Token Fat Guy...on a path less traveled

26 Pounds

2010-02-28T04:13:00.001-05:00

Okay.I finally got off my lazy butt and got SharePoint Designer configured on my new computer. This means.ZOMBIES ARE BACK!! That's right, up until now only my blog was functioning and could be changed. So be sure to check out the home page and get your zombie fix.

Well, I've been enjoying wearing the new pants that I got last week. Its nice to not have to pull them up every 5 minutes.

As of this Saturday, I'm down 26 pounds. And something I like to do from time to time is to point out a few things that weigh as much as I've lost. So here is a small list of things that weigh 26 pounds.

This box of Arm & Hammer kitty litter.26 pounds!

This bag of Huggies Little Swimmers.26 pounds!

This Earthlite Luna ultra light massage table..26 pounds!

Makes me feel so much better when I think about it that way. :)

Anyway, Enjoy the zombies on the front page. See you in a week or two.

Spare the Knee, Spoil the Child

2010-02-16T08:27:00.001-05:00

Walk/Run

My knee is slowly getting better. It started when I was at my mother in-law's house setting up her replacement computer. I was down on my knees and there was a load POP! It hurt like crazy but it started feeling better right after that. I'm still taking it slowly but I think I'll be okay. I ran a bit this week and it was just stiff. No real pain. I'll dial it up next week and see how that does.

Loving the new phone still. Since it has the weather, I check it before I get dressed to go to the track. Its still pretty cold here in the mornings but sometimes a warm morning will sneak up on you. I hate having to get dressed twice for my workout.

I'm still not tracking my food as closely as I should. I'm better but not where I should be yet. I start out strong in the morning but by the time midday rolls around, I'm just letting it slide. I'm still eating the stuff I'm supposed to. I'm just not tracking it. This is something I'll work on.

Speaking of walking/running, I finally got my gym membership updated. I got up this morning and it was pouring rain. I don't mind running in snow and ice but I really don't like running in the rain that much. So I got my membership paid up and used the indoor track. Waiting in line to fix my membership was a pain. There is always a rush on gyms after the new year. It normally dies down around March or so.

As some of you know, I wear a Body Bugg to track how many of my calories I'm burning. One of my coworkers asked me how I was burning so much. My answer.running..nothing burns calories like running.

Here is a shot of how yesterday played out for me.

For the most part, I burn about 1.7 - 2.0 calories per minute. That's the steady, low parts of the cart. There are always some spikes from taking the trash out or that one at 3pm when I went to the store. But the most dramatic change comes from when I went for my run. You can see that my caloric burn jumped up to about 13.2 calories per minute.

Progress Report

Two notable things happened. First I dropped another pound.yeah! And second I had to buy some smaller pants. My old ones were falling off me.

As for the web site, I continue to repair the archives. I don't have half of it done yet. So be patient with me. As soon as I fix that, I'll try to fix the front page.

Anyway, all done for this week..get out there and burn some calories!

BAHHHH!!!

I completely spaced and forgot to extend my ownership of www.TokenFatGuy.com! I thought my renewal date was next month. Anyway, the bill has been paid and in a few days the site will show up correctly again. I'm such a goober.

Anyway, sorry for the inconvenience. I think the site has been offline for about a week.

Two Weeks of Weird

2010-02-07T17:50:00.001-05:00

The last couple of weeks were odd..okay they were weird.

I've got my FTP setup the way I like and I'm going back and correcting the issues with my blog links. Imagine having to manually edit years of blog entries. I have a method of doing it but its still slow going. I apologize to anyone trying to read my older entries. I'll get it sorted soon..well.eventually.

This second week was a mess. We had a visiting tester at work. So for a week I had to adjust to his schedule. But that's over now and I can get back to normal. It sort of worked out because the weather got all nasty. I wouldn't have been able to run anyway. Which puts another thing on my list of things to do...renew my gym membership. I'm going to go do that tomorrow.

I was surprised at how many of my readers returned as soon as I started blogging again. I sort of assumed that they would have written me off. I feel better knowing that I still have their support.

And the big news on the technical side is that I finally gave up on my old phone after months of battling with it and Verizon. So I took advantage of a deal I got through work and got an HTC Pro2.

I absolutely love this phone. One of the cool things it does is that it has OneNote Mobile on it. So when I stuck in boring meetings at work I can pull it out and work on my blog. Then when I get back to my desk or back home I can sync it with my PC, pull the text out, and drop it into my blog. In fact some of this week's blog was made while in just such a meeting.

Anyway, enough about my phone.at least for now.

My weight has been holding steady as last week was really a wash. But I jumped back into my routine Sunday. So I'm hoping things will get back to normal this week.

I have noticed that some of my weights I've been using are going up pretty regularly. So my muscles are responding to being in use again.

One thing that did happen that I'm a bit worried about is that I tripped over some stuff last week and twisted my knee a bit. Its been hurting but I won't try to run on it until tomorrow. We will see what happens. I might just walk it tomorrow. I'll see how it feels.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Thanks for reading!

Put Title Here

2010-01-25T10:51:00.001-05:00

I couldn't think of a clever title this week. Oh.wait.that IS kind of clever!

Last week went okay. I didn't miss any workouts and kept to my diet. And weight is starting to come off.which is good.

Diet - For the most part I'm getting in 5-6 small meals every day. I'm still not eating completely the way I should but I'm getting closer. I've added back in some raw veggies.

Working out - Running 4 times a week and lifting 3 times a week. I might need to change out one of my shoulder exercises as it hurts my back to do but we will see how that plays out. My running is getting better. What I'm doing is at the start, I would just walk 3.1 miles (5k). Next week, I put in a bit of running and walked a bit less. Then more running, less walking.and so on. I'm up to 1.5 miles of running.so about half. I'm not up to the point where I need to start taping my feet or anything fancy. But I burn a ton of calories. Nothing burns calories quite like running.

Sleep - This is where I need some improvement still. I'm getting around 6-7 hours sleep a night. This isn't really enough if I want to lose weight. I need about 8-9 hours. But I'm getting better at it.

Web site - This thing is really a mess. But I'm sorting it out bit by bit. The bad news is that I lost my weight chart that kept track of my progress. The good news is that I found a backup that had an older version of the chart and I still have all the workout sheets that I made the contain my weigh-ins. So using all that I was able to construct an up to date chart. I'm still adding in some of the older dates but it is close enough for me to use for now.

Although I did fix a problem with posting pictures to the site from my blog program. That seems to be working now.

Computer woes - I'm decommissioning my old server and giving it to my mother in-law. So while I get all that sorted out, I don't have access to the new server. This is making getting my web site stuff working a bit problematic. But I'll get there. But no new zombie humor for now.

Progress - Stepped on the scales Saturday and got a pleasant surprise..287 pounds. So I'm down 20 pounds so far. Its really coming off fast but I know that won't last. Eventually it will calm down and I'll start losing about 1-2 pounds a week.

That's about all for this week. I need to get out and do my run for today. So everyone have a great week and I'll see you in February.

What? Still here? Looking for that joke I throw in at the end? Ah.huh..then let's see here.uh.how about some immature toilet humor? Yeah, that's the ticket.

Now go run your butt around the block of few times!

Baby Steps and Blog Doo Doo

2010-01-18T10:31:00.001-05:00

Baby Steps

Well, I'm still on track after a couple of weeks. I'm making small changes in my lifestyle. One of the things I did learn in my last attempt at weight loss is that you have to start out small. If you make too many changes at once you end up with a plan that is so regimented that you won't follow it long term. The best way is to make small changes.baby steps.

So here is a list of things I've changed so far in the last couple weeks.

Meals - 5 per day instead of 2. This is one of the most important and hard to grasp concept for many dieters. The whole secret to losing weight is based off the single principle of 'burning more calories that you consume'. To that end, you want to keep your metabolism as high as you can for as long as you can. Eating twice a day just slows your metabolism down to a crawl. Then when you do finally eat, you tend to over eat and you body just stores everything up as fat. Eat 5-6 small meals, spaced out about 3 hours apart and you will keep your system running high all day.

Exercise - I'm starting to lift weights and do my walk/run thing again. I'm not doing it as often as should but I'm getting there.

Water - I'm still not drinking as much as I should but I'm drinking more than I was (how vague is that?!). What's important for now is that I'm getting away from those sodas that I would chug so much. I'm down to just one a day. Soon I'll cut that out to but again.baby steps.

Body Bugg - So I can keep track of how many calories I burn all day, I reactivated my Body Bugg.

Blogging - This was an important part of my plan last time. It allowed me to get my feelings out in the open instead of keeping them locked up in my head where they'd do the most damage.

Blog Doo Doo

My whole website is a mess.not just my blog. I've been away for so long, I've forgotten how most of this stuff works. And all my web admin stuff is still on my old computer. I haven't moved anything to the new computer yet.

The only thing I have working is a new install of Windows Live Writer. That's what I use to write and publish my blog. It took me a couple hours to sort out that part, and I still have some big problems I need to fix. The first was to get my pictures to save to the correct location so they would sho up on the blog. And that's done at least.

