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THE CHALLENGE HAS BEGUN. NO MORE ENTRIES ALLOWED FOR THIS MONTH'S CHALLENGE!

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Questions belong in this thread (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=30384).

This premise of this challenge is pretty simple: Each participant starts the month with 100 points. A point is deducted each time a workout is missed, a meal is missed, an unscheduled "cheat" meal or snack is consumed or a daily update to your official challenge post is missed. The goal, of course, is to finish the month with 100 points!

Here are the rules:

1) This challenge is for people who want to commit themselves 100%. Please don't join if you are not prepared to give a total effort.
2) The challenge begins on November 1, 2006. You must have your starting post up by 7:00 AM (EDT) on November 1, 2006.
3) It doesn't matter if you are cutting, bulking or maintaining. The common goal here is 100% consistency.
4) Each person participating in the challenge should start a post in this thread by the cut-off time. Your Official Challenge post must be updated each and every day. The updates won't take long (examples below). If you miss an update, you must deduct a point. Please note that you should edit your existing Official Challenge post--don't start a new post every day.
5) Miss a workout for any reason, deduct a point.
6) Miss a meal for any reason, deduct a point.
7) Eat an unscheduled "cheat" meal or snack, deduct a point.

Feel free to post before/after pictures if you like (optional).

Of course this challenge is based on the honor system. You can cheat, but that would be pointless.

Here's an example Official Challenge post (feel free to copy and paste, substituting your own information):

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Sample Official "100 Challenge" post


GOAL: Cutting


COMMENT: I want to reduce my body fat to 8%.


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM); Weight training: chest & triceps (PM)
Tuesday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM)
Wednesday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM); Weight training: back & biceps (PM)
Thursday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM)
Friday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM); Weight training: delts & traps (PM)
Saturday Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM); Weight training: legs (PM)
Sunday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM)


MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per day, one cheat meal per week.


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 200 pounds
BODY FAT: 9.8%
ARMS: 16.75"
CALVES: 16.5"
CHEST: 42.75"
FOREARMS: 13.5"
HIPS: 38.75"
THIGHS: 24"
WAIST: 32.5"


END STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:


DAILY LOG (Note: Each entry should be completed the day after, or at the end of the same day after all meals/workouts are completed. Please be sure to keep a running total of your points, as shown below.)

NOV 1: I did my cardio and ate all meals as scheduled.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 2: My car broke down and I missed my back workout. I walked to Burger King for dinner and had an unscheduled cheat meal.
-2 points [98 points]

NOV 3: I missed my cardio today, but ate all meals as scheduled.
-1 point [97 points]

NOV 4:

NOV 5: I missed yesterday's update, but I did my delts and traps workout yesterday, and ate all meals as scheduled (including my scheduled cheat meal). Today I did my cardio, ate all meals as scheduled and did my leg workout.
-1 point [96 POINTS]

You get the idea.....

John Stone's Official November "100 Challenge" post


GOAL: Bulking


COMMENT: This is the third month of my 2006 bulk.


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: Weight training: chest & abs
Tuesday: Weight training: back
Wednesday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic)
Thursday: Weight training: delts, traps & calves
Friday: Weight training: biceps & triceps
Saturday: Weight training: quads & hamstrings
Sunday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic)


MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per day, one cheat meal per week. No alcohol.


STARTING STATS (cold/flexed)
WEIGHT: 223 Pounds
BODY FAT: 11.5%
ARMS: 17.75"
CALVES: 17.5"
CHEST: 44.75"
FOREARMS: 14"
HIPS: 40.5"
THIGHS: 26.75"
WAIST: 34.5"


END STATS (cold/flexed)
WEIGHT: 233 Pounds
BODY FAT: 13%
ARMS: 18.25"
CALVES: 17.75"
CHEST: 45.5"
FOREARMS: 14.25"
HIPS: 41.25"
THIGHS: 27.5"
WAIST: 35"


DAILY LOG
NOV 1: The first day of this month's challenge was an easy one for me, cardio only (45 mins/135 BPM). All meals eaten as scheduled. It's 9:00 PM now, and I plan to be asleep by 9:30. Tomorrow is delts/traps/calves.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 2: I was in a great mood leading up to my delts/traps/calves workout, and the workout was one of those where everything just clicked. I'll talk about it a bit more on the main site tomorrow morning. I'm exhausted right now, and just want to finish my 6th and final meal (eating it now) and get some rest. Tomorrow is arm day, and if I have half the energy I had for tonight's workout I'm going to be very pleased. Good start to this month's challenge!
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 3: Tonight's arm workout was easily the best arm workout so far in this year's bulk. I went up in weight and reps on every exercise. I'm now lifting more weight for more reps than I ever have in my life. I suppose this stands to reason: I'm the heaviest I've ever been in my life, stronger than I've even been, and my muscles are all bigger than they've ever been. Next week I'll be going up in weight again on every single exercise. I have one meal left to eat. Tonight is cheat meal night, but I'm sick of pizza and I don't feel like going out, so I'm probably going to save the cheat meal for tomorrow or Sunday night. We'll see.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 4: Tonight I worked legs, and this was the first workout of this bulk in which I did not increase weight and/or reps for an exercise. The exercise was lying leg curls, and I did 12/11/8/8 compared to 12/11/9/9 that I did last week (using the same amount of weight). I felt great tonight, and I increased weight and reps on all my other exercises. I think what happened with my leg curls is I miscounted the number of plates and accidentally left one off on my first working set. While I was doing the first set I thought, "Man, the weight feels light tonight!" When I was done I checked the plates and saw my error. So I didn't count that first set, but it still fatigued my legs enough to affect the other 4 sets. I'll nail it next week. :) All six meals have been consumed and soon it's off to bed. Tomorrow is a relaxing cardio-only day.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 5: No weight training today. I did my morning cardio (45 mins/134 BPM) and just finished my 6th meal. Not much else to report!
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 6: Terrific chest workout tonight! I went up 5 pounds on all 4 exercises, and still hit more than 4 sets of 10 for each. That means next week I increase the weights again. My shoulder was bothering me a little, probably because the weights are starting to get up there even though I'm doing 4 sets of 10-12 per exercise. The shoulder feels pretty good now, so I think it's just a matter of working through it and being very careful with form (which is a big part of how I train anyway). All six meals eaten as scheduled. I'm off to bed--tomorrow is back day!
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 7: I had a very good back workout tonight, increasing weight on every exercise and still performing 4 sets of 10+ reps. I'll be adding weight to everything again next week. I also did Good Mornings again this week. I added 10 pounds per set and by the last set I was really feeling it! I have a feeling my lower back is going to be very, very sore tomorrow. I just completed my 6th and final meal. Tomorrow my CNS gets a rest, as it's a cardio-only day.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 8: Morning cardio (45 mins/136 BPM) done, all six meals eaten as scheduled. My lower back is feeling nicely sore tonight (as are my pecs and lats!)
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 9: I really love working delts. I don't know how I topped last week's excellent workout, but I did. I also torched my calves pretty good (I feel like they are lagging a bit, and it's bugging me so I did a few extra sets). All meals consumed as planned. Another good day is in the books. :tucool:
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 10: Unbelievably difficult arm workout tonight, but I didn't back down one bit. Details on the workout along with a couple new pictures are here (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?p=398168#post398168). I'm going to skip my cheat meal again tonight. Pizza just doesn't sound good again, and I'm not going out. Steak is better for my muscles anyway. :)
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 11: Great leg workout tonight, and I made up for last week's poor showing working hamstrings. I've posted more details on tonight's workout and a new pictures of my calves (which is long overdue), here (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?p=398466). I just finished my 6th and final meal. Tomorrow is a cardio-only day and, as usual after a brutal string of 3 very difficult workouts, I'm more than ready for a little R&R. :)
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 12: No training today, just AM cardio (45 mins/134 BPM) and six clean meals. I had a nice day of rest!
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 13: Tonight's pecs workout was all-out war! I felt great and suffered NO shoulder pain at all, despite some pretty heavy poundages. A new shirtless picture of me weighing in at around 231 pounds can be found here (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?p=399616). All six meals eaten as scheduled. A very good start to the week!
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 14: Excellent back workout tonight: I added 5 pounds to my wide-grip lat pull-downs, 10 pounds to my bent-over barbell rows and T-bar rows, and did 4 sets of Good Mornings at the same weight I did last week for my last set. I just finished my 6th and final meal. I feel like I'm going to burst open...
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 15: Morning cardio (45 mins/134 BPM) done. I haven't had a cheat meal in two weeks, so I decided to have one tonight. Nothing major, just a few slices of pizza. Enough to get my macros in + a little extra fat. I'm not going to be having a cheat meal again this Friday. For some reason lately after my workouts a cheat meal just doesn't sound good. Steak sure does, though!
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 16: I was really fired up for today's workout! I added 5 more pounds to my shoulder presses -and- did more reps than last week. I added 2.5 pounds per dumbbell to my lateral raises and did 12/11/10/9 reps, which I'm very happy about because the weight I used is much higher than anything I was doing last year for laterals. I also added another 5 pounds to my bent-over dumbbell laterals--I'm now within 10 pounds of doubling last year's best weight for bent over laterals! I skipped my upright rows because I wanted to hit my traps directly with an extra exercise: I did front barbell shrugs and behind-the-back barbell shrugs. I had a pretty amazing pump going--a nice preview of how I'll look once my trap height improves. My calf work went well and I improved on the number of reps I did last week, but my ankles were really hurting. All in all, one of my best workouts yet! I'm very pleased. I just finished my 6th meal, and I plan to be in bed by 10:00 PM.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 17: I had a great arm workout tonight (really enjoyed the new exercise routine!), but was feeling some pretty serious pain in my right elbow and wrist. I'm not sure what that's about, but it's slowly been getting worse for a few weeks now. I'm probably going to talk to my doctor about it when I go for my annual checkup, maybe sooner. I'm sitting here stuffed from my 6th and final meal. I skipped my cheat meal tonight and had a nice lean steak instead. It was perfect!
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 18: Tonight's leg workout was pretty intense: I pre-exhausted with 4 sets of leg lifts and 4 sets of lying leg curls, then I did 4 set of front squats and, finally, I finished off with 4 sets of dumbbell lunges! I just finished my 6th meal, and I'm ready to get to bed. Tomorrow is cardio-only, and I need the rest: my shoulders hurt, my right elbow hurts and and my right wrist hurts.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 19: AM cardio (45 mins/134 BPM) done, and all six meals eated as planned. My triceps are very sore today!
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 20: Tonight's chest workout was one of those workouts in which the harder I worked, the easier it felt. I know that sounds weird, but I don't know how else to describe it. All the weights felt light, my form was right on, my elbow and wrist didn't hurt and I didn't feel winded between sets. I just couldn't get enough! I did watch "Pumping Iron" over my lunch break today, so that may have had something to do with it. I've seen that movie 100 times and it never fails to get me amped up! All six meals eaten as scheduled, and now it's close to bedtime. :)
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 21: My back workout started off good, but I felt really weak for some reason! It was weird, while I was doing the lifts I was strong and doing great, but as soon as I'd finish a set I felt shaky. This continued for the first two exercises and then "BAM!" I hit my stride and started feeling really good. By the time I got to my deads I felt awesome. Strange! Anyway, good workout, all in all. All six meals eaten as planned.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 22: Morning cardio (45 mins/136 BPM) done and all meals eaten as scheduled. Actually I still have one more meal, but it's a protein shake + natural peanut butter and I always look forward to those--especially tonight because I'm starving. I think all the prep work I did for tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner made me extra hungry! I'm really sore today: my chest is aching from Monday's workout, and my back is really killing me from last night's workout (but in a good way!) :evil:
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 23: I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! I had an awesome Thanksgiving day workout (delts/traps/calves), and a wonderful dinner. I am just about to force my 6th and final meal down (I really don't want it, but I'm NOT losing a point!) I posted some pictures from today (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?p=404972) and, further down, a post-workout picture from this morning. I'm going to go eat my last meal and get to bed!
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 24: I decided to try something a little different for tonight's arm workout: shortened rest intervals. It was pretty intense! For more details on the workout along with a goofy new picture, check out tonight's post-workout entry (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?p=405228) in my media journal. As you can guess, several of my meals today have included turkey breast, including my 6th and final meal, which I am eating now. There are a lot of leftover temptations, such as pie, but I did not touch them (and am not craving that stuff anyway, so that makes it easier!)
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 25: Great leg workout tonight! I upped the weight on every exercise and felt very energetic and strong from start to finish. Unlike last Saturday I'm not suffering from any joint or shoulder pain. I wonder what that was about? Oh well, I'm just glad everything feels better! I just finished my 6th and final meal. I'm official sick of turkey. Thankfully I've eaten all the low-fat white meat that was left over from the 21-pound bird, so tomorrow I'll be returning to chicken (which I'm also pretty sick of, but oh well).
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 26: Today was a cardio-only day (45 mins/133 BPM), and I spent the rest of the day hanging around the house with Lisa. We watched movies and played with the dogs. :) All six meals were eaten as scheduled.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 27: I love how my pecs look when they are all pumped up. I wish they looked like that all the time! I guess that means I want to get even bigger. :tucool: My workout tonight went great, and I ate all meals as scheduled. It's 9:13 PM right now, and I'm about to head off to bed. I know it seems early, but plenty of sleep is an important facet of my bulking program. :)
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 28: Tonight's back workout was excellent! I experienced none of the lethargy that I felt during last week's back workout, and I'm using the highest weight I've ever used on every exercise (except deads, which I've purposely backed the weight off and upped the reps). All six meals eaten as planned. Just two more days and I'll have completed my third "100" month in a row! It's a great feeling to know that I have not missed a single workout or meal in 3 months. Looking back it seems fairly daunting, but I've just been taking it one day at a time and thoroughly enjoying the process. I know I have it in me to do it again in December. I have no excuse not too!
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 29: Today was a cardio-only day (45 mins/134 BPM). Cardio days are so boring. I don't mind cardio when I'm cutting, but when I'm bulking I don't look forward to it at all. All six meals eaten as planned.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 30: I finished off this month's challenge with a brutal assault on my delts, traps and calves. I posted some post-workout thoughts and a new picture in tonight's entry (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?p=407541) to my media journal. I'm very proud of myself for what I've accomplished these past few month: I've not missed a single workout, meal or journal entry in well over 3 months, and my gains reflect the hard work and dedication I've put into my bulk so far this year. I've updated my final stats except my weight, which I'll add tomorrow morning. See you in the December challenge!
-0 points [100 points]

FINAL SCORE: 100 Points! :tucool:

Alright, I'm in. First a little about my background; I have been extremely active in all kinds of sports until my 18th birhtday. At this time I was training among other things with heavy weights...very hard but also very stupid. Every second day was heavy bench day the days in between were arm days.
It's not much of a surprise that it resulted in injury. For the last 5 years I have been through quiet a number of physiotherapy and so on, but the problem still remains... right now I am following a program that has been good to me and I sign in to this thread, to help me stick to it, and stay healthy otherwise.
My goals are:

Standing up before 7:30 each day except for either Saturday or Sunday
Eating clean
Getting my exercises done each day

I will update later.

DAILY LOG
NOV 1: Stood up at 7:30. Ate clean but didnt drink enough so -1, I will get my workout in just now. If you are curious for why I chose to stand up at a regular time, here is the explanation... I am still in university and my schedule allows me to pretty much freely choose, when to stand up, so the danger is there, that I stand up at say 11, and the next day at 6 which isn't a good rhythm for health and grades.
99 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 2: Alarm clock went off at 7:30 but stood up at 8:00 (-1), ate clean, will get exercises done later, if not point deduction tommorrow. (Wont happen)
98 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 3: Stood up at 7:30, ate clean, among others I shredded a giant pumpkin..., got a small workout in. Had a killer week, I am sure glad it is weekend! I think tommorow I will have my sleep in day.
98 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 4: Stood up at 8:00 I think I will take this as a regular day, since tonight my gf is staying over... (-1) I had a killer week, worked at least 10 hours each day for university. Today I did asides from correcting some freshmen stuff, I cleaned my room, did some jogging and went shop for some groceries. Right now I will do some physio and that will be it.
97 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 5: Stood up at around 10, thats okay since today was my freeday aside from that I did some more cleaning up went jogging and did some physio and watched an episode of twin peaks, which I just got started on (killer series)... Lets see what this week brings...
97 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 6: Stood up on time, ate clean and had sufficient water... Workout will be done right after updating.
97 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 7:

DAILY LOG
NOV 8: Missed yesterdays update, did all my stuf right though so -1 point.
96 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 9: I stood up at 8 o clock, so about half an hour late... (-1)/(per half an hour) I am not acting 100 5% according to plan, but at least I am not messing up too bad, I ll try to improve even more... but I already see, I will probably sleep in 30 or 60 minutes tommorow as i am tired as hell. Makes no sense to be sleepy all day. Good night
95 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 10: Stood up at 8 (-1) and had a hard working day, didnt find the time to do my physiostuff -1 ate clean though.
93 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 11: missed update, stood up late (free day) -1
92 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 12: Stood up early at 4:00 to watch the Klitschko fight (on German television). But after that I went back to sleep and I slept to around 10 o clock (-5... thats pretty tough, but those are my guidlines.)
87 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 13: everything done right
87 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 14: missed update (-1), stood up late about (3 hours later than planned) -6 worked out though and ate clean.
81 Points (things are not going well)

DAILY LOG
NOV 15: Stood up earlier than planned (good job) everything done right
81 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 16: Another week is coming to an end... Stood up on time, ate clean worked out, went back to University... Good day
81 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 17:

DAILY LOG
NOV 18:

DAILY LOG
NOV 19:

DAILY LOG
NOV 20: Spend weekend at my parents place. Missed updates 17-19 (-3) worked out on two of those days (-1), stood up at 7:30 8 and 8:30 while one is free-day (-1). Today I stood up at 8:30 (-2) ate clean, and plan to get my workout in right now. This all added up to my points so far gives a sum of
74 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 21:

DAILY LOG
NOV 22: No entry yesterday... Everything done right though... Things around work/university are tough, but a man s gotta do what a man s gotta do; blah.
73 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 23: Stood up at 8(-1), ate clean plan to work out right now.
72 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 23: Stood up at 7:30 (check), ate clean the whole day, worked out. Just arrived from a party where I had a couple of beers. (thats a negative on eating clean (-1)) I ll probably play some doom3 and have my stand up late day tomorrow.
71 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 24:

DAILY LOG
NOV 25:

DAILY LOG
NOV 26:

DAILY LOG
NOV 27: Missed 3 updates -3, Friday was a goodday; stood up at around 10 both Saturday and Sunday, thats -5 (one day is free) did not work out on Saturday, did work out on Sunday (pretty good one by the way), Stood up right now late at 9:30 -4 which sums up to a total of
59 Points

DAILY LOG
NOV 28:

DAILY LOG
NOV 29: Missed update, had a great workout though yesterday. Today also everything was on spot.
58 Points

DAILY LOG NOV 30: Last day

GOALS:
1. Continue losing fat. i've still got a reasonable size gut, and I'm going to eliminate it. By January I'm going to have a 32 inch waist, and there will be some abs to see!
2. Work out hard with weights in order to build additional muscle. I'm going to bump the amount of protein I'm consuming slightly, and look at slight caloric increase.
3. Continue stretching to improve flexibility. I'm pretty close to touching my toes, which is much better than the start of October. I want to be able to completely touch my toes, and eventually put my palms on the ground.

NON-FITNESS GOALS
1. I'm also going on a financial diet this month. I'm going to record all the money I spend this month in a spreadsheet. I want to make sure that I'm spending responsibly, and I'm trying to save more money.
2. I am going to write for one hour per day.

COMMENT: My October 100 challenge went very well, and I managed to hang onto 94 points over the course of the month. I lost 6.5 pounds, my arms increased by 0.25", my chest increased by 1.25", and my waist decreased by 1.75". I also lost 1" on my thighs, and 1.5" on my hips. I'm looking to replicate and surpass this success in November, with particular focus on my shoulders and arms.


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Sunday: Weight Training - Back, Biceps & Forearms + Abs
Monday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted)
Tuesday: Weight Training - Quads, Calves, Hamstrings + Abs
Wednesday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted)
Thursday: Weight Training - Pecs, Delts, Triceps + Abs
Friday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted)
Saturday: Off / Optional Stationary bike


MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per day, one cheat meal per week.


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 178.5 pounds
BODY FAT: unknown
ARMS: 13"
CALVES: 16.25"
CHEST: 39.25
FOREARMS: 11"
HIPS: 39.75"
THIGHS: 23.25"
WAIST: 35.75"


END STATS
WEIGHT: 177 lbs
BODY FAT: ?
ARMS: 13"
CALVES: 16.5"
CHEST: 39.75"
FOREARMS: 11"
HIPS: 39.75"
THIGHS: 24"
WAIST: 35"


DAILY LOG

NOV 1: All meals eaten according to plan, and I exercised for 15 miles / 48 minutes tonight. I had a really good sweat going by the end of it, I was pushing hard and could definitely feel it. I'm increasing my food quantities from 100g of chicken or beef to 125g. I eat meat at 4 of my meals per day, so that will be good. I'll see if it slows my fat loss, but I think I should be OK. I'm going to re-examine all the foods I'm eating tomorrow, in order to ensure that I'm on target health-wise for this month. I need to make sure I'm not burning so many calories that it's difficult to take advantage of the muscle I'm gaining!
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 2: Ate clean and exercised tonight, chest, triceps, and delts. I can't lift that much weight with my triceps, so it's a bit hard to isolate them. I'm getting better at it though - I find that with all of these exercises I keep learning how to refine my technique, so I can do them better.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 3: My triceps and chest are pretty sore today, so I guess I did something right yesterday! Ate all meals clean, and skipped my cheat meal. I may use it tomorrow, but I'm not in a rush. I need to go shopping this weekend, since I'm running low on some key supplies. I also need to write!
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 4: All meals eaten according to plan, and I also did 50 minutes / 15 miles of biking today.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 5: All meals eaten according to plan. I was feeling unmotivated when I was working out, but in the end it was still an OK session. I got all my food prepared for the week, which is good - it makes eating healthy very easy. This is going to be a good week!
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 6: I ate everything according to plan, and did 16.5 miles in 52 minutes on the exercise bike this evening. I've been reading some other threads on JSF and I'm trying to reconsider my fitness goals. I still have fat that needs to be lost, but I'm considering increasing my calories so I can begin putting on more muscle. I've posted my current routine (along with a photo) in this thread, to draw on the experience of the group: http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=32116
Anyone reading this journal is invited to comment too!
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 7: Leg workout today, I did lunges, leg extensions, hamstring curls, sumo squats, and standing calf raises. I would like to ramp into squatting / deadlifting. I'll be able to do the deadlifts, since I have a bar, but I can't squat as I have no squat rack and no spotter. I may go to a friend's gym to try it, since I think that could really put the hurt on my legs... in a good way! Meals on target today, everything 100%.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 8: Exercise bike today, 48 minutes / 15 miles, which is quick. Still trying to get down to 45 minutes, so I can maintain an average of 3 min. or under per mile! I cooked up some more chicken tonight, for lunches and other food I bring with me. I've only been doing this for about 5 weeks, but I'm already at the point where I can't imagine what I'd do if I didn't regularly cook massive batches of food. It makes me wonder what I even did before (snack and eat in restaurants is the unfortunate answer!) All meals on target today, and I experimented with mixing raw oats into my weigh shake. It wasn't that bad, so I might try to use that for my carb kick after my workouts. I also bought some brown rice, I'm going to experiment with cooking that up and taking chicken and rice, rather than chicken sandwiches. From the other thread I started, I gather that the carbs will be better than the multigrain bread I'm currently eating. Plus, if I make 150g of rice (cooked) it will be less carbs than the bread I'm eating 2x per day anyway.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 9: My workout today was pretty uninspired, but I got through it. I mixed 60g of raw oats into my chocolate milk / white milk / chocolate weigh PWO shake. It tasted fine (I was a bit worried about that) so I think the oats are going to be a permanent addition on weight-training days, so I've got some healthy carbs in that PWO meal. All other meals for the day were A-OK and on target.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 10: Fitness and health 100% today - got up at 7am to ride the bike.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 11: I took advantage of my rest day today. I need to look at my calories and food intake tomorrow, since I want to increase the amount I'm eating. I really feel that I need to put on some muscle before I worry about losing fat... Obviously I'm doing good things for my body by eating right and exercising, and that's already contributed to the fat loss. I've really got to take a good crack at this and add some muscle / size / strength to my body!
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 12: My hard drive died tonight, but I made my update on paper! Just a bit slow typing it in ;). I made some chicken for the week, and I also worked back and biceps. I did deadlifts for the first time, and they were excellent. I really enjoy learning new exercises that I can add to my routine. I feel like I'm getting better at them as I go on.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 13: I can really feel those deadlifts today in my lower back! I've never felt muscle soreness in my lower back, which is great - that means I obviously wasn't working the muscles there. Today I had a personal fitness breakthrough - I biked 15 miles in 43 minutes, breaking my goal of less than 3 minutes per mile. I was really going strong, and it was excellent. I'm going to wait until I do it a few more times, and then I'm going to increase the difficulty on the bike. All meals were eaten on target today, and I also made some beef to take with me for lunches.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 14: Excellent leg workout today! I can barely walk! Sweet lord, I can really feel the extra sets of lunges and leg extensions. I lost a point today, but I'm OK with it. I was bringing some supplies to a friend who just had an operation, and she made some cookies to thank me. I didn't want to refuse them, since that would be rude. (Also, she makes excellent cookies!) I did not overdo it, but that's one delicious point lost.
-1 point [99 points]

NOV 15: Fitness and health 100% today. I did 15 miles in under 45 minutes again, which I'm very happy with. I also went to the butcher and bought chicken, which was fantastic - it's much cheaper there! From now on, I'm buying all my meat directly from the butcher. I bought 10lbs - cooked 5, and froze the other 5.
-0 points [99 points]

NOV 16: Everything went great today, no lost points. A friend I work with joined the Army a while ago, and today was his last day at work. There was a party for him, with some cake, but I avoided it. I figured that it wouldn't make a difference to anyone else whether or not I ate cake. I had to get in a late night workout, but it went well. I've increased all amounts of meat that I'm eating to 150g, so that's 4x 150g servings, or 600g per day. Usually 450 chicken, and 150 beef. I need to re-calculate my calories per meal in the spreadsheet, since I want to closely monitor the increase. I had another oats, weigh & chocolate milk shake after my workout today, which was excellent. On cardio days I'm not adding the oats.
-0 points [99 points]

NOV 17: I did not have time to complete my cardio today. As tomorrow is a rest day, I plan to make it up so I don't lose the point. Unfortunately, it's 4am and I'm still in the process of helping a friend edit a wedding video that needs to be completed asap. I had a feeling this edit-o-rama might take a long time, I should have exercised before I left the house and just gone over later. Oh well, not a big deal, this certainly won't derail me.
-0 points [99 points]

NOV 18: I got an excellent cardio workout done today, 46 minutes / 16 miles on the bike. I seem to have broken through on the 45/15 barrier, so next week I'm going to increase the difficulty level of the bike. I think it helps that I'm exercising my legs, since as they get stronger I can go longer and faster. Today my food was excellent, I took care to make sure I packed everything I needed to eat well, despite a busy day. Tomorrow I'm going to be working from home all day, which means I'll be able to cook up some more beef for lunches next week. I still need to sit down and officially bump up my calories in the spreadsheet, I need to commit to doing that on Monday. I might need to get some bigger tupperware containers as I continue to increase my portion sizes!
-0 points [99 points]

NOV 19: Great back and bicep workout today. I bought and cooked some roast beef, which I'll use for lunches. I'm still dealing with figuring out portion sizes, to make sure I have enough to last the week. All my meals were on schedule today, and I'm loving fitness!
-0 points [99 points]

NOV 20: Strange - I updated last night, but it does not appear to have registered. I got in another late night workout, which was excellent. I did 15/45 again, so I'm going to increase the difficulty on the bike when I do it next (Wednesday). I cooked 6 lbs of chicken as I was biking - I can't believe how easy it is to make large quantities of healthy food. All my meals were on target tonight, and I worked out my additional calories in the spreadsheet.
-0 points [99 points]

NOV 21: I had an excellent leg workout today. I also ate 100% on target. And that's pretty much it!
-0 points [99 points]

NOV 22: I bumped up the difficulty on the exercise bike by one notch. I still finished in 45min 15sec, but DEAR GOODNESS it was more difficult. The fun and games on that bike are definitely over. I look forward to tackling it again on Friday. All my meals were on target today, I'm actually eating a fair amount of food now that I've switched over to bulking. I'm not sure if it's official bulking, more like "mild" bulking - I just want to make sure I've got enough calories going into my body to ensure that I can actually put on some muscle!
-0 points [99 points]

NOV 23: I put in a late night workout tonight, but my triceps and chest are feeling great. I'm going to switch it up and move shoulders to a different day, I never seem to be feeling the exercises on Thursday. Maybe if I switch it up to leg day. Healthy food all around, since I was packing 4/6 meals today. Off to bed!
-0 points [99 points]

NOV 24: Everything A-OK. I'm resting today, and biking tomorrow!
-0 points [99 points]

NOV 25: Excellent exercise bike today, I did the harder setting in under 45 minutes, but it was really hard. I'm going to do it like this one more time before I bump the difficulty again, since I won't be able to take it!
-0 points [99 points]

NOV 26: All eating on target today. Good back / biceps workout.
-0 points [99 points]

NOV 27: I did another 15 miles in under 45 minutes on the bike, so I'm going to bump the difficulty on Friday or Saturday when I bike next. Made some excellent roast beef, and I've got some chicken defrosting so I can make some tonight. It's amazing how much food I'm preparing compared to two months ago. I need to increase the calories in my final two meals, since I'm aiming for 500 or more in each of my 6 meals. Maybe I can tack some almonds on, as an easy way to bump it up.
-0 points [99 points]

NOV 28: Late night legs!
-0 points [99 points]

NOV 29: Lost a point today - I visited my cookie baking friend, and I indulged in some additional freshly baked chocolate chips. They were good, but I've decided that's the last time I'm going to allow that to hapen. In other fitness news, I scaled mount bikemore, doing the new extremely hard setting in 49:49 for 15 miles. This was no laughing matter, I was really working hard and sweating up a storm. When I was finished, it looked like I had just taken a shower. It will be a little while before I can crank out this difficulty in under 45 minutes. I look forward to meeting the challenge (though I don't really want to think about what lies beyond that!)
-1 point [98 points]

NOV 30: It was 2am, and I was really thinking about not exercising. But I did it anyway, and I'm glad. i'm going to need it!

Final Score: 98 Points

GOAL: Bulk

COMMENT: Well I gained about 4 pounds of muscle last month, even though I got sick for like a week. I hope to gain about 4lbs again this month. I am going to keep the same workout days but I will be leaving out of town for about 4 days. Only one workout day will be affected, so I'll do it 2 days earlier.


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: off
Tuesday: Chest and Back
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: off
Friday: off
Saturday shoulders and arms
Sunday: off



MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per day, one cheat meal per week



STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 155
BODY FAT: 14.28
ARMS: 12.375
CALVES: 14.25
CHEST: 36.5
FOREARMS: 11
HIPS: 35.5
THIGHS: 22
WAIST: 32

If you miss an update: -1.
Miss a workout for any reason: -1
Miss a meal for any reason: -1
Eat an unscheduled "cheat" meal or snack:-1

Nov 1: Posted my goals and workouts. [100 points]

Nov 2: Yesterday I did my leg workout. I lifted the most I have ever lifted. Personal maxes. I also feel as if I could go up a lot next week. [100 points]

Nov 3: Ate all my meals yesterday. I also upped my calories just a bit. [100 points]

Nove 4: Had all my meals yesterday. Nothing eventful. [100 points]

Nov 5: Did my back and arms yesterday. Went well but I will bring the weight down a llittle on my reverse curls. [100 points]

Nov 6: Had my cheat meal yesterday. Worst part was that it didn't taste good. [100 points]

Nov 7: Nothing of interest happened yesterday. Had all my meals. [100 points]

Nov 8: Did my chest/shoulders/tricep workout. I didn't go up as much as I wanted but I went up some. [100 points]

Nov 9: I did my legs yesterday. I went up on my squats but my grip gave out on my SLD's despite the fact that it felt light. I just couldn't hold on for my middle two sets. I did one less rep than last week on my 2nd to last set. I got pissed and decided that my last set wouldn't not be determined by my grip. I took off my gloves and held the the bar with my bare hands (wich I hate to do) and did more than last week. [100 points]

Nov 10: Had all my meals yesterday. Everything was good. [100 points]

Nov 11: I zonked out early yesterday and I actally missed a meal because of it. [99 points]

Nov 12: I did my back and arms yesterday. I went up in reps on most sets, withe the exception of my pullups, but I did weight a bit more than last week. [99 points]

Nov 13: Had my cheat meal yesterday. Everything else was uneventful. [99 points]

Nov 14: Ahh crap I cant believe I forgot to update I swear I updated. Oh well [98 points]

Nov 15: Yesterday I worked out my legs. I did 10 sets of 10 reps (deadlifts). Felt pretty good [98 points]

Nov 16: I worked out my arms and shoulders yesterday. It was late and I was a bit tired. I thought that it would affect my workout but the tiredness went away when I started lifting. [98 points]

Nov 17: Vacation [97 points]
Nov 18: Vacation[96 points]
Nov 19: Vacation[95 points]
Nov 20: Vacation[94 points]
Nov 21: I got back yesterday. I'm pretty tired right now. I'll work out later. [94 points]
Nov 22: Missed my workout I'll do it tomorrow. [94 points]
Nov 23: I missed putting up my update but I did workout. [93 points]
Nov 24 Missed update
Nov 25 Missed update
Nov 26: I haven't been able to get back into the groove of updating since I have been back from vacation but I hope to improve that the last week of this month. [91 points]

GOAL: Bulking

COMMENT: I will be taking my wife to South Beach for our Anniversary this month and will not be near a computer for 4 days. I will enter this challenge and commit myself 100% for the other 26 days.

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: 30 mins (aerobic)
Tuesday: Weight training: quads, hamstrings & calfs
Wednesday: Weight training: delts & arms
Thursday: 30 mins (aerobic)
Friday: Weight training: back & traps
Saturday: 30 mins (aerobic)
Sunday: Weight training: chest & arms

MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per day, one cheat meal per week. No alcohol.

STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 187
BODY FAT: 12.3%
ARMS: 15"
CALVES: 15"
CHEST: 42.5"
FOREARMS: 11.75"
THIGHS: 23.75"
WAIST: 34.5"

ENDING STATS
WEIGHT: 194.2 (+7.2)
BODY FAT: 14% (+1.7)
ARMS: 15.5" (+.5)
CALVES: 15.25" (+.25)
CHEST: 43.5" (+1)
FOREARMS: 12" (+.25)
THIGHS: 24.5" (+.75)
WAIST: 35.25" (+.75)

DAILY LOG

11/1: Having a head cold is not a great way to begin a challenge. I could not fall asleep last night because I had taken some medicine just before going to bed and I just could not get comfortable. I was able to sleep in late which meant that I would have to do my fasted cardio later in the day between my 4th and 5th meal. All day long I felt like my head was going to explode with the sinus pressure. Anyway, I was not going to let things start out so poorly and didn't want to deduct any points so early in the challenge so I bucked up and did it.
100 points

11/2: I'm starting to feel a bit better so I think my cold has run it's course. I had all my meals packed for success and I ate each on time. I went to the gym and worked out. At first I thought I would just take it easy. As soon as I arrived I was thinking "Dam I'm eating so much, I'd better have an intense session."
100 points

10/3: TGIF I am looking forward to this weekend because I can finally get some much needed rest. I woke up early and did my fasted cardio and things have improved with respect to my head cold. I'm looking forward to my leg day tomorrow and I plan to add some dynamic stretching before I lift any weight. I've been stiff and figure the pre-stretching will loosing up my joints. I hope everyone has a great weekend.
100 points

10/4: I had to workout early today. I usually train around 5pm but today I went at 10am, like most weekends. Today was legs and I was still feeling the effects of my recent cold. I did'nt let that deter me and I attacked the lifts with all my energy. I did all my sets and the tempo was slow and reps focused. I did so well that I decided to have my weekly cheat today, 1 hot dog, 1 frosted donut, 2 chicken nuggets, 2 slices of cheese pizza, and a handful of fries. This was one of the worst cheats I have had in a long time and yet this is exactly what my two children had to eat during the day.
100 points

10/5: Another early workout today and I'm glad because it allowed me the rest of the afternoon to relax. Oh, wait I fist had to rake leaves, put away lawn furniture, clean out coolers, rake some more, teach my 5 year old how to ride without training wheels, and cook enough for the next few days. But, hey, I'm not complaining it could of been worse. I wish I did'nt have my cheat meal last night because the Patriots are playing the Colts at 7pm. and I'm in the mood for pizza. I'll just have to settle on shrimp, oriental veggies and red bliss potatoes. Yippee.
100 points

10/6: Not much to post...Cardio only today and all meals on time and as planned. Another day closer to my vacation in South Beach. I'm looking forward to a few days of rest, relaxation and fun. I'm planning to use this time to enjoy all of the hard work I've been putting in lately. I haven't taken any recovery time off in a long while and these few days will be good for my joints and I will be able to recharge my battery. As soon as I get back on Monday it's 100 % effort until the next challenge.
100 points

10/7: Today something was just not right. I did'nt sleep that well last night and all day long I felt lethargic. I did eat according to plan and went to the gym to lift. My strength and focus was also off. I caught myself staring at the TV watching some god awful show. I even scolded myself for not being focused. I'm probably still a bit under the weather and the daily fitness routine is stalling my complete recovery.
100 points

10/8: A chink in the armour. My wife left for South Beach today and I'll meet up with her on Friday because of work. Anyway I have had a hectic day getting the girls ready for school, and picking them up at various times today. I just finished putting them to bed and prepared my meals for tomorrow. I also put out their clothes for tomorrow as well as pack their lunches. I don't know if it's because I'm tired or what but I just poured a glass of red wine -1 point and I plan to watch a movie before bed.
99 points

11/9: Today went rather well and I had an excellent chest/arm workout. I was really focused on my reps and I felt that I pushed myself very hard. I'm leaving tomorrow for South Beach and I'm very excited to be in a warm sunny climate. I already know that I'll loose points for various infractions during this time but trips like this don't come around often.
99 points

11/14: I'm back from South Beach and I'm very excited to pick up where I left off. Today is leg day and I feel well rested and ready to give it my all. I got back to my regular eating program as of today and without getting into it "lets just say I ate like a cow" these last few days. I haven't posted since Friday -4 points, missed two workouts and two cardio sessions -4 points, drank alcohol nightly -4 points, and ate in abundance -4 points This hurts my overall point count for the month, but I'm not giving up without a fight. I plan to give 100% for the rest of the month and keep my remaining points in tact. 87 points

11/15: Ah the halfway mark. I had another great day of training my delts and arms and I did notice that I haven't lost any strength which is a good thing. I have also noticed that I'm putting on fat again in the upper hips. I have a tendency to store fat there and it's the first place that comes back like an unwelcome friend. Time to start wearing winter clothes again.
87 points

11/16: Today was the first time I did fasted cardio in over a week and believe me I was sucking wind. At first I thought that my quads were sore from leg day on Tuesday but after about 10 minutes the legs were feeling like dead weight. I pushed through it but I can't believe that 7+ days without cardio could have such a negative impact on my cardio fitness.
87 points

11/17: I had a great back day today, I was able to increase my deadlift 10 LB again. I have been increasing it consistently since I started my bulk. I'm very happy with my strength gains so far. I have a personal goal that I would like to achieve by the end of the year ad I'm pretty much on target. Tonight will be my weekly cheat meal and after today's workout I'm going to really enjoy it.
87 points

11/18: Early morning cardo and all else went well today. Plenty of chores around the house to keep me busy. I'll be doing chest/arms tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it. Unfortunately I will be working most of tomorrow because I will not be in on Wednesday.
87 points

11/19: Well as I mentioned I had to work at the office today. I put in a full day and I was in no mood to workout. I just felt that I was spent. Anyway I did some motivational reading. I read a few other posts and snap I was in the mood to train.

I got to the gym and had an awesome chest & arm workout. My focus was on and I even loaded some new songs on my ipod. I just finished my last meal of the day and I'm now relaxing. Yahoo the Patriots won today.
87 points

11/20: I did my fasted morning cardio today and I felt much quicker and my overall condition was improved from the first one I did after my vacation. I ate all my meals on time and had a great day at the office, got a lot of things done before Thanksgiving. I'm still holding onto my remaining points like they are valuable gems.
87 points

11/21: Oh ya baby, I had my leg day today and I must of done something right because before I knew it I had lifted a personal best squat. I did my two warm ups with more weight than usual and then loaded the bar thinking the 35lb were 25lb weights, alright I knew they were 35lb but I did'nt bother to add all the weight until I was finished all my sets. 205lb might not be a lot for most but this was the first time ever for me. The energy from a calorie surplus is through the roof. My lifts are all higher and I couldn't be happier. Now time to make my PWO2 meal.
87 points

11/22: I had to drop a dime so to speak in order to connect and post. I'm currently in New York Thanksgiving morning and we will be taking the girls to the Thanksgiving Day Parade. I paid $20 last night to workout at the "New York Sports Club" that's dedication. I wasn't able to post last night but found a Internet pay as you go site this morning. My meals were 95% last night considering traveling for 6+ hours. Anyway had a great shoulder/arm workout and saved plenty of room in my stomach for my weekly cheat which is of course today. No points lost because dam it I worked out and found a way to post plus I really tried on my meals and could of easily gone for junk while on the road.
87 points

11/23: I did my 30 minutes of cardio going on a fools errand yesterday before Thanksgiving dinner. I was looking for children's pedi care tablets for colds & allergies. Three pharmacy's were out of stock and I was running from store to store. I also had my cheat meal yesterday and I enjoyed every minute of it. No alcohol and plenty of water kept me feeling very full.
87 points

11/24: I already knew it was going to be a rough day today. We were traveling back home from Manhattan, NY and I did'nt plan my meals out to well. I ate mostly clean food but the macros were off and the timing was as well. -1 point If that wasn't bad enough, we arrived home to late for me to go and workout. - 1 point I will make up the missed workout tomorrow but I worked so hard lately to keep from messing up that I wanted to be accountable for my actions today.
85 points

11/25: As I mentioned in last night's post, I missed my back routine because I was traveling. I decided to workout today and do my back instead of cardio. I always enjoy doing my back because it's where I excel in my lifts and form. Anyway, I keep a log of all my previous lifts, weight used and how the load felt. I indicate heavy if a particular set is difficult by the last few reps but form is still good. Anyway I decided to add 20 lbs to my deadlift because last week I didn’t indicate any difficulty with the amount lifted. I got the first set completed and I was winded. I then took my rest and began the second set. I got to about 5 reps when coming out of the hole I felt a twinge in my lower left back. I immediately stopped the set and basically leaned against a wall. The pain was tolerable but whenever I bent over I felt the same tightness in that area. I went home and iced my back. I still feel the tightness in my lower back and will basically rest and see what develops. This really bothers me because lately I was on a roll.
85 points

11/26: I'm still sore from my muscle strain in my lower back. I did go to the club and did a very easy chest workout and relaxed in the jacuzzi after wards. I took my girls to a birthday party and while there I ate pizza. - 1 point I'll be glad when this month is over. It's been a difficult month to stay on tract.
84 points

11/27: Cardio only today and I'm actually glad. My lower back is getting better since Saturday but any wrong movement and I cringe. Anyway I'm applying heat and taking care of the problem. I ate all my meals on time and within the right macros. Tomorrow is leg day and again I plan to adjust my workout so I do not put any additional strain on my lower back.
84 points

11/28: Leg day today and although my lower back is still sore I decided to work out anyway. I lifted with a lighter weight and with perfect form and basically I flexed throughout the entire movement. This did the trick because I felt very little discomfort. I was able to complete my routine and I was even able to do some lower body stretching after my workout.
8 points

11/29: I did my shoulders and arms today and I was really struggling with the shorter rest period between sets. I really contracted on the peak of the movement and felt fatigued around the 7th rep of the 2nd set of straight bar curls. I checked my logs and a similar thing happened the last time I went with a shorter rest period.
84 points

11/30: I did my morning fasted cardio and all went well. I ate all my meal on time and within the right macros. Overall I had an excellent day. One more meal and it's off to bed for a long night of recovery. I managed to hang on to my remaining points by planning for some events in advance, trip to South Beach, and some poor planning like the glass of wine, slice of pizza, or the missed cardio session.
84 points

gazareth's Official "100 Challenge" post


GOAL: Cutting


COMMENT: I'd like to hit 12 stone (168lbs) by the time I go on holiday to Slovakia (29th November).


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: Full body weights workout
Tuesday: Rugby training (or cardio)
Wednesday: Speedwork
Thursday: Rugby training
Friday: Compound lifts & cardio
Saturday Rugby match or cardio (alternate weeks)
Sunday: 30-40 minutes jogging on the treadmill
Note: I injured my shoulder playing rugby on 23rd October, it may be a couple of weeks before I can do weights, rugby or speedwork. I will be doing cardio, core or some other form of workout in the gym instead on those days.


NUTRITION RULES
1) Shitloads of water.
2) No chocolate, crisps, snacks or anything "unhealthy" except a dessert on a Sunday and a bar of chocolate on Friday lunchtime.
3) Wholemeal bread only, no white.
4) At least 5 portions of fruit and veg per day.
5) Max 2 cups of tea per week, no coffee, no soft drinks (max 1 can of diet coke per week, or equivalent).
6) No alcohol except at the weekend (one night per week max).


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 180lbs
BODY FAT: 21% ish!


END STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:

Start pics
http://ninjapirates.net/novchalfront.jpg
http://ninjapirates.net/novchalside.jpg


DAILY LOG

NOV 1: Great start to my first 100 challenge - I'm ill! I think I picked up a bug or something on the way home from Copenhagen, and I felt rotten most of yesterday. Needless to say, I didn't get to the gym, or even to work. I managed to stick to the nutrition side of things, which was hard given that all I wanted to do was sit in bed and eat chocolate while playing Lumines! I'm not taking points off for missing a workout because it's not really my fault. I'm feeling better this morning (2nd Nov) but not feeling confident about making it to rugby training tonight... 100 points

NOV 2: Again, I was too ill to exercise :( However, everything was A-OK with food and this morning I'm feeling a lot better. I'll see how I am after a day in the office but I feel like I can get a good gym workout in tonight - I hope so because I'm supposed to be playing rugby tomorrow! 100 points

NOV 3: Made it to the gym yesterday and did a full body workout. My shoulder hurt too much for bench pressing so I had to skip that :( I went out with some friends in the evening and drank too much :P I think I'm going to lose my first point today though, I'm going to a fireworks party and I don't know if I'll be able to resist the temptation of beer! 100 points

NOV 4: No exercise today plus a few beers at the party = 2 points lost. I'm not too bothered about the beers because I had a good laugh, and I don't want to completely forego the idea of having fun in favour of dropping a few pounds. I could have gone to the gym but I had too much other stuff to do to fit in a workout, which is a poor excuse admittedly. Tomorrow is a new day though! 98 points

NOV 5: All good - ran 5km and nutrition all OK. 98 points

NOV 6: All good - did full body workout at the gym (minus chest and shoulder stuff due to injury) and felt pretty good. Deadlifting 60kg for 3x9 felt pretty easy for the first time so that weight will be going up on Wednesday (replacing speed session with another weights session as the speed stuff is very hard on the shoulders)! Food also fine, enjoyed some cottage cheese on crackers this evening :) I'm boiling some eggs in preparation for breakfast tomorrow - oatmeal and hard-boiled eggs... mmmm :) 98 points

NOV 7: Was going to go to the gym for some cardio after work but the promise of a warm cup of tea and the new Prison Break was too much, so I went to play football this evening instead. I didn't get as hard a workout as I would have at the gym but it's better than nothing I suppose. Food was all OK, felt hungry most of the day though. Weights tomorrow, shoulder still a bit iffy :( 98 points

NOV 8: Got my full body workout in and squats & deadlifts kicked my ass as usual! Food was also fine. Weighed myself this morning (writing this on the morning of the 9th) and haven't lost a pound. Need to get more cardio in I reckon... 98 points

NOV 9: With my shoulder still not up to rugby, I went to the gym after work and ran for 40 minutes on the treadmill. It was a fairly slow pace, but I ran 6.6km or so and this is a big achievement - the longest I have ever run for and the furthest too! I almost feel like giving myself a point back for this, haha ;) Food was all fine, I'm finding that side of things quite easy - whenever I feel tempted to break a rule I remind myself of the shame of docking a point in this challenge and I resist! 98 points

NOV 10: Writing this at lunchtime on the 11th - been a bit hectic in the last 24 hours! Yesterday was fine points wise, got a good solid workout in at the gym and ate fine. My Friday mars bar tasted great after abstaining for a week :) 98 points

NOV 11: Got in an intense cardio workout, and ate well all day, but fell victim to post-pub hunger and had a McDonalds burgers :( 97 points

NOV 12: The gym shuts early on a Sunday, but for some unknown reason it shut earlier than usual yesterday (writing this on the 13th), meaning I arrived there to find it closing. Lame! No workout - minus one point :( 96 points

NOV 13: Got in a solid full-body workout, and increased weights on squats and reps on deads. Sadly I ruined my day's efforts by having an unscheduled bar of chocolate at lunchtime! I'm writing this at 10am on the 14th, and I'm pondering whether I will need to deduct another point for today. I'm going to the theatre tonight (been arranged for ages), which means no gym. Ordinarily I'd sneak out at lunchtime, but I have a working lunch meeting. The gym doesn't open early enough for me to go before work. So, do I deduct a point for missing a workout? Quite the dilemma. 95 points

NOV 14: Decided not to deduct the point - there was really no way I could have done anything yesterday. On Sunday I could have gone for a run or something after I found the gym to be closed - yesterday was simply a matter of not having a spare moment. Food all fine, now I have to get in a solid cardio session to make up for missed workouts. 95 points

NOV 15: Workout missed. No excuses today, just pure slackness. I had a few things to do straight after work and it seems whenever I have to adjust my usual routine, my gym visits are one of the first things to suffer. Ah well. 94 points

NOV 16: Ah, that was better - in fact I'd say that was textbook! Food was OK, and I went to the gym after work and bested the treadmill PB I set last week by running 7.5km or so. Safe! 94 points

NOV 17: Another good day. I ate well and never felt hungry beyond the limits of my normal diet. I also got in a full body workout and even did some bench presses. My shoulder is almost healed - it's not quite there yet but maybe I'll be able to go back to rugby training next week. 94 points

NOV 18: Missed this update, didn't go to the gym and had an unscheduled chocolate bar. Oops. 91 points

NOV 19: I was too hungover to do anything all day, so I didn't go to the gym. I'm annoyed with myself. Grr. 90 points

NOV 20: My PT has changed my weights sessions around, we're now gonna try and get some hypertrophy going. He's not said anything about my diet though, which I find a bit odd. Anyway, today was biceps and chest, it was OK. I couldn't push myself to the limit on the chest exercises because of my shoulder. 90 points

NOV 21: Writing this on the morning of the 22nd. Yesterday was fine, food all OK and I played football for an hour and a half. Was running round a lot... today I'm not going to be able to work out. I'm going to a gig tonight straight from work (have to leave early to get to London in time) and I have a working lunch scheduled. Grr. 90 points

NOV 22: Great gig last night, the absence of a workout was compensated by the amount of jumping around I did! An hour and a half of leaping around like an idiot is about as good as a normal cardio workout I reckon ;) Sadly I also ate some chocolate at the gig, so one point lost. Boo. 89 points

NOV 23: Food OK, but didn't go to rugby training. Staying up until 2am watching the cricket (England are playing in Australia) is a bad motivator for exercise :D I have a rugby game tomorrow, my shoulder seems pretty good now... 88 points

NOV 24: All good, solid back/triceps workout and good food. Had a few drinks at my cricket club's annual dinner in the evening, so I'll probably lose a point as I will be drinking on Saturday night as well. 88 points

NOV 25: Forgot to do this update + beer for 2nd night of the week + post-beer fast food 85 points

NOV 26: Food fine, but no workout :( 84 points

NOV 27: Food fine, chest/biceps work was good too. Was able to do bench stuff properly again, shoulder held up fine but with some minor twinges. I'm going on holiday on Wednesday so a week of resting it should see it back to 100% (I hope!). 84 points

GOAL: Cutting


COMMENT: Only looking to drop around 7 pounds, but more importantly looking to stay focused.


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: Weight training: Full Body
Tuesday: Walk, 10% incline, 6kmph, 30 mins
Wednesday: Weight training: Full Body
Thursday: Walk, 10% incline, 6kmph, 30 mins. Light climbing.
Friday: Weight training: Full Body
Saturday: Rest Day
Sunday: Min 4 mile outdoor walk.


MEAL SCHEDULE
Five meals per day, one cheat meal per week. Moderate (Two Pints) alcohol one day a week.


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
CHEST:
HIPS:
WAIST:


END STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
CHEST:
HIPS:
WAIST:

DAILY LOG

NOV 1:
All on track for today. [100]

NOV 2:
No update to log, but everything else on track [99]

NOV 3:
This is not going as well as I hoped, no gym this morning, everything else tickety-bo. [98]

NOV 4:
After what has been one of the hardest weeks of my life I ended up having a few extra shandys last night so thats another point off. Rest day from the gym today. Let's see if I can make it through today without losing another point.[98]

NOV 5:
No walk today just too much to catch up on around the house. Everything else going ok.[97]

NOV 6:
I can't believe I missed this update! A fantastic day food and exercise wise. [96]

NOV 7:
Cardio done this morning, food for the day sorted so looking forward to another good day. [96]

NOV 8:
Woke up with the start of what feels like a cold, soar throat and heady, not enough to put me off the gym, changed the workout to lower weight and higher reps and managed to make it through the session ok. Feeling very tired today, but hanging in there ;) [96]

NOV 9:
Still feeling dodge and had to miss out on my cardio session today :(, still keeping the food down and on track. In London tonight until Saturday so wont get to do my weights in the morning, probably not a bad thing with the way I'm feeling, but I am not happy with the way this is going, oh well, in it for the long run not just the sprint :tu: [95]

NOV 10:
Did miss my workout this morning, but starting to feel much better now so ready for next week. Food has all been good today. And all the working round London today is probably done me some good, although it hasn't done the bank balance any good at all :D [94]

NOV 11:
Feeling much better today, this was my scheduled rest day and it was well needed. Small walk penned in for the morning and then the plan is to hit next week big stylee. [94]

NOV 12:
Ah bloody hell, could have sworn I posted my update for this day, there goes another point. Everything else spot on. [93]

NOV 13:
Weights this morning, food clean, jobs a good un [93]

NOV 14:
Missed this update due to being up to my neck in it at work, but everything to plan. [92]

NOV 15:
Clean eats all day and weights in this morning, even though everything is still TU at work. [91]

I am in again- This challenge keeps me honest- I like that. Stats to follow.





====Daily reports====

Start: 100 points

[Week 1]
01.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. Trained Legs. [100 points]
02.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. Trained Back. [100 points]
03.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. Trained Chest. [100 points]
04.Nov.2006: 5 Clean Meals, 1 Planned Cheat. [100 points]

[Week 2]
05.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. Morning LISS. [100 points]
06.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. Trained Shoulders. [100 points]
07.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. Trained Arms/Abs. [100 points]
08.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. Trained Legs. [100 points]
09.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. No training- Stupid Job. - 1 [99 Points]
10.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. Trained Chest. [99 points]
11.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. [99 Points]

[Week 3]
12.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. [99 points]
13.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. Trained Shoulders. [99 points]
14.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. Trained Arms/Abs. [99 points]
15.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. Trained Legs . [99 points]
16.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. Missed Gym. -1 [98 points]
17.Nov.2006: 6 Clean meals. Trained Chest, no post -1 [97 points]
18.Nov.2006: 5 Clean, 1 Cheat Meals. No post -1 [96 points]

[Week 4]
19.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. Hiking 1 hour, no post -1 [95 points]
20.Nov.2006: 6 Clean Meals. Trained Shoulders/Arms [95 points]
21.Nov.2006: [100 points]
22.Nov.2006: [100 points]
23.Nov.2006: [100 points]
24.Nov.2006: [100 points]
25.Nov.2006: [100 points]

[Week 5]
26.Nov.2006: [100 points]
27.Nov.2006: [100 points]
28.Nov.2006: [100 points]
29.Nov.2006: [100 points]
30.Nov.2006: [100 points]

GOAL: Cutting

COMMENT: Looking to beat my score from last month (80 points...16 points lost while on vacation).

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: 45 min cardio
Tuesday: shoulders, abs, 30 minute cardio
Wednesday: back, bi's, 30 minute cardio
Thursday: legs
Friday: optional workout day (45 minute cardio)
Saturday: chest, tri's, abs 30 minute cardio
Sunday: rest
* Rough guide. The goal is six workouts a week in any order that works into my schedule.

MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per day, one cheat meal per week, additional optional cheat meal per week. Alcohol permitted during cheat meal(s).

DAILY LOG
NOV 1: -0 points [100 points]
Eleven-One. It's the first day of the November challenge and while I feel like hitting the month hard it also happens to be the first Wednesday of the month, which for me, means poker night. I built an optional cheat meal into this month to take care of things like this as well as to get me through the holidays with a bit of sanity. I'm going to enjoy myself. Also shot a before picture this morning (something I wish I had done in the October challenge). I'll post before and after photos on 11/30. All my meals are prepared and I'm anxious to get into the gym today.

NOV 2: -1 point [99 points]
Will be doing some schedule re-arranging this week. Basically workouts will get shifted a day making Sunday a workout day instead of a rest day. I did eat an unscheduled cheat meal today.

NOV 3: -0 points [99 points]
The unscheduled cheat meal (yesterday) came by way of poker night Wednesday. For one, I had a few too many beers during my optional cheat meal. Then didn't get to bed until 5:00am as I made it to the final table. We started with 20 guys on three tables and combined the remaining two players from each table to make the final table. On that table I came in third. So yesterday I felt horrible and knew I couldn't perform well for my leg workout. Made it to bed by 8:30 last night and now, "I'm back in the game". All my meals for the day are prepared and I'm stoked about my leg workout today. I'm not taking a point off for my missed workout because I've shifted all my training sessions around to ensure all my workouts get in before the week ends.

Nov 4: -1 point [98 points]
Forgot to update today. Otherwise all was okay.

Nov 5: -0 points [98 points]
Got in an extra workout this week (today). Have been eating clean all day.

Nov 6: - 0 points [98 points]
Weekdays make it so easy for me to stay true to diet and exercise as compared to over a weekend. All meals prepared and a 45 minute cardio workout planned for today. I'm considering switching up my schedule to workout 7 days a week but for less time per workout. Eventually I would like to be able to get two workouts in per day for a limited number of days (3 or 4) per week. ...don't feel ready for that just yet.

Nov 7: -0 points [98 points]
Back/Bi workout today. Meals prepared and ready to eat... - great workout today. So far all meals in on time. Only two more to go!

Nov 8: -0 points [98 points]
- Another month flying by. My abs are just starting to poke through now but I think at the rate I'm going it's going to be at least until after December before I see any real definition. I haven't been strict with my calories but have paid attention to macros, portions and ensuring every non-cheat meal is clean. It's paying off slowly but I think I'm at the point where counting calories may be necessary in order to see the same rate of fat loss I've been seeing. Thinking about looking into a digital food scale to help with this endeavor.
- Today is a scheduled rest day and cheat lunch.

Nov 9: -0 points [98 points]
- nothing much to report. Nice shoulder workout and all my meals are nearly complete.

Nov 10: -0 points [98 points]
- A little bummed out today because I don't get my Friday cheat lunch. I don't because Wednesday we went out for Mexican. The silver lining is that today is leg day and legs are my favorite workout. All meals prepared and ready to eat.
- Incredible leg workout today. There were two members of the new orleans saints in my gym today. Which is weird because the dolphins play the saints this weekend. Anyway, I didn't recognize them or get their names. Getting back to my workout, my legs almost gave out on me on the last rep of my last set. A little scary. But the rest of the workout went great. Another pretty cool thing I started noticing this week is that I'm shortening the length of time between sets. I'm doing it instinctively and it feels great. I would attribute this behavior to fact that my fitness level is rising a good bit.

Nov 11: -0 points [98 points]
- workout complete. food clean all day. scheduled cheat meal tonight.

Nov 12: -2 points [96 points]
- missed workout and unscheduled cheat meal.

Nov 13: -0 points [96 points]
- Bummer about yesterday. Because both my family and my wifes are huge sometimes it's just unavoidable. It was my in-laws anniversary which meant a mandatory day at their pool followed by a lunch, parts of which, were not clean. I probably could have made it to the gym but it would have made for an even more hectic day than I had. Anyway, five intense workouts and only three cheat meals for the entire week isn't too bad for me.
- meals are packed and I'm ready to get into the gym.
- pretty good workout and tomorrow's food is prepared.

Nov 14: -0 points [96 points]
- Good workout and food on target today.

Nov 15: -0 points [96 points]
- Is it the 15th already? Going to do a leg workout today. For some reason I have a hard time doing cardio the day after a leg workout. If I do legs today and back and bi's tommorow I can do a long LISS session on Friday followed by chest and tris saturday. Rest Sunday.

Nov 16:
- Nearly pulled my groin doing squats today. Continued on with the rest of my leg workout without incident. I think I might take a week off from doing squats to see how I feel in two weeks. All food consumed on time so far.

I'm in. LONG time listener, first time caller ;) Details to follow.

GOAL - 1. Get back on track after injuries and a move to a new city. 2. Get that hip and thigh
number back down, gulp.

WORKOUT - Giving Chad Waterbury's 10 X 3 for Fat Loss a whirl.

MEALS - 5-6 clean meals per day and eat at least one piece of fruit per day.

COMMENT - My sister will be visiting for 5 days next week so I may have to switch things around but some form of rigorous exercise (probably a lot of hiking and riding) will be completed each day.

STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 126.6
ARMS: 10.5
CALVES: 13.5
CHEST: 32
FOREARMS: 9.25
HIPS: 37
THIGHS: 21.5
WAIST: 25.5

Nov 1st - Day 1 of 10X3FFL completed. It will take getting used to waiting around so much
between sets but I like that I really concentrate on my form as it's only 3 reps. I think I will
have to change to front squats instead of hack squats because either I'm doing them wrong or
they are not designed for women with a butt. No knee pain during or after the squats, yay! Banana was the fruit of the day and all meals eaten. 100 pts

Nov 2nd - DOMS!!! :) Day 2 of 10X3FFL calls for 15 min of jump roping which my knees can't handle so I did 15 min of HIIT on the elliptical. Apple today and all meals finished for the day. 100 pts

Nov 3rd - 10X3FFL off day but went for a 2.7 mile walk which included some major San Francisco hills. Banana was the fruit of the day and all meals eaten. 100 pts

Nov 4th - Day 4 of 10X3FFL was a weight day - legs, shoulders and back. The 45 second period between sets seemed to go a little quicker today and no knee pain again during squats. All meals eaten and today's fruit of the day was both a banana and an apple. 100pts

Nov 5th - Day 5 of 10X3FFL is another off day and this time I took full advantage of it as the DOMS were back in full force. Banana was fruit of the day and all meals eaten. I'm moving my cheat day/meal to Tuesday as my sister arrives and I want to be able to take full advantage of the great food in this town while docking the least amount of points :) I'll also be moving my workouts up one day as day 7 calls for another off day. 100pts

Nov 6th - Day 6 of 10X3FFL - 11 min HIIT which substituted for jump roping. All meals eaten, apple was the fruit of the day. 100pts

Nov 7th - Day 7/8 of 10X3FFL - skipped a day off and moved up the program by a day as my sister arrived today. Weights and 11.5 minutes of HIIT were called for today, gah! Cheat meal was baked manicotti and a cupcake from Magnolia Cafe brought all the way from NY by my little sis (who's 5 inches taller than me). 100pts

Nov 8th - Day 9 of 10X3FFL 14 min HIIT. The first full day of my sister's visit was a tough one. I ate clean during the day but the timing was off and I felt hungry far too often. -1 point for another cupcake tonight. 99pts

Nov 9th - off day of 10X3FFL. Delicious day today but -2 points because of it :) My sister doesn't leave until Sat night so a few more points may be lost by then, well worth it though I'm having a great visit with her. 97pts

Nov 10th - Weights are being moved to Sunday. Today walked 7.5-8 miles with elevation change over 500 feet according to Gmaps-pedometer. 2 points off for food today. Banana has been the fruit of the day for the last 3 days, forgot to mention it in previous posts. 95pts.

Nov 11th - No workout of any sort today -1. Great visit with my sister but I'm really looking forward to getting back into a routine. Banana fruit of the day. 94pts.

Nov 12th - I can hardly move I ate such a huge dessert tonight -1 and no workout -1. 92pts.

Nov 14th - Crap, I didn't post last night! 20 minutes HIIT yesterday, all meals eaten and banana was fruit of the day. I was finally able to get back to 20 minutes HIIT after a cold that took forever to clear out of my lungs. Today weights - still doing 10X3FFL, increased weight, still no knee pain. All meals eaten and applesauce pre-workout. -1 for not posting yesterday, dammit. 91pts.

Nov 15th - 15 minutes HIIT, banana fruit of the day, all meals eaten, 91pts.

Nov 16th - Off day for 10X3FFL so I did 40 minutes of yoga. My hamstrings will be feeling it tomorrow. Banana was fruit of the day and all meals eaten. 91pts

Nov 17h - Weights. Increased squat and deadlift weight. All meals eaten, apple fruit of the day. This is the 4th night in a row I've forgotten to post and had to get up and log on and post, grrr. 91pts.

Nov 18th - 13 min fasted HIIT this morning, what a way to wake up :) Rough going after squats and deads the previous day but much better than doing it later in the afternoon when the DOMS are in full force. Cheat day today, yummy Dungeness crab, the season opened on Wednesday and they were outstanding! Banana was fruit of the day. I'm posting this before I hit the sack for a change, finally! 91pts.

Nov 19th - Off day. All meals eaten and banana being consumed as I type this, almost forgot a piece of fruit today. 91pts.

Nov 20th - I moved up the weights by a day to get back on schedule and felt really weak during and after squats but felt better once I got through with them. For the hell of it I tried some push-ups after my workout and was able to do 8. My arms were already shaking before I started them so that was a nice discovery. Meals were eaten but I think I was down on cals which might be why I felt so weak, doh. Banana fruit of the day. 91pts.

Nov 21st - 15 min fasted HIIT. Food has been a little wonky the last 2 days, clean but I don't think enough calories and so when the burrito craving hit I went with it and tortilla chips, my nemesis. -1 Banana was fruit of the day. 90pts.

Nov 22nd - Off day for 10X3FFL but I tried a Pilates for Dummies DVD. Oh my word, I have a whole new respect for my senior citizen mother who loves her Pilates. All meals eaten and banana was fruit of the day. 90pts.

Nov 23rd - 15min HIIT, not fasted wish it had been. It's late, stuck in traffic after turkey day and no overindulgence, boring. Not for lack of desire but lack of interesting food. 90pts

Nov 24th - Off day. All meals eaten and banana was fruit of the day. 90pts

Nov 25th - Bagged my workout today -1. I did walk a few miles in the San Francisco hills but I was scheduled for weights today. Food was ok, little scattered. 89pts

Nov 26th - 10X3FFL weights and 14.5 min HIIT today. Went up in all my weights. Banana was fruit of the day, all meals eaten. 89pts

Nov 27th - 16 min HIIT this morning. All meals eaten and banana was fruit of the day. I really need to expand my fruit selection. 89pts

Nov 28th - Off day from 10X3FFL. All meals eaten. 89pts

Nov 29th - Last weight day of 10X3FFL. I won't miss the HIIT blast he has you do after weight day, crikey! 15min HIIT today. Not sure what I did to my neck but I strained something, almost like I slept on it funny but I woke up fine. All meals eaten and once again banana was fruit of the day. 89pts

Nov 30th - 17 min HIIT last day of 10X3FFL. We'll see what the scale and tape measure say tomorrow morning. All meals eaten and banana once again. 89pts.

I'm in for another month.

Even though my October Challenge was a disaster with a fractured/sprained/dislocated ankle I still lost eight pounds. :) Read about my trying month here: http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showpost.php?p=375761&postcount=28

Although I had to deduct a bunch of points and fell off the wagon at the end with posting, etc. I am still down so I'm happy with that result. Like John said in his summary post for the October Challenge I can't be embarrassed or discouraged. I know I can do better in November.

