Daily News Archives

July 2008

07/31/2008 - Great workout yesterday; HIIT today; Getting in shape; Pictures?
07/30/2008 - I did the old BFL HIIT workout yesterday; Intensity training techniques.
07/29/2008 - Altered workout yesterday, and changing this week's split.
07/28/2008 - A weekend of temptation behind me; Today's workout.
07/27/2008 - Temptations; Great cardio workout yesterday; Sunday plans.
07/26/2008 - No cheats until the JSF cruise!
07/25/2008 - Yesterday's workout; Delts/traps/calves today; Extra cardio; No cheat meals.
07/24/2008 - Leg day.
07/23/2008 - Solid workout; Cardio today; Another day of working from the bedroom.
07/22/2008 - A bit about yesterday's workout; Chest & triceps today; Water weight.
07/21/2008 - Fun weekend; Back to lifting today; Wireless media/lifting music.
07/20/2008 - Sunday plans; Happy Birthday, Lisa!
07/19/2008 - Saturday plans; Home Theater Lobby (Phase 2) complete--pictures.
07/18/2008 - Bulking questions; Weekend plans; Theater Lobby (Phase 2) almost complete.
07/17/2008 - 2008 bulk/2009 cut dates selected.
07/16/2008 - Another day of construction; Back in the gym!
07/15/2008 - Loud construction going on all around me; Cardio!
07/14/2008 - Fun weekend; Cardio resumes this week; 2008 bulk starting date thoughts.
07/13/2008 - Theater fun; Popcorn; Cheat meal today; Happy Birthday, Paul!
07/12/2008 - Home theater lobby and slideshow project this weekend!
07/11/2008 - Friday at last!
07/10/2008 - Willy Wonka would be jealous.
07/09/2008 - Salmon and Orange Roughy.
07/08/2008 - Water weight going away slowly but surely; Surgery recovery going well.
07/07/2008 - Back to clean eating after a weekend off the wagon; Stitches out today.
07/06/2008 - Enjoying a relaxed diet this weekend.
07/05/2008 - Fun day yesterday, looks like work today.
07/04/2008 - Happy Birthday, America!
07/03/2008 - Cheat meal last night, paid for it all night long; JSF Mall upgrade.
07/02/2008 - Doing well so far; 2008 cut is over.
07/01/2008 - Post-op day 1 report.

July 31, 2008

Yesterday's workout went real well. I did some drop sets and some rest-pause sets, and kept the intensity levels very high the entire workout. I really feel like I'm bouncing back from my time away from the gym: my level of cardiovascular fitness has improved dramatically in just two weeks, and my muscles are looking a little fuller. Lots of intense weight training and HIIT cardio is whipping me in to shape, and fast!

Today I'll be doing an afternoon HIIT cardio session. I'm going to do a total of 14 minutes, alternating 45 seconds all out with 45 seconds active recovery. This is going to be a nice challenge, because when I say "all out" I really go ALL OUT. I like that my exercise bike has a speedometer: it's a nice motivational tool because it gives me instant, consistent and tangible feedback. I use the speedometer to help push me just a little bit faster than I was able to go before. Today I'm going to find out my MHR for sure.

I've been getting a lot of emails asking me if I'm going to take my monthly pictures tomorrow. The bruising from the surgery is gone, but my entire mid-section is still pretty swollen and doesn't look too great. So, while I'm definitely not wild about taking pictures right now, yeah... I will.

July 30, 2008

I decided to change up my HIIT cardio yesterday and do one of the HIIT workouts I used to do back when I first started doing HIIT in 2003. The workout is the standard BFL HIIT workout (a 2 minute warm up at 50% followed by 1 minute at 60%/70%/80/90%, repeat 4 times and finish off with 1 minute at 100% and a brief cool down). I haven't done that HIIT workout in quite some time, and I didn't find it as difficult as the HIIT workouts I'm presently doing. If you are new to HIIT, this workout is probably a real good place to start.

Those supersets I did on Monday certainly were a challenge, and this morning my arms are letting me know that they felt it! I think for this year's bulk I'm going to make a point to incorporate lots of intensity techniques into all of my workouts: supersets, giant sets, drop sets, rest/pause sets, etc. Not only do these more advanced training techniques help keep workouts fresh and extremely challenging, I've always respond very well to them. I'm getting so excited about this year's bulk!

Since I modified my split this week (3 day split), today is a pretty big workout: delts, traps & chest. I feel real good this morning, and I'm looking forward to an excellent workout later today. Train hard, and I'll see you tomorrow!

July 29, 2008

I had to alter my workout a bit yesterday. My legs were (are) still so sore and shaky from last Thursday's leg workout that I wasn't able to deadlift. My quads and hamstrings are the slowest of all my muscle groups to recover, and after a layoff from training I've seen them take up to 10 days to fully recover. There's really no substitute for deadlifts, but I did T-bar rows instead.

After the back portion of my workout I was supposed to finish off with my biceps, but I felt really good so I decided to just do something spur-of-the moment: I worked my biceps and triceps in superset fashion. I used to do antagonistic supersets for my arms all the time and I really enjoyed that style of training. Done correctly, supersets are brutal, but I very much enjoy the challenge. I saw some of my best arm development back when when I did supersets. Yesterday I only took 30 seconds of rest between each superset (of course no rest between the bicep and tricep portion of the superset), and just one minute of rest between exercises. Those 30 seconds of rest go by FAST, especially on the last couple of supersets!

