Day 49: Lazy day

It's the sabbath and the man in the sky wrote in his magic book that I should rest today. Rest I did.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

170lbs. 1590 0:00:00 0 none body (9, 7, 6) ~6:30 min

Day 48: A new bike (and some riding)

So, I bought this new bike a few days ago and today I finally got it tuned up and went for a ride. It's fast and it burns the legs...it must be good. Today was also the first sunny day we've had in a while. You can bet I'll be back out on the bike on the next.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:	170lbs. 1920 0:10:00 100 none none ~6:30 min

Day 47

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

170lbs. 1910 0:00:00 333 none none ~6:30 min

Day 46: Back pushing on the bench

Shot and stats:

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

170lbs. 2150 0:20:00 333 none none ~6:30 min

Day 45: More lifting, some progress

I've been a steady, but gradual decline with my strength lifting since I began restricting my calories (which I'm ok with), but today I moved the line of scrimmage forward a little bit. My bench inched back up a little bit, and though pull-ups went down, it felt good.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

170lbs. 2160 0:20:00 333 175 (8, 8, 6) body (9, 9, 7); body+50lb (3, 3) ~6:30 min

Day 44: A little joggin

Well, because all the machines I usually use were taken at the gym this morning, I got on the treadmill and pushed the pace a little. I spent about 20 minutes going up with the pace, then back down, but I maxed out at about a 6:20 pace for a total of 1 minute :) Yeah, nothing to brag about yet, but it's nice to know where I'm at. Expecting to do a mile time on Friday.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

170lbs. 1545 0:20:00 340 none none ~6:30 min

Day 43: Back to Work ($$ and sweat)

Monday here again and I was back in the gym at 8am. The weekend recovery served me well. The over indulgence in my favorite foods did not. Nevertheless, today I was strong on the cardio (leg soreness all gone), strong on the bench (sort of), strong on pullups, strong on overhead press...I even had enough energy to do some dead lifts after working 11hours. I credit caffiene 60% and getting in shape 20% and resting propery 20%. I'm probably underrating rest.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

170lbs. 1660 0:20:00 340 165 (9, 7, 5) body (9, 9, 9); body+25lb underhand (4, 3) ~6:30 min

This fucking mile time is a worthless stat if I'm not going to try to break it once in a while!

Day 42: Relax and enjoy

Another day, another calorie (or 3000.)

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

170lbs. 3000 0:00:00 0 none none ~6:30 min

Day 41: Breaking rules

When you decide to eat pizza and cheese cake (or rather, when I decide to eat pizza and cheese cake), calorie counting sort of goes out the window. It's not that it's not possible, it is. But it's painful to really keep track of knowing what the consequenses will be. This is a perfect example of less-than-conscious eating.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

170lbs. 3000 0:00:00 0 none none ~6:30 min

Day 40: Traveling

I'm out of town staying at my family's houseboat for the weekend. Cardio is possible but unlikely. No chance of a lift. Oh well. Rest will be good. I've undoubtedly eaten too much today. We'll see what it costs me next week.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

170lbs. 2450 0:0:00 0 none none ~6:30 min

Day 39: Work (for $$) and rest

Long day at work. No cardio. No lifty. A few too many calories.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

170lbs. 2450 0:00:00 0 none none ~6:30 min

Day 38: Staying on track

I made my third morning of cardio today, but I'm going to need a day off tomorrow. Legs are sore.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

170lbs. 2365 0:20:00 333 none none ~6:30 min

Day 37: More morning cardio and some oly-lifting

Good stuff. I'm starting to really feel on track.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

170lbs. 1665 0:20:00 350 none none ~6:30 min

Day 36: Morning Cardio

Yes! I got my ass out of bed early enough this morning to get my cardio out of the way early. God I wish I'd started that sooner. I don't need caffeine in the morning when I do that. I'm already looking forward to getting on the machine tomorrow.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

169lbs. 1700 0:20:00 333 none body (9, 9 , 9) ~6:30 min

Day 35: Cardio picking up

I'm starting to see big improvements in the cardio. I can't wait to get on a track and get a mile time. It's long overdue.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

169lbs. 1520 0:30:00 333 175lbs (8, 8, 5) none ~6:30 min

Day 34: Lazy Saturday

Slept in. Got a short lift and cardio. Ate a little too much. No problem.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

169lbs. 2190 0:30:00 340 none body (9, 9, 8) ~6:30 min

Day 33: Eating Out

Eating out and sticking with you good eating habits can be pretty taxing. Tonight I went out with my family to an Italian restaurant and ate WAY more than I usually limit myself to per meal. I guess there are two schools of thought on this sort of thing. The first school says "Shame! Never break your diet." The second school says, "It's ok to cheat once in a while/on weekends/one meal per week/when you're traveling/when the moon is full..." etc.

