Cord's Quest

The midnights really do mess me up. My sleep, eating and activity patterns get all out of whack.

April 26

Between the midnights mucking my system up, and walking my way into a shin splint, it was a so-so day.

I tend to eat more when tired/bored/awake too long, but I controlled the food reasonably well.

Breakfast (at 2:00 pm) 1 banana, 2 corn muffins w/margarine, 1.5 oz beef sausage (now that that is all gone I will stick to buffalo from now on)

After taking my daughter to the playground we went to McDonald's for ice cream cones.

Pre-supper snack - a handful of pretzels

Supper - pasta primavera with 1oz chicken breast added (yum!)

Midnight shift food - 1 double buffalo burger (ww bun, 2 patties, some lt caesar dressing), 5 cups of popcorn with light margarine (I'll never do that again - too much water in it which made the popcorn all mushy), 1 pear, 1 orange, 1/2 cup dry cereal.

Total kcal: 2321 (a little over, but not too much)

Exercise: in the late afternoon I did an hour of nordic walking, and came out of that with a shin splint on my left leg. Sucks.

I had planned on doing the weights and calisthenics thing during the midnight, but I was just too tired and whiny so I wimped out.

So not a good day activity-wise, and today I am pretty much just sitting around the house with my daughter (wife is off to book club). This also means I am not going to get much of a nap before going back into work tonight. I WILL make sure I get some exercise in at work tonight.
 
hey man, there'll be days where you are just to worn, and when you do "whip out" its probably for the best. you gotta rest that body. you're doing fine. i think if i counted calories i would obsess over it way too much, so congrats on the disipline!
 
April 27

A decent on-target day today. I didn't have a lot of time to get much cardio in, and my shin splint prevented anything impact-y, but I made do. And the midnight shifts, however much they mess me up, give me a chance to do my calisthenics and weights.
It is two days until I weigh in again. I admit to not a little trepidation at the outcome. I had set myself an initial goal of getting below 300lbs by the end of four weeks. Two days away and I'm not sure if I will make it. I know that I have still lost weight, and not making my initial goal isn't going to stop me, but it will be a touch disheartening.

Brunch - steelcut oats with hemp seeds and agave nectar, 1/2 cup milk

Supper - buffalo burgeon an ww bun w/lettuce/tomato/onion/lt caesar dressing, 6oz oven fries

Midnight shift - roast beef sandwich on white bun w/lt caesar dressing, 1 banana, 1 orange, 5 cups popcorn w/2tbs butter, veggie plate (carrot/celery/cucumber/snap peas)

Before bed - 1/2 cup chocolate ice cream (I've been seriously craving sweets when I get home from the midnight shift)

Total kcal: 2249 (pretty much bang on target)

Exercise - couldn't do any heavy walking between shin splint and having to take care of my daughter, so I went on the stationary bike (figured the lack of impact would be good for my shin) and did 30 min. of what I guess would be called interval training - I would go all out for 30 seconds, then normal speed for two minutes, lather rinse and repeat.

The usual midnight shift routine:
Set 1 - calisthenics:
30 pushups
50 crunches
20 pushups
50 back raises
20 pushups
40 squats
20 pushups
10 toe touches
20 pushups
50 calf raises
20 pushups (that's 130 total pushups for those keeping track)

One hour break, then Set 2 - 15lb dumbbells:
3x10 curls
3x10 arnold presses
3x10 tricep extensions
3x10 lateral raises
3x10 hammer curls
3x10 overhead presses
3x10 tricep kickbacks
3x10 hammer-grip front raises
3x10 flat flys
3x20 bench presses
3x10 punches
3x10 curls
 
Ugh, I hate shin splints, hope yours goes away soon! Have you tried any stretches for it? Congrats on being dedicated enough to workout on your midnights shifts rather than eat! Looks like you're doing a great job!

Have you weighed yourself since you first started? You've probably lost a good amounnt. Even if you don't make it to your goal, you're closer to it than you were before! That's what I always have to tell myself :p
 
April 28

The midnight shifts are really wearing me down. I have yet to enter this day's data into FitDay, so I don't yet know how much I took in.

