What’s good everyone,

As you know, I’m big on personal health and working out.  I wrote some previous articles on getting in better shape and focusing on your goals. I know it can be hard to work towards them, so I’m going to update you on my personal progress and hope that we can motivate each other to reach our goals.

Right now my current goal is to get my body right by May 15th, 2009. I’m in the “get over the hump” stage, so I’m grinding out heavy. Here are my current stats

Week 7 Weight – 200.4

Week 8 Weight - 200.0

Difference Weekly - 0.4 lbs lost

Difference to date: 1.0 lbs gain

Target Weight – 190

Weight Training  Expected – 3

Weight Training  Actual -5

Cardio/Abs Training Expected – 6

Cardio/Abs Training Actual – 2

You know, I took a look at my progress over these last few weeks, and almost got frustrated. I say almost because after 8 weeks, I’ve zig zagged in weight and currently end up at 1lb heavier than when I first started this weekly series. If I didn’t understand the dynamic of my body and weight lost, I would feel like I made no progress, but I know thats not the case. I actually put on more lean muscle (grow up) since I’ve started. I’ve switched up this plan many times, Including a 6 day a week lifting plan, the perfect pushup, and cycling back on creatine, all which promote weight gain (good weight). I figured that if my body wanted to zig zag my weight gain, I would flip it and use the weight to my advantage, turn it to muscle, then drop whatever weight I needed to drop.

Physically, I can see the dramatic changes in muscle mass. When people who haven’t seen me in months start asking if I’m juicing, that’s always a good thing (no A-Rod). I also started re-reading all my workout and diet books I purchased back in 07 when I started taking the gym seriously. It’s funny how we know what works, yet we stray away from a working formula. I highly recommend Tom Venuto’s Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle book. THis book changes the way you think, eat, and approach weight loss and fitness. It makes you take ownership of your fitness goals and gives a real talk account of what it takes to succeed. There’s a detailed way to measure your gains week to week other than straight weight loss. For example, although I only lost 0.4 pounds this week, I lost about 2-3lbs in overall fat weight. I measure my body fat week to week to see whta I have to do in order to make gains. It helps to measure if what you eat/how you workout actually works for your body. Check the book out. The Abs Diet, by MensHealth.com, also has great nutritional information.

From using Tom’s book, I actually lost TOO much weight at one point,  that’s how super focused it made me! So now I’m back on my Bullsh*t (No Busta Rhymes), making it happen. I actually did a weight assessment and found that to reach my fitness goal, I only had to get to 190 and not my original 185. So I adjusted my goal accordingly. I don’t want to lose too much weight. Also, I must keep my cardio consistent. I want to do 4 or more sessions a week.

If I can get this week out with all my lifting/perfect pushup sessions, along with my 4x a week cardio, and try to stay away from my guilty pleasures (fried foods, liquor, ice cream), I should make 198 or 197 by next weigh-in. Now, I can have those foods, just in moderation and not too late at night (sans alcohol, where I get it in at Night, lol). Either way, I got 10 days until May 15th, and that following week we’ll see my status. I’ll get to 190 no problem. I’m looking to do it by before Memorial Day. The focus is back on point! Walk with me!

See you next week.