Weeks 6 & 7 Weigh-Ins: Plateau

Both weeks 6 and 7 weigh-ins showed 73kg. No change. I'm going to have to readjust my daily deficit. Have also gone about 10 days without exercise, since I didn't rest after the 10k and ended up getting sick.

Must party less, stick to the TDEE and get back on track. Next week weigh-in better show results!

Week 5 Weigh-In: No News is good News

There's no change from last week; am still 73.5kg.

I was expecting a slight gain this week, so I'm quite relieved there's no change. With the carb loading and refueling during the 10k race prep and aftermath, and then a friend visiting me during which I partied a bit much, I was worried about this week's weigh-in. 

I think I countered those days well enough with my past  few low cal days, so I'm content with today's result.

However, I'm hoping for 72kg next week, so no messing around!

Week 4 Weigh-In: Success!

Weighed in first thing this morning. Am 73.5kg. Lost roughly 1.5kg! This is definitely due to readjusting my TDEE. Also, I have only been doing cardio (running) this week, in preparation for tomorrow's 10k race.

I will be back on Arnel's program after the weekend.

Today I must carb-load for tomorrows run. Hopefully I don't stray too far from my TDEE.

I'll update my 10k result tomorrow. Am hoping to make it sub-1 hour, but won't be bummed if that doesn't happen, since this is my first official run.

Gym Musing: Me, Myself & I

One way I motivate myself is by thinking of myself as three people. There is your past self, your future self, and of course your present.

Your look at your future self as your goal. The person you want to become. That's pretty straightforward.

Your past self is the most important for your motivation. You must look at all you've been through. Picture him or her. All the hard work and accomplishments, all the strenuous workouts, and also all the downfalls. The blood sweat and tears. Picture him or her looking back at you. Really put yourself in his or her shoes. See the dreams he or she was seeing. Absorb that emotional blackmail. Look in the mirror and ask your present self, don't you owe your past to continue at full throttle?

Step into the gym and fulfill those dreams. You owe it to yourself not to give up on you now.

There are many speeches and quotes that if you listen to them again with this new perspective, they will give you some new-found insight and renewed motivation.

And example is Al Pacino's famous speech in the movie 'Any Given Sunday'. Watch it with the above approach in mind. (Picture Al Pacino as your future self (who has failed his goals, but is more knowledgeable now because of it) looking back at the past and giving this speech to you. The team receiving this speech is made up of your past, present, and future selves who must rely on one another to accomplish the common goal.)

Week 3 Weigh-In

75kg. No change from last week. Muscle gain might still be the reason, but I have decided to recalculate my TDEE and readjust my calorie intake in case this is the culprit.

I have also decided to participate in the 10k Road Race of the Dubai Marathon next Friday. This will be my first 10k. Time to overcome my fear. I'm excited and apprehensive at the same time. I've only run 10k twice in the past, and that too only on a treadmill (1st run was 1:20, 2nd run time was 1:06). I'm aiming to be around the 1:15 mark for this run. Hoping for the best.

Gym Musing: Make It Personal

In order to not only be motivated, but also stay motivated, you must discover and establish a solid reason for doing so.

This reason (or reasons) must be your own. They must be personal to you, otherwise you will most likely quit down the line.

The reason might be health related, a romantic interest (or interests), greater self-esteem and confidence, etc.

I feel I have only just now discovered my reason. Initially it was weight loss, which then turned into overall fitness and sex appeal, which then turned into wanting better health. But now I have found what keeps me motivated is the need for feeling happier, naturally, without relying on external influences and substances such as alcohol, etc. 

I have been suffering from mild to medium (and occasionally severe) depression and anxiety for over 10 years. It comes and it goes. If I have a late night of drinking, I am completely depleted of dopamine the next day and feeling extremely down. The same thing (though slightly less severe) happens if I am not regularly working out or have skipped a few days of exercise. However, when I am exercising, I am always on a high during those days.

I suppose this chemical balance that causes depression and anxiety is a blessing and not a curse. Just as for other's who get high off an adrenaline rush, which motivates them to push themselves. What better motivation for getting regular exercise? I must exercise to remain happy, thanks to endorphins.  This need drives me in the gym. When I need to push that final rep, to complete that last kilometer. I know I will never stop, because I have been to the dark empty pit that saps my will, my focus, my happiness; and I never want to go there again. Exercise keeps me up here.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, in his speech at University of California, stated: "What is most important is that you have to dig deep down; dig deep down, and ask yourselves: 'Who do you want to be. Not what, but who. I'm talking about not what your parents or teachers want you to be, but you. I'm talking about figuring out for yourself, what makes you happy, no matter how crazy it may sound to other people."

Even though he meant it more as a life lesson, I feel the core message can be applied to your fitness motivation also, which is that you must ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing. Hence, you must find what really drives you, regardless of what drives others. Make it personal.

