Ego Over Matter: Weeks 11 & 12: Removing the Monkey

You may notice that I have not posted an update the past couple of weeks. There's a reason for that. No I haven't quit, but I have been less focused on the diet front for the past two weeks. This is two-fold. First, it's because I want to spend some time to let my head and body rest a little before I pour on another ten weeks of focus. The second is because I had to get a monkey off my back.

One of the things that, like clockwork, tends to happen whenever I decide that I need to lose weight, is that my caffeine consumption starts to rise, first slowly, then precipitously. I noticed at the end of week 10 that I was averaging 4-6 Diet coke drinks every day. That's a lot. Too much, in fact. that's almost 200 mg of caffeine per day, which would be equivalent to two cups of coffee each day. Being a Latter-day Saint, I don't like that comparison (and yes, I am perfectly aware that Diet Coke is not part of the Word of Wisdom, I've rationalized that argument hundreds of times over my lifetime). Caffeine is a wonderful little appetite suppressant, but it only works for so long, and then you need elevated doses to get the same effect. I've decided this time around that I want to get to my weight without the little helper taking part of the credit. So I've spent the past two weeks dealing with a cold turkey withdrawal of caffeine from diet soda.

How does it feel? So far, it hasn't been too bad. I haven't had the headaches or irritability I've had in the past, but I definitely notice the appetite suppressant quality being gone. I feel hungry a lot more often, and I find myself snacking often in spite of myself. I'm trying to supplement this by drinking protein shakes during the day. I'm not ashamed to say, it's a darn lousy substitute (LOL!).

So my next cycle officially begins today, and this time, I decided not to weigh myself. Have I relapsed a little? Yeah, I'm sure I have, but part of me is OK with that. this time around, I'm going to do it without my "old friend", because i want to prove to myself I can do it. Frankly, I think I'll feel better about the result. Here's to "round two" :).

Ego Over Matter: Week 10: Steady the Hovercraft

So at the end of Week 10, I tipped the scale at 240 pounds, which is down two pounds from my last weigh-in, a total of 10 pounds dropped total, 42 pounds away from my goal of 198 pounds, and effectively a two week flat-line when taken together. I'm hovering, and I don't like it.


One of the challenges is that I'm in class right now. I'm working on the Bug Advocacy class for the Association for Software Testing. Don't worry if that doesn't mean anything to you, the key is that it's messing with my schedule and my hours, and it's causing me to spend less time walking about and more time curled up with a laptop and typing. Not a great formula for weight loss success, so after this next week, when the class is officially finished, I meed to up my game.

How to do that? I'm working it out, but I have free weights, I have a Swiss Ball, I have a mountain bike, and really, I have zero excuses. What I don't have is a lot of time, but actually, that is also not true. I have the same1,440 minutes every single day, so somewhere in there, I should be able to fit 30 to 60 minutes of doing something active and physical. You know the old line "if you are too busy to do [fillInTheBlank] then you are too busy!" It's not a matter of time, it's a matter of choice and what matters to me. I claim to want to drop the weight, but until I actually get out and run a few laps or pedal a bike for awhile or take the skateboard out for a ride or start pumping some iron, I'm all hot air!

So yeah, I need to make a priority on dong more movement, because the food option is kinda' reaching its limit, and I want to see the progress bar start going down again. Overcoming inertia is always the hard part, so that's my plan, overcome inertia, as soon as class is over ;).

Ego Over Matter: Week 9: Vacations Rarely Lead To Weight Loss

So at the end of Week 9, I tipped the scale at 242 pounds, which is up two pounds from my last weigh-in, a total of 10 pounds dropped total, and 42 pounds away from my goal of 198 pounds.

This past weekend we went down to Fresno to visit with our friends. Usually, as you can imagine, these trips tend to involve a lot of dining out, socializing, and frankly, not a lot of rigorous control on the diet front. Thus, I fully expected a bit of a rebound this week, and yep, I got it! Of course, going to John's Pizza, an Asian buffet, bagels and Dairy Queen didn't help matters *AT ALL* (LOL!), but hey, I'm not going to play the miserable little dieter while I'm out with my family on a visit, so I was prepared to take the hit.

On our road trips, whenever possible, we like to find fun and unusual sodas that we’d never tried before. This trip, we explored the options that Fentiman’s offered, including their Curiosity Cola, which I discovered is one of the oldest small brew colas still made, Burdock soda, which tastes a bit like bubble gum and licorice, and Shandy, which is a beer soft drink… yes, you read that right! It’s basically a malt and barley soda pop with sugar and lemon.

Interestingly enough, with the hit, I'm actually back on the even keel I'm supposed to be with a 1 pound a week loss, and I'm actually still a pound ahead. Remember I stalled for a week, then dropped four pounds the following week, then dropped another pound, then back-tracked two. All told that puts me at losing 11 pounds in ten weeks, which is ahead of where I intended to be in the first place, so no harm no foul :).

It can be frustrating, though, to spend a lot of energy hoping to see a drop and not seeing it happen, but then, I also realize that the prepared foods often have higher sodium content (hey, it's part of what makes them taste good ;) ), and that higher sodium content directly translates to higher water retention, meaning this could all slip away in a couple of days of getting "back to normal". This is why I don't freak out too much about the day to day weight fluctuations, and rely on my weekly "weigh-in" to balance out the story. My weigh in just happened to come after my weekend away. Justifying much? Absolutely (LOL!). Ah well, it's a new week and a new chance to get back on the horse, so here we go again...

Ego Over Matter: Week 8: It's The Little Things

So at the end of eight weeks, I weighed in at 240 pounds. This is down 1 pound and puts me 42 pounds away from my goal of 198 pounds.

