Here is a summary of my progress to date:

Starting Weight (September 29, 2008): 252.2 pounds

Weight Last Weigh In (January 5, 2009): 226.6 pounds

Current Weight (January 12, 2008): 224.4 pounds

Total Weight Lost: 27.8 pounds

Goal Weight (September 29, 2009): 162.2 pounds

My ultimate goal is to lose 90 pounds. I have 62.2 pounds to go.

Current Weight Loss Chart (Click to read about my Fitday chart.)

Current Weight Loss Pace (January 12, 2008): .2648 pounds per day

I am losing .2648 pounds per day.  At that pace, I should reach my goal weight of 162.2 pounds in 234 more days – September 3, 2009.  My goal date is September 29, 2009. I am ahead of schedule – and this week, my weight loss pace actually improved over last week’s.

Here is a summary of my progress to date:

Starting Weight (September 29, 2008): 252.2 pounds

Weight Last Weigh In (December 22, 2008): 227.6 pounds

Current Weight (January 5, 2008): 226.6 pounds

Total Weight Lost: 25.6 pounds

Goal Weight (September 29, 2009): 162.2 pounds

My ultimate goal is to lose 90 pounds. I have 64.4 pounds to go.

Current Weight Loss Chart (Click to read about my Fitday chart.)

Current Weight Loss Pace (December 22, 2008): .2612 pounds per day

I am losing .2612 pounds per day. At that pace, I should reach my goal weight of 162.2 Pounds in 246 more days – September 8, 2009.  My goal date is September 29, 2009. I am still ahead of schedule – but being away from home for a full week really hampered my ability to exercise.  Thankfully, I’m headed bach to the gym, and my regular schedule, today!

Here is a summary of my progress to date:

Starting Weight (September 29, 2008): 252.2 pounds

Weight Last Friday (December 18, 2008):  228.8 pounds

Current Weight (December 22, 2008):  227.6 pounds

Total Weight Lost:  24.6 pounds

Goal Weight (September 29, 2009): 162.2 pounds

My ultimate goal is to lose 90 pounds. I have 65.4 pounds to go.

Current Weight Loss Chart (Click to read about my Fitday chart.)

Current Weight Loss Pace (December 22, 2008):  .2929 pounds per day

I am losing .2929 pounds per day. At that pace, I should reach my goal weight of 162.2 Pounds in 223 more days – August 2, 2009. My goal date is September 29, 2009. I am still ahead of schedule – but a week without exercise, due a kidney stone, really slowed my pace.  Thankfully, I still dropped a little weight as I stuck with my eating plan.

I started at 252.2 and am now at 244.

I feel much better.

I’ve managed to go to the gym at least 3 times a week, each week, this month.  I haven’t eaten any bread, any sugary foods, any sodas, or any high starch vegetables.  I’m eating lean meats, berries, and nuts.  I’m drinking water, and lot of it.

Yesterday, I worked out biceps and back and I hit the eliptical machine.  I’m a little sore – but it’s a good sore.

I’ve been down this road too many times to think that this time is “it” – but, right now, in this moment, I feel good and I feel motivated to continue.

I’m also 1 week into a 2 week body cleanse, following the advice from the Know The Cause website.

Since gettting back on track September 29, 2008, I’ve lost 5.2 pounds.

I’m down to 247 from 252.2

And, yes, I AM counting that .2!!!

Rock on.

I am quite pleased with my 3.3 pounds lost for the last week. However, over vacation and the following week I managed to put on 0.6 pounds to go with the 2.4 pounds from the previous week and all and all I had a month of August with 0.3 pounds lost. I am not sweating it… As the doctor said you went on vacation and ONLY gained 0.6 pounds. I did a full body analysis at the last weight in and I actually gained muscle and lost weight over the previous scan so I think I must be doing something right.

Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)… Clicking the image will open to a larger image.

So what is the plan?

While I am still not able to exercise as I would like (the ankle just won’t heal as fast as I would like it to), I need to focus on staying fit while injured and snacking without ruining my diet.

There it is…. short and sweet.

Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)… Clicking the image will open to a larger image.

So what is the plan?

I will be out of town during my next weigh in and so this plan will be in effect for two weeks prior to the next results.

I will swim a significant amount in the next week and the week after my rehab is allowed to begin in earnest. The doctor increased my dosage of phentermine to help with the portion control in the evening meal. I am going to redouble my efforts to watch my portion sizes. I will be weighing my food again using a food scale to remind myself of the correct portions for the diet. I will continue taking my blood pressure medication and I will try to avoid excessive salt.

My goal for the next two weeks is a total of 10 pounds.

