Lost Almost 15 Pounds In 16 Days

This morning I stepped on the scale and saw a number I haven't seen before - 112.8. When you multiply 112.8 kilos by 2.2, you get 225.6 plus 22.56 which equals 248.16 pounds. I'm now safely in the 240's and it's been a dozen years since I was there. I started at 119.6 a little over two weeks ago and that difference of 6.8 kilos is 13.6 plus 1.36 which equals 14.96 pounds. I'm sure a lot of people would say that that is close enough to 15 pounds. What do you think?

I think I like Perfect Weight America!

Keep walking!

9 Day Total - Down 12 Pounds

Yesterday I had mostly yogurt (by choice) as I was a little tired of the soup and then I had the salad with avocado and cheese and raw nuts and it was all really good. After "breaking even" the day before I thought maybe that adding the nuts and cheese and yogurt was going to take me up in weight just a little. After all, this is the Perfect Weight America cleanse, not diet. The diet will start tomorrow. However I was pleasantly surprised to find that I weighed 114.1 kilos this morning and if you look through previous posts you will see that I was 114.4 before today. That's a .3 kilo loss! I'll start from the beginning of the 10 days to make it quicker...started at 119.6 kilos minus 114.1 equals 5.5 kilos multiplied by 2.2 equals 12.1 pounds. Yes!

Keep walking!

Eleven Pounds In Eight Days

I was hoping to be able to say 12 pounds down in eight days, but this phase of the Perfect Weight America cleanse is where we add yogurt and raw nuts. It is pretty amazing, though, how good plain yogurt is when you haven't had sugar in several days. I really like Alta Dena plain yogurt and it seems creamier to me when you stir it up (even though there's nothing extra in it). When you spoon it out of the container it's just slabs of yogurt, but when you stir it up it's a smooth and creamy mixture that's almost sweet.

Two more days and I can have organic coffee. Did I mention we've only been drinking water?

Keep WALKING!

I'm Down - 8 Pounds In 3 Days

This morning I weighed myself and I was 115.9 kilos. Marianne and I started this cleanse Sunday morning when I weighed in at 119.6 kilos. The difference is 3.7 kilos and that is just over 8 pounds. I had a headache from about noon on Sunday until bedtime Monday because all we drink is water and that means caffeine withdrawal. Tuesday I had just a shadow of a headache and today it's just a shadow of a whisper. We did this during the summer so I expect that tomorrow there will be an energy surge. This is the cleanse from Perfect Weight America and I highly recommend it. I also see it as a healthy way to lose weight.

Order Perfect Weight America

Weight Blip This Week

On Tuesday I weighed in and found I had gained a little. Excuse? Easter! It happens. The key is to not give up because of a bump in the road (or chocolate eggs in my tummy). The weight? 115.6 Kilos, which was up .2 or .44 pounds. Not a lot, but the wrong direction. Finally, to be fair, Easter was not the only culprit. I walked less in the two weeks after the accident, though I did make it to nine miles a couple days ago. I have never stopped walking. I never will as long as I am breathing. Come back and see that I'm still going. Take heart in your own struggle with weight, exercise, or goals.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Almost 5 Miles And Many Hours Left

This morning I started off with a four mile walk and I haven't done a lot of walking since, but I'm close to five miles. That's the goal that a lot of people set for their entire day - 10,000 steps.

If you have been walking or exercising a little less than a month ago, today is a good day to get back to your more ambitious pace. It doesn't matter what that number is, because you're not competing with me and vice-versa. If you were doing a mile a day and now you're down to a fraction of it, today's the day to get back "up there". If you were doing ten miles a day and have slipped to six, you can choose to be right back at your more challenging pace.

Today is the day!

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Tired And Still Walking

One car and three people means a lot of driving and getting up earlier than usual. I was fairly tired today and good and tired right now. Still I walked. Not even near a record day, but I walked. You can, too. Walking. Running. Working out. Swimming. Whatever you're doing, keep doing. And hey, soon, the situation changes and you do more than you expect. Tomorrow I'll have a rental car and ironically I'll drive less. And that means more walking. With my pedometer, too.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

My Dog And Me In The Morning

After getting a good night's sleep and having a good meeting with Peter and John, I was ready for a couple miles with Mellow, my dog. Mellow was plenty ready himself. He prefers to "express himself" in the prickly bushes or the clover and I've trained him to stop what he's doing when I utter "AAAH-AAAH". So he left the tall clover at my urging and did his little circle dance on the short grass before he did his thing and then we got on our way.

Mellow follows well with or without a lease and that makes it a lot easier. We see lots of people with their dogs and some of them are pretty poorly behaved. I understand why some people want to take in dogs who have been abused or who are doomed or both, like non-winning greyhounds. I don't understand why people choose dogs that are difficult on other people. One lady has a dog who clearly wants to tear Mellow apart. Others have dogs that get aggressive towards me. It seems like some dogs would be better off away from densely populated areas. I've even seen one woman with a stroller and two ill-mannered (to say the least) dogs. Her situation seems like an accident waiting to happen.

