Day #89 - Always Make Sure You Stay Hydrated

Friday is here once again! Patty and I were just counting down the seconds in the office until the weekend officially started. The only thing that would make this weekend perfect would be if I wasn't so sore from my Back workout the other night. My lower back is still screaming from all of the new exercises my buddy has introduced me to. Like I have said before and I will say it again, "No Pain, No Gain."

Today, I had the task of executing my new Legs routine in the gym. This new routine is not that different from the original Legs routine I have been executing for the last 6 weeks. The only difference is that I am doing 5 sets now at a steady 15 reps per set. There was a nice atmosphere in the gym tonight as I was the only person in there. I can't really decided which way I like it more, when the gym is full of people or when it is empty. When it is full, I have the option of interacting with different people. This may help me pick up new routines or make friends and potentially a workout buddy. However, when it is empty, I can get in and get out quickly without having to wait for any machines to open up. I think it all depends on what kind of mood I am in on any particular day. Anyway, getting back to today, I went into the gym fully prepared to execute my new Legs routine to perfection. Let's just say it didn't go according to plan.

I got through the first three exercises pretty well. I struggled a little here and there but I think everything went pretty smoothly. When I got to the fourth exercise, things started to go south. I was in the middle of executing my 3rd set on the Leg Press machine when my right hamstring started to feel tight. I didn't think it was anything at first so I decided to proceed. As a went down and came back up, the whole back part of my leg started to feel extremely tight. I was cramping up right there on the spot and I immediately got off the machine to walk around and drink some water. After a few minutes, it was feeling better so I decided to give it another shot. As soon as I tried to extend my legs it started to cramp again. At that point I chose to shut it down for the night because I didn't want to risk injuring myself. I was trying to figure out why my leg was cramping up so bad and the only reason I could think of was that I did not drink enough water today. I have to make a conscious effort moving forward, to make sure I drink enough water during the day.

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 - 2 Eggo nutri-grain waffles with a cup of Light'n Fit yogurt and an apple with cinnamon & sugar = Points 5
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 2 rice cakes - Points 2
Early Afternoon - Turkey with 2 slices of american cheese on a multi-grain bagel with a side of baked Doritos - Points 15
Late Afternoon - 1 serving of homemade Chicken Cordon Bleu (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 7
Dinner - 2 cups of steamed chicken with broccoli and a serving of brown rice = Points 7
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers ice cream cone = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 38 Points

Exercise

I got half through my Legs routine before I started to cramp up. Here is what I managed to execute tonight: Seated Leg Curls (5 sets x 15 reps), Seated Calve Raises (5 sets x 15 reps), Seated Leg Extensions (5 sets x 15 reps), Leg Press (3 sets x 15 reps). Tomorrow I will be executing my Shoulder and Arms routines and also cardio.

Day #89 - Weigh-In = 256.8 lbs

Day #89 Weigh-In

Day #89 Front Shot

Day #88 - Finding Time to Exercise Properly

My Abs are sore, my Back is sore, and my Chest is still a little sore and I am feeling great! This new workout routine is definitely showing me that it is time to step it up. I have been doing great so far on my mission but it is time to take it to the next level for more positive results. However, I am still trying to figure out the best way to approach my new workout routine. Like I mentioned before, my buddy the personal trainer, was the one who set me up with my previous workout routine. And on Monday, I went to him to help me switch it up because it has already been 6 six since the start of that first routine.

He explained to me on Monday exactly what I had to do in order to execute each day of my new routine. He told me that I will be lifting weights for a different body part every Monday - Friday. For the next six weeks I will keep to that same schedule. For example: I will be working out my chest every Monday, my back every Tuesday, my legs every Wednesday, my shoulders every Thursday, and my arms every Friday. And every time I reach a new week the exercises will change for each body part. This constant change will shock my body and it will help me lose more fat mass while defining my muscles and I am down for that! He also explained to me that I still have to find time to do cardio at least 3 times a week and execute my Abs routine 3 times per week as well.

However, I am struggling a little to keep up with the new schedule. I guess it is because I have gotten used to lifting weights every other day and doing cardio and abs routines in between. But now that I have to lift weights everyday during the week, I have to find a way to fit my cardio and abs routines in as well. It is funny because I have been focusing so much on trying to lock down the new weight lifting routines that I realized that I didn't even do any cardio this week at all and it is already Thursday. I think I am going to have to force myself to wake up in the morning 3 times during the week to do my cardio and abs, while still managing to execute my weight lifting routines every night during the week as well. All I know for sure, is that I am going to take some time this weekend to map out next week's exercise routines and try my best to stick to it. I am willing adjust and do what is necessary to keep the mission going strong.

