Day #54 - My Body Didn't Get the Memo

It is Day #54 and I am feeling great!! However, I am still confused about the pattern at which my body is losing weight. I mentioned a while back that I was getting a little frustrated because I was stuck in the 280 lb range for about a week and I couldn't figure out why. After some research, I found out that after the first 3-4 weeks of a weight loss program, your body gets into the pattern of losing a healthy 1-2 lbs a week. After finding out this information, I realized that I had to be patient and work hard to achieve the results I wanted. Then the 4th of July weekend hit and I broke out of the 280 lb range and I was extremely excited to make that happen. But once the weekend was over, my body decided on its own, to disregard the rules of weight loss. Let me explain to you how I came to this conclusion.

Day #35, Sunday, July 4, 2010 - I weighed in at 279 lbs. I was excited because I had escaped 280 lbs and during the 4th of July weekend no less.
Day #36, Monday, July 5, 2010 - I weighed in at 276.2 lbs.
(I managed to lose almost 3 lbs in one day. That day was extremely hot and I was cooking outside, on the grill, for about 3 hours.)

Day #37 - #40 (Total of 5 days including Day #36) - I stayed in the 276 lb range.
Day #41, Saturday, July 10, 2010 - I dropped down to 275 lbs. Now this is understandable because it follows the 1-2 lb weight loss pattern during the course of a week.
Day #42 - #44 (Total of 4 days including Day #41) - I stayed in the 275 lb range.
Day #45, Wednesday, July 14, 2010 - I dropped to 274 lbs.
Day #46, Thurs, July 15, 2010 - I dropped to 273.4 lbs.
Day #47, Fri, July 16, 2010 - I dropped to 272.6 lbs.
(Again, I lost about 3lbs in a short amount of time after 4-5 days at the same weight.)

Day #48 - #51 (Total of 4 days including Day #47) - I stayed in the 272 lb range.
Day #52, Wed, July 21, 2010 - I dropped down to 271.6 lbs.
Day #53, Thurs, July 22, 2010 - I dropped down to 270.6 lbs.
Day #54, Fri, July 23, 2010 (Today) - I dropped down to 269.2 lbs.
(Yet again, I managed to lose about 3 lbs in a short amount of time after 4-5 days at the same weight.)

I still don't know exactly the reason behind my, out of the ordinary, weight loss pattern. I am still only eating healthy foods and working out just about everyday. But my body seems to have fallen into the pattern of losing about 3lbs at a shot and then staying at the same weight for about 4-5 days and then I lose another 3 lbs. I went into the gym this morning, that has the serviced scale, to verify my home scale because the last thing I want is to go searching for another home scale again. To my excitement, it was dead on with what my scale at home was reading. So, I took my investigation a little further and asked two of the trainers at the gym if they had an answer to my particular weight loss pattern. They both said it is an unusual weight loss pattern but anything is possible because everyone's body is different. Well, I guess I have to take these recent events as a positive sign that I am still losing weight and get healthier by the day. My body didn't get the memo on how to properly lose weight but in the same token, I am still on the right track.

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man = 39 Points. I lost a point because I broke into the 260's)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - Egg whites on 2 slice of Weight Watchers whole wheat bread with a slice of fat free american cheese = Points 3
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 4 rice cakes, 2 Weight Watchers mini carrot cakes, 1 Weight Watchers chocolate chip cookie, 1 large apple = Points 11
Lunch - 1 serving of left over Tuna Noodle Casserole (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 5
Dinner - 2 grilled cheese sandwiches (Weight Watchers bread and cheese), 2 servings of McCain's Sweet Potato Fries = Points 13
Dessert - Weight Watchers raspberry ice cream bar = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 34 Points (5 points under my new daily limit)

Exercise

Today I executed my back and triceps workout routine: Lat Pull Downs (4 sets x 15, 12, 10, 8 reps), Seated Row (4 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps), Lying Skull Crushers (4 sets x 15, 12, 10, 5 reps), Bent Over Rows (3 sets x 8, 10, 12 reps), Over Head Dumbbell Raises (3 sets x 8, 10, 12 reps), Standing Triceps Push Downs (4 sets x 12 reps), and Standing Dumbbell Shrugs (4 sets x 18 reps). Tomorrow I will doing cardio and my core body workout.

