Hi,

Since I'm taking my fitness more seriously these days, I've decided to keep a journal. I've been weight training since last summer, after something like a six month break from any form of excercise. Before that I was swimming a few times a week. I didn't see any physical improvement and I didn't get any faster, but I felt better, and that counted for something. I had to stop because I moved house and the pool wasn't a practical option any more.

Not long after that I was taken on permanently at work, so I got to use the free gym on the ground floor of the building. Since I work the early shift I finish at 10:30am, which meant it was fairly quiet when I wanted to go. Again I didn't see amazing progress, though my legs grew a bit, probably because I wasn't working them much before. Over the following months I bought a set of BF measuring scales and started using protein shakes, without really tracking my diet. I got a pay rise in October that allowed me to join a better gym, though before Christmas I had a few commitments in work that tied me up for a few weeks.

My story is a little different from many of the posters on JSF, in that my weight has never really been a problem. At the same time, I've never been what anyone would describe as "athletic" either. At some point I made the decision that it wasn't enough for my health to just be "not a problem", and as I'm at a stage in my life now where I don't have many things competing for my attention it's a chance for me to get into habits and a lifestyle that will last me for what I hope will be a long, happy and productive life. I've been lurking on the forums for a few months, joined last week and have put together the following goals and plans:

My current situation:
Age: 27
Height: 6'5", or 195cm
Weight: 192lbs (13st 10lb, or 87.3kg)
Bodyfat: 17% (from BMI scales and estimate based on waist measurements)

My current goal:
I want to be at 12% bodyfat by the end of April (14 weeks time). If I do this entirely by burning fat this will put me at roughly 183lbs. I think I will probably look a bit skinny at this weight, so I will be looking to bulk after that. The reason I'm not bulking now is that I am financially constrained in how much I can spend on food and supplements, and the weights room in the gym isn't really equipped for the heavy lifting I will have to do.

Diet:
Following the advice I received in this thread (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=11313), I will aim to eat 2600Kcal a day. At least 30% of this will be protein, and no more than 50% from carbs. The rest will be made up of fat from a mixture of sources. I've decided not to have any cheat meals in my first month. The way I understand it, the benefit of cheat meals comes when your body begins to adapt to a new diet, so I will give my body a chance to adapt before I start shaking it up again.

Exercise:
I will be working out 5-6 times a week, according to the following schedule:
Monday: Weights (legs)
Tuesday: Weights (back, traps, biceps)
Wednesday: Abs, lower back, core, cardio
Thursday: Weights (chest, delts, triceps)
Friday: Cardio
Saturday: Abs, lower back, core, cardio (unless I go out on Friday night, in which case this will be a recovery day)
Sunday: Off, though if I'm bored and it's a nice day I might go for a walk.

For my cardio I will be looking to work at 85% of my MHR for 20 minutes, except on Saturdays, when I will set myself a time or distance-based goal. I have read all the debates about high vs low intensity cardio, and while I accept that fasted low intensity cardio probably will shift more fat and preserve more muscle, it isn't practical for me at the moment. In addition, I think it's important to have a strong heart, it could have to last me another eighty years. I will have the same PWO nutrition that I have after a weights session.

Tracking:
I will log my food intake for the day, and weigh myself every morning fully accepting the fact that these readings will fluctuate. I haven't decided whether or how to log what I do in the gym. I'll take pictures once a month, and if I decide to make any changes to my plan I will post them here for everyone's comments and give them at least a month to take effect, unless it obviously isn't working.

I have taken some "before" shots, which I will post alongside my first progress pictures in a month's time. Thanks for persevering with such a long post,

hubladon

Scales this morning: 13st 10lb, 17%BF

Today's workout:
10mins cardio warm-up (HR up to 158)
Lying squats: warm-up 1x12 on setting 8, 1x6 on setting 13;
Lying squats: working sets: 12, 9+3, 12 on setting 16;
Dumbell Lunges: 12, 12, 12 with 8kg dumbells
Hamstring Curls: 12 on setting 11, 12 on 12, 11 on 12
Quad Curls: 12, 12, 10+2 on setting 12

I'll explain my notation for these. For the lying squats there are two foot positions on the machine, one being easier than the other. I usually work on the lower (harder) one, and if I can't complete a set I finish it on the higher (easier) one, hence the "9+3". For the third set I made the extra effort to do all my reps on the lower foot position, though I can't claim to have been in control of the weight on the way down for all of them. For the hamstring curls I did my first set on setting 11, found it too easy and so upped the weight for the next two sets. I didn't get the final rep on the last set, so that's something to aim for next week. The "10+2" on my quad curls means that I did 10 reps before failing on one, though I found I could do another two once I got my breath back for a few seconds.

Today's food:
Meal 1 (4:30am)
1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange, 1 pint water
Meal 2 (9 am)
Ham & Egg roll from the trolley at work (see 1. below)
Meal 3 (11:45 am - Pre-workout)
1 Scoop whey with water, 2 large bananas
Meal 4 (1:15 pm - PWO)
1 Scoop whey with water, 22 jellybeans (see 2. below)
Meal 5 (When I'm done typing this)
8oz grilled bacon, 100g (when dry) pasta w/sauce
Meal 6 (7pm)
100g cottage cheese

1. There's a sandwich trolley that comes around the office every morning. I'm going to start taking a snack into work every day instead bacause a) the sandwiches aren't labelled with their nutrient content and b) sometimes it doesn't come round until 1030, by which time I've gone without food for six hours - a bad thing. For today's roll I've assumed that the bread is roughly equivalent to three slices of white bread, and that there was around 2oz of ham and roughly three eggs.

2. There's a shop on the way home from the gym that sells jellybeans in bulk. I use them for my simple carbs after workouts. I used to use mars bars, but I switched because I think they have trans-fats in them. If I ever feel the need to be more sophisticated in my PWO nutrition I might start buying dex instead.

Granted I've made estimates for one of my meals today, I make it 2660 kCals with a P/C/F ratio of 29/52/19. This is a bit disappointing, as I've missed one of my targets on my first day (30% protein with less than 50% carbs), and a leg day at that. Tomorrow I will shoot for more protein and fat.

Cheers,

hubladon

Scales: 13st 11lb, 17% BF

Up a pound from yesterday, though it's not really worth commenting on as I would expect it to vary from day to day. If it goes up and stays up, and the BF% does the same, then I'm in trouble.

Todays Workout (Back, traps, bis)
10mins cardio warm-up (HR up to 158)
Lat pull-downs: warm-up 12 on setting 4, 6 on setting 6
Lat pull-downs: working sets 12, 12, 10+2 on setting 7
Seated Lever Rows: 12, 12, 12 on setting 8
Standing Bicep Curls: 12 on setting 6, 12 on 5, 12 on 5
Standing Rows: 12, 12, 12 on setting 3
Hammer Curls: 12 with 8kg, 12 with 7kg, 12 with 7kg

I've started concentrating more on my form with these exercises. For the pull-downs and lever rows I'm aiming to hold the weight in position at the top of the movement for a second before lowering it slowly, and making sure I pull down/back with my elbows so that I focus on the back. On the bicep exercises I'm trying to tuck my elbows into the sides to stop my arms swinging the weight. For the standing rows I'm also pausing at the top of the motion and ensuring that my elbows are level with my shoulders. I might rename today "elbow day" :confused: .

The frustrating thing about today was that on some of the sets my grip on the bar was giving out before the muscles I was targeting. I will see if this improves over the next few weeks before I start thinking about some sort of additional work on my forearms. I'd like to think it would be overkill for the level I'm working at, but if it's holding me back it will have to be dealt with.

Next week I'm going to lower the weight a notch for my bicep exercises. I think I went out too heavy on the first set this week, and my form suffered for the remaining sets.

Today's food:
Meal 1 (4:30am)
1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange
Meal 2 (8:30 am)
Peanut Butter Baguette
Meal 3 (11:45 am - Pre-workout)
1 Scoop whey with water, 2 large bananas
Meal 4 (1:15 pm - PWO)
1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (When I'm done typing this)
8oz rump steak, 50g (when dry) brown rice, 1 carrot, broccolli
Meal 6 (7pm)
100g cottage cheese

I had to make another guess at meal 2's figures today, as I bought it from a shop by the office. Today comes out at 29/47/24 and 2751 calories, so I've missed my protein target again today, though I've managed the carb one. A big chunk of today's fat comes from the steak, and I'm about 150 cals above my target. I think I can bear this as it's a weights day.

I'm going to do some food shopping tonight and get some healthy stuff to take into work. Nuts, wraps, that sort of thing.

Scales: 13st 11lb 18%BF.

Hmmm, probably another fluctuation.

Today's workout (abs, lower back, core, cardio):
5 mins warmup on treadmill
Swiss ball crunches: 15, 15, 15
Swiss ball hypers: 15, 15, 15
25 minute run

On crunches and hypers on the swiss ball I put my feet as close together as I can without falling off, then use the tempo three seconds up, hold for three seconds and release over three seconds, with no pause at the bottom of the movement. This takes a fair bit of concentration, so I find it easy to lose count of how many reps I've done. I've got a metronome lying around somewhere that I might start using, though it's another thing to remember to take to the gym and it might put other people off what they're doing.

I did the run using one of the hill programs on the treadmills - setting 7 (of 20) at 10kph. The gradient peaks at 5.7% on this setting. I took my pulse four times during the run: 168 at 12 mins, 174 at 16, 181 after the last hill at 20 mins and 171 during the cool-down at around 25 and a half minutes. After the last hill there's a flatter section, so I increased the pace to 12kph as I felt pretty good, and went up to 13kph for the last two minutes. I will try increasing the speed from the start next week - maybe 10.5kph. One other thing I've noticed is that I went into the session with my quads still grumbling a bit from Monday, but that seems to have cleared.

Today's food:
Meal 1 (4:30am)
1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange
Meal 2 (8:30 am)
Tuna and Mature Cheddar Pitta Bread
Meal 3 (12:10 am - Pre-workout)
1 Scoop whey with water, 2 large bananas
Meal 4 (2:15 pm - PWO)
1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (When I'm done typing this)
1 Can Mackerel Fillets, 3 Eggs & Salad
Meal 6 (7pm)
3 Grilled Chicken Wings

I made my first packed lunch today, and very nice it was too. Quick and easy to prepare and a fair bit cheaper than a bought sandwich. And I know exactly what went into it. I'm getting some more food delivered this evening, so I'll have some bags of nuts to take into work tomorrow.

The total for today is 2328 calories, split 33/43/24. I've undershot my total target by nearly 300 calories today. As long as I average 2600 over a week I should be alright, though I don't forsee myself ever overshooting by 300. On the plus side I've hit my target PCF ratio for today, and I've had 190g of protein, so most of the shortfall will be in carbs. I think this should be OK as it's a cardio day (please correct me if I'm wrong :tu: ).

Cheers,

hubladon

Scales: 13st 11lb, 18%BF

Today's Workout (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
10m cardio warmup (HR up to 160)
Seated Chest Press: warmup 12 on setting 4, 6 on setting 6
Seated Chest Press: working sets 12, 11, 4 on setting 7, 8 on setting 6
Cable Crossovers: 12, 12, 12 on setting 2
Shoulder Press: 12, 11, 8 on setting 7, 4 on setting 6
Tricep Push-down: 12, 12 on setting 6, 12 on setting 7
Lateral Raises: 12, 12, 12 with 5kg dumbells

Mixed bag today. I'm weak on the shoulder and chest presses, but ready to move up on the cable crossover and tricep push-down. Next week I'll do my middle set on the CC on setting 3 and see how I get on. I'll start out on setting 7 for the TPD. I will keep the same weight for the lateral raises as my form was shaky towards the end of the second and third sets.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am)
1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange
Meal 2 (8:15 am)
Cottage Cheese (170g) and Spring Onion Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (11:30 am - Pre-workout)
1 Scoop whey with water, 2 large bananas
Meal 4 (1:20 pm - PWO)
1 Scoop whey with water, 18 jellybeans
Meal 5 (When I'm done typing this)
6oz Chicken Breast, 100g pasta (when dry) w/sauce
Meal 6 (This evening sometime)
40g Pork Scratchings

Total for today is 2826 calories, split 29/46/25. The overall total is 226 above target, the excess being mostly made up of carbs and fat. I've been following some discussions on the boards and this is supposedly ok for a lifting day.

