Week 55 Summary

Sunday:  Tennis (USTA Doubles Match), 4-6; 6-2; 6-2, 120 minutes
Monday:  Rest
Tuesday:  Home Elliptical Machine, Level 16, 90 minutes, 14.5 miles, 1020 calories
Wednesday:  Home Elliptical Machine, Level 16, 60 minutes, 10.85 miles, 800 calories
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Tennis (team practice). 90 minutes

Total:  360 minutes (6.0 hours)

Same eating issues.

Week 54 Summary

Sunday:  Home Elliptical Machine, Level 16, 45 minutes, 6.96 miles.
Monday:  Running (Treadmill), 5.0 miles, 47:01
Tuesday:  Rest
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday:  Tennis (lesson), 60 minutes
Friday: Rest
Saturday:  Tennis (team practice, doubles), 90 minutes

Total:  242 minutes (4.03 hours)

Still struggling with emotional eating.

Week 53 Summary

Sunday:  Running (treadmill), 4.0 miles, 38 minutes (5K at 28:30).
Monday:  Home Elliptical Machine, Level 16, 60 minutes, 8.47 miles
Tuesday:  Tennis (Doubles League Match), 6-3; 7-5, 80 minutes
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday:  Rest
Friday:  Home Elliptical Machine, Level 16, 45 minutes, 7.43 miles
Saturday:  Tennis (team practice), 90 minutes

Total:  313 minutes (5.2 hours)

More of the same.  A decent working out week and struggling with emotional eating.

Week 52 Summary

Sunday:  Tennis (Mixed Doubles), 4-6; 6-1, 10-7 (modified tie breaker in lieu of 3rd set), 105 minutes
Sunday:  Tennis (Singles -- completion of delayed match), 6-2; 3-6; 6-10 (modified tie breaker in lieu of 3rd set, 45 minutes.
Monday:  Home Ellipitical Machine, Level 16, 60 minutes, 9.04 miles
Tuesday:  Home Elliptical Machine, Level 16, 60 minutes, 8.59 miles
Wednesday:  Rest
Thursday:  Tennis (lesson), 60 minutes
Friday: Rest
Saturday:  Tennis (practice doubles sets), 120 minutes, 5-4, 7-8 (5-7)
Saturday:  Tennis (league match, doubles), 60 minutes, 6-3; 6-0
Saturday:  Home Elliptical Machine, Level 16, 45 minutes, 7.05 miles

Total:  55 minutes, 9.25 hours.

Another decent week of exercising.  It is nice to see the home elliptical workouts increasing to 60 minutes on some days.  That will certainly help with the 10K.

Different week, same story.  I am still struggling with overeating (to the point of binge eating).  The extra exercise is helping to temper the impact of my eating, but I need to get it back under control.

This marks the "end" of 52 weeks.  My actual anniversary of when I started this journey is Monday.  That will be quite an accomlishment.

Cheers.

Week 51 Summary

A bit more of the same this week.  Decent exercise and not meeting my calorie goals.

Sunday:  Running, 5K, 29:32
Sunday:  Tennis (Mixed Doubles):  4-6; 3-6, 90 minutes
Monday:  Home Elliptical Machine, 45 minutes, 6.44 miles
Tuesday:  Home Elliptical Machine, 63 minutes, 10.3 miles
Wednesday:  Tennis (Ball Machine), 90 minutes
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday:  Rest

Total:  307 minutes (5.28 hours)

I basically blew off my eating plan on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

This week is Week 52 and on May 3rd I will celebrate my one year anniversary of getting back on plan.  I definitely need to string together several good days to get back to a good spot.

Anti-Jared/PriorFatGirl Challenge Results

Below is the email I sent to PriorFatGirl and Anti-Jared after I completed their 60 minute workout challenge today.


What a great challenge!


This is the first online challenge I have done since I started my weight loss journey almost a year ago. Originally, I was going to use the StairMaster at the local rec center. But, when I realized that I had never gone an hour or more at the maximum level on my home elliptical machine, I changed my mind. I paid a lot for that elliptical machine back in 2001 and it has saved my rear three times.

You see, I was dumb enough to get trapped in the yo-yo diet cycle. To get out of the latest "yo", I have had to lose about 90 pounds. I started on 5/3/09 and dusted off the elliptical machine. I know both of you like going to the gym. As a matter of fact, so do I. But for me, I cannot tell you how I would have made it to where I am without my elliptical machine at home. I still haven't run out of workouts that I can do on that machine.

So, I had to "honor" it by using it for this challenge. This HAS to be the end of my yo-yo's.

