Well, I'm back from vacation, and it's a new year, so here we go...

Hope the vacation was good! Good luck this year Philly:tu:

P-dood, you've got more journals than anyone else.

Good luck! :tu:

I'm obviously still working out some challenges in the nutrition department.
Overall, however, I think things went well for the first day at Full Throttle.

Monday, January 15th
Weight 186, BF ???
Nutrition: 1200c, 30/45/25cpf, 10g F, 4690mg Na, 3L H20
Exercise: 35min LCbike, 1.5mile walk, 1hr Pilates class

I guess an update is in order, since I kind of just jumped into this journal... I'll try to organize it into some kind of format so you can skip the boring stuff.

1) Fitness: I've started my 2007 training program. I'm including some new things this year... swimming, cardio kickboxing, and Pilates. It's my first week for all of this, but so far I know a) I can deal with the Pilates class. I'm not good at it yet, but I think I will get the hang of it. b) I'm not good at swimming. I've hired a swim coach to help me get better. c) I have no idea what to expect from cardio kickboxing. My first class is tomorrow night. In addition, I'm back to running and cycling, although for the time being, they will be of the indoor variety. As far as weight training... I'm going to try and do two days a week in the gym with a "circuit" type routine. But as always, that's subject to change.

2) Nutrition: I'm being VERY diligent about logging all of my food intake. I'm tracking fiber and sodium for the first time, and will be making tweaks to my menu plans for the next few weeks until I get everything on "lock-down." I'm shooting for 1650 calories a day to start, and will be gradually increasing them over the next twelve weeks, and hopefully achieve somewhere between a 45/30/25 and 45/35/20 macro ratio. I'll probably allow two "reward" meals a week. No alcohol and minimal caffeine. I'll be starting a new supplement routine next week... details to follow. I guess if I was pressed to put some specific goals on the table, I'd say 175lbs at 17.5% by April 1st. That's reasonable and attainable.

3) Competition: I've already registered for my first major event of 2007, the Caesar Rodney Half Marathon in Wilmington, Delaware, which is on March 11th. I joined the USATF, so I have some extra incentive this year since I will be eligible for national rankings as well as a regional Grand Prix series of ten races. I will also be racing the half-marathon in Columbus, Ohio (hopefully to qualify for the NYC Marathon) and competing in the annual Penn Relays Distance Classic (20k) in April. The big event for the spring is the Liberty-to-Liberty Triathlon, from New York City to Philadelphia, on Memorial Day weekend (which explains the swimming). 1 mile swim (from the Statue of Liberty to Lower Manhattan), 90 mile bike (from North Jersey to South Jersey), and a 10k run in Philly. This will probably be my one and only multi-sport race this year.

4) Education: I have enrolled in two ISSA courses: Endurance Fitness Trainer and Performance Nutrition Specialist. My timetable for those is open-ended, but ideally I would like to finish them by Memorial Day. I am taking a Cardio Kickboxing Seminar/Certification class in two weeks, however, so I hope to start teaching that at the YMCA in April (after my completion of the YMCA Group Exercise Certification on March 10th).

5) Business I: My personal training business has been temporarily been put on "hold." I will be taking possession of the gym equipment I mentioned in my previous journal in mid-February, but it will be going into storage as the rental prices for retail spaces are more than I am comfortable with at this juncture. I expect I will be able to finish up the website and start recruiting clients for "in-home" training by the end of February, however, so I'm still moving forward with it... just not as my #1 priority right now.

6) Business II: My online nutrition store is developing at an astonishing rate, and should be open for business by the end of January. Between the two businesses, there has been SO much to consider... careful planning and thoughtful execution of the plan (along with time management) has been the key in getting it off the ground. I'm meeting with my supplier tomorrow to go over label designs and my initial inventory order, and will be finishing up the website/online store in the next two weeks.

7) Life: Yes, with all this I still have a life. I've been taking advantage of a lull at my regular day job right now to accomplish a lot of planning, but that won't last much longer (my boss left for vacation the day I got back). We've got a bunch of family stuff coming up (birthdays for both the boys as well as first Holy Communion for the older one). My wife is in the process of buying a new car (perhaps as soon as this weekend) and I need to make a decision about the future of the PimpCaddy(tm) as the inspection is due and there are some repairs which will need to be done to keep it going for another year. One of my goals for 2007 has been to get more sleep... a minimum of seven hours a night, with a target of eight. Zzzz...

There... I think that covers it for now... as always, feel free to ask questions or make comments!

A much better day today at Full Throttle...

Tuesday, January 16th
Weight 184.5, BF 20.1%, Sleep 8hrs
Nutrition: 1750c, 50/25/25cpf, 30g F, 3940mg Na, 6L H20
Exercise: 5K TMrun @ 8.40 pace, 5 x 100m swim

I'm always astonished by the amount of work you seem to get done. Yeah, sleep is important with that kind of training schedule. Were you getting less than 7 hours before with your marathon training? :eek:
How are your stress levels, by the way?

I'm always astonished by the amount of work you seem to get done. Yeah, sleep is important with that kind of training schedule. Were you getting less than 7 hours before with your marathon training? :eek:
How are your stress levels, by the way?

I probably averaged 5-6 hours a night in 2006. But I'm really making an effort to increase that, especially now with my "enhanced" training load. And if that means I get less work done, that's the way it goes.

Tonight is a good example. After working two jobs, and not getting some things done on the Pro Supplement Zone website I had hoped to get done, I could very easily go home and work on the laptop in front of the TV until 2 or 3am, grab a quick nap on the couch until 6 or 7am, and then get up and go to work again. Tonight I'm going to cut myself off at midnight, go upstairs and sleep in a real bed, and get up at 5am to ride the LifeCycle before the wife and kids wake up.

And to answer your second question, I am the least stressed person I know. :cool:

And to answer your second question, I am the least stressed person I know. :cool:
Now that's inspiring. :tucool:

looks like a busy year ahead of you Philly. I hadn't heard of this supplement store before now. What type of stuff are you going to have?

looks like a busy year ahead of you Philly. I hadn't heard of this supplement store before now. What type of stuff are you going to have?

I'll be offering three different whey protein blends, plus the typical stuff weight training enthusiasts would use (a couple creatine options, a NO2 product, and a post-workout recovery blend), and a small but fairly complete assortment of vitamins, dietary supplements, and amino acid complexes. So far, the feedback I've gotten on the product line has been good, and I already have more than a handful of people who have indicated they will be placing orders as soon as the website is up.

Well, today was the first day this week I deviated from my schedule. But it was for good reason, and as is the case with nutrition, you have to allow once or twice a week for a change in plans (unless you are Johnny Fitness).

This afternoon, I had another case of "providence" smile upon me. I was visiting with the company which does my magazine distribution, and they were cleaning out the warehouse. My contact person there mentioned they were getting rid of a whole set of shelf-type racks which they had pulled from a supermarket chain. I took a quick look and realized that they were the perfect size to fit along the oddly-shaped walls of my home gym, which is also going to be the hub of operations for my two businesses. So I stuffed three of the units into the PimpCaddy, and I am going back tomorrow to get five more. And voila... I have an industrial shelf system to store all my products.

After that, I stopped to visit a fellow publisher, who happened to be cleaning out some offices after a recent merger/acquisition. I walked away from that meeting with a laptop. Right now, I can only get it to boot to the C: drive, so I have to have someone look at it and get it running. But this will allow me to have a dedicated computer set-up in the new home office. I pulled a laser printer out of storage, and plugged it in to my primary laptop, and it worked flawlessly after doing nothing but plugging it it. I rearranged some furniture, and I am well on my way to having things all set-up and ready to work.

All this meant that I missed my 6pm cardio kickbox class, and also that I missed my "curfew" tonight. I'm going to give myself until 1am to finish up a few things (including a load of laundry) and then I'm off to bed. I will update today's nutrition and exercise in the morning. Night!

Wednesday, January 17th
Weight 185, BF 21.1%, Sleep 7hrs
Nutrition: 1425c, 46/31/23cpf, 27g F, 3500mg Na, 3L H20
Exercise: 40m LCbike

I wasn't kidding the other day when I wrote that I was hiring a swim coach to help me with my "drowning lessons"... and today was our first day. I learned a LOT in a 45 minute session... surprisingly, my form wasn't too bad (at least from what she said) and I have some instinct on what I SHOULD be doing in the water. My biggest problem is getting the mechanics of breathing down... but that will come with time and repetition. Right now I'm only scheduled to swim twice a week, but I think I am going to try and fit a third session in (without the coach) to practice. My coach is going to schedule some of her workouts so that she will be in the pool with me, which means that, since she will also be using "our" time for her training as well, I can afford to use her twice a week. But already I can tell that I'm going to progress much more quickly with her help. She showed me a lot of practice techniques which I never would have known about had I not had her help.

I just looked at my calendar and realized that by missing my cardio kickboxing class last night, I will be taking the cardio kickboxing certification next Wednesday without ever having actually TAKEN a class. Well, so much for passing THAT exam! :lol: Seriously though, I think I will be able to pick it up quickly enough in the four hour course that I should be able to squeak through... and I am committing myself to get at least twelve weeks of "real-world" practice by taking the classes 1-2 times a week before I even think about trying to teach it.

Nice find on the freebies! You really are one lucky SOB, aren't you? :lol: Actually, I think you're a fantastic example of how people who work hard make their own luck. Cheers to you.

Best wishes on the exam, too! :gl:

Wow! Someone must really be looking down on you; those are some really nice freebies.

I think you're a fantastic example of how people who work hard make their own luck.

I have always relied on the kindness of strangers... :lol:

Wow! Someone must really be looking down on you; those are some really nice freebies.

Yeah, there are a much better quality than what you would buy at Home Depot, and they fit well with my budget (read: free)... :lol:

I went back this afternoon to get the rest of the racks, but I could only fit two in my car (I never got the third one out of the trunk last night). There are four more left, which I moved into a enclosed spot in the warehouse (as opposed to their being outside by the trash dumpsters). So I can go back next week and pick up the rest without worry that they will be "gone" before I get there. And while I was moving them inside, I accidentally kicked a box and what do you know? A whole set of smaller "add-on" racks which clip into the shelving units.

I'm going to install the ones I have in my possession over the weekend. I'll be sure to post pics.

