Shark Sandwich

[Z]

Originally Posted by AnnF

Hey there, Z! Thanks for checking in! Looks like you are making progress in all sorts of ways-- congratulations!

I was just in Arizona (Green Valley) to see my parents about 10 days ago and loving the winter weather. Mom and Dad thought it cold, but I spent a lot of time on the back porch watching the mountains and all sorts of birds. Love it there in cooler weather!

I'm a firm believer in the 'no one left behind' philosophy.

You were hardly 20 miles outside of town! I'm glad you enjoyed your visit.

[Z]

February goal: 283

I'm always talking about ramping up the difficulty as I progress, particularly with exercise. Walking to and from work (and everywhere else) has been a huge step, but it was only a beginning. I don't have all day, and walking is a fairly limited sort of exercise. Long story short, it's a new month, and the time has come to step augment my lifestyle of walking with some traditional exercise. Today is the day that I start pumping some serious iron.

I may have mentioned this before, but despite the 345 pounds I used to carry around all the time, I'm not actually in very good shape. Even with the advances I've made in losing weight, I've done very little (almost nothing) to build muscle, and absolutely nothing to work on my upper body.

There is a well stocked gym at my work, to which I have 24 hour access. The fact that I get off work at midnight means I get the whole place to myself...

...Which is good - Because I'm starting out with the 10 pound dumbbells.

I start off with 20 alternating bicep curls and then 20 simultaneous palms-in shoulder presses - followed by 20 simultaneous bicep curls.

Then I put in a mile on the recumbent, to give my arms a chance to rest (about 4.5 minutes).

Finally, I round the night out with 20 lateral lifts, Followed by 15 slow curl presses. At this point I realized that I was having trouble keeping my arms in proper form, so I called it a night - just to be safe.

Then I walked home briskly. I hit the zone I was shooting for - I can definitely feel that I worked my arms a bit, but I didn't overdo it and injure something. Just a nice warm burn. Which was nice, because it was freezing outside.

Hopefully, I'll be able to graduate to the 20 pretty quickly. It's still an embarrassingly light weight, but at least it's progress. I am curious to see what effect adding in some exercise is going to have on my weight loss. Will I lose weight more quickly, or less quickly? Maybe I'll break even for a while - I don't know.

An interesting side note... After a few months I should be able to perform the same exercises with heavier weights. I wonder how this will effect my bowling average.

Clearly I'm no Schwarzenegger, but why shoot for how fit I was, when I can start working towards how fit I'd like to be? Just as before - I'm going to start off incredibly easy in the beginning, and ramp up the difficulty as time goes on.

[AnnF]

You're an inspiration, Z, Truly.

[facelessnumber]

I believe adding weights to your plan will accelerate the process. That's what it did for me. It's also very motivating when one day you're doing the same exercises you've been doing, and you realize you're capable of more now. To me that's just as rewarding as seeing the scale go down. It's another measurable way to gauge your progress.

[Jrw85705]

Z - You are starting off with 10# dumbbells... well that's just showing off.

I had to start with just an empty bar and that became difficult after the first three or four reps. By the 10th one my arms were flailing around like two overcooked noodles. I finally worked up to the pink three pound weights after a couple of weeks. A small victory but I took it.

That was a year ago and I still work out at least 5 days a week. I was pretty close to my goal weight when I started and I did notice a initial small weight gain. It will still fluctuate depending on the intensity of my workout, the amount of water I drink, how much salt I've had and sometimes I swear for no other reason then the alignment of the planets.

Since I'm 63 and not 43 this journey into weight training is slower and more difficult than I'd like but it is very rewarding. Dr. Richard Bernstein's book "The Diabetes Solution" promotes weight training over cardio for better blood sugar control. I still do three miles a day on the treadmill but that has become my warm up for weights. With cardio exercise and a low carb diet I was able to control my blood glucose numbers with fewer meds than before low carb. Since I added weight training to those two things I no longer take any meds and my numbers are even better than before.

Keep up the great work and I hope it helps you as much as it has me.

[Z]

289.4 - hit my January goal a day late.

[Jrw85705]

What a difference a day makes. Congratulations!!!

[Z]

After work, I hit the gym on my way out the door.

Yesterday was a high reps, low weights day for two reasons:
1. Low weight high reps is popularly alleged to help build muscle endurance - an attribute that sounds like it could be quite useful.