One of the biggest problems is that I dropped one of my domain names. Back when I was still doing this regularly, I had two domain names, strangedos.com and TokenFatGuy.com. They both pointed at the same site. However, I dropped strangedos.com as no one was getting to my site using that name anymore. However, there a ton of references to strangedos.com in my blog's archives. So now that the domain is gone all those links are broken. And to fix this I need to get on my site and start looking at all my archive pages. This is going to take a while. And its going to drive me crazy since I hate it when I'm on someone else's site and their links aren't all working. Lazy web admins!

Progress

I've only been on the plan for a couple of weeks but already I have some encouraging news. I weighed in Saturday and found that I was 292 pounds. That means I'm back to the starting point I was at when I came up with the whole TokenFatGuy idea. Also, it means I back below 300 pounds.

I guess that's all for now. I'm going to go ahead and post. I need to get to the track..today is running day.

Coming out of the Closet

2010-01-12T20:12:00.001-05:00

I bet I have your attention now! But no.I'm not gay.

I'm not really coming out of the closet.more like coming out of the pantry.

Over a year ago, some things happened that turned my life upside down. I won't get into it but it caused me to lose focus. And it went unchecked.I allowed it to completely derail me.

Oh sure, there were timed I regained my focus for a moment. I even managed to do a 10k run back in September. But as soon as the run was over, I fell pretty hard.

One of the worst parts about it is that I felt I couldn't really share what was going on with anyone because after losing 93 pounds, I was sort of a celebrity. I had articles written about me, and people were asking for my help all the time. I just really felt like if I let it be known that I gained back any sizable amount of weight it would let down those that were looking up to me.

So I suffered in relative silence. Became reclusive and stopped taking care of myself all together.

This is one of the reasons my brief attempts at regaining focus would be so short lived. It was like I gained back the weight and now I not only had to hide the fact, but couldn't step out into the light again until I fixed the problem.

So I'm about to come clean. Like Erik Chopin (Biggest Loser winner that gained it back) I'm going public.

Erik, you da man!

I stepped on the scales a couple of weeks ago and found to my horror that I weighed 307 pounds.

307 pounds.

There I said it. That's the heaviest I've ever been. But I'm done hiding.it is so NOT the way I lost the weight in the first place. TokenFatGuy has always been about putting myself out there and making society understand that while I was fat I was also a 'work in progress'.

So for all of you that have wondered, "Whatever happened to TokenFatGuy", well.I've been eating. But I'm done now. I'm back on the road to fixing what is wrong with me.

Now I just need to figure out how to post this to my blog. I forgot how all this stuff worked.

As a final note.just writing this stuff down, I feel better. I feel free. Except I guess this means I need to start looking up more zombie stuff for my front page.

Fighting the Losing Battle

2009-08-01T11:43:00.000-04:00

It was October...Something happened...then stuff kept happening...more and more stuff...stuff I can't go into...it just kept happening....my world turned upside down.dreams shattered.hopes turned to dust. My world changed.

Since then, I've really let things slide. I've tried to get back on top of it...tried to recapture the magic that I used to drop all the weight in the first place but 'stuff' just kept derailing me.

So I'm starting at the beginning. Not literally. I didn't put back on ALL the weight, but I have to come clean and admit that I did put a sizable amount back on. Perhaps this is the universe's why of keeping me in check. I was getting really cocky about my weight loss there for a while. Perhaps I needed this to humble me. Maybe this is the next lesson. The lesson of the 'rebound'.

What really happened?

Stuff...stuff happened. I can't be any more specific than that. But all kinds of stuff...it was small at first but since I didn't deal with it right away, it quickly spiraled out of control. And like an idiot, I went running back to food for comfort...ignoring everything I'd learned in the last 3 years. What's scary is how easily it happened.

So where am I now? I have to be honest....I've put on about 40 pounds. There I've said it...I've admitted it to what is left of my audience. And now that I've admitted it, I can deal with it out in the open, like I used to. Instead of sneaking around and not owning up to what happened.

New week 0-1

Last week, I cut out the sodas and resumed my running. This week, I'm doing some of my strength training. Then next week I'm putting back on the Body Bug. That's about as much change as I want to do in a couple weeks. Any more than that, and I'm doing too much at once. Baby steps were key to my success last time. So we are going to do it again.

I'm keeping it short this week. My running is mostly walking with a quarter mile run in the middle.

But what is really important is that I finally took some time to sort things out in my head. With my thoughts in disarray I couldn't keep the focus I had before.

Progress

I've already dropped 3 pounds. So I'm working in the right direction now. I guess we will see what we see.

Back in the Saddle

2009-02-18T10:59:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! I'm back. Okay, I know some of you are wondering what happened to me and where I've been. So I'm going to be brutally honest about it.

I burnt out...badly.

I've been doing the online weight loss scene for a while now and it was getting to be so much work. Answering questions, reading posts, writing the blog, postings, countless hours of research....and so on. I'd spend far more time doing that than I did working out.

So one day I just said I was going to take a week off...and a week turned in to a month...and months. Its my own fault really. I have a tenancy to obsess on things I like doing until I squeeze all the joy out of them. Then I keep doing them out of habit until I resent the time lost to the once enjoyed activity.

Anyway, I'm back and I'm working toward a new goal....the Chicago Marathon. Last year my daughter, my step father, and I agreed that we would try to run it together this year.

While on hiatus, I let my distance runs shorten up. So my first order of business is to increase my distance up to 8 miles. Right now I'm just doing around 3 miles. Which brings me to this past weekend's activity. I ran another 5k. This was a first for me because I've never raced in the rain before. It doesn't sound like it would be that different but it was. I was freezing by the time we started. I should have worn a long sleeve shirt.

Speaking of shirts, I did wear on my my TFG shirts. Which lead to a funny story. One of the younger runners was there with his dad. I could hear them behind me. The boy was having trouble keeping a good pace. So his dad told him, "just keep up with that fat guy". RUDE!

Every time he got rested, he'd start running again, catch up with me, then slow back down to a walk for a while. Then closer to the finish line he started running past me, slowing to a walk, then running ahead again when I caught up. Meanwhile, I'm keeping a steady pace the whole race, keeping my reserves ready for the finish line.

Once the line was in sight, I said out loud the thing I always say, "The breaks are off!" And I started to burn my reserves in a sprint for the finish....blowing by the young runner. His father speed up too, trying to keep up but I could hear his footfalls getting farther behind me. I pushed harder, passing as many runners as I could.

Never underestimate the fat guy!

Here's another fat guy that you shouldn't underestimate...

Fat Guy Playing Dance Machine - The most amazing videos are a click away

NOTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

December 09, 2008

2008-12-09T17:09:00.001-05:00

Got sick

This month has been weird. I was on week 4 of the P90x program and I got sick pretty bad. It took me a couple weeks to get back to normal. Then I got hit with having to tear up our living room so we could get our furniture reupholstered, and playing way too much World of Warcraft...my workout schedule was seriously compromised.

So I had to make the decision to either pick up where I left off or to just call it a false start and start over again. If it had just been a week, I probably would have just picked up where I left off. But this was really too long a break in training for me to get the full impact that I was after. So I started over again.

Last week was week 1. And I'm getting better at these push-ups. There are some different kinds that you will do in a single workout...

Standard pushups
Military pushups
Wide grip pushups
Diamond pushups

...just to name a few.

I can't do as many as the people in the video but I do try to do more every time I try. Last week I wondered how many I was doing total, so I added them up. In a one hour workout routine, I'm able to do 103 pushups.

I was amazed.

I'm still hating the plyometric workouts. They are great for the legs and buttocks but I'm still nervous about all the jumping around. Although I have to admit that my knees are getting stronger having to deal with it.

The fabric

When we got our furniture redone, we special ordered our fabric. At the store they asked if we needed a cart to take this bolt of fabric out to the car. After looking at it for a moment, I said, "I think I can lift it." So with one fluid movement I hoisted it up onto my shoulder. After a moment or two to adjust to it...I was fine. So I'm carrying this huge thing down the aisle while other customers are watching. It was pretty cool.

Halloween

I know Halloween has come and gone. But I haven't posted any pictures yet. And since I spent most of my time in Wow (World of Warcraft), here's some pictures of me in game wearing the various costumes we got during the events.

This is me riding a bat and wearing a pumpkin head mask.

Close-up shot...

And on a flying broom....

And as an undead pirate....

Dancing ninja with trick or treat bucket...

Pirate goblin...

Leper gnome with a pumpkin head mask.... (I'm the one on the left)

I think that's all for this week. I'll try to post again soon. Now get out there and do some jumping jacks!

November 10, 2008

2008-11-10T13:11:00.001-05:00

Week Two (P90x)

Well, I survived the second week of the P90x program. With the first week, I'd sum up the experience with just one word...sore. But the second week, I'd have to use the word...drained. Seemed like I was tired all the time.

The big news about the Ab Ripper X session, I was able to complete one of the exercises that I couldn't previously do. The wide leg sit up....

Before, I just couldn't do it. But this week I got it in my head that I was going to push it...and surprise! I actually did four of them. So there's progress!

Another thing that I was able to do was one of the poses in Yoga X called 'Warrior 3'

I was only able to hold it for a second...and my form was awful.

