A 90 Day Journey of Reinvention: Day 13 (78 to go)

[M-A-S]

This is continued from: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?p=370390911

I have been so sore the past two days. I?m lifting heavy again, and I can fully feel the effects. Right now Excedrin Back and Body is my best friend. The other thing that has helped are regular doses of BCAAs. Here are some progress picks of what has been going on so far still sitting at 195

[iceskater88]

Good work. Keep it up.

[Lunchbox419]

Good stuff, bro.

[M-A-S]

Dragging a$$.that would an understatement for the past couple of days. Since I moved back to my original routine, it has been such a hassle doing anything that might require moving from point A to point B. Once this week is over I should be good to go again. I'll have Saturday to catch up on sleep and by then I should be used to the heavy weights again.

I haven't been able to do much cardio the past couple of days due to my legs being sore. I do still walk to and from work which is about 1 mile one way, but not at the brisk pace I would like to. There is a 10K fun run next month that I'm thinking about running in. For those non-military people we have these things every so often called "fun runs"..most of the time they are mandatory so usually they are considered "un-fun runs", however out here in this desert paradise, fun runs are always a great excuse to get out of work for a couple hours and let lose, except the fun run is on my day off from work, but I still think I'll go.

So with me lifting heavy again, I'm will be putting upping my food intake and my supplement use, just so I can stop feeling like crap.
Here are my workouts from the past two days:

August 25: Shoulders
Dumbbell Shoulder Press -(weight/reps) 50/8, 50/8, 50/8
Front Dumbbell Raise -(weight/reps) 20/8, 20/8, 20/8
Side Lateral Raise-(weight/reps) 15/8, 15/8, 15/8
Reverse Flyes-(weight/reps) 10/8, 10/8, 10/8
Upright Barbell Row -(weight/reps) 50/8, 50/8, 50/8

August 26: Arms
Dips - Triceps Version-(reps) 15, 13, 10
Barbell Curl-(weight/reps) 80/5, 70/7, 70/6
Lying Close-Grip Barbell Triceps Press To Chin-(weight/reps) 60/8, 60/8, 60/8
Alternate Hammer Curl-(weight/reps) 30/8, 30/8, 30/8
1 hand Reverse Grip Tricep Pushdown-(weight/reps) 50/8, 50/8, 50/8
Palms-Down Dumbbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench-(weight/reps) 10/15, 10/15, 10/15
Palms-Up Dumbbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench-(weight/reps) 20/8, 20/8, 20/8

[M-A-S]

72 days left in here. Keeping with the current theme if change, I don?t want to accomplish this the way I usually accomplish things, at the last minute. I don?t want to be 10 days away from going home and not be satisfied with where I am. I want to have reached the majority of my goal with 40 days left, giving me forty days to fine tune things?so here goes a mini challenge inside a challenge. My goal is to lose 15 pounds in the month of September. Currently I?m sitting at 194.5, I?ll 179.5. Of course I?ll also like to keep in mind that the 15 pounds will be, 15 pounds of fat. This will of course take a well planned out month, with strict dedication to the task at hand. No cheat days, clean eating, only water, heavy weights, tons of cardio?

31 August - Legs - Abs
1 Sep - Chest - Cardio
2 Sep - Back - Abs
3 Sep - Shoulders - Cardio
4 Sep - Arms - Abs
5 Sep - Legs - Cardio
6 Sep - Cardio - Abs
7 Sep - Chest/Tri - Cardio
8 Sep - Back/Bi - Abs
9 Sep - Shoulders - Cardio
10 Sep - Arms - Abs
11 Sep - Cardio
12 Sep - Chest - Abs
13 Sep - Back - Cardio
14 Sep - Shoulder - Abs
15 Sep - Arms - Cardio
16 Sep - Legs - Abs
17 Sep - Cardio
18 Sep - Chest - Abs
19 Sep - Back - Cardio
20 Sep - Shoulders - Abs
21 Sep - Arms - Cardio
22 Sep - Legs - Abs
23 Sep - Cardio
24 Sep - Chest - Abs
25 Sep - Back - Cardio
26 Sep - Shoulders - Abs
27 Sep - Arms - Cardio
28 Sep - Legs - Abs
29 Sep - Cardio
30 Sep - Chest - Abs

[M-A-S]

Determination is what will get me through this. Quitting anything is tough but stopping a six year habit of giving into my temptations is so hard. However anything worth doing right, takes time. And right now, time is all I have?69 days to be exact. I feel the best way to get to where I want to go is to not be complacent and start feeling comfortable. The best way to get results is to introduce the maximum amount of stress to the muscle being worked utilizing shorter rest periods, drop sets, super sets and giant sets. With that being said proper nutrition and supplementation is key to keeping my body fueled to grow and burn fat.

My basic diet is very standard since they serve the same thing here day in and day out?.
Meal 1 - 6 Egg Whites, 2 hard boiled eggs, ? cup cottage cheese
Meal 2 - 1 scoop Optimum whey protein
Meal 3 - 1 scoop Optimum whey protein, handful of almonds
Meal 4 - chicken breast, 2 cups mixed salad
Meal 5 - 1 scoop Optimum whey protein
Meal 6 - 1 scoop Optimum whey protein, handful of almonds
Meal 7 - Chicken breast, 2 cups mixed salad
Meal 8 - 1 scoop Optimum whey protein

And before I get a scolding for consuming so much whey protein, keep in mind that I?m deployed and the chicken breast is at its best ok when it?s warm. But my squadron has a limited numbers of microwaves so I go the simplest route.
Also since my mini goal is to lose 15 pounds this month just so I know I?m on track with what I?m trying to accomplish, I came up with a rough idea of where I need to be by this weekend?.I?m shooting for 193 by Sunday 6 September?

