Weigh in #24

Hmmm.  This has been a puzzling week on the weight loss front.  I made some positive choices, and though I have already highlighted my struggles over the weekend I thought this week was generally very positive.  I purchased a couple of free weights and some other workout supplies to make working out even easier, including a workout mat for use in my apartment.  Now even if I cannot get to the workout room or out on the lake front I can so some crunches and curls in front of the TV.  I was able to get in 3 pretty decent workouts this week.  I did focus a bit more on weight based exercises than aerobic stuff this week, so muscle gain may explain some of the lackluster numbers.  I can actually see and feel a bit of a difference, so I don't think I am just rationalizing.  I may also be in the point on my personal cycle where I don't lose much that week.  I haven't seen a pattern, but I have had a few solid weeks in a row, so I was probably due for a week of lesser results.  Here are the numbers:

Current Weight: 338.8 lbs
Starting Weight: 440.2 lbs
Weight Loss This Week: 0.8 lbs
Weight Loss Total: 101.4 lbs

That is the lowest number I have seen since I started in January, but I still lost weight so this week was still a success.  When you consider that over the course of the week I drank the equivalent of a six pack of (non-light) beer and a few mixed drinks, not to mention a few deserts and sweets at parties, I did alright to lose weight at all.   Hopefully the work I did this week in the workout room will pay dividends in weeks to come by making my body a more efficient calorie burning machine.

Setting My Course

Thanks to all of you who submitted some goals for me to consider.  There were so many great ideas that I am sure before long I will have added most of them to my internal checklist, but a few really jumped out at me.  Star contributor, and great friend, Amy Vorpahl offered the idea of percentages.  I really like the idea of measuring how much of my original weight I have lost as a percentage.  As you saw from the last post I get a little geeked out by math stuff sometimes, so this one is right up my street.  The next two big percentage goals for me are 25% and 30%, which are 110.05 pounds lost and 132.06 pounds lost respectively.  I love having one that I am not too far from and one that is still a bit off to keep me motivated.  25% will be huge because it will also be 50% of my goal weight loss, a very big milestone.  That one is definitely on the list.

Another goal Amy offered is to build a new repertoire of monologues/songs.  As my type changes I will definitely need them.  I spoke in a previous post about my new monologue filing system, and part of why I did that was to categorize a new monologue into what I already had.  I have been learning a new song and a new audition monologue for the last couple of weeks, but I like making it a definitive goal and setting a number.  More on that to come.

Both Katie Canavan and Sara Jo Buffington talked about meal planning and trying to go a certain period of time using only home cooked food.  I really like that idea.  It is going to take some planning, so I will post when I am about to start my preparations and probably go for a week or so.

On the meal planning idea I had heard about a trend that struck me as a really good idea.  A lot of nutritionists, chefs, and various other food folks have offered the idea of "Meatless Mondays".  I think part of it is to encourage vegetarianism.  I think the human animal is intended to be omnivorous, and though I feel that animals should be treated as humanely as possible and try to buy to reflect that, I have no moral compunction against meat.  So, for those reasons I do not plan to become a vegetarian, nor do I think there is much value for me in vegetarianism full time.  I do eat meat far to frequently.  My breakfasts have been almost exclusively meat free, so I know I don't need meat to be satisfied, but I have always been compelled to include it to round out a meal.  My goal is this:  On Mondays I will make at least one of my main meals, either lunch or dinner and both when I can, meat free.  This will push my creativity in the kitchen and introduce me to new veggies and preparations.  This will also save me calories, save me some money, and probably improve my health.  I am going grocery shopping today, so this challenge will start this Monday and I will post pictures of my vegetarian meal/meals.

Well, I think that is enough to be going on with.  My standard goals remain:  Lose weight, make the best choice available, book a gig, do something as often as possible to improve my preparedness or skills as an actor.  These are just some extra incentives to keep my eyes on the ultimate prize.  Until next time.