"Breakfast" - 2 chocolate chip banana muffins

Lunch - roast beef sandwich on a white bun w/lt caesar dressing

Supper - 4 slices homemade pizza (white crust, 1.5 oz cheese and 1 oz buffalo sausage, plus the usual tomato sauce, onions etc)

Midnight grazing - some pretzels, 1 banana, 1 orange, 1 tomato, 1 celery stalk, 1/2 carrot, a bit of cucumber, a few snap peas, 1/2 cup dry cereal

After work, before bed - 1/4 cup chocolate ice cream

Exercise - was both pretty tired (each night shift saps a little more of my strength and energy), and lacked the motivation to make time to get some cardio in. But gamely did my calisthenics and weights at work:

Set 1:
32 pushups (tried to get past 30; didn't get very far)
60 crunches
20 pushups
40 squats
20 pushups
50 back raises
20 pushups
50 calf raises
20 pushups
20 toe touches
20 pushups

Set 2 (15lb DB's):
3x10 curls
3x10 tricep extensions
3x10 overhead presses
3x10 front raises
3x10 flat flys
3x10 hammer curls
3x10 tricep kickbacks
3x10 arnold presses
3x10 lateral raises
3x10 punches
3x10 bench press

Since I have a pretty much set routine going on these days, I think I will stop boring you all by listing every single exercise, and just take note of anything different I do.

Weigh-in is tomorrow (Thursday) - I guess that's actually today, isn't it? Not until after I get up again, though.
 
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hey cord,
just popped in to say hey, i see your doing good with the work outs at work. man, i don't envy those night shifts though. a few years back i worked at a call center and initially i was put on the night shift which was crappy but at least it was regular.....but when all hell broke loose is when they decided to start switching shifts, so it would be one week day shift one week night shift....it wrecked havoc on me and my system (and everyone elses too), i never knew if i was coming or going, all i ever wanted to do was sleep and eat. they got 24hour caterers in for both the day and night shifts and i'd pig out like crazy eating main meals and snacks and tea breaks...needless to say i left many kgs heavier.

anyway, glad to see your taking control of the situation and working out at work and still watching what you eat....great work man! all the best xoxo
 
cherrygarcia said:
hey cord,
just popped in to say hey, i see your doing good with the work outs at work. man, i don't envy those night shifts though. a few years back i worked at a call center and initially i was put on the night shift which was crappy but at least it was regular.....but when all hell broke loose is when they decided to start switching shifts, so it would be one week day shift one week night shift....it wrecked havoc on me and my system (and everyone elses too), i never knew if i was coming or going, all i ever wanted to do was sleep and eat. they got 24hour caterers in for both the day and night shifts and i'd pig out like crazy eating main meals and snacks and tea breaks...needless to say i left many kgs heavier.

anyway, glad to see your taking control of the situation and working out at work and still watching what you eat....great work man! all the best xoxo
Click to expand...

Thanks, I appreciate it!
Six night shifts down now, one to go.
 
4-week weigh-in and measurement

Okay.

I've been doing this for four weeks,and I decided that I would weigh myself weekly and measure myself monthly. So, here goes.

Weight today is 300 lbs, down 2 from last week.
I know I should be happy about that, but I had set myself a goal of breaking below 300 by the end of the month, and to be just one pound shy makes me a sad panda.
I know it is still good, 2 pounds in a week is about what it should be, and that is a total of 11 pounds lost so far, but I really wanted it to be 12. I really wanted to get below 300 by now.
However, that just means no victory dance today. It doesn't change anything else. I'm not going to quit or get disheartened or anything.

Here are my measurements, at start and as of today:

Body part..........02 Apr.....30 Apr
Chest___________55______52
Waist___________53.5____50
Hips____________52______51
R Upper Arm_____17______16
L Upper Arm_____16______15
R Thigh_________30______29
L Thigh_________31______30
R Calf__________20______19
L Calf__________20.5____19.5
Neck__________17.5_____17

So, it is good to see the inches coming off. Gotta like that. Kind of amused by the uniform 1 inch off all my limbs.

