Can you see me now - Part 2

Yes I can see you but not as well as before.  For someone who has had few if any health issues - ever - in life, who takes no medication of any kind and hasn't missed a day's work in 20 years, the gradual onset of deteriorating eyesight is at first just annoying, then worrying and finally depressing. Having started noticing some very distinctive double vision in my left eye, I recently had a battery of tests which came out all OK: no disease or underlying condition causing this. Just some adjustment needed on my prescription.  Which we promptly did.  However, it did not work.  Left eye vision still poor with pronounced double vision, even with the new glasses... Very unhappy about that.  Will have to go back next week to see what can be done.  Options including possibly trying contact lenses again, or maybe even surgery in the one eye.  Will resort to that only if all else fails.

Running is going great: 8 miles this morning (late) after some stopping and starting due to rain.  Can't complain about rain, we are just emerging from a massive drought.  If I can get in 10 miles tomorrow - which should be doable - it will be my 3rd week in a row of 40+ miles.  And-  touch wood - the plantar fasciitis in my left foot is slowly receding like a bad memory. Kathleen's training for Boston is also on schedule, I am sagging for her and a few other runners tomorrow morning for a 17-mile run. 

100 days of weight loss: Day 35
I am stretching this program out to what will likely turn into 300 days of weight maintenance, still 20 pounds heavier than I want to be... Rather this than abandon it altogether.  So once more with feeling:  today's 'lesson'is to try to recognize an 'eating pause' that occurs at some point while eating a meal.  People would stop briefly and lay down their forks or put down the food they're holding in their hands.  Don't go back and start eating again: the natural 'eating pause' is likely the exact point where you are satisfied or comfortable. 

Cultural notes:

Emily Newton as Anna Bolena in Opera in the Height's Performance of Anna Bolena by Gaetano Donizetti.  Photo courtesy of OIH

Kathleen and I have been to the opera twice lately.  Last night was Anna Bolena, Donizetti's bel canto masterpiece, at Opera in the Heights.  And fabulously sung it was too, by young soprano  Emily Newton who hails from Lake Jackson in Texas.  Beautiful, expressive voice!  The tenor  in the role of Lord Percy (Zach Averyt) tried really hard but fell a little short.  I think  he just had an off night, but he seemed to have a hard time holding some of the more challenging high notes which unfortunately are rather common in any Donizetti opera.  No big deal though, the cast as a whole was stellar, as was the chorus, particularly the women.  All in all a very satisfying evening at the opera.  Just a very long one. Like everybody else in the theater, I was squirming in my seat by the time 3 hours and 15 minutes had elapsed. Yes it is a marathon performance but with so much beautiful music, what can you do.  Stretch your legs, re-arrange your seat and enjoy!  Also, there was a pretty blonde playing the drums.  Complete with Madonna hairstyle.  If she wasn't in the back there she might have stolen the show from Maestro Enrique Carreon-Robledo who conducted with great passion and energy.  The music never sounded so good!

Albina Shagimuratova.  Photo by Andrei Bogdanov

Last Friday we were at the Houston Grand Opera for Verdi's La Traviata.  HGO consistently delivers an opera experience of the first order and this performance was no  exception.  In the title role Russian soprano Albina Shagimuratova was a revelation.  She tossed off a succession of hugely difficult and challenging arias with the greatest of ease.  Making singing at this level look easy takes masses of natural talent and unbelievable devotion and sheer hard work.  Patently there is nothing easy about performing successfully on stage singing opera in front of 2000+ people. You have to remember the words and the music, sing (in Italian or French, most of the time), move exactly when and where as previously directed, act, react, adjust and improvise when necessary, and pretend as if it's your first time even if you've sung the role a 100 times before!  No bored or jaded expressions allowed...  That would not have been a problem for Brian Hymel - an up and coming young tenor from New Orleans.  He was inserted into the role of Alfredo Germont barely one week before the opera's first performance due to the originally cast tenor falling sick.  Mr Hymel made the very most of his opportunity, performing flawlessly.  His strong yet delicate high notes had a pleasing Italianate flavor and there was not a hint of under-rehearsal.  A good future in opera awaits Mr. Hymel!

