Getting Fit With Steven

Saturday Log (9-13-08)

2008-09-13T12:27:00.001-07:00

I am turning over a new leaf beginning today and will be posting on nearly a daily basis as I place a greater emphasis on my weight loss. At this point, I will not be making my goal unless I get serious and do the plan to lose this extra weight that I am carrying.

With my new focus, I will be posting my daily activities nearly every day as I am able to find the time to post. Furthermore, I plan to work out more consistently and actually eat more healthy meals.

My activities for Friday were as follows:
Exercise: I spent 30 minutes on the reclined stationary bike on level 4 with an RPM average around 100. Then, I went to the abdominal machine and did 3 sets of 20 with weights of 80, 85, & 90 lbs. Then, I continued to the Ab Crunch machine and did 2 sets of 10 with the weight of 40 lbs. Finally, I continued to the Ab Rotation machine and performed 3 sets of 20 on each side with the weights of 90, 95, & 100 lbs. Later that evening, I spent 30+ minutes on the driving range hitting balls.

My meals for the day were modest as I had 2-breakfast bars and a banana in the morning, a very light lunch and stir fry in the evening as we went to dinner at the Mongolian Grill.

I weighed in this morning with the following results:
Beginning weight in Jan.: 252.6 lbs
Weight on Saturday: 237.4 lbs
Total weight loss: <15.2>

Weight Goal for the week: 5 lbs.

Week Ending 7/12/2008

2008-07-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a while since I have last posted to this blog and I have some positive news to report. First of all, June was not a good month for me with my weight loss. However, I have added a new focus to my weight loss since July began and the results are very positive. I think I have finally finished most of my traveling for the summer and will be able to settle down and buckle down to make a go of this weight loss. After all, my ultimate goal is to be under 200 lbs by my 40th birthday, which is in December. I still can achieve this goal, but I can no longer have weeks or months where I take it off and lose ground.

I am committed to lose the weight and keep it off once I reach my goal.

Stats for the Week (from my last blog entry)
Beg. weight: 239.0
End weight: 232.6
Gain/Loss: <-6.4>
Total Loss: <-16.4>

For the record, the last 2 weeks, I have lost a total of 5.4 lbs to account for the majority of the weight loss that you see before you.

I did not exercise very much the last week as I did not have much time for it, but I have been exercising this week and hope to continue the trend of losing weight.

Week Ending 6/28/2008

2008-06-30T14:59:00.000-07:00

The weight loss has had its ups and downs as I have begun this journey and currently, it is in a downward slump. I have been challenged to do my best on the program and it may be in part due to my wife's lack of disipline with her diet. However, I make no excuses that I have not done what I need to do in order to be successful. Due to a number of forces, I have not blogged since the end of May so the results I give will appear to be a success, but in actuality, it is a negative as I actually gained this past week. Nonetheless, I will accept any positives that I can at this point.

From this day forward, I am committed to exercising relentlessly and eating much more healthy in order to have the desired results. I am looking to get under 200 lbs by my 40th birthday which in in December. I can do it and I will do it.

STATS FOR THE WEEK
Beg. Weight: 239lbs.
End Weight: 238
Gain/Loss: -1.0
Net Loss/gain: <-11.0>

Exercise for the Week
Sunday: none
Monday: 70 minutes on the stationary bike at the gym, 3 sets of 2 different ab machines, 15 minutes of Tae Kwon Do.
Tuesday: 70 minutes on the stationary bike at the gym. 3 sets of 3 ab machines, 15 minutes of TKD.
Wednesday: Tae Kwon Do class, which lasted 1 hour 45 minutes.
Thursday: 45 minutes on the stationary bike at home, 15 minutes of TKD
Friday: none
Saturday: Played a round of golf

Quote of the Day

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:13

Week Ending 5/31/200

2008-06-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

To catch you up with what has been happening with my weight loss, my weigh-in since my last post netted a positive weight loss in the form of 1.8 lbs. However, I have been on cruise vacation for 10 days and the resulting weight gain was a mild setback. I am proud that I did not eat too much while I was on this vacation, but I did overeat somewhat and drank my fair share of ChiChi's and beers. Nonetheless, I am back and raring to get these extra pounds taken off as quickly as I can.

