Week 6 Day 1

I finished the 20 minute run of Week 5, Day 3 on Saturday.  I ran 3.4 km. in the 20 minutes which is good enough for 5K in 30 minutes if I can keep the pace.  I was happy with that.  Later Saturday morning my knee started hurting.  Not a lot, but irritating and I started wondering if this was the end.  I went to the chiropractor yesterday morning (my regular monthly adjustment).  He checked my knee and couldn't find anything major.  He suggested I buy some insoles.  I got some and decided to stick with the schedule and do W6 D1 this morning.  It is less strenuous than the 20 minute run.  I got into my walk and discovered that Day 1 and 2 are not on my IPod for some reason.  I couldn't remember what it was supposed to be so I just made it up.  I did an 8 minute run, 4 minute walk and 9 minute run.  I was supposed to do 18 minutes of running divided into three runs with walking in between so I was close.  The knee is about the same, no better, no worse  I'll take it a day at a time and see how it goes.

Dave

Let's Go People!

The posts are becoming few and far between.  Is that a reflection of the progress on our goals or just busyness?

I finished Week 4 of C25K yesterday.  I also participated in a 5K run today in Fort Frances.  Okay that's really misleading.  I sat in my van drinking a TH coffee while watching them warm up and start the run.  I then drove down the course to see the route.  Call it scouting--what people are wearing, how they're preparing--as some of us have talked about doing a 5K in Calgary when we come out in July.

First I have to get through Week 5.  Big jump next week.  The longest running period is five minutes in Week 4.  By Day 3 of Week 5 I have to run for twenty minutes straight!  That should happen next Friday.  I'll let you know how it goes.  In the meantime, how is it going for you?

Dave

C25K- Week 2 Done!

The weather was a bit of a factor this week, but I kept at it.  It was barely above zero celsius on Wednesday.  Too cold for me for running, but I had to get up with Jazz anyway so we did it.  This morning was warmer, but some stiff wind as a storm was approaching.  We just got back home as the rain started to fall.  The shin splints are gone, Jazz continues to do well and is a good motivator and companion.  The runs were a bit longer this week, but not a problem.  Now I get a couple days break before next week!

Dave

Setbacks :(

Upon leaving the school Thursday for my trip to Calgary, all resolve broke down.  I had a number things to deal with at school before leaving and missed my opportunity to go running.  That led to a complete breakdown in my resolve and I grabbed a quick, "unhealthy" lunch before getting to the airport.  I continued to make semi-decent choices that led quickly to a large piece of cheesecake for dessert.  I was conscious of the choices I was making but continued making some very poor ones.

Unfortunately, this has now continued on for a week.  I haven't run, I haven't cared so much about eating properly, and while I know I don't want to keep doing these things, I haven't stopped.  I will though.  I haven't given up; but I have taken a step back.

On a positive note, I did register a 2.6 pound weight loss last week.  I do not have high hopes of actually losing weight this week, though I will see what I can get accomplished in the little bit of time I have left between now and Sunday morning--At least a change in attitude and a choice to get back on track.

Jonathan Groff

P.S.  Dad, I am going to get going on the C25K.  I was talking with a student about some likely routes to run and have a couple options to be exploring.

C25K Restart

Nine degrees celsius at 6:30 this morning.  Finally warm enough for me to officially restart the C25K, this time with our dog, Jazz.  I got dressed,  put on my new running shoes, got the IPod set to the C25K podcast and headed out the door.  The five minute warmup walk was more like ten minutes as I have to give Jazz time to do all her jobs.  As long as we are running Jazz(who I have to keep on a leash or she'll be gone) does well.  During the walks she wants to keep stopping to sniff and pee a little more, so I have to give her a good pull now and then.

Shin splint pain started about half way through, but I concentrated on other things like not falling over the dog when she veers in the direction she thinks we'll go next.  I'll have to do some stretching in that area a few times a day.  The shoes felt good.  I have run very short sprints now and then over the winter and I've kept up the floor hockey so this first week won't be difficult (8-60 second runs interspersed with 90 second walks).  I thought about skipping to Week 2, but decided I need the easy week to settle in with the dog and have that sense of accomplishment.  Jazz still had lots of energy at the end so that shouldn't be a concern.  Now hoping the weather stays warm and we don't get the predicted rain on Wednesday morning!

