Day 33 - June 5, 2013

Weight:           241.4 lbs.
Body Fat %:     33.5%
Composition:    81 lbs fat / 160.4 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48%  (116 lbs )


The scale, which I don't like to talk about scares me sometimes.  This morning I looked down and it said 242 and 34% bf ... I was like , ok again?  Then I remembered that I forgot to take my shirt off.  Apparently my shirt weighs .6 lbs, because the number bounced down into a positive range quite nicely.

Breakfast was a  honey pecan smoothie.  I chose this one because I was out of bananas this morning.  That  narrowed down my choices.  It was tasty, but a serving only came out to about 8 oz, normally with the ice and air added from blending I get somewhere between 12 and 16 oz per serving.  It was a nice low carb way to start the morning (no fruit).

Lunch was scraps and leftovers I scrounged together some odds and ends. Dinner was more delicious BBQ Pulled Pork.  Tonight I tried out the whole grain buns.  They were kind of dense.  They were also gluten free.  What?  Whole grain and gluten free?  Those two things don't go together.  Well that's what the label said.  As expected, the increased thickness of the buns distracted from the delicious pulled pork by changing the meat to bun ratio.  It was still good though.  No salad around, so I dipped some baby carrots in hummus.  For dessert I tried to clean out the fruit bowl.


Breakfast:
1 serving Honey-Pecan Smoothies: milk, yogurt, pecans, whey, honey and flaxseed
 16 oz water w/ lime

Mid-morning Snack:
1 serving Honey-Pecan Smoothies

Lunch:
EPL chicken leg
remnants of my son's PB&J
16 oz. water

Dinner:
BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich
baby carrots
hummus
16 oz of water w/lemon juice

Dessert:
apple
pear
16 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 32 - June 4, 2013

Weight:           241.4 lbs.
Body Fat %:     34%
Composition:    82 lbs fat / 159.4 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            47.5%  (114.5 lbs )


I'm going to continue to document the scale and fat analysis, but I'm rarely going to address it.  The jumps in the numbers seem kind of ridiculous.  According to my Tanita scale, in the last 3 days I gained 4 lbs of fat and lost 6 lbs of muscle, during a period in which I have been working out, including lifting weights.  That's just silly.

I know I said no more oatmeal smoothies, but I tried again.  Today's Blackberry Smoothie with oatmeal was better, still not good, but better.  For lunch I finished off the leftover chili.  I smoked a pork butt (shoulder) yesterday. Now pardon the pun, but that bird has come home to rouse. The anticipation of the deliciousness is unbearable.  I bought whole grain buns from Trader Joe's.  I also bough some honey wheat buns, just in case the whole grain buns overpower or clash with the delicious BBQ pulled pork.  I couldn't risk it. I made tonight's sandwiches on the honey wheat rolls and cover the pulled pork with thick sweat BBQ sauce.  I worry the sauce may have a lot sugar, but its so delicious and I don't use that much. MMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm! Well, there's lots of protein from the meat.  Yes, and some fat.  It's BBQ season!

I didn't make it to the gym today until after dinner time.  There was quite a number of people there for a Tuesday night in June.  Maybe they're all here for the same reason I am.  They spent all day barbecuing in their backyards too?

So this week' cheat meal will be Friday or Saturday.  I'm going to make BBQ nachos with the pulled pork and have a beer or two for one meal, then it's back on the grind. 


Breakfast:
1 serving Check Your Blackberry Smoothie: oatmeal, mixed berries, yogurt, whey and flaxseeds

Mid-morning Snack:
1 serving Check Your Blackberry Smoothie

Lunch:
Last of the remaining chili

Dinner:
BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich on Honey Wheat Bun
carrots
hummus

Post Workout Meal:
12 oz chocolate milk

Dessert:
Uneaten remnants of a PB&J

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 31 - June 3, 2013

Weight:  -


I did it again. I forgot to get on the scale before I drank my shake.  So, no weight stats.  I don't like not having that information. I eat so much better than I used to.  I've been going to the gym. I feel I make much better choices.  It has to make a difference, right.  I missed the weigh-in two days in a row.  I'll be heart-broken if the scale shows a weight game over the past several days.  We'll see tomorrow.