Not to make an excuse, but I think I have been challenged with my weight loss due to my many community commitments that result in my not having the most healthy food choices and being plied with liquor. With this in mind, I have to make a concerted effort to watch my food and alcohol intake at these events, while making the commitment to work out hard on the days that I have these events. My goal is to loose at least 50 lbs from my starting weight before my 40th Birthday in December. Where I have been a little lax in my efforts, I feel that I still have plenty of time to accomplish this goal.

Stats for the Week
Beg. Weight: 236.8
Ending Weight: 239.0
Gain/Loss: +2.2
Net Loss: <-10.0>

Week Ending 5/3/2008

2008-05-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

I did not enter a blog for last week as I was out-of-town and did not get an opportunity to enter my results from that week. I had spent 4 days in Florida for a golf academy where I had 3 days of lessons with at least 5 1/2 hours per day of instruction and then played a round of golf afterwards. From the initial response, it has dramatically improved my game if I can continue to work on what I learned during the week.

As a result of missing the previous week, I need to let you know that I actually gained for a second week in a row and the same amount, .2 lbs. This brought my weight up to 241.0 lbs. This past week was a completely different story as I definitely got plenty of exercise with all the golf, despite not eating as healthy as I could have. I splurged a few days with a hamburger one day and pizza another day. Nonetheless, with the added exercise and not having snacks readily available during the day, I think it resulted in the good results that I made last week. Hopefully, I can continue on the success of last week and loose weight again this week. I plan on exercising as often as I can and watching my caloric intake.

Stats for the Week
Beginning Weight: 241.0 lbs
Ending Weight: 238.6 lbs
Loss/Gain: <-2.6lbs>
Total Loss: -10.4 lbs.

Exercise for the Week
Sunday: None
Monday: Golf lessons from 9 am to 3:30 pm; 11 holes of golf played after the lesson.
Tuesday: Golf lesson from 9 am to 12:15m; 27 holes of golf played after the lesson.
Wednesday: Golf lesson from 9 am to 12:15pm 27 holes of golf played after the lesson.
Thursday: None
Friday: 60 minutes on the Stationary bike at my home.
Saturday: None

Quote of the Week

As a father, my first priority is to help my sons set and attain personal goals so they will develop self-confidence and individual strength. Engaging in regular fitness activities with my children helps me fulfill those responsibilities.
Alan Thicke

Week ending 4/19/2008

2008-04-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

I thought this week would have culminated into better results at the scale, but sad to say, it did not. Despite working out 3 times and playing golf on 2 different occasions, I gained a small amount of weight this week. I am not completely sure why I gained weight, but it could have been that I did not eat enough food for the amount of exercise that I had performed. This can actually cause you to gain weight instead of loosing it.

As far as my 2 rounds of golf, I used a golf cart, but did not drive so I spent some time walking between shots as often as I could. As far as my exercise, I did not go to the gym, but rather worked out at the house on my stationary bike.

My goal for this week is to loose 5 lbs as I should be able to do so since my weight loss over the past 2 weeks have been minimal. In order to obtain this result, I plan to keep track of my food intake and monitor my workout regimen. I plan to work out at least 5 times this week, not to include golf.

Stats for the Week
Beginning Weight: 240.8 lbs.
Ending Weight: 241.0 lbs.
Gain/Loss: +.2 lbs.
Total Loss: <-8.0 lbs>

Exercise for the Week
Sunday: None
Monday: 18 holes of golf at Devil's Ridge
Tuesday: 45 minutes on the stationary bike at my home(high impact)
Wednesday: 18 holes of golf at Lochmere
Thursday: 60 minutes on the stationary bike at my home(high impact)
Friday: None
Saturday: 60 minutes on the stationary bike at my home(med.-to-high impact)

Fitness Quote of the Week

I have long recognized a link between fitness and mental health and I think we need to encourage young people to take part in sports and team activities because we know it has such positive results.
Tipper Gore

Week Ending April 12, 2008

2008-04-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

After my second week on Weight Watchers, I posted yet another successful week, but not as great as the week prior. I worked out consistently this week and ate fairly well. My great success for the week was to control my eating during 2 lunch appointments where I could have easily eaten too much at these buffet lunch meetings.

This week should be a good week and one that should not require too much challenges with certain meetings with the exception of tomorrow evening's meeting which includes dinner, most likely pasta.

Stats for the Week
Beginning Weight: 243 lbs.
Ending Weight: 240.8 lbs.
Net Gain/Loss: -2.2 lbs.
Total Loss: <-8.2lbs>

Fitness Quote of the Week

Now I say that if you run more than 15 miles a week, it's for something other than aerobic fitness. Once you pass 15 miles, you do not see much further improvement.

