5:30 AM- 1 Cup of Egg Whites and 2 Whole Eggs Scrambled. 3 Slices of Ezekial bread.
8:30 AM- 2 Scoops of Protein Powder mixed with water.
11:30 AM- 4 ounces of grilled steak. 3 ounces of potatoes. Some asparagus. 2 Cups of Carbmaster milk.
3:00 PM- 1 Scoop of Protein Powder mixed with water. 1 Slice of Ezekial bread with a tablespoon of no sugar grape jelly.
5:00 PM-6:30 PM- Trained Chest
7:30 PM- 6 ounces of grilled steak. 6 ounces of potatoes. Asparagus. 2 cups of carbmaster milk.
Calories Carbs Fat Protein
2000 130g 60g 240g
Monday, April 22, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
New Diet Plan
After much debate and deliberation I have decided on my new dietary plan for the next phase of my training. This training cycle is going to last ten weeks and will end around the beginning of July. The goal for this training cycle is to try to build back some strength that was lost during my previous training cycle while continuing to lose weight (though at a much slower rate). I am currently aiming for a loss of 2-3 pounds a week which will equal a loss of 20-30 pounds over the course of the ten weeks. This is more of a rough guideline rather than a rigid number like my last training goal was. I will be satisfied with any steady loss of weight.
My plan is to consume 2000 calories a day for Sunday through Thursday. On Friday I will consume my normal dietary plan until the afternoon which at that point I will begin a day and a half of refeeding. The macro-nutrient ratio I am shooting for is 50% of my calories from protein, 30% from carbohydrates, and 20% from fats. The protein is more set in stone than the carbs and fats. Some days I might consumer more fats and less carbs and other days vice-versa. The important thing is getting in 250 grams of protein a day and keeping my calories to 2000 calories. At four weeks I will evaluate both of my goals (building back strength and dropping fat) and make small adjustments to my diet if deemed necessary.
There is not set rules for the refeed day. Pretty much no limits within reason. Based on how many calories a day I need to consume to maintain my weight I have come up with a rough number of calories I can consume on that day and a half and still lose about two pounds a week. It is unlikely I could even hit that number without really gorging myself. I have found that erroring on the side of eating more during a refeed works better for me than erroring on the side of eating less.
Again though if I feel like I need less time I will drop it down to refeeding for only a day or I might up it to refeeding for two complete days if I think I can make better progress.
My plan is to consume 2000 calories a day for Sunday through Thursday. On Friday I will consume my normal dietary plan until the afternoon which at that point I will begin a day and a half of refeeding. The macro-nutrient ratio I am shooting for is 50% of my calories from protein, 30% from carbohydrates, and 20% from fats. The protein is more set in stone than the carbs and fats. Some days I might consumer more fats and less carbs and other days vice-versa. The important thing is getting in 250 grams of protein a day and keeping my calories to 2000 calories. At four weeks I will evaluate both of my goals (building back strength and dropping fat) and make small adjustments to my diet if deemed necessary.
There is not set rules for the refeed day. Pretty much no limits within reason. Based on how many calories a day I need to consume to maintain my weight I have come up with a rough number of calories I can consume on that day and a half and still lose about two pounds a week. It is unlikely I could even hit that number without really gorging myself. I have found that erroring on the side of eating more during a refeed works better for me than erroring on the side of eating less.
Again though if I feel like I need less time I will drop it down to refeeding for only a day or I might up it to refeeding for two complete days if I think I can make better progress.
New Training Split and our typical Chest Day
Now that the 30 day weight less challenge is done and over with we are beginning a new phase in training and with that a new training split.
Sunday- Chest
Monday- Legs *
Tuesday- Shoulders * **
Wednesday- Back *
Thursday- Arms * **
Friday- Shoulders *
Saturday- Off
* A.M. Forearm & Ab Training Session
** A.M. Calf Training Session
As you can see I have identified two weak bodyparts of mine I am trying to hit more frequently to bring up to par with other areas, my shoulders and my forearms. The calf training is kind of an aside. I don't frequently train them as they are naturally well developed (Like my traps which I don't directly train either), but I have decided to start training the calves as I am dropping weight to help bring out some definition.
Here is a typical Chest Training Session for us-
Bench Press - 5 sets 6-12 reps but sometimes ramping up to a heavy set of 5 or less reps
Incline Dumbbell Presses- 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Dumbbell Flys- 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Gall Presses- 3 sets of 6-12 reps
Decline Dumbbell Presses- 3 sets of 6-12 reps
Cable Flys- 3 sets of 10-15 reps
We have found that routine works well for the both of us. Sometimes we might do Incline Bench Presses and flat dumbbell bench presses instead, but other than that we stick with what works. The Gall Presses are a new way of doing dumbbell presses that we found hits the inner chest (and triceps as well) really hard.
