Week 5 report

This is starting to get tough.

After initially getting into the groove with a regular diet and exercise regimen, I'm starting to show signs that I'm faltering. I had two days last week where I went way over on my daily calorie limit, forcing myself to workout extra hard in the following days in order to break even for the week and I didn't quite make it. I went over about 150 calories for the week, which still isn't all that bad, considering I'm allotted 1,500 per day. That means I averaged a surplus of about 21 calories each day.

However, I did slip a few times and I'm afraid I'm about to hit a big wall and completely fall off the wagon. This week will be critical. I need to make sure that I stay strong and make good decisions every day, especially late at night, which is when I get the most powerful cravings for sweets. That being said, I haven't slipped up at all in the exercise department, logging well over 3.5 full hours of cardio, in addition to some weight training and my rotator cuff exercises. My goal heading into this experiment was to do at least 2.5 hours of cardio per week, so I'm tearing it up right now.

I weighed in at 172.3 pounds this morning, which shocked me, considering my undisciplined diet during the week. It's only a loss of 0.3 pounds, but honestly, I was expecting to gain weight this time. That makes a total loss of 7 pounds so far, which is about 1.4 per week. So, I'm still right on track.

Next Wednesday marks the half way point, so I'll check back in then.

P.S.: Jen and I can't wait for the baby to get here. I caved the other day and bought this infant-sized Weber State jersey for him. Sweet!

Week 2 report

So far, so good. After knocking out the first week, my second week of dieting was much easier to get through. It's so strange how quickly habits can form, and in this case, it's a good thing. I maintained my calorie goal all week, despite slipping up on a few bad nutrition choices. Fortunately, MyFitnessPal has a feature that calculates calories earned through exercise, and that helped me stay in the positive on my net calories consumed.

Dripping sweat off the tip of my nose during last night's stationary bike session. It was a doozy.

There is still a ton of room for improvement, though. My percentage of calories from fat was 37 percent, which is still way too high, but I did manage to improve my percentage of protein from 13 to 18 percent this week. Breakfast is where I've been the weakest, getting the bulk of my fat calories in those meals. I simply haven't been giving myself enough time to get ready, eat and get to work on time in the mornings, so I've been eating quick junk for breakfast. Lunches and snacks have been fairly solid and Jen and I have been vigilant about cooking healthy dinners in the evening.

Here's another product I've been snacking on lately. It has a shit-ton of fiber, is low in fat and only has 130 calories in it. They've been good to eat an hour or so before the gym.

I weighed in this morning at 175.4, which is only a slight loss from last week's weigh-in, but I anticipated that. I dropped much more than I wanted to in the first week, so I'm still on pace for my 12-week goal.

I also locked in a five trips to the gym last week, although I kind of slacked off on one of them, following a piss-poor calorie decision. I really challenged myself in the other workouts, though, mixing it up with cycling, running, treadmill incline walking, and circuit training. And that's just the cardio. I also threw in some weight lifting and ab work and have still been going on walks during my lunch hours on most days. It definitely was a good week in the exercise department, and I hope to crank it up even more this week.

On a side note, I finally surpassed 1,000 miles on the stationary bike since I started logging my distance almost a year and a half ago. Huzzah!

Week 1 report:

Huzzah! Whatever I've been doing this past week seems to be working. My initial goal was to lose anywhere from 1 to 1.5 pounds per week. I figured that was reasonable, considering I'm not trying to drop a drastic amount of weight; just about 15-20 pounds. When I stepped on the scale last Wednesday I weighed in at 179.2 pounds. This morning I tipped the scale at 175.6. Losing 3.6 pounds in one week is quite a bit more than I anticipated. That being said, I did have a light dinner last night, so the one-week result may be skewed a little bit.

These are so good, and there are about four more styles I can try out.

