Like High School, Just Not As Awkward

I'm referring to my weight, actually.  I'm still as socially awkward as I was in high school.  I'm at 187 lbs. When I was 16, I weighed 185.  So, my drivers license is pretty accurate right now.  I've been going at this life change for a solid 2 months and my results have been phenomenal.

I had to join a gym.  As you know I didn't want to, and I have just about all the equipment I need in my back yard.  Weather happens.  It got too cold to exercise outside, so I didn't want to get pneumonia, so I joined Planet Fitness since it was the cheapest route. My first time there was the other night around 11 PM.  It seemed like I was a little intimidating for a couple of guys there, so I've got to try not to be, I don't want people to dislike seeing me.  I guess long sleeves may be in the future.

On to other talk.  I've had some interesting dates lately.  One of which, I don't think I said a word, she did all the talking.  I guess I was more of a sound board for her ideas, complaints and bragging.  There has not been a second date scheduled.  Don't get me wrong, she was a nice lady, but occasionally I like to say a word or two.  Occasionally.  Some of the others have been disappointing, for various reasons.  I believe I am giving up.  Not completely, I'm just not actively looking now.  I'm actually not as bummed about that as I thought I would be.  Between, work, my girls, and the gym, I really don't have a lot of free time, and I don't see that really changing much in the near future.

Not bad, huh?

Putting Myself Out There

I've made mistakes.  No one's perfect.  As a matter of fact for the longest time, I was thinking about writing a book called "How Not to Succeed." Probably wouldn't sell much.  My point is, that I had to hit a low period in my life before I figured out I hadn't liked the path I was on.  Blessing in disguise, deep disguise.

If you're reading this right now and you aren't completely happy with your life, change it.  Take care of yourself first, then everything else will fall into place.  Obviously I don't mean stop caring about anyone and everyone who isn't you, but focus on yourself maybe a little more than you're used to.  I do my best to take care of myself, my family, and my friends.  The only truly important things in life.

This is my second attempt at this week's blog entry.  The first one, as my friends on Facebook know, got a little too real.  I started talking about a few too many things incredibly close to my heart, and I didn't want to put myself out there like that.  Call it a self-preservation mechanism or what have you, but I stopped before I got too far in.

So, on a different note, you know when you're getting old when you think, "Sure, I could go on that date, or I could go to bed early."  Yep, I'm at that point, or I'm avoiding a date because I'm afraid I'll mess up my diet completely in one meal. I realize it's silly, but hey, I'm a silly guy.

Now an update on the diet\exercise.  I've lost weight.  A lot of weight.  I've gained muscle, a good amount of muscle.  Things are going well and people are starting to take notice.  I've been asked I don't know how many times now how I'm doing it.  To make things easier I've shortened my answer to "Diet, Exercise, and Self-Discipline."  You would be amazed at how many people stop listening after the word diet.  I've found that the majority of people do sincerely want to lose weight, but they also sincerely don't want to give up the foods they love.  I empathize completely, I was at that same point.  I'm not joking when I say that the diet\exercise thing is a life change, not a temporary thing.  Somewhere in time the word diet was redefined as a temporary change in eating habits to lose weight.  That's not the definition though. A diet is simply, what you eat.  You can change your diet, but you can't really go 'on' a diet.  I hope that makes sense.

Reader Question of the Week:  I've heard that the endorphins from working out make you better happier, is this true?

I love this question.  The short answer, yes.  The truth is that's only the beginning.  Let illustrate with a little story.  There was a guy who was severely depressed, overweight, had no self esteem (to speak of) and couldn't get to sleep a night without medication.  One day he decided he had enough.  Something had to change.  He changed his diet.  He felt better.  He studied the mechanics of exercises, emphasizing weight lifting.  He made a plan.  He started the plan.  It was rough at first, the exercise wasn't new to him, but not exactly familiar either.  After he had been doing it for some time, he started to feel more confident in himself as a whole.  That confidence went far beyond the gym.  He continued to work out, pushing himself harder and harder, and although there were times of pain or fatigue, he pushed through.  He felt better.  A lot better.  He found that his general sense of well-being was at an all-time high. He was able to sleep without medication,  he was able to start seeing the man who he wanted to be in the mirror.  So yes, it does do that - and so much more.


