I'd have to say that the challenge has been successful. What can I say, I've lost some additional weight and I've learned lessons in areas that I need help. One of those areas I need the most discipline in is the Primal Fitness routine. I'm hoping to make more frequent postings for the next 30 days to show how I feel after each days activities.
There are only 60 days left until the end of the weight loss challenge at work so it is time to really continue carving away at the remaining 20%.
Anyway. Just wanted to write something for today. Back to basement DJ'ing.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
c1d26
I'm happy to report that I finally reached my 20% weight loss commitment for my team! Actually, I'm at 20.5% or 57 pounds. I'm pretty excited about this milestone but I'm trying to stay focused for the rest of this 30 day challenge. I'm hoping to reach the "normal" BMI range which is only 10 pounds away. My personal goal is 20 more pounds, which will get me to 190.
At this point I've noticed it isn't too hard for me to stay on the primal food. The hardest part is making time for the fitness. I've only sprinted twice and maybe reached the low end of the 3-5 hour a week of "move slowly." I haven't even tinkered with the essential primal movements. That said, this will need to be the focus of challenge number 2: follow the Primal Blueprint fitness plan for 30 days.
Mark Sisson's belief is that 80% of your genetic potential for body composition comes from what you eat. Feeling like I've been on a weight-loss plateau of sorts, this seems to make sense. Assuming I've reached that 80% benefit already, that means 14 more pounds could be lost with fitness. That seems fairly close to my personal goal so we'll see how that works out. Honestly, that is bad math on my part because it is a big assumption to think i've met 80% of my genetic potential through dieting. Also, who says "genetic potential for body composition" means the same as "weight."
A few problems I've had over the past 26 days:
- Breakfast Friday at work. No more junk food! I'm thinking about introducing my team to my "cult diet" and providing a luscious primal breakfast buffet, going all out.
- I tried taking walking breaks at work for 20-40 minutes and add them up at the end of the week in order to reach the 3-5 hours of "move slowly," which turns out 2 hours if that. I think the better approach is to use Saturday morning to either hike, walk, swim, or cycle for 2-3 hours. Then maybe pick another day to do the rest. Being so hot outside makes during work walks cumbersome due to the sweat factor.
- Not enough play time. While we made a few trips to the pool and played water basketball, it wasn't for very long. I'd like to do at least one public fun sport once a week. I'm thinking ultimate frisbee or basketball at the community center.
At this point I've noticed it isn't too hard for me to stay on the primal food. The hardest part is making time for the fitness. I've only sprinted twice and maybe reached the low end of the 3-5 hour a week of "move slowly." I haven't even tinkered with the essential primal movements. That said, this will need to be the focus of challenge number 2: follow the Primal Blueprint fitness plan for 30 days.
Mark Sisson's belief is that 80% of your genetic potential for body composition comes from what you eat. Feeling like I've been on a weight-loss plateau of sorts, this seems to make sense. Assuming I've reached that 80% benefit already, that means 14 more pounds could be lost with fitness. That seems fairly close to my personal goal so we'll see how that works out. Honestly, that is bad math on my part because it is a big assumption to think i've met 80% of my genetic potential through dieting. Also, who says "genetic potential for body composition" means the same as "weight."
A few problems I've had over the past 26 days:
- Breakfast Friday at work. No more junk food! I'm thinking about introducing my team to my "cult diet" and providing a luscious primal breakfast buffet, going all out.
- I tried taking walking breaks at work for 20-40 minutes and add them up at the end of the week in order to reach the 3-5 hours of "move slowly," which turns out 2 hours if that. I think the better approach is to use Saturday morning to either hike, walk, swim, or cycle for 2-3 hours. Then maybe pick another day to do the rest. Being so hot outside makes during work walks cumbersome due to the sweat factor.
- Not enough play time. While we made a few trips to the pool and played water basketball, it wasn't for very long. I'd like to do at least one public fun sport once a week. I'm thinking ultimate frisbee or basketball at the community center.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
c1d20
c1d20 - Today
Woke up a little sore today but really not so bad. The minor sunburn isn't red and I don't feel a thing today. I left my fitbit at home for half the day so I went on a ~7000 step walk tonight around sundown.
c1d19 - Saturday 7/30
Primal blowout! Man, what a wonderful day. I woke up and had a light breakfast, pre-hydrated, then headed out to the Warrior Dash. [Promo Video and a run through of the Kansas City track (not me!)] The weather really wasn't bad, especially when the clouds came through. Running through the woods, water, over obstacles, over fire, and through mud was exhilarating! I was definitely in character (Grok) as I made my way through the lands because there was one thing on my mind; a big juicy turkey leg at the end! The light breakfast and lack of lunch kicked me into survival / hunt mode. Had it been a longer endurance race I would have needed more fuel to get through but I was racing for no more than an hour.
