Another Huge Milestone!

I had an absolutely fantastic weekend!  Friday night after work I weighed in at 224.4 pounds, which is 2.2 pounds down in 10 days.  I was very happy about that and headed home to eat dinner.  After dinner we went out and visited family and bought some Mega Millions tickets.  We sold our TV that was replaced by the projector to Ashley's grandma and I got it all set up in her bedroom for her.  Now she doesn't need glasses while in bed because the TV is big enough to see.  We headed home before the lottery drawing and had some fruit as a snack.  We didn't win the jackpot, but we won $6 dollars and broke even.

Saturday morning I made bacon and eggs for Ashley and I and then we had my grandfather over to see the new house and he really liked it.  After he left we headed out to a friend's house to sell him one of my old Xbox 360 games because his infant daughter broke his disc.  We then headed up to GameStop and traded in some old games so that I could buy Skyrim, which is something that I have wanted to do since November.  After GameStop we went and did some grocery shopping and then went home.  I made hamburgers and corn on the cob to help feed one of Ashley's cravings.  

After dinner I played Skyrim until it was time for bed and then fell right asleep.  On Sunday morning, I made bacon and eggs again and made myself a delicious omelet.  I  put a few pieces of pepperoni, cheese, hot sauce, banana peppers, and sweet pickles with 2 eggs.  Ashley laughed at the sweet pickles, but they ended up making the omelet amazing!  Ashley went to run a few errands and I went on what was supposed to be a very long bike ride.  I only ended up riding for 20 minutes because I got hurt, but I am okay just a little sore.  

When Ashley got home Ashley made chicken nuggets and tater tots.  We ended up hanging out while I play my Xbox in the living room.  I talked Ashley into finishing the blanket that she started crocheting for me a few years ago.  Then we made hamburgers and fresh asparagus.  It was the best asparagus I have ever had and the best burger Ashley has ever had.  After dinner we got showers and gave Gizmo a bath because he got into some stuff and was very dirty.  I did a few sets of push ups and crunches and I am now proud to say that I can consistently do 15 push ups at a time rather than 10.  I feel like I am gaining a lot of strength and my fat is starting to be less noticeable.  We took out the garbage and headed to bed to watch some TV.

Overall it was a great weekend and we wanted to "live it up" because our lazy weekends will soon come to an end.  Below is a little timeline of some of the key events in my Daddy Weight Loss journey.  See you all tomorrow!

February 15th, 2012 - Starting weight

February 16th, 2012 - First day of running

February 29th, 2012 - Started counting calories (MyFitnessPal.com)

March 7th, 2012 - First weigh in, 228.6 pounds (-6.4 lbs.)

March 19th, 2012 - Started bicycling

March 20th, 2012 - Second weigh in, 226.4 pounds (-2.2 lbs.)

March 29th, 2012 - Started weight lifting

March 30th, 2012 - Third weigh in, 224.4 pounds (-2 lbs.)

Extremely Hungry After Strength Training

To begin, I did great on my calories yesterday, but I decided I would like to try grazing over an extended period of time.  When I got home I went through my strength training routine again.  For those that don't remember it was:

• 40 jumping jacks
• 10 push ups (regular)
• 25 crunches
• Stretching

 3 full sets of the exercises below:

• Bench Press (shoulder width) - 12 repetitions - 50 lbs plus bar
• Lat Pulldown (wide grip) - 12 repetitions - 50 lbs total
• Dead lift - 12 repetitions - 50 lbs plus bar
• Barbel Curl (shoulder width) - 8 repetitions - 50 lbs plus bar

After 3 full sets, I did:

•   40 jumping jacks
• 10 push ups (knees down)
• 25 crunches

All of the weight and repetitions remained the same, but I did feel a little stronger this time.  I worked through the routine faster, but still did each exercise slow and precise.  I took shorter breaks and managed to get the whole routine done in about 20 minutes.  My muscles felt more pumped up than last time and I could feel more results this morning.  I also noticed that my muscles are starting to show more and I am open to the fact that this could merely be a placebo effect.

Now the real problem, after my workout I was starving!  I had some water and felt a little better so I went to sleep.  When I woke up this morning I was a lot hungry than I usually am.  I realized after eating breakfast that I was still hungry.  Luckily for me I was able to get my hands on a protein bar and after eating it, I was no longer hungry.  I can only assume that my body was begging me for protein and I haven't been ingesting enough.  Today is my cardio day, but depending on my choice either Saturday or Sunday will be my strength day.  I will try eating some protein before my workout and see if that helps.  If not I will try to eat some protein after my workout.  I need to find a low calorie, high protein item that I can have on-hand for strength days.

Tomorrow, I will have a post up about strength training calories and MyFitnessPal.  I will be weighing myself tonight and I will post my updated weight on Monday when I start blogging again.  If you notice the widget at the top right, you will see that it says I have lost 9 pounds.  This will be updated tonight, but I will officially post my weight on Monday.  Tune in next week to read about my first full week of exercising for Daddy Weight Loss!

Weigh In and a New Biking Buddy

After work yesterday, I stopped to pick up mail from my parent's house.  While there I decided to weigh in because this is the same time and same scale that I always use.  I stripped down and climbed on the scale and looked down...

226.4 Pounds!

It may not be quite 2 pounds lost per week, but I had a slow week last week as far as exercising is concerned.  This all adds up to 8.6 pounds lost since February 15th, which is a little under 2 pounds per week.  I could care less, I am ecstatic!  I haven't been giving it my all either, I only exercise about 15-20 minutes each day and I don't follow a specific diet.  I haven't really lifted weights and I still eat 3 big meals each day.  All of the things that I am not doing are for a reason.  When I hit a plateau I will use these other things to blow right past it.

