Workout Progress - February '07

In line with my resolution this year to lose more weight and tone up, I’ve decided to document my progress (if any) at the end of every month in my blog. I hope that this would further spur me to keep to the plan and continue setting up higher limits for myself. Being able to later look back at previous progress entries and see improvement (I hope) should also help give me a sense of accomplishment which in theory should help me stay positive during this whole process.

For February, my focus was more on changes to my diet and workout duration. My weight still continues to fluctuate between 79 to 81kg within the same week. I don’t know if that’s good or bad so I need to investigate more whether I should let my weight yo-yo that much within the span of 7 days. If I were to follow BMI measurements the my optimum weight target should be somewhere around the 69 – 72kg range so I still have a ways to go on that.

Based on my last fat check results, I have a BMR of somewhere around the 1600 kcal range. In theory, if I understand it correctly, I could consume up to that number of calories and maintain my current body type with the current level of fitness. I would be able to increase my BMR by increasing my level of fitness so that’s where my workout plan would come in play. I’m also watching what I eat so I can figure out how much calories I am consuming during the day. Anytime I feel that I’m taking in more than my 1600 kcal threshold, I would put in an extra set in my current workout.

Diet plan in February :
Breakfast
- Alfalfa sprouts with black pepper on 2 pieces of lightly buttered wholemeal toast
- 1 Nature Valley Roasted Almond Granola bar
Brunch
- 1 serving of plan fried rice with tempeh goreng or greens
- 1 hardboiled egg (alternate working days – 2 whole eggs total per week)
Lunch
- 1 Spirulina cereal 3 in 1 mix.
Dinner
- skip dinner on alternate days or get/make something roughly less than 300kcal
Snacks
- plain crackers, cherry tomatoes, cut fruit
Workout Days
- diluted tomato juice during workout
- protein shake 2 hrs after workout

I think that my current diet plan looks fairly balanced and meeting my max 1600 kcal threshold. I do try to keep to it as well during the weekend but usually I have to adjust it since I would most often have my meals when I go out. When that happens, the easiest way for me is to skip dinner since I usually skip them anyway if I have to eat alone. Even when I go out during the weekend, I try to make sure that I’m conscious of how much calories I might be taking in and try to pick the options with the least amount of calories possible from the menu. That’s not to say that I always deprive myself of what I would rather have but I try to not to indulge myself too often.

Since the gym that I’ve signed up has not opened yet, I have to make do with what I currently have in terms of my workout. I still continue to walk to my office every business day so that’s about 30 minutes of walking each way. Add to the minimum of 30 minutes of walking that I try to complete while I’m in the office, I put in about 1 ½ hours of walking during the business day. In February, I added extra sets to the workout that I do with my old DP Body Tone II exercise body rowing machine. I’m currently doing 10 sets of 20 reps for body lifts, 10 set of 20 reps for bicep curls and 10 set of 10 reps for elevated push ups. I usually take about 1 hour to complete the whole circuit as long as I don’t rest to long between the sets. If there isn’t anything more pressing, I try to make sure that I work out daily with extra session during the weekends.

Supplements wise, I continue to load up on Balance Liquid L-Carnitine and have added EAS Creatine to my morning glass of water. I also take the same mix ½ hours before every workout to help me to sustain the level of energy and delay muscle fatigue. I’ve also started taking ½ serving of EAS Myoplex Deluxe protein shakes 2 hours after every workout. I tried to mix the protein shake with low fat milk but it gave me a terrible case of the diarrhea so I switched to mixing it with plain water instead. Good thing that the chocolate protein shake tasted halfway decent even with plain cold water and doesn’t taste chalky like the other ones I’ve tried before. To round things off, I’m still taking 21st Century’s HerbalLipo teas to keep me regular in the morning. I’ll feel bloated during the day if I don’t take it before I go to sleep.

Since my workout focused more on upper body conditioning, I can now see some muscle definition happening in my shoulders and biceps. It’s nothing that’s really noticeable yet but I’m proud to say that it’s there. I still have the moobs (man-boobs) that I'm terribly embarrassed about so I still need to find away to get those flatten out. Still have a gut issue but I think I’m making good progress on that front as I continue to lose inches around my waist if I were to go with the fit of my pant that seems to be looser now compared to last month. I also still need to work to melting away the second chin so I could have a stronger jawline.

Looking ahead in March, I’m planning to get a measuring tape to start keeping body measurements recorded somewhere. I’ve always been too shy to do that even in private but in the interest of being objective, I do need to have a set of baselines to chart the progress as this experiment goes along. I also need to see if I can add another 10 set of 10 reps for elevated pushups and maybe a 10 set of 10 reps for seated abs crunches to my 1 hour workout sessions. I’m also thinking of investing in a heart beat monitor to see if I’m hitting the optimum heart beat levels when I workout so I can adjust the workout if I’m not hitting it.

I’m quite happy with the results that I’m achieving with all that I’ve done in February. I feel fitter, clothes that felt too tight before fit better now and I’m starting to enjoy the time I take for my workouts. I’m still feeling positive about it and feel that I can continue with the current pace and strive to improve it in the coming weeks. I still have 10 months to go to achieve my goals and I feel fairly confident that I’m still on track to achieve it.