Week Twenty-Eight – Resolution

Today is not only the last day of the year but also the last day of my 28-week challenge and I am happy to report that I’ve lost 69 POUNDS!

I know I didn’t technically reach my goal of losing 75 pounds, but that doesn’t matter cause that was my old goal – you see my new goal is 100 pounds! I’m so confident I can obtain it, Monday night I committed for three more months of personal training with Justin.

And who knows, it may take another six months, but I know I will get there because after changing my lifestyle for these past 28-weeks and working out 164 hours and taking 73 Zumba classes and burning over 147,000 calories, I know I can do anything!

I’m not saying this journey has been easy; but it has been a fun ride.

Actually something that I use to hate to do that is now fun is shop for clothes. I no longer have to shop at big and tall stores; I’ve gone from a 52-inch waist to a 42-inch waist and now I am buying some large and extra large shirts instead of 2X or 3X shirts like I use to…

Oh and an update on my spider bite, turns out playing doctor didn’t pan out like I hoped. I ended up in Urgent Care and got on some different, more powerful antibiotics. My hand is still infected but getting much better...

I was even able to work out Monday night:
12/29 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
12/29 Commit To Fit, One hour; 1091 calories burned

Being New Years Eve people always want to know what my resolutions will be, and for the first time ever I am not making one. For years I’ve always said three things: to lose weight, to be in a relationship and to learn how to swallow pills. Well I’ve lost the weight, I’ve learned how to swallow pills and for the first time in awhile I’m in a committed relationship (with myself).

Happy New Years!

Week Twenty-Seven – Bite The Hand That Feeds Me

Merry Christmas!

What a whirlwind December has been. I feel like I have spent this past month in event overload. I’ve had several birthday parties to attend and plan, as well as several holiday parties. Not to mention getting ready for the biggest party of the year new week! God I can’t believe I only have one more week left!!

I went into the holiday season knowing it was going to be tough – being tempted with food and drinks pretty much every night. Well luckily I did pretty well on the diet front but unfortunately my overbooked scheduled overtook my workout schedule.

Here’s what I was able to do this week:
12/20 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
12/20 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
12/22 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
12/22 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned

I knew with the gym being closed for the holidays and no Zumba for several days, I would have to do some workouts on my own. So I brought several workout outfits and my jump rope down with me to my parents, but I haven’t been able to use them just yet.

A couple nights ago I was bite by a spider or something on my hand while working in my parent’s yard. My parents have been trying to convince me to go to the ER to get it checked out because it is obviously not only infected but also spreading. Being the pretend doctor I am, I’m hoping some leftover antibiotics my brother and sister had will do the trick.

To be continuted…

Week Twenty-Five & Twenty-Six – Working Out Feelings

I can’t believe I only have a couple weeks left.

Things are still busier than ever. I had a great time on my annual Texpedition trip last weekend... I was even able to get in some jump roping, which was good cause I think it helped offset all the calories I consumed!

My Vegas plans are pretty much finalized. I can’t believe I leave in less than two weeks!

As far as workouts, things are still going good. Denise has been busy moving offices and dealing with a hectic schedule but Justin and I are still trucking along. Actually I really missed her last Saturday when it was just Justin and I – one on one sessions are much more challenging!

Here’s what I’ve done the past couple weeks:

12/06 Jump Rope for 30 minutes; 637 calories burned
12/07 Jump Rope for 30 minutes; 637 calories burned
12/08 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
12/08 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
12/10 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
12/10 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
12/13 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
12/13 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
12/14 Jingle Bell Run; 1000 calories burned
12/15 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
12/15 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
12/17 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned

I feel like I have done more workouts – I guess I’m not counting all the times I do exercises at my apartment like jump roping, crunches, etc. Oh and speaking of feelings, I know I’ve mentioned before that after I workout I feel much better, well here lately when I’m in a bad mood or really stressed out I find myself wanting to exercise – which is good cause I need all the extra workouts I can get right now. If only I can just find an escape to turn to when I’m craving carbohydrates!

Week Twenty-One thru Twenty-Four – Thanking Outside The Box

I’m back! I can’t believe I haven’t blogged in four weeks…

Things have been extremely busy for me this past month. I just got done with an eventful Thanksgiving last week and have been going nuts getting ready for the Christmas holidays as well as preparing for three birthday parties for my friend’s fortieth in the coming weeks. Not to mention trying to finalize all the details for my New Years vacation in Las Vegas as well as my annual Texpedition trip this weekend in Austin.

Even with all the extra craziness going on with my schedule I am still able to maintain a pretty constant workout regime:

11/06 3 mile walk at Memorial; 791 calories burned
11/07 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
11/07 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
11/10 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
11/10 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
11/11 6 mile walk at Memorial; 1582 calories burned
11/12 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
11/12 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
11/14 3 mile walk at Memorial; 791 calories burned
11/15 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
11/15 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
11/17 Zumba class for almost an hour; 800 calories burned
11/19 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
11/22 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
11/22 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
11/24 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
11/24 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
11/25 Running hills with Denise; 791 calories burned
11/26 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
11/26 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
11/29 Zumba class for an hour at Mosiac; 838 calories burned
11/30 Jump Rope for 30 minutes; 637 calories burned
12/01 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
12/01 Weights at gym for 30 minutes; 545 calories burned
12/01 Jump Rope for 30 minutes; 637 calories burned
12/02 Jump Rope for 30 minutes; 637 calories burned
12/03 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
12/03 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
12/03 Jump Rope for 30 minutes; 637 calories burned
12/04 Jump Rope for 30 minutes; 637 calories burned
12/04 Stationary Bike for 30 minutes; 668 calories burned
12/04 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned

I’ve also have been trying to stay focused on my diet. But as you can imagine, a busy schedule and the holidays are not the most conducive time for diets.

On a side note, I recently became aware of my biggest supporter who is not only constantly reminding me to eat but reprimands me when I eat foods that are not good for me. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I owe a huge thanks to my stomach. Yes, my stomach. Although its not often, I do have my moments of weaknesses and when I’m weak and order the Tour of Italy at Olive Garden instead of the Minestrone soup, my stomach will quickly remind me why I can’t and shouldn’t eat unhealthy foods. Obviously you can use your imagination, but lets just say my stomach punishes me by giving me time to sit and think about what I’ve done!

Needless to say, my stomach knows better than I do; perhaps that’s why I’ve always believed that you should follow your gut!