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I started rehab this week on my torn peroneus longus tendon. I am not allowed to do anything involving “open chain” for 2 weeks. Translation: nothing more strenuous than riding the stationary bike. With one of those weeks out of the way and one to go I am already looking forward to increasing my activity level.

Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)… Clicking the image will open to a larger image.

I am within 2.5 pounds of crossing the hypothetical midway point in my journey. I will absolutely make it past half way this week.

Until next week… Enjoy the articles and keep the comments coming…

1. Rushing through routines.

   No one really wants to spend five minutes doing a routine they don’t like. This can lead to pushing and rushing to get it over with. In fact, many people just rush through their entire workout, which can be very disastrous to your muscle and joint health. The key is to relax and take the time that it takes to get everything done. Don’t rush in without stretching and take the time to cool down afterwards. If you don’t like the routine you’re doing, look for a new one that is more enjoyable.

2. Doing your exercises wrong.

   From a simple sit-up to complex cardio and lifting routines, it is all too easy to get it wrong. If you don’t have someone helping you, the chances of performing an exercise wrong are very high. If you can’t afford the services of a personal trainer, we recommend getting at least one lesson to learn the proper form for your exercises. You can go back from time to time to make sure that you’re still doing it properly. This is the easiest way to work on your form and reduce the potential for injury.

3. Pushing way too hard.

   If you’re already working out and starting to see results, the natural inclination is too work harder to see more results. However, this makes it very easy to get injured. Use the 10% rule as a guide to how you should amp up your workout. For example, if you do 10 push-ups a day, you can start increasing this by adding 1 extra push up for two days, two extra after four, etc…

4. Too much repetition.

   If 10 reps are good, then 20 must be really good, right? Wrong! Repetitious exercise can be very dangerous if you are doing too many. Find out how many reps you should be doing and stick to it. Add to it slowly if necessary, but realize that there is a balance and overdoing it can only lead to injury.

5. Improper stretching.

   You wouldn’t think that something like a stretch could incapacitate you, but it is also too easy. One of the most common stretch related injuries is a hamstring pull. Make sure you are stretching slowly and never, ever bounce during your stretches. This can lead to various injuries that are quite painful and slow to heal. If you can’t quite make the stretch complete, don’t push it. Work on your flexibility instead and gradually get into stretching further.

While there are many ways to hurt yourself in a gym, there are just as many techniques to use that will prevent injury. If in doubt, always ask for help before going out on your own.

Photo Credits: 1

I now weigh 251.4 pounds.

This is actually three or four pounds less than I thought I would weigh.  Our old scale was off by about two pounds.

I don’t really have a lot to write about today.  I just needed to establish my new starting weight – and now I’ve got to work my butt off to drop the pounds and change that number.

I get to start rehab next week (3 days a week) starting Monday. I am very much looking forward to working out again…

Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)… Clicking the image will open to a larger image.

I am within 5 pounds of crossing the hypothetical midway point in my journey. I have made it this far in the journey by taking one day at a time. Celebrating my accomplishment without getting complacent. 66 pounds is an enormous amount of weight to have lost and yet I have a long journey ahead. I hope you are enjoying the ride.

Until next week… Enjoy the articles and keep the comments coming…

I didn’t even think about this while I was at the doctor’s office weighing in and I was quite upset… Thoughts like WTF do you mean I gained 9 pounds. The scale cannot be accurate. If I am going to gain weight why am I paying for the privilege?  And other such pleasantries… (My apologies for not writing up my weigh in last week, I wrote the post, but I was unable to come to grips with it until I proved it was indeed water retention.)

The bottom line is that I am close to being able to go off the blood pressure meds, but I am not quite there. So I started taking my meds again and this week I lost 10.9 pounds… Much of which is surely the water I was retaining while off my meds, but some is also fat…  

I did the entire body composition test this week and my ratio of extracellular water to total body water was .392 (it was .390 in the 2 previous tests). So I feel primed for another outsized gain next week (although maybe not 10+ pounds) as my water ratio comes back into balance… Regardless I feel much better having identified what caused the previous weeks weight gain because I knew it wasn’t from cheating… I am also proud of myself for sticking to the diet in the face of adversity…  I am going to be thin and stay thin for the rest of my life…

Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)… Clicking the image will open to a larger image.

This week marks my drive for 50% of my final goal… 70.2 pounds is exactly 50% of the way to my final goal… (In reality my goal is not weight based, but BF% based. I want to get below 20% body fat. So the approximate weight goal of 250 pounds is being used as an easy measuring stick.) To reach that milestone I need to lose 8.7 pounds… I think between the water and the psychological carrot of 50% done I can make it…

Until next week… Enjoy the articles and keep the comments coming…

In the past, I’d be discouraged by the fact that I had ‘only’ lost three pounds.  But, now, I’m excited!  Why?  Because, instead of depending on some super-silly weight loss fad, I’m simply walking more, eating less, and exercising (a little).  Slow and steady might be boring, but it’s working!