Kenneth H. Cooper

Week Ending 4/5/2008

2008-04-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

This past week was a very successful week for my weight loss. As I had mentioned in my last blog entry, I have joined Weight Watchers here in Raleigh. The first week, which was not actually a complete week, but only 5 days, I had a great deal of success with a 6 lbs weight loss. Fortunately, I did not gain all the weight back that I had lost when I began this blog, but I did gain most of it back. I credit it to watching what I eat and exercising when I can.

Stats for the Week
Beg. Weight: 249 lbs
End. Weight: 243 lbs
Net loss/gain: -6 lbs
Total Loss: <-6lbs.>

Exercise for the Week
Monday: none
Tuesday: 45 minutes on stationary bike at home
Wednesday: none
Thursday: none
Friday: 45 minutes on stationary bike at home
Saturday: 90 minutes on stationay bike at home

Fitness Quote of the Week

It's not about weight, it's about fitness, and one component of being fit is to have relatively low body fat, because fat is not very efficient, whereas muscle is.
Deborah Bull

Update on my Weight loss

2008-04-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

I have not been doing very well of late and have turned to the stop-gap measure of formally doing Weight Watchers. I hate to admit this, but I have not been successful on my own loosing the much needed weight. I have been successful to a point, but then gain it all back.

Starting today, I am formally on Weight Watchers and I hope to obtain the same results that I achieved with them about 5 years ago when I lost around 60 lbs. I will begin to give reports to my progress again next week as I will have finished my first week.

My wife and I have both started this program and together we both lost a dramatic amount of weight the last time we were on it. It is hard to imagine that I had gained back all of the weight that I had lost and then some. So, keep in touch and I will be sharing my successes in the near future.

Starting weight for this week is 249, which is basically where I had started. However, I am turning over a new leaf and from this day forward, I will be healthy.

Week Ending 3/1/2008

2008-03-10T06:54:00.000-07:00

This was a challenging week to say the least. After the major dissappointment of gaining weight each of the last 2 weeks and not actually loosing weight in 4 weeks, I was determined to loose weight this week. However, with every good plan there comes some challenges that must be overcome. I began to feel like I was coming down with a cold on Saturday, but the full effects hit me on Sunday. So, Sunday through Wednesday, I was not feeling very good to actualy work out, even though I made myself work out on some of those days. Nonetheless, being sick made it harder to eat right and exercise. Then, once I began to feel better, I had the biggest challenge of each month to eat properly, a board meeting at the Capital City Club where I knew I would be tempted with multiple beers and some unhealthy dinner choices such as the Prime Rib Special for Thursdays.

I must admit, I had 3 lite beers, but I coupled that with eating a dinner salad for my meal. It was a little difficult looking at a prime rib, fish and chips, and a shrimp pasta that others in my group were eating, but I survived and thrived. Furthermore, I worked out hard on both Friday evening and Saturday morning and ate sensibly on those days. The results were very good for me.

Stats for the Week
Begining: 243.8
Ending: 240.6
Loss/gain: -3.2
Total Loss: -11.8

Exercise for the Week
Sunday: 90 minutes on the stationary bike at my home
Monday: None
Tuesday: None
Wednesday: None
Thursday: None
Friday: 90 minutes on the stationary bike at my home
Saturday: 90 minutes on the stationary bike at my home

Fitness Quote of the Week

The goodness of a thing created is the perfection of its fitness for the use which it serves. Now that use is either particular or universal.
William Ames

Week ending 3/1/2008

2008-03-03T07:32:00.001-08:00

I am beginning to think that I have hit a wall in my weight loss. For a third week in a row, I have not lost any weight, and in fact, I have gained for the second week in a row. I am not completely sure why I have not lost any weight in the past week as I thought I was good with my eating and I worked out 4 times last week. The only thing that I can think it may be is the fact that I had pasta for lunch before I weighed in as well as drunk a good amount of Diet Coke. The sodium in each of these items may have caused me to maintain water weight and thus, resulted in my not loosing weight. I will do a much better job with my sweet tooth this week and attempt to work out 4-5 times this week. I just hope that the cold that I have come down with will not inhibit my ability to work out effectively this week as well as eat right.