Sunday- Chest
Monday- Legs *
Tuesday- Shoulders * **
Wednesday- Back *
Thursday- Arms * **
Friday- Shoulders *
Saturday- Off
* A.M. Forearm & Ab Training Session
** A.M. Calf Training Session
As you can see I have identified two weak bodyparts of mine I am trying to hit more frequently to bring up to par with other areas, my shoulders and my forearms. The calf training is kind of an aside. I don't frequently train them as they are naturally well developed (Like my traps which I don't directly train either), but I have decided to start training the calves as I am dropping weight to help bring out some definition.
Here is a typical Chest Training Session for us-
Bench Press - 5 sets 6-12 reps but sometimes ramping up to a heavy set of 5 or less reps
Incline Dumbbell Presses- 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Dumbbell Flys- 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Gall Presses- 3 sets of 6-12 reps
Decline Dumbbell Presses- 3 sets of 6-12 reps
Cable Flys- 3 sets of 10-15 reps
We have found that routine works well for the both of us. Sometimes we might do Incline Bench Presses and flat dumbbell bench presses instead, but other than that we stick with what works. The Gall Presses are a new way of doing dumbbell presses that we found hits the inner chest (and triceps as well) really hard.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Part 2
Well now I am a bit over my funk I can concentrate on finishing this blog entry.
When I left off I was in the middle of week three and I was beyond all reasonable levels of frustration. Like most things in life I began with a sort of beginner's enthusiasm that carried me through the first two weeks with ease. During week three I had worked my ass off and kept my diet strict but the weight loss slowed down significantly. This is the period of time I refer to as the moment of doubt. It is when the "newness" of something wears off and you realize you are now stuck with it for the long haul (well in my case another two and a half weeks).
With extreme training and dieting come many discomforts. You cannot eat what you want to. In fact eating has to get down right regimented and very, very, very boring. You cannot drink alcohol, at least not if you are me. I tend to retain water badly when I drink alcohol and on a short term extreme weight loss challenge that would be a disaster. You have to deal with increased aches and pains and muscular soreness. On an extreme lack of calories you cannot get the nutrients your body needs to function as a well oiled machine. You suffer from fatigue and a lack of energy. Imagine being tired all the time and then being cranky because you are tired and cannot perform to the level that you are used to. And strength levels in the gym tank completely. This is especially true if you are a very strong person who trains on a consistent basis. There is no way you can drop a lot of weight quickly and your lifts won't suffer. And no don't tell me about your cousin Bob who lost fifty pounds and increased his bench press by 50 pounds. Your cousin Bob could only do that because he was a piece of shit who never trained consistently (That line was inspired by the Late Great Mark Bell).
Do you know though there is still one aspect of extreme training that is worse than all those things combined? That aspect is the impact it has on your significant other. Now if you are one of those scumbags who hates women and treats his girlfriend/wife like a possession and not a partner than don't even bother reading this. Chances are you are probably single or will be soon and should spend your time wondering why you can never have a meaningful relationship rather than reading this blog. But if you are a person who values the person you spend your life with than read on.
I can deal with any personal discomforts sent my way. That sensation of extreme hunger fades after a few days. Sure you always feel hungry but the pain level drops significantly. You get used to the low energy levels and tend to compensate by drinking more coffee or just learn to live with it. The dull headaches and bodily aches and pains persist but again you get so used to feeling them that after awhile it becomes normal. The one thing I couldn't get used to throughout the thirty days was seeing my wife have to suffer for my sins. She starved herself right along side me despite me pleading for her not to. I kept telling her that she could eat whatever she wanted and it would not bother me but she would refuse. She is not the kind of person who can really afford to lose weight. She struggles to maintain her current weight and has to be reminded often times to eat.
She did not want to bring temptation around me. I can understand her mindset as well. If she is not eating I would feel weird to sit down and eat a pizza in front of her. I appreciated her loyalty to my goal but it frustrated me to no end. Seeing her suffer made me want to break my diet more than anything else. I never did break my diet, not once in fact, but I did struggle with it a few times.
