Quick summary:
All weight figures are based off weekly averages.

17 March 2010 - 108kg
11 April 2010 - 105kg (this is when I first started keeping a log)
11 Apr-17 Apr 2010 - 104.25kg (Week 1)
2 May-8 May 2010 - 101.63kg (Week 4)
30 May-5 Jun 2010 - 96.85kg (Week 8)
27 Jun-3 Jul 2010 - 93kg (Week 12)
4 Jul-10 Jul 2010 - 91.75kg (Week 13) (Total lost -16.25kg)

Targets:
1 Aug-7 Aug 2010 - 87.5kg (Week 17) [First mid-term target] revised on 11 Jul 2010
Old target- 85kg (Week 17)

24 Oct-30 Oct 2010 - 75kg (Week 29) [Second mid-term target (tentative)] revised on 11 Jul 2010
Old target - 75kg (Week 25)


Right, here's the story.

I'm male, approaching my mid thirties ( , getting old). Height of 178cm. I fly a desk. My family has some medical history (cardiac, diabetes etc) but thankfully I seem to have avoided all of that. The only thing I have experienced is some fairly nasty physical injuries (mainly due to my own stupidity).

I began to realise sometime in early March of 2010 that I was on my way to disasterville. With my family's medical history and the fact that my weight had been steadily climbing, I knew I had to do something about it.

I spent a good couple of days reading up on exercise, diets, calories etc. As well as browsing through disaster stories due to obesity to ensure that my psych was reinforced (don't want to go down that path, no sirree).

I had an extremely underutilised gym membership (heh) which I decided to put back to good use. I started on March 17, 2010.

At that time, I weighed 108kg, waistline at 40 inches, BMI of 34.08. I didn't keep a record of my activities until April 11, 2010. So I'll have to summarise a bit from the beginning till that time.

Initially, I hit the gym three times a week. I focused only on cardio activities as I have a fear of doing any form of strength training (wonderful those physical injuries I experienced in the past).

I work out usually from late morning till a little after lunch.

My cardio routine was one hour on the elliptical (cross-trainer) machine, and one hour on the treadmill. For the elliptical, I typically run at a constant speed of between 7.5km/h to 9.5km/h. I increase the speed that I run each day until I hit the limit that I set (9.5km/h) before increasing the resistance by one.

For the treadmill, I started out really slow. 4.1km/h, lowest incline. Increasing the speed by 0.1km/h every 6 minutes. After a couple of weeks, I increased the starting speed gradually. I do not use the treadmill at speeds faster then 6.0km/h. I've experienced microfractures on my leg in the past (when I was fitter, lighter) running on the treadmill so I work on it cautiously.

My goal on both machines was to ensure that each session I used them, the results would show that I burned more calories compared to the previous session.

On April 11, 2010 my weight was down to 105kg. I decided to formally record some of the details and snippets of my exercise routines. I'll be chronicling my workout journal on a weekly basis with details of what has occurred for that week.

My diet is three meals a day. Sometimes with a snack in between lunch and dinner.

Beverages: Almost always water. On average I drink about 5-5.5 litres of water a day.

Breakfast:
2 large slices of (homemade) wholemeal bread. 40g per slice. One microwaved egg. No spreads (butter, jam or the like).
Estimated calorie count: 100c per slice, 1.5g fat per. Egg should be about 70c, 5g fat.
Cup of coffee with creamer, no sugar. (10c, 1g fat - this is from the creamer).
Total: 280c, 9g fat.

Note: For the first two months I used to vary between butter and peanut butter. I've only started taking an egg for the last couple of weeks).

Lunch:
This is going to sound cliche, but I live on Subway sandwiches for lunch (go Jared Fogle!) since I love bread. I used to go for their daily special (RM7.50 for a six inch sub, one type of special for every day of the week). In the last couple of weeks, I've changed that choice to another sub if the daily isn't healthy. Only found out how damaging some of the dailies can be (i.e. Meatball 6" Sub is 600c, 27g of fat!).

I've fixed my choices to (with cheese): Roast Beef (330c, 8g fat), Turkey Breast (320c, 6.5g fat), Turkey Breast and Turkey Ham (340c, 8g fat).
Total: 340c, 8g fat.

Tea/Snack:
Usually an energy bar, or sometimes a couple of biscuits. Whatever is handy and available I guess although nothing exceptionally damaging. I do not take this every day. Perhaps every other day.
Total (energy bar): 90c, 4g fat.

Dinner:
As this is a family event, this is dependant on what the family wants to eat. Sometimes it's home cooked food (rice + dishes) or it may be to go out and eat something. We very rarely do fast food though (4-5 times a year these days). The rice is unfortunately white rice, can't change that without having a revolution at home.

Total (estimate): 700c, 20g fat. [This is only an estimate, it's a nightmare trying to figure out a more exact count. Spent a fair amount of time on this]

Estimated daily calorie total: 1410c, 41g fat.

I do eat fruits at times although not as often these days.

The calorie count does seem a little low vis a vis the workout sessions. But I feel fine afterwards, no exhaustion or the like. I do nap at times in the afternoon though (on workout days) but this seems to be due to the lack of anything to work on then anything else.

