November 22 - Lifestyle Change

OK - well I'll tell you this. It has been quite an adventure the past 4 months with finding workouts that work for me, eating plans, etc... and I am not yet done. My fitness goals are not met yet. I am still enjoying the compliments I'm getting though from the changes I have made. So keep those coming! lol It doesn't inflate the ego, but it does keep me motivated.

Someone asked me the other day, so what is your next routine (P90X by the way) and how long will you do that? (90 days for starters!). Then they said something interesting... "well, at least after that you'll be done". Done with what? Getting up before 5AM to workout everyday? Being more careful of what I eat & drink? Nearly eliminating my soda & alcohol intake? Does that mean I'll be able to start snacking and watching TV after the kids go to bed (8PM) every night? NO.

That's when it occurred to me. What I HAVE CHOSEN is a lifestyle change. I CHOSE that I wanted to be healthier. Look better. Fit better into my clothes. Make healthier choices for me and my children. Be someone that my children can look up to and not be embarrassed of their over-weight, out of shape father.

What does that mean exactly??? It means I'm going to continue to get up and do something nearly every day to stay fit. It means I'm going to continue to be more selective about my food/drink choices. It is something that is going to have to continue for the rest of my life... hence the "lifestyle change".

Do I like to get up before 5AM to exercise? NOPE. Do I like to exercise at all? Not really. Do I like NOT snacking? Egh... yeah, sometimes actually. lol Do I miss ordering a ton of snacky/appetizer foods and sitting my fat ass on the couch and just watching TV all day? YES I DO. The problem with that though is that there were too many of those days and not enough better choices to off-set it. Some people ask me "Do you miss the 'Dew". I'm notorious for my love of Mountain Dew. Actually, I don't. I mean there are times where I just want a damn Mtn Dew and I have one. For the most part though, no - I don't and I do typically now just limit it to one. Is the greatest drink ever made to man Water? LOL Seriously? No. It's good for you, it has no calories and as long as it's cold I'll drink it, but it wouldn't be my favorite drink by a long shot. lol

What I do like (LOVE actually), is the way I feel after I workout. I love feeling the blood flowing through my body. The renewed energy in my mind & body. I feel so much more alert. I certainly have a lot more confidence. I'm not going to lie... I do like the "pumped up" look. lol Not to mention being looked at by your wife and reminded that not only does she still find you physically attractive, but you look even more attractive to her than when you first met! I like being able to help people, it is usually at the expense of time with my family, but I do sincerely like being part of a solution. A lot of the help I have provided for people in the past has been an extra set of hands for physical labor. Labor that would leave me exhausted and useless for the next day or even longer. I can't say that I really get that way now. I can go help someone for the day, bust my ass, work up a ridiculous sweat, be physically tired - but still have energy to play with my children before bed. Still have energy to complete my day before I go to bed and re-energize my body. The next day, yeah I might be a little sore, but I can still get up and do my exercise and still have plenty of energy for everything I want to do. To me, that is pretty awesome. Maybe because it is a feeling I haven't had in such a long time? Something I haven't had since I was a teenager, but I have it now and I love it.

So in short, if you are "choosing" to workout/exercise, whatever you want to call it. Ask yourself some tough questions. What is the point? Why are you doing this? When can you stop? Your answers may just tell you that you have chosen a lifestyle change, one that will hopefully give you the feeling of satisfaction & reward you for the rest of your life.

A little update on my progress by the way: I'm only down about 12 lbs (started at 202 and down to about 190). I've got a minimum of 15 lbs more to go. Ideally though I'd like to get to around 170 lbs (longer term). I used to force myself into size 36 waist jeans & dress clothes. EXTREMELY uncomfortable. In reality I should have been in 38s or 40s. I'm now comfortably fitting into 34s. I want to get back to my size 32s. Again, a longer term goal. I've all but stopped wearing XL shirts. They hang off me and don't fit very well. They certainly don't show the results of my efforts. It's nice to be back into size large shirts. I dont' anticipate going smaller there. That is one clothes item that will likely stay at it's current size. lol That and my socks. lol It's a tough journey. Being healthy is not something that comes natural when you have lived an unhealthier lifestyle for so long. It can be tough, but it is very rewarding.

Wish me luck over Thanksgiving because it is my most favorite food holiday of the year!! lol

November 14

No idea what my exact weight is right now. I can say I weighed myself on Sunday (after a big night out with the wife on Saturday) and it wasn't good. I was up a solid 3 lbs. Serves me right. Time to get my ass back on track. I've got even more ground to reclaim now to get under 190. UGH. Work hard and shoot myself in the foot. That seems to be my motto. lol

Had a good workout this morning though and looking for another tomorrow. We'll go from there.

