Thursday, January 31, 2013

Quote of the Day

The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. 
It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are 
it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. 
You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. 
It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. 
How much you can take and keep moving forward. 
That's how winning is done! 
Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. 
But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers 
saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! 
Cowards do that and that ain't you! 
You're better than that!  
Rocky Balboa


Wednesday, January 30, 2013

"I'll Start Monday"

"I'll Start Monday" is just an excuse and procrastination. Time for action starting now!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

2013: A New Beginning

We just got back from Reno on Saturday. After a week of good eating I lost 3 pounds and Ellen lost 6 pounds. We have been gaining weight since June and I have been intentionally packing on the pounds since October. With a combination of the GOMAD diet and just plain lazy laid back holiday eating from Thanksgiving to Christmas I managed to pack on 19 pounds (25 pounds since June). Due to measuring body fat percent I can tell that I gained 13.5 pounds of fat and 11.5 pounds of lean body mass. Considering my history with obesity having 45% of my weight gain non-fat is pretty good.

My final weigh in of 2012 something happened that I had not seen in over 3 years. I weighed 190.6 hitting my "weight ceiling" I set on my last training session with my personal trainer back in September 2009. The good news is that although I am right at 190 I am 3 pounds leaner than my last training session. At the beginning of the GOMAD diet I planned to go to 4 week or stop when I hit 190 pounds or 20% body fat. I peaked out at 190.6 lbs and 17.9% body fat.

I have almost come full circle over the past 3+ years but now I have more confidence, more muscle, and I am stronger mentally and physically. I have gained and lost the same 15ish pounds 4 times but I am not a yo-yo dieter. I have changed my short terms (2-6 month) goals back and forth from weight lifting and muscle growth to weight loss and various running speed and distance goals. This year I plan to keep my focus on the longer term without any up and downs steadily chipping away at the goals I set in 2009 that I have yet to reach. My fast food addiction has improved but I want to eliminate it like I did my addiction to sodas. I drink maybe 2-6 cans of sodas a year now. Chipotle will be my quick healthy go to food along with almonds and beef jerky from convenience stores.

This evening we finally took our progress pictures and measurements.

January 2012 to January 2013
 January 2012 to January 2013
September 2012 170ish (Pre-GOMAD) to January 2013 190ish

Friday, January 4, 2013

StrongLifts Week 12 Day 3

Just finished my final workout of the 12 week StrongLifts 5x5 program. I started week 1 with just a 45 pound Olympic barbell focused of form. 

Here are my current 5 rep max.
Squat 220
Bench 165
Deadlift 230
Overhead Press 95 to 105
Bent Over Row 185
I highly recommend this program if you are looking to build strength and muscle.