Motivation for Monday
Per Pippa’s very flattering comment, I decided to make my Toastmaster’s speech this week’s Motivation for Monday. Be sure to adjust your sound. Enjoy.
Log My Loss
This isn't a diet, it is your life!
Week Forty-Seven Weigh-In and Measurements
This is an interesting weigh-in and measurement week. I feel like I have had an excellent week outside of my indescretions on last Sunday and Monday; however, my weigh-in and measurements are a mixed bag at best. I am not really discouraged – actually quite the opposite. I am just curious. Here you go with the bad news first:
My body fat increased a whopping half a percent! It now stands at 24.6%. My neck increased an eighth of an inch to 17.375″. My stomach and my waist each increased 3/8″ to 43″ and 39.75″ respectively. My calves increased 1/8″ to 17.125″ and my biceps increased half an inch to 14.250″.
The good news is that I lost weight again this week. In fact, I am on track for my goal. I lost two pounds, which puts me at 212. My BMI also went down to 30.4 (a loss of 0.3). My chest decreased 3/8″ to 46.5″. My thighs decreased 3/8″ to 23.125″. My forearms also decreased an eighth of an inch to 12.5″.
Not a bad week, just not what I was hoping for. As I indicated earlier, I am not really disappointed. I know where I am going and I know I am doing what it takes.
Now, speaking of doing what it takes. I am going to start setting my goals for the week as part of my Sunday morning weigh-in and measurements. This week I am not going to blow it any day, including today. I will eat reasonable portions every day except those where I am fasting. I will walk at least five days and I will log at least 20 miles. I will also do another form of exercise at least three days this week.
That’s it folks. Make it a great week!
Day 318 – Preparing for a Great Weekend
Another great day! Even though I slept in a little this morning, I still took a good four mile walk. It was such a beautiful morning. My wife walked with me this morning and wasn’t feeling the best, so the walk was a little slower; however, that is nice once in a while. I also did push ups this morning – a total of 80 (14, 18, 14, 14, 12, and 8). I have done this regiment three times this week and I am still struggling just as much as I did the first time. I am going to take two days off and see if I can handle it better. I also did three sets of planks for 45 seconds each set. While that is supposed to work your stomach, I really feel it in my shoulders. Also, much later in the day I did two pull ups. I know, that doesn’t sound like much, but it is all I can do. Even though it wasn’t planned, I actually got a little more exercise in this evening. I did three clap push ups (on a challenge) and one plank for about a minute. Some of that time I was holding my middle son on my rear end and part of the time I was holding my oldest son on my rear end. When they both decided to sit on me I collapsed.
For breakfast I had two eggs seasoned with cayenne pepper and other herbs, along with an apple with three tablespoons of homemade walnut butter. This was the first time I have had this and boy was it good. I have wanted to buy walnut butter, but the stuff is so darn expensive. Yesterday I bought a pound of walnuts and made the butter in our blender. I had to add a tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt. It is really, really good. I like it quite a bit more than peanut butter and it is more healthy. The only problem is making it. It was all our blender could do to finish it. I guess I am going to look for another alternative for making it. Perhaps a food processor.
After I had my breakfast my wife fixed biscuits, eggs, and bacon for my boys and some of their friends. After they all ate I walked past the plate of bacon and had a broken off piece that was about two inches long. I cannot believe how hungry that made me feel. It was good, but I don’t think it was worth that.
For lunch I had a large salad seasoned with herbs and with olive oil and apple cider vinegar for dressing. I also had one pork chop and a cup or so of green beans. Supper was basically a repeat, but with Bacon Ranch Dressing. I really got weak on that.
Throughout the day I have been wanting to eat. In fact, I will go so far as to say I felt hungry. I think it was probably just my mind though. However, I did eat about 20 cajun peanuts (in shell). I am not real pleased with myself over this, but I am at least pleased I was able to stop where I did.
I snuck a peak at the scale this morning and this has potential to be a great weigh-in week. I am not putting a lot of stock in this morning’s measurement though as it was following a fast. Only tomorrow will tell.
One last thing – I am pleased to report that I had my recent post on the benefits of cinnamon featured in the Take Charge of Your Health Care blog carnival. Other entries I found interesting are: 25 Ancient, Proven Home Remedies with Science Behind Them, Raw Garlic for Your Health, and Top 10 Lower Cholesterol Foods.
Day 317 – Not the End of the Run
This will be short tonight as I am exhausted. In short, today continued the great run I am having this week. I did get up and walk 3.4 miles, which was a lot better than I thought I would do. I also fasted today as I had hoped to do. The only bad part about the day was a really tough, busy morning at work and the seven hour drive home. That is all past me though. I am heading off to bed so I can get ready for a great day tomorrow.
Day 316 – The End of the Run?
Today has been another fantastic day, but is it the end of the run? We’ll get to that in a minute. I was able to get up out of bed at 4:45 AM this morning and go for another great walk (seven miles) despite having a horrible night. The hotel I am staying at had some serious problems last night which resulted in the fire alarms and related strobe lights going off. The strobe lights, which are in each room, went off for an hour and a half. Ughh! That really makes it tough to sleep. After I got back from the walk I did 80 push ups (14, 18, 14, 14, and 20). Let me tell you, the last two sets were pure misery. Afterwards I did two sets of planks for 45 seconds each. These were miserable too. I don’t regret it, but I didn’t enjoy a minute of it.
Eating went well again today. For breakfast I had an apple with too much peanut butter. For lunch I had a salmon salad and a very small slice of a whole grain baquette. For a mid-afternoon snack I had three almonds. For supper I had salmon, grilled vegetables, a caprese salad, and two thin slices of bread. One was whole grain and one probably wasn’t. That is not really on my diet, but I don’t think it was enough out of the plan to hurt me too bad.
Now back to the “end of the run”. I am specifically talking about exercise. Tonight has the potential to be a very late night with work. I have a lot of stuff that is beginning to pile up and I need to get some of it done. Add that to already being tired from the poor night last night and it means I will probably not feel like getting up in the morning. I am going to try though, although I will probably only walk 2-3 miles if I do. I might make that up after I get home tomorrow night, or I may just call it a day. We’ll see. I do think I am going to fast tomorrow. I am not sure about that yet either.
Day 315 – Another Great Day
So far, so good! I was able to pry myself out of bed extra early and take a great 6.1 mile walk. I have also eaten very well this week. My travel partner and I already have our meals planned for tomorrow, and they look good too. It looks like this is going to be a great week.
Today I had one fried egg and an apple with natural peanut butter for breakfast. For lunch I had a Cajun Tuna Salad and a bite of break dipped in olive oil (the bread was about 1 inch by 1 inch). I had 5 almonds, 1 macadamia nut, and 1 cashew for a mid-afternoon snack. For supper I had shish-ka-bob and a side of veggies. This was a real challenge for me as I wanted the BIG steak, but I resisted. It was good and it was pretty filling, so maybe I can talk myself in to similar meals in the future.
I ran across a good post tonight over at SpotLight Fitness on the Top 9 Must Have Gear for Your Fitness Lifestyle. You should head over there and check it out.
Advertisers
The following advertisers help support logmyloss.com. Their advertisements do not indicate my support of their product. As always, buyer beware.
