It’s been a long while since my last post but that doesn’t mean I’ve fallen off the bandwagon. I’ve been super busy at work for the past couple of months and unfortunately I’ve neglected my blog a bit which is something I really do not want to do. Part of the reason why I created this was to keep me accountable and motivated throughout my journey and to share my successes and my struggles with whomever is interested.
Since my last check-in, when I shared I had finally pushed through my weight loss plateau it seems I’ve hit another one. I haven’t really lost much weight since and because I’ve been weighing myself more frequently now (which I told myself I wouldn’t do) I see a lot of fluctuations throughout the week that can be a bit discouraging when you feel like you’re working your ass off (literally).
Weight aside, this past month has brought me a few “non scale victories” which I am happy about. During my business travel, I was able to buckle up the air plane seat belt without the need of an extension and/or feeling like the I cut the circulation to my lower extremities as I often felt when I was too embarrassed to ask for an extension. Flying is still not as comfortable as I would like it to be but it was definitely a big improvement.
I limit the times I weigh myself throughout the week because I feel it’s too much stress. The past few weeks I’ve been struggling to lose weight so I’ve been stepping on that scale more and been disappointed every time. I’ve been fluctuating around 290 lbs for about a month now if not a bit more. I’ve been determined to push through that plateau and not let it deter me from continuing on so I’ve upped my training schedule and worked extra hard to eat better these past couple of weeks and it seems to be working. I weighed myself this morning and I’m down almost six pounds since last week. I’m now at 284lbs which is still a lot but it’s been years since I’ve been at this weight so I couldn’t be happier. Continue reading “Quick Update”
So after almost two weeks of traveling I’m back home. I’m still pretty busy so I had not been able to sit down and write and post something as I would’ve wanted but hopefully I can get back to my semi-normal routine soon. Lots of things going on at work, getting some more responsibilities, which is good but at the same time makes me worry. I can deal with stress, but usually that meant eating and eating and eating some more. I am an emotional eater and find comfort in food, which has been a lifelong struggle that’s hard to let go.
On one hand I managed to visit the hotel fitness center a few times during my travels, so at least I can say I tried to keep up some sort of exercise routine. On the other hand, I do not think I did as good with the food and drinks. First week I did OK, only having a cocktail (I’m a Vodka kind of guy) with dinner and keeping the snacking to a minimum throughout the day; but during the second half of the trip I attended a conference which meant lots of business dinners and lots of free drinks. In past years I’ve been guilty of overindulging, this year I did not take it too far but still managed to drink a good amount of alcohol during the networking events. I had been tired from so much travel the week before so I was glad to end the trip on a happy and festive note so I may have slipped a bit. Compared to other years I did excellent so I’m not feeling guilty and I’m proud of myself for showing some sort of restraint but I know I still have a long way to go before I can get through one of these events without falling back into old habits. At the end of the day it was a successful business trip and I had fun, so that is really all that matters. Continue reading “Progress?”
Ever since people started to notice that I’ve lost some weight, the first thing I get asked is what diet am I following. Everyone wants to know if I’m doing the Atkins, or Paleo, or Keto diet; or if I’ve gone on a low fat diet, or tried a vegan diet, or even if I’m taking any medications or supplements to help with my diet. When I say I’m just eating better, working out and not following any strict “diet”, everyone is always so surprised and almost incredulous to a point. Continue reading “Diet history and what I’m doing now.”
So even though this has not been the most productive few weeks, I still need to keep moving forward and tracking my progress (no matter how small it may be).
The good news is that I have not gained any weight, however I haven’t lost any more either, which strangely makes me feel good. As mentioned on my previous post, I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately, not eating so good and having very little motivation for working out. This week, I did a little better with the food, however I didn’t get to work out as much as I would’ve wanted to but at least I got a couple of cardio sessions before driving down to Corpus Christi to attend a friend’s wedding. I had a great time seeing some old friends and celebrating the bride and groom so of course I had a few drinks and a slice of cake (no regrets here!) Continue reading “Awkward Progress Pictures (3rd month)”
I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I’ve fallen into a bit of a slump. At the end of January I got sick and in my attempt to let my body heal I might have fallen back into old habits. It’s been 12 days since my last post and since then I’ve only exercised four times, and while that is still good I haven’t really been making much of an effort with my meals. I’ve stopped planning my meals as I was doing and I haven’t been keeping track of my caloric intake (MyFitnessPal) which for me is a great tool. I’ve been busy at work so I’ve let that also affect my routine, which means I’m cooking less and ordering take out more or getting some fast food on the way home which would not be bad if I made better choices on the food ordered. As a results I’ve gone up a couple of pounds, which is not necessarily the end of the world, but it’s had a big impact on me mentally. I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am and I feel like I’ve undone all of my progress in these past few weeks. Of course that’s nonsense, but it’s easy to feel like a complete and utter failure, even if you’ve already accomplished a lot.
