Frustration

Well, 8 weeks into the 'Get Lean' program, and I'm definitely seeing results; just not the results that I want. I've gotten more defined, and my body fat percentage has definitely dropped. Unfortunately, the quest for the 6-pack abs continues.

I've made a couple of changes to my diet and routine, trying to get the abs to pop. I did find out that I was probably not eating enough food, so I added a couple hundred calories to my daily intake. I also decided that I wasn't being as intense as I needed to be when doing my cardio, so I made a change there as well.

It's been only 3 weeks or so since my body composition test result showed 13% body fat, and I understand that I probably need to drop that percentage down to less than 10% to see the abs, so I suppose I should just stay the course and not get frustrated. It's tough though. I've been working hard and want to see the results.

Eating More

So over the last couple of weeks I've seen some decent progress on the body composition front, as my previous post details. However, I am beginning to get frustrated because I can't seem to get rid of this last little layer of fat covering up my abdominals.

I can actually feel them under the fat, but the fat is preventing them from showing.

I got to thinking about it and decided that maybe, just maybe, I'm not eating enough. So I decided to log everything I eat for a few days at fitday.com. Based on a nutritional calculator I found (you can find it here: FreeDieting.com Calorie Calculator) it seems that for fat loss I need to be in the 2200-2400 calorie per day range. I'm thinking on most days I was eating in the 1800-2000 range. I'm wondering if my body has been in 'starvation mode' for a while.

For the next few days I'm going to continue to monitor my caloric intake and try to get 2400 or so. That way I can get in the groove and know what 2400 calories 'feels like'. Maybe this will spur my fat loss.

Body Composition Test Results

First of all, I apologize for not being faithful in updating my blog. I've been on the road alot lately and, well, there hasn't been a whole lot of interesting information for me to pass along to you guys anyway.

Now on to the good stuff.

This past Saturday I had a hydrostatic body composition test done, with some exciting results.

The results of my last test (which was performed several months ago) were as follows:

Body weight: 191.5
Body Fat %: 15.2
Lean Lb: 162.3
Fat Lb: 29.2

This weekend, my results were as follows:

Body Weight: 192
Body Fat %: 13
Lean Lb: 167
Fat Lb: 25

So, to sum it up, I've made a bit of a switcheroo with lean mass and fat since my last test - gaining 4.7 lbs of muscle and losing 4.2 lbs of fat. Needless to say I was thrilled at the results, which are a far cry from where I was when I started - at 228 lbs. body weight and over 30% body fat. I'm more motivated than ever now.

Miracle!!

Miracle of miracles!! I hopped on the scale this morning, and.. wait.. what was that? A pound lost!! The scale showed 193.4, which was exactly a pound less than I weighed yesterday. I do realize that this is mostly insignificant because a person's weight fluctuates up or down a couple of pounds every day. That having been said, I haven't seen the scale lower than 194.4 in months, so mabye tightening up the diet and sticking to my HIIT schedule is beginning to pay off.

Speaking of HIIT, I can't possibly convey how much I hate it. It's absolutely brutal, and the last couple of intervals I'm really, really sucking wind. I know it works, and I'll keep up with it, but I have real difficulty getting myself to the gym for those sessions.

Sunday will mark the end of week 3 of 'Get Lean'. I have enjoyed these workouts, but like most people with a short attention span, I'm beginning to get tired of this set of workouts. Just 4 more and I get to change up for a week for Phase 1A, which is a loading week. Looking forward to it.

Exhaustion

I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I went up on the weight on all of my lifts today. Maybe it's because I hadn't eaten for 4 hours when I went to the gym (although I had a monstrous breakfast). Anyway, today I left the gym as exhausted as I've been leaving the gym in months.

I did try to stick very, very closely to the prescribed rest periods (today those periods were 60 seconds between lifts). By the time I got to the last couple of sets, I was really sucking wind. I'm going to enjoy my day off tomorrow.

On an unrelated note, my Dad and I went to see Gran Torino last night. I've always been a big Eastwood fan, and this movie didn't disappoint. It was vintage Eastwood, and although he looked as old and frail as I've ever seen him, he is still SUCH a bad-ass. When he walks out the door, sticks the rifle in the kid's face and says 'Get. Off. My. Lawn.' with that snarl, I just smiled and shook my head. Yep, even at almost 80, he's still got it. Too bad this is probably going to be his last starring role.

One Week Down, 15 To Go

Week one of the Get Lean phase is now in the books. I was doing ok with muscle soreness until yesterday's workout, the third of the week. The sitting cable face pulls really did a number on my shoulders and back. I hadn't worked those muscles in that way in.. well.. never. So this morning when I woke up I was hurting, and it seems to have actually gotten worse as the day has gone on.

I do feel good, however. Since I started Waterbury's program a month ago (the three weeks of 'Get Ready' plus the one weeks so far of 'Get Lean'), I feel like I'm getting stronger, no real sign of getting leaner yet, but I've been following the diet pretty much to the 'T', so I'm sure the fat loss will follow soon.

I've really tried to focus on getting my veggies at each meal. Also, I went out and bought a couple of pounds of black beans and have cooked them and have them in the fridge ready to eat. In his book, Chad speaks quite highly of black beans, so I'm trying really hard to learn to like them. They aren't so bad, but I wish I could come up with some more inventive and tastier ways to eat them.

All together, I'm loving the program so far. I feel better, and I seem to have been sleeping better, and that's always a good thing. So, on to Week 2, workout #1 tomorrow. Not looking forward to those dang pullups.. >:(

A Veggie Tale

After deciding to try to shed some fat instead of bulk up, I sat down and gave alot of thought to my diet; what I put in my mouth, and how much of it I shovel in there.

I know that at my height and body type, I need somewhere between 2300-2500 calories a day to maintain my weight. I've always known that if I ate good food (and I mean good FOR ME food) that I could eat more food, but still maintain the same caloric intake. However, I have seemed to be able to eat more fruit than veggies, mostly because A) I like fruit more, and B) fruit is a bit more portable, and that's important for a frequent business traveler like me.

After giving it considerable thought, I've decided that I'm going to focus intensely on getting enough fresh veggies in throughout my day. I went to the grocery store yesterday and purchased bell peppers, spinach, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes, carrots, and onions. Waterbury's rule of thumb of one serving of good protein, one serving of fruits, and one service of veggies per meal/snack seems so easy to follow, and it actually is when I'm at home, but when I'm on the road it's tough. Still working on the logistics of that, but I will make it happen. I'm dedicated to getting the body that I want and I'll do what it takes to get there.