On April 11th I worked out a more formal plan on what my weight loss goals will be. I aimed to lose 1.25kg a week (this is a little higher then I thought I'd be able to achieve - but I'd rather set a high goal then an easier one). I defined a week as the period from Sunday to Saturday. After each workout session, hitting the sauna for 15 minutes, and taking a shower. I would weigh myself using the same gym scale wearing only a towel. I would then average the recorded weight to show my weekly weight.

Starting from 105kg at Week 1 (Apr 11), I aimed to hit 85kg at the end of Week 17 (Aug 7). This is my first mid-term goal. The fasting month begins just after Week 17, on August 11 to be exact, which will likely put my routines out of whack.

My second mid-term goal is to hit 75kg. Tentatively, I've set it to the end of Week 25 (Oct 2). But this is all dependant on what occurs during the fasting month.

I am not against changing my targets and dates. I'm like a good stock market analyst, always anchoring and adjusting when the price moves.

I haven't done a body fat analysis as yet, will get around to asking one of the gym instructors soon.

On to the show:
[1 hour on elliptical and 1 hour on treadmill unless otherwise stated. Heart rate always pushed to about 150-165bpm on elliptical]

Oh and besides the workout, I would walk just a little under 3.0km home. This included stairs, pedestrian bridges, hilly slopes etc. Yes, under the hot sun, but I actually enjoy doing that.

Shown are dates of workout, calories burned (in total) and weight on the scale.

Week 1 - Target 105kg
11 Apr - 1150c - 105kg
13 Apr - 1151c - 104.5kg
14 Apr - 1225c - 103.5kg
15 Apr - 1240c - 104kg
Total Calories: 4766c, Weight: 104.25kg (-0.75kg)
Week 1

Week 2 - Target 103.75kg
18 Apr - Walked to town and back for the heck of it (I enjoy walking!), Total time 3 hours, estimated distance 9km.
22 Apr - Sick - 102.5kg (using my home scale)
Weight: 102.5kg (-1.25kg)
Miserably ill from a flu. Did not work out the entire week.
Week 2

Week 3 - Target 102.5kg
26 Apr - 1215c - 102.25kg
27 Apr - 1217c - 101.75kg - Took the train home.
29 Apr - Walked to town and back. Total time 5 hours, estimated distance 13km.
1 May - 1248c - 102kg - Weight inputted in machines set to 102kg (from 105kg previously).
Total Calories: 3680c, Weight: 102kg (-0.5kg)
Week 3

Week 4 - Target 101.25kg
3 May - 1261c - 102kg
4 May - 1249c - 101.75kg - Walked only halfway home before calling for a ride due to rain, meh.
5 May - 1275c - 101.25kg
6 May - 1295c - 101.5kg
Total Calories: 5080c, Weight: 101.63kg (+0.62kg)
Comment: Geez, why are people such slobs in the locker room. The fricking basket to throw the used towels in is right behind you but you leave it on the bench? Gah!
Week 4

Week 5 - Target 100kg
9 May - Walked to town and back. Total time 4 hours 15 minutes, estimated distance 12km.
11 May - 1299c - 100.5kg
12 May - 1306c - 101kg - Weight inputted in machines set to 101kg (from 102kg previously)
13 May - 1320c - 100.5kg - Used ankle weights whilst walking home.
14 May - 1363c - 100.375
Total Calories: 5288c, Weight: 100.59kg. (+0.59kg)
Comment: I wore a pair of ankle weights that I haven't used for a long time for my walk home. Almost died the first day I used it, heh. So out of shape. Started using them ever since May 13, but not whilst in the gym.
Week 5

Week 6 - Target 98.75kg
16 May - Walked to town and back. Also walked around the Bukit Nanas forest reserve. Good grief, uphill walks are still no joke for me. Instead of the constant movement I do whilst walking around town, I had to stop every 10 minutes or so. Total time 4 hours 15 minutes, estimated distance 9km.
17 May - 1400c - 101kg. Cross-trainer (CTX) is at level 11. Treadmill is constant 5.2km/h, incline of 1.5.
18 May - 970c - 100kg. Ctx level 12. Didn't do treadmill. Drove to and from gym today. Explanation below.
19 May - 1410c - 99.5kg - Weight inputted in machines set to 100kg (from 101kg previously). Taking the train home every time from today onwards (explanation below).
21 May - 1425c - 98.5kg
22 May - 1482c - 99kg - Treadmill now constant 6.0km/h, incline 2.0.
Comment: On May 18, I had to go to the hospital for a checkup. Ever since I feel sick during Week 2, I've had a nagging dry cough which. In the beginning of this week I had problems drawing in a full breath which made things tough for me. Diagnosed with Chronic Bronchitis. Advised not to walk home anymore due to pollution, bleh, guess I'll have to start taking the train home from now on (I prefer not to drive). Hospital Bill: RM500+
Total Calories: 6687c, Weight: 99.6kg (+0.85kg)
Week 6

I'll post about Week 7 tomorrow (the end of the week).

Comments (constructive ones especially ) are always appreciated.

Edit: Fonts, coloring plus a little additional information (whether my weight is under (coloured red) or above (coloured green) my weekly target).

