The Peak Condition Project - Brett

Reflections on the last 90 days

2010-07-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

There's a lot to sum up; a great deal--of me--has changed in the last few months. Let's start with the numbers...

The stats

Day 1:

Weight: 166 lbs
BMI: 24.1
Body Fat %: 23 (est.)

Day 90:

Weight: 141.6
BMI: 20.4
Body Fat %: 11.7

Total weight lost: 24.4 lbs

Total pounds of fat lost: 21.6 lbs

Better than numbers

Day 10:

Day 90:

Old threads...

...hmm... a little baggy...

New threads:

That's more like it.

This is just as important as any of the pseudo-intellectual babel you're going to read later, so let's do it first...

Thanks!

First, to my roommates, Mike and Rob, who were not just supportive but, even more important, shockingly apathetic. I commandeered the common areas of our house for my work-outs, used up all the dishes for my meals, blasted stale rock music for an hour a day, and sweated like a horse all over the living room. Thanks for caring and, especially, for not caring.

To my jump-rope, food scale, exercise bands, push-up bars, yoga mat, and steel bar--thanks for taking the abuse and lasting so long. I'll have to try harder to wear you out. (Except the food scale--you've earned your retirement).

To my friend and grad school colleague Julie, who reacted with "woah, you've got some Lance Armstrong going on!," and not, "Wow! You're so skinny now!" or "Hey, have you recently lost a ton of weight?!"

To everyone who reacted with, "Wow! You're so skinny now!" or "Hey, have you recently lost a ton of weight?!" Keep it coming--it's only going to help me crank out more squats, dips and pull-ups.

To the cute girl at the bar for the quite unmistakable eye-contact, just because I walked in dressed all nice.

To my family, for (as usual) supporting me unconditionally in whatever the hell I want to do. Sometimes I actually remember just how rare that can be, and I'm grateful for it.

To everyone who suffered the before- or after-math of any of my meals--actually, I don't care. I'm probably going to keep eating all of those eggs. Deal.

To my friends who I didn't get to see as much these past 90 days--which is most of you--our friendship is very important to me, and I want it to last a long time. Which is why I did this thing.

To Nancy, Rob, Molly, and all of my other enviro-fascist friends--thanks for inspiring me to subscribe to the CSA, hit the farmer's market, and, ultimately, join your ranks.

To Jenny and Grace--it humbles me greatly to think that I could inspire anyone to do anything, and much more to do something this intense and challenging. You're both doing great--keep it up! (...I'll be watching ;)

Thanks to everybody who spied on my blog or Facebook page and posted comments--especially Ren and the other 'upperclassmen' of the PCP. Your encouragement and suggestions meant
A TON, and helped pull me back from the edge on many, many occasions.

Finally, a HUGE thanks to all of my fellow PCPers, the 'Rats: Mikhael, Kristen, Todd, Jennifer, Jason, and Maren. You guys kept me inspired, and kept me honest, and I hope I was able to send even a fraction of what you gave to me back in your direction.

And, of course, to Patrick--thanks, dude.

For those currently working their Project, or anyone who will be at some point in the future, here's a brief action-item summary for your benefit (and, actually, for mine--once this little post-PCP break is over):

Things I could have done better.
-More sleep--so important for muscle growth! Add it to your lists of exercises. Check it off when complete--i.e., 8 hours.
-Don't over-cook your eggs; 11-12 minutes, tops (depending on your altitude, of course). Or, alternately, eat them raw. You'll need as much protein, with as much quality, as you can get from your grams.
-8-minute abs are terrific--I wish I would have done them more consistently. Hopefully they'll make more regular appearances in my routine in the weeks, months--and year--ahead.
-Stretching--period.
-Super-sets. There's no break between exercises; don't put one there. (Luckily, I caught this in time for the last day--and the burn was exquisite.)

Things I just had to accept.
-Gas. Nasty, socially-awkward, and sometimes rancid. Get over it. Better yet, REVEL in it--we're animals, and this is just another bodily function.
-Form on the exercises is going to suck initially--to learn to ride a bike, you need to first learn how to fall off of it. Keep trying, and it'll become more graceful (but not easier!) with time.
-Saying no to many social opportunities, if they would leave me with unacceptable choices such as eating poorly, or cutting out exercises. Meet for coffee. Coffee is better for socializing, anyway; less food in your mouth, more time to talk.

Things I nailed.
-I NEVER missed a work-out--no matter how late or early in the day, where in the U.S. (or wherever) I was, or how tired I was.
-With the exception of two separate occasions where I skipped a single exercise (Kung-Fu sit-ups), I ALWAYS got in ALL of my sets. (And don't ever skip the Kung-Fus--they really do make you strong!)
-Except on a handful of occasions where I was stuck on the road and had to improvise a bit--and one early lapse for Ethiopian food--I kept the diet to a "T". (Outside of my indulgences, Wednesday was the first day I tasted cheese on a salad in 3 months).

That being said, I was lucky to have relatively few distractions, and despite the odds, I never caught a cold or bug. Yours may be a much more challenging Project in these respects. The point is not to be perfect 100% of the time--as I've noted on many occasions, over many blog entries, I'm certainly not. The real point is to become aware of what you are doing to yourself--your activity and what you are eating--and take responsibility for them. Being overweight or out-of-shape is a consequence of choosing to be inactive and eat garbage. Once I realized that it's a choice, I became empowered. I started to see all of the tiny, yet crucial, pivot-points in my day that led me to become, year after sedentary year, the guy in the first set of photos. The last 90 days on the Project has taught me how to recognize the decision points--and make the choices--that have allowed me to become the guy in the last set.

The Unexpected Activist

I read a LOT during the past 90 days: e-mails, blogs, 3 books (including two by Michael Pollan).
I've joined a CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture) program. I've learned how to cook a rutabaga, okra, beets, artichokes, and many other things I'd always passed by in the produce isle. I've become a HUGE devotee of my local farmer's market, and committed to buying almost ALL of my produce there.

I've gained a much greater understanding of why our culture is so unhealthy. For me, the consequences of our dysfunctional food culture, and the twisted economics of its production and distribution system, have hit very close to home. Just over a year ago, my family lost a member to Type II diabetes when my step-brother passed away. He was just 27. It was terrible--there is nothing to describe losing a brother at a young age. My father, my aunts, and my uncles all suffer diseases directly related to the Western diet. Their children have already ingrained many of the habits that will lead them straight to development of the same conditions--and probably much earlier in life, since they are even less active than their parents were at their age.

We are cannibalizing ourselves--not literally, but socially, economically. Some of us, to make yet more money, are pumping addiction into our food culture, just to earn a higher rate of return than would ever be possible in more natural markets. So naturally, we're suffering the consequences. The corn syrup, sugar, fat, and salt we consume are in some ways no different, fundamentally, than the coca, nicotine, THC, and alcohol that we warn children about until they turn 18 or 21 and hopefully know enough to make the right choice (though many still don't). Both sets of chemicals make us feel good; in small doses, both are practically harmless or, in the case of the former, necessary. And both, taken to their excesses, as we have been doing, yield the same results, almost as quickly: lower quality-of-life, sickness, and death.