Stats for the week
Beginning: 243.8
Ending: 244.0
Gain/Loss: +.2
Total Loss: -8.4

Exercise for the Week
Monday: 45 minutes on the stationary bike at my home.
Tuesday: 45 minutes on the stationary bike at my home.
Wednesday: none
Thursday: none
Friday: 90 minutes on the stationary bike at my home.
Saturday: 45 minutes on the stationary bike at my home.

Tip of the Week
Find fitness with fun dancing. It is fun and makes you forget about the dreaded exercise.
Paula Abdul

Week Ending 2/23/2008

2008-02-28T12:53:00.000-08:00

It has been a couple of weeks since I have placed an entry on this blog and the past 2 weeks have not been good for my weight loss. In fact, I have gained. The prior week which I failed to enter my results, I actually stayed the same despite a few workouts and attempting to eat well. However, I had a few days that were not good with my eating.

As for this past week, I had an extremely busy week and as a result, I did not get to exercise until the day of my weigh-in. Also, due to the extremely busy week, I did not have the best eating habits. I snacked and ate out quite a bit, and unfortunately, some of those meals were fast food. As a result, I experienced a slight gain in weight, which I hope to take off this week as I have so far, worked out everyday.

Stats for the Week

Begining: 241.0

Ending: 243.8

Gain/Loss: +2.8

Total Loss: 8.6

Exercise for the Week

Monday: None

Tuesday: None

Wednesday: None

Thursday: None

Friday: None

Saturday: Spent 90 minutes on stationary bike at home.

Tip of the Week

Choose Your Parents Well
The link between genetics and health is a powerful one. But just because one or both of your parents died young in ill health doesn't mean you cannot counteract the genetic pool handed you. Thought for the day: Follow these basic tips for healthy living and you can better control your own destiny.

Week Ending 2/9/2008

2008-02-11T07:29:00.001-08:00

This week saw many challenges for me to get into the gym for exercise due to a number of meetings that I had throughout the week. The week began with a morning meeting on Monday and Tuesday, and culminated with a meetings on Monday evening, Tuesday evening, and Thursday evening. With all the meetings that I had, I did not get to exercise as many times as I had planned, but still worked out 3 times and played a round of golf. This exercise, coupled with healthy eating 5 out of the 7 days, resulted in minor weight loss.

My eating was not as good as it could have been. Usually, I take off a day on the weekend to eat what I want within reason. This past week, the -I selected was Sunday, due to the Super Bowl. However, I also had not the healthiest of meals following my Thursday evening meeting where I had beef around 8pm as well as a few beers. This, more than Sunday, most likely played a greater role in my little weight loss than anything else. Not to mention that I lost more than 5 lbs last week, I was doomed not to have excessive weight loss.

Stats for the Week
Beg. weight: 242.4
End weight: 241.0
Gain/Loss:-1.4
Total Loss: -11.4

Exercise for the Week
Monday: 45 minutes on stationary bike at gym and 3 sets each of 3 different ab machines.
Tuesday: A round of golf, but couldn't finish the 18 due to time restraints.
Wednesday: 45 minutes on stationary bike at gym and 3 sets each of 3 different ab machines.
Thursday: None
Friday: None
Saturday: 1 hour on the stationary bike at the gym and 3 sets each of 3 different ab machines.

Health Tip of the Week
Keep a Positive Mental Outlook
There's a definitive connection between living well and healthfully and having a cheerful outlook on life. Thought for the day: You can't be unhappy when you're smiling or singing.

Week Ending 2/2/2008

2008-02-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

It was a more productive week with my weight loss as I obtained my greatest single week success in weight loss. I credit this level of success to eating less and working out at least 3 times this past week. I was a little concerned going into the weigh-in due to the tightness of my wedding ring as opposed to the way it felt 2 weeks prior before I had a weight gain last week. However, it proved to be more my imagination and less factual. Furthermore, I have obtained my monthly weight loss goal of 10 lbs for the month with last week's performance. For next week, I need to continue to do what has been successful for me in the past month, which is less food and more exercise.

Stats for the week
Beg. Weight: 247.6
End Weight: 242.4
Loss/Gain: -5.2
Total Loss: 10.0

Exercise for Week
Monday: None
Tuesday: 45 minutes on stationary bike at home
Wednesday: 18 holes of golf at Knights Play.
Thursday: None
Friday: 45 minutes on stationary bike at gym; 2 sets of 20 on 3 ab machines.
Saturday: 45 minutes on stationary bike at gym; 3 sets of 20 on 2 ab machines.

