rcswent’s BodyBlog

I already feel off to a good start. I’m now training AM and PM to try and lose the extra fat I most likely have gained during my bulk. Mornings are set aside for lifting, followed by cardio in the evening after I get off from work. Cardio times range from 20-45 mins as of right now (depending on whether I’m doing HIIT).

I’m slowly getting back on track with my diet. Holidays are the worst for me! I love all of the food, especially my Mom’s cooking and baking. Since I haven’t had it in over two weeks, I’m not craving sweets anymore. Instead I have dried figs or dried apricots for dessert which are definitely giving me that sweetness factor that I long for haha. My new Macrobiotic diet has been a bit of a challenge. I’m still trying to find the right kinds of protein that I can supplement into my diet. I can tell you one thing, I feel a lot better now that I haven’t had meat in almost a month. I passed up the Christmas bird without a hassle; I took one look at it and thought "that is stomach discomfort just waiting to happen". I feel slightly more energized too. I’ve been told that it does take a few months on this diet to really reap the benefits. We shall see =)
I have discovered a wonderful pre-workout mixture that seems to be giving me that extra boost I need. I can only manage to get a banana in me and a small glass of juice if I am to get to the gym upon waking (7am). Early morning lifts are not my favorite. I was able to get through an entire leg workout yesterday feeling great…that never happens haha. Granted, I normally get light headed no matter what, but I most certainly felt a lot better than normal. I tried again today with another round of success. If I keep getting results like this, I’m going to assume it’s my drink; if not, it was probably just a fluke!

Ok folks, things are moving along nicely. I: 1) stopped taking my medication 2) started a new diet 3) arranged a new workout plan

1) I’m now $100 richer each month!
I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and IBS just about three years ago. I’ve been on and off many medications to keep myself in remission. What I took is considered a mild form of a cancer treatment drug, so I consistently experienced the many side effects associated: nausea, hair loss, fatigue.

I spoke with my doctor last week about taking myself off of all medication. He, like most doctors, doesn’t believe in alternative forms of treatment. Ok, understandable. I know what to look for now, in case I have a relapse but I’m fairly confident that I can do this on my own with my new diet. Maybe I’m a sucker for believing testimonials of individuals who have cured themselves on this diet. I’m hoping I can make myself and everyone around me a believer. The absolute worst case scenario, if this diet fails, is returning to all medications and possibly a few weeks of Prednisone. Not the most idea situation but to me it’s definitely worth a try.
Now, to the diet

2) Welcome to the world of Macrobiotics
I was always a firm believer in the powers of meats, milk, fish, and eggs as a complete source of my daily protein. According to the Macrobiotic way, these types of foods (except white fish, which can be eaten up to twice a week) are considered too extreme for the human body. Instead, we are to rely on dark greens, most vegetables, hearty grains, beans, and some fruits. I’m already hooked on Miso soup which I have daily for a snack. I’ve been following this diet for roughly two weeks with good results. It’s been a little challenging to cut myself off of the processed foods that are convenient for when I’m too much in a rush to cook. I also love pineapple, which isn’t on the list of qualifying fruits haha. I know it will take time to completely transfer over to this diet but I’m off to a good start. I miss eggs, yogurt AND my protein powder the most.

3) The 5 Day plan
I’m back to working out two muscle groups a day. I had originally been following an upper/lower split: MTu - upper/lower light, ThF - upper/lower heavy. That wasn’t giving me the results I wanted and I felt too rushed every day at the gym. I also decided to split up my leg days. I now work quads and hams separately. I can attack them more adequately now =)

I’m getting a little bored with my lifting routine and I’m worried I may not be benefiting from my workouts as much as I could. I did a little research and decided to give the 5×5 program, along with an upper/lower split 4 days a week, a try. The only thing I don’t like is I can’t train to failure (which I like to do on most days) otherwise I most likely would not be able to train the same muscle group effectively twice a week.

I went off my semi-cut diet (it could have been much more restricted, but it’s summer and I like picnic food) and am now attempting a bulk, but I haven’t completely eliminated cardio. Ideally, I would like to keep two sessions a week of 20 HIIT on the elliptical for endurance but I may eventually cut that out too. I’ll follow a 12-week program (maybe longer) to add mass for the winter then start slimming down for spring.