In as many interactions as possible with my family, friends, and colleagues, I've tried to share (but not shove) what I've learned. I've given away or lent out several Michael Pollan books--and will continue to do so, along with anything else that may start a conversation or a debate, and maybe lead to a little change. Whatever else I can do, I'll do. But I know that the strongest statement, the one with the most powerful influence, is how I live my life. And that's reason enough to stay true to what I've learned over the past 3 months.

*****

Life on the PCP is like trying to solve a giant, ever-changing socio-biological equation; your challenge is to keep it as balanced as possible. It's easier to attend to tangible, quantifiable elements such as your diet, sets, and reps; it's far more difficult, at least at the outset, to attend to less quantifiable needs like sleep, shopping, and cooking time. Especially when many of us have been conditioned to adhere to the economically efficient rhythms of the 9-5 desk job, while ignoring or blocking out feelings of fatigue, thirst, and hunger. We start out counting grams and checking off sets because our minds and our bodies have grown so distant; we're like two people from completely foreign cultures trying to give one another directions to the same place, at the same time, in different languages. It's taken time and a lot of effort, but I've become much more aware of what my body is telling me, and much more willing to listen.

At first, writing about my experiences while dieting and exercising seemed totally alien. Looking back, I don't think there's a more effective way I could have approached working toward my physical potential. I simultaneously became the author of my own change and the narrator of its story. Doing so, I internalized that change, slowly filling the gap between the current and future me, until they finally met in a present that's other--yet so much more--than what I was aiming for.

And I'm not "done." Day 90 is much less the end of the Peak Condition Project, and much more the beginning of a new way of life.

Peace,

-Brett

Day 90

2010-07-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Final Score, as I site here at The Cracker Barrel, typing and chomping away at my Old-Timer's breakfast with sweet tea, is:

Weight: 141.6
BMI: 20.4
Body Fat %: 11.7

(Just kidding, folks--I'm at home, and just polished off a couple egg whites, bread, salad, and steamed veggies. Though I did finally add some feta cheese to the salad. Gotta keep it real.)

Day 90 pics are up.

The last work-out took only a few minutes, and the only real inkling of a burn I felt was on the sit-ups--probably because I finished Day 89 late last night. I took 10-second breaks between sets because, well, I was a little bored. And need to head to work.

There's a lot to reflect on, so I'm going to take my time over the next couple days and gather my thoughts. And hopefully take a few pics with my old, baggy clothes and my new, slimmer threads.

For now, I just want to say "congrats" to everybody on the team for crossing the finish line. And thanks, Patrick, for cheering us--and guiding us--along the way.

Peace,

-Brett

Day 89

2010-07-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

The penultimate day of the Project is now complete.

Off for some eggs, fruit, milk, and sleep.

Tomorrow: results, reflections, and the continuing path forward...

...after some rope, of course.

Until then, enjoy some food!

Day 88 lunch: Goat-burger!

Day 88 dinner: More goat-burger, with some Moroccan goat-burger-helper & broiled okra & egg-plant

Day 89 breakfast: Goat-burger-helper with steamed veggies & garlic mashed potatoes

Day 89 dinner: Yep--more goat-burger-helper. And garlic mashed potatoes with a fresh farmer's market mesclun salad topped with leeks & tomatoes

The Gym

2010-07-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

Last Monday evening (July 5th), I strolled the 6 blocks or so down to one of DCs big chain gyms, which takes up half of the second floor of a newish condo/apartment building in an "up and coming" part of town. (Also in or around the building: a Safeway, a Japanese grill, a great health-food diner/cafe that I frequent, and a hardware store. So you really never have to leave the building! It has a very urban-lunar-colony feel to it.)

I strolled past the wireless cafe seating area (for anyone who couldn't put down the laptop for just a few minutes, even during a pre- or post-workout snack) and up to the counter. Their sales ("membership") rep was out, but the evening manager said I was free to take a look around, and gave a brief outline of the facilities. I thanked him, then promptly whipped out my Smartphone and starting tapping out some notes.

The gym was not crowded, probably due to the holiday weekend. I passed one patron doing 1-arm, alternating cable flies--though given his limited range of motion, he appeared to be using a little too much weight, or he was maxing out and hitting failure as I was happening by. Another women, who appeared to be pretty fit--slender, good muscle tone--was working out on one of the elliptical machines. Both were listening to their headphones, and seemed to be focused on what they were doing.

Further down the row of machines, several other patrons were "working out" on elliptical machines or stationary bicycles, each of which is outfitted with a small flat-screen TV for tuning-in to your workout stats or alternately, cable TV. I made several observations about them: (1) they were not in nearly as good a shape as the first two; (2) they appeared to be wearing much more loose-fitting clothes than the others; (3) they seemed to be as focused on the TV screens as on their "exercise."

Actually, allow me to add a fourth observation, about the machines they were using: they really seemed to take the sharp-edges off of the effort. One of the guys appeared to almost be bouncing up and down on the stair-stepper, using the downward stroke from one leg as a little trampoline for the other. In effect, these machines were operating like training wheels on a bike--only they were really training-wheels for gravity. I could understand if someone has a medical condition, that these might be a great stepping-stone on the road to being able to jog, climb stairs, or ride a bike. But these people were relatively young--younger than I--and they seemed not to have any major locomotion issues. They were using these things as their standard work-out. Why not just... ...jog, climb stairs, or ride a bike? Having done a bit of hiking, I know that a stair-climber would barely begin to prep me for any hike with serious elevation gain. (What would work better? Uh, actually hiking.)

Initially, the gym seemed to offer a potential advantage--being surrounded by, and feeling social pressure from, other gym members to get in a great workout. But that assumes that (a) those gym members or staff who might hold you accountable for your progress are always going to be around while you are working out; (b) that they are ACTUALLY going to hold you accountable (e.g., "dude, you totally sleep-walked through that last set--DO IT AGAIN!") (c) that you actually care what they, or anyone else, thinks; and (d) that you aren't going to try to hide your lack of progress under baggy clothes while zoning out in front of a computer screen.

After that, I passed by a personal trainer and his client. The trainer had model-good-looks, and was obviously in good shape. The client was a little older, possibly around my age or a little more, and possessed, to put it bluntly, a solid beer-gut. (And having once been a not-so-proud owner of one of those puppies myself, yes, I feel I am entitled to judge). I didn't want to be rude and stare at their session, but as I wandered back and forth across the gym, I could gather that theirs was probably going to be a long-term relationship:

-the PT spoke to his client with as much conviction as a B-movie star rehearsing lines for a dish detergent commercial;
-the client actually handed off equipment to the PT as he was finishing sets, rather than lowering the weight to the floor himself;
-the PT and client chatted casually between sets and exercises--easily exceeding the 30-second barrier.

Part of me wanted to walk up to the client and hand him a $10 jump rope and a $14.95 copy of "In Defense of Food," then tell him there's no need to thank me for saving him $55.05 for his session. (Or, assuming he bought a package, over $1,100).

