Full Throttle - Day 141

This morning's workout was awesome, yet again. Today I worked on deadlifts for about 10 minutes before the workout began. Today's workout was an AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible). I used to despise the AMRAP workouts, but now I really like them because I feel like I push myself harder when we do these. Today we did 5 pushups (I did full pushups the entire time today), 10 ring rows, 15 squats and then a short run of about 200 meters. I completed 8 rounds, which means I did 40 pushups, 80 ring rows, 120 squats, and ran about a mile... all in 20 minutes. It feels so good to be able to complete these workouts that would have been impossible for me to complete just a few months ago. I am loving Full Throttle Athletics.

Full Throttle - Day 136

Today's workout was great. I started with deadlifts again and got up to 265 pounds. I love when the weight gets higher on the deadlifts. I am looking forward to the days I can lift 350 pounds as a typical workout. After the deadlifts we started the bootcamp workout. Today consisted of 10 ring rows, 15 pushups, 20 kettlebell swings, repeated as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes, and I completed 9 rounds. I felt like my arms were going to fall off about halfway through the workout. I am now able to do full pushups for the first couple rounds. When I first began I could not do 1 full pushup. I love seeing the progress.

Full Throttle - Day 135

It is funny how I have gotten so used to getting up at 5am to workout 3 days a week. I have discovered that nowadays I seem more tired on the day that I sleep until 6:30 or 7:00am without a workout. I love the feeling of getting to work Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (the days I workout) full of energy and knowing I have already been awake for 3 1/2 hours. However, on days like today, I seem to drag in to work tired. How did I do this everyday? Since beginning this journey I see so many results beyond anything a mirror or scale can tell me.

Full Throttle - Day 134

This morning's training was tough but I felt like I got in a really good workout. We did 50 seconds of workouts, then 10 second "break." The term "break" is used very loosely because those 10 seconds are barely enough time to switch to the next exercise. With going 20 minutes straight with no break, it can be a lot of work. But, I love the feeling of pushing myself and the feeling of doing more than I think I can do.
I took the day off work to spend the day with my kids on their last day of summer break. We had a really good time, and it is so great to have the energy to keep up with them now.

Full Throttle - Days 130-133

This weekend I went out of town. I find it most difficult to follow a healthy eating regime when out of town. The temptations seem to be stronger, and the opportunities to give in to them seem more available. For some reason my body does not take a break just because I do. I did not eat as healthy as I should have, but I still tried to limit eating too poorly. I plan to get back to eating very well this week as I am ready to see the weight really start falling off again.
Thanks Mark for holding me accountable and encouragining me to blog.

Full Throttle - Day 129

Today I saw a cousin that I have not seen in about 5-6 months. He had no idea I had been working out and losing weight, so seeing his reaction when he saw me was awesome. He told me several times how much weight I have lost, and it was very encouraging. With this blog and posting my progress on facebook, I feel like so many people are aware that I am trying to lose weight. So, when someone who does not know about my transformation sees me, it is always very encouraging.

Full Throttle - Days 120-128

Wow, missing one day of blogging can easily become 2 days, then 3 days, then 9 days. I think about blogging regularly, but I have found it is easier and easier not to blog with each passing day. I am thankful for accountability from those who encourage me to blog daily and chronicle my journey. I guess this is a lesson I can learn with any habit in life. With each passing day of not doing something, it becomes easier and easier to not do it the following day. This journey takes such constant focus and determination, and it is a bit scary how easily it could be derailed. I ask that anyone who reads this and notices I have not blogged for a day or two to call me out on it and ask me about it (Mark I know you will).
So, here are a couple things that have happened in the last 9 days:
The scale was not indicating much weight loss for a couple weeks, which became very frustrating to me. However, my measurements were still going down. Well, this last week I weighed 7 pounds less than I had 2 weeks previously, so that was a great sign. I have now officially lost a total of 53 pounds since beginning my training at Full Throttle Athletics, and 70 pounds overall since December 2008.
Second, I have been playing softball for several years and have been out of shape the entire time I have been playing. Well, this season I have really looked forward to getting on base and running the bases. I feel like I am faster than I have ever been and I am certainly in much better shape, so running the bases is so much fun. Well, on Monday night I did something I have never done before. I hit an inside the park homerun (no errors). When I hit the ball, it went over the centerfielder's head, and I knew I was going for it. I felt like I ran faster than I can ever remember running, and I rounded the bases as fast as I could. I was safe at home, and the best part was that I was not even breathing hard. A few months ago, I would have had to stop and take a break at second base.
These small accomplishments are what keep me going. I am excited to continue seeing more and more successes as my journey continues.