Week Twenty – Keep The Change

There’s an old cliché that says the more things change the more things stay the same. I’ve never really thought about that expression much until this past week. You see, this past week has really been about changes; whether I was changing my clocks, changing my oil, changing a tire, changing my sheets, and on Tuesday I even voted for change.

Those who know me know that I am a huge fan of change. I don’t know why but I can get bored very easily. Luckily I haven’t gotten uninterested in working out, although even my workouts are constantly changing. As you may recall last week I was thrilled to be able to leg press 120 pounds, well let me just say, old news! I’m up to 200 pounds now thanks to Denise…

Speaking of thanking Denise, I really could not ask for a better workout partner. She’s constantly bringing me healthy snacks and meals to try and she’s always pushing me while we work out. Take for instance on Saturday, when Jerry and the gang didn’t show up for Zumba I instantly assumed I would go home and crash (especially after the long night I had!) but instead Denise suggested we go walk a nearby park. And not only did I feel better after we were done, but it was nice getting to know Denise better. Oh and on Monday she made a huge banner for Zumba class that said “Congratulations Chris, 50 pounds in 50 classes”.

Let me say, walking into class and having everyone clap and praise me for doing such a good job was an incredible feeling. I actually took the banner home and hung it on my wall so I can remember that feeling and all my hard work to get to that point every day.

And funny enough, just like Denise, that sign has been motivating. There’s been a couple times this week that I wanted to just sit on the couch and watch TV but then I see that sign and instantly it makes me be productive!

Here’s what I did this week:
10/30 3 mile walk at Memorial; 791 calories burned
11/01 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
11/01 Walked park with Denise; 396 calories burned
11/03 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
11/03 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
11/05 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
11/05 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned

Another change this week is that I’ve really been very conscious of my food intake. Not only am I being very strict with what I eat, I’ve been really trying to monitor when I eat. And apparently its working cause I’ve lost another 3 pounds this week. Hopefully my plateau stage is over! Oh and I almost forgot, the biggest change yet. Justin did our body fat measurements on Monday and it turns out I’ve lost double digits this past month!

So about that old cliché about things staying the same, maybe its time someone made a change to it; cause if you ask me, the more things stay the same, the more they need to change…

Week Eighteen & Nineteen – Heavy Set

I can’t believe as of tomorrow I only have two more months left. Knowing this is definitely exciting and also a little terrifying at the same time. I know that I really have to step up my game if I am going to make my goal by the end of the year…

Actually everyone said it would happen and I’m starting to worry that maybe I’ve hit the dreaded plateau cause I barely lost one pound these past two weeks. Granted it was a big one-pound cause it threw me to the 50 pound mark, but its still only one pound.

I think maybe I’ve been a little too relaxed these past couple weeks. I know it’s nuts to think that working out 7 hours a week is a ‘relaxed’ week but if I want the weight to continue to come off I guess have to do more because apparently I’m not working out enough or maybe I’m eating too much… whatever I’m doing wrong, the bottom line is the weight isn’t dropping like I’d hoped and the only thing I can think of to do is work harder.

Here’s what I’ve done these past couple weeks:

10/16 3 mile walk at Hermann; 791 calories burned
10/18 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
10/18 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
10/20 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
10/20 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
10/22 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
10/22 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
10/25 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
10/25 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
10/27 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
10/27 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
10/28 3 mile walk at Memorial; 791 calories burned
10/29 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
10/29 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned

Even though I haven’t been putting in as many hours as I have in past weeks, I feel like I am working harder than ever. Whether it’s the Zumba gang or Justin, I’m constantly being pushed to increase my intensity. Working out with Justin these past couple of weeks I’ve really noticed a difference in the amount of weights I can now pull, push, squat, and lift. I still can’t believe it but last night I was able to do 120-pound leg presses, by far my heaviest set.

Truth be told, I’m really happy with where I’m at at this point. Not that I am throwing in the towel by any means. I told myself I would lose 75 pounds by the end of the year and I’m going to do it. Its just I’m really happy at this point. I like the way I feel, I like fitting into smaller clothes, I like the complements I’m receiving. The only thing I don’t like is the idea of not losing these last 25 pounds!

You know maybe there is something behind me feeling too relaxed; so I guess the million dollar question is: How do I physically finish a race that I've mentally already finished?

Week Seventeen – Double Standards

This week marks my 4-month anniversary and I’m happy to report that I’ve lost almost 50 pounds - well 49 to be exact!

So far (for those of you keeping score) I’ve worked out for 97 hours, burned a little over 82,000 calories and have taken 45 Zumba Classes. Damn, just writing that makes me tired!

Seeing the finish line approaching (Vegas Baby), I’ve decided to workout with Justin three times a week now instead of just once on Saturday mornings. Although sometimes exhausting, I’m really hope doing these double workouts will pay off. I guess you can say I have to step it up if I want to double down!

It’s not just on Monday, Wednesday and Saturdays that I am working out for two hours – I’m trying to fit in extra workouts wherever I can:

10/09 30 minutes on the bike; 692 calories burned
10/09 30 minutes on the elliptical; 396 calories burned
10/09 30 minutes of weights; 363 calories burned
10/10 3 mile walk at Memorial; 791 calories burned
10/10 30 minutes on the bike; 692 calories burned
10/10 30 minutes on the elliptical; 396 calories burned
10/11 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
10/11 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
10/13 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
10/13 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
10/14 3 mile walk at Hermann; 791 calories burned
10/14 30 minutes on the elliptical; 396 calories burned
10/14 30 minutes of weights; 363 calories burned
10/15 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
10/15 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned

Although I have no idea who won the Commit To Fit contest last month, I do know it’s working. Not only have I proven to myself and I guess others too that I am committed; I can really tell that I’m getting stronger… and I guess that's the closest thing to a sure bet!

Week Sixteen – Moment Of Weakness

After the week I had last week and celebrating my birthday this week I was a little scared to get on the scale but I am happy to report I lost a few more pounds. I can’t believe I have lost 46 pounds in only 16 weeks. Talk about a sweet sixteen!

Although I am celebrating now, this past week wasn’t filled with celebrations. For the past few days I’ve been fighting off a cold and have just really felt drained. There were a couple days I just didn’t want to exercise and unfortunately took comfort in some foods I shouldn’t have. Hey we all have our weaknesses...

