Mike' Make Over Madness!

[Mykelogan]

Thanks Tracy and Carolynn!!

Pretty good weekend here. Survived the gym Friday and was back there at 8am on Saturday! hehe Today is my day of rest, so not much going on around here until I have to work tonight. Trivia sleeps for no one! lol

Hope everyone is doing well!
Mike

 

[Terapin]

Enjoy the well-earned rest. My rest day is Thursday - have a bit to go! Good work at the gym!

 

[Mykelogan]

Thanks Carolynn!

Happy Monday Faithful readers!

I hope that everyone had a solid weekend, possibly productive also!

On Friday I got out of work and headed right to the gym, put in a solid two hours of working out. I did 30min on the treadmill, then lifted weights and stretched for about an hour, then followed it all up with another 30min on the treadmill. I was dead tired and quite sore by the time I was done, but I felt great! And even better, I was up and back to the gym at 8am on Saturday morning. Just a 30min treadmill session and then 30min in the pool on Saturday. Been reading a lot lately about the impact of aerobic activity on weight loss, or to be more specifically the lack of impact of aerobic activity on actual weight loss/metabolism. Fascinating stuff. I've realized that for me though, even if any of it is true, the aerobic work I do (ie. treadmill and pool) is really more about conditioning my body, increasing my stamina and endurance, helping regulate circulation, etc. than it is about burning X number of calories per session. I just know that it makes me feel better overall. I realized this morning that I am waking up in less pain that I used to in the morning and am turning to otc pain killers much much less than I was before. I feel great about all of these things! And hopefully working on muscle building will assist me even more with any fat burning I am doing! hehe

And as usual with way of eating (CALP), I am finding that my energy levels are fantastic. I mean I woke up naturally early Saturday, instead of sleeping in until I needed to drag myself out of bed. I hit the gym, and ran a slew of errands (including three grocery stores to get all the on sale produce I wanted! lol) long before most people I knew were even up and at them. My biggest struggle of late is still finding balance in my schedule now that gym time is so dominant, but the reduced stress levels I feel because of the working out are worth any trade offs.

Enjoyed my rest day yesterday. Caught up on some TV I had been wanting to watch. Finally started watching Game of Thrones. All of my friends love it but I never had time to get into it before and the second season starts Sunday. A very violent show, and definitely not family friendly, but there is some great acting. I liked it a lot. Five more episodes left to watch before I can get to season two. Better warm up my DVR. lol.

It's a Monday so it is a weigh in day. Down 3lbs this week! I will take it! Thinking about switching my weigh in day to Saturdays, just feels like it will fit in with my rhythm better. We'll see!

Busy week ahead, as always. Hope that you are having a great Monday!

Mike

 

[Terapin]

You are doing fantastic, I really mean it! That is a lot of gym time, and the weight loss is awesome. Way to go, man!

 

[Mykelogan]

Thanks Carolynn!!

It is soooo cold here today!! I never got cold before I started losing weight, and now I freeze! A good thing? Possibly! Hope it means I won't get so overheated during the summer.

Had a neat conversation at my second job last night (I host Trivia at a few bars). One of my teams that hadn't come in for over two months showed up and the first thing they said was, "Wow Mike, you look great!" A hard compliment to take but it was nice to have some external feedback.

Have a great Tuesday all!
Mike

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Mike don't sell yourself short!! You have made great strides and you deserve the recognition for your hard work. I think it's awesome!

And I hear ya on the freezing, I want those 70 degree temps back!

I hope you have a great day today. I'm stuck making a blacksmith diorama and a costume for Alexander the Great. Just awesome. LOL

 

[toystoryduo]

Down another 3 pounds! Way to go, Mike!

I hear ya on the weather! (Okay, it's not quite that cold. I just like the smilie. ) We had 80s here last week and now, we're lucky if we hit 50º. I can't wait for the warm weather to come back!

Have a great Tuesday!

 

[Terapin]

That compliment must have felt great! Way to go!

 

[Mykelogan]

Thank you everyone! Your words of support are, as always, much appreciated!!

Sorry that I have been MIA most of this week. Been a very stressful week here work wise, financially, personally, but I have stuck it out and stayed on my plan well. It has not been easy, believe me. I was reading the weight loss blog of a man who lost over 300lbs and he wrote that the biggest lie we tell others when we're losing weight/getting fit is how easy it is. Now with a great tool like a solid eating plan there are some facets that are indeed easier than others, but when you factor in the rest of life and trying to get to the gym, etc. well, to be blunt, it can be damn hard!! And that's ok, struggle builds strength, no? Yesterday I spent the 20min drive from work to the gym convincing myself that I had valid reasons for not working out. "I'm too busy." "I need a nap." "I can't face people right now." But I persevered and for my efforts I was rewarded with my first ever sub-20min mile on the treadmill!! That brought an exhausted smile to my face.