I am on a run of five straight days at Planet Fitness and I haven't been going crazy, either. Usually, I just do anywhere from 30-45 minutes of cardio. I did get in one weightlifting session and one hour-long session on the stationary bike on a day that I went over on my calories. I've also been supplementing my after-work workouts with long walks during my lunch break. The weather has been so nice, so I figured it is a perfect opportunity to burn a few extra calories, giving me a little more leeway on my dinners.

Speaking of dinners, the first few days of my diet were VERY hard. I went over on my calories twice in the first three days, but gradually found a rhythm with healthier choices as the week went on. I've grown fond of the microwave bags of veggie steamers. They are filling, low in calories, low in fat and do a great job of energizing me before I go to the gym after work. My percentages still need improvement, though. I consumed 36 percent of my calories from fat this week, which is still much higher than I want. I want to get that to less than 20 percent. Also, only 13 percent of my calories came from protein, so I plan on eating a few lean turkey choices for dinner this week. That should beef up my protein and keep my fat content down.

So far, so good. I'm still updating my distances on my tracker, but memorizing them for weekly totals is more than I want to do for every blog right now.

Weekly update

Since starting my new job, it's become a bit harder to find time to update my workout blog. When I find the time to exercise, I completely forget about it by the time I come home. I'm going to do my best to keep updating, but I might just do what I'm doing today, and do weekly blogs that recap my exercise for the week.

I went to the gym on Wednesday, Friday and today. On Wednesday, I did a 30-minute run on speed intervals, going 5.5 mph for 2 minutes followed by 7.0 mph for a full minute. I logged exactly three miles doing so and followed it up with some biceps/triceps work using nothing but my own body weight, so no dumbbells this time. On Friday, I went for the same thing (speed intervals), but this time on the stationary bike. I ended up setting a new 30-minute personal best of 9.35 miles (old record was 9.30).

Today, it was the first time I've tried going to Planet Fitness on a Sunday morning and to my surprise, there were quite a few people there. Not so swamped that I couldn't find a machine, though. I planned on doing another 30-minute run, but after a mile, my shins were starting to throb, so I stopped right away. I spent the rest of my hour doing hip-strengthening and some light ab work.

Not a terrible week, but I still need to do better.

Total distance: 4 miles running, 9.35 miles cycling

Lungs on fire

Today was my first day back doing dryland training for about three weeks and I paid dearly for it. I stuck with something simple, riding the stationary bike for 30 minutes, but I made sure to turn it into interval training, much like I did at the pool earlier this week.

First photo taken of the stationary bike at Planet Fitness. I normally capture my workout stats via picture on the bike at the Roy Rec Center.

I rode for three minutes on level 10, cranked it up to level 15 for a full minute (sprint) and repeated for a full 30 minutes. And the last couple of one-minute sprints had my lungs burning like I hadn't worked out in years. It's amazing how quickly you lose stamina after just a few weeks off. I finished up with some easy weightlifting on my arms and chest.

I start my new job on Monday and with it comes full access to Weber State's gym on campus, which happens to be right across the street from where my new office will be. So, I'm going to try that out next week and see how I like it. I've grown fond of Planet Fitness and its hours right near my house, so I'll have to weigh the pros and cons of each and go from there.

Total distance: 8.97 miles cycling.

Battling the cold

The last two weeks have been bone-chilling cold outside. This is easily the coldest period I can remember since moving to Utah about 14 years ago. Although I've been keeping the house nice and warm, I still have a difficult time keeping my feet warm, because they have very poor circulation. Anyway, I'm glad I've been getting some use out of the warm workout clothing I purchased before the Turkey Tri last November, because they've been serving me well at the gym lately. It's still kind of cold in there, too.

Just after I got home from Planet Fitness today. As cheesy as I think these things are, my track suit has kept me warm during the past two weeks at the gym.

Today, I did a moderate 30-minute ride on the stationary bike while watching ESPN. My workouts fly by when I have a TV screen in front of me, which is a huge asset. I followed it up with some weight work on my arms and chest, which I've neglected a bit during the past week.

