Holy Crap it's Been a While

I have really sucked at updates and at keeping this blog active. Mostly that is due to a lack of weight loss going on. It also is due to the fact that I am way too busy with work to even have a chance to do anything else.

I actually gained weight since I was last on here. About 20 pounds, which I am not at all proud of, but it happens. I have gotten a major reality check, though. I have been tracking my calories and no wonder I have gained. I am actually surprised I didn't gain more than that.

So, I have been using my knowledge of exercise and food to see what I can come up with. I tried a straight 1500 calorie diet, no exercise. That sucked. When I say sucked I seriously mean I hated every minute of it. My stomach always growled and I felt deprived. Nobody can lose weight that way. I actually ended up doing the stereotypical thing and going on a 4 day binge. I hate myself for it. I hate feeling fat and hating myself for the lack of willpower. I know I am not alone. There has to be a better way.

I think the key to losing weight is to define your own program. I have to be honest. I am never going to give up bread, desserts or sugar. Just isn't going to happen. I wouldn't want to live a life without those things. Obviously your typical diet won't work for me. I started doing some further research into exercising to lose weight. Obviously making major changes to my diet is not going to work.

I have settled on trying something that most experts say won't work. I have a goal to lose about 30 or 40 pounds by December 11th (my brother's wedding). Do the math. That is a lot of weight in a short period of time. Most experts say in order to lose weight and keep it off you have to diet and exercise and to lose no more than 2 pounds a week. Do you guys know the only reason they say that is because their studies show losing weight rapidly is usually related to fad dieting which people can't stick to for the long haul? I am not going into some fad diet. I am doing an exercise only diet.

Now, this is not to say that I won't watch what I eat. I am still tracking calories because the one thing the experts get right is weight is a numbers game. You have to burn more than you eat. that is just reality. I will be tracking calories so I know how much I need to burn. Using my trusty heart monitor I will be tracking my calories burned.

I may not lose 40 pounds in the next 7 weeks, but I do bet I can lose at least 15 to 20. I also bet that I will go down 2 pants sizes. I am using logic and not listening to studies or experts on this anymore. Their methods don't work and that has been proven over and over with each person that gets told they are obese or with each person that fails at a diet. I am going to prove the experts wrong so I can tell them to kiss my (skinny) ass.

It's That Time Again

Every New Year's I swear this will be the year that I get a hot bod and every year before January is even over I have fallen off the wagon. You all know how I have struggled this past year, but 2010 is going to be different. I actually have a goal that goes beyond just losing weight and getting in shape.

By the end of this year I plan to start training as a personal trainer, but I need to be in shape if I ever want that to work out. I am starting my own business in 2011, hopefully as a personal trainer. So, this year is all about preparing for my future career.

Since this is so important I have made a very detailed plan. It is a three step plan. It includes cutting down my pop drinking, drinking more water, specific toning of my arms, cardio workouts, working up to a 5 mile run and yoga. Also, I have a basic eating plan. I know that sounds like a lot - LOL.

My plan is broken into three steps - four month periods to slowly change my lifestyle. I am going to start with part 1 of each goals which includes:

cutting down to 3 pops a day
drinking 32 ounces of water a day
doing 30 minutes of cardio 5 days a week
doing arm training 3 days a week
jogging 1 mile 1 day a week
doing yoga 1 day a week

My eating plan is a basic plan. It is based on just trying to get in the proper amount of servings from each food group. Eating is not really the struggle for me. As you all know, it is my pop drinking.

I have a log book that I have actually been using since November to track my workouts. Now I will track all my goals to ensure I stay on track. I do know that every once in a while I may have to skip a workout or I may mess up, but that is okay. It is all about trying my best. That is my goal this year.

I am hoping to do very good and be able to lose 50 pounds by the end of May. That is about 2 pounds a week, which is very possible if I just stay on track.

Wish me luck and I wish luck to all you who have weight loss goals for 2010. We can do it!!!!

New KFC 395 Meal

The new commercial for the 395 calorie $3.95 meal got me thinking. How would our eating habits change if the price of food was all based on a penny per calorie? Just to give you an idea of what that means, a Big Mac meal from Mc Donalds (big mac, large fry and medium coke) would cost you $10.95. Would you pay that much? Imagine how pricing this way could completely change the obesity epidemic in this country. I know it will never happen, but wouldn't it be great if it did?

Lazy Sloth

Yep, that's me. I have been horrible. It is showing on the scale, too. I am having some major water retention issues. That has to be the problem because I will be up and down 5 pounds from day to day. It is probably due to the fact I am being loose with my pop consumption.

Well, next week starts a new phase. I dropped that first ten pounds pretty easy with just a few adjustments, but now I am into the serious area where I have to get focused. So, next week is my bootcamp week. I am doing a walking workout in the AM and then Core Rhythms in the PM. I am forbidden from fast food until Saturday and I can have one can of Pepsi a day. I bought some great food for breakfast and am going to focus on that inside of the calorie packed lunches I usually have. We shall see how this goes.

FYI

I feel like I've been run over by a truck. It backed up over me and ran over me again. Damn you, Jillian!

Excuses Are Like...

I had excuses out the behind this week for not starting the Shred. Monday was just Monday and I hate that day. Tuesday I had a back ache. This morning I thought I would get an early start on work. Tonight I said to myself "STOP!" So I did the Shred tonight and will pick back up with mornings tomorrow. I hate how I feel since I have not worked out in about 2 weeks. Plus I really wanted to do the Shred. I just have to focus. I have to work through the pain and the sweat and the extreme hate I feel for Jillian during the workout. I also have to fight the boredom. I have such a short attention span that the idea of doing the same workout for 10 days about kills me. I just have to push on. If I don't those excuses will start popping up again.

Weekly Check In

Let me give you the stats as of this morning:

This week's loss: 3.5 lbs
Total loss since 9/27: 11.5 lbs

I am pretty proud. Honestly, I have no clue how this is happening, but a few years ago I lost about 30lbs without trying. I thought back to how I did it and am trying to do what I did back then. It is working so far - even with two weeks of hardly any exercise.

Maybe once I start the Shred things will speed up. Only 6 lbs to my first goal and I have 2 weeks to do it. I think I can!