My Hot 100 Update
I’ll get the update out of the way first:
my Hot 100 goals were:
- I will exercise a minimum of four days a week. – Success this week.
- I will walk or run 200 miles before the end of the year. - I am on track here, just 53 miles left to obtain this goal.
- I will implement a new exercise (meaning one I have not done recently) into my routine weekly. - I have implemented this, but I haven’t done it, or any of my other exercises other than walking for a few weeks because of sickness and being pulled in too many directions at work laziness. Total failure for this period.
These aren’t my ‘goals’, but just things I am working toward:
- I will make a concerted effort to improve my public speaking skills with the intent that I will find a way to begin doing paid public speaking on the side. - I think I have made progress with this. I still am not where I want to be yet.
- I will maintain control of my eating throughout the rest of the year. – I have done well with this overall.
- I will tone my body up so when I finally get rid of this layer of fat, I will have some muscle to show for it. - Overall I have made progress, but not as much as I would like.
- I will continue to lose fat at a slow and steady pace. I want to be at 185 by the end of the year. While that is a measurable number, I don’t feel it is 100% within my control as I am getting so close to the goal that the weight should start really coming off slower. - This is not going at all as planned, although I might still achieve it.
- I want to start running, but I am not ready to commit to it yet. - Not gonna happen by the end of the year.
And last of all, my hopes:
- I hope that I am able to fully come of BP meds in November. It is looking good. - Not totally off yet, but I hope to be in 29 days.
- I hope that I am able to fully come of cholesterol meds in November. It is also looking good. - Woot! Success!
- I hope my tendinitis heals up enough I can get back in the swing of the 100 push ups program. - I am planning on starting this again soon. Maybe this week.
Overall, this is going fairly well. Of course, I already see some real weaknesses in my program if I am going to hit all my goals, namely the “other” exercise. I have to get back started with that immediately. Speaking of exercise, my wife and I walked 3.3 miles today. It was a little slow for me, but it was nice being with her.
Eating was fine today, just not weight loss portions. Maintenance, I believe, but not weight loss. I hope to have a good weigh-in tomorrow.
I ran across an interesting story earlier in the week. It was a story reporting on three different studies, but the headliner was Moderate-Fat Diet May Be Better At Reducing Heart Risks. They actually reference the Atkins Diet in the article, but the diet described, from what little it says, seems to be more in line with the South Beach Diet to me. The two other studies reported on in the article are interesting too, both of which deal with heart health. If this concerns you, it is a good article to read.
Another interesting diet story from the last week stated Low-carb and high-carb diets work equally well for maintaining weight loss. The key word here is maintaining. In this study, the participants lost weight through sharply cutting their calories, but switched to either low-carb or high-carb dieting for maintenance. It seems both groups had similar success in this. There were some differences though, the one that caught my eye was blood pressure. I’ll let you read the article for the rest.
As I have said on here already, I am now on vacation for the week, which means I finally get to try to catch up on some household things – namely cleaning out my garage. I am also going to redesign this website, which I will hopefully have done before I go back to work. I have some neat ideas in my head, but I haven’t figured out how to accomplish all of them all.
Make it a great day everyone!
Great work on the goals. My favourite part of your contest is that it is not about being perfect.
Nice that you are off for the week. Enjoy your time away from work.
“Hot 100″ update has been done.
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South Beach Steve Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:48 am
Kimberley, while I am goal driven, I also realize that sometimes the lack of wiggle room causes people to stress out and quit. That is part of the reason I left room for less than stellar work. We all blow it occasionally – at least I do.
I am going to enjoy the time off. I am really ready for it.
Heading to your blog shortly to check out the update.
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walking with a spouse is, in fact, it’s own reward
keep up the good work steve
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South Beach Steve Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:48 am
Agreed Kashi – thanks.
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Hope you have a nice vacation. Your goals are looking good. Glad you got a walk with the wife, that’s always nice.
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South Beach Steve Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:51 am
Me too Dawn, me too. I haven’t taken any real time off from work in about 18 months, so I am really ready for it.
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Thanks for the great update! I’m glad you’re finally taking that much needed vacation! I’m really excited for the blog update–can’t wait to see what you have in store.
Take is easy this week and get some walking in.
