Saturday, May 31, 2008

Astros Race for the Pennant 5k

Weight: 235.75 (238.6)
Percentage of Fat: 29.9%
Fat Mass Weight: 70.5 lbs

I said I wanted to be in the low to mid-230's before the Astros race. Barely squeaked in, but I made it. Next week I have a river trip planned and I also said I wanted to dip into the 220's before then, but it's unlikely to happen before next Friday. This week I lost 1.5 pounds. It is interesting and worth noting.... for the first time my body fat percentage went up 0.3%.


Meet Mark and Brian for their first 5k race. I was unable to find someone to watch Alison while I ran; therefore I ended up pushing her in the jogging stroller. Minutes before the start we lost Brain in the crowd. Mark and I placed ourselves at the back.... very back, even behind the walkers since I was "breaking the rules" with the stroller. As usual, the start crowd was difficult to navigate and we lost an unknown amount of time weaving through the walkers.

Mark and I talked the entire first mile, which says our pace was less than race-effort. Mark dropped back at the one-mile marker, but I quickly found Brian less than a 1/4 mile ahead of me. It was also at this time I realized something was wrong with my garmin. Some how, somewhere, my watch turned off.

Brain and I ran together for half a mile. It was nice to know he was safe and having fun. At 1.5 miles the course headed away from the shade of the downtown buildings and the heat was beaming down on the runners with vengeance. Even with my slow pace, I was picking people off by the dozens the entire time. Probably a result of me starting so far back... either way, it was good for my ego. I had a decent rhythm, but the two climbs out of the underpasses zapped most of my energy. Even slight elevation gains are a struggle with the stroller.

My heart wanted to pick the pace up for the last half-mile, but I was running at full capacity. I gave it all I had when we turned into the park. I don't know what my official time was, but the clock read 33:xx when I crossed. A man beside me said his watch read 31:08, but I don't know where he started either.

The race was a huge success, until I reached the finish line. Everyone wanted to wait near the end of the course for their friends & family, which resulted in the runners being stuck shoulder to shoulder like cattle, not moving, and without any water immediately available. My effort and body-heat had me extremely nauseated. The tight quarters made matters worse. It was not fun waiting 5-minutes to get through the shoot. The next challenge, which has no bearing on the race director, was hauling the stroller up the stairs. I did it, but it was not easy.

Took longer than expected to get my heart rate and temperature back to normal. After three bottles of water, Alison and I made a dash for the car to put the stroller away so we could line up for the "Junction Jack kids run". As soon as we could see the start line, they blew the horn for her race!

We started her race with a 150-yard sprint to the start line. From that point forward I did the best I could to keep up with her. My garmin was showing us running a high 8 min/mile pace, which I struggled to maintain. I'm so proud of Alison. She would run ahead of me solo until she couldn't see me any more, then she contra flowed back to me, then start the cycle again. Not once did she walk. What is even better... her pace seemed very consistent. Being her dad I'm able to gauge her effort level. This was truly a fun run for her, because "ole dad" couldn't keep up! She was patient enough to run with me when the camera guys were in sight. When I asked Alison to run beside me so they could take our picture together she told me, "Let me have your hand and I'll help you run faster". She is so funny and incredible! I'm not sure what her race distance was, but my guess would be a solid mile with the run to the start line and her back-and-fourth maneuvers.

Alison is excited right now as she's sporting her medal and race t-shirt. I was smiling ear to ear too, until I dropped her off at Erins. There were a few cars at Erin's house. Alison told me that today was Preston's birthday party. Obviously, I wasn't invited to my son's first birthday party and that cuts deep. I don't expect anyone else to understand, but it is moments like this I hurt the most. Erin told me a couple weeks ago she wanted separate parties, but I had hoped she would change her mine. I could go on and on about this issue, but it won't change anything. My great morning turned south fast and as I sit here 12-hours later, I still can't get it off my mind.

Breakfast: 468
Snack after race: 100 (2-bites of a lettuce wrap)
Lunch: FREE MEAL (red lobster)
Dinner: 630

The free-meal wasn't too awful, with one exception. Okay Coach, start waggin' your finger, because I had soda(s) at lunch. Wanted something sweet and I broke a big rule doing it (thou shall not drink calories!!!).
The meal consisted of:
Lobster/artichoke dip with chips
Small side salad with ranch dressing
Wild rice, ~4-oz grilled chicken, 6-grilled shrimps, and 2-cheddar biscuits
*I only ate 1/2 of my rice and chicken*

I've looked EVERYWHERE for the official race results, but I cannot find anything. Does anyone know where they are posted?

Friday, May 30, 2008

Meatless Fridays?

Weight: 236.25 (238.7)

Today is an off-day; no exercise. I've decided off-days will also be meatless. As I look over my dietary logs it is obvious that I am eating excessive amounts of protein. It would be a huge challenge for me to cut-out meat all together, but I'm sure I could live without it for a day... or maybe two. I decided this late today, so I guess it will start next week!?!?!

Breakfast: 190
Lunch: 740
Dinner: 828
Snack: 290

I always have something nagging in my body. ANOTHER small ache I have not mentioned before started out as a discomfort on the lateral dorsal aspect of my left foot. I don't see any bruising, nor does it hurt to touch, but it bothers me when it's in flextion-extension. In other words, it hurts on the top, outside of my left foot when I take a step. This "little issue" has quickly turned into a sharp pain over the last couple days.

Total calories: 2,048

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Back in the Saddle

Weight: 239.25 (239.7)

At work today.

