Blogging my way to a better body

The Day of Reckoning

Fri, 8 Aug 2008 09:32:58 -0400

It is here. Today marks 6 months from the day I started my quest for a six pack. Back in February, I looked like this:

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this website writes a book without you ever having to move past the photos page. Still, I think the statistics are worth pointing out.

2/8/08 8/8/08
Weight 182.25 lbs 149
Shoulders 50.5 inches 45.5
Chest 42 37.75
Waist 37 30.5
Abdomen 39 31

So basically, in 6 months, I lost 33.25 pounds, 6 and a half inches in my waist, and a whopping 8 inches from my gut. Wow. I’m wearing the same pants in each photo I took for this site, although I could no longer wear them in public back in April. By the end, you can’t even see these pants in the photo, they’re hanging so low - it would be criminal in Flint, Michigan. While I’m resisting the urge to do the Jared/Weight watchers side-profile picture showing how loose they are, just know that they are falling off.

However, more important than the weight and measurements, particularly to my six-pack, is the body fat percentage. I started at 20.6%. My goal was to get below 10 percent, the magic number at which your abs are supposed to start becoming visible. Here’s what happened there:

So even with all my fluctuations and plateaus, it appears that out of the 30+ pounds I lost, less than 5 of those were muscle. I lost over 26.5 pounds of pure fat! When I went in to have my body fat tested by the folks at www.bodyfattest.com last week, Bali, the operator, saw how much my weight had dropped immediately. When I weighed in more than 30 pounds less than my first visit, he wondered if I had lost too much muscle, as is almost unavoidable whenever one loses large amounts of weight. But the numbers don’t lie. After 4 dunks in the underwater tank, the results were in: 7.3% body fat - better than my most ambitious goals. I had already set a post-sixpackinsixmonths.com goal of getting down to between 7 and 8 percent body fat, but last Saturday I realized I had already reached my long term goal before the end of 6 months. Pumped.

Over the last few weeks, I focused on my diet a lot - cutting out almost all carbohydrates except for fruits and vegetables (although I did sneak a few servings of brown rice sushi in there). But I didn’t go crazy in the gym or with the cardio. I pretty much kept to the normal routine. Also, similar to the first month of this challenge, I cut out alcohol altogether. But for the strong majority of the 6 months, I didn’t have to cut out bread or alcohol.

This brings me to a point I wanted to make with this challenge: you don’t have to go extreme to get real results. A lot of experts will tell you that you have to eat 6 times per day (I usually had 4 meals). Many who analyzed my diet told me that I would need to cut out white bread from my Subway sandwiches (I didn’t) or that I would need to cut out Subway altogether (I should own stock in their company). This isn’t an endorsement for Subway. I actually made more use of Doc Greens and Publix over the last couple months. I just want to show that this can be done by someone too busy or lazy (I’m a little combination of both) to home-cook all of their meals or by someone too normal to drink raw eggs for breakfast.

These kinds of results can also be achieved without going crazy at the gym. Although I aimed for 3 workouts per week, I actually hit the weights 54 times in 26 weeks - just over twice a week. My workouts averaged about half an hour each, and not once more than 45 minutes. And I just followed the workout plans in The New Rules of Lifting, although I believe that almost any pre-planned workout will do the trick if you stick to it.

I did do plenty of cardio - 124 workouts over the 6 months, which averages out to almost 5 per week. I don’t think it was necessary to do this much, but I love dancing, and I also had a big performance a couple months ago that pretty much necessitated daily practice. I don’t want to discount the value of all the cardio, but I think I could have done a bit less and still achieved some pretty amazing results. Someone smarter than me can probably go back and look at how my weight changed based on my average calories, weightlifting workouts and cardio workouts and tell me exactly which factors yielded what results, but it wasn’t anything ridiculous that I couldn’t keep up in some form as a lifestyle. My biggest advice regarding the cardio would be to find something you like doing, so it’s not a chore. There’s simply way too many different types of physical activity for anyone not to find something.