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 - 2 Eggo nutrigrain waffles with a cup of Light'n Fit yogurt and a serving of strawberries with brown sugar = Points 5
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 2 Weight Watchers brownies = Points 4
Early Afternoon - 1 serving of homemade Chicken Cordon Bleu (Weight Watchers Recipe) with a pear = Points 8
Late Afternoon - 1 1/2 servings of homemade Chicken Cordon Bleu (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 11
Dinner - 1 serving of homemade Chicken Pot Pie (Weight Watchers Recipe) made by Caroline = Points 5
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers ice cream sandwich = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 35 Points (3 points under my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I tried to catch up with my cardio. So I ran for 30 mins on the elliptical at the gym. Tomorrow, I will be definitely executing my new Legs routine.

Day # 88 - Weigh-In = 257.4 lbs - I think my weight going up a pound since yesterday could be because of my new weight lifting routine and possibly gaining a little muscle weight.

Day #88 Weigh-In

Day #88 Front Shot

Day #87 - Going the Extra Mile

Today is day #3 of my new exercise regiment. Well, you can technically say it is day #2 because I did not make it to the gym yesterday. Anyway, today I executed the second routine of my newly renovated exercise regiment. And I can honestly tell you that I am still sore from Monday's Chest workout. So, you can only imagine how excited I was to be lifting weights again. But I wanted to stick to the new routine as much as possible. So, I sucked it up and made my way to the gym.

Before I get into my gym experience today, I want to share with everyone how long and stressful my day at the office was. I don't think I have ever had so many people call me or ask so many questions in one day, in all my years of working. And of course I try to be a super hero and I attempt to answer as many thing as I could before my head started to hurt. I couldn't wait to get out of there today. The good news is that I made it out of the office alive. The bad news is that I didn't make it to the gym until 10:30pm. Patty and I have been looking for some furniture to fill in the space that is now vacant since her sister moved out of our two bed room apartment. Of course we do not want to spend a lot because we are saving for our wedding, which by the way, is officially a year away starting tomorrow! Anyway, we ended up getting lost trying get home from the furniture store thus making me have to go into the gym late tonight.

Getting back to my experience at the gym, today I had to execute my new Back routine. I personally think working out my Back and my Legs are the two hardest routines when lifting weights. My new routine had me doing exercises that I have never heard of before. Let me tell you, I am feeling sore in parts of my back that I never even knew I had. I am literally walking hunched over because my back feels so week right now, after the intense workout session. Patty actually laughed at me when I walked through the door because of how weird I looked. Anyway, after I had finished my back routine, I had the dilemma of deciding whether or not I was going to execute my new Abs workout tonight. As much as I wanted to walk out the door, get into my car, and drive home, I decided that I would go the extra mile. So, I walked right to the sit up machine and proceeded to continue with my workout. I am glad I did, because I feel like I accomplished a lot tonight. I can't wait to see how sore I am tomorrow morning when I wake up.

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 - 2 eggo nutrigrain waffles with a cup of Light'n Fit yogurt and a side of strawberries with brown sugar = Points 5
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 1 Weight Watchers brownie, 1 Weight Watchers chocolate chip cookie, 1 Weight Watchers mini carrot cake, and 1 pear = points 5
Early Afternoon - 1 serving of whole wheat pasta with olive oil and a Tbsp of Parmesan cheese = Points 4
Late Afternoon - 1 Boca veggie burger on a Weight Watchers bagel with a side of baked chips and whole wheat pasta = Points 10
Dinner - Chicken BLT Salad with fat free french dressing (Wendy's) = Points 15

Total Points Eaten Today = 39 Points (1 point over my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I executed my new Back Routine: Angled Bar Lat Pull Down (5 sets x 15 reps), Wide Grip Seated Row (5 sets x 15 reps), Close Grip Lat Pull Down (5 sets x 15 reps), Low Back Extensions (5 sets x 15 reps), and Good Morning Dead lifts on the Smith Machine (5 sets x 15 reps). I also executed my new Abs Routine: Crunches (4 sets x 25 reps), Leg Raise Chair (2 sets x 12 reps), and Dumbbell Side Crunches (1 sets x 15 each side). Tomorrow I will be doing cardio and my Legs routine.

