Weigh-In 10: Admitting Failure

Posted on 1 Jun 2010 by Len

Scale & Measuring Tape

Forgive me, blog readers, for I have sinned. It has been three months since my last published weigh-in. While I continued to pursue my weight-loss goals half-heartedly during my blogging silence, the truth is, I eventually gave in to temptation and slowly slipped back into my old eating habits. Sadly, much of the good work I had accomplished, including losing nearly 20 pounds at my best, has been erased.

This post is a confession: I failed to consistently strive for health and weight-loss the way I want to. However, it’s also a declaration of war: I’m back in gear, and ready to fight my own weak flesh and its cravings.

Here’s where I stand now…

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Checking In…

Posted on 26 Mar 2010 by Len
Trying is the first step towards failure.

Wisdom...

The reasons that I started this blog included the idea that it would be a source of accountability for my weight-loss goals. That whole accountability thing has worked pretty well; since I haven’t posted in nearly four weeks, I’ve gotten emails, txt messages, and even a comment or two through my Mom. Those of you who read this blog have been a big help, and for that, I thank you. I’m aiming to get back to regular updates starting April 1st.

In the mean time, I will mention that this month has been rough. I’ve had a lot of time on the road for conferences and whatnot, and I’ve found it hard to eat well and exercise when I’m sitting in a car, and enjoying Taco Bell or other fast food joints more often than not. This schedule has made it nearly impossible to hit the gym regularly.

I could get sad and depressed about my March failure… But I’m not going to. Instead, I’m looking forward to April, knowing it will also be a busy month, but that I’ve got the support and motivation needed to get back on track. Thanks again for all of you who’ve encouraged (and harassed) me. Keep it up!

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Weigh-In 9: After Two Months…

Posted on 1 Mar 2010 by Len

Scale & Measuring Tape

Ugh!

Earlier today, I posted that I’ve been less than diligent about my healthy lifestyle over the last few weeks. I really struggled in February. Despite staying on track with my calorie goals and exercise during the beginning of the month, I actually hit a few days where I gained six pounds, then stayed there for a while.

When it finally started coming off again, it came off fast! I lost around 10 lbs in nine days, which was awesome… but it didn’t last long. I hit a week and a half of unfortunate events that really messed me up.

First, I had lunch with a friend at a chinese buffet (this is a killer for me). The next day, my step-dad had surgery and I had most of my meals at the hospital he was staying at. It’s amazing how bad for you hospital food can be! The weekend following the surgery was crazy, and I made poor food choices. By Monday, I had developed a severe Gout flare-up, which though it’s getting better, I’m still dealing with. I also fell on the ice in my driveway midweek, which messed up my back and hip. Needless to say, exercise didn’t happen like I would have wanted… and I’m just getting back up to speed physically.

So, with two ups, two downs, and a few less days this month than last, February was challenging. Here are my stats:

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Weigh-In 8: The Non-Existant Weigh-In

Posted on 1 Mar 2010 by Len

Scale & Measuring Tape

Weigh-In 8 didn’t happen. What I mean by that, is that while I weighed myself last Monday, I never got around to posting the stats and info online. Life has been extra busy, and I’ve been… less than diligent… about my healthy lifestyle.

This post is more for me (documenting my data) than it is for you, though I did promise full-disclosure when I started this project. On 2/22/10, when I should have posted Weigh-In 8, I weighed 336, and was in the middle of a substantial upward climb that took place over the course of a week or so (and involved me gaining nearly 9 pounds). Argh…

I’ll explain more in my next post, today’s scheduled (and monthly) weigh-in.

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Weigh-In 7: Unexpected Benefits

Posted on 15 Feb 2010 by Len

Scale & Measuring Tape

After last week’s weigh-in ended up on Monday, it hit me that making that the usual posting day was probably a good idea. As a pastor, the weekends are hectic. Saturday is my day off with my family, and Sunday is usually busy with preaching, meetings, Bible studies, and other ministry things. So, Monday makes more sense, and I plan to do my weekly weigh-in post on Mondays for the forseeable future.

This week went very well. I’ve been more active with exercise than ever, though I wasn’t able to connect with my gym partner at all this week. I’m loving my recumbent bike and Total Gym though, because they keep me on track very well. We converted half of our dining room into a “home gym”, which [looks really ugly, but...] works well for our lifestyle.

This week’s statistics can be found after the jump:

Continue reading →

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Weigh-In 6: I Love Chili… Doh!

Posted on 8 Feb 2010 by Len

Scale & Measuring Tape

First of all, sorry to those who were looking for a Weigh-In on Saturday. Life has been busy the last few weeks, which has been evidenced by completely failing to post anything other than Weigh-In’s here… But then I failed to even do that. On the plus side, the reason I missed it was because I was so excited to spend Saturday with my family that we got up and left the house before my brain caught up to the normal routine. Oops!

That said… I love Chili… but it doesn’t love me. I was pretty sure I had maintained my weight for the week, though I know I hadn’t lost anything. Then, on Saturday, we went to the 11th Annual North Country Chili Cookoff. I’ve been wanting to go to that for years, and it was a great event. However, any event where the main purpose is to eat 30-plus types of Chili is going to wreak havoc on a weight-loss plan.