Beyond her just starving, it also greatly limited what we could do. It is not like we could have people over. How could people relax and have a good time if I am in the corner not able to partake in snacks or some drinks? Sorry but I am not friends with Buddhist monks. And we really couldn't go out. What am I going to do go sit down in a restaurant and order a quarter of a steak and a water? We did catch a movie during that time and that was fun. We watched Oz the Great and Powerful and it was a thoroughly entertaining movie. Again though it would of been nice to have gone and have dinner afterwards. Whether you realize it or not so much of our entertaining revolves around drinking and snacking and that was two things I could not do at all.
Oh and by the way, at least for me, my temper grew much shorter while on this weight loss challenge. The littlest things would send me into a flying rage. I was able to keep it bottled up inside of me but I swear there were a few times that steam could be seen shooting out of my ears. While I think I did a great job containing my increased temper I am sure there were a few times it would slip out. In fact I know there were a few times it slipped out because Missy is quite potent with her look of death that sends a chill down my spine and I got a few of those looks over the last month. Missy never yells at me and is never mean to me but she doesn't need to be with that death stare. Fuck I have to change the subject before I get in another funk.
Damn I didn't intend for this to be another long post. I have already finished a 32 ounce powerade zero and fired off a missile while typing this out. I have to admit I love writing. I love putting my thoughts to paper (or the computer screen I guess). Some people love to talk. I hate to talk. I wish all communication was written. Well I take that back. Read facebook for fifteen minutes and you realize most people should do every damn thing in their power to avoid written communication.
I have to get back on track. Where was I? After that missile I kind of lost focus. I guess I will just skip ahead to the end of the challenge. The last day was probably worse than the 28 days before it combined. I knew going into the last week I would have to cut some water weight to make the 45 pounds loss. I pretty much assumed that going into the challenge but I wanted to try to get as close as possible to make the water cut that much easier. I think I achieved that goal admirably as I was within six pounds upon waking up the day before the weigh in. I thought a six pound water weight cut would be so simply that I could do it with no problem. I have cut ten to fifteen pounds in a day with no issue before.
Well it was a problem. I think I was a bit overconfident because six pounds was such a low number but I wasn't thinking about the 39 I had already dropped. My plan was that it would be a warm day out and I would sweat out some of the six pounds just by working throughout the day. This didn't go in my favor because of Ohio and its semi-retarded weather decided to be mild and overcast that day. The day before it was hot and muggy but on the day I needed to sweat is was cool and cloudy. The sun never came out once during my work day. I was like a giant version of Yosemite Sam throughout the day. I cursed Ohio, the local weathermen, and pretty much everyone I had seen throughout the day.
Just an aside. If you think it sucks being hungry when on a diet, imagine being thirty. Thirsty beyond belief. So thirsty you would give anything for just one sip of water. Now imagine that there is water all around you. Water in such abundance that you could keep drinking water until you drowned and it would still be available. All that thirst and all that water and yet you can't take one fucking sip.
I drove around a good portion of the day with the heater turned all the way up to get a sweat going. It was not easy but I did end up sweating out five pounds by time I got home from work. I was now just one pound over my goal and I could of just took it easy the rest of the night but that just wouldn't be my style. Instead I decided on a whim that making 45 pounds was too easy and fuck it lets just go for fifty pounds. I only needed to sweat out another six pounds. Sure why not? I swear I must just be a high functioning retard. I mean just what the hell was I thinking? I had just basically accomplished an amazing feat. Yes I was still a pound away but my weigh in was roughly 16 hours away so my body would of easily burned through another pound in that time. But I just had to push it. I should punch myself in the face right now. I am pretty sure Missy still wants to. That was one of the few times her death stare turned into a "I am going to punch you in your fucking face" thing. She had the perfect opportunity too. I could barely stand up at that point let alone fight back.
To try and squeeze out another six pounds I used a combination of hot showers with some physical work. I did a steam shower to get the pores opened up and then went and moved the grass and then did another steam shower. By time I was done with that process I had shed another four pounds but now I was getting dizzy and light headed. I ended up taking a nap on the sofa for about an hour and two and then woke up and did something stupid. I took a small drink of water. I had been working so hard to eliminate the water from my body and then in the momentary confusion of waking up from a nap I gulped down a half a cup of water. I am not sure if how much it actually set me back but I know that it mentally broke me. I was done for the night. I couldn't go any further.
I woke up in the morning and made one last ditch effort to shred down a few more pounds. I did one more steam shower and then hit the stationary bike. After about ten minutes on the bike I gave up though. I started to "see things" and my head was light and I just didn't have any more to give. I got dressed and went and did my weigh in and settled for a loss of 47.5 pounds in thirty days. I was at that point just happy to be able to drink some water and not feel guilty! I drank I think four big bottled waters and four powerade zeros over the next eight hours. I think during that time I pissed once and even then it was just barely.
