Shibanuma’s BodyBlog

Today starts my 12 week challenge to loose bodyfat. I’m at 18% to 19% now and I want to get down to 15% over the next months.

Therefore I’ll add 2 cardio workouts to my weekly schedule, tuesday and thursday I’ll do 45min on the cross trainer. That way I can get up at the same time every day and have my cardio in a quiet and relaxing gym. I’m still on low carb nutrition and I’ll keep it that way. Maybe I add more carbs in the morning, just before my workouts to support a good effect on insulin production and to fight muscle loss in the shredding phase.

15% would be a great success for me as I always was the small fat guy.

I’ll get up at 0530h again tomorrow morning. It’s great to have the workouts in the morning. The gym is empty, no people around that distract me or block weights. No people standing around, talking to each other. No crowded locker rooms. Most days it’s only me and the cleaning personel.

I’m trying to prepare my stuff this evening. Get my bag packed, have the coffee machine prepared so I only have to push a button in the morning to get a coffee and then leave for the gym. It’s great to be outside when almost no cars are around and nobody is on the streets.

PLUS I’m in the office early. Almost like before, but I have free time in the evenings now. Great, great, GREAT!

Today I had my first workout in the early morning. I got up at 0530h (only 30min before my usual time) and was in the gym at 0600h. Nobody was there and I got through my routine very quick. After 90min I was in the office, all set to start the day. From this day on, I will have my workouts in the morning - no more crowded gyms, no more annoying people around.

A few weeks ago I decided to go on low carb foods again. I noticed that I feel better without loads of carbs in my food and I don’t have problems with my workouts. I still make progress and with a loading day per week I think I can keep up the progress.

It’s no problem to incorporate low carb into my day. But I have to work on my cooking skills - I don’t enjoy cooking, so I’m always searching for ways to minimize the effort going into kitchen time. I bought a steamer to have a semi-automatic cooking experience and that helps a lot in getting vegetables into my meals. I eat lots of chicken, fish, salads, nuts and some meat. Every sunday I switch from fat to complex carbs and on monday I can get back into workout with full strength. My weight stays at the same level and I like to keep it there, trying to change bodyfat to muscle.

I don’t do this for a short period, I do it as a general change of habits. So I don’t set an end date to my low carb eating and I don’t set me a goal in terms of weight loss. I want to gain muscle and try to avoid a fat gain at the same time. We’ll see if I’m motivated enough to make it happen. Right now I feel like doing it!

Well, this monday. I feel dizzy and unconcentrated. Maybe it’s the low carb effect that comes into effect. I think I’ll do my loading day this weekend, not the weekend after. Maybe it helps to get back on line. I hope my workout this evening is not affected in a negative way. Until now I could keep my weights, repetitions and the intensity and I don’t want to loose a single piece of my current progress.

While browsing around Bodyspace I thought about having some maximum weight repetitions to add to my statistics here. Could be useful to measure my progress later. But I’m not focused on weights, I’m focused on my body and my shape. So it’s hard to get motivated to do the 1REP maximums, because my usual routine would be broken. Anyways, just a thought.

I try to convince myself into a better mood when I leave for the workout in the evening.

After workouts I usually creep around like a zombie. Tired and slowly and I’m glad that I moved my workouts into the evenings, so I can go to bed after a short period of calming down.

But that doesn’t help with the following morning. Like today. I slept good 7 to 8h and woke up feeling like I was hit by a train. I thought about staying in bed for another hour, but you know how it is when work is waiting. So I got up, went to the office and here I am. Still tired and running solely on coffee.

I hope to get around it by noon. And will be fit for the evening cardio.

It’s amazing. I restarted my workout and nutrition only 1 week ago, from a lazy routine to a more focused one and I really feel better yet. I cut down on my carb input (below 100g per day and going down), I started doing cardio every day and I put more focus on intensity in my workouts.

Although there’s no real difference after only 1 week the raised effort makes me feel better and I’m really happy. I’ll see if that energy will stay after I’ve done new pictures on the weekend.

Today I joined the BodyGroup 6 months transformation because that’s exactly my short term goal. I want to transform in the next 6months, starting from the fat-packed guy I’m now to a leaner and more muscular guy in 6 months (like July 2009).

If you want to transform yourself too, join 6 months transformation.

I’m right back from the treadmill. I hate doing cardio. But what can I do? Somehow I have to fight the fat, and that’s the only way to get it.

Today I ate a lot of fish, maybe to much. My belly hurts and mumbles and I think I’ll have a bad night. But I want to cut the carbohydrate from my nutrition as much as I can. I noticed that I feel better without too many carbs.

I hope I can keep the routine.

Yesterday I took some new pictures and suddenly I realised that I didn’t get the results I want to. I really thought there would be a noticable difference in this years workout results - but there is no difference. At least not one I can see.

Now, with 2009 in front I decided to start over and go to my workouts with a spirit of "get more intensity". I really want to push it further and gain more muscles this year. At the same time I try to keep my current weight and that will hopefully lead to body fat reduction. Noticable reduction. I already changed my nutritions, I’m eating healthy. I think I eat healthy. Vegetables, meat, fish, some fruit. Not very much carbohydrates and very few sweets.

But I think I’m still too low on food input. I did only about 2200kcal a day (not including my sports activities). First thing I do is raise my input to 2800kcal, with more fats and vegetables, second is doing even harder workouts. Tonight I start with fresh motivation and I hope I get it this year!