Until next time dear readers...

Oh, it's happening, sweetheart

Well, a lot of my goals are being met.  Not just with the diet\exercise lifestyle change, but with life in general.  Things are lining up quite nicely.  Finally, right?  It's taken me this long to get to a point in my life where I am happy.  Happy with myself.  There is a lot of growing to do, but I'm happy about where I am on my journey and who I'm on it with.  Having great support is key to anything, but especially when making major life changes.

I've been asked what motivates me to go on, even though I've encountered some extreme setbacks.  It's a good question.  Mainly it's my self-image.  What I picture myself being in a perfect world.  I'm getting closer.  I have a good saying I repeat to myself - "Kindness, compassion, and consistency." When I'm not feeling like doing something, I ask myself "Should I do this?" It's not a question of whether or not I can do it, but should I?  If I find myself torn, then it's a no.  Living by that mantra has changed my life significantly.  Everything isn't sunshine and rainbows, but it's getting there.  I was told recently that I'm too "happy" all the time.  I take that as a compliment, because that's something that hasn't always been true.

So, to keep with my word, I said I would answer a question from a reader, well here is this weeks: What is your body fat percentage now, and what is your goal?  I said before that I didn't really want to post numbers, but I will I guess.  I'm at 22.1%.  My goal is 10 now.  I had been thinking around 15, but If I'm going to go for it, I might as well go for the gold.  Body builders have like 5-6%, but that's not the look I'm going for.  I figure I can reach this in 6-8 months, but as long as I'm making progress (and I am), then I am happy (see - there's that word again).

This week's fitness tip:  Protein. Get ya some.  Seriously, to increase muscle mass, you need to eat a lot of protein.  I'm at like 200g or more a day (a lot of articles I've read say one gram per pound of body weight, but I go over that. 192.3 lbs by the way).  Cut down on carbs (I said cut down, not out), and eat healthy, unsaturated fats - your body does need fats.

That's it for this episode, tune in next week (more or less) for another adventure.

Until next time dear readers...

New Things

Well, I've made several huge changes in my life.  The diet, the exercise, the divorce, and changing jobs.  It's really life.  I've started a brand new life.  It's scary.  I mean it's frighteningly scary at times.  On the plus side, it's all positive.  I have some negative things going on in my life too right now, but I try not to focus on those things.  They are temporary, and all my positive things I'm striving to make permanent.  It's not an easy task, but seeings the results of my efforts is making it all very worthwhile.  It's a learning adventure as well, by that I mean I'm learning a lot about myself along the way.

Normally I'm the last person to compliment myself, and I don't know if that was a self esteem issue or what, but now I can see the positives in myself and I am proud.  I mean I don't go around professing how great I think I am, but I'm not afraid to brag a little if the occasion arises.  I'm also more receptive of compliments, where as in the past I just assumed people were trying to be nice instead of honest.  I've had several people over just the last few weeks tell me how nice I am.  I finally asked one why they think I'm nice.  The response took me a little off guard.  They said that I did favors, tasks or was just generally there for them and I didn't expect anything in return.  I don't ever do something with the intention of having something done for me in return.  It's sad that some people treat kindness with the expectation of a return on investment.  Be nice, people.  You'll be better for it, and so will the world.  I guess that's today's public service announcement.  Do with it what you will.

Since there has been so much interest in the health and fitness series I wrote, I'm going to try to include a little tip in each blog entry.  I won't today, because honestly, I just got through working out (it's 11:00p) and I've got yo be at work at 7a, so I'm cutting this one a bit short. More to come soon.

Until next time dear readers...

Revelations

So several things dawned on me (with the help of some of your emails).  There is probably a lot about me that the vast majority of my readers don't know about me.  I'll answer a lot of the questions posed to me, today.

Age: 35
Favorite Song: Ice, Ice, Baby by Vanilla Ice (Shut up)
Favorite Color: Green. White is a close second.
Do you drive? If so, what? Absolutely, everyday.  I drive a 2003 Yellow Hummer H2 (6.0L). Love it.
What was your first car? 1964 Pink (Samoan Coral) Ford Thunderbird Landau Edition (The decked out model) 390ci V8 with Cruise-o-matic transmission. Awesome Car.
Random fact about me:  I'm the seventh great-grandson of Daniel Boone

I'll answer more in the next entry.  I'm not exactly sure why my blog's audience has grown (significantly), but I promise to address as many questions (that are appropriate) each entry as I can.  So, keep them coming.

