Punching Punching
Matthew Nixon
Villains be afraid, I’m coming for you with a left and a right, and a hook…and ow, ok, maybe not quite yet…but soon!
Saturday we went to see the new Avenger movie. The pre-lunch was held at 5 guys. As I’ve said before, I’m not running from less than healthy eateries. This was one of those devil’s choices—either eat my normal and regret it for days or suffer in silence. I split the difference. I love burgers. That being said, most of what I really like about them is the toppings. Sometimes dead cow must be had, but this wasn’t one of those days. I got a grilled cheese with bacon and all the veggies.
This accomplished two things. First, it let me eat something fun that tasted good. Second, it cut my caloric intake down by skipping the meat and sauces. I had a couple of the Brunette’s fries and a glass of water. The group retired to an Italian dessert eatery after the movie where I declined anything. In this case I wasn’t hungry, I couldn’t find anything with a minimal amount of sugar in it, and I kept seeing my $200 investment flashing in front of me. My weight has been on a steady decline lately—something I really enjoy seeing every time I go to the gym.
It isn’t as if my motivations have changed that much. It’s more that I’ve found a balance between caloric intake and my appetite. The nice thing about work is that there are no comestible distractions on my floor. I could go down to the café, but that’s only a temptation if the craving is really strong. It helps that I know now that I have to give myself 3 hours fasting before intense exercise if I want my energy levels at maximum. Since I leave work at 4, I have to get my eating done before 1 on gym days. My body has normalized around this routine; meaning that if I can make it till 1, I’m good to go. One of the benefits of gym+work days is that after 90+minutes of cardio the endorphins are pumping and my apatite is dampened. This means that work+gym days are my highest calorie burn and usually lowest caloric intake periods as well. This isn’t a perfect science. I hate “counting calories.” The thing that’s kept me sane so far is thinking of it in terms of cutting total intake—not calories, not portion size, but actually cutting total food eaten. I cut myself some slack if what I’m eating is all fresh veggie or lean protein; but it’s been all about eating fewer calories than I burn. This should be obvious to most dieters, but I think it gets lost in the hype of fad diets. Eat less than you burn and you’ll lose weight. Eat healthy and exercise at the same time and you’ll lose even more. Maybe it’s because the result is a process, but it makes sense to me—plus, processes don’t make me dig in my heals like “diets” do.
As of yesterday I’m down to 287.6 pounds. Granted this is about where I was at the end of 2013. The difference is that I feel this level of intensity is more sustainable than the loss back then. Most of that has to do with increased cardio and fun-factor. A lesser but important portion comes from learning my physical limits. I’m in week four of a five week cycle in this weight loss program. After the fifth week I’m taking a week off to heal. I can feel my left knee starting to complain if I push it past an hour on the elliptical. My right shoulder is protesting too much pummeling with the heavy bag. My feet start to wine after an hour of kicks. I toned my punches back yesterday and I’m cutting back on my pace on the elliptical. I’ll make it for the three more days of boxing and one day of lifting I have left—but then it’s time to avoid injury. So far, three weeks of increased exercise and diet and I’m down ten pounds. Fingers crossed—papa gonna punch that fat off.
"You can fight, but it's our wits that make us men...Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it."
***Brave-Heart***