Build Me - An Ongoing Journey

Thursday 3/12/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 150.0lb – -0.4lb
Body Fat: 9.0% – -0.3%
Lean Mass: 136.50lb – -0.21lb
Fat Weight: 13.50lb – -0.19lb

Diet:
7:30am:
1 large Apple
1/2 cup Dry Irish Stone-ground Oats
1 “Pan-Sized” Egg Beater Omelet with Deli Ham, Peppers, Onions (Mustard, Tabasco Sauce)
12:30pm:
1 medium-large Pear
Baby Cut Carrots
1 large bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Orange Pepper (Low Calorie Light Balsamic Vinaigrette)
2 slices Vermont Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)
6:15pm:
3 plates Striped Bass and/or Flounder [cooked with olive oil], Quinoa with Tomatoes and Onions, Roasted Vegetables [cooked with olive oil]

That was my diet.



The Workout:

TREADMILL
10min @ 8.3mph
~3.5min @ 9.0mph
last 0.1 miles (until 2.0 mile) @ 10mph
-> 2.0 mile in 14:09
ELLIPTICAL [normal]
5min @ 145-155stm, 15resistance
ELLIPTICAL [full motion]
5min @ 10-12calories per minute, 1resistance
5min @ 11-12.5cpm, 2resistance
4min @ 12-13cpm, 3resistance
1min @ 13cpm, 5resistance
TREADMILL:
10min @ 4.0mph, 6%incline

PUSHUPS
3x30 (1min rest)
SIT-UPS
3x30 (1min rest)


That was the workout.



The Day:

Besides the nice feeling of my numbers both dropping this morning I was also able to truly cook my ideal breakfast for the first time in months. It tasted great. I was so happy to be able to make my oatmeal my way, my eggs my way. It was perfect and just what I needed after eating at dining halls for weeks upon weeks.

My workout followed a few hours later at around 9:30am. The run was slightly more difficult than normal, but I believe it to be simply because of the variability of each day. Despite the difficulty I was still able to break yet another personal record. I barely barely pushed past my previous Monday’s performance by running the 2 miles in 14:09, one second faster. As always to was nice to feel myself progressing. Afterwards I was thinking of trying out the full range ellipticals because I was no longer doing HIIT today and didn’t need to move fast. Sadly they were all taken at first so I used the normal type for the initial 5 minutes. I looked back at that mark and found one machine open. I quickly switched positions and tried out the full range motion for real this time. The workout was great. I wasn’t able to move fast, but by design the resistance made my body move much harder with each stride which allowed a nice caloric burn. I know that RPI, my college, has one such machine and I may replace the after-run elliptical workout with these new Precor Ellipticals. Like the Treadmill HIIT instead of the Elliptical HIIT, I’ll definitely be considering this in the future.

My motivation these last few nights has been lacking and this night was no exception. Without realizing it I found myself plowing through the pushups simply to finish the requirement. I regretted this afterwards. Luckily I also felt this regret before the start of my sit-ups. With that melancholy feeling came some new found inspiration. I regained my focus for the sit-ups and really contracted those stomach muscles to isolate the abs. It seemed to work. I didn’t outperform myself or anything, but I did enjoy a nice burn with a grimacing smile on my face.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #98.
 
Friday 3/13/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 149.2lb – -0.8lb
Body Fat: 9.3% – +0.3%
Lean Mass: 135.32lb – -1.18lb
Fat Weight: 13.88lb – +0.38lb

Diet:
7:15am:
1 medium-large Apple
1/2 cup Dry Steel-Cut Oats
1 large “pan-sized” Egg Beater Omelet with Deli Turkey, Peppers, Onions (Mustard, Tabasco Sauce)
12:30pm:
1 small plate Tuna Tartar with a little Seaweed Salad (Light Ginger Soy Dressing)
1 large bowl Lettuce Salad with 2 medium-large pieces Chicken Breast (Red Wine Vinaigrette)
7:30pm:
~5 Jumbo Shrimp (a little ****tail Sauce)
2 bowls Lettuce Salad (Balsamic Vinaigrette)
2 large bowls Whole Spelt Spaghetti with Thick Short Rib Sauce [greasy]

That was my diet.



The Workout:

3x5x145 BB Squat
1min rest
3x5x165 BB Deadlift
1min rest
3x5x120 BB Bench Press
1min rest
3x5x35 DB Shoulder Press
1min rest
3x5x40? Assisted Pull-Ups
1min rest
3x5 Dips(chest version, leaning forward)
1min rest
3x5x30 Assisted Chin-Ups
1min rest
3x10 Knuckle Pushups
30sec rest
3x30secx Bicycle Crunches
30sec rest


That was the workout.



The Day:

My weight dropped this morning. I’m happy about that. Sadly it seems that my body fat took a flight upwards instead of following suit. I felt leaner though so do I expect in the coming future for my body fat to follow.

I went to the gym around 10:00am today. It was an average workout. I was able to use the gym’s mirrors to my advantage though and get more of a personal critique regarding my deadlift form. I found myself slouching my back slightly at the last second before the pull. I worked on fixing that and made some progress. I also was told by a fellow lifter that I was looking down on the upward motion of my squat. I will work on that next time as well. The rest of the lifts went fine without much to talk about. I did find myself easily pulling up with a 50lb assist so I switched it to 40. This may be due to the design of the anti-gravity machine more than a strength increase though. When I get back to my college’s gym I’ll have a better idea of if I truly outperformed myself.

