The Historian's Update - 104 pounds lost!

Hi friends,

I squeezed another pound off this week, bringing me down to 281. That's
104 pounds total. Only 4 pound lost this past month, but I'll take
them. My exercise this week has been limited because I overstretched
muscles in my back and my left quad is still a little sore from my walk
two weeks ago. But I was back at the gym yesterday, and spent 36
minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes lifting on freeweights.

I had a body-fat analysis done at the gym last week. After they ran the
current through me, the computer suggested that 227 pounds would be a
weight at which I carried 15 percent body fat. That still seems a
little high, so I am keeping my goal at 220 pounds for now. My short
term goal is to read 270 by the end of the year. That's a very tough
challenge, since three major holidays fall into this period. We'll see
how I do.

Motivation is getting tougher, since the weight is not coming off as
quickly as it did. I've moved to a new department at work, and while
I've been coping with the stress of my added responsibilities, I've
been eating too much and too many of the wrong foods. So, to help
motivate me, I've started to buy new clothes a size smaller than I
currently wear. I have the body-fat analysis on my desk at work, so I
can see it and be reminded of the goal next time someone offers me a
raspberry-fluff brownie. I am keeping up with my donations of a dollar
a pound to a not-for-profit for every ten pounds I lose. (The
Pennsylvania State Chess Federation gets 10 bucks when the next pound
drops off. Previous recipients have been the MS Foundation and the
Lance Armstrong Foundation.) Any other motivational devices I might
employ?

Neil
385/281/220

On 18 Nov 2006 03:38:20 -0800, "The Historian"
wrote:

Hi friends,

I squeezed another pound off this week, bringing me down to 281. That's
104 pounds total. Only 4 pound lost this past month, but I'll take
them. My exercise this week has been limited because I overstretched
muscles in my back and my left quad is still a little sore from my walk
two weeks ago. But I was back at the gym yesterday, and spent 36
minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes lifting on freeweights.

I had a body-fat analysis done at the gym last week. After they ran the
current through me, the computer suggested that 227 pounds would be a
weight at which I carried 15 percent body fat. That still seems a
little high, so I am keeping my goal at 220 pounds for now. My short
term goal is to read 270 by the end of the year. That's a very tough
challenge, since three major holidays fall into this period. We'll see
how I do.

Motivation is getting tougher, since the weight is not coming off as
quickly as it did. I've moved to a new department at work, and while
I've been coping with the stress of my added responsibilities, I've
been eating too much and too many of the wrong foods. So, to help
motivate me, I've started to buy new clothes a size smaller than I
currently wear. I have the body-fat analysis on my desk at work, so I
can see it and be reminded of the goal next time someone offers me a
raspberry-fluff brownie. I am keeping up with my donations of a dollar
a pound to a not-for-profit for every ten pounds I lose. (The
Pennsylvania State Chess Federation gets 10 bucks when the next pound
drops off. Previous recipients have been the MS Foundation and the
Lance Armstrong Foundation.) Any other motivational devices I might
employ?

Neil
385/281/220

Neil, you're doing great! Weight loss is naturally going to slow down
a bit as you get smaller and closer to our goal. Are you still eating
at the same calorie level you were at 385? If so, you might want to
think about dropping back some. Otherwise, just accept that a pound a
week is still a very healthy rate of loss.

It sounds like you're doing good things to motivate yourself. My main
motivation was probably clothes shopping, but this isn't entirely a
good thing :-).

Chris
262/130s/130s
started dieting July 2002, maintaining since June 2004

Chris Braun wrote:
On 18 Nov 2006 03:38:20 -0800, "The Historian"
wrote:

Hi friends,

I squeezed another pound off this week, bringing me down to 281. That's
104 pounds total. Only 4 pound lost this past month, but I'll take
them. My exercise this week has been limited because I overstretched
muscles in my back and my left quad is still a little sore from my walk
two weeks ago. But I was back at the gym yesterday, and spent 36
minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes lifting on freeweights.

