Saturday Weigh In - Steady Progress

Today I weighed in at 186 pounds. I am really enjoying the difference in my arms. It sounds like a small thing but having some more muscle definition in that area really makes me feel less "dorky".

I suppose that doesn't change the man that bears the arms though. I still am the same videogame obsessed superhero movie loving star wars geek. I think though I have gone a long way to ensuring my longevity.

Yesterday I suprised Bee by cleaning the house top to bottom. Now that the christmas stuff has been put away for the year we were suffering from a condition that appears to be annual. I call it fake needleitis. I think the stuff from garlands and christmas trees is second only to glitter in its tenacity.

The big difference I noticed is after finishing I wasn't sweaty and super tired. The old 280 pound version of myself would have been done for the day, and likely required a nap. These are the real reasons behind getting in shape and eating better. It is definitely nice to fit better into clothes and look nicer in them, but the real benefit is feeling better. Everything has changed from getting out of bed in the morning, travels up and down the stairs, and my general energy levels. My joints in my knees and hips no longer ache constantly, and I no longer require pain medication except in extreme circumstances.

Looking good is one thing, feeling great is truly the best reward.

Weekly Weigh-in and Reflection

So it's Saturday again, time for my weekly weigh-in.

As of this week I am down 133 pounds.  Yep, I stayed the same this week.

I'm ok with this.  This week I added more stairs to my daily climb to my office so I'm thinking I added some more muscle.  I know I ate properly and was much better at weighing and measuring my food.  It happens, I'm not always going to lose weight, the body adjusts and reacts as you change things.  As long as you know you're doing what you're supposed to be doing it will happen when it's supposed to.  At least that's what Munkee tells me when I'm about to throw the Wii balance board out the window.

This week was pretty good.  Adjusting to the extra climb up the stairs.  Having not done that for a few weeks with holidays and adding a bit more stairs was interesting.  My goal is to eventually do all the way up to the 7th floor.  I will get there.

Food was easier this week as routine was back to normal.  When I'm working Munkee does all the breakfast and lunch prep for the next day so that takes the temptation away from me to "add a bit more".  There were a few later dinners this week due to running around which wasn't an issue when I was off.  I have to realize not everything is always going to happen at the same time every day and let it go.  I am doing what I'm supposed to and it will happen when it's meant to.

Next week should be just as uneventful as this week.  Nothing much planned for next week at all.  Just returning back to normal routine.  Yep, it's revealed, I lead a very boring life!  And I love it!

Saturday Weigh In - Not too much to report

I stayed the same at 185 this week, which works fine for me. This week I added in another set of dips and pushups with a wider hand position. My hope is that I can work slightly different areas of the muscle and continue to sculpt them further.

This journey is a continuous one. I have layed the groundwork over the last year and a half that I intend to follow for the rest of my life. I am not doing some sort of diet to get in shape then slowly slinking back into old patterns. This was a distinct change in how my life functions.

It is a permanent change. Eating better and keeping active really is a good way to promote longevity. As much as I dislike the actual act of working out I know I feel worlds better for doing so. It is something I never intend to stop doing.

Back to Routine

So today was back to routine.  I back to work today after two weeks off.  I had an amazing two weeks off but it's nice to get back to the routine.

I mentioned in my Saturday post that I am now working on the 7th floor of my building and that posed a bit of a challenge as I was only use to walking up to the 4th floor and am worried about passing out in the stairwell if I tried to walk all the way up to the 7th floor.  So this morning I took the elevator up to the 3rd floor and then walked the stairs up to the 7th floor.  In a month or so I will move down to the 2nd floor and then finally do all the way up to the 7th without an elevator.  I thought about trying the entire thing but was not ready to try today.

