6 Months In

You still there?  Have you been waiting on pins and needles for my next update?  Sorry for the delay, I kinda forgot all about this blog.

Well... I am half way through the bone density study and it has been really helpful as far as my strength goes.  I can actually squat 300 lbs now.  On the other hand, strength training for some reason makes me hungry so I am eating more, which was causing weight gain.  So I had to be more aware of my fat intake... and that helped.  I believe when I started this blog I weighed 207 and now I am 196.  I know that doesn't seem like a lot in 10 months, but I am putting on muscle which weighs more than fat.  So to lose any weight, in my opinion, is good.

I should be getting another DXA scan soon... so hopefully I am closer to the goal of 10% body fat.  I know it's not 10%... but I hope it's better than the 23% I started with.

Thanks for reading and I'll try to post more often.

Bone Density Study: *** Accepted ***

I got good news and bad news! 

Good news:  I have been accepted to take part in a bone density study at the University of MO and I am in the weight resistance group (which is the group I was hoping to get).  The study is for a year and as I mentioned in my previous post, they will provide a trainer, vitamins, calcium supplements and I'll get paid to participate.  The resistance training consists of squats, military presses, lunges, calf raises, leg lifts, back raises, and a couple of others I can't remember at this time.  I am looking forward to it.

Bad news:  I have low bone density.  :(

They provided me with a DXA scan to find my bone density level.  Which also had my body fat percentage of 23.3%.  I believe in three months, they will scan me again.  My goal now is to reduce this percentage.  According to the paperwork they sent me, a highly trained male endurance athlete is typically 5 to 15%.  So my goal is 10%.  Wish me luck!

Update - 4/10

I started this blog with good intentions to update it every day. Reality finally struck and Spring arrived. Updating it every day is a bit too difficult. So I am going to take a cue from Nancy over at 20lbs to Go and only update once a week. I will document how my diet was and not every little thing I ate and talk briefly of what exercise I have done for the week.

Since my last update, I have been doing pretty good on the diet front. Luckily my wife has joined weight watchers and now I don’t have the tempting food in the house. Since both of us are watching what we eat, it has really helped. When I started the blog I weighed 207. I went up and down some but I am now at 196. So eleven lbs. isn’t too bad for just eating right.

On the muscle front, it is a bit different. I have only worked out once since my last update… and that was just my ab routine. So I am not putting on any muscle mass like I wanted. I do however have the possibility of some good news. The Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the University of Missouri, Columbia is undergoing a Male Bone Density Study. I have applied and if my bone density is low, I have a chance to participate. If I am chosen, I will be provided with a trainer for workouts in either plyometrics or resistance training for a year. This will also include vitamin and calcium supplements and monetary compensation. So I’ll get paid to work out with a trainer… I’d been stupid not to apply.

Update done… time to get the boat out for some fishin’ tomorrow. :)

Exercise and Diet Log - 3/22 thru 3/29/2010

Tuesday I was going to hit it hard... but the flu hit me instead.  As I write this, it is Thursday and I am feeling maybe just a little better... but not great.  Tonight Julie and I are heading to Chicago to spend some time with the Davis family.  We will return on Sunday.  Then bowling on Monday.  So it looks like on Tuesday I'll be able to hit the P90X.  Let's hope nothing messes up the plan.

Exercise and Diet Log - 3/14 thru 3/21/2010

Oh boy... I am a slacker!  I have absolutely ate too much and worked out zilch.  Not to make excuses but I had a conference at Tan-Tara last week and was in a bowling tournament on Sat.  Then there was the lazy Sunday.  Monday I have bowling so I won't get any exercise in then either.  So Tuesday I am going to have to hit it hard.

Plans for Tuesday: 
   I am going to start the P90X plan.  I wasn't going to... but it looks like I am going to have to.  I think I am ready for the pain.

