Weigh in time

Today concluded the challenge I made to lose 10 pounds in two weeks. As you could tell from my previous posts I was very excited that I was losing weight in a positive direction. I was only about half a pound off from my goal on Friday so I though I’d have no trouble. Well it turns out my body is insane! When I weighed in this morning the evil scale told me I only lost 5 pounds!

It is very frustrating to me to have come so close then blown it. I’m very big on accomplishing what I set out to do, and it is a big disappointment to myself to have not met my goals. My girlfriend tries to encourage me by telling me that losing five pounds is better than gaining five pounds, but I tried so hard and was so close. Five pounds just doesn’t seem good enough. I know my body weight fluctuates on a daily basis, so maybe tomorrow I could be back down closer to 220 but it is too late by then.

I don’t think it would be so frustrating if I didn’t work so hard. Over the past weekend I skated almost 40 miles in total! I did 12 miles on the Greenway Friday, then another 12 miles there Saturday, and Sunday morning I did 5 miles in front of my apartment, followed by another 10 later in the day. In additional to that I ate healthy over the weekend, so since I weighed in at 220.6 Friday I should have easily lost half a pound by skating 40 miles.

I’m going to blame my scale on this one, I must have miss-weighed myself on Friday because there is no way I gained so much weight while eating right and exercising. Luckily I get a new ’scale’ tomorrow. I pre-ordered a Wii Fit and hopefully that will add to my weight loss motivation.

My Rapid Weight Loss Technique

Earlier this week one of the executives from worked commented on my weight loss. When I had first started losing weight it was common to have people ask how I lost so much weight so quickly. Since I haven’t made any big gains in a few months I haven’t heard the question recently. It was only now that I was asked recently that I realized just how lack-luster my answer was.

 

I usually just say I’ve been eating less, and exercising more. That is accurate, however I think it lacks the detail most people expect when asking me how I lost weight. With that realization in mind, I’ve found myself thinking about just what I did to lose weight. I’ve come up with a few answers but I think the primary reason I’ve been so successful is that I made an effort to find an outdoor activity I enjoy doing. For me this was rollerblading, however the exercise wasn’t as important as my enjoyment of it. I am able to go outside and rollerblade every day without getting bored of it. There are ways for me to push myself further, either by increasing my distance or speed.

 

Another secret to my weight loss has been the lifestyle change I’ve made in my eating habits. For me that means not compromising on my fulfilling lunch; but being much more health conscious for dinner. I usually try to keep my calorie intake during dinner down to 300 – 500 calories. This lets my body digest most of my food before I go to sleep and my metabolism slows.

 

I know my entire success can’t be reduced to those two weight loss techniques. I need to think about it some more. Of course, but because it worked for me doesn’t mean it will work for everyone. I made sure I consulted with my physician during my rapid weight loss, and that is always a wise precaution.

Alpharetta Greenway - Check!

Today was another busy day at work. It seems like there is no end to the new projects we want to take on. I keep reminding myself that busy is better than slow and boring, so I need to appreciate that. Between working late this week and the rainy weather I haven’t had as much of a chance to roller blade as I would like. When I weight myself this morning I was down to 220.6 so luckily my healthy eating has helped me achieve the weight loss goal I had set with my girlfriend.

 

I know my weight tends to fluctuate a lot though so I was devoted to exercising today. I made it out of the office about an hour late, but there was still plenty of daylight left. The only problem was that there was a lot of cloud cover, and the way the wind was blowing it felt like rain was inevitable. Despite the prospect of rain I knew that I had to maintain my exercise momentum.

 

So I went rollerblading right after work so I would keep up my momentum and figured I’d just have to turn around if it started to rain. I went to the Alpharetta Greenway, which is a 6 mile cement trail. I had never been to the end before, I’ve made it 5 miles twice so far in the past week, but I always had to turn back because I needed to make it home. Today I was convinced; if the rain would hold off I would to the entire trail.

 

Despite the feeling that the heavens were about to open up and it would just downpour, I continued going. I made it to the end and back without a drop of rain! I’m very proud of myself as 12 miles round trip is the longest I’ve ever rollerbladed before. This did the trick, I feel like I’ve maintained my momentum.

Stone Mountain Hike

Yesterday I went on a hike to Stone Mountain with a friend from work. For those of you that have been reading my blog all year, you know how much I enjoy outdoor activities. I’ve been very motivated for the past week, this deal with my girlfriend has really helped me. I knew I needed a moral boost while she was away on vacation, and this seems to be doing the trick. I weight in today and I’m down to 224.6 pounds. I’m half way there right at the half way point! As long as I keep this up I will be able to lose the 10 pounds in 2 weeks.

I really believe that this has been the push I needed to restart my weight loss plans. It has motivated my to get back out and be active. I’ve rollerbladed frequently for the past week, and have been on a few hikes. If I keep this up I’ll be thin for my family reunion at the end of July. The hike today was pretty spectacular. I knew Stone Mountain was a lot of rocks, but I didn’t realize we would basically be hiking up one big rock.

As we got higher up the mountain there was an amazing view of Atlanta. It is so different to look at the city from this perspective; it is a stark remind of how small we all are. As we got higher and higher the wind really picked up. By the time we reached the top of the mountain we were having difficulty walking. I felt like if I jumped in the air I would be blown off the mountain.

After living in the Atlanta area for a year and a half I’ve finally made it to stone mountain for a hike. I’m very proud of myself, and can’t wait to go back. Maybe when my mother comes to visit in June I’ll take her to see it.

Oxbo Trail Hike

The weather here in Georgia was beautiful this Sunday so I decided a hike was in order to celebrate the clear skies and warm temperature. I flipped through the pages of my hiking book titled 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Atlanta and found some information on the Oxbo Trail in my town of Roswell. This 1.9 mile hike seemed like the perfect way to start the day with some exercise.

The parking area was easy to find, located right off of Route 9. The entrance to the hiking path was slightly less clear. After parking, the first path I notice was actually more of a driveway than a hiking trail. I followed that up a hill and to another road. Right across the street was a mini-park with a monument in it. This was a memorial to the 400 mill workers who were deported during the civil war for invading the federal forces.

A Civil War Monument

After spending a few minutes reading the monument, and pondering the correct location of the hiking trail, I decided to head back down the hill to the parking lot. Once I made it back to the parking lot the real trail was much more clear. Instead of going up the hill I should have gone the other direction. This time the path took me around a bend and onto a gravel walkway. This path looked to be ideal for joggers, bikers, and walkers.

I walked along a stream for about two miles when I found a surprise my hiking book didn’t mention; there was a waterfall and the end of this trail. Right where the Oxbo Trail met with the Vickery Creek trail was what looked to be an old dam. The resulting waterfall was beautiful, so of course I stayed for a while and listened to the rumble of of the water and took a few pictures.

The waterfall on Oxbo Trail

The hike back was as relaxing as the hike in. This path was an out-and-back style trail, so there was no loop to walk around. There were a few small animals along the way; squirrels and birds mostly. I used this hike, along with the nice weather to motivate myself to start losing weight again. I made a deal with my girlfriend to encourage me to lose weight; if I could lose 10 pounds by the time she makes it back from her Florida vacation she would make a picture compilation with images that motivate me.

So the challenge is on, I have until May 20th to lose 10 pounds. Hopefully this will force me into a pattern of exercise and healthy eating again. I had taken a break from weight loss for the winter and just maintained my weight, but I’m ready to start burning the fat again!