Day #54 Weigh-In = 269.2 lbs

Day #54 Weigh-In

Day #54 Front Shot

Day #53 - Hungry with no Time for Food

I woke up early this morning not to work out, but to go into the office to finish making the adjustments for my meeting that was taking place at 10am today. Because of the early morning and the rush to get into the office, I really didn't have enough time to eat a proper breakfast. Instead, I grabbed a Weight Watchers blueberry muffin and 2 rice cakes for the road. At the time I was eating my make shift breakfast, my hunger was satisfied. However, what I went through today, I was definitely not prepared for.

Of course I have been traveling a lot for work lately and I have been wrapped up in a ton of meetings while on the road. But each of these meeting were about an hour long and they were at decent times where I could eat in between and not feel hungry at all. Today's meeting on the other hand, was a totally different animal. I had setup a planning meeting at my office with a few co-workers that lived down south and I was not expecting having to go through everything without a lunch break. Now, don't get me wrong, the meeting was very successful and we accomplished exactly what we needed to get done. However there was one snag, my boss had to leave work early today and we had to cover everything that I needed approval from him on before he left and that was about 90% of the agenda.

I ate my muffin and 2 rice cakes at roughly 9:15am this morning and the meeting started around 10:20am. We didn't get done with the meeting until about 2pm. I went almost 5 hours without eating any food. If you have been following the blog, I am trying to space my meals out evenly with my points and the time in between each meal. I was so hungry that I didn't think I was going to make it through the meeting. I kept on trying to think of reasons that I could use to escape to my office to get a little snack to hold me over. Once the meeting was over I ran into my office to heat up my lunch. Needless to say, I have to come up with a better strategy on how to survive during these long planning meetings because I will be having a lot more in the near future leading up to the date of my new event I am currently developing. I feel weird eating during a meeting, in front of people, especially when the meetings are important, like the one today.

If anyone has any suggestions, please comment or email me at - theheavymansdiary@gmail.com

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man = 41 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - 1 Weight Watchers blueberry muffin and 2 rice cakes = Points 5
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 1 Weight Watchers Brownie and 1 Weight Watchers carrot cake, 2 rice cakes = Points 5
Late Afternoon - 1 serving of London Broil, 1 serving of baked macaroni and cheese, and 1 serving of zucchini fries (All Weight Watchers Recipes left over from last night's dinner) = Points 11
Early Evening -  1 serving of baked macaroni and cheese and 1 serving of zucchini fries (Both Weight Watchers Recipes left over from last night's dinner) = Points 7
Dinner - 1 serving of Tuna Noodle Casserole (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 5
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers peanut butter ice cream bar = Points 3

Total Points Eaten Today = 36 Points (4 points under my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I ran for 40 mins on the elliptical machine and I executed my core body routine: Side Dumbbell Crunches (2 sets of 20 reps with 20lbs), Medicine Ball Sit Ups (2 sets x 20 reps with a 6lb ball), and Leg Raises (2 sets of 12 reps). Tomorrow I will be doing my back & triceps routines.

Day #53 - Weigh-In = 270.6 lbs

Day #53 Weigh-In

Day #53 Front Shot

Day #53 Dinner
Tuna Noodle Casserole
(Weight Watchers Recipe)

Day #52 - Never Assume Things Will Always go as Planned

Last night I went to bed thinking I had everything all set and planned out for today. I was going to wake up this morning around 7:30am, weigh myself, go to the gym to workout, come home to take a shower and eat before I made my way to work. Sounds like a pretty well thought out schedule. Well let me tell you what really happened. I did wake up at 7:30am, went to the bathroom, and weighed myself. To my excitement I weighed in at 271.6 lbs! Very happy with my accomplishment I went back into my room, sat on my bed and before I knew it I was waking up at 8:50am. Crap, I feel back asleep some how and woke up to the sound of my second alarm. Thank goodness I started setting my second alarm for a later time then 7:30am just in case I slept through my first alarm or something like this morning happened. By the time my fiancee and I were ready to leave for work, it was too late to cook, so we ended up buying our breakfast at the deli. Yes, it was a healthy breakfast.

