How I Lost 100 Pounds

11.05.07 - Weight 180 - Shoulders

2007-11-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

Its been a few days since I updated this, I have been mega busy with packing, moving, and working so I haven't had time to update. Either way, my diet has been spot on and the results show it. I had a great arm lifting day yesterday and showed a drop in 2 pounds on the scales this morning (drop from last weeks 182). I think I can make my goal of 175 by thanksgiving.

I have been following a lower carb diet, all carbs being eaten before 2:00pm or around there. I have kept my protein high and watched fat. I haven't been counting calories but I would think its somewhere around 1800-2000/day

FOOD FOR TODAY
7:00 am - 2 eggs/1 piece whole grain toast, with turkey sausage
9:30 am - Ham and Cheese melt on 1 piece whole grain toast
12:00 pm - 1 medium sized Sirloin Steak
2:30 pm - Lo-Carb Protein bar
4:30 pm - 2 scoops N.O. Explode

Carb's... And Carb Cycling For Fat Loss

2007-11-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Carb's... And Carb Cycling For Fat Loss
by Tim Wescott

When dieting for a bodybuilding contest, I use an arsenal of weapons to lose unsightly excess body fat. One of the dietary procedures I institute, is to cycle my carbs. Carbohydrates are used as energy by the body, they fuel our workouts, as well as providing ample fuel to be used throughout the course of the day. Ingesting carbs also replenishes our glucose and glycogen stores to prevent fatigue. Carb cycling allows you to still eat carbs from clean sources, without adding body fat, and cycling enables you to better utilize fat for burning as fuel, as opposed to burning carbs and muscle tissue for fuel. Are Carbs The Evil Enemy ?? Carbs are not the evil villian the media makes them out to be. Improper carb timing can however, cause these carbs to be stored as fat. Carbs are not essential to the body, but they make dieting, and eating in general, a lot easier and more pleasurable... as long as the carbs are from the proper sources. Carbs get a bad rap in the news lately, due to people jumping on the proverbial bandwagon to make a buck off the latest trend in dieting.... low carbs! There are tons of low carb foods hitting the grocery stores daily, everything from bread, to potato chips, can now be found with a low carb label. A few years back it was all about bashing fats....remember?? What will it be next year....protein? We'll just have to wait and see I guess, but they'll think of something. Junk Carbs !! Carbohydrates eaten in excess, or eaten at the wrong times, can help to add adipose tissue to the body, but they are not a bad thing if incorporated into a diet properly. Eat the majority of your carbs early in the day and at the post-workout meal, tapering off on them as the day goes on. Never eat carbs late at night, opt for protein instead. Sugar laden junk foods are always bad, and they are comprised mostly of carbs, and fat. In turn, they should have no place in a serious bodybuilders diet. If people eliminated, or cut down on junk food alone, they would lose a lot of weight, and look and feel much better for it. Quitting junk food however, is usually too much to ask for most people. Most junk food is simply calorie dense garbage, totally devoid of any nutrients. When I devise a diet for a trainee ,the first step I implement is to have them cut back on junk gradually, until it is totally eliminated from the diet, except for the rare occasional treat. Once it's gone from the diet, it's usually not thought about again, except for the occasional craving. Eating junk food is a conditioned thing that can, and should be eliminated. In this article I will outline a plan that still allows you to eat healthy amounts of good carbs, and still lose fat in the process. As I mentioned earlier, it's not carbs that are the villain, but rather the type of carbs eaten, and the specific times that they are ingested. If you are indulging in junk food on a daily basis, then you will most likely get fatter. Another problem is eating carbs too close to bedtime, when your activity and expenditure of energy is lessened. This is not a mystery, and all that's needed by the person looking to lose body fat is a lifestyle change !! Cut down on eating the crap, and you'll be well on your way to better health, increased energy, and a leaner body. The Proper Attitude !! When talking to bodybuilder's and other's, that want to lose fat, or increase muscular definition for competition purposes, I often find a trend in their thinking that they can still eat things in moderate portions that are usually considered taboo, while on most diets. Terms like "re-feed","cheat meal,"and "cheat day," almost always come up. These ideas can be used to your advantage, but in my opinion, you should wait until you are pretty close to achieving your desired body fat % goals before even thinking about them at all. Yes folks, I'm an "old school" type of guy who will tell you right off the bat, that you MUST make some sacrifices, and give up all negative eating habits to achieve these goals if you want to succeed in losing fat or winning a contest!! I typically diet down for bodybuilding contests achieving approximately 3 - 5% body fat. Did I accomplish this while cheating and eating the occasional junk treat? My answer is a resounding NO. I suffered a bit here and there, but once I flip the switch in my mind to eat "clean" I do just that. There can be no half measures. You must get into the proper mindset and stay completely focused on achieving your goals, if you screw around and cheat once, you will repeat this cheating again and again. I know this from early attempts at getting cut-up, and from experiences learned from training my clients. Remain steadfast on your mission to getting lean, and you most definitely will. Cycling Carbs !! What we do when we cycle carbs in the manner that I advise, is to have three low carb days, followed by two higher carb days, to aid in recovery, and to replenish glycogen. This gives us just the right amount of carbs to be used as fuel without becoming an excessive amount. Always use carbs from clean foods not junk foods of course. The most important thing about carb cycling, in my opinion, is too never go too high throughout the diet, except for the latter stages, and only if necessary. We'll discuss this aspect of the diet later in this article! What I recommend as a starting point, to determine just how many carbs you should eat on your highest day, is to eat 1 to 1.5 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight. Start out using the latter number and adjust according to your results. I might add that it is vital to keep a nutrition journal when cycling carbs to be able to chart progress and make adjustments during the diet. This takes the guesswork out of dieting, and can also be looked back upon in the future to see how the body responded to certain tactics, and is an invaluable tool. NOTE: Do not count fibrous vegetables into your total carb count for the day. They are low in calories and carbs and are a good source of fiber and do not count in the scheme of things while carb cycling. Only count starchy complex carbs. Some tweaking will of course be necessary for most, as some of us are a bit more "carb sensitive" than others. Activity level, training intensity level, age, as well as sex, will determine how much you will need to adjust things, but as a rule I have found that 200 grams of carbs as your highest amount, is a good place to start. After a time you can decide whether you want to raise them a bit, or lower them, based on your results, and your body's feedback. It is a good practice to try this technique well in advance of your contest to sort of "learn" your body, and how it responds to this procedure. Below is an example of my 5 day carb cycling method using 200 grams of carbs as the highest amount on a high day. Day-1)150 grams Day-2)100 grams Day-3) 50 grams Day-4)125 grams Day-5)200 grams Repeat cycle as written, throughout the course of the diet. Essentially what I do is drop 50 grams of carbs over the course of the first 3 days, then increase by 75 grams, for the next two days. Some people prefer to raise fat intake on the lower carb days, or to increase fats on their off training days, to make up for the lost calories on the lower carb days. You can do this if you choose to, but I find it interferes with the fat burning process as fat is a calorie dense macronutrient that is needed by the body, but builds no muscle. I also believe that without the fat increase you will burn more fat as fuel on the low carb days, especially when training hard, dieting and doing cardiovascular workouts. Besides as far as calories go, protein and carbs are not calorie dense and you must be in a calorie deficit to lose body fat for a lengthy period of time such as a 16 week contest prep diet or just a fat loss diet for the fitness enthusiast, no matter if he or she competes or not. Reaching A Plateau !! Eventually, you will more than likely reach a fat burning plateau, and this is the time where we can implement a "tweak" in the cycle plan. The body is resistant to change and it will eventually adapt to any stressors put upon it so after a time you may stop burning fat as fuel. This is a good time to suddenly eat 3-4 good high carb days in a row ,or to simply eat a "cheat" meal or have a "cheat" day, just to trip up the metabolism, and get it jumpstarted so to speak, thus enabling the fat burning process to resume. Another way you can also accomplish this is to go to zero carbs for 3 days and 3 days only. This will accomplish the same thing as the 3-4 high carb days or the "cheats". This is the only time to take fibrous vegetables into consideration, as no carbs whatsoever should be ingested during the 3 zero carb days. Do not stay at zero carbs for any longer than 3 days, and never go below 50 carbs as your lowest amount, throughout the entire length of the diet other than the occasional zero carb 3 day period. Any lower, and the brain suffers, and thinking becomes cloudy, as the brain needs a certain amount of carbs to function optimally. Complex Carbs!! These are the best sources of clean carbs to use when dieting in general, and when cycling carbs: Baked Potatoes Yams Sweet Potatoes Brown Rice Oatmeal Cream Of Wheat Grits

10.31.07 - Weight 182 - Legs

2007-10-31T08:13:00.000-07:00

Chest and Back day yesterday was horrible...again, seems to be a routine. I think the first problem is equipment, there's only so much I can do without a bench and with a EZ Curl bar. I can't wait till next month when I get a gym membership.

