As the days went on it got worse and worse and the thought that I had contracted swine flu became a possibility. I have missed work all week and even my boss is worried about me.  Luckily, I do not have swine flu. I learned today that I have a bad ear, sinus and upper respiratory infection.  Today I was prescribed a powerful antibiotic and a 6-day regimen of prednisone.  Within 2 hours after taking my meds I started feeling better so things are starting to go good. 

 
On the downside I dropped 5 pounds fast and went from 178 down to 173 and that was over a pound a day that I lost.  Well I guess it would happen because all I’ve been eating is soup because it is a quick and easy meal. I really didn’t feel like eating much anyway.  The worst part of this is getting cabin fever from being stuck at home sick. Daytime television is horrible and so are the commercials. All about household cleaners and feminine hygiene products- YUK!

I got by watching cartoons and am still a kid at heart.

 
I’m going to give myself a few more days to recuperate , let the meds do their job and  get over this completely.

I’m going to resume my eating regime eating clean and often.  I am going to up my daily water intake from 1 gallon a day to 2 gallons each day.

Being away from the gym is really driving me crazy.  Things are all out of balance without it.  Best to chill out until things level out again.

Glad to know that my friends here on bb.com stopped by to check up on me.  Cant wait to get back into my routine.

A few more days and everything will be back to normal.

After losing over 100 pounds I have lost 24 inches from my waist and have changed wardrobes 4 times.  Currently I am on my 8^th belt.  Even though I got down to a 30-inch waist there is still remnants of what used to be a 54-inch gut.  For the past few weeks I have upped my ab workouts big time and attacked this problem area with a vengeance. I have been averaging 1000 ab crunches each day hitting all angles. At least half of the crunches I’m doing are weighted crunches.  My best day so far was 2000 ab crunches.  I can say with a good degree of certainty that it’s working.  My upper abs have gone flat and it gave more definition to my chest.  I found a formula and plan that works for me and I’m, sticking with it.  I also bought an ab roller at a thrift store.  At first I thought it was a joke but it gives one hell of an ab workout.  I brought it into the office at work and try to pop off as many reps with it as I can and so far, so good.

I have re evaluated things and have gone back to doing what has worked best for me in my diet. I have started eating 10-12 boiled egg whites each day and have my ½ cup of oatmeal at 5 am each morning.  I have remained committed to eating often and clean for the rest of the day taking in at least 200 grams protein while keeping fat and carbs really low.  I have veins popping out all over the place so I know that I’m keeping my body fat down.  I changed  supplements and have been using a great combination of L-argenine, L- ornathine, vitamin C, creatine and L-glutamine.  This combination has successfully put muscle mass on my chest and arms! Woo Hoo!

I am up 7 pounds since June but this is good weight!  My size small shirts have gotten too tight in the chest, shoulders and arms and I had to return to wearing medium shirts and tanks that I fill out very well.

Never in a million years did I ever think Id get this far but it has become a way of life and an awesome addiction. Between work, schedule and life in general, it seems that there’s nothing like a great workout to put things back into perspective. I am staying focused on my goals and each day is a victory!

It is more than a milestone because It’s a place in my life where I never thought I would get to again especially after my back injury.  The thought of the injury still haunts me sometimes because I had lost the feeling and mobility in both of my legs and it was terrifying.

 
But that was then and this is now! I went to the doctors for a physical and blood work. My blood pressure was perfect, my cholesterol was 60 and my tryglyceride level was 61. No more back pain. How cool is that?

 
A year ago today I had a 34 waist but got down to a 30.  A year ago today my body fat was at 23% and I got it down to 12.5% so things are going good!

Today I killed it at the gym.  I started off working biceps and triceps.  I love doing concentration curls with a 60 lb dumb bell because that was something that I never thought I could do.  Now it is second nature. I have veins popping out all over my forearms, shoulders and biceps. Then I did 600 ab crunches while holding a 45-pound weight and I could feel the burn.  Then I did 45 minutes of HIT cycling cardio followed by a 30-minute swim and then a good soak in the hot tub. 

 
Diet is going well and I am staying strong and focused with it.  I am so far ahead with my meal preparation that I wont have to cook again for at least 3 weeks!

 
I re- thought things and tweaked my program and since June, have been taking L- Argenine, L Ornathine and glutamine before and after my workouts.  Started using creatine again and am drinking plenty of water.  I take a zero carb isopure protein shake a couple of times each day and that along with the food intake brings up my daily protein intake to over 200 grams each day.  I have kept fat and carb intake extremely low and get my fat from Omega 3 fish oil.

 
I can say with a good degree of certainty that I am making the lean gains in muscle mass that I am after. My size small shirts are now getting too tight in the chest, arms and shoulders. This is an interesting paradox for me because I was used to going DOWN in my shirts so this tells me that what I am doing is working.  I’m glad that I held onto a few medium Tees and tank shirts.

 
We are in for a heat wave here in Pa all week and it is supposed to go to the high 90’s to 100 degrees with a heat index of 110!

 
I got used to my work routine with my job and everything with it has leveled off. I’m ready to kill this week with my diet and at the gym.