I thought my diet today was fairly lean up until dinner where I do admit I may have gone slightly overboard. The food wasn’t the healthiest, but I didn’t have much control. I did my best to limit portion sizing instead and walked away from the dinner feeling full but not in any way stuffed. I think for the day because of this personal restraint I was able to stay under my caloric limit and my weight loss should continue and benefit from that.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #99.
 
Saturday 3/14/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 150.4lb – +1.2lb
Body Fat: 8.3% – -1.0%
Lean Mass: 137.92lb – +2.60lb
Fat Weight: 12.48lb – -1.40lb

Diet:
7:40am:
1 medium-large Apple
1/2 cup Dry Steel-Cut Oats
1 large “pan-sized” Egg Beater Omelet with Deli Ham, Peppers, Onions (Mustard, Tabasco Sauce)
12:40pm:
1 bowl Beef Barley Soup
1 small thick slice Marble Rye Bread
1 slice thick Whole Grain Bread with Tuna Steak, Grilled Vegetables (a little Creamy Wasabi Sauce)
2:45pm:
5 Baby Cut Carrots
1 medium Pear
1 medium-large Pear
1 small slice Whole Wheat “Vermont Bread” with Deli Turkey (Mustard)
6:15pm:
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with a little Cucumber, a little Tomato (Fat Free Vinaigrette)
1 plate Grilled Chicken Breast, Roasted Vegetables, Rice Pilaf

That was my diet.



The Workout:

--


That was the workout.



The Day:

Day 100 and it starts with a bang. My body fat took quite a sudden dive, a plunge really, of 1%. My weight did increase as seems to be the norm (body fat and weight tend to do the inverse of each other). I don’t mind the increase though. What it came out to mean is a sudden jump in lean mass and a nice plump drop in fat. I’ll take that thank you very much.




That was the day.




This concludes Entry #100.
 
Last edited:
Sunday 3/15/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 150.0lb – -0.4lb
Body Fat: 8.5% – +0.2%
Lean Mass: 137.25lb – -0.67lb
Fat Weight: 12.75lb – +0.27lb

Diet:
7:15am:
1 medium-large Apple
1/2 cup Dry Steel-Cut Oats
1 large “pan-sized” Egg Beater Omelet with Deli Ham, a little Deli Turkey, Peppers, Onions (Mustard, Tabasco Sauce)
12:15pm:
2 plates Turkey, Steak Roast, Fish, Garbanzo Bean Salad, Mixed Vegetables, Cabbage, Lettuce Salad (Unknown Dressing)
1 small bowl Chicken Vegetable Soup
5:15pm:
1 bowl Chicken Noodle Minestrone Soup
1 bowl Broccoli (Chile Sauce, a little Chinese Brown Sauce)
1 plate 1.5 medium slices Turkey, a little Vegan Chili
1 large bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Cottage Cheese (Light Red Wine Vinaigrette)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

PUSHUPS:
1x70 in 1min
SIT-UPS:
1x44 in 1min


That was the workout.



The Day:

I spent most of the day traveling and am sadly fairly much out of time right now to talk. There are a few things I want to get mentioned though before I call it a night. First of all I didn’t take progress pictures again today for the same reason as last week, that is I was not in a standardized location with standardized lighting. As I am typing this though I am now at RPI and that means next Sunday a new photograph will emerge. Hopefully it will show what I have been seeing over the last few days… the first sign of a six-pack!

I also want to say that my diet today may have been a tad heavy on food. I am not sure, maybe it is because I got used to a week of eating less, but I felt like I overate both for lunch and dinner today. I will have to remember, always remember, that I am on a cut and it is best to under eat than overeat. I keep making that mistake. It won’t happen again.

And finally we get at the one real activity of the day which was my pushups and sit-ups. I underperformed on my pushups, but in my mind it wasn’t so. I did my best and gave it everything I got. Maybe my form was better, maybe I was focusing more on the chest muscles which made me weaker faster. Or maybe it was just a bad night. Who knows. I did what I could and I am proud of myself for that. As for my sit-ups: I did better last week, but worse than normal like my pushups. Again I go by the same logic. I am encouraged by my dedication to failure.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #101.
 
Monday 3/16/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 153.8lb – +3.8lb
Body Fat: 9.6% – +1.1%
Lean Mass: 139.04lb – +1.79lb
Fat Weight: 14.77lb – +2.02lb

Diet:
7:45am:
3 small Apples
3/4 bowl Oatmeal
5 Egg Whites with Deli Ham (Mustard)
1:35pm:
1 bowl Chicken Orzo Soup [extra chicken]
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Cottage Cheese (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
3:15pm:
1 bowl Chicken Soup [broth only]
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper (Light Olive Oil Vinaigrette)
1 slice 12 Grain Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)
5:30pm:
1 bowl Chicken Noodle Soup [extra chicken]
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Tunafish [no mayo], Cottage Cheese (Light Olive Oil Vinaigrette)
1 bowl Broccoli and Vegetables (Chile Sauce, Light Chinese Sauce)
1 plate London Broil, a little Pad Thai

That was my diet.



The Workout:

TREADMILL:
10min @ 8.3mph, 0%incline
~3:30min @ 9.0mph, 0% incline
last 1/10 mile @ 10.0mph, 0%incline
-> 2miles in 14:08min
FULL-MOTION ELLIPTICIAL:
5min @ 2resistance, ~10-11cals/min
5min @ 4resistance, ~11-12cals/min
5min @ 6resistance, ~12-13cals/min
5min @ 8resistance, ~13-14cals/min
TREADMILL:
10min @ 4.0mph, 6%incline

PUSHUPS:
3x30 (1min rest)
SIT-UPS:
3x30 (1min rest)


That was the workout.



