Get Fit: Week 11

Hello internet and future self. This week, I wrote a public blog on how I was able to accomplish the weight loss I've been working on. I got lots of social comments and activity on Facebook with many congratulating me for the effort. It's pretty amazing what you can accomplish within the first eight weeks of exercising. It doesn't feel so long ago when I first made this lifestyle change. It's been quite a journey; I'm almost halfway there to my target weight goal. This is the first time I've ever lost this much weight. Previously, my record was 230 pounds (when my original weight was 260 pounds) and then bounced back. Now that I have the proper motivation to keep going, I have a feeling that it will be much harder this time to get to the weight goal I want. Tuesday was a big day for me. Lara scheduled an in-body assessment which was the same machine I used when I first started my fitness journey. I have been trying to be good so that the results would be good, but it is so damn hard when there were so many events in the past week related to food. Nevertheless, the majority of the results were good news. My weight and body fat has gone down since I last used the machine. The muscles inside of my legs maintained their mass. However, when it came to the muscle mass in my arms, that was a different story. I lost about a pound of muscle mass in each arm, which is something I need to avoid. As a result, my resting calorie burn went down slightly with the original number being 1742 and now I'm at 1730. I don't know why, but I was disappointed to hear the loss in muscle mass for my arms. I've been punishing myself by increasing the resistance significantly on all the cardio machines I use. I sweat like crazy and I'm definitely sore post workout. I know that I need to incorporate more arm exercises into my routine so that I can either maintain the current muscle mass I have or build upon it. I should also watch how much I push myself. I don't want to end up giving up on certain exercises and never completing it. I need to focus on how much I've accomplished so far, not counting all the things I messed up on. One thing that I surprised myself in is the fact that I can do at least 10 push ups. The last time I did a push up was when I had my fitness consultation with Lara. Then, I was struggling to do the workout. Now, I can actually do at least two sets of ten reps (maybe not entirely with proper form) without having to modify my legs. It's probably due to the fact that I am much lighter than when I first started. Today (Saturday July 28), I worked out first thing in the morning with no breakfast in my tummy. The workout was much more difficult, especially since I didn't have any breakfast and I forgot to bring my headphones. To multiply the effect, my Fitbit Versa decided to crap out on me during the first cardio workout and did not record it properly. I didn't even notice until the workout was over and I was heading over to the machines. It's days like these that are the hardest but need to have the will to push on and continue with the journey. As of this writing, I am an even 225 pounds and have worked out every day of this week. When I hit 220 pounds, I will be at the half-way point of my weight goal. I'm pretty sure going forward, I will need to work much harder than before to get to my goal. I know I'm definitely more confident in how I look now compared to when I first started. I don't mind looking at mirrors anymore and staring at myself. Last night, I wanted to see how I looked when I'm lying down in bed. I am very conscious of my man-boobs when I was bigger. I took a camera in selfie mode and was neither ashamed or proud at what I saw when I was lying down. I guess that's a good thing; all I know is that after looking at myself, I knew that there was still plenty of work to do to get the body that I want. So here are the things I need to work on:

1. Count the number of accomplishments you have made so far since you've started this journey. You're 35 pounds lighter and stronger than before.
2. Just because you lost muscle in your arms, does not mean you are not stronger overall. It just means that I need to focus on arm exercises to maintain or build muscle mass in the arms again.
3. Don't punish yourself by putting a heavy increase on resistance. Remember that building strength and muscle is a gradual process. Just like losing weight, I need to be patient and trust the process.

Some notable events are coming up for the month of August. Here's a summary of events that I am getting prepared for:

1. July 29: Jessie's birthday celebration at the California Science Center w/ Lunch. Be mindful about what you eat and still enjoy yourself. Don't forget to workout either before or after the event. Probably better before to get it out of the way and to get your metabolism going for the day.
2. August 12 - 17: IBM SHARE work trip. There will be plenty of opportunities to eat free goodies provided at the event and delicious food in the St. Louis area. Try to be mindful about what you eat. Furthermore, the hotel does provide a free gym for use. Don't forget to get your cardio in, do some free weights for your arms, and the plyometric workouts with your body.
3. August 18: Job and Ang's wedding. I should be at my very best fitness level for this date. Keep this date in mind when you workout for this month. There will be plenty of people who haven't seen you in awhile as well as new people who you want to make a great first impression. Note to self: need to get a suit for rental.
4. August 25: Waitress the Musical with friends. I'm going to guess that we will probably grab some food before or after the event. Again, try to be mindful about what you eat. You can still enjoy yourself while eating healthy food.

Reminders to yourself: count your blessings, be mindful about what you eat, trust the process, and be patient. You can do this!