#345: What Running is Doing to my Body

Today being the start of a new quarter, I have revised The Tale of the Tape...

	1/20/08	4/27/08	7/20/08	3/17/11	7/1/11	Change
Weight	405	366	357	292	262	(143)
BMI	49.3	44.5	42.9	35.5	32	(17.3)
Body Fat %	43.8	31.1	31.4	29.1	24.5	(14.7)
Lean Mass	228	231	245	207	198	(30)
Resting HR	87	70	68	64	62	(25)
Neck	19	18	18	17.25	16	(3)
Shoulders	59.5	55.5	59.5	55	52	(7.5)
Chest	58	57	58	50	46.5	(11.5)
L Biceps	15.5	16	18	13.5	13	(2.5)
R Biceps	16	16.5	19	14	13	(3)
L Forearm	12.5	12.25	13	11.5	11	(1.5)
R Forearm	13	13	13.75	12	11	(2)
Waist	59	52	50.5	46	43	(16)
Hips	61.5	57.5	56.5	51	48.5	(13)
L Thigh	29.5	30	26	27.5	27	(2.5)
R Thigh	30	30	26	28	27	(3)
L Calf	20.25	20	20	18	18	(2.25)
R Calf	20.5	20	20	18	18	(2.5)

 

So, what's happened to my body since March? First of all, I've lost a lot more weight. I'm giving cancer credit for the first hundred pounds, but the rest is mine. 10 pounds a month. That's a pretty good pace. The BMI is coming down, too. just a few more pounds and I'll be classified as "Overweight," not "Obese." That will be a first. Then there's the Body Fat percentage. I'm encouraged by the way it keeps coming down. I want to get to 20% by the end of the summer, but you can tell from my Lean mass numbers that I've stopped lifting weights. Yes, I'm burning a lot of fat, but I'm also losing some muscle mass, especially in my upper body. I'm not going to fret too much about that. Right now, I'm focused on training for the next couple of races, and I have chosen not to spend so much time in the gym.

 

Overall, I can't help but be pleased. A stranger meeting me for the first time would probably still see a fat man, but the people who have known me a while see a changed man. Soon, I'll be able to buy clothes in a department store! How nice it will be to get all of those multiple Xs out of my closet.

 

So what am I learning? It's never to late to change direction. Patience works. Long, slow runs. Gradual increases of intensity. Consistent training. Mindful eating. Sleeping right. It all works together to make you stronger, faster, and fitter. If a middle-aged fat man can do this, you can, too!

 

I think I'm going to drop the old 2008 numbers from this chart. They really are from a different life, a pre-cancer life. "Pre" a lot of things, come to think of it. I don't really know what the numbers were on the day of my surgery, other than my weight, 397. That was April 16, 2010, a kind of new birthday for me. That was the day I became a survivor, a cancer fighter. That fight, not so much the fight against cancer, but the fight for life is the reason I'm training. I don't know what God has in mind for the rest of my life, but I want to be ready.

 

Peace,

 

Pennsy

Fat Man Bragging

January 19
Weight 405
BMI 49.3
Body Fat 43.8%

April 20
Weight 362 (Down 43 lbs/11%)
BMI 44.1 (Down 5.2 pts/10.5%)
Body Fat 33.5% (Down 10.3/23.5%)

I am fittn’ to bust.

Today I did my cardio. Knees and ankles all felt great. I did 96 minutes total. 6 on the stair climber and 30 each on the bike, the elliptical and the treadmill

I have also decided that while I admire Jeff Gallaway and find much wisdom in the things he says, I seem to feel better if I do some gentle stretching both after a 6-10 minute warmup walk and after my workout is finished. So there’s my conclusion after that brief experiment.

The weigh-in was such a shock that I looked to see if something was blocking the scale. I was hoping the week’s change of pace would pay off, but was not prepared for that kind of result. It seems like the fat melts in big bursts, not on a gradual smooth curve. I am really looking forward to seeing how the resistance bands might alter my results. they are much more of a cardio challenge than the weight machines have been (at least the way I’ve been using them).

And just look at that BMI! Soon I won't be Morbidly Obese any more. I'll just be plain old obese. Now hows that for a goal?

I’m going to go mow the lawn now. I feel so good, I don’t want to sit still.

By the way, check out today's Pennsyltuckian for a review of a book I really enjoyed. Maybe you will like it too.

Peace,
Pennsy

Stormy Monday

I listen to SRV and Albert King and I understand why Robert Johnson went to the Crossroads.

Last night at the gym? Feh. Could have been better.

I’m sticking with just lifting weights for my upper body. I set new Personal Records on several weight stations today. The Shoulder Press is still at 50 (2 25 lb dumb bells) but that is a new exercise I'm trying this week, so I don’t expect those muscles to be ready to grow yet.

Cardio was half an hour of intervals on the elliptical. I really need to stay off the treadmill, but I want to run so much. My knees just aren’t interested in my fitness goals right now.

My weigh-in was a disappointment. I gained three pounds. I’ve been eating too much red meat and too many “healthy” snacks like nuts (and maybe a cheeseburger or two). I need to stick to fruits and other low fat things when I want to nosh.

My last plateau was after a 20 lb weight loss, so this may turn out to be a pattern. I want to pay close attention to see if there are behavioral factors too. Do I “reward” myself with food when I’ve lost that much? I’m not sure, but if so that’s a pattern worth changing.

I hate having to pay so much attention to my food. Thinking about eating just makes me want to eat. I’ll find a way to deal with that - one that doesn’t involve chocolate or a drive-through window.

Today is my quarterly review with the trainer. We’ll take measurements, body fat, BMI, all that. I’m looking forward to it. In spite of the small set-backs, I know I’ve made real progress in the last three months. I’ll be glad to see what the new numbers look like.

I’m thinking that one way to work through a plateau is to do something different - to change the exercises that my body is getting used to. I’ll ask for some counsel in that area tonight.

Peace,
Pennsy