11/4/09

My doctor said my blood work numbers look good, keep at the diet.

Found out my scale might be giving me my BMI and not my BF%. I am in the process of scheduling an appointment with a Personal Trainer to do a professional body fat test with calipers to see what it really is.

Working on a way to do chin ups in the living room so I can start P90X.

May go on a Lipo 6 - CLA - Hoodia - Chromium Picolinate stack for weight loss.

235.0 lbs, 29.0 % BF (BMI), 44" waist, 14.5" arms

10/16/09

I read your physique is 10% genetics, 10% training and 80% nutrition.

Aside from the supplements I am on, what MuscleMag says is right for trying to loose fat and build muscle, here is my diet:

8 am 1 cup Quaker Oats oatmeal, 2 eggs, 2 egg whites

10 am Juicer juice - beets, apples, carrots, celery

Noon sliced turkey breast, Miracle Whip, spinach on whole wheat

3 pm Smoothie - 1% milk, fat free yogurt, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, banana, peanut butter, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 2 tbsp wheat germ, 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds

6 pm 6 oz meat or fish, 1/2 cup brown rice, a sweet potato or 2 cups broccoli or 1 cup green beans

That is it.

How much less can I eat? Dirt and water? :-)

I could cut out the smoothie to save some calories.

I am at a loss why I am not loosing body fat.

236.2 lbs, 29.8% BF, 47" waist, 14.5" arms

10/14/09

Funny (not in a funny way), I am spending more money on supplements than food...

I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and two snacks and that is it, but I take supplements 7 times a day. 

I might as well save some money and just go on "the juice" ... just kidding :-)

I will give this some time and see if it works, all the supplements are designed to help me loose fat while gaining muscle. My scale w/ body fat meter will tell me pretty quickly if they are working or if I am just wasting my time and money.

240.6 lbs, 30.3% BF, 47" waist, 14.5" arms

10/13/09

Supplements

Here is what I will use to help build muscle and lose fat at the same time, in addition to my diet:

Lipolyze fat burner

Whey Protein Isolate

Creatine

Glutamine

Green Tea Extract (In the Lipolyze)

Arginine

L-Carnitine (In the Lipolyze)

HMB

Forskolin

This is the stack that is recommended by MuscleMag's November 2009 issue's Build Muscle - Lose Fat Superfeature. As the budget allows I am going on this stack. Right now I am on Lipolyze, Whey Isolate, Creatine and Glutamine. I am getting on Arginine on Thursday and HMB and Forskolin next week.

237.6 lbs, 29.8% BF, 47" waist, 14.5" arms

10/12/09

Yesterday Tracy and I went through our old clothes to clean out the closets and give to Goodwill. I found a suit from the late 1990's that is a size 44 regular with probably a 34" waist. I did not bother with the pants but I tried the Jacket on over a tee shirt. It looked like a childs jacket on me. It was so tight and would not even close. I was about 190 lbs when I had this tailored for me, I now were a size 48 jacket and 38" pants at 240 lbs.

But is it all fat I have gained since 1994 when I moved back from Hawaii in the best shape of my life? Probably about 190 lbs and about 10% BF.

I seem to be eating a very sensible diet, but could I reduce the calories more? Yes and no. 

It is hard but until I get on P90X I might have to just keep bulking up on muscle and not worry so much about the fat, then the P90X is so intense on the cardio and the muscle confusion that it will force me to burn fat. 

239.8 lbs, 30.1% BF, 47" waist, 14.5" arms

10/11/09

The end of Week 9

Time goes by slow, but when you look back it went by fast. 

On June 16 th I started the Abs Diet and I was 236 lbs and over 7 weeks I lost 12 lbs and got down to 224 lbs. On August 11 th I started to lift weights and take creatine and whey protein isolate, I was 224.0 lbs and 29.0% BF. Today I am 237.2 lbs and 29.8% BF. I have put on 13.2 lbs of muscle and only .8% BF!

10 weeks until P90X

237.2 lbs, 29.8% BF, 47" waist, 14.5" arms 

10/09/10

Just as important as diet is exercise.

It is important to hit all the major muscle groups 3 times a week because as muscle heals and grows for 48 hours after each workout, the metabolism speeds up and calories and fat are burned. This burn is the single biggest consumer of calories and fat cells, even more than steady aerobic exercise!