I was a little disappointed that my shoe fell off in the mud pit since it had my race time tracker tied in. When I slipped through the finish line, with one shoe in hand, it didn't record my time. Oh well, it was still a blast and I'm already planning for next year. I'm just glad I made it without hurting my self or getting dehydrated.
Pictures later maybe!
c1d18 - Friday 7/29
Nothing particularly primal about today except for the Thai Chicken Kabobs I had prior to seeing Pablo Francisco.
c1d16 - Wednesday 7/27
After spending the first 20 minutes doing laps at the community center pool, I went to the fun (and heated) side with Aimee and Isaac to play water basketball, get splashed under tipping buckets of water, and made strides against the flow around the lazy river. We skipped the post-swim shower and went straight to the car and I was soaked so I opted for running home. Not knowing the distance, Aimee thought it would take me 20 minutes to get home. Wearing only my swim trunks and sandals, I made my way through weeds and tall grass in attempt to navigate in a straight line. While mostly uphill, I made the 1.1 mile path in about 12 minutes, which contained quite a bit of walking. I wasn't really worried about the time, this was really a "Sprint Once in a While" moment that I need to engage in more frequently.
While I type this blog post, I am really disobeying Primal Law #6: Get Adequate Sleep. "Avoid excessive digital stimulation and sync with your natural circadian rhythm for optimal immune, brain, and endocrine function."
Woke up a little sore today but really not so bad. The minor sunburn isn't red and I don't feel a thing today. I left my fitbit at home for half the day so I went on a ~7000 step walk tonight around sundown.
c1d19 - Saturday 7/30
Primal blowout! Man, what a wonderful day. I woke up and had a light breakfast, pre-hydrated, then headed out to the Warrior Dash. [Promo Video and a run through of the Kansas City track (not me!)] The weather really wasn't bad, especially when the clouds came through. Running through the woods, water, over obstacles, over fire, and through mud was exhilarating! I was definitely in character (Grok) as I made my way through the lands because there was one thing on my mind; a big juicy turkey leg at the end! The light breakfast and lack of lunch kicked me into survival / hunt mode. Had it been a longer endurance race I would have needed more fuel to get through but I was racing for no more than an hour.
I was a little disappointed that my shoe fell off in the mud pit since it had my race time tracker tied in. When I slipped through the finish line, with one shoe in hand, it didn't record my time. Oh well, it was still a blast and I'm already planning for next year. I'm just glad I made it without hurting my self or getting dehydrated.
Pictures later maybe!
c1d18 - Friday 7/29
Nothing particularly primal about today except for the Thai Chicken Kabobs I had prior to seeing Pablo Francisco.
c1d16 - Wednesday 7/27
After spending the first 20 minutes doing laps at the community center pool, I went to the fun (and heated) side with Aimee and Isaac to play water basketball, get splashed under tipping buckets of water, and made strides against the flow around the lazy river. We skipped the post-swim shower and went straight to the car and I was soaked so I opted for running home. Not knowing the distance, Aimee thought it would take me 20 minutes to get home. Wearing only my swim trunks and sandals, I made my way through weeds and tall grass in attempt to navigate in a straight line. While mostly uphill, I made the 1.1 mile path in about 12 minutes, which contained quite a bit of walking. I wasn't really worried about the time, this was really a "Sprint Once in a While" moment that I need to engage in more frequently.
While I type this blog post, I am really disobeying Primal Law #6: Get Adequate Sleep. "Avoid excessive digital stimulation and sync with your natural circadian rhythm for optimal immune, brain, and endocrine function."
Monday, July 25, 2011
c1d14
Obviously with no recent posts, I've been very busy. Good thing I'm not getting paid to blog. (pfft) I made a trip the San Francisco area last week and the weather was beautiful! I think I have 20 cents left on my BART card which gives me an excuse to go back!
I stayed primal on the food most of the time but it is hard to pass up the culinary experience. That reminds me... I might occasionally cheat but I still allow for the 80/20 rule. So for this challenge, I haven't really failed unless I've gone below 80% compliance. Sushi was really hard to pass up in Walnut Creek but I really got in touch with my-inner caveman after eating ox tongue.
I managed to eat at no chains during my trip with the exception of airport snacks and drinks. Another primal highlight was the seafood kabob I enjoyed at Taheri's Mediterranean which included a buttery assortment of salmon, prawn, and halibut with a side of grilled asparagus and carrots. The locals must have though we (Kansas Citians) were crazy for wanting to try Kinder's but I wouldn't necessarily call it a BBQ joint so much as a deli. The sirloin salad made it's way to my plate with a fresh side of fruit salad which was very impressive. See below for some of the fresh meaty items available there.
And my biggest primal weakness... beer! I had to try the local Lagunitas IPA which was superb. See official glass below.