Anyway, on my way to work I figured that it wasn't the end of the world that I missed the morning workout because I will workout right after work tonight. The work day went by fine and I had plenty of healthy food to eat due to the left overs from last night's dinner and the fruit and snacks we brought with us from home. Towards the end of the day, I started to get busy and here is where my back up plan of working out after work fell through the cracks. I had planned the entire day for a meeting that would take place tomorrow. On the way home I had called my boss to mention a few changes I thought would be good and it turned into an hour long conversation on my phone, in the car. To make a long story short, everything that I had planned for had changed and thus causing me to have to make changes at home. I ended up working for a good few hours tonight and was not able to workout. And, I still have a few things to finish and because I don't want to lose any sleep, I have to wake up early tomorrow morning so I can go into the office to finish the changes I still have to make. The lesson I have learned today was, "Never Assume Things Will Always go as Planned." I have been doing so well for the last two weeks and my new meal and workout structures are showing some positive results. And now, I hit a little snag today because I assumed I would be able to workout tonight because I over slept this morning. From now on, once I am out of bed in the morning, I will try my my best to not come anywhere near it until the night time.

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man = 41 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - 2 rice cakes, egg whites on 2 slices of whole wheat bread with a slice of american cheese from the deli = Points 7
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 1 large pear, 1 Weight Watchers brownie, and 1 Weight Watchers mini carrot cake = Points 5
Early Afternoon - 1 serving of whole wheat pasta with two turkey meatballs and a 1/2 cup of all natural tomato sauce = Points 9
Late Afternoon - 1 serving of whole wheat pasta with two turkey meatballs and a 1/2 cup of all natural tomato sauce = Points 9
Dinner - 1 serving of London Broil (Weight Watchers Recipe), 1 serving of Baked Macaroni and Cheese (Weight Watchers Recipe), and 1 serving of Zucchini Fries (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 11
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers peanut butter ice cream bar = Points 3

Total Points Eaten Today = 44 Points (4 over my daily limit)

Exercise

I did not workout today due to over sleeping this morning and having to work late. I will jump back on it tomorrow.

Day #52 -Weigh-In = 271.6 lbs

Day #52 Weigh-In

Day #52 Front Shot

Day #51 - Visualize Your Goals

I mentioned in yesterday's post, that being in the right state of mind during a weight loss program can really help to make the process go a lot easier. One specific way I like to keep on track, is that I visualize myself completing the mission at hand. In the past, I never really had the right mind set when attempting to lose weight. And because of that wrong mind set, I would set myself up for failure even before I started the weight loss program. I always had trouble visualizing myself being thinner, healthier, and achieving my goals. I would take one look at myself in the mirror and say, "You have no chance." I have had weight issues for such a long time, that it was second nature to see myself over weight and out of shape. 

This time around, I am trying to get myself mentally into the mission. I attempt at least once a day to visualize myself after this mission has been completed. I try to vary what I visualize because it keeps me from losing interest. For example, today during my lunch break, I was thinking about what I wanted to say in my post for today. Then all of a sudden I to started to think about how many days there are left until my wedding day. Most of you know by now, my mission is to stick to this weight loss program every single day, at least until my wedding day. Anyway, while day dreaming about that, I realized that I have 402 days until that day is here. And when you stop to think about it, 402 days is a hell of a lot of days! Then I started to think about my blog again and realized that I have been on my mission for 51 days already and lost 30 lbs. Can you imagine what kind of shape I am going to be in if I stick to my mission for the next 402 days. I will actually be in the best shape of my life. It is really an amazing thing to visualize. I am getting pumped up right now even talking about it with you all. See, I told you being in the right state of mind can be a great tool to stay on track.

Another way I keep myself in the right state of mind is, I constantly associate myself with positive sayings and quotes. That is why I have the "Quote of the Day" on the blog. A lot of the quotes I put up are things that I have heard throughout my life and that I think are positive and up lifting. And some of the other quotes I put up, are things I come with off the top of my head that go with the theme of that day's post. Anyway, constantly surrounding myself with great quotes / sayings helps me to focus and forces me to stay on the right path. For example, here is a quote that I use a lot, "Rome wasn't built in a day." Every time a think of this quote, it reminds me that I didn't gain the weight over night and I won't lose it over night as well. Losing weight is a long process that takes hard work and determination. Just like what the Romans used to build Rome. I hope these small tips can help you on track as well.

Please feel free to comment and share any tips you might have for keeping yourself mentally on track. It doesn't even have to be tips for losing weight.  You can also email them to me at - theheavymansdiary@gmail.com.

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man = 40 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - Egg whites on 2 slices of Weight Watchers whole wheat bread with a slice of fat free american cheese and a Weight Watchers blue berry muffin = Points 6
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 1 Weight Watchers mini carrot cake, 2 Weight Watchers chocolate chip cookies, 1 Weight Watchers mini chocolate cake, and 2 pears = Points 9
Early Afternoon - 1 serving of left over Old Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 5
Late Afternoon - 1 serving of left over Old Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 5
Dinner - 1 serving of whole wheat pasta with home made turkey meatballs (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 9
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers peanut butter ice cream bar = Points 3

Total Points Eaten Today = 37 points (3 points under my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I did my chest and bicep workout routines: Dumbbell Chest Press (4 sets x 8, 10, 12, 15 reps), Incline Smith Press (3 sets x 21, 15, 12 reps), Straight Bar Curls (4 sets x 8, 10, 12, 15 reps), Incline Cable Chest Flyes (3 sets x 15 reps), Incline Alternating Dumbbell Curls (4 sets x 12, 10, 8 ,6 reps), Low Pulley Hammer Curls (3 sets to failure). I also ran for 10 mins on the elliptical to warm up. Tomorrow I will be doing cardio and my core body workout.

Day #51 - Weigh-In = 272 lbs

Day #51 Weigh-In

Day #51 Front Shot

Day #50 - My Own Worst Critic

WOW...... I can't believe it is Day #50 already. It really feels like I started my mission just yesterday. I know I mention it all the time but I really could not have gotten this far if it wasn't for a very supportive family as well as a very supportive group of people like all of you. If I was left to do this all by myself, it would of ended up like every other time in the past. Brief, disappointing, and gaining more weight. In a lot of ways, I am definitely my own worst critic.

It is a great feeling when you hear from other people, "It looks like you lost weight"or if they throw a comment at you like, "You are looking great." That by itself can be an amazing confidence booster. Another form of motivation can come when you see your weight slowly decreasing as you step up on the scale. And of course it is always a good sign when your clothes start to fit you better. However, a very big part of how successful you can become with losing weight and getting healthier just so happens to be mental. What I mean by this is that you have to mentally buy into the fact that you are changing for the better. Everything that I mentioned before shows that I am doing things right to lose weight, but if I don't visually like what I see or if I have trouble visualizing what I can achieve then it will be a lot harder getting to my goal. Now, I am not saying that if I can't see it happening, it won't happen. I am just trying to say that in order to make the process easier, you have to believe in what you are doing on top of what is physically happening.

I have for, a long time, disliked the way I looked. I am over weight, I always look like I am sweating, and I am really out of shape. However, I mentioned briefly back on Day #23, since I have started this mission, I have learned to look at myself in a new light. I have a new found respect for myself. What has happened in the past is done. I had let myself get to the point where the only way I could possibly go was up. While I was shaving tonight, I was looking at myself in the mirror and I was liking what I was seeing. I am not the best looking guy in the world but I am definitely more better looking then I was 50 days ago. I have come a long way to be able to say that about myself. I may be my own worst critic, but I have been learning to look at myself in a different light and I can really visualize myself getting to my goal. Not only physically but mentally as well.

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man = 40 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - 2 Kellogg's Eggo Waffles nutri-grain low fat - whole wheat, with a cup of Dannon Light'n Fit Vanilla Yogurt, and a serving of fresh strawberries = Points 4
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 4 rice cakes and 1 Weight Watchers chocolate chip cookie = Points 5
Early Afternoon - 3 small pieces of Smith Field Teriyaki Pork Tenderloins, with a slice of melted fat free american cheese on top, and a large fresh apple = Points 12
Late Afternoon - 1 piece of grilled chicken with a slice of melted fat free american cheese and an apple = Points 6
Dinner - 1 serving of home made Chicken Pot Pie (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 5
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers Ice Cream Cone = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 34 Points (6 points under my daily limit) I was so busy today that I never even realized that I ended up 6 points under my daily limit until now. The funny thing is that I am satisfied and not hungry at all.

