30 Pounds in 90 Days - Challenge Accepted

[Amael]

It's my understanding of the ERPU Regime is that it's okay to miss a couple as long as you make up for it... I'm actually having a hard time today because my girlfriend pointed out that my push-up technique isn't -really- a push-up. Technically, and in fact stress-wise, it was, but my body wasn't in a very decent position for it. As such I'm now doing them 'properly', but because it's a different position I'm now having to essentially start all over again ¬_¬ Add in the two or three that I missed yesterday when I was supposed to do 26 at a time (but couldn't because we scouted a restaurant for a Graduation Celebration Dinner) and now today I am making up for that... Or trying to, anyway. I suppose I will make up for it a bit more tomorrow with the Couch-to-5K jog in a different city...

Hopefully I won't get chased and knifed for my complete lack of money, but you never know! :}

I would honestly kill for a job of any kind right now, so long as it doesn't involve any of the following;

1. Being a barman in a nightclub, working ONLY Friday and Saturday nights.
2. Working in a Call Centre. Last time I did that I managed 5 months and nearly had a Psychotic Episode involving me, my pen, my boss and everyone in the room. It would probably have looked something like if you put Kharn the Betrayer into a Fluffy Bunny Sanctuary...
3. A Door-to-Door Sales scam where I have to register as Self-Employed so that I get to work 70-hour weeks (or more) for £10, which wouldn't cover the cost of even getting to the place that I was 'working' for...

Unfortunately, being the North-East of England, those are usually the only jobs going, and no-one is interested in you if you have training but no experience... which means you can't get the experience because you don't have the experience...

Anyway, I'll get back on topic; The biking sounds alright, but don't push yourself too hard with it, and the push-ups part of my over-long comment is above... Keep it up!!!

[Flame'n'Snow]

Day 13 True:

Well, it's a Wednesday again. Time for the weekly weigh-in report. I've got to admit, I'm kinda proud of myself. I made up for the weak introduction to this three month event, or at least I feel like that's the case. And that's what's important, right?

So, week 2 weigh in... 250 pounds (circa 113.4 kg)

That is a 5 pound drop from last week, which accounts for $15 more dollars into my Pounds to Stormlord fund, bringing it to a grand total of $22. The other point is that, as previously stated, my one month goal is to be down to 247 by the June 22nd weigh in, which still sits at a whole two weeks away. If I hit that goal, I will be gifting myself with a Citadel Finecast Lord Commissar for use with my Imperial Guard armies. That's only three more pounds to lose. Which brings me to my next point... Pretty graph!



This, actually, is what really excited me. The orange line is the "goal weights". As long as I stayed equal to or less than those weights, I would be able to make the goal of thirty pounds by the end of summer. The blue boxes show my actual progress, with the blue line being a shifting trend line showing my how my progress is going. And it seems to be going well. If I maintain my current weight loss (roughly 3.5 pounds per week), then three things will happen.

1) I will reach my first month goal next week, and be about 4 pounds under it come the time for the June 22nd weigh in.

2) I will hit the 30 pound total loss by around the July 27th weigh in.

3) I will be very close to, if not actually at, the Overweight / Healthy BMI margin of 206 pounds by the end of the 30 days.

And to think, all that would be possible from losing only 0.5 pounds a day. No major, drastically fast weight loss. Just a fraction of a pound a day.

However, this brings me to the "bad" news. Ladies and gentlemen, fellow wargamers all, I feel I might need some cheering on over the next few days. You see, as you well know if you've been reading my updates, I've opted to let my body attempt to build up to the point where it can do my 12 mile bike ride with little trouble over the course of this week. I thought that the plateau would be good. And, while it is making some progress, I can't shake the feeling that I'm also on the verge of the "Give Up" Wall. That point in exercising where your body seems to think that it's time to just throw in the towel and give up that causes so many people's exercise programs to fail. Now, thanks to that bit of pick-me-up I just gave myself with looking at just how little I need to lose a day, I have at least some of the energy I need to keep on keeping on. But, I would in no way, shape, or form object to anyone else cheering me on and helping me get past this wall into the wonderful green pastures of "Why Did I Want To Give Up Again?!"

