Week 7 Progress Report - A Tad Late

Hello all! (basically just me, haha)

Anyways, so I'm a little late getting the weekly progress report up, but I'm glad to say that I made it to the gym 4 times last week. I still missed the elliptical, but I hit the weights M-Th. On Thursday night I left for Atlantic City. I came home Friday night $200 lighter, but I had fun and I got carded 3 times, so that's good!

In other news, when I walking Maya up the road here on Thursday, it was hot and I had my shirt off. I turned my head to see what Maya was sniffing and some girl drove by and went "Daaamn". I suppose that's a good thing. I hope she didn't mean to say, "Damn, put a shirt on". I don't think she did, and at any rate it felt good. I know women supposedly don't like it when men do that to them, but who are they kidding it's an ego boost. I felt like a piece of meat and I loved it! Just wait 'till those ladies see me next summer.

Catch 'ya later!

On Liking Foods I Previously Hated

So part of my trying to buff up has also been a larger commitment to lead a healthier lifestyle. Both physically and mentally. Obviously I can't go to the gym 4x a week if I'm eating like crap and sulking. The positive will cancel out the negatives. Therefore, I've been trying to eat a lot healthier. Using the LoseIt! iPhone application has certainly helped in this area. I can't believe how many calories are in some foods. I used to go to McDonalds for lunch a couple of times a week and have an Angus bacon and cheese burger along with large fries. When I saw how many calories were in this "lunch" I knew I had to change that habit. Not only was my "lunch" consuming almost 2/3 of my calorie requirements for the day, but this was just not healthy. So while I still go to McDonalds I now have two 4-piece nuggets and small fries. (By the way, it costs less at my McDonalds to get two 4-piece nuggets than one 6-piece. I'm not the best at math, but even I know which is the better deal). I'm still not eating tofu and bean sprouts, but I'm doing much better.

Another thing I've been surprised by is how much I crave my daily salads now. When I was growing up I hated salad. My parents only ate romaine lettuce and I only ate the "crunchy" leaves. Essentially I avoided the leafy green leaves. My father used to tell me this is where all the nutrients were, and the "crunchy" leaves were like eating water. Whatever, I ate my salad... shut-up! As I got older I ate less and less salad, and when I did have salads I wanted iceberg, which was just water in leaf form too. Anyways, one day I picked up some romaine hearts from the store and told myself that I had to eat healthier and this would be a good start. Flash forward a few months later and I've been having a nice big salad every night and I love them! They are so crunchy and refreshing, even the green leaves! Of course, I don't just have the leaves my salad consists of romaine lettuce, olives, cucumber, croutons, bacon bits, and a hard boiled egg, with a drizzle of italian dressing... tasty! Another side bonus is that my main course is much smaller since the salad fills me up quite a bit.

I'm hoping that like I now enjoy my salad I can eventually add a bunch more fruits and vegetable to the mix!

Catch 'ya later!

Week 6 Progress Report

Another week at the gym done. This time I went 5 days. Also, I walked my dog, Maya, 4 days this week on my 2.5 mile loop. That means I walked 10 miles this week. That's pretty intense. I could definitely feel the burn in my thighs after those walks.

Today at the gym was biceps and triceps. I did a new routine called Biceps21. Basically you take half of what you normally curl and do 7 reps going halfway up, then you do 7 reps going from the top of the motion halfway down, then you do 7 complete reps. It was pretty intense, and I was told by others that it will really help me gain size in my biceps. I hope they are right! My biceps could use it.

On another note, it's kind of sad that it's getting darker out earlier. I'm missing the long summer days. I need to move closer to the equator.

Catch 'ya later.

Week 5 Progress Report - A Bit Late!

So it's a new month, and as such, it is time for new photos. Nothing special here as far as I can see. One day at a time, one weight at a time, eventually I'll get to the point where I'm as big as I want to be. Funny thing is whenever I look at myself in the mirror I look much more defined, but these pictures still make me look like stick man. Aargh!

