Weigh-In Wednesday

239.6 lbs

36.9% Fat

Not only did I go below 240 lbs, I am wearing some very old pants. I have not been able to get in these pants for years. I think it was about 6 years ago that I stopped wearing them. They are size 38.

I also had to put another hole in my belt.

John Tanner Practice

I did a trial run of the John Tanner Triathlon (swim and ride, no run). The swim did not go well. I suited up in my new never used wet suit and walked in to the left side of the lake next to the swim area buoy. As I got to about waist deep I dove in. I didn't know water could be that cold without having ice on it. As I started swimming my finger felt like they were burning from the cold (have you ever had a wart frozen off by the doctor? This was colder.) My head felt like it was being squeezed in a vice. I could not think of how to do a proper stroke. The only thing that my brain was saying was “Get out, get out.” So, I did.

I had not even made it 50 yards. This would not do. I can swim a mile continuously in the pool. I decided to try it again, but this time I would do the breast stroke (this way my head would be out of the water.) It started off a little better, but progressed to bad pretty fast. After about 50 yards my motor skills started degrading. Each stroke would let a rush of cold water in down my back. This made me spasm and looses all sense of technique. By about 100 yards I looked like a frog in the throes of death. Once I realized I really wasn’t moving anymore I started freestyle again. 2 seconds after my head hit the water it was telling me to “Get out, get out.” So, I did.

Third time’s the charm, right? No it’s not, but I told myself to HTFU and try again. For my third time I decided to try and do freestyle, but with my head out of the water. Anyone who swims will tell you that the higher your head position is the more your feet and legs sink. By the time I got around 100 yards I was exhausted, and started hyperventilating. HTFU my ass, don’t drown. I got out.
That was the end of my first open water swim attempt.

Luckily the ride was good. I mapped out the course and then drove it to find and log the turns (I also had the heat on in the truck trying to get warm.)

• From John Tanner Park you head out .6 of a mile to Mt Zion Rd. ( Stop sign)
  


• Turn Right on Mt Zion Rd., and go .1 of a mile to Eureka Church Rd. (this is right after Eureka Baptist Church)
  


• Turn Right on Eureka Church Rd., and go 1.3 miles to New Hope Church Rd. (Stop sign) NOTE: Watch out for the turkey, he didn’t give chase, but gobbled in a way that told me he was displeased that I was on his road.
  


• Turn Left on New Hope Church Rd., and go .2 of a mile to Ingram Rd. (First street on the right)
  


• Turn Right on Ingram Rd., and go 1 mile to Lovvom Rd. (Stop sign) NOTE: Got chased by a Jack Russell. All the sprinting up the hill drills we do in spin class let me drop the hammer and blow that short legged terrier away.
  


• Turn Right on Lovvom Rd., and go 3.4 miles to Burwell Mt Zion Rd. (Stop sign) NOTE: Lovvom Rd. is hilly.
  


• Turn right on Burwell Mt Zion Rd., and go 3.1 miles to Mt Zion Rd. (Stop sign) NOTE: As you approach the stop sign you will go over 3 sets of speed bumps, and of course you are going uphill.



• Turn right on Mt Zion Rd., and go 1 mile to Tanner Beach Rd. (Look for the brown John Tanner State Park sign)



• Turn right on Tanner Beach Rd., and go .6 miles to the park entrance.
  

All in all it was a good outing. I plan on doing this a few more times before the actual triathlon (I will also add the run).

Weigh-In Wednesday

242 lbs

35.5% Fat

When I was an instructor, my job bought me uniforms. Since then I have lost weight, but have not bought new pants for work (I'm cheap that way). I think I might need to think about buying some new pants. A freind of mine told me I needed new pants. She said my pants are starting to look like clown pants on me.

Weigh-in Wednesday (belated)

243.0 lbs

34.6% Fat

I had the weigh in for the Weigh-in Challenge at work this week. I weighed in at 246 fully clothed. This is down about 3 pounds from last week, and about 12 pounds from the start of the challenge. I am also looking thinner. A few weeks ago I got a backhanded complement. A receptionist at the vet, that I hadn't seen a while, saw me and asked if I was sick.

Now that I am becoming thinner, people are asking me how I am doing it. It is no secret, I'm doing it slowly. I started off exercising. I didn't change my diet at all. Once I leveled out and became a fit fat guy I started the next phase.

The next phase was cutting down on the portion size. I still ate crap, I just ate less of it. This along with the exercise let me drop some more. Once I leveled out again I started the third phase.

The third phase is eating better (but not much better). I try and have a salad and veggies at least once a week.

It is my opinion that if you start doing everything all at once it becomes easier to fail, but if you do it in increment, you can get use to it in small doses.

Goodbye Allie

Goodbye Allie

Allie passed today. She was 14 and was my girl for the last 8 years. She will be missed so much.

Sick

I hate being sick, but I love sick days. Monday I woke up feeling congested, and tired. By the end of the day I felt like crap. I decided not to go to the group swim with ATC.

Tuesday I woke up full blown ill. After calling in sick I went back to sleep. That is the way I handle being sick. I sleep. It is why I like sick days. It is a full day of sleep.

Wednesday I woke up feeling a little better, but not great. I decided to take another sick day. Sleep, sleep and more sleep. I finally got up and out of the house at about 3pm (I needed something to eat, and to pick up some groceries. Even though I got up and about, I still didn't think it was a good idea to go to spin class.

Tomorrow I am off. I am taking a vacation day to take Allie into the surgeon for a consult (detail to follow).

Weigh-In Wednesday
243.0 lbs
39.5% Fat

Hiking with a Dog

I went hiking yesterday with Cale. We hiked Kennesaw Mountain and Little Kennesaw Mountain. During the hike I realized something. Hiking is better with a dog. Here are the top 10 reasons why:

10. Dogs give you a great reason to hit the trail.
9. Dogs don’t care where you hike, they just care that you hike.
8. Dogs like both short and long hikes.
7. They will help you up a hill.
6. You can stop and catch your breath; and blame it on the dog wanting to sniff something.
5. If you talk to yourself, people think you are talking to the dog (and, that is less creepy).
4. Nobody can startle you from behind when you hike with a dog.
3. Dogs can point out wildlife before you ever see it. They can also kill it before you know it.
2. Dogs are chick magnets.
1. A tired dog is a good dog.