Okay, last update for this post... I weighted in the morning and I am at 223.4. That means I only need to drop 1.4 more pounds to meet my team commitment of 20% loss! That milestone will be great but I have plenty of chiseling to do. My personal goal is 200 pounds, or about 27% weight loss.
I stayed primal on the food most of the time but it is hard to pass up the culinary experience. That reminds me... I might occasionally cheat but I still allow for the 80/20 rule. So for this challenge, I haven't really failed unless I've gone below 80% compliance. Sushi was really hard to pass up in Walnut Creek but I really got in touch with my-inner caveman after eating ox tongue.
I managed to eat at no chains during my trip with the exception of airport snacks and drinks. Another primal highlight was the seafood kabob I enjoyed at Taheri's Mediterranean which included a buttery assortment of salmon, prawn, and halibut with a side of grilled asparagus and carrots. The locals must have though we (Kansas Citians) were crazy for wanting to try Kinder's but I wouldn't necessarily call it a BBQ joint so much as a deli. The sirloin salad made it's way to my plate with a fresh side of fruit salad which was very impressive. See below for some of the fresh meaty items available there.
And my biggest primal weakness... beer! I had to try the local Lagunitas IPA which was superb. See official glass below.
Okay, last update for this post... I weighted in the morning and I am at 223.4. That means I only need to drop 1.4 more pounds to meet my team commitment of 20% loss! That milestone will be great but I have plenty of chiseling to do. My personal goal is 200 pounds, or about 27% weight loss.
Friday, July 15, 2011
hey you, go walk!
So, it's lunch time and I decided to go check on my weight loss team and log food/activity. Apparently, I should be walking, according to the customized HTTP 503 messages. I'm a guy that grew up on the default apache, black and white error pages so it always tickles me to see friendly, pretty pages like this.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
c1d3
Day 2 (yesterday)
I was surprised to be at 225.8 on the scale this morning. The primal exercises consisted of playing in the pool with Aimee and Isaac and going on a night time neighborhood walk. Dinner included an excellent wild-caught Alaskan sockeye salmon. We also received our weekly door-to-door organics delivery so I had some strawberries for desert, which were perfectly ripe.
I picked up a couple Groupon's for Quick's Bar-B-Q. I'm excited to give that place a try. More than likely the highlighted item below will not be on my plate.
Day 3 (today)
Again, woke up and surprised to be at 224.4. Only two more pounds to lose until I meet my 20% team commitment! Another 22 or so to meet my personal goal of 200 lbs. Salmon leftovers and a big salad were the lunch for today.
Kansas City metro-area, please check out the KC Slimdown Community Challenge which starts in 10 days. I would like to start a team (maybe a primal/paleo team!) so let me know if you are interested. Brief description is pasted below but please visit the site for more information.
I was surprised to be at 225.8 on the scale this morning. The primal exercises consisted of playing in the pool with Aimee and Isaac and going on a night time neighborhood walk. Dinner included an excellent wild-caught Alaskan sockeye salmon. We also received our weekly door-to-door organics delivery so I had some strawberries for desert, which were perfectly ripe.
I picked up a couple Groupon's for Quick's Bar-B-Q. I'm excited to give that place a try. More than likely the highlighted item below will not be on my plate.
Day 3 (today)
Again, woke up and surprised to be at 224.4. Only two more pounds to lose until I meet my 20% team commitment! Another 22 or so to meet my personal goal of 200 lbs. Salmon leftovers and a big salad were the lunch for today.
Kansas City metro-area, please check out the KC Slimdown Community Challenge which starts in 10 days. I would like to start a team (maybe a primal/paleo team!) so let me know if you are interested. Brief description is pasted below but please visit the site for more information.
Form a team of 4 to 6 coworkers, friends or family and compete with other teams across the metro for prizes and good health in the Community Challenge. The team with the highest percentage of weight-loss at the end of 10 weeks will win a luxury vacation. Other fantastic prizes are up for grabs, as we help create a healthier Kansas City. Registration and official weigh-ins start on July 11th and run through July 24th. The KC Slimdown Employer Challenge runs 10 weeks, with weigh-outs occurring from October 2nd through October 9th. Join the fun and help us create a healthier Kansas City.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
c1d1 - Easy
So, this is day one (d1) of challenge one (c1) which is to follow the Primal Blueprint as closely as possible. I am reporting in to say that I've met the food part 100% with the exception of about 2 oz of ginger ale atop my whiskey on ice when I got home. Items of note:
- I used my Fitbit to record my walk this afternoon. This is how I will keep track of my 2-5 hours a week of "move slowly" activities.
- I used my Fitbit to record my walk this afternoon. This is how I will keep track of my 2-5 hours a week of "move slowly" activities.
- I fasted today for dinner which dropped my calories quite a bit. I'm not feeling too bad. (I don't record water intake)
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