2 Month Update Picture

I did my duathlon this weekend and ended up about 2 minutes faster than last year with very limited bike training. I would say that I am in similar shape to last year at this time, about as good as I've been in my life, but the thing that helped me was to know when to push it on the bike. My bike ended up being a bit faster and the runs being a little slower than last time. Results (Finished 75th out of 168, 1:44:05 on a 2.5 mile run, 17.65 mile bike, 2.5 mile run  ~1600-1700 calories burned)

So for the two month update; I've been following my plan pretty much as I've described. I lost 8 lbs. in the 2 months and have gained strength and muscle mass, dropping my body fat percentage pretty significantly. So here's the before/after pictures through what would be 1 cycle of "Insanity:"

Before:

After 2 months:

As you can see, certainly more defined serratus anterior (over the ribs) and obliques (high hips). My shoulders are definitely more defined as well. I'm feeling good, I don't plan on stopping anytime soon; I guess we'll see where we go from here.

The Workout that Has Actually Gone On with Details

 Ever since I joined the Y, I have had a pretty standard plan that I have stuck to.

Workout plan:

• 5 days of gym-work (~1 hr. per day, Sun.-Thurs.)
• Sunday: Legs (Squat, Leg press, Kettle-bell)
• Monday: Biceps, Chest, and Back (Bench/Incline-Decline, Preacher/Alternating Curls)
• Tuesday: Triceps, Shoulders and Back (Dips, Military press, etc.)
• Wednesday: Legs (Kettle-bell, more all-around)
• Thursday: Little bit of everything
• Core/Abs everyday
• Saturdays: General Cardio (Biking/Soccer/etc.) or gym session

Typical Day:

• Run a mile
• 1 minute sprint on bike
• Straight into first strength rep
• 3-4 sets of 10, good weight but not max
• Do other exercises while on break (push-ups, pull-ups, keep moving/heart rate
• 3-5 minutes of medium resistance on bike
• Next strength set using same formula
• 3-5 more minutes on bike or treadmill
• Core work out:
• 1 minute plank on elbows (standard), 10 second rest
• 10 sec. standard plank, 10 sec. left foot/right arm extended, 10 sec. standard, 10 sec. right foot/left arm, 10 sec. standard, 10 sec. elbows extended out to forehead level, 10 sec. standard
• 30-40 sec. each of left/right side plank
• 30 crunches
• 30 each right/left side curls
• 20 sec. 6-inches
• 1 minute sprint on bike
• 1/4-1/2 mile cool-down jog
• Stretch

Sometimes might throw in an extra strength workout in there and try to keep a maximum of 30 seconds between stations, always keeping moving.

I know I skipped a month but everything's going okay still. Hopefully finally get some mid-way pictures this week, there have definitely been some changes in body composition along with the 8 lb. loss (down to 156). Also I am doing the same duathlon that I did last year, this Saturday. Haven't really been training specifically for it, mostly just looking for the challenge and we'll see how it goes.

3-Week Update and Baked BBQ Chicken Recipe

After 3 weeks I weighed in at 157 lbs., a 7 lb. drop from original weigh it. It's pretty good progress so far. I also have altered my routine; I haven't been running at lunch because it's been pretty cold during the day. I joined the local YMCA and have been going there every day for both my cardio and strength and my muscle transformation has certainly been evident. I'll have a 1 month update with weight and pictures next week so everyone can track my progress.

Recipe: Baked BBQ Chicken
Sauce Ingredients: Ketchup, Texas Pete, Apple Cider Vinegar, Agave Nectar, Salt, Black Pepper, Red Pepper

Base Ingredients: Boneless skinless chicken breasts, Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic powder, Onion Powder, Cayenne Pepper, Pam or Cooking oil

1. Grease a non-stick baking sheet with Pam or cooking oil and place the chicken breasts on it with some separation between them.
2. Sprinkle on the all the spices evenly over the breasts and place in a 375-degree oven for 20 minutes.
3. Mix all of the sauce ingredients together while the chicken in cooking. I don't have exact measurements, I usually leave it up to taste. I don't like it to be too ketchup-y and like it to have a similar consistency to the Texas Pete. This is my version of a western North Carolina BBQ dip.
4. After the 20 minutes, pull the chicken out and put a light coating of the sauce on each breast and return to the oven for an additional 20 minutes.