Here is the Monday, Wednesday and Friday exercise plan I am using:

Exercise     Sets     Reps     Weight

Lateral Raises     3 x 12, 8, 6 x 12 lbs

Push ups     3 x 12, 6, 4 x body weight

Bent over dumbell rows     3 x 12 x 15 lbs and/or 25 lbs

Dumbell squats     3 x 12 x 25 lbs

Dumbell curls     3 x 6 - 12  x 25 lbs

Calve raises     1 x 15 per side x body weight

Dumbell shrugs    3 x 12 x 25 lbs

One arm overhead triceps extensions     3 x 12, 8, 6 x 12 lbs and/or 15 lbs

I do circuit training, 1 set of each exercise with little rest between, and repeat 3 times.

To get warmed up and to get my heart rate up I will "shadow box" with 8 lbs dumbells for a couple minutes before I start.

It is simple yet challenging and works all my major muscle groups, and best of all it only takes 30 - 45 minutes right here in my living room so I can get it done 3 x per week!

237.4 lbs, 29.8% BF, 47" waist, 14.5" arms

10/08/09

I am doing full body weight training on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and doing abs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Off to rest on Saturdays and Sundays.

I am hitting each of the major muscles groups with one exercise of 3 sets of 6 - 12 reps with dumbells (8,12,15,25 lbs) and doing very strict movements to better exercise the muscle, not just push up heavier weights. In place of bench press I do push ups and I don't have a chin up bar and I need one for P90X.

My diet is clean, there is no junk food or soda calories. 

Here is a sample:

5 am - 7 am

8 oz white grape juice

12 oz 1% milk

50 grams whey protein isolate

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 cell tech creatine

Workout 5:30 am - 6:30 am

7-9 am

1 cup oatmeal

2 eggs, 2 egg whites

10 am

25 grams whey protein isolate

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 capsule lipolyze

16 oz - 24 oz juice of beet, carrot, apple and celery

12 noon

turkey, spinach, mayo on whole wheat(sometimes tomato)

3 pm

25 grams whey protein isolate

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 capsule lipolyze

24 oz smoothie - 1% milk, fat free yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 2 tbsp wheat germ, 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds, ice

6 pm

 5 oz tuna

1/2 cup brown rice

8 oz broccoli

8 pm

25 grams whey protein isolate

1 tbsp peanut butter*

1 capsule lipolyze

* Peanut butter is the perfect carbohydrate to synthesis the protein isolate into the muscles.

Drink: water, 1% milk, green tea, diet coke, crystal light iced tea

Snack: peanut butter and honey on whole wheat, hand full of almonds and cheddar cheese, an apple, celery and peanut butter

I have put on 16 lbs and only 1% body fat following this diet and lifting regiment, my waist has shrunken by 3" but still has a LONG way to go.

I can't wait to start P90X  on January 1, 2010 to burn this fat off, my goal is 10% BF.

Now I am happy with what I think is good muscle growth.

237.2 lbs, 29.8% BF, 43" waist*, 14.5" arms  

* This is around my belly, I wear size 38 jeans, I want to wear size 34 jeans

10/5/09

I have decided to ask for P90X for Christmas and start it on January 1 st. At 240 lbs and 30% BF I feel awful. I can not tell if I am gaining muscle or just fat. It is a little over 8 weeks since I started and, honestly, besides my arms being bigger I see no change. But how could I covered in this layer of blubber?

Today I am ordering Lipolyze which is a stimulant free fat fighter. It works with your body to free fat cells into the blood to be burned. I am hoping that being on Lipolyze as well as doing P90X will help me lower the BF percentage.

My diet is good and I should be losing body fat and gaining muscle. I have put on 16 lbs and only gained 1% BF so I am not packing on fat. The Cell Tech and Whey Protein Isolate are helping build muscle, but I need to burn the fat off to see the muscle.

239.6 lbs, 30.1 % BF, 47" waist, 14.5" arms  

10/2/09

I slept in until 6:45 am and then took care of Laura and Summer. I worked out around 7:30. This might be more the way things will go, I need the sleep... I am exhausted taking care of a 3 month old! She slept from 8:30 pm until 6:45 am which is amazing. I feed her at 7 am and then she fell back asleep until 8:30 am when I worked out at 7:30.

Working hard to stay on the diet schedule, eating as close to my set times as Laura will allow.

I looked into a fat burning supplement called Lipolyze, which is stimulant free, it is only available mail order for $35.00 for 90 caplets, @ 3 per day. With being on Cell Tech and Whey Protein Isolate plus buying some food supplies and dumbells I don't think I can afford to go on Lipolyze, but I might. I am going to try my best to hold off the urge to work on reducing body fat until March when I do P90X. I plan to build bulk muscle until then, it is just hard to be at 30% BF.

Today marks the end of week 8's workouts.