I feared I might back-slide due tothe big drop of last week, but I definitely smiled when i saw a 1 pound drop. Of course, the drops are sort of a ratchet effect. Within a day or two I'm up over the weight again, often by a couple of pounds, and then I do a taper towards the end of the week to help me "make weight". this was a technique I learned when I was on the wrestling team in high school (honestly, i sucked at wresting, and I was totally built wrong for the sport; too tall and too heavy to be effective against my competition who was usually much shorter and much more powerfully built). Still, the "ratchet taper" is a technique that helps you to ease off the pedal for a couple of days, and then go into a slow dive that helps you make your target. this ios a much more healthy way to "make weight than other methods I've tried over the years (diuretics, etc.). To this end, I tend to remind myself that a couple of pounds up each day or down each day should be weighed into the final weigh in Monday morning, and that's the figure that matters (otherwise it's just way too frustrating and demoralizing to see the fluctuation of down two one day, up four another, etc.).

One of the little treats in the office that it a guilty pleasure of mine are the stacks of Otter Pops in the freezer. I'm convinced I'm the only one that eats these, and I have to remind myself to go easy on them  (I try to limit myself to just one a day, but some days are worse than others (LOL!). Still, it's a small little thing, and it greatly improves my mood on certain days, so I don't fight it too much :).

Ego Over Matter: Week 7: The Thrill of the Ride

So at the end of seven weeks, I currently sit at 241 pounds. This is down 4(!!!) pound and is 43 pounds away from my goal of 198 pounds.

Wow! 4 Pounds?! How in the heck did that happen? And will I be bummed if I back-slide from that level? I really don't think I did anything that extreme, but I did go snowboarding this weekend with my family, and I will admit the anticipation and all the running around to get everything ready would certainly have been an influence, but wow, four pounds in a week is both huge and scary (I always worry in the early stages of a weight loss that a radical drop is usually more associated with a clean-out of the gastro-intestinal tract than it is any big weight loss; my clothes don't fit much differently, so it's not like I'm dropping a waist size. still, a drop is a drop is a drop, so I'll take it :).

Ego Over Matter: Week 6: Creative Tricks for Quick Wins

So at the end of five weeks, I currently sit at 245 pounds. This is down 1 pound and is 47 pounds away from my goal of 198 pounds.

It was nice to see the scale move again. Back feels much better, but it’s reminded me that the extra weight is hugely responsible for the pain. Needless to say, I’m more motivated now to get rid of the remainder.


I started thinking about the little tricks that I tend to play on myself in the early going any time I diet or try to lose weight. I do them for a variety of reasons, but generally they are to get me some quick wins, so that I feel motivated to keep going over the long haul. One is a minor habit tweak, one of them is a regular thing I’ve been doing for years generally speaking, and one of them is a new development and is, well, somewhat bizarre.

1. I work with a small company on the 4th floor of an old brownstone. As it’s an old building, it has older infrastructure, the most obvious being the fact that it only has one bathroom. Put 25 people onto a floor with only a single bathroom, and needless to say, the line can be long. At the street level, there is a meeting annex to one of the nearby high-rises that has a Men's & Women’s restroom. When you make it a point to go down and up four flights of stairs every time you use the bathroom, that can have a cumulative effect (especially since I make it a point to drink 64 oz of water each day ;) ).


2. In my faith (for those who don’t read this from my obvious sources or can’t figure out from my blog feed, I’m L.D.S. ;) ), every month at the start of the month we have what is referred to as a “Fast Sunday”, where we go without food for a 24 hour period (or more precisely from end of dinner Saturday until start of dinner on Sunday). Mileage varies on how this is done or how strictly you do it, and for what purpose it is normally done (I do it in association with a goal that I wish to pray for or a question I want to pray about. Well, back in 2007, when I shed 52 pounds in 6 months, I decided to have a Fast Sunday every week. I don’t recommend this for everyone, but it has generally worked well for me and has actually had other benefits outside of the purely weight loss related. It also helps that it tends to give me a good push towards weigh in day (which is always first thing Monday morning).


3. You all jumped ahead to see what the bizarre thing was, didn’t you (LOL!)? Well, here it is. One of the things I discovered back in my last big shed-down is that having an overpowering taste can really be effective as a weight loss and appetite suppressant aid. In 2007, my spice-meter went through the roof, to the point where I was literally filling a shot glass with either Tapatio or Sriracha hot sauce. I don’t know if it really had much of an effect by itself, but it certainly helped blunt my hunger. Problem is, it doesn’t work anymore; I’ve become too used to it. This time around, I wanted to try to find “calorically empty” foods. Not those bereft of nutritional value, but I mean literally those with an almost zero caloric input. Perfect candidate? Pickles! So some of you are asking “what’s so bizarre about that?” well, nothing yet, but as I was trying to dig into the jar, I decided that I needed to do something with the vinegar that I had to dunk into. Instead of pour it down the drain, I drank about a quarter cup of it. Wonder of wonders, it had this really strong sour taste (not altogether unpleasant, but not something I’m normally go out of my way to drink straight). The really cool thing was that, within about 15 seconds, I had a total blunting of any appetite! Just by drinking about ¼ cup of pickle juice (which is effectively garlic infused vinegar). So now each time I reach for a pickle or two, I drain off just enough of the vinegar to get a “fortifying shot”. It probably won’t work forever, but right now it’s strangely effective.


So how about you? What are *your* psychological tricks to help you score your quick wins :)?

Ego Over Matter: Week 5: Back Trouble and Standing Still

So at the end of five weeks, I currently sit at 246 pounds. This is down 0 pound and is 48 pounds away from my goal of 198 pounds.

So yeah, you all caught that, right? No movement. that's because I had limited movement this week. I don't know what I did exactly, or what triggered it, but when I reached for something this past Monday evening, I felt that tell-tale "bass string Pop" sensation above my left hip. Each time this happens, I know what I'm in store for... limited movement, large doses of Ibuprofen, and me totally frustrated. With less movement comes more boredom and, often, a desire to eat more food, so I found myself snacking mindlessly at times when I didn't even really feel hungry or want to eat. It provided a distraction for my ache, but it's not the distraction I really wanted.

