Category Image 100-100: Stagnation, Reinvigoration, and a new Challenge


Things have not been going well on the weight-loss front. Perhaps it is the holidays; perhaps I have begun to backslide a bit and need to readdress and reinvigorate my diet and exercise program.

I have been hovering at 220 lb., give or take a pound, since Thanksgiving. Indeed, my last 100-100 entry in this blog was October 2nd at 227 lb. That's most unsat; my previously-plunging trendline has flatlined.

Now, it's nothing to sneeze at to have lost 42 lbs in five months; and, thank God, the trend has only plateaued, not reversed. But I am not where I am going. I am not even half way! Ergo, some of the nice things I have filled in around my meals with (notably 100-calorie packs of crunchy snacks) are gone. It's celery, carrots, lettuce, or nada.

The uniform I got for the 2004 Christmas party is a tight fit, still... despite me being 12 lb lighter than I was in September, 2004 when I renewed my flight physical.

I have also added more exercise to the mix... just in time for temps here to drop into the unpleasant range. Well, no one said it would be easy.


I have also, since returning to the unit, been told I can't expect to do the alternative PT test. I need to pass the regular PT test for my age group to Army minimum standard.

Fortunately, my age group is "cut off a leg and count the rings" and for us, the Army minimum standard is pretty low. I need to make 60 of 100 points. For a man my age, that's 30 sit-ups. 25 push-ups, and run two miles in 19 minutes and 30 seconds (this is a huge change from the last PT test I took -- I was in a younger group).

In the light of my injuries, I'm getting a break... normally 80 points is the minimum. That would be 48 sit-ups, 42 push-ups, and two miles in 16:24. I don't think I'll ever be able to run that fast again, not with the old heelbones grinding in there. But taking weight off has definitely helped my skeletal system, and with more weight off who knows what's possible? I'm just finding it hard to unleash my inner ectomorph right now.

I have to take the test in February. I was not going to resume running until I was well under 200 lb, but with my weight loss stalled, I'm going to start doing these three exercises regularly -- probably Monday, Wednesday, Friday to start, and walking the rest of the days.

I have been remiss keeping up my spreadsheet... so starting tomorrow I am back on it, and it has three new columns with my exercise results.

I do have one positive result to report -- I have had several occasions lately to walk long distances, and my feet and all the rest of me have held up pretty well. The feet have occasionally been problematical the next day, particularly the left one which was the worst break -- it gets all purple and angry looking, it's actually kind of funny.

I suppose at some point I'll have to suck it up and go back to the VA. I kind of hate going there, though. I always feel like I am using resources that some poor impoverished World War II guy desperately needs. I'm not a big hero like those guys; the country doesn't owe me a damn thing. Geez, I could never in a million years repay this place.


Posted: Wednesday - December 06, 2006 at 02:33 AM          

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