Leaner, Stronger, Faster

[Decosta]

Well, I'm Decosta and semi new to lifting.

Well I'm not over 35, I'm 29 but I think I'll feel more at home here rather than in another section. Plus I'm getting older, not younger (things start to take longer to heal).

Well I've been active since April last year and started when I hit 20 stone (280lbs) and over the year, I am now at 16 stone, 2lbs. Although now I feel that I'm at a bit of a plateau. Although I have done well I think as I have a gynocomastia (more than just the puffy nipple, gland and all) and when I first went to the doctor, he wanted to go for one type of surgery. A year later, I went to see him again and he had to reconsider and reschedule my surgery as my body shape had changed and a different surgery is needed.

However, I think that's more down to losing focus with the diet and training methods. Towards the end, I tended to just go through the motions rather than have a determined plan.

The activites that I do are

Gym - Hence why I'm here
Capoeira - Once a week with practising moves almost every day.
Gymnastics - Once a week

I have access to 2 gyms through work, but my wife wants to hit the gym to lose weight so I joined the one closest to where we live to give her motivation and support. (This is why I pop over to MWA to get advice for her, although I do plan to get her onto free weights when she can handle it/has the confidence).

So yesterday was the first day that I had this renewed focus, so upon joining I did the following

Bench Press - 3 x 50kg (rest 30seconds)
Deadlifts - 3 x 50kg (30 seconds)
Assisted Pullups - 3 x 166kg (I'm assuming that 226 - the weight which it took off, therefore 60)
Handstand Pushups - 1 x 5

It was good and I felt pumped, but I just want a routine that I can really focus on, so today after my workout (Bench, Deadlift and Squats), I asked the trainer to book me in to see what they suggested for a routine.

The biggest area of my refocus is my diet, therefore what i had yesterday was

4.5 litres of water (over the course of the day)

1) Breakfast - Bowl of Oatmeal, Eggs and Sardines

2) Midmorning Snack - Banana, Apple

Workout - See above

3) Protein shake + Banana + Sunflower seeds (Also had Cod liver Oil, Multi Vitamin)

4) Stirfry with tons of vegatables (Corgettes, Carrots, Onions, Mushrooms) with chicken & jacket potato

5) Smaller portion of meal 4 (without the potato) with a spoonful of peanut butter

Bed

---------------

Today's meal is

1) Breakfast - Bowl of Oatmeal, Eggs and Tuna

2) Midmorning Snack - Banana, Apple

Workout - See above

3) Sunday Dinner (Beef, 2tblspoons of Mash Potato, tons of peas,cabbage and spinach, no gravy or yorkshire pud). Drink was protein shake

4) Natural Yogurt with blitzed fruits of the forest, banana, protein shake. Very tasty.

Meal five is going to be yesterdays leftover dinner.

---------------

What I plan to do is go to MWA's Chef Lisa's recipe threads and cook most of the meals there as it will suits wife's tastes as much as mine. That seseame chicken dish sounds lovely.

It would be nice to get feedback as this progresses.

My goals is to get my body fat down to the low teens, get strong and generally look good.

If I had to say who would I like to get like, it would be

http://www.completemartialarts.com/w...mages/mjw8.jpg
http://www.cinema.com/image_lib/1171_33_thumb.jpg
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...imageID=897375

[Decosta]

Nothing much today, just slowly figuring out my diet and I've had about 2000ish calories. Does anyone know of a good BMR calculator that I could use to properly figure out what I should be aiming for. Also whats the difference between active and moderatly active.

No workout today as a rest day

Meals

Breakfast - Oatmeal with scoop of powder and banana. The oatmeal mixed with the protein powder turned it into a moose

10.30 - Two large free range boiled eggs with a can of tuna

12.30 - Plate of Brocolli and 2 pieces of grilled chicken

15:00 - Banana and sunflower seeds

18:00 - Meal consisting of mince, vegatarian meatballs and lots of vegatables (corgettes, carrots).