Glad to be back under 240. A friend of mine is a nurse and I've been a paramedic for 14-years. All the medical knowledge locked in my head doesn't always help me with my own personal health issues. In a text-message I received yesterday, I got the answers to my "issues", which I discussed earlier this week. The text read:
Muscle Relaxer = Muscle Relaxer (all muscles...) which includes the stomach and intestines.... unfortunately.
Since I'm back at work I had to discontinue the flexeril. It will be interesting to see if everything returns to normal.

Breakfast: 430
Lunch: 1,065
Dinner: 600

Run: 2.57 miles. 30.01 (11:41 pace)
Walk: 0.46 miles. 7:35 (16:19 pace)
Recumbent bike: 18.1 miles. 1:10:00 (15.5 mph)
Upper-body workout

Pre-work (morning) run went pretty good. Lots of stretching before and after. Took a new route along the roads, due to lack of light. The upper-body workout seemed tougher than usual. The stationary bike was okay, but 70-minutes is a long time to pedal and go NO WHERE.

Getting hungry. Time for bed!

Total calories: 2,095

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

7-Day Average

Weight: 241.75 (239.7)

From this point forward I'm going to list my 7-day average weight, instead of the daily scale weight. It's easy to get frustrated when I see big shifts in my weight, so maybe this will help the "mental game".

Breakfast: 370
Lunch: 815
Snack: 315
Dinner: 580

Mountain Bike: 8.20 miles. 50:17 (9.8 mph)
Lower-body workout

Even though I feel like I am in tune with my body, I'm not sure how to read it right now. My back felt tight during yesterdays run and today's bike ride. No pain, just a tightness in my lower back. Slowed the pace on both days, which enabled me to finish. I wonder if it's too soon or is this normal recovery? Later in the evening I mowed the grass and had ZERO pain/discomfort.

I've been hungry nearly all day. Shifted my meals earlier than their "normal time" due to hunger, which has left me hungry right now. Unfortunately, there is a lot of day still left. I'm still mad about the weight gain, so there will not be any slips tonight's... you have my word!

Total calories: 2,080

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

A New Week

Weight: 244.25

I'm not sure what is going on with my body. My eating has not been ideal since my back went out, but... 9 freakin pounds!!! Not sure which medication is the culprit, but either the celebrex or the flexril has resulted in constipation. That might be a small amount of the weight, but it can't be the entire reason for a nine-pound weight gain in one week. That means I had to have eaten an additional 31,500 calories ABOVE my RMR. And for the record, that didn't happen. Whatever... what's done, is done. I'm moving on.

Breakfast: 327
Snack: 105
Lunch: 190
Dinner: 945
Snack: 408

Went for a "test" run this morning. A little voice in my head kept saying it's too early, but I had to do something about the weight gain. I did ten-minutes of stretching before and after the run. My back felt tight during the entire session, but it never stopped me from running. My shins were surprisingly tight. Otherwise it was a decent run. I slowed the pace down, which I think was a key component to the successful finish.

Unlike my usual self, I'm not going to try and make-up the runs-biking I missed. I'm going to start back on my schedule, where I am suppose to be.

Run: 2.1 miles. 25:01 (11:55 pace)
Walk: 0.75 miles. 13:14 (17:39 pace)
Mid-body workout

Should have delayed the workout. The session went okay, but my back is a little tighter now.

Total calories: 1,975

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Week from Hell

Weight: 237.25
Percentage of Fat: 29.6%
Fat Mass Weight: 70.5 lbs

I gained a pound this week. Its hard to accept this, knowing I worked so hard. Although, one could see that my body fat percentage and fat mass weight decreased as a move in the right direction.

The bigger issue is my back. It's officially "out". I stopped being mobile shortly after yesterdays blog post. It's hard to walk around, much less exercise. The only reason I am sitting here right now is cause I'm doped up on muscle relaxers and strong anti-imflamatories.

A friend helped me to the Minor Emergency Care this morning. I got a shot in my ass and a couple medications, as stated above. It still hurts like hell, but at least I'm able to move around my house.

Obviously, no exercising this weekend. This is my weekend to have my kids, so I'm missing that as well and that upsets me. To make matters worse, Erin doesn't believe me and she is mad at me. I'm going to try to read all weekend and get my mind off the pain/kids/exercise and do a re-evaluation on Monday.

I made it to the garage for my weekly weigh-in, but don't expect much blogging for a couple days. Sitting in this chair is not back-spasm friendly.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Wrong Way!

Weight: 239.25
RMR: -2,728

I did it again. URRG. Deficit mode week has been a complete disaster. Lesson learned. Yesterday I was hungry all day with legitimate hunger pangs. No activity on deficit day only allows me to consume ~1,700 calories. As I sit here analyzing the day, it is easy to see all the mistakes made. First, my water intake this entire week has been crappy. That's the first thing I need to address. The second thing is, I'm allowing myself to get too hungry, which leads to poor eating decisions and binges. Yesterday I made it till 9pm, then the switch was flipped and I simply went stupid. I have no idea the amount of calories, nor do I care to try and count them at this point. I guess the scale says it all. Looks like I will have my first weekly weigh-in GAIN. I hope I am able to learn from this.

I was sick as a dog afterwards. Felt so bad I wanted to puke... not "purge" puke, rather, "I'm not able to stop the nausea" type sickness. I never lost it, although I wish I had to get that crap out of my body. Its hard for me to talk about these moments, because it is so embarrassing. I want it out there and hopefully the comments won't be too critical. I'll try to get back on the wagon and learn. I need to continue exploring what was so different this week and why it sent me spiralling out of control. Deficit week is officially over. I'm going back to what was working over the prior weeks.

