuse not to do anything. It really is an excuse, since I'm sure I could find the time if I made it a high enough priority. Really hard to justify when there's a frickin' gym on the first floor of my office building!

So I'm a little down on myself right now, for getting myself into this situation once again.

Trying to right the ship, though.

Everything has been brutally busy at work, and at home with the holidays, and I've really let it be an excuse not to do anything. It really is an excuse, since I'm sure I could find the time if I made it a high enough priority. Really hard to justify when there's a frickin' gym on the first floor of my office building!
HO-LEE-CRAP! A gym on the first floor and you're not using it?

I'm killing myself to squeeze in trips to the gym at lunch (which is 10-15 minutes away from my office in the worst traffic EVAH!) and dragging my lazy ass out of bed at the ass-crack of dawn to get my cardio in... on top of managing my team at work, driving all over creation for meetings, and taking over the household chores since the wife is gone back to school and out of the house 16 hours a day... and you've got that gym an elevator ride away! :nono:

Dude... we gotta talk! ;)

So I'm a little down on myself right now, for getting myself into this situation once again.

Trying to right the ship, though.
Hey, man... everyone stumbles, everyone falls, everyone skins a knee now and again. Long as you never stop getting up, buddy. That's what counts... stop crying over spilled milk, put aside the reasons/excuses and carry your damn gym bag down to the first floor, will ya? :bb:

-R

HO-LEE-CRAP! A gym on the first floor and you're not using it?

I'm killing myself to squeeze in trips to the gym at lunch (which is 10-15 minutes away from my office in the worst traffic EVAH!) and dragging my lazy ass out of bed at the ass-crack of dawn to get my cardio in... on top of managing my team at work, driving all over creation for meetings, and taking over the household chores since the wife is gone back to school and out of the house 16 hours a day... and you've got that gym an elevator ride away! :nono:

Dude... we gotta talk! ;)


Hey, man... everyone stumbles, everyone falls, everyone skins a knee now and again. Long as you never stop getting up, buddy. That's what counts... stop crying over spilled milk, put aside the reasons/excuses and carry your damn gym bag down to the first floor, will ya? :bb:

-R

Croz, I gotta agree with your fellow Floridian, Forget about what did or didn't happen last week and focus on today and the tomorrows that lie ahead.

Thanks IROC-Z. I appreciate you checking in on me.

All is well in the sense that I haven't died or anything. But I haven't done shit regarding fitness over the past few weeks, except trying to be careful so I don't gain any weight, which I haven't.

Everything has been brutally busy at work, and at home with the holidays, and I've really let it be an excuse not to do anything. It really is an excuse, since I'm sure I could find the time if I made it a high enough priority. Really hard to justify when there's a frickin' gym on the first floor of my office building!

So I'm a little down on myself right now, for getting myself into this situation once again.

Trying to right the ship, though.


Focus on the positive: you didn't gain any weight! That's half the battle right there. Next step is to start hitting the gym like an animal. Glad to hear from you!:tu:

All is well in the sense that I haven't died or anything. But I haven't done shit regarding fitness over the past few weeks, except trying to be careful so I don't gain any weight, which I haven't.

Everything has been brutally busy at work, and at home with the holidays, and I've really let it be an excuse not to do anything. It really is an excuse, since I'm sure I could find the time if I made it a high enough priority. Really hard to justify when there's a frickin' gym on the first floor of my office building!

So I'm a little down on myself right now, for getting myself into this situation once again.

Trying to right the ship, though.

Hey now! So what if you weren't able to get to the gym lately, Christmas is a busy time! ;) I'm sure that when things settle down a bit at work and home, you'll be back to your usual routine! :tu:

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The presents are unwrapped, the kids are finally asleep! They woke up last night at 1:30 am, and stayed up until about 9 pm tonight! We wouldn't let them open presents until 6 am, but apparently, they decided it would be best to be up for 4.5 hours before opening presents!

I've been off this week so far, I'll be back at the office, and in the gym on Thursday. I'm just sitting here now watching "The Incredibles." I swear I could write a book about the themes and symbolism in this movie. One day, I'll have to, I guess, or at least stop talking about how I could write the book.

Food intake today has been horrendous. Both quantity and quality! I believe I had peanut brittle for breakfast! But it's one day of the year.

Back at it tomorrow!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Thanks and the same to you!

I believe I had peanut brittle for breakfast! But it's one day of the year.

Peanut brittle for breakfast, I'm loving it :lol:. You're right, though, it's one day of the year, so do it and enjoy it.

Peanut brittle for breakfast, I'm loving it :lol:. You're right, though, it's one day of the year, so do it and enjoy it.

It's not my fault! Santa put it in my stocking! Blame him!

It's not my fault! Santa put it in my stocking! Blame him!

That Santa, he's an evil one. :)

Just posting to gloat about the fact that my wife gave me an iPhone for my birthday. :D

My birthday is still 4 days away, but she couldn't wait anymore.