Had 3 litres of ice cold water, 2 hot cups of water and 2 cups of green tea

Had an interesting look around at the natural food store and the health food shop. Makes you aware that there are alot more options out there then the rubbish you get at your local supermarket. Thinking of getting a 1kg of Peanut butter for ?3.40 (6.93 dollars). Might also get a bag of Quinoa and see what I can do. I've seen some good receipes over on T-Nation.

Going back to gym on Wednesday as it's closed cos the fair is in town for two days. Did quite well in terms of resisting the burgers, candy floss,etc. Didn't even crave it. Going to book a fitness assessment as I just need a good solid split that aids me to maintain muscle, possible even grow some while transforming my body into a fat furnace. So any ideas would again be useful.

Now that I have more time to go to the gym, I'm really going to have the focus to really transform my body. I'm also looking forward to my wife coming with me and helping her do weights. So any help and advice that you ladies could give me would be so valuable.

Snacks - What are good clean alternatives, something to get that sweet cravings?

Sauces - The wife tends to prefer food that has some sort of sauce over it as she's not to keen on dry foods. Any ideas?

Also she does nights at home for work, so her lunch is at 3.00am when everyone is asleep so again we need good alternatives that don't require mega cooking or stinking up the house .

Anyway comment away, I'll be here all night.

[Hibiscus09]

Welcome!

This may help you. You can grab the calculator at the bottom of the article in Excel format.

http://www.freedomfly.net/Articles/N...utrition14.htm

[Decosta]

Thanks, but it doesn't seem to work BUt I'll look around.

[Hibiscus09]

Originally Posted by Decosta

Thanks, but it doesn't seem to work BUt I'll look around.

Well, you could always just use the formulas in the article. I like the Katch McArdle equation.

Here's an online calculator:

http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

[Decosta]

Thanks...It's helped alot.

[Decosta]

Went to the gym near me which is only 30 seconds away. It was ok, not to packed and soon emptied out. Also it seems like it has a nice atmosphere and everyone is concentrating on their workout.

Worked my Back/Biceps/Forearms and Abs

Deadlifts - 1x8 @ 35kg, 1x8 @ 45kg, 1x8 @ 50kg
Barbell rows - 1x8 @ 25kg, 1x10 @ 35kg, 1x10 @ 40kg

Assisted Pullups - 1x10@ 50kg, 1x10@45kg, 1x10 @ 40kg (the last set was of the pause-rest variety).

Assisted One armed pullups - 1x10 @ 80kg, 1x8 @ 75kg, 1x5 @ 75kg
Wrist Curls (Front and Back) - 3 x ( 1x10 @ 10kg)
Bicep Curl (Machine) - 1x10 @ 15kg, 1x12 @ 25kg, 1x12 @ 30kg
Farmers walk - 30kg - walk around the gym perimeter

Feeling the pump in the arms and back and it feels good. It feels good to workout like this and be real focused.

Tomorrow, it's going to be Shoulders and Calves. I'm using the split that was in one of the stickies in the workout program section.

Quads/Hamstrings
Chest/Triceps
Back/Biceps/Forearms
Shoulders/Calves

Will also work abs/obliques every other day.


Diet was ok, but not stellar, forgot my lunch at home.

Breakfast consisted of Porridge and an apple with shake

Had a banana and green tea with fish oil tablet at roughly 10.30

Lunch was salad with a bit pf pasta (multicoloured), beetroot, carrot and a piece of chicken. Also had a small cup of tomato soup with black pepper in it.

Didn't have anything before I came home.

Dinner was 2 servings of omelette (it consisted of onions, corgettes, and other vegatables) with a small helping of wild rice. Brought a rice cooker and some brown rice, so I'll give that a try next time.

Went to the gym to do my workout and then came home and had a chocolate protein shake.

Out of interest, what are good snacks - unsalted/unbuttered popcorn? Ryvita/Rice cakes (wholewheat/grain?).