2. I am a massive wuss.

Today, I made an effort to go in the other direction - heavier weight, fewer reps. I determined that my left arm couldn't lift 25 pounds with any real control, so I opted for the 20 pound set of dumbbells. I started off with 10 alternating curls, and 10 palm-in shoulder presses. My left arm couldn't lift at this weight safely anymore, so I stepped down to 15 pounds for 10 triceps kickbacks, and 15 hammer curl presses.

With my arms well worn, I set the recumbent stationary a notch higher than yesterday (from level 4 to level 5) and pedaled 1.2 miles. I started wearing out early, (I think I'm still wiped from yesterday) - but I pushed through until I hit my goal.

Having rested my arms, I grabbed the 20s again, and did 15 simultaneous biceps curls. I put those down for the 15 pounders for 15 lateral lifts, and just for fun I rounded the night off with a right arm only set of 15 with the 25 pound dumbbell

I've been trying to cycle through different exercises, rather than doing my sets on the same muscle one after the other. I try to make sure that I am fully in control of the weight during the entire motion. Tonight I tried to pay special attention to my forearms - paying attention to how each exercise utilizes these muscles.

And of course, I then walked home - briskly - adding another half mile to the day's exercise.

I've definitely found my weight limits for the different exercises, for now. In a month or so, I'll revisit what I'm doing, and hopefully step up to the 20 - 25 range for triceps kickbacks and lateral lifts, and the 30 range for curls and presses or maybe I've already hit my genetically hard coded maximum (somehow I doubt it...)

I'm really hoping that this extra exercise - aerobic and anarobic - will help me start losing some serious weight.

6 pounds in a month is ok - but 10 would be so much better.

[janetsbreeze]

Z - you HAVE been losing some serious weight!!!

[Z]

For the record, I don't intend to keep droning on about what specific exercises I do every single day. It's boring to read, and not terribly interesting to write. I simply want to establish a baseline against which I would be able to compare future progress.

Except for today. Today I'll be doing some prolonged chair sits, and a few remote control curls.

[LiterateGriffin]

~shakes head sadly~

Z,Z,Z... Didn't I WARN you about the exercise? Didn't I TELL you that if you kept walking and such, next thing you knew, you'd find yourself doing weights?

~mock-weary sigh~

And really, you're UPPING the weights... that's just one short step away from buying a workout wardrobe! ~shakes head sadly~

I'm afraid there's just really no hope for you, at this point. You're just bound and determined, aren't you? First it was, "I want to lose this fat". Then it was, "I want to improve my endurance"... Now this?

Admit it -- you're not gonna stop till you're 10 years younger, are you?



(Seriously -- glad you're caught that bug, too. Don't know about the overall weight-loss effect, but it has a HUGE effect on my overall well-being.)

[Z]

Originally Posted by LiterateGriffin

~shakes head sadly~

Z,Z,Z... Didn't I WARN you about the exercise? Didn't I TELL you that if you kept walking and such, next thing you knew, you'd find yourself doing weights?

~mock-weary sigh~

And really, you're UPPING the weights... that's just one short step away from buying a workout wardrobe! ~shakes head sadly~

I'm afraid there's just really no hope for you, at this point. You're just bound and determined, aren't you? First it was, "I want to lose this fat". Then it was, "I want to improve my endurance"... Now this?

Admit it -- you're not gonna stop till you're 10 years younger, are you?



(Seriously -- glad you're caught that bug, too. Don't know about the overall weight-loss effect, but it has a HUGE effect on my overall well-being.)

No, I don't think I will stop anytime soon. I figure if I continue to work on building and maintaining my overall fitness level until I'm 60, I'll be able to coast from there.

I think each phase has been a stepping stone that allowed for the next. If I could go back in time and start over, I wouldn't do it any differently.

I needed to lose that first 20 or 30 pounds just to be able to function. To be able to handle strenuous activities like 'standing up', or 'staying on my feet for several minutes'. At this point I wasn't worried about cardio or fitness or any of that... Simply being able to effectively bear my own weight. By the end of a day of sitting up in a chair, my back hurt.

After that, I started with increased walking, because I could. Over the last few months, it has enabled me to make this next step towards (ug...) working out.

You are right though - I'm totally looking forward to hitting the gym. I have to force myself to take days off.

I'll try to resist the urge to start juicing and calling everyone bro.