I had a body-fat analysis done at the gym last week. After they ran the
current through me, the computer suggested that 227 pounds would be a
weight at which I carried 15 percent body fat. That still seems a
little high, so I am keeping my goal at 220 pounds for now. My short
term goal is to read 270 by the end of the year. That's a very tough
challenge, since three major holidays fall into this period. We'll see
how I do.

Motivation is getting tougher, since the weight is not coming off as
quickly as it did. I've moved to a new department at work, and while
I've been coping with the stress of my added responsibilities, I've
been eating too much and too many of the wrong foods. So, to help
motivate me, I've started to buy new clothes a size smaller than I
currently wear. I have the body-fat analysis on my desk at work, so I
can see it and be reminded of the goal next time someone offers me a
raspberry-fluff brownie. I am keeping up with my donations of a dollar
a pound to a not-for-profit for every ten pounds I lose. (The
Pennsylvania State Chess Federation gets 10 bucks when the next pound
drops off. Previous recipients have been the MS Foundation and the
Lance Armstrong Foundation.) Any other motivational devices I might
employ?

Neil
385/281/220

Neil, you're doing great! Weight loss is naturally going to slow down
a bit as you get smaller and closer to our goal. Are you still eating
at the same calorie level you were at 385?

I hope that was a joke. I've been eating between 2500 and 3000 calories
a day. I really need to cut back to 2200-2500, I think. And increasing
the cardio to an hour wouldn't hurt, either.

If so, you might want to
think about dropping back some. Otherwise, just accept that a pound a
week is still a very healthy rate of loss.

OK, but ten pounds a month was more fun!

It sounds like you're doing good things to motivate yourself. My main
motivation was probably clothes shopping, but this isn't entirely a
good thing :-).

I know it's not a "guy thing", but I now enjoy buying new clothes. Once
you remove the fat and facial hair, I am a pretty good looking fellow.
Even with the excess pounds, the lifting has given me some definition
(I can feel muscles under the fat), and my posture has improved. As I
get clothes that fit me and flatter me, my appearance can only get
better. And that can mean only one thing.....

Ladies, I am single! Make your move before I am off the market! :-)

Narcissus
385/281/220

On 18 Nov 2006 05:27:40 -0800, "The Historian"
wrote:


Chris Braun wrote:

Are you still eating
at the same calorie level you were at 385?

I hope that was a joke. I've been eating between 2500 and 3000 calories
a day. I really need to cut back to 2200-2500, I think. And increasing
the cardio to an hour wouldn't hurt, either.

It wasn't a joke, but I realize it was ambiguous. What I meant was,
are you eating at the same level that you started out at when you
first began your weight loss program? Did you start out in the
2500-3000 range? It's to be expected that the same level that let you
lose fast at 385 lbs. isn't going to work as quickly now that you're
so much smaller. I'd agree that a 2200-2500 range sounds more
appropriate for you now. It may be that your current calorie level is
getting kind of close to maintenance for you.

OK, but ten pounds a month was more fun!

Apart from my first month of dieting I never lost as much as 10 pounds
in a month. But I still lost 130 lbs :-). (I averaged between 5 and
6 lbs. overall.)


It sounds like you're doing good things to motivate yourself. My main
motivation was probably clothes shopping, but this isn't entirely a
good thing :-).

I know it's not a "guy thing", but I now enjoy buying new clothes. Once
you remove the fat and facial hair, I am a pretty good looking fellow.
Even with the excess pounds, the lifting has given me some definition
(I can feel muscles under the fat), and my posture has improved. As I
get clothes that fit me and flatter me, my appearance can only get
better. And that can mean only one thing.....

This is all good. It's very motivating to enjoy your improving
appearance, I think. (And I know, though you haven't mentioned it in
this thread, that you're also enjoying your much-improved fitness.)

Ladies, I am single! Make your move before I am off the market! :-)

Well, I'm afraid I'm taken :-).