Today is normally chest and triceps day, but I've already worked my triceps so I'm going to alter my training this week and do a 3-day split. Today I'll do cardio, tomorrow I'll do chest/delts/traps, and on Friday I'll work my legs. I'll be alternating HIIT and LISS cardio on my "off" days.

July 28, 2008

Yesterday the temptation to make a batch of popcorn to go with our afternoon movie session was--once again--very strong, but I stuck to my guns and did not cheat. It really helps that Lisa is being strict with her diet right now, too. I'm not sure I would have been able to resist the temptation if I had to make popcorn for Lisa. The smell of fresh popcorn is both wonderful and evil. When I bought the popcorn maker I didn't realize that it would also serve as a torture device.

So, with the weekend and all its temptations behind me I think I'm past the hardest part of this little three week mini-cut I'm doing before the JSF cruise. I'm proud of myself for staying on target this past week because I've had some pretty serious cravings, and fighting them off wasn't easy.

Today I'll be doing the same back and biceps workout that I did last week, but I get to increase the amount of weight I'm lifting to about 65-70% of my normal working weight. I feel like my overall fitness level has really improved over the past week, and I'm going put that to the test today with a very intense workout. I'm going to cut all my rest intervals to just 30 seconds between sets, and 1 minute between exercises. The short rest intervals will be an especially difficult challenge with the deadlifts: I may only be using 70% of my normal working weight for the deads, but I'm going to do 16-20 reps per set. That should get my heart rate up!

Time for my breakfast! Train hard, and have a fantastic day.

July 27, 2008

Man, the temptation to cheat was very strong again yesterday. I think it's because I'm used to relaxing my diet a bit on the weekend (I usually have my weekly cheat meal on the weekend, plus popcorn when we watch movies). Yesterday when Lisa and I sat down to watch a movie, I was craving popcorn in the worst way. I came pretty close to caving in, but I refused to do so. I think it's just a matter of getting back in the zone I need to be in. The best way for me to get to where I need to be is to eliminate all cheats--"all or nothing" really does work best for me.

Actually this is just a little three week mini-cut before the JSF cruise. Three weeks is nothing. In the past I've gone months without a cheat meal, so doing this won't be much of a challenge once I hit my stride.

Yesterday I decided to do afternoon HIIT cardio. The cardio workout was just 16 minutes long (30 maximum/45 active recovery), but I truly put everything I had into my maximum effort intervals. I got my heart rate up to 192 several times, and after just 16 minutes I was so sweaty that it looked as if I'd just climbed out of a swimming pool. It was quite a workout! After just a week back in the gym I can tell that my cardiovascular conditioning is already starting to improve. Next week I'll slightly reduce the overall cardio workout time to 14 minutes, but I'll increase the difficulty by changing the intervals to 45 max/45 recovery).

This morning I'm going to mix it up a bit and do a 45-minute LISS session. Tomorrow it's back in the weight room to work my back and biceps. I get to increase the weight this week to roughly 65%-70% of my usual working weights.

I'm going to go get my cardio done, and then I've got some yard work to do. Enjoy your Sunday!

July 26, 2008

I was really tempted to have a cheat meal last night, but I resisted and ate my regular clean diet. I've decided that I'm not going to have any more cheat meals OR cheat snacks before the JSF cruise in mid-August. I'm really going to miss having my popcorn on movie night, but I need to drop a little body fat before the cruise because I'm going to eat like a pig the entire time I'm on the ship. Lisa has agreed to join me in my little mini-cut, and will also be eating 100% clean until the cruise.

I've got quite a bit to do today: the house needs cleaning, both cars need to be washed and I've got cardio to do. I think I'm going to do HIIT cardio this afternoon after I'm done washing the cars.

Thanks for stopping by--enjoy your day!

July 25, 2008

Despite the rather light weights used for yesterday's leg workout, I was still able to make it quite challenging. I kept my rest intervals very brief (30-45 seconds) and did super slow reps with hard 2-second squeezes between the concentric & eccentric phases of the moves. By the time I got to my backyard lunges I was pretty seriously winded, red-faced, sweating like crazy and my legs were very shaky. I still feel very out of shape, but I feel like I'm making good progress this week.

Today is my delts/traps/calves workout. I'm going to do seated barbell shoulder press, DB laterals, bent-over DB laterals, barbell shrugs, power cleans and single-leg DB calf raises. Normally I don't do cardio on weight training days, but I feel like getting an extra cardio session in this morning. Probably because I felt so winded yesterday. I'm going to do a 45-minute LISS cardio workout this morning, and then hit the weights late this afternoon. I guess I'll be showering a lot today!

I've decided not to have a cheat meal this weekend, and I'm debating weather or not I should even have my usual popcorn cheat snack on movie day. I've got the JSF cruise coming up and it wouldn't kill me to drop a little body fat before we set sail. I estimate that I'm around 9% body fat right now, but I know I'd be more comfortable between 7% and 8%. Of course while on the cruise I'll put any fat I lose between now and then right back on in just 4 days. lol

Alright, I'd better go get on the bike before it gets too late. Happy Friday!

