Back On Track... Primmer checks in...

~Primmer takes on the holidays... and proves he's human

Christmas season is never a good time to be trying to lose weight. There is food everywhere and there are always Christmas dinners to be eaten. So I can't say that I have been doing very good.

After the injury I took a bit of a hiatus to rest up, and I have put on some pounds from all the Christmas food. I haven't been eating any sugars still, but I have been eating a lot of food. My appetite has caught up with me and I am always hungry. I don't necessarily stuff my face till I'm full, just satisfied.

That being said I have gained around 5 lbs since week 7 so I'm back up to around 230. I don't necessarily feel good about it, but I'm not going to let it get me down. I will just hit the weights and start working out again on a regular basis.

So goodbye to crummy weeks 7,8 & 9. Bring on the second half of my schedule and we'll see what the new year will bring me.
 
Happy Holidays!

Checking In On Primmer...

Before we get to our resident male's weekly check in... let's take a look at his progress so far.


Here's Primmer before his quest.



And about a month in to it.

 Now.... let's see how his journey is going...


So week 7 was not a great week for me. I went running around Lafortune park and afterwards my left Achilles tendon really hurt. I guess I'm not used to running outside. I fractured that ankle when I was in 8th grade playing baseball and it's never been the same. So that put me out for this week. \

The good news is that I only gained a couple of pounds, so I'm not too far off track.


My eating habits are still doing good, no sugars and I still eat a lot of tuna. So that part is still good for me.

So week 7 was kinda a wash, so hopefully week 8 will be better. I might try and ease back into it since my ankle still kinda hurts and I don't want to hurt myself too bad.

I'm a big believer in not pushing yourself harder than your body will allow, even if that means taking a couple steps back. Eventually you'll be able to take a lot of steps forward in the future.

Let's see where week 8 takes me.

Primmer Checks In...

So week 6 was a good week. I finished the week 5 lbs lighter to end up at 223. I feel good. I have been running a lot and hitting the weights continuously.


My eating habits are doing good, still no sugar and no fast food. The only thing I get sometimes is Subway, but never a whole lot. I have been eating the same old and feeling good about it.

I might try running around LaFortune next week and see how that goes. I prefer running outside but the treadmill at my apt complex is so easy to get to, plus they have weights. I'll run it and let you know how it goes.

6 weeks in and I am feeling good. 22 lbs lighter, 43 to go and 14 weeks to get there. I'm feeling good, I just hope nothing goes wrong to throw me off track. Bring it on week 7!

The Incredible Shrinking Primmer

~Primmer's still going strong.

This week was a good week. After the plateau I feel really good. I upped everything from distance ran to reps and weights. I ran 2 more miles in the week than last, and did 4 reps of each thing. I only lost 3 lbs in week 5 but I hit my average and I'm hitting it hard.
Still going strong with no sugars or sweets, and I have been eating my normal meals. Protein powder, tuna, wheat thins...you know the norm. I did go eat some sushi and I love sushi so much I ate 3 rolls and I know that hindered me a little, but at least it was good for me.

The big problem I always notice early on is that the weight kinda goes up and down. I think it has something to do with building muscle and losing weight at the same time. Since muscle weighs more than fat, the more I build the less I will notice an actual weight loss until a little farther along.

But I don't get discouraged because I know that what I am doing is working and it's just a matter of time before those 2 lines intersect and I start noticing a huge weight loss. Which is what I am hoping for in week 6.

Now,  I have lost a total of 17 lbs so far (finally broke into the 220's), now at 228, and only 48 lbs left with about 15 weeks to do it in.

Week 6 should be a good one, hang onto your hats cause I am blowing it up in week 6...Look out!

Primmer Does The Unthinkable

~Primmer has done something I've never done.  I don't think I could ever do it.. I mean he skipped cake.  Seriously.  Read on.

So the plateau worked perfectly. It was a good week for it too. I was only able to work out 5 out of the 7 days this week. I only lost 1 lbs that week but I feel ready for week 5 now. It was a good break and I feel my body was able to catch up and I feel confident that week 5 will produce great results. I ran 1 mile less this week, and I worked out a little less time wise (mostly because of losing 1 day).

Eating habits are pretty much the same as weeks previous. No sugar still, and I even went to a wedding reception and didn't have any cake. I have started to add some Babybel cheese wheels and fresh walnuts to my diet so I can eat a total of 5 times a day. I keep the serving down to 1 serving size to keep calories down and try to boost my metabolism.

I'm really excited for week 5. I plan to up my daily run to 1.75 miles, and boosts to my reps in weight training. Not a whole lot of update this week, but with the self-made plateau, that was the plan.
 
So get ready week 5, cause I'm comin' with a vengeance
 
~His discipline kills me in a good way.

Primmer's Platueau

Our weekly update from Primmer offers some insight into workout plateaus... and taking control.
~

Alright, I got another week behind me and I still feel great. I wasn't feeling as good early in the week, and I didn't feel like I was getting anywhere. But as the week went on I could really feel progress. I ended the week 4 lbs lighter than I started it so now I feel awesome.

I want to talk a little about hitting the wall. Sometimes I know that around week 4 or 5, it seems like I hit a plateau, where I don't feel like I am making any progress, and just spinning my tires. But... I have a little solution for that.

