R2D16 - Run

Last workout of the year. Ran instead of Core Synergistics, but my calf held me back again. Had to stop at 5 miles. Pretty frustrating.

L: slice cheese pizza 200, chef salad 300
S: cheese 35
D: new years party. Brisket 500, fruit 100, chapagne 250, southern comfort 250, wine 200, etc 200. 1500

2035

R2D15 - Yoga (Recovery week 1)

Since I am synced with Sheri and she is one week ahead, I am starting my virtual week four today.  This is the recovery week.

B: 5 wheat pancakes 200 +3 turkey bacon 150
L: Gumbo and sweet potatoes 400
S: PB Toast 150, nuts 150, Yogurt 80
D: Chicken 200, Veggies 50, Greek Salad 150, Grape Leaves 200
S: Popcorn 100

1830

R2D14 - Rest (Did Shoulders & Arm)

Supposed to be a rest day, but did Shoulders and Arms with Sheri. Got to use my 35s today and really brought it to the next level. God I love that workout.

B: Big Shake 250
BS @ 11AM 84 a little light
S: Oatmeal 100
L: Chicken Sandwich 320 + Butternut Squash Soup 150
S: PB Toast 150
D: seafood gumbo 300, sweet potatoes 130
S: popcorn 100

1500

I feel like I am pigging out, but I am still not getting enough calories.

Musing 8 - BMI, Body Fat and Weight - Obese @ 13% BF?

I have finally had it with the scales.  I have not moved an inch in three weeks.  In fact, I may have gained a pound.  I am currently sitting at 213#s.

When I go to the CDC & NIH web sites and put in my height and weight, it says I have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 29.7.  It goes on to say that the Overweight range is 25-29.9.  Obese is 30 or greater.  It is basically saying that if I gained two more pounds, I would be obese regardless of my body fat percentage.

THIS KINDA BOILS MY BLOOD.

So I went and dropped $75 at the Tom Landry Fitness Center today to get a DEXA scan.  A DEXA scan is usually used to check your bone health.  However, it is a great body fat calculator.  In fact, it is 98% accurate, and it can tell you exactly where your fat is.  Well I went in and did the scan.  It is like a Star Trek device that moves over your body, irradiating every inch with x-rays.  The results:

I am at 13.7% Body Fat!  That's right...  This "obese" guy is 13% Body Fat. Shapeup.com says that men under 39 should be between 8% and 19%.  I am right in the middle of that range now.

I found this chart online for professional athletes.  It looks like 13.7% is inline with athletic levels.

Average Body Fat Percentage of Athletes
Sport	Male	Female	Sport	Male	Female
Baseball	12-15%	12-18%	Rowing	6-14%	12-18%
Basketball	6-12%	20-27%	Shot Putters	16-20%	20-28%
Body building	5-8%	10-15%	Skiing (X country)	7-12%	16-22%
Cycling	5-15%	15-20%	Sprinters	8-10%	12-20%
Football (Backs)	9-12%	No data	Swimming	9-12%	14-24%
Football (Linemen)	15-19%	No data	Tennis	12-16%	16-24%
Gymnastics	5-12%	10-16%	Triathlon	5-12%	10-15%
High/long Jumpers	7-12%	10-18%	Volleyball	11-14%	16-25%
Ice/field Hockey	8-15%	12-18%	Weightlifters	9-16%	No data
Racquetball	8-13%	15-22%	Wrestlers	5-16%	No data

So, What have we learned here:
- Measuring weight alone is BS.  I could gain 10 pounds, but if my waist stays the same, I will be under 10% BF.
- BMI is BS period.
- DEXA is pretty cool.  I plan to do it again in 6 Months.

R2D13 - Core Synergistics

Sheri is back. Substituted out Core for Kenpo.

B: Shake 200
9AM BS @ 74. Little light
S: oatmeal an raisins 125 + turkey meatball 40
L: chili 250, nuts 150, raisins 25
S: bar 180
D: Progresso 120, Egg white Omelet 240, turkey Meatball 50, Nuts 150
S: glass wine 100 roast 250
S: Popcorn

1765

R2D12 - Legs and Back and Abs

No Sheri this morning :(

B: Shake 1.5 scoop 250
S: Toast w PB 150
L: Salad and Soup 500

3PM BS @ 104  Feel Good

S: Nuts, steak, yogurt 250
D: Lettuce Wraps 250, Wheat Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs and Salad 500
S: 1/2 Popcorn 50

1950

Musings 7 - On Blood Sugar, Calories and Wheat

I finally got to the bottom of my blood sugar situation.  Over the last 5-6 days I have been tinkering with calorie intake and carb intake to keep blood sugar dips at bay.

I think I have figured out two things:
1.  I needed to add back more calories in general.  I have been eating too little and that is impacting me in several ways.  It is keeping me from being fully fueled for workouts and the normal daily activities and it is probably risking my body starting to sacrifice muscle because there is not enough fat in there to burn.  I think the right calorie loading now is about 2100-2300 per day.
2.  I need to get some wheat in early in the day.  Wheat carbs hang around longer and help keep the blood sugar leveled out.  So far I have had wheat toast and wheat pancakes.  They both worked great and I have not had any big dips.

I am going to keep with the two adjustments above for a week or so and decide then if I need to make any other adjustments.

R2D11 - Yoga

B: Big Shake 250
Felt a little light at 12PM - Did not take BS
L: Chili 200 + toast with honey and PB 150
S: nuts and raisins 150
BS @ 2PM = 115 Feel Super
S: Bar 200
D: BBQ turkey and brisket 300. Veggies 100, Beans-100
S: Popcorn 100, lil smokies 100, yogurt 50

1700

R2D10 - Shoulders & Arms & Abs (Merry Christmas)

Did it with Blake, Sheri and Grant. Lots of dumb bell sharing.

I got new lifting gloves for Christmas. It helped me push a little harder (and I looked cool).

I also got a pair of 34" jeans that fit slightly loose - Oh yea!!!

B: 3 Wheat, Protein and Blueberry Pancakes and turkey sausage 400
L: soup ham nuts beer 500
D: Game Hens 300 + Butternut Squash Soup 100 + Veggies 200 + 1 glass wine 100

1600

R2D9 - Plyo

Plyometrics with EVERYONE!!!

B: 1.5 scoop shake 250
BS @ 10:30 101 Feel Good
S: 1/3 bar 65 , banana 100, nuts 50, four turkey lil smokies 100
L: turkey sandwich (first wheat in four months) 235
BS @ 3:00 84. A little light
S: chili 200
D: Fajita salad and misc stuff + 3 drinks 900


1900

R2D8 - Chest and Back and Abs

Really brought it. Second round of Dive Bombers is rough still.

I am going to really focus on tuning nutrition and blood sugar today. I am trying to get really good at dialing it in. I got a BS meter just for fun to get smart about how different foods affect it.

I think most of this has to do with not eating enough.  I am going to go ahead and have faith and bump my intake up to 2100-2200 a day for a few days and see where we land.

B: Mike Shake 200
S: Bar 200 + 4 turkey sausage 150
Lunch
BS Before - 84 A little light headed
Mahi, veggies, a little rice, and gumbo 500
BS after - 111 Feel great

S: pb 100, rasins 25 yogurt 80

4:30 BS 90 started to get light

S: popcorn 100 turkey lil smokie 100

5:00 BS 109 feel great again

D: 2 cup chili 500

6:00 BS 104 feel great

S: bud sel 55


2110

R2D7 - Rest

I have felt a little low on blood sugar for a couple days and can't seem to dig out of it. Not sure if it was drinking Sat night or not eating enough. I am going to up the intake a bit for a few days and see what happens. There is a tight wire here that I am still learning to balance on and now that I don't have much reserve fat, my body gets upset when I Bonk.

B: IHOP veggie omelet and fruit 400
S: bar 200 almonds 100
L: sweet tomatoes (really chowed down) 600
I feel sooooo much better now. I need to stay out ahead of these glycemic dips.
D: grilled ckn wrap 400 2 select 55 110


1810

R2D6 - Core Synergistic

We subs Core for Kenpo.

B: Big Mike Shake 250
S: Power Snack - steak, nuts, raisins 200
L: Freebird Salad 400
S: bar 200 blackberries 50
D: various meats and veggies and fruit 600


1700

R2D5 - Legs and Back and Abs

A little hung over but still brought it. I need to keep it to 2 beers.

B: Shake 200
S: Couple handfuls of random stuff (raisins, nuts steak)150
L: chicken salad. 250
S: bar 200
D: party salmon 150 asperagus 50 shrimp 150 blue cheese 100 1/4 piece cake 100 one drink. 100
S: popcorn 100

1550

R2D4 - Yoga

B: eggwhite omelet veggie. Sausage. 300
L: Soup 250
D: sirloin 300 veggies squash soup 100
S: nuts and raisins 150
Party: 4 beer 500

1600

R2D3 - Soulders and Arms and Abs

I LOVE THIS WORKOUT! My arms are still shaking.