July 24, 2008

Yesterday was a cardio day, and I decided to do a 16-minute HIIT cardio session yesterday afternoon. It's been awhile since I've done HIIT, so the intervals were not very tough: 30 seconds all out, followed by 45 seconds of active recovery. By the end of the session I'd confirmed what I already knew: I'm far from my peak conditioning right now! That's OK, a few more weeks of HIIT and intense weight training should put me back to where I need to be.

Speaking of lifting, today is my first leg workout since returning to weight training. Again, I have to go fairly light (both in weight and in volume), but I'll try and keep the intensity levels high. I think I'm going to do leg extensions, vertical leg press, lying leg curls and backyard (walking) barbell lunges. Despite the relatively light workout, I suspect my legs are going to feel pretty toasty by this weekend.

I'm starving to death, so I'm off to make breakfast. Have a good day, and train hard!

July 23, 2008

I enjoyed my chest/triceps workout yesterday. Even though I had to go light, I made the best of it by employing the same intensity techniques I used for Monday's workout. I'm surprisingly sore this morning.

Today is a cardio only day. I've not yet decided if I want to do LISS cardio this morning, or crank out a HIIT session this afternoon. Right now I'm leaning towards the HIIT, as I've not done HIIT in awhile and I think my cardiovascular system could use the workout. I feel out of shape right now!

My diet has been perfectly on-point this week. Surprisingly all that chocolate and candy I have in the home theater lobby has not been a temptation at all, but I have to admit that I start drooling every time I walk past the popcorn machine.

It looks like another day of working from the bedroom on my laptop: since 7:00 this morning the builders have been using a crane to place the trusses on the two homes under construction across the street from my home office. Also, today they are pouring the sidewalk and driveway approach for the house that is under construction behind our home AND another neighbor of mine decided now would be a good time to have a pool installed. The noise from all this construction work and associated traffic would be comical if it weren't so distracting. I'll be so glad when all the construction around my house is finally completed.

July 22, 2008

I'd love to tell you all that yesterday's return to weight training was awesome, but in reality it was a bit of a struggle on a couple of fronts. First of all, going so light was tougher than I thought it would be from a mental standpoint. I was told to start off using 50% of the weight I'd normally use, so that's what I did. I felt more like I was pumping up for a photo shoot than working out. I was finding it difficult to generate much intensity using such unchallenging weights, so I decided to try and challenge myself in other ways: I used textbook form, very explosive movement on the concentric phase and an extremely slow (6-8+ seconds) eccentric phase. I also really squeezed the heck out of the muscles between the concentric and eccentric. Doing these things helped.

Even though I had to use light weights, it was an awesome feeling being back in the gym lifting weights. Today I'll be working my chest and triceps. For my chest I'm going to do flat dumbbell bench press and incline barbell bench press, followed by some cable crossover work. For my triceps I'm going to do rope pressdowns followed by skullcrushers.

I dropped 4 pounds of water bloat since yesterday. Man, those weekend cheat meals turn me into a friggin' water balloon. It's amazing how much of the the water weight shows in my face--it always looks puffy for a couple of days after a cheat meal. I hate that. I think this weekend I'm going to skip my cheat meal, and will just have some popcorn as a snack on movie night.

July 21, 2008

I hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend! Lisa and I sure did. Lisa decided that she wanted Mexican food for her birthday meal, so we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant for a late lunch and gorged ourselves silly. We also went to the hardware store and picked up the paint for the library we're working on. Lisa originally indicated that she wanted us to paint the library after lunch, but I was correct when I predicted in yesterday's update that a couple of margaritas would change her mind about that.

Of course the big news for me today is that I can finally return to weight training! I'm beyond stoked to get in the gym and start training again--it's been on my mind all weekend, and was the first thing I thought of this morning when I woke up. Today I'll be training back and biceps. I have to keep it light and low volume for the first few weeks, but that's OK. I think today I'm going to do deadlifts and wide-grip lat pulldowns, and maybe a third back exercise depending on how I'm feeling. For my biceps I'm going to keep it basic and do some straight barbell curls and some dumbbell hammer curls.

When I lived at my old house I had my 200-disc CD changer hooked up to the main stereo system in the family room. Whenever I worked out I'd just pick a CD and crank it up. In the new house I have the CD changer in my home theater's A/V closet (which is upstairs), and so I've been listening to the digital music stations on the TV in the gym when I lift. While the TV was OK for listening to music, it's just wasn't the same. I really missed the ability to pick my own music, and I also pined for the fidelity and extreme bass that my stereo system provides. I'm one of those people who likes very loud music when I lift--it's motivating to me. Anyway, awhile ago I bought an XBox 360, and now I find myself using the cool media features even more than the gaming features. I have the XBox on my wireless network, and that allows me to stream music, videos and pictures from any of my home computers onto the A/V system in the family room. This works out even better than having the CD changer downstairs, because I have WAY more music on my computer than I do on CD. So now I can stream all my favorite music wirelessly from my computer to my stereo system in the family room: I've got my lifting music back the way I like it! It's also neat to be able to sit on the couch with family and friends and watch all the videos and pictures on my computer on the big HDTV. I'm very glad I bought that Xbox!

