I feel So Pretty...

Before and After Pictures



The side profile isn't that telling, but you might be able to see some of the change from the front profile.






Talk to ya later.


Dan

DanFit vs. TBK final weigh in.

Not too much to report this morning, except that my long battle versus"the Burrito Kid" has drawn to a close. I will continue my fight for my health for the rest of my life.

9/20/08 Final Weigh In:

217

Original Weigh In:

230

Percentage Lost (the barometer of the challenge):

5.65%




>>13 pounds! Not bad, I really screwed my self over by eating at Qdoba yesterday (thanks Dad), but I haven't missed a workout in two weeks and I've probably run nearly 45 miles this month.


Tomorrow I will post some before and after pictures and numbers comparison between TBK and myself.

I do plan on continuing the Ketosis through September and maybe through October. At some point I will probably switch over to a low-fat diet. We'll see, I'm gonna roll with the punches and see what offers the best results.

I will check back at 210, 200, 200, 190, 180 and, 170, when I actually reach each plateau.

It's been real. Dan.

Her name was Ketosis.

So, I have been doing really well since the last time you read. I haven't gone below 214, but my shape is getting way, way better. I'm starting to have more confidence in my looks and I may have won the lottery. Well, maybe not the last part, but things are well. Ladies, WATCH OUT!

I have been working my ass off in the gym and for two weeks or so, and I have entered ketosis. It's not an overnight thing, but changing the body from burning carbs to burning fat is a meaningful process. It certainly limits food consumption (no bread, no sugar at first, no pasta, no bread, and I forgot, no bread!), but while cholesterol is a concern, I don't think I've eaten healthy or more regularly in my adult life! I actually am getting hungry again, which hasn't really ever been a problem. I've been eating a ton of sexay meats and have had a chance to grill every day for the last 6 or 7. Swordfish, strip steak, chicken breast, turkey Italian sausage, tuna steak--are just a few of the awesome meats I've eaten over the last week or two. There was a report recently that vegetarians suffer some type of mental loss, or some such thing, from not digesting certain nutrients from animals, and well that's their problem. I LOVE ME SOME MEAT!!

Bathroom regularity hasn't been all that regular in my new diet, but I have added a fiber pill that should solve that. I am going to continue on this Atkins type thing through September, then I will probably switch to something else, to fool my body. I have been mostly happy with it, but I would really like to find soups and snacks that are convenient to the lifestyle. Although, I can add some of that stuff back in soon, just not through the initial two weeks of ketosis.

I do feel pretty confident in my weight challenge with the Burrito Kid, but I don't think I have a Barry Goldwater chance in hell of hitting 200 by 9/20/08. 210 is an attainable goal, and I should come close. I am pretty confident that I will reach 200 or 205 by the end of the month.

Running: I have stuck to my guns and still so 3 miles every day. The last couple I have felt a little tired, but I'm still powering through. My times have hit a bit of a snag; I usually hit 26 or 27 minutes, but that's okay. The problem has been holding speed for long periods, but, on a positive note, my sprinting speed on the tread mills has improved. I can hold 9.2-9.6 for nearly a quarter mile now. I didn't really have the cajones to try that before, but now my body feels so much more limber and virile, that I'm not gonna get in its way.

Lifting: I regrouped my workouts a bit this week, based on advice from my friend, Actor Matthew McConaughey. He told me that 4-5x a week, with a full body workout everyday would make me like lifting more, and increase my metabolism. Thanks Matt.
Anyways, I've also added some fun new workouts, like the "Iron Cross" and the "Clean and Press" to my repertoire. Gotta have fun when you life. On a personal note (although, I guess this whole thing is that exactly) I have been improving very steadily with Dumb Bell Bench Press; I can now use 55lb weights in each hand and pump out sets of around 10. Mostly, that is from separating the other bench stuff from all in one day to once, every day.

Abs: I have expanded the amount of regulars to my list of Ab workouts, to Plank, Jackknife and Alternate Heel Touches, while keeping the regular Crunch and crunch machine. I pick one each day and have at it. The AHT is pretty easy and seems to work well. Not as painful as would like though.


9/18 Morning Weigh In:
216 lbs
Original Weight:
230 lbs

Return of the Mack!

What up Ho's!

DanFit Is back, after a long and inconspicuous absence. I haven't completely forgot about you, but you know how it is. Life happens, then you eat at a Mexican buffet. Seriously, it does.

Anyways, I haven't been neglecting my duties entirely. I have somewhat given up hope of the WiiFit as a be-all-end-all, but I still support its rights as a better-for-you way to play games and not a bad tool for stretching, breathing, toning and building some self confidence.

For a real fat ass--and I'm talking the kind that requires a second seat on an airplane and a nutty bar sedative, you sure as hell haven't seen the inside of a gym in 5 years, so "baby steps".. For me, after the big ankle sprain/roll, I have decided that heavy-manly lifting and very intensive running were the ticket to fitting into my high school hot pants.

My regular goals become pretty apparent--work out 5-6 times a week. Work out my abs a little bit every time, run every time, and factor in every part of the body into the workouts throughout the week. So far, I have accomplished that.

Lifting: I generally do 3 sets of every exercise, with between 8-15 reps, depending on the exercise. I have BodyBuilding.com to thank for easy access to every inch of the body and a great program that filters by type of equipment and muscle, to help me build the program.

Abs: Again BodyBuilding.com gave me a nice long list of exercises I can do, and I have been tryig them out to see what hurts the most. I actually think that WiiFit does a fantastic job of working with you on exercises that train the abs.

Running: While I don't have a ultimate race in mind, my immediate goal has been 3 miles every time. When I first started this regimen a few weeks ago, 30 minutes was the goal and I would reach it every time. Generally, I would build up between 5.0 and 8.0 between the beginning and 1.5 miles, then I would walk at 4.0 on an incline for two minutes, then I would gingerly go between 5.5 and 7.5 to finish the job. I always beat 30 minutes, but I wasn't totally pushing myself and wasn't progressing.

Eventually, I contracted pink eye--and THIS was the BEST thing for me!

I don't quite have the best eyesight, so with no contacts, I decided to take my glasses off when I ran--because of all the sweat and whatnot. Due to the foggy numbers in front of me, I just left the speed at 7.0 and ignored it. I noticed that I wasn't really getting that tired and before I knew it, 1.5 miles had passed! I also decided to stop walking in the middle. Now my "walking" speed is between 5.0-5.5 and I'm really jogging, without getting behind on distance, while all the while catching my breath. So, my end times were between 25 and 27 minutes. Not too bad!

Over the last 10 days or so, I have really started to improve. I followed some advice and worked on lifting my legs higher. I'm able to go faster for longer, and I have reached times between 23 and 26 minutes. I don't like running much, but I'm starting to come around.

9/11/08 (NIGHT)WEIGH IN:
219
Original WEIGH IN:
230

>>While I'm really happy I have lost 11 lbs., I have really worked my ass off, and the lbs. realy haven't dropped as fast as I'd like. On a positive note, I'm starting to get real hard (and no, I'm not looking at a spread with the hot chick from Tokio Hotel), the spicy latina curves I have been carrying around are starting to localize into beefcake!