Week Three

It's hard to believe it has been three weeks already. I've had a couple of challenges this week that I didn't have on the previous two.

First, my extended vacation was over and I had to go back to work. Keeping up with my workouts was easy when I didn't have anything else important going on. However, it was more challenging having to divide my time with work. The good news is that I didn't miss a workout.

Second, I resumed running. Since experience is quite draining, I put my running on hold for a bit. But I started running again this week. This led to a really rough Thursday. It was Legs and Back day....and it was running day. So I ended up doing THREE workouts. Strength training for legs and back, the Ab Ripper, and my running. When I got up Friday morning, it felt like I'd gone three rounds with The Mighty Thor. But by Saturday, I felt fine.

One big thing I noticed this week was the difference in how I felt after doing the kenpo workout. The first two weeks left my lats feeling really sore. This week I didn't much notice it. In fact that over all soreness feeling is pretty much gone.

Another yoga pose that I tried was 'crane'....

I wasn't able to hold it but for a moment...points for trying though. Also, points for not falling on my face.

Speaking of yoga, I picked up some yoga blocks and they make some of the poses easier when you have to reach for the floor and can't quite make it. People that CAN reach the floor can steady themselves with that hand...but people that can't are putting extra strain on their backs and then there is all the wobbling and wiggling. With a block I can reach the floor without having to bend quite so far.

Weird thing I'm starting to learn about yoga is that I'm not getting good at it so much as I'm getting more to a point that I can try more...and push farther. I know I've been anti-yoga for years. But I can't explain how great it makes me feel.

Plus, there is something else I've noticed. As some of you will remember I wear a Body Bugg calorie counter that tells me how many calories I'm burning at all times. Anyway, here are some things I've noted about different types of workouts....

1. Strength training - Doesn't burn tons of calories DURING the workout. But my rate of burn stays up for about a couple hours.

2. Cardio training - Burns tons of calories during the workout and then drops off fast about 30 minutes afterwards.

3. Yoga - Burns lots of calories...and keeps my burn elevated all day. My body tends to burn at anywhere between 1.4 - 1.7 calories per minute while I'm at rest. On yoga days I'm burning 2.0 - 2.3 calories per minute. That might not seem like much but when you add it up for the whole day it makes serious difference.

Those 'wide leg sit ups' that I could just barely do in week 2, this week I did 14. And the 'warrior 3' pose...I was able to hold it for a few seconds on each side before collapsing.

In the kenpo class, I actually finished the class. Before I'd flaked on the last 10 minutes because I was just thrashed...but I made it to the end this time.

I'm beginning to notice some changes in the mirror. Also, some of my newer running shirts that were snug on me when I got them are getting more loose in the midsection. I'm going to try to get some pictures posted next week. In fact I'm running behind on my annual Halloween shot.

Chinese Crested Pirate says...."ARRRRG! Now go get ye some exercise, ye scurvy dogs!"

NOTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

October 27, 2008

2008-10-24T08:39:00.001-04:00

Week One

The comments and emails I get (most of which come from my good friends on Spark People) often ask about different diet and exercise products. I do check them out from time to time to see what's good and what's just junk. One product that I've been getting more and more questions about is P90x.

The P90x program is a series of DVD workouts that you do in specific order to maximize what they call 'muscle confusion'. The idea is that, unlike other exercise programs where your body learns the moves and then stops getting the full benefit from them, you never do the same exercises long enough for the body to fully adapt to them. You are switching things out so often that you should never plateau.

In order to minimize plateau effects, I already switch my exercises out every six weeks or so, I was very interested on how they were doing this. Also, I've been craving more intensity in my workouts as they seem to have gotten flat lately.

So I picked up the P90x series DVDs (around $200/new or $70/used on Amazon.com). Also, I picked up a pull-up bar that they recommend. While I can't so the pull-ups just yet, it can also be used as a push-up bar on the floor.

So this was my first week on the program. And I've got to tell you, the intensity is really high. Here's a breakdown of what I've been going through...

Day One - Chest and Back/Ab Ripper

This was a back-to-back workout day. One for the Chest and Back and then the Ab Ripper X. The chest/back exercises were very challenging. If it wasn't for the fact that I focus pretty hard on my chest already, I don't think I would have been able to keep up with them.

Most of the chest exercises were different forms of push-ups and pull-ups. So I was glad I got the bar. Using some sort of push-up bar keeps your wrists straight rather than bending them at 90 degrees and risking injury, all while giving you a better range of motion.

The one thing I did miss was using free weights. They used them but not as much as what I'm used to.

For those of you that are like me and currently unable to perform even one pull-up, they show alternate ways of simulating each move with an exercise band. I didn't have a good place to anchor my band, so I just used the lat bar on my Bowflex.

At the end of the Chest and Back I was pretty drenched. In fact I'd already drank more water that I normally do during a strength workout. Now it was time to move on to Ab Ripper X.

This was something I dreaded. Admittedly, I don't like to work my abs...so they are the weakest part of me. I have this fear of over developing my abs. I've seen people that have done it. That bulging six pack looks fine without a shirt, but put the shirt back on and you can't tell the difference between a bulging six pack and a big ol' beer belly.

So here I am trying to do these really serious ab exercises with my under developed abs...after an already intense session with my chest/back. I looked like a fish flopping around on the mat. But I kept with it and didn't drop out. Did what I could...pushed as far as I could safely go.

Good for me...

Day Two - Plyometrics

Wikipedia defines 'plyometrics' as:

A type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving performance in a specific sport. Plyometric movements, in which a muscle is loaded and then contracted in rapid sequence, use the strength, elasticity and innervation of muscle and as it was supposed to be surrounding tissues to jump higher, run faster, throw farther, or hit harder, depending on the desired training goal. Plyometrics is used to increase the speed or force of muscular contractions, often with the goal of increasing the height of a jump or the speed of a punch or throw.

The P90x definition seems to be to spend as much time as possible in midair. Because of problems I've had with my knees I've tried to avoid anything high impact. But with my recent bent toward running, I'm stuck wondering how much I can really do with my knees. So I gave this workout my best.

NOTE: If you are prone to knee injuries, you will want to do the 'modified' versions of the exercises. They are still intense but are much lighter impact.

By the end of it, not only was I drenched, but I knew I'd need to wipe down my mat as well. This was all sorts of serious intensity. The big proof was when I got up the next day and felt it in EVERY PART of my legs. From gluts to calves, I was sore...real sore. Like I was the day after the first 5k that I ran.

Day Three - Arms and Shoulders/Ab Ripper

Despite being sore, I dutifully got setup to do Arms and Shoulders. And while you can do this session with exercise bands if you chose, I was happy to see more free weights in this session. The one problem I had with this DVD was there isn't enough transition time from one exercise to the next. I had to use the PAUSE button quite often, where I rarely had to on the other DVDs so far. Of course some if it was just me moving slow because I was sore. Ouch...ouch...ouch

Like on Day One, this was a back-to-back workout session. By the time I moved on to the Ab Ripper, I was nearly spent. Plus being so sore, I had problems getting into the start positions on each exercise. Again....total fish flop on the mat. But I did go all the way to the end.

Day Four - Yoga

Okay...I have come clean about this. I've always believed that yoga was one of the more wussy workouts. It's just posing in different positions. How hard can that be?

Well, I want to officially apologize for everything negative that I've ever said or even thought about yoga. Yoga is hard...and the P90x's Yoga X is intense...really intense.

If you try this, I recommend you get a good yoga mat. I put my yoga mat on top of my main mat for maximum comfort. You might want to get a couple of yoga blocks too as it make reaching toward the floor easier.

NOTE: I didn't discover this until the next day, but there was an unexpected benefit from the yoga. I threw my back out about a week and a half ago and was about to make an appointment with the chiropractor to get an adjustment. The morning after doing yoga, I realized that I'd put it right during the workout.

Day Five - Legs and Abs

While I have always done a day of leg exercises, there are two that I've stayed away from....lunges and squats. Of course this is MOST of what they hit on this day.

By the time I finished with the two workouts, my legs were shaking. This was the best lower body workout I'd had since I was in high school.

Day Six - Kenpo

Okay...by this point I'm sore from head to toe. But I tried my best to 'bring it' on this new workout. Make sure you have plenty of room.

The workout consists of blocks, punches, and kicks...and of course combinations. I followed along the best I could...had to backup several times on the DVD....and some of the combos I never could quite get.

The next day brought a new soreness in my lats (latissimus dorsi) from all the punches and blocks.

Day Seven - Rest or Stretching

I had planned on running this day at the Airport 5k. I had to cancel. The tops of my calves were too sore, I'd strained my left hamstring, and I could barely walk...much less run.

Week one = sore

What's Next?

I have to do two more weeks of the same. Now I might not report back again until those weeks are complete and I move on to the next phase. But that's just two weeks off so you won't have to wait long to find out what's happening.

Progress Report

It's a funny thing. I feel that my body is changing but the scales have a different story to tell. However, I did pick-up some off session shirts and pants and found that size 32 pants and a size LARGE shirt seem to be where I'm at currently.

In addition, my arms feel different...and I could be fooling myself but I think I look different too.