237.2 lbs, 29.9% BF, 47" waist, 14.5" arms

9/29/09

My goal is to build muscle and burn belly fat. I am lifting M,W,F and doing abs T,R. I need to start doing Tae Bo during the day but I will have to make time. When Tracy goes back to work and Laura takes a nap I may be able to fit in a half hour of Tae Bo each day.

For now I am considering a diet like this:

Post workout 6:30 am 1 serving Cell Tech Hardcore creatine, 50 grams whey protein isolate

Meal 1, 8 am 4 whole eggs, 4 egg whites

Meal 2, 10 am 50 grams whey protein isolate, 1 tbsp peanut butter

Meal 3, 12 noon 8 oz chicken, 1 cup brown rice, 8 oz broccoli 

Meal 4, 3 pm 50 grams whey protein isolate, 1 tbsp peanut butter

Meal 5, 6 pm 10 oz tilapia, .5 cup brown rice, 8 oz broccoli

Meal 6, 9 pm 50 grams whey protein isolate, 1 tbsp peanut butter

This diet is about as "clean" as you can get. It supplies all the protein you need for muscle growth plus the right amount of slow and fast carbohydrates to fuel the body.

I am going to stick to what I am on now but if the waist expands any more or I start to go over 30% BF I will change to this strict diet.

235.0 lbs, 29.5% BF, 47" waist, 14.5" arms

9/27/09

Week 7

I am up 15 lbs since week 1 with 1 % BF gain. 

I am nervous about the weight gain, I want to build as much muscle as I can by March 1 st, but I don't want to become any fatter. With the lifting, the protein and creatine I am hopefully gaining muscle. I have only gone up 1 percentage of body fat. 

I will continue to eat the same diet but I will watch my waist (around the belly button) measurements. Right now it is 47" relaxed and 43" with flexed abs. I am going to start calling it 47" because I want it to be 34" relaxed and flexed. I do not mind gaining weight/bulk muscle if my waist does not grow, but if it starts to grow I will have to go on a pre-contest eating program to maintain/build muscle and loose fat. That is what I thought I was on now.

I have never eaten such a good diet while lifting, and the creatine (Cell Tech Hardcore) really seems to be working so it is possible I am just packing on muscle, I will think positive.

239.2 lbs, 30.1 % BF, 47" waist, 14.5" arms

9/26/09

Juicing

I am juicing every morning for my 10 am meal, using celery, carrots, beets, apples, parsley and spinach.

Juicing gives the benefit of eating all the vegetables without all the work of chewing all that roughage.

Today is a day of rest, so I will eat my 6 meals and take it easy.

235.6 lbs, 29.6 % BF, 43" waist, 14" arms

9/23/09

Can I add mass and burn fat at the same time?

I am thinking about adding running into the mix, here again it is more about when I can run while taking care of Laura. I am lucky to get my workouts in between 5:30 am - 6:30 am before I have Laura. Tracy gets home at 3:15 pm so I could run around 4 pm. Might try it and see.

My focus are arms and abs, not really fat reduction. I am eating 6 small meals a day with no "junk" so the weight I am gaining should be muscle. I will worry about fat reduction come March 1 st.

Right now the arms are slim and the belly is plump, and we need to turn that around by May 28, 2010.

234.8 lbs, 29.4% BF, 43" waist, 14.5" arms

9/21/09

As I post the Week 6 photos I am reminded that all I am looking for is muscle size growth and not definition. With all the ab work my belly should pull in over the next 5 months. I am at 30% body fat which covers all my muscle definition. When I do P90X for 90 days I will burn off the fat layer and drop down to about 10% bodyfat where the muscle mass I am building now will show.

Right now I am in the shape of an average 44.5 year old. I plan to be in the shape of a fit 24 year old. I would like to get back to a size 34" pants with an 18.5 x 34/35 shirt and 48 jacket. The hardest part is to estimate what I will weigh at 10% BF. 200 lbs is a good goal but I just don't know. My buddy is 6'2" and at 11% weighs 190 lbs after 90 days on P90X. He is a Marine and firefighter so he has to be fit at 44 years old.

I have gained 13 pounds since I started lifting, but only .7 % body fat - so I am not packing on fat. I am eating a clean diet with protein supplement and creatine. I have chosen not to take weight gainer shakes at 960 calories x 4 per day to build mass. I see no need to blow up to huge proportions when I take Whey protein isolate with 0 calories and 0 fats along with Cell Tech creatine to achieve the same muscle growth.

Patience is the key, it is hard to look at a fat covered body and imagine what it will look like at 10% BF in the summer, but fall and winter are the perfect time to build up the muscle and spring is the natural time to loose the fat!