Health Tip of the Week
Avoid Excessive Drinking
While recent studies show a glass of wine or one drink a day (two for men) can help protect against heart disease, more than that can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney disease and cancer. Thought for the day: A jug of wine should last a long time.

Week Ending 1/26/2008

2008-01-29T12:11:00.002-08:00

This week was not so good to me and my weight loss. Despite actually eating fairly well, I did not get the opportunity to exercise too much this week. In fact, I only actually worked out twice and played golf 1 day. This resulted in a slight gain in weight, the weight that I anticipated I would have gained last week as my 2nd week on my quest. Nonetheless, the totals are as they are and I have made a comittment to go the extra mile this week with both my food intake and my exercise.

Stats for the Week
Beg. weight: 244.8
End weight: 247.6
Net gain/loss: +2.8
Total gain/loss: <-4.8>

Exercise for the Week
Monday: none
Tuesday: none
Wednesday: played a 18 holes of golf
Thursday: 45 minutes on the stationary bike at the house.
Friday: 45 minutes on the stationary bike at the house.

Health Tip of the Week
Floss Your Teeth
Recent studies make a direct connection between longevity and teeth flossing. Nobody knows exactly why. Perhaps it's because people who floss tend to be more health conscious than people who don't? Thought for the day: Floss and be your body's boss.

Week endig 1/19/2008

2008-01-22T14:04:00.001-08:00

This week was a good and a bad week. It was good in that it resulted in a weight loss, but bad in that I did not get an opportunity to get to the gym to workout. With the poor weather and a busy schedule, I found it difficult to get up on time to get a workout done. However, I followed it by eating well balanced meals and cutting down on my portions. I plan to change this week by actually getting to the gym or working out at the house a few times this week.

Stats for the Week
Beginning weight: 247.6 lbs
Ending weight: 244.8 lbs
Loss/gain/week: 2.8
Total loss/gain: 7.6 lbs

Exercise for the Week:
Sunday: none
Monday: none
Tuesday: none
Wednesday: none
Thursday: none
Friday: Played 18 holes of golf at Knights Play.
Saturday: none

Tip for the week
Wear Your Seat Belt
Statistics show that seat belts add to longevity and help alleviate potential injuries in car crashes. Thought for the day: Buckle down and buckle up.

Week Ending 1/12/2008

2008-01-18T08:52:00.001-08:00

This has been my first full week back on the horse and attempting to actually loose weight after the holidays. I think it was a very successful week as I had worked out quite a bit as well as ate extremely well. The previous weight markers from last year will be disregarded as I begin my new goal of loosing 50lbs by my 40th birthday in December. This will result in me being around the 200 lbs mark and will make me extremely happy.

Last week, I worked out at either the gym or at home nearly everyday and it felt good to do so. I made my first trip to the gym in about a month and worked out very hard.

Stats for the Week
Beginning weight: 252.4
Ending Weight: 246.6
Net Loss/gain: -4.8
Total Weight loss: -4.8

Workout Log for the Week
Monday: Gym-35 minutes on bike, worked legs and upper body
Tuesday: Home-45 minutes on Stationary bike
Wednesday: Gym-30 minutes on bike, 2 sets on each Xpress Training equipment
Thursday: Home-45 minutes on stationary bike
Friday: None
Saturday: None

Tip for the Week
Protect Yourself from Pollution
If you can't live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms, high traffic areas, breathing in highway fumes and exercising near busy thoroughfares. Exercise outside when the smog rating is low. Exercise indoors in air conditioning when air quality is good. Plant lots of shrubbery in your yard. It's a good pollution and dirt from the street deterrent. Thought for the day: 'Smoke gets in your eyes'…and your mouth, and your nose and your lungs as do pollutants….hum the tune daily.

Suspension of this Blog

2007-12-05T08:56:00.000-08:00

Due to a very hectic schedule and the Holidays, this blog will be suspended until Jan. 2008. If you wish to contact me for any reason, please feel free to do so via my email. Thanks and I will see you after the first of the year with new items such as a potential new Meetup group.

Update for Week 10/21-10/27

2007-10-30T08:25:00.001-07:00

This week's update resulted with better results than expected. I did not work out as much as I would have liked or ate as well as I should have, and the results were better than they should have been. I weighed in on Monday morning instead of Saturday morning as I usually do. After a take off weekend as I usually do, I still lost a pound and now weigh 240.6. I am back up to a total weight loss to date of 5.6 lbs., which is the positive for today. Next week, I plan to do a much better job of working out consistently and eating fewer sweets than I have the past 2 weeks. In order to make this weight loss attempt a success, I must start eating smarter than I have in the past. I think I will make the goal of eating a healthy lunch each day this week. This may be the area where I am failing the most in terms of making too many fast food trips for lunch.

