Little John's Penultimate Goal

Little John

Little John

New member
Paraphrasing my post from the New Member's Forum:



Hi All,

Just checking in, I've been working on it "this time for real" for about a month, but with a toddler who will soon be outrunning me, I need to really mean it this time.



I have a Concept2 indoor rower that I've been using 5 times a week, as well as lifting twice a week. I've also been using LoseIt to track my calories - good or bad - and I've had good luck with that combination so far. I'm down 6 pounds since 3/11 (when I started tracking my weight), and down 10 pounds since New Years.



My Three Goals:


Down 100 lbs by Valentines Day next year

Competing in CRASH-B in Boston (indoor rowing race), and not being last place (hence the thread title)

Be a healthy weight when I turn 40 at the end of May 2013. That represents a significant loss, but not impossible.




Weaknesses include... everything. And too much of it. But so far so good, I've had good luck with just LoseIt in the past (until I've stopped), so adding the rower into the mix makes it much more successful, and makes up for minor indiscretions.



So that's the story. I'll probably update my status weekly, and I'll be looking for recipes and pointers as I go along.



Thanks for listening! -LJ



Weight:

Jan 1, 2012: 348 lbs

Mar 26, 2012: 339 lbs

Apr 3, 2012: 336.4 lbs

Apr 10, 2012: 334.4 lbs

Apr 17, 2012: 331.4 lbs

Apr 24, 2012: 328.8 lbs

May 1, 2012: 326.2 lbs

May 8, 2012: 325.4 lbs

May 14, 2012: 325.4

Jun 6, 2012: 322.0 lbs, Fat 30.6%

Jun 13, 2012: 317.6 lbs, Fat 30.2%

Jun 20, 2012: 315.8 lbs, Fat 30.1%

Jun 27, 2012: 314.2 lbs, Fat 29.7%



Total loss to date: 33.8 lbs[/b]
 
Stealing this one from another thread.



1. What is your current height and weight?

6'2", 339 lbs


2. If you were at an ideal weight now, what would that weight be?
200 lbs


3. At what weight would you like to be at four months from now?
Under 300


4. Why do you want to lose weight?
Feel better, not have to look for clothes in my size, get a better weight-to-HP ratio on my motorcycle, be able to play with my little girl without getting so winded, stop tugging out the front of my shirt in an effort to hide my moobs!



5. Do you want to lose weight for a specific life event such as wedding or reunion? If so, when is that event?

Want to compete in an indoor rowing race in Feb 2013, want to be (more) comfortable in a plane in Sept 2012.



6. What obstacles could get between you and your weight loss goals?

Motivation has always been an issue with me, I've always been internalized in my motivation, so I need to remember that I hate being fat more than I like watching TV or getting a DQ Blizzard.



7. Why do you think that you now have a weight problem?

I've seen my reflection, I've seen my scale reading, my doctor has told me, my mother has told me. Trust me, it's no secret.



8. What lifestyle changes do you think would help you lose weight?

Lay off the binging, avoid fast food (or make better choices when that's the only option), keep on exercising.



9. Have you lost weight in the past? If so, what has worked in the past to help you lose weight?

Yes, eating better (South Beach) and exercise



10. Why do you believe that you did not lose weight or you gained the weight back?

Old habits, change in other aspects of my life made it hard to stay in the "healthy rut".



11. What, if anything, has not worked for you in the past in helping you to lose weight? Why do you think it did not work?

Maintaining. Short attention span.



12. Would you try writing down all food and drink consumed for a given period of time?

I have been using LoseIt to track my diet and exercise. I've used it in the past with success, but it's not always easy to keep track of some foods (home cooking, some restaurants, etc).



13. Do you cook at home often? If so, what do you cook?

I do. Easy stuff, like pasta, stir fry or Mexican. Use a lot of chicken breast in the recipes.


14. How often do you go out to eat? Where do you go?

Go out maybe once a week, but I do delivery a couple times a week.



15. What are your three favorite foods?

Pizza, grinders, ice cream



16. What are your three favorite restaurants?

A few local pizza joints, a local burger joint.