It's certainly just as cool as they portray it to be. The marketing isn't lying on this one. :tucool:

If you're already receiving presents then it's okay for me to wish you a happy b'day. Happy birthday Croz! And a happy New Years also.

Thanks Paul!

Happy New Year to you as well. My wife couldn't wait any more.

Have a great day.

If you're already receiving presents then it's okay for me to wish you a happy b'day.

Happy Birthday :D

An i-phone, I'm jealous :cry:
Happy B-day and Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday :D

Maya stopping by and wishing me a happy birthday? Wow! That's almost as cool as an iPhone! :D

Thanks Maya!

An i-phone, I'm jealous :cry:
Happy B-day and Happy New Year!

The iPhone is great. I'm really impressed with how well thought out everything is on it. It really lives up to the marketing hype, and the fact that it can get new features added through software updates is pretty cool too.

Thanks for the well wishes! Happy New Year to you too!

Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!

OK. It wouldn't be the new year without a brief recap of where I wanted to be on January 1 of last year, and where I ended up.

On January 1 of last year, I weighed in at 259 pounds, and 35% body fat. My goal for the year was to lose 1 - 1.5 pounds per week and wind up at 185 @ 10%.

Reality is that I'm 241 pounds, and I haven't measured body fat recently, but I'm guessing it's in the 31-32% range. I've made several false starts, but never sustained the effort needed to maintain the type of loss I desired.

Most importantly, I never got diet under control. I bounced around between a few short term plans, and actually got down to 228, but I didn't maintain it. I started three different journals in an attempt to jump start my progress again after set backs.

The biggest problems I encountered over the course of the year were the same things that I was hoping to improve with this journey, discipline and determination.

On the plus side, I weigh less on January 1 of this year than I did on January 1 of last year. It's been 6 years since I could say that.

I've also learned a tremendous amount about nutrition, weight training and cardio. I didn't put it into practice, but I learned it! :lol:

I did make some progress in fat loss and weight training. My first session in the weight room had me squatting 30 pounds, deadlifting 70 and curling 40 pounds.

On the squat machine, I eventually could squat 300 pounds. Now i'm doing barbell squats at 120 pounds while I nail the form, and then I'll start working back up. I can deadlift 185 pounds and curl 75.

I also learned things about my self. I need changes in routine or I get bored and it all falls apart. I need to see progress in either cardio, weight training or weight, and so I need to keep careful records. Otherwise, I get discouraged.

Also, I learned I don't like pointless cardio. By that I mean, riding on the exercise bike, or the elliptical for long periods of time. The last time I sustained cardio effort over any period of time, it was running. I know there are a lot of drawbacks to running (joints, etc.) but I wanted to "be a runner," enough that I got out there every day at 5am, and more importantly, in bed every night at 10:30 so I could get up at 5 am.

So with those things in mind, yet ANOTHER new plan is coming.

Don't stop starting!

Happy New Year Croz! Best wishes for 2008!:tucool:

Happy New Year Croz! Best wishes for 2008!:tucool:

Thanks IROC, have a great 2008 too.

Step 1 of the new plan is going on now. And it sucks. Aside from a Diet Pepsi yesterday afternoon to keep me from killing my kids, I've been caffeine free for almost 2 full days. My head is throbbing and I feel like I'm in a fog.

From past experience, I know this will peak tonight or tomorrow morning and start to improve from there. I have a major league caffeine addiction. In fact, if I were a famous celeb, I'd be in rehab right now for it.

The problem isn't the caffeine. It's the fact that the addiction means I need caffeine through the day, which for me, means diet soda. I can do great with my water intake until I have a diet soda, and then I tend to drink nothing but soda. But I can't kick the soda habit without kicking the caffeine first.

No gym, no cardio today. Just eating healthy and lots of water and ibuprofen so I can get through the day.

Good luck with meeting your first goal of 2008. Water may not be doing it for you if you also like carbonation so have you thought of drinking seltzer during the day? Same nutritional profile as water, just with bubbles. I drink the plain variety, but it also comes in flavored versions that also have no calories or caffeine.

I actually do drink quite a bit of flavored seltzer when I just can't stand the thought of another bottle of water! But even that switch means no caffeine, so I still have this to get through! The water and ibuprofen seem to be keeping the worst of the headache at bay this time.

Everybody must be doing a lot of New Year's resolution posting to their journals today! Busy place! That's great!

Feeling much better today on the caffeine withdrawals. I did have to cave and take in a little late yesterday during my 4 hour drive to our Boca office. I just couldn't take the entire drive with that headache!

Even with that, the headaches are way down today, so I'm certainly on the back side of it all.

You're a braver soul than I. Without my two cups of morning coffee, I'd be useless.

Happy Birthday, bud.

-R

You're a braver soul than I. Without my two cups of morning coffee, I'd be useless.

Happy Birthday, bud.

