Day(s): 50 thru 71 - Penance is due!

You'd think that with loads of time on your hands it would be quite easy to make time for daily fitness and activities.  What's so interesting is how much time you waste when there is so much of it to spare.  Whether it's waking up late, nestling right into the couch for a 'Law and Order' marathon (hey, it happens) or accidentally ending up in front of a large bowl of ice cream instead of the treadmill... you find that you end up not spending your time as productively as intended.

Don't get me wrong.  It's not that I've been a total oaf for the past two weeks (one more week off to go).  I've just eased up on a few of my steadfast rules.  My portions have grown a bit and I did get a little lax with my no dessert policy, but for the most part I've been on board.  

I went to Hawaii last week... and that was the biggest challenge.  Beautiful beaches and amazing pools, great food and delicious beaches all added up to a no-gym day!  Boo!  I tried to rationalize my behavior by saying that I was 'active' while I was there, but how many calories do you really end up burning by snorkeling or touring?  My guess is not enough.

Snorkeling in Molokini - a sunken volcano!

I've come too far to relapse!  So now it's time to pay my penance.  Although I never really completely slipped from my routine or my rules, I did so just enough that I have to work hard to reverse any sort of lazy-like effects that may set in.  81 days will be stretched to 100 days (does that seem extreme?) to ensure that I follow through.  But hey, don't I look much better in the picture above than the one where I have three chins and four stomachs?  

Day(s) 32 thru 49: I'm ready for my close-up!

Hi All...

Although my blogging has slowed down, my weight loss has definitely not!  I hit a plateau around day 35 and then finally had another push in the past week.  I've lost another 6 pounds and clocked in at 194!!!  That makes 21 lbs. of loss so far and only 4 lbs. from my target weight of 190!

So I figure that it's time to now start the prep work on my 'after' picture.  Let's first give you an idea of where I started just 49 short days ago...

Yikes... 'before' sucks!

The 'after' picture best look much better then the 'before' picture.

So here is what I need to do to prepare for my model-like skinny pic...

• 32 more days in the gym (for a tidy 81 days all together)
• Teeth whitening?
• Full body waxing
• Time in the tanning salon
• New digs

Well, most likely that checklist won't be fully accomplished, but anything that alters my look from the above picture is more then welcome.  I'm thinking the gym time is and will be number 1 priority.

Keep your eyes peeled for a stunning new version of me!

Day(s) 26 thru 32: Mile High Club?

It's no wonder that people who travel often are more likely to get fat.  This statistic (one that I completely made up in my own head) is supported in many ways.

First, it's very hard to jump into a routine when your schedule is constantly changing and up in the air.  Time zones differ, kick off and end times to your day are in constant flux and you never know where you may end up tomorrow.

Second, eating and living a health lifestyle on the road is much more difficult when you are out of town.  Cooking your own meals is nearly impossible due to hotel jumping and access to good healthy food is almost non-existent.  The best bet you have on the road is Google mapping the nearest Whole Foods.

Last, gaining access and having time to find a gym or workout locale is very difficult and often times undependable.  It becomes even more impossible on days that include long flights (especially those that cross the county).  You either have to wake up super early and head to the gym (and workout with all of those super fit people who you find on the treadmill at 6am) or you have to make a midnight run.

Which leads me to my super cool idea...

"Mile High Club" Bag?

Airlines have been good at catering to the traveler in so many ways, ensuring that life in the air is not too far off of that on the ground.  They've added in-flight internet and gourmet meals (for those of you up front).  You can play video games and even chat from seat to seat.  So I think it's high time to put in place some sort of fitness club on the plane.  This way on those really long flights from coast to coast we can all begin to use those wasted hours to stay fit.  I would call it the Mile High Club.

Would you join?

Day(s) 22 thru 25: I've lost a dime and a nickel!

Hi All...

Well I know my daily posts have been lazy, but I promise you my daily activities have been nothing of the kind.  My crusade continues each and every day with vigor and focus.  In fact, I've been working so hard that I thought it was high time to step on a scale and see how I've been doing.

I was very nervous to do so.  I figured my weight loss has slowed a bit even though my workouts were increasing in intensity.  Long arduous hours at the gym with no reward was not sounding like a good equation and I was very worried about the result.  Never the less I decided to hop on the scale and face the music.

Wow... I'm no longer in the 200's!  I clocked in at a fantastic 198 today (no shoes, no clothing, no additional weight).  I've lost a total of 17 pounds in 25 days!  I was thrilled!  I was mesmerized!  I was confused!!!

