12 week Update - 10-1-11

So, here I am, 12 weeks later.

Weight/Bodyfat:

Sorry for the blurry photo. Lost 22.5 pounds, 1.875 lb/week. Bodyfat listed as 39% at beginning, but hard to compare (with this kind of measurement, due to differences in water), but the general direction is good. With new diet, down 3 pounds this week. Question is, can I sustain that loss, or close to it, with the current, much more restricted diet?

I went in for labs on Thursday and will see my doctor Monday and let you know the results.

At the end of August I started exercising (was walking before that, but started my core exercises and the "Convict Conditioning" ones--bodyweight exercises) at that time.  For core, I do side planks (from the knees), bird-dog, and plank (on elbows), plus some stretches. All have gotten better, the plank held around 30 seconds at the beginning, now one minute (one month later).

The other exercises are easy push up/pull up/leg lift/squat variations--remember, there are 10 versions of each exercise, each getting progressively harder. Up to one-arm pushups and pull ups, for example--the middle ones (around 5) are getting towards "normal" exercises, like a regular pushup. The version of pushups I'm doing now (wall pushups) have gone from 1 set of 10 to 2 sets of 25. I will need to get to 3 sets of 50 before moving on to step 2 in the sequence of 10, so an very slowly graduated pace of improvement--good for me at age 61!

Pictorial evidence (beginning/now):

And from the side:

As you can see, I've improved, but am hardly a hardbody!

Much more to be done. You can't see easily in the photos, but I've lost more in my legs than in my belly (although that's reduced, too). That's one of the most important things to do now--and the reason behind the current plan--to get rid of as much visceral (belly) fat as possible, since that has a very negative metabolic effect, hormonally. If the new plan can lower abdominal fat (and take it out of my pancreas and liver, making my responses to blood sugar much better (lower insulin resistance), it will be a very positive thing!

I figure it will take a minimum of 48 weeks--3 more 12 week periods--and likely more, to get to where I need to be. And that doesn't mean where I can be ultimately, but to close to where I can/should be for excellent health.

So, not bad for the first 12 weeks. Here's to seeing what I can do for the next 12!