Order 66
Hey! Remember Order 66 from Star Wars Revenge of the Sith where the Emperor ordered the Stormtroopers to annihilate the Jedi? Good times. While I am not annihilating any Jedi, I am still annihilating pounds.
It's been a while since my last update, partially because of the holiday season so it feels good to be updating this blog. So we left off with me finally cutting my long hair having successfully hitting my weight loss goal of going from 307 to 250. So out with the old and in with the new...My new goal now is getting down to 225 by May. Again, I have now preached "be realistic" and "don't put specific numbers and dates to your goals" and I firmly stand by that...but now I am challenging myself. Even if I lose only 1 pound between now and May, I'll be happy. I lost wight and that was the point. But I've hit a pretty big goal in losing the 57 pounds so why not have fun with this?
It is a very cold, snowy, and windy day in January as I write this and here I stand at 241 pounds. Down a total of 66 pounds...hence the "Order 66" opening above...see what I did there? Anyway, I did something interesting in December...I set a goal to lose 9 pounds. I know, I know, "but its the holiday season, you are going to eat cookies and go to family parties, etc." and I did all those things but I wasn't a pig about it either. I really had to limit myself and watch portions and drink a ton of water to feel fuller. But I also changed my running routine up. I decided to run 1.5 miles every morning on my home treadmill upon awakening, fasted (meaning before breakfast on an empty stomach). I wanted to do this for at least 25 days in December. I managed to do it for 23. I'm ok with that. I also managed to lose 7 pounds instead of 9 but that's ok too. I still lost weight in arguably the most "weight-gaining" month of the year. So, I win!
Now I wanted my legs to feel what it was like to run on tired legs. I usually run 3-4 days a week but never further than 3.1 miles and never on back-to-back days. But I wanted to feel it as to prepare myself for my 2018 New Years Resolution/Run Goals.
For 2017, my goal was to run 12 5K's in 12 months. While this may be so easy compared to some of my pals in Run856 (some of those folks do a 5K daily before I even wake up), that was a big goal for this big guy and i crushed it! So my goals for 2018 are as follows:
1) run 15 5Ks
2) run 3 10Ks
3) run 500 miles for the year
So I adjusted my weight lifting schedule to accommodate 3 days in the week where my sole focus is 10K training. So I'll be running 3 days and lifting 4 days and that's how my week will go. I do this by training on my lunch break. Luckily I work from home which allows me to eat at my desk and utilize an hour to train. Sometimes I get up and train before work or I do it after work, it all depends on my work schedule because that's the priority and i need to feed my family first, but you get the idea. My target weight loss for the month is 6 pounds. I would love to weigh in on 1/31 at 235 and be 10 pounds away from my new target. It gives me months to hit 10 measly pounds but with all the extra running and miles I also plan on increasing my weight lifting so I know my muscle mass will increase...which is why it is SO important to measure your body parts people. A lot of friends who have tried diets or workout programs get discouraged when they hit the gym hard and diet and don't see the scale move...there is a reason for that and I call it "GAINS".
I basically say "screw the scale" and only weigh in once per month...you heard that right...once per month. I put the ownership of sticking to my vegan diet and exercise plan solely on my shoulders. I do not want to give myself any right to say "well I'm halfway to my goal and its only the 16th so I can eat this pizza" or whatever it is. I act like I'm always behind so I keep myself honest. That being said, I weigh in and measure on the last day of the month. I measure the circumference of my chest, belly, waistline, both biceps, both thighs, and both calves (#calfzilla). That is where you see "gains". The scale might not move so much because you are replacing fat with muscle. Even if you aren't lifting weights and only run or walk on a treadmill or elliptical, what did you think was happening? The fat was burning but the muscles you were working were just staying as is? No, that's not how it works. As you work muscles, they get little "micro tears" in them and over resting periods, they re-connect and re-build. Muscles weigh something. So as you burn fat and develop those muscles, sometimes the muscles increase in mass and weight themselves.
