Derrick's ongoing journey

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Derrick

Derrick

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Not sure where I want to go with this but I wish I had kept a diary or journal since I began my journey around May or June of last year.

My name is Derrick. I'm 31, 5' 11" tall and this morning I weighed 195.5 lbs. I am somewhere between 12% and 14% body fat and want to get to 10% body fat before I am happy with the way I look. The math has been pretty consistent all along and it still appears 189 lbs will result in right around 10% body fat for me. So it appears I only have about 6.5 lbs left to lose.

My journey actually began about one full year ago because several decisions I made about a year ago had a profound effect on my life since. The weight loss part of my journey didn't really begin until the end of May. Since that time I have lost 55 lbs. It has been an incredible journey with some failures along the way but I usually manage to turn them into positives. Maybe one entry I will try to list some things I still remember now but am afraid I may forget someday. For this entry though, I'll just talk about the here and now.

In addition to getting down to 189 I am training for a triathlon taking place on May 3rd. I have also been learning how to kickbox for several months now. I would like to do one or two triathlon's each year. I would also like to get "decent" at kickboxing. I am not sure if I will ever actually want to fight in real matches. It just depends on how it goes. If I get faster, more flexible and in better shape then perhaps. For now, I am just having fun punching the pads and kicking the bag. Finally, I want to start competing in swim meets this summer. I was an allstate swimmer in high school. After 12 years away from the sport I am finally getting back into it. I would love to beat some of my high school times, particularly the 50 freestyle.

This morning I swam right after taking a yoga and pilates class called Body Flow. I take the Body Flow class to improve my flexibililty for kickboxing. My kicks were horrible when I first started in October of last year. I could only kick to about knee height. Today I can kick to about rib height.

The Body Flow class went especially well today. For the first time I actually thought to myself "you are looking pretty good now." I could see myself in the mirrors. I am pretty hard on myself in general about most things in life including how I look. I was also able to arch back and grab my feet for the first time since college, maybe even high school. I didn't expect that.

The swimming went pretty good too. I had a few people joking with me in the pool about how bad they were and how fast I was. I like talking to pretty much anyone about things I know about or do well. Swimming is probably at the tops in both of those catagories.

I ate well today but maybe had a few more calories than I would have liked. Still, I was probably in deficit again today.

Tomorrow morning I hope to kickbox. Otherwise I will bike and jog if my knee feels ok. The triathlon is less than 8 weeks away and I still have a lot of work to do with the biking and running.
 
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I didn't kickbox this morning. I found out my personal trainer had to be let go for not reporting to work too many times. I am pretty upset about it because I really liked him. We had a lot of fun together when we would train and he was a great kickboxing teacher and also knew how to get the most out of me. I could tell he had been down lately but I wasn't close enough with him to know a lot of details about his personal life. I still haven't heard from him in almost a week. I left him a voicemail this morning and also sent him a text message but no replies yet. I am starting to worry a little. Right now I just want to know that he is ok.

I ended up taking it kind of easy this morning because I was a little down. I stretched a lot and practiced some kicks on the bag in addition to 20 minutes on the treadmill. My kicks are definitely getting a lot better.

Hopefully I will hear from my ex-personal trainer soon.
 
Great effort so far to achieve what you have. Good luck with you Triathlon and your kickboxing :)
 
Thank you. I looked up your profile. You are quite an athlete! That is a whole alotment of sports you are good at.
 
Well this morning I woke up at 5:55am again. Seems like I've been doing that a lot lately. I'm actually getting a little OCD with it. If I wake up at 5:52am I have to lie in bed until I see 5:55 on the clock. :toetap05: I'm pretty sure 5's literally mean "nothing" in Chinese so hey, it probably doesn't mean anything. :D

I guess I'll go swim, bike and run this morning or if my knee feels good maybe I'll just do a spin class. We'll see how I feel when I get to the gym. I think my wife wants to lift with me later today so I will just do cardio this morning.

I finally did hear from the staff at the gym that my ex-personal trainer is at least alive and well. Maybe someday our paths will cross again. I sort of saw him as a tough little brother or something. I hope he is ok mentally and emotionally. He just wasn't himself the past month or two. I sent him an email last night just to tell him thanks and that I really thought highly of him. I don't know if he will ever respond to it but hopefully it will mean something to him.
 
