Imp's fat loss log...because why not?

[lukepeter]

I
I continue to be surprised by the significant DOMs I am feeling after each workout considering the relatively light weight I'm using on my big compound movements. .

You and me both...

A workout, car progress, and wife project contributions... A successful weekend by all accounts

10lb is negligible weight gain for that time period, so well done to not fall into yo-yo'ing like me...

[Imp81318]

You and me both...

A workout, car progress, and wife project contributions... A successful weekend by all accounts

10lb is negligible weight gain for that time period, so well done to not fall into yo-yo'ing like me...

Yes, it was absolutely a successful weekend by all accounts! On the weight loss, since beginning this journey my focus has, as I've reiterated on here time and again, consistently been on making lifestyle changes that I felt I could sustain rather than any kind of crash diet to get to a specific weight number or pushing myself to reach a target lift capacity. That is the source of the "squishiness" in my goals, but also the big reason that I've been able to maintain my weight within reason despite having fallen off the exercise bandwagon for months on end. All of the changes that I made nutritionally were fairly easy for to make, and I incorporate them into my normal daily choices for food intake. Also, through this journey I really learned about the comparative caloric content, nutritional benefit, and satiation value of various foods which has been a huge boost for me. When snacks are available I still tend to over-indulge, but now I will often start or end my snack with a handful of nuts or something similar so that I do not feel hungry and grab another handful of carbs an hour later. I am much more consciously and subconsciously aware of my choices and, now that I have the power of knowledge, I am more inclined to make better choices with my food. My issue has never been that I gain a lot of weight quickly, rather I slowly add weight over time such that I don't realize that I'm doing it. These changes have slowed that process down considerably for me, I believe, and if I'm able to stick to a regular workout routine I should be able to maintain or even begin to slowly cut weight once again.

From a physical health perspective, I feel I am in a good place mentally and I just need to maintain my discipline to keep things under control. Which, so far, has been generally doable for me in my daily routine.

[PeteDenmark]

Steve - i'm glad to see you are keeping things consistent, very admirable.

I thought about your problem with pushups. I struggle with them as well, and since my "return" i can feel i utilize too many stabilizers and shoulders when i do them, and not the chest.
Since pushups is one of the best accessory exercises for bench press, i really needed to do them in a decent rep range - like 20-30 to get my fitness level up in the muscles involved.
So what i have done, is to have a hook from the ceiling on my deck, from which i suspend a fitness band. I they lay inside the band, with the band over my chest, so i have assistance in the movement. The band helps more in the bottom of the movement, which is the sticky point for most of us who are shoulder dominant in the movement. With the band i can concentrate on the mind muscle connection, keeping elbows in, and do enough reps. Bought two sets of assorted bands (the loop kind) for about $50, and they are great for assistance with BW movements.
Maybe you have tried it, but thought i would mention it .

[Imp81318]

Steve - i'm glad to see you are keeping things consistent, very admirable.

I thought about your problem with pushups. I struggle with them as well, and since my "return" i can feel i utilize too many stabilizers and shoulders when i do them, and not the chest.
Since pushups is one of the best accessory exercises for bench press, i really needed to do them in a decent rep range - like 20-30 to get my fitness level up in the muscles involved.
So what i have done, is to have a hook from the ceiling on my deck, from which i suspend a fitness band. I they lay inside the band, with the band over my chest, so i have assistance in the movement. The band helps more in the bottom of the movement, which is the sticky point for most of us who are shoulder dominant in the movement. With the band i can concentrate on the mind muscle connection, keeping elbows in, and do enough reps. Bought two sets of assorted bands (the loop kind) for about $50, and they are great for assistance with BW movements.
Maybe you have tried it, but thought i would mention it .

Thanks for the advice, Pete. Fortunately, I believe my shoulder issues are not nearly as pervasive as yours. In my very brief stint back to working out I have already improved to the 8-12 rep range on my pushups and I am most recently finding that my cardiovascular system gives out around the same time as my shoulders, and I'm starting to feel it in my chest by the later sets as well. So, while the bands sound like a great idea, I think that they are unnecessary for me at this point. I'd really like to have a better dedicated workout space somewhere. I had been working out in our spare bedroom/junk room previously and that worked OK but it is on the second story of our house so I do not like the idea of slamming sandbags around up there. Plus, it is a small room with little to no room to run any distance as my new program seems to require every damned workout. So I have moved to our basement which is carpeted, but it is finished and has a drop ceiling so I do not have opportunity to hang anything from the ceiling and my wife surely would not like the looks of it anyway as that is our primary room for hosting company as well as the kids' play room. Outside is terrible for my asthma this time of year, and the grass bothers my legs in the summer time due to a minor allergy. Gnats are also terrible due to the creek behind our house. The patio is an option, but it is concrete and wreaks havoc on my joints. For now I will continue in the basement as that seems to be the best option, but I badly need to get a pullup bar of some sort.

Weight today was 168.7 lbs. Not a drastic loss, but movement in the right direction is positive movement. I have felt generally more hungry this week, which I consider to be a good sign.

