Monday, May 31, 2010

Milestone Weigh In!

Having lost 2 pounds last week after multiple consecutive weeks of 4 pounds or more I didn't know what to expect today. I changed nothing in my diet and exercise over the last 6 weeks including this week except for a couple of days of swimming in a friends pool.

This week I lost 5 pounds! A nice round number that gets my total weight loss so far to the 50 pound mile stone! I am half way to 100 pounds, and I am 10 pounds away from the 50% mark of my 120 pound weight loss goal.

I've been riding my bike about 4 to 5 hours per week. I'd say half the time I ride steady and easy and the other half I am pushing hard. I have some weights but I haven't been doing any exercises with them. Thats something I am going to incorporate into my regime soon. Now that the weather is nice I can hopefully get some exercise outside in the fresh air too. Still considering getting an outside bike.

March weigh ins total : 14 pounds lost
April weigh ins total : 17 pounds lost
May weigh ins total : 19 pounds lost

Twelve week total : 50 pounds lost!!

Friday, May 28, 2010

A Day of BBQ and Sewing...

Weird title to todays post but that is what I did today.

If you read my last post you will know that I broke one of the pedal straps on my spinning bike. I fixed it today and that is where the sewing came in.

I should have taken a before picture. Anyways, the first picture is a close up of what I did and the second picture is a further out look of the entire strap. I stitched the two ends together and then wrapped the red material (nylon/mix/?) around it and used a sewing machine with a strong thread to make it one whole piece again. It feels nice and strong and has survived one calorie terminator bike ride... so far so good! Total repair cost $0.00.!





Hey, I told you I was industrious didn't I.

Then later I did some grilling. Some large, bone in, chicken breasts Cajun Hickory style! And some colorful roasted peppers!





That's right ladies, I can cook and sew! Guys I am a still a man, don't make me fight you!

The Double MM

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Oh No.....Broken Bike...

I went to get on the old trusty bike today. Just as I started pedaling something didn't feel right. One of the straps that hold your feet in the pedals broke. Damn it! It's just a strap so not that big a deal but I'm having trouble finding a replacement without having to purchase the entire pedal.

Oh well, I am industrious so I'll probably end up making my own workaround.

Kind of sucks because I was getting all geared up to ride before work and then I couldn't.

My calorie furnaces were all like: "YEAH LETS DO THIS!.....WAIT???...WHAT????.....F@$*!!!"

and I was all like: "I know..... sigh..."

Actually I could still ride the bike without the strap but it's not the same. I like to push down and pull up during the cycle rotation so I need my feet strapped in.

I know one thing for sure.. I've got to get this remedied fast before I get anymore fidgety from the lack of physical exertion. Wish me luck.

MM

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Golf!


It is one of my passions. Since the weather seems to have finally turned to the warm side I've been out a couple of times so far this season. One big thing I notice is I can swing a golf club much more freely since I don't have quite as large of a belly to get in the way as compared to last season.

It's nice to be able to walk the course and feel strong from the first hole to the last instead of progressively getting slower and more tired. I've never like using a golf cart, I prefer to walk the course with my golf bag on a push cart.

I brought a pedometer with me on the course to see how many steps I take in a round of golf at the course I play most often. Just over 10,000 steps! Wow didn't think it would be that many.

I don't think golf is a really good exercise. It is exercise but for the amount of time it eats up it's not a very good use of workout time. So golf for me is a mental break. I love being out on the course with friends on a nice day. The fresh air, the quiet, the gentlemanly etiquette coupled with some good natured ribbing handed down from the Amigos when a shot is completely muffed.

I wish I had more spare time for it. I also wish I was a lot better at it. It is so satisfying when you hit a really great shot.

My golf wardrobe desperately needs updating. I've been playing in 4XL shirts. They are way to baggy right now. It's nice and loose for the swing but it does not look good.

Monday, May 24, 2010

The Streak is Over

After losing at least 4 pounds each of the last 7 weeks the streak is over. Todays weigh in showed a loss of 2 pounds.

I am not unhappy in the least by the 2 pounds. If I'm losing I'm winning.

