100 Day Challenge: The Final Three Days!

Well, it's week 15 but there's only 3 days that actually wrap up the 100 Day Challenge. Again, not as much weight as I wanted to lose, but I have not been consistent at all with exercise. I was not consistent with eating better either. 

This morning, I weighed in at 189.8 lbs. I was down to 186 last Wednesday but I knew the weekend and having company over would nix some of that progress. Hopefully, I will get back to there by this Wednesday, but not matter, what I've lost weight during the challenge!

I did learn, that just trying to add some exercise and trying to eat better most of the time did help. I managed to lose 7.4lbs during this 100 day challenge so far. 

Day 99: Monday, October 24th

Breakfast: Skipped breakfast. 

Lunch: I was traveling for work....again...so I had a bottle of water and Chick Fil-A grilled chicken sandwich. No fries. I did have 2 mini-Reese's Peanut Butter Cups at the county I went to but I managed to skip the offered donut at the other one...so WIN! LOL

Dinner: I got back into town late so went through Burger King and got a whopper junior, onion rings and small Coke. I also had 2 Oreo cookies & a scoop of vanilla & chocolate ice cream. I don’t know what happened. I just had to be good two days and yet I went crazy tonight. Maybe boredom. Maybe stress. I don’t know.  

Exercise: I missed my morning run. I actually woke up to the alarm but having worked all weekend, I was just so tired. I know. It's an excuse. But I must have needed it. Usually, I am awake and instead of running, I'm just laying there. This morning though, I actually fell back asleep. 

Day 100: Tuesday, October 25th

I woke up this morning and weighed in at 189.2 lbs. A total weight loss of 8 lbs. I may weigh a little less tomorrow. I may not. We'll see...but 8 lbs isn't too bad considering I really didn't do much to earn that win. I mean honestly...go back and look. I didn't exercise that much, I ate out a lot and a lot of was fast food too. 

Breakfast: I had two pieces of sourdough toast with butter. Not sure why, but I was hungry this morning. 

Lunch: I had two quarter pound hot dogs on buns with sauerkraut and spicy mustard.

Dinner: We made salmon, brussels sprouts & stuffing for dinner. I just had water to drink. 

Exercise: I didn't run this morning. I was on call early. But in a last ditch effort, I did do 10 x 20lb curls, overhead presses, dumbbell deadlifts and dumbbell squats. I also did 10 x 5lb front and side raises. 

END OF THE 100 DAY CHALLENGE: Wednesday, October 26th

Start of Challenge: 197.2 lbs

End of Challenge: 189.8

Total Weight Lost: 7.4 lbs

After a full 100 days I lost a total of 7.4 lbs. 

Thoughts: "100 Day Challenge" does sound good, but I think it's too long to truly stay motivated. 100 days made me think, "I can have this treat because I have plenty of time to make up for it." or "I can not workout today because there's plenty of time." I'm going to do a new challenge beginning November 1st. A 60 Day Challenge that'll take me to the New Year!  But more than just weight loss, this challenge will have physical goals too. Stay tuned. 

100 Day Challenge: Week Fourteen Complete

  

Day 92: Monday, October 17th

Breakfast: I was hungry this morning so I had a banana. 

Lunch: Crunch peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich on wheat

Dinner: Chick Fil-a grilled chicken sandwich and a Reese's peanut butter ghost

Exercise: I was on call early this morning so I didn't get to run before work. 

Day 93: Tuesday, October 18th

We had company come into town this week and they are staying until Sunday. I'm afraid my last week's effort is in jeopardy!

Breakfast: Skip

Lunch: BLT and potato chips

Dinner: Spaghetti and meatballs

Exercise: n/a

Day 94: Wednesday, October 19th - ONE WEEK LEFT IN THE CHALLENGE

This morning I weighed in at 186! I was so happy and motivated for this last week!

Breakfast: Banana

Lunch: leftover spaghetti and meatballs

Dinner: I had 2 quarter pound Nathan's hot dogs on buns, ravioli, a small glass of white wine, a mini-sprite and 3 Pillsbury Halloween sugar cookies.