Chris
262/130s/130s
started dieting July 2002, maintaining since June 2004

The Historian wrote:
Hi friends,

I squeezed another pound off this week, bringing me down to 281. That's
104 pounds total. Only 4 pound lost this past month, but I'll take
them. My exercise this week has been limited because I overstretched
muscles in my back and my left quad is still a little sore from my walk
two weeks ago. But I was back at the gym yesterday, and spent 36
minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes lifting on freeweights.

I had a body-fat analysis done at the gym last week. After they ran the
current through me, the computer suggested that 227 pounds would be a
weight at which I carried 15 percent body fat. That still seems a
little high, so I am keeping my goal at 220 pounds for now. My short
term goal is to read 270 by the end of the year. That's a very tough
challenge, since three major holidays fall into this period. We'll see
how I do.

Motivation is getting tougher, since the weight is not coming off as
quickly as it did. I've moved to a new department at work, and while
I've been coping with the stress of my added responsibilities, I've
been eating too much and too many of the wrong foods. So, to help
motivate me, I've started to buy new clothes a size smaller than I
currently wear. I have the body-fat analysis on my desk at work, so I
can see it and be reminded of the goal next time someone offers me a
raspberry-fluff brownie. I am keeping up with my donations of a dollar
a pound to a not-for-profit for every ten pounds I lose. (The
Pennsylvania State Chess Federation gets 10 bucks when the next pound
drops off. Previous recipients have been the MS Foundation and the
Lance Armstrong Foundation.) Any other motivational devices I might
employ?

Neil
385/281/220

Congratulations Neil. This is an amazing accomplishment.

You already have some good motivational tools in place. About the only
thing I could add would be setting a goal in your exercise area. I always
find this results in additional exercise for me as I work toward
accomplishing the goal.

At the present time I'm working on becoming a better hill climber while
cycling. I recently bought a Carmichael training video geared toward
climbing and I'll be using it on the indoor trainer this winter. A friend
and I did a 27 mile ride last week that included a couple of the toughest
hills in my area. I think he was a little surprised when I didn't have to
get off and walk up them. I didn't break any speed records climbing the
hills but I made it!

Beverly

"The Historian" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi friends,

I squeezed another pound off this week, bringing me down to 281. That's
104 pounds total. Only 4 pound lost this past month, but I'll take
them. My exercise this week has been limited because I overstretched
muscles in my back and my left quad is still a little sore from my walk
two weeks ago. But I was back at the gym yesterday, and spent 36
minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes lifting on freeweights.

I had a body-fat analysis done at the gym last week. After they ran the
current through me, the computer suggested that 227 pounds would be a
weight at which I carried 15 percent body fat. That still seems a
little high, so I am keeping my goal at 220 pounds for now. My short
term goal is to read 270 by the end of the year. That's a very tough
challenge, since three major holidays fall into this period. We'll see
how I do.

Motivation is getting tougher, since the weight is not coming off as
quickly as it did. I've moved to a new department at work, and while
I've been coping with the stress of my added responsibilities, I've
been eating too much and too many of the wrong foods. So, to help
motivate me, I've started to buy new clothes a size smaller than I
currently wear. I have the body-fat analysis on my desk at work, so I
can see it and be reminded of the goal next time someone offers me a
raspberry-fluff brownie. I am keeping up with my donations of a dollar
a pound to a not-for-profit for every ten pounds I lose. (The
Pennsylvania State Chess Federation gets 10 bucks when the next pound
drops off. Previous recipients have been the MS Foundation and the
Lance Armstrong Foundation.) Any other motivational devices I might
employ?

Neil
385/281/220

That's awesome progress, Neil. Way to go! It sounds to me like you really
do have a good handle on how to motivate yourself, as everyone else has
already said.

I find reading about nutrition and fitness motivating, myself -- that's one
of the reasons I hang here at asd. It keeps my head on track.

ep

Edna Pearl wrote:
"The Historian" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi friends,

I squeezed another pound off this week, bringing me down to 281. That's
104 pounds total. Only 4 pound lost this past month, but I'll take
them. My exercise this week has been limited because I overstretched
muscles in my back and my left quad is still a little sore from my walk
two weeks ago. But I was back at the gym yesterday, and spent 36
minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes lifting on freeweights.