Also... I want to thank Nancy over at "20lbs to Go" for turning me on to my now favorite snack, right next to the Sunsweet Dried Mango...  Sunsweet Plum Sweets.  They have like a gazillion anti-oxidants in them and they taste awesome.  I hope you can't overdose on anti-oxidants.

Exercise and Diet Log - 3/13/2010

No exercise today.  Ate at Culvers for the first time.  They currently have the best burgers in Jeff City right now.  Used to be Backyard Burger, but they closed down.  I haven't eaten at every place in JC yet... but on top of the list is Culvers.

Breakfast:
  Nothing

Lunch:
  1 - Double Bacon Cheeseburger
  1 - Order of Fries

Dinner
  1 - Rootbeer Float

Exercise and Diet Log - 3/12/2010

I was on a triva team who tied for first tonight.  The evening of trivia was hosted by the School of Natural Resources to raise money for scholarships.  They raised a total of $1500, so it was a success.
No exercise today. 

Breakfast:
  1 - Breakfast Sandwich

Lunch:
  1 - General Chicken on Fried Rice

Dinner:
  3 - Slices of Pizza

Exercise and Diet Log - 3/11/2010

Breakfast:
  1 - Breakfast Burrito

Lunch:
  2 - Slices of Pizza

Dinner
  1 - Pasta Side (Butter Noodles)

Morning workout:
  25 – In & Outs
  25 – Forward Bicycles
  25 – Reverse Bicycles
  25 – Crunchy Frogs
  25 – Wide Leg Sit-ups
  25 – Fifer Scissors
  25 – Hip Rock and Raises
  25 – Pulse Ups

Exercise and Diet Log - 3/10/2010

If you ever go out to eat at South Side Pizza & Pub and you don't want to eat too much.  Do not order the Calzone.  Basically, they make an 18" pizza without the marinara, fold it in half and and crimp the edges.  When it is served it takes up half the table and is accompanied with a dipping cup of delicious garlic butter.  Don't get me wrong, it was so yummy.  It was just more than one person should eat in one sitting.  Unless you have no self-control like me.  I actually might have put the 7 lbs, that I lost, back on.

Breakfast:
  1 - Breakfast sandwich

Lunch:
  Nothing

Dinner:
  1 - Meatlovers Calzone

Morning workout:
  25 – In & Outs
  25 – Forward Bicycles
  25 – Reverse Bicycles
  25 – Crunchy Frogs
  25 – Wide Leg Sit-ups
  25 – Fifer Scissors
  25 – Hip Rock and Raises
  25 – Pulse Ups

Exercise and Diet Log - 3/9/2010

Well I got good news... sorta.   I lost 7 lbs and I now officially weigh 200 lbs.  I say sorta, because I was wanting to put on some muscle weight... but it is good I am losing some fat.

I didn't get in a workout on this day but the diet wasn't too bad.

Breakfast:
  1 - Breakfast Burrito

Lunch:
  Nothing

Dinner:
  2 - sections of baked salmon
  1 - helping of steamed brocolli
  1 - slice of American cheese

Exercise and Diet Log - 3/8/2010

This was my bowling night, so no exercise except for the bowling itself.

Breakfast:
  1 - Breakfast Sandwich

Lunch
  2 - Slices of Shakespeare's Pizza

Dinner
  Nothing

Exercise and Diet Log - 3/7/2010

I may have made up for yesterday's food binge.  I hardly ate anything.  I went fishing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. yesterday at Binder Lake without the boat.  I walked enough to make my legs sore but still had fun doing it (even if I didn't catch anything).

Breakfast:
  Nothing

Lunch:
  Nothing

Dinner:
  1 - Large Salad

Exercise:
  Walked approximately 6 miles (maybe more)

Exercise and Diet Log - 3/6/2010

I went to the Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Tournament today... which means I had to stop by White Castle... which also means I blew my diet all to, as my mom would say, H E double cue sticks.  To top that off I didn't work out at all either.  Not a good day.

