I keep wanting to add photos to this blog, because endless words get boring. But I am always the photographer, rarely in the photos. And when I am in photos, I usually do something weird, so who knows what people would think if they didn't know me.
Anyway, here is my Flickr page, www.flickr.com/genericamerican , with 2,756 photos. You can go comment on them all if you have a few days to spare. If you click on Sets, you can see them in categorized groups. That should make them less random. Some of them are concert/show photos, some random stuff I do, and some are studio shoots with various people.
-Mike
Thursday, February 25, 2010
265.6
Getting there, one day at a time.
The BodyBugg has been a huge part of my recent weight loss success, but another factor that I don't think I've mentioned is my wife. Today is the 8 year anniversary of our first date. I figured our wedding anniversary would replace this anniversary, but I figured wrong. I just have 2 anniversaries to remember now.
She comes from a very innactive family. Her father and brother are musicians (with hippy leanings) and her other two brothers are computer programmers. Her mother is a hardcore knitter. In her entire childhood, I don't think there was a single camping trip, family hike, bike ride, football game, etc. I didn't consider my family that active, but when compared to her's, we seem like extreme athletes.
Anyway, throughout my several diet & exercise program attempts, my wife would either have no involvement, or follow along for a week or two. In her defense, I was always the fatter one, with my weight fluctuating heavily. She slowly put on weight, so it wasn't until recently that she felt it important enough to get on board.
Since I've started my program, she has followed along to varying degrees, but has lost about 30 lbs (which is very impressive considering I've lost 57 lbs in the same time, but was over 110 lbs heavier than her to start). She wouldn't tell me her weight for the first couple months, so I don't know exactly how much she's lost.
I'm looking to lose at least another 45 lbs, she has about 25 to go. At our current pace, we should both be there before the end of this year.
-Mike
The BodyBugg has been a huge part of my recent weight loss success, but another factor that I don't think I've mentioned is my wife. Today is the 8 year anniversary of our first date. I figured our wedding anniversary would replace this anniversary, but I figured wrong. I just have 2 anniversaries to remember now.
She comes from a very innactive family. Her father and brother are musicians (with hippy leanings) and her other two brothers are computer programmers. Her mother is a hardcore knitter. In her entire childhood, I don't think there was a single camping trip, family hike, bike ride, football game, etc. I didn't consider my family that active, but when compared to her's, we seem like extreme athletes.
Anyway, throughout my several diet & exercise program attempts, my wife would either have no involvement, or follow along for a week or two. In her defense, I was always the fatter one, with my weight fluctuating heavily. She slowly put on weight, so it wasn't until recently that she felt it important enough to get on board.
Since I've started my program, she has followed along to varying degrees, but has lost about 30 lbs (which is very impressive considering I've lost 57 lbs in the same time, but was over 110 lbs heavier than her to start). She wouldn't tell me her weight for the first couple months, so I don't know exactly how much she's lost.
I'm looking to lose at least another 45 lbs, she has about 25 to go. At our current pace, we should both be there before the end of this year.
-Mike
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
267
Been fluctuating a bit, was down to 266 a few days ago. Still making decent progress, but falling behind my weekly targets. I guess its good that I'm still making progress even in the face of minor failures, I'll get there eventually.
The BB forum had a thread congratulating me (or who they thought was me) on losing 146 lbs. Turns out it was another guy with a similar sounding blog name. I don't have 146 lbs to lose (unless I drop some muscle and get down to 5% body fat), but I'm over half way to my goal of 100 lbs.
The BB forum had a thread congratulating me (or who they thought was me) on losing 146 lbs. Turns out it was another guy with a similar sounding blog name. I don't have 146 lbs to lose (unless I drop some muscle and get down to 5% body fat), but I'm over half way to my goal of 100 lbs.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
268
Now I'm getting some momentum. It's amazing how much difference it makes to get 30 minutes of cardio in before work. I also get to work fully awake, which isn't a bad idea.
I've got 42 days until my birthday, with the goal being to weigh under 240 by then. That means I need to average .69 lbs lost every day from now until then. That's not too much higher than my original plan of losing .42 lbs a day. I do tend to leave things until the last minute and then try to rush it all, so maybe falling behind will give me the urgency to get it done.
It's so crazy, it just might work.
I've got 42 days until my birthday, with the goal being to weigh under 240 by then. That means I need to average .69 lbs lost every day from now until then. That's not too much higher than my original plan of losing .42 lbs a day. I do tend to leave things until the last minute and then try to rush it all, so maybe falling behind will give me the urgency to get it done.
It's so crazy, it just might work.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
269.2
I lost the battle (getting to 269 by last Friday), but I won the war. Took a few days longer to get myself back on track, but I got there.
I'm sure the science is out there, but I've found that cardio in the morning seems to have a bigger effect than cardio at night. Maybe getting everything going in the morning keeps you running at a higher rate, but exercising at night and then going to sleep may kill that effect. Not sure, but that's my working theory.
Right now I'm doing 20 minutes of rowing in the morning and then 10 minutes of boxing (working a heavy bag and double-end bag). The rower is great exercise, but takes continuous focus, not like an elliptical where you can zone out, so the 20 minutes on the rower seems harder than an hour on an elliptical. But I already have one at home (as well as the boxing setup), so I'm just going to have to get used to it. Doing something you don't like builds character anyway.
At night I'm doing an hour on an elliptical machine.
Anyway, the point was that I seem to see more results from the 20 to 30 minutes of intense cardio in the morning, than I do from the 60 minutes at night.
But those may be skewed statistics, because when I'm dedicated enough to work out in the morning, I'm usually also on my best eating habits. When I'm feeling lazy, the morning workouts are the first thing to go, followed by a slightly "looser" diet.
If every other month I can hit a dedicated spurt and drop 20 lbs, then maintain that weight for my lazy month, I can live with that. As long as this month is the one where I drop 20. I'm still set on making my goal of being under 240 by March 24th.
-Mike
I'm sure the science is out there, but I've found that cardio in the morning seems to have a bigger effect than cardio at night. Maybe getting everything going in the morning keeps you running at a higher rate, but exercising at night and then going to sleep may kill that effect. Not sure, but that's my working theory.
Right now I'm doing 20 minutes of rowing in the morning and then 10 minutes of boxing (working a heavy bag and double-end bag). The rower is great exercise, but takes continuous focus, not like an elliptical where you can zone out, so the 20 minutes on the rower seems harder than an hour on an elliptical. But I already have one at home (as well as the boxing setup), so I'm just going to have to get used to it. Doing something you don't like builds character anyway.
At night I'm doing an hour on an elliptical machine.
Anyway, the point was that I seem to see more results from the 20 to 30 minutes of intense cardio in the morning, than I do from the 60 minutes at night.
But those may be skewed statistics, because when I'm dedicated enough to work out in the morning, I'm usually also on my best eating habits. When I'm feeling lazy, the morning workouts are the first thing to go, followed by a slightly "looser" diet.
If every other month I can hit a dedicated spurt and drop 20 lbs, then maintain that weight for my lazy month, I can live with that. As long as this month is the one where I drop 20. I'm still set on making my goal of being under 240 by March 24th.
-Mike
Thursday, February 4, 2010
271.8
1.9 lbs away from breaking into the 260 range. I think I can make my goal of being there by tomorrow.
Thanks to those who are following me and commenting on here. Until yesterday, the security settings at my office (where I do most of my posting) didn't allow me to respond to comments, but I figure out a way around that. Didn't want you to think they went unnoticed.