[Imp81318]

Haven't updated in a bit. Worked out twice last week, have not worked out yet this week. Tonight doesn't look good, and neither does the weekend to be honest. Weight has been hovering right around 170 lbs. Had a very busy and productive weekend last weekend - Friday night I was on my feet all night helping to set up for the pinewood derby race Saturday morning, on feet all morning at the race Saturday, then rip cut a downed tree to make a bridge across the creek out back for the kids in the afternoon, followed by non-stop cleaning/straightening/shuttling kids around on Sunday. Dinner with friends Sunday night provided a much needed break, but too many calories were consumed.

My son's car took second place out of 3 kids in his den, and the winner of his den placed in the top 5 for the pack overall. My son's car ran neck-and-neck with the other kid's too, and they had to have multiple run-offs to determine the final winner (a car had to win in both lanes to be declared the winner and lane 1 kept winning between the two of them). Before the last race my son dropped his car on his way to the starting line, so I'm guessing the alignment of one of the wheels was off in that final run. Or it could be that the 7-year-old kid just didn't have it lined up as carefully on the track I suppose but of course I'm going to consider mechanical factors first...

I've been fairly active this week, despite the lack of workouts. Tuesday I visited a construction site for work and walked a little over a mile, but it was exhausting constantly having to stomp my feet to break through the ice to avoid slipping and falling. My left heel has been bothering me all week - in truth not badly enough to prevent me from working out, but it has served as an available excuse when coupled with my general lack of motivation or desire this week. I think it is plantar fasciitis from the hiking boots I wore all last weekend, but not positive. Seems to be getting better slowly, and my sneakers bother it much less than the casual shoes I normally wear to work. This weekend will be another busy one with plans to finish the plywood topper for my wife's poker table and wire and install a mount for a ceiling fan in our bedroom along with normal household chores.

[Imp81318]

I noticed I haven't updated recently, yet again. I lack motivation to control my diet or to work out with any regularity right now. Most evenings I'd rather spend any free time I have drinking a beer and sitting on the couch rather than being productive. I realize it is not a healthy or wise choice for my physical well being, but it is the choice I have been making for my mental well being. My dad's cancer has not responded to chemotherapy at all so the doctors are switching gears to a localized radiation treatment coupled with immunotherapy. So we're back into a holding/waiting period hoping for the first piece of positive news since this whole ordeal started.

On the household front I installed a new ceiling fan in our master bedroom. Not a huge project, but it beat sitting around all weekend. I am beginning to formulate a list of home projects that I want to tackle as the weather starts to get nicer but the motivation to actually make progress on any of them seems lacking right now. I suspect it is the stress of my dad's condition coupled with an ever-growing backlog at work.

[PuppyLife]

I have been reading through your blog OP and good job!!!! I know that life can sometimes throw us curve balls and throw us off track. Consistency has been my biggest downfall in about everything I do honestly. We are only human and stress can definately affect us to the degree that we forget the goals that we have set. I think the biggest thing for us to relax and enjoy the process. I've just started a log today to help keep myself accountable as well as to look back on my progress. I think that with everything you are facing is perfectly normal. I think the most important thing that I've noticed is you have the resilience to pick yourself back up and go at it again!

[PeteDenmark]

I'm sorry to hear about your dad. I cross my fingers, and send positive thoughts, hoping the next course of treatment will have a better effect.

I have started to write comments to your posts regarding your workouts, but as you and Luke briefly touched on, it's hard to really support you if your goals are not concrete, but "squishy".
I know that you would like to be in better overall shape, but since you are not THAT out of shape, or THAT overweight, the sense of "i have to do something NOW" a lot of us fat dudes have as a motivator, you don't.

If you had i clear goal like. "i want to be able to do 30 pushups within 6 months" or "i want to be able to walk 10 miles in 120 minutes" it would be way easier to talk about what obstacles you had to overcome, and give you a deserved pat on the back. when you made strides towards your goal.

I haven't walked in your shoes, so i haven't got a clear idea what your situation is like, but it seems your goal of getting fitter often takes the back burner when "life happens". I sympathize with the fact, that external factors, sometimes outside of our control, interferes with the mojo of working out. It's especially hard if working out doesn't give you an immediate sense of well being, but is more of a thing you know you have to do, in order to function better in the long term.

I hate lifting weights, and i have more pain when i do it, than when i don't, at least for now. So fitness feels like it increases my stress level somewhat. So it is very easy to justify to skip training, if something else stressful happens.
The thing is - i have had years when i didn't train, and compared to now, it's not like i feel more stressed. The idea of not having to train is very soothing in the moment, but it's not truly soothing. The thought of the discomfort i feel during training is an obstacle, and if i decide not to train, watching reruns of sitcoms feels sooooo sweet. But in the years i didn't train at all, the very same sitcoms had no value and bored me.

I'm of course projecting, but we all have the time and energy to lift weights for 35 minutes 3 times a week. So instead of saying to myself "i don't have the energy to train" i say "training is not a priority for me right now". For me , that makes it a lot easier to evaluate why i'm avoiding doing something that is objectively good for my body and mind.
At times the reasons have been informed like "i suffer from PTSD, and right now i'm aggressively stressed out. If i put my body through physical stress right now, i will compound that feeling". But other times they have been lame like "i have had a very hard day at work, so that should count as a workout".