Running goals

Since the unsuccessful attempts to qualify for Boston in last year's Mohawk Hudson Marathon in Albany NY, my running has just been meandering along without too much purpose or intent.  Mostly just keeping Kathleen company while she is preparing for Boston coming up in April.  Which is great and which is helping me as much as it is her: suddenly I'm doing 45+ miles per week!

I have entered for a few local races including a couple of 5K, a 10K (Rodeo Run) and a half marathon on February 19 (Rhythm and Blues).  Mixed results so far with the best effort being last Sunday's Run for Wellness 5K at 23:01. 

What I'd really like to do is get a bit more competitive in my age category in anticipation of moving into the next age group in May.  Right now by far the best thing I can do to improve speed is not more running, more (or less) speedwork, fartleks, strength training or anything else. It is losing weight.  The stepped-up weight training  and other strength exercises will help, but if I want to catch up with Allison and Dave in the next 5K at the end of February, my best shot will be to line up several pounds lighter. 

That means revisiting the Fitday pages every day and logging food intake; there is just no other way to tackle this. 

Weight this morning: 171
Body fat percentage: 21%

Run for Wellness 5K

The dogs trying to 'help' me with a medicine ball workout

 
There were several good things about this morning's inaugural Run for Wellness 5K such as a fast, flat course, perfect weather, not many runners and correct distance measurement.  As opposed to last week's 2.8 mile Rockets Run, this one was 3.1 miles on the dot.  I almost forgot: it was free - complete with numbers, expert timing, awards and post-run breakfast tacos.  Can't beat that!
 
My time of 23.01 is well off a PR time but moving in the right direction:  average pace of 7:25, a lot better than last week's 7:45!  Keep up this rate of improvement and I'll be running a sub 20-minute 5K in no time, right?  Of course not, it will take a huge commitment on my behalf to even get close to that highly desired goal.  For now, I will concentrate on knocking off another few seconds or so between now and the last Sunday in February.

100 Days of Weight Loss Day 34:  Listen to your body; stop right at the point of feeling comfortable, not stuffed.  Learn how to monitor fullness by listening to the source:  the abdominal muscles that cover the stomach.

Today:  171 lbs
Body fat percentage:  22%
Mileage for the week:  48
Mileage for the month to date: 157

Chugging along nicely

For the first time in many weeks, I am feeling a bit fatigued this morning.  It probably should come as no surprise as I have been working out a lot.

Split session running yesterday:

4 miles easy along Buffalo Bayou in the morning before work with Kathleen, who is well into her Boston Marathon training cycle.  She will be doing her first 'long' long run this Sunday - 16 miles.

Three X 1-mile repeats at the middle school track after work, plus 1 mile warm-up and 1 mile warm-down, and 1 mile between intervals = total of 7 miles. So grand total of 11 miles for the day. Not too shabby.  Plantar fasciitis seemingly under control, the Superfeet inserts appear to be working.

Also a pretty intensive 50-minute workout with Frank at Fast Results Fitness; worked the shoulders, arms, back and core.  

Coming up:  5k on Sunday morning. 

100 Days of Weight Loss - Day 32:
How full are you really?  Try to gauge it on a 4-point scale:
0 = neither hungry nor full
1:  slightly full
2:  overly full, ate a little bit too much
3:  Totally stuffed like after a Thanksgiving Meal.

Aim to reach a '1' after any meal; discard the rest of the food.

Weight this morning: 171
Body fat percentage: 21%
Total miles week to date: 17
Total miles month to date:  126

More running with the Leopold and Lewis

Really easy 6-mile run today with  'the boys'; they took a break at the halfway mark to graze on some fresh grass.  I opted for water.

100 Days of Weight Loss Day 32:  eat every three to five hours to prevent getting too hungry which can lead to even more eating problems. Any time you go more than five hours between meals, you are likely to overeat.

Here are some photographs of me and the dogs:

100+ miles for the year to date

A solid 44-mile week propelled me to well over 100 miles for the year to date, on target for about 140 for the month.  Not a bad start considering that I am still battling with plantar fasciitis in the left foot.  I am stretching more and have been using arch support inserts (Super Feet) for the last week or so.  Used to run with them regularly a few years ago, don't know why I ever stopped.

100 Days of weight loss day 31:  try to figure out if you are not hungry, a little bit hungry, very hungry or famished, before you eat something.  Most of the time it is best to have something to eat within about 20 to 30 minutes of feeling the first real signs of hunger such as a growling stomach.

