Day 70

Current Weight: 295
Approx Body Fat 32.3%
Blood Pressure: 144/90

This week was full of changes. I apparently backslid on my weight and bp but i stuck with my workouts. I am having a hard time adjusting to the summertime schedule with having my children around more and that is pushing my workouts later into the evening. I am still enjoying all the exercises but the shoulder injury hampered me somewhat. I worked around the injury and i still feel really good. I added a pull-up bar to my routine. Up until now i have been using the bands for pull up simulation but the bar has helped add some intensity. I still need to use a chair to assist but i can definitely target the muscle better and i feel sore after my workouts. 

Diet this week was tough. having the kids about and summertime activities is making it hard to stay on track. I found myself going for a diet soda on a few occasions where there was no water available and i need to detox that out of my system. Food wise was mostly prepared food and i think that is what has caused the weight gain and the bp increase. I ate well and proper foods but they are not as good as what i make myself.

Supplementing is still the same and i am going to finish the program before i add back the thermogenic. I only have 20 days remaining and i can push through without any more than my standard supplements..

I still have not made the decision between the p90x lean and the insanity  for my next workout. I also have thought about coming up with a routine on my own but i find that pushing play will keep me motivated. Anyways here are this weeks pictures. I hope to see more results. I just wish those love handles would disappear.

Day 63

Current Weight: 293
Approx Body Fat 32.6%
Blood Pressure: 142/82

Its hard to believe that the program is in the last 30 days. i have the insanity dvds and may try those next but i am also considering the p90x lean. I am unsure what is next. I have thoroughly enjoyed these workouts and this week was no exception. We went back to some of the starting routines and ill admit the difference is huge from the beginning   My strength is amazing and the push ups are no issue at all I actually enjoy them. I did however over train my shoulder this week and i am feeling a minor shoulder injury. i will be sure to work around the injury but while continue to press on. I admit i am saddened that i am in the last 30 days but i know the results i have will continue to build. The addition of the extra heavy weight band is amazing and my back is truly feeling the results. 

Diet this week was interesting. I found myself literally starving and craving really bad.  I have maintained very low carbs and caloric intake but i believe that was the issue. on the one night i did cheat the hunger went away and i felt more energetic. I think I am simply consuming too few calories and need to increase my intake. My body is slowing down with the weigh loss and while this may be normal I am worried i may be going into a starvation mode. with building more muscle I guess the body needs more energy.  I am going to make some adjustments this week and add some more lean foods to the diet. Also my water intake is still struggling, I need to really focus on that and do better. While I have improved over last week  I still am not at goal.

Supplementing is the same. I did add a new type of protein to my post workout and this whey based one actually has "revigor" in the mix now it is supposed to help with muscle repair, also this one is a little higher in carbs than my others but with the decrease in energy and increase in cravings I think it will work out ok. My bp is still slightly high and the body fat didn't move much but i still consider this week a success. I am just afraid that it is becoming routine and I may not be pushing as hard as I should. my goal for next week is to fix my water intake and push harder on my workouts. 

Day 56

Current Weight: 295
Approx Body Fat 32.9%
Blood Pressure: 144/84

This week was the all cardio week and i admit the change was dramatic. i finally broke the 300 lb barrier!!!! Core while still being a very weak area for me was a huge improvement. And kempo is just plain fun now i really look forward to that workout. Yoga still is hard with some of the twisting moves but i can get through the entire workout and am finding myself very calm and relaxed at the end it all.  Flexibility is definitely improving and strength is sneaking up on me. I wish i could see more physical change in my pics but i am doing my best and must remind myself that the way my clothes are fitting and my energy level is telling the true tale. I can now put on and take off jeans that were tight without even unbuttoning or unzipping now. And as this entry is a day late i will say that in today's workout i did more push ups than i ever have since leaving the Army. I found a heavy band with 100 lb resistance level and that has allowed me to step up the workout considerably. 

Diet this week was ok i had a few meals i had to eat on the run and on especially bad trip to the golden arches with the kids was tough. But i made a good choice and avoided those yummy french fries i miss so much. My water intake is still not where i would like it to be and i am going to have to start making a point to drink more and more often, even if i have to set a reminder alarm. I also have been adding a small can of tuna as a evening snack that seems to curb late night munchies. 

Supplementing is still going well. I still have not added the thermogenic and am trying to hold off until i stop seeing progress.  I have added a second protein to the regimen. I am taking a casein based protein first thing in the am and before bedtime and any time i use a shake as a meal replacement. For any pre or post workout protein i am now using a whey based  one. And this seems to be working ok.  

