Well, I weighed in this morning at 274.4, which is 83.4 pounds from where I started this time, and 132.2 from my top known weight. It’s been a pretty good month. I think the exercise minutes are a bit low but I think that’s because of the rests between stages of the lifting. Overall, good progress.

• calories per day: 2290, hr monitor: 7162 cals total
• treadmill: 2h 0m , strength training: 14h 50m
• walking outside: 5h 0m
• avg daily exercise: 42 mins (231 cals per day)
• weight lost: 8.8 pounds

Now I need to think about goals for next month. I don’t set weight lost goals, as I feel I would be disappointed if I didn’t meet them. I try and set goals that will push me, but I can control if they are attainable. Although you can do certain things to help, you can’t force your body to lose weight on a schedule. So, on to the goals for next month.

• Eat within plan every day (2300 lifting days, 2150 cardio days, 2000 rest days)
• Drink water every day (18 cups min.)
• Exercise (60 mins cardio 2 days, 60 mins strength training 3 days)

I bit the bullet and lowered the daily calories a bit. I decided at least for the first few weeks of school I had to cut them back (in case I don’t get the cardio in). I’m not sure if I’ll move less or more than I do now. I have found out that I can carry the watch part of the HR monitor in my purse and get a pretty decent reading. I don’t care about wearing the watch (ie. people seeing it), however, it kind of bugs me when I wear it all day. This is because I don’t wear a watch at other times.

I haven’t defined which days I’m going to workout, but at the moment the plan is (after next week) to lift Tues(PM), Thurs(AM), Sat(AM). Depending on the facilities the college has I might do some cardio there. The only days I really have time is Thurs(12-2) and Fri(12-2). I doubt, even with a 2 hour break though that I’ll get 60 mins of cardio in as I rarely do it as 1×60min stretch. So I’ll see how the schedule goes and see what I can work out. It might work out better to do the cardio on Wed/Sun - days I don’t need to be at the school, but we’ll see. I’d love to leave one of them as a complete rest day so if/when the garden chores need to be done for the fall I have a clear day to do it. On the first day of October I’ll take a look at these and see how I’ve done. Wish me luck!

Well, I weighed in this morning at 283.2, which is 74.6 pounds from where I started this time, and 123.4 from my top known weight. It’s been a pretty good month, and it should be mentioned that this month included a week of no exercise and eating at maintenance levels (~3000 cals a day).  So, the monthly totals.

• calories per day: 2474, hr monitor: 7535 cals total
• treadmill: 1h 0m, strength training: 11h 10m
• garden work: 1h 0m, walking outside: 7h 50m
• avg daily exercise: 41 mins (243 cals per day)
• weight lost: 10.2 pounds

I’ve changed a couple of entries this month.  The calorie balance number was next to useless from FitDay.  It never really showed anything when it came to weight loss for the month.  This month, for example, my calorie balance was -341/day.  Using that I should have lost 3 pounds.  I suspect it’s because my daily calories burned is set too low, but I’m not going to play with it.  I’ll track intake, calories burned using the heart rate monitor, and average exercise for the day.  All of those things are skewed with the maintenance week, however, so far it hasn’t affected my weight loss. Now I need to think about goals for next month. I don’t set weight lost goals, as I feel I would be disappointed if I didn’t meet them. I try and set goals that will push me, but I can control if they are attainable. Although you can do certain things to help, you can’t force your body to lose weight on a schedule. So, on to the goals for July.

• Eat within plan every day (2400 exercise days (60 mins of something), 2150 rest days)
• Drink water every day (18 cups min.)
• Exercise (60 mins treadmill Tues&Sat, 60 mins strength training Mo/We/Fr)

The exercise remains the same as last month.  I’m still toying with lowering the calories but since I’m happy at the moment with the rate of weight loss I’ll probably leave the levels alone for the month.  September will bring a change in my routine so that’s likely when I’ll modify the calories.  On the first day of September I’ll take a look at these and see how I’ve done.  Wish me luck!