-Mike
Thanks to those who are following me and commenting on here. Until yesterday, the security settings at my office (where I do most of my posting) didn't allow me to respond to comments, but I figure out a way around that. Didn't want you to think they went unnoticed.
-Mike
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
273.4
Lost my momentum, still having some problems with my work schedule. Well, to be honest, the increased work schedule isn't helping matters, but if I was pushing myself as hard as I was before I would be in the 260 or 250 range by now.
I'm making some changes to overcome that. I told my boss that I will be leaving every day by 5:30pm, and will put in overtime from home as needed. I'll be going straight to the gym from work, so I get my gym time in as the top priority, then make time for extra work from home (instead of getting the work done first and trying to make time for the gym).
When I'm doing well on my diet & exercise, my general mood improves, which makes me more productive at work anyway. So I think shifting the priorities will work out better for both.
The goal for this week is to be under 270 by Friday. I tend to drop a few pounds quickly after each leveling off point, so I think I can do that.
I'm making some changes to overcome that. I told my boss that I will be leaving every day by 5:30pm, and will put in overtime from home as needed. I'll be going straight to the gym from work, so I get my gym time in as the top priority, then make time for extra work from home (instead of getting the work done first and trying to make time for the gym).
When I'm doing well on my diet & exercise, my general mood improves, which makes me more productive at work anyway. So I think shifting the priorities will work out better for both.
The goal for this week is to be under 270 by Friday. I tend to drop a few pounds quickly after each leveling off point, so I think I can do that.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
272.4
Still making progress in the right direction, but the increase in calories and heavy lifting have slowed my numbers down. I've decided to go back to my lower calorie range and focus on cardio until I reach my goal weight. Then I'll switch back to focus on strength. That was my original plan, but when you're a big guy and used to lifting more than 90% of the other guys in the gym, the peer pressure to "go huge" gets to you. It's also fun to leg press 800 lbs, but I'll have to hold off on that.
Back to my original plan of getting below 240 by my birthday, March 24.
After months of trying to get friends into the gym, I guess the New Years resolutions are helping me, because this week I've had 2 friends sign up at 24 Hour Fitness and a 3rd came in to check it out (she says she's going to sign up, but we'll see). My sales guy at 24 Hour Fitness loves me now.
The friends have actually ruined my last two gym visits, as I've had to show them around and then basically run them like I was a personal trainer because they don't know what they're doing in the gym. But it's worth it in the long run.
Back to my original plan of getting below 240 by my birthday, March 24.
After months of trying to get friends into the gym, I guess the New Years resolutions are helping me, because this week I've had 2 friends sign up at 24 Hour Fitness and a 3rd came in to check it out (she says she's going to sign up, but we'll see). My sales guy at 24 Hour Fitness loves me now.
The friends have actually ruined my last two gym visits, as I've had to show them around and then basically run them like I was a personal trainer because they don't know what they're doing in the gym. But it's worth it in the long run.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
273.6
Was holding steady at 275, was just about to consider lowering my calorie intake back down, but weighed in at 273.6 this morning, so I'll keep at this 2000 to 2200 calorie range.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Received my mini-bike
Might have to raise my desk up, but I'm determine to make this work. If I can get everything setup right, I think it will help a lot to keep my legs going for as long as I'm able to during the day.
I was impressed with it's construction and resistance level, considering some of the reviews.
I'll update you if I get pulled into any meetings to address reports of strange activity in my office.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Blogs need photos, so....
Here is me hitting a watermelon with a bat at a redneck themed party (thus the customized shirt). As you can see, I'm extremely awesome sometimes.
274.6
For some reason it's more fun to see the scale pass by the 5 & 10 lbs mark (like going from 275 to 274), than all the pounds lost in between.
Did my first heavy leg day last night, then my first heavy arm day today. I was going to give it a day between the two, but I felt like lifting. I'm not even close to what I was lifting at my peak about 8 months ago, but I'm not as weak as I thought I might be. The increase in calories/protein has increase my strength dramatically in just a few days. I guess I was cutting it too low before. Maybe so, but the first 46 lbs I lost aren't complaining.
Feels good to do deadlifts and leg presses again. Not sure if I'll get into squats again, it is the only lift that I've never really felt natural or comfortable with. I know my form sucks, but even when I've tried to focus on correcting it, I still couldn't get it right.
For now I'm going to have 2 heavy lifting days (1 arm & abs/core, 1 leg & back) with 30 to 45 minutes of cardio on those days. The other 5 days a week will be all cardio.
-Mike
Did my first heavy leg day last night, then my first heavy arm day today. I was going to give it a day between the two, but I felt like lifting. I'm not even close to what I was lifting at my peak about 8 months ago, but I'm not as weak as I thought I might be. The increase in calories/protein has increase my strength dramatically in just a few days. I guess I was cutting it too low before. Maybe so, but the first 46 lbs I lost aren't complaining.
Feels good to do deadlifts and leg presses again. Not sure if I'll get into squats again, it is the only lift that I've never really felt natural or comfortable with. I know my form sucks, but even when I've tried to focus on correcting it, I still couldn't get it right.
For now I'm going to have 2 heavy lifting days (1 arm & abs/core, 1 leg & back) with 30 to 45 minutes of cardio on those days. The other 5 days a week will be all cardio.
-Mike
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
275.8
Back on the wagon, full force. Counting every calorie, preparing all meals at home, eating 5 small meals a day.
I ordered the mini-exercise bike, so that should arrive in a week or so. We'll see if that makes a big difference, or just makes me look like the crazy guy in the office who's always doing something weird under his desk.
I ordered the mini-exercise bike, so that should arrive in a week or so. We'll see if that makes a big difference, or just makes me look like the crazy guy in the office who's always doing something weird under his desk.
Monday, January 4, 2010
(copied over from a BodyBugg forum post I made, in case anyone cares)
My job was already fairly inactive, but a recent promotion has me completely chained to my desk. I probably don't walk more than 100 ft in an 8 hour work day.
I've been thinking of ways to increase my activity and have been thinking of getting a mini-stair stepper or a mini-exercise bike. I was having a hard time finding anything like that, even though I've seen them before. Someone gave me an Amazon gift card and I remembered that Amazon has just about everything on earth.
A few minutes of searching found several options. I think I'm going to go with the smallest one, even though it isn't the quietest one. I'm tall, so it will be hard enough to use under a desk with the smalled (10" high) model. The silent model is 15" high.
I read reviews on several other models, but came down to these two. Only common complaint is that they don't offer much resistance, but the main point would be to keep my legs in motion, and most reviews said that even with minor resistance they were able to get a sweat going at their desk if they were trying to.
Anyway, I thought I'd share the results of my research in case anybody else is looking to something like this.
Smallest model:http://amzn.com/B000LGAPZI
Quietest model:http://amzn.com/B000KE8ASK
My job was already fairly inactive, but a recent promotion has me completely chained to my desk. I probably don't walk more than 100 ft in an 8 hour work day.
I've been thinking of ways to increase my activity and have been thinking of getting a mini-stair stepper or a mini-exercise bike. I was having a hard time finding anything like that, even though I've seen them before. Someone gave me an Amazon gift card and I remembered that Amazon has just about everything on earth.
A few minutes of searching found several options. I think I'm going to go with the smallest one, even though it isn't the quietest one. I'm tall, so it will be hard enough to use under a desk with the smalled (10" high) model. The silent model is 15" high.
I read reviews on several other models, but came down to these two. Only common complaint is that they don't offer much resistance, but the main point would be to keep my legs in motion, and most reviews said that even with minor resistance they were able to get a sweat going at their desk if they were trying to.