Total distance: 9.5 miles cycling

Bachelor party recovery

Well, my body is in a weird state right now. Kelly, Wes and I celebrated Zack's upcoming wedding with a full 24 hours of drinking, junk food and video games. Today, in an effort to start recovering from it, I went to the gym. I'll need to go one more time extra to help knock off some of those extra calories.

So, today I started with a walk on the treadmill on a heavy incline, which kicks my ass worse than running at 6 mph. I did that for 20 minutes and then rode the bike for 20 minutes more. I finished up the afternoon with some upper body weight training before calling it a day.

Tomorrow, if my shoulder is feeling up to it, I might go for a light swim. No guarantees, though.

Total distance: 1.25 miles uphill treadmill, 8.2 miles cycling

More circuit training

After taking a few days off I got back to it today. I decided I wanted to do the circuit training again, but I wanted a little extra, so I rode the bike for about 15 minutes to get warmed up and get my blood flowing.

Grilled chicken, pecans, lettuce, spinach, blue cheese, apples and craisins.

I did the same circuit as last week, but I pushed myself a little harder this time around. I was already sucking wind by the 10th station (out of 20). When it was all said in done, I was happy with myself for not half-assing, so I rewarded myself with Wendy's for lunch. Not burgers and fries, though. I inhaled one of their apple pecan chicken salads. Those things are super tasty and don't pack more than 400 calories. It's quite filling, too.

Total distance: 5 miles cycling, 30 minutes circuit training

Cycling madness

It's strange how my exercise has evolved over the past two years. I started out doing primarily swimming, then added some running, then slowed down the swimming and added some cycling. After my shoulder and knee injuries, that's turned into mostly cycling with a bit of running and almost no swimming.

My shoulder still hurts on a regular basis, despite hitting the pool only a few times this past month. I'm truly just weary of going back to the doctor, so I can get another bullshit diagnosis that doesn't tell me anything new and doesn't offer any new way to fix it. I'm no doctor, but I really think my rotator cuff is torn, especially after reading about Gordon's surgery and the type of pain he had before it. That would explain why it continues to hurt even though I rarely swim and I regularly do the tendinitis strengthening exercises I was given after my last visit to the clinic.

Oh well. Tons of cycling seems to be working for now, although I miss the water so much. I just don't consider myself a dryland guy. Prospects for a new job are in the works and with Jen being pregnant, I want to start fresh with a new workout regimen and better diet when the new year starts. I have to set an example for the rest of the family.

Today though, I just rode the bike before doing some light lifting and ab work. I signed up for a 30-minute circuit training session at my gym tomorrow, so I'm kind of excited for it.

Total distance: 9.7 miles cycling

Rare Sunday workout

Already, this new gym membership is paying off. Before, especially during the winter, I rarely worked out on Sundays because in Utah, everything shuts down on that day of the week. In warmer months, I occasionally squeezed in a run or something outside, but now I can go any Sunday I want.

I didn't do anything crazy, basically considering today a bonus, but with some football games on in front of me, I rallied off 30 minutes on the bike in what seemed like a blink of an eye. I followed that up with a quick one-mile run on the treadmill and called it good.

Not bad ... for a Sunday anyway.

Total distance: 9.7 miles cycling, 1 mile running

Day 2 at Planet Fitness

I kept it short and sweet today, because I had some errands to run. But I made it to the gym, which I suppose is 75 percent of the battle. I did a 30-minute bike ride and called it good. I pushed it hard and cranked out some good mileage. Yesterday's weightlifting left my shoulder a bit sore, so I avoid upper body work today. I'm very impressed with Planet Fitness so far. The convenience of it is nice and the facility is brand spanking new, so the joint doesn't smell like sweat yet.


Yep. ESPN in the locker room.