The Day:

What a shocker this morning. I woke up to find both my weight and body fat sky rocketed. This is simply not possible. I refuse to believe this accuracy in any such way. The reasons for indefinable, but my best guess would be the overeating I mentioned yesterday. Overeating for one day provides a negligible gain in fat though. This is just a joke of a number, a downright joke.

My workout today was another improvement upon myself. I hit a new record on my run by beating my pace in a 1 second leap to the finish (not literally but you get the idea). I also finished the rest of the 45 minutes by using the different elliptical that I used last time and that I now found out my college gym carries. I think for now on I will be using these machines on my run days while using the other ones (the ones that you can move fast on) for my HIIT days. Variety is nice.

At night I was feeling rather tired and was not exactly in the mindset for my routine. Things did improve once I started though and I gained some clarity and focus that uplifted my pushup performance so that I felt a nice burn in my chest. My abs also encountered the same feeling from my sit-ups. I have been thinking about changing the scheme of my nightly workouts to something else entirely. I was thinking of switching from the standard 3x30 reps to maybe like a pyramid system with failure guaranteed at the end. I’m not sure how I feel about that quite yet, but I just wanted to mention it is on my mind of ideas.

My diet today was vastly different than yesterday. I exhibited much more focus towards my goals and a clearer understanding of what is right and what is wrong to eat. I have always been smart about that type of thing anyway so honestly yesterday was just a small slipup, but it does feel nice to be back on track. I hope the scale will prove this to be true.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #102.
 
Tuesday 3/17/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 152.4lb – -1.4lb
Body Fat: 9.6% – +0.0%
Lean Mass: 137.77lb – -1.27lb
Fat Weight: 14.63lb – -0.14lb

Diet:
7:40am:
2 small-medium Apples
4/5 bowl Oatmeal
5 Egg Whites with Deli Ham (Mustard, Hot Sauce)
12:20pm:
1 small Apple
1 cup Rice Pilaf
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, a little Tunafish [no mayo] (Light Olive Oil Vinaigrette)
1 bowl Ham and Cabbage Soup
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)
5 Pickle Spears
5:25pm:
1 bowl Ham and Cabbage Soup [extra ham and cabbage]
3/4 bowl Chicken Breast (Chinese Red Sauce), Cabbage
1 large bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Tunafish [no mayo], Cottage Cheese (Light Olive Oil Vinaigrette)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

ELLIPTICAL:
5min @ ~75rpm

3x5x145 BB Squat
1min rest
3x5x165 BB Deadlift
1min rest
3x5x120 BB Bench Press
1min rest
3x10x25 DB Shoulder Press
30sec rest
3x10x25 DB Bent-Over Rows
30sec rest
3x5x25 Assisted Chin-Ups
1min rest
3x5 Dips (triceps version, straight)
1min rest
3x10 Knuckle Pushups
30sec rest
3x30secx Knee Raises
30sec rest


That was the workout.



The Day:

My weight isn’t moving back down as fast as I would like, but it is moving. If it doesn’t reach its previous value it just means that it was falsely low for those few days anyway. Meaning overall that there isn’t much I can do except keep up with my clean dieting and wait it out. I must have patience.

I had an average time at the gym today. I still am struggling to work on a slight back curvature for deadlifts. I may have to decrease weight until I can completely fix the issue. I don’t want to do this because I accidentally did 20 pounds less today on the first few reps and noticed immediately how easy it was. I did change my assisted weights for the chin-ups to 25 pounds which more adequately reflected how I performed last week. For this reason I don’t really consider it an increase in performance as I that was already noticed during my last lifting session. Still though, it is nice to see always add more weight.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #103.
 
Wednesday 3/18/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 152.8lb – +0.4lb
Body Fat: 9.0% – -0.6%
Lean Mass: 138.13lb – +0.36lb
Fat Weight: 14.67lb – +0.05lb

Diet:
7:40am:
2 small-medium Apples
4/5 bowl Oatmeal
5 Egg Whites with Deli Ham (Mustard, Hot Sauce)
12:20pm:
1 small-medium Apple
1 bowl Rice and Meat Stuffed Cabbage, Broccoli
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper (Light Olive Oil Vinaigrette)
1 bowl French Onion Soup
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)
5:20pm:
1 bowl French Onion Soup
1 large bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, a little Cottage Cheese (Light Olive Oil Vinaigrette)
1 plate 2 thin Pork Chops [fat cut off], Rice, Vegan Chili

That was my diet.



The Workout:

ELLIPTICAL:
2 min @ 68-70rpm, level 1 resistance
2 min @ 68-70rpm, level 2 resistance
16 min @ 1:15 min 88-94rpm, 45 sec @ 68-70rpm, level 3-10 resistance (increasing each interval)
TREADMILL:
10 min @ 4mph, 6% incline

PUSHUPS:
3x30 (1 min rest)
SITUPS:
3x30 (1min rest)


That was the workout.



The Day:

I really don’t know what to make of my weight. I’m going to keep eating as my current diet prescribes for the rest of the week. If my weight doesn’t start to decrease than at least it means I reset my metabolism from maybe eating too little over spring break? I doubt that’s the case, but who knows. Either way, if my weight doesn’t improve by Monday than I will be changing my diet yet again to decrease the intake of calories. I’m really fed up with not moving in any direction.

The elliptical I used today for my workout offered slightly more resistance than normal. For this reason I still could not beat my personal record. I made up for this anyway though by burning 393 calories in 20 minutes, my highest ever. I know the number is fairly meaningless, but at least I can get still get the satisfaction that I am working myself harder than I have previously.