---

Added on May 29, 2010, 3:43 pmWeek 7 - Target 97.5kg
23 May - 1495c - 99kg
25 May - 958c - 98.5kg - Weight inputted in machines set to 99kg (from 100kg previously). Strength Training. No Treadmill for this day.
26 May - 1460c - 98.5kg
27 May - 1208c - 97.25kg - Weight inputted in machines set to 98kg (from 99kg previously). Strength Training. Treadmill for only 30 minutes for this day.
28 May - 1499c - 97kg
29 May - 1513c - 97.5kg - Strength Training
Total Calories : 8133c, Weight 97.96kg (+0.46kg)
Week 7

For Cardio for this week, I'm now at L12 for the Elliptical Machine, ended the week pushing at 10.3km/h for one full hour. For the Treadmill, I ended the week at 5.7km/h at an incline of 2.5.

After much consideration I decided to bite the bullet and do some strength training. I utilised the gym's machines for this.

Pulldown - 35kg - 8/8/8
Abdominal - 35kg - 8/8/8
Chest Press - 25kg - 8/8/8
Shoulder Press - 15kg - 8/8/8
Biceps Curl - 12.5kg - 8/8/8
Leg Extension - 25kg - 8/8/8
Seated Leg Curl - 35kg - 8/8/8

Random observations for the week:
I didn't realise I had a tiny hole in one of my ankle weights. What I thought was dirt getting into my shoes was actually small ball bearings that were falling out. (I R a genius) Will have to attempt to put a patch on it using my leet (non-existent) sewing skills.

A lot of people seem to have poor sauna etiquette. Before coming in, why not take a peek through the window in the door to see if it's too crowded (or if you just don't want to share the room with anyone else) instead of opening the door, glancing in, then closing the door. You're letting cold air in by doing so.

Oh and considering that the sauna only operates at a measly 80 degress Celcius, I find it amazing the number of people who come in, stay for all of 60 seconds before getting out. I had to check to make sure that I didn't have any BO which was scaring them away (conclusion: I don't have BO )

Finally for goodness sakes, don't get out of the sauna and immediately jump into the jacuzzi. Have the decency to rinse off first.

New goals set during the week:
I've got only 10 weeks left before the fasting month and my target of 85kg is almost 13kg based on my weekly weight average. I've decided to ramp up the number of gym sessions if I'm able to. I'm hoping to try for 6 days a week (3 of cardio only, and 3 of cardio+strength), which will mean a total of 60 sessions.

Realistically though I don't think I'll be able to meet the targetted number of sessions (60 days out of 70 is really tough). So at worst, it'll be 5 sessions a week (50 total) or as a compromise 5/6 sessions on alternate weeks (55 sessions).

At 60 sessions, I'll have to lose an average of 217g a session. At 55, 236g. And at 50 it'll be 260g. This is not taking into consideration any buildup of muscle mass (however small it may be).

This post has been edited by ayaz: Jul 11 2010, 06:05 PM

woosh. this is a nice journal. very nice progress bro! good luck for the upcoming weeks

Thanks, bro. Your journal looks pretty impressive as well, although I have to admit that I have to agree with the second poster there, it tends to demotivate me too. Hopefully one day I can achieve the level of strength training you're doing.


Additional thoughts on being overweight and why I want to achieve my target weight(s):

Lifestyle
Having a 40 inch waistline is tough when shopping for pants. I tend to buy my casual long pants from hypermarkets (don't really believe in branded stuff) and I notice that for a particular brand/pattern, they'll have 30-36 in stock, a few 37-38s and a measly one or two 39-40. (Does this mean there are a lot more overweight Malaysians than we thought? )

I do not want to have to end up going to the Fat Man Shop (or other specialty shops or higher end brands) to buy my clothes. It will be demoralising and expensive (guess my partial Penang heritage is showing eh? The kiam siap ness ).

Even buying shorts is a chore. XXL barely fits me. Wearing it ends up with the waist flap of the shorts folding over. Of course since I've lost 10kg or so that's stopped happening.

Sleeping is an issue. During my college days I used to weigh about 67kg. And my sleeping posture was always lying flat on my back. Nowadays I can't do so (due to the pressure my weight exudes on my spine - and this is on a good mattress too) and I tend to toss and turn on my side to sleep. And I used to suffer from insomnia as well. Things have improved now. I still sleep on my sides, but I do get better rest each night of that I'm certain.

How did I get to this size? Well after enter the working world, you find your disposable income shoots up, and being a Malaysian I have a high propensity to enjoy food...so 'nuff said.


Health
Besides the obvious reasons to get my weight under control, I took the time to look up on other issues that obese people suffer from and the things they have to do to fix them.

Take a look at
Panniculus
Google for images that show Panniculus grades 3 to 5 - it's pretty scary to imagine that happening

Bariatric Surgery
And this is isn't cheap by any measure. I wouldn't want to go through this and live with the side effects for the rest of my life.

I also don't want to go down the way of taking diet pills or any form of medication to help lose weight. Main reason is being that one will be a trade-off for another. Lose weight, but kill your kidneys in the process, meh.

I have a feeling I do need to increase the supplements that I take on daily basis eventually. Right now it's just Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Evening Primrose Oil.

Motivation
I love numbers. So I tend to set targets based on numbers that have some meaning (not always realistic or relevant) and set my mind on to it.

From a start of 108kg, I set a target of my weight ending in multiples of 5 kg. So 105kg, 100kg, 95kg, 90kg, 85kg, 80kg, 75kg.