The diet is going well, I am consuming a good amount of calories but continuing to loose weight. I think the switch to low carb is causing me to loose a lot of water weight but whatever, I weighed in at 182.5 today.

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
7:00 am - 2 Eggs, TrkySausage with Cheese
9:30 am - Tunamelt Sandwich with 1/2 of 1 piece of bread
12:00 pm - Sirloin Steak
2:30 pm - Ham and cheese melt on 1/2 of 1 piece of bread

10.30.07 - Weight 183 - Chest/Back/Abs

2007-10-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

Down another pound today. Probably due to my recent change in diet, I have removed most of the carbs I was eating, I haven't gone 0 carbs but definitely low carbs. I plan on keeping this active until I get down to my goal weight and then will re-adjust....probably start a bulking cycle.

Today is chest and back....blah, my lack of equipment makes this day a little tricky, and the last chest and back day I hurt my neck (which is still a tiny bit sore) so I'm not too thrilled about tonight. I think once I get into a gym again and have the right equipment it will be fine but for now it blows.

FOOD FOR TODAY
7:00 am - 2 Eggs with Smoked Turkey Sausage
7:00 am - 1 Scoop protein with milk
9:30 am - EAS Protein Bar
12:00 pm - Pork Steak with very small amt of potatoes
2:30 pm - 2 Scoops protein with water
4:45 pm - 2 Scoops N.O. Xplode
7:00 pm - Small homemade pizza on very thin crust.
7:00 pm - 1 scoop protein with milk

10.29.07 - Weight 184 - Biceps/Triceps

2007-10-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

I realized today that I didn't do abs with yesterdays workout so I will work them into tonight's. As I thought, I had lost weight over the hunting trip, I woke up and weighed in at 184 (my new low). Hopefully this keeps moving downward.

Today is bi's and tri's which are my favorite parts to work so I'm looking forward to that.

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
7:00 am - 2 Eggs with Trky Sausage and cheese
9:30 am - EAS Carb smart protein bar
11:30 am - 1 BBQ Chkn Brst
2:30 pm - 1 BBQ Chkn Brst
5:00 pm - 2 Scoops N.O. Xplode
6:00 pm - Pork w/ small amt potatoes
9:30 pm - 45 min cardio
10:15 pm - EAS Carb Smart protein bar

10.28.07 - Weight 186 - Shoulders/Forearms/Abs

2007-10-28T08:56:00.001-07:00

OK, I'm back. I've been in the woods hunting for 10 days and I'm ready to hit it hard again. It was very nice to have this break from cardio and lifting and especially diet. I controlled my self most of the time however I did have a cookie and a few drinks over the week. I ate moderate portions but was convinced that I would have gained weight over the trip, to my surprise I weighed the same as when I left and I think I might even drop a pound or two over the next 2 days. I always have gained mega water weight when I drink and I had 2 Jager/Monster Lo-Carb drinks on Friday night.

I have 2 competitions going on with family members about loosing weight and building muscle so I am going to take a new tactic over the next 2 months. If you read this and this does not sound like it would work, please let me know but I have seen similar diets and routines that follow similar patterns.

DIET
I am going to do low carb (not 0 carb but low carb) Sunday-Thursday. Friday I will have a carb load day where I eat carbs freely. I will try to keep them healthy carbs using whole grain products, etc.

ROUTINE
I am going to do cardio 5 times per week and will lift 5 days a week. 4 days will focus on the major muscle groups and then a 5th day will be a rotating lifting day for a certain muscle group for that week.

Sunday - Shoulders/Forearms/Abs
Monday - Biceps/Triceps
Tuesday - Back/Chest/Abs
Wednesday - Legs
Thursday - ROTATE DAY

Week 1 - Biceps/Triceps
Week 2 - Shoulders
Week 3 - Chest/Back
Week 4 - Legs

I may have to rotate the normal days around so I don't have 2 leg days in a row etc. but I'll make it work.

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
8:00 am - 30 min cardio
8:30 am - 1 Scoop Protein w/ milk
8:30 am - 2 eggs with a small amount of cheese (less than 1 oz.)
8:30 am - Vit-E, Fsh Oil, Rpd Fuel, L-Carnitine, Grn-T, B-Complex, T-Bomb II

UPDATE: I did not log the rest of the day but I ate some sirloin steak for lunch, chicken and a very small amount of potatoes for dinner, I also had 2 scoops of protein with milk after my workout and a protein bar in the middle of the night. I woke up hungry so I got up and got a drink and a protein bar.

10.18.07 - Bi's/Tri's/Shoulders

2007-10-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

Well my neck feels a little better maybe, its still very sore but at least the little bit of movement that I gained is a good sign that I will recover fast from this, I essentially have 10 days to heal since I'll be up in Oregon hunting starting tomorrow.

I did not do any lifting or cardio last night, I actually went to bed around 9:30pm and got some rest, I will probably do the same again tonight....I'll be traveling all day tomorrow.

I didn't log it but I had another protein bar at around 5:00pm, I then had carnita's (I know, I know) with rice and beans at around 7:00.

I lifted tonight, my neck was feeling a little better and thought I would try some light lifting. It actually turned out really well. I did EZ Curls, Wide Grip Barbell Curls, Hammer Curls, EZ Tri Extensions, Tricep overhead Barbell press, Bent over Tricep Rope Press, upright rows (delts), Dumbbell Press (delts). I followed this session with 2 scoops protein.

I leave for Elk hunting in Oregon tomorrow, I will not be updating this log for about 10 days. I'm taking protein bars with me and will try desperately to stay on a clean diet. However there is only one thing to eat each meal and that's whatever the cook makes so I might have to watch my portions on items that I know are going to be bad for me. I will do my best. Either way, lifting and cardio are out of the question since I'll be in the woods in freezing temperatures.

See ya later.

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
MEAL #1 - 8:00am- 470, 18gF, 48gC, 33gP
2 Eggs
1 Piece Whole Wheat Toast
1 EAS Protein Bar

MEAL #2 - 10:30am - 230, 8gF, 27gC, 17gP
EAS Protein Bar

MEAL #3 - 12:15pm
1/2 Personal Cheese Pizza from Red Brick

MEAL # 4 - 3:00pm
1/2 Personal Cheese Pizza from Red Brick

.....

10.17.07 - Weight 186

2007-10-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

I could barely get out of bed on my own this morning. My neck injury from doing improper bench press yesterday is killing me. I can barely move my neck at all in any direction! I am so disappointed in myself, I am really angry this happened. The timing sucks too because I am leaving in 2 days to go hunting for 10 days and wont workout at all while I'm gone so I was hoping to use these last few days to the best of my ability, but now I'm to the point where I can barely turn my head 3 inches to either side.

I think I am going to rest tonight, if I am feeling a little better I might try to do some cardio but at this point it doesn't look like it.

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
8:00am - Cliff Protien Bar (270, 8gF, 30gC, 20gP)
11:00am - Chkn Brst and 2 scoops protein (445, 8gF, 4gC, 86gP)
1:45pm - EAS Protein Bar and 1 Scoop Protein (340, 10gF, 29gC, 40gP)
5:30pm - EAS Protein Bar&1Egg&1PieceToast (400, 13.5gF, 45gC, 27gP)
8:15pm - 2 Scoop Protein w/Milk (210, 3.5gF, 6gC, 46gP)
10:30pm - 2 Scoop Protein w/Milk (210, 3.5gF, 6gC, 46gP)

TOTAL CALORIES FOR TODAY: 1875
TOTAL PROTEIN FOR TODAY: 265g
TOTAL CARBS FOR TODAY: 120g
TOTAL FAT FOR TODAY: 46.5g

Weight Loss and Weight Gain

2007-10-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

This is a great article I found at the following address http://www.three-peaks.net/annette/Together.htm, it really explains things well and very simple to understand why many diets nowadays fail in the long run.

