Sick and tired of being sick and tired...

[b25]

Greetings..
I feel compelled to mildly introduce myself since I've only posted a handful of times but lurk here daily... I'm 25 yrs old, 6'0, with a desk job... for the past three years, my family, friends and even my boss have made comments at different times that I was "getting a gut" or "gaining weight". I took it with a grain of salt because (for the most part) with a naturally wide frame, I carried it well. I've always had my fair share of women and a "gut" was a non-issue. While this remained true for a while, over the past year I looked in the mirror and DID NOT like what I saw. There was no way to spin it, I was fat! I recall putting on board shorts in mid-May to head to the lake... the same ones I wore last year... yeah, they fit.... with love handles and a gut hanging over ........to boot, when I looked up, I saw 2 chins....yuck! Couple the above with the fact that my Blood Pressure is somewhat above normal (145/80 vs. 120/80) and I was experiencing light headedness/dizzyness almost daily, I realized not only did I have to do something for my physical appearance, I had to do it for my health as well...

Talking with a few guys (also mildly overweight) in the office, a bet (for motivation) was formed... the best transformation in 3 months.. it was on... I found BB.com and read Lifequests thread... yeah, it was long... I kept reading... and when I was done, I read it again. I bought BFFM and read it.. 3 times to date.. I continue to read BB.com daily and found myself spending approximately 2 hours a day educating myself in regard to exercise / nutrition. I created a goal sheet... and so far I've been able to check off two goals to date....unfortunately, one of them was a "late-add" as a result of a motorcyle (dirtbike) injury...I tore all of the ligaments on both sides of my ankle - grade 2/3 sprain. My goal? -- "to adapt and overcome during an ankle injury" ... I continued my clean eating habits and because I didn't want to go to the gym on crutches, I began to use the dumbbells I had at home to workout. I continued my routine, less the cardio and leg workouts for the past 5 weeks..I continued to lose approximately 1 pound/week. My doctor released me today and although I should be excited to get back to the gym, I'm not. You see, I now have a new injury in my front delt (above the bicep on the outside).. I'm guessing this was as a result of too much weight + sloppy form...you can bet I'm pretty mad at myself. It's getting better... but I can still feel some pain when I put my arm/shoulder through certain motions... I asked my doctor about it and he examined it (while releasing me for my ankle) and said it was almost surely muscle tear and "that type of injury heals fast" ...it's been 10 days.. how fast is "fast"?

As I write this, I'm getting motivated.... "adapt and overcome"... just like the ankle.. tomorrow is Tuesday, I'm up at 5am, 30 minutes of cardio.... yep, I'll be on the stationary bike...if my ankle feels good, I'll switch over to the elliptical on Thursday. Hell... since Wednesday is leg day, I'm in there as well.... I guess I'm so used to resting my lower body... it's now a role reversal... just until I'm better, but you can bet I'm going to be watching my form, no more injuries... especially not preventable ones.

A little bit more about me, my starting weight on June 1, 2005 was 222lbs, BF unknown, I would estimate around 30%. Currently, I'm 205, BF unknown.. I bought a caliper (digital) and its proven to be junk.. but I realize knowing my body fat is very important. All in all, I feel well... I'm on track to win the bet with my co-workers, even after being injured... the whole time I was on crutches, I hobbled in with a back-pack full of clean food while they ate McDonalds and Taco Bell 4 days a week... I guess they had their chance... now they're going to have front-row seats to the "gun-show" (ok, they're not that big but still... ) on Sept 1st.

Oh yeah, no worries... while this started as a bet, I've surely made a lifestyle change. I had every reason to stop when I injured myself, I was depressed.. my gym time vanished... I found myself sleeping in.... etc... but I pulled it together (without much thought) and made it through.. and I'll do the same w/ this shoulder... I look forward to working with you guys...

[nithos]

Good job, keep it up.

Slight muscle tears usually take about 2-3 weeks to heal up for me. But that's with active rest and appropriate PT. If I say, screw it, and play through the pain, the limited range of motion usually sticks around a bit longer.

[lifequest]

Ha nice, great job man!!

