Scott Gibson's Ironman Journey

Being on a business trip the past 2 days, I realized that I was not as prepared as I should have been.  While I think I did pretty good with eating right (excluding a beer at the end of the day), I really did a bad job of figuring out how I was going to workout.

I am disappointed that I haven’t worked out according to the plan over the past 2 days, but I will certainly be wiser the next time I am away from home.

Doing a lot of research on bikes…man, there sure is a lot to know and they definitely are not cheap.  I have a budget in mind that factors in that I am merely an amateur, but also want something that is not going to fall apart on me either.  Definitely going to need to visit a bike shop to make sure that I get one that fits me right (and it’s gotta look cool too right?)

I am quickly learning that dining out and eating healthy is quite the challenge, but that it CAN be done…you just have to ask for substitutions.

Last night, the menu only showed 2 options for sides: french fries or potato chips.  A quick request if there were any healthier options allowed me to choose fresh fruit instead.  Who knew?

I also learned today that it’s not a good assumption that a four star hotel would have a workout facility.  Sadly, I was forced to do push ups and situps in my room…downtown San Antonio and the weather didn’t really permit a run outside.

Finally, I have decided to start doing weigh-ins on a weekly basis.  Getting too frustrated with the fluctuations day to day.  I think assessing my weight-loss on a weekly basis will allow me to focus more on training instead of worrying about losing weight each day.  If I am training hard, the weight loss is sure to follow.

Did an abbreviated workout instead of canceling all together.  Getting ready for a business trip to San Antonio, TX tomorrow and I had expected to make tonight my skip night, but just couldn’t do it.

Only did 30 mins on the bike, but I am glad I didn’t skip it completely.  Hopefully the hotel in San Antonio has a nice gym and I can get in a great workout there.

Dropped .3 lbs yesterday and I was initially disappointed, but after doing a little research, losing 2 lbs per week is probably a safe rate to drop weight.  I should be patient, but I just want to get this weight off so bad.

Started doing a little more research on bikes and I will be sharing my list of possibilities soon.  The cool thing is I now have a couple of additional really great resources from work.  Thanks to Erika and Jim for the helpful advice thus far!

Current Weight: 208.6 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 8.4 lbs

Tonight was the first night I came very close to blowing off my workout.  A long day at work, getting the kids to bed late and feeling crappy from my allergies, it was a miracle I even got on the treadmill.

I figured after I got running that I would be fine, but after 10 mins I was ready to quit.

That subsided until I hit the 30 min mark.  My hand was literally hovering over the stop button.  Not sure why I didn’t hit it, but I ended up doing the full hour.

As I expected, the new scale did not indicate the same weight as my old one, reading 1lb heavier.  Just going to adjust the starting weight up 1 lb and take the readings as indicated for simplicity.

Current Weight: 208.9 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 8.1 lbs

Well, it’s been a great week and I am pretty happy about my overall weight-loss results.  Another 1 lb loss today puts me at 8 lbs for the week.  Picked up a new scale today to start tracking my weight in tenths of a pound.  I would imagine that the days that I thought I had no weight-loss, I just lost fraction of a pound.

Pumped out another hour on the bike and I think it may be time to crank up to 1.25 hours per night.  Put in 6 hours for the week, but I would like to get up to 8 hours this week if possible.  It’s also time to get serious about looking for a bike and rolling that into the routine.

Going to lay off talking about the diet for a while until I get into a more aggressive training routine.  I have stuck with my diet goals for the entire week and that has given me a lot of confidence that I can stick to a plan.

Overall, a great week and looking forward to having a better one next week.

Current Weight: 208 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 8 lbs

Got up early today and got in a nice 1 hour ride on the recumbent bike.  Felt good to start the day with a little workout.  I can’t even remember the last time I exercised to start the day.

Pretty normal day of eating…turkey sandwich for brunch, 6″ veggie sub for lunch, and salad and chicken for dinner.  I even splurged with a string cheese stick for a snack this evening.

I did plan on getting in another workout, but after moving a ton of workout gear and bedroom stuff to our mostly finished basement, I was pretty much spent.

No weight loss today as expected, but the digital readout did flutter to 208 a couple of times, so I think I am close.