Tomorrow is a cardio day. I'm having pork scratchings for my evening snack as they contain no carbs. I think this may help a bit, though I will be eating carbs at breakfast and at work, so that might undo it all. We shall see.

Scales: 13st 8lb, 17%BF

This was educational. I know now that even if I keep every possible condition the same when I weigh myself, I can still expect to see a 3lb deviation from one day to the next. I will bear this in mind when reviewing my progress.

Today's Workout:
Warm-up: 10 mins incline walking, HR up to 153
Cardio: 25 mins Elliptical, HR up to 173
Cool-down: 5 mins flat walking.

The elliptical machines in the gym have a cardio setting, where you type in your desired heart rate and the resistance adjusts to keep you there. I just start pushing at 75rpm and about 8 minutes into the program I am at my target rate, where I stay for another 17 minutes. I'm not exactly beat at the end of this, so I might push a bit further on this day in the coming weeks. 173 is 90% of my MHR, which I'm wary of going beyond, so I will probably go for longer instead.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange
Meal 2 (8:15 am) Tuna and Mature Cheddar Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (12 noon - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 2 large bananas
Meal 4 (1:45 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (When I'm done typing this) 8oz Pork Steak, 50g (when dry) brown rice, carrots, broccoli
Meal 6 (7pm) 100g cottage cheese

Total 2682, split 31/43/26. Split is on target for the day, and I've overshot my total a little bit. I might drop the nuts & raisins from meal 2 on cardio days. There's more raisins than I'd bargained for in the mixture which bumps up the carbs.

Welcome to JohnStoneFitness.com

Keep up the good work!!! :tu:

Welcome to JohnStoneFitness.com

Keep up the good work!!! :tu:

Thanks for the support. It's good to see that people are reading this and taking an interest in what I'm doing, it provides a bit more motivation.

Saturdays are different for me in a number of ways. I go to work for around two hours in the morning and then use the gym in the office, rather than the one I use for the rest of the week. The weights equipment isn't up to much, but there's space for an ab workout and the cardio machines are always free. Also, the timing of the workout means that I'm working out earlier in the day with respect to my meal times - between meals 1 and 2 rather than 3 and 4.

I'm going to treat Saturdays as the "extra" day in my routine - i.e. if anything happens during the week that means I can't get to the gym, this will be the workout that I skip and I'll rearrange everything else accordingly. As the equipment in the office gym doesn't have HR monitors, I'll set myself targets based on times and distances instead. Besides looking and feeling better, one of the things I'm aiming for with improving my fitness is to be able to do things that I previously couldn't.

Today's workout:

Warm-up: 8 mins stationary bike
Ab-cradle: 30 advanced crunches (their term, not mine)
Ab-cradle: 15 left-side crunches, 15 right-side crunches
Weighted hypers: 15 with 5kg dumbell behind head
Rowing: 4x500m in 2 minutes, 1 minute rest between intervals
Warm-down: 5 mins walking on treadmill

An "advanced crunch" is one where you bring your legs up at the same time as your head. I'm aiming for a three count on the way up, hold for three and lower over another three count. Same for the side crunches, where you turn your knees to the side so that you start with your shoulders flat on the floor and the outside of your knee also flat on the floor.

I'm not completely happy with the first part of this workout. If I'm really honest with myself I think I could probably do more, especially on my lower back. I might spend some time tomorrow researching core stability and flexibility workouts, with a view to incorporating some of these exercises. When this phase is over (early summer-ish) I'm going to want to start lifting heavier weights, so I think strengthening my core now is a sensible thing to do.

I hate rowing, in a good way. By which I mean I feel pretty horrible while I'm doing it, but I get amazing sensations and feelings of achievement afterwards. For my workouts I'm aiming to do two minute intervals until I don't make 500m on one of them. I managed four this morning, and will step up the pace when I can do eight.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (6am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange, 1 banana
Meal 2 (9:15am - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 3 (10:30am) BLT pitta bread with mayo.
Meal 4 (TBC) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 banana
Meal 5 (TBC) 40g Pork Scratchings, 50g mature cheddar

Today's schedule is a bit of a mix-up as I'm going out tonight, which means I'll be trying to get some sleep this afternoon after which I'll have meal 4 and then meal 5 three hours later. The list above may not be the only things I eat today, so I've left some wiggle room in case I'm out really late and need a snack. As it stands there's 2266 calories split 29/44/27. That's more than 300 below target, which I'm not too bothered about as 1) it's a cardio day and 2) I might eat some more anyway. The protein is a bit low though.

Scales: 13st 7lb, 15% BF

OK, so I was out until 3am this morning. I didn't eat between around 5pm and 2:30 am, and I spent the intervening period drinking diet coke and dancing in nightclubs. Consequently I am very dehydrated, which explains the reading on the scales. Still, it's a cool thing to see, and I'm looking forward to seeing these kinds of figures on a "normal" morning in a few weeks time.

One discovery I made last night is that there is a branch of Subways in town that stays open until at least 2:30 on Sunday mornings. If I'm ever out and about longer than I anticipate and need to top myself up I know it's there, which spares me the temptation of kebabs, burgers and chips.

No workout today, unless you count reading the paper.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (9am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange, 1 banana
Meal 2 (11am) 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (2pm) 6oz Chicken Breast, 100g (when dry) pasta w/sauce
Meal 4 (5pm) 2 beefburgers, 50g brown rice, carrot, broccoli
Meal 5 (8pm) 100g cottage cheese

Total 2536, split 28/45/27. I'm going to try and get at least 10 pints of water in today to offset the effects of last night.

Scales: 13st 9lb, 17%

More fun and games with the scales this morning. The first reading I took was 13st 7lb and 16%. I took another one to check, then a third, and both of those came out at 13st 9lb and 17%, so that's the one I'll use for today.

Today's workout:
10mins cardio warm-up (HR up to 158)
Lying squats: warm-up 1x12 (8), 1x6 (13);
Lying squats: working sets: 12, 12, 12 (16);
Dumbell Lunges: 12, 12, 12 (8kg)
Hamstring Curls: 12, 12, 11 (12)
Quad Curls: 12, 12, 10+2 (12)
5mins walking cool-down

Went straight through my sets for the squats today - just. If I do the same next week I'll move up a weight. Lunges were a little wobbly on the third set, so I'll keep those the same for next time. Same for the curls, as I didn't finish my final sets and again my tempo wasn't spot on.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins.
Meal 2 (8:15 am) Cottage Cheese & Spring Onion Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (12 noon - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (1:45 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 24 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:30pm) 8oz Turkey Breast, 100g pasta w/sauce
Meal 6 (7pm) 50g mature cheddar

Total 2853, split 28/45/27. More or less right for a lifting day (250 over target, with some extra carbs).

Scales: 13st 7lb, 17%

Double-checked again this morning, and got the same reading both times. Something's going on at any rate.

Todays Workout (Back, traps, bis):
10mins cardio warm-up (HR up to 158)
Lat pull-downs: warm-up 12 (4), 6 (6)
Lat pull-downs: working sets 12, 12, 10+2 (7)
Seated Lever Rows: 12, 12, 12 (8)
Standing Bicep Curls: 12, 12, 10 (5)
Standing Rows: 12, 12, 12 (3)
Hammer Curls: 12, 12, 12 (6)

The plan after last week's session was to lower the weight on the bicep exercises so I could improve my form. This was succesful to a degree today, I was able to keep my elbows by my sides for all the reps I did. I'm still having trouble with my grip on the compound exercises, it looks like I'll have to take some remedial action to strengthen my hands and wrists.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8:30 am) Tuna and Mature Cheddar Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (12:15 - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:30pm) Mackerel Fillets, 3 hard-boiled eggs, salad, 2tbsp low fat mayo
Meal 6 (7pm) 100g cottage cheese

Total 2702, split 30/37/33. Maybe a bit too much fat today, though the nuts and mackerel make up most of it, and they are supposed to be "good" fats. The combination of nuts and cheese in meal 2 didn't help. On the bright side, I've hit my protein target and the total is about right.

Scales: 13st 7lb, 17%

Same as yesterday. Something's definitely happening.

Today's workout (abs, core, cardio):
5 mins "fitness test" on treadmill (52 - "good")
Swiss Ball Crunches: 2x15
Swiss Ball Hypers: 2x15
Medicine Ball Twists: 2x25
Face-down Bridge-thingy: 2x1minute
Cardio: 25 minute run

I've added two more exercises to today's workout after some research I did at the weekend. For a "medicine ball twist" you sit on the floor with a medicine ball at your side, pick it up with both hands, touch it to the ground on your other side and then put it back. That's one rep. I wasn't sure how many of these to do today as it was the first time I did them. I felt a little fatigued after 25 so I stopped there, I'll see how I feel tomorrow. The bridging exercise I did was the one where you lie face down on a mat, prop yourself up on your elbows and toes and then lift your hips off the ground. I was able to hold this position for a minute each time. The interesting thing about this exercise is that even though you lift your hips by contracting your abs, it's the muscles in your lower back that seem to feel it first. I think this is because they are working to keep you stable, and like many people I have neglected my lower back muscles in the past. I'm going to do a similar workout on Saturdays as well, though because I use the office gym I won't have the same equipment available to me. I'll use an ab-cradle for the crunches and a light dumbell in place of the medicine ball.

My run went very well today. I did hill program 7 at 10.5kph, and was able to increase the speed to 12kph with five minutes to go, and 13.5kph with two minutes to go. If the scales are right and I really am four pounds lighter than last week then I suppose it would become easier to drag myself up the hills. Next week I'll set off at 10.7kph and take it from there.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8:30 am) Cottage Cheese and Spring Onion Pitta Bread
Meal 3 (12 noon - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:15 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (4:30pm) 8oz Pork Steak, 50g brown rice, carrot, savoy cabbage
Meal 6 (7pm) 50g peanuts

Total 2234kcal, split 30/44/26. I've undershot by a long way today (nearly 400 calories). I tend to aim lower on non-lifting days, but I wonder if this isn't too far. I will pay close attention to how I feel this evening and tomorrow, and if I have any adverse affects (poor concentration etc., I'm not expecting to pass out) I'll make an effort to eat a bit more on these days.

Scales: 13st 5lb, 16%

I know I didn't eat much yesterday, but jeez...

Triple-checked this morning, including moving the scales around the floor. It's fun to be able to type those stats, but I doubt their accuracy. Picture day isn't for another fortnight, I'll take waist and bicep measurements at the weekend as indicators.

Today's Workout (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
Warm-up: 10 mins elliptical (HR to 158)
Chest Press: Warm-up 12 on 4, 6 on 6
Chest Press: Working Sets 12, 10+2, 8 on 7, 4 on 6
Shoulder Press: 12, 10+2, 8+3 on 7
Cable Crossovers: 10 on 3, 12 on 2, 12 on 2
Tricep Pushdowns: 12, 12, 10+2 on 7
Lateral Raises: 12, 12, 12 x 5kg

Good progress from last week. I'm nearer completing my chest press sets, I didn't have to drop my weight on the shoulder press and I was able to step up a weight on the crossovers and pushdowns. My form still isn't quite right for the lateral raises. I think on the crossovers I'll have more success if I do my first set on 2, then raise the weight. The lighter set will serve as an acclimation set.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8:30 am) Tuna and Mature Cheddar Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (12:15pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:15 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:30pm) 6oz Chicken Breast, 100g pasta w/sauce
Meal 6 (7pm) 40g Pork Scratchings

Total 2954 kcals, split 31/42/27. A big day today, offsetting yesterday and the extra requirements of lifting (he says as if he's been doing this more than a fortnight). I don't think I had any really adverse effects from my low intake yesterday. My lower back was a little stiff when I got up, probably from the unfamiliar exercises, but my energy and concentration levels were still really good in work this morning. I think I should be able to continue like this, provided it gets results.

