Back and Ready to GO!

Got back on Sunday night. I've had a great week, no booze, minimal food, more exercise than I've ever had in one week, sunshine and relaxation. I even finished 4 books (certainly a personal best).

I had a workout scheduled with my personal trainer this morning otherwise i wouldn't have gone. Really exhausted even though i had a full day of just sitting yesterday. Workout was the Buff Dudes workout A - it was a killer, thanks CB.

i had promised to take some progress photos today but I've not had the chance. Will do it tonight however I'm not as happy with the progress as i thought I'd be - weighed in at 98.9kg this morning where i fully expected to be below 98. But let's keep things in perspective - my pants are not as tight, my wife's first comment when she picked me up at the airport was "wow you look skinny" and there is no way in hell that the past week didn't do anything but make me healthier. and 900 grams is not much, let's see what the wednesday weigh in is (could be some water weight issues).

So, looking back on the previous posts i thought I'd get things into even more perspective. Goals, it is now crystal clear to me that the singular goal is weight loss. This is only achieved through the things that become sub-goals, get fit, eat right, lift heavy, be active - so it's all on track.

I have 8 weeks to go on the transformation challenge - if i can do only as well as i have in the last 4 weeks then i would finish at under 90kgs. i believe i can do a little better than that so it's GAME ON.

Pictures to come tonight!

Dan John changed my life!

I am excited! I watched a video of Dan John a few days ago giving a seminar on O Lifts. He showed that even the stiffest of people can squat, and squat properly down to their heels. I got home that night and tried it - wow, I can squat properly.
If this is not exciting then let me explain. I live in Asia where everyone squats. If you can't squat then going to the toilet is difficult. I have never been able to do this without extreme discomfort and always believed that because i didn't do this as a child and continue on a daily basis that my legs, knees and ankles were no longer capable of squatting - WRONG.

So if you can't sit in a squat or have pain/difficulty in the squat rack then this video is a god send. If front squats or overhead squats are hard then you need to review your approach.

Additionally he explains the RDL properly and how it should feel. In doing them today along with Good Mornings this information really made sense.

I absolutely love the way he explains things, so simple, so clear, no bull shit. Check it out!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6529481301858251744#

Progress!

Well i feel that this transformation period got off to a shaky start but that now we are beginning to see progress.

Progress because i was 100 even on the scales yesterday - i won't hit 96 by next Monday but i will be in Vietnam that week and hope to weigh in at 96 when i return.

Shaky with the first two weeks being completely carb free. I did not like this and honestly feel that it did no good. I'm glad to be back eating healthy foods again.

I've got a personal trainer twice a week which really pushes things up a notch. I'm forcing him to stick to the TT programme but just having someone push you that little bit more in resistance and intervals is really good. He's also helping me with foam rolling and stretching which i really like and am beginning to see the benefits of.

Food wise i'm now comfortable with whole foods and intermittent fasting. i like some of the concepts out there like the paleo diet, cheat days/refeeds, protein at each meal etc. But i'm not getting bogged down with it. i combined some of this on Sunday by beginning my fast a noon on Saturday, working out really hard Sunday morning and then having a big BBQ on Sunday afternoon. In my mind it's like going on the hunt, tracking down the animal, wrestling with it for half an hour and then lugging the thing home for a feast - might not have any real nutritional or metabolic relevance but the thought process made it enjoyable. Plus i got a good cheat/refeed in that was high protein. Back to eating normal food today.

People have started to notice my weight loss, my clothes are starting to fit better and i can see a difference in the mirror. Upon my return i will post some before and after pictures - i'm actually looking forward to that.

Personal Trainer

Today i started with a personal trainer - the dude is very expensive so i hope with is worth it. After today's session i know that this just what i need.

As i'm in the TT Transformation No7 i need to stick with that programme - which PT Dude hates because it hit on his territory of being the know-it-all. But i don't care, the objective is that he helps me with form and motivation (pumping up the effort a little here and there). I also want him to help me with interval/intensive cardio with things other than the bike or treadmill. They have the TRX and Kettle Bells there which i'd like to use for that but also just someone pushing me really hard on body weight circuits would be good.

This morning he really got me going, this is truly good stuff. Because there was a lot of introduction etc we didn't get to the intervals but i was stuffed anyway. I am only going to use him for twice a week for a couple of weeks so i need to make the most of it. once i've completed the TT competition i might do a three month course with these guys.

i believe that the TT workouts are great but this will push me through to the next level.

Results are good to date. I know the scales don't say much but i have had some really good comments lately. Sunday someone i haven't seen since last year commented on how amazing i looked and yesterday three people commented on how much weight i'd lost, how fit i looked and how i'd lost the recent fat look - all these coming form very different perspectives. Also i can see a difference in the mirror - you'll have to wait till week 4 to see that.

TT Transformation #7

Well well, i had planned to do this 12 week transformation all on my own. Then Craig B. of TT launched another transformation contest so i had to join. This is great as it will give just that little more motivation to stick at it and to get the best results. Also the social aspect will help etc.

Down side is that i started on the 26th of December but didn't take my pics (see below) until the 1st of Jan, which means that essentially i have an extra week in the programme. but then this is good too, one more week will mean just that little bit more fat loss etc.

Today i weighed in at 102 kg a full 2 down from last Monday (again i only count the monday weight as relevant and all others are just a guide). as Monday the 28th was two days into my low carb diet i think that most of the water weight was already lost and therefore the 2kg i've lost since then is real weight loss. it should be, i've been spot on my eating and working really hard in and out of the gym.

Took my pics for the competition on the 1st. this is very sad for me in a few ways. firstly if i compare the pics to the beginning of last years 12 week challenge then there is no difference (eventhough i am almost 9kg lighter and much fitter). Secondly i just look so damn fat. When i watch 'The Biggest Loser' i always think of them as being much bigger than me. Also as i've lost some weigh i feel that i'm better than before (almost feel slim) as today i'm down at least 16kg from my heaviest - i can wear normal sized clothes etc. But in those pictures the truth is there and cannot be denied - i am very very fat.

All the more reason to stick at this 12 week challenge and shake this 'fat man' thing forever.