Day #87 - Weigh-In = 256.4 lbs

Day #87 Weigh-In

Day #87 Fron Shot

Day #86 - Imagining the Possibilities

My new nick name seems to be "skinny." It is interesting how many people have called me that name in the past few days. I can tell you right now that I am not skinny at all because I still have a long way to go and more fat to lose. I guess it is because I look a lot thinner then I used to look before I started my mission. It does however make me feel good about myself when people go out of their way to comment on my progress. I will take any compliment I can get.

Yesterday I mentioned that my buddy, the personal trainer, had given me a new set of workout routines to execute for the next six weeks. I always enjoy the challenge of trying to figure out a new exercise. I am also excited about the "potential" that these new exercises bring to the mission. Anyway, he had told me that I was going to be sore the day after every routine because I will be constantly switching up the routines per body part for the next 6 weeks. I can tell you that I was honestly a little skeptical after last night's Chest routine. Even though I struggled a little to complete the routine, I wasn't really that sore after. Well let me tell you, that when I woke up this morning, I couldn't even touch my chest with out being in pain. I will never doubt any routine that my buddy gives me ever again. You know the saying, "No Pain No Gain.'' I know that after feeling as soar as I did the whole day after last night's workout, I gained something.

It is almost a year to go until mine and Patty's wedding day. Of course I am excited about spending the rest of my life with the person that I love but I am also excited about what kind of shape I will be in. I have been on my mission now for the last 86 days. I will be honest with you, by stating, that I am totally amazed with myself for making it this far without straying from the path. Of course there have been some days where I don't make it to the gym or a total of only 5 bad meals I have had since the beginning. I have learned that those kind of things will happen from time to time. But it is also important to not let those things bother you because there is always another day. If I can manage to lose roughly 44 lbs in only 3 months, imagine what kind of shape I will be in if I keep up with my mission everyday for the next year. The idea of it just blows my mind and I can't wait until that day is here.

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 - 2 eggo nutrigrain waffles with a cup of Light' n Fit yogurt and a side of strawberries and brown sugar = Points 5
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 2 Weight Watchers brownies, 1 pear, 1 Weight Watchers chocolate chip cookie, and 1 Weight Watchers mini carrot cake = Points 7
Early Afternoon - 1 serving of Beef and Vegetable Cheese Casserole (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 7
Late Afternoon - 1 serving of Beef and Vegetable Cheese Casserole (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 7
Dinner - 2 grilled cheese sandwiches with a pear (All Weight Watchers Ingredients) = Points 7
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers ice cream cone = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 35 Points (3 points under my daily limit)

Exercise

I did not make it to the gym today. I failed to wake up this morning, I had to leave work a little early today to pick up my car from the garage, and I was moving furniture up the stairs of my building into my apartment. I will be back on track tomorrow with my new Back routine, cardio, and Abs workout.

Day #86 - Weigh-In = 258.0 lbs

Day #86 Weigh-In

Day #86 Fron Shot

Day #85 - Switching up the Routines

I woke up this morning ready to hit the ground running into the week. I had a great last few days with work and I took some time to rest yesterday and get back to the everyday grind. Not to mention that I finally broke into the 250's with my weight. So, you can only imagine how energetic I was feeling. The day seemed to go by quickly because I was focused on getting things done in the office so I could get home, workout, and eat dinner. However, towards of the end of the day, while creating my checklist of personal things I needed to accomplish at home tonight, I realized that I have been executing my weight lifting routines for the last 6 weeks now. And I remembered that my buddy, who is a personal trainer and who set me up with the workout, had told me that after 6 weeks he would change my routines around. This was because he didn't want my body to get complacent.

After realizing that the time was up, I went to him to figure out what the next step was pertaining to the exercise portion of my mission. He first asked me a few simple questions:

1. Has it been 6 full weeks yet? My answer of course was, yes.
2. Do your different body parts feel soar any more after you workout? I had told him that I am at the point where I will struggle to put the last few reps up but I am not soar anymore the day after.
3. Do you want to start a new routine? I told him that I was ready to shock my body once again to maximize my weight loss opportunities.

He saw how excited I was to switch up my routines to something new and he was ready to sit down and run over everything with me right away. Being that it was the end of the day, I had asked him to run through a general idea of what was going to happen, give me details for tonight, and explain in detail the rest of the workout routines tomorrow. He proceeded to tell me that I will be working out a different body part five days a week. Each week will be the same body part on the same day but with a different set of exercises.