Perhaps I'm old-fashioned about this, but I think people should come first in this equation and if your dog isn't going to behave well around people, you need to keep your pet away from people. Should people have to keep getting out of the way because you made what amounts to a bad choice in dogs? Still, Mellow and I do our best to cross the street when the hostiles come near.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Don't Sit Down!

Back in 1993 I made an amazing discovery. When I come in the house, if I simply don't sit down I will get the next task done much sooner. Seems simple enough. The key for me is remembering to stay standing up.

This morning I took the dog for a little drive and got the paper. After giving the dog a little food, I set down my drink on the kitchen table and stood reading the paper for just a minute or so. I went back downstairs and got the dog and we went right out and started walking.

A few weeks ago I started breaking my day into three mini-days. I learned this over ten years ago from a life insurance organization started by a man named Hubert Humphrey - no relation to the politician. My understanding is that Humphrey started this practice and taught it to us. At one time I felt it was a little silly, but I have found that now that I am choosing this, I like it and it helps me focus on getting things done.

My dog, Mellow, and I walked about three miles and I got back to the house just before 8 am, the end of my first mini-day. Because I didn't sit down I had time to do the best I have done for three weeks before 8 am. I know this for sure because after I got back I sat down and I have been at the computer a little under an hour.

Incidentally, I was also motivated after I stepped on the scale and got a pleasant surprise. I had expected to "break even" for the week, but my new number is 117.7 kilos which is just under 259 pounds. This is the first time I've been under 259 pounds in 11 or 12 years.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

(Don't sit down!)

45 And Lowest Weight In Years

Today is my 45th birthday. My weight has not been this low for a couple years and if the trend continues, tomorrow or the next day I will be at a weight I haven't seen for a dozen years! Rest assured I am still walking. I will get up after this post and see if I can get my 8 am to 4 pm mini-day to 10,000 steps. If you view the right column on this page and click on "Walk Out!" under Walking Links, you'll see that I post my minutes/miles 3 times a day.

Yesterday I was swamped preparing for a 40 minute presentation last night to a group of college bound high schoolers at Reality Changers. I was so adrenalized after I got home that I couldn't get to sleep until around 3! So, I'm a little tired right now. I'm going to walk and get back to you after my birthday and the Toastmasters speech contest tomorrow.

Please keep in mind that you walk a little EVERY day and some days you get inspired to do more and some of those inspired days you do A LOT more. That's the way it's working for me. I believe it's because I'm simply not stopping. If you don't see a post, which happens about 10% of the time, you can know I'm still walking. Remember to check my "Walk Out!" for my current numbers.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Over 10 Miles In Eight Hours

Earlier I was closing in on 300 miles since 01/01/08 and I blasted through and am now nearing 310 miles. Some days you can get inspired. Keep doing what you're doing every day and then all of a sudden you get a burst of energy or inspiration or encouragement - you get the idea. You don't need to break personal records every day, but keep going and some days you will. My body's buzzing. I'm feeling good and my feet are only a touch sore thanks to my shoes. You can do it. 50 or 100 yards or five or ten miles. Remember, you are competing with YOU.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Click on the title of this post to see Ooma.com's blog about me and the other winners. We haven't had a phone bill at our house since December because of Ooma. No, I don't work for them, but they did send me a nice T-shirt and blanket(!) today.

Help the hungry and increase your vocabulary for free at FreeRice.com.

Start Walking In Paris

Yesterday I had a friendly phone conversation with Lucille Shaw, a financial advisor at Finances for Life. Lucille is a friend from Expressions Unlimited, my home Toastmasters club. Click here to see a photo of her and two other walkers from a recent post. Lucille is on the left.

While I started walking because I know I really, really need to do something about my health while I still have it, Lucille has been working out regularly for a while. She told me that when she was at the University of Illinois, she walked in some pretty nasty weather as a student. This experience turned her off to walking for a while and over the years she has done plenty of exercise in the gym. A few years ago, she and her husband visited Spain, Italy and France and she made reservations at hotels that were within walking distance of the museums and other sites she wanted to see. In Paris and Barcelona Lucille didn't have to fight snow while walking and she found out that she might actually like walking at temperatures above freezing. She even does half-marathons now.

What a fun way to rediscover walking!

You might find walking fun or you might be doing it to get in shape or lose weight or all three. Take that first step at home or in some exotic location, but take that first step. Then take another. And another.