How Carbohydrates, Fats, Proteins, & Hormones Work to Cause Weight-Loss or Weight-Gain - by: Michelle Knepper, CPT

CARBOHYDRATES
When you eat carbs, the body digests them and converts them into glucose which enters the bloodstream to be burned as energy. Your body converts glucose into glycogen which is stored in the liver and in your muscles. When small amounts of carbs are eaten, the small amount of glucose that enters the bloodstream is immediately used for energy.
The problems begin when you eat a meal that is too high in carbs. (bagels, juice, pasta) This is because too much glucose enters the bloodstream too rapidly. A high-carb meal stimulates a biochemical response that forces your body to burn glucose rather than stored body fat as its main source of fuel. The best advice is to eat carbs that are low in starch and sugar and high in fiber. Some examples are apples, apricots, cherries, grapefruit, oranges, peaches, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, oatmeal, rye, wild rice, black beans, chick peas, kidney beans, lentils, sweet potatoes, whole grain pasta, yams. Balance of carbs to protein is very important. a 1.3 to 1 ratio of carbs to protein is recommended.
When you eat a high-carb snack prior to bedtime you cause blood sugar and insulin levels to soar. Elevated insulin during sleep not only blocks HGH (human growth hormone) release, inhibiting proper repair and recovery of your tissues, but you will find that you wake up either groggy and in need of more sleep and or very hungry from experiencing low blood sugar.

PROTEIN
Protein is called the "building blocks of life" because they body uses protein to rebuild and repair tissue on the muscles and organs. More than half your dry body weight consists of protein. Your immune system requires protein to maintain balance. When you eat high protein foods (chicken breast, tuna, fish, etc) the digestive process breaks down the protein chains into amino acids. The amino acids enter the bloodstream and are transformed into more than 50,000 new body proteins. There are 10 essential amino acids that the body cannot make on its own. The body also cannot store excess amino acids the way it can carbohydrates and fat (remember, stored carbs and fats = body fat) So you must supply your body with adequate amount of protein EVERY time you eat.
If your daily diet is lacking the proper amount of protein, your body's ability to make new body proteins slows down and you actually start to break down existing body protein (muscle) to supply the body with the amino acids that your food is lacking. This is the WORST thing that can happen. Because you sacrifice muscles, your fat burning machines, your metabolism slows way down. This results in your body burning fewer calories and fat. This is why and how you can lose muscle tone on high-carb diets. Protein is the ONLY macro nutrient that builds and maintains muscles. Never skip eating protein at breakfast or lunch to save it for dinner. You will be greatly increasing your body's ability to store fat instead of burning it.
Good protein sources not only include chicken, fish, and lean red meats, but soy, eggs and egg whites, tofu, and why protein powder.

FAT
Fat has definitely gotten a bad reputation. Not all fat is bad. Without a certain amount of fat in our diets we cannot burn stored bodyfat. Fat in the diet provides you with energy, the release of CCK, a hormone that signals the brain that you're full and to stop eating, essential fatty acids for proper metabolism of foods and vitamins, a control mechanism to slow the rate of carb into the bloodstream and reduce the rate of insulin secretion.
Stored 'body fat' is the body's preferred source of energy. Total fat should not exceed 30% of the total daily calories. 10% saturated, (animal meats, hydrogenated oils) 10% unsaturated (vegetable oils) and 10% monounsaturated (vegetables, avocados,canola oil, olives).
The "good fats" are UNprocessed and occur naturally in foods. (Avocados, salmon, tuna, herring, crab, raw nuts, seeds) The "bad fats" are called trans fats. They contain trans fatty acids and are found in hydrogenated oils. (check your margarine labels, cookie and cracker packages, etc.).

HORMONES
Hormones can be very powerful in determining whether you burn fat or store fat. INSULIN is viewed as the body's fat storage hormone. It is secreted by the pancreas in response to elevated blood sugar (glucose) levels. This is primarily from ingesting excessive carbs in a meal. Increased levels of insulin force your body to burn glucose for energy, and store any excess away as glycogen or fat. You CANNOT effectively burn fat with elevated levels of insulin. Even if you exercise like wild. Besides not burning fat, elevated insulin can cause blood sugar concentrations to drop too low. This can result in a temporary hypoglycemia. Symptoms range from mood swings, to low energy, loss of concentration, muscle cramping, uncontrollable hunger, sugar and carb craving. Now, on the flip side, if you greatly restrict your carb intake your brain gets a little testy. The brain requires a constant steady stream of glucose for fuel. If it does not get an adequate supply of carbs, your body uses its available glucose and glycogen stores. Then it turns to fat and muscle mass to supply energy, producing an abnormal metabolic response called ketosis. Ketosis alters the enzymes in fat cells. Ketosis causes muscle mass to be sacrificed and broken back down into amino acids to be converted directly into glucose for the brain. The loss of muscle mass means the loss of fat burning sites. Thus less fat will be burned. It is easy to understand then why 98% of all low-carb and high-pro diets fail. The followers of those methods usually gain back any weight they may have lost and usually more than they lost to begin with.
Glucagon is considered the fat-burning hormone. It is stimulated by the pancreas in response to intake of protein. It's main job is to maintain stable blood sugar levels in your body. It does this by activating and releasing stored body fat so it can be burned for energy.

THE GOLDEN KEY TO BE RID OF UNWANTED FAT
A moderate amount of carbs, pro, fat helps keep blood sugar balanced. Fat slows down the absorption and digestion of the carbs, providing a steady, ongoing supply of glucose which keeps the fat storage hormone insulin low. Protein in a meal stimulates the release of the fat-burning hormone, glucagon, thereby maximizing your ability to burn stored body fat for energy.

10.16.07 - Weight 186 - Chest/Back/Abs

2007-10-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

Well the scale finally came to my side today, back down to 186, still not the success I was wanting for as much hard work as I've been putting in. Arms last night was great, I think Chest and Back day is my least favorite day. I think its a combination of the lack of equipment and room to workout that I have that makes it not that great.

Tonight I am going to shoot for bench press, Dumbbell fly, Single arm Rope Crossover, bent over row, single arm dumbbell row, and dead lift. I will also be doing abs today.

UPDATE: Well today's lift sucked. I started out with Dumbbell fly and those went OK, I was feeling it until I went to go do bench press, I am using a ghetto setup of weights and using a exercise ball as my bench (bad idea, I know this now) well I hurt my neck on the first set, thought I'd try another set and hurt it more, then I tried doing back and it was hurting for that too so I quit. My neck is very stiff and sore right now! I guess that means no more chest days at home anymore. I'll have to wait 6 weeks until I get my gym membership up in Washington. :(

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
7:00am - Rpd Fuel, VitE, FshOil, Tbomb2, Grn-T, BComplex, L-Carntine
7:00am - 3eggHamChs Omelet (315, 17.5gF, 3gC, 31.5gP)
10:00am - EAS CarbSmart Bar (230, 8gF, 3gC*, 17gP)
12:30pm - Turk/Cheese/Sndwhch (380, 9gF, 36gC, 41gP)
3:30pm - 1ScoopProtein/1CLIFFBar (380, 10gF, 32gC, 43gP)
7:00pm - BBQ Chkn Brst with Potato and Bread
10:00pm - 1 ScoopProtein w/ Milk

*Net carbs

10.15.07 - Weight 187 - Bi's/Tri's

2007-10-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of disappointed that I'm not loosing weight faster. I guess their 100% right when they say that loosing the last 10-15 pounds is the hardest! My diet hasn't been absolutely perfect but I must say that I am eating better than I ever have before. I am turning down more foods than ever before, I am able to resist temptation better than ever now. Case in point, we went to go see a movie on Saturday. My wife and kids bought Skittles and M&M's to snack on but I didn't have any. I even talked my self out of buying pop corn at the theatre too. haha.

Anyway, I think the worst thing I've been eating is Pizza and even that has been in moderation. I've been eating 1-2 pieces and then supplementing with a shake or a protein bar or something. Even that's a world of difference compared to the guy that would take down 4-5 pieces of pizza without blinking an eye.

I am praying that the 5-6 meals a day and consistency of cardio and lifting will help. I'll give this routine another week and then might switch up the routine to include very low weight and much higher reps (like 15-20) to see if that kicks in the fat burning into overdrive.

I have finished about 3 weeks of Ripped fuel, without much results. I have been looking into BSN's weight loss pill but its expensive and we are strapped right now since were buying that house, so I will have to just keep the cardio up and diet strong, I'll try the BSN stuff next month or the month after that if necessary. I never expected a miracle pill that easily shed the pounds away but come on, I don't think it did anything. I have been working my booty off and only have a pound or two (depends on what day it is) to show for it, I would put my money on the effort for that one, not the pills. I guess there may have been a pound or two over the last couple months that I could say is muscle gain but even that is a stretch.

Well my lunch was not as I had planned earlier. I had planned on eating a small amount of pasta and 1/2 a myoplex protein bar but then I had to drive the wife and I down to the bank and she asked if we could eat pizza together.....obviously I said yes, but given the circumstances I think I ate decent. We shared a personal size pizza and a small order of bread sticks. I think calorie wise I'll be OK but I'm sure my protein intake was very low for that meal, most of the calories came from the bread...oh well, it was nice to have lunch with her though.