My week started off on my birthday. This was the first day I wasn’t feeling great and rationalized my lethargic mindset as having to do with not working out so I ended up going for a five-mile walk/jog. I really walked three miles and jogged two. Although in my mind I am running, I don’t want to offend actual runners by calling my speed level a run.

Although I wasn’t feeling great I decided I would still workout with Justin on Saturday morning. In retrospect, working out for two hours wasn’t probably the best idea. Towards the end of Justin’s workout my body just shut down on me (literally). Not only was I having to be aided by Justin just to finish all three sets, when we were doing triceps dips my arms just gave out on me and I ended up falling to the floor. At that point I wanted to just throw in the towel and go home but I didn’t. I finished the workout and even somehow managed to pull it together for an hour of Zumba.

I ended up missing Zumba Monday night in hopes of recuperating my ailing body and thankfully it worked. By Tuesday evening I was back on track. Actually, I was on a new track…

I’ve wanted to go to Hermann Park to exercise for some time but for some reason I always end up going to Memorial Park instead, that is until this past Tuesday. Although there wasn’t a lot of eye candy like Memorial Park (read: women) it was fun having new scenery to look at. At first I ran by the San Jacinto Reflection Pool and then around the Miller Outdoor Theatre and back around by the paddleboats and lake. That must have been the one-mile course because before I knew it I was back at my car. Not fulfilled, I set out on another trail. This time I went north along Fannin into the Medical Center. I turned by Memorial Hermann Hospital and went down past Ben Taub Hospital. All of a sudden I realized I was by the zoo when I heard the roar of an elephant. It was pretty cool to peek through the fence and watch him get a bath. Losing daylight I stepped up the pace and ran around the Hermann Golf Course and The Museum Of Natural Science.

Even though I was running at what I thought was a pretty good speed, I was still getting passed, which I was ok with cause I was passing people too, the walkers! And at that moment it hit me - I need to stop trying to keep up with people and just stick with my own pace. Not just on the track but in the gym too. Just like the more experienced runners, I need to stop trying to keep up with Denise. And who knows, I might pass Denise up down the road too...

Having such a great workout Tuesday night encouraged me to really step up my game last night. Before Zumba I did 30 minutes on treadmill. (Note: don’t leave your water bottle on the treadmill when you are running). After Zumba I went home and ate and decided I would go down to my gym and work out a little bit more. I ended up spending an hour and half down there. Let me just say, thank God for Skelaxins!

10/02 5 mile walk/jog; 791 calories burned
10/04 Commit To Fit, One Hour; 1091 calories burned
10/04 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
10/07 5 mile walk/jog at Hermann; 791 calories burned
10/08 30 minutes on treadmill; 273 calories burned
10/08 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
10/09 30 minutes on the bike; 692 calories burned
10/09 30 minutes on the elliptical; 396 calories burned
10/09 30 minutes of weights; 363 calories burned

All in all I am really happy with my progress; not only for this past week but for the past sixteen weeks. For the first time I can see how your best strengths can come out during your worst moments of weakness. And even though it sucked at the time, I glad I'm dealing with my weaknesses cause I knoq I am already stronger because of it.

Week Fifteen – Outlook(ing) Good

I’m a pretty optimistic person. My glass is generally half full. Hell, even my blood type is B positive! I don’t know what I did to anger the Gods, but for some reason my week went from bad to worse…

Last week my week ended with being pulled over and getting three citations and a couple days later I damaged my car while pulling into my parking garage. Then on Sunday I received a call from my dad saying he called EMS for my mom because she was having trouble breathing - turns out she had pneumonia and has been in the hospital all week. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, on Tuesday I had to have my car towed to the dealership cause I couldn’t put it into reverse.

Not to shift gears, and needless to say, working out has been pretty non-existent this past week. Actually the last time I was able to work out was this past Saturday. Thankfully it was for two hours!

09/27 Commit To Fit - One Hour; 1091 calories burned
09/27 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned

Well unlike my car, things are starting to turn around. My mom is being released from the hospital today and hopefully I will have my car released soon as well.

Although I am not able to go to the mall to weigh-in at GNC like I normally do, I can tell I’m still losing weight. Primarily in the way my clothes fit. Because I wasn’t prepared to be away from home this long when I came down I’ve had to wash and reuse my two sets of scrubs I brought with me. I actually found some old clothes I had at my parent’s house but I was unable to wear them because they were way too big. Although it would have been nice to wear them in this emergency situation, it really made me happy to see just how much smaller I am now…

That’s one of the hard things about losing weight. I want to go out and buy a bunch of smaller clothes but I know this is just a stepping stone stage and don’t want to invest in clothes that will hopefully be too big for me in another month or so. Like I said, optimism is in my blood!

Week Thirteen & Fourteen – Ike Carumba

I can’t believe I am already halfway done with my 28-week mission. Not only am I at the halfway point, I’m also a few pounds ahead of schedule. At this point I am confident I will reach my goal cause I have more to gain than lose (literally and figuratively).

The past couple weeks have been really challenging for me, not only preparing for Hurricane Ike but also dealing with the aftermath. I think the aftermath of the storm was far worse then the storm itself. Needless to say, I wasn’t able to workout for several days, which I know probably affected the scale.

As of this past week I am back in my apartment, back at work and most importantly back to working out. Here’s what I did the past few days:

09/19 3 Mile walk at Memorial Park; 488 calories burned
09/20 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
09/22 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
09/24 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned

I am excited about working out with Justin this coming Saturday. We haven’t done Commit To Fit in two weeks because of Ike. The first Saturday was when Ike hit and the gym was closed and last Saturday Justin and Denise were still evacuated...

Another gym update is Melissa has cancelled Boot Camp classes this week due to low class attendance. The thing I think is most aggravating about her decision is she said in order to see results we have to be consistent with our workouts; but at the same time she says if she doesn’t get a certain number of RSVPs for each class, she will be canceling them. Where is the consistency in that? I’ve paid for the sessions; I should be able to take them. The way I see it is it’s like I bought a ticket to see a movie – the website says they are going to show a movie at 945, I buy the ticket, go to the theater and then when I get there they say, “Sorry, you can’t see your movie today cause we didn’t sell 50 tickets – try again Thursday”. Who would tolerate that? Not that I’m the world’s greatest businessman but I think it is bad business to sell something you can’t fulfill….

Something I can and will fulfill is the remainder of my goal. I know technically it is downhill from this point but something tells me these next 36 pounds might be an uphill battle!