Thursday, January 18th
Weight 183, BF 20%, Sleep 6hrs
Nutrition: 1565c, 42/34/24cpf, 21g F, 3475mg Na, 4L H20
Exercise: 45min swim instruction/drills

I missed my 5k run tonight because the the YMCA was so crowded that I couldn't get a treadmill in my limited window of availability between jobs. Tomorrow (Friday) is supposed to be my weekly "off" day with no training, so I will get up and run at home first thing instead.

Wow PD, you're really on the ball! Good luck with your 2007 plans!! :tu:

Have fun with the swim training!:tucool: Can't wait to hear about the triathon...
Good luck with ALL that other stuff too. Amazing!

The engine blew up in my wife's car this morning, which has scuttled my workout plans (and had forced me to spend most of the day trying to buy a new car over the phone :mad:). I'm still eating on plan, and I did pack my running clothes, so hopefully I will get a few miles in on the treadmill at the Y at some point today. Other than that, nothing to report. That is all.

The engine blew up in my wife's car this morning, which has scuttled my workout plans (and had forced me to spend most of the day trying to buy a new car over the phone :mad:). I'm still eating on plan, and I did pack my running clothes, so hopefully I will get a few miles in on the treadmill at the Y at some point today. Other than that, nothing to report. That is all.
:eek:
I take it she's OK, right?
Was there fire? :spaz:

:eek:
I take it she's OK, right?
Was there fire? :spaz:


No fire... no drama... it just stopped running. Timing belt slipped, causing a piston to ram into the head at high speed, doing much internal damage.

And while I was moving them inside, I accidentally kicked a box and what do you know? A whole set of smaller "add-on" racks which clip into the shelving units.

I was about to write that you're having a charmed week, but I subsequently came across this:


The engine blew up in my wife's car this morning, which has scuttled my workout plans (and had forced me to spend most of the day trying to buy a new car over the phone ).


Bummer. Fortunately she wasn't hurt, but having to buy a new car when you weren't (I don't think) planning to do so sure hurts.

Funny thing is... we WERE planning on buying a new car before the end of the month. Sad part is... we were going to use the Volvo as a trade-in. Good thing is... I was able to buy a car over the phone today and will pick it up from the dealership in the morning. So all's well that ends well.

Friday, January 19th
Weight 183, BF 19.7%, Sleep 5hrs :(
Nutrition: 1750c, 49/27/24c/p/f, 26g F, 4081mg Na, 3L H20
Exercise: scheduled off day, make-up session from yesterday didn't happen :(

My calories were a little higher than average today because I had an Eggo cinnamon roll waffle thingy before I left the house, and a PB&J on wheat bread at 11pm (still at work)... because I wanted to. :)

Funny thing is... we WERE planning on buying a new car before the end of the month. Sad part is... we were going to use the Volvo as a trade-in. Good thing is... I was able to buy a car over the phone today and will pick it up from the dealership in the morning. So all's well that ends well.


I'm glad to read that having to buy a new car wasn't a total surprise, although it must hurt to lose out on the trade in value of the old car. You still may be able to salvage some value from it by selling it to a local mechanic or car enthusiast who will use it for parts. That's what I did four years ago when we sold our 14 year old car that no longer ran and needed at least $1200 worth of work. I only got about $500 for it from my local mechanic, but $500 ain't exactly nothing to sneeze as found money. Another alternative is to donate it to a charity that accepts used cars and you can then reap the benefit of the tax dedcution based on the book value of the car.

Saturday, January 20th
Weight 182, BF 19.9%, Sleep 5.5hrs :mad:
Nutrition: no data available
Exercise: none completed :mad:

It was the best of times... it was the worst of times.

The good: We got our new car today. On the way home, we stopped at our favorite outlet mall. I got a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor high-tops (black with flames) for $10., a pair of Reebok Classic high-tops (black) for $25., and a pretty cool inflatable kickboxing "target bag" for $20. When we got home, I started working on the home gym/home office, hanging a few of the shelves and setting up my desk/files.

The bad: Since I didn't get home from work until 1:30am, I didn't get much sleep. Then it was out the door to drive an hour to the car dealership, an hour there filling out paperwork, an hour to the outlet mall, an hour of shopping, and then an hour drive home. By then, I was too spent to do either of my scheduled workouts (run and/or bike). I'm not sure what I am going to do about that... I guess since it's my first weekend on the training schedule, it's not like I'm missing a huge and important piece of the puzzle.

The ugly: Nutritionally, I had designated breakfast today as a "reward" meal, and I got two "egg white, turkey sausage and american cheese on a bagel" sandwiches and a large coffee before we hit the road. I had not, however, planned on "twelve breaded and fried chicken wings with hot sauce and blue cheese, an order of fries, and two rootbeers" for lunch at the mall. So I'm going to call that my second "reward" meal for the week and try to keep it relatively "clean" when we go out to dinner tomorrow night (whch should have been a "reward" meal). I didn't drink much water today either, so I'm expecting the full-on bloat tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, I was supposed to take a training class at the YMCA (Sport Condtioning -- plyometrics, workout and drill theory and design, and some other stuff), but I called and withdrew since I'm behind schedule on what I need to accomplish this weekend. It would have been nice to have the knowledge (and the certification) but it's not critical to my current business focus. And spending time with my family, especially on the weekends, is always going to take priority.

We're going ice skating instead. :p

Sunday, January 21
Weight 182, BF 19.2, Sleep 4hrs
Nutrition: no data available
Exercise: none completed

Much the same as Saturday... busy busy busy. Continued to work on the home gym / home office, went ice skating with the kids, then out to dinner. Big salad with balsamic vinegar, 16oz chopped steak, two orders of steamed broccoli, and a slice of raisin bread with butter and dried fruits. Yum.

Monday, January 22
Weight 183.5 BF ???, Sleep 9hrs :sleep: :)
Nutrition: 1400c, 38/33/29c/p/f, 19g F, 2375mg Na, 3L H2O
Exercise: 30m LCbike

I was on the road all day with the magazine, but had a great day in that I accomplished about 28 of the 30 items on my "to-do" list. Lots going on (as always) but I'm going to sign off and get some sleep tnight and will catch up tomorrow. :tu:

PD, you continue to impress ;)

congrats with all of the awesome things going on in your life! I look forward to reading more about them :)

:tu:

Thanks Zoe... everything I do, I do it for you. :D

Tuesday, January 23
Weight 181.5 BF 19.2, Sleep 6hrs
Nutrition: 1450c, 33/35/32cpf, 18g F, 2450mg Na, 3L H2O
Exercise: 45m swim instruction/drills

I think I promised a catch-up post yesterday... I've been so busy that everything is kind of a blur right now. Let me poke my head up and see where I am for a minute...

1) Fitness: Well, last week was interesting. I had designated it as a "pre-season" week in my actual plan... just kind of working out some of the kinks and seeing what where I was, fitness-wise, and how much volume I could realistically handle in my training schedule. Out of ten scheduled workouts, I completed six. And three of the ones I missed were over the weekend, when things got out of my control. I can (and will) do better this week when it "counts."

2) Nutrition: Fairly good... although I'm having trouble eating enough. You would think with six meals a day, I would be able to consistantly get in more than 1500 calories, but it's been a challenge. I will say, however, that my energy levels have been good (I didn't miss one workout because I was "too tired" or "unmotivated")... I think that trying to get ample sleep is helping in that regard. If you want to look at the scale, I've lost about 6 pounds and 1% BF so far this month... which puts me on pace to hit that magical "two pounds a week, and one percent a month" number.

3) Competition: I finished my schedule for March and April, with a few "toss up" options in the mix depending on how things play out. It looks like I will be running at least once in Washington DC this spring, most likely the Cherry Blossom 10 miler on April 1st. I'll probably get a room and take the whole family down for the weekend to do some sightseeing too.

4) Education: My kickboxing certification class is tomorrow night. I'm about half way through the materials... I should be able to finish it up before I get out of here tonight, and we'll see how the class plays out. I've done nothing on my ISSA classes, but I did get an offer to become an instructor for Baby Boot Camp... still looking at the information for that.

5) Business I: I did a LOT of work on the home gym this weekend, and I will be shooting a YouTube video "tour" of it in the next few days. I have to schedule an appointment with my insurance agent, but I am anticipating that I will have the website up and begin outreach to potential clients around March 1. All my business cards, postcards, etc came in, and everything looks great. I also looked at a possible physical space last night... it's a little rough (it's a warehouse-type facility) but I could "see" my gym in there, which was exciting. I should know in the next few days if it is affordable enough to make it happen sooner rather than later.

6) Business II: Still plugging away at the online nutrition store, designing all the pages for the site and doing all the little things like typing up the nutrition information sheets and ordering the shipping supplies. I'm now looking at February 14th as a potential launch date. Due to some unforseen expenses (see below) I had to postpone my initial order of products... I hope to have better cash flow in the next few days to get that going.

7) Life: As noted earlier, we had to buy a new car this past weekend (which explains the cash flow issue). But it's all good. I am trying to make some changes in my full-time employment responsibilities which would great improve my quality of life (as well as my income)... I approached my boss about opening a "satellite" office closer to my home (which would also be closer to a few other people in the organization), and he seemed receptive to the idea. If I could eliminate the two hours I spend commuting to work each day, I could be more productive when I am in the office. At least that's what I told him. :D

OK... enough for now. It's time to eat again. :eat:

:tucool: Damn it... I just saw that the Wednesday night Kickboxing class I was planning to join at the YMCA has been cancelled. :spaz:

I'm not sure I can make it at any of the other times it's offered. :mad:

edit: my boss at the Y said I can punch in an hour late on Tuesdays and take it then. :tucool:

Wednesday, January 24
Weight 181 BF ???, Sleep 5hrs :nono:
Nutrition: 1925c, 35/37/28cpf, 23g F, 2950mg Na, 4L H2O
Exercise: 15m TMrun intervals, 30m LCbike, 60m Kickboxing

Well, I took the kickboxing certification class tonight. Two hours of classroom instruction, one hour of practical instruction (working out in a group), and a 30 minute, 50 question exam. I won't have the results for a few weeks, but I know I passed. So I will soon be an IFTA certified cardio kickboxing instructor. I want to get LOTS of practice taking the class before I even THINK about attempting to get up in front of a group and calling the moves.

ohh! exciting things are afoot :bb:

you stay pretty busy, I dont know how you manage to do it all!

