Just weighed in. With shoes on and if I stand right in the middle of the scale, I'm a whopping 178lbs.
One more week to go. Should I slow down or go for broke?
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Fitness Experiment Update 3/17
I'm really uncomfortable.
I've put on about 7 or 8 pounds since the last update. Almost ten pounds since the beginning of the month. Slouching toward the 15 lb goal. On someone who's as lean as me, it shows VERY quickly. I've got the unmistakable beginnings of a gut going on down in the spare tire area, the lovehandles are back, the six pack is on temporary hiatus, and I have to suck in a little to button my jeans.
Energy levels are a bit on the low side. Not SHOCKINGLY low...I'm not falling asleep standing up or anything... but I'm not feeling quite as perky, that's for sure. It's a lot more difficult to wake up in the morning and I have to be careful what I eat for lunch. Too much food/bread almost knocks me out.
Worst though--It's HOT. Uncomfortably warm. It's a sunny, warm-ish St. Patrick's Day in NYC. Not a cloud in the sky. And I'm HOT in this t-shirt and jeans, which is most unusual. I want to attribute some of it to my long hair, but there's an unmistakable uncomfortable feeling of hotness all over. It's enough to make me want to give up on this whole experiment right now. But, for the sake of the people who have long told me, "Yeah, diet and exercise work for YOU. You're MAGICALLY SKINNY. I could NEVER get in shape like that", I'm gonna try and ride this out.
I think I've proven that I DON'T have a magic metabolism. Muscle tone and six pack are not necessarily the result of insane genetics. I got those things because I ate small portions, was careful with my diet, and kept physically active. This month, I've let myself go. Bread, cereal, pasta, beer, lots of birthday cake, french fries, all that sort of thing. Normal foods. Big portions. The only cardio I'm doing is walking around NYC.
HOWEVER, I have also noticed that I have NOT lost any muscle mass in the past week of skipping the gym. I have stayed the same size. In fact, unless I'm mistaken, I'm filling out my shirts in more than just my gut area.
Also, my face looks healthy for the first time in forever. I've always had a thin face and slightly sunken cheeks. Not anymore.
ALSO, today I finally managed to make it back into the gym for some lifting and I was quite surprised to find that I was lifting, on average, about 10 lbs more than my usual!
I guess this is why a lot of gym rats go through the "bulking" phase. Normal folks don't really know this, but during the fall and winter, you often see muscle-heads starting to get a little bit on the chunky side. That's the bulking phase of the year, when everyone eats more, weighs more, and because of that, lifts more. And lifting more = more gains in muscle mass.
Then in the spring and summer, it's all about cardio and cutting the fat, while ideally keeping the muscle.
I'm really hopeful my friends will see what I'm doing here and realize I'm not making this up. You CAN change your bodies through diet and exercise. Don't misunderstand me--I TOTALLY understand that some people are more disposed towards being stocky or lean, but for those of you who thought I was "special" because I was blessed by the skinny fairy at my christening, hang on. I'm about to prove how normal my body really is.
I've put on about 7 or 8 pounds since the last update. Almost ten pounds since the beginning of the month. Slouching toward the 15 lb goal. On someone who's as lean as me, it shows VERY quickly. I've got the unmistakable beginnings of a gut going on down in the spare tire area, the lovehandles are back, the six pack is on temporary hiatus, and I have to suck in a little to button my jeans.
Energy levels are a bit on the low side. Not SHOCKINGLY low...I'm not falling asleep standing up or anything... but I'm not feeling quite as perky, that's for sure. It's a lot more difficult to wake up in the morning and I have to be careful what I eat for lunch. Too much food/bread almost knocks me out.
Worst though--It's HOT. Uncomfortably warm. It's a sunny, warm-ish St. Patrick's Day in NYC. Not a cloud in the sky. And I'm HOT in this t-shirt and jeans, which is most unusual. I want to attribute some of it to my long hair, but there's an unmistakable uncomfortable feeling of hotness all over. It's enough to make me want to give up on this whole experiment right now. But, for the sake of the people who have long told me, "Yeah, diet and exercise work for YOU. You're MAGICALLY SKINNY. I could NEVER get in shape like that", I'm gonna try and ride this out.
