All ready for my comeback!

So I know that nobody is reading this anymore, but I will still be using this for more of a way to keep track of my progress myself. Since my last post MUCH has happened in my life, but as far as physically I have dealt with an excruciating ankle injury. I rolled my right ankle and ended up with grade 3 (out of 4) tears to all of the tendons and ligaments in my foot and ankle, with permanent scar tissue built up in my achillies. It happened in mid december of 08', and I was unable to walk or run until August of 09', so of course my physical fitness level took a nose dive. The injury along with depression due to other circumstances in my life was a total whammy to my physical fitness attitude. BUT, it is now 2 years after my injury, life has leveled out as far as personal stuff goes, and my ankle is feeling spectacular! I started my diet on Jan 1st this year just like I did when originally doing this program, which was to cut out soda and begin to get myself used to eating right again. I've already lost 6lbs since the 1st, so I was 177 and am now 171. Every little bit I can lose before restarting next week will help...especially with those pullups! Anyway, I will be posting pics on my first start day just like last time, and will be searching for a new online group that is doing the same. One thing I learned last time is that having others to push you deffinetely helps, and competition is a great motivator! Till then....

Update Post here

Well this is just a quick update post. So after I got back from my vacation up at Brian Head Utah I got very sick, apparently from something flu like that has ben passed around at work. This has been the longest flu/cold thing I have ever had!! I am FINALLY getting it out of my system these past few days, and not a moment too soon since I have been sick now for almost 3 weeks!! Since I have been so sick I have not been able to go to the gym, which is KILLING me!!! I still eat great, and always will from now on, so I havn't gained any weight at all. But I still feel so crappy with missing the workouts. I am hoping to be able to resume my workouts starting this sunday or monday, and have decided on actually redoing the original 16 week program, modified for the gym of course, but with a little twist. I will be wearing extra weights for the entire 16 weeks, and will start out with 20 lbs extra, and will work up 5 lbs every 4 weeks. So by the time I get to week 16 I will be doing the exercises while wearing an additional 35lbs.

I decided on this because I really enjoyed Arnels 16 week program and all the intensity that it had. Even though Im modifying some stuff for the gym, I still dont get the same intensity in my workouts like I did when working out in my garage. When I start I will let you all know how it goes. Good luck to all of you that are starting your own journey in the second group! And again, thanks to all for your support! Talk to you soon.

Douglas

Week 1 pictures

Heres a recap of my week 1 pictures, YIKES!!!

Friday, day 5 of week 17

FINISHED WITH MY FIRST 16 WEEKS!!

Well I am now officially finished with Arnels 16 week program, and I am very pleased with my results. A few thoughts before I get to my pictures though, and some of which include the fact that I would like to thank Arnel for publishing his program free of charge. Thank you for your help in guiding and shaping my new healthier lifestyle. Having gone through so much these past 16 weeks has really changed me in more than just a physical way. I now know that I could'nt have sustained my previous ways for too much longer without having suffered some serious health issues not too far down the road. Now I eat healthier, and love working out! I started this program to get in shape, but I ended up with so much more. I now have added time with my daughter Ally, who used to be able to run circles around me, but now has a hard time keeping up with me! I have also incorporated my healthier lifestyle into my daughters eating habits somewhat, which I know will help her to be a healthier child and grow up stronger. Even though I am now complete with Arnels initial 16 week program, I will not stop my journey to reaching my ultimate body goals. I have been incorporating weight lifting into my workout routines to help build muscle mass, and now know how to balance it with proper cardio interval training, along with the much needed proper diet. I believe diet was one of the underliying factors for my success in Arnels program, it is amazing how much better you feel when eating a proper balanced diet throughout the day.

Here are some of my program results:

Beginning weight- 175.5lbs, now 150.5lbs

Total weight loss- 27lbs

Beginning gut measurement- 39-7/8", now 33-1/2"

Total inches lost- 6-3/8"

Average blood pressure reading- 140 over 90, now 119 0ver 79

I have still yet to get an acurate body fat percentage, but using Arnels link I had these numbers:

Beginning body fat %- 27%, now 16%

Beginning BMI- 25.6, now 21.5

I just got back from a vacation up at Brian Head, Utah, where I went snowboarding and sledding with my daughter. It was great because I like to snowboard but its been difficult for me since I was always out of shape and heavy. Not this time!! I had no problems getting off the lifts, or even with getting winded, I had tons of energy and didnt even get tired feeling once! It was awesome. I wasnt even sore feeling the next day like I used to be after a day of snowboarding.

Well heres some of my pics from my technically ending 16 week program, but remember, I am still going!

I took these 2 pics in the bathroom under different light, just to show that lighting does effect how you see yourself in the mirror!