I don't think I realized the physical toll it took on my body to do this until after it was over. My low back is extremely sore now and I still can barely eat any food without feeling stuffed and I have basically slept for about two days straight. I am using this time to just recuperate. I allowed myself two days to take a break from dieting and training and today I begin my new diet and training regime. I will post up about it later as I have spent enough time typing at the moment.
When I left off I was in the middle of week three and I was beyond all reasonable levels of frustration. Like most things in life I began with a sort of beginner's enthusiasm that carried me through the first two weeks with ease. During week three I had worked my ass off and kept my diet strict but the weight loss slowed down significantly. This is the period of time I refer to as the moment of doubt. It is when the "newness" of something wears off and you realize you are now stuck with it for the long haul (well in my case another two and a half weeks).
With extreme training and dieting come many discomforts. You cannot eat what you want to. In fact eating has to get down right regimented and very, very, very boring. You cannot drink alcohol, at least not if you are me. I tend to retain water badly when I drink alcohol and on a short term extreme weight loss challenge that would be a disaster. You have to deal with increased aches and pains and muscular soreness. On an extreme lack of calories you cannot get the nutrients your body needs to function as a well oiled machine. You suffer from fatigue and a lack of energy. Imagine being tired all the time and then being cranky because you are tired and cannot perform to the level that you are used to. And strength levels in the gym tank completely. This is especially true if you are a very strong person who trains on a consistent basis. There is no way you can drop a lot of weight quickly and your lifts won't suffer. And no don't tell me about your cousin Bob who lost fifty pounds and increased his bench press by 50 pounds. Your cousin Bob could only do that because he was a piece of shit who never trained consistently (That line was inspired by the Late Great Mark Bell).
Do you know though there is still one aspect of extreme training that is worse than all those things combined? That aspect is the impact it has on your significant other. Now if you are one of those scumbags who hates women and treats his girlfriend/wife like a possession and not a partner than don't even bother reading this. Chances are you are probably single or will be soon and should spend your time wondering why you can never have a meaningful relationship rather than reading this blog. But if you are a person who values the person you spend your life with than read on.
I can deal with any personal discomforts sent my way. That sensation of extreme hunger fades after a few days. Sure you always feel hungry but the pain level drops significantly. You get used to the low energy levels and tend to compensate by drinking more coffee or just learn to live with it. The dull headaches and bodily aches and pains persist but again you get so used to feeling them that after awhile it becomes normal. The one thing I couldn't get used to throughout the thirty days was seeing my wife have to suffer for my sins. She starved herself right along side me despite me pleading for her not to. I kept telling her that she could eat whatever she wanted and it would not bother me but she would refuse. She is not the kind of person who can really afford to lose weight. She struggles to maintain her current weight and has to be reminded often times to eat.
She did not want to bring temptation around me. I can understand her mindset as well. If she is not eating I would feel weird to sit down and eat a pizza in front of her. I appreciated her loyalty to my goal but it frustrated me to no end. Seeing her suffer made me want to break my diet more than anything else. I never did break my diet, not once in fact, but I did struggle with it a few times.
Beyond her just starving, it also greatly limited what we could do. It is not like we could have people over. How could people relax and have a good time if I am in the corner not able to partake in snacks or some drinks? Sorry but I am not friends with Buddhist monks. And we really couldn't go out. What am I going to do go sit down in a restaurant and order a quarter of a steak and a water? We did catch a movie during that time and that was fun. We watched Oz the Great and Powerful and it was a thoroughly entertaining movie. Again though it would of been nice to have gone and have dinner afterwards. Whether you realize it or not so much of our entertaining revolves around drinking and snacking and that was two things I could not do at all.
Oh and by the way, at least for me, my temper grew much shorter while on this weight loss challenge. The littlest things would send me into a flying rage. I was able to keep it bottled up inside of me but I swear there were a few times that steam could be seen shooting out of my ears. While I think I did a great job containing my increased temper I am sure there were a few times it would slip out. In fact I know there were a few times it slipped out because Missy is quite potent with her look of death that sends a chill down my spine and I got a few of those looks over the last month. Missy never yells at me and is never mean to me but she doesn't need to be with that death stare. Fuck I have to change the subject before I get in another funk.
Damn I didn't intend for this to be another long post. I have already finished a 32 ounce powerade zero and fired off a missile while typing this out. I have to admit I love writing. I love putting my thoughts to paper (or the computer screen I guess). Some people love to talk. I hate to talk. I wish all communication was written. Well I take that back. Read facebook for fifteen minutes and you realize most people should do every damn thing in their power to avoid written communication.