And by the way, what we've learned is the most important factor to health and fitness--diet--was not featured nearly as prominently as spinning cycles and Cybex machines. Given just how critical diet is to actual results, one should expect a "fitness" center to plaster diet- and food-related slogans across its walls like Kim Jong Il splattering propaganda across a North Korean government building. Unfortunately, this gym devoted only a corner 'bar' to selling supplements and featured diet and nutrition in just a fraction of their literature.

I can't be totally negative--the gym was set up nicely, there was plenty of space (more than I've seen at other places where I've been a member), and all of the gear that a PCPer would need--including resistance bands. If I lived in a cramped apartment, and had few other areas in which to work-out, and going outside was not a good idea (and in this neighborhood, it's not), then this place could serve my purposes. There were definitely some members present who were serious, and seriously working out--clearly, the gym was working for them. Was it worth the expense? Who knows; $80/month probably isn't a whole lot if you are a DC lawyer. And if you live in the building, it's pretty convenient.

In the end, I felt that it still comes down to me--shiny new equipment won't necessarily build muscle, just the intensity I bring to its use. To be successful in a gym would also entail successfully avoiding distractions, including the other patrons--and not just the spandex-clad 22-year-old "skinterns." Just as we attend to external cues to tell us when we're "full," it's easy to let the appearance of effort to those around us substitute for the real thing--as the stationary cyclists demonstrated during my visit.

The manager seemed like a good guy, and he didn't try to strong-arm me. I'll probably go back for the 3 free sessions, but really just to take advantage of the pull-up bar and dip station for a few sets, at least until I can buy or make my own. Otherwise, my work-out--the intensity, the burn, the pain--simply has to be wherever I am--gym or no gym.

Day 86 & Day 87

2010-07-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

Another late-night session. I took a nap after work (looong day on Thursday, didn't get lots of sleep) so I didn't complete Day 86 until the wee hours of the morning.

But I still got it in, and did better than I expected:
-the Super-sets were a nice change--like Mikhael, Jason, and Jennifer mentioned, they weren't as hard as I was expecting, just different;
-In setting up for the session, I discovered a new couch arrangement that now allows me to bring the incline pull-ups indoors--much better than bouncing between my bedroom and the back patio. I completed 5 full sets of 10, all with decent form;
-35 V-Sits on the first set! I remember when I couldn't manage more than 5 or 6. And....
-4:03 on the first set of Planks! The rest clocked in around 2:00-1:50.

Day 87 is done, and wow--the shoulders definitely took a pounding. I can see why Patrick admonished us to consume every last ounce of egg-white, we're definitely going to need it these last few days of the Project.

Meals go well; I've been eating a lot of grass-fed, farmer's market beef, though my next dietary project is going to be to track down the good fish markets in town. Being from the Midwest, fish fresh fish is something of which I've never been able to take very good advantage. Now that I'm on the East Coast, I don't really have much of an excuse.

I just finished Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma," and I'm now reading the companion book to "Food, Inc." Between the reading, the Project, and the state of many of my friends' and family members' health (not good), I've pretty much made up my mind that I'm opting out of the grocery store and industrial, Western-Diet imitation food as much as I can. I had been leaning (pun intended) in this direction for the last 6 months, but now I'm making it official.

I hope everybody else is kicking some ass! Off to go hang out with some long-neglected friends...

Days 81 and 82

2010-07-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

I checked out a gym to see what it was like, after having been a member at the "Y" pre-PCP. More later, but I'm really happy with my smart-phone--it allowed me to take notes and make comments on everything I was seeing, all while casually strolling the floor, looking like I was busy with an important text message. I think I managed WAY better than those Russian spies...

Worked out late the last two evenings (bed soon, 'cause it's back to work tomorrow!) Dips are still a weak spot--the edge of the chair still kills my hands and wrists, despite the gloves and towels. Still considering getting a chin-dip tower at some point in the near future...

I've maxed out my heaviest resistance band (20lbs) on the Standing Ovations--it looks like I'll be investing in at least one more band before the 90 days is up. Davincis are the exact opposite--I feel like I need to take it down a notch and get a lighter band, so I can get through all of the sets and keep a good burn.

Got up Sunday morning and ran 4.5 miles. On 4 hours of sleep. Though I didn't find it difficult, I definitely paid later in the day and the Day 81 workout was tougher to get through. Also, I should have stretched more after the run, the hamstrings are definitely a little sore.

Dinner: steamed veggies, lean ground beef, and a whole-grain bread role, along with a small handful of walnuts to round out the carbs. I packed on the evening snack right after that, so I can get to bed earlier.

Off to rest...

Day 79: Gluttony

2010-07-04T00:26:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the photo montage of my (over-) indulgence.

Marrakesh Palace, located just a few blocks from the Moroccan Embassy in DC, is probably the best Moroccan restaurant in the District. (There are two where you can find slightly better fare, in Alexandria, VA, and Silver Spring, MD--but technically they are not in Washington). The ambiance is great, it reminds me of one of the little 'riad' hotels in the medina or old city in Marrakesh, complete with classical Moroccan tile, giant 'ponges' for seating, and even a water fountain near the entrance:

My friend had been unable to meet me for lunch, so I decided to go solo for a late dinner. I've attempted to faithfully follow all of Patrick's diet exercise instruction over the past 79 days, so hey, why stop now? True to my word, I went all out--"whole hog." Or, this being a halal establishment, chicken.

I kicked things off with a plate-full of spicy--and EXTREMELY SALTY--olives, washed down with some traditional soup, "harira":

Oh, and, of course, the traditional small pot of sugary-sweet Moroccan tea, with at LEAST 3 cups.

Almost as good as my host-Mom used to make.

Next up, the entree...

...naw, scratch that, another appetizer--chicken "bastilla": shredded chicken baked into a filo-dough pastry seasoned with, among other things, lots of cinnamon and powdered sugar. I know, meat + cinnamon + sugar!? Trust me, it works:

After making my way through the first piece, I began to feel full. Initially, I entertained thoughts of slowing down a little--and possibly saving that second piece as leftovers. Then I remembered my mission and, more importantly, that I wouldn't be able to eat it as leftovers, anyway:

NOW for the entree--traditional Friday cous cous with--yes!--more chicken:

I'm not going to lie--it was good:

Though definitely saltier than what I remember.

At this point, I was pretty full, and ready for the che...

..what's that? Uh, I guess I could look at the dessert menu:

Hey, they don't call it indulgence for nothing. So I decided to pony-up for the final two nails in the coffin--chocolate mouse cake and "nes-nes"--1/2 coffee 1/2 milk:

I flirted with the idea of "Morocco-fying" the coffee with yet more sugar...

...but decided I was already tempting fate--and Type II diabetes--with the cake.

All-in-all, a every tasty--though significantly un-PCP--meal.

I wish I could recount some horrendous, Ren-esque tale of the diarrheal aftermath of my little carb, salt, and sugar-injected bender, but sadly, all that really happened was that I felt kind of bloated the rest of the evening. And very AWAKE. The true negative consequences stemmed less from over-doing the food than having too much caffeine late in the evening. My sleep--and work-out--schedule is now completely whacked. I didn't hit the rope until at least 1 a.m., and didn't get to bed until something like 4 a.m...