Breakfast:
1 - Bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios

Lunch:
10 -  White Castle Burgers

Dinner
8 - Chicken wings from Buffalo Wild Wings

Exercise and Diet Log - 3/5/2010

Okay... I found my favorite snack.  Julie and I were grocery shopping the other day and I decided to find myself a healthy snack.  It was alot harder than I thought.  Out of the blue, "Raisins" popped in my head.  I do like raisins, but I get sick of them real fast.  So I end up eating something unhealthy.  Well... on the raisin rack were other dried fruits so I thought I would browse through them.  As my eyes went down the length of the shelf, one package had a bright aura and angelic voices sang "Aaaawwwww" in this beautiful tone as my eyes hit the package.  Sunsweet Dried Mangos!!!  They are delectable!  Not only does it taste oh so good... it is high in anti-oxidants and is good for ya.  If you have never tried them, I highly recommend you do.

Breakfast:
1 - Handful of dried mango

Lunch:
2 – Meatball and Mozzerella Lean Pockets

Dinner:
2 - Baked chicken legs
1 - Baked potato

Evening Workout:
  25 – In & Outs
  25 – Forward Bicycles
  25 – Reverse Bicycles
  25 – Crunchy Frogs
  25 – Wide Leg Sit-ups
  20 – Fifer Scissors
  20 – Hip Rock and Raises
  20 – Pulse Ups

Exercise and Diet Log - 3/4/2010

Upper body is very sore, I might have pushed too hard yesterday.  Due to soreness, I only did ab exercises today.
Diet:

Breakfast:
1 - Individual pack of trail mix

Lunch:
2 – Philly Cheese Steak Lean Pockets

Dinner:
1 - Small salad
1 - Serving of Creamy Cheese Tuna Helper

Morning Workout:

25 – In & Outs
25 – Forward Bicycles
25 – Reverse Bicycles
25 – Crunchy Frogs
25 – Wide Leg Sit-ups
20 – Fifer Scissors
20 – Hip Rock and Raises
20 – Pulse Ups

Exercise and Diet Log - 3/3/2010

Finally a day I felt like I actually did okay.  I may have ate a little much at HuHot... but it was oh so good.

Diet:

Breakfast:
  1 - Breakfast Burrito

Lunch:
  2 – Trips through the HuHot grill

Dinner:
  2 - Mozzarella sticks

Morning Workout:

  25 – In & Outs
  25 – Forward Bicycles
  25 – Reverse Bicycles
  25 – Crunchy Frogs
  25 – Wide Leg Sit-ups
  15 – Fifer Scissors
  20 – Hip Rock and Raises
  18 – Pulse Ups

Evening Workout - Upper Body

  10 - Standard Pushups
  4 - Wide Front Pullups
  10 - Military Pushups
  4 - Reverse Grip Chinups
  8 - Wide Fly Pushups
  2 - Close Grip Overhand Pullups

Exercise and Diet Log - 3/2/2010

Bad Daremo!  The only workout I had today was a thumb exercise on the TV remote.  So much for getting this workout routine kickstarted. 

Breakfast:
   Nothing

Lunch
  2 - Slices of Daddy Green's Pizza (I directed my feetsa)

Dinner
  1- Large Turkey Salad

Exercise and Diet Log - 3/1/2010

On Mondays, I do not get home until late… which means I have no time for a workout. But I do bowl, usually bowling 10 games or so. So I at least I am a bit active and not veggin’ out on the couch. Speaking of bowling… I bowled my highest series ever in league play. I bowled a 632 series which is the total of three games (209, 189 and 234).


Ok… food intake…

Breakfast:

1 – Handful of pecans
1 – Breakfast sandwich (English muffin, egg, cheese, sausage, bacon and ham)

Lunch:

Nothing

Dinner:

3 – Chicken strips
1 – Order of fries

Hopefully tonight I’ll get a good workout in and get this thing kickstarted.

Exercise and Diet log - 2/28/2010

Allright! Today was much better than yesterday on the nutrition and calorie front.