This morning I was put-zing around with LoseIt on my iPhone and realized I had royally screwed up somehow when I put in the nutritional information for the Muscle Milk protein powder. I had it down for way too many calories. Thus I was always struggling to stay under my daily calorie budget. Now it's not so hard. The negative here is that I was also not getting as much protein as I originally thought. Oh well.

Tomorrow I think I will try the circuit training at the gym. I've never done that before. It should be good to mix it up a bit. I have set a new record though. I did 40 legs lifts on the roman chair! Next goal is 50.

Also, I'd like to report that I got my check from Oxford for $200! You can apply for gym reimbursement and get a $200 check every six months as long as you go 50 times in the 6 months. My gym only costs $60 for 6 months so essentially I am making $140 and getting healthier and looking better. Wins all around.

Catch 'ya later!

Back From Vacation!

I've been absent for a week and didn't do my end of the month photos progress report... well that's because I was in Massachusetts for the week. I went to Boston, Cape Cod, Plymouth, and Martha's Vineyard. I also took a detour to Mohegan Sun. I won $45. Of course that's not great, but I also won it while playing blackjack for 3 hours, so I consider that a win-win. Got some money, and played some blackjack!

At any rate, while on vacation I didn't work out. I went to the gym on Monday before I left, and considered using the hotel gym, but just never got up early enough. I did get a lot of exercise from all the walking that I did!

I'm not going to do my monthly progress until the end of this week since I didn't go to the gym much last week. I know it sounds petty, but I want a decent result! On the plus side, I weighed myself at work on Saturday and am now up to 140! Only 10 more pounds to go to my next goal of 150. I know it's going to be a slow journey, but I'll get there!

Catch ya' later!

Week 4 Progress Report - Staying Above The Crowd

So ends another week at the gym lifting heavy iron things and paying money to do so. It was a good week though and I'm actually not minding going to the gym much anymore. The more I go, the more results I see, the more results I see, the more I want to go. It's a very nice little cycle, that unfortunately works in the opposite direction as well. The less I go, the more mad at myself I get, the less I want to go.

At any rate, it was a good week. I went to a science museum on Sunday and was goofing around with a friend taking photos in gansta' poses and I really like the way my arm looked in the shot. It actually looks big-ish and defined! I've been looking at that photo too much since then. Of course other photos of me from the same trip show the skinnier truer self, but that one shot made my week. With my new found positive outlook I've been making an concerted effort to stay happy no matter how those around me are behaving. One snippy co-woerker's comment can ruin a day, but now I just concentrate on not caring so much about what other people act like. Only I can make myself happy, and relying on others to cheer me up never works long term. When I work out, eat well, and don't procrastinate and get stuff done, I'm above the crowd. Nothing anyone says bothers me much. So I've just got to keep up keeping it up.

Catch ya' later.

Lose It

So, I've been using the Lose It app for the iPhone. It's free and it's a great way to keep track of your calories and exercise. Even though I don't need to lose weight, which is what the app is designed primarily for, I find it helps me keep track of my protein and make better food choices. I can't believe how many calories are in certain foods! It makes me think twice before getting that Molten Lava desert from Chili's. Oh, who am I kidding I always get it! The app also keeps track of your exercise and has lots of them built in with predetermined calorie burning levels. It's surprising accurate compared to what the elliptical tells me I have burned.

The only thing I wish it allowed for was a way to keep track of weight gain, but I guess they'd have to rename it from Lose It to Track It or something like that. Doesn't really have the same ring to it.

Catch ya' later.

Week 3 Progress Report - 50 Visits to the Gym Since May

Today marked my 50th visit to the gym since May. I had gone a handful of times in March and April, but never really commited. May, June, and July though I have been 4x a week! It's not fun, and I've been skipping the elliptical a lot since I've been waking up late (been going to bed too late).

I submitted my forms to Oxford for my $200 gym reimbursement (thank you Oxford) but I pretty much had to do everything myself. I keep track of the days I go to the gym on Twitter. It's pretty much the only thing I use Twitter for, and the gym was missing almost 20 days on their "report" so I'm glad I've been keeping track myself.