November 5 - weigh in

Weighed in this morning after everyone got up. With my shirt and glasses on 192.6 lbs. Without them on, 191.8 lbs. That is how I typically weigh myself (just in my boxers) so I'm sticking with the lower number. Psyched I have finally lost that first 10 lbs. The eating right is such a HUGE deal. I can't believe it.

November 5

Alrighty, kudos to me for going the whole week without giving in to Halloween candy. Yes, that is right. Not a single piece of candy.

It wasn't a perfect week by any stretch though. Monday night we had Cape Cod Cafe pizza and I had 6 pieces. Had another 4 for lunch the following day. Then on top of that went out to the Bruins game and we ate in the North End. I had steak, garlic mashed & asparagus. It was yummy. Oh and a couple of beers too. Then back at the luxury box I had more pizza, chicken fingers & buffalo wings. FAIL for me. The rest of the week I was pretty good with the exception of Thursday night when I had ice cream at 8PM. It was a relatively small bowl though.

I did ALL my workouts this week!! It's a Christmas frickin miracle! Gotta get ready for that P90X.

Speaking of which... I had ordered some Iron Gym complete workout set that came with a pull up bar. Got it. The pull up bar won't do. It just won't work for my workouts. Switching over to a new pull up bar. Now I just need to finish a spot in the basement where I can use it. lol

No idea what I weigh right now, but I know on Friday morning I was 193. Not too shabby. Again, a new low for me. First time in sometime I've seen that number. I was pretty good with my eating on Friday too. No Friday morning fatty breakfast. I just did my protein shake before work, had an apple when everyone else chowed. My chili for lunch. A granola bar, apple and some goldfish for afternoon snacks. Dinner was a yummy stuffed chicken (spinach, cheese & prociutto), pasta & peas. Nothing but water to drink.

It'll be interesting to see what I weigh this morning after everyone gets up. I'd love to be less than 193, but that probably won't happen. Even if I stay at 193 it will be somewhat of a mental victory.

OK - time to end the post. I'm tired!!

November 1

OK - well continuing to do the workouts. Last night was Halloween and I have yet to give into the temptation of the candy. Actually we had 4 left-over bags of candy (someone either over-purchased or was a little skimpy handing them out. lol). Christie and I each brought 2 bags to our work so other people who want it can eat it. We are all set.

Got up and did my workout this morning (still P90 level 3-4 strength). I've been feeling like I'm in a bit of a rut. I have been using the same weights now for about a month. Maybe longer. So this morning for somethings (like biceps) I switched to the resistance bands. I can create my own tension there and it felt really good. Different for sure, but good.

There is no question that I am stronger. NO QUESTION. I can feel it. I can see it too. I can see my arms are bigger and more defined. My shoulders, chest. Even my legs are starting to tone up. I can feel my lat muscles. Yeah, I know... they are actually there! lol It's the mid-section that is killing me. My issue there is one of nutrition and routine. Routine wise, I am simply not doing enough abs in my workout. I'm relying on the other elements of my workout to work them. In reality I need to do a dedicated workout for them at least 3 times a week.

Nutrition. It has been a struggle for me. I'm consciously trying. However last night when they brought over Cape Cod Cafe Pizza (MY favorite) I didn't do so well eating 6 slices of pepperoni. lol After I felt really bloated and fat. I don't like that feeling. That being said, we bought and paid for it so I've got 6 pieces with me today. I'll eat 3 today for lunch and 3 tomorrow for lunch. Try and make better decisions for dinner and snacks and continue to workout. Hopefully that will off-set it. That's my hope anyway. It isn't easy giving up the things you love to eat. Especially when it is so readily available. However for at least now, it has to be done. It HAS to be done. The bigger picture is at stake. The ultimate goal. Hit my target weight and be in the best shape of my life by the time I reach 40. I'm not there yet, so until I do get there I need to continue to make better food choices and work out as hard as I can when it comes time to do that (sadly at 4:45Am).

I've got about 3 weeks before I start P90X. There is some work I need to do in preparation for it. I must make some modifications to my basement so I can use the pull-up bar in a doorway. It's not a ton of work, but it's extra work. My goal is to complete that routine. Continue with my nutrition (if not get even better with it) and have the most fit body I've had in my life. Some people may not understand and I'm cool with that. At times I'm not so sure why it is so important to me. Then I look at my kids and see the strength I have for when I play with them. My 2 yr old who didn't want to walk the neighborhood for trick or treating last night. Well I had to carry her around to about 15 houses. Thinking back, it was easy. I wasn't tired from doing it. I wasn't winded when running with her in my arms to catch up to the other kids. That is a HUGE change from where I was 3 months ago. I like the way I feel. I'm liking the way I look. I'm liking the way my clothes fit (not there yet, but getting there). I want that stuff to continue. I want to comfortably fit back into 32 waist jeans. I want to be a positive example my kids can follow. So for that, I just keep getting up at ridiculous hours and pushing play and doing the workout. It ain't easy... but it must be done.