W4J1 - Day 21 (Sunday 28Dec14)

21 days!  I didn't think 21 days ago I'd be writing a 21 day juicing blog entry.  I had hoped, but I wasn't sure.  My wife, who introduced me to the concept, has said I'm crazy for still juicing (LOL).  I don't think she means it.

I have felt better.  I have made a few conscious choices for some non-juice and non-vegetarian menu items.  I am glad I made the choices so I could feel their effects after 21 days - which send me back to juicing and fruits and veggies.  When I'm done with the juicing in 39 more days I'll continue to juice some and I'll add smoothies.

I still have not had any kind of soft drink after 22 days.  I haven't had anything to drink that hasn't been juice I've made or water.  I've been drinking between 8 and 16 cups of water a day.

My pants are falling off of me a little more.  I haven't had as much weight loss as I had hoped, but I also attribute that to not adhering to a strict juice diet.  I do have an occasional solid food and for a while I was having more solid foods than I should've been.  I'm going to go back to juice - and if I need something solid I'll have an apple or some olives.

When I don't juice I can feel it in my system.  My body tells me I didn't do something right.  As well, when I don't have enough water my body tells me I need more.

After 3 weeks, I feel better.  I've been working a ton the last two weeks and this morning I slept in til 11.  I actually tossed and turned a little more than slept, but I stayed in bed til 11.  Most days I would've been up, juiced, cleaned the juicer, drank my juice, and started work by 8 (if not sooner) and then worked until 11 or later.

My wife has noticed my energy.  I've noticed that I've been more 'hyper' which could be translated to more energy.  I've not been as tired despite the late work.  My brain and my body have both told me that they needed a bit more sleep, but weren't tired per-se.

I have noticed that I'm not as frustrated with my brain as I was.  I'm able to remember more things easier and "get inside" my head again.  I don't have as many recurring and intrusive thoughts.  I also noticed the opposite was true when I made some of the conscious choices I mentioned earlier.

Oh, I've also started straining my juices.  I noticed a lot of the pulp getting into the juices lately.  I don't know why - it could be that I've used my Jack Lalane juicer more in the last 3 weeks than it had been used in the last 1-2 years.  So I got the juice screen out and pour my juice through it to filter out that part.  It doesn't just leave me with colored water, it removes a lot of the pulp part, but still a tasty, tasty, juice.

Finally, since I feel like my body can handle it, I'm going to start back to my TRX pullup program.  I think supplementing with the vegan protein powder, BCAAs, and juicing (upping juice if I need to or adding a fruit or veggies) will be good for me.  I also haven't been as active as I could've been during the last three weeks and mostly b/c I worked so many hours and didn't take time away for myself.

As you can see bythe timestamp it's 3:14 am -ish.  I have been waking up and not tired again for a few hours ever since I started juicing.  So I guess if I didn't notice my energy before I certainly notice it now.

I look forward to the next 3 weeks of nothing but juice.

W3J4-J7 - Days 17-20

The last three days have been weird.  i juiced 95% of the time but i decided to have real food for part of it.  

christmas i had 2 apple brats

friday i had some soup stuff a burrito and mexican pizza

today i had a sonic burger

i wasnt going to have chreat meals - but i decided that i wanted to.  now im sorry i did.  i dont feel well but also im backed up.  i found that some of my vitamins stop me up so i went back to the basic ones and now im flushing my system again.  i lost some of my hard work and gained back 3 pounds, which will be gone tomorrow.  so im going back to juice only i felt better.

in case you werent keeping track i passed 21 days without a Coke or other beverage.

W3J3 - Day 16

I've done really well up to this point.  I've been juicing for 16 days now and no Coke for 17 days.  I've dropped to a low of 273.2 and continue to drop weight.

Tonight, I decided to have some meat.  Not because I needed it nor because I really craved it, but I wanted to know after 16 days what it would taste like.  Bacon, still glorious.  Pepperoni, not as good.  I had one pepperoni and one slice of bacon.

I've had a few days of insomnia so my body is worn out, but my brain is still clear - a bit tired, but clear.

W3J1 - Day 14 -- and measurements

2 weeks ago I started juicing.  I have had some solids (crispy green beans, black olives, some salad, fruits, but I limit that as much as possible).  95% of my intake is 8oz juice for breakfast, lunch, mid afternoon, dinner, and post dinner.  I have coconut water mid morning.  If I am late making my juice then I have some green beans.  If I'm feeling really hungry I have some black olives.  I also have 80oz plus of water a day.

After 2 weeks, I have felt great.  My body is tired, but not exhausted.  It's like it needs to be walked or something.  I can't describe it, but it feels like it's clear and focused, but underpowered.

I have had one dessert this week of a caramel frappuccino w soy milk no whip from starbucks... and that was my reward for 14 days of juicing.

So how have I done?  You can see my start date on 7Dec14 and today:
weight loss 10.4 pounds, bellybutton 1.5 inches, hips .75 inches down

http://elvisapocalypse.blogspot.com/2013/06/6june13-day-31-3rd-time.html
http://elvisapocalypse.blogspot.com/2014/04/measurements.html
http://elvisapocalypse.blogspot.com/2014/07/measurements.html

	13May12	7Jun12	6Jun13	30Apr14	9Jul14	7Dec14	21Dec14
weight	270	272	270	284	279.4	286	275.6
navel	49	48.5	46.75	50	46.75	49.75	48.15
waist	46.5	48	43.5		45
hips	54	52.5	52	53	50	52.5	51.75
neck	18	17.5	16.5	16.5	16.5	16.75	16
chest				44	41.5	43	43.5

W2J7 - Day 13

14 days no Coke. No HFCS. Almost no processed anything. I did, last week, have those three items of meat - this week, no meat.

I almost ate some bacon at lunch today at the annual family christmas lunch, but decided not to.

After 13 days, I still juice 4-6x a day (as per the plan). I do have vegan protein powder 2x a day. I also have more than 80oz of water.

Sometimes I get working and just want to get this one last thing done. By the time I'm done it means that I'm close or over my juice time. I make all of my juice by hand 2-3x a day. I could do all of my juice at one time if I wanted to. When I get over my juice time I drink 16oz of water and then eat a couple of green beans (these raw crunchy awesome beans). Anyway, then I prep the fruits and veggies for juicing. When I'm done washing everything I drink the juice (some juices make 2 servings so I only drink half).

I'm down to 276.6ish in weight. I've noticed a lot of other benefits that I didn't expect or I wasn't thinking about - most notably my brain seems to have returned. It's still a bit cloudy, but that's mostly b/c I've been working 16 hour days this week to push for this client by tomorrow. And because of that I've also been tired from the extended hours without much in the way of rest. However, my brain has regained it's bounce in terms of being able to think through problems at work. I lost so much focus over the last few years (at work - I mean ADD is gonna happen when I socialize).

I'll be doing official weight and measure tomorrow.

Coke and BPA

"Cans and plastic bottles are lined with a controversial chemical called BPA, and while the CDC still says the chemical's health effects are unclear, research on chronic exposure has linked it to high blood pressure and heart rate issues."

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/12/15/here-why-might-want-to-stop-drinking-out-cans/?intcmp=ob_article_footer_text&intcmp=obnetwork

http://www.newser.com/story/199719/why-drinking-from-a-can-could-be-dangerous.html?utm_source=part&utm_medium=foxnews&utm_campaign=rss_health_syn

Until 13 days ago I'd been drinking Coke very regularly.  Recently, I had wondered about aluminum.  I choose Aluminum over plastic bottles because I like that they seem to get colder and the taste is better.  For those that don't drink a lot of Coke, there is a significant taste difference between bottles, cans, 2liter bottles, fountain drinks, and glass bottles.  Each one is different in flavor.  I like the can or fountain drink flavor the best.  My wife, when we get Coke in bottles she likes glass bottles (and she only drinks Coke like 2x a year).