Week 2 Weigh-in

Weight today is 75kg. It's the same as last week.

Two possible reasons for this:

Had a couple of cheat meals with a friend who was visiting from out of town and also went on a camping/hiking trip with a few people where I ended up indulging in quite a few Snicker's bars. However, I'm sure I balanced out my calories for each day, regardless.

The other possibility is I may have gained muscle due to completion of Arnel's week 2 of resistance training. It is really kicking my butt; the exercises are strenuous.

A caliper test would give me more accurate results, but even though I own one, I am unable to use it properly.

Overall, I'm content with my results, since just by looking at my physique today I could tell my waist has lessened slightly and my arms look more muscular.

I may incorporate an additional test next week, where I try on previously tight clothes and see if there's any difference. I've found that method to be the most accurate, practical, and motivational as well.

Gym Musing: The Body's Power to Heal

I remember the time I dislocated my shoulder about four years ago; the excruciating pain. When moving it even a millimeter hurt really bad. I remember thinking at the time that I would never recover from such a terrible injury.

Then, slowly and steadily it healed. I was sternly told by my physician to consistently follow certain small exercises; otherwise there was a greater chance of dislocation in the future. It took some tremendous persistence, patience, and at times, frustration getting through those painful exercises. But I followed his instructions to the letter.

Now, that same arm does pull ups, push ups, and everything else it could previously do, and actually even more so than it ever did before.

That is the power of your body. Whether you believe in God, or in mother nature, or in pure science. The fact is, your body has capabilities beyond your imagination. It has a tremendous capacity to heal. You just have to push it. You have to slightly injure it, give it a reason to become better. And it will listen. Like the legendary American football coach Vince Lombardi once said: “The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It’s your mind you have to convince.”

And Arnold Schwarzenegger also mentions: "The body is very important, but the mind is more important than the body. Because that creates the will, the will that you need to go to the gym everyday. The will that makes you go beyond if you can’t do another rep. It’s the will that makes you go one more time."

Believe. Achieve.

Week 1 Weigh-in

Weigh in after one week:  75kg. One kg down!

Arnel's first week program was hell. And it's only getting tougher. The exercises and supersets change weekly, and they're gradually getting more difficult.

The sprinting at the end is killer, but crucial. The treadmills in my gym give me an 'overload' error and stop working if I try sprinting over 13km/h. Hence, I do 'suicides', which involves sprinting from one end of the room to the other (about 6 or 7 meters) and back. I do this for 20 seconds, then walk for 30-40, then repeat  five more times. I can barely breathe after the last one.

Resurrection

Officially started weighing myself from today. Am 76kg. Weighing time is now first thing in the morning, as opposed to previously weighing after gym.

The goal is to lose approx 1kg a week.

I have started Arnel's "16 weeks to six pack abs" workout regime. I have used it off and on in the past, but the last time (May 2012) the furthest I made it was to week 6. It is a high intensity workout plan. It made a real difference to my physique last time. Gets rid of the fat and puts on some muscle. Needless to say, good diet and nutrition go hand-in-hand with any workout program also.

I discovered Arnel's workouts on Youtube a couple years ago. Since then, he's changed them up a bit and has quite a few different programs. They're all free to use.

His official website is: http://www.mensworkoutguide.com/home.html

His old program I'm using on Youtube is:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDCWhw7b-wU

Over the months, I have collected a vast number of short (1-4 min) motivational audio clips (mainly converted from Youtube videos, sports ads, speeches, etc). I have a separate Ipod playlist for them, and they really help out when you're feeling unmotivated and without energy. These help me more than anything else to continue working out and reaching my fitness goals. I will share them in the near future, so keep an eye out.

Time to hit the gym!

The Story So Far.

Having neglected this blog for a while, I feel it's time for a revival.

As of today, December 2012, I am 165 (75kg). That's 10 pounds lighter than my previous post (which was almost a year ago!). This 75kg has been a plateau for a while now, and I either gain or lose a couple pounds every week.

In order to keep this blog consistent, I'm thinking keeping my weekly updates short, and then writing a larger monthly post with my regime strategies, motivation ideas, nutrition, etc.

Onwards!

I'm Still Here

To say I've been away a while would be a huge understatement! This is just a quick update on what I've been up to and how I've progressed in the fitness department.

It may seem like I lost interest in this whole 'project', but that's definitely not true. I've had a few setbacks, due to lack of motivation at times, and certain interruptions in my life, but I have continued my fitness regime. I stopped being regular for around 4 or 5 months after my last post, but tried to stay on track by forcing myself to work out at home at least 2 or 3 times a week. It wasn't enough, and I ended up ballooning back up to 200+ lbs by September 2011.