Dave

Just a Quick Little Update

It's Thursday and I've been doing well with my eating plan.  I've stuck to it quite closely and I am hoping for some decent results on Sunday.  After school today though I leave for Calgary, with two other teachers, for a conference.  I will be gone until late tomorrow night.  I am hoping I will be able to stick with the plan despite eating out with others and at a conference.  I guess we will see.

One disappointment from this week was that I began the C25K running program on Sunday but have not gotten a second run in this week.  I'm not certain I'll get three in.  Beginning Sunday meant I should have run Tuesday and Thursday, taken off Friday and Saturday before advancing to the next level and beginning on Sunday again.  I forgot I had a meeting Tuesday night, plus I"ve found myself extremely busy this week.  You can hear the excuses can't you.  So can I.  That's why I'm putting them down in writing.  Here's the plan:  I will run before my flight this afternoon with the little bit of spare time I'll have between packing and needing to leave.  Then, I'll run again Saturday.  That will get me my three runs in, and though I won't start Sunday of next week, I could begin Tuesday and do Thursday and Saturday.  That will get me back on track.  That's the plan.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Jonathan Groff

Weight Loss Update

I am proud to announce that a week of eating better, and small amounts of fun activity with the kids at the pool resulted in a weight loss of 5.1 lbs this week.  I am pretty pleased with this number for my first week back to being healthier.  It is certainly motivation for continuing on this journey.  

My basic eating plan involves cutting out processed carbohydrates.  No sugar, no bread, no pasta, etc.  The idea is to essentially replace the carbs with fat as a fuel, with the goal being to train the body to burn fat instead of carbs for energy.  The premis stems from a paleo/primal way of thinking that builds off of how humans would have eaten prior to 10,000 years ago.  When men were nomads rather than settlers, growing crops did not happen, yet, experts say these humans were some of the fittest and healthiest in the history of mankind.  

Hoping to avoid any sort of religious debate, we are all well aware of the hunter/gatherer era when humans ate what was available from nature, without the need to grow their own food, process it, or alter it.  Nature does a pretty good job of offering quality food choices.  The plan I am following is the one outlined in "The Primal Blueprint" as written by Mark Sisson.  I like that it is relatively simple and easy to follow.  There are no points to calculate, no food to weigh, and no logging of food.  Eat what you are comfortable eating while avoiding processed carbohydrates.  Now that is not to say you cut all carbs from your diet.  Fruits and vegetables contain carbs yet these are to form the base of the eating plan.  From there, focus on protein, then add healthy fats for fuel and filling.  Of course, there are more specific rules and guidelines, but I will admit, I haven't reached the point of going full out with this.  But I am trying to follow the basic rules, and clearly it has produced some significant results.

Now, I know some of you are thinking that any new diet will produce similar results in the first week. That the weight loss is due wholly to "water weight" than any true weight loss. I did some looking into this because I've often wondered about what "water weight" actually means.  I found some answers here.  I did some double and triple checking just to be sure, but the info on "water weight" seems to be quite sound.  I liked this site because it discussed low carb diets specifically.  It does seem like the first couple of weeks will result in significant weight loss due to "water weight;" however, I was encourage to read also that low carb diets can be effective at eliminating cravings for unhealthy food as quickly as two weeks into the diet, and that this substantially reduces food intake and can lead to steady weight/fat loss.  

I'm going to stick with this for a while at least and I'll continue to update you on my progress.  It would be interesting to let you know that I weighed myself Saturday morning prior to taking a "free day" before my official weigh in Sunday morning.  Between Saturday and Sunday I gained over 2.5 lbs back due to my off-plan eating Saturday.  Reading the article on "water weight" has helped enlighten me as to why that likely was.  By the way, the 5.1 lbs was the weight on Sunday's weigh in, after the "free day."