Goals: Doing better at sticking with this than I did in October, eating clean, increasing my activity, and hopefully losing a few more pounds.

Things I did well in October that I hope to continue in November:
No fast-food. I'm on the road all the time so drive-thru was a way of life
No alcohol
No soda. Not even diet.
Black coffee only. No more cream and sugar.
Daily multi-vitamin
Daily supplements

Thanksgiving will be my cheat day


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
See the note about my ankle. I now have an aircast which severely limits my cardio options.

MEAL SCHEDULE
Five or Six small meals per day, one cheat meal per week. Everything I eat will be tracked in my food journal.

STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 174 pounds
BODY FAT: Don't know. Will have to get tested at the gym.
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:


NOV 1: Just got in from a day trip to NYC. I'm absolutely spent so I'll post more tomorrow.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV 2: Ate clean and updated this post with some history. -0 points [100 points]

NOV 3: Ate lunch out with clients and dinner out with family. Still ate healthy with salads. -0 points [100 points]

NOV 4: Still on track. Still sore and it is going on four weeks. See the physical therapist on Monday about my ankle. -0 points [100 points]

NOV 5: Ate a slice of pizza but still within my daily max cals. -0 points [100 points]

NOV 6: Still behaving. -0 points [100 points]

Nov 7: One week down and still on track. Spent a few hours in my small brace instead of the full aircast. -0 points [100 points]

Nov 8: On the road with my boss all day today. Ate salad for lunch and dinner. -0 points [100 points]

Nov 9: Gorgeous, unseasonably warm day. I would have loved to go for a run, but settled for a few hours in my small brace instead of the aircast. Still eating sensibly. -0 points [100 points]

NOV 10: Still behaving. -0 points [100 points]

NOV 11: Spoke too soon. I need to subtract a few points for coffee with cream and sugar and pizza. -2 points [98 points]

NOV 13: Thought I posted yesterday. What a stupid way to lose a point. Also ate some candy today. That's another. -2 points [96 points]

NOV 14: I was mostly at my desk, but went the whole day with just my small ankle splint instead of the giant aircast. It has been uncomfortable, but a milestone. -0 points [96 points]

GOAL: Bulking (http://www.vizualxcellence.com/programs/swoledup.html)


COMMENT:
I have been on SGX since February 1st 2006 and is really happy with the result - October to
December will be dedicated adding mass - lots of mass hopefully. The first month (October)
was not very succesful as I did far too much cardio - I will reduce that in November and see
where that takes me.


WORKOUT SCHEDULE

Monday:
Brisk walk outside, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM)
Weight training: arms and shoulders (PM)

Tuesday:
No training, no cardio

Wednesday:
Brisk walk outside, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM)
No training

Thursday:
Weight training: back, abs and traps (PM)

Friday:
Weight training: chest and arms (PM)

Saturday:
Brisk walk outside, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM)
No training

Sunday:
Weight training: legs (PM)


MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per day, one moderate cheat day per week.


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 151 Lbs
BODY FAT: ~8%
ARMS: 13.6"
CALVES: 13.5"
CHEST: 39.50"
FOREARMS: 10.7"
HIPS: 34.50"
THIGHS: 19.6"
WAIST: 30.4"

END STATS
WEIGHT: 153 Lbs
BODY FAT: ~ 8%
ARMS: 13.6"
CALVES: 13.6"
CHEST: 39.9"
FOREARMS: 11.5"
HIPS: 35.5"
THIGHS: 20.0"
WAIST: 30.5"

(Stats are cold, no pump)

DAILY LOG

November 1: Morning cardio @ 40 minutes; no weight training today; 6 clean meals on time.
-0 points [100 points]

November 2: No cardio today; great back and abs workout - same weight as last week but slower and more reps of each set; 6 clean meals on time and a PWO shake;
-0 points [100 points]

November 3: No cardio today; really solid chest and arms workout - increased weight slightly or reps on most excercises; 6 clean meals on time and a PWO shake;
-0 points [100 points]

November 4: No cardio today; no weight training today; 6 clean meals on time; pretty easy day although in a meeting pretty much all the time.
-0 points [100 points]

November 5: No cardio (again) today; great leg day - really hit my legs hard - in fact I could hardly walk back from the gym; 6 clean meals on time and a PWO shake;
-0 points [100 points]

November 6: No cardio (again) today; really solid shoulder and arms workout, I managed to increase weight on my shoulder excercise and the rest like last week - but with a slight increase in reps; 6 clean meals on time and a PWO shake;
-0 points [100 points]

November 7: 45 minutes brisk walk, fasted; no weight training today; 6 clean meals on time and cheat around 5th meal;
-0 points [100 points]

November 8: No cardio today although I was suppose to - but due to some commitment tomorrow I shuffled the days; excellent back and abs session today - increased reps on abs; 6 clean meals on time and a nice PWO shake;
-0 points [100 points]

November 9: 45 minutes brisk walk, fasted; No weight traning today; 6 clean meals on time;
-0 points [100 points]

November 10: No cardio; good chest and arms session, I replaced one arm excercise and went heavy on all ohters, also managed to increase reps on one excercise; 6 clean meals on time and a PWO shake;
-0 points [100 points]

November 11: Morning cardio @ 40 minutes; no weight training today; 6 clean meals on time.
-0 points [100 points]

November 12: no cardio; great leg day, increased reps on two excercises and weight on one; 6 clean meals on time and a PWO shake.
-0 points [100 points]

November 13: Shifting plans today as I have a commitment tonight - so have moved training to Wednesday; Morning cardio @ 40 minutes; no weight training today; 6 clean meals on time.
-0 points [100 points]

November 14: Morning cardio @ 40 minutes; no weight training today; 6 clean meals on time and cheat around meal 5.
-0 points [100 points]

November 15: (Making up from 13th) No cardio today; an awesome shoulders and arms workout - I used the heaviest weights I have ever used on all excercises and then cut the resting period between sets and excercises dramatically and as a result I am exhaused - in fact I am having trouble typing this; 6 clean meals and a PWO shake all on time;
-0 points [100 points]

November 16: No cardio today; a solid back and abs workout - I used the heaviest weights I have ever used on all excercises, in fact I even managed to increase weight on one excercise by 10% and then cut the resting period between sets and excercises dramatically; 6 clean meals and a PWO shake all on time;
-0 points [100 points]

November 17: No cardio today; great chest and arms session - added weight and a set to one excercise and as heavy as I could on all others; 6 clean meals and a PWO shake all on time;
-0 points [100 points]

November 18: 45 minutes brisk walk; no weight training; 6 clean meals on time;
-0 points [100 points]

November 19: No cardio today; solid leg workout - increased weights on one excercise and the rest same as last week; 6 clean meals and a PWO on time;
-0 points [100 points]

November 20: No cardio today; good shoulder and arms workout - got help from the gym owner so got worked up pretty good, 6 clean meals on time and a PWO shake.
-0 points [100 points]

November 21: 45 minutes brisk walk; no weight training; 6 clean meals on time and cheat around 5th meal as usual;
-0 points [100 points]

November 22: 45 minutes brisk walk; no weight training; 6 clean meals on time;
-0 points [100 points]

November 23: No cardio; good solid back and abs session - increaased reps on my abs and weight on one back excercise; 6 clean meals on time and a PWO;
-0 points [100 points]

November 24: No cardio; great chest and arms session - increaased reps on my arms and added a set on two excercises; 6 clean meals on time and a PWO;
-0 points [100 points]

November 25: 45 minutes brisk walk; no weight training; 6 clean meals on time;
-0 points [100 points]

November 26: No cardio; best ever leg session, increased weights on 3 of 5 excercises; 6 clean meals on time and a straberry PWO for a change - not bad actually;
-0 points [100 points]

November 27: No cardio; really solid shoulders and arms session, managed to add another set to 2 excercises; 6 clean meals on time;
-0 points [100 points]

November 28: 45 min. brisk walk, fasted; no weight training today; 6 clean meals on time and cheat around 5th meal;
-0 points [100 points]

November 29: 45 min. brisk walk, fasted; no weight training today; 6 clean meals on time;
-0 points [100 points]

November 30: No cardio; great back and abs session, increased with a set on most excercises, kept weight heavy; 6 clean meals on time and a PWO shake;
-0 points [100 points]

Conclusion
My slow bulk is indeed slow - I gained ±2kg the past month - but I did not increase my BF% which is a good feeling - although the price is ofcourse extreamely slow growth. I added size to my chest, forearms and thighs - the rest was close to par.

Anyway - on to another month..

I'm in!

I'm using this as extra motivation for getting back into the flow and finishing up what I started last year.

GOAL: Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle

COMMENT: Main target is weight loss and losing an inch or two in the midsection - plus just getting back into the groove

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: 1 Heavy set, push exercises
Tuesday: 1 Heavy set, pull exercises
Wednesday: Rest day
Thursday: 2 Medium sets, push exercises
Friday: 2 Medium sets, pull exercises
Saturday: cardio (optional)
Sunday: break day

MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per day, one cheat meal per week. (BFFM model - 50% carbs 30% protein 20% fat)


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 237 pounds
BODY FAT: 31%
ARMS: 15" flexed
WAIST: 47" relaxed


END STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:


DAILY LOG
OCT 31: OK, got a day's head start - did the upper body and almost hit my target calories - and a head cold has hit me! Taking sudafed and fighting through.....
NOV 1: Still waiting on my used recumbent cardio bike, did some crunches and other assorted ex's - actually managed to hit my caloric target today! Like SpecialK I am fighting a head cold - took off early today and picked up a plate rack and a triceps rope from a used sporting goods store. :) Shakin' it off!
-0 points [100 points]
NOV 2: Looks like the bike will get here on Sunday - did calves, triceps, biceps, lower back, crunches - ate all 6 meals, still tweaking the planning to hit the target better for the day
-0 points [100 points]
NOV 3: SHIT! Forgot to update last night while I was looking at this. Damn. Does posting before 7am mountain time count? OK, Hit my meal/caloric targets, went to the community weight room (for the first time - we've lived here 16 months) since they have bikes. Did *almost* 30 minutes on a recumbent - was experimenting with settings, position, etc. Kept my heart rate at around 125.
-1 point [99 points]
NOV 4: OK, not forgetting my update today! Did upper body, hit my calorie targets, 6 meals.
-0 points [99 points]
NOV 5: Officially a cheat day - still ate pretty clean, just didn't track details - had some minor cardio as well :)
-0 points [99 points]
NOV 6: Hit my caloric targets to within 30 calories or so - switched workout to high weight, low rep plan - did all the 'pull' type exercises - tomorrow is 'push 'day!
-0 points [99 points]
NOV 7: On target for caloric target - did 'push' exercises
-0 points [99 points]
NOV 8: Hit targets - food and exercise
-0 points [99 points]
NOV 9: Hit targets - screwed up and did a 'heavy' workout instead of light - oh well :)
-0 points [99 points]
NOV 10: Bad day - holiday weekend, no work on Friday - did not eat 6 small meals - did not exercise
-2 points [97 points]
NOV 11: Hit targets - did 'light' workout - 2 sets instead of 1
-0 points [97 points]
NOV 12: Cheat day - could not post - internet out
-0 points [97 points]
NOV 13: Hit all meal targets - heavy workout 'pull' day
-0 points [97 points]
NOV 14: Hit all meal targets - heavy workout 'push' day
-0 points [97 points]

MISSED A DAY POSTING SOMEWHERE??? WTF?
-1 point [96 points]
WE'RE AT THE HALFWAY POINT FOLKS!!!

NOV 16: Hit targets - light workout 'pull' day
-0 points [96 points]
NOV 17: Hit targets - light workout 'push' day
-0 points [96 points]
NOV 18: Hit caloric targets - no workout scheduled
-0 points [96 points]
NOV 19: Generally stayed close to caloric targets, even though it's a 'cheat' day - no workout scheduled
-0 points [96 points]
NOV 20: Hit targets, heavy workout 'pull' day - moved weights and reps up a bit
-0 points [96 points]
NOV 21: Hit caloric targets, heavy workout 'push' day - added some bike cardio
-0 points [96 points]
NOV 22: 6 meals, no workout - here comes the Turduchen!
-0 points [96 points]
NOV 23: Thanksgiving day - obviously a cheat day for the week, replacing Sunday - did not do a workout.....
-1 point [95 points]
NOV 24: ate leftovers, didn't work out, posted late
-3 points [92 points]
NOV 25: Hit targets, no workout scheduled
-0 points [92 points]
NOV 26: Hit targets, no workout scheduled
-1 point [91 points]
NOV 27: Missed meal and workout targets
-2 points [89 points]
NOV 28: Hit targets - heavy workout - 'push' day (plus did a few sets I should have done the day before) - posted late
-1 point [88 points]
NOV 29: Hit targets - no workout scheduled - posted late
-1 point [87 points]
NOV 30: Hit targets - light workout - 'pull' day
-0 points [87 points]

IT'S OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!

GOAL: Cutting + improvement to overall fitness

COMMENT: I started my first real cut a week and a half ago. I've lost weight in the past, but it was mostly me starving myself. This time I'm going to do it right by eating clean and exercising every day. Right now I'm monitoring my 2400 cal diet to see if it's too much/too little. Time will tell, but I will keep consistent nonetheless.

WORKOUTS:
Monday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) A.M. ; Chest/Triceps P.M.
Tuesday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) A.M.
Wednesday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) A.M. ; Back/Biceps P.M.
Thursday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) A.M.
Friday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) A.M. ; Legs/Shoulders P.M.
Saturday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) A.M.
Sunday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) A.M.

MEALS: 5 solid meals, 1 PWO shake on weight lifting days. (cardio days to be updated with plan tomorrow). No cheat meals.


NOV.01.06: Woke up an hour late, but still got all my meals and my workout in. During my hammer curls, I felt a very sharp pain in my wrist and could only do 1 1/2 sets. The pain disappeared completely later in the day :confused:
-0 points [100 points]

NOV.02.06: Workout and meals went according to plan. It's nearing two weeks of being on this cut and I'm not noticing much change on the scale. I've decided as of Monday I'm going to do 7 days of fasted cardio in the AM and weights in the PM on lifting days. I'm also going to reduce 200 cals from my diet down to 2200 and be much more strict in measuring my portions correctly.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV.03.06: Had a great leg and shoulder workout today. All meals went according to plan.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV.04.06: Did my morning cardio and ate all meals as planned. Went bowling with some friends tonight. Now I remember why I don't bowl. I really suck at it. Had fun at least. Tomorrow I'm going to update my meal plan and post my new workout schedule.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV.05.06: Updated my routine to include 7 total days of morning fasted cardio. I partially updated my diet plan to accomodate for this, I have weight lifting days covered, but not cardio only days covered. So for tomorrow my plan will work. But on cardio-only days I have to add another meal in place of my PWO drink I've been taking and reduce some calories in other meals. I will do this tomorrow. Today, however, everything went as planned.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV.06.06: Wicked chest workout this afternoon! Made some good strength gains since last week. I also did my first day of morning cardio with afternoon weight lifting, and I must say, my energy levels are actually higher than they were last week! I think tweaking my diet also played a major factor in this, as I stopped drinking PWO shake after LISS, as well as some other dietary changes; mainly I reduced portion sizes to cut back calories down to 2100-2200, with a slight reduction from carbs and fats. It looks like I'm finally on the right track, and I hope to see some real progress soon.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV.07.06: Fought real hard to stay on schedule today, due to being delayed in the A.M. right from the get-go. Which was acceptable only because I had an unscheduled form of exercise when I woke up this morning :D I think I should get positive points for this ;). I worked around it very successfully, got my cardio done and ate all meals as planned.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV.08.06: Everything went great today. Morning cardio went great. Afternoon lifting session was even better. Added weight to most of my lifts, especially my lower and upperback exercises. Speaking of which, I bought more weights today, since soon I will need them. 40's, 45's and 50's @ 48 cents a pound Canadian. Had to travel a little bit to get that price, but I saved myself a bit of money in doing so. On another note, I feel pretty proud of myself for sticking to this plan so religiously. My persistence and subbornness are having a postive influence on some of those around me. My girlfriend and my mother are asking me for nutritional advice, and my best buddy came over tonight to do a back workout he missed at his school gym earlier in the day. Anyhow, time to sleep. Tomorrow is another day.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV.09.06: Woke up, did my morning cardio, ate, prepared some meals for the next few days, ate again, then I went ice skating for an hour and a half! My buddy and I got to the arena at noon for a 'fun skate' and found that we were the only ones there for the first hour. We had the whole rink to ourselves to practice on! One of my big goals this year is to drastically improve my skating techniques so I can participate in a recreational summer hockey league with two of my close friends. I'm just starting to learn and grasp stopping techniques, and it's very exciting. I plan on going every week to practice, and will be taking evening lessons sometime in January. Even more exciting news today came to me when I found out I have a job interview at the big local union next week as an apprentice industrial electrician.. I've been dying to get into this for my second year in a row now, as unfortunately last year I never even made it to the interview stage. I have no doubt in my mind that I'll get accepted :D. Other than that, today I'm tired. My legs are getting sore from the lack of rest, but I'll get used to it. The mirror has also been unkind to me, but it'll get better. The weight scale has been lying to me, so I threw it out the window. But really, I better start seeing some better results or I'll go batty. All meals as planned.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV.10.06: Bad mood today, don't know why. Cardio went well. Legs/Shoulders was a good workout later in the afternoon. All meals as planned.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV.11.06: Damn I feel drained today. I think working out 10 times a week is sapping my energy. Ah well. I'm going to work even harder now until I break. And when I break, I'll kick my arse even more. Cardio + all meals = on track.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV.12.06: All according to plan. Onto week number four.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV.13.06: Did Chest/Tri's tonight pretty stupidly. I added more weight and tried to do the same volume, and I wasn't ready for it yet. I tried hard to squeeze out the last few reps, almost dropping the dumbell on my torso when I couldn't get the final one up. I managed to slow it down enough that there was a very light impact, but if the weight was any heavier it could have been disastrous. Still, I did not learn my lesson, and did the same stupid thing with the next chest exercise, the dumbell fly. Almost happened again, instead though, I managed to twist my left arm awkwardly bringing it from a fly to raised position, losing control at the top, and then fighting to not allow my arms to split off in varying directions. I could have easily injured my left arm with that one. Next time I won't jump the gun. It was still a good workout, however. On another note, my knees are feeling some discomfort. I'm unsure if its due to my DB SLDL's or the non-stop morning cardio on the recumbant bike wreaking havoc. I'll keep up with both, however, because I'm stubborn that way.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV.14.06: All according to plan. Early night tonight, early morning tomorrow.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV.15.06: Had to get up 2 hours earlier this morning so I could get a cardio workout in before my job interview. Later in the afternoon I did back/biceps. All of my sets felt great, but I have a feeling I'm not doing the "Prone Reverse Fly" right. It feels like it's not targetting my back much at all. Also, the pain in my knees have mostly disappeared. It sort of felt like my knees were locked into place when doing things like descending stairs or walking in general, and that's where most of the discomfort came from. I hope it doesn't resurface anytime soon.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV.16.06: Did my 45 minute cardio this morning. A few hours later, I went to a local ice rink with a buddy and yet again practiced stopping for about an hour and a half. I think I'm progressing pretty quickly now that I'm dedicated to learning this new skill. In two sessions I have gone from not being able to come to a complete stop -- to being able to do a "one footed snow-plow stop" pretty well. I ultimately want to be able to do the "hockey stop" as easily as I breathe oxygen. Got all my meals in, just barely however. Also, I need to start eating more vegetation.
-0 points [100 points]

NOV.17.06: I went and saw a movie with my better half this evening, so instead of eating a good meal I grabbed a bag of popcorn and a slushee. Looks like I'm going to deduct my first point tonight. I really should allow for 1-2 cheat meals a month, but I think if I do I might abuse it. Last thing I want to do is to fall off the wagon here. Cardio + legs/shoulders were good today. Although my right knee feels weird again, but not really painful. Just sort of a discomforting feeling.
-1 points [99 points]

NOV.18.06: Standing in line for a Wii super early tomorrow. Expect loss of points.
-0 points [99 points]

NOV.19.06: So I waited in line for about 8 hours total, and got myself two consoles. One which is a christmas gift, the other which will be sold to pay for the christmas gift. I'm going to count the standing in line for 8 hours in the freezing wind as exercise (had to jump around a lot to stay warm :P ) because my legs are freaking killing me. Food wise, as you can imagine, wasn't very pretty. I missed two meals today mostly due to the standing in line so early without preparing meals, and also to the afternoon nap I had when I got home from only sleeping for 2 hours. No more screwing up this month!
-2 points [97 points]

NOV.20.06: Back on schedule today.
-0 points [97 points]

NOV.21.06: Meals and workout were dead on the money today.
-0 points [97 points]

NOV.22.06: Good back/bicep workout. Slept in by an hour, and now I'm up an hour past my bedtime. Got all 6 meals in. Signed up for skating lessons starting in January. I'm still going every Thursday to the arena to practice with a buddy. Must learn to skate well.
-0 points [97 points]

NOV.23.06: I'm making excellent progress on the ice. I'm feeling more confident on skates, and I can stop with ease on the ice. I can't do a quick power-stop/hockey-stop yet, but I'll keep practicing. I'm just amazed I can stop now, and at how easy it was to learn. My forward crossovers are a little dicey, and my backwards skating is more like backasswards sliding (when I fall). I booked lessons starting in January. All in all, I must have sweated several buckets of liquid starting from the early morning cardio to mid-afternoon ice practice. I love Thursdays.
-0 points [97 points]

NOV.24.06: All according to plan.
-0 points [97 points]

NOV.25.06: Well, it all started off wrong. I woke up at my normal time, decided my legs needed to recover from the ass kicking I gave them the night before, and skipped my morning cardio workout. Now, I'm going to be fair to myself and let this one go, because I have been psychotically doing cardio every morning, and a day of rest was needed. Then I packed some meals to go and headed over to my girlfriend's house. She was baking shortbread cookies for christmas. I had a couple. One of my prepared meals tasted pretty nasty, so I never finished it. It probably evens out calorie wise, but (-1) point at least for the cheat/skip. My spirits were lifted, however, when my mother phoned me to let me know I received a letter and that she had taken the liberty to open it for me. I got accepted into my pre-apprenticeship industrial electrician program. Woohoo! Now I wait some more until they tell me when to start. This is all great news. It seems like I'm actually doing something right in my life for a change, and that luck is swaying in my favour. I'm happier, healthier and loving life more with every passing day. So I feel a little less guilty about what I did tonight, but I definately don't want it to become a trend. Life's too short to make excuses.
-1 points [96 points]

NOV.26.06: Awesome cardio session this morning. Even better 2 hour road hockey game later in the evening. All the running around really whooped me, but I feel great. All meals as expected.
-0 points [96 points]

NOV.27.06: Cardio workout was solid this morning. Added some more weight to my chest exercises today. I need to focus on improving my form, however. December is nearly here and its still so warm outside. Unbelievable.
-0 points [96 points]

NOV.28.06: 100% on target.
-0 points [96 points]

NOV.29.06: Good workouts today. All meals as expected.
-0 points [96 points]

NOV.30.06: I missed my early morning cardio session this morning on the exercise bike, but only because I knew I had a skating practice scheduled for myself. So I pushed my body to a heart pumping rate and sweated my way around the ice for an hour and a half. All meals went as planned.
-0 points [96 points]




FINAL SCORE: 96 Points

FINAL COMMENT: I think I did pretty well for my first challenge, and I'm proud of myself for making it this far and staying focussed. It's only been 5 1/2 weeks since I've started my lifestyle changes, and I can honestly say that it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. The hardest part was getting started. Notes for next month, however, are to stay on task with my morning cardio and stop letting it slide. All in all, good month with a little room for improvement.

GOAL: Fat Loss and more....

COMMENT: The Orlando Predators are having an open tryout on Dec 9th. I plan on spending the next six and half weeks working my ass off to be ready for the big day. I would love to be 260lbs with around 20-25% body fat. Right now I am 278 and about 30%.


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: Biceps/Triceps...Stationary Bike
Tuesday: 5k Run
Wednesday: Chest/Abs
Thursday: Stationary Bike High Impact
Friday: Delts/Traps/Back
Saturday: Legs
Sunday: Stationary Low Impact


MEAL SCHEDULE
Eat all scheduled meals. One cheat meal a week. No alcohol or soda.


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT:276
BODY FAT:25%
ARMS:15"
CALVES:16"
CHEST:48"
FOREARMS:11.5"
HIPS:41"
THIGHS:25"
WAIST:48"


END STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:



DAILY LOG
NOV 1: All meals consumed with no unplanned meals...getting on the stationary right now to do my cardio and I am done for today. Measurements to come tomorrow and maybe a pic. (100 points)

NOV 2: So far so good...just finished up my weight training and I feel great. Gonna run some sprints tomorrow...should be fun. I got on here a little late for the update (stupid guitar hero) -1 (99 Points)

NOV 3: OMG I so did not want to do my cardio tonight. I forced myself and had the best cardio workout since I started this journey. This game is more mental than physical. I ate all six meals and I feel great. (99 points)

NOV 4: Daughter was sick and I fell asleep with her....No workout or update -2 (97 points)

NOV 5: Had an awesome run this morning and I am at 273lbs a new low on my journey. I plan on hitting the weights after this update. Gotta get my tooth pulled tomorrow so I should be in a great mood. Had Red Lobster tonight as my cheat meal....endless shrimp rocks!!! (97 points)

NOV 6: Daughter is still sick...got my tooth pulled today so I felt like crap all day. Hitting the weights right now. Ate all my meals today even though there is a crater in my gums. (97 points)

NOV 7: All meals consumed....I feel like crap and my weight is at a plateau..hopefully my measurements are changing instead. Cardio Done...Back to playing Gears of War (97 points)

NOV 8: Tough day at work...13 hours in a computer store...alone. Meals...check...workout...check..the update is a little late but my daughter is still sick and the wife is pregnant so its a little difficult to squeeze everything in hence why I am updating at 2:30AM...maybe next month one of my goals will be for me to go to bed before 12...(97 points)

NOV 9: So the soon to be wife that is pregnant wanted a double cheeseburger from mickey d's. I found out the McRib is back and its my all time favorite.....so I had one....oh well all other meals went fine and I am about to workout. Moving Sucks.... -1 for McRib love (96 points)

NOV 10: All meals consumed....Just finished the workout and I feel great...unfortunately I have to move this Sunday so that feeling wont last for long.....(96 points)

I've been wanting to try this for the past few months but haven't....so I'll try this month.

Goal-Cutting
w-200

Mon-Chest/Arms
Tues- 45 min. cardio
Wed- Back/Shoulders
Thrus- 45 min. cardio
Fri- Legs/abs
Sat- 45 min cardio
Sun- off

5meals a day


Nov 1. log- Lifted and on track for meals.
100 pts.

Nov.2- unscheduled cheat meal, but did cardio. -1
99 pts.

Nov. 3- Missed workout. Ate meals.-1
98 pts.

Nov. 4 -Missed cardio again. -1
97pts

Nov. 5 Rest day and cheat meal
97pts

Nov6 Missed lift but ate meals -1
96 pts

Nov 7 Meals and cardio
96 pts.

Nov. 8 Ate all meals and lifted
96 pts.

Nov 9- Ate meals and cardio

Nov 10- Ate meals missed lifting -1
95 pts.

Nov. 11- Did cardio ate meals
95 pts.
Nov. 12 Rest day

Nov. 13 lifted but cheat fay for panthers MNF. -1
94pts.

Nov 14 Cardio and ate meals
94pts

Nov 15 Lifted and ate properly
94pts

Nov 16 Missed cardio but ate right -1pt
93pts

Nov 17 Missed lifting but ate well -1pt
92 pts

Nov 18 Missed cardio and ate badly -4pts
88pts

Nov 19 rest day

Nov 20 Lifted and ate well
88pts

Nov 21 started hiit instead of Liss and ate well
88pts

Nov 22 Lifted and ate well
88 pts

Nov 23rd Turkery day and missed cardio -1 pts
87 pts

Nov 24 Ate well and lifted
87 pts

GOAL: Bulking


COMMENT: Starting creatine Nov 1st (just in time for 100 points challenge), first cycle (plan to be 8 week cycle) - weight training seriously for 11 months or so. 19 years old.


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Sunday: Quads, Calves, Traps
Monday: Chest / Triceps
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Back / Biceps
Thursday: Shoulders / Hamstrings
Friday: Cardio
Saturday: Cardio

MEAL SCHEDULE
At least six meals per day (aim for 7 on workout days), Allocated cheat meal/day/alcohol for month on one day of weekend of 17th of November (will be first time drinking in 9 weeks) - celebrating finishing uni exams.

DAILY LOG
Nov 1: Good start. Back / Biceps great workout. First day of creatine. Weighed in at 81.15kg yesterday, hoping to get to 83 by end of month
-0 points [100 points]

Nov 2: Feeling pretty good about this challenge so far. I think the toughest challenge for me will be not missing a cardio workout. I haven't missed a weights workout in a long time and i doubt that will start anytime soon (love it). Hopefully my love for cardio will come back soon, but ever since being injured in rugby this year all i wanted to do was stop the cardio and pack on some mean pounds. Today was Shoulders / Hammies. Felt a little lethargic working out, took awhile to get into the workout, but nevertheless i still completed a tough day, after a sore body from yesterdays workout. Today my diet was pretty good, which i often struggle to maintain during studying for these exams (2 more weeks). So thats it for 2 days now, let the body recover and keep up teh cardio. back tomorrow
-0 points [100 points]

Nov 3: Diet was really good today, however i think i jinxed myself in the post last night. I said cardio would be the most difficult thing for me to keep up as i hate it and love doing weights / playing sport, but hate just doing cardio for no purpose. So today what did i do, missed my cardio session. Really dissapointed as i thought so many times today shit im gonna lose a point shit shit, go for a run go for a run, but i couldn't do it because i was to 'busy' doing study. I should have found 30mins - 1 hr to do a run today. Really let myself down. Will try my best not to do it again, but once again, cardio is my biggest enemy and that is whats gonna cost me in this challenege. Also last night completed a new mile stone for me which i was pretty happy with for someone my age who used to binge drink once 2 weeks or so. I haven't had a binge drink in 7 weeks, infact no alcohol for 7 weeks. Hopefully i can carry this on and my weights will keep going up (and cardio)
-1 points [99 points]

====Goals====
Fat loss - Third month of transformation (try to lose additional 2-4 kg)
NO ALCOHOL :nono:
Try to keep it above 90 points.

====Comments====
I'm in for another month!
My result in fat loss after two months of transformation is beyond all expectations. I dropped from 99kg to 88kg which is a lot more then I expected. My wife thinks it is too fast. Maybe she's right but generally I didn't fell like I need more food (except few times). I think the fact I managed to stick to the regular training session helped me a lot together with reaching my NO ALCOHOL goal. I really cannot remember the time I was without alcohol for such long period. Maybe in high school :)
Last training in October made me think of introducing HIIT cardio once per week so I'm going to try it. If I find out it's still too much for me, I'm going to drop it. I'm also going to increase the LISS from 30 minutes to 45 minutes.
Let's start!

====Diet====
5 meals per day, no cheat meals

Breakfast (8 AM): Protein shake
Morning snack (11 AM): Fruits
Lunch (2 PM): Normal lunch
Afternoon snack (5 PM): Sallad or Fruits or Protein shake
Dinner (8 PM): Family dinner

====Workout====
Wednesday: Weight training - abs & back, Streching (30min)
Thursday: Streching (30min), LISS cardio (45min running)
Friday: Weight training - arms & chest, Streching (30min)
Saturday: Streching (30min), HIIT cardio (20-30min stationary bike or stepper)
Sunday: Rest - no training
Monday: Weight training - legs & shulders, Streching (30min)
Tuesday: Streching (30min), LISS cardio (45min running)

================
STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 88 kg
BODY FAT: 26
CHEST: 105
HIPS: 101
WAIST: 100

====Daily reports====

Start: 100 points

[Week 1]
01.Nov.2006: [100 points]
First day is 'by tradition' cheat day. I celebrated good result with a beer and chips and I didn't make my weight lifting training (instead I was watching European champions league match between Arsenal and CSKA like in 'good old times' :) ). It was also national holiday in Croatia so I didn't go to work... it was almost like sunday. I keep my 100 points like I did in October (planned celebration day). Everything starts again on Thursday.

02.Nov.2006: [100 points]
For the first time I had an opportunity to do my cardio on the stadium. This was great chance to measure the time since the distance is known exactly. So I decided to try my best and was surprised with the result. I feel I have lot of reserves especialy when I gain the fat loss goal. Will not stop with weight loss before I drop below 80kg. Food was OK and on time, only lunch was slightly poor in quantity (maybe?)...

03.Nov.2006: [100 points]
This Friday was kind of tricky. I was not feeling very well during almost whole day. I was week, low on energy, not very motivated on the work, in one workd: miserable. During afternoon I had big trouble with food: I was constantly hungry although I had very good lunch (better then any in last few days). Then I did my weight training and since then everything is OK. I had very nice dinner and spent fantastic evening with my family. Anyway, I made it through without losing a point. Saturday looks much better now and I'm looking forward to another running session on the stadium...

04.Nov.2006: [96 points]
Saturday night with lot of friends in the house + my wife's delicious dinner and a glass of vine = -4 points for me. Since I already had my 'celebration beer' last wednesday, there are no excuses. Morning cardio session was again perfect so were meals during the day. Now I feel like I gained back around 2-3 kg, but I suppose this is not true. I'll check it out tomorrow.

05.Nov.2006: [96 points]
Nothing special on my rest day.

[Week 2]
06.Nov.2006: [96 points]
This was very hard day. I was in the office for a whole day, having lot of meetings and babysitting one business partner from abroad. And immediately when I got back home I had to do my workout. I feel my left shoulder is strained but I don't think it has anything to do with the training. This part of the year is the most stressful one and since I'm under lot of pressure these days this is probably a physical reaction. Anyway, I ate clean for a whole day and my workout was good so I stick to my points. Tuesday is cardio day and I'm looking forward for another nice running session.

07.Nov.2006: [96 points]
I had really good training today. It looks like I'll become addicted to this. For a whole day I felt miserable but after I did my run the situation changed for 180 degrees. For the first time I tried to do HIIT (well, sort of) and it was really hard. I did 5 series of 15-20 sec uphill sprint followed by 2.5 minutes of 'normal' run. Before and after that I did 10 minutes of slow running. In total, something around 30-35 minutes. I'll try to repeat this session next week to see if I can really handle it.
Ate clean all day long so I keep my remaining points.

