Day #166 - Learning to Understand My Body

I woke up this morning, curious as to what I would be weighing in at. I wasn't thinking about my weight because I was worried about if I weighed more or less than yesterday. I was curious to see if my weigh-in prediction was going to be correct. Before I get into the morning's results, let me explain to you all why I was thinking about this.

Last night, as you all know, was the first time I lifted weights since last week. This was because I was battling a nasty cold as well as a pain in my lower back. So I was sidelined, to some extent, the past few days. However, before I went to bed last night, I made a prediction that I was going to weigh-in more this morning than I did yesterday morning. And when I say more, I mean around a pound, not several. I made this prediction because over the past few months, since the start of this mission, I have learned the many different patterns my body goes through when pertaining to weight loss. It was funny because after I made that prediction last night, I woke up this morning and weighed in at 232.8 lbs. Which is 1.4 lbs heavier than I weighed in yesterday morning, even after averaging in the 231 lbs range the last few days. And the cool thing about this reality, is that I am not even upset. Because as far as I am concerned, I am still at 70 lbs of fat mass lost for the mission. I can't help it if my body gains any muscle due to exercising. And I knew I was going to gain this weight because I shocked my body after not being able to lift weights for the last few days. And we all know, that muscle weighs more than fat.

I think it is amazing that I can tell when I should gain weight and when I should be able to lose it. I also know by now, with out having to do any research, what foods will make my stomach hurt and what foods won't. I even know what exercises will be more affective on my body, as opposed to which ones won't. And then there are even some times when my body will surprise me, when I lose more weight then I normally do during the course of a week. I think my new friend Teresa said it best, when she commented on my post yesterday. "Don't you feel like you are better able to tune into what your body actually needs now?" After being able to predict that I will be weighing in more today than yesterday, I think the answer is yes. Because even though I gained weight, it was a good type of weight to gain. And I knew that I needed to weight lift yesterday because I could actually feel the difference in my body, not being able to do weights the last few days. And believe or not, I feel more awake and physically better after yesterday's workout. Even my back felt better because I was able to stretch out the muscles that were giving me problems.

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 36 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's Points System)

Breakfast - Egg whites on a whole wheat bagel with a slice of american cheese = Points 9
Early Afternoon - Grilled chicken on a roll with a slice of american cheese, lettuce, and a serving of baked chips = Points 13
Late Afternoon - 2 slices of Weight Watcher's whole wheat bread with 2 slices of Weight Watcher's american cheese = Points 3
Dinner - Chicken and Broccoli with a serving of brown rice = Points 11

Total Points Eaten Today = 36 Points

Exercise

Today I ran on the treadmill for 35 mins. My back feels a lot better. Tomorrow I will be executing the weight lifting portion of my workout routine.

Day #166 - Weigh-In = 232.8 lbs

Day #166 Weigh-In

Day #166 Front Shot

Day #165 - Travel Series Part 11c - "Back" to Normal

Today's post is going to be short, sweet, and up early again for the second day in a row. I started traveling from Charlotte to home at 3:00am this morning. And on top of traveling today, I went straight to the office from the airport, when I landed in New York. So you can only imagine how tired I am. However, I do have some good news for everyone today. I weighed-in again in the 231 lbs range this morning! Also, my back is feeling a lot better today than it did yesterday.

Like I mentioned before, I woke up this morning at 3:00am to travel back to Charlotte from Greensboro, NC to catch a 7:00am flight. And when I woke up, I was still feeling a little pain in my lower back. So I made sure to keep up with the Advil, every 4-6 hours, as well as attaching the Icy Hot Patch to my back. By the time I arrived back to the office, I was tired, hungry, and very anxious to get home. But my back was feeling better. After spending 2 hours in the office, I packed up and went home because I couldn't focus any more. While driving home, I was debating on whether I should do the treadmill again today or I should get back to weight lifting. I haven't been able to lift weights since late last week and I was chomping at the bit to get back to my weight lifting routine. So I decided that I would start out with lifting some light weights and if I was feeling good, then I would gradually move up. Let me tell you, as soon as I was done executing my pre-lifting stretches, my back was feeling pretty good. My back was feeling so good, that I managed to execute my full weight lifting routine without any pain at all. I guess my back problem had to do with tight muscles after all. To be on the safe side, I am still going to take Advil before I sleep tonight as well as using the last of my Icy Hot Patches. I think I will be "back" to my normal self tomorrow.