237.0 lbs, 29.7 BF, 44" waist, 14" arms

Sixth Week Photos

9/20/09

Week 6

I have put on 12.6 lbs since week 1 and only .5% BF. I have lost 3" off my waist! I am happy with my progress. I have 20 more weeks of lifting and then 12 weeks of P90X until I want to be ready for summer.

It is said that it is 10% genetics, 10% training, and 80% nutrition. I am eating the best I can, and staying as strict as I can. I get one "junk" meal a week and last night I had sweet and sour shrimp with white rice and I only ate half a pint.

Will start working out with 25 lbs dumbells tomorrow and see how they feel. They may be right or I may have to go to 20 lbs or 30 lbs. It is all about getting 3 sets of 4 - 6 reps. It is much easier when you are in the gym and all the weights are there, I am trying to get a good workout in my living room with as few weights as possible.

I am getting a good workout and to blame the "no gym" thing is an excuse. I have to deal with what I have until I can get to the gym.

236.6 lbs, 29.5% BF, 43" waist, 14" arms

9/18/09

Arms are up to 15" post workout!

My goal is to have them at 16" before workout.

It is Friday

Arms workout is done, time for rest over the weekend.

I am now journaling my workouts so I will be able to chart my progress.

I also typed up two menu samples to show Dr. Hocutt. I will get bloodwork done and I see him in the beginning of October. I will also type up my workout samples to show him.

I am doing the best I can with dumbells at home, with the baby going to the Y is not an option.

I have been using 12 lbs and 15 lbs and I am buying 25 lbs and probably 35 lbs in a few weeks as I get stronger.

Week 6 is over, I will take pictures on Sunday.

233.4 lbs, 29.4 % BF, 44" waist, 15" arms

9/13/09

Week 5

I have put on 6.8 lbs since week 1 and only gained .5 % body fat. It seems the diet and training program are working. Now I just need to keep eating clean and lifting until March 1 st when I start 90 days of P90X. Still need to lose 30 lbs of fat and put on 20 lbs of muscle by May 28, 2010.

I bought Pumping Iron to keep me motivated at 5:30 am for training, will start to watch during work outs. With such small gains it would be easy just to give up, but I really believe that if I stick to my plan, I will be able to change my body, and it is starting to work. My arms are pumping up and filling out and even Tracy says they are getting harder.

231.2 lbs, 28.7 % BF, 44" waist, 14" arms

9/11/09

Another week of workouts and nutrition finished.

Going to move up to 15 lbs dumbells next week, feeling stronger.

Workouts take a half hour to forty five minutes.

It is hard because the dog and baby are sleeping and I am on baby duty. 

I was told I will have to take the baby monitor down with me in case she wakes up.

The dog usually wakes up and whimpers so I let her out of her crate.

If it is past 6:30 I take her out to potty and feed her.

I am on a 5 day split:

Monday full body lifting

Tuesday abs

Wednesday full body lifting

Thursday abs

Friday arms

Trying to stay motivated, ordered Pumping Iron to watch as I work out.

Will rest this weekend and hit it with 15 lbs dumbells on Monday.

232.4 lbs, 29.2 BF, 44" waist, 14" arms

9/05/09

Eating while away from home.

With this holiday weekend I find I will be going to lunch today at my sisters to celebrate my Mom's birthday and then tomorrow and Monday I will be going down to the beach to visit Grandmom Phile and Cousin Patty with Tracy, Laura and Summer.

So what do I do about eating?

I have decided to eat the best I can but to not make a big deal about it.

I will eat the foods I find to be the healthiest, avoid the junk, forgo the supplements and just move through it. I don't want to make a big fuss because then people will focus attention on me and my diet and that is no fun.  

I am starting to read The Eat-Clean Diet For Men by Robert Kennedy and Tosca Reno and I am hoping it helps me learn how to best make healthy choices when away from home.

This is the best I can do.

231.0 lbs, 28.9% BF, 44" waist, 14" arms

9/04/09

Arms 

My biggest insecurity are my arms. They are long and skinny. In grade school a bully on my baseball team once called me "spaghetti arms" and taunted me relentlessly about how skinny he thought I was. It hurts me to this day. For a boy to be called "skinny" is like a girl being called "fat", it is rude and hurtful. 

I can't help that I was born with a long, light frame. I am a natural swimmer and am not a natural bodybuilder. 