I'm going to go grab some breakfast and get the gym setup for this afternoon's workout! See ya tomorrow...

July 20, 2008

Yesterday I got all my projects and errands done pretty quickly, so Lisa and I had plenty of time to enjoy the new home theater lobby before taking in a couple of films. It was a very nice afternoon and evening, and the popcorn was phenomenal. In fact, the smell of the popcorn was so enticing that our older shepherd mix, Loki (who practically never leaves the ground floor), suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs! Loki quickly identified the source of the smell, ran into the lobby and became absolutely transfixed by the wondrous popcorn machine. He was well rewarded for his stair-climbing efforts.

If you are interested in learning how to make theater-quality popcorn in your home, I talk about it on my home theater page (in the lobby section). By the way, you don't have to have a commercial popper; the Whirly Pop is an inexpensive stovetop popper that works great (I used one for years). Of course movie theater popcorn is very calorically dense, so you probably don't want to get carried away and start eating it every night. Personally I allow myself a huge tub of popcorn once per week. All things in moderation...

Today is Lisa's Birthday! I think she wants to go out to eat, and then pick up some paint for her new library room (another project we've been working on). Hey, it's her birthday and if she wants to paint, then I'm right there with her. We'll see how she feels about painting after she has a couple of margaritas in her. Tonight we're having family over to hang out and maybe watch a movie.

Tomorrow I'll finally be able to resume weight training. I CAN'T WAIT!! I'll talk more about what I'll be doing in the gym in tomorrow's update.

Enjoy your day!

July 19, 2008

I've got lots to do this morning, but this afternoon should be a little more laid back. First things first: I've got to complete this update, get my cardio done, shower and eat. After that I've got to go get my hair cut and run a few errands. When I return home I've got a couple projects to complete, but nothing too major. I should probably wash the cars, too.

As I mentioned yesterday, last night Phase 2 of our home theater lobby was completed. We're really happy with how it's turning out. As promised, I updated my public home theater page with lots of pictures, links and descriptions of the lobby, as well as information on what's to come in Phase 3. Home theater and films are huge hobbies of mine, and obviously a big part of my life. I've really enjoyed working on these projects, and I'm looking forward to further improving the theater and lobby in the coming months. Many of the things I've done in the theater and lobby were inspired by other home theaters I've seen, so hopefully those of you who are also into home theater will enjoy the pictures and information, and perhaps find them useful.

I'd better get on the bike now. I hope you have a wonderful Saturday!

July 18, 2008

I'm so glad it's Friday! Not only do I have another fun weekend planned, but on Monday I can resume weight training! I can not wait to get back in the gym--my muscles look flat and I feel out of shape.

I received a few questions about my upcoming bulk. Don't worry--over the next couple of months I'll be talking in great detail about every aspect of the bulk: my food logs, supplement intake and workouts will all be posted. I'll be taking weekly measurements and body fat readings, and (of course) plenty of photographs and maybe a little video. I'm pretty excited about it!

Lisa's Birthday is on Sunday, and she decided that she wants to go out to eat instead of our original plan of having steaks on the grill. Going out to eat sounds great to me! Right now Lisa's leaning towards Mexican food, which I'm always in the mood for. So, of course I'll be saving this week's cheat meal for Lisa's Birthday dinner, but I'll also be having a cheat snack: popcorn and a soda (what else!) with a movie. We're both very excited because Phase 2 of our home theater lobby will be completed today! Everything is really starting to come together now. There are already lots of new pictures along with detailed information in my New Home Journal (upgraded forum membership is required), but I'll also be updating my public home theater page sometime this evening with lots of pictures, links and descriptions of the lobby. I put a preview image of the lobby on my home theater page this morning...

Lots to do today, so I'd better get rolling. Happy Friday!

July 17, 2008

I've been thinking quite a bit about my upcoming bulk. Even though I've continued to work out, eat clean and maintain my health, there have been a lot of distractions in my life over the past year. While on one hand it feels good to know that I've more or less been successful at maintaining my healthy lifestyle and physique, there's a part of me that is not satisfied unless I'm improving. I've definitely not made any improvements this year, and, in fact, I have lost some muscle. So, I've been thinking: what better way to end this year than with a really successful bulk! Pack on some of that muscle I've lost, maybe add some muscle where I need it most--traps, delts and pecs. I think going on a very strict three month bulk with no missed workouts and no missed meals is just what I need right now. It would be an awesome way to close out 2008, and would set the stage for an early 2009 cutting phase.

So, I've decided that I'm going to start my bulk on Monday, September 29, 2008. I will end my bulk on Sunday, December 28, 2008. After the bulk is over, I'll take a few days off, and then I'll start cutting on Monday, January 5, 2009.

I will be following the bulk/cutting ("culking", if you prefer) plan that Mastover came up with for me last year. As you may recall, I had to cut that bulk short because of the move. There may be some modifications to that plan (since I'm at a lower body weight now), but it's more or less going to the the same. Of course I'll be posting all the details, including my training routines and food logs, sometime before I start.

OK, I've got to get my cardio in and then get to work. Thanks for stopping by--have a great day!

