Goals: July 2018
Weight Goals
I had a July 2 target weight of 267 lbs, and an actual weight of 266 (-32 lbs YTD).
My goal for August 6 is 262 lbs.
Diet Plan
My diet has been all over the place lately.
As I mentioned in the last update, I had been using my tighter budget to control junk food and snacking pretty tightly; but I made several trips for work and for fun that blew through the diet plan since the last update in May.
My general goal, though, is still to eat enough calories to support losing weight through exercise and strength training. I am still losing weight, but worried that I may be losing some muscle in the process. I’m looking forward to starting back on the whey protein shakes and other (more expensive) diet habits in the next few weeks, too.
Workout Plan
With no trainer, Christine and I are working out together every day after work. She thinks I’m a know-it-all … imagine that!
We are basically still doing push/pull/legs, but with emphasis on certain muscle groups within those each day (Back Heavy, Chest Heavy, etc.).
Fitness Goals
I completely flopped on the whole “step counting” thing in May/June. The step counter wasn’t being very fair about gym time, plus I had to move to a backup cell phone with an awful battery.
I also managed to jog a 5k from start to finish on a treadmill, with a time of 50:22. I currently need a treadmill to jog at a sustainable pace, which is about 3.8 mph.
I can now do pull-ups in sets of at least 8, with 111 lbs of assistance. I’m working to go down a level on the assistance every few weeks as I build strength and lose weight.
Challenges
I am doing some work travel to New Jersey the next couple of months, and the hotel gym is pretty weak (only a handful of dumbbells and a treadmill). I’m looking into some band exercises for Back and Legs for those trips.
I am dealing with some pretty bad leg pain these days, coming from my spastic diplegia. I realized a couple of months back that my right hamstrings still have limited flexibility, and that they weren’t contributing much at all to 2-leg strength exercises like the leg extension and leg curl. Now I do awkward one-leg versions of these exercises so that my right leg isn’t off the hook, but I think I’ll need some PT or orthopedic something-or-other to see any significant strength gains in my legs going forward. That is somewhat concerning.
I’ve been through PT sessions half a dozen times or so as an adult — they aren’t cheap, and they take up an incredible amount of time in self-paced exercises during and afterward (or else the muscles tighten back up within a few months). I have not had great success getting help from MDs/PCPs in this area either … most of them want to treat heel pain or hamstring pain in isolation instead of as a lifelong disability (“go see this podiatrist” vs. “go see this orthopedic specialist”), which is annoying.
Bye!
Thank you for reading — I’ll write again soon!