Best of luck to all!
Flame'N'Snow

[Amael]

Keep at it, or else -I- get your Stormlord and parade it around in front of you. And then I make you run. Lots. So keep it up!

[Flame'n'Snow]

Day 14 True:

Well then, that was, by and large, the thinnest "Give Up" Wall I have ever had. Once I got over the slight "I don't wanna go out this morning. I hear sirens which either means a prison break or another home invasion." thoughts which I was having, I got out biking and was pleasantly surprised. The last two days, I was really pushing myself, giving a good 110% to try and eek out my 12 miles. Today though... I'm not going to say "BAM! All was easy and simple. 12 miles is a cake walk". But today I actually managed to finish all 12 without the feeling of wanting to give up and wheel back 2 or 4 miles for an "easier" plateau. Plus, I think I pulled it off with only about 90 - 95% effort. Yes, I'm still sore, but it's that good kind of sore where your muscles are panting and telling you "Good job, bud." rather than where they're screaming and cursing your name and writing nasty death threats.

So, I'm going to keep with my schedule. Next two days are still going to be just 12 milers. Hopefully I can get them down to a good 70 - 75% effort range, so I can pile on a good deal more miles next week. But, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

As a random side note, I kinda want to just take a day and weigh myself every hour. OK, yes, I know that sounds creepy, but I'm really kind of curious as to how my weight fluctuates over the course of the day. If I do, it might even be next Wednesday (Horray weigh-in days!), since I'll have off that day. Might be a bit interesting, seeing as how I'm planning on doing the Evil Russian Push-Ups as well, so weigh-ins and push-ups might hit at the same time. But, we'll see. Again, it's just a random curiosity, more than anything else.

Well, I have to be headed off now to get ready for work.

Best of luck to all!
Flame'N'Snow

[Flame'n'Snow]

Day 16 True:

OK, for starters, here's what I was going to post yesterday, but couldn't. Forums claimed I didn't have permission to post when I tried.

Day 15 True:

I hope I can get this in with little problem. If not, it's alright. I just wanted to post it while I was thinking about it. Got my 12 mile in today, and actually bothered to time it door-to-door. Took me a good 78 minutes all-in-all. So, that means I've only been going about 9.2 miles per hour. Kinda slow and tells me that my 18 miler would be a rather sad two hours to complete. Still looking forward to seeing how well that works out.

All that being sad, I actually have been noticing that my course is far from flat terrain. Only about half of each two mile circuit could be called flat. The rest is either a slight uphill or slight downhill grade (with one exception which is a lot more prevalent).

But, I also got to the point that I actually had to keep my body in check... it actually wanted to keep going for another 2 mile lap. I'm gonna need to start waking up earlier, so I actually have the time to eek out the extra mileage each morning. Though, I don't think I'll start adding on until Monday.

Best of luck to all!
Flame'N'Snow

Now that that is out of the way, I feel the need to apologize a bit. For, after that wonderful morning, I messed up a bit. Ended up missing lunch, then had Chick-Fil-A for dinner. At least the dinner was a nice chargrilled chicken sandwich. Yum. But, I also had the french fries and a cup of soda. Sadness, was doing so well. Of course, then, I went to the movies and was snacking on some Shocktarts, some Dips, and an Apple Juice. So, it ended up being a kind of treat day. Though, I *think* I was able to handle the extra calories without too much trouble, so I'm not going to beat myself up over it. Besides, I'm headed into a harder workout week come Monday, so it's nice to have treated myself a bit before hand.

The rest of the horridness I have going was this morning. I was out late last night watching the movie, so when I got home I was exhausted. So, I decided it would be best to sleep in. While I don't doubt the sanity of my wish to make sure I got enough sleep, it did mean I didn't get in my morning bike ride. And with the way weather is around here, I doubt I'll get the chance to get one in. The heat and humidity is just miserable once the sun has had time to burn.