My food routine didn't really change much over the holidays.  Ate at slightly different times and had to be a bit more flexible when eating at other people's  houses.  I did find I was picking a bit more and adding "just a couple of more" in when measuring things out.  I know I was still able to continue to drop my weight and I wasn't going crazy with things that are outside what I normally ate, it was just a little extra.  I am saying this out loud as I need to stop this or I am afraid because I was able to have "just a couple of more" and continue to lose weight that I will try a bit more and not enjoy the results.  So it's back to weighing and measuring and being more honest with my portion sizes again.  If I push that limit too much it could end badly and I refuse to go backwards.  Phew, I feel better now.

Saturday Weigh-in and Weekly Reflection

So it's Saturday again, that means time to see what the scale says...

I am down another pound for a total of 133 pounds off!

I am happy with still moving forward in my quest.  I am trying to be patient with the rate at which I'm loosing as this stuff has been with me the longest and will be the most stubborn to leave.  I have issued them their eviction notice and they will leave, I just have to be patient and continue forward.

I picked up my favorite issue of People magazine this week, the issue that features people who have lost half their weight.  I always find it an inspiring issue.  It's nice to see other people going through the same struggles and coming out on the other side.  It's an issue I tend to keep around.

This week was the last week of my holidays.  We stayed pretty quiet because I caught the cold that was going around the family at the various gatherings.  I must say it's the first time I've been sick in almost two years.  Not the way I wanted to spend my time off but force me to take it easy and maybe that's what I needed.

Back to work on Monday.  I changed jobs just before holidays and am now working on the seventh floor of the building.  This is challenging my resolve to only use the elevator at work.  Down I am fine.  Up I am afraid I will pass out on the fifth floor and never be found!  I'm thinking I could take the elevator to the third floor and then walk up to the seventh and then as I get use to that I can then move down to the second floor and then finally walk up to the seventh floor.  That's the plan.

Routine will fully return on Monday and the week should be fairly smooth.  Fingers crossed!

Saturday Weigh In - Milestone achieved

This morning the scale read back 185.5 which is pretty cool. It means that since I have started shooting for muscle gains, I have added 10 pounds of lean muscle to my frame. It really is starting to show in how clothing sits and with what I see in the mirror.

I set my new goal for the year to get even stronger and more muscular aiming for a body much like Chris Hemsworth. I should mention I am not aiming for his "Thor" body as that is well.. around 25 pounds more muscle than I have now, and probably required him to eat an ocean of fish and chicken.

I am sure if I really wanted to I could do that but I am aiming more for his offtime physique. Which is the picture I posted last blog. Its more within reason and likely wouldn't require me to cause mass extinction to fuel my protein needs.

I have been thinking lately about adding some sort of weight training in the more traditional sense to my workouts. I am still torn about it because it goes against one of my old nerdy predjudices. I think I used to word it "Only dumbasses own dumbbells" or something to that effect.

I think I have hit the realization that I would need something to that effect or heavy duty resistance bands to reach the goal I have set for myself. I will put more thought to it and see how things shape up without it. I kind of like the idea that most of this physique is generated from my own bodyweight and exercises driven mostly from a videogame console. To me there is something poetically right about that.

A New year has begun

I don't make new years resolutions anymore as I have found that its almost assured that I will fail to keep it. I accomplished quite a lot this past year. I finally am at a point in my life where I am happy with my body. That doesn't mean I am finished and can relax, in fact the opposite is true.

I am going to keep moving forward this year sculpting my body and intend to aim for something similar to this.

I know what you are thinking, why Chris Hemsworth. Well its really quite simple he is around my height. and although he is rather muscled I don't think he uses/abuses steroids to my knowledge. I think its attainable. 

I have been building muscle steadily since I began that process a while ago. My aim is to be in somewhat similar condition by the time my 40th birthday rolls around next december 22nd. 

One thing this journey has taught me is to have a goal. Originally I just wanted to lose some weight, part way through I decided to hit a 22bmi, and I met that goal. Once I had hit that goal I aimed to maintain that weight for 6 months, and succeeded. Now I am on the path to adding muscle, and I need a finish line to visualize. I see no reason not to aim high and shoot for the stars (no pun intended) I have come this far, so why not.

As Jedi Master Yoda once said "Do or Do Not there is no Try"