W2J3-W2J4 - Days 10 and 11

I've not been nearly as tired.  I haven't been entirely juicing.  There have been a few occasions that I eat some fresh green beans or some black olives.  I don't eat much and it's just when my stomach starts aching b/c I've missed my eating window.  Sometimes I get into what I'm doing and lose track of time (which is fairly new to have that back) or I get into a work meeting and can't go get juice immediately when it's time to make it.

I'm down to 276.4 - we'll see how this goes.  My goal is to get to 270.  Once I get there, my goal will be 10 pounds at a time until I can get close to my end goal then I may drop that goal to 5 pounds at a time.

The cravings are almost all gone, but I'm listening to what my body is telling me.  I do have cravings for some green beans and olives which is why I started eating some of those.  And BTW, I think black olives taste "buttery".

Anyway, doing well.  I do have some protein daily via the veggie protein powder just to make sure I've got some.  I do smell ammonia occasionally and that tells me my body is burning protein so I make sure to get that intake.

My plan the rest of this week is to get fully adjusted, and get some rest.  With work being weird I've not slept as much as I should be.  Then next week I get back into TRX.  I may start Sunday, we'll see.  I feel like I need to sleep in for a few days and get rested.  And none of that is b/c of juicing all from extra long hours at work.

W2J2 - Day 9

I never thought I'd say that I went 10 days without Coke (ok 9.5 so far - pushing 10) and 9 days as mostly a vegetarian (we know about my 3 slips).  That also means I've only had caffeine once and that was when I was sick.  I thought it would help "speed things along", GI speaking.

I forgot to mention that the food I bought on the day before I started juicing would've been enough for both my wife and I to juice an entire week had I not gotten sick.  So now I have 2 bags of spinach and 1 bag of kale left over.  I did go to the store and get more fruits to start this week.  I'll have to go back and get some more to finish out this week as I bought enough just for a few days (on purpose).

I have found a few things different in my day-to-day.
1) I never liked to spend a lot of time cooking, so my meal prep was never more than 30 minutes (probably for the entire day).  Now, my prep and "cooking" time with cleaning is 30 minutes or less each "meal".  So if my wife and I are juicing then it's 30 minutes 4-6 times daily.  I would normally bitch and complain, however, this gives me a break from work and if I don't then I'm intensely hungry.
2) My brain "drifting" has returned.  When i'm juicing I'm able to get back to thinking about a ton of other things at once.  I haven't been able to do that in years except when I would walk, run, or ride my bike (motor or manual).
3) I haven't lost a thought in a few days.  Once I start a thought I've managed to keep it through distractions.
4) I've had an increase in focus.  That's been a severe problem for a few years.  I've had to force myself to focus.
5) I've been able to visualize much better.  If you've ever seen the Moffat Sherlock series there's the episode Hound of the Baskervilles where Sherlock sits down and literally sees all of the permutations.  That's very close to how my brain normally works.
6) I've been remembering more.  Each day I seem to be able to remember more and more.  I used to be able to recall details from documents or articles or anything really with good detail.  Not photographic memory, just really good detail.  Most of the time, over the last few years, I can barely remember my name.  Ok that's stretching it, but you get my point.
7) My nose used to run all of the time like allergies.  I take Zyrtec twice daily.  I've not been taking the night dose and my wife says that my snoring has somewhat diminished.
8) I don't have candida flareups anymore.
9) My teeth are always smooth.  I brush them and many hours later they're still smooth like I just brushed.
10) I was plagued with years (nearly 20) of needing to immediately have to rush to the bathroom.  I don't fear that anymore.
11) I've been able to regain my brain "not shutting off" which I used to hate, but if you've ever had it then lost it, well you miss it.

Downsides:
1) I pee a lot.  After every juice I drink 16 oz of water - for a total of 10-12 or more glasses of water a day.  AND I get 4-6 juices in daily... all liquids
2) I don't defecate as much.  This really isn't a downside.  There's also no urgency like there was before.

W1J8

Today, I have mostly juiced.  I say mostly b/c for dinner I had some baked cauliflower.

I feel great.  I'm a little tired from lack of sleep over the last weeks.

I weighed and measured today: 277 and my sizes are slightly more than before not sure why.

W1J7

Well, it's been a crazy week. I haven't had a Coke since last Saturday (8 days ago). I have been a most-a-vegetarian - that means I had meat three times this week. I intended to go all vegetarian/vegan, but I got sick Wed night and into Thurs morning. I still juiced, but Thurs morning about 3 something I thought maybe I needed to eat something so I had some fruit. Then in the evening I wasn't feeling better and had that "you need to eat now or you are going to get really sick" feeling. So I stopped at Sonic and ate the burger. I felt better, but still didn't feel well. It turns out it was my body getting rid of some GI issues b/c I didn't hydrate enough. Then Friday I had some sushi after juicing all day. It was ok sushi - after we ordered I realized it had imm crab in it. Then yesterday at the meeting I had a berry smoothie and a Wild Hog sandwich (panini, egg, bacon, and provolone). I've dropped 9 pounds this week to 277. Today has been all juice save some (like 6) green beans. Tomorrow, I hit juicing full time again, increase the protein intake via the vegan protein powder and now that I'm not sick, hit the TRX again.

All-in-all I'm happy with the progress I made in not drinking Coke (other than juice all I drink is water now), dropping some weight, and sticking to what I'm supposed to do most of the time. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't plan ahead for the night I stopped and picked up the burger. Overall though, it's been a crazy week, but I am actually looking forward to this next week of juicing.

W1J6

Yesterday was a pretty good day.  I ate some fruits and vegetables and had some sushi - which i thought was going to be vegetarian, but had some crab meat in it.  That's ok - not part of the plan, but it's ok.  I did sleep through the night though which is good news - and the first time since I quit drinking Coke - which was last Saturday (today is Saturday).

I now weight 277.6 - which is about 9 pounds less than when I started.

My headache goes away as long as I drink plenty of water.

Otherwise, I feel great.  I drank one juice yesterday and I had one of the vegan protein shakes.

W1J4, W1J5

J4
I woke up this morning without a headache.  My weight was 278.8 - I have been a bit hungrier.  My stomach feels like it's eating itself so I've been drinking a lot more water, some BCAAs, and juice.

The vegan protein powder came in so I had some of that.  After that everything went badly.  I was feeling great until my stomach started cramping and my intestines started hurting a lot.  Not just a little, but debilitatingly painful.  I did a lot of hoping and drinking water.

J5
I didn't sleep much at all.  I woke up at 3am and couldn't go back to sleep b/c my intestines hurt so bad.  I decided not to juice today at all.  by 5 my intestines hurt so bad that I ate two really small apples and 2 tiny oranges.  That didn't help.  I took some stool softener and milk of magnesia.  The rest of the day was a blur of running to the bathroom.  I did eat some vegetable soup broth and some of the carrots, onions, and celery in the soup (not much of the solids).  I felt a little better, but my body was still in pain.  By the end of the day, I made a run to get some ink cartridges and, being desperate, I stopped to get a Sonic cheeseburger in case my body was angry about not having meat.

By the end of the night, I felt ok, but I still had some cramping in my large intestines.  I took a GasX and by morning felt perfect.

I ate the apples, oranges, soup, and burger for no reason.  I was grasping to make sure I wasn't getting really sick.  The problem was that the day before I hadn't had a lot of water.  In fact I had only 16 oz of water.  The other days I had gone over 64 oz and was closer to 80oz of water.

I'm going to keep juicing, but I'm thinking that I'm going to keep some items in my diet.  Like instead of all veggies and fruits being juiced, I may juice quite a bit and keep the water going, but I may keep some of the fruits and veggies for fiber - I don't know yet.

However, being 11Dec - I haven't had a Coke since the evening of the 6th of December.

W1J3

I awoke at 3 am after going to bed at 10pm.  I didn't toss and turn - I just woke up.

I feel fine other than being a little tired b/c I've had two out of 4 days that I've woke (or been woken up) in the middle of the night and then not gone back to sleep.

I'm down to 280-281ish in weight.  I'm drinking 8oz of juice at the scheduled times and about 16 oz of water or more after each juice (not including the water I have first thing when I wake up).

