201.4

Only got .8 back of the 1.2 I have gained over the last two days.  My body is stubbornly refusing to go back under 200.  Still, I will start April in a far better place than I was just two weeks ago. 

Phase 3: Starting Weight (3/15/11) - 211.4, Current Weight - 201.4, Total - (10.0)

202.2

Up .6 again.  But, at least this time I know the culprit.  I expected worse after enjoying my mom's home-made lasagna last night.  It was worth it.  Breaking 200 will have to wait until this weekend.

Phase 3: Starting Weight (3/15/11) - 211.4, Current Weight - 202.2, Total - (9.2)

Denied... 201.6

At least this time it wasn't my fault.  Great day eating and exercising.  Not sure why the scale didn't reflect it.  But, it happens.  Any good day eating and exercising still makes me happy regardless of what that stupid scales says!  Have I convinced you yet that I am happy?

Phase 3: Starting Weight (3/15/11) - 211.4, Current Weight - 201.6, Total - (9.8)

201.0

I can now officially say that Phase 3 is working.  Not sure if I needed that little break.  Probably not.  Just had a bad couple of weeks.  But, it's behind me now and I am feeling my mojo and a ton of positive energy.  Looking forward to being back under 200!  Down 10.4 pounds in 13 days!  I have seven weeks of P90X left and my goal at the end of those seven weeks is 193, or 5 pounds lighter than my lowest. 

Phase 3: Starting Weight (3/15/11) - 211.4, Current Weight - 201.0, Total - (10.4)

201.8

Went to see "Limitless" last night.  I wanted popcorn so bad.  I tried not to think about it.  But, I could smell the butter in the air.  I still wanted it as I left the theater and saw the half-eaten containers on the floor!  And, though she didn't say it, I know Lori well enough to know that she wanted it too.  But, neither of us spoke of it until afterwards.  My stomach and my weight thanks us for that.  Down .6 pounds because of that difficult choice and happy this morning that I made it.

Phase 3: Starting Weight (3/15/11) - 211.4, Current Weight - 201.8, Total - (9.6)

202.4

Woo Hoo!  Down another pound and under 203... which means I can legitimately tell people 110+ when they ask as opposed to lying.

Phase 3: Starting Weight (3/15/11) - 211.4, Current Weight - 202.4, Total - (9.0)

203.4

Down .6 pounds and back under 204.  Again, my exercise continues to save me as I have yet to get back to a really good routine eating.  Phase 3 is under way!  Down 8 pounds total in 10 days!

Phase 3: Starting Weight (3/15/11) - 211.4, Current Weight - 203.4, Total - (8.0)

204.0

Back under 205!  Here I come 200 pounds.  Feeling like I have my mojo back.

Phase 3: Starting Weight (3/15/11) - 211.4, Current Weight - 204.0, Total - (7.4)

205.8

Up .8 pounds after my lunch at Musso's... and actually glad it was only that.  I hadn't been to Musso's in so long that they had actually made a switch from Pepsi to Coke in that timeframe.  It was a nice lunch.  But, today is going to be perfect and I am going to be under 205 tomorrow... maybe even 204!

Phase 3: Starting Weight (3/15/11) - 211.4, Current Weight - 205.8, Total - (5.6)

205.0

Down 4, up 4, down 4, up 4... the roller coaster continues.  The problem is that my low point isn't moving steadily down like it did once before.  Based on the last couple of weeks of sabotaging myself, I am sure I will consume an entire salt lick for lunch and be back up to 209 tomorrow.  Okay, I kid.  Yesterday was a great day and today will be much of the same.  Feel like I am mentally back in the game.  Maybe I needed a little hiatus from my own obsessiveness.  Plus, all of the chicken wings have now been eaten... at least in my house.