Breakfast: 270
Snack: 150
Late lunch: 945
Dinner: 720
Snack: 510

Bike: 11.45 miles. 1:06:07 (10.39 mph)
Lower-body workout
Upper-body workout
Run: 2.68 miles in 30: 01 (11:12 pace)
Walk: 0.63 miles in 10:30 (16:40 pace)

My legs are still sore. They don't want to move... maybe they need more than one-day off. It was hard to stay motivated on the bike, but I got it done. The run went okay, but I as I sit here something is wrong, very wrong. During the first 100 yards of my run my back starting spasming, yet I elected to keep running. About a mile into the session, my back was no longer an issue and I was proud of myself for pushing through the pain. Unfortunately, I'm in horrible pain right now....

Total calories: 2,325

Thursday, May 22, 2008

No News...

Weight: 237.25
RMR: -2,716

Breakfast: +390
Lunch: +870
Dinner: +510
Snack: +100

What the hell is the deal with my weight? I'm 1.25 pounds heavier than I was Saturday morning. The week started so promising and now its slipping away.

Today is a scheduled off day, which is no exercise.

Total deficit: -846

Slip and Fall

Weight: 237.25
RMR: -2,716

Breakfast:+160
Lunch: +532
Dinner: +1,345
Snack: +150

Bike: 20.08 miles. 1:11:10 (16.93 mph) -1,467

Can that be the correct amount of calories burned on a 20 mile bike ride? I checked it on a couple different sites and it appears to be correct. Wow, I really need to road bike more often. Steve and I had a good ride. Nice effort, good weather, and a respectable pace to boot.

Since Saturday, I have done nearly 9 hours of exercise and I can feel it. My hunger has returned with an endless emptiness in my stomach and I'm tired.

Confession:
Yesterday at work, all was well till the very end... I was in bed before 10pm, but I woke up when one of the other trucks got a call a few minutes before midnight. I couldn't fall back sleep. Unfortunately, I found myself awake and starving. Long story, short... I ate. It's embarrassing I don't demonstrate more self-discipline than I do. I suppose it's a learned behavior and I still need to "un-learn" these unfavorable traits. A rough estimate is about 1,000 extra calories on the mini-binge. I look for small feats and one would be, I didn't drink any calories.

Had a great day with my kids. I've spent a lot of time teaching Alison to ride her bike and today it finally paid off. She took three solo rides. She's been capable of riding on her own, but she needed a push to get started. She also gets scared when turning. Today she took off three times without my help and she executed numerous 180 degree turns in the road. She's officially a bike rider. I could not be more proud of her if I tried!

Total deficit today: -1,996.
I know this doesn't seem right, but its what the calculator said!



Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Good Food

Weight: 235.5
RMR: -2,705


At work today.

Pre-run snack: +200

Breakfast: +468
Lunch: +1150

Snack: +150
Dinner: +930

Run: 2.19 miles. 25:05 (11:27 pace) -404
Walk: 0.64 mile. 10.39 (16:38 pace) -74
Walk #2: 2.65 miles. 41:48 -335
Mid-body workout: -80

I must be getting old. My bones and muscles ache during the first mile of a morning run. Its nice to be done early, but its rough waking up and getting the first mile under my belt.


Update on my back: It still aches in the morning and just before bed. Ibuprofen seems to do the trick, but I'm concerned about the nagging issue. I'm very in tune with my back and I sense it is about to do something I do not like...

Total deficit for the day: -700

Didn't hit a big deficit number today. Several causes for this:
1. Pre-run fig newtons (200 calories)
2. Small snack size granola bar, which I ate for no reason at all (150 calories)
3. Cooked 2-cups of wheat pasta with my lunch which came in at a whopping 630 calories.

Both meals I cooked were different from my usual and VERY delicious, but as you can see... they tipped the scale on the high end.

I don't have the energy to do anything else tonight in order to get the deficit right. Plus I've already showered and I'm ready for bed. I'm done for the day.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Good Start

Weight: 236.0
RMR: -2,707

This is a GREAT start to "deficit week". Usually, my weight doesn't balance-out till Tuesday morning, leaving me only 4-days to lose. I'm hoping I can pull down a big number this week.

Breakfast: +200
Lunch: +905
Snack: +260
Dinner: +1000

Bike: 1:03:00 minutes. ~10.7 miles. -674
Upper-body workout: -80
Walk: 2.83 miles. 44:11 (15:37 pace) -366

Ran out of "gas" on the bike ride. Workout also seemed a little tougher than usual. Easy walk in the evening... in an attempt to put a few more calories in the bank.

Total deficit: -1,462

Made my way down to Finish Strong Sports for a new pair of shoes. Raymond made me a sweet deal on a pair of Asics gel-nimbus 9. This is a higher end shoe than I normally wear, but as I said, the deal was too good to pass up.

This is a larger deficit than I planned and I"m considering a small snack.... it's almost 9pm, so I'm not sure if I will eat again or not.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Mindless Numbers

Weight: 239.25
RMR: -2,728

As much as I look forward to my "free-meal", I always hate seeing 2-days worth of weight gain. I'd like to do away with the free-meal, but I truly think it is what keeps me motivated when I want to binge. I tell myself it's only "X-number days" tills I can eat whatever I want. It has worked in the past and it's working now, so I won't be changing anything for awhile.

Afraid I might be getting sick.. my throat has been sore since last night...

Breakfast: +500
Lunch: +820
Snack: +600
Dinner: +680
Feels like I have been eating all day. My usual diet plan restricts me to a maximum of 2,100 calories, but as you can see, I consumed 2,600 calories and I still have a significant deficit. There again, I did nearly 2-hours of exercise....