July 16, 2008

As expected, the noise in my office yesterday was very distracting, and I wound up taking my laptop to the other side of the house to work. Unfortunately late in the afternoon it starting pouring down rain, so the masons did not complete their work. They resumed their work this morning at 6:30 AM, and are making an incredible racket. Also, there are two CATs out there moving dirt around, and the high pitched beeping that the CATs make while in reverse is going on more or less non-stop. As soon as I finish typing this update I guess I'm going to grab my laptop and camp out in the bedroom again.

Yesterday's LISS cardio session went well, but I could tell that I've not worked out in a few weeks. I wouldn't say I was winded, but I could feel the difference. Also, I sweat way more than I usually do. It felt great to be back in the gym, even if it was just cardio. I'm counting the days until Monday when I'll finally be able to resume weight training. I'm going to have to start light and work my way up over the next few weeks.

OK, this construction noise is really getting on my nerves. I'm going to wrap this up, grab my laptop and get out of the office. Have a great day!

July 15, 2008

Two houses immediately across the street from the North side of our home (which is where my home office is located) are being built. Construction on these two homes started at the exact same time, and has now progressed to the point where the walls are ready to go up. Since 7:00 AM this morning there have been a couple dozen masons at both home sites laying up the concrete walls. This is the current view from my office window:

construction

With all the loud music, talking/yelling, banging around and very loud machinery, I can tell I'm going to have a tough time focusing on my work today. The home immediately behind us is also under construction. I think I'm going to take my laptop and retreat to the other side of the house. The masons will have the walls completed today, but there are going to be quite a few days like this over the next few months. I'm just glad these two homes are going up at the same time; that will effectively cut the number of noisy days in half. There are still like 3 or 4 empty lots around our house, though.

Anyway, I'm not complaining about it. We knew full well when we had our house built in the newest part of our subdivision that there would be construction going on all around us for the next year or two. Actually, I'm really happy that the lots around our home are selling so quickly. The sooner the empty lots around us are built out the better!

OK, this morning I'm back to doing cardio! I'm going to do 45 minutes of LISS on the bike. I generally don't mind doing cardio at all, but this morning I'm really looking forward to it. It's going to be great to get back in the gym and work up a sweat!

July 14, 2008

Yesterday was an absolute blast! I enjoyed my cheat snack and dinner a great deal: I had buttered popcorn, a small bag of M&Ms and a coke while we watched the movie, and for dinner I had a grilled cheeseburger with some kettle chips on the side. Everyone had a lot of fun, and was really wowed by the new theater. We're going to do it again next Sunday, which is Lisa's birthday. I think I'm going to make steaks for dinner next weekend, though.

I'm allowed to resume cardio as of today. I'm going to do three 45-minute fasted LISS cardio sessions this week: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. A week from today I'll finally be able to resume weight training. Even though I ended my formal cut, starting next Monday I will be following the same training split that I used for my last cutting cycle, and my diet will be the same as well.

I have not settled on a start date for my next bulk, but I am giving it some thought. I probably won't decide until after the JSF Cruise in August, but right now I'm leaning towards a three month bulk starting on October 1st. Like many of you, I like starting my cuts in January, so an October 1st bulking start date would work out well in that respect.

Next month's "100 Challenge" is open for entry! Details are immediately below...

Registration for the August 2008 "100 Challenge" is now underway! Your Official Challenge post must be made by 7:00 AM (EDT) on August 1, 2008 if you plan to participate--NO EXCEPTIONS! To participate, you must be a member of the forum. If you are not a member, simply create a free account. It can take up to 24 hours for your account to be activated, so don't wait until the last minute to register! For all the details, official rules and sample entry data, just head over to the August 2008 "100 Challenge" thread on the forum. If you are ready to work hard and want to challenge yourself in a fun and competitive environment, then please take part!

July 13, 2008

As I mentioned in yesterday's update, I spent most of yesterday playing around with authoring the pre-feature slideshow DVDs, hanging movie posters and getting the movie theater and lobby ready for today's gathering. I put some new photos and video in my New Home Journal (upgraded forum membership is required). Today will be the first time we've had guests over to enjoy a movie in our new theater, and we're all really looking forward to a fun day!

Yesterday Lisa and I popped our first batch of popcorn in the commercial popcorn machine we purchased for the theater lobby. It was just a small batch (we called it a "test run" ) I only ate a few bites (saving my cheat meal for today), but the taste was out of this world--exactly like a movie theater. The best part was the smell: the entire lobby area and theater smelled just like a commercial movie theater. I can't wait to start popping later today. I'm going to eat a metric ton of popcorn. :dreamy:

Assuming we don't eat so much popcorn that we're not hungry for dinner, after the movie I'll be making everyone cheeseburgers on the grill and tossing back a couple drinks.

Tomorrow I'm allowed to resume cardio, and I plan to do three cardio sessions next week. A week from tomorrow I will be allowed to resume weight training, and that is what I'm really looking forward to. I just don't feel right when I'm not lifting; it makes me feel lazy. There is at least one positive aspect to taking a few weeks off from lifting: all my nagging aches and pains are gone. Hopefully they will stay gone when I resume my training (I'm not holding my breath, though... man, I'm getting old!)

I'd also like to say "Happy Birthday!" to my brother, Paul. Wish I could be there or you could be here today, bro!

I've got to go eat breakfast and clean the house. Have an awesome Sunday!