I have to get back on track. Where was I? After that missile I kind of lost focus. I guess I will just skip ahead to the end of the challenge. The last day was probably worse than the 28 days before it combined. I knew going into the last week I would have to cut some water weight to make the 45 pounds loss. I pretty much assumed that going into the challenge but I wanted to try to get as close as possible to make the water cut that much easier. I think I achieved that goal admirably as I was within six pounds upon waking up the day before the weigh in. I thought a six pound water weight cut would be so simply that I could do it with no problem. I have cut ten to fifteen pounds in a day with no issue before.
Well it was a problem. I think I was a bit overconfident because six pounds was such a low number but I wasn't thinking about the 39 I had already dropped. My plan was that it would be a warm day out and I would sweat out some of the six pounds just by working throughout the day. This didn't go in my favor because of Ohio and its semi-retarded weather decided to be mild and overcast that day. The day before it was hot and muggy but on the day I needed to sweat is was cool and cloudy. The sun never came out once during my work day. I was like a giant version of Yosemite Sam throughout the day. I cursed Ohio, the local weathermen, and pretty much everyone I had seen throughout the day.
Just an aside. If you think it sucks being hungry when on a diet, imagine being thirty. Thirsty beyond belief. So thirsty you would give anything for just one sip of water. Now imagine that there is water all around you. Water in such abundance that you could keep drinking water until you drowned and it would still be available. All that thirst and all that water and yet you can't take one fucking sip.
I drove around a good portion of the day with the heater turned all the way up to get a sweat going. It was not easy but I did end up sweating out five pounds by time I got home from work. I was now just one pound over my goal and I could of just took it easy the rest of the night but that just wouldn't be my style. Instead I decided on a whim that making 45 pounds was too easy and fuck it lets just go for fifty pounds. I only needed to sweat out another six pounds. Sure why not? I swear I must just be a high functioning retard. I mean just what the hell was I thinking? I had just basically accomplished an amazing feat. Yes I was still a pound away but my weigh in was roughly 16 hours away so my body would of easily burned through another pound in that time. But I just had to push it. I should punch myself in the face right now. I am pretty sure Missy still wants to. That was one of the few times her death stare turned into a "I am going to punch you in your fucking face" thing. She had the perfect opportunity too. I could barely stand up at that point let alone fight back.
To try and squeeze out another six pounds I used a combination of hot showers with some physical work. I did a steam shower to get the pores opened up and then went and moved the grass and then did another steam shower. By time I was done with that process I had shed another four pounds but now I was getting dizzy and light headed. I ended up taking a nap on the sofa for about an hour and two and then woke up and did something stupid. I took a small drink of water. I had been working so hard to eliminate the water from my body and then in the momentary confusion of waking up from a nap I gulped down a half a cup of water. I am not sure if how much it actually set me back but I know that it mentally broke me. I was done for the night. I couldn't go any further.
I woke up in the morning and made one last ditch effort to shred down a few more pounds. I did one more steam shower and then hit the stationary bike. After about ten minutes on the bike I gave up though. I started to "see things" and my head was light and I just didn't have any more to give. I got dressed and went and did my weigh in and settled for a loss of 47.5 pounds in thirty days. I was at that point just happy to be able to drink some water and not feel guilty! I drank I think four big bottled waters and four powerade zeros over the next eight hours. I think during that time I pissed once and even then it was just barely.
I don't think I realized the physical toll it took on my body to do this until after it was over. My low back is extremely sore now and I still can barely eat any food without feeling stuffed and I have basically slept for about two days straight. I am using this time to just recuperate. I allowed myself two days to take a break from dieting and training and today I begin my new diet and training regime. I will post up about it later as I have spent enough time typing at the moment.
Friday, April 19, 2013
45 Pounds in 30 Days Weight Loss Wrap Up
Whew! I made it, but just barely. I have to take a moment and pat myself on the back for a job well done before saying that I will never subject myself to that kind of torture again. It was a very rough road and those thirty days felt more like a half a year.
This weight loss challenge began on March 19th. I knew that I had thirty days to make a certain weight so I stepped on my scale and after a quick bit of subtraction I realized I had to drop a daunting forty-five pounds. I then sat down at our kitchen table and really let that number soak into my head. I kept visualizing a big bold number four and then a big bold number five. I became consumed with that number.