My arms are 14" at the mid bicep. Arnold Schwarzenegger's arms were 22.5". My arms should be 17". (My neck - 17", arms - 14" and calves - 15.5" should be the same size - the Grecian Ideal)

In my lifting my arms get Monday and Wednesday as a normal lifting day and Friday just arms. This keeps the muscles in constant tear and 48 hours repair and heavy tear on Friday with three days to repair. Repair and rest are most important to gaining size. Muscle is fiber and as they exert themselves they tear apart, as they are reconnected with protein they are bigger and stronger then before. A heavy workout rips and tears them, but it is rest and nutrition that builds them back. This is why diet and supplements are so important. Nitic oxide opens the arteries and vascular system that bring the nutrients, creatine opens the muscle cell membranes so the nutrients can enter and the proteins and branch chain amino acids rebuild the muscle.

After only 2 weeks of lifting my arms are pumping up with blood bringing nutrients to the muscles. I expect a 1/2" of growth in my arms any day. If I can get a 1/2" each month for 9 months that would get me to 17" by next June. I don't think I will get that much but I should get them up to a least 16" which would be an improvement. 

I plan to lift until I get them to 18" which would be my dream come true.

I bet the bully, who would now be 45, is fat and balding and looks 55... what goes around comes around.

231.2 lbs, 28.9% BF, 44" waist, 14" arms

9/03/09

Unrealistic Goals

I lost and inch off my waist - 45" to 44"!

I looked up the height and weight statistics on some of people who have bodies I admire to see were I need to be:

I assume these are all weights at about 10% body fat.

Lance Armstrong 5' 11" 174 lbs

Tiger Woods 6'1" 185 lbs

Hugh Jackman 6' 2" 220 lbs

Hank Baskett 6' 4" 220 lbs

Terrell Owens 6' 3" 224 lbs

Donavan McNabb 6'2" 240 lbs

Right now I would be 6' 2" 201 lbs

My goal is 6'2" 220 lbs

Simple. I have to loose 30 - 40 lbs of fat and put on 20 - 30 lbs of muscle.

Hard. Doing it.

Is this an unrealistic goal?

If I can gain 3 lbs of muscle a month while lifting and I am going to lift for 6 months, that is 18 lbs of muscle. It is said I may gain 5 lbs of muscle per month but that might be unrealistic.

If I can loose 19% body fat - 30 -40 lbs with tae bo and P90X, diet and a thermogenic supplement over 3 months. Unrealistic? My buddy lost 11% body fat on P90X in 90 days.

My goal deadline may be a little unrealistic but if I continue my eating clean as a lifestyle and I continue to workout I should reach my goal in a year or two. I just think based on what I am doing I can reach it by June '10.

229.0 lbs, 28.7 % BF, 44" waist, 14" arms

9/02/09

It is all a game in the mind.

It is 9 months out until I want to be "ready" but each day I look for some change to measure to see I am moving forward.

I step on the scale today and it says 231.8 lbs and 29.1 BF. That is almost 3 lbs heavier than yesterday and 7 lbs heavier then my lowest of 224.0 lbs on 8/18 when the BF was also 1% lower at 28.0%.

Cell Tech Hardcore put on 3 lbs in 7 days! 

I am eating the same today as I have everyday since 8/18.

My goal is to put on 5 lbs of lean muscle a month for 6 mos, so I might gain 30 lbs. I might get up to 254 lbs by March 1 st. Then I start P90X and drop 34 lbs of fat from March 1 st to June 1 st.

So I can't get all thrown out of shape by a higher weight and BF reading, it is all in the plan.

Off to lift!

231.8 lbs, 29.1% BF, 45" waist, 14" arms.

9/01/09

It is September 1 st,  to me the first day of Fall. It is a new beginning. 

A visually appealing body, size and weight are an interesting subject.

My role model is Hugh Jackman , Wolverine in X-men. Hugh is 6'2" and 220 lbs at, say 10% body fat. I am 6'2" and 228 lbs at 28.5% body fat. 

I need to loose about 30 lbs of fat (tae bo, P90X) and gain as much muscle as I can (lifting weights). If I can loose 30 lbs and put on 21 lbs of muscle it would put me right around my goal for June 1 st of 220 lbs at 10% BF. I don't know what weight I will be by the time I bulk up - 3.5 lbs of lean muscle a month and then burn the fat down to 10% from 28.5% which is about 30 lbs.

I am more concerned with looking pumped and a low body fat % than what I weigh.

It is funny, I was looking at a Muscle Mag and I was looking at this huge pro bodybuilder thinking he must be over 300 lbs. I read his stats and he was 220 lbs at 6% BF and ... get this... 5'6"! He is a fire plug. I am built more like a Lance Armstrong than a fire plug. My genes make it hard for me to get big, but Hugh Jackman looks fit and muscular at 6'2" 220 lbs so I can too.