-R

Thanks Roger.

Not saying I won't drink some coffee on rough mornings, but I have to get rid of the actual need.

Happy birthday Croz!

And good luck with slowing down your caffeine consumption. Seems as if the harderst part is behind you, at least physically.

Happy birthday Croz!

And good luck with slowing down your caffeine consumption. Seems as if the harderst part is behind you, at least physically.

Thanks Paul. The worst is definitely past on the headaches. After tomorrow, I should be back to 100%. Then the next stage can start.

Well, I ended up needing a little caffeine to get through the 4 hour drive home last night, so the headaches are in their 3rd day, but they're pretty mild.

I've done this caffeine thing a few times now, and 1 thing I have certainly learned is that you MUST drink plenty of water while doing it. It's made all the difference in the world for me this time.

Happy *late* B-day Croz!! *big b-day hugs*


thankfully, while I do normally drink a cup or two of coffee when I'm at work, I can go without it without any negative side effects... I barely had any caffiene during the week and a half I took off of work over the holidays.... but I know people who've been addicted and I know how hard it was for them to stop drinking coffee/tea/soda/etc... good luck man :tucool:

Happy *late* B-day Croz!! *big b-day hugs*


thankfully, while I do normally drink a cup or two of coffee when I'm at work, I can go without it without any negative side effects... I barely had any caffiene during the week and a half I took off of work over the holidays.... but I know people who've been addicted and I know how hard it was for them to stop drinking coffee/tea/soda/etc... good luck man :tucool:

Thanks T! I appreciate the B-Day wishes!

The caffeine thing has sucked, but it's almost over.

Thanks!

When I got pregnant and had to quit the 3 coffees and 4 redbulls I was use to everyday it was tough. But its do able. I dont think I have had red bull in probably 18months. And it is rare for me to have more then two coffees a week.

Good luck with kicking the caffeine croz, you can do it :nod: And good luck with everything in 2008:tu:

When I got pregnant and had to quit the 3 coffees and 4 redbulls I was use to everyday it was tough. But its do able. I dont think I have had red bull in probably 18months. And it is rare for me to have more then two coffees a week.

Good luck with kicking the caffeine croz, you can do it :nod: And good luck with everything in 2008:tu:

Wow! Sounds like you had it bad too! The headaches are gone, so this part is over.

While I don't think caffeine is evil, there's part of me that feels like you can't really be serious about health while harboring an addiction of any kind.

Thanks for the support, archie, and great luck on your goals as well.

Wow! Sounds like you had it bad too! The headaches are gone, so this part is over.

While I don't think caffeine is evil, there's part of me that feels like you can't really be serious about health while harboring an addiction of any kind.

Thanks for the support, archie, and great luck on your goals as well.

I don't see caffeine as an addiction, since it's so socially accepted, but I wish you good luck nontheless :gl:
Proceeding on the subject. I think everyone has their own little addictions. I have recently found out internet is one of mine :o

I don't see caffeine as an addiction, since it's so socially accepted, but I wish you good luck nontheless :gl:
Proceeding on the subject. I think everyone has their own little addictions. I have recently found out internet is one of mine :o

For many people, caffeine is fine, and they don't get addicted. But since stopping caffeine for me causes headaches, light headedness, and disorientation, I can't call it anything less than an addiction. It's an addiction in the most literal sense. The body develops a physical need for the substance and experiences withdrawal symptoms when it doesn't get it.

Don't get me started on the internet.... Guilty there too! :D

OK. I'm past the caffeine thing completely, and drinking water or flavored seltzer almost exclusively. I will have the occasional caffeine free diet soda in the late evening while hanging out with my wife, but the rest of the time, it's water.

I've been putting the new diet plan into place gradually. My wife and I are returning to a vegan diet. We were vegan for about 2 years and felt great (and I was much thinner too!) I was only doing cardio, though, no lifting. So I'm going to watch my lean mass and supplement with whey shakes, lean chicken breast or lean fish if I find I need more protein. I'll be experimenting for a while to find what works best for my body. Veganism was very good to me while we did it. I'm hoping it still is.

Today, I lifted. Did the first Monday routine in Mastover's 25/8 workout.

Results:

DB Bench Press: 1x10 @ 20, 1x10 @ 30 (w/u) then 3x10 @ 40 and 2x8 @ 40
Seated DB Press: 3x10 @ 20
BB Rows: 1x10 @ 75 (w/u) and 3x10 @ 115
Tricep Pushdown: 2x8 @ 90
DB Curls: 2x12 @ 20I've also begrudgingly come to the conclusion that I cannot lose weight without cardio. :mad: I was hoping! So I'm going to start back on the only cardio that I could ever stick with regularly, which is running.

I'll be using the 'Couch to 5K Running Plan' (http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml) from CoolRunning.com (http://www.coolrunning.com/). It's very similar to the plan I used before to get up to about 3 miles per day.

