Joe’s BodyBlog

The past 2 weeks in my job have been really rough, but it all leveled out and everything is cool again.   I missed over a week of gym time, but it was the first time in 18 months that I took any time off from the gym.  The rest did me good.  I did manage to sneak over to the gym this week  a few times (I couldn’t take being away from it ) for three 45 minute HIT cardio classes as well as hitting the weights.  All of those workouts got me centered and focused again and I needed it.  I stayed clean with the diet and my zero carb isopure shakes were a great way to get in a quick protein meal here and there without the carbs.

For the first time in my life, I can state with a good degree of certainty that I have more confidence and self-esteem then I’ve ever had. Almost surreal but cool. As stated previously, this been more than a body change.  In fact has benefited me in every way possible. How could it not?  I am grateful to all of the friends that I have made here who have continued to motivate me and support me in my journey.

I am psyched to start my new workout routine and regimen on Monday and I am counting the days and June 1^st is the perfect day. I am calling this my “New Beginning”.  I have resigned to the fact that my weight loss phase is over and now it is time to build up. I got as thin as I want to get and now I want the 20 pounds of muscle.  I don’t care what it takes or how long it takes; I am going to do it.  I have prepared myself mentally to work harder than ever and am going to give it 110%

I don’t know about you, but I am addicted to this site. I always visit bb.com every chance that I have. This site has saved me countless times especially when I hit the plateaus and wanted to do something stupid and self-destructive like cheat on my diet or miss a workout. This site and the friends that I have made here always keeps me on the right track.  It’s great to know it is always here for me anytime when I need that extra motivation and it never disappoints me. Don’t you feel the same way?  

I can’t wait until Monday.

As a result of being on a high protein diet along with taking omega 3 fish oil with each meal for the past 3 weeks,  I had another unexpected result.  The 10 additional pounds that I lost during this time made a difference.

My size 32 waist wrangler regular jeans have gotten too big and I went down another notch in my belt.  The 32 wranglers are literally falling  off of me. Since losing more weight I am on my 7^th belt and it is time for a new one.  Will check out the size 30 wranglers this week

For the first time in 18 months I am giving myself a week off from training.

I have committed to working with a new trainer and program and want to have a fresh start on it if I am going to give it 110%. The demands of my job have played a critical factor in this and it will pass as all things do.  The rest will do me good but the guilt from being away from the gym is gonna be tough but that will pass also. Staying clean with the diet wont be a problem.  It will be awesome to start the new training regimen rested and refreshed.  Then watch out!

It has been 3 weeks since I started taking Omega 3 Fish oil with each meal. During this time I have remained consisted in my diet I have achieved good results.

Week #1 Took 2 omega 3 caplets with each meal and lost 6 pounds

I have gone from 174 lbs down to 165 lbs since using the Omega 3 fish oil. I have noticed that I am becoming leaner and my objective is to get my body fat down. I decided to go a third week to see what results that I will achieve. I will take 2 Omega 3 gel caplets this week with each meal for a total of 14 caplets each day.  As stated previously, I am using a high quality Omega 3 oil that is guaranteed and verified pure. I wish I knew about the benfits of this oil when I started out at 270 pounds but better late then never.

I am still eating 7 meals each day.  Two of the meals consist of Zero Carb Isopure.  I really like the Isopure because it has zero carbs, only 200 calories per serving with 50 grams protein per serving.  The other meals consist of 8 oz of either baked or boiled chicken breast or lean London broil along with boiled egg whites.  I am taking in ~300 grams protein each day, with carbs being less than 40 grams per day. My energy level has remained excellent and today I did 45 minutes on the step machine and burned 450 calories.  I also did 30 sets on my biceps and felt like my eyes were going to pop out.  Then I threw in some work on my quads and hit a personal best of  312 pounds on the leg extension machine for 8 reps x 3 sets.   If you have any questions about the Omega 3 fish oil feel free to ask.

