I can count for about three days, but as soon as the weekend comes I can't be assed.

Monday 12/15/08
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 144 – up 0.5lb
Body Fat: 6.8% - up 0.5%


Diet:
Breakfast:
1 large Pear
1 large Apple
½ cup Oats
1 large “pan sized” Egg Beater Omelet with Ham
Post-Workout:
1 medium Apple
1 Protein Shake (1.5 scoops Whey Protein, 0.5 Banana)
Lunch:
1 bowl Lettuce Salad Mix (Low Calorie Light Italian Vinaigrette)
½ bowl No Fat Greek Yogurt with Wheat Germ
2 slices Weight Watchers Whole Wheat Bread with Ham, Turkey, Tomato, Lettuce Salad (Mustard)
5-10 Baby Cut Carrots
2 Pickles
Afternoon Snack:
10-15 Baby Cut Carrots
5 Olives
1 Weight Watchers Light String Cheese Stick
Dinner:
2 4oz Lamb Burgers
2 tbsp Feta Cheese Spread
2-3 scoops Sautéed (in Olive Oil) Onions and Spinach
8-10 small thin slices Eggplant
1 slice Weight Watchers Whole Wheat Bread



That was my diet.




The Day:

I had lots of energy today. I think it was the experience of being back home: new places, a new gym, everything new. And yet, old. It was just great. I was excited, truly excited, to workout.

At the gym, which I must say really is a pleasure just to be at, I hopped onto the elliptical for my 5 minute warm-up. I didn’t get the elliptical machine that I wanted so instead had to use one with no arm movements. The one downside to the gym is how busy it is: I’ll have to find a time to go when I can get all the right machines that I want (especially for cardio days). Anyway, without my arms moving I only burned around 50 calories instead of my normal 70 something. That’s not really a big deal though. The rest of the workout went great. I noticed especially during the bench press that I had extra strength. I think the increase in my chest workout (incorporating dips and pushups now) helped. Next week, if Thursday shows the same results, I will be increasing my weight on bench press. I’m pumped for that change. Everything else went fairly smooth except for my chin-ups and dips.

I kept hitting the ground on the chin-up offset machine. I didn’t understand it. For that reason I had to decrease the counter weight from 60 to 50 simply because I wasn’t able to go all the way down. It wasn’t until afterwards, while doing the dips that I realized the problem. The anti gravity machine at my local gym is designed so that you kneel, not stand. After this quick change, I completed the rest of my dips at what I found was doable, a lower 30lb offset! Already an increase in strength! Of course, it’s newb gains since the exercise is new to me and I’m sure my muscles are just adapting more than gaining in size. I can’t help but smile though and say it’s nice to see.

I finished off the day at the gym with some Captain’s Chair ab exercises. They really tear up my stomach. It’s great. I feel like I’m getting better at them too since I didn’t have a problem of failing before the 30 seconds were up (which is what happened last week). On another note, this gym has exercise balls so I may do some crunches using them. We’ll see on Thursday what I’m in the mood for; if I want to do those or the bicycle exercise (also another stomach destroyer). Overall, just a great day at the gym.

After the gym I had a decent post workout meal for the first time. Now that I’m home I could use a blender and actually make a protein shake (normally I can’t do this because I have to rush off to classes as soon as my feet leave the fitness center). I had to experiment a bit to get the water to ice ratio right, but give it a few more tries and I should have it perfect. While eating I was talking to my mom about fitness (she gets into it as well) and we started talking about Yoga. The gym near me apparently offers really good classes. She’s going to sign me up for a few. I’m excited about that as well. It seems that this month away from school is going to be a great 30 days to improve my conditioning. I can’t wait for to see the end result.

My meals it seems weren’t quite big enough as I found myself having to eat more in addition to them. Even after dinner I had to eat a few extra carrots to just attempt that full feeling. Experimentation here is key. Give it a few more days and I’ll fully adapt to the point where it will be subconscious when deciding how much to eat and when to eat it.

I almost forgot to mention, but I took a picture of myself this morning. With different lighting conditions I feel like it is deceptive in that I seem actually slightly less defined. This isn’t the case. I’m not going to boast that I’m somehow magically more defined in a week, but the real accurate statement would be that I look about the same. I will try to be more consistent with where I take the photos, but these next few weeks may not be ideal as I will be moving from place to place as my break progresses. Once I am back in college though, every shot will be in the same place with the same lighting. By that time real differences should be apparent.



That’s all I have to say. I’m going to reread my goals now. Get myself in a rebuild the muscle mindset. And that is, to you, a goodnight from me.



That was the day.





This concludes Entry #11.

Tuesday 12/16/08
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 142.5 - down 1.5lb
Body Fat: 6.7% - down 0.1%

Diet:
Breakfast:
1 large Apple
1 large Pear
½ cup Oats
1 large “pan sized” Egg Beater Omelet with Ham, Green Pepper, Onion
Lunch:
1 large Apple
1 Low Calorie Wrap with Ham, 1 slice Low Calorie Swiss Cheese, Artichoke Garlic Salsa
2 slices Weight Watchers Whole Wheat Bread with Ham, Turkey, Tomato, Spring Mix Lettuce
10-15 Baby Cut Carrots
1 Pickle
1 bowl Spring Lettuce Salad Mix (Low Calorie Light Garlic Italian Vinaigrette)
Dinner:
1-2 cups White Rice
1 plate Sautéed Chicken and Vegetables
5 large pieces Tofu in Curry
1 small bowl Low Fat Cottage Cheese, No Fat Greek Yogurt, Whey Powder, 5 Almonds (Cinnamon)


That was my diet.



