Podcast Episode #9: Goals and Goal Setting

Here's another quick update and some thoughts about goals and goal setting.

Download the MP3

Explanation of SMART Goals

SPECIFIC
MEASURABLE
ATTAINABLE
REALISTIC
TIMELY

more notes to come

223

still holding at 223 pounds

this week it's been incredibly cold here, and i've been incredibly busy with work (and preparations for the holidays) - so i haven't made time to exercise at all

this leaves me with 5 pounds to make goal weight, and i suspect now that i might not get there by the end of 2010

if that turns out to be the case, i'll be a bit disappointed, but there's still a lot to be happy with in my progress

1) i've lost nearly 20 pounds since july - i feel a lot more comfortable in my clothes, i have a lot more energy, and confidence that i can continue to get fitter

2) the slower weight comes off, the more likely it will stay off

3) stress test and such came back showing no problems, and, in fact, a surprisingly decent level of fitness

4) i've begun to develop the habit of regular exercise again - it's unlikely that i'll be tempted to sink back into couch potato status now - i actually miss running this week

i'll have another podcast update out before long - keep an eye out for it

cold weather

this morning i debated on whether to run outside or not - i've had some sinus problems, it's below freezing out, and i just wasn't sure whether i wanted to face the cold

i considered what i might do instead - the exercise bike is not a good option for me - even a hard workout on the bike doesn't get my heart rate up where it needs to be - i can burn three or four times as many calories on a 45 minute run as i can in 45 minutes on the bike

i thought about the nordic track ski machine, but decided that the first time back on it ought to be an off day workout to make sure it's not the same deal as the bike - closing in on my weight goal in the next 28 days i really don't have a single workout to waste

then i considered going to the y and running on the track there - although that will probably be my best option when it's REALLY cold out, it just didn't seem very appealing

so i threw on an extra zippered hoodie over my regular cold day gear and hit the streets for what turned out to be a nice little run

i had to plan the route a bit to make sure i'd have my back to the breeze on the return, but i'm glad i got outside - the air was so fresh - there was a bit of ice on the streets along part of the route, but nothing that couldn't be avoided - and there were just a few snow flurries on the way back in - all in all, a beautiful winter morning

back in the swing

had a nice little run this morning

sub-15 splits throughout - around 12 minutes for the first mile

and since i didn't weigh in yesterday, i did this morning - 224.6 - so i'm still less than 7 pounds from my first goal weight

not going to be easy, but i may hit it before the end of 2010 after all

112310 - Podcast Episode #8: Drumroll, Please

Thanksgiving is only two days away. Did I make my goal weight or not? Listen to the latest Podcast episode to find out.

Click here for the MP3 Download.

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Progress (Or Not)

i've actually gained a couple pounds since the last log here - inactivity because of health stuff (and snacking, because i am weak and lack character)

stress test tomorrow morning - labs on friday - if everything turns out okay, i'll get back in the swing of things

i did get a nice run in this morning - first mile was a little over 12 minutes

prolly won't make goal by next week at this point, but will keep at it until i do

slow, but sure

lost weekend

this has nothing to do with the movie of that title

weekends are the time i usually get an extra leisurely run (or two) in

unfortunately, this weekend i had a miserable sinus cold, and on top of that i started experiencing some very strange heart palpitations on saturday - they continued on through the weekend

at this point, i'm actually afraid to get out and run until i get in to see my doctor - who knows how long it will take to get an appointment

it's depressing that this is threatening to derail my efforts to lose those last 6 pounds before thanksgiving

i am going to do my best to get a long walk in today at least, and will try to observe my points limit this week as well - may not be blogging much until there's something new to report

struggling this week

election activities and a general funk in their wake have sidelined me most of the week

felt good to get out and run this morning

coffee and a banana so far - will grab some toast and tomato juice in a bit - going very light today and tomorrow

224

down to 224 pounds this morning after a nice little run

feeling much better about the likelihood of hitting my first goal weight on schedule now

102910

starting the day with coffee (splenda this time) before my morning run

131/74 - 50 @8:01 am

usual supplements and meds today

had a nice run - though it was extremely chilly (in the mid 20s when i started)



wore the old wool hat for the first time this year

not my "official" weigh-in for the week (which will be tomorrow morning), but down to 226.2 this morning
---------------------
breakfast:
1/2 cup all bran with 1/2 cup skim milk - 2 points
banana - 2 points
22 points left for the day
--------------------
decided to go very light for lunch today - so i picked up some pre-packaged salads and fat-free dressing - we'll see if that's enough to keep me satisfied

0 points for the salad
1/2 cup cottage cheese - 2 points
tomato juice - 1 point

19 points left for the day
-------------------
snack of carrots and 1/2 serving of triscuits - 1 point

18 left
------------------
not sure of the actual point value of supper (tuna/noodle casserole) - but confident that i'm under points

102810 - D Day

"d" for "diet"

at my current weight, i would get 28 points per day, plus 35 bonus points each week

but i'm on the low end of that weight range - just a couple pounds away from the 26 point target, so i'm going to try to go with that

i also need to get at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, 2 servings of dairy and a little healthy oil - plus 6 glasses of water

--------------

supplements - 4 fiber smart, 1500 glucosamine, 1000 iu of vitamin d, 1 phytomega

meds - 80 mg diovan (mid-morning), 82 aspirin (before bed)