Breakfast:
   1 – Mozzarella stick

Lunch:
   Nothing

Dinner:
   1 – Small salad
   1 – Helping of turkey
   2 – Pieces of cake

I know it wasn’t an ideal day of food intake… in fact it was just the opposite of yesterday. Not enough food. For muscle mass I am going to have to eat a lot more protein and to keep my metabolism higher, it would be better for me to eat small quantities of protien packed food more often throughout the day. On the other hand, as you’ll see below, I didn’t have much of a workout. So the whole protein intake is moot for today. I am still too sore to do too much.

Workout:

25 painful situps and 25 painful hip raises.

Starting weight

I just realized I never listed my current weight. It is 207 lbs. Don't get me wrong though, my goal isn't to lose weight, but to look and feel better about myself. Also, my goal is muscle mass as well as fat loss, so I am hoping to see little weight change due to the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. I just thought it would be good to document my current weight.

Today I will be out and about most of the day. I will be hitting a Home and Lifestyle show and then the Bassmaster University is a bit later at Bass Pro. Hopefully I can find a good place to get a healthy snack here or there and not be drawn in to the thought of a yummy greasy burger somewhere. Wish me luck.

Oh… that reminds me (not sure why… but it did). I used to drink 8-10 Mountain Dews a day and I was really addicted to the caffeine. About a year ago, or somewhere around there, I decided to give up soda altogether. I typically drink water and feel that it has been one of the best choices I have ever made. I feel so much better and have rarely gotten sick and I attribute that to my water intake. I feel like it flushes all the impurities from my body. I am getting off subject, so let me delve back in… every once in awhile, I treat myself to a soda. So the other day I was going to get me a Cherry Coke out of the vending machine. Well, what popped out was a Cherry Coke Zero. I thought, oh well, I’ll just drink it and go on. To me, it tasted better than the real thing. So I looked on the back and it said 0 calories and 0 caffeine. So now I have a drink I really like without the ugliness attached. I am inclined to drink more Cherry Coke Zero due to that fact, but that would also mean less water intake which (if I am correct about the water intake) might weaken my health level. What do I do? What do you think? Should I put the Cherry Coke Zero to the back of my mind and continue drinking just plain, old, bland tasting water?

Diet log - 2/27/2010

I started off good with two mozzerella cheese sticks in the a.m.  Went to a Camron Leivan's birthday party (who just turned eight) and it was all downhill from there.  Started the evening with 7 or 8 large strawberries dipped in a cream cheese sauce that was SO delicious.  Then the main course:

2 - pulled pork sandwiches (large ones)
1 - giant scoop of a broccoli, cheese and rice casserole
2 - Rotel cheese sauce with tortilla chips (enough of that to equal two medium size meals for a grown man)
1 - baked beans
1 - Cherry Coke
1 - Diet Mountain Dew

You might see that the last item was a diet Mountain Dew and you would think... 'at least that was a diet'.  The only reason that was a diet soda was because that was all that was left.  At least I skipped the birthday cake... but that was just because there was literally no more room beyond my uvula (that is the little dangly thing at the back of your throat).  I was so full, the food in my stomach was shoving on the back of my stomach muscles, doubling the pain I was already feeling in my abs. 

So... the diet for Saturday was pretty much blown... in fact it's Sunday morning and I'm still kinda full.  This might be good in the long run... maybe I can go without eating altogether today.  I'll let you know how that goes.

First Post

First post and first workout.  I didn't start with alot but at least it's a start.  Woke up around 8:00 and went straight to the living room for an AB workout.  I have the P90X DVDs but I am not actually following their workout routines.  I made it through maybe half of the AB RipperX section of the set.  My ABs are killin' me... wow I am out of shape.  I guess I should mention that I will be 41 in March... so I'm an old dude.

As a motivator and as record of where I started, here are a couple pics of my out of shape body.

Sorry you had to see that!

I also think it might be a good idea to post my daily intake of food.  So, and hold me to this if I don't do it, every evening (if I have internet access) I will post my workout log and diet for that day.