I guess it’s time for a little end of year update. Most of my time is spent on social media so the blog tends to get neglected.
Since my last health post at the end of June, I have logged over 128 workouts and almost 111 hours of calorie crushing work! Most of those hours have been on bike with the last couple months Spinning every morning at the YMCA.
The weight has started to come off but I am also building muscle so it is slow. I can definitely see a difference in the mirror and in my clothes so I know good things are happening!
August 6th. Here I am with my number 2 motivator to get and stay healthy.
August 14th. My face started to thin out quickly.
We visited Minnesota at the end of August and had a great time reconnecting with family.
August 20th. I was able to stay active while on vacation and it was nice feeling lighter and not so self-conscious as in years past.
Once home I doubled down on my ridding and by September things really started changing.
September 16th. Looking at myself in pictures was now much less painful. At this point my shoulders are beginning to shrink and my arms are thinning out.
October 11th. This isn’t a great shot but what is notable is that I actually wanted to go out in public. I was always so self aware about my weight that it was nice to focus on spending time with my amazing wife and not worry about fitting into the seat.
November 12th marked the completion of 100 workouts since starting July 1st.
That was a huge milestone and just a drop in the bucket.
November 16th. The better I feel about how I look the more apt I am to make a fool of myself. I think this is a good thing but Emily is unconvinced.
December 19th. Here we are at Triple R Ranch enjoying hot chocolate and posing for the camera.
My babies on Christmas Eve.
I got influenza for Christmas this year so the last few weeks have been difficult for me physically but I kept up pretty well. I ate too much sugar over the holidays but since I felt so cruddy I just gave myself a break. This is all part of the learning to love myself portion of the journey and I am getting better at it. I think.
I was able to take advantage of the warmer weather Saturday and hopped on the #lardinator for a chilly 13 mile ride. It felt great to be out in the air again even though I coughed the whole ride and wanted to be done half way through.
I had great hopes to shatter my old time but my body was too weak and wind too strong so I settled for a nice ride outside and checked off another workout.
December 27th. I can start to see the real me in this photo which gives me great hope that 2015 will be the year I reach him.
The scale tells me I am down 40 pounds since starting my transformation July 1st. My clothes, family and friends confirm that. I have another 40 to burn to reach my initial goal and starting January I plan to add Yoga to the Spinning/biking. I am going to focus on calories and lean body mass since weight is not a complete picture. I hope to add running by March and swimming soon after that so the remaining fat should fall off quickly anyway.
Looking to summer I plan on getting competitive with my training by entering some road races. My long range goal is to enter and finish a triathlon before I am 50. The YMCA has a Tri-Club I hope to join next winter if my knees last the summer. They tend to fly out of joint in the water so surgery may be in my future and staying on the bike for as long as I can is key to avoiding the knife. I will know more once I hit my goal weight and start running.
Either way things will work out because slow and steady and business as usual for me in 2015 can only lead to more good things!
Thank you for the encouragement and interest you have shown me in my journey. I would be lying to myself if I told you it didn’t matter and that I am just doing this for me. Ultimately it is me that gets me out of bed at 4:30 in the morning and down to the gym but knowing others are following me is a powerful motivator. I don’t want to let you – or me down. 🙂
Here is my training route for those keeping track.