I am just going to let the blogs speak for themselves today. I am still recovering from being sick and have a lot of work to catch up on. Now to the blogs:

Ken:

This past week was just all kinds of messed up for me. I had the MRI for my knee, the corresponding followup and started my PT, which I’ll be doing for 6 weeks. Long story short, my knee will be able to be completely rehabbed without fear of any long term effects. To say I am peeing my pants with happiness about this would be an understatement, and hot damn am I headed to the bike shop to get fitted for my new bike that’s just been sitting there for the past 3 weeks.

My trainers basically told me I can go back to doing whatever I’ve been doing. The soreness is going to be there for a while. However, if it makes me wince in pain, then stop. Well, duh. so, I am resuming my NROL4W lifting. and this makes me happy. However, with my newfound freedom, I kinda winged it in the gym, which I don’t like to do, and I don’t think I did enough.

And hey! I get to go back to my bowling league!

I hate the treadmill. Hate it hate it hate it and the only reason why I’ve been using it is because of my injury. I am glad I can kick that to the curb and focus on my love, tabata intervals. I now have 3 full body sets that when all is said and done takes 45 minutes to do and leave me in a big heap of mess on the floor. I actually got my SO and his son [who is 15] turned onto them as well, and now we do them together on non lifting days. Family bonding, we has it.

Now, the food part. I know the only way some people can stick to their

nutrition goals is to tread food just as a fuel source. I cannot do this. I love food, I love eating, cooking, and celebrating food in a healthy way. I am constantly looking for healthy recipes online so we can avoid the ‘grilled chicken and steamed vegetables’ syndrome that so many people seem to fall into when watching their nutrition, myself included.

Carrie: I made a protein peanut butter egg for you – only 3g of sugar, healthy fats, ground flax seed, and 15g of protein, but every picture I took of it made it look like a wad of poop.  it was pretty tasty, though.

So I was evaluating my nutrition goals this past week when I noticed something that caused a rather deep imprint of my palm on my forehead. The previous week’s calorie cut was a really, really metabolism-fuckingly stupid idea. I had 3 signs staring right at me all over my face – the diet calculator for NROL4W, The calculations from Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto, and my own RMR test that I had done at the Cleveland Clinic. All of these things were clearly telling me that I *can* eat, and I *need* to eat, and yet I didn’t pay attention to them. Instead, that 100 calorie cutback  sent me dangerously into depriving my body of what it needs in order to just function, exercising aside. So, I went back to my original calorie limit that I had when I started the Getting Serious plan, and even tacked on a little extra, and now I’m pretty sound with all 3 of these tools. I do not want to F up my metabolism.

One would think that I would be happy that I can eat more, but with the sudden calorie increase combined with “Aunt Flo” barreling down on me with guns blazing, this week’s weigh in yielded a 2 pound gain.  I am not defeated by this as it is more than likely water retention. Ok, maybe a little defeated. But I am trying to not let it get to me too much. I did not bother taking my BF% this week because of this.

i can see the bloat in this picture and i’m not liking it. i am also running out of hats.

There were a lot of changes for me this week and it just threw me off mentally, and I felt like I didn’t have things in control. On the flip side, a lot of things were sorted out, so I am hoping I can regain control this week now that I know a lot of stuff.

I saw grass today for the first time in months. The sun is out more, and it got up to a whopping 46 degrees today. Spring is coming and I cannot wait to get my butt back in the saddle and outside. That is my ultimate gym.

Hi Everyone,

So I survived another week.  For a while this week my scale seemed to be stuck at 151.  It was really starting to bother me.  I had been doing everything right.  But I am very happy to say that this morning I broke the 150 barrier.  I weighed in at 149.8!  That was one of those big benchmarks for me psychologically.  I think the beautiful weather we’ve had here this past weekend helped me to just get that little bit further.  I can’t believe how far I’ve come in just two weeks.

I am feeling great, and I’m really looking forward to training with Kevin this week.  Recently he had me doing the ropes at the end of our work out.  I have to say; they are so much more tiring than you would ever think.  My first set was actually fun, and I thought to myself that Kevin was just going easy on me.  But by the third and fourth sets I could barely get the ropes off the ground.  I was beat! (but still liking the exercise)  If you have access to big, heavy ropes like these; you should definitely try this one.

Batty, I wanted to thank you for including a “before” photo on your most recent post.  I am just getting to know you all, and it is an inspiration for me to see just how far you have come.

Here’s to another good week,

Kim

[editors note: Kim continues to do great on the training and nutrition program. She is well ahead of the time frame for her fat loss goals. I will be posting some progression pictures next week. If you are interested in Online Personal Training, I have opened up two spots. Check KevinLarrabee.com for more details.]

It is so weird, but I love getting these Accountability Blogs on Sunday night and Monday morning. Each and every week I am seeing some tremendous progress from everyone. No, not everyone is dropping 5 pounds or a belt notch each week, but there is at lease some growth in their ability to reach their goals.  For some it is just winning the battle against pizza at work. For others it was just the fact that they made it to the gym three days that week. For some it might not sound like a huge accomplishment, but to me it is the roots of something bigger going on in their growth as a person, even if it just in regards to personal health.

Now, I won’t babble for much longer, I just want to remind everyone that Leigh’s Body by Eats is growing every few weeks and she just released a new cookbook, “Around the World in 30 Recipes.” You get it as part of Body by Eats, as well as all other cookbooks she has released with it previously and in the future. Check it at BodyByEats.com

Now for the blogs:

Craig:

This week was even better than last week. I got a new program from Tony and hit it hard. My energy is much higher than it was the previous week. I spent 8 hours at school and Saturday without wanting to kill myself and still got my lifting in later on in the day.

Today I am down another 5 pounds and lost 3/4 inch off my waist. I still have a long way to go though, but you can feel when the momentum has started to build. The first week you start to count the days you are doing well. “OK one day down!” but after a few weeks you don’t even bother and its part of the routine and it’s exactly what I have been trying to get back to. This week I baked up some catfish and made some meatloaf. At Sam’s Club they only have farmed fish which I know Brain St.Pierre frowns upon, and thus it will be the last time I buy any seafood there!

To end this blog post, Tony and I have come up with a goal for me to lose 30 pounds in 3 months starting tomorrow (March 1st) and I am ready to crush it! To help I will also try using the website http://loseitorloseit.com/. It is a website that helps you stay motivated and accountable. You pay them some amount of money and over the course of 10 weeks you can earn your money back. How you earn it back though it by losing the weight and hitting your goals. You can choose friends who receive emails about your progress and you get SMS and email reminds to post. If you don’t lose the weight your money is gone. Money is a very strong factor and after I finish my taxes today I fully plan on putting up some cash and betting on myself. -Craig

Ken:

I felt pretty good about my eating during my first week out of town.  I stuck basically to this simple plan.

Breakfast:

2 hard boiled eggs
apple or banana

Snack:

Fiber one bar

Lunch:

Grilled chicken salad (no dressing)

Preworkout:

Protein Shake
apple or banana

Postworkout:

Protein shake
banana

Dinner:

For dinner I usually ate at a restaurant.  One night I had calamari at Bravo and two glasses of Cabernet.  One night I had some buffalo chicken strips and two beers. One night I had sushi and then met a friend for two rum and diet Cokes. Are you starting to see a pattern?  Yes, I had a few drinks this week.  A few too many considering I’m trying to lose fat.  I didn’t over do the drinking on any particular night and that’s important because I tend to lose will power after drinking too many.

My workouts for the week were very good.  I used a free trial at a large chain gym three days and I did outdoor cardio twice.  One of my cardio sessions consisted of running stairs at an old college football stadium.  When I say old I mean none of the seats had any paint left on them.  It was a tough workout in a different and interesting place.

