Allen Spruill's Daily Thoughts: Health and wellness

Fitness Update

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 07:13:47 GMT

Well, my 20/20 program is basically over. I just have a final checkup with the doctor and then I am done with the program. But that really doesn't change anything (except that I am done paying my share of the program costs). This was about getting a new outlook on exercise, diet, and overall fitness, and making that a permanent part of my life.

I am still working out 4-6 times a week, although that sometimes requires motivation I don't always feel. I am still using my trainer twice a week (and I just pay for that service myself now). Three days a week, I do strength training (weights) for legs, chest, back, arms, etc. And five days a week, I do cardio (treadmill, bike, stairs, etc.). Workouts are going well, and it has been pretty good since Christmas, despite my being very busy at work.

Diet is working out pretty well for me, although I have to watch that I don't abuse the freedom I now have. There are many things I used to eat a year ago, and I never eat those things now. My overall diet is a lot heathier. I just have to make smart choices, because it isn't like the first weeks of the program with a very limited set of things to choose from.

I am down to 239 pounds, for a total loss of just over 50 pounds. I have kind of been at a plateau for a couple of months, since around Thanksgiving. I am hoping to start losing again with a harder focus on workouts and diet. I still want to get down to around 190-200 pounds.

Well, that's the update for now. Have a great day!

20/20 Weeks Nineteen and Twenty

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 18:24:00 GMT

Here's a quick update on the past two weeks. Last week, I gained weight for the first time in the program. I gained 2.4 pounds. Actually, most people gain weight earlier than I did, and there are some causes so it is not a mystery - I missed a couple of exercise sessions so that's some calorie burn I missed. Alos, I was traveling so I was off my eating routine a little bit.

This week I got right back on my exercise and diet routine and I lost 3.8 pounds, for a total of 47 pounds lost so far. This is the last week of Phase I, which means I go from having the trainer 3 times a week to twice a week, and I see the dietician less often. Basically, I start to manage more of it myself, doing some of my weight program on my one, and eventually with a workout buddy. I will continue to lose weight until I get closer to my goal, which is 200 pounds.

20/20 Week Eighteen

Fri, 21 Oct 2005 07:57:55 GMT

Here's a quick update. Last week I lost 1.2 pounds, for a grand total of 45.6 pounds. Everything is still going well, and I am working on doing more exercise on my own, since my personal trainer sessions soon drop from 3/week to 2/week.

20/20 Week Seventeen

Mon, 17 Oct 2005 22:31:31 GMT

I am continuing to make good progress. I am up to 44.4 pounds lost, with 4.8 pounds lost during the past week. It is great to such such good progress continue after my break (trip to Italy). I am now half way to my weight goal, with my plan to go from 290 to 200.

20/20 Week Sixteen

Fri, 07 Oct 2005 03:24:07 GMT

It has been a while since I posted an update on my 20/20 program. I am continuing to make progress. I am up to 39.6 pounds lost, with 4.6 pounds lost during the past three weeks (including my trip to Italy). I am happy that I stayed healthy during my trip with all of the walking we did everyday (we were walking most every day from end of breakfast to start of dinner, plus usually an evening walk) and the healthier foods (more natural foods, fewer preservatives).

I have already bought new jeans once (going from size 44 previously to size 38/40). And it may be time to buy smaller jeans in a few more weeks.

My trainer has started me back strong on our workouts by doing muscle groups, so we do all chest exercises one day, all leg exercises another day, etc. So I am hurting like it is week 1 again, but that probably indicates good progress!

20/20 Week Ten

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 04:14:33 GMT

Well, it was another good week. I lost 4.8 pounds, for a total of 29.8 pounds so far. Last week was a little off, but this week was good again, and it is nice to see the progress. Progress is measured in a lot of ways besides the weight. I am eating healthier. I am not ashamed to tell people how much and what I ate today. I have more energy from the exercise and better diet. I have greater stamina and can do much more exercise than nine weeks ago.

20/20 Week Nine

Thu, 18 Aug 2005 04:50:54 GMT

Well, I'm nine weeks into the program. It's almost time for another doctor checkup and hopefully that will be lots of good news. I know that after 9 weeks, I am in much better shape, have more energy, more stamina in exercise, and am eating healthier. Oh and my pants are a lot looser :-) It may be time to buy some new jeans. Now that is a nice problem to have.

Last week, I only lost 0.4 pounds, so it was the smallest amount so far. But that may be just an effect of having lost 4.6 pounds the week prior. I will just keep on doing my program, exercising five times a week and eating healthy, and the results will continue to come.

20/20 Weeks Seven and Eight

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 03:59:42 GMT

I didn't post last week so this covers two weeks. I am making more progress. Last week, I lost 1.8 pounds. This week, I lost 4.6 pounds. So far, I have lost 24.6 pounds!

For food, I can now have grains, just bread/tortillas, etc, but it is nice. So now I can have a sandwich if I keep it healthy (mustard, not mayo; light cheese). Last week, I ate out for the first time, other than at the Pro Club where everything is healthy. It was nice to do that and get out to some new places.

I did a 5K run last weekend and did pretty well. I hurt my foot part of the way through, so I didn't jog all of the way, but I finished in 40 minutes, which is not bad. I'll look for another 5K race in a few weeks.

I attached a picture of me working out, courtesy of my trainer.