I am proud of myself for taking the necessary steps to get back to full health. If this would of happened to me in the past, before I started my mission, I would of used this situation as an excuse to stop working out all together. But not this time. Even though I was in pain, I still managed to get some sort of cardio in everyday. Well, I am off to sleep, talk to you all tomorrow!

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 36 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's Points System)

*I ate healthy the entire day, while I was traveling, except for one meal. Well, maybe I should say one portion of a meal today. I was so hungry today when I arrived back at the office, that I decided to order a serving of Cream of Chicken Soup with my Turkey sandwich. I really don't know how many points the soup calculated out to because I don't know what is in it. So today was a cheat meal day in my book, even though it was just one thing.

Breakfast - 2 small apples and a whole wheat bagel with 1 slice of american cheese
Snacks During the Day - 2 Kashi Bars and 1 serving of Pita Chips
Lunch - Turkey and american cheese sandwich on a whole wheat sub roll, with a side of baked chips, and a serving of Cream of Chicken soup
Dinner - 2 grilled cheese sandwiches (All Weight Watcher's Ingredients) with a serving of baked chips

Exercise

Today I executed the weight lifting portion of my workout routine: Dumbbell Press on Stability Ball, Alternating Single Arm Pull Downs, and Alternating Single Leg Press (4 sets of each x 15 reps each), Push Ups on Half Ball, Lateral Raises on Half Ball, and Triceps Kick Backs with Band (4 sets of each x 15 reps each), Alternating Single Arm Rows, Alternating Front Raises, and Alternating Single Leg Ext (4 sets of each x 15 reps each), and Planks, Alternating Dumbbell Curls (4 sets of each x 15 reps each). Tomorrow I will be doing cardio.

Day #165 - Weigh-In = 231.4 lbs

Day #165 Weigh-In

Day #165 Front Shot

Day #164 - Travel Series Part 11b - Making the Best Out of the Situation

This morning was the second day in a row that I weighed in under 232 lbs! I am going to give it one more day, at under 232 lbs, before I scratch that goal off the "Small Goals" section. And then my focus will be about pushing forward into a weight range that I have not been in for a very long time. Every time I think about the potential of breaking into the 220 lbs range, it puts a big smile on my face. And then my mind starts thinking about what I will be weighing and looking like by the time my wedding is here. All I have to say is, 9 months is a long time and a lot could happen between now and then. But it is my job to make sure that everything that does happen is on the positive side. Can't you tell that I pumped up right now!

Anyway, my back did not feel any better this morning when I woke up. I don't know if it is a muscle problem or if I did something else to it. But all I know is that it hurts. My friend, the personal trainer, explained to me that it might be because I was using muscles, playing basketball the other night, that I have not used in a while. In a way, I understand what he is saying. But on the other hand, I have been conducting total body workouts for the last few months now and I don't understand why my lower back is acting up now. Regardless, it has happened and now I have to find a way to deal with it.

Well working out at 100% is not an option right now because it hurts to do so and I don't want to risk making the problem worse. However, I don't want to just surrender to the situation and not try to do anything as far as exercising. So, for the second day in a row, I decided to do some light cardio. I walked on the treadmill, at the hotel, for 35 mins. Any exercise is better then no exercise. And I ended up sweating in the process as well, so I obviously did something that was effective. I also took a trip to the store today to purchase Advil and a pack of the Icy Hot Medicated Patches. Let me tell you, those patches work wonders on on my back. I know my back will heal with time but hopefully the medicine will help me feel a little more comfortable when I travel back home tomorrow.

Today's post is up earlier than usual because I have to wake up at 3:00am EST to drive back to Charlotte for my flight, that takes off at 7:00am. So I need to get to sleep soon, in order to be awake enough to make that early 2 hour drive. At least I am home before the weekend starts!! Talk to you all tomorrow!

