My lowest weight in years.

Today, for the first time in many years, I weigh less than 450 pounds. 448 to be precise (with shoes on and things in my pocket). This tells me I must be doing something right. My weight has hovered between 450 and 460 for the last almost 2 years. Weight loss completely stopped about 6 months after I had my surgery. Didn't go up, that's good, but stopped going down as well. I never experienced the level of "restriction" most people do after surgery. I have been able to eat far more than I thought I should, though it's certainly far less than before surgery. So I guess maybe these daily trips to the gym are useful after all. That does help with the motivation, to see a tangible result. 

I'm struggling with "burnout" and trying to figure out new and interesting things to do while at the gym. I know that if I keep up the same routine I'll not only stop seeing any improvement, I'll get frustrated and tired of going. Can't let that happen. Fighting the depression and getting out of the house is hard enough without the extra burden of of burnout. I need to keep it fun and interesting. So, I search for new, interesting exercises, and the internet provides.  Oh boy does it provide. There are so many conflicting opinions that it's hard to know what is worth reading and what is junk. I figure if multiple sources say the same thing about the same thing then maybe it's legitimate. 

My weekly regime consists of a couple daily exercised and more that I do on a rotating schedule of sorts. One of my least favorite, but one I find quite effective, is the "glute bridge". Here's how you do them. 

• Bend your knees and put your feet flat on the ground just close enough that you can graze your heels with your fingertips when you stretch your arms down by your side. Your feet should be about hip-width apart.
• Bend your elbows to 90 degrees so that only your upper arm is on the ground.
• Then drive up through your heels and upper back to lift your glutes off the ground. Drive your hips up as high as possible, squeezing the glutes hard. Keep your belly button drawn in so you don’t hyperextend your back.
• Do not push backward off your heels. Make sure you are driving straight up and that your knees aren’t caving in.
• Squeeze your glutes for second or two at the top and lower all the way back down to the ground before repeating.
• You should feel this move in your glutes and hamstrings and not in your low back.
• Do not rush through glute bridges. Take time to hold at the top and feel the glutes activate.

I like the glute bridge because it doesn't require any equipment. And sometimes it's nice to lay on the floor for a while. And they work. 

One of my other favorites is the Tricep Pushdown using a cable. I like these because there are so many different ways to do the same exercise. You can use a straight bar, rope, the inverted V handles or pretty much any other bar that allows you to pull the cable down. 

• Face high pulley and grasp cable attachment with narrow overhand grip. Position elbows to side.
• Extend arms down. Return until forearm is close to upper arm. Repeat.
• The elbow can travel up slightly at top of motion. Stay close to cable to provide resistance at top of motion.

Of course there are far, far more exercises to do, and I intend to experiment with many of them in order to find what works for me, but also to give myself a variety of options to choose from. I have to keep it interesting so I keep doing it. If I'm sweating then I'm doing something right, as long as I don't hurt myself. I've learned a couple things over the last two months. 

• Every day, do something. Even if you can't make it to the gym, do something. 
• Attitude makes all the difference. If I go to the gym in a bad mood I stay in a bad mood and my workout suffers for it. If I go in feeling unmotivated, my workout suffers for it. 
• I need to make it fun. Keep it interesting. If it's not fun I don't like doing it. If I don't like doing it, see above. 
• You really need to listen to your body. There is a difference between "good" pain and "something is wrong" pain. 
• Keeping track really can help motivate you. When you lift more, or go further or weigh less, it keeps you going. 
• I really have no idea what the hell I'm doing. But I'm learning.