Full Throttle - Days 117 - 119

This weekend I was out of town most of the weekend, but I was able to still eat healthy. It can be a challenge when I am not at home and not able to eat what we have at home, but I try to maintain my discipline, and I am usually able to find something to I can eat in most places. I seem to have the most difficult time drinking enough water when I am not at home. When home, I have several bottles of water in the refridgerator all the time, so I can be drinking water almost all day. Although I was not home this weekend, I still was able to do well with the food choices I made.

Full Throttle - Day 116

So, I am discovering in having a blog that I go through periods when I feel like I just don't have much to write about. I am trying to come up with something to write about that involves my transformation and is also interesting. So, I have dedided to talk about this blog and it's importance to me. I am realizing more and more that there probably are not a whole lot of people that actually read my blog on a regular basis, so it is becoming more of a personal journal that I look forward to reading back once my transformation is more complete. I enjoy now looking back at some of my first posts, and I know a few months from now I will enjoy looking back at these recent posts. Also, the blog is a form of daily discipline that helps keep me accountable. I truly believe blogging is an important part of my physcal tranformation.
Here is what I ate today:
7:45am - ProGrade Lean Meal Replacement Drink
10:30am - 22 almonds, whey protein drink with milled flax seed
1:00pm - grilled chicken breasts
6:45pm - small steak, grilled chicken, smoked sausage, salad

Full Throttle - Day 115

This morning's workout was another great workout. These hot days with lots of humidity have me sweating before the training even begins. It is funny that more sweat makes me feel like I am working harder, so I kinda like working out in the heat. This morning I did kettlebell snatches instead of deadlifts before the training to try to get the technique down. The training then consisted of 5 exercises for 45 seconds followed by 15 seconds of rest (which is really just enough time to prepare for the next exercise) for 4 rounds. The exercises were goblet squats, planks with contra-lateral toe touches, kettlebell swings, hip raises, burpees. What a tough workout, but it felt great when I was done.

Full Throttle - Day 114

I have a goal to not use the words, "I can't" about anything, especially about physical fitness. 4 months ago I would have said "I can't" about the things I do almost on a daily basis now. I also try to encourage my kids not to say, "I can't." I truly believe we can do things that we never thought possible if we work hard and put our minds to it.
Here is what I ate today:
7:45am - ProGrade Lean Meal replacement Drink
9:45am - 22 almonds
12:45pm - salad with ground beef
3:45pm - almonds, apple
6:45pm - 10 strawberries
I drank over 150 ounces of water today

Full Throttle - Day 113

This morning's training was as good as ever. I did some deadlift work and was able to push myself to do more weight than I have ever done. After the deadlifts today's training consisted of 4 circuits, completed 5 times total. The circuits were for a total of 45 seconds with 15 seconds to transition to the next circuit. After each round we had a 1 minute rest period. The exercises we did today were kettlebell swings, pushups, box jumps, and ring rows. It was a great workout, and I felt so good after it was complete.
Here is what I ate today:
7:30am - ProGrade Lean Meal Replacement Drink
10:00am - 22 almonds
1:00pm - 2 chicken breasts
4:00pm - 1 apple, 22 almonds, whey protein drink
8:30pm - smoked sausage and broccoli
I drank over 200 ounces of water today

Full Throttle - Days 103 - 112

I can make all kinds of excuses as to why I have not blogged in over a week, but all they are is excuses. I have learned that blogging daily is as important in this transformation as the exercise and diet. When I stop blogging, it becomes easier to make poor choices in my eating. I have been busy, going through some difficult times, but still must remain disciplined in all aspects in order to continue my transformation. Thankfully I have people to hold me accountable and make sure I am blogging, and I have people who are there to support me. I will get back on track, and I will continue to blog daily.