Something I wanted to talk about this entry is love.  Define Love. Exactly.  Love can be the source of great pleasure or great pain (and in a lot of cases both at the same time).  I've been a few relationships since my divorce and one way or another they haven't worked out.  I mean we still are friends and still talk (in most cases), but it just wasn't meant to be.  My problem is easy.  I fall in like\love with the idea of the person rather than the person.  That's dangerous.  I have a mental image of the person that over time gets fewer an fewer flaws, so I essentially create a perfect partner for myself.  The problem is that's not the person.  It's my imagination.  I believe that there is a person out there for me, but I've all but given up looking.  All things in time.  The problem (If you want to call it that) is I'm terribly optimistic when dating.  That's just who I am, I really can't help that, but I can help whom I date.  Long story short, I'm an old romantic at heart, but in a culture where one night stands are socially acceptable, it's tough to find a kindred spirit.

Sorry about getting all serious there.  I'll have the girls for Halloween this year and they all have their costumes.  They are waiting on me to get mine.  My Batman costume is way too big on me now (dropping 30+ pounds will do that), so I'm at a loss.  I found a Lego Batman costume that was awesome, but it was only in children's sizes.  I also thought about just getting one of those huge masks and just calling it, but I'm afraid of all the diseases and lice that are probably haunting each one, seeing as that everyone seems to want to where them as they go through the store.  Ew.  The search continues...

I'm keeping this one short(ish) because the last four I wrote were pretty lengthy.  I look forward to your emails!

Until next time dear readers...

The Plan - Part 4

In this final part of the series, I'll try to explain a few things.  Welcome to the Results and Summary.

Results

It's hard to see changes to your body, I mean you see it everyday, and if you are like me, I had a hard time seeing myself getting out of shape.  In our culture, it's all about instant gratification.  The old adage "If it's worth it, it will take work" is never more true than with a body transformation. That being said, there are ways to measure your progress.  Don't be deterred though if you don't see progress quickly, every body is different.  How do you track results?

Weight
Weigh yourself.  Maybe not everyday, because body weight will fluctuate, so maybe one day each week. When you weigh, wear the same weight in clothes.  Best way is to just weigh in your underwear first thing in the morning.

BFP
Body Fat Percentage.  Exactly what it sounds like, the percent of your body that is fat.  The target number is your own choice, but keeping it in the teens is great.  There are several ways to measure this, but getting a scale that does weight and BFP is probably the best\most accurate way.

Measurements
When you read this, I bet your first thought was your waist. Yep, that's one, but don't forget the calves, biceps, thighs, chest, shoulders, forearms, and hips.  Track these.  Some should get bigger (more muscle mass), while others should drop (less body fat).  Use an app or a pen and paper, but do it, you'll thank me later.

Pictures
Take front and side pictures of yourself every week so you can see your body slowly taking the shape you want it to. These can be some of the best motivators.

Questions

"Do you adhere 100% to what you've described?"
No.  Close, but no.  Sometimes circumstances don't allow for you to eat when you need to.  They also can mess up what you eat, say if you're out of town and eat at a restaurant.  Be mindful of what you order.  Go for low-fat, no fried, protein rich foods.  Most restaurants have a "Fit" or "Healthy" section now.  While they aren't as good as what you could make yourself, it's better than just going completely off your diet.  This diet\exercise routine isn't a temporary thing, it's a lifestyle change, so staying completely on track may take a little time.

"In your diet, what have you had to cut out completely?"
Changing the way you eat does require some sacrifice.  I haven't gone into it a lot, but sodas need to be eliminated.  If they can't be eliminated (I realize it is a drug), then greatly reduced.  Alcohol needs to be eliminated as well, but I know that may be hard for some. (Again, another drug).  Alcohol is empty carbs.  Doesn't help, only hurts. Sugar is something else that you need to drop your intake on.  Sugar is ok in moderation, but don't make moderation routine.

"What about sugar substitutes?"
The only substitute I would recommend (and I use) is Stevia, the brand I use is Stevia in the Raw.  No calories and a very low sugar count.  I like it with coffee or green tea, works great.

