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Workout
I did the aerobic level 2 workout, then had to get ready for work without the additional treadmill time. I finished in 38 minutes again, which reminds me of a Stargate Atlantis episode of the same name. Well, 38 minutes is a special amount of time in the Stargate shows, because… never mind.
Nutrition
To summarize: Meals good, cake bad. Yes, I had a big piece of cake this afternoon. Fortunately, my meals were reasonable, so my calorie count went over by 200 or so, but not much more.
Health and well-being
I felt pretty lousy after that piece of cake, physically and mentally. I mentioned this a few days ago, but again I am reminded that I need to choose carefully when and why I want to eat like this. I exercise enough to be healthy, for sure, but I am not fooling myself into thinking I can burn off this many calories. I am reminded of one episode of The Biggest Loser where the contestants spent a few days training with the U.S. Marine Corps. They got back to the ranch and learned they had gained weight, despite their rigorous training, because they made poor food choices. Trainer Bob Harper’s response was something like, “Well, you can eat your way out of any exercise that you do.” That’s definitely worth remembering.
Workout
I finished the Striver’s level 2 resistance workout in 60 minutes. I was working hard, too. I still want to see a video of someone completing it in 40 minutes. The good news is that I can imagine a time, maybe a couple of months away, where I will outgrow my 20 lb adjustable weights for certain exercises. Yes, 20 lbs. I know, Tony uses bigger ones. I’m getting there. I guess it’s good news except for the fact that I need the money for new weights, right?
Nutrition
I ate surprisingly well today, considering what I’ve been eating for the past week. I had oatmeal with whey powder and cranberries for breakfast, my usual protein bar snack, a light lunch of bean soup with ham and an apple, then a sort of ham sandwich on rice cakes and hummus for a late-afternoon snack. I had quite a few calories left, so for dinner I had yam black bean chili (with ground turkey), and dessert was plain yogurt, whey powder, flaxseed meal, and a banana. People often say when they are dieting, that if you choose the right foods, it’s amazing how much you can eat.
Between dinner and bedtime, I made a big pot of soup, using vegetables I had in the fridge, some chicken breast, barley, and lentils. I am looking forward to eating that for lunch.
Health and well-being
30 days! In one sense, I am happy that I stuck with it this long, except for those days I was sick. Compared to the end of P90X round 4, this is much more consistent. On the other hand, I am conceding defeat on the “dietary cleanse” part of the program. I was ready to give it the old college try, for at least two meals a day, but maybe I picked the wrong month for it. I think the closest I got to a cleanse was the days I skipped dessert and ate fruit instead. It’s a start.
Workout
The level 2 aerobic workout took 38 minutes, right in line with Tony’s estimate. I added a 25 minute walk/run on the treadmill. The calorie burn for the workout was moderate.
Nutrition
Back to healthier habits today, or so I thought… Last night I was asking myself why I felt like I needed to indulge so much. One one hand, being healthy is not about depriving myself. On the other hand, in order to feel and look my best, I have to eat healthy food equivalent to 80 or 90 percent of my reasonable calorie intake for the day. That might mean I can have a small dessert, or a larger meal, but I can’t make the less healthy choice every time.
Unfortunately for my resolve, today a co-worker brought in her 50th birthday cake. So I had cake, again. I made sure the rest of my meals and snacks kept me at a slight calorie deficit for the day. This is not the way it’s supposed to be.
Health and well-being
I didn’t sleep as long as I wanted to last night, but I did get through a workout plus some extra things I needed to do around the house, and still got out the door to work at a reasonable time. My mid-afternoon coffee was not as much of a crutch as I expected, because I was pretty alert. Maybe that’s progress? Or maybe it was just too much sugar.
Workout
I didn’t work out at all today. I considered an afternoon treadmill session, like I did last Sunday, but it didn’t happen. As I have mentioned before, Tony and I agree that it’s OK to take a break now and then. I am planning ahead for a good workout tomorrow.
Nutrition
Today I attended church, which included that little coffee and cake hour. As a matter of fact, I was one of the people supplying goodies this week, and I did not disappoint. Breakfast and lunch were reasonable, and then for dinner my wife suggested ordering some chicken teriyaki, which was not terrible calorie-wise, but for the whole day I was over by 500+ calories. Now might be a good time to mention Ben Greenfield’s “Get Fit Guy” podcast about How to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle at the Same Time, in which he suggests maintaining a calorie deficit (about -500 or so per day) most of the week, and having a “refeeding” day 1-2 days a week. I need to work on the calorie deficit part, for sure, and “refeeding” is not supposed to be more than a 500-calorie surplus. I made it sound good, though, right?
Health and well-being
I had a good night’s sleep, a cup of coffee mid-morning, no workout, and extra food. Life is good! Tomorrow, though, it’s back to reality. As Tony once said, “Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was your body.”
Workout
It’s the end of my first week with the Striver’s Resistance Workout, Level 2. It took just over an hour, maybe a few minutes more than the last time. There were some distractions (on a Saturday), but I did all the sets.
Nutrition
I ate very well for a Saturday, if that’s any indication of my eating habits. I suspect I am not alone! Today, though, I started a little late on my workout, which meant that by the time I had my post-workout meal, it was lunch instead of breakfast, and there was no snack in between. I had a busy afternoon, so I skipped my afternoon snack too. Dinner was a higher-calorie meal, and I did have a TV-time snack (if you know what I mean), but when I added it all up, I still had a 200-calorie deficit for the day.
I had no caffeine today, either. Of course, when I was at the supermarket buying ingredients for yam black bean chili, and more protein bars, I did take a longing look at the Starbucks counter, but I kept on walking.
Health and well-being
I got a decent night’s sleep. What that actually means is that I woke up at my usual early time, because my body is used to that, but then I got myself back to sleep for a while longer. I didn’t feel drained all day as I did on the previous resistance workout day. As I mentioned above, I ran some errands, but I relaxed too. It’s not that I need more time looking at the Internet and TV, but it’s fun to just kick back for a few hours on the weekend.
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