Temporary Redefinition of Progress
I must start by saying Mr. Shady can kiss my ass, I still think the scale for anyone who is considered morbidly obese is more important than what I am about to write about.
I have been losing weight for 7 months now, and for a good portion of that time I was losing 5-8 lbs a week. Towards the end of that period in late August early September, feeling run down was becoming the status quo. September to October I was a stretch of time feeling burnt out, and trying to figure out the next phase of my evolution.
Standing on the other side of that burnt out time, I feel like I’ve reached an unfamiliar mix of understanding, and confusion. Not working out 10 times a week for sure has helped improve my outlook on my workouts, and sticking to a single methodology even if it’s temporary is making life simpler. Today I have energy levels that a year ago I wished I had, I feel better, and it “feels” like I’m getting leaner, but it’s not showing up on the scale, or in my clothes. A few times the belt buckle has dropped but it seems temporary, or forced (who knew you could stretch the shit out of leather).
I have committed to moving forward with Crossfit to see how far it will take me, but I know for a fact I am going to supplement steady state cardio, if only to make me feel better about my work. I can’t resolve the fact that if I don’t sweat a lot I don’t feel like I’ve gotten much work done. I’m a natural sweater, so if you ever see me come out of the toilet sweating, it’s not because I took a strenuous shit, but because that’s just what I do.
I can break a sweat getting out of bed, and I think some nights I sweat in my sleep.
Is sweating a scientific form of understanding performance, probably not but if I don’t soak through two shirts I feel like I’ve done nothing.
I do know Crossfit has its limitations, and at some point it may become something I no longer believe in, although today I find myself like a Born Again Christian Evangelical. I don’t think I will ever apostatize Crossfit but, in my evolution I may find something more in tune with my goals.
I have made a commitment to keep pushing through regardless of the end result. It’s November, and New Years Eve if I am not down to a pant size under 40 I will know that something has to change.
The one thing which has changed, and it took some time to realize, was that I was eating too much. When you work out 10x a week you can cheat a bit, and not affect your overall progress, but with one workout a day, and just living life, I have to be far more disciplined in my food consumption.
I don’t want to turn 33 in January and still be a pant size that I was when I was a freshman in High School. Fuck that shit, fuck it with two dicks, fuck it, fuck it, fuck it.
By next July 2011 I am still trying to get to 200 lbs, but today I’m just trying to get to 250 lbs. For the short term progress will have to come in the form of feeling better, getting stronger, and not losing big numbers in terms of pounds, but a time may come when I go back to dropping pounds before I get stronger.
Monday WoD
Squats 8 sets of 1 at 245 lbs
Last Set
Metcon:
As Many Reps As Possible
12 Wall Balls
8 Knees to Elbows
4 Burpees
Scored: 6 rounds 3 reps
Video Below:
We know the goal but what is your current weight?
I love the biggest loser, it has done amazing things for many people, but it has also given the false notion that you should be losing weight every single fucking week and seeing body composition changes every time you look in the mirror.
This shit takes time (When not living on a campus, working out for 10 hours / day. You tried that and got burnt out..because it’s not fucking sustainable). That is why myself and 400+ members continue to go to CrossFit day in, day out. Because it doesn’t happen over night. And it doesn’t last forever if you STOP. The reason I do CrossFit is because I ENJOY IT and I can see myself doing it forever, therefore maintaining or improving on my current baseline.
It’s ridiculous to assume that weight that took multiple years to gain, is going to come off in only a matter of months. This completely ignores many factors such as genetics and age (At 23, your body can lose the weight much faster than at 33).
I’ll tell you what progress is. It’s sticking to a workout, nutrition, sleep and stress plan for a set period of time. Not worrying about how pants fit or what the scale says, but just worrying about following a damn plan to reach a desired end state.
This shit isn’t going to happen overnight, and as soon as you realize that and set realistic goals, you will stop stressing about it (stress is keeping you fat) and enjoy the workouts and life much more.
bitch.
Shady,
You are nothing if not angry, and a self professed evangelical of Crossfit, i agree with everything you have said, but what was working prior to Crossfit was a plan, perhaps not a sustainable one but one that was working. It is the sole reason why I pushed it for as long as I could.
Having said that, it’s not an overnight thing, and progress happens far more incrementally then on some stupid TV show, but like my business you have to watch the numbers, and judge progress on empirical data, rather than feel, because how I feel today could vastly be different from how I feel tomorrow.
With all that being said, I gained weight much faster than most people, I gained most of my weight in a 16 month period, so I expect to lose it in about the same timeline.
99% of the people you deal with, and are talking about aren’t morbidly obese. Of those 400 people maybe 1 or 2 understand what it was like to be where I was 6 months ago. You can’t fucking do box jumps, if you can barely get your leg up a staircase.
Even today, I can feel that many of my physical limitations in doing Crossfit WoD’s is directly linked to how much mass I’m carrying, or a physical barrier because of the extra weight.
Progress today is not what it was 4 months ago, I accept that, but what I won’t accept is having 3-4 months where I am not losing a single pound, regardless of the method.
Second place is first loser…
Lou
so to summarize:
biggest loser style training = works fast, but doesn’t last due to sustainability.
crossfit = works slow*, and does last a lifetime
*TBD for the Unicorn otherwise known as Louis Kim
Shady = Smart Ass
Torri
11/07/2011 What is Progress? – The Fattestblog On The Net
bed bug repellent
11/07/2011 What is Progress? – The Fattestblog On The Net