Diet/Training (five weeks in) - Aug 22, 2009

Ok, now 5 weeks into IF. I am sticking to 16/8 regime, which means 16 hours of undereating and 8 hours of overeating, which is really eating - I don't think I overdo it. During undereating phase, which usually lasts from 11pm till 3pm the next day all I eat is fresh veggies throughout the morning and early afternoon. It usually totals to about 2 servings of veggies - those include broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cherry tomatoes and - of course - pickles. I may have an occasional cup of coffee (although I'm not huge on coffee) to stimulate adrenaline just a tad bit - to add fuel into fat burning furnace. I am not afraid to overdo it because I'm not really a coffee fan - so two cups a day would be rare.

Last Saturday caliper measurements showed 9 mm vs. 10 mm the week before. It was great! Other measurements also slightly improved last week. However this Saturday caliper showed 10mm again which was a little disappointing as I thought I was sticking to my regime pretty strictly. On a bright side my waist shrunk by 1/2" and the weight went down to 204.6 from 205.2 last week. So I decided to not let the subtle increase in caliper readings set me back. Let's see what happens in the next couple of weeks. People keep commenting on me looking leaner so that's a good sign no matter what caliper says.

Monday through Wednesday I spent with friends at a cabin they rented on Clear Lake - absolutely gorgeous and peaceful place - a true sanctuary of tranquility. Didn't exercise much - but we walked a lot - on average 3-4 hours daily.

This Saturday I had a great workout at the gym. My weights went slightly up. I still do mostly legs (squats, leg presses and leg extensions) and back (pullovers, cable rows and cable pulldowns) plus I throw in a couple of other exercises. Usually DB curls, and cable crossovers or dumbell flyes. I don't do bench and I avoid any presses that involve shoulders because my LC joints are still bothering me - although not as much as a couple weeks before.

I make sure to take in simple carbs before and during workout. I find that it keeps me energized throughout my routine (which does not exceed 45-60 min). I also eat a protein bar right after my workout, followed by a hearty protein/complex carb meal about 30-40 min later. One thing I noticed since I had started the program is that I feel GREAT after my Saturday workouts. I no longer feel exhausted, sleepy and fatigued the way I used to and I LOVE this feeling!!

I chant my "lean body" mantra every day as well plus I use Frank Zane's images on my desktop for motivation. I also have his little quarterly magazines laying all over the place so I run into his extremely balanced and lean physique wherever I go around the house. His physique (as it was in early 80's) is the type I visualize myself developing.

So, another great day and off to a leaner and more muscular body!!