[Decosta]

Just did a quiz about What is your bodytype and got this:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/becker3.htm

A Mesomorph has a naturally fit body but to maintain it or improve it they should exercise and diet corretly for their type. Strength training can be done more often and for longer sessions then would be good for an Ectomorph, but you must still be carefull not to overdo it. You should train with moderate to heavy weighs and at a moderate pace, not resting too long between sets. You will find you gain muscle quite easy (some women and even men might not want to get too bulky, but this won't happen suddenly. When you are happy with your muscle size simply train to maintain it). Stick to a good healthy diet to keep you lean and muscular, and watch for any slow creeping fat gains. Engage in and enjoy aerobic activities, sports, etc. but do not overdo.


Sounds about right

[Hot Rose]

Welcome to Journaling Decosta.

You might want to keep track of your food intake by going to fitday.com
It helps me to see if I am eating enogh protein.

[Decosta]

Oh, I do, use it all the time...Need to update mine actually.. I'll retrospectively add each days to the right posts so you can see.

[Decosta]

Did some measurements. Here are the results.

Chest 39.5
Shoulders 48
Forearms 12
Arms 16.5
Waist 35.5
Hips 41.5
Thigh 27
Calf 16.5
Neck 16
Wrist 7

So from when I started this weight loss, the deviance is

Chest - 9.5 inches
Shoulders - 1 inch
Forearms - .50 inch
Arms + 1.6inches
Waist - 8 inches
Calf - 0.5 inches
Neck - 1.5 inches
Wrist - .25 inch


So I plugged the stats into a body fat calculator on the net and it seems I have an average bodyfat of 16-18%. Which if true, is quite good considering I'm sure I was high 20's when I first started.

[Decosta]

Did Shoulders and Calves yesterday and had a chat with the owner. He said that I was doing ok, but he just tweaked my sets from 3x10 and suggested that I do 4 sets of 12 and then once I can complete the sets with the same weight to move up.

Well tried it on shoulders and it burned, really felt it and had to go lighter than what I was usually used to.

I don't have my numbers in front of me (so I'll have to guess and update later), but the following exercises I did do was.

Dumbell lateral raises - 4x12 @ 5kg
Dumbell front raises - 4x12 @ 5kg
Seated Miltary Press - 4x12 @ 15kg

15 reps of bodyweight calf raises
Calf Raises (using leg press) - 4x12 @ 109kg

So that was the end of workout 1.

Then later on, went again with my wife (whom I'm very proud of) as she did really well. She's also alot stronger than she looks and she was pushing weight (first time) that alot of woman I see at my other gym not even attempt. This trip was more of a get famaliar with the gym rather than a proper workout, but we did a warmup on the machine and then got her to do

Chest Press 3x10 @ 21kg (she said that she needs to go higher next time)
Pec Fly 3x10 @ 29kg (Again, she said she needs to go higher)

We tried the lat pulldown, but she said that she was feeling it in her arms rather than her back, so maybe I was explaining to her wrong. It was hard to troubleshoot as I couldn't feel what she was feeling. Any tips

Barball curls - 3x10 @ 12.5kg. (We tried the machine, but she didn't like the grip so we tried the barbell. She was ok with that but we then moved onto the dumbell which she said worked for her better. She said that she just has to get used to holding dumbells).

Then as the gym was soon to be closing, we did a quick set of leg presses, she automatically knew not to lock out the knees and she did 3x10 @ 90kg (again, could have gone higher, but this was her first time so didn't want to push it too hard).

What I might do is get a workout program from here that is a total body workout.

I don't think I could help beaming that she was there, told her about this forum, but she's not the blogging kind so I'll do it here for her (under my own blog, rather than start a new one).

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJ...er=decosta1228

[Hot Rose]

Great job on the weigt loss and it's wonderful that your wife is going to be working out with you

[Decosta]

Originally Posted by Hot Rose

Great job on the weigt loss and it's wonderful that your wife is going to be working out with you

Thanks, she's doing quite well, she was on the treadmill and just walked with me as I did my cardio. I think she did about 2-3 miles at various inclines. Which is pretty good considering that she went from 0 to 2/3 miles.