08.Nov.2006: [96 points]
Nothing to underline. Normal day. Ate clean, did my workout, will keep all points.

09.Nov.2006: [96 points]
This was a good day. I left the office before noon and spent all day on the fair (international fair of books and teaching aids). Had great lunch at the restaurant, ate fruits in between. Training was good, but hard, I had some trouble to do my run with the same pace as usual. Dinner was also very good so I stick to my remaining points.

10.Nov.2006: [96 points]
Another good day. Training was perfect so were meals. I purchased new food supplement with the idea to start using it instead of dinner, but my wife made perfect pasta so I decided to postpone it for Saturday. My current weight is 87kg whicg is 1 kg less then at the beginning of the month which is good. It's going slower now but this was expected. I will be satisfied if I finish this month's challenge on 85 kg. This weight (85 kg) was my 'dream weight' for a long time. When I look at the mirror today, when I'm close to this goal, I realize that just now I'm really fat. 2.5 months ago, when I had almost 100kg I was not fat, I was _extremly_ fat. I cannot even look at my starting pictures anymore. Bljak... :(
So, it looks that I'm ready to set up my first real goal for fat loss phase -> to drop below 80 kg. When I reach this goal I will decide about next step: either to continue with fat loss program or to start something else.

11.Nov.2006: [95 points]
Cheat meal in the evening = -1 point. It was a birthday party, I just couldn't resist the offer :-)
Everything else was fine, I decided to do my running session slightly 'lighter' then usual so I'll try to make another one during my rest day.

12.Nov.2006: [94 points]
Huh... bad weekend for me. Another cheat meal late in the evening = another lost point. I hope I'll get back on the track immediatly.

[Week 3]
13.Nov.2006: [94 points]
It's Tuesday morning when I do this update and I'm running late to work. I'm going to business trip so I'll be away of my computer for a whole day. Therefore here is a short upadte for Monday: everything is good again: all meals were regular and training was good. Kept all remaining points.

14.Nov.2006: [93 points]
I hate when I have to deduct a point for missed meal :(
Unfortunately, due to the business trip and very important meeting, I didn't have my morning snack. Everything else was simply great so it's even more frustrating. When I have cheat meal like the other day then I don't have a problem taking full responsibility. But in a days like this I'm really pissed off...

15.Nov.2006: [91 points]
Today I really fucked up :(
It was very busy day in the office and because of that I missed my training. Meals were quite good for a whole day, but when I returned from work (1:00 in the morning) I was starving and couldn't resist having a sandwich. So minus 2 for my misbehavior. I need to stick very hard to the plan since this month I don't wan't to break magic '90 points' line.

16.Nov.2006:
(no update)

17.Nov.2006:
(no update)

18.Nov.2006:
(no update)

19.Nov.2006:
(no update)

[Week 4]
20.Nov.2006: [78 points]
It's very hard to calculate how much points I lost in last couple of days. I had trouble in every segment of this challenge, even with updates which I usually do almost automatically. On Saturday, when I wanted to make an update for Friday I realised that I didn't do an update for Thursday and this surprised me a lot. I decided to do an update for everything on Sunday but this Sunday was probably the worst day so far: I just couldn't keep any of promises I made and my Internet connection was down for a whole day (this is not an excuse, I probably wouldn't make an update even if I were the owner of the ISP company).
So, I'll try to summarize my lost points: -4 for updates, -1 for missed training on Friday, -6 for beers I had yesterday, -2 for yesterday's afternoon snack and dinner. In total: -13 points :(
But, today is another day and another start. New goal is not to lose a single point by the end of the month!

21.Nov.2006: [78 points]
Finaly one good day. Well, not so good as many before, but after latest failures it's good to be back on the track. Meals were good and on time. On the other hand training was not that good, but the most important thing is that I was focused again. Let's go forward!

22.Nov.2006: [78 points]
Another good day, even better then yesterday. It's always much better when I have cardio training. I still have problems with weight lifting trainings: because I don't have time to go to gym I do them at home where I don't have enough peace (kids, wife...), I'm usually very low on motivation for this kind of training, I'm feeling like I don't have enough strength to make it properly etc.
Quite the oposit with cardio: when I run I feel very strong, I don't have motivation problem at all, everything is easy and result is quite good (I can really feel the difference after each training). Besides, I feel good after the training.
Meals were also good and on time. It's good to be back on the track!

23.Nov.2006: [78 points]
Another good day. Not so good as yesterday, but still without lost points. Ate a little bit too much for dinner, too less for lunch, but I will not deduct a point for that. Will try to stay focused. I didn't take my measurements in last couple of days, but it looks like there is no significant progress this month. Judging by my current points it's kind of expectable :(

24.Nov.2006: [77 points]
This month is really fucked up. I got sick (still have temperature) and missed training. I'm desperate :(

25.Nov.2006: [100 points]
26.Nov.2006: [100 points]

[Week 5]
27.Nov.2006: [100 points]
28.Nov.2006: [100 points]
29.Nov.2006: [100 points]
30.Nov.2006: [100 points]

================
END STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
CHEST:
HIPS:
WAIST:

Count me in! I'll be out of town Nov 4-6, so posting may be spotty around then.

GOAL: Lose a few pounds while actually getting stronger and start getting in shape for the upcoming season.




WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: UB weight training/yoga
Tuesday: LB Weight training/plyometrics/45m cardio
Wednesday: 45 mins cardio/ yoga
Thursday: UB Weight training/45m cardio
Friday: Weight training: biceps & triceps
Saturday: LB weight Training/45m cardio
Sunday: Yoga

MEAL SCHEDULE
5 meals per day, one cheat meal per week.


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 179
BODY FAT: 30.54%
ARMS: 11.5/13" (cold/flexed)
CALVES: 16.5"
CHEST: 38"
FOREARMS: 11.5"
HIPS: 41.5"
THIGHS: 23"
WAIST: 33"


END STATS (cold/flexed)
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:



DAILY LOG
NOV 1: LB Training done for the day as well as a solid 45min set on the elliptical. Due to being out of town this weekend, slightly modifying workouts this week just to get everything in. Things should get close to back on track next week. Eating on track [100 points]

NOV 2: UB training done as well as a 30 min step class, which turned out to be killer after the LB workout and taking the kiddos Roller skating. Food on track. [100 points]

Nov 3: LB Training done as well as a quick cardio session. Racing to get out the door to head off to DC to watch my beloved skins whallop Dallas [100 points]

Nov 6: What a game and what a trip!! Worth having to lose 5 points over! Quick yoga session tonight to stretch out from the road and managed to get food back on track on the way home [95 points]

Nov 7: OK, so I ran into post vacation letdown and I seriously could not get motivated to do much of anything. Eating way off whack and no workout done [92 points]

Nov 8: Much better day today. Food went better today though a little derailed thanks to an end of year luncheon. But LB weight training done as well as 30 min HIIT. Yoga on schedule for tonight. [91 points]

GOAL: Cutting


COMMENT: I supposed I started this properly this week, but my specific goals are to log all of my food in FitDay and hit all my workouts. And to finish NaNoWriMo, but I suppose that's not exactly fitness-related :) I will be traveling for business at least one week this month, and probably two, but I should be in decent hotels with weight rooms. The diet is going to be, um, exciting, when I'm on the road, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Started a new job, and I'm trying to leave all the crap I picked up at the old one behind me. If I can't make an update due to travel, I'll post about it beforehand, and make it up next time I'm at a computer, but I don't see that being a huge problem.


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: Weights, full-body, 3x10 medium weight
Tuesday: Couch-to-5k plan (http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml)
Wednesday: Weights, full-body, 3x15 light weight
Thursday: Couch-to-5k plan (http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml)
Friday: Weights, full-body, 3x8 (or until failure) heavy weight
Saturday Couch-to-5k plan (http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml)
Sunday: Rest


MEAL SCHEDULE
Avg 1800 cals a day, clean food only, plus one cheat meal per week.


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 198.8 pounds
ARMS: 14"
CALVES: 16"
CHEST: 44"
FOREARMS: 10.5"
HIPS: 43.5"
THIGHS: 26"
WAIST: 38"


MIDPOINT STATS
WEIGHT: 198.6 pounds
ARMS: 14"
CALVES: 15.75"
CHEST: 44.5"
FOREARMS: 10.5"
HIPS: 43.5"
THIGHS: 26"
WAIST: 36"


END STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
ARMS: 13.5"
CALVES:15"
CHEST: 44.5"
FOREARMS: 9.75"
HIPS: 42.5"
THIGHS: 26"
WAIST: 37"

Nov. 1: (100 points) No hiccups today, diet is on target and got a good volume workout in. I'm a little peeved that I've been dead on for a week and a half and my weight hasn't really changed at all, but I'm glad I took all my measurements today - that will help me make better sense of what the scale says. I'll probably do that weekly. Otherwise, if I don't see progress by next Monday, I'll have to reevaluate the plan. It's possible I'm putting on muscle (I'm a mesomorph and bulk pretty easy) but we'll see.

Nov. 2: (100 points) Cheat meal today, otherwise ate clean, and my calories probably weren't too wildly over. Got my run in this morning too.

Nov. 3: (99 points) Ate well today, even had dinner out with some friends and stayed on target calorie-wise (and I don't feel guilty about a portobello burger anyway), but didn't make it to the gym. I'll make it up for the week - I have a non-workout day scheduled for just this purpose - but I'm taking off a point anyway, because I could have and should have gotten my ass up this morning and gone. Feeling a little run down (just like everyone else, apparently) and slammed some Emergen-C. I'll hit that hard for the next several days and see if I can't shake it off. As a matter of fact, I'm going to go have some more now.

Nov. 4: (99 points) Actually ate my target calories a little bit early - that's probably just as well, because I've been undereating the last week or so. Did yesterday's weight workout today, and it went pretty well. I'm still a little frustrated with my actual weight not dropping, but with my business trip coming up next week, I won't be able to make (intentional) changes until next weekend, so I'll just have to wait and see. If I'm still stalled out, I'll probably add some more cardio on weight days. Otherwise, the Challenge is really helping me stay focused!

Nov. 5: (99 points) Got my cardio in this morning. I'm looking forward to moving on with the Couch-to-5k plan, as the first two weeks have been pretty easy. I have chronic knee problems though, so I'm trying to hold myself back so I don't aggravate them with overwork. If I add more cardio, it'll be low-impact rather than more running. Hit my calorie target and my macros look pretty good, although the last two days I've finished eating pretty early. I may need to up my calorie count a bit- 1800 might be a little low. We'll see. I'm flying out to Virginia early tomorrow for a business trip, so it's going to be a real challenge to eat decently and get some exercise in. I'm not going to take points off if I find something to be totally impossible, but... very little is actually impossible.

Nov. 6: (96 points) Well, I expected it, but it didn't make it any more fun. Didn't log my food, didn't update, and didn't exercise. That's -3 for me. Hopefully I'll be able to get it together for the rest of this trip.

Nov. 11: (84 points) OK, so I'm not quite together with the eating + working out while I'm staying in a hotel in a strange city. I'm not thrilled with myself, but I'm not going to worry about it too much either - it was a long week, and I got a lot of stuff done work-wise, so I'm happy about that. Proper food logs will resume tomorrow, and I'll be back on the exercise train Monday. I posted about my eating in the Cutting forum, and got smacked by Swolecat for all the carbs I've been eating, so I'm going to try to spend this weekend rethinking my diet.

Nov. 12: (83 points) So I didn't remember to actually update until I was half-asleep - ugh, hate losing points for silly reasons, given that I spent an hour on the forums yesterday. The day went well otherwise - I actually went to the gym for 45 minutes of unscheduled LISS. I'm going to try to add a couple more days of that in and see what happens. I'm not going to officially add it to the plan yet, though.

Nov. 13: (83 points) Ate clean, got a solid weight workout in - glad to see I didn't lose any strength taking a week off. Also dropped a pound and a half of water since yesterday, so it looks like I didn't lose too much ground dropping the fat, either. I had been a bit worried about that, but I expect by Wednesday I'll be able to get a solid measurement. This hasn't been the prettiest challenge so far, but I still feel pretty good.

Nov. 14: (83 points) No problems today. Finally getting to the point in my jogging where I feel like I'm working - that should help everything. I'm going to take measurements and post mid-month stats tomorrow - they're not going to be much improved, but they should be improved.

Nov. 15: (83 points) Updating early with my mid-month stats - weight hasn't changed really at all, my lats are growing a bit, and I've dropped 2" off my waist - which I don't quite believe, but there it is. Did 45 minutes of fasted LISS, which went well, but didn't eat nearly enough during the day, and I was totally out of energy for my weights. My goal of 1800 cals is for an average, so I won't take off, but I won't do that again, either. If I'm going to work out twice in a day, I damn well better be eating for it.

Nov. 16: (83 points) Work was hell today. Good thing it wasn't a weights day, or I would have missed it. No other problems.

Nov. 17: (83 points) Missed both the update and my workout, but I'm not taking off points - I had a 13+ hour workday and there was just no way around it. I'll make up the workout, and I was as good about food as possible - although I needed to use my cheat meal just to get my calories in.

Nov. 18: (83 points) I'll update again later, but I'm here, sooo... got my morning run in. I'm looking forward to upping the intensity on that next week. The plan I'm using is slooow, but I haven't had any knee problems yet, so I'm sticking with it. Tons of errands to do today, and then I need to lift later tonight. Looking forward to it, after Wednesday's lackluster effort. (Later) Gah. Waited 8 hours after my run, then discovered the gym was closed. I was sooo looking forward to it, too. Oh, well. Must be the holiday - it's usually a 24 hour gym.

Nov. 19: (83 points) LISS in the morning - forgot to bring a book, and it was excruciatingly boring, but felt good. Got a fiber supplement at the store - feel like I've needed one, for reasons that aren't really proper to go into in company. Also cleaned the house, which badly needed it. Looking forward to lifting tomorrow.

Nov. 20: (83 points) Firing on all cylinders today - LISS first thing, ate well (and enough!) all day, an had a very solid lifting session this evening. Off to make something with protein in it for dinner. The only bad spot was the hour and a half of overtime - third night in a row. Going to have to do something about that, I think.

Nov. 21: (83 points) Finally gotten to the point in the couch-to-5k where I'm actually working - felt good. I'm pleasantly sore from yesterday - the one thing I love about full body workouts is that the soreness is all over and therefore somehow easier to deal with. Made steak tonight - the first time I've cooked it myself. It went reasonably well, and I ate most of it - had to make myself stop and save some for lunch. I am a carnivore at hear, I guess. A bit over on calories but as I ended up a bit under yesterday, I won't sweat it. I could probably use the fuel. The way my lifts have been going up, and the way my arms look, I'm putting on muscle as fast as I'm losing fat, which isn't that unusual for me - although I'm impatient to fit into my good jeans again. I'll measure myself again tomorrow, and see if I've made any progress. I certainly feel good.

Nov. 22: (81 points) Updating after the fact. I did my LISS in the morning, got off work a couple hours early, and immediately got hit with the winter blahs so hard I could barely breathe. So I went out, got a couple of new books, got some good cheese and bread from Whole Foods, and settled in on the couch. It was either that or go to the bar and get roaring drunk. -1 for not updating, -1 for missing a workout, but overall it wasn't bad.

Nov. 23: (81 points) Ran this morning after a lovely lie-in, and taking the rest of the day completely off. I don't have any really bad food in the house, but I'm not counting calories today.

Nov. 24: (79 points) So my "day off" ran a little over... never actually made it to the gym and ate utter crap. -2 points.

Nov. 25: (79 points) Went and ran this morning... thought it is interesting that I've hit all six cardio workouts this week but missed two weight workouts - usually it's the other way around for me. I'm bloated all to hell from my slacking today... carrying probably three pounds of water. I think I want to change up my weight strategy - I may do one more week of this then officially start a new split in December. I feel like while I'm getting good overall strength gains, I'm not hitting all of my body parts as hard as I could on a three or four day split. I'll do one more week at max intensity and see where I am.

Nov. 26: (79 points) Got up this morning and was getting ready to go to the gym when my crazy triathlete friend called and invited me to go to the track with her instead, so I ran instead of biked. Got 20 minutes straight jogging in, and it felt pretty damn good - measurements or no, I'm approaching being in actual shape.

Nov. 27: (78 points) Did my LISS in the morning, felt increasingly awful throughout the day - nauseous, headachey, the works. Decided to take it easy for a bit. My overall motivation has slipped some, too, an I need to deal with that one way or the other.

Nov. 30: (69 points) It was a baad week - no workouts, crap food, no updates. I'll add my weight tonight when I finally hit the gym. Overall, though, the challenge really helped me stay focused, and I'm hitting ecember HARD.

I have a vacation at the end of the month and it's going to screw everything up I imagine. Despite my horrible record I've been able to loss about 3 pounds of fat each week. I've got 3 weeks before the vacation so I hope to lose around 9 pounds. I expect I'll gain 7 of it back during my vacation. I then hope to lose 3-4 after I return. Which means I think I can lose 5-6 for this month. This is all speculation - I don't really know what's going to happen.


GOAL: Fat Loss

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Mon: Lifting (full body)
Tue: Cardio (step mill, treadmill) 50 minutes
Wed: Cardio (step mill, treadmill) 50 minutes
Thu: Lifting (full body)
Fri: Cardio (step mill, treadmill) 50 minutes
Sat & Sun: full cardio one of the days and the other a day off

MEAL SCHEDULE
4 Meals per day - limit calories to 1500


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 202
BODY FAT: 22%
LIFTING WEIGHT: 180-270-40-190

END STATS
WEIGHT: 196
BODY FAT: 19.6%
LIFTING WEIGHT: 180-270-45-190

LIFTING WEIGHT is lat-bench-curls-row. Using this to also track muscle loss.


DAILY LOG
[Week 1]
01.Nov.2006: Bit of weird day and lacked energy for my cardio, but I made it [100]
02.Nov.2006: Pizza and coke -2 [98]
03.Nov.2006: No prob with the cardio but I had another cheat meal [97]
04.Nov.2006: Did cardio today. [97]

[Week 2]
05.Nov.2006: Day off - had my weekly cheat meal. [97]
06.Nov.2006: Had another cheat :( [96]
07.Nov.2006: No cheats today [96]
08.Nov.2006: This month is going in the crapper quickly :( pizza and cola today -2 [94]
09.Nov.2006: More problems - today I did cardio instead of lifting and ate poorly -3 [91]
10.Nov.2006:
11.Nov.2006: Wow forgot to log in last night even tho I had a good workout and ate well. Today I had my cheat meal and did some lifting to make up for missing Thur. I'm changing my schedule a bit to accomedate this. Next Tue and Fri will be the days I lift. [90]

[Week 3]
12.Nov.2006: Back to losing weight - I'm afraid it's muscle tho [90]
13.Nov.2006: Today marks a milestone of sorts. I haven't been measuring my waist and hips lately because of all the cheating I've done. But today I felt kinda slim so I measured. the results are this is the first time my waist is smaller than my hips! [90]
14.Nov.2006: For the first time I put a new hole in my belt today - felt good. I also had a small cheat - too bad a cheat is a cheat [89]
15.Nov.2006: Getting close to my goal [89]
16.Nov.2006: When I started working out on the tread mill I was trying to get to 100 floors in 20 minutes. Today I did that in 15 minutes [89]
17.Nov.2006:
18.Nov.2006: Vacation

[Week 4]

[Week 5]
26.Nov.2006: Vacation
27.Nov.2006: Looks like I gained about 3 pounds over the vacation. I had thought I also remotivated myself to eat better, but the stress today got to me -2. I decided to do lifting this Tue and Fri instead of mon and thur. Today's cardio was a bit tough [87]
28.Nov.2006: Today went well, but I remembered in my rush to leave for vacation I didn't log in. I also didn't work out. [85]
29.Nov.2006: Today wasn't as hard as Monday which was a bit painful. [85]
30.Nov.2006: Wow more cheating today. I hope next week I'll be less stressed out and eat better. [83]


COMMENT: Looks like I didn't lose any muscle this month. I also didn't get to 195, but close. At least I lost 7 pounds of fat. I should have lost 9 pounds given that I've been losing 3 pounds a week. The vacation was the real mystery this month. It didn't turn out as bad as I thought. In the previous month my weight would swing more wildly, but this month it didn't flucuate much.

Jeremy's "100 Challenge" Post

GOALS:
* Drink at least 1 gallon of water a day.
* Do some form of exercise 6 days a week. (Preferably on the schedules I've outlined.)
* Keep a daily food log.

COMMENT:
I've lost about 20 pounds in the last 2 months, but my dedication is floundering a little. I am hoping this challenge helps me refocus.

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Weights
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Weights
Friday: Cardio
Saturday: Weights
Sunday: Cardio

MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per day, one cheat meal per week.

STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 297
BODY FAT: 31.4%
ARMS: (L/R) 18.25/18.75
CALVES: (L/R) 17.25/17.75
CHEST: 49
HIPS: 49.50
THIGHS: (L/R) 29.25/29.50
WAIST: 51

END STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:

DAILY LOG

NOV 1: [100 points] Off to a good start. Today was spot on.
NOV 2: [100 points] Day Two went just as well as day one. At times while doing my weight routine I wanted to throw in the towel, but I pushed through it and in the end I felt really good about finishing.
NOV 3: [100 points] I did 35 mins on the Elliptical, which included 15 mins of intervals. I ate 6 meals totaling 2116.4 Cals and I drank more than a gallon of water.
NOV 4: [99 points] (-1) I didn't squeeze in all 6 meals today.
NOV 5: [99 points] I did a lot better today. I got in all my meals, drank all my water, and did my workout.
NOV 6: [99 points] Perfect start to the week. 30 mins on the Elliptical.
NOV 7: [98 points] (-1) I skipped my workout. My energy was low and my body is very sore. I think I might need two days off a week till I get in to better shape.
NOV 8: [98 points] I made up yesterdays skipped weight routine tonight.
NOV 9: [97 points] (-1) I forgot I had a dentist appointment. I didn't feel very good when I was done... skipped my workout.
NOV 10: [97 points] I got everything in.
NOV 11: [97 points] Despite it being a pretty crazy day around here I got everything done.
NOV 12: [97 points] My back and knees were bothering me so I took a rest day.
NOV 13: [96 points] (-1) I had some errands to run and one of my good friends I hadn't spoken to a bit called me. I lost track of time and missed my work out.
NOV 14: [95 points] (-1) I am a slacker... I skipped my workout again. Doh!

k3vb0's Official November "100 Challenge" Post

GOAL: Lose body fat while maintaining muscle

COMMENT: Since my October challenge was impacted by unexpected knee surgery, my goal for this month is to get back to my normal cardio and weight workouts (including lower body lifting).


WORKOUT SCHEDULE : Cardio will start at 30 minutes and increase to 50 minutes over the course of the month
Monday: Upper Body Workout
Tuesday: AM Cardio (30-50 Minutes)
Wednesday: Lower Body Workout
Thursday: AM Cardio (30-50 Minutes)
Friday: Upper Body Workout
Saturday: Lower Body Workout (2nd two weeks of month as knee allows)
Sunday: Rest


MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per day, one cheat meal per week.

STARTING STATS (cold/flexed)
WEIGHT: 200
BODY FAT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:


END STATS (cold/flexed)
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:

DAILY LOG

NOV 1: AM Cardio : 30 Minutes. I am almost back to full resistance on my exercise bike, now I just need to get back up to 50 minutes per session. I did my first lower body workout in almost two months. My physical therapist has me starting with ridiculously low weights, and I am supposed to increase these by 10 lbs per week. Although the weights were low, my legs were wobbly by the end of the workout. Finished the day with physical therapy, working the deep knee muscles. I also got to do weighted squats for the first time in two months. While I can still tell that my left knee was operated on, it actually feels better than my right. My PT said we will figure out what that really means in several weeks. Sigh. I switched my routine for this month and did my first full upper body workout on Monday, and I have DOMS like I haven't felt in a long time. Diet was spot on. Diet P/C/F 248/141/78 2261 Kcal. [100 pts]

NOV 2: 20 Minutes fasted cardio in the morning and a 20 minute fast walk with the dogs. 1 hour pilates session at lunch. DId not get to measure my foods, but I was within calories and all meals were on time. [100 pts]

NOV 3: 30 minutes fasted AM cardio. I have pushed my cardio and PT this week and my knee is seriously sore, and from my first leg workout in 2 months I have serious DOMS in my legs and lower back. I am doing my upper body workout tomorrow. Today was a cheat day. All meals normal except dinner, where I had a small chicken enchilada and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. [100 pts]

NOV 4: Made today my off day. Tomorrow is a full body workout. Cheat meal -1 [99 pts]

NOV 5: Feeling run down and lethargic. Took one more off day and missed a meal. -2 Pts. [97 pts]

NOV 6: AM exercise bike workout, 30 minutes. Increased resistance today, will work on upping time to 35-40 minutes over the course of the week. Got in an excellent upper body workout as well with increased weights in chest, back, and arm workouts. Diet was on target as well. [97 pts]

NOV 7: No cardio today. I knew I would be in all day meetings, so I did my AM cardio yesterday. Meals were spot on, and I have lost two pounds so far. [97 pts]

NOV 8: NO workout today as I was in all day meetings. Diet was spot on. [96 pts]

NOV 9: One hour Pilates session at lunch. Leg workout with slightly heavier weights than last week. My left knee is pretty sore after this. Diet is okay with slightly higher carbs. [96 pts]

NOV 10:

NOV 11:

NOV 12:

NOV 13: And a fun weekend of stomach bug was had by all. My whole family and my daughter's friend who was staying with us came down with stomach crud. Diet and workout went out the window. I got back on track today with 30 minutes of AM cardio and an upper body workout. Diet was back on track as well. I will usually work out through a cold, but with stomach crud I have found it is better to take time off from working out. [96 pts]

NOV 14: AM Cardio: 30 minutes. Still having a hard time pushing past that as my knee starts to hurt. My PT told me not to push if it hurts. Got in a good lower body workout even with the light weights I am allowed to use. I have started doing reverse lunges since my PT wants me to really work my quads without doing squats or leg extensions. I have decided that I have been taking in way too few calories (2100 - 2500) and I am going to up my calories to 2700 per day for the remainder of this challenge. In reading other journals, I think that too few calories are actually making it harder to lose bodyfat. Diet was on target today. [96 pts]

NOV 15: Changing my schedule to upper body workout on Monday & Thursday, lower body on Tuesday and Friday, and cardio at least 4 days per week. I made today an off day (it's movie night for my daughter and I). Diet is on target. [96 pts]

NOV 16: Got in another upper body workout. A combination of twice per week full body and uppoing my calories seems to be having some effect as my weights are starting to go up again. Diet was on target. [96 pts]

NOV 17: Lower body workout. Still using relatively light weights, but the weights are increasing. Today is my wif'es birthday, this weekend is my brother-in law's birthday, so it will be a busy weekend. Missed a post, -1 pt. [95 pts]

NOV 18: No workout today, spent the day in the basement prepping for final finish. Missed a post -1 pt. [94 pts]

NOV 19: AM Cardio. Worked in the basement again bringing 50 lb bags of leveling compound down stairs and pouring into place. [94 pts]

NOV 20: Lower body workout. Weights are still light, but going up. Diet is on track. Pretty boring. [94 pts]

NOV 21: Had a great upper body workout. I am finding that hitting each muscle twice a week is necessary for me to progress quickly. Upping my calories has helped quite a bit as well as my weights are continuing to increase. I am going to continue with twice weekly workouts and increased calories through the holidays. Diet continues to be on track. [94 pts]

NOV 22: Missed a post, -1. [93 pts]

NOV 23: Made today my massive cheat day. My wife made a great Thanksgiving dinner, and my Mom brought up pumpkin and cherry pie. Massive carbohydrate day with whipped potatoes, sweet potatoes with bacon, stuffing, crescent rolls....mmmmmm. I guesstimate at least 2 lbs will be added from today alone. [93 pts]


NOV 24:

NOV 25:

NOV 26 : -3 Points for no posting, but for a good reason. My brother-in-law and I spent the weekend lowering the structural wood floor in my basement gym. We finished the basement over the summer to the point of being ready to install carpet, but my gym equipment was not going to fit since my gym room has duct work which lowers the ceiling approximately one foot. I will now have an excellent workout area at home, and my wife is going to get me adjustable dumbells for Christmas, so I will have few valid excuses for missing workouts once this is all done. The construction work was an excellent workout in itself, and I am more sore than I have been in quite some time. Lifting 60 lb bags of cement, carrying heavy lumber, sawing and nailing for 12 hours a day make for an excellent full body workout. [90 pts]

NOV 27: Got in a lower body workout yesterday, and for the first time since knee surgery I was able to do squats. They were very light (only got to 135 lbs) but with perfect form and no pain. Diet was on target as well. [90 pts]

NOV 28: Upper body workout. Changed my rep/set scheme today and will continue for 4 weeks total. Diet was on target. [90 pts]

NOV 29: Late update. We had a big storm come through Denver yesterday with 8 inches of snow and subzero temperatures. That coupled with all day meetings and a working dinner skept me from getting in my cardio workout. However, on the plus side I did have to shovel the driveway and the sidewalk which is a pretty good workout. -1 pt [89 pts]

NOV 30: Got in a good lower body workout. The weights are getting heavier but still relatively light. Have to remember that it takes 3 months to completely get over knee surgery, so I have one more to go before I am back to 100%. Diet was on track, and since I have decided to start a small bulk, I have gotten up to 209. [89 pts]

:tu: GOAL: Weight loss and increased strength

COMMENT: Four pounds in four weeks (that's the goal - just pretend I put it up there). I started the September challenge, but flaked out towards the end :nono: . I enjoyed the challenge and found that the daily posting really helped me to focus on areas needing improvement. Also, it’ll be great to have this to keep me on track during the holidays!

WORKOUT SCHEDULE: I might switch up the days, but this is the general plan...

Monday: 45 mins cardio
Tuesday: Upper body 45 min, cardio 20 mins
Wednesday: 45 mins cardio
Thursday: Lower body 45 min, cardio 20 mins
Friday: 30 min cardio
Saturday 30 min cardio
Sunday: Off day

MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per day, one cheat meal per week (will most likely be used for work related events). No more than 1500 calories on non-cheat days. Food logged for the majority of the week (any four days). Two liters of water and vitamins daily.

STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 144.2

END STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:

DAILY LOG

Nov 1: 144.2 [98 pts] Got my workout in early, but did not log my calories as I should have. My meals have a lot of room for improvement as well. I ate a mini milky way and mounds that my co-workers brought in! Also, I didn't take my vitamins! I just moved, everything is in boxes, I can hear everything the neighbors do... *sigh* Well, I'm off to prepare my meals for tomorrow!

Nov 2: 143.8 [98 pts] Had a great cardio workout this morning and packed all of my meals for today last night. I'm gradully working on increasing my veggie intake. Took vitamins, drank enough water, ate well.

Nov 3: 143.4 [96 pts] Had a good day but missed my workout due to my work schedule and missed the posting because I came home sick and went straight to bed.

Nov 4: 144.6 [96 pts] Feeling a little sick, so only did 20 minutes of cardio. Ate clean meals and had peanut M&Ms as splurge meal.

Nov 5: 144.6 [95 pts] Still a little sick... Ate a bean and cheese burrito - *sigh* . You know, even those I'm losing points almost daily, I've actually improved quite a bit. This is my longest gym streak in a long time (OK, so the time change may have helped that just a little, but still...).

Nov 6: 146.4 [95 pts] Dman carb bloat from my bean and cheese burrito! Didn't have my morning workout, but managed to get one in after work (which is quite rare). I need to work on increasing my water intake and also need to load up on plenty of vitamin C. Most people at work are sick, but I'm holding it off! Overall - decent day.

Nov 7: 145.2 [94 pts]

Nov 8: 144.2 [94 pts] Had a great cardio workout this morning, ate all planned meals within 1500 calories. Meals for tomorrow are packed. I will continue to increase my water intake.

Nov 9: 143.6 [94 pts] Missed my morning workout, but did a tough RT evening workout. Couldn't post yesterday b/c the internet connection at home was down...actually, it still is...I'm logged on to some unsecure wireless network :whistle: .

Nov 10: 143 [94 pts] Had an easy, fasted cardio workout this morning. My legs are very sore from yesterday's RT workout. I ate well, and had some gummy candies (my fav!) as my cheat meal. Although only 10 days into the challenge, my jeans are fitting a little better and I have more energy! I just have to make it through the weekend. It's traditionally my weak point, but the progress I've made so far will push me through it. :claphigh:

Nov 11: 143 [93 pts] Didn't post so -1 pt.

Nov 12: 143.2 [93 pts] Yesterday was the first time in a long time that I was able to eat clean at a restaurant. I went out for breakfast and had a spinach and mushroom omelette with a slice of fruit on the side. Not bad, huh? Overall, this weekend has been much, much better than past weekends in regards to my nutrition. Now I'm off to study for the GREs :read: .

Nov 13: [91 pts] I ate OK today, but not according to plan and I didn't keep even a rough track of how many calories I was eating. I got to the gym late, but did 30 minutes of cardio. I did about 15 minutes of arms at home. Had a crappy day :blank: , but will be back on track tomorrow.

Nov 14: 143.4 [89 pts] -1 pt because I am a day late with the post. I had a great workout, but ate a twix bar later in the day so - another point. I still need to increase my water intake.

Nov 15: 141.8 [89 pts] I was surprised to see the scale weight drop so much today despite my twix bar yesterday. To lose 4 pounds by the end of the challenge, I should be at about 142.2 today and I'm just under that. Even though it's only been two weeks, I realize it's been a while since I've stuck with something this long! I can achieve results even if I don't do everything absolutely perfectly. :spaz: I have a conference to attend today and have no way of bringing my own lunch so I will use it as my cheat meal. I'm brining a protein bar with me in case of an emergency (that is, if I'm tempted by muffins or doughnuts or something like that).

Nov 16: 143.6 [86 pts] I ate horribly yesterday..so bad that I felt compelled to -3 pts! The conference lunch was fine, but I snacked on candy all day long (they had baskets of it at each table). Bad :spank: I had a good workout today and ate OK, but need to eat more fresh fruits and veggies. I'm working from homw tomorrow so I'll be able to sleep in - whoo hoo! :jumping:

Nov 17: 142.6 [85 pts] Tpday was an OK day. My body feels exhausted, kinda sore, kinda achy. I don't think I'm getting sick, but I took some vitamin C just in case. Maybe it's my workout schedule. Even though I haven't been exercising as much as I know I should be to lose weight, I've definitely started exercising more in the oast 3 weeks than I have for a couple of months. I'll try to reat up this weekend while eating cleanly. Off to bed... :sleep:

Nov 18 - Nov 19 [81 pts] -2 points for not posting for two days, -2 points for HORRIBLE eating this weekend.