Scales: 13st 7lb, 17%

Something a bit more sensible this morning. I think the sudden drop in my weight is due to water. It's surprising how much difference there is when you go from "fairly clean" to "really clean".

Today's Workout:
5 minute fitness test on the treadmill (score 54 - "good")
30 mins elliptical (target HR=173)
5 mins elliptical cool-down

It took nine minutes on the elliptical to get to my target HR today, meaning I spent 21 minutes in my target range. It went pretty quickly, there were plenty of people coming and going in the gym and the videos were pretty good today. At the end of the session I was nicely knackered, though I've noticed that after a long session on the elliptical my feet start to tingle. I don't get this when I'm running, I suppose it's due to me not picking my feet up or something. It doesn't give me any trouble, and they're fine once the session is over.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8:30 am) Cottage Cheese and Spring Onion Pitta Bread
Meal 3 (1pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:30 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:15pm) 2 Burgers, 50g Brown Rice, Carrot, Cabbage
Meal 6 (7pm) 3 Grilled Chicken Wings

Total 2166 cals, split 32/43/25. I was tied up in work until 12:30 today (2 hours after I normally finish), so my meals were a little out of whack after that. I cooked my fifth meal while I was having my PWO shake, firstly because I was pretty hungry and secondly so I could get down the pub sooner. I was on the diet cokes this afternoon, I think their calorie count is low enough to ignore.

No weigh-in on Saturdays...

Today's Workout:
8mins bike warm-up
Advanced Crunches: 2 x 15
Side Crunches: 4 x 15
Weighted Hypers: 2 x 15 (5kg)
Dumbell Twists: 2 x 25 (3.5kg)
Face-down Bridge: 2 x 1 minute.

Believe it or not, that workout took me an hour this morning. I rested for 1 minute between sets, and since I perform the reps quite slowly as well the time really adds up. I was planning to do some cardio, but by the end of the core exercises I was feeling a little fatigued around my lower back and especially the front of my hips. It's leg day in two days time so I want to be fresh for that.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (6am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange
Meal 2 (10am - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 3 (11:30am) BLT pitta bread with mayo.
Meal 4 (3pm) 1 Scoop whey with water, 50g peanuts
Meal 5 (TBC) Restaurant meal...

Tonight will be my first trip to a restaurant since I started calorie counting. The first four meals today add up to 1866, split 31/40/29. That's 700 short of my target, I think if I go for something that's mostly protein and low GI carbs, and skip dessert I should be pretty much on track. I wasn't planning any cheat meals for another two weeks or so, so I don't want to stray too badly tonight.

Scales: 13st 7lb, 16%

Another late night/early morning this weekend. In the restaurant last night I had Jambalaya for the first time. I looked at the description on the menu (chicken, ham, sausage & rice) and decided that it looked OK. I certainly enjoyed eating it anyway.

No workout today.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (9:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange
Meal 2 (12 noon) 1 Scoop whey with water, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (3pm) Eggs, Mackerel Fillet & Salad
Meal 4 (6pm) 6oz Chicken Breast, pasta & sauce
Meal 5 (9pm) 100g Cottage Cheese

Total: 2428, split 32/37/31. Bit low on carbs, but as it's a day off I don't think it's too critical.

Scales: 13st 6lb, 16%

Nice way to start the week. I can feel a little more definition around my arms, on my legs just above the knee and the top part of my abs. I took waist and bicep measurements last night - 35.5 and 12.75 inches respectively. The bicep one concerns me a bit, as I'm going to look really skinny for a few months over the summer once all this fat goes. Still, by then I hope to have a bit more money coming in, so I can spend more on food, join a better gym and get bulking.

Today's Workout (Legs)
10mins cardio warm-up (HR up to 158)
Lying squats: warm-up 1x12 (8), 1x6 (13);
Lying squats: working sets: 12, 12, 12 (16);
Dumbell Lunges: 12, 12, 12 (8kg)
Hamstring Curls: 12, 12, 12 (12)
Quad Curls: 12, 9+3, 8+3+1 (12)
5mins walking cool-down

Squats today were if anything easier than last week. Next time I'm going to do my middle set on setting 17 and see how I go. My form was better, though not ideal on the lunges and hamstring curls this week. The only setback I had was on the quad curls, which I struggled to complete this week. This doesn't bother me too much, as I made good improvements in the compound exercises earlier in the session. I'm sure they'll catch up.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8am) Tuna & Mature Cheddar Pitta Bread w/mayo, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (12:15pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 30 jellybeans
Meal 5 (4pm) 8oz Turkey Breast, 50g Brown Rice, Carrot, Cabbage
Meal 6 (7pm) 100g Cottage Cheese

Total 3009 kcals, split 30/41/29. Big overshoot for leg day. I'm not going to have the same combination of foods in meal 2 on any other day, as they work out in excess of 1100 calories on their own. I had some extra jellybeans PWO today as well. I wanted a few extra and I was coming to the end of the box, so I had the lot. Again, as it's straight after a leg workout I think I'll get away with it.

Keep up the good work. It is good to see the numbers dropping slowly but regularly!

You're going to make your goal!!! Great stuff.

Keep up the good work. It is good to see the numbers dropping slowly but regularly!

You're going to make your goal!!! Great stuff.

Thanks Goog. I'm really enjoying taking this much control over what I do. I'd like to think that when I take on a few more commitments in life the groundwork I'm doing and the habits I'm forming now will allow me to keep it up. Really, the target I've set myself isn't so much about where I want to be long-term. It's more to do with developing the discipline and knowledge to set and reach a target for myself, whatever that may be.

Scales: 13st 7lb, 17%

Another daily fluctuation.

Todays Workout (Back, traps, bis):
10mins cardio warm-up (HR up to 158)
Lat pull-downs: warm-up 12 (4), 6 (6)
Lat pull-downs: working sets 12, 10+2, 8+4 (7)
Seated Lever Rows: 12, 12, 12 (8)
Standing Bicep Curls: 12, 12, 12 (5)
Standing Rows: 12, 12, 12 (3)
Hammer Curls: 12, 12, 12 (6)

Not sure what happened today. I had a bit of a mare on the pull-downs, but finished everything else with pretty good form. My first guess is that I may not have warmed up well enough.

I've started doing grip exercises during the week, and they seem to be helping. When I started to flag at the end of my sets this week it was because of my target muscles, not my forearms and hands.

I did have one minor scare at the end of the workout. There was some stiffness between the first two knuckles of my left hand. I don't remember knocking or trapping it anywhere, which is what it feels like. It's eased up a bit over the last few hours, though all this typing isn't helping. I'd better shut up and get on with...

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins.
Meal 2 (8 am) Cottage Cheese & Spring Onion Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (12 noon - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (1:45 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:30pm) 6oz Chicken Breast, 100g pasta w/sauce
Meal 6 (7pm) 40g Pork Scratchings

Total 2723, split 29/46/25. I'm off to the cinema tonight, so I'll have to take my night snack with me. It helps to have something portable in your dietary arsenal!

Scales: 13st 6lb 16%

Today's Workout (abs, core, cardio):
10mins elliptical (HR up to 154)
Swiss Ball Crunches: 2x15
Swiss Ball Hypers: 2x15
Medicine Ball Twists: 2x25
Face-down Bridge: 2x1minute
Cardio: 25 minute run

The gym was a bit cold today, so I made sure to warm up thoroughly. Everything was a bit easy today, so I'm going to look at ways of raising the intensity for these workouts. Some ideas I've had include taking longer over each crunch and hyperextension (I'm told this will be more effective than more reps), doing the twists a bit faster (now I'm more confident doing them) and doing the bridge resting on one foot instead of two to increase the instability. And I will just go faster on the treadmill - 11kph next week.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8:15 am) Tuna and Mature Cheddar Pitta Bread
Meal 3 (12 noon - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:30pm) Mackerel Fillets, 3 hard-boiled eggs, salad, 2tbsp low fat mayo
Meal 6 (7pm) 50g peanuts

Total 2422, split 31/38/31. 178 below target, with much of the shortfall coming in carbs - pretty much what I'm aiming for for a Wednesday.

Scales 13st 6lb, 16%

Third time in four days I've come in with these figures. I'm having a good week so far.

Today's Workout (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
Warm-up: 10 mins bike (HR to 158)
Shoulder Press: Warm-up 12 on 4, 6 on 6
Shoulder Press: Working Sets 12, 12, 12 on 7
Chest Press: 10+2, 8+4 (7/6), 8+3 on 6
Cable Crossovers: 12 on 2, 12, 9+3 on 3
Tricep Pushdowns: 12, 12, 11+1 on 7
Lateral Raises: 12, 12, 12 x 5kg

Bad day progress-wise. The chest press machine was occupied when I came off the bike, so I did the shoulder presses first today. I was able to bang them out with no bother. When I came to do the chest press though, I thought I had warmed up enough but obviously hadn't. I started to flag halfway through my first set, had to lower the weight during my second and couldn't finish my final set, even on the lower weight. I was able to pick things up on the crossovers and pushdowns, though I nearly forgot to do the lateral raises. If I have to reorder my exercises on a Thursday in future, I will do a warm-up set on the chest press anyway.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8am) Cottage Cheese & Spring Onion Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (11:45pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (1:30 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:30pm) 8oz Turkey Breast, 50g Brown Rice, Carrot, Cabbage
Meal 6 (7pm) 40g Pork Scratchings

Total: 2679, split 30/40/30.

Scales: 13st 5lb, 16%

Still on track. :tucool:

Today's Workout (cardio)
Warm-up: 10 mins bike (HR up to 156)
Elliptical: 30 mins (target HR 177)
Cool-down: 8 mins walking
Stretching.

I wonder about the benefits of warming up for these sessions. Today I did a stint on the bike and then stretched my hips and lower back, as they tend to get worked quite hard on the elliptical. By the time I started on the elliptical though, my pulse had dropped back to the 120s. It takes a full 10 minutes for the machine to get me into my target range, so I might use that as a warm-up instead, although I wouldn't get the benefit of the stretching :confused: . I think I'll keep things as they are for now.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8:15 am) Tuna and Mature Cheddar Pitta Bread
Meal 3 (12:15 - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:15 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:30pm) 2 burgers, brown rice, carrot, cabbage
Meal 6 (7pm) 5 grilled chicken wings

Total: 2667, split 33/35/32. A bit too much fat today, which has taken my total over target. Most of it is saturated fat as well (dairy and meat). I'd normally only have 3 chicken wings as an evening snack, but there's five left in the packet and I've got to use them up.

No weigh-in on Saturdays.

Today's Workout (core):
8min bike warm-up
2x10 advanced crunches
2x10 left side crunches
2x10 right side crunches
2x10 weighted hypers (3.5kg)
2x20 dumbell twists
2x1 minute face-down bridge

I've set up an mp3 file for myself of a 3-beat metronome at 60bpm that I listen to when performing crunches. I've also recorded myself counting over this beat, so I don't have the problem of losing count any more. I use the tempo 3 seconds up, hold for three and lower over three seconds. When you actually have it timed the exercises become much harder, hence only doing sets of 10 this week. The recording I've made goes up to 20, which would make each set 3 minutes long (20x9 seconds = 180). Not sure what I'll do when I get to that level - maybe add weights. It's a long way off anyway.