[Z]

I wish I had my camera, but this phone shot will have to suffice. On the right is me before I started LC. On the left is me today in the same shirt.



I know black doesn't exactly make the difference pop out at you, but one thing you'll notice is that the letters on the shirt on the left run almost up and down, whereas the letters on the shirt on the right are being pushed out by all of my extra mass.

I've got a long way to go, but it's nice to be able to see the difference.

[BellaRose]

Yes you can see the difference......
in your t-shirt/body and face.
Good Job.

[facelessnumber]

Originally Posted by BellaRose

Yes you can see the difference......
in your t-shirt/body and face.
Good Job.

Yep, most especially the face. A few more months and people won't recognize you.

[Jrw85705]

Whoa Bro, your before and now pictures are so impressive I almost choked on my kale juice!! All kidding aside what a tremendous difference. Keep up the good work.

[janetsbreeze]

Such a difference - great job!

[LiterateGriffin]

Obvious differences:

• THE FACE! OMG, is that a HUGE dif or what? You went from a "square" to an "oblong". Your face now gets noticeably narrower below the cheek-bones. It didn't, before.
  
• The letters, as you pointed out.
  
• The hang. Your "before" picture, the shirt doesn't HANG, anywhere. It stretches over your body. In the "now" pic? It's HANGING under your camera-arm. Right there, it doesn't actually touch your body (except for possibly brushing it) on the way down. I bet I could walk behind you and grab a fist-full of fabric if I wanted. (If you were female, I'd say, "and bring out your waist" -- like those dresses that are tied or laced up the back.) On a shirt that had NO extra fabric, a few months ago!

Man, that's an amazing change in just a few months!

[Z]

In order to illustrate the differences a bit better, here's a shot in profile.

The "Before" shot here is after I lost 20 pounds already - that's not my fattest. The "after" shot is today, having lost nearly 60 pounds. The two shirts in the photos are the same size, the same manufacturer, and indeed - the same shirt. just in a different color.

[Melle's_Sweetheart]

I think it's great to hear that you "beat Anorexia".

Good one...love your sense of humour!

Great progress! I wish I could have your metabolism!

[DairyQueen]

Fanfriggintastic!!!!!

Terrific results...you're a great poster child !!!!!

[Mina Vendetta]

Amazing! You're kicking butt.

I'd like to hear the argument that this WOE doesn't work, or is harmful to your health, etc. after seeing your progress.

[Z]

Originally Posted by BellaRose

Yes you can see the difference......
in your t-shirt/body and face.
Good Job.

Originally Posted by facelessnumber

Yep, most especially the face. A few more months and people won't recognize you.

Originally Posted by janetsbreeze

Such a difference - great job!

Thanks guys. It's nice to finally be at a point where there are visible differences. The funny thing, I haven't shown these pictures to anyone I know. When I see my wife again, I'm hoping she will be pleasantly surprised. I've got a lot of losing left to do - I've only lost 58 of the 190 pounds I started out needing to lose - but I've moved into a completely different category of fat. I have so much road ahead of me, but the fruits of my efforts are becoming plainly evident.

Originally Posted by DairyQueen

Fanfriggintastic!!!!!

Terrific results...you're a great poster child !!!!!

Aww shucks... I don't know that I'm that, exactly. In a way though, I feel like I have to succeed. I feel as though each of us is an ambassador for the low carb lifestyle. When we succeed, our friends will want to know how - nothing sells like success.

If I fail because I make the wrong choices, low carb will take the fall in my friend's eyes. "I told you it wasn't possible to lose weight eating a pound of bacon, two beef patties, and four slices of cheese for breakfast!"

I simply can't allow myself to fail. I have to be right, so I can stuff those arguments right back where they came from - right down my detractors' gullets where they can choke on them.

Originally Posted by Jrw85705

Whoa Bro, your before and now pictures are so impressive I almost choked on my kale juice!! All kidding aside what a tremendous difference. Keep up the good work.

Hahahaha - Nice, bro. I was actually referring to steroids when I said 'juicing', but I suppose kale would be just as bad.

Originally Posted by LiterateGriffin

Obvious differences:

• THE FACE! OMG, is that a HUGE dif or what? You went from a "square" to an "oblong". Your face now gets noticeably narrower below the cheek-bones. It didn't, before.
  
• The letters, as you pointed out.
  