Hopefully, I'll start that tonight.

Why can't you lose weight without cardio? Isn't it just cals in - cals out? I did hear that you lose 'different' fat with diet and workouts. Perhaps that has something to do with it. :confused:

Why can't you lose weight without cardio?
Some people just don't. I don't do very well without cardio. Or if I'm not doing explicit cardio, I'm doing it via workouts that would make you shit a kidney. Squats, always. Heavy ones. Bench press, lots of back work (my back is pretty weak). Keeping rest periods to a minimum so I am in essence getting a two-for-one workout. Either way, I've gotta get my heart rate moving to lose body fat. And I'm an ecto... figure that shit out. I know how my body works at this point, but this particular model came with some weird bugs. A small frame that likes to store fat and doesn't let it go easily? Odd combo.

-R

Hi Croz! Good luck on the new diet regimen; it's great that your wife is on board so that the two of you can support each other. Will the kids also be on a vegan diet?

Why can't you lose weight without cardio? Isn't it just cals in - cals out? I did hear that you lose 'different' fat with diet and workouts. Perhaps that has something to do with it. :confused:

I was trying to be a little tongue in cheek, there. What I really should have said was that I can't lose weight efficiently without cardio. Lifting helps, but the progress is slow enough that I get discouraged and cheat. To lose significant weight only while lifting, I had to get down to a 1500 calorie a day diet, which I didn't like doing for a lot of reasons.

Some people just don't. I don't do very well without cardio. Or if I'm not doing explicit cardio, I'm doing it via workouts that would make you shit a kidney. Squats, always. Heavy ones. Bench press, lots of back work (my back is pretty weak). Keeping rest periods to a minimum so I am in essence getting a two-for-one workout. Either way, I've gotta get my heart rate moving to lose body fat. And I'm an ecto... figure that shit out. I know how my body works at this point, but this particular model came with some weird bugs. A small frame that likes to store fat and doesn't let it go easily? Odd combo.

-R

Funny Roger, I was just thinking about your example of squats when I was saying that I had to do cardio to lose weight. While it really is calories in and calories out for the most part, we all have our quirks.

Hi Croz! Good luck on the new diet regimen; it's great that your wife is on board so that the two of you can support each other. Will the kids also be on a vegan diet?

Thanks Paul. No, the kids won't be on a vegan diet. My youngest was weaned when we were vegans, so he doesn't eat much meat at all, but he does love his cheeses. I'm also not a strict vegan in that I will supplement with lean animal protein as needed. But the majority of my calories will be vegetables, whole grains, beans, brown rice and fruit.

I didn't run last night because I wasn't thinking about my schedule. On the running plan, I'm supposed to alternate days, running/rest. If I ran last night, I'd be running again Friday which is a leg day.

So I did run this morning before work. Certainly not ready to jump back in to 3 miles per day, but was pleased to see that it was much improved over my first day of running when I started years ago. I'll remember that cold morning for a long time, wheezing, gasping and praying for the sweet release of death. :lol:

Today was much better. Got a good sweat, and stuck to the prescribed plan, but felt like I could have given more. I should be up to the 3 miles again in the 2 months the program requires, without a problem.

I didn't run last night because I wasn't thinking about my schedule. On the running plan, I'm supposed to alternate days, running/rest. If I ran last night, I'd be running again Friday which is a leg day.

So I did run this morning before work. Certainly not ready to jump back in to 3 miles per day, but was pleased to see that it was much improved over my first day of running when I started years ago. I'll remember that cold morning for a long time, wheezing, gasping and praying for the sweet release of death. :lol:

Today was much better. Got a good sweat, and stuck to the prescribed plan, but felt like I could have given more. I should be up to the 3 miles again in the 2 months the program requires, without a problem.


Without knowing the specifics of the program you're following, if you're anything like me, you're going to be tempted to increase your mileage faster than the program prescribes. As someone who has lived through this mistake on more than one occasion (bright I'm not), I would be very careful about doing so because increasing too quickly often leads to injury.


I'm in a similar situation to you in that I recently started jogging again after taking a year off due to injuries. I started at a slow pace and short mileage and have been slowly increasing the average length of my runs; it's been frustrating due to the fact the my cardio health is decent due to my cycling so I'm really trying to get my legs acclimated to the pounding and because of the dichotomy I often don't feel as spent as I should after a run. Regardless of that, I'm not rushing things because for me injury avoidance is paramount.


Take it for what it's worth; just some friendly advice from someone who thought that those things happened to other people.

thanks Paul. I did the same thing when I was starting out last time. I'm going to make sure I don't do it again this time. It won't. Be the greatest cardio for a while but it will be worth it.

thanks Paul. I did the same thing when I was starting out last time. I'm going to make sure I don't do it again this time. It won't. Be the greatest cardio for a while but it will be worth it.

The operative words in your last post are "....for a while..." because in a while it will be the "greatest cardio". Slow steady progress, Croz, is what's going to prove to be the winning combination for us.