Daily Exercise Activities
Monday-Worked out at home on the stationary bike for 45 minutes. Also, played basketball at the gym.
Tuesday-Rode the stationary bike at the gym for 45 minutes, then spent about 20 minutes on the Xpress Trainer, while doing 20 reps on each machine and 2 sets of 20 reps on the ab machine.
Wednesday-Played 9 holes of golf at Lochmere. We intended to play 18, but the weather prevented us.
Thursday-Worked out at the house for 45 minutes on the stationary bike.
Friday-NONE
Saturday-Played 18 holes of golf at Heddingham.

Tip of the Week
Reduce Stress

Easier said than done, stress busters come in many forms. Some techniques recommended by experts are to think positive thoughts. Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like. (i.e.,Soak in a hot tub; walk on the beach or in a park; read a good book; visit a friend; play with your dog; listen to soothing music; watch a funny movie. Get a massage, a facial or a haircut. Meditate. Count to ten before losing your temper or getting aggravated. Avoid difficult people when possible. Thought for the day: When seeing red, think pink clouds….then float on them.

Weekly Update Oct. 14-20th 2007

2007-10-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

This week was not a success for me as my weigh-in resulted in a minor gain of 1 lb to 241.6 lbs. I have a total weight loss of 4.6 lbs since I began my quest. My failure to loose weight this past week is due primarily to my lack of exercise and my food intake. I worked out at the gym twice and at home twice. However, I ate quite a few sweets this week as I ate Goodberry's Ice Cream twice this week and also had part of a huge brownie that my wife purchased for me from the State Fair. I did have the opportunity to exercise with my dog on Saturday after the weigh-in.

Exercise Log for the week
Monday-none
Tuesday- Went to the gym and rode the stationary bike for 45 minutes, then spent 20 minutes on the Express Training cycle that basically works every major muscle area.
Wednesday-Stationary bike at home for 45 minutes.
Thursday- Stationary bike at home for 45 minutes.
Friday-None
Saturday-Went to gym and rode the stationary bike for 45 minutes, then spent 20 minutes on the Express Training cycle. Then, I shot hoops by myself in the gym for another 30 minutes. After returning from the gym, I took my dog for a long 4 mile walk down Six Forks Road.

Tip of the Week

Quit Smoking
The jury is definitely in on this verdict. Ever since 1960 when the Surgeon General announced that smoking was harmful to your health, Americans have been reducing their use of tobacco products that kill. Just recently, we've seen a surge in smoking in adolescents and teens. Could it be the Hollywood influence? It seems the stars in every movie of late smoke cigarettes. Beware. Warn your children of the false romance or 'tough guy' stance of Hollywood smokers. Thought for the day: Give up just one cigarette…. the next one.

Weekly Updates Oct. 7-13th

2007-10-17T13:00:00.001-07:00

My update for the week is good and bad news for me personally as I strive to loose my access weight. This report is actually for the past 2 weeks as I failed to post a report. I weighed in at 240.6, which is down from my weight of 242.6 the week prior for a total loss of 5.6lbs since I began. My work out regime for the previous week was very good as I went to the gym or worked out at the home at five times that week. However, this past week was not so good. The only work out I did was a pick-up basketball game on Monday evening where I worked off a great many calories. However, in addition to the calories, I also worked many muscles that I had not worked in at least 8 months. Therefore, I was hurting for the remainder of the week and did not feel good enough to work out until the weekend. Unfortunately, the weekend was not a good time for me to work out as I had to work most of it.

My goal for this week is to get back to my regimin of working out at least 5 times a week. I have already begun this week with that goal. Also, I would like to see significant weight lose this week. My goal is to loose 5 lbs this week alone. In order to obtain this goal, I will be working out 5 times, while watching what I eat. I have not been as good this week with my eating habits, but I think I am still within my caloric intake levels as I have been working out consistently this week.

Fitness Tip of the Week
Cut Fat
Avoid the obvious such as fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats (i.e. pork, bacon, ham, salami, ribs and sausage). Dairy products such as cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream should be eaten in low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine, butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts. Most are available in lower fat versions such as substitute butter, fat free cheeses and mayonnaise. Thought for the day: Lean, mean, fat-burning machine…. Then be one!