W1J2

Day 2 of juicing.  I've felt quite well - where my wife feels like she has the flu (headaches, joint pain, weakness).  I've had a headache ranging in intensity all day.  I can only assume that's because my last Coke was about 7 Saturday night - and 48 hours later it wants to come back into my life.  I did daydream a little about bacon.  I've never been 48 hours as a vegetarian let alone vegan.

I found a vegan protein powder that comes close to my current whey protein powder.  I'm having it shipped so I can add 44g of protein to my current diet of juices (which is about 12 g of juices).

I have found after only 2 days that I am tired of washing the juicer.  I also cut the hole in the bottom of a tiny bowl and I put it around the top of the plunger entrance - this way I can dump a handful of kale in and plunge it and not get kale everywhere.

I juiced the servings of orange for tomorrow along with tonights orange for dessert.  I also juiced the green for lunch tomorrow.  So, tomorrow I just need to do our red and another green.

I've been slightly tired today, but not exhausted.  I woke up tired, but I think that's all because I didn't get as much sleep this weekend as I wanted.  I could use a nap, but I'm not exhausted.

Let's go tomorrow.

Grocery List for W1J1-J7

I thought I'd post the grocery list for this week.  If anything is needed (we run out of the veggies/fruits) then I'll add that to the total.

The total price was:126.03 and that's for 2 people for 75-80% of one week of juicing.

4 bags of spinach
5 bags of carrots
5 bags of kale (1/2 bag is approximately 16 leaves in my approximation)
4 boxes of blueberries
20 cucumbers
2 bags of red apples (small - med)
4 bags of golden delicious apples (small-med)
5 bags of celery stalks
7 sweet potatoes
7 pears
5 beet root bunches (about 4-5 in a bunch)
1 bag of mini oranges

This purchase deviated from the plan slightly.  I didn't want to buy a bunch of some items (like beets) if I didn't like the taste.  We can always go back to the store if we run out.

The original list was this:
29 beets
137 carrots
104 apples
345 kale leaves
60 stalks of celery
7 sweet potatoes
14 pears
10.5 cups of blueberries
40 lemons
15 oranges
35 cucumbers
20 spinach handfuls

At the end of the week, I'll post what we went through and the total cost for the two of us.  When it's just me juicing the cost will go down a little bit unless I decide to drink both sets.  I'm not sure how that's all going to work when I've got the fridge full of food... where's everyone elses going to go?

Weights and Measures - Day J1

Last night my last "real" meal was Pizza - 5 slices of Meatzza from Dominos.  This morning I did have donut holes as my last breakfast.  My last lunch yesterday was Bacon McDouble.  None of those foods do I normally have.  I chose them b/c they were the top of my list.  Well, the McDouble wasn't, it should've been a Sonic Bacon Double Cheeseburger or a Burger King Triple Double or whatever they're called... anyway.

I like to keep track of a lot of stuff.  Mostly because I like to be able to look back and find statistics that help me prove or disprove a theory.  One example is workout logs.  I track how I felt when I wake up, pre workout, post workout and bed time.  This helps me gauge my workout.  For example, if I don't feel well when I get up and my workout is crappy I will assume it's b/c of the wellness.  If I eat crappy then workout and don't feel well I can track that to my food.  As well, if I track a lot of different statistics then I can see my progress charted out.  I'm very OCD about these things even though they may not matter to anyone else.

I felt great this morning when I woke up.  My wife couldn't sleep last night and woke me up by accident and I couldn't go back to sleep for about an hour or so.  Even after all of that I still felt great.  I'm a little tired, but I felt great.

Let's start with today's weights and measures.

neck 16.75
chest (nipple line) 46.75
chest (underboob thinnest part) 43
belly button 49.75 (sucked in = 48)
butt/hips 52.5
thighs 33.75
weight 286ish

Juices
Carrot-Apple-Lemon
Coconut Water - tastes like liquid rice crispys
Mean Green
Un-Beet-Able
Green Lemonade
Carrot-Apple-Ginger

My total calories have been 639 which feels wrong.  I feel like there should be more especially when working out.  I'll have to research that a bit more.  I also didn't drink as much water today as I could have.  I would normally drink about 80 oz or more, but today I had about 32-48oz.

I have not felt horrible at all.  I have missed reaching over and grabbing my ice cold can of coke; and when I was cooking pork for dinner I did want a little.  I've always eaten meat, so 60 days vegetarian/vegan is going to be hard for me to do.

I am going to add some protein powder mixes to my daily as well.  They're vegan and 0 carbs.

Tomorrow is J2 (day 2 of juicing) and I will also fire up the TRX as well.

2nd juice of the day - Garden Variety

I am not starting juicing until tomorrow (I want to have one more burger and one more piece of pizza first).  My wife is starting today - however, most of the recipes we've chosen are for two... so this is Garden Variety - it mostly tastes like Kale and Cucumber... but still pretty good.  The first one of the day was mostly carrot and apple which was delicious.  The recipe makes so much that we have to put it into a pitcher to mix then we pour it into cups.

Family together - Juicing?

Last Sunday (or so) I bought my wife "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead 2" which also came with the original.  I wasn't interested, but I watched with her anyway (that's what you're supposed to do - well, that and not huffing an puffing while attending her event - which I also complied with).  I am interested in a lot of different information and so I watched.  I expected some gimmicky something.  I did not get that gimmicky anything.  I did see a lot of motivation.  His story, while not the same as mine, was inspiring.

My wife, who has been fantastic - a lot of guys say their wives are amazing, mine really is (her secret identity is Wonder Woman - shhh our secret) - has asked me for only one thing since we've been together: to live as long as she does.  She has always been acceptant of my larger size.  She is also one of the few people who has known me at 170-190 (nearly 100 pounds ago).  All of this time she's loved me and been there for me.

She's also been very frustrated.  Her frustration stems from the fact that I start a workout then get stressed or let work take over my life and then my workout goes away and the next thing that happens is that I eat a bag of donettes and drink a 6 pack of Coke during the day... then week... then month... then few months.  When the stress is gone, I go back to eating well, and cutting back Coke to 1 or 2 a day.  Now, that's not to say that I eat donettes entirely.  I don't like candies or cakes or really anything sweet except Coke.  However, when I get stressed I eat a lot more than normal - an example being a pizza (medium, large, whatever) and then Taco Bell a couple of times a day... like a Chicken XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito or Sonic Bacon Double Cheeseburger with tots.  See where this is going?  I make bad choices and it's easy to justify.  "It's just one meal a day" or whatever the excuse I give myself is.  The fact is that when I get stressed out I drop everything else in my life and focus on relieving that stress... and I do that by working through it and eating poorly.

Recently, my wife asked me for only one thing - to be smaller.  At first I was heartbroken and upset, angry even (and I don't get angry).  I even thought "you said you loved me at this size".  It took a few days for me to think it through and not be upset with her.  She's not saying she doesn't love me now.  She's not saying that she won't love me at this size.  She is saying that she wants me to be healthier (btw, for those wondering, my lab results are normal - the only thing not healthy about me is my weight... and my love of Cobie Smulders and Zooey Deschanel slow dancing with Stephen Amell and Matt Bomer in a 4 square of Barry White melodies).  She's tired of me complaining that I get out of breath going up the stairs (even though I can do multiple inverted pushups with the TRX).  She's tired of me complaining about different things then seeing (or hearing) me open a can of Coke.  She's tired of me complaining about not being smaller while I order pizza.  All of that is understandable.  Please don't fault her for any of that.  I got mad at her the other day for the same thing.  She was feeling great then ate some popcorn and something else and didn't feel well and got headaches... over multiple days.  Then, she complained about it and I got upset with her.  I understand her frustration.  Just look at my blog here since I've started doing this online.  This blog isn't the first journal I've ever done on weight loss since 2000 - just the first one I've decided to publish for others to see in the hopes that maybe it'll help them.  I used to keep detailed workout logs including foods, workouts, etc.  One day, I'll publish those as well.  And back then, I was just 180-190 pounds.  So you can also see that I've had a lot of problems with my self image and weight struggles for 18+ years.

