The Wife Weighs In...Week 26

Howdy, GHMIW fans!

Another quick update from me. My big fundraiser is next weekend, and things are hectic. Too hectic. But, this is what happens every April through June. By the time July rolls around things will calm down a little.

Only hit the gym twice this week, once for yoga. I don't hope for much better numbers next week due to a number of late nights at work. I'll do what I can, but if I can't make it, that's okay.

No loss or gain this week, which is good. Stressful times are a trigger for me, so this is a success!Considering everything that is going on, if I can maintain my loss again next week I will be pleased. In my mind, this is just part of the real-life roller coaster. A girl needs to be realistic about her goals in challenging times.

Have a great weekend!
Laura
a.k.a., Elle Tee Jay


My update:
4/25/08: 183.4 pounds
5/02/08: 183.4 pounds
Total loss: 44.0 pounds
Next goal: 182.0 pounds

The Weigh-In Week 46

215.4. That is what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of .8 pounds.

Missed it by that much!

This was week two of my goal to lose at least one pound for three weeks. I am a little disappointed that I didn't make the extra .2 pounds to keep the goal, but in the spirit of the goal this was still a decent loss for the week. Especially considering I started out the week with a massive gain from bad eating over the weekend.

The intention of setting a goal of losing 1 pound a week for three weeks was to stop the cycle of loss and gain that I have been in lately. I feel like I am still on track to stick with that goal. If I can post a loss three weeks in a row, I'll be feeling pretty good.

I'd also really like to get to a new low by my birthday at the end of this month. Which means I have to continue to lose or maintain for the next four weeks.

This should be a good weekend for maintaining the healthy lifestyle. I have my 2nd 5K race tomorrow and then I am hoping to get some yard work done. Sunday, if everything works out, I might even get in some softball practice. So it should be a good active weekend.

Wish me luck for the race tomorrow, I feel like I am going to need it. I am not to confidant about living up to my time from the first 5k. I plan to let my Dad set the pace tomorrow and then I'll do my best to keep up.

Our winner this week is my sister with a guess of 1.2. It was Sarah's birthday yesterday so it seems only appropriate that she walks away with the honors this week. Although no prize. Happy Birthday Sis. Hope you had a good one.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Tony
05/02: 215.4 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
7.4 lbs. to go

P.S.
Anybody have any idea when Spring is going to arrive? Stop with the snow already!

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 46

Did I mention how much I love cross training?

Despite some questionable travel eating over the weekend, I am on track to follow through on week two of my goal to lose 1 pound a week for three weeks. It was looking a little iffy at the beginning of the wee.k

I am sure that biking 14 miles and swimming 1.2 miles yesterday was a big help in making up for the excess weekend calories.

Swimming went much better last night. I made my quarter mile swim without to much trouble. I guess I just needed last week to get back into the "swim" of things.

I think I finished my quarter mile swim in less than 9 minutes. I say "I think" because I may have lost count of my laps and missed a quarter mile by one lap. There was also some confusion over wether the pool was messured in meters or yards. I am pretty sure now that it is yards.

Anyway, that is a really long way of saying I am really happy with last nights swim.

Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.

To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.


I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.


Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
05/01: 216.2 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
8.2 lbs. to go

p.s. Don't forget you can subscribe to the e-mail edition of Guess How Much I Weigh . Simply enter your e-mail address in the space to the right.

A New Hope (Updated)

So last week I made a conscious decision to bring some more hope into my life. I've been a little frustrated and down in the dumps these last few weeks... and it has directly effected my healthy lifestyle journey.

So I said enough is enough and am working very hard to get back to my usual sunny outlook on life.

Life unfortunately has other plans. It is working very hard to keep me frustrated. Mostly by doing its best to keep me out of the gym! LIFFFFFFFE!!!! (In My best William Shatner "Khannnnn!" Voice)

I keep getting scheduled into lunch meetings this week, which is making it really tough for me to get in the training I need. Especially the week before a race. For those who have not been paying attention, Dad and I are doing another 5K together this Saturday. I am worried that my time is going to be miserably slow compared to the St. Patty's Day Race.