The Day:

I wasn’t much into the gym mood today. Of course, I went anyway. It was a near “fasted” type of workout since I left for the gym at around 11:00am, right before lunch but nearly 4 hours after breakfast. As soon as I got onto the treadmill I knew it was going to be a good workout. My home gym has these running machines that offer fans to blow air in your face as you run in place. It’s great. I completed the mile and a half in 10:59. I ran at my full 8.3mph, it just took 9 seconds longer because the machine took a slightly more amount of time to speed up than the ones back in college. I then hopped onto the elliptical, which I must say is far superior in motion and feel to any other one I’ve tried and I’ve used a variety of elliptical. I burned 252 calories in 20 minutes on that. It was easier I felt than normal, next time I may increase the speed intervals by 5rpms for every range as these machines I definitely felt like I could push myself (even though it is a moderate workout after the run) further. After that I went back onto the fancy fan blowing treadmill and started a random hill routine. Again it seemed too easy. I switched to manual after a minute and forced it to restart the 10 minute workout at a level 6 incline going at 4mph. This was much better and for now I will stick with this level of intensity instead of the randomness I approached earlier. By the end of the workout I was in euphoria. It was such a switch from my pre-workout listlessness that I was truly shocked. Just goes to show you how a nice time at the gym can completely turn around your day.

On the other side of my fitness life, my diet seems to be needing of a checkup. It appears that I am not eating enough. This is joyful news to me as it means, yup, I get to eat more! Who would turn down such an offer? We’ll see how my weight fluctuates within the next few days to see if this increase in calories is going to help me maintain energy and maintenance. I should note that I’ve been eating a few things on the side in between meals. Nothing junky, but just for observation and clarification sake I did munch on some baby cut carrots and a few olives, maybe a couple almonds, in between lunch and dinner. Now you know as I know.

I have one side note before the continuing with the conclusion of today’s workout. As it is break I did not have Tae Kwon Do today, nor will I have it on Thursdays. Tae Kwon Do, in all honesty, is not too much of a workout. But I should note that it will be missing as a form of cardio from my weekly routine until I return to college. I, as well as you, must take this into consideration when speaking of my daily activity levels. In that same regard another small change crops up. I am not nearly walking as much these days due to the lack of a campus, a backpack stuffed with books, and a good deficit of classes. Again, now you know.

And back to working out. I did the pushups and sit-ups this night, just a few minutes ago actually, using my new maximums (to an extent) for a reference guide to number of reps I should do for 3 sets. It was tough. For pushups I still have to work on form as I just don’t think I’m going low enough. And even if I was I barely pushed myself up on the last rep on the 3rd set. I think I am improving though since my form is getting better (though again not yet where it should be). Meanwhile on sit-ups I attempted a new record for doing 26 reps on 3 sets. Notice I said attempted. For the truth is I failed on the last set. I completed a meager 16, than one more by cheating, until muscle failure on the 17th rep. My basis for choosing 26 is I took my new maximum and did 75% reps of it. This method did not seem to work. For this reason I will be decreasing the reps slightly to 23. Tomorrow we will see how this goes. I am going to end on a good note though as the real truth here is that I am improving in both areas. Pushups: my form is getting better. Sit-ups: I am massively increasing my endurance as seen by the switch from 15 to 26 reps. I am improving. And that, that is what matters.



That was the day.




This concludes Entry #12.

Wednesday 12/17/08
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 144.5 – up 2lb
Body Fat: 6.2% - down 0.5%

Diet:
Breakfast:
1 medium Pear
1 medium Apple
½ cup Oats
1 large “pan sized” Egg Beater Omelet with Honey Glazed Ham, Green Pepper, Onion
Lunch:
1 medium Apple
1 small bowl No Fat Greek Yogurt and Wheat Germ
1 Low Calorie Wrap with Ham Artichoke Garlic Salsa
2 slices Weight Watchers Whole Wheat Bread with Ham, Turkey, Tomato, Spring Mix Lettuce
5-10 Baby Cut Carrots
1 bowl Spring Lettuce Salad Mix, Cucumber, Bell Pepper (Low Calorie Light Ginger Soy Dressing)

Dinner:
1 large bowl Lettuce Spring Salad, Roasted Red Pepper, Onion, Gorgonzola Cheese (Balsamic Vinaigrette)
1 plate Chicken Marsala and Risotto
1 small bowl 1% Fat Cottage Cheese and Almonds (Cinnamon)



That was my diet.





The Day:

I didn’t have a bubbling amount of energy this morning, nor this afternoon, and definitely not at night. I think it’s because I’m not eating enough. I really got to try and increase my caloric intake. I have a feeling it is truly effecting me.

I completed my Wednesday Cardio workout regardless of this lethargy. The atmosphere at my home gym helped. I clocked in at 309 calories for the Elliptical HIIT which is way below my normal. I believe this can be due to two different things. One is that the machine is different than the one back in college and may count calories differently. Two is that the resistance settings may be weaker meaning I’m not actually working as hard. Either way though there is the issue by the fact that I back when I used to go to my home gym regularly I would burn 310-320 calories on the exact same elliptical most likely going at even slower RPMs. For this reason I also believe my increase in age and decrease in weight probably is leading to slightly lower calories burned throughout the activity. In the end though it’s such a small difference that it really doesn’t matter. I’m not worried about it. I will work harder anyway as I do feel like I can push myself past the speeds I was obtaining, maybe even past the resistance. Calorie counting or no calorie counting, I will improve myself.

For my diet today I tried to eat more each meal, but I’m still feeling hungry. I may try to switch back to 5 meals a day, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to maintain it and I don’t want to get used to such a dramatic change if I am forced to quickly adapt and switch back to 3. I’m not sure what I can do except simply try and eat more on each meal. I tried snacking a little bit (as mentioned in my recent journal entries), but snacking frightens me on how easy it is to go overboard. It’s only been a few days really since I’ve made the trip home; truthfully, I am still adapting. I’ll get a hang of this, just wait.