So you might only lose 2-4 pounds but you might drop inches in your body overall. That should make you happier then a number on a scale because after all, you and others will notice how you look, no one knows the number on your scale but you so don't focus on that. You won't be as discouraged if you weigh AND measure then you would just weighing in. Once I understood that, it totally helped me mentally, and the numbers continue to rise and fall where I wanted them to.
A few things I want to mention that have me excited that I wanted to share:
1) Run856, a local running group I belong to, just did a "runner profile" on me for their website. You can check that piece out an www.run856.com its right on the main page
2) I am tempting to sign up for the Hot Chocolate 15k (9.3 miles) race in Philly on April 7th. It scares me to death. If I stick to my 10K training program, without failing any sessions, I will be able to run my first 10K the week of 2/18/18 so to go from a 10K to a 15K about 2 months later is doable...at least my pals in Run856 keep telling me it is. I want that medal so bad (look it up, its awesome) though but I'm scared. I don't know, maybe I'll do it....se...this running thing is addictive.
3) I plan on running my 1st 2018 5k on 1/31, and to two 5K's and one 10K in Feb. That would be 3 5's and one of my 10's done within the first 2 months of the year. I can do it! Right?? RIGHT?!?!
4) Finally, since the last entry "Hair & Food" to this one, I finished 2017 with my #11 and #12 5K's. I ran the Haddon Twp. Turkey Trot in Nov with Killian where we both PR'ed under 36 minutes but then I ran a solo virtual 5K in Dec and PR'ed again at 34:10. My wife Billie and 2 kids Killian and Gavin wrote encouraging words on the street in chalk during the last block to the finish line and even drew a distance accurate finish line for me. It was awesome and I totally needed that as I was sucking wind trying to PR.
More to come in a week or so! Make some goals and go get 'em!! If I can, you can!
It's been a while since my last update, partially because of the holiday season so it feels good to be updating this blog. So we left off with me finally cutting my long hair having successfully hitting my weight loss goal of going from 307 to 250. So out with the old and in with the new...My new goal now is getting down to 225 by May. Again, I have now preached "be realistic" and "don't put specific numbers and dates to your goals" and I firmly stand by that...but now I am challenging myself. Even if I lose only 1 pound between now and May, I'll be happy. I lost wight and that was the point. But I've hit a pretty big goal in losing the 57 pounds so why not have fun with this?
It is a very cold, snowy, and windy day in January as I write this and here I stand at 241 pounds. Down a total of 66 pounds...hence the "Order 66" opening above...see what I did there? Anyway, I did something interesting in December...I set a goal to lose 9 pounds. I know, I know, "but its the holiday season, you are going to eat cookies and go to family parties, etc." and I did all those things but I wasn't a pig about it either. I really had to limit myself and watch portions and drink a ton of water to feel fuller. But I also changed my running routine up. I decided to run 1.5 miles every morning on my home treadmill upon awakening, fasted (meaning before breakfast on an empty stomach). I wanted to do this for at least 25 days in December. I managed to do it for 23. I'm ok with that. I also managed to lose 7 pounds instead of 9 but that's ok too. I still lost weight in arguably the most "weight-gaining" month of the year. So, I win!
Now I wanted my legs to feel what it was like to run on tired legs. I usually run 3-4 days a week but never further than 3.1 miles and never on back-to-back days. But I wanted to feel it as to prepare myself for my 2018 New Years Resolution/Run Goals.