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 36 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's Points System)

Breakfast - 2 servings of 99% fat free yogurt = Points 4
Snacks During the Day -  1 small apple = Points 1
Lunch - 1 foot long Chicken Teriyaki sub on whole wheat bread with 2 slices of american cheese and a serving of baked chips and apple slices (Subway) = Points 18
Dinner - (1) 6" Double Stuffed Cheese Steak sub on whole wheat bread with 2 slices of american cheese, a serving of BBQ baked chips, and apples slices = Points 14

Total Points Eaten Today = 37 Points (1 point over my daily limit)

Exercise

It is day #2 of my aching lower back problem. I did not do anything to straining today because I can't really bend over much to pick anything up. I did manage to walk on the treadmill for 35 mins though.

Day #164 - Weigh-In = 231.0 lbs

Day #164 Weigh-In



Day #164 Front Shot





Day #163 - The Heavy Man, Travel Series Part 11a - The Good and The Bad

When I started this mission, I knew that I was going to experience some good times and some bad times. The same can be said with basically everything in life. If everything was easy, we would all be doing it. Unfortunately, I have been experiencing some of those bad times for the last few days. Well, I wouldn't say everything about the last few days was bad. I have been eating great and I have exercised when I can. I am talking more about my health the last few days, has been a little under the weather. It all started last Thursday when I developed a pretty nasty cold. It took me the entire weekend of resting and pumping my body full of medicine to get over the cold. Yesterday I was finally feeling better until I decided to try playing basketball, for the first time in about 6 months. And let's just say that experience didn't go so well. I ended hurting my lower back and now I am having trouble sitting or standing for long periods of time without having some sort of pain. Which did cause some discomfort while I was sitting in my seat during my flight to Charlotte, NC this evening. Of course this also throws a little road bump into my daily workout routine. I don't want to do anything to cause more pain or set me back for a longer period of time. So I decided to take it easy today for my workout. I ended up riding the stationary bike at the hotel gym for about 15 minutes and then I walked on the treadmill for another 15 minutes. I hope that my back feels better tomorrow.

Anyway, let me get to the good part for the day. This morning when I woke up, I walked to the living room and stepped up onto my trusty scale. And when I looked down, 231.8 lbs was displayed on the screen. I think we all know what this number signifies. My friends, I have officially lost 70 lbs since the start of my mission so far! Now barring any weight fluctuation from now until tomorrow morning, I am proud to say that I have officially accomplished another small goal. Hopefully everything will stay the same and I can replace that goal with another small goal tomorrow! Even though I have had a rough few days, with having a cold and hurting my back, I still ate healthy and exercised as much as my body allowed me too. And I still ended up with a positive result this morning. On to the next goal!

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 36 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's Points System)

Breakfast - 4 Eggo nutrigrain waffles = Points 4
Early Afternoon - Grilled chicken sandwich with a slice of american cheese on a multigrain roll and a serving of baked chips = Points 12
Late Afternoon - Turkey and Cranberry Sauce sandwich with a serving of peanut butter and crackers = Points 10
Dinner - (1) 6" Turkey sub on whole wheat bread with a slice of american cheese and a serving of baked chips = Points 9

Total Points Eaten Today = 35 Points (1 point under my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I did 15 minutes of cardio on the bike and then 15 minutes of cardio on the treadmill at the hotel gym. I hope I can do a little more tomorrow if my back is feeling better.

Day #163 - Weigh-In = 231.8 lbs

Day #163 Weigh-In

Day #163 Front Shot

Day #162 - A Not So Productive Workout

I had every intention to execute my weight lifting routine today. However, I developed the urge to play basketball tonight instead. While at work today, a couple of my co-workers had brought up the conversation on how the NBA was shaping up so far this season. And by over hearing this conversation, it brought back some memories of myself playing basketball all the time, when I actually had the time to. I have been traveling a lot the last couple of years and that has caused me to not play as much any more. I actually used to play every Monday night and Sunday morning all through college. And I was pretty good, if I do say so myself.  However, the last time I was able to play was over 6 months ago.

