I'm Not Crazy, Just Obsessive Compulsive

Ronnie Coleman

Sometimes — well, a lot of times, really — I wish I wasn’t so impatient. Maybe it’s borne out of my career disappointments, maybe it’s just age (although I thought people got more patient as they got older), but when I want something, I want it yesterday.

So it’s little surprise that this Challenge has been testing what little patience I do have. Even though it’s unrealistic — and I know it’s unrealistic — I can’t help but want to see my weight and body fat going down every single day. Even though I’m on track and I can see the positive changes, I want my waist smaller — today! I want ripped abs — today!

When I’m not neurotically obsessing about these things, I feel good. Luckily, I haven’t lost much muscle mass as I’ve tried to trim down and I continue to tinker with my diet to find that perfect balance of nutrition and exercise.

Today (Sunday, Jan. 27), I’m going to meet with a trainer friend of mine and we’re going to do some bicep exercises. As 8-time Mr. Universe Ronnie Coleman used to say: “Gotta get bigger, baby!” 

Of course, Coleman was full of #$%! It’s true in my case.

Patience, Patience, Patience

I have to admit: For the first couple of weeks, I was a little disappointed that all my hard work in the gym wasn’t showing more. Specifically, I was annoyed that my 30-40 minutes on the treadmill each day had resulted in about a 3-pound weight loss and virtually no reduction in my waist size.

Yeah, I thought my arms looked a little more defined and I definitely added some muscle to my legs over the course of those 14 days, but, frankly, I wasn’t looking to add muscle. I was — and am — trying to lose fat, while retaining as much muscle as possible.

However, I kept telling myself that exercise and healthy eating doesn’t occur in a vacuum — they simply must have an effect… somehow, somewhere.

Well, now, three weeks in, I’m starting to see that effect. I thought I looked much better today, even though my weight is hovering between 202 and 203 pounds (my goal is 190-195 lbs.).

It just goes to show that, as I tell my wife (who, like a lot of people, is ruled by the scale), exercising and eating right works. One just has to be patient.

And have faith that all the hard work will eventually pay off.

Seeing Improvement

Fantastic day in the gym today, continuing a trend of great workouts. Heck, even my 40 minutes on the treadmill was bearable today.

Even better, since I started tracking my diet, I’ve lost four pounds and I’m finally starting to show some improvement in terms of fat reduction. Consequently, I look slightly more muscular, which I knew would be the case once the fat started leaving my body.

I still have a long way to go, though. My waist is hanging — not literally, but close — at 39 inches (down just slightly from 40).

Nonetheless, I feel great about my dedication to the process. I may not win this Challenge, but I will win.

Let the Challenge Begin!

Tomorrow I start the Bodybuilding.com 2013 Transformation Challenge, so today I met with a personal trainer.

I wanted to discuss my diet and get some suggestions as to how I should structure my workouts. Even though I’ve lifted weights off and on since high school, I personally believe that it never hurts to get a second opinion from someone who knows what they’re doing and the guy I consulted has worked with competitive bodybuilders.

On the plus side, I learned that my current diet is not horrible. On the negative side, I’m going to have to be much more careful with portion control and, even worse (although I suspected as much), I need to add more cardio to my workout routines.

Still, as we talked, I found myself getting more and more excited about the next three months. The plan is to get together every week and assess my progress, tweak my diet, exercise program, etc.

On a related note, my brother, who is also taking the Challenge, and I took our “before” photos yesterday and we both agreed that we nailed them!

While I wasn’t exactly seeking to look good in these pictures — it is after all the Transformation Challenge — I truly didn’t expect to look as bad as I did. Naturally, I will post the egregious images at some point, but I’m afraid they will need to be accompanied by a warning — I’d hate to be responsible for some poor soul gouging their own eyeballs out.
 
Anyway, I’d better end this post now… I’ve got some rice and broccoli to eat.