Jeff Lost 17 Pounds So Far!!!

After I found I out that my weight went down to 184 pounds the other day Rob asked me when was the last time I weighed that much.  You know, you were thinner at some point, when was it?  I thought about it, was about to give the stock answer of sometime in college (which is a lie) or sometime in High School and the truth is I did weigh that much at some point but it was never at a time when I felt good about myself physically.  So, I’m in uncharted territory and I cant wait to see where it goes!

With nine weeks down in the Sky Fit Challenge here is what I’ve learned so far.  For workouts, three days a week over a five day period seems to be perfect. Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays is ideal giving me one weekend day off.  I prefer Saturdays off and do my long runs on Sundays.  Since the beginning of this challenge Rob has not laid a single weight in my hand.  We have used pull ups, resistance bands and my own body weight and at the end of every workout my muscles are sore and pumped.  The movements we do are never just simple up/down up/down.  Instead he often uses multiple moves in one set. Like a squat with shoulder press or a lunge with an arm curl.  This gets my heart pumping and my muscles working so I’m burning calories at a fast pace.

On the other three days I do cardio.  If you’ve read my blogs you know I love to run on the treadmill but I also spin, play tennis, football, softball and whatever pick up sports friends invite me to.  On my very regimented weeks I run and play tennis on Tuesdays, bike on Thursdays and do a long run on Sundays.  I watch TV on my computer for most of my runs and I need to make a special shout out to the instant player on Netflix.  I have become an avid fan of the Dillon Panthers on the NBC show Friday Night Lights.  That show is a guilty pleasure and like so many I have fallen under the spell of Taylor Kitsch.

Like I’ve said before, working out is the easy part for me.  The true test in making this challenge work is in what I eat.  Most people I know that want to lose weight say they need to start working out.  Take it from me if you struggle with weight, you can workout and do cardio all you want but until you change your diet you will not lose that fat. The simple way of putting it is if you put more calories into your body than you burn you will not loose weight.  Most people don’t have the time or discipline to workout long enough to keep up a diet of coffee, muffins, snacks from a vendor, sandwiches and chips, soda and a dinner out with co-workers or family.  Christy does not have me on a diet.  She hates that word!  Over the course of the challenge we have added good foods into my life and slowly the bad foods are being replaced.  So now I’m simple eating healthy and having foods that keep my energy up and not feeling stuffed anymore.  Do I still indulge in sweets or better yet cookies from time to time?  Sure, but they come from restaurants, stores and other places that use all organic ingredients and natural sweeteners.  Trust me, for a guy who lived on cookies, I have found the best organic and “better for you cookies” out there (as well as other yummy sweets).

With food, most days consist of five meals that are broken up into the usual breakfast, lunch and dinner with two snacks.  I have found that quinoa in the morning with a little Tamari, almonds and raisins is awesome, I love my post workout shakes and  home made salads are a man’s best friend.

That’s my quick overview of what I’ve been doing so far.  Keep reading as I go into the home stretch of the Sky Fit Challenge.  I’m all ready starting to make some long term goals after the challenge is over.  I would love to do an olympic distance triathlon and maybe tackle a marathon in 2010.  Those should keep me motivated for the future.