The operative words in your last post are "....for a while..." because in a while it will be the "greatest cardio". Slow steady progress, Croz, is what's going to prove to be the winning combination for us.

That's exactly right. I'm working toward making lasting changes, not quick results that let me end up back in my old habits.

Problem I have is that I'm not very smart. I can read things over and over, and still not believe them until they happen to me.

I really thought doing HIT style, single set to failure at a very slow (4/4) cadence would make it easier to do a higher volume at a faster cadence in multiple sets. But it really does hit your muscles in different ways. Now matter how many times I read it, I apparently didn't believe it.

My chest, shoulders, front delts and triceps are KILLING ME today.

I'm both looking forward to, and dreading leg day today. 7 sets of squats? (including warm ups) followed by multiple sets of leg presses and calf raises? By Sunday, I'll be in a wheelchair!

I was wrong, it's 6 sets of squats including warm-ups. I'm getting better with squats. When I was using the squat machine, and didn't have to worry about stabilizing the bar, I could squat about 300 pounds. But now I've switched to barbell squats and just today got to be able to consistently get to parallel. So I'm hoping to start bringing the weight up.

Results:

Squats: 1x12@45, 1x12@65 (w/u) 3x9@115, 1x12@135
Leg Press: 1x15@110, 2x15@120
RDLs: 1x6@95 (w/u) 3x6@185
Calf Raises: 2x20@285I'm scheduled to run tomorrow, but we'll see. I think some light cardio might loosen things up after they inevitably tighten up tonight.

Recovery from leg day was a bitch, like I thought it would be. Mastover was right when he said recovery time was going to be crucial.

This week was a lost week for a bunch of reasons that I don't want to go into here. But I finished the week at the same weight I started. On a cut, that's really what matters.

Recovery from leg day was a bitch, like I thought it would be. Mastover was right when he said recovery time was going to be crucial.

This week was a lost week for a bunch of reasons that I don't want to go into here. But I finished the week at the same weight I started. On a cut, that's really what matters.

Don't beat yourself up. If you didn't gain any weight - it wasn't a lost week! Hang in there!:tu:

Don't beat yourself up. If you didn't gain any weight - it wasn't a lost week! Hang in there!:tu:

Thanks IROC-Z! The only reason I'm down on myself at all is because consistency has been my biggest problem since I started this thing. Good weeks, followed by bad weeks, etc. But I'm going to keep plugging away.

Thanks IROC-Z! The only reason I'm down on myself at all is because consistency has been my biggest problem since I started this thing. Good weeks, followed by bad weeks, etc. But I'm going to keep plugging away.

Perserverence is one of the attributes that will carry you towards your goals. Bad weeks happen for numerous reasons and the key is to not let it snowball. Hopefully the upcoming week will be a better one for you. And, to second IROCt, if you had a "bad" week and didn't gain any weight that's a victory in my book.

Enjoy the weekend.

Perserverence is one of the attributes that will carry you towards your goals. Bad weeks happen for numerous reasons and the key is to not let it snowball. Hopefully the upcoming week will be a better one for you. And, to second IROCt, if you had a "bad" week and didn't gain any weight that's a victory in my book.

Enjoy the weekend.

Thanks Paul, you too!

Well another week not in the gym, and with a mixed diet. But the scale says the same at the end of the week than it did at the beginning.

My energy level has been shit basically for a few weeks. It's been taking everything I have just to make it through the day at work. Not sure what's going on, but I have a Dr. appt. for next Tuesday to see if anything medical is going on.

Today is going to be a rough one to get through. I was up working last night to 3am, and then up this morning at 5:45 to start the day. This is why I was focused on getting un-addicted to caffeine, but not so concerned about never using it again! Today is a coffee day!

I'm actually going to try to work out today. I'm on the road for the next 2 days and if I can't get in today, I'll be unable to workout Tuesday or Wednesday.

Keep the faith, Croz. You're gonna prove Edna wrong......Who is Edna?

Keep the faith, Croz. You're gonna prove Edna wrong......Who is Edna?

Thanks Mike. You've been a lifesaver.

Edna, keeping with my theme, is the superhero costume designer in "The Incredibles." When she first sees Mr. Incredible after years, the first thing she says is, "My god, you've gotten fat!"

Thanks Mike. You've been a lifesaver.

Edna, keeping with my theme, is the superhero costume designer in "The Incredibles." When she first sees Mr. Incredible after years, the first thing she says is, "My god, you've gotten fat!"

OK. Now I remember. That little lady that looked like Linda Hunt.

Well, this past week has been another challenge. My energy level just won't come back. No matter how much sleep I get, it's not enough. I get up, and within a couple of hours, I'm ready to go back to bed. I've always had to put up with interrupted sleep. Our special needs kids rarely sleep through the night, so I'm always up once or twice through the night. But it's been like that for 8 years now, so my inability to cope with it is certainly new.