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
7:00 AM - Ripp'd Fuel, Fshoil, BCmplx, Vit-E, Grn-T, T-BombII
7:00 AM - 1 Egg, 1C Milk w/ Protein Cereal (390, 9gF, 47gC, 32gP)
10:00AM - EAS Carb Control Protein Bar (230, 8gF, 27-3gC*, 17gP)
12:15PM - pizza (400, ?,?,?)
3:15PM - 1/2 Myoplex Protein Bar (165, 4.5gF, 18gC, 15gP)
6:30PM - Grilled Chicken with Rice (400, ?,?,?)
9:30PM - EAS Carb Control Protein Bar (230, 8gF, 27-3gC*, 17gP)

Total Calories for today: 1815+

*3g Net Carbs once fiber and sugar Alcohols are removed

10.14.07 - Weight 187 - Shoulders/Forearms/Abs

2007-10-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

Down a pound this morning, but I think will all the Airborne/liquids/carbs I've eaten in the last week I expect that to go down another pound in the next day or two. I've had the last 2 days off from lifting so I'm excited about lifting today.

DELTS
E.Z. Bar Upright Rows 1 wamup set, 4 working sets
Overhead E.Z.Bar Press, 4 working sets
Lateral Rope Raises, 3 working sets
Lateral Dumbbell Raises, 3 Sets

FOREARMS
Behind the Back Barbell Curls
Dumbbell Curls

ABS
2 sets 25-30 situps
1 set Leg raises

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
8:30am - 2 Egg Ham and cheese omelet
11:45am - Grilled Chicken with small amount of fried rice
3:00pm - 2.5 scoops N.O. Xplode
4:30pm - 1 Scoop Protein
6:30pm - Grilled Salmon with Potatoes and Bread
9:15pm - 45min Cardio
10:00pm - 1.5 Scoop Protein

10.13.07 - Weight 188

2007-10-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Well not surprising that after my pig out day yesterday I was still at 188. So far today I'm doing OK, I had a omelet with a small amount of hash browns for breakfast this morning. I'll be trying to watch the diet today and will do 45 min of cardio tonight. I start back on my lifting split tomorrow with Shoulders.

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
8:00 AM - 1 scoop N.O. Xplode
8:45 AM - 1 Piece Bacon/cheese omelet with hash browns
12:30PM - EAS Myloplex Protein Bar
3:30PM - EAS Carbsmart Protein Bar
7:00PM - Wndys ChknSandwch (280, 3.5gF, 34gC, 28gP)
10:45PM - 45min. Cardio
11:30PM - 1 scoop protein with milk

10.12.07 - Weight 188

2007-10-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

I was really feeling crummy yesterday afternoon, I wasn't planning on doing anything but then I came home and sucked down 2 heaping scoops of N.O. Xplode and that god me pumped. The difference this time was that normally I drink the noexplode and start lifting about 20-30 minutes later, but last night I took it, went to my sons soccer practice, ate dinner, then came home and worked out. So it had been about 2 hours after I drank it, but man it was still going strong, in fact I think it might have been better than only 30 minutes into it.

Anyway, my bi's and tri's feel really pumped up today, I can visually see a difference in them, they feel and look bigger. My weight was slightly up this morning. (188). I think its water since I've been sucking down as much liquid as possible since I haven't been feeling that great. I also ate a salty dinner last night and have not done cardio in 2 days. I think once I get better and bang out a couple cardio sessions I'll see my weight drop down to the 186 or 185 (hopefully) range.

Today I'm treating myself to Indian food. I am going to eat Chicken Tika Masala. I know its like the worst thing you can eat (cream based sauce, dark meat chicken, etc.) but its my cheat day. I am getting a 1 item combo and only going to eat 1/2 so it shouldn't be too bad.

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
7:00AM - 1 Egg, 1 Cup Milk with High Protein Cereal (390, 9gF, 47gC, 32gP)
9:45AM - EAS Carb Smart Protein Bar (230, 8gF, 3gC, 17gP)
12:15PM - 1/2 Chicken Tika Masala Meal with Nann
3:00PM - 1/2 Chicken Tika Masala Meal
6:30PM - 1.5 Piece Pizza, 1 Piece Garlic Bread (I know, I know, its been a bad diet day)
9:45PM - 45min. Cardio
10:30PM - EAS Carb Smart Protein Bar (230, 8gF, 3gC, 17gP)

10.11.07 - Weight 186 - Bi's/Tri's

2007-10-10T09:42:00.001-07:00

I think I am going to try a low weight/high rep arm workout tonight. I decided to hit the arms twice a week but I'm curious what will happen if I do 1 day early in the week of heavy mass building lifting and then add this 2nd day later in the week of low weight high rep exercises, really burn the muscles in. I'll give it a shot for a few weeks and see how it goes. The more and more I start to look into things and the more I get thinking about it, the more I realize I need to join a gym. It would cost me thousands to get all the equipment to do what I can do in a gym for a low monthly fee. I am going to wait until we move to join one but I will join one, I need heavier weights than I have right now but I don't want to waste my money if I'm eventually going to join a gym anyway, so I'll deal with that I have until that time comes.

I'm interested to see how my arms feel tomorrow after this light weight/high rep workout. With that being said, I am still not feeling any better today. My leg workout was not that great yesterday due to me being a little ill. I tried to get as much sleep as possible last night but tossed and turned for most the night.

Oh well'

My arms workout was pretty good tonight. It felt good to actually get a good session. I did E.Z.Bar Curls, overhead press, Wide Grip Barbell Curls, Rope push down, Single Hand Rope Curls, and bent over rope push.

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
7:00am - 3 eggs with ham
7:00am - Ripped Fuel, Vit-E, Fish oil, L-Carnitine, Green Tea, T-Bomb II, B-Complex
10:00am - EAS Carb Smart Protein bar
1:30pm - Myoplex Protein Bar
3:30pm - Weight Watchers Frozen Meal (220)
7:00pm - 3 CHKN Street Tacos from Rubios
9:15pm - 1 Scoop Protein Shake with Milk

10.10.07 - Weight 186 - Legs

2007-10-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

Well my weight was fine this morning I was pleased to see I didn't bloat up last night on account of the pizza and only a 22 minute cardio session. I am attacking Legs today and have the next 2 days off from cardio so we'll see what happens.

Yesterday's workout was horrible all the way around, I doubt lifting got me anywhere last night and I stopped doing cardio after 22 minutes due to the fact that I was getting light headed. I think its a combination with heat and the fact that I'm starting to get sick. I've had a stuffy nose for a few days and woke up yesterday with a sore throat. I think I should be fine to attack my legs tonight.

UPDATE: I wasn't hungry since I ate a larger lunch so I decided to eat 1/2 a protein bar as one of my meals. I want to stay consistent with the 6 meals a day even when I might not be starving...if anyone reading this knows whether that is good or bad, let me know. Again I have to continue to remind myself that my primary focus is to loose weight....then gain muscle. With that being said, I hadn't lost a pound in over 2 weeks but since I started eating 6 meals a day, and actually raised my calories, I have lost 2 pounds. So that's saying something. I think my body hit a plateau due to me starving myself and not eating regularly enough. Its nice to see slight movements downward on the scale again.

I made a pack with my brother to loose 10 pounds by Thanksgiving. I started at 190, I am now at 186 so I only have 4 pounds to go. I am actually shooting for 15, so that would put me at 175 and I have 6-7 weeks to do it in. Piece of cake.

UPDATE - Leg workout was a bust, that's 2 workouts in a row where I ended feeling disappointed. I have not been feeling good lately, its like I'm stuck at this point where I'm about to get sick, I'm not full on sick but I'm not feeling great either.....I didn't do cardio last night, I'm not doing it tonight but I might do my arm workout if I'm not too tired. We'll see.

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
7:00AM - Ripped Fuel, Fish oil, B-Complex, Vit-E, Grn Tea Ext, T-BombII
7:00AM - 1 Egg, 1 Cup Milk with High Protein Cereal (390, 9gF, 47gC, 32gP)
10:00AM - Myoplex Protein Bar (330, 9gF, 36gC, 30gP)
12:15PM - Grilled Chkn Sndwhich with chips
3:15PM - 1/2 Myoplex Protein Bar (165, 4.5gF, 18gC, 15gP)
5:15PM - 2 scoop N.O. Xplode
6:30PM - 1 Piece Pizza, Turkey Breast Medallions wiht mashed potatoes.
9:30PM - 1 Scoop Protein with Milk

10.9.07 - Weight 186 - Chest/Back/Abs

2007-10-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

Well to my surprise I weighed 186 this morning. I guess I was bloated a little from the weekend and now its gone. I am starting to see more definition in my arms and shoulders, even from last week. My goal is still to loose fat/gain muscle in a serious way over the next 60 days.