Actually that is total bullshit. I am pretty sure I just plopped down on the sofa and watched some television after getting off the scale. Maybe about an hour later it finally hit me just how much damn weight I had to lose to make that goal. Forty-five pounds in thirty days equals out to a pound a half a day. That number doesn't seem too intimidating until you multiply it by seven and realize that you have to lose ten and a half pounds a week. That is about the time I felt like I wanted to have an anxiety attack. I decided the best course of action was to go to the bathroom and fire off a missile. Sorry but it is really hard to concentrate on a problem when you have to take a wicked shit.
So minus the content of my bowels I finally sat at the kitchen table and began working out a plan of attack. I am the kind of person that likes to plan out every little detail when I do something. I know exactly what I am going to do each and every day. I come up with the plan and then analyze the plan, and then edit the plan, and then analyze some more, and then finally decide on the final product. Of course I never actually follow that plan. I almost always just wing it. You see I said I like to plan out every little detail, I never said I like to actually follow through with the plan.
So I came up with a basic plan of consuming between 700 to 800 calories a day, with all my food choices coming from lean protein sources. Things like protein powder, liquid egg whites, tuna, pork, steak, etc. would be the staples of my diet. I planned on allowing myself one full cheat day the first weekend. On week two I would allow myself a free meal half way through the week and then another on the weekend. On week three I would allow myself one cheat meal on the weekend and then no more cheat meals until the weigh in. My training would consist of a mixture of weight training and cardiovascular conditioning. I figured that I would work to get as close to possible to the forty-five pound loss and then on the day before the weigh in I would cut water weight to make the full forty-five pounds.
For the most part I did actually follow that plan. And let me tell you right now, it really sucked. The diet I followed was based upon a diet by a well known diet guru. I use that term loosely because I don't like gurus. While this guy does know his stuff and is definitely well read and educated, I will flat out say that the diet sucks and should never ever be used. Let me repeat that, NEVER EVER FOR NEVER EVER use that god forsaken diet. You need either some carbs or some fat in your diet for energy. Without either one you are simply short changing your weight loss goals. With no fat or carbs you get unreal headaches, memory loss issues, extreme lethargy and fatigue, and you can't train worth a damn. I seriously lost about fifty pounds off my bench press max after a week.
You are better off having some carbs or fats during your diet the entire time. Which one you chose is up to you because honestly when you are only consuming 700-1000 calories it doesn't really matter where you get your calories from so long as you make sure to get an adequate amount of quality protein. I think the benefit of having higher energy levels far outweighs having a couple hundred less calories a day.
Despite those issues I think weeks one and two were smooth sailing. Weight loss comes quick in the beginning when you do an abrupt dietary change like that. When the pounds are shedding down quickly each day it is easy to stay motivated. That is why many people can easily stay on a diet for about two weeks. The problem is that then weight loss can slow down to a crawl. That happened to me in week three I believe. I remember one day I was just hungry all day and I trained my ass off with both weight training and cardio and I went to bed just knowing I would wake up another three pounds lighter.
I step on the scale the next morning and I lost one pound. One lousy fucking pound???!! I was furious! I was tormenting my body and putting it through hell all for one pound. It didn't seem worth it. I went to work that day and was beyond frustrated. I remember texting my wife and telling her I was fed up with this weight loss challenge. That there is no point busting my ass so hard for just a pound. She told me I was silly and said all those things that I always tell everyone else. You see I know damn well that weight loss does not happen on a straight line but rather ebbs and flows. You might not lose any weight for three days and then on the fourth day you drop four pounds overnight. Most people kind of refer to that as a "woosh". I always tell people all the time just weigh yourself once a week, on the same day and at the same time. Then I go and break my own advice and weigh myself constantly. Then again I was working with a deadline so fuck the rules!
I remember on that day I told myself this was impossible. I could never make my goal of losing forty-five pounds in thirty days. I knew in my heart of hearts I bit off more than I could chew and I was going to fail. While I was sure that I was going to lose I still could not allow myself to give up. You see I am just one of those stubborn people. I hate to be wrong and I hate to lose. There is just something in me, maybe a deep rooted sense of being an asshole and I just have to prove the power of being an asshole. If I lose then assholes everywhere will have to hang their heads in shame. I couldn't do that to my fellow assholes. I had to keep chugging along. I wasn't going to make it but it was not going to be from a lack of effort on my asshole part.
I just want to say something really quick. When I say asshole I don't mean your typical definition of an asshole. I know some egotistical pricks and believe me I can't stand them. Don't ever equate me with those pukes. I am a higher form of asshole that they could never hope to ascend to. I am not mean or cruel or anything of the sort. I am a kind soft hearted asshole.