I've been waiting for my weight loss to slow down/plateau and have a new phase of exercise and intensity planned out for when it happens. For now I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing until I only lose 2 pounds total over a period of 2 weeks.

So next week will be just like last week and the week before that until I stop getting results.

I am 2 pounds closer to my goal!

MM

Friday, May 21, 2010

Someone Noticed!


I had a really neat experience today when I ran into a friend that I haven't seen since around January at the grocery store.

Heres how the conversation started:

Marcus: "Hey Janet hows it going?"

Janet: "Marcus!... You've lost weight!"

Marcus: "Um..ahh.. I don't know.. maybe a little"

Janet: "Don't bullshit me Marcus, you've lost quite a bit of weight."

And the conversation continued from there as we wandered around the store together.


I was so taken aback by the way she exclaimed: "Marcus!... You've lost weight!" She said it instantly and with such gusto. She never did say hello. As we talked I could see her scanning over me, kind of like she was distracted from the conversation as she measured me up.

She started looking at all the healthy stuff in my shopping cart. It's hard to play dumb about your weight loss when you have a shopping cart full of things like egg whites, spinach and cottage cheese. She said something like : "All right buddy the jig is up, look at all these vegetables you are buying" Ha ha..... We laughed and I told her about my lifestyle over the last 10 weeks and how much weight I've lost, blah, blah, blah...

It felt really, really, really nice to have someone notice like she did. Thats the highlight of this journey up to this point for me. I just about floated out of that grocery store because I felt so good.

MM

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Getting Angry with Myself ?

It seems a little silly but lately I've been getting a little angry with my success up until this point. This may seem a little confusing so bare with me here a second while I try to explain this.

I am totally thrilled with what I have accomplished up this point. I've applied all the common sense I have and all the tidbits of information that I've learned over the years from reading into this endeavor to lose weight and be healthy. So far it is working beyond my expectations, 43 pounds lost in 10 weeks, this truly makes me ecstatic.

So where does the anger come from? It comes from the thought :"Why did I wait so long to do this?"

I'm sure many who read this can relate to the daily unhappiness of being overweight. Everyday I would wake up and think about it. Self conscious at every turn in life about what others are thinking of me, saying behind my back. The sound of a snicker as I passed a group of people immediately registered in my brain that they were laughing at my fat ass. Feeling physically and emotionally unwell. I put on a brave face and socially found my way into a great circle of friends but I was always miserable on the inside.

So since it's obvious to me now that I know how to deal with this weight problem, that it's not impossible, that I have the knowledge and the drive to be successful the thing the irks me is that I didn't do this for myself 10 years ago.

My message to anyone who reads this post is to not put things off. If you are unhappy with your weight/health or something else in your life take the steps necessary to start correcting the situation NOW. Not tomorrow, not even today.. RIGHT NOW! Even just planning how you will live the rest of today is a first step to change. What are we waiting for? So many people, myself included, have to hit rock bottom before they make the necessary life changes.

Don't wait people, don't put it off, don't let it get side tracked, don't say you will start tomorrow, DON'T DENY YOURSELF THE HAPPINESS THAT YOU ALL DESERVE. Who knows how many days of life we will each be blessed with, don't waste them being unhappy. I'm not going to waste anymore time looking back with anger. Instead I will reflect and learn and live and love and laugh.

Live every day proud that your actions and decisions are positive ones. Love and treat your body like the temple housing your mind and soul that it is.... and start doing it right now!

MM

Monday, May 17, 2010

It's Scale Time Again!



The weeks seem to be flying by now. I felt like I worked a lot harder this week then I did last week but the results are the same, but I am not complaining. I am ecstatic! Another 4 pounds lost! I am at 43 pounds lost total. Amazing, Amazing, Amazing!

I feel like I am on auto pilot. I'm just doing my thing, taking care of business, checking all the boxes, covering all the bases and it's really working!

Watching my weight fall week after week makes me all proud and giddy on the inside. The feeling is amazing and addictive. My clothes have gotten very loose, I need new clothes now but I also don't want to buy new clothes just yet because in another few months they might---- NO CORRECTION--- they "WILL" be too big again!

