I’ve always been kind of chubby, except when I was a young kid around 7 when I was thin. But since I moved to the US, my weight started to increase. By last december I was as fat as I’ve ever been and I started really feeling bad about it. I had Vanessa and Patrick was on the oven. I began to worry about my overall health and how long I would last for my children. I never really worried about that but now more than ever I remembered Meme who always said she never wanted to be a burden to her children.
I knew that the beginning of the year would be light in work, mostly because I wouldn’t be able to travel on the month’s around Patrick’s birth and INNOVATION probably wouldn’t assign me a bid project until he was born. It was the perfect time to do something about my health. No more excuses, I had the time and the motivation to change.
Thus, when I returned to Atlanta in January I weighted myself to a hefty 216 pounds and vowed I would never be fat again. And thus my journey began.
I decided to take a simple strategy. Take it easy at the beginning and increase the effort as I progressed. My initial diet was very simple and easy to follow. Just reduce portions. Eat everything I wanted but in smaller quantities. The other goal was to exercise daily, even if it was a little. The pounds started to drop.
As motivation I decided that every 5 pounds lost I would take a reward. The reward wasn’t triggered when I reached the weight marker but when I spent more than a week below the marker. Thus I would go out, eat whatever I wanted that day and resume my regimen.
I used Gyminee.com (Now called DailyBurn.com) to track my exercise. Bought a Polar and rode mountain bicycle as much as possible. At the beginning I would also do elliptical machine at home while watching a movie or playing XBox. I was a fun way to get used to the habit of exercising, which is key to the whole process.
Everyone knows the first few pounds are the easiest. True. It got harder as I progressed, thus I had to increase the regimen. At one of the plateaus, I decided to start counting calories. Gyminee.com allows you to track what you eat and also gives you calorie intake goals depending on your current condition and your objectives. This has required the highest discipline since it’s really difficult to track what you eat, specially when you have to go to a restaurant and can’t measure portions. Ironically, its easier to control calories when you eat at fast food places because you know exactly how many calories you are eating and if you pick smart, there are good alternatives.
The most important part about counting calories is that if you are disciplined and don’t fool yourself (a lot of people do), you learn to eat less and make the right choices. Every calorie counts so those you make fun of people who eat the Big Mac but drink Diet Coke should think again. That Diet Coke could be saving you as many calories as eating half the fries…
My exercise goal for the whole period (January up until now) has been to burn 1000 calories per day. That is a lot, specially as one progresses. At the beginning it was very easy, one loop on the bike at Big Creek would take me near an hour and I would burn nearly 1000 calories. Now, since I’m lighter and in a better shape, I have to make 2.2 loops in order to burn 1000 calories. I had to adjust my Polar every 5 pounds lost so that the calorie consumption calculations were precise.
My goals also progressed. My first goal (set in January) was to get down to 180 pounds. When I got there I decided to get down to 170 and when I got there my doctor told me that I would be better off around 155-170. Thus my final goal was set at 160 pounds.
Using the Tanita from the beginning I would weigh myself and calculate BMI a few times a day but I only recorded in Gyminee the weight I took as soon as I woke up. Thus all the points in the chart are taken at the same time. Measuring myself often helped signal changes in patterns and make adjustments as I progressed.
When I reached 170 pounds I also added a goal of Body Fat Index, which is the measure that really matters. When I started, which I regret I didn’t track from the beginning, I was at about 40%. Healthy would be below 25% and athletic would be below 19% for men. My final goal is 17%, which I’ve reached recently.
When I left to Caracas I had passed the 160 pound marker but didn’t know what would happen during the trip. So, on my return I was expecting that I’ve recovered some weight. Its a good thing that I controlled myself and even though it was hard to estimate caloric content for most things I ate, it seems that I did a good job and despite not beign able to exercise more, I managed to sustain the weight I left with.
Turns out today I weighted 159 pounds, which means I’ve triggered my final reward. Thus I’m getting my BMW. NOT!
I guess it will be Fogo de Chao again.
What happens now?
I don’t want to loose more weight, in fact I may gain some in muscle. Now my goal is to keep the 17% Body Fat Index and improve my upper body muscles. Since I did mostly Mountain Biking, I’m a bit unbalanced muscle wise.
I will replace aerobic exercise with strength training and follow a combined workout with a lower calorie burn goal per aerobic session.
In terms of diet, I will keep tracking my consumption. This is the only way for the pounds not to return. I may be less strict about precision. At least while I don’t gain weight. I’m also switching to a maintenance diet which means I can eat more calories per day.
Worst case scenario, I can resume my intensity get rid of whatever I loose. It should be easy as long as I keep track of everything. The mistake is to let pounds come back and do nothing about it.
That was then, this is now. And that is that.
I’ve managed to be at a fit level I never could have hoped to achieve. I’m feeling better than ever and I’ve stopped “dieting” to loose weight. I now eat many more calories but I still do count them daily and also I continue to exercise strongly.
Setting goals makes it more interesting and challenging. That’s pretty much the way I said to myself in January that I would loose weight, now I’ve made the decision to start competing in running and biking events. Thus I will start training for the Atlanta Marathon in March. Let’s see how I do.
My weight oscillates between 152 and 155 and that’s where I want to stay. Nevertheless, my body is still changing. I guess I’m loosing fat and gaining muscle weight because my waist keeps getting smaller. When I started this effort I was wearing pants size 36 and now I’m wearing 30 loosely, I even have some pants size 29 that fit perfectly. Even my shoes have changed half a size.
You can check my status at DailyBurn.com
My 2009 ING Georgia Marathon results (Original Post 3/29/09)
I can’t believe it myself. I beat my target time and finished the Marathon without a hitch.
This was my first Marathon and my second race in general since I did a 5K before I decided to run the Marathon. Given that I’ve been a runner for less than a year, I can’t be happier with my results.
The experience was amazing, the course is very beautiful and the cheering was really encouraging. I think I’ve fallen for running, real bad. Can’t wait to run my next one and run in different places.
Seeing my family get excited along the way was beyond description. Unfortunately they didn’t make it in time for the finish line but just thinking they would be there helped a lot.
This Marathon is very hilly, one of the those with most elevation changes in the US. Yes, more than NY or Boston and I really felt it, specially because there are many long hills along the last miles. It did affected my pace substantially so I’m hopeful that I can make a better time at a flatter course.
Getting there. Woke up at 5 am.
Along the way…
The results:
Average Pace 8:19,
10K: 50:43,
Half: 1:45:40,
20 Miles: 2:43:06,
Marathon: 3:38:10
Trying to steer away from getting too cheesy, this is my Oscar speech part:
I thank Valois, José Espinel and Franco who got me on this “doing a Marathon” thing.
To my wife whose support really made this possible in many respects. To my kids, both for inspiring me as for passing time without me while I trained.
To my parents and sister for always believing in me, always supporting me and always being there, even if some couldn’t physically be.
To Meme, for teaching me so many things, specially about enduring, which is what this race is all about.
To the rest of my family and to my friends for your friendships.
Nuf Said