I forgot to mention one thing about my nephew yesterday that I had intended. He is now 15, and he started working out about a month ago. I overheard him mention that he figured if an old man (I am 41) can lose 60 lbs then he should be able to get into shape. He was about 15 - 20 lbs heavy when he started to work out. He has lost 10 lbs already and working out 3 times a week.

Brutal work out last night. Jelly legs at the end. It was level 4 week 12 workout 1 of general. As always I modified it to cable system and dumbbells.

Diet was spot on for balance. My average calorie intake has come down by about 200 calories a day. I assume that is due to the weight loss. Since it is consistent I will use that as a guideline.

Well I hope everyone had a good weekend.

I worked late Friday and had to stop at the grocery, so I did not work out Friday and moved that workout to Saturday. I was oncall for work, so of course I got calls starting first thing in the morning. However I did get the work out in, just about four hours later than planned.

This weekend was my nephew's 15th birthday. He and his mother lived with me for the first 6 years of his life, and they live 20 minutes away so we are still close. So Saturday he came over for the night and we ate pizza and stayed up late playing video games killing things. The pizza was "budgeted" for in my diet. But wow.

First of all. I hopped on the scale this morning, not really sure why, but it was a nice surprise. I had posted that I was plateaued and it really doesn't bother me because I see the difference in my shape and the clothes that are now too big. BUT, I was down another 5 pounds. That brings me in at 70lbs (32 kilos Trine) total lost in 22 weeks. That puts me 30lbs (13.5 kilos Trine) away from my original goal. It also dawned on me that I might actually be able to ride my bike now. When I bought it, I was too heavy for the air inflated tires. I may still be, but I will check it out. As we get the warmer weather I am hoping to be able to use it. Worst case I will order some solid tires for it.

Things have been chaotic. Work crazy, but I got a small raise YAY! Birthdays, divorces, just chaos all around. Spring must be close.

However, my eating has been pretty awesome. My only issues were with balance. My calories were where they need to be, just had one day where I had more carbs than I realized and so I had three high carb days instead of two. I have had weeks where I did no high carb days and still the fat goes away, so I am not stressing it, just going to be a little more fastidious.

I plan to do measurements tonight. I am plateaued weight wise, but that makes me smile. Because I see the muscle mass I have put on and I assume that is part of it. Plus, plateauing when you have lost close to 70lbs (~32 kilos) is not a bad place to hang for a while.

Wow, I don't really even remember when I was last blogging. I have had such a crazy week. Work has been brutal as far as travel (via car) and hours. I missed a lifting work out this week. And I am not happy about it at all. I did get all my cardio done, although it took a "double session" to do so.

The lifting I did get done had great intensity. I have had to back off a little on the amount of weight as my joints have protested. Specifically in my hands and the big toe joints on my right foot. (That was the toe I broke during a judo throw in competition) I have read a few places that joints respond to increased activity more slowly than muscles. My muscles seem fine with the heavier weight. Although I have increased dumbbell weights on average. As I have mentioned in the past, I am starting to do more and more exercises at the machine max capacity. (240 lbs) I am budgeting to get the extra 100 lbs to add to it. Mostly for legs but also bench press, shrugs, and cable crunches.

Sunday was another interesting day. I have my house, a carport (that is huge) and a second building that is attached via the carport. That building is divided into three areas via walls a shed, a recording/video studio, and a storage room that is becoming an office. The gutter on that building fell off with the face board due to the weight of the ice. I have been putting off replacing it for two years so it is my fault. Won't be able to fix it until some of the melting and snow clear out.
Had pizza yesterday. Not terrible, but thought I knew what the calorie count was and was wrong so over shot by a few hundred calories. My calories for the week are averaged out low even with the pizza, so I am not worried I will just double check the count next time before I indulge in such food.

Friday was interesting. I ended up working from home all day doing "paper work" which is really computer work doing reports and documenting work hours. So I really looked forward to my work out as I basically sat still most of the day.
Wow, the work out was brutal. I still think the inventor of lunges was an evil genius. And my legs got a good work out. I do think I will need to get the extra 100 lbs to add to my machine though.
But what really got me was the biceps. I had done the back exercises including the barbell row in a super set with seated wide grip row. I had to use a cable system for this (as that is what I have in the house) and used maximum resistance which is 240 lbs. My back is strong and has no problem with this weight. But it also worked my biceps. Then, I had concentration curls four sets, preacher curls three sets, and reverse curls three sets. By the time I got to the reverse curls I was down to 40 lb. total weight (two twenty pound db). And it was a struggle to do them all.