Phase 3: Starting Weight (3/15/11) - 211.4, Current Weight - 205.0, Total - (6.4)

209.4

Tomorrow, tomorrow, there's always tomorrow.  I know a lot of that is salt from the leftover chicken wings.  The question I ask myself is why I saved the leftover chicken wings.  The only way to ensure that I didn't eat the leftover chicken wings - and, really, who expected there to ever be leftover wings in the Marinucci house? - was to throw them away!  So, I expected and accepted the original exception.  But, that manifested itself in to an unexpected and unacceptable second exception.  Make sense?  My March Madness ends today.  Have faith... 

Phase 3: Starting Weight (3/15/11) - 211.4, Current Weight - 209.4, Total - (2.0)

205.2

Maybe, just maybe, I am back in a groove again.  After a couple of weeks of sporadic P90X, Lori and I have decided to do the last couple of weeks over again.  So, it will now be P104X or P111X.

Phase 3: Starting Weight (3/15/11) - 211.4, Current Weight - 205.2, Total - (6.2)

207.0

My wife made her famous chocolate chip cookies for my son's birthday.  Too bad that my son barely ate them and left them for his father to gorge on!

Phase 3: Starting Weight (3/15/11) - 211.4, Current Weight - 207.0, Total - (4.4)

208.2

This was the one exception I had planned on the way to April 1... chicken wings to celebrate my son's birthday and the start of March Madness.  The tooth that I had pulled early in the morning kept me from getting to the club... though I did get a 35 minute walk in to keep the streak alive.  Unfortunately, the tooth did not keep me from eating chicken wings.  I knew it was coming.  So, I will not hate myself today.

Phase 3: Starting Weight (3/15/11) - 211.4, Current Weight - 208.2, Total - (3.2)

205.8

Down 1.8 pounds.  I guess the key to my success is to simply put a little line under my morning posts that tracks the most recent progress and give it a name!  I needed a couple of days like that.

Phase 3: Starting Weight (3/15/11) - 211.4, Current Weight - 205.8, Total - (5.6)

Running, Continued...

Tonight I increased my running time and for the first time I ran more than I walked!  I think running down the Barr Trail (about 20 minutes) after climbing the Incline showed me how long I could run without slowing down.  Tonight, I walked for 5 minutes, ran for 5, walked for 3, ran for 5, walked for 3, ran for 5, walked for 3, ran for 5, walked for 3, and finished off with 3 more minutes of running.  So, I ended up running 23 minutes and walking 17.   A new high for total minutes running and the first time I had done 5 minutes in more than a single stretch.  And, my knee felt pretty good despite my soreness from the Incline this weekend. 

207.6

Well, it feels like cheating.  But, that's one way to start Phase 3 off right!  Down 3.8 pounds from that ugly start yesterday.

Phase 3: Starting Weight (3/15/11) - 211.4, Current Weight - 207.6, Total - (3.8)

211.4

I could hardly believe that number this morning.  Not even sure how that is physically possible.  I guess that will make my weight loss during Phase 3 even more impressive.  Talk about a positive spin... lol.  So, that is where I start.

Phase 3: Starting Weight - 211.4, Current Weight - n/a, Total - n/a

115 Pounds

I need to stop saying that!  I still tell people that I have lost 115 pounds.  As of tomorrow, that number will be less than 105.  I am not trying to lie.  I just like using the lowest number and going with it.  That was probably okay when I was still around 200.  But, now I am just plain lying to everyone.  So, I either need to stop lying or fix it so that I am actually telling the truth when I say 115.  Give me about 18 days...

Running Again!

I have never been a big runner.  I jogged when I was younger.  I always had great stamina as a teenager.  I was never fast.  But, I always liked to run.  Well, I haven't run in years.  Not just slipping on some tennis shoes and taking off around the neighborhood, but even running short distances.  I would try at times.  But, it was ugly, slow, and resulted in my heart feeling like it was coming out of my chest.

During the football season, while I was working the half-time contest for Loaf 'N Jug, I was running on the football field with some little kids.  My wife told me later that Niko said that he couldn't remember the last time he saw me running!  It was both a sad moment and a nice moment. 

