This episode is really more of a thank you to all of you who have supported The FitCast in the past year. It has been one hell of a ride and it would not have been without all of you.
Included in this episode:
Download Episode 32 here: TheFitCast032.mp3 (Right Click and Save-As)
Before we get into the show notes, John and I want to wish you all a happy new year. We hope you make 2007 a great year for yourself and the people around you.
By: Jonas Talkington
I did it. I mean, I really did it. I broke the 220 barrier and that was a breakthrough mentally for me.
I was kind of getting discouraged in the husband project. I mean, I was working out, eating right, trying really hard to do everything right, and dammit, I just couldn’t break it. Until one day near the beginning of week 9 where I stepped on that scale and saw 219. It was like Christmas, Thanksgiving, my Birthday and my Anniversary all rolled up into one. I called Galya from her training session and made her watch. We were so happy that day that we went out to eat at Pizza Hut and had a Super Supreme with all the toppings and extra Garlic sauce!
Heh heh, just kidding!
Seriously though, it gave me new drive. Amazing how a mental barrier can de-motivate you enough to where you lose the desire to do it. I am kind of strange though, in that I keep doing something even though I have no desire too if I deem it somehow good (not necessarily necessary). I felt that I was doing myself good by this, even though I don’t like most of the things that I am doing. Kind of strange that after almost 3 months I still don’t like it. Oh well, 3 months compared to almost 30 years. I guess I will give it a little more time to sink in 
Once I passed that barrier, though, I was off. I hit the gym hard, and have been doing things at our new little home gym that we inherited from a friend including that very nice elliptical trainer. ( I told you about it last week, remember?) Well, that paid off too. I kept going down, and at the end of week 9, I was at 217 lbs. I passed some sort of barrier, and I am glad I did.
So, right before week ten, I decided to go on an experiment. I don’t like the food part of everything so much, and I didn’t like taking 3 boxes of food with me every day, and the lack ability to just go out anywhere and get something to eat. Well, I have been reading jpforums and t-nation, and happened to come across a series of posts from Lost Dog (thanks man!) who I like a lot from there about the Velocity Diet. I then found out about the t-nation articles about it by Chris Shugart and the about Dan John and his experiences on it (from The FitCast #15). After educating myself on it and reading a lot about it (plus listening to those two programs) I decided to try a test.
How tough am I now, I thought. How much can I take, really? Can I make it on this crazy diet?
Well. I started it. AND weird stuff started happening. I realized that it wasn’t the issue of hunger on it (although I am hungry all the time) since I have kind of felt hungry for 2 and a half months now. It wasn’t the issue of only drinking shakes. It was body changes.
I began to immediately feel some weird things going on. I have noticed lately (and have been told) that my face has more blood in it. People say it makes me look more alive. When I look at older pictures, I realize that they are right! It kind of looks like I was a corpse or something (compared to now). I also, now, have veins in my arms. Like, all the time. But I can SEE the red/purple/blue blood in them (how the heck should I know, I’m colorblind). They are decent sized, interestingly enough, because I would have expected them to be smaller.
Another weird thing, I kind of feel as if I am living behind a very thin veil of thought all the time. It’s hard to explain, because I am very lucid, but I have found that the pattern of my thinking of things has necessarily changed. Let me try to give an example. Now, instead of thinking of everything before I do it, which I usually do, I sometimes just react. Or I need to stare off into space for a minute blankly to clear my mind before going to something else which is thought provoking. Kind of disturbing, but I attribute some of the changes to the lack of something in my diet, since I have noticed changes in my thinking before when doing low card, for example.
Finally, I have noticed that, while I feel like I don’t have near enough energy, it is not a problem. I FEEL lethargic, but if I need the energy, its there. I have been sleeping more, which is nice, but I don’t feel like doing much of anything. I do, but not with enthusiasm. But I can go up the stairs in my building at a dead run to the 5th floor (which I live on, no elevator remember!) and just be lightly winded.
Plus, my shoulders and ankles don’t hurt as much. Now THAT is the bizarre one. I lived for pretty much all of my adult life with constant ankle pain (to the point that I only notice it because it is diminished) and frequent shoulder pain. It has reduced by up to a third, which is like the whole holidays thing again I am almost afraid to go back to eating solid foods, for the sorrowful fact that the pain might come back.
As for the diet, I am just now starting the 11th week of the Husband Project, and I did 6.75 days of the Velocity diet, with no mess-ups at all. At the end of the 7th day, though, we (Galya and I) had decided that I would take a free meal, rather than the bowl of oatmeal recommended (hey, I’m not THAT hardcore!). So I had cheese spaghetti and some ice cream for dessert. Nothing had ever tasted quite so good. To go to bed with a full belly and the remembrance of the taste was AMAZING. Unfortunately, I got up in the morning, and puked most of it back up. It was nasty, and left me drained the whole next day. But, just between you and me, I would do it again! HAHA!
Now… on to the good stuff. Progress has been phenomenal, in my humble opinion. I am now down to a fairly slim 211lbs. That also means that I am down to approx. 13% bodyfat. Not bad for a FFB (look it up ) who was 6 percent higher a couple of months ago. I am feeling better about myself too. I didn’t take measurements this week, for the simple reason that I am going to take them on the day of my birthday, on Nov. 7th. I will also be taking pictures that day. I don’t know if you remember, but that was the day I said in the original project that was my goal in all this. The goal is to be in the best shape of my adult life. Well, to be honest, and to say a little guiltily, I am already there. I haven’t been this well off body-wise since I was 19. But I must have that next week and a half to see just how far I can get.
Oh yes. P.S. When you see the pictures, it is not one of those fake things. I didn’t suck in anything or push anything else. I am doing this for myself, and, hopefully, for other people so that they can see just how far someone can go. Not as a fitness pro, not as a super dedicated gym junkie, but a normal guy with a job and a weight problem. Who doesn’t like it (the problem or the solution ) I have been trying to be as honest as possible in all this. I hope that you all appreciate it. Even if you don’t, maybe there will be that one guy that this inspires. Man, (or woman ) if that’s you, look me up. I will be proud to have helped and to let you know that as much as you think it is, it ISN’T impossible. I’ll take you out for your last meal, and then give you to my wife (or someone else near you) and tell you to get your ass to work! LAUGH!
More to follow next week, ladies and gentlemen. This one will be a 10 day hiatus, a birthday special, with pictures to boot. This is a milestone in the Husband Project. I hope that you all will be as happy with it as I am!
As a holiday special until December 31st, I am going to offer a One-Time-Only, 1-Year Membership to the Insider for $69.99 ($30 Off!!). There is a catch. You must either use PayPal or a check or money order for payment. If you are interested, shoot me an e-mail (kevin.larrabee@gmail.com) and let me know.
Take Care,
KL
Happy Holidays everyone!
There will be no show this week. Mostly due to the fact that John does not have power or internet thanks to the horrible weather in the western part of the country.
Also many of you know that I just recently had surgery. Everything went well, but it makes typing a bit painful, so I am going to keep this to a minimum.
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has supported the show over the last 7 months or so. I would also like to take this time to ask you, who do you want to see on The FitCast in the future? Feel free to e-mail (kevin.larrabee@gmail.com) me or post in the comments.
Have a great holiday everyone!
KL
Download Episode 30 here: TheFitCast030.mp3