Fortunately, the ache is subsiding now (these episodes usually last about a week), so I am finding it easier to get out of the snacking mode (that, and an increased consumption of water).

So I have figured out the rhythm of the breakfast delivery at work. As I mentioned, yes, the entire office gets breakfast. Monday's are breakfast sandwiches from various places (they rotate where they come from, but basically they are usually egg, ham or bacon, or vegetarian, on either English muffins or toast. Tuesday's are bagels w/ various schmears and a plate of cut fruit. Wednesday's are breads and baguettes with really heavy Greek style plain yogurt and various flavorings (my preferred method is Turkish style with a tablespoon of honey). Thursday is breakfast burritos of various kinds (usually ham, bacon and veggie). Friday is steel cut oatmeal and mixed fruit. Seriously, my company buys enough for everyone each morning. Pretty cool, huh :)? Of course, with so much food about, it's easy to make frequent trips to the break room and see what's there, so it's up to me to decide when to steer clear.

Well, here's hoping this coming week will see a return to greater mobility and also to reduced pounds.

Ego Over Matter: Week 4: New Temptations

So at the end of four weeks, I currently sit at 246 pounds. This is down 2 pound and is 48 pounds away from my goal of 198 pounds.


This in a way surprises me because I started my new job this past week... at a place that has even more food in the office than the place I just left (LOL!). What's more, they feed the staff breakfast every morning. Yes, you read that correctly (start-up culture, it's a beautiful thing in many ways; this just happens to be the tradition of this place). What's neat to see is that they get actual hearty breakfast foods, like egg sandwiches, granola, yogurt, fruit plates, breakfast burritos, etc. and they get enough for everyone! What's more, they foster a sense of community when they eat lunch and take their breaks to eat. They all hang out together. All of this makes the meal time breaks more anticipated, but more to the point, it makes snacking practically stop.

The third story stairs deal also seems to be helping a little bit. I was leaving the building to go out and in at least three times a day the first couple of days, but that has mostly stopped (LOL!). Seriously, though, I think just a break from routine made enough of a switch-up that I was able to drop two pounds without making much of an effort. The healthier breakfast food options, and later in the day, are probably helping, though (I love my friend Curt's response when I told him my company feeds us breakfast. He said "Breakfast?! What are you, Hobbits?!")

So there it is week one of a new job down, and a plan to see if this change up is just a temporary blip or actually has a longer term effect. We'll see next week :).

Ego Over Matter: Week 3: New Beginnings, New Habits

So at the end of three weeks, I currently sit at 248 pounds. This is down 1 pound and is 50 pounds away from my goal of 198 pounds.


Interesting to see what the future will hold. I officially ended a six year run with Tracker Corp. on Friday and will start my new job today as a Senior Tester at SideReel. There are some differences that will definitely make a change to my routine. First, the new building is an old building, an early 20th century (maybe earlier) brownstone with three floors. We're on the top floor and the stairs is the only real way in and out (there's an elevator, but it's for freight only, and it's an old elevator anyway, so best to use the stairs. With that being the only way in and out, my exercise quotient has risen a bit right there.


Many of the old snack habits from the old company are now officially gone. I can't access the varieties of free food and candy that were often stocked in the office, and I have a feeling this new company is a lot leaner on those types of things (they are a start-up after all :) ). So that will also shift my habits considerably. More water and home brought stuff for me, which is fine :).

It'll be interesting to see what the new job and the way the office is set up and structured will do to me longer term. I for one am interested in seeing just what happens. Stay tuned for more :).

Ego Over Matter: Week 2: Back In Touch With Reality

So at the end of two weeks, I currently sit at 249 pounds. This is down 1 pound and is 51 pounds away from my goal of 198 pounds.


Bleh! that about sums it up. Not elation, not frustration, just, bleh! Having done this a number of times, I think I'm becoming both more philosophical and more cynical about it, but also more concrete in I know what I have to do, and I just have to do it. Some things that this week helped put into perspective. There are several maxims I've used over the years, and those maxims still hold.



1. Eat it whole, eat it raw, eat it unprocessed is still good advice. When in doubt, go with fresh, go with whole foods, and eat them as is. Two whole oranges are a lot less calorically dense compared to a glass of orange juice, and they are also a lot more filling :).



2. Steering clear of sodas of any stripe is best, but if one must, go with Diet flavors (even if they are genuinely awful tasting). Other than that, drink at least 64 oz of water every day potentially closer to 1 gallon a day. Your trips to the bathroom increase, but it also helps flush out the other gunk, too (and your skin will thank you, seriously, it will :) ).



3. Getting back into the understanding of what a portion is can be amazing. If in doubt, carry around some measuring cups and see/calculate what you actually eat. You may well be astounded by how much you put away without even thinking about it. Also, read carefully the serving labels. My morning oatmeal baggie is actually two servings (ha ha ha! in who's world?!). Each serving has 100 calories, so each bag actually has 200 calories. I often would put two bags together to make a substantial enough meal. That's 400 calories or 20% of the days calories for a 2,000 calorie day (which if you are on a losing kick is a good goal at 6'2" and 250). That's sobering!



4. If you have to choose between eating less and exercising more, it's great if you can do the latter, but the necessary output to burn 500 calories more a day is a lot more effort than shaving 500 calories a day. Do both and you will be a rock star (as well as create a 1,000 kCal/day deficit, but you may find it makes you really grumpy, too. Still, that's all you really have control over is the amount, and diet control is simpler than expending more energy exercising (provided you're already doing some as it is. If not, get up and go take a walk :) ).