Lookin forward to the home gym tour! :tucool:

Thursday, January 25
Weight 180.5 BF 19.7, Sleep 5hrs
Nutrition: 1650c, 40/32/28cpf, 22g F, 2850mg Na, 3L H2O
Exercise: 45min swim instruction/drills

I'm struggling with the swimming. I can't seem to get the hang of the breathing thing... more exactly, I'm having trouble regulating my breathing so that when my body turns to bring my face out of the water for an instant, I'm exactly ready for that gasp of air. Right now, I'm either still holding a little air (delaying my intake so I can exhale, so that when I breathe in, my face is already back in the water), or so far out of air that I end up sucking in before my mouth/nose clears the surface. In either case, I end up drinking some of the pool, which isn't good. My coach says it's going to take practice. But on the other hand, I am getting more comfortable in the water, or at least more comfortable with swimming lap after lap after lap.

Friday, January 26
Weight 180.5 BF 19.1, Sleep 6hrs
Nutrition: no data available
Exercise: scheduled off day

I ate mostly according to plan yesterday, although I did take a reward meal last night and ate two slices of pizza (plus the crusts that the kids didn't eat) so I don't have exact numbers to report. As expected, I had a little bit of "bloat weight" this morning, but the pizza was good. :D

For the second week in a row, I missed my running workout on Thursday, planned to make it up on Friday, and didn't. :mad: Hopefully I will be able to complete all my workouts this weekend and be able to report a better ratio of success against plan than I did last week.

Saturday, January 27
Weight 182 BF 19.7, Sleep 11hrs :D
Nutrition: 2025c, 36/31/33cpf, 22g F, 3375mg Na, 4L H2O
Exercise: 70min LCBike, 3mi run 24.09

Good day today. Lots of sleep last night, got up this morning and rode the LifeCycle for 25 miles. Went for a run outside in the afternoon since the weather was decent and kept a healthy pace over my usual course. Eating was on plan, except I finished up the remains of the kids' Happy Meals at dinner (which I included in my nutrition totals for the day). I'm not going to beat myself up over a couple McNuggets and a mouthful of fries though... :lol:

OK... with two weeks of progress under my belt (pardon the pun), it's time for a status report. If you read Johnny Fitness' daily update today, you'll see he's going about his cut the same way I am... with careful tracking of every possible variable to insure success.

The way I track my numbers is to take my "vitals" every day (scale weight and body fat), and then average them to provide a weekly number, which I consider to be my "reality" for that week. This allows for a truer snapshot of the data, IMO, because it accounts for fluctuations from day to day (both mechanical and physical).

My weekly numbers for Week 1 (Jan 15-21) were 183.6 and 20.0%, accounting for 146.91 lbs of lean mass and 36.73 lbs of fat.

My weekly numbers for Week 2 (Jan 22-28) were 181.4 and 19.4%, accounting for 146.16 lbs of lean mass and 35.27 lbs of fat.

Therefore, my net loss this week was 2.2 lbs and .6% BF, resulting in a loss of 1.46 lbs of fat and only .76 lbs of lean mass.

This is right in the "zone" I mentioned earlier, targeting 2lbs and .5% BF loss per week. And to make things even better, I'm doing a good job of completing my workouts, I'm not feeling "deprived" with my daily diet, and my mood and energy level has been good. Hell, I even got 10+ hours of sleep for the past two nights!

Well, that's the "state of the stats" for this week... see ya next time!

Thursday, January 25
Weight 180.5 BF 19.7, Sleep 5hrs
Nutrition: 1650c, 40/32/28cpf, 22g F, 2850mg Na, 3L H2O
Exercise: 45min swim instruction/drills

I'm struggling with the swimming. I can't seem to get the hang of the breathing thing... more exactly, I'm having trouble regulating my breathing so that when my body turns to bring my face out of the water for an instant, I'm exactly ready for that gasp of air. Right now, I'm either still holding a little air (delaying my intake so I can exhale, so that when I breathe in, my face is already back in the water), or so far out of air that I end up sucking in before my mouth/nose clears the surface. In either case, I end up drinking some of the pool, which isn't good. My coach says it's going to take practice. But on the other hand, I am getting more comfortable in the water, or at least more comfortable with swimming lap after lap after lap.

As always Phil, impressed with how busy you keep yourself and how you manage to maintain sanity.

I can offer one tip on breathing in the pool - it may be wrong, backwards or whatever, but it works for me: I let out little spurts of air every second or so and with a little time in the pool, I know how many 'spurts' between breaths (I breathe everyother stroke always off the right side). This way, (for me) there isn't a large amount of air to expell just prior to the next breathe or worse, only able to take a half breath due to not having expelled all of my air.

Does that make sense?

Saturday, January 27
Weight 182 BF 19.7, Sleep 11hrs :D
Nutrition: 2025c, 36/31/33cpf, 22g F, 3375mg Na, 4L H2O
Is there a particular reason you're tracking your sodium intake? Do you consider your intake to be about the same, or higher than the average American? Recommendations (http://www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter8.htm) are for less than 2300 mg per day, and I noticed you sometimes get twice that much.

Therefore, my net loss this week was 2.2 lbs and .6% BF, resulting in a loss of 1.46 lbs of fat and only .76 lbs of lean mass.

This is right in the "zone" I mentioned earlier, targeting 2lbs and .5% BF loss per week. And to make things even better, I'm doing a good job of completing my workouts, I'm not feeling "deprived" with my daily diet, and my mood and energy level has been good. Hell, I even got 10+ hours of sleep for the past two nights!

Well, that's the "state of the stats" for this week... see ya next time!
:bow:

Does that make sense?

Absolutely it does... and that's where I am struggling. I even mentioned it to my coach... it's the breath control. Knowing how much to take in and how much to let out. Well, that and the fact that in the past, I've always turned and raised my head during the breath, and now she's asking me to eliminate the head raise and focus more on rolling my whole body instead of just turning my head. It's going to take more practice... as she said to me the other day, "You've only been in the water three or four times." I just get impatient because I know what I SHOULD be doing... it's convincing my body to do it that's the problem.

Is there a particular reason you're tracking your sodium intake? Do you consider your intake to be about the same, or higher than the average American? Recommendations (http://www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter8.htm) are for less than 2300 mg per day, and I noticed you sometimes get twice that much.

I'm aware of the guidelines, and I'm making a conscious effort to get closer to those numbers, especially with my "standard" daily diet. A lot of my sodium is coming from condiments... for example, I like to use hot sauce and/or barbeque sauce. Some brands are loaded with it and some have hardly any. So I'm making adjustments as I restock the pantry. On the other hand, it seems that seafood has a naturally high sodium content, so I have been substituting chicken for fish and shrimp in many of my meals. I'm not sure what to do about that. I guess that, given the high levels of cardio in my daily routine, a little extra sodium isn't a terrible thing. But it's still something to keep an eye on.

Sunday, January 28
Weight 181 BF 19.3, Sleep 10hrs
Nutrition: no data available
Exercise: 9.25mi run 94.00

Another good day to round out a good weekend.

Today I was scheduled for a 90 minute run. Temps in the mid-afternoon were in the high 30's, and we had intermittent snow flurries. Perfect for a nice long jog around the neighborhood, so out the door I went. Actually, I tried something new... I strapped on a hydration pack for the first time since I started running two years ago. I had one in the garage (left over from my cycling days) and figured "Why not?" It didn't give me any problems, I barely noticed it when I was running, and it sure was handy to be able to take a sip of water now and then.

Another thing I did differently (and have been doing for the past week) was to wear my heart rate monitor. I used to train with the HRM all the time, and then I moved away from it for some reason. But with my higher workload these days, I decided to bring it back so that I can better gauge my effort. And the two runs this weekend showed why it's a good tool to have.

Yesterday's three mile run was done almost exclusively in the anaerobic zone... I kept my heart rate in the 160-175 range for 24 minutes. Today, I focused on keeping it down in the aerobic zone... between 140 and 155. I let the HRM dictate my speed, and it kept me at a nice pace of ten minutes a mile.

I basically just wandered around the neighborhood, having an AccelGel at the 45 minute mark, and timed it so that I arrived back at my house in 94 minutes, covering 9.25 miles. If you want to see my route, you can click on the following link: http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/united-states/pa/morton/229166139. I've pasted the elevation map below.

Tell you the truth... it was a pretty nice run with the snow flurries and all. I ran through a couple scenic parks and near a few frozen lakes (which is why I called it the "Parks and Lakes" run), and passed within sight of every house I've ever lived in when I was growing up here in the suburbs (five in all), which brought back a lot of good memories from my youth. I'm glad I did it instead of just jumping on the treadmill.

Nutritionally, it was a mostly clean day. The reason I didn't finish calculating my intake was because I had a staff meeting at the YMCA, and while I had a grilled chicken breast and a salad with only balsamic vinegar, I did indulge in a small chocolate chip cookie and two 1" square brownie bites. According to my calculations, I burned 1175 calories on the run, so I'm entitled. Back on the wagon tomorrow!

I ended up completing nine of eleven scheduled workouts last week.

Of the two I missed, one was a Pilates class, which doesn't really mesh well with my schedule. Since it is an auxiliary class (not necessary for my event-focused training), I'm going to drop it from the roster for the time being. When I get closer to taking my Pilates certification class to become an instructor, I will start it again.

The second workout I missed was my Thursday run. I'm not sure if I am just in need of a little more rest by that point in the week, or if it's a scheduling problem, but I need to make sure I do that one every week.

I'm also "on the fence" about the kickboxing classes. As I previously mentioned, the Wednesday night class I was planning to take was cancelled, and the only other options are Tuesday and Thursday. I already have two workouts (a swim and a run) on those days, so I'm leery of adding them in. Again, since they are not critical to my current needs, I think I'm going to opt out for now.

I'm going to start taking the Group Power weight training classes on Mondays and Wednesdays at lunch time, however, as I think they will be helpful in maintaining muscle mass and provide a balance to all the cardio-based workouts I'm currently doing. Today's my first one... we'll see how it goes.

PD do you manage to more or less retain your muscle mass when you are doing all your cardio training? do you generally aim for a couple of weights sessions per week?

I'm notoriously bad about sticking to a weight training routine. My best hope is to get into a groove when I'm doing it on a regular basis, but when push comes to shove, weight training is the first thing which gets dropped from the equation.

I'm going to change that this year. The Group Power class might be just the ticket. It was challenging enough to keep me interested, it's something I'd like to be certified to teach at some point in the future, and it's convenient to my current schedule (the class is 45 minutes on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:15pm to 1pm).

