Session XI: 103016 – 111216

Chapter II: Autumn    91816 - 121716

Session XI:  103016 – 111216:

Looking ahead to the end of the week it looks like we may shed 1/3 of a lb. off of the weekly average. I have to credit the running and to a certain extent smart or scared eating when I’m out. Not drinking during this experiment was a smart move. It’s been only a week that I’ve been flirting with the 176 weight class and a corresponding 3:06:1 ratio. The 170s are the norm now and I get a bit nervous when the weight hits 179… I’m thinking in the future 177 will get me frantic because 175 will become the norm. At this point I have 9 more runs left to complete my goal. I don’t believe I can stop running all together, and will have to keep it up at least a few days a week to maintain the weight below 180, let alone 173 – 177, let’s say (with a few dark brewskis every now and then).

Three years ago I imagined myself weighing the same as I did when I started this job… 29 years ago. I was a skinny, young 170-ish… (below 175 for sure.) I gained 60 lbs. on the job in the first ten years, topping out at 225 lbs. I spent the last 19 shredding it, and believe me, it was a battle.

Today I have a month and a half to at least drop below 175 lbs to meet my self-imposed challenge. Even to get where I am today I had to make some serious sacrifices.

It started when I stopped driving to work and the next major change came when I started running. In between I started lifting weights, changed eating habits, started teaching group fitness classes, started and stopped running and a bunch of other stuff. Maybe I’ll do a complete write up at some point. For now, let’s move on and hope I don’t gain 3 or more pounds between now and when I wake up tomorrow. 

Well, the weight gain wasn’t 3 lbs, in fact just about half of that, which pushed us up slightly, so we end of knocking a fifth of a pound off the average. It’s not much but we’re looking for trends here. Doing the weekly averages I noted it’s been a volatile week. Happy to have the weekly body fat average under 15% - not so happy about where the muscle mass is going… (down, along with everything else)… but not fast enough to bring the ratio down with it. In fact the average ratio moved up .01… after two weeks of stagnation… and that excites me.

Despite all the good movement this week, we still “lost the week” as far as gains vs. lost pounds go. We’ll call this an adjustment. It looks like 178-ish seems to be the norm now, but we’re moving lower and lower, I believe it’s the running.

Day	Sunday 10-30	Monday  10-31	Tuesday 11-1	Wednesday 11-2	Thursday 11-3	Friday 11-4	Saturday 11-5	Ave.
Weight	178.6	179	178.4	176.6	178.4	177.2	178.6	178.1
Body Fat %	14.9	15.2	15.1	14.5	14.9	14.8	15	14.9
BF wt.	26.61	27.21	26.94	25.61	26.58	26.23	26.79	26.57
H2O %	62.2	62	62.1	62.5	62.2	62.3	62.2	62.2
H2O wt	111.08	111	110.78	110.37	110.96	110.4	111.09	110.77
Muscle mass %	44.2	44	44.1	44.4	44.2	44.3	44.2	44.2
Muscle wt.	78.94	78.76	78.67	78.41	78.85	78.5	78.94	78.73
MM:BF ratio	2.97	2.89	2.92	3.06	2.97	2.99	2.95	2.96

103016 – [Sunday #134]: Got home 0230 … nodded quickly. Wake appx 0830-0900-ish

Tea ½ cup.

AMX – run 2 miles 27 minutes.

Weigh in: 178.6 (see chart) This has become the danger zone. But a steady net increase of 1 lb., every day after the strong run to 176.4..i can get back there.

Headed to lunch w/ Isabella. Still feeling strong.

2 rounds completed 1 before and 1 after the run. (Duck salad and Iced tea.)

Will get some walking done – meet up w/ Dan @ 1430. Eggs and sausage @ Honey’s hot tea. Done for the day? Head home soshe-meed. Early to gig tomorrow.

Walk the banks.

Snacks – no more meals.

Weigh out 179.8

ACV – bed around 2200

103116 – [Monday #135]: wake 0400. AMX core work, twist etc.

Tea –

Bkft – lentils, egg – cheese.

Good walk and up the steps.

