Thursday February 21st, 2008

Yesterday wasn't the best day for in my quest for weight loss. I stayed hungry all day and make a concious effort to snack healthfully. I also hurt my calf muscle climbing the stairs. I don't think it's much more than a charlie horse or just a muscle strain. I didn't go to the gym so that I could give my calf time to rest and heal a bit. I elevated it and put an ice pack on it with an ace wrap. I read a quote from a book last night and I would like to reprint it here. I think alot of people will be able to relate to this. It certainly puts my fight into perspective.

"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year but eventually it will subside and something else will take it's place. If I quit,however, it lasts forever. That surrender, even the smallest act of giving up stays with me. So when I feel like quitting, I ask myself, which would I rather live with? The temporary pain or the constant reminder of failure? Facing up to that question and finding a way to go on is the real reward, better than any trophy."
Lance Armstrong-It's Not About the Bike

I think that about sums it up.

Tuesday February 19th

Today was my first day back on the rig since I started my program. I realized today that this will be my ultimate test of strength. On one hand this is the best place for me because I can concentrate on my workouts and not have any distractions. I guess you could say that out here I am a captive audience. The downside to being out here is all of the sweets and snack foods available. At any given time there are 4 or 5 trays of cookies laying around on the rig. There is also a bin full of cakes and pies. I gave up sweets for Lent, so those things won't be a problem. Once I got on the rig today and got settled in, I talked to Charles our cook about fixing me chicken breasts for lunch. He is going to fix me two grilled chicken breasts everyday. Today I ate two chicken breasts for lunch and about 6 large boiled shrimp. This really filled me up. I am pretty sure that my stomach has already started to shrink some, because I get full much more easily now. For dinner I had another chicken breast. I went to they gym after getting my room situated and my bed made. I did 40 minutes on the treadmill I averaged an 18 minute mile for 2.5 miles. I felt really good and after being up for almost 17 hours I was really surprised. All in all I feel really good about today and look forward to having 28 straight days of making a difference.

Monday 2/18/2008

Today I made the long drive from Chattanooga to New Orleans so that I can head back to work. I had breakfast before leaving Chattanooga and then ate lunch with some friends in Picayune, MS. I had a wonderful salad with fat free italian dressing. It was a really good salad. I arrived in New Orleans around 4pm Central time and wasn't too tired surprisingly. After checking into my room and getting settled in I went to the gym. I hit the treadmill at a moderate pace for 30 minutes. I did 3.2 mph at a 4% incline for the entire time. It felt really good to stretch my legs after being in the truck all day. All in all this was a good day.

Day 3- Much much better

Today I felt much better than I did yesterday. I started out my day with a whole wheat turkey wrap and a scoop of NO-Explode. When I got to the gym I felt really good. I worked out with weights doing shoulders, chest and back exercises. After lifting I went over and did the foothills program on the treadmill with a max speed of 3.2 and max elevation of 10%. After that was finished I did 30 more minutes at 3.2 speed and 5% elevation. It was a good day all together in the gym. I felt really strong and had good stamina on the treadmill. When I left the gym I met a co-worker and his wife at the Cracker Barrel and there I ate grilled chicken tenderloins and two small bowls of pinto beans. You can't get enough protein in my opinion. For dinner I had a 6" roasted chicken sandwich from Subway. All in all it was a very good day for me. I felt strong and was able to complete the workout I wanted to. I ate pretty good and still felt full. Thanks for all your help and support. Keep them kudos coming in!

Day 2- Not the best

Today was not the best day for me. I had a small breakfast of Raisin Bran, but actually ran out of cereal and didn't get a full bowl. For lunch I went to Ankar's and had a grilled chicken pita. For dinner I went to my parents and actually ended up eating two small pieces of pizza. When I went to the gym I just felt tired. I was also out of N-O Explode and I don't know if that contributed to my lack of energy at the gym. I was able to complete 45 minutes on the treadmill and do my regular routine of abs and core exercises. I just wasn't feeling it. I need to make sure to stay motivated.

Day 1

Today was day one of my new fitness quest. I feel as if it went pretty well. I started out the day with a bowl of Raisin Bran and skim milk. For lunch I had a 6" roasted chicken breast sandwich from Subway. For dinner I had a salad with light ranch and a chicken breast from Logans. I spent 30 minutes doing weights and the did one hour on the treadmill. I did first 30 minutes on the pre-programmed "foothills" routine and then the last 30 minutes I did 3.2 mph at an 8% incline. I felt really good after my workout. I think I got off to a pretty good start. I need to be more careful with my dinner choices, because there is too much tempation at places like Logan's. Overall I'd rate the fitness day as a 7 out of 10.

A new beginning for me

Welcome to my fitness journal/blog. I am starting this online journal on Monday, February 11th 2008 to help me with my progress of working out and losing weight. I plan to post here with what I've eaten everyday, my workout progress and just my general thoughts on my workout and meals. I am doing this online journal to help me stay focused on the task of losing weight. If you look on here and I haven't posted for a particular day please send me a comment to let me know about it. I am asking for feedback for everything that I will be posting here. Whether it is positive or negative, please provide me with feedback whenever you can. I hope that eventually this blog may be the inspiration that someone else needs to make a positive change in their life.
For those of you who don't know me, I will tell you a little about myself. I am 33 years old and work as a paramedic on an offshore oil drilling rig. I have always been a big guy and struggled with my weight. In high school I played football, wrestled and was also on the track team. In my high school years I was around 240-250lbs. I was in good shape from always being involved in some type of sport. After graduating high school I went to work on an ambulance. That is when I really started gaining weight. It has been downhill ever since. I am currently around 350 lbs. I have set the goal for myself to get down to 220 lbs. I'm not going to tie myself down with a timeframe of when I want to lose this 130lbs. I am going to do it slowly and healthy. I hope that everyone will check this blog often and provide me with feedback, support and criticism when it's needed. I am not going to weigh myself regularly, but I am going to let my body and the fit of my clothes tell me how I'm progressing.