So I spent a good portion my lunch time trying figure out if I should weight lift, like planned, or if I should go and play basketball instead. After thinking about it for a little bit, I came to the conclusion that I wanted try my luck tonight on the court. It is still a form of exercise, so it was not like I wasn't going to get a workout in today.  However, I haven't played in a while so I knew I was going to be a little rusty. I just wasn't prepared for how rusty I actually was.

I arrived at the court a little early, so I could stretch and properly warm up to play. The last thing I wanted to do was to pull a muscle or worse, embarrass myself in front of everyone I used to play with on a weekly basis. As soon as the first game started, I noticed that it was a little bit of a struggle to get up and down the court. It is a lot easier to run in a straight line but the game of basketball requires a lot of stop and go movements, which can get tiring very fast. I was breaking a sweat about 2 minutes into my first game. However the string of events that happened next, are what has caused me to realize just how rusty I actually was. First, while my team was on defense, a player from the other team went to go make a pass and threw it right at my head and I was a little slow to react. Second, right after that pass hit me, the player I was guarding got the ball as it deflected off of me. I went for the steal and some how ended up in back of him, where he then proceed to push his head back and hit me square in the nose. I immediately started to bleed and I had  little trouble seeing at first as everything went blurry for a second. After the blood had stopped, I wanted to continue because the game still wasn't over. A few plays later, is where the night had ended for me. While running down the court, I planted my foot and I tired to make a turn. As soon as I pushed off, a sharp pain went shooting into my lower back. I don't know exactly what happened but it left me limping out the door after my second game was over. I think it might have been safer for me to lift weights tonight.

Looking on the bright side, I did managed to get a 40 min cardio workout in tonight. However, my lower back is extremely sore and I hope it doesn't affect my workouts for the rest of this week. I think some aspirin and a good night sleep my help to reduce the pain. Maybe I should stick to running and weight lifting for now.

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 36 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's Points System)

Breakfast - 4 Eggo nutrigrain waffles = Points 4
Snacks During the Day - 1 serving of baked tostitos, 2 pears, 1 serving of mini rice cakes, and 1/2 serving of baked chips = Points 7
Early Afternoon - 1 serving of homemade Beef and Vegetable Cheese Casserole = Points 7
Late Afternoon - 1 serving of homemade Beef and Vegetable Cheese Casserole = Points 7
Dinner - 2 Boca veggie burgers on a piece of Weight Watcher's flat rye bread, with 2 slices of Weight Watcher's american cheese, and a serving of baked chips = Points 9
Dessert - 1 Weight Watcher's ice cream cup = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 36 Points

Exercise

Today I decided to play basketball instead of lifting weights. I think that was a mistake because I was hit twice in the face (once I ended up with a bloody nose) and I also ended up hurting my lower back. I will definitely be back in the gym tomorrow.

Day #162 - Weigh-In = 232.8 lbs

Day #162 Weigh-In



Day #162 Front Shot





Day #161 - Feeling Better and Ready For the Week

I would like to thank everyone for sending me the "Get Well" wishes today. It meant a lot and I appreciate it. I did wake up this morning feeling better then I have been the past few days. I am sure that taking some night time medicine, on top of getting almost 10 hours of sleep, helped with the process. I am not quite at 100% yet but I think will get there soon. I think everyone was right about me taking some time yesterday to rest, as being good move.

Even though I did not make it to the gym yesterday, I still managed to eat healthy the entire day. Which probably lead to me weighing in this morning in the 232 lbs range again. Well, my weight was 232.6 lbs to be exact. I had weighed in at 232.4 lbs on Friday and then I weighed in at 233.8 lbs yesterday. I hope that I end up breaking through the 232 lbs range tomorrow, projecting me right into the 70 lbs lost mark for the first time during the mission. If you had told me when I was 302 lbs, a little over 5 months ago, that I would be 70 lbs lighter, I would have laughed for sure. But that moment is almost here and I am so anxious to get there! I was actually imagining myself weighing in the 200 lbs range last night. If I am able to accomplish 70 lbs lost, just imagine what I can accomplish if I keep focused from now until my wedding day. And why stop at my wedding day, this is a lifetime commitment. I think the possibilities for my ultimate health are endless.