My weight stayed exactly the same as last Sunday. 204. The measurement around my stomach also stayed exactly the same 38″.  I do feel a little better and my belt and clothes feel a tad more loose.  I am heading back out of town this afternoon.  I plan to eat the same and workout the same.  I just need to steer clear of the social two or three drinks each night.  Maybe I’ll go see a movie instead.  It’s been a long time since I went to a movie during one of my trips away.  Do they serve beer at the theaters now a days?  Just wondering.

Larry:

This was a zero progress week for me as the weather, death of an old friend, and competing in the Smith & Wesson Winter Indoor National Championship in Springfield, MA, took me away from my routine and to a match hotel that was connected to a Pizzeria UNO.  I will get right back on the horse and know that this was a “one off” in terms of my fitness goals, but allowed me to travel around the worse of the weather and get to a IDPA Pistol Match that I have been shooting since 2005. If I have one primary reason to work on my fitness besides looking better and staying alive, it is to be a better competitor in the pistol shooting disciplines that I love, IDPA, USPSA, and steel. The very best shooters have extraordinary plyometic skills and tend to be very fit, move very quickly and smoothly, and are able to withstand the demands of a long shooting day (think of golf with guns over 8 hours). If you don’t like guns, that’s fine, one of the things we do is compete against local law enforcement, SWAT teams, Army, and TSA agents to help keep them “frosty”.

If you’re curious, check out:  http://www.uspsa.org/USPSA_Videos/index.html

If you’re still reading, you might notice in the photo submitted this week, my left bicep looks a little funky. About two years ago, while trying to move my treadmill from the motor end, once lifted, saw stars, felt a snap and my bicep was torn in half. Strangely, looks bad but my shoulder is a bigger hindrance to my lifting than the bicep. Neither this past week nor any injury is going to stop me in this Accountability challenge.

Carrie:

Michelle:

Hi all – I wanted to do something a little different this week and write my blog everyday so I wouldn’t forget anything or be at a loss as to what to write come Sunday, but then the days got away from me and I didn’t do that… I’d like to start doing that this week but it’s my crazy week at work so I’m not sure if that will work this week either. So two things, I actually feel great. I think my pictures look a little better than in the past weeks but more importantly my clothes feel better, and that’s how I really judge things. I can’t really “see” a difference in myself but I have these pair of jeans that I base my weight on. And they’re fitting. I mean, they’re not fitting how I want them to but they’re better than they were a month ago. But the second thing is that my energy is really down. I didn’t leave my couch after training (really after training and after bridal shower #1) yesterday for a solid four hours. Tuesday afternoon when I was training at scla, I actually had to sit down between sets because I actually felt deeply exhausted. One thing to note is that tony has me doing these sets of exercises back to back and resting for 90 seconds then repeating them for four times. For example, I am doing goblet squats x10, push up eccentrics x8, chest supported row x10 straight through and then resting 90 seconds  for four times. I then have another set of different exercises next. Same concept but three times through with 60 seconds rest. They’re kicking my ass. and this week seemed to kick it even harder. Not sure why. Nutrition? Just tired in general? I don’t know. Anyways, hopefully this week will be better but it’s my week three of the program topped with my crazy week at work, by Thursday I’ll probably be ready to call it quits. I did get to the gym five days this week so that makes me feel good. I’m not sure if I mentioned this in my last blog but one thing that I am loving about this accountability blog is really having Carrie to push me to get to the gym. I think Luke mentioned last week that he was jealous that Carrie and I train at CP and train together and it’s really key to have someone that can immediately get back to you and push you on things. If I want pizza she tells me not to eat pizza. If I know that I want to go to the gym in the morning, she will text me at 5:30 am to make sure I’m up, and I think – or hope – I’m doing the same for her. Having someone backing you up, especially it’s an immediate response, I think is really key in what we’re doing. Keep up the good work everyone.

David:

Batty:

The SO and I were down in the basement working out one evening and I saw him checking out his lower abs. He was all “what are these weird muscles?” and I looked and said “dude, those aren’t muscles.” Fortunately he had to go see his doc later that week, and it turns out he has suffered a DOUBLE HERNIA. I suspect it was from lifting, because, like me, he is the go-getter overachiever and likes to push himself almost beyond human limitations and next thing you know your organs aren’t where they’re supposed to be. It’s actually not bad, he’s not in a lot of pain, and will require minor surgery. But, I would like to nominate us for the “most active couple that can’t do shit because our bodies are all jacked up” award. Can we get right on that? Great.

A friend of mine told me “making body changes solves some issues and unlocks entirely new ones” and I gotta say I agree. Flaws that were once covered by fat are becoming more pronounced. Who knew I had stretch marks? I sure as hell didn’t until I lost weight. The fat stores, although shrinking, are looking kind of silly and awkward. And its sometimes hard to remain positive when you look in the mirror and see these things staring back at you.

I’ve come a long way. I like to pull out this photo when I’m getting frustrated with my current progress so I don’t get too down on myself. And it gives me the strength to keep going.

My stomach is getting flatter and that little pooch of fat on my lower abs is decreasing. I am noticing minor definition in my obliques now, too, that I didn’t expect. I also am beginning to see a hint of definition in my thighs which is also something not expected.

you’ll also have to scuse these photos because they were taken at 4 am, so my usual sunny disposition isn’t shining through. Also, camera flash kills muscle detail.

Lucas:

Pretty standard week.  Workouts felt good.  Nutrition wasn’t awful (but wasn’t perfect).

The Workouts:

2/25

1. Squat, 135×12, 135×10

2a. Static lunge, 85×12, 85×7

2b. DB single arm row, 40×15, 40×15

3a. Push up, 20, 15

3b. Swissball crunch, 20, 20

2/28

1. BB deadlift, 155×15, 155×11

2a. Step up, 60×15, 60×15

2b. DB single arm press, 30×15, 30×15

3a. Chinup, 5, 5, 5, 5

3b. Reverse crunch, 15, 15, 15, 15

This was my last week of these 2×15 rep sets and the last of working out two days per week.  For the next 4 weeks, I’m hitting the basement gym four times a week.

I know I promised a nutrition plan for myself by today, but I just haven’t been able to pull it off.  I’ve done some thought, and I think I need to do this in a phased approach.  The first step is just pure calorie intake.  I’m not one to eat absolute crap to begin with, but I also am probably not hitting the 3k-3.5k calories I need to make any substantial gains on muscle mass.  I need to start measuring what I am taking in.  Does anyone have any iPhone app recommendations?  My phone is the only thing that’s with me all the time, and it seems like that’d be the best way to track intake.  I’m going to keep working on a formal plan, but for now I want to figure out a decent way to track intake.  What good is setting intake goals if I can’t measure progress against them anyway?

Attached are the same pics I’ve been sending for the past 3 weeks!  Enjoy.

Kim started training with me last year. She started training four days a week and saw some amazing result. From getting stronger doing pull ups, push ups, trap bar deadlifting, and most importantly when she looked in the mirror. Also there was the whole, “My pants don’t fit anymore!!! They are too big!!!” Then life got in the way. Kim couldn’t train any longer because of a busy teacher’s schedule, working on her house, and she is planning a wedding (for this June!). This brings me to the spotlight. She wants to look her best for the wedding (who wouldn’t!).

Kim has always kicked ass with the training. The nutrition has been the sticking point. She was inspired by the FitCast Accountability Bloggers and with what Leigh and I are doing with Destination Abs. So…She wanted to do it as well.

I sat down with her and told her this was going to be tough, even suck. Dieting sucks, I don’t care if you are doing a detox diet or the 1 lb a week diet. It still sucks. I modified the Destination Abs program for Kim to guarantee success if we can keep the train on the tracks. Kim will also be journaling her progress on this site each week with pictures and a blog.

Kim will be training three days a week with a strength training program I developed in conjunction with the calorie deficit. There will also be some metabolic training mixed in to accelerate things without too much extra volume.

Now the floor is Kim’s. Come on FitCast Community, please give her some support! I know she will really appreciate it!