I had a body-fat analysis done at the gym last week. After they ran the
current through me, the computer suggested that 227 pounds would be a
weight at which I carried 15 percent body fat. That still seems a
little high, so I am keeping my goal at 220 pounds for now. My short
term goal is to read 270 by the end of the year. That's a very tough
challenge, since three major holidays fall into this period. We'll see
how I do.

Motivation is getting tougher, since the weight is not coming off as
quickly as it did. I've moved to a new department at work, and while
I've been coping with the stress of my added responsibilities, I've
been eating too much and too many of the wrong foods. So, to help
motivate me, I've started to buy new clothes a size smaller than I
currently wear. I have the body-fat analysis on my desk at work, so I
can see it and be reminded of the goal next time someone offers me a
raspberry-fluff brownie. I am keeping up with my donations of a dollar
a pound to a not-for-profit for every ten pounds I lose. (The
Pennsylvania State Chess Federation gets 10 bucks when the next pound
drops off. Previous recipients have been the MS Foundation and the
Lance Armstrong Foundation.) Any other motivational devices I might
employ?

Neil
385/281/220

That's awesome progress, Neil. Way to go! It sounds to me like you really
do have a good handle on how to motivate yourself, as everyone else has
already said.

I find reading about nutrition and fitness motivating, myself -- that's one
of the reasons I hang here at asd. It keeps my head on track.

Good idea. I found a weight loss book in my local Goodwill. I haven't
read it yet, but perhaps I will pull it out.

Speaking of motivational books, I recommend Fred Anderson's From Chunk
to Hunk. I often find myself reading the book and comparing my
experiences losing weight with Mr. Anderson's.

Chris Braun wrote:
On 18 Nov 2006 05:27:40 -0800, "The Historian"
wrote:


Chris Braun wrote:

Are you still eating
at the same calorie level you were at 385?

I hope that was a joke. I've been eating between 2500 and 3000 calories
a day. I really need to cut back to 2200-2500, I think. And increasing
the cardio to an hour wouldn't hurt, either.

It wasn't a joke, but I realize it was ambiguous. What I meant was,
are you eating at the same level that you started out at when you
first began your weight loss program? Did you start out in the
2500-3000 range?

No, I started at below 2000, and when I regularly began to consider
eating my computer keyboard, I increased it to 2500. I've become a lot
less strict over the past few months. I gotta get back with the
program.

It's to be expected that the same level that let you
lose fast at 385 lbs. isn't going to work as quickly now that you're
so much smaller. I'd agree that a 2200-2500 range sounds more
appropriate for you now. It may be that your current calorie level is
getting kind of close to maintenance for you.

Yes. and there's another problem as well. For most of my adult life
I've been close to my current weight. I can now wear the same clothes I
wore 15-20 years ago - how many men can claim that? So I am probably
accustomed to eating as much as I am currently eating, and being the
size I am presently. What I need to do is "burn those old tapes," the
ones that tell me that 280 is a 'normal' weight for me.

There's also an element of wariness about further weight loss. I've
lived 20 some years of life as a fat guy. I don't know what it's like
to be a thin fellow.

OK, but ten pounds a month was more fun!

Apart from my first month of dieting I never lost as much as 10 pounds
in a month. But I still lost 130 lbs :-). (I averaged between 5 and
6 lbs. overall.)


It sounds like you're doing good things to motivate yourself. My main
motivation was probably clothes shopping, but this isn't entirely a
good thing :-).

I know it's not a "guy thing", but I now enjoy buying new clothes. Once
you remove the fat and facial hair, I am a pretty good looking fellow.
Even with the excess pounds, the lifting has given me some definition
(I can feel muscles under the fat), and my posture has improved. As I
get clothes that fit me and flatter me, my appearance can only get
better. And that can mean only one thing.....

This is all good. It's very motivating to enjoy your improving
appearance, I think.

Even if I do have pants in waist sizes that run from 40 to 54! I'm a
46-48 currently.

(And I know, though you haven't mentioned it in
this thread, that you're also enjoying your much-improved fitness.)