Skipped my cardio again this morning. I had a bit of a headache after the core workout and my stomach was rumbling. I'm going to look at what I eat on Saturday mornings and maybe introduce some more carbs so I've got the energy for a longer workout.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (6am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange, 1 banana
Meal 2 (10:15am - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 3 (11:30am) BT pitta bread with mayo (would have been a BLT, but I ran out of "L").
Meal 4 (3pm) 2 cans mackerel fillets, 100g pasta
Meal 5 (6pm) 100g Cottage Cheese

Total 2300, split 30/50/20. Proportionately more carbs than I'm aiming for, and apart from the fish the fat is mainly from the bacon and mayo. The total is about right though, making 2630 my average for the week. I'm going to look at refining my diet next month, firstly to incorporate a bit more variety and shift the balance of my fat intake more towards fish and nuts and less from meat and eggs. I might start logging the proportion of saturated fat and sugars in my fats and carbs. I'm happy with the progress I am making so far, but I do have time to do this if I decide I really want to.

(EDIT: I was going to have 1 can of mackerel and a shake in meal 4, but as I had a spare can and wanted some good fat I had the extra fish instead. Changed the numbers to match.)

Scales 13st 4lb, 16% BF

I didn't get up until 7:45 this morning, so by the time I'd shaved my head and showered it was nearly 15 hours since I'd last eaten. I think that would explain the low weight, and I'm sure I'll be back to normal tomorrow.

I ran an errand for one of my flatmates last night, and came back with the wrong sort of bread. He only eats a particular type of white bread, so now I have two loaves of the stuff to get shot of. I have a moral problem with throwing away perfectly good food (not sure where I get that from), so I'm going to see if I can't put it to some use given that I don't normally eat it. I had my scrambled eggs on toast this morning and I'll have a tuna sandwich when I'm done here. As it's quite a nice day today, I've got a new MP3 player and there's a park about half an hour's walk from my flat I'm going to wander up there and give a load of it to the ducks. It'll be a mild cardio session for me and a bit of fresh air. I just hope the ducks aren't cutting.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (8:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 banana
Meal 2 (10:15am) 3 Scrambled Eggs on Toast
Meal 3 (12:30pm) Tuna Sandwich (1 can tuna, 4 slices white bread, mayo).
Meal 4 (TBC) 100g Mixed Nuts & Raisins
Meal 5 (TBC) 8oz Pork Steak, Brown Rice, Carrot, Cabbage.

Total 2618, split 26/41/33. Little too much fat, not enough protein. Only five meals as well. Meh, it's a Sunday.

Scales: 13st 4lb, 17%

Hmmm, not happy with that. We'll see how it pans out over the week.

Today's Workout (Legs)
10mins cardio warm-up (HR up to 158)
Lying squats: warm-up 1x12 (8), 1x6 (13);
Lying squats: working sets: 9+3, 12, 12 (16);
Dumbell Lunges: 12, 12, 12 (8kg)
Hamstring Curls: 12, 12, 12 (12)
Quad Curls: 12, 10+2, 10+2 (12)
5mins walking cool-down

I wimped out of raising the weight on my squats today after I came up short on the first set. I'm not sure why this happened, as I was happy with the warm-up I did. The fact I was able to finish the second and third sets suggests I may not be doing enough though. Looking at the numbers for the rest of the session I've made some progress from last week, but I tend to judge the success of a workout more on how I do with the compound movements at the beginning. I may ask in the forums if this is the right attitude to take.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins.
Meal 2 (8am) Tuna & Mature Cheddar Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (11:45pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (1:30 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 26 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:30pm) 8oz Turkey Breast, 100g Pasta
Meal 6 (7pm) 100g Cottage Cheese

Total: 3095, split 30/42/28. I may drop the cheddar from my pitta bread in the morning. It's 17g of saturated fat that doesn't really do anything besides inflate my total. I'm getting enough protein anyway.

I'm also thinking that 3000+ may be too much, even for a leg day. Certainly when I've dropped to 2200 my stomach has really growled.

Scales 13st 4lb, 16%

Lately I've been thinking about the BF readings I get from my scales. There is a decimal point on them, but it always gives .0, so I think of it as window dressing. It does mean that there is going to be a rounding error on my BF measurements, on top of the questionable accuracy of the scales in the first place. For example, yesterday my BF could have been determined at 16.6%, rounded up to 17%, and this morning I could have scored 16.4%, and had that rounded down to 16%. Therefore, rather than interpret the last two days readings as a drop in BF at a constant weight, I will think of them as averaging out at 16.5%. Just as I wasn't too disappointed with yesterday's reading, so I am not too excited about today's. However, if I score a 15 this week, I will allow myself a smile.

Todays Workout (Back, traps, bis):
10mins cardio warm-up (HR up to 158)
Lat pull-downs: warm-up 12 (5), 6 (6)
Lat pull-downs: working sets 12, 12, 9+3 (7)
Seated Lever Rows: 12(8), 12(9), 12(9)
Standing Bicep Curls: 12, 12, 12 (5)
Standing Rows: 12(3), 12(4), 12(4)
Hammer Curls: 12, 12, 12 (6)

Much better this week. I accidentally set the pull-down machine to 5 on my first warm-up set, and I feel this actually helped. I was able to step up on the lever rows and the standing rows, and I'll be looking to perform all my sets at the higher weight next week. I think I'm ready to raise the weights on my bicep exercises too.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8am) Cottage Cheese & Spring Onion Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (11:30pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (1:15 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (2pm) Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Toast
Meal 6 (5pm) 40g Pork Scratchings
Meal 7 (8pm) Marmite on Toast

Total 2927, split 29/39/32. I've had to shake things up a little today as I was having my groceries delivered this afternoon and I didn't want to be in the middle of cooking when they arrived. I've also still got some of that bread left over that I need to use up.

For a bit of variety I've ordered some cans of salmon, some peanut butter and my morning pitta breads are now wholemeal. I'm swapped low-fat mayonnaise for the full-fat variety after I checked the labels in a shop and found that the diet version had only slightly less fat and more sugar.

Over the last week I've started taking green tea extract, partly due to recommendations on the forums and also due to good writeups elsewhere. I already take echinacea to boost my immune system over the winter months (I haven't had a cold in four years since I started taking it). When (if?) the multivitamins I ordered show up I will, for a short time, be taking three pills in the morning - I think that counts as a "stack".

While I haven't taken the time to read the details of your work, I wanted to encourage you on your progress. Keep it up!

What do you use to measure BF?

While I haven't taken the time to read the details of your work, I wanted to encourage you on your progress. Keep it up!

What do you use to measure BF?

Thanks Dead-head. I use a biometric impedance bathroom scale, similar to the one made by Tanita. It passes a small electric current through your feet, from which it calculates the amount of water in your body, and from this it derives your body fat percentage. The idea is that lean tissue contains much more water than fatty tissue, therefore the resistance for lean tissue is (I think) smaller than for fat - the less resistance for a given weight translates to a lower bodyfat measurement.

A proper impedance measurement is supposed to involve electrodes on your fingers and feet, and these are said to be quite accurate. The bathroom scale and hand-grip versions are less accurate, because they only take measurements for half your body and then assume your fat distribution is uniform over the rest of you. People also have a downer on this method because there are an awful lot of other factors that affect the amount of water in your body - dehydration, menstruation, that sort of thing.

I use mine first thing in the morning after I go to the bathroom and take a shower. This way I know I should have more or less the same hydration level and my feet are clean and dry. I don't think for a minute that the readings I get are reflecting an absolute value for my bodyfat, I use the readings to track movements in body composition instead. Thus far using the scales in this way has given me consistent readings. Or at least until this morning, when this happened:

Scales: 13st 4lb, 15%

Nice to see, but I doubt it. If I get the same tomorrow, and maybe the day after, I will allow myself a smile. I have a picture day coming up on Sunday, so I'll have a visual idea of my progress then.

Today's Workout (abs, core, cardio):
5 mins treadmill fitness test (score 52 - "good")
Swiss Ball Crunches: 2x20
Swiss Ball Hypers: 2x20
Medicine Ball Twists: 2x25
Face-down Bridge: 2x1minute
Cardio: 25 minute run

Today I used the same metronome MP3 that I use on Saturday mornings, enabling me to keep super strict tempo on the crunches and hypers. I'm really going to feel this tomorrow. The 3/3/3 tempo I use for these means that each set takes three minutes to complete, which I feel is long enough. My feet are more or less together when I do these sets, so I think the next step is with only one foot on the ground.

Another really good run today. I started out at 11kph on level 7, stepped up to 12.5 on the flat section, and completed the final two minutes on 14. After the ab workout I had a stitch from about eight minutes in, but nothing so bad I couldn't run through it. Next week I think I'll have a go at level 8 at 11kph.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8:15am) Cottage Cheese & Peanut Butter Pitta Bread
Meal 3 (12:15pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:30 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (4pm) 7.5oz Salmon, 3 Hard-Boiled Eggs, Salad.
Meal 6 (7pm) 50g Mature Cheddar

Total 2316, split 31/38/31. I've introduced some of the foods I bought yesterday to my diet. Meal 2 was a definite success - I wasn't expecting it to actually taste nice, just something I would have to force down for the greater good. My work colleagues preferred the smell of peanut butter to spring onions as well, so everyone's a winner. I've still got some spring onions to use up mind. I'll probably throw them into the salad later.

Scales: 13st 5lb, 16%

Today's Workout (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
Warm-up: 10 mins elliptical (HR to 158)
Chest Press: Warm-up 12 on 4, 6 on 6
Chest Press: Working Sets 12, 12, 7 on 7, 5 on 6
Shoulder Press: 12, 12, 9+3 on 7
Cable Crossovers: 12 on 2, 8+1 on 3, 8 on 2
Lateral Raises: 12, 12, 12 x 5kg
Tricep Pushdowns: 12, 12, 11+1 on 7

Pushed for time today, I had to get in and out of the gym and back into work for 1pm. I managed to fit everything in by supersetting the lateral raises and cable crossovers, with 1-minute rest periods between sets. I think this worked well and will continue with this practice. I made some marginal progress on the compound movements today, and completed my tricep pushdowns.

After using the metronome on my ab days, I've been giving some thought to using it on my other lifting days as well. I've been involved in a thread on the boards concerning tempo when lifting, and I think I'm going to apply these ideas to my routines. I expect I might have to decrease my weights when I do this, but I will benefit from the improved form. I've noticed as well that I don't really get stiff the day after workouts any more, apart from in my legs. It may be time to change things around anyway.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8am) Tuna & Mayonnaise Pitta Bread, 100g Nuts & Raisins
Meal 3 (11:15pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (12:45 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:45pm) 8oz Turkey Breast, 100g Pasta w/sauce.
Meal 6 (7pm) 50g Peanuts

Total: 2567, split 32/45/23. The timings today weren't ideal. I was summoned back into work this afternoon for a training session, so I had to leave three hours between my PWO shake and my next proper meal. Apart from that I'm pretty happy with today's diet.

Honestly, what a ballache. My ISP has decided it doesn't like the automated emails that JSF sends out so I haven't been able to post for a few days. Fortunately I've been maintaining my journal offline, so I can post what I've been up to over the weekend.

(Journal Entry for 4th Feb)

Scales: 13st 3lb, 16%

I don't recall how much water I had yesterday, with the disrupted schedule I had. I've been taking some extra on board today to try and make up.

Today's Workout (Cardio)
10 mins warmup (HR to 158)
30 mins elliptical (HR up to 180)
5 mins walking cool-down
Stretching

About ten minutes into my session today I really didn't think I was going to finish. My legs were really burning as the resistance increased to get my heart rate up. Of course once it got there the resistance started to tail off and I made it through to the end, and it ended up being a really good session.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8:15am) Cottage Cheese & Peanut Butter Pitta Bread
Meal 3 (12:15pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:00 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (4pm) 6oz Chicken Breast, Brown Rice, Carrot, Cabbage
Meal 6 (7pm) 100g Mature Cheddar

Total 2246, split 34/42/24. On target for a cardio day, though I've had to use a lot of cheese to make up some protein and fat for the totals.