At night my pushups went normal, but it was my sit-ups that caused trouble. I was still able to complete them, at least I did that. For some reason though they were much harder than normal. It could have been a number of factors, the standard list of possibilities. But hey, like I said I completed it. And for that reason I am happy, hell maybe even more than usual since the difficulty just means I pushed myself at least mentally that much harder.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #104.
 
Thursday 3/19/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 151.8lb – -1.0lb
Body Fat: 9.0% – +0.0%
Lean Mass: 138.14lb – +0.01lb
Fat Weight: 13.66lb– -1.01lb

Diet:
7:45am:
2 small-medium Apples
1 bowl Oatmeal [very runny]
5 Egg Whites with Deli Ham (Mustard)
1:45pm:
2 small Apples
1/3 plate Brown Rice Pilaf, Green Beans
1 bowl Vegetable Minestrone Soup
1 large bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Hot Yellow Pepper, Garbanzo Beans, Cottage Cheese, 5 Egg Whites (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
5:40pm:
1 small plate Turkey Breast, Roast Pork, Pork Chop with Tomatoes and Onions, Eggplant Burger
1 plate Turkey Breast, Roasted Vegetables
1 bowl Vegetable Minestrone Soup [extra white beans]
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Garbanzo Beans (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

TREADMILL
5min @ 8.3mph
5min @ 8.4mph
~3.5min @ 9.0mph
last 0.1 miles (until 2.0 mile) @ 10mph
-> 2.0 mile in 14:03
ELLIPTICAL [full motion]
5min @ ~11calories per minute, 2resistance
5min @ ~12cpm, 4resistance
5min @ ~13cpm, 6resistance
5min @ 13-14.5cpm, 8resistance
TREADMILL:
10min @ 4.0mph, 6%incline

PUSHUPS
3x30 (1min rest)
SIT-UPS
3x30 (1min rest)


That was the workout.



The Day:

My weight dropped today which I guess is nice (still fairly high from its previous low). The real news today though is my run. It may have been because I was using a treadmill that I think has the slightest angle of decline (making the run easier), but that could just be an illusion. Whatever the reason, at the 5 minute mark I found myself having bundles of energy as if I just got on without wearing myself out at 8.3mph for the last 5 minutes. To work myself harder I edged the speed up a little to 8.4mph and ran another 5 minutes. I then continued with my new standard it seems and put it up again to 9.0mph and then finally sprinted the last 10th of a mile at 10mph. All of this lead to yet another personal record. I cleared those 2 miles in a wicked 14:03; 3 seconds away from my goal! I feel a new goal will be in place soon enough.

Later in the day, much later, at night, I performed my pushups and sit-ups. I found the pushups harder than usual and enjoyed it more for that reason. As usual, I have no idea why. The burn was nice and rewarding though, so for that reason I welcome the intensity, the difficulty. In my mind, bring it on. And the same goes for sit-ups which turned out to be equally as difficult if not more (I was at failure on the last rep it was perfect). Again, bring it on.

My dinner this night was slightly deceiving in portions. It appears that I ate way too much when put into text because of the variety of food I had. In truth the “small plate” I mentioned was small samples of all of the items, not normal quantities of each. For this reason I feel like my overall diet was pretty much spot on.

I just want to put this in here that I think I have come to hate this obsession with daily weights and percentages. I am considering switching to a weekly schedule where I would weigh myself on Sunday, the same day I take progress shots. If my weight stresses me tomorrow as it has over the last few days, I think the change will be definitive. We’ll have to wait and see how I feel when that happens though. Until then, good night.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #105.
 
Friday 3/20/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 151.4lb – -0.4lb
Body Fat: 8.6% – -0.4%
Lean Mass: 138.38lb – +0.24lb
Fat Weight: 13.02lb – -0.64lb

Diet:
7:20am:
3 small Apples
1 slice 12 Grain Bread with a little Deli Ham (Mustard)
5 Egg Whites [a little yolk slipped through] with Deli Ham, Onions (Mustard)
12:15pm:
1 small-medium Apple
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Mixed Beans (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
4/5 bowl Mushroom Bisque
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)
5 Pickle Spears
5:20pm:
1 bowl Chicken (Chinese Brown Sauce), Broccoli (a little Light Chinese Black Sauce)
1/2 plate Tilapia, Bean Stew
1 large bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Mixed Beans, a little Tunafish [no mayo], a little Cottage Cheese (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

ELLIPTICAL:
5min @ ~77rpm, 1resistance
3x5x145 BB Squat
1min rest
3x5x165 BB Deadlift
1min rest
3x5x120 BB Bench Press
1min rest
3x5x35 DB Shoulder Press
1min rest
2x5x50 Assisted Pull-Ups
1min rest
1x50x40 Assisted Pull-Ups
1min rest
3x5 Dips(chest version, leaning forward)
1min rest
3x5x25 Assisted Chin-Ups
1min rest
3x10 Knuckle Pushups
30sec rest
3x30secx Bicycle Crunches
30sec rest



That was the workout.



The Day:

Well my weight did drop today along with a nice dive in body fat, but still I have made my decision to change. I simply do not want to be thinking about these daily miniscule changes. For now on there will be a weekly supplemental journal that includes my progress shots and new weight and body fat. There will no longer be these meaningless numbers at the top of every entry. I feel like a load has been taken off my shoulders.

