Starting a program

[devonin]

Re: Starting a program

The bits of progress are so interesting to see, even if only small ones.

When I started 3 weeks ago, my first set of pushups was 10/8
I just did a set tonight and after about 3 weeks I'm at 23/17

In just two weeks I've added 10 seconds onto my plank, and in 3 weeks I'm down about 6 or 8 pounds.

[Reach]

Re: Starting a program

Awesome progress.

Must feel good!

[devonin]

Re: Starting a program

Mostly I just feel even more tired all the time :P

[Reach]

Re: Starting a program

Yeah, that feeling often lasts for a few months before you really start to feel better physically. You have to deal with the withdrawal in a sense before you can get to the good stuff. Pretty common, and it's the crushing wall that causes most diets to fail. Keep at it!

[devonin]

Re: Starting a program

One month down, Eleven months to go.

So far I've come a pretty long way in terms of general fitness re: ability to do things like pushups and hold a plank etc, but man am I still just tired and sore like, all the time.

The other bit of good progress news is that I am at least slowly losing weight. When I first started, they weighed me at the office at like 253 but that was with clothes on.

At the end of week 2, I weighed myself at 245
At the end of week 4, I weighed myself at 239

Both at the same time of day, having not yet eaten etc etc.

It's a small move, but I mean, everything I've ever read says that the safest most healthy way to lose weight ends up being like 1lb/week which is just from slightly lowering caloric intake and slightly increasing exercise. So 6 pounds in two weeks is actually pretty good for not really feeling like I'm expending a bunch of effort specifically on weight loss.

In fact since I'm doing all the pushups and curls and rows and planks and everything, I've probably lost more like 8 or 10 pounds of fat and gained back a couple in muscle.

That's a nice feeling.

[devonin]

Re: Starting a program

Been a while since I posted an update. I'm not into week 8, and I have I think all but 1 element of the exercise program set up now. He just wants to add one more aerobic/cardio exercise and I'll be set up with the ongoing plan. From there it just becomes slowly increasing size of reps and numbers of reps as I go.

Now that the weather's getting nicer, I'll also be getting a bike, and hopefully looking for some kind of semi-regular sport-type thing (probably badminton) to do at least once a week.

Diet-wise it's really just "keep trying not to backslide into stupid shit"

I've mostly stopped ordering so much pizza, and I've started eating wraps instead of subs, which are both smaller and less bread.

I'm also starting to try cooking more meals for myself, which is a serious problem for me motivation and time wise, so the plan we're going on right now involves a nice list of recipes of slow cooker meals that I can prep in advance, freeze for weeks, and literally just defrost night before, dump in slow cooker, and have food. So ideally I can start running that overnight and have proper meal food for lunch and dinner the next work day.

Slow progress, but steady progress.

I'm down a belt loop, and that's pretty awesome.

[Travis_Flesher]

Good luck with your program sir.


Make sure to eat plenty of locally sourced food when you do cardio and lift.
I gained lots of strength that way. Don't try to lose all your weight!
They make those elliptigos now too, looks awesome.

[devonin]

Re: Starting a program

I think you are misunderstanding what I'm doing and why.

[Mahou]

Re: Starting a program

It looks like you're making some real good progress - the hard work is really paying off. As for the program, that's the best approach. Adding more volume and sets to your workout is the best way to gauge if you're improving.

[devonin]

Re: Starting a program

Yeah going from 10/8 pushups being as many as I could do in a row to 27/23 definitely shows some progress.

[devonin]

Re: Starting a program

So I'm at 3 months, and my first round of properly checking in and testing progress.

I've got bloodwork in and see my doctor next week to look at it, but I had my week 12 checkins with the dietician and physio. Basically positive progress on every axis.

Diet wise: There's a scoring system for basically how optimally I'm adhering to the diet considered to be the overall best one, which as near as I can tell is out of 14.

When I started I was at a 4. Twelve weeks in I'm at an 8. Plenty of room for improvement (I still eat way too much bread and snacks and oil-based things) but I basically doubled my adherence to the program which is pretty solid.

Fitness wise, I've lost two inches from the measurement of my torso at my Iliac Crest, I've lost 10 pounds.

When I started, I was at 8 pushups, which was in the "needs improvement" range for my age. In 3 months I've pushed through 'Needs improvement' and 'fair' and 'good' into 'very good, at 22 pushups. To get into 'excellent' I need to hit 30.

Aerobically, I have literally no clue how my 'aerobic score' is actually derived, but has to do with my stable heart rate at various levels of exertion. I started off with an aerobic score of 409. This was in the 'Good' range. I'm now still in 'Good' but moving up with an aerobic score of 434. 'Very Good' starts at 454, so if my improvement continues at the same rate, I'll be there by 6 months for sure.

Basically, pending the bloodwork information from the doctor next week, I'm just flat out better off now than when I started, which is awesome.