I have one more update to do to the Stats page, which I will have to do on Sunday as I’m out of town and don’t have access to that program from my laptop. But as you already know, I believe the proof is in the Photos.

So there it is. Six months from big wobbly gut to six pack, and the best shape and health of my life. Thanks for following me on my journey.
Aaron

Last Week of Six Pack in Six Months

Sat, 2 Aug 2008 19:40:44 -0400

As the last week of this six months ticks away, I cannot help reflecting on what a journey this has been. I have to thank all of my family and friends, and pretty much everyone else who has read this website over the past half of a year - without this blog being up, I can think of a few different times that I may have slacked off or given up altogether.

I’d also like to say a special thanks to the folks over at Men’s Health - not the writers or editors of the magazine, but the folks on the internet discussion boards who have consistently provided the best fitness and nutrition advice out there -- better than money can buy.

I took my final body fat test on Saturday. I’m withholding the results from the test, as well as my final statistics until the final post, which will go up on Friday, August 8th, but I’ll just say that I exceeded even my expectations. Thanks to Bali at www.bodyfattest.com for the information and for sharing in my victory!

My thoughts are now turning to what I will do now that this 6 months is up. While having a six pack will be nice, I really want to turn my diet and exercise routine into a lifestyle. The results of a healthy lifestyle will prove much more beneficial to me in the long run than visible abdominal muscles. I still can’t get over the fact that I went from pre-hypertensive one year ago to having the blood pressure of an athlete today. My cholesterol is also the lowest it’s ever been. I want to make sure that the gains I’ve made from this journey will stick around long after my ab muscles have faded.

My new year’s resolution this year changed slightly from the previous 4 years. Instead of aiming to lose 10 or 20 or 30 pounds, my resolution this year was simply to not have to make a new years resolution in 2009 pertaining to my weight. As it is August of 2008 and I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in in my life (including high school, junior high, whenever), I think I’m well on my way. The tough part will be transitioning from tracking each and every statistic related to my nutrition and exercise to living in such a way that I don’t have to track a thing. 6 months of practice is a pretty good base to be starting from.

I’d also like to help those around me reach their own fitness goals. If anyone wants to know more specifics on how I did what I’ve done over the past half-year, I can always be reached at aaron713@mac.com. For those of you who have told me that my blog has inspired you to get into shape, stick with it! Just telling me that I inspired you in some way was motivation for me to keep doing what I was doing all these months. Please lean on me for support the way I have leaned on you during this trip. Every time one of you asks me a question about my diet or exercise regimen, it’s also another reminder for me to stick with my healthy lifestyle instead of backsliding into unhealthy eating and laziness. I know all too well how easy it is to go from one to the other.

I’ll be taking my final photo for the blog on Thursday morning, and I hope to post my final blog on Friday, August 8th, exactly 6 months from when this whole thing started. Check back then to see my final photo, stats and to see if I truly achieved a Six Pack in Six Months.

Only Two Weeks Left

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:27:52 -0400

Something about a deadline motivates me like nothing else. This is the fitness equivalent to the week before final exams for me. I’ve basically put together all of the optimal nutritional and fitness advice that I have amassed over my years of research, trial and error and am implementing them all in these last few weeks.

This week, I probably got about 40 percent of my calories from lean meat: salmon, turkey, pork tenderloin, and plenty of chicken. I got almost all of my carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables, eating salads, greens, okra, zucchini, squash, green beans, sweet potatoes, strawberries, bananas, oranges, apples and much more foliage than I can even recall. The only thing I would eat that didn’t have it’s roots in one of the 6 staples - meat, dairy, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds, and yes, I did have all 6 - was protein powder in my post-workout smoothies.

Avoiding sugar has balanced out my energy levels like you would not believe. I also slept better this week than I have in a while. I definitely think some level of sugar minimization will have to go into the regular lifestyle plan once I settle back into a normal routine, post-blog.