Okay where was I? Oh yeah, that dreaded week three. It was terrible, but I strongly believe that when you really push yourself past the limit you have to go through that moment of doubt and shame so to speak. Hell, if a moment of doubt and shame was good enough for Jesus, then it is good enough for me right? You know what, I just googled that and found out that song actually says Jesus's moment of doubt and pain. Every time I heard the song I always thought he said doubt and shame. Now my mind is blown.
Wow, that has completely put me in a funk. I am not even sure I can finish this post now. I guess I will have to put this is two parts because this will probably make me weird all day today. It is like someone just murdered a gopher right in front of me. I just feel weird. Okay well stay tuned for part 2.
This weight loss challenge began on March 19th. I knew that I had thirty days to make a certain weight so I stepped on my scale and after a quick bit of subtraction I realized I had to drop a daunting forty-five pounds. I then sat down at our kitchen table and really let that number soak into my head. I kept visualizing a big bold number four and then a big bold number five. I became consumed with that number.
Actually that is total bullshit. I am pretty sure I just plopped down on the sofa and watched some television after getting off the scale. Maybe about an hour later it finally hit me just how much damn weight I had to lose to make that goal. Forty-five pounds in thirty days equals out to a pound a half a day. That number doesn't seem too intimidating until you multiply it by seven and realize that you have to lose ten and a half pounds a week. That is about the time I felt like I wanted to have an anxiety attack. I decided the best course of action was to go to the bathroom and fire off a missile. Sorry but it is really hard to concentrate on a problem when you have to take a wicked shit.
So minus the content of my bowels I finally sat at the kitchen table and began working out a plan of attack. I am the kind of person that likes to plan out every little detail when I do something. I know exactly what I am going to do each and every day. I come up with the plan and then analyze the plan, and then edit the plan, and then analyze some more, and then finally decide on the final product. Of course I never actually follow that plan. I almost always just wing it. You see I said I like to plan out every little detail, I never said I like to actually follow through with the plan.
So I came up with a basic plan of consuming between 700 to 800 calories a day, with all my food choices coming from lean protein sources. Things like protein powder, liquid egg whites, tuna, pork, steak, etc. would be the staples of my diet. I planned on allowing myself one full cheat day the first weekend. On week two I would allow myself a free meal half way through the week and then another on the weekend. On week three I would allow myself one cheat meal on the weekend and then no more cheat meals until the weigh in. My training would consist of a mixture of weight training and cardiovascular conditioning. I figured that I would work to get as close to possible to the forty-five pound loss and then on the day before the weigh in I would cut water weight to make the full forty-five pounds.
For the most part I did actually follow that plan. And let me tell you right now, it really sucked. The diet I followed was based upon a diet by a well known diet guru. I use that term loosely because I don't like gurus. While this guy does know his stuff and is definitely well read and educated, I will flat out say that the diet sucks and should never ever be used. Let me repeat that, NEVER EVER FOR NEVER EVER use that god forsaken diet. You need either some carbs or some fat in your diet for energy. Without either one you are simply short changing your weight loss goals. With no fat or carbs you get unreal headaches, memory loss issues, extreme lethargy and fatigue, and you can't train worth a damn. I seriously lost about fifty pounds off my bench press max after a week.
You are better off having some carbs or fats during your diet the entire time. Which one you chose is up to you because honestly when you are only consuming 700-1000 calories it doesn't really matter where you get your calories from so long as you make sure to get an adequate amount of quality protein. I think the benefit of having higher energy levels far outweighs having a couple hundred less calories a day.
Despite those issues I think weeks one and two were smooth sailing. Weight loss comes quick in the beginning when you do an abrupt dietary change like that. When the pounds are shedding down quickly each day it is easy to stay motivated. That is why many people can easily stay on a diet for about two weeks. The problem is that then weight loss can slow down to a crawl. That happened to me in week three I believe. I remember one day I was just hungry all day and I trained my ass off with both weight training and cardio and I went to bed just knowing I would wake up another three pounds lighter.
I step on the scale the next morning and I lost one pound. One lousy fucking pound???!! I was furious! I was tormenting my body and putting it through hell all for one pound. It didn't seem worth it. I went to work that day and was beyond frustrated. I remember texting my wife and telling her I was fed up with this weight loss challenge. That there is no point busting my ass so hard for just a pound. She told me I was silly and said all those things that I always tell everyone else. You see I know damn well that weight loss does not happen on a straight line but rather ebbs and flows. You might not lose any weight for three days and then on the fourth day you drop four pounds overnight. Most people kind of refer to that as a "woosh". I always tell people all the time just weigh yourself once a week, on the same day and at the same time. Then I go and break my own advice and weigh myself constantly. Then again I was working with a deadline so fuck the rules!