Gig – 2d bkft; T-mix

Round I: [N] – finally.

Lunch – park’s 51% - Turkey cot-cheese, greens, Tea.

Round II: [N] –

YMCA –

Bwt; jump squats, thigh dips, band for legs, pull ups, push ups on dumbbells, hanging leg raises, shin flex (65 lbs.) – about 45 minutes.

Class – 50% of cardio – 100% strength phase.

Diner? AQ eggs, sausage. Post aminos and glute.

Ride home, maybe get some cleaning done.

ACV – weigh out 180.2 [+1.2]. about to have days off again. We shall see.

110116 – [Tuesday #136]: Imagined I’d get up @ 0600, AMX – stretch and core.

Tea –

Weigh in 178.4 [+1.8]

Round I: [N] –

Walk 6-9. Dental appt.

Buses on strike, so I have to walk.

Bkft – AQ Diner – again – the usual. Must run today.

Walk back – w/ groceries and back pack; chores. Yogurt w/ M&Ms and butter scotch.

Round II: [N] –

Run – day 34 #20 1 mile. 15 mins. Hard and almost quit. Told myself “I must not fail today!”

Protein/creatine shake after.

Tea..

Out for squats, another mile walking. Stretch – some upper body pushes, 240 squats (4 x 60).

Home & home-work.

Prep and start Turkey stew.

Round III: [N] – Happened.

Social media work.

ACV –

Gonna have to figure out how to get into the gig Friday. Angora station, just a bit further than I run. It’s almost midnight and I’m not sleepy. I think this leaving thing is affecting me.

110216 – [Wednesday #137]: wake 0600 and went back to bed until about 0745.

Wake AMX and net-comp stuff.

Tea –

Weigh in: 177.6 … 3.06:1  So, once again, intermittent fast and good sleep. Results in lower body wt. and fat weight.

Bkft – turkey soup.

House work. Visit from Tony. Snack on nuts and tea.

Meal – Yogurt.

Webinar – 1400 Tea or not to tea… we can run after this. Realized - - - in the day that wake up weight is honest. Motivation to run this eve… but I sat around the house most of the day.Could train after the run.

Day 35, run 21 – 2 miles 26 minutes. Good pace, good breathing – not good enough for 3 miles however 60%.

Turkey soup and tea after 2000. ACV and nuts before bed. Working on the “movie.”

110316 – [Thursday #138]: Wake in darkness and it’s 0730-ish. Earliest this week. Last sick day. Cloudy, early 50s.. I must get peanut butter today and that means a walk (28 minutes) to ShopRite… haven’t made this walk in a while.

AMX – stretch and wall crunches. I can touch the wall now. Chair stuff and  IDK what to call the things I do with the iron gym.

Tea – and soshe-meed.

Weigh in 178.4 – despite a 2 mile run, must be the eating and sitting. More activity. Run today? Hard to call – we’ll see how the week goes.

It’s after 1000, time to break fast,

Bkft: dbl turkey cheese burgers (Patties) and blowout stack.

Round I: [T] –

3 miles r/t to Market. P-butter scoop tea.

Round II: [N] –

1 mile walk to 69 to the field, 1 mile back. Called due to rain. Hammies are blazing – weird day. 5 miles walking.

Apple and probably tea next. Soshe-meed time.

Chlorella and ACV before bed.

Weigh out 178.4 – same. Maybe 5 miles will eat some fat tonight.

Round IV: [T-L]..

110416 – [Friday #139]: wake 0400. Back to the gig.

Weigh in – 177.2 – seems like a lot of activity for small reward.

AMX today will be the walk to the station. So time to eat.

Bkft – turkey soup and tea.

AMX 21 mins. Walk to the train station. Distance just over a mile or mile – same as to 69. Call it a mile.

Gig – T-Mix.

Round I: [N] – reddish

Apple.

Today’s annual weight average – 180.17; 11 year ave. 186.

Walk to Honey’s – Cobb Salad.

Round II: [N] – wanted more.

Walk south and 20^th home – 5.5 total miles and chills.

Round III: [N] –

Slow.