As for me, I'm conducting an experiment, the wife actually asked me if anyone does get ripped or loses alot of weight/gains muscle on these "Get Ripped in 12 weeks". I said that I'll follow it and see what happens.

[Decosta]

Shoulders/Traps and Abs

Overhead Barbell Press - 6,6,10,10,12 @ 25kg
Lateral Raise - 6,6,10,10,12 @ 8kg
Upright Row - 6,6,10,10,12 @ 25kg
Bent Over Lat Raise - 6,6,10,10,12 @ 5kg
Barbell Shrug - 6,6,10,10,12 @@ 40kg

Then did 30 minutes on the treadmill, various speeds and incline.

The wife did about 3 miles yesterday, so was proud of her there considering that she's never really done that before in a gym environment.

Didn't do fitday, but it wasn't a great day for calories as I think it may have been on the low side.

Went to the hospital and everything checked out fine there. Then came home, started to cook dinner and then went gym with wife. Then afterwards we both flaked out.

[Decosta]

Forgot to say that later, I went back for a 30 minute ab class and boy am I suffering for it today.

Today was Bi's and Tri's

Skullcrushers - 6,6,10,10,12 @ 8kg
Triceps Pressdown - 6,6,10,10,12 @ 30kg
Overhead Db Extension - 6,6,10,10,12 @ 12.5kg
*Dips (assisted) - 6,6,10,10,12 @ 40-50kg
Barbell Curl - 6,6,10,10,12 @ 25kg
Chinup (assisted) - 6,6,10,10,12 @ 60kg
Reversal forearm curl - 6,6,10,10,12 @ 35kg

* Normally I can do dips unassisted, but with doing the previous exercises, my triceps were fried. Might try them at the start of the exercise.

Wife didn't come today due to her feet hurting, but that's fine, rest is just as good. Leg day tomorrow, but it's also capoeria so that should be interesting.

The menu for the Christmas meal came around today, talk about some rubbish on the menus, took me ages to find a halfway decent selection.

Also emailed my communications department to see if they can bring in the sports nutritionist that they brought in last year. Should be interested to see what he says.

Think I might just start reading more journals for the rest of the night.

Cals - Total: 2157

Fat: 20%
Carbs: 50%
Protein:30%

[Decosta]

It was Quads, Calves and Hamstrings

All reps were 6,6,10,10,12 with 5 sets.

Squat - 60kg
Leg Extension - 70kg
Lunges - 10kg
Romanian Deadlifts - 40kg
Leg Curls - 30kg

Then I did some ab work, leg raises, hanging leg curls/raises and weighted crunches.

Then after weight training, I went to Capoeira where it was 1.30 of solid martial arts. Had a good sparring session with kicks, dodges, feints and flips. The previous ab work really helped. Did a couple of good moves where I basically held a freestanding handstand and as the guy came close, gave him a kick to the stomach. Entry into the roda was nice and fluid in terms of cartwheels (one handed type). Also nailed a good Martelo (one handed handspring).

Also got a date for my op, so after the op, going to just go with the cardio until I can lift again.

No gm today (Thursday 18th) as it's a rest day. Brought a new jacket though

[Decosta]

No workout today, just finished a photoshoot and now I'm eatting eggs, beans and toast. Then I'll probably go up and chill out.

[Decosta]

Did legs today and was a pretty good workout which included

Hack Squats
Squats
One legged Leg Press
Leg Curls (the ones that work your hamstrings)
Calf Raises
Romanian Deadlifts

and then 20 minutes on the cross trainer.

One thing to note is that when I go heavy on calf raises, it always makes me feel like I want to make a trip to the loo. Very weird.

On another note, the christmas lunch choice has been made and we going to a place called cafe rouge. It looks nice, but I don't fancy having a 3 course meal at noon. Don't want to crash as soon as I get back to the office.

The problem is that I have a mild reaction to garlic as it gives me a headache and I'm also sensitive to milk and considering that most of the dishes contain this, I'm planning to veto.

Got a bit pivved as the organiser could not understand that the meal didn't fit into my diet lifestyle and also that I didn't want to go nuts with food just because it's christmas.