I’ve been away at camp this past week.  Now that I’m home, I can refocus on my blogging – and my weight loss.  It feels good to do something ‘the right way’.  Now, I just need to remember my one pound a week plan, and refrain from starving myself.  My body needs fuel – healthy fuel – and I need to remember this.

It appears that I have avoided surgery on my ankle which I am very grateful for. I am have been moved from the walking boot 100% of the time into increasing use of the ankle brace recommended by my doctor (click the image to view the product page at amazon).

Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)… Clicking the image will open to a larger image.

I have no known issues planned for the week so I am hoping I will be able to commit to my diet and exercise program without interruption… (I may have a glass of wine or two that I brought back from Sonoma, but other than that…)

Until next week… Enjoy the articles and keep the comments coming…

For most of the week I was very good…

Thursday we went to Sonoma for the 4th weekend…  Even in Sonoma I have been very good on the food front (with one exception), but the excellent wine has been a temptation I have been unable to resist…  Also at last night’s dinner, my child ordered a smore for desert (this was a 4 start restaurant)…  She didn’t like it, but I couldn’t believe that it wasn’t delicious…  I had 2 small bites of the chocolate, caramel, marshmallow, gram cracker combination…  Heavenly! So with my cheating out of the way… 

I have gone swimming and to the gym while here, but as of this writing I haven’t finished week 3 day 3 of the hundred push up challenge yet.  I will be doing that (one day late) right after I finish blogging and having an egg white omelet with fresh vegetables…

I am not punishing myself for cheating, but acknolwedging that I did cheat will help me to avoid cheating today and for the rest of the week…

I hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th of July…

Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)… Clicking the image will open to a larger image.

This week I continued my knee up version of the 100 pushup challenge.  I have had no trouble thus far with the 3rd level.  I even set a new consecutive push up mark at 35.

I was even able to swim…  I bought a buoy for my legs that you hold between your knees to keep your feet on top of the water…  I only swam twice, but as mentioned about the smoke from the fires has caused a health warning for much of the last week.

I am open to other suggestions for exercise given that my ankle is out of commission and bay area residents are supposed to stay indoors.  Any ideas?

I think I am going to start a upper body lifting program tomorrow morning after swimming. Until next week. 

Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)… Clicking the image will open to a larger image.

So while I was not able to do many of my normal exercises (basketball, volleyball, and walking) I have been participating in the 100 pushup challenge training program…  The goal of the program is to be able to do 100 consecutive pushups. While only 3 days of exercises it was more than zero. In the end it was 195 more pushups this week than I did last week (or the week before or the week before that ).  With my ankle/foot injury I am not able to do full pushups, but even so 100 consecutive knee pushups will be an incredible accomplishment.  Plus maybe by completing the 100 pushup challenge with knee pushups I will then be able to complete it again with either 1 handed knee pushups or full pushups depending on the status of my ankle.

Also on the food front… Once my dad left I got back on the straight and narrow.  Perhaps going just a touch overboard on the calorie restriction, but I did eat 4-5 small meals through out the day with the main staples of the my diet being nuts, eggs, and organic chicken hot wing sausages.

Also there is news about my ankle injury (see the next post) which I think will enable me to increase my exercise level a little this week in the form of swimming… 

So emboldened by my successful week, which was 4 days (Fri-Mon) of slight to moderate overeating (including 2 pieces of chocolate Father’s Day cake my biggest diet sin to date) and 3 days of straight and narrow, I will be setting a 5.5 pound goal for next week. 

Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)… Clicking the image will open to a larger image.

As for exercise…  I didn’t get much… I went to the FRST and did a little exercise including the arm bicycle… twice…  I need to go more.  Next week 3 times… I swear.

I was told not to get my hopes up, but I may not need surgery… Surgery is currently scheduled for a week from Monday…  At the preop the doctor thought that I had excellent strength and range of motion in the ankle…  He is scheduling an ultrasound study and a follow up prior to confirming surgery…  Here’s hoping.

I am also going to partake in the Get Fit Slowly 100 pushup challenge: following this 6 week program…  With my ankle I will have to do knee pushup, but it would still be pretty amazing to be able to do 100 knee pushups consecutively.  That starts Monday…

I set next weeks goal at 5 pounds, but I think it will be a stiff challenge to meet given my lack of ability to exercise normally.  Until next week…  Stay sexy fit blogosphere.

Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)… Clicking the image will open to a larger image.