Sep 6 - 193
Sep 13 - 189
Sep 20 - 185
Sep 27 - 182
Oct 1 - 179
Looking at this I know it?s going to be a challenge in itself. But I have a trick that I play on myself that allows me to focus on only this?Seclusion, it?s amazing how focused you become on yourself and your own problems when you don?t hear other people?s problems. I tried this a while back and it worked, by secluding myself I ate healthy and didn?t have distractions which in turn allowed me to focus on what needed to be done.

[M-A-S]

I made a list of some rules that I?d like to follow, to get to my 15 pounds lost, by months end.
1- Keep sodium intake to a minimum
2- 6-8 Meals a day (6am, 8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm)
3- High Protein intake 1-1.5g of protein per pound of body weight
4- 6-8 liters of water a day
5- Walk to and from work (1 mile one way)
6- Walk to and from lunch (.33 miles one way)
7- HIIT cardio after workouts (mornings) (12 minutes)
8- 30 Minute run at night, at a speed of +7.5mph (evenings)
9- Once I reach 8 reps on 3 sets of a workout, increase the weight

[M-A-S]

I am broken. At least I feel broken. I ran a 10K fun run on the 6th and the run itself went well. The next day my back and my left foot were killing me. I thought maybe it was just some muscle soreness so I took extra BCAA and was loaded up on Excedrin Migraine for most of the day but it did help to much. I had to sleep on my back all last night and couldn?t breathe in to deeply. So my 15 pound quest has been put on pause while I try to heal up. I?ll still be losing weight with a restriction of my diet, but it will be slower since I lifting and cardio are out of the question at this point. I?ll probably end up going to the Med facility here on base and see what they find, I just hope I don?t have like a stress fracture or anything in my foot, that would suck majorly.

Like I said I?ll adjust my diet accordingly to compensate for the next couple of days with not being able to do much of anything. I might be able to get away with doing some light shoulder work and some arm work, but then again if the medical people give me a profile (a military document that orders restriction of activities that could worsen your condition) then I?m screwed. Most of the med people workout at the same gym so I could get in trouble for working out against the profile, but we?ll see what happens.

[M-A-S]

Went to the Med people....I'm glad it was nothing serious but they didn't give me much on the medication side of things. They didn't conduct really any tests...it was was very, vague....

On a side note I got my new can of Animal Cuts (New Formula), BCAA 5000 powder, Glutamine powder, and some N.O. Xplode.

[M-A-S]

Got back into the gym this morning. Wasn't able to lift as much because my back was still sore. I went back the medical people last night to have them look at my foot. Turns out I have tendonitis in my left foot, so I'll have to be a little cautious when I do my cardio.

So today:

Weight: 195.5lbs

Chest
Flat BB Bench: 145-12, 145-9, 155-8, 155-7
Incline BB Bench: 115-12, 115-12, 125-8, 125-6
Decline BB Bench: 135-12, 135-12, 145-10, 145-10
Flat DB Press: 55-6, 50-6, 40-6, 30-6
Rope Crunch: 100-30, 100-30
Leg Lifts: 20, 12
HIIT: 1minute interval sprints on an Eliptical for 12 minutes

[M-A-S]

I've had to go back to formula on this whole "journey". I don't feel as motivated as I should, and have been totally exhausted the past couple of days. Sleep is definently a huge part of losing weight. If you are not fully rested you end up being not as motivated and suddenly find yourself wanting to eat things that will sabatage progress. So what did i do when I first got here to Iraq to motivate me to loss this weight...my family - Just to see the look on my wife's face when i step off the plane 30, 40, or 50 pounds lighter. Another motivational tool was watching the biggest loser...I know it's a little cheesy but, I just started watching season 5 (good season) and I'm already ready to go to the gym.

[M-A-S]

I feel awesome. I took a long look at NickEdge's http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=108996851 sort of adopted some of his routine. My muscles feel full and pumped when I'm finished working out. Basically four sets, the first two sets at a moderate weight x 12 reps, the next two sets are 10 pounds more than the first two sets x 10 reps. Nick also does abs daily, which i'm slowly easing into.
My diet's been very clean the past couple of days and got a nice surprise when I jumped on the scale and saw 192.

[M-A-S]

Starting to look real good now, I'll post some pictures maybe tomorrow, I hit 189lbs yesterday which was awesome. I'm four pounds from my High School weight. For the last thirty days I'll eat really strict so I can get ride of the last 10 pounds of fat that I want to get rid of. So basically alot of chicken, fish, broccoli and kideney beans.

[M-A-S]

Well my metabolism is finally back and humming along. I lifted medium to heavy this week. I cheated on several meals and my body was like no problem...my weight has stayed steady at 188 the past week or so. I have 34 days left and I intend on hitting them very hard. I'll probably go back to eating how I used to;

breakfast- Oatmeal and protein shake
Snack - Protein Shake or can of tuna
Lunch - Chicken or fish, broccoli, kidney beans
Snack - Protein Shake or can of tuna
Dinner - Large Salad
Snack - Protein Shake

[M-A-S]

The 11th is coming up real quick. After losing about 35 pounds I realized that I had lost some strength as well and have started to lift the way I used to. Diet is becoming more and more strict. Lots of protein, lots of veggies, minimal carb intake after 3pm. I also do cardio nightly.