Fighting fat, part two

Today is the start of week two of my diet.

I am down to 172 pounds – a drop of four pounds in one week. Most of the research I have read suggests that two to three pounds per week is a safe number. I believe the extra pound is due to my gorgefest of ice cream and chicken wings on Labor Day.

My BMI is down to 25.8 – still in the “overweight” region, but closer to “normal” at 18-24.9. I had my body fat percentage measured yesterday and I was at 21.5 percent. The American Council on Exercise puts me at “acceptable” for men – 18-25 percent. I suppose a new goal I have to add is getting down to 17 percent, or the “fitness” level.

So far I've been able to maintain my “Chipotle diet.” With a burrito for breakfast, a moderate lunch and a protein shake for dinner, my daily calorie intake has become consistant. But I am finding it a little difficult to keep up with on the weekend. I've also decreased my alcoholic intake – each bottle of beer is roughly 120 calories – and my unhealthy snacking, though I do have an occasional cookie during work.

After a month-long bout with flus, colds and coughs, I was astonished how much my cardio stamina had diminished. During my warm-up last Tuesday, I got tired after five minutes. It was a bizarre feeling – I'm not supposed to hit a wall on the machines. Thankfully, I shook off the cobwebs and am back to 25 minutes now.

I'm back on a five to six day a week workout regiment. My upper body maintained most of its strength – probably due to me continuing my lifting routine during my sickness. My lower body lost a little power, but it's rapidly returning. The best part is that I'm getting the good tired feeling again – when my muscles are sore, but it's a good sore.

My goal this week is to drop another two to three pounds and increase my cardio warm-up to 30-35 minutes. Getting to 165 pounds is right around the corner, but I'm going to have to work a lot harder after this week.