But I digress. So life and I are at odds right know. But I am holding my own. I found a way to hit the gym yesterday. I will find a way to get to the gym today. Tomorrow looks good for a bike and a swim. Despite the constant chaos I am holding my own...and not doing so bad with the positive outlook.

Take that life.

The one thing I have to keep reminding myself is this: My life my be a little chaotic right now, but compared to a whole heck of a lot of other people I have a near perfect life, and for that I am supremely grateful.

Tony
04/29: 216.2 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
8.2 lbs. to go

P.S. (Updated at 9:45)
So life is feeling my overwhelming positivity! Today's lunch meeting was canceled about a half hour after I posted this entry. Ha-ha. Which means I can spend quality time in the gym today instead of rushing through a shortened workout.

The Wife Weighs In...Week 25

Happy Friday, GHMIW fans!

Super quick update…I had a good loss this week. Hurray!

I didn’t eat as well as planned, but I got three workouts in besides Monday night yoga. Not bad. I’m not fully back on track yet, however. My habits are still sloppy. That’s okay…there is always next week.

Until next Friday,

(a.k.a. Elle Tee Jay)

My update:

4/18/08: 184.8 pounds

4/25/08: 183.4 pounds (a loss of 1.4 pounds)

Total loss: 44.0 pounds

Next goal: 182.0 pounds

The Weigh-In Week 45

216.2! A loss of 4 pounds.

Cross training rocks!

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 45

It appears I survived my two day workout frenzy...so far. My brother-in-law joined me for the swim last night. It was nice to have the company and the motivation. Sadly the swimming was not as easy as I thought it would be ...just like everyone has been telling me for the last month.

Turns out having been on the Junior High swim team nearly 20-years ago does not make you an expert swimmer. By the end of the hour I started getting the feel for it, but my stamina was no where near where I had hoped it would be. I managed to do a few 200 meter stretches without resting but that was it. The race requires a 400 meter swim. So the swimming will need some work.

Got to say it was weird to be back in my old Junior High again. This morning I could not have told you what the Junior High locker room looked like, or what color it was. But, as soon as I stepped in, the whole place came flooding back to me and for just a moment I was a giddy, insecure 13 year old boy again. Lucky it was just for a minute.

Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.

To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.


I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.


Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
04/23: 220.2 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
12.2 lbs. to go


p.s. Don't forget you can subscribe to the e-mail edition of Guess How Much I Weigh . Simply enter your e-mail address in the space to the right.

4 Work Outs In Two Days

I got a run in last night at 9pm and I hit the gym yesterday afternoon. Two work outs in one day!

I'm doing the same today. Taking my bike out for its maiden voyage over lunch and then diving into the pool tonight after the girls go to bed.

4 work outs in 2 days...will I survive?

Find out tomorrow.

Tony
04/22: 220.2 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
12.2 lbs. to go

Not Fat Enough For Science

On the way home yesterday I heard a commercial for scientific study that was looking for participants. Something about helping people with weight problems by changing the neurons in their brain instead of gastric surgery. Out of old habits I got interested. "There's an easy and painless weigh to lose weight and get in shape! I must learn more."

At the end of the commercial they listed the qualifications for participants,. Ideally candidates should have a BMI between 35 and 45. I took me a minute to realize, these kind of things are no longer aimed at me. It was a good feeling.

Despite my best efforts I had to skip my workout yesterday. Not a good way to start the week. To make up for it I plan to get in two workouts today. Strength training over lunch, and a run tonight after the girls go to bed.

Here's the good news. I am finally a bike owner again! Woo-Hoo. I can not wait to get my first real ride in on Wed.



Here is what my Tri training schedule is going to look like...hopefully. I know it will change as I fine tune things and learn what works and what doesn't.