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OK so yesterday's workout with my wife was possibly one of the best I've ever had. I swam another timed swim. Then I got out and my wife and I went and did the treadmill together. After walking for 5 minutes I jogged for 16 minutes straight at 6.3 mph. Then we went and did an upper body workout. I was pretty spent after that. Spent the rest of the day drinking the Pacific. Then my wife and I went out after dinner to listen to a friend of a friend sing in a band. We each had 3 drinks worth. I guess all of that alcohol and water during the day was still in me this morning because I weighed in a little high. Just have to remember that for next Sunday's weigh in.

I also had a really rough day today and it had nothing to do with weight. Hopefully it will turn out to be nothing. Pretty nervous right now though.
 
Short workout this morning because I am still really down about a potential family health issue that may or may not even exist. Still trying to get some facts right now. The workout only lasted about 40 minutes or so but that is better than nothing I guess. It at least made me feel a little better for a few hours or so.

At lunch time I was walking out of a store and stopped to look at a memorial plaque. There were two names on the plaque. A lady was walking into the store and saw me looking. She stopped and told me they were her husband and son. I told her I was really sorry for her loss because I could tell she was still really upset about it. She was telling me a little bit of the story, which was a sad one to say the least, and when she started to get teary eyed I asked her if she needed a hug. So she held her arms out and I gave her a big hug. I also said, "I will say a prayer for you and your family, I don't know if you are that type but I believe it can only help." It made her smile a little bit so I hope that made her feel a little better. I kept my promise and said a prayer for her and her family as soon as I got back on the road.

My faith has played a huge role in my weight loss journey.
 
Hey Derrick! Love that you have faith and are so inspirational to others... I'm new to the site and I see your posts to others are they are so helpful! Congrats on your success!
 
Thanks BansheeBabe. You are doing quite well yourself. Getting close to half way I see. Congrats and keep up the good work. :hurray:

Someone told me at church last week when we are put through tough trials God is usually trying to work on our weaknesses. I'm not referring to what this poor lady has gone through. Although I believe God can certainly see people through those things too.

I can't tell you how true that has been in my life, as far as the trials go. Sure it really sucks to go through trials and hard times we don't want to go through but if we come out on top in the long run it always makes us stronger. I don't think I've ever come out on top without a lot of faith and a lot of praying. It can be hard sometimes to keep the faith but I've never completely given up on God no matter how much doubt I have had or how vulnerable I was at the time. Today I am doing pretty good in the faith department. I owe a lot of my success to it. I am getting much closer to the person I have always wanted to be in all areas of my life. Not completely there yet but getting really close.
 
Excercised this morning for just 40 minutes again but I have ate well today except for a mid afternoon snack of cheezits.

I think I have finally convinced my friend to get serious about losing weight. He is 5' 11" just like I am but he is now up to 257 lbs. He carries most of his weight in his belly so I know that is really unhealthy. I think this time he is more serious than other times. I hope he can do it.

Right now as I finish this it is absolutely beautiful outside. I think I am going to go outside and watch the sunset. I wish it were like this all spring and summer.
 
Hey Derrick! You are doing great. And good for you, gonna help out your pal. Maybe that is what he needs to get motivated. So you were worried about 3 beers huh? LOL! Yeah, I am going to try and put it past me and never do it again. Our weather here is starting to become Beautiful again. Like you I wish it would stay like this. Well, I really hope you have a WOnderful Day! And dont forget to be drinking that WATER :)
 
Thanks JB! :D

Looks like the thing I was worried about turned out to be nothing. I am very relieved about that. I did Bodyflow this morning and stretched a little in addition to that class. Also through some kicks at the bag when no one was looking. :D

Looking forward to lifting with my wife tonight and working out with my new PT tomorrow morning.

Time to get back to work. Working on taxes. Fun.

P.S. I was all the way back down to 195.0 this morning after being two or three pounds high from Sunday through Tuesday.
 
Well last night was ok I guess. It was nice to lift with my wife but my right knee was really bothering me and still is. At first I thought I would not be able to do anything but then I just decided to lift the same amount as my wife and that seemed to help because by the end of the lower body workout I was lifting a little heavier with not as much pain. I also swam before we lifted so overall I had a good day yesterday. Ice and advil seemed to help last night because this morning my knee felt a lot better.

I weighed 195.0 again this morning so I am happy about that. I would love to see 194.5 by Sunday but we will just have to wait and see. My belly is officially only a 1/2 inch away from being the same size as my hips. In some ways, once those two measurements are the same, I will have achieved my goal.

I had my first workout with my new personal trainer this morning and it was awesome. I got my butt kicked pretty bad. My heart rate had to be above 100% several different times and my abs are useless right now. It was also nice to do a little boxing again after being away from it for 4 weeks. Only two more weeks until my challenge competition is over. I started at 208 and in 10 weeks I am down to 195. I think 193 would be a great weight to hit by the end of the challenge. I am pretty sure I will pull it off.
 
Hi Derrick, I thought I'd pop by your journal to say hi and thanks for the support! It looks like you've got things really under control.

How do you like having a PT? It sounds like it was pretty intense... I'm not at that point, but I'm interested in knowing about other people's experiences with different methods.

Anyway, I bet you'll meet your weight loss goal tomorrow - and if Sunday doesn't cut it, I'm sure you'll meet your goal for your challenge competition. Good luck, and keep at it!
 
Thanks PC! Once again I was a little high this weekend for some reason but I still was 196.0 this morning which was a 2 lb improvement from last Sunday. That is just for the March Challenge in the Club Challenges section. I still mentally keep track of my lowest weight each week and that number is still going down with each passing week. However, 195.0 was the low number for the last 2 weeks in a row. It would be really nice to hit 194.0 or even 193.5 this week but I am having doubts. I almost sense another plateau coming on but I have a plan for that bastard. :reddevil:

Since I only have two more weeks until the Gold's Gym Challenge is over and 6 more weeks until my first triathlon, I am going to increase my aerobic workouts substantially. Of course I will also try very hard to eat smart.

This weekend was just ok I guess. Saturday morning was nice because I did Bodyflow and I am still amazed at how much my flexibility and balance have improved. The rest of the day I ate ok calorie wise but the macronutrient distribution favored the fat and carbs a little too much.

Today was just church and rest. I didn't eat all that good either.

However, tomorrow morning at 8am I am training with my new personal trainer again. PhatCat, I was always afraid of using personal trainers because I felt like if I didn't impress them I would be a failure. My first personal trainer, who I still miss quite a bit, was really good at kickboxing so I told him I mostly wanted to learn kickboxing but I wanted him to work on core excercises too. I always gave a 96 to 99 percent effort. I basically would go until he told me to stop or until I literally failed. As in I could not throw another kick or punch, do one more leg lift or situp or even stand sometimes. He would give me about 1 to 2 minutes of rest and as soon as I caught my breath we were back at it. Sure I cussed a few times but I loved it. The kickboxing kept it fun. The results I have seen have made it worth while too.

My new PT is not as good with the boxing but he still knows what he is doing and he has other strengths over my previous PT. I like him a lot also. I am looking foward to tomorrow. I have 5 sessions left including tomorrow.
 
Well I will summarize this week so far.

Monday's personal training session was great because I really got my butt kicked. I was absolutely spent by the end of the 1 hour session and sore all day.
Tuesday morning I did bodyflow for 1 hour and swam for 20 minutes just to work on stroke technique and loosen up a little.
Wednesday night I jogged almost 2 miles at 6.5 mph and felt great. I could have jogged maybe another mile but I had to get up early the next morning so I called it a day around 11pm. I normally don't workout so late but I ate crappy at dinner and wasn't falling asleep so I hit the treadmill.
Thursday I was on my butt most of the day, didn't excercise once and went to a birthday party in the evening where I overate pretty bad. My stomach actually hurt from eating so much. I think that was the first time for 2009 where my stomach actually hurt from overeating.
Today, Friday, I had another personal training session in the morning followed by a 30 minute swim. I actually did quite well today and had a lot of energy. Probably all those calories from last night. LOL

Looking forward to next Friday when I have my final weigh in and measurements for the Gold's Gym challenge. Until then, I'll be busting my butt at the gym and trying to eat my best. After then, I'll still be busting my butt at the gym and trying to eat my best. :D

Derrick
 
Hi, Derrick.. thank you for that encouraging comment on my journal. Seriously. Then one day..... you decided to give yourself time.
Time.
OMG and now you exercise your buns off! I hate that feeling when you eat to the point of tummy-achedom. But, it is only horrrrrrible like you said, when you haven't done it for a lon time. For me, where I fall off is, if I do great, then I'm great all around. But if I have a session where I go to a bday party or some such and I DO overdo it, well, I will wake up the next day... remember I overdid it, and based upon a silly memory (and not feeling well), I'll tend to KEEP overdoing it, just because I rememember that i already overdid it. Does that make any sense at all???
Thanks for sharing! Luv your journal, you exercise powerhouse! How do you find all the time! xo
 
For now I have the time because I just don't work as much. For one, I have a job that may only require as little as 10 to 15 hours some weeks or as much as 50 hours other weeks. So when I don't have work to do I am at the gym, doing chores around the house, running errands for myself or my wife, learning about photography or researching about wildlife conservation stuff. Or posting on this site. LOL

The consequence is that my wife and I are not making as much money as we did a year ago. However, we are still paying the bills and I think I can speak for my wife too and say we are both happier than we have ever been together even though I like to think we have had quite a few happy times in the past.

Even if I can only keep doing this for a little while before I find yet another job that does require more consistent hours, I will have been greatfull for this time and proud of myself for taking advantage of it. I don't think I will ever take or stay at another job that does not allow me to excercise and spend time with my family. Screw that! Too many Americans are getting fat, rich and divorced from sitting in a chair all day being miserable. When I hear guys bragging about how many hours they work in a week because they are "so money driven and ambitious," I just shake my head and my roll my eyes. I just hope and pray that this current economic crisis our country is in will help people focus more on what is truly important in life.
 
Today I am still sore. I don't think that will go away until a few days after the triathlon is over. Until then, I guess I will just have to live with it. I had a great cardio workout tonight around 7pm. Later than usual but I just had to do it because the triathlon is in 5 weeks and I have some work to do with the biking and running. So tonight I swam 450 yards timed, got out and quickly dried off and changed, biked 7.5 miles, got off and quickly got over to the treadmill and finally jogged 1.55 miles. I also timed the bike and run. I did the swim in 6 mins 15 seconds, the bike in 26 mins 2 seconds and the run in 15 mins 20 seconds. I did those distances because the distances at the triathlon will be 400 meter swim, 15 mile bike and the run is 3.1 miles. I wanted to do half those distances in the bike and run tonight to give myself an idea of how long it might take me at the triathlon. I figured I would just double my time from tonight and add 5 to 10 minutes for transistion time.

Even though I am still no where near in the swimming shape I used to be in when I was a competitive swimmer, a 400 meter swim is still nothing but a warm up for me. The bike was not very difficult so I think I can push myself even harder on that leg. The run was quite challenging even though it was only 1.55 miles. I should just have a goal of actually jogging the whole 3.1 miles. That being said, I think I can complete the triathlon in under 1 hour, 40 minutes. That gives me 7 minutes for the swim, 55 minutes for the bike, 31 minutes for the run and 7 minutes of transition time. If I go faster than 1 hour 40 minutes I think that will be quite an accomplishment for me. Regardless, my goal is to simply not crash on the bike and jog the whole run and hurt. That way I will surely cross the finish line with a smile on my face even if I don't go faster than 1 hour 40 minutes.

I also began reading a triathlon book tonight.

Finally, even though I am still not tired. I need to get my butt to bed. I have to wake up in 6 hours and that is not good because I should be getting about 8 hours of sleep with as much as I am excercising. Maybe that would help with the soreness too. More sleep.
 
Well Sunday was a day of church and rest. My daughter is not quite 3 yet but she is quite the ham already. The preschoolers sang two songs up on stage at church and she was very animated and had most of the congregation laughing. I was filming and taking photos and when she saw me she yelled out, "That's my daddy! Hi Daddy!" I couldn't help but feel proud that my little girl loves her daddy and just had to say hi. :) I am glad I got the whole thing on film but I would have remembered the moment for the rest of my life anyway. Ten to fifteen years from now I'll have real worries. For now she is in the age of of timeouts, bed time stories, princess dresses and even binkies still...but not for long. Word is the binkie fairy is coming this week to take her binkies to the other babies of the world who need them. :dupe:
:D

The rest of the day was eating and resting but I felt pretty crappy most of the day and very tired and worn out.

Then this morning I felt really bad and was hoping it would pass. It just got worse and I had to cancel my PT session. I was very dizzy and somewhat nautious. Almost like I had a bad hangover. I tried to take a nap at lunch time but the room was spinning so I called the doctor's office and they think it could be an inner ear infection. I think they are right because my left ear has been bothering me for several months every time I clean it out after a swim. It would only hurt when I used swimmer's ear drops to dry it so I didn't think anything of it. Today it did hurt on its own for awhile in the afternoon so I am thinking that must be what is going on. I go to the doctor tomorrow. It would be nice to workout tomorrow since I have now missed two days in a row but I will just have to see how I feel.

I was actually somewhat panicked for a while today. I know several people who have had vertigo issues that have sidelined them and really messed up their quality of life. I am a hypochondriac sometimes, often fearing the worse. I just can't help but imagine getting so close to my goal and so close to my first triathlon and then getting some illness or infection and not being able to do the triathlon and then, even worse, not being able to excercise anymore.
 
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