...like I'm about to do again.

The moral of the story is, as it often is, about balance--the food tasted good, I just didn't need to eat so much of it, so late in the day. Like the French--and any good guest in a Moroccan home, really--I should have been more attentive to my own feelings of satiety, and more polite, and left more on the plate. Another mechanism that other cultures have for regulating portion size is eating meal from communal plates. The meal becomes more of a zero-sum game in which how much you eat, and what cuts of meat and fat you receive, depend upon the family and social position of those who are digging in beside you. The guest is usually given the biggest pieces of meat, with the most fat--the most energy and protein. This makes sense; guests in North Africa are more often than not travelers who will likely be expending more energy on the way to their next destination than their hosts will in going about their regular routine. Some day the hosts may become the travelers, and their guest the host, at which point the favor is returned. By contrast, here in the US, EVERYONE is their own guest, ALL the time--everyone gets his or her own plate (or bag, or box)--regardless of their status, and despite the fact that they may not have yet learned any serious degree of self-control when it comes to how much they consume. Our so-called rugged individualism isn't really so rugged when it comes to food, and it pales in comparison to the far more complex--and far more rugged--communal eating traditions in many other parts of the world.

Day 79: The coming indulgence

2010-07-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to have tackled my indulgence for lunch today, but work has pushed back Marrakech Palace to this evening--"Insha'Allah" ("God Willing"), as they say in North Africa and the Middle East.

Work and sleep demands have again pushed the PCP sessions back to evenings, so I'm looking at another loooong day. This may be a blessing in disguise, as it will (hopefully) let me use this evening's roping & scorching sets o'fire burn off the mass of carbs I'll be inhaling for dinner. I plan on "going Moroccan" with this meal--meaning that, instead of utensils, I'll be eating everything using small bits of "aghrum" ("khubs" in Arabic)--i.e., bread.

Details soon...

Has anyone else noticed...

2010-06-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

...that the more you get into shape, the harder it is to sit in a chair for 8-10 hours, and the worse you feel afterwards? I don't think I'm just imagining this...

Day 76: Update

2010-06-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

The inferno has ended, both inside and outside. New exhaust motor for the AC unit is in place and seems to be working.

Morning rope was followed up by the Kung-Fus I wussed out on earlier. (Jason, I tried for 800 jumps on the last two sets, but was bested by some phenomenal tripping. Next time...)

Still deciding on Indulgence: Part Trois, but I'm thinking Moroccan (Bastilla! Sugary mint tea! Salty tagine!)

Off to burn it up, PCP-style...

Inferno

2010-06-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

These past few days, I've been feeling the burn, and it's not just during that fourth set of 90-second planks. (That still sounds intimidating, even after I just finished my last, and quite ugly, set a few minutes ago. I probably looked like I was trying out for a final death scene in a B-movie).

DC is currently undergoing its hottest June on record, with highs in the mid-to-upper 90s, heat index in the triple digits, and...

...wait for it...

...our air-conditioning just gave out over the weekend.

Needless to say, since Friday, the workouts have not been pretty. I didn't make it all the way to the Kung-Fu sit-ups. And again, I am not pleased with myself--I actually LIKE doing them (or, rather, attempting them); I just couldn't keep plugging without risking passing out. (I know we shouldn't chug too much water prior to doing abs, but at the rate I was sweating, I had to). And at the time of my workout, it was pretty late--too late to go jogging around the hood hanging from fences in a half-exhausted state. All the same, these are probably just excuses--better planning could have saved the ab-work. I'll have to work in an extra a.m. set tomorrow, after the rope.

Last night my room weighed in at around, oh, 92 degrees, and today's workout was again completed in a swamp of my own sweat; I was practically drowning in it. Honestly, the heat's not the worst--it's working out in the heat on top of only clocking four hours of sleep.

The diet goes well, despite two recent hurdles: an alumni dinner for my grad program (fixed menu!) and dinner before a concert. The former was invite only, all paid for by the program, with options only for vegetarians. There's no way I was going to be able to whip out the scale, and it felt weird making specific demands when the arrangements had already been made--and when I wasn't paying. So I did my best with the options, choosing the fish over the pork and lamb dishes, and forgoing dessert in favor of a small bowl of fresh fruit (which I used for that evening's snack). The Friday dinner before the live band gave me a little more control, so I went with a veggie paninni and salad. Later, at the concert (a great Lybian Berber/Tuareg band at the 9:30 Club), I stuck with coffee. (9:30 actually had a coffee bar inside the venue. Definitely the most PCP-friendly place to catch a live band that I've seen so far). Still, I definitely fared better the previous weekend, while out at the ball game. It wasn't hard; there was, quite simply, absolutely NOTHING I could eat:

Today it was back to basics: For breakfast, steel-cut Irish porridge (oats), steamed veggies, and lean ground bison/beef mix--along with the usual tall 300 o'milk. Lunch was baked salmon, fresh tossed green salad with tomatoes, onions, cucumber, and squash, with a bag-full of salt-free (or low-salt) tortilla chips. Unfortunately, no pics--I devoured everything before I could grab my camera.

The farmer's market has become a regular Sunday habit; I love heading in early (the eggs go FAST!) and grabbing an iced coffee at Big Bear Cafe and doing some reading or catching up on the news before the opening bell.

All right, all this food-blogging is making me hungry--back downstairs for some bison-burger & salad...

Day 70: New pics are up

2010-06-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

...check'em out!

On day 68, I hit a new "low": morning weight of 142.

Again, the goal is to to look & feel good--still, it's good to know that the extra jumping paid off.

Speaking of which, I need to get today's in before bed (had to be sure to get to work at a decent hour, and I had cooking to catch up on).

Quickly, work-out wise, the planks have gotten less ugly--I finished all four sets, though on the fourth my back was definitely starting to bow at around 60 seconds.

Looking forward to filling up on more protein--I realized only recently that I've probably been over-boiling my eggs, and this may have affected their quality. Hope I didn't short-change myself too much...

Off to jump, then off to bed...

Easy Rider

2010-06-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

I was watching an infomercial for one of those combo ab-aerobic machines the other day, and I noticed something interesting: whenever they made a claim or showed a testimonial that referred to any sort of measured loss of fat or specific results, they never referred to just the product by itself. They always either stated "program"along with the claim, or threw up some fine print for 0.05 seconds that read something like "Results not typical. Individual followed a prescribed low-calorie diet and used X-abinator on a regular basis over Y-weeks."

We always look for the most salient, novel, or unusual feature to explain a phenomenon, and then ascribe much more weight as a causal factor to that one thing--that 'smoking gun.' We rarely read the fine print, even though, in reality, it's the boring, mundane factor--eating right and eating less--that probably explains as much, if not more, of the variation in results among a "control" and "experimental"--or regime-following--group than that shiny piece of equipment being ridden by a busty, tanned, unitard-clad model who probably got her figure doing 98% of her exercises with something OTHER than the contraption she's panting over.