I say you should make your own plateau. Take a proactive stance and level yourself off, just for one week. Don't up any weights, don't run extra miles, don't work out any longer than you did the previous week. It will help you build a little confidence going into the next week, and will help you continue on your pace. I say do this every 4-5 weeks of training... giving your body time to acclimate to what you are doing, and by taking control of the situation you won't feel as down about it. But once the following week hits, then up it all in small amounts and you will feel great.
This week I ran 2.5 more miles total in the week, and worked out almost 100 minutes longer too. I did more reps of everything and mixed in some push-ups, instead of always using the machine. I ran 1.5 miles each day, and as always on the last quarter mile, I also upped my mph by half a mile to finish out the run. I then walk at least a mile after that, and then hit the elliptical machine for 30 minutes. Then every other day I hit the weights.

My eating habits are doing good. Still no sweets, and always eating tuna (I can't help it, I love the stuff). Protein powder in the morning within 45 minutes of working out, and then a banana for a snack later in the day, and then 2 cans of tuna at night with 12 wheat thins. That gives me a lot of protein and enough carbs to carry it to my muscles. But I also always take a multi-vitamin every day, I think it's important.

So I am 13 lbs lighter and only 52 lbs to go. Hopefully I can break into the 220's this week and keep the momentum up, especially while creating my own plateau.

Eating Healthy at Hooter's

Time for another installment of Primmer's Quest to be tuxedo slim by his March wedding... he's making some serious headway.. but hit a few walls this week.
~
Week 2 is now under my belt and I'm still doing good. I only lost 3 pounds this week, but it put my total up to 9 lbs, so I'm still moving in the right direction.


The only hard part was during elections. The reporter I was working with and I went to Hooters for dinner (it was right next to our hotel), not my first choice of places, but considering there was a Sonic next to that, and that the only option, that was the best choice.

I was able to find something good to eat to stay in line with my new habits, a philly cheese steak with chicken instead of beef and I didn't eat the bread. It was good and I felt good afterwords, no regrets.

I am was a little discouraged by only losing 3 lbs this week, but I have done this before and I know I always seem to lose more in the first week than the second or third. Especially when I am trying to build muscle, my muscles will grow in accordance with my weight loss and I won't notice a difference in weight until about the 4th week. But some of my clothes fit better and I feel good, so that is a better indication than the scale.

My eating habits have been the same and I feel really good. I haven't had any sweets, even though Halloween provided a lot of candy around work.

I have had a dark chocolate covered frozen banana, and that was really good and hit the spot. The dark chocolate is so much better than the milk chocolate, and the banana is very healthy. A tasty and healthy alternative to ice cream, and other sugary sweets.

Even though I have been getting up at 6 in the morning to work out, I feel like I have a lot of energy throughout the day. I have been hitting the weights a little more and I upped my daily run mileage to 1.25 miles and on the last day I ran 1.5 miles. I can really tell a difference already but I know I have a long way to go and I just need to keep a nice steady pace and I will hit the finish line ahead of schedule.

9 pounds off and 56 left to go, and 18 weeks left to do it. So far so good, bring on week 3!
 
~Primmer totally makes me feel like a schlep.

Update!  Here's the Primster Before... photo by Taylor Lumsden.

The Male Perspective

I know you all love to read about me bitching and whining about working out and eating right... but ladies aren't the only ones fighting the battle of the bulge.

So, when I talked to my friend Aaron Primmer about his fight to lose weight before his upcoming wedding... I had an idea.  Seriously, you could see a light bulb go on over my head. 

Here is Aaron's story:
I am 28-years old and have reached the second highest weight of my life.. 245 lbs.

I have always been plagued by weight since I was 7. It is always easy for me to gain, but takes a lot of work to lose it. I have lost over 60 pounds on two different occasions and I hope this will be the third and final time. I am getting in shape for my wedding in March... and hopefully for the rest of my life.

WEEK 1
It is tough to get out of bed at 7 in morning, but the treadmill is a calling. The first week I only run 1 mile each day I workout and cool down by walking at least a half mile. Then, I usually get on the elliptical machine and do another 30 minutes, trying to keep my heart rate under 135 bps to help maximize my weight loss potential (Luckily my apt complex gym has a TV and no one is there so I watch CNN or ESPN, whichever I feel like).

After I get done with that I will go over and do some weight work. I work on my pecs, my back, biceps and my abs. I think the first week you have to start off easy and I don't want to burn out too quick, so I lift lighter amounts but do at least 50 reps of each thing.

My eating habits are always hard to control. I want so badly to come home from work at night and eat a pb&j sandwich or something sweet... I think I need to sometimes. But I know I shouldn't, so I have stopped eating anything after I get home from work. Instead I eat during the day and cut myself off after I finish the lunch I bring to work.

I have cut out all sugars, except for those in fruits and vegetables, and have cut out most of my empty carbs. I still eat some bread (whole wheat), and wheat thins. Luckily, I enjoy tuna a lot and it is a great source of protein. I can eat 2 cans in one sitting and get over 60 grams of protein. I try to intake at least 100g of protein a day, to maximize my muscle building abilities. I have also been supplementing protein shakes into my diet, the chocolate one of course, it satisfies my sweet tooth. I mix it with milk and 2 scoops and can gain over 60g of protein and get my calcium in.

I think it is also important to keep track of my endeavors. I made an excel spreadsheet that I use to keep track of my workout time, distance ran, distance walked, and weekly weights. I think this helps keep you more accountable, and to see the progress that I make. I also only weigh myself once a week, so I don't get caught up in the day to day number. I can just focus on my workout.

So far it has gone great! I have been hitting it hard and in the first week I have already lost 6 lbs, and can feel my muscles starting to take shape. I will gradually work my way up to 1.25 miles a day and increase my workout to 90 minutes each time. All I have to do is keep telling myself I can do it and it will be done.

Next week I won't be long winded, but I had to get the back story and basics out of the way.

~Dudes, Aaron is hardcore with his excel sheets and special formulas.  Hope you're all as excited as I am to see his progress!