2008 Transformation Contest

Yesterday was not as stressful for me as it was for Maddi, but everyone in Missouri was under siege by severe thunderstorms.  My morning workout was wiped out by civic duty.  I do hope all that could vote yesterday did.   My evening workout was interrupted by power outage and work issues.  This is no excuse for missing a workout, but it did postpone my video being made and uploaded.  I will be a day late.

It has been found that fear of lifting heavy and swallowing bubble gum can have disastrous results!

"Paralyzed by Analysis" its happened and its happening to me right now. That saying comes from the Body for Life book I have sitting on my dresser, which also sits near the latest Muscle and Fitness, which lays on top of the Zone Diet book. WHich all sits within arm reaches of a person ( that person is me) surfing on Bodybuilding.com reading about nutrition, workouts plans…etc…

Its happened, I have read so much over the years…have read so much in the past few months, weeks, days…that I am officially "Paralyzed by Analysis" I’m trying to figure out why my body isnt responding to all the work, and nutrition I throw at it. And based on my current caluclations there about 1 bazillion ways to fix it…if I could just find the fix..but since I am "Paralyzed by Analysis" I’m overlooking something probably very simple.

This many weeks into the contest, I weighed in this morning I’ve lost…….hmmm lets see here.. 3.5Lbs…Oh sure I’ve added almost .5inch to my arms, .5 inch to my chest and lost 2.5 inches around my mid section but even so I dont get the weight loss, sure I know it isnt everything but with great fat loss comes great weight loss…and apparently I’ve got neither.

I’m currently in the state of "Paralyzed by Analysis" because I dont know where to go, I’m eating clean, and usually in the gym for 1-1.5 hours for 4-5 days a week sometimes more. Pushing myself to the limits each time, sprinting till my knees beg for mercy, riding a bike so fast although stationary it might actually start moving.

I’m wondering if I need to take a visit to the Dr? Maybe my body is insuling resistant, maybe like my grandfather did I’m becoming a diabetic early in life…geez who knows.

But I must say…………someone help!

There is great confusion in my soul concerning this game.  It is my nature to like long standing records like the Miami unbeaten season.  I have an aversion to power house franchises rooting for the underdog against the dynasty whenever I can.  All of that and I still like the Pats.  There team is fun to watch.  I see this game as Pats 41 to Giants 24.

If you have not heard or read about it there is a great story about the Giant’s motivator and Superbowl honorary captain LT. Col. Gadson It is a great story and well worth the read.  But a great story and motivator will not beat the complete talent that is the Pats.

What are you eating today?
Lamb kabobs off the barbie.
Steak kabobs off the barbie.
Fresh veggies and a yogurt dip
Lean beef chili as dip for veggies with some cheese and onion.
Green tea in a frozen beer mug….I know weak

If the Pats win by 17 I will have a 30 minute treadmill session tonight.  If the pats fail to cover it will be 1 hour session.