I think both schools are bunk. Pretend you're not dealing with food but money. There are lot of parallels between managing your health/diet and managing your money. It's ok to spend money (even a lot of money) if you can afford and you do it consciously. If you accept the consequences and understand them as costs, not as sins, then you'll keep more balanced and probably still with you diet (and your good spending habits) longer.

I spent about 1500 calories on one meal tonight. That's about 90 minutes of exercise. I paid it gladly. No, I didn't get a full 90 minutes in today, but over time I will, and things will even out. If you consider the choice to eat more and exercise more vs. eat less and exercise less, it's obvious which one is better for your health right? No one wants to look like a flabby stick figure. Better to put the calories in and burn some of them right back off as fuel and task some of them with repairing your muscles (especially your heart.)

Anyway, I got my workout tonight. Here's the shot and stats:

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

169lbs. 2850 0:30:00 333 none none ~6:30 min

Day 32: Getting stronger

My cardio is getting stronger anyway. I put in a solid 30 minutes today and felt great. I think I'll continue that amount of time for another two weeks or so, then start adding a minute every day. By Spring Break, I should be up to an hour of cardio a day :)

My lifts stayed about the same. I've lost almost 10lbs (depending on how much I trust the accuracy of my scale...+/-3lbs I think) as a result of eating less, doing more, and getting sick. I don't consider this progress in and of itself. I don't care about losing weight. My only concern is getting leaner. That's coming along too, slowly but surely. It's always hard to tell day to day, but looking at say...Day 6 and today side-by-side, the difference is pretty clear.

As Henry Fonda says in one of my favorite movies: "Keep on keepin' on."

Today:

Day 6:

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

167lbs. 1520 0:30:00 333 175lbs (8, 8, 5) none ~6:30 min

Day 31: Unintended (yet needed) rest

Long day at work and I crashed early. No cardio, but I did get a short lift in before bed.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

167lbs. 1680 0:00:00 0 none body (9, 9, 8) ~6:30 min

Day 30: I'm back bitches

Not only did I get 30 minutes of cardio and some lifting in tonight, but it felt good. I'm nearly 100% and really enjoyed myself running. My weight has taken a bit of a nosedive and so has my strength on the bench press, but I think I can get back there with good diet and consistent work.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

169lbs. 1420 0:30:00 350 175lbs. (8, 7, 4) none ~6:30 min

Day 29: Getting back, a little cardio

I finally got back on the horse tonight. I jogged on my newly healed ankle and then did the elliptical machine for 20 minutes at the gym to punish my still-healing lungs. No lifting. I don't feel up to that yet. Tomorrow I think.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

172lbs. 1560 0:25:00 300 none none ~6:30 min

Day 28: Cold hiking

I tried to get out and move a little today. I went for a short hike at dusk and took some pictures. Amazing how hard something casual like that can be when you're sick. Oh well.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 1800 0:00:00 0 none none ~6:30 min

Day 27: Blech!

I think I'm finally over the worst of it. Still spent most of the day in bed though.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 1900 0:00:00 0 none none ~6:30 min

Day 26: Well la di frickin' DA

4th day sick. No exercise.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 1900 0:00:00 0 none none ~6:30 min

Day 25: Jesus Sh*%&#

OK. This is officially bullshit. Sick for the 3rd day in a row. No exercise, not eating terribly well. Basically...miserable.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 2100 0:00:00 0 none none ~6:30 min

Day 24: Still sick.