Anyway, I thought I'd share the results of my research in case anybody else is looking to something like this.
Smallest model:http://amzn.com/B000LGAPZI
Quietest model:http://amzn.com/B000KE8ASK
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
278.8
Getting a little derailed by life.
The new position at work has required staying late every night. I've been in the office as late as 11:30pm, and routinely until 9pm. Hoping the workload calms down, but the hours aren't optional at this point.
Due to this schedule, I've only made it to the gym about 3 times in 3 weeks. I am able to maintain weight when not working out though, so that's good.
When possible, I like to workout like crazy and diet very strictly, but in the long run, being able to maintain or continue on a slow weight loss when that is not possible is a more valuable skill than being able to drop 20 lbs in a month.
January should bring a lightened schedule and I got approval to setup a company computer at home, so I can work from there, which will allow me to hit the gym on the way home, then put in whatever overtime I need to from home. Currently I have to stay in the office, and it would take too long to go to leave work, go to the gym, come back to work and then go home.
So it's all looking good, I'm just not quite as far along as I had planned.
-Mike
The new position at work has required staying late every night. I've been in the office as late as 11:30pm, and routinely until 9pm. Hoping the workload calms down, but the hours aren't optional at this point.
Due to this schedule, I've only made it to the gym about 3 times in 3 weeks. I am able to maintain weight when not working out though, so that's good.
When possible, I like to workout like crazy and diet very strictly, but in the long run, being able to maintain or continue on a slow weight loss when that is not possible is a more valuable skill than being able to drop 20 lbs in a month.
January should bring a lightened schedule and I got approval to setup a company computer at home, so I can work from there, which will allow me to hit the gym on the way home, then put in whatever overtime I need to from home. Currently I have to stay in the office, and it would take too long to go to leave work, go to the gym, come back to work and then go home.
So it's all looking good, I'm just not quite as far along as I had planned.
-Mike
Saturday, December 12, 2009
278.4
I broke through the 280 mark! I know that isn't a standard benchmark, but a few years ago I stuck to a very strict calorie counting & excercise program and got down to about 285, then got stuck and gave up. I slowly put the weight back on. When I got down into the 280s again, I seemed to hit a mental block, got sick and had some other stuff happen, so I was worried I'd level off, but I keep marching on. That's the difference the BodyBugg seems to be making, it keeps it all in perspective, so I can look at the numbers and know that I'm eating too much or exercising too little, and not convice myself that things have just "stopped working".
I've started a new position with my company and am rediculously busy. I've been having to work 60 hour weeks for the last month or so. I'm the Central Property Supervisor and am reviewing all the work of 42 adjusters. In our companies history, I'm not sure anyone has ever attempted to supervise this many people. But like many things with my company, I'm young, stupid and related to the owners, so they use me for experimentation and know I can sue them. It's not so much that the hours are long, its that I was used to working out twice a day and doing all kinds of stuff in my free time, so it's getting harder to fit the gym time in. I've still managed to do it though, and reduced my calories on the days I knew I wasn't going to make it.
I'm pretty determine to make it down to at least 230. We'll see how hard that is and what I look like when I get there. At some point I'm going to switch the focus from weight loss to strength training. Ideally I'd still see fat loss during the strength training, but I would have to significantly increase my calorie intake to start serious lifting again. I'm not even attempting any lifting right now, the risk of injury is too high and my recovery time would be longer.
Well, it's 11:28pm and I'm typing this from the office after having just put in 6 hours of unpaid overtime (see earlier paragraph about new position at work). I'm going home.
I've started a new position with my company and am rediculously busy. I've been having to work 60 hour weeks for the last month or so. I'm the Central Property Supervisor and am reviewing all the work of 42 adjusters. In our companies history, I'm not sure anyone has ever attempted to supervise this many people. But like many things with my company, I'm young, stupid and related to the owners, so they use me for experimentation and know I can sue them. It's not so much that the hours are long, its that I was used to working out twice a day and doing all kinds of stuff in my free time, so it's getting harder to fit the gym time in. I've still managed to do it though, and reduced my calories on the days I knew I wasn't going to make it.
I'm pretty determine to make it down to at least 230. We'll see how hard that is and what I look like when I get there. At some point I'm going to switch the focus from weight loss to strength training. Ideally I'd still see fat loss during the strength training, but I would have to significantly increase my calorie intake to start serious lifting again. I'm not even attempting any lifting right now, the risk of injury is too high and my recovery time would be longer.
Well, it's 11:28pm and I'm typing this from the office after having just put in 6 hours of unpaid overtime (see earlier paragraph about new position at work). I'm going home.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
283.6
I'm back.
I went to Texas, maintained my weight, but got sick on the last day. Well, I got a little sick on the last day in Texas, but what nearly killed me was having to get up at 3am, drive the airport, fly back to L.A. (with a layover), then drive straight in to work and stay there until 8pm.
The day before that I was slightly ill, by the end of that day, I had a 102.4 temperature. It was some kind of stomach flu, I didn't have any congestion or sore throat (which I usually always get when sick), but I had incredibly terrible things going on inside of me. That's all I'll say on that. And I feel mostly better, but haven't totally recovered.
So, 2 weeks off from the gym, and I'm still holding at the same weight. Not bad. I went to the gym last night, didn't feel too bad, but I have been having continuous headaches since being sick. Hoping that goes away soon.
I like breaking it down into pieces, so my next goal is to be under 260 in 6 weeks.
I went to Texas, maintained my weight, but got sick on the last day. Well, I got a little sick on the last day in Texas, but what nearly killed me was having to get up at 3am, drive the airport, fly back to L.A. (with a layover), then drive straight in to work and stay there until 8pm.
The day before that I was slightly ill, by the end of that day, I had a 102.4 temperature. It was some kind of stomach flu, I didn't have any congestion or sore throat (which I usually always get when sick), but I had incredibly terrible things going on inside of me. That's all I'll say on that. And I feel mostly better, but haven't totally recovered.
So, 2 weeks off from the gym, and I'm still holding at the same weight. Not bad. I went to the gym last night, didn't feel too bad, but I have been having continuous headaches since being sick. Hoping that goes away soon.
I like breaking it down into pieces, so my next goal is to be under 260 in 6 weeks.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Thanksgiving in Texas... - w/Photo
It comes full circle. I think the first photo on here is from Texas a few years ago and now I'm posting photos from Texas last month. We raked all my grandma's leaves into a giant pile and burned them. When you're from LA (where you can't even light a cigarette in many parts of the city), bonfires are pretty entertaining.
Monday, November 23, 2009
283.8
Had a wild weekend. On Friday I met a friend at a bar and just got drunk for no reason. On Saturday, my wife's parents rented a room at the House of Blues on Sunset and had a fancy birthday party for her dad. Free food and drinks.
I'm going to Texas for Thanksgiving, we'll see if I live through that.
I'm going to Texas for Thanksgiving, we'll see if I live through that.
Friday, November 20, 2009
282.8
I'm going to a German restaurant tonight, I'll probably enjoy a dunkel, but I won't go too far.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
283.5
Still moving in the right direction, but I think I've been slacking off the cardio a little. I've been doing a circuit of 10 minutes on the rower, heavy bag work, double-ended bag work and v-slips under a rope (basically lunges with boxing in mind).
It's a great workout, but has a lot of peaks and rests, so I think a more consistent cardio workout would be better.
I still plan on doing the above circuit every morning (as I've been doing since I set up my home gym), but want to start going back to 24 Hour Fitness at night (instead of working out at home a 2nd time each day).