99kg is also a target since it's the first step into going back into a two digit (kilogram) weight.
98kg is a target since that's a 10kg weight loss!
95kg is also when my BMI definition goes from obese to overweight.
90kg is another double whammy since that's when my weight in pounds changes, whereby the first digit goes from 2 to 1.
88kg is a 20kg total weight loss!
85kg is also my mid-term weight loss goal.
79kg is when my BMI definition dops once more from overweight to normal!

In one of the forum postings, someone once stated that his being overweight was like carrying three 10kg sacks of rice on him. I found that sentiment to be amusing and apt. Right now I've still got two of those sacks of rice on me, here's to getting rid of them.

I've not told anyone else about my weight loss aims since I find myself easily discouraged when a snide remark or a joke is made out of it, so I don't really have much in the way of support from family or friends. However it's always nice to have an ego boost which was what happened a few days ago.

When I was leaving the gym, one of the staff (the spa manager I believe) said that she'd noticed that my body shape had changed. She asked me what my current and beginning weight was and how long I'd been at it. After that discourse she said keep it up. Wah, feel kembang man.

well we have different goals i think. took time to reach the poundages i'm taking now. honestly if you started lifting weights from the get go you would probably lift more than me .

your goals are very well defined dude, thats great. thinking of ways to tweak my journal to look like yours now haha. Imo screw motivation from others, the only motivation you will ever need is from yourself. I got dissing from people too when I started lifting weights. Just ignore and keep up the pace!

Great motivation and very detail explanation. U gonna be one of my motivation.

Thank you for the comments, both of you. Appreciate it.

Yesterday was session 1 out of 60 and after the session Murphy's Law struck and I ended up with a minor mishap. Luckily, not something that'll prevent me from continuing my sesions (Only 59 to go!). Will write more about it during my next weekly update.

Murphy's Law? You can prevent it! Keep going!!!

erm, from wiki:

Murphy's law is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong".

anyways, keep going mate!

Week 8 - Target 96.25kg
31 May - 1566c - 97.25kg - Strength Training.
1 Jun - 1523c - 97.25kg
2 Jun - 1013c - 96.5kg - Strength Training. No Treadmill.
3 Jun - 1547c - 96.75kg
4 Jun - 983c - 96.5kg - Weight inputted in machines set to 97 kg (from 98kg previously). Strength Training. No Treadmill.
Total Calories: 6582c, Weight: 96.85kg (+0.60kg)
Week 8

Cardio this week, Cross-trainer at Level 13 and pushing 9.0km-9.5km per session. I decided to skip the treadmill from June 2 on days with strength workouts since my heartrate was being pushed too much, typically up to 170-173bpm, constant. Not sure why, but it feels like Level 13 is considerably harsher than Level 12 on the Cross-trainer.

Strength Training details:

31 May
Pulldown
25kg - 12
35kg - 12/12/12

Abdominal
25kg - 12
35kg - 12/12/12

Chest Press
15kg - 12
25kg - 12/12/10

Shoulder Press
10kg - 12
15kg - 8/8/8

Biceps Curl
5kg - 12
10kg - 12/12/8

Leg Extension
15kg - 12
25kg - 12//12/12

Seated Leg Curl
15kg - 12
25kg - 12/12/12
31 May

2 Jun
Pulldown
30kg - 10
40kg - 10/10/10

Abdominal
25kg - 10
35kg - 10/10/10

Chest Press
15kg - 10
25kg - 10/10/10

Shoulder Press
5kg - 10
12.5kg - 10/10/10

Biceps Curl
5kg - 10
10kg - 10/10/10

Leg Extension
15kg - 10
25kg - 10/10/10

Seated Leg Curl
25kg - 10
35kg - 10/10/10
2 Jun

4 Jun
Pulldown
40kg - 10/10/10/8

Abdominal
35kg - 10/10/10/10

Chest Press
25kg - 10/10/10/10

Shoulder Press
12.5kg - 10/10
10kg - 10/10

Biceps Curl
10kg - 10/10/10/7

Leg Extension
25kg - 10/10/10/10

Seated Leg Curl
35kg - 10/10/10/10
4 Jun


Observations for the week:
Managed to do 5 sessions for this week. The first day of course ended up with a minor glitch. On the way home, a thunderstorm began. Got to my home train station, pouring cats and dogs. Couldn't get home, so waited for rain to abate. After 30 minutes, I got restless, the rain wasn't as heavy but it was still coming down fairly heavily. I have an umbrella in my bag though, so what the heck, it's only a 10 minute walk home.

Unfortunately, one of the stretches that I have to walk to get home is a long uphill stretch. The water coming down was torrential. End result? My shoes drowned. By the time I got back I was like, crap, it's already almost 5 in the evening, no way my shoes will be dry in time for tomorrow's workout.

So later that night went out and bought a pair of (cheap) sports shoes. But I was in a hurry and I forgot that I was wearing dress socks (a lot thinner then sports socks). Next day, I got a ride to the gym, tried to walk to the gym and almost fell over. The shoes were ridiculously tight...way tooo tight. And there's no return/exchange policy.

So had to go to the shoe shop near the gym, buy another pair of sports shoes (60% more expensive than the previous pair ) to go for my session.


On another note, I'm still adjusting my strength training to something I'm comfortable with, hence why the figures above seem to be fluctuating up and down from one session to another.