Well, this week isn't going well. I've got a fever at night and nasty cough. Called in sick again. No exercise.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 2200 0:00:00 0 none none ~6:30 min

Day 23: Definitely sick

I spent most of the day in bed today (called in sick). Ate too much. No exercise. : /

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 2500 0:00:00 0 none none ~6:30 min

Day 22: Not feeling well

I crashed out about 8pm tonight without lifting or cardio and I think I'm getting sick. For consistency sake, here's today's shot and photo.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 1500 0:00:00 0 none none ~6:30 min

Day 21: Lazy Sunday

I did get a very short (and fairly weak) bench press in today, but no cardio. But...on a positive note, I did get outside in the sunshine and walk around some on my semi-gimped ankle.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 1560 0:00:00 0 175lbs (10, 7, 5) ech! none ~6:30 min

Day 20: More cardio

I don't know about you, but for me, music makes all the difference in a cardio workout. It doesn't seem to be so important for lifting because it's slower and doesn't hurt as much (at least the way I do it), but music can always help me get that extra 10% effort even when I don't think I've got it in me. I had a good day today with so me oly-lifting in the morning, some pull-downs and dead lifts in the evening with 20 minutes of cardio. Feels good.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 1280 0:20:00 350 none 180lbs (8 reps) ~6:30 min

Day 19: Back on track

I did like I promised and got my ass back in the cardio routine tonight. I had a pretty good lift at the gym and though I couldn't really run, I got on one of those elliptical machines and cranked for 20 minutes. I'm excited! My eyes are doing really well and I starting to forget that I used to have glasses giving me fits during exercise and fogging up on me all the time. If you could see my face, it would show a smile.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Calories burned: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 1350 0:25:00 333 175lbs (10, 10, 5) none ~6:30 min

Day 18: Snatch

I don't want my posts to frequently turn into something just document my experience trying out Olympic weight lifting, but that's the sum of what I did today. I learned how to post a bar racked with small weights over my head in one motion.

The good news is that I'm still making real improvement with my ankle and even though I've had to adjust my expectations (I'm young! I should be healed!) I'm now seriously thinking that by the end of the month, I'll be doing some jogging again. Until then, when I make it happen, I'll get on the bike and burn some calories.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 1800 0:00:00 none none ~6:30 min

Day 17: Rest

Didn't do much exercise today. Busy at work etc. I did manage the calories well though.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 1380 0:00:00 none none ~6:30 min

Day 16: A step forward

As you'll probably be able to tell from the red marks on my collar bone, I did some Oly-lifting today. Cleans, squats, etc. I also PR'd on my pull-ups with 3 sets of 9. It was a good day :) I still didn't get much cardio done, but the lifting got the heart rate up some. I know. I know. I'm slacking on the cardio. I want to say that there are only so many hours in the day (and this is true), but when the motivation is there, so is the time. I'll work harder and I hope you'll be inspired to do the same.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 1490 0:00:00 none body (9, 9, 9) ! ~6:30 min

Day 15: Biking in the snow

It's not actually snowing, but there's plenty of snow on the ground and with the freezing air fueling my lungs, I burned 'em pretty good. My lifts stagnated a little today and they may continue to do so for the duration because I'm not getting enough calories to really add muscle. That's ok. Adding muscle and losing fat is usually a little unrealistic unless the progress is very gradual. I'll be plenty happy if I can maintain strength and get lean. Here's today's shot and stats:

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 1420 0:20:00 175lbs (10, 9, 6) none ~6:30 min

I need to get this ankle healed to I can update my mile time!

Day 14: Cardio solutions

I tried a short bit of jogging this morning, but that wasn't working so I hobbled my way to the gym and found that, it still being January, I couldn't get on any of those elliptical machines I wanted to try out. Anyway, I ended up sitting on a stationary bike and found it a totally painless and effective way to get my heartrate up. This is the solution I'll stick with until my ankle's good enough to run on. So, back to the gym in the morning for about 30 mintues on the bike and hopefull back again in the evening (I've got some catching up to do) for another 30 minutes.

I'm going to aim for burning 1000 calories per day with a rest day every 3-4 days from now on. Here's today's shot and stats. Pull-ups stayed the same : /

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 2740 0:25:00 none body (9, 9, 7) ~6:30 min

Day 13: Limp jogging? Not yet.

