TankOnTwoLegs

I land really hard when I run. I have shin splits (splints?) from my last run oh well. I need new shoes so that may have something to do with it. Found out the Rail Trail (running/walking/biking in the woods paved trail) that's behind our apartment has mile markers on the trail itself, and street signs of the streets above us that the trail runs under. I've found markers for my 1, 2 and 3 mile training so when I miss my morning pre dawn run, I can run during the day anyway in the seclusion of the trail. Damn self consciousness. Have some errands to run, then will be hitting the gym and doing: 1 mile run Magic 50 5K on the elliptical. Abs Upping my cardio from now on because I don't want to be gaining muscle without ditching the fat and having the scale weigh heavy. Will be doing a 1st of the month weigh in each month. Side note: There is a chance I won't be starting BJJ in the Spring next year. Over the course of the next couple months, I'll be taking my wife to various OBGYNs to gather a high risk team and their approval to possibly expanding our family. If they approve and give the a-OK for her to be pregnant…I'll be in training to be a father rather than a JiuJitsu artist next year.

I love how my stomach looks and feels with no beans and minimal grains in my diet. The only grains I eat are at dinner time when I have gluten free cereal. I've decided to get out of the 190s by the end of this month. So 3-4lbs to lose in 2.5 weeks? Doable. I ran this morning. I went against the Couch to 5K plan because one…I haven't the patience to start and stop and two, I don't have a smartphone for the app so it's a constant look at a watch which screws up my rhythm and blah. It's a good program for others, not for me. So this morning I slept past the 5:30am alarm which would have allowed me to run outside in the dark, and woke at 8am, to which I would normally say screw it and "schedule" a run tomorrow but instead I hit the gym and jumped on the treadmill. This stocky tank thudded on the treadmill for a mile. (My plan is to run a mile daily until I can run it without walking, then move on to two miles, then three. Three miles (5K) without walking is my goal) With a couple of walks in between I did a sub 13min mile. At 12:57. This is actually the best mile I've done since I was 12 years old. (During those dreaded fitness tests in P.E. class) Last year I tried running and it took me 17 minutes, I got so disheartened I never tried again until now. I'm actually excited by it now. This has been an amazing week with the surprise weight loss and now a PR in running. Last night I did the Magic 50 with 25lbs for the full 5 circuits. Another PR. So, breaking it down, my training in the last 24 hours was: Magic 50 5 dumbbell swings per arm (25lbs) 5 dumbbell clean and presses per arm (25lbs) 10 lat pull downs Repeat x5. Abs Russian Twists 2x10 In Outs 2x10 Flutter Kicks 2x10 Scissor Kicks 2x10 V Ups 2x10 1 mile run. I pull night shift tonight and morning shift tomorrow so tomorrow my run will either be at 5:30am before work, or 10pm at night, because I want to run outside and with my self consciousness it needs to be dark. Along with Magic 50 at the gym.

Thank you Eiji. I know most logs are just about logging in your workout and that's it but ya know…sometimes you get thoughtful.