When you look at yourself in the mirror, and hold up a picture of yourself from years ago do you ever wonder how did I get here? Why am I standing in front of this mirror for the 3rd, 4th or more years saying that you need to lose weight, get in shape, blah blah blah.
We’ll I’ve been saying it for years, when I met my current wife I weighed approx 230lbs…now even at that weight my physical condition wasn’t perfect but it was much better then it is today. Through our dating stages we ate out a lot, hey isn’t that what dating is all about anyways? Through our dating up to our wedding I added on 25 lbs, so our wedding day I was 255 lbs.
Then hit the early years of marriage, life was good, this new feeling of freedom and being married was great. I got a new job in Atlanta and everything was going good to me….or was it? Due to the added job stress, lack of time for decent meals, and just pure addiction to all things bad I gained another 40 lbs…putting me all the way up to 295LBS. Yikes! Promptly we joined the gym back in 05 and attempted to make it a successful run, very little came of it. It was a pure yo-yo schedule two weeks at the gym, 3 months away. Sad to say the least.  
My desk job was stressful; my hours were up the wall usually about 60-70hours a week, long nights and a sedentary behind the desk lifestyle. All I could do is reach for something out of the vending machine to make things better. Man this payday bar is good; it’s also when I fell in love with Sunkist. For the next year or so I hovered at this weight. Once I hit this weight of approx 300lbs (120 lbs over my doctor recommended weight). It actually gets to where you accept the weight your at, even if it’s high. I knew I looked terrible, knew my health was at risk but looking in the mirror my mind wasn’t putting two and two together. I also have a very relaxed attitude, which probably added to my acceptance of such a bad physical condition.
I worked with a friend of mine doing the BFL Challenge..which we did for about 5 weeks then stopped. My weight stayed around the same and I was eating well at least. I had dropped down to 290.
Then about 1 year ago something just clicked, maybe it was the kidney stones, the chest pains (related to acid reflux and hiatel hernia thankfully), my overall body aches and pains that finally made my mind realize we have got to change. Besides that I was nearly 300lbs and my wife was tipping the scales at 125..it wasn’t fair for her to have the guy she dated put on 80lbs and turn into a sloth. When she looked exactly the same as the day I met her.
So here I am in the bb.com transformation pushing to make myself better and better each day. Its working I know, I feel better then I did 1 year ago.
My results on the other hand are limited; my strength and muscle gains are up…however my bodyfat just doesn’t want to budge. Then I remembered the doctor told me I had an excess of Visceral Fat
*Visceral fat-Visceral fat is different from other body fat. Visceral fat, also called intra-abdominal fat, refers to the fat that surrounds the internal organs. Subcutaneous fat, on the other hand, is body fat that is close to the skin’s surface and is considered less dangerous, and easier to lose, than visceral fat.
Studies have shown that those with visceral fat are more susceptible to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and hypertension. Sedentary people, smokers and drinkers have been shown to have more intra-abdominal fat, or visceral fat, than active people who are non-smokers and non-drinkers. Stress may also be a factor in the storage of visceral fat on the body.
Visceral fat is harder to lose than subcutaneous fat because it is more deeply embedded in the body’s tissues. Visceral fat is only measured accurately by an imaging machine that can see how much of the abdomen is made up of visceral fat. A person may be within a healthy weight range, but still have too much intra-abdominal fat around the internal organs.

My Diet is on, my workout routines are intense…..I’m looking forward to my end results even though they may be slower then the others. It took several years to get here, I can’t expect a rock hard stomach in 12 weeks.
As opposed to some competitors remarks my heart is in this competition more so then you even know. I know the pictures don’t always show great results on my end but they are there, I can feel them regardless as to what everyone sees. The future looks bright, I just wish the future would get here sooner sometimes.

This morning I am eating turkey in stir-fry vegetables for breakfast.  Being an introspective type of guy I ponder why my diet is so successful today compared to the previous attempts at cleaning up my food intake?  I don’t bother with measuring or weighing out my food.  I don’t bother with tracking my macro’s.  In previous attempts I would do both in a compulsive way.

As I chew through a chunk of turkey, water chestnut, and pea pod I came up with a few changes.

The food replacement game:
How many out there have tried to replace their favorite food with something that fits their diet.  You know the game.  If you are avoiding pasta you get giddy when you discover Spaghetti Squash or you look for the lowest carb version of pasta.  This can lead you down the artificially created foods such as the Olestra chips.

I don’t play the food replacement game any longer.  Favorite foods that do not fit the diet are gone.  That is just the way of things.   Favorite foods that fit the diet but I find I ‘can’t eat just one’ are gone.  My body and my life has no room for these foods.  

Instead of the food replacement game I am playing the favorite replacement game.  An example is ice cream.  I love the stuff.  I can’t eat enough of the stuff.  There is no place in my diet for the stuff and it is gone from my diet.  There is no ice cream like replacement in my diet.  I am not eating frozen yogurt or ‘fat free’ ice cream.   Ice cream simply does not enter my body.  What I have done is shift my favorite food from ice cream to cottage cheese + blueberries + walnuts.   It is not that I get a craving for ice cream and try to satisfy it with my CBW, I get a craving for CBW and no longer for ice cream.  Hard to believe?  It is the truth.