My breakfast was a little different today because as usual for Fridays I had to eat at Sage Dining Hall and as usual they didn’t serve oatmeal. Instead of opting for the high GI grits this time I opted instead to have a slice of 12 grain bread with a little deli ham. This worked out fairly well but I of course would have wanted oatmeal. Oh well.

After breakfast I was off rushing to the gym so I could make my classes in time afterward. Today was a day of changes at the fitness center. After a quick warm-up on the elliptical I began my squats. I think I have really gotten my form down near perfect now and feel like it may be time to increase my weights. Next week I’m going to do 3 sets of 5 with 150 pounds: can’t wait. My deadlifts are also improving, not in weights, but in technique. Every week I get better and for that reason I am satisfied in keeping the weight static for now until I am sure that my movement is perfected. My next big lift also saw some new light. The bench press today felt easier than normal and I it has been too long since I my chest experienced a nice boost in weight. Next week I will also be putting on an extra 5lb here as well. A little while later my chin-ups were feeling quite simple at 50lb assisted. Just to make sure I continued the first two sets at 50 pounds, but after realizing that it wasn’t getting harder I upped the difficulty to 40lb assisted on the last set. This felt about right and I will be making that change permanent next week. Last of all for the day of new frontiers was my dips. 5 reps just flew by and I wasn’t feeling that well-loved burn anymore. I must make this lift harder as well and I decided next week I will be doing just that by increasing to a more intense 6 reps. Basically it was an awesome hour of performance increases and I am so excited to really push myself with all these new weights next Tuesday.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #106.
 
Saturday 3/21/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
9:45am:
1 small Pear
1 small-medium Apple
3/4 bowl Oatmeal
5 Egg Whites with Deli Ham (Mustard)
12:20pm:
1 small-medium Pear
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Garbanzo Beans, a little Cottage Cheese (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
1 bowl Chicken Vegetable Soup [very little chicken]
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)
5 Pickle Spears
5:20pm:
1 cup Couscous [cooked with apples and cinnamon]
1 bowl Mixed Vegetables (Light Chinese Dark Sauce)
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Garbanzo Beans, a little Cottage Cheese (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
1 bowl Chicken Vegetable Soup [very little chicken]
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

SOCCER:
50min @ Low-Moderate Intensity


That was the workout.



The Day:

There really is very little to report today. My diet was pretty much spot on except I think I am going to get rid of the couscous. It hit my head while eating it that it is basically just pasta which is OK but definitely not exactly “healthy”. What I mean by this is I can get my carbs from better sources (the garbanzo beans for instance) so I have no good reason to be eating it. Also today’s couscous was made sweet with apples and cinnamon so I’m sure there was extra sugar in there as well. Still though it was a very small portion size and I’m not too worried about it -- it’s just that in the future I know what to do when confronted with the decision: couscous or no couscous.

If you noticed I also did have a small bit of exercise in me today. I know it’s a rest day, but if I didn’t mention it before I am now part of an intramural soccer team. Practices are normally held on weekdays as well as some games, but today’s game was on a Saturday night and I’m not about to miss it just for that reason. The workout was moderate at best so I wouldn’t consider it as an additional method of weight loss. It was more of just a nice way to have some fun. Nothing wrong with that!

Tomorrow I will be weighing myself as part of my weekly numbers check (which will be compared to last Sunday’s numbers, not yesterday’s). I will also be taking progress pictures which are long overdue. I am looking forward to both.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #107.
 
Sunday 3/22/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Measurements:

Body Weight: 152.20lb Change: +2.20lb
Lean Mass: 138.65lb Change: +1.40lb
Percent Fat: 8.90% Change: +0.40%
Body Fat: 13.55lb Change: +0.85lb

Progress Pictures:









Thoughts and Opinions:

I could really go either way here. First of all my body weight increased from last week fairly significantly, but my percent fat though it increased as well was not as significant. This lead to my overall calculations showing me as gaining muscle more than gaining fat. Though this is nice result, it is still not what I wanted as my goal remains to lose fat while retaining muscle. As for my progress shots, really they show yet again nothing. At first I thought I looked better, but then I took a close examination of my current self compared to my previous body from a few weeks ago and saw no discernable differences. Maybe you see something I’m not catching? Also, as I’m sure you noticed I decided to take a few more different poses today just for kicks. Comments, criticisms, critiques, questions?




This concludes Entry #108 Sunday Morning Edition.
 
Sunday 3/22/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
9:15am:
1 small Pear
1 medium Apple
2/3 bowl Oatmeal
5 Egg Whites with Deli Ham (Mustard)
12:20pm:
1 small Pear
1 cup Rice, Garbanzo Beans, Potato
1 cup Oatmeal
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, a little Cottage Cheese (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
1 bowl Beef Chili [light and thin broth]
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)
5:15pm:
1/2 bowl Mixed Vegetables (Light Thin Chinese Sauce)
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Hot Yellow Pepper, Garbanzo Beans, a little Deli Turkey (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
1 bowl Beef Chili [extra beef]
2 medium slices Turkey Breast
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

PUSHUPS:
1xFailure @ 73reps, 1:07min (70rep/min)
SIT-UPS:
1xFailure @ 48reps, 1:23min (40rep/min)


That was the workout.



The Day:

I am starting to get fed up with myself. I keep being a disappointment at dinner. Again I feel like I overate. OK, who knows if I really did, but I don’t want to be double guessing anymore. For now on I have to make my dinners smaller. There is no ifs about it. I will make this change. And now that I have said, I know it will be done.