Best news ever. I bought a scale today and practically sprinted home with it. I am 193lbs!! I thought I was like 200-205, which I would have been fine with but holy crap I'm out of the 200s by 7 pounds! I haven't been 193 in 9 years. That means I've lost 62lbs since my journey began, and have lost 15lbs since May 1st and I haven't even been training to my fullest extent yet. I have one month progress pictures but I can't post them until I get my net back up, might be another week or two, some things are just more important. I can actually see the outer line of my abs around my ribcage. Hell, I can actually SEE my ribcage. So crazy. I'm in complete shock. So I've lost 62lbs, my wife is down 80lbs and my dog is down 4lbs. (Which is a lot for a terrier) My wife and I were talking about this just a few minutes ago actually, when your weight begins to affect your mental well being, the journey you go on to lose it is so much deeper than just getting the weight off. There are days you still see yourself the same weight you were before your journey started. There are days when you can't stop flexing in the mirror because you can actually see body parts you couldn't see in a decade. And then there are days when your jeans are sagging past your hips and you can't help but smile to yourself and nod…then figure out when you're going to afford new jeans. I don't think I've been in a better place in my life than where I am right now. And it has nothing to do with training or nutrition. So many times you have people saying "one cookie isn't going to hurt you" "one ice cream cone isn't going to make you gain the weight back." And true, it's not. But how it makes you FEEL is more important than the physical cause and effect of "just one cookie." When you've had an eating disorder for years, and you've overcome it, especially when it is a binge eating disorder, you know what foods you should.not.go.near. Because there are foods I cannot eat just one of. I am not physically able (yet) to eat one chip. Or a serving of chips and dip. I will eat the whole family size bag in one setting. And the next day go out and get another bag. That's how this all started years ago. While I don't think you are ever totally "cured" of an eating disorder, you learn that you have control and you begin to care about that control. So for someone to tell me "one cookie isn't going to hurt you." You're right, it's not going to hurt me because I'm not going to let it, because it already has. My binge eating stemmed from my mother who had anorexia as a teen and surpassed it because she had kids to raise but once we were old enough to look in the fridge ourselves, she started on us. My brother has hints of it, saying he's fat when he's 130lbs at 5'8. I was called every name in the book by her when I was a child because I went the opposite way, I ate. And to her, I ate too much. Because I wanted to eat 6x a day being a 16 year old, like most teen boys eat, and she was barely letting me have 3 meals a day. So when I moved out, and in with my wife, I felt that freedom, that enjoyment of fast food restaurants and eating more meals and being so content with feeling full for once, that it spiraled hardcore. And my wife, while seeing this happen, loved me (still does) unconditionally. Knowing my upbringing she wasn't about to ruin this pseudo happiness I got from food. But down the road it wasn't so happy anymore but I didn't care. It's what I knew. In 2012 I had something life altering happen. Something that only happens to a small percentage of people in this world. Something that weeded out the people who genuinely cared about me from those who wouldn't piss on me if I were on fire. So my view on food has changed for the better. I know what I need to steer clear from. I know what I can enjoy just once and I know, for the most part, how to eat to where it is benefitted my body. No, one ice cream won't affect me. Physically. But mentally, it will bring me back to how I felt before my life altering decision. And it's not a good feeling. While I realize this isn't a healthy thing and is probably somewhere along the lines of orthorexia…I am healthier for it. My body is healthy. My bloodwork is textbook perfect. My levels are where they should be. My mentality is lighter, I'm truly happy. And best of all, my pants don't cut off my circulation and I actually LOVE training because I can move. Actually the best part of losing 62lbs is the fact that I can look down and see "mini tank." (Any guy who has been overweight and loses it can relate to this little piece of personal happiness, cmon)

Actually I'm not, though I do know Defranco so when I get the chance and my internet turned back on, I'll look him up. Thanks!

I did too much yesterday. My sciatica is bitching a fit. I need to know my boundaries, just because I have the desire to do it doesn't mean my body is there yet. The desire will fuel it so I'll be fine. I made it through one cycle of that 101 circuit and man burpees suck. Suck so hard lol. So after I realized that, I did my ab circuit and did some sprinting on the treadmill, then did a 3 mile bike ride. I'll finish out this week's training and do a different way next week. I'm thinking of doing the Couch to 5K program, I'll have to do it by hand because I don't have a way to get the app but I really need to start running. I can't expect to move other people around on the mat down the road when I can't move my own body. If anyone isn't aware of what the Couch to 5K program is, it's on cool running.com. It's basically a way that breaks down a combo of running and walking for 20 minutes, 3 days a week for 8 weeks and builds it up gradually until you can run for 30 mins, or 3 miles (5K) without walking or stopping. I have no desire to run more than 3 miles, I just think that will be decent roadwork for BJJ. So my training schedule starting next week and continuing for the next two months will be: Sun- Abs Mon- Couch to 5K and Abs Tues- Magic 50 and Abs Wed- Couch to 5K and Abs Thurs- Magic 50 and Abs Fri- Couch to 5K and Abs Sat- Abs It looks mundane but it isn't because on the Magic 50 (swings, snatches and lat pulldowns for 5 circuits, see previous posts), I will be increasing the weight gradually to increase the intensity. I believe that abs should be trained daily because the core is so important and I have lower back problems so this could help that (sit ups and crunches aren't involved so I'm hoping it won't hurt my back). I think I should incorporate Yoga down the road, like on the weekends, but for now this is enough. Today is payday so we're going to be grocery shopping (gonna make chili tomorrow) and rent paying, maybe strolling around town, if I get back in time I'm gonna hit the pool for a few laps before work. Does anyone else have problems fitting training into an inconsistent work schedule? Some days I'm working mornings and am up at 5:30am and other days I'm working until 10pm and not hitting bed until 11:30pm. It's crazy. Side note: My shirt size is officially a large. Went from a 2X to an XL to an L. I only have one L shirt, the rest are XL and I'm a little scared to actually start buying larges now but, yay I'm a large. Comfy large, not snug or fitted. Have a good day everyone!

