End of Week 3

So I've reached the end of week 3 and I've seen yet more changes.

First the measurements

Last week my circumference measurements were:

Hips: 38.5

Waist: 30

Thigh: 23.5

Arm: 14

This week we have this:

Hips: 38

Waist: 30.5

Thigh: 22.75

Arm: 14

Body fat also went down. I had been stuck at the range of 11-15% for a couple of weeks but this week my range is now 10.5-14% (I honestly think it is closer to 10.5% as I have been 9% before but didn't look this good:)

And for the visual proof, here are my pictures from last week:

And this weeks pictures (look at the side view)

Very pleased with progress. I could care less that my weight isn't dropping dramatically, my body fat and circumference measurements are dropping. I'm starting to think that 5% is too low for me and that a few percentages lower would be more than what I'm looking for. We'll see what happens this last week.

Week and a Half Left

Still not having crazy cravings.

I actually like a lot of the foods I am eating and realized the other day that I am not missing the whole grains that are non-existent during this program.

Lots of veggies, some fruit and lots of healthy fats and proteins.

I love it:)

And I'm sure if I wasn't seeing results it would be much more difficult to 'love' it.

Something I have learned about myself is that like many others I had a fear of fats, even the healthy ones.

In this program I'm eating more fats than I ever have and it is having the opposite effect that I expected.

Now I knew it wasn't the fats that were making me fat but I got sucked into the media and misconception that fats are the culprit of causing us to hold on to the body fat so many of us struggle with.

It isn't quite that simple.

There are a lot of factors. Quality nutrition is at the top of that list.
Poor carbohydrate choices and portions are also an issue.
The other biggie is overeating.

It's funny but I used to have trouble with snacking at night and I still do snack from time to time. However, the big difference is that I don't reach for the carbohydrates like I used to.

Instead I look for fat and protein combinations to satisfy my snacking and the choices I now make are supportive ones, meaning they are healthy.

I didn't expect to learn something with this program but it is always a plus. I guess I was a little naieve (did I spell that right?) to think I wouldn't learn anything.

I Cheated!

Yup its true.

Last night I cheated.

But not in the way you might think. I didn't cheat with ice cream, or chocolate, or candy, or pizza. I just had more than what I was supposed to.

My evening snack I had seconds on and I also had twice the portion for lunch. All healthy options but my calories aren't as low as they should have been.

It's a cheat but it is still a win. See I could have gone off the deep end and had pasta, ice cream and pizza, but I didn't. And even though this isn't the ideal situation, I did cheat but did so in a supportive way.

I felt bad about it for about ten minutes then realized that this is a huge step in the right direction for me moving forward. I am halfway through this phase of the program and am doing great mentally and physically. I took measurements today. My pictures show difference and there is some difference with circumference measurements and weight but not so much on the body fat percentage (although the measurements were lower not enough to drop percentages in body fat). Here are my current pictures:

Here are my pictures from two weeks ago:

My current weight is 198

My circumference measurements are:

Hips 38,5

Waist 30

Thigh 23.5

Arm 14

At the end of the last phase they were:

Hips 39

Waist 31

Thigh 23.5

Arm 13.75

Not a lot of loss, but I think the pictures show the biggest changes. I am also wearing a loose size 34 pants which I haven't worn a 'loose' size 34 since junior high school.

At this point I'm not so sure I care about what the numbers are showing, although mostly good, and I would like to see the body fat drop, I am pleased how far I have come with this program and how things are coming together physically.

A Good Week

Another good week under my belt.

Some great news is that I pulled out a pair of shorts that I had no chance of fitting into this winter.

My mother in law bought me two sizes: 38 and 34.

I had been wearing the 38 all winter and just changed on Monday. It was long overdue because these shorts were falling off me.

So I tried on the 34's and to my surprise, they were loose too! The last time I was smaller than a size 34 I was in Junior High (maybe even younger but that is as far back as Ican remember).

I actually don't know what size I was in junior high because I wore elastic band clothing back then.

They felt the most comfortable.

On another note, I don't think the scale has gone down but I don't give a crap, I look great. I'm hearing it from my boot campers, my family and friends.