Pasta and pizza are another prime example.  They are favorites of mine and I have zero control when I start to eat them.  My diet right now calls for no carbs outside low GI/GL vegetables.  Instead of trying to find a replacement for these foods they are simply gone from my diet.  What is funny is that I don’t crave these foods.  Sure, when the family brings in a pizza I would love a piece, but I stay away.  There is no substitute for the pasta or the pizza.  I have retrained my palate to prefer a steak and steamed broccoli to the pasta and pizza.  This took time but if you would place the two side by side I would choose the steak because I like it more not just because it is better for me.  

And that is the big difference in my successful diet and non-successful diet.  Instead of trying to find foods to act and taste like my old favorites I have changed my favorites.  It is a mind game.  Am I lying to myself about what I like best…..sometimes.   But after lying to myself about what my favorite food is I start to believe it until I find I am no longer lying.  In the end I find that I am a changed person.  

I encourage anyone that has a great deal of weight to lose to think about changing their palate of favorites.  It takes work, time, and concentration.   It takes the willingness to eat foods you previously found distasteful……wow you mean I actually like zucchini now?  Yep!   If you don’t change your favorite foods and simply substitute some facsimile I guarantee you will fall back to eating as you did before.

Darn that turkey and stir-fry was good.  Those vegetables were so sweet and flavorful! I am satisfied nutritionally and palate-ly.  Change is good!

On Friday night, I caught a Denver Nuggets basketball game. Good company, good entertainment and good times. It had been awhile since I experienced the live energy of a game. When I returned home I wasn’t quite ready for bed so I hopped online to check my email and amongst the spam of how I can make my "schlong longer" or "please my woman better". You know the usual crap that clogs up our email. Amongst these emails and a few legitimate ones I see an email from a girl I used to date. She was big into fitness and very attractive. Things ended when I got to know her for what she really was and the more I learned the uglier she got. Hence the reason why we were no longer seeing each other. A physical relationship can only take you so far.

So anyways, I open the email and it’s a forwarded email about presidential candidate, Barack Obama. The title read "Obama to doom the United States" and she adds a comment of, "Im scared for the United States!!"

As you can imagine, The email was full of such rubbish I couldn’t believe it. One line said, "The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at the ighest level - through the President of the United States,one of their own!!!!"

The email was much longer but it straight up pissed me off. Keep in mind, this is coming from a girl who didn’t know who Jimmy Carter was. One who never wanted to discuss politics or anything of any substance. She’s 28 and I’m sorry but if you don’t know who Jimmy Carter is you need to study US history again. So, I respond with "That’s crap. You don’t even follow politics and sending this poop."

Her response, "Knowing we have a muslim running to be president is problem enough.  So I don’t wanna hear it.  You always have to stick up for everyone in your open minded ways"

We went back and forth a couple times until she wrote the most horrific response I’ve ever seen from someone. I am disturbed just copying and pasting it. It makes me sick. Warning this is everything that is wrong with America today, moronic, narrow-minded views and such racist language. Her response to me telling her to check her facts before sending out such garbage, "I have, and I don’t believe it. Of course he and all his people, media etc is going to deny it and say otherwise. There’s no way he would win if people knew who he really was. Obama Bin Laden baby. hahahaha…. Damn Muslim. He is LITERALLY a sand ******. hahahaha"

SERIOUSLY WTF IS THAT?! I am embarrassed to say I know this person much less any type of relationship with someone who could actually write that.

Bono says it best at the beginning of this U2 song. "God does not hate. This is a song about people who recreate God in their own image, tiny, pathetic you knwo the kind of people I’m talking about." Yes Bono, I know EXACTLY the kind of people you are talking about.

The energy this man is able to create in such a positive way is everything that is right in the world. I’ve wasted enough of my energy on this foul woman and will not communicate with her in any fashion. I urge everyone to show some love for others and themselves.

On a happier note, this is one song I jam to in the gym and gets me pumped while lifting. As it also applies to the story above as it’s a reminder to elevate myself from the negativity and narrow-mindedness that exists in the world today.

JR:
I really believe that unless you have had to lose triple digit poundage you don’t understand the challenges faced. You lost 110 pounds. That is awesome. How did you handle the ups and downs through that long journey? Any tips for those of us needing to lose 100 pounds or more?