I wasn’t in the mood tonight for pushups or sit-ups. I was feeling a little depressed from a long day of school work while at the same time a long day of wasting time. It’s an annoying combination when the two intermix. I did do my pushups and sit-ups of course, but my performance may have been lacking because of the mentioned above. Despite that I did my best and though I didn’t break any personal records I feel like I gave it my all. At least I still got the burn. Also, notice that I pushed myself to failure this time. For sit-ups I started to feel like these time constraints were limiting my capability so I tested myself to max instead of a 1min set. It turns out that the two were pretty close, but at least now I know what I am truly made of.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #108.
 
Monday 3/23/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
7:45am:
2 small-medium Apples
3/4 bowl Oatmeal
5 Egg Whites with Deli Ham (Mustard)
1:50pm:
1 medium Apple
1 bowl Mixed Vegetables [slightly sweet sauce]
1 bowl Chicken Noodle Soup
1 large bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Garbanzo Beans, Kidney Beans, 5 Egg Whites, Cottage Cheese (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
5:25pm:
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Garbanzo Beans, Cottage Cheese (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
1 bowl Vegetable Soup
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

TREADMILL
5min @ 8.3mph
5min @ 8.5mph
~3.5min @ 9.0mph
last 0.1 miles (until 2.0 mile) @ 10mph
-> 2.0 mile in 14:00
ELLIPTICAL [full motion]
5min @ ~11-12calories per minute, 2resistance
5min @ ~12-13cpm, 4resistance
5min @ ~13cpm, 6resistance
5min @ ~14cpm, 8resistance
TREADMILL:
10min @ 4.0mph, 6%incline

PUSHUPS
3x30 (1min rest)
SIT-UPS
3x30 (1min rest)

That was the workout.



The Day:

I feel a lot better about my diet today. I didn’t overeat during dinner and every meal had a nice balanced feel to it. Also the fact that I didn’t weigh in I think helped by not stressing me out about making compensations (not having to decrease calories if I saw a jump, or increase if I saw too drastic a dive). Of course I never would do those things on purpose, but subconsciously I think it influenced my decisions. It’s nice to not have that looming over my head now.

My workout today was excellent. I finally achieved my goal of a 14:00 2 mile run. I hit it right on the money. Since beating a goal means making new ones I updated my list. I now will strive to achieve a 13:00 2 mile run and a 6 minute 1 mile run. I look forward to that day.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #109.
 
Tuesday 3/24/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
7:45am:
2 medium Apples
3/4 bowl Rolled Oats
5 Egg Whites with Deli Ham (Mustard)
12:20pm:
1 medium Apple
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Mixed Beans (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
1 bowl Lettuce, Tomato, Salsa, Deli Turkey
1 bowl Beef, Vegetable, and Rice Soup [extra beef, vegetables, and rice]
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)
5:20pm:
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Mixed Beans (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
1 bowl Beef, Vegetable, and Rice Soup
1 plate Roasted Vegetables, Roast Beef, Smoked Sliced Turkey
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

ELLIPTICAL:
5min @ ~77rpm

3x5x145 BB Squat
1min rest
3x5x155 BB Deadlift
1min rest
3x5x125 BB Bench Press
1min rest
3x10x25 DB Shoulder Press [failure on last rep]
30sec rest
3x10x25 DB Bent-Over Rows
30sec rest
1x5x30 Assisted Chin-Ups
1min rest
2x5x25 Assisted Chin-Ups
1min rest
3x6 Dips (triceps version, straight)
1min rest
3x10 Knuckle Pushups
30sec rest
3x30secx Knee Raises
30sec rest

SOCCER:
50min @ low intensity
That was the workout.



The Day:

I first went into my workout thinking of lowering the weights and perfecting the moves. I had the mindset that I wanted to really get that mind to muscle connection and really contract, squeeze, and isolate the target group for each movement. After trying this out on various exercises I found it helped somewhat, but was nothing to the pump and burn I got from really pushing myself. By the end of the workout my mindset changed back to its original position. I decided to increase the weights back to normal on many of my lifts and found that this created a more intense workout than simply “focus”. The only weight that didn’t go to a full increase was my deadlift which will be put on a higher level next week, but remain lower than previously because I feel like I really need to make sure my back is straight.

As for my actual performance, there were a few surprises. The first was that I found myself failing on the dumbbell shoulder presses. I couldn’t complete the last rep. I think it was this idea of slowing down and squeezing the muscle at every push that caused the early failure. I am not at all disappointed by this, in fact I welcome it, but it just was a little shocking to see happen. That was my only decrease. The rest of my lifts all showed signs of present or future benefits. For example this coming Thursday I will be increasing my weight on squats. And today I increased my weight on the bench press and increased the reps on my dips. I pushed myself to new levels with both of those movements and am proud to say I completed all the sets with all the reps.

At the very end of the day I played a little soccer. It was mostly very casual drills though and the intensity was hardly even worth being called exercise. I would equate it a brisk walk with a jog every now and then. I was hoping though that even this light form of movement would counteract what I believe to be a slight overeat during dinner. Not by a lot, but I really got to watch myself. I still think that bulking mentality is lingering inside of me and I must get rid of it. I will get rid of it. I trust myself completely in my ability to self control what I eat. It’s just I have to remember my goals constantly, always keeping in my mind what I want and how to reach it. And that means eating less. I’ll have to do better. And I will.

That was the day.




This concludes Entry #110.
 
