tjmftm’s BodyBlog

First I will admit that the main reason, as sad as it is, that I am quitting smoking is because I REFUSE to pay $7.50/pack on something that is bad for me anyways. Call it incentive just to do what I needed to do anyways. I figured at that price I would spend roughly $150/month on smoking and instead I am going to start doing Bikram Yoga. I have heard a lot of good things about Bikram and I need something to supplement my normal cardio/lifting routine. Yoga was my first choice because of the increased flexibility. Bikram because it will help me lose the last 10 - 15 lbs of fat that I need to lose.

I am also going to do a 7-day cleanse and as such, I am stopping taking my normal supplements which I will resume next Sunday at the end of my 7 days. As such, I will only have 5 weeks of Hydroxycut Hardcore instead of six at my weigh-in next week. I decided not to obsess on size and weight and only measure at the 6-week and 12-week marks for now. It meant that I wouldnt just focus on numbers and I would instead focus on feeling better.

I can report however that I have dropped a good size and almost two in my jeans in the last 5 weeks. I started out wearing a 38" waist jean and now can button (though not comfortably wear yet) a 34". I have to say that two of the best exercises I have found for abs are the stomach vacuums (which I can really tell are making a difference) and something a friend taught me called floor sweeps - lying on the floor with a BB (135#), press the BB out like a bench press but hold it at the top, then do oblique leg raises to the bar until to finish 10 reps each side, rack the bar, rest and repeat. Great workout.

So next Friday or Saturday I will post updated stats and pictures to see how far I have made it in 6-weeks. Wish me luck (especially on the smoking).

What is amazing to me is how quickly something can become habit. I have managed to continued my improved workouts for nearly a month now and its becoming effortless. In fact, I get aggravated is something or someone interfers with my workout plans. I average 5 - 6 days a week. Normally performing at least 20 - 25 minutes of cardio a day and lifting most days as well. I have been so much better about my supplements and am starting to see a difference. No updates on the HH supplement yet because I am wanting to only make monthly updates on that, but will post those in about a week.

Well… off to the gym… again.

Well, I have managed for the last two weeks to actually workout consistently on lunch hour and after work. I have to admit, I can actually see small differences already and only in two weeks. I plan on continuing this pattern and have decided to try Hydroxycut Hardcore to see if I can break my weight plateau. So today is day one of HH and I am going to follow the ramp up instructions as well. Days 1 - 3 1x cap 2x day; Days 4-6 2x caps 2x day; Day 7 and on 3x caps 2x day. I am curious to see if it will help with body fat and weight. I work out consistently now and do WAY more cardio than I have ever done. I am also eating much better and pretty much only from home. This is going to help as well.

I need to do something not just for me, but my girlfriend who wants to lose weight too. Leading by example is the best thing that I can think of. We are going to start walking every day after work together since its staying light out later. I hope this works for her too.

Anyways. Current stats -

Weight: 189.2 

BF%: 20.3

Waist: 35.75"

Hips: 40.75

Guess we will see how it goes. I will update the blog in a couple weeks.

I havent done bad. Not good, but not bad either. I am somewhere in the middle which would explain why my results are somewhere in the middle as well. I have actually gained weight which is a little baffling to me, but most of it is muscle weight I think since I have gained lean muscle weight. I actually managed to lose 3 lbs over the last week or so, so some of its water weight too.

Getting sick put a huge dent in my progress. Bronchitis is definitely not condusive to working out. I was out for two weeks and I felt it. The good news… I didnt lose my gain in muscle mass. The bad news is that I didnt do much past that either. I know that my weakness is food. I know what I should do and what I should eat, but I just cannot seem to do it. Its frustrating. I love eating good food way too much and I am not doing enough cardio to compensate for it. So I have to eat better and work out more and I think the results will come.

I love being able to work out at work. The gym is small, but has enough to get plenty of a workout and keep enough consistency. And hell for $5 a month, can you argue? Unlike most gyms, the best time to go is around 4-5pm. Most people work out in the morning and then go home after work. It makes for a very peaceful and open space to workout in. I know that I would probably do better with a workout partner, but if I cannot get myself to do it then there is a problem there.

I dont think I will make my initial goals for January, but I am going to work hard even through the holiday and try to get close. Some percentage is better than no percentage at all. I will reset my goals in January and aim for my college graduation in June for my next set.

We shall see. My favorite quote of the day: All bodies are created by their owners. True dat.

So althougth I am generally pretty good during the week, the weekend seems to be my weakness. Not only do I not tend to workout at all, but I dont tend to eat well or take my supplements. So since this seems to be a primary position of weakness, I will focus on changing it because without consistency I will make no progress. Otherwise, things have been going okay. I have found that since I havent worked out consistently in months, it is taking longer for my body to recover after a workout. I am hoping that this will ease up as I keep doing it.

I have also decided that I need to join some sort of activity. I havent decided if it will be sport related like boxing or Jiu-Jitsu or if it will be something like Yoga. Yoga really might be beneficial because I need to regain my flexibility as well. But until my finances get clearer, I cannot do much but workout at my nearly free gym. Guess I really cannot complain that much.

We will see how this week goes. I am debating on how often I want to do stats. I have found if I am obsessive about my numbers, I dont make as much progress. Maybe I will go back to once a week or once every other week. I will make that desicion later. For now… we will just see. This cold weather will be the death of my cardio, so I need to just buck up and deal.

