Day 43 of 90 and I survived the holidays

It's been a while since my last confession I admit, and I did not do so well training wise during the last 5 days as well. Going to stay at friends, Christmas and all the gatherings have set me back a little bit.

My weight is still at the same level, 195lbs and today I started the next level in P90 which is the sculpt 3-4 series. It adds one more circuit and is more difficult than the first series by a long shot.

I did ok but I was definitely winded after the last circuit and my arms and shoulder now feel like Jello. I am sure that the sweat 3-4 will be as challenging tomorrow. We'll see.

In hopes you had a good holiday season, see you next time.

Day 1 of 90 to a slimmer me - Good times

I am back from a mini vacation as we spent a couple of days at the Great Wolf Lodge. It was totally awesome. I love the slides and the pools were entertaining. The kids had a great time and we all enjoyed each others company.

I did manage to squeeze a small workout while I was there. It was by no means the same as I do here but I was close enough and it kept me on track to my goal of 90 days of working out without a miss.

This morning I stepped on the scales and I was totally disappointed. There is no way I should be gaining weight with the exercise and the diet I am currently eating. 3 small meals a day, 2 snacks, no pop, no beer, no deserts yet I have put up 2 lbs since Monday. That would mean 7000 extra calories in 2 days. I don't see it.

I went through my workout and today I did the complete 100 reps the the P90 abs routine. I took a small break in the middle of the last 2 but I completed both for 100%. I feel good about this.

I will keep plugging away and in less than2 weeks I will be entering the phase 3-4 of the workout. I am curious how hard it is going to be compared with what I am doing these days, but I guess it's going to be wait and see as I do not plan to have a peak until the night before.

Until next time, have a great day

Day 29 of a slimmer me - no weight change

I don't know how to interpret these results, I'm working out every day and I have been pretty good with my diet. I hope I get the equivalent of a growth spurt in reverse during the last few weeks.

I see a bit of change in the belly. It's not a wow change but a change none the less. I think that after 8 more weeks I will be able to notice a dramatic change, I feel better in my pants and that in itself is good.

See you all tomorrow.

P.s. if you do stop by leave a quick comment, thanks.

Day 26 of 90 to a slimmer me - Saved the day

I usually wake up early and do my workout before the rest of the family wakes up. It gives me access to the living room as I like to workout there. Today my daughter woke up at the same time I did and I decided to postpone the workout until later that day.

In the past an incident like that might have caused me to find an excuse to not to do my workout at all and maybe stop my routine dead in it's tracks. But not today, I drove my wife to work, played with my daughter for a while then put her down for a nap.

I knew then that I had enough time to complete my workout without any interruptions and I could get back on track as for tomorrow is my rest day, not today. My workout went well and I still need to reach to be able to complete the 1-2 sweat routines. I cramp up in my legs during the jumps but other than that I'm doing pretty good.

Join me tomorrow for a weight update and new pictures. later.

Day 22 of 90 of a slimmer me - getting closer

Today I pushed myself during the cardio 1-2 and abs workout. I am almost there. Still a bit of cramping which is the main reason I am not 100% complete with the workout. I am confident that it will soon,

I have found old dumbbells and I am going to use them tomorrow. I a large leap but I think I can do it. They are both 11 lbs which is more that twice the weight I was using. I was easily making the 15 reps with the old weight. I will hopefully start at the 8 reps for each exercise then think my strategy again when I get to 15 reps.

A little tired today as I went out last night but still got up at 6 am. probably going to be at 10 tonite.

Have a great weekend.

Day 21 of a slimmer me. Doing still ok.

Getting up at 6 am is now into my routine as I wake up before the buzzer and I am quick to jump out of bed and get going. I start my day with some vitamins and some supplements and a large glass of water. I fill up another glass and get going on my workout.

I am doing progress and this morning I was 4 push ups shy of doing the complete workout. Pretty cool as the first week I recall being miles from thinking I could complete the workout in it's entirety. I should be there before I reach the halfway point and change to sculpt 3-4.

I have decided not to worry about weight for now and keep on trucking. I keep a well balanced diet and avoid the extra calories I do not need at this point. I will still be sociable for the holidays but everything in moderation should be my guide, now and from now on. 4 more workouts then I'll take the pics. See you then.

Later folks.