What happened? Oh boy is this a long story (to be told over multiple blog posts)… I played full court basketball for the first time this week. Great! What a workout! My week was going great full court on Saturday, more basketball on Monday, and playing volleyball on Tuesday when it happened…

My teammate passed the ball to the setter and I was backing up to position for the approach for the spike… When I changed directions (not even a very athletic move) there was loud pop and I thought who just throw a rock at the ground at my foot. I stopped playing and spent the rest of the week figuring out what had just happened… But this being the post about my weigh in I will stop there…

And I ate a little too much the night before the weigh-in and I did not exercise for the remainder of the week after the incident at volleyball…

I am sticking to the diet, but I am reducing my expectations (4.8 pound goal for next week aka end at the same goal weight as last week) given that I will not be able to work out at the same intensity…

So with less chance to work out my new plan is to continue to stick to the diet and to look for opportunities to work out… Given that I am currently non weight bearing and on crutches I am hoping that crutches alone will be good exercise….

Having over-achieved my goal of 6.5 pounds (the previous goal was set to 6.5 to make up for missing a 5 pound weekly goal several weeks ago.)  I am setting a more modest goal this week of 5.4 pounds.  Why 5.4?    My weight at this weight was 344.4, so if I succeed I will weigh an even 339.  Here’s to a great week in the past and a great week upcoming.

Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)… Clicking the image will open to a larger image.

I didn’t get a chance to work out as much as I would have liked because of work consideration… I didn’t swim, play volleyball, or golf this week.  I did play basketball twice and go on several walks…  I am going to try and get to the gym for volleyball or basketball 5 times this week, I plan on playing (walking carrying my golf bag) at least 1 round of golf, and I would like to swim more than a few laps.

I plan to continue trying to eat less fat free cheese and more lean protein.  I have been getting my dairy with a double tall non-fat no-foam latte from Starbucks.

I have not tried to stop my intake of caffeine, but my consumption of caffeine is drastically curtailed from where it was.  (I need that morning java and coffee with skim milk just isn’t the same.)

Good luck to all that are working on losing the weight…

I attribute missing the goal for the same reason as missing last week’s goal… a later than normal and larger than normal (for a 1200 calorie diet) dinner last night and missing my regular movement this morning. I except that there are normal fluctuations in the weekly number as even on a daily basis I can fluctuate 5 pounds from morning through evening with the ups and downs of water loss and water consumption with the Ketosis and exercise.

Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)… Clicking the image will open to a larger image.

So if I am to believe my claim that 1.5 pounds is within a normal fluctuation and that I am still maintaining a 5 pound a week average weight loss (from missing my goal last weigh in.) Then I need to set my weekly goal for 5 pounds plus the pound and a half that the scale failed to recognize lost in previous weeks. So my goal for next week is to end the week at 345 or to have lost 6.5 pounds for the week.

I played 2 hours of basketball twice and 2 hours of volleyball twice and went of several walks and played 9 holes of golf at Harding Park Golf Club. I did not get a chance to swim… My plan is about the same for this week, only with more swimming.

I was able to drastically reduce my fat free cheese intake and plan to continue with more lean meats instead… I feel more satiated and frankly they taste better too. I ran out of sugar free Metamucil (non water soluble) and switched to benefiber (water soluble). If Metamucil is an orange cream shake, benefiber is like dirty water (in plain water) and noticeable but ignorable in crystal light. I plan on switching back as soon as my current container is used.

Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)… Clicking the image will open to a larger image.

So if I am to believe my claim that 1.5 pounds is within a normal fluctuation and that I am still maintaining a 5 pound a week average weight loss. Then I need to set my weekly goal for 5 pounds plus the pound and a half that the scale failed to recognize lost in the weigh in. So my goal for next week is to end the week at 350 or to have lost 6.5 pounds for the week.

My plan to accomplish the goal is to stick to the diet, reduce my fat free cheese intake and replace those proteins with more lean meat. My plan to address the lack of a normal movement is to continue to consume a 2 regular servings of sugar free Metamucil.

I had a good week for an exercise perspective… I played almost 2 hours of basketball twice and almost 2 hours of volleyball twice. I went for a short swim and several walks. My plan is about the same for this week, only with more swimming.

In talking with the doctor about my long term goal, he was hesitant to talk about a final weight number. Instead he focused on Body Fat percentage. At this week’s weigh in we did the electroanalysis again and my body fat percentage was 36% (down from 39% when I started). He thought he first goal is to get the BFP below 25% and ideally below 20%. At that point my actual weight is irrelevant. So, even though I have a number in mind for my final weight (230-260), I am now officially making it my goal to get to under a 20% body fat percentage. If I can continue to lose 5 pounds a week I should be able to reach my goal by the end of the year.