I weighed in at 198.8!
A loss of 2 pounds. My goal for next weigh-in is......the same. That is right. Trade in time has finally arrived.
18 Weeks since this journey began, let's review:
In 18 weeks I have:
- Lost 48.8 pounds.
- Lost an average of 2.71 pounds a week.
- Dropped my body fat % by over 10%.
- Developed healthy habits that will be with me for years to come.
- Gone from being winded going upstairs, to doing 40 minutes of intense workout.
- Completely restructured the way I look at food, providing healthy sustenance for my family.
- Increased my confidence (I mowed the yard last week with my shirt off)
- Become the lightest I have ever been as a husband and father.
I am not a huge fan of the BMI scale, but seeing as I used the scale to determine my obesity in one of my first posts, I thought it was fitting to reflect an update:
My 1st goal been accomplished! This feel great! Now, it is time to start trading in my remaining body fat for muscle all while maintaining my weight.
As I mentioned last week, my 2nd goal was to accomplish a blood pressure reading of less than 120/80 (down from the 134/90 taken in March of this year.) I work with a lot of nurses, so I had one take my reading last week, 120/82. Simply awesome! According to the Blood Pressure Chart, I am in a Normal Blood Pressure range, close to the Suggested Optimal level of 120/80. Knowing this, I have no problem moving onto my next goal.
My 3rd goal...I initially titled as:
3rd Goal | Increase my muscle measurements by 10-20%.
3rd Goal | Trade my body fat in for muscle.
- Current weight: 198 lbs.
- Current BF%: ~17%
- Current amount of fat: ~34 lbs
- Goal Weight: ~195 lbs.
- Goal BF %: <9%
- Goal amount of fat: ~17.5 lbs
According to the number above, I will have to trade about 17 pounds of fat in for muscle. So, let me re-script my goal utilizing the SMART method.
3rd Goal | Trade my body fat in for muscle.
S The specific goal is to trade 17 pounds of body fat in for muscle.
M I will reach this goal when: I weigh around 195 lbs and have a BF% reading of less than 9%. Why 9% ? Well, based on the ACE Body Fat % Chart, an athlete description falls between 6-13%, 9% is in the middle.
A This is totally achievable. The past 18 weeks have completely configured my lifestyle for this challenge! I have built a sturdy foundation, let the chiseling begin.
R This goal is absolutely realistic, thousands of other have done it before me. It is likely that my abs will start to show through (or be completely exposed!) once I reach this goal. The visible abs is my 4th goal in this transition. It is amazing how much opposition I receive when I tell people my goal, the precipice of my transition, is to get visible abs. Its not like it is impossible....hard work and dedication, it is that simple. I like to keep my eyes on the big picture, my abs and I WILL meet before the year is done, I promise that!
T The time frame...well, I am setting my goal relatively high here. Halloween as it stands is my goal date. Why? As mentioned before, I want to go as King Leonidas, of the Brave 300, a Spartan warrior of historic classification. I feel the ideal look will be achieved once this goal is achieved. Referring to the picture chart on the left, I started my journey looking like the guy at 30%, as of today, I am somewhere between 15-20%, by Halloween, I will be somewhere around the picture in 10-12%.
This particular post is lengthy, and for good reason. I hit my goal and in record time, I am celebrating.
Now that my 3rd goal has been redefined, how do I purpose going about achieving it. I obviously can not continue to do what I have been doing for the past 18 weeks, lest I find myself losing more and more weight. So, the game plan needs to change.
Let's point out some obvious basics:
I will need to consume more food | This goes without saying, in order to maintain my current weight, especially as I begin to workout more, my calorie intake needs to increase. The great thing, my eating habits are outstandingly good. So, increasing the calorie intake will most likely be seen through portion increase alone. My research will also begin to focus on what the professionals eat.
I will need to adjust my workout regiment | This is the big one. I am currently on Week 7 of a 10 Week, body weight workout program. When I am finished with the program, I get to dive into something far more intense. The trade in will really begin at this point, I may even consider interrupting the current program to get started early.
...and yes, it is as simple as that. One day at a time.
Much of my current motivation is being driven by pictures of King Leonidas slapped around the house. :) The movie 300 inspires me. The grueling regiment that the actors and stunt men went through to get the bodies transpired in the movie (I know there was some airbrushing and such) is awesome. So, my up and coming workout regiment will have a Spartan feel to it.
This all sounds fine and dandy. But why go about it alone?
I was visiting with one of my cousins, who is an avid runner and advocate for healthy living, and we got on the topic of Halloween and the Spartan idea. I got the idea to bring him on board for the Spartan workout regiment. It has grown from there. Brian Cooper, whom has been a big support from Week 1, has also shown interest at getting on-board. I have enrolled two more of my cousins, both of whom are interested in making transitions to healthy lifestyles.
Thus far, the five of us are all on different levels of physical prowess. This is great as each of us will have different goals. We will be able to provide a support and motivational network for one another. Even with different goals we will all be working towards improving upon ourselves.
I have schedule the initial meeting for Saturday, August 3rd. The program will start the week of August 12th and last 10 grueling weeks, finishing up prior to Halloween. I really do not think I can wait until August 12th....I may have to get started earlier than that.
A MEETING OF WARRIORS
WHO
Men that are willing to do what it takes to chisel themselves into the classification of a Spartan warrior.
WHAT
Over the span of 10 weeks we will be pushing ourselves to the max, through our diet and physical exercise. If you are on-board, you will be responsible for holding your fellow warriors accountable, sharing advice, and kicking ass.
WHY
The apparent goal here is to prepare ourselves to be Spartan warriors for this coming Halloween. The underlying goal, to grind ourselves into optimal shape. To achieve the physique others only dream about having. To push ourselves to levels of self discipline we did not know we could reach.
At this initial meeting we will discuss a slew of things from:
Food
The detailed exercise regiment
Weigh-in
Body-fat measurements
Before photos
Planning materials
Etc.
This won't be for the lighthearted.
No comments:
Post a Comment