If you missed it check out Kim’s first post: New Beginnings

___________________________________________________________________________________

February 28, 2010

Hi Everyone,

So it has been 1 week now.  The first 5 days it was really hard to get use to the new eating program.  I watched 200+ students and teachers eat pizza on Friday, and that was the toughest point all week.  That was the worst.  And it is something that I will have to learn to do over and over again because it will happen every week.  When Friday lunch rolls around, think of me.  Send me your good vibes – I’ll need them.

But the really good news is that I HAVE been able to stick the diet & exercise program.  Not one slip up, and I’ll tell you that I don’t really want to break the rules right now because I’m beginning to see results already.  I have dropped a few pounds, and gone down 1 belt notch!  YAY!

I’ve even found a few meals that I look forward to. Like turkey taco salad (but no cheese) and chicken stir-fry (no rice) and I actually have learned to like the strawberry protein mix.   This is good because I still have 110 days to go until the wedding.

Thank you everyone for your support – you are a great group to have behind me.  I will be watching your progress and I wish you all the will power this week J

[editors note: Kim did great this week in training. She busted her butt through some battling ropes and intense lifting. Please continue to send your comments, thoughts, and support! -Kevin]

It was a lot of fun talking to some of the bloggers this past Sunday. Larry, Ken, and Batty. The recording of the call is at the end of Episode 168, make sure to check it out if you haven’t already. As we end week 3 and head into week 4, things will start to get a little tough. After being at a constant caloric deficit for 3-4 weeks the body will start sending messages that it NEEDS food. This is where many dieters fall off the wagon and regress back to their former habits of eating pizza, or chocolate, or drinking ,ect…

Stay strong everyone!!! You are all making such great progress!!!

And if you missed it, one of my personal training clients is featured in a spotlight. Her first post was yesterday. She was inspired by all of you who have been brave enough to post shirtless pictures of yourselves on the internet for all to see. Please check out her post as well and leave questions (for her or I), comments, and support.

Some Notes:

• Ken- Blog on travel nutrition coming this week!
• Michelle- I see you met Dan. He should be your go to guy there if you need help.

Now for the blogs…

Ken:

I knew when I started this challenge that this week was coming. It was going to be the pivotal point. In the past I have went on clean eating programs and would lose 7-10lbs and then complacency would set in. I would skip my HIIT workouts and just lift at the gym. I would reward myself with Cabernet Sauvignon and Hersey kisses after dinner. I would not stop after one cookie but grab a small stack and possibly go back for another stack.  Slowly the pounds would creep back and I would begin to feel lazy, heavy and frustrated again. So as the first three weeks went by and I lost weight I knew a tough week was ahead. Would this time be different knowing I had pictures and accountability to answer to?

It didn’t disappoint in the challenging department. My kids leftovers stared back at me when I cleared the table. The treadmill in the basement felt like a torture device and the bottle of Cabernet invited me to have another and another after that. It was a struggle at times but in the end I felt OK about the week.  That was until I stepped on the scale this morning.  204- that is only about a half pound less that last Sunday.  Shit.  My waist didn’t change in diameter either- 38 inches.  I guess this is the stalled weight loss I read about all the time.  I have to be honest and say I’m disappointed.  I had four great workouts at the gym on the New Rules fat loss program, I got in one HIIT session on the treadmill and all I have to show is a 1/2 pound loss.

I’ll be out of town the next two weeks and away from my usual gym and my usual routine.  My eating options will also be limited since I will be staying in a hotel with only a refrigerator.  It will be a bit warmer where I’m going so maybe I can fit in some different cardio.  I certainly didn’t want to head into these two weeks frustrated and disappointed.   As I said earlier, this is a pivotal point.  If I want different results then I must do things differently than in the past, meaning, I’ve got to trust the program.  I’ve got to stay on course and not let disappointment be the theme for the next week.

Craig:

So what can I say about this week? Well I lost 5lb off the scale to start, two inches off my chest and close to an inch off my waist. This has been my first week of really “on point” nutrition and I’ve been getting enough sleep as well. In my long day at school (8 hours) I took all my food and didn’t miss a beat. Also I decided to switch all my grocery shopping from Publix (if you have that around you) to the nearby, but incredibly large, Farmer’s Market. It’s great and they have every type of food you could want. I grabbed some organic skim milk and some freshly made cilantro pesto among other things.

Also this week I blazed through season one of Deadwood. People who scoff at television as a waste of time, to me, are idiots blindsided by their own ego. The acting and music alone blew me away, I’m suprised HBO can put out so many quality shows wiith such engaging characters and stories. My reading schedule has been slow this week, swamped with schoolwork. Despite all this I hope to get some time in reading today.

Larry:

I am sometimes too easily swayed by what I see, read, or hear most recently. Although I had a careful, well thought out training routine that has given me the results that I have desired for quite a while, I decided to “mess things up” by going to a 5 set routine from a three set routine for rows, bench, and deadlift, and the extra strain debilitated my shoulder for a good couple of days (“A man has to know his limitations” – Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry). Seems better now and the lesson I learned is; occasionally try something new, but not at the expense of what I know works, and don’t overdo it, as I tend to do.

I my “perfect life” I would lose about a pound a week from operating at a calorie deficit and about a pound a week from the extra calories burned from weight training and cardio work. This last week, because of some sloppy eating issues and the shoulder mess, I was able to lose just one additional pound going from a starting weight of 205 to 203. The bodyfat numbers on my Tanita scale have gotten too weird to report, but if a realistic trend reoccurs, I will gladly post the results here.

Had the opportunity to participate in the Accountability Conference Call on Sunday afternoon. After hearing the voices of Ken and Amanda (Batty, took me a while to figure out who she was on the blog) and now truly feel connected to all of us trying to either gain or lose, tighten and tone, but all focused on making positive changes in our overall fitness, health, and appearance. Kevin as host, does great work for all of us, donating his time and wisdom to help us achieve our goals, thanks & good luck everyone!

Batty:

I hate The Biggest Loser. I mean, the intent is good, but I think it gives the general public unrealistic expectations on losing weight.  For instance:

This week was….eh. Nothing great, but then it didnt suck, either. I stuck to my calorie/macro goals again – I have that down to a science. The first couple days coming off of the great Valentines Day Sugar Binge was sheer hell. I was moody and bloated and just not very pretty. I am just going to avoid refined sugar no matter what.

I had one of those doomsday moments in terms of the weight/fat loss. I’ve become really in tune with my body, and I can just feel if I’m not where I’m supposed to be. And I wasn’t for most of the week. This was solidified when I had my weight taken on Thursday at the doc for my knee checkup, and the scale there said 160, and I am internally screaming “NO! THIS ISNT RIGHT! DEDUCT WEIGHT FOR MY CLOTHES AND I’VE EATEN TWO MEALS ALREADY AND I MIGHT HAVE AN EXTRA POUND OR TWO OF BELLYBUTTON LINT AND SHOES! I AM WEARING MY SHOES!! THEY’RE HEAVY!! AND I *JUST* WEIGHED MYSELF YESTERDAY AND I AM GODDAMN 153 AAAAAAIGH”

[note to self: make sure sport bra is straightened out before pictures. this week's jaunty hat courtesy of my 4 year old.]

I think too much.

Michelle:

I am writing this as I’m watching the best thing I ever ate. I’m not sure why I like to torture myself like this but Carrie can testify that this is what I do. I like to suck her into my torture too by sending her baking recipes; she hates me most of the time… I think I’d kill someone for a Levain bakery cookie right now.