Exercise

Today I ran on the elliptical for 40 mins and I did a core body workout that consisted of: Dumbbell Side Crunches (2 sets x 20lbs for each side), Medicine Ball Sit Ups (2 sets x 20 reps with a 4lb ball), and Lying Leg Lifts (2 sets x 15 reps). Tomorrow I will be working out my Chest and Biceps.

Day #50 - Weigh-In = 272.4 lbs

Day #50 Weigh-In

Day #50 Front Shot

Day #50 Dinner
Old Fashion Chicken Pot Pie
(Weight Watchers Recipe)

Day #49 - There is Nothing Better Than Family

Today was a very special day. Today I traveled to see my mother for the first time in almost two months. The last time I saw her was on that unforgettable day when her and I got into that argument about my weight issues. That was the same day I received my second wake up call, when she called me up after our argument in tears telling me that she did not want me to die. She has been following the blog everyday and of course we have spoken on the phone since then but I have been really busy with work and traveling. I couldn't wait to see her reaction to my progress in person

As I walked through the door of her house, she had the biggest smile on her face. The first thing she said to me, as she gave me a hug was, "You look great!!" It was awesome to hear her say that. She has gone through a lot, watching me slowly gain weight and spiral out of shape. I really wanted to show her that her love and constant caring has helped me turn my life around. And of course I owe a big part of that to all of you as well!!! Anyway, my mother cooked an amazing healthy meal tonight for dinner. She also took the time today to purchase fruit and vegetables from the farmers marketing in her town for my fiancee and I to take home with us. Like I just mentioned before, she follows the blog everyday and I personally think she takes notes and jumps at the opportunity to help me in any way she can. I can't tell you how great it feels to be surrounded with great people in my life. I have an amazing family and of course and amazing support group around me.

Before we left for my mother's house this morning, I wanted to make sure that I stayed on track according to the new meal and workout structures I developed last Sunday. They seemed to have worked this past week because I managed to lose over 2 1/2 lbs. By losing over 2 lbs, I brought my totally weight loss to 30 lbs since the start of my mission!!! See, I told you hard work and being patient pays off. Let's keep it going!!! Anyway, determined to stick to the new structures, I went to the gym as soon as I woke up. Then I came home, ate breakfast, and went straight to the food store to stock up on what was needed for the meals of this week. It was my fiance's turn to pick the meals and I am excited with what she has picked. When all is said and done, today was a great day. I saw my mother for the first time since I started my mission, I had a great workout this morning, and I am prepared to hit the ground running this week with my meals and my workout routine all set. I am pumped, bring on Monday!!!!

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 40 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - 1 serving of home made breakfast pizza that consisted of: egg whites, fat free cedar cheese, lean ham, and whole wheat pizza dough (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 5
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 1 large apple, 1 cup of sliced watermelon, 2 Weight Watchers mini carrot cakes, 1 Weight Watchers chocolate chip cookie, 1 Weight Watchers chocolate brownie, and 1 Weight Watchers Ice Cream Cone = Points 11
Early Afternoon - 2 slices of white american cheese on a medium whole wheat tortilla = Points 4
Dinner - 2 pieces of grilled chicken, 1 serving of broccoli, and 1 serving of mini white potatoes = Points 7
Dessert - 3 whole wheat Ego Nutrigrain waffles, with a cup of vanilla Light'n Fit yogurt, and a serving of fresh strawberries (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 6

Total Points Eaten Today = 33 Points (7 points under my daily limit) I can't believe I ate only 33 points today, it feels like I ate a ton of food!

Exercise

Today's workout routine consisted of: Leg Press (4 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps), Leg Extensions (3 sets x 8, 10, 12 reps), Leg Curls (3 sets x 8, 10, 12 reps), Military Press (4 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps), Dumbbell Lateral Raise (3 sets x 8, 10, 12 reps), Front Plate Raises (3 sets x 10, 12, 15 reps), Calve Raises (3 sets of 10lbs to failure), and Reverse Flyes (3 sets x 15 reps). Tomorrow I will be doing cardio and my core body workout.

Day #49 - Weigh-In = 272.8 lbs

Day #49 Weigh-In

Day #49 Front Shot