Wednesday 3/25/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
7:45am:
2 small-medium Apples
1 small Apple
1 bowl Oatmeal [very runny, like soup]
Liquid Egg Whites with Deli Ham (Mustard)
12:20pm:
1 small-medium Pear
1/2 bowl Roasted Vegetables
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
1 bowl Split-Pea Soup with Ham
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)
5:25pm:
1 small plate Ham, a little Black Beans, a little Salsa, a little Lettuce
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
1 bowl Split-Pea Soup with Ham
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

ELLIPTICAL:
2 min @ 68-70rpm, level 1 resistance
2 min @ 68-70rpm, level 2 resistance
16 min @ 1:15 min 90-95rpm, 45 sec @ ~69rpm, level 3-10 resistance (increasing each interval)
TREADMILL:
10 min @ 4mph, 6% incline

PUSHUPS:
3x30 (1 min rest)
SITUPS:
3x30 (1min rest)


That was the workout.



The Day:

This morning I had the most disgusting oatmeal. It was a runny mess. I really hate it that my dining hall just cannot get it together and cook a proper oatmeal. Is it really that hard to get the water to oats ratio right? They also ran out of whole eggs so I had to use this liquid junk. It was a pretty disappointing breakfast. I just hope tomorrows will be better. It would be nice to have a decent meal in me before two big exams.

I was so close to breaking my record on the elliptical. I stayed above 90rpm for every second of my sprints except for this one blink of an 89 on the LCD around midway through my HIIT session. I didn’t let it discourage me though. I plowed through the rest of the HIIT as if I never saw that 89. By the end I burned 398 calories, my most ever in 20 minutes. That was enough for me even if I didn’t break my record. There’s always next Wednesday, and I’ll break it then.

Around an hour and a half before bed I did my pushups and sit-ups. Normally I do them right before sleep but I was in the mood at that particular moment so I went ahead and did them early. Even with being in the right mind set they were still very hard and I always seem to lose focus on my goals while pushing through the 30 reps. I still was able to complete them all, but I just really wish my mind was trying just as hard as my body. I almost feel like this is more of a mental game than a physical one. Like all personal games though, eventually I’ll win.

That was the day.




This concludes Entry #111.
 
Thursday 3/26/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
7:40am:
1 small-medium Pear
1 medium Apple
4/5 bowl Rolled Oats [medium consistency]
5 Egg Whites with Deli Ham (Mustard)
1:45pm:
1 bite Apple
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, a little Kidney Beans and Garbanzo Beans (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
3:15pm:
1 small-medium Pear
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Garbanzo Beans, a little Cottage Cheese (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
1 bowl Italian Wedding Soup [broth only]
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)
5:25pm:
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Garbanzo Beans (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
1 bowl Italian Wedding Soup [broth only]
1 bowl a little Beef, Mixed Vegetables, Ratatouille
1 slice 12 Grain Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

TREADMILL
5min @ 8.4mph
5min @ 8.5mph
~3min @ 9.0mph
last 0.2 miles (until 2.0 mile) @ 10mph
-> 2.0 mile in 13:53
ELLIPTICAL [full motion]
5min @ ~11-12calories per minute, 2resistance
5min @ ~12-13cpm, 4resistance
5min @ ~13cpm, 6resistance
5min @ ~13-14cpm, 8resistance
TREADMILL:
10min @ 4.0mph, 6%incline

PUSHUPS
3x30 (1min rest)
SIT-UPS
3x30 (1min rest)


That was the workout.



The Day:

I woke up pumped for the day. I was in the mood for a nice hard workout before my exams and therefore did just that. As you can see from the stats above I smashed my previous record on the 2 mile run. I followed it up with an increased effort on the full range elliptical. For some reason I was just in that right mentality and it helped guide my way along the 45 minutes in the gym. It was a great session.

Sadly it didn’t help much with my exams. Both were harder than expected and I feel like I could of planned more for them. I failed myself in this way and I won’t let it happen again. For the first time these last 2 weeks I felt myself slacking off in my schooling. That will no longer be the case. I got my first non-A exam of my college career in my elective Economics class, my easiest class, this week. I will not let myself fall below a 4.0. I demand perfection from myself in this area just as I demand it from my fitness regime. And I will do just that.

Despite a faulty lunch schedule today which caused me to divide meals and adapt my diet was pretty much dead on. I particularly enjoyed dinner where I felt like my portion sizes were perfect because I left satisfied but 2-3 hours later I had that nice feeling of wanting food. I enjoy going to bed empty, so I relish that feeling when I get it just right.

That energetic mood didn’t leave me even with the disappointment of my exams. At night I did my pushups and sit-ups the same way I do every night and performed around the same (though maybe slightly better). But it was my head that was the difference. I truly feel like it is my mental strength that is limiting my improvements for these two exercises. I will continue to work myself in that area. I have no doubt that eventually I will get it. It is like everything else: practice makes perfect. I look forward to the days where I can turn on my pumped “lets cause my body pain” mindset like a light switch.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #112.
 
Friday 3/27/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
7:15am:
2 small-medium Apples
1 bowl Cream of Wheat
5 Egg Whites with Deli Ham, Onions (Mustard)
12:20pm:
1 medium Apple
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Garbanzo Beans (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
1+ bowl Seafood Soup [a lot of extra seafood]
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)
2 thin slices Turkey
5:20pm:
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper, Garbanzo Beans, a little Cottage Cheese (low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
1+ bowl Seafood Soup [extra seafood and vegetables]
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

ELLIPTICAL:
5min @ ~77rpm, 1resistance
3x5x150 BB Squat
1min rest
3x5x160 BB Deadlift
1min rest
3x5x125 BB Bench Press
1min rest
3x5x35 DB Shoulder Press
1min rest
3x5x40 Assisted Pull-Ups
1min rest
3x6 Dips(chest version, leaning forward)
1min rest
3x5x25 Assisted Chin-Ups
1min rest
3x10 Knuckle Pushups
30sec rest
3x30secx Bicycle Crunches
30sec rest


That was the workout.