As I glanced at myself in the mirror following this revelation I couldn't help but wonder where all of this weight had vanished from.  I've still got my belly.  I've still got my love handles.  And I've still got a jiggly behind.  Hmmm.

I'm tempted to go out and get 17 pounds of ground beef and paste it to my body to figure out exactly where all of this weight vanished from.

My excess fat measured in burgers!

One area that I know I've lost weight in are my fingers.  You see, when I was married last September I had to buy an enormous ring (I mean really big)!  I figured it was because I had 'working mans' hands, but apparently they were just fat fingers.  I wonder if my toes are skinnier too?

Well, it's back to the gym to work on that belly, love handles and literally work my ass off!

Day(s) 19 thru 21: Double Duty

I've successfully made it through my first solid three weeks of this program.  It's amazing how quickly the time has been going.  At first 81 days seemed like such a pipe-dream.  There was no end in sight.  Now I'm 3 weeks in out of 11.  I'm 25% of my way through the experience.  Crazy!

Week four begins my experience with INSANITY.  I have to tell you that I'm quite nervous to take this on.  I've been very good about hitting the gym and getting in a good solid workout, but this program is going to kick my butt.

In order to prepare at some level I've been getting my workouts up over an hour on a consistent basis.  That might not seem so impressive to you, but for a guy who used to lay down and take a nap as a choice leisure activity this is quite some challenge.  Today I pushed even harder.  You see, my weight loss has slowed significantly.  I'm still hovering over 200 lbs. with very little loss this past week.

So I've decided to go 'Double Duty' this week to kick it back into gear.  Today I hit the gym twice.  This morning I got in a good 40 minute run just to kick start the day.  Then I hopped in my car and drove to Reno (through a blizzard) for work.  Once I checked into the hotel I hit they gym again for a grueling hour and a half workout.  I'm hoping this new push will kick start some more weight loss and maybe even a little muscle growth too boot!

This new level of intensity combined with INSANITY should do the trick.  I'm guessing that by the end of this week I'll be intense and insane!

Day(s) 16 thru 18: I long for cookies!

Eighteen days in now with complete compliance!

Every day so far has included a rigorous workout (more so now than in the beginning, but what the hey).  I've increased time spent at the gym to about an hour give or take and push each day to exceed 600 calories per workout.  In eighteen days I've limited beer intake to a bare minimum.  I could count on one hand how many beers I've had since I began this routine (that would have been hard in a single night before).  And I've been working hard to cut out sweets altogether.  

My one and only break from this was a delicious, glorious and rewarding soft serve cone at Stinson Beach.  Wow.  That was soooo good!

The sweets thing has been the hardest part so far.  You'd think that waking up and pushing myself to the gym or cutting out the lovely taste of a microbrew might pose their unique challenges, but the alluring call from a cookie in a case at a cafe has had the greatest pull on me so far.

Temptations so far have include the following...

-Snicker doodle cookies at Nordstroms Cafe

-Chocolate Tuxedo Cake that Kevin ate in front of me 4 days ago

-Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream that Kevin ate in front of me last night

-Gummy Bears that Kevin ate in front of me last week

-The non-present Twix Bar that Kevin told me he ate 3 days ago

You'd think that I would have broken against all of this pressure, but the thought of all the work that I would have to do to work off an additional 400+ calories for these missteps is just too much to bare.  It's so hard to just keep myself focused on my 45 minute goal and to have to add on another 20 minutes because of a damn cookie is just unacceptable.  No way in hell will I pay that price.

In the meantime I think I just need to work on removing the temptation altogether.  By the way, does anyone have a spare room to house Kevin for the next 63 days?

Day 14 + 15: Week 3 Begins

At the onset of each new week I've been pushing myself to up the ante just a bit more then the previous seven days.  Week 1 had the arduous task of getting off my lazy bum and getting down to the gym (an incredible feat in and of itself.)  Those seven days were spent trying to stay motivated and just cranking out thirty minutes or so of a reliable workout.

Week two was all about pushing further and increasing endurance.  My workouts increased in time and difficulty.  Thirty minutes turned into forty-five or fifty.  Resistance went from 20 to 35.  Pace and distance were monitored and increased each and every day.

Now that week three has begun (and only leaving me with seven more days before INSANITY begins) I've decided to push myself even further.  This week it will not only be about increasing time and resistance, but also adding variety through weights and machines to begin muscle development.  All this in a hope to avoid complete exhaustion and breakdown when my new routine begins next week.

This is me and my broken back in about a week.

You see, I'm concerned that INSANITY will be completely insane!  My hope is that these initial 21 days will at least provide some sort of into course that will set me up to avoid unbelievable pain!