But that darn scale...well...I don't want to focus on that too much. But darn it, just the same.

Happy Halloween

Look closely at this cat and remember...don't humiliate your pets this season. They know where you sleep.

"I will destroy them for this..."

NOTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

October 14, 2008

2008-10-14T15:55:00.001-04:00

Random Stuff (again)

Sometimes I just don't have enough to make a full blown blog. But I do have a bunch of smaller disconnected thoughts that I like to give time to as well. So here goes...

On Vacation

Thanks to my annual Halloween vacation, I'm free to go back to the YMCA and attend my old 'Stay Fit' class. Had a killer workout. I'll probably be sore for a couple days. I checked out their website a couple of days ago, expecting that my picture and blurb would have been replaced by now, but found that it was still there....

http://www.ymcacharlotte.org/ballantyne/bvhomepage.aspx

It was nice to see everyone there again. I even got a couple compliments on my progress. One member told me that he didn't recognize me at first. I really miss seeing the staff. They all seem genuinely interested in talking to me about how I'm doing.

Run Fat Boy Run

I had pushed my long run up to 9 miles then I messed up my ankle a while back and had to stop for about three weeks. After that, I've been starting over and increasing my miles again...more slowly this time. I'm up to five miles on my long run. Not too bad.

Last weekend I did another 5k (3.1 miles). They didn't have chip times so I have no idea how well I did. I have my gun time but I was pretty far back and it took me a few minutes just to get to the starting line. But it felt good to run another race after having been out of the game.

The 'Lung Strong' race is this coming weekend. I'm thinking of doing the shorter 5k option (I'm not ready for the 15k yet). I'm not decided yet.

Race Day Pictures

I finally located my camera's USB cable. So I can show some of my race day pictures. Here's a couple from my first 5k. In this first one you can see me a bit behind the woman in the lime-green top. I'd just passed several people and was trying to catch up to her on the final few yards. At this point it was me, then her, then the finish line.

Then here is me using up the dregs of my energy in a last stitch effort to pass just one more person and finish strong. Notice the Token Fat Guy shirt.....

And here's me crossing the finish line. Oh...where's number 231? Crying her eyes out over being smoked by Token Fat Guy! Not really....I'm sure she's fine. NOTE: The displayed time is my gun time. My chip time was only 33:27.

Now let's look at last weekend's 5k. I'm the guy in the back in the red/black. I'd already started my death run. According to my wife I almost knocked some one over. Sorry about that. When it happened, I had thought I neatly side stepped her. But I was a sweaty mess...so I might have been sloppy about it. The funny thing about this finish is the numbers. I'm wearing 902...the woman in the red/black is wearing 903. Anyway, you can see I'm behind a few people here.

This one's a bit blurry....I guess I was just moving too fast (joking). Anyway, I'd pushed passed this group of slow pokes and had a pretty good speed going at this time.

And 902 passes up 903.....

No finish line shot. And I did pass a couple more on the way there. The area around the finish line was pandemonium. This was a WAY bigger race than my first 5k. My first race had 463 people that finished. The one from last week had 819 people finish. No telling how many people couldn't finish either race. I saw people drop doing both of them.

Extra special thanks to my lovely wife, Heather, for coming out and taking pictures for me.

Anyway, that's all I have for this week. And if I don't do another entry before Halloween, have a happy one!

NOTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

September 22, 2008

2008-09-23T09:54:00.001-04:00

Just Not Write

I've been offline for a few weeks. Nothing wrong, I just haven't really been in the mood to write. For a while there, I could crank out a blog every week or so, but I'm just not feeling it lately. So don't be surprised if you see a few weeks go by without hearing from Token Fat Guy.

The other reason that I haven't been inclined to write is that my weight remains at a standstill. Seems like I hit 199 and that is a hard wall for me. I've hit it a couple times but just can't get past it. But I know it will eventually come. It might help if I'd stop eating cake. But this one was pretty good.

The main reason my weight loss hasn't picked up late is creatine. How's that for a setup on today's subject?

Creatine

If you are an athlete of any caliber, you've probably heard of the supplement called creatine. It has a few functions in the body, the most noteworthy are...

Production of energy
Muscle growth
Muscle repair
Muscle hydration

The science behind it is pretty basic. Energy in the body is created by popping a phosphate molecule off a adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The resultant byproduct is a adenosine diphosphate (ADP) which must be paired with another phosphate molecule to again form a adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

This is where creatine steps in. In the body it is stored as creatine phosphate. Which gives you a ready source of phosphate so you can replenish your supply of ATP.

Not sounding that simple? Look at it like this....

ATP - P = ADP and ENERGY
ADP + P = ATP
Creatine = supply of P

So that covers how creatine supplies you with additional energy. Let's look at what it does to increase muscle size.

When the body has an a surplus of creatine phosphate, it stores this excess in the muscle. This causes the muscle to take on more water to allow for this process. The muscle becomes super-hydrated. Some added benefits of this is that it facilitates muscle repair and helps to prevent muscle breakdown.

Sound too good to be true? Well, if you haven't seen the problem yet I'll point it out in two simple words....weight gain.

This has caused my weight to increase for two reasons. First, my muscles are getting stronger and bigger. Second, my muscles are retaining additional water and again are bigger.

Now don't start thinking I've turned into some muscle-bound meat head. No. If it were that easy to put on THAT kind of muscle, more people would do it. But it does make a difference. Which is why I've stayed away from this supplement. However, I promised myself that if I ever hit 199 pounds, I'd give it a try and just deal with any weight gain.

So yes, my weight has been bouncing between 209 and 199 for a while now as my body sorts out what it wants to do. I have to admit, I've noticed a difference in performance...and my arms seem to be growing in size. But I'm going to wait a bit longer before I measure to see if it is true or if I'm just imagining things.

Side Effects

I'm not going to tout the wonders of this supplement without a warning on its side effects.

As already stated, it WILL make you gain weight. But it really isn't that bad. My weight shot up about 10 pounds but I expect that when my fat loss catches up to this, I'll get back down under where I started. If you aren't in a place where a 10 pound gain is something you can ignore, I'd hold off on this for a while.

Ah...how can I put this next one? Your first week on creatine, you might want to make sure you aren't very far from a bathroom. Some people (myself included) have reported some easy flow bowel movements when they first start taking creatine. In fact that's why some people stop taking it. But those that stick with it seem to agree that this is temporary. For me, after my first week, I haven't had a problem since. And even when I did, it wasn't that bad.

This one is pretty serious....so I'll use all caps....DEHYDRATION! By its nature, using creatine causes the body to store more water in the muscles than normal. So if you aren't drinking suffient amounts of water, it will rob water from other parts of the body....leaving you in a dehydrated state. So make sure you are drinking at least 1-2 ounces of water for every kilogram of body weight you have.

There have been other side effects reported like kidney and liver problems but these are usually due to lack of water intake. So again, make sure you are drinking enough.

Some sports have banned the use of creatine, such as boxing and wrestling (at the professional levels).

As always, check with your doctor before embarking on any change to your supplement plan. And make sure it is a doctor that does his homework.

Well, that's about all I have to report this week. So here's a dog with an important message.

Bald dog says, "Never lose a fight with a weed eater!"

NOTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

August 27, 2008

2008-08-27T20:57:00.001-04:00

Friction

Hi everyone! Sorry I'm running so late this week but I've been really busy with one thing or another. Anyway...this week's topic is friction.

As a new runner, I'm having to deal with friction more and more. From the universal problem of thighs rubbing together to runner specific problems like runner's nipple, body friction can seriously hamper your workout enjoyment. So today I'm going to make three recommendations based on what I've learned.

Body Glide - This stuff is amazing. I'd not heard of it until about two months ago. It is kind of like a stick deodorant in shape and how it is put on. I got it after the first time I ran 5 miles....and one of my nipples got all inflamed.

Since using this product, I haven't had a problem. Now I put it on my feet too. It helps protect the skin on my feet from all most of the friction that comes with running.

Body Glide! Good stuff!

Compression Shorts - A while back, when I got too small for my old XXL sweat pants I went out and bought a few of these and some shorts to wear over them. I wish I'd tried this MUCH earlier in my journey. One of the problem big people have when they start exercising is their thighs rubbing together. I've suffered from rashes, gouging, and boils....just from all the fiction of my legs rubbing together.

But no more! Not a single problem since I upgraded my workout gear to include compression shorts.

Duct Tape - You heard me....duct tape. About a month ago I got a REALLY bad blister on the back of my heal. This blister is partly due to a deformity of my heal bone. I have extra bone back there and it sticks out. So any running shoe that I get CONSTANTLY rubs on that spot...and to make matters worse, I have to wear a shoe that is slightly bigger so as to have room for this super bone. So again, my shoe slips around in the back and rubs that small, boney protrusion.

I have a pretty good callous there but it can only protect me from so much. When my running mileage started to increase, this became more of a problem. Lately, I've been worried about more blisters...causing more hang-ups in my workout schedule.

I've been told by a number of sources...tape it up! However, I've been very skeptical. Part of it was...well...the cost...or the lack of cost, really.

