Weight Update

I lost an inch and a half off my waist, and around 5lbs since I started my new program. That was two weeks ago, more or less.

In that span of time, I've had two buffet dinners, and around 8 workouts. Gotta love it.

Haven't even touched the whey protein yet. Will start with that maybe June, same with fish oil capsules. I think I'm really going to get a huge boost when that happens.

Right now though, all whole foods are doing great for me. I've cut down on the carbs, bolstered up the chicken breast intake. Been using this fantastic marinade that makes eating chicken so damn ENJOYABLE. Like I can honestly binge on chicken breasts.

Buffeted by Buffets

Days 2, 3, 4, 5 were all pretty good, despite having sat through two buffet meals. Sure, I overate, but nothing like how I used to before. My pants actually still fit after the 2nd buffet!

The best part is that I've been working out really consistently. I don't have the figures for you right now but I'm writing down everything in a small notebook, and apparently, I haven't missed a lifting day.

I'm actually in this to transform my body more than anything else. I'm working with pretty light weights (relatively speaking) and all at home. Nothing kills motivation faster than having to slog through traffic just to get to the gym.

I haven't checked for weight loss and I haven't lost enough fat to see any difference in the mirror, but I feel pretty good. I figure I'll start seeing results in three more weeks. The first week is officially considered a success.

Day 1

Finally started eating right today! I'm telling you, the best way to transforming the body is to just eat well and lift weights. So today, I had:

- pork chop soup
- a little pasta, a little steamed pork
- half an avocado
- a chicken breast (fried)
- a square of chocolate

There! Falls well within reasonable, but still delicious! Of course, it also helped that I lifted weights. Tonight was chest day and I'm taking it easy, easing myself back into lifting. Been trying to hammer out a workout program that'll be sport specific, but sustainable in terms of time, weight, and equipment constraints.

Will post it one of these days. Awesome.

Don't Count Calories - Count Happiness

Had dinner at the Stone Grill. They grill Wagyu beef on (you guessed it) stones in front of you. The stones aren't your everyday, garden variety rocks, either. We're talking volcanic rocks! Needless to say, the food was DELICIOUS.

It was a pretty heavy meal, but not because of the steak. It was all the other carbs I took with it. I had rice because I am a rice-fiend, and potato wedges and some buttered veggies. But at the end of the day, it was all worth it. I'm feeling pretty bloated, but I'm happy. It's not like I eat like that everyday.

I'm sure I had a ton of calories last night. But here's my breakdown of the meal:

• I had protein
• it was SO delicious
• I don't usually eat that much regularly

I hate counting calories. I used to, and it just made me miserable. The way I figure things, all that's really important is some logical thinking:

• I need protein to build muscle, and help lose fat
• Overeating once in a while isn't so bad

Granted, the carbs were a terrible idea, nutrition-wise. I probably could've trimmed the fat off the steak, too. But hey. Once in a while isn't so bad.

The Plan

Been trying to figure out how to approach this whole healthy-fitness lifestyle change thing, and I figured I need a plan, so here it is:

What Do I Want?

My goal is actually pretty simple. Eat well, eat healthy, be healthy, look good. If it sounds too general, that's because it is. I'm going to try to NOT compartmentalize my life into specific goals, because I want to enjoy life as a whole.

How Do I Make This Happen?

There are three main things to consider in my quest for health and fitness. Mainly these are:

1. Nutrition
2. Weight Training
3. Cardiovascular Activity

When people hear nutrition, they usually think "diet." Well, I refuse to diet, since I always fall off the bandwagon sooner or later. I'm going to implement an anti-diet experiment with my nutrition. It's not going to be an exact science because I'm not a bodybuilder. It WILL taste good because I love to eat.

Weight training is actually something I have had a lot of experience with. I've trained for sport-specific activities, and I've gotten to be very comfortable with weights. Thinking about it though, my workouts leave a lot lacking in terms of sustainability and brevity. I don't want my life to be all about lifting weights, but I want to be lifting weights well into my golden years. I need to find a program that lets me do all that.

Cardiovascular activity will be all that stuff I love doing. Basketball. Olympic lifts. Anything that lets me work up a sweat!

I'll talk about all of this in detail next time. I'll be taking this week to prepare, and by Monday next week I should be on my way to a healthier, fitter me.

Not A Bodybuilder!

I'm really not. I'm just your average guy who occasionally enjoys lifting weights for all the health and aesthetic benefits (girls dig it). My personal bests are embarrassingly low, my conditioning is a joke, and I'm more concerned with how my jeans fit than my body fat percentage.

Let me start by telling you right off the bat that I am not in terrible shape. I'm not morbidly obese and I haven't had any health scares to motivate me. I've got tons of friends, a great GF, and lead a fairly active lifestyle. I just want more. I don't want to just look healthy, I want to BE healthy, while enjoying all the good stuff life has to offer.

Basically, I want a lifestyle change, but I still want to have a life.

That's what this blog is going to be about. No calorie counting, no metabolism manipulation, no ball-busting, gut wrenching workouts. Like I said, not a bodybuilder.