Bike: 9.58 miles. 50.38 (11.44 mph) -579
Walk: 0.64 mile. 10:05 (15:45 pace)
Run: 2.68 miles. 30:01 (11:12 pace) -579
Lulu and I tried to wait out the heat. At 7:45pm we left the house and it was still 84 degrees. The heat didn't seem to matter... it would appear the planets have aligned or something, because this was another really good run. I'm loving this!

Lower-body workout: -81
3 x 15 sitting toe lift
3 x 10 squat to bench 20#
3 x 10 forward leg raise
3 x 10 leg extension 40#
3 x 10 hamstring curl 35#
3 x 15 standing tow raise 30#
3 x 10 side leg lift
3 x 10 inner leg lift
3 x 20 sec. Knee stability balance
3 x 12 toe-in stretch
3 x 12 toe-out stretch

Isn't it odd that both the bike and the run came out to the EXACT same amount of calories burned? I couldn't do that again, if I tried.

Total deficit for the day: -1,367

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Streamline Format

Weight: 236.5
Percentage of Fat: 30.3%
Fat Mass Weight: 71.5 lbs

Whooo-hooo, another 3.5 pounds GONE. I've lost nearly 27 lbs in 7-weeks. Not too shabby.

This week I plan to hit the floor running in "Deficit Mode". The magic number is going to be, -800 to -1000 per day.

At work today.

Breakfast: 702
Lunch: Free-meal. Taqueria Arandas. Chips/salsa, grilled chicken, flour tortillas, rice, lettuce/tomato/avocado
Dinner: 930
Total calories for the day: 1632, not counting the free-meal.

Didn't enjoy the free-meal as much as I usually do. I was craving something other than what I ate, so maybe that has a little to do with it. On a positive note, I drank tons of water today.

Walk: 1.0 mile. 15:14 (15:14 pace)
Run: 1.37 miles. 16:03 (11:43 pace)

Another great run. Houston athletes have been lucky with the late season cool-fronts and I for one, appreciate them.

Mid-body workout:
3 x 17 crunches
3 x 10 side bends 25#
3 x 10 dumbbell press 40#
3 x 10 dumbbell flyes 15#
3 x 10 incline press 30#
3 x 10 dumbbell roll 25#
3 x 10 upright rowing 15#
3 x 10 dead lift 25#

Friday, May 16, 2008

Running Naked

Weight: 238.0

Unusual to lose weight the day after an "off-day". Hopefully, that means I'll lose a little more before tomorrows weigh-in!?!?!?

Breakfast: 200

Mountain biked on the greenbelts. Bike computer was acting screwy, so the mileage is not correct, but the timer seemed to be functioning properly. Computer shows I covered 8.82 miles in 1:00:43 (8.88 mph). I had a quick pace, I assume something around 10.5 mph.

The weather has been really nice this week.

Upper-body workout:
3 x 10 wrist curl 35#
3 x 10 reverse wrist curl 10#
3 x 10 alternate bicep curl 20#
3 x 10 seated bicep curl - bar 25#
x 10 lying triceps curl 25#
3 x 10 standing triceps curl - bar 25#
x 10 dumbbell press 20#
3 x 10 prone deltoid press 8#

Today's run was P.E.R.F.E.C.T. No pains, no aches, my legs felt good, and my back was trouble-free. Felt so good I didn't want to stop. Ran 2.36 miles in 26:02 (11:02 pace). Walked 0.46 miles in 7:19 (15:54 pace). Didn't run with Lulu and I wasn't pushing the kids in the stroller, so I kind of felt... naked. I enjoy the company of my kids and/or the dog, but it was nice to run.... just me and my ipod.

Lunch: 1,080
Dinner: 860
Snack: 150

Total calories for the day: 2,290. Dammit, I went over my calories again... that is 3 times this week! This is the result of not preparing my meals ahead of time. I'll go walking to make up for the overage.

Walked 2.01 miles in 33:15 (16:33 pace)

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Sub-240!

Weight: 239.0

I'm glad to see that number. With the exception of my back issues, I feel good. Can't wait to lose ever more weight!

My training log shows that I weighed the exact same weight this time last year. In May 2007 I was trying to start running after my knee surgery, but my weight was starting a small upward climb. Interesting....

Off day. No exercise, yet I did some yard work that had me sweating.

Breakfast:
2-slices wheat bread, 1-slice turkey, jalapeno chips, and 1-cup skim milk (503). Odd choice of food for breakfast. I love turkey sandwiches and I didn't want to cook, so there you have it.

Lunch: 1,110

Dinner:
Salad (390)

I'm tired of listing everything I eat. For awhile I'm only going to enter the calories. I'm not trying to hide any food, it just takes a lot of time for me to blog all this crap. When I eat something extremely good or I make unwise choices, I'll write about it. I don't see the need to read about the same-ole-same turkey sandwiches over and over. You know what I mean?

Total calories for the day: 2,003

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Morning Run

Weight: 240.5

Often I SAY I'll wake up early and run, but seldom does it ever happen. Last night I went to bed early enough to get the required sleep in order to drag my ass out of bed. I'm stoked that I ran, but the run was no good. The first 100 yards of the run was pure torture. Sharp pains in my right knee and my back wanted nothing to do with the run. I adjusted my pace to a crawl and toughed my way through it. After ten-minutes I settled into a rhythm, but every time I picked up my pace the "pain" resurfaced. In the end, I got it done... nothing fancy, just done! Oh yeah, forgot to mention... it was waaay humid too. I weighed myself after the run and the scale read 239.25. I know it was from all the sweat, but it was still nice to see 230-something. Now that I'm done, I feel really good.

Walked 0.92 miles in 15:02 (16:20 pace). Ran 1.64 miles in 20:01 (12:12 pace).