Week Twelve – Commitment Issues

Due to Hurricane Ike, I will not be able to weigh today…

This has been a very busy week for me. Not only due to the pending Hurricane but also I’ve really tried to make good choices and work out as much as I could.

On Saturday I enrolled in the Commit To Fit challenge at my gym. Denise and I worked out for an hour prior to Zumba with Justin. The thing I liked most about the workout was how customized it was. Meaning Justin monitored and adjusted every exercise. I noticed the biggest difference on the weight machines. I figured out I have been doing some of the sets at Boot Camp incorrectly – where I had a bar hitting my calf I found out it should have been hitting my ankle, etc.

Speaking of Boot Camp, I missed last Thursday and I heard through the grapevine that Melissa was questioning my commitment level. At first I was pissed cause I think I have never been more committed and then I realized, she doesn’t know me. As silly as that sounds, she doesn’t know how hard I have been working and what a complete 180 I have done. Anyways, I guess it shouldn’t matter what anyone’s opinion is at this point, I know I am committed and that’s all that matters…

Actually I am so committed to losing weight and this new program that I was stressing out earlier this week about missing this Saturday’s Commit To Fit workout. It was a hard decision but I decided I would go late to my annual camping trip to Austin with friends instead of missing Saturday’s workout. We plan this trip at least six months in advance so you can imagine how tough this decision was.

Funny enough, due to Ike, not only has our annual weekend getaway been rescheduled but Justin is having to mandatory evacuate as well. Speaking of, I better get going. Here’s how I did this past week:

09/04 Treadmill for 30 Minutes; 273 calories burned
09/04 Elliptical Machine for 30 Minutes; 410 calories burned
09/04 Stationary Bike for 30 Minutes; 716 calories burned
09/05 3 Mile walk at Memorial Park; 488 calories burned
09/06 Commit To Fit – One Hour; 1091 calories burned
09/06 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
09/07 6 Mile walk at Memorial Park; 976 calories burned
09/08 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
09/09 Boot Camp for an hour and twenty minutes; 1479 calories burned
09/10 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
09/10 Core class with Justin for 15 minutes; 209 calories burned

I can’t believe I worked out a little over TEN hours this week! And Melissa is questioning my commitment – Humph.

Week Eleven – A Gain, Again

Although I am aggravated, I can’t say I am surprised I gained this week. After all the last time I gained was over a holiday weekend.

I hope that doesn’t sound like an excuse: like it’s ok to gain because it was Labor Day weekend. That’s not what I’m saying. I think enjoying a holiday and being a little bad is fine. However I wasn’t just a little bad, I was a lot bad. And I wasn’t bad for one meal or even just for one day – I was bad the whole time…

Actually thinking back I am a surprised I didn’t gain more. To say I was carefree is an understatement; I would say I was more careless this past week.

Sadly my diet wasn’t the only thing that suffered – my workouts were pitiful. By the way, whoever came up with the expression “no pain, no gain” must not have been describing exercising cause in my experience, no pain equals gain! I know if I want to continue to lose weight, I have to put in the work so for now on it’s gain or pain… Anyways, I know it’s not much but here’s how I did this past week:

09/03 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
09/03 Core class with Justin for 15 minutes; 209 calories burned

I know there are several more holidays to get through before the end of the year and I would like to go on the record and say this is the last time I will sabotage my hard work for the sake holidays.

Oh and speaking of ‘holidays’, I am so confident that I will reach my goal by the end of December that I went ahead and booked a trip to Las Vegas for New Years. I figured what better way to celebrate 28 weeks of self-control than a few days in the city of excess…

Week Ten – Passion Of The Chris

I lost a little more weight this week, which is good cause I am worried about this upcoming Labor Day weekend. I will be away at a Family Reunion and not able to do my normal exercising for five days.

I am excited about this getaway cause this past week has been one of those weeks where there are just not enough hours in the day. I wish I had time to do everything but unfortunately you just get to the point that you have to start making compromises and concessions. Well I am happy to report that I did not compromise working out once. Sure at the time I was upset that I didn’t get to meet up with some friends like I had hoped and frustrated that all my errands didn’t get completed, but as I write this I am very happy I didn’t compromise my workouts.

I was talking to my sister the other day on the phone and was telling her about my morning Boot Camp and she said she thought I was addicted to working out. I laughed but she was serious. I explained to her that I am not addicted; I am just really focused on achieving this goal. After I got off the phone I kept thinking about what she said. Honestly I don’t think I am addicted to working out. I mean yes it makes me feel good and when I don’t do it I feel bad – wait, that sounds bad! Actually it does sound like something someone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol would say! Oh my god, am I addicted? hehe

I guess it is kind of easy to compare working out to drinking. I mean if you think about it working out is like taking a shot. At the beginning you are hesitant and worried it will burn but you do it anyways and before you know it you’re done and realize it wasn’t so bad after all. So maybe I’m just a social exerciser! I think my main hang-up is just the word addicted. If she had said focused or driven or even passionate I would have had no problem to owning up to the statement. I think it’s good to have passions; whether it’s for fashion or cars (yeah I’m talking about you Robert!) there is nothing wrong about being committed about an interest. I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t tell my sister that I am thinking about joining a Commit to Fit challenge at my gym or she might have tried to have me committed!

The challenge reminds me of the biggest loser in the fact that we are competing against other teams to see who loses the most. Part of the program is you have to keep food logs and not only work out with your trainer but also do extra workouts on your own that they create. I guess I’ll talk about it more once I complete my first training session next Saturday. Okay, enough about future workouts, here’s how I did this week:

08/21 Boot Camp for an hour and twenty minutes; 1479 calories burned
08/22 3 mile walk at Memorial Park; 488 calories burned
08/23 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
08/25 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
08/25 Core class with Justin for 15 minutes; 209 calories burned
08/26 Boot Camp for an hour and twenty minutes; 1479 calories burned
08/27 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
08/27 Core class with Justin for 15 minutes; 209 calories burned

As of now, I am focused, determine and very optimistic I will reach my goal. Whether that makes me addicted or insane or passionate I’m going to keep doing what I am doing because like Barack Obama says, nothing great in this world has ever been accomplished without passion.

I say find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it and let it become you. I think you’ll find great things will happen for you, to you and because of you!

