Status Update: Where I’m at and where I’m going…

Its not always easy to think up something to post. My 3 day a week schedule is kind of rigorous for finding new material. Also, since blogging and fitness aren’t necessarily my job, I don’t have too much time for only the most cursory research. And finally, I assume people who read my blog read it for different things: friends and family seeing how I am doing, people who like the links to recipes, people who are interested in learning training techniques (hence the advent of the tagging system). Often times I forget, I started this to keep track of my progress. My training tab has been neglected for months as have the updates on what I actually eat. So, just so you know I am truly not slacking, here are some updates.

First and foremost, I am done tracking calories for the most part. I am no longer dieting as I am unconsciously monitoring my macronutrient intake. I try to have a high fat, moderate-high protein, low carb approach to eating everyday. And this is the driving force behind most of my meals. Its a very primal approach to eating, and it leaves me full everyday, full of energy, and my body is naturally still shedding weight. Just to give you a sample diet for a day:

Breakfast: 4 eggs, cheese, 1/2 cup of blueberries, some kind of tea, bacon and/or sausage… maybe a piece of protein toast with sugar free fruit spread.

Pre workout- 6 BCAA tabs if I know I am planning on destroying myself in the gym (also, of note, I usuallye at breakfast 1-2 hours before going to the gym, so no need for a big meal pre-workout)

Post workout – 20g Metabolic drive in a shake, triple decker PB2&fruit spread sandwich (with the protein almond flour bread recipe)

Lunch – Nigerian fajita stew – essentially a tomato based curry with onions, peppers, olive oil, oxtail and chicken in it. More and more, I am leaving the skin/fat on the meats I cook, especially if they are grass fed, because animal fat is great for you.

Afternoon snack – 5.5 oz greek yogurt with 10g-20g serving of metabolic drive to sweeten it

Dinner – Turkery burgers, greens of some sort, bacon, etc..

Now this is not completely honest, because all week, I have actually been eating 1-3 extra Pb2&fruit spread sandwiches a day, as well as a very costly amount of cashews. That being said, eating in this way, combined with pushing myself in the gym even when i can’t do any lower body work or even run, has allowed me to shed weight the last 2 weeks.

As I just alluded to, my knee is still hurt, in no part because I hurt again it last weekend (see monday’s post). So I have been training upper body 4 days a week, focusing on the chest/tri and back/bicep split. Its been rough, as I have unwittingly been training power and lower body movements almost exclusively the last 3 months. I haven’t been going in with a plan, except to get in some weighted pull ups and some kind of press in each day. I really couldn’t tell you what the sets or reps were, or even what exercises I’ve done each day. Additionally, I have been changing my grip width and position (supinated or pronated) on almost everything, which has allowed me to discover the differences these things make.

Okay, so, now, something I haven’t don’t since end of April/Early March. Progress Pictures. This is me at 247 lbs, relaxed:

The Back... and the Best Part!

Front.. Yes, the 6 pack is now just barely in play

Side View! Awesome!

Just for comparison, this is 280 at the start:

Yup...

Big changes, and only 5 lbs away from my goal (though gonna try to get to 240 for a nice cushion)

Just a little bit more to go. We shall see what happens. And thanks for sticking with me!