Heres a comparison set of pictures.

I am very proud of myself and my accomplishments so far, and I am very pleased with my results so far, but I will continue to push myself and my body to until I achieve my physical goals, so stay tuned for more results!!

Merry Christmas everyone out there, and God bless you all this holiday season and in the new year!

-Douglas

Thursday, day 4 of week 16

Hey all, I know its ben a little bit since my last post, but like most of us Ive just been really busy. You know, the usual, life, work, home, and of course the holidays. But rest assured I have still been very good with my workouts, and have ben going to the gym 3-5 times a week still. Ive been lifting heavier weights this week, since my reps were getting too high and the weights were getting too easy. My HIIT has been going really good too. Ive been averaging 4 times a week lately, which I know isnt the 6 that I should be doing, but 4 aint bad. Plus my weight got down to 150lbs and that was plenty light for me. Im now at about 152-153 lbs, and my waist and gut are still the same measurement so that means that I am gaining muscle mass, which is what I want. I feel much stronger than when I first started the weight lifting in week 9. I ran for the first time on monday since my foot injury, and it went pretty good. I first did my HIIT on the bike for 25 minutes, and then ran for about 3/4 of a mile, and then walked 1/2 mile to cool it down. I had some slight tenderness the nex day but it seems fine today. I have to work till midnight tonight so I will be going to the gym late tonight to do my HIIT and maybe run a bit more.

I will try to post pictures on sunday or monday, but cant guarantee it, as I said earlier I am extremely busy with stuff right now. But even with my busy schedule I have stuck to the workouts and the diet strictly. You dont have to worry about me falling victim to my old ways, because like I said when I first found Arnels program, this is a forever lifestyle change for me. Im almost done with his 16 week program, and even though I dont have my full six pack yet, I know that it is only a matter of time until I do achieve my goal. I will still use his diet methods, and his workout methods to keep my body strong and to keep pushing it harder and harder. I will also continue to post on this blog for a long time to come, as I use this to keep me motivated and to encourage and push others to also achieve their goals. Im proud of all that everyone in this group has accomplished. You should be proud of yourself, for we are the few, we are the very few that dont give up, dont give in, and just dont give a damn what anyone else thinks or says! Congrats to all that are in the competition, your final week is coming up, good luck. I will post again soon, see ya!

Wednesday, day 3 of week 14

Hey all, just a quick update here. Last week went pretty good, worked out 5 days last week with 2 of them being weight training days. I have done my HIIT everyday that I go to the gym. Its been a little tuff going to workout so late some nights, but Ive been getting used to it. Ive been doing the 6 rounds of my HIIT on the bike still, and then Ive been walking around the track for about a mile afterwards to keep stretching my foot. It dosnt hurt at all during the day anymore, but it starts to feel a little sore after working out. So I will be waiting for another week before going back to running. I miss running so much that I dont want to screw it up again, so Im not going to chance it.

Hope everyones holidays went well, and the diets were stuck to! I did good, minus the gravy maybe, I did have gravy on my turkey and potatoes, but cmon,...it Thanksgiving!!

Im sore a little bit from lastnights workout, Ive uped alot of my weight lifting amounts, and cut the reps down to 10 or less on some of them. For example Im doing my bicep curls with 40lb dumbells now, and shoulder shrugs with 80lb dumbells, and my back exrcise is up to 230lbs now, and 165lbs for my pull downs, which are like doing pull ups. I feel alot stronger since adding the weight lifting, and Im still losing inches around my gut.

The hardest part is trying to eat 200 to 225 grams of protein a day, that part sucks a little. Well hope everyone is rockin still, post again in a few days! See ya!

Monday, day 1 of week 13

Well I know I usually post pics every 2 weeks but I looked and compared the pics from this week to the ones from 2 weeks ago and there is no noticable difference, so I see no need to post them. My gut measurement was down another 3/4" from 2 weeks ago, so that puts me at just over 5-1/2" now.

This is going to be a hard week at work since the holidays are approaching, and we have added shows because of it. So tonight I will have to go to the gym after work at midnight to get my first HIIT in for the week, so its going to be a late night for me. Not really looking forward to it, especially since I know I have to do 6 rounds too. I will probably do the bike again this week.

My foot feels alot better, but still not 100%. I am going to try and stay away from any unnecessary movements involving my foot, so that way I will be able to run next week. I really want to run because I know that its the MOST effective form of interval training for burning fat. I am also going to try and be very strict with my diet this week too, as I need to do something to make up for the fact that Im stuck doing a less intense interval exercise. I might not post that much this week because of the busy schedule, so if you dont hear from me dont worry, I'll still be going strong!

Good luck everybody, and work extra hard this thanksgiving week!!