The past week has been a planned "off" week from any nutritional considerations. In short I have been eating like an American.
Well, not completely. About half the time I have eaten whatever I feel like, including cookies, sweets, etc. The rest of the time has been relatively nutritious.
I have been enjoying it, but I am amazed that I used to eat like this ALL the time. I haven't stepped on a scale, mosly because I know that water retention and undigested food in the intestinal tract can cause an unrealistically high reading.
I am looking forward to getting back into a routine.
Training has been good. Fun but not brutal.
Christmas day I did thrusters w/24kg. 10 sets of 5/5 on the top of each minute. Finished off with a 5:00 set of snatches 40l/r, 10l/r, didn't put the KB down.
Yesterday, 300 snatches in 17:30.
I got the Zhealth R phase and have begun looking at it, but have not put it into practice yet.
Revving up for 2008!
Friday, December 28, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Napoleon Hill
Before "The Secret", there was Napoleon Hill. He is the author of "Think and Grow Rich", one of the most important books ever written on the subject of personal achievement.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Update
First of all: Happy Birthday to my Dad, Gene Whitley!
Time for an update from the Hard Loser front. After the end of the PN contest, I felt that post-goal void. I needed a break.
Frankly I have been a little slack since Thanksgiving, this past week especially. I managed to get a little cold right after Turkey Day Weekend, as we were doing all the last minute business and packing before we bought the new house.
I let the sniffles, the busy-ness of buying the house and moving distract me. I have remained a little distracted by unpacking, settling in at the new place, and Christmas. I realized last night, after running up the street to a fast food place (we were tired, it was convenient, I got lazy), that without careful attention to the path, I will undo all that I have done.
The time between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day can derail even the most dedicated. I have been about 50% compliant to diet and training has been below-par. I am fully recovered from the cold, I think. Time to ramp it up a bit.
I am realistic enough to know that with the hectic Christmas schedule, travel, etc. My best bet is to stick with a "program minimum" mindset & plan, not to expect to destroy everything in my path. Training will be by feel, no specific plan, no specific goal, just enjoyment of the misery. Cruising speed for the remainder of 2007, building emotional momentum for the next couple of weeks.
Time for an update from the Hard Loser front. After the end of the PN contest, I felt that post-goal void. I needed a break.
Frankly I have been a little slack since Thanksgiving, this past week especially. I managed to get a little cold right after Turkey Day Weekend, as we were doing all the last minute business and packing before we bought the new house.
I let the sniffles, the busy-ness of buying the house and moving distract me. I have remained a little distracted by unpacking, settling in at the new place, and Christmas. I realized last night, after running up the street to a fast food place (we were tired, it was convenient, I got lazy), that without careful attention to the path, I will undo all that I have done.
The time between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day can derail even the most dedicated. I have been about 50% compliant to diet and training has been below-par. I am fully recovered from the cold, I think. Time to ramp it up a bit.
I am realistic enough to know that with the hectic Christmas schedule, travel, etc. My best bet is to stick with a "program minimum" mindset & plan, not to expect to destroy everything in my path. Training will be by feel, no specific plan, no specific goal, just enjoyment of the misery. Cruising speed for the remainder of 2007, building emotional momentum for the next couple of weeks.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
The #1 Rule for Cutting Calories (Guest Blog)
Here is some "well, duh" advice that is easily overlooked from my friend Tom Gifford:
The #1 Rule For Cutting Calories
Recently I started training a new client who has coming to the gym 5 days a week but was not losing any weight whatsoever. In fact, he had been plateauing for 2 straight years!
I have a lot of respect for the guy to be coming to the gym for 2 years in a row without making any progress. He was doing a lot of the typical workout stuff that most people do that pretty much destroys their chances of making progress.
He was putting in lots of time walking on the treadmill at a slow pace followed by using the strength training machines. We quickly modified his routine to making it take a lot less time and make it more effective.
But the BIGGEST change came when he lost 13 lbs in the first 2 weeks. Believe it or not, this was not from the exercise routine. The new routine we started was in fact pretty basic. Some cool functional moves followed by some interval training.
He is definitely getting stronger, but the 13 lbs came about by making such a small change.
When I first looked at his food log there was one thing that jumped out at me. His diet wasn't the best in the world but wasn't the worst I have seen either. The part that really struck me was what he was drinking! Regular Coke, Yuengling Lager, chocolate milk, coffee with cream and sugar, and sweetened iced tea were among the beverages he was drinking on a daily basis.
For the next two weeks he only drank water, green tea, and unsweetened iced tea.
The result?
13lbs in 2 weeks.
Lesson: Don't drink your calories!
This goes for all the beverages listed above as well as some of the "surprise" drinks that are bad for you. Gatorade and Vitamin Water are both that are loaded with sugar. A lot of green tea drinks are also full of sugar too.
Be sure to read the nutrition labels on everything you drink. If possible, just drink water. If you need caffeine, use black coffee or diet soda. Diet soda certainly isn't healthy, but at least it will help you cut out all the calories from regular!
Tom Gifford
www.TheGreatCardioMyth.com
The #1 Rule For Cutting Calories
Recently I started training a new client who has coming to the gym 5 days a week but was not losing any weight whatsoever. In fact, he had been plateauing for 2 straight years!
I have a lot of respect for the guy to be coming to the gym for 2 years in a row without making any progress. He was doing a lot of the typical workout stuff that most people do that pretty much destroys their chances of making progress.
He was putting in lots of time walking on the treadmill at a slow pace followed by using the strength training machines. We quickly modified his routine to making it take a lot less time and make it more effective.
But the BIGGEST change came when he lost 13 lbs in the first 2 weeks. Believe it or not, this was not from the exercise routine. The new routine we started was in fact pretty basic. Some cool functional moves followed by some interval training.
He is definitely getting stronger, but the 13 lbs came about by making such a small change.
When I first looked at his food log there was one thing that jumped out at me. His diet wasn't the best in the world but wasn't the worst I have seen either. The part that really struck me was what he was drinking! Regular Coke, Yuengling Lager, chocolate milk, coffee with cream and sugar, and sweetened iced tea were among the beverages he was drinking on a daily basis.
For the next two weeks he only drank water, green tea, and unsweetened iced tea.
The result?
13lbs in 2 weeks.
Lesson: Don't drink your calories!
This goes for all the beverages listed above as well as some of the "surprise" drinks that are bad for you. Gatorade and Vitamin Water are both that are loaded with sugar. A lot of green tea drinks are also full of sugar too.
Be sure to read the nutrition labels on everything you drink. If possible, just drink water. If you need caffeine, use black coffee or diet soda. Diet soda certainly isn't healthy, but at least it will help you cut out all the calories from regular!
Tom Gifford
www.TheGreatCardioMyth.com
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