Here is a graph I've been keeping. I like to keep graphs because it helps to have a quick visual of your progress. Without it, those days where you go up .2 lbs can be really annoying. The general trend of the graph will show you if things are working:
The graph starts at 309.2 lbs on 10/6/09.
The last point is today, 11/19/09 at 283.5 lbs.
I keep this taped up above my scale and update it each morning after I weigh myself. That weird spike and then dip in the graph a few days ago was a glitch with my scale. The number kept jumping around, but I weighed myself several times in a row and the last few times it held steady at a weight 3 lbs heavier than I thought was correct. I marked it on the graph, but the next day it dropped back down.
It's a great workout, but has a lot of peaks and rests, so I think a more consistent cardio workout would be better.
I still plan on doing the above circuit every morning (as I've been doing since I set up my home gym), but want to start going back to 24 Hour Fitness at night (instead of working out at home a 2nd time each day).
Here is a graph I've been keeping. I like to keep graphs because it helps to have a quick visual of your progress. Without it, those days where you go up .2 lbs can be really annoying. The general trend of the graph will show you if things are working:
The graph starts at 309.2 lbs on 10/6/09.
The last point is today, 11/19/09 at 283.5 lbs.
I keep this taped up above my scale and update it each morning after I weigh myself. That weird spike and then dip in the graph a few days ago was a glitch with my scale. The number kept jumping around, but I weighed myself several times in a row and the last few times it held steady at a weight 3 lbs heavier than I thought was correct. I marked it on the graph, but the next day it dropped back down.
Monday, November 16, 2009
285.2
My weight was holding steady around 288, so I decided to just destroy myself with as much exercise as I could possibly fit in over the weekend, and now I'm at 285.2.
I weigh myself first thing in the morning (naked if you must know), every day, for a very consistent measurement. I know a lot of the programs out there advise not to weigh in daily, as this can be discouraging, but when you are trying for a daily deficit that is equal to most people's weekly deficit, I think it's OK.
My wife was sick on Thursday and Friday, so she was still recovering this weekend and didn't want to do anything. That worked for me, because usually my weekends are the hardest times to workout because I never know what we're going to do or when. But I started working out around 2pm on Saturday and didn't stop until about 8pm. Well, there were plenty of breaks, but I would try to stay active during the "breaks", like one of my breaks was getting on the roof and clearing off a bunch of leaves that had built up. Another "break" was moving all the old stuff that was stored on our side yard to try to throw away as much old crap as possible.
On Sunday, I did the same thing, but longer and harder (no pun intended). I thought I might have over-done it, but I feel pretty good today. I think I'm finally in that mode where I can just keep pushing myself.
-Mike
P.S. - The title of each post will be my weight from that morning's weigh-in. Wasn't sure if that was obvious or not.
I weigh myself first thing in the morning (naked if you must know), every day, for a very consistent measurement. I know a lot of the programs out there advise not to weigh in daily, as this can be discouraging, but when you are trying for a daily deficit that is equal to most people's weekly deficit, I think it's OK.
My wife was sick on Thursday and Friday, so she was still recovering this weekend and didn't want to do anything. That worked for me, because usually my weekends are the hardest times to workout because I never know what we're going to do or when. But I started working out around 2pm on Saturday and didn't stop until about 8pm. Well, there were plenty of breaks, but I would try to stay active during the "breaks", like one of my breaks was getting on the roof and clearing off a bunch of leaves that had built up. Another "break" was moving all the old stuff that was stored on our side yard to try to throw away as much old crap as possible.
On Sunday, I did the same thing, but longer and harder (no pun intended). I thought I might have over-done it, but I feel pretty good today. I think I'm finally in that mode where I can just keep pushing myself.
-Mike
P.S. - The title of each post will be my weight from that morning's weigh-in. Wasn't sure if that was obvious or not.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
People love photos in blogs, so here are some...
This is me hitting a can of beer with a baseball bat at a redneck themed party.
This is at the Bonneville (is that how you spell it?) Salt Flats. I think the salt makes me look fatter than usual.
This was just a post on the BodyBugg website, but...
I ended up rambling on a lot longer than I intended, so I thought I'd copy it over here.
I'm at 288.2 as of this morning. It seems to hold for a day or two, then drop 2 pounds, then hold again.
-----------------
Slow and steady may win the race, but I can't get excited about a race that slow. I don't watch golf or sailing for just that reason.
I've been hanging out on this message board and don't see many people going on crazy "Biggest Loser"-style programs.
Just curious if I'm the only one.
I also know that I should probably keep my head down until I've managed to stick to this crazy program for a little longer, as anybody can start a crazy program, it takes a true nut to finish it.
Assuming I don't flake out, I'm off to a good start.
In the last month, I've gone from 312 to 288, which is actually short of my target, but I'll take what I can get.
I don't like to publicly admit failure, so I'm hoping the more I document my goals, the less likely I will be to quit and hope nobody notices.
I want to get back into competing in Judo or Jiu Jitsu. Maybe take an amateur boxing match.
I'd like to get down to around 225 (I'm 6' 3" and reasonably muscular, so that would be a pretty good weight for me), before I start all that training again. It is great exercise, but often leads to injuries that make it hard to keep up a really consistent weight loss. I want to focus on the weight loss for a few months, then focus on training.
Well, this ended up being a lot longer then what I had in mind when I started typing.
Anybody else want to add their plans/goals so everybody else can harass you if you don't stick to it?
-Mike
I'm at 288.2 as of this morning. It seems to hold for a day or two, then drop 2 pounds, then hold again.
-----------------
Slow and steady may win the race, but I can't get excited about a race that slow. I don't watch golf or sailing for just that reason.
I've been hanging out on this message board and don't see many people going on crazy "Biggest Loser"-style programs.
Just curious if I'm the only one.
I also know that I should probably keep my head down until I've managed to stick to this crazy program for a little longer, as anybody can start a crazy program, it takes a true nut to finish it.
Assuming I don't flake out, I'm off to a good start.
In the last month, I've gone from 312 to 288, which is actually short of my target, but I'll take what I can get.
I don't like to publicly admit failure, so I'm hoping the more I document my goals, the less likely I will be to quit and hope nobody notices.
I want to get back into competing in Judo or Jiu Jitsu. Maybe take an amateur boxing match.
I'd like to get down to around 225 (I'm 6' 3" and reasonably muscular, so that would be a pretty good weight for me), before I start all that training again. It is great exercise, but often leads to injuries that make it hard to keep up a really consistent weight loss. I want to focus on the weight loss for a few months, then focus on training.
Well, this ended up being a lot longer then what I had in mind when I started typing.
Anybody else want to add their plans/goals so everybody else can harass you if you don't stick to it?
-Mike
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
288.6
Finished the main parts of my home gym. Have a punching bag hung up and a rower. I've been able to do it really cheap because the rower was left at my house by an old roommate (who asked me to sell it, but I never got around to it) and the punching bag was my brothers.
Working out at home last night and this morning. It's a little harder to get a continuous workout, but I worked out a lot longer and in more intense bursts, so my total calories burned was actually higher than usual (for the workout period, the day overall wasn't that great).
I'm going to try to use the rower for 30 minutes in the morning (I only did 25 this morning because my shoes started rubbing the skin off my toes, I still need to work out a few kinks in the setup/attire to get on a roll). I'll then go to 24 Hour Fitness at night or do another 30 minutes on the rower and an hour on the punching bag (broken up into rounds).
