My Weight Loss Adventure!

[DarthDaddy]

Well I am going to share what I am doing. I have really put on the pounds especially after working third shift at the hospital for a year. So I decided to make some major changes with the encouragement on the wife.

First I switched shifts and went from 3 nights 11:00p-7:30a to 2 days 7:00am-7:30pm (Sat / Sun) only. After a couple weeks I feel two hundred times better.

Second I dropped the Soda. took 13 days to get through it, but I have dropped 2500-3500 calories a week! No alcohol either... I pretty much stopped when I took the 3rd shift with school and the kids. No Soda, Beer... 1 Gallon of water a day!

Third I joined a Weight Loss Challenge for 10 weeks. Weekly weigh ins and scrutiny make it more of a goal. I also started eating better and using the livestrong website with their "MyPlate" app that tracks everything you eat quickly and easily. Tracks calories, protein, fat, sodium, carbs... Pretty cool! oh and I can win $125 netting $70.00

Fourth... I joined the gym at the park district my son has preschool. I drop him off in class and go a block to the gym and have over 2 hours to myself. I am doing cardio and circuit weight training. Will probably also spend time shooting baskets in the full court gym after my workouts! I also take the dogs for a walk at night for just over 2 miles, but T/Th might be limited until I am used to the workouts.

My Dr. has me at 284 now as of last week and the WL Challege has me at 287.2 Goal... 225! I was around 265 when I took the night shift.. Best adult weight was 217 when my middle guy was born. Before my mom passed I was about 240... 7 year slow climb...

I am tracking this on my blog and on Livestrong. Need to keep focused...

[CTDon]

Nice job, Darth.

After this weekend I'm going to head back to the gym myself. I've only been running/biking for the past year or so, so I've gotten to be a flabby endurance person (I hesitate to use the word 'athlete' :icon_lol:).

I have my next HM on Sunday and then will hit the gym to prepare for the 'Tough Mudder' in NJ in November. I plan on doing another HM or two in between though...

Keep up the good work!

[ministermatt]

Keep up the good work Darth. I gave up on trying to get to the gym with 5 small kids and started buying stuff on Craigslist and ended up with a pretty nice home gym. Been hard at it over the last 2 months. I don't have much or any weight to loose, just need to feel better. My wife uses the app. Lose It to keep track of her calorie intake/burn. She has dropped 30lbs since #12 was born in July.

It is amazing what excercise does for the "whole" man. Keep at it!

[DarthDaddy]

I am down nearly 8 pounds in a week! 16 days off of soda...

The livestrong app is awesome!!!

[ministermatt]

Soda is a killer at our age! I have been off Coke for a year and finally kicked sweet tea about a month ago. Sugar/high fructose corn syrup settles right in, on and around our mid section. Keep up the good work.

[DarthDaddy]

This 2.5 hours with the littlest in preschool is awesome for working out.

Today...

30 minutes on the Elliptical
45 minutes Weights
20 minutes shooting baskets

AWESOME!!!

Still hand time to hit the library to get some books the oldest wanted and chat with the moms! Plus working out at the time I do the gym is really empty. Was talking to some old guys while working out.

[Electriclime]

Awesome Darth! I only had one pop last week, though I did have a couple with meals the past two days during a long road trip; mostly for the caf. I did pick up Gatorade and water at the rest area vending machines instead of the habitual Dew.

I'm hoping to get my gym visits rolling next week. Thinking about picking up an elliptical when they are all on sale for New Year's. The wife and I are sharing 1 car now, so that would leave me trying to get to the gym in the Mustang in the winter. Not too good on snowy country roads. :icon_razz: I already have a rowing machine.

[DarthDaddy]

Down 15 pounds in 26 days. Granted the last 4 does not really count. I got the flu and lost a ton of extra weight in 12 hours.

29 pounds is my first goal! About "Half way" there... :morons:

[Neodaddy]

Great work Darth! Try mumps next. I hear you can lose a ton of weight with that!

[ministermatt]

Great job Darth! My wife hit a mile stone yesterday, dropping 40 lbs since #12 was born in July. She has not been at this weight in 7 years. She looks great... can you say hello #13!

[DarthDaddy]

So yesterday I stepped it up a little...

30 Minutes interval on Elliptical.
40 minutes weights. (15 exercises, 3 sets of 12) Nautilus machines.
30 minutes walking outside around the Park District Trail.

I am beginning to feel much better.

As for why the machine? I am looking to tone and shape rather than BUILD! I used to be a what is refereed to now as a lunkhead. I was a free weight machine and had huge arms and legs. I had a hard time finding cloths that fit over my thighs and shoulders.

I do plan on returning to some free weights once I drop some more weight.

The Live Strong website has been a great tool. Since I worked out so hard yesterday I should have eaten more than I did. So today I am so HUNGRY! Need to balance that yet...

[woodchuck]

I've found cayenne pepper and chili(with beans) to be an excellent snack or even early meal to maintain a high metabolic rate during a hard day of physical demand.


Physical work will make you discover aches and pains that no gym ever will. Work muscles are great but they plateau and cease to become an asset towards losing excess weight. I've become a fan of the muscle confusion and while not utilizing it in a passive environment, it's effectiveness in a dynamic environment has amazing results. Back in the day I'd write programs for bodybuilders and it was a challenge to match individual workouts with the individual based on their metabolic rate and consequent diet. The greatest challenge though was to get them to change their desires to match their goals....tastebuds and cravings are a bitch to overcome.

[Electriclime]

So yesterday I stepped it up a little...

As for why the machine? I am looking to tone and shape rather than BUILD! The Live Strong website has been a great tool. Since I worked out so hard yesterday I should have eaten more than I did. So today I am so HUNGRY! Need to balance that yet...

Nice routine. I was going to start at the gym with the little one in preschool now, but we have gone down to one car for daily use the timing isn't there. I picked up a LiveStrong 13.0 elliptical this week and am eager to get going on that in addition to my rowing machine. I really needed something for cardio and fat burning. That thing kicked my ass just getting it upstairs and assembled :icon_razz:

Been enjoying all the fruits and veggies of harvest season but I'll need to start doing some more difficult menu planning to keep eating healthy with winter coming. I have 2 bushels of fresh picked apples waiting to be made into sauce this week for the freezer.

[ministermatt]

18 days until we hit the beach! Trying my hardest to bust my gut the last days before we leave. For sure I look and feel better than this time last year. Down 16 lbs and 2 inches in the waist. If I could only stay away from the after 9pm snacking!