The Heavy Man's Diary: Day #100 - Still Learning as I Go

It is officially Day #100 of my mission!! I am 46 lbs lighter then I was 100 days ago and I am feeling a whole lot better. Throughout the beginning of this mission, I have seen good times and bad times. But no matter what has happened, I take it as a learning experience and I move on. Take today for example, I have been stuck in between 255 and 254 lbs for roughly the last week and a half and of course I knew I was going to reach this type of situation eventually. I am currently stuck at a plateau and even though it is frustrating, I don't want to give up, because I know there is still a ton of motivation and determination within me to make it to my wedding day in the best physical shape and health of my life.

I was curious as to what I could do in order to break through this plateau that I have fallen into. So I decided to take my situation to some professionals. I first wanted to consult with my buddy (The Personal Trainer), who has been helping me a ton with workout routines for the past 2 months now. Unfortunately he had to leave work early today and I didn't have a chance to sit down and talk to him. So, I then decided to take my little dilemma to my other friend in the office who just so happens to be a personal trainer as well. The first thing he asked me, when I told him that I was stuck in a plateau, was what I am doing as a workout routine. So I told him exactly what my other friend developed for me. After looking at my recently adjusted workout routine, he told me that I was definitely gaining muscle weight. However, I wasn't doing enough cardio in order to burn fat.

It turns out that my buddy, who set me up originally, gave me a routine that was meant for athletes who are looking to do weight training for a sport. I was trying to keep up with all of the weight lifting that the routine called for me to do, and I was becoming too tired to get in the proper amount of cardio needed to burn fat and calories. And it makes total sense because he trains a lot of high school and college athletes for football and track. I do still appreciate all of the help he has given me over the past few months but I am not looking to train for any sports. So with that in mind, I had asked my other friend if he could help me put together a new workout that would help me burn fat, define & develop lean muscle, and get my body into shape. He had no problems with helping me develop that at all.

After a good hour of explaining to me what I should be focusing on during my exercise routines, I think we came up with a good solution. I will be executing a new workout routine that will be cardio based and will also include weight lifting and strength training. He had explained to me that I should be focusing on losing the fat mass while toning my muscles at the same time. And I now know that cardio is a big part in doing so. I will share with everyone my newly adjusted exercise routine schedule after he develops it for me. He did however give me a routine to start off with tonight, he called it a feeler session. He explained to me that he wanted to see what my limits were so he could customize a workout to accommodate to my physical abilities. I am glad that I took the time to try and understand what my situation currently was and what I could do to break out of it. I am still learning as I go.

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man = 38 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - Egg whites with 1 slice of american cheese on a multi-grain bagel = Points 9
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 1 medium apple = Points 1
Lunch - Half a Rotisserie Chicken with a side of steamed mixed vegetables and cinnamon apples = Points 19
Dinner - 1 serving of whole wheat pasta with a tbsp of parmesan cheese and 2 slices of Weight Watchers whole wheat bread with reduced fat mozzarella cheese = Points 7
Dessert - 1 Weight Watcher ice cream cone = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 38 Points

Exercise

Today I executed a new exercise routine that is cardio based with weight lifting incorporated into it. I had to choose an exercise for 3 of my body parts and I do those 3 exercises at 15 reps each in a row. After I finish the third exercise, I take a 30 second rest and I jump right back into the 3 exercises again. I do this for 4 rounds and then I move onto the next set of 3 exercises for the other 3 body parts. So I do a total of six body parts with an exercise for each at 4 sets x 15 reps. Example: Dumbbell Press, Lat Pull Down, and Dumbbell Curls (4 sets x 15 reps for each exercise) and Stability Ball Squats, Lateral Raises, and Crunches (4 sets x 15 reps for each exercise). Tomorrow I will be doing cardio.

Day #100 - Weigh-In = 255.6 lbs