no news can be good news
My change from last week –
Change in weight (4/21/20 –4/27/20): 0 LBS
No news is good news, right? I am really okay with my weigh in this morning. Would I have preferred to be down 2-4 pounds? Absolutely! But I did not gain weight and despite my week having some good activity, I definitely did not feel like I ‘won’ or ‘deserved’ weight loss. Do you ever have those times where you just know you nailed it? Like you step on the scale with the deep satisfaction of knowing you crushed it? I have had those weeks and the scale rewarded those feelings with bigger drops – Hold up. The scale did not reward anything. I rewarded myself with the pleasure of seeing the fruits of my labor displayed on this inanimate object that has no control over me. That’s better. – This week I just felt good. I was active but there were some indulgences. I made gains in different places and that is okay. I feel the scale reflected my feelings… I maintained.
I took a mental health day on Tuesday and by 10am on Wednesday, it felt as if I never had. I think I need a staycation. Taking the time to take care for my mind, along with my physical is becoming more important. On Tuesday morning my daughter woke up and we hit the woods for an early morning hike in Blue Hills Reservation. This was everything for me. Listening to the birds, hearing the wind going through tree branches, watching the changing shadows as the sun rises higher in the sky, all of these things are medicine for my mind. It also is the greatest when your daughter is babbling away and chatting right behind your head in the backpack. It is so hard not to smile.
We also began painting in the house. We are doing a hallway, the living room, and the dining room. I like painting because the satisfaction of seeing the fruits of your labor is awesome. I hate the prep that goes into painting because I like to complain and just don’t like doing painting prep. I have no true reasoning. I just hate it. Thankfully I don’t have a choice. But anyway, we are trying to find the right off-white for the hall and living room. We want it to be warm, but still simple enough to be versatile for different carpet or curtain options. That is the current struggle in the Crosby household. Yes, it could be worse.
Yesterday we celebrated my wife’s birthday. I told her I would cook her anything she wanted and she chose eggs florentine. This was fun because I love breakfast, and eggs florentine is a fancy way to serve breakfast. I am proud to say that I did pretty well. My poached eggs were perfect, the creamed spinach was rich and decedent, and the hollandaise sauce did not break! I might not eat anything today because of all the butter I consumed yesterday, but she was happy and that is all that matters. We also ended it with a white chocolate and cranberry cake (I did not make this, I cheated and purchased this). It is definitely different trying to celebrate events and milestones right now, but I almost feel it can make them more special. I would have just taken her out to eat if the world was normal, spent a lot of money on a good meal, and we would have been happy. But this allowed me to take the time to make a meal for her, for us to do it together (with our toddler in tow), and really savor the whole process. There was no white table cloth or waitstaff, but it felt like a full and rich experience. I felt it to be a more enjoyable way to show my appreciation for her than just going out to dinner and having somebody else do all of the work. And going out to dinner would have involved just as much butter… restaurants cook everything with butter.
I did pretty well with meeting my goals this week but I fell short in a couple areas. I did not get a long ride in, I did not get a strength workout in, and I did not stretch. I have maintained a good riding schedule since I started this. Consistency has not been an issue on the cardio front. I have struggled to get into a stretching and strength training routine. I talked to my wife last night about putting 2 strength classes per week on our calendars and doing them together. I hope that this motivation of having them on the calendar and doing them together will help me get in the flow. I also plan on putting my stretches on the calendar. I need to get better about these.
I did have a big win ride on Monday. I, again, did Robin’s Greatest Showman Ride. I am now calling this my PR ride because it pushes me every time and I always get a new personal record. Along with that the playlist is so damn good. If you haven’t listened to the song ‘This is Me’, do it. It will pump you up and if you are working out, it will push you in all the right ways.
I know that I had a higher intake week this week. There was more takeout due to home projects and some special occasion meals. This week we have planned out our meals and I hope I can stick to them a little better and work on a better calorie deficit. In the past 6 weeks I have lost about 6 pounds. This is a a lower average loss than I saw prior. I would like to see this tick up closer to average 1.5 pounds per week, but I am still proud that the trajectory is going down. I think I can look like a new man and feel like a new man by the time I hit 1 year of this journey. I already feel better and know I am taking better care of myself.
Anyway, check out the lists below for the full breakdown and let me know if you have any suggestions, feedback, inspiration, or thoughts. Stay safe out there and stay home if you can! I am thankful for all of you.
How did I do on last weeks action plan?:
- 5 workouts. 1 45 min ride, 1 HIIT Ride, 1 full body strength, 1 low impact ride, and 1 other of my choice – Partially Attained. 5 rides but no strength workout and no 45 min ride.
- Plan out my meals, stick to them, and portion snacks – Partially Attained
- 2 additional outdoor activities. This can include walks with my daughter, disc golfing, skiing, etc – Attained
- 3 dedicated stretch sessions. 2 10-min lower body and 1 10 min full body – Not Attained
- 20-30 minute midday walk on work days – Partially Attained
- Track every bite – Partially attained
- Drink 10 glasses of water per day – Attained
- Find some quiet time to calm my thoughts and mind. 2 5-10 minute sessions – Attained
Action Plan
- 6 workouts. 1 45 min ride, 1 HIIT Ride, 2 full body strength (Wednesday evening and Saturday evening), 1 low impact ride, and 1 other of my choice
- Plan out my meals, stick to them, and portion snacks
- 2 additional outdoor activities. This can include walks with my daughter, disc golfing, skiing, etc
- 3 dedicated stretch sessions. 2 10-min lower body and 1 10 min full body (Monday/Wed/Fri)
- 20-30 minute midday walk on work days
- Track every bite
- Drink 10 glasses of water per day
- Find some quiet time to calm my thoughts and mind. 2 5-10 minute sessions
Please stay tuned for more updates. If you have been enjoying this, please become an email follower or a wordpress follower. Having this public audience has been a positive motivation for me to continue working towards my goals and so I really am thankful for all of you!
| Date | Change in Weight |
| 12/1* | – |
| 12/2* | -5.4 lbs |
| 12/9 | -5.4 lbs |
| 12/16 | -3.4 lbs |
| 12/23 | +2.8 lbs |
| 12/29 | -1.2 lbs |
| 1/6 | -1.4 lbs |
| 1/13 | -1.6 lbs |
| 1/20 | -1.4 lbs |
| 1/27 | +0.4 lbs |
| 2/3 | -1.2 lbs |
| 2/10 | -4.6 lbs |
| 2/17 | +0.4 lbs |
| 2/24 | -1.6 lbs |
| 3/2 | -3.2 lbs |
| 3/9 | +1.8 lbs |
| 3/16 | -3.2 lbs |
| 3/23 | -0.6 lbs |
| 3/30 | +0.4 lbs |
| 4/6 | -1.6 lbs |
| 4/13 | +0.8 lbs |
| 4/20 | -1.8 lbs |
| 4/27 | 0 lbs (no change) |
* I first weighed myself on a Sunday night and began the regular weigh-ins the following morning
-Ben
a better ben 