Daily News Archives
August 2003
08/31/2003 - Bulking phase start date announcement.
08/30/2003 - All weight is not created equal!
08/29/2003 - Cheat meal day; Old Dominion can't find Florida.
08/28/2003 - No new gym this week; Happy Birthday mom!
08/27/2003 - Hell week continues...
08/26/2003 - Hell week: day 2; Power rack and bench to arrive this week.
08/25/2003 - Hell week.
08/24/2003 - Mirrors installed!
08/23/2003 - New gym almost done, adding mirrors today.
08/22/2003 - Problems at work; Cheat meal day!
08/21/2003 - Another update on the new gym; Heavy squats.
08/20/2003 - Early workout today; Network outage.
08/19/2003 - Progress report on the new gym.
08/18/2003 - Importance of good planning.
08/17/2003 - Sunny Sunday!
08/16/2003 - Not much to say for a change.
08/15/2003 - Pizza night; Weight room transformation.
08/14/2003 - A busy week!
08/13/2003 - New feature coming: search engine!
08/12/2003 - Another busy day.
08/11/2003 - No time to write today!
08/10/2003 - Rainy morning; Goals for the fall.
08/09/2003 - How to deal with water weight; Projects completed, stress melts away.
08/08/2003 - Shrinking skin?; I love pizza.
08/07/2003 - Short update.
08/06/2003 - 7 months completed; Lean mass gains!
08/05/2003 - Bioplex revisited.
08/04/2003 - New bicep flex photo; No Chicken recipe today.
08/03/2003 - Sunday plans.
08/02/2003 - Protein powder taste-fest!
08/01/2003 - Pizza night; Another excellent leg workout; Email.
August 31, 2003
For the first time in a long time I really enjoyed my summer. After so many years of being fat, it
sure felt great to strip off my shirt, go outside and feel confidence rather than embarrassment.
I'm also very pleased that I've been able to gain some lean mass without adding any body fat
during my summer maintenance/bulking phase. I experimented with several different bulking ideas over
the past few months and now, with the last day of August upon us, it's almost time for me to drop the
"maintenance" part of my program and start a true bulking phase. With my new gym equipment--which is going
to allow me to go very heavy in complete safety--and the knowledge I've gained this past summer,
I should be able to really pack on a lot of sick muscle over the next few months. 
Psychologically speaking, one of the most difficult aspects of bulking is accepting the fact that I will gain some fat along with the muscle. After all my hard work over the past 8 months, that's not an easy thing to do! I plan to continue to eat clean, but also I understand that a certain amount of fat gain is inevitable when bulking. Even though I'll being looking a little "soft" in my pictures as I progress over the next few months, I do so with the knowledge that I when I start cutting again in January, I will have the best body of my life by late spring 2004.
So, the "official" start date of my bulking phase is September 6, 2003. I'll be changing my workouts, my food intake and my supplement intake on that date. I plan to bulk for four months, and will start cutting on January 6, 2004. Of course I'll update the relevant portions of my site to reflect these changes, and will keep you posted with daily updates. It's time to get big...
...and it's also time for my workout! Today I'm doing 200 crunches followed by 23 minutes of HIIT cardio on the stair climber. After that, I'll be doing a few hours of yard work and I might wash the car if the sun is still out after I finish my yard work. I also need to do some house cleaning and hopefully I'll have time for a DVD later tonight. Have a great day, see you tomorrow!
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August 30, 2003
I thought it would be interesting to compare how I look now at 166 pounds to how I looked at 166 pounds during the fat-loss phase of my program. These pictures really show the difference weight training makes. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking purely in terms of total weight lost, ignoring their body fat to lean mass ratio. As these pictures demonstrate, all weight is not created equal!
In the first picture (May 1, 2003) I weigh 166.2 pounds and have 12% body fat (about 20 pounds of fat). In the second picture (August 29, 2003) I weigh 165.8 pounds, but am at 8% body fat (about 13 pounds of fat). The fat has been replaced with muscle and, as you can see, it makes a big difference in my appearance. This is why I believe weight training is such an important part of any good fat-loss program.
It's time for me to work on building some more new muscle. Today I'm hitting my pecs, delts and triceps.