Tomorrow is going to be difficult. The Six Nations rugby tournament kicks off in the afternoon, so I'm going to be out of the house (and mostly in the pub) from around lunchtime until god knows when. I'm going to get a workout in first thing in the morning, grab a little more sleep, have a good meal and then go out. I'm going to try grab something healthy if I can when I'm out, but I won't have much idea of my calories. I'm going to do it in moderation though, as I have pictures and my first full-on cheat scheduled for Sunday.

(Entry for 5th Feb)

No weigh-in on Saturdays

Today's Workout (Core & Cardio)
8 mins bike warmup
Advanced Crunches: 12, 11;
Left Side Crunches: 20, 20;
Right Side Crunches: 20, 20;
Weighted Hypers (3.5kg): 12, 13;
Dumbbell Twists: 25, 25;
Prone Bridge: 2 x 1 minute;
Rowing: 3 x 500m in 2-minute intervals

Got some cardio in this morning for the first time in three weeks. I had some extra carbs in my breakfast to be sure I’d have enough energy to do it. I also managed a few extra crunches and hypers over last week as well, so some good progress there. The metronome I’m using for my crunches is a definite success, and I’m going to set some up for my lifting days as well.

Next time I think I’ll try performing the dumbbell twists over a minute and seeing how many I do, and I’ll be looking to squeeze out one more interval on the ergometer.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (7am): 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange, 2 slices white toast & peanut butter.
Meal 2 (8:45am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 3 (11am) BLT Pita Bread with Mayo.
Meal 4 (TBC)
Meal 5 (TBC)
Meal 6 (TBC)

Total 1716, split 28/49/23. As I said yesterday, I’m going to have to improvise today. I’m expecting to be out from lunchtime until very late, so I’m going to have to pick up whatever I can. There’ll probably to be a Subway involved somewhere. I’m going to aim for something fairly healthy every three or four hours, but I don’t expect to manage that.

(6th Feb)

Scales: 13st 5lb, 15%

I took some progress pictures this morning, but as there are only barely perceptible differences between these ones and last month’s I won’t bother posting them. I’ve lost around six pounds over the last month, and my BF scores have dropped by around 2%. Unfortunately those six pounds don’t look like much when you spread them over six and a half feet. Still, I’ll get there in the end.

No workout on Sundays

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (9am): 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange, 2 slices white toast & marmite.
Meal 2 (1pm) 100g mixed nuts and raisins
Meal 3 (4:30pm) All-You-Can Eat Indian Buffet, King Size Snickers

Total: God knows, though probably well in excess of 5000. Yup, today was a cheat alright, the first I’ve had since I started the diet. I thought it would be an interesting exercise to eat something that I used to eat and think I could handle, and then record how I feel afterwards. I put away two plates loaded with white rice, chicken limbs, greasy sauces and onion bhajees, as well as three whole naan breads. Then I had a King Size Snickers on the way home, my first chocolate since Christmas. I used to have days like this once or twice a month, usually on Sundays. I was exercising as well at this stage, though not tracking my weight, so I’ve no idea of the effect it had on me.

Sure enough, two hours later, I feel like crap. Not in a guilty sense, I mean physically much worse. I’m bloated and lethargic, and I’m not much use to anyone at the moment. Fortunately I don’t have much to do this evening, so I can just ruminate on my situation at leisure over a few pints of water. I think I’ll continue with (roughly) monthly cheat days, but make them more worthwhile – maybe save them for social occasions and have quality cheat food, rather than mounded plates of pabulum.

Still, I’ll be back on the wagon tomorrow, with a stricter lifting regime to try out. I’m looking forward to it.

I seem to have saved over yesterday's entry, so here's today's.

Scales: 13st 4lb, 16%

Back to normal after the weekend. I did feel a little run down this morning, which I put down to still working some of the weekend out of my system.

Today's Workout (back, traps, bis):
10 mins elliptical (HR up to 156)
Lat Pull-downs: Warm-up: 12 x 4, 6 x 5;
Lat Pull-downs: Working Sets: 12, 15, 14 (6);
Single-arm Cable Pulls: 12, 15, 15 (3);
Standing Bicep Curls: 12, 15, 15 (4);
Upright Cable Rows: 12, 15, 14 (3);
Hammer Curls: 12, 14, 15 (5kg)

I’ve switched the seated lever rows for single-arm cable pulls in today’s workout. I’ve done this because it incorporates a twisting motion, the idea being that this will strengthen my core and therefore give a better foundation for when I start to lift heavier weights. Today I used a lighter weight to get used to the motion, next week I will go for setting 4.

Using the metronome to help me keep form has been one of my better ideas, and I’m starting to feel the difference between endurance and strength training. Endurance training gives you more of a “burn” than strength training, whereas with strength training the muscle sort of goes numb and just stops working. I don’t think I was really conditioned enough to get the benefit of a strength approach, hopefully in six to eight weeks time I’ll be able to have another crack at it.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8:15am) Cottage Cheese and Peanut Butter Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (12:15pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:15 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:30) 6oz Chicken Breast, Brown Rice, Broccoli, Carrot
Meal 6 (7pm) 40g Pork Scratchings

Total 2699, split 30/42/28.

Scales 13st 4lb, 16%

The second measurement I took this morning. I'm getting to the point now when I can look at the scales and say "that's not right" if I think the reading is off. The first one I took this morning said 13st 7lb and 17%. I haven't been eating any more than usual and I've stepped up my workouts, so logically my weight shouldn't have gone up. Sure enough, I weighed myself again, and it hadn't.

Today's Workout (abs, core, cardio):
5 minute treadmill fitness test (54 - "good")
Swiss Ball Crunches: 2x20
Swiss Ball Hypers: 2x20
Medicine Ball Twists: 2x1minute (30-ish, 34.5)
Face-down Bridge: 2x1minute
Cardio: 25 minute run

Another good ab session courtesy of the metronome. I did my crunches on the Swiss Ball with my heels touching, and thanks to the MP3 player keeping time and count for me I was really able to focus on my stability and recruiting the correct muscles. I also worked out how to set the countdown timer on my wristwatch, so instead of performing a fixed number of twists I perform them for a minute and see how many I do.

I stepped up again with the run today - 11kph on setting 8. The steepest incline on this level is 6.4%. For the flat part at the end I lifted the pace to 12.5kph, which was about my limit. I will keep these settings for next time.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8:15am) Tuna & Spring Onion Pitta Bread
Meal 3 (12:15pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:15 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:30) 7.5oz Salmon, 3 Hard-Boiled Eggs, Salad, Mayo
Meal 6 (7pm) 50g Mature Cheddar

Total 2320, split 34/35/31. I don't normally have two helpings of fish in one day, and I think I'm a little high on fat generally. The total is about what I'm aiming for on a cardio day though.

Scales: 13st 3lb, 16%

I miss 15. I think I'll get the tape measure out this weekend and get another perspective.

Today's Workout (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
Warm-up: 10 mins elliptical (HR to 156)
Swiss Ball DB Press: Warm-up 12 x 3kg, 6 x 6kg
Swiss Ball DB Press: Working Sets 15, 15, 15 (6kg)
Standing Shoulder Press: 9(6kg), 10(5kg), 11(4kg)
Cable Crossovers: 15, 15, 15(2)
Lateral Raises: 15, 15, 15 x 2kg
Tricep Pushdowns: 15, 15, 15 (5)

All change today. A thought occured to me regarding Monday's journal that I accidentally saved over. That entry contained an extended explanation of how I was changing my exercise approach. I can't be bothered to type it all in again, but I'll just go as far as to say that I've changed things up so that now I'm aiming to build muscular endurance and core stability for the next eight weeks or so. That should bring me to the end of my fat loss period, so hopefully I'll be ready to perform heavier lifts once I raise my calories.

With these aims in mind for Thursdays I've swapped the chest press machine for DB presses on a Swiss ball, and the shoulder press machine for a standing DB press instead. Today's session was about getting a feel for the weights I can train with on the new exercises (answer: "not much")given that I'm now using the metronome to keep time and form. From next week I'll be doing three working sets for each exercise, one of 12, and then two sets where I just keep going until I can't keep form. If I do two sets of 15 I'll increase the weight. I might make an exception for some exercises where I use quite low weights and the weight increments are proportionally quite large. Then I'll start going to 20 before I step up.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8:15am) Cottage Cheese and Peanut Butter Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (12:15pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:15 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:30) 8oz Turkey Breast, Pasta & Sauce
Meal 6 (7pm) 100g Cottage Cheese

Total: 2832, split 29/45/26. I'm going to run out of cottage cheese today, and I'll try to have the last of my cheddar tomorrow. I have a very mild dairy intolerance, so I'll try and get through the weekend without having any.

Scales: 13st 3lb, 15%

Woo-hoo! I haven't seen 15 since I had that blowout last Sunday. Hopefully I'll get a few more next week. 15s that is, not blowouts.

Today's Workout (cardio):
Warm-up: 10 mins cycling (HR to 120)
Stretching
Elliptical: 20 mins total (HR up to 182)

Today was the first time I've had to quit during a workout. It got to the point towards the end where I couldn't move the footplates on the elliptical, so I had to cancel the program and set up an easier one, which I then also failed to finish. I got the sort of panting, chest thumping sensations that I normally only get from a Saturday rowing session, and rather than the thin film of sweat I normally get it was pouring off me faster than I could towel myself down.

I'm going to try and be objective about the reasons why this might be, rather than just beat myself up or fall off the wagon. Some of the things I've thought of already are:

1) I didn't warm-up as thoroughly as I normally do;
2) I tried a different program from my normal one - a heart rate interval program rather than the constant HR one. I set the peak rate for 180, which is 3bpm faster than I use for the constant HR program. It doesn't sound like much difference, but the resistance got so high trying to raise my HR that my legs started to burn;
3) I used a different machine to the one I normally use on Fridays. My regular machine, while the same model as today's one, is positioned next to the extractor fan and therefore much cooler.
4) I might not be eating enough, or wrongly. Maybe I need more carbs to get through these workouts;
5) Something I haven't really discussed in my journal so far is sleep. Often when I come home from work in the mornings I will lie on my bed for a bit to take the weight off my feet and relax my back, and sometimes I'll nod off for about twenty minutes or so. Today I slept for an hour between 11 and 12. Also my attempts to drink more water often mean I have to get up at night.
6) I have changed my lifting regime towards more endurance-based goals. Perhaps lactic acid has something to do with all this.
7) I wasn't really "up for it", "in the zone" or whatever. Perhaps I've just got into a groove where I think I can turn up at the gym and the workout will just do itself.

That's going to be enough to think about for now. I've got to do a couple of hours in work tomorrow morning before hitting the gym again for a core/cardio session. I won't do anything different, besides maybe take on some extra food beforehand and see how I feel.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins
Meal 2 (8:15am) Tuna & Mature Cheddar Pitta Bread
Meal 3 (12:15pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (4pm) 8oz Pork Steak, Brown Rice, Carrot, Broccoli
Meal 6 (7pm) 3 Grilled Chicken Wings

Total: 2506, split 34/36/30. I like to have some chicken wings before the rugby match on Friday nights. As a pro/fat snack they're rather enjoyable. There's no game on tonight though, so I'll have to find something else to watch.

No weigh in Saturdays.

Todays Workout (core):
8mins cycling warm-up
Advanced Crunches: 12, 12;
Left Side Crunches: 20, 20;
Right Side Crunches: 20, 20;
Weighted Hypers: 14, 15 (3.5 kg);
1 min Dumbell Twists: 34, 38 (5kg);
Prone Bridge: 2 x 1 minute

Skipped cardio today. I went to the gym after two and a half hours in the office, by the time I finished the core stuff it was nearly eleven and I had things to do.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (6am): 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange, 4 slices white toast & marmite.
Meal 2 (8:45am) 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (11am - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans.
Meal 4 (1:15pm) 2 tins mackerel fillets, 100g pasta w/sauce, 1 slice white bread;
Meal 5 (6pm) BLT Pitta Bread with Mayo;

Total: 3040, split 26/48/26. Not a pretty looking day diet-wise. I thought I might benefit from some extra calories before going into the gym this morning, so I grabbed a few slices of toast for breakfast and dipped into my nut stash at work. As it was I didn't have the time to do the extra cardio that I was fuelling up for, but as I do feel a bit better for eating it I'm not too bothered.

