The Last Big Push

ryan — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:41:08 -0700

Ok so now we're getting down to the wire. I'll be honest with you though; stress with everything in life has caused my weight to stay pretty much at 225. I'm okay with that. The key factor here for me is that my BMI has gone down. So, while the weight may remain I'm definitely taking off fat.

The dilemma is this though; how do I drop about 15 more pounds in a little over month? Well, we're going to try and eat slightly better, both at home and when we go out. Unfortunately this might mean no more Saturday trips to Foster Freeze for my brownie sundaes. I guess I can live with that for a month.

But, it also means that I am going to add one more day of cardio per week. 4 Days of cardio and 2 or 3 of lifting weights. Both Tanya and I agree that this plan is both doable and effective. I don't need a lot of work to get the final pounds off just a little metabolic kickstart.

Remember this when you have your own little fitness dilemmas. You don't always need drastic change, more often then not you can get better results from the small changes. I recently read that a lot of people have had success in their cardio programs by alternating running and walking. What does that mean exactly? Instead of doing a constant jog for thirty minutes, they might walk 5 minutes and then sprint 5 minutes. Sometimes that's enough to fool both your body and your brain that you are changing up your routine.

Well, good luck to all of us. See you on the other side of 8/8/8!

No scars. No broken bones.

ryan — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:36:54 -0700

Growing up my two brothers and I used to fight like crazy. Knock down drag out fights. Maybe it's only a guy thing and maybe it was just us. But, the one rule we always had was nothing that would leave a scar and no breaking of bones.

There was one other hard fast rule, no punches to the face. That was really to ensure that
there was no outright evidence of a brawl but also to protect the moneymaker.

Now I'm sure you're wondering what the heck does that have to do with health and wellness. I'm glad you asked. I'll tell you.

Every fight we had made us stronger, closer and more aware of what challenges faced us from the outside world. As long as we could go right to the limit of maiming each other without crossing that line we knew our battles were our
own. We owned our own destiny. The games we played together were brutal and violent, to a point. We could unleash the hounds of hell on each other and yet know one outside of us would ever be aware of what had transpired. It was for all intents and purposes an internal war shared between three separate consciousnesses.

This is what losing weight and getting healthy is all about. The inner struggle, the battle
within.

If you are not pushing yourself both mentally and physically to that limit just before you get hurt, how will you know how far you can go. Your body will tell you the difference between pain and hurt. It will tell you the difference between full and stuffed to the gills.

To be successful in your health you need to treat it like you do your career or anything else important to you. You need to develop your own code, your own set of rules and then you need to listen to them.

I'm down another three pounds this past month and there is a little over 100 days to the wedding. Am I hurting? No. Am I in pain? No. Could I go harder or faster? Probably. But, I
know that the aches and pains and feelings of hunger I have some days are telling me that I'm doing good. I'm near my threshold and still on my personal path.

That's a good thing. Develop your own path and take yourself to that limit you set and work
it.

Just remember:

No scars. No broken bones.

Plateau is not a river in Egypt

ryan — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:47:12 -0800

So it's been a couple of more weeks and I haven't really gone down in weight. I have hit what many people dread.

The Plateau.

It just sounds horrible. Almost looks like the word "plague". And to many it can sound the death knell of a workout regimen. But, I've been here before. I know for me personally that it's just a way point on the road to better health and lower weight. It's only because I've been here before that I don't fear it, and I know how to get past it.

First, I need to shake things up a bit and I have started that. Changing my cardio routine every time throws my body for a loop and I hit different muscle groups while still burning calories.

Second, I throw the scale under the dresser for a couple of weeks. I know it's going to go up and down daily but during these 2 or 3 weeks I know it seems like it trends upwards and psychologically, I don't want or need that aggravation.

Third, and to me this is the most important; I use the best and most accurate measuring tool I have ever found. My clothes. Seriously I know it sounds a little weird, but for me, it's at this plateau that I really notice little changes. I pull the belt all the way to the last hole and my pants still fall down. Shirts aren't as tight. My sportcoats fit a little bigger and I feel like a kid wearing his dad's clothes.

This is the boost I need mentally. Physically I can feel my muscles hardening and streamlining. I know that I'm adding muscle and losing fat. Because muscle weighs more than fat I know what's causing the perceived weight gain/plateau.

If you're at a plataeu, don't get worried or freaked out. Use the time to get back in touch with your body and how you feel. If you use this time wisely, you'll be able to perceive other changes when your metabolism really kicks in. It's worth it, I promise.

Wii had a great holiday!

ryan — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:18:59 -0800

So it's a new year which means that I officially have a little over 8 months to get to my target weight. Having a deadline has always worked really well for me. Mostly because I'm the tye of person that will do a little bit each day until the deadline arrives. I was never the student that HAD to stay up all night cramming (alright once I did and I paid dearly for it) instead I got a good nights sleep and was ready for whatever came my way.

Now losing weight is similar if you can set a realistic goal with a realistic deadline. I once met a girl at the gym where Tanya and I used to work who wanted to lose 50 pounds for a wedding in 4 months. Realistic goal? Of course. Realistic deadline? Not so much.
All that said you can imagine my shock upon returning from our christmas vacation 3 pounds lighter. It's not that I was conciously trying to eat less or work out more. It just means that I had reprogrammed my body over the last month to do these things automatically. A little bit everyday. That's all it takes.

So what did I do? wii!
Seriously.
I worked out one day.

The rest of the time most of my physically activity was divided between walking the most awesome dog in the world, Finnegan came with us, playing that damn wii. We bowled, we played tennis, baseball and we boxed. Oh how we boxed. And I am not ashamed to say it, the old man kicked my butt in boxing every time. Sure he was about a millimeter away from breaking his new 65 inch screen every damn time, but he still won. Ever. Single. Time. And not just me. My brothers as well. All in a row. With no breaks. Of course he's lost about 50 pounds this past year so he's in a little better shape. I plan to practice a little bit every day so that next christmas; next christmas his butt is mine.

1st and 10

ryan — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:03:40 -0800

I hate watching sports. It's sad but true, take away my man card. Sure, if a bunch of people are watching I'll pay attention. I'll even read enough in the 5 newspapers we get at the office each day to discuss teams and stats competently, but that's it.

I've tried mens leagues for various sports, however, since I finished my playing days in college I haven't had the slightest tug to play team or competitive sports. So, really that narrows down my choices to how I'm gonna lose weight for this wedding. I can do cardio in the gym, free weights, run outside, rollerblade, swim, what am I missing? Hacky sack? Now I'm sure a bunch of you will have ideas and suggestions. Feel free to share, but make sure that I can do it during my lunch hour at work. Ice climbing? Out. Surfing? Out. Unless of course Universal wants to remake "The Eiger Sanction" or "The Endless Summer" on the backlot.

The good news is that, basically, heading into week three of the "Wedding Fitness Challenge"™ I've already lost 10 pounds. That's great. We haven't really changed our eating habits, I just eat less and work off more of the calories. Theoretically, come 8-8-8 I'll be down to next to nothing and I'll look like a british cocaine snorting model. Yeah me!

In all seriousness though, the plan thus far seems to be working

Eat sensibly
Eat less
Exercise 30 minutes 3 times a week

Let's just hope I can keep this up. At least I have a goal.