Angel:
Gosh, so, so many and I’ve already written a book just about! heheh. There ARE a lot of ups and downs. I still face them. But the one thing I will say, the one thing that saves me EVERY TIME, the thing I bang over your head JR (heh) is: NEVER GIVE UP. Start, don’t stop, never give up. Start, don’t stop, never give up. That is the ONLY thing that sets you apart DESTINED for success. Even when I question myself, or feel discouraged it passes quickly because the thought of I’m not giving up anyways comes so I snap out right out of it! I use the word REFUSE to give up. It is powerful to make that decision. I will not waver from it. That tenacity ensures success.

JR:
I just want to end by letting you know that you were always a beautiful woman. Your body simply allows you to show that beauty a little more. You told me to live and act in the NOW. That has become my mantra. Every time I get bummed about blowing my nutrition plan the day before or when the scale does not go down I tell myself to get my ass back in the NOW. Every time I look to the end of the journey and get frustrated with the length of time and amount of effort the is ahead of me;I pull myself back into the NOW.

Your support, wisdom, and beauty give me strength when I can’t find it myself. Thank you.

JR:
Thank you Dave, it means a lot that I have encouraged you. I am thankful for my history, struggles and successes because it has not only made me a stronger woman but given me opportunity to help others like you. And yes, there is only Now. You are a strong man and it starts on the inside. Be and enjoy the discovery of where you are at. You are in the moment of creation! Thank you for the opportunity to share my story!

Kathleen

Guess who’s back?! That’s right, me! Albeit with a slightly altered user-name granted to me during the Epic BB.com CSR thread of January 24th, 2008.

Aside from some sore neck issues (which have been very prevalent lately) I’m back to full health and ready to rock things out in the gym. This morning will be lower body + cardio and tomorrow will  be an hour of cardio before work. I am going to be upping both the intensity and duration of my cardio effective immediately, as well as adding in a few new goodies to the plan.

After seeing the results both of our female competitors have made in the first month, I am more determined than ever to kick the men (myself included) into gear. We gotta represent yo! As such I have loaded all of the Rocky movies onto my video I-pod, so nothing can stop me now.

Changes To Soon Be Implemented:
- Avant Research Napalm (Topical Fat Burner) to be added (which means I gotta shave my tummy, hahaha, that’ll make for some interesting progress pics)
- Caloric levels will be dropped by 250 a week until I hit my sweet spot
- Cardio will now be a mix of interval training, endurance training, and some lower intensity during active recovery.
- Every upper body lifting day will also include some bag work (speed bag, heavy bag) if I can get into the aerobics room (sometimes there are classes going on and they won’t let me use it)

Are you ready?

JR:
You always encourage me not to set limitations on my goals. What are some of your goals? Do you have dates set to accomplish these goals?

Angel:
As a rule I generally do not put dates on my goals. My focus has always been on as long as I am making improvements I am getting closer. Time passes and the weight comes off/body shape changes. Every occasionally I throw in a short term date goal but it usually serves as a reminder to why I don’t like date goals when it comes to transforming my body. One such time is now actually. I am headed to California in two weeks so for the last month I have had this as a short term goal. The thing is, even when you do everything “right” and give your best effort sometimes your body will still do its own thing. So when you don’t hit the number goals you desire when you plan its easy to beat yourself up (and sometimes partake in defeating behavior), rather than acknowledging the improvements made. As for my goals they are very different from four years ago. Four years ago I just wanted to be not obese. The day I shopped in a normal store was the most exhilarating experience. I dreamed of Madonna arms (haha) but never thought they could be a reality for me. These days I am aiming for physical excellence. Excellence in fitness, leanness, muscularity. I want to SEE what my full potential is. I want find out how strong I really am. I want to show that it is not only possible to lose weight and keep it off but to live an extraordinary life sharing that reaching your dreams are a reality if you choose to step up.

JR:
Trainer or Solo?