Week Nine – I’m a Sore Loser

I lost another 3 pounds this week. And apparently I found new muscles to make sore. I’m very happy that the scale continues to decline, I just wish I were stricter with my diet cause I know the pounds would really come off…

Speaking of coming off, while out to lunch with some friends this week I was taking off some extra cheese and ingredients from my salad and I had a moment of clarity, the more I take off – the less I have to take off. Meaning, the more food I can take off my plate, the less I have to burn off at the gym later. Now I know you’re probably thinking, well yeah, that’s pretty obvious but for me, seeing a side plate filled with “extras” just really put it into perspective for me.

I’m also changing the way I order things now too. For instance, my Subway sandwich is definitely a lot thinner but honestly it still tastes the same without the cheese, oil, vinegar and copious amounts of vegetables.

I believe this past week is the most I have worked out since I started nine weeks ago, actually this could be the most I’ve worked out in one week ever! I managed to burn almost 7,000 calories working out everyday except Sunday. Here’s how my week went:

08/14 Boot Camp for an hour and twenty minutes; 1479 calories burned
08/15 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
08/16 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
08/18 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
08/18 Core class with Justin for 15 minutes; 209 calories burned
08/19 Boot Camp for an hour and twenty minutes; 1479 calories burned
08/20 Elliptical Machine for 20 minutes; 210 calories burned
08/20 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
08/20 Core class with Justin for 15 minutes; 209 calories burned

You’re probably wonder why I am sore even though I have been doing similar workouts for over two months, the only explanation I have to that is I guess it has to do with the intensity level in which I am trying to work out now. Or it could be because I am not giving my muscles enough rest in-between workouts. Justin at the gym said it could be because I am not stretching enough before workouts, hence the twenty-minute elliptical workout I did yesterday before Zumba.

I hope it doesn’t come off that I am complaining about being sore because I'd hate to be a sore loser. However if I were this sore and gaining weight - now then I’d really be sore!

Week Seven & Eight – Back On Track

After falling off the wagon I am now back on track. I am happy to report that I lost the weight I gained a couple weeks ago and a couple additional pounds as well. So for those of you keeping score, I’ve lost almost 30 pounds in two months. Its funny how two months can feel like an eternity and also like the time has just flown by.

Well obviously a lot has happened in these past two weeks so I suppose I should take a minute to back track a little… week seven started off great, I took my first Friday night Zumba class at Jerry’s new location and did my normal Saturday morning Zumba class. However with an approaching Tropical Storm early in the week and the death of my dog, my exercise regimen quickly fell apart. I was pretty confident that I didn’t lose last week so I decided I would give myself a week off from weighing in (literally and figuratively).

Instead of grieving about my loss or lack thereof, I decided the best thing to do is to really kick butt this past week and that’s just what I did. I ran into my Boot Camp instructor, Melissa one day before Zumba. I kind of felt like I was running into a girl I dated and never called back but instead of giving me a hard time she just encouraged me to get back on track. I took her class this morning and although I am already really sore, I am glad I followed through. I’m also thinking maybe its not too late to return some of those calls… ok, I’m getting off track!

Although I didn’t go into great detail, I did mention my mission to Melissa and she said if I really want to see fast results, I should be keeping track of my food intake with a food log. Sometimes I feel keeping track of my weekly exercise is problematic enough, let alone keeping track of ever meal but I guess she knows what she is talking about…

Before I lose track of time, here is a rundown of the exercise I completed these past two weeks:

08/01 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
08/02 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
08/09 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
08/11 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
08/11 Core class with Justin for 15 minutes; 209 calories burned
08/13 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
08/14 Boot Camp for an hour and twenty minutes; 1479 calories burned

I think it's safe to say these past two weeks (actually more like these past two months) have been really difficult for me but I refuse to view my brief relapse as a failure cause I didn’t give up. Not only did I not give up but I approached it as a challenge and got myself back on track. I am really focused right now and I pray I can maintain this concentration in the coming months. But not to worry, if I get off the beaten track again I know what I have to do; and more importantly I know that a one-track mind sometimes have their train of thought derailed!

Week Six – Gaining Perspective

I have bad news and good news: The bad news is that I gained some weight this week. The good news is I know what I did wrong so I can correct my mistakes…

While attending an Astros game Tuesday night I had a realization. Life is going to throw us curve balls, but what makes us different than professional athletics is how we react. When life throws me a curve ball I instantly turn to excuses. For instance, "there’s a fire at my building", I can’t go to Boot Camp or "I have out of town guests to entertain", I can’t stay on my diet. This mentality is what got me to be so overweight in the first place and I can’t believe it’s taken me six weeks to realize that I need to stop making excuses!

The truth is, if a person really wants something bad enough they have two choices: (a) they will find a way or (b) they will find excuses. For now on, I will work hard in finding a way, after all this is suppose to be the best weigh…

In the spirit of no more excuses, here’s what I did the past week with no excuses explanation:

07/24 Boot Camp for an hour; 1116 calories burned
07/26 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
07/28 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
07/28 Core class with Justin for 15 minutes; 209 calories burned
07/30 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
07/30 Core class with Justin for 15 minutes; 209 calories burned

I know its not going to be easy but I am going to really try to approach life’s curve balls differently because when I lose control - I gain weight; and who knows, maybe next week I can hit one out of the park like Carlos Lee…

Week Five – Back Talking

I lost another 5 pounds this week! Yep, that’s 26 pounds in 5 weeks for those of you keeping score…

Even though I am proud of how much I have lost this week and over the past five weeks, I know I could do better. Looking back, I think this fifth week has been the most challenging.

My week started off great. On Friday, I met some friends at Hermann Park and played a round of golf – well sort of, we stopped half way through the back nine. It’s been a long time since I’ve played and it showed! Although I wasn’t up to par (pun intended) I still had a great time. I even lost a bunch of calories too, 967 to be exact. Perhaps next time I play I will not rent a cart and just walk cause I found out I could have burned an additional 500 calories if I had done so. After all I am doing this Fore fitness (ok I’m done with those, promise!)

It seems I’m not the only one with reasons to celebrate recently. This past week I had my nephew’s birthday, my friend’s birthday, my brother’s birthday and a friend’s wedding. Let me just say, that’s a lot of cake to hold back from.