This morning I had a 4 egg, ham and cheese omelet. It was good but I have a hard time eating that many eggs. I think its the fact that its the same taste over and over, every bite. I don't mind an egg or two with something else but the omelet this morning was over kill. I'm not sure if its the N.O. Explode or what but my muscles feel way harder and more solid than before. I think the tentative plan for this week is cardio with no lifting tonight, chest and back on Wed with cardio, Arms again on Thur. with cardio, and Legs on Friday, no cardio Friday or Saturday. I will start the split over again on Sunday with Shoulders and cardio. At this point I think I will follow this for the next few weeks....

OK, OK I made a revision to the above workout plan, I moved a couple things around. I will be doing chest and back tonight, Legs the following day, and Arms again on Thursday with rest on Friday and Saturday

Sunday - Shoulders/Forearms/Cardio
Monday - Arms/Cardio
Tuesday - Chest/Back/Cardio
Wednesday - Legs
Thursday - Arms
Friday - Cardio
Saturday - Cardio
* Abs are done every other workout. Forearms are done on Shoulder days.

Tonight's workout was a bust, I was doing sets in the middle of cooking dinner and trying to get things done, I blew it. I did 2 Sets of Bench Press, 3 Sets of Dumbbell Flys, 3 Sets of bent over Rows (back) and 1 Set each arm of Dumbbell Rows. I also did 3 Sets of 30 sit ups.

On top of all that, I had pizza tonight. Granted I made it myself and can vouch for its lower fat content its still high in carbs and low in protein. I will be having a double shot of protein tonight before I go to bed, hopefully that will help.

I have maxed out on all the weights I have, I am really looking forward to moving and getting a gym membership!

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
7:00 am - 4 Egg ham&Cheese Omelet (approx. 350, ?gF, 5gC, 36gP)
7:00 am - Ripped Fuel, Fish Oil, Vit-E, Green Tea, l-carnitine, t-bombII, B-Complex
10:00 am - EAS Myoplex Protein Bar (340, 9gF, 35gC, 30gP)
12:15 pm - 2 thin boneless skinless chicken breasts ()
3:00 pm - 2 Scoop Whey Protein (230, 3.5gF, 4gC, 46gP)
5:30 pm - 2 Scoop N.O. Explode
6:30 pm - Homemade pizza with light cheese and sauce.

10.8.07 - Weight 188 - Biceps/Triceps

2007-10-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

Well I wasn't surprised when I weighed in at 188 this morning. I'm actually a little shocked it wasn't higher. I ate a LOT of carbs over the last 4 days so I was expecting to bloat a little. I'm excited about tonight's exercise. I can literally see a difference in my arms after every workout. My triceps are getting bigger, I can feel it a little bit every week. All in all my arms and shoulders are much bigger than they were a couple months ago when I started all this.

I have about another week of Ripped Fuel left but then will be moving on to another fat burner. I think BSN makes a good one from what I've heard. I've started taking T-Bomb II again, its a testosterone enhancer, I have a bottle left so I will cycle that bottle and then take a break from it, hopefully it can help me gain some more mass before November.

I am going to be taking in a little more calories than normal this week, for one reason my wife (no I'm not blaming her) got the higher calorie protein bars from the store instead of the ones I normally eat. Normally I eat the low carb version which has 230 cal, but these have 340. They do have more protein so I'll chalk it up as gain. I am upping my cardio to 45 minutes everyday this week. I will plan Friday as Leg Day and take Saturday and Sunday off from cardio.

I had a great arm workout today, I was able to pull the weight but I think I am having tendon problems. When I use barbell or E.Z.Bar curls (a little on dumbbell curls too) I get a pain that goes from my elbow to back side of my mid forearm. Its not a muscle pain it seems like a tendon pain...anybody have any good suggestions about this? Are there supplements I can take to reduce tendon pain or give strength to them or something?

I measured my arms before workout and after and they enlarged by an inch (I realize they'll go back down) but I was curious to see how large they got during a workout.
Start: 14.5"
End: 15.5"

BICEPS
E-Z Bar Curl
1 Set/8 Reps with 80lbs
3 Sets/10-12 Reps with 70lbs (drop set reduced to 50lbs and did 12 more reps)

Cross Body Hammer Curls
3 Sets 10-12 Reps with 25lb Dumbbells

Standing Dumbbell Curls
3 Sets - 12 reps with 25lb Dumbbells

TRICEPS
E-Z Bar Overhead Extensions
1 Set 12 Reps with 50lbs
3 Sets 8-10 Reps with 60lbs

Overhead Dumbbell Press
3 Sets 12 Reps with 25lb Dumbbells

Bent Over Rope Rows SUPER SET with Wide Grip Barbell Curl
3 Sets of 12 Reps - 3 Sets of 8-10 Reps with 60lbs

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
7:00AM - 2 Eggs, 3/4 Cup Milk,Protein Cereal (440, 9gF, 47gC, 32gP)
7:00 am - Ripped Fuel, Fish Oil, Vit-E, Green Tea, L-Carnitine, B-Complex, T-Bomb II
10:00 am - EAS Myoplex Protein Bar (340, 9gF, 35gC, 30gP)
12:45 pm - Ham/Tur Sndwch on Wheat w\Cheese (395, 11.5gF, 40gC, 34gP)
3:30 pm - 2 Scoop Protein Shake (260, 8gF, 6gC, 40gP)
5:30 pm - 2 Scoop N.O. Explode
6:45 pm - Baked Chkn Strips with Rice
6:45 pm - Ripped Fuel, Fish Oil, Vit-E, Green Tea, L-Carnitine, T-Bomb II
9:45 pm - 1 Scoop Protein with 8 oz. Milk
10:00 pm - 45 min. Cardio

Total Calories today: 2000+
Total Protein today: 200+
Total Carbs today: 128
Total Fat today: 37.5

10.7.07 - Shoulders/Forearms/Traps/Abs

2007-10-07T21:44:00.000-07:00

Although the trip up to WA was successful (we put an offer on a house), I did NOT workout at all. We stayed very busy the entire time and by the time I settled down, there was no time to workout. My diet was enough to shock my system and keep it guessing. I went from 6 small meals one day to 3 large meals the next, I tried to keep it protein heavy but I also cheated with Pizza and Pasta while I was gone.

But now that I am back I am on fire and ready to go. I also received my N.O. Explode in the mail while I was gone, I took my first dose tonight. It really did help, my shoulder routine was awesome and I felt like I could keep going. I was very focused on my workout, I guess that's the whole point of that stuff huh?!

I was able to lift more weight this time compared to last shoulder workout, that's a good thing, I'm not sure if it was the N.O. Explode or just general strength increase but its a good thing, I felt great during the workout today.

SHOULDERS
EZ Bar Row
1 Set 10 Reps with 60lbs
2 Sets 10 Reps with 90lbs
2 Sets 10 Reps with 80lbs

EZ Bar Overhead Press
4 Sets 8-10 Reps with 80lbs

Lateral Rope Extension
3 Sets

Rear Delt Dumbbell Row
4 Sets 10-12 Reps with 25lb Dumbbells

FOREARMS
Behind the barbell Curls
3 Sets 15 Reps with 80lbs

Dumbbell Curls
4 Sets 15 Reps with 25lb Dumbbells

TRAPS
EZ Bar Shrugs
3 Sets 10-12 Reps with 80lbs

Dumbbell Shoulder Rolls
3 Sets 10-12 Reps with 25lb Dumbbells

ABS
75 sit ups

I also did 45 minutes of cardio at 10:00 PM today.

10.4.07 - WEIGHT 187

2007-10-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! haha. I lost a pound. Hopefully this is a sign that I am about to get off this plateau and head towards some more weight loss. I know its only a pound, but I'm excited and hopeful that this is a start to the end of my plateau.

Today we leave for WA. Although I am going to see if the hotel has a gym in it, I am not going to do anything today, today will be a rest day.