Angel:
Right now I have a trainer that meets me twice a week. I also have a nutritionist that meets me once a week and in contact via text. I also feel very fortunate to have become friends with some of the bodybuilding trainers at my gym. Sometimes I feel like I have a team of people who keep an eye on me and offer support, encouragement and even form instruction. I would like to add that all of those people help me expecting nothing in return (I pay my nutritionist the equivalent of petrol money). One of the above trainers once put it like this to me “It is a pleasure to help someone, willing to help themselves”. I don’t share this to boast but instead to encourage people that if you work hard, are teachable and appreciative that the support you need will come. This has been true for me from the moment I discovered bodybuilding.

JR:
Workout partner, group, or solo?

Angel:
Apart from when I see my trainer I train solo. Though at different times I have trained with a partner and it has been a lot of fun as well as challenging. The bigger you are and the fitter the more I want to keep up!

JR:
I find that people I used to hang with and I have little in common. It is like our poor eating and lifestyle kept us together. Now I am building new friendships or evolving old relationships. Did you run into this? If you did how did you handle the change?

Angel:
This is, and continues to be an ongoing challenge for me. Some people I have come to realize were part of my life just for a time. I am inclined to say that I don’t have a single relationship that is the same. Fortunately many relationships have changed for the positive.

JR:
Do you suffer from ‘fittism’ or people outright resenting the fact that you are a studette now?

Angel:
Hahaha studette? Wells I don’t think I have had anyone outwardly resenting me in a hostile way however one thing I come up with quite frequently is the contrast between my continued progress and others stagnating, going backwards/gaining weight, or those whom I have seen lose some weight and then gain it back. For those people it can sometimes be a bit awkward. Like my success further highlighting their challenges. I usually then look for an opportunity to encourage them. I fully believe that I do not have any special ability. If I can do it, and they desire it then they can do it too.

JR:
Do you still see yourself as the woman in your before picture?

Angel:
No. And that is a quiet respectful no. Not even a little bit. That woman didn’t know who she was or what she was capable of. She is a distant dream who believed in the power of A Little Bit (progress).

Angelfish has been a bodybuilding.com member since August 2006.  Her forum signature pretty much sums up her philosophy on transformation, “Consistently maintain forward momentum. Be clear in your goals. It is easier to work in line with your goals than against them. 50kg (110lbs) lost to date. ”   Angel has been a good online friend and is a great lady.  She made me feel comfortable on a site of bodybuilders when I obviously was not one. Angel, you have been a great inspiration to me and others.

What follows is the first of a three part interview with Kathleen (AKA Angelfish).  Give here a shout at her Bodyspace.

PART ONE
JR:
In your before picture you are holding a child. Is that your child and if so how many do you have?

Angel:
Yes that’s my son. I have two children, my daughter is 6 and my son is now 4. I started this journey when my son was about 10 months old.

JR:
I have stated in my blog that there was a ’switch’ that flipped in my head and I no longer was going to be a fat guy. There is no question, there is no doubt, it just is. Before that switch flipped I was simply playing at losing weight. Did something similar happen to you? Do you remember the moment you knew you had really changed?

Angel:
Yes I do, I call it my pantry moment - a very precise time where I made a choice that changed me forever. Trying to lose weight had been an ongoing issue for me. I had tried every diet. Every Monday was a new diet day, a so-called fresh start that gave me permission to eat up “for one last time”, and so on. One such typical day I had started anew AGAIN and by lunchtime I was searching around the cupboard looking for junk food. In my head I was saying I will start properly tomorrow, therefore giving me an excuse to indulge. At that moment a new thought flashed into my head that I was lying. It occurred to me that I wouldn’t intentionally lie to someone else, someone I cared about and here I was blatantly lying to myself. I closed the cupboard and that was it. I decided to be truthful to myself, get real and behave my way to success.

I didn’t know if I could or would be slim. But I told myself to think like a slim person and do what a slim person does. Literally faking it till I make it. It’s only really been in the last year or so that I have an inner knowing I will never go back. The flashes of insight of how far I’e come can still sometimes take me by surprise but every day I wake grateful, and amazingly appreciative of not only my history because it has made me who I am but also of this gift of seeing life with new eyes. Being able to look others in the eye is a gift like no other.

JR:
Obviously you lift, but I read in your blog that you did a special type of running. What was that about?

