Thursday, December 21, 2006
Training Update
194. That’s what my weight was this morning. That’s a loss of six pounds already. Of course, that’s assuming that my starting weight was 200 pounds, which might be a bit high. However, I figured that I might as well round my weight to a nice even number. This does two things. First, it makes weight loss calculations easier. Second, it makes weight loss calculations more impressive. Honestly, would you be more impressed if I said I lost 6 pounds or 1.7 pounds? My point exactly.
I was thinking about listing my starting weight as 250 or 300 pounds. After all, if I’m fibbing on my starting weight, why not make it a fantastic fib? If you think losing 6 pounds is impressive, how about 106? Then I started getting worried. What if the weight loss goes well? What if I do well in the triathlon? What if I get a book deal? What if I write a great book? What if I get on Oprah and talk about it? And then what happens if I’m proved to be a fraud, like James Frey? Frankly, I couldn’t handle being berated by Oprah after she discovered that I lost only 30 pounds instead of 130. And if that whole scenario seems a little unlikely, don’t worry. So does the prospect of me sticking to this workout regimen until the triathlon in August.
So far, things are going great. I’ve been waking up early and going to the gym to lift weights. My body has gotten a little flabby (to put it mildly) and I figured I might as well build up some muscles before I start trying to swim. My rationale being that without muscles, I won’t be able to swim at all. On the other hand, if I lose some of the fat, I won’t be able to float and I just might drown. I don’t suppose the triathlon is going to be in 3 feet of water, is it?
The funny thing about lifting weights now is that I’m doing it a lot differently than I ever did before. I used to lift weights to get stronger, to build muscles. Now I’m trying to lose weight. And I have no desire to be any stronger. Honestly, what am I going to do with bigger muscles? Type on my keyboard harder? So, I’m trying to do aerobic lifting, which basically means low weights and high reps. It’s pretty damn exhausting, to be honest with you. And I feel like such a wimp at the gym. Guys are bench pressing 250 pounds, and I’m doing 95.
At night, I’ve been using our brand new elliptical machine. It’s not the best machine in the world, but that’s okay. It gets my heart rate up, which is my only goal. The problem is that with Luke being a little finicky about going to bed (to put it mildly), it’s hard to find time to work out at night. And if Luke’s not sleeping well at night, it’s hard to convince myself to wake up an hour early to go to the gym. But I’m going to try as hard as I can until March 1, when Evangeline is due. I figure that’s really going to put a damper in my workout schedule, and it’ll probably ultimately be what derails my triathlon plans. And yes, I plan to hold it over her head for the rest of her life. That’s one of the few benefits of being a parent.
I was thinking about listing my starting weight as 250 or 300 pounds. After all, if I’m fibbing on my starting weight, why not make it a fantastic fib? If you think losing 6 pounds is impressive, how about 106? Then I started getting worried. What if the weight loss goes well? What if I do well in the triathlon? What if I get a book deal? What if I write a great book? What if I get on Oprah and talk about it? And then what happens if I’m proved to be a fraud, like James Frey? Frankly, I couldn’t handle being berated by Oprah after she discovered that I lost only 30 pounds instead of 130. And if that whole scenario seems a little unlikely, don’t worry. So does the prospect of me sticking to this workout regimen until the triathlon in August.
So far, things are going great. I’ve been waking up early and going to the gym to lift weights. My body has gotten a little flabby (to put it mildly) and I figured I might as well build up some muscles before I start trying to swim. My rationale being that without muscles, I won’t be able to swim at all. On the other hand, if I lose some of the fat, I won’t be able to float and I just might drown. I don’t suppose the triathlon is going to be in 3 feet of water, is it?
The funny thing about lifting weights now is that I’m doing it a lot differently than I ever did before. I used to lift weights to get stronger, to build muscles. Now I’m trying to lose weight. And I have no desire to be any stronger. Honestly, what am I going to do with bigger muscles? Type on my keyboard harder? So, I’m trying to do aerobic lifting, which basically means low weights and high reps. It’s pretty damn exhausting, to be honest with you. And I feel like such a wimp at the gym. Guys are bench pressing 250 pounds, and I’m doing 95.
At night, I’ve been using our brand new elliptical machine. It’s not the best machine in the world, but that’s okay. It gets my heart rate up, which is my only goal. The problem is that with Luke being a little finicky about going to bed (to put it mildly), it’s hard to find time to work out at night. And if Luke’s not sleeping well at night, it’s hard to convince myself to wake up an hour early to go to the gym. But I’m going to try as hard as I can until March 1, when Evangeline is due. I figure that’s really going to put a damper in my workout schedule, and it’ll probably ultimately be what derails my triathlon plans. And yes, I plan to hold it over her head for the rest of her life. That’s one of the few benefits of being a parent.
