To life, liberty, and the pursuit of 150 pounds.

Good morning!
I just got back from my orthopedic doctor's appointment for my 3-month check-up. I did not drop the 15lb he wanted, only about 6-7 of it actually. But, he didn't say anything bad. Instead, he focused on the good. My 20lb drop since starting to see him, the increased flexibility in my knees, and generally less knee pain than before I started seeing him. He's a very positive person, and has frequently said he doesn't want to do anything invasive for at least 2 years, possibly longer since I am really taking his advice and losing weight and doing my exercises.

Then I dropped a bombshell on him. I'm not doing the knee exercises. I try, but 5 minutes to sit and flex my knees isn't really something high on my list. He burrowed his brow, but said nothing for a moment. Then:

Doc: "How often do you go to the gym?"
Me: "Not often enough. Maybe twice a week."
Doc: "Do you not like going? Why pay all that money if you don't use it to your full advantage?"
Me: Pondering.... "I guess I just don't make the time."
Doc: "Well, let's try a new strategy. Don't do the knee exercises at home. Make it a part of your gym routine. After stretching but before you begin any serious workouts, get on that knee machine and take 5 minutes with no weight to get the blood flowing. This way, you get the exercises in, you have more motivation to be there more often, and you don't need any fancy chair at home in the way."
Me: "Challenge accepted."

So, that's my challenge for the next three months until my next appointment. He said if I drop another 5-10lbs that's great, but he wants me to focus on the knee exercises more than anything. Oh, and cut about 200-400 calories out of my daily intake.

That's the easy part. Soda and I have officially broken up. For good. I'm not going back. That should easily cut at least 100 if not 200 out of my day. Then, Doc asked that I add more veggies and fruits. In some form or another (yogurt, frozen, etc). So there I go. More fruits and veggies, which means I can eat more quantity of, because I have cut out sodas and will cut back on the bad stuff. (I don't eat sweets or chips now, I just don't fill my plate with fruits/veggies like I should.)

I feel like shit when I only make it to the gym once a week. I feel that on top of a 40ish hour workweek and the [[AT LEAST]] 7-10 hours I spend on schoolwork, I don't leave a lot of time for John and I.

Let's break it down:

-Hours in a week: 168
-Sleeping (8.5hrs per night): -61
-Working (incl drive time): -40
-Schoolwork (@ home): -10
-In class: -3

So that leaves me with 54 free hours, broken down over 7 days is 7.75 hours per day.

Now, I didn't include meals, or the hour or so John and I are usually in bed watching TV before sleeping, or the hour-ish per day I take to get ready for work (that includes eating, showering, etc).

But, looking at that, I see where I waste my time. Here. In front of the computer. I think I need to get a timer. No more than 1 hour of surfing the web per day. (homework and school functions not included). I will spend at least 1 hour with John prior to bedtime, hopefully I can get him out of the house and on a walk or something?

I think my challenge to myself for the next week will be to accurately record my time, and what I do with it. We'll see where time gets wasted.

For now, I'm gonna run to the grocery store. I need something to cook for tonight, and maybe stock up on a couple of fruits/veg for the next couple of days. :)