When I first started walking on the treadmill, and it wasn't that fast, my knee hurt.  Eventually it started to go away as I lost weight and my knee got stronger.  When I started upping the speed, my knee hurt again.  I worried that it wouldn't ever be able to do what I wanted it to.  But, it eventually went away.  When I started upping the incline, my knee hurt again.  I figured I was pushing my luck and that my knee was nearing it's limits.  Over time, the pain subsided again.  I wanted to run.  I realized that at the highest incline and my fastest walking speed, I couldn't get my heart rate up to the zone I wanted to be in.  I didn't think my knee could ever handle running again. 

About a month ago, I decided to test my knee.  I ran for two minutes.  My heart rate was up and my knee hurt once again.  I decided to run for a few minutes each day and see how I felt.  After a week, my knee didn't feel great.  But, it was good enough that I thought I could give it a go.  I started alternating between walking and running.  It felt great to get my heart rate up and to sweat heavily again.  But, my knee hurt.  My knee hurt worse than it had before.  In fact, my knee wasn't the only thing that hurt.  My hips hurt from the pounding.  My shins hurt a little.  I thought I might have taken on a little more than my knee could handle.  But, over that first week, my knee started getting better and my hips got used to the pounding.  All of a sudden I was running about 15-16 minutes out of my 40-45 minutes on the treadmill! 

Looking at my reflection in the window and seeing myself running again was an incredible feeling.  On Saturday, I ran 20 of the 40 minutes.  Each week, I plan to add a couple of minutes.  Eventually, I would like to run from beginning to end for 30-40 minutes.  I can hardly believe it is a possiblity.  I am not sure the pounding is great for my body.  But, I know that I am doing more for myself than I was a month ago when my body was getting used to my treadmill routine.  Here's to continuing to do things I never thought I would do again in my life...

I Feel Fat Again!

Are you ready for a posting flurry?  I think I need something to kickstart me in to gear again.  A couple of days ago I spoke of Phase 3.  Nice plan.  Now we just need to get started with Phase 3 and stop talking about it.  Tonight I realized that I have let a lot of bad habits creep back in to my life.  Lori cooked some chicken breast... the same chicken that two months ago I was eating with a salad with balsamic vinegar (no oil) and a few grapes.  Tonight, I had the salad but put some Italian dressing on it.  Tonight, I had a piece and a half of pumpernickle bread with butter on it.  Tonight, I had blue cheese crumbles on my salad, not to mention a few crumbles on my bread!  Tonight, after I was done eating, I grabbed a couple of handfuls of M&Ms when I was done with dinner and finished off the night by drinking a couple of drinks of Pepsi.  Tonight, like last night, I honestly felt fat again. 

Tomorrow, I will likely gain enough weight that I will be over 10 pounds heavier than my lowest weight.  That makes me a little sick to my stomach.  TOMORROW!  Tomorrow, starts Phase 3.  Tomorrow, when I get to the office, I will take a plastic bag and take all of the crap I have accumulated since moving in to Marketing and put them in the lunchroom for my co-workers.  Tomorrow, I will stop drinking soda except for those few meals (pizza and chicken wings come to mind) that I have to have it.  Tomorrow, I will stop grabbing handfuls of chocolate at every turn.  Tomorrow, I will go back to making better decisions.  I have 18 days until April 1.  I have 18 days to get back under 200 and remember why I started this in the first place.  18 days to take advantage of all of this hard exercise I have been doing.  On April Fool's Day, I will see if I am a fool or not. 

I like people going around and saying, "Have you seen Anthony?  He's lost over 100 pounds!".  I don't want six months to go by and have that be, "Have you seen Anthony?  He put all of that weight back on!  Can you believe it?!".  So, one more ugly weigh-in tomorrow morning and that's all the haters get to see.  Here's to Phase 3...