Current Weight: 209 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 7 lbs

It would seem that I have a partner to give the Gainesville Triathlon a shot.  Good friend John Krause is coming up.  Hopefully we can get a couple more guys (Lee? Marc?) to join us in the fun as well.

This Friday was a slight cheat day,  but didn’t overboard overboard.

We had the neighbors over tonight, so I skipped my evening workout for some cards and a few beers (Michelob Ultra).  A large delicious pizza was ordered and I can say that I didn’t even have a single bite.  Enjoyed a dressing free Greek salad.

The plan is to get in 2 hours tomorrow to make up for the skipped workout today.

Missed breakfast this AM (big no no!), but lunch was sushi and dinner was the dressing free Greek salad.

I only lost 1 lb today and I expect that after missing a workout and the body showing clear signs of attempting to hold on to fat, that I may stay at this weight for a couple days.  Scale only shows whole pounds and not fractions of a pound, so I may need to purchase a nicer one to get a more detailed reading.

Current Weight: 209 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 7 lbs

Did a little more research about the Gainesville triathlon that Dawn suggested (called ‘My First Triathlon’) and it is definitely a perfect fit.  Thanks Dawn!!!!

I am all signed up to participate on Saturday, June 6th (there is one on Friday as well).  Here are the details: http://www.triathlons.net/Atlanta/

Dates
June 5th or 6th, 2009

Swim Course
Swim ¼ mile in Lake Lanier

Bike Course
Bike 12 miles total out and back from Lake Lanier Islands

Run Course
Run 3 miles out and back from the transition zone located next to the water park

Anybody up for doing it with me?

Meals for the day were: toast for breakfast, lean ham sandwich for lunch, almonds for a snack, and 3 eggs for dinner.

Was planning to do upper body and abs, but decided to do an hour on our recumbent bike…it’s super cool!

Only dropped 1 lb yesterday.  It would seem the weight-loss is already tapering off.  Going to keep charging ahead!

Current Weight: 210 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 6 lbs
Average Daily Weight Loss: 2 lbs/day

It is really exciting that I am feeling better after only 3 workouts.  I think the most noticeable change is my attitude.  I am feeling ‘happier’ and Dawn has even noticed a change in my behavior.

Dawn found out that there is a mini-triathlon here in Gainesville sometime in June and I am going to make a strong effort to participate.  I think it’s  1/4 Ironman and that is a perfect opportunity to gauge where I am at and also get in a great workout.

For breakfast had lightly buttered rye bread toast, lunch was yet another turkey sandwich with carrots, almonds for a snack, and grilled chicken and rice for dinner.

Workout was another 1 hour run on the mill.  Going to shift to upper body and abs tomorrow to give my legs a rest.  Also, I really need to focus on stretching as I am not currently very flexible.

Lost another two pounds this morning, which gives a 5 lb loss in 2 days.  I think I can average 2 lbs per day for the next week, then I will probably see my weight-loss start to tail off.

I am using a neat little iPhone app to track my weight loss called Weightbot.  I included a screen shot of the graphing option it has below.  Simple and easy to use.  More info here: http://tapbots.com/weightbot/

Current Weight: 211 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 5 lbs
Average Daily Weight Loss: 2.5 lbs/day

So a few more doubters came out of the woodwork today, betting against my ability to achieve this goal.  Let me be clear that it’s not the fear of losing a couple hundred bucks that is greatly fueling my fire to succeed, I already spent $1300 to participate in the event.  The driving force is simply that you’re betting against me.

What do I say to you F%*$#ing doubters? Keep it up.  I have accepted a lot of challenges in my life and I never been more determined to see something to completion.  Ever.

Another good day for diet and exercise.  The diet plan for now is to cut weight fairly quickly then increase my intake to support more strenuous workouts.  A simple banana for breakfast, turkey sandwich for lunch, carrot snack, and a small bowl of pasta with a salad for dinner.

Killed myself for another hour on the treadmill tonight varying between sprints and steep inclines…this workout was apparently fueled by a little doubter-anger!

My weigh-in this morning was a good sign, dropped 3 lbs so I think I’ll stick with the plan as is.

Current Weight: 213 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 3 lbs