Tried to do a bodyfat analysis at my gym. They don't have a bodyfat scale but they do have bodyfat calipers. Asked a fitness instructor, and he had no clue on how to use the calipers...

Think I'm going to have to ask another instructor.

Wanted to go for a session on Saturday (5 Jun) but I'd managed to get a nasty blister from my new shoes which was starting to hurt, and also some skin had torn off on one of my feet exposing the sensitive flesh underneath resulting in me hobbling around at home the whole day. Bah.

I'm fairly happy with my weight loss so far. The deviation between my weekly targets against my weekly average has thus far been less then 1kg (and that too fluctuates up and down) which is quite acceptable.

However Week 9's going to be a bit difficult. I'll be out of town for 3 days in a row which will ruin my schedule. Going to have to figure something out to fix it.


Random gym story for the week
Just to make this post a little less cut and dry, I'll try to post an amusing snippet related to gyms/workouts each week. Here's one for the week:

A few years ago, I had just finished working out at the gym and was getting dressed in the locker room. This was at about 2pm in the afternoon, so it was empty. I heard someone come into the men's locker area and they were talking to each other. One of them was a female voice.

I turned around and watched as the waitress from the restaurant across the hall was escorting a man through the locker room. Recognised the man as a former cabinet minister (not one of the very famous ones, ask 100 people in the street to identify his picture and probably only one can correctly tell you his name) as she escorted him past to the locker room to the shower area.

I think at that point she realised that she was in the male locker room! She quickly left the gentleman at the entrance to the shower room and started to walk back towards the exit. As she passed the locker area, I raised my eyebrows in her direction and she started to move even faster.

Heh.


As always, thanks for the reading. Comments (especially constructive ones) are always appreciated.

Edit: Forgot to add in details of weight inputted.

This post has been edited by ayaz: Jun 6 2010, 02:30 PM

keep it up!
looking forward to your logs

i have similar goals to you but I can't seem to bring myself to do that much of cardio per session
perhaps you could add some pre and post workout meals
this would make your sessions much more beneficial.

Yeah take carbs and protein in 2 hours of your training for optimum effect.

Thanks, bro. Appreciate the encouragement.

My cardio sessions seem to be going down though, I find that I can't push myself for 2 hours after strength training, and this week itself has been a disaster in terms of performance (don't seem to have th energy) but more on that during the weekly update.

Why not do HIIT if you don't have as much time for cardio? Me, I'm like a stubborn systems engineer - you know the type, "If it works, don't touch it!" - hence why I'm sticking to my current routine (long as it is) since I do see a very acceptable weekly weight loss.

I'm thinking a bit more about pre and post workout meals, especially pre since I seem to run out of steam before I can finish my session these days. Will do a bit more research on what will be suitable for me there.

Well the thing about my workout sessions is that I have lunch roughly 60-90 minutes after my session (depending on whether I do extensive cardio and whether there's strength training involved). So post-workout meals is non-existent for the moment.

It's not about the time being spent on cardio. It's me and my dislike(almost hate) towards cardio. I find it boring and very tiring as well. I usually do somewhat similar to HIIT for about 20 minutes before I hit free weights section.

I agree with you. If you are happy with your weekly weight loss, by all means go on with it. It feels good to see the numbers go down on the weighing machine every week.

This post has been edited by deitylord: Jun 10 2010, 05:05 PM

Heh, I'm the opposite of you there bro. I like cardio and dislike weights. I find I'm able to zone out whilst doing cardio and just let the time pass easily. Even with the TV on and earphones plugged in, I tend to zone out after a while.

With weights, I find I've got to concentrate a lot more, especially due to my fear of injury. As you can see I don't do any free weights either, guess I'm lazy there heh. Maybe that will change in time.

Week 9 - Target 95kg
6 Jun - 870c - 96.5kg - Strength Training. Only 52 minutes on the Crosstrainer. No Treadmill.
7 Jun - 977c - 96kg - No Treadmill.
8 Jun - 0c - 96kg - Strength Training. No Cardio.
9 Jun - 977c - 95.5kg - No Treadmill.
12 Jun - 1387c - 95kg - Weight inputted in machines set to 96kg (from 97kg previously). Strength Training.
Total Calories: 4211c, Weight: 95.8kg (+0.80kg)
Week 9

Very low amount of cardio this week (compared to previous weeks). On June 6th I actually ran out of energy whilst pushing on the crosstrainer and had to hit the cooldown button after 52 minutes.

I didn't use the treadmill for most of this week since the crosstrainer just left me feeling wiped out. On June 7th, it was as set to level 13 and pushing an average of 8.6km/h, and my heart rate was pushing between 171-176bpm constant (which is high compared to my usual 155-165bpm), and I could actually feel the strain. I wonder if someone had tightened the machinesa a couple of weeks ago.

On June 8th, felt like a flat tire. After strength training, literally no energy to do cardio (and I had the same breakfast as usual), was wondering if I was coming down with something.

June 9th, lowered my crosstrainer speed to about 8.1km/h. Heart rate was pretty good for the first 20 minutes (145-160bpm) but then it spiked to 155-173bpm for the rest of the session. Barely had the energy to finish the session (still kept going though, I'm stubborn ).