FOOD AND SUPS FOR THE DAY
7:00AM - Ripped Fuel, Fish oil, B-Complex, Vit-E, Grn Tea Ext.
7:00AM - 1 Egg, 1 Cup Milk with High Protein Cereal (390 kcal, 9gF, 47gC, 32gP)
10:00AM - EAS Carb Control Protein Bar (230 kcal, 8gF, 27-3gC*, 17gP)

*3g Net Carbs once fiber and sugar Alcohols are removed

FOUR-CHEESE MACARONI WITH CHICKEN

2007-10-03T09:02:00.001-07:00

I found this recipe on Muscle and Fitness's site. I am making it tonight except I am keeping the chicken seperate from the mac-n-cheese. I thought I'd post it incase someone else wanted to try it too. Nutirtional information is also posted with it.

Here is where I found it.... http://www.muscleandfitness.com/nutrition/recipes/37

Ingredients
>> 2 6-oz. skinless chicken breasts
>> 9 oz. dry macaroni noodles
>> 3 oz. reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
>> 3 oz. reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
>> 11⁄2 oz. American cheese
>> 11⁄2 oz. reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
>> 1 cup fat-free milk
>> 1 tsp. white pepper

Directions
START: Cook chicken breasts on an indoor or outdoor grill, cut into small pieces and set aside. In a medium saucepan, bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Grate all cheeses and set aside. COOK: Add macaroni to boiling water and reduce heat to medium. Cook about 10 minutes or per package directions. Pour water and macaroni into a strainer, then return macaroni to pan. Add milk, grated cheeses, chopped chicken breast and pepper; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about four minutes or until cheeses melt and chicken is warmed through.

Nutrition Score per serving:
Calories - 391
g Protein - 38
g Fat - 10
g Fiber - 1
g Carbs - 35

10.3.07 - Weight 188 - Quads

2007-10-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

Well not to my surprise my weight was holding strong at 188 again this morning. I guess its unreasonable to think that I can get out of rut or off a plateau with 2 solid days on a corrected diet, this will probably take some time.

My lifting yesterday was awesome. It was a good one. I hate those days where for some reason your not connecting with the workout and you finish feeling let down, yesterdays workout was not one of those, I felt good (well hurting, but in a good way).

My diet today is going to very similar to yesterdays with the exception of dinner. I am going to have a chicken breast and some home made mac-and-cheese.

I am going to take a rest day today. I'm not going to lift and I'm not doing cardio. I really hope the hotel were staying at tomorrow night has a gym in it, if it does I will workout tomorrow night, if not....well then we'll call this a mini vacation from fitness and pick up where we left off. I am planning on stocking up on protein bars and single serving protein shakes. I saw them at Target for like $1.50/serving. Its important to me to continue the 6 meals a day, even when on vacation.

I wasn't planning on lifting today but I've been wanting to break into doing Quads again. Its literally been 2 years since I've done legs (other than light calf raises). I know that they need to be done but have been putting it off. Anyway, today I decided to do some light sets to get into it, even with the light weights my quads are burning, I know they will be soar tomorrow! haha I will now work them into my routine and will coordinate cardio around when I do them.

Well despite the fact that walking up and down the stairs was a challenge, my wife talked me into doing cardio with her. We continued watching 'Saving Private Ryan' and I thought what the heck, I'll try it for as long as I can stand it. A week ago I printed out a 8"x10" of myself when I was 280 pounds. I posted it on the wall in front of me as a constant reminder of what I would get to if I returned to my old way of life....call it extreme motivation. I had to look at it a few times to get through the 30 minutes tonight but I did it, and I am 300 calories lighter for it. haha

QUADS
Behind the Back Squats
3 Sets 10 Reps with 60lbs

Sissy Squats
3 Sets 10 Reps with 25 lbs

Squats
1 Set 10 Reps with 60lbs

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
7:00AM - Ripped Fuel, Fish oil, B-Complex, Vit-E, Grn Tea Ext.
7:00AM - 1 Egg, 1 Cup Milk with High Protein Cereal (390 kcal, 9gF, 47gC, 32gP)
10:00AM - EAS Carb Control Protein Bar (230 kcal, 8gF, 27-3gC*, 17gP)
12:30 PM - Ham/Tur Sndwch on Wheat w\Cheese (395 kcal, 11.5gF, 40gC, 34gP)
4:00 PM - 2 Scoop Protein Shake (260 kcal, 8gF, 6gC, 40gP)
4:00 PM - Ripped Fuel
6:45 PM - CHK Breast with Corn and Potatoes (est. 500 kcal, 70gP)
9:30PM - 30min. Cardio
10:00PM - EAS Carb Control Protein Bar (230 kcal, 8gF, 27-3gC*, 17gP)

Total Calories for today: 2005
Total Grams of Protein: 210

*3g Net Carbs once fiber and sugar Alcohols are removed

High Intensity Cardio - A great article about HIIT

2007-10-02T22:28:00.001-07:00

I read this from the blog of Chris Aceto on muscletech.com [http://blogs.muscletech.com/aceto/] this one is called "It’s Always the Intensity"

"High-intensity cardio burns more calories than lower intensity cardio. A big part of getting lean, though admittedly not the entire picture, has to do with calorie control and calorie burning. So if you hit the treadmill at a higher heart rate for 30 minutes, you’ll burn more calories than doing the cardio at a lower heart rate for the same length of time. Advantage: Higher intensity cardio.
Next up is metabolism. With higher intensity cardio, you get a greater “after burn” effect than lower intensity cardio. When you hit the treadmill, you burn body fat and your metabolism – that “engine” in the body that burns calories – remains elevated to a greater extent after higher intensity cardio than after lower intensity cardio. So, you could say higher intensity cardio is better when you do it as well as after you have finished doing it. Advantage: Higher intensity cardio."

It was this article that inspired me to try something different. I have been doing standard plain-jane cardio for a LONG time now, and yes I've lost a lot of weight but lately its come to a halt and it is becoming apparent that I am on a plateau and need to change up my routine. Tonight marked the 2nd night in a row of HIIT and I must say it feels great, I feel like I got a heck of a workout but only invested about 1/4 of the time I normally do. I got off the elliptical and was starving so I ate my before bed protein bar.

I'm sure my diet needs some work but I can already tell the difference in 1 day. I ate more today than I normally do BUT I was more attentive, had more energy and still got hungry throughout the day, that is a good thing. I'm definitely keeping this up and I'm extremely excited about seeing what kind of results I will see from it.

10.2.07 - Weight 188 - Biceps/Triceps/Abs

2007-10-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

OK, here we go, day 1 of this new routine. My back hurts from yesterdays workout, I guess like everything else, if it hurts that means its working right? haha.

I am eating 6 meals today with a total calorie intake of around 2000 calories. I am trying to take in as many grams of protein as possible, I have made 3 of my meals focused on protein intake. My meal in question is "dinner" with the family. We are having pizza tonight (home made), that means a mass amount of simple carbs and high amounts of fat compared to my days meals. I think this is an issue that may be holding me back, I seem to do great all day and then blow it for dinner. The sad part here is that I am a huge pizza fan, I love it, so this will be a major show of self control if I can keep this under control. I think what I may do is make a smaller pizza for myself, thin crust using very little dough, and keep the cheese lighter than the families pizza, I'll eat that and maybe have a scoop of protein with it. That should reduce the amount of carbs and fat while still maintaining a decent level of protein as my meal. Even as it stands I will be eating about twice as many calories for dinner as any other meal but I'll work on that in the coming days.

To throw another wrench in my diet, I am leaving for 3.5 days to go up to the Portland, OR area on Thursday. We will be living out of a hotel and eating out every meal so trying to keep the 6 meals a day/healthy eating up may be difficult. I'm going to see if the hotel has a weight room, if they do I am going to hit it hard. I will also take some protein bars with me and create 2-3 more meals during the day in between breakfast, lunch and dinner with my wife. I'm make it work, I just hope I don't come back weighing more than I do now! haha

I am a little concerned about the cardio change in my diet. I've been attacking the cardio so hard lately it feels wrong for me to back off, especially when some nights will consist of 6-7 minutes of HIIT and that's it. I must say though, I was dripping with sweat after last nights HIIT routine, that really got my heart rate screaming, I was panting for several minutes after I finished, I was out of breathe. - if anyone here has experience with HIIT or advanced cardio situations like I am trying to do please comment on this with any suggestions or changes to my diet as you see fit, I am SO open to discussion on this.

...also to add, I drank over a gallon of water yesterday and am headed in that direction again today. I think I have been getting dehydrated lately so I am going to make an extra effort to keep my water intake high!