Wednesday I had a good work out. Really pushed myself and was exhausted by the end of the workout. Calories spot on.

Thursday my calories ended up being two hundred calories high. But at the end of my "scheduled" meals I was still hungry. Considering the 1000 calorie short day earlier this week I am not surprised or concerned. The other thing that may have affected caloric intake was the fact that my day started two hours earlier than normal. I think that played a role as I ate my first meal two hours prior to normal and that played out through most of the day.

I was considering that I am eating 500 calories less per day than my BMR. So on my work out days, using the calculations provided I often have a 1500 calorie difference between taken in and used. Take in to account that I am eating about 200 calories LESS than it takes to maintain my goal weight BMR and I see why I get a little hungry. Of course these are all estimations.

So we are getting pounded with snow and cold. My door did not warp, but it is pretty cold. So I tried actually calculating how many calories I burn snow shoveling. I saw a wide variety of estimates so I went with low center of the estimates I saw for MET numbers.
What I know for a fact is that I snow shoveled HARD for an hour and was exhausted. Head to toe worn out. I was smart this time and instead of wearing the heavy coat I work a sweater and a hooded jacket. Was a little cold for the first five minutes, but once I got a rhythm I was sweating and working like a machine. The bonus was my boxer chasing the snow I threw from the driveway and side walk.

So I felt as if I failed yesterday. Not letting it get me down, but learning a valuable lesson. I came in WAY short on calories yesterday. I ate a normal breakfast. But I had to work, which is unusual. It was supposed to be a one hour job and I figured it might take as long as two. SO I DID NOT PACK A LUNCH. Now, that might not be so bad, can run to Subway down the street or something like that if things go long. But, since that part of the hospital is closed on Saturday, we were locked in and really couldn't leave until the job was finished. It took almost six hours. So I had missed almost three meals. ( I should have eaten a meal just after getting there) I had a headache, by the time we were done.

Wednesday! Well what a day that was. 14 hour day! Most of the roads were clear but had a few in the middle of no where that were a bit more challenging. So no workout. But worse was no time to cook.

So today.....
I am cooking as I write this. I had to eat out today because of no cooking last night, but did okay. I am actually a bit under calories for this time of day but will add a protein shake after the work out to bring me in right at the goal, although it may end up being a high carb day. Although I am still in parameters for my week with today being high carb, I will just have to have a normal carb day Saturday.

Monday food was good although a couple of percent high on carbs but not out of control. Will watch it today each meal to ensure I am on track.

Monday workout on Monday YAY! I spent most of the day in my car driving to and from the hospital I was working at so I was ready to work out.
I did General fitness phase 4 week 7 workout 1. I did not do the dips, as I have no apparatus to do that. I did not do the kickbacks as my triceps were blown by the time I got to them. Intensity was brutal, and I was over optimistic on how much weight I could do in my last super set of flys and bench press. Part of the inner Viking, the beast.

So yesterday I had a scheduled overage on caloric intake. I basically matched my basic metabolic rate of calories burned. I wanted some nachos and decided to have some. No fat cheese, salsa, blue corn chips and 97% lean ground beef with some spice. Oh, and a tablespoon of no fat sour cream. Overall was in balance for a high carb day.

Today I am on track with food and plan to come in right on in calories taken in.

Had a snow day work out. I shoveled heavy wet snow for over an hour. Steady pace, scooping the largest amount of snow I could move per shovel full. Broke a good sweat that makes you want to take off your coat, but I know better so I just kept on sweating with the coat and hat on. Funny it turned out to be basically bicep, back, legs that got the work out.

First I want to share a victory with all my blog buddies! On a whim I tried on a suit I haven't been able to wear in two years and it fit perfectly. When I wore it two years ago it was too tight!

Today workout was good. I find with some of the super sets, since I use a cable weight system, I cannot do the super sets they make in the work out. So I make sure to do a super set in the same muscle group.