5. Dieting sucks! Yes, I said it. It's not fun, it's kind of a pain, and it's frustrating when you are invited to dinner or are out and about. You can mitigate that fact a little bit, though, by being more prepared, packing your own food wherever possible, and packing the items that are nutrient dense and take up a lot of room w/o adding a lot calorically (back to the whole whole/raw/unprocessed spiel in #1).


So there it is. I met the target for the week and feel utterly underwhelmed. It's still early, though, so let's see if this tortoise approach will actually work better long term.

EGO OVER MATTER: Week 1: Getting Our Bearings

To those who know me, as usual, this is not a New Year's Resolution. I do not make those; I believe a goal is good enough to start any day and every day, so I actually started this on December 27th, 2010.

Week 1: The Truth Shall Set You Free

So here is some truth. I weigh 250 pounds at 6'2" of height. Now, some might say, oh that's not so bad for a guy in his mid 40's. True, but in 2007 I went from 242 to 190. I dropped 52 pounds in 26 weeks, averaging two pounds a week without ceasing (and often doing 3 or 4 pounds a week at a clip). The net result was that I looked great for about a year, got totally burned out on dieting, joined a gym so I could build some muscle again, ate like a horse to build up, then stopped going to the gym in the Summer of 2009. Still kept eating as I was accustomed to. Have a fairly nice amount of muscle still, but it's marred considerably by the extra fat weight I'm carrying. Grrr!!!!


After dropping to 190#, I had lost the chronic back pain that had plagued me for several years. Sadly, it's back (no pun intended) and it irritates me considerably. I'd like to see it go away again.

When I dropped to 190#, I stopped snoring. Seriously. With the weight coming back, so has the snoring, and frequently my getting up to go sleep somewhere else so Christina can have a good nights sleep. That's a drag, since I happen to like  my bed and I hate the fact that I'm depriving someone else of good sleep. Plus, I had vanquished it, so I know I can do it again.

Here's another truth. I lost 52 pounds in 26 weeks in 2007. I know it is possible, I know I can do it, and I know I can do it without tearing myself to shreds in the process. This time around, I'm not going to be impatient, and I'm going to allow my body to acclimate more naturally so that I can make it a lifestyle change I can live with. The change in 2007 was dramatic, it was amazing, but in many ways, I set myself up to fail after I met my goal. What then? So my goals will have to be a little more concrete this time, and emphasize some good long term reasons to lose the weight:

1. I hate the back pain. I want it to go away.
2. I hate that my snoring is keeping my wife up at night, and that it may be pointing to sleep apnea that may shorten my life if I don't do something about it.
3. 38" waistline. Need I say more?!
4. My mom was recently diagnosed with Diabetes. Granted, she's 70, and later in life stuff like this happens. But I also know that this can be genetic, so if my mom's got it now, I could develop it later, unless I change tactics.
5. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired, or put more succinctly... I'VE HAD IT!!! (In my best Les Brown / Dave Ramsey imitation :) ).

Since I believe wholeheartedly in public flagellation to accomplish goals, that's exactly why these pages exist. Check in with me each Monday and see how we roll. Good or bad, it will be posted here for all to see.

Ego Over Matter: It’s ON!!!!

This is the running joke at work. Everyone knows that, when the multiple bags of Kroger’s Mixed Vegetables in various arrays start taking up a fair chunk of the work freezer, that Michael is “Getting Serious” (LOL!).

For those who have missed my last two summer transforms, here’s the deal. I pride myself on being an active and focused Scoutmaster, so I make a goal to “make weight” for Scout Camp every year (pshaw, and you all thought this was about my upcoming show… well, OK, yeah, it is, but camp happens before then and that’s the time I’m aiming to “make weight” for :) ). The reasons for this are many fold; first, I want to have enough energy to chase my little camp rats around and let them know that they can’t outrun me. If they go over the line, I will hunt them down (LOL!). Second, there’s a lot of walking from place to place in camp. That walking is a lot more comfortable if you don’t have to lug around a bunch of extra pounds. Third (and one of the more compelling reasons, I’m discovering) is that, since Summer Camp is in August and it’s *HOT* where we go, less adipose tissue == less insulation == less overall feeling of being hot! Seriously, that goes a *long* way with me.

Thus, recently, I went and I picked up 9 bags of Kroger Mixed vegetables in various varieties (for those who are previous readers, I walk up and over Nob Hill to go to Bell Market on California and Hyde St for my little shopping trips). I particularly like this market because they often have their $0.99 per package sales. That’s the equivalent of getting 30 pounds of food for about 15 bucks, not bad at all :). I rotate through the mixes each day, usually dousing them mercilessly with Tapatio Hot Sauce (I always go into spice overload any time I aim to make weight; maybe it’s psychological (shrug!) ).

Anyway, it’s already starting at work, people are opening the freezer…

“What in the… who loaded up the freezer?!”
“What is all this? Does anyone actually eat this stuff?!”
“Wait a minute… is Michael in attack mode again?!! (LOL!)”

Yes, much as I hate to say it, my reputation precedes me :). In any event, I have approximately six weeks in which to “make weight” and to that effect, my exercise and eating have been “kicked up several notches”. Of course I want to look good for the show, but that’s pure vanity. Not being able to fully enjoy camp? Now *that’s* torture, and one I have no intention of going through if I can avoid it!

Ego Over Matter: Fitness Goals and Challenges for 2009

For the record, I am not a fan of New Year's Resolutions. In fact, my only resolution I make every year is that I make no resolutions. However, that does not mean that I don’t believe in looking at goals I’d like to set and make an effort to achieve them. In this manner, I decided it was time to make Ego Over Matter a regular column again, and to that effect, I have decided to do something I have not done for many years… reinvigorate my quest for 300/400/500.

