2008 Transformation Contest

Again, I just want to salute my fellow contestants.  Each is a terrific person.

Number 1 song goes to everyone out there doing this thing

We belong to the world we belong to the wind
We are the spirit of the competition’s end
Turning hours into days burning muscles feel the pain
The heart and soul of discipline my friends

We are sending you a challenge it’s very clear
We came to win that is why we are here
Demanding to be tested, tested by the best
Not to be forgotten like all the rest

The time has come all the training done
The muscle and the blood will come to pay

Let the game begin hear the starting gun
Play from the heart today we will overcome
When the game is over all the counting’s done
We were born to win number 1

Today is the day all the training through
We have come for the number one not the number two
Let the contest begin play hard fight to win
Immortality victory and fame

The time has come all the training done
The muscle and the blood will come to pay

Let the game begin hear the starting gun
Play from the heart today we will overcome
When the game is over all the counting’s done
We were born to win number 1

Today is the day all the training through
We have come for the number one not the number two
Let the contest begin play hard fight to win
Immortality victory and fame

Let the game begin hear the starting gun
Play from the heart today we will overcome
When the game is over all the counting’s done
We were born to win number 1

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Finally got the camera, but not a good one, anyways here is me today with 233lbs

The man that wrote the Narnia Chronicles was a great philosopher as well as a writer. In his Screwtape Letters he talks about time. Screwtape Letters is a series of letters written from Screwtape, a demon, to a demon in training. The gist of the letters is how to best temp a human to keep the human away from God and close to Satan.

The letter concerning time instructed the minor demon to tempt the human to focus on the past or the future and never the now. The now it was said is the only time in a human life that touches eternity. Eternity is where God wishes a human to be focused.

Now is the only thing that matters. I said it before. When I look to the future I get overwhelmed and when I look to the past I get angry or sad. Now is the only place that I can accomplish anything. Now is the only time I have control over. Now touches eternity.

My heroes are those men and women in the US armed forces, especially those who join during a shooting war.  Oh, I know that there are dirt-bags in the military, but the majority are great men and women.  There is a story that I just read written by John Renehan, a young butter-bar (2nd Lieutenant).  Prior to joining the US Army John was a 29 year old lawyer that was brought up in a privileged home.

John talked about his want to serve and fear that he would not ‘cut it".  He was a desk guy and soldiers were born the gung-ho types you see shooting pistols at a range and running Ironman races.  What he found relates to getting fit and reaching excellence.

Along this road I discovered something about myself, and about the military.

About myself, I discovered that there were within me — within everyone — latent abilities, tendencies, temperaments that only an environment such as this will bring out. And yes, I’m speaking to you bookish types now. However well you may think you know your own pacific constitution, be assured that there is someone more physical and forceful within you — someone you will meet, given the right circumstances.

About the Army, I learned that it can be a hard — and hardening — environment, but by and large the people in it are just people. They are not uniquely tough by nature, though they become so through training and preparation and habit. And their toughness is leavened with a deep sense of common humanity — a basic unquestioning take-them-as-they-are compassion rarely found in the “softer” cosmopolitan world of ambition and sophistication from which I hail.

You can read Lt. Renehan’s article here .

I just did my count and here is the bottom line.

From the February 3rd I have lost 13.2 lbs of body weight, and lost no strength so my best guess is no or very small percent of muscles is lost.

I have reduced my body fat percentage by 4.5% and thus lowering my waist circumference by 2 1/2 inches.

Not bad for a replacement LOL, anyways there are two more weeks to go and I think I can take down even more and I promise I will!

BTW tomorrow you will see me doing some boxing moves, and it will show you only the glimpse of the intensity I put in my workouts

Hello all!   I want to offer bodybuilding.com, the sponsors, contestants, and readers an apology for my lack of posting, progress pictures, and videos these past weeks.  Joining this contest I promised that I would complete these activities on a timely basis and I have failed.  

What happened?

You may remember that I stated that I suffered from acute depression.  That depression has been under good control for quite some time but hits me hard during extreme climate shifts caused by pressure system changes.  At least this is what I have observed over the years.  I normally hit a depression when winter changes to spring and fall to winter.

Missouri is a strange place when it comes to weather.  We experienced 70 degree weather one day only to be hit with an ice and snow storm the next.  That abrupt system change sent me crashing down.

During this time my daughter went into the hospital due to complications in here pregnancy.  They decided that it was best for the baby and the mother to induce labor early.    David Daniel was born Saturday and both mother and son are doing well.   I am not certain if Dad and Grandpa are doing as well.

So you were depressed, big deal.  We all suffer from the blahs during winter.