I'm hoping to maximize my fat loss in 2007, and I feel that keeping as much muscle as possible will accelerate that process. My lower body far outperforms my upper body in terms of muscle mass and abilities. In fact, I am working with one of the head trainers at the YMCA to put together an upper body workout schedule which will allow me to work towards a very specific goal:

I'd like to be able to bench press my body weight for high reps. I think it's an interesting idea to pursue, and there is actually a competition called a "Pump and Run" where you bench in such a style and then run a 5k, with the number of reps you are able to complete reducing your net time in the race. I could possibly be very good at something like that. But I have to lift weights on a consistant basis. Today was a good start.

I'd like to be able to bench press my body weight for high reps. I think it's an interesting idea to pursue, and there is actually a competition called a "Pump and Run" where you bench in such a style and then run a 5k, with the number of reps you are able to complete reducing your net time in the race. I could possibly be very good at something like that. But I have to lift weights on a consistant basis. Today was a good start.
That sounds like the competition for me! Dang I wish they had one of those around here. Do you know by what time your overall time is reduced in the 5k?

BTW, nice job on that 9.25 mile run :claplow:. You were certainly entitled to those cookies and brownies :eat:.

That sounds like the competition for me! Dang I wish they had one of those around here. Do you know by what time your overall time is reduced in the 5k?

BTW, nice job on that 9.25 mile run :claplow:. You were certainly entitled to those cookies and brownies :eat:.

Thanks Big D... although I didn't have THAT much in the way of cookies and brownies... just a taste really.

Here's a link that shows the way the Pump and Run works:

http://www.arnoldsportsfestival.com/g_5k.asp

Absolutely it does... and that's where I am struggling. I even mentioned it to my coach... it's the breath control. Knowing how much to take in and how much to let out. Well, that and the fact that in the past, I've always turned and raised my head during the breath, and now she's asking me to eliminate the head raise and focus more on rolling my whole body instead of just turning my head. It's going to take more practice... as she said to me the other day, "You've only been in the water three or four times." I just get impatient because I know what I SHOULD be doing... it's convincing my body to do it that's the problem.
What kind of drills is your coach having you do?

Here's a couple (a progression) that might help with your rotation problem:

1. Barrel Rolls. Lie on your back with your arms above you in the streamline position, using a flutter kick. Without using your arms or legs, torque your hips so that you roll over onto your front. Kick a few seconds, and then do the same to get back on your back. Breathe each time you're on your back. Work on rolling in either direction.

2. Side Rolls. Start on your side with your bottom arm extended above you, using a flutter kick. Your top arm should be at your side in line with your body and your head should be face down in the water. Roll to the other side with your hips as you did in the barrel roll. However, to begin the rotation, pull your bottom arm under you as you throw the top arm over you as if you're doing a front crawl stroke. To breathe, twist your head up when you're in the side half-streamlined position.

3. Catch-up Stroke. Swim a front crawl as normal, but don't start your pull until both arms are extended in front of you i.e. streamline position, stroke, streamline, stroke, streamline, etc.

You can also get a pull buoy (http://www.goswim.tv/pMachinePro/images/uploads/images/pullbuoys.jpg) and put it between your ankles so that you only use your upper body to swim. The legs become dead weight and it's easier to focus on the hip roll since you can't use your kick to help you twist.

Once you get the "roll" down, breathing is a cinch. However, once you got your technique down, you can try breath control drills -- i.e. breath every 3rd stroke, every 5th stroke, or every 3rd then 5th stroke, etc. We used to do a ton of these in the long aerobic sections of our practices.

Remember to stay relaxed and efficient as you're swimming. Don't use more energy than you need to. I always liked to pretend I was a fish.

I always liked to pretend I was a fish.


And for some reason, I bet THIS (http://www.amazon.com/Rainbow-Fish-Marcus-Pfister/dp/1558580093) is the fish you pretended to be. :lol:

Seriously, thanks for the advice and the drills. I will be sure to try some of those this week. I'm finding that I am concentrating so much on getting the roll and breathing right, I end up dropping my kick altogether at that instant, compounding the problem (no kick, body sinks, harder to get face out of water, inhale water, repeat).

Ahh, glad I clicked on this thread.. I've been in need of some swim advice lately.. I turn into a complete chump once I hit the water. my breath cycling is terrible, I have to raise my head substantially and it kills my stroke and causes legs to sink.. I need to practice rolling to the side, and yes, it is really frustrating knowing what to do but still having trouble perfecting it.

I'd like to be able to bench press my body weight for high reps. I think it's an interesting idea to pursue, and there is actually a competition called a "Pump and Run" where you bench in such a style and then run a 5k, with the number of reps you are able to complete reducing your net time in the race. I could possibly be very good at something like that. But I have to lift weights on a consistant basis. Today was a good start.

Sounds like fun! Keep us posted. Have you ever looked into body weight training a la "Combat Conditioning" and the Matt Furey marketing machine?

Jeremy

Sounds like fun! Keep us posted. Have you ever looked into body weight training a la "Combat Conditioning" and the Matt Furey marketing machine?

Jeremy

I've looked at it a little... not in any depth though. Maybe I will see if I can borrow the books from Justitia and do some light reading when I get a spare moment (:lol: spare moment :lol:)

Last year I read the book Total Immersion (http://www.totalimmersion.net/) and I thought it had really good descriptions and drills for people who *hadn't* been learning how to swim from the time they could walk. Plus some good suggestions for people who had been swimming forever. :whistle: The audience is mainly adult learners and triathletes who are less experienced with swimming.

At any rate, a coach is probably way better than reading anyhow. Don't forget how long it takes kids to get the breathing part of swimming right! Kids usually take swimming lessons for a while before they get it all put together.:nod:

Monday, January 29
Weight 181 BF 19.6, Sleep 8hrs
Nutrition: 1750c, 31/38/31cpf, 18g F, 3000mg Na, 5L H2O
Exercise: 45min Group Power weight training, 30min LCbike

In case anyone is interested, here is a site with info about the Group Power classes I'm taking at the YMCA. Quantum Fitness (http://www.quantumfitness.ca/programs/power.asp)

Swim day. I'd say I achieved about 1% improvement on my stroke, which brings me up to 5% proficiency. That means for every twenty times I take a breath, I get it right once. But I'm not resting on the bottom of the pool right now, so I'll take that as a plus.

I didn't do any drills today... I just swam intervals and concentrated on trying to breathe correctly. Here's what the 30 minute workout looked like:

50m @ 1.00 (warmup)
200m @ 3.00 (2mR)
100m @ 1.18 (1mR)
100m @ 1.24 (1mR)
100m @ 1.26 (1mR)
100m @ 1.24 (1mR)
100m @ 1.26 (1mR)
100m @ 1.28 (2mR)
200m @ 3.12 (2mR)
200m @ 3.15 (done)
Total: 1250m

Next time I'm wearing my heart rate monitor. I'm certain I'm pegging that puppy too often.

I'm notoriously bad about sticking to a weight training routine. My best hope is to get into a groove when I'm doing it on a regular basis, but when push comes to shove, weight training is the first thing which gets dropped from the equation.

I'm going to change that this year. The Group Power class might be just the ticket. It was challenging enough to keep me interested, it's something I'd like to be certified to teach at some point in the future, and it's convenient to my current schedule (the class is 45 minutes on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:15pm to 1pm).

I'm hoping to maximize my fat loss in 2007, and I feel that keeping as much muscle as possible will accelerate that process. My lower body far outperforms my upper body in terms of muscle mass and abilities. In fact, I am working with one of the head trainers at the YMCA to put together an upper body workout schedule which will allow me to work towards a very specific goal:

I'd like to be able to bench press my body weight for high reps. I think it's an interesting idea to pursue, and there is actually a competition called a "Pump and Run" where you bench in such a style and then run a 5k, with the number of reps you are able to complete reducing your net time in the race. I could possibly be very good at something like that. But I have to lift weights on a consistant basis. Today was a good start.


Yep maybe your group power class will help you keep more regular :) I love the idea of "pump and run" is it open to women too? I have managed to keep enough weights int he programme that it sure looks like i work out my upper body... i am also aiming on some fat loss this year for aesthetics and running:D let us know how the class goes, I have tried a similar class here and tho its slightly higher reps and lower wts it was a very good workout! are you training for a tri right now?

are you training for a tri right now?

Yes, I'm training for my first (and last) triathlon on Memorial Day weekend (end of May). The swim is a mile, from the Statue of Liberty to Lower Manhattan (near the World Trade Center site). The bike is around 90 miles, basically the distance from New York City to Philadelphia. The run is a 10k in Philadelphia. If I can get through the swim, I'll be fine.

Tuesday, January 30
Weight 180.5 BF 18.9, Sleep 3hrs :bang:
Nutrition: 1730c, 32/38/30cpf, 16g F, 2450mg Na, 4L H2O
Exercise: 30min swim intervals, 20min TMrun intervals

I added five minutes to my run interval workout tonight. I think this is my most difficult workout of the week. The full workout is supposed to be 40 minutes, so I'm half way there. Once you can complete the entire thing, you adjust the mile pace and start over again. Very sneaky, it is.

If anyone is good with Excel and wants to take a shot at writing the formulas to have it calculate automatically, I'd be glad to share the interval program... but right now, I have it set to my personal parameters (which I calculated by using the actual treadmill to determine speeds). PM me and I'll send you the file.

I also worked out some daily nutrition averages tonight.

week of 1.15 - 1535cal, 45%c/30%p/21%f, 22.8g F, 3931mg Na
week of 1.22 - 1725cal, 36%c/33%p/31%f, 20.8g F, 2800mg Na

These were calculated from five days of complete data ("reward meal" days were not included). A couple things to watch there (increase in fat, decrease in fiber) and a couple good things to note (increase in protein, decrease in sodium). Again, it's all about the tubes and wires and complicated notes and antiquated notions... Science!

Oh yeah... about the sleep thing. I got myself hooked into watching the First Blood movies last night and forced myself to turn off the DVD player at 3:30am. Damn you, John Rambo!

Wednesday, January 31
Weight 178.5 BF 18.8, Sleep 8hrs
Nutrition: 2051c, 42/29/29c/p/f, 21g F, 4675g Na :spaz: 4L H2O
Exercise: 45 min Group Power weight training

The Group Power class is really working out well. I'm going to keep taking it until my boss at the gym works out the sport specific training program I need for the JSF "Ultimate Challenge (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=34002)" competition. :bb:

I ate fairly cleanly yesterday, with one glitch in the program. I didn't have time to make a new batch of ProOatmeal (I make six days worth at a time) since I was so tired from the Ramboathon on Monday night, and since I was running late, I decided to stop and pick up a coffee and a breakfast sandwich from my local convenience store (Wawa). I got an Egg White, Turkey Sausage, and American Cheese on a Plain Bagel, figuring that was the best choice available, and that I would get the nutrition info from the website when I got to work and tweak the rest of my day from there. WELL... since it is a newer item, the website doesn't have the nutrition info listed yet... :mad: I sent them a nasty e-mail :evil: but I haven't heard back yet. I can still go back and update my spreadsheet by the end of the week, however, if they send me the breakdowns... the rest of my day was on plan, so I won't be totally out of the acceptable ranges. But if I don't get it, that means I don't get one of my two "reward meals" this weekend.