• The hang. Your "before" picture, the shirt doesn't HANG, anywhere. It stretches over your body. In the "now" pic? It's HANGING under your camera-arm. Right there, it doesn't actually touch your body (except for possibly brushing it) on the way down. I bet I could walk behind you and grab a fist-full of fabric if I wanted. (If you were female, I'd say, "and bring out your waist" -- like those dresses that are tied or laced up the back.) On a shirt that had NO extra fabric, a few months ago!

Man, that's an amazing change in just a few months!

Thanks. It is really unbelievable to me to have made this much progress so quickly. I've tried to be 100% committed, and these little 'non-scale' victories (e.g. swimming in clothes that didn't fit a few months ago), have rewarded and renewed my resolve.

And yes, you could grab a couple fistfuls of fabric. Not to boast, but 5xl ain't my shirt size anymore. Neither is 4xl.

Every french fry, every cake, every pie, every pizza that was shoved in my face over the last few months, that I've declined;

Every snack that I passed on even though I would have loved to enjoy it;

Every time I've ordered shell eggs explicitly in extraordinary detail until I was certain that the waiter understood;

Every plate of fries sent back, and every bun unordered;

Every egg, strip of bacon, and pork roast that I've cooked and eaten - That's what I'm seeing in the mirror.

And every time I think that I've hit the wall, and I've reached the end of what I can lose... I wake up a pound lighter than the day before, two or three days in a row.

Originally Posted by Melle's_Sweetheart

I think it's great to hear that you "beat Anorexia".

Good one...love your sense of humour!

Great progress! I wish I could have your metabolism!

Thanks - I built it myself!

Seriously though, I know that I have an advantage being male and all. But, you know what - even after I lose all of my weight, I'll still be ugly

As for the anorexia shirt, I had it custom made. I figured, if I was going to be fat, I'd better have a sense of humor about it.

[Mina Vendetta]

Originally Posted by Z

Thanks guys. It's nice to finally be at a point where there are visible differences. The funny thing, I haven't shown these pictures to anyone I know. When I see my wife again, I'm hoping she will be pleasantly surprised.

Your wife will ask: Who are you and what have you done with my husband?

[LiterateGriffin]

No... She'll say, "Shhhh! I don't want my husband to catch us!"

[NH_Free]

Wow, Z! Amazing difference - and I love the shirt! You must have gone down a few pant sizes, from the looks of it. Are you wearing baggyass pants and just tightening your belt, like my husband?

Your wife is going to be shocked.

[Z]

yeah - can't bring myself to waste money on new pants... First of all, these ones still technically work, but more importantly - I haven't the first clue what size pants I wear!

[Terri B]

Z, what I notice the most is your posture in the "now" picture compared to your before pic. You are definitely taller and prouder. Kudos!

Yeah, Wait until the pants are RIDICULOUS before spending money on smaller ones!

[LiterateGriffin]

lol If you're not afraid of a needle & thread, you can take some amateurish tucks in your waistband to prolong the useful life of your pants.

That's what I did, the first time I went on Atkins. The tucks weren't even the same size -- but it used up about 6" total around my waist, so they'd stay up, and I could wear them. (After all, I wasn't "done" yet, I didn't want to spend a bunch of money.) Then, infamously, I got pregnant...

About 5 months pregnant, I started a new temp-job. It was a great place. My (female) boss was laughing, though, when I was 7 months pregnant and, "still wearing regular jeans".

What they didn't get was that they used to fit when I WASN'T pregnant!

But as for the tucks:

Put on the pants. Hold them out to the side, pulling the extra fabric "tight". Then kind of tuck your thumb behind the extra fabric and fold it BACK, towards your rear. Do this on both sides at once, but PIN them that way one side at a time. (Do it, pin one. The do it and pin the other.) Now you have 2 tucks, one pinned on each side, right? Each TUCK has two FOLDS -- one visible from the outside, and one on the inside. Stitch carefully down each fold.


It's not ideal, or a true alteration... But it is better and more comfortable than trying to use just a belt to hold 'em up!

[Phranquie]

Holy crap Z, you're looking great! The profile comparison shots are quite impressive. Your wife is going to flip when she sees you.

On the pants front, if you don't want to spend money on clothes you'll only wear a short while go to a thrift store and you can replenish your supply of clothes for pretty cheap. Definitely get a new smaller shirt and pair of pants for when you first see your wife as better fitting clothes will show off your hard work even more.