Sorry, I went off in a different direction a couple of times.  My wife is very supportive of me and my TRX workouts.  She notes that when I workout with TRX there are a lot of things better (including a couple I can't mention b/c they are in the bedroom).  My mood is better, I'm stronger, I enjoy things more, I don't get as stressed about work... and a few others.  I fully believe (and I know I've read an article here or there about it) that at least some of my depression is related to my weight.  Not being fat, mind you, but the physical effects of carrying an extra 100 pounds.  In addition, my self esteem is at an all time high b/c I'm at the middle of my game professionally.  I have a fantastic home life (that is like most others where we have ups and downs and the ups always outweigh the downs).  And I am working on projects that mean something to me personally (like the Cherokee English Dictionary project and a tornado sensor project).  So, other than having weight and some stress I have a great life.

Where is all of this going?  Well, back to the beginning.  Since 1997 or so I've struggled with the fact that, at that time, I was 10 pounds over my personal ideal weight at 170.  I didn't like being 160 much, but at 170 that was too much... from that point it got worse.  I worked out daily for a long time, but I was eating crappy.  Then in 2002 I was running daily and working out from May to October.  I was able to run 5 minute miles... but I still weighed 190ish pounds... because I was eating crappy.  From there it went up.  In 2003, while in Iraq, I was diagnosed with OCD (emphasis on the 'O') and prescribed Zoloft (which eventually went up to 200 mg a day or more)... at that point, I was again eating crappy and my weight went very quickly up to 245-265 pounds over 3-4 months which is what it would be when I came home in July 04.  From there it's remained the same or gone up a little each year.  My largest was about 291 (which is somewhere in this blog).  So 10 years 100 pounds or so.

As you have followed through this blog you will notice dates... If I had continued to just walk or just workout or whatever then it would've been 2 years and I would've been in great shape.  But I do well for 3-4 months then I get stressed out and slide back.  So my weight and fitness (weight because of fitness and food) are tied together.  They go back up... then I start over after 3-4 months.  I'm causing my own yo-yo effect.

And that leads us back to the beginning... Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead and the sequel.  I watched them both.  What struck me wasn't the weight loss (which was impressive) but how the people evolved to their energetic state.  Remember, my goal isn't to lose weight, but be able to do one solitary full body, full weight pull-up.  Even then, at working out on the TRX (which I dearly love) I'm not losing weight that I can feel.  I know I'm losing size, but not weight.  I want to do both - but not for me.  I found out that Stephen Amell is coming to Planet ComiCon in Kansas City next March.  I joke that I wanted to lose weight for that.  In reality, I needed an excuse to lose weight that I didn't think people would be upset for.  When you say "I'm losing weight" and people ask "why?" you're supposed to say "myself, my health" or some crap.  That's not it.  I don't do this for me.  I do it for my wife.  She deserves someone smaller.  She deserves someone that can do a TRX Body Saw for 45 minutes (wink).  She deserves me to be healthier and stronger.  I don't know that she deserves for me to live longer ;) but she wants me to.

So, for a week I've been migrating from all solid foods (which I really didn't eat much anyway as I was intermittent fasting for 2-3 weeks before that).  In any case, this last week I've downed about 80 oz of water a day and between 4-6 Cokes (I know, I know, shut it) and then had one solid food meal at dinner.  The idea was to clean out my intestines (not to drink Coke).  Which did work.  I feel better.  I also noticed that I felt much better yesterday and today than I had through most of the last year.  I've felt like my mind has been clearer than ever before (or at least that I can remember).  I've been able to focus this week (just look at this blog post).  It's been great.  I also tried a couple of juices.  My wife went on a juice kick a couple of years ago which I was not supportive of.  I didn't get it (not the juicing the support).  I now understand.  I'm doing this for her which is even better motivation for me b/c when she giggles later on it'll make me happier.  As for support, I didn't understand the need for it, you just do stuff or you don't.  I don't feel like I need support in a lot of things in my life so I don't ask for it.  This time, however, she asked if I'd be willing to do it and I emphatically said "yes".  When I say this is for her it's not to say that I won't have any benefits nor that I'm begrudgingly doing it.  I'm doing this because I love her and she's asked me for only one thing in 5 years (though technically she did con me into ask me to marry her and that's to be smaller.

Today I'm eating some foods that I won't have for the next 10-60 days.  I don't know what my juicing will look like.  I will juice for 60 days.  I don't know if that will be straight or if I will need to take breaks (for a day) every 15 or so.  I will be posting videos that are much shorter than this blog which will cover my workouts, juices had, how I feel, and more.  My wife will only be doing this for the first 10 days.

Last night my wife and I figured out what juices we would drink from the simple plan (red, orange, green, purple, yellow) and then what ingredients we'd need.  I then went to Wal-Mart (the first time I've been in a Wal-Mart for more than a year) and loaded up my cart with enough veggies to last most of the week.  I say most because we're not sure how much we really needed (how many celery stalks are in a bunch?) so I estimated about 75%.  We'll keep track of what we use and what we have to get extra which will then determine how much we use over the next 7 days.  After that we'll have a much better idea of how much produce will be needed.  While checking out I put beets up (which were wet).  The checkout lady, in a German-like accent, said "thank you for choosing me for all of your wet stuff".  I chuckled, she was adorable.  I couldn't tell if she was joking or not, but I thought it was hilarious.

Photos of the cart, checkout line, table and fridge.

W2D1

Today starts week 2.  I always hate restarting workouts, and if I'd just not stop I'd continue to workout (kind of the point, right?).

This weekend I didn't do anything strenuous.  I rested after last weeks workouts.  I was so sore on Saturday that I didn't want to workout - I rather enjoyed that feeling.  Sunday, I didn't eat much different than the rest of the week except that I had some Cinnabon Delights from Taco Bell and glazed donut holes and maybe a few other things.

I've cut coke down to 2 a day (much better than 6).  Almost all of my cravings for chocolate and bad stuff have nearly gone since I started downing 7+ cups of water a day.  I also start the day with 3 eight-oz glasses of water then brush my teeth.   After an hour I take my meds with 2 more glasses of water.  I then don't eat until about 11:30 or so and have stopped eating about 8 at night.  This is kind of how my body has worked for 20 years so IF seems to be the way I like to go.

I had to take longer breaks than I thought I would between sets, but I did quite well.  I'm impressed by how much I was able to accomplish and the actual workout.

16.5 weeks to go til PCC 13-15Mar15 - My plan is workouts 5-6 days a week through the holidays.  Remember my only goal is one single Pull Up of my 284 pound body; any weight loss that comes with strength is pure bonus.

I want to leave with this link.  In addition to losing weight, there is a chance that the first year or two I might have a lot of extra unwanted skin while it recovers from the weight loss.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/13/160-pound-weight-loss-insecurity_n_6153308.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

I only have 100 pounds that I want to lose (though I'd like to see about 125-130 pounds total) through all of this.  I'd like to be about 230-240 by PCC, but again I'm not working for that; I'd reach my goal by being able to do one pull up by PCC.

Exercise	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4
Forward Lunge with Hip Flexor Stretch
Squat Row	20 L2	16 L2	16 L2	16 L2
Pull Up	6 L1	6 L1	6 L1	6 L1
Body Saw	6 L3	6 L3	6 L3	6 L3
Low Row to Biceps Curl to Y Fly	12 L2	13 L2	12 L2	12 L2

W1D4

Today is the Upper Body Circuit from www.smartfoodandfit.com

After the first Circuit I'm feeling it all - though mostly b/c of the increased cardio.  I didn't realize the last time that I missed two sets in the Circuit.

ugh...so 2nd sets are out as well.  I'm going to have to kick it into gear and really work hard the next four months.

W1D3

Exercise	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4
TRX Side Plank	3x10s L2	3x10 L1	# L#	# L#
TRX Hip Press	12 L2	12 L2	# L#	# L#
TRX Inverted Row	12 L1	12 L1	# L#	# L#
TRX Pike	4 L2	8 L2	# L#	# L#

First Set
Todays workout was far less than stellar.  I'm extremely stressed about a few things in life right now and that caused me to not be able to focus.  Every time I'd get into a workout I'd think about something I needed to fix and fixing those seems more important.  I can't let them be more important than working out.

