From alpha testing to the QUERCUS 200

It did make me bit sore in my upper body, but that was so much better than the lower body pains that went away. So much so that I decided to kick some ass on the running front the last couple days.

Day 141
Indoor track
1 mile
8:13 PR by a good bit. I don't remember exactly, but the last PR broke 8:30 for the first time and was in the 20s.

Day 142
Indoor Track
5K (3.1miles)
28:38
So there goes my long term goal for a 30 minute 5K. What's next? Hour 10K? 20 minute 5K?

I've done great on calories and the rebound weight is coming off. I was back up at 267.2 Wednesday and I was down to 265.0 this morning. I had a big day of exercise, 2 poos, and few calories so I'm pretty hopeful for a big drop for tomorrow.
 
Also Chef I neglected to acknowledge a quality post. The running has gone well,but to be grouped with Fred and Kevin? That sir, is an accomplishment!
 
You DID kick ass with the running, congratulations on two PRs in a row! One of these days you´ll have to change your nick to willow...
 
Thank you Mystic!
Thank you LaMa!

So I went down 2 pounds on the dot from yesterday to 263.0. I was thinking I had a low of 260, but when I check on it this morning I hit 261.0 so I have 2 to go to be back to my low weight. More importantly I'm 3.5 from being in the 250's. I'm hoping the rapid drop will stick with me for a while. It's really the first time I've had sustained success with hitting 2,000 calories a day and I'm kicking the exercise up a notch by making gains again in running and doing additional exercise besides the daily runs. For right now we are doing something extra on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I plan to do yoga again because it helped so much Wednesday. If I have the same results it will probably become more frequent in my routine. I'm hoping that yoga and some rehab exercises will get rid of this tendonitis I have in my right elbow so I can start doing some strength focused stuff as I adapt to the new workload.

The idea is to do a quick mile or so and then do the exercise. This way it isn't taking up too much time. You can't get much yoga in 10 minutes, but that's enough for a good run. I have to develop the patience and schedule to accommodate for the time it takes to do yoga and strength training. So it's a lot like trying t get an exercise routine started for someone that has been sedentary (i.e. a pain in the ass), but with a foundation of a butt ton of running. I suppose it's much easier in that it won't kick my butt nearly as bad as starting up from the couch surfing position, but it is still a hassle in changing your habitats and not having it seem like a burden. Running used to seem like a hassle and now it's just what I do and I love it. Hopefully yoga and strength training will be the same.
 
8:13 for a mile at 260 is no joke. Excellent, that's significantly over 7 mph.

How are you feeling other than the tendinitis? If my experience is a normal one, you've just gotta feel on top of the world in terms of just your physical condition and energy levels (excepting the soreness and tiredness directly from exercise).

That was never really my main motivation (that was women), but it's a really nice side benefit that I feel so damned good.
 
Thanks Vee!

You don't have to be single to want to look good. It's not my primary motivator but it's up there. I realize after a good solid week of doing everything right that most of the crudiness I was feeling was from doing something unhealthy. Junk while on a caloric deficit is way harder on you than when you aren't. Overeating and eating less nutritious foods doesn't fly when you are pushing your physical limits. Drinking disrupts everything. The small things snowball and the sleep starts to suffer. I 100% believed that I was reaching the end of being able to run every day. Now I am considering upping my distances while adding other exercise.

I did a active stretching routine followed by 35 minutes of yoga and I feel great. So two all out runs in a row and I feel better than when I was stringing together "recovery" runs.

I want you to try this stretch. The adductor muscles tighten during lots of exercise, but they are hard to stretch. This made me feel so much better. E too and she hasn't had the cramping issues I was having (because she didn't stray from her diet like I did).

[video=youtube;R4vWfS97Ek0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4vWfS97Ek0[/video]
 
That's awesome that you are feeling better! Yoga really is great. As is eating well (I struggle with this for sure. Ya I'm decent at sticking in my cals, and I certainly don't mind having something 'bad' everyday, but I definitely need more fruits and veggies!)
I'd really like to add in some strength training, but it's hard to get going at the beginning as I don't know where to start and don't like looking stupid as I figure it out!
 
Aaah... the junk on restricted calories part was something I really needed to hear today so thanks for that! Good to hear you´re finding things that work for you.
 
Mystic what I can say is whatever you do start out light, learn how to do it properly, and you will see gains in strength no matter what you choose to do.

Glad to hear it LaMa! Something I knew, but felt the need to prove to myself by trying to run myself into the ground and undo my recent efforts.

Yesterday was 1.25 miles after the active stretching and yoga. I was feeling sore from the extra workout today, but a slower 33ish min run made me feel better. I think like 2.3 miles. Just good cardio and working out the soreness, but I've come to realize that those are the runs that make me a better runner. Running hard wears you down and without the easier runs you can never recover and get stronger and faster.

There is no seperation between diet and exercise. They are the yin and yang of health. Both require patience, discipline, and moderation. Both require the formation of habit. Both require adherence to an adaptive plan. Most importantly, both are required for long term success if you want to lose weight. You can't out exercise a crappy diet. You can lose weight with diet alone, but you lose a disproportionate amount of muscle which decreases your metabolism making the caloric deficit less and less effective. To maintain the weightloss the calories have to go lower making adequate nutrition less and less likely.

Don't try to lose weight! Try to be healthy. A healthy person is a healthy weight. A healthy person eats well and exercises. Weightloss is a secondary by product of what you really want. I'm saying this so I can hear it too. I'm not perfect and I will do stupid things and fall off track again. The hope is I will come back here and read this and remember this truth.