Kind of stuck, the weather finally seems to be warming up so I am going to need some shorts and tees. Now these are the kinds of problems I can deal with!

Hope everyone is doing good today.

Keep pedaling

MM

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Why Isn't "No Thank You" Good enough?


I run into so many instances like I did tonight. I was at a house party for a kids birthday and everything was going good until the cake and ice cream arrived. The problem wasn't that I ate cake and ice cream the problem was that I said "No Thank You." to cake and ice cream.

Most people respond with: "are you sure?" and then I would politely respond: "yes, I'm sure, thanks" and then usually you get a: "Well theres lots so help your self if you change your mind" or some other polite response.

Today, however, when I said: "No Thanks." I got this answer: "Why not?" in a tone that said "whats wrong with you"

So I was a little taken aback but I answered: "Well you know I'm trying to lose weight and get healthy... blah, blah , blah" but this answer wasn't good enough for her. She wouldn't let it go and we ended up talking about not eating the cake and ice cream for the rest of the night.

"It's just a piece of birthday cake Marcus", "You've been doing good, you should reward yourself", "You can't deny everything all the time... You've got to live a little"

Now this is my friends wife, and I do like her, but I had to try real hard not to show how angry I was getting. I mean really why do people care what I eat? You've got to live a little??? I wanted to say thats what I'm trying to do instead of eating this crap and shortening my life.

Why isn't No Thank you good enough? Ever get one of these?: "It's just a cookie", "come on you can have one/some."They are good, try it"

I really think some people get uncomfortable when you choose to not eat the same crap they are. But why does it matter? I don't care that they are indulging. And why would anyone try to talk someone, who is trying to lose weight, into eating something like cake and ice cream? Because I should reward myself? If someone quit smoking I wouldn't tell them they should smoke a cigarette as a reward for going so many days without one.

Of course there is the other end of the spectrum where people are very supportive and go out of their way to buy fresh fruit or veggie trays or modify their dinner with things they think are healthy because they know I'm coming over. That's happened a couple of times and I have to say it's very thoughtful and makes me stronger knowing I have that kind of support.

I suppose the longer I can keep up this transformation and keep turning down these unhealthy choices the less likely I have to go through nights like tonight.

It was another victory for me turning down birthday cake with ice cream. But really this battle shouldn't of even been fought.

Okay.. I'm done ranting.

MM

Friday, May 14, 2010

The Power of Food and the Power of the Mind

Just made a HUGE pot of turkey chili. Has all kinds of beans and vegetables in it plus a ridiculous amount of ground turkey breast. It is meaty! I like spicy food and I really put some fire into it.

Unfortunately it is so good that I had a second helping. Now I feel stuffed. Oh well, I could do way way worse than that. I see some extra bike work coming in my very very near future.

This week has gone pretty good. Been eating good and working out on schedule. The workouts have been good but I haven't had a "maniac" style, super sweaty, bike ride in a while. I might have to plan an in the dark blaster ride this weekend.

Leading up to Mothers day I went shopping with a friend of mine. He went into a chocolate store in the mall to get something for his mom and I went in with him. Now... There was no chance that I was going to get anything for myself, I'm like a bank vault, no way you get in this body you little chocolate criminals! No matter how tempting I knew that I wouldn't break, which is a pretty empowering feeling I must say!

As I walked through the store looking through the glass display at all the little evil sweets, smelling the chocolate air, reading through the price list I noticed something. It was hard not to notice to be honest. My mouth was watering. I'm talking big time watering. I was worried that if I opened my mouth to say something I would have drooled all over myself.

What power foods have over us. I mean there was honestly a zero percent chance that I would have indulged. I stood there and pondered all of this. I never had to get out of there, I didn't even feel tempted to tell you the truth but I was amazed at the physical reaction my body was having.

Too bad for you Mr. Watering mouth, because there's a new Sheriff in town! As we continued out of the store and through the mall I felt very very content with myself.

For now, I need to rest my turkey belly...

