taf1968 Land of the Lost (Abs) Blog

When I started this commitment a month ago, I promised myself that I would post progress pics after the first month–for better or worse–to motivate me.  So . . . I’ve posted a couple new pics.  To be honest, I am not sure how to react.  I think I was hoping for more definitive results, but maybe I am expecting too much after just a month (or maybe I just can’t see the changes as well as I had hoped).  The pics may not show it, but I am down 5 pounds and 1" on my waist since Jan 1.  I am trying to get a read on bodyfat, but my Tanita scale is all over the map and I have not yet mastered the calipers.

Bottom line, I am committed to making continued improvements and to hitting my goals . . . hopefully exceeding them!

So please take a peek at the new pics if you get a chance and be brutally honest.  Am I heading in the right direction???

Well, I got on the scale to assess the damage from my business trip.  It actually wasn’t too bad . . . definitely could have been much worse.  My weight was up just a bit (about a pound or so) but my bodyfat did go down apparently, and I have been struggling to get that to decrease.  Of course, that is according to my bodyfat scale which I am not all that confident in its accuracy.  But I suppose it gives me a decent enough feel for "progress" even if the actual bodyfat % might not be correct.

Waist is definitely shrinking.  I am down about 3/4" since Jan 1.

I did chest/tris/traps/abs yesterday morning and went back for an hour of light cardio last night.  Need to get to the gym later today for Back/Biceps.  Just gotta keep it rolling!

So . . . I am back from my business trip.  Tried to be good while there, although it was not easy at times.  I did manage to get in several workouts and I was pretty god about not eating junk.  I did have a few drinks, but I kept my ketostix handy and I seemed to have stayed in ketosis the entire trip.

With that said . . . I am kind of dreading waking up tomorrow and hopping on the scale.  We’ll see how it turns out. 

Well . . . I’m in San Diego for 5 days attending a company meeting.  You know what those are usually like . . . long days, not much time to workout, late nights at the bars with the sales guys, crappy food everywhere and nothing Keto-friendly to eat during breaks.  I have vowed to NOT lose ground here.  Packed a bunch of healthier food in the suitcase (protein shake mix, nuts, etc.) and am going to hit the gym here at the hotel as much as I possibly can.

Guess we’ll see how successful I am next week when I get home and hop on the scale.  Wish me luck!!!!  I have been really, really good since I started this journey again on Jan 1.  I do not plan on blowing it now!

Been a little frustrated the last couple days.  Training has been going great . . . getting to the gym consistently to lift and do cardio.  Getting in some martial arts training again.  Keto diet is going smoothly.  Overall I feel great and I think I see progress (although it’s been only a few weeks since I started my program). 

My frustration is that I haven’t lost much weight and particulary bodyfat–according to my Tanita scale, anyway.  Perceptually, I think I have done more of both than I can quantify.  I was down to 195 lbs. 2 days ago . . . didn’t miss any training and didn’t change my diet at all–but yet I am up a pound this morning to 196.  My bodyfat (so says the scale of wisdom) has not gone down at all.  I am positive that I am in Ketosis and burning fat . . . Ketostix prove it.  I don’t know . . . I have been pretty sore from some lifting routine changes this weekend, so maybe I am holding some extra water.  And I suppose I am conceivably buidling muscle at a rate that is throwing off the weight loss a bit.  BUT . . . shouldn’t my bodyfat be going DOWN by now?????

Maybe my scale just sucks, but it’s pretty new.  Anyway . . . I bought some bodyfat calipers online this morning, so maybe by next week I’ll get a better BF measurement and something to benchmark against.  We’ll see.

I’ll just keep up the training and work through it.  It’s just aggravating me today so I thought I’d get it down "on paper" so I can laugh at it down the road when I am hitting my goals.  I am posting progress pics at the end of the month no matter what!

Wanted to keep the workout string alive yesterday . . . but just couldn’t.  Caught a nasty 24-hr stomach bug and it just wasn’t gonna happen.  But I got back on track this morning with my normal 5am session . . . back, biceps, and abs to make up for yesterday.

Overall, I’m down almost 4 lbs in about 10 days.  Not as much as I had hoped, but I feel great.  Bodyfat has not decreased, and was actually up this morning, but I think my bodyfat scale is in need of new batteries or something.  Seeing as how I have been in Keto for the last week, I doubt seriously that I could have gained bodyfat.  Maybe I am just dehydrated from the stomach issues???  Guess we’ll see in a few days on a re-weigh.

Anyway . . . progress is progress.  I’ll gladly take the weight loss!  Still on track to post progress pics at the end of the month.  Hope I’ll be able to see some change, if only minimal.  My nightmare is that I’ll take the pics and it won’t look any different.  I’m going to post regardless for motivation one way or the other.

This morning was one of those perfect occasions to take full advantage of the training opportunities that nature provides . . . got to the gym this morning at 5am for 45 minutes of interval training on the elliptical.  Then got to follow that up by shoveling about 5 inches of snow off the driveway and sidewalk when I got home!  Since I live on a corner lot . . . that can be a looooong way to shovel.

Figure that gave me a nice additional calorie burn, plus a bit of a back & arm workout to cap it off.  I need to burn off a lot more fat to reach my goals . . . so I’ll take every chance I can to burn some calories and boost the metabolism. 

As I start week 2 of the quest for non-flabbativity (to coin a new term?) I think I am doing all the right things.  Haven’t missed a workout–have even sneaked in a few extra sessions of one kind or another.  Eating is holding to plan . . . giving the Keto approach a shot based on some past success. 

Hard to believe that a week or so ago I was struggling with whether or not to even post a profile and pictures on this site.  Now, I am already feeling the tug of impatience to get to a point where I can post my first updated progress pics to show what will hopefully be noticeable results.  I’m aiming for progress pics right at the end of January, figuring that anything before that might be pointless.

So we’ll see what happens.  But it feels great to be getting the lifestyle back where it belongs.  I know that if I keep with it, I’ll see the results.  One day at a time . . . one workout at a time.     

So far so good on the workouts . . . been heading over to the gym at 5am to get in my training before work.  Too hard to do anything consitently after working all day.  Once you get home, you naturally want to spend time with your family.  So morning training is my way to get in shape again without sacrificing time with my wife and kids. 

Did 35 minutes of interval cardio on the elliptical this morning followed by abs.  Tomorrow is leg day and I have 2 hours of jujitsu later tomorrow night.  I ought to be pretty gassed by the end of the day.  Still plan to get in some more cardio Saturday morning (maybe even another jujitsu class if I’m feeling especially masochistic).

Just tryin’ to take it one day/workout at a time. I’m looking forward to hopefully being able to post some progress pics at the end of this month! 

Goodbye 2007 . . . hello 2008!  I got a head start on getting back in shape by a couple days, but the fat-loss journey begins in earnest today.  I am so psyched to get into the gym and to start seeing some results!

Was pretty good for New Years . . . party at the neighbor’s with plenty of low-carb food & munchies.  I had a few beers (at least they were Michelob Ultras) but tried not to end the old year on a bad note.

So here we go.  Hopefully on to great things in 2008!