Day 19 of 90 to a slimmer me - Week 4

Today is the start of week 4. I see were people give up, as it is easy to listen to that little voice at the back of your head that says "It's ok if you skip a day or the results are not there, why bother?"

I was not in the mood today but I pushed myself through it. This is a struggle I will have for a while until I firmly believe that it's not good for a short period of time, it's good for the rest of my life. It takes no time at all and it's not that painful.

I don't miss the extra food, save cherry ice cream, and I am truly not missing beer at all. Sunday football with apple and water is doable. Today is MNF and I will probably indulge in a few pints if I go out.

I will see you all (meaning me) tomorrow.

Day 17 of 90 - End of week 3

I admit that my motivation is slipping. I stepped on the scales today and again I gained weight. It's discouraging but I'll pretend that I'm gaining muscle weight, Ya, that's it! That's what's happening. If you believe me I have an investment option you'll love.

I promised myself 90 days and I will complete 90 days. If the results are not what I expected I'll do something else. I am resolved and so far I have not missed a workout, been up at 6 am the last few days, 7 before that and I do feel better. So going for 90 days.

Tomorrow is a rest day but I will do something like go for a long walk or swim, not decided yet. Need to keep active as much as possible now that I'm not working.

See you at the end of next week when I recap the first month and take 30 pictures.
Ti'll then, have a great week.

Day 16 of 90 to a slimmer me - No gain, or is it loss?

I weighed myself this morning and I actually gained a pound since Monday. It seems that the scales do not want to cooperate with my efforts. I am not worried, for I know that I have been eating a well balanced diet that is between 1200 and 1500 calories a day and that I've done my workout everyday since day 1.

It is just a matter of re-distribution I think. I feel better and my clothes are not as tight as they were so I know I am making a difference. I think I can see it in my face (read chin), but that could be my subconscious telling me I did change. I am in the middle of week 3 of 12. 3 lbs lost on my goal of 12 to 18. On track.

I have to run but I will be back tomorrow. Until then,
Have a great day!

Day 15 of a slimmer me - the workouts

Well, today I almost made it through the entire circuit without stopping. This is a big change since day 1. I have mentioned before that I do not have a powerful upper body, and the circuit is comprised of 3 series of push-up.

The first series is 15 push-ups regular, then 15 push-ups wide, then it's 7-7-7 which are regular, close and wide. I can do the first 2 now, although I struggle for the 2nd one. The third series is still difficult for me but I'm getting closer, today it was 7-5-6. A few more and I'll be ready for the next step and we'll do it all over again.

It's a big change from day one. I wonder how much better it'll be at day 90.
Stay tuned to find out.

Day 14 to a slimmer me - Routines

It's been more than two weeks now and I am well established in my new routine but I think I'm going to kick it up a notch. At this time I wake up at 7 am and have a quick breakfast. I wake up my daughter at 7:30 and get her ready for school. When I come back I putter around for a bit and usually start my workout at 9 am and done between 9:40 and 9:50 depending on the workout. I cool of and then hit the shower between 10 and 11.

So in fact all I'm achieving between the time I get up and 11 o'clock is breakfast, helping my daughter and doing my workout. I seem to be waiting for something to happen.

This is what I know I should do. Up at 6 am. Breakfast. 6:30 to 7:30 workout. 7:30 wake my daughter up and get her breakfast. I shower up. 8:30 she's off to school and I'm ready for my day. At this time I have 3 hours to do what ever I need, or even better I could have until 1:30 pm if I need to do something and be ready for my wife to go to work.

I will be starting that tomorrow and I'll keep you posted on the results.

Day 13 to a slimmer me - week 3

Monday morning 7 am and it`s time for a progress report. I step on the scale and it confirms that I have lost some weight again. But from the looks of it I`m stuck in a see-saw battle. I started at 198 pounds and after one week went down to 194. After a football weekend where I only have 4 beers I climbed back up to close to 198 and again this Monday it 194 lbs.

I am well within the goal still and I will not lose hope because of these results. I will continue and hold on for a change. I have had the habit of giving up on things if I did not get results or found it too difficult in the past. Not this time.

One example of this behavior is the upcoming holidays. Currently I workout after my girl has left for school for I have the whole house to myself and can workout without interruptions. In 3 weeks its going to be the Christmas break and that means no school for my girl. In the past I would stop working out finding an excuse and promising myself I would resume after the holidays.