The Day:

I had a great lifting session today. I found myself able to take the additional weight on my squat. That was a huge satisfaction. I am going to try to start increasing all my movements by 5 pounds if possible every week. I’m tired of not progressing. I want to get stronger and I feel like this is the way to do it. I mean after all I’ll never know if I can lift the additional 5 pounds until I try. Squats are a perfect example. I thought I was stalling at 145; I felt like I was pushing myself to the edge on every rep. And yet, it seems I could do 150 just as well. My instinct tells me my other lifts may be the same.

There isn’t thing else to tell. That is all. Good night.

That was the day.




This concludes Entry #113.
 
Saturday 3/28/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
9:20am:
1 medium Apple
1 small Apple
3/4 bowl Rolled Oats Oatmeal
5 Egg Whites with Deli Ham (Mustard)
12:20pm:
2 small Apples
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Green Pepper, Garbanzo Beans (Low Calorie Light Italian Dressing)
1+ bowl Chicken Barley Soup [extra chicken]
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)
5:10pm:
1 plate 2-3 small Hamburger Patties, 1 Vegan Hamburger Patty, 2-3 medium pieces Chicken Breast [slightly fatty], Cooked Beans

That was my diet.



The Workout:

--


That was the workout.



The Day:

I woke up sore today! Yes, I say that with an exclamation mark. I haven’t felt sore, and I mean really sore all over in a very long time. I directly take this to be a result of the weight progression. Man I just wish I had added weight earlier. Now I know: just because I feel like my body can’t go further, doesn’t mean it can’t. I can’t wait to keep pushing my boundaries!

I forgot to mention yesterday that I feel like I have found the culprit of my deadlift form troubles. After careful examination it seems that my hips and lower back are moving before my upper back and shoulders. For a split second this is causing my shoulders to stay low while my lower back comes up (that is creating a slight curveting). It doesn’t stay this way though and as soon as the rest of my body plays catch-up my back becomes perfectly straight again. Now that I know what is wrong, I have to figure out how to fix it. Any recommendations?

I was fairly active today as the weather has finally improved to awesome conditions. The only downside of this is that the dining hall decided to do an outdoor picnic and my food choices became severely limited. I think I screwed up in my choices by eating hamburger patties. I should have remembered my mantra that it is best when on a cut to not eat at all than eat unhealthily. Oh well, it is just one meal. I won’t stress over it; I know that in the future I will make the right choice.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #114.
 
Sunday 3/29/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Measurements:

Body Weight: 150.4lb Change: -1.80lb
Lean Mass: 136.56lb Change: -2.09lb
Percent Fat: 9.2% Change: +0.3%
Body Fat: 13.84lb Change: +0.29lb

Progress Pictures:








Thoughts and Opinions:

I am somewhat disappointed with my numbers today. Not extremely so, but somewhat. I felt like I did better than this and deserved more of a body fat percent drop (though my body weight did decrease). The result of the week seemed to be that I lost muscle and gained fat; of course not at all what I wanted! Now this could all be because of the screwup for dinner last night; that is possible. But, I’m not going to play the guessing game. I am going to restrict my diet further this coming week by making small changes here and there. Most likely they won’t show up on my diet report because I generally find it hard to post portion sizes (as it is lots of guesswork). But, hopefully the next Sunday Edition will have numbers that show my success.

Regarding the images there really isn’t much to see. I mean I feel leaner, but it doesn’t seem to be showing up. I guess it takes a while for “feelings” to equate to a visual difference. I did try and take some more poses this week to give you guys and myself a better idea for where I stand. I’m having trouble getting the back pose correct though. It seems I’m pushing my butt out and then shifting it to one side (no I don’t have any herniated disk it’s just me not knowing where to place my lower back). If anyone has any recommendations for striking a good back pose, let me know.

As always I will end with the standard request… Questions, comments, criticisms, critiques?




This concludes Entry #115 Sunday Morning Edition.
 
Sunday 3/29/09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diet:
9:15am:
1 small-medium Apple
1 small-medium Pear
4/5 bowl Cooked Rolled Oats
5 Egg Whites with Deli Ham (Mustard)
12:20pm:
1 medium Pear
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Cucumber, Green Pepper (Light Red Wine Vinaigrette)
1 bowl Chick Pea Vegetable Soup
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)
5:25pm:
1 bowl Lettuce Salad with Green Pepper (Light Red Wine Vinaigrette)
1 bowl Chick Pea Vegetable Soup
1 plate 1 small-medium piece Pork Chop [fat stripped off], Broccoli, Black Beans and Vegetables
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread with Deli Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato (Mustard)

That was my diet.



The Workout:

PUSHUPS:
1x67 (65 in 1min)
SITUPS:
1x55 (41 in 1min)


That was the workout.



The Day:

It was rainy out and I was mostly sedentary. I had a big homework assignment so that occupied most of time. My real news came at night.

I was able to use my camera as a video camera and took movies of me doing my pushups and sit-ups. It is immediately evident as you will soon see that my pushup form is complete ****. My back caving in as if it had a 200lb anvil on it. I am going to focus heavily on fixing that. My numbers themselves were also lower, but I think it was because, believe it or not, my focus on form. I mean I was getting my elbows parallel on each rep. At least I can go out saying that my sit-ups looked good: right? If not let me know. Anyway, here are the videos:







Thanks for watching and good night.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #115.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top