Mon: Lunch-Run, Night- Softball
Tues: Lunch - Strength Training
Wed: Lunch- Bike, Night- Swim
Thurs: Lunch - Strength
Fri: Lunch - Run
Sat: Morning - Bike / Run

I am hopping to squeeze in an extra run or bike during the week with Laura and the girls and an extra swim with my brother in law.

Man, when I type it out it looks pretty daunting.

Tony
04/22: 220.2 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
12.2 lbs. to go

The Wife Weighs In...Week 24

Happy Friday, GHMIW fans!

My stand-off was not successful this week. The eating was okay, but I only got to the gym twice.

Between an evening board meeting, waking up in the middle of the night with a coughing toddler, and an early morning wake-up call from a very cute two-year-old who thinks it's a great idea to take her diaper off in the middle of the night but is not pleased when she wets her bed at 5:00 in the morning, I've been exhausted this week. Just like last week, life got in the way.

Now, that's all well and good, and perfectly understandable. Everybody has those weeks, right? It is very easy for me to justify not following my plan because life has been busy. Therein lies the danger. This is my relapse pattern.

Things were going very well before we went on vacation. Healthy living went out the door while we were gone, but that's what you are supposed to do while you are on vacation, right? Since then, I've had a horrible time getting back to routine. And, I have a million perfectly justifiable reasons why:

• Work is extra busy right now
• I'm really stressed out
• The girls haven't been feeling well
• I've just been so tired
• Sometimes life gets in the way

But, really...they are all just excuses.

My relapse pattern goes a little something like this...something perfectly justifiable sets me off course (like a vacation), then I excuse and procrastinate my way back into weight gain.

Isn't just recognizing the problem always the first step?

Until next week,

(a.k.a., ElleTeeJay)


My update:
4/11/08: 184.0 pounds
4/18/08: 184.8 pounds (a gain of 0.8 pounds)
Total loss: 42.6 pounds
Next goal: 182.0 pounds

P.S. Thanks to everyone for the words of encouragement last week...they were greatly appreciated!

The Weigh-In Week 45

220.2! That is what it said on the scale this morning. A gain of2.6.

No point in dwelling on it. So let's just move on.

Next week Tri training starts with a vengeance! Remember the new goal is 3 losses of one pound or more over the next three weeks.

Our winners would have been Cousin Angie and Nate. But as we all know here at Guess How Much I Weigh. When I gain we all lose.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Tony
04/16: 220.2 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
12.2 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 45

Week 45! Wow, we are only 7 weeks away from the Guess How Much I Weigh 1 year anniversary. I can't believe it.

After yesterday's post I am sure you are all dying to get a vote in. Just remember next week is going to be a whole new ball game!

Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.

To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.


I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.


Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
04/16: 217.6 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
9.6 lbs. to go


p.s. Don't forget you can subscribe to the e-mail edition of Guess How Much I Weigh . Simply enter your e-mail address in the space to the right.

Allow Me To Whine

Some how this week is turning into a bad week...at least on the healthy lifestyle front.

My back is hurting, I am gaining weight and I feeling really rundown. Either I am suffering from sympathy pregnancy or sympathy PMS. Which is odd, seeing as how my lovely wife is currently suffering from neither of those maladies.

This was supposed to be a stand off week, but by the time I remembered that, the week was all ready out of control. Honestly, I don't feel like I have been that bad this week, but stepping on the scale this morning it looks like I am in for a gain this week.

I am starting to find the yo-yoing of the last few months frustrating. And since I have only myself to blame, it is time to do something.

I will do my best to salvage this week, but I think it is most likely a lost cause. So, here is the plan. I am going to lose at least 1 pound a week for the next 3 weeks. That is the new goal.

I am hoping that this simple goal will keep me on task and help me get back to routine. I feel like if I can just get my body doing what it is supposed to be doing for a few weeks that living healthy will go back to feeling more natural.