I maxed out the level and set the timer for 61 minutes. The extra minute was ceremonial but I knew that I had never done an hour at maximum resistance. When I started, I wasn't sure how hard I was going to try to go. After about 15 minutes I noticed I was feeling pretty good. I checked my distance and determined that I had a shot of cracking the 10 mile barrier. Then, I kicked it in gear. As I approached 60 minutes, I noticed that I had a chance of breaking the 10 mile mark in just under 60 minutes. In fact, at 60 minutes, I had covered 10.1 miles. At the end of 61 minutes, I had covered 10.3 miles.

I realize that elliptical machine miles are not the equivalent of miles you cover when you run. But, this is definitely a personal best for me and I can honestly say I left it all on the machine today.

Since I am training for a 10K at the end of May that I hope to finish in less than 60 minutes, this was a perfect workout. Completing a 10K (regardless of time) will be a HUGE milestone for me.

I do not have the courage that each of you have. So, I have not attached pictures of myself -- but, I am a sweaty mess. Instead, I did attach a picture of the screen on my elliptical machine showing 61 minutes completed and another picture showing 10.3 miles completed.

I believe I signed up for this challenge on both of your blogs before I realized you were both trying to recruit people. Please count me however you like. Also, I believe one of you is doing a drawing for a Polar watch. If my name comes up, please donate the watch to charity or pass it on to someone else. I feel blessed enough today.

Anti-Jared, you are right. My favorite sentence is now "I will take those jeans in a size 31 and that shirt in medium".

I hope you both reach your recruiting goals for this challenge and I hope you crush your own 99 minute workouts.

Cheers.
David

Week 50 Summary

I will definitely stop counting weeks after I reach the one year milestone.  I continue to struggle with my eating.  That is definitely where I need to focus.  It seems that either I stick to my 1600 calorie a day plan or I eat everything in sight. 

This has been a problem since I came within what I think was 2 weeks of my goal.  I have to find some balance.  Why am I not letting myself cross the finish line?

I am making up for the lack of balance (sort of) through exercise.  I continue to do well in the department.

Sunday:  Tennis (ball machine), 60 minutes
Sunday:  Tennis (mixed doubles practice sets), 120 minutes, 6-4, 6-0, 6-4.
Monday:  Home Eliptical Machine, 45 minutes, 6.53 miles
Tuesday:  Tennis (singles), 90 minutes, 6-1; 4-6; 0-1 (6-10).
Wednesday:  Treadmill, 36:50, 4 miles
Thursday:  Tennis Lesson.  Mostly a discussion of the mental side of the game.  20 minutes of light hitting
Friday:  Rest
Saturday:  Tennis (team practice), 60 minutes
Saturday:  Tennis (preseason singles match), 60 minutes, 6-3, 1-0 (delayed due to rain)

Total (rounded):  492 minutes, 8.2 hours

I was really hoping to win the singles match on Saturday.  We might finish the match today though Monday is more likely.  I also have our first mixed doubles team match today.  It would be a significant milestone to get wins in both matches.  Though, focusing on some of the technical changes I am making to my game needs to be my goal.

Today, I did my first run that was not on a treadmill.  I measured a 5K course in the neighborhood and ran it for the first time.  I completed the course in 29:32.  It was certainly a different experience than running on a treadmill.  It makes me wonder if I am going to be ready for a 10K by Memorial Day.  I am not sure if I could have run that course twice today.  However, it certainly was easy to simply go outside, run, and walk back inside.  That saves the time it takes to go to the gym (and the $5/day charge at our local rec center).

So, now my home machine contains an eliptical machine and an outdoor 5K course.

I am proud of what I am doing from a fitness perspective.  But, I have to get my eating under control or I am going to lose the progress I have made.

My exercise plan for the week is:

Today:  5K run, Mixed Doubles Tennis
Monday:  45 minutes on the Elpitical Machine
Tuesday:  61 minutes on the Stairmaster machine as part of the Anti-Jared/Prior Fat Girl Challenge
Wednesday:  90 minutes with the ball machine
Thursday: 45 minutes on the Eliptical Machine
Friday:  4.5 miles on the treadmill
Saturday:  either rest or tennis practice

I am on the road the last half of the week so perhaps I can use that time to get my eating back on track.  I am going back to my 1600 calorie per day plan this week to drop the few pounds I have put on.

It is also clear that some of the other things I want to post to this blog are going to have to wait until May when I have more time.  Between family obligations, work, coaching, tennis, and other fitness activities, it is clear that I am overcommitted.  Some things will start easing up after this week.  In mid-May, I will likely find myself with a lot of time on my hands and will spend more time on this blog.

I thought I had set up this Spring to be a time to relax and have fun.  It has turned out very differently and I need to figure out why.

Cheers.