Wish me luck this week... and more so next week!

Day 13: I miss my dear friend!

I've always had a solid relationship with my dear friend Ice Cream.  He's always been a pal.  As far back as I can remember we've been there for each other.

I could scarf this in 10 minutes

Some of my favorite memories in life are those with me and Ice Cream.  Birthday parties (which became even better with the invention of the Ice Cream Cake), trips to the Rite Aid (chocolate malt crunch was the best) and even the simple walk home from high school each day (which usually involved a stop in at Safeway where I would buy a 6 pack of ice cream sandwiches that were polished off by the time I got home.)

You see, Ice Cream and I go way back.  We've lived together, loved together (I had an ice cream sundae bar at my wedding) and now are stuck reconciling a lifetime of indulgence together.

With our new priorities set on health and anti-obesity we now realize that we must part ways.  It was a hard break as any parting of two kindred souls would be, but I have faith that one day soon we may reunite in better circumstances.

In the meantime, if you see Ice Cream please say hello for me!

Day 11 + 12: With a little help from my friends...

Hi All...

If you're wondering, I did in fact workout yesterday.  No one needs to sound the alarm or send me a scathing email or Facebook post for being lazy.  I'm still up and running and going strong.  In fact, I've spent the past two days diversifying my workouts a bit.  Thanks to some help from a few of my friends I've been able to switch things up a bit.

Yesterday I met Jen and we cranked out 45 minutes of cardio.  It's interesting working out alongside someone else that you know.  My wondering eyes kept on going to her calorie burn count and I couldn't help but try to beat her.  I know it's not a race, but what can I say?  Her form and style were much more graceful than mine (insert image of me gasping for air and looking like a crazy person with sweat rolling down my face), but I was at least able to push through at a high difficulty level.

Once we completed our workout the two of us (and Seema) went to Coffee Bar to chill and catch up for a bit.  It was over a cup of joe that Jen helped plan my workout for Saturday... a beautiful hike on Mount Tam called Steep Ravine!  

Flash forward to 11:45am today...
Lost in the hills on Mount Tam and bickering with Kevin (with Seema and Martin laughing in the backseat) brought us to an unexpected hike called "Riding Trail."  It was intended for horseback, but it looked beautiful so we decided to embark upon the trailhead.  Kevin was thrilled due to the fact that we found a trailhead that did not read "Steep Ravine."

What a great way to spend the day instead of in the gym.

Unfortunately, as you can see in the photo, I was the only one who made it back to the car.  It was really quiet a story.  First, Seema fell off of the ledge when she was leaning over trying to take a picture of a lizard.  Then Kevin was bitten by a rattlesnake and went down in minutes.  Finally, Martin was kidnapped by a pack of wild geese.

Oh well!  At least I have more friends to bring to the mountain next weekend!

Day 10: Dreaming of Running

With morning work, an afternoon flight and plans in the evening it had to be a very early start on the day if I planned on getting my workout in.  Nine strong days was not going to be broken just because I didn't want to get up early.  I set my alarm for 6am and hit the sheets for the night.

Every so often I have a very restless night sleep.  Usually it's due to a big work event, the day before a fun vacation or attacking Gummy Bears!  But last night's sleep was marred with anticipation of gym time events.

I don't think I've ever thought of myself as someone who would ever be anxiously anticipating a workout.  I mean up until last night I think the idea of an early morning gym routine sounded like one of the worst punishments that someone would have to endure.  Sleep, blankets, pillows and laziness all seem to be much more my style.

Well, I found myself waking on the hour, every hour, throughout the night.  Is it 6 yet?  Damn, only 4.  Is it 6 yet?  Damn, only 5:30.  Ding Ding Ding Ding!  It's 6!!!

I finally bounded out of bed and headed down to the gym.  You'd be surprised at how many people find their way to the treadmill at that time of day.  Who knew?  I thought everyone was either asleep or at a desk in the financial district.  And I was even more surprised that I had become one of the early morning masses.  Wow.

I guess I've found that if I plan on keeping up this 81 day routine I must learn to go at it at anytime of the day in order to get it done.

Oh... official weigh in for day 10...  208 (lost 7 lbs so far)!

Day 9: Public Service Message

I've increased my time in the gym this week from 30 minutes to 45+ minutes.  It's been great.  I have been pushing harder then I've ever pushed before in the gym with much thanks due to the new music that's pumping me up.  But what's happened is I have also earned more thinking time as well.

Around the 20 minute mark today I had a random thought.  Public Service Message (After School Specials) have always been around.  Stop smoking... it kills!  Don't drink and drive... Stupid!  Donate to the March of Dimes... we all love babies!