Now to the frustrating nightly workout… It is so hard for me to get motivated to complete reps right before I hit the sack. It is especially so when I know that one of those reps may be at failure. I am seriously considering switching my pushups and sit-ups so that they are done at the same time as my cardio. Meaning, they are done at the gym. Maybe this will improve my results? Though, it is not I am not improving. Just a few minutes ago I performed them regardless of my seemingly vacant desire to go through with it. And I improved. I did not get to failure on my pushups, and have in fact gotten further away from that near failure feeling that I used to feel. Furthermore, my form I believe is getting better as I am noticing myself having more strength now to seriously focus on getting those elbows parallel. I also further enhanced my sit-ups. After following the advice from yesterday’s entry I was able to successfully complete the full 3 sets for 23 reps each. It felt good.

And now I’m tired, exhausted, and ready to fall into a nice bed. Goodnight.



That was the day.





This concludes Entry #13.

Thursday 12/18/08
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 144.5 - no change
Body Fat: 6.5% - up 0.3%

Diet:
Breakfast:
1 large Pear
1 large Apple
¾ cup Oats
1 large “pan sized” Egg Beater Omelet with Honey Glazed Ham, Green Pepper, Onion
Post-Workout:
1 medium Pear
1 Protein Shake with 1.25 scoops Whey Protein Isolate, .25 to .5 cups Blueberries
Lunch:
2 slices Weight Watchers Whole Wheat Bread with Ham, Turkey, Tomato, Onion, Lettuce (Herb Paste)
1 Low Calorie Wrap with Ham, Sundried Tomato, Artichoke Garlic Salsa
5-10 Baby Cut Carrots
3-4 Pickles
1 bowl Spring Lettuce Salad Mix, Cucumber, Bell Pepper (Low Calorie Light Ginger Soy Dressing)
Dinner:
1 plate 4-5 medium Chicken Breast pieces in a Marsala like sauce, 5-10 Asparagus, 4-5 small to medium Roasted Potato pieces, Onion and Mushroom in an Olive Oil and Apple Schnapps sauce
1 bowl Spring Lettuce Salad Mix, Bell Pepper, Sundried Tomato (Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar)



That was my diet.




The Day:

Unlike the last few days I was excited for the gym this morning. I was energized by the fact that I would be lifting, not exerting the same movement for an innumerable amount of times. Fittingly, I performed well. Not only was my bench press easier (as was the case in my last workout as well), but now my squats and deadlifts seemed slightly on the lesser side of heavy. This was only the beginning! I was soon to find that my new compound movements, the chin-up and pull-up were also in need of some adjustment. Adjustment for the better! I lowered my offsets on my pull-ups to 70 from 80 and my chin-ups to 50 from 60. Even my dips felt slightly easier (but not easy enough to increase the weight). Next week, for all the great improvements above, I will also be adjusting my weights on the squat, deadlift, and bench press. I can’t wait! What a great day at the gym!

To compliment the nice workout, as you can see above, I did eat more today. As I said yesterday, this was a goal of mine as I believe the switch from college life to home life has made me adjust my diet to a lesser quantity of food. Inheritably, I believe it has affected my cardio workouts. Not that the actual workout is harder, but my recovery seems elongated as I started to become more lethargic both before and after the exertion. I hope this fuller feeling will counter act those negative consequences I have already started to feel.

Besides the workout and the diet, not much else happened today. It was a nice relaxing schedule with not much to do. I am really enjoying the nothingness: it’s the perfect vacation from college chaos.



That was the day.





This concludes Entry #14.

Friday 12/19/08
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 144.0 - down 0.5lb
Body Fat: 7.6% - up 1.1%

Diet:
Breakfast:
1 large Pear
1 medium Apple
½ cup Oats
1 large “pan sized” Egg Beater Omelet with Ham, Onion
Lunch:
1 medium Apple
1 small bowl Cottage Cheese with Honey Wheat Germ
1 bowl Lettuce Spring Mix, Cucumber (Light Low Calorie Ginger Soy Dressing)
1 Low Calorie Wrap with Ham, Reduced Fat Feta Cheese, Artichoke Garlic Salsa
2 slices Weight Watchers Whole Wheat Bread with Ham, Turkey, Tomato, Onion, Lettuce, No Fat Low Calorie American Cheese (Mustard)
10-15 Baby Cut Carrots
2 Pickles
Dinner:
2 plates Roasted Turkey Breast, Rice, Lentils, Asparagus cooked in Olive Oil, very little Potato
1 Cracker with Pate
2-4 small pieces Gouda Cheese
8-12 Almonds



That was my diet.





The Day:

I do have energy this morning, but I’m not excited to workout. Just not in the running mood I guess. No matter, I’ll do it anyway and I’m sure feel better once I am actually in the motion. Meanwhile I checked my weight and body fat this morning as I always do. There must have been some fluke in the body fat test. Maybe it was the fact that I used some hand sanitizer right before gripping the handles of the analyzer? I don’t know. What I do know is there is no way I went from 6.5% to 7.6% within 24 hours. With that in mind, I’m just going to push this figure out of my head.

What a great conclusion to a great week. I ran the 1.5 miles today and for the first time didn’t feel weak while doing it. By the end, I actually had the energy to keep going. I wasn’t even breathing through my mouth yet! It will be interesting if I can obtain the same performance next week as well. Maybe it’s time to increase the difficulty in my cardio as well as my lifting? That would be awesome.

