SweetNightshade’s BodyBlog

First off, I’d like to say that I feel very fortunate to have bodybuilding friends who poke and prod me when I stop posting. It feels great to know that people really do read these posts and cheer me on. Plus, now that BB.com seems to be stable again, I needed a reminder to get back into my routine.

Thanksgiving week was a killer.  I had to pull another all-nighter on a paper that was due just before break. (Guess what I’ll probably be doing tonight too?) Exhaustion paired with lack of structure made for a very lazy week, and not always in a good way. I definitely cheated more than I should have, and there’s no question that I slacked on my workouts. I did get a few in, but I feel pretty bad about the week as far as my health goes. Thanksgiving itself was pretty interesting though. I had absolutely no desire for appetizers or gravies (that is a huge change). I had two plates of food: main course and dessert. For my first plate I only took the things I really liked, and took small portions. I didn’t even finish it all either. I waited a while, and then got my dessert plate. I also made sure to drink plenty of water. All-in-all, I think it was the least I’ve ever eaten at a holiday meal - ever. But, when it all set in, I felt like I was going to die. I was doubled-over in pain. Ian assured me I didn’t eat a massive amount, just that my stomach has shrunk more than I thought it had. And it’s true; most other family members ate more than I did and felt no ill effects. Still, I felt like I had enough in my stomach to last me a week. While my body re-balances itself I’ve been eating almost exclusively munchie-like meals (apples and bananas, crackers and pb) because I just don’t feel as hungry. For a good 24 hours, I was actually disgusted with the thought of food. My first holiday meal as a healthy person was definitely an eye-opening experience. Needless to say, I’ll be cutting down my portions even more for Christmas. I hope everyone else has already learned their personal limits! It’s not fun finding out the hard way.

I’ll begin posting foodlogs again tomorrow.

I’ve got a lot on my mind this morning. First, I decided to rest today. Given how my arms were feeling yesterday I thought it pertinent to avoid injury. When I started Level 1 there was a certain pacing involved - workout one day, rest, workout two days, rest, workout three - till I built up my endurance to be able to handle the regimen on a daily basis. I feel it would be safest to employ the same with Level 2. On to more interesting things…
On the bus home yesterday I had a fitting counterpoint to the morning’s experience. The bus was packed, and I was lucky to get a seat, but I had to sit next to a rather large man. He didn’t crush me or anything; in fact, he was very careful. The way he squished himself over to the side without missing a beat made me think he had to be aware of the weight issue he had. It saddens me, hurts me even, to think of what people like that are doing to themselves. But I’ve noticed that a lot of people have what could accurately be described as a disgust for the obese. I’ve never liked that. So, I figured I’d employ the tool of the day and observe him a little to see if I could pick out anything interesting.

The first thing that caught my interest was the book he was reading: Spirit Medicine, A Native American Guide to Spirituality. Inside were various self-affirmations and a lot of progressive, encouraging, exercises. I thought, this man is obviously trying to improve himself. It doesn’t matter if it’s the body or the mind; quite often the improvement of one triggers the improvement of the other. Then I noticed the bookmark he was using. It had a painting of an office filled with baseball gear and wooden furniture, crowned with the word "dad" in all capitals. Not only is he improving himself, but he has someone he doesn’t want to let down, someone to set an example for.
Granted, a lot of this is conjecture, but I think it serves to illustrate an important point. We can’t know everything about the people around us. It follows that we shouldn’t judge. Besides, many of our fellow BB members used to be those people. Let’s not forget where we came from.
B: Protein Shake
S: Wheat Toast w/PB
L: Protein Meal Bar
S: Protein Mini Bar
D: Chicken, Rice, Carrots, Peaches
S: PB
Liquid: 1/2 Gallon
Exercise: 30min. Power Shred 2

2nd consistent day of Level 2 and the entire length of my arms hurt, but I feel it more specifically in my biceps and delts. And did I mention I wore high heels on campus yesterday for the sole purpose of getting more calf toning in? I’m starting to get a nice pump there-abouts and I want to keep it going. It’s nice to take a moment and appreciate all the little sore spots for the progress that they represent.

On the bus this morning I saw a guy eating a giant chocolate chip muffin. He was so skinny, and I wanted it so bad. Of course, first reaction is to think of how unfair it is. But I quickly caught myself. I’m sure this guy runs or bikes, I thought. Still, I watched. Part out of envy, but partly out of curiosity. And you know what I saw? He ate it while he talked to a friend, picking off small pieces to chew very slowly, almost daintily, while he listened. When he had eaten about a third of it, he put it back in his bag. There was my aha moment. He follows moderation. But what was so admirable about it - aside from being able to pace oneself on a muffin of chocolatey goodness - was that he didn’t seem to think twice about it. There were no looks of longing as he slid the confection back into its brown paper prision. He simply ate till he (I assume) was satisfied, and then focused on the more important joy at hand - his conversation.