Getting enough calories in during the day was the toughest part of this week, actually. Vegetables and low-fat meat will fill you up at a surprising low calorie count. Breads and high sugar foods can be amazingly calorie dense, especially given how little they fill you up. Cutting those out allowed me to basically eat until I was full every time I sat down and still have to worry about getting enough calories in. Interesting, but no longer surprising, the weight that I lost this week came at the beginning of this week, when my calories counts were highest.

After gaining a few pounds last weekend, I ended up dropping 5 pounds between Monday and Friday morning of this week. I do recognize that much of this is probably water weight that leaves the body when you’re not filling yourself with dry carbohydrates, but I definitely feel and look tighter. At 150 pounds, I’m also officially the lightest I’ve been since 11th grade. I think I would ultimately like to end up a little heavier- closer to 160, but I’m also pumped that this means I’m closer to my ultimate goal. I’m hoping that 5 pounds over a last 2 dedicated weeks will make for an impressive finale. Ok- off to the gym!

19 Days of Nutritional Bliss

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:41:55 -0400

Yes it’s about that time. I have arrived at my final push. 19 days from now will be August 8, exactly six months from when I started this whole crazy journey. Last Friday I cracked the 30 pound barrier. 30.25 lost, to be exact. And my waist has now dropped from 37 inches to 30.5. But the ultimate goal has not yet been attained. The Six-Pack. Enter 19 days of nutritional bliss.

Let me be clear. These last 19 days are not about the lifestyle I’m trying to set and maintain long term for a healthier and better looking life. This is about setting a goal and going all out to achieve it. This is about doing what you set out to do. And frankly, this is about pride.

I plan on leaving it all out there over the next 19 days - doing the things I know can bring results (while still adhering to all basic health principles), but also beyond what I can maintain over a longer period of time. No photos, no more stats, just a focus on the big goal.

These next 19 days, I’ll be employing the strategy I once heard from a friend of a friend - keeping my food intake to 6 categories: dairy, lean meat/protein, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds. Today I had salad greens, grilled vegetables, an apple,
lots of milk, yogurt, a banana, some strawberries, peanuts, flax seeds, and way, way more salmon than one person should realistically consume in a twenty-four hour period. The one exception to the plan was protein powder, which I’m using to supplement my protein intake to ensure I lose as little muscle as possible while trying to shed the last stubborn fat hiding my six pack.

The trick is going to be coming up with enough variety in food over these next three weeks so I don’t drive myself crazy. There is a grocery store down the street from my office, however, so if things get crazy with the salmon lunches, I can always bail and have several options available to me.

The biggest challenge will be the workout schedule I’ve set for myself. I’ve scheduled 10 weightlifting workouts (I’ll be ecstatic if I make 9), and I will attend every dance class that my work schedule will allow. If I don’t get a six pack, it won’t be for a lack of sweat.

Basically, I’m planning every single aspect of my diet and exercise these next 3 weeks. I’m aiming to drop 6 pounds of pure fat in 19 days, leaving behind a belly of ridged abs.

Home stretch, yall.

Weight Gain

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:29:49 -0400

I’m making a concerted effort to be both more dedicated to this blog, and to tracking what I can to make sure these last 6 weeks are a success. To that end, I’ve been tracking my weight every other day instead of every other week as I had been. Of course, along with the more frequent checking comes the emotions associated with the daily weight fluctuations that we all experience. I’ll have to get used to this.

Your weight can change from day to day for a number of reasons. The biggest reason, I believe, has to do with the amount of water your body retains. If you are particularly dehydrated, you’ll weigh less. If you’ve had salty foods, your body will hold more water (as the sodium makes your body hold on to it). You can also weigh more or less depending on the time of day, whether your hair is wet, whether you just ate a meal, or just used the restroom. So knowing all these things, I try not to get bent out of shape.

Still, it was a little unnerving to see my weight go up 3 pounds this morning when I stepped on the scale. I know that I ate pizza last night, only my 6th Cheat Meal in the current 52 Day Challenge. I also know that pizza has a lot of salt, so my body would be retaining more water. But still, I’ve been eating totally healthy for a week and a half, while my weight stayed at 154, then one bad meal and it balloons up to 157.