If you're the manufacturer of said gizmos, you know there's *zero* profit in just telling people to eat better & use portion-control, even though that alone would produce solid results, far beyond what using the gear but continuing to eat poorly will ever accomplish. So people lay down their credit card and put all of their hopes on a multi-jointed piece of moving metal and plastic that folds neatly under their bed, when what would really help them progress is that little supplemental diet program booklet folded neatly in the bottom of the box.

And that's the reason that the results you see are almost never "typical." The sad part is, as we've been learning, simply by opening that booklet and strictly adhering to diet, they could be.

What the disclaimer should really read is, "Results Not EASY."

Update: Fistfull of PCP

2010-06-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

A quick summary of the last few days on the PCP, Western Style:

The Good

I am relatively caught up on sleep; the wall I thought I had hit has been knocked down, at least for now.

I *finally* discovered the wonders of the blender:

Banana-cherry-egg-white smoothie

I found a decent location for Kung-Fu sit-ups, and though it means more than a 20-second break between sets to jog down there, it's probably worth the extra time. Though I have to say, I'm inspired by Mikhael's carpentry work, I may have to make (or purchase) my own set-up. (There are, literally, NO doors in this house that are remotely suitable for a door-frame bar).

I've started doing daily 8-minute abs--it's now officially the only 'favorite' I have saved on the Youtube ap on my iPhone.

The Bad

I had Moroccan at a dinner reception (for a good cause--the High Atlas Foundation). Unfortunately, I had to 'guestimate' protein & carbs. Since the event was at the Moroccan Ambassador's residence, I thought it would be weird to try to sneak in food. I aimed low, & believe I didn't do too badly, though I could definitely taste the usual added salt, butter & sugar.

I didn't survive--and barely finished--the bicycle kicks. I'd gone for a quick 20-minute run for a little extra cardio before the work-out, and that really cashed out my legs. I literally couldn't lift them after the second set, so the third & fourth were finished by me pathetically bouncing my heels off the ground. (So no more extra runs on bicycle day; I'll stick with the rope.)

The Ugly

I survived 90-second planks. The first set was OK; the second, brutal; the third, I had to take a knee for a couple seconds; and the fourth, I collapsed at 60 seconds, rested for 10, then finished off the last 30. (So yes, Patrick, I definitely reached failure on the last set!)

Dips are still with assistance from my toes; I'm on my knees by the second set of push-ups; and I can only finish 1-2 full sets of any shoulder exercise before the deltoids burn out.

Oh, and, as always, my last 2 sets of V-sits--though now the first THREE sets aren't too ugly.

Strangling that whiney little voice inside your head

2010-06-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

This was my first full week back to work this month since my vacation, and it reminded me a lot of the first "real" week of PCP, or "PCP Proper"--zero to sixty in 5 seconds, seemingly no time for anything, and late for everything else. Including sleep.

So, around Tuesday night, I started hearing that whiny, needy little voice in my head: "You're too tired to do a full work-out!"; "Don't you know you need SLEEP to keep going?! DIAL IT DOWN A NOTCH!!!"; "You've 'hit the wall,' and you're just going to over-exercise & lose muscle!";"Skip the Kung-Fu Sit-ups, then write some clever blog entry about the 'Valley' really being a 'Canyon' to cover your tracks!"; "Blah, blah, blah..."

But you know what? This time, that voice was MUCH easier to ignore. Because it was telling me to NOT do something that I HAVE successfully been doing over the past 2 months.

We humans are terrific at reasoning and rationalizing. The problem is, much of our reasoning, at least as it applies to ourselves, is backward rationalization. We accept the status-quo, then go off looking for perfectly-argued, logical reasons to justify not getting off of our butts to change things for the better. We repeat these arguments to ourselves until they become all but a law of nature; we don't realize that they're simply a repeated series of conscious choices that we allow to become our personal nature.

That voice still hasn't gone away. And it did talk me--at least temporarily--into skipping one of the more inconvenient exercises. But the more I ignore it and go after what I want, despite all of the effort and pain, the easier it becomes.

Don't get me wrong--our environment, especially our culinary/nutritional environment and our physical and social infrastructure--do their part to try to choke us with plate-fulls of unhealthy food-like substances and strangle opportunities for physical activity. But ultimately, we bear the responsibility--to strangle that whiny little voice, and do what it takes to get the bodies--and lives--that we really want.

The Canyon?

2010-06-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

Didn't sleep much last night, and *barely* eked out the exercises before crashing. And I skipped the Kung-fu sit-ups; since I normally try to do these (well, a knee-only version) on a bar wedged in the corner of our fence with our neighbor, but thought, in my sleep-deprived derangement, that I'd have the cops called on me.

Tonight is playing "catch-up"--on SLEEEP! The far wall of the "valley" is steep...

Update: my roommate located a gate to a schoolyard fence a block from our house, and the full set of Kung-Fu sit-ups has been pounded out, though a day late. Starting tomorrow I'm going to put my new I-phone to good use: as a viewing screen for "8-minute Abs". Thanks, Patrick, for the kick in the ass!

Day 60!

2010-06-13T08:04:00.000-07:00

Aw, yah!

Congrats to the 'Rats for making it 2/3 of the way!

New pics & stats are up. Since the start of this little adventure two months ago, I've officially now lost just over 20 lbs.

Also:

I went from being able to barely finish one pull-up to knocking out a set of eight (plus a few more after a rest);

I can easily crank out several thousand jumps with the rope;

I can do far more push-ups than I've been able to manage for years (I still need to test this out some time, before maxing out on sets of dips);

I can finish multiple sets of 1-legged squats.

To celebrate, I decided to pass on my size 34s to their next owner:

(They were also taking up too much space in my room.)

All that being said, my body is definitely starting to rebel a little--today I've got a stiff neck. (I probably pulled something while doing back exercises yesterday, & I'm just feeling it now.) And I'm definitely more tired and a little crankier than usual. I'll see how I'm doing after a visit to the coffee shop for my fix, but I'm guessing that I'm starting to enter the PCP Valley.

So, despite all of the progress, I once again remind myself that this is not the goal--the six-pack has yet to be uncovered, and there's a lot more muscle I want to pack onto my frame in the next four weeks--and beyond.

Indulgence, part-deux

2010-06-10T21:04:00.001-07:00

My mother and step-father are in town, so I decided this would be a great time for indulgence #2. Of course, it was my favorite: Ethiopian!

I treated this meal as a sub for my veggie-unlimited lunch (my schedule had been shifted back to much later nights, due to the late-evening work-outs, and the fact that I'm on vacation and can sleep in). I probably went a *little* overboard (see photo #1--beer), but not too much. Ethiopian is, compared to standard American fare, generally healthier. And the plate above was shared with my folks. Sadly, it's not just the fresh veggies that make it taste so good; it's also the salt and butter (in the berbere sauce) and the carbs (in the injera or sour, spongy bread).