Yes. I am enjoying it a great deal. Even boring cardio at the gym is
less boring now.

Ladies, I am single! Make your move before I am off the market! :-)

Well, I'm afraid I'm taken :-).

Even if you weren't, Chris, it wouldn't work. I can't eat eggs in any
great quantity. Mixed marriages are problematic! :-)

Neil
385/281/220

Beverly wrote:
The Historian wrote:
Hi friends,

I squeezed another pound off this week, bringing me down to 281. That's
104 pounds total. Only 4 pound lost this past month, but I'll take
them. My exercise this week has been limited because I overstretched
muscles in my back and my left quad is still a little sore from my walk
two weeks ago. But I was back at the gym yesterday, and spent 36
minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes lifting on freeweights.

I had a body-fat analysis done at the gym last week. After they ran the
current through me, the computer suggested that 227 pounds would be a
weight at which I carried 15 percent body fat. That still seems a
little high, so I am keeping my goal at 220 pounds for now. My short
term goal is to read 270 by the end of the year. That's a very tough
challenge, since three major holidays fall into this period. We'll see
how I do.

Motivation is getting tougher, since the weight is not coming off as
quickly as it did. I've moved to a new department at work, and while
I've been coping with the stress of my added responsibilities, I've
been eating too much and too many of the wrong foods. So, to help
motivate me, I've started to buy new clothes a size smaller than I
currently wear. I have the body-fat analysis on my desk at work, so I
can see it and be reminded of the goal next time someone offers me a
raspberry-fluff brownie. I am keeping up with my donations of a dollar
a pound to a not-for-profit for every ten pounds I lose. (The
Pennsylvania State Chess Federation gets 10 bucks when the next pound
drops off. Previous recipients have been the MS Foundation and the
Lance Armstrong Foundation.) Any other motivational devices I might
employ?

Neil
385/281/220

Congratulations Neil. This is an amazing accomplishment.

You already have some good motivational tools in place. About the only
thing I could add would be setting a goal in your exercise area. I always
find this results in additional exercise for me as I work toward
accomplishing the goal.

OK, I have a few:

I want to ride a bicycle. I don't think I've ridden one since age 10.
That will wait till this spring, when the weather is better and I am
thinner.

I want to be able to do what were called "pull-ups" in my gym classes
30 years ago. I'd like to be able to do push-ups as well.

I'd like to be able to exercise for a full hour on the eliptical
trainer. One of my friends at the gym routinely does this. I can
currently do a half-hour on a good day.

I'd like to go rowing with Andy again and beat him across the lake.

At the present time I'm working on becoming a better hill climber while
cycling. I recently bought a Carmichael training video geared toward
climbing and I'll be using it on the indoor trainer this winter. A friend
and I did a 27 mile ride last week that included a couple of the toughest
hills in my area. I think he was a little surprised when I didn't have to
get off and walk up them. I didn't break any speed records climbing the
hills but I made it!

Congratulations Beverly!

Neil
385/281/220

"The Historian" wrote in message
ups.com...

Chris Braun wrote:


snip

Yes. and there's another problem as well. For most of my adult life
I've been close to my current weight. I can now wear the same clothes I
wore 15-20 years ago - how many men can claim that? So I am probably
accustomed to eating as much as I am currently eating, and being the
size I am presently. What I need to do is "burn those old tapes," the
ones that tell me that 280 is a 'normal' weight for me.

There's also an element of wariness about further weight loss. I've
lived 20 some years of life as a fat guy. I don't know what it's like
to be a thin fellow.

I know what you mean. I seem to move through those psychological barriers,
too. Right now I am at 165, and people have really begun to comment on how
I look. Not something I am used to. Some days, I really want to dive into
a bag of potato chips and eat my way out. Knowing I need to stick to my
eating and exercise program is easy--but adjusting to being the same person
in a different body is hard!! And now, with the holidays here, and seeing
family and friends I haven't seen for at least 6 months, I am having to grit
my teeth and hold on by my fingernails on some days. How do other people
get through this?