I had another successful week using the Omega 3 fish oil.  Many of you have asked me which kind I am taking.  I have been using Spring Valley Omega 3 fish oil that I purchased at Walmart. It is excellent quality fish oil and is guaranteed pure.

In the past week, I took one Omega 3 fish oil soft gel caplet with each meal.  I ate 7 times each day extremely clean all week and incorporated a zero carb Isopure shake twice each day into my meal plan.  The zero carb Isopure has 200 calories and 40 grams protein per serving. My daily protein intake was 300 grams each day (from chicken, boiled egg whites and lean beef) and I drank a gallon of water daily. Carb intake was extremely low and I believe I never exceeded 50 grams each day.

 I continued my workout routine all week and ran 3 times this week for my cardio. My energy level was great and I am happy to report that I lost 2 more pounds and got down to 166 pounds.  I had my body fat measured at 3 different gyms and it is down to 13.5 %. 

In the past 2 weeks of my Omega 3 fish oil experiment, am pleased with the results that I have achieved. I had a good 2 weeks using this plan because it kept me focused on staying tight with the diet.
 

Last week I lost 6 pounds taking two omega 3 fish oil gel caps with each meal.  This week I decided to change things up. This week my meals will consist mainly of protein .I have prepared 13 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts along with 4 pounds of super lean London broil.  I will cut way down on the carbs and keep them less than 40 grams each day. I will increase my daily water intake to a gallon and a half.  

Instead of taking 2 omega 3-gel caps with each meal, this week I will take one with each meal and see what happens.  For the first time in 2 years I starting running again. I had some concerns with my back but so far it hasn’t been a problem.  I have noticed that I am making gains in my chest, arms and shoulders and this is the direction that I want to go and stay on. Should be interesting at the end of the week to see what happens.

I read that taking omega 3 fish oil helps to increase fat metabolism and speed up weight loss.  Being a scientist, reading that sparked my curiosity. I decided to test this for myself.   I wanted to try this and decided to apply the scientific methods to see what would happen.

I first consulted the available literature (pubmed, medpath, Merck manual and the Physicians desk reference) to obtain excellent background information.  I then studied the omega 3 fatty acid molecule along with EPA and DHA, studied the structures, functional groups, biochemistry and metabolism in absorption in the body. (sounds geeky but once a geek, always a geek)
 

I ate the following meals 7 times each day for the entire week. 
The frequency of consuming these meals is supposed to make me bulk.  

Meal 1.  6 am: Five scrambled eggs
Meal 2.  8 am: 6 oz steak, 1/2-cup vegetables, baked potato
Meal 3. 10 am: 6 oz chicken breast, 1/2 cup white rice, 1/2
              cup vegetables
Meal 4.  12 noon: 6 oz steak, 1/2 cup vegetables, baked potato
Meal 5.   2 pm: 6 oz steak, 1/2 cup vegetables, baked potato
Meal 6.   4 pm: 6 oz chicken breast, 1/2 cup white rice, 1/2
               cup vegetables
Meal 7.   6 pm: Five scrambled eggs.I took 2 capsules (1000 mg each) of omega 3 fish oil (derived from anchovy and sardine) with each meal all week.  I used an excellent quality Omega 3 oil that was produced under strict quality guidelines and was verified and guaranteed pure with all traces of mercury; PCB’s and dioxins removed using a state of the art molecular distillation process. It left no aftertaste and did not upset my stomach .I continued my regular lifting routine all week but cut down my cardio to only 2 days to see if anything would happen.
 
The results were surprising. I got weighed today and lost 6 pounds and went from 174 down to 168, almost a pound a day. I checked on 3 different scales and they all read 168.   I can’t believe that I ate all of those meals, cut way down on my cardio and still lost weight. On the upside, I have noticed an increase in my chest, arms and shoulders.
 
It is my considered opinion that the Omega 3 works. However long term use of it at this high of a dosage is not recommended.
 
I am going to try another cycle of the Omega 3 this coming week but will cut back to only 1 capsule with each meal and it will be interesting to see what happens.
Stay tuned.