So, as evidenced by the devastation wreaked upon my third of the plate, I was definitely not in "black-belt" form. But I noticed that afterwards, though I felt a little more bloated, I was otherwise no more or less satisfied than I would after any PCP meal. One happy side-effect of the PCP, then, is that my palate and gut have evolved a more Zen-like ambivalence towards salts, sugars, and carbs. They're nice to taste, but far less important to my ultimate dietary fulfillment.

Otherwise, the diet is on-track. Here's the snack the evening before--Pac Choi with diced ginger vinegrette and egg white (yogurt not pictured, but readily consumed):

And breakfast--tortillas with garlic scapes, sorrel, avocado, egg, and milk:

The Food Desert

2010-06-10T20:11:00.000-07:00

That's "desert" as in sparse, barren wasteland devoid of the necessities of life, and not the final tray in a seven-course meal.

And that's what I recently traveled through to and from my family reunion. Like a traditional Bedouin nomad, the only way I was able to survive (while sticking to the PCP diet, anyway) was to bring almost all of my provision with me in a very large cooler, and stop to replenish supplies at several "oases" on the way--i.e., progressive-minded communities, almost always in college towns, with organic grocery stores. Not that I couldn't have managed in many smaller towns at the local grocery store; it was simply orders of magnitude more inconvenient to do so.

Case in point: Saturday night I planned to hit the grocery store after hanging out on my aunt and uncle's one-horse ranch North of town:

(I asked if I could take the goat with me for a "snack," but alas, it's really more of a family pet at this point.)

However, the sole grocery store in town closes at 9 p.m. on Saturdays. I admit I could have done a little more advanced planning. But still, that left me with only convenience stores and fast-food restaurants to restock the night before my return trip. I tried two of the former (and none of the latter) in an effort to find what should have been a fairly standard, non-processed food purchase: eggs. No luck; one store didn't carry them, and the other had run out. (On a positive note, at least one place was carrying them, and they apparently were in demand).

My family tried to be helpful, but almost everything they had prepared for the reunion or had available in their refrigerators involved processed food. (In an interesting side note, which probably merits further discussion, the occupations of my aunts and uncles include: cake-mix factory worker; butcher; and grave-digger/cemetery custodian.)

So the Sunday trip back I had to "wing it" without eggs, by eating some jerky and the remainder of some smoked salmon that had survived the initial leg of the journey. Luckily, I still had enough broccoli, tortillas, and yogurt to meet quotas for veggies, carbs, and milk.

Basically, without these prepared meals, I was dead meat. Our current food market structure simply doesn't offer the traveler to the Midwest many healthy choices beyond the "salad" bar at Wendy's. The irony is that I had to drive to urban centers of significant size to find fresh veggies and fruits and lean meats--all of which could easily have been cultivated and offered from the hundreds of miles of incredibly fertile farmland in between. This is essentially the type of "fast food" offered to travelers in many developing countries. In Morocco, my ONLY option would have been a traditional meal with butcher's shop cuts of meat and farmer's-market-fresh veggies and fruits. In fact, because truck stops do so much business, their inventory turns over rapidly, and you always know you are getting nice, freshly-butchered, lean goat, beef, and lamb.

So thank-you, Bloomington, Indiana, Carbondale, Illinois (remember, East-Coasters, the "s" is silent!"), and Columbus, Ohio. You literally saved my ass--from becoming fatter.

The PCP Road Show

2010-06-04T18:23:00.001-07:00

I've been on the road for the past 4 days, with somewhat limited internet access, hence the relative silence. After a brief stop-over in Bloomington, Indiana (my grad program alma mater), I arrived yesterday afternoon in southern Illinois.

The most challenging aspect of traveling long distances over many hours is being away from home and the dietary "mother-ship" of my refrigerator and known, healthy shopping locales. The solution?

Deploy the cooler:

So far, almost all of the meals have been from the cooler's stock of pre-cooked and precisely weighed deliciousness. Except today's lunch, which was:

3 tortillas with avocado;
(From the local organic food store here in Carbondale:)
Pre-made cucumber and tomato salad with a vinegar-based dressing;
Hummus & cucumber pita sandwich;
and for protein, an 80-gram bag of bison jerky (not ideal due to the excess salt & fruit sugars, but at this point, probably safer than the pre-cooked goat meat that had gotten uncomfortably warm in the cooler).

And one dinner (i.e., evening snack) out with friends, which involved a single, small seaweed & cucumber salad with sesame dressing. (Sorry, no pics--both 160-g portions have already been happily consumed).

The work-outs continue, I didn't need to cut out or skip any portion on my trip thus far, though I've once again rotated to evenings. I needed to catch up on sleep today, and I have to work out outside (my aunt & unlce's place is a little too small for me to tackle most of the exercises indoors). Given the temps in the lower 90s and the ridiculous levels of humidity, the only real choices are EARLY mornings, or after the sun goes down.

I finished all of the leg sets, and know why we are now taking the 2-day breaks. Man, are my thighs sore. But I'm amazed that I actually was able to knock out FOUR SETS of pistols, and ALL 6 REPS. (Full disclosure--the last few weren't pretty...) I once again reached failure on the Da Vincis and the shoulder press, before getting in all the reps. On the plus side, I managed to do 2 respectable sets of V-Sit-ups before my form started to fall apart (versus just 1 during recent sessions).

There's a lot more to report, especially about family dietary habits, local food culture, and health issues; I'm probably going to wait until after tomorrow's reunion, however. For now, I'll just note that my family has expressed both support for the PCP diet and concern that I may "waste away to nothing." Yes, tomorrow is going to be interesting...

Half way

2010-05-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

New pics are up, and here's the score at half-time:

Body weight: 146.8
BMI: 21.2
Body Fat %: 15.2

Since Day 10, just over 5 weeks ago:

Lbs lost: 17.9
Lbs of FAT lost (est.): 15.4

Or, to put it another way:

To quote Mikhael and many others in the program (and elsewhere): "Booya!"

I'd be pleased with this kind of progress over 60, 75, even 90 days, but I remind myself that slimming down to this point--and shedding the last 5 or so lbs of excess fat--is only half the battle. The next step is to add MUSCLE. And though it's going to be every bit as challenging as the first half, for the first time in a long, long time, I feel like I have the momentum to do it.

Thanks to everyone--especially the team and Patrick--for helping us push ourselves this far!

Mind Over Marshmellow

2010-05-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

I recently came across a 2009 New Yorker article about this classic study and its researcher, Walter Mischel. It's a good reminder for those of us trying to stick to a diet that our cravings are perfectly natural, that defeating them really is a question of mind over matter, and that the consequences of learning--or failing to learn--to do so can be HUGE.

Ayn Rant

2010-05-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

Todd's recent post is great, and has motivated me to put down some of my own thoughts that had had been languishing in "Edit" limbo for the past couple weeks.

There are parts of me that generally agree with good, old-fashioned, libertarian free-market principles. I believe that, all things being equal, government should only intervene in markets where those markets fail, or seriously risk doing so, in order to provide what private industry cannot or will not offer. And I agree with some of the criticism of the idea that society 'makes' us unhealthy, and believe that yes, in many cases, we can usually choose to be healthy.