The journey continues...
 
wow, good stuff! one more pound and your out of the 300 club! i would so totally want to be you right now! You've worked hard and totally deserve the great results!

and the inches are melting away too! wow, 3.5inches from the waist in one month? that's fantastic!

did you just say and i quote "no victory dance today"? don't make me come and get you...lol! seriously you've done an AMAZING job, don't beat yourself over it, that 1pound will be gone in a few days and you'll enter the prestigious 200club with a bang!


Cord the Seeker said:
Okay.

I've been doing this for four weeks,and I decided that I would weigh myself weekly and measure myself monthly. So, here goes.

Weight today is 300 lbs, down 2 from last week.
I know I should be happy about that, but I had set myself a goal of breaking below 300 by the end of the month, and to be just one pound shy makes me a sad panda.
I know it is still good, 2 pounds in a week is about what it should be, and that is a total of 11 pounds lost so far, but I really wanted it to be 12. I really wanted to get below 300 by now.
However, that just means no victory dance today. It doesn't change anything else. I'm not going to quit or get disheartened or anything.

Here are my measurements, at start and as of today:

Body part..........02 Apr.....30 Apr
Chest___________55______52
Waist___________53.5____50
Hips____________52______51
R Upper Arm_____17______16
L Upper Arm_____16______15
R Thigh_________30______29
L Thigh_________31______30
R Calf__________20______19
L Calf__________20.5____19.5
Neck__________17.5_____17

So, it is good to see the inches coming off. Gotta like that. Kind of amused by the uniform 1 inch off all my limbs.

The journey continues...
Click to expand...
 
Enjoy your last couple days in the 300's! You'll never see them again so take some time to say goodbye :p Doin a great job mate. For nightshift stuff, maybe try soup? Esp homemade soup, decent soup can be surprisingly filling and healthy/low cal.
 
Couple of days to catch up on, here. My midnights are finally over, and if I can get a decent amount of sleep tonight I will be back in a good place.

April 29

Don't remember much about this day, except I was pretty run down and just couldn't get myself to work out during the night shift.

Breakfast - 11/2 cups Heritage O's, 1 cup milk, 1 banana

Lunch/supper - 1 buffalo burger patty (no bun), 8 homemade perogies, 1/2 cup corn and 1tbs butter

Midnight shift - 2 big-ass wraps (spinach tortillas, 8oz chicken strips, lt caesar dressing, tomato, cucumber, lettuce), some pretzels, 1 apple, 1 orange

Before bed - 2tbs chocolate ice cream

Have yet to catch up on all my FitDay entries, so I don't know what it all cost

Exercise - 1 hour nordic walking

You can kinda see how my growing fatigue is affecting my eating. This was clearly not a carefully-planned day.

April 30

This was the last of my night shifts. I was feeling somewhat rejuvenated after the slack day before, so I got more done, but also ate a fair bit (although still nothing compared to how I ate on night shifts before - where 2cans of pop, a big bag of chips, and a chocolate bar or similar was standard for EACH night).

Breakfast - 3 scrambled eggs, 1 slice bread w/almond butter, 1 banana

Supper - 1 bowl of lentil stew and a slab of soda bread

Midnight shift - 2 wraps (spinach tortillas, 4oz roast beef, lt caesar dressing), 1 carrot, 1 tomato, 1/3 cucumber, 1 oz pretzels, 1/2 cup dry cereal

Before bed - 2 tbs chocolate ice cream

Total kcal: 2407 (almost 200 over my target)

Exercise: got lots of walking in, and did some weights at work -
1 hour walking in park with family
1 hour nordic walking shortly thereafter
Midnight shift weights (15lb DBs):
2x15 lunges
2x15 curls
2x15 tricep extensions
2x15 lateral raises
2x15 arnold presses
2x15 flat flys
2x30 bench presses
2x15 squats
2x15 hammer curls
2x15 hammer-grip front raises
2x15 overhead presses
2x15 tricep kickbacks
2x15 punches

I think tomorrow I am going to move up to the 20lb DBs
 
Just finished 30 minutes hard going on the heavy bag followed by 45 minutes on the bike as a 'cool down'.
I'm drenched in sweat. It's awesome.