So, I may be ending up with two rest days this weekend and be getting back on track as far as the biking goes come Monday... Or, I might keep an eye on the weather and slip out later today. I'm not really sure yet, but I will certainly keep you all posted.

Best of luck to all!
Flame'N'Snow

[Flame'n'Snow]

Day 19 True:

Well, here we are, two days into the new week and the first post. Yep, you guessed it, I followed up the weak weekend with a no-bike Monday. I'm starting to get paranoid I've really ruined my weight loss for this week. But, I've mostly been keeping up with the diet aspect and, as I saw from the first week, that diet is helping me to shed about 2 pounds with a bit of extra work spread in. So, hopefully, we shouldn't see too dramatic of a loss.

Also, I'm really getting full-swing into my summer job. Which means between 6 and 10 hours a day of standing on my feet, with the good days being spent running around making sure everyone has their supplies stocked. That should help me to burn a few more calories. We'll see how that goes.

As far as exercising is concerned though, I haven't completely given up. Worry not! I got back on my bike this morning and logged in a nice 14 mile (22.4 km) bike ride. So, I'm back on for this week's build. With the delayed start, I'll only be hitting 22 miles (35.2 km) on Saturday, so next week will be a sad 24 mile (38.4 km) plateau. Why do I say sad? Well, if I'd gotten in Monday's workout like I was suppose to, then next week's plateau should be at marathon-length. Maybe I'll try to go up 4 miles one day this week so I can still make it. As is, though, hitting the 14 miles today was a bit of a push.

Well, tomorrow's the next judgement day. I doubt I gained weight, but I do find myself hoping that I can still hit the 247 pound one month goal this week rather than next. Will keep in touch.

Best of luck to all!
Flame'N'Snow

[Flame'n'Snow]

Day 20 True:

Well, so much for the biking. I was given an added shift to work today, so I don't have the time to get in my biking his morning. Plus, my stomach is feeling a bit off... Not upset or overly sick, just not at 100%.

However, all of these facts combined did not stop me from my weekly tradition of... Weigh-In Wednesday! And, the results are quite good. I'm very pleased, even though I've been having a rough week when it comes to exercising. First up, the pretty graph that I hope these pages will become known for.



I can't report too much, as I am on a large time crunch. But, the good news is I did indeed manage to make my goal. I dropped another 4 pounds this week, and am now sitting at the rather comforting weight of 246 pounds. Which means, just based on height and weight alone, my BMI is now in the "Overweight" zone. As for the really impressive thing, I think... It's rather amazing to think I only have another 19 pounds to go before I hit the challenge goal. Plus, only another 4 pound weight loss week will put me at the half-way point. I could be half-way done with this by the end of the first month. And if this trend continues, I could possibly lose the 51 pounds I need for the height/weight BMI calculations to be "Healthy". (Or, more importantly, have a slight buffer between my weight and the maximum weight, by height, for joining the armed forces.

Well, I must be going again. Hopefully I'll have good biking tails to report tomorrow.

Best of luck to all!
Flame'N'Snow

[Flame'n'Snow]

Side note:

Did anyone notice just how cruel Miniwargaming is being to me? Miniwargaming... why did you have to put the Stormlord kit on Daily Deal today? I mean, really. I'm sitting here, loosing weight to buy one, and BAM! It's on sale in the early part of the challenge.

Any chance it could, possibly, find itself on the Daily Deal again come late August / early September? Please?

[Flame'n'Snow]

Day 27 True:

Hey all. Miss me much? Sorry I haven't really been reporting in too much. My new job has been keeping me rather busy, so I haven't really been keeping up with my biking. However, the good news is, I've been keeping up with the meals as I had planned. So, I've not been too bad about everything.

Today's weigh in was "disappointing", but far from unexpected given the lack of real exercise. Down at 244, so only a 2 pound drop from last week. However, I didn't gain any weight and it's still a drop. I'm down 13 pounds overall. Which means, come day 30, there's a good chance I'll have seen roughly half of my total commitment shed. Here's hoping.