But it didn’t end there. As I mentioned earlier the elliptical here either has less resistance than the ones back in college or I am just getting that much stronger. Either way I increased my workout on the machine today by incrementing my RPMs by 5. Meaning my starting 5 minutes was at 65-70rpm (of which I kept in the upper range) and my ending 5 minutes was at 80-85rpm (also keeping the motion in the upper range). My calories burned this time was 253. I simply don’t understand why I didn’t see a significant increase from last time (252 calories burned). What I do know though is that it was a harder workout and I did it: that’s all that matters.

Later in the day it was about time for me to go to sleep when I remembered I had my pushups and sit-ups to do. I wanted to do them during cardio, but completely forgot. Now, as I’m completely ready to fall asleep, I have to get up and perform myself until exhaustion. This is the exact reason I was supposed to switch this routine so it combines with my gym workout. So much for that! With very little motivation, I complete the pushups. I still feel like my form is lacking. For my next max test this Sunday, don’t be surprised if the number goes down. I want to test my TRUE max with perform execution. This way when I say to people I can do 70 pushups in a minute, it’s real not some half truth. Afterwards I completed the sit-ups having a little more dedication this time as my blood was flowing waking me up from the droopy eyed mood I was ready to fall into. The sit-ups are definitely getting easier and unlike the pushups I have no qualms to say that the number will go up as I test my new maximum.

OK, now it really is time for bed. Goodnight.



That was the day.





This concludes Entry #15.

Saturday 12/20/08
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 143.0 - down 1.0lb
Body Fat: 7.5% - down 0.1%

Diet:
Breakfast:
1 medium Pear
1 medium Apple
½ cup Oats
1 large “pan sized” Egg Beater Omelet with Ham, Onion
Lunch:
1 medium Apple
1 bowl Lettuce Spring Mix, Cucumber, Bell Pepper (Light Low Calorie Ginger Soy Dressing)
1 Low Calorie Wrap with Ham, Artichoke Garlic Salsa
2 slices Weight Watchers Whole Wheat Bread with Ham, Turkey, Tomato, Onion, Lettuce, No Fat Low Calorie American Cheese (Mustard)
10-15 Baby Cut Carrots
2 Pickles
Dinner:
Pickles
1 small slice White Sandwich Bread with Turkey, Roast Beef (Mustard)
1 small slice Rye Sandwich Bread with Turkey, Roast Beef (Mustard)
1.5 small slices Kugel
1 small Latka [potato pancake]
1 small spoonful Coleslaw
2 bowls Lettuce Spring Salad with Walnuts, Cheese (Vinaigrette)



That was my diet.





The Day:

Not much happened today. I was happy to enjoy no gym obligation: I must admit that. I woke up completely relaxed and ready to do nothing. At the same time I realize that without going to the gym for 5 days in a row, that feeling would never exist. That’s the paradox. And that’s what makes it all worth it. Well not all, but it’s definilt a benefit.

The only thing really to report on is that dinner tonight was fairly crazy as it was my familys Chanukah party. Yes, I know Chanukah technically isn’t until a few nights, but this was the day we decided to come together for the social aspect of the holiday season. Anyway, the food was buffet style and I tried my best to estimate a standard meal of mine. Really it came down to just eating until that full feeling hit me. I may have ended up eating too much, I’m not sure as sometimes just the fact of not knowing makes me feel like I overate. In the end though I could use some overeating from the way my weight is going (down!?!?).

On the same topic as my weight, my body fat still suddenly seems to be staying the mid 7’s. I really don’t understand this. Either I’m getting faulty readings two times in a row, or I’ve been getting faulty readings for a while previously because honestly it should not be possible to jump a whole percentage point in one day. Maybe, just maybe, it is because I’ve been crapping in mornings these last two days as well as pissing. Could that throw off the analyzer? I don’t know. I’ll keep reporting on this though: we shall get down to the bottom of this mystery!

Well I’m off to bed. Tomorrow morning, unlike last week, I won’t forget and will be taking my picture. These last few days I have noticed some more definition in my abs, but I don’t have my hopes up that they’ll show up on camera. It could still be too slight of a difference to see through a lens. It would be nice, though, to see some progress from maybe a comparison of the original picture to now. But, I regress, I don’t have my hopes up.

Goodnight, and Goodluck (to my picture taking :P).



That was the day.





This concludes Entry #16.

As promised here is my updated progress picture for this week. And as predicted, no real noticeable change. I am slightly saddened because for the last few days my abs have been showing, but this morning they disappeared. My guess is from the dinner last night bloating me slightly. Either way though, I doubt you would have seen the difference on camera. So, without further ado: myself as taken this morning at approximately 7:00am.

Sunday 12/21/08
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 146.0 - up 3.0lb
Body Fat: 7.3% - down 0.2%

Diet:
Breakfast:
1 medium Pear
1 medium Apple
½ cup Oats
1 large “pan sized” Egg Beater Omelet with Turkey
Lunch:
1 medium Apple
1 bowl Lettuce Spring Mix, Cucumber, Bell Pepper (Light Low Calorie Italian Dressing)
1 Low Calorie Wrap with Ham, Spicy Hot Salsa
2 slices Whole Wheat Bread [no HFC] with Ham, Turkey, Tomato, Onion, Lettuce, No Fat Low Calorie American Cheese (Mustard)
10-15 Baby Cut Carrots
Afternoon Snack:
10 Baby Cut Carrots
5-10 Almonds
Dinner:
2 bowls Wild Rice Soup
1 plate Top Round Steak (a good amount), Brussels Sprouts
2-4 slices Deli Turkey



That was my diet.