This time around, i haven't skipped a single training, but i'm sure it will happen. But when that day comes, i won't sit down. I will take those 35 minutes, and go for a walk instead. There is simply no way around it. I have allotted 3x40 minutes a week to my physical health, because i have already seen the consequences if i don't make that a priority.

What i'm getting at is maybe you could un-squish your goal a little, and et into the habit of making your physical health a priority that doesn't interfere with your mental well being. They shouldn't be mutually exclusive.

I'm sorry for rambling, and maybe not making 100% sense. This is by no means meant as an attack, nor does it come from a place of superiority. You are in better shape than i am, and have more responsibilities, and on top of that, you have to deal with the emotions of your father's illness.
I have justified (and still do) so many bad decision and priorities, because of external things. But everything is in my head (even my bad back).

I hope you don't think i'm way out of line, or find my platitudes too annoying. Unwarranted "advice" or patronizing pocket philosophy can be infuriating. My thinking is, that we are here to have a conversation, and to be kept accountable. Otherwise we could keep a diary in our desk drawer .

Ps. Do you find emojis juvenile, unnecessary and/or cheap? I quite enjoy them myself, but have noticed you never use them.

[Imp81318]

Puppy, Thanks for reading and the kind words of encouragement!

Pete, Thanks for the kind thoughts. I feel as though we are very much in a "wait and see" pattern with my dad and likely will not know if the treatment is having any effect at all for a little while. I know intellectually that my squishy goals are difficult to measure against which makes it difficult for anyone (you, Luke, or myself) to really offer any words of encouragement or admonishment. Your post does not come across at all as an attack, but rather as an attempt to help me figure out exactly what it is that I want and right now I'm just not sure what I'm looking for. When I started this journey two years ago I had a clear impetus for motivation - I had reached the highest weight I'd ever seen and suddenly realized that I knew nothing about exercise form, technique, programming, or nutrition/dietary needs/decisions, or even really what nutritional value different foods had or what my body needed. Forget about being healthy and/or fit, I didn't know how to eat! Now, fast forward two years, and I feel like I have a much stronger grasp on nutritional needs of my body and I have a baseline understanding of fundamental form and exercise movements/muscle groups and a very rudimentary level of programming an exercise routine. When I really think back to what my goals were when I started - in addition to reaching a target weight or body image, it was really primarily about learning and changing to a more healthy lifestyle and equipping myself with the knowledge base that I need to live a healthy life. I feel as though I have accomplished that bigger goal even if I never did quite reach 150 pounds as was my last weight goal.

Now, when I try to think about what my goals are, I don't have that "oh crap!" realization any more. I know that I felt better physically and emotionally when working out regularly and I'd like to have that be a part of my lifestyle again. I also felt better about myself emotionally when I exercised discipline and avoided snacking on nutritionally empty foods like chips and pretzels the vast majority of the time. So I'm left with these very squishy aspirations of wanting to "feel better", but there isn't really anything measurable or meaningful that I can put to it - I am already physically capable of doing everything that I want to do with my everyday life. I have no real, practical, need to be able to run a 5K or lift a certain amount of weight. And for me, right now, as much as I hate to admit it, fitting workouts into my schedule just isn't a priority for me at this point for some reason that I am unable to define (perhaps it is the emotional turmoil of everything going on with my dad, stress due to work, busy schedule with the kids, etc; but the motivation just isn't there for me right now).

Regarding emojis: I am often posting from my computer and, as much as I hate to admit this, I do not know how to access them on here. When I post from my phone/iPad I have a button for emojis, but I don't see that option on the PC. I've actually looked for them in the past, but to no avail...

[PeteDenmark]

Hi Steve, and thank you for taking my post in the manner it was intended.

Working out can be an unpleasant experience, that can actually compound negative emotions and stress, if it's the kind of workout that is done solely for the purpose of overloading to reach the next level, so if you truly don't feel up to it, i get that you have to be in a better place, before you once again try to integrate it. I myself do however find, that walks is a great way to avoid getting to that "oh crap" place, and as for comfort food it doesn't matter. It's calories in vs calories out, so if there's room for them, there's no harm.

If you want to write emojis you have to type them manually. A basic smiley face is just a : and a ) next to each other. It will automatically be shown as a when you post. There are plenty of others, but i have only committed a few to memory. Here is a list

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/misc.php?do=showsmilies

[Imp81318]

I’ve been thinking about your post, Pete, and I agree with a lot of what you say. Being stressed and in a difficult place emotionally/mentally should not be reason for me to stop taking care of my body. I doubt I am going to be able to make the time and commitment to work out on a regular basis, but I can absolutely start making better nutritional decisions. Effective immediately, my primary goal is to remain steadfast in making good choices with what and how much I choose to consume during the week. On weekends we tend to spend too much time with friends which involves drinking and eating unhealthy foods, or even just over indulging. I will try to keep things within reason on the weekends (i.e. not eat an entire bag of Doritos like I did yesterday), but I am going to relax and allow myself to eat ‘junk food’ when with friends. During the week though I will be to my regular nutritional regimen.