I have been trying out my new Nikon 'toy' camera, an AW-100 which is supposed to be waterproof up to 10 meters (33 feet).  Mostly I just want to use it on my daily runs to document some things along the way and - when training with the Striders - get a few candid shots for a slide presentation at the end of the year.

Here are a few which I took today:

A new house in our neighborhood; somehow I think the rock look is a bit overdone

The county authorities have spent several million dollars upgrading this area along Buffalo Bayou where it intersects with Rummel Creek.  So far it has not alleviated flooding, in fact it made it worse

Some pretty flowers in our townhouse complex garden

One race at a time

Last week it was 13.1 miles, this week a rather shorter but also more intense 5K race, the Rockets 5K downtown, from and back to the Toyota Center.  This race attracts a lot of beginners or occasional runners. Look around you just before the start and you'll see dozens of race shirts.  Veteran runners know that it is a bit of a faux pas to wear the race shirt on race day. I'm fine with it, though - many of these first-time runners will be back for their second or third run soon, how could they not - it is so much fun!

Kath and I both placed second in our age groups, which was nice.  Nothing to get too excited about though: very few of the real fast age group runners show up for this race because it is just one week after the Houston Marathon.  Hey, you take your opportunities when they present themselves, right?

I clocked a 21 minute something for the 5K but unfortunately that was not a true reflection of my pace which was 7.45 minutes/mile. The course was short by a lot:  2.8 miles instead of 3.1.  Must have had a real amateur race director.  When you put up a race, job # 1 is to get the distance right. 


I took a short time-out from 100 Days of Weight Loss; not that I really wanted to but pressure of work was just too overwhelming this last week.   Will pick it up again from tomorrow.

Weight:  172
Body fat percentage:  22%
Jan 20:  Rest day
Jan 21:  5 miles total including 5K race

Total miles for the month to date:  99

Here are some pics from the Houston Rockets Run:

Kathleen and me - 2nd place in our age categories!  Hardware baby.

A running weekend

It started on Saturday with the US Olympic Marathon Trials - both men and women for the first time on the same course, same day.  Looked like a huge success from where I stood (cold but thrilled to see so many super fast runners zooming by) at the corner of Waugh and Allen Parkway.  Tough on 4th place finishers Dathan Ritzenhein and Amy Hastings; hopefully better luck in 4 years time. Of course that is what makes the Olympics trials such a huge thing.  They only come around every 4 years.  You simply can't afford to run a bad race on the day.  And as we all know, it happens sometimes due to circumstances totally beyond one's control.

On Sunday I ran the Aramco half marathon; part of the Chevron Houston Marathon.  Despite growing numbers of participants, the marathon committee did a great job of improving the start corral layout and access.  I breezed in from the west part of town, parked near the baseball stadium and jogged to the start; could have left the house 40 minutes before the start of the race.  Even so it was fun standing in the half marathon corral and chit-chatting with a couple of other participants whom I had never met. Amazing how easy it is for runners to relate.  Duh.  Organization along the course, at the water stops and the finish line was nearly flawless. A bit of confusion just after the viaduct at about mile 1, when some half marathoners thought they had to switch over to the left side.  Caused some near collisions and a few people actually ran back.  No need for that, the two roads join up again just around the corner.

The run was a breeze: I took it really easy for the first ten miles (about 8:53 pace) and then cranked it up a couple of notches over the last 3 miles, passing dozens of people and brought the average down to about 8:35, for a finishing time of 1:53 and change. Way off my best half time but I was not really expecting much with this foot injury still hampering training.

The difference between the full and half marathon:  minimal soreness today, in fact I will be taking out the dogs for a 4 or 5 mile jog later this afternoon!

Back soon with some photographs from the Olympics Trails.

Swamped

Going through a very hectic time at work which is fine but it leaves very little time for anything except 'serious' writing.  A lot of other things tend to fall by the wayside including blog writing, food journaling and so on.  At least I've kept the running going; pretty steady 4 to 5 miles per day every day except on Friday.  Also took yesterday (Wednesday) off due to some tightness in my calves.  One thing I do remember from an over-training episode years ago is that waking up with chronically sore legs is not normal.  If your calves are sore all the time, take some time off running.