In the long run, though, I think it will help me to see how a salty meal here or there hurts the progress, especially when I’m getting down to the end of this challenge and every meal and workout counts. It also may help me see the damage I’ve done immediately rather than deny it until two weeks has gone by and I see little or no progress. Today, after seeing my weight go up on the scale, I’m already planning to go to two dance classes tonight when I normally would only take one. And if my boss wasn’t still in the office, I’d already be in the gym. As it stands, I’m trying to see where I can fit in an extra weightlifting workout. Lets just hope the scale continues to motivate me instead of driving me crazy.

20 Week Check-in

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:16:31 -0400

This 20-week checkpoint may be a little anti-climatic, given the excitement of last week. If you haven’t seen last week’s post, I returned from a 3 week hiatus from writing on this blog with stories of success. Since it’s only been one week since the last check-in, the stats haven’t changed much - although my waist and abdomen seem to have gone up 1/4 inch, it’s still within the margin of error or extra water in my system, so I’m not freaking out. Have no clue what happened with my chest appearing to go down an inch. Cutting to the chase...

The daily numbers:

1903 calories (keeping in line with the previous two week’s 1917)
38 grams of fat (25% of total calories)
226 grams of carbohydrates (50%)
85 grams of protein (25%)

And my measurements:

2/8/08 - 5/2/08 - 5/16/08 - 5/30/08 - 6/20/08 - 6/27/08

Weight - 183 - 160.5 - 159 - 160 - 154 - 154
Shoulders: 50.5 inches - 46 - 47 - 46.5 - 46.25 - 46.5
Chest: 42 inches - 38 - 38 - 38.5 - 38.75 - 37.75
Waist: 37 inches - 33 - 33.5 - 34 - 31.25 - 31.5
Abdomen: 39 inches - 34.25 - 35 - 35 - 32.25 - 32.5

I’ve stopped trying to figure out the reasons for these slight variations, especially when the measurement differences are only over the course of a week. I’ve accepted that as long as I stay consistent about my eating and exercise, my body is changing for the better, and not to get bent out of shape over momentary upticks in the numbers. I’m not going to suddenly shrink down (too much) or blow up in a single week. I think it’s more a matter of hitting temporary plateaus and then experimenting with slight changes in the program to push through to the next level. Obviously, I was able to do that in the first few weeks of June, and I plan to do so over the remainder of this 6 months.

To that end, I’ve enlisted the help of a fraternity brother of mine, Kendall Wood, who just happens to be the 2007 WNSO National Fitness Model Champion and the first black man to grace the cover of Maximum Fitness, in their June 2008 issue. I provided him with my statistics and what my regimen has been so far. Kendall’s advice to me is to 1) add more weighted ab workouts to my routines to make my ab muscles bigger, so they’ll show through; 2) eat more protein- .88 grams of protein per pound of weight per day (which for me currently, would be 136 grams - I’m currently averaging 85-95); 3) watch my sodium intake; and 4) when I get closer to my goal, cut back on the carbs some. I’ve also been instructed while working out to perform my last set to failure, or keep going until I physically cannot lift the weight another repetition.

Good person to take advice from.

The biggest change I’ll be making in these last 6 weeks from what I’m currently doing is the increase in protein. Given everything else that I’m doing, that seems to be the most important change in protecting my muscle from wasting away while losing weight. As noted last week by faithful reader Jeff, I was hoping to hit my six-pack in the low 150s, and it is now looking like I’ll be dipping into the 140s before I get the results I want - which means that I’ve lost more muscle than I had hoped. Still, if I’m paying more attention to the mirror than the scale (and I am) I’m okay with losing a few more pounds to get the lines in my stomach to show up. I think the fact that you can see more definition in my muscles now than before makes up for me being skinnier overall - so I don’t look too tiny... yet.

Only 6 weeks left, so my motivation is appropriately high. I plan to be hardcore on the fitness plan from here on out - if I fit in a workout today, it will be my 12th day in a row doing at least some exercise. I’m determined to do whatever it takes to make it there. Any suggestions from my readers are welcome. Thanks for the support during this home stretch!