Later on today I'll do the other three sets in the circuit.

I need to adjust my food plan so I'm not struggling for energy.  The Coke isn't good and it's the only thing I have in the house with caffeine and carbs.  I have to go food shopping tonight.

Second Set
You'll see in my 2nd set I did Side Planks 3x10 L1 - that's not entirely accurate.  I did the left side 3x10 L2 then right side 1x10 L2 then 3x10 L1 to make up for the non L2s I was doing.  It wasn't my side, but my knees that felt like they were going to snap sideways on the right side.

I did do all of the Pikes this time.  This is not a bad workout at all.  It is involved enough that I feel it working; feel the workout; and don't feel like I'm going to die.

Third and Fourth Set
I got wrapped up in home stuff and did not end up doing either of these sets

W1D2 TRX Lower Body Circuit

Today is W1D2 - Remember I am following two routines (mentioned here).  The first is the TRX Pull Up Program.  The second is the Smart Food and Fit TRX Workouts.  Today, Day 2, is the Lower Body Circuit.

Yesterday did not go so well.  I did one set of the W1D1 Circuit A that I have done two weeks in a row now.  I did very well, improving off of the last two times I had done the circuit.  Today, I was going to finish that one, but decided not to and just move on.  What I encountered yesterday was my body telling me to stop b/c of stomach cramps once I completed the first set.  I realized I hadn't eaten yet and I need to eat about a half hour before I workout.  So I ate, then I got wrapped up in work and home stuff and ended up not working out past that first set.

I set out to fix that today by eating lunch.  I had intended to workout after my 2pm phone call and did not, instead I worked through my workout because I felt guilty that I had taken a lunch on Veteran's Day.  It sounds crazy, and might well be, but this is how my brain works.

Today's workout consists of: TRX Abducted Lunge (12-25), 50 Jumping Jacks, TRX Lunge (12-25), 50 Jump Ropes, and TRX Balance Lunge (12-25); for a total of 3 circuits.

The first circuit I did 12 for the TRX exercises and 50 for the other 2.  Wow.  I was worn out after the first circuit; and my stomach hurts since it's been 6 hours since I last ate.  I need to really do better at that.  I sweat a little and felt my heart rate get up there from the exercises.  With Jumping Jacks I noticed my calves hurt after 25 and were burning at 50.  With the Jump Ropes I was just worn out after 20 and the next 30 took forever to finish b/c I kept messing up and stepping on the rope (I'm sure I'll get better as I continue to do them).

The second circuit I did the same as the first.  A little better with the jump rope, going nearly 10 before messing up the first time.

I am skipping the third circuit tonight.  I'm almost completely out of energy and my stomach is yelling for me to eat or I'll be sick.

All-in-all, a good workout.  Not too strenuous, but enough of a workout to make me feel it and my pulse went up to 86... not too bad for exerting vigorously (I'm taking Propranolol).

Time to eat!  Tomorrow is TRX Pull Up Program Circuit B - you can find more information here

W1D1 - TRX PullUp workout

Nothing has changed since last week except that I didn't workout but 1/4 of one time.  I wasn't feeling well most of the week so I kicked in some candida supplements to knock that out again.  Today is really my first day all over again.

After finishing just 2 sets my arms are like jello (which I'm ok with), and my legs don't feel very worked out.  I'll step up the next sets for the squats to get more burn out of them.

By the third set I was able to do some of the pullups at level 1, but I hit muscle failure by the fourth one (remember I can't do a single real pull up).  I was able to do better on the Body Saw the third set not fatiguing and having to stop.  The third set of Low Row... I had to stop at 7, I felt like my arms were going to give out.

During the fourth set, everything was a lot harder.  My arms almost gave out (or felt like it) a few times.  I had to rest during the Squat Row to give my arms a chance to "breathe"; and again during the Low Row.  The Body Saw on the fourth set was so little movement that it was closer to a plank.

I managed to complete the sets in 1 hour taking enough time to eat b/c my stomach was hurting and typing up these entries along the way.

Great way to spend my lunch hour.

Exercise	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4
Forward Lunge with Hip Flexor Stretch
Squat Row	20 L2	16 L2	16 L2	16 L2
Pull Up	6 L1	6 L1	6 L1	6 L1
Body Saw	6 L3	6 L2	6 L3	6 L3
Low Row to Biceps Curl to Y Fly	12 L2	8 L2	8 L2	8 L2

And so it begins... again Week 1, Day 1

I was struggling with how to layout my workouts since I finished the TRX Force workout.  I wanted to go gung-ho again and do a hour of cardio in the morning and at night and TRX at noon.  I was already tired from putting that plan together.  I seem to push things as though I won't have time to do them later so I should pack everything into a fast plan.  What ends up happening is that I start dropping elements as I go and I never actually complete the massive sets of goals I had planned.

Since my main goal is to do a single pull up, I decided to look for a program to do a single pull up.  As it turns out, there is one out there:  http://www.uscg.mil/worklife/cgap/pro_video/References/TRX-FORCE_pullupprep_final-1.pdf

This is a 5 day a week workout, but I cannot do a single pull up so days 2 and 4 are basically worthless to me (I'll still attempt them though).  So I wanted something for days 2, 4, and 6 that would give me some cardio.
I came across this:  http://smartfoodandfit.com/feel-good-total-body-workout-trx-circuit-workout/
With this downloadable PDF: http://smartfoodandfit.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Trx-workout.pdf

I've decided to do the Lower Body Circuit 1 on Day 2, the Upper Body Circuit on Day 4, and the Core and More Circuit on Day 6.  This way there are cardio days on 2 and 4; where day 6 is kind of a day off from cardio.

I've already not eaten enough today.  I didn't have time at lunch so I ran up and grabbed a lot of baby carrots.  That's it!  Tonight, I need to plan out what I'm going to eat over the next few days and when.

Workout Summary:

This workout I figured I wouldn't have a lot of energy going in since I didn't have much in the way of food.

I completed a massive 1 circuit before wanting to lay down and sleep.

Forward Lunge with Hip Flexor Stretch	35s
Squat Row	15
Pull Up (Level 1)	6
Body Saw (Level 1)	6
Low Row to Biceps Curl to Y Fly	8

I'll go eat a little bit and get some more glasses of water.  I may come back and at least do another circuit before I go to bed.

How Do I Feel:
Tired.  Great as far as muscles go.  I probably could've increased the difficulty on the Squat Rows a bit, but I'm sure my body will let me know about those later.

12 weeks and continuing where I left off

It's time.  I fixed my stationary bike so the seat doesn't hurt when I ride for an hour.  I replenished the vitamins I just ran out of.  Finally, I adjusted my workout space so I have mats for the floor.

I've noticed in 12 weeks that I've gone from feeling great to feeling bloated, crappy, and out of energy.

I haven't fully figured out what I'm going to do for eating, but I'm leaning towards:

1. drink three glasses of water (24oz total) 
2. one hour later taking vitamins and eating breakfast
3. eat lunch and dinner within 8 hours of breakfast
4. not eat any more until the next breakfast
5. drinking approx a gallon of water in a day
6. < 2 cans of Coke to start, work down to none once omega3s and fish oil kick the brain back in to focus
7. parallette work for about 5 mins every hour for a break - to be able to hold myself up
8. 1 hour cardio in the morning - walking, biking, elliptical, jumprope, insanity, etc
9. TRX at lunch

I still have the same goals as before:

• Do a single pull-up
• Lose weight and size - but secondary to the workouts and not the primary focus
• Get to 260 pounds (from there I'll adjust down)
• NOT develop chicken legs.  I have watched a lot of videos about upper body competitions (Battle of the Bars, etc) and I see fully developed upper bodies, but really thin legs.