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South Beach Steve Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:52 am
Beej, I am ready for it. I hope this week is a great week for catching up around here. I am also planning on taking the two weeks around Christmas and New Years off. With all this together, I should get a lot done.
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Good work towards your goals Steve. We went on a hike in the hills today. John has next week off work too and the garage is on the top of our list to get in order. Enjoy your time off. Here’s to a strong next 10 days!
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South Beach Steve Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:52 am
Kat, the walk sounds great. If my wife and I ever come back out to San Francisco, I am going to have to walk some of these trails you mention. They sound awesome.
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So nice to have time to get other important things accomplished. A clean garage is a thing of beauty, and so much easier on your soul.
Enjoy the days Steve. I know they will be productive for you.
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South Beach Steve Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:53 am
It is a thing of beauty, but right now it is far from it. I need a few good days of work to turn it around.
Thanks for the comment, as always.
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Great goals!!
My goal this week since I am off is to spend 1.5 hours in the gym every day. That way I can eat like a pig on Thursday – just kidding!
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South Beach Steve Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Biz, I do intend on working out more this week, but not to give me a license to overeat, although it is tempting.
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Doing great Steve! If you want any tips on getting started running next year, just give me a holler! I was the last person you would ever have expected to run, and now it is a regular part of my routine. It’s actually easier than you think if you approach it the right way. I think you are ready grasshopper
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South Beach Steve Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Lori, I appreciate that. I won’t start until the weather warms up next spring, but you might get an email from me prior to that. Thanks again.
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Steve, congrats on your goals, working towards & hopes! Even in the short time I have been reading, I have no doubt you will get to all of them. Your video posts show me that for sure, you can be a public speaker!!!
The moderate fat thing was interesting. I go about 30% calories from fat & I, personally, think it is the type of carbs. I do not really eat white flour, processed stuff or anything like that. My carbs are veggies, some fruit & some whole grains like oats & things like that.
I think the key to remember is a person has to be able to handle whatever food program they do for life. Yes, if is was a health thing & I had to do something specific to be healthier & stop disease, I would do it. But if that is not the case, ya have to be able to live long term with your food choices & low carb is not going to work for somebody that just loves their carbs. They are going to have to find a way to cut back but still be happy… that is what I did.
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South Beach Steve Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Jody, thanks for the vote of confidence. I appreciate that.
I agree with you, it does have a lot to do with the type of carbs. Like you, I try to avoid anything white or processed. The better point is your last one. Whatever we do, it needs to be something we can do for life.
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Great job on your goals Steve. I wonder where you find the time to do all that you manage to do.
I am excited to see your site changes too. Right now I am learning how to use dreamweaver. I would love to be able to design a site!
Lori ( from finding radiance) and 2 comments above, is actually where I had first heard and learned about the C25K running program. So, thanks to her, I am a runner now and loving it!
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South Beach Steve Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Karyn, I sometimes wonder that myself.
I have been working on the new site design some today. I have a lot of work left, but it is coming together.
I am sure the C25k is the program I am going to follow, I just have to make my mind up that I am going to do it, then do it.
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Hey Steve, it’s wonderful to hear how much your health has improved through your exercise and eating regimen. I’m glad you take the time to give us the numbers and share all those details — all too often, I think, we focus on the tangible results, those we can see in front of us, and neglect the intangible to our own detriment. Reading about how your blood work has improved has got me excited for my next physical. I never planned on measuring those things before, but after seeing the dramatic difference you’ve achieved, I think comparing my numbers would be a smart move. And hopefully the results won’t stink either!
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South Beach Steve Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Ish, I thought about that in the very beginning, that there was more to this than just weight. I wanted to see if it really made a difference in my health. It obviously has, and I don’t regret taking the time to track it at all. I think comparing your numbers would be a smart move too. In fact, you could probably get your old numbers from your doc, which gives you a great place to start.
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Hope you have a great vacation, Steve!
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South Beach Steve Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Thanks Christine.
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Hey Steve, you are on track as far as I can see. A ships captain sets a course based on what he knows but is always open to course corrections that make sense. Enjoy the ride as those Nissan commercials always said!
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South Beach Steve Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:58 pm
John, thanks. All is well right now, but I can’t get lazy though.
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