I generally cook 6 breasts at a time because that's how many come in the value pack. I eat one for dinner with green beans and save the rest for the rest of the week; and eat the same thing every night. When I reheat, I put some of the leftover sauce on top before I microwave it and I've definitely been satisfied so far with my eating schedule and habits.

Workout Plan

While diet is the most important part of weight-loss, if you are trying to get into the shape that I want to be in you have to have a plan for exercise as well.

Here is what I am starting with:

• 5 days of running at lunch (2 miles per day, Mon.-Fri.)
• 5 days of strength training (30 min. per day, Sun.-Thurs.)
• Sunday: Kettlebell circuit
• Monday: Biceps, Chest, and Back
• Tuesday: Triceps, Shoulders and Back
• Wednesday: Legs
• Thursday: Rotation
• Core/Abs everyday
• Saturdays: General Cardio (Biking/Soccer/etc.)

Hopefully adding more and more cardio to the plan as it gets lighter at night after I get off work.

The plan is going great so far, I actually lost 3 lbs. in the first 3 days and have kept it off, hopefully I will lose another one before the week is out and everything keeps going well.

New Diet Plan and Starting Point Pic

So as I have said before, for weight-loss/control, what you eat is by far the most important thing you can pay attention to. I had a good eating plan previously that let me lose a quarter of my body weight but, as  I said yesterday, my digestive system was not putting up with the high level of fiber long-term. Here is my diet plan for 6-days per week:

• Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs with a sprinkling of Jimmy Dean turkey sausage crumbles
•  8:00 am
• ~300 calories
• ~$1 per day
• Lunch: Peanut butter/Jelly sandwich with 100 calorie bread, 1 large can of light soup
• 12:30 pm
• ~500 calories 
• ~$3 per day
• 1st Dinner: Baked chicken with a green vegetable
• 6:00 pm
• ~400 calories
• ~$3.50 per day
• 2nd Dinner: Muscle Milk protein shake
• 9:00 pm
• ~300 calories
• ~$2 per day
• Totals:
• 1500-1600 calories per day
• $9.50 per day

I will post my more specifics and my recipes/techniques in the coming weeks. Like I said, I will be eating this 6 days-a-week; I know this sounds extreme but if you're looking for a diet that works really well having repetitive elements and routine is key. Fortunately for me, I don't mind eating the same stuff and I cook pretty well.

Looking at the totals I feel like I will drop 1-2 lbs. per week just based on diet alone. This is in consideration of me being up to 164 lbs. now and have had a diet consistently at around 2500 calories recently. I am pretty excited about being to see results quickly again. I am also excited at the though of spending $9.50 per day to eat; there's always the idea that eating healthy is expensive, which it can be, but if you are creative you can certainly do it on a budget.

And here's the picture I took last night to mark my starting point so I can monitor results over the time period:

Not terrible but not great. We'll see what it looks like in 1,2,3 months.

Blog's Back!

It's been about 7 months since last post but I have a new health goal so I thought it would be helpful to start writing about it again.

Update Since Last Summer:
With my diet/exercise plan as is was (very high fiber), I started having issues with my digestive condition. I have Crohn's Disease and at times have flare ups; the diet was negatively affecting this. Over the past few months I have modified everything I have been eating to figure out what works with me and feel like I have a pretty good plan. I haven't been overly disciplined recently and have only gained 9 lbs. from my lowest so I'm starting this next challenge at 164 (Weight at the start of the blog was 207).

New Goals:
 I have been particularly interested in body transformations recently. The show Biggest Loser, P90x commercials, and even seeing what actors can do to prepare for a role are very impressive (The most recent I've seen is Matthew Fox for the movie Alex Cross).
 
So I want to see what happens when I really commit to a pretty extreme diet and exercise plan. There's no real specified goal but I'm going to go as hard as I can and see what I look like at the end of 3 or 4 months.

(Very) General Plan:
I will post specifics soon but in general I am going to do a high protein, low calorie diet 6 days a week with a "binge day" similar to my original plan/ I am going to do at least 20-30 minutes of cardio every day plus at least 30 minutes strength  training 5 days per week.

Things Coming Soon:

• Current Pictures
• Specific Diet Plan
• Specific Workout/Strength Plan
• Ongoing Updates

So I am starting this tonight/tomorrow and we'll see where it goes, definitely excited to find out!