Angel:
LOL! Not quite a special kind of running heheh I call it Bush Running because I run in the bush! Here in New Zealand that is what we call our forest areas. Its hilly, its fresh, its aerobic, its challenging, full of ferns, trees, streams, and on the sea edge. and buggery. Its too tough on my knee at the moment!



JR:
Is it the water in New Zealand that makes all NZ women so beautiful and cool?

Angel:
LOL! Cute JR.

JR:
You have always been very helpful to people on the bodybuilding forums and made me feel at home on the bodybuilding website even though I am far from a bodybuilder. Are you more outgoing now after your transformation or were you always this way?

Angel:
I am absolutely more out going now. I have always been friendly and would do what is needed in a social situation. Now though I joke, I am not afraid to go places by myself, I am comfortable around new people, I hold my head high, I speak in front of people? you could almost give me the title assertive (wow now that?s a new word for me!- yeha!)

JR:
What did you have for dinner yesterday?

Angel:
My fav ? 200g Salmon fillet, 1 courgette, ? red pepper, generous serving of mushrooms ? all grilled with my absolute favorite sugar free sweet chili sauce!! YUM. At the moment I have this exact meal 3 evening meals out of 4.

So, I figured I’d give a quick update. Ever since returning to work on Friday I’ve been slowly feeling worse and worse and now it is in full blown ’sick’ mode. My weight is bloated UP, probably due to not eating enough water and taking in carbs since I’m not really too ‘in it’ right now. I’ll survive, but it pisses me off. Right as I get my new plan all finalized, I get sick.. son of a… (radio  edit)

I’ve been down the past two weeks, because my progress pics show little to no improvement, and the scale isnt moving down like it should. If you go one week with bad results you get pissed, go two weeks with bad results and I get down right mad. Everyone says oh dont go by the scale, its how your body is changing that counts. Your clothes might fit better before the scale jumps down, or you might gain some muscle and it even outs the scale.

Well I put the scale to the side this morning and went with nothing but measurements. I am happy to report, that I have lost 1′ off my midsection, 1/4" off my neck, approx 3" on my hips, but gained 1/4 inch on both arms.

These measurements have made me happier, there is change a taking place and I didnt even notice.

Have you ever been working out and catch yourself making some awful face trying to achieve that one extra rep, ever catch anyone watching you make that face? Well I ask you to take just 5 minutes from your next visit to the gym and watch the numerous face expressions you will see.
I never noticed all of them, but its quite funny to watch. The best face moves come while doing shrugs, trying to hit that last rep on shrugs, some people even lose their necks in the process for a moment. Some hold their lips so tight and dont breath that last rep causes a rupture of the lips blowing spit and every bit of air in their lungs out.
Then you’ve got the oh my hope no one was watching I nearly dropped that on my head face, they rack the weight then look around the gym with their eyes, hoping no one saw it.

Try it! I beg you to watch it for once.

Heroes and Circumstance

It is my firm belief that the true heroes in the world are those people that do the right things through mundane times at least 90% of the time.  Mundane as in waking up and going to work every day, doing your planned workouts, not drinking and driving.  The things that make up 99% of our life are mundane.  

The grand happenings in life make for great headlines and earn well deserved praise.  Some people don’t handle the mundane well at all but rise to the grand happenings in life.  Some people are just lucky/unlucky to be in a place that requires grand effort.  For the most part it is the people that succeed 90% of the time in the mundane things in life that accomplish the grand happening.

If you talk to a soldier or Marine that has earned a medal for valor you will find that they never view themselves as heroes.  They were doing what had to be done when the situation required it to be done.  This is why every soldier and Marine is a hero.  They train and train.  They do the routine mundane things day in and day out.  When placed in a position when some great thing must be done they do it.  They do it for their brothers in arms.  They do it because it is the right thing to do.  So even if a soldier or Marine is never placed in harms way they are heroes.

The same is true for you and me.  We are heroes if we do the day-to-day things that need to be done to the best of our ability.  When we don’t skip the workout or eat that cake.   We are heroes when we cook a healthy meal for our family and get up in the morning and go to work.  It is accomplishing the ordinary 90% of the time and not the 1% extraordinary in our lives that makes one a hero.

***Warning***
Bible discussion below, skip if you would rather not hear it (more…)