Today (June 12th), I changed the setting to level 12 and pushed between 7.2-7.5km/h and finally my heart rate was more normalised (155-165bpm).

Oh, and I tend to use the same crosstrainer every time in the same gym, so it shouldn't be a different machine issue.

Strength Training details:

6 Jun
Pulldown
40kg - 10/10/10/10

Abdominal
35kg - 10
45kg - 10/10/10

Chest Press
25kg - 10/10/10/10

Shoulder Press
10kg - 10/10/10/10

Biceps Curl
10kg - 10/10
12.5kg - 10/10

Leg Extension
35kg - 10/10/10/10

Seated Leg Curl
40kg - 10/10/10/10
6 Jun

8 Jun
Pulldown
40kg - 10/10/10/10

Abdominal
45kg - 10/10/10/10

Chest Press
25kg - 10/10/10/10

Shoulder Press
10kg - 10/10/10/10

Biceps Curl
12.5kg - 10/10/10/10

Leg Extension
35kg - 10/10/10/10

Seated Leg Curl
40kg - 10/10/10/10
8 Jun

12 Jun
Pulldown
40kg - 10/10/10/10

Abdominal
45kg - 10/10/10/10

Chest Press
25kg - 10/10/10/10

Shoulder Press
10kg - 10/10/10/10

Biceps Curl
12.5kg - 10/10/10/8

Leg Extension
35kg - 10/10/10/10

Seated Leg Curl
45kg - 10/10/10/10
Jun 12


Observations for the week:
Besides my cardio grouses for this week, I was out of town for two days (June 10-11) instead of the planned three days which was good. Hate having interrupting my gym routines (body in motion tends to stay in motion lah - I'm always fearful that something knocks it out of whack and I fall of the wagon).

Weight loss targets are still reasonably on track (weekly average off by 0.80kg versus the target) whilst in terms of absolute daily weight, I hit 95kg today which was a good feeling. BMI wise, I've just dropped from Obese to Overweight.

Funny though, I didn't expect my weight to drop whilst I was out of town, since the night I was, I hantam-ed a dinner that would have those on strict diets going, "EEEEK! OMG! OMG!" I did more or less skip lunch and dinner on June 11 though. Lunch mainly because the highway rest stop on the way back was so crowded, I lost my appetite on the spot (guh, school holidays). Ended up buying a pair of candy bars for lunch.

For dinner, I was exhausted due to the lack of sleep whilst I was away (couldn't sleep) and ended up eating 8-9 cream crackers before hitting the sack at 8.30pm.

So imagine my surprise at seeing the scale show 95kg today. Could be a blip, but meh, I'll just take it as a good thing.

8 weeks to go and 10kg to lose (planned number of sessions left: 40-48 sessions). Doable? Yes, although it'll still be tight. Realistically, I'm expecting my weekly weight average to be off by as much as 2kg by that time, although my final day of weighing should be a lot closer (I hope).

Speaking of weighing, I think I'll be buying a good digital scale for myself. The gym scale is good and all but I don't hit the gym everday, and my methodology of using a weekly weight average isn't quite as accurate without a more representative sample. With my own weighing scale, I'll be able to do a trailing 5 or trailing 7 day average which makes more sense. Gotta go look for one when I have time.

Also, I'm a little irritated that not all of the heart rate monitors on the gym's cardio machines are working. Thinking of investing in a decent heart rate monitor although prices can be a little exorbitant for the really good ones. Gotta investigate that.

Finally, gonna buy my own pair of body fat calipers (the manual type). Might as well measure it on my own at home. For now I just tell myself, eh, lean weight 75kg. Anything over is fat. So current body fat is about 26.67%. (So unscientific eh? )

Oh and my older bro and family came home for the school holidays. My sis-in-law commented that I've lost quite a bit of weight and that she thinks I'm now the same size as my older bro. Which is a bad thing for him since he's a couple of inches shorter then me.


Random gym story for the week
This is a true story involving my friend. I was supposed to meet him for drinks one night and he said he'd be running a bit late since he was going to the gym first. Surprisingly, he showed up early and when we asked why, he told us he couldn't go to the gym since when he got there, he found that the elevator had broken down. (it's 3 floors up the stairs to the gym)

And it was his cardio day too.


As always, thank you for taking the time to read this (especially those of you who read every detail! ). Comments (constructive ones especially) are appreciated.

Edit: Some minor corrections.

This post has been edited by ayaz: Jun 12 2010, 11:29 PM

Week 10 - Target 93.75kg
13 Jun - 1419c - 95kg
14 Jun - 930c - 96kg - Strength training. No treadmill.
15 Jun - 1455c - 96kg
16 Jun - 1457c - 95kg - Strength training.
17 Jun - 1474c - 94kg
18 Jun - 967c - 94.25kg - Weight inputted in machines set to 95kg (from 96kg previously). Strength training. No treadmill.
Total Calories: 7702c, Weight: 95.04kg (+1.29kg)
Week 10

Although I did a good number of sessions this week (six in total), my weekly weight average is off compared to previous weeks. The deviation is over 1kg compared to the target which is a little depressing.

Part of the reasons was loss of diet control. There were a total of 4 meals (3 dinners and 1 lunch) which were damaging compared to my regular eating habits. Two of those incidents were due to functions I attended whilst another 2 were due to personal weakness and a willing kaki to go makan. Bleh, planning to bring my dietary habits back in line for Week 11 onwards.