Next time you see someone eating something you wish you had, watch them a little more closely. Odds are that you might pick up a nice reminder, or even learn something new. Allow someone the chance to be the example (or the warning, depending on the situation.)
B: Protein Shake
S: Wheat Toast w/PB
L: Protein Meal Bar
S: Protein Mini Bar
D: Brown Rice & Tuna, Sugar Free Pudding
S: Extreme Lean Smoothie, PB
Liquid: 1/2 Gallon
Exercise: 30min. Power Shred 2

Well, I got my wish this morning. The Level 2 program was put back up today and it kicked my butt. It’s probably the hardest thing I do all day, and I love that. Yesterday I ate more than I usually do, but I was aware of it, not just randomly pigging out. I considered the fact that I’ve been on-track nutritionally for over 2 weeks and decided I could splurge a little since my body really seemed to want it. I didn’t have any cheat foods perse, just larger quantities. I think my body really needed to refuel after the weekend. It’s crazy, but intense mental work for hours on end really can leave you physically depleted. Anyways, I made the decision to do it, so I’m not letting myself feel guilty. I made the right call for my body at the time, and I burned it all off this morning anyhow.
B: Protein Shake
S: Wheat Toast w/PB
L: Protein Meal Bar
S: Protein Mini Bar, FF Cappuccino
D: Spghetti w/Tomato Sauce & Chicken, Carrots, 1/2 Pear, Sugar Free Pudding
S: Double Serving of Almonds & PB
Liquid: 1/2 Gallon
Exercise: Rest Day

Ohhhhhkaaaaay. I scarfed down 200 pages yesterday, which means I had to do the remaining 50 this morning when I much rather would have been working out. I don’t think I’ll have that much text thrown on me again for at least a couple weeks. Or if I do, at least I’ll be able to tackle most of it on Thanksgiving break. November has always been the busiest time of the Fall Semester; lots of papers to write, lots of reading to cram in before finals in early December. But I really never felt so frustrated with it before, because now that I have a daily workout regimen, I don’t just notice the time compromises I have to make - I feel them. I want a lot of sleep and then a hardcore, sweating-even-after-showering, workout.
B: Wheat Toast w/PB
S: Banana, Sugar Free Pudding
L: Veggie Cakes
S: Wheat Toast w/PB
D: Chicken, Brown Rice, Carrots
S: PB
Liquid: 1 Gallon
Exercise: Rest Day

Nothing very interesting to report this weekend I’m afraid. I was reading small-print Middle English literature from 1 to 9 yesterday, and I still have 250 more pages to tackle today. Taking today as a rest day to get it all done, even though all that sitting has me really wanting to move. Once tomorrow’s test is over with I’ll be much less stressed and able to come out of my room again.
B: Protein Shake
S: Sugar Free Rice Pudding
L: Veggie Cakes w/Salsa
S: Wheat Toast w/PB & Banana
D: Rice, Chicken, 1/2 Pomegranite
S: Wheat Toast w/PB & Banana
Liquid: 1 Gallon
Exercise: 30min. Power Shred

I listened to my body last night and went to bed at my regular time (10pm) even though it was Friday. As a bonus, I actually got to sleep in this morning. 8am felt so good that I lied there till almost 9am. I think I seriously needed that recuperation. Now it’s time to workout and get on with my day.
B: Protein Shake
S: Extreme Lean Mango Smoothie, PB
L: Protein Meal Bar
S: Ricecake w/PB
D: Chicken, Brown Rice, Cucumber
S: Protein Mini Bar
Liquid: 1/2 Gallon
Exercise: 30min. Power Shred

I think I’m finally on an up-swing; no coffee so far today, and I don’t feel like dying. Of course, I did have some natural sugars. I decided I wasn’t getting enough fruits and veggies, so I had a super low-cal fruit smoothie and it was goooood. Other than that, just school stuff keeping me busy. I forgot that being back in the swing of things could be so… routine. =P

B: Protein Shake
S: Protein Mini Bar, FF Cappuccino
L: Protein Meal Bar
S: Ricecake w/PB
D: Chicken, Brown Rice, Carrots, Sugar Free Pudding Cup
S: Ricecake w/PB

I actually made it through yesterday without any major crashes. Of course, you can see that I had two cappuccinos to help me through it. Hopefully I won’t have to pull an all-nighter like that again this semester. I have a lot of tests and papers coming up, but they’re a bit more spaced out for the rest of the year. My back, chest, abs, and calves have been sore. I’m glad I get to workout again today; when I workout every day, it seems to keep things pretty limber. I like to feel the burn, but not so keen on cramping up. Speaking of, time to get to it.
B: Protein Shake, 1/2 Banana
S: Protein Mini Bar, FF Cappuccino
L: Protein Meal Bar, FF Cappuccino
S: Wheat Toast w/PB, 1/2 Banana
D: Chicken, Rice, Peaches, Sugar Free Pudding Cup
S: Smart Pop Popcorn w/PB
Liquid: Less than a gallon.
Exercise: Rest Day

I pulled an all-nighter last night, as college students are aught to do. It’s my own fault really; I should have gotten the work done sooner. Needless to say, I’m not dumb enough to think working out on 3 hours of sleep is a good idea. Life gets in the way sometimes, but that’s okay. My nutrition will still stay on track, and I’ll be right back in the swing of things tomorrow morning. Besides, my back and calves are pretty sore from the new workout, so I don’t mind a day between workouts to ease into it.

B: Protein Shake, 1/2 Banana
S: Protein Mini Bar, FF Cappucino
L: Protein Meal Bar
S: Almonds
D: Chicken, Rice, Peaches, Sugar-Free Pudding
S: Banana w/PB
S: 100 Calorie Cheez-It Pack (Up till 2:30, had to add another snack.)
Liquid: Less than a gallon.
Exercise: 30min. Power Shred 2