Now, for those not familiar with these numbers, they are as follows. The idea is that a genetically typical individual, after many years of effort and work, could reasonably be expected to master a personal best power lifting style Bench Press of 300 pounds, a personal best power lifting style squat of 400 pounds, and a personal best power lifting style deadlift of 500 pounds. This was a goal of mine many years ago, and I can honestly say I got about 75% of the way to the goal, but ultimately had to stop due to injuries and other life priorities. Since I made the commitment back in September to join a gym and become a frequent participant, I have now decided that I want to get back into the groove of someday achieving those magical digits.

Every goal has to start somewhere, and every goal, no matter how lofty, has to be broken up into smaller goals. What’s more, those smaller goals have their own daily goals that need to be set as well. Thus, I’m starting out with setting a macro goal, that of being able to do the classic 3/4/5. My more immediate goals are to get back into the groove of lifting towards that purpose, and to condition my body to allow me to start reaching those lifts. Those will require conditioning of ligaments and tendons, and that conditioning will have to take place along with raising the maximum lifts. It also means I’ll have to start lifting heavier weight for fewer reps, something I have not done in quite some time. Thus my first goal is to work through a rigorous strength and conditioning routine, one that will last approximately 12 weeks. The first 4 weeks will be focused on hypertrophy (raw muscle building, emphasis on higher reps and relatively light weights). The second 4 weeks will be focusing on Strength and power, with an increase in total weight lifted and a decrease in repetitions. The third period, for three weeks, I will work towards peaking, with an emphasis on low reps and heavy weight. Finally, one to two weeks where I will not lift at all, but spend the time doing “Active rest” (cycling, swimming, running, etc.). From there, I will start the cycle again.

Every time I embark on a new fitness approach, I have to remind myself that there are of course limitations I have to deal with, and those limitations may slow or even ultimately stop my progress. The things that must be worked into this equation are:

I have an ankle that was broken when I was a teenager (sometime in 1986).
I had a deep laceration to my wrist in 1995 that cut into my bone.
I had a compression fracture to my L5 vertebrae at the junction point between L4 and L5 happen in 1996.
I suffered a tuberosity fracture to my left arm in 2002

While I am hoping that none of these will sideline my progress too much, they are structural irregularities that I have to account for as I train. What’s more, I’ve also been feeling odd twinges in my elbows the past several weeks (and the right elbow has been somewhat dodgy since well before August).

So my goal is to make each Monday my “Accountability day” and to report the good, bad and just plain icky of all that went the week before. Notes will be kept, calories will be counted (and in some cases go well beyond needed maintenance) and I hope real progress will be made. Still, I have no illusions that this process will get me where I want to be in just 12 weeks. It won’t get me there in 12 months. It’s possible it may not get me there in 5 years. Still, I know if I put the effort in and keep track of what I do, I’ll get closer than I am now :).

Ego Over Matter: The Pen Is Mightier Than The Mouth

Last week, I put a lot of emphasis on the part of the equation that relates to training. This week, I am going to talk a bit about the eating part, as it’s just as if not at time even more important than the actual training.

There are a bunch of maxims that one can fall back on when it comes to talking about nutrition, how to do nutrition, and how best to maximize nutrition, but ultimately, here are the guidelines that I find the most helpful (and note, guidelines are just that, they mean nothing if an individual does not follow through on them):

First and foremost, it’s important to get a figure of your bodyfat percentage and overall weight. The reason for this is that it gives you a good clean idea as to what your actual lean body weight is. Let’s take me as I currently stand today. As of this writing, I stand at 220 pounds, and I’ve estimated that I am, approximately, 25% bodyfat (ugh, I hate having to say that, but yeah, let’s be frank and honest, it’s where I am actually at). That means that, distributed throughout my entire body, I am carrying roughly 55 pounds of fat. That’s both a lot and not a lot, to tell the truth. For a ultra trained athlete that’s really ripped, that would be huge. For an average everyday guy, that’s a little higher than normal but not alarmingly so, especially for one who’s gone through a bulk-up training phase. Thus, that means that, if I were to rip myself down to 0% bodyfat (an impossibility, but work with me anyway) I would have a lean body mass weight of 165 pounds.

Having determined that my lean body weight is 165 pounds, I can now start targeting my dietary goals. These have come from my own personal trial and error, so they are really only good for me, but they may work as a rough guide for others, too:

If I want to build muscle without going overboard on fat buildup, I need to meet my lean body weight multiplied by 19 for a daily caloric intake.

If I want to maintain muscle, I need to meet my lean body weight multiplied by 15 for a daily caloric intake.

If I want to lose fat with a minimal amount of muscle loss, I need to meet my lean body weight multiplied by 11. Any lower than that, and I start to catabolize muscle.

Taking the above examples, that puts me at 1700 calories per day to rip down, 2500 calories per day to stay put, and roughly 3200 calories per day to go to town and build mass without adding too much fat.

Once I have the caloric goals, I can then play my percentages game. I believe strongly in an inverted Zone diet, where 40% of calories come from protein, 30% comes from carbohydrates, and the remaining 30% comes from fats. I’m not slavishly devoted to those ratios, but I do try to aim for them. To that end, I do my best to make sure that the 40% protein, more specifically, at least includes 1 gram of protein per lean pound of bodyweight per day. That means 165 grams of protein intake every day at the minimum.

If I were to use the 1700 calorie value and 40% protein was literally 165 grams, 130 grams would be 30% carbs and 58 grams would give me my ratio for 30% for fats. Calculate the same percentages with the other values and you get the ratios and the numbers needed for both the maintenance and gaining stages.

So yeah, that’s all well and good, but what would one eat to make those values regularly? For starters, lean cuts of meat such as lean beef, pork, chicken, turkey and fish are a great lace to start. IF you aren’t a big fan of meat, milk and egg proteins are also good sources (perhaps easy on the quantity of eggs, but a few times a week doesn’t cause me any issues at this stage). Leafy green vegetables, beans, corn, squash (the three sisters of Native American tradition), items that have good sources of complex carbs, whole pieces of fruit where possible, natural peanut butter, saltwater fish, whole grains wherever possible, and an emphasis on eating things raw, whole and unprocessed whenever possible. Add to that approximately ½ to ¾ gallons of water each day and we are good to go :).