But where I differ with the "Atlas Shrugged"-toting crowd is the degree to which I think markets tend to fail, and the degree to which choices made in one market impact choices available in others.

First, it's important to remember that we live in a world of CONSTRAINED choices--constrained particularly by the marketplace, i.e., others' choices and preferences (demand) for specific kinds of goods, as well as by our own ability to access those goods at a reasonable price. Here is DC, there's a great little farmer's market 1/4 mile from my house on Sundays, and another that's even closer to my work on Wednesdays. But again, that's here in "progressive" DC--I'm originally a corn-fed Midwestern guy, and grew up where such markets were far scarcer and, well, just FAR. And I've got the disposable income to drop on high-quality food; others, even in my neighborhood, are not so lucky, and have to settle for choosing from a more limited range of more highly processed food. For them, the choice to eat healthy is a much more costly one.

Also, markets only function well when buyers and sellers (or producers and consumers) have near-perfect information. In reality, especially when it comes to food, we're light-years from this ideal. (Michael Pollan has already covered this territory well).

Lastly, markets only tend to function efficiently when the individual players behave RATIONALLY. But many of us are literally ADDICTED to sugar and salt; we have no experience of what it feels like to be truly healthy. Even when we "know" what the trade-offs are in terms of ill-being and shortened life span, we make the economically irrational choice and slurp down another Venti Frappachino with whip. When it comes to food choices, too many of us are more like crack addicts than car buyers. Rather than "kicking the wheels" and reading the label (or, better yet, eating something UNlabeled), we heedlessly gulp down whatever sugary concoction will give us our "fix."

Food product marketers themselves prey on our weaknesses. I have yet to begin to research this in any depth, but my hunch is that one of the reasons that food production companies chafe at voluntarily cutting back their sugar, salt, & corn syrup is that it may leave them vulnerable to competitors who DON'T cut back. (To Todd's point, one solution certainly is a broad-based regulatory intervention, or even a tax, that hits ALL producers/consumers evenly.) Since most consumers buy on that initial taste rush, any such cut back could translate into a loss of short-term competitive advantage. And though one could argue that consumer tastes appear to be gradually shifting in the healthier direction, many companies are merely paying lip-service to this trend; they still want to avoid losing their health-ignorant base just to please that smaller, health conscious segment. Starbucks, for example, is only going so far to improve their products; notice that they'll happily and publicly dial back every nasty ingredient--EXCEPT the two worst, the sugar and refined flour:

The housing market collapsed in 2007, bringing down our economy--and nearly bringing down our society--because individual suppliers relied on lack of knowledge and self-control on the part of consumers to pull them into shouldering unmanageable levels of debt, without realizing the cumulative impacts of their actions. In so doing, they burdened themselves, and everyone who ended up bearing or owning that debt, with unmanageable levels of financial risk, for which we are all now collectively covering the bill.

We're doing it all again, but now with our health. The cumulative actions of suppliers--food product companies, nutritionists, journalists, the fad diet industry, the medical industry--is pushing people to take on unmanageable levels of physical stress and bodily damage. In so doing, they are burdening themselves, and everyone who--literally--consumes their products, with unmanageable levels of physical risk. And once again, at the end of the day, it's everybody else who pays--via higher insurance premiums, higher in-patient medical expenses, higher Medicare and Medicaid taxes, lower worker productivity, and a generally lower quality of life.

Mix'n it up

2010-05-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

I mixed up the workout today--instead of swinging the rope, I took a 25-minute (2.2-mile) run to Rock Creek Park, then knocked out my pull-ups (and incline pull-ups) on the taxpayer-funded work-out stations along the trail. Then I ran back. (The trip back included a grueling 2-minute slog up the steepest slope in the park). I still did the pistol squats, but passed on the creep, since my knees were feeling a bit iffy after the hill. I then finished up all of the remaining sets for Day 39. On to Day 40! Almost 1/2 way!!!

One year later

2010-05-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

New pics are up. And while I've definitely seen a difference between day 10 and day day 37--14 lbs!--I was shocked when I asked my doctor's nurse what I had weighed at previous appointments. Last May, 2009, almost exactly one year ago, I was 185 lbs. And it was not muscle. Subtracting 2 lbs for business casual threads, and that's still 183. No wonder I had knee issues. Pack enough blubber for an Antarctic winter onto the frame of someone who's built more like a cross-country runner than a tight-end, and bad things are bound to happen. Duh.

The fact that I've lost over 32 lbs in a year is definitely an accomplishment, especially when almost half of that has come off in the last 5 weeks. But it's still disconcerting, because it begs the question: how did I end up in that state to begin with?

The quick answer is, of course, I ate crap and didn't exercise. But these are 'proximate causes'; the ultimate causes, as I'm learning, are much more subtle. I'll hopefully get to expound upon more upon these as I flesh out (pun intended) my thoughts in the coming weeks. Social pressure, and social norms, has a lot to do with it--e.g., "why do you need to lose any weight? You're not FAT!" I'm still getting this one a lot, particularly from overweight colleagues and friends. More powerful still is the peer pressure to come "hang out"--and eat/drink. I.e., everybody's doing it, and the food "tastes" good (i.e., gives you a nice sugar rush), so it must be OK, right? But one's own mind also plays a huge role. I definitely made selective comparisons with others over this time period, and did a lot of rationalization ("hey, I'm not that big compared to some in my family!"). I'll try to think of more of these as I become aware of them.

Fortunately, as I've found over the past 5 weeks, the solution is relatively straightforward: 1) eat good, nourishing food in proportions that your body needs to 2) safely push yourself to your physical limits on a regular basis, while 3) getting adequate rest.

Speaking of which--off to bed...

Egg-squisitely challenging new work-outs this week

2010-05-20T18:38:00.000-07:00

We've started our new diets, which include lots and lots of eggs. (At least, the whites). This week, at least, we're at 5 per-day. It sounds like a LOT of extra protein--and it almost looked like a lot of extra protein...

..until you do the work-out, and your body realizes that it's going to need it. After that, I had no problem inhaling those suckers. And I'm looking forward to letting go of the reins at my favorite salad place tomorrow (no worries, just the veggies, with some fresh-squeezed lemon juice for dressing).

That's about all I can blog for now, I'm pretty wiped out from the newer, more intense sets, which include PISTOL SQUATS. Can't wait to see my doctor's reaction tomorrow at my check-up, when I tell her I'm doing those! I may bring in the week's workout sheets, just for kicks. And, of course, 40-second planks. I know we're just inching our way to minute sets. It already burns my abs thinking about it, like I shot-gunned a 40-oz. can of hot, molten lava.

"Bring it on."

I'll leave you with breakfast:

Sauteed peppers & onions, avocado, oatmeal, 200 ml of milk and, of course, the egg.

Boo-yah.

2010-05-18T05:37:00.001-07:00

Another set of flawless jumps.

Wake-y, Wake-y, eggs and ba... er, nevermind.

2010-05-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting--and surprisingly main-stream--article from Reuters:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100517/hl_nm/us_heart_meat

There's an American Meat Institute? Wonder what their reaction to the study is...