The Olympic Marathon Trials are coming up this Saturday and I will probably stake out a spot along Allen Parkway and Waugh Drive to take some photographs.  Looks like the temperatures are going to be in the 30's so I will have to dress super warm, not something I am really geared for!  Can't miss the opportunity to get some nice pics though.   

Day of the 100 Days of Weight Loss is about postponing a decision to start eating snack foods, appetizers, cookies and desserts.  Good advice as it is easier not to start, than to stop, with so many of these tempting treats! 

Weight this morning: 172
Bodyfat percentage: 23%

January 11 :  Rest

Olympic Trials coming soon!

The US Olympics Trails will be rolling into Houston on Saturday Jan 14 and I am planning to stake out a good spot somewhere along the route to take some photographs of all the speedy men and women athletes who will be zooming by at a pace of around 5 minutes per mile for the guys, slightly slower for the young women.  I am trying to decide on the best spot to get some good close-ups, might try the u-turn on Waugh. Very odd course layout.

Here is a link to an interesting animation which shows how the men's and women's race should progress if all goes according to plan:  US Olympics Marathon Trial race progression

Making some progress on the 100 Days of Weight Loss program.  Dropped a couple of quick pounds due to more diligent food recording, watching portion sizes and being more mindful about treating food as fuel, not filler.  Today’s ‘lesson’ is about eating smaller amounts of one’s favorite foods, less often.  So for example if you just can’t stand the thought of giving up ice-cream (not an issue for yours truly), then go ahead and have some, but try to limit it to just once a week or so,  not a whole half gallon of the stuff in one sitting! 

Thursday rant of the week:

First somebody drops off an item which none of us have used in like 10 years and then they call a couple of days later to make sure that we got it? What a waste of time, effort, money and paper. The item? Greater Houston Yellow Pages. I have about as much use for it as a typewriter or telex machine.

Weight this morning:  170

Body fat percentage:  23%

Jan 4:  6 miles along the bayou with Kathy and the dogs.  Fairly muggy but ok.

More of what you want

If bread is what you like, then go ahead and have more this year. A lot more!  In his latest newsletter Dr. John McDougall (I am a big fan!) digs up a study from way back in the 1970's. 

This 1979 Michigan State University study found that 16 college-age men who added a whopping 12 (twelve!) regular slices of either white or high-fiber bread to their daily diets, lost between 14 to 19 pounds  over the next eight weeks. There was no change in their physical activity or exercise. Their health also improved with rapid and significant drops in cholesterol levels. 

What to make of this?  Starch is your friend, not your enemy.  Eat more of it and it will crowd out other unhealthy, fatty and cholesterol-laden animal products.  Don’t like bread?  The go ahead and add several cups of steamed rice, boiled corned, mashed potatoes (no butter!), baked sweet potatoes, cooked beans, peas or lentils or boiled spaghetti noodles. 

I won't be adding that much bread to my diet, but will definitely shift some more calories into either  whole wheat or rye or pumpernickel bread.  We will just have to see how that works out, I guess!

Day 24 on the 100 Days of Weight Loss is about eating for satisfaction.  I often catch myself eating something and then immediately starting to look around for something else.  The trick is to eat slowly, pay attention to the bites and to appreciate your food.  Chewing properly - a lot more than usual - will also help with this.  To appreciate the flavors and to be satisfied, you don't necessarily have to eat a big amount of anything.  Just be mindful and actively enjoy the experience, rather than just plowing through it unthinkingly.
 
Weight this morning:  172
Body fat percentage:  24%


Jan 3:
4 miles easy with the dogs in the am and 3 X 1-mile repeats (around 7:40 pace) at Rice University Track.  It was nice being back on the track again.  Tyson Gay was there too!!  I really miss my weekly mile repeats and will definitely try to make it a regular part of my week this year.

Facing up to reality

To be honest, I have been spinning my wheels with the 100 Days of Weight Loss program since about Dec 24; so it is time to get serious.  On the plus side:  I've kept up with logging food intake on Fitday and have managed to avoid - much - weight gain, keeping it steady at around 172.  On the negative: way too many 'fun' calories in the form of alcohol, desserts, snacks and the like.  So to get back on track I will eat reasonable amounts, be sure to treat food as fuel and not filler, and re-commit myself to long-term goals.  This morning I am setting up a visual tracking device to plot progress.  Perhaps it will help to take a photograph of this board once a week!