Monday - Chest - I will be executing 5 different exercises at a set amount of weight for 5 sets x 15  reps.
Tuesday - Back - I will be executing 5 different exercises at a set amount of weight for 5 sets x 15 reps.
Wednesday - Legs - I will be executing 5 different exercises at a set amount of weight for 5 sets x 15 reps.
Thursday - Shoulders - I will be executing 5 different exercises at a set amount of weight for 5 sets x 15 reps.
Friday - Arms - I will be executing 5 different exercises at a set amount of weight for 5 sets x 15 reps.
Cardio & Abs - I will be executing my cardio routines and abs / core body routines on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday

He also explained to me that I will be feeling very sore the day after every workout. I welcome the challenge and I can't wait to see what results will come out of these new exercise routines. Well here is to another 6 weeks of hard work and determination.

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 - 2 eggo nutrigrain waffles with a cup of Light'n Fit yogurt with a serving of strawberries and brown sugar = Points 5
Snacks During the Course of the Day - 2 Weight Watchers brownies, 1 Weight Watchers mini carrot cake, and 1 pear = Points 6
Early Afternoon - 2 Boca veggie burgers with 2 slices of Weight Watchers american cheese on a Weight Watchers bagel with a side of baked potato chips = Points 10 Points
Late Afternoon - 1 Boca veggie burger with 1 slice of Weight Watchers american cheese on a Weight Watchers bagel with a side of baked potato chips = Points 7
Dinner - 1 serving of Beef and Vegetable Cheese Casserole (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 7
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers ice cream cone = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 37 Points (1 points under my daily limit)

Body Measurements

Chest - 46 inches
Waist (Around my stomach and love handles even with my belly button) - 47 1/2 inches
Neck - 15 1/2 inches
Bicep (Not Flexed) - 15 inches
Bicep (Flexed) - 16 1/2 inches
Upper Leg (Around the quad & hamstring) - 28 inches
Lower Leg (Around the calve) - 16 1/2 inches

Exercise

Today I executed the first day of my new exercising routines and I know I am going to be feeling it tomorrow. Today I did my Chest routines: Flat Barbell Press (5 sets x 15 reps), Incline Dumbbell Press (5 sets x 15 reps), Peck Deck (5 sets x 15 reps), Cable Crossovers (5 sets x 15 reps), and Chest Dumbbell Pullover w/ Press (5 sets x 15 reps). Tomorrow I will be executing my cardio, abs, and Back routines.

Day #85 - Weigh-In = 259.0 lbs

Day #85 Weigh-In

Day #85 Front Shot

Day #84 - Back to the Everyday Grind

It is a great feeling for me to be back home and being back on my normal routine. It is nice to travel every once and a while but is is always great to be home. The past few days have been very long and interesting. I did not get much sleep and I was running around everywhere like a made man trying to make sure my event on Friday ran smoothly. I can tell you that all of the hard work did payoff and my boss was extremely happy. Even though I was busy, I still made time to take care of what I had to do for myself. I did workout while I was away and I only had one bad meal the entire time and that was because I was celebrating with my boss and Patty for a successful event.

However, today was all about getting back to my normal routine and the everyday grind. I woke up feeling great because was actually able to catch up on some much needed sleep. As soon as I woke up, I headed straight for the kitchen to cook myself a nice healthy egg white and cheese sandwich. After I was done eating, I knew that I had to make sure that I worked out today and that I picked out my menu for this week as well as go food shopping. However, Patty wasn't home because she went out with Caroline for a girls day. So, I decided that I was going to make my way to the gym first. As I was preparing to walk out the door, I noticed that I had a voice message on my phone. It turns out, it was my grandmother calling to congratulate me on breaking into the 250's this week. She was also happy to hear that the nice shirt she bought me for Christmas, that I wore last night for Caroline's birthday, was finally able to fit me. So, I decided to push back my workout to the night time and took her out to lunch instead. Don't worry, I ate a nice healthy turkey wrap for lunch.

When Patty finally got home from her day out with Caroline, we managed to put together our shopping list for the week and we made our way to the food store. Let me tell you, I can't wait for the week to start because we have all of my favorite meals on the menu. Traveling the last few days was fun and very productive. However, there is nothing like being home!