The Day:

I was a little scared to check my weight this morning, fearing some dreadful consequence of last night’s too fulfilling dinner. Yup, upwards on the scale. I realized afterwards, after seeing the number 146, that it didn’t bother me that much. I know it isn’t truly a representation of who I am and that I could use a little weight gain anyway (as I talked about yesterday). I promptly took my body fat measurement afterwards and was pleasantly surprised to see the numbers go down. This made up for the gain in body weight since if I’m gaining weight and my body fat is going down then the only possibilities are good ones. Now please, I know that this type of analysis is quite fraud because daily changes, in fact in forms of even giant swings, are a common occurrence. Regardless, it makes me happy to think that they actually matter. It makes me happy to believe that those numbers do mean I just gained 3lbs of muscle. So don’t try to take that away from me: it keeps me motivated.

Later on in the day I went to the gym. Not to workout or anything, but instead to first of all try one pull-up (see if I’ve made any progress) and to go in the sauna and steam room as I’ve never been in one since I was a very little. To start, the pull-up: unsuccessful. I was able to go further up than initially, or so I believe (the difference could have been purely psychological). When I come to think about it I realize that it has only been two weeks and that I have progressed since my offset weights have decreased. Knowing that I know in the future I will be able to pull myself up. After the initial grimace, I left the lifting area with a smile on my face.

Then I put on a towel. First I tried the sauna. Apparently you are supposed to take off your jewelry (something I never realized), because within a matter of minutes I felt a scalding burn upon my neck. Promptly leaving the room I realized what it was and found the wound to be barely red upon my skin so it was nothing. Regardless, I decided to not try the sauna again and went instead into the steam room (after taking off the metal of course). I really enjoyed the steam room. It was relaxing to breathe slowly and calmly letting myself become a moist mop inside those stone walls. I spent again around 10 minutes in there. To dry off I chose to go back into the sauna. This time I stayed much longer (not having to worry about being burnt and all) and by the end of my stay I was completely dry. So, was it all worth it? I’m not sure. I don’t think I’d do it every day and I definitely wouldn’t have time to anyway. But, on the weekends, when I can leisure around, why not go into these two harsh climates and relax?

Right before going to sleep, after brushing my teeth, I tested my new maxes. For pushups, the number went down. I did 54 reps before my muscles failed right around the 1 minute mark (at which point I would have had to stop anyway). As predicted, this is less than last time. BUT! I did these reps with form! Considering that, I am very satisfied, very uplifted actually, by my results. This new number, 54, gives me a calculated routine of 3 sets of 40 so reps. Knowing that I am having difficulty doing the 33 at the moment with perfect form, I will wait on that change. Meanwhile, my sit-ups are staying at a constant 35. I believe the issue to be speed as unlike the pushups I am not fatiguing, but merely running out of time. This next week I will focus on doing my 23 reps as fast as possible. My goal is for this new focus on time to lead to an overall improvement in my numbers next Sunday’s test.

Tomorrow is an exciting lifting day. Most of my lifts have gone up, or going to go up, in weights. I’m pumped and ready for it. Goodnight.



That was the day.





This concludes Entry #17.

Monday 12/22/08
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 145.5 - down 0.5lb
Body Fat: 7.3% - no change

Diet:
Breakfast:
1 medium Pear
1 medium Apple
½ cup Oats
1 large “pan sized” Egg Beater Omelet with Ham, Pepper, Onion
Post-Workout:
1 Protein Shake with 1 scoop Whey Protein Isolate, ½ Banana, Frozen Blueberries
Lunch:
1 medium Apple
1 bowl Lettuce Spring Mix, Cucumber, Bell Pepper (Light Low Ginger Soy Dressing)
1 Low Calorie Wrap with Ham, Spicy Hot Salsa
2 slices Whole Wheat Bread [no HFC] with Ham, Turkey, Tomato, Onion, Lettuce, No Fat Low Calorie American Cheese (Mustard)
2 Pickles
Dinner:
1 plate 3 shrimp cakes, roasted potato, sweet potato, carrot, onion, fennel
2 bowls Baby Spinach and Romaine Lettuce Salad (Casesar Dressing)
1 small handful Deli Turkey
1 small bowl 1% Fat Cottage Cheese



That was my diet.




The Day:

As usual for my lifting days, this morning I was excited. Even more so than usual because I was changing the weights, changing them in a good way (that is I was adding to them). The results were very good. I squatted at a new plateau of 145. The squat out of all the changes today was the hardest. But, I made it with a big grin on my face as I pushed through the last grimacing rep. The deadlift afterwards on the other hand was easier than the squat, though still difficult enough for me to get a good pump. I feel strong enough though so I think an extra 10 pounds on the dead may be worth it: I’ll try it out next Thursday. I then went on to the bench press where I was happy to successfully complete 3 sets of 5 reps with 110 pounds above me. I actually think for this lift I can go slightly higher, meaning next week (not this Thursday) I will increase to 115 (at last 35’s on each side!). The rest of the lifts all went well. I chose to do the captain’s chair (aka knee raises) for abs. I really tried focusing on isolating the muscle and it created a great burn. On the last set I was barely able to keep my knees in motion towards my chest. I love the feeling of my muscles shaking in frustration, vibrating in fury.

Later on in the day I suddenly had an onslaught of sleepiness befall me and took a small nap. I felt better afterwards. Normally I’m not the napping type so maybe it was the harder than normal workout today. It could have also been boredom, a feeling that I’m truly grateful now for having after graduating from a semester of college.

One last note about my diet and this is just as much as it is for you as it is for me so that I can keep track of any changes I make. I have been adding some additional dishes to dinner on some nights because I simply don’t feel full enough from whatever my mom or restaurants provide. I am comparing this full feeling to what I would feel like after eating in college. It should be taken to consideration that if any unfavorable changes start to occur that this may be one area to look at and revise as we all know feelings can be quite unreliable.



That was the day.





This concludes Entry #18.

Tuesday 12/23/08
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 145.0 - down 0.5lb
Body Fat: 6.9% - down 0.4%

Diet:
Breakfast:
1 medium Pear
1 medium-large Apple
½ cup Oats
1 large “pan sized” Egg Beater Omelet with Ham, Pepper, Onion
Lunch:
1 medium Apple
1 bowl Lettuce Spring Mix, Cucumber, Bell Pepper (Light Low Ginger Soy Dressing)
1 Low Calorie Wrap with Ham (less than usual), Cottage Cheese, Baby Spinach, Bell Pepper, Spicy Hot Salsa
2 slices Whole Wheat Bread [no HFC] with Turkey, Tomato, Onion, Lettuce, No Fat Low Calorie American Cheese (Mustard)
Dinner:
1 plate Striped Bass, Roasted Vegetables
1 small plate Salmon, Potato, Cabbage Mixture
1 small bowl Cottage Cheese (Cinnamon, Fennel Seed)



That was my diet.




The Day:

There really isn’t much to say today. As usual I wasn’t in the mood for cardio until I actually started running and then became motivated to finish. Again I was able to complete the mile and a half without breathing through my mouth. I’m very satisfied with this accomplishment as it means a progression is soon to be in order. The rest of the workout went well despite a reordering of my activities (had to do treadmill walking before elliptical). I actually ended up burning slightly more calories than normal because I had to spend some extra time walking on the treadmill before one of the elliptical machines opened up. Also on the elliptical I burned 65 calories this time instead of 52 last time. Besides maybe a slightly margin of 1 or 2 RPMs, the two instances should have been identical. I really don’t get this calorie estimations that the machines gives. I just don’t.

Later on I went out to dinner. I tried to eat as much as possible; but still it wasn’t enough. To compensate, around a half an hour prior to bed I decided to eat a small bowl of cottage cheese. Afterwards I brushed my teeth and went to work on those pushups and sit-ups. It was tougher than usual for whatever reason (probably just an off day). Unlike my bedroom, at my dad’s house (where I am now staying) the ground is hardwood not carpet so my tailbone started to hurt again on the sit-ups. This made it increasingly difficult as well. I also tried to push myself further by increasing the speed of my sit-ups with some success (I was only able to make a noticeable difference on the first set which I think caused my other two to weaken in quickness). I ended the nightly routine with a burn in all the right places. For that reason, it was a good day


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #19.

Wednesday 12/24/08
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 143.5 - down 1.5lb
Body Fat: 7.3% - up 0.4%

Diet:
Pre-Breakfast:
1 small bowl 2% Fat Cottage Cheese and Honey Wheat Germ
Breakfast:
1 medium Egg White Omelet with Lox, Onion, Lettuce, Tomato (Ketchup)
1 bowl Oatmeal
1 very small bowl 2% Fat Cottage Cheese and Bee Pollen
2 medium Apples
Post-Lunch:
A few spoonfuls 2% Fat Cottage Cheese and Wheat Germ
1 medium Apple
Lunch:
1 small plate Salad with Lettuces, Cabbage, Apple, and Other Vegetables/Fruits (Vinaigrette)
1 plate Chicken, Vegetables, a little Potato
Post-Dinner:
5-10 Baby Cut Carrots
1 small bowl Oatmeal
Dinner:
1 small bowl Chinese Chicken and Corn Soup [light broth]
1 plate Chinese Bass and Vegetables [light sauce]
1 cup White Rice
3 Baby Cut Carrots
5 Almonds



That was my diet.




The Day:

I weighed myself this morning and the results were not favorable. I lost weight again probably from not eating enough last night. Even worse is my body fat percent went in the opposite direction. I really got to get on top of this eating thing for traveling. I simply am not eating enough when I’m out at restaurants or basically anytime I’m not at a buffet or cooking myself. My resolution is simply to try and make the scale go up now instead of staying in the middle point. By the scale going up I will be able to tell at which point is too much eating and then balance it with what I know now to be too little. Using these two pivot points I think I will become better able to release myself from the constrictions of a non standardized diet plan.

For my workout today I went down to my dad’s gym which is located conveniently inside his apartment building. The gym sucked. There were two different types of ellipticals that I could try for my HIIT. At first I tried the one that looked the most similar to my previous experiences. It was an utter failure. Once the first high intensity interval began I immediately knew that this wasn’t going to work. The machine did not provide enough resistance, but if you tried to increase the magnetism it would become impossibly hard to move. There was no good linear progression for each resistance level. Basically it was terrible for HIIT.

I moved onto the next machine, restarting the HIIT activity. It too had issues. The design was very uncomfortable as it inclined my feet way too much causing pressure on the balm of my foot; also causing my foot to slide forward on every step. It also had linear progression issues as for whatever reason it was too easy for almost every level except the last two which became almost impossibly hard (I nearly collapsed on the last interval because of this). To top it off, even with all the exertion I gave, I still only burned 287 for 20 minutes of HIIT. That’s way way below my normal. Just for the records incase I’m ever needing to be on the same machine again (hopefully never) my rest intervals were at approximately 140-145rpm while my intensity intervals were at 180rpm. The only good thing about today was that all the calories added up because of trying out the different machines means I still burnt my normal amount if not more than it. Also, there’s the fact that I completed the movements. That’s always good.

At night it was pushup time and I really did ****ty. My form was bad and my pace was terrible. I almost didn’t complete the reps or the sets. I feel like this lack of energy is most likely due to my diet. But, my sit-ups at least were all right, the normal. Hopefully the changes I made will carry and tomorrow I will awake with a much needed boost in performance.



That was the day.





This concludes Entry #20.

Thursday 12/25/08
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 145.0 - up 1.5lb
Body Fat: 6.9% - down 0.4%

Diet:
Breakfast:
1 medium Pear
1 small-medium Apple
1 large “pan-sized” Egg Beater Omelet with Ham, Pepper (Mustard)
1 small bowl Oatmeal
Pre-Workout:
1 medium Apple
Lunch:
1 medium Pear
2 slices Whole Wheat Spelt Bread with Turkey, a little Roast Beef (Mustard)
1 small slice Whole Wheat Spelt Bread with a little Roast Beef (Mustard)
2 GG Scandinavian Crackers [very low calorie] with a little Turkey (Mustard)
10-15 Baby Cut Carrots
Pre-Dinner:
1 small glass Tomato Vegetable Juice (Tabasco sauce)
1 GG Scandinavian Cracker [very low calorie] with a little Ham (Mustard)
5-10 small Almonds
Dinner:
1 plate Lettuce Salad, Tomato (Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar)
1 slice Tomato with Buffalo Mozzarella
1 plate Tuna Steak with German Potatoes


That was my diet.



The Day:

Today was a little crazy. I had a good amount of energy to work out, at least at first. But then, it being Christmas and me not caring because I’m Jewish, I realized the gym problem. The downstairs gym in the complex is closed, nor does it have any barbells in the first place. Figuring the best case would be the JCC I decided to walk the city blocks. Upon arrival (and I should add I did try to call them, but they didn’t answer) I found out that the membership office is closed (but the gym facilities are open). What does this mean for me? It means ****! I couldn’t get a guest pass even though they do offer them because the office that hands them out was closed. It was ridiculous really. Either way, I wasted a half an hour walking back and forth. Now my motivation was plummeting, but I kept with my search. After various phone calls, and a small argument with my father, I found the solution.

I had to pay a 15 dollar fee, but that was hardly an obstacle. And so I began my workout. I still had little motivation, and this time unlike usual that did not change. I burned a little over 60 calories on the elliptical, below normal most likely because of the machine. I then stepped up the flights of stairs to the fourth level where the free weights room was located. It was barely a room. So small, it was me and 5 to 10 other people squished into this tiny sweat aroma filled area. I had to wait numerous times for all the lifts I needed to complete. With that said, even though my mind wasn’t where it should have been, I did complete all the lifts. The best thing I take away is the burn I felt from the squats today and the increase in weights with the deadlift. I still don’t feel great about the day though. I know tomorrow that feeling will pass. Tomorrow I will wake up with the energy I so long for. But for now, I am depressingly uncomfortable.

At least I can say with a little more confidence that my diet is getting in check again. I still, naturally from my overweight days, worry that I am eating too much when it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to estimate (even more so than before because of all the eating out and inconsistent meals). But: that is getting better. I guess as a counter to my melancholy attitude to lifting today I can say that my diet improved. Meh, but I still can’t deny that nagging sensation that I’m not eating right. OK, in all honesty, neither of my attitudes today are that great. It’s simply not a good day. Tomorrow will be better: I can feel it.


That was the day.




This concludes Entry #21.

Friday 12/26/08
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 143.0 - down 2.0lb
Body Fat: 6.3% - down 0.6%

Diet:
Breakfast:
1 medium Pear
1 small-medium Apple
1 large “pan-sized” Egg Beater Omelet with Ham, Pepper (Mustard)
1 bowl Oatmeal
Post-Workout:
2 GG Scandinavian Crackers with Turkey (Mustard)
5-8 Baby Cut Carrots
Lunch:
1 small-medium Apple
2 slices Sprouted Wheat Bread with Turkey (Mustard)
1 small slice Sprouted Wheat Bread with a little Ham (Mustard)
1 GG Scandinavian Crackers [very low calorie] with a little Ham (Mustard)
1 bowl No Fat Greek Yogurt with Honey Wheat Germ
10-15 Baby Cut Carrots
Pre-Dinner:
2 Vitamin C Pills [10 calories]
3 Baby Cut Carrots
Dinner:
1 small plate Lettuce Salad (Vinaigrette)
1 plate Cod, Ratatouille, French Beans, a little Trout
Post-Dinner:
1 bowl No Fat Greek Yogurt with 10-15 Almonds (Cinnamon)
1 small plate Roast Beef (Mustard)
3-5 Baby Cut Carrots



That was my diet.




The Day:

I wasn’t in a particularly motivated mood for running today. I usually never am in the mornings it seems. I feel like that will never go away. Regardless, I felt a certain necessary uplifting from yesterday and that helped. At around 10:00am I changed for the gym.

As only a treadmill and an elliptical were necessary today, I conveniently was able to simply go down 8 levels on the elevator and arrive at the gym. The small room was packed with an abnormal amount of people, but luckily one of the treadmills was open. The run itself was fairly good. I was able, as is now the standard, to run the 1.5 miles without breathing through my mouth (though it was still a good workout and I was sweating by the end). The only snag I ran into was my Zune kept shutting off randomly. It did this once, a long time ago, but I haven’t seen that behavior since. I had to keep restarting it to keep the music pumping in my ears. If anything this exerted a little extra energy which means more calories (yay!). After that I started on the elliptical.