 Total distance: 9.35 miles cycling

New gym: New motivation

Today I started at a new gym. Earlier this week I noticed a Planet Fitness was opening up a few blocks down the road from my house with a big advertisement that said "Only $10 per month NO CONTRACT!" I was interested and went in to take a tour. Sure enough, there really are no gimmicks. It's a very nice facility with tons of machines and the fee never changes. And the real kicker for me, was that it's open 24 hours during the week and the weekend hours (including Sunday) are still quite long. That sold me and I immediately signed up.

Only one small part of the gym. The staff is very helpful, too.

I've been having a very hard time staying motivated and I have all sorts of excuses why I haven't been working out much, but in the end, I truly think stress is the main factor. And what usually helps with stress? Exercise. I don't want to work out when I'm stressed, but it helps with the stress every time I do. Kind of a Catch-22.  

Anyway, I went in for my first "trial run" today and I was quite pleased. There weren't very many people in there, and I could plug my headphones into the machines and watch any of the plethora of TVs on the wall. I did a nice long ride on one of the stationary bikes before hitting the weights and just like the machines, everything was brand new. I followed that up with a short run on the treadmill to round out my full hour of cardio and then went home.

So far, so good. I have a feeling this is going to work out nicely, even though they don't have a pool. I'll still have to hit the Rec Center for that in the winter.

Total distance: 14 miles cycling, 1.5 miles running

Matt's muscle music

I promise, I haven't slacked off TOO much this week. This is actually my third workout of the week, but I've been dragging me feet on the blogs. That needs to stop. Anyway, I biked 12.5 miles on Monday and did some weightlifting yesterday. Today, though, I got in the pool.

There wasn't anything of note to report other than the fact that I thought I lost my swimsuit, but fortunately, it was in the Roy Rec Center's lost and found. I must have left it on the bench in the locker room last time. Whew... I swam 1,000 yards and called it, went upstairs and did six quick miles on the bike. It wasn't a lot, but I'm glad I dragged myself over there and did something. Tomorrow I want to go all out on something so I can cap my sluggish November on a high note.

Also, I've been doing additional weightlifting, more than I usually muster anyway. I don't really need any added bulk, but there's just something about lifting that makes me feel big and strong. Perhaps I'll be able to make my own muscle music like Terry Crews does below.

Total distance: 1,000 yards swimming, 6 miles cycling

New favorite workout snack

One of my new favorites

Normally, when I work out, I eat something small before I leave the house, like a granola bar or piece of toast. But sometimes I just use the energy gel packs you can buy in most sporting goods stores. They are easy on your stomach and don't require much breaking down, so they don't cause me to cramp up during exercise.

The past year or so, I've been using the Gu brand gel packs. I can only ever find them at Harmon's and Sports Authority and they have served me well. However, I found a new favorite brand last week, when I was getting my bike tuned up at The Bike Shoppe in Ogden. It's called Hammer and I know a few open water swimmers who like their powder products. They are the same price as the Gu gels and they have different flavors. I tried the banana and tropical recently and loved them. I think I'm going to have to start interchanging my Gu and Hammer products to mix it up a bit.

Anyway, today I just rode the stationary bike for about 20 minutes and followed it up with a 30-minute swim.

Total distance: 6 miles cycling, 1,500 yards swimming

What now?

Today, I had no idea what I wanted to do. With the Turkey Tri behind me, I don't have an upcoming event on my radar just yet. So, I'm not really training for anything in particular. I did want to get some cardio in, though, so I stuck with the familiar.

I hopped on the bike and rode at a elevated level for 30 minutes. I followed that up with the treadmill, but didn't stretch very well, and I paid for it. I only lasted about a half mile before the pain in my shins was too much, so I stopped immediately. After that I did some weight work in addition to push-ups to get some upper body time in. Not a bad little workout.