Since then, I've changed countries, joined a university, and am enjoying some awesome gym facilities at a club/dorm. I made another commitment to continue where I left off from the previous year, and now (February 2012) I have managed to make it to 176 lbs!  That's the lightest I've weighed in 10 years! I have also developed a love for running, and I the most I can do on my cardio days is 7km non-stop in roughly 40 minutes. I'm aiming to get up to 10k in 60 minutes. It's a big challenge for me, but I've noticed that the more fat I shed and the lighter I get, the further I can run (duh!). Getting to your second and third 'wind' is an amazing rush. I'm totally addicted.

Anyhow, this was just a short update. I shall provide more detailed info regarding my current fitness strategy and goals in another post soon.

Cheers to anyone who's been following, and if I've ever managed to get any of you off your asses, hit me up with a comment or email (fudzzz@gmail.com).

Believe. Achieve.

Ok, This Time I'm Really Back.

Ok, I know, almost two months and no update. Slacker! Procrastinator! Yep, I'm all those things. To be honest, I've been struggling to get back on track. Its true that if you don't constantly keep at it and remain in the zone, you will soon lose the drive to keep you going. My annual vacation, ramadan, and friends' weddings could not have come at a worse time. They all came and went one after the other, and I felt drained. I had been junk food binging, etc, and inconsistently exercising. It doesn't help that now that winters are here, I can no longer go hiking on weekdays, since it's already dark out after work.

Regardless, now that I have made my confession, I hope to get back on track. I've upped my training regime once again. This time I'm on the last intermediate/advanced exercise program from the book "The Truth About Six Pack Abs" by Michael Geary. I started it this week, and about halfway through the exercises for that day, I almost threw up. Regardless, I stopped to catch my breath before completing the rest of the workout. It is a very high intensity program, with only enough rest between each set to catch your breath. I love it.

As for my current weight, I am 186 lbs. I will officially note down my weight and body fat percentage on Monday.

Weeks 25 - 30: Back in Action!

I'm back! I had a fantastic time in the UK. The cooler weather was definitely a welcome change. However, it did rain from time to time, which put a wrench into my outdoor activities, but not by too much. The sun would usually pop back out after a few hours.

My brother had weights and a workout bench at his house, which I took full advantage of during my stay. Normally, I would work out in the morning and go for a run immediately after. Running by the nearby farms, over streams and narrow bridges, and through the parks and well-kept fields was truly a brilliant experience. Running was also made pleasurable by passing by like-minded runners, walkers, and other outdoor enthusiasts. If we had a running trail like that here, I would be on it everyday. It was sad to leave, but I have no regrets, since I took advantage of the place during most of my stay there.

Now, back to more important matters. Before I left, I was 182.5 lbs. I was expecting to gain around 5 to 10 lbs during my holiday, since I wasn't really on a strict diet for that duration. However, I measured myself today, and I am 185 lbs, which means I only gained 2.5 lbs, despite the binge eating, etc. I can only attribute this to my commitment to working out and running regularly. When I first stepped off the plane in London, the first poster ad I saw on the wall had the word "Discipline" in bold letters as the title. I literally took that as a sign that I must try and retain some semblance of my regime while I'm on holiday, which I did. And boy, am I glad I did!

I brought back skin calipers! Finally, I can track my body fat along with my weight, which will give me a more accurate representation of my weight loss progress. I took three measurements at the same spot today (an inch above the hipbone on the right side of my body), and divided them by three, to get the average. It came up as 22mm, which comes to about 22.3% body fat for a male my age, according to the Accumeasure chart. However, the body fat calculator at Scooby's Workshop (http://scoobysworkshop.com) mentions three different places on the body to measure. I'll try his calculator tomorrow and see how much of a difference there is.

Even if the body fat percentage itself is not an accurate representation of my fat, the basic purpose is to track the change in body fat over time, which is what I need it for.

I also brought back a Camelbak Octane XCT hydration pack, which is pretty cool. I'll be using it for my hikes. I plan to start hiking once Ramadan is over. I am still going to gym around an hour after Iftar (opening of fast) in the evenings. I am staying up all night during this fasting month because I need to feed my body every two or three hours, just like I used to do before. If I didn't do this, I'd probably end up losing quite a bit of muscle.

Ramadan will be over by the end of this week. Then it's back to the proper workout regime. I will have one big wedding to attend to at the end of next week (it will be a few days long). Hopefully my diet isn't ruined too much then. Other than that, I hope to be back on track, baby!

Weeks 21 - 24: Slow and Steady

It's been one whole month since my previous blog entry! I've been too caught up with work, due to project deadlines, etc.

Anyhow, the good news is that I am now 182.5 lbs. Down 5.5 lbs from last time. That's roughly a little over 1 lb per week, which is amazing, especially after reaching the plateau I was at for so long. I think the hiking really kicked my ass into gear, literally! I have been at it at least thrice a week, and I have improved my time to the top from >30 mins to 24.5 mins. The way down I have reduced from 16 mins to 11.5 mins.