BICEPS
E-Z Bar Curl
1 Set/20 Reps with 40lbs
1 Set/8 Reps with 80lbs (form was whack)
3 Sets/8-10 Reps with 70lbs (drop set reduced to 50lbs and did 9 more reps)

Cross Body Hammer Curls
3 Sets 10-12 Reps with 25lb Dumbbells

Standing Dumbbell Curls
1 Set - 12 reps with 25lb Dumbbells
1 Set - 21's (7 lower, 7 upper, 7 full) with 25lb Sumbbells (this was hard)

TRICEPS
E-Z Bar Overhead Extensions
1 Set 15 Reps with 50lbs
3 Sets 8-10 Reps with 60lbs

Overhead Dumbbell Press SUPERSET with Wide Grip Barbell Curl
3 Sets of 12 Reps with 25 lbs - 3 Sets of 8-10 Reps with 60lbs

Dips
3 Sets of 10-12 Reps

ABS
2 Sets of 25 Situps

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY -
7:00AM - Ripped Fuel, Fish oil, B-Complex, Vit-E, Grn Tea Ext.
7:00AM - 1 Egg, 1 Cup Milk with High Protein Cereal (390 kcal, 9gF, 47gC, 32gP)
10:00 AM - EAS Carb Control Protein Bar (230 kcal, 8gF, 27-3gC*, 17gP)
12:00 PM - Ham/Tur Sndwch on Wheat w\Cheese (395 kcal, 11.5gF, 40gC, 34gP)
3:30 PM - 2 Scoop Protein Shake (260 kcal, 8gF, 6gC, 40gP)
6:15 PM - 1 Scoop Protein Shake (130, 4gF, 3gC, 20gP)
7:00 PM - personal cheese pizza (approx. 400 kcal, 16gP [from 1/2 cup mozz. cheese])
10:00 PM - HIIT Cardio
10:20 PM - EAS Carb Control Protein Bar (230 kcal, 8gF, 27-3gC*, 17gP)

Total Calories for today: 2035
Total Protein for today: 176g

*3g Net Carbs once fiber and sugar Alcohols are removed

10.1.07 - Chest/Back

2007-10-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

October already, dang this year has flown by. Its crazy to think that I have worked out every day this year (except for a few).

Yesterday was OK, I was dragging all day, really tired but then in the afternoon I must have gotten my 2nd wind cause I woke up and was to get a great shoulder workout in. Then put in 35 min of cardio while watching part of MI3. This morning I got up early and put in 30 min of cardio in and followed it up with a couple eggs and a piece of toast.

I did not weigh myself today, I think just to remove excess frustration I will keep the diet up and the cardio high for a few more days and then check the weight, I don't want to see the same weight on there anymore! Especially with all this hard work. It literally seems like everything I do centers around this diet or exercise, I want to see at least a pound off that previous weight within the next few days.

After thinking about it and reviewing my logs, I think I have officially hit a plateau. I did some research and found that its pretty common but it seems like everyone has their own theory on how to get out of it. First off I think I am taking in too little calories in a day. I haven't been counting calories but not that I am I am taking in sometimes as low as 1100-1200/day. That's way too low in my opinion, which would explain why I've been super tired and soar lately.

So based on several pieces of information on the web I have decided to up my calories per day, mostly in protein, and change my cardio routine. At this time I am going to shoot for 1900-2000 calories per day, and I'm going to cut back to cardio once a day 5 days a week. I am going to switch back and forth between HIIT and standard cardio. Tonight I did HIIT (30 seconds 100%, 60 seconds 50% x 4 rotations) I will work my way up to where I am doing 8-10 rotations, but tonight I was dying after 3!

I am going to weigh myself every day to see if my weight changes after a couple weeks I'll reevaluate and see if this is helping.

I did chest and back today, it was so-so. I am not going to document my sets this time. I plan on taking tomorrow off as a rest day and picking up on WED.

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
6:00 AM - 30 min. Cardio
6:45 AM - Ripped Fuel, Fish Oil, Green Tea Extract, L-Carnitine, Vitamin E, B-Complex
6:45 AM - 2 Eggs and a piece of White Toast (250 kcal)
10:15 AM - 'Smart Ones' - Turkey Breast with Potatoes (210 kcal, 7gF, 18gC, 18gP)
12:45 PM - Snickers Lo-Carb Marathon Energy Bar (170 kcal, 8gF, 19-3gC*, 15gP)
*3g net carbs due to sugar Alcohols and Fiber
4:30 PM - Ripped Fuel
6:00 PM - Chicken Breast with Stuffing and Corn
6:00 PM - Fish Oil, L-Carnitine, Green Tea Extract, Vitamin E, Multi-V
9:00 PM - 1 Scoop Protein Shake

9.30.07 - Weight 188 - Shoulders/Forearms/Abs/Calves

2007-09-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

I was kind of expecting to step on the scale and see a little bit of a difference, but nope. I have been lifting a lot lately and my weight is staying the same so I can only hope that I am loosing some fat and gaining back some muscle. I will say that my pants are looser, my shoulders and arms are getting way more defined and my face is thinner than ever before so I am confident I'm moving in the right direction.

This morning I woke up, downed a couple Ripped Fuel pills with a monster energy drink and then did 30 minutes cardio. I finished that up with a protein shake made with milk.

I made the worlds best brownies last night, the family has been asking for them for days so I decided to make them. I had a few bite size pieces but all in all I think I resisted pretty well. I am looking forward to making to shoulders and forearms today. I am digging the definition I am seeing in my arms and shoulders. The more and more weight I loose the better and better my arms are looking....especially on workout days, they get huge after working them out! :)

I want to switch to a 5-6 meals a day plan but its harder than it sounds when your not used to it, especially when no one else around me does it. I need to make the extra effort and just do it though, I've read that it will significantly increase the metabolism by doing so, so we'll see. I want to get all the cardio and lifting in that I can before I leave for WA. on Thursday. I will be gone Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday so I'm not sure how much time I can really get in working out. The hotel will probably have a workout place but I'm not sure what my schedule will look like, I will see what I can do but I have a feeling I'll have to rely on controlling my eating to make any progress while I'm gone. On a better note, though, I will hopefully have an offer on a house when I come back. WA here we come!

SHOULDERS
E.Z. Bar Row
1 Set/8 Reps with 50lbs
4 Sets/8-12 Reps with 80lbs

Rear Delt Dumbbell Row
4 Sets/10-12 Reps with 25lb Dumbbells

Lateral Rope Extensions
4 Sets/10-12 Reps

E-Z Bar Press
1 Set/12 Reps with 60lbs
3 Sets/8-10 Reps with 70lbs

FOREARMS
Dumbbell Forearm Curls
3 sets/12 reps with 25lb Dumbbells

Behind the back E-Z Bar Curls
4 sets/15 reps with 50lbs

TRAPS
Dumbbell Shoulder Rolls
3 Sets/10 Reps with 25lb Dumbbells

Behind the Back E-Z Bar Shrugs
3 Sets/10-12 Reps with 50lbs

ABS
3 Sets/25 Reps Crunches

CALVES
Weighted Calf raises
3 Sets/15 Reps

Single Leg Calf Rasies
4 Sets/10-12 Reps

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
7:00 AM - Ripped Fuel (2 pills)
7:10 AM - 30 min. Cardio
7:40 AM - Protein Shake (made with milk)
8:30 AM - 1 Piece White Toast
8:30 AM - Fish Oil, Vitamin E, L-Carnitine, Green Tea Extract, B-Complex
1:00 PM - 3 Small Baked Fish Fillets (360 kcal) + 1"x1" brownie bite
5:00 PM - Ripped Fuel (2 pills)
5:30 PM - 2 small Chile Colorado Burritos with fat free beans
5:30 PM - Fish Oil, Vitamin E, L-Carnitine, Green Tea Extract
7:45 PM - 1 scoop protein shake
9:30 PM - 35 min. Cardio

9.29.07 - Weight 188 - Biceps/Triceps/Abs

2007-09-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

The kids had their soccer games today so I was out at the field all morning. I had my usual breakfast this morning except I added a little cheese on top of the egg. For lunch we let Adrianna pick where we would go, she picked 'Red Robin' so we ate there. I ate 1/2 of a cheeseburger, and about 1/2 the fries that came with it. I had water with Lemon as a drink.

Taking yesterday off from lifting helped. I woke up much more refreshed today and my lifting today was awesome, I got a great arm workout.

My cardio tonight sucked, for some reason I was very tired, my legs were like jello and I was getting light headed, I decided to cut the session at 35 min, thats after about 5 min of 1/2 speed. Oh well, tomorrow is another day.....