Ok, enough of that. This week was much better than last week. The pictures don’t seem to show that but in my mind it was better than last week. I made it to the gym five days, I survived Tony’s new program (barely) and the nutrition was pretty good. I think I still need to crack down further on the eating but Carrie and I have had this conversation before and she’s said that if nothing else, this contest has helped us not eat like assholes. Because that’s really how I was eating. So going into this week that’s my goal for going forward, really crack down on the eating and sticking to Brian’s diet he has written for me. It’s going to be tough because I do have dinner plans twice this week. Oh and I have two bridal showers next weekend. No idea what the food situation there will be but it’s going to be a tough week. Shit, I have a baby shower at work tomorrow too. Ok positive attitude here, I can do this. According to Kevin I just have to get through the first seven days, seeing how we’ve been at this for three weeks now, I’m not sure how that logic applies but maybe logic is lost on me. Two things before I head to bed: I tried the infamous trx workout thing at scla the other night and damn near died – not sure how you’re holding up with that Luke but good job if you’re still at it. And two, I met a trainer at scla today that also works at MBSC with Kevin and almost cried when he told me this entire contest was on facebook. I knew it was I just didn’t want to believe anyone else outside of this group was paying attention. Focusing on the diet is what I’ll be doing…

David:

Hey Everyone,

Well at the end of last week I looked over my photos, and I was initially somewhat disappointed. Then I set the photos side by side with the photos from week one. It’s not a night and day difference, but I do feel like it is becoming evident that I am going through a change.

My goal this week is to go a little “leaner” and cut back on my calories some. Nothing drastic, but hopefully by next week I will feel like I have made a little more of a difference. I am going to stay high on my protein, as I am continuing to focus on my bench. My 1^st quarter fitness test is scheduled for March 18^th, so I will be stressing until that point. I will post my results from the last test and this one after I take it. One area of the test I haven’t been focusing on is the “explosive” part, the Illinois Agility Run (for you fitness freaks out there). I have never had very good explosive speed, and with my past history of ankle injuries, I know this isn’t ever going to be a strong point for me. Having said that if anyone has advice on working on getting off the ground and running quick please let me know. I’m way open to the advice.

Overall I am feeling really good about this whole experience. I am feeling stronger, my clothes are fitting better, and I am still really motivated.

I am glad to see everyone else is really going full speed too and staying with their programs. I’m looking forward to reading all your posts this week too.

Take care and stay strong.

DW

Tim:

Here’s last week’s workouts:

2/18
1. Squat, 115×15, 115×15
2a. Static lunge, 65×15, 65×15
2b. DB single-arm row, 30×15, 30×15
3a. Push-up, 15, 15
3b. Swissball crunch, 20, 20

2/21
1. BB DL, 135×15, 155×15
2a. Step up, 60×15, 60×15
2b. DB single-arm overhead press, 30×13, 30×11
3a. Chinup, 5, 5, 4, 4
3b. Reverse crunch, 12, 12, 12, 12

I have one more week of break in before I get to move to the next phase.  I’m definitely looking forward to greater diversity in the workouts, and having it be a more consistent part of my routine instead of only twice a week I think will be a good thing, too.  The pictures don’t really show it, but the I do feel better.  I’m starting to remember how good it felt to hurt a little the next day.

@Robert, don’t worry…I have you beat in the “these pictures all look the same department”!

Nutrition is insanely inconsistent.  Trips to the grocery store are like death by analytical paralysis.  I would almost be willing to give up on cooking and just pay someone $x/day for meals that I just eat and don’t have to worry about.  I’m really interested to see how Aaron did with his diet this week.

That’s it for now.  Good luck to everyone this week!

Rob:

I can pretty much sum up this week’s blog in three words: Girl-Scout-Cookies.  No really though, this was a rough week in the discipline department.  We celebrated my wife’s birthday, my dad’s birthday and valentine’s day all in the same week.  So my week was full of deliciously healthy food, broken up by small mini-binges.  My main hurdle right now is lack of sleep.  I wake up at 5 am, drive 45 minutes to the hospital where I have clinical until 1 pm. Drive another 30 minutes to campus for class all afternoon, then drive 1 hour home to eat dinner and go to work until 10 pm.  Needless to say, I lack the energy for a good workout and I’m not waking up soon enough to plan my meals for the day.  The good news is, the weather is going to warm up soon, I’ve been picking some stuff out of “gourmet nutrition”, and I’m feeling like I’m on the upswing from last week.  My goal this week is to start measuring my food so I can start accurately dialing in my caloric intake and to get on a more consistent training schedule. Even though I’m disappointed my week three pictures don’t look like the “after” pictures of a hydroxycut ad, I’m still glad I’m doing this accountability and I know it’s going to be a good thing for me.

Carrie:

Kim started training with me last year. She started training four days a week and saw some amazing result. From getting stronger doing pull ups, push ups, trap bar deadlifting, and most importantly when she looked in the mirror. Also there was the whole, “My pants don’t fit anymore!!! They are too big!!!” Then life got in the way. Kim couldn’t train any longer because of a busy teacher’s schedule, working on her house, and she is planning a wedding (for this June!). This brings me to the spotlight. She wants to look her best for the wedding (who wouldn’t!).

Kim has always kicked ass with the training. The nutrition has been the sticking point. She was inspired by the FitCast Accountability Bloggers and with what Leigh and I are doing with Destination Abs. So…She wanted to do it as well.

I sat down with her and told her this was going to be tough, even suck. Dieting sucks, I don’t care if you are doing a detox diet or the 1 lb a week diet. It still sucks. I modified the Destination Abs program for Kim to guarantee success if we can keep the train on the tracks. Kim will also be journaling her progress on this site each week with pictures and a blog.

Kim will be training three days a week with a strength training program I developed in conjunction with the calorie deficit. There will also be some metabolic training mixed in to accelerate things without too much extra volume.

Now the floor is Kim’s. Come on FitCast Community, please give her some support! I know she will really appreciate it!

___________________________________________________________________________________

February 21, 2010

I started training with Kevin a year ago.  I chose him because he is simply miles better than anyone else around.  His knowledge is incredible, and for someone who is going to have such an impact on my health and well being, I wanted nothing sort of the best.  If I were going to get surgery, would I want a doctor who just does it as a fall back career, or would I want someone who lives and breathes surgery?  Because that’s what some “trainers” are, people who failed at some other career and this was a fall back. For a trainer I wanted someone who’s life was his work.  That is Kevin.  He has been thoroughly educated in learning how the body works, and he continues to study and learn more every week.  I ask, “Kevin, what are you up to this weekend?” and he tells me he’s reading up on training. He has earned my complete trust.

As you can see from my pictures, I have not accomplished all of my goals.  When I first started with Kevin a year ago I started to see great results, but then I lost my focus.  Quite simply, life got in the way.  Work ramped up, family members with health issues, and then I got engaged, which really shifted my focus with all of the planning that needed to be done.  I was eating what was convenient, and giving in to treats that crossed my path.  Being a teacher, I see pizza being sold every Friday, cupcakes for every birthday and I have a weakness for macaroni and cheese.  It’s tough to say “no” every time, but, alas, here we are.  Look at where it got me.  My drawers are filled with clothes that no longer fit, and I have a wedding in just under 4 months!

So what are my goals? Lets start with where I am now.  At my physical last month I clocked in at 5 foot, 3 inches, and 157 pounds!  (My doctor even told me to loose weight.) So between the doctor, and my upcoming wedding, I am very motivated to get this going.  I need to trim down and get buff!

Kevin will get me there!  I want to see those abs again and fit into that bathing suit that I use to wear when my fiancé and I first started dating.  I will do it! I’m excited to start seeing those muscles that I know are under there from our strength training.

First off, these blogs are really amazing. If you are reading this, please show your support to these brave people in the comments section. Here are just some notes for a few of you:

• David: It is great to have that support of your fiancé. And don’t stress out about a meal every few weeks where you go over. Just don’t go nuts and order everything from the dollar menu (something that I have witnessed someone do before).
• Craig: I heard about that Kevin Smith story on This Week in Tech. Messed up story. Hopefully Southwest will do something to address that.
• Luke: Great call with Body By Eats. As you can see I did a little write up below.
• Carrie: It is bull shit that BSC won’t let you do medball slams. BULL SHIT. Also, you are looking great, get back on track after the night out and kick some ass.
• Courtney: Stay strong! Your support is here! Other don’t want to see people close to them get leaner. It is jealousy.