Those of you that have suffered clinical depression or live with someone who does will understand that it is not your normal blahs situation.  When I suffer a bout of depression it brings me to a place so very dark and negative that it is hard to describe.  Life becomes unbearable and insurmountable.  While I never contemplated suicide, my thoughts would often contain elements of ‘quitting’.  There is a feeling of worthlessness that overwhelms me to a point where I am unable to function.  During these times it is a huge fight simply not to be self-destructive and hateful to all around me.

Everything around me suffers when I suffer depression.  My family lives in turmoil as they love someone who despises themselves.  There are sick days taken as I can’t face work.  All activities cease to be done.  This is what happened to my pictures and my posts.

It often takes weeks to pull myself out of a bout of depression.  Once I have gotten myself to a point where I can function at a basic living level I am faced with digging out of the hole I have created.  Deadlines missed and promises not kept.  It is hard to face these facts of failure without falling back into the depression.  One of the promises not kept was to this contest.  

I am still not out of my depression.  Small things can send me into a dizzying spiral of negativity and I am easily flustered/angered.  But I am doing better and facing the damage that has been done.

Great, but what about the contest?  Did you falter and get fat?

My diet and exercise routine fell apart.  Unlike the past, I only binged once and that was a limited outing.  I did eat pizza one night and Chinese another.   My biggest problem was not eating and not taking my supplements. I have not exercised in several weeks and have been a slug in the house.

This is a very important point for all people with a great deal of weight to take home with them.  You must accept yourself as who you are to do the things necessary to get fit.  I could continue to beat myself up for falling down these past weeks.  I could hide from the contest and the site.  I could say ‘to hell with this’ and go back to my old ways.   But I won’t.   I am who I am.  If I am going to become fit I must right the course and do what needs to be done no matter how far the storm of depression pushed me off course.  

I am weighing in at 341.  This is down a pound or so from my last weigh-in but I also feel doughier than I did before.  My energy is down and I am struggling to focus.

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.

And here we are, not two small weeks out from the final destination of this contest. The day we all started was the day of happiness and enthusiasm for all. We were just beaming with positive energy radiating it in all directions, and look at us now…

There are few things I learned in my life, and I tend to apply this experience in all the aspects of my life. Hard work pays out in the long run, positive attitude will always get you to the right place, keeping the fun in all the stuff that you do will make even the worst job look like a game. And than I look at my friends from the BodySpace challenge 2008 and I can only see serious people. Serious is what gets you heart attack and nervous break downs , stop being so damn serious. There is one thing for sure, if you can not keep the fun in your workouts and your fitness life style for only three months, how can you expect to do it your entire life?

I can feel you enthusiasm falling down, why? This is supposed to be the happiest time of your life, you are finally changing something for the better and than you loose enthusiasm, LOL.

I just wish I can be there with you all and push you through the hard moments. Instead I can YELL ONLINE: GET OF YOU A$$ AND KEEP ON PUSHING FORWARD

Yeah I finally started to loose weight, this morning I am down to 237.6 lbs, down 3.3lbs from the last week. I had to cut calories additionally, but I am adopting fast.

It is interesting how a human organism reacts in situation where it is forced out of balance and make changes. It will do anything to get you back in a comfort zone. Remember that little guy inside of our head, Jumbo talked about a few posts earlier? Well my little man is no jelling at me, he is not screaming and kicking, telling me to stop this nonsense. No, he is a smooth talker, he knows me better than anyone else and he knows I will not react to force. Instead, he uses a more subtle method to make me bend and brake. Sometimes I even don’t notice him dragging me down. LOL am I making any sense LOL

Anyways here are the progress pictures for this week:

OK I just wanted to show some side by side pictures from the day my transformation started back in November 2007 till this day:

I seem to be unable to move from the dead spot. I am holding the same wight entire week, and no obvious progress is made. I am a bit worried since I am not sure what is the problem. Right now I am trying to experiment with all sorts of stuff. Re-feeding helped with energy levels, but the weight stayed the same. I have also noticed some strength drop but I have so much work through out the day I hardly manage it.

I am currently trying to experiment how much does my blood type has effect on my diet. I found this place on the web that has a great source of info for the food types and what it does to a certain blood type (not a commercial):

click here

I found something about my self reading through all the sources on the subject. most of the food bad for my blood type I already hate to eat. LOL Aside from that I still try to find out how can I use it to my advantage and organize my diet according to my blood type. I think it is worth a shot. Remember I told you I feel bad after a week of eating oats? Well I found all sorts of wheat products are bad for my blood type.

I understand some people say blood type and diet are not that much connected and has too few researches behind it, but I think I will believe to my body. I eat those foods already and I feel if I try and eat only suggested foods and see success, great! Mission accomplished/ If not? Nothing lost nothing gained.