I have not met my original goals, yet:

• My overall goal is to lose 80 to 100 pounds by October.  Technically, it is possible to lose the weight.  Ideally, I would like to be 160-180 by the end of the year and only doing maintenance workouts 3ish times a week. -- http://elvisapocalypse.blogspot.com/2013/01/day-1-14jan13.html

• Do one pull-up

I've been evaluating what I didn't do to get to the weight loss goal I had set. 

• I didn't cut out as much Coke as I thought I could.  Now that I have the brain focus from the Omega-3 and Fish Oil I can wean off Coke again.
• I adjusted my eating while working out and ran out of energy during workouts which made them painful (figuratively) to perform.  At one point I was eating less than 800 calories a day... not good for the energy, but I wasn't hungry at all.

In order to drop the weight I want and increase my performance I need to:

• Find my balance of food that keeps my energy up, and helps my focus (to replace caffeine and HFCS)
• Get in full workouts (not stopping because I ran out of energy)

I know from analyzing my last 10 months of workouts, and blog entries that I have several factors I allow to stop my working out:

• Losing brain focus and reverting back to Coke
• Losing energy
• Not seeing gains

I also know that if I can fix the first two those are the biggest part of my problem.  The third is fixed by doing cardio for about an 45min-hour (or 3 1/2 miles walking or more) and then TRX.  If I get in 2 hours of workout a day then in a couple of days I'm hungry all of the time.  At that point it's a matter of keeping the food, I should eat, in stock.

In addition, if I stop working out my weight and size fluctuates up and down for about 10 weeks, but will essentially stay the same.  I weighed myself over the 12 weeks that I stopped working out and noticed that I stayed between 276 and 282 until about the last 2 weeks.  At that point, my body got bigger and my weight went up to 287... right back where I was 24 weeks ago... 24 weeks (almost a half year, wow).

My rest between "seasons" is over.  It's time to kick it in again.  My kids want to build a Ninja Warrior gym in the backyard and I've always wanted to build a half pipe to blade on.  I'm leaning towards building the Ninja Warrior gym, you know for the kids.  I can't do any of the exercises that require me to pick up my body with my arms so I'll stick with the TRX for now.

11 weeks

Eleven weeks is how long I've not worked out.  For 10 weeks I didn't gain or lose any weight nor did I gain size.  this last week I gained 7 pounds, I could barely buckle my belt, and my jacket was a little tight when I was zipping it up yesterday.

It's time to get back into working out.  I am not excited about it, but I'm not hating it either.  My problem isn't the workout, but deciding what to do, then not getting bored doing it.

I hate running.  I am ok with riding a bike, walking, etc.  I just don't feel like I have time to do other stuff.  If I'm walking, riding a bike, trxing then I'm not able to do all of the stuff I want to get done.  Then with BMX on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 - 8:30 my nights are virtually unproductive in terms of other things I'd like to do (and I do like watching Lucas race, he's really, really good).  Then there's the problem that I feel like losing size is a lot of work.  I've written about how difficult it gets mentally not to give up.

I have to do this.  I want to get to a maintenance phase.  I need to get a strong start and get into a good place with my cardio and strength.  I also need to eat.  I don't eat until dinner.  I've slid out of what I need to do and back into a lot of years of work (not workout) routines.

I think now my next step is to plan what I'm going to eat and when and what and how I'm going to workout.

One month off

I've taken the last month off.  I wasn't feeling motivated, I had a week of vacation, and was sick for two weeks).  I'm still a good deal as strong as I was.  I had intended to start this week w three hours of working out.  Instead I've done none.  I need to find a groove and a time that works best for me... Mornings are not that time

TRX - W9D1

After some weight loss today (down to 276.3 - 16Feb14 I weighed 297.4 -- about 22 weeks and 22 pounds) and yesterdays workout I was a little more motivated.

Today's workout was almost the same as yesterdays.  I probably should've looked ahead.

Pike -- no problemo.  10 was a little rough, but I made it happen
Pull-up -- 5.  A little more difficult.  I spread my legs wide so I wouldn't use them to push myself up.
Incline Press -- 6 each leg and one each leg at level 3 (both legs off the ground)
Power pull -- very easy
Y Deltoid Fly to T Fly -- I've done a lot of shoulder exercises in the last two days.  These started to get sore by the end
Hip Throw -- very easy
Body Saw -- not as easy.  I couldn't hold my plank anymore.  I had to go to elbows
Clock Press -- very easy
Burpees -- I didn't do these.  I was going to, but I don't like burpees.  I probably should do them sooner or later.
Biceps Curl (single arm) -- easy.  By the end, I was fatigued, but still pushed through.
Hinge -- much easier than they'd been before.

The frustrating thing about all of this is that 4Apr12 I weight 273.8 and later that summer I dropped to about 268 on 31Jul12.  That's two years ago and 8 pounds less than I am now.  That's really frustrating - if I'd managed to put myself first in 12 I could've been 246 instead.  I can't dwell on that and push regret.  I can vow that I won't let it happen again.  I've been working out and logging my actions for 91 days straight and I want to see progress.  I want to be stronger.  I want to be smaller.  I want to fit in an airplane seat.  I want to move like I remember moving when I was younger.  And one day, I want to have a shirtless picture taken with Stephen Amell, Jason Statham, Ryan Reynolds, and Chris Evans - because how cool would that be?

I've been struggling with weight for what seems my whole life (that I can remember of it) - when I got married in 1996 I weighed 170 and thought I was fat then.  I don't know why.  I remember crying the first time I topped 200 and then 215 and was sure the world was ending.  In Iraq, at 190 I thought it was horrific - but then after medications and jumping to 250, 260, and up I just felt... defeated.

Don't feel defeated.  Everyone wants to find that "magic pill" that will fix everything.  There isn't one... that doesn't stop us from trying.  It takes dedication and work (not always hard work).  The pounds come off slowly, but they come off.

TRX - W9D0

You read that right - D0 (Day zero).  I know it's Wednesday.  I should have started W9 on Monday; however, my motivation has been crap.  I did only one day from W8 and did 1/2 of round 1 W8D2 this morning and decided that I didn't want to.  I planned to just stop for the day and decided instead that I'd start W9D1 tomorrow.  Instead of just calling it quits for the day, I decided to do my own blend of workout today to see where my level is.

I'm going to list all of the exercises I did today and my "level" - when I started TRX I couldn't do any of these.  That, to me, also tells of progress.  I did two sets of each holding for a set time or as long as I wanted to.

Body Saw -- these were easy compared to the first time I did them.  At that time, I couldn't hold a plank and couldn't do the rocking well.  Eventually I went to more floor body saws - it's nice to know I can do these now for extended amounts of time.

Incline Plank -- I can do this move nearly vertical now and hold it for over 30 seconds.  The first time I did one I was barely able to get off of the ground and it took two tries to get the total 10 seconds I was supposed to hold it for.

Mountain Climber -- these were like the pike; a little rough.  Something I could certainly use more practice on.

Overhead Back Extension - easy.  I just did 20 to do them.

Pull up - I did the full seated pull-up where my legs are straight in front of me and I just use my upper body to pull my fat butt off the ground.  I did five of these.

Pike -- I haven't done a lot of these lately, I need to do more.  I felt a little weak and had to stop after three.  I continued on through 10

Plank -- I can hold the plank for a long time now

Plank Press -- I was able to do these with both arms at the same time and not stepping them up one at a time from the downward elbow-plank position.  I did 10 without a problem.

Side Plank -- I was able to hold the side plank for close to 30 seconds before I just said that was enough and decided to do another exercise.  I could've held it for a lot longer.

Incline Press -- I cannot do a "handstand" pushup.  As above the Incline Plank I can do near vertical.  I cannot do the incline press near vertical.  I have some horizontal play more in the planche range.

One of these days I'll do each of these exercises for time; holding them until I can't anymore.  Maybe Sunday?

I haven't scoured my previous journal entries for the quotes i had on these exercises when i first started, but I'll bet if you did you'd find a lot of soreness and notes that they were hard.