At work today.

Breakfast:
Omelet; 3-eggs, 1-slice cheddar cheese, 4-oz ground turkey, and jalapenos (435)

Lunch:
2-slices wheat bread, turkey, 1-tbsp light mayo, 1/2 small avocado, jalapeno chips, and 2-California rolls left over from last night (690)

Dinner:
1-cup brown rice, 1-can black beans, 1-can rotel, and 6-oz extra lean ground beef (1,039)

Uneventful lower body workout:
3 x 15 sitting toe lift
3 x 10 squat to bench 20#
3 x 10 forward leg raise
3 x 10 leg extension 40#
3 x 10 hamstring curl 35#
3 x 15 standing tow raise 30#
3 x 10 side leg lift
3 x 10 inner leg lift
3 x 12 toe-in stretch
3 x 12 toe-out stretch

Went over my total calories for the day.... again. Consumed 2,164

Did an additional walk to make-up for the minor calorie overage. Covered 1.94 miles in 31:38 (16:20 pace)

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Rough Day

Weight: 241.75

Looks like I'm on another plateau

Breakfast:
Fig newton and 1-cup skim milk (280)

Steve and I rode our road bikes on the East side of Lake Houston. Covered 16.72 miles in 1:00:07. Average pace 16.75 mph. We pushed ourselves to pure exhaustion on this ride. The out-and-back course was windy on the way out, with a 12 mph average.
Initially I was concerned about my back, but I figured I'd keep on riding and if it "goes out" then I'll deal with it at that time. My back was sore, but no big issues to speak of. I'm sure the celebrex is kicking in.

Lunch:
4-oz pan fried chicken breast, corn on the cob, green beans,and a roll (980)

Mid-day was hard. Erin a I were at wits end with each other. It's not worth revisiting, but she has completely stopped being nice or even trying. We're at a point now that she is going out of her way to be mean. Okay... enough said

Upper and lower body workout. Increased a few weights as seen in red:
3 x 17 crunches
3 x 10 side bends 25#
3 x 10 dumbbell press 40#
3 x 10 dumbbell flyes 15#
3 x 10 incline press 30#
3 x 10 dumbbell roll 25#
3 x 10 upright rowing 15#
3 x 10 dead lift 25#

3 x 10 wrist curl 35#
3 x 10 reverse wrist curl 10#
3 x 10 alternate bicep curl 20#
3 x 10 seated bicep curl - bar 25#
x 10 lying triceps curl 25#
3 x 10 standing triceps curl - bar 25#
x 10 dumbbell press 20#
3 x 10 prone deltoid press 8#

Picked up Alison from school and we had an early dinner:
2-veggie burgers, no mayo (680)

Went grocery shopping today. Bought tons of healthy stuff with one exception... I bought a large bag of Jalapeno chips. I've been re-portioning the food when I get home and I was able to re-proportion the bag of chips into 8-smaller bags. I enjoy these chips with my turkey sandwiches, so I don't view it as a deal-breaker.

One other item I impulsively bought today was spicy inside out California rolls. I had enough calories left for three, but I ended up eating six (300).

Total calories for the day (2,240)

Monday, May 12, 2008

Back Pain

Weight: 241.25

My back is hurting so bad. I found some old celebrex and I HOPE this will get me back to normal.

If you don't have back issues, thank you lucky starts... because it sucks!!

Busy, busy day. I had a new realtor over to see the house, so I had a lot of yard work to do before her arrival. The house should be back on the market this week.

Breakfast:
Sweet & Salty granola bar (160)

Lunch:
Turkey sandwich on sour dough bread and jalapeno chips (725)

Dropped my truck off at 10am to get the brakes done. The job was suppose to take about an hour, but when I arrived at 1 pm (3-hours later) they said it wouldn't be ready for another couple hours. I didn't have another ride to the business, so I had to wait. Finally got my truck back at 5 pm.


Mountain bike ride to East End Park. A friend and I started at Town Center, biked to the park and then returned to the truck. Biked 9.89 miles in 55:15. The ride was 5-minutes short, which I realized when I was entering the data into my training log.

Skipped my workout. I'll double-up tomorrow.

Early Dinner:
Jason's Deli: Turkey Slimwich, steamed broccoli, and 2-small ice cream cones (636)


Late night meal:
Lean cuisine turkey dinner and 2-fig newtons (440)


Total calories for the day: 1,961. First time in awhile that I have been under 2,000

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Easy 20-minutes

Weight: 242.0

Right on schedule, there's the "free-meal" weight gain.

At work today.

Breakfast:
3-eggs, 3-oz ground turkey, jalapenos, and 1-slice cheddar cheese (425) I'm getting better at making these omelets.

Lunch:
Turkey sandwich on sour dough bread and jalapeno chips (725)

Dinner:
1-cup brown rice, 1-can pinto beans, 1-can rotel, 6-oz ground turkey (950)

Easy lower body workout:
3 x 15 sitting toe lift
3 x 10 squat to bench 20#
3 x 10 forward leg raise
3 x 10 leg extension 40#
3 x 10 hamstring curl 35#
3 x 15 standing tow raise 30#
3 x 10 side leg lift
3 x 10 inner leg lift
3 x 12 toe-in stretch
3 x 12 toe-out stretch

Walked 0.64 miles in 10:13 (~15:55 pace). Ran 1.84 miles in 10:03 (10:55 pace). The run itself felt great, but I keep getting those damn side stitches. I could have gone a lot further, but this is a recovery week. I stayed true to the schedule and only ran 20 minutes-walk 10 minutes.