So I was reading through the super site articles and came across the 12 week challenge. I thought hmm… 12 weeks is just after the first of the year. It would be nice to be in better shape for the new year. So I decided to attempt it. I will admit for me, the hardest thing is not the working out, but its the diet. And thats not even because I eat HORRIBLE all the time. Its because I suck at consistency. The worst part about knowing where you want to be, is knowing that YOU are the only reason you are not there. I know that its my consistency that kills any success that I might have and because of that, its the main thing I am going to be working on.

I also know that I need to reset my goals and put them back on paper again. Where I am now and where I would like to be. I am much more successful that way. I did so well just over a year agao and had gotten down to under my High School weight, but 8 months out of the gym, two cross-country vacations and school/work combo, led to eating poor and eating a lot without exercising AT ALL. So that will cease immediately.

I need to find a way to get up just a touch earlier (I hate morning BTW) to try to go walk first thing. Its dark as hell at 4:30am though, but man would it be nice to have that six-pack. Hmmm… trade off? One nice advantage and really why I cannot have an excuse is that my new job has a nice little gym that we get to use. So really…. I cannot get to the gym… really wont fly anymore. So we will see. I am going to start tracking my workouts and redoing my stats.

I think I will do weekly progress blogs to help too. Even if its just for me to read to remind myself what I want.

So… yeah… I dont even know where to start really other than with this…. I have been utterly LAZY. I quit going to the gym in like March because my classes and work schedule started to get the better of me. I havent eaten well, quit taking my supplements and frankly am lucky that I have only gained like 5 lbs. Now inches… we dont want to talk about inches. I think that I have put on a good 3 inches back on my waist and probably a good 10 inches overall.

I am DISGUSTED with myself. But tomorrow I start a new job, a new school quarter and a new life. I will switch to working during the day and I only go to class 2 days a week, so that leaves 5 days a week I can work out again. I have to do something. I cannot get to a gym, so I will be learning to do it old school. Which is fine anyways because I need to work on my cardio way more than I need to lift anyways. I have natural lifting skills, but my cardio has always lacked. I will work on dropping body fat first and then go back to lifting.

Lets see…. tomorrow is Sept 22nd. So… Christmas is 3 months away. My Xmas present to myself will be a new wardrobe because I will need it. I am currently about 39" in my waist and I want to get back down to at least a 34". I think I can lose the 5" its just going to take some effort. My body fat percentage is probably double what I want it to be, so I will look to cut it in half again.

I will be better about getting online again and updating because I have found that my greatest success comes when I log in here as often as possible.

So I recently started school and its totally cut into my work out time. I used to be able to go to workout everynight after work, but lately, between school hours, work hours and homework. I dont have time. I realized though this week that I really need to make time. Even if its just 30 minutes a day. My attitude is better. My sleep is better. And my overall health is better. So thats my goal starting Monday. My ass… back in the gym.

Also, found out that my cholesterol is high. Which sucks beacuse I really do try to eat healthy and take the right supplements. Genetics are playing a big part and the lack of exercise isnt helping either. So thats a goal too.

Quit taking the Lean System 7. Wasnt impressed at all. I mean, I didnt gain weight, but I didnt lose it either. There were no side effects that I noticed, so that was a plus. But I really didnt notice anything grand. No increased energy. No weight loss. Not much….. so I switched to Lipo 6. It is the best seller on here and I have read a lot of good/bad reviews. First thing I noticed taking my first one this morning was…. it will make ya a little quesy first thing in the morning. But over all, I like it. I will bump the dose tomorrow and work my way up to the 6 x day. I have um… 40 days worth, so I will do a mid-pont check in and a final verdict. I dont know what my weight is at this moment, but I would guess 183 lbs to be safe. I will verify tomorrow and add on to this then.

So I found out today something that was both good and bad. Good because now I know what not to eat, bad because some of it is some of my favorite foods. I have 5 major NO foods - meaning things that my body doesnt like or better yet, is allergic too. They are: Milk (which I knew) - including most dairy except for moderation of lowfat-nonfat dairy; Eggs (again, not a total shock but…) - I can eat up to 4 eggs a week, but no more; Pumpkin seeds - which I could care less about; Chocolate (which totally sucks) - this includes cocoa flavored anything, there goes my extreme chocolate whey protein; And worse for me, Peanuts - I LOVE peanut butter and peanut sauce and peanuts in energy bars, but no more. They are one of my biggest issues. Sigh…

 So the good news is… I know what to eat to aid my body in losing the last 15 lbs I have. I have to stay away from that which is not good for me and wont help me and eat foods that will. At least I drink enough water: 100-150oz a day. So we will see.

Exercise wise - I have to focus on a solid 5-6 days with both lifting and cardio which means I need to revamp my goals and my workouts to accomodate this. But I am okay with that. i want to do it because I think with school starting and working full time I will need something to assist me in this.

So I will keep things updated. My weight has gone slighty back up, but its muscle gain and I am okay with that. We will see.

So I have been really good in the past 2 weeks about working out. I generally work out at least 5 days a week, if not 6. I am really liking it. I am back into it and thats very cool.

I have also been eating better. For instance, today I ate the following:

1 cup Nonfat Yogurt with 2 T of Blueberry Musliex

Peanut butter and Jelly (sugarfree) on whole wheat bread

Emerald City Smoothie Powerfuel with Mango/Pineapple

String Cheese and a protein drink (100% Whey Cookies and Cream) made with Vanilla Soy Milk

Grilled Cheese on Whole Wheat bread

Thats about average for me. Something close to that. I think I am going to cook my Tofu Stirfry tonight.

Anyways…. started taking the LS7 about a week ago. We will see. Interestingly enough, since i am working out harder I am gaining weight, but not majorly. I seem to go down and then gain a couple then drop more again. We will see if that continues. My BF % is still generally going down though. More updates and pictures to come soon.