17. What are three things you can do differently when it comes to food?

Smaller amounts; get a salad instead of fries; distract myself, eat fruit and/or drink water when the compulsion to binge rears its ugly head.



18. If you woke up tomorrow and your body was exactly the way you want it, what would be different?

"Average"



19. Do you eat when you are not hungry?

More than I should.



20. Do you binge eat (large amounts at a time)?

Yes, not as much as I used to, though.



21. Do you hide your food or eat in secret?

Yep



22. Do you eat when you are sad, nervous, or depressed?

Yep



23. Do you eat as a reward?

Yep



24. Do you eat while watching TV or using the computer?
Yep. I eat at my desk during lunch, and dinner in front of the TV about half the time.



25. What do you normally eat for a meal?

Work Week:

Breakfast is toast and some cream cheese

Lunch is a microwave meal, granola bar, fruit and some crackers

Dinner is varied, but usually some kind of one-pot mix of food (pasta, stir-fry, etc)



Weekend:

Breakfast is either cereal and toast, or eggs, sausage and toast

Lunch is unpredictable based on what I'm doing

Dinner is varied, either same as the week or take-out.



26. What type of snacks do you eat?

Fruit, yogurt, crackers.



27. In terms of exercise, what, if anything, are you currently doing?

Lately using an indoor rower for 40-80 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Lift with a Total Gym twice a week. And I rest on Mondays.


28. Where do you go for exercise? A local public gym? School/work gym? Home?

Home



29. What, if anything, are your three favorite types of exercise?

Bicycling, hiking, indoor rower



30. What is your daily/weekly/monthly/yearly motivation to move towards your goals?

Weekly - lose 2-3 lbs per week.

Yearly - lose 100 lbs, be able to compete in an indoor rowing competition

By the time I hit forty - be less than 220 lbs (end of May 2013)



31. Do you have rewards for certain goals?

Just the ability to watch the scale give me smaller numbers and feel better about myself.
 
Hey John! Loving the title and the goal! I had never thought much about using a rowing machine before, but I saw them being used on the Biggest Loser a while ago and thought it looked like a serious cardio workout! I've been looking into to getting a piece of workout equipment and I've even been leaning towards one - I'm prone to shin splints, so something where I can sit down would be great. Looks like you've got a great plan going here, best of luck, looking forward to following your journey :)
 
Thanks Sparked -- I got my rower after this year's CRASH-B at $250 off their list price. They sell them off at a good discount, and you don't pay shipping, plus they're fresh out of the box the morning of the race. I've tried other indoor equipment (including my bicycle on a trainer), and this one's the best by far. No injuries other than extending the heal time for quads tendonitis, but they are healing.


I checked out your tracking, too - great work! Definitely worth checking out the different forums when I need a little inspiration.


I'll have to get some pictures up when I start seeing progress, though my sister said I looked like I lost some weight, and we saw each other only a few weeks ago. Definitely fell off the wagon last night, though it was a planned jump. Chinese food and tropical beverages at a comedy club to see Ralphie May (fittingly enough). Dinner tonight is a baked lentil and brown rice casserole, don't know if it's good or not, first time trying it.
 
Here's the lentil recipe I tried last night:


http://www.zonya.com/pdf/recipes/Oven_Baked_Lentils.pdf


Pretty easy, though I was worried at the large amount of water in it - no worries, the rice and lentils absorb it all. Quite tasty and filling, and subject to all sorts of different variations. Add a can of diced tomatoes and/or a bunch of sliced mushrooms and/or use beef broth and red wine, all kinds of different ideas! Might also do a Mexican theme and use it for tacos later.
 
Another planned failure last night - and every Sunday night - pizza and wings. And not at all healthy. However, for the week, I'm under my weekly allowance by 2500 calories. Not foreseeing any major challenges in the coming week. I weigh-in tomorrow, and I think I'll be happy with the results. I'll be finding out my blood pressure on Weds (follow-up visit to the Dr.), and that should be at a healthy range, too. Hope so, cuz it seems my sodium intake is quite a bit higher than it should be.
 
Hey John,

Nicely done on the weigh in!! And it sounds like you're quite the cook too!