All of these are great messages, but at no point have I seen the messages around not getting fat. "Pull that second burrito out of your mouth.  It will make you fat!"  Or "Get off your lazy bum and go to the gym... you might not be able to fit out of your front door one day."

I think these sort of public messages would have been helpful along the way.  I guess sometimes the best Public Service Message is the one where you just step on a scale one day and it says to you... "You are too fat and it's time to do something about it!"

Thankfully I heard the message directed at me this time around!

Day 8: Dear NIN,

Dear NIN,

I know it's been awhile since I've written you, but I really wanted to say a big, huge 'Thanks' for your help today.  Your music really helped motivate me to keep on going during my workout.  You see, now that I'm in my second week of training I've decided to push myself a bit further and gave myself a 4 mile goal today.

Needless to say... it was damn hard!  I was not but 10 minutes into the run before I was thinking of giving up.  And then luckily I thought of you!

The rage, angst and ire of your songs just helped kick my butt into gear.  Every time I felt like slowing down or giving up you just yelled louder and louder and helped keep me focused on the prize... a lean mean Christopher Gorman.  Without you I could not have hit my goal today.

Enough about me.  How are you doing?  What's going on in your life?

I hope all is well and hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks again!

Yours truly,

Chris

Day 7: Help... Radiohead is not cutting it!

I've successfully completed my first of twelve weeks!  WOO HOO!!!

So far I've lost 57 pounds.  Just kidding!  But wouldn't that be awesome.  I bet everyone would hit the gym for 7 days if that happened.  Honestly though, I do my first 'weigh-in' tomorrow and hope that I'm close to a 5 lb loss otherwise I may be upping my routine.

This first week was a bit easy.  Aside from the Gummy Bears, cozy bed and early morning flights it wasn't so bad.  My average was a mere 30 minutes of cardio each day which I think really needs to be a starting point.  Tomorrow my plan is to up it to 45 minutes minimum and move it to over an hour come week three.

And this is where I need help from all of you!  My iPod mix is just god awful for working out.  Radiohead, Morcheeba and Aimee Mann do not make a great "go get em" mix.  In fact, if I wasn't sweating and struggling to stay on my feet I bet I would fall asleep.

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE any suggestions that you might have for a high intensity and high energy workout.  What get's you revved up when your on the treadmill?  What do you speed up to?  What do you find yourself yelling out in the middle of a packed gym cuz your so pumped?

Well, that's what I want!

Can't wait to hear what you guys come up with!

Day 6: My enemy list grows!

I won't bore you all with the details of the workout today.  It was a quick workout in the basement that did just what I needed it to do... kick my butt and leave me winded and desperate for water.  As I get ready to enter into my second week I do think I need to add some variety to this process.

Aside from some much needed changes, I've been finding that the hardest part of this whole routine is all of the obstacles that lay in my way.  I've dubbed them my "Enemy List."  My guess is that this list may grow to 81 by the end of this journey.  Here's a quick list of who/what has hit it so far...

1.  Gummy Bears (you've already heard the story)
2.  Cozy Beds and Alarm Clocks (should that count as one or two?)
3.  Hangovers... not easy to get motivated after one of those!
4.  Sharks and Dinosaurs
5.  Sore Legs (can't they work with me instead of against me?)

This coming week is going to be about longer routines, better music and conquering the inevitable growing list of enemies!

Still going strong!

Day 5: The Early Bird Get's the Worm...

...and then goes back to bed because he woke up too early!

I had a flight at 9:30am this morning so I knew that I needed to get an early start on the day to fit my workout in.  As many of you know, I'm part of the club that shows up to the airport two to three hours early (also known as the AARP club) so you can only imagine how early of a start I had to get today.

6am rolled around and my alarm sounded.  Yuck!  At least I didn't wake up to the sound of my tummy yearning for Gummy Bears... maybe I've conquered that problem already?!?  I rolled out of bed and slid my gym gear on and headed down to get my workout on.

It's amazing what you find in a gym at 6am.  First off, I'm surprised at how many people were down there. Saturday morning 6am workouts!  What is wrong with everyone?  When I took a harder look I could see a common factor among everyone around me... they were all fit, and hard core to boot!  Hmmm... I wonder if I would ever become one of these people.

Just as I was getting lost in thought I was snapped out of it with my dire thirst and sore legs.  It seems I have some ways to go before I can join this elite team of morning gym goers.

About 45 minutes later I left the gym with pride and pain.  I did it!  I conquered the alarm clock and got my workout on earlier then I could have ever imagined.  And although my legs were sore and barely functional I felt alive more so then someone should before 7am on a Saturday morning.

