A New Week a New Look

Last week sucked for just about everything.  This week is better already and I found a new way to look at food.  On The Survival Podcast Gary Collins of Primal Nutrition was a guest.  He had a great discussion about nutrition and just life.  The one pearl of wisdom, that might change my life, is to look at food like an addictive drug.  So for the last two days I've been doing that.  I'm working on the Slow Carb Diet and it seems to be the one that I can actually stick to.  When I want to eat something I shouldn't I just think back to Gary talking about the sugar being a drug that we are all addicted to in todays world.  Somehow it made it easy for me to eat something healthy, like chicken at the store instead of a piece of cake.

For the last two days this has been working and I haven't cheated from the diet.  Tonight is a BBQ but there will be plenty of things to eat that fit into the diet.  I just need to stay away from the other stuff.

I've also starting going to the gym first thing to make sure it happens.  That way I don't get busy and cut it from my schedule.  It's working so far and I think I'll start seeing normal people again and that will help.

Work Outs!

I love working out.  I enjoyed it more when I was in shape and could do some amazing things, but I'm starting to enjoy the processes again.  Yesterday I took a hike at a park with a 40 pound pack.  It was amazing! Just being out and about.  Right after I finish this I'm going to the gym for leg day.  I have to go easy on legs or I won't be able to walk.

My secret right now is not to follow a plan but do a workout 4 or 5 times a week that I enjoy.  Just to get back into the workout routine.  Since I haven't been working out, it will get me back in the game!

New Life

Well I've started getting to a new life.  This morning I weighed 316.0.  I lost 4 pounds in a couple days.  For some reason I wanted more.  I hate it when that happens.  But four pounds in a couple days isn't bad.

I had a couple good workouts.  Maybe too good.  I'm trying Engineering the Alpha workouts.  I'm in Phase I week I.  It's a hard workout.  Today went better then yesterday, but it's still hard.  Tomorrow is suppose to be my day off, but I'm thinking of doing a hike around the neighborhood.  I kind of enjoy that and I need something that will get me use to the weather again.  Too many hours on a computer in the AC.

My diet isn't going bad, it just didn't go good today.  I cheated and had a candy bar and 2 mini cupcakes.  The candy bad was really hard not to.  I was craving that crap.  The cupcakes where at a meeting/training class I went to and they where just sitting there and everyone was eating them.  So I had to try them.  I think I'm going to need to stay away from some of those things until I can get myself more in control.

On the plus side, I did notice that when I ate crap (candy and cupcakes) I was hungry then before I ate them.  Crap food really doesn't satisfy your hunger.  I hope I can convince my soul of this.  But it was an observation so I think as I go I'll be able to convince myself of this and cut all cheating out completely (except on my cheat days... This week will be Saturday and I'm planning on eating an entire cake!).

Ben

Once Again

Once again I find myself starting at the bottom.  I'm currently 320 pounds and fat and out of shape.  I think I hit bottom last weekend when I was teaching a firearms class for Modern Self Protection and really couldn't keep up in the heat.  It was the first time I haven't been able to keep up with something physical in almost 20 years.  Boy I need work, so I'm starting once again.

The Diet
I'm using the slow carb diet right out of The 4-Hour Body by Tim Farris.  It worked in the beginning of this year to go from 328 to 318 in a little over a week.  It was the first diet that actually worked when I started it.  Even a starvation diet takes time for my body to react.  It sucks!  Normally a diet takes two weeks for me to see any progress, now I'm hoping this one worked once and will work once again.

The Fitness
I'm going to use the workouts right out of Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha because it sounds challenging.  I missed my workout today because the gym was closed for the holiday and I had to work extra.  But that extra work got me tomorrow off, so I'll hit the gym tomorrow and do some gardening to burn some extra calories.  It should be fun.  Tomorrows Workout:

• Circuit 1
• Goblet Squats
• Incline Dumbbell press
• Single Arm Dumbbell row
• Kettle Bell Romanian Dead Lift
• Planks
• Circuit 2
• Chin Ups
• Glute Bridge
• Reverse Lunge
• Dumbbell Lateral Raises.

Only a little bit of work there.  I'll try it and see how it goes.  The Alpha book has a 16 week program and I'm going to try and keep with it.  Should be challenging and then by the time I'm done, hopefully I'll start running again and looking at some long distance and adventure races to run.

Yesterday is Gone

Yesterday I ate badly but had a great workout, so that helps some. I think it's every time I'm on the road that gives me difficulties. I need to figure that out because I'll be driving a lot more soon.

Here again!

Here I go again with the blog. The idea is to put my days down in a journal to be accountable for my bad eating and physical habits.

I just got out of the gym where I hit 66% of my goals. Someone was on the bench press so I use that as my excuse not to do it.

I'm doing a strong-lifts 5x5 program. Today was;

Squats 175 5x5, got it!
Bent-over Rows 145 5x5 got it!
Bench 210 5x5, didn't even try.

Every time I just want to get better and better.

My goals for this program;
Squats 225 5x5
Bench 225 5x5
Dead lift 325 1x5

I'm getting closer!

Get Strong,

Ben

Quote of the Day

"Why in the name of John Moses Browning would you do that with a gun?" - Tom Gresham