wow… bad cardio week… i mean, terrible. lol At least I didn’t really gain anything but I didn’t knock off as much as I had hoped for. I lost pounds but not so much bodyfat. Bummer.

This week’s results:

237.4 @ 21.14% bodyfat ( -2.0 lbs -0.19% bf)

So, the results thus far:

START:  246.2 lbs @ 24.31% bodyfat
EOWK1: 245.4 lbs @ 23.46% bodyfat
EOWK2: 241.4 lbs @ 21.94% bodyfat
EOWK3: 239.4 lbs @ 21.33% bodyfat
EOWK4: 237.4 lbs @ 21.14% bodyfat

Month 1 Results:  8.8 lbs and 3.17% bodyfat lost

Well this week is back to the gym with weights again and the switched up routine to start off month 2. Hopefully I can get some better results in by the close of this week. This week was just silly. I definitely had enough cardio in and hit my burn marks but I think towards the end my eating habits fell apart which led to some less than ideal results on the bodyfat drop. At least I actually landed my weight goal and the math says I’ll still hit my goal by 4/3.

We shall see.

I’m going to hit a good number this week… even if I can’t roll out of bed next Sunday from being wore out, lol.

One of my all time favorite quotes:

“Computer games don’t affect kids, I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we’d all be running around in darkened rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive music.” – Marcus Brigstocke

Lol

Disclaimer: I can’t claim credit for finding this one… Carson found this one probably in his never ending quest to find the end of the internet.

wow… i mean, really… wow.

I can admit, I’ve seen some stupidity before, but this one really takes the cake. I seriously have to ponder if this kid will survive to adulthood. Evidently this kid, who posts up videos on YouTube, goes by the screen name ‘NextGenHacker101′… Personally that name makes me laugh in and of itself but pushing past that, I actually watched the video (posted below). ”NextGenHacker101″ goes on to explain how he’s going to show you an ip viewer than lets you see people’s connection speeds and such connected to a specific website. He goes on to explain this whole “cool” utility, etc.. etc.. and then goes to demonstrate…  

First off,  glancing at his desktop I had to stifle *some* laughter since he was instructing from Windows XP but pressing forward nearly choked on my drink as he prompted you to launch the command prompt ‘cmd’.  As the words left his mouth ‘Tracer-T’ I believe is where I completely lost all ability to maintain any composure. Seriously… if you’re going to “instruct” people on “cool tools” to view people’s connections, learn what the heck you’re talking about before making a complete idiot of yourself. *trace-rt* is short for “traceroute”… *rolls eyes*. I share this video so that you don’t actually need to go to YouTube and seek this confused individual out.

Could this tool be used in any shape or form for hacking? Sure. Could it be used the way this kid described it? Not at all.

For those of you that don’t know. The utility that this poor uninformed soul completely botched the explanation of is used to determine the route taken by packets across an IP network. It’s most often used for network troubleshooting and in no way could be used to show you who all is connected to a website or how fast their connection is.

So the end of week 3, beginning of week 4 results are in:

239.4 lbs @ 21.33% bodyfat

Not too shabby if I do say so myself. I hit my goal of 2lbs for the week and managed to drop the bodyfat down further.

Summary of results thus far:

START:  246.2 lbs @ 24.31% bodyfat
EOWK1: 245.4 lbs @ 23.46% bodyfat
EOWK2: 241.4 lbs @ 21.94% bodyfat
EOWK3: 239.4lbs @ 21.33% bodyfat

Total Weight Lost to date:     6.6 lbs
Total BodyFat Lost to date:  2.98%

So far for the year it’s looking pretty good. I upgraded my version of my tracking software at the beginning of the year so I don’t have last year end summaries anymore since I couldn’t retain that data with the software. Just looking at pictures though it’s pretty crazy. Amanda and I were comparing pictures of me last February to pictures from today and it’s amazing. I can’t wait to see the difference when April 4th rolls around.

It never fails…

You finish off a holiday season and you come back to chaos!

Actually it’s not that bad. It’s just been really busy since I got back to work. I had fully intended on writing this blog out a couple of weeks ago only to be delayed consistently with things going on. Anyway, on with the show…

I had mentioned prior to the new year posting up results and such on my latest rounds of working out with Andy. One of those ‘let the knowledge that others are watching drive you to complete the task at hand’ kind of things. Well, here I am. Granted we’ve been back on it for 3 weeks now but it’s never too late to start posting up the fun.