The extra carbs in the morning has bumped my total up above the 3K mark though, so I've had to leave a large gap between meal 4 and 5. I'm going to make a concerted effort to catch up on some sleep tonight, so I could have to go more than 12 hours without eating if I stay in bed past 6am. Seeing as tomorrow is Sunday, it's a pretty safe bet that's going to happen. I'm sure the scales will understand.

Scales: 13st 3lb, 15%

I've been messing around in Excel today, setting up charts of my weight and bodyfat movements. I'm hoping it will give me a better indication of where I could end up in a few months time. The tipping point between 15 and 16 percent seems to be at around 13st 4lb (186). If one percent of my bodyweight equates to 1.86lbs, then if I'm at 15.5% at 186 and assuming I don't lose any muscle I should hit 12% at 179 or 12st 11lb. That's the lightest I've ever been as an adult (I think), and I suspect that I may look too skinny when I get there. It could be that I have so little muscle mass that I'm going to struggle to reach that target anyway. I'm going to keep on my current plan for another eight weeks or so and see what I get.

I took some tape measurements this morning: waist 34.5in, bicep 12.5in. That's an inch gone from my waist and a quarter of an inch from my arms in three weeks. I've noticed some more definition on my arms recently, so I'm hoping I've just lost fat from there, but the waist measurement was a surprise. I don't get paid for another three weeks, when I do I'm going to need some more trousers.

No specific workout today, though I got about 45mins walking in.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (8am): 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange, 2 slices white toast & peanut butter;
Meal 2 (12 noon): 7.5oz Salmon, 4 hard-boiled eggs, salad, mayo;
Meal 3 (3pm) 1 Scoop whey with water, 2 large bananas;
Meal 4 (6:30pm) 8oz Pork Steak, Brown Rice, Broccoli, Carrot;

Total: 2606, split 30/40/30. Only four meals, which I know isn't ideal but hey, it's the weekend.

Scales: 13st 3lb, 17%

Probably wrong on the BF, but I didn't have time to mess about with the scales this morning.

Todays Workout (legs):
Warm-up: 10 mins cycling (HR to 142)
Lying Squats: warm-up 12(7), 6(11)
Lying Squats: working sets 12(13), 13(14), 13(14)
Lunges: 12, 12, 12 (8kg)
Hamstring Curls: 12, 11, 11(10)
Quad Curls: 12, 12, 11(10)

Good session today. A barbell and plates have appeared in the gym from somewhere, which gives me a few more options for exercises. There's no squat rack, but I could add hack squats and deadlifts to my routine. I might post a question or two on the boards and see what people suggest.

If I remember, I'm going to start taking a pen and paper to the gym as well. It's getting harder to remember all these numbers.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8:15am) Tuna Mayo Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (11:30pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (1:45 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (2:45 pm) 8oz Turkey Breast, Pasta & Sauce
Meal 6 (6:30 pm) 100g Cottage Cheese

Total 2867, split 31/43/26.

Scales: 13st 3lb, 16%

Today's Workout (back, traps, bis):
10 mins walking (HR up to 148)
Lat Pull-downs: Warm-up: 12 x 3, 6 x 5;
Lat Pull-downs: Working Sets: 12, 20, 20 (6);
Single-arm Cable Pulls: 12, 20, 20 (5);
Standing Bicep Curls: 12, 8(6), 10 (5);
Upright Cable Rows: 12, 13, 13 (4);
Hammer Curls: 12, 16, 13 (5kg)

I'm still getting a feel for the weights I should be using for these exercises. I used less weight to warm up for the pulldowns this week, which I think enabled me to do more in my working sets. I will put the weight up to 7 on these next week, the weight I was using when I was only aiming for sets of 12. Likewise for the cable pulls I will go up to 6, though again I found my grip flagging before my shoulders/lats. I got things slightly wrong on the bicep curls, going up two weights rather than one. Setting 5 next time for those. I will keep things the same for the standing rows and hammer curls.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins
Meal 2 (8:15am) Cottage Cheese and Peanut Butter Pitta Bread, 100g Mixed Nuts & Raisins
Meal 3 (12:15pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:15 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (4pm) 8oz Pork Steak, Brown Rice, Carrot, Broccoli
Meal 6 (7pm) 40g Pork Scratchings

Total 2829, split 27/40/33.

Scales: 13st 1lb, 15%

Triple checked this morning as it was a 2lb drop. Came out the same every time.

Today's Workout (abs, core, cardio):
10mins Elliptical (HR to 142)
Swiss Ball Crunches: 2x20
Swiss Ball Hypers: 16, 13
Medicine Ball Twists: 2x1minute (37, 37)
Prone Bridge: 2x1minute
Cardio: 25 minute run

I've started doing the hypers with my feet braced against the wall, allowing me to move the ball nearer my feet and therefore make them slightly harder. I managed to lose my balance on my second set of crunches. My tip therefore is however much it's hurting don't shut your eyes! I did my bridges on one foot today, I'm going to look at ways of increasing the difficulty on these.

On the run today I went for 11kph on level 8, finishing at 14kph. I felt pretty good after that, and had a good stretching session afterwards.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins
Meal 2 (8:30am) Tuna Mayo Pitta Bread;
Meal 3 (12:15pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana;
Meal 4 (2:30 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans;
Meal 5 (3pm) Mackerel Fillets, 3 Hard-Boiled Eggs, Salad & Mayo;
Meal 6 (6:30pm) 50g Peanuts;

Total 2344, split 30/39/31. I've been given some studying to do in the afternoons (I'm getting paid for it, I've made sure of that) so I'm going to have to be more flexible about when I time my pm meals. An hour or two here or there won't hurt much I'm sure.

Scales: 13st 3lb, 15%

Today's Workout (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
Warm-up: 10 mins elliptical (HR to 142)
Swiss Ball DB Press: Warm-up 12 x 3kg, 6 x 6kg
Swiss Ball DB Press: Working Sets 12, 20, 20 (6kg)
Standing Shoulder Press: 12, 15, 12+2(4kg)
Cable Crossovers: 15, 20, 20(2)
Lateral Raises: 12, 20, 20 (2kg)
Tricep Pushdowns: 12, 20, 20 (6)

I really underloaded my muscles today on everything except the shoulder presses. I'll put the weight up a notch on everything next week.

Today's Food
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8:30am) Cottage Cheese and Peanut Butter Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (12:15pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:30 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:45) 8oz Bacon, Pasta & Sauce
Meal 6 (7pm) 100g Cottage Cheese

Total 2722, split 27/47/26. On the surface of it not enough protein, but it actually works out at 182g, or roughly one gram per pound of bodyweight. I've been following discussions that suggest that this is all I need, so I'm cool with it.

Scales: 13st 3lb, 14%

Woo-hoo!! Go me! A pleasant surprise for Friday morning. It might only be a one-off for now, but the trend is still in place. The visual difference is still pretty marginal, though I feel a bit firmer generally, and especially in my legs.

Today's Workout (cardio):
Warm-up: 10mins cycling
"Test" sets: Hack squats, Stiff-Legged Deadlifts, Regular Deadlifts
Cardio: 30 mins cycling (HR up to 168)

Some extra plates have turned up in the gym recently, which means I have a few more options for my leg workouts. I thought today before I did my cardio I would try some of them out to get an idea of form and how much weight I could safely use. The exercise was a success, and I think I will add the hack squats and SLDLs to Mondays, and do the regular deadlifts as part of my Wednesday session. I might drop the cardio from Wednesdays and make Fridays a weekly full-on cardio thrashing.

I did today's cardio on the bike just to change things up a bit. I don't know if the settings are different but it's much harder to get my pulse up on the bike compared to the elliptical. Whatever the reason I had a pretty good sweat on by the end of it, and a nice glowing feeling.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins
Meal 2 (8:15am) Tuna Mayo & Spring Onion Pitta Bread
Meal 3 (12:15pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:15 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (4pm) 8oz Sirloin Steak, Brown Rice, Carrot, Broccoli
Meal 6 (7pm) 3 Grilled Chicken Wings

Total: 2393, split 37/41/22. My local butcher has a deal on sirloin steaks at the moment. I thought to celebrate my 14% I might have some with my brown rice and veggies this afternoon. Mmmmm, protein...

No weigh-in Saturdays.

Today's Workout (core, cardio):
8mins bike warm-up
Advanced Crunches: 16, 12
Left-side Crunches: 20, 20
Right-side Crunches: 20, 20
Weighted Hypers: 15, 17 (3.5kg)
Dumbell Twists: 39, 41 (5kg, 1 minute)
One-foot Prone Bridge: 2x1 minute
Treadmill: 2 miles in 14m 50s

Good progress on the core work this week, and a good stint on the treadmill to finish off. Having said that, I'm tweaking my leg workouts from next week to involve some work with barbells, and I'll also be doing deadlifts on a Wednesday. I may have to rethink the core work I do to fit around that.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (7:45am): 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange
Meal 2 (10am - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans.
Meal 3 (12 noon) 8oz Turkey Breast, 100g Pasta w/sauce
Meal 4 (4pm) 50g peanuts
Meal 5 (7:30pm) 7.5oz Salmon, 3 Hard-boiled Eggs, salad & mayo.

Total: 2338, split 34/41/25. Quite good today. The 4-hour gap between meal 3 and 4 came about because I had a nap mid-afternoon.

Unfortunately last night I fell foul of the dreaded "unplanned cheat meal". This was a consequence of the dreaded "unplanned few hours in the pub", which in turned followed on from a planned, though wildy overambitious study session in the library. Basically, I was sat at a desk at half past five on a Friday afternoon taking notes on the Financial Services Authority's disciplinary procedures and not unreasonably decided I'd rather be somewhere else. Like, for example, the pub.

Anyway, we ended up in Burger King on the way home, where I had some extensively processed chicken in a bun, some fries and yet another diet coke. Oh, and some onion rings. I'd guess there was maybe 1000-1200 calories in that lot, and barely a trace of flavour. I can't believe I used to eat there as a matter of routine.

I'm not going to beat myself up over this, it's only one meal that I didn't particularly enjoy and therefore am unlikely to repeat too often. Anyway, it's not as if I paid for it, and I was straight back on the wagon today.

Scales: 13st 3lb, 16%

I guess this might be something to do with my water levels, or something. I've had a few extra pints today to top up.

No workout on Sundays.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (8am): 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange
Meal 2 (10:30am): 100g Mixed Nuts & Raisins
Meal 3 (1pm): 4oz Tuna, 100g pasta w/sauce
Meal 4 (4:30pm) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 5 (7:30pm) 8oz Pork Steak, 50g Brown Rice, Carrot, Broccolli

Total: 2387, split 27/48/25. Nice day chilling out, reading the paper and watching the football. Tomorrow will my my first day on my new leg workout, so that's something to look forward to.

Scales: 13st 1lb, 16%.

I've noticed a pattern over the last few weeks, in that the bodyfat scores from the scales seem to be higher on Mondays than for the days either side. Not sure what might cause it, or if it's going to continue. Odd though.

