I lost 1.1 lbs. this week.

My goal: To lose one pound per week for 39 weeks
Starting weight on 5/23/06: 214.6 lbs.
End goal, on 2/18/07: 175 lbs.

This week’s target weight: 204.6 lbs.
Today’s actual weight: 201.8 lbs. 7/23/06

I am 2.8 lbs. ahead of schedule

Since 5/23, I have lost 12.8 lbs.
On 5/23, my resting heart rate was 65 beats per minute

Today’s resting heart rate: 55 beats per minute.*

* This goes down as one gets into better shape. Lance Armstrong’s is said to be 32. George W’s was reported to be 47 beats per minute. Out of shape, mine is in the 70s. My best was 52 many years ago.

***

I ran across this article in Web MD: Moderate amounts of regular exercise might delay Alzheimer’s disease in older adults.

The findings are based on more than 1,700 adults, aged 65 and older, who didn’t have dementia at the study’s start. Those who reported exercising at least three times per week were nearly a third less likely to develop dementia—primarily Alzheimer’s—over six years.

To me, this seems like a good reason to exercise.

Lately I’ve been having a tougher time than usual losing my one pound per week. I missed two exercise sessions this week. I’ve decided I need to do more than 500 calories per day to anticipate times when something comes up. Three thousand five hundred calories equals one pound, and it usually takes me a little more than 30 minutes to achieve the 500 calorie per day goal. My new plan is to do more calories per day in the early part of the week and build up a credit, in case something comes up and I have to miss an exercise session. 

I’ll work myself up to 50 minutes per day, which at my rate is the equivalent of 800 or so calories. To make it easy on myself, I will either break it into two 25-minute sessions, or else do one session but get off the elliptical trainer every 10 minutes to walk around. This is much easier than just powering through 50-minute sessions every day. It will also allow my body to adapt to the increased work load without too much mental strain. I always like to take the easy route.

I have been weight training off and on for more than 30 years. A little more than five years ago, I was a competitive powerlifter in the 54-59 age bracket. I entered 16 sanctioned powerlifting meets and several state championships and won my class in most of the meets I entered.

My best result was at Sonny Ronolo’s first annual Bench Press Contest held at the Windward Mall on O’ahu. I benchpressed 341 lbs. and won the best lifter award in the “Raw” category, which means without the stretchable bench shirt and other aids.

So I have a bit of knowledge as to what works for me as far as training is concerned. And the older I get, the wiser I become.

Several things I have learned:
   
1. It really is the journey that is the reward. I’ve been on this weight loss/exercise journey for two months now, and although it may seem that the main goal is to lose weight, another real benefit is that my resting heart rate has been in the 50s for two months. That means that my heart is getting stronger and working more efficiently, which hopefully will help me in the long run. As a bonus, the journey is even more fun because I am setting goals and giving myself rewards. The weekly goals are not too high, but the rewards are very good. For instance, when I break 200 lbs. soon I plan to take June to eat lunch at The Hualalai Grille by Alan Wong.

2. Overtraining causes injuries, even if your last name is Man and your first is Super. Injury causes one to abandon the journey. This is not good.

3. Set small achievable goals and reward yourself for hitting them. The idea is to set your self up for success. It’s always better to smile than frown.

4. Be realistic about what you can achieve and go ahead and do it. It’s better to successfully achieve 95% of what you hope to achieve than to fail while attempting 105%. Ninety-five percent of a big grin is still a grin.

5. It’s all in the mind. When you’re young and inexperienced, you may actually slap your own face for motivation; when you’re old and wise, you only think about slapping your own face for motivation; you don’t really have to do it. All that face-slapping did not make up for what I didn’t accomplish in the gym in the weeks and months prior to a powerlifting contest. Because I am older and wiser I don’t slap my own face for motivation anymore. Instead I go to The Haulalai Grille by Alan Wong for lunch.

I believe that half the battle in my attempt to lose weight has been planning my weight loss program in advance. 
    
I’m approaching the big “200 lb.” mark and I don’t want to get stuck there. I think that I’ll creep up close and then speed pass and not look back.