Manitou Incline, Part Deux

Let's take a brief break from talking about how stupid I have been over the last couple of weeks and talk about something positive.  Yesterday, Niko and I went with the O'Dorisio clan to take on the Incline once again.  I was excited when I ran in to them at the club and they mentioned that they were going up to Manitou on Sunday morning.  I have been wanting to attempt it again and waiting for the weather to change.  But, despite knowing that the weekend weather was going to be decent, the Incline never crossed my mind.

Last time, I took quite a few breaks to let Lori and Kelly catch up.  Eventually, I decided to keep going and went alone for the last half.  When you get to the top, the most commonly heard conversations center around each individual's time to get to the top and how it compared to previous times.  Because I had stopped, I had no idea how long it would have taken me.  In addition, we had parked in the lot by Barr Trail and climbed up to a starting point that is a short distance closer to the top.  In my mind, I felt like I would have taken right around an hour and I was happy with that.  Add in five more minutes for the bottom portion that we skipped and call it 65 minutes or so.  I was bummed that I didn't have a time.  Not because I needed a number to go around telling people.  The reason I needed a number was that I needed something to beat the next time I tackled the Incline!

We set off and within only a couple of minutes it came back to me how hard the Incline really is.  I thought it would be easier.  Especially because of the cardio I have done since the last time, the weight I have lost, and the fact that I was now running at the club.  Not sure if it was because we were hiking every couple of weeks, but I think I might have felt better when I climbed it five months ago.  While this will offend you mothers out there reading this, I compare the Incline to pregnancy.  It's painful while you are going through it.  But, so incredibly rewarding when you are done.  Then you talk about it and show off the pictures and you remember all of the great things about it while forgetting the pain.  As soon as you do it again, you are quickly reminded of why you were so miserable the first time!  I wondered why I was doing it again... though I am ready to do it again next week. 

My goal was 45 minutes.  I realized rather early in the climb that I wasn't going to reach my goal.  But, I also realized that I could push through and possibly still break an hour.  I tried hard to push through my tired legs and heavy breathing as the 60 minute mark got closer.  In the end, I did it in 54 minutes... my new standard to measure myself against next time.  I was slightly bummed.  But then, instantly, I remembered that a year ago I weighed 305 pounds and would have died of a heart attack five minutes in.  When everyone got to the top, we took off running down the Barr Trail.  Twenty minutes later we were at the bottom again after covering three plus miles.  I felt great and, unlike the last time, I was able to run the entire time without resting. 

On the way back, my son turned to me and said that he was proud of me and proud of his mother and gave me a great big hug.  In the end, that's what all of this is about and far more important than my 54 minute time.  It was a nice moment after a great morning.  This morning I woke up to a soreness that wasn't quite as nice!  Here's to breaking 54...

207.4

I started the day by climbing the Manitou Incline for the second time.  I felt great.  I felt healthy.  I felt like I was back on track.  And then, at about 9 PM, Lori and I ate frozen pizza and drank Pepsi... oh yeah, and drank the leftover margarita that I saved from the night before.  I can't believe I ruined a great climb up the Incline with a meal that I haven't had in ages.  Oh Anthony...

205.8

Lori and I haven't been very good lately.  We also haven't seen much of each other.  So, when she got off a little earlier last night, we both wanted to relax with a margarita, some chips and salsa, and a movie.  Well, the chips and salsa became nachos.  The result of the nice evening with my wife... a one pound gain.  Well, at least this time the evening was worth it.

204.8

Still not the best of days.  But, I will take the .6 drop.

205.4

After two days of business travel, I gained .4 pounds.  I will take it.  With no overnight trips planned in the near future, it is time to get busy again.  I have had two phases.  First, was the initial momentum and weight loss.  Then I slowed down around the holidays and had a little bit of a lull.  I kicked it up a notch and Phase 2 got me down under 200.  Well, the mojo has slowed once again.  So now, Phase 3 begins today.  Phase 3 is when I take the much smaller mass of goo and turn it in to a fit and tone machine.  Phase 3 is when I start to see muscles I haven't seen in 20 years.  Sounds fun, doesn't it?!

