Results.

Really, there's nothing quite like results. I have been working out since January 11th and have been avoiding soda since January 1st. Here's what has happened:

I weighed about 250 pounds (as high as 253 some days) and am now down to around 243 pretty consistently.

I was wearing size 38 pants that were getting ab it tight and was getting closer to needing to wear 40-inch waist pants. I'm now very comfortable in my 38-inch waist pants and can nearly fit into my older 36-inch waist pants.

My body fat has gone from (measured by myself with a $7 set of calipers, so take it for what it's worth) about 20% body fat to 18 or 19% body fat.

I am really noticing that my stomach is getting smaller, I'm feeling leaner, healthier and more energetic. My wife is also really noticing improvements in my appearance and even some friends at work have mentioned that I'm looking better.

I started out running 15 minutes at 10:00 minutes per mile and increased my running time up to 30 minutes of running. I've also increased my pace to about 9:30 minutes per mile now. I'm increasing my pace steadily within the 30-minute time frame. I started out running 30 minutes at 6.0 mph, then increased to 20 minutes at 6.0 and 10 minutes at 6.2 mph. The next time, I did 10 minutes at 6.0 and 20 minutes at 6.2 mph. Then 30 minutes at 6.2 the next time. I'm increasing like that consistently until I get to the point where I'm running 3.5 miles in 30 minutes. That's a pace of 7.0 mph for the whole run, which is quite a bit faster than I have ever run before on any kind of long-term basis. Eventually, I'll want to get to 4.0 miles in 30 minutes, but that may take longer.

I've also started lifting my kettlebells again. I started out lifting on the machines at the gymn, then switched to pretty standard lifts with dumbbells, then to Olympic lifts with dumbbells and am now doing Olympic lifts with kettlebells. The main lift I'm using right now is called the clean and push press. You start with the kettlebell between and slightly ahead of your feet, bend your knees, and grab the handle. To clean, you bring the bell up to your shoulder and tuck your hand underneath the handle. Here's a link to a video: Kettlebell Clean and Push Press

This morning I did 25 reps each side with my 24kg (53lbs) kettlebell. It's definitely tough. My shoulders aren't nearly as strong as they need to be, so they are currently the weak link in the chain. I'll continue to train on this exercise, though, as it does a great job working pretty much every part of the body. When I get access to a pullup bar (or decide to drop some dough on one that I can put up in the apartment without doing much damage) I'm going to start training on those as well.

So there we have it. Increased strength, endurance, and energy and decreased waist size, sugar intake and body fat. I'm really enjoying this journey and I'll keep you all informed as I continue to make progress.