--------------

large glass of water first thing in the morning

breakfast:
coffee with sugar - 3 points (bad choice!)
1/2 cup all bran with 1/2 cup skim milk - 2 points
banana - 2 points

bp 119/73 hr 52 @ 7:46 am

19 points left for the day

--------------

tomato juice - 1 point
slice of papa john's original crust cheese pizza - 6 points
more water

12 points left

--------------

doing well with the water today
this is the point in the day where i would normally dive in to the crackers and cheese
so i think i'll grab some carrots and celery or something

--------------

cruised through the evening with a salad, a couple of martinis and some popcorn to land with 26 points for the day - really wasn't bad, although i would probably feel more satisfied if i'd had some protein with the salad -  we'll see how i sleep tonight and how things seem tomorrow

i'm just glad that i didn't compromise this first day

102710 - Podcast Episode #7: A Time To Diet

I have about 9 more pounds to lose between now and Thanksgiving to hit my first goal weight, so I've got to concentrate on diet as well as exercise. Here's what I plan to do.

Listen to the MP3.

You can see my workouts at Endomondo and follow my activities on Twitter.

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Keep your eyes on this site to follow the progress toward my "fitter by Thanksgiving" goal weight.

100410 - Podcast Episode #6: Perseverance

This time around I relate progress over the last month. I finally got under 230 pounds, and am getting a little faster in my roadwork.

Here's the MP3.

You can see my workouts at Endomondo.

The Cooper Test

My Garmin Fitness Watch

082810 - Podcast Episode #5: Disappointment

had a disappointing weigh-in this morning after my run

i'd actually gained weight (back up to 234)

a quick episode where i talk about the attitude i chose in response

download it here

today's workout is here

workout playlist:

• verbum domini 082710
• verbum domini 082810
• writer's almanac 082710
• writer's almanac 082810
• this week at nasa
• nyt front page
• nyt book review

081910

didn't have a chance to post on tuesday, but i did get a nice 5k in - very cool and pleasant that morning - listened to the latest from tim and michele

this morning i used pretty much the same route - quite a little slower this time

playlist was verbum domini, father kevin's homily, the writer's almanac and neil dixon's minor technicality (a really interesting episode about wild food)

still on track to get down to 230 by saturday's weigh-in

125/67 - 62 @8:59 am

i'm considering doing a cleanse of some sort before long here - i did one last year and it seemed to help with energy level and general sense of well-being

081610

124/72 - 61 @2:37 PM

got a nice two-mile walk in yesterday with the girls and @meesterdog, and a mile in this morning after taking the little one to school

will run again tomorrow is all goes well

playlist from this morning:

• verbum domini 081610
• writer's almanac 081610
• npr sunday puzzle 081510
• newshour interview with charles peters on new lbj book

081410

saturday morning weigh in: 233.6

116/67 - 69 @10:32 AM

yay

nice little run this morning

see it on endomondo

playlist:

• verbum domini 081410
• writer's almanac 081410
• cbs world news roundup 081310
• nasa cast this week at nasa 081310
• bbc from our own correspondent 081410

making some progress...

081210

had a decent little run this morning - awfully hot out there - up in the 80s and very humid already

here's the playlist

• verbum domini 081210
• writer's almanac 081210
• robert reich commentary 081110
• nyt front page 081210
• cbs world news roundup 081110
• five hundy by midnight 266

 tim and michele from five hundy crack me up - still one of my very favorite podcasts after all these years

i'm going to pay better attention to my diet these next few days - it's kind of gone to pot this week - we were on the road a lot because of a death in the family, eating on the run, etc.

thinking about sprucing up this weblog a bit at some point - maybe a change in theme or perhaps moving it over to wordpress - we'll see

080810 - New Podcast Episode

My pal Greg from Australia got in touch about these podcasts, so I decided to start doing them again.

This episode recorded on my front porch, complete with cicadas.

Click here for the download.

Links:

Endomondo

Garmin Forerunner 110 With Heart Monitor

080710

i've been keeping track of what i listen to during roadwork over on noebie.net - may move those posts over here at some point

weighed in this morning at 236.6 - nearly 6 pounds lost over these past four weeks of running without much modification to my diet

i've logged nearly 40 miles so far

i think i'll start podcasting again fairly soon about this stuff

it's odd that i finally seem to be getting in the swing of things after so many stutter starts - not sure what is making the difference

072910

had a nice little run this morning



was under 240 pounds again when i stepped on the scales, so maybe this stuff is working

got a nice email from a pal (and listener) in australia who had just discovered the old podcasts i did - that's encouraged me to think about starting them back up again as time allows.

072610

i've been running now several days a week for two weeks

was down to 240 pounds this morning when i stepped on the scales

still taking the lowest dose of diovan, along with my other supplements

a little over 21 miles in so far altogether - longest run yet this morning at 3 1/3 miles - had to walk some toward the end

it's not easy to make time for this stuff, so i'm happy that i've stuck with it so far

041610

129/72 - 71 1:06 pm awhile after a walk

weight 242.2

80 mg diovan
1 glucosamine
4 fibersmart
vitamin d
fish oil

trying to get back into a healthy routine (yet again)

had hernia surgery a few weeks ago - recovering nicely from that

i've taken a walk with the dog every day this week - going about a mile and a quarter each day

feels good to have been consistent with it for the entire week


breakfast:
tomato juice, whole wheat toast with promise light (2 slices), coffee with raw sugar (2 cups today)

lunch:
all bran with skim milk

going to try to get back into the routine of logging all this