At the end of the day, though, the thing that helps me the most to get my diet in shape and stay on track is a pen and a piece of paper. It’s amazing what can happen when you make a conscientious effort to write down every morsel that passes through your lips and teeth. Many times, just having to say “wait, let me get out my flip pad so I can write that down” is enough for me to say “ehh, I’ll skip that one, thanks”. Thus proof, as my title says, that putting things in writing can probably do more to bolster will power than just about anything else one can think of… and yes, the pen proves mightier than the mouth (LOL!).

Ego Over Matter: Back In The Mass Building Saddle Again

It’s been awhile since I’ve gone into Ego Over Matter territory, and thus I decided it was time to do so once again.

Back in September, I made the decision to join a gym... again. This was prompted by a group of my co-workers that all decided that now was a good time to go and work out on a daily basis. I bowed to the inevitable peer pressure and decided, yes, I’d like to get back into the swing of things. There is a 24 Hour Fitness just a couple of blocks down the street near the BART station. This means I walk by it every single day, and therefore have no excuse whatsoever not to take advantage of the opportunity. Add to that the fact that my company offers a $20 per month reimbursement on club dues, and I figured that it would also be a very economical option compared to other activities vs. time invested.

I started going to this 24 hour fitness on September 1st. I’m now about ten weeks into training there, and I’ve definitely gotten back into the groove of weight training and trying to use the bodybuilding skills I once had down cold but couldn’t do much with (that’s the beauty of being over 40; I can actually put muscle on my frame now... of course, it now comes with a fair marbling of extra fat, but hey, most blessings usually have their down elements, too (LOL!) ). Thus I think it’s only fair to put into perspective what I’m doing right now and where I’m physically at (because this blog is my ultimate accountability partner… sick and twisted, I know, but hey, it works :) ).

Today is November 13th, and I currently weigh 220 pounds. Yes, that’s a disappointment based on my shedding all that weight last year, I'll say it right now. That puts me now just 22 pounds shy of my all time heaviest. However, at that time, I hadn’t been working out much at all, so I’m willing to chalk up a bit of that weight to muscle gains (OK, really muscle memory returns rather than any fresh gains). Down side is that I have expanded the waist I tried so hard to keep trim (SIGH!). Why is it that I can be rail thin and have a trim waist, or I can be muscular with a bulky waist, but I just cannot for the life of manage to pull off a muscular build and a trim waist?! I mean really, is that *too* much to ask?! I’m already getting Mother Nature’s input with regard to my hair (and lack thereof). PLEASE, I’m begging whoever will listen; help me overcome my Scandinavian genetics!!!

My general workout routine goes like this:

Monday: Chest & triceps, abs
Tuesday: Back & Biceps, abs
Wednesday: Legs, abs
Thursday: Shoulders, abs
Friday: extended cardio and, of course, more abs :)

Each day is constructed with three 3 set groupings, ranging in rep volume from 8 to 15, except for abs which get hit for 25 reps, worked from compound to isolation movements, in a full range, stretch and contraction spread (why yes, I *am* a Peary Rader fan, why do you ask (LOL!)?). Here’s an example of my current chest and triceps day:

1. Dumbbell Flat Bench Press (full range, 3 x 8-15)
2. Incline Dumbbell Flyes (stretch, 3 x 8-15)
3. Cable Crossovers (contraction, 3 x 8-15)

1. Cable Crunches (full range, 3 x 25)
2. Reverse Leg raises on Ball (stretch, 3 x 25)
3. Concentric Crunches (contraction, 3 x 25)

1. Close Grip Bench Presses (full range, 3 x 8-15)
2. Overhead Single Dumbbell Triceps Extensions (stretch, 3 x 8-15)
3. Triceps Pushdowns w/ rope and pulley (contraction, 3 x 8-15)

The goal with the above routine is to train in a circuit format, with minimal rest between sets, and the weight being increased when all three sets for each movement can be done for 15 reps. This helps me keep a long gaining momentum while still being both efficient and challenging overall. If I keep everything on pace, all of the above can be performed in about 45 minutes, and I leave the gym feeling pretty darned hammered (LOL!).

Now that I’ve had a chance to let ten weeks pass, I can now take out any oddities associated with “muscle memory” or changing up a workout schedule. Now I know that I’m back to a somewhat trained state, i.e. an intermediate level again, so training from here on out will be on more of a realistic continuum rather than a big jump each week just from getting back into the groove of training regularly after an extensive layoff. Let’s see what tomorrow, and the next few twelve week cycles, start to bring. You are all, of course, welcome to play along, as I’ll be posting here weekly with excruciating details (LOL!).

Ego Over Matter 2008: Changing Things Up Again

OK, I caved.

I said I was going to simplify things, and I was going to limit distractions and things to clutter up my home life and time, but I decided that there were enough co-workers and enough proximity and enough variety, plus enough of a company incentive, that it made sense to go and do it...

I joined a gym again.

I swore I would never do this again after my last bout with a gym back in the mid to late 90's. Part of the benefit of buying our house was so that I could have a squat rack/power cage, all the free weights I needed and never have to set foot in a gym again. Well after several years of mostly using my squat rack as a snowboard tuning bench and clothes line, I decided to let go of the concept of the home gym during the latter part of 2007. Besides, my training approach had changed, and I wasn't really in need of the big home weights set anymore.