My other goal is to figure out my new triathlon training schedule this weekend. I am thinking about moving to a six day a week schedule and including my girls in a Saturday run and /or bike ride. That of course is dependent on how they like riding in the new Burly stroller we just picked up...oh and on me finally buying a bike.

Tony
04/16: 217.6 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
9.6 lbs. to go

Checking In

Not much to say today. Just checking in so you know I haven't fallen of the wagon.

I am doing my best to get back on track, but for some reason I am struggling again this week. I think I need to get back on routine. Back to the point where I am just doing and not thinking so much about the doing. Sadly this is not going to be a good week for that. Although I will do my best.

Triathlon training starts next week. Maybe putting together a whole new routine will help get me motivated and energized.

Tony
04/10: 217.6 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
9.6 lbs. to go

The Wife Weighs In...Week 23

Happy Friday, GHMIW fans!

My experience this week has been much like my darling husband's (read below). This week was supposed to be a stand-off week, but it was not a true stand-off. I didn't log my eating and I only got to the gym once this week...for yoga on Monday night. Life just got in the way this week.

Unlike my darling husband, even though I had a good loss this week, I don't feel like celebrating. My goal in this stand-off week was not just weight loss. My real goal was regaining the feeling that I was back to my routine...that feeling of being completely in control. My deep-seeded fear is that if I do not get back to routine (fast!) I will begin to backslide, just like I have a million times before. I refuse to let that happen again.

So, the hope is that next week will be true stand-off. Meal planning, food and activity logging, and at least 4 visits to the gym. Wish me luck!

Until next week,

(a.k.a., Elle Tee Jay)

My update:

4/04/08: 186.2 pounds

4/11/08: 184.0 pounds (a loss of 2.2 pounds)

Total loss: 43.4 pounds

Next goal: 182.0 pounds

P.S. Is anyone else completely psyched for the finale of "The Biggest Loser" on Tuesday night? Ali is my new idol...

The Weigh-In Week 44

217.6!!! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 4.4 pounds!!

I am amazed at this loss. This weeks standoff was not very successful...well obviously it was successful but it wasn't a true standoff. Part of it was some weak willed moments on my part and some of it was life getting in the way.

I had to skip my workout and have lunch out yesterday. Then, due to an incredibly inconvenient power outage, we were forced to take the girls out for dinner last night. I thought for sure that this messed up Thursday was going to completly throw off my week. Amazingly I lost an extra .2 pounds from yesterday morning to today. I am sure the calories will catch up with me in a day or two.... but right now I feel like celebrating.

The celebration ends on Monday though. Next week will be a real standoff week...complete with an iron will and 5 days of hardcore gym time. Unless life gets in the way again.

No winner this week, but my Mom was closest, even if she was more than a pound off.

Have a great weekend everybody. If you are here in Minnesota cuddle up with someone you love and do your best to survive this one last cruel burst of winter. Next week spring starts. Fingers crossed!

Tony
04/10: 217.6 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
9.6 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 44

This stand off has not been my most successful, although the pounds do seem to be coming off. I am pretty confident that their should be a pretty big loss despite my two or three minor indiscretions this week.

Yesterdays run was just as brutal as Monday's, but I was only a minute slower then my St. Patty's day 5K time of 26:55 so I am getting my legs back.

Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.

To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.


I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.


Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
04/10: 222 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
14 lbs. to go

p.s. Don't forget you can subscribe to the e-mail edition of Guess How Much I Weigh . Simply enter your e-mail address in the space to the right.

Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things

I have discovered the best reason to not take a break from your regular workout routine, it really hurts once you start up again.

Getting back into the swing of things is going to take a little time and a little pain. Even though I had a few runs on vacation, getting back on the treadmill really hurt yesterday. I was going to try for a 4 mile run, but I was lucky to make 3.3 miles. I know it will get a little easier with every run from here on out, but that first time back takes a lot of will power.

Today will be my first strength training day in two weeks. As you can imagine I am not looking forward to it....the word dread comes to mind.