My Trainer

Sun, 31 Jul 2005 06:45:54 GMT

My trainer is quite a character. He did wrestling while in college and now is a personal trainer at the great gym where I am doing my program (http://www.proclub.com). He is into professional wrestling and actually wrestles himself in a small league. See http://www.pinnaclewrestling.com. As a wrestler, he goes by "The Ideal
Reflection” Christopher Ryseck (bio at http://www.pinnaclewrestling.com/bios/christopher_ryseck.html).

Seafair Torchlight 5K Run

Sun, 31 Jul 2005 06:42:48 GMT

Today I did the Seafair Torchlight 5K run. This is an afternoon run, and it was hot and sunny out - probably 80-85 degrees. It was a nice course where you went up onto the top level of the viaduct, a double decker freeway we have along the edge of the Seattle waterfront. You have great views of the ferries and boats and the sun coming down over the Olympic Mountains.

I was happy with my performance in the race. I finished in 38 minutes, six minutes quicker than in the race I ran early July.

I would like to run the 8K run next year. It takes a different route and goes up to the Seattle Center, near the Space Needle, and then down 4th Avenue past everyone waiting for the parade. On the same night as the run, we have the Torchlight Parade, a summer evening parade, and they usually have 300,000 people lining the route. So the 8K runners get to run the last half or so of the route and be cheered on by the people awaiting the parade.

20/20 Week Six

Sun, 31 Jul 2005 06:35:22 GMT

This post is a few days late, as I have been very busy with work and exercise. Last week I lost 1.2 pounds, for a total of 18 pounds so far. I was a little bit disappointed with the smaller number, but some weeks will be less. I just have to stay diligent at exercising 5 times a week and staying on my diet, and the results will come.

I can now have beans in my diet, and I will be able to add grains next week. So far, I am still enjoying my new diet, and I am enjoying finding new vegetables to try and new ways to prepare teh food. Today I was shopping at an arts fair and they have some food vendors. I bought some cool new spices and runs that I can try on my meat and vegetables. Yum!

20/20 Week Five

Thu, 21 Jul 2005 14:16:41 GMT

I am really seeing some good progress. I like that I can notice the difference, and so do other people. And the exercise is getting better. Even though it is tough work, I enjoy the challenge of jogging and working towards another 5K run.

Big Changes This Week:

I can now have most fruits, so that allows me some more options with meals and snacks.
I lost 4.2 more pounds last week, for a total of 17.0 pounds over four weeks!

20/20 Week Four

Thu, 14 Jul 2005 03:52:38 GMT

I am enjoying the program and making good progress. I am in the 4th week and things are moving along. I am seeing more endurance in my exercise, and I can jog longer distances. I plan to do two more 5K runs soon - one in three weeks and another a week later. I did my first work with free weights today and that was an interesting experience.

Big Changes:

I can now have cheese, so I can have most dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt).
I lost 2.2 more pounds last week, for a total of 12.8 pounds over three weeks!

20/20 Week Three

Thu, 07 Jul 2005 05:37:55 GMT

I am continuing to make good progress. I did the 5K run earlier this week and enjoyed that. 5K is about 3 miles and I completed it in 45 minutes. I plan to enter another race in a few weeks and challenge myself to make a better time and have better stamina.

I met with my dietician tonight and more good news:

I can now have some dairy products. My options are getting better and I am enjoying the challenge to find healthy recipes and cook good foods for me.
I continue to lose weight. Between Wed 6/29 and Wed 7/6, I have lost 4 more pounds!

20/20 Week Two

Thu, 30 Jun 2005 07:03:23 GMT

I am making good progress in the program. I can tell that I am getting stronger with the exercie program (lots of cardio and weights). I am going to do a 5K walk this weekend - I will walk/jog the course.

I met with my dietician tonight and two pieces of good news:

I can now have vegetables. This means I can have salad (with low fat dressing of course), vegetables with proteins, etc. There are lots of options.
I am losing weight. Between Wed 6/22 and Wed 6/29, I have lost 6.6 pounds!

20/20 Week One

Mon, 27 Jun 2005 19:01:56 GMT

I started the 20/20 program last week. This is a program to help improve my health and fitness and lose weight. The program approaches the problem from the point of view of exercise, diet, and psychology (habits, support groups). I started with a weight of 290 lbs.

Well, week one of 20/20 has come to a close. Mon 6/20 I started the program. Last week I worked out with the trainer for three sessions. I also did one exercise session on my own. Each trainer session starts with cardio warm-up on the bike, while I watch a 10-15 min vide with lots of good 20/20 program and nutrition information.

After warm-up, we usually do 20 minutes of internse cardio, on one of the many machines. The elliptical and stair machines are especially difficult. Following the cardio, we do weights, then abs and stretching.

I am making progress as we get going with the exercise. It is hard work and I do get tired. But I can see some progress even in just the one week I am doing this so far.

I also met the dietician and started week 1 of the new diet. My new diet started on Thur 6/23. It consists of eating five times a day - breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner. Each time I have a protein shake with some berries. At lunch and dinner, I can have 6 oz of lean meat (like chicken or fish). The shakes are not bad, but it does get monotonous. The Pro Club restaurant also has a few extra options, such as muffins made from the same shake mix, and the muffins are pretty good and offer some variety.

So now I'm starting week 2 of exercise and winding up week 1 of the diet. I am looking forard to this Wednesday's dietician appointment, when I expect she will allow me to eat some vegetables starting this coming Thursday.