Cardio was more intense today. Got 2.8 mph for most of the time, only five minutes at 2.5 mph on a 30 minute cardio.

Food is going to be right on for balance, but about 150 calories short. I have one more meal to eat, and I don't want to make it any bigger than it will be.

YAY packed lunches. Even though my job has an overall plan for the day, that can always change in the blink of an eye and I can find myself in a very rural area with nothing but a greasy spoon diner and cafeteria food. I have always been amazed at the unhealthy food options in hospital cafeterias. It seems they are trolling for business.....

Anyway, as usual my packed lunches saved me from horrible choices and I wanted to take a moment to celebrate that!

Food is right on track today. No work out today, but in an effort to lower stress and create balance I will have a no TV night and read instead. Perhaps even write a letter or two. I utilize all new technology, but have a love of old forms of communication and the tactile nature of a letter.

Started my day off by packing my lunch. Most of the turkey breast I cooked Sunday ended up being ruined by a half awake Me packing my lunch. All over the floor.
So cooked again tonight for lunch food.

Today food was good on calories, a little high on carbs.

Got my Monday workout in on Monday! (got to appriciate the little things). Did the squats. First set I did with no weight, second and third sets I did with very little weight. Did all but one of the leg exercises.

Found a way to actually do laying curls with my machine tonight instead of substituting. Do to the changes between sets required, I changed which sets of curls I did supersets on, but I pretty much blasted the biceps tonight in general.

My plan was to sleep in today but the body decided otherwise. I got seven hours of sleep, but I had stayed up late rereading some Orson Scott Card. I do love his Ender series.

Just before I sat down to blog, I started coffee, and started a turkey breast. Need to get the turkey cooked and cut up for the week.

I plan to go to the book store and then visit my sister and my parents today, laid back and easy day overall if I follow plan. My body is sore from the workouts so I can use it.

Last night I experienced something I haven't in a while. After my last scheduled meal, I felt hungry. So I drank a bunch of water and read my book. My stomach started to rumble and I knew I would have to eat to sleep through the night. So I ate some peanutbutter and bread as it was what I easily avaliable. I went to bed three hours later feeling fine.

My plan was to sleep in today but the body decided otherwise. I got seven hours of sleep, but I had stayed up late rereading some Orson Scott Card. I do love his Ender series.

Just before I sat down to blog, I started coffee, and started a turkey breast. Need to get the turkey cooked and cut up for the week.

I plan to go to the book store and then visit my sister and my parents today, laid back and easy day overall if I follow plan. My body is sore from the workouts so I can use it.

Last night I experienced something I haven't in a while. After my last scheduled meal, I felt hungry. So I drank a bunch of water and read my book. My stomach started to rumble and I knew I would have to eat to sleep through the night. So I ate some peanutbutter and bread as it was what I easily avaliable. I went to bed three hours later feeling fine.

I know focus is a good thing, but what about when you miss the forest because all the trees are in your way?
First of all food is good. Falling where I need to be overall. Looked at my month average and only concern is sodium intake. But due to the amount of protein I am taking in as meat during 2500 calories a day I don't know there is a lot I can do about it since I add no salt to speak of and attempt to avoid processed food.

I ended up adjusting my lifting this week to Tues,Thurs, Sat. So I just finished up a work out as I sit here sipping a home made protein shake. During today's workout I was very focused and followed the scheduled workout. There were two supersets back to back which I did as a 4X Super set... a super duper set. So as I am doing the last set of shrugs (the last of four exercises I did without a break between on each set.) I realize that this was probably a super set followed by a super set. My shoulders hate me. (Arnold press, Upright row, lateral raise, and shrugs as one set)

Trouble sleeping last night, woke up at 4am and drifted fitfully back to sleep around 5:30 am best guess. But not feeling TOO tired, but dragging a bit.

Went over calories by 200 yesterday, I only had four meals and evidently my math was more creative than the standard form of math used to add up calories. Not too concerned as balance was good and I was still under my base calorie burn. Just need to make sure when I eat more or less than five meals I double check my math.

I had a good work out yesterday considering I basically dropped all the leg work out. However I did do an extra long session on the treadmill, although with no incline and the knee was a little sore, but didn't hurt or ache...if you follow that.