Michael's Diary

ConfusedCartman

ConfusedCartman

New member
I probably should have started yesterday, but I didn't know if I'd ever get into something like this. Now that day 2's come and gone, I realize this could actually help me a) keep track of what I've done, b) recognize patterns, and c) hold myself accountable on those days that I feel less than crazy about exercising. I decided I don't want to catalog what I eat because I don't want to calorie-count too much, but I am making smarter choices and eating more regularly. I'm also checking calories, trying to ballpark my daily intake around 1800. My current resting metabolic rate is about 2200 calories a day, so I figure with exercise I can burn at least 600 fat calories a day at the beginning. I'll be losing a little over a pound a week (maybe a pound and a half), and as I am able to work out more and for longer periods of time I will be able to speed up that process. I might be able to burn all the weight by June if I play my cards right.

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Day 1 - January 3rd, 2010
I got up at about 11 o'clock, ate some cereal for breakfast, then went out to run at about 11:40. Ran/powerwalked about 1/2 a mile, then situps until I couldn't physically do another without cheating, then another 1/2 a mile, then the same as sit-ups for push-ups. When I was done, I felt sore, tired, and nauseous, though I suspect the nausea was because I didn't wait long enough after eating before exercising. Made a mental note to avoid that in the future.

Summary
20 minutes
1 mile of cardio
About 85 sit-ups
15 push-ups
 
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Day 2 - January 4th, 2010
Woke up at 11 o'clock again. Ate oatmeal for breakfast, and made sure to give it time to digest before going out. Went out at about 12:00, ran/powerwalked 1/2 mile (was able to go a little further this time before switching to fast walking), did just push-ups, then ran another 1/2 mile and did another set of push-ups. Walked fast to cool down. I noticed that this time around I didn't feel sick like I did yesterday. However, my muscles hurt more than they did yesterday - particularly my abs, but I'm assuming that's due to DOMS. I'm hoping my abs feel better by morning, because tomorrow is their day and I don't want to overwork them.

Summary
20 minutes
1 total mile of cardio
1x25 pushups
1x15 pushups
 
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Day 3 - January 5th, 2010
Woke up at 11, ate breakfast, went out at 11:50, ran 1/2 mile (went slightly further than yesterday before I needed to stop), did 25 sit-ups, ran another 1/2 mile, then did another set of 25 sit-ups. My ab muscles were still killing me this morning, making even those 50 sit-ups hell, but now they are hurting a bit less than they did yesterday (DOMS must be wearing off) so I think I should be OK to really work them by the time Thursday rolls around. I've noticed my appetite is increasingly ravenous as well, but I'm still moderating what I eat to try to help burn more fat throughout the day.

Summary
20 minutes
1 mile of cardio
2x25 sit-ups

+ 35 minutes
2 miles cardio (power-walking)
 
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looking good so far, but remember abs are like any other muscle they need some rest, working them hard every day is not a good idea.
 
Trusylver said:
looking good so far, but remember abs are like any other muscle they need some rest, working them hard every day is not a good idea.
Click to expand...

Thanks for reading! Yeah, I make sure to only work them every other day. They were still sore from Sunday, so I tried to go easy on them today. Usually I can get in 2x50 situps, but I think I worked them too hard on Sunday so they're still healing. They feel much better now later in the day, though, so I get the feeling I'll be good when Thursday rolls around.
 
Day 4 - January 6th, 2010
Today was pushup day, and my arms are sore as hell. I did a half-mile run/walk (running further and harder before stopping than yesterday), a set of 25 pushups, then another half-mile run/walk and another set of 25 pushups. Those pushups killed my arms, but I'm hoping they'll come back stronger once they heal. As to my general mood, I'm now more tired than usual throughout the day, but I'm going to bed earlier than I usually do and I'm getting better sleep. I'm still really sore from the workout, but I am still somehow finding the motivation to do it daily even though I know it hurts. I guess "pain is just weakness leaving the body" in this case.