I will make sure I let you people know how it works out for me and remember one thing, not much is left till the end and what ever aces you have up your sleeve be ready to throw it down on the table soon!

I had problems posting on the blog for the past few days. I write my blog entry, pres the submit and nothing, returns blank…argh

Actually I am writing this post without even knowing if it will work, well I just hope it will.

Anyways I have a killer week behind me. Besides the gym and regular cardio, we pushed the tempo on the boxing on Saturday and Sunday. Right now I am sitting in my office and writing this post but I really have problems with only sitting. The man I am working out with is a beast and true athlete. I have never saw anyone with such will power and dedication for the sport. Beside the fact he is a true street warrior, the man never had a day competing in a ring, but had more than one on the streets. He’s got scars from an axe on his head and about a million of others on his body and head. If someone would tell me about person like such, I would be thinking hooligan or something like that. But this man is an excellent gym instructor, boxer and kick boxer for the last 25 years, he is with one woman for 17 years and I can see they love each other very much, and also he is chiropractic specialized for spine manipulation. This is not an ordinary man. Just to give you the idea of how dedicated this man is I will tell you a story about him you will find hard to believe.

Some years ago he was diagnosed with appendix inflammation, such condition is only treatable with complete removal of the appendix because of the real life threat of appendix bursting and blood poison and eventual death. Doctor told him the operation was the only way. Slobo (the boxer) asked how long will he not be able to workout, and when they told him two months at least he just got up from the chair and walked to the home. "There is nothing in this world that can make me stop training." - ha was saying, and doctors called him a mad man. Six times over the years his appendix was at the verge or bursting but he just stood there, takes some pain killers and puts some ice on the stomach and tomorrow hi is back in the gym. I am not saying this is an example to follow, and I am sure he will have to remove his appendix some day or die but can you imagine such mind over matter power, to overcome the fear of loosing your life to train another day. I can only dream of such dedication. This man is one of few people I admire in my life and I can only hope I will earn half of his dedication in life.

Anyways here is the workout clip I tried to add last week:

The past few days have been very nice here in Georgia. Weather has been in the mid to high 60’s, today its at 72…humidity is low and there is a slight breeze. It seems that everyone is outside. I took a quick ride into town, and your either in a drop top sports car or a motorcycle…the roads are loaded with people seeking Solace in this great weather.
Since I’ve spent the last few weeks prepping for the move, construction work in the area we are supposed to move, and moving itself. I havent had a chance to play, and do much with my 2 year old Daughter. So today after dropping Mommy off for the Wedding Shower of a Friend…..we hit the roads for a Father Daughter day.

We start the afternoon out with a bite to eat, we got Ansley’s favorite….Chicken and Fries…or as she would say it…Ticken and Friiiiiiiiiieeeeeees. And of course the Ketchup better know in 2 year old land as "Bip" more Bip please!.
After feeling to our hearts content we took a ride to the nearest Park….Park 1 was jam packed no place to put the car, so on to option B Park 2.

Park 2 was also packed but has plenty of parking, the sheer joy on a 2 year olds face when you pull into a park with swings, sand, slides and everyting in between is pure bliss. It makes you smile knowing how happy they are. Watching all the other little ones run around, smiling faces or other parents and grandparents. Its all worth a smile.

After spending some time at the park we headed home, and the little one didnt make it 2 miles…………dead asleep in the car seat.

I wish every day was as nice as today, I love the outdoors and doing stuff with my daugther. She is an absolute sweetheart (minus all the 3:00am wake up calls).

Its amazing how much Solace you can find in just spending time with the ones you love, in great weather, where everyone is having a great day at the Park!

My 2 year old seen here………

Dont let that innocent face fool you, she has daddy wrapped around that pinky already.

The last week was rough.

You already heard about my diet problem, and I am now almost entirely sure it is the wheat oats I ate all the past week. My weight was not moving at all, just stood there at the same spot. I also experienced energy drop. It was hard for me to get up in the 05:30AM and do the morning workout. I was already afraid I was going to stop progressing, that I have reached some sort of plateau. I have experienced such things before and it takes some time to break out of it.

Today I feel much better. I got up and finished my workout as usual and doing just fine. I know I have lost a week and I will compensate for it this week. Now I understand much more was affecting my condition last week. Major factor is the stress. I am starting my own business venture. I will start my own on-line supplement store and I have so much to do about it. Yesterday I reached one milestone by actually registering my business and getting all the papers required for the business start. I can relax for a moment, but not for long. This week I have to work on my web site and scripts for on-line sales, plus I have to make contact with all the distributors in my country. I am very excited about this and I have such a positive vibrations I just know I will succeed!