I think I've proven that I DON'T have a magic metabolism. Muscle tone and six pack are not necessarily the result of insane genetics. I got those things because I ate small portions, was careful with my diet, and kept physically active. This month, I've let myself go. Bread, cereal, pasta, beer, lots of birthday cake, french fries, all that sort of thing. Normal foods. Big portions. The only cardio I'm doing is walking around NYC.
HOWEVER, I have also noticed that I have NOT lost any muscle mass in the past week of skipping the gym. I have stayed the same size. In fact, unless I'm mistaken, I'm filling out my shirts in more than just my gut area.
Also, my face looks healthy for the first time in forever. I've always had a thin face and slightly sunken cheeks. Not anymore.
ALSO, today I finally managed to make it back into the gym for some lifting and I was quite surprised to find that I was lifting, on average, about 10 lbs more than my usual!
I guess this is why a lot of gym rats go through the "bulking" phase. Normal folks don't really know this, but during the fall and winter, you often see muscle-heads starting to get a little bit on the chunky side. That's the bulking phase of the year, when everyone eats more, weighs more, and because of that, lifts more. And lifting more = more gains in muscle mass.
Then in the spring and summer, it's all about cardio and cutting the fat, while ideally keeping the muscle.
I'm really hopeful my friends will see what I'm doing here and realize I'm not making this up. You CAN change your bodies through diet and exercise. Don't misunderstand me--I TOTALLY understand that some people are more disposed towards being stocky or lean, but for those of you who thought I was "special" because I was blessed by the skinny fairy at my christening, hang on. I'm about to prove how normal my body really is.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Fitness Experiment
On the train, headed to my March portrait gig. Yes, portrait. Which means I'm keeping my clothes on all month.
The cost of the CrossFit class I'd been a member of shot up 100 bucks just after Thanksgiving and I haven't been doing any significant cardio since then. I put on 5-10 lbs between Thanksgiving and Christmas (as usual) but because I haven't had my regular gym classes, that weight hasn't dropped off as it usually does by the end of January.
I'm banking it this month--lured out to Riverdale with promises of gold. So in April I'll have enough dosh to buy a $200 month-long unlimited CrossFit pass.
But that's still a month away.
The Cachinator and I were talking about this when he got a nutty idea that I kind of like.
I'm going to do a little fitness experiment. I know. It's a little crazy. But I think it could be really interesting.
So this month, it's all about eating the average American's diet, going to the gym for light workout every now and then, but not thinking of it as a priority. In other words, I'm going to see how out if shape I can get in a month.
In April, it's back to CrossFit. It's also back to the primal diet (no grains, refined sugars).
How long will it take to get the six pack back? I don't know. But I've got plenty of motivation, seeing as how I can't very well model for my gigs this summer with saggy love handles.
In the meantime, I'm bringing on the grains, bread, the occasional trip to McDonalds, five dollar foot-longs from Subway, big Chipotle burritos...the works.
I'm going to post diet and weight progress at least once a week. Probably Wednesdays (Weigh-in Wednesday. Has a nice ring to it!)
Can I do it? Will I lose my nerve? We'll see!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
The cost of the CrossFit class I'd been a member of shot up 100 bucks just after Thanksgiving and I haven't been doing any significant cardio since then. I put on 5-10 lbs between Thanksgiving and Christmas (as usual) but because I haven't had my regular gym classes, that weight hasn't dropped off as it usually does by the end of January.
I'm banking it this month--lured out to Riverdale with promises of gold. So in April I'll have enough dosh to buy a $200 month-long unlimited CrossFit pass.
But that's still a month away.
The Cachinator and I were talking about this when he got a nutty idea that I kind of like.
I'm going to do a little fitness experiment. I know. It's a little crazy. But I think it could be really interesting.
So this month, it's all about eating the average American's diet, going to the gym for light workout every now and then, but not thinking of it as a priority. In other words, I'm going to see how out if shape I can get in a month.
In April, it's back to CrossFit. It's also back to the primal diet (no grains, refined sugars).
How long will it take to get the six pack back? I don't know. But I've got plenty of motivation, seeing as how I can't very well model for my gigs this summer with saggy love handles.
In the meantime, I'm bringing on the grains, bread, the occasional trip to McDonalds, five dollar foot-longs from Subway, big Chipotle burritos...the works.
I'm going to post diet and weight progress at least once a week. Probably Wednesdays (Weigh-in Wednesday. Has a nice ring to it!)
Can I do it? Will I lose my nerve? We'll see!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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