Fit by 60! - TomO's Pledge
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Curvie Girlie
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Sounds good! But only one day left, right? And never feel bad!
TomO
0
Friday, June 8, 2007
Well, my rest period is over, and I have to say, not a day too soon! I suppose one of the things I have to learn to do is get through these rest periods, but for me they are anything but restful. I was antsy the whole time, which led to being really nervous about my weight, which led to overeating, which led to gaining some weight, which lead to blood pressure and resting pulse increasing, which led to. . .
I realize I just can't do this without exercise, and challenging exercise. I mean, physically, I could do it, of course, but psychologically I really need the exercise. And this rest period was really too long, I think. Next time, I'm going to modify Steve's advice, and only take 7 days off. No more 10 day rests for me!
Now, I'm not blaming what happened to me on Steve. It's all me, after all. I'm the one who lost my discipline. I could have chosen to eat at 2,200 calories a day, and I probably wouldn't have put those 3 pounds back on, putting me back to 235.4, where I was exactly 30 days ago.
This is an important part of learning what it will be like when I get to the maintenance stage a little over a year from now.
Today, though, I'm eager to get back into the gym. I'm going to do Cardio Coach 6, which is slightly over an hour and involves 14 HIIT intervals. However, I'm not going to press it over 90% of max hr today. I'll do that for the first week, and then ramp up to 95% by the 3rd week.
Well, my rest period is over, and I have to say, not a day too soon! I suppose one of the things I have to learn to do is get through these rest periods, but for me they are anything but restful. I was antsy the whole time, which led to being really nervous about my weight, which led to overeating, which led to gaining some weight, which lead to blood pressure and resting pulse increasing, which led to. . .
I realize I just can't do this without exercise, and challenging exercise. I mean, physically, I could do it, of course, but psychologically I really need the exercise. And this rest period was really too long, I think. Next time, I'm going to modify Steve's advice, and only take 7 days off. No more 10 day rests for me!
Now, I'm not blaming what happened to me on Steve. It's all me, after all. I'm the one who lost my discipline. I could have chosen to eat at 2,200 calories a day, and I probably wouldn't have put those 3 pounds back on, putting me back to 235.4, where I was exactly 30 days ago.
This is an important part of learning what it will be like when I get to the maintenance stage a little over a year from now.
Today, though, I'm eager to get back into the gym. I'm going to do Cardio Coach 6, which is slightly over an hour and involves 14 HIIT intervals. However, I'm not going to press it over 90% of max hr today. I'll do that for the first week, and then ramp up to 95% by the 3rd week.
in the grand scheme of things 3 lbs is nothing -
/begin rant
I swear you obsess over the number on the scale more than teenage girls do - your general health is improved as is your stamina that's what should matter not the fluctuation on the scale - is your fitness better than it was 30 days ago? I'm guessing it is - so what does that number matter?
/end rant
/goes off in search of coffee and a pleasant disposition
/begin rant
I swear you obsess over the number on the scale more than teenage girls do - your general health is improved as is your stamina that's what should matter not the fluctuation on the scale - is your fitness better than it was 30 days ago? I'm guessing it is - so what does that number matter?
/end rant
/goes off in search of coffee and a pleasant disposition
Miss Ladybug
New member
You are so right Tom, we "ALL" handle our weight issues differently. And some people can handle stress a lot better than others. You have to do what works for you in personal and business. I truly believe that doing that is the key to "OUR OWN" happiness. If you live by others rules and lives you will never be happy. So if taking only a few days off to rest does it for you, so be it. My aunt who is in her late 40's is a fitness trainer. She has ran EVERY morning for as long as I can remember, I know please no memory jokes here. LOL What I'm trying to say is. This is what does it for her, even when she's on vacation she runs in the morning, if she doesn't she feels like shit the rest the day. People tease her a lot for it, but DAMN, she's the hottest 48 yr old aunt I've every known, the lady is is excellent body shape, and it works for her. I think you've figured out that you miss the exercise and your body is telling you so, thus the reason you got in the funk after a few days off. You'll be fine next time, as you just need to adjust to what your body tells you that's all. And that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it!! Have a great rest of your FRIDAY!!!! 