I remember on that day I told myself this was impossible. I could never make my goal of losing forty-five pounds in thirty days. I knew in my heart of hearts I bit off more than I could chew and I was going to fail. While I was sure that I was going to lose I still could not allow myself to give up. You see I am just one of those stubborn people. I hate to be wrong and I hate to lose. There is just something in me, maybe a deep rooted sense of being an asshole and I just have to prove the power of being an asshole. If I lose then assholes everywhere will have to hang their heads in shame. I couldn't do that to my fellow assholes. I had to keep chugging along. I wasn't going to make it but it was not going to be from a lack of effort on my asshole part.
I just want to say something really quick. When I say asshole I don't mean your typical definition of an asshole. I know some egotistical pricks and believe me I can't stand them. Don't ever equate me with those pukes. I am a higher form of asshole that they could never hope to ascend to. I am not mean or cruel or anything of the sort. I am a kind soft hearted asshole.
Okay where was I? Oh yeah, that dreaded week three. It was terrible, but I strongly believe that when you really push yourself past the limit you have to go through that moment of doubt and shame so to speak. Hell, if a moment of doubt and shame was good enough for Jesus, then it is good enough for me right? You know what, I just googled that and found out that song actually says Jesus's moment of doubt and pain. Every time I heard the song I always thought he said doubt and shame. Now my mind is blown.
Wow, that has completely put me in a funk. I am not even sure I can finish this post now. I guess I will have to put this is two parts because this will probably make me weird all day today. It is like someone just murdered a gopher right in front of me. I just feel weird. Okay well stay tuned for part 2.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
4 - 18 - 13 Final Results
Well the 30 day weight loss challenge is now completed.
End Result is that in 30 days I lost 47.5 pounds so I exceeded my goal by 2.5 pounds.
I am going to keep this post brief. Tomorrow I am going to do an entire write up about the experience and aftermath, but tonight I am going to have a damn good time after all this hard work!
End Result is that in 30 days I lost 47.5 pounds so I exceeded my goal by 2.5 pounds.
I am going to keep this post brief. Tomorrow I am going to do an entire write up about the experience and aftermath, but tonight I am going to have a damn good time after all this hard work!
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Thirsty.... Soooooo Thirsty!!!!! Midday Update.
Well the final weight cut began this morning when I woke up. It is now 4 PM and I am almost to the half way point now. Well technically it is not the half way point because although I wake up at 5 I don't actually weigh in until around 8 am or so.
So far today I have had a sip of water at 5 this morning to take some vitamins with. I very nearly threw up for about three hours straight. I have had one slice of bread with some peanut butter on it when I woke up with my vitamins. So since 5 AM I have had absolutely no food or drink.
Things have not been going my way so far today. It was hot and sunny yesterday aside from when it was storming which is perfect weather to get some sweat out. Today it has been cloudy and 60 almost all day. Seriously the one day I would want it to be muggy and sunny and it is not. Ohio really is the most horrible place to live. There is no excuse for this crap. And to really kick me in the balls tomorrow, when it would be perfect to be cool and cloudy so I can rehydrate properly instead it is going to be nearly 90 degrees and sunny and muggy. Then the next day when I have a day off and can actually enjoy some warmer weather it is going to drop back down to 50 degrees. Absolute bullshit. If I could I would pack up and move to Europe where my ancestors should of never left.
I just weighed myself. Despite the setbacks I have one more pound to go.
So far today I have had a sip of water at 5 this morning to take some vitamins with. I very nearly threw up for about three hours straight. I have had one slice of bread with some peanut butter on it when I woke up with my vitamins. So since 5 AM I have had absolutely no food or drink.
Things have not been going my way so far today. It was hot and sunny yesterday aside from when it was storming which is perfect weather to get some sweat out. Today it has been cloudy and 60 almost all day. Seriously the one day I would want it to be muggy and sunny and it is not. Ohio really is the most horrible place to live. There is no excuse for this crap. And to really kick me in the balls tomorrow, when it would be perfect to be cool and cloudy so I can rehydrate properly instead it is going to be nearly 90 degrees and sunny and muggy. Then the next day when I have a day off and can actually enjoy some warmer weather it is going to drop back down to 50 degrees. Absolute bullshit. If I could I would pack up and move to Europe where my ancestors should of never left.
I just weighed myself. Despite the setbacks I have one more pound to go.
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