I wear a nice Polar heart rate monitor, UA compression shorts, UA socks, Brookes running shoes....and you want me to wrap my feet with $3/roll duct tape? Really? You've got to be putting me on! No way....

But eventually, I gave it a try. On one of my short runs, I put a single piece of tape on the back of my heal. Then put the rest of my foot gear on. Cautiously I took a few steps. It didn't feel too weird. Yeah...I guess I could run in this.

It was like night and day. That constant rubbing on my heal was GONE. I couldn't feel a thing. The tape hung tight to my heal and took the brunt of the friction. To me, it was like my shoe never slipped at all.

Later that week I tried it on my long run....9 miles baby! No blister....no raw skin. It was fantastic!

I'm sure there are other tricks out there, and as I discover them....I'll blog them. So stay tuned....

Progress Report

I stepped on the scales and found that I'm ALMOST back to where I was before I skipped out for 3 weeks. Less than a pound to go.

As stated earlier, my long run is up to 9 miles. I might have to throttle that back a bit as I did have an ankle injury this passed week. Not during my run....but I can't help but think it might be related. Anyway, I'm thinking of toning it back a bit.

I can't add to this. Its funny on its own.....

OTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

August 18, 2008

2008-08-19T09:48:00.000-04:00

YOINK!

That's the sound my head makes when I'm running and I 'zone out' or 'lose time'. I think of them as 'yoink moments'. I had one last Saturday.

Now that you've heard the 'setup'. Here's the story....

Alarm goes off...oh..crud...what..huh? Oh, yes...get up. Must run...

What time is it? Blurry eyes....force focus... 6 bloody AM. I really need to have my head examined some day.

As I put on my gear, I wonder what sort of fresh hell is it that I'm doing today. Oh yes, I'm going to try 7 miles. What the duce is wrong with me? I should just get back into bed and sleep like any sane person. BUT NO! I have to subject myself to this 'running thing'.

I wonder to myself, "Is this what being on crack is like?"

More awake now, I'm starting to think in complete sentences. I have everything I need. So it is out the door I go...

Yuck...the humidity. It must have rained again last night. No sane man would want to run in this. Hmmm...that's twice so far that I've questioned my sanity today. I wonder what that's all about.

But this isn't any normal humility. This sort of hangs in the air and is oppressive to your every breath. I swear I feel 10 pounds heavier than when I was back inside the house.

Then the drive to the trail shows me that I am NOT the only crazy person planning on running in this.

Stretch, walk, stretch...okay I'm ready.

The first mile goes by without much issue. My shins and calves are a bit tight and I'm waiting for that first flood of endorphins to take away the minor discomfort that comes with running.

I'm thinking about data storage structures to help pass the time and YOINK!

When my yoink moment is over and my brain engages again, I look around and I wonder to myself, "Where the heck AM I?"

I keep running until I see a distance marker. That's when I realize I'm only a half mile from finishing....from FINISHING! This is an 8 mile course! I'd run the whole thing. I've only ever run 6.25 miles before.

The Aftermath

Funny thing about adding additional mileage to your run, it seems to get easier to recover from. The first time I ran 6 miles, it almost killed me. But the day after running 8 miles, I feel just a tiny bit stiff.

On my next running day, I did my short run (4 miles). I felt a little off but not enough to cut it short. I think I was still recovering from the 8 mile run.

Progress Report

Not much to report at this time. I've dropped most of the weight I put on while I was on my two week

TFG Posts from the Past

I like to look back on some of my old posts to see what I was doing a year or two ago. Last year at this time I was also trying to lose some weight that I had temporarily put back on. Also, I had a small tirade about drivers in North Carolina.

Check it out....

Turning the Tide

Well, that's all for this week.

Dalmatian Dog says, "Hey, one of my spots just fell off and is walking around on its own!!"

NOTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

August 11, 2008

2008-08-12T00:10:00.001-04:00

First off....

First off, I want to say 'thank you' to my loyal readers. I had been worried that taking a couple weeks off without warning would cause some of you to lose interest and drop out of sight.

Not so...

So far people have been very supportive about my two week sojourn. I want to thank you all for being patient with me.

Back to the beginning

One of the things that worried me most about taking any time off from my training schedule comes from something I read somewhere that said it takes a few weeks of 'not running' before you start to lose the distance you worked so hard to achieve.

The maximum that ever managed to run was 6 miles. If you missed the story on how that run went, then check out the blog....

TFG Runs 6 Miles

Keeping in mind what I went through just to get that far, I wasn't wild about losing it. And so it came to pass that when I started running again, I managed about 3 miles.

However, I became filled with hope when two days later I ran 4 miles without difficultly. So today when I was running I was hoping to do another 4 miles.

While I was approaching the 2 mile mark I took stock of how I was feeling. Everything felt fine...no reason to turn around yet. And the morning was nice and cool...seemed a shame to cut the run short. I bet I could do 5 miles again.

Then it occurred to me...I keep saying I'm training to become an endurance runner, maybe it is time I start acting like one. Yea Robert...surprise yourself...NO ROBERT....AMAZE YOURSELF.

So I ran out to the 3.25 mile marker....running back to the .25 mile marker. For a total of 6.25 miles....just over 10k! First time I've EVER gone that far.

So I didn't really lose anything after all. And funny thing, it wasn't nearly as painful as the time I ran 6 miles....not even close.

So now that I've run 10k, I'm not so nervous about the race I'm signing up for next month.

That's really about all for this week. So this week's blog is going to be short.

Maybe next week I'll get some help with my blog.....

NOTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

August 04, 2008

2008-08-04T12:21:00.001-04:00

Identity Crisis

"Geez Robert, you are a machine!"

It was an innocent enough comment. One of my coworkers was making a statement about how well my weight loss had been going lately. But that statement prompted the following from me....

"Yes, I've been feeling like a machine lately."

And that's where it started.

Recently I've turned my life upside down as I've become more and more serious about my running. I've changed my diet around, changed my workout days, even dropped two of my favorite workout classes at the YMCA to make room for my new found activity.

Which was fine at first but lately I've been feeling something is amiss....something just isn't sitting right with me.

So I took a step back....stopped everything. If there is one thing my many failed dieting attempts have taught me it is that I need to have my head right if I'm going to stay on track. If I can't keep my head in the game, then I'll burn out...or lose interest.

It took me a couple weeks to really sort out what was bothering me. And it happened to coincide with the healing time that I needed for a nasty blister I got on the back of my heel...so timing wise, it worked out just fine.

The problem was that I really didn't know what was wrong...just that something was. It wasn't until I talked with one of my other coworkers about it that I realized what was my boggle.

You have to go back a ways to really understand it. For those of you that struggle with your weight, you will probably understand this more than the rest will, but being fat is....comfortable...its easy. So when I created this Token Fat Guy persona, it was an easy role for me to play. I was that fat guy at the gym with the funny T-shirt that shows his starting weight on the back...easy.

But when running, I couldn't be that guy. Cotton T-shirts and running don't mix. And all my TFG shirts are size 2XL...way too big for me to be running in now that I'm a size L. And while I'm on the subject of shirt size....I'm not really that fat anymore. Sure, I've got more weight to lose but already lost 3/4th of what I set out to do.

Plus, every time I turn around, some one on Spark is telling me that I need to change my name from TokenFatGuy to TokenFitGuy or TotallyFabulousGuy or something like that. And while I know they mean well, they are right, I'm not really that heavy anymore. I can't hide behind my fat any longer.

So that's where I am. If I'm not that fat guy any more, who am I? I'm not sure yet. I just don't know. I have some ideas....but I'm not ready to go public with them yet. I need time to sort out all of that.

However, knowing that I need to do this, I can pick up with my weight loss efforts and continue on my journey. Sunday I started lifting again. My triceps are killing me today. Today I went for a run. Nothing big, just a 3.1 miles. Both workouts felt good.

And that's something I've missed. Some of my runs and lifts were getting to be forced. I wasn't enjoying them. I think part of my problem with that was I wasn't getting a break...ever. With the new workout schedule, I was lifting 3 days a week and running 4 days. I no longer had a true recovery day. This was something I missed.

So against the advice of some of my fellow runners, I'm throttling back to running 3 days a week. I'm still a beginning runner. And I'm in my 40s. Until my body gets used to all this pounding, I need that extra day of recovery. Maybe next year I'll go back to running 4 days a week, but for now I'm listening to my body and dropping the extra day.

Lack of Progress Report

Being off diet and not working out for two weeks, I've lost some ground. But it isn't anything I can't get back. I've still got plenty of time to get my running to the level I'll need for the half marathon I want to try in December. And the small amount of weight I've gained will drop off now that I'm back on my plan.

And before you ask, I'm not telling how much I've gained back. I'll announce when I've reached 199 again, and that's it. It shouldn't take too long.

Well that's about all the touchy-feely that I can stand for today. Time to get back to doing other stuff.

Remember to increase the water you leave out for your pets during the summer...they need the extra!

NOTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

July 20, 2008

2008-07-20T16:43:00.001-04:00

About last week's blog...

A number of people responded to me in email, Spark mail, and posts about last week's blog. Readers wanted to know what exercises I've been doing for my deltoids.

At that risk of being wrong, let me show you how I've been training.

First let's look at the method.