I am walking. (So is Lucille.) You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Three Miles Before Sunrise

This morning I woke up a little early and decided to talk a walk and wake up, so I got the dog and off we went. I expected to walk at least a mile, yet I found what I have found many times before: more energy as we went on our way. Lost in thought about a story I'm thinking of writing, I had gone a mile almost before I knew it. I simply turned and went the other way. You see, it's just not that hard once you start doing it. Longer distances start to seem more "normal" and doable. Even walking before most of the neighborhood is awake is a tenable situation.

There are a lot of lights in our suburbia, especially within our development. With Mellow as my companion, this is a pretty comfortable way to wake up. Visible crime is rare here. It's been six or seven years since two teenagers mugged one of the neighbor kids and that was seen as an aberration by everyone in the neighborhood, except maybe the victim. So I felt good about this walk. You've got to decide whether your neighborhood is safe in the early morning darkness. Or maybe you're fortunate enough to live somewhere that that doesn't even cross your mind. For those of you who think it's just fine, consider getting up earlier than normal to get your walking started.

Gene Griessman, a professional speaker who also does a great Abraham Lincoln, includes that advice in 99 Ways To Get More Out Of Everyday. That is, get up an hour earlier to accomplish more or to get that "extra" thing done. It seems simple enough, but I know lots of people who might say, "Ooh, I could never get up that early." Well, you CAN if you stop telling yourself that you can't. When I first stepped my toe in the water of walking last summer, I even got up about four one morning to take a walk. You can if you allow yourself to think differently. I originally found Gene Griessman on Zune where I downloaded all of his stuff for free once I paid the monthly fee and I've also seen him on ITunes and MP3.com. His ideas can save you a lot of time and help you get more done. Will I walk this early tomorrow. Maybe. Maybe not. But I did today.

Christine Burke On The Radio

After some walking at Palomar College when I picked up my son, I found that Christine Burke had asked through email if I could be a backup speaker tomorrow at Toastmasters. Of course I said yes and then we emailed further about getting together at her Fitness Together in La Costa to measure my fitness progress. Here's our brief exchange:

> Is Tuesday 7:30 am ok?


I am on the Radio next Tuesday! KCEO AM 1000 9AM.



She's not available next Tuesday morning because she's on the radio! Listen Tuesday morning at 9 Pacific Time. Then come by and see Christine's Fitness Together.

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Click on the title of this post to see Christine Burke.

Dog Walk Just Over A Mile

Thursday morning. I've already had my 6:30 meeting and talked with my son about the academic programs being offered to him and I've walked the dog around the neighborhood almost a mile and a quarter. Yesterday my longest walk was just a little more than that and I had to guesstimate because my new Sportline pedometer has a cover over the battery compartment that can open accidentally just by handling it. When that happens, it goes blank until you put the cover back on. I prefer to have a pedometer that is absolutely a no-brainer. My original Sportline was like that except that the belt clip broke and that took me on the search for one with a better belt clip. I give this new one a B as long as nothing else funky happens. So I will keep my eye out for an A pedometer with a clip that doesn't break or wear out too easily. Maybe I'll design one.

I guess my thinking goes something like this:

I want as many of you to either

1) walk if you're NOT walking, even if it means 30 extra steps an hour

2) walk at least an extra 30 steps an hour if you ARE currently walking/exercising - hopefully more like an extra mile or two or three a day, but SOMETHING is better than nothing

3) move on to running or a more "calorie intense" exercise for a portion (even a majority) of your exercise IF that's what you want to do and you are ready for it

4) get/stay ENCOURAGED in meeting your goals (exercise or otherwise) whether you're exercising at the optimum level for your size, type, age, etc... or whether you're just reading this blog periodically and haven't dived in yet.

So, I want to reduce the potential blocks. I want to cut down on your potential excuses. I value the ability to see where you've been and where you're going. I see that keeping track of your progress is best done through measurement. The easier it is to measure your progress, the more likely you'll measure your progress. So, the search for the completely no-brainer pedometer or step counter goes on.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Click on the title of this post to learn, help the hungry and maybe entertain yourself. The table below shows the millions of grains of rice donated each day so far this month. (The up arrow in row three is just there because I didn't do this in WORD or something like it.)

February 1, 2008 171,527,040
February 2, 2008 100,095,120
February 3, 2008 ^91,009,660
February 4, 2008 139,444,840
February 5, 2008 152,321,000
February 6, 2008 163,823,880

Super Bowl Party Price

My extra really good friend who I mentioned in my last post has a wife who can really cook. She made really yummy stuff for the Super Bowl Party at their house and I ate a lot of it. She made some pretty healthy fare like turkey meatball soup as well as chocolate cake. I ate a lot of both. I went into the situation with my eyes wide open. I knew there would be consequences on the scale at Tuesday morning weigh-in.