Well, I'm happy about my eyes, but ankle is not recovering the way I want. I spent most of the night with the R.I.C.E. method and some moderate lifting. Tomorrow I'm going to hit the gym and try out an elliptical machine to see if that will provide a less painful substitute for jogging next week. Wish me luck!

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

173lbs. 1530 0:00:00 175lbs (10, 10, 9) none ~6:30 min

Day 12: New eyes

This isn't really exercise related, but I thought I'd share my experience with LASIK eye surgery today. My previous prescription was -3.00 in both eyes and after having both eyes done, I slept for about 12 hours (like the docs said I should...it's supposed to speed healing). As of now, only 15 hours after the procedure, my vision looks as good as it did with prescription contacts before.

Anyway, as for the "better body," I don't think there's any progress to show, but for consistency sake, I did the picture and stats. As a bonus, there's a Youtube vid of the procedure (not my eye though :).

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

176lbs. 2000 0:00:00 non none ~6:30 min

Day 11: Rest Day

You might be saying, "Rest from what?" I haven't gotten back on my feet to do the running I'd hoped yet. Ankle still isn't 100%, but I took the day off lifting too. We had some snow here and so I mostly vegged out, did a little work, and slept :) I did stick to my diet though. Here's today's shot and stats:

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

176lbs. 2100 0:00:00 none none ~6:30 min

Day 10: Pull-ups, Youtube vid, and some sore legs.

I'm definitely feeling pain (in a good way) from yesterdays squats, cleans, and presses.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

173lbs. 1240 0:00:00 none body weight (9, 9, 8) ~6:30 min

Day 9: Lifting some real weights

It never hurts to find new and interesting ways to burn calories. Aside from everyone's favorite "exercise" (I hope none of us really think of that as work), you can take up a new game, or just put a new twist on your current routine. This is doubly helpful because it stresses your body in a new way and because it avoids the burnout of too much routine.

Today I tried some "olympic-style" weight lifting. I'm not sold on the value of this sort of exercise from a strength and conditioning perpective yet. It's seems a little tough on the joints, but with some instruction and/or supervision I'm willing to give it a shot. Did I mention that it's a blast? Getting strong enough to actually *press* 200lbs overhead isn't easy. With a little technique and practice though, it's a piece of cake for someone my size to do the Rocky Balboa move (love that movie :) and throw up some big weight.

Anyway, I'm not subbing this for regular strengh conditioning, but I'll do it so long I believe it's safe and fun. I also *slightly* improved my bench performance today.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Pull-ups: Mile time:

174lbs. 1700 0:00:00 175lbs (10, 9, 4) none ~6:30 min

Day 8: Getting better

The diet went well today and the ankle gets better every day. I can't wait to get back out on the road and do some running!

Here's today's shot and stats:

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Max Pull-ups: Mile time:

176lbs. 1630 0:00:00 none 12 reps ~6:30 min

Day 7: A lift, but no run : /

I got the diet back under control today and did my chest and shoulders routine. I'm really looking forward to some cardio, but the ankle isn't ready yet (though it's much improved). I expect to back hitting the pavement by the end of the week.

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Max Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 1740 0:00:00 175lbs (9, 8, and 5 reps) 13 ~6:30 min

Day 6: Hobblin'

The good news is that I have plenty of time to take care of my ankle this weekend. I'm hanging with my folks and they always take good care of me. The bad news is that "taking care of me" often means filling my belly so full I can't move. How do you say no to Mom? I tried :-)

So my calories went a little overboard and I didn't get any exercise. I'm going to have some catching up to do.

Here's today's shot and stats:

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Max Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 2800 0:00:00 0 0 ~6:30 min

Note: The 6:30 mile time is my estimate of what I can do right now. Until I actually get around to doing a new mile time, it'll stay.

Day 5: The Path to Recovery

Today I watched my ankle grow in size by about 50%. The pain is reduced, but I'm continuing the R.I.C.E. treatment and will definitely be off it for a week or so.

I didn't find (or really look for : -) a way to do cardio today. I did my usual chest and shoulders weight training routine. That went well. I moved up to doing sets with 175lbs, but I'm probably a few weeks from moving beyond that.