I’ve been recording my intake of food for this bulk (using Fitday.com) and it seems to be a lot harder for me to consume the extra calories than I expected. The days I didn’t record, I thought I was eating more than I really was (only to find this out the day after when I finally was able to jot it down). I bought a scale so I can accurately measure what I’m eating. I was underestimating my portion sizes by A LOT. I had to move up a plate size to fit the correct serving size of the foods I’m supposed to be eating haha. I went up to about:
2,089 calories (up from 1700-1900)
74.4g fat (attempting to cut this down…but I love PB and my avocados)
213.5g carbs (I’m wondering if this is too much?)
163.2g protein

I plan on playing around with the numbers to find where my body feels most comfortable.

I’m expecting to be able to follow a much stricter diet once I get back to school on Saturday. My parents harbor too much junk in the house, which can sometimes tempt me when I least expect it. My mom also complains that I’m eating too much of the communal food. When I went to the grocery store and purchased my own, I was yelled at again for spending too much! I just can’t win =P

I’ll report back my findings with the new workout routine in about 4-6 weeks!

I’m on vacation right now with my family for the week. Yes, I kicked and screamed a little (internally); taking a week off from the gym, although beneficial for me, is just plain torture. I found a gym a few towns over which offers a $10 a day flat rate. I went on Sunday and was very pleased with my shoulder workout. Today I decided to go back, this time biking there and back to get my cardio in (10 miles round trip. It felt more like 20 with all those hills!). The bike ride was nice. I immediately hit the pull-up bar once I got to the gym. First off, I have to say, I never tried a pull-up unassisted so I felt a little stupid walking up to the bar basically preparing myself to not be able to lift my own body weight. To my surprise, I was able to complete 2 sets of 8! Not terrible
So I proceeded to irritate both forearms after the second pull-up. I think it’s a good idea that I actually rest this week. I can’t afford to cause myself an injury, not now, not ever. I took a few ibuprofen and I’m preparing an ice bag as we speak. I’m hoping by the time I get back on Saturday I can at least do a thorough leg workout, possibly take Sunday off and then hit the weights hard on Monday. As far as the biking goes, I’m glad I did that, but I’m really disappointed with my back/bicep workout. Today was just too damn painful
I made a pleasant salad for lunch…very filling.

3-4oz grilled chicken breast (leftover from yesterday’s BBQ)
1/4 cup cooked Quinoa
4 cups of Red Leaf Lettuce
2 T. HOT salsa
Sprinkle of Red Pepper flakes
A few slices of sharp cheddar cheese

If only I had hot sauce. I asked my mom to buy some at the grocery store on Monday. Apparently, she doesn’t know what hot sauce is…

I increased my barbell squat by 10lbs today! I know, it’s not a lot, but it was still tough. I worked up a sweat by my third set and felt a little dizzy; I can tell I’m pushing myself harder with each workout.

Both forearms are stressed from the increased amount of weight I’ve been lifting over the past two weeks. This upcoming week I will be out of state with no access to a gym, which means I’ll be forced to rest. I hate days that I don’t train.

I decided to throw in updates every so often of my progress and include new recipes that I’ve been whipping up (I’m putting together a cookbook filled with nutritious-as-it-can-get desserts). I love desserts…cookies, cakes, pies, you name it, I want it. But if I can’t have the flavor in all its entirety, I can settle for just a little. I tried a batch of Double Chocolate Chip Cookies tonight. The recipe is below. They aren’t super sweet, but the chocolate is there so I’m satisfied!

If you try my recipes and happen to make changes that work out well, please comment and let me know!

Happy Baking =)

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

* 1 stick margarine, softened
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/3 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 2 tsp Cinnamon
* 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Mix all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cocoa powder) together in a separate bowl.

Mix all wet ingredients together in a bowl separate from the dry. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients. Once combined, add in the chocolate chips.

Set the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit.

Bake 9-12 minutes. Check often by gently pressing on top of the cookie. If your finger doesn’t go through, they’re good to go. They will be a slightly fluffier consistency. Leave them in a minute or two longer for crispier cookies but WATCH them so they don’t burn =)