Two weeks down. This past Monday I rejoined the world of accountability with Destination Abs Finale. I will be posting the blog for that on Thursday. One thing that I think everyone should have when on a diet is a good resource for healthy recipes. I have seen and heard it all too often when people eat the same thing day in and day out. Eventually they become fed up and decided to order a pizza or open a bag of Oreos. I am a big fan of Leigh’s Body By Eats. It is a huge cookbook of healthy and great tasting recipes  as well as a diet book. Two thing you should have in one nice package. The best part, you can download it right now and use it to make dinner tonight. Check it at BodyByEats.com

Now to the blogs…

Ken:

Has anyone read the book The Other Shulman by Alan Zweibel? If you already have, please bear with me.  It’s a story of a sad sap type of guy, Shulman, that has gained and lost the same 40 pounds so many times that if added up, the weight could equal a 200 pound clone of him.  Amongst a failing marriage and a stumbling business he signs up for the New York City Marathon and decides he is going to lose the forty pounds for good and rid himself of the physical and psychological burden it has caused him over the years. While trying to save his marriage, revive his business and train for the marathon, the sinister, ghostly spirit of weight loss past appears, real or imagined, and tries to foil his progress toward his ultimate goal. The spirit goes by the name T.O. Shulman or The Other Shulman.  Far fetched or not, it’s a funny book.

Now I’m not going to claim that I’ve played the yo yo game with my weight quite as extreme as Shulman and I’ve certainly never had a doppelgänger follow me around and foil my effort to improve my life, but I do think extra weight can become a psychologically living thing that a person can look at as a separate entity from themselves and form a strong hatred.  And by looking at it as a separate entity someone might claim they have no control over it.  I accuse myself of this.

I only got to the gym two times this week and also did three HIIT workouts on the treadmill.  One day I went cross country skiing.  My eating plan went good and I did reward myself with some spicy chicken wings and a slice of pizza last night.  I’m finding more and more that prior planning is the key.  I’ve only read that a hundred times, I don’t know why I’m so surprised.

I weighed in at 205 this morning, that is a 3lb loss.  The body fat percentage dropped by 1% to 24 and the measurement around my waist shrink about a half and inch to 38 inches.

David:

Hey Everyone,

Well, week 2 did not go quite as well as week 1. This is going to be harder than I thought.

My diet was the biggest struggle for me this week. I’m not sure how it happened…it’s too early into all this to have felt like I needed a “cheat” meal, but I did. My fiancé and I went out a couple of times actually, and it’s only thanks to her that I didn’t totally blow it. Both times I ordered calorie conscious meals, steak of some kind and veggies, but I still was way over where I wanted to be. Oh well. Being out and about sightseeing with the kids didn’t help. My schedule ended up being off too, not eating every few hours and eating more at the 3 big meals I did have.

Now that the bad stuff is out of the way, I can tell you the good stuff. At the end of week 2 I was down 6 lbs, and at least a few inches off my waist. I hadn’t noticed any big change in my pics, however my pants and even shirts are fitting better, and my fiancé says my face in definitely thinner. I haven’t been craving any “bad” foods, and I am feeling a lot better. I also added 10 more lbs to my bench press. I am really starting to get excited about my next fitness test at work (last week of March).

This week I am going to concentrate on making sure I get my cardio workouts in and not just my lifting, and making sure I am adequately hydrated. I don’t think I have been getting nearly enough water (which I can tell in how I feel). Leigh’s Water Manual is great, a must read for anyone. I also get to up my ice hockey time to 2 hours a week for the next couple of weeks, and that should be a great addition to my workout.

Thanks so much to all of you for your support and to my fellow bloggers, keep up the good work.

Any recipes you guys have found to make things easier? I have been stir frying peppers, squash, and zucchini and really enjoying it.

Thanks again.

DW

Craig:

I am currently reading The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. It was very popular in the early 2000s and so far it’s a great book. This year I do have a goal to read at least 30 books, but I am striving for 50. If you look at the rest of this blog you will see Aaron is reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and for him I recommend First Things First a few months later as a great followup by Covey. I use www.shelfari.com to track all my reading and it’s a great tool. I used to use a spreadsheet, but forget that; use the intertubes.

This year is my year of action and increased education. I bought a stereo for my Civic so I can finally use my mp3 player with it for podcasts/audiobooks. I just need to learn to install the damn this. Here is an interesting blog post that puts into words what I have learned over the years about what I know and what others know: http://jangosteve.com/post/380926251/no-one-knows-what-theyre-doing

My nutrition this week overall was wishy washy. Livestrong has updated their Dailyplate and I plan to take full advantage of their new application. Anyone who is looking for something more useful than Fitday needs to try Dailyplate/Livestrong because their webapp is incredibly easy to use and 99% of the foods you eat are ALREADY in the database. You never have to enter foods and fill out their caloric/nutritional breakdowns. I can guarantee that a fortnight of regular eating does wonders for energy and sleep regularity. I used to be dead tired by 11pm and asleep by 11:10pm, but lately I have been all over the place with my sleep.

It snowed this week and closed down my school and I couldn’t even make it up my driveway due to the ice. It is strange when 49 states are covered with snow in some form (except Hawaii those bastards).

Also another thing that is interesting from the web is that Kevin Smith (writer of Clerks/Clerks 2) was kicked off a Southwestern Airlines flight for being too heavy. He exploded on twitter and you can read a summary of the drama here: http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/02/14/director-kevin-smith-too-wide-for-the-sky. While I like Kevin Smith is incredibly funny, I hope that he faces facts soon, like the rest of us here in this accountability blog (myself mostly), and he gets onto the right path. He has all the resources available to him, but no one can force change onto anyone else. I’ve learned that the hard way.

Oh also this is just a new accountability thing I learned from Dan John. I am going to eat THIS can of dog food if I don’t hit my goal; yes im serious: http://imgur.com/xsqBH.jpg

Michelle:

Hi everyone. Here we are heading into week three and I have to say that week two was a bit of a disaster. I had a complete crap week at work; suffice to say I think I’ll be leaving that job shortly. I’m beginning to realize that you spend too much time at actual work to be miserable, so it’s time to move on. I also work at a restaurant on Monday nights, which I’m not sure I mentioned before; this week someone needed Tuesday night covered so I worked two nights. I did make it to the gym on Monday morning – a first for me – getting up at 5 am to get a workout in when I’m not getting home until 11 is usually more than I want to take on. Tuesday however I didn’t make it. And I only made my training on Wednesday and Thursday this week. So I didn’t make my 5 day gym commitment this week. Total fail. It’s pretty amazing how you feel like complete ass when you make a commitment to do something and you don’t follow through with it.. Normally not making the gym five times wouldn’t bother me in the least, I’d justify it with the fact that I trained three days and that would have been good enough.  Anyways this a new week and I have to go into it with a positive attitude. I’ll be back to training tomorrow morning with a brand new program that is sure to kill me, but I’m really looking forward to it. Hope everyone had a better week than me and keep up the good work.

-michelle

Luke:

Hello again, everybody. This was a much needed deload week for me, so my activity level was a little lower. To compensate for moving less, I cut down on how much I ate each day a little bit.  I weighed 216.5 this Monday morning for a loss of 2 pounds for this week and a total of 4.5 pounds since this accountability blog started.  Not great, but not bad.  It’s pretty much right where I want to be.  Here is the rundown for last week:

Training:
Monday – Rest Day
Tuesday – Infamous TRX Workout A – Phase 2 Week 2
Wednesday – Deload 5/3/1 Lift – Front Squat & DB Row
Thursday – Infamous TRX Workout B – Phase 2 Week 2
Friday – Deload 5/3/1/ Lift – Deadlift & High Incline DB Bench
Saturday – 57 mile gravel road bike ride
Sunday – Rest Day

Nutrition:
I tried some of the recipes from Body by Eats, and they are superb!  Seriously, it feels like I’m not even trying to lose weight when I eat this stuff.  My favorite was the “White Chicken Chili”, and the “Shrimp and Broccoli with a Twist” and the “Pineapple Pork Chops” were also simply delicious.  And I feel like kind of like a real chef when I make these recipes.