I was 213# this morning. It is still coming off, but slowly.

B: 1-1/2 shake with banana 250 (watching the kids eat donuts)
S: bar 180
L: Last of the Chili and sweet Potatoes 350
S: blackberries 100 popcorn 80
D: veggies turkey ham cheese southern comfort. 500

1460

R2D2 - Plyo

I got all the way through it, so my calf can't be torn that bad. It is just a little sore now.

B: Mike shake with banana (makes it so much smoother)200
S: Bar 180 + yogurt 60
L: Chicken breast and roast beef + green beans and salad 400
S: nuts and raisins. 150 + popcorn 100
D:Walnut and chicken salad 350
S: Misc BS 100

1540

Dallas Carter - Amazing

I just met this guy on Facebook.  Inspirational

http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/DallasCarter?bctid=31836453001

Goals for round 2

1. Work out with Sheri and encourage her on her journey
2. Run a 1hr 45min 1/2 Marathon
3. Get real abs
4. Get under 200 lbs.
5. More measurable upper body strength
1. 25 pull ups (front grip) fresh
2. 100 push ups (standard width) fresh

Thats it.

R2D1 - Chest and Back

R2D1 = Round 2 Day 1

I am now onto my second round

B: Mike Shake 200
S: yogurt 60 raisins 25
L: sweet tomatoe salad and chili 500
S: bar 180 nuts 140
S: popcorn 100
D: butternut squash soup 200
S: raisins, nuts 100

1500

Day 90 + 2 rest

B: eggbeaters and turkey bacon. And yogurt. 200
S: bar 200
l: leftover sirloin, sweet potatoes and broccoli - 400
S: nuts 180, cheese 70
D: Taco Salad 400

1400

High Fructose Hell

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article6954603.ece

0-90 Pic

I wish I had taken better pics along the way.  Oh well.  You get the idea...

Day 90 Pics

I took these at night. I should probably do another set in the morning after the workout. Anyhow, you can definitely see the progress.  I probably should have taken off the goofy glasses too.

 

Portion Sizes. This is super helpful.

I struggle a little bit sometimes estimating the calorie count of my meals. I know I am usually off by a little. This page is super helpful in giving you a sense of what a 300 calorie meal looks like. Remember that if you eat three os these a day and then a bunch of snacks, you are still way low.

http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2007/04/26/what_do_300_calorie_meals_look_like.php

X Day 90 + 1 Bonus - Kenpo

Kenpo is the ultimate running recovery.

My calf is super stiff and sore, but it should be ok within a couple days.

Tomorrow is rest and then start round 2 on Wed.

B: Light Mike Shake 180
S: bar 180, raisins 25
l: WW Salisbury Steak with veggies 200/19 (Like a protein bar)
s: cheese 50, nuts 150
D: Sirloin, Sweet potatoes and veggies 400

1235

X Day 90 - 1/2 Marathon and Graduation

I just finished the 1/2 marathon an hour and a half ago. I got home and had a really big shake and took a bath.

Now as I sit here to write my last entry for my first round, it just hit me that I did it. I mean it hit me hard. I am all by myself in front of the computer actually pretty choked up. I can't think of a time in my life I have ever cried tears of joy. I can't even type.

[pause]

[deep breath]

Anyhow, the 1/2 went pretty good.

Bob Jacob's marathon wedding was a very unique and touching experience. Here is his site. Hopefully they will post pictures: www.marathonwedding.com

Here is the dallas morning news article: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/running/stories/121409dnspowhiterockbriefs.3e85b81.html


Pete and I were on pace for the first 7 miles and I felt terrific. The 10K pace was right at 8 minutes. Then my left calf started twitching. I have had this happen before and it is a scary situation. There are only three things that will happen:
1. Stop before it gets worse and live to fight another day
2. Run through it and pull a muscle
3. Run through it and see if it loosens up

I let Pete run on and I stretched for about three minutes and then I started running again pretty slow. I think miles 8-11 were over 10 minutes. Then it started loosening up and I was able to pick back up my pace. The last mile was close to an 8 minute.

It kinda sucks because I really wanted to test my physical limit today and my calf kept me from really pushing it. I did not really even break a sweat and I never got my cardio up in the zone.

The articles say we don't know why this happens. It just hits randomly sometimes. My right side feels great. No pain at all.

Anyhow, my first goal was to break 2 hours. The Official time on the clock said 2:03. However, we did Bob Jacobs wedding after we crossed the start line and so the race committee is going to adjust down the time about 6 minutes, so I should be well under 2 hours.

Pete ran the race I hoped to and hit roughly 1:45. I am really proud of Pete. That butt head used to make fun of me for running and now he is crushing 1/2 and full marathons. The psycho dude is lifting weights this afternoon. It has been so fun training with him and reconfirmed to me what an important life long friend he is to me.

Back to P90X...

If feels really great to have the first round done. Tomorrow is the official last day according to the workout schedule. So like a good P90Xer, I am going to get in my yoga and then rest on Tuesday. I will then start Round 2 on Wednesday with my beautiful wife.

I will post pictures tomorrow.

Food for today:

I'm not counting the promax, bananna, and 3 GUs I had to fuel for the race.

B: Big Shake 350
L: Chef salad. 400. 4 beers at cowboys game. 400
D: chili cracker nuts 400

1550

Musings 6 - Plan and Turn off Your Brain

P90X has three key things going for it:
1. It is a canned program that you do not have to think about or plan for.
2. It is a relatively short period of time - 90 days is a reasonable period to get your head around.
3. The workouts have room to allow you to start slower and build up to higher intensity as you get leaner and stronger.

Of these three things, having the whole thing already figured out and planned was the most important for me. I was able to just turn off my brain and bring it every day. I never worried about doing the right thing at the right intensity.

Many mornings if I did not have that structure, I would have just gone on a low intensity jog or not worked out at all. With P90X I just put in the DVD and turned off my brain.

It would take a much more disciplined person than me to plan the variety of quality workouts without a program like this. I feel like now I could use the P90X and P90X+ workouts to build my own schedule, but I am sure I would do some stupid stuff like too much resistance together, or not enough rest or something bad like that.

Also, the 90 day goal period is perfect for me. A longer period would be overwhelming and a shorter period would not allow me to set goals for material results. I plan to continue to work in 90 day cycles whether I am doing P90X or not. I think you can set a goal like shave 20 seconds off your mile or gain an inch in your chest or get spartan abs for summer and attain that goal in 90 days.

By doing workouts that allow you to see material progress in your strength and capacity, you get a lot of interim motivation. Through this first 90 days, I have been able to basically go from zero performance in the following areas to being able to do what they do on the videos:
1. Crane
2. Wheel
3. Double Time Knee up Jumps
4. Pull Ups
5. Ab Ripper heels to the heavens
6. Warrior 3
7 Dips

Whatever workout I do going forward, I will set clear goals for 90 day success, wrap it in a 90 cycle, and will make sure the workouts have room for improvement.

Once I have my 90 day goals and plan set, I will just turn off my brain and bring it!

X Day 89 - Stretch X for 1/2 Marathon

Stretch X - Just for grins I did Stretch X. It is the first time I have ever stretched for an hour straight. I have to admit that I do feel much more limber and nothing hurts. Aside for a good night sleep, I think I am ready to go for tomorrow.

I am also going to do some carbs too to get my glycogen levels up. I am thinking wheat pancakes for breakfast, a little pasta and chicken for lunch, and then blue fish tonight. I will get fish, rice and some veggies.

I am not eating any hard to digest stuff today like beans, high fiber veggies, or steak.

I also plan to drink about 1.5 gal of water today and no coffee or tea.

Tomorrow I will down a promax bar first thing, a bananna 30 min before the race and GU during the race every 30 min. I plan to bring three GUs.

B: 3 Wheat Pancakes with sugar free syrup 300 + 1 fried egg 100

S: cheese 70, bar 160, 2 tangerine 100, apple 100

L: slice pizza 350

D: Blue Fish. I wlll keep it to 800 calories to finish the day at 2000.

2000

Check this guy out...

Musing 5 - Weight Loss Rates

Everyone told me when I started that I would drop a lot of weight at first and then it would taper off.  Although in the last couple weeks, I do not feel like it is melting away, I have continued to see sustained net weight loss.

Here is the graph of my weight loss to give a visual:

As you can see, the rate of loss has stayed pretty consistent over the last 100 days at an average .5 lb per day.  This really surprised me when I plotted it out because I really thought I would see something that looked a little more logarithmic.

So...  What does this tell us?

1. At .5 lb rate of loss per day, I probably have a net caloric deficit of roughly 3500/2 = 1750 calories.  If you adjust for muscle gain, I bet my net caloric deficit is more like 1900 calories per day.  I take in about 1400 calories per day, so that probably means my daily expenditure with workouts is 1900 + 1400 = 3300.  That is right in line with the beachbody caloric needs calculator.  It says 3320. 
   
