Even though I don’t post my weigh-in here every Wednesday, I am keeping up with it and usually  post it on the Blog to Fit blog.

Since I’m back to work as a short-term supplemental instructor, I need to watch it so that I don’t fall into my old bad habits.

In the past, each time I worked with a license class, I would pack on more weight.  However, these days, I am doing a lot of things differently — besides making it to the gym on a regular basis.

Some of the BAD things that I don’t do anymore include:

…. stopping at convenience store on way to work and buying junk food
…. stopping at convenience store on way home and buying junk food
…. stopping at fast food places and buying LARGE CHOCOLATE SHAKES (not something I’d do regularly, just on impulse)
…. stopping at and buying anything at fast foot places
…. stopping and buying donuts (another irregular impulse)
…. eating out several times a month — we may go out to eat once or twice a month.
…. buying anything from the junk food vending machine across the hall from my office
…. buying anything from the junk food machine on the first floor when I’m working late in the simulator

Status:

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs
Last week = 265.2 lbs.
This week = 261.0 lbs.
Difference = -4.2 lbs.
Initial goal: 210 lbs.; 51.0 lbs. to go!

day 63

While we were gone on our May trip, there was a lot of rain here.  We expected everything to be really green and wet when we got back.

Well it was really green for sure, but actually had already started drying out.

Up until last night, we had only rain on one day since we got home and that wasn’t very much. Karen was actually starting to water things in the yard.

However, right now we are in a weather pattern where we have a chance of rain for the next several days.  Early this morning — I just happened to be up and on the computer — we had a short heavy rain and it turned out we were in a severe thunderstorm warning.

Then about 90 minutes ago we had another storm cell go through and I managed to get a fairly decent photo of the clouds.  It was actually a lot darker outside than it appears in the picture, except when the lightning was lighting things up.  In the picture, the clouds are being lit by distant lightning behind the trees.

While we need the rain, I can do without the thunder-bumpers.

I have been able to get back into my routine somewhat at the fitness center.  My back issues have receded and my endurance is almost back.  I’ve been able to replicate my personal best on the stair climber three times since I got back — including two days in a row, yesterday and today.

I made it to the gym four times this week and I’m also working in the yard on a landscaping decking project, though I have been taking plenty of breaks.

Status:

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs
Last week = 266.5 lbs.
This week = 266 lbs.
Difference = -.5 lbs.

Initial goal: 210 lbs.; 56 lbs. to go!

Check out the other participants progress at Blog-to-Fit

Day 6

We were without internet access for most of  the last week.  I’ll be sharing some pictures and information from our trip in future posts.

We made it back home today — day 27 of our May 2009 trip.

I was starting to get a little concerned the last few days as my belt and the waist-band of my blue jean shorts seemed to be getting tighter.  We have been able to take quite a few hikes and walks, but my exercise is no where near what it had been before we left.

My official scales that I go by for my weekly weight is at the gym, but, for today, I did weigh myself on the scales here, with a bit of trepidation, of course.  The results:

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs
April 29 — four weeks ago = 265.6 lbs.
This week = 267.5 lbs.
Difference = + 1.9 lbs. in four weeks! — and I typically weigh heavier on the scales at home than I do on the “more accurate” scales at the gym.

Initial goal: 210 lbs.; 57.5 lbs. to go!

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

This week was not as good, in some ways as previous weeks.  I only made it to the gym 4 days.  We were out of town 2 days, one day going in to Little Rock and another day driving up to Bentonville (home of Walmart corporate offices) to visit my mother-in-law.  Took Sunday off as an extra day to rest sore muscles.  My weight was up 1.4 lbs from last week.

In other ways, though, this was the best week yet.

I started by spending the whole workout one day on the track, walking two laps and then running (slowly) 2 laps.  Ended up running a total of six miles.

The next day, I started by running and made 20 laps before walking.  Twenty laps = 1 mile!

On my next trip to the gym, I didn’t run, but extended the workout a bit longer to make it to 2000 calories, as calculated by my heart monitor.

Yesterday, after 2 days off, I started with a slow run.  After hitting a mile I kept going.  While I would have liked to go further, At 40 laps — 2 miles — my slow run degenerated into a fast walk.

And I’ve added a new category to Exit78: running!

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs
Last week = 263.4 lbs.
This week = 264.8 lbs.
Difference = + 1.4 lbs.; -20.8 lbs since starting
Initial goal: 210 lbs.; 54.8 lbs. to go!

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

Happy tax day!