My energy level, and motivation/initiative are near zero. I haven't been in the gym in weeks. On the plus side, my weight hasn't gone up at all.

I have a Dr. appointment tomorrow morning to find out if this is something new, or if I just need a tweak to some existing medications I take.

Did have some fun yesterday. Took my oldest son (17) to Wing House to watch the game. For those outside the Florida area, Wing House is a regional Hooters knock-off, right down to the waitress uniforms. Can't really beat gorgeous women bringing you delicious (but very unhealthy) food while you watch football on a big screen TV. What can I say, I'm a pig.

I'm going to try to hit the gym today, but we'll see what actually happens.

Had my Dr. appt. this morning. Went over everything with him. There are about 4 or 5 things it could be, so I'm going in to the lab for lots of tests tomorrow. I have an appointment in 2 weeks to go over the results.

I didn't make the gym yesterday, and my schedule's not going to allow it today. Work is kicking my ass right now in a big way.

Had my Dr. appt. this morning. Went over everything with him. There are about 4 or 5 things it could be, so I'm going in to the lab for lots of tests tomorrow. I have an appointment in 2 weeks to go over the results.

I didn't make the gym yesterday, and my schedule's not going to allow it today. Work is kicking my ass right now in a big way.

Hang in there Bud!:tu:

Thanks IROC. I appreciate it. Still muddling along.

Hi Croz! I hope that the tests reveal an answer and that whatever is sapping your energy can easily be addressed.

Hi Croz! I hope that the tests reveal an answer and that whatever is sapping your energy can easily be addressed.

Thanks, Paul. I do too. But I'm really going to try to focus on overcoming it the next few weeks. Having to wait 2 more weeks to get results, and then hopefully start a treatment is going to drive me nuts. Everything is falling apart a little. (that's an exaggeration of sorts). Fast food is easier than preparing healthy meals, etc. so my diet is getting bad. I fear that my ability to hold off weight gain is failing unless I get things back on track a bit, regardless of my energy level.

Thanks, Paul. I do too. But I'm really going to try to focus on overcoming it the next few weeks. Having to wait 2 more weeks to get results, and then hopefully start a treatment is going to drive me nuts. Everything is falling apart a little. (that's an exaggeration of sorts). Fast food is easier than preparing healthy meals, etc. so my diet is getting bad. I fear that my ability to hold off weight gain is failing unless I get things back on track a bit, regardless of my energy level.

As was recently discussed in another journal, keep your eye on the big picture. I know it helps me.

Being in the limbo stage and waiting for results can be unbearable. I empathize and hope that the results come sooner than expected.

As was recently discussed in another journal, keep your eye on the big picture. I know it helps me.

Being in the limbo stage and waiting for results can be unbearable. I empathize and hope that the results come sooner than expected.

Thanks Paul. I'm trying to stay focused on the longer term issues, and I've also started trying to take advantage of the 'down time.' Figured while I don't have the energy to be hitting the gym regularly, I might as well take care of some things that would end up keeping me out of the gym for a bit anyway. Today I had some suspicious moles biopsied, and tomorrow I'm going in for a consult on a minor outpatient procedure that will keep me out of the gym for a week.

Figured, if I'm going to be in the shop anyway, I might as well get the 100,000 mile maintenance done at the same time. :)

Well, I had the consult with the surgeon on that outpatient surgery I'm having next week. I'll actually be out of the gym (no lifting/no cardio) for three weeks.

In the grand scheme, that's not so bad. I haven't been to the gym in more than 4 weeks, but there's something about saying you absolutely cannot go, that makes it seem worse.

I'm really going to try to focus on diet. We stayed vegan about 2 days, unfortunately, until my wife decided she didn't have the discipline right now to do it. Veganism is almost impossible to do alone in a household, because you have to change so much. There are animal products in places you'd never expect them.

Diet has always been my failing, even when going to the gym regularly. Now I have no choice but to focus on that if I want to make any progress at all. Could work out for the best overall.

I'm still not in the gym, but I feel like I have to update from time to time. I've had all my blood work, lab work, etc, and have an appointment with my doc on Tuesday to go over the results. Then on Wednesday, I get the results on the biopsies the other doc took from my back. He wasn't worried, but did the biopsies just in case.

Today, I had that outpatient surgery I was scheduled for. I can't work out now for 3 weeks, but right now, I could care less.

I like Demerol. :lol::lol::lol:

My wife asked why I just don't go to sleep. I said, "are you crazy, this is the most relaxed I've been in 6 months. I'm not going to waste this sleeping!"

Of course, soon the local anasthetic will wear off, and I won't feel so mellow. :lol: Better enjoy it while I can.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!:tu:

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!:tu:

thanks, IROC-Z.

The surgical recovery has been slower than I expected. I think if they had told me that, I might not have had it done! I guess it's better that I didn't know.

