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