Happy Anniversary Blog!

On March 10, 2010, I started this blog.  As corny as I felt writing these thoughts on that first night, I am glad I did.  One year ago I became accountable to every person who has followed or even casually read this blog.  This blog, along with your help, thoughts, feedback, and support, may have been the most important step that I took on this journey!  That date, March 10, will likely get added to all of the other very important days of my life... like July 18 (my anniversary), March 17 (my son's birthday), and November 20 (my daughter's birthday).  March 10 will always feel like my second birthday. 

This blog got me through the difficult part of this journey.  This blog gained momentum and made it easier for me.  This blog helped me lose 115 pounds in a year and about 105 in only ten months!  This blog became an integral part of my success when it was only intended to document it.  This blog saved my life...

My Year Of Exercise!

365 days!  I am sitting in a hotel room in Rapid City, South Dakota after just finishing 20 minutes of walking and 20 minutes of running on a treadmill in a little hotbox that HoJo's refers to as an "exercise room".  I started this blog and my exercising on March 10, 2010.  While I have had at least one night a month where I really didn't feel like it, including Monday of this week, I have gotten off my butt and exercised at least 30 minutes... though the usual workout is easily an hour at least... for an entire year!  In Las Vegas, in San Diego, out in the middle of a cold winter night, late at night after drinking a little too much, at night in hotels when I really wanted to go to bed.  I have exercised during all of that.

Tomorrow, when I get home to Pueblo late at night, I will be tired.  I will want to skip exercising.  And, I will tell myself that I only did this to get to a year and now that I reached my goal that I can now rest.  But, of course, I will still exercise.  And, I will exercise the day after that.  And, barring health concerns that make it impossible, I will continue to exercise every single day.  Because, other than those few moments where my body says no, I love exercising and now I need to start working on extending that streak to two years!  Why not? 

205.0

Finally...  headed back in the right direction.  Now, I need to show some discipline on the road today and tomorrow.  Wish me luck!

206.4... OUCH!

Little I can say.  The disappointment continues. 

203.2/204.4... Extremely Disappointed In Myself

Those are my weights from Sunday and this morning.  So, I followed up the gain from my week in Denver with a crappy weekend and another 2.6 pounds.  For the first time in months, I am extremely unhappy with myself.  I know I will lose these pounds over the next couple of weeks.  But, I hate that I know that.  It's nice to know that I can have the occasional exception and have confidence that I can make up for it over the next week.  But, it doesn't mean I HAVE to gain the weight every time I am away from home.  One great meal in Denver would have been fine.  But, I don't need to pig out every single meal! 

The worst thing are the exceptions I don't even enjoy.  We had lunch at Bubba Gump's on Wednesday and my friend and I ordered the fish and chips and some dinner with three different fried shrimp varieties and some cocktail shrimp.  Between all of the fried food and french fries, I felt sick the rest of the day.  It wasn't even worthy of an exception!  It was good, but not great.  The non-breaded meals that I saw at the table looked way better than what I ended up eating. 

I need to save the exceptions for the nights like next week when I will celebrate my son's birthday and the start of March Madness all on the same night with some chicken wings.  I am good with that.  But, four straight bad days that lead to another two over the weekend is simply unacceptable.  I am better than that. 

So, now I start this week 5 pounds heavier than last Tuesday.  Bad timing since I am coming up on the year anniversary of this blog.  Very disappointing.

201.8

Back to Pueblo after four days in Denver.  The damages... 2.4 pounds.  Lots of food and drink offset with a good amount of exercise and that was the net result.  I am glad I don't travel full-time.

199.4

All I can say is that I am going to have to be awfully good the next three days to make up for today!  If not, I may not get on the scale on Saturday!