The next week will also be full of challenges and stress I am sure. Not just because of the continued issues from this week but because starting Saturday I am dog sitting for my dad at his house as he and my stepmom head to Florida for a week. I am glad to help them out but their dogs are terrors and really, it is not a vacation for me to have to uproot my life & move to someone else's house for a week. I have been trying to figure out moving all the kitchen supplies, already bought food, etc. I will need to bring to make sure I don't run into any stumbles in that area. In addition to my clothes, computer, etc. My dad tried to sell me on the idea as a nice stress free week for me. I told him I was happy to help them but not to fool himself into thinking this will be fun. hehe.

Wish me luck! I hope that everyone is doing well and has a great weekend!!
Mike

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Hang in there Mike!! If the dogs stress you out take one at a time for a walk, it will do you good and hopefully tire them out!!
As for kitchen stuff, look at what you use consistently that you know Dad doesn't have.
Look at foods, spices etc that can be premeasured and mixed before hand. We do that for the RV, if I have a recipe that calls for a dry rub or something I mix all of it ahead of time, saves space and time! If you are going to roast veggies or something chop and bag them in a ziploc bag before you go.

Congrats on the sub 20 mile!! That is awesome! You list of can do's is getting so long and it's amazing. I'm super proud and impressed with your motivation.

I hear ya on the craptastic week too, I felt great Monday and Tuesday, had a horrible day Wed and Thurs but now I'm back in the saddle again. We have to take the good with the bad, we just have to determine what to do with it.

I hope you have a great weekend!! Tomorrow we run a road race in the rain, and Sunday is a bowling birthday party.

 

[Terapin]

It is SO hard to lose weight. It is really hard. It takes commitment and focus, and both of these applied longterm. Awesome work you are doing, Sir!

 

[Mykelogan]

Thank you Buffy and Carolynn!

To say these dogs have been stressful is a gigantic understatement! And I literally have a black eye to prove it. They have been relatively tame today. Which is good. Me, I am not so good today. I am dealing with a stomach bug that kept me up most of the night. Luckily I was able to stay home from work and rest today as I cannot miss job #2 tonight.

Otherwise I am doing ok. Lost 3lbs this week. Which I was happy with as I changed my weigh in day from Monday to Saturday, so this was a short week.

Gotta run, time to feed the horde and myself! Have a great day all!
Mike

 

[Terapin]

Sorry about those awful dogs. How much longer?

Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. Have you heard of the BRAT diet? Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast: meant to help ease tummies and further down. It's what we do for the kids when they have sick tummies.

Great job on the weight loss. That is substantial!

 

[toystoryduo]

A black eye from the dogs?!?! That's no fun! I'm sorry for the stress that you are experiencing with them this week. Will your dad and stepmom be home soon?

I'm also sorry to hear that you've not been feeling well. I hope you feel better soon.

Way to go on the weight loss! You are doing a GREAT job!

I hope you have a much better day today, Mike.

 

[Mykelogan]

Carolynn - Thanks! I am happy with my continued losses! As for the dogs, I am stuck with them until Saturday. Boo! the BRAT diet sounds soothing, but sadly does not really fit into my food plan. I am feeling much better today though. So that is good!

Tracy - Thank you! I am feeling better today and just four more days with the dogs, after today!

Work is extremely stressful today. If we cannot get a payment from our biggest client in the next 3 days, we close. Couple that with some other financial stress at the moment and the tunnel is getting very very dim at the moment. I am doing my best to keep my head above water but it is not easy. All I wanted to do all weekend was just give in and eat like I used to, to go crazy and not care what I was putting in my mouth. I somehow did not and I am still holding on today but it amazes me how much of a stress eater I must really be. I mean, in the past I would have just said I was an eater in general and not really motivated by stress but now that I have gotten my consumption under control in general I am beginning to be able to identify the things that really trigger the urge to binge and binge hard. I know rationally that these are the behaviors that lead me to end up at my heaviest weight before, and I know that is a place that I will fight tooth and nail to keep myself out of again, but I also see how easy it would be to just give in. Does that make any sense? I think because I am cognizant of it I will be ok and will struggle through. It just fascinates me to see how my brain is really wired.

I am going to get back to work now. Hopefully I will get to report in from here again tomorrow. From the way my boss/cousin is acting I get the feeling she may be sending me home today until they know what is really happening. Sigh.

Hope everyone is doing well!
Mike

 

[Mykelogan]

Well the hammer fell... I am officially unemployed.

 

[Terapin]

I am so sorry Mike. My heart goes out to you. Keep strong.

Thinking of you,
Carolynn

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

well that sucks!
I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers that you find a job asap!

 

[Mykelogan]

Thank you both. We'll see what happens. Biggest blow in it all is that this seems to be the final nail in the coffin for my 40th birthday Disney trip next year. Bah. But I will say I am proud that I am still getting to the gym and staying on my eating plan throughout it all.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Well maybe we can switch it to a weight loss victory trip instead.
Hang in there, hopefully something will pop up soon.