I work the anterior and medial deltoid using a pyramid. I start by lifting a set of 12 reps, then as I move on, the number of reps gets smaller. It looks like this.

Set of 12 reps
Set of 10 reps
Set of 8 reps
Set of 6 reps
Set of 3 reps

Each set is a bit heavier than the one before it. So it looks like this...

12 reps at 10 pounds
10 reps at 12 pounds
8 reps at 15 pounds
6 reps at 20 pounds
3 reps at 22.5 pounds

Then I add one more set that is the same weight as the set of 8 reps...but I increase it to 12 reps. Like this...

12 reps at 10 pounds
10 reps at 12 pounds
8 reps at 15 pounds
6 reps at 20 pounds
3 reps at 22.5 pounds
12 reps at 15 pounds

Then I move to the exercise I use for the posterior deltoid and do the same thing. The amount of weight is different (though it is shown the same here) because the exercise is different.

12 reps at 10 pounds
10 reps at 12 pounds
8 reps at 15 pounds
6 reps at 20 pounds
3 reps at 22.5 pounds
12 reps at 15 pounds

So let's look at what exercises I'm actually using. For the anterior and medial deltoid, I do a standing lateral raise. It actually focuses more on the medial, which is fine with me. The following video shows a version of the same exercise but sitting on a Swiss ball. What I do is the same, I'm just in a standing position.

You can of course do this with cables, bands, whatever.

For the posterior deltoid, I do a rear deltoid row. The following video show it being done with a barbell. I use dumbbells but it is the same principle.

NOTE: I'm not wild about how this guy is doing it. While the form is okay, he's going too fast to get as much out of it as he could. That could be because he's just demonstrating but you should keep that in mind.

So let's put it all together...

Lateral Raise

12 reps at 10 pounds
10 reps at 12 pounds
8 reps at 15 pounds
6 reps at 20 pounds
3 reps at 22.5 pounds
12 reps at 15 pounds

Rear Deltoid Row

12 reps at 10 pounds
10 reps at 12 pounds
8 reps at 15 pounds
6 reps at 20 pounds
3 reps at 22.5 pounds
12 reps at 15 pounds

The last thing to note is that I take a 1-2 minute break between sets so as to get some recovery time. Sometimes I pace but more often than not I use the time to straighten up the kitchen. You can get a lot done but be sure to keep a timer on yourself.

As far as how much weight to use (the weights listed here are NOT what I actually use). I base it on two things...

1. What I'm lifting at 3 reps should be just about all I can do while observing proper form

2. What I'm lifting at the final 12 reps should be just about all I can do while observing proper form.

So if I can actually finish 3 reps and it feels like I can do more. I'll bump it up a bit next week. Or I'll when I move to the final set of 12, I'll try to bump THAT up. And if I can do it, then I'll increase the weights on all my sets for next week.

So for everyone that asked what I do for my shoulders....now you know.

Progress report

AHH!!! I got a blister on the back of my heel. So I'm having to take a few days off while that heals (no pun intended...oh who am I kidding? I TOTALLY meant that pun).

One thing did happen that was pretty cool. When I hit 199 pounds, my weight shot up about 8 pounds right after that. I didn't post about it because I was pretty sure what happened. Since I'm running more now, I've put on weight in my legs as my muscles have been getting bigger.

And it has taken nearly a month for my fat loss to catch up with the addition of new muscle tissue. So I'm back down to 199 now and hopefully my weight loss will continue.

Token Fat Guy's 'Blast From the Past'

Last year at this time I posted information that I thought would be useful to my readers that were trying to quit smoking. Since I have gained tons of new readers since then, I'm including a link to that long ago posting....

The Dangers of ManBearPig

So that's about it for now. Remember people...no matter how big your muscles may get, you can't stop a bullet. So if some one points a gun at you...just give them what they want.

Helpless Kitten says go get some exercise!

NOTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

July 14, 2008

2008-07-14T15:59:00.001-04:00

Shoulders...

Shoulders....hate 'em. Not all shoulders...just mine. Even when I was a gymnast in high school, the one thing I really didn't like about myself was my shoulders. They always seemed a bit droopy to me instead of being nice and square. This of course got much worse as I gained weight as my arms were being pushed out from my body by fat.

They have been getting better as I lose weight. However, I started working toward a better understanding of my shoulders and what I could do to train them to that more pleasing shape that I've always envied.

To do so, I had to learn more about the muscles involved in making the shoulder look like it does. I've always known about the deltoid muscle but I didn't realize that it was actually three different muscles.

Anterior Deltoid
Medial Deltoid
Posterior Deltoid

And there was part of my problem. I went back and looked at all my exercise routines for the last year and all of the ones that focused on the deltoid were hitting the anterior deltoid (and sometimes the medial). But I was completely neglecting my posterior deltoid.

I guess since it is in the back and I don't normally see it, it is a 'out of sight - out of mind' type of thing.

So about 3 or 4 months ago I added in another group of exercises on the day I do my shoulders, focusing on the posterior deltoid. I hate these exercises...there are just some I don't like doing. But I do them anyway, because I want the results.

The idea is to build the back of the deltoid so it pushes the muscle out from the body...squaring off the shoulder.

Another muscle that I started focusing more on was my Trapezius. While I don't want to over develop them because it would actually tend to increase the droopy appearance...toning them up a bit has helped the overall look of the back of my shoulders.

Why do I bring up the subject of shoulders now? I was looking at myself in the mirror a few days ago and noticed the my shoulders were actually starting to develop that square look that I've always been so envious of. Also, I've been talking so much about running lately that I wanted blog something about weightlifting for a change.

Again...a little research and a lot of patience pays off!

Cha...cha...cha...Changes

I'm STILL seeing benefits from the change to my pre workout meal. EVERY resistance exercise that I'm doing has gone up.

Also, now that I'm changing my work schedule, I'm having to move around all my workout days....and...I need to move my blog day. Starting next week, I'll be blogging on Sunday rather than Friday.

There...I said it. Now I'm committed.

Progress Report

Last week was my rest week for running. Instead of running 4 days, I only ran 3. And instead of doing my long run, I was supposed to do just 3 miles. Notice...I said 'supposed to do'.

In reality I did a 4 mile race that day. Only a mile longer...and a lot more fun. Running in a race is fun because you get so much support from the other runners and the folks running. Since this was my first time running a race in a residential area, I was surprised at how many people came out of their houses to cheer us on.

I finished the race...and that's all I really wanted to do. I wasn't trying to beat a time or anything. This was supposed to be a rest for me...and I tried to stay true to that.

Oh...special shout out to my lovely wife Heather (Tzigaine on Spark People). She's lost 10 pounds so far. Good for her! My readers from Spark People are welcome to visit her latest blog and give her some words of encouragement.

Tzigaine's Blog

I'm all healed up from my runner's nipple. And I'm going to do five miles tonight. So I'll see how good that 'Body Glide' stuff is. It worked fine at the race but to be honest, I don't have the problem during shorter runs.

My step father and daughter have teamed up and started running. He's a lapsed runner from way back and has been looking for an excuse to get started again now that he's retiring and she's a bundle of pure energy. They should do well together. Anyway, they want me to come do a marathon with them in 2009....or a 10k. It isn't really clear. Either way, I'd love to travel up to Michigan to run with them...or have them come down here for the same. It would be a hoot.

Speaking of being a hoot, Snow Owl says it is time for you to get off the web and go do your workouts!

NOTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

July 07, 2008

2008-07-07T14:57:00.001-04:00

Prolog

When I was heavy, my limitations were pretty clear. No climbing stairs, have to use the 'handicap stall' in the bathroom, no sitting in booths at the restaurants, push the seat in the car all the way back, and so on. But now, I don't know my limitations. Now, I need to find out what I'm capable of.

With the help of one of my co-workers (Joseph), I have been trying to push how far I can go with my running. It was just last month that I ran my first 5k. Since then I've tried to go just a bit farther each week. Now that you know the history, enjoy the story.

The Story

The alarm goes off...5:15am....oh crud, what was I thinking? Just a few minutes more...I just need...5:25am...oh crud, what was I thinking? Just a few more...no Robert...get up.

Its a Sunday...I should be asleep. I should be enjoying my day off. But this is more important. Besides, I'll enjoy it when I get started...no...I don't believe that lie either. This is probably going to hurt.

I should have set out my running gear last night. But I fell asleep on the couch and forgot to do it before going to bed. Now I'm scrambling to find everything...

Compression shorts
Outer shorts
Compression cuff
Socks
Running shows
HRM (heart rate monitor)
Shirt
Sun visor

Should I do a breakfast? No...I'm pushing my long run today. A full breakfast would probably have me barfing. I slice of whole wheat bread is probably all I can hold down.

Light stretching....grab my water and keys...let's get going. Feel ridiculous wearing the sun visor. There's no sun out yet.

Get to the track...my current favorite place to run. A half mile dirt track. Already a few diehard runners out here. People trying to get in their run before going to church.

Do the rest of my warm ups and place my water bottle where I can grab it as I run by. Now it is time to get this thing started. I take the first step.