Today I get the results on all that bloodwork. I'm not sure what is worse, him finding something wrong, or not finding anything in particular that can be treated.

The surgical recovery has been slower than I expected. I think if they had told me that, I might not have had it done! I guess it's better that I didn't know.

Today I get the results on all that bloodwork. I'm not sure what is worse, him finding something wrong, or not finding anything in particular that can be treated.
Want a real scare? My father skipped a biopsy back in '03... six months later they found Stage III skin cancer and he's dead four-plus years now because he didn't go have a biopsy done. Better you had it than not! Here's to hopin' that the results are good. :tucool:

I had my elbow worked on 2/6/08. I'm dying to go back to the gym as I watch my progress slowly melt away... I feel your sedentary pain!

We still have a lunch comin' next time you're in Winter Park, too.

-R

Want a real scare? My father skipped a biopsy back in '03... six months later they found Stage III skin cancer and he's dead four-plus years now because he didn't go have a biopsy done. Better you had it than not! Here's to hopin' that the results are good. :tucool:

I had my elbow worked on 2/6/08. I'm dying to go back to the gym as I watch my progress slowly melt away... I feel your sedentary pain!

We still have a lunch comin' next time you're in Winter Park, too.

-R

Roger, sorry to hear about your dad! And your elbow surgery.

I've had a lot of things done lately. Kind of getting caught up medically. I had a lot of blood work done to check on the fatigue and other symptoms I've been having, but also had the biopsies done, and a small outpatient surgery I've been putting off. Figured if I'm not going to the gym anyway, I might as well get the surgery done.

The biopsies went fine. I get the results tomorrow. The surgery has been taking a while, but I feel like I'm finally on the upswing.

I got the results of the other tests done. The good news is, everything is great. The bad news is, I still feel like crap. We successfully ruled out low T, thyroid, type II diabetes, and heart problems. My blood work was picture perfect.

Next step is a sleep study, since everything I'm experiencing can also be explained by sleep apnea.

And yes, we definitely have to find a time in Winter Park. My travel has been a bit up in the air lately.

Got the biopsy results on the two spots on my back. Apparently, they are some kind of "-oma" that can appear very similar to a melanoma. So they are 99.5% certain they are benign, but they have a .5% chance that they are cancerous. Plus, apparently there's a chance they can become melanomas over time.

So they're coming off in late March. Unfortunately, they only want to do 1 at a time, and I'll be kept from heavy lifting for 2 weeks on the 1 and 3 weeks on the other.

That means from my current surgery, I can start lifting again on 3/7. Then on 3/12 to 3/19 I go on the road for work. Then on 3/24 I have one growth removed and the other on 4/7.

I won't be able to regularly lift again until 4/28.

I'm trying to get them to consider doing them both on 4/7. My recovery would suck a little more, but would be much shorter, saving 2 weeks.

I'm really going to have to get focused on diet while I get the rest of these health issues straightened out.

Well, it's been a while since I posted. No real change in anything, except feeling a need to post to keep my journal alive! :lol:

I'm almost completely recovered from my surgery. I've been originally scheduled to start having those two lesions removed March 24, and the second on April 7th. But that will keep me out of the gym until April 28th, which might drive me insane!

I'm considering delaying the lesions until fall. Since they're both benign, I don't think this would be a problem. The doc gave me the option to watch them and only have them removed if they changed. He's just concerned they might become malignant at some point.

I know myself well enough to know that I have to keep reinforcing things. Working out helps me keep by diet sane, and keeping my diet sane helps me keep working out.

Since I've been unable to work out, I've had a hard time motivating myself on my diet. I'm afraid that if I'm sidelined for 5 more weeks, it's not going to get any better. My theory is that if I get back in the gym, focus like hell, and make some solid progress over the summer, that I'll be more motivated to hold on to it while laid up after the surgery.

I'm sure that by the time all of this is over you won't want to see a doctor for a long time.

Seriously, it's good that you're paying attention to what needs to be taken care of. Good luck with whatever your decision is concerning the lesions and I hope that the cause of your fatigue is determined real soon. Is the sleep study planned yet?

I can't do the sleep study until I see the pulmonologist first. I can't see him until the 31st of this month, then the sleep study will be scheduled for after that.

Until then, my doc changed one regular medication I take for something with a less sedating effect. He's also prescribed an ADD medication which was the standard treatment for sleep apnea before there was a machine to help people sleep. It helps stay focused at work, but doesn't do anything for the fatigue level.

And you're right, I'll be ready to avoid the doc for a while!

Good to hear from you Croz! I agree with you about workout and diet kind of going hand in hand. Whatever course of action you choose - I wish you the best! Take care man.:nod:

Good to hear from you Croz! I agree with you about workout and diet kind of going hand in hand. Whatever course of action you choose - I wish you the best! Take care man.:nod:

Thanks IROC-Z!

Good grief, not posting a thing for 3 weeks!