Motivation

Since I signed up to contribute, I guess I should contribute something.  Not too concerned about my weight.  I've lost about 12 pounds since last July and managed to keep it off over the winter.  I'm also not too concerned with "getting in shape."  I'm not too bad in that department.  At my age, I'm not interested in body-building, etc.  My staying-in-shape goal is to stay in good enough shape to keep playing floor hockey with 20-30 year-olds.

I do want to restart the C25K soon though.  Jonathan got me interested in running last summer and I did do the C25K program, but I'm not a winter runner so I need to start all over now.  I'm hoping to get going soon and to do it with our dog which is new to us since last summer.  I am walking her now for about 40-60 minutes a day.  She has been my best motivation for regular, daily exercise through the winter.  I'm hoping she will cooperate with this running program.  Another motivator for me was recently buying my first ever true running shoe.  Haven't tried them yet, but I'm looking forward to it when we get a good run of Spring weather to get going.

Well that's where I'm at.  Looking forward to checking in to see how everyone is doing.

All the best,

Dave Groff (Jonathan's dad)

OH THE GUILT!!

Alright, so I've been working up the courage to post on here for a few days now.  It's not really just on this blog, as much as it is on a blog in general.  Writing makes me nervous.  Ask me to do some math, or science, or choreograph a 4 minute dance.... NO PROBLEM!  But, to write... I'd rather let a billion spiders chase me around the house.  And, if you know me at all, you know that I HATE spiders! However, I like the idea of this blog, so I'm going to give it my best shot.  Here goes...

I never had a "weight problem" as a kid, or as a teenager, in fact I never even really cared, or gave much thought to what I was eating.  It wasn't until I started dating my husband that I started to put weight on.  Then, of course, having four babies didn't help matters much either.  But, here's the thing, the reason I put all of the weight on was nobody's fault but my own.  I ate the food.  I rationalized "eating for two".  I lived in denial.  etc etc.  Whatever the excuse was, or reason, I probably used it.  I have also lost weight, quite successfully, a few times over the years only to end up putting it back on again a few months later.  It's been extremely frustrating, and upsetting.  Right now, I'm back up, trying to lose, again.

This time.... IT WILL BE DIFFERENT!

This time.... I WILL KEEP IT OFF!

Alright, I'm sorry for yelling at you just then.  I wasn't really yelling at you so much, as myself in an attempt to hammer it in to my head.   What's different this time, I think, is that I have realized that it's not just a "diet" until I reach my goal weight.  It's a lifestyle, eating habits, change that has to happen for the rest of my life, and I'm ok with that.  In fact, I am desperate for it.  I want to be healthier, and set a better example for my awesome kids; not to mention my students at the dance studio.  I too want to be the person God intended me to be.  (Thanks for posting that Jon, it really hit home with me).

So, where am I at right now?  I started changing my eating habits, and lifestyle on Sunday, and so far things have been going very well... Until last night.... I was at the studio teaching, working hard, when a few of my friends / fellow teachers decided to go to Menchie's (the frozen yogurt place) before our teacher class.  I was in the middle of class when they went, and I didn't know they were going.  When they got back they presented me, rather proudly, with a frozen yogurt treat they had very carefully concocted for me.  They explained to me that they debated exactly what I would like on my frozen yogurt, and hoped they got it right.  I was now in a predicament.  I only had approximately 100 calories left for my daily intake, so eating it would definitely put me over that, but if I said no, I would hurt their feelings.  I decided the best thing to do was to eat it, and I did.  BUT,  the instant I finished eating it I was overwhelmed with guilt.  I felt awful!  I felt like I had let myself down, and was disgusted with myself.  I also felt sick to my stomach immediately afterwards.  Today, I feel less guilty about the decision I made to eat it, but still, I would love to have not eaten it.  Is there a better way to handle a situation like this?  Or do I just need to figure out a way to not feel guilty?  To just eat it and be ok with it, because in the grand scheme of the weightless journey it's one frozen yogurt?  Or should I have said no to my friends, and risked hurting their feelings?  BTW... thank you Derek for your post about failing.  This helped me out a lot after I was consumed by guilt.  I did realize that there was no point in wallowing in self pity, or sitting on the studio floor eating whatever I could find (which did cross my mind very briefly).  I just finished the night off went home and carried on.  I had three glasses of water when I got home, watched The Big Bang Theory, laughed probably a good 5 pounds off, and went to bed.  Today is a new day, and I'm feeling great, and I'm carrying on!  GO ME!