2. I can only assume that if I stay at 1400 calories per day, I will continue to see a similar rate of loss until I get down to a really low BF% (probably 5-7%).
   
3. I assume a P90X workout is between 600-1000 calories.  So if I want to maintain weight on workout days, I can consume 3300 calories.  On rest days, I can maintain at 2300-2500 calories.   That just seems like a lot of food.
   
4. Since I have not seen a flattening in the curve yet, I am assuming there is still quite a bit of fat to burn off.  It will be hard to tell how far the floor is until this chart starts to flatten out.  I am still guessing that I can get into the 190#s during this next P90X round.

This really validates for me that weight loss is predictable, controllable, and measurable.  Weight loss is science, not magic.

Also, it confirms that the 3500 cal/lb deficit math certainly works for my body.

It will be interesting to chart this with Sheri over her journey.  She is running at a similar deficit right now, so I would expect to see her loose at a similar rate unless the math works different for women.

X Day 88 - Back and Biceps

I decided to do B&B with Sheri instead of Kenpo because I wanted to give her another resistance workout this week and I wanted to stay away from legs with the marathon two days away. My back is really feeling it as I really pushed my last resistance workout and ab ripper for the 90 days. I am going to take an extra scoop of protein today.

Sheri is really pushing hard and I can already see progress. She is starting to get in more reps on the pull up bars too. *tear to eye*

B: Mike Shake - 2 scoops 250
S: raisins 25, Nuts 150
L: Tialpia Creole 200
S: bar 180, cheese 50
HUNGRY TODAY...
S: 5 meatballs 150
D: chillis sirloin and chicken 400
S: cheese 60


1460

Musings 4 - On Aging

I have been thinking a lot lately about aging.  I saw my grandma at Thanksgiving and saw her on a oxygen tank taking 12-13 prescriptions every day.  She smoked most of her life and ate a pretty high carb diet.  That generation really got dealt a bad hand from a health stand point.  Prior to them, most people lived on farms and physically worked their butts off.  They ate natural foods like chicken, beef, veggies, cheese, eggs, and home made whole wheat bread.  Almost nothing was processed.  Basically they ate the P90X diet and did P90X level work every day.  They were ripped.

My Grandma's generation was the first to face the onslaught of fast processed food in the 50s.  They unwittingly reinforced the development of the market for easily accessible processed foods from the grocery store including the myriad of chips, cookies, twinkles, cokes and canned foods like chef boy r dee.  Also, they created the fast food industry.  Additionally,  almost all of them smoked.  Almost none of them realized at the time that these changes were going to lead to holocaust scale morbidity and mortality rates over the following 50 years.  Now our elderly are so sick that we need sophisticated nursing facilities to feed, medicate, bathe, and even breath for them.  Twenty years ago nursing homes looked like apartments with a few nurses checking in on the residents a couple times a day.  Now they look like mini hospitals with permanent patients.

I build and sell robots for dispensing medications in nursing homes.  It helps save nursing time and makes it safer for nurses to administer thousands of doses a day in a nursing facility.  That's how bad it is now.  We need robots to keep up with the level of care required to keep our elderly alive.

The greatest generation that defeated the Nazis was defeted by smoking and processed carbs.  What would they be like if they had eaten healthy, not smoked and had worked out?  I bet our long term care industry would be a shadow of its current self.  I bet more elderly would be able to age in their homes or at least in their children's homes without creating too much of a burden.

It will be interesting watching the boomers over the next 30 years.  Like my grandma's generation, the boomers were victims of the smoking wave and processed food revolution, but they also figured out working out.  In the 70s, and 80s most boomers were playing tennis, running, skiing, hiking, biking and having lots of sex.  Most of them were actually pretty fit.  You can talk to boomers who were doing protein shakes, eating wheat germ, and managing down carbs back 30 years ago.  However, the bad food and smoking won in the end and brought most of them down.  I have a theory that the microwave ovens played a material role in this downfall as it made it really easy to warm up vast quantities of highly processed and cheap foods in just minutes.  Just from personal observation, I think only 10% of boomers in their 50s and 60s are fit today.  The rest have big bellies, eat high volume high carb diets and are relatively slothful.  I bet the average boomer consumes 3500-5000 calories a day.  The good news is that most of them have stopped smoking, but heavy drinking is prevalent with boomers, so that may be a wash.

My guess is that boomers will see a similar fate to the greatest generation.  They will  have different morbidities though.  Diet related illnesses like diabetes will be more common than smoking related illnesses like COPD.  I plan to stay in the nursing home industry for the rest of my career because I think it is going to continue to grow and become get more complex for at least 30 more years and technology has a place in helping manage care.

Is it too late for boomers?  I don't think so.  Over the last three short months, I went from completely out of shape and obese to the best shape of my life.  It may take longer, but people in their 50s and 60s should be able to get there.  It will take dedication, diet changes, and a ton of work.  Most of them are retired or semi-retired at this point.  I cannot believe that they cannot dedicate 1-2 hours a day to getting fit.

My generation does not have any excuses.  We have known smoking is death since childhood.  We have also learned in recent years the dangers of bad diet.  Most people my age know that calorie intake is proportional to fat gain or loss and overweight people are generally less healthy.  We also have validated ways to work out efficiently to stay fit.  The biggest thing my generation faces is sedentary work life.  Most of us sit in front of a computer most of the day.

A fit person should be able to maintain their weight, strength and endurance with four thirty minute workouts per week.  Don't tell me that 2 hours of working out a week is not worth maintaining health.

The crazy thing I have learned through P90X is how fast you can get there.  90 days is nothing.  What else was I going to do?  Sit and watch TV?  That seems ludicrous now.  Almost every one of my peers should be able to get through a 90 day P90X round.  It will be really hard at first and you may only be able to do 1/2 of the workouts and need lots of breaks.  Thats OK.  It is amazing how quickly you can go from totally out of shape to fit.  Also, the diet side takes two weeks to get used to and then you do not want all the processed crap anymore.  Once you are fit, it is easy to maintain.

My hope for my generation is that we go into our 40s, 50s, 60s and even 70s still able to do push ups, pull ups, run, bike, sail, and ski.  The crazy thing is I feel like I did when I was 20 - seriously.  I literally erased 18 years of cruft.  So if a 38 year old can feel like 20, why cant a 70 year old feel like 52.  The reality is that it can be done and it is easier than most people think.

I love the idea of staying young.  I mean really young.  You know - goofy, playful, laughing, sporty, strong, quick, witty, alert and most of all durable.

I refuse to give in.  REFUSE!

There is no material thing in the world that will bring me any sustained happiness.  However, keeping my youthful body and spirit is like gold.

We only get one shot at this thing and none of us get out alive.

- Get fit now
- Stay fit
- Find positive people to play with
- Refuse to give in to aging - EVER!

X Day 87 - Core Synergistics

I really brought it today. Even did the dreaded Dreya Rolls.

B: Mike Shake - 200
S: yogurt 80 and 1/2 bar 90
S: cheese 50
L: Chili 250
S: Nuts 150 + 1/2 bar 90+ Raisins 25
D: Tialpia Creole and sweet potato 400


1235

Musings 3 - Psychology and Stress

I had a heart attack when I was 35. At least that is what the hospital said. I was totally and completely stressed out. When they opened me up, they did not find any blockage or weird rhythms and one nitro glycerine was all I needed to relieve the symptoms. Any how, the helicopter flight and the week in the hospital cost me $15,000. It took us two years to fully recover financially.

Starting three companies, having three kids and just living on this crazy planet had taken their toll. Most of all, I let negative, unhappy people in my life affect my mental state. I did not handle criticism well and especially did not handle unintelligent and irrational business leadership that worked with a mini-max mentality (Minimize other people's outcome and maximize theirs). I believe the pie can alway be made bigger and everyone can win. I have discovered that most people do not sign up for that though.

I think a lot of guys find themselves in leadership roles in companies in combination with kids and wife and become overwhelmed by their perception of everyone's expectations. From this, catastrophic thinking emerges. A tendency to focus on the worst outcome emerges instead of focusing on the best outcomes. The biggest example is - what happens if I loose my job. This then leads to negativity and depression. Depression leads to a need to find something that makes you happy. For a vast number of us humans, the happy drug becomes food. When stress sets in, we reach for food - especially bad food. The happy feeling lasts about as long as it takes to swallow the food, so you keep eating.

Then you get fat!

I bet this story has been repeated hundreds of millions of times in our society. We are stressing ourselves out to death.

You cannot fix your health until you fix your mind. I saw an executive coach this year. We worked a lot on professional tools and strategies and that was very helpful, but the best stuff was the work on the personal side which has laid the foundation for everything positive that is happening in my life now.