"I read that grilling is bad for food because carcinogens get transferred over from the fire, but I see where you grill almost all of your protein, why?"
Good question.  There have been studies that show that cooking with charcoal or wood can cause some carcinogens to show up in the food.  I cook mine with propane, which eliminates that obstacle.

"How often do you change your workout routine?"
It's important to change things up, but it's also important to give your body enough time with each exercise.  I will change my weekly routine about every 3-4 weeks.

"So, is fast food out?"
Yes.  Most of it isn't even food, it's classification is "food-like product".  If you slip up, just remember, you are what you eat.

"How did you come up with your meal plan?"
A lot of research. Not just about what nutrients I needed (and when), but into food.  I read long studies about what is best for gaining lean muscle while losing fat.  So far I'm pleased, but I will have to mix it up soon so that I don't get sick of eating the same things.

Summary

I'll keep it brief.  Eat right.  If you can ask yourself "Should I be eating this?" and honestly say no, then put it down.  Exercise (strength and cardio) regularly.  Be consistent.  Often it helps if you have a gym buddy, or running partner, so consider asking friends if they'd like to help you transform your body.  That sounded weird, but you know what I mean.  No one's perfect, we all have weak moments, but the longer you stay on the plan, the fewer and farther between those moments are.

Until next time dear readers...

The Plan - Part 3

In this part, I'm going to talk about something most people don't do.  Supplementation. This is the process of providing your body with natural chemicals it just doesn't get or make enough of.  If you do or if you don't supplement you will see results, but if you do, you will see them much faster.

Supplementation

The studies behind supplementation vary from institute to institute but almost all show that there were noticeable benefits to supplementation, so I've worked out a formula for me that seems to work. Once again, this is for ME, so adjust accordingly.

Here's what I take and why:

• Multivitamin - To ensure I get my regular vitamin dosage in case my meals don't provide enough.
• Omega 3, 6 and 9 - A LOT of benefits in this combo. Fights depression, helps brain function and fights inflammation.
• CLA - Conjugated Linoleic Acid - An omega 6 that promotes metabolic rate, boost immune system and helps keep cholesterol down.
• L-Glutamine - Promotes muscle growth, brain health and has even been found to fight cancer.
• Green Tea Extract - Helps with weight loss, liver function, skin complexion, and again, can help fight\prevent forms of cancer.
• L-Arginine - Heart with Nitric oxide production and improves blood flow. In some studies it helped with clogged arteries.
• Creatine - Helps muscle cells produce more energy, improves overall high intensity performance, accelerates muscle growth, and helps to fight certain neurological diseases (which is important to me as Parkinson's Disease runs in my family).
• Beta-Alanine - Boosts muscle strength and endurance, helps increase muscle mass and boosts muscular anaerobic endurance. Good Stuff.
• Pre-Workout - This is actually kind of a prepackaged powder with several of the ingredients I mentioned.
• Post-Workout - Again, pre-packaged, but make sure it has what you need.
• BCAAs - Branched Chain Amino Acids - help with fatigue and recovery. Drink these all the time.
• Protein Powder - This is used to boost my protein (and carb if need be) intake.  It should be noted that it's important to get a lot of protein in your body within an hour of your workout, and this is the best way.

When I Take It:
Routinely
AM - Multivitamin, CLA (2000mg), Omega 3-6-9 (600mg), and L-Gutamine (2000mg)
PM - CLA (2000mg) and L-Gutamine (2000mg)

Workout Days
1 Hour Before Workout - L-Arginine (1000mg), Green Tea Extract (600 mg)
30 Min Before Workout - L-Glutamine (2000mg), Beta-Alanine (3.2g), Pre-Workout Mix
Post Workout - L-Glutamine (2000mg), Creatine (3.2g), Post Workout Mix, Protein Mix (Shoot for around 40-60g)

Off Days
At some point in the day you need to take your pre-workout supplements, but not your post ones. This keeps those supplements in your system and still working while you are on a recovery day.


That's the basics behind it.  It would help if you took a slow digesting protein (Casein) before bed so that you get a contents stream of protein entering the body.

Keep up the questions and comments, and get ready for the last part, Part 4 - Results and Summary, where I will answer a lot of the submitted questions as well.

Until Next Time Dear Readers...