Fast forward a year, and a bunch of co-workers decide to make a habit of hitting the 24 Hour Fitness that's just two blocks from my work. I literally pass this gym every single day as I walk from BART up Montgomery to get to work and back. Proximity, can't really get any better. The only thing that would be more convenient would be to have it in my building (we do have a health club as part of our work building, but that one is *way* more expensive than I would want to pay for any gym membership). Hours, this one is truly a 24 hour place, at least from Monday through Friday. Starting at 5:00 AM on Monday morning and running through 10:00 PM until Friday, it's a 24 hour a day gig. That means even me with the insane weekly schedule can get in super early in the morning or super late at night if I chose and use the facilities. Add to the fact that a good bunch of my co-workers go at a regularly scheduled time, the fact that the membership at the one club is actually quite reasonable, and the fact that my company will reimburse $20.00 of my membership each month as part of our company benefits package... hey, what's not to like?

I started going three weeks ago, and since then I have made a commitment to not miss a day if I am in at work. In short, if I come to San Francsico to work, I have no excuse to not train. The only bye clause I get is if I need to be home or I'm out of town, but it's already gotten to the point where I feel guilty if I miss a day, so I am hoping those instances will be few and far between.

My current split consists of the following:

Monday: Chest and Triceps + Cardio
Tuesday: Back and Biceps + Cardio
Wednesday: Legs + Cardio
Thursday: Shoulders and Traps + Cardio
Friday: Lower Back and additional core work (abs, obliques, etc.) + Cardio
Saturday: General Conditioning Through Activity
Sunday: Rest

My goals are somewhat modest in that I want to maintain the lower weight I've worked to be at, have better stamina for Pow Wows and just plain look a little leaner and cleaner :). When I get to the point where I can be Mr. Clean's stand-in (not just from the neck up but from the neck down as well), then I'll be happy (LOL!).

Ego Over Matter 2008: Week 8: Scout Camp Post-Mortem Edition

One week, 7500 feet of elevation climb, lots of walking, service, various projects, and sleeping away from my own bed for seven days… just another week in Paradise (LOL!).

This morning’s weigh-in had me at 201 pounds. That translates to no movement on the scale… and I couldn’t be happier, at least for this week :). My goal was just to get through this week with no injuries, no hurt feelings, and no calls home to parents to pick up boys for bad behavior (which would *not* have been trivial, considering we were 240 miles away from home).

For those who have followed this adventure of mine through this time, you’ll remember that my goal was to get myself back to ‘fighting weight” to bring my boys to Scout Camp this year, and frankly, I’m glad I did. The camp the boys chose this year was Camp Oljato, which is one of three camps located on Lake Huntington (about 70 miles East of Madera and Fresno, between Yosemite and Sequoia Natl. Monument). Entry to the camp is by boat only, so it helped to be economical with what was brought, and the fact that bears are in the area required all food items be locked up at the main dining hall in a second story bear box only accessible by ladder. Our camp site was the farthest west of all the areas, about 1200 feet away from the dining hall… needless to say, this kept snacking to a minimum, as every trip from the campsite to the dining hall and back resulted in a half mile walk. Meals were adequate if not stunning, but hey, I don’t really expect culinary excellence of a high order at a Scout Camp. I’ve had better, but I’ve also had far worse. The fact that getting more food in the dining hall meant that you had to wait in a really long line (300 people up at camp all told this past week) also made me choose the salad bar over the main steam tables many, many times. In short, I worked hard, I walked a *lot*, I ate well, and I came back at a dead even weight from when I left. That’s a good feeling. Now if I can get it to translate to my daily life the rest of the time, that would be awesome (LOL!).

Some highlights from this week… a very successful camp for all of the boys. Out of eight boys attending, we bagged 25 merit badges (including two that were completed just before we left for camp), 6 rank advancements, and did enough while there to earn the Honor Troop award and have all of the kids and both adults that attended qualify for Tribe (many Scout camps have a set of goals that, if you complete them, qualify you as a member of the camp tribe; of course we decided to go for it :) ). My son Nick bagged the Environmental Science, Camping, Wilderness Survival and Climbing merit badges. He also sat for his Life Boards of Review with the camp staff at Oljato. He said this was the toughest Board of Review he’d ever been through; they grilled him for a full 45 minutes. He was very relieved when they said that he’d passed (for those not familiar with Scouting, the Life rank is the one just below Eagle Scout). Nick is just shy of turning twelve, and has only been in the Boy Scout program for fifteen months, so he’s come a long way in a short amount of time. The only thing separating him from his Eagle Scout award is three required merit badges (Citizenship in the Community, Personal Fitness and Personal Management), an Eagle Scout Service Project (he’s already got ideas as to what he wants to do) and a minimum of six months active tenure as a Life Scout. The thought that my kid could earn his Eagle at age twelve just totally blows my mind!

One other huge success and great revelation from my boys is that they almost to a man have decided there’s one activity that they really love and can’t seem to get enough of, and that’s Rock Climbing. I’m talking the full ropes and harnesses, cliff face kind of Rock Climbing. The Troop as a whole decided that they wanted to focus on Rock Climbing as a troop specialty… which means that their Scoutmaster now has a new hobby, whether he was looking for one or not (LOL!). Thus, Ego Over Matter now has a new element to it. I pledged to the boys that I would get certified in climbing so that I could lead expeditions with them, and now my diet and fitness has a whole new trajectory. I wonder how hard it is to become a proficient rock climber at 40 (LOL!).
So there it is, we made it home safe and sound, and now I have some new goals to aspire to, and yet even more reason to bring my weight down, my strength up, and keep a focus on staying in “fighting shape” for the long term. Wish me luck :).

Ego Over Matter 2008: Week 6: Weigh In and Random Thoughts

OK, here we are at the six week mark. I said if I could hit 205 I’d be happy, and if I could hit 200, I’d be ecstatic. Is there something g between happy and ecstatic (LOL!)?

