Been awhile since I’ve fatblogged. Been interesting, as I did put on weight post-travel. Got back into my exercise routine (most of it) and got back to my diet (mostly), so I’m back down to 230.
Workouts have become more intense, as my trainer and I are stretching them out to 90 minutes 3 times per week. Basically doing 20 minutes full cardio (walk/run) to warm up (I suffer from mild asthma, so my goal is to do 1.5 miles in that 20 minutes sometime next week), then a full-on workout (weights 2 days and HIIT one day) followed by 20 minutes of full cardio again (on the bike).
Eventually we’ll work up to 2 days of HIIT, and my full cardio will hopefully turn into full jogs or runs instead of intervals, but yeah.
Big milestone this morning though! I fit into jeans I bought nearly 3 years ago. In fact, I now fit into all my size 38 pants. At my highest weight I was a 40/42, so being a solid 38 is great. All my “big” pants still fit, so I don’t need to buy new clothes yet, but that could actually happen in the next month or so. So while I’m not losing much weight, I am dropping fat, which is fantastic. My in-home body fat calculator (which is off by about 5% overall) says I’ve dropped about 5% bodyfat since I started working out, or about 14 pounds of fat.
Anyways, today was supposed to be a workout day, but my trainer had a doctor’s appointment, so we’re going to do about 2 hours tomorrow. Should be fun and exhausting 
I have 3 upcoming milestones though (assuming I can start dropping weight instead of just swapping fat for muscle): 227 (my lowest weight in 3 years), being able to weigh myself later in the day (I weigh in the mornings) and still be under 230 (my weight gets as high as 234 right now during the day) and 225 (a real milestone, as I’ll be down nearly 20 pounds since starting this).
To be honest, I’m a little disheartened by not losing weight. I’m definitely seeing more changes in my body (sadly, all the loss I’d seen in my face has reversed, but ah well), but I’d really like to see those numbers come down. Hitting 227 would be hugely motivating for me. I know it will happen, but I’m definitely hitting some motivational walls right now because the numbers really aren’t going down at this point.
March 23rd, 2007 at 11:13 am
Congrats on that. 230lbs and size 38 pants.. that sounds a bit off. You must be very tall or muscular.
I had a trainer and didn’t lose any weight, so I quit. Come to find later it was losing fat but gaining just as much muscle. Eh. Oh well. I’m working on a bit of weight loss myself
March 23rd, 2007 at 4:30 pm
I know exactly how you feel. I am a “fatblogger” too, and with my current weight at 260lbs, it drives me nuts. I had a personal trainer for over five months, and I only lost 15 lbs. Mind you, I am horrible with diets, and I lost a fair bit of fat, but losing weight is a lifestyle change. Once I stopped going to the trainer, I started packing it back on, and I am back to my previous weight.
I have since signed up for the gym, and I am going as often as possible, but with blogging, its hard to keep the weight off… Also, motivation is really hard…
Keep up the hard work. You successes, no matter how small, are inspiring to me!
March 23rd, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Amy: I’m 6′, and fairly built (though not in shape). Does that help?
March 23rd, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Jer, if you want to simpy drop weight, do nothing but cardio.
stop working out with your trainer. You’re going to put on muscle mass like crazy if you’ve been especially sedentiary for a period of time before this health kick began.
Muscle weighs twice as much as fat, and if you’re in there lifting weights etc 2-3 times a week, you’ll be gaining far more than you’re physically able to lose.
don’t be discouraged, just be very clear on what you want to do, if weight is your prime goal/motivation, then simply focus on doing only cardio for a few months.
cheers,
Robb
March 24th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Congrats and good luck on reaching your upcoming goals.
I lost 70 pounds in 3 months playing soccer almost exclusively so it can happen quick. Now I’m working on building muscle but me personally I’d rather have muscle and weigh more but be toned and look like I weigh less.