Working out at home last night and this morning. It's a little harder to get a continuous workout, but I worked out a lot longer and in more intense bursts, so my total calories burned was actually higher than usual (for the workout period, the day overall wasn't that great).
I'm going to try to use the rower for 30 minutes in the morning (I only did 25 this morning because my shoes started rubbing the skin off my toes, I still need to work out a few kinks in the setup/attire to get on a roll). I'll then go to 24 Hour Fitness at night or do another 30 minutes on the rower and an hour on the punching bag (broken up into rounds).
Monday, November 9, 2009
290.8 - Rough weekend
290.8
Got a little crazy this weekend, had Chinese food and a few beers. My weight stayed the same, so I guess I didn't go too far.
Setting up a punching bag and rower in my backyard, so I can get a better morning workout without taking up too much time.
Got a little crazy this weekend, had Chinese food and a few beers. My weight stayed the same, so I guess I didn't go too far.
Setting up a punching bag and rower in my backyard, so I can get a better morning workout without taking up too much time.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Additional photographic documentation of fatness
My screen seems to widen this photo, thereby maximizing my fatness, but I think I'm at least 5% less fat in person. This photo was taken about a year ago, but should be fairly close to how I appeared about a month ago (just prior to starting with the BodyBugg).
Thursday, November 5, 2009
People like to see fatness it all it's glory
This photo is a couple years old, but it's still pretty cool. My brother and I were in Texas visiting our grandparents. I was trying to blend in (I'm the city-boy of the family, being the only one born in California). I don't normally look this cool/rednick-ish.
I'll add some more humiliatingly fat photos later.
I'll add some more humiliatingly fat photos later.
The beginning (again)
After a year of considering getting a BodyBugg, I finally got one. I'm a cheap bastard and when they released the new black model, it made the old gray ones really cheap on eBay. Got one for $149 (which included a 6 month membership to the website).
I've been very surprised by how helpful it is. The biggest thing is that it keeps your mind on the task at hand. It's a constant reminder. Every time I would start a diet or excercise program, after a couple weeks it would seem like it was taking forever to see any results. But the BodyBugg is charting it out day by day, so you can see that actual time you've put in and your effort (or lack of effort), and pinpoint the problem instead of developing a feeling like nothing works.
I've been wearing it for almost 3 weeks now (I think the first day was 10/21/09). I had already started dieting for about 10 days before and dropped 9 lbs, so the easy "beginning/water" weight was already off. I've lost another 15 lbs since starting with the BodyBugg (averaging 5 lbs a week).
I always lean towards doing things over the top, I can't go the slow route. If someone told me they had a program that was really easy and I would lose a pound a week for a year, I wouldn't bother doing it. That's just me. I need to be able to go after something and see results now. It's probably not the best way to go about things, but it's the only way for me. That was the problem I've had with any programs in the past (like Jenny Craig), they always wanted to meet with you and set small goals each week. I could never get interested in those small goals.
In that regard, BodyBugg is perfect for me. It is just a measuring device. If you want to destroy yourself with a crazy workout and diet program, it will just track you body's output the whole way. And that's what I need.
For the 3 weeks I've been using it, I've kept to about 1,500 to 1,700 calories a day. Buring 4,200 to 4,800 per day. Going to the gym for 30 minutes in the morning on the way to work and another 1 - 1.5 hours at night. I'd like to start riding my bike everywhere as a way of getting in additional calories burned, but I'm still too heavy to do that (the bike seat destroys my ass. I've researched different solutions and tried 3 different seats, no luck). I rode to and from work once (about 20 miles round trip) and I couldn't sit down right for a week.
I've been using the BodyBugg website daily, and neglecting to update this one, so I thought I'd summerize what's been going on. I'll start updating this at least once a week to have a record of my progress.
-Mike
I've been very surprised by how helpful it is. The biggest thing is that it keeps your mind on the task at hand. It's a constant reminder. Every time I would start a diet or excercise program, after a couple weeks it would seem like it was taking forever to see any results. But the BodyBugg is charting it out day by day, so you can see that actual time you've put in and your effort (or lack of effort), and pinpoint the problem instead of developing a feeling like nothing works.
I've been wearing it for almost 3 weeks now (I think the first day was 10/21/09). I had already started dieting for about 10 days before and dropped 9 lbs, so the easy "beginning/water" weight was already off. I've lost another 15 lbs since starting with the BodyBugg (averaging 5 lbs a week).
I always lean towards doing things over the top, I can't go the slow route. If someone told me they had a program that was really easy and I would lose a pound a week for a year, I wouldn't bother doing it. That's just me. I need to be able to go after something and see results now. It's probably not the best way to go about things, but it's the only way for me. That was the problem I've had with any programs in the past (like Jenny Craig), they always wanted to meet with you and set small goals each week. I could never get interested in those small goals.
In that regard, BodyBugg is perfect for me. It is just a measuring device. If you want to destroy yourself with a crazy workout and diet program, it will just track you body's output the whole way. And that's what I need.
For the 3 weeks I've been using it, I've kept to about 1,500 to 1,700 calories a day. Buring 4,200 to 4,800 per day. Going to the gym for 30 minutes in the morning on the way to work and another 1 - 1.5 hours at night. I'd like to start riding my bike everywhere as a way of getting in additional calories burned, but I'm still too heavy to do that (the bike seat destroys my ass. I've researched different solutions and tried 3 different seats, no luck). I rode to and from work once (about 20 miles round trip) and I couldn't sit down right for a week.
I've been using the BodyBugg website daily, and neglecting to update this one, so I thought I'd summerize what's been going on. I'll start updating this at least once a week to have a record of my progress.
-Mike
Enter the BodyBugg era
After a year of considering getting a BodyBugg, I finally got one. I'm a cheap bastard and when they released the new black model, it made the old gray ones really cheap on eBay. Got one for $149 (which included a 6 month membership to the website).
I've been very surprised by how helpful it is. The biggest thing is that it keeps your mind on the task at hand. It's a constant reminder. Every time I would start a diet or exercise program, after a couple weeks it would seem like it was taking forever to see any results. But the BodyBugg is charting it out day by day, so you can see that actual time you've put in and your effort (or lack of effort), and pinpoint the problem instead of developing a feeling like nothing works.
I've been wearing it for almost 3 weeks now (I think the first day was 10/21/09). I had already started dieting for about 10 days before and dropped 9 lbs, so the easy "beginning/water" weight was already off. I've lost another 15 lbs since starting with the BodyBugg (averaging 5 lbs a week).
I always lean towards doing things over the top, I can't go the slow route. If someone told me they had a program that was really easy and I would lose a pound a week for a year, I wouldn't bother doing it. That's just me. I need to be able to go after something and see results now. It's probably not the best way to go about things, but it's the only way for me. That was the problem I've had with any programs in the past (like Jenny Craig), they always wanted to meet with you and set small goals each week. I could never get interested in those small goals.
In that regard, BodyBugg is perfect for me. It is just a measuring device. If you want to destroy yourself with a crazy workout and diet program, it will just track you body's output the whole way. And that's what I need.
For the 3 weeks I've been using it, I've kept to about 1,500 to 1,700 calories a day. Buring 4,200 to 4,800 per day. Going to the gym for 30 minutes in the morning on the way to work and another 1 - 1.5 hours at night. I'd like to start riding my bike everywhere as a way of getting in additional calories burned, but I'm still too heavy to do that (the bike seat destroys my ass. I've researched different solutions and tried 3 different seats, no luck). I rode to and from work once (about 20 miles round trip) and I couldn't sit down right for a week.
