When on a journey between two points, you can travel in a straight line and get right there or you can take a round about way and arrive at the same destination. You need to decide your way.
I really used to dread seeing the scale. Now I feel wrong if I don’t start my day without checking weight. Many health experts, fitness sites and books all recommend not weighing in frequently. In fact some recommend not using a scale at all. Let the looseness of your clothing be your guide. That way works for many. For me I need to see the numbers. I need to see them regularly. I am on my own personal fitness crusade. I am set on losing 100 pounds. Many folks don’t need to lose half that much while there are others out there that might wish they only had 100 to lose. We are each at our own place between two points, traveling our own paths. Paths cross and we can change how we are traveling if we want to or need to. I am continuing on my way as it is working for me. I want to increase my fitness level, look better, be more muscular, and be 100 pounds lighter. It is happening. Today at the gym one of the regulars made a point of telling my what I am doing is working and to keep going with it. He said he sees I am losing weight. That was cool today. I appreciated it. It fed my resolve to keep pushing along with my routine. Rambling aside, here is how my day started.
I am closing in on being half way to 100 pounds of weight lost. The end of week 13 will be my half way point of my 26 week challenge. I am doing well with being on schedule. This little drop inspired me. I decided to start my morning cardio with the stair stepper machine for 30 minutes. I followed up with the lower body elliptical machine for 30 minutes also. 60 minutes seems to be the ideal amount of cardio in the morning. After my shower and breakfast I am ready to conquer the day. Less cardio makes me feel like I did not do enough and much more than that and I feel beat and not ready for the day. One hour it is.
Work today was an average day with some anxiety hanging over our heads with the potential government shut down. It is out of our hands. I can’t control if it happens or not, and I can not control if I am deemed critical to the mission and going to work on Monday. Either way this plays out will be OK with me. I will do what I need to do to keep on losing weight.
My afternoon workout was a solo one. My buddy sometimes skips Friday afternoon workouts. Not me, not anymore. It is a bonus time for me. One more to get in before the weekend. I jogged a mile for a warm-up and moved to squats.
squats
95-10
135-7
185-5
155-5
135-7
assisted pull-ups
+200-5
+180-5
neutral grip
+180-5
+200-5
Bench press
135-10
185-6
225-3
185-6,5,4
lateral raises
95-10,10,10
Deep squats with 45lb plate to chest
10,10
Leg extensions
170-10,10
150-10,10
Time to go home!
On the way home I ate an apple and realized I felt like some middle eastern dinner. I stopped and picked up a vegetarian platter.
I used to eat this by myself and have a rice pudding for desert. Now this is something my wife and I share, we have left overs and we skip the rice pudding. Much better for me. I really wanted the chicken haleem but there was none today. The chick peas and rice are always there as are some other veggie dish. There is often lamb, beef or chicken as well but the veggies are my normal choice. I put some of this great looking dish over a large salad with some balsamic vinegar. I had chicken at home that I needed to cook so I added some to the meal as well.
I was still hungry after my big salad so I had some fruit and veggies as a snack 20 minutes later. I had a plum, 10 cherry tomatoes and 8 baby carrots. This did the trick. Before I knew it it was time to get this day documented so I can get some sleep. Until tomorrow.
Darn it I almost forgot to mention, I did not eat the bread, that was for my wife and my total calories for the day were 2,310 cal. Not a bad day.