I have a page from a Men's Health magazine hanging above my desk that shows the torso of a guy who is probably 10% BF and not huge like a pro bodybuilder but has nice muscle development. This is my inspiration!

Off to do abs.

228 lbs, 28.5%, 45" waist, 14" arms 

8/31/09

After a week on the weights and 4 full days on the creatine load I am up 4 lbs with only a .5 % increase in body fat. My muscle cells have volumized by 4 lbs - extra blood/water that brings nutrients/protein to the rebuilding muscle fibers. I have been eating my Abs Diet menu and drinking a gallon to a gallon and a half of water, juiced fresh fruit juice and a diet coke or two.

I have not measured my muscles yet but there should be some increase in there size.

At church yesterday my Mom asked how the "diet" was going like I was on carrot sticks, celery, diet coke,  cigarettes and Fen-phem. I am body sculpting, not dieting. My goal is to be 200 lbs at 10% body fat with a 32" waist., and 16", 17" or 18" arms - as big as I can get them!

It took Hugh Jackman, who is also 6'2" 5 months to get his Wolverine body and he had trainers, nutritionists and a budget for food and supplements. He worked out 5 days a week for 1 - 2 hours a day and did cardio and yoga.

I am on a 9 month plan; Bulk up for 6 mos and then Lean out for 3 months. I am like a body builder who has a show on June 1, 2010.

Bulking up: 3 days free weights for large muscle groups, 3 sets of 4, 6, 12 reps. Lots of rest.

2 days abs and cardio - tae bo for a total of 5 days a week 1 -2 hours per day. Supplements: Iso Mass Xtreme Gainer, Cell Tech Hardcore creatine, Glutamine, Argine, MYO TEST testosterone booster.

Leaning out: P90X , Running 5 - 7 days a week. Supplements: Mitoropin - Cytolean V2 stack, Whey protein isolate, Micellar Caseins, BCAAs, Green Tea Extract, Caffeine.

My "diet" really does not change for the rest of my life. Read The Eat - Clean Diet For Men by Robert Kennedy to get the idea that eating healthy is a lifestyle change. I actually eat 8 times a day. It is not cheap to buy all this high quality food, Tracy is going nuts at the grocery bills but in order for my blood tests to improve I have to eat this way, I was pre-diabetic before I changed my eating habits 2 months ago. My doctor is monitoring all of this so I am healthy.

Why am I doing this? #1 Health, #2 So I can be physically fit to play with Laura, #3 Vanity, who doesn't want to look great.

229.8 lbs, 28.8% BF, 45" waist, 14" arms

Third Week Photos

8/29/09

It's Saturday. I finished my first week working out.

I did my M,W,F routines strict with 8 lbs and 12 lbs dumbells just to get the moves down, will work with them next week and then start moving up to 15, 20, 25 lbs.

I am sore but not too sore... in a good way.

3rd day of 5 on the creatine load. 

Sticking to a strict "eating clean" diet.

I read in The Eating Clean Diet by Robert Kennedy that your physique is 10% genetics, 10% training and 80% nutrition! You can re-make you physique with proper nutrition and exercise. I thought that since my genetics are that of a cyclist I was doomed. I just want to be jacked, the way Tiger Woods looks on tv. He is not huge, but looks pumped... you can tell he lifts. Now I look like every other 44 year old office worker, no "V", my waist is almost as big as my chest and my arms are these little sticks sticking out of my polo shirt. I am never going to be Mr. Delaware but I would love to look like I am fit. If I can loose the belly fat and pump up the upper body and arms I will be happy. 

Do I have the balls to lift for 6 mos and P90X for 3 mos to hit the beach and pool with my little girl next year? We will see.

227 lbs, 28.3 BF, 45" waist, 14" arms

8/27/09

I have decided to go for mass for 6 mos and then do a P90X cycle for 3 mos to peak at Memorial Day '10. My goal is to get my arms up to a least 16". 

I will do full body lifting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and abs and tae bo on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Yesterday I started a creatine cycle using MuscleTech Cell Tech Hardcore. I have had good gains in size and strenght before with Cell Tech so I hope it works this time. 

For now I will use dumbells and push ups so I can work out at home. I will lift strict and increase (buy new dumbells) as needed. I just can't go to the Y yet due to leaving Laura home alone to much with Tracy. Maybe by November I hope to get to the Y 3 x a week.

226.8 lbs, 28.4% BF, 45" waist, 14" arms

8/24/09

First day of working out.

Doing the Abs Diet workout Monday routine at home with 8 lbs dumbells. Starting out slow and light so I don't get hurt.

