April 2012
2 posts
The zen of being really incredibly annoyed
This is SUPER annoying. I’ve been losing weight. Losing fat and getting noticeably thinner. My pants were getting looser along with my shirts.
Suddenly, I have hit some weird fat loss stage where whatever fat was supporting my mass started to dissolve so my belly shifted down and BOOM I can hardly get my pants on and the last button of my shirts is hanging on in a scene reminiscent of some...
Onward
Quick post. I recently walked 12 miles with Ross and I didn’t die. I even jogged part of the way (most of the first leg of CouchTo5K). We set out to walk 2-4 miles, got lost in the woods, circled around a couple times and wound up realizing how far away we were after we were already like 5-6 miles in.
I was really tired after, and dehydrated (we hadn’t brough water because we...
October 2011
1 post
I’ve accomplished some stuff that needed accomplishing. Much more to do. It’s not easy to man-up and deal with stuff that combines emotions with the legal process, money and memories. Panic attacks don’t help productivity and I hate even being someone that deals with them. But I see myself getting stronger, slowly. I couldn’t have done any of this 5 years ago.
August 2011
2 posts
The magic of moving
I have been fighting a gnawing self-loathing for awhile and doing things to keep my mind occupied. Unfortunately, that tends to mean doing things I shouldn’t be doing, or at least not at the ideal time. Like gaming instead of sleeping or surfing instead of working on my goals or eating out instead of going home.
Then I got hit with bad news from my parents. Long story short, financial...
July 2011
1 post
1 tag
Third Weigh-In!
I’ve lost 20 lbs since beginning the diet.
Down to 303 lbs with 103 lbs to go to my 200 lbs goal.
Progress.
Eager to break 300. Definitely doing it before my 37th birthday in August. I’d like to be 200lbs when I turn 38. Seems like a good goal, but honestly I’ll be happy to be 200 at 40. Definitely doable.
Mid-way goal is to get low enough to do a tandem skydive. My heart tests...
May 2011
3 posts
1 tag
Second Weigh-In!
I’ve lost 16 lbs since beginning the diet.
Down to 307 lbs with 107 lbs to go to my 200 lbs goal.
Progress.
I can’t wait to get under 200….
Demons
Been dealing with some personal demons as I’ve been losing weight and exercising more. I’ve made some important discoveries and unfolded another part of the map that had previously been concealed along with my toes.
I’m still making progress, however. Not only with the weight, but with the demons as well.
Friendship is a very important key to success.
Today’s lunch equation (by designer that doesn’t do math):
(Mild Cheddar cheese +Mexican mayo with jalapeños +Rolled in slices of Virginia ham)
+Jicama sticks
+Walnuts
+Diet Mountain Dew (normally it’s water but I’m upping caffeine as a natural diuretic to lower my sodium levels)
= i -fat
April 2011
1 post
Hurrying=bad
Yesterday, a friend and I got an hour massage and whirlpool visit that I’d actually purchased back in December (great deal on Groupon!).
It was so relaxing (despite the chatty masseuse).
It was sunny out and I got to wear shorts with the VFFs for the first time.
Had a nice brunch and talked.
Setting off to do my screenwriting for the day, I had my friend drop me off at a coffee shop...
First Weigh-In!
I’ve lost 12 lbs since beginning the diet.
Down to 311 lbs with 111 lbs to go to my 200 lbs goal.
Progress.
The Walk Home
I walked the mile home in my VFFs. I’m amazed by how the small amount of padding actually protects my feet from acorns, rocks and sticks. I can feel my foot start to wrap around the obstacle, I change my stride accordingly, but no pain. That’s a good thing while I’m toughening up my feet and building muscle.
Ultimately, I feel like we spare ourselves too much pain in life (see...
March 2011
16 posts
I wore the Vibram Five Fingers to catch the bus today (raining) and changed at work. I am more sore today, after simply walking some very short distances last night in the VFFs, than I was after walking a mile actually barefoot. I need to pay attention to walking naturally in the VFFs and make sure that the additional shock absorbers aren’t making me injure myself. It could be that...
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by...”
– Goethe
Barefoot +
I’ve been reading a lot about barefoot walking and tonight I decided to buy a pair of the original Vibram Five Fingers that were on sale for $59 at Sheels (I was overcharged however, check your receipt). Vibram recommends taking it slow getting used to walking barefoot. CouchTo5k is about taking it slow getting used to running. I’m going to walk in them for awhile and strengthen my muscles and...
CouchTo5k App →
I just picked up CouchTo5k for my iPhone because it’s worked well for several friends of mine. I’m looking forward to starting soon.
Description
This workout training coach will help you get into shape using the C25K system, a series of interval workouts, each about 30 minutes, spanning 9 weeks, culminating in your ability to run 5 km (3.1 miles) without stopping or...
Pants: I can breath with them again
Not only am I now able to put on my new pants without struggling (like I had to do when I tried them on), but I can tuck two shirts in! I’ve also noticed I’m much thinner around the ribs with a clear break with my (still fat) waist. A few weeks ago I was one solid tube of pasty, white man flesh. Now I am a curvy mass of pasty, white man flesh.
I’m intentionally not measuring...
“Food is an important part of a balanced diet.”
– Fran Lebowitz
The Avoidance of Pain
I’ve been on this diet for a couple weeks now and I’ve begun to exercise again. It hurts.
It hurts and I’ve been avoiding pain for way too long.
I made feeble attempts at exercise over the years, but it’s been a decade or more since I had a routine.
I’m still not in a “routine” of any kind, but I’m making progress.
Today I did 25 push-ups.
Don’t get too congratulatory. They were knees...
Walking To Work
Walking to and from work is getting easier. Today I didn’t even break a sweat and I still had a lot of energy on both ends. I used to feel like I had really endured something difficult. Of course it’s Spring now and not the bitter Winter where I began.
5K to 10K
So this weekend some friends invited me to walk a 5k. That’s about 3.1 miles.
It was going to be be a challenge for me because it’s more than either my walk to work (.7 miles) and my occasional walk around the lake (2 miles).
We had been walking for just over an hour when we realized we had missed the marker for the 5K mark. Actually, my friends think it was simply not there, but in...
Progress
To lose the weight, I’ve reduced my carb intake substantially. I try to eat green leafy veggies every day and most of my calories come from meet with a little cheese. My pants are already fitting better and it’s reinforcing my plan.
Saturday I walked a 10k (about 7.41 miles actually). It was a lot of work and I really wanted to quite a few times, but we made it.
It really helped walking with a...
The Problem
As of last weigh-in (before starting the diet) I am 323lbs. At 5’10” ish, this is a lot of excess weight. My goal weight is 200lbs. So I need to subtract 123lbs.
That’s like carrying around a small person, a big dog, or two Ewoks. Every day. For no good reason.
According to the old BMI method I should weigh between 132-174lbs. Let’s be clear: This is never going to happen. Not...
“The second day of a diet is always easier than the first. By the second day,...”
– Jackie Gleason
1 tag
Minus Body
So the purpose of -body is to keep me honest and document my weight loss and eventual fitness goals.
It’s not easy to admit I have a problem and it’s not easy to enlist my friends and family as supporters. With -body I’m doing both.
Maybe it will help someone. I’ll be happy if it just helps me.
I expect to have some dear diary moments, along with the regular progress...