July 12, 2008

Hooray, it's Saturday! I still can't workout, so not much in the way of fitness will be going on. Still, this should be a very enjoyable and relaxing weekend as I continue to work on the home theater and home theater lobby....

Today the batch of 1000+ professionally designed slides and video clips for the home theater should arrive, so I'll be working on that project this afternoon. I'll be using the slides and videos to author ten pre-feature slide show programs (each of which will be burned to DVD) that will run prior to the main feature, just like in a commercial theater. While I've been waiting for the slides to be delivered I've been playing around with some different transition effects and background music. Howard Shore's score from the Lord of the Rings trilogy is very dynamic and amazingly effective at setting the "movie mood", so I'll be using his work as the backing music.

Yesterday evening I completed phase one of the home theater lobby (photos & discussion - upgraded forum membership is required). I'll continue to make regular updates to my journal as I complete the lobby. Most of the remaining lobby equipment should be here sometime next week, and I'm really excited at how everything is turning out. I'll add some before/after pictures to my public home theater page as I get closer to completing the project--probably next weekend or the weekend after, and I will update those photos as I polish things off with decorative touches and movie memorabilia.

Enjoy your Saturday!

July 11, 2008

Friday at last! I thought this week was never going to end. Coming off a three-day weekend I guess it just felt like an extra long week, plus I was pulling double-duty filling in for a co-worker all week long.

I'm excited about this weekend: I'll be putting the finishing touches on phase one of the home theater lobby, and on Sunday Lisa and I are having some family over for dinner and a movie. I'll be saving my cheat meal for Sunday--I can't wait to fire up the new popcorn machine!

Next week I can resume cardio workouts, and I'm very happy about that. It's not lifting weights, but at least it's something. I should be allowed to resume weight training (albeit light weight training, but still...) a week from Monday. I'm really missing my afternoon workouts, and my muscles are starting to look a little flat. I can't wait to get back in the gym and start moving some iron again.

I'd like to knock off work a little early if I can, so I'm going to get started now. Happy Friday!

July 10, 2008

Er, yesterday Lisa and I went a little crazy and purchased a ridiculous amount of candy for our nearly-completed theater lobby: (48) Snickers, (48) Peanut M&Ms, (32) Kit-Kats, (32) Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, (200) Peppermint Patties, (32) Assorted nuts, (18) Sno Caps, (24) Goobers, (24) Junior Mints, (36) Raisinets and (24) Whoppers. I was seriously tempted to dive in and sample some of the chocolatey goodness, but I managed to resist the temptation and stuck to my planned diet. Somehow Lisa--who has a serious weakness when it comes to chocolate--also managed to stay out of the huge stash. I will allow myself one of these treats per week (along with popcorn) while I'm maintaining my body fat levels. Lisa and I plan to invite our neighbors, family and friends over for movies on a regular basis, so I'm sure all this candy will be devoured pretty quickly. Chocolate is great, but my big weakness is popcorn. I just love the stuff, and I have to make it just like it's made in the theater: coconut oil, flavorcol and warm buttery topping. Not eating too much popcorn is going to be my biggest challenge.

Well, if you came here looking to get in shape and lose fat then you're probably pretty irritated with me after reading that last paragraph. Sorry about that, but there's a lesson here. Over the years I've become extremely good at not succombing to temptation (even when there's junk food in the house), but most people find they are best served by getting rid of all junk food before starting a diet. When possible, I think that is very a sound idea: it's a lot easier to resist temptation if you have to get dressed and go to the store to satisfy the craving. If you are feeling especially weak-willed then it's very difficult to resist a tub of ice cream that's sitting in the next room.

Those of you who live in homes with family members who don't necessarily share your fat loss goals have an especially difficult time with this particular issue. The bottom line is that you're going to have to fight off those temptations if your S.O. insists on having a freezer full of Chunky Monkey. I had to learn to deal with this issue because Lisa is very thin and can pretty much eat whatever she wants (and often does). I can still remember cooking her a pizza while my chicken breast was reheating. Remember to keep healthy snacks around, drink lots of water and stay 100% focused on your goals. The tougher the battle, the more satisfying the victory!

July 9, 2008

Last night for dinner I made my Cilantro Salmon recipe with a huge side of broccoli. I modified the recipe slightly and substituted a few sun dried tomatoes for the fresh tomato. I also spiced it up a bit with a few shakes of ginger and red pepper. It was extremely good! If you like cilantro and salmon, be sure to give that recipe a try--you won't be disappointed!

I've been pretty burnt out on cod, so lately I've been eating Orange Roughy for a welcome change. Roughy is a really tasty fish, and is pretty much nutritionally equivalent to cod (an 8 oz fillet contains 40 grams of protein, 2 grams of fat and no carbs). I prepare Roughy the exact same way I prepare cod: I squeeze fresh lemon juice directly on the fillet, sprinkle it with garlic powder (or fresh chopped garlic if I have time), add a bit of salt and lot of pepper and then wrap it completely in foil. I throw the foil pouch in the toaster oven at 350F for around 12 minutes and serve it with broccoli and brown rice.

Now that I've been back on my normal diet for a few days, I'm starting to feel more like myself. I've been sleeping well and waking up feeling well-rested and a little leaner each day. It's taking awhile to bleed off all the water weight I gained over the holiday weekend. Even this morning I'm still a little bloated, but nothing like I was on Monday or Tuesday. By tomorrow I'm confident that all the post-cheat meal bloating will finally be gone.

