A Myth Debunked

I didn’t think that the scales were very good to me this week. Even though I haven’t changed my eating habits this past week, I didn’t lose or gain any weight. I was a little disappointed but I am hoping that is just means that I’m gaining muscle and still losing fast. I have measured different parts of my body for the last month and a half and am losing an average of a half inch a week from my belly when measured around the belly button.

This past week I did run my longest distance but only by .02 miles (does that count?) but what makes it even better was that it was at my fastest pace ever. This past Saturday I ran 3.12 miles at a pace of 12:27 and on Sunday morning I ran 5.28 miles at a pace of 12:20. It felt great too!

Before my run on Sunday morning I posted on Facebook that I was wondering if it was worth getting up and putting out the effort. I got my answer at church later that morning. I got several compliments from my friends and that made me feel really good and knew that it was paying off.

I know you’re wondering by now about the title of my post. What could that possibly be about? It’s this: muscle weights more than fat. If you really read that it just doesn’t make any sense. A pound of muscle or fat both weigh a pound. The difference is that fat takes up more room than muscle. It’s like a pound of feathers takes up more room than a pound of lead but they both weigh the same. There are many things that we say that don’t make sense and my favorite of all time is “hot water heater”. It is really just a water heater because we don’t heat hot water.

Hope you all have a great week and thanks for stopping by.

How I Stay Motivated

Last Saturday I told you I was going to post about how I keep motivated. First off let me tell you, it is not easy. When I started on this journey back in October I had to make myself get up off my butt and go for my walk. Fortunately, during the month of October I was home every two or three days and it made it easy to go for my walk at home or at the park. When I wasn’t home I wanted to stay in the truck while I was getting loaded or unloaded and just sitting there and do nothing. After a few weeks it got easier to go ahead with my walk because I was feeling better. Also, my legs really hurt when I first started. I couldn’t walk a half mile without my calves burning and I wasn’t even walking very fast. Now I know that it was worth all the pain. I don’t mean to say that I don’t still feel pain because I do. It’s not really pain in the sense that it hurts but that I get tired and want to stop.

One of the things that keeps me motivated is how my body is changing. I posted a new picture on Facebook at the first of the year and a lot of my friends said that they could tell a difference in my appearance. One even said that I looked the same as I did in high school and wondered if I had a fountain of youth. I had to tell her that I didn’t. Not only have I changed in my face but when I look in the mirror from the waist up I can tell a difference then too. I’ve have taken inches off my belly and have slimmed up my arms and my legs.

Another thing is all of the runs in our general area. Some I will participate in and others I won’t but knowing that my first official run is coming up in April is enough to keep me motivated. I know that I can’t wait until the last month and start training. I have to do it now. I’m actually doing a training schedule for the Coca-Cola 10K that is going to be held in Corinth on May 7th. Right now 10K seems so far away but as I keep adding mileage on every two weeks I will get there and my endurance will be longer. I will be able to hang in there for the whole 6.2 miles. I guess I’m just throwing the 5K in there fun and to see what I have to look forward to in future events.

Reading other runner’s stories are very motivational for me too. When I see where they have come from and where they are today it make me want to do better. I want to be healthier, faster, and be able to run longer. Time and distance.

Last and certainly not least, are post on Facebook from some of my friends. When they were posting about the distance that that had run that day it made me want to get up and do it too. When Amy says she’s waiting for the start of a race, Chris post that he just completed a 5K on the treadmill, or when Koach post a running tip it motivates me. I went back and read a lot of the running tips and have applied some of them to my training because the guy knows what he’s talking about.

Thanks again for stopping and will probably see you again here in the next two or three days with my weigh in and thoughts on some of my activities.

Been a Great Week

Didn’t sleep as late as I thought I would this morning but woke up refreshed. It’s been a long week but I still found time to get in some workouts.

I think I’ve started out the year pretty good and I am going to keep the momentum going. As of today, it is only 91 days until the 5K in Jackson. I’m getting a little nervous about it as the date gets closer. I know that I’m going to be prepared but it doesn’t keep me from being nervous.

While I was on the road this week I was in Decatur, AL, and it was a beautiful day. I decided to get in a good run. I went running down the road next the the truck stop. I thought it was an industrial park but I was mistaken. Most of the time in an industrial park the roads are pretty flat but this was just a regular county road and it was hilly. I still enjoyed it and ended with 3.22 miles.

As you know, my weigh in for the week is something that I always look forward to doing. So after a good nights sleep last night, I got up this morning and stepped on the scale. I’m happy to say that I lost 3.6 pounds this week. This is more than I really expected and wanted but I will take it. That brings my total up to 27 pounds lost so far. I now have lost more weight than I have to lose.

