Greg’s BodyBlog

I know what I want to do:  I want big, well-defined muscles and a physique to die for.  So what am I doing?  Lifting weights and eating the proper diet.  It’s working, too, but like so many others, I have hit a plateau.  So I’m trying different training regimens, mixing up my diet, following the advice of various "experts," and so on.  Now I understand what I have been told by so many: results come fast initially, then they slow down.  It takes a long time to add muscle mass and you will gain some fat at the same time.  Then it takes more time to get lean, during which time you lose a little muscle.  And the cycle goes on, such that it takes about one year to net gain 5 lbs of muscle mass. 

So what the hell am I doing?  I’m trying to stay motivated, keep training hard, and eating right.  I have adjusted my expectations so I realize I won’t see changes every week or even every month.  I need to stay on track, day after day, week after week, and progress will come.  I am not unhappy with my current state.  On the contrary, I am very happy and proud with my weight, muscle mass, and body fat percentage.  I have come a long way.  I am happy, but I don’t want to get complacent.  Maybe I’m a little greedy, too, because I want to continue to gain muscle and get leaner. 

So here I am, in a good place, but wanting more.  I just have to be patient, keep working, stay motivated, and be grateful for the progress I have made.  Thanks to everyone that inspires me, and for everyone else that is in the same boat with me, let’s keep rockin’ on!

TGIF.  Another week has gone by and things are going well.  In spite of being very busy at work, I have managed to stay true to my diet and training.  I started a cyclic ketogenic diet at the beginning of this week.  It is something different for me.  I want to reduce my body fat % a little lower because I am going on a beach vacation in two weeks.  I had good success reducing BF by using a cyclic low carb diet, but CKD is a little different.  I am not used to eating so much fat, with less protein.  The low carb part is nothing new.  I have read a lot about CKD recently, and even bought Lyle McDonald’s book "The Ketogenic Diet."  I am very interested to see if this works any better than what I have done before, with lower fat and higher protein.  One supposed advantage of CKD is that it should spare muscle mass, or even allow increases in muscle mass, while decreasing body fat.  Many people on this site swear by this diet, so I am optimistic.

Why did I try this?  One reason was to see if I could drop BF lower.  I wouldn’t say I hit a plateau, but I think if I use my low carb cycle with low fat and high protein, I may lose muscle mass as well as fat.  Another reason is to change things up and try something different.  I suppose many of us do this when we feel like our progress has stalled.  We need something to "jump start" our journey again so we continue towards our goals. 

In any case, this has reminded me once again that while proper training is very important, diet is the most important component.  This is understandable when one considers that diet dictates our body’s metabolism and thus its composition and appearance.

Good luck to all, and happy training!

The other day my wife gave me a lot of grief about uploading my progress photos on my BodySpace page.  In fact, for some reason she has a hard time even understanding why I am so committed to working out and eating right.  She accused me of being vain and obsessed.  I would have to agree that I am, but I would also argue that there are degrees to all behavior and that my "vanity" and "obsession" are really "pride" and "motivation."

Is there anything wrong with being proud of our accomplishments?  Efforts should be encouraged and success should be rewarded.  For most of us that have lost weight, improved the appearance of our bodies, and improved our overall health, there is no trophy or prize.  What we get, however, is the satisfaction that we have reached a great achievement.  We look and feel better, and we are healthier.  Sometimes people compliment us on our success.  This reinforces what we have done and motivates us to continue to stay fit and healthy.

Obviously pride can be taken to negative extremes.  Pride should be tempered with humility.  I think most would agree that extreme pride becomes arrogance.  Likewise, vanity becomes a problem when one is so consumed with their appearance that it is the most important thing in their life, and they go to unusual or unhealthy measures to constantly maintain or improve (in their mind) their appearance.  I believe a good analogy is the difference between eating to lose weight to be healthy and anorexia.  One is good for you and the other is a medical disorder that isn’t.

Back to pride for a second.  Isn’t pride the root of patriotism?  Shouldn’t we be proud of our heritage, family, community, job, school, parents, children, etc., etc.?  Pride can definitely be a good thing.

It’s also important to realize that great motivation can come out of one’s success, not just self-motivation, but motivation to others too.  Many of us stay motivated by our own progress.  We see that we can do it, we see that we can do more, and we forge on.  We are also motivated by the success of others.  This is the best that can result from the progress pictures of all the hard working, dedicated people on BodySpace.  Are these folks vain?!  Perhaps, but in the big scheme of things, is that so bad? 