I agree completely. The way I see it is if you're hellbent on your goal then sometimes you have to go through hell to get there. The time will pass regardless of whether your workout was a good one or bad one. Everyone loves motivation this and motivation that, but the true test of willpower is when you keep going when you DON'T have that motivation. I always feel like crap before a work out, my body is -just- starting to get adjusted to a schedule, but I get that high about 10 minutes in and I'm like..yep this is why I'm doing this. I have six months to be where I need to be to get where I need to go.

September 1st started my pre-BJJ training, I did five miles of cardio (walking and biking). Yesterday (the 2nd) I didn't do anything because I've had 6 days straight of morning shift at work, waking up at 5:30am. My body needed to get adjusted to that. Today is Work Capacity 101 which consists of: Pull Ups- 5 reps Medicine Ball Slams- 10 reps Burpees- 15 reps Jumping Jacks- 20 reps. Repeat circuit 10 times. After that I'll be doing ab work that consists of V Ups, and reverse crunches, penguins, etc, basically sets that works your lower back, obliques and front abs so getting the whole range in there. (It's a set thing I just don't have the paper in front of me to type it up) I keep looking ahead and I'm just so stoked for this. There isn't jack squat standing in my way of this either. Next payday I'll be getting a scale to keep myself honest.

Thank you guys for the encouragement. I'll be posting pictures a little further down the road once I get net up and running. Training's going well though! Best shape I've been in a decade.

Looks like it's been 3 days since I last logged in. I'm currently without internet because my internet bill, electric bill and rent all decided to fall on us at the same time so priorities lol. I'm using the apartment complex's "clubhouse" to catch up so my updates won't be every day but they should still be fairly regular and I'll most likely post what I did each day on one post when I get the chance to come here. Been doing a lot of cardio it's been so beautiful out. in the 70s most of the week, it makes me worry because with how abnormal these summer temps have been I'm starting to cringe about the upcoming winter temps. Strength wise I'll be getting in form and balance with increasing the weight slowly. I do my usual back workout of lat pull downs and bent over rows and seated rows (I love rows, can you tell?) I've been really trying to fatigue the muscle with moderate weight and high reps. The DOMS don't hit as hard when I do it that way as opposed to heavier weight with lower reps, that way going to work doesn't hurt so bad. Nutrition wise I've been decent with the exception of yesterday, wifey and I had an overdue celebration so we had beer and junk and it was delicious and my stomach paid dearly for it last night but it was well worth it. I've made a really important decision…I'm going to be joining the local BJJ academy this coming spring. Why so important? I've come from a family of martial artists. My uncle is a 4th degree black belt in Karate, my brother made it to his purple belt, my aunt to her green belt and when I came along I got shot down because Ive had asthma since I was an infant. It's beyond under control now and since my parents have disowned me, I don't have anyone laughing in my ear about how I won't be able to make it a week without quitting. I'm going to be spending this fall and winter getting in shape for it to strengthen my work capacity and conditioning. I've been wanting to do this since I was young. I'm so excited. The academy offers the first month free so I can get the feel, then go from there. It's less than 3 miles from my place so I say spring that way I'll have money coming in more than now to afford the gi and tuition and possibly a bicycle if I can't get my hands on a vehicle by then. My goal weight is now official, 170lbs. If I go under that that's fine but I want to hit that. 170lbs will make it so my height (5'6) is conducive to my weight and I'll be able to buy a gi that actually fits me. Otherwise I'll have some heavy hemming to do. (I did TaeKwonDo for a month years ago and my gi was so long because I was 245lbs I had to hem off 5 inches on my sleeves and pant legs) I actually want a scale now lol. Guys you have no idea how excited I am for all this. I have the complete support of wifey and she wants to travel to tournaments with me too. I'm going to start training for this September 1st. I'll make sure to write down everything I can so that I can post it on here when I get the chance.

I really need to buy a scale because watching myself shrink in my clothes is getting me really curious as to what my weight is. http://i60.tinypic.com/5poto6.jpg These are my size 40 jeans. http://i60.tinypic.com/2wp2of9.jpg These are my size 38 jeans. I...think I need to get new jeans lol. I haven't been a 36 since college 9 years ago. I'm able to take off and put on each pair without unbuttoning or unzipping. My wife keeps asking me when I'm going to throw away my 40s..I don't know, I don't think I want to. Kind of a reminder. Same reason why I keep that 2X tee shirt that comes down to my mid thigh now.