This week was good at the gym. Did shoulders Monday, chest Tuesday, back Wednesday, and triceps and biceps today. Good stuff, but I missed the elliptical all week...

I have a really annoying headache behind my eye right now and I'm hoping it's only because I didn't eat much today, but I think it's stress related. I hope it's not something more serious, since I've been getting headaches a little more frequently than I'd like recently.

Catch ya' later.

...one of those mornings.

So this morning was just... one of those mornings. I'm sure you know the feeling. The alarm is going off, you keep snoozing it for a couple of more minutes, and somewhere in the back of your mind you decide "nah, I'll skip the gym today". Well that was me this morning, and normally I would have listened to that stupid lazy voice, but I did not. I prevailed. I went to the gym.

Victory in our time!

Don't listen to that voice! When you hear it, consider it, and then tell it to SHUT UP! You can do this, just turn on the light, get out of the bed, and you'll forget all about that voice I guarantee it. What you'll hear instead is the other voice saying, "good show".

Catch ya later.

Week 2 Progress Report

So I'm a little late on this progress report, but I had a busy weekend! I went to the beach on Sunday and worked on Saturday. Anyways, my weight is up to 139 and change, I can't remember the change right now. I'm up, though, so that's good.

Sunday was nice at the beach, and I've never really been to the beach before. Strange, I know, but my family isn't really a beach family so I never went as a child. It was fun and the surf was good, lots of waves, which I enjoy. It's a workout too, which was good. A little red, but nothing serious. I enjoyed being pretty in shape on the beach... ;)

Went to the gym 4 days this past week, but I did not go this Monday, which means I'll only be able to get 4 visits in this week.

Catch ya later.

Hot!

It's hot out, too hot. I haven't been able to take my dog for her usual mile walk after work. It's discouraging, but it's also sane. There is no way I could deal with that heat walking her. If there is one thing I hate it's sweating. I hate it at the gym, I hate it when outside, and I hate it on first dates. Surprisingly I don't usually sweat much even when I get a lot of activity outdoors, but when it's 100º, I don't think I have a choice.

The gym went well today, did the elliptical on level 9, when up a level from my previous. It was quite a workout. I can't imagine using that thing on level 20, I think my legs would snap off. Who knows, though, maybe I will get there someday?

Outside of that nothing much to report. Went to McDonalds for lunch but skipped the Angus bacon and cheese burger (it's so good though, like a real burger) and got 8 chicken nuggets instead and small fries. I managed to drop two of nuggets on the seat so I couldn't eat them and ended up with 6. Also, what genius at McDonalds decided that it would be smart to make it cheaper if you buy three 4-piece nuggets as opposed to one 10-piece? I know I'm not a match wiz, but even I could figure that one out.

Catch ya later!

4th of July Weekend

Haven't been to the gym since the Friday before the 4th of July weekend, which is fine really, that was sort of my game plan going in. I wasn't sure what the gym's hours on the Monday after were going to be, and I knew I'd be exhausted anyway. I went this morning, though. I woke up at 7 AM, even though my alarm was set for 6. I hate when I do that, I'm already behind by an hour, and I have no idea how I manage it, but I either sleep straight through my alarm or turn it off subconsciously.

It was a good ab workout day at the gym though, and I had lots of protein today, especially after that nice T-Bone steak for dinner. Went over my calories, but no dig deal.

I had wanted to get more exercise outside this weekend, but it was just too damn hot. Even standing out there for 5 minutes and I was sweating, not fun. I did, however, spend about 2 hours in my cousin's pool so that was pretty good exercise there.

Catch ya later!

Week 1 Progress Report

So I'm thinking I'll do weekly progress reports from here on in. I feel like I'm back in Middle School. I wonder if I need to get my Mom to initial these. I'll be doing other posts along the way (hopefully) but the weekly report is a given.