Before I get started on me, there are some funny observations to cover and some advice to hand out. Anyone who hits the gym on a regular basis will understand fully where I’m coming from here.

Do you ever notice how trying to hit the gym in January is like trying to go shopping on Black Friday? Not only is it completely impossible to work with your usual routine without constant interruption to your normal flow, but it’s usually interruption by the absolute worst perpetrator possible, the gym noob. Most of the time, these poor souls make desperate New Year resolutions to lose weight that only ends in their own disaster and embarassment. They seem to come into the gym and see everyone in there busting out workout routines that they have been doing for months and try to “fit in”. They only end up getting in the way or more often getting hurt. Seriously folks, you will experience first hand the EPIC FAIL that will end your resolution as quickly as you came up with it. You will not meet your goal, you will not lose weight and you will only get frustrated and continue to get larger if you rush into something for some stupid reason like a New Year’s resolution.

If you are truly concerned about your weight and would like to take steps to resolve those concerns, take some advice and do one of three things:

a) Get yourself a trainer, someone who can review your current fitness level and help you with a plan to meet your goals. This individual will be your gateway to a new, more fit lifestyle if you take to heart their advice and accept the structure they give you.

b) Get a workout buddy who has lots of experience and will help you start slow and ramp your way into a full blown routine. While this is not exactly using a trainer, if you have a friend who you feel can really help you, try it. If it doesn’t work, you can always choose another alternative.

c) Do some research. Don’t just show up at the gym expecting to dive right in and learn what to do by looking at what other people are doing. You will not figure it out the secret to weight loss and getting in shape. Go online, pick up a book, talk to people, etc… learn what it is you can do to meet your needs and create a routine that works for your fitness level and beyond. 

Most importantly, please go see a doctor if you have any health concerns.

Regardless of the method you choose remember two things when you are at the gym with other people around you. It’s not about the size of the weight you’re using or how fast you can move on a cardio machine. DO NOT get caught up in what everyone else is doing and try to ‘fit in’. You will fail. If you are weight training, pick a weight that works for you. It’s all about form and motion, not about how much you can lift. If anyone gives you a bad time for using a lighter weight or moving a little slow, ignore them. More than likely they will be the one to fail due to poor attitude and lack of intelligence in the first place and so long as you stay focused you can exceed even your own expectations when you come out on the other side.

Ok, enough with the advice column and on to my workout progress thus far.

Prior to heading out on vacation I had come close to hitting my previous goal of 230 (from 264). A little bit of a bummer but hey, I still lost 25 lbs coming in at 239 and hitting a bodyfat percentage of 19.83%. I can’t complain. Of course, like the holidays do, they added back some of that weight. I did pretty good considering all the fun stuff I ate and tallied in at 246.2 just prior to starting this latest round of working out. The more sad thing was having the bodyfat land at 24.31%. Oh well. That’s why I started another round.

So far so good, the results are as follows:

Week 1 -> 246.2 lbs/24.31% BF
Week 2 -> 245.4 lbs/23.46% BF
Week 3 -> 241.4 lbs/21.94% BF

I’m interested to see how this week will turn out, hopefully pretty decent but we’ll see. With a huge jump in week two I may be looking at something more modest this week. 2lbs/week is the goal though so as long as I stick to it, I should see 220 by April4th. It’s been hard to get in all the cardio I want but the drive is at least still there. I’ll actually post up some pictures when I hit the end of this round since it will give a good view of a year worth of changes. If that’s not something to motivate me to get this goal I don’t know what is, lol.

What lies beyond? Probably not much… lol 220 would more than likely put me back in a pair of 34’s with the rate I’ve been changing out fat for muscle so going beyond that may be futile. We’ll see though as I start to creep closer to my goal. Either way, 25 lbs down, 21.4 lbs to go.

I will be posting up the weekly results to keep myself in check. Even if they are bad. *shrug* it’s not like I’m on “The Biggest Loser” and have Jillian or Bob in my face about not hitting a good number in a week… I just want to post losses in the form of wins, no matter how big or small.

You know, there is a definite lack in this world of common courtesy. You would think as human beings we would gravitate towards being a little more aware of others as we evolve but alas, for as much whining and ranting about human rights and animal rights and not spanking your kids, the human race as a whole cannot seem to grasp a simple concept that could quite possibly even contribute to those very causes they feel so self important enough to rant and rave about.