OK, thanks for listening...

Jen
:D

Shovelglove

Shovelglove has been mentioned a couple times on this blog already, but I'm guessing some of you may be unaware of what that is.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with SHOVELGLOVE, I thought I'd write up a post on it today for you.

Shovelglove was created by Reinhard Engels.  This is the same person who authored the NO-S eating plan for losing weight, as mentioned by Derek in his post.

Engels' website: http://www.everydaysystems.com/  mentions of both of these, as well as other "systems" to get into shape.  On the site is a link to a more specific page about shovelglove.

Basically, shovelglove is a physical activity that involves swinging a sledgehammer around for 14 minutes (no more, no less) every weekday.  Engels has a core list of "useful movements" you can mimic with your swings, and others have come up with their own.  Here are some ideas:

• shovelling
• churning butter
• chopping wood
• canoeing 
• hammering down fence posts
• sword fighting
• fireman chopping down a door
• and many others

Part of the beauty of this workout, aside from being able to swing around a sledgehammer for 14 minutes every weekday, is that there is no set routine, rep count, or formula.  Here's a quote from the website:

"Which movements should you do? How many times? And in what order? Honestly, I don't think it's that important. Keep swinging that slege for 14 minutes every weekday, and you'll get a great workout. The one thing I would caution against is diving into very high rep count sets right away -- it's safer and more interesting to do smaller rep count sets, going through a variety of different moves. Try starting with just 7 reps of each movement, repeating sets when you get through them all until the timer goes off."


Shovelglove is all about keeping things fun and interesting.  If you check out youtube you'll find many people have created their own movements, and that's perfectly fine.

Here are a couple safety tips for your newly purchased or found-in-the-basement sledgehammer.

• Engels suggests you wrap your sledgehammer in an old sweatshirt to keep it from scratching up your hardwood floors or killing the cat.  Personally, I don't have hardwood, and my cats are smart enough to stay out of the way.  Attaching an old, fuzzy sweatshirt is more attracting to cats than just bare metal.  So I don't.  But you could.

• The weight of a sledgehammer is different than the weight of dumbbell.  The weight is not evenly distributed; it's all at the end of the handle.  Just because you can curl a 30 lbs dumbbell doesn't mean you need a 30 lbs sledgehammer.  Typical weights range from 8-16 lbs, increasing in 2 lbs increments.  I suggest you start small with a 9 or 10 lbs sledge.  Another difference between shovelglove and arm curls is that you curl 10 reps in under a minute.  But could you keep curling for 14 minutes straight?  Not likely!  After 14 minutes of shovelglove, a 9 lbs sledge will feel like it weighs a ton.

• Like the cautions for your Wii, you'll want to ensure you have adequate space to swing your sledgehammer without damaging your kids (not as smart as cats at times), furniture, or heaven-forbid the big-screen television.  Keep in mind the sledgehammer is quite a bit longer than the wiimote, and don't forget that at times you may want to fully extend your arms.  On that note, remember how high your ceiling is.

• I strongly suggest using a countdown timer to time your sessions.  You don't want to be constantly stopping to check the clock, and using a minute hand clock could result in you missing your end time, or straining your neck to ensure it has not stopped working.  I use my iphone's timer feature, but you could set the microwave or oven timer as well.  

• Not all sledgehammer handles are created equal.  Some are smooth and nice to hold, while others are rough and can hurt the hands.  The smooth ones are nicer to hold onto, but could result in the sledge flying from your sweaty grasp.  The rough ones can scratch up your hands, but may be easier to maintain a grip when sweating.  Or, you may consider some sort of glove for your own hands.  It's something to think about.  A $25 sledgehammer can do a lot of damage when flying through your large picture window.