I finished our taxes on Friday and they were accepted by the taxing agencies by Monday.  Unfortunately, we had to pay in to state and got a little bit back on federal.  The federal was bumped up a little bit.  We were not eligible for the incentive rebate last year because we sold some stock to keep from losing money and it became taxable income, pushing us up over the limit.  However, the rebate was actually for the 2008 tax year and was “advanced” last years for those who qualified.  Since our income was a LOT lower in 2008, we qualified for it this time.  Unfortunately, it only just balances what we had to pay the state.

Made it to the gym every day except Sunday.

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs
Last week = 265.4 lbs.
This week = 263.4 lbs.
Difference = -2 lbs.; -22.2 lbs since starting
Initial goal: 210 lbs.; 54.4 lbs. to go!

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

Even though I was down 2 lbs last Wednesday, I was back up above the lost 2 lbs by the weekend.

I’ve been struggling a bit, finding it difficult to stay motivated about going to the gym.  My weight was still above last week’s on Monday and I left the gym a half hour earlier than I normally do.

Yesterday and today I pushed myself.  My weight yesterday was back down to just below last week’s weight and, today, I had lost a little more.

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs
Last week = 266.4 lbs.
This week = 265.4 lbs.
Difference = -1 lbs.; -20.2 lbs since starting
Initial goal: 210 lbs.; 56.4 lbs. to go!

Made it to the gym every day except Sunday.

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

In the first half of the 90s, I started out at somewhere around the same weight I did this time and managed to get down to 204 lbs.  I was maintaining it pretty well — until I got hooked on wallyball, a variation of volleyball that’s played in a racquetball court.  Volleyball was one sport that I really enjoyed in Phys. Ed. and, even though I was over 40, I held my own in wallyball.

Since I didn’t go out for sports when I was in school, I never had any sports injuries.  In a few short months of playing several times a week after work, I strained both rotator cuffs, strained a trap muscle and had a finger on my right hand dislocated.  I never did get back to the good fitness routine and then, at home 13 years ago, I had a lumbar disk herniate.  That put me on short term disability and bed rest.  I never had to have surgury for it, but recovery took a bit of time and by the time I was getting around fairly well, I was plumb out of the fitness habit.

I know now that I just have to keep doing what I’m doing.  I’ve tried many, many times in the past with dieting and/or exercise, but, until now, I’ve never been able to have the success like I had back then.

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs
Last week = 268.4 lbs.
This week = 266.4 lbs.
Difference = -2 lbs.; -19.2 lbs since starting
Initial goal: 210 lbs.; 56.4 lbs. to go!

Made it to the gym every day except Sunday. Sunday, we took a hike that was about 4 miles.

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

While I’ve been successful in reducing my weight by faithfully making it to the gym on a regular basis, it’s going to be difficult to keep it up when we are traveling.  The good thing is that I generally don’t gain weight when we’re away from home as we stay fairly active.  Taking walks at the campgrounds and going hiking on trails will not have the same intensity level as my regular workout and, when we get back home, it’s usually difficult to get back into the routine and I’ll have to start back at a lower intensity.  However, part of the motivation for getting in shape is to be able to do the trails without struggling.

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs
Last week = 269 lbs.
This week =  268.4 lbs.
Difference = -.6 lbs.; -17.2 lbs since starting

Made it to the gym 6 days out of 7.

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs
Last week = 270.8 lbs.
This week =  269 lbs.
Difference = -1.8 lbs.; -16.6 lbs since starting

Made it to the gym 5 days out of 7 instead of my usual 6; however, I compensated by getting there earlier in the morning and extending my workout.

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs
Last week = 272.5 lbs.
This week = 270.8 lbs.
Difference = -1.7 lbs.; -14.8 lbs since starting

Again made it to the gym 6 days out of 7. That makes three weeks in a row for 18 days out of 21.

I feel like I’ve really accomplished something if I get a 1400 to 1500 calorie workout. Unfortunately, yesterday, I stopped and talked a bit with “Skibo,” a fellow retiree from the nuclear plant who I’ve known since 1980. He’s in his late 60s and his workouts are usually longer than mine, when he makes it in. When I was talking with him, he had just finished up and had done 2200 callories! He has no extra weight and, in the 29 or so years that I’ve known him, he never has.

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs
Last week = 274.5 lbs.
This week = 272.5 lbs.
Difference = -2 lbs.; -13 lbs since starting

Made it to the gym 6 days out of 7.

I’m actually feeling a lot better on the days that I make it to the gym than the days that I don’t.

My heart monitor calculates calories based on heart-rate and time.  If I do an hour, it generally records about 800 to 850 calories.  This week, it recorded over 1400 calories on two consecutive days.

I forgot to mention that I turned 57 earlier this month.