One other thing I noticed watching some of the street workout performances yesterday was that they all had Hugh Jackman bird legs.  Their upper bodies were ripped, but their lower body was like looking at toothpicks.  They spend so much time on bars they forget to do legs.  They're strong, don't get me wrong, but they are unbalanced in most of the cases I watched last night.

i need to do better

if you go back and look at my workouts over the last 10-11 weeks youll see that they are erratic.  ill workout monday then wed or something then not again til the next tuesday.  ive not noticed any lack of progress, just lack of interest.  i get frustratedby the workouts.  i start and then i just want to stop.  im worn out before i get very far in to the workout (which i think is related to sleep pattern and diet).  im much stronger than i was when i started the trx program so i cant complain about that.  i am just not pushing myself as hard as i think i should be.

i think im going to split trx into 2-3 times each phase coming at different meal times.  then a couple of times a day do supplemental workouts (like an additional set of side planks or planks or pikes etc) to get in some targeted strength for those areas that are especially weak.

i also want to increase some strength for some other positions (like planche) that cannot be achieved via trx.  i can get in some workouts but i cant improve my seated 'L' nor tucking my legs in and transitioning my les from in front to behind - so im going to build some 'canes' to work on that and my handstands (i cant do one and never have).

also in upcoming weeks im going to get some weights to anchor the slideboard and figure out a way to make it more slick.  right now it's semislick.

i also really need to figure out how to make my bike trainer more comfortable.

in a few hours ill do trx w8d2 and hopefully transition to week 9 this week to finish it off early next week.

TRX - W8D1

it has been 2 months since i started TRX.  my first workout was 15May.  im on week 8 and have. missed parts of two weeks that i ended up combining into one week, but it's actually the 9th week of TRX.  After i complete week 12 my goal is to do all of the days i missed (so far there are 6) - so my first run of TRX will actually be 14 physical weeks long (week 12 will be the 13th week then a week of makeup)

I started late this week (Tuesday).  I took two sick days at the end of last week and by Monday was still not feeling great.

This workout went well.  i split it up into two sections.  i didnt feel like i had eaten enough before lunch and was out of energy by the time i completed the first round.  i ate a little bit and by the time i hit the next workout i was fine.

i completed everything easily.  even the singe arm inverted rows were no match for me.  this was a great workout.

i dont have any notes to share - this workout went well.  i was concerned about the single arm inverted rows and the single arm hinges when i stared, but i aced both of those too.

Photos

Previous picture comparisons http://elvisapocalypse.blogspot.com/2014/05/picture-comparisons.html

Here are three different picture comparisons which you can see the dates on.  I'm liking the changes.

Jan2010	May2014	July2014

TRX - W7D3

I was pretty bummed yesterday about not losing weight.  I felt like I had hit a lull and was questioning working out.  I almost let that little naggy-quitting-voice convince me I should stop and I almost didn't workout today.

This morning, however, I was given welcome news by my scale - which prompted me to tape a few days early - which led me to my previous post that was pretty good news for me... I am, indeed, getting smaller.  I noticed my shorts are falling off even faster now - I may have to buy new ones in the future, but not before I drop to a size that I can no longer cinch them.  If I leave them untied they will fall off when I walk (not quite just dropping to the ground, but I'll take it.

With the Pull-ups on the TRX yesterday (seated) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAQwN4t-2JI - skip to about :59) up until yesterday I had done these with my feet flat on the ground.  Yesterday I did them with my legs extended.  Feeling great from the thought of that I thought I'd try a regular pull up on a pull up bar, and a chinup.  I was unable to do either.  I wasn't even able to get my feet off the ground.  I was able to pull myself up some, but not enough to get off the ground nor get my chin over the bar... but 12 weeks ago I couldn't even do what I did this morning.

Today's workout was greeted with a little more fervor than usual.  I was determined to do every rep as well as I could and not just try to do them.  I succeeded.

Incline Press- level 2 - foot on the ground.  Bam!  Completed without any problems.

Plank Press - level 1 (on ground) - just fine - all 7 done correctly and I was thrilled to have that accomplishment.

Inverted Row (single Arm) - these were a nogo - so I did inverted rows dual arm, but one arm at a different distance.  I made the handles two different heights so I would pull mainly on the arm I wanted to.

Pikes - 10 no problem.  I probably could've done 12, but I didn't feel like I had enough energy.

Hip Press - first 10 no problem.  second 10 I had to stop at 8 then go to 10

Hinge (single arm) - I didn't believe that I could do these.  The last time I attempted full hinges it was a row to hinge or something and that was too much.  I did multiple double arm hinges then a few single arm hinges.

Pull Press - another one I wasn't sure of.  Knocked it out no problem.  I may need to adjust my straps a little shorter next time, but I'm happy with the progress.


Remember that it can be easy to lose sight of what your goal is.  You can read here that I did.  I get wrapped up in weight because I've never been 280+ until 2008 and 6 years later I've fluctuated down to 260s and back up to 290s.  That's a large fluctuation.  Also remember that I haven't taken the time for me until 12 weeks ago and last summer.  It's easy to slip back into habits or think you can't do it.

It's like counting calories.  If you have 1200 calories but that's 3 krispy kremes you're not doing yourself any favors.  I do count calories in the app I use (myfitnesspal is great - http://myfitnesspal.com) - and I do what I can to stay under 1500.  However, I do what I can to make sure those 1500 calories are good calories (meat, veggies) and it allows me to see that eating a Taco Bell Mexican Pizza (yum) is also 500+ calories or how easily it is to get 1000+ calories in eating a sonic burger, tater tots, and med coke.  All of my favorite foods are ok as long as I don't do them three times a day and maintain some order to my workouts.  I watch everything to make sure I don't give myself breaks too much when it comes to food.  I know it's ok to eat an occasional meal out, and I don't eat anything yucky - all of the foods I eat are delicious I just don't eat as much of them like I used to.

My trainer doesn't agree with counting calories (so many people focus on the calories and not the content).  She says that you should eat what you feel like and as much of the "healthier" foods like meats, veggies, etc. and skip other foods that you shouldn't (taco bell, etc) and you'll do fine.  She's probably right, however, if I have a goal to reach for that I understand then that helps me feel like I've accomplished something... just like my workouts do.

So the next time you get discouraged remember that your next breakthrough may be right around the corner like mine was this morning.

measurements

I have been eating a bit different lately - and have felt great.  I've needed to break up my workout into three different pieces not including bike riding.  I'll probably start today splitting up the three different trx phases.

I decided to do a weigh in and taping a few days early.

weight 279.4 - below 280 for the first time in a very long time (started at 286.2 - april 25)
waist 46.75 - down from 48 (started at 50)
hips 50 - down from 51.3 (started at 53)
chest 41.5 - down from 43.5 (started at 44)

That's a pretty good feeling after 9 weeks of TRX.  My original goal was pretty much to get smaller and be able to do one pull-up.  Yesterday I did one seated pull-up (I sat on the floor and did a TRX pull-up, so it wasn't all of my body weight) - then did 4 more.  I'm on my way to doing a real pull-up.

This has been crazy.  Just as I get discouraged by the workouts I see and feel results that keep me going.

http://elvisapocalypse.blogspot.com/2013/06/6june13-day-31-3rd-time.html
http://elvisapocalypse.blogspot.com/2014/04/measurements.html

	13May12	7Jun12	6Jun13	30Apr14	9Jul14
weight	270	272	270	284	279.4
navel	49	48.5	46.75	50	46.75
waist	46.5	48	43.5		45
hips	54	52.5	52	53	50
neck	18	17.5	16.5	16.5	16.5
chest				44	41.5

TRX - W7D1 and W7D2

W7D1 went ok.  I felt exhausted and after looking at my foodlog I realized I didn't eat much all day.

Incline press - done with both feet off the ground - I could only do one or two pushups at a time.

W7D2 went very well.

Pull-ups - I did 3 level 2 pul-ups then I did 5 more level 1 pull-ups.  It felt fantastic to pull my entire body off the floor like I did.  To think that 9 weeks ago I couldn't do that and 12 or more weeks ago I could barely do 10 chinups.