Today's Workout (Legs)
Warm-up: 10 mins elliptical (HR to 143)
DB squats (warm-up): 12 x 7kg
Hack squats (warm-up): 6 (20kg on bar)
Hack squats (working sets): 7 (25kg), 10, 10 (20kg)
SLDLs: 12(20kg), 20 (25kg), 12(30kg)
Hamstring Curls: 12, 10, 8 (10)
Quad Curls: 12, 13, 11 (10)
Stretching

Forgot to take a pen to the gym today, so these numbers are all from memory. I think I've decided on the working weight I'm going to use for the HSs and SLDLs (20kg and 30kg respectively). I'm also going to make a special effort to stretch after the lifting session, as I don't want things to get too tight.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8:30am) Cottage Cheese and Peanut Butter Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (11:30pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (1:30 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3pm) 8oz Bacon, Pasta & Sauce
Meal 6 (6:30pm) 40g Pork Scratchings

Total: 2900, split 26/44/30. With the exception of meal 6, this is exactly what I ate last Tuesday. If nothing else it makes it easy to maintain this journal.

Scales: 13st 3lb, 15%

Today's Workout (back, traps, bis):
10 mins elliptical (HR up to 145)
Lat Pull-downs: Warm-up: 12 x 4, 6 x 6;
Lat Pull-downs: Working Sets: 12, 11, 6(7) + 8(6);
Single-arm Cable Pulls (right/left): 12/12, 15/13, 14/14 (6);
Standing Bicep Curls: 12, 14, 9(5);
Upright Cable Rows: 12, 11, 11 (4);
Hammer Curls: 12, 16, 15 (5kg)

Better weight selection today, and a better workout for it. I plan to increase the weight on exercises if I can do more than 15 on my second and third sets, so I'll do 6kg on hammer curls next week. If I can squeeze out a few more on the cable pulls I'll be able to move up on those too.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins
Meal 2 (8:15am) Tuna Mayo & Spring Onion Pitta Bread
Meal 3 (12pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 2 large bananas
Meal 4 (2:15 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (4pm) 8oz Pork Steak, Brown Rice, Carrot, Broccoli
Meal 6 (7pm) 100g Cottage Cheese

Total 2763, split 29/42/28. I was a bit of a grouch in work this morning. I don't know if it's related but I didn't get to have my orange at breakfast. I was still a bit run down just before I went to the gym, so I had a second banana and I seem to be OK now. Makes you think though - am I really so fine tuned that a single piece of fruit can affect my mood and work performance? I'd like to think not...

Scales: 13st 1lb, 15%

It's now been a week since I made a new low in my weight, but only five days since I made a new low in bodyfat. I'm going to have a think about what this might mean, if anything. My progress was always going to slow down when my routine became established. If I go another week like this I think I'll shake things up on my diet.

There is another issue as well. The skin between my fingers has started to dry up and break. I'm going to do a search on overtraining on the board here, and if it gets worse I'll see what my doctor says. There could be other answers: it may be another reaction to dairy, I wash my hands an awful lot, my house could be cleaner, I'm studying again so that adds to my admittedly small workload, blah, blah, blah. I may skip Saturday's workout this week to give myself a chance to recharge.

Today's Workout (Core):
Warmup: 10 min elliptical (HR to 150);
Warmup: Deadlifts 12 x 20kg, 6 x 25kg;
Working Sets: Deadlifts 12, 14, 11 (25kg);
Lunges (right/left): 12/12 (8kg);
Swiss Ball Crunches: 20, 20;
Swiss Ball Hypers: 11, 11;

I decided not to do any cardio today because 1) I've added deadlifts to my workouts and I think it's wise not to mix the two, and 2) I have a good size blister on the ball of my foot, which would make running pretty uncomfortable. I'm still getting the hang of deadlifts, so I'm using a slightly lighter weight and stopping the set when I feel my form is going. I'll see how my foot is on Friday as to how I do my cardio.

I thought I'd try some lunges today as well. I used to do them on Monday's as part of the leg routine, but my understanding was that they could also be thought of as a stability exercise. I don't think I'll persist with them, mainly because I'm still feeling my legs after the deadlifts and also because they're boring.

For a bit of variety, and to maybe make things harder, I might try leg raises on the Swiss Ball next week.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8:30am) Cottage Cheese and Peanut Butter Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (12:30pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:30 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (4pm) 7.5oz Salmon, 3 eggs, salad & mayo
Meal 6 (7pm) Baked Beans on WW Toast

Total: 2778, split 27/47/26. I thought one of the reasons I've been a bit run down the last few days could be a lack of carbs. I bought some wholewheat bread today and I'm going to use a tin of beans left over from before the diet to see if that helps. Looking at the fish/salad meal I had today, I've noticed there are hardly any carbs in it at all, which might not be the best thing for the first proper meal after a workout.

I think I might introduce beans into my diet, though I might struggle to get my hands on fresh ones - they'll have to be canned . It's another protein option, as I want to reduce my intake of cottage cheese (dairy reasons).

Scales: 13st 2lb, 15%

I did get another 14 this morning, but when I double and triple checked they both came out as above.

Today's Workout (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
Warm-up: 10 mins elliptical (HR to 150)
Swiss Ball DB Press: Warm-up 12 x 4kg, 6 x 7kg
Swiss Ball DB Press: Working Sets 12, 20, 20 (7kg)
Standing Shoulder Press: 12, 15, 13(4kg)
Cable Crossovers: 12, 12, 10(3)
Lateral Raises: 12, 17, 17 (3kg)
Tricep Pushdowns: 12, 20, 17 (7)

Looks like I'll have to step up again on most of these. I might even go up two weights on the DB press. The heaviest DBs in the gym are only 10kg, so if I progress much further I may have to look for another gym.

Today's Food
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange, 2 slices WW toast & marmite.
Meal 2 (8:30am) Tuna, Mayo & Spring Onion Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (12 noon - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:15 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:15) 8oz Turkey Breast, Pasta & Sauce
Meal 6 (6:30pm) 100g Cottage Cheese

Total 2926, split 30/48/22. I've added some more carbs to my breakfast in the form of toast. I found I could go much longer at work today before I got hungry (it's the only time of day when I feel it). I'll see what difference it makes to my progress before I decide whether or not to trim calories elsewhere. If the extra energy means I can do more in the gym then it may even accelerate things. We'll see.

I also have a fixed end date in mind for this - 10th April. On the 11th and 12th I'm on a training course at work that will require me to work eleven hours on both days, so I'm going to want to take the rest of that week off. That's six weeks away, which should be enough time to complete this phase of my training, wherever I end up bodyfat-wise. After that I'll do a short maintenance phase and get cracking with a bulk.

Scales: 13st 2lb, 15%

I've just looked at the charts I'm keeping of my weight and bodyfat, and I'm somehow happier with my progress than I was yesterday. I've got another photo session coming up next weekend which will be another metric for me.

Today's Workout (cardio)
10 mins bike warmup
15 mins elliptical (HR to 178)
20 mins walking (HR to 157)

Choked on the cardio again this week. I'm not getting on as well with the elliptical as I used to. I think the drying/breaking of the skin on my hands may be related to overtraining. I'm going to skip tomorrow's workout and maybe have a cheat on Sunday to recharge.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 small orange, 2 slices WW toast & marmite.
Meal 2 (8:15am) Cottage Cheese & Peanut Butter Pitta Bread
Meal 3 (11:30pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (1:30 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3pm) 8oz Sirloin Steak, Brown Rice, Carrot, Broccoli
Meal 6 (TBC) 50g Peanuts

Total: 2611, split 31/46/23.

Really short today - no weigh-in and no workout, so straight onto...

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (6am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 small orange, 2 slices WW toast & PB.
Meal 2 (10:30am) BLT Pitta Bread
Meal 3 (2:15pm) 8oz Turkey Breast, 100g Pasta w/sauce
Meal 4 (6:30pm) Scrambled Eggs & Baked Beans on Toast.

Total: 2827, split 30/48/22. Interesting day, in that I've managed 211g of protein with only one scoop of whey. I'll bear that in mind when I'm planning my bulk. I've had to squeeze it into four meals to fit around my activities today (it's a Six Nations weekend).

Scales: 13st 1lb, 16%

The Monday Effect again.

Today's Workout (Legs)
Warm-up: 10 mins bike (HR to 143)
DB squats (warm-up): 12 x 7kg
Hack squats (warm-up): 6 (20kg on bar)
Hack squats (working sets): 11, 10, 10 (20kg)
SLDLs: 12, 15, 13 (25kg)
Hamstring Curls: 12, 10, 6+3 (10, 9)
Quad Curls: 12, 13, 11 (10)
Stretching

Settled into the new exercises this week. I'm doing the SLDLs with 25kg on the bar and trying to concentrate on keeping my back straight during the movement. I'm not always successful with that, so I'm not going to move the weight up until my form is spot on. I do feel the lift in my hamstrings though, which is why my performance on the curls has dropped from last week.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange, 2 slices WW toast & Marmite.
Meal 2 (8am) Cottage Cheese and Peanut Butter Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (11:30pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (1:30 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3pm) 2 cans Mackerel, Pasta & Sauce
Meal 6 (6:30pm) 40g Pork Scratchings

Total: 3075, split 26/46/28. A bit extra for leg day.

Scales: 13st 1lb, 15%

Today's Workout (back, traps, bis):
10 mins elliptical (HR up to 140)
Lat Pull-downs: Warm-up: 12 x 4, 6 x 6;
Lat Pull-downs: Working Sets: 12, 11, 9(7) + 4(6);
Single-arm Cable Pulls (right/left): 12/12, 14/16, 15/13 (6);
Standing Bicep Curls: 12, 12, 12(5);
Upright Cable Rows: 12, 13, 14 (4);
Hammer Curls: 12, 13, 14 (6kg)

Good progress on the whole from last week, with extra reps on the pull-downs, bicep curls and standing rows and increased weight on the hammer curls. The hammer curls may have been something of a cheat as I had to wait my turn for the 6kg DBs, so I got something like four minutes rest in before starting my sets. I'm still tantalisingly close to moving up on the cable pulls. I'll get them next week.

Today's Food
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 orange, 2 slices WW toast & marmite.
Meal 2 (8:30am) Tuna Mayo Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (11:30am - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, jellybeans
Meal 5 (3pm) 8oz Turkey Breast, Pasta & Sauce
Meal 6 (6:30pm) 100g Cottage Cheese

Total: 2926, split 30/48/22. I noticed when I looked at my journal for last week I made a comment about my mood in work. The same thing happened today as well. There's nothing particularly special about Tuesdays in the office, so I wonder if something about my routine is bringing this on.

I'm going to use up the last of my WW bread tomorrow morning. It's been useful while it's lasted for boosting my energy in the mornings, but I want to bring my overall total back down to shake things up a bit.

Scales: 13st 3lb, 15%

Today's Workout (Core):
Warmup: 10 min bike (HR to 150);
Warmup: Deadlifts 12 x 20kg, 6 x 25kg;
Working Sets: Deadlifts 20, 20(25kg), 15 (30kg);
Swiss Ball Crunches: 20, 12 (weighted), 15;
Swiss Ball Hypers: 15, 13, 12;

I'm a lot more comfortable doing deadlifts now, which explains the big increase in reps from last week. I'm going to use 30kg as my working weight next week and see how I go, although I was still able to do 15 reps at 30kg for my final set this week I may step up again.

I tried doing leg raises on the swiss ball this week. I managed three before I had to give up - not because of my abs but because of my neck. Without anything to support the weight of my head they were too uncomfortable. Instead I did sets of crunches with a 5kg medicine ball behind my head. I wonder if I shouldn't be doing some work specifically to strengthen my neck, or whether I was doing the leg raises wrong.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 2 tangerines, 2 slices WW toast & Marmite.
Meal 2 (8:15am) Cottage Cheese and Peanut Butter Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (12:30pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:30 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (4pm) 8oz Pork Steak, Brown Rice, French Beans, Carrot
Meal 6 (7pm) 1 Nectarine

Total 2845, split 26/47/27. I've decided to add more variety to the fruit and veg I have in my diet, so I'm having French beans instead of Broccoli and a nectarine for my night snack. There's no protein in the 7pm meal, which isn't ideal, but I've got 186g in during the day which is still over 1g/lb. I'm told that should be enough.

