Day 1

I took the plunge. I actually got up early this morning and worked out. I did the Fat Burning Express workout from the program. It was tough. What was supposed to be a 35 minute workout ended up being closer to an hour with all the rest breaks I took. And towards the end, I really had to talk myself into finishing it out. I did it though. I couldn't do all the exercises. The jumping exercises towards the end were just too grueling with how tired I was and my weight. So I just stepped instead trying to keep form still. They did say to keep it easy, especially if just starting out.

I wasn't really sore today from the workout, but I was exhausted. My legs felt wobbly anytime I was on them, and I simply didn't want to move. I just really wanted to crawl into bed and sleep. But a day of work kept that from happening.lol I'm curious to see how I am feeling when I awake tomorrow. If I'm feeling it too much, I may skip the cardio and go to the sculpting instead for the day. My goal is to spend the first week doing the Fat Burning Express DVD though if I can manage that.

As for my diet, it was pretty much the same as yesterday. We did have a pizza party at work. I really debated participating. However, I realized things like this will come up and I can't shut myself off from eating unhealthy food 100% of the time. So I had a couple of slices. The big thing here was that I limited myself to just two slices. In the past, it would have been 4-5 slices easy. I made a compromise and still showed some restraint. I also cut out my morning protein bar to compensate for the additional caloric intake. I also started taking some metabolic enhancers today. I got a 30 days supply as part of ordering this program. Hopefully, it will aid with my weight loss.

Day 0 Stats and Pictures

As mentioned in my last post, I am getting ready to start a new exercise program. I feel motivated for different reasons. I hate the way I look now, and also with things going so well for me in other areas of my life, I want to improve this area. It really is amazing that when you are happy, you feel more motivated to get into shape.

The program I am getting ready to begin is Power 90. It is by Beachbody.com, the same people that do P90x. I looked briefly at that, but it looked too intense for me at my weight. Power 90 was the program that led to P90x and is supposed to be more beginner friendly.

While I have not started working out yet, I did start eating right today. My breakfast consisted of a bow of Special K with yogurt crunches and fresh strawberries. Lunch was a grilled chicken breast with a touch of orange mango BBQ sauce and 4-cheese rice. For snacks I had 2 protein bars and celery with hummus. And dinner was a salad with grilled chicken, carrot chips, cherry tomatoes, and a fat-free balsamic vinaigrette. And I only drank flavored carbonated water.(which the program says is okay to drink) I am focusing on protein in this first week per their recommendation.

In preparation for the program, which goes 90-days, I took my measurements and took new pictures. My stats are as follows:

Weight: 290lbs.(Yes, I've gained weight since I started this blog)
Waist: 51"
Hips: 51"
Chest: 49"
Right Arm: 15"
Left Arm: 14.5"
Right Thigh: 26"
Left Thigh: 26"

And the pictures of me:







As these pictures show, I have quite a bit of weight to lose. Unfortunately, most of my weight accumulates in my stomach. That is definitely my "problem area" and what I hope to change the most. I am at the heaviest I have ever been and I am done with it. I want to be in good shape and in good health. So let this be the last day that I look like this.

Update 5/21/11

It's been nearly a year since I last posted. Shortly after my last post I had a death in the family that had a major impact. I then was job hunting and graduating college and found many reasons not to be working out. I'm at a point where things are going quite well for me in life and I want to focus on another area, my weight.

Today I had an awards dinner I had to dress up for. I was looking at myself in the bathroom mirror at work and I just looked sloppy. Not because I was unkempt or anything, but because of my size. I looked fat. And I've lately purchased larger cloths, in the 3XL range. Large clothes don't seem to lay nicely. I'm a big fat guy in big fat cloths and I just hated the way I look.

Along with that, at the awards dinner, I ran into a fellow classmate that I haven't seen in like 6 months. The last time I saw her, she was out of shape and had a bit of a pooch. She looked great tonight. She had worked out like crazy using programs like Insanity, P90x, and Turbofire. Seeing how she looked, and remembering how I felt earlier in the day, I renewed my commitment to myself to lose this weight.

The step I took to doing this was purchasing the Power 90 exercise program. I had considered the P90x, but was intimidated by it. I am very overweight and that seemed to be very intense for a beginner. Power 90, from what I could tell, seemed to be more entry level while still offering great results. More for weight loss, and less for body sculpting. So I decided to start there and see where that takes me. I plan on chronicling my daily routine. I know my previous plans always went offtrack, but with more time now and more stability, I'm hoping to be able to follow through this time.

On the Disabled List

I won't be able to work out for a few days at least. I rolled my ankle and I think it is sprained. I can barely put any weight onto it. This is disappointing to me as I really wanted to stay on top of things this weekend. I suppose I can take solace in that I got in my hour and a half for the week. That is what they say is healthy to do. I really wanted to do more though. Maybe I should work with hand weights or something in the meantime.

Personal Progress 07/07/10

I just got done working out. I didn't get a chance to yesterday, but that is just as well since my legs were sore. Like I mentioned before, I don't want to overdo it. I got right back into things today though. I did 30 minutes on the stationary bike. I wanted to do the treadmill again, but someone else was already using it. And all the other equipment in my complex's exercise room is currently broken.(damn kids) So stationary bike it was.

It said I only burned a little over 200 calories at the end of the 30 minutes. That is substantially less than I burned on the treadmill. I, however, felt like I did more. I built up more of a sweat. I ended up going 8 miles. And unlike a real bike, I didn't coast at all. So I'm not sure how much good I actually did compared to the treadmill, but I feel good and it was better than doing nothing.

Personal Progress 07/05/10

Make that two days in a row. Two straight days of working out. I did another 30 minutes on the treadmill. I pushed myself a bit harder today and managed to burn 375 calories. So a bit of an improvement over yesterday.I also went to weigh myself today and my scale is broken. No I did not break it stepping on it. So I have to buy a new scale so I can start keeping record of progress.

It was easier to go work out today than yesterday. Yesterday I really had to muster up the energy to go do it. But today I was still feeling good about doing it yesterday that I got right to it. It was one of the first things I did today even. My legs are sore from doing this the past couple of days, but it will get better. I even picked up a new pair of workout shoes today. So I guess that is a sign of my commitment to this.

Personal Progress 07/04/10

My first personal progress report in 6 months. It was a long time coming. Like I mentioned in my previous post, my weight has been weighing(*chuckle*)on my mind a lot lately. As such, I worked out today. I spent 30 minutes speed walking on the treadmill. Not anything major, but I burned about 325 calories. I have a long ways to go. But a journey starts with a single step. I did feel good after the workout. I'm hoping that I can build up some momentum and keep it up.

I take that back, I don't hope. Let's face it, weight loss isn't built on hope. It is built upon how much effort we are willing to put into it. Whether or not I do this, it is all on me. Wishful thinking and hoping won't get me there. I have to dig deep and find the willpower within myself. It is easier said than done. But at what point does one get sick of looking at their fat body? When people are turned off by your weight, how much more incentive does one need? I get it. It's like a cycle. The more depressed you get about your weight, the more you withdraw into yourself and eat more. There comes a point when the cycle has to be broken.