BigDude201’s BodyBlog

Well, I finally got back to the gym on Wednesday. I’ve been away for almost a month after a battle with Dengue Fever. It’s wonderful, a little creature called the mosquito can give you such great gifts. I received over a week in the hospital, a couple of weeks in bed, fever of 104 to 106 degrees, two to three weeks of the runs, blackouts. The best part was a loss of 10 kilos because of the runs and no appettite. Amazing creature. I am told you get even more if you catch it a second time.

Anyhow, I finally recovered and got back to the gym. I’m still a bit weak but I’m making profress. I gained back 3-4 kilos of the 10 kilo loss once my appetite came back because I wasn’t going to the gym. Hopefully I can maintain and even lose some more. I did get some of my medication reduced because of the weight loss and drop in blood pressure, So that was good.

It did ruin about half of my vacation to Boracay. That was a beautiful place. The beach is wonderful with loads of things to do. I would encourage anyone who can to take a trip there. I hope to go back in the future.

Well, I lost two trainers due to personal reasons and have been struggling without a regular one since January. I now have a new one. He doesn’t speak a lot of English, but we get buy. Hopefully it will help me get back on track. I have to change my short term goals. I haven’t been successful recently. Weight keeps level or creeps up a kilo or so. I haven’t figured out why. Meals during the day: Protein Bar 2 Carrots 2 Apples 4 Celery Stalks 2 Trail Mix Bars 1 cup Rice w Chicken Breast or Pork & Vegetables for lunch 1 Cup Rice with Ground Beef & Salad or Vegetables for Dinner Bowl of Watermelon Small cup of Nuts & Dried Fruit 1 Cup Coffee w Equal and some milk Loads of water 2 or 3 Diet Cokes Exercise - 4-5 cardio sessions at High Intensity for 45 Minutes 3 weight sessions with Trainer Any Thoughts?

Well, the day didn’t start off well. I couldn’t sleep most of the night. I’m not sure why. When I got up, my blood pressure was high, so I kept thinking, maybe I shouldn’t go. I wasn’t sure I would even make it to the 10th floor. Anyhow, I convinced myself that I needed to at least try. So I went. There were a ton of people there. A lot of corporate teams. It looked like it was going to be a big party. I was scheduled for 10:00AM, the earliest slot for individual climbers. However, at 9:30, the had a lull in the corporate teams, so they let me go early. You climb the escape staircase in 101. It was extremely hot especially with all those people. I knew I just wanted to make it, so I wasn’t concerned about time.

The first 10 floors were a breeze. After that, I started feeling the exercise. I can easily do High Intensity cardio on an elliptical for 45 minutes straight. However, climbing has always been a challenge for me. I suspect it has something to do with Physics, weight versus distance lifted and I definitely have the weight. Anyhow, I just took it in pieces. I focused on 5 floors at a time. There were stopping areas on the 35th floor and 59th floors where you could rest or quit. By the time I reached the 35th floor, I knew I could do it.

I must admit, I grew up and lived in the Northeast US (NJ & MA) and I can sweat at the drop of a hat. I sweat when shovelling snow in a T-Shirt. By the time I reached the 59th floor, I was dripping wet. The monitors, for lack of a better word, kept asking me if I was alright and telling me I could quit, but there was no way. I finally finished the 91st floor and got out to the observation deck where there was a nice breeze. It took me 1 1/2 hours with the rests, but at least I finished. There was a huge party when I got back down. They had a live band and some food, live radio broadcasts and some TV cameras. I wasn’t the slowest, nor the oldest (I’m 55), and definitely not the youngest. It was fun and now that I know I can do it, I hope to get my company to have a team next year. (I got very strange looks when I tried this year. They thought I was crazy.)

I was surprised listening to the radio on my way home at how many people quit at the various exits of the climb. The DJ quit on the 35th floor and so did another guy he was talking with. They also said several people got sick with nausea and cramps. The guy was young, at least compared to me. I was so surprised to hear them talking about quitting. I can’t imagine that for most of them it was more of a mind issue than a physical issue. Anyhow, I succeded and I feel great! 

Does anyone know how to turn the fotos below. They are rotated on my PC, so I was surprised to see them come out this way.

Okay, I signed up for the International Taipei 101 Climbathon. I’m hoping to climb Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world, on May 5th. It’s for charity. www.internationalclimbathon.com/ It’s 91 floors and 508 meters tall. There’s supposed to be a party afterwards. It should be on www.ICRT.com.tw who is a sponsor. English radio in Taiwan. I really want to do this. I haven’t tried anything like this before and I’m not good with stairs. I went on a hike last weekend which was a 60 degree grade and said it was 405 meters. I didn’t have a problem with that, I just didn’t run it. So hopefully it will be fine. There are two stopping points if you can’t make it on the 35th and 59th floor. I guess I better switch to the stair climber at the gym for the next couple of weeks.

Anyone want to join me, give me a holler! 

Okay, I did 45min on elliptical yesterday. Burned 1,000 calories according to the machine. Still haven’t lost any weight. I’m around 128kg, goes up and down 1kg. I think I get frustrated from starving myself and exercising and then eat a little extra at night. I know I’m not getting many calories, but at my age, I guess the metabolism is so slow, it doesn’t take much to cut the losses.

Okay, I got my bodyfat analysis yesterday and I gained bodyfat and lost muscle. Get’s frustrating but I think the machine results vary depending on time of day taken. This was at night after dinner. The previous ones were early in the day. Anyhow, I’m learning to still keep plugging away no matter what machines or scales say. Eventually I’ll get there. I have lost 2 kilos in the past week of the weight I put on. So keep at it dude!

Well, I put on a few pounds over the holidays. I get to celebrate both Christmas and New Years and now it’s followed by Chinese New Years. When I came back from Christmas, I found I had lost my trainer. I have a new one know and he’s helping me get back on track. I’ve learned to stay determined and not get discouraged. The weight does come off if you keep plugging at it, although at my age and metabolism, it is slow going but can be steady. So far my experience with trainers from California Fitness has been very positive. They keep encouraging me. I’m down to 128 kilos or 282 lbs. I was down to 274 lbs before the holidays. I’m determined to get back to 274 quickly and lose weight. I fit into size 42 pants over the holidays. I don’t think I have done that since my 20’s

Just signed up for 3 months with a personal trainer trying to break my barriers. Haven’t been able to get below 300lbs for years. First thing he did was increase my intensity on cardio. It’s tough but bringing my own music helps.

Sept 26, 2006 Down to 290lbs. Struggling to break that mark now, but getting there.

 October 20, 2006 Trying to get beyond the 280lb marker. Keep on truckin’