Joe’s BodyBlog

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.
 
 
 

I established a balance between my bulking diet and workout schedule. I got used to eating 7 times each day and realized that every day I am consuming 2 and a half pounds of either chicken or lean beef along with 3 cups of vegetables, 5 baked potatoes and dozen eggs. So far, so good and I have put on 8 pounds and am gaining mass in my arms, chest, shoulders and legs.  At first I thought that eating like this would be a difficult adjustment because for the past 16 months, all I thought about was losing weight, so this is an interesting paradox.
 
Tonite I worked my quads really hard and when I was finished they were on fire.
 
Extensions
200 lbs x 12, 200 lbs x 12, 220 lbs x 12, 240 lbs  x 12, 260 lbs x 12, 260 lbs x12.
(260 lbs was the entire rack) My quads were on fire.
 
Hack Squats
100 lbs x 15, 200 lbs x 15, 300 lbs x 15, 350 lbs x 15, 400 lbs x 15 , 400 lbs x 12 (personal best)
 
Leg press
200 lbs x 15, 250 lbs x 15, 300 lbs x 15, 300 lbs x 15, 350 lbs x12, 400 lbs x 12
 
Dumbbell lunges (10 steps each side, used good form and was careful not to strain my back.)
50 lbs x 10, 55 lbs x 10, 65 lbs x 10, 75 lbs x 10
 
Threw in a little calf work
Calf raises 
250 lbs x 30, 350 lbs x 25, 400 lbs x 25, 450 lbs x 25
 
I really wanted to tear my legs up so I finished off with:
Stair master- 25 minutes.  My legs were on fire and I sweated like a pig.
Eliptical- 30 minutes legs felt like rubber afterwards.
 
Gym time 145 minutes.
 
I’m gonna be really sore tomorrow- bring it on!

 
Each day is a victory!

My trainer put me on a clean bulk that I followed faithfully even while I was away for 3 weeks in Texas with my job.  I can see and feel the difference in my arms, chest and shoulders as they have all gone up. Now my arms look like they used to when I weighed 190 but they are muscle now and not fat like they used to be.  After concentrating for over a year of losing weight I had to change my thinking and realize that this is what I have to do to put on the muscle that I am after.   I’ve been eating super clean 7 times each day and am staying strong and focused. I put on 5 pounds and went up to 171.  It sure feels a lot better putting on what I call “good weight”. The best is yet to come. 

Each day is a victory!

These past 3 weeks here in Dallas have gone by pretty fast.  I have enjoyed my time here and made a few new friends along the way both at my work training as well as a few nice people who I got to know over at Ballys.  When I arrived here in Dallas 3 weeks ago I weighed 166 pounds and making the bb.com over 40 transformation of the week during this time only made my stay here more memorable.

I can say with a good degree of certainty that I stayed focused for the most part and in spite of everything I have obtained a clean bulk following the bulking diet and training regimen that my trainer put me on pretty faithfully.  I have noticed gains in my biceps, shoulders and chest.  It will be interesting to see where I weigh out when I arrive home tomorrow. I know in the back of my mind that my trainer told me to expect to gain weight and he can evaluate my progress and put me into a new regimen.

This has been a great trip and experience here but it will be very good when I am home to get back into my regular routine. 

I was truly honered and awestruck when the folks at bb.com selected me for the over 40 transformation of the week.  After my back injury, I never thought in a million years that I would get this far in my weight loss and fitness goals.  This has been an incredible journey and it only keeps getting better and better.  I will be in Dallas for another week and things are going great here. I made some new friends here at Ballys in Dallas and they are a nice group of folks here.  I"m staying strong and focused, and the diet and workouts are keeping things in balance for me.

 heres the link to my over 40 transformation page.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/over_40_transformation_joseph_fanelli.htm
Have a great weekend!