Now for a snack and early to bed.
 
May 1st

It's a whole new month!

My night shifts are over, and this day was basically my recovery. I wasn't really hungry today, although I was jonesing a bit for some fast food - I didn't partake (except for one doughnut), but given how little food I ended up eating, maybe I should have.

Breakfast - 1 slice toast with almond butter, 1/2 cup milk

Lunch? - 1 chocolate cake doughnut. I bought it when I went grocery shopping. Outside the supermarket there was a hot dog stand raising money for BC Children's Hospital, and I had planned on getting one (or two) on my way out, but when I got out they were already gone.

Supper - 1 buffalo burger on a ww bun, with lots of lettuce and tomato, oven fries

Evening snack - 2 slices ryebread, one with a little butter and honey, one with light cream cheese

Total kcal: 1449 - clearly I should have eaten more

Exercise - I went hard for 30 minutes on the heavy bag, followed by 45 minutes on the stationary bike. It was great, and I went to sleep really easily that night (often difficult for me after night shifts).

Today I am hoping to get some tennis in.
 
hey is almond butter kinda like peanut butter? ive been wanting to try it but I've never really heard anything about it.
 
Yes - exactly like peanut butter, well, except that it is made with almonds and not peanuts. :)

I buy the all-natural kind, that is just ground-up almonds. No added salt, sugar, oil or anything.
Almonds have sufficient natural flavour and oilyness that they don't need anything like that added.
I don't like all-natural peanut butter very much. Don't like the taste, and it is usually too thick unless they add oil to it.
 
Okay, I've fallen a couple of days behind again. I'm currently on days off, and it is hard to take the time to sit and type here. Too many other things to do.

May 2

Breakfast - 1 banana, steelcut oats with hemp seeds and agave nectar, 1/2 cup milk

Supper - 1.5 buffalo burgers - ww buns, lettuce, tomato, cheese on the 1/2 burger (finishing my daughter's leftovers), 1/2 a soda bread roll, various raw veggies

Nighttime snack - 1/4 cup chocolate ice cream

Exercise - 1 hour of tennis. Felt great. I can definitely see a change in my health between now and two weeks ago, the last time I played tennis. I was tired at the end, but not on the verge of collapse. My knee didn't hurt nearly as much. It is a clear sign that I'm getting in better shape.

May 3

We had friends visiting from out of town, and went out for lunch/dinner.

Breakfast - 1 banana, 2 eggs, 2 oz roast beef, 1 oz cheese, 1/2 a roll of soda bread

Lunch/dinner - steak sandwich on garlic toast with spaghetti, 3 spoonfuls of my wife's chocolate cheesecake.

Evening snack - 3 ryvita crackers with light cream cheese, 1 cup milk, a few raw veggies.

Late evening snack - 1/4 cup chocolate ice cream

Exercise - 30 minutes on the heavy bag followed by 45 minutes on the stationary bike. This is an awesome workout, judging by how much it makes me sweat and how tired I am afterwards.


Today is looking like it is going to be fairly nice, so I think I will take my actual bike down to the river valley trail and go for a ride.
 
good going man. Gotta love the tennis, when i get done, i'm never tired per se, but its when i relax for a little while and try to move do i feel it all over. i can't wait to get out there today. keep up the good work! Also, i'm the opposite. i love natural peanut butter, but loathe almonds.
 
kureransu said:
good going man. Gotta love the tennis, when i get done, i'm never tired per se, but its when i relax for a little while and try to move do i feel it all over. i can't wait to get out there today.
Click to expand...

Well, this is only the second time I have played in the last 10 years. I'm sure I will get better as I continue.
 
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