EDIT: Got the nutrition info and added daily totals to post.

My workout schedule is tweaked for the rest of the week. I didn't get on the LifeCycle last night as I had planned, but that's OK since it's right there in my house and I can do it any time between now and Sunday. I have a lunch meeting today (I was told the place has a salad bar, and I'm sure they have a grilled chicken breast) so my second swim workout this week will not happen (unless I can slip out tomorrow at lunchtime). It sometimes seems like I'm always juggling something, but in the long run, it's the consistancy of getting it done, day in and day out, that is producing results. :tucool:

it's the consistancy of getting it done, day in and day out, that is producing results. :tucool:

True, true, true.

Lunch was awesome... no need to fear. They had a buffet (! :eek: !) with three hot entrees: grilled chicken with broccoli rabe and mushrooms, grilled salmon with tomatoes and red onions, and sausage and peppers over ziti. I helped myself liberally to the first two entrees, which were surprisingly "clean" in the preparation (no fat-laden sauces or gravies) and quite tasty. I probably had six ounces of chicken and six ounces of salmon... and none of the ziti and sausage, although it looked really tasty too. A small salad and a nice serving of steamed mixed veggies (mostly green beans and carrots) rounded out the meal.

Thursday, February 1
Weight 179.5 BF 18.4, Sleep 6hrs
Nutrition: no data available
Exercise: none completed

Things ran late at work tonight, so I didn't get over to the YMCA to do my run. Since I also missed my swim at lunch, I decided to make today my scheduled "off" day, and will do today's workouts tomorrow. I also penciled in the missed bike session for Sunday morning, so I will be able to get all of my workouts in.

Given that I had lunch "out" I don't have any data for that meal, but I did eat according to plan for the rest of the day, and while I didn't go overboard at lunch, I'm going to call that my second "reward" meal for the week.

That means I will be eating "on plan" all weekend, but that's fine. Weekends are the most important days of the week, IMO, and deserve to be treated as such, so if that means I need to stay strict with my diet (and complete my workouts), that's what I will do.

Thank you for your interest in Team Polar and for taking the time to apply for sponsorship. This year, we received an overwhelming number of applications from highly qualified athletes across the world. As a result, the selection process was extremely difficult and we were forced to pass on many extremely talented athletes. Unfortunately, your application was among those that did not make the final cut.

In addition to reviewing previous race performance, technical ability, and current race schedules, we were also limited to selecting athletes from specific markets in the U.S. This may be a key factor in explaining why your application was not selected this year.

Thanks again for your interest in Team Polar and good luck this season!

:cry:

Fuggitaboutit! You're better off as part of Team JSF anyways. :tu:



(Actually, that would've been cool. But with the year you've got ahead of you, you'll probably have sponsors knocking down your door, anyways).

Thursday, February 1
Weight 179.5 BF 18.4, Sleep 6hrs
Nutrition: no data available
Exercise: none completed

Things ran late at work tonight, so I didn't get over to the YMCA to do my run. Since I also missed my swim at lunch, I decided to make today my scheduled "off" day, and will do today's workouts tomorrow. I also penciled in the missed bike session for Sunday morning, so I will be able to get all of my workouts in.

Given that I had lunch "out" I don't have any data for that meal, but I did eat according to plan for the rest of the day, and while I didn't go overboard at lunch, I'm going to call that my second "reward" meal for the week.

That means I will be eating "on plan" all weekend, but that's fine. Weekends are the most important days of the week, IMO, and deserve to be treated as such, so if that means I need to stay strict with my diet (and complete my workouts), that's what I will do.

With the chaoticness of the past few months there have been a few times where I've done a similar thing and switched my normal rest day of Thursday to Wednesday. IMHO, it's perfectly legit. As you previously wrote, it's the consistency of following the process that yields the results that we seek. I'm also in full agreement with you about the weekends, if I properly understand what you're meaning. To me those days are the most important because they often offer the biggest and most compelling temptations to undermining my progress..

Thank you for your interest in Team Polar and for taking the time to apply for sponsorship. This year, we received an overwhelming number of applications from highly qualified athletes across the world. As a result, the selection process was extremely difficult and we were forced to pass on many extremely talented athletes. Unfortunately, your application was among those that did not make the final cut.

In addition to reviewing previous race performance, technical ability, and current race schedules, we were also limited to selecting athletes from specific markets in the U.S. This may be a key factor in explaining why your application was not selected this year.

Thanks again for your interest in Team Polar and good luck this season!

:cry:

I'm sorry to read about their decision. Rejection, for whatever reason, is never enjoyable, but don't let this corporate decision color your outlook about your goals.

Thanks for the good words, guys... they're all just bastard people, and I'm going to go home and bite my pillow and cry. :lol:

Swim day today. I did a little more than I did earlier in the week, extending my longest interval to 300 meters and my total distance to 1500 meters. I talked to my swim coach, and we decided that if my form is not perfect, it's really not that big of an issue, since I will be swimming to finish, not to win... that and the fact that there will be people kicking me in the head while I'm swimming anyway, so if my breathing isn't 100% textbook, it won't matter. That took some of the pressure off, and allowed me to focus more on getting power from my upper body strokes and keeping my kick steady and strong.

50m@ 1.00 (warm-up)
100m @ 1.18 (1mR)
200m @ 2.52 (2mR)
100m @ 1.13 (1mR)
300m @ 4.35 (2mR)
100m @ 1.19 (1mR)
200m @ 3.02 (2mR)
100m @ 1.24 (1mR)
200m @ 3.06 (2mR)
100m @ 1.26(1mR)
50m @ 1.00 (cool-down)

total workout time: 35mins total swimming time: 20mins

p.s. I got an e-mail with the nutrition information for the breakfast sandwich from Wednesday. I'm going back to update that journal entry with the daily totals.

that and the fact that there will be people kicking me in the head while I'm swimming anyway

You are just going to have to swim faster so that the only people getting kicked in the head are the people behind you. That or wear a helmet.

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/5730/waterfm9.jpg

Friday, February 2
Weight 179.5 BF 18.3, Sleep 6hrs
Nutrition: 1825c, 42/35/22c/p/f, 22g F, 3275g Na 4L H2O
Exercise: 35min swim intervals, 30min TMrun @ 9.00 pace

I took a break around 9pm from the office and walked over to the Y to get a quick run in. I guess I've proven to myself that I can indeed get in two workouts on the day I put the magazine out.

Somehow I mispacked my food this morning, so I had to go to Subway for dinner. :doh: :D Mmmm... Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki. :drool:

PD what does your weekly training schedule lok like at the moment?:)

PD what does your weekly training schedule lok like at the moment?:)

As a basic structure:

Monday - short bike (30min), Group Power weight training (45min)
Tuesday - swim intervals (30min), run intervals (30min)
Wednesday - medium bike (45min), Group Power weight training (45min)
Thursday - swim intervals (30min), medium run (45min)
Friday - off
Saturday - long bike (60+min), 5k run (pace)
Sunday - long run (60+min)

My race season starts with a five mile event on February 25th.
My first major race is a half marathon on March 11th. I'll be ready. :nod:

Saturday, February 3
Weight 179.5, BF 19%, Sleep 6hrs
Nutrition: 1925c, 41/29/30c/p/f, 23.5g F, 3550mg Na, 6L H2O
Exercise: 85min LCbike (30mi)

A pretty crappy food day. I was out with the kids all afternoon, so I ended up eating two protein bars and half of my younger son's dinner from Arby's. Note to self: There is nothing decent to eat at Arby's. But comparatively, I think I salvaged a decent day out of bad options. At least I drank a lot of water, and managed to get the longer of my two planned workouts in.

How's it going dude?? Sorry to hear about the Polar... I third the other sentiments.. every thing happens for a reason - I think a bigger sponsor will be coming to your door very soon :)

Yea, there's no good alternatives at Arby's.. :( I don't even recall if they even have salads available.

It's going to be fun watching your year and getting to run with you this year!!!

As a basic structure:

Monday - short bike (30min), Group Power weight training (45min)
Tuesday - swim intervals (30min), run intervals (30min)
Wednesday - medium bike (45min), Group Power weight training (45min)
Thursday - swim intervals (30min), medium run (45min)
Friday - off
Saturday - long bike (60+min), 5k run (pace)
Sunday - long run (60+min)

My race season starts with a five mile event on February 25th.
My first major race is a half marathon on March 11th. I'll be ready. :nod:

THis is serious training:) Just done my first half, it was a blast !

How's it going dude??

Yea, there's no good alternatives at Arby's.. :( I don't even recall if they even have salads available.

It's going to be fun getting to run with you this year!!!

Hey... I was just thining about you the other day... wondering where you had gotten to. Are you planning on doing the half in Columbus? I need to check in with Bmac and see if he's also planning that race... I was almost thinking I might blow it off (since I added another half in the spring that I wasn't planning on) but if I know you are training for it, then I won't let you down.

THis is serious training:) Just done my first half, it was a blast !

It sure does feel like serious training... and the volume only increases as I get closer to my goals. But that's the way it is supposed to be. :p

I have been negligent in keeping up with a lot of the journals here... I will make sure to pop over to read your race report! Congrats! :claplow:

Week 1- 183.6, 20.0%
Week 2 - 181.4, 19.4%
Week 3 - 179.4, 18.8%

That's another 2lbs and .6% BF lost this week... right on the money. :guitar:

Interesting to note that the composition of the weight lost went from 1.46lbs fat and 0.76lbs lean mass last week to 1.54lbs fat and only 0.46lbs lean mass this week. I think that is a result of more protein consumption (I will check that stat when I complete today's nutrition record and get a week-to-week comparison) and the addition of the two days of weight training each week.

Hey... I was just thining about you the other day... wondering where you had gotten to. Are you planning on doing the half in Columbus? I need to check in with Bmac and see if he's also planning that race... I was almost thinking I might blow it off (since I added another half in the spring that I wasn't planning on) but if I know you are training for it, then I won't let you down.