Well, I weighed in this morning at 293.8, which is 64.4 pounds from where I started this time, and 113.2 from my top known weight. It’s been a pretty good month, although the gardening and a bit of a mishap with my foot (much better today) kind of derailed some of my planned exercising.  So, the monthly totals.

• calories per day: 2300, calorie balance: -641 per day
• treadmill: 3h 20m, strength training: 13h 30m
• pool (various, incl. laps): 20m, BBQ assy: 1h 30m
• garden work: 4h 0m, walking outside: 3h 40m
• avg daily exercise: 53 mins
• weight lost: 8.0 pounds

Now if the end of the month hadn’t followed a lifting day I would have been around 9 pounds down for the month.  Although it varies I usually hold at least an extra pound of water after strength training days.  Oh well, that might just make July’s number better.  I just added them to the stats page if you want to compare to previous months. Now I need to think about goals for next month. I don’t set weight lost goals, as I feel I would be disappointed if I didn’t meet them. I try and set goals that will push me, but I can control if they are attainable. Although you can do certain things to help, you can’t force your body to lose weight on a schedule. So, on to the goals for July.

• Eat within plan every day (2400 exercise days (60 mins of something), 2150 rest days)
• Drink water every day (18 cups min.)
• Exercise (60 mins treadmill Tues&Sat, 60 mins strength training Mo/We/Fr)

The exercise remains the same as last month.  I was planning on changing the calorie levels but the weight loss has remained steady, even trending up the past few weeks.  So for now they’ll stay the same.  I’m planning a maintenance week, which might fall during July (haven’t decided yet).  The concept is that you shouldn’t eat at a deficit for long periods of time.  Ideally once every 12 weeks you should rest (workouts) and attempt to eat at maintenance levels.  This actually makes sense.  It gives the body a chance to repair anything that it might not get a chance to when you’re losing weight.  I’ve done slight rest weeks since I started the lifting, however, I’m way overdue on the eat at maintenance levels.  I want to see where I am on the lifting program towards the end of the month and I’ll pick a week then.  On the first day of August I’ll take a look at these and see how I’ve done.  Wish me luck!

Well, I weighed in this morning at 301.8, which is 56.4 pounds from where I started this time, and 105.2 from my top known weight. It’s been a pretty good month, although the gardening and a bit of a mishap with my foot (much better today) kind of derailed some of my planned exercising.  So, the monthly totals.

• calories per day: 2358, calorie balance: -926 per day
• treadmill: 9h 50m, strength training: 7h 20m
• swimming laps: 2h, pool (various, incl. laps): 1h
• garden work: 12h 15m, walking outside: 3h
• avg daily exercise: 69 mins
• weight lost: 8.2 pounds

I just added them to the stats page if you want to compare to previous months. Now I need to think about goals for next month. I don’t set weight lost goals, as I feel I would be disappointed if I didn’t meet them. I try and set goals that will push me, but I can control if they are attainable. Although you can do certain things to help, you can’t force your body to lose weight on a schedule. So, on to the goals for June.

• Eat within plan every day (2400 exercise days (60 mins of something), 2150 rest days)
• Drink water every day (18 cups min.)
• Exercise (60 mins treadmill Tues&Sat, 60 mins strength training Mo/We/Fr)

I have modified the exercising slightly.  Regardless of food intake I’m just not sure that I’m capable of keeping up a 90min a day exercise cycle 5 days a week.  I have to remember that I’m still carrying a lot of extra weight and some of my joints (knees specifically) don’t take well to that schedule.  So I’ve adjusted the calories down, made a specific rest day number, and will aim for 60 mins a day.  I’m also a little more active on a daily basis (watering, weeding, etc.) so that will help with overall movement.  On the first day of July I’ll take a look at these and see how I’ve done. Wish me luck!

