Sept 1st - Weekly Weigh-In

By Sam Obsession — Aug 31, 2024

" Test is built into a Testimony "
- Anonymous

It's that time again! Let's get the ball rolling!

This Week's Weight Goal

Weight goal for this week was 201.24 lbs.

Last Week's Weight

Last week's weight was 204.40 lbs, the first weight gain & setback since I started the weight loss program.

By Monday morning, the scale showed 205 lbs.

So, this week, I was determined to get back on track.

I had 3 day-long fasts with some slight modifications.

In my typical day-long fasts, I only had coffee in the afternoon and remain hungry throughout the rest of the day.

I also went to bed hungry, which meant that my sleep wasn't usually great.

In this week's day-long fast, the strategy was to have as little calorie intake as possible without feeling hungry.

I had coffee in the afternoon or evening, depending on when I needed energy to carry me through the day.

At night before bedtime, I would have a protein shake or bar so I could sleep well as well as have energy for the next day's gym-time.

It seemed to work because my weight this week is

195.6 lbs!

Yay!

Officially, I lost 8.80 lbs; unofficially, 9.40 lbs.

The best part was that I didn't feel as hungry as during the previous fast; the process didn't feel like a real fast either.

My measurements were

Body weight: 195.60 lbs
Waist size: 35.75 inches
Body fat percentage: 22.9%
Body Mass Index: 27.3
Muscle Mass: 37.6%
Bone density: 7.4 lbs
Calorie maintenance: 2,957 kcal

Meaning

I'm back on track to complete the program.
Only 8.60 lbs left to go! I'm psyched!
While my abs are now visible, they're not washboard abs.

Week Activities

Monday

Woke up and went to the gym late; normally, I would have blown it off, but given last week's setback, I had to get into the gym as soon as possible.

Since I was already late, I focused on the exercises I needed:

15 mins on the elliptical machine
1 set of pull-ups (5 reps); I also completed another set of about 3 - 4 reps.
2 sets of hanging/swinging with a hollow body
2 set of flipping on the ring
1 set of push-ups (7 reps, levels 2 - 5)
3 sets of straight-arm hammer curl with a 10-lb dumbbell; a slow movement exercise while the weight is held for a few seconds overhead for strengthening some of the neglected shoulder muscles.
3 sets of lying-down-on-back chest fly with 5-lbs dumbbell on each hand; in this exercise, the weight is allowed to pull the shoulders apart as low as possible, stretching & strengthening the shoulder ligaments.
3 sets of standing forward bend pose holding a 25-lb dumbbell, stretching my lower back, glutes, and hamstrings.
4 sets of butterfly pose; holding the pose with 25-lb dumbbell on each thigh for 60 seconds and resting for 60 seconds afterwards.
2 sets of chest-to-wall handstands

Came home and got ready for work.

Started the day with walking on the pad (finally!)

Completed a few sets of chest-to-wall handstands and backbends throughout the day.

After work, took the kids for a quick walk around the lake.

Calorie-intake wise, I completed a day-long fast; I had some coffee (about 300 calories) late afternoon for extra energy for the rest of the day.

By bedtime, I also drank a protein shake to provide energy for tomorrow's gym time (and to provide me a sound sleep).

I forgot to wear my steps counter until I got back home from the gym; even with that blunder, I still crushed my base and stretch walking goals with over 21k steps.

Tuesday

Woke up and went to the gym.

Spent 10 mins on the elliptical machine.
Spent 3 sets hanging on the bar (with a hollow body)
3 sets of standing forward bend pose holding a 25-lb dumbbell
3 sets of horse stance, holding a 25-lb dumbbell
Spent about 15 mins on core exercises & full-body stretching

After those, I went for the main entree: swimming.

worked on my core in the pool
worked on my frog kicks
worked on my breath control
worked on my swimming stamina
worked on floating on my back; apparently, I can only float with my hands spread sideways; once my hands are by my head, I gradually start sinking.

I spent about 25 mins flapping around in the pool and it.was.great!

Came home, got ready for work and started the day on the walking pad.

Had some chai tea for additional energy.

Headstands and chest-to-wall handstands drills were completed over the course of the day.

After work, took the kids to the swimming pool for additional flapping around in the water; the kids always love it!