Total calories for the day: 2,100. Odd to have 2-days in the same week with EXACTLY 2,100 calories.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Back Pain

Weight: 240.0
Percentage of Fat: 30.8%
Fat Mass Weight: 74.0 lbs

The last minute push helped, but it wasn't quite enough. I'm still a quarter-pound short of seeing something in the 230's. And with my free-meal, it's unlikely I will see the next milestone for a few days.

I'm still extremely excited about my progress. I've lost 23.25 pounds in 6-weeks, which equates to 0.55 lbs/day.

I'm not setting any goals or expectations for this week. I'll continue doing what I have been, which is to consume less than 2,100 calories per day. Next week, I want to go at it hard. I'm CONSIDERING what I've done in the past. If I decide to do it, I'll monitor my total daily deficit. My usual goal is a deficit between -500 to -1000.

I'm a nerd for useless numbers, but it's what keeps me motivated. Below is the weekly averages for the last 6-weeks:
263.25
256.75
254.25
249.75
249.0
243.50
240.0

Breakfast:
Fig Newton bar (200)

For the last few days my back has been bothering me. It's worse in the morning. I've been popping ibuprofen and stretching to keep it from getting any worst. May sound hard to believe, but it always feels better after my run, which is opposite from my past experiences with back pain and running.

Pushed the kids in the stroller. We walked 1.0 mile in 16:01 (16:01 pace). Ran 1.33 miles in 14:04 (10:35 pace). Decent run... nothing much to report.

Mid-body workout felt really good.
3 x 16 crunches
3 x 10 side bends 25#
3 x 10 dumbbell press 35#
3 x 10 dumbbell flyes 15#
3 x 10 incline press 25#
3 x 10 dumbbell roll 20#
3 x 10 upright rowing 15#
3 x 10 dead lift 25#

"Free-meal" at Tauqeria Arandas. 1/3 basket of chips and salsa. Chicken/shrimp fajitas, flour tortillas, 1.5-cups Spanish rice, lettuce, and tomato.

Dinner; pizza pockets. I'm not actively buying this stuff, it's just junk still lingering around the frig and pantry. Before anyone comments, I'm to frugal to throw it out!

Total calories for the day, 1,400... minus the free-meal.

Friday, May 09, 2008

Side Stitches

Weight: 242.5

Safe to say sub-240 before tomorrow morning is officially out of reach. No problem... I'm sure I'll see sub-240 next week.

Extremely busy this morning and didn't make time to eat breakfast.

Lunch at Pei Wei. Lettuce wraps and spring roll (680)

Biked on the greenbelts. Covered 10.21 miles in 55:25 (average 11.08 mph). Great pace, considering how hot it was mid-day.

Summer is back!

Lower-body workout:
3 x 15 sitting toe lift
3 x 10 squat to bench 20#
3 x 10 forward leg raise
3 x 10 leg extension 40#
3 x 10 hamstring curl 35#
3 x 15 standing tow raise 30#
3 x 10 side leg lift
3 x 10 inner leg lift
3 x 20 sec. Knee stability balance
3 x 12 toe-in stretch
3 x 12 toe-out stretch

Upper-body workout:
3 x 10 wrist curl 35#
3 x 10 reverse wrist curl 10#
3 x 10 alternate bicep curl 20#
3 x 10 seated bicep curl - bar 20#
3 x 10 lying triceps curl 25#
3 x 10 standing triceps curl - bar 20#
3 x 10 dumbbell press 20#
3 x 10 prone deltoid press 8#

Me and the kids had dinner at Wendy's. Alison begged and begged and she's been really good, so I saw no problem with it. I had a ton of calories "in the bank", so I was able to eat with her. Small grilled chicken sandwich, medium french fries, chicken nuggets, and a diet coke (740)

Supper:
Chili (680)

Walked 0.63 miles in 10:01 (15:54 pace). Ran 2.67 miles in 30:02 (11:15 pace). I did this session while pushing both kids in the stroller. For the first time I had to take a walk break. The heat and side stitches got the best of me from the beginning. I never stopped moving, simply had to adjust my game plan. Original plan was to walk 5-minutes, run 30 minutes, walk 5 minutes. What I actually completed was walk 5-minutes, run 20 minutes, walk 5 minutes, run 10 minutes. I'm okay with this. I assume I got the side stitches because I ran 30 minutes after eating.. and like I said, it was PLENTY hot.

Total calories for the day: 2,100

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Late Week Hunger

Weight: 242.5

Only 4-hours sleep last night. Needless to say I'm exhausted.

At work today. It's an "off-day"

Breakfast:
3-flour tortillas, 3-eggs, and 2-small potato's (702)
I've noticed a pattern of increased hunger on Thursday's & Friday's. It feels as if my Saturday free-meal gets me through Wednesday, then I'm hungry until my next "free-meal"?!?! Dunno what it is...

Lunch:
Medium smoked turkey sandwich and jalapeno chips (725)

Dinner:
1-can field peas, 1-cup brown rice, 1-can rotel (630)
When packing food for the day I thought I grabbed a can of beans. As I started cooking dinner, I realized it was actually a can of field peas. I enjoy field peas, but the combination was a little odd.

Total calories for the day: 2,057

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Pictures

Weight: 243.5

My weight is back to where I started this week at. Gonna be tough to go sub-240, but it is possible.

Breakfast:
Omelet: 3-eggs, 1-slice cheddar cheese, 1-slice turkey, and jalapenos (330)

Mountain biked 9.70 miles in 55:28. Average pace 10.52 mph and average heart rate was 133 bpm. Lulu joined me for the final 1.25 miles. She loves our bike ride-run. This morning when I pulled the bike out of the garage, she was so excited she nearly knocked the fence down. She is also getting very strong. Today we averaged 11-mph and I was working hard to keep up with HER!