Squat 12 x 1

Push ups 4 x 1

Bent rows 12 x 1

Shoulder press 12 x 1

Lateral Raises 12 x 1

Upright rows 12 x 1

Bent tricep extensions 12 x 3

Bicep Curls 12 x 3

Even with 8 lbs dumbells I broke a sweat. I will feel it tomorrow.

It felt good to workout!

225.6 lbs, 28.3 % BF, 45" waist, 14" Arms

8/23/09

Ground hog day @ 224.8 lbs., 28.1 % BF

What do I need to do to break 223 lbs?

I will start TAE BO on Tuesday, it will be hard to find a time to do it with Tracy, the baby and Summer sleeping when I would want to do it, around 7 am, may have to wait until 9 am when they get up. May just do it at 7 after dog gets up, Tracy is upstairs in bed and I will put Laura in the swing... she will like the music.

I am in a dilemma with the Y. I need to go 3 times a week at, say, 3:30 pm - 5 pm  M,W,F but it is going to be hard once Tracy starts back to work. She will be getting off at 3 but is it cool to just leave for the Y when she gets home for an hour and a half? I might have to.

Tomorrow is my 2 week anniversary with the Abs Diet and I have not seen any change, I feel good, but nothing really on the scale or the tape. I won't judge it until I have done the workouts and TAE BO for 8 weeks., but I am extremely frustrated. 

224.8 lbs, 28.1 % BF, 45" waist, 14" arms

8/22/09

I had a nice email chat with my buddy Rob, who is a fireman. He said he has gotten down to 11% body fat using Tony Horton's P90X workout program. All the firemen use it. I have seen the infomercial and it looked intense. Rob is a Marine and he said it reminded him of bootcamp.

For my cardio days I need something like P90X but it is pricey @ $150.00. I was going to order it and my wife Tracy reminded me that we had an unopened Billy Blanks Tae bo DVD set in the entertainment center. I am going to use that for a while to get into basic shape on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will use the $150.00 for my food purchases b/c my diet needs are killing the family food budget. Good, clean, whole foods are more expensive than junk we have found :-(

I found the GLA/CLA supplements at the Vitamin Shoppe for about $40.00

There is also a Growth Hormone trigger called Alpha-GPC for $22.00

The GLA/CLA works on hormone sensitive lipase (fat) levels and act as a gatekeeper to determine when to open fat cells into the blood to be burned. GLA/CLA opens the gate.

Alpha-GPC produces choline which blocks somatostatin thus allowing growth  hormone to flow freely. The guys at the Vitamin Shoppe and GNC think that this might be the way to go to break my sticking point of 224.

If this doesn't work, then we will look at Lipo 6 Black fat burner but not until we do a month of lifting M,W,F and Tae bo T,TR.

Testosterone booster is another direction to consider as low testosterone can slow down the metabolism, as can less than 7 hours of sleep each night. I sleep 2 hours from 8pm - 11pm and then 12 midnight until 5am so I get about 7 hours. My sleep could be better. I would like to get a solid 8 hours in bed, but I have a bit of Insomnia. May need some help from my Doctor for a mild sleep aid. 

Once we begin lifting we will start Cell Tech Hardcore creatine for 8 weeks. I put 2" on my chest (50") and 2" on my arms (16") with Cell Tech last time I was seriously lifting - creatine volumizes your muscle cells with water after you break down the muscle fiber with lifting. Too long and you can get kidney stones - some dudes use it for years... just 8 week cycles lads...

Going to turn in my Y application today, they say it takes 10 days to process, should be lifting and swimming by Sept 15th! I can hardly wait!

224.8 lbs, 28.1% BF, 45" waist, 14" arms

8/21/09

22 days at 225.5 lbs - 224 lbs, can't break the 223 barrier. 28.2% body fat and the belly is still huge 45". I am hoping that the ab exercises will help tighten the muscles and bring in the bulge, which is disgusting.

Will try growth hormone activators: 700 mg L-dopa (3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylanine) & 300 mg Alpha-GPC (L-alpha glycerylphosphorycholine) which activate the body's metabolic switch during sleep. To aid in this fat release 4 grams each of GLA (gamma linolenic acid) and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) all taken at bedtime.

I hope much more anabolic and metabolic activity happens once I start serious lifting in September. Until then I do abs exercises and lift dumbells here at home. I just can't get to the Y for 2 hours 3 days a week yet with the baby being so young.

I am very frustrated but happy with my eating, I am not really cheating!

225.2 lbs, 28.2% BF, 45" waist, 14" arms

8/19/09

If you can measure it, you can fix it. 

I published first week "Before" photos because I always see in magazine ads for products Before and then After photos. I took these photos on a Sunday morning when I just got up so I would be in my most natural state. 

It is truly a "wake up call" to see how far my body has gotten away from me, it comes on very gradually. In 1999 I had a flat 34" stomach and waist and a lot less body fat on my belly and back. I believe that about 40 lbs of this has come on as the result of medications I have taken since 2000. That is not an excuse, just a theory.

Now that I know where I am, I can work on getting back into shape.

First Week Photos

8/18/09

The Abs Diet.

I was reading an article in Robert Kennedy's MuscleMag International about what pro bodybuilders eat and it gave a sample menu for 7 days. Man, I could not eat that much if you paid me. But I did realize that I am eating right. 

Here is a sample of my daily intake: (minus the nutrient breakdown)

5am whey protein isolate shake

7am 2 packs of instant oatmeal

8am 3 scambled eggs

         4 slices bacon

10am 1/4 cup almonds and mixed nuts

           1 0unce chedder cheese

12 noon Saladworks salad, 1 can tuna, olive oil and vinegar 

3pm smoothie (1% milk, vanilla yogurt, 1 pack oatmeal, raspberrys, blueberrys, strawberrys, 1             banana, wheat germ, flaxseed, 1 serving whey protein isolate, ice)

5pm steak, steamed broccoli

         sugar free Jello and whipped cream

9pm  1 pack instant oatmeal

11pm whey protein isolate shake

This is a typical day.

This diet is designed by Men's Health magazine's Abs Diet to build muscle while stoking the fat burners in the body. The thermogenic effect should show up more after I start my 3 day a week full body lifting routine in a week (the Abs Diet recommends you not lift for 2 weeks at the start to give your body time to adjust to the new diet). After a good full body, large muscle group workout as the muscles repair themselves your body burns lots of calories for about 48 hours after the workout just repairing and building new muscle fibers. The protein that you take in to build muscle costs a lot of calories to process in the body so it is great to eat a lot of high quality animal and whey protein each day. The rule of thumb is to eat as many grams as you weigh each day, so I would eat 224 grams. 1 pound of new muscle the body builds burns 50 calories a day just to live! A low body fat of say 15% for a man means you are 85% muscle and you are burning lots of calories each day just living. At my body fat 28%, it means I am carrying around about 40 lbs of extra fat that I don't need, that taxes my body's systems, and wear me out. This is why I would have so much more energy if I was 15% BF!

Today I am getting a Juicer and hope to add in fresh vegetable and fruit juice into my diet

To tell the truth, this seems like the "right" amount of food for me, and the book tells me it is the right food for building muscle and losing fat.

Each entry I will give my vital stats and once a week I will post pictures of my progress:

224.0 lbs,  28.0% BF,  45" waist,  14" arms

Welcome

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Welcome to my body sculpting journal as I journey on the path to sculpting my body to the Grecian Ideal as portrayed in Greek male sculpture and Michelangelo's David.

I will begin with a quick overview:

I have been dieting for 8 weeks , 7 on the Atkins diet. I lost 12.5 lbs. on Atkins. 6 days ago I started the Abs Diet by David Zinczenko, Editor-In-Chief of Mens Health magazine.

After 6 days I am up 1.4 lbs. but that could be muscle gain. As the simple weight measurements don't fully account for muscle gain, I bought a body fat analyzer yesterday and I plan to track my body fat loss as a more true gauge of my progress.

Here are my statistics:

I am 44.5 years old

I am 6'2" tall

I am a Endomorph/Mesomorph body type

I would say I have small bone structure and long features

When I started on June 19, 2009 I was 236 lbs

Today, August 16, 2009 I am 226.4 lbs

August 15, 2009 at 3 pm I was 29.0% body fat

August 16, 2009 at 5 am I am 28.2% Body fat

Here are my measurements against the Grecian Ideal:

August 15, 2009

Grecian Ideal                                                                       John Kelly

Wrist 7.5"                                                                             7.5"

Chest 49"                                                                              47"

Waist (belly button) 34"                                                    45"

Hip 42"                                                                                  41"

Bicep 18"                                                                               14"

Forearm 14"                                                                         11.5"

Thigh 26"                                                                              22"

Calve 17"                                                                               15.5"

Neck 18"                                                                               17"

 My biggest challenges are my high body fat percentage, I need to be down to 6-15% to show my abs, and my biceps/triceps which give me low self confidence. I want 18" muscular arms.

I have not been working out so far, the first 2 weeks on the Ab Diet say no working out. I plan on joining the Y to work out 3x a week.

That's it for now.