Slimming Kevin @ Blogspot

Yeah, screw this blog. Too much negativity here.

http://www.slimmingkevin.blogspot.com

Steady as She Goes

Not a ton of time, but here's my last four weigh-ins:

306.4
304.8
305.2
305.2

Eating has been killer, and I've picked my activity level back up, as well. We went to the park to play some basketball and toss a football, and I gave my toe a good test...it failed. It's still pretty sore this morning. So, I need to find a better way to get my heart rate up. Running and jumping are both out of the picture for now.

Anyway, still plugging away.

Hovering

That's a hovercraft. See where I'm going with this?

Yesterday was a perfect eating day, yet I went up from 306 to 306.4. I had jumped to 309 for a day after a late-night carb binge. Not BAD food, just too much of it. I dropped to 308, then 306, and now I'm back up. My carbs were light, and my calories were around 1750, so I'm not sure why I got the jump.

My toe is worse, too. I did some push ups, and the stress I put on it pissed it off, so it's been pretty tender and sore for a couple days.

In other news, Beck and I are trying desperately to find the funds to allow us to go HERE for three months. They are a gym strictly for fight training, and fight fitness. No treadmills, no Nautalis systems. Here, you get kettlebells, you carry heavy bags on short sprints, you flip huge tires...as they put it, it's "warrior training." How freaking cool is that? "Warrior training." It just sounds bad ass.

I'd love to get into a place like that and start learning/doing some things I've never done. I can imagine the results I'd see going there 2-3 times weekly, while following a solid diet, and doing some extra things on my own.

Guess we'll see how it all works out.

Anyway, my goal is to be back under 300 by the time I go to a meeting on Wednesday of next week. So, off I go...

No clue what that image is for. I googled "holding steady" and I got that.

Anyway, I went up .2, but I was just hoping to get through the weekend without any major screw-ups, which I did.

A few good things to report...

> My broken toe is almost at 100%, which means the ability to get more active.
> My brother wants to train to hike a 14er, which means he'll start getting active with us.
> I'm getting better at making myself get on the PPU to do a few sets.

Now, with the PPU, I will admit that I'm not nearly as strong as I'd like to be. I can't do a real pull up to save my life, so I'm working on the Australian Pull Up. I'm only doing 5-6 per set, and my short-term goal is to get to 10 per set, obviously.

Anyway, just a quickie post to check in.

Thanks to those who have left comments. I appreciate it.

This is Me

Me on the nose.

I've managed to stay put weight-wise, but when you're supposed to be LOSING weight, holding steady ain't quite good enough.

I can list all sorts of "reasons" I haven't been focusing in the last week. Stress, which I use a lot. Time, which I truly don't have a ton of. Focus, which I struggle to keep...but the truth is, my biggest issue is motivation.

In the mud that is weight loss, I'm only driving with 2-wheel-drive. I have 4-wheel, but I haven't turned it on. I just need to find that magic button, or the special potion...something that gets the fire burning, or the wheels churning, again.

I'm also going to adjust my goals. I don't know that I can hit some of those, even with everything working like it should.

Anyway, if I can make it through the weekend, that'll be a big step in the right direction. So, here we go.

Come on, Antcliff!

Man, I just let myself go WAY too easily. One week, I'm backing out of the 300s, the next, I need to lose 7 pounds just to get BACK to 300. We ate out a LOT last week for lack of time and food in the house. No excuses, I know. We just made a lot of bad food decisions.

So, here I sit at 305.8, down from 307.0 yesterday - my heaviest since May 5, 2007, almost two years.

So, no rant today, no excuses, just getting back on the horse and riding.

I'm working with the Perfect Pull Up, which I dig, and doing my push ups. We're also going to try to get back to walks, and randomly hitting the field to toss the football, etc. Just like we used to do. I'm nursing a broken toe right now, but it should be much better in a few days, and we can get back to this full-force.

Goals...

3.6.09: 303
3.13.09: 299
3.20.09: 295
3.27.09: 289

We'll figure the rest out after that.

Freaking Stress

It's killing me.

I'm not happy in my life. I love my kids, and there are days when I love being able to stay home with them. But, at my core, I'm a guy who needs to be out there making a living, making an impact, and making a difference.

I don't feel like I get to do that watching Sesame Street, and Imagination Movers, then doing laundry and changing a diaper. Or two. Or 10.