Exercise: 20 Push ups

Day 95: Thursday, October 20th

Breakfast: skip

Lunch: A slice of meat lover's pizza, a small slice of carrot cake and Coke Zero

Dinner: I made Teriyaki Chicken w/Broccoli and an Asian salad (kit). I had a glass of white wine with dinner. 

Exercise: 30 Squats

Day 96: Friday, October 21st

Breakfast:  Skip

Lunch: Wendy's classic single with bottle of water

Dinner: Outback Steakhouse Prime Rib Sandwich and cheese fries. I had water to drink. I also had two Oreo cookies and 4 Lindt chocolates. 

Exercise: n/a

Day 97: Saturday, October 22nd

I feel like I did OK for most of the week until today. Today was a train wreck. 

Breakfast: Oatmeal

Lunch: Chick Fil-a sandwich (breaded) combo w/ medium fries and a Coke Zero. We then went to a retro arcade where I had a Coke and Nachos and Cheese...the fake cheese/sauce stuff.

Dinner: McDonald's 10 Piece Chicken Nuggets w/BBQ sauce, medium fries and a medium Coke, but I only took a few sips and them dumped it out. I did however, later have 2 Oreo cookies and then went to the movies and had popcorn and a medium Coke which I did drink all of at Black Adam...Which was amazing btw...!

Exercise: n/a

Day 98: Sunday, October 23rd

Breakfast: Oatmeal

Lunch: Skip - I wasn't really hungry. I was working this morning, but I worked yesterday too and I was eating all day. 

Dinner: After the hike mentioned below, my wife and I went to a greek restaurant. We shared stuffed grape leaves and I had the lamb Gyro with a side of potato salad. I also had a water and a Mythos beer

Exercise: Took a hike on Deerfield Loop in the evening. Actually got to see 3 deer too which was fun. We finished in the dark which was ever so slightly unnerving because it was hard to see the trail. But we know it well enough we weren't going to get lost. Just tripping hazards is all. 

100 Day Challenge: Week Thirteen Complete

 Well, Didn't make much progress last week. Basically I just held steady. I weighed in this morning at 190.6 lbs. I think I actually gained .2 since last week but I'd have to look back to be sure. Overall, I've lost weight during this 100 day challenge. Just not as much as I had hoped. But again, if you look back over the 12 other posts so far, you can see I haven't really been good about sticking to eating better, working out or anything else for that matter. Trying to diet during election season when I'm traveling, exhausted, and trying to keep my head above water was not the best time for this challenge, but oh well. 

I started today off at 190.6 (mentioned above) and I actually got up and went for a 2 mile run. It actually felt good. Not very fast, but nothing hurt and it's been two weeks probably since I ran last. I have been hiking a lot instead of running, but I just don't feel like it's a great workout for me. 

Day 85: Monday, October 10th

Breakfast: Skip

Lunch: Chicken sandwich on wheat w/mayo

Dinner:  Popeye's chicken sandwich, fries and a medium Coke

Exercise: Ran in the a.m. before work. 2 miles easy. Felt good actually. I ran the whole way. Last time I ran, I walked the last quarter mile. 

Day 86: Tuesday, October 11th

Breakfast: skip

Lunch:   McDonald's fish sandwich, fries and a medium Coke

Dinner: Ordered Chinese food. Got chicken and mixed veggies with white rice and an egg roll. I had a mini-Coke to drink.

Exercise: 1.64 mile fartlek in the a.m. before work.

Day 87: Wednesday, October 12th

Only two weeks until the end of my 100 Day Challenge! Wow, it's coming up fast. 

Breakfast: skip

Lunch: I had a crunchy peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich on wheat

Dinner: Tonight, i made butternut squash ravioli with a pumpkin butternut squash sauce. I also made veggies and bread. I had water to drink but later had a mini-Coke to drink.