I'm late for breakfast, so I'd better wrap up today's update and get in the kitchen. Enjoy your Wednesday!

July 8, 2008

Yesterday I managed to shed about 3 pounds of the water weight I put on over the the weekend. That's only about half of the excess water weight, and this morning I'm still feeling pretty bloated. The bloating is especially noticeable in my face and fingers. I think the remaining water will be gone by tomorrow or the next day. Clean eating and drinking lots of water works every time. Also, grapefruit and vitamin C are part of my normal diet, and happen to be excellent natural diuretics.

My stitches came out yesterday and my surgeon is impressed with how quickly I'm healing up. I feel a little tightness and numbness, and there's still significant swelling. All of those things are normal, and will not go away for quite some time. The pain is all but gone. It's only been a week, and I can sit up, get out of bed and move around like nothing happened.

I'm still not allowed to lift weights, and probably will not be permitted to do so for about two more weeks. I will be allowed to resume cardio this weekend. While I'd much rather lift than ride a bike, it will feel good to get back in the gym and do something.

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm filling in for a co-worker this week. As expected, yesterday was a very busy work day, but not nearly as bad as it could have been. I hope the lightning storms continue to stay away this week, because they always create a ton of problems and extra work for everyone. Being short-handed this week, things could get pretty ugly in a hurry.

I'm off to make breakfast. Thanks for stopping by!

July 7, 2008

What a fun weekend! I completely relaxed my diet and mostly sat around watching movies and munching on popcorn. I also had a nice steak on Saturday night, and a 96% lean burger on the 4th of July. Today I'm gladly returning to my clean diet. While I enjoyed the freedom of a "free" weekend, I can really feel the difference. I'm craving my normal fare this morning, not junk food. I think I'm holding about 6 or 7 pounds of excess water. I'm actually having trouble typing this morning because my fingers are so swollen!

This week I'm pulling double-duty at work because a co-worker is on vacation. I guess this is a good time for it since I can't workout anyway. Oh, and today my stitches come out. I should be back in the weight room doing light workouts within the next week or two.

Man, I sure hate going back to work after a long weekend. I guess I need to get it in gear and get started now. I hope you have a good Monday!

July 6, 2008

Lisa and I both had to (unexpectedly) work yesterday, but thankfully we didn't have to work all day. By mid-day we re-grouped here at the house, and wound up spending a really nice afternoon together.

I've been enjoying a relaxed diet over the holiday weekend. I had some more popcorn yesterday while we watched a movie, and for dinner I had steak and french fries. Sometimes it's fun to take a couple days off from everything and not think about making every meal perfect. I don't do this sort of thing very often, but when I do I am always eager to return to my normal diet. Anyway, I think it's healthy from a mental standpoint to do this sort of thing a couple times per year.

So far today there have been no unexpected work-related issues, and things are looking good for doing, oh... nothing much! Sounds real good to me!

July 5, 2008

Yesterday was a lot of fun, but all the work Lisa and I had to do wound up taking a lot longer than I anticipated. We only had time to watch one movie yesterday, but that's OK: with all our weekend chores done, we're free to do whatever we like for the rest of the weekend! Well, at least that was the plan...

... this morning I woke up to a critical hardware failure at work, and just as I was starting to wrap my head around that particular problem, Lisa's assistant called in sick ("stomach problems", which translates precisely to "I was up all night celebrating the 4th of July and drank too much"). So I'm sitting here attempting to patch things up enough to avoid spending all day downtown, and Lisa just left for her job. Hopefully we won't both wind up working all day.

On a more pleasant note, yesterday I finally got to have the tub of buttered popcorn that I've been craving for the past few months! Man, it was even better than I thought it would be. I savored every last kernel. The popcorn tasted so good that I was actually a little distracted from the film. lol

I'd better get back to work now. If I have to go downtown I want to get it done ASAP. Enjoy your Saturday!

July 4, 2008

Happy Birthday, America!

I'm really looking forward to a nice, relaxing 4th of July weekend! Lisa and I are both off today, so we're going to spend the first half of the day getting all our chores done (house cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, yard work, washing the cars). Once all that work is out of the way we're going to spend the rest of the holiday weekend cooking on the grill, watching movies and playing with the dogs.

Diet-wise this is going to be a "free" day. I'm not going to go crazy, but I do plan to have a lean burger with swiss cheese and chips for dinner, and I will definitely be having a gigantic tub of buttered popcorn. I've been craving popcorn for quite some time now, and it's going to be awesome to sit up in our new home theater watching a film while munching on popcorn. I may even have a soda, which is something I never, ever drink.

I hope my fellow Americans have a fun and safe day as we celebrate the birth of our great Nation! Enjoy!

July 3, 2008

With my 2008 cut over with, I decided to have a free meal last night for dinner: pulled pork, french fries, baked beans and garlic bread. Oh, man, it all tasted soooo good! The problem with meals like that after eating clean for so long are the side effects. Last night I slept horribly, I drank around 48 ounces of water between the time I went to bed and the time I woke up and--despite turning the air down to 67 degrees (F)--I was hot all night long. This morning my fingers feel like fat little sausages, and I'm noticeably puffy and bloated in my face.