Anyway, common courtesy… I’m not just talking about holding the door for someone who is walking in behind you or letting someone in while in morning traffic here. It goes far beyond that to the point I actually felt I needed to rant. Seriously folks, is it too much to ask that you flush a toilet when you leave a bathroom?

I can fully understand if you’re a germaphobe but if its that bad what are you doing in a public bathroom to begin with? When you are in that stall is it too hard to spend an extra two seconds to hit that lever? You could even kick it with your foot as you leave…

For real, people need to grow up. I’ve seen 3 year olds with better bathroom manners.

Shortly before we left for GA there was a mouse we had busted digging into some things in the garage. This little isolated incident turned into a huge mess in our absence adding to the phrase “while the cat’s away, the mice will play”. Seriously, it was like an army had moved into our garage while our house sat quiet for that week and a half.

My solution?

<evil streak>

… the most painful looking, horrific feeling device I could find for a mouse trap. It’s got teeth and all. PETA eat your f`n heart out!! So, I’m not completely without a heart though… I did buy one of those ultrasonic devices to ward off the little buggers. But in the mean time it’s open season on those rodents! So far the score is 1-9. Only one trap has been robbed of the bait but I do believe that crafty mouse bit the big one when he hit the next trap for some more peanut butter. We even got a two for one special with one…

So until they stop coming in, I’ll get excited every time I hear a “snap” or walk out to find another one bit the dust. >=D

</evil streak>

You know… it’s awesome that I work for a company that pays for my RTD pass. It saves me money on gas, parking and maintenance. I would never in a million years complain about that aspect but I tell ya… some of the people that ride seriously need a swift kick in the butt.

This is the second day in a row I have sat on a bus to witness someones negligence and plain stupidity that makes me wonder what could they have possibly been thinking. Yesterday there was something that looked like food on a seat beside me and today someone left a pair of socks hanging on the foot rests. Really?

I wish people would be more aware of the things they do. It would make it easier for those of us who are aware to be less judgmental and angry.

… idiots.

Well, it’s definitely been a crazy few weeks. Perhaps that’s even an understatement.

Kicking it all off, the family and I packed up and went down to Georgia for the holidays. Talk about a crazy jam packed trip. I think the entire family had a blast down there though. Arwen got to meet her cousin Chloe for the first time and those two hit it off. It pretty much kept her occupied a good chunk of the trip when she wasn’t riding around with the rest of us while I played tour guide for Amanda. Travis had a blast being the new baby in the group. Between my parents and my sister that kiddo was not lacking for attention. Amanda however I think had the most fun. Between seeing some sights and the food, I think she was a little sad to leave. To quote Amanda concerning the food she had down there, ‘I would weigh a ton if I lived here… literally a ton.’  She did however raid a few really good recipies from my mom so she’ll be sure to cook up some of those favorites here. Let’s hope she doesn’t go too nuts and I end up weighing a ton afterwards.

While I didn’t get to see everyone I had intended to see while down there it was definitely great to hang out with at least some of my friends again for a bit. We also did get a chance to catch a couple movies while down there as well. Yay for grandparents that will keep an eye on the kids while the parents escape for a couple hours here and there. So, I suffered through New Moon with Amanda. Ok, it wasn’t *that* bad. Although the commentary Randy and I carried on with during the movie made it all the better. We also went to see Avatar in IMAX 3D. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it, but my advice? Spend the extra few bucks on the IMAX version. It’s well worth it.

Aside from seeing family and friends for that first week, Christmas went really well, especially for the kids. They both made out like bandits. LOL Trying to pack everything to go home was a little bit of a challenge although the hardest challenge was rolling home with a head cold. It never fails to happen. I get a sinus flair up before I head down and coming back I’ve got one heck of a headcold. *shrug* Whaddya do? At least we did stop on the way back to rest before tackling the evil that is Kansas. To those that live there, I’m sure there are some very nice places there, but the I-70 corridor is forsaken by all that is good.

So home and sick… I pretty much slept for Thursday, barely made it through New Years, slept more and then subjected myself to snowboarding on Saturday. Powder=Good, Head cold and 23 degrees = BAD. I seriously thought my head was going to explode on the drive back home. It felt and sounded like my head was in a plastic bag squeezing in on my head. No fun but it was worth it. I so needed to get up there if only for a short time.

All in all though it’s been a pretty good few weeks. I am looking forward to returning to work tomorrow though. It should be an interesting week of catching up.

More to come…