Nov 20 146 [81 pts] Had a good workout this morning...as you can see from above my weekend wasn't so great. What did I learn from it? Gorging yourself at a nice restaurant just isn't worth it and I NEED to plan my weekend meals in advance. I made it through the previous weekend, I should have made it through this weekend. I was thinking about that today - about how I was getting really close to my goal and then I just blew it. Not completely, but with Thanksgiving just around the corner, it definitely threw me off. I also thought about what sort of state of mind I was in...maybe I felt a little deprived, maybe I was apprehensive about reacing my goals. I came across an interesting post on "mental fitness" at http://www.tadinoue.com/:

"Most people who are striving toward excellence in their bodies or in their lives know that much of your success has to do with your mental strength. However, mental strength is a skill just like making free throws or just like mastering martial arts. The difference between mental strength and other physical skills is that most people don't really understand how to develop and maintain this skill. The most important thing to remember about your own mental strength is that just like all skills, you need to practice it daily and you need routine and ritual everyday to hone it to mastery. If you want to master your own mental strength you will need to create a consistent, daily routine that will enable you to focus on what you want and give you the opportunity use your determination and mental strength skills."

Well said!

Nov 21: 145.6 [81 pts]. Had a good workout and eat well today, although I had my last meal a little later than I would have liked. Tomorrow is half-day at work, then it's the Thanksgiving holiday! :eat: I'm actually more excited about having some rest time than the food. I just need to try and do my best over the holidays. I know I will eat some things I normally don't, but I'll keep up with my workouts, drink plenty of water, get plenty of rest and not beat myself up for enjoying the holiday food (within reason). On a side note - someone at work said "you've lost weight!" I said not really (since I'm a little bloated, but I told her I had been working out regularly and watching what I ate. Goes to show you that it's not always about the scale weight.

Nov 22 144.8 [80 pts]. Despite feeling extremely tired and a little sick, I got up and did a quick cardio and upper body workout. -1 pt for a little too much processed food today. I'm off to bed to try and sleep this off...

Nov 24 145.2 [79 pts]. Had a great Thanksgiving yesterday; the best part about it was getting to see my family. Even though it was a splurge meal, I didn't eat anything too bad...just a lot of it! It was nice to have a break from working out and eating really clean, strangely, makes me kinda miss it. :confused: Right now, I'm trying to drink a lot of water and stay on track with everything until Monday (usually I have no problem with everything during the week).

Nov 26 144.8 [76 pts]. -1 point for not posting yesterday, -1 point for bad eating yesterday, and -1 point for bad eating today. I have all my meals packed, my gym clothes packed, everything packed for a great day tomorrow. I'm glad I'll have some structure to my day to help me stay on track.

I'm in. Good luck everyone and thanks John.

John Stone's Official November "100 Challenge" post


GOAL: Cutting


COMMENT: This is going to be a month of significant weight loss

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: Cardio 60 minutes, weights lower body
Tuesday: Cardio 60 minutes, abs
Wednesday: Cardio 45 minutes, weights upper body
Thursday: Cardio 60 minutes, abs
Friday: Cardio 60 minutes, weights lower body
Saturday: Cardio 45 minutes, abs
Sunday: Cardio 45 minutes, weights upper body


MEAL SCHEDULE
3 meals a day and 1-2 snacks


STARTING STATS (cold/flexed)
WEIGHT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:


END STATS (cold/flexed)
WEIGHT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:



DAILY LOG
NOV 1:

Three months in to cutting (Aug, Sept, Oct) using these "100 challenges" and I've gone from 225.5 at 32.5%bf to 207.5 at 28.5%bf (18lbs loss over ~13 weeks, ~1.4lbs fat loss per week). Going for another month of cutting.

STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 207.5lbs
BODY FAT: 28.5% (tanita)
ARMS: 14"
CALVES: 17"
CHEST: 41.5"
FOREARMS: 12"
HIPS: 41.25"
THIGHS: 23.5"
WAIST: 38.5"
VERTICAL LEAP: ~12" on 11/5 (not a very accurate measurement, but I'm logging this to remind myself to check improvement later). If I recall my lifetime high was 29" @ ~175lbs, many years ago, so, I have a long way to go.

END STATS
WEIGHT: 206.5lbs
BODY FAT: 28.0% (tanita)
ARMS: 14"
CALVES: 17"
CHEST: 41.5"
FOREARMS: 12"
HIPS: 41"
THIGHS: 23.5"
WAIST: 38"

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Generally M-F
- 3x weight training per week (min)
- 2x cardio per week (min)

MEAL SCHEDULE
- 3x per day minimum
- Drink no soda

RESULTS
Wed,01-Nov-2006: [100 pts]. 207.5lbs, 28.5%bf (tanita). 3300cal. Workout: Back/shoulders, cardio 32 min (~400cal). Yum, pizza. (That's not going to help with the goals, now is it..)

Thu,02-Nov-2006: [100 pts]. 209.0lbs, 28.5%bf (tanita). 4100cal. Workout: None.

Fri,03-Nov-2006: [98 pts]. 210.5lbs, 28.5%bf (tanita). 3300cal. Workout: None. -1 for no update. -1 for soda.

Sat,04-Nov-2006: [97 pts]. 210.0lbs, 27%bf (tanita). 3100cal. Workout: Legs. -1 for no update. Dude, what am I doing? 3000+cal day after day?! :bang:

Sun,05-Nov-2006: [95 pts]. 210.5lbs, 28.5%bf (tanita). ~3500cal. -1 for no update. -1 for Coke.

Mon,06-Nov-2006: [93 pts]. 210.5lbs, 28.5%bf (tanita). ~2100cal. Workout: Chest/arms. -1 for no update. -1 for Coke.

Tue,07-Nov-2006: [91 pts]. 210.0lbs, 28.5%bf (tanita). ~2600cal. Workout: Back/shoulders, cardio 23 min (~300 cal). -1 for no update. -1 for Coke.

Wed,08-Nov-2006: [89 pts]. 210.0lbs, 27.5%bf (tanita). 2600cal. -1 for Coke. -1 for another Coke. Really good workouts this week -- feeling good about that. Not feeling good about how I've allowed soda back into the diet and seem to have mentally changed to a "maintenance mode" instead of "cutting mode". I ended October at 207.5 which was definitely a dehydrated, solid-free weigh-in (i.e. it was low), and when I started eating solids shortly thereafter it popped up again. But instead of containing the caloric intake I'm just maintaining. Maybe my body is telling me it needs a break from cutting, or a slowdown or something. In any case, reminder to self: keep lifting, quit the freaking soda before it starts to control you, and remember that this is all mental. You can do it.

Thu,09-Nov-2006: [85 pts]. 210.5lbs, 28.5%bf (tanita). 3200cal. -1 for coke, -1 for coke, -1 for coke, -1 for coke. Workout: None. Fuckin' a.

Fri,10-Nov-2006: [85 pts]. 211.0lbs, 28.5%bf (tanita). 1950cal. Workout: Legs.

Sat,11-Nov-2006: [84 pts]. 210.0lbs, 28.0%bf (tanita). 2400cal. Workout: None. -1 for missing a cardio workout this week.

Sun,12-Nov-2006: [84 pts]. 210.5lbs, 28.5%bf (tanita). 2800cal. Workout: Chest/arms.

Mon,13-Nov-2006: [83 pts]. 211.0lbs, 29.0%bf (tanita). 2400cal. Workout: None. -1 for Coke. Just bouncing around in maintenance mode. Sigh. I'm going to try and turn this around through cardio instead of lifting. Lifting has been great lately, but I think my body is responding by wanting more calories, like I'm bulking or something. Anyway, I've definitely hit a wall. We'll see what happens the next couple weeks.

Tue,14-Nov-2006: [83 pts]. 208.5lbs, 27.0%bf (tanita). 2400cal. Workout: None.

Wed,15-Nov-2006: [83 pts]. 208.0lbs, 27.0%bf (tanita). 2600cal. Workout: Back/shoulders, cardio 35 min (~400cal).

Thu,16-Nov-2006: [83 pts]. 208.5lbs, 27.5%bf (tanita). 1800cal. Workout: Abs, and fasted LISS Cardio 32 min (~420cal).

Fri,17-Nov-2006: [83 pts]. 207.5lbs, 28.5%bf (tanita). 1850cal. Workout: None.

Sat,18-Nov-2006: [82 pts]. 207.0lbs, 29.0%bf (tanita). 2400cal. Workout: None. -1 for missing one lifting session this week. Could have fit dinner into half the calories today and ended up ~1900cal, argh. Also, weekends are full of solid food, as usual, so I expect a blip up in weight regardless of calorie count.

Sun,19-Nov-2006: [82 pts]. 208.5lbs, 28.5%bf (tanita). 2400cal. Workout: None. Fever.. slept 14 hours.

Mon,20-Nov-2006: [81 pts]. 208.0lbs, 28.0%bf (tanita). 2400cal. Workout: None. -1 for coke. Fever, still.

Tue,21-Nov-2006: [78 pts]. 208.5lbs, 28.0%bf (tanita). ~2400cal. Workout: None. Still feeling sick, fever, aches, etc. -3 for cokes. With thanksgiving and travel coming up, in addition to being sick, it feels like this month is going to end up being a wash. Not throwing in the towel, just sayin'.

Wed,22-Nov-2006: [75 pts]. 206.5lbs, 28.5%bf (tanita). 2900cal. Workout: None. Still sick. -3 for sodas. Being sick must be knocking the weight down somehow.

Thu,23-Nov-2006: [75 pts]. 206.5lbs, 29%bf (tanita). 3900cal. Happy Thanksgiving. Workout: None. Still sick.

Fri,24-Nov-2006: [73 pts]. 209.0lbs, 28.5%bf (tanita). 2600cal. -1 for no update. -1 for coke. Still sick.

Sat,25-Nov-2006: [68 pts]. 207.0lbs, 29.0%bf (tanita). 2500cal. Workout: Chest/arms. -1 for no update. Still sick, but not sick enough to stay out of the gym. Even though I was sick this week, -2 points for missing 2 lifting workouts and -2 for missing 2 cardio workouts.

Sun,26-Nov-2006: [68 pts]. 207.0lbs, 29.0%bf (tanita). 1800cal. Workout: None. Sickness tailing off.

Mon,27-Nov-2006: [66 pts]. OOT. 205.5lbs, 29.0%bf (tanita). ~3800cal. Workout: None. Weight seems artificially low from yesterday.. maybe I'm dehydrated. Sickness tailing off. -2 points for cokes.

Tue,28-Nov-2006: [64 pts]. OOT. No weighin. ~3800cal. Workout: None. -2 points for cokes.

Wed,29-Nov-2006: [62 pts]. OOT. No weighin. 3800cal. -2 points for cokes. Thought the sickness was gone yesterday but this morning sucked..

Thu,30-Nov-2006: [57 pts]. 208.5lbs, 28.5%bf (tanita). 1600cal. Workout: None. -2 points for cokes. -3 points for no workouts so far this week.

Fri,01-Dec,2006: [57 pts]. 206.5lbs, 28.0%bf (tanita) - final weighin for the month (and starting stat for next month).


SUMMARY: As far as cutting, this month was a relative failure, and ended up just being 'maintenance'. I started at 207.5, went up to 211, bounced around and came back down to 206.5 for an absolute loss of 1.0lbs. While some of this is attributable to switching from the "modified Velocity diet" I tried last month (of mostly shakes/liquid) to a mostly solids diet, the wakeup call is that I lost the mental toughness and let bad habits creep back in:

Overeating: 15 out of 30 days I had more than 2500 calories, often well more (up to 3800) in a day. That's ridiculous.

Soda: Worse, I subtracted 26 points this time for soda. If I hadn't succumbed to soda, I would have ended with 83 points instead of 57! 26 sodas adds up to a minimum of 3640 calories, so in all likelihood, I would have taken off at least another pound, probably more since the soda and overeating tend to go hand in hand.

Exercise: Lastly, I only went to the gym 9 days this month. Some of them were combo trips (weights + cardio), and I didn't go when I was sick the last couple of weeks, but the plan was for 12 lifting sessions and 8 cardio sessions.

December is going to be different. I have 199.5lbs in my sights. That's a loss of 7.0 lbs from where I am now, during the holidays, but I can do it. I'll be under 200 for the first time in a long time. I'm going to have to cut out soda and candy, never eat more than 2500 calories, and make sure to get to the gym.


"Follow your dreams. You can reach your goals, I'm living proof...Beefcake, BEEFCAKE!!!" --Cartman

Im In!!

GOAL: Weight Loss


COMMENT: I want to lose 10 lbs by Noveember 30th

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: Weight training: Upper Body(AM); Tae bo (PM)
Tuesday: Cardio (AM); Tae bo (PM)
Wednesday: Weight training: Lower Body(AM); Tae bo (PM)
Thursday: Cardio (AM); Tae bo (PM)
Friday: Weight training: Upper Body(AM); Tae bo (PM)
Saturday: Tae bo (AM)
Sunday: Rest


MEAL SCHEDULE
Five meals per day, one cheat day or two cheat meals per week.


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:

END STATS
WEIGHT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:

I hope to return for another challenge. I love this site. =)

Anything to put October behind me...I'm in!!!

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Sunday: Weight Training - Back, Biceps & Forearms + Abs
Monday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted)
Tuesday: Weight Training - Quads, Calves, Hamstrings + Abs
Wednesday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted)
Thursday: Weight Training - Pecs, Delts, Triceps + Abs
Friday: Stationary bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted)
Saturday: Off / Optional Stationary bike


MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per day, one cheat meal per week.


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 189 pounds
BODY FAT: unknown
ARMS: "
CALVES: "
CHEST:
FOREARMS: "
HIPS: "
THIGHS: "
WAIST: 32.75"


END STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:


DAILY LOG

NOV 1: Meals and update no workout planned for today.
-0 points [100 points]

Nov 2: 5 Meals and update. Missed workout
-1 point [99 points]

Nov 3 - Leg workout, food and update
-0 points [99 points]

November 4 - No workout cheat day
-0 points [99 points]

Just Back from Cleveland Clinic....Mom is doing Ok...more to report later.

November 8 - [ADMIN EDIT: Political comments removed. Please review the rules.]
-6 points [93 points]

mike45's Official November "100 Challenge" post


GOAL: Maintaining/Cutting


COMMENT: Well, I've gained about 15 pounds of what I'd say is all fat in the last 2 months. And on top of it, I've had football practice or games 5-6 days of the week during this period. This shows how much I've been eating and the low quality of the food I've been eating. I don't want to necessarily lose a lot of weight, I just want to eat healthier and feel healthier. I want to eat the same ammount of food or more, exept with healthy foods. This is my main goal.

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Football practice 5 days per week. After football's over(which could be anytime within the next 2-3 weeks because we're in the playoffs), I will take about 2 weeks of just light training to get back into the swing of things.


MEAL SCHEDULE
Five-Six meals per day, one cheat meal per week, one cheat snack per week.

STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 180 lbs
BODY FAT: Can't exactly tell, I just know my midsection is larger than it sholud be.


END STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:



Edit- 11/7/06 - I have been slacking off horribly. I have still been eating crap this month, and not even updating. I WILL begin today, and I'm deducting 20 points because of the lack of updating/effort. I'd say my new goal is to keep my point total over 75.

DAILY LOG

NOV 1- NOV 6 [-20 points for no updating, quite a few cheat meals]

NOV7- Good day, 5 meals, update

Well, October was a bust for me because of being so sick. But I want to keep on going -- hoping that November will be a better month. I will be facing foot surgery sometime in the next 2-3 months that will keep me out of commission for 2-3 weeks. I would like to get myself back into a little better shape before then. It feels pissy to lose the gains I made in September... and the muscle loss is quite visible.

So I will be keeping the same schedule this month:

My goal: consistency & cutting. October was a month of constant illness... Allergies, my doctor says. I did not do weights once. But I did do cardio at least 4 times a week... which is my work-out plan. But the fact that I was doing no weights really showed. I gained weight... and I indulge myself too often as I don't eat well when I am sick. I am sooo sick of being sick... this has been going on with one thing or another for 10 months now. I hope I will be able to keep up this program for this month. I am having 2 oral surgeries at the end of this month, which should hopefully be the last of the serious dental stuff.

Workout:

45 min fasted LISS: M, W, Th, F

Total Body Training: T afternoon, Th evening, Sat AM. I will try to post the actual work-outs this month. I did not have things together to transfer my info from my PDA to my notebook for copying onto a post last month.

I dropped the cardio for Tuesday AM, because during the semester I am home too late on Monday evening and have to leave too early on Tuesday morning to get a full 8 hours 15 min sleep (the quantity I find I need) and also do 45 minutes of LISS. But once the semester is over for me (end of this month) I will be able to add in more cardio.

Food: My food plan consists primarily of Protein fat meals with 1-2 protein carb meals a day depending on what days I do weights.

8 glasses of water daily

An assortment of vitamins and supps.

Shopping for food on Sat or Sun, prep food and all vit, supps and other meds for the week.

Getting 8 hours 15 min sleep every night. This means, realistically, bedtime by 11:30 on teaching nights (Monday, Wednesday), 11:00PM Tuesday, Thursday and 1:30 AM Friday and 2:00 AM Saturday. My teaching schedule has made me a nocturnal animal....

November 1: Well, a great start... woke up sick again after being well for about 10 days. It seems like the allergies and it is possible that it is my gym causing it. I went to do weights for the first time in a month last night October 31... when I've been doing cardio over this past month, I have used my building's little gym. I started coughing within 4 hours after returning to the gym and I woke up completely sick and congested. So I took more of the meds, a Dayquil and I went down to do my cardio. I did not eat all my food, my appetite was gone. I broke out in a major seat in mid-afternoon. I wish I knew what was going on... But I still did my cardio today. 99 points (-1 for undereating.)

November 2: It is actually November 5th... I have not updated so I am doing it now. I was suppose dot leave today (Thursday) for a long weekend in Houston. I canceled the trip because I was still not feeling well and a little exhausted. I did fasted LISS in the Am 45 minutes. I did not do my evening weights. I did not have the energy to. Upon reflection I should have made myself. I rationalized that I would do them Friday and then Sunday and then I would be fine for my 3 weight work-outs. But that did not happen. My food was OK. I was still undereating. 97 points (-1 for undereating, -1 for no weights.)

November 3: Again, it is actually November 5th but I am getting caught up now. I did 45 minutes of LISS. I did not do my postponed weights from Thursday. I slept terribly last night. I was coughing through a good part and woke up feeling somewhat sickly. I underate again. 96 points (-1 for undereating.)

November 4th: Again, I am catching up on my posting on November 5th. I did fasted LISS but no weights. I am supposed to do only weights on Saturday. I was hoping to do both. But it is really difficult because my gym has a short day. I did not have the energy to drive the 40 minutes to another club. I had another bad night of sleep. I underate again. But I felt much more functional than I have in a while. I got a lot of stuff done, including my shopping. I made up the weights on Sunday, which is supposed to be a free day for me. So I got an extra cardio in this week, which I will use to offset deducting a point for undereating. So still 96 points.

November 5th: Well, I was going to try to do both cardio and weights again today... but I became more realistic given my gym's short day. So I did just weights. The workout was good. I am starting from scratch on TBT since I did not lift weights for a month. But I seem to not have lost much strength. I lifted much heavier than I did the first time through back in September. It felt good to to make the right decision. I also prepared my food for the week. I got most of my food and water in. So overall it was a very good day. I also feel "well", not sick. I am glad for that. So still 96 points.

November 16: It has been over 10 days since I posted here. Physical wellness has just not been consistent. More of energy drain and a feeling of malaise rather than specific sickness. I do not know if it is the allergies.. I suspect it is... the weather here has been oscillating between summer humid warm and cold, changing on a daily basis. I have decided to cut back on all my extra-curricular activities. I have also a requested and have been informally granted a reduced load at the university this spring. I can report that I have been doing fasted LISS for 45 minutes 5-6 days a week but by the end of the day, I am too drained to do weights. I have also been eating very clean, though not specifically on my cutting food plan. I have been craving fruit and cereal which I have capitulated too and so most of my meals are protein/carbs as opposed to protein/fat, which is my cutting approach. I am assuming this has been driven by my sense of malaise. I have had 2 cheat "snacks" in the 10 days -- very mild... not my usual gorges. Though i have not weighted myself, I can tell by my clothes I have lost most of the weight I gained in October. I am back into my size 10 clothes, though not yet approaching the size 8's. I think I will have to get back into weights to do that. I am definitely softer -- as to be expected.

So I am going to drop out of the challenge this month. That doesn't mean I will stop exercising or eating cleanly... but I am not able to keep with my stated goals. SO I will report in my regular journal.

I haven't decided about December yet. I have 4 oral surgeries scheduled, two the week following Thanksgiving and two 5 days later after that (two different surgeons.) Hopefully that will be last of that and then there will be my foot surgery. I may try to just get it done in December. I am supposed to be out for 2 weeks after that. I counted up my surgeries this year and I have had 6 oral surgeries and 3 gynecological surgical procedures, including an abdominal hysterectomy. And I have had this mysterious allergy malaise for 2 months now. I have 4 more oral surgeries and 1 foot surgery ahead. I can't wait til December 31... that has got to be the end of it. :nod:

So depending on my decisions, I may or may not be back for December. In the meantime, congratulations to everyone on their successful progress thus far. I read through people's journals on a pretty regular basis and they have been wonderful to read.

So the best to all of you!!!!!

JasonHome’s Official October "100 Challenge" post

GOAL: Increase Fitness. Vague, I know. I would like to see improvement in areas that involve an increase in strength and weight loss such as dips, pullups, and etc. I would also like to increase my indurance, especially with running. I've always sucked at it before, so I'm still learning and feeling what works for me.

COMMENT: I was one of the quitters (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/news/sep_2006_news_archive.php#09282006)in the Sept. 100 Challenge. I will be more diligent this time. In the past my cardio of choice was the elliptical cross trainer by LifeFitness. I'm trying to migrate to the treadmill and improve my running. Up until recently I would spend 20-30 minutes on the elliptical and the jog on the treadmill from 5-15 mins. I am now on a plan to increase my running by alternating between running and walking. Resistance training right now is upper/lower body split.

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: Cardio
Tuesday: Weights
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Weights
Friday: Cardio
Saturday: Weights
Sunday: Cardio


MEAL SCHEDULE
Six cleam meals a day. Macros will be approximatly 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fat. Each meal will be anywhere from 300 to 400 cals, so dailies will fall between 1800 - 2400 cals. I will have either one cheat day a week (all clean foods with no calorie restrictions) *OR* I will have 1 unrestricted cheat meal a week. Thanksgiving Day will be the exception as I will eat what ever I want.


STARTING STATS * not flexed. (used criteria at http://www.mybodycomp.com/)
WEIGHT: 178
BODY FAT: 18% (avg. btwn calipers, tanita, and mybodycomp)
ARMS: 12.50"
CALVES: 15.50"
CHEST: 37.50"
FOREARMS: 11.00"
HIPS: 34.75"
THIGHS: 24.00"
WAIST: 33.00"


END STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:


DAILY LOG
NOV 1 (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?p=392892#post392892): Cardio/Treadmill and 6 clean meals. [100 points]
NOV 2: Legs: Squats/SLDL/Seated Calve Raise. 6 clean meals. [100 points]
NOV 3: Cardio/Treadmill and 6 clean meals. [100 points]
NOV 4: Upper Body. 5 clean meals. 1 cheat meal. [100 points]
---
NOV 5: Skipped workout (-1). 1 unauthorized meal (-1). [98 points]
NOV 6: Cardio/Treadmill. 6 clean meals. [98 points]
NOV 7: Push Movements. 6 clean meals. [98 points]
NOV 8: Cardio/Treadmill. 6 clean meals. [98 points]
NOV 9: Pull Movements. 5 clean meals so far..[98 points]
NOV 10: Cardio/Treadmill. 6 clean meals. [98 points]
NOV 11: Skipped Workout (-1). 5 clean meals, 1 cheat meal [97 points]
---
NOV 12: Cardio/Elliptical. 6 clean meals. [97 points]
NOV 13: Skipped Work out (-1). Missed post (-1). 6 clean meals. [95 points]
NOV 14: Skipped work out. 6 clean meals. [94 points]
NOV 15: Cardio/Elliptical. 6 clean meals. [94 points]
NOV 16: Skipped workout(-1). 6 clean meals. [93 points]
NOV 17: Skipped workout (-1). 6 clean meals. [92 points]
NOV 18: Cardio/Elliptical. 6 clean meals. Late update (-1) [91 points]
---
NOV 19: Cardio/Elliptical. 6 clean meals.[91 points]
NOV 20: Skipped workout (-1). 6 clean meals. [90 points]
NOV 21: Cardio/Elliptical. 6 clean meals. [90 points]
NOV 22: Skipped Workout (-1). 6 clean meals. [89 points]
NOV 23: :eat:
NOV 24: Upper Body. 6 clean meals. [89 points]
NOV 25:
---
NOV 26:
NOV 27:
NOV 28:
NOV 29:
NOV 30:

COMMENTS
Dropping unhealthy foods, bodyfat and bloat :D

GOALS
* 100% consistency in all my efforts.
* Eat a healthful diet consisting of whole, natural, and unprocessed foods.
* Engage in physical activity just about every day, as planned.
* Practice mindful eating, only eating when truly hungry.
* Take all my supplements.
* Drink all my water.
* Get to bed on time.

PLAN
Exercise: M-F AM 25 minutes strength training (upper; lower; abs split), PM 25 minutes cardio.
Diet: Low carb (<50 grams) moderate protein, moderate fat.
One can of diet soda per day maximum. One Free MEAL Saturday evening.
Thanksgiving day will be a Free Day, but cardio and resistance training will be implemented.

STATS
November 1st
5 feet
101.5 lbs
Approx. 21% bodyfat?
waist: 25.5
hips: ( 2 inches below belly button) 31.5
hips: (across top of femur and butt) 35
thighs: 19
calves:13

[100 points]

Nov 1: Had a phenomenal strength workout last night. One of the best I can ever recall. Got such a great pump that I looked a bit like Frankenstein on my walk up to the restaurant for a post-workout meal. Did more strength training this morning to really finish off my muscles. Major DOMS. Ate breakfast, took my vitamins. Got to work and promptly lost every last bit of breakfast. I think I took too many vits, or it could have been the turkey..... spent the rest of the day dry heaving or on the brink of dry heaving and couldnt keep anything down. Later on felt better and did my cardio :) Managed to keep down a little spaghetti sauce with ground beef sprinkled with cheddar for dinner.

- 0 points.

Nov 2: Down 2 lbs.
Ow, ow, ow. I overdid my arm workout the other day. DOMS is feeling much better, but holy crap the tendons in the crook of my arms are killing me. I cant even extend them all the way and theyre very tight. Stomach is doing pretty good but aches today. Tons of left over Halloween candy at the office, but didnt partake in any at all :D . Did abs today in the AM, cardio tonight.

- 0 points.

Nov 3: Up a half pound.
Arms are feeling much worse today. Did some reading, and I dont think I tore any tendons. There is no swelling or bruising, and I did not feel any pain whatsoever while working out when this injury occured. Basically the pain is now restricted to the crown and outer area of my biceps, along with the top of my forearm and elbow. It only hurts when pulling, or trying to stretch or extend my arm. Its very very tight at the peak of my bicep, but not swollen, though it does feel quite inflamed, so I assume I tore the muscles there along with the smaller ones running along my elbow and forearm. My arm is also very stiff and wont extend fully. I hope the damage is restricted to my musculature anyway. Im really shocked that I hurt myself this badly, felt okay during my workout, did everything right. Though I did make it a point to lift slower this time. Just too much stress for my muscles to handle I suppose. This means that I wont be able to do certain exercises for my biceps, Im guessing for at least a week, maybe two. Substituting arms with legs and cardio though :) No excuse not to workout! This morning was to be arms but I did cardio instead. Actually I wanted to do more cardio for this cut, but despise the stuff. I suppose I should use this injury as an excuse. Im taking extra fish oil, protein, L- Glutamine and joint formula in the hopes that it will help.

- 0 points

Nov 4: Down half a pound.
Yes! Arms are 90% better today! Maybe all those vitamins helped afterall :lol: It was interesting to note however, that only over the course of today they began to get significantly better --- this morning they were still quite stiff. But anyway, I'm very very relieved :claphigh: . Did great nutrition wise, and to top it off, even though it was supposed to be my rest day, I felt like working out and ended up doing my legs along with 30 solid high effort minutes on the elliptical. Picked up some bison burgers, duck filets, lamb kabobs, and king crab at the market this afternoon for the coming week :drool:
- 0 points.

Nov 5: Down half a pound.
Rest day today. Ate more carbs than I would have liked. - 1 point
99 points.

Nov 6: Ate off plan and didnt work out. -2 points
97 pts.

Nov 7: Missed update. Ate off plan, no exercise. - 3 pts.
95 pts.

Nov 8: Ate off plan, no exercise. - 2 pts.
92 pts.

Nov 9: Missed update, no workout. - 2 pts.
90 points.

Nov 10: Ate alittle off plan - 1 pt.
89 points.

Nov 11: Everything good except exercise - 1 pt.
88 pts.

Nov 12: Ate more than planned - 1 pt.
87 pts.

Nov 13: Ate good and did my exercise - 0 pts
87 pts.

Nov 14: No activity but eating was good - 1 pt.
86 pts.

Nov 15: No activity and didnt follow planned meals. - 2 pts
84 pts.

Nov 16: Missed update - 1 pt.

Nov 17: Missed update - 1 pt.
Nov 18: Missed update - 1pt
Nov 19: Followed eating but no exercise - 1 pt.

80 points.

GOAL: Cutting

BODY TYPE: Mesomorph

COMMENT: Second month of cutting, reached my goal of cutting 2lbs of fat a week in the October Challenge; gained some lean mass & finished with 93 points. I'm looking to develop my cardio sessions this month, continue with my weight training success & improve my diet again also with the help of some supplements (protein, vitamins etc.)

Basal Metobolic Rate = 2197 Calories
Active Metobolic Rate = 3405 Calories
Cutting Calorie Intake = 2405 Calories

WORKOUT SCHEDULE:
Monday: Weight training: Chest & Arms (PM)
Tuesday: Rugby Training or Cardio Training, 45 mins (PM)
Wednesday: Weight training: Legs & Abs (PM)
Thursday: Rugby Training or Cardio Training, 45 mins (PM)
Friday: Weight training: Back & Shoulders (PM)
Saturday: Cardio Training, 45 mins (PM)
Sunday: Rugby Match or Day Off


MEAL SCHEDULE:
Five meals per day - approx 480 Calories per meal. Macros 43:37:20. One cheat meal per week. Plus Protein/ Carb/ Creatine powder supplement, vitamin C & Omega 3 Oils pills.


STARTING STATS:
WEIGHT: 217lbs
BODY FAT: 18% (Health Central)
ARMS: 13.8"
CALVES: 18.3"
CHEST: 41.3"
FOREARMS: 12.2"
HIPS: 42.9"
WAIST: 39.4"


END STATS:
WEIGHT: 212lbs approx
BODY FAT: 16% (Health Central)
ARMS: 14.6"
CALVES: 18.9"
CHEST: 42.7"
FOREARMS: 12.2"
HIPS: 41.7"
WAIST: 38.1"


DAILY LOG:

WEEK 1:
NOV 1: Leg workout done. Scheduled meals & sups/vitamins taken [100 points]
NOV 2: Rugby training, meals eaten including cheat meal & vits taken [100 points]
NOV 3: Weights workout put off until tomorrow because of lack of sleep last night. I don't want to do a half-assed session!! Scheduled meals & vitamins taken [100 points]
NOV 4: Back & Shoulders Worlout done (increased some exercises 5%) plus a 10min HIIT cardio session. Scheduled meals & sups/vitamins taken [100 points]
NOV 5: Played a rugby match, tough game so i'll be feeling that tomorrow! Scheduled meals & vitamins taken [100 points]
NOV 6: Chest & Arms workout done, increased some exercises 5-10% plus a 10min HIIT cardio session. Scheduled meals & sups/vitamins taken [100 points]
NOV 7: No rugby training last night so i played 5 aside soccer for my cardio session (80mins). Scheduled meals & vitamins taken [100 points]

WEEK 2:
NOV 8: Leg & Abs workout done, increased some of the exercises 5-10%. Scheduled meals & sups/vitamins taken. [100 points]
NOV 9: Short Rugby training session last night, I should of done some light cardio afterwards. I'll try to fit something in from now on. Scheduled meals & vitamins taken. [100 points]
NOV 10: Shoulders & Back workout put off because of a rugby game tomorrow afternoon. Scheduled meals & vitamins taken including a cheat meal of popcorn & a coke at the movies. [100 points]
NOV 11: Played the rugby game for my cardio today. Scheduled meals & vitamins taken [100 points]
NOV 12: Shoulders & Back workout done plus a 12min HIIT session. Scheduled meals & sups/vitamins taken. [100 points]
NOV 13: Legs & Abs workout done, changed up my program added some new exercises & added weight to some others (squats, lunges etc). Followed workout with a 10min HIIT session. Scheduled meals & sups/vitamins taken. [100 points]
NOV 14: First slip up of the month today, I had an unplanned greasy breakfast while on the road for work (-1). Ate clean for the rest of the day, but forgot to take my vitamins. No rugby training tonight so i did a short 15 min HIIT session on the treadmill. [99 points]

WEEK 3:
NOV 15: Changing up my lifting workouts this week so Mondays are now Shoulders & Arms, Wednesdays are Legs & Abs and Fridays are now Chest & Back. Did my Shoulder & Arms workout today with all new exercises it was a really tough session, good to have a change keeps it interesting. Scheduled meals & sups/vitamins taken. [99 points]
NOV 16: No rugby training session last night so i did 15min of HIIT on the treadmill, improved by 500m on Tuesday's run. Had a unplanned cheat meal of a 1/4 pounder & a slice of pizza last night, i'll let that count as my cheat meal for the week but it'll be hard not to slip up again over the weekend. The weekends are still my greatest chance for giving in to temptations but i'll try not to lose another point this week on my diet. [99 points]
NOV 17: Put off my lifting workout until tomorrow because i had a things to get done this evening & i'll just have more time tomorrow. Scheduled meals & vitamins taken. [99 points]
NOV 18: Did my new Chest & Back Workout today, enjoyed the new exercises especially the widegrip pullups, i also did a 10min HIIT session on the treadmill for my cardio today. Another slip up tonight an unplanned cheat meal of a burger, fries & a coke. Stupid mistake with my diet again this happens too easily, you go to so much effort with your training & you mess up with your diet. Thats 2 points lost in one week because of my diet, Scheduled meals & sups/ vitamins taken. [98 points]
NOV 19: Played a rugby game today & lost for the first time in six games! Took it easy for the rest of the day. Scheduled meals & vitamins taken. [98 points]
NOV 20: Played 5 aside soccer last night for a cardio session, I've no rugby match this weekend so I'll push my lifting days to Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday. Scheduled meals & vitamins taken. [98 points]
NOV 21: Shoulders & Arms workout done, another great session. I also played 5 aside soccer again for 90mins. Scheduled meals & sups/ vitamins taken. [98 points]

WEEK 4:
NOV 22: Took the evening off from the gym tonight because i've done so much over the last three days I need some time to recover (-1). Looking forward to my lifting tomorrow night. Ate Clean. [97 points]
NOV 23: Didn't get my Legs & Abs workout done tonight because I had to travel to a funeral for most of the evening, so I'll get it done tomorrow night. I haven't lifted in 3 days and it's killing me!! Scheduled meals & vitamins taken including a cheat meal. [97 points]
NOV 24: Didn't make it to the gym tonight, but I'll do tonights workout tomorrow. Scheduled meals & vitamins taken. [97 points]
NOV 25: Didn't hit the gym today because i was feeling really unwell, so that's another missed cardio session this week (-1). Hope to go lifting tomorrow. [96 points]
NOV 26: No rugby game today so I did my Chest & Back workout, another good workout plus a 8min HIIT run afterwards. I'll do this weeks Legs & Abs workout tomorrow, so I won't miss any weights sessions. Scheduled meals & sups/ vitamins taken. [96 points]
NOV 27: Did Legs & Abs workout tonight plus a 8min/1500m HIIT run on the treadmill. Scheduled meals & sups/ vitamins taken. [96 points]
NOV 28: Had Rugby training tonight followed by physio for a constant pain in my right calf muscle, turns out I have a small tear. So that means I won't be doing my Leg workout this week (-1) and maybe not next week while I'm being treated. Scheduled meals & vitamins taken. [95 points]

WEEK 5:
NOV 29: Shoulders & Arms tonight, not a great workout. I'm feeling tired for some reason this week. But I made 5-10% increases on most of the exercises all the same. Scheduled meals & sups/ vitamins taken including a cheat meal ( cajun chicken bap & fries ). [95 points]
NOV 30: Short Rugby Training session tonight, since the conditions are so bad. My calf muscle didn't hurt to much. Scheduled meals & vitamins taken. [95 points] Another good month:tu:

Conclusions:

Nine weeks now since I started working out & eating right, it's been a total success already. I lost other 5-6lbs of fat this month & I can feel my body getting lean. My lifting is still going great, I changed up my program at week 7 & I'm feeling the benefits of that. I improved my cardio sessions greatly with the introduction of HIIT, it's tough but I know it's getting results. The compliments have been flooding in from family & friends, I don't think there's a greater motivation then that! Looking forward to the December Challenge & many more to come.