Weekly Update and Tip for Losing Weight

2007-10-03T07:12:00.001-07:00

My update for this week relates good news for myself and my weight loss. On my weekly weigh-in, I weighed 242.6, down from 246.2 for a loss of 3.6 lbs. This was great news for me as I began my quest to loose a small child. In obtaining these results, I ate particularly well by reducing the amount of food I ate as well as exercising. I went to the gym 3 days last week and also rode my stationary bike at the house 2 days for a total of 5 days of exercise.

The key element for my personal struggle with weight loss is plenty of exercise. I have found that when I exercise, I tend to feel better and tend to loose weight. Moreover, I am able to eat more food without gaining weight. It is a known fact if you exercise, then you must eat more calories or else you will turn muscle into fat and actually gain weight. So, this gives me a great opportunity to eat more food(as I really like food) and still get healthy.

My exercise regime this past week consisted of the following:

Monday: 60 minutes on the stationary bike, 3 sets on each of the ab machines
Tuesday: 45 minutes on the stationary bike at my home.
Wednesday: 45 minutes on the stationary bike at the gym; 20 minutes on the Fitness Trak that works each muscle group in the body from arms, legs, back, and abs.
Thursday: 45 minutes on the stationary bike at my home.
Friday: nothing
Saturday: 45 minutes on the stationary bike at the gym; 20 minutes on the Fitness Trak at the gym.

Fitness Tip of the Week
Move More
Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators. Walk your dog; chase your kids; toss balls with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it's a stress buster. Think 'move' in small increments of time. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute aerobic dance class or tai chi or kickboxing. But that's great when you're up to it. Meanwhile, move more. Thought for the day: Cha, Cha, Cha…. Then do it!

Daily Activity 9/25/2007

2007-09-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I did not wake up on time to go to the gym, but I did ride the stationary bike in my home for 45 minutes. I had meant to go to the gym in the evening for additional workout, but could not make it due to a last minute meeting I had in Cary.

As far as food intake, I did fairly well and did not eat any sweats. For breakfast, I had my typical 2-Fiber One bars along with my coffee. For lunch, I dined with a group that I am a member. I had a side salad, light on the dressing and mixed fruit. For my entree', I had carrots, 1-slice of boneless pork chop, and 1-small piece of chicken breast and unsweetened tea. Of course, I did not do desert. For dinner, I met a new group that I just joined at the Carolina Ale House in Cary. Since none of the members had a full dinner, I simply had an order of 10 grilled chicken wings and the carrot and celery sticks, no ranch dressing.

All in all, I think it was a good day with my meals and exercise. I wish I could have made it to the gym, but we cannot do everything we want to do. Hopefully, I will get up in time to make it more times than I miss it.

If you have any questions or would like to submit your information, please let me know.

Tale of the Tape

2007-09-25T07:23:00.001-07:00

Steven W. Nelson
Height: 5"11
Weight: 246.2 lbs
Goal Weight: 190lbs
Weight loss to date:0

Plans for the week:

I plan to work out at the gym at least 5 times this week. I also plan to eat relatively healthy with no sweets other than reduced fat/calorie items. I also plan not to eat red meat any more than 3 times this week.

Introduction to my Goals

2007-09-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

Hello, I am Steven W. Nelson, a Realtor in Raleigh, North Carolina for Keller Williams Realty. I have been a Realtor for nearly 8 years and have been overweight for at least 7 of those years. I am starting this blog and hopefully, turn it into a website as well, to not only help me loose about 55 lbs, but also become a resource to anyone reading this blog. It has been shown that the main way to obtain an objective or goal is to have an accountablility.

This is what I hope to make this blog!!!

In short, I hope to make this a resource for anyone interested in particpating to use it as an accountability mechanism.

I will be placing regular pictures of myself on a weekly basis to show my progress in loosing the excess weight that I have been carrying for a number of years. Additionally, I plan to give a daily account of my activities and food intake. I encourage anyone who wants to join me on my quest to loose weight to email me their information and I will be happy to also publish their results and daily/weekly results.

Every Saturday morning, I will weigh myself and post the weight on this blog for all to see. If you wish to join me on this quest, please supply me with the information via email and I will be happy to post it as well.

The bottom line is, we can loose weight together if we put our collective minds to the task at hand. Thank you and please email me.