The stress makes it so, on one day I eat like crap, on the other, I barely eat at all. I haven't worked out. I haven't weighed myself. I'm just kind of muddling through. I just feel like my energy level is so low that I can barely get myself off the couch for any real length of time.

I feel like, if just a couple of things would look up for us as a family, I could get over this hump, and get back to what I need to do. Until then, I keep hunting for the job I need, and hoping the stress can drop...at least a little.

Staying Focused

It's one of the toughest parts of the process. You have a few good days, you see your weight drop, and you figure you can take a day off. When you feel like you've earned a bad meal, it's easy to justify eating one.

Enter Casa Bonita.

As a kid, I used to go there once a year, normally as a reward for a good report card, or for winning a 3rd-grade spelling bee. I loved it. For those who have never been, take a look around the site, and you'll see how it can be so appealing to a young kid.

Now, the food is pricey, and it's mediocre, at best. A dinner for four, with drinks (all diet, of course) cost us nearly $50. For that, we got four huge plates of all-you-can-eat chicken-based fare. Enchiladas, Chimichangas, Tacos, re-fried beans, Spanish rice...And once you finish the first plate, it just seems natural to have a second. So I did.

So, bad food choices, but at least my kids enjoyed it.

No. No, they did not. That place, with its caves, guys in monkey suits, fake bats hanging from the ceiling, and so much more, scared the living ba-jeezers out of my girls.

So, lesson learned on two counts.

1. I haven't earned JACK, yet.
2. My kids are still too young for semi-scary, mediocre, themed, Mexican eateries.

Got it.

Today's weigh in: 301.6 (crap)
My 5-Day average: 300.1 (crap)

BAM

I'd need to do a few more of those Australian Pull Ups, grow some hair on my head, and go from go-tee to full beard, but otherwise, that looks JUST like me.

Today's Weigh In: 298.4
5-Day Average: 299.8

Finally broke the 300 barrier, and I did it with room to spare. That said, I am FAR from feeling like I'll never see 300 again. I'm only 1.6 pounds away, and that could be undone with one bad meal.

As happy as I am to see 290s, it makes me a little upset, as well. A week ago today, I broke out of the 300s for the first time in weeks, and I instantly jumped back up. My goal was to hit 294.8 by this morning, and I'm not even close to that number.

That said, I had a good week of workouts, got some activity in, and my overall attitude about things improved. My hope is that my body has gone from hanging on to helping, and this week will see a drop of 3-4 pounds.

My goal for next Sunday morning is now 294.0.

By June 17th, I want to see a 269.

Let's go.

At the Movies

It feels like my body and the number 300 are in a movie together. Not a good movie, either. It's like they got together, stole some dialogue from Titanic, and I'm stuck in the theater, unable to get away.

300: Make me this promise, body. Never let go. No matter what, don't ever let go.

My Body: I promise you, 300. I won't let go. I'll never let go.

300: I'm being serious, here. No matter how many Australian pull ups you do, and no matter how clean you eat, you CAN NOT drop below 300, k?

My Body: Hey, lay off. I already told you I promised. I'll never let go, 300. I'll never let go.

Me: Guys? Hey, um, it's actually cool if you go ahead and drop below 300. Feel free to move down to 298 or so. Maybe even lower. It's fine.

Not gonna win any awards, huh? This is driving me nuts.

Today's weigh in:

300.0

My new 5-day average:

300.2

Stay clean today, and try it again tomorrow, I guess.

Breathe in, Breathe out...

No need to freak out here. Yet.

Today's weigh-in:

300.4

Now, I said I'd never mention my previous weight-loss on this blog again, but I'm making an exception right now. Before, the first time I tried to get under 300, my body held onto that number like nothing I've ever seen. I think I hovered around 300 and 301 for about a week before I finally dropped into the 290s. Didn't matter what I did, my body just would NOT let go of 300.

So, I guess I have proof that this is what my body likes to do.

Still, I'm planning another light eating day, and I just finished my 3 sets on the PPU (I'm liking this thing). I'll do my 3 sets of push ups later in the day.

And tomorrow? I guess we'll see what happens. But I'm pretty sure I won't be hitting 294.8 on Sunday.

Not Cool

Alright, nobody chimed in from yesterday, so it looks like it's just me out here. No problem.

