A personal training & food journal. Read about our weight loss progress at Train With Ron in Chicago, our nutritional habits and the life changes we're making to get in shape and stay healthy!
September 17thI’m just like you, I’ve got a hectic schedule everyday and it includes everything from work to personal to private madness. Sometimes I feel like the room is spinning and I haven’t even had a sip to drink. Some days are worse than others and those days … oh boy! I tell you …. You do not want to be on my bad side. I’m sure Dan will make a comment about that because usually, he’s right there for it. That’s alright, I’m there for his days too so it all evens out.
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September 7thYeah, I’m excited! I got over the wall, the hump, the road block, the plateau, the ceiling …. whatever you want to call it … I’m over it.
Walking towards the scale for me is similar to being on top of a high rise and slowly inching my way to the ledge. When I step on the scale it feels like I just stepped of the ledge. Then, depending on the number the needle hits, determines whether I have a soft landing … Matrix style… or I plummet into darkness. Which in turn just means I kick the scale back under the hamper and storm out of the bathroom like a baby. Little dramatic I know, but the scale and I go way back so he understands.
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August 3rdOk, so as the title says: let’s talk food. I’ve been working out harder and more than ever, but seem mired in a plateau and haven’t made much progress since late May even though I’m working out nearly 2x as much as I was when I started… which tells me that it’s the food I’m eating that is holding me back.
First let’s take a look back at the weight loss progress:
Oct. 5, 2009 – Jan. 9, 2010: During this period, I lost about 26 lbs, 4-5 inches off my waistline, and lowered my body fat% by about 11%, from 44% to 33%. I was going for sessions at TWR only twice a week, but eating very carefully. When I say carefully, I mean one “bad” meal a week – other than that, no refined or processed foods, tons of fruit and vegetables, whole wheats and grains only (whole rolled oats, brown rice, whole grain bread, etc.), and mostly poultry when I ate meat. I “grazed” a lot… carrots, nuts, raisins, celery… during the day. I reduced late night snacking to maybe 100 calories once or twice a week… quite a difference from my nightly ritual of polishing off a pint of Haagen Dasz.
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June 3rdWell, it’s been quite a while since I’ve written, so I’ll try to resist the temptation of overdoing it with an overly long post. Obviously if you read the blog you saw where Monika and I went to Hawaii, which I can honestly say was the best time I’ve ever had in my life… I haven’t felt that grounded, relaxed, and just plain happy in a long time… possibly never as much as I did on that trip. I played golf (shot 105 and a 92 on the Palmer course and a 98 on the Fazio) pretty well, rode a horse, walked on the beach with my shirt off, got a suntan (burn) and just enjoyed life. Since coming back, I’ve been really busy with work but Monika decided to get us the unlimited package. I thought I’d go 4 times a week instead of 3… but I’ve been going 5 times and even 6 when I can squeeze it in for a couple of weeks now. It hurts, but I’m also stronger than I’ve ever been at this point and definitely making some new progress – I’m not really losing weight, but I am still losing inches.
Yep, that's me in the tan shorts getting some air.
I’ve been playing with a band called Thump 808 since early May. Great guys, good music. Thanks to
Ron, Matt, and DB I can actually get some air now! We have a
Facebook page and you don’t have to be a member of Facebook to check it out, so check it out if you like great live music.
Last week I got into what could be considered a pretty serious car accident… I got “T-boned” on the passenger side of the car at about 30 mph, then did about a 120 degree spin-out, and ended up hitting a light pole head-on at about 25-30 mph. My car was totaled… but I walked away without a scratch on me… no blood, no broken bones, no bruises… honestly, not even an ache or pain. I would say “miraculous”, and also lucky… but I attribute this miraculous luck partially to the physical shape I’m in as well. As Ron put it… every play in football is like a car accident and I am built to take the hit at this point – strong and fairly lean.
My latest battle at the gym has been bench pressing in the Pure Steel weight program I’m doing with Matt. I was stunned the day a few weeks ago when I threw up 175 lbs 10 times… that was great for me… but these last two weeks I’ve failed at the heaviest weight (195, 5 reps, and 215, one rep, respectively). I know I’m strong enough to bench the 215… I don’t know if it was form, technique, or just a mental block, but I could not lift the weight. I was aggravated by it, but not discouraged. I’m starting to feel like I can do anything the guys throw at me and I’ve definitely gotten much stronger since starting the weightlifting program with Matt.
I pledge to do a better job of writing more frequently and keep my posts looking like blogs rather than huge essays. I forgot how much I enjoy blogging about this experience. More to come, soon! :)
March 28thHere we go, one week, only 4 days actually, and we’re off to Hawaii. My workouts this week will be on consecutive days. I had previously only set up 3 days but after talking to a friend at the gym Saturday, I changed it to 4. She’s been going 5 consecutive days so I figured I can handle 4. And hey, I’ll get plenty of rest in Hawaii. Am I right? 
Last week I had a pretty awesome workout week. I got a chance to workout with DB, Ron and Matt and got four fantastic morning sessions. My personal trainers are really in tune with where I’m at and how much I can handle. The levels of difficulty increase nicely over time and the next thing I know I look down and I’m knocking out 50 sit ups in a row. I’m taking one break in between 25 reps instead of 3. I’m running up 4 flights of stairs 3 times in a row and I’m running all the way through. Do I pant like a puppy on a hot day? Yes, but still … amazing leaps and bounds. Just this week I was doing some squats and realized Hey, my knees don’t hurt! It’s been something that I’ve just learned to workout through hoping my knees would get stronger and the pain would go away. And, now it’s gone. That’s going to open me up to be able to push a little harder now. I always let my trainers know how I’m feeling, if I have some aches and pains, they adjust my workout as necessary. It’s important to take care of aches and pains.
There is a new picture of me from last week rotating in the My March Madness banner on the right I’ll take one more next week before we leave for our trip. Also, as Dan mentioned, we’ll post an entry from Hawaii to share how we’re working in some activities and keeping up with the nutrition. He’s got 3 days of golf booked and I plan to play some tennis and do some swimming. I love swimming! I think this will be a great test to see how we handle ourselves away from the conveniences of home, trapped by succulent surroundings.
My weight loss this week was again minimal at just a little bit over a pound but I have lost size around my hips and waist. I went clothes shopping today and noticed that I dropped another dress size. Such a great feeling!
There is such a supportive group of people at the gym. It’s great to be able to motivate others around me and then get that same level of enthusiasm and positivity returned. I don’t see how anyone would not be able to reach their fitness goals working out with these personal trainers and this group of members. I am so happy and thankful for my progress so far and am already anxious to get started on part two once I return. Not sure if I will continue with the mornings or switch back to afternoons but either way, we’re kickin’ some butt!
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