Here is what I learned:

1. The most important thing is that most people do not really care about you one way or another. Very few people ever think about you when you are not around. Most people are totally self centered and egotistical. As soon as you accept this, you can go to the next point.
2. Since few people really care about you, you can quit worrying about what they think about you. In reality, they don't think anything - except the really negative people that tend to fixate on negative things and cannot find anything constructive anyhow.
3. Once you quit worrying about what other people think about you, you quit trying to please everyone else.
4. Once you quit trying to please everyone, life becomes super simple, because it is really easy to please yourself and meet your own needs.
5. Once you figure out how to meet your own needs (self actualize) you can find real peace and will no longer look for things like food and alcohol to fill the void.

This is the path I have been on this year. There is no way I could have done this process without accepting the 5 points above. For the first time in my life I am truly content. I need nothing and have everything I could possibly ever hope for. Our messed up society tells us we need to keep consuming and keep up with the next guy. This is silly. Once you check off the food, shelter, and clothes boxes, the rest is just window dressing.

In fact, I am finding that as I get rid of stuff, I get happier. The less stuff I have, the more free I am. Freedom to me means less stress and more space to live.

I have also found a renewed love for work. I love working hard in the absence of stress. There are days when I have to work super hard and there are easy days, but there are no longer stressful days. I am finding that this attitude has led to me being much more efficient and productive at work and I am much less emotionally driven.

Now that I am here, I am finding I have time and space to help others. I want my close friends and family to get in mental and physical shape and find personal peace. I want to help my co-workers achieve their goals. I want my customers to use our products to make their lives (and their customer's lives) better. I want to model a way of living for my kids so they never ever go through what I did.

All of this stuff is interrelated. You cannot get in shape without chilling out. It is hard to chill out without getting in shape. For me, I had to work on it all at once.

4 years ago, I doubted I would live to 40. I plan to live a healthy life to 100 now. I will never let myself return to where I was. Here is my vow to myself:

- No More Catastrophic Fear

- No More People Pleasing

- No More Stress Eating

- More Working Out

- More Helping Others

- More Chilling Out

X Day 86 - Yoga

5am yoga with Sheri.

At 217 # today. It is coming off slowly now, but still coming.

I am going to stop the cleanse until after the Marathon. It was doing weird stuff inside me.

B: Small Shake 200
S: nuts and bar 250
L: Progresso 160 + Saltines 50
S: almonds 170
D: walnut salad 450

1230

Musing 2 - The P90X Workouts.

Other than substituting running on some days, I cannot really figure out how to improve much on the schedule or the actual workouts themselves now that I reflect back over 90 days.

The P90X program is based around variety.  It mixes up muscle groups and exercise types in ways that you will not get physically or mentally burned out.  I am at the end of 90 days and want to keep going and step it up - not take a break.

The key is to turn off your brain, trust the program and push it every single move.  Do not pace yourself. As I said in the last post, if you are bonking, eat a GU, wait 5 minutes and then BRING IT!

Legs and Back - At first I absolutely hated this one.  It is kind of awkward doing all those lunges and squats and then switching to so many pull ups.  At first I could only do about 1-2 pull ups at a time and the lunges hurt so bad.  Now, I can easily knock out 20 pull ups per set and I can feel the lunges and squats shaping my butt and legs.  Sheri and I call this workout the butt eraser.  Also, once you get to where you can really bring it, this is clearly the biggest calorie burn of all the workouts.  I burned 1400 the other day and did over 160 pull ups.  A note on pull ups...  Pull ups are the key to P90X.  They tie out the arms, back, shoulder and abs.  At first you will need a chair, but you will get past that fast.  If you really push it on the pull ups, you will see dramatic results.  Do not wuss out on the pull ups.

Plyometrics - This was my nemesis at first.  I dreaded this one each week and it was relentless.  Every week.  This one is a 1000 calorie burn and like Legs and Back will erase your butt.  In the middle I used to get to 170 bpm.   Now I can do double time on the knee jumps and still barely hit 150 bpm.  This is a good conditioning workout and I will keep it in my "quiver" for a long time.  I think this workout is why I am now running a 8:00 pace for 9 miles.

Core Synergistics - I think this is the best all around workout in the set.  It has everything and your whole body feels amazing afterwards.  If you only have an hour and you want to hit everything, this is your workout.  You do need one 10lb weight for one of the moves, but it is a great hotel room workout and worth hauling the weight on your trip.

Kenpo - At first, I thought this workout was silly and I did not like it because it is challenging from a coordination stand point and did not really feel like a big burn like the other workouts.  I have grown to appreciate it more over time though, especially now that I have added running back into my life.  The 15 minutes of stretching at the beginning of the Kenpo workout is the best running stretch routine I have ever done.  If I go on a big run over the weekend and then do Kenpo on Monday, I can feel it work all of the lactic acid out of my muscles and all the soreness is gone.  I now respect Kenpo for what it is - The ultimate recovery workout.

Yoga - I had never done yoga before P90X.  The P90X yoga is the only yoga workout I have ever done.  People tell me it is challenging and intense compared to what you will find at the strip mall yoga places.  The p90X yoga workout is 120 minutes, of which, the first 45 minutes are a hell of a good burn.  You do a ton a push ups and poses that make your legs burn and makes you sweat like crazy.  In the middle, there are some fun balance moves like crane and wheel that I could not even do at first.  At the end, the Yoga Belly moves are a great alternative to Ab Ripper.  At the end you should feel no soreness, but should feel like you got a great workout.  One big thing I learned about a month in is to use a yoga block.  I have horrible flexibility and the block made all the difference in getting the moves down.  You can still bring it with a block.  I see now why Tony calls Yoga the fountain of youth.

Ab Ripper - Ok I admit it,  I really really really really really want a six pack now.  The ab ripper workout is great.  At first I could only do 1/2 of it.  Now I add extra reps.  The beginning is rough on your legs, especially on legs and back day.  I could only do heels to the heavens in the last three weeks.  I could only do 20 mason twists in the beginning too.  Once you get your belly flat and strength up, this is a powerful 15 minutes that will really build your ab muscles.  I will do another post about six pack abs and what I have learned there, but I will just say here that you will not get a six pack unless you also do other core work, pull ups, and eat lean.

Bicepts - My favorite upper body workout.  I do this one in front of the mirror now without a shirt on.  I like watching my blood vessels pop on by forearms and biceps.  It is super motivating.  When I started, I only had 20# weights.  I have since had to add 25s and 30s and need 35s now.  I also needed a 50# for lawn mowers.  Bands are bullshit.  You need weights.  I know they are expensive.  If I were to start over now, I would buy the Bowflex dial in weights.  They are $250 but they will do any increment of 5# up to 50# with one weight.  My single favorite move in the whole program now is the curl strip set at the end of this workout - POW!

Chest Shoulders and Tricepts - The thing I like best about this is at the end I can barely raise my arms.  I love all the push ups now.  22 DIAMONDS (need I say more).  Also, this is where you will dial in the triceps.  I have those little diamonds on the backs of my arms because of this workout.  SO COOL!

X Day 85 - Rest Day

I think this recovery week is going to be a good taper for the 1/2.

Day 2 on Cleanse - Expecting "big things" today

B: Egg beater and turkey sausage 140
S: yogurt 110
L: Greek salad 200. Seafood gumbo 250.
S: nuts 100
S: bar 180
D: chili and veggies 370

1350

Musings 1 - Mike's Rules for Eating To Get Lean

For the next week, I am going to post one message a day about what I have learned on P90X.  Today I am going to cover my new rules for eating.

GOLDEN RULE - MAKE FOOD YOUR BITCH - Not the other way around.

1.  Determine a caloric window to hit and do your best to stay in that window every day

2.  Do not under or over eat

3.  Alway shoot to get 10g protein for every 100 calories you eat

4.  Do not get hungry - snacking is the key

5.  Keep a protein bar with you always

6.  When eating out at a nice place, eat fish and veggies (I love sea bass)

7.  DO NOT GO TO Fast Food - I have not been in a McDonalds in over 90 days

8.  Write down everything you eat and track the calories

9.  Take your protein shake right after your workout

10. Look for protein with a 20g to 100 cal or higher ratio for your shake

11. Do not limit your veggies - steamers are great!

12. Take time to cook big batches of chilli, chicken breasts, etc, so you have left overs.

13. If you are going to drink, drink martinis and stop at 2 max.  Once you have stopped drinking regularly and are lighter, you will definitely feel it and martinis are only 100 calories per drink.

14. Enjoy big dinners like Thanksgiving by going big on the turkey and veggies.  Skip the potatoes, corn, dressing and bread.  15 minutes after the meal, you will feel great and not all sluggish.

15. Life saver snacks (Keep these with you):

        A. 100 calorie popcorn

        B: 3oz tuna fish with mustard

        C: Almonds (I like wasabi)

        D: Yogurt 80 Calorie

        E: 50 cal white cheese

        F: Progresso Soup
        G: Protein Bar

16.  Have fun with shakes and get a good blender.  Use this as your time to get fruits (bananas and berries) early in the day so you have time to burn off the carbs.  Use yogurt and almond milk.  The Kitchen Aid has a liquify option that fluffs up the shake and makes if more filling.  This is my favorite meal of the day now.