Kim
Kim
bethann1156
New member
I understand what you are saying Tom....for me, starting my day on the treadmill makes me more disciplined the entire day. On the days I am not able to workout, or my "rest" day, I feel a bit "off" and out of balance. I tend to also be more slack on my eating and water intake.
And to think that I went kicking and screaming into my workout when I started back in January...it was hard to adjust....and now I do not want to miss a workout. Honestly, I dread vacations, because I am obsessed with my routine. We are going away for a weekend in July to celebrate our anniversary and we made sure to book a hotel with a nice fitness center so that we can both get a workout in on Saturday! Call us crazy, I guess, but we can then also enjoy eating and drinking in a more celebratory fashion if we have stayed with our workout! Its what works!
Have a GREAT workout today Tom!
And to think that I went kicking and screaming into my workout when I started back in January...it was hard to adjust....and now I do not want to miss a workout. Honestly, I dread vacations, because I am obsessed with my routine. We are going away for a weekend in July to celebrate our anniversary and we made sure to book a hotel with a nice fitness center so that we can both get a workout in on Saturday! Call us crazy, I guess, but we can then also enjoy eating and drinking in a more celebratory fashion if we have stayed with our workout! Its what works!
Have a GREAT workout today Tom!
TomO
0
Thanks Beth. I think that's one of the biggest changes -- the kind of thing you pointed out, about looking for hotels where you can work out. In the past, vacations and family get-togethers were always about food; now we're making them about fitness, and it's a very nice change. Last Christmas, for example, we went with our kids on Christmas eve to the gym for an afternoon of racquetball.
No, I don't call you crazy for being "obsessed" with workouts. In fact, I have a sneaky feeling every damned person in WLF has one form of "obsession" or another. At least this is a place, where most of the time, we can talk about it and deal with it in a positive fashion.
Have a terrific weekend, Beth.
No, I don't call you crazy for being "obsessed" with workouts. In fact, I have a sneaky feeling every damned person in WLF has one form of "obsession" or another. At least this is a place, where most of the time, we can talk about it and deal with it in a positive fashion.
Have a terrific weekend, Beth.
Stop stressing out already.
I wish you could see my diet and weight when I am getting extremely lean.
I'll fluctuate 5 lbs in a day due to refeeding and whatnot. It's all part of the process. The moment you start thinking this is a linear journey is the moment you fail.
Fail = many things on various levels (psychologically, physically, etc)
You think there is some major difference between 7 and 10 days off? The body does not "rebound" that quickly.
For all you know, your body will thank you and you will make some great strides now.
Maybe the next break should still have steady state cardio built into it, for sanity's sake.
I wish you could see my diet and weight when I am getting extremely lean.
I'll fluctuate 5 lbs in a day due to refeeding and whatnot. It's all part of the process. The moment you start thinking this is a linear journey is the moment you fail.
Fail = many things on various levels (psychologically, physically, etc)
You think there is some major difference between 7 and 10 days off? The body does not "rebound" that quickly.
For all you know, your body will thank you and you will make some great strides now.
Maybe the next break should still have steady state cardio built into it, for sanity's sake.
Curvie Girlie
New member
Hey Tom, I totally feel you when you talked about anxiety, stress, and over-eating. I prefer to work out 6-7 days a week because of it. You're brave for knowing you (as a highly active person) and then taking that many days off. I only take days off when there's absolutely a MAJOR signal from my body: You need rest. STOP. Do not go on. Like, resting works for some people--not me, I get antsy and then eat more. It's dumb, but I can't help it. And that scale number will drop--you have my word, I'll make it happen! I'll pray for us both! HA HA!! No seriously--I predict a 3-5 lb weight loss for both of us in the next 2 weeks.....I better get started!!!
TomO
0
Good idea!