As you all may know by now, I have started to keep track of my body measurements every Monday. I do this because I want to show everyone, as well as myself, that even though my weight might not change every time I step on the scale, my body is stilling changing for the better. My question is, should I take my measurements in the morning or at night? Because I have been taking them at night time every Monday. The same questions goes for my daily picture..... Should I take it in the morning or at night? If you have any suggestions at all, please comment on this post or email me at, theheavymansdiary@gmail.com.

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 2 slices of Weight Watchers american cheese on 2 slices of Weight Watchers whole wheat bread = Points 5
Lunch - French Onion Soup, Turkey on a wrap with cheddar cheese and lettuce, and a side of fruit = Points 22
Dinner - 2 Boca veggie burgers with 2 slices of Weight Watchers american cheese on a Weight Watchers whole wheat bagel and a side of baked potato chips = Points 10
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers ice cream cone = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 39 Points (1 point over my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I executed my Legs and Shoulders routines: Leg Press (4 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps), Leg Extensions (3 sets x 8, 10, 12 reps), Leg Curls (3 sets x 8, 10, 12 reps), Military Press (4 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps), Dumbbell Lateral Raises (3 sets x 8, 10, 12 reps), Plate Front Raises (3 sets x 10, 12, 15 reps), Calve Raises (3 sets to failure), and Reverse Flyes (3 sets x 15 reps). Tomorrow I will be doing cardio and a core body routine.

Day #84 - Weigh-In = 259.2 lbs

Day #84 Weigh-In

Day #84 Front Shot

Day # 83 - Travel Series Part 4c - Getting Home for Caroline's Birthday

Today was another eventful travel day. Patty and I were flying home from Columbia, SC and it is a 2 hour drive from Charleston to Columbia. After the event was over last night, my boss was extremely happy and treated Patty and I to dinner. We ended up leaving Charleston at roughly 11:30pm and we didn't arrive in Columbia until about 1:30am this morning. As we were making the journey to Columbia, I thought to myself that this is going to be another night of only a few hours of sleep because our flight was scheduled for 8:45 am. That meant that we had to be at the airport by 7:30am with only a small amount of sleep, yet again. To make matters even worse, we were delayed arriving into Atlanta for our connecting flight by an hour, due to bad weather. And our connecting flight back to New York was delayed an hour to due weather issues as well. Making a long story short, we ended up getting home at roughly 3:30pm, a whole 2 hours later then what was originally expected.

The reason Patty and I left Columbia so early was because we had to make it home in time for Caroline's (My Sister) birthday celebration. This also meant that I would have no time to take a nap or get any kind of sleep. So, I decided that I was going to get my workout in before we went out. After the gym, I came home to shower and change for Caroline's b-day. While trying to find clothes, I came across a pair of jeans that I haven't been able to wear for a very long time. Curious to see how they would fit, I jumped at the opportunity to try them on and to my surprise they actually fit pretty good. I also came across a nice button down shirt, that my grandmother had bought me for Christmas. I wasn't able to fit in it then, but I was determined to use it as a goal shirt. I was determined  to fit into it some day. After I tried it on, it actually fit!! Patty even said it looked a little big on me!!

For Caroline's birthday, we went out to a nice Hibachi Restaurant by my house. This would be the second day in a row that I had a non healthy meal for dinner. Last night I ate, "Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo" and tonight I had a chicken and steak combo. I am really happy that these last two days ended up with eating only 2 bad meals and not 2 bad days of eating. Even though both of these meals were because of special events, I think it is OK to cheat every once and a while. It is a great tool to use, to keep you from going insane. Besides the 2 small stomach aches, I think I did really well with staying on track. I can tell you one thing for certain, tomorrow it is back to the grind for me.

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

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man = 38 Points, I just recently broke into the 250's and that is why the decrease in my daily points limit)

Breakfast - Egg whites with cheddar cheese and a mini box of cheerios = Points 4
Lunch - 1 turkey wrap with a side of baked potato chips = Points 8
Late Lunch - 1 serving of whole wheat pasta with grated cheese = Points 5
Dinner - Chicken and Steak Hibachi dinner special = Points 33

Total Points Eaten Today = 50 points (11 points over my daily limit, for Caroline's B-Day Dinner)

Exercise

Today I ran for 30 mins on the elliptical. Tomorrow I will be executing my legs and shoulders routines.

Day #83 - Weigh-In = 259.4 lbs

Day #83 Weigh-In

Day #83 Front Shot