Wyatt called and invited me to Jason's Deli for lunch. I had the Chiabatta Bing sandwich with fresh fruit and an ice cream cone (900)

Dinner:
Smoked turkey sandwich on sour dough bread and jalapeno chips (725)

Total calories for the day: 1,955.

Took the kids for photos today.... as you can see.






Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Total Body Workout

Weight: 245.0

Breakfast:
Egg omelet; 4-eggs, 1-slice of mozzarella cheese, 1-slice cheddar cheese, and 1-slice turkey (455)
This was an "experiment". As I was getting the ingredients together, 2-3 eggs didn't seem like enough, but later I learned four was way too much. I needed to add some veggies, but I didn't have any than sounded good with eggs. Also, two different cheeses was not a good taste. I'll try again in the morning and see if I can improve on the taste and reduce the calories.

Snack:
Sweet and salty granola bar x 2 (320)

Walked 0.32 miles in 5:01 (15:41 pace) Ran 2.49 miles, while pushing Alison in the stroller. Took us 28:01 minutes to cover the distance (11:15 pace). The residual rain made for a humid out and back route on the greenbelts. Looked at my watch for the first time at the turn around. I felt like I was moving at a good pace, but the watch told another story. At the halfway point my average pace was 11:35. On the trip home I picked it up and dropped the overall pace down to 11:15, which means I must of been running 11:00 pace.

My back is aching, so I've been taking lots of ibuprofen.

Late lunch - early supper:
1-can pinto beans, 1-cup brown rice, 8-oz ground turkey, 1-can rotel (955)
This might become a stable... I really like this meal!

I've missed the last two days of weight training. In an attempt to catch up, I did all three body regions:

Upper-body workout:
3 x 10 wrist curl 35#
3 x 10 reverse wrist curl 10#
3 x 10 alternate bicep curl 20#
3 x 10 seated bicep curl - bar 20#
3 x 10 lying triceps curl 25#
3 x 10 standing triceps curl - bar 20#
3 x 10 dumbbell press 20#
3 x 10 prone deltoid press 8#

Mid-body workout:
3 x 15 crunches
3 x 10 side bends 25#
3 x 10 dumbbell press 35#
3 x 10 dumbbell flyes 12#
3 x 10 incline press 25#
3 x 10 dumbbell roll 20#
3 x 10 upright rowing 15#
3 x 10 dead lift 25#

Lower-body workout:
3 x 15 sitting toe lift
3 x 10 squat to bench 20#
3 x 10 forward leg raise
3 x 10 leg extension 40#
3 x 10 hamstring curl 35#
3 x 15 standing tow raise 30#
3 x 10 side leg lift
3 x 10 inner leg lift
3 x 20 sec. Knee stability balance
3 x 12 toe-in stretch
3 x 12 toe-out stretch

I was fatigued in the weight room. Still toughed my way threw the session.

Lynn called late afternoon and wanted to exercise. We walked 4.17 miles in 1:09:38 (16:42 pace)

Snack:
Smoothie: 1-cup pineapple sherbet, 3/4-cup grapes, ice and water (335)

Total calories for the day: 2,065

Monday, May 05, 2008

Big Breast

Weight: 246.5

There's the weight gain I was expecting. Looks doubtful I will go sub-240 this week.

It was brought to my attention (even though I already know it) that it was an idiotic decision to consume all those liquid calories. Looking at this mornings weight makes me extremely regretful. I'll try to learn for this and move on.

At work today

Breakfast:
2-flour tortillas, 2-eggs, 1-small potato (468)

Lunch:
6.5-oz broccoli, 13-oz chicken breast, 11-oz corn (676) This might have been the biggest chicken breast I have ever seen. Whoa, that was a lot of protein!!!

I endured 55-minutes on the stationary bike. Level 4, 13.9 miles, and averaged 15.2 mph.

Walked 0.26 miles in 4:01 (15:42 pace). Ran 2.38 miles in 26:01 (10:56 pace). The entire run was in the rain.

As I approach the 3-mile mark, running is getting a litter harder. Also had my first sign of pain. During the first quarter-mile, I had a sharp pain in my right knee. Luckily, it went away and never bothered me again. Need to start stretching as a proactive measure for these nagging little pains that are sure to show up if I don't address them now.

Dinner:
1-cup brown rice, 15-oz black beans, 10-oz can of rotel, and 8-oz ground turkey (900)

Rick mentioned he eats a lot of black beans and brown rice, which is why I threw this meal together. I was shocked how much food it was, how few calories, AND how good it tasted. I really, really enjoyed this meal... although it looked "interesting" in the skillet. One of the guys at work asked, "Who threw up in this skillet and plans on eating it?".

Total calories for the day, 2,044.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

No Wammy, No Whammies

Weight: 245.0

Not too sure why I gained 1.5 lbs. Oh well.

Breakfast:
Fig newton (200)

I was out all day, so my meals were all on the go.

Lunch:
Grilled chicken sandwich and medium french fries (870)

Watched the Astros play the Brewers. What a game! Beautiful weather to have the roof open. Better than the weather was the 9th ending rally to tie it up and Pences' homer to win it all in extra endings!!! As much as I wanted to, I refrained from food... which was very, very hard. Instead of eating I had two, 20-oz bottles of water. At 4-bucks a bottle, it has a way of taking your mind of gas prices!!!

After the game we went to Chili's restaurant. I had the GUILTLESS CHICKEN PLATTER: Grilled chicken breast with rice, sweet corn on the cob and steamed seasonal veggies w/Parmesan cheese (580)

I hung out with a friend for awhile and was still very hungry after eating dinner. My hunger got the best of me on the drive home.