But it's stand off week and skipping a work out is not an option!



I am still agonizing over my bike decision. This is what I do. I obsesses and obsess over purchase decisions and then always seem to end up with the wrong thing. I am trying to find a nice used fitness / hybrid bike that will work for both the triathlon and riding around with the kids. Sadly there are not a lot of them out there.

According to the bike store guy, I should be buying two bikes. One for racing and one for recreating.


I wish I could afford to do that...and had room in my garage. The plan is to make a decision by this weekend. I have a bid on a bike on E-Bay right now, if it holds, problem solved. If it doesn't hold I'll probably be heading to the bike store on Saturday.

Tony
04/07: 222 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
14 lbs. to go

The Problem With Binges

So I figured out a problem with my mini binges this weekend......I mean besides the obvious ones like extreme excess calories, weight gain, food addiction, etc.

When I sneak food I always choose really crappy food, and because of it I end I up feeling guilty and unsatisfied.. instead of just guilty. It is the dumbest thing. I know addiction by it's very nature makes us do stupid things and the irrational cravings are just that, irrational...but really you think I could have enough self respect to choose delicious deserts instead of the overly processed sudo-foods I grab from the gas station. It's always the gas station!

I have been having a tough time getting over vacation mode. The end of last week was pretty much a wash on the healthy living front. I only worked out on Thursday and I snacked endlessly. The worst was Friday night. I stopped to get propane for the grill on the way home and somehow ended up with a gas station cookie and thing of zingers in my pocket.

My lovely wife happened to glance at the receipt and called me on my indiscretion. Some wives check for lipstick on the collar, mine checks for chocolate in my mustache.

The whole ugly episode got me thinking. Instead of giving in to these cravings for crappy junk food, I need to save up and treat myself every once and a while to some real treats. Things that are worth the guilt. A slice of pie from Bakers Square, a small Butterfinger blizzard, some deep fried Oreos at our deep fried food party that we planed while at that crazy restaurant on vacation.

Sneaking junk food simply perpetuates my addiction. If I can be open and honest with my treats, I can do away with the guilt and the tummy aches once and for all.

Today starts a new Standoff Week. I have ten pounds to lose and 4 weeks to lose it. Time to buckle down. Somehow I have a feeling it's going to be a tough week. My willpower is weak. I am hoping once my body remembers how good it feels to get off that treadmill that things will start to turn around.

Tony
04/07: 222 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
14 lbs. to go

The Wife Weighs In...Week 24

Happy Friday, GHMIW fans!

Yes, I admit it...the bacon cheeseburger topped with chicken wings was mine. How could I not order something so ridiculous? It was really good, but the Buffalo Pierogies appetizer and the Fried Oreo dessert were truly out of this world. Oh, and if you ever get to Street Meet in Hilton Head, be sure to order a Cocaine Lady or two...good times.

I ate and drank with wild abandon while on vacation. Lots of fried shrimp, a Bloody Mary or two (or more), some hush puppies, and a local specialty called She-Crab Soup. We had great food (especially the salsa and queso) and margaritas at a Mexican restaurant across the marina from our resort. We also had a really nice "white linen" dinner at another restaurant across the marina...I had Scallops Gratin...yum.

On the flip side, I got to the treadmill for an hour on Saturday morning...I even ran two separate half-mile stretches! Beyond the treadmill, between shopping, sight-seeing, and purposeful exercise, I must have walked and/or biked at least 15 miles while we were gone...it was 1.5 miles just to get to the beach.

So, what's the result? Other than being much more relaxed and being thankful for a fantastic getaway with some very dear friends? I had a gain. Whatever. It was a smaller gain than I thought it would be and I had one heck of a good time.

Stand-off begins on Monday!

Until next week,


(a.k.a., Elle Tee Jay)


My update:
3/28/08: 183.2 pounds
4/04/08: 186.2 pounds (a gain of 3.0 pounds)

Total loss: 41.2 pounds
Next goal: 182.0 pounds