How about a compromise?? Oct. 15th 1/2 marathon?? I haven't seen your schedule so, I don't know if you were planning that one or not? Life has been hectic, it's just now settling down before it picks up again with school work. :mad:

How about a compromise?? Oct. 15th 1/2 marathon?? I haven't seen your schedule so, I don't know if you were planning that one or not? Life has been hectic, it's just now settling down before it picks up again with school work. :mad:

My race schedule is already completed for majors in the fall... and I've got something on my dance card for October 13-14th weekend. I haven't given up on the idea of coming out to Columbus in April though... they have a 5K in case you don't think a half is in your grasp... although I would say you still have enough time to train for it.

Sunday, February 4
Weight 177.5, BF 18.6%, Sleep 6hrs
Nutrition: 1795c, 48/26/26c/p/f, 22.5g F, 3575mg Na, 6L H2O
Exercise: 9.25mi run 89.00, 30min LCbike

Notes on the day:

Bundled up against the 25 degree temparatures today and got in a nice run (the same 9.25 mile route as last week). Shaved five full minutes off last week's time, and cut my pace to a 9.37 mile, mostly by keeping my heart rate around 155bpm (last week I tried to keep it around 145). I still didn't feel "winded" for most of the run, so I think I will try and ratchet it up a little higher next weekend.

During the second half of the Super Bowl, I cranked out a hard 30 minutes on the LifeCycle. I never let my cadence drop below 90, and pushed 100 for most of the time (at level 5, no less). I also avoided the temptation to say "screw it all" and have some beers and wings and chips (although the thought did cross my mind).

In fact, I only took one "unaccounted" meal this week, and that was the restaurant meal on Thursday, which wasn't really that bad. I raised my weekly intake an average of 140 calories from last week... and still met my weight loss and fat loss goals. So I'm going to hold it there for another week and see what happens. My guess... more good things.

Are you planning on doing the half in Columbus? I need to check in with Bmac and see if he's also planning that race...

I will be there with my running team. I've debated whether to do the 5k or half. My original thought was the 5k so I could see you finish since you planned on running WAY fast for me. Now I'm training as if I'm running the half. I just have to decide what I am doing about 3 weeks later at the Flying Pig in Cincy. You've proven to me that its possible...I could possibly do 2 halfs within 2-3 weeks of each other. (You did them on back to back days for Pete's sake!!) It would be really stretching it for me. Don't feel obligated to come all that way for me. I'll be there regardless.;) And I'll be doing the half in October as well, Jon. Get to work!

Great job on all fronts, Phil. I haven't been posting much in here - but I've been following closely.

-bmac

Sunday, February 4
Weight 177.5, BF 18.6%, Sleep 6hrs
Nutrition: 1795c, 48/26/26c/p/f, 22.5g F, 3575mg Na, 6L H2O
Exercise: 9.25mi run 89.00, 30min LCbike

Notes on the day:

Bundled up against the 25 degree temparatures today and got in a nice run (the same 9.25 mile route as last week). Shaved five full minutes off last week's time, and cut my pace to a 9.37 mile, mostly by keeping my heart rate around 155bpm (last week I tried to keep it around 145). I still didn't feel "winded" for most of the run, so I think I will try and ratchet it up a little higher next weekend.

During the second half of the Super Bowl, I cranked out a hard 30 minutes on the LifeCycle. I never let my cadence drop below 90, and pushed 100 for most of the time (at level 5, no less). I also avoided the temptation to say "screw it all" and have some beers and wings and chips (although the thought did cross my mind).

In fact, I only took one "unaccounted" meal this week, and that was the restaurant meal on Thursday, which wasn't really that bad. I raised my weekly intake an average of 140 calories from last week... and still met my weight loss and fat loss goals. So I'm going to hold it there for another week and see what happens. My guess... more good things.


Hi Phil, it's motivating to read about your exploits and future plans and to watch your progress as you move closer to your goals. Keep up the great work!

Week 1- 183.6, 20.0%
Week 2 - 181.4, 19.4%
Week 3 - 179.4, 18.8%

That's another 2lbs and .6% BF lost this week... right on the money. :guitar:

Interesting to note that the composition of the weight lost went from 1.46lbs fat and 0.76lbs lean mass last week to 1.54lbs fat and only 0.46lbs lean mass this week. I think that is a result of more protein consumption (I will check that stat when I complete today's nutrition record and get a week-to-week comparison) and the addition of the two days of weight training each week.

Are you going for pretty rapid loss Phil hence the low calories? is this to get you to a racing weight?

Are you going for pretty rapid loss Phil hence the low calories? is this to get you to a racing weight?

I'm trying to maximize my efforts right now, yes. I also had some metabolic testing done late last year which put me at around 2450 calories a day for "maintenance" mode, so in theory, 1950 a day would drop me a pound a week. Last week I averaged 1850 a day.

I figure that my training schedule right now is good for another 3500 calories (or a pound) a week, so there's the target number of two pounds per week of overall weight loss. And by doing most of my "base miles" in the theoretical "fat burning" zone (50-65% MHR), I'm losing the majority of those two pounds in the right places.

I will probably recalculate my intake and exertion at the end of February, or sooner if I stop making the desired progress.

I'm trying to maximize my efforts right now, yes. I also had some metabolic testing done late last year which put me at around 2450 calories a day for "maintenance" mode, so in theory, 1950 a day would drop me a pound a week. Last week I averaged 1850 a day.

I figure that my training schedule right now is good for another 3500 calories (or a pound) a week, so there's the target number of two pounds per week of overall weight loss. And by doing most of my "base miles" in the theoretical "fat burning" zone (50-65% MHR), I'm losing the majority of those two pounds in the right places.

I will probably recalculate my intake and exertion at the end of February, or sooner if I stop making the desired progress.

Good stuff your calculations seem spot on. I am hoping to finally get a metabolic testing done in about three weeks. I use dietpower and do like it but it puts my maintenance metabolism anywhere between 1100 and 1500 and I don't think this is accurate, but we shall see then, like you, I can do some very accurate calculations :)

Monday, February 5
Weight 179, BF 18.9%, Sleep 6hrs
Nutrition: no data available
Exercise: no workouts completed

I was supposed to do a short cycling workout yesterday (I can't do Group Power every other Monday since I am on the road making magazine deliveries). I ended up working at the Y until 9pm (I just picked up eight new clients, and I'm trying to get them all set up on their programs) and was too tired when I got home to do it. Plus, I had other plans... :evil:

I hadn't really taken a proper "cheat" meal since I started tracking on January 15th. And after long and careful deliberation, I had decided on what I would have when I was ready to have it. I had lunch with a friend in the city while I was on the road, and I had a nice cobb salad, which was mostly "clean," but I didn't have the data, so I was already calling it a "unaccounted" day. So I said, "What the heck?" and had my cheat meal last night at 10pm.

Fried Chicken with Waffles and Cinnamon Rolls with Butter. :drool: :eat:

For the record, I used sugar-free syrup and low-fat waffles. But the chicken was fried, and I ate the whole half chicken... skin and all.

And just so there is no confusion, the cinnamon rolls are not to be confused with cinnamon buns, which are the sticky kind covered in sugary glaze. They are more like a raisin bread, without the raisins.

So we'll chalk up Monday the 5th as a no-workout, off-plan diet kind of day. I rescheduled the workouts for later in the week, so all hope is not lost there. I'll post in a little while as to how today went.

Tuesday, February 6
Weight 180.5, BF 18.9%, Sleep 6hrs
Nutrition: 1750c, 39/33/29c/p/f, 23.5g F, 3115mg Na, 5L H2O
Exercise: no workouts completed

Another day on the road meant another rescheduled set of workouts. :mad: As a result, my stats haven't been changing because the workouts are a key component in the equation. On the good side, it was an excellent day nutritionally, so at least I'm back on the program with that. Swimming today at lunchtime and some interval running on the treadmill tonight.

I'm about seven days away from officially "opening the doors" of my online business. I placed my first order with the supplier yesterday, so there's really not much stopping me from getting things underway. I just need to finish up the product descriptions and make some finishing touches to the way the site looks, and then put it through a round of testing to make sure everything works correctly. Good stuff.

I'm about seven days away from officially "opening the doors" of my online business. I placed my first order with the supplier yesterday, so there's really not much stopping me from getting things underway. I just need to finish up the product descriptions and make some finishing touches to the way the site looks, and then put it through a round of testing to make sure everything works correctly. Good stuff.

I apparently missed some very important posts as this is news to me. Congrats Phillydude on starting you own business. I hope it is as successful as you imagine it to be.

swim, swim, swim... just keep swimming... just keep swimming...

100m (warm-up)
100m @ 1.20 (1mR)
200m @ 2.48 (1mR)
100m @ 1.17 (1mR)
200m @ 2.57 (2mR)
400m @ 6.34 (1mR)
100m @ 1.30 (1mR)
200m @ 3.27 (1mR)
100m (cool-down)

On the 400, I actually was only supposed to go 300, but I felt like, for the first time since I started swimming, that I had gotten into a "rhythm" and I could keep going. So I did. I probably could have gone further, actually, but I didn't want to push myself too far too fast. I also tried to cut back the rest times between intervals. I think that, by the end of the workout, I was pretty much spent (as evidenced by the last 200 time). But it was an encouraging workout none the less.

Wednesday, February 7
Weight 180.5, BF 18.8%, Sleep 6hrs
Nutrition: no data available
Exercise: 30min swim intervals

Ended up going out to dinner last night to celebrate my younger son losing his first TWO teeth in the past three days. His birthday is Friday, so it was a little early treat for that too. Went to Charlie Brown's because I know I can eat reasonably well. 16oz chopped steak, steamed broccoli, and a big salad. Some dried fruit and a piece of raisin bread for dessert. Not bad, but no nutrition info for that meal, so it counts as a "reward" for this week.

Since we got home later than expected (actually, I wasn't expected home early at all, but I had a client cancel at the YMCA, which freed up my evening) I didn't get my second workout in (which was supposed to be a treadmill run). I would have done it at the Y, had I been there, but since I wasn't, I didn't.

The time was well spent, however, talking to the wife and going through the race schedule for the spring to get all my registrations in. I will NOT be running the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in Washington on April 1 as I thought, since registration closed within 24 hours of going online back in December (before I even knew the race existed)... field limit of 10,000. But everything else looks good as of right now...