Total distance: 9 miles cycling, 0.5 miles running

Bike ride in the sun

I took the bike out for a test run today, given the Turkey Tri is only a few days away. I borrowed it from Jen's boss and took it to The Bike Shoppe in Ogden where they were offering free bike tune ups. When I took it out today it was a really smooth ride. I was a little bit nervous going down the main drag by my house where there is heavy traffic, but I did my best to follow the traffic rules and stay clear of cars in the lane to my left.

My borrowed ride. It's real nice, so I'm worried about hurting it.

I went to where I thought was three miles before turning around and made great time going back, since it was slightly downhill. The sun was out and I wore a dark shirt, so I felt like I was cooking in the end, but it still turned out to be a nice little workout and test ride. After looking at the map, I ended up going a bit farther than I thought.

Total distance: 6.5 miles cycling

New stationary bike record

I don't have a ton of time to blog, so I'm going to keep it short. I went to the gym with the hopes of getting a long cardio session in. After about 20 minutes on the bike, I noticed I was keeping an abnormally accelerated pace, but I didn't feel any worse for wear, so I kept at it. I poured it on in the final 10 minutes knowing I could surpass my one-hour goal on the bike, which is a little over 17.5 miles. I finished with 18.04, which for sure was a new personal-best. The machine claims I burned about 750 calories and I believe it. There was a sizeable sweat puddle I accumulated on the floor that I had to wipe up. Gross...

Total distance: 18.5 miles

November kickstart

I think I may have overdid it with my run a few days ago, because my knee has been in a pit of pain. More like discomfort, actually. So I decided a short, but intense bike ride would suffice for today. I wanted to see how fast I could pull off a 10k ride, so I poured it on for the entire session. I managed to finish in 20:28. I was hoping to get under 20 minutes, but that was still pretty good.

My drippy suit hanging to dry in the locker room.

After, I went down to the pool for a swim. My shoulder still bothers me, as always, and I slept on it funny last night, so it was particularly sore this morning. I decided to use fins during my laps, so it would take some of the strain off it. It worked perfectly. I was able to get some decent cardio and yardage in without any real pain.

On a side note, thanks to those of you who still read my blog every now and again. I'm sure they've gotten kind of dull after a while, but last month, I set a new record for page views since I started this thing. THANKS A TON!!! It's very encouraging.

Total distance: 6.5 miles cycling, 1,400 yards swimming

Calorie burner on bike

Final result before calling it quits

I went for a nice bike "ride" at the rec center today. I pushed it pretty hard for 45 minutes and was sweating profusely. I've increased my resistance on the bike up to level 10 now, so I'm really starting to burn calories whenever I use it. Today, I thought about shooting for 700 calories, which I could probably pull off in an hour, but Jen was waiting for me to get home quickly, so I cut it short at about 550 calories and went home. Bleh.

Total distance: 13.5 miles cycling

Wedding anniversary triathlon

I didn't have the intention of doing anything special today, but when I got to the gym, I was feeling ambitious. I started out on the treadmill and went a full 3.1 miles and was feeling OK, so I thought, "What the hell?" and hopped right on the bike. I was still feeling good, so after about 10 minutes I decided to go the distance and complete the full 6.2-mile leg of what the Turkey Tri will be.

I immediately jumped off, started my watch and timed myself as I ran down to the locker room, threw on my suit and dove into the pool. I went through the 300-yards as fast as I could before turning off the timer. Adding it all up, including transitions, I did the full triathlon in 59:33, which is VERY fast by my standards. However, realistically, the actual tri is much more difficult with big hills and such. I finished in about 1:08.00 last year and based off how I ran the run leg of the course yesterday, I can't imagine I'm going to crush my time. Hopefully, I'll be able to knock a few minutes off, though. Getting under 1:05.00 would be an accomplishment for me.

It's been a good day, other than upsetting Jen for taking longer than expected at the gym. Today is our third wedding anniversary.

Total distance: 3.1 miles running, 6.2 miles cycling, 300 yards swimming