I’ve started preparing bigger batches of healthy food all at once so that I have tasty, nutritous food on hand at all times.  This is a key factor in staying on track for me.  If I have healthy options that I’ve already prepared, then I am much less likely to eat the bad stuff.  You see, I have kids in the house with all of their tempting goodies lurking in the cabinets belting out their siren song every time I walk through the kitchen, trying to lure me in.

“No!” I say.  “I won’t eat you sweet, sweet Oatmeal Pies.  No!  I won’t succomb to the temptation of your creamy, gooey deliciousness.  I am stronger than you!”  Every time this happens, the temptation dwindles a little, and my will power grows.

I did eat “badly” once this week.  After my long bike ride on Sunday, I ate a “cheat meal”.  This one was actually planned (unlike last week’s cheat meal) for immediately following my bike ride so that the “damage” would be kept in check.

So, there you have it.  Another good week, and I’m feeling a lot better.  My wife says she can see a difference in how I look, but she kind of has to say that since she’s my wife and all.  I mean, it’s not like she’s going to say, “Wow, you still look like a fat slob.”  But hey, I’ll take all the compliments I can get (Thanks, Honey!).

Take care everyone!  Until next time, Buh-Bye.

Aaron:

Let’s lay out this nutrition plan in a easy to digest (Pun!) fashion…

Nutrition Breakdown: 170 to 195lb Project

Goals

1.   Be consistent with caloric intake

2.   Spend the time to prep food

3.   Be cognizant of timing macro intake (notably peri-workout nutrition)

4.   Explore new foods in order to avoid boredom

5.   100 ounces of water/day – 1liter =~34 ounces

Macronutrient Intake

WO Day – 3,000 Calories = 50 (c) / 30 (p) / 20 (f) %’s

o   Carbs:  375g

o   Protein: 225g

o   Fat: 67g

Rest Day – 2,500 Calories = 40 (c) / 40 (p) / 20 (f) %’s

o   Carbs: 300g

o   Protein: 300g

o   Fat: 67g

As you can see I’m doing some cycling here between days. I have no justifiable scientific reason for this, it’s simply my way of avoiding eating monotonously which has gotten me into trouble in the past.

Struggles

1. Lunch is by far and away the most difficult meal of the day for me to manage. Due to the development of a mild allergy to chicken (temperature rise, tingling skin on face) I am at a loss on what to bring (re-heatable, easily portable, smell non-offensive to others in the office), as chicken breasts have been my go-to forever. I picked up a few recipes from Dr. Clay Hyght’s (of TMuscle fame) free e-book Set Your Metabolism on Fire: http://www.drclay.com/ I’m hoping a few of these will help.

2. Holy crap this is a lot of food. I mean… wow. Eating in a major surplus “cleanly” is really a challenge at times.  Though the more I think about it, it’s not really the food – it’s the grind of preparing it all, getting it ready to bring to work and just simply spending the time to eat all of it. Hopefully as I make these things a habit as opposed to a “chore” this gets easier.

The no-fat, organic, cage-free, low sodium Wrap up

While I have never been overweight, I can certainly empathize with my fellow participants from a mental standpoint. It is such a crazy thing to basically do battle with your own mind. Deep-seeded habits have such powerful control over your day-to-day actions that it really takes a monumental effort to overcome them. While the other bloggers might be tempted to grab an unnecessary snack, I might skip a meal. In either case our minds are justifying the action internally – even though we know damn well that our action is counter-productive… that’s where the power of Accountability comes in handy.

Carrie:

This week didn’t go so well for me. I felt low on energy, which carried over to my workouts, I just wasn’t into it. I did make it four times, but not as much as I would have liked or with much enthusiasm. Though I did a lot of food prep, and weighed and measured everything for lunches, etc. I’d gotten out of the habit of making my fitday entries regularly. When I finally did catch up, I realized I’d gone over my allotted calories a couple of days. One day being a salad that did me in. I got pretty down on myself, and instead of thinking positively and getting back on track, I had a margarita. We’re being honest here, right? Believe me, I felt guilty. I feel guilty writing this right now! I had some plans for dinners out (they were made before starting this thing) but I tried to make smarter choices and control my portions. Anyways, I’m hoping this week will prove to be better. I’m focusing on the fact that within the first week some said they saw a slight difference in my pictures – a little less chub around my middle – and remember how good I was feeling after that first week. If my original numbers were anywhere near correct, I may have actually lost a couple lbs already. Like I said, it had been some time since I’d actually weighed myself. I’ll try to be more diligent. Here’s hoping everyone has a good week!

Courtney:

Well, I have to say that I’m pretty happy with how my first week of this challenge went. I stayed on track with my nutrition except for one day and worked out hard and was rewarded with a 4.2lb weight loss. My personal trainer is still backed up from the new year resolution people so I haven’t gotten to meet with him yet, but have been working on eating good, healthy, whole foods and continuing with my running program until he and I can get a real plan formulated. I’m really getting addicted to veggie “stir-fry” (almost no oil, just sauce) over brown rice. It’s become my go-to meal when I really need to spend my evenings writing.

During the week I went running 3 days and moved into week 2 of my couch to 5k program, took a long lunch one day and spent it running up
and down the stairs at the office and then Saturday I went snow tubing with some friends. Instead of taking the lift up I trecked my butt up that hill, in the snow, dragging my tube behind me which, funny enough, isn’t something they have on fitday in their exercise categories. Saturday was a bit of a wash calorically since we ate at the lodge and the food choices there were terrible. I ended up eating a chicken caesar salad and having to stop the girl at one scoop of dressing. We also went out for drinks after tubing which made me break even for the day instead of keeping with my 5-900 calorie defect.

I’ve been disappointed at how many people in my life are really unsupportive of me doing this challenge. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m part of a community of people who are generally fairly unhealthy. Fortunately the most important people in my life are taking my side on this and are helping in every way that they can. My boyfriend will be coming into town from Biloxi next weekend and we are already planing out our food and workouts. Good job everyone, reading your blog posts keeps me motivated just as much as knowing that my pictures are out there for everyone to see.

Robert:

This was the week that being accountable really paid off.  This was the week that everything clicked and every time I thought about eating something I shouldn’t, I thought “crap, I’m going to be the ONLY one that has the same picture week after week”.  That being said, I’m honestly not sure if I was 90% compliant, but I did better than previous weeks.  I’m noticing small changes in my body that normally would not be possible in the middle of a school quarter (plus, what we call winter here in southern california).  I feel like I look the same, but my wife said, “You feel skinnier, if Kevin came and hugged you, he’d feel the difference”.  I know these changes would not be there had I not signed up for this challenge and that makes me feel good about the possibilities.  The moment I read that I was accepted into this contest I experienced a mixture of excitement and terror.  I thought “Oh no, what have I done. Not only am I burning the candle at both ends, but now I’ve just taken a blowtorch to the damn thing.”  I didn’t make a drastic life change the first day, as I would have hoped, but I’m taking steps every day to make better habits and do the things I know I’m supposed to do.

I want to say thanks to everybody who signed up with me, the people who follow our stories with words of support, and Kevin and the fitcast crew for all the time they put into making an awesome show.  No matter our motives for joining this contest, I’m sure I’ll end up with a few more friends by the end and that makes it worth it…and a video camera.