Anyways, so I took some additional photos of myself with my point and shoot camera instead of the iPhone, and used the self timer so I'm not one of those people who takes pictures of themselves in the mirror. I didn't realize that the iPhone had such a wide angle lens I really needed to stand back a lot farther to get everything in the picture with the Canon. Anyways...

The first picture is not bad, nothing special, I still look like I have twigs for arms, and what is up with my lopsided pecs? I never noticed that before, I wonder if I just stand funny. The second picture is not bad, but who doesn't look good flexing? I used to take progress pictures years ago when I had the Total Gym. I would do it monthly, but month after month I didn't really notice much difference. There's only so much you can do with a total gym and the thing was a pain to set-up and put away (sorry Chuck Norris).

I've been amping it up at the gym lately since I haven't been feeling sore after my workouts, and now I'm feeling sore again which is good. In the past I never really pushed myself, I just went to the gym and went through the motions. I didn't like to work very hard at it, and while it was better than nothing, what was the point? So I'm making a conscious decision to push harder.

In the meantime, even though my weight has gone up my pants are getting looser. Not sure how I feel about that really. I already wear a 28 waist, and I don't feel like shopping in the kids department again... although prices are cheaper there. I think that vanity sizing exists in men clothes too, because even when I weighed 126 pounds I wore a 30 waist at Old Navy (30 Long by the way, I don't know what I was thinking) now at 138 I wear a loose 28, hmm...

Catch you later!

What if...?

What is I continued to go to the gym 4x a week when I joined in 2006, instead of only going for six months and then dropping out?

What is I asked out Stephanie from my drawing class?

What if I asked that girl at Staples for her number?

What if I kept the paid-off Accord and didn't trade it in?

I am the king of What if? statements and I used to spend too much time regretting the decisions I made and I actions I took (or didn't) in the past. Recently, however, I realized that you just need to start from where you are and look forward from there. No point in sitting around and imaging how great my life could be, why not sit around and think of how great my life is, and will be.

So that's what I'm doing. That's why I've started going to the gym 4x a week again and why this time I will not stop. This way I won't be 35 and say what if I had kept going to the gym when I was 28.

I can't wait to be 35 now, imagine how great I'll look. ;)

The Gym Routine

So it's been a pretty decent run for me at the gym recently. I've belonged to Planet Fitness for about 4 years at this point, and used it consistently for maybe 6 months when I started, and then I was not so consistent, as in once every 6 months. However, Planet Fitness is only $10 a month, so there was that. Even when I had no money and was canceling cable I kept the gym. I guess canceling the gym felt too much like I would never go again. Like I was giving up.

This March, however, I decided that I needed to start with the gym again and since the tail end of March I've been good. My current routine is 4x a week and I like to go at around 6:30 in the morning and do 15 minutes of the elliptical and 25 minutes of weight training, which works out to be 5 exercises with 3 sets each.

What's your routine?

Starting Pic.

I like to take pictures of my progress, this way when I get approached about writing an awesome book about my inspiring journey I will have documentation. Wild hair and all!

Here's a pic of my starting weight 138ish.

Jeez the iPhone 3Gs doesn't take such hot photos. I think I'll have to use my point and shoot from here on in.

So it begins... again.

This is not my first adventure in blogging. I had created a blog last year about a vastly different subject (cars and photography), and I didn't keep up with it at all. I found I didn't have the time to post thoughtful entries. This time I'm going for something different, and my posts are going to be simpler. No aspirations for grandeur this time, haha.

My new blog is going to follow my progress as I work to build muscle and become bigger. I'm not looking to lose any weight, I'm actually looking to increase my weight with more muscle. Fact of the matter is, I'm a 5'7" guy who currently weighs 138 pounds. That's pretty sad, there are large dogs that weigh more than me. I know, I've met 'em.

So far, I'm 38 days at the gym since the end of March 2010 (I have to put the year there, because some years I probably went 38 times in a whole year). I'm trying to go 4 days a week at least and have been successful as of late. My starting weight was 134. Woohoo, I've gained 4 pounds. I'm probably one of the few people happy to gain weight.