Almost time for US Open

Gained back 5-6 lb over the summer event season.  Will have to hit it hard following the upcoming Open and my daughter's wedding.  Would be nice to have a repeat of the 25 lb drop of 4Q2010..  but that seems unlikely.  Not jogging much, shoulder still very sore - I'm ready for autumn.

Peace.  ...  Steve

Masters backwash

After a nightmarish Masters (108 hours worked one week) I expected to have put on more weight than I actually did.  Left town around 198, came back 202.  Ate all kinds of crap at all hours, no exercise. Back down to 199 - 200 now.

Exercise has taken a big hit.  Started back working in the office instead of at home, which is a pain at many levels.  At home, I'd take off for a 35 min walk or run over lunch, stretch out and be back at work in an hour or less - still in exercise clothes.  When I'd get a break in the afternoon, I'd shower, shave and put on street clothes.  Not a plan that works in an office environment.  So have been able to walk for 30-40 minutes most days, but that's it.  May join gym out at work and try to work out early mornings.  But I hate working out early mornings, plus it's impossible to run in the dark out there which will be a problem come fall/winter.  That's a long way off though. The real problem is that I will always be looking for excuses to not work out in the mornings.  Meh.

So what little aerobic base I'd been able to build is now mostly eroded.  And my right shoulder is still not up to exercise - apparently persistent tendinitis, and I keep re-injuring it before it fully heals.  Not sure what I am going to do.

Peace.   ...   Steve

In like a lion...

.. although the first days of March have been very lamb-like, actually.  After three and half weeks in Melbourne and Christchurch (pre-quake by 10 days) I weighed in at 205.  Disappointing but not surprising; undoubtedly would have been more if not for the daily 3+ mile round trip to the venue.  Three weeks later I'm back down to 198 - 200, depending on the day.  No calf cramps.  Sore shoulder, can't do presses and things like that.

Have focused mostly on jogging.  Have slowly built up to 30+ min continuous jog while keeping BPM under 160(ish). Way more than recommended 136 max, but feels comfortable and not exhausted afterwards.  Which is important - if I push too hard, I start finding excuses to not exercise, and the downward spiral sets in.  Or upward, I guess, weightwise.  So far, I find myself looking forward to jogging, surprisingly enough.  Hope it stays like that.

For a while, I despaired of ever being able to jog again.  Anytime I tried to move up from walking to slow jog on treadmill, heartrate went ballistic.  Eventually, I just tried walk/jog along the greenways and have been able to manage it pretty well.  Kept BPM under 150 for first couple weeks, but as I've grown more comfortable and accustomed to jogging 160 BPM seems to be a good ceiling.  And close to an 11 min pace, which I'm happy about.  Along the creek, so no hills, helps a lot.  It will be interesting to see how much damage is wrought in the course of my upcoming sojourn in Augusta.  We shall see.

Peace.   ...   Steve

A new year dawns..

After Thanksgiving in Michigan, it was surprising to see that weight had held steady across the holiday - some feeling of accomplishment there.  Overall, weight is still trending down but much more slowly than in September and October.  Bumped up a bit after Christmas in Las Vegas, but a new (if somewhat dehydrated) low of 201 this morning.  Didn't quite make 200 by YE2010 - but pretty close!  Hope to make 180 by YE2011.  We shall see.

Peace.   ...   Steve

Plateau

For the past month, weight has been holding steady at 208.  Losing 20 lb is great, but I didn't really want to stop there.  Haven't reverted to old eating habits, so not sure what the story is.  Maybe it just takes less kcal to move 20 lb less of me around.  In any case, could be worse.  We'll see what havoc is wrought during Thanksgiving week with the greater family in Michigan.  Guess my career as a model is on hold for a while yet.

Peace.   ...   Steve

Back again...

Has been a long year.  Had to change BP meds due to the ankle swelling issue.  Still taking ibuprofen to control inflammation in Achilles tendon but down to 2 tabs 2-3 times per day.   Started Atkins-type diet on Sept 8, and have lost 19 lb so far... down to 211.  Had physical this morning, doc says hitting 200 would be reason to celebrate.  BP hasn't been this low since 2006; not surprisingly, that was back when my weight was right around 211.  Have been exercising some most days, either Gold's Gym or walking.  Although missed 9 days ending yesterday with Kelly's wedding followed by a week at the cabin.  Will see if I can get to 200.  Target is 180..  that would be 50 lb, which is a lot of time and resolve.  And at 189, I would have a "normal" body weight (BMI = 24.9).  We shall see.  So far, so good.

Peace.   ...   Steve

Long time between posts

And for good reason...  nothing good going on. Sore right achilles tendon.. the more I use my feet, the more it hurts.  8 ibuprofen per day help a lot, but still not able to walk more than half a mile at a time.   And weight has ballooned to 230.  Which is much more notable here in Paris than at home.  Depressing.  Meh.

Peace.   ...   Steve