Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

My trainer figures that one more session, and I'll be at just about 10 percent body fat! This has been a long journey but an awesome experience. I feel fitter than I ever have in my life! My energy levels are high, I'm getting stronger every day and I see my skin beginning to tighten.

My trainer measured my abs with the calipers today, along with the thighs. He didn't do the chest but his best estimate is that I'm somewhere between 11 and 12 percent body fat. He also used the Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), a hand held devise that may not be accurate, but at least if the numbers are going in the right direction, you know it's working. My BIA came down another percentage point since the last time he checked it. I'm now at 18 percent on the devise versus 19 percent.

Derek Mitchell made the national news last month when he completed his first 5K race. It wouldn't have made the news except for one fact, he weighed in at 570 pounds. Derek plans to walk a 5K every month this year as he tries to lose weight. I don't have any doubt he'll reach his goals with the determination he has!

I reached out to interview him for this website as I thought his story was very inspirational. I hope to update you on his story as it develops and as he no doubt loses more weight. You can read about his journey on his Facebook page by clicking here.

...At least I hope I'm gaining muscle! I've been hitting the weights 5 times a week. I've been doing stretching, crunches, planks, chest presses, lunges and so much more! I know I eat enough protein and calories and I definitely feel stronger. My trainer won't check my body fat percentage for a while but I know it's getting there!

So far no one has said they've noticed I've lost weight, which is a good thing! I've been trusting my trainer when he said to not worry about my weight. It might drop but as long as I'm eating the right foods and enough protein, it should level off. I weighed myself today and the scale read 201.8 pounds. This marks the first time, probably in my whole adult life, that I'm not in the overweight range on the weight chart. It was not my goal to lose weight, but I'm fine with it as I am now officially in the "normal body weight" area of the weight chart. According to the BMI chart (which I don't usually pay much attention to), my weight should be less than 202 pounds.

Here's part 2 of the interview with Philip McCluskey, the former CT resident that has become well known nationally after losing over 200 pounds and becoming a vegan. Click here to check out part 1, if you haven't already done so.

Philip offers some insight on protein and how he thinks it's a myth that more protein is better. I now there's a lot of conflicting information out there as to how much to have, so check out Philip's view on the subject.

My aim isn't trying to lose more weight. i guess I have to keep reminding people of that. I know I've written about this before but I still hear the comment "Don't lose any more weight".

Today, someone hadn't seen me for a while and said it. Instead of realizing that I was about the same weight I was when she last saw me, instead she needed to remind me that I don't need to lose any more weight. I don't know why it annoys me when I hear it, but it does. I think it's because I've maintained right around the same weight for over two years now. As my body fat percentage changes, the only weight I lost was a couple pounds (two pounds, to be precise) from my lowest weight. And I've been maintaining this weight for weeks now, of 210 pounds.