Although I did well eating wise, I ended up drinking two nights this week instead of my scheduled one. I know it’s easy to fall back into old habits so I really need to watch when and how much I drink, regardless if it’s a special occasion or not…

On Saturday I met some friends for lunch at their place to catch up and to check out their new pool. I told them all about my 28-week plan and they told me about a dietician they see who is really good at explaining nutrition. I’m not too proud to say, I am nutrition illiterate! For instance, I will skip dinner if I know I will be drinking that night or I’ve even skipped meals cause I figured the fewer calories I’m consuming, the better. I guess my mindset is I shouldn’t eat if I’m not hungry but apparently that is the wrong approach to have when it comes to dieting (go figure!) I’ve never been one to turn down assistance so I am scheduling an appointment and hopefully this sustenance-guru can get me straightened out and back to basics!

Speaking of back, I pulled something in my back Monday night during Justin’s abs class after Zumba. We were doing an exercise where we lay on our back with our legs in the air and we push our legs up so our butts come off the floor. I think the exercise is called “Heels to the Heaven”. All I know is I felt like I was in Hell while doing them and later that night I was praying for the pain to go away so I could sleep. I don’t know if I did the exercise wrong or perhaps I shouldn’t be doing back-to-back abs sessions or perhaps they should just rename that exercise the backbreaker – all I know is that exercise was the straw that broke the camel’s my back!

Since I didn’t get much sleep I ended up skipping my Tuesday morning Boot Camp. I couldn’t fathom running back and forth down the street or up and down the stairs when all I did was toss and turn in bed all night.

By Tuesday night my back and my spirit had bounced back and I made up for my missed Boot Camp class by doing an exercise video. Although it’s called the 4-mile super challenge, it’s definitely not as challenging as Boot Camp but I figured it was better than nothing.

I was back in the saddle by Wednesday night and finished Jerry’s Zumba and Justin’s abs classes without incident. I even made a point to go to bed early because I was nervous about Boot Camp this morning. Not that I was afraid Melissa would pay me back somehow for missing Tuesday (although I heard I don’t want to be late to class cause her paybacks are hell) I think I was just worried cause it had been a whole week since I last worked out like that. Well I wasn’t going to let fear hold me back so not only did I show up this morning, I was the first one there again…

I know I keep saying this, but I think this Boot Camp was harder than last time! Screw that old adage that ‘it gets easier over time’ – as far as Boot Camp, it keeps getting harder for me.

Since it was raining we didn’t have to run outside but after a few minutes of drills, I wished we were. Calisthenics are really hard for me – maybe it’s because I don’t have much upper body strength or maybe because we are doing exercises I haven’t done since seventh grade. Since Melissa knew I hurt my back Monday she was really watching me today. Several times she caught me with bad form and had me straighten up my back. One thing I like is that when I can’t do an exercise perfectly she modifies it somehow so that I can it in a way that is a little easier but still very beneficial.

Throughout class not only is Melissa really encouraging but we all try to support each other as well. It’s always nice to get a pat on the back, even if your back is sore! Here’s how I did this week:

07/17 Boot Camp for an hour; 1116 calories burned
07/18 Golfing for 2 hours; 967 calories burned
07/19 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
07/21 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
07/21 Core class with Justin for 15 minutes; 209 calories burned
07/22 4 Mile Super Challenge Video; 558 calories burned
07/23 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
07/23 Core class with Justin for 15 minutes; 209 calories burned

Everyone keeps encouraging to “stick with it” and I can honestly say I am trying my hardest to be as consistent as possible regardless of what obstacles (and sometimes objects) are thrown at me. Its kind of funny to think about but the more consistent I become the more changes I see - - and there’s no way I would ever turn back now!

Week Four – Pièce de Résistance

In the past month I have lost 21 pounds, worked out a little over 25 hours and have burned almost 21,000 calories! Although it hasn’t been easy, I have easily doubled my expectations as far as how much weight I had hoped to lose for my first month.

When I started this 28-week program four weeks ago I had hoped to be at minus ten pounds my first month, so obviously losing 21 pounds is more than I could have hoped for. Surprisingly, doing so well this first month only makes me want to work even harder for next month. One task I think will really help me this next month is to really work on resisting temptations as far as eating and drinking.

Speaking of resisting, I am now doing a resistance training Boot Camp two days a week. The classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 5am. On the way to the gym Tuesday morning I had a funny epiphany when I passed a nightclub with their lights still on and it hit me how nuts it is that I was up, driving through midtown at 4am on my way to go workout, not on my way home.

Those who know me know I’m more of the guy who would go to bed at 4am even if I had to work the next morning, not the guy who would get up at 4am to go workout...

For me, the hardest part about getting up so early is going to bed early. Let me just say, there’s something very humbling about going to bed when the sun has not completely set, but trust me I was thankful for my night’s rest about five minutes into my first Boot Camp.

My first class was definitely a lot more challenging than I thought it was going to be. Although there was no drill sergeant with a whistle, the class was definitely serious business. What really made my first class challenging is I did not know what to expect. For instance when we were told to run to the end of the street and back, I assumed after we completed that we would move on to something else – to my surprise that was not the case. Had I known we would be running back and forth ten times, I definitely would have done my first lap a lot slower! Basically my first class consisted of a short cardio warm up, running up and down stairs three times, jogging outside followed by squats and lunges and then we moved inside for circuit weight training on the machines. In between each of the five weight stations we had to do more stairs – let me just say, stairs are not my friend!

Monday and Wednesday after Zumba I’ve started taking an abs class taught by a new personal trainer at the gym named Justin. I’ve talked with him a couple times and am thinking about using him for some one-on-one sessions.

This morning was my second attempt at Boot Camp and sadly, getting out of bed this morning was definitely the easiest part of my morning. Boot Camp kicked by butt today! We started with cardio again, then stairs, then outside for some more running, then back in for weights, however this time not only did we have to do more stairs in between sets, we also had to do twenty pushups too. My first class I learned stairs are not my friend and today I am officially marking push-ups off my allies list as well!

I really tried to workout as much as possible this past week; I guess you can say I was resisting a rest! (sorry, couldn’t resist) Here’s what I did:

07/11 4 Mile Super Challenge Video; 558 calories burned
07/12 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
07/13 Yard work for an hour and 30 minutes; 1152 calories burned
07/14 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
07/14 Core class with Justin for 15 minutes; 209 calories burned
07/15 Boot Camp for an hour; 1116 calories burned
07/16 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
07/16 Core class with Justin for 15 minutes; 209 calories burned

Oh one new development this week: I got my first weight loss compliment! Sure my family and friends have been encouraging and supportive but there’s something about getting complimented from people who are not related to you…

After Zumba Wednesday night one of the instructors said I was “shrinking” and that “they’ve all noticed”. It really made my night cause I was extremely sore from boot camp and contemplated not going but even though I could barely raise my arms – I did it anyways. Truth be told, after the first 5 minutes or so, I forgot all about my soreness. It’s really funny how the smallest smile, thumbs up or nod of the head in a “you're-doing-good-kind-of-way” from my instructors can really give me the push I need to pull through.