In the event that my weekly weight average deviates further for Week 11, I'll probably reassess my targetted weight all the way up to Week 17.

I missed out on two treadmill sessions for this week (Jun 14 and 18) due to time committments (had to rush for appointments in both cases). My energy levels for the week seemed okay.

Crosstrainer was set to L12 for Jun 13-15 (average distance per session was 9.07km), and L13 for Jun 16-18 (average distance per session was 8.69km).

Treadmill ended the week at 5.1km/h at an incline of 3.0. Will be slowly ramping up the speed back to 6.0 before the next incline increase.

Strength Training details:
14 Jun
Pulldown
40kg - 10/10/10/10

Abdominal
45kg - 10/10/10/10

Chest Press
30kg - 10/10
25kg - 10/10

Shoulder Press
12.5kg - 10/10/10/7

Biceps Curl
12.5kg - 10/10/10/8

Leg Extension
40kg - 10/10/10/10

Seated Leg Curl
45kg - 10/10/10/10
14 Jun

16 Jun
Pulldown
40kg - 10/10/10/10

Abdominal
45kg - 10/10/10/10

Chest Press
30kg - 10/10/10/7

Shoulder Press
15kg - 10/10/8/8

Biceps Curl
15kg - 10/10/8/8

Leg Extension
40kg - 10/10/10/10

Seated Leg Curl
45kg - 10/10/10/10
16 Jun

18 Jun
Pulldown
40kg - 10/10/10/10

Abdominal
45kg - 10/10/10/10

Chest Press
30kg - 10/10/10/7

Shoulder Press
15kg - 10/10/9/7

Biceps Curl
15kg - 10/10/8/6

Leg Extension
40kg - 10/10/10/10

Seated Leg Curl
45kg - 10/10/10/10
18 Jun


Observations for the week
Although my weekly weight average was fairly depressing vis a vis my target, there are a couple of things that were on the plus side for the week.

For one, four people commented that I seem to have lost a noticeable amount of weight. (two friends, a family member and a fellow gym member) So it feels good to know that I must be doing something right (I'm pretty bad at being able to tell whether my body shape has improved, I just know that I'm still pretty overweight).

I'm able to wear my old size 38 pants now, including almost all but one of my size 37/38 pants (I'm guessing that's 37.5?).

Able to maintain a lying on my back sleeping posture for much longer preiods of time, which is also good.

I have to admit though that seeing that large a weight deviation against my target is making me quite unhappy. But I guess I should just look at it as a blip in the greater scheme of things. Ultimately, I keep telling myself that I HAVE lost weight. And that I am still going to lose weight. If I don't achieve my time target, so be it, it's not like I'll throw in the towel and go back to my old binge-indulging, lack of physical activity self.

After all, assuming I weigh 95kg now, and my second mid-term target is 75kg, I'd like to think that I can lose that 20kg by the end of the year. Six months should be doable (and that's not taking into account of any weight loss during the last ten days of June either.

Ah well, we'll see how Week 11 turns out. Hopefully it'll be much better than Week 10.

And I realise how much I miss my 3-5 hour walks about to town and back. At least that gives variety to my exercise habits. Unfortunately, I still haven't completely recovered from my bout of chronic bronchitis. And even if I am fully recovered, I wonder if I should risk it. Sigh.

No gym story for this week. Can't think of any as I feel pretty tired today since I was an errand boy in the wee hours of the morning.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this. Any comments (especially those of the constructive type!) are always appreciated.

you should take photos of yourself every 2-3 weeks
this way you can see the difference in looks
sometimes number isnt everything

keep it up yo!

That's a pretty good idea. Will do so on a weekly basis, and when I feel like it, I might put them up too (if there's a noticeable difference).

Anyway, on to the next weekly report:

Abbreviations:
CTX = Cross Trainer.
L3 and L13 = Incline/Resistance/Level 3 and 13.
HR = Heart rate
bpm = beats per minute

Week 11 - Target 92.5kg
20 Jun - 958c - 94.5kg - Strength training. CTX L13, 8.43km. No treadmill.
21 Jun - 1466c - 93.75kg - CTX L13, 8.68km. Treadmill L3, 5.2km/h.
22 Jun - 1465c - 94kg - Strength training. CTX L13, 8.65km, HR 155-161bpm. Treadmill L3, 5.3km/h.
23 Jun - 1488c - 94kg - CTX L13, 8.98km, HR 155-168bpm. Treadmill L3, 5.4km/h.
24 Jun - 1485c - 94kg - Weight inputted in machines set to 94kg (from 95kg previously). Strength training. CTX L13, 8.71km, HR 149-161bpm. Treadmill L3, 5.5km/h.
25 Jun - 1495c - 93kg - CTX L13, 9.06km, HR 148-167bpm. Treadmill L3, 5.6km/h.
26 Jun - 966c - 93kg - Strength training. CTX L13, 8.62km, HR 161-170bpm. No Treadmill.
Total Calories: 9323c, Weight: 93.75kg (+1.25kg)
Week 11

Somehow I felt the mood to do 7 sessions this week (or maybe it's just the depression from last week's results hitting me making me do it) and it turned out pretty okay. Although the final day (Jun 26) I ran out of steam and couldn't do a treadmill session. Knew that I was out of it when I noticed my heart rate whilst doing the cross-trainer.