I would definitely suggest taking some pictures, they can be so motivational, it's amazing what they will show when you are feeling like you haven't lost a thing. Oh, and I would also recommend checking out the other diaries, you're right, they definitely give a lot of motivation, and I think that making friendships on here has been really key to my success - hate to say it, but I can think of a few times where I may have quit had it not been for all the incredible support on this forum :)

Think you've got me sold on the rower- nice little deal you snagged there!
 
Thanks Sparked.


Yeah, I've been meaning to dig up some Xmas-time pics and start the mirror routine. This weekend - before Easter dinner!


FWIW, I found a Concept2 Rower with an older design Performance Monitor on Amazon for $900 + $40 to ship. Not a bad deal. I don't know how much assembly is initially required, but setup/take down takes under a minute for me, and when it's taken down, it takes up less room than a bicycle (~4' x 2' footprint).
 
OK, here's one from last summer, probably a little thinner than I was at New Years, but you get the idea - I don't have too many pics where I'm not standing behind someone (advantage of height: I can stand in back of the crowd). I'll get some progress pics this weekend.





Also worth noting: I rowed 840 calories in 1hr15m. I earned my dinner, for sure! Got through almost 2 episodes of Law & Order, too.
 
Ugh, what a weekend. Friday, I rowed and did a LOT of yard work, and I think my net calories for the day were around 1,000; 1500 under the daily goal. Yesterday, I rowed and did slightly less yard work, and was 700 calories under the daily goal.


This morning, Easter morning, I rowed off 740 calories, and hated each second of it. Mind, body, soul. HOWEVER! I finished my 1:05, and will probably go well over the limit for today on cured meat alone...


Fight the good fight everyone!
 
Hey John, nice job posting pictures, I always think it's a little scary to put 'em out there, but it's definitely a huge motivator!


Damn, you are just burning through those calories on that rower! I greatly appreciate the info you listed on the rower... but, being a poor, lowly college students and all... well, that rower is twice what I pay in rent in each month! ha! Hmm maybe it's best to just wait a few months until I graduate and am employed (fingers crossed) so I can save up for a really good one. I tried a super deluxe rower out at my gym the other day and really enjoyed it, and my body ached from head to toe the next day, so I know it worked :D


Enjoy your Easter! :)
 
Hopped on the scale this morning, and it showed that I had lost around 50 lbs! Wow! Then I changed the batteries, and I lost 2 lbs for last week. Less than I expected, but at least it's going in the right direction!


This coming Sunday, my rowing will increase slightly in difficulty, and decrease somewhat in time. I'm OK with both, these long-haul snooze rows are starting to get boring.



Sparked, didn't realize you were a student! Yeah, no rower for you yet, but good on you for using the gym. If you do end up using one there, look at the company's website, lots of good pointers. I built my workout off of the Concept 2 website. Wish I could find the actual link!!


Ignore the girls, they're legal adults who listen to Miley Cyrus - seriously, you should feel more sorry for them. The looks will fade away if you keep ignoring them, they'll find a new target.
 
Haha I have had my scale pull that crap on me as well! It is strangely motivating though. And 2lbs over the holiday is great!! Really, be proud of that, holidays are just absolute hell and you came through unscathed!


Hope everything is going great!

Ignore the girls, they're legal adults who listen to Miley Cyrus - seriously, you should feel more sorry for them. The looks will fade away if you keep ignoring them, they'll find a new target.
Click to expand...


Ahaha, absolutely hilarious! Yeah, trying not to focus on them too much, I figure just let them watch me lose weight so they can eat their words! Or, looks, as it were :)


Oh, and thanks, I will have to check out the website for tips because I really don't know quite what to do yet on the rower - I know some of them are Concept 2 at the gym, so that will be perfect!
 
Another weekend, another indiscretion. Oh well, I still came in under caloric goals. Managed to wrangle a babysitter and went out with my wife, her sister and sister's husband. Went to my favorite burger joint, and I had a somewhat disappointing burger and three wonderful beers. And some fries and rings. Went to the movies and skipped the candy (my SIL, the dietitian, brought a ziplock full of leftover Robins Eggs - if my wife brought out the peanut M&Ms, it would be a different story). Yesterday we ordered a disappointing pizza and some fantastic chicken fingers.