Check out a couple videos here, and be sure to check out youtube for more.

So, now you know all about shovelglove.  Go ahead and give it a try; it's a great workout!

Motivation for a Time of Weakness

What do you whisper to yourself when you feel like giving up or giving in?  I'm not sure I can answer this myself, which is one of the reasons why I've resorted to creating this blog.  I need some help motivating myself in times of weakness.  I need to be able to say "No! Don't"  or maybe "Yes, You Can!"

No, don't eat that.
No, don't just sit on the couch.
No don't stop.

Yes, you can find the energy to keep running.
Yes, you can finish this workout.
Yes, you can stick to your eating plan.


Browsing the internet, I came across this website that listed some little sayings people will whisper to themselves to keep going.  This one caught my attention specifically:


"This is not the hardest thing I've ever done."



This is so true.  I've done far harder things than refuse to eat a piece of cake.  Running another minute when I'm exhausted is nothing compared to enduring the two kidney stones I've had.  I think part of the problem is allowing our minds to treat this moment of temptation as though it's the end of the world.  But instead of focusing on the larger task of sticking to a diet plan or finishing this entire workout, it might be easier to concentrate on this one moment in time of weakness:  I can not eat this and still survive.  I can hammer out these last two reps and it won't kill me.  


This is not the hardest thing I've ever done.  


This Is Not The Hardest Thing I've Ever Done!  


THIS IS NOT THE HARDEST THING I'VE EVER DONE!

Jonathan Groff

A Small Success

I experienced a small success today that I'd like to share.  For those of you who don't know, I'm a junior/senior high school teacher.  I mostly teach English Language Arts, but they squeeze a few other courses into my schedule as well (one being a jr. fitness class).

Today, a couple senior highs walk into my room and plop a beautiful slice of chocolate cake down on my desk, complete with icing and sprinkles.  I was helping some other students with essay writing and didn't get a chance to talk with these two girls, but I saw the cake sitting there.  Calling my name.  Begging not to be left alone.  Needing to fulfill it purpose in . . . well, you get the picture.  If I'm making you hungry, think of how I must have felt.

I put off going to my desk, busying myself with other students until the end of the day.  This isn't the first time this senior high food studies class has dropped off tasty food for me to sample, but it was the first time since I decided to cut out processed carbs.  And this cake was nothing but processed carbs.  I faced a dilemma.  I didn't really want to eat the cake, but I also didn't want to disappoint the girls when they asked how it was.  And I certainly couldn't just throw it in the garbage in front of a class of grade 9's.  The boys would kill me.  Trying to divide it amongst the class was also out of the question.

But I walked out of the situation feeling pretty good about myself.  I waited until the end of class, the end of the day, took a baby finger swipe of icing (seriously, just a taste, not a glob) and the tiniest corner of cake (again smaller than a mouse would eat).  And I threw the rest in the garbage.  It was delicious.  I wanted more.  But I didn't eat more.  And I didn't have to lie to the girls about how good it was either.

Anyone else have any success stories to share?


Jonathan Groff

This worked for me...

Well, this could be kinda fun! Feels almost like a Weight Loss Anonymous meeting.

"Hello, my name is Derek and I like food ... and it has been 2 weeks since my last carb...."
;)

I've had a bit of success lately and have spent a fair bit of time internally analyzing why that is. None of what I'll say is likely news to anyone, but it might come in handy. Here are some keys to my progress:

You can't outrun your fork*
In the past, I've always tied a weight loss goal to starting a new exercise regime. Oh sure, I'll convince myself that I'll eat better too, but it was always "I'm gonna train this fat right offa me!". However, it's impossible (or at least highly impractical) to train every single day (especially when you travel like I do). And even if I did train regularly, my brain has a remarkable capability to rationalize - "hey, you ran for 10 minutes - you totally earned that DQ Blizzard!". There's no exercise regime that can't be outdone by a poor diet!.
* I got this line from Nerd Fitness - see links at bottom

fix your diet - but don't Diet!
As a follow up to the previous post - if you find a diet that works for you, you'll get results! Now, pay attention to the capitalization in the title. Make that distinction in your brain and you'll go farther. Changing your eating shouldn't be a temporary mindset - "oh, I'll just eliminate all carbs until I'm at my goal weight". That's a great way to bounce back once you start eating carbs again. No - change your philosophy about eating altogether. This isn't easy - but it's totally worth it.
A Diet can by helpful to start the ball rolling - it's awesome to see some results for motivation to keep going. But expect to change your diet in the long-term to ensure continued success.