I'm bloated up with about 3 pounds of water after yesterday's cheat meal, so I'm looking forward to an intense, sweaty workout. 
Have a good day, cya tomorrow!
August 29, 2003
Friday at last. What a week it's been. Too bad its not really the end of the work week for me. I'm going to have to work tomorrow, too, and possibly part of Sunday. Oh well, at least I can look forward to my weekly cheat meal of pizza and wine tonight!
Old Dominion is the freight carrier that has been charged with the seemingly impossible task of
getting my gym equipment to me. Everything shipped over a week ago from California, and the shipment arrived in Georgia last Friday
where it sat on a loading dock for almost a week. When I called Old Dominion to find out why it was not getting past Georgia (I live in Florida),
I was told that the shipment was almost incorrectly sent back to California but was caught just in time! "Whew, aren't you lucky!", I was told.
Apparently no one at Old Dominion knew just what to do after the mistake was found, so instead of worrying about it they just found a
nice quiet place to put my pallet until someone felt like figuring it out. Yesterday someone finally took some initiative and moved the pallet onto a truck. Unfortunately
that truck was heading to California, and that's where my gym equipment is right now--back where it started in California. Nice. Hopefully this time around the pros at Old
Dominion will be able to figure out where Florida is.
I'm off to do my workout. Today I'm doing 200 crunches followed by 23 minutes of HIIT cardio on the bike. Have a great day!
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August 28, 2003
I'm glad this week is drawing to a close, it's been pretty stressful. It looks like the new gym equipment won't be here this week after all. It's been sitting on a loading dock all week somewhere in Georgia. The shipping company is probably waiting until they can fill a whole rig before they send it down to Florida. A bit frustrating, but what can ya do?
Today is my mom's birthday. Ever since I was a kid, she's always been 100% supportive of everything I do. This transformation was no different. She checks my web page every day, and has even lost 23 pounds herself! I think I get a lot of my willpower and determination from her. So mom, Happy Birthday! Thanks for everything you do, I love you.
It's time for me to get started on my workout. Today I'm hitting my lower body in the weight room. Have a great day!
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August 27, 2003
"Hell week" at work continues today, so I'm going to get my workout in right away while I have time. Today I'm doing 200 crunches followed by 23 minutes of HIIT cardio on the stair climber. Have a good day, I'll see ya tomorrow.
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August 26, 2003
Today is going to be another really busy day for me, so I'm going to get right to my workout. Today I'm working my back and biceps. This should be my last upper body workout on my old equipment -- the new power rack and bench are scheduled for delivery later this week! I'll put the "before" and "after" weight room pictures I promised up on the website as soon as everything gets here.
Have a good day, see you tomorrow.
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August 25, 2003
This is the start of a really tough week at work, so I'm probably not going to have a lot of time to write over the next few days. It's likely that I'll be running behind on answering my emails, too, so thanks in advance for your patience!
Today I'm just doing 23 minutes of HIIT cardio, and it's a good thing because that's about all I have time for! Have a good day, see you tomorrow.
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August 24, 2003
I found some mirrors for the new gym at Home Depot yesterday. They are 16"x60", and, now that I have them installed, that size turned out to be perfect. Thankfully they were not expensive, $23.00 each. I only bought seven of them since I was only doing one wall. It's amazing how much bigger and brighter the room looks. Now if the rack and bench would just get here...
Today I'm doing 200 crunches and 23 minutes of HIIT cardio on the stair climber. After that, I'm going to do some yard work and work on some more projects around the house. Tonight it's dinner and a DVD. Hope you have a great day!
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August 23, 2003
The new gym is coming together very nicely. In fact, it looks even better than I imagined it would.
Today I'll be heading out to look for mirrors. I have no idea how much these things are, I hope not too much!
The mirror in our master bathroom is about 3.5 feet by 6.5 feet, so 3 of those
would be perfect for the one wall we want to completely mirror. If they are not too expensive, I'd
like to put up 2 more on another wall. I'll have before and after pictures as soon as the power rack and bench
arrive, which should be in 1-2 weeks.
