Day 59

I've been looking at buying a senior citizen lately. They're a lot like cats.....don't require a lot of attention, easy to feed, and are content to sleep most of the day. Some are, like cats, kinda crabby but that's their charm. And hey....two for one sale....whatta deal! But I won't be going to the International House of Pancakes this morning to purchase some old farts, I'll be going to another one of my notorious "working" breakfast meetings.

I don't know what it is about my team wanting to go to pancake houses for meetings once a month or so. Nothing productive gets done...really....except the ironic point being made that our productivity is a bit low, so we all should buckle down just as soon as we polish off the chocolate chip pancakes smothered in whipped cream during this two hour feeding meeting.

I'll have a cup of coffee. I'm not even going to make an attempt to find something coming close to being healthy on the menu. I had a Myoplex this morning and that will hold me until my next meal AFTER the meeting.

Just because nobody around me cares about their body, I've got mine for life.

Day 52

This is the point at which a majority of people who do this challenge quit. Though I'm not getting the results that I had hoped for....I'm not quitting, and I'll be doing another challenge after this one.

and another

and another

Whatever it takes.

Day 47

I wonder when EAS is going to send me the entry form for my challenge? Not that I think I would win the thing...but I would like to officially enter.

Day 39

This is really weird. I'm not losing much weight right now in the challenge but I seem to be getting smaller....or at least less round. I've had to start wearing a belt to hold up my pants.

Now, that might not seem like much to you...but for years I've worn jeans that were a bit tight around the middle and just let my belly snug up against my waistline. A couple of weeks ago I went out and got a belt because my britches were starting to droop. The other night, I was standing in the kitchen talking to Vickie and my pants just dropped to my ankles. I wasn't moving or jumping or stretching or making a suggestive pass at Vickie....my pants just fell off. It seems that, though I still have a gut, it's slowly going away.

I cinched up my belt a couple of notches when I went to work the next morning. I had to give a lecture and didn't want a repeat of what happened in my kitchen...though I guess it would be a good way to find out if anybody in the class was paying attention to me.

Day 35

It's my free day and what I really would like for breakfast is a Myoplex shake with blueberries.

There's something wrong with me.

Day 33

I've got a boo-boo that's put a crimp into my exercise.

You know how they say that most accidents occur in the home? Well, that's particularly true with a klutz like me. I mean, I've even broken my nose just getting out of bed in the morning...which is one really lousy way to start the day. The other night I ended my day just as well. While walking around the bed I snagged my little toe on a blanket, pulling it out of the socket and ripping off the nail as well. I let loose with the usual and expected colorful phrases that I had learned from my days in the Navy, then looked down to inspect the damage. My little toe was at a right angle to my foot and bleeding to beat the band.

No pain (thank gawd for shock) so I hopped over to the bathroom and stood in the tub to run some warm water over my foot. I contemplated on what to do. Go to an emergency room? Sure looks like an emergency. I mean, I can't leave my toe like that because I wouldn't be able to wear any shoes. Plus, the shock was wearing off and it was starting to hurt. So...keeping the warm water running I banged my foot against the side of the tub and knocked the little booger back into place.

I didn't do this because I am a tough macho man....I did it because I'm a chicken. I'm afraid of hospitals.

Anyway, my toe wiggles fine but hurts like hell. Cardio is all but impossible and lower body workouts are very, very difficult. I'm being slowed down by one little freakin toe.

Day 31

Just an update on my progress. My weight as of the last free day was 210 lbs with 32 % body fat.

Not impressive? Nothing that would elicit awe and wonder? No chance of starting an empire as a weight loss guru selling books and exercise DVDs?

Maybe not....but consider.....

I started at 217.5 with a whopping 36.5 percent of that in body fat. In the last month, I've managed to lose 12.2 pounds of that fat while gaining 4.7 lbs of muscle in it's place.

This is the way it works, folks. We don't gain the weight overnight and we sure can't get rid of it quickly. What I am doing with BFL is more than just getting to a lower number on the scale, I'm trying to build muscle as well. It takes time. It takes work.

I'm getting there.

Day 29

An upper body workout with a Myoplex afterwards.