I'm really not stressing out that much. I think it looks like I am in print, but I'm doing OK. Tomorrow is the 1st weights day. . . I'll let you know how it goes.
Look forward to hearing how it goes.
I hope you didn't stress the entire time! Stress is stress. Stress is a part (large) of managing fatigue.
People who are naturally stressed and/or work in a stressful environment have to have their programs tweaked for this.
A break is supposed to be a "vacation."
TomO
0
Steve, I guess it's hard for someone to understand the psychology of someone like me who's tried and failed so many times. You have a problem putting on weight, and while I sympathize, that's not the same as being 70 lbs. overweight, getting high blood pressure and all sorts of other problems from it, and especially failing so many times.
When you're 25 you pretty much figure you can do anything. When you're my age, you have a much closer acquaintance with your own mortality. On the one hand, I have a lot of confidence I can do this right this time. On the other hand, I'm scared to death of the consequences of failing yet again. I don't think my body can handle too many more of these giant weight fluctuations; in fact, I know it can't.
So yeah, to you a few pounds is nothing. And really it IS nothing. But the previous 8 times I tried and failed, the start of reverting back to the way I was was regaining some of the pounds I lost. Sorry, but when I see that, it's hard to deal with. It's a pattern that freaks me out a bit. My guess is that if you were 30 years older than you are now, and had been through this cycle as many times as I have, you would tend to get a bit freaked out yourself.
I'm not asking you to get your violin out here. I'm just trying to explain why it's difficult for me to deal with this. We all have our "triggers" - the things that freak us out more than they ought to. I'm well aware of my triggers, and I'm fighting them, too. But that doesn't make them disappear. They're my personal demons, and part of this battle is learning how to deal with them, not pretending they don't exist.
I understand what you're saying about this struggle not being a "linear progression." God knows I have enough data on my spreadsheets to show exactly that. But we all have to realize that it's not a linear progression psychologically, either, particularly when it comes to our personal demons. Expecting that someone will progress psychologically in a linear fashion is no more realistic than expecting the same thing physiologically.
And, as you know, physiology and psychology are intertwined in ways that we barely understand. That's one of the reasons 95% of all people fail in this struggle. They can deal with one or the other, but the combination of them both usually proves to be an insurmountable obstacle.
Do I think I'll be in that 5% category that will succeed? You bet I do! At the same time, I'm running scared. It's not the same thing as when I did this for the sake of vanity or some vague notion of being healthy. It's a very different feeling, believe me. It's what motivates me to work out harder than 95% of the people I see in the gym. But it's also what can make me a bit "obsessive."
Do I dwell on this too much? Yes and no. I'm trying to deal with it by talking about it in about as public a way as possible -- something I never, ever imagined I would do 6 months ago. It may turn some people off -- and if it does, those people shouldn't waste another second reading my journal. But it may help others, because they may have the same demons I do.
One might read my journal and look at all the workouts and think, "gee, he's having a pretty easy time of it. . . losing 3 pounds a month, working out six days a week, good blood pressure. . . what's the big deal?" And it's true, I have a blessed life. I have nothing to complain about. But that doesn't mean I don't have to struggle with some of the same old ugly demons that everyone else does.
I write about them here partly to flush them out, and partly to encourage others who have them that they, too, can win this battle.
When you're 25 you pretty much figure you can do anything. When you're my age, you have a much closer acquaintance with your own mortality. On the one hand, I have a lot of confidence I can do this right this time. On the other hand, I'm scared to death of the consequences of failing yet again. I don't think my body can handle too many more of these giant weight fluctuations; in fact, I know it can't.
So yeah, to you a few pounds is nothing. And really it IS nothing. But the previous 8 times I tried and failed, the start of reverting back to the way I was was regaining some of the pounds I lost. Sorry, but when I see that, it's hard to deal with. It's a pattern that freaks me out a bit. My guess is that if you were 30 years older than you are now, and had been through this cycle as many times as I have, you would tend to get a bit freaked out yourself.