I am looking forward to the upcoming week as it is a repeat of that first week of the program and i am very excited to see the changes from the beginning. Well here are this weeks pics. As i said i wish i could see more change but ill take the increase in strength, flexibility, and health.

Day 49

Current Weight: 300
Approx Body Fat 33.8%
Blood Pressure: 144/88

This week was good i can definitely feel the strength building.  The exercises are coming easier and easier and my flexibility is night and day from the start.Next Week starts an all cardio week again and i am curious to see how this one goes compared to the last time. The Kempo is just flat out fun and I can complete the workout with moderate difficulty  Yoga is still puzzling me on some of he moves especially concerning the twisting moves.  it appears this is an area i need to work on. The core synergistic this week will definitely hurt as i still consider the core my weakest area.  I did add an exercise ball to my home equipment and it helps with some of the stretching moves.

Diet this week was mostly good. I did begin taking in a few more carbs  as my energy level was declining but i am still pretty rigid with the food. One of the biggest disappointments this week was i notice my water intake has declined. I need to get back on track with my 100 oz a day. I think that that will contribute to the overall plan.  This week i am shopping strictly from the diet plan and will be pretty spartan with the food. i really want to shred the fat this week and take full advantage of the cardio. 

Supplementing is still the same old same old and i cannot complain the routine is working and i am losing the weight and getting stronger. I just wish i could start seeing physical change and more definition.  My blood pressure is coming down more and more each week and I hope to break the 300 pound barrier this week.  I want to add a thermogenic again and find something to help with energy just to take it to another level. I am so scared of hitting a plateau. 

Day 42

Current Weight: 303
Approx Body Fat 33.8%
Blood Pressure: 148/96 

This week was interesting i am finding it harder and harder to fit in my workouts with the arrival of summer. I actually had to flip two of the days because i simply did not have the time to do the full yoga. The new moves introduced like the corn cob pull-up and the side to side push ups are definitely challenging and i need to remind myself that I struggled with the other moves when i first began them as well.  However i still fond my physical condition to be much improved and when i went for a hike this past week I was amazed at how well my endurance was. The addition of the dumbbells was a good idea and i can feel the soreness after my workouts more acutely now. I am thinking that the addition of push-up bars are the next purchase. 

Diet wise i preformed pretty well.  I did go out to a steakhouse one night though my dinner consisted of only a six ounce sirloin, baked potato with only butter and a salad. A far change from my older days at that establishment. However i do need to lock down a little tighter to the nutrition plan since my loss this week was not that phenomenal.

 Supplement wise i stopped taking the thermogenic and  I am concerned that that may have  contributed to the issue of the plateau. I may add that back into the regimen. 

Well here are this weeks pics. No Dramatic Change but still i am only approaching the halfway.....just ahve to bring it harder.

Day 35

Current Weight: 304
Approx Body Fat 33.9%
Blood Pressure: 148/98

This week was the first week of the new cycle. I admittedly did not do as well as i should have this week due to and out of town trip for two days. I was able to still get in workouts but had to modify them due to facilities available. The familiar workouts are getting easier and i can tell my stamina has improved greatly along with my flexibility.  Yoga is becoming more and more enjoyable and some of the positions i thought i could never do, i am able to begin doing them somewhat. I still find myself craving more and some evenings I am adding a walk or some more stretching just remain active I also bought some dumbells this week so now I can switch away from the bands alone. They still have their place but the weights will allow me to take it up a notch and bring it harder. 

Diet is doing real well, even though i was out of town for a few days the restaurant trips i did make we not too bad. I was able to make healthy choices and discovered that most servings while eating out are too large. I had one meal consisting of a salad, seasonal vegetables and two grilled chicken breast that I could not finish. Diet is definitely on track. This part of the p90 nutrition plan adds more carbs to the diet but I am still limiting my intake as much as i can. I guess i am scared of the carb LOL.

Where supplements are concerned I did add a new one this week. I have begun using a pre-workout drink from GNC to help me push harder through the workouts and keep me from crashing during them.  Its a good drink with very low carbs and calories with amino acids, CLA, and a thermogenic. Still tastes bad but i have yet to ind one that tastes good. 

All in all I am happy with the huge drop in body fat this week although i wish my BP had dropped some more. The BP may be a result of supplement use but I am still pleased with the overall change. I am still on track to continue to lose and though the results are slowing down I can still feel the change. I have dropped two sizes in my waist and I can see some definition starting to take place. Also the pumps i am getting from the muscle building workouts are amazing. 