Ended up going out to dinner last night to celebrate my younger son losing his first TWO teeth in the past three days. His birthday is Friday, so it was a little early treat for that too. Went to Charlie Brown's ...

What fun! I'm due for some of that action soon too. Nice workouts. With all this eatin' lightnin' you're gonna be crappin' thunder soon!

Thanks BG... 16oz of virtually raw beef makes a man... well... a man.

Run intervals today at lunch. Damn, they kill me. The full workout is supposed to be 40 minutes. I got further today than I have in the past, and I still only managed 25 minutes. The good news is that I got through the toughest interval in the whole workout (3 minutes at 125% of race pace, minutes 19-21). :spaz: The bad news is that there is three more intervals over 100% (a total of ten more minutes) in the back half of the workout to look forward to. :cry:

I talked to the folks at Children's Miracle Network, who are the beneficiaries for the Cherry Blossom race. A $250 donation gets me in. Anyone want to sponsor me?

Thursday, February 8
Weight 181.5, BF 18.8%, Sleep 8hrs
Nutrition: 1750c, 37/32/31 c/p/f, 20g F, 3250mg Na, 6L H2O
Exercise: 25min run intervals

Nothing much to report tonight... trained three clients at the YMCA. Picked up two gym-quality stability balls (the kind with the little "feet") for $10 each off CraigsList. Getting a ProForm recumbent bike this weekend from CraigsList for $40. Gotta hit the grocery store and make some food tonight to get through the weekend. That is all.

Hi kids... still here? Good. Glad to see you all again. Happy to be back.

I took a few days off... nothing drastic... but didn't track my nutrition (which was 75-80% good anyway) and didn't really do any workouts.

I think the scheduling changes earlier in the week threw me off, and I never quite recovered. I'm expecting to be right around the same weight and BF% when I calculate the weekly stats tomorrow. And I will get in my 90 minute run as planned, so I'll be back on track.

I drove down to Baltimore tonight and had dinner with M@ and IceWeasel (the latter here for a visit from Idaho). I swear, those are two tall gentlemen... M@ got a funny picture of the three of us which I am sure he will post. Nice to meet IceWeasel... and good to see M@ again. We're all planning on heading down for the cheat meal too.

As expected, I am officially "off my game" right... I ended the week up 1.3lbs (only .1% increase in body fat though), mostly because my eating was for crap and I didn't do half my workouts. And my water consumption has also been down for the last few days, which isn't helping either. I'm just a whole big ball of teh suck right now.

To paraphrase an old Zeppelin tune, "Nobody's Fault But Mine."

To make matters worse, I'm not even motivated to get back ON my game. I don't feel like working out today, and I'm still stuffing bad things in my face... like birthday cake, for example.

I know that the best thing to do is to say "It stops NOW" and end the slide, but I'm not sure I have the inner strength to make that happen today. And besides, we're going to Chuck E. Cheese later, and where else can a kid be a kid, even if he is a big kid?

Methinks a nap might help me sort out my priorities right now... either that or some mindless activity like playing the guitar for a few hours. I'll check in later tonight and let you know how THAT worked out for me.

As expected, I am officially "off my game" right... I ended the week up 1.3lbs (only .1% increase in body fat though), mostly because my eating was for crap and I didn't do half my workouts. And my water consumption has also been down for the last few days, which isn't helping either. I'm just a whole big ball of teh suck right now.

To paraphrase an old Zeppelin tune, "Nobody's Fault But Mine."

To make matters worse, I'm not even motivated to get back ON my game. I don't feel like working out today, and I'm still stuffing bad things in my face... like birthday cake, for example.

I know that the best thing to do is to say "It stops NOW" and end the slide, but I'm not sure I have the inner strength to make that happen today. And besides, we're going to Chuck E. Cheese later, and where else can a kid be a kid, even if he is a big kid?

Methinks a nap might help me sort out my priorities right now... either that or some mindless activity like playing the guitar for a few hours. I'll check in later tonight and let you know how THAT worked out for me.

I hear ya. I wasn't motivated to move today. The idea of spending 4 hours running just didn't jive with wanting to kick back and relax. However, somehow I got myself to get out there. I "only" ran 11 1/2 but I did it ... managed to *do something* and still be able to kick it for a few extra hours I wouldn't have otherwise had.

Enjoy the guitar.

Jeremy

Thanks Jeremy.

I played guitar for about an hour, then took a nap for a couple hours, and then went to Chuck E. Cheese, which was overrun with "baby daddies" (as in "Yo, that's my baby daddy.") who had "custody" of their kids for the day, which meant plenty of unsupervised toddlers running around while the "fathers" talked on their cell phones to their chicas.

I'm going to devote a couple of quality hours to finishing up my online store tonight, and start my program again tomorrow morning. Oh snap... I also have to get some food prepared. Gonna get to it... g'night!

:bang: I am so bloated up today... I didn't drink nearly enough water this weekend. My rigns are tight again (just last week I was noticing that they were close to falling off) and the scale took a jump even though my BF% remained the same. :bang:

At least I know that with a couple days of proper hydration, I'll be back down to where I should be at this point in time... drink little fishie drink! :drool:

:bang: I am so bloated up today... I didn't drink nearly enough water this weekend. My rigns are tight again (just last week I was noticing that they were close to falling off) and the scale took a jump even though my BF% remained the same. :bang:

At least I know that with a couple days of proper hydration, I'll be back down to where I should be at this point in time... drink little fishie drink! :drool:

Drink up buddy. It's a step in the right direction and it's those little steps that will start you moving toward where you were going before the chaotic schedule of last week came into play.

I've realized that I haven't posted here in a while. Sorry 'bout that. And I'm glad to read that you had a good time with M@ and IWAC; without even knowing the details I'm sure it was a fun time. I can't say that I feel the same way about your Chuck E. Cheese experience. That's one I'm glad I missed. :)

How's the online store coming along? Will this be the opening week? Do tell, do tell.

Have a great day!

How's the online store coming along? Will this be the opening week? Do tell, do tell.

Yes, the online store will have a "soft" opening this week... those who are on my mailing list will be getting a postcard in the next few days with a formal announcement (and a nice discount). Those who are not on my mailing list can PM me with their postal info to get an invite code. I'm also running a contest where the first 25 orders are entered into a drawing for a heart rate monitor, so order early and often. :lol:

Out of respect for John Stone and his fine stable of sponsors, I'm really not going to be doing any promotion for my business here on the JSF site. Which explains why I've been kind of obtuse about it these days. But I just got the final proofs for the product labels today, and last night was a productive session of copywriting, so it's very close to completion. Thanks for asking. :tu:

On Saturday, I will be finally taking possession of the suite of gym equipment that I've been talking about for so long now. I ended up renting a storage unit to keep it in, at least for a month, while I figure out what to do. With a referral discount from a friend who had used this particular location in the past, it came out to only $100 for the first month... and that includes the use of their 13' box truck for four hours and sixty miles to go and get the stuff and bring it there (truck rental alone was going to cost at least that much). Sweet deal. :madpimp:

I'm also eyeing another piece of equipment: a Body Solid Pro-Lat Machine (http://www.bodysolid.com/Item.aspx?ItemID=508&Action=102&ItemLabel=Body-Solid+Pro-Lat+Machine:+Body-Solid+Pro-Lat+Machine) which has been on CraigsList for two weeks now... I made the guy an offer, and he has been gradually coming down on his price, so I think by the end of the week we'll be close enough that I can grab it and stuff it in the storage unit and the wife will never know :D

Monday, February 12
Weight 184lbs, BF 18.9%, Sleep 6hrs
Nutrition: 1725c, 42/33/25c/p/f, 21g F, 2885mg Na, 4L H2O
Exercise: no workouts completed

Back to life... back to reality.

Ate on plan, didn't get a workout in.

Well done for being back on track with nutrition today Philly:D tomorrow it can be the workout's turn!

Well done for being back on track with nutrition today Philly:D tomorrow it can be the workout's turn!

Actually, today's the day... gonna get back in the pool at lunch time.

Thanks for your support! :o

Actually, today's the day... gonna get back in the pool at lunch time.

Thanks for your support! :o

:tu:

Hey PD, sorry if you've mentioned this, but why so low on the calories?

Hey PD, sorry if you've mentioned this, but why so low on the calories?

According to the metabolic testing, my baseline is around 2250 a day...

I will try and get a scan of the actual printout and post it up here.

According to the metabolic testing, my baseline is around 2250 a day...

I will try and get a scan of the actual printout and post it up here.
Gotcha... but what about factoring in activity?

Gotcha... but what about factoring in activity?

That IS with the activity levels... :cry:

Actually, today's the day... gonna get back in the pool at lunch time.



How did the swim go?

How did the swim go?


It went... by the wayside. :cry:

I got caught up in some financial transactions to get ready for this weekend (equipment purchase and website launch) that ate into my time... and before I knew it, it was too late to get a swim in.

Excuses, excuses... I'm a lame ass piece of sh*t and I'll admit it.

Excuses, excuses... I'm a lame ass piece of sh*t and I'll admit it.

oh stop it. :cry: You make it to more than enough workouts. Especially in the long term.

I just got the receipt from the guy I am buying the equipment from... 2000 lbs in dumbbells and another 1000 lbs in plates. Plus all the equipment... I hope the truck can handle that much weight. :bb:

I just got the receipt from the guy I am buying the equipment from... 2000 lbs in dumbbells and another 1000 lbs in plates. Plus all the equipment... I hope the truck can handle that much weight. :bb:


That'll be a workout just getting into and out of the truck. Check the load capacity of the truck before you load it.

PD, sad story about those 3 executives who got shot in Philly last night. :(

Some crazy folks roam our streets.

That'll be a workout just getting into and out of the truck. Check the load capacity of the truck before you load it.

I just called the storage place, and they had no info on the load limit for their 13' truck :confused:

I checked u-haul's site and they list the load limit for a 10' truck at 2770 lbs and for a 14' truck at 3100 lbs. :confused:

The guy I am buying the stuff from said he would be willing to put some of it in his personal truck and help to move it... we'll have to see. :confused:

Tuesday, February 13
Weight 181lbs, BF 19.0%, Sleep 8hrs
Nutrition: 1550c, 36/37/27c/p/f, 20.5g F, 3385mg Na, 4L H2O
Exercise: no workouts completed

We ended up closing early at the YMCA last night because of the weather, so I got home early, watched a movie with the wife, and went to bed earlier than normal. Woke up to a no-school day for the kids, so I called out from work to stay home with them (which wasn't really a problem). So I'm hoping to get a few workouts in today.