Not only am I trying to always pull through I am really trying to follow through. Like they say, "Nothing in life worth having comes without some kind of fight.” I think this quote rings true in my life. Nothing worth having is easy. The problem is my natural tendency is to take the easy road. I don't know why but I always try to take the path of least resistance.

The problem with the path of least resistance is that it leads nowhere. It’s for people who want the fruits of labor without having to do the labor itself. People who want the rewards with out the challenges, the victory without the fight, the good times without the sacrifice.

I am proud to say I have veered away from that Path on this journey; not only am I putting in the efforts, I am reaping the rewards!

Week Three - I Deserve To Lose

I never thought I would be happy to only lose one pound, but after the week (or more accurately) the weekend I had, I’m ecstatic!

For some reason this past holiday weekend I let my diet go on holiday as well. I knew going into the Fourth that I would be eating and drinking things I shouldn’t, however I did not plan on doing that on the fifth and sixth as well. I don’t know what got in me, well figuratively cause I know what I put in my mouth: breakfast tacos, hot dogs, beer, chocolate, barbeque, free dumb fries - I think you get the idea, I was out of control…

Thankfully Monday I was back on track and on the wagon. In an attempt to undo my weekend gluttony, I was very critical about what I ate and tried to exercise as much as I could – even if it meant back-to-back sessions.

Although I didn’t do the Pilates in the Park on Tuesday night like I hoped, I am happy to report that I did do my first Zumba in the Park last night. I wasn’t planning on doing Zumba in the Park but after I got to my normal Zumba class almost 30 minutes late (freeway shut down – long story) I figured I better exercise some more. On a side note: I am really proud of myself for showing up to my first Zumba class. I was extremely frustrated from being stuck in traffic for almost 45 minutes that I really wanted to just say fuck it and go home, but I didn’t. Three weeks ago I would have, but not now. The funny thing is I didn’t even realize what a huge coo it was for me until I went up to Jerry after class to apologize for coming in late and he said, “at least you showed up – a lot of people wouldn’t have even come”.

Anyways, after my little personal breakthrough I decided to check out the Discovery Green class. It starts at 7pm so although I was a few minutes late I still was able to get in a great workout.

Even though they are both Zumba classes, there were lots of differences between the two, well besides the obvious ones of indoor versus outdoor, 75 degrees versus 95 degrees, etc. The instructor at the park class concentrates on the upper body a lot more than Jerry, which is good because I need to work on my arms and chest however I could barely raise my arms this morning in the shower!

After my double Zumba classes I was exhausted but I went ahead and went to the park. I don’t know if it was being outside at Zumba or the idea of gaining weight that convinced me but I ended up doing three miles at the park. I’ve been trying to walk at the park as much as possible this past week. Partially cause I needed to burn extra calories this week to offset my binge and also because I want to start preparing for the Susan G Komen breast cancer walk later this year.

Losing Zumba classes Friday and Saturday because of Independence Day really made it hard to reach my goal of 5,000+ calories. Here’s how I did this week:

07/03 Swimming for 30 minutes; 558 calories burned
07/07 Zumba class for an hour; 838 calories burned
07/07 Walked park for an hour; 488 calories burned
07/09 Zumba class for 30 minutes; 419 calories burned
07/09 Zumba in the park for 45 minutes; 629 calories burned
07/09 Walked park for an hour; 488 calories burned

Although I lost control for a couple days this week, I still lost, and that’s the most important thing – well that and showing up! So even though I only lost a pound, it turned out to be a win-win situation and like they say: you win some, you lose some. Lets just hope I lose more than a pound next week….

Week Two – Hard Core

I cannot believe in just two weeks I’ve lost a little over 17 pounds!

Two weeks ago if someone said the word ‘core’ to me I would have instantly thought about an apple core, my close group of friends or perhaps Weight Watcher’s core plan.

Well as of this week, core equals abs. For the first time in my life, my stomach has been sore from exercising. And I’m not talking for a little tender, I mean hurting all day long sore. Last Friday I thought I might have food poisoning until my friend straightened me out.

She’s not the only one straightening me out; my Zumba instructor is constantly on us (well me in particular) about good form. At first I was really embarrassed by him coming over to me saying straighten up your back, reach straight up next time, etc. I guess it was just my fat-kid-in-gym-class mentality. But now, I really appreciate him making sure I am doing it right – and not only that, I am very conscious about making sure I am doing them correctly now too. I guess you can say I’m learning new core values.

After Zumba we do a 15-minute core class consisting of standard crunches, knee crunches, oblique crunches, hip lifts, planks and a whole bunch of other stuff that I don’t know their proper names. Well the past couple classes I have been really concentrating on my form – I figured it’s ok to do fewer reps as long as I am doing them correctly. After all, I’ve always been a believer in quality over quantity.

Well earlier this week we did a brief yoga-esque routine with lots of stretching after our core exercises that was really relaxing. When I told a friend about it she said it sounds a lot like Pilates. I’ve decided since they are canceling my Tuesday night Zumba class I will try Pilates in the Park next week, you know now that I’m all hard-core with my core.

Another reason I want to add a Pilate’s class is because I am loosing calories in more ways than one. The thing about loosing 13 pounds last week is that I am burning fewer calories doing the same activities this week, not that I am complaining! For instance, an hour-long Zumba class last week burned about 887 calories, and at my new weight I burn 852. Not a huge difference, but remember I need to burn over a quarter-of-a-million calories! Thankfully I was able to burn over 5,000 calories this week; 5,770 to be exact! I pray that an hour of Pilates will be equivalent to an hour of Zumba. Here’s what I did this week:

06/26 Treadmill for 40 minutes; 394 calories burned
06/27 Zumba class for an hour; 852 calories burned
06/27 Tennis for an hour; 992 calories burned
06/28 Zumba class for an hour; 852 calories burned
06/30 Zumba class for an hour; 852 calories burned
07/01 Zumba class for an hour; 852 calories burned
07/02 Yard work for an hour and 15 minutes; 976 calories burned

Burning calories is not the only reason I am loosing weight, although I must say it helps me stay on track. I am still very conscious of what I consume. There’s just no way I am going to eat crappy after I just worked out for an hour.