17. Egg Beaters are good, but I have pretty much moved to shakes

18. Chili is key.  It is my favorite way to get beans in.  Beans are probably the best thing you can eat on P90X.  I use chicken or turkey and tons of veggies and 4 different kinds of beans.  SO GOOD!

19. Tilapia with stewed tomatoes is stellar and easy.

20. Turkey meat taco salad is good.

21. Sirloin once a week is a nice break from turkey and chicken.  Just keep it under 6 oz.

22. Do not eat within 3 hours of bed time.  This burns up the residual sugar in the blood stream and lets you burn fat all night long.

23.  Do not eat before morning workout, but if you feel weak or tired, down a GU as soon as you know you can't keep up the intensity.  A 100 cal GU and an intense workout is much better than no cal and bonking.

24. If you have a business dinner or something later in the day, plan ahead and leave yourself 700-800 calories so you can enjoy the meal.

25. Only eat until you are not hungry - not till you are full.

26. If you need GU or bananas to get through the workout, do not count them against your day.  You ripped right through them in 15 minutes during the workout and should not be penalized for bringing it.  Never be afraid to add sugar and carbs during a hard workout.

27. To get lean, do not eat - Bread, Pasta, Rice, Beer, Chips, Crackers, or Cookies.  Get your carbs from Veggies and beans.  Make veggies your friend.  It takes about 2 weeks for your taste to change, but once you have gone that long without breads, veggies start to taste sweet and fruit is like candy.

28. Be willing to throw bad foods away, even if they are a gift.

29. When you are putting something in your mouth, alway think - How is this going to help me?  What will this do to my sugar levels?  Is there enough protein here?  If not, how can I balance in some protein?

30. Fat Free is totally bullshit - Just ignore fat content for the most part.  Focus on calories and protein and everything else will work out.  That said, if you can choose fish over ribeye, do it!

31. When you eat, especially after a hard resistance workout, listen to your body and see if you can feel the carbs and protein in the shake doing their thing.  For me, I can feel it in about 20 minutes for about an hour.  The more you listen to your muscles and energy level, the better you will get at eating efficiently.  I am still not as good at this as I want to be.  I think it is a learned skill that takes time.  The key is you have to keep your body right on the fueled side of the balance between fueled and empty.

32. Up your protein on big resistance days.  You want to get 80% of the protein synthesis done in 3-4 hours.  I do 50-60g of protein after the big resistance workouts.

33. Try not to have a bad day, but if you do, move on.  I shoot for 1300 calories per day.  Some days I hit 2000 or more.  My total daily caloric burn is 3500.  So, even on bad days, I am way under my caloric burn.  I have not exceeded 3500 calories in 90 days.

A lot of people tell me I am not eating enough, but I seldom get hungry and I am seeing big time results, so I plan to keep going until I get under 10% BF and then will level out to around 2000 calories on workout days and 1500 on rest days.

X Day 84 - Kenpo

Started new cleanse with Sheri

Kenpo with Sheri at 5:30 AM

B: Mike Shake - 1 scoop  180
S: Yogurt 120 + 2 turkey sausage 60
L: Early lunch - Chili 300
S: Nuts and such 140
S: Popcorn 100
D: Taco Salad 400

1300

X Day 83 - Leg and Back

First Day with Sheri. Last Resistance workout for first round. Brought it on pull ups. Did 150+

B: Mike Shake 250
S: 1/2 protien bar 100/10
L: salad with chicken 300
S: nuts. 150
D: sirloin 200, asperigus soup 100, beans 100
S: grapefruit 50 cheese 70

1320

X Day 82 - 9 mile run with Pete @ 8:26 pace

Ran WW in 76 minutes (fastest ever). My GPS said it was 8.8 miles, but Google maps says 9 miles. Thats 9 miles in 76 = 8:26 pace. And that includes breaks. If you take out about 6 minutes for breaks, it was a sub 8 minute pace!

We are going to smoke the 1/2 next week!

B: Big Shake - 300
L: 3 lettuce wraps 180. Green beans 70
S: Nuts 100
D: tuna veggies gumbo 600


1250

X Day 81 - Biceps & Chest & Abs

Last BCA for the First Round. I only have one more resistance workout.

I plan to start my second round right away and Sheri said she is going to do it with me for real!!!

B: Mike Shake 250
L: FB Salad with Mom - 400
D: III Forks Filet Veggies, and salad 3 drinks 1000
1650

X Day 80 - Plyo

Plyo was easy today. I was trying to step it up, but never got over 135 bpm. Weird

It's been 15 years since I could dress like this:



For perspective, here is one from before:

B: Mike's shake (small) - 200
S: turkey sausage + cheese 150
S: yogurt 80
L: tilapia veggies gumbo salad. 650
D: chilli 250
S: popcorn 100

1430

X Day 79 - Chest, Shoulders, Abs

Tons of push ups. Everything is shaking.

B: Mike's Protien Shake 250
L: Protien bar 170/15
S: another bar 170
D: chilli + veggies 500
S: nuts n stuff. 250

Butt load of pull ups before bed

1340

X Day 78 - Rest

Day trip to Minneapolis.

I feel like I was bad today even though I ate OK.  I think my body does not like rest day now.

B: turkey sausage 150 + opti shake 160
S: protien bar 190/19
L: bad chicken strip 50+ nuts 150
D: first class - 4 oz steak, green beans, salad, nuts, 1 glass wine. 600

1300

X Day 77 - Kenpo - 700cal

Again, I do not feel like Kenpo is all that intense. My watch said I burned 700 cal though. That's not too bad I guess.

Tomorrow is rest day and I am going to take it. Everything is sore.

B: Mike's kickin Shake - 250
S: Muscle Milk Bar 170/15
L: Turkey Chilli 350 + cheese round 50
S: nuts 150+ cheese 50
D: chicken 200 + veggies 200


1420

X Day 76 - Chest, Back & Abs = 218#

I'm at 218# today!!! Finally under 220.

Now, I am done with the 260s, 250s, 240s, 230s, and 220s. Damn that feels good.

(I think today is actually day 75 so I am going do wind up with 91 days on the blog)

I can see veins in my forearms and bicepts and did 120 pull ups this morning. OH YEA!

My watch said I burned 1300 calories.

2 Scoops AMP - 185
L: turkey beans and broccoli/cali 400
S: nuts and berries 140
D: 3 lettuce wraps 200, turkey chili 400
S: popcorn 75

1400

X Day 75 - Yoga - @ 220 today!

It was super fun working out with Rebecca and Jessica.  They are locked on.  I can't wait to see them at christmas at 45 days in.

Hit 220 today. I may be leaving the 20s behind in the next day or two. I cant wait.

I am comfortably wearing 34s today!!! That's 6 inches.

Blake is starting to really look ripped too. Everything on him is hard.

B: Mike's kinckin' Shake 200
S: 1/2 promax 150
L: fatdaddys walnut and chicken salad 400
S: protien bar 200/20
d: turkey and beans 300

1250

X Day 74 - Shoulders, Arms, Abs

I love S&A. It may be my favorite workout. I need 30# bells now.

I can barely lift my arms.

I am wearing 36" shorts today and they are loose. I started in 40". I hope to be in 34s by the end of 90 days.

B: Mike's kick ass blueberry shake 200
L: ckn panini 190
S: popcorn 100
D: turkey, veggies and stuff. 700

1200

X Day 73 - Plyometrics with Sheri (Thanksgiving)

Sheri did Plyo with me today!!!! Yea! Super fun.

Watch said 1000 cal burned.

Happy Thanksgiving - Watch as I keep it to 1800 calories today. Why? Cuz I can!

B: Mike's super protein shake 200
S: Protein Bar 160 (20 g P)
L: Progresso 160
D: turkey, cranberry sauce, green beans, sweet potatos 400
S: Nuts 200

1 hour football.

Glass of wine and 3 gin martinis 600 = WOOO HOO

I needed a little blow out.

1720

This is so cool - I love this guy!

http://www.beachbody.com/product/p90x_microsite/newsletters/p90xnl_004.do?code=P90XNEWS_004_ARTICLE1#article1

X Day 72 - Chest & Back & Abs

My new heartrate monitor said I burned 1000 calories. REALLY?

Anyhow, I am always a little sore after long runs and it takes me a bit to get into the workout the next day.

2 Scoops AMP 185

B: yogurt 80 + pistachios 120
L: Sevy's - salad and trout 500
S: veggie meatballs 120
D: freebird salad 400


1400

X Day 71 - Rest Day- HA! - 9 Mile Run @ 8:48 Pace

I was supposed to have a rest day, but decided to go on a short run and kept going like Forrest Gump. Wound up knocking out 9 miles around White Rock in 80 minutes. That's 8:48 pace.

I MADE THAT RUN MY BITCH!

