Binary Blogger Weight Loss Journey – Success From Focus

This is a blog of technology, reviews, and such but occasionally I write about myself. Bring a little humanity to the author and maintainer of this fine blog of knowledge and insights.

Over the past year I have focused on my own health and fitness making a hard pressed effort to change. Not a quick fix but a lifestyle change, an integration into my own daily routine. I can say today I have succeeded. There is still room to go and the challenge of maintenance but how far I have come I know the rest will not be as big of a challenge as it was when I started.

Let’s go back a year, early March of 2012. I switched companies and that life changing event was a good point to put the stake in the ground to mark it as Day 1. One year ago, March 3, 2012 I tipped the scales at 245lbs. Whoa. Years of neglect, mainly working in a career that has very little movement sitting behind monitors and servers. That excuse is no more for me.

I began mountain biking on a regular basis, posting my trips using the iOS app MapMyRide. Being an IT freak, social media is in my blood, so I thought it would be a good motivator to post all my workouts. Turns out that was a good motivator. It was also a huge help to track every workout because over time I could see physical progress as I was going farther distances, faster. I was also shedding weight.

Over the year I started going back to the gym and integrating running and some weights. Running then, and still is, my most hated exercise. Mainly I never really did it before and it killed me when I tried. But I worked on it and over time 1 mile turned into 2 then to 3 and last week I ran for 5 miles straight inside an hour. Not bad for not being a runner.

I am also able to get 20 miles on the stationary bike inside an hour as well.

Like most I got stagnant with my workouts and wasn’t losing the obvious fat I was still hanging on to. Then the holidays hit and didn’t fight it and let the workout schedule lapse a bit. 2013 came around and I got frustrated with myself and accepted that if I wanted to get where I needed to be I needed assistance. So I hired a Personal Trainer for 3 months to get me over the hump.

The first day I started he put me through an assessment that consisted of a full body scan and a series of exercises to baseline my performance. Then once a month we re-did the assessment and here is the data from Feb 12, 2013 to April 18, 2013.

Feb. 12, 2013
Body Fat: 22.5%
Weight:    214.9 lbs.
Waist:      36.5 in.
Hip:         43.6 in

Exercises – 1 minute to see how many reps can be done 
Standing Cable Squat Rows:   45 reps with 47.5 lbs.
Chest Pushups:    23 reps
Ab Crunches:      25 reps
Body Squats:       34 reps
Lat Pulldowns:    20 reps with 80 lbs.
Back Extensions: 25

===========
March 13, 2013
Body Fat: 20%
Weight:    206 lbs.
Waist:      34.5 in.
Hip:         43.1 in.

Exercises – 1 minute to see how many reps can be done 

Chest Pushups:    33 reps
Ab Crunches:      36 reps
Body Squats:       44 reps
Lat Pulldowns:    22 reps with 80 lbs.
Back Extensions: 46

The data doesn’t lie. Progress was made. Success was had and value was fully received. Now you may say I cheated by hiring a PT. But 1 hour a week training session did not do this. It educated me to be more focused about how I work out, all the muscles not just the legs, diet, habits, snacks, proteins, water intake. Slowly but surely my lifestyle changed not in a diet mode but as an adoption mode to weave these as a regular part of my life.

It worked. I have reaped many other benefits medically, physically, mentally, and every other positive outcome from this personal achievement. At the end of the day I proved to myself it could be done.

I am going to round up but losing 45 pounds feel pretty, pretty good. When I can say I lost 55, that will feel a little better.

People change for one of two reasons:
    1) They are motivated
    2) They are desperate

When it comes to your health and well being, don’t change because of #2.

End of Line.
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Binary Blogger
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Binary Blogger

Binary Blogger has spent 20 years in the Information Security space currently providing security solutions and evangelism to clients. From early web application programming, system administration, senior management to enterprise consulting I provide practical security analysis and solutions to help companies and individuals figure out HOW to be secure every day.

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