The principle is more important than the details
This finally clicked for me when I read through The 4 Hour Body (by Tim Ferriss). His book has many fantastical ideas and claims (they could all be true - I've yet to test many of them) - but that statement really stuck with me. If you stick to his Diet letter for letter, you'll lose a ton of weight very quickly. However, the principles behind the Diet make for a fairly easy to follow diet. Cut out the refined carbs, eat more protein, eat more veggies, give yourself a break, etc - that's way easier to follow than "I need to eat 120g of chicken and 4 clumps of broccoli or I've failed my Diet"...
Find something that makes sense to you & works and hang on for dear life! I haven't done as much research into the Paleo Diet, but it sounds pretty similar. Again, don't get bogged down in the details - stick to the principles and you'll do okay.

Give yourself a break
This was one of the principles (mentioned above) that helped me get over the hump. One big challenge with any change in diet is the fear of cravings. I'll admit it - I like pizza, chocolate, sugar - all that good stuff. It's why I'm writing on a blog like this! :) I like food and sure I may use it as a crutch or consolation prize sometimes - but I also just like the flavors! So the idea of cutting that out forever sucks.
What Tim Ferriss suggests (I doubt he's the first to say it - that's just where I read it), is that you can get good results with a strict Diet - but then give yourself 1 day off each week. If you know you can eat WHATEVER YOU WANT on that one day, it makes eating "right" the rest of the week much easier. Put that chocolate bar craving into the mental bank for Saturday (my usual day off). Stay the course for 6 days and go bonkers on the 7th! You'll feel sick by the end of the day and will look forward to getting back to your healthy habits. And really, you can be strong for 6 days at a time, can't you? It's way easier than saying "I won't eat another carb for the next 3 months!"...

You WILL fail
Yep, just call me Mr Sunshine! :) But the fact remains, there are very few of us with iron-clad self-control. And if you do have superhuman self-control, chances are you're not reading a blog like this (except maybe to laugh at us). So, accept the fact that you will fail - but DON'T let that stop you! If you trip, get back up before anyone notices and keep going as if nothing happened! If you lay on the sidewalk and cry/eat out of self pity, that doesn't do anyone any good. But if you brush yourself off and keep going, you'll keep making progress. You may be a little scuffed up, but chances are nobody will notice. 
Don't use that as an excuse. Fall down enough times and you'll look like a bum with ripped clothes and a bloody nose (or a beer belly & double chin). But a trip once in a while will not end your journey. And if you recognize where you stumbled, you can step over that section of the sidewalk next time! If you find yourself ordering a cookie with your morning drive-through coffee, here's an idea - skip the drive thru!

That which is measured can be managed
If you just "want to lose weight" and don't keep a track of what you're doing then you won't know when you've had success. But can I suggest something odd? Don't make the scale your measurement. Chances are, when you break it down, you don't really want to "lose weight" - you probably want to fit into those old jeans again ... or take your shirt of at the beach without being self-conscious about your moobs ... something like that, right? So measure what you really care about!
I implemented the principles above and sooner than expected, I had to go out and buy some 36 jeans (I've been a 38 for longer than I care to admit). I weighed myself at the beginning (just for a baseline), but honestly I didn't step on the scale for months thereafter. Feeling my jeans fit looser was the measurement I needed!
However, if you need something more precise to track, try some other measurements.

