Sunday, March 18, 2012

3-18-2012

Today was not the brightest day of my weight loss journey. I was facing some hard truth about some things in my non-weight loss personal life that I would rather not have to face. I was angry, upset, hurt and frustrated. I did not have time to get to the gym to work off some steam, so instead of simply going for a walk or a run (which I did have time and space for) I chose to have a sweet biscuit from a fast food chicken place with my grilled chicken salad and diet Pepsi. Several hours later I was still pissed off and feeling sorry for my self. I decided the pity party could not go on with out some candy. And what party isn't complete without a cheeseburger? To top it all off, I went home and had dinner as well. A BBQ sandwich and potato chips.

I will tell you the truth about this, I am pissed off at myself that I did not try to get my frustration out in a more helpful manner. That food did not make me feel any better about what is going on in my life, it just made me feel worse about things. I could make a list of at least 5 things that I could have done instead of eating the unhealthy foods I chose to try and fill an emotion in my life.

I am going to learn from this mistake and move on. I cannot dwell on it for long or it will make matters worse. I know that I cannot let my emotions be the driving force of why I am eating something.

SHEP

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Improving is Harder Work.

When you make a decision to improve something it is usually hard work. My wife and I decided we did not like the carpet in our house. We stripped all of the carpet and padding from the floor. We had to scrape some excess glue and carpet tacks up. Sounds like a lot of work, right? That was just the beginning. We wanted to etch and stain the concrete underneath all of the carpet and padding. I went to the local equipment rental company and rented a HUGE industrial grinder. This thing was massive. It weighed at least 300 pounds. I was drenched in sweat by the time I had finished grinding the floor to an acceptable standard. I had to work very hard at getting this machine to go in a straight line much less just to get the machine to even move forward.

Every aspect of life improvement is hard work. Doing any do-it-yourself home improvement task requires lots of time, patience and hard work. Being a good employee is hard work. Becoming an improved employee is harder work. Being a good father is hard work. Becoming a better father is harder work. Staying alive is hard work. Staying alive and becoming fit and healthy is harder work.

By no stretch of the imagination is any of this unattainable. It will take a lot of the cliche adjectives that people like to use to describe hard working people. Dedicated. Motivated. Inspired. Responsible. Intentional. Deliberate. Somewhat obsessed. Focused. Driven.

I have been busting my butt in the gym. I do not think I have been any of the above mentioned adjectives enough to get to where I want to be. I have to become more intentional about what I do in the weight room and when I do it. I have to become more driven to get the results I desire.

My first 5K of the year is this Saturday. This week I will be focusing on upping the amount of cardio I do this week. I hope to get in 4 to 5 miles Monday through Thursday.

Lets get it done.
SHEP

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Monday, March 12, 2012

Rest Day

I decided to take the day off today. I worked out hard Friday, moderately Saturday, and hard on Sunday. I got lots of extra sleep. With a face like mine, lots of extra sleep is needed. I picked my children up from school this afternoon. We piled into the car and they started yapping about needing a snack. I told them that a snack was something I could accommodate for them. When we passed by the gas station they started moaning about me not getting them a snack. I told them I would stop and get them a snack, just not at a gas station where you can get a bunch of junk food. I took them to the local super market and got us some veggies and fruits. I am getting my children involved in eating healthy and exercising. We stopped at a local sporting good store today and they were picking out new shoes. I told them if they wanted the new shoes, then they would have to earn them. We already make them do chores as their way of giving back to living in the house and having all that they need. They agreed to my idea of them earning new shoes. I told them they would have to log 10 miles on the treadmill or on the track by Sunday and they could get new shoes. If they were in NEED of new shoes, I would have bought them on the spot, but they do not NEED new shoes. They are gung-ho about this idea. Each kid has logged at least one mile already. The two girls have already knocked out 2.

I am very much into this new healthy lifestyle. I have fought the temptation of the foods I know aren't good for me and I have stayed away from the sugary drinks as well. I cannot believe I am actually liking the salads and vegetables. I am turning into a gym rat rather quickly. I get kinda perturbed when I don't get to go to the gym or if I don't have enough time to finish my full workout.

My next 5K is just around the corner. I cannot wait. My goal is to get in under 31 minutes. I think I can get there, but it will take hard work and sticking with my training. Come out and join the Fat Funny Guy for the Walhalla Elementary 5K.

SHEP

Friday, March 9, 2012

I have been working out a lot here lately. I am resting about one day a week. I am trying to incorporate as much cardio, weightlifting and healthy eating into this journey as possible. I really excited to by home much this journey has improved my quality of life.

After coming home from Iraq and getting out of the Army I have been working through PTSD and depression. I have been on multiple different prescriptions that have not really improved my quality of life much. I am so much more energized ever since I have been going to the gym and getting active. My self confidence has been increased. I think more positively about myself and where I am going with my journey. I am much more happier with who I am. I still have a long way to go, but I have seen some major improvements in the past two and a half months.

I started out at 258 in January, today I weighed in at 232. I am not very concerned with the amount of weight I lose, but the amount of fat that I lose. I will be more than happy with being 200 lbs but having less body fat.

My workout today was insane. Earlier in the week I did 5.5 miles on the elliptical machine in 45 minutes. I wanted to increase my mileage and stay within the same amount of time. I pushed myself hard today and did 6 miles in 45:25. I was drenched in sweat by the time I was done. I went down to the weight piles and worked my arms for about 45 minutes. After pounding away with the dumbbells I wanted to make sure my free throws were on because Sunday we have the first round of the playoffs. I grabbed a basketball and headed to the basketball court. I was shooting around when I noticed a group of guys looking for a 10th guy to run a game. I jogged over and said I would jump in. An hour and a half later I finally called it a day. I was the oldest player by at least 10 years but I kept up like a champ. However, I will probably be the first to be sound asleep tonight.



I cannot wait for the day that I can walk around in public without a shirt on. Slowly but surely I will attain my goal.

SHEP

Sunday, March 4, 2012

It is good to be alive and well. I have been feeling great since exercising and changing my eating habits. I am very pleased with how things are going with my weight loss journey.

I am not seeing the results on the scales that I am wanting to see. My theory is that I am gaining muscle, therefore not seeing the weight coming off, but the fat coming off.

I have gone to the gym everyday this week and gotten some kind of exercise. I have been using myfitnesspal.com to keep track of my caloric intake since Tuesday of this week. Each day that I have logged my food intake and exercise I have had a surplus of calories that I could have used. It is pretty rewarding to see how I am making progress and increasing my fitness level.

Sticking with a diet and workout plan has always been difficult for me, but this time there is something really different going on. I am becoming obsessed with working out and lifting weights. It is awesome to see the strength that I am gaining. I cannot wait to be able to walk around every where with no shirt on. I want to be able to walk the beach and have kids run away screaming. I want to walk into work with no shirt on and all of my co-workers wonder who the new guy is.

I am looking forward to the upcoming Walhalla Elementary School 5K and fun run. I believe it is on March 24th. You can more than likely find more information at http://www.oconee.k12.sc.us/WalhallaES.cfm
This 5K is great. I would love to see you there.

SHEP

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