Good news. I still lost weight. I think my buddy was a little concerned about whether I would burst or something, but I never reached the "ouch" phase of overeating that some of you might be familiar with. (Probably best to stay away from all-you-can-eat buffets...) I admit that there have been occasional times in my life when I have eaten to the point that my stomach hurts from the volume of food that I put away. Those of you who have never done this might be recoiling in horror or something close to it right now. On this Super Bowl Sunday I did not do that and I haven't done that for quite a while. Why am I telling you this? For those of you who have done what I just described, I want you to know that someone else who has done that, someone like you, can walk to lose weight and to get on a more healthy path. It can be done and you can do it.

This morning I weighed 120.8 kilos. That means I lost .4 kilos this week, which is .88 pounds. So the price of the Super Bowl Party was about three quarters of a pound when I compare the last couple weeks with this one. I can live with that. Can you?

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Visit FreeRice.com and help the hungry by clicking on the title of this post. Click here to view Big Man Walking January posts. Scroll down to January 29th to see my previous weigh-in.

Two Average Days

Earlier this week I got off to quite a start with two record-setting days in a row. Starting the day before yesterday, I moderated my walking. By comparison to the record-setting pace of Monday and Tuesday, these last two days are average days. BUT, my average days are getting bigger. Both of these "average" days are five miles long. That's almost 20% more walking than my average day of a few weeks ago. Not too shabby.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Yesterday Big Man Walking had a photo of three friends from my Toastmasters club. A fourth Toastmaster friend, Christine Burke, owner of La Costa Fitness Together, sent me an email that started like this-

--
unstoppable!

I'm thoroughly impressed! Congratulations on finishing the Carlsbad Half-Marathon!
--

SO, that photo is the finish of 13.1 miles that these women completed together. I'll mention one of them at a time in my posts. The one in the middle wearing 3222 is Linda Bedrosian. If you meet Linda, she will probably tell you how much she has gotten out of Toastmasters in the last few years. She's fun, creative, resilient and kind and she designs and crafts very, very nice jewelry especially for you. Her website is JewelryoftheEmpire.com.

Visit Linda's site as well as clicking on the title of this post to visit FreeRice.com.

Early Start Pays Off

Yesterday I started off with a three and a half mile walk. I kept adding to that base and hit a record 10 miles for the day less than one month into my new year's resolution! That's all I have to say...except...(Use a pedometer...)

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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As always, I recommend that you visit and help out while you exercise your brain cells at FreeRice.com. Tell someone you know about TheBigManWalking.blogspot.com or FreeRice.com or both. Do it now!

And, I ran across an interesting site called EcoGeek.org which is at the intersection of nature and technology and if you like to write, click on the title of this post.

7 Miles Walked Before 1

This morning I got an ambitious start by going down a long hill and by the time I turned around and started up I had gone nearly two miles. The hill has what seems like an increasing grade for .7 miles and that's a pretty good hill! I got to the top and my breathing testified to the work involved. I kept going to cool down and ended up doing 3.5 miles before 8:30. Other tasks up until right now have taken me another three and a half miles and the dog still hasn't done his thing. Soon it will be time for us to leave for soccer and I should get some laps around that field, so this looks like another big day. I am a little tired right now, but body tired, not brain tired. Plus, I checked the scale this morning and I was at 121.2 kilos, which means I lost another .7 kilos (or 1.54 pounds) again this week. Time for lunch!

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Nine Miles In One Day

Big Man. Walking. Cold Rainy Day. New Daily RECORD. 9.25 miles.

For the most part I waited until the rain subsided. Definitely feels good - a good kind of tired.

Below is a table of the first four weeks of walking in 2008. The numbers are minutes and 20 minutes translates to a mile on Lime.com.


01/01/08 72 53 70 27 40 126 123
01/08/08 100 82 108 101 100 70 142
01/15/08 105 125 111 145 124 67 116
01/22/08 177 73 145 104 108 124 185

The chart starts on Tuesday and ends on Monday. Looks like Wednesday is the most challenging day to get my walking in and that makes sense given my schedule. I volunteer with Reality Changers on Wednesday nights in addition to picking our son up from soccer, so I probably don't walk much after 5 pm. Monday is the most prolific day. Two new records on Mondays and all four Mondays are in triple digits. My weekly totals are 511, 703, 793, and 916, so I have increased my total every week.

Keeping track allows me to see my progress and make comparison as well as gain insights into how or why, just like my realization about Wednesdays. If I choose, I can make sure I get up early Wednesday to get a good start so that I have lots of walking in before I pick up Stuart from soccer. I was able to keep track because I have a pedometer. It's not perfect, but I do think my pedometer is consistent. I have a friend who said he tried using a pedometer once and it was wildly inaccurate and he found that frustrating. My suggestion is to get a different pedometer. You can do it just like I am doing it. Keep reading and tell a friend who can use the encouragement.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.