My running partners Leopold and Lewis

Weight this morning:  173
Body fat percentage:  24%
Running:  4 miles easy with Leopold and Lewis along Buffalo Bayou.

Bert's Fitday Journal

6 down 14 to go

2012 started with a bit of a whimper as I opted out of running the resolution run with the Striders on Monday morning; unfortunately my left foot (plantar fasciitis) was acting up pretty badly after running a pretty fast 9 miles (8:40 average) on Sunday morning. Will try a few slow miles with the puppies later this afternoon.

In the mean time I have found something else to keep me busy:  working my way through a list of the 20 greatest cocktails of all time.  Just at the right time of the year  too!  Of the ones not familiar to Kath and I, we've tried (over the last week or so) Sazerac, Manhattan, Gimlet, Cosmopolitan, The Bronx and Negroni.  Actually I am quite familiar with the Negroni already...  So no surprise there.  Sazerac was very exotic (absinthe!!); Cosmopolitan is definitely a ladies' drink but nice to know how to make it; the Manhattan is a bit more 'masculine'; likely an acquired taste, the Gimlet was disappointing (too much Rose's Lime Juice) and The Bronx was our surprise favorite of the bunch.  Next week?  Sidecar, Old Fashioned or maybe a Whiskey Sour.

The Bronx Cocktail - mint leaves optional

All this hooch is of course no good for the 100 days of Weight Loss. No loss yet this year.  Day 22 of the program deals with eating with awareness; slowing down and savoring your food, as opposed to wolfing it down.  Guilty as charged!


Weight this morning:  172
Body fat percentage:  22%
Running:
Thursday 12-29:  6 miles with the dogs
Friday 12-30:  Day off
Saturday 12-31:  9 miles tempo run with Striders
Sunday 1-1-12:  No run
Monday 1-2-12:  4 miles easy with the puppies along Buffalo Bayou

Of weights and weight loss

More than two weeks into 100 days of weight loss.  So far I have not been able to report any drastic weight loss, I'm basically stuck at around 170, but it could have been worse.  I think the best thing I have done so far is to start logging food intake again on Fitday - I know that in time, considering my exercise frequency and duration, the weight will come off.

Right now I'm hopefully building some new muscle thanks to Frank at Fast Results Fitness.  He has really put me through the wringer lately with some very tough workouts including the '300' workout which was used for the movie of the same name, to get the actors into 100% ripped state.  I can see why it worked; my hamstrings were shredded for nearly 3 days after the workout! All the weight-lifting is helping to bulk up the shoulders and pecs, but it is no good for weight loss.  Will just have to be patient I guess.

Day 17 of 100 Days of Weight Loss is about turning around the old rule of never wasting food by eating everything on your plate.  Rather look at it like this:  every time you eat food your body doesn't need, you are wasting it.  So you can get rid of leftover food by throwing it away or eating it; either way it is wasted.  Of course there is a third option:  keep it as leftovers or freeze it for another day. 

Weight this morning:  171
Body fat percentage:  22%

Dec 27 recap:
5 mile tempo run with the dogs along Buffalo Bayou
50-minute upper body and arms workout with Frank

Bert's Fitday Journal

Back to work

Well it is back to work in more ways than one.  Back to the office and also back to 100 Days of Weight Loss.  What with family dinners, movie outings, pizza nights and so on, I have not been too diligent the last few days, although I have kept up logging all meals on Fitday.

Weight is stable which is about as much as I can expect right now,  and running is going pretty well despite on-going issues with plantar fasciitis in the left foot.  It does seem to be improving although I don't want to say that too loudly!

Santa brought me another pair of bright orange Saucony Kinvaras - this is my second pair so hopefully the calves have now figured out that the ground is closer than when we ran with the old-school heavy heel support shoes.

Last three days of 100 Days of Weight Loss emphasized the following:

*  Don't skip meals or save up calories for a later meal
*  If you have a problem with late-day eating (me, me!), take a look at what you did earlier in the day. Eat a proper breakfast and eat a snack sometimes around 3 or 4 pm.
*  Taste sensation of food is strongest for the first two bites; you rarely need to eat more than that to obtain maximum value for your taste buds.  The rest is just feeding

Day 16 (today) is about the nurturing  power of food.  When you're feeling stressed or sad or lonely, food seems to make you feel better.  It may calm your anger or anxiety and lift your spirit. What is important is that - just like the taste sensation - you will get maximum benefit with just a couple of bites.  Two bites of a small chocolate chip cookie is likely all it will take to right your emotional ship. You don't really need to scarf down a whole boatload of them. 


To summarize:
10 miles on Saturday, 5 on Sunday and 4 on Monday.
Weight:  171
Body fat percentage:  21%

Bert's Fitday Journal

Fuel or filler food?

My personal trainer warned me that my weight may actually increase due to the additional (4th) session per week and because we are getting into some heavier weights.  I guess he is right; I am up a bit this morning, but bodyfat percentage is the same.  Will just have to see how it goes next week.

Day 12 of the 100 Days of Weight Loss is about checking whether we are taking in quality fuel which provides solid nutritional content with limited amount of fat, sugar and empty calories, or filler which add extra calories but minimal nutrients.

If you do a lot of running and physical training you pretty much 'get' the relationship between quality fuel food and performance.  If I don't get my 1100A carbohydrate snack, I often don't have a good noon workout; I might feel a bit weak, even slightly dizzy.  And of course the same thing on a long run, just much more pronounced.

My problem isn't emotional eating either, I don't think.  Although I must admit to the occasional eating binge when I am stressed or unhappy for whatever reason.  My real problem has to do with the so-called 'fun or filler foods':  mostly sugar in one or other form, bread, snacks (nuts and peanuts) as well as wine and beer.  It is the season and one can't be a total grinch.  So there will be a couple of beers here and there, and a few helpings of snacks.  They will go on the record on Fitday and I will just have to work them off on the long runs!

Weight this morning: 171
Body fact percentage:  20%

Dec 22:
Running:  6 easy miles with the dogs along the Bayou.  Left foot plantar fasciitis still an area of concern.  Going for another Airrosti treatment on Dec 23
Personal trainer:  1 hr fairly intensive workout with bench presses, pikes, shrugs, chest, triceps and abs.

Bert's Fitday Journal

Back to calorie counting

Don't you just love those diet programs which promise massive and quick weight loss seemingly with no effort.  Lose weight while you sleep, eat all you want, no exercise required.  Sign me up! But wait a minute.  If that is all it takes, why am I still seeing so many overweight and obese people everywhere?  Why are hundreds of thousands of people resorting to extreme measures such as liposuction and even bariatric surgery?   Clearly society as a whole will never wake up to the fact that there is no magic bullet, no little blue pill, no powdery substance and no gadget that gets delivered by UPS, that will shed your pounds for you.  It's all you and only you.  You and your will-power, you and your motivation.  Do you really want to look and feel great, or are you really happier hiding behind an extra 20 or 30 or heavens forbid 100 lbs of fat?  Is it just less effort to give in to temptation and eat the whole packet of chips rather than just a few, or maybe none?

Day 11 of the 100 days of weight loss is a timely reminder for me that one should eat for only two reasons, being to fuel your body and to appreciate flavor.  The author recommends a minimum of three 'fuel stops' per day, with a couple of mini-stops in-between.  Regular planned fuel stops during the day will improve your energy and focus and will help to avoid the deadliest of all diet pitfalls, unplanned snacking.

Although I am committed to seeing this program through, I'm having difficulty figuring out how many calories I am really getting in.  Even the tiniest handful of 'healthy' snacks such as peanuts can bump up a day's calorie count by a surprisingly large number.  How many?  A measly 1/4 cup of roasted peanuts packs a whopping 200 calories. Pita bread and hummus sound like they belong on a serious dieter's plate but watch out: a serving of hummus (2 TB) contains about 70 calories and let's face it, very few of us are going to have just 2 Tablespoons.  Add in a few pieces of pita bread and before you know it there's 400 calories down the hatch. 

The only way to be sure - or at least get an accurate estimate of daily intake - is to count calories on one of the online programs such as Fitday.  It takes a few minutes every day but once you have all your 'regular' foods in the rotation, it is not too much of a hassle.  Rather spend a few minutes every day now than hours of exercise and effort next year and the year after, to get rid of excess weight.