For 2017, my goal was to run 12 5K's in 12 months. While this may be so easy compared to some of my pals in Run856 (some of those folks do a 5K daily before I even wake up), that was a big goal for this big guy and i crushed it! So my goals for 2018 are as follows:
1) run 15 5Ks
2) run 3 10Ks
3) run 500 miles for the year
So I adjusted my weight lifting schedule to accommodate 3 days in the week where my sole focus is 10K training. So I'll be running 3 days and lifting 4 days and that's how my week will go. I do this by training on my lunch break. Luckily I work from home which allows me to eat at my desk and utilize an hour to train. Sometimes I get up and train before work or I do it after work, it all depends on my work schedule because that's the priority and i need to feed my family first, but you get the idea. My target weight loss for the month is 6 pounds. I would love to weigh in on 1/31 at 235 and be 10 pounds away from my new target. It gives me months to hit 10 measly pounds but with all the extra running and miles I also plan on increasing my weight lifting so I know my muscle mass will increase...which is why it is SO important to measure your body parts people. A lot of friends who have tried diets or workout programs get discouraged when they hit the gym hard and diet and don't see the scale move...there is a reason for that and I call it "GAINS".
I basically say "screw the scale" and only weigh in once per month...you heard that right...once per month. I put the ownership of sticking to my vegan diet and exercise plan solely on my shoulders. I do not want to give myself any right to say "well I'm halfway to my goal and its only the 16th so I can eat this pizza" or whatever it is. I act like I'm always behind so I keep myself honest. That being said, I weigh in and measure on the last day of the month. I measure the circumference of my chest, belly, waistline, both biceps, both thighs, and both calves (#calfzilla). That is where you see "gains". The scale might not move so much because you are replacing fat with muscle. Even if you aren't lifting weights and only run or walk on a treadmill or elliptical, what did you think was happening? The fat was burning but the muscles you were working were just staying as is? No, that's not how it works. As you work muscles, they get little "micro tears" in them and over resting periods, they re-connect and re-build. Muscles weigh something. So as you burn fat and develop those muscles, sometimes the muscles increase in mass and weight themselves.
So you might only lose 2-4 pounds but you might drop inches in your body overall. That should make you happier then a number on a scale because after all, you and others will notice how you look, no one knows the number on your scale but you so don't focus on that. You won't be as discouraged if you weigh AND measure then you would just weighing in. Once I understood that, it totally helped me mentally, and the numbers continue to rise and fall where I wanted them to.
A few things I want to mention that have me excited that I wanted to share:
1) Run856, a local running group I belong to, just did a "runner profile" on me for their website. You can check that piece out an www.run856.com its right on the main page
2) I am tempting to sign up for the Hot Chocolate 15k (9.3 miles) race in Philly on April 7th. It scares me to death. If I stick to my 10K training program, without failing any sessions, I will be able to run my first 10K the week of 2/18/18 so to go from a 10K to a 15K about 2 months later is doable...at least my pals in Run856 keep telling me it is. I want that medal so bad (look it up, its awesome) though but I'm scared. I don't know, maybe I'll do it....se...this running thing is addictive.
3) I plan on running my 1st 2018 5k on 1/31, and to two 5K's and one 10K in Feb. That would be 3 5's and one of my 10's done within the first 2 months of the year. I can do it! Right?? RIGHT?!?!
4) Finally, since the last entry "Hair & Food" to this one, I finished 2017 with my #11 and #12 5K's. I ran the Haddon Twp. Turkey Trot in Nov with Killian where we both PR'ed under 36 minutes but then I ran a solo virtual 5K in Dec and PR'ed again at 34:10. My wife Billie and 2 kids Killian and Gavin wrote encouraging words on the street in chalk during the last block to the finish line and even drew a distance accurate finish line for me. It was awesome and I totally needed that as I was sucking wind trying to PR.
More to come in a week or so! Make some goals and go get 'em!! If I can, you can!
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| Showing off my new Run 856 hat post snow-running |
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| Killian (7) and I post-Turkey Trot |
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| Selfie post morning treadmill run. My medals and vision board in the background |
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| Wooooo another good morning run! |
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| Hug from my boys after crossing the finish line of my 12th 5K in '17. Mission accomplished! |
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| Flat Killian and I pre-Turkey trot |
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