It's a lot like any other fitness/nutrition community, you have your intelligent people who just want to spread the word, then you have people who are overbearing asses. I'm sure there are people who feel like the same about the vegetarian/vegan community. That's really cheap for eggs even with the conversion factor. I'm jealous. Beans hurt my stomach but don't give me as violent of a reaction as grains do. Dairy is just a no all the way around. Really glad they have nondairy milks out there in such supply nowadays, when I was younger all they had was soy milk which, of course, wreaked havoc on my stomach. Lol sometimes it doesn't pay to eat.

That looks pretty solid. Quorn is a delicious brand. When I was a vegetarian I ate a good amount of eggs, probably about 6 a day. (I'm allergic to dairy) There has been a bird flu that's swept across the US and depleted a lot of chickens and turkeys, so now stores can't get their supplies in because their suppliers have to establish their flocks all over again. It's making eggs cost $5.50 per 18 pack. It's been difficult getting in my nutrition with grains in my diet because I have digestive issues so it's been frustrating and I've been wanting to omit them since it doesn't feel like they stay in my system long enough to benefit from eating them. Plus with wifey being diabetic, most of the grains we buy are going into my gut and tearing it up. I like how your diet is set up. I drink a lot of tea too. My usual go to snack when I'm hungry between meals is tea with a banana or raisins and sunflower seeds

Yeah man she's a pistol. Love the hell out of her. Even if we weren't a couple, she makes one damn good friend. Congrats on the upcoming nuptials, marriage is awesome (despite popular opinion) especially with someone you have a long solid relationship with to begin with.

Hey Rossco, I saw that you are doing basically a Paleo approach to your diet, with not eating grains and what not? I know omnivore's have little issue with that but how does a vegan do when a solid portion of a textbook vegan diet is grain and bean? Can you maybe post what a typical day of eating looks like for you?

When I came home from work this afternoon I found out that wifey's blood sugar dropped into the 40s, needless to say there was no training today. Back at it tomorrow. Her sugar is back into the 90s now so it's a good night.

Currently shoveling peanut butter in my face straight out of the jar with a spoon so I figured it's good time to jot down my work out. I worked from 8am to 4pm so really nothing spectacular with this training sesh: Lat pulldown pyramids @20lbs. From 1 to 10 then back to 1. Mile and a half walk with my wifey. I'd like to actually put the spotlight of this entry on my wife for a minute. You've all met her, she's that beautiful woman in my avatar. My wife has a birth defect known as Spina Bifida. For anyone who doesn't know, that's basically when the spinal sac forms outside the body and there are three stages of severity. My wife has the 3rd stage, which is the most severe and comes with some heady side effects. She's paralyzed from the waist down and uses a manual wheelchair. Outside of this she's as "normal" (whatever that means) as anyone else. But that isn't why I'm posting this. 8 years ago my wife was diagnosed with adult onset type 1 diabetes. Positively type 1. Insulin dependent. When she was diagnosed, we didn't know prior to that and it was during a very traumatic medical event that caused her to be hospitalized for 3 weeks then put into a nursing home for 1 week. She was only 27 years old when this was all happening. I was 20. With tooth and nail being fought and only 2 hours of sleep a night, I convinced the medical staff to release her into my care after the 1 week nursing home stay and we turned our living room into a hospital room for the next 6 months (even though the medical staff said she'd be back in the ER within 72 hours being under my care, didn't happen.) She was 24/7 bedridden for a year and a half. She lost most muscle strength and gained a decent amount of weight. Eventually she hit 240lbs, and she's only 4'10 with half body mobility. Slowly but surely as she got better, she got stronger. We started with those resistance bands and little 3lb weights. As time went on, she graduated to being able to transfer on and off from her wheelchair to the bed and back with only my help for balance. Over the course of 2.5 yrs, she lost 80lbs, resulting in her weighing 160lbs. There is so much she can't eat and can't process, not just due to the diabetes but due also to the limited mobility. I put her on a pesectarian diet and she's thrived. It took years to figure out what her little body could and couldn't utilize and anything it can't utilize..well...lets just say it doesn't stick around very long. With the 80lb weight loss came of course, some saggy skin that she's not too thrilled about but she's very thrilled with going from a 3x to an XL. After 10 yrs of being together, I've seen her at her worst, and her best. I've seen her literally almost die. (The doctors said another 48 hours and she'd be gone). I've watched her heal, I've watched her overcome massive depression and win her battle with diabetes. While she's still insulin dependent and always will be, her numbers her so tight that her A1C is close to that of a non-diabetic. And after so long of watching her deteriorate and rebuild...I watched this happen today.... Cable tricep extensions@ 40lbs. Guys....FORTY POUNDS. For 10 reps!! She pumped out 20 reps at 5lbs like nothing. Told her "Okay this is getting easy for you, lets try 10lbs" Her response "Oh crap." She pumped out 10 reps at 10lbs. Jumped her to 20lbs, pumped out 10 reps. "Wanna try 30lbs?" "Yeah!!" She pumped out 10 reps. Said "Okay, let's see how many you can do with 40lbs." Her response "Um....oh..kay" She did 10 reps. The ONLY help I gave her was keeping her back straightened while she was doing it because she's got scoliosis so her form is fickle. After that, I figured she was done, and deservedly so. Nah. we went on a mile and a half stroll around town (She wheeled, I pushed) So many people expected her to stay in a nursing home forever. So many people expected her to stay bed bound forever. So many people expected her to just accept what happened. So many people give us the "bless her heart" look, along with "awhhh" There's a difference between surviving and thriving. Between being alive and living. This woman was my college love. (I was 17 when we met) My first kiss, my first everything. And my last. To watch her have enough spirit and heart (and attitude) to defy everything every "professional" told her and make the weight plates cry...Makes me want to. When life gives you lemons, just ask "Yo bro, is that all you got?" My peanut butter jar is empty, so I'll end this here. Have a good day/night everyone.