I tried the Ultimate Power Smoothie from the Abs Diet recipes, this time with vanilla yogurt, not plain.  Well, it didn't help much.  Still taste awful. You just have to take your medicine and chug it down.  I even added a frozen banana and frozen concentrated orange juice to no avail.  Cooked oatmeal just doesn't belong in a smoothie if you expect that smoothie to taste good.  I'm sure it's good for your insides.  I guess that's the sacrifice.

For lunch, since I still haven't picked up any chicken to throw in a salad, I just made another smoothie. I finished the remaining serving as a post-workout meal.  The leftover chili is still good and filling.  I wish I had made some salad, but carrots and hummus wasn't a bad choice.  I'm working my way through the fruit bowl for dessert.


Breakfast:
1 serving Ultimate Power Smoothie: milk, yogurt, oatmeal, peanut butter, whey, banana and frozen concentrated OJ

Mid-morning Snack
1 serving Ultimate Power Smoothie

Lunch:
1 serving Choco-nana Smoothie: chocolate milk, banana, yogurt, walnuts and whey

Post-workout Drink:
1 serving Choco-nana Smoothie

Dinner:
bowl of chili.
carrots
hummus

Dessert:
Some fruit?

 we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 30 - June 2, 2013

Weight:  -

Today is the 30th days of my program.  I plan to do a nice comparison of where I am today with where I started, but I forgot to get on the scale before drinking breakfast.  I'm pretty pissed at myself.  The smoothie was tasty though, I was just distracted while I was making it.

I forgot to pick up an 8 piece of chicken from EPL yesterday.  I wanted to use it to make salad this week.  So I had to pick up a salad for lunch from Wendy's. I started dinner at a parental gathering.  The entree choices were very carby, so I stuck to the salad and the fruit.  When I got home, I had some protein from a bowl of chili.  Dessert was a nice ripe peach and skinned apple.



Breakfast:
1 Serving Strawberry Field Marshall Smoothie: yogurt, milk, peanut butter, strawberries and whey


Post-workout Meal:
1 Serving Strawberry Field Marshall Smoothie

Lunch:
Wendy's half sized salad - BLT Chicken Cobb
16 oz water w/ lime juice


Dinner:
Salad
Watermelon
grapes
1/2 bowl chili
16 oz water w/ lime juice


 Dessert:
1 peach
1 apple
16 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 29 - June 1, 2013

Weight:            243.6 lbs.
Body Fat %:     32%
Composition:    78 lbs fat / 165.6 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48%  (117 lbs )


 Had a hair appointment early (for me) this morning, had to rush out again.  I finished the remainder of last night's bad smoothie.  I thought a little yogurt and the mixture sitting over night might improve things, but it didn't.  I chased it with a banana.  Lunch was on the go, so a quick lunch at the EPL, a two piece (thigh and leg combo.  I only ate the thigh and save the leg and flour tortillas for another time.

I had a smoothie in the afternoon and chili for dinner.  I believe there was fruit for dessert, but I forgot to write it down.


Breakfast:
1 serving Cereal Killer Smoothie: bran flakes, milk, mixed berries, honey and whey
2 tbsp yogurt
1/2 banana

 Lunch:
1 chicken thigh from El Pollo Loco
1 small side of BBQ black beans
1 small side salad w/ cilantro dressing
16 oz Arnold Palmer: 1/2 Minute Maid Lite Lemonade and 1/2 unsweetened Ice Tea (1 refill)

Mid Afternoon Snack:
1 serving Banana Split Smoothie: banana, yogurt, orange juice concentrate, milk and whey
10 almonds

Dinner:
bowl of chili

Dessert:
a few pieces of fruit, an apple and pear maybe?

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 27 - May 30, 2013

Weight:            242.8 lbs.
Body Fat %:     34%
Composition:    82.5 lbs fat / 160 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            47.5%  (115 lbs )

Hard to know what to take seriously about the scale, but looks like body fat is sliding down a  bit.

I made a change to the smoothies.  I stopped using plain yogurt.  The sourness and lack of sweetness was sucking the sweetness out of the other ingredients.  Every smoothie so far hasn't been bad, but definitely didn't taste good.  They've been kind of bland.  I made today's shake with non-fat vanilla yogurt.  There was also watermelon and strawberries.  It tasted great, like nice fresh fruit.  Still tying to finish off the watermelon.  I bought a medium one over a week ago, and its lasting forever. I thought this shake would finish it off, but there's still some left for another shake tomorrow. This particular shake had so few calories (92) that I  wondering if that was enough, so I added extra whey to it. There's not any fat except for the 2% milk, and I don't usually like to start the day with too much fruit.  Maybe I'll add peanut butter or something next time.

