GOAL

Hit 97 on the scales at the gym today, that's the lowest those actual scales have ever registered for me! this is close enough for me to say that Goal 1 is achieved. It's late, but I'm happy with that. Now onto goal number two - get below 90. With 6 weeks to go this is going to happen - as Yoda says 'there is do or do not, there is no try'

Have to go to a funeral next week, travelling, visiting friends/family and the event itself will make it hard to stick to food things. But i will do it, no alcohol will be tough - then again no one said it would be easy.

Run Down

Last week was very hard. I started a new programme on Monday with the personal trainer - Buff Dudes. This was super hard work and i really hurt afterwards. When i go to the office i actually had to stop on the stairs to rest in order to get to the top - thought i might not make it at one point.

I did not do any other activity for the week until Thursday for the next workout. Can you believe that i still hurt from Monday's session - and i mean really really hurt not just a little muscle pain.

Thursday's workout was so hard i didn't finish. In fact i almost threw up - only seen this on TV previously. No working out for the rest of the week, only Golf on Friday and some kitesurfing on Saturday (minimal).

The feeling i had was like having low batteries. I was constantly exhausted and felt like i hadn't eaten enough food - not really hungry just like my body was out of fuel. I decided to give things a rest and refuel. i did no ESE for the week and tried to eat extra without going overboard. I think i did ok and didn't really exceed my calorie intake on any day.

This morning's workout was better but still not perfect. But i need to stay with it. So this week i will keep the calories down and stay active. Going to work out wed&fri maybe play golf tomorrow and surf on the weekend - thursday can be rest day.

I will also try to do some extra activity in the evenings - will at the very least go for a long walk. Food wise i will just stick to the plan and try to get one ESE in this week.

I guess this all happened because i was so drained from the week in Vietnam. When you reduce your calories and continue to workout in this situation there is no time for catch up. Question remains whether this is the best way to lose weight or if it has a negative effect. i was clost to getting ill from this but i think i have survived so i think i've cut it as close to the wire as possible.

RESULTS

Let the pictures tell the words rather than letting me type. Only one really important thing to note that the shorts I'm wearing in the after pictures are one size smaller - if i were in the old ones then the fat would be less pushed up and maybe the difference would be more striking.

This is 4 weeks into the 12 week transformation - with 8 weeks to go i think things are looking good. View the difference and try to multiply by three - that gives the mind's eye a view of what the end result will be.

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.