I'm off to UK for my holidays in a couple days. I will most probably blog from there. The holiday diet will be a whole new thing for me. Lets see how everything goes. At the least, I should stick to my exercises and running, and let the chips fall where they may.

I can't wait to get a hold of skin calipers either.

Till next time!

Weeks 19 & 20: Back on Track

Sorry for being MIA last week, but I've been very busy at the office. Good news after today's official weigh in: I am 188 lbs. Not bad, I say! However, as I have said before, weight is a very unreliable measure now.

This does mean, though, that I have managed to break through the plateau. I must attribute this to the intense training sessions despite this exceptionally hot summer, and the 4-5 hiking trips per week I have begun.

More good news is that, as of today, my belt has gone down another notch. I am now using the fourth hole from last. This is a considerable feat, since I started this whole program at the second-last belt hole.

Hopefully this good fortune continues before my trip to the UK. I will definitely keep on hiking. It has become an addiction. I recommend it to everyone. If you haven't tried it, or have tried it once and felt like you almost died before reaching the top, trust me and continue doing it. It gets easier and you discover much about yourself once you break through your barriers.

Till next time!

Week 18: Race to Which Mountain?

Alas, no weight loss. That does not necessarily mean there's no fat loss, however. I've realized that weight should not be the determining factor in measuring improvements from this new regime. Though I would love to get to my ideal weight of 170 - 175 lbs sometime this year, it should not be my weekly goal.

This past week, I went hiking three times. Once was yesterday, right after hitting the gym. Let me say that before I started, I thought hiking would be a painful and unhappy undertaking, as it always used to be when I was younger. Boy, was I wrong! It is the most exhilarating thing to conquer your fears and overcome your obstacles, especially when you reach the point when every step begins to hurt. You really learn a lot about yourself when you keep on moving uphill no matter how much further you have to go. I love hiking now. The feeling you get when you reach the top of the conquered hill/mountain is brilliant.

This is the first time in my life I've hiked to the top non-stop. This shows how much my stamina has improved since I first started the regime all those weeks ago. It took me roughly 25-30 minutes to hike up. After a few minutes rest, I jogged all the way down in 15-20 minutes, which is also a feat in itself.

I am keen to see what effect all this hiking will have on next week's weigh-in. However, like I said, weight will not be a deciding factor for long, once I get back from the UK with skin calipers. I leave for my UK trip in less than two months.

The one dilemma I'm currently facing is that I have only been getting six hours of sleep everyday since the FIFA World Cup started. I may have to resort to getting an hour or two's shuteye in the early evenings (Football matches go on till 1:30 AM, my time).

Week 17: No News is Good News?

The weight has not budged this week. It might be due to the intensity of my strength training these days, but I cannot be sure. The only way to really tell if my muscle is behind this is with skin calipers. I can't wait to head off to UK this summer. I'll definitely bring back a pair of calipers.

Zero weight loss is a downer. I didn't even touch McDonalds this weekend. However, I have replaced that with another fast food--One Potato Two Potato. Their garlic-mayo fries cannot be good for me.

If the weather is good this weekend, I'm planning on going hiking. That should give my extra fat a run for its money! This day next week, I better have lost a pound at least!

Week 16: Plateau Schmateau

Today's weight: 189.5 - 190 lbs. No matter how small the weight loss, I have conquered the previous weeks' plateau. I have lost at least 0.5 lbs and at most 1 lbs. This is good news. The mountain is very steep now, but I'm trudging along at least.

I managed this because I did all my workouts. I have also changed up my strength training exercises again. Will stick with them for 4 - 6 weeks. On the diet side, as usual, the weekend involved quite some junk etc, since I went on a trip with friends. However, I still got results, and hopefully next week will be even better.

I may have to seriously consider early morning running. The only problem is making the effort to actually wake up. I'll decide after next week's weight-in.

Week 15: The Dreaded Plataeu

Yep, I have reached the ever-so-dreaded plateau (cue ominous music). I am still 190.5 lbs. Haven't budged since the previous week. Therefore, something is amiss. From today, I am changing my strength training regime once again, and it's about time too, since I have been following this one for over a month.

The last boxing class was also a downer for me. I didn't have the energy to do some of the exercises. This was mostly due to sleeping in (skipped work), waking up in afternoon, eating stupid McDonalds, and having not had much water prior to the workout. However, I better buck up! I only have a month left till my birthday, and I am supposed to be 180 lbs by then. Nothing's impossible (though this will be one steep hill). I can't give up however. I have been dreading and waiting for this moment. Now is when the going gets tough, and the tough get going!!!

Was thoroughly depressed most of last week, but that won't stop me. Nothing will. Onwards and upwa...errr...downwards! Raaawwwwwwwrrrrrrr!!!