GOAL: Cutting

COMMENT: So I signed up for last month's challenge, then moved and was without a fridge or internet....had a long month, but got through it and didn't gain any weight. So this month's goals are exactly the same as last month's. I am really wanting to lose these nasty 15lbs of fat I've been holding onto for what seems like FOREVER! Exercise is not a problem, I'm usually very active, but my diet leaves much to be desired. This month I'm going to do something I've never done before -- put all my energy into focusing on my diet.....here goes :tu:


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: am - Bike pm - Masters Swim Class
Tuesday: am - Weight training
Wednesday: am - Run pm - Hockey
Thursday: OFF
Friday: am - Bike
Saturday: am - Weight training pm - Masters Swim Class
Sunday: am - Long Run


MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per day, one cheat meal per week, CLEAN


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT: %
ARMS: "
CALVES: "
CHEST: "
HIPS: "
THIGHS: "
WAIST: "


ENDING STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:


DAILY LOG
NOV 1:
NOV 2:
NOV 3:
NOV 4:
NOV 5:
NOV 6:
NOV 7:
NOV 8:
NOV 9:
NOV 10:
NOV 11:
NOV 12:
NOV 13:
NOV 14:
NOV 15:
NOV 16:
NOV 17:
NOV 18:
NOV 19:
NOV 20:
NOV 21:
NOV 22:
NOV 23:
NOV 24:
NOV 25:
NOV 26:
NOV 27:
NOV 28:
NOV 29:
NOV 30:

I will get the stats and stuff up this weekend.


[Week 1]
01.Nov.2006:[100 points]
Good on meals and cardio.
02.Nov.2006:[100 points]
Business is in overdrive right now. Hours are long and the gym helps ease the stress of it all. Skin is getting white and I sure could use a good dose of sun. I can tell that eating clean and working out is helping with my frustration level and moods. Fall and winter are always a bit of a struggle for me to maintain a positive inner world. Outside of monster alimony and child support payments, life is good!

Was back and chest day today and I hit it like a polaroid picture...err, wait.


03.Nov.2006: [99 points]missed post
04.Nov.2006: [98 points]missed post

[Week 2]
05.Nov.2006: [97 points]missed post
06.Nov.2006: [96 points]missed post
07.Nov.2006: [96 points]
Well, good goin 6. Friggin lose points because you don't post. Since, I work on (or in or under) the net that is no excuse. sheeez. Ah, well, another day. Meals and exercise going well. However, I need to find a rhythm. Kinda like sex. Gotta find the groove or the whole thing feels sloppy and awkward. I am launching so many new projects and sites that I find myself working late into the night and doing the gym in the afternoon. I prefer morning. It gives me an ego boost knowing that my competition is still in bed.

Went out last night and realized how I really do not miss hitting the bar and club scene every weekend. I inhale much less smoke and its not nearly as interesting sober. Amazingly, the females do not look nearly as model gorgeous either. For some reason, early morning, gym going, no make-up women are looking better and better.
08.Nov.2006: [96 points]
Tick Tock says the clock and all points are retained.
09.Nov.2006: [96 points]
Need to make time to be more detailed. Writing in other places as of late. Starting to see my clothes losen a bit since last month's challenge. Diggin that.
10.Nov.2006: [100 points]
11.Nov.2006: [100 points]

[Week 3]
12.Nov.2006: [100 points]
13.Nov.2006: [100 points]
14.Nov.2006: [100 points]
15.Nov.2006: [100 points]
16.Nov.2006: [100 points]
17.Nov.2006: [100 points]
18.Nov.2006: [100 points]

[Week 4]
19.Nov.2006: [100 points]
20.Nov.2006: [100 points]
21.Nov.2006: [100 points]
22.Nov.2006: [100 points]
23.Nov.2006: [100 points]
24.Nov.2006: [100 points]
25.Nov.2006: [100 points]

Blown the hell out of this month. I am not sure why. In times past I have been incredibly disciplined but just am not hitting it this go around. I suppose it is time to look inward. Bleh. I will report back when I get my "map" straight.

[Week 5]
26.Nov.2006: [100 points]
27.Nov.2006: [100 points]
28.Nov.2006: [100 points]
29.Nov.2006: [100 points]
30.Nov.2006: [100 points]

Zbak's Official "100 Challenge" post

GOAL: Cutting


COMMENT: I think the October challenge really helped out my diet last month a lot. I really only had 1 diet lapse, and even skipped a cheat meal that I might try to get in sometime before the month is over. The measurements I got at the beginning of the month weren't very good, but I'm fairly certain that was because I was coming back from a couple weeks w/o lifting because of a back injury(doing very well btw). Add into that a very tough week of lifting BEFORE i got measured, plus the cutting diet, and that adds up into some extra fat, the fact that absolutly no "pump" or "swoleness" from having been working out the previous two weeks, and a very low glycogen level in the muscles as well. I'm gonna try to get measured a day or two into the week this time to get some fairly accurate measurements. I get a couple days to get my weekend bloat down, but not a whole week of working out to get the body sapped. On a plus note, my allergies have been much better, and I think I can credit that to a vitamen C supplement I've been taking. I can't think of anythign else I did that would have caused such a drastic response. I'm gonna switch things up a bit on my workout schedule. I'm on a four day split with an extra ab/core day at the moment, and I'm gonna work out Mon, Tue, Thur and give parts of my body 1 rest week out of the month, and do abs on Wed. I have optional cardio on Sun morn(instead of sat night), and if i feel really good I can lift that extra day on my weekend. Edit: Feeling a bit puny, so I'm gonna start the workout on the 5th. Sleep, Food, and everything else is still on though. Also on thanksgiving I'll probably give myself a cheat day instead of a cheat meal. Its my first day off since I got my new job, so i'm gonna revel. I'm also considering switching my lifting and cardio sessions, just cause it always seems to be getting harder for me to get motivation after Ive been at work.

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Sunday: Cardio AM(optional)
Monday: Weights AM, Cardio PM
Tuesday:Weights AM, Cardio PM
Wednesday: Weights AM, Cardio PM (core)
Thursday: Weights AM, Cardio PM
Friday&Saturday: Normally I do SOMETHING athletic one of these days. I'm gonna hold off on that the next month or two, since it's H season. This might also keep me from posting sometimes on weekends, so I'm gonna make an exception for posting then.


MEAL SCHEDULE
My normal meal schedule for Sun-Thur(work days)2300-2500 calories. Weekends I can drop to 2000 a day. 6 Cheat meals planned.
Supposed to get measured at 24HF at the end of the week.

Nov 1 Got plenty of rest. Might feel good enough to work out in morning despite feeling a bit under the weather this week. A good sleep might make all the difference[100 pts]
Nov 2 Even worked out this day, can I get bonus points for working extra? :-)...[100 pts]
Nov 3 Hunting weekend, no cheat meals(a miracle)
Nov 4 Hunting weekend, 2 cheat meal( 1 planned). Bad news however. My friend's parents are out of town all week. I think I'm gonna forgo any workouts this weeke so I can chill at his place(nice house too). I never get time off at my job, and this is gonna feel like a mini-vacation since I can't have much of a life with my Graveyard Shift job. I thought about bowing out of the 100 challenge, but decided to just not make excuses and take the points. If there are no plans over there, I will start lifting at night I think. We'll see how it goes.[99 pts]
Nov 5 Ate well, got plenty of rest. Point deductions start tomorrow though[99 pts]
Nov 6 And the points start flying..[97 pts]
Nov 7 Same, enjoying my time off though[95]
Nov 8 Last day of points eating. gobble gobble gobble[93 pts]. I have 7 weeks to go til the end of the year. Gonna hit it double hard, and I got my motivation back me thinks.
Nov 9 -2 no w/o or cardio[91 pts]
Nov 10 Ate fine[91]
Nov 11 Ate fine[90]
Nov 12 Finally got enough sleep on a Sunday. I actually got in the gym for a weight session for the first time in a while tonite(though technically that counts for the 13th). After two weeks of not working out, it was kinda scary to put some work in again. My brain knows that even if I'm sucking wind(and i was tonite), its not that bad. However, my intuition thinks its gonna be SOOO horrible and that's why I fear going in.
Nov 13 Man am I feeling it from squat night. Ate well too[90]
Nov 14 Ate well and had a good back/tricep day. Still feeling the squats though[90]
Nov 15 Had a good rest day. Slept over 11 hours which is crazy. I think I needed it so I can hit the RDL in the morning sinc my legs were still toasted yesterday.[90]
Nov 16 Man must have done the RDL's right, my hammies were toast for days[90]
Nov 17 Had a cheat meal on a date, only the 3rd of the month, still 3 more to go. The date didn't end so well, but the chicken/shrimp pasta was good :-/
Nov 18 Ate fine, got some decent sleep on a Saturday for a change, and got to clean my room some.
Nov 19 Chest calf day, drank a LOT of coffee. I get kinda mean when I'm up like that[90]
Nov 20 Squats and good eats. Didnt get to cardio-1[89 pts]
Nov 21 Day o rest, got chores done so I could not stress all weekend, and have time to work out
Nov 22 Got a great back/tricep day in. Grilled up some steak and chicken for this weekend.
Nov 23 actually ate well day b4 thankgiving. I had planned on a "cheat Day" but ended up with 1 huge meal, and just a couple cookies later on in the day, so i actually ate less than planned.(89 pts)
nov 24 Went SHOPPING and spent a huge amount of money. Actually took some chicken with me to eat inthe line so I would forgo the fast food. I was pretty proud of that. Had my planned "leftovers cheat meal"(89 pts)
Nov 25 Last day off, had to work...yuk. Had to have my last shake w/o cold water...double yuk![89]
Nov 26 RDL's were awesome. I'm finally getting the hang of them. Diet was acceptable too.
Nov 27 Chest day was G2G. Diet was right on[89 pts]
Nov 28 Day off was nice, good diet...getting bawl'd at work tonite. Can't belive teh other guy called in sick TONITE!!! post squats too...UGGGGGG
Nov 29 Squat day was good, so was diet..missed cardio because Worked sucked so badly.[88 pts]
Nov 30 Back and tricep day went well. Missed my cardio because of weather. I wanted to get home early since it was actually getting COLDER as the day went on and it was still drizzling.[87 pts]

Well I'm pretty happy with my improvement this month. I can definatly tell some things have changed. Different fat deposits are leaving and making room for some definitions, especially in my lats and arms(can see the cut between my rear delts and triceps). I've ordered some thermogenic stuff from atlarge, and I'll probably extend my cut a few days in January til that stuff runs out. I still may or may not have my 6 pack, but I'll still look pretty good IMO.

GOAL: I want to weigh between 165 and 175 by the end of April. For November, i'd like to lose 7-10 pounds. I'm also aiming to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: CrossFit indoor rowing class (PM)
Tuesday: 30-60 minute run (AM)
Wednesday: Lift (upper body) and either play basketball or row at Y (AM)
Thursday: Running workout (fartleks, repeats, sprints, etc) (PM)
Friday: Lift (upper body) and either play basketball or row at Y (AM)
Saturday: 30-60 minute run
Sunday: Play basketball at Y or 30-60 minute run

MEAL SCHEDULE
Two packets of instant oatmeal for breakfast every morning.
Salad, soup, sandwich, or burrito for lunch.
Dinner with meat, vegetable, and grain, all in smart moderation.
Fruit in between each meal.
3 sweets each week.
4 glass of red wine each week; otherwise, water.

This is my first challenge, but I've been a long-time lurker. I used to teach at a boarding school, where I coached cross-country and basketball, but the grind of grad school has left me without a daily routine and I'm kind of out-of-shape and I haven't made enough good choices about food.

Excited!,
Josh

STARTING STATS (I'm a little dubious of some of these measurements, but I don't think the tape lies...
Weight - 217 lbs.
Arms - 15"
Chest - 41"
Thigh - 23.25"
Calf - 16.25"
Hips - 38.25"
Waist - 39"
Forearm - 13.25"

November 1st: Everything went well. Worked out on the basketball court for a half-hour, and then spent another 25 minutes doing upper body in the gym. Ate right, too. Wednesdays will be the hardest day of the week, because it requires me to work out first thing in the morning - I'm usually much more of an afternoon man. [100 points]

November 2nd: A bit more trying today. Food went fine, except that I had a serving of Wheat Thins in the afternoon [-1]. I had one serving of sweets (a brownie - I allowed myself three servings per week). My usual trend has been to do well eating-wise until the evening, and then blow it somehow. That'll be the test every day, to find the balance between denying myself and letting everything go. I was proud of working out today - 8 hill repeats in the afternoon, when it was chillingly cold and blowing snow. But the neighborhood where I found my hill was beautiful with a layer of snow. On to day three. [99 points]

November 3rd: Tough day for most of the time. I had a paper to write before the day ended, and that kept me inside typing away and cursing my bizarrely slow internet connection until just before 6 this evening. I got into the Wheat Thins again, which was silly, but since I was anchored to my desk and feeling hungry...yeah, you know how that goes. [-1] Once I'd sent the finished product off, I got in my car and hustled to the Y to punish myself on the erg. Came up with a great workout: if you're unfamiliar with the erg, your pace is measured by how long it would take you to go 500 meters at the rate you're pulling. So I warmed up for 500 meters, and then alternated hard 1000s (keeping the pace below 2:05) and rest 1000s (keeping the pace between 2:05 and 2:20) for a 5k, followed by another 500 meter cooldown. Throw in some lifting and a visit to the sauna, and suddenly, the day feels much more productive! Had my second sweet thing, a Krispy Kreme chocolate iced glazed donut. One more allowed for the next four days...don't know if going from having a dessert after pretty much every lunch and dinner to allowing myself just three total each week was the best way to do that, but I'll do my best to suck it up. [98 points]

November 4th: Good day! Met up with some friends for brunch and chose the veggie omelette over the French toast, which felt good. Went for a nice 30-minute run, and my legs feel pleasantly sore afterwards. First glass of red wine this evening, and no desserts, which was also good. Finished the box of Wheat Thins, though (-1) - guess I won't buy another. More importantly, though, I'm starting to get my meals planned out a little ahead of time instead of just impulse-eating. That ought to serve me well in the long run.[97 points]

November 5th: Another good day, though I feel like I don't fill the weekend days enough. The next few will be busy, however, so I don't mind a lot of down time right now. Ate correctly, got out to a rehearsal room to arrange some music, and then hit the Y to shoot around for 20-25 minutes, ride some stationary bike for 15, and bake in the sauna for another 10. Had my second glass of red wine for the week, but also my third serving of sweets - but now I just have to make it through two days going without not to lose more points; I hope I can manage that. [97 points]

November 6th: Once again, not bad. Ate on schedule (and am cooking for myself a lot more regularly, which is helpful), and had a great rowing workout - 10 x 750 meters, with one minute rest in between. Had my third glass of red wine, and no sweets. Feeling good - now the idea is to not look for noticeable changes in the mirror, since it's only been six days, and I'm trying to change habits more permanently than that. [97 points]

November 7th: I definitely broke down a bit today. Went for a run in the rain - not the pleasant kind of run in the rain; I felt really slow and cold and wet, only went a half-hour. Then, I broke down in the middle of the day and got two Mrs. Field's cookies. (-1) I actually didn't feel that bad about it - I've eaten FAR fewer desserts in the last week than my usual, and going only one over wasn't too bad. But then, someone sent me a picture of myself and I remembered how pudgy I looked in photos; made me feel guilty that I was throwing away even a little of the hard work I've put in these last few days. Overall, I've made a lot of progress - now I just need to remember in moments of weakness that there's room for improvement. Had my fourth glass of red wine, too. The upcoming week promises to be tough because I'll have to miss two days of exercise because of all-day travel (literally - like, 14-hour drives). I just have to shop for smart food for my journey so I can avoid fast food temptations. And it's reallly tough to go to bed right now not knowing who'll control the Senate. Go Webb, McCaskill, and Tester! [96 points]

November 8th: A good day for Democrats, and a bad day for my willpower. I'm taking two points off today for bad eating. I had a good workout this morning, but that's about all the good I can say for my day. Right now, I'm up way too late and I've got no time for anything tomorrow except avoiding the trappings of all-day travel (i.e. terrible food choices). Stopping at the grocery store on the way out of town to pick up some fruit and granola bars. That and liters of water will hopefully sustain me. Since I'm traveling through Monday, I'll have to adjust my routine a bit. Thursday and Monday, I won't update as I'll be on the road all day. Friday, I'll run - Saturday, I'll work out in the morning, probably by rowing and lifting a bit. Sunday, I'll run a 5k road race. There'll be plenty of opportunities for snacking and deviating from eating habits - I'm going to allow myself to be more lax with my challenge in that sense, but I will deduct points if I feel like I've eaten too much or particularly dumb things. The main goal there is to avoid snacking on cheese, crackers, and all things chocolate if there are vegetable options (and even if there aren't). This is going to have to be a maintenance couple of days before getting back to the grindstone and holding myself there until Thanksgiving. [94 points]

My first "100 challenge" on JSF! Best of luck to everyone this month, I hope you all reach your goals this month.

My favorite quote: "Three months from now you'll wish to started today."

GOALS:
* Cut down - Lose 2% bodyfat. This is hard to quantify because I am having a hard time getting a good bodyfat measurement. My Tanita scale shows 15% and my accumeasure calipers show 12%.

* 7 hours of sleep per night. I'm averaging around 5.5 - 6 hours a night right now. I need more sleep. Not sleeping enough makes me physically tired and messes with my emotional state too.

* Keep a weight log. What I mean is track my lifts and make sure I am at least staying the same if not adding weight. I have trouble adding weight when I am cutting, so I will work on adding reps.

* Cut out caffienated drinks. No soda (including diet), no caffienated tea, and no caffienated coffee. It messes with my sleep schedule too much. Minus one point for each caffienated drink I have.

COMMENT: Looking to lean down as much as possible before starting a clean bulk. I feel like if I finish out the Nov 100 Challenge with full effort, I'll be exactly where I want to be and ready to bulk up for three months.


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: Chest / Triceps
Tuesday: Back / Biceps
Wednesday: Legs / Shoulders
Thursday: 45 mins Cardio / Abs
Friday: 30 mins HIIT Elliptical
Saturday: 30 mins HIIT Elliptical
Sunday: Rest


MEAL SCHEDULE
Five meals per day - Between 1750 and 1950 cals per day.

One EAS protein shake per day.

Two cheat meals per week.



STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 163 lbs
BODY FAT: 12% (according to accumeasure calipers)
ARMS: 13.25"
CALVES: 16"
CHEST: 36.5"
FOREARMS: 11.75"
HIPS: 38.75"
THIGHS: 23"
WAIST: 32.5"


END STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:


DAILY LOG

NOV 1:
All good today. Good Legs/Shoulders workout today. Just started tracking my lifts so hopefully I can move up from here. It became pretty apparent that I could lift more after I got started, especially with legs. I am shooting for failure by 10 reps on my final set. Diet was pretty good, only thing I ate bad was two small bags of almonds with lunch, but I accounted for them in my diet and came out with 1912 calories for the day. I got 7 hours of sleep last night and had no caffiene today.
-0 [100 points]

NOV 2:
OK, bad to slip off the bandwagon on day two :) Workout was good today, did 45 mins on the elliptical and a good ab workout. Diet was good EXCEPT that I had a date tonight (first date no less) and we ended up going to a nice japanese resturant and I had a steak, rice, and veggies, so I get [-1] for that. No caffiene today, so good there. I'm posting this late, because I left to go on vacation on the 3rd, so I am updating this late [-1].
-2 [98 points]

NOV 3:
OK, I am now on vacation, doing a fishing trip with my dad, so no working out [-1]. Also, even trying to eat right around my dad is a chore. He thinks it is silly to work out and thinks it's better to just accept yourself being overweight. Let me tell you, that man can eat! So anyways, I blew my diet this whole weekend too. I just ate whatever and I ate a lot of crap [-1]. I wouldn't be surprised to see I had packed on two pounds. I am updating this late also [1]. Oh yeah, I drank some diet soda this weekend, so [-1] for caffiene.
-4 [94 points]

NOV 4:
Still on vacation. No working out [-1]. Bad diet [-1]. Caffiene [-1]. Posting late [-1].
-4 [90 points]

NOV 5:
<screeching sound> Finally back from vacation, time to put a halt to this rediculous point slide! No working out today [-1]. Bad diet [-1]. Caffiene [-1]. But at least I posted on time :) I'm back on the diet tomorrow and am doing chest/triceps. I have plenty of motivation going right now so I am going to go plan my food schedule for tomorrow. I am going to cut out the yogurt since I think that has been mostly empty calories.
-3 [87 points]

NOV 6:
Recovering from the weekend. I gained at least a pound and it's pretty noticable, at least to me! Had a good chest/tricep workout today. No caffiene. My diet wasn't spot on. I cheated and had some beef jerky left over from the weekend [-1]. All the beef jerky is gone now though, so back to regularly scheduled programming. I don't think I went over my daily maintenance calories, I'm thinking I was probably around 2200 - 2400 today.
-1 [86 points]

NOV 7:
OK, still being too haphazard with the diet. I thought I was doing a lot better than this, but chances are I was just lying to myself! I've gotta get on the ball with the diet. I had a pretty good day overall, but I did eat a few things I hadn't planned on [-1]. Nothing too bad, just some almonds and a protein bar, but it's all calories, especially the almonds! I had a good back/bicep workout today. I actually went up on weights today, which I don't think has ever happend before. So hopefully that is a trend. I'm up to 165 this morning, which isn't good! I'm looking a little thicker in the mirror, but hopefully that will burn off if I can get my diet back on track. No caffiene today either. See ya tomorrow.
-1 [85 points]

NOV 8:

Please count me in too!!!:nod:

GOAL: lose 2 % BF and CONSISTENCY!!


COMMENT: If there is such a thing as dietary ADD, I have it!! LOL!! In the past, I have jumped from one "diet plan" to another with out ever achieving my goals. I think my biggest problem is impatience. Well, thanks to John and this site, I am ready to commit for the next 3 months!! It begins NOW!! I will also be starting a journal so I can have a hard copy of my progress, as well as a place to figure out exactly what is working and what isn't. Please feel free to comment!! Thanks!!

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: fasted LISS, shoulders and abs, stretch
Tuesday: back and biceps, stretch
Wednesday: fasted LISS, abs, stretch
Thursday: legs, stretch
Friday: fasted LISS, abs, stretch
Saturday chest and triceps, stretch
Sunday: Rest
__________
Thanksgiving week I will move leg w/o to Wednesday and Friday's LISS to Sunday. Thursday I will do HIIT and then I will be taking the rest of Thursday and Friday off.
__________

MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per day, no cheat meals until 2 pm 11/23. Then I wil be breaking from 2 pm on 11/23 through 8 pm on 11/24 for Thanksgiving. Followed by no cheats until month end.


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 120.2
BODY FAT: accumeasure-10mm=approximately 21.5%
ARMS: relaxed-11 3/8, flexed-12 1/4"
CALVES: 13 1/2"
CHEST: 32"
FOREARMS: 13.5"
HIPS: 33 7/8"
THIGHS: 21 1/4"
WAIST: 26 5/8"
ABS: 30"

END STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:
ABS:

Nov 1
Abs and 45 min LISS @ 3.8, stretched for 15 minutes. My abs are burning!! YEA! Got in all 6 meals and stayed on plan even though I had to attend a wake today. All was good!! 100 points

Nov 2
Hit my legs today even though I was exhausted. I am glad I did, I ended up having a pretty good workout. I also stretched for 25 min tonight and ate as planned. I am beginning to understand how difficult it really is to end up with all 100 points at the end of the month! My neighbor's fiancee invited us to a "suprise" party next Saturday. My dilema is...will I forgo points and relax that night? Or will I stick to my plan and wait for Thanksgiving? Hmmmmmm...
100 points


Nov 3
Well, this challenge is the only reason I did not give in to temptation! LOL!!! My waist line thanks you John!!! LISS 45 min, did abs and stretched. Managed to stay on plan with eating...barely, but still...100 points!!!


Nov 4
Phew! Made it through my first weekend day! I am already dreading tomorrow though. Sundays are my worst days! Had a really good chest/tri/rotator cuff workout. Did 20 min of Yoga tonight. I am now eating my sixth meal and life is good. Energy levels have been good today and blood sugar levels stable..Can we say "happy dance"? 100 points

Nov 5
Well, I was having bad food thoughts all day, I managed to hold off for quite a while but then I caved. I am so disappointed. I was caught up in my bad obsessive thoughts, ended up missing a meal and reached for a few pieces of Halloween candy instead. I need a new plan or something for Sundays. I am not sure what yet, I am going to repost this in my journal if anyone has any helpful tips!
98 points
Nov 6

Alright, back to try this again. Hopefully I can stay on track, unlike September.

GOAL: Cutting

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: Stationary bike, 30 mins; Weight training: chest & triceps (PM)
Tuesday: Stationary bike, 30 mins
Wednesday: Stationary bike, 30 mins; Weight training: back & biceps (PM)
Thursday: Stationary bike, 30 mins
Friday: Stationary bike, 30 mins; Weight training: delts & traps (PM)
Weekend: One day: Stationary bike, 30 mins; Weight training: legs (PM)
Weekend: Other day: Paintball

MEAL SCHEDULE
Five to Six meals per day (I'll determine what works best for me), one cheat day per week (yeah, I'm a glutton).

STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 210

END STATS
WEIGHT:


DAILY LOG
[Week 1]
01.Nov.2006:
02.Nov.2006:
03.Nov.2006:
04.Nov.2006:

[Week 2]
05.Nov.2006:
06.Nov.2006:
07.Nov.2006:
08.Nov.2006:
09.Nov.2006:
10.Nov.2006:
11.Nov.2006:

[Week 3]
12.Nov.2006:
13.Nov.2006:
14.Nov.2006:
15.Nov.2006:
16.Nov.2006:
17.Nov.2006:
18.Nov.2006:

[Week 4]
19.Nov.2006:
20.Nov.2006:
21.Nov.2006:
22.Nov.2006:
23.Nov.2006:
24.Nov.2006:
25.Nov.2006:

[Week 5]
26.Nov.2006:
27.Nov.2006:
28.Nov.2006:
29.Nov.2006:
30.Nov.2006:

My first 100 points challenge, I'm so excited! ^^

GOAL: Bulking


COMMENT: I want to build some muscle in the cleanest way I can. This is my first bulk, so the primary purpose of this attempt is to learn.
Basically, the purpose of this challenge is to help me get back on track and learn to be more determined!


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Sunday: [~30 minutes of AM fasted MISS]
Monday: [~30 minutes of AM fasted MISS]
Tuesday: [~30 minutes of AM fasted MISS] [Lower + Upper abs + obliques]
Wednesday: [~30 minutes of AM fasted MISS]
Thursday: [~30 minutes of AM fasted MISS] [Legs] OR
Friday: [~30 minutes of AM fasted MISS] [Lower + Upper abs + obliques]
Saturday: [~30 minutes of AM fasted MISS or rest] [Arms, Chest, Traps, Shoulders] OR [Chest, Tricewps Shoulders]

* Exercises on Thursday and Saturday will vary every other week


MEAL SCHEDULE
5 meals per day, Aiming for 6, one cheat meal per week.


STARTING STATS [kg / lbs] : [cm / inches]
WEIGHT: 55 / 121.25lbs
BODY FAT: 20% (according to healthcentral (http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html))
BICEPS: 24 / 9.44"
FOREARMS: 21.6 / 8.5"
HIPS (Standing with feet about 4 inches apart) : 89.9 / 35.4"
THIGHS: 51.8 / 20.4"
WAIST (measured at the narrowest part of the torso): 70.1 / 27.6"
BELLY (measured 2 inches below belly button): 62.8 / 24.7" ?????
CALVES: 33 / 13"
BUTT: (measured at widest part): 92.7 / 36.5"




STARTING PIC:

http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/246652/2/istockphoto_246652_one_more_bite.jpg



END PIC:



DAILY LOG


[Week 1]
01.Nov.2006: Did my cardio, Missed a meal. (-1 point).
02.Nov.2006: All done! :) I haven't lifted in 2 months, so today's leg w/o was sort of the getting-back-on-track training. It was lame, but I did it all, so I'm pretty happy.
03.Nov.2006: I made a mistake to leave only 1 day cardio free because my body seems to need more rest, I feel increasingly lethargic. Nonetheless, I'll do my best to achieve my goals. I ate all 5 meals, clean. But I also ate an unplanned 3 tbsp of honey. Not a horrible calloric surplus, but since they weren't part of my plan I'll take down a point. (-1)
04.Nov.2006: Diet was really great. W/o was not bad, my whole body aches. I should have splitted the w/o routine to 3 days instead of 2. Anyway, all done, I'm still holding to 98 points.

[Week 2]
05.Nov.2006: Missed my morning cardio today due to an unplanned event. (-1). had 5 meals and my weekly cheat meal. So far I'm on 97 points.
06.Nov.2006: Did my AM fasted MISS cardio, had all my meals, forgot to post that in the challenge. (-1)
07.Nov.2006: Missed 1 meal (-1), had 1 unplanned cheat meal (-1) did my ab w/o, didn't do my morning cardio (-1).
08.Nov.2006: Missed cardio and didn't update on time (-2). Otherwise, had all my meals.
09.Nov.2006: missed cardio again (-1), I wrote about how I missed my w/o and 1 meal aswell, but the day isn't over yet - I might as well try and keep those 2 points. so here I go.
...
I can't make myself exercise - I'm too sleepy. I could have done it 4 hours ago (at 6 PM), but I kept postponing, so 1 point off. (-1). I'll try to do today's w/o tomorrow as well as the planned one, but the point is still coming off. Another thing - I really don't like this plan. I seriously need to revise it.
10.Nov.2006: Did AM fasted MISS, had 5 meals, did my w/o! No points deduced! ^^
11.Nov.2006: All done! no points deduced.