BUT, I finished cutting and stacking a felled oak tree - it was on a steep hill, and I went through a lot of water and calories (and oxygen). Took my daughter on a hike on Saturday (with her in a backpack), that was about an hour with a little break for her to yell at the nesting goose in the middle of a swamp ("GIGGLE GIGGLE!!! OOOOOOO!!!"), the goose was unaffected. And I rowed all three days for the weekend, including my first day yesterday of increased intensity. I think this is when I start getting those big rower's shoulders, cuz I had to really pull in order to maintain the lower end of the target heartrate (127-143 bpm).


Official weigh-in tomorrow; should be good, based on my peak this morning.


Sparked, thanks for the kind words. You're really doing a great job, yourself!
 
Weigh in this morning showed another 3 pounds gone. I'll take it. Rest of the week should be fairly devoid of challenges, with the possible exception of a lunch run with some co-workers, but I've conquered Ruby Tuesday's with the white chili and salad bar, and Taco Bell's "drive-through diet".


Next week is my first big challenge: Going to Puerto Rico for business, I'm hoping the hotel has a rowing machine. If not, I'll try to get on something for a half-hour or so, just to keep the blood pumping while I'm gone. Also hoping the catered lunches will have some decent options. We will see, I guess.
 
The good and bad of last night: I really didn't want to lift. At all. But I whined about it, and went downstairs and did it. And had one of the best lifting sessions this year - worked my legs for the first time still starting this regime, since the rowing's gonna need the extra horsepower. The bad? We "hired a professional chef", aka Chinese delivery. While I was bad, I could have been worse: steamed dumplings, chicken & broccoli, egg roll, fried rice. A few calories over target, but I'm still 1800 under for the week so far.


Challenge for the weekend: family photo day followed by dinner at Pizzeria Uno's. I know there are some good options on the menu, but there's also some awful ones that taste delicious. Maybe I'll bring a post-photo snack for the ride to the restaurant to keep me from getting too stupid.


Here's what I look like today. I'll try to update once a month or so...
 
Hey John, thanks for popping by my diary and leaving the comment.


As you said, you could be an extra 20 (or if you're like me 25) pounds heavier considering we're just coming out of Easter weekend which could have been an extra 5 pounds of celebrating if you hadn't started when you did.


Looks like you have all the right ingredients for a long and lasting weight loss between the lifting, the rowing and the eating. Wouldn't worry about the occasional slip of hiring a chef once in a while as it keeps ya sane and also serves as a good reminder to stay on track. Looks like you're making great progress from the latest updates and I think you've got the right idea with the rower and the lifting. Avoiding high impact stuff exercise is a fantastic way to make sure you can keep exercising for the duration. I had tried running last year when I was heavier and it really didn't do my body any favors.


I like the long term goals you have set as they are a great motivation. One thing I noticed over the past few months (and a few others here mentioned to me) was that setting additional mid term and even weekly goals was a big help as well.


Also, if you're looking for good tips and tricks and have an mp3 player, the fat2fit radio podcast makes for good listening and motivation.
 
So, three nights in Puerto Rico shouldn't have been a good way to lose weight, yet I'm down 1.6 from Tuesday. No exercise, lots of heavy foods, and I came out of it lighter. I'm not going to question it, I'll just accept it, but go back to the healthier days.


Need to find recipes for paella and churrasco now!!! And only have them once in awhile...


OK, back to rowing after a few days' sabbatical.


Thanks for the pointer FG, I'll keep an eye out for the Fat2Fit. Agreed that slow-and-steady does the trick.
 
Hi, LittleJohn! I just wanted to say that you're looking fantastic -- the different between your photos is really noticeable, especially in your face! And I think it's really sweet that you want to lose the weight by Valentine's Day next year. Are you married?


Sorry if this is a really stupid question, but I've only ever heard of rowing involving boats and oars and things. How on earth does one have a rowing competition indoors?
 
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