I certainly enjoyed the meal, but my poor night of sleep (or lack thereof) was a not-so-friendly reminder of why I love eating clean. Sometimes chicken breasts and broccoli are the last things in the world I feel like eating, but I always feel so good when I fuel my body with clean foods.

This morning when I woke up I thought, "How in the heck did I eat like this night after night for so many years?" Not only did I eat poorly back then, but I drank nothing but soda all day long, and then alcohol at night--and I constantly smoked pot and cigarettes! I guess I got so used to feeling like crap all the time that it became "normal".

I do plan to do some grilling over the 4th of July weekend, but I'm going to stick to lean steak and 96% lean ground beef. One other cheat snack that I've been dying for, and will definitely be having at some point this weekend, is a giant tub of buttered popcorn.

The software used to run the JSF Amazon Mall has just received a major upgrade. The same familiar interface is there, but many new categories have been added, searching has been improved, overall speed has been greatly increased (the mall now runs on its own dedicated server and intelligent caching has been added, further increasing performance). You'll also now find complete item descriptions--including all the same photos and user reviews that you would find on Amazon--as well as clear indications when items are eligible for Amazon Prime and/or Free Super Saver shipping. Also, when you search for a product and that product is available from multiple sellers, the JSF Mall software automatically shows you the item from the seller with the lowest price first. This feature makes getting the best deal a snap! I hope you like the changes. Thanks for supporting JSF by making your Amazon purchases through the JSF Amazon Storefront!

I'm very much looking forward to the long weekend, but I've got a lot of work to do today if I expect to be caught up enough to take it off entirely. I'm going to get started right now while the phones are still quiet. I hope you have a wonderful day!

July 2, 2008

The swelling in my abdominal region has increased since yesterday, and there is also some bruising now becoming evident. This is all perfectly normal. I was told the swelling and bruising would both get worse before getting better.

The pain is very tolerable, and I've even been able to skip taking the pain meds a couple times. I have a feeling that by tomorrow I won't need the pain meds at all. I've also not needed to take an anti-nausea pill since the first day. The only other medication I'm taking is an antibiotic.

The wounds look very good. They are quite small, and look "normal". When I shower I've been washing with an anti-bacterial soap, and then just using regular old band-aids to dress the wounds after toweling off. The stitches will come out on Monday.

Because I can't lift weights right now and also because I will be dealing with a very significant amount of swelling for the next few months, I've decided to end my cut for this year at 8% body fat. It would be impossible for me to accurately gauge my body fat with all the swelling that's going on, and I also feel that eating bellow maintenance/low carb is probably not the smartest idea when my body needs plenty of fuel to heal. I will continue to eat very clean, but will probably allow myself a cheat meal once per week. I want to maintain 8% body fat until I start my bulk this fall or winter.

July 1, 2008

If you missed yesterday's update, you will definitely want to read it or today's entry isn't going to make a whole lot of sense.

This morning I'm feeling some pain, but it's tolerable. Yesterday after the surgery I described the pain as similar to the soreness felt the day after an especially tough ab workout. Today I'd describe the pain as similar to the soreness felt after an especially tough ab workout, followed by a couple good solid punches.

Some of the below was posted in my journal last night, but I want to put it here for those who don't read my journal and may be curious about what's happening.

Getting up out of bed is a bit of a chore: I have to turn to my side, let my legs sort of fall out of bed then push myself up using my arms. Placing any amount of stress on the lower abdominal region hurts quite a bit.

I can cough and laugh with no pain, so that's good. The pain is not nearly as bad as the pain I felt after my hernia surgery.

I am required to sleep on my back for the next two weeks. I am normally a side sleeper, and it was pretty difficult to resist the urge to turn to my side last night. When I woke up this morning I was still on my back, so I think I did good!

I have to wear a compression garment around my mid-section 24/7 for the next few weeks (and for 12 hours a day for a few weeks after that). The garment is very tight, and not the most comfortable thing in the world. It sort of digs into my sternum when I'm sitting up, as I am now. I am allowed to remove it long enough to shower. I have a feeling those 20 minutes are going to be the highlight of my day for the next few weeks.

Yesterday I was only allowed to eat stuff like soup and crackers. Today I am allowed to return to my normal diet, and I prepared in advance plenty of chicken and rice to make meal preparation a snap.

I'm pretty bloated and swollen right now, which is perfectly normal. A good deal of the swelling and bloating should be gone within a week; however, as a mentioned yesterday, it will be months before the swelling is completely gone. I was told the swelling will be 85% gone in 3 months, and 100% gone in 6 months.

One question a lot of people have been asking me is how this will affect my weight and body fat percentage. I'll reproduce what I wrote in my journal this morning:

The procedure I underwent is not for fat loss; it is primarily a contouring procedure. Only a few hundred CCs of fat/fluid were removed, and that amounts to less than one pound of fat. So, my weight and body fat percentage will be practically the same once the swelling and water retention are gone. My abdominal pinch body fat measurement should go down a tick or two, but that will only lower my overall body fat percentage a few 10ths.

Making the decision to undergo this surgery was difficult for me, and talking about it publicly was even harder. I want to sign off today by thanking everyone for their overwhelming support and kindness. It means a lot.

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