Tim:

This week felt much better than my first.  Here are the workouts:

Thursday
1. Squat 95×15, 115×12
2a. Static lunge 45×15, 45×15
2b. DB Row (elbow out) 30×15, 30×15
3a. Push-up 15, 15
3b. Swissball crunch 20, 20

Sunday
1. BB DL 135×15, 135×15
2a. Step-up 40×15, 40×15
2b. DB single arm overhead press 20×15, 20×15
3a. Chin up 7, 5
3b. Reverse crunch 20, 20

These are still pretty challenging workouts for me, and I still have trouble keeping my back from rounding, especially in the DB row.  Good news is I had no trouble sticking to the program and I didn’t feel like poop after! =D  The New Rules of Lifting calls for 2 more weeks of the break in program, but I’m already anxious for the next step.

Nutrition has been about the same as week 1: OK but not great.  Week days are always really tough (unless I work from home) because it’s just not so easy taking meal breaks every 2-3 hours.  I need to read through the Precision Nutrition handbook again…I know there have to be some good tips in there.

Sorry for the picture quality this week.  I have to use the webcam in my iMac and the sun’s blocked out by the snow, so lighting is horrible.  Can’t wait to see the progress everyone else has made!

Thanks,
Tim

Batty:

Sugar, I hate you all over your tasty addictive face. I thought we had a good thing going here – you would try had hard as you could to get my attention, and I would flip you the bird and walk away.  I do stop by once in a while to see how you’ve been, but all you end up doing is cling to my butt and beg me to take you back. This is not a good relationship we have, sugar. It’s not me, its you. Sugary little sugar filled bastard.

Ok, so. that bloaty feeling I had last week subsided and I am chalking it up to the residuals of that time of the month. I do not think the camera flash is effectively showing the progress I have made, although, I am hoping it soon will. However, observe the photo I took of myself the day after last week’s progress pictures:

SEE? There’s something going on there. (ok, ok, this was post workout, but still) 90% of my cleavage is now pecs. I am seeing definition in my upper abs that comes and goes depending on the time of the day and my REALLY BIG RIBCAGE. I am kinda barrel chested and I hate it because it makes me look like I’m “sucking it in” when I’m really not, and it does weird crap to my abs. I was kind of worried this week about calorie intake and whether or not I should reduce. I decided not to. I dont want to deprive the bod of what it needs. I make most of the food we eat around here from scratch, and the only real prepackaged/processed food I consume is a daily protein bar and a scoop and a half of whey protein powder post workout.

I kept my calorie goals but my fat intake was a little higher this past week due to my increase of peanut butter, almonds, and some walnuts. I thought this might help but I was *incredibly*  sluggish. My brain slightly shut down. It was not pretty. Friday, I was so dazed that I found myself not being able to make decisions at work, and I was so tapped for energy that I did not work out.  The bum knee didn’t really help, either.

I was still concerned about losing or not continuing my progress, but in the weight room, my pulldowns and presses all increased by about 10 lbs. I can actually pull down really close to my body weight now! Really attempting to push myself with the upper body stuff helped me achieve workouts almost comparable to what I was doing pre-brace.

This week’s weigh in had me at 153.2 and 16.33% body fat. The calcs say that is 2lbs muscle lost and 5 lbs fat. I’m staring at that BF% in disbelief. I don’t *feel* 16% body fat. My fat distribution is rather unkind to my lower regions. While I’m actually seeing my ribcage through my chest [which is kinda scaring me] and my arms are awesome, my butt still makes that BLUH BLOO BLUH BLUH noise when the wind is right. There’s a lot of storage on my lower abdomen and all down the backs of my legs. I’m like an upside down toothpaste tube of fat, where someone is squeezing it out starting with my head and working their way down. This is why I am focusing on my abs right now because its the current squeezing out point.

Here’s my other confession: I made cookies Saturday. In my defense, they were made with oat flour and 60% cacao chips and walnuts. Saturdays I *do* reserve for a carb load and minor refeed but I think I overdid it. Now, with a 15 year old and a 4 year old in the house, cookies don’t last too long here. However, Sunday morning there were a few left, and I ate them.

4 of them, to be exact. 4 awesome, nutty, chocolate filled cookies that actually left me feeling a little ill. This is by far the most processed sugar I have consumed in the past 6 weeks.

Dammit.

To get back on track, I am putting my food intake blog up for public consumption. I track over at livestrong, and it is here: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/diary/who/msbatty/ . I will echo Courtney’s sentiment about crying a little bit over putting this in front of everyone, but I gotta do what I gotta do.

This week’s goals: keep up the UB workouts. Start on that pullup goal – that’s been problematic because our doorway pullup bar won’t fit in *any* of the doorways in this old house. However, the SO is ccurrently in the basement constructing a combination squat rack/pullup setup for us. Thank god for his support.

Food wise, get back on track with my macros. These next two days will absolutely suck coming down from the sugar consumption, but I know I can do it. I am going to ditch cheese. I’ll usually have 2 servings a day at most but I dont think it’s doing me any good right now. Yes, internet, I have publicly announced that I am going to cut the cheese.

I was going to go back to the bandana with this week’s photo, but decided instead to include a jaunty hat. The world needs more jaunty hats.

Larry:

Nutrition –

I use calorie-count.com to log my food as I consume it on a daily basis and watch the ongoing analysis to keep my carb/pro/fat levels at about 50/30/20 while keeping my sodium, sugar, sat fats, fiber and cholesterol within a somewhat normal range. My goal is to consume between 1800-2000 calories daily with a three day low carb routine followed by a one day slightly higher carb day (with a cheat meal)  taking me up to 2000-2200 calories. Truthfully, this last week had two days when I over consumed on my workout days with the feeling that it was real hunger and me wanting me to chew my arm off in response. As my workout schedule is now established and in place, I believe this will be less of an issue going forward.

Fitness –

After a month and change layoff from wrecking my left shoulder and having a cortisone shot, I returned last Monday to full week of a two day split workout with fairly light weights and two days of getting back on the treadmill for two 36 minute hill routines at a modest pace. I ended up missing one day on the treadmill after my first lower body workout, because the squats and lunges left my quads in a state of disrepair and much DOMS. But, I’m back, feeling good and looking forward to working out at a good pace to recover my fitness.

Misc.-

I was down a pound on the scale with a 1% drop in body fat for the week. Would like to lose two pounds a week and believe with my full workout in place and 3-4 days of cardio can make it happen. I am using my Tanita scale for my weekly reported body fat measurement, having had a caliper measurement by a personal trainer a couple of weeks ago at a body fat level almost 10% less, go figure. I have not mastered my own Accu-measure Caliper and for the moment have more faith and will record the electronic measurement.

We received an e-mail a few weeks back asking about ways to track progress and to enforce accountability. This goes along with the upcoming FitCast Accountability Blog/Contest, if you haven’t already give it a look and check it out.

Use FitDay: One of the first tools I have found to be very effective is FitDay.com. FitDay is a free service that you can use from any internet browser. Why do I like it so much? It allows me to enter in as many custom foods as I like instead of guessing if I am eating exactly what they have the macronutrients for. Fitday also has a software program you can use on the PC, at this time they do not have a similar offering on the Mac.

