Katsumoto

It's ok. We have off weeks (or longer). The thing that makes you successful in the end is picking yourself back up when it happens. We only fail when we give up and stop trying.

Well at the conclusion of this challenge, my official weight is 216.2 lbs. So I was successful in getting off the minimum of 8 lbs! I do recognize there is much more work to be done if I am to reach my ultimate goal. I also know there is a lot I could have done better which explains my lower level of weight loss in the past 2 weeks. Thank you all for your support! Without it, I don't think I would have finished this quest. To grade myself on a 0-10 scale, I would give myself a 7. This is because 10 lbs was in my grasp and I feel I didn't do enough at the end to get closer to it. I am really looking forward to the next challenge, dropping some more weight, and joining a guild!

Thanks! I only did an incline on half of that distance so don't give me too much credit. Indeed. It's easy to get discouraged if you look at only one day or even one week but it's a journey that spans over extended time.

To be honest, I had a somewhat off week and a half with diet and general exercise. I did stay active putting a few things together around the house and also outside. I only had one actual workout this past week and it was rigorous indeed - I jogged close to 5 miles on the treadmill with about half of it being on inclines of various degrees. When I stepped on the scale this morning, I was down to 217. I don't know if it was the sum of all my little work or lost water weight but I'll take it. :-) So to reach the minimum of my goal (216.3 lbs.), I need to lose less than a pound this week.

I lost .6 pounds (now 219.4) in the last week according to the scale on Monday so I'm finally under 220 again. It was a rough week with travel, lots of grilled/processed meats at family reunion, and eating out on the road. I hope to rebound but it only takes a few days of being off track to leave a lasting impact for a couple of weeks or months if I allow it. I know how this tends to work and I have you guys so I just know to be aware and to stay focused. I've been to the gym once thus far and still have a goal of working out at least 2 more times before the week is out. On another note, I got my office furniture situated and built my computer so I'll be in a good position to reach the goal of starting on my first mobile app.

Week 3 turned out pretty well. I'm a little bit disappointed that I only lost 1 lbs. but I know the reasons why. Too much take-out minimized my weight loss this week. I will do better in that area this week but this 4th of July weekend is going to be a MAJOR test with at least one cook-out and possibly attending a family reunion. I'm down to 220lbs. and feel much stronger and energized already. Maybe it's all mental but I like it. Focusing on the big picture - I've now lost 4.3 lbs which makes my goal of 8-10 lbs. look even more obtainable.

Thanks for checking in on me and it has been awesome so far. I've got in two great workouts and I continue to choose healthier options. My back feels really good - very close to, if not at 100%. I'm tired from the workouts combined with having a day job and family. But I prefer this type of tiredness as opposed to the tired, sluggish feeling from inactivity coupled with low points after sugar highs. My life quest isn't progressing but that's not my primary goal. Also, I have to decide on a desk for my office so I can have a clear workspace and can actually get started with that.

The body fat analyzer on my scale officially sucks. It had me up at 39.7%. So it added 1.2% back on my frame. There's also the fact that I took an official health assessment which pegged my body fat% at 23.7. So I will continue to use the body fat % reading on the scale with a few grains of salt. Hopefully by December it will display a number in the low 30s. I am now at 221 lbs. so I have lost 3.3 lbs so far this challenge and up to a possible 3 lbs since my last weigh-in. I only got to workout once total last week and though my diet was definitely not perfect, I continued to cut where I could (zucchini for fries, fresh fruit instead of cakes, white meat chicken and artichokes instead of pepperoni on a sandwich, etc.). I've got a feeling this week is going to be great. I will get 3 workouts in this week by any means necessary. I'm going to continue the path with making lifestyle changes in the diet area and continuing to cut to lose weight and fat. If I'm feeling well enough and stretch thoroughly, I may even attempt to play basketball again at the end of the week.

You will find that most every mistake is just an opportunity to learn something new and become wiser. We stand to avoid mistakes by getting advice from others but there is plenty that comes from trial and error.

Yes, stretching is very important when engaging in a lot of physical activity especially when you've been sedentary for a long time. Too bad I know this from injuring myself and feeling it could have been avoided. I'm confused about your elbow though. Are you saying you can't do anymore 'pole dancing' for this challenge due to the injury or you can't do it ever again?

My back appears to be healing up well. I was able to do a somewhat lighter upperbody workout that consisted of some bench press, pushups, and pullups along with a mile of treadmill walking on Wednesday. If I fail to lose a pound when I weigh-in on Monday, I already know my diet is to blame more so than injury limitations. I've had a LOT of cheese so far this week - that can't be good. I've found that if I fail to pack my lunch for work and go to eat out with someone else my chances of getting something fatty with high calories increases greatly. If I want to succeed, I have to make it mandatory to pack my lunch and try to pick up something healthy solo instead of eating out with others when that is not possible.

Hmmm...I've worn knee braces, ankle braces, and wrist braces but never a back brace.

Lots of water definitely helps to cut out the sugary drink. I find that if I am craving a sugary or even diet drink and consume just a small glass of water, my cravings diminish greatly and goes completely away nearly every time.

Thanks for the encouraging words. The more thorough update I spoke of: Yes, my back is feeling better but still not 100%. In general, my back feels a little weak, stiff, and I have little remnants of pain from time to time. It actually feels like I re-aggravated an injury I had almost 4 years ago while moving furniture. However, it is not nearly as intense as the original injury where I had sharp pains coursing from my lower back and down the back of my legs along with a lot of weakness. I know that I must change parts of my workout to focus on really strengthening my lower back and improving flexibility if I am to really avoid this type of injury in the future. I didn't workout last night even though I was originally supposed to but I think my body and back are thankful for it. You never realize how much is at work when you play basketball until you have abandoned the sport for a few years and try to pick it back up. Now with my current workout, I guess I'll have to see what exercises I can do that won't stress my lower back too much until it feels 100%. I may have to use a stationary bike because jogging and jumping might be a bad idea. I know I can do pushups because I already tried those this morning with no ill effects. I met my workout goals because I consider my basketball session a workout. As far as changing my diet, overall I think I did well this past week. I kept my calorie count primarily in the 2100-2400 calorie range and I didn't eat food left on my children's plates. I did go out to eat more often than intended but I stuck with lighter choices. I also cut sugar dramatically (or so it seemed) and drank plenty of water. Well I stuck with all these things until Father's Day. :-) Despite the injury, I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of this week! I do doubt I'll be playing basketball this Friday though. lol.

A quick update...more details will be following in a later post. My new weight is 224 so I lost only .3 pounds. My body fat percentage is 38.5% so I lost .6% on that. It's small results thus far but it's progress and I try to focus on that. Also, I injured my lower back playing basketball on Friday for the first time in years.