The diet continues as planned. Here's my wisdom, to that end, today:

If you can stay disciplined in the grocery store, you'll stay disciplined with you diet. Sure, there are still a thousand ways to blow it and damage your progress, but you can stem your temptations by buying a nice variety of products that make grazing convenient and easy. I buy a lot of the following:

Balance bars. These aren't cheap (unless you use eBay or find them at a discount store which I always do), but they are an excellent source of delicious protein and at about 200 calories a piece, they make eating small meals regularly a breeze.

6 to a package crackers. I'm talking about the Keebler/Nabisco variety or similar stuff. If you get sick of sweet stuff, these are a 200 calorie salty alternative and an excellent value.

Budget Gourmet frozen dinners. You're probably picking up on my cheap eating streak. It was derived from necessity, but even though I'm no forced to eat cheaply anymore, I still like the convenience and yes the taste of these. Lasagna Alfredo is my fav.

Frozen burritos. If you're thinking this doesn't sound very nutritious, remember my philosophy on restrictive diets. I love these things and they are EASY to prepare. They're also about 200 calories and cheap.

Baby carrots. These are kind of sweet and a really good palate cleanser. I often eat these late at night when I'm hungry, but don't want to consume many calories. They're almost calorie neutral.

So, I keep my home stocked with this sort of stuff and spice it up once in while with soups, stir-fry noodles, apples, potatoes, melons, and popcorn (about 300 calories in a whole bag) so that I don't get sick of any one thing. I try never to go to the store hungry (or let myself get hungry during the day) and say no to all the stuff that is short-term pleasing, but long-term damaging.

OK, enough diet talk. Here's today's shot and stats:

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Max Pull-ups: Mile time:

175lbs. 1935 0:00:00 175lbs (10, 8, and 5 reps) 3 x body x 9 reps ~6:30 min

Day 4: Stupid...Painful

When I woke up this morning, I felt so good that I wanted to write a post about the importance of sleep. That's going to have wait. My status has been damaged due to a few too many neurons misfiring.

On my routine morning jog, I tried to create a path (from some railroad tracks to a bike path) where there was none involving a moderate (6ft.) drop off. I thought it would be no problem, but when I landed on the path below I injured my ankle. This put me more or less out of commission for the morning and most of the day. I intend to take about a week off from running, so I'm going to have to get creative about ways to get my heart rate up if I'm going to reach my goals.

What's the real lesson? Injuries can SERIOUSLY derail your fitness goals. While I'm probably going to recover in about a week, I consider myself lucky I'm not out for months (*fingers crossed* let's hope so). Be smarter and more careful than me if you're running, especially early in the morning or late in the evening when it's dark.

Let's end on a more positive note today. My pull-up sets went well. I kept my diet under control. I'm taking care of my injury best I can (remember R.I.C.E - rest, ice, compression, elevation). I'm still motivated. Are you?

Today's shot and stats:

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Max Pull-ups: Mile time:

178lbs. 1580 0:19:00 225lbs 3 x body x 9 reps ~6:30 min

Day 3: Maximizing effort

In my first post, I outlined how eating small amounts at short, regular intervals boosts your average metabolism when compared with eating the same number of calories, but in larger portions and at longer invervals. Some people refer to this as "grazing" and it's an apt term.

In this post I want to stress that your workouts don't have to be hard, or long, to be effective. This is all about burning calories (in the short term). I'm not yet in good enough shape where I can run 30-40 non-stop minutes everyday without burning out mentally and physically. It's too hard. As a stop gap, I've split my aerobic workouts up. I run about 15-20 minutes in the morning (is it even possible to run less than this once you get out of bed and on the road?) and another 15-20 minutes in the evening (usually after a short lift when I'm pumped up and feeling good). The total calories burned are the same, but it's much easier for me to manage physically and mentally. Not only that, but if my routine continues this way, missing a workout won't be as damaging to my progress.

I think one of my biggest weaknesses (and I know many of you share it) is eating just before sleeping. Your body is finely tuned to make efficient use of extra calories while you sleep. Again, don't consume a lot of calories before bedtime.