Best of luck to all!
Flame'N'Snow

[bighara]

2 pounds a week is actually a very good rate of weight loss. More than that is very difficult to sustain or keep off. It's good to set goals, but at the same time don't fixate on the numbers. Make the lifestyle changes and stay with it, you'll see the results.

[Flame'n'Snow]

Day 28 True:

I can hardly believe it... Four of thirteen weeks down, one month out of the way, and 13 of 30 pounds shed. Now, that was the easy part. I would love to keep the pace going and shed 45 or more pounds by the time I get back to school. However, I know full well that the first part is the easiest.

In other news, however, I've changed up my workout yet again, in a sense. My work day schedules have me working from 1115 to anywhere between 1900 and 2200 (with the possibility of being as late as 2300 over the July 4th Holiday weekend). Factor in the thirty minute commute one way, and the only time I really have to myself is the morning. As such, in order to balance working out, some free time, and work, I'm started getting up at 0630 for a thirty to forty-five minute bike ride. The trick, and the difference, is that I'm not focusing on the distance. A "relaxed" distance pace of 10 miles an hour gets very little actual workout done in that short amount of time. As such, for now I've shifted my focus to speed. Instead of the 16+ miles a day (which would take me almost two hours to complete), my workouts are now more in the neighborhood of 2 to 6 miles. The goal, however, is not to be "easy", but to increase my time.

Today, I did two 2-mile circuits at top speed. They worked out to being about at a 12 mile per hour pace. I'm hoping to speed that up even more as time goes by, but we shall see. The nice thing about it was, although I knew I could handle it with little problem, the workout itself actually felt like more work than when I was doing the distance trips. Or, perhaps, it was just because this was a different kind of exertion. In either case, I'm hoping that the combination of the change-up and a solid schedule that allows for my more bike rides to resume will allow me to have more than a 2 pound loss for this week.

Also, two other quick side notes, as have previously been mentioned, though I'm going to expand on them a bit here. Next Thursday (June 30th), I won't be getting in my morning exercise as I have to be at the doctor's office early for bloodwork. The tests will follow up one week later (July 8th) with my yearly physical in the afternoon. Now, last year's physical had three major points, with I'll explain here:

1) I have Gilbert's Syndrome - OK, not a big deal as far as this weight loss goes, unless I get injured. Long story short, my liver just metabolizes stuff differently. So, I general have a higher-than-normal bilirubin count. Also, I can't take Tylenol as my body just doesn't properly absorb acetaminophen. So, just Advil and Ibuprofen for me if I hurt myself. Anyways, on to the two other matters.

2) High Cholesterol Count - Pretty much self explanatory. My cholesterol is high. Good and bad were both high, though. And still within normal parameters, though right at the very edge. I wanna say it was around 200 units, but I'm not certain. In any case, I remember I was told that if it doesn't drop, I do have the risk to develop diabetes. And I hate needles...

3) Weight - And here we come to the crux of the matter. The one thing I never really concerned myself with and the primary thing we are all working on now. I don't remember what my weight was at the doctor's office, but I do know I was told to bring it down. And, in so doing, it should help bring down point number 2. So, with 13 pounds behind me and a week to go before the bloodwork, I think I'm making some decent headway.

Reason for pointing this out is primarily because, after my full physical on the 8th, I'm intending to do an added write-up in here. Main thing will be to point out what the doctor's have my weight as, just as an added data-point. However, anything else my doctor might add that is relevant to my weight loss experience this summer will also be added.

Also, bighara, I'm not overly worried about the 2 pounds last week. It's been seeming that 2 pounds is my "eating-only" weight loss rate. But, when I am able to be actively biking, it's more around 3.5 to 5 pounds a week. Plus, when looking at my overall loss rate, it's been an average of 3.25 pounds a week. And besides, even if I maintain "only" the 2-pound-a-week-drop from here on out, it still puts me below my challenge goal weight of 227. I'm happy with the numbers, and I didn't mean for yesterday's post to sound like I wasn't. I wasn't happy about the lack of biking.