Just when I thought I’d hit a nice rhythm with my training routine and making nice progress, I come down sick. Why does the universe hate me? OK, maybe I’m being a bit dramatic, but seriously why did I have to get sick now.
Last week I had been feeling a little run down and maybe I should’ve taken it easier and had some rest but I thought I was just sore and had to push through. Guess, I was wrong.
I’ve been feeling somewhat sick this week and with work keeping me super busy and the crazy weather it’s been a struggle to keep active and find the motivation to work out and eat right. But the sacrifice is paying off. I’ve officially hit the 30 lbs lost mark. Still got a long way to go and I’m sure it’s just going to get harder but I’m in this for the long run.
Looking forward to continuing on this journey and seeing what the future holds.
I am so over this crazy weather. If it’s not freezing outside, it’s pouring rain (on top of the cold). I am so ready for the warmth and humidity to come back to Texas. In the six years that I’ve lived here, I think this has been the coldest and longest winter I’ve ever experienced. It’s making me really miss Puerto Rico and St. Croix and all the beautiful beaches and warm weather I gave up. But I do love it here and I will just have to put up with this a few more weeks, hopefully less.
Weather can’t make up its damn mind
This weather is conducive to only two things: eating and sleeping. In the past I would’ve relish that, bundled up in bed with the dogs while eating snacks and binge watching a series or two on Netflix. Ahhhhh the good times, but that’s now all in the past. I’ve been working hard these past couple of months and I’m not going to give it all up just because of cold rainy weather. However, with shorter days and colder weather, finding the motivation to stay healthy and fit can be difficult.
Why does this happen? Does this happen to anyone else or is it just me? I wonder if it is an instinctual act that compels us to stack up on food and fatten up during the cold months where there use to be a lack of food. At least that’s one way of explaining my constant craves these past few weeks that doesn’t make me feel like a fat ass. I’m eating right, drinking lots of water and maintaining a semi regular workout schedule, yet I feel like I’m in a bit of a rut. Thankfully we don’t keep a lot of junk food around the house anymore so it’s made it easier to abstain from eating since there’s not much around.
My workload at the office has picked up and I’ve been a bit more stressed out and irritable than usual but I can’t let that get to me. Part of the reason why previous attempts to better my health and loose weight ended up failing was because I would always come up with an excuse not to do something and when the weather is all funky like it is now it’s really easy to come up with an excuse to not workout or to eat all that comfort food and just be lazy. The problem is, once you make up one excuse, chances are you’ll make more until you fall back to your old habits. So I have to keep up with what I’m doing and find the motivation where I can, regardless of the weather and whatever might be happening at work.
I really hope that this weather starts improving soon. I want to start a vegetable garden in our back yard and I’m really looking forward to doing that as well as doing some outdoor activities. Slowly but surely getting ready for the summer.
I’ve you’ve stuck around until now, thank you for keeping up with my ramblings.
I can’t believe how quickly these past couple of months have gone by. When I started this journey back in November it felt like an impossible task to do, considering that the holiday season was upon us. But now, the holidays have come and gone and we are now in a new year, full of new opportunities to take and obstacles to conquer.
The first month in my journey was really successful, more so than I could’ve imagined loosing about 21 lbs total. I was determined to to loose some weight before taking some time off to be with my family and friends in Puerto Rico so I wouldn’t have to listen to my mom and my grandmother telling me how fat I was and so I could fit better in my clothes. It is so hard finding clothes that fit and look nice on you when you’re over a certain (but that’s a topic to discuss another time). The holiday’s were a success, mission accomplished, now it was time to get back on track. I am very happy with my progress these past couple of weeks even though this week it’s been a little slow with the crazy weather we’ve been having here in Texas and with work keeping me super busy.