Thanks for stopping. I will probably have another post this week with a subject matter that I’ve been thinking about this last week: How toI stay motivated? Hope to see you then.

Final Totals for 2010

I ended the year with my longest run to date of 5.10 miles. I was going for just four miles but when I got to the two mile mark I decided to go ahead and go the other half mile and then turn around and go back.

Here are my final totals for 2010:

Total Distance: 133.6 miles
Total Time: 35 hours, 58 minutes, 17 seconds
Total Weight Lost: 22 pounds

Just 100 more days

Today marks the 90th day since I started on this journey to live a more healthy life. It is also only 100 more days until I run in my first 5K.

It amazes me how far I've come since October 1. That was the day that I decided to get up and start walking and getting some exercise. It wore me out. I couldn't even walk a quarter mile without my legs burning like fire. Now I can walk/run a 5K in under 45 minutes and it feels good.

This past Monday I went to the gym and was going to stop at 3.1 miles but I was feeling so good after that I decided to go ahead and stay on the treadmill for the rest of the hour. I ended up walking/running 4.40 miles in 59:23.

I'm letting my legs get some much needed rest for the last couple of days but looking forward to finishing the year out with another long run.

As of this writing, I have covered 125.4 miles on my feet and it has only taken me 34 hours 4 minutes 36 seconds to do it. As I looked back over my logs the last couple of months, I discovered that I had walked/ran 5.7 more miles in December than I did in November. It didn't surprise me but what did surprise me was that it only took me about three and a half more minutes to cover that much more ground. I couldn't believe it!

Now that Christmas is over and the new year is approaching, I am happy to say that I did gain or lose any weight over the last few days. I didn't count calories but was mindful of what I was eating most of the time. Plus or minus zero pounds...I take it.

For all of you that have started and will be starting the C25K program, just keep at it. You can do it. You may have to repeat some days or weeks but it's worth it. Good luck!

Thanks for dropping by and will see you again soon.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

It's been almost two weeks since I have given you an update on how everything is going. I have been redesigning the blog and even have a meter that shows how much weight that I've currently lost. This meter is updated in real time so it will get the update before I write about it.

I've also renamed the blog from Losing It with Jeremy to Running with Jeremy. Although it will still be about losing weight it will deal more on running and how my training is coming along than with weight loss.


Now to what I've been doing the last couple of weeks. Mainly going to the gym and working out there instead of outside but I still enjoy the outside much more than being on the treadmill.

Last Wednesday I was over in Alabama and knew that I wasn't going to make it to the gym so I got my cold weather clothes on the went out and walked/ran 2.23 miles while it was 34 degrees.

On Saturday, the 18th, I went to the gym and walked/ran 4 miles. It did take me 55 minutes but looking back over my logs it was taking me longer than that to make it just over 3 miles.

On Sunday was when I did just lose my mind. I got up early because I had to leave out later in the morning and went out into the freezing weather. Twenty-five degree! I took me about a mile and a half to get really warmed up but the the other 1.8 miles was great. A total of 3.31 miles.

Today I got up and went for my walk in the late morning and got in 4.12 miles. It did take me a little longer to get the four miles but I wasn’t on a treadmill either. I was outside where there are a few hills. This was my farthest distance to date.

I also got up and weighed in this morning and my total weight loss is 21.2 pounds. I told my friend, Amy, about the 20 pounds and she told me that whenever I wanted to eat something bad just pick up a 20 pound bag of flour and run with it. No thanks!

Losing It #6

It’s time for another update and some tips for you.

As you may have noticed, I have moved these post to a different blog and have additional information on the right side. There you will find the number of miles that I have covered in the current week, month, and year along with my all-time total. These number are updated live when I get them entered. Currently, it looks like I have been slacking but I’ve been going to the gym and running on the treadmill and riding a stationary bike. I’m not a big fan of the treadmill but enjoy the bike. I would much rather be outside at the park or walking in my neighborhood but with the cold setting in I decided to start going to the gym.

As you know, I am counting calories and never skip breakfast. My typical breakfast is usually either cream of wheat with some milk to drink or a bowl of cereal. I like the Special K cereals the most but have tried others too. Sometimes it’s hard to get a good breakfast out on the road but I do sometimes eat either the cereal or an Egg McMuffin.

Now for my favorite part of my post. It’s fun watching the numbers go down on the scales on the mornings that I weigh and as of yesterday morning I am down a total of 18 pounds. I am lighter now than I have been in probably over ten years and it feels great.

That’s going to do me for now. Thanks for stopping.