Days Left: 15

It was really hard to stick to the diet once the original excitement of starting the challenge wore off. I fell off the wagon several times in February. Now that I am used to it, it isn’t too bad really. Regular food seems to taste better. I looked back in Daily Burn to see what a typical day has been like. It looks about like this:

8:30am
3/4 C Kashi Go Lean cereal
1/2 C skim milk
1 egg (hard boiled just because I can prepare a lot at once) 
1 serving of fruit

10:30am
1 vanilla protein shake (after awhile without junk food these start tasting like ice cream)

12:30pm
4 oz chicken breast (pico and adobo seasoning, marinara, or whatever) 1 large salad
1 serving of fruit

2:30pm

1 small banana
1/4 C cottage cheese
6-10 almonds

4:30pm
1 chocolate protein shake

6:30pm
Beef tenderloin, salmon, shrimp, something like that
Sautéed mushrooms
Asparagus or broccoli
Sometimes a salad too

If I still feel hungry I will have another banana and some more cottage cheese.

Total Calories: 1618
Protein: 101g
Carbs: 195g
Fat: 47g

Days Left: 16

The nice thing about having 12 weeks to lose 10-20 pounds is that I am not on any ridiculously strict diet. Recognize the diet in the photo? Forget that! For me, no major food groups are restricted. I eat high protein and go easy on the bread but carbs are not off limits. I do try to eat them more in the morning and get most from fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds. I eat a lot of black beans, pinto beans, bananas and almonds. Like most diets I stay away from real junky food like sweets and anything deep fried. But a free day once a week means even that stuff is not totally off limits. Interestingly, this far into the challenge that stuff doesn’t sound as good as it used to.

Days Left: 17

I am under 140!  It is the first time in a very long time. I am getting so close to taking out the bin full of clothes to see if they fit. Not yet though. I have 17 days left and only two pounds to go. My original goal was to lose 20 pounds which would put me at 137. But I knew if I got to this point I would really be shooting for 135. If I can stay on track I should have no problem getting there. It is hard to believe I am so close. Just a few months ago the end seemed so far away that I really wasn’t sure if I could make it. Now that I am so close I have no doubts.

WEEKLY WEIGH-IN:
Starting: 157
Last week: 141
Today: 139
Goal: 137 –> no –> 135

Days Left: 19

This morning I am going to climb Mount Sanitas to get a little variety in my work outs. It is a 3 mile loop with an elevation gain of 1255 ft that starts right in Boulder. I really like this hike because of the great views you experience along the way but it can be a little crowded which is why I am starting so early. It is only 35 degrees outside right now but it is supposed to warm up and be sunny so it should be a good hike.

Days Left: 20

Today’s CrossFit Workout:
Thrusters with 65# (95# for boys) 
Do 1 thruster during minute 1
Do 2 thrusters during minute 2
Do 3 thrusters during minute 3 …

The goal is to keep going until you can’t finish the number of thrusters required in that minute. It started off easy but got a lot harder as the reps increased and the rest decreased. In minute 12 my arms and legs quit. After 11 thrusters I dropped the bar and didn’t pick it up in time to finish the last one. Bummer. Another guy wanted 15 but didn’t think he could make it. After having rested a couple minutes, me and another guy picked our bars back up and did the last set to help motivate him to finish. So while I ended up doing about 90 in 15 minutes that guy did 120!

Days Left: 21

With only 21 days left of the before and after photo competition I am really going to concentrate on that goal over the next couple weeks. It is the only New Year’s Resolutions I made that has a real deadline aside from one I assigned so I need to put it first.

Today’s CrossFit Workout:
As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:
3 deadlifts at 120# (185# for boys)
6 push ups
10 double unders (jump rope)

I made it through 15 rounds which means in the end I did 45 deadlifts, 90 push ups, and 150 double unders. It was a good score and I was happy with it but I was still slowed way down by the push ups. I used to have to do them on my knees so it has improved a lot. But still, by the last couple rounds I could only do about one push up at a time so they still need work.

I am so sore today I could barely get out of bed. CrossFit was particularly brutal the past two days with lots of squats, pullups, running, kettlebells, and the worst – 100 wall balls with a 14# ball at a 10 foot target. (See the video below). I have not been this sore since I started this thing in January. Good. It must mean I am working harder. Not holding anything back now. The end date is so close I feel more motivated now than ever. Today at lunch I am going to run the long route. Normally I run about three miles. The long route is about 4.5. Hopefully that will help loosen me up a bit too.

The reunion with my friends over the weekend was a blast but I definitely fell off the wagon. It started with a Frito. Then it was a lot of Fritos. Jodi brought delicious cornbread. Monica made amazing cookies. Emily came with cheesecake. I ate all of it. Fine, I get Saturday nights off anyway. But it spilled into Sunday with the leftovers. On top of that I did not feel well and skipped volleyball. Then we ended up having pizza and candy for dinner. With only three weeks left before the after pictures I really need to dig in. I still have some butt to work off.

Normally during a CrossFit workout I tell myself “you can do more!” and “keep going!” while there is always an overwhelming desire to stop. Yesterday I had a very different mantra. Mostly expletives. The workout was three rounds as fast as you can of hanging from a bar and touching it with your toes 15 times, 10 dead lifts at 155#, and 20 double unders. All three are normally strengths for me. But I was totally preoccupied with a thick blister on the joint of each ring finger from trying to do pull ups the previous day. So during the workout all I said to myself was “the blisters are pinching me”. I couldn’t hang from the bar more than a few seconds and couldn’t grip the dead lift bar.  I was SO frustrated. In retrospect I was really being a baby. The stuff in my head turned what should have been a great workout into a terrible performance. I hear some people wear gloves during these workouts which I tried once but to be honest it doesn’t work very well. Plus I read a saying among the CrossFit community which basically says that if you wear gloves to workout in make sure they match your purse.

I ran outside today instead of on the treadmill for the first time in a long time. It feels a lot different driving yourself forward with your legs as opposed to jumping up while the ground moves out from under you. Either way it is exhausting. And in either case I am going to need more time. I am nowhere near my goal of a 7:30/mile 5k yet. Luckily, the race I want to run is not until the last weekend in April giving me a much needed extra month to reach that goal. The Cherry Creek Sneak is the same race where I ran my previous best ever* 5k time of 7:46/mile so it will be the perfect place to attempt to beat that time.

*At altitude. Best time ever was 7:36/mile by the beach in CA.