I'm still not back to the gym yet. I have an appointment with the pulmonologist on Monday to talk about the sleep apnea test.

I'm off work this week. Had some time I had to burn before the end of March. Just getting some things done around the house. Yesterday, I started the job of trimming the oaks in the back yard. We have 2 big oaks and 2 very small ones.

The back yard was horribly overgrown. I had already removed about 8 pickup beds worth overgrown shrubs, but trimming the oaks is something I've been putting off. They're huge, and the problem is that we had a ton of branches that hang very low to the ground, but start high in the tree. So I had to remove a ton of stuff to clear up the back yard. One of the small oaks had to come down completely. By the time I cut off the branches that were rubbing against the roof of the house, there was nothing left but a trunk.

I'm considering it a 'functional strength' workout. :lol: Up and down a 30 foot ladder, cutting logs, dragging branches, running the chainsaw, etc. I have pains in the strangest places today.

Fortunately, my wife found a crew down the street trimming some trees. They're coming by this afternoon and are going to chip and haul away all the debris for just $80 bucks. I guess when it's the bosses truck, and the cash will just go in you and your buddy's pockets, you can do it for beer money!

Had a couple small mishaps during the project. First time, I cut too much branch away at once. All that weight dropped from the tree at once, and the branch my ladder was against shifted by about 2 feet, almost dropping me from the ladder. Won't make that mistake again!

Another time, I thought a branch would drop one way, and it didn't. Caught it right in the face. Funny part is my 8 year old saw the scratches when he got home from school. He counted the scratches, went into the first aid, and got four band-aids. He then carefully unpackaged all four band-aids, and carefully placed them over the scratches to make me all better.

Unfortunately, I didn't take them off when I went back to work. Didn't want to hurt his feelings. Now I have four pale strips across my face and forehead where the rest of the skin is tan. :doh:

Anyone with kids will understand why you left the band-aids on.

Anyone with kids will understand why you left the band-aids on.

Agreed.....100%!!!!!!:)

Good to see you back here Croz - hope all is well!:tucool:

Thanks guys! All is going pretty well indeed. Feels good to be finally getting some of this stuff around the house done. We'll see what the doctor says Monday, and hopefully I'll be back in the gym soon.

I had my appointment with the pulmonologist on Monday and he thought things sounded borderline for sleep apnea, but scheduled a sleep study for Monday the 7th anyway.

Since then, I've done a little digging and decided to cancel the sleep study. Since sleep apnea can be a potentially serious or fatal condition if it's severe, a diagnosis can lead to much higher premiums for disability and life insurance, higher premiums that can't always be undone even if the apnea subsides later.

Fortunately, apnea is very correctable if it's not severe. The best solution is losing weight. 70% of apnea sufferers are obese on the BMI scales (including me), and losing even 10% of their weight can significantly improve the apnea.

My wife has told me that when I was thinner, I didn't have the problem like I do now.

The biggest challenge I have now is that I'm so tired from poor sleep that I can't get myself to the gym. I'm going to try some of the other things people have suggested, regular sleep and rise times, breath-right strips, side sleeping, etc. to see if I can get it better while I focus on getting some of weight off.

If it's still a problem when I'm thinner, then I'll go back to the doc.

Best wishes for better sleep, vigor, trimming down and firing up for the gym. :tu:

Hey, I'm going to be driving right by you on Saturday on my way down to Marco Island. I'll wave from the Sky. Please order us warm and sunny for the whole week of the 7th. :nod:

Best wishes for better sleep, vigor, trimming down and firing up for the gym. :tu:

Hey, I'm going to be driving right by you on Saturday on my way down to Marco Island. I'll wave from the Sky. Please order us warm and sunny for the whole week of the 7th. :nod:

I've put in the request. Not sure how much pull I have. If I had a lot of pull, I'd be 200lbs, 6% BF and have hair. :lol:

We're getting into the "daily afternoon shower" period of the year here, but not sure if that's going to affect you in Marco. It's really more of an interaction with the Gulf, Atlantic and the land. Not sure if Marco gets that being so close to the tip of the state.

Keep an eye out for a PM from me re: your Marco trip.

You now have an additional incentive to improve your fitness. I know it can be hard breaking out of the cycle, but even small steps in the right direction will get you closer to your goal. To the extent possible, make it a priority to get to bed at a decent hour (this is like the pot calliing the kettle black) and also finding some time during the week to start exercising again. IIRC, you once wrote that you company had a gym in the building that you could use. Things can't be any more convenient than that. I hope I'm remembering properly.

Good luck and don't be a stranger!

Fortunately, apnea is very correctable if it's not severe. The best solution is losing weight. 70% of apnea sufferers are obese on the BMI scales (including me), and losing even 10% of their weight can significantly improve the apnea.



My brother-in-law had sleep apnea, and after losing 40lbs. he said that the apnea has basically disappeared.

Have a good weekend!:tu: