Fit by 60! - TomO's Pledge

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Weight: 235.6.

Yesterday's food/drink was a 4 out of 5 in quality, with 2,635 calories:
Fat: 101 gm, 34%; 28 gm saturated, 10%
Carbs: 251 gm, 36%; 36 gm fiber
Protein: 182 gm, 28%
Alcohol: 10 gm, 3%

With the interval workout of 1,100 calories and a NARM of 2,287 calories, I ended up with a deficit for the day of 752 calories, and an accumulated monthly deficit of 8,443 calories.

Today was measuring day, but nothing new to report, except that my biceps have shrunk a quarter inch. Hey! That's not supposed to happen! Could be just a measuring error, though.

OK, funny story.

Practically every Saturday we go to this nice restaurant near the ocean for breakfast. A few months ago, we had thiis great server, Nate, who really impressed us. He's a handsome guy, paying his own way through law school. Even though he's totally on his own, he's managed to save over $50,000. He's an incredible "people person," with a great sense of humor, but a serious side that will take him far.

We kept kidding him about how he had to meet our daughter and how great she was, how beautiful she was, etc. He told us he already had a girlfriend.

Yesterday, when our daughter was in town, we decided to go to breakfast there. Previously we had told her about Nate a couple of times, but we didn't tell her he was working at the restaurant we were going to. We called in ahead to make sure we had one of Nate's tables.

When we got there, Nate showed us to our table. We introduced them.
"Oh, so you're S..., your parents have told me a LOT about you!"
She laughed. "Well, they've sure told me a LOT about you, too."

Marlene and I were quite satisfied with ourselves, and how we subtly brought them together.

A few minutes later, Nate came back to the table. He looked at our daughter and said, "Say, we haven't settled this yet -- do you want to get married on the beach or in a hotel?"

Busted! We all broke out laughing.

Later, as we left, Nate popped out the back door of the restaurant, next to the parking lot where we had our car. He called out to us an waved. "I'm missing you guys already," he laughed.

Our daughter told us he was cute. We asked her if we could give him her number. "Sure," she said, "I wouldn't mind seeing him again."

I guess I'm writing this more for me to remember than anything, but I found the whole morning uproarious.
 
wowww im very impressed that you found someone your daughter apporves of !!! :p
my parents try and match me with some awwwwwful people. :|
i should send them to you for some lessons on how to do it
 
Sophie335 said:
wowww im very impressed that you found someone your daughter apporves of !!! :p
my parents try and match me with some awwwwwful people. :|
i should send them to you for some lessons on how to do it
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LOL, of course, you've only heard MY side of the story. She might tell a completely different tale!
 
That is to much Tom, you know now you will have to keep us posted on what happens next in that story. Wouldn't that be funny if they actually hit it off and do get married. LOL LMAO!! Dad the match maker. Alright!! You know I have twin boys who are almost 18 and well, I can't choose any girls for them, every time I try, I hear "oh mom she's stuck up", Or "come on mom are you serious, she is not my type. I quit, forget about it!! Maybe in another couple years when they reach their 20's I'll be able to do a little better. :) You should be very proud of your workouts and even when your daughter is in town. Now that's dedication. Keep up the good work! have a great rest of your day
Kim
 
Well you have certainly got a lot out of this weekend!! :D What a pity Nate has a girlfriend! Still a good start there... :)
 
TomO;24Even if you are doing everything right said:
Morning Tom! I found your response really helpful, especially the part about your going through these extensive plateaus, twice I might add, for no apparent reason. By now I've accumulated a calorie deficit of just about 12,000, and its been 4 weeks. I've only lost about 10 pounds since I had my resting metabolic rate test (free through insurance mind you, I'm not that obsessed to pay LOL), so I was just using the same number the test said I burn in a day. Fitday's number for sedentary work is right on target with that so it changes with my weight (but its only changed by a few calories from a 10 lb loss).

I've lifted weights on and off since 1993 (about 8 months out of the year, but spread out). I do as heavy as possible with usually 2 sets of 12 to 15. But I've really cut down on the weights in favor of cardio, thinking I'm burning more calories. Maybe that's been a bad idea. Also, my knees couldn't handle the heavy squats I used to do but they seem to be doing a bit better now. Last time I needed to lose weight though (it was only 10 pounds that time) I just did heavy lifting and the weight came right off (but I was younger and before I had my baby).

Did you do anything different to break your plateau or did you just keep on going and eventually it finally started moving again?

Thanks for the info!
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It sounds like he likes your daughter the way he popped out the back like that to say goodbye again. Either that or you left him a really good tip..LOL. I say the former :).
 
Blancita said:
Wow Curvie, that IS a lot of weight. Not often you see/hear about a girl lifting like that. Not in the gyms I've been in anyway. I press 35 lbs in each hand, and that's about as high a I've seen the girls (a very few mind you) go. I would feel like I needed a spot to go heavier than that. I'm liable to wack myself in the face with the weight!
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I apologize profusely. I meant to say that isn't a lot for me. Everybody's different in their lifting ability. Be careful, 1st and foremost, but also remember, if you keep it up, you can watch how easy it is to increase and get stronger (if you want to) :) You probably have experienced how great it is to increase and be like, "Wow, I didn't even know I could do that!!" Ha ha that reminds me of Dave Chapelle's stand up about his white friend who.... oh here it is!

YouTube - Dave Chappelle - I didnt know i couldnt do that...
 
Miss Ladybug said:
Maybe in another couple years when they reach their 20's I'll be able to do a little better.
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Kim, that's definitely the case! When they're in their teens, everything you do sucks. Then, as they enter their 20's, suddenly the parents begin growing some brain cells and aren't totally lame anymore -- mostly, but not totally!
 
Blancita said:
I've lifted weights on and off since 1993 (about 8 months out of the year, but spread out). I do as heavy as possible with usually 2 sets of 12 to 15. But I've really cut down on the weights in favor of cardio, thinking I'm burning more calories. Maybe that's been a bad idea. Also, my knees couldn't handle the heavy squats I used to do but they seem to be doing a bit better now. Last time I needed to lose weight though (it was only 10 pounds that time) I just did heavy lifting and the weight came right off (but I was younger and before I had my baby).

Did you do anything different to break your plateau or did you just keep on going and eventually it finally started moving again?

Thanks for the info!
Click to expand...

Hi Blancita, glad my response was somewhat helpful.

First, the calories expended in weight lifting, just like the calories expended in HIIT, can be deceptive. My sessions last about 50 minutes, and burn about 575 calories, compared to 1,000 calories an hour with heavy interval cardio. However, that 50 minutes of weights keeps my metabolism going for many hours afterward, so the calorie expenditure may actually be the same.

Second, being strong helps you throughout the day. For example, because I do squats regularly, I'm more likely to NOT park myself in a comfortable chair for hours on end. I know this sounds silly, but if your quads, hams, and glutes are weak, you build up a certain "inertia" sitting down that makes you reluctant to move around.

Third, as I mentioned before, changing routines is definitely important for your body. It's amazing how quickly our bodies get efficient at doing something, and therefore expend fewer calories than we think.

Finally, when all else fails and you KNOW you have an actual deficit, sometimes it helps to take a week off, especially if you've been working out for months at a time. I worked out 6 days a week December, January, February, and March. I was having a really rough time breaking through my plateaus. Then, at the end of March, I took a week off and went to see my son in San Francisco. I did a lot of work there building furniture with him, but it was something my body totally was not used to. I ate a lot of rich food, and even had some gigantic surpluses on some of the days. You know what? When I came back, I dropped 5 pounds in two weeks.

Keep your body guessing -- that's the name of the game!
 
TomO said:
Keep your body guessing -- that's the name of the game!
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Thanks for the tips Tom. I'm doing no where near the hardcore work-out you're doing. I'm strong and pretty muscular from years of weights; like you I'm a real proponent of it. I thought I'd try something new so I switched to cardio thinking that would be a good idea. But maybe not ;). Hmmmnnn, its all very tricky. Enjoy the rest of your sunday.
 
TomO said:
Kim, that's definitely the case! When they're in their teens, everything you do sucks. Then, as they enter their 20's, suddenly the parents begin growing some brain cells and aren't totally lame anymore -- mostly, but not totally!
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That's what I hate about teaching 7th grade. I get them at the sucks period, but never see them when they grow out of it. Instead I get a new group from the sucks crowd. You're doing great Tom--just thought I'd check in.
 
Cannon 2006 said:
That's what I hate about teaching 7th grade. I get them at the sucks period, but never see them when they grow out of it. Instead I get a new group from the sucks crowd. You're doing great Tom--just thought I'd check in.
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Thanks, Cannon. Wow, I couldn't imagine teaching middle schoolers. You're a brave man, indeed.
 
Cannon 2006 said:
That's what I hate about teaching 7th grade. I get them at the sucks period, but never see them when they grow out of it. Instead I get a new group from the sucks crowd. You're doing great Tom--just thought I'd check in.
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That is too funny! I'm starting to gain a whole new respect for middle school teachers.
 
Morning Tom. Just catching up in here. Giving some good advice in here, like what I see. :)
 
Monday, April 30, 2007

Final weight for the month: 236.0 -- I'm a happy camper.

Yesterday's food intake was a bit lower in quality, 3 out of 5, for a total of 2,364 calories:
Fat: 87 gm, 33%; 26 gm saturated, 10%
Carbs: 224 gm, 36%; 23 gm fiber
Protein: 129 gm, 22%
Alcohol: 27 gm, 8%

The exercise yesterday was light - a casual walk with my daughter through Torrey Pines Reserve for a little over an hour, for 310 calories. I ended the day with a 229 calorie surplus, and an accumulated month to date surplus of 8,672 calories.

Yesterday was a terrific day with our daughter. Our philosophy of parenthood is this: until your child is able to stand on their own as an adult, your job is to be the parent, and not their friend. In essence, you are a benevolent dictator. You consider their wishes, but their vote counts only as an advisory voice. Your job as a parent is to teach them to be independent, to be strong, to educated them so that they can have choices in life, to be compassionate, caring, moral, and ethical. You cannot shy away from that role, no matter how much your child wants you to be a "friend". They will have plenty of friends as they grow up, but they will only have you as a parent.

Then, when they actually do become independent, your job changes. Now you must work on being a friend. You have to let them make their own mistakes, give them advice only when they ask for it. If you succeed, they will let you into their lives, but only in proportion to the level of trust they have in you as a friend.

I think a lot of parents these days get these roles reversed. When their children are growing up, they try to be their friends; they run their house as some sort of freakish "democracy." Then, when their kids don't grow up emotionally, but are grown physically, they suddenly decide they have to be parents. But it's too late, and their kids shut them out.

As parents, we consider ourselves to be extraordinarily lucky. There were thousands of times when it all could have gone haywire. We cried a lot of nights during the teenage years. But imagine how we felt when we read the words our daughter sent us at the end of her email last night:

"Thanks for being such an amazing father, and my best friend. You and
mom are so amazing. I am so lucky. Love Always,"

Talk about verklempt!
 
Steve said:
Morning Tom. Just catching up in here. Giving some good advice in here, like what I see. :)
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Hey, Steve, I had a great month. Tomorrow I do my monthly accounting and set some new goals. Overall, I think I did pretty good, but all the stats aren't in yet.

Glad you concur with what I'm telling people. I always worry about leading someone astray with my ignorance.
 
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