Summary
25 minutes
1 total mile cardio
2x25 pushups

+ 30 minutes
1 1/2 miles cardio (power-walking) - I meant to do 2, but I don't think my intestines have adapted to my new workout regimen, and diarrhea hit. I was just lucky I was near the house when it happened. (sorry for the gritty detail, but I think this is important to note)
 
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Day 5 - January 7th, 2010
Woke up at 10 today, ate cereal, then dealt with some site stuff (I administrate two large websites, and some urgent stuff came up). Went out at 1:30, ran 1/2 mile, did 40 sit-ups, ran another 1/2 mile, did another 40 sit-ups. At that point, I was tired, but I felt like doing it one more time, so I did another 1/2 mile and did another 40 sit-ups. I should be worn out, but surprisingly, it's not that bad. I recovered quickly, I didn't feel nauseous at all, and although my muscles felt weak afterwards, they did not feel shaky or painful in any way. I'm still a little tired, but otherwise I feel fine. It's ironic, because this morning, I was having a difficult time motivating myself. Maybe it was because I was tired, but I just couldn't be excited about working out like I was days 1-4. However, I just assumed that's normal, so I went out anyway. I'm glad I did.

Summary
25 minutes total
1 1/2 miles cardio
3x40 sit-ups

+ 35 minutes
2 miles cardio (power-walking)
 
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Trusylver said:
Well done pushing through when the motivation levels were low.
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Thanks, I appreciate it. :) It was frustrating, I'm not gonna lie, but I'm excited for the outcome, so I think I'll be able to work through days like that more easily in the future. Especially since I made it through today - I can look back on it and remember it, and use that for motivation.
 
Day 6 - January 8th, 2010
Today I woke up at 11, ate breakfast, and went out at 12:30 or so. I ran 1/2 mile, did 25 push-ups, then ran another 1/2 mile and did 15 more push-ups (my arms have yet to strengthen up like I wanted). I ended up doing one more 1/2 mile and another 15 push-ups. The workout lasted a little over thirty minutes this time, which I think could be called a milestone. I'm surprised I can work out for that long, but I guess that's all part of the progression. Also, I ordered a scale a few days ago to keep track of my progress and it arrived today. I weighed myself (no clothes, to be sure I don't get inconsistent readings) and I weigh 200 pounds exactly. I am not sure what I weighed when I started, but I have a good starting point now, so that's good. I'll probably record my weight once a week - I'll use tomorrow as the official weigh-in instead of today (not that I expect much of a difference, but just for consistency's sake).

Summary
30 minutes
1 1/2 miles of cardio
1x25, 2x15 push-ups

+ 35 minutes
2 miles cardio (power-walking)
 
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Day 7 - January 9th, 2010
Got up at 11, ate breakfast, went out at 12:30. Did the usual 1 1/2 miles of cardio, running/walking. Between each 1/2 mile I did 40 sit-ups, 120 in total. Also, my new headphones and "Budfits" arrived, which are designed to keep headphones in your ears while you run. I've had to deal with headphones falling out constantly, and that was one of the big things that frustrated me. Now I can fully focus on running, without worrying whether or not my headphone is gonna fall out. Plus, these new headphones have a "remote" on the cord, which lets me change volume, pause a song, and skip songs all without looking down at my iPod. It's designed to be done without looking at it, so it's perfect for running. I'm actually looking forward to trying them out tomorrow.

Summary
30 minutes
1 1/2 mile cardio
3x40 sit-ups

+ 35 minutes
2 miles cardio (powerwalking)

End of Week 1 Weight: 199.4 lbs
 
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Day 8 - January 10, 2010
Tried something sorta new today. Every time that I ran, I did a sprint for 10-15 seconds near the end to try to work my heart and lungs a bit more. I want to eventually build up enough cardio to be able to run a full mile nonstop, but I'm not there yet. Also, running was much easier with constant music - it was much easier to distract myself from the pain and just keep running. I did my normal 1/2 mile, calisthenics, etc workout today, with three total sets of 25 push-ups. My upper-body still hasn't built up like I want it to, so while I am pushing myself, I'm nowhere near where I want to be. I guess that'll come with time.

Summary
30 minutes
1 1/2 mile cardio
3x25 pushups

+ 35 minutes
2 miles cardio (powerwalking)
 
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Day 9 - January 11, 2010
Today I hit another milestone, combined with some new pain. I finally realized that running no longer bothers me like it did. I mean, it still hurts near the end of each running period, but I recover quickly and when I'm done I feel great. No more feeling wiped out after a workout - I just feel slightly sore and very hungry. However, I'm starting to get shin splints. I've been running in flat-soled Vans for the past nine days, which I know is bad, but I don't often get the chance to buy new shoes. However, since it's now hurting, I've worked out a way to go get some running shoes tomorrow before I work out again, so my feet and legs have proper support. I'm aiming to get Nike running shoes, because I bought the Nike+ pedometer and those shoes have built-in slots for the pedometer under the sole. It hooks up wirelessly to my iPod Touch and tracks distance, time, and calories burned, and has pre-programmed workouts as well as open-ended workouts. It's a nifty little thing, and for $17 I figured it was a solid purchase.

Summary
30 minutes
1 1/2 miles cardio
3x40 situps

+ 35 minutes
2 miles cardio (powerwalking)
 
Day 10 - January 12, 2010
Today, I did not exercise. I feel bad about not doing anything, but I had a busy day buying running shoes and my legs were still killing me. Plus, I'm getting up at 4:45 AM tomorrow to go work out at the gym before I go to school, so I think I need the extra energy to get up that early. I'm going to try to make this "getting up early" thing something I do a lot - I'm going with a neighbor, and he does it 4 times a week, so I'm going to try to do that as well. Maybe I can make this a normal thing.
 
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Day 11 - January 13th, 2009
I got up at 4:45 AM and I went to the gym and worked out for about 45 minutes. All muscle training. Today was chest - tomorrow will be either back, stomach, or legs. I'm going to go with a neighbor four times a week, and he does different muscle sets on different days (and mixes it up week-to-week) so I'm just gonna stick with what he does so I have some sort of guidance. My arms were sore and noodle-y afterward, but I like how it feels now and I'm looking forward to doing it more often. I also ran a mile and a half today, with my new running shoes. My ankles were sore afterward because the shoes were new and I haven't fully broken them in yet, but I didn't get shin splints and my stamina was better with the shoes (strides felt like they had more flow). Also, I weighed myself just now and I weigh 197 lbs. On day 7 I weighed 199.4, so that gives you some idea of how fast I'm losing the weight. I don't feel overworked and I am definitely not starving myself, so I guess I'm just burning the fat quickly. Tangible results make me happy. :hurray:

Summary
1hr 15 mins total
1 1/2 miles cardio (mixture of sprinting, jogging, and powerwalking)
45 minutes of muscle training - chest
 
Hey Cartman, I was just reading through some of your posts and saw that you were starting to get shin splints, which I've had a lot of experience with in the past when I was doing track and soccer at the same time. I would always get styrofoam cups and fill them with water, then freeze them. When they are ready you can use them on your shins like push pops, and rip away the styrofoam as the ice melts down.

Also, I used to have Nike+, and I absolutely loved it, so good purchase there!

Hope you're having a good day, and NEVER run in Vans again! haha
 
WittBound said:
Hey Cartman, I was just reading through some of your posts and saw that you were starting to get shin splints, which I've had a lot of experience with in the past when I was doing track and soccer at the same time. I would always get styrofoam cups and fill them with water, then freeze them. When they are ready you can use them on your shins like push pops, and rip away the styrofoam as the ice melts down.

Also, I used to have Nike+, and I absolutely loved it, so good purchase there!

Hope you're having a good day, and NEVER run in Vans again! haha
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip! Yeah, I'm not getting shin splints as much now that I've switched to running shoes, but I'm sure I'll get them again when I start ramping things up. The Nike+ doesn't arrive until next week, but I'm looking forward to its arrival so I can keep better track of how many calories I'm burning a day. I know I'm doing a mile and a half, but it would be nice to have some more statistics to go off of and be able to configure some workouts as well. I never thought I'd be excited to work out, but I guess I've proved myself wrong! :)
 
Day 12 - January 14, 2009
Got up at 4:45 again, and worked my biceps and triceps for about 45 minutes at the gym. I also did a mile and a half of running later in the day in my new running shoes. I guess I still haven't fully broken them in, as I had horrible ankle pain when all was said and done. I pushed through it, but for about 30 minutes afterward standing was a chore due to the pain. I'm used to flat-soled shoes with no padding whatsoever, so now that I'm using a completely different shoe (and running in them for extended periods of time to boot) my ankles have to re-adjust. I'm going to see how I feel tomorrow - if my ankles are still tender, I may take a day off from running and just put in some extra effort over the weekend to compensate.

Summary
1h 15 minutes total
1 1/2 mile cardio
45 minutes muscle training - biceps/triceps

+ 20 minutes
1 mile cardio (walking - would have been two miles but my ankles are still tender and I didn't want to do any permanent damage)
 
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