End of Week 4 - 1/28/2008

Well, today is the end of Week 4, and tomorrow will be my weigh in. As usual, I haven't looked at the scale since last Tuesday, so I'm not sure what to expect.

My math tells me I should be down another 1.6 lbs based on an estimated 5,858 week caloric deficit. Assuming 3,500 calories = 1 pound of fat loss, that would put me at 159.1.

The truth is less than 24 hours away :)

Updated Pictures - 1/1/2008 vs 1/22/2008 (3 week comparison)

I'm finally getting around to posting my pictures. The pictures on the left are from 1/1/2008 (day 1) and the pictures on the right are from 1/22/2008 (3 week comparison). I'm down about 11 pounds, and I'm starting to see some differences.

The biggest difference though is in my clothes - after the holiday period and 12 days off work, I really struggled to get my work pants on. They are fitting much more closer to normal now!!

Start of Week 4 (1/22/2008)

Week three wrapped up yesterday, and I did my weigh in this morning. Results?

Start: 1/1/2008 - 172 lbs

Current Weight: 160.8

Total Loss: 11.2 pounds

Overall, it was a good week. I hit all my workouts. I ate well all week although I did go a little crazy on my free day. I had some friends over to play poker on Friday night, and we pretty much ate and drank until 4am. It was only my second free day in 21 days, so I didn't feel too guilty about it :)

I'll get some pictures of the progress posted up soon.

Week 2 - Day 7 (Day 14)

Today is the end of week 2 (day 14), and I felt like I had another good week. I hit every workout and ate well. My free day was enjoyable, but I managed not to go completely crazy.

I started the week off at 163.8 pounds, and based on my estimated caloric deficit for the week (burned 6,373 more calories than I consumed), I'm estimate I lost 1.82 lbs. This is based on the theory that a pound of fat loss equals a 3,500 caloric deficit.

In short, I think I'll be at 161.98, down from 163.8 when I weigh in tomorrow. I haven't been on the scale since last Tuesday, so the truth is less than a day away!

Chicken Pomodoro - Eating for Life Recipe

Here's another great recipe from the Eating for Life book that I made today - Chicken Pomodoro from page 183. It takes about 30 minutes to make and makes 4 servings.

Calories: 402
Fat: 11g
Carbs: 43g
Protein: 38g

Give it a try!

Day 11 - Taking First Free Day

Today is Friday, and it's Day 11 out of 84, and I'm taking my first free day. This cycle around I'm trying not to go too crazy and keep it around 1.6 x my normal daily intake. During non-free days, I aim for 1,570 calories. That means today, I should not exceed 2,512.

I did start off the morning with an apple fritter from Dunkin Donuts though... :)

Video - End of Week 1 Weigh-In

I didn't touch the scale between the start of the challenge and the end of week 1, so the results were as much of a surprise to me as anyone!

Week 2- Day 1 Weigh In - The Devil Went Down to Georgia

5:45am - Woke up and made coffee
5:50am - Asked my wife to take week 2 pictures and video me on the scale
6:00am - Got on scale

Results? 163.8lbs @ 19.4% body fat (down from 172). Something just ain't right. The scale is woking properly, but I was not expecting to lose 8.2 lbs in the first week.

I suspect it's because I did my original weigh in (Day 1) on New Years day, coming off a week of just eating and drinking tons of garbage. Plus, you add in a week of eating healthy, doing my creatine loading phase (although I drank a LOT of water this week, creatine is still a diuretic), working out hard, and playing ice hockey the night before getting on the scle, you can get some skewed results that first week.

I'll stay the course for week 2 and monitor the results, and I don't expect another week like this. If I do, I'll need to increase my caloric intake because 8 lbs per week is NOT what I'm trying to do. I'm aiming for more like ~2 lbs per week.

One thing I have learned with this program is you shouldn't get hung up on the scale - don't get too excited on pounds lost or gained in a week (yes...it is possible to gain. The pictures will tell the real story. How you feel inside will tell the real story.

I'll add the video from my weigh in later tonight.