Buy a Food Scale: The second tool which I use multiple times daily is a GOOD QUALITY digital scale. Food scales don’t leave room for error, or as Leigh Peele mentioned in the past, eating that extra 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter you just happened to leave on the knife. Why digital? Digital scales allow you to “zero out” at any time so there is never any math involved. Need to measure out 120g of greek yogurt, 28g of almonds, 20g of protein powder, and 10g of blueberries? You can do it all in one container with a digital scale. And then there is the point of getting a good quality scale. I made the mistake of going to Target and buying a cheap ass $30 scale. The measurements were off, it always was -3 or -5g when I turned it on, just a pain in the ass. I then went with this scale from Amazon.com: Escali Primo Digital Multifunctional Scale

It was $10 cheaper and has worked perfectly since I bought it 11 months ago. And for those looking to spice up the kitchen, it comes in a bunch of cool colors…

Have a plan: Take a guess at how many people’s new years resolutions are to “lose weight.” Then guess how many of those people go into this resolution with no plan what so ever! Nothing, maybe if they are lucky then bought a gym membership. Most of the time it is just a, “this time is different,” sort of a plan. And guess what? They fail. Every time. It sucks to say, buy you might as well unless you pick a plan to stick with it. Here is what I wrote in a previous blog for recommended programs: The Fat Loss Troubleshoot, Turbulence Training, Warp Speed Fat Loss, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle.

(I know, I was looking for a picture for planning, and I remember this game from when I was a kid)

You can even pick up a physical book at Amazon like The New Rules of Lifting, the New Rules of Lifting for Women, the Female Body Breakthrough, The Body Fat Solution, and tons of others!!! Just don’t buy Skinny Bitch or anything the Big O recommends (this video is must see!!!)…

Support: Finally we come to support. You need to have some kind of support. Unless you are part of that special 1%, you will not be able to do this all on your own. Think about it, you are actually depriving your body of calories it wants to maintain where you are! That alone doesn’t sound easy. Not to mention getting your lifting in, your intervals, steady state cardio, planning the meals for the week, staying away from the birthday cake at work, only drinking water and diet coke when you go out with your friends who tend to drink, your mom’s cooking which is just so damn good you can’t resist that banana break she makes and her world renowned spaghetti and meatballs. See. Told you it wasn’t easy. Get a support group. It can be on a forum, a group of friends, a blog with readers, or something like what we are trying to do here with the accountability blog.

Did I miss any? Let me know in the comments?

We have been talking about it for a while and you guys have been asking for it…Here it is…

When Leigh Peele and I put together Destination Abs there were three main components.

1. Leigh Peele’s Amazing nutrition books The Fat Loss Troubleshoot and (later on) Body By Eats.

2. The training program that I wrote up in accordance with the nutritional guidelines that Leigh Provided.

3. ACCOUNTABILITY

Yeah, that’s right, I just made that huge to prove a point, no easier way to do that than to use big font.

Because of how important #3 was to me I thought I would give you the same opportunity to you to finally get that body you desire and the support you need to achieve that goal. There are some rules and guidelines to all of this. This is only for those who are dedicated and are willing to work their assess off, literally. I will be there to support you and so will all of the listeners. I hope most of you know you can always e-mail me anyways through my personal e-mail address: kevin@thefitcast.com. Please use it if it is for this contest or otherwise. Same thing on Facebook (http://facebook.com/KevinLarrabee) and Twitter (Http://twitter.com/KevinLarrabee). Both of these sites are great for accountability, staying in contact, and talking about your progress and goals. I will personally follow every-single-one of the contestants.

Now For The Rules…

Here are the rules and how we will be selecting the 10 contestants:

• You must send us an e-mail detailing why you need accountability, why this time is going to be different, your history, your goals, and anything else you think is relevant.
• Must have a plan from one of the following
  • One of us (Leigh, Jon, Tony, Kevin as an Online Client)
  • Or a book like New Rules of Lifting, The Body Fat Solution, ect.
  • Or from one of the following other recommended programs:
  • The Fat Loss Troubleshoot, Turbulence Training, Warp Speed Fat Loss, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle,
• Must be willing to submit pictures weekly, front and side, in tight fitting clothing (tight shirt and shorts) or shirt off with shorts (with sports bra for the ladies) each Monday. No exceptions unless you have a great excuse that borders something like this, “I was arrested because I punched the guy doing bicep curls with 55 pounds in the squat rack.” If you fail to do so you will not be allowed to continue.
• Must submit a 100-300 word update each week talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly of your transformation that will be posted on TheFitCast.com along with your photos. If you fail to do so you will not be allowed to continue.
• ONLY 5-8 People ACCEPTED DEPENDING ON DEMAND.

How we Decide the Winner

• There will be a voting format put together soon.
  

PRIZES

• 1st Place: Kodak HD Pocket Camcorder Zi6
• 2nd Place: Iron Gym Extreme Pull Up System and 1 Tub of Ultra Peptide Pro (International contestants will get a copy of The FitCast Insider and an Ebook (will be offered a choice of 4 or 5 books)
• 3rd Place: FitCast T-shirt and Sweatshirt

Now it it time to ask yourself the question: Do you want to be accountable and finally obtain the body and physique you desire? Let’s find out together.

BONUS: Video of me talking about the Iron Gym Extreme:

This is part 2 of the things I learned in 2009. It is going to be just 9 things (even though I learned countless things). If you haven’t already, read part 1 then hurry back!

#6 If you are in a Position to Help Others, Do so.

This is an actual conversation that I had with someone a few months ago:

Dude: What is up with all of that stuff you have that says, “Lift Strong,” on it?

Me: Oh, yeah, it is for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. A friend of mind put together this project that started out as a book to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society and now they are doing the same with t-shirts and shakers.

Dude: Oh sweet man can you hook me up with one of those shirts?

Me: All you have to do is go to EliteFTS.com and they have them for $15

Dude: Come on man, I am not made of money, I know you can get me the hook up with your contacts!

Me: Well…It is for charity…You know…To find a cure…I paid for it…

Dude: OK man, thanks anyway.

Me: (In my head) You got plenty of money to buy a f**king $50 bottle of Super Pump, I can see why you can’t help out a good cause.

I really was dumbfounded after this conversation… If you are sitting in front of a new laptop or on the couch while watching the game on a new 50″ plasma, you can probably spend $25 on the Lift Strong ebook. OK, you don’t need to read the articles because you already know everything the authors have written. Right… OK… Fine. Then go to Elite and buy a sweatshirt, t-shirt, wrist band, shaker, or go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma website and donate $5. Every little bit really helps.

I hope it doesn’t sound like I am preaching, but this is something my parents and my mentors have instilled in me. If you are in the position to give…then give. Even if it is a few bucks to the kids trying to raise money for the local high school sports team or your co-worker who is walking or running for charity. You can make a difference in other peoples lives with what you spend on a cup of coffee or a new DVD.

(Side Note: Also please check out the Michael J. Fox Foundation. I pray that no one in your family is affected by Parkinson’s Disease. It took the life of my grandmother, who was like a second mother to me, a few years back. It was torture seeing her in the years, months, weeks, and days she battled with it.)

#7 CNS Activation is a Big Deal (And you Probably Aren’t doing it)

It was a weird day when I sat down and watched Nick Tumminello’s CNS Activation DVD (for one, it was 70 and sunny out, I had no right to be inside). As I watched it I had one of my own ah-ha moments. Oh sh*t, ya, that makes sense, why the hell aren’t I doing that?. You can’t just foam roll, do some mobility, and a, “warm-up set.” You have to wake your body up with something other than Spike (although it is a good first step…).

Even doing something as simple as jumping jacks, clap push ups, or med ball work will prime your CNS allowing you to recruit more muscle fibers and make you perform better. Check out Nick’s DVD, in it he goes through a bunch of movements like the tight rotations show in the video below (KILLER CORE STABILITY EXERCISE!!!)

#8 Metabolic Training Can and Should be Fun

If you find your training getting stale or you want to challenge yourself. Throw in a strongman or metabolic circuit at the end of your training session. The first circuit I ever did was a punishment from Eric Cressey back in 2007 when I asked him, “Eric, I want to lose fat faster, what can we do?” Here is the result:

Here is another one that I did on New years Day 2010:

You can really use anything, TRX, kettlebells, bands, sleds, valslides, barbells, body weight..Anything! Check out Dos Remedios’ new book, Cardio Strength Training for some great circuits that will push you harder than ever.

That is all for this edition, number 9 is a big one and needs it’s own post.