I'm not asking you to get your violin out here. I'm just trying to explain why it's difficult for me to deal with this. We all have our "triggers" - the things that freak us out more than they ought to. I'm well aware of my triggers, and I'm fighting them, too. But that doesn't make them disappear. They're my personal demons, and part of this battle is learning how to deal with them, not pretending they don't exist.
I understand what you're saying about this struggle not being a "linear progression." God knows I have enough data on my spreadsheets to show exactly that. But we all have to realize that it's not a linear progression psychologically, either, particularly when it comes to our personal demons. Expecting that someone will progress psychologically in a linear fashion is no more realistic than expecting the same thing physiologically.
And, as you know, physiology and psychology are intertwined in ways that we barely understand. That's one of the reasons 95% of all people fail in this struggle. They can deal with one or the other, but the combination of them both usually proves to be an insurmountable obstacle.
Do I think I'll be in that 5% category that will succeed? You bet I do! At the same time, I'm running scared. It's not the same thing as when I did this for the sake of vanity or some vague notion of being healthy. It's a very different feeling, believe me. It's what motivates me to work out harder than 95% of the people I see in the gym. But it's also what can make me a bit "obsessive."
Do I dwell on this too much? Yes and no. I'm trying to deal with it by talking about it in about as public a way as possible -- something I never, ever imagined I would do 6 months ago. It may turn some people off -- and if it does, those people shouldn't waste another second reading my journal. But it may help others, because they may have the same demons I do.
One might read my journal and look at all the workouts and think, "gee, he's having a pretty easy time of it. . . losing 3 pounds a month, working out six days a week, good blood pressure. . . what's the big deal?" And it's true, I have a blessed life. I have nothing to complain about. But that doesn't mean I don't have to struggle with some of the same old ugly demons that everyone else does.
I write about them here partly to flush them out, and partly to encourage others who have them that they, too, can win this battle.
Curvie Girlie
New member
You're right, Tom. You should be able to write whatever you want, and sound obsessive if you want, and despair if you want, and we should know that you are being cathartic and I guess we should only be supportive. But hey! Some of us are so into your diary, like we're into a movie--like when you scream, "Run, Bitch, RUN!" in a horror flick or something.
We only want for you to be healthy and happy--no worries! You're getting there, like Claudia, "Slowly but surely."
Hell, I'm yo-yoing again. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
We only want for you to be healthy and happy--no worries! You're getting there, like Claudia, "Slowly but surely."
Hell, I'm yo-yoing again. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
I understood from the beginning why it's psychologically hard. But physiologically, your age isn't a factor. No matter what your age is, you need a break.
From exercise AND diet.
Period.
Since I have such a keen awareness for what's going on in my body.... age has nothing to do with my level of comfortableness with regards to putting 5 lbs on in a day.
I see the process very vividly.
And I hope it will come to you in time. The stress just isn't worth it. And while I understand how stressful it can be coming from where you are coming from.... at the same time, I hope you get more comfortable with "how things work" as we progress.
And as always, this is a work in progress. Next time a break comes up, we know that we will change a few things. I will add some cardio into the break and you will probably control your eating a bit more.
From exercise AND diet.
Period.
Since I have such a keen awareness for what's going on in my body.... age has nothing to do with my level of comfortableness with regards to putting 5 lbs on in a day.
I see the process very vividly.
And I hope it will come to you in time. The stress just isn't worth it. And while I understand how stressful it can be coming from where you are coming from.... at the same time, I hope you get more comfortable with "how things work" as we progress.
And as always, this is a work in progress. Next time a break comes up, we know that we will change a few things. I will add some cardio into the break and you will probably control your eating a bit more.
TomO
0
wishes
Coffee Addict
That is very true. I think you get to an age where you realize its not so much fun to just eat and not care about it, your health starts to decline. You look at your family and wonder how they are gonna live without you.
People who have never been overweight and tried to loose it often misunderstand and belittle it a lot i guess (not getting at Steve btw here, just generalizing).