That and the shorts are the real indicators of results, the scale just plain sucks.

I won't be a slave to that thing ever again.

Measurements on Sunday to see numerically how I have done, but honestly I already know.

Many are asking what my secret is. Well there are a lot of things but I am using this on a regular basis in my nutrition plan. I've got a lot of cool ideas using this and they taste awesome.

I made it!!

The weekend is over and I made it clean!

And it actually wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

Once I got past Friday night, the rest was a breeze, well almost a breeze.

Yesterday was quite tough.

See, I didn't train yesterday so my calories were cut and I lost a meal (workout meal) and that made it tough.

I wasn't hungry, I just wanted to eat again. Purely a mental game.

But it is over, now its Monday and I'm moving forward.

As I mentioned yesterday, measurements didn't show much except for a 1/2 inch loss on my waist but I am seeing quite a change overall.

I can see my abs better (big bonus)
I can see more definition in my arms

Those are the two biggies. So I can tell it is working, I just may need to manipulate the menu a bit in a week if there aren't significant changes.

Measurement Day

Now that I'm in the next phase of my program, I will be doing measurements weekly.

I took my measurements this morning but didn't see any change in body fat or circumference measurements.

However, I know I look different, I feel different. I can see my abs even more and my clothes are fitting differently over the past week. I will wait another week to see if there are further changes. If I don't see any numerical changes I will alter the menu.

(I say there weren't any changes but I did lose 1/2 inche around my hips.

I got a new pair of shoes

I was so excited when the UPS man arrived on Thursday!



That meant my new shoes had arrived. I have been waiting what seems like forever for these shoes (it was actually three days).



It is always nice to get something new and even nicer to get a package, but this one is different.



Yes I was still excited and yes I was full of anticipation.
But I knew my training would never be the same. These shoes were going to change me.



Now you are probably thinking to yourself, how can a pair of shoes change your training and you?



Well, let me take you back a few years when I used to sprain my ankles constantly. I was a very active college guy, playing basketball and working out regularly. But I couldn't shake the constant ankle sprains I would get.



It seemed like as soon as I recovered from one, I would sprain the other.



It was annoying and it made me reconsider a lot of activities I used to love doing.



I stopped playing basketball so much, and all sports for that matter.



I didn't trust my body anymore, and I didn't like that.



Fast forward to today and my wonderful, life changing shoes.

(Please do your best to ignore the carpeting, it is the carpeting in my office)

These shoes are called Nike Frees. What makes them so special is that they give you the feeling of what it is like training barefoot.

I know you are a bit dumfounded right now, but stay with me, there is more to this, and before you go out trying to run barefoot (please don't) keep reading.

Our feet are the only contacts we have with the ground. When we seperate our feet from the ground, our nerves and muscles in our feet (our feet are absolutely loaded with tiny muscles and thousands of nerves to help with balance, coordination, and many other key functions) lose a lot of their ability to help in moving around.

Using shoes with extra padding or elevated heels, are one of the culprits to many foot and ankle injuries we experience. And don't get me started on high tops (I wore those religously in my basketball, baseball, and football playing days).

I understand the idea of trying to restrict the excess movement of the ankle to prevent injury, but by practicing that I think I'm doing a disservice to myself and my clients.

In order to get stronger we must train our body to become stronger, not sit in a coffin. This is what we are doing to our feet by placing them in shoes that are restricting our foot movement. Lack of foot movement means a delay in reaction by the muscles and nerve endings in the feet to react to either on the field or react to prevent an ankle sprain walking at work.

I ran in these shoes today and my feet actually never felt better afterward; no blisters to speak of. I didn't have aches and pains I normally do in my feet when I finish a running workout. Why?

Is it because my feet reacted the way they were meant to, by responding to the ground forces placed upon it? I'm not an expert but if I don't have pain, blisters, and aches after exercise and I just used brand new shoes...

I think there is something to that.

By the way, since I have started resistance training without shoes (squat, deadlift, single leg exercises), I haven't sprained my ankle. It has been almost 10 years.

Food for thought.