Lose It With Lamb, Week 5

Last week I unexpectedly dropped 5 pounds and thought it was due to a whole lot of sweating during the recent hot spell. I feared the weight would come back—and yes, it all did, plus one pound. Honestly, I’m grateful that’s all it was. But the culprit wasn’t the water weight I’d suspected.

Here’s what did me in: Jody’s family came to visit, and her mom can cook! She made sloppy Joes, stuffed peppers, grilled Italian sausages — my mouth is watering just thinking about it all. Since we only see her two or three times a year, it’s quite an occasion and there’s just no way I’m going to pass up on her delicious food.

The thing is, I could’ve gained a lot more than just one pound. In the past, I would have had a potato chips and coleslaw with the sloppy Joes, bread and butter with the stuffed peppers, baked beans and potato salad with the Italian sausages. But I am a different person now, and I know those foods aren’t going to fuel my body or get me leaner. So I asked my wife Jody (who was in charge of the side dishes) for help. Thanks to her, we had lots of healthier options this time — fresh fruit, salads and grilled vegetables. So it all balanced out (well, almost).

To be honest, that pound I gained was worth it. Occasional gains are, I’ve learned, a fact of weight loss, and there’s just no getting around them. This is a new lifestyle for me, after all, not just a “diet” — and any lifestyle worth living includes my mother-in-law’s cooking.

That I’ve learned to handle setbacks this way isn’t the only personal change on my mind this week. I’m getting ready to do my first 5K. I’ve been steadily building up my distance and speed, and can now run/walk 5 kilometers (a little over 3 miles) in just 40 minutes. Unbelievable, right? The old Mike never walked more than a mile at a time, and just doing that took at least 20 minutes or more (not that I ever bothered to time myself).

My fitness has improved in other ways, too. Check it out:

Old Mike: Barely 10 push-ups on my knees

New Mike: 2 sets of 12 “real” push-ups

Old Mike: Couldn’t do lunges

New Mike: I’ve conquered the basic lunge, and can now do 2 sets of 12 walking lunges

Old Mike: 30 seconds of burpees with hands on the wall

New Mike: 60 seconds of burpees with hands on a stability ball (much harder!)

See for yourself how much I’ve changed by watching my Week 5 workout with trainer Wendy Batts below. Then try the routine yourself and compare your success to the first time you worked out!

But back to that 5K. It’s this weekend! Wish me luck, and I’ll let you know how I do in my next blog. In the meantime, keep eating well and working out!

How do you handle setbacks? Do they throw you off or do you take them in stride? Please tell me all about them in the comment section below, or visit my profile page to friend me and post a message. Your support means a lot!

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File under: Lose It