BICEPS
E-Z Bar Curls
1 Set/14 reps 60lbs
3 Sets/10-12 reps 70lbs

Standing Dumbbell Curls
4 Sets/10 reps with 25lb dumbbells

Concentrated Dumbbell Curls
3 Sets/10-12 reps with 25lb dumbbells

Seated Hammer Curls
2 Sets/10 reps with 25lb dumbbells

TRICEPS
Overhead E-Z Bar Press
2 Sets/8 reps 70lbs (my form was way off, so I reduced the weight, that helped a lot)
4 Sets/8-10 slow reps 50lbs

Bent-Over Tricep Extension (Rope)
3 Sets/10-12 Reps

Standing Rope Press
3 Sets/10-12 Reps

Dips
3 Sets/8 reps

FOOD AND SUPPS FOR TODAY
7:30 AM - 2 Eggs with +- 1 oz. of cheese and 1 piece white toast
7:30 AM - Ripped Fuel (2 pills)
12:00 PM - 1/2 Cheeseburger and Fries from Red Robin
5:00 PM - Ripped Fuel (2 pills)
5:00 PM - 1.5 scoop Protein with Milk
9:45 PM - 35min Cardio

9.28.07

2007-09-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

Its Friday FINALLY! My legs were like Jello when I first woke up this morning, I think the sudden increase in Cardio is leaving my body wondering what it did to deserve this. Hopefully next week will go smoother.

I did shoulders yesterday, they are sore this morning but nothing too bad, it makes me wonder if I am recovering quickly or if I'm doing something wrong, I'm not getting as sore as I used to, if someone is reading this and has an answer to that, let me know. The last thing I want to do is spend all this effort and get nowhere.

I mixed up the shoulder routine last night and added an extra exercise in hopes to thrash my delts but this morning they feel not that bad. The injection spot from my flu shot yesterday (on my shoulder) is more sore than the muscles are.

Lunch was rough today, but I guess it could have been worse. I ate a grilled chicken sandwich from Wendy's, I shared a medium fry with my wife. I scraped off the mayo on the sandwich cause I forgot to say no mayo but oh well. I'm not sure what were having for dinner but I'm pretty sure it will be fatty and loaded with carbs, my family loves everything with carbs, I used to practically live off bread, potatoes, and pasta. Its becoming extremely difficult to pick foods that we will all like but are still acceptable for my diet. That is one of the reasons why I decided to add another cardio session a day was to combat the higher carb/fat in my diet. Right now I am trying to keep my calories around 2000/day, I am attacking this pretty aggressively since I am burning more than 800 cal/day just in cardio alone. That is why my estimate is 10% BF in 8 weeks.

Although I know that my intake is low compared to someone that is trying to gain muscle, I am still on the primary focus of dropping weight for the next 6-8 weeks. I think I can get down to 9%-10% body fat in around 8 weeks and then I will re-adjust my diet for muscle gain.

On a funny note, I found some old pics of me when I was around 280lbs, they actually made me really mad to look at them but I must say they gave me a kick in the pants as far as upping' my workout. I am more determined now than I ever have been.

I also just passed the 17 months without smoking mark too! That was a tough thing to do but my body and workouts are much better now. It was a challenge working out, doing 30-45 min cardio, then hitting the weights really hard, then walking out and lighting up a cigg only to cough my lungs out from the smoke. What a joke I was. Its pathetic and embarrassing to think of who/how I used to be. Thank GOD that I came to my senses and started getting in shape.

FOOD & SUPPLEMENTS FOR TODAY:
6:00AM - Ripped Fuel (2 pills)
6:15 AM - 30 min. Cardio
7:00 AM - 2 Eggs and 1 piece white toast
7:00AM - Fish Oil, Vitamin E, L-Carnitine, Green Tea Extract, Vitamin B Complex
11:15AM - Ripped Fuel (2 pills)
12:00 PM - Wendy's for lunch (Gril'd CHKN sand. + small fry = 600 kcal, 20g F, 74g C, 32g P)
5:00 PM - Chicken Rice Bowl
5:30 PM - Ripped Fuel (2 pills)
8:00 PM - 1/2 bag of light micro. Popcorn
8:30 PM - 45 min. Cardio

I did not lift today, my body is pretty soar, I thought it would be best to skip the lifting and start back up tomorrow. Its Bi's and Tri's tomorrow.

9.27.07 - Weight 188 - Shoulders/Forearms/Abs

2007-09-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

Shoulders day. Argh, I love working my shoulders but I always feel numb all over my body when I'm done. Its crazy, when I do Bi's and Tri's my arms hurt and feel weak but when I do shoulders my whole body feels weak.....lets pray that means its working somehow! haha

My weight jumped a little over the last couple weeks, however about 2 weeks ago I started taking Muscletech's Cell Tech Hardcore. Its a creatine supplement. It did everything it promised, I was recovering faster, my muscles appeared bigger, I was lifting more weight, all in all it was OK, a little expensive but it works. I stopped using it this week. I have to frequently remind myself that my primary objective is to loose the rest of the weight. I would love to get to 10%-9% body fat, then I'll start bulking up on the weights. I gained some water weight that has slowly been fading away over the last few days. My goal is to get back down to 180 by Thanksgiving, while at the same time bulking up on some muscle.

Tonight's workout was:

SHOULDERS
Upright E-Z Bar Row
1 warm up set with 60lbs
4 sets/8-10 reps 90lbs

Overhead Shoulder Press
1 warm up set with 60 lbs
4 sets/8-10 reps 70lbs

RearDelt Dumbbell Raise
4 sets/10-12 reps 25lb Dumbbells

Lateral Rope Pulls
4 sets/10-12 reps

Seated Dumbbell Press
3 Sets/12 reps with 25 lb Dumbbells

FOREARMS
Dumbbell Forearm Curls
3 sets/12 reps with 25lb Dumbbells

Behind the back E-Z Bar Curls
1 set/8 reps with 70lbs
2 sets/8reps with 50lbs

ABS
2 sets/25 reps Sit ups
2 sets/15 reps Leg Raises

My Daily supplements consist of;
Fish Oil twice a day
L-Carnitine twice a day
Green Tea Extract twice a day
Vitamin E twice a day
Ripped Fuel 3 times a day (Just started on this 3 days ago)

After work out;
1 heaping scoop of Protein shake.

My meals today were;
6:15 AM - 30 min. Cardio
7:00 AM - 1.5 scoops Protein Shake with about 10 regular animal crackers and vitamins for breakfast
10:30 AM - About 1/4 cup of rice and about 1/4 cup of Chicken Tika Masala (Left over Indian Food)
5:00 PM - 1 Scoop Protein Shake
7:00 PM - Small portion of Ziti Pasta with 3 bread sticks with Vitamins
9:15 PM - 1 Scoop Protein Shake
9:30 PM - 45 min. Cardio

My 2 Year Journey

2007-09-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

About 2 years ago I was in a mall waiting for my wife (slender and extremely attractive) to use the bathroom. At the entrance to the bathrooms they had a 25cent scale. I thought, what the heck I haven't got on a scale in years. Little did I know that $.25 would change my life. I deposited the quarter, stepped on and was blown away when I saw the weight on the screen. 280lbs. Holy crap, no way, am I that big? It seemed like just yesterday I was in awesome shape, working outdoors, I was the guy who got the stares when I walked in the room, and now what is this, 280, that scale must be busted, it has to be wrong I told myself.

I wasted no time going home and weighing myself again. It was exactly what I feared, the scale at the mall was not busted, I was 280 lbs.

For some people this might be the instant drive they needed to get their arse on a treadmill, but for me it made me depressed. I knew that I was 100+ pounds overweight and it felt out of reach, I got depressed and sad, I started loosing even more self respect and self image.

After obsessing on it for a while, I decided to get in shape, I knew it would be tough, I knew it would be the hardest thing that I had ever done, but I also knew how rewarding it would be in the end.

Its been 2 years, I've lost 100 pounds, and I'm about 10 pounds away from my goal. For the first several months I only did cardio. Cardio became my best friend, I usually did 2 cardio sessions a day for 5-6 days a week. I then decided to start lifting weights as well and that led me to where I am today.

I am not in perfect shape by any means, I went to the Dr. a couple weeks ago and although she gave me props for loosing all I have, she also pointed out I have more to loose. Its not over yet, but it is getting harder. I have been stagnant for months now. Recently I made a commitment to myself to loose the rest of this weight. To do so will require me to focus on my diet again, as well as hit the cardio hard.

This blog (if your reading this) will serve as my training diary and hopefully when I hit my weight loss goal will serve as my weight lifting diary.

Even when I started I didn't truly believe I could do it, but I knew that if I took every day at a time and focused on smaller goals it would be a little easier. If I can do it you can do it.

Here I am at around 280 lbs.....

This is me at about 195 lbs, I will be taking more recent photos soon....