Christmas does not mean "automatic overeatting". Last year I caved in, not this year as every bad choice is a step away from getting the results I wanted.

[Hot Rose]

Yes, Christmas it so tough to handle when you are trying to eat right. It,s the darn cookies that get me. I wish you luck

[Decosta]

Well I'm back after a long break (after my operation on my true gyno).

Wow, haven't visited this for a while.

Well I had the surgery to remove the gyno and it's improved quite dramatically. However, there is some loose skin left that needs to come off. So went to the doctors about a month ago and I measured at a bmi or 31 and he wants me to get down to 27.

Why they still use bmi still baffles me.

Anyway in the meantime, I've been hitting the gym twice a week to do

back/legs/bi's
chest/shoulders/tri's

The rest of the week is hill running between a mile and 3 miles. Depending on how I feel.

So right now, I'm looking to lose the fat, gain strength. I still do the capoeira exercises as it keeps me flexible.. On the rare occasions I can't do anything, I tend to do an hour on the wii fit

Eventually I want to build the muscles, but first, it's more important to lose the fat, and get the weight down a bit then look to put on the muscle. I've already go down to a 36 again (i gained a bit of weight after the op)

On a tangent, I do photography as a hobby, I might look into do shoots with fitness guys/girls and see how that turns out

[Decosta]

28th July 2008

Well today, I decided to get really serious and write down everything I can, so that I can see any trends in my training.

So first the meals

Breakfast (7:00) - 75g Plain Museli, 1 scoop of protein powder, 1 boiled egg and a stick of celery.

8:30 - Cup of Tea (with a dash of skimmed milk)

9.33 - 750ml of water and cod liver capsule and glocusasime.

At this point, my general mood was that my energy levels were good and I was not flagging or tired. Work was ok, not boring yet.

10:30 - Pinch of raisans (approx 8-10), small celery stick with some peanut butter on it. 750ml of water.

At this point, feeling satisfied. Tired, but that's because I was reading a 110 page document relating to IT business processes.

12:00 - Tuna nicoise (salad leaves, spring onions, 1/2 egg and red onions)

Also had a salad with cucumbers, dijon mustard mushrooms, sweetcorn, lettuce, cous cous and beetroot. Also had some tuna mixed in.

14:48 - Pinch of raisins, 5 cherry tomatoes, small celery stick with cream cheese, cup of green tea.

Enery levels good, just bliming sweaty at hot. Lack of fresh air, although wasn't feeling tired. Which is all good.

16:06 - 2 Cherry Tomatoes,1 scoop of protein powder and some more raisins.

At this point, I know that I'm prob OTT on the raisins, but it was the last in the pack, so I thought I'll use them as snacks today to finish it off.

Then I finished work, hit the gym (which I'll describe later) and then after wards had a dbl scoop of protein powder and then got home and had

200g of chicken, about 50g of the sweet potatoes chips that's from Chef Marie's recipe thread and some roasted vegetables. Very nice..

In terms of what I did at the gym, it is as follows:

4 minutes of skipping (how do i know it was 4 minutes, because I played '4 minutes' by Madge and JT).

For the weights, I'm including the bar (20kg)
Chest
-----

Incline Bench - 2x10 @ 30kg, 1x8 @ 50kg (next time will do 3x10 @ 40 and then see how that goes).

Bench - 1x10 @ 70kg, 1x10 @ 70kg (3 assisted reps), 1x10@70 (4 assisted reps)

Decline - At this point, I must not have given enough rest as the first 1x10 @ 50kg was quite hard towards the later part of the set. However, I then managed to do 2x10 @ 50kg afterwards.

Shoulders
---------

Military Press - 1x10 @ 20kg, 1x10 @ 25kg, 1x8@ 25kg.

Arnie Twists (had to use plates instead of db) - 3x10 @ 10kg.

Shrugs - 3x10 @ 25kg.

Triceps
-------

Dips - 1x5 @ bw (226lbs), 1x3 @ bw (By this time, my tri's and general body was sore.