Shushi and Iced tea @ Pod – Home.

Bed 0100 – 1 expect. So I after-hours ate, but I’ll deal – survive, not sure how or if the chlorella worked May be able to extend the fast beyond the run.

110516 – [Saturday #140]: Wake 0900-ish

Round I: [N] –

Tea –

Round II: [N] –

Run 2 miles 27 mins – rough one on the last ½ miles Day 38 Run 22.

Weigh 178.6 – After all this 2 rounds, run, no breakfast and no change from post walk yesterday. Bod is holding the weight for some reason.

Bkft – turkey soup.

More tea I expect.

Round III: [N] –

p-butter, honey & cinnamon.

Road trip, NYC 1500-ish. Technically this day ended in a sushi bar on Times Square. To be continued tomorrow.

End of Session XI - Part I

We’ve won this week; we’re down a pound. We shaved about 1/3 of a pound off the average this week. I went three days in a row without running this week, as well as a couple of hang-out events. Fat-weight is only down a fraction.

Let’s just  go straight to the charts… No long explanations.

Day	Sunday 11-6	Monday 11-7	Tuesday 11-8	Wednesday 11-9	Thursday 11-10	Friday 11-11	Saturday 11-12	Ave.
Weight	178.4	176	178.4	178.4	177.4	178.6	177.6	177.8
Body Fat %	15.3	14.8	15	15	14.9	15	14.9	15
BF wt.	27.3	26.05	26.76	26.76	26.43	26.79	26.46	26.65
H2O %	62	62.3	62.2	62.2	62.2	62.2	62.2	62.2
H2O wt	110.6	109.64	110.96	110.96	110.34	111.09	110.46	110.6
Muscle mass %	44	44.3	44.2	44.2	44.2	44.2	44.2	44.2
Muscle wt.	79.03	77.97	78.85	78.85	78.41	78.94	78.5	78.65
MM:BF ratio	2.90	2.99	2.95	2.95	2.97	2.95	2.97	2.95

110616 – [Sunday #141]: 0200-ISH. This day started entering the Sky Room roof Top Event in NYC. Great space, everything else, DJ, bars, people, were so-so. NYC isn’t what t used to be – but what is? Spoken like an ol’head.

At this point what I’m feeling is more than a hangover, more than dehydration. I had one beer! Amstel Light and then H2O the rest of the night.

Weigh in II – 178.4.

Rollin' with the Llama - NYC Sky Room 2016

A bug got me today. I don’t know when.. Got in @ 0400-ish. Just before my wake up alarm off. I woke about 1000 not feeling “right” and wondered how one beer could do all this. Anyway – the express version of this story is that the day was sacrificed to recovery and healing.

3 Rounds – pretty normal.

2x – evacuations of the stomach – which was odd because I didn’t think any peanut butter would be left. Body wanted nothing to eat. A few sips of coconut H2O here and there. Mostly sleep. Couldn’t even listen to music. Took 2x cayenne and 4x vitamin C along the way… Maybe the cayenne triggered the evacs, but not sure. Doubt it really. Mostly sleep and showers and quiet and let the body do its repairs.

110716 – [Monday #142]: The day after being sick is like the day after a disaster. And that’s how I feel every time. Like there’s stuff that has to be cleaned up and repaired. I’ve lost another day – but luckily family dinner was postponed. I figured and hoped – after realizing it wasn’t (just) a hangover, that it would be a 24 hour thing. 24 hours from the time I stopped moving. So approximately 0200 this morning. I felt better. The final signal was that my head was no longer hurting. The pressure had been released.

Of course the first action I took was to weigh in… 176 [see chart for the rest] – sick weight is not the same as exercise weight. Although 176 is the lowest of the year. When I was 176.2 I had better corresponding digits for muscle mass and body fat and a better ratio.

So I’m up at 0400 – my normal wake up time… cleaning up and repairing after the disaster and once again asserting that “I don’t get sick, but sick certainly gets me!” When I let my guard down (immune system) and when I ignore the signs (sneezing) which I didn’t even note, or head off, b/c I forgot… I pay!! On with this day.