I got to the airport and had ample time to sit and relax.  I boarded the plane and sat back and fell asleep.  Next thing I knew I was in Denver.  Turns out a 6am workout for me needs to be followed with a nice long nap.

5 days down and 76 to go!

Day 4: It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

For those of you who have been following me through this journey (yes, I know I only began posting yesterday) you may be asking yourself how it is already "Day 4."  Well, I actually begin this adventure 4 days ago this past Tuesday.  I'm not sure if it was boredom or my inner skinny alter ego that prompted me to go to the gym, but I spent 30 minutes on the elliptical and decided to make it a habit.

It was day two when I encountered the shocking news of just how big I had become.  For whatever reason (again, potentially my inner skinny alter ego prompting me) I decided to weigh myself.  As I shared yesterday... Horror!

I quickly went through the stages of grief!
Denial... it was just not possible.  Had I really become rolly-polly Chris?
Bargaining... what could I do?  Maybe if I stopped eating altogether?  Or did jumping jacks from my bed to the shower every morning?  Would that do it?
Depression... oh no!  I'm fat :-(
Acceptance... OK!  I'm fat :-/

Well, unlike previous repeated behavior that I'd demonstrated (go upstairs and take a nap until I forgot all about this horrible news) I decided it was high time for change... and so the "I'm 30..." blog was born.  And that my friends is how we made it to day 4 in just 24 hours!

Day 4:

I'm not accustomed to waking up hungry.  It's very confusing.  I'm so used to the iPhone 'ringing' sound pulling me out of my slumber instead of my stomach monster saying "feed me gummy bears."  Well, about an hour later I found myself at the Coffee Bean.  Pastries (700 cal), muffins (550 cal - really?), even a cheese plate was crazy.  Lucky for me that had a low-fat cottage cheese and pineapple bowl.  It wasn't so bad except for the fact that my stomach was still asking for gummy bears!

As lunch rolled around all I could think about was how hungry I was.  I tried to wait as long as I could to eat, and finally broke down and went to grab a bite.  Grilled Cheese sandwich?  No!  Turkey wrap with chips on the side?  No!  Cheese plate with grapes and strawberries?  Now that sounds like a match! It was great.  I cherished each piece of cheese until finally all I could see was an empty tray sitting in front of me... and then it set in again.  My stomach was back on the attack and the one demand it had... Gummy Bears!

Don't worry... I didn't cave in to the craving.  Instead, I indulged in a tall glass of water (no innuendo intended) and moved along with my day.

And then this is when I found my second nemesis.  I thought Gummy Bears were the only ones that had it out for me, but it turns out that the thing that I cherish the most is against me as well... my fluffy comfy bed!  As I was getting my gym clothes together the bed wrapped it's huge cozy hands around me and wouldn't let go.  I struggled to free myself until I relented to its power.  Fifteen minutes later, after laying real still as to not wake it I was able to break free and continue on my quest to get fit.  I leapt out of the bed and ran for the front door before it could get ahold of me.  I was free!

Gym time!

And so it begins again...

I'm 30. I'm fat. And I can't have that!

I turned 30 just ten days ago.  My twenties were a great time.  I lived, learned, ate and got fat!  What a joyous decade!  But all that fun left me with some unwanted souvenirs form my twenties: a gut to remind me of all the beer I drank and a flabby ass to remind me of how lazy I've been.

Out of sheer laziness and boredom I went down to the gym the other day.  I had a feeling I was pushing my weight limit and decided to hop on the scale.  Too my horrid surprise I clocked in at a whopping 215 lbs.  Holy shit!

Well, this gravy train is over!  Literally!

Over the next 81 days I will expose myself to a painful (but much needed) fitness routine.  I'll begin with 21 days of cardio.  After this crash course in the gym I'll move to a 60 day program called "INSANITY" (Google it.)  I'l be jumping and diving,  lunging and reaching, pushing up and dropping down.  I'll look ridiculous!

I'll also abide to my new "Rules to Live By":
- One physical activity each and every day for the next 81 days
- No beer or wine on school nights (damn)
- No pigging out (damn this one too)
- Daily journal of activity (this is where you come in)

For the next 81 days you can follow me through this journey.  I'll share my daily activities, trials and tribulations, and my biggest challenges and successes.  For example, just last night it took all the will power that I had just to resist eating two gummy bears... they looked sooooo good!  But alas, I went to bed gummy bear free.

My goal is to lose 25 lbs within 81 days.  Encouragement, support and motivation are all welcome!

Wish me luck!

Ctopher