It’s pretty obvious that my core problem with food is that I over eat. One thing I am noticing these past two weeks is exactly how much I use to put away. It was so ridiculous. A couple weeks ago if I were grabbing a quick lunch at McDonalds I would not only order a value meal but an extra six-piece nuggets or a dessert to go along with it and somehow I would rationalize it as being ok cause the nuggets don’t have sugars and I did order a diet coke...

It wasn’t just when I went to fast food places that I would over-order and over-eat; I would do it at regular restaurants too. My biggest weakness is hands down appetizers. Whether it was chips and queso, fried cheese, bread baskets, waffle fries with blue-cheese dressing, yeah I don’t even like blue cheese but I would order them – damn you Barnaby’s! Seriously, appetizers, starters, hor’dourves, amuse bouche – whatever you call them, I would order them – and the funny thing is, I still can. However, I stop there. There’s no reason I need to have an appetizer, entrée and dessert every meal. Last Saturday I went out with friends to a new wine bar and I knew I would be consuming extra calories with champagne so I decided to just order the crab cake appetizer and I was completely fine. Granted I wish I didn’t have those couple extra drinks later in the night but hey, no one’s perfect.

One thing I am really proud of is I knew I would be drinking Saturday night so I did some research on what to drink beforehand: primarily, which has fewer calories, champagne or vodka tonic? It turns out champagne by a double long shot; champagne has about 85 calories and a vodka tonic has about 170.

All I can say is cheers to being hard-core when it comes to dieting and exercising (self control).

Week One - Choices

I lost 13 pounds!

Well I can’t say my first week was unproblematic but I am really happy with my efforts and results. I am making changes here and there and although there was a meal or two I could have done better, there were many that I think I did great.

I went into my first week knowing that exercising several times a week was going to be hard, but not only is it getting easier by the day, I am finding myself excited about doing it.

Another huge motivation for me is figuring out how many calories I am burning. I found a Calories Burned Calculator online which allows me to enter my weight, the duration of my exercising, the type of exercise I did and of course my energy level; and with a push of a button my totals are calculated. I figured out I burned a little over 5000 extra calories this week. I say extra because this calorie calculator can compute totals for things like shopping and sleeping, which I am not counting. Here’s how I did for my first week:

06/19 Walked neighborhood for an hour; 517 calories burned
06/20 Zumba class for an hour; 887 calories burned
06/21 Zumba class for an hour; 887 calories burned
06/23 Zumba class for an hour; 887 calories burned
06/24 Zumba class for an hour; 887 calories burned
06/25 Yard work for an hour and 15 minutes; 1016 calories burned

I started wondering how many calories I would need to burn to reach my goal of losing 75 pounds. The answer, thanks to Natural Physiques is 262,500! Knowing that I have a long way to reach my goal doesn’t scare me cause I know I can and will do it, and when it comes down to it, it’s all about choices.

Speaking of choices, I finally finished The Choice by Nicolas Sparks. It’s been on my to-do list for quite some time and I gave myself a goal to finish it this week. If you haven’t read it, I recommend it. The book is based on a man named Travis Parker who is faced with many hard choices throughout his life. Reading this book made me realize just how indecisive I am. I don’t know why but I have the hardest time making the easiest decisions: what movie to rent, what to have for dinner, what to serve at a party. Last night I had to decide if I was going to stay at my parents to look after my mom who wasn’t feeling well or go home to my apartment, exercise and attend a party I was looking forward to. I decided to keep my mom company. It turned out that I could keep my mom company and work out as well – I ended up working in the yard for a little over an hour and what’s really funny is that this morning I figured out how many calories I burned and it was more than I would have burned at my Zumba class! So not only was I able to be a good son, but I was able to get a better workout in and save myself the sixty dollars I was going to pay the gardener to come do it this weekend.

Somebody once said the biggest room in the world, is the room for improvement. I know that every day, in every way, I am getting better and better. And although I did a lot of activities by myself this week, I know I am not alone. I think pretty much everyone I know is trying to better him or herself in some way. Whether they are trying to overcome an addiction by tackling a new hobby, hiring life-coaches, talking to debt consolidators, checking into rehab, training for their first triathlon or just trying to jog for thirty minutes here and there so they don’t become “grande”...

If there’s one thing I’ve learned this week is that there are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.

A Man With A Plan

There are 28 weeks left until the end of the year. I figure I can do a lot in 28 weeks, I mean after all that is almost 200 days.

I know that a huge portion (pun intended) of my success will not only be what I eat, but more importantly how much I eat. I have enlisted My Choice Fit Foods to help with that. Their meals are pre-packaged, pre-measured and pre-tty tasty. Although they say 80% of my weight loss will come from what I consume, I know I'm going to have to exercise too.

Actually tomorrow I will be signing up for Zumba classes which are held several nights a week. I really enjoy taking these classes because (a) you sweat your ass off and (b) because they are so fast paced I feel like the class is over before you know it. But if I get bored with Zumba I know I can substitute my daily exercise regimen by hitting a couple buckets of balls at the driving range, playing tennis, walking the park and trails, swimming laps in my pool or finally utilizing my building’s gym that I pay for.

So with eating less and moving more I hope to see great results. Honestly I would like to lose 75 pounds by the end of the year, which is only about 3 pounds a week. I know I will feel healthier, become physically and probably mentally stronger and if I happen to drop a few pant sizes - I guess that wouldn’t be so bad either.

Emancipation Day

Today is Juneteenth, which is not only a celebration of the abolition of slavery, better known as Emancipation Day; it is also my parent’s anniversary.

I looked up the word emancipation and when you dissect it, it really comes down to freedom. And when I think of freedom, words like choice, freewill and self-determination come to mind.

Well in the spirit of Emancipation Day, I am freeing myself from yo-yo diets and unrealistic weight loss goals.

Today I start my journey for a healthy lifestyle. I know that I will have setbacks and obstacles to overcome, but I will try my best to not look at them as problems, but choices because I have the willpower and self-determination to change.

So for now on, Juneteenth will be the day that I said goodbye to my Umpteenth diet attempt and hello to my first real plan.