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

Yesterday we had to put Todd’s cat Evie to sleep. It was a very sad day. So today I just want to say goodbye to Evie and post some pics. Click here.

http://blog.changemyselfchangetheworld.com/?page_id=1928

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.

During Week 6, I featured Louie Psihoyos, the director of a documentary called The Cove. Psihoyos, who is based in Boulder, gave a talk at a local scuba shop shortly after Todd and I had seen his movie on the plane ride home from Bonaire. See feature here. 

The Cove just won an Academy Award for Best Documentary! If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. I never used to be crazy about documentaries in general but either they are growing on me or they are just getting better.

Every year a group of girls from Greeley joins girls from Boulder
for a reunion at my place. I absolutely love these girls:

http://blog.changemyselfchangetheworld.com/?page_id=1796

Craigslist is instrumental to getting more organized. It is our constant online garage sale. This week I sold a set of glass bookshelves that I have been storing for ten years. The buyer paid $20 extra for us to deliver them to a part of town that turned out to be… a lot different than Boulder. The guy who opened the door looked at us like we were from outer space. We were obviously not from the neighborhood. It reminded me of Guess Who when the daughter sees Ashton Kutcher and asks “Are we being audited?”. The guy figured out who we were but could not help unload the shelves from the car because he was under house arrest. I wanted to ask what he did but decided against it. Despite being so totally out of our element they were very nice and I found myself wanting to join the parents who were sitting on the couch playing Ms Pacman. Games are amazing these days but sometimes I am happy just eating pellets in a 2D maze.