Pulldowns - 1x10 @ 18kg, 1x10 @ 27kg, 1x10 @ 22kg (6 reps, rested for 10secs and then did the remaining 4).

Total time in the gym - 1hr 15 minutes. I was not actively knackered, but generally sore and I doubt I could have down another rep of any exercise without sacrificing form.

Goals
-----

As I was looking in the mirror, I realise that I have got quite a long way to go. Before my operation, I had gyno which was pretty severe. Due to going to the gym and going from 280lbs to 217kg meant that the procedure wasn't as invasive as it should have been. However, it did leave some loose skin. Therefore I'm going back to the doctors on the 22nd September to look into more surgery to tighten up the skin.

Anyhow, I was looking in the mirror and I have the beginnings of biceps,triceps and shoulders. However, my back is slowly getting there, but needs alot of work and I basically have a flat chest (although I can feel the pecs underneath).

Therefore my goals are as follows:

Lose the fat to at least 12% bodyfat. I need to find out what I am now.

Work on my chest so that I have some form of muscle development that you can see when shirt/top is off.

Want to get to at least 13/14 stone so that I can evaluate how I look.

Obviously when I get to a low bodyweight, I then want to pack on some mass. I need to find some sort of inspiration/goal pic so that you can see what I'm aiming for.

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...vin-diesel.jpg

or

http://www.hecangetit.com/images/112...0+%20Bulge.jpg

I prefer the will smith look

I want to get like that, so that come xmas, I can ask my photographer buddies to arrange a photoshoot for myself so that I can surprise my wife with some pictures of myself.

Anyhow, I've probably rambled on and I wouldn't be surprised if I've timeouted. Look forward to hearing some comments. Good or bad as long as it's constructive and helps me in the long run.

[Decosta]

Well today was interesting, I went on a course that dealt with optimising yourself. So it dealt on issues such as

Setting goals
Looking towards your goals
How you filter information and how you can use it to benefit

That State of mind affects physiology which affects how you act and vice versa.
Learnt about the reticular activating system (Basically what you think about all the time and what's important to you - why is it you see your rare car on the road more. It's because your rare car is important to you, so your ras points it out to you).

It was good, because it reinforced the concepts that are present on here.

If you keep on doing the same things, you'll get the same results. If you want different results, do something different.

Also its no good saying things or even thinking it, you have to act.

So that's the mindset I'm going to have, set goals that are meaningful and realistic (SMARTIE) and stick to them.

If you want more information, then let me know. It was a real interesting course.

[Decosta]

At the gym

Warmup - 5 minutes run (Speed 6.7 - 9 minute mile)

Back
-----

Modified Pullups - 3x5 @ BW (228lbs)
Deadlift - 3x6 @ 100kg (220lbs) - Will keep at this weight until I can do 10 reps
Seated Row - 3x10 @ 40kg (90lbs)

Legs
----

Squat - 1x10 @ 20kg, 1x10 @ 40kg, 1x10 @ 50kg (Usually I use a smith machine, but I did it freestanding, hence the lighter weights to get form right)

Lunges - 2x10 @ 40kg (Boy, the legs were trembling after this)
Calf Raises - 3x10 @ 30kg (freestanding)

Biceps
------

Biceps - 1x10 @ 30kg, 2x10 @ 20kg
Hammer Curls - 2x10 @ 10kg (biceps were burning at this point, should do better next time).


Took me 1hr 15 minutes to do the set. I want to be able to dl about 150kg and bench 100kg for 10 reps.

Misc
----

Nothing much, still looking for fitness models and work is fine..Just got moved onto a new project which should be fun as it means I'll be learning new stuff. Yeah me.

[Decosta]

P.S - How can I get this moved to the Workout Journals section.

I measured myself this morning (31st July) and here are the results

All measurement are in inches

Waist - 35.5
Hips - 39.5
Thighs - 27
Forearm - 12.25
Wrist - 7
Bicep - 16.5 (flexed)
Neck - 16
Calf - 15.75
Chest -39
Shoulders - 39.5


Wondering whether to post pictures of myself..Have to think about that one..Also need to get my bf tested so I know where I'm at.