Well, I weighed in this morning at 310.0, which is 48.2 pounds from where I started this time. This wasn’t as good a month as I expected. I have raised my calorie intake slightly over the last couple of weeks, however, I’ve had better weight loss since that point. I think for the moment I’m not going to play around with the calorie levels. As I’m starting to do more in the garden I think I need those few extra calories to keep my energy levels up. If I decide to drop them again I think probably some of the cardio will have to go. Basically I’ve decided no changes for a month. This is assuming I can keep the cardio level up with the outside work. I’ve still got an average loss of 2.31lbs a week since I started so I’m very happy with that. I’m also seeing some definite inch changes that don’t match up with the weight loss, which is also good.  So, the monthly totals.

• calories per day: 2463, calorie balance: -981 per day
• treadmill: 30h 25m, strength training: 6h 30m
• swimming laps: 2h, walking outside: 30m
• avg daily exercise: 79 mins
• weight lost: 6.6 pounds

I just added them to the stats page if you want to compare to previous months. Now I need to think about goals for next month. I don’t set weight lost goals, as I feel I would be disappointed if I didn’t meet them. I try and set goals that will push me, but I can control if they are attainable. Although you can do certain things to help, you can’t force your body to lose weight on a schedule. So, on to the goals for May.

• Eat within plan every day (2400 Tu/Th/Sa/Su & 2800 Mo/We/Fr)
• Drink water every day (18 cups min.)
• Exercise (90 mins treadmill Mon-Fri, 30 mins strength training Mo/We/Fr)

That exercise one is probably going to change slightly. Substituting some of the treadmill for water exercises, just nothing specific. Although if it’s still cold out I may just swim for fun and just work on laps. I’ll also be taking a one week break from my strength training as I finish stage one and get ready for stage two. I haven’t decided if I’m going to increase other exercising, or decrease it. Depending on what I decide I’ll adjust my food intake as well. On the first day of June I’ll take a look at these and see how I’ve done. Wish me luck!

Well, I weighed in this morning at 316.6, which is 41.6 pounds from where I started this time.  This was a much better month than I expected.  I started using the New Lifting Rules for Women as a strength training routine.  I do it three days a week, and raised my calories to kind of a bare minimum that the book suggested.  I know the book is written for women who are addressing fat/muscle percentages,  but it really does warn that weight loss is not to be expected in the first stages.  It’s about reshaping bodies, changing percentages of fat and muscle.  I really just started it to give myself structure in a weight routine.  The bonus seems to be it has kick started me into another round of loss. So, first, the monthly totals.

March 2008

• calories per day: 2246, calorie balance: -1019 per day
• treadmill: 35h 30m, weights: 1h 15m, WATP DVD: 30m,
• ice & snow shoveling: 15m, strength training: 5h
• avg daily exercise: 82 mins
• weight lost: 11.6 pounds

I just added them to the stats page if you want to compare to previous months. Now I need to think about goals for next month. I don’t set weight lost goals, as I feel I would be disappointed if I didn’t meet them. I try and set goals that will push me, but I can control if they are attainable. Although you can do certain things to help, you can’t force your body to lose weight on a schedule. So, on to the goals for April.

• Eat within plan every day (2200 Tu/Th/Sa/Su & 2600 Mo/We/Fr)
• Drink water every day (18 cups min.)
• Exercise (90 mins treadmill Mon-Fri, 30 mins strength training Mo/We/Fr)

That exercise one is probably going to change slightly.  The snow is finally melting and we’re talking about opening the pool sometime after the middle of the month.  So at that point I may substitute some of the treadmill for water exercises.  Although if it’s still cold out I may just swim for fun and just work on laps.  On the first day of May I’ll take a look at these and see how I’ve done. Wish me luck!

Well, I weighed in this morning at 328.2, which is exactly 30 pounds from where I started this time. I admit that I’m a little disappointed in the monthly total, but considering I held the same weight for almost 2 weeks it’s actually pretty good. So, first, the monthly totals.