Today’s weigh in had me at 202 pounds, which is two down from last week and eighteen down from the start of this crazy project. Plus I still have six days before I and a motley gang of eleven and twelve year olds leave for summer camp (one of that motley gang, of course being my own son). I will likely post something on Saturday to that effect. I’ve also decided that I like the feedback mechanism that this provides, and I’ve realized that the drama of losing it, while entertaining, isn’t nearly as important as the slightly less glamorous but much more important aspect of actually keeping it off. So y’all will still hear from me, just probably not as loud or as often, but I’m going to keep goals posted and I’m going to share my ups and downs on reaching each of them.

Two pound loss. All right, that’s what I’m talking about. Not too much to give me worries of catabolization, not too little to make me bummed I didn’t make it, just the right amount :). What makes this “just the right amount” cool is the fact that I had two fairly big parties this weekend. The first was a special Eagle Scout Court of Honor for three of the older guys in my Troop (I just recently took on the full time role as Scoutmaster, so I don’t get any credit for these boys being where they are today, but it’s my gig to throw them a party and throw it I did. I did my part by springing for the Hawaiian Barbecue chicken and rice (and oh, was it good!). One of the mom’s makes an *awesome* cake for each Eagle Court that we hold. Think I’m passing up on that action? Think again!!!

Last night we all gathered together in the old Danville homestead to celebrate my Dad’s birthday, so that meant another great dinner and another great cake. I controlled myself, but still, it felt nice after that kind of a weekend to ‘make weight”, so I’m pretty chipper this morning, to say the least.
Next week will be very interesting. I wonder what I’ll read when I come back home? Also, I wonder if some fun we’ll be having on this coming Friday Night will set me back any (LOL!). Oh well, guess we’ll just have to wait and see, huh?

Ego Over Matter 2008: Week 5: Weigh In and Random Thoughts

OK, so we are now at week five, and here's my numbers. This morning, I weighed in at 204 pounds, which is one pound down from last week and sixteen pounds down from the start. I guess I should have expected this at this point, but it's still a bit of a let down. Still five weeks and sixteen pounds is 3.2 pounds per week average. Still aggressive, ahead of target, but I can't help it, I get bummed when I can't get a full two pound drop at the minimum.

There's something very empowering and appearing about "making weight" each week. It tends to allow me enough short term focus to do what I have to to meet my goals. Dropping twenty or thirty pounds is often a bit scary to contemplate, but having that weekly two or three pounds (or on those weeks where one pound is all I can report) is an atainable enough goal that I tend to get excited about it. I also notice that there tends to be a weekly cycle. Some weeks feel like I live for Monday morning, as that's where everything comes out in the wash and I know what progress I've actually made. I also tend to like Monday morning because that's the one day that, after weigh-in, I loosen up a little and just drift for a day. From there, I tend to get a little more focused each day until the weekend, when I get hyper-focused leading into my next weigh-in. Then the cycle starts all over again.

I think part of my lower return this week was the three day weekend; it's hard to be super focused on a holiday weekend. It's even harder to stay focused when dinner on Saturday was in Japantown in San Francisco and a great meal of Unagi and Wakame Soba is staring you in the face (LOL!).

Ah well, my one pound weeks tend to be followed on with three pound weeks, so we'll see what next Monday has in store :).

Ego Over Matter 2008: Week 4, Weigh In and Random Thoughts

Wow, have I been at this for a month already?! It seems like it was just yesterday I started this, and at other times, it seems like I’ve been doing this forever (LOL!). OK, let’s get to the numbers, shall we.

This morning saw me tip the scales at 205 pounds, which means I’m down three from last week, and down 15 from the start. Again, fifteen pounds in one month is still pretty darned aggressive; it’s the equivalent of 3.5 pounds per week, although I’m taking some comfort in the fact that the last two weeks have slowed down without radical change in activity or eating, so maybe this time around I’m still on the normal side of things.

I had a bit of an embarrassing incident on Saturday. As part of Order of the Arrow, I was asked to help one of the boys in our Lodge receive his Eagle Scout award. Thus, I was asked if I’d be willing to wear regalia for the ceremony (read, full Native American buckskins, feather headdress, the whole nine yards). Since the ceremony was at 2:00 PM, I just kind of went about my day, then got to the place the ceremony was being held, helped set up everything, and then went in to do the ceremony. Well, in a small enclosed room, and trying to keep things going smoothly, I had basically “forgotten” to grab anything to eat or drink prior (that’s one thing about getting into a diet mode, you can genuinely “forget” to eat or drink at odd times, because your body isn’t telling you it’s thirsty or hungry). Well, about three quarters of the way through the ceremony, I start to see purple tracers appear in front of my eyes… anyone who has had this experience knows what happens next. Next thing I know, I’m sitting on my butt, the master of ceremonies is asking me if I’m OK, and everyone has this concerned look on their face. I just thought, "oh man, what did I just do?!” Fortunately, it was a quick spell of light headedness, maybe about 30 seconds until I was back to myself, but the fact that it happened at my friend’s Eagle court made me really embarrassed. Note to self, next time you are in full leathers in an enclosed room that gets really hot, make sure you have a water bottle nearby and drink from it regularly, whether or not your body is telling you it is thirsty or not (d’oh!!!).

Anyway, I just wanted to mention that little scenario to people to realize that, sometimes when you get focused on a goal, you sometimes lose track of what you are doing, and if you lose track at the wrong time, you might find yourself parked on your butt thinking “aw man, what just happened?!” Hopefully I’ll be able to prevent things like that from happening again, but most importantly is to, honestly, remember that when your body is dieting, it doesn’t really care at what point it stops behaving itself. The mind and ego are tough competitors, but ultimately, in a battle of wills, the body’s survival instinct will win out (LOL!).

So that’s this week’s reality. Tune in next week as I see whether or not my burn rate slows or keeps at its current pace (a little slower i.e. two pounds a week, would be a good signal right about now :) ).