So for the last few days I have been getting going again on Fitday; still not quite there but getting back into the swing of measuring and weighing portions and ingredients.  If you are really curious, there is a link below. 

Weight this morning: 170
Body fat percentage: 21%

Dec 21:
Running:  5 miles with Kathleen and 'the boys' along Buffalo Bayou.  Kath is in week 1 of training for the Boston Marathon which will be in April 2012.
Calories consumed:  1,630

Bert's Fitday Journal

There is no luck in being a healthy weight

Day 10 of the 100 Days of Weight Loss is about appreciating good support.  I really don't have a problem with that: when it comes to my weight I am always happy to receive a compliment and to thank the person appropriately.  Only because I know only too well how hard it is for most (all?) of us.  People can sometimes underestimate the effort by dismissing someone's trim figure by saying something silly like "...you are so lucky to be thin, you never gain weight."  There is no luck involved.  There may be an isolated case here and there of someone with an overly high metabolism but mostly appropriate weight is a result of a healthy lifestyle with good food choices & quantities and plenty of exercise. Consistent small effort, plugging away day after day.  And yes there's going to be an occasional lapse.  But just like any other on-going relationship or even a business endeavor, you just have to shake off the occasional misstep and stay focused on the goal. 

Last night's run was an easy 4 miles with the two Boxers, from the house across Beltway 8 and then along Buffalo Bayou, turning around at Wilcrest.  When it is not wet, I usually take the dirt/gravel trail - much to the dogs delight as it gives them ample opportunity to look for living creatures and to revel in the myriad of smells which they are able to detect. Fortunately my human sense of smell is not nearly as well-developed otherwise the run might not be as much fun.  Too many other dogs around.


Weight this morning:  170

Body fat percentage:  20%
Dec 20:


Running:  4 X mile easy
45-minute gym workout, mostly legs (squats), pushups and bench-presses.

Steady as she goes

Even after just a little more than a week, I am starting to feel a difference.  Body fat percentage is down to 20% and my pants are a little less tight around the middle. Maybe I won't have to go back to the tailor to have them all taken out again... Perish the thought.

Day 9 on the program is about what you want in terms of feedback/support from others.  I guess most people are reluctant to comment on potentially touchy subject such as body weight, but it is the rare person who does not feel good when complimented on weight loss.  Assuming that there is an ongoing relationship of some kind, such as being family, friends or running buddies. Of course us runners can rarely be too skinny: and I'm not referring to just the super elite athletes either.   I am sure if you look around in your own running group, you'll notice that the perennial age group winners, the 'runners of the year', the Boston qualifiers etc have several things in common.  They love running, they log more miles than the rest of us and they don't carry a lot of extra blubber around.


Weight this morning:  170
Body fat percentage: 20% 

Dec 19:

6 mile run with Leopold and Lewis along the Bayou.  They love chasing rabbits - it gets hectic when they are trying to do this while I have both of them on a split leash. The trick is for me to see the rabbit first so that I am not surprised when they bolt after it.

1-hr workout with the PT.  Plenty of upper-body exercises with weights, resistance bands and machines.

Bert's Fitday Journal

One week and counting

Day 8 of the 100 Days of Weight Loss means that one week has gone by:  2 pounds down and a few percentage points lower on the body fat scale.  Not too shabby. 

Of course this is the easy part, the low-hanging fruit.  Things are bound to get tough as time goes by but for now I am happy with the progress and thankful for the support.  Fortunately I have no one around here who will snatch my plate away, give me a lecture about what I can or cannot eat, and so on. 

To the contrary they are quite supportive – my wife is always the first one to hand out a compliment (I could follow her example) and once she figures out that I am on a ‘serious’ streak, she cuts down on the junk food purchases. 

We had a really nice dinner tonight – Ribolita Soup - from 1000 Vegan recipes.  It is a hearty Italian soup with lots of vegetables including cabbage, kale, carrots, red onion and potato.  Hearty because of the inclusion of a couple of cans of Great Northern Beans. It was really excellent – very filling and I am sure not too calorific. 

My diet has been much improved the last few days; keeping track on Fitday definitely helps.

Dec 18:

Weight this morning:  171

Body fact:  21%

Running:  4 miles easy with the dogs

Bert's Fitday Journal

Coming soon:  'before' pic