Ummm - what about exercise?
Yeah, what about it? No doubt, exercise will make you fitter, stronger, faster, etc - but you don't need to do it to lose weight. After losing the weight/inches I've lost over the past while, the first question people tend to ask is "damn, dude - you been working out?". And quite honestly, not really. Yes, I've been taking boxing lessons* once a week - but that's literally been 1 hour a week (if that, with my travel schedule). I should be exercising more to improve my skills from week to week, but I just haven't. Any progress I've made, I attribute solely to a sensible change in my diet.
* - I signed up for them because I wanted to learn a new skill - but that's a topic for another blog post...

Well, that went on for way longer than I expected. Apparently I've been wanting to tell someone about this. I hope it helps. If you have any questions, let me know!

Cheers,
Derek

Helpful links

• Nerd Fitness - useful blog posts, great community - all it's written with a healthy dose of attitude & humor
• 4 Hour Body - somewhat sensationalistic in content, but the sections on weight loss really made sense to me and it got me over the hump of actually losing weight to the point where people commented on the change. I'd recommend the e-book if you have an iPhone/iPad/similar (fraction of the hardcover price, much easier to reference on the go)...
• Here are the basics of his "Slow Carb Diet". If you want a "kick start" to give you visible results with motivation to keep going - give it a shot. Actual quantities of weight lost may vary, but results are results!
• Tim's blog - for some generally interesting ideas & articles.
• Shovelglove - I've stopped doing this for a while (no reason - just laziness) - but it's a ton of fun when you really get into the habit. I'm a big fan of functional fitness and I know I felt better when I was doing this regularly. If you find his website too hokey, this guy took it to the next level (just give in to the goofiness - you'll dig it).
• No S Diet - once you've lost a good chunk of weight with the Slow Carb Diet, the No S Diet would be a good maintenance diet, methinks.

Day 2 and Feeling Okay

So day 2 is coming to an end. I'm about to put a can of chunk light tuna into the oven with a thin slice of marble cheese over it as a nice snack. Also a glass of water and a mug of tea. Sounds yummy, eh?
Basically I've decided to give Primal eating another shot. It makes life a bit complicated but the premiss is pretty simple: cut out processed carbs -- no bread, grain, rice, sugar, etc. Instead, replace the carbs with healthy fats for fuel. Check out marksdailyapple.com for more specifics, or you could just ask on here and get some comments going.

Jonathan Grof

Well, here we go.  I currently weigh 227.3 lbs according to my Wii Fit.  This isn't my heaviest, after Christmas of this year I was 231 lbs, but this obviously isn't healthy.  I have an ultimate goal of weighing between 160-175 lbs.  That's 52.3 lbs to lose as a minimum.

This isn't the first time I've tried to lose weight.  It seems to be a seesaw of up and down.  A couple years ago I made it down to 200 lbs, but I haven't been below 200 lbs in about 11 years.  I've tried several weight loss plans, competitions, and incentives.  Clearly this hasn't worked.

So what will be different this time?  A couple things.  First, I've started this blog with the hopes that a community of like-minded people can help me stay on track, and by extension I can help all of you reach your goals.  No competition, no judgement, no incentives.  Just a lot of good people, helping each other out.

Another difference is that I'm not trying to bribe myself or beat someone else this time.  I'm not expecting perfection, though I certainly plan on striving for it.  I'm open to being human; therefore I intend to remain optimistic in setback, rather than succumb to disappointment.

A final difference is my motivation.  I want to succeed with my fitness goals for me.  It's not for health reasons, or vanity, it's not even for family.  I want to do something positive with my life.  I want to be the person God intended me to be.  I want to feel good about myself.

Will it work this time?  I don't know, but I am hopeful.  Will you help me?  Can I help you?

I would be happy to give you posting privileges to my blog.  Let me know your email address and I will add you as contributor so you can create your own posts.  You can tell your story, track your progress, share what's working and what's not.  You don't need to be trying to lose weight.  Maybe you want to be able to bench press a certain amount, or you're training for a marathon.  Maybe you want to lower your cholesterol, or blood pressure.  Whatever your fitness and health goals are, speak up!  Share!  Post encouraging photos, quotes, anecdotes, etc.  Will you join me?  I look forward to hearing from you.


Jonathan Groff