The first steps are always the hardest for me. It is a mixture of doubt and being self conscience. Plus, the first couple of steps sort of hurt. Not badly...it is kind of a wake up call for my legs....no matter how much I warm up...the first few steps hurt just a touch.

But that passes pretty quickly. I'm glad I came out this early. It isn't hot yet and the track isn't crowded. I've got a nice stride going. Check my HRM to make sure I'm still within my target zone....looking good.

I'm doing walk/run, so every 6-7 minutes I slow down to a fast walk for a minute to get my heart slowed down a bit and recover.

ONE MILE

That wasn't so bad. Still breathing fine...still in my heart rate zone. But I have to keep a close eye on it. I'm all over the zone...can't seem to settle into a groove.

TWO MILES

Grab the bottle. I could go farther before using the water, but I don't want a repeat of last Sunday's dehydration debacle. Taking sips as I run, I consume about a third of the bottle.

Feeling fine...starting to get into the groove of it. My pace and heart rate are maintaining steady.

I put the bottle back on the next time around.

THREE MILES

Everyone that was at the track when I arrived is gone and a few new people have joined.

This is a major point for me. Just a month ago, it was all I could do to run three miles. Now, I view three miles as my 'short run'.

My pace has slowed...but just a bit (10 seconds).

FOUR MILES

Suddenly the sun pokes out from behind the trees. I pull my visor down. I'm glad I brought it.

Time for more water. Check it out...4 miles and I'm totally in the groove. Heart rate steady...legs starting to tighten up a bit...calves feeling a tiny burn.

Logically, I know what this means. I know that my muscles are starting to produce lactic acid faster than my blood can remove it. But I only have two miles left....I can tough it out.

FIVE MILES

I've never been this far before. At first I think it is going to be cake. But then it starts. That tiny burn in my calves quickly becomes a roaring fire.

The first half of the mile its like I'm moving through water. My heart rate monitor says I'm actually LOWER than my zone. I could run faster...but my legs won't do it. I CAN'T MAKE MY LEGS GO FASTER.

The second half of the mile, it feels like I'm half running...half limping. I slow down for my last 'walk' and when it is time to start running again, I almost can't do it. I let out a small scream and my legs grudgingly comply.

As I approach the end, I realize something that I never really thought about before....the root word for endurance is 'endure'...as in "I must endure this awful pain"...."To find out what I'm made of, I will endure until the finish"

SIX MILES

Oh...crud...what have I done? Walking now...grab the bottle...drink the last of my water. All I want to do is go home. Walk it off, Robert....walk it off....do your cool down or you will be REALLY sorry later.

Ease myself into the car. Grab my sports drink...I need this...water just isn't enough anymore.

How I got home and cleaned up is sort of a blur....no clear memory of it. But I afterwards I passed out on the bed.

Yeah, it hurts today...but tomorrow I'll have the bragging rights of the time I ran six miles. I beat it...owned it...

NOTE: In gamer speak..."i pwned 6 m1lez"

Not bad for a Token Fat Guy.

Epilog

It is 24 hours later now. I'm a bit stiff. But that's fine, I'm not running again until tomorrow and that will just be a short run (3 miles). In fact this week is my recovery week. So I'll only be doing short runs.

It was a great experience, but I do have a word of advice for any men that are getting into endurance running. Look into a condition called 'runners nipple' and take preventive measures before attempting anything in the neighborhood of 6 miles....owie...whimper...

Progress Report

After my six mile run, I finally gave in and bought some running shirts. It is past time for me to give up on the old cotton T-shirts. They rub too much and hold in sweat. Plus, most of my old stuff is size XXL and apparently I'm a size LARGE now.

Last week I talked about changing my breakfast. That's working out well. Most of my weights have increased in the strength training I do.

My own weight has not changed. I'm still hovering at 199 pounds. But I'm not worried too about that at the moment. My body had changed quite a bit in the last couple months and it is only natural that my weight loss slow down while it gets used to everything. If my weight loss doesn't pick up after a month, THEN I'll worry about it.

TFG Past

Every now and then, I like to point out what was going on a year or two ago for TFG. Today I looked back to my blog from the first week of July 2007. It brought back some fond memories. So I'm going to include a link to it.

Please enjoy what some people say is the funniest blog entry I've ever done....TFG's Second Law of Motion

Now get off my website before I turn Murdercat on you!

NOTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

June 30, 2008

2008-06-30T07:58:00.001-04:00

Taking Stock II

Lately I've been writing about me stopping to consider where I am and where I'm going with my efforts toward being more fit. Last week I talked about walking. Today I want to continue this self-analysis and talk about some other things that I think it is time to change.

Let's look at a bad food habit that I like to call 'breakfast'.

Breakfast has always been my undoing. This is for a couple of reasons. I've always been fearful of misunderstanding what I could and couldn't eat. And I didn't want to mess up my workouts by overloading myself with the wrong foods. So my pre-workout breakfast has been a half glass of V8 Fusion. Just enough carbs to get me going until my body could start to mobilize energy from my fat stores.

Lately, I've questioning if this is the best approach. And after doing some research on the subject, it appears that I could do better with an easy change.

One of the things I've noticed about my workout is about halfway into it, I start to lose my momentum. By the end of the workout, I crash.

This wouldn't be so bad but my post-workout food is just a protein shake. So I'm just getting a slow burning protein...and that has to last me for the next 3-4 hours when I finally eat lunch. So even if I don't crash during my workout, I usually do somewhere before noon.

This is backed up by the data from my Body Bugg that shows my burn rate drop from 1.9 calories per minute to around 1.3.

So last week I implemented a change. For my pre-workout, I started eating this....

3 egg whites
1 egg yolk
1 serving of Cabot 50% cheese
2 slices of 100% whole wheat bread

Or in other words....an 'egg and cheese sandwich'. Only takes a few minutes to cook...tastes great...and so far I've stopped crashing before lunch. The reason is that along with the protein that the eggs provide, I'm getting a slow burning carb from the wheat bread that stays with me for a long time.

This also solves another problem of me getting too many of my calories late in the day. Now I'm getting them when I need them.

The next change that I'm making is my weigh-ins. I weigh-in EVERYDAY. And while I have enough sense about my body to know what the scale is telling me, it does lead to some bad habits. Like not eating or drinking until I'm able to use the bathroom...so I can get a more accurate weight. Which is fine to do once a week...but I was doing it everyday. So I'm throttling back my weigh-ins to just a couple times a week.

Fame! I Want to Live Forever!

Okay...this is just for my ego...but I think it is just too cool. I'm featured on the Ballantyne YMCA web site.

Check it out....

TFG's Moment of Fame I

And if that wasn't cool enough, I also got featured on the front page at Spark People. Unfortunately, that link didn't stay up but for a few days and has already been replaced. But it was fun while it lasted.

Progress Report

Big...big...big news! Sunday I stepped on the scales and saw something amazing. I now weigh 199 pounds. Did you see that? Did you see how my weight started with a ONE instead of a TWO?

Total weight loss....93 pounds!

At a party this last weekend, I saw some friends I haven't seen in...hmm....I guess its been a year...maybe a year and a half. Anyway, one of them described me as 'tiny'. 'Tiny'...can you believe it? Talk about an ego boost...and I still managed to weigh in at 199...even with the inflated ego.

I increased my long run to 5 miles this weekend. First time I've EVER run that far.

Well, that does it for this week. Tune in next week for another exciting and educational episode of 'The Adventures of Token Fat Guy'.

KetchuPug and MustPug remind us that hot dogs are okay some of the time...but remember to get ones with low fat...and not so much pug.

NOTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

June 23, 2008

2008-06-23T14:36:00.001-04:00

Taking Stock

Every now and then you reach a point in your diet where you need to stop and say, "What am I doing?" That's me right now.

I've changed and tweaked my workouts so much in the last two years, I really need to figure out what I should be continuing and what needs to go by the wayside.

Walking - Oh, I loved to walk. Mostly because its easy and I could do it anywhere. No matter what I did for my morning workout, I'd always try to get in an hour of walking in the afternoon or evening.

When I first started to walk, I could do it on my lunch hour. I had a track workout in our business park that took me about 15 minutes to do...so I'd do it 4 times. According to my Body Bugg, I was burning about 400 calories in that hour.

I haven't been walking much lately since my running has taken more and more time from my other fitness efforts. Last Saturday I was feeling a bit nostalgic. So I did my old walk to burn off some extra calories. At the end of the walk, I checked my Body Bugg to see how I did. The same hour walk that used to burn 400 calories now only burns 250 calories. Hardly worth the effort, really.

Why the change? Well, its fitness. My body has been in training for the last two years (nearly two years) and has gotten good at what I'm doing. So I what I used to have to put real effort into can now be done with casual strength. Also, I'm just plain lighter now. So there is a massive difference between keeping my new 200 pound body in motion and the Herculean effort needed to push 292 pounds of Robert through his paces.

Definition: Herculean - a. Of unusual size, power or difficulty. b. Of or relating to Hercules. One of my favorite words.

<---Hercules! Hercules!

So I say good-bye to walking for now. I'll probably still do it from time to time but it won't be part of my 'work out time' any longer.

Progress Report

I'm kind of stuck at 200 pounds for now as my body gets accustom to being this weight. I'd like to get to drop just one more pound and be done with the 200s...but it will come in time.