Mom's Chicken Enchiladas - Eating for Life Recipe

Here's a quick 2-minute video of me making an Eating for Life recipe for Mom's Chicken Enchiladas. If you haven't picked up this book, I highly recommend it! It has a ton of great recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, etc. for those of us on the Body for Life program.

Based on my estimate, the dinner contains:

Calories - 425

Fat - 14g

Carbs - 43g

Protein - 29g

Week 1, Day 7

Today represents the last day of week 1, and I think I've done pretty well. To recap, I worked out 6 days and I ate right every day. I didn't take a free-day only because my birthday is on 1/9, and the family will be going out that night. I thought I'd save it!

I have kept accurate records of what I ate each day (see summary info above), and based on an estimated daily caloric burn of 2,490 calories, I should have a ~8,100 caloric deficit for the week. If we assume it takes 3,500 calories to make up a pound lost, I'm going to guess I've lost 2.33 pounds in fat. Of course this is all theoretical!

The proof will be when I weigh in tomorrow morning. I haven't touched the scale since 1/1/08, but I'm going to guess I check in around 169.

Reverse Comparison - April 2006 to Present

As I get close to the end of the first week, I wanted to share a reverse comparison - normally, people show their before and after pictures. I'll be doing that over time, but in this case, this is an after-before shot.

The picture on the left was taken in April 2006 after my first Body for Life 12-week program. The picture on the right is current, taken after the holiday period.

My goal is to get back to that point, and I really believe 12-weeks is just the right amount of time!

Recipe for homemade protein bars?

I found this recipe on the Internet a few years ago, and I've modified it slightly.

Nutritional Information:

These are appromiate and based on my ingrediants (i.e. EAS brand protein mix, etc.)

Calories: 276
Fat: 5g
Protein: 29g
Carbs: 32g

Ingredients:

3.5 cups oatmeal
2 cups fat free milk
1 package fat free, sugar free jello-o pudding mix (I prefer banana flavor, but try experimenting!)
8 servings protein powder (I also use banana flavored protein powder)

Directions:

1. Mix oatmeal, milk, pudding, and protein together in a large mixing bowl
2. Hand mix the ingredients until smooth
3. Pour into 8 separate serving containers (see video) or into a muffin pan, separating into 8 servings
4. Freeze

These protein bars do NOT require cooking - to eat, simply remove from the freezer and eat. I'll take one out in the morning before work and pack it in my lunch bag for breakfast after a workout.

Make sure to eat it before it gets warm though - they can get messy/sticky otherwise!

Nick

Ever use Fitday.com?

In past challenges, I've found fitday.com to be a great resource in tracking my daily caloric intake. Even though the BFL book talks mostly about portion size (fist size, etc.), I prefer to track using individual items and calories.

For this challenge, my daily goal is 1,570 daily calories with a split of 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat. Here's a sample of my plan for today.

You can also go to the link to the right under "What did I eat today?" to see my history.

Nick

Welcome back, my old friend (Day 1 - 1/1/2008)

Ever done the wrong thing, knowing that it’s wrong, but you do it anyway? You know there will be consequences, but you just hope that it will not happen to you. Maybe luck will come your way, and you won’t pay the price. Perhaps the penalty happens slowly over time and you choose to ignore it before it’s too late.

That is where this story begins. It’s now January 2008, and the holiday season ended with a bang. Between mid-October and the end of 2007, I ate and drank my way up 20+ pounds.

How did it happen? I’ve successfully completed three Body for Life 12-week challenges, and at my best, was at 141 lbs. with 11% body fat (summer of 2006). I know what it takes to get in shape. How does this still happen to someone who knows better?

I think there are a lot of reasons, and we can talk about them in this blog. Certainly one at the forefront is attention – paying attention to the program and not wavering from the course.

Day 1 of my fourth Body for Life challenge started on 1/1/2008, and I’ll be tracking my progress over the next 12-weeks in detail via this blog. I'm starting at 172 lbs w/ 20.5% body fat.

Welcome back, my old friend. After a long hiatus, I am glad to see you again.

Nick