Now I am still running on empty here, no supplements are used, but I feel strong and energized. I will double the boxing intensity for this week and lower the calories and hope for the best

That’s it from me for this call, keep your intensity high!

malibuilder

Ok so about 2 weeks ago my Car dies, and its approx 2500 or so to fix. Ok I’m finally over that, then we are caught up in our move, getting things ready etc and I cant locate my camera for last week. No biggie. Got it this week, so got my Workout video all set and ready. Whoo hoo! Turn the camera on and it errors out, says to turn power off then back on. So I do, and same error. Then I notice the stinking optical lense is stuck…when I first turn it on it try’s to come out click click click then stops. Then error. Well thank goodness I bought the extended warranty……..honey I had put the extended warranty paperwork in the……..

1+ hours later and I still cant find the receipt or anything. I’m frustrated to no end here. I’d just like something to go smoothly for once around here, things be organized where we can find them…etc..etc..

Yes I’m venting, but also needed to let everyone know why my video isnt up yet. Its not fair I think to just not post without reason. I’m going to borrow a relative’s camera and get to it ASAP. Should have the video and pictures all tomorrow at the same time.

There are some things that I know are true about us as people.  It does not matter if you live in China, Yemen, or the US, these things apply.  These truths may show themselves with different attributes, but the fact remains that the basic truth exist.

Women and men want to be thought of as good.
No one sets out to be the villain or the bad guy.  Sure, some might want to be seen as dangerous, daring, or not goody-goody, but in the end everyone of us seeks to be righteous.  If you remember this when you talk to someone with conflicting values it is easier to see both sides of an issue.  Now, the bottom line is that people are not good all of the time or even most of the time.  When there is a failure to do what is good remember that the person that did wrong wants to be thought of as good even when you are correcting them.

This does not mean that you let people walk on you and do anything they want.  There are things worth taking a stand against and stating that what others are doing is wrong.  Just remember that the person that is doing what we consider to be wrong does not usually see that they are wrong.  Even if a person knows they are wrong they will twist and spin to find justification for what they have done. When you are wrong try to remember that previous sentence and simply correct your actions.

Men and women want to be pretty.
Ok, Ok, men don’t normally want to be pretty, but we all want to be attractive.  Attractiveness is defined differently by different people and different cultures so we all aspire to different looks, but in the end we all want to look good.  Do you want to know the kicker?  We are all attractive in some way.

Take the time to see the beauty in the other person.  It does not matter if the other person is fat, fit, or disfigured.   The elephant man claiming that he was not an animal was screaming out to the world that he was a human and for the rest of us to see the beauty of his humanity.  This need is so incredibly strong that you will be amazed what a difference it can make in people’s lives.

Once you find the beauty in another person you will find that you will respect that person far more than before.  It is almost impossible to hate someone that you find beauty.  Let me be clear, I am talking about physical beauty here, but that beauty transcends the physical to the spiritual  in both  the person seeing the beauty and the person that is being seen as beautiful.  I am also not talking about faking it.  Saying someone is beautiful when you do not see the beauty will not have a positive affect.

If you do not readily see the beauty in others you should work to improve that part of yourself.  You will find that your relationships in your life, personal and business, will improve greatly once you can truly see the beauty in the other person.  Again, no one wants to be ugly and because every human is worthwhile there is beauty to be found.  Once you see the beauty in others let them know.  People so desire to be seen as beautiful that you may actually draw a tear of appreciation.

Now, you need to see yourself as beautiful.  We tend to be so very critical of our own looks as we always wish to improve or change something.  Find that beauty in yourself.  By doing this you will be able to work on the parts of yourself that you would like to improve.  As you start to see other’s beauty you will be able to see your own despite your flaws.

Thoughts Matter
We make fun of the positive thinkers all of the time.  Frankly, the ‘happy talk’ can be complete BS because artificial talk on top of fundamental thought will change nothing.  But if you can change your fundamental thoughts you can achieve anything.  If there is nothing about yourself other than the dimple on you knee that you find pretty by golly you better remind yourself about that dimple 5 times for every time you think something negative about yourself.  No, looking into a mirror and telling yourself that you are worthwhile over and over again will not help you, but if you look into that mirror and recognize the positive and feed the positive more than you feed the negative you will grow.

I dont have anything profound or inspiritation to add today.  Work has picked up which means I am swamped.  I am getting in all my meals and the training is going well.  

I have made several dates over the next few weeks to hang out with some friends.  I am looking forward to that but continuously remind myself that this is not a reason to "cheat" or stumble.  I have put some plans in place to keep that from happening.  I figure the bachelorette party maybe a little challenging but hey I can be strong.  LOL