March 24th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
ok, common misconception: muscle does NOT weigh twice as much as fat. a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat.
however, if you’re working out with weights, you’re going to build muscle, so it will be hard to judge actual weight loss, but the type of weight you are will be healthier. it’s a good idea to check your body mass index (BMI) to get a better idea of what’s going on.
so, yes, cardio is good, but you can do cardio with weights too – LIGHT WEIGHTS. this includes doing a circuit on machines, just don’t lift heavy weights because the way that one gains mass (and therefore weight) is to break down muscle by lifting heavy weights and when it rebuilds itself, it’s larger.
to burn fat, you need to elevate your heart rate and maintain it at that elevation for at least 20 minutes. do this at least 3x a week. walking doesn’t cut it, unless you walk fast than you usually do for a sustained amount of time in order to elevate your heart rate.
don’t forget to do cool down exercises – including just walking around after working out – which will allow your body to readjust to a normal heart rate. just stopping isn’t good, meaning it can be a shock to the system.
and be sure to drink water do you don’t dehyrate and take a daily multi-vitamin too. sweating can really rid your body of some essentials. smaller meals are good too, and increase your eating – yes, increase – from 3x (no snacking unless fruits and veggies) to 6x a day.
for those who work at home, resist the urge to commute from the bedroom to your office via the fridge. if you can’t, at least try to grab some fruit. some of these well stocked nice offices are dangerous too when employers fill the fridge with yummy but chub-making stuff.
if you have no workout program and can’t get into one, you can still sneak in some exercise – take the stairs on the subway rather than the escalator. walk down the stairs at work rather than take the elevator.
even if you don’t work out, no one is saying that you have to cut out everything tasty, but there is a lot that you can do to help yourself. avoid pop like the plague. cut down on fruit juice. use honey instead of sugar in your tea. switch to milk for your coffee instead of cream. knock off the fast food (see next paragraph). SMALLER PORTIONS at breakfast, lunch and dinner. in between meals, snack smart, not stupid.
once a week, usually Sundays for me, eat whatever you want – just don’t pig out: pizza (couple of slices, not a large one by yourself), pringles, a chocolate bar (not the biggest one in the store), ice cream (couple of scoops, not the whole tub), fast food (smaller meals), ice cap from Tim’s (smaller cup), etc.
March 25th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
The BMI is overrated and quite useless.
You’re better weighing yourself and using body fat calipres to determine how much fat you have on your body.
March 26th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
fat calipers are a good idea. however, weighing isn’t always that helpful, especially if one is just somewhat overweight (as opposed to being obese/morbidly obese) and actively working out with weights sufficient enough to build muscle (as opposed to toning).
the problem is that one may set a goal of losing say 10 to 40 lbs, work out like a mad fiend while eating correctly, and hydrating, and find that they seem not to have lost weight or much weight. meanwhile, they have lost fat and gained muscle. so, it’s also very much about the quality of one’s weight, sometimes rather than what one actually weighs.
i’m totally in awe of Kris who said he dropped 70lbs in 3 months by playing soccer. i imagine the first few weeks might have been hard to run up and down the pitch, but he(?) kept at it and had an amazing result. that’s pretty inspirational.
March 26th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Thanks Tari, yeah it’s he.
It was hard at first but I dropped from upwards of 290 to 220. I’m 6′ tall and still have more to lose but I tone and lift know more than just run. It was hard to play at first (especially conditioning) but it got easier and easier. Thanks again.
Kris
March 27th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
Jeremy, what time of day do you do your cardio?
September 19th, 2007 at 10:22 am
This blog has been more motivational to me than my daily workouts by understanding some of the reasons that I am not losing much weight. I seem to be loosing inches but not pounds. Weighing on the scales once a week can be so disappointing after working out daily. I don’t diet well at all and trying very hard to drop 10 to 15 pounds.
September 27th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Tari,
Of course a pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle! They both weigh a pound! Just like a pound of whipped cream weighs the same as a pound of lead. The point is that a bucket of muscle weighs more than a bucket of fat! It’s about volume. And that is what people mean when they say muscle weighs more than fat. A set volume of muscle is going to weigh more than the same volume of muscle.
September 27th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
That last word on my entry above should have been “fat”. That sentence should have read:
A set volume of muscle is going to weigh more than the same volume of fat.