Day 28

Current Weight: 307
Approx Body Fat 35.9%
Blood Pressure: 148/98

This week was the all cardio week and i  must admit the addition of core synergistic was challenging. It lets me know that i need to bring it a little harder on my ab ripper workout. My core is definitely in need of some work. Yoga got better and better and i can follow through and hang with all but the most advanced moves. As for Kempo X well it is becoming just plain fun but i still need to get my endurance up some more and take less breaks .  The workouts are becoming more addictive and i am craving the exercise.

As far as my nutrition i am doing really well and able to shy away from most bad foods now and water with lemon is my drink of choice. Even when the  rare opportunity presents for a bad snack (such as a cup cake with the kids) I am able to enjoy it and not feel the guilt just knowing that I will bring it that much harder the next day.  I had my kids here all week and though they had meals in mid like tacos, spaghetti, and hamburger with fries, I was able to fix their meals and still prepare my own healthy choices without cheating. 

I am supplementing now with some basic vitamins, every morning I am taking B-12 500mcg, a multivitamin, chromium picolinate, and magnesium. Those along with my protein powder are it for now though i am considering the addition of a pre workout drink and a fish oil supplement. 

I fell good about my result although they are slowing down I am still trending towards my goals and i can fell the changes happening in my body. This next week switches things up again and I am glad its time to break the routine and bring it harder :-)
  I am doing starting pics on the left and today on the right for comparison.

Day 1

Day 28

Day 1

Day 28

Here are the two week update pics. 

Day 21

Current Weight: 311
Approx Body Fat 36.3%
Blood Pressure: 152/98
.
This week was actually not too bad. As far as the exercise went i am beginning to find the workouts quite enjoyable and am able to complete most of them with the exception of the yoga which i am still struggling with. I also find myself craving the exercise and wanting to do more. I added some cardio in the form of running walking on a few of the muscle strength days.  I have to remind myself to not overdo it. Next week is the all cardio week and I am kinda dreading that but its just seven days and I can push through. I did not have the big change over this week like i have seen in weeks past but i was fully expecting a slowdown so I am reminding myself to stay positive. 
As far as diet is concerned i did really well this week with the exception of one day where i admittedly cheated pretty badly with some pizza and other bad foods. I don't think that it affected my performance too badly since i added the extra cardio but i am going to try to remain focused going forward. I know cheat days will happen but i will strive to minimize them. I actually tried a diet soda with the pizza and found it incredibly sweet. so water with lemon is my drink of choice easily now. Another problem i am having is making sure i do eat. I went one day and realized i had no solid food until that evening. I had had a couple of protein shakes but nothing substantial so i had to make a note to remember to eat LOL. Also i am having trouble with snacking. I have celery and raw carrots on hand but i seem to always be craving in the evenings. I believe it is boredom eating so i need to find some way to combat that. I remind myself that its still only 21 days into it and I still have a long road ahead. 

Day 14

Current Weight: 314
Approx Body Fat 36.5%
Blood Pressure: 150/104

This week was not as bad the food cravings seem to be under control and  I have successfully converted to water with lemon to drink almost every time. My caloric intake is under 1800 a day and the food cravings have all but disappeared. I did have one night that I felt like I wanted to eat  the whole kitchen but I was able to suffer through.
Exercise is getting easier i find myself being able to do more and more of the routines but I still run out of fuel on the cardio portions. My flexibility is also improving i find myself being able to touch the floor on most stretching exercises.
All in all i want to work out more and more and have to remind myself my muscles need time to recover. I am a little disappointed in my pics this week but i have to remind myself its only the end of my second week.

Day 7

Current Weight: 319
Approx Body Fat 39.5%
Blood Pressure: 154/108

This week was not easy at all. The workouts are tough and i can tell I have not been extremely active. I tire easily and find myself skipping some of the movements during cardio to rest. However i push my hardest and complete the workout. I cannot do the plyometrics yet so I substituted the cardio X DVD. The diet has been the biggest adjustment I am drinking solely water with lemon (100 oz a day min) with the exception f hot green tea in the evening. I am trying to shy away from any prepared food and artificial sweeteners and the bulk of my consumption is high protein low carb. I a also using a post workout and an occasional pre bedtime protein shake. I am only going to post pics every other week but I feel good and i can feel strength returning.

Day 1

Starting Weight : 332

Approx Body Fat 42%

Blood Pressure: 180/118

Ok i am Starting this blog late because i just decided i am going to do it. Here are my starting Pics