A interesting way of looking at it is 6 lbs of fat =1 gallon of volume

You are now 3 gallons less of a man then when you started…think about it…yeah…

Sounds like your co-works will be just as they were when you started (McDonalds and taco bell…not exactly the best for a cut) whereas you will be a new man, congratulations--LQ

[b25]

Thanks for the feedback guys..

nithos - I'm hoping by 3 weeks I'm 100%...when you say PT, are we talking physical therapy? If so, any thoughts on what I should be doing for this type of injury?


Thanks!

[Cybercyde]

B.. I recover pretty quickly (Though I'm usually pretty good about my form, and anything that get's hurt is usually just from being over-eager with the poundage. (IE - Pullups with ~110lbs on my waist - I weigh 185). Wound up sore for a day or two.

For a shoulder injury, after you've given it ample time off with no work (1-1.5 weeks), I'd ease into it very gradually with a 5-10lb weight for extensions/rotations (Something that's almost rediculously easy for you to lift, and just work on your form.) The worst shoulder related injury I've gone through was mildly pinching/pulling something under my left shoulder doing front extensions with 40's...

Best of luck, give the hot bath w/ epsom salt some chances, and give it a good warmup prior to lifting Anything.

~Nick

[b25]

Thanks bro.. I appreciate the feedback... I'm going to wait out this week which will be two weeks (friday) since i believe i injured it.. I'm definately going to start back w/ light weight.

B.. I recover pretty quickly (Though I'm usually pretty good about my form, and anything that get's hurt is usually just from being over-eager with the poundage. (IE - Pullups with ~110lbs on my waist - I weigh 185). Wound up sore for a day or two.

For a shoulder injury, after you've given it ample time off with no work (1-1.5 weeks), I'd ease into it very gradually with a 5-10lb weight for extensions/rotations (Something that's almost rediculously easy for you to lift, and just work on your form.) The worst shoulder related injury I've gone through was mildly pinching/pulling something under my left shoulder doing front extensions with 40's...

Best of luck, give the hot bath w/ epsom salt some chances, and give it a good warmup prior to lifting Anything.

~Nick

[b25]

Well... I started back at the gym this week...and checked off another 'adapt and overcome goal' from my goal sheet. I guess I should tell you that I tore the muscle in my front delt pretty bad... it took every bit of 6 weeks.

15lb DBs front/side extensions. 40lb DBs for Military Shoulder Press. Sure.. this is weenie-weight but I can't afford to reinjure my shoulder... I've felt a (very) slight pinch in the muscle I injured but only once in the past 3 workouts.. I'm definitely going to continue taking it slow...

Oh yes, I won my 3 month transformation bet which ended Sept 1. Out of 7 of us, 3 winners were declared... the 4 losers, didn't even try.......their loss. The other 2 guys who "won" made great progress... for bragging rights, I think it's safe to say I was #1........even after being injured for 8+ weeks of the bet!!! I'm starting a new 3 month cut (just me this time) utilizing the knowledge I've obtained....I'm banking on some great results! You'll definitely be seeing more of me around here in the following months!

Here's the pics:
http://www.bnutz.com/photos/b25_front.jpg
http://www.bnutz.com/photos/b25_left.jpg
http://www.bnutz.com/photos/b25_right.jpg

[b25]

Up at 5am this morning for Cardio on the eliptical... Just finished lifting a half-hour ago... this is the first time I've worked out in the late afternoon/early evening... the gym was definitely busier, but not as busy as I expected it to be... especially for a Monday...the rest of the week should be even lighter according to the guys I was working sets in with. I'm hoping this routine... (AM cardio 5 days/wk with a 3 day split) will work out well... I definately have more energy to lift in the afternoon.

Moving on... I'll admit, I am WEAK!!!! Not that I was ever strong or able to lift heavy anyway, but taking time off for the ankle/shoulder injuries really set me back..... oh well, gotta start somewhere (again) I guess.......although I'm kind of embarassed... in the morning, no one was around... now I've got a gym full of BB's and yoked high school kids .......who cares though... right!?

[b25]

First time doing squats tonight... yes, that's right.. I've never done squats in my life. I really enjoy working legs but until now have only used the leg press.
I've read tons of threads that squats are one of the best things you can do for legs....so..... I tried it. Definitely an interesting excercise... I felt a little discomfort in my shoulders... a wide grip was a must.. I'll definitely be doing more of these in the future..

As for my diet, I'm trying to get back in a routine... I missed my second meal this morning and had a meeting at lunch time which was catered with junk food. I'm trying though and I WILL perservere!!!!