I decided to put in a bit more details on my update, namely distances travelled on the cross-trainer, my typical heart rate during the cross-trainer session, as well as the speed and incline on the treadmill. I don't put my heart rate for the treadmill since it's almost constantly around the 118-127bpm zone.

All sessions on the cross-trainer and treadmill are 65 minutes each (60 minutes + 5 minutes cooldown) unless otherwise stated.

Managed to do 7 full cross-trainer sessions and 5 full treadmill sessions for the week, also did 4 strength training sessions. Besides the reason stated above for missing out on the treadmill above, I also missed out a treadmill session on Jun 20. Reason being? The gym was so crowded that every machine was in use! When I first went in in the morning for the day, there were only two others besides me in the entire gym. Meh. Didn't feel like waiting so decided to hit the showers.

Probably going to take a break tomorrow (Sunday, 27 Jun) since I don't think I'm quite cut out for non-stop gym sessions right now.

My weekly weight average deviation hasn't changed noticeably since last week's. However I am feeling better about things due to the fact that my weight is still coming down. The last two days of weigh-ins at 93kg made me feel a lot better since I was concerned that I might have hit a plateau at 94kg. Won't be changing my weekly targets unless the deviation picks up. For now I've set that to a deviation of 2kg or more.

Strength training details:

20 Jun
Pulldown
40kg - 10/10/10/10

Abdominal
45kg - 10/10/10/10

Chest Press
30kg - 10/10/10/10

Shoulder Press
15kg - 10/10/7/7

Biceps Curl
15kg - 10/10/10/7

Leg Extension
40kg - 10/10/10/10

Seated Leg Curl
45kg - 10/10/10/10
20 Jun

22 Jun
Pulldown
45kg - 10/10/10/7

Abdominal
50kg - 10/10/10/10

Chest Press
30kg - 10/10/10/10

Shoulder Press
15kg - 10/10/10/10

Biceps Curl
15kg - 10/10/10/5

Leg Extension
40kg - 10/10/10/10

Seated Leg Curl
45kg - 10/10/10/10
22 Jun

24 Jun
Pulldown
45kg - 10/10/10/8

Abdominal
50kg - 10/10/10/10

Chest Press
30kg - 10/10/10/5

Shoulder Press
15kg - 10/10/10/10

Biceps Curl
15kg - 10/10/7/7

Leg Extension
40kg - 10/10/10/10

Seated Leg Curl
45kg - 10/10/10/10
24 Jun

26 Jun
Pulldown
45kg - 10/10/10/10

Abdominal
50kg - 10/10/10/10

Chest Press
30kg - 10/10/10/10

Shoulder Press
15kg - 10/10/10/10

Biceps Curl
15kg - 10/10/7/6

Leg Extension
40kg - 10/10/10/10

Seated Leg Curl
45kg - 10/10
40kg - 10/10
26 Jun


Observations for the week:
I'm definitely slimming down, managed to put on my final pair of 37/38 inch pants comfortably. So plus point in terms of my mood and sentiments.

Just completed my 4th week of the 10 week hurdle before the fasting month. So far done 23 sessions (out of an idealistic 60 sessions). Things are looking good, and if things keep going the way they are I should be able to hit the more optimistic target of 55 sessions in 10 weeks.

With 6 weeks to go and 8.75kg to lose (based on my weekly weight average), it looks like a rather difficult target to hit. However I'm not too depressed about that since I do feel that I should be able to come reasonably close to that 85kg target. If I'm off by a couple of kg, no biggie, it'll get done eventually.

I'm putting off doing free weights for as long as possible since that's something I dislike. Hoepfully I can leave it off until after the fasting month.

Frankly I can't wait to see how Week 12 will go. My mood is still pretty excited and rah-rah on going to the gym (which is good!).


Random gym story for the week
This actually happened a couple of days ago. After showering I was cleaning my ears near the front of the shower room. This is where there's a large mirror, cotton buds and a hair dryer.

Guy wearing a towel walks up to the hair dryer after showering. Starts blow-drying his hair. Then he starts to blow dry his arms and armpit hair. Blow dries his legs. Lifts up his towel and starts blow drying his groin.

Me, I'm left a little speechless.


As always, thank you for taking the time to read this. Any comments (especially positive and constructive ones!) are always appreciated.

looking good, keep it up bro!

on the strength training though, might i suggest you do splits, ie if its a 4 day routine

chest
shoulders
back
arms/legs

something like that. noticed you do a full body workout everytime you do strength training. its better to focus on a body part per day for a few reasons:
- allows the particular body part to have adequate rest until the next time you hit it
- allows you to go all out on the weights, which would help in muscle growth rather than doing light weights.

don't know much about cardio though, have to admit you do WAY more than i do . My cardio usually is basketball outside of the gym (running on the treadmill isnt very enjoyable for me)

You know, I've been thinking about what you said and it's not a bad idea. The thing is, if I do split my strength training into several days that will likely mean utilising free weights which I'm still not so gung-ho about.

I agree with you that it'd be great to focus on just one body part. I can hantam it until I drop. I'll think more on this as well as what routines to include if I do split it. Thanks for the suggestion.