Today I'm weight training, and will be hitting my pecs, delts and triceps. I'm going to go crank the music up and get started now! See you tomorrow...
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August 22, 2003
I've got some issues at work to deal with, so I'm going to make this short and go get my workout in. Today it's 200 crunches and 23 minutes of HIIT cardio on the bike. Tonight I will be enjoying my usual Friday cheat meal of pizza and wine! Have a great day, see you tomorrow.
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August 21, 2003
While I was at work yesterday Lisa got some more painting done in our new gym, and I finished the job last night. After I finished painting, I pulled up the old carpet and managed to get most of the new flooring installed. It looks great! Today the new power rack and bench are shipping, but it's going to be a week or two before they arrive because they are coming all the way from California to Florida via truck. This weekend we are going to try to find the mirrors for the walls. I'd like to find a bunch of 8'x3' or 8'x4' mirrors--that would be perfect.
Today is leg day, I'm all excited because I can finally increase the weight on my squats, thanks to the new Olympic weight set. I still can't go as heavy as I'd like to until the power rack arrives (no spotter!), but at least I can stop doing 6 sets of 30 squats with every plate I have in the house loaded! It was getting ridiculous!
I'm off to workout now, see you tomorrow!
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August 20, 2003
I've got to go in to work early today, so I need to get my workout done and get on the road. Today I'm doing 200 crunches and 23 minutes of HIIT on the stair climber. Have a good day, see you tomorrow!
NOTE Unfortunately there has been a network outage in my area since shortly after midnight
(EDT). If you are reading this note, then it's back up.
August 19, 2003
My new gym is starting to come together. I have the whole room cleaned out right now and it's getting a fresh coat of paint. I already picked up the 300-pound Olympic weight set, the bar and the tree rack. The rubber flooring will be here tonight and I'll be placing the order for the power rack and the bench later today. The only other things I need to take care of are the full-length wall mirrors and the dumbbell rack. I hope the power rack and bench get here soon!
Today I'm working my biceps and back. Even without the power rack I can use my new barbell today for curls. The bar is "Olympic" size: 7 feet long, 45 pounds and 2 inches around. My old bar feels like a toy compared to the new one--I love it! I'm going to go workout now, see you tomorrow.
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August 18, 2003
Lisa and I got a lot of work done around the house yesterday, and we even had time to watch a DVD last night. Today, though, it's back to the grind. Mondays are my lightest workout day--just 23 minutes of HIIT cardio. When I first started my fitness program I purposely designed my workout schedule so that my lightest workouts are on Mondays. It was a very good decision--Mondays always seem to be extremely busy for me. It's very important to design your training schedule so that it fits well with the rest of your life. Doing so will help prevent missed workouts.
I'm going to go get started now. Have a good day, see you all tomorrow!
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August 16, 2003
I don't have much to say this morning, so I'm going to get away from this damn computer and go lift. Today I'm working my pecs, delts and triceps. Have a great day, I'll see ya tomorrow.
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August 15, 2003
I love Fridays! Tonight I'll be having my usual cheat meal of pizza and wine, and it looks like I'll have a couple of days off this weekend to unwind and take care of some things that need doing around the house.
I've got a birthday coming up in a couple of months (October 19), and will be
picking up/asking for (what else).... more fitness equipment. My weight room will be undergoing some
major changes over the next couple of months. I'll have some "before and after" shots once
it's done. Some of the changes I'll be making:
-
I'm getting rid of my old DP bench and cement-filled plastic weights, which I have seriously outgrown.
I will replace them with a Powertech power rack, a nice incline/decline bench with leg and preacher curl attachments, and
a 300-pound Olympic barbell set. Les, if you are reading this I want you to know that--like it or not--I'm giving you
the DP bench, weights and dumbbells...I EXPECT YOU TO USE THEM!
- I'll be getting a tree stand for my barbell weights, and a rack for my dumbbells.
- I'll be pulling up the carpet in the room I have converted into a gym and replacing it with thick black rubber pads.
-
I'm going turn at least one wall into a giant mirror. This will help me watch my form when I'm lifting and fuel my
growing narcissism.
I'm off to do my workout now. 200 crunches followed by 23 minutes of HIIT on the bike. Have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow.
