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!

Before and After Pics 2.0

I posted some before and after pictures on September 13 of last year. That is the most popular blog post of all so I just wanted to update it a little bit.

Here is the original before picture (Beginning of February, about 1 month in; ~195-200 lbs.):

Here is the one from last September (about 8 months in; 167 lbs.):

Here is the most recent from my lowest weight yet, 155 lbs.:

Not a crazy amount of weight loss but I'm getting to the point where there is not much more to lose. I'm still following pretty much the original diet; using a lot of the recipes I have posted on here. I am still using mostly the same exercise plan that used leading up to my duathlon and half-marathon; that's seems to be what helped me break my plateau of weight-loss. When I was a freshman in high-school, I remember that my weight on my physical for soccer was 154 lbs. so I'm right where I was as a 14 year-old.

People keep asking me where I'm going to go from here and the answer is...I'm not really sure as far as weight loss goes. I'm not really pushing to lose any more weight but if I can shed a couple more pounds of body fat I would be cool with that. The truth is that I'm comfortable with my current diet and lifestyle and don't really feel like I'm sacrificing too much; and I really like how I look and feel right now. But where to go from here...I want to keep challenging myself; so marathon, triathlons, maybe half- or full-ironman eventually. I want to be in the kind of condition where I won't be too intimidated by anything, so I guess that's where I want to go from here. If you have any suggestions of how I can challenge myself, I'm open to any thoughts.

Recipe #10: Home-made Pinto Beans

In an earlier post I had a "recipe" for pintos. But this just involved using canned beans and adding stuff to them. For the last couple of months, I have been making pintos from scratch, two pounds of dry beans at a time. I developed the recipe using a method that my mom found online (no pre-soak required). My final mix of seasonings has been constantly evolving but this is my current blend; my favorite so far.

Ingredients: 2 lbs. dried pinto beans, 3-4 quarts of water, 3 minced jalapeno/serrano peppers,  4 tbsp. canola oil, 2 tbsp. salt, 1 tbsp. garlic powder, 1 tbsp. sugar (or sugar substitute),  1 tsp. red pepper flake, 1 tsp. Old Bay

1. Rinse dried beans well and place in a large pot.
2. Add the water to the pot of beans; make sure it covers the beans by at least a couple of inches.
3. Put the pot over high heat, covered and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for a couple of hours.
4. When the beans are the proper texture, it's time to add all of the other ingredients. Stir well and bring back to a boil, uncovered.
5. After about 10 minutes, check the consistency of the liquid and once it is as thick as you like, turn off the heat and let the beans cool.
6. Stir occasionally while the beans cool, otherwise they will develop a film on top.

 This will make 6-8 servings of beans and this, with some chow chow, is my lunch pretty much every day (along with a can of green beans).

Turning them into Refried beans: 
Turning normal pintos into refried beans is really simple. Over a skillet on medium-high heat, put in a tablespoon of oil and a teaspoo of minced garlic and let garlic become fragrant. Add some beans to the skillet, add a teaspoon of cumin and mash with a spoon while they cook. Once they are a heated and the right consistency,  they are ready.

50 lbs. lost!

I have lost 50 lbs. since starting to change my life less than a year-and-a half ago!

Starting status: 207 lbs. ~ 30% body-fat

Current status: 157 lbs. ~ 7.6% body-fat!

 

First Half-Marathon Results

Last Sunday I raced in my first ever half-marathon. (My third race of any kind, following my first 5k and my first duathlon). 13.1 miles of what would hopefully be running. I ran in the RunRaleigh which started and finished at Cameron Village shopping center in Raleigh, NC, just a few miles from where I live. It started at 7 am which seems to be the norm for these kinds of events but getting out there and running and doing anything active that early is kind of a shock to the system. Everything went okay and I'm happy with my results.

Preparation
I had been training for this half-marathon as well as the duathlon that I raced the week before so I had been doing a lot of running and biking. If I had just been training for one, then I think it probably would have helped my results but then playing soccer 2-3 times a week also didn't allow for total focus on any of the events either. But I'm essentially doing these to challenge myself and for fun so quitting other activities is not really in the cards. I generally tried to get in one "long" run every week leading up to the half; so like a run 5-7 miles, as well as my other running and biking. I did one run of 10 miles but that's as long as I went. The week of the race I kept on normal pace except I just took rest days on the 2 days prior to the event (except for the soccer game I played the night before; more on that later). I've still been following my same diet and didn't really change it until right before the race. The day before was a binge day so I could have eaten anything but I did the same chicken and brown rice dish that I had done the week before and at turkey sausage and brown rice for breakfast the next morning. Going back to the soccer game; in order to get rid of the lactic acid from my legs after the soccer game I took an ice bath. Essentially, I put 20 lbs. of ice in the bathtub and soaked my legs for 15 minutes; it sucked but seemed to work.

Good ole' number 2124

Race Day and Race
Got up at 5:45 and ate breakfast. I had prepped all of my clothes and everything the night before so getting ready didn't take long at all and then I drove the 4 miles over to the race site. When I got there, I went through warm-ups and stretches and just tried to pass the time until it started. 

Once the race started, I just went at my normal comfortable pace and was feeling good. I was worried about going too fast and not being able to finish strong but this didn't up being the case. I was passed by hundreds of people even though I didn't start near the front but I knew that it was a long race. Starting around mile 6-7 my legs and feet started to noticeably hurt but I expected that too. It certainly wasn't unbearable but definitely uncomfortable. I never had any problem with my lungs, just with my legs but had to power through it. The race course went north from shopping center, came back by it and then turned toward downtown Raleigh on Western Blvd. where you ran all the way over towards southeast Raleigh and came back. For the most part, it was pretty flat. Eventually, I felt like I was picking up my pace (about mile 10) and started passing a lot of people. The biggest hill of the whole event was in the final mile and I was able pass a bunch of people there as well and even pick up my speed even more as a saw the finish line. So I was able to run the whole way and felt pretty okay afterwards as well.

Results
Time: 2:04:08
Time/mile: 9:29/mile
Place: 390 out of 909 overall finishers (42%)
           227 out of 361 men
           37 out of 52 25-29 year old men
           Overall Results

And............MEDALIST!!!!!!!!!

It was exactly like getting a participation trophy for playing sports when you were a kid; except now you knew why you got it. It will have a special place to sit next to my 2004 City of Raleigh Dodgeball Championship Trophy.

So, I didn't finish so great but I did run the whole way and beat my goal going in. There are a lot of people that are in pretty good shape around the area. Overall I was really proud of myself and completing in the event and I'm now looking forward to my next challenge for once soccer season is over. Maybe a true triathlon; will just have to work on my swimming. 

Here's some pictures from the finish line: