Day 3 of P90X

Started at 229 lbs. two weeks ago, but I'm down to 224 today. I think that starting at 229 and trying to get to 200 will be easier than trying to get down to 200 from 253 as I tried last year. I did get within 5 pounds of the goal last year,but I fully plan to reach the goal this year. I'm doing most of the P90X routine, except I don't do yoga or kenpo. Instead I run or bike on those days and throw in some sit-ups and pushups.

Confessions

I lost 48 pounds in 1 year and then gained 20 pounds back in 6 months. So my new mantra is "fit at fifty.". My new goal is to lose 25 pounds in six months and get P90X fit. I'll share my results with you as I go.

HERE I AM

It's been over a year since I last posted on this blog. Wow! Time flies while you're completing a Ph.D. and starting a new job as Chair of the Department of Graduate Studies at Beulah Heights University (BHU). I'm still pastor at Conyers Church of God and my wife has taken on a larger role as a true partner in ministry with me. She is the Church Administrator, but she does not receive pay.

Anyhow, life is very interesting as the university is planning for me to travel to Brazil and to Belgium to organize extension sites from BHU. God is in this in that I will be working with Church of God churches in Belgium as the largest churches in the country are member churches of the denomination in which I am credentialed.

God has something significant going on in my life and the church and school I'm working with. It has always been my contention that if we will prepare ourselves for more, God will give us more to do. If we, through prayer and study, prepare ourselves for significance, God will do significant things with our lives. Stay tuned.

Long Time No Blog

I haven't written much lately.  In fact, June was that last month that I posted. From June until now much has happned.  First, I took a job (in addition to pastoring) as the chair of the division of graduate studies at Beulah Heights University in Atlanta.  This it 10 hours a day in an office and it has cramped my exercise routine.  Second, my father died and between my time with him in the hospital, the funeral and driving a couple thousand miles from Louisiana, to Georgia, to West Virginia and back to Georgia, it really got me off track.  At one point I was within 2 pounds of my goal, but after dad's death and the days following at the office, I had gained 15 pounds back.  At present I'm 12 pounds away from my goal and I have five weeks to get there.  It is going to be tough to reach my goal of 50 by 50, but I'll give it my best.

Back in the Saddle Again

I've found that for me, the first sign of my fat is found under my chin.  Profile pictures have been very eye opening for me.  When we look in the mirror we can't see our profile, unless we have more than one mirror strategically placed.  This picture, compared to some earlier pictures, reveals my weightloss under my chin.  My neck size has gone down from 19 1/2 to 16 1/2. 

Also, I recently purchased a pair of size 33 inch waist shorts and they fit comfortably.  So, even though my progress was slowed by my back injury, I've managed to keep the weight off.  I'm 206 lbs now and my back is much better so I'm back on the treadmill and exercise bike and I'm doing a little weightlifting. 

Most of all I'm just glad that my back is better.  I heard a report on the radio that 90 percent of all back pain will get better with time.  Of the other 10 percent, only half (5%) will need surgery.  I'm not sure how I hurt my back, but by cutting back on my activities and managing the pain with ibuprophen, and lots of prayer, I was able to get better.  It took almost 2 months, and I hated not being able to exercise like I had been, but maybe that's just God's way of getting me to slow down and not to overdo it. 

After maintaining weightloss through the injury, I am now ready to start losing again.  My ultimate goal is 195-199 lbs., but I will have lost 50 pounds if I lose 3 more pounds.

Scripture: Isa 57:18
18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him;
I will also lead him,
And restore comforts to him
And to his mourners.
NKJV

Slowly Trying to Get Back

I was out of the workout saddle for almost two months.  I'm still not able to jog or hike because of the pressure it puts on my still recovering spine, but I am able to do some weightlifting that doesn't compress my spine.  My weight is bouncing between 206 and 209, and it is a bit discouraging not being able to do the kind of aerobic exercise that I was previously doing.  But I've included a few thumbnails of myself to chronicle my physique at this point. 

I have actually lost some muscle mass over the past month as my arms went down from 17 3/4 inches to about 17 1/4.  I haven't been able to do any sit-ups because of the torque it puts on my back, but I did do 50 crunches today and I feel okay.  I also did 50 push-ups this morning.  So while I don't have the six-pack abs yet, and I'm not shedding pounds like I was initially, as the farmer in the movie "Babe" said, "That'll do pig."

Still A Loser

Since my last post I've gone from back pain to hip pain. I may have a stress fracture (self-diagnosed) of my hip. Thinking it was my back I continued to run/walk and do other things. The doctor, thinking it was a back issue, told me to do whatever I could tolerate, with the exception of lifting weights. So I was running up 10 flights of stairs at the hotel in Virginia Beach, walking a couple miles (at a fast pace) with my dog, and other stuff like that. Well, my back quit hurting but my hip has been killing me. Over the past few days, therefore, I've tried not to do much as far as walking, climbing, etc. I think it is getting better. I'm down to two ibuprophen tablets a day.

Also, since my last post I went through the commencement exercises at Regent University (Virginia Beach) and earned my Ph.D. in organizational leadership. While there I ate whatever I wanted. After all, how many times does a person earn a Ph.D.? As I said, I did go up the stairs several times at a run (racing my family who were in the elevator) to the tenth floor. We also walked a few miles along the beach. Still, when I returned home on Monday I refused to weigh myself until Wednesday. I weighed 210 lbs. I had gained 1.5 lbs.

Upon returning home to Georgia, I've gotten back on my dietary routine (oatmeal and an egg/yogurt for breakfast, soup for lunch, and a light dinner with a couple snacks in between) and I did do some light yard work but no other exercise. So this morning I weighed in at 206 lbs. This means that I’ve lost 47 pounds since I started this diet.

I'm really having a hard time forcing myself not to exercise and try to give my hip (whatever the issue is there) time to heal. I can tell that it is slowly getting better, but I'm so afraid of how much endurance I've lost over the past month and a half since all this started.

Anyhow, the diet is still working and hopefully it won't be long until I'm back on my bike and back on the mountain.

This Is My Prayer: Psalm 6:2, NKJV

2 Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak;

O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled.