A Body For Life Blog

2008 is over and we welcome in 2009. 2008 was a memeorable year, a year I will never forget.  2008 has its highlights as well as its dissapointments.  Read trhe newspaper or watch TV - no need for me to talk about what you already know.  But there were some really positive moments that happened in my life.

The biggest improvement or bright spot in my life has been my renewed committment to not only working out, but working out consistently and with a definite plan.  Certain days of the week are set aside for cardio, certain days for upper body workouts and other days for lower body workouts.  I pretty much followed my plan with working out.  Yeah there were some days when I had a really great worlout and others that weren't as good.  But even those bad days in the gym were still grewat days because it kept me following a plan and being physically ready to have that great workout that you just need now and then.  so I'll take a bad day in the gym versus no day in the gym.

One thing I'm happy about is that for a good part of the year I was able to control my weight really well.  I was looking as lean as I have been in years.  This last 4 weeks with the holidays and being with alot of friends I gained 6 pounds. It was tough to not eat.  In years past I would gain more than this, so maybe that is a good thing.  But I know I can drop the weight in a month- easy.  The good thing about it is I feel as though I am in the best shape I have been in in over 6 years, so the weight will drop.

I know 2009 will be a great year. I have a great outlook about how I feel both physically and mentally.  The economy seems to be getting its feet under itself.  I'll have so much more energy and nothing but good things will happen.  I wish all of you a great 2009.  Make some written plans for your self for 2009 and work it and you will be surprised by what happens.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

After today's LBW at my LA gym, I sat down and talked with the head trainer/manager about my progress since starting the program to get some insight from how he has seen me progress. I don't use a trainer when working out, but they do keep their eyes open and watch. When I first started out with my BFL exercise routine, 10 weeks ago, I kept my workout journal and he noticed it right away and asked how things were working out. I guess the journal pages have a LOOK and trainers have an EYE for those type of things.  Also he could tell by watching me workout that I was doing the BFL workout. It is that obvious. A set of 12, increase weight, 10, increase weight, 8,increase weight,  6, increase weight, jump right away on another machine and burn the same muscles. Then finish it off with 1 more set reaching for that 10.

I told him in the last 10 weeks I have lost 15 pounds.  His remark was, "there are only 2 basic things that are important. 1) Do you feel like you are in good shape? and 2) What is your body fat?"  I told him my body fat is 22% down from almost 29% using my weight scale /impedance thingamagig. He said that body fat percentage for someone your age is just a bit better than good and would be excellent if you got near 20%. Now concerning do I feel like I am in good shape, I commented that I feel like I am about 75% of where I should be. I have really good cardio workouts but I would like to be able to run for 30 minutes on the road without stopping.  A treadmill and elliptical machine is so different then running outside.  "He stated that there are thin people who are in bad shape, and just being thin doesn't make you healthy or look like you are in shape. Conversely there are heavy people who are in great shape."

Well I feel like I am in pretty good shape. Based on body fat scales which also consider age as a factor, if I shed 2% more of body fat or 4 pounds I would be considered in excellent shape.  I have found that these last couple pounds are tough to lose. But I will lose them. It is helpful when you have people that see you, and bring a different perspective to the table give you some feedback as to how you are progressing.  I feel better than I have in years. It shows in how I look and how I act, especially how I train, everyday, every morning.

Today marked the halfway point.  Over the last 5 weeks I lost a hair over 2 pounds per week.  This week was tough and my weekend weight was 188.2 pounds with a body fat of 23.5%  I had a great week with both cardio and weights,  and my food intake was normal, but I couldn't just get to where I wanted to be.  Maybe because as I am losing more weight it naturally will be harder to keep consistent 2 pound losses.

At T-com, I have been told a realistic weight loss for someone my size is 1 .5 pounds a week.  Well 2 pounds is a bit more especially over 6 weeks.  To date I have lost 11.8 pounds in 6 weeks. That is something to be proud of.  I lost an additional 12 pounds prior to dedicating myself to the BFL program. So since I hit my altime high weight, I lost almost 24 pounds. I look different, feel different and act different.

Today marked the end of week 5. I had a great week with everything, food, exercise, mentally, and spiritually. My low weight was 189.8 with bodyfat at 23.6% I am really happy with the progress so far. So that means from day 1 till now I have lost 10 pounds and lost almost 7% body fat. I hope to continue with the progress made and have a new photo for this coming weekend which would be the end of my 6th week. I want to learn how to paste all three photos together to make one photo. It would be so much easier.

I ran the other night at a slow steady pace. That was a new experience- running! I have been to heavy (aka FAT) to run, all I could do in the past was walk fast, but being the weight that I am now makes a big difference.  I'm not ready for any marathon but it did feel good. A treadmill is easy- running down a road or trail is whole bit different.  Again I would like to thank everyone for their support and encouragement that you have shared with me.

Well the clouds rolled in and so did my vertigo. By lunch I took a meclazine and by 2:50 decided I would stumble around the basement and do my upper body workout. I was glad I did.  I reached the weight and rep goals that I previously wrote out, which after all is said and done a great achievement. Tomorrow is a day off of workouts for me and my wife and I are heading to New York City for the day. So it was especially important that I not miss today's workout. Monday is my cardio day. Tuesday legs and so on. No excuses to miss today.

You can use every excuse in the book not to do a planned workout, I didn't. I started my workout with the mindset that I just want to get through it.  Just go through the motions and that will be good enough. I don't need to max out, just do 1 set after the other and get it done.

I did, then another set , then another body part, another exercise. Within 15 minutes I broke into a good sweat, I was really working hard. The only group I didn't hit a 10 on was my bicepts, but I hit a 9 and I was tired.  Before I knew it I was finished, and I took 2 minutes more than I expected. I could deal with that.

I know there is some type of adversity in all of our lives and all of your lives, but you can't make excuses for any or all of your problems.  Set goals and lay out plans.  Follow those plans and you will see results.

Today marks the two week time period from when I began the program.I am at day 14 of 84.  Two weeks into the 12 week program, or 1/6 of the way through. My weight today was 195.4 pounds and my body fat measured in at 25.6%. My goal was to weigh 196 pounds today and I have achieved that.  I am having a hard time believing that the body fat number is correct because it varies during the day while my weight changes minimally.  But the great news is that I hit my goal for weight that I set at the onset of this program. I will take some photos later in the day when time permits and post them.  But the weight scale is a true measure of how well the program works.  I just hope the pictures tell the same thing, that progress is being made.  Look at them and leave a post.  I would really appreciate it.

Here are my Week 3 pictures (compare to Week 1):

  

I decided that every two weeks I will add photos of myself.  I will have both front and back. I will look for my 1999 back photo.  I thought every week photos probably won't show the change from time to time period you would want to see.  Let me know.

The goal is to look like I did in 1999.  Now 23 pounds to go and 10 weeks 6 days!

Today marked the end of Week 1 for me and this morning after I did my Cardio workout, I got on the scale.  The numbers were good.  My weight was 197.2 pounds and my body fat was 27.3%.  My goals, by the end of Week 1, that I set prior to starting my Body For Life program were to lose 2 pounds and weigh in at 198 pounds and reduce my body fat from 27.5% to 26.5%

Well, I reached my weight goal but my body fat didn't change much.  I use a Tanita weight scale which is a typical scale except it also measures body fat.  This number (Body Fat) fluctuates during the day, using the Tanita, a percent or so, so I will check it later.  But I did exceed my weight loss goal and that is the main measuring guide that shows me what the bottom line is.  The only way to get a true 100% correct bodyfat measurement is an underwater submersion test.  This will give you an undisputed true measurement of your body fat. 

I lost 2.8 pounds this week and my goal was to lose only 2 pounds, so what's next? Well, I am not going to even think about readjusting my goals until the end of Week 4.  At that point, I will look at my weight and body fat % and the progress I have made and maybe at that point I may reset my goals.  You have to remember that the first couple weeks should be the easiest to get rid of some pounds, but as you start to progress, it may become more difficult to shed the 2 pounds a week that I set as my goal from day 1. I'll soon add a blog about my cardio workout this morning and any comments you make I appreciate reading.

I'm am proud of my accomplishment this week.  But this week is over and I must now focus on the week ahead and make this a successful week.  Remember, do this program in small segments.  In this case, one week at a time, or even one day at a time if you need to break it down into smaller segments. Don't get bogged down with the idea that this is a 12 week program by which I must lose a ton of weight. All I have to do now is lose another 2 pounds by the end of next week, that's all, one week at a time.  When I have some time, I will take a front picture of myself so we can see if we can see any difference in just one week.  I hope I see some changes.

I hope you achieved your goals that you set for yourself this week. If you missed them by a little bit that's ok. Now you know you have to work a little harder. Typically, it just means a change in your eating habits.  Read my nutrition choices I make, use the ones you like or visit www.bodyforlife.com and look at the recipes they have and find something that is right for you. 

Good luck and have a great week, a week that is planned and a plan that is followed.  

Note: When I went home for lunch, before I ate I weighed myself and my weight was 197.6 pounds and 26.7% body fat.  Body fat varies on this scale depending on time of day you weigh yourself.  I don't understand why, but it does.

I weigh 200 pounds and my body fat is 28.5%.  That adds up to 57 pounds of fat. If you subtract your body fat from your total weight that would be what the rest of your body weighs. That means that my skin and bones and muscle add up to 143 pounds. My goal is the challenge is to reduce my body fat to about 16% and add some muscle mass. I am not going to gain several pounds of muscle just enough to give me a nice physique for someone who is 52 years old.  So ultimately in 12 weeks I would like to weigh about 175 pounds.  At 16% body fat this means that my body will have about 28 pounds of fat on it. Subtract that from my weight and my everything else weighs about 147 pounds and with this I should gain 4-5 pounds of muscle.  My goal again is to not be a muscle head but look like I did in the photo shown.

This photo was taken in November of 1999 when I did the “Body For Life” Challenge my first time.  Prior to entering the first time I initially weighed 195 pounds and in 12 weeks I reduced my weight to 172 pounds. I lost 23 pounds.  I looked great and this challenge was one of the toughest things I have ever done.  The physical part was easy, it’s the mental part that is hard.  It been said that it doesn’t really matter what you do the 50 minutes you are in the gym working out.  What matters is the other 23 hours of the day that count.  The dieting and eating correct portions is the tough part.  But I am dedicated to getting my weight down.

 

So what happened between 1999 and now? Well- life happens, work happens, kids in college happens.  I could give you a million excuses.  Recently I have had some health issue and my weight ballooned up to 212 pounds. On Sept. 11, 2007 I was rushed to the hospital because I dropped over with a case of vertigo- the spins.  For the next six months I stayed glued to a sofa or chair so the room would stop spinning, only getting up to eat and use the bathroom and then go to bed.  This is a crazy illness that I am still battling, but what is the alternative. Google vertigo for more information on it, enough said about that.

 

Two months ago I made the decision to start working out again and I have lost 12 pounds.  Recently the book “Champions For Life” came out and I bought it and started reading. I then made the decision to enter the Challenge again. I should have had a picture of myself at 212 pounds.  What a sight! But starting at 200 and with the muscles feeling good (no injuries) it is time to start. I read in the book about 2004 Champion Michelle Lee who at 50+ won her age group challenge and she looked great at the end of 12 weeks,  But then she went on to do the challenge several more time and now she looks even more awesome. She didn’t stop, she continued and continued. 

 

Well what is holding me back? What is holding you back?  You just got to do it and there is no time like now.  So get your gym clothes on get a workout log book and set up a schedule that you will follow.   Layout the roadmap to your success and follow it and hopefully you will achieve your goal. Later I will share with you my roadmap to success, my workout log book, and my eating schedule.  It all starts one step at a time.  Good luck!

Pictures After My 1999 Body For Life Challenge - 172 lbs.:

 

Hi.  My name is Martin Z. and over the next 12 weeks or 84 days I will be updating this site with my progress in my journey to having a better body that I have transformed using the “Body for Life” principles.  I will include my day 1 picture as well as weekly pictures that I have taken at home over the next 12 weeks.  Also I will give detailed log of my workouts, meals and lifestyle during this time.  The website for the program that I will be following is www.bodyforlife.com. I will have a comment section whereby you could ask me questions or give me suggestions as to how I can improve in my quest to have a “Body for Life”.

I would like to thanks Bill Phillips for being a great motivational inspiration in writing the books, including – “Body For Life” published over 8 years ago, “Champions - Body For Life” published just recently, and “Eating For Life” a guide on tips and meals that will help you achieve your goals. These books could be purchase at your local bookstore or through the link provided at www.Amazon.com.

So please visit this site as much as you would like, participate in the comment section, or more importantly join me in your own journey in making your body the best it can be, a Body For Life.

Week 1 Pictures - July 11, 2008: