Other darers:
Linda Dunn
James Eggebeen
Dawn Pasley
The Anonymous Participant
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My goals for the 12 weeks:
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| Before | More pics |
| Jan 21 | Jan 28 | Feb 4 | Feb 11 | Feb 18 | Feb 25 | Mar 4 | Mar 11 | Mar 18 | Mar 25 | Apr 1 | Apr 8 | Apr 15 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 149 | 147 | 145 | 143 | 141 | 140 | 140 | 138 | 137 | 134 | 133 | 130 | 129 |
| Hips | 40 1/2" | 40 1/4" | 40" | 39 3/4" | 39 1/2" | 39 1/4" | 39" | 38 3/4" | 38 1/2" | 38" | 37 3/4" | 37 1/2" | 37 1/4" |
| Waist | 27" | 26 1/2" | 26 1/2" | 26 1/2" | 26 1/4" | 26" | 26" | 25 3/4" | 25 1/2" | 25 1/4" | 25 1/4" | 25" | 25" |
| Chest | 39" | 39" | 38 1/2" | 38" | 38" | 38" | 38" | 37 1/2" | 37" | 37" | 37" | 37" | 36 1/2" |
| Thighs | 23 3/4" | 23 1/2" | 23" | 23" | 23" | 22 1/2" | 22 1/2" | 22 1/4" | 22" | 21 3/4" | 21 3/4" | 21 1/2" | 21 1/4" |
| Arms | 12 1/2" | 12 1/2" | 12 1/2" | 12 1/4" | 12 1/2" | 12 1/4" | 12 1/4" | 12 1/4" | 12" | 12" | 12" | 12" | 12" |
| Calves | 14 1/2" | 14 1/2" | 14 1/2" | 14 1/4" | 14 1/4" | 14 1/4" | 14 1/4" | 14" | 14" | 14" | 14" | 14" | 14" |
April 15:
So, that's it for the dare. I can certainly say that it was an unqualified success for me. Not only did I lose a significant amount of weight, inches and bodyfat, but I also taught myself that I DO have it in me to be this self-discliplined, and I can make the sacrifices and committments needed to get my fitness level and my overall figure where I want it to be.
So, in 12 weeks I lost right at 20 pounds, nearly four inches off my hips, nearly three off my thighs, and three and a half off my chest. I still have muscle--according to my hand-held bodyfat monitor, my bodyfat dropped from around 30% to around 20%. Now I can actually see the muscle!
I really don't think I could have ever made such progress without the dare. I've tried before, and without the knowledge that someone besides me is watching my vital stats and my efforts, I didn't have the determination to get over that 5-week sticking point that always got me before. Now I know that I do have the willpower, and I also know more about how to work out, how to eat, and how to lose bodyfat without losing muscle.
So, the dare is over for me, but anyone who's been following this with any regularity knows that I've decided to do a fitness contest. I'd considered for a while continuing to post entries and stats here up until the contest, but I think instead I'm just going to give weekly updates in my regular journal (which has been somewhat neglected anyway.) Big thanks to everyone who ever wrote and encouraged, and especially big thanks to the fellow darers. Extra special thanks to Linda, who came up with the crazy idea of doing this dare in the first place.
April 14:
Worked legs today, especially hamstrings and glutes (which I've kinda been slacking on lately.) Did one-legged presses, deadlifts, lunges, and even the glute machine. Afterwards did 30 minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes on the bike.
Food:
Eggs w/chicken, Isopure shake, ran short on time before work and so had to make do with just a bar, 2 small chicken breasts and broccoli/cauliflower, another Isopure shake, and another bar.
April 13:
The new computer arrived, so I am able to post my progress just in time for the end of the dare. Actually, I will wait until Sunday to post the official ending results and total progress, and I'm hoping that by Monday I'll have my "after" pictures posted. I have definitely made significant progress, even though now I feel like I've just begun since I'm heading into Serious Contest Prep Mode.
I went to Metairie for another assessment, and was told, to my delight, that in the past two weeks I'd lost about 5 pounds of bodyfat and gained just under a pound of muscle. That's more like it! I guess the ultra-diet and extra cardio is paying off. I've been doing about 8 cardios per week (and yes, that means I double up a couple of days a week--go in the morning, and then again in the afternoon.) And my diet has been clean--and I eat a whole lot more too. Anyway, as difficult as it is at times, I certainly can't argue with the results.
Today, however, is my Day Of Rest. (Helps that the gym is closed today for Good Friday.)
April 8:
Still posting from Mom's computer, however, I did order a new one, and hope to be connected again in about a week.
Figured out why my tables weren't making sense. It was because I hadn't gotten around to posting last week's measurements before my computer died; I was sure that I had which is why I was confoosed. Anyway, I'm still pleased at the progress--there'd better be progress considering how friggin clean my diet is now and how much cardio I'm doing!
So, this morning I went down to the high school track and did bleachers/quarter-mile intervals for about half an hour. Went home and showered and changed, and then went to the gym. (I know, silly to shower before the gym, but I was just plain gross after the running.) Besides, I needed to down a protein shake. At the gym I did about a half an hour of stretching--still have high hopes that I'll be able to do something resembling splits for my routine during the contest. They may end up being quasi-splits. Worked traps and back, and then was considering tanning--but someone snuck in ahead of me, so I guess that was god's way of telling me I should do cardio instead. I hate to waste the fat-burning time after a weight workout, so I got on the elliptical and stayed on for 40 minutes. (My foot wasn't falling asleep today, so I stuck it out longer than usual.) No bike; went home and did some yardwork instead.
Food:
Eggs w/chicken. Protein shake after running, and a rice cake w/sugar-free jelly. Another protein shake after the gym. Chicken breast and green beans. Will probably cram in another chicken breast or two this evening, or maybe some mahi-mahi.
The food is pretty much the same every day now, with slight variety in what kinds of meat I take in. Only real difference is on my high-carb days, and I've discovered that brown rice mixed with about half a packet of sugar-free vanilla pudding mix, and just enough milk to make it moist is YUMMY--like rice pudding. Also a ton of really high-quality carbs. Rice cakes have also become a staple on carb days, as well as oatmeal pancakes.
I'm not going to be able to post every day for a little while, so just figure that I'm still doing pretty much what I've been doing!
April 7:
No, I didn't die, but my computer did. It is still quite broke, and I am at Mom's house using her computer (which is much nicer than mine--even when mine was working!) And somehow I've screwed this page up with the table of my progress. I thought I'd put the measurement entries in for april 1, but somehow they ended up in March 25..? I'm very confused and since I don't have all my files, I don't know what happened. This has NOT BEEN A GOOD WEEK!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, I've still been working out and eating right and all that other stuff. Lots of cardio, blah blah blah... I lost my diet diary when my computer crashed, so now I'm having to hand-write the shit so that I'll have something to show the trainers this Thursday.
I'll try and be more in the mood to do a properly comprehensive workout/eating entry up here tomorrow. I'll even try and figure out what the hell I did to my tables and see if I can get my measurements in properly for the right dates.
April 1:
Long tiring day at work. Didn't help that I lost an hour of sleep last night due to the time change. No workout today-attempting to rest and kick the last of whatever this bug isout of my system.
Food:
Today was High-Carb day--the goal was 200-300g of carbs. Sounds easy, until you realize that you have to do it without consuming a bunch of fat and sugar along with those carbs. However, I managed to squeeze in slightly over 200g with eating oatmeal, brown rice, rice cakes, and fat-free tortillas. Also had a chicken breast to add some protein. Took a day off the supplements as well.
March 31:
I lucked out today and managed to get out of work early; we had vehicle inspections earlier in the week and the lieutenant gave everyone four hours off to use when they wanted since the team did very well on the inspection. So I managed to get to the gym before they closed (their weekend hours are pretty limited.) Worked back and traps, and even managed to squeeze in 25 minutes on the elliptical and 25 minutes on the bike before they closed. The sinus thing is still bugging me, and I'm feeling it in my chest now too. But I really don't feel sick. Just annoyed!
Food:
Eggs w/chicken, Isopure shake, chicken breast & broccoli/cauliflower, Isopure bar, Isopure shake, fat-free cream cheese and chunk crabmeat on a rice cake.
March 30:
It is not easy trying to eat seven times a day, especially while you are working. I packed a lunch (two chicken breasts and some broccoli and cauliflower) and it was gone by 0930. I ended up going home twice to feed myself or restock my in-car food supply.
I also seem to be fighting some sort of sinus thing. It's not a cold--at least I don't feel sick the way a cold makes you feel sick. But I do have the clogged nose (though actually only on the left side) and the sinus headache, and I think I might be running a low-grade fever. Antibiotics and I don't get along very well (I'm allergic to damn near all of them) so I've been chugging the water like crazy and blowing my nose a lot. My water consumption goal is now a gallon a day. Helps that there's a water-cooler at the office, so I can refill my in-car bottle whenever I want.
Today was strictly cardio. Went to the gym after work, and discovered that it's nowhere near as crowded on Friday nights. I guess some people have lives! I managed to do 30 minutes on the elliptical and then 30 minutes on the bike without having to wait at all.
Food:
Ye gods. A lot. I felt like I was constantly eating. 0400-fake eggs w/chicken. 0700-Isopure shake. 0900-2 small chicken breasts and broccoli & cauliflower. 1200-half an Isopure bar. 1400-large chicken breast and spinach. 1530-other half of the Isopure bar. 1900-Isopure shake. 1930-lean ground beef w/ low fat cheese. Thank god for supplements. There's no way I'd get enough food without them. Totals: 1575 calories, 29g fat, 46.5 carbs, 254.5g protein. I REFUSE to lose any more muscle mass. It's too damn hard to put it on in the first place!
March 29:
Bodybuilders (or even just weightlifters in general) are sick folk. Normal people, when they do something that makes them hurt, they say, "Ow. I will not do that again, for it made me hurt." But people who train with weights, when they do something that makes them hurt, say, "Ow. I have to remember that, so I can do it again!"
The butt still hurts, but it's down to that only-aches-when-I-clench point. I can move again. And I will do those one-legged presses again next week. I worked out with Kelly again today, and we had a really terrific chest workout. Chest is the one bodypart that I utterly detest training by myself, because so many exercises require a good spotter for you to get anything out of the attempt. After we finished chest we did triceps--then Kelly had to run and do something kid-related, while I went and did my 30 minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes on the bike.
Then I picked Kelly up at about 6pm, and we went to Metairie for posing class and training assessments. The trainers determined that yes, I've lost weight, but in the comparisons of bodyfat from last time and this time, they also determined that I'd lost at least two pounds of muscle, which is NOT what I want to do. So the red pencil came out again, and my diet was perused. The verdict was More Protein, Cycle my Carbs, Eat More, and Do More Cardio. The contest is beginning to Loom. Time to get serious.
March 28:
My butt hurts. My arms hurt. My butt hurts. Ye gods my butt hurts. Life is good.
Kelly was doing just a cardio day today, but since I know that I won't be able to do weight training this weekend due to my work schedule, I went ahead and got a workout in. Spent a ridiculous time at the gym today: got there at 11 and tanned, then did stretching for about 20 minutes, then did a long and intense ab workout, then worked shoulders, then did my cardio--35 minutes on the elliptical and 20 minutes on the bike. Kelly was on the elliptical next to mine, and we had the grandest time just chattering away. Mike came into the gym right about the time we started our cardio, and half an hour later he asked us how many extra calories we were burning with all the talking we were doing. "They haven't shut up since they got on those machines!" he said to Rene. I hadn't really realized how much I'd missed having a woman my age to talk to. (And Kelly is certainly the LAST woman in the world to feel threatened by me! LOL)
Food:
Eggs w/chicken, Isopure shake (I love those!!), chicken strips and spinach, EAS bar. Went out to dinner and had half dozen raw oysters, salad bar (loaded up on the broccoli), two catfish filets, and steamed broccoli and cauliflower.
March 27:
Had my first workout with Kelly--and we worked legs. (Actually, we worked quads, with a little glute action thrown in. Hamstrings will come later in the week.) Kelly works out much differently than Mike does, with some very different exercises and styles. This is going to be very good for me, because I think I was adapting too much to the other workout.
Anyway, Kelly first recommended that I start dropping my reps some and upping my weights; now that I've lost a fair amount of bodyfat, it's time to work on keeping the muscle mass intact while I get rid of the last bits of bodyfat. So I'm down to 10-12 reps instead of the 15 I was doing. We started out with leg extensions, but much slower than Mike and I used to do and holding the weight at the top of the extension. OW. We then moved to leg presses, which I almost never do since I hurt my back last year on the machine. However, Kelly showed me a slightly different body position that alleviates pretty much all of the strain on the lower back, and I went lighter than I used to do. She really recommended the leg press as a good mass-building exercise. I think we did 5 sets of those. OW. Front squats next, which were very awkward for me until about the last set when I think I finally got the hang of how to hold the bar. We did these on the smith machine, but instead of having the bar on your shoulders behind your neck, you sort of balance it on your arms and shoulders in front of you, with your feet way out in front of you. It's absolutely terrific for ripping your quads to shreds--once you figure out how to do it right. That one may take me a while to get decent at.
Back to the leg press machine after that for one-legged leg presses. I was doing my regular leg presses with 3 45lb plates on either side. We stripped the weight off and I did the one-legged version with 1 25lb plate on either side. But gawd these hurt! One foot stays on the floor and you press with just one leg--but you get a whole lot more range of motion, and your glutes really get a workout. OW. Oh, and then we finished up with lunges.
We did a bicep workout after that, and it was equally intense. I did no cardio. I was whupped. What an incredible workout.
Food:
Oatmeal w/protein powder, Isopure shake, chicken breast, Isopure shake, chunk salmon w/ fat free cream cheese, can of minestrone.
March 26:
See today's entry for some cool workout-related news.
Went to the gym after I got off work and braved the crowds. Managed to find an open elliptical and did 28 minutes, and then lucked out and saw a bike open up and did 20 minutes there.
Food:
Eggs w/chicken. Isopure shake. Chicken breast and broccoli. Salmon filet. The salmon filled me up for the rest of the day! (In fact I was tasting it during my evening cardio. Urrk.)
March 25:
Definitely made some progress this week. The increased cardio and the stricter control of sugar intake certainly seems to have made a difference. I'm starting to alter my workout style slightly--still have just as much cardio, since I still need to burn off bodyfat for this contest. However, I'm going to go kinda heavier on the weights for the next month or two and keep my protein intake fairly high since I want to keep my muscle mass and don't want to come into this contest looking stripped out.
Worked chest and biceps today--by myself, which is a pain in the ass when working chest since I really like to have a spotter, and hate to try going very heavy without one. I will continue to grumble out my general loss of a workout partner for some time yet--I still get extremely pissed off about the situation. I did nothing wrong, yet I'm the one who gets bitch-slapped.
Sigh.
Food:
Fake eggs w/chicken. Isopure shake. Entire bag of popcorn. 3 tortillas w/salsa. 2 mahi-mahi filets and corn. 2 cheese enchiladas. My body told me today that it wanted/needed carbs!
March 24:
Decided to try something new today. I went down to the track at the local high school, and did some interval training. This consisted of running up (and walking down--I have no desire to bust my ass) the bleachers several times, and then running around the track (1/4 mile.) I did 7 bleacher runs & 1/4 mile, then 5 bleacher runs & 1/4 mile, then 4 bleacher runs & 1/4 mile. By that time I'd been going for about 25 minutes. I decided not to do another set, since I've never done bleacher runs before and am not sure how sore I'll be from them later. I'll work up to more. Definitely a good workout though!! Those will kick your ass.
Went straight to the gym after leaving the track and worked traps and back, then did 25 minutes on the elliptical. I was done at that point.
Food:
Oatmeal w/protein powder about 45 minutes before heading to the track. Half an EAS bar after I got off the elliptical--needed something right then! Isopure shake when I got home. Salmon filet and green beans, then another Isopure shake later in the day.
March 23:
I think god is definitely making up for being a dick earlier this week, because the past couple of days everyone and their brother has been coming up to me and commenting on how much weight I've lost. Even the owner of the gym said something to me! My captain and major also asked me how mch weight I'd lost and how I'd gone about doing it. My captain works out at the same gym I do (though at a different time) and he actually asked me (and I think he was serious!) if I was taking steroids. I was like, UH NO! I like being a soprano, I like having the Girls, and I don't want one of Those. Thank you.
Had a good workout today. I'd planned on making it down to the gym around 9 so that I could have my afternoon free, but around 8:15 while I was blow-drying my hair I heard my answering machine go off. There was no message, but the callerID said the last call was from the gym. So, I called back, and it turned out Mike had called. "You asleep?" he asked. "I'm about to start working shoulders." So I got down to the gym in about 15 minutes, and we had a nicely intense workout. Afterwards I worked abs for about 20 minutes, did a good deal of stretching, and then did 25 minutes on the elliptical and then 20 minutes on the bike. (I can't do more than 25 minutes on the elliptical because for some reason my right foot falls asleep.)
Food:
I'm trying hard to eat enough. Oatmeal w/protein powder, Isopure shake, mahimahi filet and green beans, 2 tortillas with salsa, another Isopure shake (why didn't I know about this brand 3 months ago!!), chicken breast and green beans. (Kinda tired of green beans after today.) Totals: 1140 calories, 9.5g fat, 86g carbs, 12g sugar, 177g protein.
March 22:
Okay, in a much better mood today. Did 30 minutes on the bike when I woke up at 3am, and then went to the gym after work and did another 25 minutes on the elliptical (to make up for being a slack-ass yesterday!) I wanted to do some interval training on the bike, but they were all taken. This is why I don't like going in the evening. Too crowded.
Food:
Eggs w/chicken. Isopure shake. (I've been drinking MetRx, but bought a canister of Isopure the other day when I ran out of MetRx. Isopure kicks MetRx's ass! This stuff is GOOD! Mixes easily, is smooth, and even has more protein per serving! (50 grams)) Two small chicken breasts. Broccoli and cauliflower. EAS bar. Isopure shake. 2 mahi-mahi filets and green beans.
March 21:
What a miserable horrible day. See today's entry.
March 20:
Worked out by myself again today. Bleh. Especially bleh since it was Leg Day and I never feel like I push hard enough when I'm by myself. I still had a decent workout, and I did the lunges, but I just feel like I go harder when there's someone there pushing me. I've really become addicted to having a training partner. I've made terrific progress ever since I started training with another person--even back when it was Zack. Unfortunately, today just didn't jive with schedules again. Hopefully this weekend will be better. We're going back on daywatch this week, so that makes it harder to schedule workouts as well.
But anyway, worked legs, but did no cardio.
Food:
Protein bar while driving to court. Eggs w/chicken after court. Protein shake after gym. Chicken breast and green beans.
March 19:
Worked out by myself today and decided not to do cardio since my legs are still kindof achy-sore, and tomorrow is Leg Day so I want them to be recovered. Worked abs, chest and biceps, as well as doing some extra forearm work. Then went home and took a nice long nap. Needed that.
Food:
Oatmeal w/protein powder and a grapefruit before the gym. 2 mahi-mahi filets and green beans after the gym--those were good! Had a snack of one tortilla and some salsa. Protein shake after my nap, and then two low-fat cheese enchiladas. Chicken breast and broccoli during my detail.
March 18:
Still have that slow-but-steady progress on the weigh and measure. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next two weeks with the suggestions from the Metairie trainers in place. (I'm supposed to go back in two weeks for another assessment and for them to look over my eating and see if any other adjustments need to be made.) Went to the gym today and tanned, stretched, and cardioed. 20 minutes on the bike and then 25 minutes on the elliptical.
Food:
2 fake eggs and 1/2 chicken breast. Protein shake. Chicken breast and asparagus. 2 more small chicken breasts during the night. Broccoli and cauliflower. 1/2 protein bar.
March 17:
I have an amazing assortment of bruises from yesterday's fighting. I was very sore this morning, but somehow I managed to force my battered bod to the gym. No weights today, but did about 30 minutes of abs and stretching, and then 25 minutes on the elliptical, and 20 minutes on the bike. Tried the interval routine on the bike for something different, and realized I should have set the intensity much higher than I had it.
Food:
I tried something different this morning, and mixed the fat-free cottage cheese with the sugar-free cherries and then mixed in some All Bran cereal for some fiber and complex carbs. Blech. Non-successful experiment. I'll just stick with my tried and true oatmeal from now on. Half a protein bar on the way to the gym (I really am trying to cut back on those) and a shake when I got home. Chicken breast and asparagus around 1, and then a small can of chunk salmon mixed with some fat-free cream cheese on a slice of bread before leaving for work. During the night I had two small chicken breasts and some raw cauliflower and broccoli. (Eating the broccoli plain and raw leaves and awful "whang" in my mouth... need to do something different with it.) Much better food intake today.
March 16:
Spent the morning playing bad-guy at the academy, fighting with students. That is always a total blast (and definitely a workout!) Met Mike and Rene later in the afternoon and did a hard and heavy back and traps workout. Started with lower back (since we usually save those for last, and sometimes decide not to do them if we're already tired out.) Hyperextensions (I hold a 5lb weight in my hands) and then the lower-back machine. Moved to behind-the-neck lat pulldowns--about 5 sets, and I did drop sets on the last two sets. Then we did close-grip barbell rows with the olympic bar--one end wedged in a corner to keep it from shifting, and then putting plates on the other end and pulling the bar up to your chest. That one was tough. Moved to straight-arm lat puldowns (the bar is out in front of you and you press it down in a forward arc. This is an isolation/defining move for your outer lats.) Shrugs next on the smith machine, and then more shrugs on the t-bar bench (instead of rowing the weight all the way up and working your back, you just pull up with your traps and upper back, keeping your arms essentially straight.) I finished up with my cardio: 20 minutes on the elliptical and then 30 on the bike.
Food:
2 fake eggs with half a chicken breast. 1 1/2 chicken breasts midmorning. Protein shake after I got back from the gym. (I did it again... went too long without eating! Dangit!) Generous portion of lean ground beef with low-fat cheese. The trainers want me to keep a very detailed food diary, with exact (or as exact as I can be) calories, fat, carbs, sugars, and protein. Therefore I know that today's totals are 860 calories, 25g fat, 15g carbs, 11g sugar, and 146g protein. Gaaah... they're right: I don't eat enough!
March 15:
Time was unbelievably crunched today, so I made today a rest day. However, in the evening I went to Metairie (about an hour's drive away) with Kelly (bodybuilder) for a posing class. The class is free because the people who put it on are sponsors of a local bodybuilding/fitness show and they want to encourage people to participate in their show. In addition to giving tips on posing and routines, they also do bodyfat analysis (9 point caliper testing), figure/physique analysis, as well as analysis of your diet and training.
It was an eye-opener for me. Dieting and training to lose weight and slim down is not the same as dieting and training for a compeition. First off (and most unnerving for me) I had to strip down to a bikini and let the trainers look me over and do the caliper testing. (I'd told Kelly beforehand, "I'm not ready! I still have a lot of bodyfat to lose!" But she assured me that there would be others who were not "there" yet, and the point was to get me on the right track early on instead of a month before the contest.) So I attempted to suck in my gut and pull in my ass, and luckily there were a couple of other people who still had bodyfat to lose. The trainers really know their shit, and they're also pretty darn honest (sometimes brutally.) Which is good, I guess, since I do want to be prepared for this thing. So, of course, they told me I had to lose quite a bit more bodyfat. I then showed them my progress charts and the picture of me from last summer, which Kelly had suggested I bring to show them that I am making progress. That mollified them slightly, but then I got the third degree about my training. How much cardio am I doing? How much weight training? They seemed pleased with my muscularity and my weight training schedule, but when I told them I was doing cardio about 4 times a week, they shook their heads, looked at my almost-bare bod and said, "You need to do more. At least 6 times a week. And vary it up." Uuurp. Then they went over my diet with a red pencil (I'd brought a copy of my food diary.) Up the protein, lower the carbs, get rid of the sugar, and eat much more. 6-7 times a day, they said. Uuurrppp. They definitely set me straight on a number of things, but it was also incredibly motivational. For the first time I really believe that I can do this... that I will do this. July 14th--I have four months.
Food:
And today was an absolutely awful day for eating, quantity-wise. Peanut butter sandwich after my detail. Chicken breast after I woke up. Protein bar on the way to meet Kelly. Another half of a bar on the way back from Metairie. Can of minestrone soup in the evening. I'm not allowed peanut butter anymore (waah!), and no more cans of chicken noodle soup (the pasta in it is a killer, not to mention the fat.) Drastically reduce the fruit intake (too much sugar) and no more carrots (again, too high in sugar.) Eat very complex carbs and cycle my intake (i.e. low one day, slightly higher the next, a bit higher the next, then back to low.) I'm also to cut back on the protein bars, since even the "low carb" bars have hidden carbs. (They pointed out that if you add up the calories per gram of the fat, carbs, and protein on the labels, they don't always equal what's listed for calories. I discovered that my EAS bars have about 50 calories unaccounted for.) So, time to clean up the diet even more.
March 14:
I got the results of my blood work back: My thyroid is normal (she gave me a whole bunch of numbers, but I have no idea what they mean), my sugar was 101, my cholesterol was 235 (ARGGH! As clean a diet as I've been on you'd THINK that my cholesterol would drop. The nurse said I should try to stay on a low-fat/low-cholesterol diet... I was like, I AM!!! It doesn't get much cleaner! That does it... I refuse to ever worry about my cholesterol again!) My LDLs were 172, and my HDLs were 61 (or maybe 51, I couldn't hear her too well on the phone.) And my triglycerides were 58 (which she said was excellent.) So, other than having greasy blood, I'm quite healthy.
Today was Leg Day. Actually it was Leg Day from Hell. Mike and I had already decided that we needed to go harder on legs--time to take it up a notch--so we've been psyching ourselves up all week long. (Note: "Psyching up" includes listening to head-banging music such as Limp Bizkit, Disturbed, or Godsmack really loud and reading muscle mags.) Mike and I got to the gym at about the same time, and while he tanned I worked on my stretching. I'm pretty pleased with how my flexibility is coming along. Then while we both waited for Rene to show we did abs. Rene was late, so we did lots of abs. As soon as Rene showed up, we hit it. Leg extensions, followed by squats. Heavy squats. (Rene is a friggin ox; he had five 45lb plates on each side of the bar at his heaviest. At my heaviest I had a 45 and a 25 on each side.) Then we moved on to lunges. I went up in weights--my first two "runs" I had 15lbs in each hand, and on my last one I had 20lbs. I collapsed (literally) at the end of my thrd one, and Mike looked at me and said, "Good time for a drop set, right?" So, the challenge was made (and the boys offered a forfeit if I made it to the end and back, no weights), and I could hardly let them win, right? I won't say what the forfeit was, but I'll just say that I totally embarrassed Rene...LOL After lunges we did deadlifts, though I stopped at 2 sets because I felt the beginnings of a twinge in my left hamstring. I'm not going to push so hard that I injure myself. Finally finished it all out with the calf machines. Excellent workout. I'm not going to be able to move tomorrow.
Food:
Yesterday I attempted to see if I could remedy the nasty taste of the MetRx ready-made shakes that I'd bought the other day. But to no avail, still nasty no matter what I did. So I gave the remaining two to Mike after roll call last night, telling him that I found them to be gross, but maybe he'd be more tolerant. After all he's been doing the supplement thing for years now, and maybe he's developed a better taste for the stuff. About halfway through the night he met up with me. "These are disgusting!" he said. "And I've had some disgusting shit before!" Made me feel better. I thought that maybe I was just being a total candy-ass.
Today: 2 eggs w/chicken and two tortillas. No cheese--trying to cut back. Even low-fat can add up. Half a protein bar at the gym. Protein shake after the gym
March 13:
Mike's little boy was sick yesterday so the plan was to make today a cardio day since he couldn't make it to the gym. However, when I made it to the gym I was SO in the mood to lift that I decided to do shoulders--focusing on rear delts--and triceps. (I justified this by telling myself that we probably won't be able to hook up later in the week for that workout anyway.) I did neglible cardio--not enough to even classify as cardio. My biceps are SORE today! I'm not sure which exercise slammed them so hard, but they're positively tender to the touch. I love it! (I'm so twisted..LOL)
Food: Two eggs w/chicken and cheese. Protein shake after the gym. Two low-fat burritos in the afternoon. Green beans before leaving for workout. (Wasn't hungry at all!) Protein bar and a chicken breast during work. Banana, and then another protein bar. (Trying to stay awake.)
March 12:
I spent most of yesterday sleeping. Good god did I ever need it! I woke up, went to the couch and took a nap. Woke up did some errands, came home, took a nap. Went out to eat, came home took a nap. Woke up around midnight, then went to bed and slept like the dead until about 7:30 am--woke feeling competely rested and recovered.
However, this morning my gut told me in no uncertain terms that it is not used to having any sort of grease or butter in its meals, and I was quite ill for about 20 minutes this morning. (I'll spare you any gory details.) Unfortunately, after I recovered from that little episode, I couldn't put any food in my body since I'd planned on going to my doc's office and getting bloodwork done (lipid profile, cholesterol, blood sugar, thyriod, you name it) and for that I had to fast. As a result I didn't eat anything until about 3 hours after I woke up, and my gut was NOT amused. Another uncomfortable episode resulted, after which I managed to eat something and then went to the gym.
Tanned first and then did abs and stretching. My gut was finally calm(er) by the time we started working out. Chest and biceps today. Started with machine incline presses (4 sets), followed by flat dumbell presses (3 sets) and then cable crossover-flyes (3 sets). For biceps we did cable curls (4 sets--last set a drop set), then dumbell preacher curls, and then a kinda weird exercise that Rene wanted to do that involved an incline bench and cable curls. I did my cardio afterwards: 20 minutes on the elliptical and then 30 minutes on the bike.
Food:
Had a banana as soon as I left the Doc's office and then a protein bar. The gut wasn't pleased with that offering and rejected it, after which I had a peanut butter sandwich and lots and lots of water. Protein shake after the gym. Grapefruit. Aggghh.. Gut simply doesn't like food today. I swear I will never eat anything remotely greasy or buttery again! Two low-fat cheese enchiladas. Another protein bar and a banana during work.
March 11:
Yep, today's going to be a day of rest and napping. Did my weekly weigh and measure, and I seem to be over the plateau. Of course I also really went hard this week (which is probably why I'm so whupped now!)
Food:
Tuna sandwich and a protein bar during my detail. And then a small bag of peanuts because I could not stay awake and needed something to keep me going (and didn't want to get anything with caffeine because by then it was 4am and I would never be able to get to sleep when I got home.) After the dog allowed me about four hours of sleep I prepared a batch of low-fat ground beef (a pound usually lasts me for several meals) and had two burritos with the beef and cheese. That was a lot of food and I felt bloated afterwards. Fell asleep on the couch after that and stayed crashed out for several hours. Had a bag of popcorn when I woke up, then went out to eat and had grilled chicken with crawfish sauce and cauliflower. There was a lot of butter on it, but I'm giving myself a break.
March 10:
Had grand plans of going and doing cardio at the gym today, but I woke up so very tired after my detail this morning that I decided to make today a rest day. I feel just totally whupped-- and I have another detail tonight. I have a feeling that Sunday is going to be a rest day as well. I'm still sore from this week's training and I think my body is telline me it needs some recovery time. Funny thing is that my shoulders are much more sore than my triceps--and I felt like we worked tris much harder than shoulders. Go figure.
Food:
Other half of the Subway, a banana, and a protein bar during my detail. Hot chocolate, chicken noodle soup, and two low-fat cheese enchiladas after I woke up (not all at once.) Went to GNC to buy a couple of protein bars and saw that MetRx is making ready-made shakes now. I read the label and saw that they were aspartame-free (sweetened with sucralose instead) and since the manager assured me that the shakes were pretty good, I went ahead and bought a four-pack. Would be more convenient that going through the blender routine, right? But, UGH, they were nasty! I had to force myself to just chug down the one I'd opened. I don't know why these tasted so much worse than the blender version--I didn't think I doctored the taste that much--but I believe I will stick with my tried and true and tolerable version.
Anyway, splurged and had a bag of popcorn in the afternoon.
March 9:
Was going to tan before my workout--even called ahead and made an appointment to make sure I could get in. Then I couldn't find my keys so I had to call and cancel. Arrg. Finally located said keys and made it to the gym with time to do a fairly intense ab workout and a bit of stretching. I do think my flexibility is starting to improve. I can actually grab my feet now to help pull myself down.
Workout today was shoulders and triceps. Started with machine shoulder presses (actually I consider the piece of equipment we use a quasi-machine since you still load plates onto it instead of having a cable with a weight stack, but I like it since it maintains control of the weight. We did about 5 or 6 sets of this; started out light to get the shoulders warmed up and then went hard and heavy on the last couple of sets. Went to the pec-dec machine next and did reverse flyes for the rear delts--3 sets. That was all the shoulder work we did but it felt like enough; I guess our delts were still fatigued from the back workout yesterday. I've noticed that we tend to go light-ish on one bodypart each week, which I think is a good thing. So far we haven't had any trouble with overtraining or injuries (even my little bit of tendonitis seems to have cleared up) so I guess the rotation is working.
And if we went light on shoulders we obliterated triceps! Started with cable pushdowns--I think we did four sets with a drop-set on the last one. Then moved to the smith machine to do close-grip bench presses. Thank god for smith machines, because on his third set, Rene's wrist gave out and the smith machine caught the bar about an inch before it crashed into his chest. That would have left a mark! (Probably would have cracked a rib or two actually since on that set Rene and Mike had a 45 and two 25lb plates on each side.) But, that's one of the reasons we use the smith machine so much: safety! Bench dips next for the triceps--put two benches parallel, put your hands on one and your feet on the other, then lower yourself til your butt about touches the ground and then lift yourself back up. No problem. I got myself set up and ready to begin...and then I looked up to see Mike standing over me with a 35lb plate in his hand. "You ready?" he asked. "Urrrk," I replied as he placed the plate on my lap. I managed about 7 before he pulled the plate off and made me do as many more as I could without the plate. Wow, does that ever put a hurt on your arms! Mike and Rene did a double-drop set on these; they started with two 45lb plates, then pulled off one plate at a time and went until they couldn't do no mo'. We only did two sets of those. Ow.
Did my cardio afterwards--20 minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes on the bike.
Food: Boy did I ever screw up today. Started out okay--had a breakfast soft taco when I woke up around 10am with fake eggs, cheese and salsa. (Was supposed to be a breakfast burrito, but I had too much egg and it wouldn't roll...so it became a soft taco.) At 12:30 when I got to the gym I was hungry so I had half a protein bar. Then, after I got home from the gym I got caught up in washing/waxing my police car (I got issued a new one, and want it to look good!) and didn't get my protein shake until about 3:30pm. More stuff around the house to do and didn't eat again until I went out with my mom to do errands in the evening and finally made it to Subway. I just went way too long without eating enough. That is not the way to build muscle! Shame on me.
March 8:
Traps and back today. Nice heavy workout. I like working back--it's my best bodypart and I'm starting to see some real definition. No cardio. I should have, but time was a bit crunched.