Meh, like yesterday, it sucked. All I can say is meh. Since the machine measures in strides per minute instead of rpm I will use those figures to give you, fellow reader, an idea of what I did. I started at 135-140 strides/min and increased every 5 minutes by 5 strides/min (the same way method used for rpms). The entire movement, all 20 minutes of it, felt more difficult than usual. The worst part is that it wasn’t more difficult in a physical exertion sense, but more just uncomfortable because I didn’t like the elliptical’s particular way of moving my feet and legs back and forth, up and down. From those 20 minutes I burned near 237 calories, if my memory serves me correctly. I’m not even going to bother complaining about the low number: I now realize without being consistent with one machine’s method of counting the idea of keeping track of calories burned per exercise is useless. Either way, there’s the number for the hell of it. On another similar discrepancy of calorie counting, the treadmill workout (4mph at 6% incline) to top off the routine clocked me in at 108 calories burned. Obviously a treadmill should have no inconsistencies between another treadmill; so, how there is a change there I have no idea, no explanation. I am happy to say that this will be the last day, at least for a long time, I have to use these ****ty gyms of late. Tomorrow I will be off to my aunt’s house where from experience I know exists two fairly well equipped gyms. I’m excited.

After the workout I decided to eat a post-workout meal. This is different than normal because usually I end my cardio routine right around lunch time. Today it was not so. I ate a fairly low carb, high fiber, snack with an emphasis on protein. From what I researched this is the best diet plan for post cardio. Speaking of eating, my body fat and weight took quite a plunge today. I’m not sure what caused it as I felt like I ate a decent amount yesterday. In all honesty, I am happy to see the numbers go down simply because this time body fat went down as well. I do think I should eat more though as I have to be careful to stay at maintenance or slightly above if I went to gain strength while losing body fat.

A little later on in the day, following a nice lunch, I went for a walk. It turned out to be quite a walk. It was fairly leisurely, but I was moving for at least 2 hours straight. I’ve found this kind of exercise to be the best fat burner so I’m happy to have done it. It was a nice time to relax as well. After the walk it wasn’t quite dinner time yet so I decided to get something in me. I ate a few carrots figuring they would hold me over till the restaurant reservations. I also felt the stirring malaise of a cold while on my walk so I decided to take a few vitamin c pills as well. I only had the chewable kind, for that reason I counted the calories (though I admit it barely matters, but hey why not include them?). It was a nice afternoon.

Following the afternoon came noon and with it dinner. Dinner was small. The food was decent, but the portions tiny. I was still hungry as I left the building and I knew I would have to eat more if I was to stay at maintenance. A little later, back in the apartment, I decided to eat my post dinner meal. It wasn’t a lot, but I hope it did the job.

And I ended the night with my routine pushups and sit-ups. It was interesting this time. For the pushups I again changed up my form after noticing that I really wasn’t leaning over my chest enough. This change pushed me to the brink. I completed the first set of 33, but failed at 29 on the 2nd set and at a lowly 15 on the last set. I am proud, nevertheless, of this performance. Why? Well for one because of the awesome pump this gave my chest. But also, because I finally realized why I have been lacking motivation for this nightly exercise. It was because I knew I was cheating myself on the number of reps I could do and that I would have to continue to cheat myself every night. Now I know I don’t have to anymore. Next Sunday I will make sure that my form is impeccable in every way I know. I need a real assessment not this masquerade of a performance I have been putting on recently. As for the sit-ups, there is nothing wrong there. I am improving nicely as I should be for the near failure I push myself to. I am excited as well for Sunday in this regard as I expect a new maximum for my sit-ups. Overall it was a nice way to end the night, a nice conclusion to a fulfilling Friday.


That was the day.





This concludes Entry #22.

Saturday 12/27/08
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight: 142.5 - down 0.5lb
Body Fat: 7.2% - up 0.9%

Diet:
Pre-Breakfast:
1 medium Pear
1 small-medium Apple
1 small plate Egg Beaters with Peppers (Mustard)
5 Baby Cut Carrots
Breakfast:
1 plate Egg Whites with Lox, Ham, Leeks
1 bowl Porridge
1 slice 7 grain Toast
Post-Breakfast:
1 small-medium Apple
Pre-Lunch:
2-3 Handfuls Beef Jerky
Lunch:
1 McDonald’s Southwestern Chicken Salad [grilled, half the dressing, no cheese, no tortilla strips]
Dinner:
1 plate Lettuce Salad with Peppers, Walnuts (Sherry Vinaigrette)
1 plate Haddock with Tomatoes
1 small plate Butternut Squash



That was my diet.




The Day:

I was surprised to see my weight go down and sadly my body fat go up. I tried to eat a good amount yesterday and felt like that extra meal after dinner would pack on enough calories to counter for the mediocre portions I talked about. I guess not. I feel like my body fat going up is most likely just a standard fluctuation that is cyclical, but I could be wrong here as well. It is clear, whatever the reasoning, though that I must eat more. Today is a travel day so it is not the ideal time to pursuit this goal. But, I will do my best.

And the best I did. I ate all the rest of the fruit at my dad’s house before leaving for the road. I also happened to find some beef jerky to take along with me. I’m not going into details since it really is all outlined above in the diet section, but I feel like there was nothing more that I could have done. I ate as much as possible. I fear in the end it probably wasn’t enough, but again; I did my best. I should also take to the time to give fair warning that tomorrow’s diet, in fact the next few days, may be a little off because of my polite courtesy I must give while at my aunt’s stay (meaning I’m not going to go around demanding we go food shopping for the foods I need as she graciously offers me her hospitality).

OK, enough talking about the diet. Today I did get some moderate exercise in (yes it is a weekend so I am resting here as well). I just thought I should mention that I walked a good amount after breakfast, if that matters. Well, that’s it for that.

I will end this entry on the psychological side of my life. For whatever reason I was graced with a motivational uplifting and feel more determined now to really push myself in every area. Especially so did this pulse of energy hit me with the future thought of pushups. I now am focused and see myself attaining those goals I reread every day. I feel like some of this week has brought me down somewhat on the mental side. Well, I’m back.



That was the day.





This concludes Entry #23.