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August 14, 2003
This sure has been a busy week for me. I'm running a little behind this morning and it looks like it's going to be another crazy day at work. I'm going to go get my leg workout in while I can! See you tomorrow...
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August 13, 2003
When I first started the fitness section of my web site, there was not a lot of information here. Initially all I had up was a before "profile" picture, a current "profile" picture (I didn't get up enough nerve to post the "front" shots until I was a couple months into my program) and a graph of my weight progress. That's it. Now there is quite a lot of information here, and it can be tricky to find what you are looking for. For example, I get lots of questions by email that I've already addressed in my "FAQ" or my "Why I Got Started" or in my "Daily News". The "Daily News" archive in particular contains lots of random bits of information; however, because there is so much of it, not everyone has time to read through several months of my ramblings to find what they are looking for. With that in mind, I'm going to work on programming a search feature for this part of my site. This should help you locate the information that you are looking for as quickly as possible. I hope to have some time to work on this new feature this weekend.
Today I'm going to take a nice long aerobic-level ride on the bike. 50 minutes at 152 beats per minute. I like to do this kind of cardio
once every couple of weeks if I can. My pager has not gone off yet this morning, so I'm hoping I can get away with 50 minutes, uninterrupted!
Have a great day, see you tomorrow!
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August 12, 2003
It looks like it's going to be another hectic day. I'm going to have to keep this short and get into the weight room. Today I'll be working my back and biceps. Hope you have a great day!
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August 11, 2003
I've got a really busy day ahead (pager went off all night), so I'm going to go get my workout in now while I can. Today is a light workout day -- just 23 minutes of HIIT cardio on the stair climber. Hope you have a good day, see you tomorrow!
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August 10, 2003
It's overcast and dreary outside this morning. We sure have been getting a lot of rain this year. Hopefully it will clear long enough for me to get the yard work done: the grass really grew a lot this week. For the past 2 or 3 weeks my activities outdoors have not been in sync with the sun's increasingly rare appearances. My tan is fading away along with the remaining summer days. It's been a great summer -- I hate to see it go -- but at the same time I'm looking forward to the upcoming fall months, and achieving the new goals I've set for myself.
Today I'll be doing a couple hundred ab crunches, followed by 23 minutes of HIIT cardio on the bike. After my workout I'm going to try to get the yard work done, but if the weather doesn't cooperate it's a perfect day to sit around and watch DVDs.
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August 9, 2003
I gained over 3 pounds (in water, heh) since yesterday. The pizzas I eat on my cheat night
have a ton of sodium, plus I coat the crust in a Cajun spice mix, which also contains a lot of
salt. The best way to deal with water retention is to, believe it or not, drink lots and lots of water. Drinking lots
of water helps flush out your system, plus your body gets the message that there is
no need to hold onto what water it has because there seems to be a good supply and more is coming.
A couple of large, difficult and stressful projects for my job that I have been toiling over for the past few weeks
have finally been completed and deployed with 100% success, so this morning I feel like a huge weight has
been lifted off my shoulders! I have a few loose ends to wrap up after my workout, but then I'm taking the afternoon
and tomorrow off!
Time for me to get into the weight room. Today I'm working my pecs, delts and triceps. Have a great day, see you tomorrow!
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August 8, 2003
Ever since I completed my fatloss program, my waist measurement--as expected--has only been going down a very small, almost imperceptible, amount each week. As of this morning I can report another 1/4" gone from my worst area, which is just below my belly button (down to 31"). I think the drop can be attributed more to shrinking lose skin than fatloss--I least I hope it's finally shrinking!
I'm going to switch things up for my "cheat" meal this evening. Instead of my usual California Pizza Kitchen "5-Cheese and
Tomato" pizza, tonight I'm going to have their "BBQ Chicken" pizza. What can I say, I love pizza! During the six months that
I was on my fatloss program and did not eat any cheat foods, pizza and popcorn are the two foods I missed the most. I remember
back when I was overweight I could inhale one of these pizzas in less than 10 minutes. Now I really savor them:
it takes me like 35-40 minutes to eat.
