My '8 Week' Get Back in Shape Photo Diary

[Solomon76]

I've slacked off over the Thanksgiving & Christmas holidays and gained about 10 pounds. Now it is time for me to get back into shape. I’m currently 215 pounds and I've given myself 8 weeks to get down to 200 pounds. I’m not sure how often I will get a chance to post diary entries, but at a minimum I will post a weekly recap every Friday when I update my photos. The attached photos are from a few days ago, but I’m currently the same weight so I didn’t feel the need to take another set of pictures.

The Game plan:
I don’t know of any super secret techniques to get back into the shape that I’d like to get back into so I plan on ‘working my butt off’ (literally) and watching what I eat. I’ll start by giving up junk food until I reach my goal. I usually cycle to and from work, which for the most part allows me to eat whatever I’d like. However, I’ve been driving for the past few weeks due to poor road conditions (snow & ice). So until I’m able to get back on the bike, I’m going to have to be especially vigilant about eating healthier and spending more time in the gym.

This is going to require a good amount of discipline and hard work, but I’m determined to achieve my goal. Wish me luck!

 

[Solomon76]

Week 1 Recap w/photos

Friday (Jan 1)/Saturday (Jan 2)/Sunday (Jan 3) – So far, so good. I’ve been able to refrain from mindlessly snacking on junk food since New Years. I have caught myself a number of times habitually walking into the kitchen between meals, but each time I have had the presence of mind to make myself turn around before I started stuffing my face.
*Made it through the whole weekend without snacking on anything outside of my actual meals.

Monday (Jan 4) –Today I restarted my workout regimen. I really slacked off over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, so I was really motivated to get back into it. I started off the day with a breakfast. Before work I did about 30 minutes of core workouts followed by 30 minutes on the elliptical. Later, I ate lunch. Before going home, I did about 30 to 40 minutes of weight training. Once I got home, I ate dinner.
*Made it through the whole day without snacking on anything outside of my actual meals.

Tuesday (Jan 5) – Another good day. I started the day off with a breakfast. Before starting work, I was able play almost a full hour of pick-up basketball. Later, I ate lunch. Before going home, I did about 30 minutes of weight training. Once I got home, I ate dinner.
*Made it through the whole day without snacking on anything outside of my actual meals.

Wednesday (Jan 6) – Almost a carbon copy of Monday.
6 a.m. – Breakfast.
Before work – About 40 minutes of cross training followed by 20 minutes on the elliptical.
12:45 p. m. – Lunch.
Before going home – About 35 minutes of weight training.
7 p. m. – Dinner
*Made it through the whole day without snacking on anything outside of my actual meals.

Thursday (Jan 7) – Followed my diet, but didn’t get as many workouts in. Only a couple guys showed up at the gym before work for our usual Tuesday & Thursday pick-up games, so a couple of us just shot around while we talked about various things. I can’t really say that I got that much of a workout. I was unusually busy and didn’t end up weight training in the afternoon. I ate dinner once I got home.
*Made it through the whole day without snacking on anything outside of my meals.

Friday (Jan 8) – Last day of the week! I started out with my daily breakfast. I usually run anywhere between 4 and 6 miles on Friday mornings before I start work. However, the weather right now is terrible and there are multiple inches of snow on the ground so I ended up playing basketball again this morning. Later, I ate lunch. Before going home, I did about 20 minutes of weight training. Once I got home, I ate dinner.
*Made it through the whole day without snacking on anything outside of my meals.

Today I weighed 210 pounds which means I lost 5 pounds over the past week. Attached are my updated photos.

 

[Solomon76]

Okay, okay... 8 weeks ended up being 10ish weeks

Hello my WLF friends. I know that I haven't updated my diary in a while, but please allow me to recap the past couple of months:
1. The weather here still sucks and I only got to commute to/from work by bike one week before it started snowing again.
2. I've forced myself to make up for the cardio I've missed by not cycling, but nothing has been enjoyable as cycling.
3. I've slightly moved up and down on the scale, but overall I've lost more weight that I've gained.
4. I'm getting a little better at controlling my portion size.

Attached are my photos from this past Friday. I'm not sure if anyone can see very much difference from these and my 210 pounds; I know that I don't see much of a difference. I still have a couple of pounds to go so I'll try to keep my diary updated.