I dropped three pounds on the scale this morning (down to 181). My rings are still tight though, so I will probably be able to readjust my levels a little further with clean eating and plenty of water today.

I found my metabolic testing results. Here's what they calculated:

My RMR is 2016 calories (which is the amount I burn at "rest")
My Lifestyle estimate is 603 calories (daily activities)
My Exercise estimate is 210 calories (30 minutes at moderate levels)

So my total energy output each day is 2829 calories. I think this is pretty close, given than I exercise at least seven times a week.

On the other side of the equation, my Maintenance level would be between 2016 and 2619 calories a day. The "Weight Loss Zone" is 1614 to 2016 calories a day.

I just called the storage place, and they had no info on the load limit for their 13' truck :confused:

I checked u-haul's site and they list the load limit for a 10' truck at 2770 lbs and for a 14' truck at 3100 lbs. :confused:

The guy I am buying the stuff from said he would be willing to put some of it in his personal truck and help to move it... we'll have to see. :confused:

1. I worked for years in the moving industry and from that experience, I advise you NOT to use Uhaul unless you absolutely have to.

2. Try and rent a larger truck. Driving an 18' is no real difference from a 14' and can carry larger loads (and might have air brakes, lift gate, etc.).

3. LIft with your legs. :blank:

1. I worked for years in the moving industry and from that experience, I advise you NOT to use Uhaul unless you absolutely have to.

2. Try and rent a larger truck. Driving an 18' is no real difference from a 14' and can carry larger loads (and might have air brakes, lift gate, etc.).

3. LIft with your legs. :blank:

The use of the truck (not u-haul) comes free with the rental of the storage unit. Since I'm only paying $100 for the first month's rent, it's cheaper than renting a truck from a different company. Once I get all the equipment, I can make a better determination on how to fit it all into my basement, and will move it, piece by piece, into my own house over the course of the next month. I just didn't want to get into a situation where I was standing there scratching my head about how to fit a 7' high cable crossover down the stairs and into the basement, or trying to disassemble it outside in the cold and dark to make it fit.

Seven days without exercising makes one weak. So call me weak. :cry:

I'm not going to blame it on the weather, or my busy schedule, or anything else... it's just where my head is right now.

Tuesday night, I got home early from the YMCA. I could very easily gone upstairs and gotten in a workout in the LifeCycle (or even on my home treadmill, which I still haven't used :o )... but I didn't. I watched a movie on the couch with my wife.

Last night, same deal. I was home all day. I could have gotten TWO workouts in... one during the day and one at night... but I didn't. I did science projects and played in the snow with the kids, and then spent some time with the wife after they went to bed.

But I WILL get back on the program... I have too many things that I want to accomplish this year to let it fall apart. I don't know... maybe I was too ambitious in my planning... but then again, if you don't dream big, great things will never happen.

Enough of my wallowing... let's get to the good stuff.

I just approved the labels for my product line, so I am on target to take the website "live" by the end of the weekend at the latest.

I also picked up another piece of fitness equipment last night ($25. from Craigslist)...

But I WILL get back on the program... I have too many things that I want to accomplish this year to let it fall apart. I don't know... maybe I was too ambitious in my planning... but then again, if you don't dream big, great things will never happen.


They also have to be attainable. Personally working out two times a day especially with all the other demands you have on your time is not.

Nice craigslist find.

OK... I hit rock bottom last night. Went out with some friends, ended up having a few cocktails, and then went home and ate a few cupcakes. Woke up at 5am, still in my clothes on the couch, feeling gross from the alcohol and sugar in my system... so what did I do?

I got up and went upstairs and put in 35 minutes on the LifeCycle. It was awful, but I did it. So I've got that going for me... which is nice. I WILL eat clean today. I WILL eat clean this weekend. I WILL work out at least once on Saturday and Sunday. And while the numbers this week will be worse than last week (which were worse than the week before), I WILL turn that trend around.

I guess when you feel like you hit rock bottom, there's no where left to go but up.

snap out of it philly.
having a few cocktails with friends- understandable
going home and eating cupcakes alone- not so much

There' no reason to eat late night, even drunk, unless you want to eat eggs or something. wake up and eat in the morning.

But I wouldn't call it rock bottom, it's just one night. not that I'm challenging you to show me a new bottom.

snap out of it philly.
having a few cocktails with friends- understandable
going home and eating cupcakes alone- not so much
But I wouldn't call it rock bottom, it's just one night.

Maybe rock bottom wasn't the right term... but I came to a moment of realization as I was stuffing a cupcake in my face that "This is where it has to stop"... because it hasn't been just one night... it's been like two weeks (not the drinking but the excessive sweet tooth stuff).

I appreciate your check-in, GH...

Maybe rock bottom wasn't the right term... but I came to a moment of realization as I was stuffing a cupcake in my face that "This is where it has to stop"... because it hasn't been just one night... it's been like two weeks (not the drinking but the excessive sweet tooth stuff).

I appreciate your check-in, GH...

Man, I can relate to the sweet tooth. My wife has purchased a few too many ice creams. Granted they are a lower suger lower fat kind, but for cryin out loud, I have a weakness for sweets. :mad: I try to limit myself.
I still hate it though.

So call me weak. :cry:




Balance and balance, oh weak one.

The fact is that you do have a lot on your plate. You work two jobs, you're about to launch a new on line business, and you're in the process of establishing a physical training business. It's not exactly like you're sitting on your butt twiddling your thumbs all day long.

On both Tuesday and Wednesday nights you made the decision to spend time with your wife and kids. It ain't gonna help your marathon times, but it's hard to argue against helping your children with their science projects and playing in the snow with them, which I'm sure they loved. It's called being a good parent and sometimes that means subordinating yourself to their needs and if I recall correctly Wednesday was Valentines Day.

Last night was a night out with friends, but the real culprit was the eating later on. It happened and now it's in the past.

So, what's been going on this past week? You're working hard, you've spent some good time with your wife and kids that I suspect you haven't been doing a great amount of lately with your work and business responsibilities and you went out for a few cocktails with friends. Granted, the cupcakes are hard to justify, but we'll make that an isolated non issue. Because based upon what I know of you it will be. You've already taken the positive step of exercising this morning and I'm confident that you're going to build upon that first positive step. Small positive decisions will lead you back to the groove you were on.

Believe me, I understand your annoyance :bang: with yourself about the past week; I'd writing the same thing if it was my experience. And I would be grumpy to boot. :mad: From where I'm sitting none of the individual decisions were bad ones, but I think that them coming on consecutive days has thrown you for a loop.

I hope the above comes across with the sentiment that it is meant and that is to be a perspective builder and motivational, not scolding. You've achieved a great many accomplishments and I'm confident that you'll be back in your exercise groove in short order.

Tic, thanks for checking in... and Seltzer, thanks as always for the level headed response. I'm back on target now... with more focus than before. Or as Silver would say, "A little focus goes a long way."

Mission accomplished. Ate on plan yesterday, and worked out.
Small steps, my friends, small steps...

Today's the big day when I pick up all the workout equipment I've been talking about for what seems like forever. I've got a big day of heavy lifting ahead of me. Gonna get to it... I'll try and grab pictures.

Mission accomplished. Ate on plan yesterday, and worked out.
Small steps, my friends, small steps...

Today's the big day when I pick up all the workout equipment I've been talking about for what seems like forever. I've got a big day of heavy lifting ahead of me. Gonna get to it... I'll try and grab pictures.

Back on track, way to go!

Yesterday was a very satisfying day in that everything went smoothly and I was able to get my new fitness equipment moved with no issues.

I found out that the "free" truck is also available for move-outs, so I am going to search a little harder (and expand my price range) to find someplace to move the equipment (again) where I will have the space to set it up properly for use. Even if it's not a "polished" facility, I would feel better about my investment if I could actually go and work out with my stuff, rather than having it sit in storage.

I ended up having a dinner meeting with a potential investor last night (which was unexpected and something that I hadn't considered). A friend of mine has taken an interest in all this activity around my new ventures and wanted to offer his advice and possible support. I'm not sure that I want to go that route yet, but it was good to share my vision with someone, have them respond positively, and express their belief that I am moving in the right direction with my plans.

Of course, that meant that I didn't get in a "formal" workout. I'll consider the 2775 lbs of dumbbells and 975 lbs of weight plates and ten pieces of fitness equipment to be my "informal" workout for yesterday.

Pics will be added later, as I'm not on the right computer to offload my video camera files. I only took a couple as we were trying to keep things moving.

As promised, a couple of pics:

1) Dumbbells. The rack is holding 20's, 25's, 30's, 35's, 40's, 45's, 50's, 55's, 60's, 65's, 70's, 75's, and 85's.

2) Weight plates. The two racks are holding 10 45's, 6 35's, 6 25's, 6 10's, 6 5's, and 2 2.5's.

3) Leg Sled / Hack Squat. This is absolutely my favorite piece.

4) Seated Row and Back Hyperextension. The seated row is especially nice.

5) Adjustable Bench and Preacher Curl. I wasn't able to get a picture of the Seated Calf Raise, Smith Machine, Lat Tower Attachment, or Cable Crossover. We had to disassemble the Lat Tower from the Smith Machine, and the Cable Crossover was already disassembled.

6) Big Dumbbells. Hard to see, but there's a set of 95's (hex-style), 105's, 125's, and 150's (plate-style). And yes, I DID pick up and carry one of the 150's about 10 feet from the truck to the storage area.

Dude. You've got the makings of an awesome setup with that equipment. Nice. Very nice. I can't wait to see you put it all together at Phillydude's House of Pain.

About the alcohol-induced sugar cravings: I've noticed that myself. After a night of boozing, I get wicked urges to stuff myself with sweets. Looking into it, alcohol drastically effects blood sugar (http://www.oregoncounseling.org/ArticlesPapers/Documents/ETOHBIOFx.htm), which explains the late night munchies.
Drinking causes a steep rise in the blood sugar; the pancreas responds by producing insulin which causes a fast drop in blood sugar and the symptom of low blood sugar or hypoglycemia.
Of course, that's an explanation, not an excuse. But I understand and have certainly been there myself a number of times.

Yesterday was a very satisfying day in that everything went smoothly and I was able to get my new fitness equipment moved with no issues.

I found out that the "free" truck is also available for move-outs, so I am going to search a little harder (and expand my price range) to find someplace to move the equipment (again) where I will have the space to set it up properly for use. Even if it's not a "polished" faci