Best of luck to all!
Flame'N'Snow

[Flame'n'Snow]

Day 35 True:

Man, work has been taking its toll on me. We're headed in to peak season, and my boss really likes me because of my strong work ethic and high availability, so I've been working open-to-close (1115 to 2215) these past few days. Factor in travel time of 30 minutes+ one way and sleep, and you'll see I've got very little time to do much of anything else.

So yes, my biking is still suffering. I really cannot get the juggling of time down quite like how I want it. But, it's seeming that the standing, walking, and ice pouring has at least been doing enough to keep my calories burning. Now, on to the details I am sure everyone wishes to hear... PROGRESS! Complete with graph again



So, I'm a day late on the update, I'll admit. I overslept yesterday, so although I did weigh myself, I didn't get the chance to post. But, the good news is that I'm still on course. The drop isn't as steep as it use to be, but I'm still pulling a most respectable 2 pounds a week drop. So now, I stand happily at 242, a 15 pound drop overall. So, to date, the overall numbers look like this:

Starting weight: 257

End of May Goal: 255
End of May Actual: 255

End of June Goal: 245
End of June Actual: 242

End of July Goal: 236
End of July Actual:

Final Goal: 227
Final Actual:

I really want to thank you all again for doing this. I may have only lost half my goal weight so far, but I'm finally really starting to notice it. I thought I've been seeing it for a while, as my gut just didn't look quite as big. But that could all have easily been my imagination. However, I pulled on a pair of jeans today that use to a hair tight, and they fit like a charm. We're only talking about going from a 38 and change waist to a 38 waist, but still. There is improvement, and for that I am happy. Let's see if I can continue to meet or even beat my expected goal for July, as well as this challenge.

Best of luck to all!
Flame'N'Snow

[Flame'n'Snow]

Day 41 True:

So, it's been said that, apparently, stress causes you to lose weight. Or, well, I'm not sure if that's actually been said or not. But, my friend told me that while I was talking to her about my sudden weight loss this week. Here, check it out:



Yep, big drop there. I went from 242 last week to 235 this week. That's a seven pound drop in the middle of this challenge for a total of 22 pounds overall. Just eight more pounds to go! Though, I might call my goal at 220 instead of 227, as that would put me in range of the Air Force Height / Weight requirements with some wiggle room. Then, it's on to stage two!

Yes, you read that right, I'm planning on loosing even more weight above and beyond the call of this challenge. I'm Maid (Man?) of Honor for my best friend's wedding in October... in fact, humerously enough, almost exactly 2 months after the official end of the challenge. So, instead of a 3 month challenge, mine's going up to a five month challenge. My extended goal is to be 205 by said wedding. Depending on how I end the summer (227 or 220), that's a goal of between 15 to 21 pounds over 2 months. Or maybe even less as my current projected weight loss is again marking me as being 211 or so by the end of this challenge.

Before anyone starts complaining that I'm asking too much, 205 is a reasonable weight for my height. I know, cause I use to be said weight when I was really active back in high school. Would be nice to be it again. Though, I'll trade weight for muscle at that point. So, either 205 or 220-ish with muscle. Either I'd be happy with.

Best of luck to all!
Flame'N'Snow

[Amael]

*snigger* Maid of Honour

Firstly, congratulations to your friend I think it's nice when people break conventions when it's appropriate (You're a woman and your Maid of Honour is a man? Okay, so long as you don't force the poor guy to wear a dress...) and Best Man is actually a Best Woman and the like

Secondly, congratulations on the weight-loss You're really doing well, and I hope you get down to 205 It'll be pretty impressive! No-one ever said the challenge had to end after three months

Keep up the good work, Flame

[Flame'n'Snow]

I think I've joked with my friend as to why she hasn't tried to put me in a dress once or twice. lol But yeah, I'm her Maid of Honor and she's my Best Man. Both facts are written in hard stone, as it were. Who knows, maybe I'll even have pictures to share.