Last week I increased my long run to 4 miles.

That's it...keeping it short this week. I'd like to that all the people that keep up with my blog. Your words of encouragement keep me going....

Now I need to get this posted before the storm knocks out the power again.

Spider-Pug says, "Get out and get in some exercise!"

NOTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

June 16, 2008

2008-06-16T10:23:00.001-04:00

92 Pound Blog

It finally happened. I stepped on the scales Sunday and found that my weight was down to 200 pounds. Which makes my total loss 92 pounds.

Those of you that have been reading my blog for awhile know that every 10 pounds or so I try to get some perspective on my weight loss by looking at things that weigh as much as I've lost. Such blog entries are.....

So let's take a look at some things that weigh 92 pounds!

First let's take a look at a segment from the show 'Maury'.

The following picture of Darin Open shows him holding his prize catch, a bighead carp weighing 92 pounds. Opel had shot this monster with his compound bow, jumped into the water, got him into a bearhug, and fought him all the way to the shore.

Ironically, Darin is allergic to fish.

The Larin METS-1 Mobile Engine Testing Station costs $579.99 and weighs 92 pounds. It is ideal for testing, break-in, leak detection, demonstration, assembly, and detailing. A 'must have' for automotive shops, racing teams, schools, and hot rod enthusiasts.

Shown in use here...

...this 11m RHIB Vented Boat Cover by JHRG can be rolled up and 'easily' carried. The protective covering weighs 92 pounds. Now you just need big guy to tote it for you...

The ORBCOMM satellite operates twenty-nine satellites in six orbital planes that provide worldwide coverage. Here on Earth this marvel of technology weighs 92 pounds.

The 'Joshua Kennels' is home to many American Bulldogs. One of the favorite 'studs' is Apache, who is known for his high intelligence. And, of course, he weighs in at 92 pounds.

The first American to fly in space, Alan Shepard, was also one of 12 people to walk on the moon. During is historic moon walk, he collected rocks and soil samples that when brought back to Earth weighed 92 pounds.

While we are talking about history, the first portable electric vacuum was invented in 1905 by Chapman and Skinner in San Francisco. It weighed 92 pounds and used a fan 18 inches in diameter to produce the suction.

Progress report

After my birthday 5k, I've been taking it easy on the running this week....giving my legs some recovery time. But yesterday I ran 3 miles and tried to keep my heart rate between 138 and 145 bpm.

Speaking of running...I made a mistake at my 5k. They give you a 'chip' to attach to your shoe so they can record your start time and stop time. I say GIVE...but really it is a loan. I didn't know that. Its still tied to my running shoe. A couple days ago I got a nasty email from them saying they were going to bill me for it if I didn't bring it back. Oops...my bad.

While looking at this picture, one of my coworkers asked me if I had gotten lap band surgery. I told him 'no', but took it as a compliment.

TFG Makes Surprise Gym Visit

Its nice to reach a point where the entire gym staff not only knows you but also knows what you normally do. Last week a couple of the staff at the YMCA commented when I came in to do weightlifting. I normally do all my lifting at home, so this was an unexpected occurrence.

The reason was the air conditioner in my house went out and it was just too hot to do a proper workout. So I took my workout check list and implemented 'plan B'. When it comes to your daily workout, I think it is important to have a 'plan B' in case life throws you a curve. Otherwise, it is just too easy to take off a day.

That's about it for this week. Biker-Dog says, "Remember to walk your dog...or I'll BITE YOU."

NOTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

June 09, 2008

2008-06-09T13:54:00.001-04:00

Its My Birthday!

I walk up to the line.

My memories drift back to just two short years ago. I know I've written about it before, but it was a major turning point in my life.

I had failed so many times in my previous attempts at weight loss. But I figured I had one more try left in me. I was walking quite a bit in the beginning as anything more strenuous would just be too hard on my overloaded joints.

As I was starting my nightly walk, I spied my neighbor taking his dog out for a walk too. My neighbor is an older gentleman...I figured I would be able to keep up with him without issue.

Big mistake...

After just a couple of blocks, I was huffing and sweating and having trouble keeping my dinner down, let alone keeping up with him. Meanwhile, he's apologizing to me about having to go so slow. His dog's arthritis was apparently acting up.

By the time I got home, I legs were on fire. Joints crying out in pain as I gingerly went down the stairs. That old man and his arthritic dog really put me through my paces. It was a week before my legs stopped aching.

But I made a vow that it would change...that I would change. That was nearly two years ago.

And now I'm walking up to the line. No time to think about the past. I need to be focused....I need to live in the now.

Its my first 5K race...I'm excited....I'm nervous...I really didn't expect this many people.

The race starts...I want to run fast...faster...but I know I need to resist. I need to keep a slow, even pace or I will burn out before the halfway mark....but it is SO TEMPTING. I pass just a couple people...then a couple more. I've passed a dozen people before I realize I'm going too fast.

Close my eyes....and breathe...slow it down...okay...that's better. Don't get upset if anyone passes you...you will probably catch them. Keep an eye on your heart rate...don't let it get to high.

Okay...that's better. Feeling fine...oh...there's the first mile mark. That was fast...

Still feeling good...heart is up a bit higher than I like...relax...breath easy....okay...that's better.

Next thing I know, I'm at the half way mark. This is where I slow it down to a walk...give my heart a chance to slow down some. Just a minute of walking...that's all I need.

Then back into a good steady run...the people that passed me while I was walking are now behind me.

There's the two mile mark. Yeah, I can do this. I'm going to finish this thing. No pain so far...feeling good...keeping just a bit of energy in reserves...going to need it soon.

Then it happens....I round the last turn...I can see the finish line. Everything outside the race disappears...I don't see the crowd of people watching us....I only see the finish... I dig deep and pull out the last of what I have left....and start to sprint. A full out run...everything I have, and everything I am....all in one last burst of speed.

I'm half way to the finish line now....I can feel the last of my energy starting to wane. There is a nagging feeling to stop....stop...catch your breath....you just need a minute to rest. Just a minute... My vision widens just a bit...I see my lovely wife cheering me on.

I don't listen to my body...I refuse to stop...or even slow down...the finish is so close...so close....

...and it is behind me. I DID IT! But now I can't keep my breath in ...can't catch my breath. I'm sure I've made a horrible mistake. I've sprinted before but never this long.

I try to walk it off...slowly my lungs fill up again as my breathing slows. Okay...I'm going to live.

Later, I get my time... 33minutes and 27seconds.

It took me 2 years, but I'm pretty sure that now I can beat that old man and his arthritic dog.

Progress Report

I ran a 5k. What more do you want? Oh...here's a picture of me after the race....

Yeah...I wore a TFG shirt for the race!

NOTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

June 02, 2008

2008-06-02T12:52:00.001-04:00

Happy to be Overweight

I'm happy to be overweight! You heard me right, I'm happy to be overweight and I don't care who knows it.

Think I've gone nuts? Read on, an explanation is coming.

Back in the 1980s, Body Mass Index (BMI) became the widely recognized standard for the measurement of obesity.

This isn't news...people that struggle with their weight talk about BMI all the time. I've posted a couple of blog entries on it. But for those of you new to the struggle, you can calculate your BMI either by using this formula...

BMI=kg/m²(where kg=weight in kilograms and m=height in meters)

...or by using one of the many online BMI calculators that are available on the Internet.

Once you have your BMI, you can see what your classification is by using this chart...

When I was at my heaviest (292 pounds), I was 'Obese Class III'...the worst on the chart. Back in October, I dropped down to 'Obese Class II' and in January of this year I dropped down to 'Obese Class I'....

Obese Class I

At my official weigh-in on Sunday, I saw the scales display 201.0 pounds! I've been waiting for this for a long time. I know what the number means! Using the BMI calculation, I am NO LONGER CONSIDERED OBESE!!!

Now I am simply overweight. So yes, I'm happy to be overweight.....very happy indeed! NOTE: I actually got off the obese list when I hit 202 pounds, but I lost an extra pound this week.

Reality Check

While the BMI scale is widely accepted, it has also taken some heat from numerous pundits. Mostly because it doesn't tell the whole story. Since it doesn't differentiate between muscle weight and weight from fat, extremely athletic people, like football players and body builders, show up as being obese.

It also doesn't do well with the very old. As people age, they tend to lose muscle mass and bone. So some one very old can actually be carrying around more fat than some one younger than they are.

So it isn't a perfect measurement...and it shouldn't be used solely to gauge your overall health. But it is a good starting place for people that want to track their progress as they slowly work at transforming their bodies from fatty to hottie.

Progress Report

What? Weren't you paying attention? I hit a major milestone! Weighed in at 201 pounds. Total weight lost....91 pounds. I've come a long way from my couch potato days....

Mystery of the Earring

I changed my earring back in December and for some reason I've had a bunch of people ask about it in the last few weeks. Everyone thinks that it is bigger. The only reason I can come up with is that I'm smaller...so the earring looks bigger in comparison.

Well, that's about it for this week. Be sure to check back next week when I'm sure I'll have some INCREDIBLE news.

NOTE: Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix. And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.