I finally ate the last of the jambalaya for lunch.  For dinner I made chili in the slow cooker and headed to the gym. There's lots of beans, protein and fiber in the chili, not the gym.

After working out, I realized I had left my usual after workout meal (12 oz. chocolate milk) at home.  Lucky for me it was demonstration/exhibit day in the lobby of the gym.  I ingested several cocktails of free nutritional supplement samples.  I don't really know what was in them.  I asked a few questions, but did not get a ton of details in return.  If I fail any PED tests, I'll know where to look for answers.

I stopped at three different tables.  I think I drank two  protein shakes (sample sized), plus an amino blend, possibly of the branched-chain variety.  Again, I don't really know for sure.  Either way, it was the best day ever to have forgotten my post workout drink.

I made a side salad to go with the chili for dinner.  There were also a couple of pizza bread bite things that were also free samples from the gym lobby.  My wife got to eat the sample of steak taco I brought home (Baja Fresh).

 I don't remember dessert, I never wrote it down.  It was probably some fruit and nuts, right?


Breakfast:
1 serving Endless Summer Smoothie: milk, watermelon, strawberries, yogurt and whey.


Lunch:
1 1/3 laddles brown rice
2.5 laddles of leftover jambalaya


Mid-afternoon snack:
1 serving Endless Summer Smoothie

Post workout meal:

Post workout cocktail of free nutritional supplement samples (one was something about amino acids or branched chains, two were protein drinks, I think)

Dinner:
bowl of of salad: romaine lettuce w/ balsamic vinaigrette
2/3 bowl of chili w/ a dollop of sour cream and tbsp of shredded cheese
4 Domino's parmesan bread bites (part of the free sample palooza of earlier)
16 oz of water w/ lime juice
16 oz of water


 Dessert:
?????

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 26 - May 29, 2013

Weight:            244 lbs.
Body Fat %:     34.5%
Composition:    84 lbs fat  / 160 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            47.5%  (116 lbs )


The total fat analyses I've been doing lately screws with my mind.  The numbers bouncing around seems to motivate and then demotivate me .  Hopefully, in the big picture the numbers are trending in the right direction.  I'm wondering if I should stick to the everyday full analysis or return to once a week.  I'm going to continue the rest of the week, then evaluate if I want to continue with the dailies or make it weekly.

Breakfast: another shake.  I've been using plain yogurt, I think its sourness is negatively affecting the taste of the entire shake.  I had to grab lunch on the go, due to a lack of protein (meat) in the fridge.  I tried the Cobb salad from Wendy's, then the remainder of this morning's smoothie before hitting the gym.  Dinner was jambalaya and dessert was fruit and nuts.

The lesson I learned today is that if you are going to do mindless cardio, do it in the cardio theatre.  There's not better genre of movie to watch while doing cardio in the cardio theatre than a mindless action movie. Today was Tokyo Drift.  Loud exciting action sequences, just don't expect that any effort went into script writing.


Breakfast:
1 serving Strawberry Field Marshall Smoothie: yogurt, milk, peanut butter, strawberries, and whey.

Lunch:
BLT Cobb half-salad from Wendy's
16 oz water

Mid-afternoon snack:
1 serving Strawberry Field Marshall Smoothie: yogurt, milk, peanut butter, strawberries and whey

Dinner:
1 laddle brown rice
2.5 laddles jambalaya
16 oz water w/ lemon juice

Dessert:
Some watermelon
14 almonds
16 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 25 - May 28, 2013

Weight:             245 lbs.
Body Fat %:     33.5%
Composition:    82 lbs fat  / 163 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            47.5%  (116 lbs )


The scale was not my friend today, but probably a good blast of truth and common sense.  Back on the grind without too much damage done.

I lifted weight for the first time since I started today.  It went fine, no DOMS so far.

Breakfast was a smoothie again.  There's a heart-healthy serving of cooked oatmeal in this smoothie.  I'm not sure how I felt about that.  Could use a little sweetening, but I don's want to add any artificial sweetener. Maybe I'll add honey next time.

Lunch was leftover wings from Buffalo Wild Wings with the celery and carrot sticks that came with them.  Instead of the blue cheese dressing, I dipped in hummus.   Dinner was reliable jambalaya and brown rice again.  Dessert was an orange and nuts.