After giving the subject much thought, I decided to revamp my w/o schedule. The one I set before starting the challenge is not very good, and since the point of this challenge is to achieve one's goals and not prove one can follow whatever plan is made I decided to make the following changes:

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Sunday: 30 minutes of AM fasted MISS
Monday: Ab work out
Tuesday: 30 minutes of AM fasted MISS; Arms training (biceps, triceps, forearms)
Wednesday: Rest day
Thursday: Leg training
Friday: 30 minutes of AM fasted MISS; Back, Traps training
Saturday: Chest, Shoulders training

[Week 3]
12.Nov.2006: Cardio done, 5 meals eaten, challenge updated! I really like my new plan! :)
13.Nov.2006: Abs w/o done, 5 meals eaten. Wasn't around a computer so couldn't update on time. (-1).
14.Nov.2006: cardio done, arm w/o done, 5 meals eaten, update on time! No points deduced! :)
15.Nov.2006: Couldn't connect to the internet last night so I couldn't update on time (-1). Wednesday was a rest day. Had 5 meals, 1 cheat meal. I think I may have gone a little overboard with the cheat meal (I ate chocolate bars - I wasn't even craving for them! Infact, I shortly came to a point when I didn't even want to eat the ones left anymore). Next time I'd like to eat something a little more dietary.
16.Nov.2006: Had 5 meals. Missed today's leg w/o (-1)( :(). Things have been pretty hectic the past few days with my dog going through a spinal surgery, and things in school general - I just felt too tired to do anything today :/ I'm not feeling happy about it, but that's life.
17.Nov.2006: Missed my morning cardio (-1). On a plus note - had an extra clean diet, ate all my meal and had a teriffic work out (and to think I wanted to skip it...). If I could I'd add myself a point for such a perfection! :D
18.Nov.2006: Didn't do my w/o, missed 1 meal and had an unplanned snack (-3).. :O

[Week 4]
19.Nov.2006: Cardio done, missed one meal. (-1)
20.Nov.2006: Ab w/o done, 5 meals consumed! It's a rare day when I don't lose any points! :D
21.Nov.2006: Did mu morning jog. Missed 1 meal (-1) and postponed my arm w/o for tomorrow (-1).
22.Nov.2006: Had 5 meals, 1 of them was a cheat meal, I did yesterday's triceps exercises, but not biceps. Didn't update on time due to internet problems (-1)
23.Nov.2006: Had 4 meals (-1), ate a few unplanned bread slices with honey (-1), didn't exercise (-1).
24.Nov.2006: Missed my morning cardio (-1). Did my back/traps w/o though. and even worked on my biceps, since I missed that w/o this week. had 5 meals. Wow, almost perfect! :)
25.Nov.2006: I woke up feeling EXTREMELY sick this morning. Im not sure I'll be able to keep some of my goals. I missed my w/o (-1) but had 5 meals. I'm feeling better.

[Week 5]
26.Nov.2006: Missed an update and my morning jog (-2). Had all 5 meals.
27.Nov.2006: Missed my w/o (-1). Had all 5 meals.
28.Nov.2006: Did yesterday's w/o, had 5 meals, kissed my cardio (-1)
29.Nov.2006: Today was a day of undesirved rest and a cheat meal. nevertheless, I rested and indulged in bread with honey.
30.Nov.2006: Last day of my first challenge!!! :D Had all 5 meals and did my w/o (at last!)


[B]POINT COUNT SO FAR: 69


END STATS [kg / lbs] : [cm / inches]
WEIGHT: 56kg/123.45 pounds (what a cool number)
BODY FAT: (according to healthcentral (http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html))
(fat: LBM: ) 20% body fat [11.2 Kilograms of fat and 44.8 Kilograms of LBM]
BICEPS: 24.7cm/9.72"
FOREARMS: 22.86cm/9"
HIPS (Standing with feet about 4 inches apart): 90.6cm/35.6"
THIGHS: 52.2cm/20.67"
WAIST (measured at the narrowest part of the torso): 71cm/28"
BELLY (measured 2 inches below belly button): 85.6cm/33.7" ??????
CALVES: 33.2cm/13"
BUTT: 93.5/36.8"


Conclusions:
* I didn't specify my goals well enough and didn't make an orderly schedule, which makes it easier for me to postpone my w/o's till it's too late.
* I'm yet not emotionaly ready for the whole "bulking" idea. Next month I should stick to cutting.
* My w/o schedule is lacking. 2 day split is not enough. I'll have to make that extra effort and have a 3'd day of strength training.
* I need to figure out what to do with my leg muscles - 7 days of rest dont seem enough, 14 are too many.
* I shouldn't force myself to eat. I should eat from a menue, but not when I'm not hungry. Even if it means less than 5 meals / day.
* I should STOP slacking so badly! I give my sleepiness too much importance, andth etruth is - Almost all the w/o's that I missed I could have done really. So from now on - no more slacking! Sleep is overrated anyway ;)

GOAL: Continue cutting


COMMENT: Weight under 174 (doing everything possible to save LBM). Move towards goal of fitting into suit for company's x-mas party on 12/21.

Will do my best to work around my gym's schedule for Thanksgiving. I really have no idea when they will close so I am not going to penalize myself if the gym isn't open for a scheduled weight training session. I will either replace the session with a cardio workout, move it to another day or take an entire week off, depending on the situation and how I feel.


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: Weight training: back, abs & triceps (PM)
Tuesday: LISS cardio, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM)
Wednesday: Weight training: chest, shoulders & biceps (PM)
Thursday: LISS cardio, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (PM)
Friday: Weight training: legs (PM)
Saturday: LISS cardio, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM)
Sunday: LISS cardio, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM)


MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per weekday, one cheat meal per week.

Five meals allowable on weekends (depending on what time I get up)

No more than 20 oz coffee per day

No alcohol except perhaps 11/22 (two drinks)

ETS twice a day

Multi vitamin twice a week


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 178.8 pounds
ARMS: 13.5"
CALVES: 15.25"
CHEST: 40"
FOREARMS: 11"
HIPS: 37"
THIGHS: 22.25"
WAIST: 34.5"


END STATS
WEIGHT: 174.8 pounds
ARMS: 13.25"
CALVES: 15.5"
CHEST: 39.5"
FOREARMS: 11"
HIPS: 36.75"
THIGHS: 22"
WAIST: 33.75"


DAILY LOG

Wed Nov 1: Have had 5 meals as scheduled so far today and plan to have my 6th shortly. Also made/bought a ton of food today so I should be set in terms of meals for a while. Took my ETS once so far, drank plenty of water. Work out was pretty good disappointed in my performance doing the decline dumbell bench and shoulder press (did too many reps the first set so only managed 6 reps for my third set). Did cable crossovers and preacher curls for the first time. Did awesome with my rear delts.
-0 points (100)

Thr Nov 2: Had 5 clean meals, on track for my 6th shortly. Did 45 minutes on ellipitical 136 avg hr (felt very strong had to work hard to keep the heart rate that high). Gave in and had a pointless half cup of coffee in the afternoon at work. While it didn't hurt me from a nutiritional standpoint (I have the coffee black) I still drink too much of it and want to reduce my intake of it so I will dock a point for that.
-1 point (99)

Fri Nov 3: Pretty poor workout today, wasn't able to complete the reps (even sets) I had planned. Not sure if it was just an off day or something else is wrong. Still I gave it 100% effort so I will keep my points but I am disappointed. Meals were good.
-0 points (99)

Sat Nov 4: 45 mins of cardio avg heart rate 138, 5 meals including this weeks cheat.
-0 points (99)

Sun Nov 5: Did my cardio, went for a walk in the park. For some reason I couldn't get my heart monitor to work so I'm not sure how I preformed. Meals were alright considering I was at the Giants-Texas game; had to substitute a Kashi bar for a meal but it is a better option than eating stadium food.
-0 points (99)

Mon Nov 6: Had a great weight work out. With my poor leg work out on Friday I have decided to take a week off - not until Thanksgiving week though. Not ideal I'm thinking I should do it now but my gym will be closed some of that week anyway. I was able to focus real well today knowing I only had 6 workouts until my break. Meals were fine, had another unnecessary cup of coffee this afternoon which will cost me a point. Kind of getting annoyed that I'm losing points on coffee consumption when there are so many better things I could do to lose point, but I made the rules after all.
-1 point (98)

Tue Nov 7: Did cardio, meals ok.
-0 points (98)

Wed Nov 8: Got my cheat meal out of the way (what a relief :)) however it was before my weight workout and not the best pre workout meal which maybe why I felt a little under the weather at the gym (I was very warm, maybe it was just hot there). Chest workout went well, did unassisted dips for the first time. Shoulders were a bit disappointing again. Meals were good. Today was a bit of a refeed.
-0 points (98)

Thr Nov 9: Did cardio in the afternoon as fasted as I could. Time between 4-5-6 meal wasn't perfect but I had them all.
-o points (98)

Fri Nov 10: Modified my leg workout after last weeks problems. Dropped some exercises, reduced weight, increased reps, increased sets, reduced time and increased intensity. I did it as I planned and it still proved quite a challenge. I'll see what kind of results it yields. Had my 6 meals without a problem will take my ETS before bed with some cashews.
- 0 Points (98)

Sat Nov 11: Cardio, meals both good,nothing bad to report.
-0 points (98)

Sun Nov 12: Went for a walk outside for cardio as it was unseasonably warm this morning. While it was less intense than usual (128 bpm avg as opposed to 138) I think there is something to be gained from actually walking outside, in the elements, up and down hills as opposed to in the gym on some machine. Nutrition was alright considering I spent much of the day at a tailgate for the Giants Bears game, I avoided the sausage and peppers, burgers, dogs and beer. Instead I had deli meat turkey and apple and a Kashi protein bar. Not ideal nutrition but I did a good job avoiding pitfalls so I'll keep my points for the day.
-0 points (98)

Mon Nov 13: My schedule was a little off today because I slept later being up so late the night before. Still I had all my meals. Weight workout was a little...unfocused today though not bad.
-0 points (98)

Tue Nov 14: had 5 of 6 meals thus far, 6th is on the way. Did cardio this morning, tried the new arc trainer they got at my gym. It was a bit more difficult than my usually cardio (I think it stressed my legs in ways they were used to for an extended period of time) but it went well. Had my weigh in today was at 177.2 pounds. Not sure how I feel about that. At the start of the month i was 178.8, didn't go down at all last Tuesday, but on Wed last week I was at 177.7 so depending on how you look at it I'm making steady progress, I'm making gradual progress or I hit a major plateau. I know scale weight is meaningless and can vary for any number of reasons, I'm just trying to disgnose if I have a problem. (bf readings went up last week .5% than down this week 1% for a net loss of -.5% these readings again don't make a lot of sense to me)
- 0 points (98)

Wed Nov 15: Good weight workout, nutrition was fine.
-0 points (98)

Thr Nov 16: Meal timing was a bit off because of the traffic I hit on the way home from work before my fasted cardio, but I've gotten 5 of the 6 in so far and the 6th is on the way. Cardio went well also. Feeling a bit of DOMS from yesterdays workout. Tomorrow is my last weight training session before my week off.
-0 points (98)

Fri Nov 17: Leg workout went very well, I am now taking a week off from weight training. Meals were good as well, I had a couple of slices of pizza with my otherwise healthy (and small) dinner but I'm going to call that this weeks cheat meal.
-0 points (98)

Sat Nov 18: Did cardio this morning. Disappointed in my meals, esp at 8 pm. Skipped the meal, had a protein bar instead, and I had it an hour before I should have because I wasn't thinking. I demand better of myself.
-1 point (97)

Sun Nov 19: Walked on the treadmill for my cardio this morning, my meals have been good as well. There was a lot of flank steak left over so I'll have plenty to eat for the next few days. Tomorrow is my first day without any working out in more than a month. It is important that I am able to take days off. My past fitness endeavors have been derailed because I was either 100% or 0% - I couldn't find a middle. While I still plan to stay 100% until this cut is over (Jan 31 at the latest) I'm not going to be able to stay at 100% for ever. I need to learn how to go at 80%, 50%, 25% whatever and not feel guilty or think all my progress is lost and just give up.
-0 points (97)

Mon Nov 20: Ate well today. Got my food scale in the mail today so I am very excited that I can some some pretty accurate nutritional readings now. No training at all today, taking my first day off in a long while. I need to get it out of my head that I will wake up fat tomorrow now.
-0 points (97)

Tue Nov 21: Morning cardio went well; ate my meals as planned. Working hard on my new exercise/nutritonal plan I will start on 11/27
-0 points (97)

Wed Nov 22: Got up early for LISS. Ate 6 meals thus far. Am about to go out for no more than 2 drinks and will have another small meal when I return.
UPDATE: My friend just called me, he is stuck late at work so I won't be going out after all. No drinking, will go to bed at a reasonable hour. I had adjusted my nutrition as I planned to be up until like 3 am but I'll do my best to modify it now and head to bed.
-0 points (97)

Thr Nov 23: Another off day from training. I will do LISS for the next 3 days before starting weight training again on Monday. Nutrition was good except for the cheat meal that was Thanksgiving dinner. I didn't have anything too terrible though, although I did indulge in coffee after the meal. I'm not going to dock myself as it was a special occasion.
-0 points (97)

Fri Nov 24: Missed yesterday's update. My computer broke last weekend and a new one is en route to me and it just so happened the computer I had been using broke last night as well leaving me with no way to update. Oh well, no excuses -1 point. Did evening fasted cardio and ate meals as scheduled.
(96)

Sat Nov 25: Did my cardio this morning, ate all my meals as scheduled. Thinking I may run a few miles tomorrow instead of LISS
-0 points (96)

Sun Nov 26: Ran (well jogged) 3.6 miles this morning. Was trying to do 5.4 but I was going very slowly and decided to cut things short. My hr was already far above what it usually is for my cardio, and I was doing it fasted. Probably when I try to run significantly further then I ever have before I should eat something before hand. They say running isn't the best way to burn fat, and I agree, but it is a great activity. A real challenge to yourself. Ate my 6 meals, have an awesome nutrition plan and my meals ready for tomorrow
-0 points (96)

Mon Nov 27: Had a good weight workout, nutrition was great today. Really ending the month strongly.
-0 points (96)

Tue Nov 28: 5 of 6 meals so far, did my cardio this morning. Feeling some real DOMS from my workout last night
-0 points (96)

Wed Nov 29: Workout tonight was good, however I didn't have the intensity I wanted. Set a world record for dips with 3 sets of 5 and a fourth set of 2 or 3. Ate all my meals as scheduled.
-0 points (96)

Thur Nov 30: Final day of the month went well, have eaten 5 of 6 meals thus far, 6th is right on schedule. Did my afternoon fasted cardio, cooked some meals so I can get December off to a good start. I also just realized I'm going to weigh and measure myself tomorrow to see what, if any, progress I've made. All in all, not a bad month. I did lose 4 points but 2 were for unwarranted coffee in the afternoon, 1 was because I half-assed a meal and the final because I missed an update (the only computer in the house was broken). I also didn't drink at all this month, even though I was allowed to one day. I think I'm right on track.
-o points

Final Points: - 4 (96)

This month I should be able to better stick to posting on here. I shouldnt be out of town 3 times this month like I was in October. I will also be posting to a journal and just linking to that post on here so that I don't have to type everything out twice.

GOAL: Losing fat, exercise more, eat better, and get through this semester at school


COMMENT: I am in need of a better lifestyle and through this forum and challenge, I hope to advance day

by day, week by week, and month by month.


WORKOUT SCHEDULE

Monday: Chest/Tri/cardio
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Back/Bi
Thursday: Off
Friday: Cardio
Saturday Legs/Shoulders
Sunday: off


MEAL SCHEDULE

The goal is 5-7 meals, including protein shakes. ~ 2300-2500 cals a day with 40/40/20 to 50c/30p/20f macro breakdown. One cheat meal per week.


STARTING STATS
(11-1-06)

WEIGHT: 420.6 lbs
ARMS: 18"
CALVES: 21"
CHEST: 60"
FOREARMS: 14.75"
THIGHS: 36"
WAIST: 62"


END STATS

WEIGHT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:


DAILY LOG (100 starting points)

week 1

Nov 1: Day 1 (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showpost.php?p=392529&postcount=2) (100 points)
Nov 2: A Day of Rest (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showpost.php?p=393277&postcount=3) (100 points)
Nov 3:
Nov 4:
Nov 5:
Nov 6:
Nov 7:

week 2

Nov 8:
Nov 9:
Nov 10:
Nov 11:
Nov 12:
Nov 13:
Nov 14:

week 3

Nov 15:
Nov 16:
Nov 17:
Nov 18:
Nov 19:
Nov 20:
Nov 21:

week 4

Nov 22:
Nov 23:
Nov 24:
Nov 25:
Nov 26:
Nov 27:
Nov 28:


Nov 29:
Nov 30:

GOAL: fat loss

COMMENT:

MEAL SCHEDULE
4 meals per day, two treat meals a week, 1 drink per week


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT:196
BODY FAT: %
ARMS: "
CALVES: "
CHEST: "
HIPS: "
THIGHS: "
WAIST: "


ENDING STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:


DAILY LOG
NOV 1: 196 still have my 100 pts. at the end of the day workout/food on plan
NOV 2: 194.5 - some of the weight I gained the last week in Oct. is going. I did hit 193 about a week before Nov. 1. I really, really, really, want to see the 180's this month! Have been stuck for last 3 months due to lack of commitment and focus. I want that back!!!! Will report more at end of day. Today is rest day and cooking day.Food good.
NOV 3:
NOV 4:
NOV 5:
NOV 6:
NOV 7:
NOV 8:
NOV 9:
NOV 10:
NOV 11:
NOV 12:
NOV 13:
NOV 14:
NOV 15:
NOV 16:
NOV 17:
NOV 18:
NOV 19:
NOV 20:
NOV 21:
NOV 22:
NOV 23:
NOV 24:
NOV 25:
NOV 26:
NOV 27:
NOV 28:
NOV 29:
NOV 30

I feel I am up for this challenge. I am motivated to get my butt in gear.

TMLJ's Official "100 Challenge" post


GOAL: Lose weight. I have set up the goal of losing 36 pounds by feb. After that I want to work on sculpting and toning my body.

Sleep more. Right now I get about 5 hours of sleep a night. I would like to try making it 8 hours a night.

Drink nothing but water. I drink 1-2 sodas a day and maybe ...maybe 1 or 2 glasses of water. I want to drink nothing but water
every day and get it to atleast 1 gallon.


COMMENT: I want to start on a path to a healthier lifestyle. I am starting off with walking for now as I learn more about different exercises and weight lifting.


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Mon-Wed-Fri: 45 minutes of cardio and abs
Tues-Thurs-Sat: 45 minutes of Strength training and abs
Sunday: rest day


MEAL SCHEDULE
three meals per day w/ snacks in between meals. Drink water and allow 8 ounces of cranberry juice a day.


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 180 pounds
BODY FAT: 29%
CHEST: 38"
HIPS: 42"
THIGHS: 24"
WAIST: 38"


END STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
CHEST:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:


DAILY LOG:

NOV 1:

7am: Ashtanga Yoga

9am: Breakfast: Scrambled egg, 1 slice vegan bacon, potatoes spiced with Ms. dash, 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup cantaloupe, 20 fl. ounces of water.

11am: Lunch: Homemade chicken salad ( perdue chicken, carrots, celery and 1 tbsp of fat free mayo), 2 sticks of low fat string cheese, 20 fl. ounces of water.

12pm: 45 minutes of bike riding

5pm: Dinner: grilled chicken spiced with Ms. Dash, green beans and corn, 8 ounces of cranberry juice.

snacks (in between meals): 15 almonds, 1 large apple, carrots, celery, 20 fl. ounces of water.


I have a 20 fl. ounce water bottle that I refilled 4 times today. I feel a lot better having drank tons of water today. I was craving soda at dinner time, but I allowed myself one glass of cranberry juice instead.

100 points

Nov 2:

7am: Stretching

8am: breakfast: 2 cups oatmeal, 2fl ounces of water

11am: Lunch: Homemade chicken salad, carrots, almonds, 2 fl ounces of water

snack: fruit, veggies and 2 fl ounces of water

2pm: Beef barley stew, 8 ounces of cranberry juice

snack: 4 M&M's

6pm: Chicken, brown rice, corn, green beans, 8 ounces of cranberry juice

I guess 4 m&M's counts as a cheat so I will deduct one point from my score today. Plus I missed my yoga, although I did do 45 minutes on my bike this morning.

98 points


Nov 3:

Okay normally this is where I would lie my ass off to try and pretend I was doing everything by the book... :) However, lying does nothing but slow me down and keep me from my true potential. So here is the bad news...

7 am: After 15 minutes of searching for my Power 90 dvd to do a cardio workout , I finally just hopped on my bike for 45 minutes.

8am: I made some oatmeal this morning, but for some reason it came out very bad and I only ate half of it.

11am: made myself a salad with baby romaine, perdue chicken slices, green and red bell peppers, carrots and a tbspn of ceasar dressing, drank 8 ounces of cranberry juice. Still hungry later on so I heated up some left over rice and chicken I made last night (about half a cup).

snacks: almonds, water, 6 crackers with peanut butter. Mind you this was not all in one sitting, this was throughout the day.

5pm: MCDONALD'S. Yes you read correctly ..... I ate fast food. I had a quater pounder with cheese, fries and an orange soda. And yes I feel horrible. Not because I slipped up, but because after two days of eating pretty decent, fast food made me feel just yuck.

96 points 2 point deducted for eating fast food!

November 4:

Well today was a total bust for me. I have no excuses. I woke up this morning and made pancakes and scarmbled eggs for the family. I ate 2 pancakes with peanut butter and syrup as well as 1 scrambled egg sprinkled with Mrs. Dash. We did some lounging around this morning until about 12 when we took the kids to a movie. I had some popcorn, water and 3 snack size candy bars. For lunch I ate a chicken and veggie salad and a glass of cranberry juice. We cleaned house, did some laundry, played with the pooch and then lounged a bit more. For dinner......calzones with riccota and mozerella cheese and pizza sauce. I even drank 1/4 of a spirte. I didn't do any yoga and I completely skipped out on my biking.

Tomorrow is another day and I will be sure to get my butt back on track.

92 points not a good thing to see on day 4

Nov 5:

Off to a good start. All my meals were right on target today. NO CHEATING! Found my P90 dvd and was very happy to be able to do some cardio. Made a trip to Costco today to stock up on good clean foods and I am ready for tomorrow.

92 points thanks to support from some lovely forumers who reached out in my fitness journal


Nov 6:

On track with all my meals. Did 45 minutes of cardio and abs this morning. NO CHEATING. I also remembered to take my daily vitamin. I've also been going to bed much earlier than I normally do. I use to go to bed at 12:30 or 1 in the morning, but now it's between 9pm and 10pm.

92 points

Nov 7:

Got up at 7 am and did my strength training. Felt great, but I definitely could use some improvement on my stance and posture when lifting weights. That;s okay for now, because I am still in the learning stage of it. All my meals have been on track with the exception of dinner. FAST FOOD! I was busy working all day and still working until around 5:30pm when I just said...lets grab something easy. I know...I know! So I lose a point for dinner. All in all I feel pretty good about today.

91 points bad fast food...bad fast food!


Nove 22:

Nove 8th was my last good day. I pretty much fell off the wagon from day 9 until today. My points are long gone. However, I am not letting that stop me from getting back into the swing of things. I have no excuses other than I just gave up. One thing changed my routine and I just gave up. I am really going to have to learn to get over that hurdle. It's been a pretty hard few weeks trying to talk myself into posting back here again. I was quite embarrassed to have to write that I gave up. The weird part is I don't know any of you. I have never met any of you and I felt so horrible about updating my thread and looking like such a failure. Well, the month is not over yet and I can still work my way back into a good thing.

Wilderbeast's 100 Challenge post

GOAL: Last month was get back in the saddle month. After a choppy start i overcame a lot to keep going. This month i take off the brakes and drive for some improvement. Weight training is still going to be light but at least i just got a appointment through for a ultrasound. The goal 1 pound a week fat loss. Plus get back some cardio capacity.

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: Stepper, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM); Weight training: Full body (PM)

Tuesday: Stepper, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM)

Wednesday: Stepper, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM)

Thursday: Weight training: Full body (PM)

Friday: Arm bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM);

Saturday Arm bike, 45 mins (aerobic, fasted) (AM);

Sunday: Rest

MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per day, two cheat meals per week.

November 1st 100 points Started as i mean to go on !
2nd Nov [100 points] All spot on.
3rd Now [99] -1 All spot on but wasn't near a computer so didn't get an update.
4th Now [99] Shifted a cheat meal here so that i could eat my toffee apples and burgers at the fire work display.
5th Nov [99] All done and dusted.
6th Nov [98] -1 Ate right but the work day was long so weight training was missed at the end of the day.
7th Nov [97] -1 All went swell apart from the update.
8th Nov [97] Managed to remember to post today.
9th Nov [97] Hanging onto them points this time !!!!
10th Nov [94] Migraine completely stuffed up my day:mad: Missed cardio and missed 2 meals.
11th Nov [93] and it nearly stuffed up today as well, breakfast was a feast. Thankfully all the other meals were prepared so it slotted back into place.
12th Nov [93] ate / slept in the right quantities and at the right times.
13th Nov [93] Went to plan although weights was cut short by a fire alarm.
14th Nov [93] All OK but got a slight sniffle. I bet it was another plague ridden gym goer. Geezes i hate that.
15th Nov [92] Ate right and went for a walk for cardio and Stayed out of the gym for the sake of other users because yesterdays sniffle went full blown. Missed the update so -1
16th Nov [90] Did no weights and no update so -2
17th Nov [89] Went for a walk again for cardio but no update -1
18th Nov [89] Went walkies for cardio. Felt much better today shaken the cold hopefully so next week starts a fresh.
19th Nov [88] -1 for missed update . Struggled to walk to work as I had lots of pain in my abdomen. decided to wait and see what the ultrasound booked for Friday comes up with before doing any more exercise. Kept to diet but its going to be too many calories without any exercise.
20th Nov [85] -3 No update no cardio and no weight training.
21st Nov [83] -2 No update and no cardio. Diet adjusted down because of the lack of exercise. Its actually easier to stick to as i don't get to work up an appetite.
22nd Nov [81] -2 No update and no cardio.
23rd Nov [79] -2 No update and no weight training.
24th Nov [78] -1 No cardio but got round to updating this train wreck of a challenge post.
25th Nov [77] -1 No cardio but no diet problems.
26th Nov [77] No planned exercise and all meals correct so the score remains unchanged

Imacjack1's Official November "100 Challenge" post


GOAL: Cutting


COMMENT: August "100 Challenge" was a failure on my part... I'm finally ready to be dedicated and get in shape...


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: Weight training: chest & triceps (PM)
Tuesday: 45 min. cardio (AM); Weight training: back & biceps (PM)
Wednesday: 45 min. cardio (AM); Weight training: legs (PM)
Thursday: 45 min. cardio (AM); Weight training: delts & traps (PM)
Friday: 45 min.cardio
Saturday: 45 min. cardio
Sunday: 45 min. cardio


MEAL SCHEDULE
Six meals per day. One cheat meal on Thanksgiving.


SLEEP SCHEDULE
Monday-Thursday: Wake up @ 6:00 (AM); Go to sleep @ 10:00 (PM)
Friday: Wake up @ 6:00 (AM)


STARTING STATS (cold/flexed)
WEIGHT: 169 lbs.
BODY FAT: approx. 15%
ARMS: 13.75 in.
CALVES: 14.25 in.
CHEST: 41 in.
FOREARMS: 11.75 in.
HIPS: 38.25 in.
THIGHS: 21.5 in.
WAIST: 37.5 in.


BEFORE/AFTER PICTURES


DAILY LOG
NOV 1: (94 POINTS): Today was a rough start with poor preparation... I missed my cardio this morning (-1) and eat 3 scattered meals (-3) which were, for the most part, not clean (-2)... I did however complete my leg workout... I am Better prepared for tomorrow...
NOV 2: (93 POINTS): Did my cardio, 5 clean meals (-1), did my weight training. See you guys tomorrow...

Hi all. Count me in for the November challenge. I did the one in September and it really helped me stay focused.



GOAL: Increase lean muscle mass, continue loss of BF
Eat clean, no refined sugar, 6 meals a day

WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Mon: Upper Body
Tue: 30 mins HIIT cardio plus crunches, back stretches and strengtheners
Wed: Lower Body
Thu: 30 mins HIIT cardio plus crunches, back stretches and strengtheners, sometimes substituted by 8 hrs construction work
Fri: Upper body
Sat & Sun: work around house and in barn, play with kids etc, eat clean Sat, one cheat meal on Sundays

Will treat Thanksgiving like a Sunday, with one additional cheat meal.

STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 196
BODY FAT: 17.9

END STATS
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:


DAILY LOG
[Week 1]
01.Nov.2006: My first day on the challenge and the 9th week of workouts since I started up again. I took last week off for a family vacation in NYC which was great, but I ate all kinds of sweets, etc. Today I did lower body, after a 5 min cardio warm up and then finished with some crunches. Man do they hurt! Ate clean all day. [-0][100 pts]

02.Nov.2006: Cardio today. Good workout overall. I am listening to a book on my ipod which is important but only somewhat interesting, so I can only take it in short doses. Today I actually listened to the TV news during my workout. Made my book seem fascinating all of a sudden.
Did 120 crunches too. Ate clean. [-0][100 pts]

03.Nov.2006: Had a great upper body workout today. I changed some of the machines I've been using since I was doing almost the same routine each time. I got on a shoulder machine, did my set, go up, took the weights off, and then realized I was sitting in the thing backwards! I hope no one noticed me. I don't know anyone in this town, but for some reason today, I saw 5 people I know and they all stopped to chat. I didn't have 5 conversations at the gym for the whole month of October. Now all of a sudden, everyone's stopping to chat me up. And this was before my backwards shoulder routine. Ate clean the whole day. [-0][100 pts]

04.Nov.2006: Weekends are non-training days for me. But I kept to clean eating and stay active with the kids. Today I took my oldest child shopping at Sam's Club and Lowe's, then we met up with my wife and two other children for a healthy lunch at Panera. After that I worked in the barn and loaded 60 bales of hay. Ate clean all day. [-0][100 pts]

[Week 2]
05.Nov.2006: Went out for brunch with my family today for my cheat meal. Then to the park where it got cold pretty quickly. Spent about 1 hr raking leaves. It was good to be outside before the winter really arrives. [-0][100 pts]

06.Nov.2006: Had a very good upperbody workout today; focusing more on chest instead of arms. Ate clean all day. [-0][100 pts]

07.Nov.2006: Did my 30 min HIIT workout today on the elliptical trainer, plus 120 crunches, and back exercises for my lower back. Ate clean all day, but felt sorely tempted to stray. Had a craving for dessert tonight. If it weren't for this site, I would have given in. The challenge really helps me be accountable. [-0][100 pts]

08.Nov.2006: Did a complete lower body workout today as planned.
I increased the weights for the leg press and the calf presses. After doing the workout, I realized I can also go up in some other exercises too. Clean eats, no treats all day. [-0][100 pts]

09.Nov.2006: Did my upperbody workout today--a day early--because I am working construction all day tomorrow. Had a great workout, esp hit my arms hard. I'm at a plateau on the bench press so I need to do something there. Ate clean all day. [-0][100 pts]

10.Nov.2006: Switched my routines for Thursday and Friday, I lifted yesterday and did my "cardio substitution" today: 8 hrs of construction. Actually it was more like a substitution for an upper body workout since of the things I did today was remove an old floor from a bathroom It was nailed down all over the place and getting it off with a pry bar was like an arms workout. Anyway, I definitely had a workout today. Ate clean all day which was hard: the only food place near the house I am remodeling was a sub place within the local gas station. But I avoided all the junk food they had there. [-0][100 pts]

11.Nov.2006: Today was a wasted day and not in a good way. I got nothing done, and didn't even relax either. Then I convinced myself when picking up lunch that since nuts are so healthy, chocolate covered ones would be fine. So I ended up falling down on the clean eating. This was my first unplanned sweet or cheat meal in about 2 months and it wasn't even that good. Maybe I'll just go to bed early, like 7 pm and wait for tomorrow. [-1][99 pts]

[Week 3]
12.Nov.2006: With the rain and the barren landscape outside, it could have been a melancholy day, but I had fun playing with the kids all day. The only time I was outside was to go to the barn and do the horses' dinner and nighttime routine. Ate clean all day, except for my one cheat meal (whole wheat pancakes with syrup for brunch). Toyed with the idea of making yesterday's error my cheat meal for the week, skipping today's and getting back to 100 pts. But then I thought I'd be gaming the system. So now my goal is not to lose any more points. [-0][99pts]

13.Nov.2006: Had another good upperbody workout today. I did better on arms than I did on chest (I do chest first). Still struggling with my bench press. But really felt my bi's blasted at the end. There was a beautiful thick fog this morning and again this evening. Very romantic. Reminds me of my time in England. [-0][99pts]

14.Nov.2006: Had a really hard but good HIIT session today on the elliptical, did my back exercises, 120 crunches, and for some reason got down and did some pushups! Been on plan with my meals and will finish the day acc to plan. Was going to go to Philly today for a lecture at the Natl Constitution Center, but I have too much work for the course I'm doing in financial planning. Good day overall.
[-0][99 pts]

15.Nov.2006: Wednesdays I do lower body. Today my workout was a little later than usual but a good one overall. I went up in almost all the weights. This is was first time I ever took dumbbells from the lower rack (55lbs each). That was for calf raises. Ate the whole day acc to plan. Took my daughter to the ear doctor. Had literally a 2 hr wait for a 6 min visit with the doctor. She was much more patient than her father! [-0][99 pts]

16.Nov.2006: Did my cardio routine today at the gym, but had to do my abs and other floor exercises at home because of a conference call at work I couldn't miss. Wicked weather tonight brought flash flooding and heavy lightening. A lot of roads were flooded here in PA. My normal drive home went from 20 mins to over 1 hr. Just got back from the barn. The horses are fine but the center aisle has a stream running through it. [-0][99 pts]

17.Nov.2006: This morning I discovered how much destruction the sudden rains brought yesterday. The roads were covered in debris; whole parking lots were chewed up. The parking lot at my office bldg had about 1 foot of mud and rock washed up onto it. Anyway, all the roads but one were open, so I did make it to the gym for my upperbody workout. I changed a lot of the exercises I've been doing, since I was getting bored, but still targeted the same muscle groups. Ate clean all day. [-0] [99 pts]

18.Nov.2006: Saturdays I don't lift, so the challenge is to eat clean, which I did all day. I had two of my kids with me most of the day and had a blast. We did a lot of running around, playing chase etc. I am grateful I can do that with them. Their youth is slipping by so fast. Wasn't even tempted when I bought them some candy and later on some snacks. [-0][99 pts]

[Week 4]
19.Nov.2006: On Sunday I have my one cheat meal, which is usually brunch with the family. Today we decided to go out to a restaurant, which means the meal was not as healthy as when we make it at home. But it was good to go out. I then spent the whole day with my family. Been deprived of sleep lately so I'm afraid I'm starting the coming week close to exhaustion. But that's not an excuse to miss any workouts. [-0][99 pts]

20.Nov.2006: Was mostly done with my upperbody workout, when I leaned over to pick up my water bottle and heard/felt a big snap. Finished the workout but have been increasingly debilitated with pain ever since then. I hope it's not a repeat of the injury I had over the summer which motivated me to get serious about my workouts and my health. Ate clean all day. Now taking some muscle relaxants and pain killers and hoping to wake up tomorrow back to normal. If not, I will still try to workout since working through the pain is what helped me last time. [-0][99pts]

21.Nov.2006 The back pain was so intense this morning I needed help putting on my socks. As the day went on, it lessened and I was actually able to do my cardio workout without much modification. I ate clean all day. I'm a little nervous about tomorrow's lower body workout. We'll see. [-0][99 pts]

22.Nov.2006: Back doctor says I should just push myself through the pain and I totally agree. I was able to modify my lower body workout to do it without putting too much. Ate clean all day. [-0][99 pts]

23.Nov.2006: Thanksgiving! No workouts. Another cheat day as planned.