Lastly, healthy isn't a destination. It doesn't have a corresponding scale number no matter what the charts say. Healthy is a sustained application of a lifestyle of sensible diet and regular exercise.
 
Quercus said:
..................

Don't try to lose weight! Try to be healthy. A healthy person is a healthy weight. A healthy person eats well and exercises. Weightloss is a secondary by product of what you really want. I'm saying this so I can hear it too. I'm not perfect and I will do stupid things and fall off track again. The hope is I will come back here and read this and remember this truth.

Lastly, healthy isn't a destination. It doesn't have a corresponding scale number no matter what the charts say. Healthy is a sustained application of a lifestyle of sensible diet and regular exercise.
Click to expand...

We are hearing you Q. We all need to remind ourselves & we never stop learning.
 
Quercus said:
Thanks Vee!

You don't have to be single to want to look good. It's not my primary motivator but it's up there. I realize after a good solid week of doing everything right that most of the crudiness I was feeling was from doing something unhealthy. Junk while on a caloric deficit is way harder on you than when you aren't. Overeating and eating less nutritious foods doesn't fly when you are pushing your physical limits. Drinking disrupts everything. The small things snowball and the sleep starts to suffer. I 100% believed that I was reaching the end of being able to run every day. Now I am considering upping my distances while adding other exercise.

I did a active stretching routine followed by 35 minutes of yoga and I feel great. So two all out runs in a row and I feel better than when I was stringing together "recovery" runs.

I want you to try this stretch. The adductor muscles tighten during lots of exercise, but they are hard to stretch. This made me feel so much better. E too and she hasn't had the cramping issues I was having (because she didn't stray from her diet like I did).

[video=youtube;R4vWfS97Ek0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4vWfS97Ek0[/video]
Click to expand...

Ok, two things...

First) I agree. Drinking disrupts everything. I don't know if you meant that in regards to alcohol, but that's how I'm taking it. Anyway, not only does it completely fuck up days upon days of your diet and progress, but it can interfere with your relationships. That's one of the reasons I have recently made a 30-day pledge to Jen and our kids. The pledge is a contract I made which binds me to abide by certain rules for the next month, one of which is "I will not consume alcoholic beverages." Not only does it screw up my weight loss progress, but it makes Jen uncomfortable and blah blah blah...so, I know what you're saying.

B) When you say "You don't have to be single to want to look good," I couldn't agree with you more. I mean, I KNOW Jen loves me no matter what, but I still want to turn her on. I know she looks at other dudes on TV and the movie screen like Ryan Reynolds or Ashton Kutcher or a young Gene Hackman (ok, I'm making that last one up, but DUDE...Gene Hackman is bangable as shit, right? RIGHT?) ANYWHOOOOO...I think it's totally cool that you bring that subject up - being single isn't the only motivator to want to look good - in fact, having someone and wanting to keep them is more of a motivator than wanting to attract a stranger.

You're awesome Quercus. You're doing amazing and I couldn't be happier for you.
 
So right Cate, thanks!

That's definitely what I meant. I'm here with you for these 30 days. I had quit it for good and decided to do it again. I'm trying to remember it for the mistake it was for the next time it sounds like a good idea. Thanks Chef!

So the weight is going to seesaw its way to a new low apparently. No worries as I'm doing my part and not relying on the scale to keep that happening. 264 this morning. I haven't gone over 2,000 calories and I have food prepared for every meal through tomorrow thanks to E.
 
ChefChiTown said:
Ok, two things...

First) I agree. Drinking disrupts everything. I don't know if you meant that in regards to alcohol, but that's how I'm taking it. Anyway, not only does it completely fuck up days upon days of your diet and progress, but it can interfere with your relationships. That's one of the reasons I have recently made a 30-day pledge to Jen and our kids. The pledge is a contract I made which binds me to abide by certain rules for the next month, one of which is "I will not consume alcoholic beverages." Not only does it screw up my weight loss progress, but it makes Jen uncomfortable and blah blah blah...so, I know what you're saying.

B) When you say "You don't have to be single to want to look good," I couldn't agree with you more. I mean, I KNOW Jen loves me no matter what, but I still want to turn her on. I know she looks at other dudes on TV and the movie screen like Ryan Reynolds or Ashton Kutcher or a young Gene Hackman (ok, I'm making that last one up, but DUDE...Gene Hackman is bangable as shit, right? RIGHT?) ANYWHOOOOO...I think it's totally cool that you bring that subject up - being single isn't the only motivator to want to look good - in fact, having someone and wanting to keep them is more of a motivator than wanting to attract a stranger.

You're awesome Quercus. You're doing amazing and I couldn't be happier for you.
Click to expand...

Great post Chef!
& :iagree: especially with the last line!
We have a good thing going in the forum and it's great to see & be a part of.
 
Exercise
Monday active warmup then day 145 outdoor run 1.27 miles
Tuesday day 146 outdoor run 1.50 miles
Wednesday 45 mins of yoga then day 147 outdoor run 2.22 miles

263 this morning. I measured my waist (belly) this evening and it was 46.5 which is a new low. If the measure was linear I'd get below 40" in the 2 teens. I know it isn't linear because teh 7 pounds per inch rate that I was tracking before said <40" at 200 so the loss around my waist is acelerating per pound lost. That means my composition is leaner overall so the fat loss is mostly around my abdomen. the love handles are really small these days. Mor elike love nubs really. I can feel my ribs and sternum and my collar bones are rather pronounced. I still have plenty to lose, but the closer I get the more I realize that 198 is going to be skinny as hell for me.

Anyway nigh night WLF!
 
Sleep tight Q (but without being "tight" ie under the influence of alcohol.) YAY for collar bones & love nubs! :D
 
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