Breakfast:
1 serving "Ultimate Power Smoothie": milk, yogurt, oatmeal, peanut butter, and whey
16 oz water

 Mid-morning Meal:
1 serving Abs Diet Ultimate Power Smoothie: milk, yogurt, oatmeal, peanut butter, and whey

Lunch:
4 leftover BWW paresan garlic wings
leftover celery and carrot sticks w/ hummus
16 oz water

Post-workout meal:
12 oz. chocolate milk

Dinner:
1 laddle brown rice
2.5 laddles jambalaya
16 oz water w/ lemon juice

Dessert:
1 large (unripe) orange
15 almonds
32 oz. water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 23 - May 26, 2013

Today*
Weight:             245 lbs.▲
Body Fat %:     31.5% ▼
Composition:    77 lbs fat ▼ / 168 lbs. lean body mass ▲
H20 %:            48.5%  (119 lbs ▲)

 *  I got on the fat (analysis) scale about 5 times, but I still can't believer that such a dramatic change could take place over 24 hours. There has to be an error somewhere.  I'll measure again tomorrow morning.

Yesterday
Weight:             244.2 lbs.
Body Fat %:     34%
Composition:    83 lbs fat  / 161.2 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            47.5%  (116 lbs )

I don't normally do a full analysis beyond once a week, but I just wanted to see the numbers today.  I know these number can't be humanly possible.  Human error? do I know how to use a calculator?  Is the scale inaccurate?  Could a drastic increase in simple carbs draw more water into the muscles?  Was I retaining water due to inflammation in my elbows (from boxing class yesterday).  I don't know.

I measured my weight the same as I do everyday .  I got on the scale in the morning, before eating or drinking anything, but after my first morning pee.  It's the best I can do to try to keep the conditions similar for each weigh-in.  I know a single poop could change things quite a bit, but I can't control for that.  If I have to go, I have to go; and vice versa. 

Oh well.  Life goes on.  I'll retest tomorrow.  And repeat today (sounds like fun).   I'll eat similarly to what I did yesterday.  Let's see what the scale says, maybe I've stumbles across the greatest diet ever (pastrami burger, fries and ice cream diet).

I didn't exactly match yesterday exactly.  I had a bacon double cheese burger instead of a pastrami burger. Then I had an ice cream shake instead of scoops, but the idea was the same.  The beer at the end was much better tonight though.

The scale is going to be interesting tomorrow.


Breakfast:
2 servings Blue Velvet Smoothie: mixed berries, chocolate milk, yogurt, flaxseed and whey

Lunch:
Five Guys Bacon (Double) Cheese Burger
2/5 of an order of regular sized fries (w/ Cajun seasoning)
1 Minute Maid Lite Strawberry Lemonade (2 refills)

Dinner:
1 Sonic strawberry cheesecake shake


Dessert:
Blue Moon Belgian IPA
15 almonds

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 20 - May 23, 2013

Weight: 247 lbs.

 
Today was a challenge.  A challenge that I had hoped to avoid.  During my last pizza binge, I asked my wife to only bring the leftover pizza home if she was going to eat it for breakfast. I didn't want the temptation sitting in the fridge every time I open the door.  Oh course she said, "sure, honey!"

Breakfast was simple, just like yesterday with some oatmeal, sausage and tomato juice, then came lunch.  I had another round of indecision paralysis.  What was I going to have for lunch and where was I gonna get it?  I almost broke down and ate the pizza that was still sitting in the fridge. I figured that if I chucked the crust, the pizza was mostly tomato sauce, cheese and meat.  Then I looked at the white bread that was the foundation of the pizza and I had to say no. I had a shake from the Abs Diet book instead.

I went to the gym again today to give the little guy something to do in the afternoon.  In the cardio theatre at my Gold's, I watched most of Adam Sandler's Wedding Singer while walking and biking.  Dinner was brown rice and jambalaya again and probably will be for a while (keeping it simple).


Breakfast:
2 Farmer John's pork breakfast sausages
1/2 serving of Old Fashion Quaker Oats
8 oz VB Spicy Tomato Juice
16 oz water

Mid-morning Snack:
1/2 serving salted peanuts

Lunch:
Chocolate Factory Smoothie: chocolate milk, yogurt, peanut butter, whey and flaxseed.
    
Dinner:
1 scoop brown rice
2.5 scoops jambalaya w/ shrimp, chicken and smoke sausage


Dessert:
Several slices of watermelon
15 (unsalted) almonds

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...