I thought hemp protein and spirulina were supplements? Or do you mean pill-wise? Either way it's a clean as hell diet. 10,000 calories sounds almost painful.

Unilateral Flat Bench Dumbbell Press- 4 sets of 5 reps @ 25lbs Cable Pulldowns- 4 sets of 5 reps @ 30lbs then pyramid reps starting from 10. 15 minute laps in the pool.

The possibilities with oats are endless. You could add protein powder, chia seeds, hemp seeds, hell, any seeds. Nuts and nut butters are great too. You could have something protein rich on the side like mock meat sausage and/or bacon. Or a tofu scramble as well.

Thanks for confirming my thoughts on that. The apartment has these machines attached to each other, and they all feel that awkward so I'm thinking it's the model itself. The only one that doesn't is the lat pulldown. I've been training in gyms on and off for 12 years now and I've been fine with machines til now. I'm glad it's not just me seeing the flaw. Edit: The cable pulldown above the machine I'm using is relatively useless since it's using the same space as the machine itself. It's not adjustable, so I'm not thinking I'll get much use from it. Maybe I'll just stick with lifting 80lb trashcans at work!

I've used protein powders before, I have nothing against them as a whole. It's more so a personal thing for me, I spent the first half of my adult life (so far) battling an eating disorder (Binge eating disorder) and now that I have a somewhat...generally...kinda healthy relationship with food, I don't want to incorporate supplements (Maybe other than a multivitamin) into my diet. Because it'll give me reason to not have to deal with real food and think about what I should and shouldn't eat. And I'd end up using them for something more than intended. Like building my entire diet around protein shakes. Not good.

I've had protein powders in the past. I don't mind them, they make good chocolate milk. It's just that I don't feel like I'm training hard enough for supplemental nutrition. (Given I don't know what I'm training for atm) I can get the calories with little effort, I'm really sure I'm hitting like 300g carbs a day with 100g of protein tossed in. Fat I rarely worry about because with how I go through sunflower seeds (Theyre my favorite) my fat is beyond hit. Maybe I should train harder, OR...maybe I'm overthinking. I'm losing weight currently and I'm not trying. Taking cheese and eggs out of my diet left me a lot of wiggle room calorie wise so I think I'm good on that part. Just macros are a pain in the ass.

So I logged my info in on iifym.com and it says to cut weight my calorie intake should be at 2179 a day. Okay, no problem. Then I broke down the macros: Carbs= 204 Protein= 160 Fat=80 Fiber= 40-50 My question is how am I supposed to hit these macros, with just 2179 calories to go on? I get that I plugged it in for losing weight but everyone I see who gets in that much protein, is on 3000+ calories a day. My stocky meso-endo body type would thrive on the lower 204g carb but 160g of protein on 2179? As a Vegan? How am I supposed to do this naturally? I don't really want to get into protein powders.

Didn't train yesterday. Wifey got injured doing weights so I stayed home with her. Today we ran errands around town on foot, altogether probably hiked a mile and a half with bags and what not. Had a nice vegetarian lunch at this Mexican restaurant about 4 blocks from home. Was our first date since we moved here. I wanted to go swimming but there was this strange guy who constantly kept staring at my wife, like gawking. I shrugged it off thinking he's more so mentally challenged and not as perverted as he was coming off as, to prevent me from drowning him. Needless to say, the swim didn't happen. Worked six hours closing the dept, counts for something given I'm beat.