Add that to a busy week that included more eating out than I might like, and multiple cancellations that kept me or my workout partner from the Army gym (and he has to sign me in), and you can see why I gained.

This week’s statistics can be found after the jump:

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Weigh-In 5.5: Monthly Update

Posted on 1 Feb 2010 by Len

Scale & Measuring Tape

Since I’ve been on this journey towards real health for a month now, it’s time to post my pictures and measurements as they stand today. I could have done it Saturday, but I wanted to make it a full calendar month by doing it on the first each month.

Anyway, I was quite surprised by the results. I had a hunch that I had lost a little bit of my size (I need to add another hole to a belt I have) but I realized this morning that this has been a VERY good month of progress! It’s been a similarly good month for Diana, which is extremely encouraging to me as well.

My stats, as I head into month two as a health nut, are after the jump:

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Weigh-In 5: Making Progress

Posted on 30 Jan 2010 by Len

Scale & Measuring Tape

Due to the chaos of life, this post is going to be a quick one. However, the good news is that I did manage to lose weight again this week, and increase my physical activity. I also found a local spot to get some healthy Mexican food. Those of you who know me know that this is a wonderful thing, though it may not be good for my budget!

I said last week that I had been through the hardest week of 2010 thus far, and not just in the realm of healthy living. Well, this week blew last week away in that department, and got even more difficult at times. However, in the midst of it all I see God at work in the lives of myself and my family, and I can’t help but be thankful. And I haven’t been binge-eating because of stress, so that’s a great sign!

This week’s statistics can be found after the jump:

Continue reading →

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Weigh-In 4: You Can’t Win ‘Em All!

Posted on 23 Jan 2010 by Len

Scale & Measuring TapeWell, I’ve made it through week three, if just barely. It wasn’t a good week, and the measurements will show it, but the good news is that just because I’ve hit a bump in the road doesn’t mean I’m done with the journey.

Here’s the long and short of it all. I’ve found this week to be by far the hardest week of 2010 thus far, and not just in the realm of healthy living. Sunday I found myself at the lowest weight I’ve hit in years, 338.2 lbs. However, starting Monday, I began a slow upward climb on the scale, despite decent eating habits.

Additionally, I hit the gym on Monday for a good workout time with my friend Josh. It was the most physically draining workout I’ve had yet… And it resulted in some of the worst pain I’ve ever felt, in a severe case of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). I could barely walk most of the week, and had to literally crawl up the stairs to go to bed at night. That really put a damper on the whole exercise thing.

Work was more stressful than usual, and involved numerous meetings. I wasn’t home for a number of meals, and instead of bringing healthy stuff to eat, I hit local food establishments a few times. It was great to meet the new owner of Keddy’s in Carthage and try her new menu, and I’m sure I’ll eat there again since it’s convenient to the office and I am a big supporter of local business, but I wasn’t as health-consious with my food as I could have been this week. That isn’t to say I went crazy with my calories, but I’m sure there was more fat, and less fiber and water than in previous weeks.

Yesterday was probably the worst day. I was scrambling to get work done, and somehow managed to not even count or weigh in. Epic fail. After work, I went out bowling with a political group I am a part of, and had two slices of pizza and some soda. It was technically dinner, but again, I wasn’t as vigilant as usual.

All of that added up to a net gain for the week. Doh! The week’s statistics can be found after the jump: Continue reading →

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Weigh-In 3: Hitting the Gym

Posted on 16 Jan 2010 by Len

Scale & Measuring TapeWeek two is under my belt (which, by the way, needs a new hole added to it), and I’m very pleased with how things have been going.

I’ve been aiming for 1,600-1,800 calories per day, and with the exception of yesterday, I hit that goal completely. Diana and I have both been eating much healthier, which has made it even easier to do. She isn’t counting calories the same way I am, but she is making a real effort to be more mindful of what she eats, and it shows; she’s looking great!

In addition to eating pretty well, I started something this week that was both intimidating and exciting to me: working out at a gym. I had figured I’d join the Carthage YMCA when I got down to around 300 lbs. However, when it came up at church that I had repented of gluttony and am now trying to get healthy, a friend and NCF covenant member, Josh Tash, asked me to join him at the gym on lunch breaks. Josh is a combat medic with the 10th Mountain Division, and he works out with a buddy from his unit regularly at Magrath and Pine Plains gyms on Fort Drum. It was awesome of him to invite me to tag along, and honestly, I’ve loved it. I hope to blog specifically about this experience later this week, as time allows.

Nevertheless, the week wasn’t perfect. I didn’t do nearly as much cardio as I planned. I used the fact that the week was busy as an excuse, but that doesn’t cut it. I know I need to make cardio a daily part of my life, and I plan to get my butt in gear – literally – this week. My other “naughty” moment was dinner last night. Diana and I had taken a trip into town to get a loaner CPAP machine (another blog post for the week, I hope), and it was past dinner time. The kids were starving, and we decided to have a “cheat meal” as suggested by Donny in the comments on the first post. We didn’t go crazy, but food from a Chinese buffet is hard to count. That said, and since I hadn’t planned lunch around a high-calorie dinner, I’m not sure how bad I went over my calories for the day. Anyway, the meal was tasty, satisfying, and fun for the family. We need that now and then!

The week’s statistics can be found after the jump: Continue reading →

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