• 45 minutes of exercise 5 days a week
• Still count calories but eat healthier foods
• Start weight lifting 3 days a week
• Eat smaller meals spread throughout the day

These are going to be my "plateau busters" and I think they will be pretty successful.  I won't lie my motivation grows exponentially each day, Ashley is starting to get annoyed with me admiring myself in a mirror.  I can see the differences and feel the differences and that makes it all worthwhile!

Last night I got an unexpected offer from someone to ride bikes with me.  Ashley offered out of the blue and her doctor said that it was okay as long as she doesn't push it.  We went for a short ride around the block and after we circled around she went home and I continued for another lap.  It was nice to have someone to talk to and it didn't feel like a workout.  After she went home I could really feel my heart pumping and the sweat dripping off of me, but I didn't notice when we were talking.  It is funny how the mind and body works.

The weather is wonderful and I will be out riding tonight after cooking "breakfast for dinner" for Ashley and I.  The Daddy Weight Loss journey is moving at a steady pace and I'm loving every minute of it!

Best Fat Burning Tool

Not the same bike, but similar

My father was nice enough to let me take his Fuji mountain bike home to use in my weight loss journey  (Thanks Dad!).  I loaded it up in my sister in law's jeep (Thanks Destiny!) and my brother dropped it off at my house (Thanks Jesse!).  I got the chance to ride it will my little sister Alley around my neighborhood on Saturday night.  We rode about 2 miles and went back home.  On Sunday I rode hard and fast for another 2 miles.

It is amazing how much of a workout I can get before getting too tired on a bike.  When running I get wore out before I even start to break a sweat.  After getting home last night I did 3 sets up push ups and crunches.  My body felt and looked tighter, I have more endurance, and I am even more energetic during the day.  Falling asleep after is also much easier than without exercise.  Bicycling is something that I have always loved which can't be said about running.  I live in a wonderful community that is very bike friendly with low traffic and plenty of sidewalks.

I was able to keep my calories in check all weekend without being too low.  I haven't had the chance to step on a scale since my last weigh in, but I am very excited to weigh in soon.  I don't like weighing in too often because it takes my motivation away if I don't see what I like.  For me the motivation comes from looking at my body in the mirror every few days.  I can see the little things that are changing and I can imagine how things will look in the coming months.

Daddy Weight Loss is still in full effect and before I know it Tobias won't be able to keep up with me!

Still on Track - Cocoa, Ice Cream, and Snacks

The title may be a little misleading, but I still managed to stay under my calorie goal while enjoying some treats.  I didn't plan on eating all of that, I was just really hungry.  I had a little bit of Chex Mix, about a half serving.  After the Chex Mix my sweet tooth went into overdrive and I had a half serving of ice cream with some peanuts.  Ashley had a craving for hot cocoa so she made some for both of us and it was really good!

I was pretty nervous when I went to add all of this to my calorie counter, but I came in with 61 calories remaining for the day.  I submitted my log for the day and the app told me I was still on track to lose 10 pounds in 5 weeks.  Yesterday also marked a milestone of being the 10th day in a row that I have logged calories.  Only slipping up once in the first 10 days is pretty impressive for me and I am very proud of myself.  I just need to get back to exercising as soon as the weather cooperates.  I am still doing my daily crunches and push ups, but we all know that I need some cardio in my life.  The weather forecast looks good for this weekend so maybe I'll be able to strap the running shoes on!

On a side note, I think baby weight loss sounds a little weird, so I am going to go with Daddy Weight Loss.

Buffet - Not All I Could Eat

We went to Ponderosa yesterday for Ashley's birthday with her family.  I was able to eat at the buffet and still stay within my calorie goal for the day.  I only had 50 calories left after the buffet, but I think I did pretty good.  Ashley had a coupon for her birthday so we got 2 orders of Sirloin Tips that I was able to eat today for breakfast and lunch, so that will help with today's calories.  After the buffet I decided to do some crunches and push ups, but instead just one set I did multiples.  I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but I am now doing push ups without having my knees down which is a big accomplishment for me.  I was able to do 11 during each set last night, which is 1 more than I can usually do.  Crunches burned a little bit more last night, but I was paying closer attention to technique and I could tell the difference.

I did a little posing in the mirror last night and I am really starting to see the effects.  My stomach seems flatter and my arms seem more defined.  I still have a long way to go, but these little motivations help quite a bit.  Operation baby weight loss is in full effect!

Huge Personal Milestone

Yesterday I continued counting calories and made absolutely sure I stayed up my calorie goal of 1780.  I managed to stay under even with a few extra snacks throughout the day, I was only under by about 80 calories at least I was under and not over.  Weight loss is my primary goal and I need to do everything I can to achieve that.

After work last night, I stopped over my parents house to pick up some food and decided to weigh myself while I was there.  Now just a little back story first, my lowest weight since graduating high school (2004) is 232.2 pounds.  This past summer/fall I was at around 248 pounds and due to a change at my job I dropped down to 235 pounds.  Well the change at my job has been reversed and I was just floating at 235 pounds and I knew it was the perfect time to get back down.

Back to my parents house, so I jumped on the scale and looked down and saw 232.2 pounds.  I was very excited and knew that my hard work was paying off.  I went to write down my weight and realized that last time I weighed I used the same scale but was only wearing underwear.  I stripped down to my underwear and jumped back on the scale, and what did I see?

228.6 pounds

I was absolutely ecstatic and couldn't believe my eyes.  In 8 years I haven't been this small.  The greatest part is for the past few days I have started to notice that I feel smaller, my stomach looks tighter, and I have more energy.  It is amazing to see that my hard work is really paying off!

Please let this motivate all of you out there, it is never too late to get into shape and anyone can do it.  I know this will certainly motivate me and give me that push that I really needed.