24.Nov.2006: Did my upperbody workout with only minimal modification because of the bad disc in my back. I think I will be 100% better by Monday. Anyway, workout was fine. Ate clean all day, even though the kitchen is filled with food from Thanksgiving which is now off-limits to me. [-0][99 pts]

25.Nov.2006: My back is doing much better today, though I still needed some pain meds first thing in the morning. Played with the kids today and did some yardwork. Beautiful day here today. All meals were clean. [-0][99 pts]

[Week 5]
26.Nov.2006: Had my cheat meal today which is almost always Sunday brunch. Did more yardwork and hang out with the kids. Had a friend over for dinner. After the kids went to bed, he taught us some card games. [-0][99pts]

27.Nov.2006: Did my upperbody workout today. Was able to increase weights on the arm exercises but found myself struggling to do chest exercises with weights I have done before. Felt like I didn't have the strength I've had before for the benchpress. Anyway I got through the workout and ate clean all day. [-0][99 pts]

28.Nov.2006: After feeling yesterday that I had no strength, I had a great cardio workout today, followed by my abs and back work. Then I took my daughter horseback riding. I didn't wear a coat all day. Ate clean, no problems there. Only two more workouts on this challenge. [-0][99 pts]

29.Nov.2006: Good lower body workout today. I recently increased the weights for leg presses, but I think I can go up next time on the calf raises. Did my abs too. Ate according to plan. [-0][99 pts]

30.Nov.2006: Completed the November challenge today! Did my cardio workout and meals as planned. Will post final stats over the weekend. Happy to finish in good shape. [-0][99 pts]

GOAL: Initial Weight Lost phase, 12lbs+ would be nice this month. :guitar:

COMMENT: First JSF Challenge, hope to do well. I have no pictures uploaded as of yet, they are on my computer though. :D

-=WORKOUT SCHEDULE=-
Monday: 45 min Treadmill/Elliptical (LISS aerobic, fasted) (AM) | Circuit Training (PM)
Tuesday: 45 min Treadmill/Elliptical (LISS aerobic, fasted) (AM)
Wednesday: 45 min Treadmill/Elliptical (LISS aerobic, fasted) (AM) | Circuit Training (PM)
Thursday: 45 min Treadmill/Elliptical (LISS aerobic, fasted) (AM)
Friday: 45 min Treadmill/Elliptical (LISS aerobic, fasted) (AM) | Circuit Training (PM)
Saturday: 45 min Treadmill/Elliptical (LISS aerobic, fasted) (AM)
Sunday: Off


MEAL SCHEDULE
Five meals per day, no cheat meals. Multi-vitamin everyday.


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT: 324 pounds (6'4")
BODY FAT: 28.8%
ARMS: 16.50"
CALVES: 20.25"
CHEST: 49.50"
FOREARMS: 13.25"
HIPS: 49.75"
THIGHS: 27.25"
WAIST: 50.00"


END STATS
WEIGHT: 310 pounds (-14 lb)
BODY FAT: 27.4%
ARMS: 16.50" (-0.0)
CALVES: 19.00" (-1.25)
CHEST: 46.00" (-3.5)
FOREARMS: 13.25" (-0.0)
HIPS: 47.50" (-2.25)
THIGHS: 26.25" (-1.00)
WAIST: 45.50" (-4.50)
BODY FAT: 27.4% (-1.4%)


DAILY LOG

[Week 1]

NOV 1: Off to a good start, my meal at work was a little late, but that happens when you're a part-time delivery driver paying for school :P
-0 [100 Points]

NOV 2: I got up (for once) without question and did morning cardio at the gym, and with my Ipod in tow it was great stuff, although I forgot my jacket and I had to cut it a few minutes short to make a meeting. I also cooked my own dinner tonight of Pan Seared Salmon with Stir Fried Vegetables and a little rice. Eating healthy is so much easier when you cook your own meals, and I am definately striving to learn to cook everything myself.
-0 [100 Points]

NOV 3: Had a great day of circuit training at the gym as usual. I've been feeling all good this week, except when I stepped on the scale after my workout for the weekly weigh-in I had only lost 1lb. Kinda disheartening, but I realize that scale readings do vary radically from day to day. I really think my nutrition is my only limiting factor, and I am doing my best to read up on it.
-0 [100 Points]

NOV 4: Missed morning cardio, funny enough because I got to the gym before it opened (oops), so I went home and completely lost track of time :( Won't happen again. Everything else was good.
-1 [99 Points]

NOV 5: Spent a lot of time reading posts on diet and nutrition and I tried to add a lot more protein and cut down on my carbs today. Other than that, it was quite uneventful. I think I will switch my workout schedule to include morning cardio 6 days a week (after reading many posts).
-0 [99 Points]


[Week 2]

NOV 6: I weighed myself back on Friday to a disappointing 1lb, so I weighed again today and of course had dropped another 4lbs, as I expected since my measurements we're looking really nice in terms of progress. I had all my meals, and tried to change my diet based on what research I've done so far, but I still need more calories somewhere. Didn't miss a meal or anything though.
-0 [99 Points]

NOV 7: Got through my morning cardio easily, but still haven't gotten around to updating the music on my IPOD. I bought some Qaker Instant Oatmeal to try in the morning to see if I like it or not. Being a delivery driver in the rain sucks. All meals done fine, but I felt bloated towards the end of the day for some reason. I've been trying to balance my macronutrients, and it's not so easy :(
-0 [99 Points]

NOV 8: Did morning cardio and my normal workout, and got all my meals in even after going to a friend's house. If anyone follows LOST, episode 6 was so crappy...jumped the shark.
-0 [99 Points]

NOV 9: All good today. I've been trying to learn recipes and cook my own food, and last night I made a kick ass catfish with vegetables pached in a foil bag in the oven. Very easy to make but tasted pretty good. I think my car battery is dying, I guess I'll have to check that out tomorrow.
-0 [99 Points]

NOV 10: I missed my morning cardio today, somehow I just didn't wake up; I dont even remember turning off my alarm clock. My workout though was great, I went up in weight on my exercises trying to challenge myself. Went and saw Borat, great movie.
-1 [98 Points]

NOV 11: Everything good today, still working on my nutrition though.
-0 [98 Points]

NOV 12: One month back on the wagon and everyting is well.
-0 [98 Points]


[Week 3]

NOV 13: I felt better than normal during morning cardio today, it was kinda weird, and kinda cool. That carried through to my normal workout as well :) On a side note I love strawberries and cereal.
-0 [98 Points]

NOV 14: I hear the new Bond is a good movie hehe. I need to organize all my new music for my ipod so I can have better variety for morning cardio. A little too many carbs today I think, still working on nutrition, it's so hard :(
-0 [98 Points]

NOV 15: Half-way through this challenge, wish I were at 100 points still :P. It has been raining all day but I still got my cardio and normal workout in. I think I ate a little bit too much fat today, but what can you do with only 85% lean ground beef and lean ground turkey? hehe. I posted THIS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJTw0k9hhvY) video in the motivational image forums, and I think it's a pretty awesome commercial (I wonder what song that is). One day I'll be able to wear form fitting shirts like under armour.
-0 [98 Points]

NOV 16: Did cardio this morning no problem. Ugh but only 1500 calories today, I don't know why I struggle to get more, it's pretty hard. I guess I just have to eat more :(.
-0 [98 Points]

NOV 17: I had a cheat meal today of pizza so that's minue a point for me, but I did make some gains in my measurements and lost 3 pounds this week :tu:
-1 [97 Points]

NOV 18: I saw the new Bond movie and Daniel Craig is awesome. Tomorrow I work nine hours so I need to figure out how I'll get my meals in.
-0 [97 Points]

NOV 19: Everything good today.
-0 [97 Points]


[Week 4]

NOV 20: Was a little late on one meal but I got it in (hectic work day). I haven't decided what I'll do on Wednesday and Friday since my Gym is closed for Thanksgiving.
-0 [97 Points]

NOV 21: I think tomorrow I'll so some light weight training with the old weights I have at my house (they suck, but should work). I wanted to go with my Dad to see Casino Royale, but he isn't up to it at all.
-0 [97 Points]

NOV 22: Did morning cardio on the treadmill instead of my normal elliptical. The built in heart rate monitor was kinda spotty so the automatic incline kept going up dramatically at times, was pretty annoying after 30 minutes. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and Im working :(
-0 [97 Points]

NOV 23: Chicken + Dressing + Macaroni & Cheese = Win. I did some lifting at home at noon, just basic upper body pushing stuff.
-0 [97 Points]

NOV 24: Weighed in today to only a 1lb loss, another weird anomally as I felt great during cardio and was going strong (best yet) for most of it. We'll see if my measurements show the real improvement.
-0 [97 Points]

NOV 25: Woo missed doing this day, but nothing happened really.
-0 [97 Points]

NOV 26: Worked all day, but got my meals in etc. Ground turkey & Brown rice and salad mostly.
-0 [97 Points]


[Week 5]

NOV 27: I decided to weigh myself today after a disappointed Friday weigh-in and I was blown away by how much I'd lost in a week. Second most since the very first week I started working out.
-0 [97 Points]

NOV 28: Still uping my calories slowly. A lot of new people in the gym, must be the post-thanksgiving shakedown hehe.
-0 [97 Points]

NOV 29: Ate a little too much at 7pm so I skipped my last meal to compensate (its a weird story), but I'm still taking a point off. Noo and there is one day left too.
-1 [96 Points]

NOV 30: Yay first challenge over. Ill update my ending stats on Saturday, I'm excited to see how far I've come this month alone. Hopefully ill end up with more than 96 points next month. Cya there.

Final Points - 96 Points

GOAL:

o Lower blood pressure. Starting blood pressure: 148 / 90
o Lose weight
o Eat healthy.


COMMENT: I am going to give this a shot... I need to do something. Any exercise will be better than what I am doing now. Any weight training this month will be a bonus. The main goal is to lower my blood pressure.


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
Monday: cardio 30 minutes
Tuesday: cardio 30 minutes
Wednesday: cardio 30 minutes
Thursday: cardio 30 minutes
Friday: cardio 30 minutes
Saturday:
Sunday:


MEAL SCHEDULE
o Eat at least four healthy meals per day
o No junk after dinner
o Drink more water.


STARTING STATS (cold/flexed)
WEIGHT: 245
BODY FAT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST: 38 inches


END STATS (cold/flexed)
WEIGHT:
BODY FAT:
ARMS:
CALVES:
CHEST:
FOREARMS:
HIPS:
THIGHS:
WAIST:



DAILY LOG
NOV 1: A bust. -1 no cardio -1 halloween candy!? [98]
NOV 2: A bust. -1 no cardio -1 not enough water. -1 snacks. Tomorrow... yeah, tomorrow. [95]
NOV 3: This is not starting out well... the Halloween candy is killing me! No cardio -1 Not enough water -1 Snacks -1. [92]
NOV 4: Finally... exercised today! Ate fine too. [92]
NOV 5: 30 minutes cardio today. Meals were okay, but too much snacking. -1 [91]
NOV 6: No cardio -1. Meals did not go so well either -1 [89]
NOV 7: No cardio -1. [88]
NOV 8: No cardio -1. [87] Minus the Halloween candy this month, my meals have been a lot better. I need to carve out some time during the week for exercise. That is easier said than done.
NOV 9: Everything went well... no points to deduct. [87]
NOV 10: No cardio today. Updated late too. -2 [85]
NOV 11: Went hiking with the family today. Meals have been great so far... and I plan on keeping them that way for the rest of the day. [85]
NOV 12: No cardio today, but that is okay... it should be happening during the week. Meals were fine. [85]
NOV 13: Meals were fine. No cardio [84]
NOV 14: Meals were fine. No cardio [83]. I really need to start doing cardio during the week. I have not excuses... I just need to make the time - either wake up earlier or go running when I get home at night.
NOV 15: Okay, so hopefully today is the last day for a "no cardio" update. It's the halfway point and I need to turn this thing around. [82]
NOV 16: Today went well... got my cardio in after work. The Smashing Machine came in the mail today... gonna go watch that now. [82]
NOV 17: Did my cardio today on my lunch break. My wife mentioned that my face is thinning out. [82]
NOV 18: Today went well... going to watch some UFC tonight... nothing like kicking back and watching people smash each other. [82]
NOV 19: Everything went fine... got a jog in and ate well. I am starting to feel a difference. [82]
NOV 20: Went jogging tonight. I seriously did not want to, but I am so glad that I did. Apparently, I give off some kind of "pheromone" when I exercise... is that possible? My wife told me that... I am not buying it. I guess she is turned on by the fact that I am taking charge and actually doing something about my health. She can't be that turned on though... all talk and no action so far ;) [82]
NOV 21: Just got back from my jog... overall it went well. My hip hurt for some reason though. Maybe a 240 pound plus person shouldn't be jogging... can't be good for the joints. I would like to start lifting weights to really kick things into high gear. Feeling great overall. [82]
NOV 22: Had to walk in the middle of my cardio and eventually, cut it short today... my legs were cramping up. I think because I did not drink enough water. -1 [81]
NOV 23: I didn't exercise today (-1) and my meals were okay except for the Thanksgiving feast. What a great day overall even though it's a minus two pointer. I am thankful to have such an amazing family. [79]
NOV 24: Everything went well today. [79]
NOV 25: Missed entry -1. [78]
NOV 26: Another fine day. [78]
NOV 27: Got my cardio in on my lunch break. Meals have been fine so far. [78]
NOV 28: Jogged after work. Today was a good day. [78]
NOV 29: Cardio done. Ate well today too. [78]
NOV 30: I didn't get my cardio in today, so I am ending this challenge with 77 points. Not good. I guarantee December will be better.

I'm in, I will update everything on the first.

11/1 - took half of a day's vacation to go to a real estate auction. Took up most of the day, ate left overs when I got home. So nutrition was bad, and water was non existent, and I missed my workout. Bad way to start the month! -5 points (95 points)

11/2 - Running behind on the water, but I can catch up. My carbs are a little high, due to my energy drink on the way to work, but nothing drastic. Important thing for tonight is to get the workout in! I will update later tonight with the rest of my day and the stats for the beginning of the month.

GOAL: Cutting


COMMENT: I WILL LOSE 5 POUNDS OF FAT

WORKOUT SCHEDULE

Monday – Leg, calves, hams, glutes, quads and cardio

Tuesday/ Thursday/ Saturday abs and cardio

Wednesday Shoulders, chest, biceps, cardio


Friday Back, lat, triceps
MEAL SCHEDULE
5 meals per day no cheat meals


STARTING STATS
WEIGHT:125 pounds
END STATS
WEIGHT: .....119pounds
DAILY LOG

DAILY LOG
NOV 1: I barely managed to squeeze in that last meal but I did it (100 points)
NOV 2: I am really sore but I got everything so it was a good day (100 points)
NOV 3:Okay this stinks (whine whine whine!) I missed a meal so I only got to down 4 meals today okay I will stop whining and deduct my first point argh!!!!!
-1 (99 points)
NOV 4: nice sunny fall day in the desert southwest I got everything done correctly so I had a fairly good day -0 ( 99 points)
NOV 5: Okay it was my only day off so I had no scheduled workout, thank goodness because I really did need a day off everything else went well. so I am holding steady -0 (99 points)
NOV 6:Monday, Monday okay nothing much to report, it was a beautiful fall day and I did everything I need to do to become what I want to become so
all is well -0(99 points)
NOV 7: really nice day my shoulders are slightly sore but I shall not complain
another good day -0 (99 points)
NOV 8: I got everything in but I hurt my shoulder, how I am not sure but hopefully it will be better tomorrow no matter God willing I will stay the course and get it done. -0 ( 99 points)
NOV 9:Okay I could only get in four meals today argh my best layed plans fell and life blindsided me oh the agony, okay let me just subtract the dang point before I become a melodramatic drama queen. -1 (98 points)
NOV 10:another beautiful day in the borderplex a very postive day -0 (98)
NOV 11: I had a hard time stuffing in that last meal but I got it done so -0 (98)
NOV 12:Okay today was my day of rest, no scheduled exercise so I get to regroup and get ready for next week. Nice day -0(98)
NOV 13:Today was Leg, calves, hams, glutes, quads and cardio day for me I made great gains, yep I am happy. Well cardio wasn't a breeze but hey it is all good. -0(98)
NOV 14: Today I had to work my core and do cardio a little slow and a lotta sore otherwise I did what I had to do I could have done better by staying more focused during my workout -0(98)
NOV 15:Wow I did myself proud to day, yeah I was in my zone, man I wish everyday was like today I mad my workout count I felt the pain I felt the joy
it was a good one. I am getting stronger and stronger -0(98)
NOV 16:argh I didn't get all my meals in today beat me with a whole wheat noodle so I must subtract another point -1 (97)
NOV 17: another day done and all is well -0 (97)
NOV 18:golly darn this month is just sneaky passing me -0(97)
NOV 19:an awesome sunday I can't complain -0 (97)
NOV 20:worked that lower body today -0 (97)
NOV 21:okay another busy day I blasted those old abs and made myself proud-0(97)
NOV 22: today was a very good day, -0(97)
NOV 23::confused: the one day of the year I should have been able to get all my meals in argh I am beginning to wonder about myself sometime -1(96)
NOV 24:wow another beautiful day in the desert southwest 70+ degrees of sunshine ah I love this weather okay on a more serious note I got it done
so I get to keep my precious points. 96
NOV 25:oh I have to take my son to a concert tonight so I want be getting in my scheduled water or my last meal so I will subtract two points, -2 (94)
NOV 26:holding on at (94)
NOV 27:Oh gosh my poor little body is quivering I had to guzzle down my water later today I do okay when I drink it on the hour but gosh when I get behind it is so hard catching up but I did it....although I will probably be a regular little Tinker bell for the remainder of the night okay I got it done (94)
NOV 28:okay lets see holding steady at 94
NOV 29:dang a cold front is headed my way argh okay anyway it was another good one (94)
NOV 30okay this was my first challenge and it was a good one okay I didn't get all my water in today had to go shopping argh this afternoon but here is how i ended -1 (93) I lost 6 pounds, I stayed focused, I worked hard it was fun.

Will make this super duper official soon, but in this for reals.

Nov 1 - Back into the swing of things (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?p=392621#post392621) [100 pts, no change]
Nov 2 - So the whole getting back into it thing is harder than I thought it would be. I missed my lifting workout, but ate well despite my insistance on not following my plan to lift. Ah well, I will see what the rest of the week brings before taking a point away as I planned on one day off due to the shortened week and the fact I am just restarting again. [100 pts, no change]

- EDIT - MY 100 CHALLENGE IS CANCELLED!

due to my recent injury with my foot, as well as the infection I'm fighting, I am cancelling this challenge. But I do plan on joining another on in the future!
-



it's my first 100 challenge!!!

GOAL:
consistency

COMMENT:
my plan is pretty basic. im not getting super detailed/restrictive because i want to succeed at this. one step at a time. if i can kick arse this month, then the plan would be to increase the difficulty next month by getting into defined macro percentages, etc. but.. one step at a time.
I need to get the basics down first and then i can build on a strong foundation. ya dig? ;)


FOOD

eat a minimum of 1300 calories, maximum of 1600 calories
drink 2 liters of water a day
1 free day a week


EXERCISE

5k run training at least 3 days a week
weights at least 2 times a week



DAILY LOG
NOV 1: 100 pts. ate 1450 calories, finishing up last of my water. im off to bed cause im sick.
NOV 2: 100 pts. today was a free day with food but i still drank all my water ;) tomorrow is weight training
NOV 3: 100pts. drank all my water, ate 1550 cals, did full body weight training, even took my multivitamin :tu:
NOV 4: 99 pts. lost a point today because food was horrible. i drank all my water and i did my 5k training (5k training workout #3, 90sec walk @ 3.5/50 sec jog @ 6.0 - repeat. totals: 2.77 miles, 289 calories burned, total time: 38 minutes, including 5 minute warm up)
NOV 5: 98 pts. today was a rough day. i injured myself in my 5k training :(. im very upset. got my water and workout in. food was just a little bit off but off enough to subtract a point.
NOV 6: missed post.
NOV 7: 92 pts. well. minus 1 point for yesterday's lack of posting and lack of being good (-3). today: water was good today but food was over calorie limit and no gym. (-2) . i cooked food for tomorrow. it's a new day.
NOV 8: 91pts. i drank my water and i ate well (though over on calories by 60 or so, so i must deduct a point). no workout today, but that's ok, because i only have to workout 5 days a week. so..i dont lose a point for that. yay!
NOV 9:
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NOV 30

Doctor okayed me to go back to my regular workout schedule. :) I'm in.

Plan:
Monday: Cardio
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Cardio
Friday: Cardio
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: Cardio

Push-ups and squats (or similar) each day before bed.

Food: Can't diet while pregnant, so.... (1) Take vitamins. (2) Don't stuff self.

Weight: Gain weight within recommended guidelines.

Nov 1: Off day. Hated to start with an off day, but Wednesday has to be the off day due to existing time commitments. [-0, 100 Points]
Nov 2: 30 minutes cardio. Brisk walking. (Can't wait to be jogging again. I don't know if that will happen as it's third trimester now.) [-0, 100 Points]
Nov 3: Light upper body weight training. Discussed my routine and goals with my husband. I'm really not enjoying pregnancy weight-lifting because it is so limited. I don't feel like I'm getting much out of it because I have to stick to light weights and cannot push myself. I get a lot more out of my cardio sessions and find them much more challenging within the prenatal limits than my weight workouts are. I'm switching to cardio every day except Wednesday with some light resistance work (a few push-ups, squats, etc.) thrown in most days before bed. I think that this new schedule will better serve my needs during this last trimester. [-0, 100 Points]
Nov 4: 35 minutes cardio. Aerobics, brisk walking, and jogging. [-0, 100 Points]
Nov 5: Some spotting, probably nothing, but couldn't call the doctor as it was Sunday. Can't workout until I get this okayed. Calling doctor first thing in morning Nov 6. [-0, 100 Points]

~~~~
Nov 14: Yikes! Didn't realize that I left off with that last update. Sorry if I spooked anyone. Everything is and was perfectly fine. Time to catch up. Subtracting 8 points for lack of updates. Subtracting 4 for missed workouts (did 4 of 8). Looks like jogging is coming to an end for the rest of pregnancy. I'm six months pregnant now, and the impact on the loosening joints is just too uncomfortable. Brisk walks and prenatal workout DVD's still working great. Did today's workout.
Nov 15: Off day today. [-0, 88 Points]
Nov 17: -1 for not posting yesterday, -1 for missing yesterday's workout. Did try a great new recipe yesterday. Cut up a whole mess of sweet potatoes along with a few carrots and one onion. Tossed everything in olive oil with some Italian seasoning and pepper. Baked on 400 for about 1hr 20min. Drizzled with a little honey when I took it out of the oven. Now I have sweet potatoes, one of my favorite foods, ready to heat up and eat anytime. Did workout today. Man, those pushups get a bit harder as my stomach gets bigger. [-2, 86 Points]

GOAL: Bulking
COMMENT: This is my first bulk ever.


WORKOUT SCHEDULE
5 days/week weights - Max-OT
2 days/week cardio


MEAL SCHEDULE
Five to six meals per day, around 3000 calories/day.


STARTING WEIGHT: 155

DAILY LOG
NOV 1: 100 pts. Max-OT chest. Ate well - most I've eaten in six months! Over 3000 calories.
NOV 2: Max-OT shoulders
NOV 3: 20 min. run
NOV 4: Max-OT arms
NOV 5: Max-OT legs
NOV 6: Cardio: 40 min. run
NOV 7: abs & 15min. cardio. Need to adjust training to fit grad school/work schedule & consolidate Max-OT to 3 or 4 days/week. Not sure how this should affect points.
NOV 8: 30 min. run. Decided to do 3-day/week max-ot bulk. cardio 2-3 days/week.
NOV 9: Max-OT Chest,Triceps,Shoulders
NOV 10: Day off
NOV 11: Max-OT back & biceps
NOV 12: Max-OT legs
NOV 13: 30 min. run
NOV 14: 15 min. run
NOV 15: Day off
NOV 16: Max-OT chest
NOV 17: 23 min. run
NOV 18: 30 min. run
NOV 19: day off
NOV 20: Max-OT back, biceps, forearms
NOV 21:
NOV 22:
NOV 23:
NOV 24:
NOV 25:
NOV 26:
NOV 27:
NOV 28:
NOV 29:
NOV 30:

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The Challenge Has Begun. No More Entries Allowed For This Month's Challenge!

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from SpecialK

DAILY LOG

11/1: Having a head cold is not a great way to begin a challenge. I could not fall asleep last night because I had taken some medicine just before going to bed and I just could not get comfortable. I was able to sleep in late which meant that I would have to do my fasted cardio later in the day between my 4th and 5th meal. All day long I felt like my head was going to explode with the sinus pressure. Anyway, I was not going to let things start out so poorly and didn't want to deduct any points so early in the challenge so I bucked up and did it.
100 points


Great job on getting through your first day of the challenge with being as sick as you were. You should have no problem getting through the rest of th emonth with that good attitude!




DAILY LOG

Nov 1: [98 pts] Got my workout in early, but did not log my calories as I should have. My meals have a lot of room for improvement as well. I ate a mini milky way and mounds that my co-workers brought in! Also, I didn't take my vitamins! I just moved, everything is in boxes, I can hear everything the neighbors do... *sigh* Well, I'm off to prepare my meals for tomorrow!

Keep on working hard and you will meet your goals. Don't let little things make you feel like you've ruined the whole game. I think what is really keeping me motivated to do well this time around is that I totally readjusted my attitude about things. Before I use to let little slip ups get me down and then I would just quit all together, but now I am just telling myself, that I am only human and if I do slip up, tomorrow is another day.

Keep up th egood work!




NOV 1: [100] Of course we start on a WEDS! Every Weds. is Wine Tasting at Bernie's downtown, this is a major social event for me with friends. Although, some friends are busy and I feel it may not be so bad to miss it.
Well, this is all about making decisions and changes...eh?!:nod:

My busy social life gets in the way of my work-out time, and I want to change that. I feel too obligated to it and need to let that go....or learn how to balance it better. :)

Sooo...I've bribed a friend that usually goes to wine tasting to meet me at the gym after work. I'm looking forward to seeing her for one, she is a good friend & we missed each other while out for Halloween this weekend.
AND....I can't wait for the soak in the Hot Tub after working out....:D I seriously need to tan, especially since the sun is gone now for winter! ;) It's dark now when I leave from work....we are losing daylight by the seconds everyday. I'm hoping the work-outs and reaching goals.... helps with the "sad-demon" that can come upon us during long dark winter months. :tu:




*I'm saying hi!*

I've never been to a wine tasting before. I think it's great you have a nice social group to do those kinds of things with. It's also great that you can bribe your firends to meet you at the gym. :) You've got wine, I've got Kareoke! I haven't been in a long time though. I did find a group of people here that like to go on Tuesdays, so I may start going again. Keep working hard and striving for your goals. These forums seem to bursting at the seams with very supportive people, so we all should have no problem staying on track!

FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH

...Having a head cold is not a great way to begin a challenge...

...I'm ill! I think I picked up a bug or something on the way home from Copenhagen, and I felt rotten most of yesterday...

...and a head cold has hit me! Taking sudafed and fighting through...Like SpecialK I am fighting a head cold...

...woke up sick again after being well for about 10 days. It seems like the allergies and it ispossible that it is my gym causing it...

...Might feel good enough to work out in morning despite feeling a bit under the weather this week. A good sleep might make all the difference...

...im off to bed cause im sick...

I have noticed that some of us are a bit under the weather and I would like to offer some advice that Reno_1ted (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/member.php?u=2246) had shared with me some time ago:

"Regarding the cold, a lot of people here are suffering as you said, in my opinion its due to the calorie restriction and not having enough cals per day to maintain. Of course we need the deficit to cut, but i think maintainance is maintainance not just of weight, but of our body as a whole.

Anyway, i always used to get a cold or something of that nature about 1 week into any cut. This time, i have been taking three echinacea capsules every morning with my multi vit and other sups. So far, touch wood, no cold, and weve had some fluctuations in weather recently to, which is usually a trigger.

I cannot recommend this herb enough. Its a natural immune system booster and i swear by it. Its really helped while ive been on this cut."

Anyway, i always used to get a cold or something of that nature about 1 week into any cut. This time, i have been taking three echinacea capsules every morning with my multi vit and other sups.

CONCLUSION: Treatment with fluid extract of Echinacea purpurea did not significantly decrease the incidence, duration or severity of colds and respiratory infections compared to placebo. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10230741&dopt=Citation)

not getting much good press these days. i'd save my money. :nod: i do hope everyone feels better, though!

*I'm saying hi!*

I've never been to a wine tasting before. I think it's great you have a nice social group to do those kinds of things with. It's also great that you can bribe your firends to meet you at the gym. :) You've got wine, I've got Kareoke! I haven't been in a long time though. I did find a group of people here that like to go on Tuesdays, so I may start going again. Keep working hard and striving for your goals. These forums seem to bursting at the seams with very supportive people, so we all should have no problem staying on track!


Hi, thanks for the hello!...Okay I think I finally figured out how to "reply" to this....lol

Very "Green" person here... on using a forum....:D I'm still figuring stuff out.....

I really like that everyone talks to each other on here...SUPPORT, SUPPORT, SUPPORT! :tu:

Now that I realize that, I feel even more accountable for this challenge, I thought I "HID OUT" on the last one....:D

No hiding on here I guess eh?! :p

And Kudos to the master John Stone for doing this site! :bow:

Have a great Weekend! Do your kareoke....it's got to burn some calories and is probably fun for you! :whistle: (I tried it one night and caused embarrassment for myself ....I sucked! But I can laugh about it. )

And I use a lot of happy faces! I'm just an animated kind of gal!

"Regarding the cold, a lot of people here are suffering as you said, in my opinion its due to the calorie restriction and not having enough cals per day to maintain. Of course we need the deficit to cut, but i think maintainance is maintainance not just of weight, but of our body as a whole.

Anyway, i always used to get a cold or something of that nature about 1 week into any cut. This time, i have been taking three echinacea capsules every morning with my multi vit and other sups. So far, touch wood, no cold, and weve had some fluctuations in weather recently to, which is usually a trigger.

I cannot recommend this herb enough. Its a natural immune system booster and i swear by it. Its really helped while ive been on this cut."

SpecialK,

Colds are caused by viruses. Weather fluctuations don't have any direct impact, except that more people are in enclosed spaces when it's cold. Also, I tried echinacea before but didn't notice any impact. (that is anecdotal, not scientific, I know) However, one thing that really HAS lessened the impact of colds, or prevented them outright, is zinc gluconate glycine lozenges. The main brand they are sold under is Cold-Eze. Taken within the first 48 hours they lessen the strength and length of a cold around 42% - this has been proven in two large double-blind placebo-controlled peer-reviewed studies. Now this stuff *I* will swear by!

Sorry, not trying to diss you, just throwing in my .02. Thanks for noticing the numerous ailments in the posts! I'm about 85% recovered, hope the rest of you are getting better as well.

STARTING PIC:

http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/246652/2/istockphoto_246652_one_more_bite.jpg



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:

Looking good Gila:D Not sure you even need to bulk judging by the photo!!!

Well, October was a bust for me because of being so sick. But I want to keep on going -- hoping that November will be a better month.

Well done for persevering Justitia! May November be a healthier month for you :)

Colds are caused by viruses. Weather fluctuations don't have any direct impact, except that more people are in enclosed spaces when it's cold. hope the rest of you are getting better as well.

Exposure to an infection, not cold temperatures, can make you sick. "But if your body gets cold, it could get physically stressed because it's using a lot of energy to try to stay warm, and you might be more likely to catch an infection."


Ironically I ran across this reading today. Although we were talking about viruses. Thought I'd include it regarding being exposed to cold weather.

I hope everyone feels better and has a great weekend!

oops made a mistake when I was editing. Sorry.

Colds are caused by viruses... Sorry, not trying to diss you, just throwing in my .02. Thanks for noticing the numerous ailments in the posts! I'm about 85% recovered, hope the rest of you are getting better as well.

...Treatment with fluid extract of Echinacea purpurea did not significantly decrease the incidence, duration or severity of colds and respiratory infections compared to placebo.

...not getting much good press these days. i'd save my money. i do hope everyone feels better, though!No problem, I'm just glad we are all trying to help and offer our personal experiences to benefit others.

...Colds are caused by viruses. Weather fluctuations don't have any direct impact, except that more people are in enclosed spaces when it's cold. hope the rest of you are getting better as well..."But if your body gets cold, it could get physically stressed because it's using a lot of energy to try to stay warm, and you might be more likely to catch an infection." ...

Daily message (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/)

No problem, I'm happy to get any positive advice to help stave off the negative effects of a cold. Great posts and I hope everyone is feeling better. (cough, cough)

However, one thing that really HAS lessened the impact of colds, or prevented them outright, is zinc gluconate glycine lozenges. The main brand they are sold under is Cold-Eze. Taken within the first 48 hours they lessen the strength and length of a cold around 42% - this has been proven in two large double-blind placebo-controlled peer-reviewed studies. Now this stuff *I* will swear by!


Swear by them too... I am well-stocked on sugar free cold-eze. I didn't think to take them for all the sickness I have been suffering as my docs say it's allergies.. but I started too and the seem to work.... :nod:

Elderberry and zinc are also great.

It looks to me like the 1-week mark is a hard one for everybody - maybe something like a weekly roll-call thread would help everyone refocus? There are a lot of posts in here that have 7 or 8 updates and then nothing more... myself not excluded, although I'm back now :)

Heck, I did not know you could post to this thread after the date cut off. That certainly helps.

Looking good Gila:D Not sure you even need to bulk judging by the photo!!!



LOL!

I saw this message only now!!!

I'm what you call a skinny fat! ;)

I'll go shave!

I want to thank everyone who participated in this month's challenge.

I'm always disappointed when I see people disappear from these challenges without a trace. I hope everyone who didn't perform as well as they'd could have in November will give it another go in December.

Keep improving and never give up!

88 - was hoping for more, but.....got back on track w/ exercises and meal planning - gotta man up for December!