Exercise: n/a

Day 88: Thursday, October 13th

Breakfast: Skip

Lunch: Chicken tenders, mac & cheese, a biscuit and a bottle of water

Dinner: Wendy's grilled chicken sandwich and a mini-Coke

Exercise: 1.64 mile tempo run - fastest time this year for this course!! I started out thinking I'd do another fartlek, but when I got to the point where I was going to slow down, I felt really good, so I went farther, then farther and I just kept pushing the whole way. It was such a great feeling! 

Day 89: Friday, October 14th

Breakfast: skip    

Lunch: PB & J on wheat with water to drink

Dinner: BBQ Ribs, baked potato, cole slaw and a beer

Exercise: Easy two miles

Day 90: Saturday, October 15th

Breakfast: PB & J w/Honey on wheat

Lunch: Cheeseburger, tots, pork rines and a beer

Dinner: I was super full from lunch and just had a Coke around dinner time. I had no appetite at all.

Exercise: Hiked 1.5 miles at Max Patch.

Day 91: Sunday, October 16th - ONLY 10 DAYS REMAINING

Breakfast: Skip

Lunch: Arby's prime rib cheesesteak w/crinkle fries and a small Coke

Dinner: Beef w/mushrooms from a Chinese restaurant

Exercise: Today was supposed to be a long run day, but I had a ton of things on my to do list and my back was hurting for some reason. I raked, mowed, did laundry, took the car for an oil change and inspection, changed out 2 old register diffusers and replaced a toilet seat. Not of it was hard labor per say but I was definitely going non-stop all day dealing with projects and my honey-do list.

In addition, this was the first week all year...possibly in several years...that I ran four times in a single week. My ego really wanted to run a long run, but I think the universe was looking out for me. It's good to ramp up mileage slowly. 

100 Day Challenge: Week Twelve Complete

Woke up today, at 191.8. Not sure what I ate yesterday that caused me to gain weight overnight but whatever. I was under 190 for a couple of days last week. I'll stick to the plan and try to run more this week which will be very tough. I can at least to weights, push ups, etc... to be active. 

Day 78: Monday, October 3rd

Breakfast: Skip

Lunch: Had a candy bar for lunch. Today was INSANE. A salted nut roll it was called. 

Dinner:  Chick Fil-A for dinner. Had the grilled chicken sandwich with mayo, medium fries and a water. 

Exercise: n/a

Day 79: Tuesday, October 4th

Breakfast:  skip

Lunch:  Candy bard and an apple for lunch. Another crazy day. 

Dinner: We went to the movies so I was bad. I had a Hard Cider, a burger and fries, popcorn & raisinets. 

Exercise: n/a

Day 80: Wednesday, October 5th

Breakfast: English muffin w/butter

Lunch: McDonald's 2 Cheeseburger meal w/medium fries and a Coke

Dinner: Salmon and rice + Spam and rice sushi thing...Musubi

Exercise: n/a

Day 81: Thursday, October 6th

Breakfast: English muffin w/butter

Lunch: Turkey sandwich on wheat bread w/mayo

Dinner: I made Spaghetti and meatballs and a Caesar salad. I had water to drink. Later, I had a mini-Coke watching She-Hulk.

Exercise: n/a

Day 82: Friday, October 7th

Breakfast: skip

Lunch: Godfather's meat lover's pizza with a bottle of water

Dinner: Cheeseburger and tater tots w/water to drink

Exercise: 10 x 20lb curls & overhead press + 10 x 5lb front & side raises

Day 83: Saturday, October 8th

Breakfast: English muffin w/butter

Lunch: 10 Wings in sweet/spicy sauce w/water to drink. Had a mini-Coke later.

Dinner:  Cheeseburger and tater tots with water to drink. 

Exercise: 20 Push Ups

Day 84: Sunday, October 9th

Breakfast: Skip

Lunch: Steak taco, lamb gyro taco and a Coke. Also had some chips and queso.