Spiderman push-up - I did 5 each side before I ran out of energy or muscle.  I don't know which.  If you look back through my logs you'd see that I couldn't do any and I probably couldn't do a push-up.  My next levelup will be do do them with the TRX and not off the ground.  I realize I'm still pushing 180 every time I put my weight on my arms.

Hip Abduction - You'll never believe this, but I was able to do 10 hip abductions in a row without having to stop and my butt was up off the ground the whole time.

Overall it was a fantastic workout.

I need to do something about the bike seat.  It's incredibly uncomfortable and even when I put padding on it it's still very very uncomfortable and painful.  I know I need bike shorts with padding.  Until then I don't know what I'm going to do.  I need to get more time on the bike than 10 minutes at a time.

TRX - W6D2 and W6D4 -- and vacation

Somehow I missed posting about two days during week 6.  I don't remember the workouts so I'm not sure what I'd put right now.  I know that I did do w6d2 then did w6d4 on tuesday this last week intending to start W7 on Wednesday.  I did not properly calculate the impact that being on vacation would have.

So tomorrow when I start week 7 exercises it will actually be week 9 of doing TRX.  I don't feel like the two weeks I lost (one in Austin and one for vacation) were a bad thing.  I feel like my body needed that time to recover.

One week ago the transmission went out on my car, so I'm now without any transportation save a bicycle which is hugely inconvenient for the miles of trek to get to civilization so I'll be spending a lot more time on my indoor trainer watching TV and/or on my bike or blades around the neighborhood.  Most of all, I've been doing excellent sticking very closely to 1500 calories or less and I've been slowly losing weight.

This weeks plan is to ride for an hour in the morning and evening
Do TRX at noon
Do some other TRXercises (see what I did there? - meh i wasn't the first) that I need practice with or just love doing like planks, pikes, incline press, incline plank, atomic pikes, pull ups, chinups - only about 8-10 of each of these and maybe not all in the same day.

I think after 9 weeks and a weight loss of 4 pounds and stagnant size losses it's time to kick me in the butt.

I hope that by next Sunday I'll be able to do one pullup or have lost 3 pounds and 1/2" size... we'll see (I don't even know if that's realistic)

TRX - W6D1

I skipped W5D4 - I'll make that up at the end (in addition to the week 1 and week 4 days I skipped).  The last note I had was the 18th and today is the 25th - that's nearly a week off and it was worth the rest.

My diet has been severely messed up since TN and then again worse since Austin.  Last week, my exercise routine was totally hosed for morning and evenings - though I did manage to get in some stationary bike rides.

Yesterday and today, I've spent a lot of time detoxing and cleaning everything out.

Today, I also ate 100g of baby carrots about 30 min prior to working out; that helped immensely (just as it did the other day).

Incline Plank - I was able to do these quite easily (with both legs in the air, though not walking both legs back, yet)

Hamstring Curl - I was able to get nearly all of them done with my butt off the ground and not resting and I figured out how not to injure my calves

Plank Press - I cannot do these.  I did a scale check this morning.  When I do a full pushup it's about 178/180 that I push (of 285 pounds).  If I do a "woman's pushup," on my knees, then it's 140ish - if I could figure out a way to plank press less weight I'd certainly do that.  I may just have to wait until I do lose more weight before I do these or, as I've said before, I could pick one exercise that I'm not great at or want to improve and do a few extra of those each night.

Side Planks - I completed all of them without having to rest - though I'm finding that my kidney area hurts when I get towards the end of the last 10s hold.

Now the rough part.  I've been watching everything I'm eating.  I've stayed below my calorie limits.  I've taken in nearly 150g of protein daily - my days have been slightly erratic at times, but I've still stayed beneath what my BMR is (2470 cal) - so why am I not losing weight.  It can't be because I'm less active or stayed the same.  It can't be because I'm eating more.  I could go devils advocate and say that I've been eating about 1500 cals and my body is burning more and is not releasing the weight...but that's stupid - if you take in 1500 calories and burn 3000, there's no way you can ever stay the same weight.

So what do I do?  My choice is to eat exactly what I'm supposed to; get in 3 workouts (2 walks/rides and one TRX) daily.  I've printed off about 200 pages of material to comb through for a Ketogenic diet so I'm going to lean towards the paleo/ketogenic diet more.  I've been doing well, but when you have an 800 cal burrito that kind of kills a lot of things - so even though my protein is up there and fats are getting there, there's still a lot of sugars - so that's where I need to cut.

In the meantime, I'm happy with getting stronger - I just need to lose the weight... I'm at 7 weeks of TRX and I've lost some size, but not as much as I want (nor expect) - so I need to crank it up some.

TRX - W5D2 and W5D3

I only managed one bike workout for about 30 minutes.

I did get in W5D2; a great little workout.  I was flat out exhausted only minutes into the workout.  I had forgotten to eat at all.

All of the exercises were super simple though.

W5D3 - I learned from yesterday's exhaustion and ate about 30 mins before my workout.  I managed 5 glasses of water before noon so I wouldn't feel dehydrated as well.

My shoulder and neck are also quite sore from the bike wreck last weekend.  It hurts enough that I cannot move my neck without feeling it stretch.

Incline Press-I was able to hold the first one, I went for level 2/3 I should've probably done a modified level 1 where I do the level 1, but go ahead and plank when I get to the apex.  I'm pretty sure that's what I did Monday.  I could certainly throw in a couple of these daily.

Plank Press - I wasn't able to do these.  I know Monday I was able to go from arm to elbow, but I cannot get from elbow to full arm extension.  I'm wondering if I can practice these with knees down or in a pushup and I'd be able to improve them.

Pull-up - I did 10 straight without any issues.  I'm definitely getting stronger.

I'm also going to add some Atomic Pikes and Elevated Side Planks to my list of things I can do a couple of daily to improve core and strength.  I don't want to overdo it, so one (maybe 2) of each should be enough.

I did take measurements yesterday - they are not official.  I will take them again Sunday for the official records as that will be the end of my 6th week of TRX.  Not much weight loss at all.  In fact, some more gain.  I figure that in order to kick in the extra burn I'm definitely going to have to get in those extra hours of walks/biking.

I also bought a new bike seat last night.  The other one was quite rough.  In addition I found out that pushing 108bpm will cause a lot of sweat.

TRX - W5D1

Today's workouts were fantastic.  I started the day by waking up at 315 - I eventually got a cat nap and a 45 min bike ride on a trainer (my butt still hurts).

At lunch I did W5D1
Incline planks - I did level 3 - they were not as hard as I thought they'd be.  I liked them a lot.

Hamstring Curls - much easier.  They didn't seem to hurt my calves as much and there's like no pain now

Single Arm Row - simple - I thought it was going to be difficult.

Plank Press - getting down was easy, going back up my arms kept giving out.  Otherwise, this was a great and easy exercise (comparatively)

Side Plank - I was able to do side planks on one side using the trainer, but the other side I had to use the ground.

Pull-up - I did a bunch of these.  I did 5 the first set, then rested for a few seconds and was able to do 3, then 2 more.  These are the Level 1/Level 2 pull-ups off the ground - not a full body weight pull-up.  Remember, as of April 24th I couldn't do one pull-up.  It's been a crazy 2 months.

Mountain Climber - These were incredibly easy for me.  I like them a lot.  I was able to do 15.

I felt like this was a great workout.  I know that if I were alone most of the time then I'd workout multiple times a day to get stronger with my end goal being calisthenics like cali-move (http://elvisapocalypse.blogspot.com/2014/04/progress-and-moving-forward.html).

I am much stronger than I was when I started TRX 13May (5 weeks ago).  I should have been starting the 6th week (the midway point).  Due to the failures the last couple of weeks I'm one week behind.

I am hoping that stepping up the rides to 2x a day (or walks 2x a day) will pump this up.  I've had 260 as my goal weight for a long time now.

I also know, from tape measurements, that I'm getting smaller.  I think I'll also need to step up and do some more TRX workouts (maybe 20 min of Pikes, Atomic Pikes, Side Planks, Incline Planks, Mountain Climbers, etc).  I don't know.