Time for me to go workout. Today I'm doing 200 crunches, followed by 23 minutes of HIIT cardio on the stationary bike. My legs are on fire this morning after yesterday's excellent lower body workout, so I'm going to take some extra time and really stretch out.
Have a good day and I'll see you this weekend!
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August 7, 2003
I don't have much spare time this morning, so I'm going to make this a short update and get right to my workout--it's leg day. Have a great day, see you tomorrow.
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August 6, 2003
Today is August 6th, which marks the completion of month seven. It's hard
to believe that 213 days have passed since I started my fitness and health program. Looking at my monthly front
and profile pictures (updated today), I can see that I've started to add some quality lean mass.
I've been especially focused on improving two of my weakest areas--my pecs and delts--and it is really starting to show! I'm completely excited about my upcoming bulking phase --
I think the next five months are going to be very challenging for
me. I'm up for it.
Today I'm working my abs, and then I'll be doing 23 minutes of HIIT cardio on the stair climber. Be sure to get your workout in! See you tomorrow...
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August 5, 2003
I'm sitting here drinking a Bioplex "Vanilla Creme" protein shake. I thought I'd give it another try because the other day in my
protein taste test article
I rated it the worst tasting of all the proteins that I tried. In my article I described it as "somewhat reminiscent of vanilla."
Well, I was being too kind. This stuff is terrible tasting. It tastes like someone drank a bad vanilla shake, and then puked it up. I'm not kidding, it's absolutely horrible --
stay away. After my workout I'm going to have a nice Designer Whey "Chocolate" shake.
Speaking of working out, I'd better get started. Today I'm hitting my back and biceps. Even though I feel slightly nauseous from the Bioplex protein shake, I think it's going to be a good workout. Hope you have a good day, see you tomorrow!
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August 4, 2003
Yesterday I took a new picture of my bicep flex. The last time I took a picture of me doing a bicep flex was back on April 13, 2003. Since then I've definitely added some muscle, and my biceps are starting to develop a nice little peak. Here's the new picture.
The new grilled chicken recipe I prepared yesterday evening will not make an appearance on this page. It was very mediocre and a real pain to prepare. Oh well, they can't all be winners. I'll be trying lots of new ways to prepare chicken in the weeks to come, so look for a few new recipes soon!
Today I ease into the work week with a light workout: just 23 minutes of HIIT cardio on the bike. I've got a very busy workday ahead, so I'm going to go get my workout in while I can. See you tomorrow.
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August 3, 2003
Hopefully my pager will stay silent today -- I really need a day away from the computer. The plan is to get my workout in (200 crunches and 23 minutes of HIIT on the bike), do a few hours of yard work (if the sun will stay out -- we've had a lot of rain this week), take the network equipment that I spent most of my Saturday configuring to a co-worker, watch a DVD, play with the dogs, and then tonight I'm going to grill some chicken breasts. I'll be trying out a new recipe, so I'll post it tomorrow if turns out well (I think it will).
I'm going to go get started on my workout now. I hope you have a good day -- see you tomorrow!
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August 2, 2003
Grab a protein shake, kick back and relax. Today's update is pretty lengthy, and it's all about... protein powders!
I decided that I wanted to try out some new protein powders, so the other day I placed an
order for a few different brands and flavors. They all arrived yesterday, and I couldn't figure out which one
to try first. Since I was having trouble picking just one, I decided to sample them all instead of eating my normal 4:30 meal.
Here are my thoughts on the proteins I tried yesterday (and also some that I've used in the past). Of course these are my subjective opinions -- your mileage may vary. Also, keep in mind that I mix my proteins with water, so that's how these proteins were "tested".
Optimum Nutrition "Vanilla Ice Cream"
Per scoop: 110 calories; 1.5g fat; .5g saturated fat; 3g carbs; 23g protein
I think this was the best of the vanilla flavors I tried today. I've been using Optimum Nutrition's "Double Chocolate" whey for a long time and like it a lot, too. Like their "Double Chocolate" flavor, this is an inexpensive, high quality, great tasting protein!