Gobble gobble

MM

Monday, May 10, 2010

Monday Morning Weigh In

Today was my 9th Monday morning weekly weigh in. All I can say is that I am on a solid roll right now with another 4 pound loss this week! 6 0f my 9 weigh ins have been 4 pound losses, the other 3 weigh ins were an 8, a 5, and a 2.

In 9 weeks I've lost 39 pounds and I'm 9 for 9 in achieving my goal of at least a 2-3 pounds loss per week.

This week felt routine. Nutrition was excellent and exercise was somewhere between good and great. I had a couple of late nights this week because of work and it effected my workout schedule a bit but it obviously didn't hurt me. Nothing to Grouch about here!



MM

Saturday, May 8, 2010

I'm Through almost a Third of a Pie?



I can't believe that I have done this! A new perspective of my accomplishments and progress towards my ultimate goal of losing 120 pounds. That is a pretty decent hunk of my progress pie right there!

The numbers and letters are a little hard to read. The blue section says I have 85 pounds left to lose(70.8% of my goal) and the green section says I've lost 35 pounds(29.2% of my goal) All that blue tells me that I have got a long way to go still but that green piece tells me that I am getting there!

I know that people tend to lose a lot of weight in the beginning and then plateau for a while. I've been waiting for this and have been sort of expecting it at each of my weigh ins only to be surprised with a string of weekly 4 pound losses. My goal from the start was to lose 2-3 pounds per week. Each Monday before I step on the scale I prepare myself to not be disappointed that I didn't reach that goal. That I might weigh the same as the week before or maybe even more but each time I am truly amazed.

Maybe this week it will happen? As good as I am doing there is still that voice in my head Monday morning wondering: "Did I do enough this week? I should of done more." It's only Saturday and I am already wondering about it.

MM

Thursday, May 6, 2010

I Have Added A New Weapon!



A new weapon in my arsenal of fitness to help combat my personal war on obesity. It's a Bosu ball. They get a lot of good reviews and seem to have an endless list of possibilities for exercise moves, positions, etc.

Good for balance and working on your core. You can use it flat side down or flat side up. BOSU stands for Both Sides Utilized. You can do strength stuff like push ups or squats on it. You can do cardio stuff and use it like a step. You can also just stand on it and balance on it while doing any other exercise you would normaly do standing up. Like bicep curls or shoulder presses, etc etc..

I wanted to get one a while ago but they have a 300 pound max limit rating on them. Not a problem anymore! Kind of pricy at $160 but it came in a kit with 4 DVD's. I was trying to stand on it flat side up on one foot just now. Not easy, well not really hard but harder then you would think it would be.

If anyone watches The Biggest Loser you have probably seen the Bosu ball in action. In one episode they showed a clip of a US Olympic athlete standing on one with one foot AND twirling a hula hoop around her waist. I can barely stand on it and I can't hula with both feet on the ground.

The Most important thing about the Bosu ball to remember is that your dog will love it!



note... Not really my dog just a picture I found.

MM

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Night Rider



I have the bike set up in a small room, it is the bike riding room, that is its only function. I have a TV at eye level while I ride, and a tall halogen lamp in the room. There are shelves on the wall beside the bike where I keep remotes and towels, there are some electronic devices hooked up to the TV, that is all that is in the room.

Sometimes I listen to the IPOD, sometimes I watch TV, Sometimes I listen to the IPOD while watching TV. Anyways, I had the lights off watching TV and riding when I decided to turn off the TV and just listen to music. Forgetting that the halogen light was off, I turned off the TV and dropped the remote. Complete darkness. SHIT! I didn't want to get off the bike and interrupt the workout so I just kept riding in the darkness.

Immediately after I decided to just ride in the dark and got into a comfortable resistance there was that familiar click inside my brain. The switch between mortal man and calorie terminator getting thrown. I was locked and loaded, pumping those pedals hard. Like a laser beam I was focused and unwavering. I was on a mission, I had a target, I was relentless, I was unstoppable!

With nothing to focus on except the feeling in my legs I kept pedaling faster and harder and the amount of sweat dripping off me was off the chart. Thats the first time I've ever felt sweat running down my arms and dripping off at my wrists. I was totally drenched.

I probably only rode that way for 12 to 15 minutes (3 songs) But I felt like I burned as much as I do in a 45 minute ride. Intense and insane workout!