I've been using the BodyBugg website daily, and neglecting to update this one, so I thought I'd summarize what's been going on. I'll start updating this at least once a week to have a record of my progress.
-Mike
I've been very surprised by how helpful it is. The biggest thing is that it keeps your mind on the task at hand. It's a constant reminder. Every time I would start a diet or exercise program, after a couple weeks it would seem like it was taking forever to see any results. But the BodyBugg is charting it out day by day, so you can see that actual time you've put in and your effort (or lack of effort), and pinpoint the problem instead of developing a feeling like nothing works.
I've been wearing it for almost 3 weeks now (I think the first day was 10/21/09). I had already started dieting for about 10 days before and dropped 9 lbs, so the easy "beginning/water" weight was already off. I've lost another 15 lbs since starting with the BodyBugg (averaging 5 lbs a week).
I always lean towards doing things over the top, I can't go the slow route. If someone told me they had a program that was really easy and I would lose a pound a week for a year, I wouldn't bother doing it. That's just me. I need to be able to go after something and see results now. It's probably not the best way to go about things, but it's the only way for me. That was the problem I've had with any programs in the past (like Jenny Craig), they always wanted to meet with you and set small goals each week. I could never get interested in those small goals.
In that regard, BodyBugg is perfect for me. It is just a measuring device. If you want to destroy yourself with a crazy workout and diet program, it will just track you body's output the whole way. And that's what I need.
For the 3 weeks I've been using it, I've kept to about 1,500 to 1,700 calories a day. Buring 4,200 to 4,800 per day. Going to the gym for 30 minutes in the morning on the way to work and another 1 - 1.5 hours at night. I'd like to start riding my bike everywhere as a way of getting in additional calories burned, but I'm still too heavy to do that (the bike seat destroys my ass. I've researched different solutions and tried 3 different seats, no luck). I rode to and from work once (about 20 miles round trip) and I couldn't sit down right for a week.
I've been using the BodyBugg website daily, and neglecting to update this one, so I thought I'd summarize what's been going on. I'll start updating this at least once a week to have a record of my progress.
-Mike
Thursday, October 8, 2009
306.8 - This whole "diet & exercise" thing might be a good idea...
After a week of limited calories and hitting the gym twice a day, I'm down to 306.8.
That's pretty good considering I was at 315 a little while ago.
I'm probably under-cutting my calories, but it's working for now and I feel ok, so I'm going to keep "eye-balling" my diet until things stop working, then I'll start actually tracking the calories and number of meals.
That's pretty good considering I was at 315 a little while ago.
I'm probably under-cutting my calories, but it's working for now and I feel ok, so I'm going to keep "eye-balling" my diet until things stop working, then I'll start actually tracking the calories and number of meals.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
315.2 - Rock bottom for the 75,334 time!
Here I am. A big whiney bitch. 315.2 lbs. Jenny and I talking about fixing our lives.
But, luckily for me, I'm manic depressive. And all that depressive makes way for some manic. So here it comes.
But, luckily for me, I'm manic depressive. And all that depressive makes way for some manic. So here it comes.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
312 - Got sick
I took a free class at 10th Planet Burbank, had a good time getting mauled, then got really sick the next day. That was last week, I'm basically over the sickness, but still congested.
Being forced to stop going to the gym always makes me want to start a crazy hardcore program, so that's what I'm doing.
Going back to basics, strict calorie counting (1850 per day) and doing strictly cardio. When I'm in better shape I'll mix back in some heavy lifting, but I stand to gain a lot more by being able to use the strength I have, then flopping and lumbering around as the fattest guy in the room.
I weigh about 312 right now. I haven't been able to figure out why I'm slowly gaining. I haven't been dieting or doing enough cardio to expect a big loss, but my activity level compared to my food intake doesn't seem to justify the slow gain.
Moving to a new house in Burbank, which has a large yard. Going to set up a gym at home, which should increase the odds that I'll actually get in 2 cardio sessions a day. We still have the rower, so I'm going for at least an hour a day on it (split into two sessions). Ideally I'd like to get up to 2 x 45 minute rowing sessions.
P.S. - tried to sign back up at XTC (BJJ/gym), but was told the girl I needed to see leaves at 2pm. Now I doubt I can afford it with the rent of our new house. So they can just sue me for the money they think I owe them.
Being forced to stop going to the gym always makes me want to start a crazy hardcore program, so that's what I'm doing.
Going back to basics, strict calorie counting (1850 per day) and doing strictly cardio. When I'm in better shape I'll mix back in some heavy lifting, but I stand to gain a lot more by being able to use the strength I have, then flopping and lumbering around as the fattest guy in the room.
I weigh about 312 right now. I haven't been able to figure out why I'm slowly gaining. I haven't been dieting or doing enough cardio to expect a big loss, but my activity level compared to my food intake doesn't seem to justify the slow gain.
Moving to a new house in Burbank, which has a large yard. Going to set up a gym at home, which should increase the odds that I'll actually get in 2 cardio sessions a day. We still have the rower, so I'm going for at least an hour a day on it (split into two sessions). Ideally I'd like to get up to 2 x 45 minute rowing sessions.
P.S. - tried to sign back up at XTC (BJJ/gym), but was told the girl I needed to see leaves at 2pm. Now I doubt I can afford it with the rent of our new house. So they can just sue me for the money they think I owe them.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
306 - Well, here we are again
I suppose all thing considered, I'm doing OK. I'm down to 306, which is better than 321 in January, but is nowhere near where I should be.
After a long dispute with my BJJ place, looks like I'll be signing back up there soon.
Going to try to work out there once during the day and then attend BJJ class at night.
If this blog is any indication, I'm guessing I'll fall short of that. But you never know.
After a long dispute with my BJJ place, looks like I'll be signing back up there soon.
Going to try to work out there once during the day and then attend BJJ class at night.
If this blog is any indication, I'm guessing I'll fall short of that. But you never know.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
321
Got back from a month working in Massachusetts. Kept up the lifting there, but not much cardio. It's hard enough to go to the gym when you are living out of a hotel and working 14 hours a day, but trying to do cardio on top of all that wasn't going to happen (ok, it could have happened, but it didn't).
I'm going at it "Biggest Loser" style. Have stopped the heavy lifting and doing circuit training of lower weights, about 20 reps each with 30 seconds in between. I'm able to keep my heart rate around 145 between cardio sets.
Weighed in last Friday, 321 lbs, going to weigh in again tomorrow. Weighing in once a week, even though I want to weigh in daily.
I'm going at it "Biggest Loser" style. Have stopped the heavy lifting and doing circuit training of lower weights, about 20 reps each with 30 seconds in between. I'm able to keep my heart rate around 145 between cardio sets.
Weighed in last Friday, 321 lbs, going to weigh in again tomorrow. Weighing in once a week, even though I want to weigh in daily.
Monday, December 1, 2008
321.5 - Let's make another go
I'm heavier than I have been in a long time, but most of that weight gain is muscle, as I'm also stronger than ever. At least I kept up the BJJ and lifting.
Current weight: 321.5
Body Fat %: 48 (I'm not sure how this thing is calculating, that seems a bit high, but a fat guy can't argue)
Starting calorie counting again. Cutting the oats out of my morning shake and measuring out the flax seed oil to 1 table spoon. Going to start at 2000 calories and maybe work it down a little from there (1,800 seems to work the best, but I wasn't as active when I was cutting down that low). 2000 by eating 400 x 5 meals per day. Also starting back on the cardio.