Scales: 13st 1lb, 15%

Today's Workout (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
Warm-up: 10 mins elliptical (HR to 150)
Swiss Ball DB Press: Warm-up 12 x 5kg, 6 x 9kg
Swiss Ball DB Press: Working Sets 12, 20, 20 (9kg)
Standing Shoulder Press: 12, 16, 11(4kg)
Cable Crossovers: 12, 14, 10(3)
Lateral Raises: 12, 10, 10 (4kg)
Tricep Pushdowns: 12, 10, 11 (8)
Stretching

I think I'm going to have to rearrange this workout. I've got to step up again on the DB press and I've only got 10kg DBs at my disposal. I could start using the barbell, but there's no proper bench and I don't have a spotter. I could set the pulleys on the cable machine to ground level and use that, but I've not seen the exercise described anywhere so I can't be sure that's safe. There is a seated chest press machine, but I really wanted to use free weights to build up my supporting muscles.

Besides that I was able to either squeeze out a few more reps or increase the weight on everything else today. I don't know if that's just because I'm getting stronger or that I'm becoming more confident in performing the exercises. Probably a bit of both.

Today's Food
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 orange.
Meal 2 (8:30am) Tuna Mayo Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (12:15am - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:30 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:45pm) 7.5oz Salmon, 3 Hard-Boiled Eggs, salad & mayo
Meal 6 (6:30pm) 1 Nectarine

Total: 2642, split 30/40/30. Back off the toast again, making today slightly shorter on carbs. I'm hoping this might shake things up a bit, because I've not scored a 14 on the scales since last weekend.

Scales: 13st 1lb, 15%

I think I'm pretty well established at 15% now. I'm going to be looking to score more 14s next week.

Today's Workout (cardio)
10mins elliptical (HR to 140)
Stretch
25 mins running (11kph, hill setting 8)
5 mins walking (cool-down)
More Stretching.

Good run, good sweat, not much more to say. I didn't push the pace up towards the end like I normally do because I was starting to get a stitch (my abs are a bit sore from the extra crunches I did on Wednesday).

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 2 tangerines.
Meal 2 (8:30am) Cottage Cheese and Peanut Butter Pitta Bread,
Meal 3 (1pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (3pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (4:30pm) 8oz Chicken Breast, Brown Rice, French Beans, Carrot
Meal 6 (7pm) 1 Nectarine, 3 Grilled Chicken Wings

Total: 2264, split 35/46/19. When I drop the nuts and toast from my diet the daily total really takes a hit. I think it's a good thing after eating over target for more than a week to bring things back down again.

I don't have to work tomorrow, so instead of using the office gym I'm going to go to my regular one and try the much-vaunted fasted AM cardio session. My plan is to eat either nothing or some nuts before the session and have an omelette aftwards, therefore avoiding carbs until a few hours after the session. I don't think the single session in itself will make a huge difference, but I want to know if it's the sort of thing I could turn into a habit if I were to gain access to a gym in the early mornings. Once I've posted this I'm going to plan out the rest of my food for tomorrow - I'm looking to eat more varieties of fruit and veg as the carrots especially are getting dull.

Scales 12st 13lb, 15%

Now I don't normally weigh myself on Saturdays, but I wasn't working today so I found time to wash my feet and get on the scales this morning. I'm not sure how I feel about breaking the 13st barrier, as weight loss isn't a specific goal of mine. In fact over the very long term weight gain is what I'm after, so this really isn't significant at all. It is the lowest weight I can remember being at since I left home at 18 though. Then I was one pound lighter, albeit fully clothed without shoes.

I also took my monthly progress pictures today. Again the difference is fairly marginal so I won't bother posting them. There's very little to see in the front and side shots, though my back is a little narrower. I will post my final shots though, as they will be the beginning shots for my bulk.

Today's Workout (cardio)
55 mins cycling (HR to 156)

The 55 minutes includes a five minute cool-down at the end where I topped up with water and nearly ten minutes I lost at the start trying to get the bike to measure my pulse. Even with a walkman, I don't know how you guys do this three or four times a week. This was nearly an hour of being bored and uncomfortable, and I didn't have the same feeling of having worked out that I get from say, running or rowing. Maybe I should try it on the treadmill - no saddle soreness there.

Today's Food
Meal 1(11am) - Bacon Omelette
Meal 2(1pm) - 2 cans Mackerel, Salad, 2 bananas
Meal 3(4pm) - 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins
Meal 4(6pm) - 8oz Turkey Breast, 100g Pasta w/sauce, 1 Kiwi Fruit
Meal 5(8pm) - 1 Nectarine, 1 Avocado

Total 2358, split 31/45/23. The gym doesn't open until 9:30am, which in the spirit of fasted AM cardio meant I couldn't eat this morning until nearly 11am. My last meal on Friday was at 7pm, so that's 16 hours without food. I followed the standard advice of having a pro/fat meal straight after the workout and introducing carbs a few hours later.

I also went to the greengrocers today and bought some more varied fruit and veg. Kiwi fruit and avocados score well for antioxidants and whathaveyou so I picked up some of those, and I've bought some corn on the cob as an alternative to carrots for the next week or so. It was my first avocado and I can't say I really liked it on it's own. I'm going to look for some alternative serving suggestions for these. Fortunately I live with a chef so I should be alright there.

Scales: 12st 13lb, 13%

Oh, how I'd love to believe those figures. I'm sceptical of them because so far I've only scored a 14 twice, and I've not had a 2% downward variation on any day so far. It's Monday tomorrow, so I'm expecting to be back around 15 again in ten hours or so.

On the other hand, it's a really cool thing to see. Not only that, but in the favourable light of my bathroom mirror (as opposed to the unfavourable light in my bedroom and the fitting rooms of clothes shops) I can make out the outline of a set of abs. But only if I hold my shirt up and flex a particular way, and it's only the outline and line down the middle, rather than a sixpack. Maybe I really am at 13%, in which case I'm almost there. I'm going to persevere with this routine until mid-April and see how far I go - I want to be scoring 12s regularly by then.

Got about 2 hours walking in this afternoon, which might count as a workout.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (9am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 small orange.
Meal 2 (11:30am) 50g mixed nuts
Meal 3 (2:30pm) 1 can tuna, 3 hard-boiled eggs, 1 avocado, 1 kiwi fruit, 2 plums
Meal 4 (6:30pm) 8oz Pork Steak, Brown Rice, Corn on the Cob & Brussels Sprouts

Total: 2198, split 28/33/39. Oops. Quite a lot of fat today, though much of it comes from the nuts and avocado, so they are at least good fats. The overall total is quite low as well, I've only had around 150g of protein and 180g of carbs. I'll pay attention to how I feel tomorrow after such a low carb intake.

Scales 13st 2lb, 15%

The Monday effect. Not that I take these things in isolation, but last Monday I was 1lb lighter and 16% bodyfat.

Today's Workout (Legs)
Warm-up: 10 mins bike (HR to 143)
DB squats (warm-up): 12 x 7kg
Hack squats (warm-up): 6 (20kg on bar)
Hack squats (working sets): 12, 13, 11 (20kg)
SLDLs: 12, 20, 20 (25kg)
Hamstring Curls: 12, 11, 7+3 (10, 9)
Quad Curls: 12, 13, 12 (10)
Stretching

I'm going to step up on the SLDLs next week, as I think I've really got the hang of those now. I also managed a few extra reps on everything else. I wonder about my form on the hack squats though - the bar tends to bang on my heels as I lower it, which I'm sure can't be right.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8am) Cottage Cheese and Peanut Butter Pitta Bread, 100g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (12:30pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (2:30 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3:45pm) 8oz Turkey Breast, Pasta & Sauce
Meal 6 (7pm) 40g Pork Scratchings, 1 Nectarine

Total: 2888, split 28/46/26.

Scales: 13st 0lb, 14%

If anyone out there is curious as to how much difference taking a leak makes when weighing yourself, this morning showed me it was 2lbs and 1 percentage point of bodyfat.

Today's Workout (back, traps, bis):
10 mins elliptical (HR up to 140)
Lat Pull-downs: Warm-up: 12 x 4, 6 x 6;
Lat Pull-downs: Working Sets: 12, 12, 10+1(7);
Single-arm Cable Pulls (right/left): 12/12, 16/16, 15/15 (6);
Standing Bicep Curls: 12, 11, 11(5);
Upright Cable Rows: 12, 15, 12 (4);
Hammer Curls: 12, 12, 11+2 (6kg)

Some improvement on last week. I managed extra reps on the cable pulls and pull-downs, but paid for it slightly later on. I can live with that as the compound movements are supposed to be the most important. I'll move up on the cable pulls next week.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 2 tangerines.
Meal 2 (8:30am) Tuna, Spring Onion & Avocado Pitta Bread, 50g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (11:15am - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (1:15pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (3pm) 8oz Chicken Breast, Brown Rice, Corn on the Cob, Brussels Sprouts
Meal 6 (6:30pm) 100g Cottage Cheese, 1 Kiwi Fruit, 1 Plum.

Total: 2515, split 33/47/20. I've cut my portions of nuts in the morning to half size. There were 36g of (admittedly good) fat in them, but I felt it was too many calories and I want to make the bags last longer. The tuna & avocado combination works pretty well too. The avocado contains roughly the same amount of fat as a tablespoon of mayonnaise, and there's obviously more nutrition in the avocado than the mayo.

Scales: 13 st 0lb, 14%

Nice.

No workout today, I had to go back into work for a training session and I couldn't fit one in. I'm going to put the rest of my workouts back one day (core and abs tomorrow, and so on) and do high intensity cardio after work on Saturday.

Today's Food
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 orange.
Meal 2 (8:30am) Cottage Cheese & Peanut Butter Pitta Bread, 50g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (1pm) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana, 1 Kiwi Fruit
Meal 4 (4:30 pm) 7.5oz Salmon, 3 Hard-Boiled Eggs, salad & mayo
Meal 5 (6:30pm) 1 Apple

Total: 2176, split 28/39/33. With no workout I thought what I'd do is eat my regular meals without the pre/post workout shakes. When I added up the calories though I thought I was a bit short of protein, so I added a shake before I went back into the office.

Scales: 13st 0lb, 15%

Might be something to do with me not working out yesterday. Or it may not.

Today's Workout (core)
Warmup: 10 min elliptical (HR to 146);
Warmup: Deadlifts 12 x 20kg, 6 x 25kg;
Working Sets: Deadlifts 12, 15, 15 (30kg);
Swiss Ball Crunches: 20, 10 (weighted), 20;
Swiss Ball Hypers: 12, 11, 13;

While I did 15 reps on sets 2 and 3 of the deadlifts today I'm not going to move up next week as I don't feel spot on with my form.

Something embarrassing happened today. After ten weighted crunches I fell off the ball. I ended the set there (I think it would count as a loss of form). I was able to do 20 on the next set to make up. I think I did fewer hypers this week on account of the extra weight on the deadlifts.

Today's Food:
Meal 1 (4:30am) 1 Scoop whey with water, 75g All-Bran, 20g raisins, 1 large orange.
Meal 2 (8:30am) Tuna, Spring Onion & Avocado Pitta Bread, 50g mixed nuts & raisins
Meal 3 (11:15pm - Pre-workout) 1 Scoop whey with water, 1 large banana
Meal 4 (1:30 pm - PWO) 1 Scoop whey with water, 15 jellybeans
Meal 5 (2pm) 8oz Turkey Breast, Pasta & Sauce
Meal 6 (6pm) 40g Pork Scratchings, 1 Apple

Total: 3113, split 28/51/21. Bit of a mishap today. I thought I was coming to the end of my packet of pasta so I just tipped it all into the pan. I'd guess it was double the size of my normal serving so I've factored that into my total. On the plus side I ate it much closer to my workout than I normally would (I had an appointment to make this afternoon that was subsequently cancelled), and I didn't eat much yesterday, so the average over the two days should work out OK. On the other hand I didn't work out yesterday either. I don't think this will make too much difference.