Finally broke my fast with some good, delicious dinner and ended the night with some nuts (to ensure I don't overindulge on the nuts, I take the single serving with me to bed and ate it in bed.....if I eat it in the living room, I'll definitely go for seconds as well as other snacks.).

Crushed the day's base and stretch walking goals with 25k steps!

Wednesday

Woke up and went to the gym; completed

20 mins on the elliptical machine (worked up some sweat)
1 set of pull-ups (8 reps)
1 set of push-ups (levels 2 - 5)
Multiple sets of bar hanging (so simple to do.....just hold onto the bar and hang on)
3 sets of standing forward bend pose holding a 25-lb dumbbell, stretching my lower back, glutes, and hamstrings.
3 sets of straight-arm hammer curl with a 10-lb dumbbell
3 sets of lying-down-on-back chest fly with 5-lbs dumbbell on each hand (I may need to increase the resistance because my hands are now touching/resting on the ground)
5 sets of butterfly pose; holding the pose with 25-lb dumbbell on each thigh for 60 seconds and resting for 60 seconds afterwards.
3 sets of horse stance, holding a 25-lb dumbbell
2 sets of chest-to-wall handstands

Maybe it was the large dinner and snack from last night, but I seemed to have some good energy this morning.

Seems that lack of wrist strength may be holding me back from a full handstand; so, I researched exercises for building wrist strength and came across these 4 exercises to add to my routine:

So, over the course of the day, I worked on the wrist strengthening drills as well as chest-to-wall handstands.

I also completed 1 set of push-ups.

Nutrition-wise, I decided to have a day-long fast again as I need my weight loss back on track.

So, all I had all day was some coffee and at bedtime, had a protein shake for energy for tomorrow's gym.

Thursday

Woke up and went to the gym.

Oh yeah, I was hungry; so, I had a protein bar before going to the gym.

At the gym, I completed

7 mins of elliptical machine
multiple sets of hanging on the bar
3 sets of standing forward bend pose holding a 25-lb dumbbell, stretching my lower back, glutes, and hamstrings.
core exercises and full-body stretches
2 sets of backbends (oh yeah...I can backbend now! :D)

Once done, I went swimming.

In the pool, I

completed some core exercises, using the water's weight as resistance
spent some time underwater with my eyes open, getting comfortable being under water
had multiple freestyle swims, the most of which was a 1.5 lap without resting; I need to work on my stamina
had multiple breast stroke swims, the most of which was a full lap without resting; I need to work on my stamina
had a couple of backstrokes
tried to swim upright (it's like a vertical breast stroke and with my face above the water.....this fat old guy was comfortably doing it on the next lane); however, my face kept bobbing in and out of the water. I will get better.

After spending about 30 mins in the water, I came home and prepared for work.

Started workday with walking on the pad as usual.

Throughout the day, I worked on my wrist strength and chest-to-wall handstands.

I was supposed to go for a walk today, but I skipped it for family time.

Broke my fast with some nuts and some delicious dinner; ended the night with some oranges and nuts snack before bedtime.

Exceeded base and stretch walking goals with almost 21k steps.

Friday

Woke up and went to the gym; this is a record as I haven't been to the gym for 5 consecutive days in probably 10+ years!

Spent 20 mins on the elliptical machine.

Afterwards, I kinda felt low energy; so, I took everything slow.

Hung on the bar several times, foregoing pull-ups.

Completed 2 sets of push-ups (only a subset of my usual push-ups)

Completed 3 sets of straight-arm hammer curl with a 10-lb dumbbell and 3 sets of lying-down-on-back chest fly with 5-lbs dumbbell on each hand.

3 sets of standing forward bend pose holding a 30-lb dumbbell, stretching my lower back, glutes, and hamstrings.

Finished with 3 sets of butterfly pose with a 25-lb dumbbell on each thigh.

Started workday on the walking pad, as usual.

During a break, I completed my middle splits and front splits training sessions; I also completed 2 sets of backbends and headstands.

I also completed multiple sets of wrist strength drills.

Nutrition-wise, I had a day-long fast, having coffee after work when I ran out of energy; around bedtime, I had a protein bar as I felt hungry and didn't want an interrupted sleep.

Conclusion

While my abs are visible, they are not washboard abs; I also don't think they will be washboard abs after losing the remaining 8.60 lbs.

So, there's a high probability of starting another weight-loss program after the conclusion of the current program; this program officially ends once I hit 187 lbs.

We'll see!