Those testosterone pellets made my days a little brighter, but haven't made any noticeable change on my weight, strength or anything else.
I've slowly improved my bench to 225 (2 reps), but I've not been focusing on that. I've been doing a general lifting workout, but then hitting the free-motion cable machines like crazy. I'm trying to improve rotational and core strength, as I think that will improve my BJJ more than regular lifting.
Current weight: 321.5
Body Fat %: 48 (I'm not sure how this thing is calculating, that seems a bit high, but a fat guy can't argue)
Starting calorie counting again. Cutting the oats out of my morning shake and measuring out the flax seed oil to 1 table spoon. Going to start at 2000 calories and maybe work it down a little from there (1,800 seems to work the best, but I wasn't as active when I was cutting down that low). 2000 by eating 400 x 5 meals per day. Also starting back on the cardio.
Those testosterone pellets made my days a little brighter, but haven't made any noticeable change on my weight, strength or anything else.
I've slowly improved my bench to 225 (2 reps), but I've not been focusing on that. I've been doing a general lifting workout, but then hitting the free-motion cable machines like crazy. I'm trying to improve rotational and core strength, as I think that will improve my BJJ more than regular lifting.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Lifting/weight update
After I gave up on my super intense weight loss diet, I started focusing on lifting and protein intake to maximize results.
I noticed a very big difference when I did that. I've put on a few pounds (weight is ranging between 308 to 312, weighing at random times), but have a visible muscle mass, strength and recovery difference. I've been lifting at least 1 or 2 times a week (really going for it, with maybe 1 or 2 additional light days - kettlebells, cardio, light lifting for muscles not worked in the previous lifting session). I've been downing a protein shake before bed (relatively low calorie, 180 to 250 calories, but with about 50g of protein), and find I feel much better in the morning after a hard workout the night before.
Two days ago I benched my new max, 210 lbs (2 unassisted reps, 1 more with a little help from spotter). Clean and jerking 135 without too much trouble (doing a few sets of 4 reps, then moving down in weight). Doing upright rows with 100 lbs (2 or 3 sets of 8 reps). Dumbbell bench pressing 160 regularly, have done 170. Trying to get to 200, mainly for the ego boost and bragging rights around my brother.
Still staying away from squats, as I don't feel the risk/reward ratio works out in my favor.
Making fast progress in BJJ, can hang with almost everyone in the class. Considering my size advantage, this isn't saying much, but it is a first step. Nothing worse than having the size advantage and still sucking. Albert (the guy who absolutely dominated me my first month) now seems to be rolling near 100% (or at least near 100% of normal practice speed/power) and we generally end in a stalemate, although he would still destroy me in points if this were a tournament. Last month, I submitted him (arm triangle) in one class, then he submitted me in the next class (arm-in guillotine), then we rolled until the 5 min time limit in the last class with no submissions.
Anyway, I'm at work and my hip feels like it's bleeding internally (probably from BJJ), so I'm going to go for now.
I noticed a very big difference when I did that. I've put on a few pounds (weight is ranging between 308 to 312, weighing at random times), but have a visible muscle mass, strength and recovery difference. I've been lifting at least 1 or 2 times a week (really going for it, with maybe 1 or 2 additional light days - kettlebells, cardio, light lifting for muscles not worked in the previous lifting session). I've been downing a protein shake before bed (relatively low calorie, 180 to 250 calories, but with about 50g of protein), and find I feel much better in the morning after a hard workout the night before.
Two days ago I benched my new max, 210 lbs (2 unassisted reps, 1 more with a little help from spotter). Clean and jerking 135 without too much trouble (doing a few sets of 4 reps, then moving down in weight). Doing upright rows with 100 lbs (2 or 3 sets of 8 reps). Dumbbell bench pressing 160 regularly, have done 170. Trying to get to 200, mainly for the ego boost and bragging rights around my brother.
Still staying away from squats, as I don't feel the risk/reward ratio works out in my favor.
Making fast progress in BJJ, can hang with almost everyone in the class. Considering my size advantage, this isn't saying much, but it is a first step. Nothing worse than having the size advantage and still sucking. Albert (the guy who absolutely dominated me my first month) now seems to be rolling near 100% (or at least near 100% of normal practice speed/power) and we generally end in a stalemate, although he would still destroy me in points if this were a tournament. Last month, I submitted him (arm triangle) in one class, then he submitted me in the next class (arm-in guillotine), then we rolled until the 5 min time limit in the last class with no submissions.
Anyway, I'm at work and my hip feels like it's bleeding internally (probably from BJJ), so I'm going to go for now.
Catching this thing up....
So, I haven't posted in a while. Fell a little off the wagon. Actually, only by my standards, as I have still kept on a pretty solid diet and am working out 5-6 days a week on average (2 BJJ classes and going to the gym).
Started researching more direct medical solutions. I have always felt that I had some hormonal deficiency, but I hate people who blame their fatness on that. However, it does make sense. Everything from weight gain (and how/where I gain weight) to my lack of facial hair indicates low Testosterone.
So I did a bunch of research and was mildly considering a run to Tijuana, but I don't think I could ever go through with that, at least not without some professional guidance. Since I don't know any steroid users, it was probably not going to happen. Then I made a joke about steroids to my mom, who informed me that she has been on roids for a while. She was taking injections, and now has a pellet inserted under her skin once ever 6 months to regulate her T and estrogen levels.
So I went down and got a blood test. Turns out my total T level was 231, which is so low it qualifies as Hypogonadism (basically your nuts stop working). Any result under 300 is considered Hypogonadism, with a normal/ideal range being from 800 to 1100. My step-dad scored a 550 or so, so I have half the T of a 62 year old man. My free T (unbonded T) was at 7, and should be at 52 or higher. My PSA was normal (so I don't have prostate cancer, no surprise).
Here are some of the symptoms of Hypogonadism (from Wikipedia, the source of all knowledge):
Effects of low testosterone in men may include: (not all are present in any single individual)
Word Finding difficulty
Memory Loss
Fatigue
Muscle loss/atrophy
Increasing weight
Glucose intolerance (early diabetes)
I have experienced all of the above in increasing severity for the last several years. Especially the word finding and memory. I have been complaining for a while that my mind is deteriorating at a fairly fast pace. Sometimes I said this as a joke, but it has been really concerning me for a while.
The remaining symptoms (which I don't show much of), are:
Dry Skin Cracking nails
Frequent urination without infection
Getting up at night to urinate
Dementia-like memory loss
Poor sleep secondary to achy muscles
Erectile Dysfunction
So, I went down to Dr. Jackson, who turned out to be an OBGYN, which my mom failed to mention. That's another story.
I got 6 pellets inserted in my hip (more like my love-handles, but whatever). I think my mom got 1, so her description of what the process would be like was a little short of reality. Mine was more like trying to force a few extra things into a trash bag that is already full. There was some pushing and shoving to get all 6 pellets into the small hole she cut into me. They were said to be the size of a grain of rice, but I don't know what rice these people are eating. It was closer to the size of a half inch section of a drinking straw. And six of them. So, about the total size of a #2 pencil chopped up and shoved into me.
Then she stitched me. I wasn't told stitches were involved. In the end, it wasn't all that big of a deal, and it didn't hurt, but compared to what I was told, it was a bit much.
Now I have a big bruised and bandaged hip. I have 1200 mg of T in me, which dissolves over 6 months, for an average of 6.66 mg per day. It's supposed to take a few days to kick in, so I'm waiting to see if I can feel any difference, or if it will be very gradual. At those doses, I'm not expecting miracles, but I'll take whatever help I can get.