What about dedication and committment?  Is it a form of obsession?   Again, I think there are degrees of magnitude.  Taken to the extreme, obsession is an abnormal and unhealthy behavioral disorder.  I’m talking about good, old-fashioned hard work and perseverance.  This is a good thing!  The opposite end of the spectrum is laziness, indifference, self-neglect.  These behaviors are far more detrimental than taking care to eat healthy and exercise regularly.  I’m sure 9 out of 10 doctors would agree.

I know I don’t have the best body nor do I want to.  I know I have plenty of flaws and I know I have lots of room for improvement.  So I keep working, not to be perfect, just to be the best THAT I CAN BE.  I want to be healthy - I feel better, look better, work better, and am probably a lot easier to live with.  I do not think I am better than others.  On the contrary, I understand what it’s like to be overweight, out of shape, and struggling to change it.  One of my life-long mottos is "there but for the grace of God go I."  I hope I can help those that need it, even if just a little.

Stay with it, my friends.  You are doing a good thing!

 Greg 

The end of the week! I’m out of the office today, so I get a little break. I’m working in Houston for the next 72 hours, which is a mixed blessing. I’m usually very busy, with interrupted or little sleep, but I often have bits of time to relax, read a book, or do a little window shopping. My favorite thing to do, however, is work out at 24 Hour Fitness!  The gym I go to in Houston is huge, with lots of great equipment, a big locker room, and showers.  I plan to work shoulders and core today, then back and biceps tomorrow. 

I’m happy to say that I’m staying motivated and keeping up my training even though I have been very busy at work.  My diet is going well.  Yesterday I decided to resume my carb cycling.  I had great success decreasing my body fat below 10% with a cycling regimen, but changed to a more stable daily diet after a while.  I may be paranoid, but I’m afraid I will add too much fat if I don’t watch the carb intake, even though I am trying to gain muscle mass.  I have read conflicting info about this.  Recently, it seems many people are saying the old "bulk" and "cut" phases are not necessary, at least for those that are not competing.  They recommend gaining weight slowly, to avoid adding fat, then a short term low carb diet to decrease BF to very low levels.  This makes sense, because eating enough calories to add excess fat is just a waste.  Muscle mass can be added with less calories and the right training regimen, avoiding too much fat gain.  Then it would be faster and easier to decrease BF % to prep for a show (or a pool party). 

In any case, I have slowly added about five lbs. in the past several weeks, while my BF has stayed the same.  I’m very happy about that!  I hope to get some progress pics shot in the next few days.  That’s it for now.  Good luck to everyone!  Greg

It’s Monday morning and I’ve been at work for about two hours.  Just taking a little break, checking messages on BodySpace…and I came across a couple of profiles that were so inspiring, I had to write about it!

These guys are not young bucks, but not over the hill either (kind of how I think of myself!).  They also had gotten a little out of shape, but made a decision to do something about it.  With determination and hard work, they steadily transformed their bodies into awesome examples of strength and fitness.  Their commitment and endurance are so admirable.  They have not only inspired me, but helped me realize that losing a little bodyfat and bulking up a bit are just the beginnings.  There is much more I can do, and I am more determined than ever to reach higher. 

Thanks, guys, for showing us it CAN be done!

Thanks for reading my blog.  This is my first entry.  I’ve been waiting for some inspiration but haven’t been moved until now.  I have been working hard the past six months and I am very happy with my progress.  I have lost about 20 lbs. of fat, gained 10 lbs of muscle, and decreased my bodyfat percent from 20 to 8.  I feel better than ever!  The enemy now is complacency.  I decided to re-dedicate myself to a proper diet and regular, hard training, to continue the progress I have made over the past six months. 

I came across this quote that I found very motivating.  "I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.  I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize."  It is easy to become complacent.  I have made major progress in getting fit, building muscle, and being in the best shape in many years.  I want to continue to make gains in muscle mass and maintain a low body fat percentage. 

I also found the story of Samson to be very interesting.  He was physically strong but had a few bad habits.  He associated with the wrong crowd, his emotions got the better of him, and he could not resist harmful temptations.  He lacked self discipline.  He was emotionally weak.  I can’t think of anything more important than self discipline.  It is the only thing between me and the juicy cheeseburger, hot fudge sundae, and skipping a few workouts. 

I am proud of the progress I have made in the past several months.  Now I renew my determination to keep the progress going, work even harder, and build on the success I have been fortunate to have received.   I am setting new goals.  I am paying close attention to diet, training smarter, and working even harder! 

Thanks for reading.  Good luck in reaching your goals!  Greg