I am purposefully going to try riding in the dark again.

MM

Monday, May 3, 2010

The Making of a Massive Marcus Lunch!

Was kind of bored this afternoon so I decided to take pictures of my lunch being made.

I had a bunch of vegetables that needed to be used up so I got the knife and cutting board out and went to work. I cut everything nice and thin and cooked them in the oven on a round cookie sheet with some olive oil and a touch of Cajun seasoning for some zip!





After my vegetables were cooked I mixed them up and put them in a container. Then I BBQ's 6 chicken breasts that I had marinating in the fridge. After the chicken was cooked and cooled I sliced it all up into another container and got some other ingredients ready.






Next it was time to put it all together and plate it! It's a BBQ'd chicken sandwich with roasted vegetables, sliced tomato, baby spinach, and spicy mustard on a thin round multi grain bun. Served with a side of more baby spinach, sliced pineapple, strawberries, a glass of skim milk and my daily multi-vitamin.


And the final picture is my close up artistic shot. Good enough for a magazine. More than good enough for lunch! BURP! Excuse me :)


I think it's a good mix of vegetables, fruit, protein and carbs.

Thanks for following!

MM

Time to Weigh In

I had a very good week this week. A large part of that was connected to trying to finish the May Day challenge strong. Today I weighed in at 292 pounds which means I lost another 4 pounds.

Total weight loss so far is 35 pounds!

I feel awesome.

MM

Sunday, May 2, 2010

The Ships Captain

Today I thought I would write about choices. We make so many of them everyday. Some small and insignificant others are possibly life changing. I think all choices we make, big or small, have consequences of varying degrees. I believe strongly in causality which is a philosophical concept of cause and effect. We can take this and make it very basic. When my brain tells my foot to press on the brake in my car the car slows down. The effect was a slowing car, the cause was my foot on the brake. But what actually made my foot press on the brake is the key, it was my mind.

I love analogies and lately I've been thinking of this one: My body is a ship and my brain is the captain. The captain is in charge of the ship. The ship does nothing without orders from the captain and the ship always does what the captain says, even if it's not in the ships best interest.


Every time our hand moves from the plate to our mouths, every time we put our hand in the cookie jar, every time we turn down a piece of cake, every time we accept a piece of cake, every time we get off that treadmill/bike 5 minutes earlier, every time we stay on that bike/treadmill a little longer, every single last solitary movement and decision we make is a direct order from the Captain.

The point is control. When we understand that we are in control we can steer our ship to the destination of our choice. Yes there will be icebergs/obstacles, yes stormy weather may throw us off course but a good captain intent on bringing their ship safely to port will find a way. An out of control captain that throws caution to the wind, who forgoes the health and safety of their ship, doesn't plan his course out and doesn't deal with troubles head on will end up in a place they didn't want to be.

Once I realized that I wasn't helpless and that I had control things started to change. I decide what I will eat, I decide when and how I will exercise, I decide the course and bearing of this ship. If things aren't working I will chart a new course.

All fingers point to me. I am in control, I am the Captain.

CAPTAIN: "GET ON THAT BIKE RIGHT NOW!"
SHIP: " YES SIR CAPTAIN, RIGHT AWAY SIR!"

MM

Saturday, May 1, 2010

The May Day Challenge

Some of you may know that Clyde set up a May Day challenge on his blog. If you didn't know about it basically everyone who wanted to participate just named their goal that they wanted to achieve by May 1st.

My goal was to be under 300 pounds. I was 313 at the end of March which meant I had to lose 14 pounds by today. However, I achieved my goal early when I weighed in on Monday at 296. Still I weighed in today because today is May 1st and I weighed in at 293! 3 more pounds lost since Monday! So that means I lost 20 pounds in April (actually over a 33 day span) All I can say to that is : " WOW"

Eventually I'll post the results on Clyde's blog as well but it may have to be later. I'm guessing he will read this post before I get to do that. Thanks for setting up the May Day Challenge Clyde! It was a good motivator for the month of April. I'm looking forward to eventually seeing how everyone did!

MM