Dinner: Spam and egg musubi (1) and Spam Musubi (3) and a Coke

Exercise: 4 mile hike to see 2 waterfalls at Graveyard Fields

100 Day Challenge: Week Eleven Complete

Today, Monday, September 25th marks 30 days remaining in my 100 day challenge. I have to be honest. I want to just scrap the whole thing and start over. I mean, I have lost 6 pounds...but honestly, I had lost that really quickly. Since then, I've been having sodas...sweets here and there...and not doing a good job avoiding fast food or at least making good choices. I'd say in all honesty, I'm probably about 50/50 when it comes to making good choices at fast food places. Getting sodas and fries is where I usually fail in trying to avoid fried/greasy foods. My weight keeps yo-yoing between 189.6 and 192. 

Early on in the challenge, I did get down to 188.2 but then I went on vacation and got a little off track. But rather than get back on track, I just kept eating like I was still on vacation. Work has been crazy, but let's be honest, that's just an excuse. Going through McDonald's drive-thru rather than going into Subway just another block down is a choice. That has nothing at all to do with how crazy work is or isn't. 

I'm going to see this challenge through. I think it actually paints a pretty good picture of what we tell ourselves are the reasons we don't exercise more or do better. I am definitely (I know I've said this all before...) make a real effort to finish strong. 

Starting weight at beginning of challenge: 197.2

Starting weight going into last 30 days: 191.4.

Weight loss in 70 days: 5.8lbs

Day 71: Monday, September 26th

Breakfast: Skip

Lunch: Leftovers - chicken broccoli stir fry with white rice and a glass of water.

Dinner:  Chick Fil-A chicken deluxe sandwich and fries. I only ordered the sandwich...no fried and no drink...but opened the bag, and there were fries. Oh well. I was good at lunch so should be OK. 

Exercise: I didn't work out today. I had planned to go for a run all this week but then dinner, errands, work, etc...all happened. It's also getting dark earlier. I know. All excuses. RUN IN THE FRICKIN' DARK IF YOU HAVE TO!

Day 72: Tuesday, September 27th

This morning was great! I finally broke through 190. I was 189.8! 

Breakfast:  2 pieces of sourdough w/butter

Lunch:  Campbell's Chicken & Sausage Gumbo soup

Dinner: Salmon w/Brussel sprouts & cous-cous

Exercise: 10 x 25 lb curls & 10 x 20lb overhead presses + 10 x 5 lb front raises and then side raises

Day 73: Wednesday, September 28th

Woke up this morning and I was 189.6! Feeling optimistic again. 

Breakfast: 2 pieces of sourdough w/butter

Lunch: Hardee's grilled chicken club sandwich and a bottle of water

Dinner: Wendy's grilled chicken sandwich and a bottle of water plus when I got home I had a bowl of chili w/cheese that my wife had cooked.

Exercise: n/a

Day 74: Thursday, September 29th

I feel like I'm getting back on track! I woke up today and was 189.2! I love being under 190lbs. My stomach is much flatter and my shirts fit better. Can't wait to get below 180. 

Breakfast: skip

Lunch: Subway's foot long Great Garlic chicken sandwich on white bread. 

Dinner: I cooked and made a lemon-pepper breaded tilapia, spaetzle and a salad with feta cheese, apple slices and walnuts.

Exercise: n/a

Day 75: Friday, September 30th

Hurricane Ian hit Florida yesterday is making it's way up to here in NC. 

Breakfast: Skip

Lunch: Roast beef sandwich and a coke from the grocery store

Dinner: Outback Steak House. I had the small ribeye, loaded baked potato and seasonal mixed veggies. I also had some cheese fries and a large Outback Blonde beer

Exercise: n/a

Day 76: Saturday, October 1st

Breakfast: skip

Lunch: 10 Mcnuggets w/bbq sauce and a coke

Dinner:  Pulled pork taco and a shredded beef taco

Exercise: 10 x 20lb dumbbells for curls and overhead press. 10lb dumbbells for side and front raises. I also ran 2 miles and hiked 3.9 miles earlier in the day. 

Day 77: Sunday, October 2nd

Breakfast: skip

Lunch: Leftover chili and cheese

Dinner: Got chinese food. Had white rice, egg roll and honey chicken (breaded like sweet and sour chicken, but with honey)

Exercise: 10 x 10lb front and side raises + 20 push ups