To end on another good note tonight, I was feeling better today, so I decided that I should get back into the gym. And it felt great doing so! I know I said yesterday that I was going to be weight lifting today. But I ended up running for a good 35 minutes instead. I can tell that I am starting to feel like myself again but I didn't think I had enough energy for weight lifting quite yet. Tomorrow, I think, will be a different story.

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 36 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Early Afternoon - 2 grilled cheese sandwiches (All Weight Watcher's Ingredients) with a serving of baked chips = Points 7
Snacks During the Day - 1 Weight Watchers ice cream cup, 1 pear, 1 serving of mini rice cakes, and 1 serving of baked tostitos = Points 8
Late Afternoon - 1 Boca veggie burger, with a slice of Weight Watchers american cheese, on a piece of Weight Watcher's flat rye bread, with a serving of egg noodles, and 3 reduced fat crescent rolls = Points 11
Dinner - 1 serving of homemade Beef and Vegetable Cheese Casserole (Weight Watcher's Recipe) = Points 7
Dessert - 1 Weight Watcher's ice cream cup = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 35 Points (1 point under my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I ran for 35 mins on the treadmill. Tomorrow I will be executing the weight lifting portion of my workout routine.

Day #161 - Weigh-In = 232.6 lbs

Day #161 Weigh-In



Day #161 Front Shot





Day #160 - Resting Up to Fight This Cold

I woke up this morning again, still feeling sick. This is the third day in a row that I have felt this way and every one of those days I have pushed myself to do more and more. Today on the other hand, was a different story. I think I might be trying to do to much and I am not letting myself rest enough, to try and kick this cold in the butt. So I decided that I was going to take a break from everything today and to stay at home to rest. Of course it was hard to rest the last few days because I was in the office and trying to get work done. And on top of that, I dragged myself to the gym every night. But I really can't think of any other reasons why I am still feeling like crap. So the only thing I was conscious of doing today was eating healthy and I took my medicine every six hours. I am hoping that this strategy will be enough to nurse me back to health before I take off for my next business trip on Tuesday.

Another objective I made sure to follow through with this morning was weighing myself in, like usual. And unfortunately my friends, the constant battle with weight fluctuation showed its ugly face yet again today. This morning I weighed in at 233.8 lbs, which just so happens to be 1.4 lbs more then I weighed it at yesterday morning. To tell you the truth, this little spike in weight doesn't really surprise me. Especially since my last official weigh-in (Saturday, Oct 30) was 238.2 lbs. So it is obvious that I have lost a little over 4 lbs since last Saturday. And by now, we all know that a healthy weight loss rate per week is 1-2 lbs. So I think it is only natural that my body is leveling out or maybe it is due to something else, I really don't know. Regardless, the weight loss is still happening and I am just going to have to wait a little longer until I achieve my current goal of reaching 232 lbs. Whether it happens tomorrow or in the near future, I can guarantee it is going to happen! I hope I am finally feeling better by tomorrow, so I can get back to the grind in full force.

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 36 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watcher's Points System)

Breakfast - 4 Eggo nutrigrain waffles and 1 serving of egg whites on a flour wrap with a slice of american cheese = Points 11
Snacks During the Day - 1 serving of mini rice cakes, 1 serving of baked tostitos, 1 Weight Watchers ice cream cup, and 1 pear = Points 7
Lunch - 2 Boca veggie burgers on a piece of Weight Watcher's flat rye bread with 2 slices of Weight Watcher's american cheese and a side of baked chips = Points 9
Dinner - 1 serving of homemade Beef Stroganoff (Weight Watcher's Recipe) = Points 9
Dessert - 1 Weight Watcher's ice cream cup = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 38 Points (2 points over my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I stayed home the entire day, trying to rest to get rid of my nasty cold. Tomorrow I will be executing the weight lifting portion of my workout routine.

Day #160 - Weigh-In = 233.8 lbs

Day #160 Weigh-In



Day #160 Front Shot