I am definitely ready for the 1/2 marathon.

During run: 1/2 Promax Bar 150 + 2 GU 200
Recovery - 3 scoops AMP 275

Since that was a 1350 cal workout, I am going to start calorie counting from here today...

B: Egg beaters 90 + Yogurt 80
L: chef salad 300 + 1 pizza 200
S: almonds 150
D: taco salad 400
S: other 1/2 of promax 150

1380

X Day 70 - Core Synergistics

Swapped Kenpo with Core S.

I am a little tired of Kenpo and I think Core works similar stuff but is more intense. I am not sure why we do kenpo every week and core synergistics a few times. I think Core Syn is the quintessential P90X workout.

Three weeks from today will be my last P90X workout for this round. It seems so close.

I am at 222 now. I will need to loose 12 lbs to hit 210 by the end of P90X. That's .57 lb per day. That should be attainable, but I need to really bring it on the workouts and keep the calories down and protien up. It would be really cool to get to Dec 15 and be 209#.

2 Scoop AMP 185
B: optibar 160 and yogurt 80
S: pistachios 200
L: Progresso + Steamed Veggies 250
D: Blueberry, Yogurt, Opti Shake 200
S: 4 veggie meatballs 120

1200

X Day 69 - Legs Back and Abs

OK. I am coming off of three weeks of 3-4 day travel and then a campout. It has been a test of will to keep eating and drinking under control and I feel I have failed on quite a few days hitting my calorie and prtuen goals. At least I did not miss any workouts.

The bad news is I have not lost any weight in about 2 weeks. The good news is I feel really strong. I just knocked out 20 diamonds like nothin.

There is another factor too. I stopped taking my supplements about 2 weeks ago. I wonder if that had an impact. Anyhow, I have a couple of weeks with no travel and should be able to nail this eating back down. No drinking or bad eating for the last three weeks and taking my supplements everyday.

B: 2 eggs 1 sausage cottage cheese. 250

Leg, Back & Abs

L: 2 Scoops AMP 185
D: SW grilled chicken salad. 400 and moz and tomato 150
S: nuts 50 + turkey dog 50 + 3 veggie meatballs 90


1190

X Day 68 - camping yoga

Tough to workout and eat well on a campout but I got it in in the cabin. Probably hiked 3 miles too.

Camp food. Eggs, sausage, salad, cottage cheese, ham, sausage, chilli, mac and cheese, corn bread. Kept quantities down.

1 glass of wine.

Probably 2000 cal

X Day 67 - back and bicepts and abs

It bugs me that is still can't do pulse ups on abs. Oh well. I love the bicept workout.

2 scoops amp 185
B: steel cut oatmeal with almond and raisins. Yum. 150

L: optibar & nuts. 260
D: freebirds bowl 400
On campout and pretty drunk offf 4 beers. I had a couple protien oriented snacks. 500

Let's see if I can get up for yoga.

1900

X Day 66 - Plyometrics

I love Plyometrics - Big time sweat removal!

I looked kinda ripped this morning.

B: oatmeal, eggwhite veggie omelet, yogurt, misc other. 400

L: Opti Bar 160 + nuts 140

S: lettuce wraps and fruit 150

D:sea bass. Veggies gumbo. 450

2 drinks 200

1500

X Day 65 - Rest Day

Heading to Cali today with busy schedule.

B: yogurt 80
S: optibar 160
L: salmon salad 200
S: cheese and fruit 160
D: fish and veggies 250 + 2 drinks 200
S: nuts 100

1150

Low Fat Diet and Conventional Wisdom

So many people think that if they eat a low fat diet, they are eating healthy. It seems like this philosophy really came into play in the 90's. I remember my wife buying fat free fig newtons and us both pounding down a whole container thinking we were eating healthy. I am no nutritionist, but I have a hypothesis that all this low fat stuff is hog wash.

Without getting technical, when you eat fat, it still has to be converted to carbs first and then converted back to fat to be stored as fat in your body. Yes, fats you eat do have a high caloric density, but if you are tracking calories, you will not over eat fats.

One of the biggest things I have learned on this journey is that if you are working out, concentrate on hitting a caloric window and maximizing proteins. If you just do that, you will almost naturally be forced to eat well.

In my case, I am trying to hit 1500-1800 calories per day with 80+ grams of protien. To do that I need at least one protien shake, and two big servings of beans or lean meat like chicken, fish. Once I have eaten that stuff, I am already pushing 800-900 calories. On my good days, the rest of my calories come from dairy and veggies.

If I get some fat from meat, nuts, cheese, or a little peanut butter, I am glad for it as long as I do not exceed my caloric window.

It's pretty damn simple, just not conventional wisdom anymore.

X Day 64 - Kenpo

I am not really sure about Kenpo. I never get over about 145 bpm. I feel like I am really trying, but it is not all that intense. I almost want to sub out core synergistics for it.

I will say this... It sure did loosen me up after the 9 mile run on Sunday.

B: 2 Scoop Protein, banana, yogurt and raspberry shake - 350
S: pistachios 100
L: Progresso 180. Can green beans 70.
S: popcorn 100
S: cheese stick 70 nuts 130
D: walnut chicken salad 400

Two red wine 200

1700

Mentally Durable = Unflappable

I like how Tony Horton talks about being durable.  I think it is on Core Syn where he talks about it.  I think part of that message is about being mentally durable.  Mental durability means that things that may have used to stress you out, no longer do.

I got a test today.  I came home to find the hot water heater has sprung a big leak and the ceilings in the entry were pouring down water.  I just looked at it for a sec, gathered myself and went to work adressing the crisis.  Within 10 minutes all was under contral and two hours later, everything is dry and not leaking.  We will need to get the sheetrock repaired later.

Anyhow, the old me would have been sweating, cussing, and would have started stress eating.  I do not even look to food anymore for comfort.  I am sure there are still things than can ge a rise out of me, but I am definitely more metally durable.

In other words, I am becoming more unflappable.

X Day 63 - Chest and Back and Abs

C,B & A

I have to switch up the schedule a bit this week because of the training run and the trip later in the week.  I will do Kempo tomorrow and rest on Wednesday.

I think I will wind up missing a legs and back.  I know that's a good one, but the 9 mile run definitely covers off the legs and I did a lot of back today.

B: Best protein shake yet - Raspberries, 2 scoop protein, yogurt, milk, and banana  300
L: I made Yummy Lettuce Wraps from Tom Thumb 550
S: Almonds - 150
D: Fazis - White Chicken, Spinach, Cauliflower, Greek Salad - 500

1500

X Day 61 - 9 mile run

9 mile run with Pete. Sub 9 min miles. I will do one more training run before the 1/2 marathon on 12/13.

2.5 scoop amp 200

B: egg white omelet veggie 300 and wheat pancake 150
L: almonds 100, yogurt 80
S: optibar 170
D: chicken breast an veggies. 300. Shrimp cocktail 170
S: couple bites turkey chilli + a couple black berries + a couple bites wheat pancake  150

1620

X Day 60 - yoga

2/3 done!

Yoga

I have decided to up my intake a bit. I think I need to be in the 1800-200 range or I am going to bonk on my workouts and stall out on the weight loss. That actually seems like a lot of food now and I will be eating more than my body is telling me to.

B: Starbucks oatmeal 140
S: optibar 170
L: turkey chilli dog 300
S: Blueberry protien Shake - yogurt, blueberries, 1 scoop whey protien, a little milk - 190 YUM!!!!
D: Home Made Chicken Chili 500
S: almonds 150

1550

X Day 59 - Arms, Shoulders and Abs

Arms, Shoulders and Abs

2 Scoops AMP 185

S: optibar 160
L: progresso and mixed veggies. 200
S: 3 slices turkey + almonds 150
D: Steak and Salad  500
S: almonds 150

1350

60 Day Pics

Well,  Here is the 60 day pics.  I am going to have to get Sheri to take the 90 day pics with a better camera.  I think the progress is more obvious now.

 BEFORE - AFTER:

 

BONUS PIC:

You can almost see the abs trying to come through (almost).  :)

X Day 58 - Plyo

Down to 225# after the Chicago trip.  I was worried I had gained weight and I actually lost 3 lbs.   So I am still ay my .6 lbs per day.  I should be in the teens by next Monday or Tuesday and I should land at 206 at the end of P90X.  I will need to do 2 more weeks to get solidly in the 190s and out of the 200s.  Maybe a couple long training runs and the 1/2 marathon will help too.

If I was not steadiliy loosing weight, this would be so much harder.  Now it is just a matter of time.

Plyometrics -  Only went over 160 once and really brought it

2 Scoops Amp 185

S: 3 oz tuna 80
L: Freebirds Bowl 400
D: Progresso Soup and Saltines  200
S: almonds and 1 hot dog 235

1100

X Day 57 - Start of Trianing Block 3

Chest Back and Abs. I did 60s on the Lawnmowers. Probably did 90 pull ups total. I need to go get more dumbbells. Diamonds are still a challenge.