This time not a chance. I will get up earlier and workout before any one gets up or I will exercise around my family and deal with the interruptions. I am dedicated this time. I told a friend that my goal was 160 something and she responded "That's way too thin" . I don't agree, I think if I got to 168 or so it would be close to my ideal weight and it would be easy to maintain.

I have changed my mindset where I don't say "I'm not that fat" to "I'm overweight" and since I don't see myself as an overweight person I can will myself to slim down.

I'm off for now, so have yourself a great day.

Day 12 of 90 to a slimmer me

I have made it to the end of the second week, and I feel great. Although I have missed the mark on two occasion as I relate to diet I am proud of the fact that I have not missed a single day of exercise. That is a big point for there are a few days where I did not want to do it.

I have no issues with the diet when I`m at home. I eat five times a day and I do not feel hungry until the end of the day when it`s time for bed. I did not have any late night snacks in this 2 week period and I don`t miss it that much. Maybe popcorn just a little bit. When I shop for foods and I`m in the snack section I remind myself why I`m on the program and go by without any incidents.

I see some physical changes in my body, or at least I think I do. I feel my clothes being a little looser on me and I think I see a change in the look of my double chin. I want that thing gone and I will not stop this program until that goal is achieved.

Tomorrow is weight day and I`ll keep you posted on the results.
Have a great day.

Day 9, 10 and 11 of 90

It's Friday and I have not made huge progresses weight wise. I have gained a few pounds back after one night of a few beers. But I feel better I look a bit slimmer and one person asked me if I lost weight yesterday.

I find it difficult to remind myself to post every day but I am taking my vitamins daily without fail. The fact that I set a reminder on my calendar for that event every day might be the only reason why I have not yet missed.

Tomorrow is the end of week 2 for the training sessions and I am very close to completing the entire circuits for the 1-2 series. That will give me 3 or 4 weeks to get fully accustomed to the circuit before I graduate to the 3-4 circuits. I had a few peeks at them, they are longer and involve more reps and weights.

I`m 2 weeks from my first after pictures. I think I will be able to see some change in my face and chin area. I still need to suck in my gut to look normal. lol

Later folks.
Danno

Day 8 of 90 and I stumble

Yesterday's diet took a tumble. I did not get a chance to eat at regular times and we it came time for dinner I was so hungry I ate way too much. And that's the half of it. I was freed up for the evening so I ended up going to the local Boston Pizza to watch Monday Night Football.

And that meant a few beers. 40 ounces of beer and 342 calories later I felt a bit of remorse, but I got over it quick. I have a goal, I'll achieve it and I can have a day like that once in a while, just don't give up.

On the exercise front things are going a lot better. The circuits where a little easier and like I wrote before it should not be long when I do a complete circuit without any issues.

Tune in tomorrow and when I share some tit-bits about how I stay on schedule usually.

Bye for now.

Day 7 of 90 to a slimmer me

It's 7 am and I feel like a kid who's been promised a fishing trip with dad. I would like to go back to sleep for a bit but can't do it. I get up and go straight to the scales. I am anticipating a good result because I have done my exercises all week and I kept what I ate at close to 1200 calories each day.

Simple math tells me that I ran a calorie deficit of about 10500 for the week, and that is before working out, and that translates to 3 pounds so this is the minimum I expect. I step on and I get a reading 194.2. I started at 198 dead on. A loss of 3.8 pounds for 6 days of exercises and dieting.

I am very happy with the results. It confirms the system. Burn more calories than you consume and you will lose the weight. I'm well on my way to my original goal of 180 lbs and I now know that I can fly right by it an dip into the 160 somethings. I have not weighed 160 anything since I was a teen. That would be weird. But I'm getting way ahead of myself.

This is week 1, the first six days and ponder the results. 3.8 x 12 is 45.6 pounds. Can I see myself weighing 152.4 pounds at the end of this program? Even if I achieve 3 pounds a day and make it to 162 lbs I would be a happy with the results.

I have 2 major obstacles ahead of me which are thanksgiving and Christmas. Two occasions where the 1200 calories a day will be extremely difficult. I will have to exercise extreme self control and discipline to stay on track. But it can be done. I can have a 3500 calorie day on each occasion and not lose any ground. I can do an extra workout each days to compensate the extra food and drinks. Or I can simply stick with both the diet and exercises and treat each day as a family and friends event and not a food indulgence day. We'll see.