Food:
Made breakfast burritos with the eggs/chicken/cheese/salsa and fat-free tortillas. Very successful experiment. Protein shake after the gym, and I didn't blend it long enough--I kept getting chunks of not-quite-blended protein powder. Ecch. Had to really choke it down. I simply don't see how some of these people can drink protein shakes just mixed in a shaker. Of course, a year ago I couldn't see how people could drink protein shakes, period. I guess it's all a matter of getting used to the stuff. Have to admit that the results are worth it, though. Turkey breast and green beans before work, and then--since I'd totally forgotten to bag a lunch and also because the detective working last night also owns the best seafood restaurant in town and offered to call ahead with our orders so our food would be waiting for us (the 50% was an incentive too..LOL)--had two catfish filets and steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Protein bar in the wee morning hours.
March 7:
Did some ab work and then some stretching, and then we got down to Leg Day. Started with our usual 6-7 sets on the leg extension machine--start light and end on a heavy drop set. I really like that as a start for leg workouts; it warms the knees up nicely and gets the blood really pumping in the quads. Moved to smith machine squats; Mike had me going slightly lighter than usual, but squatting much deeper to put extra burn on the ole glutes. After squats we did deadlifts--still on the smith machine. I don't know what we'd do if they ever got rid of that machine--it's so perfect for so many exercises. It really lets you keep control of the weight and concentrate on form. Again, Mike wouldn't let me go very heavy on deadlifts, but he did have me going down pretty far and feeling the stretch. Kelly was working out next to us, and she kept nodding in agreement whenever Mike told me to adjust my form. She should know! Leg curls after that to finish exhausting the hamstrings, then calf raises. I then did three sets on the glute machine. The guys won't do the glute machine--they say it's a girl thing. LOL
Food:
Tuna sandwich right before my detail (midnight to 6) and a protein bar about 3am. Had fake eggs with chicken when I woke up aroud 11--added salsa to it on a whim and was delighted with the result. Salsa is absolutely the perfect diet food. Plenty of flavor and basically no calories. Protein shake when I got back from the gym. Turkey breast before work. Chicken strips and two protein bars during the shift.
March 6:
Got to the gym early--tanned and then did stretching for about 20 minutes. Didn't do any abs at all since I went fairly heavy on them yesterday. Worked chest and biceps today. We started with incline dumbell presses, which we both really like as a starting exercise since it puts a nice fatigue on the muscles. Moved to smith machine flat bench presses and then finished with pec-dec flyes. We didn't go very hard on biceps today because I've been having some twinges of tendonitis in my left elbow, and certain bicep curl movements kinda hurt, so we stuck with cable curls, hammer curls, and then did reverse curls supersetted with forearm curls. After that Mike went to tan while I did my cardio: 20 minutes on the elliptical machine and 25 minutes on the bike.
The real thrill of my day came when I got home. I'd ordered a bodyfat analyzer about a week ago--the same kind that Kelly at the gym has--and it finally came today. Kelly let me use hers right about the time this dare started, and I measured in at 28.6% bodyfat. Today, as soon as I ripped the package open and read the directions, I measured in at 23.3% !! Woo! Now, I will say that both measurements were taking immediately after exercising, which doesn't give the most accurate results, and there is also a margin of error of +/- 4%, but even so, it looks like the majority of the weight I've lost has been bodyfat. I'm pretty psyched. (FYI, the analyzer I got is the Omron BodyLogic Pro, which measures bodyfat by sending a teensy electrical charge through your body and measuring the impedence, runs about $109. Mike and I are splitting the cost of it.)
Food: Protein oatmeal, hot chocolate. (I figured I should start including the hot chocolate in my entries because even though it is the sugar-free variety, I do make mine with milk, so there's the extra calories/nutrition from that.) Protein shake after the gym. Three cheese burritos in the afternoon. Went out to chinese buffet and had variety of veggies, chicken, and seafood.
March 5:
Cardio day today. Went to the gym and did about 20 minutes of ab exercises, then worked on stretching for a while. My flexibility is non-existent. Finally, when I could avoid it no longer I did 20 minutes on the elliptical trainer and then 20 minutes on the bike. After I got home I made a paltry attempt to clean up my yard some, but there are still several spots that have standing water from the flood over the weekend so I decided to give up until things dry out a little more. Ended up spending the morning cleaning up mud that my dog tracked in, then worked a detail in the afternoon.
Food:
Oatmeal w/protein powder for breakfast, with some raisins thrown in for some flavor and variety. Had two cheese (2%!) burritos made with the fat-free tortillas when I got home, then had a couple more tortillas with just salsa. Lunch was sliced turkey breast and green beans, with the cherry/cottage cheese for dessert. I am desperately craving Real Food. Protein bar later then a can of minestrone after my detail. Love that minestrone even though it doesn't have a whole lot of nutritional "ooomph."
March 4:
I seem to have reached something of a Plateau. I knew that my 2 pound per week weight loss was too good to continue forever. :-) I know, logically, that it's just the muscle/fat ratio, but still, it's nice to see the weight drop, even just a little. No exercise today (even though I feel like I SHOULD after seeing today's results!)
Food:
Was running late this morning, so just made a peanut butter sandwich to eat on the way in to work. Protein shake, grapes, and a protein bar throughout the morning. Lunch was some sliced turkey breast and green beans, with the cherry/cottage cheese for dessert. Today was Sarge's birthday, so I had a piece of cake--I haven't eaten that much sugar in a long time and I felt queasy for a while afterwards. Dinner was fat-free tortillas and salsa--yeah, real nutritious, I know.