2 Scoops AMP 185

B: fruit 50 chicken sausage 70 yogurt 60 little oatmeal 60 egg white veggie omlete 120
Total 400

L: opti bar 160

3 jolly ranchers 200

D: chicken breast an mixed veggies. 300

S: mixed nuts. 200

1440

X Day 56 - Rest Day

 I am thinking about running 1/2 of the White Rock Marathon if I can get Sheri to do it with me.  I am not really going to train for it other than maybe 2 9-10 mile runs.  We'll see.

Today, no workout.  Which I really need.  Even though this last wee was a "recovery week" I still feel like I went pretty hard.  I am looking forward to getting back to free weights tomorrow.

I am going to keep my calories under 1200 today after last night's debacle.

B: Egg white veggie omelet + 1/2 wheat toast.  200
L: Opti Bar 160
D: Trout + cheese + salmon + 3 drinks 700

1060

X Day 55

Last workout if Phase 2 today. Start Phase 3 on Wed.

Yoga

B: 2 egg 200, 3 link sausage 150, yogurt 60, bananna 100, mozarella 100

L: opti bar 160

D: steak oysters fish veggies 6 drinks. Bad dinner. Probably 1300


2060

X Day 54 - ran and core today!

Ran 4.5 miles on Lakeshore with Sheri + 2 mile walking

2 Scoops AMP 185

B: Yogurt 60
L: Indian - fish, chicken and veggies 400 (Indian Home in Chicago is the best Indian Buffet I have ever had)
S: Opti Bar  160

Evening Core Synergistics in Hotel Room (I'm lonely) - I do not do the Dreya Lunge.

2 scoops AMP 185  (i hardly every double up workouts and will do Yoga in the morning, so I figured I needed some protien)

D: 3OZ Tuna 80

1165

X Day 53

Supposed to be rest day. Did 3/4 of yoga x

Walked all over Chicago again. Probably 7 miles.

B: bannana egg whites cottage cheese tomatoes 1/2 piece of wheat toast. 250
L:chili and salad. 350
D: big dinner. Steak squash onion soup 5 drinks. 1200

1800

X Day 52

4:30 am Kempo. Oh yea!

Walked 6 miles in Chicago with Sheri

2 scoops amp 185
B: optibar160
L: Greek salad and soup 200
D: 2 slice pizza UNO no crust veggie. - yum 500
3 mic ultra 300

1335

I like these eating tips. This is basically the formula I am trying to follow...

Copied this from the beachbody site:

Eating for Great Abs

By Ben Kallen When it comes to creating incredible abs, even the most effective workout programs can only bring you so far. That's because you can't get a flat, hard midsection without losing body fat. Here's how to eat your way to great abs.

And no matter how much effort you put into creating a six-pack, no one's going to see it if it's covered by a layer of flab. (The good news? While it's impossible to "spot-reduce," abdominal fat is often the first to go when you start losing weight.)
If you're following the dietary guidelines of a Beachbody® fitness program or a personalized meal plan from TeamBeachbody.com, you'll automatically be eating the right foods to lose fat as you get in shape. But the following seven principles can give you an extra edge and will help ensure that the effort you're putting into your abs will bring you the results you want.

1. Get plenty of protein. Eating enough lean protein promotes fat loss and muscle gain, the two most important elements for developing great abs. It also helps keep you from getting hungry while you're eating right. You don't have to gobble down 12-ounce steaks—just eat a normal portion of lean meat, fish, low-fat dairy, or vegetarian protein with every meal, and make sure your snacks contain some protein, too. If you still have a hard time getting enough in your diet, a daily shake made with Whey Protein Powder or Shakeology® can be a perfect addition.
   
   By the way, protein is especially important in the morning, when a lot of people don't get as much as they should. A protein-rich breakfast will help keep your blood sugar steady for hours, preventing the dips that can lead to cravings later in the day. (Try some low-fat chicken sausage, or an omelet with one whole egg and three egg whites, along with fruit or whole-grain toast.)
2. Reconsider your carbs. Despite the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets, the average American meal is still too high in sugar and fast-burning starches to bring body fat down to ab-baring levels. It's time to say goodbye to sweetened soda, ditch the Doritos®, and save the cake for your birthday. If your fitness plan calls for a sports drink before a long cardio workout, or a carb-and-protein recovery drink after resistance training, that's fine. But the rest of the time, stick with foods that are on the low end of the glycemic index (refer to GlycemicIndex.com for more information)—these foods burn more slowly so they won't spike your blood sugar and insulin levels.
3. Have fun with fiber. Something about the word "fiber" just doesn't sound appetizing. But high-fiber foods can actually be quite delicious: fresh berries and other fruits, salads loaded with colorful produce, your favorite steamed vegetables or vegetable soup, stews or chili made with beans, chewy whole-grain breads and cereals . . . You get the picture. (These foods just happen to be loaded with nutrients as well.) High-fiber foods keep you fuller with fewer calories, and they help keep your digestive system working at its best—a double-whammy for getting rid of belly bulge
4. Enjoy some yogurt. Probiotics, the healthful bacteria found in yogurt and other fermented foods, have been proven to help reduce belly fat. In a recent study in Finland, new mothers who took probiotic supplements averaged smaller waist circumferences, and lower body fat in general, than those who didn't take probiotic supplements. And while the topic is still controversial, studies have found that eating lots of calcium-rich dairy foods like yogurt may increase overall weight loss.
5. Don't forget to eat. Tempted to lower your daily calorie count by skipping meals? Don't. Going hungry can raise your levels of the stress-related hormone cortisol, which research has found can increase belly fat even in otherwise thin women. And eating too infrequently can lower your metabolism and energy levels, while increasing the chance that you'll get too hungry and decide to chuck your meal plan entirely. If you're eating the right foods, regular meals and snacks will keep your body fueled while you're working toward that strong core.
6. Drink more fluids. Hydration is important when you're on a fitness plan, but drinking plenty of water has particular benefits for your midsection. It helps keep your stomach full so you don't overeat, and it helps flush out excess sodium to prevent belly bloating. (Eating more potassium-rich foods, such as tomatoes and bananas, will also help in this area.)
   
   Plain ol' H20 can't be beat, but you can also switch it up with flavored waters, iced tea, and anything else you like to drink that isn't full of sweeteners. How much do you need? The old rule of 8 glasses a day is a good start, but everyone is different: drink more if you're exercising or it's hot out, and less if you're running to the bathroom every 5 minutes.
7. . . . With two exceptions. It's time to cut down on those mood-altering substances, coffee and alcohol. Too much caffeine raises your cortisol levels and can impair your sleep, which can lower the production of fitness-promoting hormones. Meanwhile, the proverbial "beer belly" isn't just the result of extra calories—alcohol actually makes it more difficult for your body to metabolize carbs and fat. Booze also stimulates your appetite and lowers your inhibitions, which can lead to bingeing. The best road to flat abs is no alcohol at all, but if you really like a drink now and then, just have one at a time (and no more than a few a week), and stay away from higher-calorie beers and sugary mixed drinks.

X Day 51

Core Synergistic - I haven't done this one in a month. It is quite a whippin. I felt a bit tired this morning. I should have taken a protien shake before the workout. I am goingt o do 2.5 scoops to recover today.

2.5 Scoop AMP 230

I am supposed to do Kempo tomorrow, but Sheri and I are going to Chicago and Saturday is supposed to be a rest day. I will go on a long run on Saturday with Sheri on Lakeshore in lieu of Kempo tomorrow and will take tomorrow off.

B: 1 TBSP PB 100 + I couldn't find anything else worthy of putting in the temple.
S: Optibar 160
L: Chicken breasts 150 and bag of steamed veggies 90
S: 10 Almonds 70
D: apple wanut salad 130 + cottage cheese 100 + 1/2 cup chili 100 Total 400

1200

Tony Horton's - It's You Post - A Must Read

http://tonyhorton.blogspot.com/2009/07/its-you.html

X Day 50 - Finally in the 220s

I am at 228 today!!! Yea. It feels really good to be out of the 230s. I ain't going back.

Yoga was kinda cool today. I was able to do crane the whole time and actually tried wheel and held it for about 10 seconds. The Warrior 3/half moon moves were much easier today too. I think the yoga block is helping. My only issue is that my lower back hurts when doing cobbler and hamstring stretches. weird.

2 Scoops AMP 185

B: 1/2 cup egg beaters 60 + 1.5 cup asparagus 60 + 1 pretzel stick 30
L: 6 OZ tilapia + mixed veggies 200
S: Opti Bar 160
D: 3 Meatballs. 75

D2: chicken and broccoli 300
S: 10 almonds 80


1155

Coffee not a Diuretic?

I just saw this on Wikipedia and was surprised because everything I have heard says coffee is a diuretic...