Today is a rest day as far as the program goes but I will still go for a long walk this afternoon. And it's not an indulgence day as far as eating goes. I can do this 1200 calorie thing for the next few weeks I'm sure as I do not feel hungry during the day. (I do have cravings just before bed time, but by then it's just a matter of waiting a bit the going to bed). I don't miss beer that much and sweets were never my favorite. Chips and popcorn on the other hand I miss, but it's only food and it's only for a few weeks. I'll get over it.

Until next time,
Stay active and eat well. Ciao.

Day 5 and 6 of 90

I thought that I had added a post yesterday but it seemed to have disappeared. Oh well, I have been really good with my diet and waking up in pain is no longer an issue. I wake up refreshed and ready to go and it's a good feeling.

The exercises are still a challenge for me especially the upper body ones. My legs are pretty good but doing the complete amount of push ups and planks is still out of my reach. I have increased the number of reps and I am getting closer to the target number, but it's not easy. Crunches are a challenge as well. But again every time I do the routines I can add a few more reps.

I will do an official weigh-in tomorrow and I feel like I've lost a few pounds already. Any thing in the 2 to 3 pounds range will encourage me, and anything less than 2 is going to be discarded as body variations. lol

I truly intend to complete the 12 weeks of this program. Whether I continue full steam after the 12 weeks will depend on how I did and if I am close to my my ultimate goal of 160 pounds. The 12 week target is 180 pounds or 1.5 lbs a week. If I barely make my target I will push as hard as I can for another 12 weeks, if I come up short or go way over my target I will revise the program and adapt it so it can become part of my daily routine and know I will lose the weight over a longer period of time.

Stay tuned and check-in tomorrow for the weigh-in.
Until then, have fun.

Day 4 of 90 and it's getting better

I woke up today feeling a bit sore but after walking around for a few minutes the soreness went away. The workout was still difficult but was better than the first day. It will get better as the days go by I'm sure of this.

I feel great today, I seem to have plenty of energy and I am not overly hungry and I do not miss the 3000 calories diet I am accustomed to. I have not had a beer since Monday and I know that I can go weeks before I really crave one. Pop is not an issue at this time and I have limited my drinks to water, coffee, green tea, and juices. so far so good.

I have 3 more days before the rest day on Sunday and I'll keep you posted on any major changes. I will still blog away the next few days but I don't think I'll have much to say. A bit like today, I guess.

Anyway, if by chance you are reading this, I would really appreciate a comment even if it's just saying "Hi" as I would know that someone is reading.

Till tomorrow, have a great day,
Dan

Day 3 hurts everywhere - get over it!

Woke up for day three and I admit that I am quite sore everywhere. My legs are the worst, a bit cramped an stiff. I know I can warm up and make this stiffness will dissipate.

I have included an image of the calories and nutrients I consume on a daily basis. The website at Calorie Counter will allow you to enter all the food you consume and give you a readout with the totals for all categories. My goal is 1200 calories a day with room to increase to 1500 if I feel I need an extra snack or meal during the day.

You can chose from a large selection of foods or create your own personal settings for custom or not listed foods.

Today the workout went better than the first day but there is still a lot of room from improvement. I need to strengthen my upper body and gain some balance. I don't foresee any reason why I should not be able to complete the entire circuit by the end of the month and be ready for the increase in reps and weight that comes with month 2 of the training.

I'm not going to make any predictions as to when I will have my first doubtful moment but at this time all is going well and I hope to stay on track.

Until tomorrow, enjoy your day.

Day 2 of 90 feel the burn

7 am and I'm up again.  I feel some slight soreness in my shoulders and a tightness in my lower back but it's not that bad.  I have not done any exercises in at least 4 months and my body will need to get used to it again.  I had a slight headache as well but I don't know if it's related to any of this.

Quick breakfast of eggs on a whole wheat bagel and a glass of oj and I feel better.  Took some mulit-vitamins a Omega 3 oil caplets and I am now ready for a coffee.