To be totally honest, now that I have started down this path, I wouldn't be against more "aggressive" hormone/drug solutions, but still can't stomach any type of surgery. We'll see where this goes.
Started researching more direct medical solutions. I have always felt that I had some hormonal deficiency, but I hate people who blame their fatness on that. However, it does make sense. Everything from weight gain (and how/where I gain weight) to my lack of facial hair indicates low Testosterone.
So I did a bunch of research and was mildly considering a run to Tijuana, but I don't think I could ever go through with that, at least not without some professional guidance. Since I don't know any steroid users, it was probably not going to happen. Then I made a joke about steroids to my mom, who informed me that she has been on roids for a while. She was taking injections, and now has a pellet inserted under her skin once ever 6 months to regulate her T and estrogen levels.
So I went down and got a blood test. Turns out my total T level was 231, which is so low it qualifies as Hypogonadism (basically your nuts stop working). Any result under 300 is considered Hypogonadism, with a normal/ideal range being from 800 to 1100. My step-dad scored a 550 or so, so I have half the T of a 62 year old man. My free T (unbonded T) was at 7, and should be at 52 or higher. My PSA was normal (so I don't have prostate cancer, no surprise).
Here are some of the symptoms of Hypogonadism (from Wikipedia, the source of all knowledge):
Effects of low testosterone in men may include: (not all are present in any single individual)
Word Finding difficulty
Memory Loss
Fatigue
Muscle loss/atrophy
Increasing weight
Glucose intolerance (early diabetes)
I have experienced all of the above in increasing severity for the last several years. Especially the word finding and memory. I have been complaining for a while that my mind is deteriorating at a fairly fast pace. Sometimes I said this as a joke, but it has been really concerning me for a while.
The remaining symptoms (which I don't show much of), are:
Dry Skin Cracking nails
Frequent urination without infection
Getting up at night to urinate
Dementia-like memory loss
Poor sleep secondary to achy muscles
Erectile Dysfunction
So, I went down to Dr. Jackson, who turned out to be an OBGYN, which my mom failed to mention. That's another story.
I got 6 pellets inserted in my hip (more like my love-handles, but whatever). I think my mom got 1, so her description of what the process would be like was a little short of reality. Mine was more like trying to force a few extra things into a trash bag that is already full. There was some pushing and shoving to get all 6 pellets into the small hole she cut into me. They were said to be the size of a grain of rice, but I don't know what rice these people are eating. It was closer to the size of a half inch section of a drinking straw. And six of them. So, about the total size of a #2 pencil chopped up and shoved into me.
Then she stitched me. I wasn't told stitches were involved. In the end, it wasn't all that big of a deal, and it didn't hurt, but compared to what I was told, it was a bit much.
Now I have a big bruised and bandaged hip. I have 1200 mg of T in me, which dissolves over 6 months, for an average of 6.66 mg per day. It's supposed to take a few days to kick in, so I'm waiting to see if I can feel any difference, or if it will be very gradual. At those doses, I'm not expecting miracles, but I'll take whatever help I can get.
To be totally honest, now that I have started down this path, I wouldn't be against more "aggressive" hormone/drug solutions, but still can't stomach any type of surgery. We'll see where this goes.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
309 - Fuckitall
Weight is hovering around 309, but I've not been waiting to eat in the morning, so I'm sure it would be about 305 if I was weighing the same way as when I started this.
I'm just going to keep going forward with the focus on strength and BJJ and see where that goes. I'm going in for bloodwork to see if there are any hormone imbalences, so that will be interesting.
Going to ramp up the kettlebells. That way, I'll at least be a solid fat guy, instead of just a fat guy.
I'm just going to keep going forward with the focus on strength and BJJ and see where that goes. I'm going in for bloodwork to see if there are any hormone imbalences, so that will be interesting.
Going to ramp up the kettlebells. That way, I'll at least be a solid fat guy, instead of just a fat guy.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
303
Weighed 303 today. Have given up on Chicken & rice. Still going to keep it to lean proteins and slow carbs, but chicken & rice was pissing me off. Maybe I gave up to easy, but usually I can tell pretty quickly if something is working. I also probably wasn't eating enough steamed veggies.
Monday, July 28, 2008
305 - Weekend and this morning
Weighed in at 305 on Saturday, 306 on Sunday and 308 this morning (this morning my schedule got thrown off by having to drive my mom to the airport, so that may have caused some the the increased weight). Not sure why it went up over the weekend, I didn't do anything that would cause that.
I have been taking creatine, but I'm not sure that would account for several pounds.
I'll keep doing what I'm doing for another couple weeks, and if there isn't a continued downward trend, I'll change things up.
I'm going to start measuring food out more, as I'm just eye-balling portion size at the moment.
I switched to Muscle Milk protein (over the Vitimin Shoppe store brand).
I have been taking creatine, but I'm not sure that would account for several pounds.
I'll keep doing what I'm doing for another couple weeks, and if there isn't a continued downward trend, I'll change things up.
I'm going to start measuring food out more, as I'm just eye-balling portion size at the moment.
I switched to Muscle Milk protein (over the Vitimin Shoppe store brand).
Friday, July 25, 2008
303.2 - Update today
Weighed 303.2 this morning, so if I can keep this pace it will be pretty amazing. I'm hoping to at least keep this pace for the first 10 pounds or so. We'll see.
Did 40 minutes on the rower this morning, then almost puked up my protien shake. That might have been because I used Cheerios instead of oats (I was out of oats and bananas, so I needed something to add texture, but it tasted more like peanut-butter for some reason). It was gross, but I chugged it.
Did 40 minutes on the rower this morning, then almost puked up my protien shake. That might have been because I used Cheerios instead of oats (I was out of oats and bananas, so I needed something to add texture, but it tasted more like peanut-butter for some reason). It was gross, but I chugged it.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Some photos to document fatness
Fatness as seen on recent road trip (begining of July, 2008)
I look extra fat in this one, but I think it may be an optical illusion due to the salt flats behind me.
I look extra fat in this one, but I think it may be an optical illusion due to the salt flats behind me.
304.4 - Chicken and Rice
I started on Brown rice and chicken today. I've been working out pretty hard twice a day for the last week or so. Rowing and kettlebell routine in the morning, then BJJ or lifting at the YMCA at night. I cut my calorie intake pretty low yesterday and was going through a lot of ups and downs physically, feeling really good/energized, then getting light headed. This is the rough phase that lasts for about 3 days, then it smoothes out.
My weight this morning was 304.4, which is the lowest it has been since our Missouri trip a couple weeks ago (it went from 302 before the trip to about 311 after).
Since this is the first blog entry, I guess I will list off my current lifting limits, to compare down the road.
The most I've benched is 2 reps of 205. Dumbbell press is at 170 for 4 reps (two 85s)
Clean and Jerk at 155, but it makes my low back angry, so I'm probably going to ease off that or research technique a little.
Deadlifted about 250, but my left knees swells a bit when I do that, so I usually do reps with 185 or so.
My weight this morning was 304.4, which is the lowest it has been since our Missouri trip a couple weeks ago (it went from 302 before the trip to about 311 after).
Since this is the first blog entry, I guess I will list off my current lifting limits, to compare down the road.
The most I've benched is 2 reps of 205. Dumbbell press is at 170 for 4 reps (two 85s)
Clean and Jerk at 155, but it makes my low back angry, so I'm probably going to ease off that or research technique a little.
Deadlifted about 250, but my left knees swells a bit when I do that, so I usually do reps with 185 or so.
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