Coffee is also a powerful stimulant for peristalsis and is sometimes considered to prevent constipation. However, coffee can also cause excessively loose bowel movements. The stimulative effect of coffee consumption on the colon is found in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee.^[23][24]
Practitioners in alternative medicine often recommend coffee enemas for "cleansing of the colon" due to its stimulus of peristalsis, although mainstream medicine has not proved any benefits of the practice.
Contrary to popular belief, caffeine does not act as a diuretic when consumed in moderation, and does not lead to dehydration or to a water-electrolyte imbalance; current evidence suggests that caffeinated beverages contribute to the body's daily fluid requirements no differently than pure water does.^{[25][26][27][28]}

X Day 49 - Rest Day

I always feel guilty on rest day. I guess the body needs recovery. I am just blindly following the program.

Still at 230. Will probably see a 2-3 lb drop in the next 2 days.

Need lots of water today.

B: egg beaters and turkey bacon. 170

S: Yogurt 80 + Cheese Stick 50

S2: Opti Bar 160

L: Progresso 160 + Green Beans 60

D: Chef Salad 350-400


1080

X Day 48

Kempo

Last time I did Kempo, I peaked into high 150s several times. I could not get above 140s today. I was really pushing it and stayed up with Tony. Kinda weird.

2 Scoop AMP 185

B: Yogurt 80 + 2 Meatballs 60
L: Progresso 160 + Cheese Stick 50
S: Opti Bar 160
D: Talapia and Tomatoes 200
S: 2 meatballs 50 + 10 almonds 100

1050

X Day 47 - 230.0 lbs! 1/2 way to weight goal

I reached 230.0 lbs today for the first time since 2004. This is 1/2 way to my goal to get to 200.

This makes my daily average .64Lb per day. Over the last 10 days, it has gone up to .7 lb per day.

It looks like my weight loss has accelerated now that I am adding back some calories and really pushing it in my workouts. There really is something to not undereating. Even though I have not been hungry, I think I am not eating enough overall. It looks like my sweet spot for max weight loss without eating muscle is about 1500 calories a day assuming I get in a protein shake after the workout. I will shoot for 1300cal/day from here on out and then a couple little snacks will put me around 1500.

Legs and Back + Abs

1.5 Scoops AMP 150

B: egg beaters and turkey bacon. 300
S: optibar 170
L: 6 meatballs 160 cheese stick 50
D: tialpia and tomatoes and rice and veggies. 350

1180

X Day 46 happy Halloween

Yoga

B: yogurt and opti and snacks. 350
L: freebirds salad bowl. 400
D: 4 meatballs 200. 2 glass wine (for trick or treating) 200
S: turkey and pretzles. 200

1300

X Day 45 HALF WAY!!!!

I am hovering around 232. I was hoping to make 230 for half way, but i need another 4-5 days. Anyhow, my original goal was to loose 60 lbs in one year and I have lost nearly half that in 45 days. I am shure I will slow a bit and expect to be around 210 at the 90 day mark.

Today did back and bicepts and really pushed it. I did about 1/2 of it without my shirt on and actually liked what I saw in t he mirror. I am starting to get those veins pop through my bicepts when I do curls.

I am going to do an experiment and up my calorie intake to about 1600 a day and see if there is any material change in weight loss. That should still keep me at a 1400-1500 deficit a day and should keep me around .6 a day of fat loss. I have a hypothesis that that is my weight loss velocity ceiling.

Biceps, Back and Abs

2 Scops AMP 185

B: Yogurt 170
L: spinich salad and tomato basil 400
D: 7-8 Meatballs 400 + 3 MDG 64 = 190

1345

X Day 44

Plyometrics - Really went for it today. Bonked a bit at the end.

Needed GU 100
2 scoop AMP 185

B: yogurt 100
L: freebird grilled chicken salad 400
S: chese stick and Almonds 180
d: Progresso 160 + Saltines 50

S: Smart pop

I finally feel like I have energy again. Been light headed all day.

1300

X Day 43

Chest, Shoulder, Tri, Abs

2 Scoops AMP 185

B: Yogurt 170
L: Tilapia, Shrimp and Scallops 500
S: Opti Bar 160
D: progresso 160 + 3slice turkey 30


1200

Reflections at 1/2 way

• Most important - I feel really great
  
• People are noticing and commenting that I look like I lost weight
• The workouts are getting pretty easy now - I can actually do about 12 pull ups when I am fresh and I have most of the Yoga moves down
• Favorite foods: Progresso Soup, Yogurt, Wasabi almonds, Talapia, Bean Chili, Turkey Meat, Grilled Chicken Salad, Lean Filet Mignon, Asparagus, green beans, broccoli, turkey taco salad, albacore tuna, sardines, egg beaters, turkey bacon, anything with stewed tomatoes, low sugar oatmeal, samll amounts of natural peanut butter.
  
• Opti Bars keep me from getting into hunger mode on accident. I always carry one.
  
• I have gotten better at listening to my body to eat. I seldom overeat and try to get in 5 small 150-200 calorie meals per day
• When I work out really hard (Plyo and weights) the AMP protien shake makes a huge difference in recovery and I bet it is accelerating my muscle growth
  
• I mentally get a lot of benefit form watching the scale even though I should not. I have been on a .6 lb per day slope the whole way. That rate will probably not continue. I have gotten used to staying at the same weight for 2-3 days and then seeing a 1-2 pound drop. I do not check the scale after I eat or drink a lot.
  
• About once a week, I will find someone else's blog and read it for 20 minutes or so and that keeps me motivated.
• I am starting to envision what a sub 200 pound Mike will look like and I am getting really excited. I really think it is possible now.
  
• Some days I wish I had a coach that I could ask basic nutrition questions to. I am working so hard at getting my nutrition balance right, but I am sure I could be more efficient. Maybe I will get a nutritionist for a week or so.
• The second training block seems really legs centric and not as upper body centric. I am not sure if it really matters.
  
• I kinda wish there was more than one Ab workout.
• I had to go move the trailer which required dragging it on its side about 20 feet. I usually need help and was able to do it solo.
• I can sit in the middle seat ont he airplane and not be miserable. I still don't like it though.
  
• It is mentally hard to take a rest day as I feel like I am loosing ground, but I feel so fresh after a rest day and nothing hurts. You body just needs recovery time.
• I can't think of any way to materially improve what I am doing, so I am just going to continue on and see where this goes.
  

X Day 42 - rest day

B: yogurt 170
L: chicken salad no dressing or sour cream or cheese 400 + 1 nacho 80
S: Opti Bar 160
D: 3 slices turket 30 + 10 almonds 50

890

X Day 41

Kempo

B: Oatmeal 110 + 2 serving egg beater 60
S: yogurt 100 + almonds 40
L: gumbo 160
D: talapia + crab + shrimp + green beans 500

2x beer 200


1170

X Day 40

Legs back and Abs

2 scoops AMP 180

L: progress 140
S: optibar 160 + 15 almonds 140
D: Taco Salad 300
S: 3 slice turkey 80 + 10 almonds 100

1100

X Day 39

Weighed in at 234

Yoga X

B: yougurt 100+ opti bar 160 + rasperrues 50

L: Indian - chicken and veggies and fruit. 400

D: Bananna 100 + Optibar 160


970

X Day 38

Bicepts and Back + ABS

2 scoops AMP 185

B: Yogurt 100
L: Progresso 160
S: 3oz tuna 100
d: blue cheese + walnut salad 250
s: 1 tbsp PB 170 + 3 slices swiss cheese 200

1165

X Day 37

B: omelet w tomatoes. 200
L: Fajita Salad 350?

Plyometrics

2 scoops AMP 185

D: Progresso


900

X Day 36 - Rest Day

In Maine

B: Omlette (no cheese) 200
L: 3 oz Mahi 90 + ceaser Salad 200
S: Opti Bar 160
D: Spinach Salad w chicken 250

900

X Day 35

Trip to Maine so will do rest day tomorrow.

Chest Shoulder Tri+ Abs

2 scoops AMP 185

B: Yogurt 100
L: Opti Bar 160
S: 3 oz tuna 100
D: 2 lobsters 300 + Crab Stuffing 200 + veggies + 2 glasses wine 200

1245

X Day 34

I did not feel like KEMPO today. I went on a 4 mile run + did ABS and pull ups in the park for 20 min.

B: 2 eggs 150
L: Opti Shake 160
S: Opti Bar 160
D: Progresso Soup 160
S: Cheese Stick 80

610

X Day 33

Legs And back + abs

2 scoops AMP 180

B: yogurt 100 + 4 slice turkey 50
S: opti bar 160
D: filet mignon 250 + salad 100 + 1/2 twice baked potatoe 90
S: Dessert 100

1030

X Day 32

Yoga X

X Day 31

Bicepts and Back + Abs

2 Scoops AMP 185

L:1/2 grilled chicken salad form Fat Daddy's 300

S: Opti Bar 160

D: Went to the fair: Gumbo with no rice 170 + two bites corney dog 80 + 1 michelobe ultra 90