Bioplex "Vanilla Creme"
Per scoop: 100 calories; 1g fat; .5g saturated fat; 2g carbs; 20g protein
Well, I'm not going to throw it out, but this was by far my least favorite. It had a very weird taste, which I guess could be described as somewhat reminiscent of vanilla. Drinkable, but I won't be buying any more of this brand. Maybe I'll try it in skim milk sometime...
Designer Whey "French Vanilla"
Per scoop: 90 calories; 1.5g fat; 1g saturated fat; 2g carbs; 17.5g protein
My only experience with Designer Whey products before this was with their "Vanilla Praline" whey, which I thought was incredible! So I was expecting their "French Vanilla" to knock my socks off, but it did not. It was very average tasting. It's also a little light on protein compared to most other brands. Taste-wise, I'd rank this between the Bioplex and the Optimum (vanilla flavor). Next time I'm getting a tub of their "Vanilla Praline!"
Designer Whey "Chocolate"
Per scoop: 90 calories; 1.5g fat; 1g saturated fat; 2g carbs; 17.5g protein
Wow, this one blew me away! Awesome chocolate taste, even better tasting than Optimum's chocolate! Sure, it's
got a little less protein than most other brands, but when it tastes this good you don't mind using an
extra scoop. I couldn't believe I was drinking a protein powder with water. I'll bet in milk this
stuff tastes like a milkshake. I'll definitely be buying more of this.
I've also tried lots of other protein powders in the past. Here are some quick thoughts on some of them:
GNC 100% Whey
I like GNC's chocolate flavor a lot, but even with a gold card GNC is just too expensive. If they would just
lower their prices people might not give them such a hard time (and deservedly so).
EAS
I've never tried EAS's "regular" whey protein powders (I will buy some on my next order),
but they do make really good Meal Replacement shakes. EAS's "Myoplex Lite Vanilla Cream" Meal Replacement
shake absolutely blew me away. Even mixed with water, it was thick and delicious. I also tried EAS's
"Myoplex Deluxe Chocolate" Meal Replacement shake and it was pretty good, but I didn't think it was anywhere nearly
as good as their "Myoplex Lite" MR shake. I'd probably buy more EAS products but, like GNC, I think they are way overpriced.
ProBlend 55
At first I didn't like the taste, but it really grew on me by the time I finished the tub. Pretty good, but way too expensive.
Prolab 100% Whey
I ordered a 5-pound tub of this stuff "blind", because I like Prolab's other products. When I first tried it, I though it was disgusting. It clumped up really bad,
and I absolutely hated the taste. I immediately ordered some Optimum Whey and all was well. Over the next few months, it started bugging me that I had a nearly full 5-pound tub
of Prolab whey just sitting around going to waste. So a few weeks ago I decided to give the Prolab whey another try and, much to my surprise, I really liked it! I have no
idea why I seem to like it now, but I do. My wife, who also hated it, tried it again and she still says it makes her want to puke.
By the way, I solved the clumping problem by waiting to put the ice in the shaker until after I shake up the other ingredients. For some reason the ice seems to make it clump really badly. Now I take my water, add the whey, glutamine and whatever else I feel like throwing in, and shake the hell out of it. Then I add ice and shake again. No clumps. Actually I do this with all my protein shakes now, regardless of the brand.
Speaking of protein, I finished my shake about 10 minutes ago. It's time for me to get in the weight room and get to work. Today I'm working my pecs, delts and triceps. Have a great day, see you tomorrow!
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August 1, 2003
It's Friday, and that means it's time for my weekly dinner indulgence! Tonight I'll be having my favorite pizza, California Pizza Kitchen "5-Cheese and Tomato", and a couple of glasses of red wine. I never seem to tire of my favorite foods. I'm not sure why, but I've always been that way.
Today I'm working my abs (200 crunches), and doing a 23 minutes HIIT cardio session on the stationary bike. I had another excellent lower body workout yesterday, so this morning my legs are very sore. I'm going to take a good 10 minutes to stretch out before I start my cardio.
I've received a lot of mail over the last 48 hours, and I haven't had time to respond to a lot of it yet. If you are waiting for a reply, thanks for your patience. I should have some free time tonight or tomorrow.
Well, I'm off to do my workout. Have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow!
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