I worked out yesterday, ate under 1,200 calories, consumed extra water, and put on .2 pounds.

My last five weigh-ins:
299.8
300.8
300.4
300.0
300.2

Over those five or six days, I've been eating well, staying active, and really focusing on this. I haven't budged, and that pisses me off.

As for today, no workout, and I'm aiming for 2,000 calories with at least 40 ounces of water beyond what I'd normally drink.

This is frustrating.

Hovering

I've been exercising, but not eating 100% clean since I dropped back out of the 3's. As a result, I've been hovering just above that 300 mark for the last few days. Today, I hit 300.0 right on the nose.

The goal for this week is to get to 294.8 by Sunday morning. I'm going to do a VERY light caloric day today (under 1,000), and then I'll go back to my normal routine (not over 2,200) tomorrow. I'm hoping that a low day will give me the push I need.

Also did a little work on the Perfect Pull Up yesterday. Not a lot, but enough to tell that it will give me a workout once I can spend some more time with it, which I hope will be today. I'm just going to go back to push ups, toss in these pull ups, and then eat clean. It's worked for me in the past.

Not much else to report.

If you're following along, chime in and let me know...

Back Out of the 3's

Quickies...

- Down 6+ pounds since the move, 299.8. Hoping to stay under for good this time.
- Purchased the Ultimate Pullup today. We shall see.
- Pics to track...





This shirt is snug, so it should say a lot about where I am as the weeks progress. New shots every Sunday night.

Frustration

I know how this works, so I'm trying not to get too worked up. Still, my last few days have been VERY solid. My eating has been right on, and I've been much more active. For example, yesterday I spent about 90 minutes in my driveway pounding through snow and ice that had been sitting there for a week. It was not easy stuff. It went way beyond just shoveling. I was hammering, digging, drilling...working.

On top of that, I got a few sets of push ups and leg raises in.

It was a good enough workout that I was so sore I was unable to sleep well last night. So, I assumed I'd wake up and see a nice drop from yesterday. I was not so lucky.

I was 304 yesterday, 304.8 today.

Now, I know that with all my soreness, I am likely retaining some water to help repair my damaged muscles. So, I'm trying not to panic too much, or let it get to me too much. That said, when you're really starting to get back into things, and your first day is such a colossal defeat, it's tough to keep your focus.

But I'm keeping my focus. My goal is to eat 100% clean between now and the beginning of our move on Thursday morning. I want to eat as clean as possible on the trip itself, though it gets tougher to do so when you're driving for 20 hours with 2 kids, a dog, and a 26' moving truck.

My hope is that I can be back out of the 300's by Thursday morning. Gaining almost a pound is not the way to start things, but it's just one day. As frustrating as it is, I'll wait for tomorrow to start pulling what hair I have left out of my head.

Struggling

I won't be long, as I don't think anybody is even reading this. Here are some talking points:

1. Still over 300. Just lost all focus, and am trying to tread water.
2. Our new house in Denver comes with a free gym membership. I'll be using it.
3. In Colorado, it's 60+ several days a week, even in February. I'll be outside a lot.
4. I'm back to the push ups today. Also doing nothing but fruit and veggies for food.

I really need to get my butt in gear.

Holidays are Gone. Weight's Back

Well, I jacked myself up pretty bad over the holidays. It was the perfect storm of stress, anxiety, and holiday cooking.

The truth is, I haven't cared about my weight the last few weeks. Food has been my comfort through all of the issues we've been dealing with. Especially these late-night cravings I get. Man, those are killer.

Long story short, I'm doing what I can to get my focus back. I'm going to get more active. I'm going to keep the calories in check. I'm going to stop eating at 9pm. Long term, I'm hoping that once we get settled in Denver that I can get into some boxing or MMA classes, assuming we can find room in our budget.

We're moving on the 29th of this month. That's 25 days away. My goal is to drop 12 pounds from today's DISGUSTING weigh-in by the morning I hop into that moving truck. That would mean that I need to be at - here it comes - 292.0 that morning.

Yes, I've shot back up over 300 pounds for the first time since June of 2007. Not the place to be. But I won't be here long. In fact, I'm hoping to be out of the 3's by Wednesday.

Sorry for the delay in posting. I hope I still have some readers out there.