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs

Last week = 273.5 lbs. — this week = 274.5 lbs.

Made it to the gym 6 days, but gained a pound.

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

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Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs

Last week = 274.5 lbs. — this week = 273.5 lbs.

This week was complicated with a cold for a few days  and I only got to the fitness center four times this week.

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs

Last week = 275.5 lbs.

This week = 274.5 lbs.

I worked out at least an hour a day six times in the last week.

Today’s workout was my best best intensity and endurance yet, at least since I got back to being serious about this.  I used an elliptical trainer for 65 minutes and walked for about 5 minutes.  My average heart rate was 144 bpm and max was 164 bpm.  I don’t plan on pushing much past this at my age.

I’m still not ready to start trying to run even a little bit yet.

My resting heart rate has dropped significantly since I started working out again.

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs

Last week = 276 lbs.

This week = 275.5 lbs.

After 2 weeks of slow gains, I’m down 1/2 lb. Until the end of the weekend, I was still feeling some of the effects of whatever virus I had and I was thinking that I might have to make another doctor appointment as he had said to come back in two weeks if I was still having problems.  I did manage to get 4 workouts in, though not at the intensity and length that I would like to be at.

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

For, those who stop here once in a while, you might notice that , once again, I’m in the middle of making a few changes in the blog. Thanks to Eric Ham of Motivate Thyself and and Sean Platt of Writer Dad in their joint effort, BlogopolisBlueprint, I made the decision earlier this week to go with a premium blog theme. I’ll be experiementing a bit with it for a while, so there will be some changes. However, I’ll try hard to make it so that Exit78 remains fully functional while I’m playing.

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs

Last week = 275 lbs.

This week = 276 lbs.

Gained 1 lb. 2 weeks in a row.

The doctor’s diagnosis was that my ailments were likely from a virus, but that overall, my health is good.

He did have one concern that was separate from the light headed feelings I’d been having.  My triglycerides were too high, though he did say that part of that was due to not fasting before the blood was drawn.  He did say that I should start taking Omega 3, that the fish oil in them would help reduce the triglyceride level.

The great news, though, is that my cholesterol is in good shape.

LDL cholesterol(the bad) is “optimal” if it’s less than 100.  I don’t know if I’ve ever had it that low before.  It was 90!

HDL cholesterol (the good) should be above 40 in men.  Mine was 42.

The visit to the clinic was on Thursday.  I was back to the fitness center on Friday and Saturday and skipped Sunday.  Had planned to go on Monday, but when I left the retiree breakfast, a light rain was falling and temperatures were below freezing, so I headed home.  We stayed home yesterday because of the weather. So I managed to get 2 workouts in in the last week.  We WILL be going to the gym today.

Oh, thanks for the well wishes, everyone!  I’m feeling pretty good this week.

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs

Last week = 274 lbs.

This week = 275 lbs.

I managed to make it to the gym 2 days this period.

I’m having some health issues — a feeling of being light-headed that comes and goes.  It feels sometimes like I’m on the verge of the flu, but I have no fever, chills or any other symptoms.  At other times, I feel like I’ve almost got a cold, but my sinuses aren’t clogged up and I don’t have a nagging sore throat.  It’s probably some kind of infection.  I’m seeing my doctor tomorrow afternoon.

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

Started November 1, 2008 at 285.6 lbs

Last week = 275 lbs.

This week = 274 lbs.

I managed to make it to the gym 6 days this period.

On Monday, my workout was cut short — 45 minutes instead of my usual 65 or more minutes — when the gym was evacuated because of a small fire.  I grabbed my stuff and headed home for a shower.  I made up for the lost exercise, though.  Since the weather was fairly nice for this time of year I mixed and poured three 80 lb. bags of instant concrete mix to finish part of a project.  Then, later, I cut down a dead pine tree that was about 10 inches in diameter at the base, cut it up for firewood and split all the larger pieces.  The neat thing is, though, that it was much easier than it would have been back at the beginning of November when I started this.

See other participants’ results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In.

Last week = 279 lbs.

This week = 277 lbs.

Progress during a holiday week!

Walked 2.5 miles on Christmas and then went to the gym every day except Sunday.

See other participants results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In Number 6.

Another week of not much progress, but given the season, that’s ok.

Last week = 279 lbs.

This week = 279 lbs.

No loss, but no gain, either.

Worked out on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.

My endurance is up and I am exercising at a higher intensity, so, while I haven’t lost any weight, I’m pretty sure I’ve lost some fat and gained some muscle mass.

See other participants results at Blog to Fit – Wednesday Weigh-In Number 6.