Overall, I'm happy right now, so it wasn't my usual pity-party eating, but rather, I was just fuckin' hungry. I'll admit, I went off the deep end, but whatever... I'm not going to worry too much about it. I enjoyed the meal and its all behind me.

Late night meal:
Double meat cheese burger, large french fries, and a large sweet tea (2,040). Holy shit! I had no idea the meal would be this high in calories. The sweet tea was nearly as much as a single burger. Damn, damn, damn.

If thats not bad enough, I ran out of time for my run. I'll do like I've been doing and double up tomorrow. Urg... "Get it together, Bill !!"


Total calories for the day; 3,690. This sucks and the scale will certainly show it for the next couple days.

Damn.


Saturday, May 03, 2008

Almost 20

Weight: 243.50
Percentage of Fat: 31.2%
Fat Mass Weight: 76.0 lbs

Lost 5.5 lbs this week. The 20-pound loss mark is just 0.25 pounds away. This week I want to see if I can get under 240. If I succeed I'll take it easy the week after that and just let my body dictate what it wants to do.

Breakfast: Banana (105)

While looking over my eating habits and workouts, I always see "stuff" I could do better, but I have to admit... it is going pretty easy right now and it feels maintainable. I'll stick with what I'm doing right now, unless I meet an unbreakable plateau.

Calories in, calories out.... it's not rocket science.

Side note: My first race of 2008 will be the Astros 5k and I hope to be in the low-mid 230's.

Lulu and I walked 1.17 miles in 18:26 (15:26 pace). We ran 1.10 miles in 12:00 (10:55 pace). It was mid-day and hot, but the weather didn't bother me on the run.

Lunch:
2-small chicken sandwiches (640)

Mid-body workout:
3 x 15 crunches
3 x 10 side bends 25#
3 x 10 dumbbell press 35#
3 x 10 dumbbell flyes 12#
3 x 10 incline press 25#
3 x 10 dumbbell roll 20#
3 x 10 upright rowing 15#
3 x 10 dead lift 25#

Free-meal:
Chicken fajitas for one; 3-flour tortillas, ~6-oz chicken fajitas, 1-cup Spanish rice, 1/2 basket chips, 1/4-cup queso, 1/3 avocado, salsa, and an unsweet tea. I didn't over do the extra meal, even though it looks like I did by reading this. Didn't eat much queso, but I still listed it.

I slipped a little bit after dinner. My free-meal is a single meal where I allow myself to have whatever I want, during that ONE meal. I still have the rest the daily calories to consume, which "allows" the other meals to be larger. Anyways.... I went to the movies and I wasn't hungry, but a large soda was calling out to me. I justified the soda in my head, because I still had plenty of calories. I've insisted that I would stop drinking my calories, yet still ended up sitting down with a large soda despite knowing it was a dumb idea.

Supper:
Soda (375)??

Total calories for the day: 1,120... plus the free-meal

Friday, May 02, 2008

Big-Ass Meal

Weight: 244.5

At work today.

Breakfast:
2-flour tortillas, 2-eggs, and 1-small potato (468)

Lunch
1.5-cup wheat tortellini, 1-can cream of mushroom-lite, 10-ounces extra lean ground beef, and 2-cups broccoli (1279). This was a HUGE meal and I ate every bit of it. It was a ton of calories, but it tasted ohhhh-sooooo good.

Stationary bike 50-minutes. Level 4. Average speed, 15.5 mph.

Lower-body workout:
3 x 15 sitting toe lift
3 x 10 squat to bench 20#
3 x 10 forward leg raise
3 x 10 leg extension 40#
3 x 10 hamstring curl 35#
3 x 15 standing tow raise 30#
3 x 10 side leg lift
3 x 10 inner leg lift
3 x 12 toe-in stretch
3 x 12 toe-out stretch

Walked 0.40 miles in 6:08 (15:20 pace). Ran 2.11 miles in 24:10 (11:28 pace). I struggled today. I wanted to take a walk break. It was all mental and the heat sucked. Within the first 5 minutes I was ready to be done. It was hot outside, so I made a small adjustment in my pace and the run instantly turned magical. No problems whatsoever. All I had to do was slow down 30-seconds per mile. Pretty simple, huh? It worked!

Upper-body workout:
3 x 10 wrist curl 35#
3 x 10 reverse wrist curl 10#
3 x 10 alternate bicep curl 20#
3 x 10 seated bicep curl - bar 20#
3 x 10 lying triceps curl 25#
3 x 10 standing triceps curl - bar 20#
3 x 10 dumbbell press 20#
3 x 10 prone deltoid press 8#

This was a long workout session. Took me about 3-hours from start to finish.

Dinner:
Subway: 6-inch roasted chicken breast on wheat bead (310)

Total calories for the day; 2,057

For what its worth, I'm feeling healthier.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Early off-day

Weight: 242.0

Woke up late due to last nights adventure. Not putting any stock into the the weight loss, because its not "real".

Caesar salad and turkey sandwich (550)

Snack:
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich (240)

Alison and I had lunch at the mall. McDonald's; big mac and medium french fries (920).

Want to see a little into my ocd? There was a lot of choices at the mall food court, some better than others. I wanted the Japanese place that had a rice/grilled chicken/vegetables plate, BUT you want to know why I didn't eat there? ....because there was no way for me to know the exact amount of calories for the meal. I really need to change this. I could of had something I wanted and it was probably better for me than a burger and fries.

Dinner: Chicken & Broccoli pot pie (350)

Total calories for the day; 2,060

BTW: Today is my 2-year blog anniversary.