Tea – soshe-meed

Bkft – turkey soup.

Chores – nut bar.

2x more tea.

Meal – angus burger, cot-cheese, scallions and peppers.

Walk to 69 – added 2.2 lbs on the way back, so now I can walk back to 175 in a badass way.

YMCA – Functional Fitness next. Stronger on the balance practice. Good FF session, seemed slow to me. Aminos, glutes AM vits after w/ T-mix.

Goat stew in the pot – maybe food from HMart? Got the time, but not the ambition.

110816 – [Tuesday #143]: wake 0400 – 178.4 – kind of slow.

AMX – bend, balance wall work, twist.

Tea - & weigh in

Bkft – Goat stew/soup.

Gig – T-mix blowout stack

Round I: [N-M]

Round II: [L] – Before lunch.

Lunch – park’s 62% turkey cot-cheese, greens and tea… not hungry.

Round II: [X] – Vit C 3g.

Vote – Home – eat the lunch I didn’t eat at work. Didn’t feel like running.

2x tea – Goat soup and AM vits, chilled – read comics and soshe-meed.

Some notes from the bug battle. Ended up with red (blood probably) specks under my eyes. They lasted about a day (or two). Peetox is off, out of balance somehow. Stomach wasn’t quite up to par. Thought the bug might return, so I played it safe. Chills might be typically cold house.

Opted out of squats night. Feel cold, but it may not be that cold. ACV before bed no need to weigh out we’ll see in the AM. Strong run tomorrow. Up late. Not sleepy.

110916 – [Wednesday #144]: Aftermath 0400 woke strong despite short sleep. Got to AMX – stretch, especially the waist, back, legs.

Tea –

Weigh I 178.4 – Holding steady – not bad for rest day. Feeling better today. Maybe run this eve if rain isn’t too bad.

Gig – T-mix and vits.

Round I: [N-F] –

Round II: [N-F] – Lunch – tea & banana.

Home

Round III: [N] –

Run 1 mile 14 minutes and intervals back. Weigh out – same.

Goat stew & tea.

Round IV: [NS] – cot cheese and beans.

ACV before bed.

111016 – [Thursday #145]: wake 0400 AMX – mostly stretch and twist.

Tea –

Weigh in – 177.4 – finally off the plateau.

Gig – Apple T-mix

Round I: [N] –

Round II: [X – NF] – 2 good ones – made me hungry.

Round III: [X] –

Round IV: [XL] – no thrust.

Home eat – squats and run day. Last one.

Squats night – ½ mile run w/ pack and stretch warm up. Squats and jump squats, short trots, stretch. About 45 minutes.

Rybrew, roast beef sandwich. Hang w/ Z’lama. Tea & ACV before bed – Peetox, slow to sleep.

111116 – [Friday #146]: 178.6 – Wake 0400 after some tough sleeping seems I need less sleep.

AMX – stretch, bend, twist, stretch.

Tea –

Bkft: Beans and stuff.

Gig – T-mix.

Round I: [MF] – it’s changed again.

Round II: [N] – different.

Lunch: Tea.

Walk to Applebee’s for Vet’s Dinner. Burger and salad.

Round IV: [L] – Jupiter. Steady, bad belly. No run today.

Ate mac 7 cheese now I’m on Jupiter again.

Home – pbutter – maybe tea, but early to bed or maybe clothes first?

ACV  -

111216 – [Saturday #147]: wake – it was close to 0900. Immediately got dressed to run.

Round I: [N] –

Tea –

Men of a Certain Age - The Mall at Small Hills

2 miles, 28 minutes. Run 25 out of 45 days.

Weigh in – 177.6 – hope I can maintain this or better over the weekend.

Bkft – beans and cot-cheese, aminos and glute.

Tea and balance practice.

Chores –

Goat soup - & vits, probably more tea.

Road trip w/ Z’lama – Willow Grove to north jersey and Small Hills mall where we met up with Silky Dark

Meal – sword fish steak and rice and seaweed salad. Much Iced tea 3x

ACV before bed.

End of Session XI