February 2008

• calories per day: 2045, calorie balance: -1193 per day
• treadmill: 33h 30m, weights: 6h 30m, toning DVD: 2h,
• snow shoveling: 15m, mixed: 30m
• avg daily exercise: 88 mins
• weight lost: 8.2 pounds

I just added them to the stats page if you want to compare to previous months. Now I need to think about goals for next month. I don’t set weight lost goals, as I feel I would be disappointed if I didn’t meet them. I try and set goals that will push me, but I can control if they are attainable. Although you can do certain things to help, you can’t force your body to lose weight on a schedule. And when it comes right down to it, how can I be disappointed with a weight loss that averages 2.47 lbs per week? The answer is - I can’t. So, on to the goals for March.

• Eat within plan every day (1900 - 2100 calories)
• Drink water every day (18 cups min.)
• Exercise (31h treadmill, 8h weights, 4h 30m sculpting DVD - 43h 30m total)

That exercise one is probably going to change slightly. I bought Leslie Sansone’s 5-mile walk set at Costco this morning, so the 8 hours of weights and the 4.5 hours of the sculpting DVD may be lowered to include some of it. I’m more interested in hitting the total overall. It might be harder than I think since there are 5 Sundays in the 31 days, so we’ll see. On the first day of April I’ll take a look at these and see how I’ve done. Wish me luck!

Added: Okay, the 5-mile WATP DVD is brutal.  Although I use the treadmill daily, I use the incline (rather than speed) to get my heart rate up.  The 2nd mile was a 10-min mile, and although I kept up, it pretty much wore me out.  It’s definitely a good substitute for the sculpting DVD (maybe better).  It’s a good thing that tomorrow is a rest day!

Well, it’s snowing and blowing up a storm outside. The neighbour and his daughter were shoveling the walk when we were going out to Costco. His daughter parks in our driveway (in exchange for shoveling the driveway in the winter). They actually lucked out with our last large snowfall as another neighbour had just bought himself a snowblower and must have done three or four other driveways. Costco was pretty empty, in fact, the most empty I’ve ever really seen it. I got more veggies than I usually do and a couple of lunch meats, so we’ll see what I come up with at lunch. It’s amazing though, the smoked turkey my mother buys is 24.50 a kg (kg=2.2lbs). The smoked turkey at Costco was 13(something) for their house brand, and 15(something) for Cuddy. I ended up buying the Cuddy one just because I remember that the Kirkland Lake one was okay, but not great.

So, I did a January wrap-up using this morning’s weight.

• calories per day: 1950, calorie balance: -1237 per day
• treadmill: 35h 30m, calisthenics: 45 mins, weights: 1h 35m
• avg daily exercise: 73 mins
• weight lost: 9.8 pounds

And December was (counting from the 7th only):

• calories per day: 1766, calorie balance: -1371 per day
• treadmill: 6 hours, calisthenics: 30 mins, weights: 20 mins
• avg daily exercise: 16 mins (yikes)
• weight lost: 12.0 pounds (this is typical for a starting period)

It just goes to show you that FitDay is only a reasonable judge of calories burned. For December I should have lost only 9.8 pounds (although the start of the diet is always faster). It also tells me that I should have 11 pounds instead of 9.8 for January. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy with the weight lost as Dec 31/Jan 4 were completely off plan. I just can’t resist looking at the overall numbers. What I’m most interested in is keeping an eye on the calories in (aiming 1800 - 2000) and the exercise mins (73 per day in January). The calories actually ended up higher than I expected because I caught an error partway through the month. I’d been recording 90% lean ground beef and found out that the Costco one is actually only 85% lean ground beef. When I adjusted the recipes using it that bumped my count up. I think that’s why I always tell people to be very careful about counting calories. Guessing usually ends up guessing low. That small difference took a 252 calorie hamburger to 297. It’s not a huge difference, but they add up.

Anyway, that’s enough of the math lesson for the day. I’m off to get some exercise in before lunchtime.

3pm - still snowing….