No gym today but here's my diet for today

7.00: 2 eggs and sardines, piece of chicken and a protein shake
8:30: Cup of Tea
9:45: Yerba Mate Tea + fish oils, glucosmine.
10:20: 100g Chicken, small celery, Raisins, Protein Shake
12:00: 50g Chicken, Falalels (oven baked), tons of salad
15:00: Chicken, Celery, Raisisn and cup of Yerba Mate
16:15: Protein Shake
18:00 Repeat of 12:00 meal.

It might not seem great, but it was tasty, never felt stuffed or full. I'm still in the experimental stage of finding the right balance.

[Decosta]

Well yesterday was the work's BBQ and because I'm on the committee, I had to help set up, run things and be behind the bar. Also was sober so it's always interesting to see people get drunker and drunker as the night goes on. It's also very interesting to notice how people suddenly become your best mates when you're serving cheap booze behind the bar.

Obviously no gym, although I did go for a 1.2 mile run in the morning which I completed in 12 minutes.

Food wise, did ok at the start with my usualy muslei, boiled eggs and shake, followed by lunch of oven baked falalel and salad, but then at the bbq later, managed to have 2 huge burgers and a pork roll with apple sauce.

I'm not stressing about it as it was one day out of many. Might do some home exercises later as I didn't get home until 1, although managed to get my 7 hours in.

[Decosta]

I'll also get some pics done later so that I have a decent starting point.

[donnainhouston]

Originally Posted by Decosta

I'm not stressing about it as it was one day out of many.

Hi there! You're right. It's pointless to beat yourself up; that's the right attitude. It onlly matters what you do next.

Great progress.

Donna

[Decosta]

Saturday was a boring day while sunday, went to see journey to the centre of the earth 3d. Let me say the 3d has moved on since Jaws 3d. Good effects and you get to keep the glasses

Pigged out on popcorn and other carbie delights, but again, it's all good

Onto Monday 4th August, diet wise:

7:00 - Salmon, boiled egg and a protein shake
Throughout the morning it was cup of tea, water and some celery, raisins.
11:30 - PS

12:00 - Salmon and brocolli along with some more celery and raisins.

15:00 - Green Tea, chicken skewer and some nuts, plus cod liver oil and gloucosamine.

16:45 - 17:45 - Gym followed by scoop of protein shake.

18:00 -Sunday dinner (beef, green beans, cabbage and califlower) with a piece of omelette (eggs, courgettes, onions).

General tidiness but I think that was down to the low carbs, have to put in more.

Gym
----

4 minute warmup with high stepping skipping.

Bench Press - 2x10 @ 154lbs, 1x10 @ 132lbs
Incline Press - 3x10 @ 110lbs
Decline 3x10 @ 88lbs

Tricep Extension (You sit down with the straps behind your hand and pull the straps forward isolating your tri's) - 3x10 @ 40lbs
Tricep Pulldown - 3x10 @ 40lbs
Dips 3x10 @ bw

Wasn't really feeling it today but I managed to get through it. In a wierd mood, but I'm slowly working towards my goal of losing the weight and then bulking up.

Attached are pics that will enable me to have a decent starting point, it's weird, I seem to have no definite shape. It seems my love handles and stomach are a problem. Need to sort out chest, but the look is more to do with the recent gyno surgery I had (wanted to take it out and see if the skin would shrink back).

Anyway pics are attached.

[Decosta]

Brought a new bike, so just have to wait for it to be delivered. So that'll be something I'll be doing in the morning and afternoon to help shift the fat. It's a hybrid so I'll be able to use trails and go on the roads. Got myself a nice pink helmet *joke*

Was reading Muscle and fitness and was having a look at there Rock Hard Challenge. Might give it a go and see what's what. Might be interesting.

Still have my target of reaching my target of 210-215 pounds by sept 23.

No gym yesterday as I had to sort out some stuff, but I did go to town which is about a mile each way, so i did get some exercise.

Gym tonight though.