The Diet and the tomorrow that never comes
As my weight slowly dwindles down here in this desert inferno, those around me have started to take notice. They ask me what I’ve done. I tell them it’s a simple equation for me, 20% lifting weights, 20% cardio and 60% diet. Without a proper diet and only doing the first two is like trying to take down a brick wall with a tennis ball. I now hear things such as, “I’m starting my diet tomorrow”, but tomorrow never comes. They come up with ideas such as no eggs, only waffles, only pancakes, only this or only that, not as much of this and not that much that…but in the end the little of this and the little of that usually end up getting smothered in some kind of condiment other than mustard.
So here it is, my deployed lifestyle. The lifestyle I’ve used to melt off 22 pounds of fat and 2 inches off my waist. The life style that has gotten me so much attention. The lifestyle that will help me melt off another 25 pounds of fat. I say lifestyle because that’s what it takes, a diet is just a fad or trend that will ultimately make you fail and fall back into your old habits. But a change in lifestyle, well that is a whole new concept. Why just change the way we eat? Why not change things in our lives that ultimately made us want to eat these so called comfort foods.
I wake every morning at 0350, trudge down to the bathroom at the end of the dorms, take care of business, and mix three scoops of N.O. Xplode in 5-6 ML of water. I go back to my room take my Leukic Hardcore…let me stop for a minute, before you start thinking that I’m here to sell supplements, I’m not. I’m telling you what I take. I then make the 2 minute trek over to the gym, weigh in, and start to lift.
The way I lift is also unique I guess. I do giant sets. I pick four exercises and do all four exercises right in a row using a medium amount of weight, this is my first set. I rest for about 1-2 minutes and then do all four of the exercises again. I do this about five times. Giant sets cut down on rest time and totally kick your butt. My workouts usually last no longer than 50 minutes.
I then go back to my room consume one scoop of BSN Syntha 6 Vanilla mixed with one scoop of BSN Cellmass arctic berry. The chow hall is my next stop (6am). I order 5 egg whites and sprinkle a little cheese of top for a little flavor. I usually also get a bowl of cottage cheese and mix apple sauce into it. At 830 I eat a can of tuna. At 1030 I have a protein shake. Lunch is at 1130 and I have a chicken breast (or fish) with some broccoli, kidney beans, and some apple sauce for desert. At 1430 I have another protein shake. 1630 is more or less my dinner and I’ll have another chicken breast or can of tuna (in olive oil with some garlic salt). I try to minimize my carb intake after 4pm.
I do my cardio when I get back to the dorms; my favorite so far has been a 30 minute incline walk on the treadmill. For every minute that passes I increase the incline by .5, while maintaining a speed of 3.5. I also mix in some high intensity interval training (HIIT) on some days with sprint intervals on an elliptical or treadmill.
When I’m done with cardio, I’ll have one scoop of Syntha 6, just to give my body something to snack on and help it restore my energy levels. I usually have about 1 hour before I need to go to sleep so I’m not too worried about the 13 carbs and 200 calories, since I usually burn around 480-600 calories during my cardio. Most nights I go to bed at 8-830pm, I choose not to hang out with people here after work. I see these people all day at work so it’s not really high on my list of things to do. Going to bed early also allows me to get enough sleep so my body can heal and it makes the days fly by. The best part of my day is when I can finally go to bed and dream about my wife and my little girl back home. I’m excited to show my beautiful wife the body I’m building here.
July 22, 2009 at 5:19 am
congrats on the feedback you are getting! reinforcement is nice and shows you are headed in the right direction!