Yesterday I stayed mostly on track with my goals regarding my diet.  Had a lunch of a chicken tortilla with side salad and mandarin orange, an apple in mid afternoon and dunner was ribs, rice, and eggplant again served with salad.  I did have a small handful of chips and I think I ate a bit too much rice.  But this is the start and I'll adjust and it was still under 1500 cals.

What's to come?

No beers, no sport drinks, no pops.  I don't mind ginving those up at this time.  There will nnot be any major reason to test my resolve in the next few weeks exept for US Thanksgiving.  It is a tradition where we do whatch the games and drink too many beers.  It will take some effort but I should do ok.  I will create a calorie deficit by working out more that morning and the morning after so I can have a good time but still stay on course.

Today's workout will be abs and cardio.  Should be fun.  I will be going to the pool this afternoon but that has more to do about entertaining my girl than working out.  I need to remember to bring a snack and avoid buying chips or pastries after our swim.

Join me tomorrow and I'll update you about my day.  In hopes you are enjoying your day.  Goodbye

Day 1 of 90 to a slimmer me

7 am I woke up and came downstairs for breakfast. I can't remember the last time that I ate something before my morning coffee. I usually have 2 cups of coffee before eating anything at around 10 am. I know it's not good for me to wait so long before eating any thing as it stunts the start of the metabolism.

A bowl of honey nut cereal with skim milk and a couple of multi vitamins is downed and now I have my coffee. I will consume only one coffee in the mornings for the next 12 weeks as part of my efforts to cut down on things that do just as habit and not out of a real need. I enjoy green tea as much as coffee but I rarely have it because of habits and rituals I have set for myself. I will examine those habits a lot closer and see what I can do to liberate myself from.... er, myslef.

I have set my schedule to start my exercise at 8:45 and today was the sculpt 1-2 of the P90 programs. I have only small weights and I found that the exercises with the weights was relatively easy. I did not find the push-up or dips easy though. I am lacking in upper body strength and I could only do about half of the push-ups and 2/3 of the sit-ups. I did get a good sweat going and I feel some soreness in my shoulders and arms.

The first session lasted about 30 minutes. Tomorrow it's a double header; sweat 1-2 and ab ripper 100. Again I expect these exercises to be a bit too much for me but I will do my best and not be discouraged by the fact that I can't keep up with extremely fit people. All I can do is go through the process and improve my technique untill I can comlete the 1-2 programs. When that is done I can then move to the 3-4 and really push myself.

Quick snack at 9:30 is a slice of banana bread. I will have a chicken wrap and a soup for lunch and dinner tonite will be pasta with marinara sauce a roll and a side salad.

Things need to change

Things I know need to go for the next 12 weeks are beer, pop, late night snack and other things I consume out of habit more than I do out of real want for them.

Here we go again!

Hi, I know that I am probably writing this for myself and I'm ok with it. It's completely irrational but I know that if I share my story with someone (even if it's only with myself) I have a greater chance of achieving my goal which is a slimmer me in 90 days.

I have set a goal of losing 1.5 pounds a week for the next 12 weeks. I currently weight 198 and that is too much for a man of 5'10". My goal weight is 180lbs. I am not in good shape, it's not completely catastrophic but as you can see I know that I could and should do a lot better.

Now since I am done with the I should or could, I decided to get off my butt and do. I know that my healthy weight is 175lbs and I will get to that target before my birthday in June. I will concentrate my efforts for the next 12 weeks and if I achieve my first goal of losing those first 18 lbs I can focus on a more relaxed calorie intake menu and continue with the exercise program to lead me to the final goal of 175 lbs.

I am on a 1200 to 1500 calories plan where I eat 5 times a day. This should create a calorie deficit of 10 000 calories a week. That translates to 3 pounds a week. I want to keep the goal at half of the expected results as I know that there will be muscle build up and water variances that can distort the results.

I have a copy of Tim Horton's power 90 or P90 as it's referred to and I will do the program from Monday to Saturdays with a rest day on Sundays. The program is simple and can be done at home which is a big plus for me as I do not want to spend any time in a gym at this time. It requires only a set of dumbbells or resistance bands.

I have included some pics of me starting, and I'll post more at the 30, 60 and 90 days mark just in case you are curious and want to follow along and see if I'm going to make it.

I will write a post every day for the next 90 days so I can prove to myself that I have the will power to stay focused on a goal and stick with it to the end.

Hope you see less of me next time,
Dan