So we begin. I set about taking all of the baseline measurements, only to realize that my scale, which is many years old and has lived in many different houses and apartments, has decided to not function properly. So, a new scale is in order. I got one of the nice Health-o-Meter digital ones like my sister has. Not quite as fancy, but plenty effective. This does throw things a little out of whack, because I always weigh myself first thing in the morning, before I consume anything. Today's baseline was actually taken around 8 p.m. Maybe that will artificially inflate the base and make it seem as though I'm losing more than. The extreme downside is that I realize just how much my old mechanical scale had malfunctioned...my weight is up by more than 15 pounds!! Of course this is in line with the difference I noted over Christmas, when I weighed myself on my sister's scale. Oh well. Baseline measurements:
Weight - 283.2 lbs.
Waist - 43.5 inches
Gut - 47.0 inches
Chest - 49.0 inches
Bicep - 17.0 inches
Now, besides the scale, the other part of the day that was not ideal was I had to be on the road, early. So no chance to get my breakfast or lunch put together, so I eat on the road. This is one of my biggest problems. If I'm going out on the road later in the morning or early afternoon, I typically can put together at least my usual breakfast of a Carnation instant breakfast drink wtih skim milk, and a packet of instant oatmeal. I drink the drink on the way into the office, and eat the oatmeal when I get there. That gives me a good mix of vitamins, protein, fiber, and all that fun stuff for around 350 calories. Not so the case today. In a hurry and, probably due to the impending diet program, jonesing for something hot and cooked. Lunch was a little better. The upside of today is it kept me from snacking, which is one of my major downfalls. Anyway, here's my meal recap:
Mini box of Fruit Loops - 120 cal, 1g fat, 28g carbs, 1g fiber, 1g protein
Sausage McMuffin - 450 cal, 26g fat, 31g carbs, 2g fiber, 20g protein
Souplantation - 1070 cal, 35g fat, 123g carbs, 10g fiber, 40g protein
Butterfinger Bar - 270 cal, 11g fat, 44g carbs, 1g fiber, 4g protein
Whole Foods Cashew Chicken - 440 cal, 12g fat, 63g carbs, 1g fiber, 20g protein
2 Samoas Girl Scout Cookies - 150 cal, 8g fat, 19g carbs, 1g fiber, 1g protein
A grand total of 2230 cal, 93g fat, 308g carbs, 16g fiber, 86g protein (**update - I corrected my math. I can only add when I'm drunk, not just tired!). All of the caloric information was either taken directly from the package (where possible) or from a phenomenal website food/calorie database, Calorie King. This website is amazing. Want to check out how bad the stuff is at Taco Johns or Chick-Fil-A? They've got it. If you're looking at something that is at least a regional chain, odds are it's probably listed in there. This site also had information on general food types (breads and cereal, juices, milk and cheese, vegetables, meat, candy and snacks, etc. If it's sold at a grocery store, or a deli, or a 7-11, it's probably in the database. Anyway, there's that shameless plug.
Physical activity is another story. During the majority of the day, I was driving or sitting in a meeting. I had some minor home improvement stuff to do at home before the gf came home, so I did that instead of going to the gym. I used a pretty slick "how many calories did I burn?" calculator that I found on HealthStatus.com. Total calories burned today, a little over 3000. All things being equal, not a bad start. Adding the extra pounds just because of a new scale sucks, but it is what it is. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to pack a lunch and avoid the fast food. Wish me luck.
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3 comments:
I'm a little reluctant to count the calories I may or may not have burnt doing my daily activities. I always underestimate my activity level on those things. I never know if I'm really doing the dishes enthusiastically enough to burn as many calories as they say I'm burning. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised by unexpected weight loss than be disappointed because I thought my daily chores were enough to burn the calories. If it isn't at the gym, I'm not counting it.
How much have you been working out lately? If you haven't done much, make sure you do a lot of cardio to build your endurance. Once you've done that for a few weeks, you can add in the weights. Vary your cardio too; don't do the same thing every time (alternate swimming, walking on the treadmill, cruising on the elliptical machine, and if I'm feeling really crazy running around the track). Make sure you vary the intensity too; if you just keep the setting on the treadmill the same, your body goes into a mode where it only burns as much as it has to for that setting. Really push it for a minute, then ease up, then push it again.
Hang in there!
I'm just in that "how thorough can I be" phase where I try and log every nuance of everything. Unfortunately, I haven't been working out nearly enough lately. Hell, that's part of the problem. Still, I do try to vary things and always get my cardio in. I usually do the elliptical, but I always set the program to "random", thus allowing me to change things up. I've been reading in Men's Health among others, that interval training is really effective. I definitely plan on trying some of that. Also, there's a new 24 Hour Fitness that opened in downtown La Jolla. It's not the ideal location, but it's a Sport and if it has a lap pool, sweet. I'll keep ya posted.
A good (I think) forum for weight loss/fitness:
http://www.johnstonefitness.com
Good luck man. I need to get remotivated too, especially after this conference this week where they have good food out for you to eat ALL THE TIME.
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