Sometimes it's hard to go to bed on an empty stomach. I know. It's about 9pm now. I'll go to sleep in a couple hours, but I'm eating pickles. Some people hate pickles. Fine, eat carrots. Eat any vegetable that is largely cellulose (fiber) and water. This is very filling, but almost calorically neutral considering your body works fairly hard to break down veggies. Another trick is to drink water (a tall glass) when you feel hungry. It won't cure cravings, but if you're really hungry and not just suffering from a change of habit, definitely eat a small meal (200 cal if you're my size). The hunger will be gone. Guaranteed.

Finally (and this keeps me going), it won't always be this hard. Changing habits is the hardest part of dieting. Eating late at night is a habit. Eating large meals is a habit. Following salty, fatty stuff with piles of sugar (usually in beverage form) is a particularly vicious habit. Changing these habits might trigger very real, very compelling chemical responses in your brain and they may even feel like true hunger, but most of the time, they're not. You can get used to this, and life's better when you do. You'll like the way you look and you'll like the way you feel. You may (likely) be able to sleep better and get by on fewer hours. How do I know? I've done it before and it works.

Today's shot and stats (my bench went up 10lbs!):

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Max Pull-ups: Mile time:

178lbs. 1905 ~0:35:00 3 x 165lb x 10 and 225lbs x 1 3 x body x 10 reps ~6:30 min

Calories look a little better too eh?

Day 2: Morning run...nice and easy

Like most people, I've always found exercising in the morning difficult. The fat-burning benefits of doing cardio on an empty stomach in the morning have been well-documented. If you're trying to get lean, this can really give you a boost. Here's what I do in the morning to get myself out of bed and onto the pavement for a morning jog:

1. When my alarm goes off, I take a deep breath and begin slowly stretching while still in bed. I'll do about 5 minutes of stretching on my back before I finally sit up and stretch out the hamstrings. Doing all this before I even get out of bed to turn the lights on seems to make the transition a little easier.


2. Next I get out of bed and immediately get dressed for my workout. I move slowly, but never stop moving. I have everything laid out the night before so I can't get sidetracked and talk myself back into bed for a precious hour of sleep.


3. Last, I step out the door, turn on the mp3, and start jogging.

By far the hardest step is number 2. Once you are out the door, all the hard work is really over. You're committed and even if you cut your workout short, you'll get great benefits from simply getting your heart rate and metabolism up to start your day.

You should be waking up hungry. Last night I started to get hungry about 11pm, but instead of eating a normal meal, I ate something filling with very few calories (frozen veggies do well for a quick fix), drank a big glass of water and hit the sack. You can suppress hunger with fluids to a certain degree too.

Exercise suppresses your appetite (temporarily). I woke up hungry, but didn't eat for almost an hour after my workout. I drank fluids again first. Water and sugar are the two major elements your body craves after a workout. I'm a bit of a diet soda fiend. It's a weakness, but it does a great job of suppressing sugar cravings when I don't want to indulge them with the real thing. I should mention that if you're going to slam sodas directly after your morning workout on an empty stomach, you're asking for pain. Do yourself a favor and drink a big glass of water or watered-down InsertFavoriteBeverage and see if you still want the [fake] sugar.

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Later today I confronted a different challenge that derails a lot of people: eating out. On my diet plan it's not too difficult. I ate at a Mexican place for lunch. There's lots of "bad stuff" on the menu, but the trick is just choosing something small. I ate a single taco, probably about 500 calories. This breaks the "at most 400 calories every 2 hours" rule, but not by much. Two hours later, and I'm back to normal.

An extra 100 or 200 calories won't break you. Even an extra 1000 calories won't break you unless you let it. It's a bit like an alcoholic falling off the wagon, except alcoholics can't just get a little exercise to correct their errors. Eating out doesn't have be a choice between awkwardness and disaster. Just keep your order small.

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Here's today's shot:

Weight: Calories consumed: Aerobic time logged: Bench Press: Max Pull-ups: Mile time:

176lbs. 1320 0:36:40 3 x 165lb x 10 3 x body x 10 reps ~6:30 min

A note on the calories: I'm not really eating enough. The only explanation for this is that I've been eating so much that I still have a lot of food in the gut, and my appetite hasn't really caught up. It will. I expect to consume 1800-2000 calories per day once things even out.

See you tomorrow (bright and early :-)