...ah, never mind--it's right here on their website:

http://www.meatami.com/ht/display/ReleaseDetails/i/59536

I must confess, I did eat some jerkey on my little camping trip this weekend, for the lunch protein. I'd love to find some place that sells low-sodium, dried (but otherwise chemically untreated) meats for my backpacking trips. Perhaps the AMI website could point me in the right direction. Or maybe not...

Off to bed...

Un-dulgence

2010-05-14T20:38:00.001-07:00

So my indulgence on Wednesday was supposed to be a chocolate pie with lavender vanilla gellato; however, they were out of the gellato, so I had to settle for vanilla frozen yogurt (which turned out to be a harbinger of the diet to come):

I ate this as a very late afternoon (OK, evening) snack, then went home and had dinner. It tasted good, but having eaten nothing but healthy for the past month, I could definitely sense the void of the "empty calories." And honestly, 20 minutes after finishing this thing off, my stomach felt a little upset, and my head started to hurt a little. My body definitely welcomed the shrimp & veggie salad an hour later.

Just prior to the "un-dulgence," I had traveled to Philadelphia for work, Monday through Tuesday morning. I had a PCP lunch that I brought, but dinner was with co-workers at a Mexican place. I did all right: shrimp ceviche with salsa and avocados--I picked off the way-too-buttery spicy popcorn off the top--along with a Mexican chop salad, naked--no dressing, no cheese. Though I had to do my best to pick off the tortilla fragments sprinkled on top. While I've known we live in a carbo-culture, following the diet really makes one realize just how much our cuisine is in a dysfunctional, co-dependent relationship with simple starches & sugars, too insecure to let a salad just be itself.

Aside from not being measured (I probably over-ate on the veggies, under-ate on the protein) and, as usual, too salty, I don't think I did too badly. I resisted gorging on the carb & fat-laden fare that my co-workers were enjoying washing down with their high-end margaritas. Breakfast at the hotel was a piece of toast, some scrambled egg (equivalent to about 1 real egg), fried potatoes (ugh--the only veggies available at the breakfast buffet!), and a cup of milk. Oh, and nice, low-cal coffee.

I'm actually a little relieved now that our dinners consist of a banana, an apple, an egg white, and milk; it's definitely going to save some preparation time--and make it easier to "dine out."

Rope

2010-05-14T04:54:00.000-07:00

I made it to 1,300 jumps with no trips, skips, or breaks.

Eating pro-tip

2010-05-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

Eating pro-tip: Be sure to brush your teeth after you eat beets--otherwise, you'll look like you were punched in the teeth by Kimbo Slice.

Worth the rough week

2010-05-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

The week was tough, at least from a scheduling viewpoint. My workouts rotated to evenings again, and I ended up staying late at work pretty much every day. But no matter how tired I was, I still somehow managed to finish them. Still, I can't keep trying to count jumps while simultaneously trying to keep my eyes open; I'm sure it's going to catch up with me soon. Next week (starting tomorrow) it's back to mornings--and an early bed time. I've been thinking of adding another "exercise" to check off on our daily list: 8 hours of sleep. This way I won't think of the workout as being complete until the muscles I just torched have the rest they need to grow.

My sticking point with the exercises continues to be the pull-ups; tonight I could only do 2 sets of 3 each before having to switch to the incline variety. FAIL. Full push-ups continue to be a challenge, though I can finish the minimum number of reps & sets--for now. Otherwise, everything with the legs & the bands goes well--I can always work up a great burn.

My energy levels remain generally high. Moreover, I don't feel the same pendulum effect throughout the day that I used to. Even when I'm short on sleep (again, too often this week), the swings haven't been nearly as severe.

The effects are also starting to show a little in the pics--new ones are up!--and, as I mentioned a couple days ago, in the clothes. This used to be my favorite pair of jeans:

I guess it still is, but now for a different reason.

Next week's big challenge: sticking with the PCP diet & exercises during a 24-hour work stint in Philly. Suggestions on how to manage at restaurants (at least once) are welcome...

Two steps forward...

2010-05-06T10:07:00.000-07:00

My little white, round friend above my brow has departed. As he was leaving, I've been taking note of some much more positive effects:

1. My weight is down to below 160 lbs--for the first time in years (probably since I was overseas);

2. As a result of #1, NONE of my jeans/slacks now really fit. I need a belt to keep from looking all gangsta' at work, and I've had to move the belt up a notch. I can actually take off my jeans without unbuttoning/unzipping them.

3. My jumping has gotten much easier; I was able to knock out the 1,000 jumps last night with only 2 or 3 trips, and no trips the last 500 reps!

Unfortunately, I awoke this morning with some pain in my left knee. I'm hoping this is just my body telling me to take it a little easier (i.e., dial down the high-elevation hikes while piling on more sets of leg exercises). I'm really hoping it's not spreading arthritis, which I've had before in my right knee, and for which I've been on drugs for over a year now.

The diet is good, and my scale continues to get its own workout. This week, it's been mainly the following:

Breakfast: boiled/scrambled eggs with fried zucchini, onion, spinach, and oatmeal;

Lunch: "Big Steam" veggies (new addition: Brussels sprouts), baked tilapia, and this millet dish which looked good online, but didn't turn out that great taste-wise. I've had to resist the temptation to "rescue" any decent flavor by adding salt.

Dinner: Sketchy-tasting millet stuff with lean ground beef and a salad of mixed greens w/ avocado, carrots, and tomatoes.

For snacks, I've added blackberries to the fruit list, which has been focused on bananas, apples, and dates.

Onward to the Day 22 workout tonight! New pics soon.

Zit-ups?

2010-05-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I just noticed a nice, fat zit (i.e., acne--a whitehead, to be precise) hanging out above my right eyebrow. Today, Patrick e-mailed to let us know that as our bodies adjust to the healthier, crap-free diets, that we may start to get acne again in weird places--such as above our eyebrows. (This is most likely a sign that our bodies are pushing out the toxins associated with our previous diets). And I hadn't even posted any new photos of me with my new "feature". Hopefully, clearer skin to follow! It will be interesting to see what other, non-physique-related changes are in store...

PCP Trail Food

2010-05-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

Mission(s) Accomplished:

1. Hike Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park (8 miles, 2,500 feet of elevation gain):

2. Eat a "packable" PCP meal while on the trail--i.e., from zip-lock bags:

3. Day 17 Work Out. This was a bit tougher; I did my workout after dinner. I cut the jumps to 200, using the hike to sub for the rest (and to spare my already sore feet from actual damage). But I did finish the rest of the workout--including the squats, which burned like hell after the hike.

Looking forward to sleeping in, hitting the farmer's market, Day 18 workout, and cooking the meals for the week.

Tired--but still knocked out the workout.

2010-04-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

Here's yesterday's blog; I meant to post it, well, yesterday, but had Internet connectivity issues:

Today, I was tired--all throughout the work day. Last night, I went to a "happy hour" for my grad program's alumni group. I successfully stared down a heaping plate of nachos, even a more healthful ahi tuna salad, and ceremoniously enjoyed my apple and decaf coffee. After that, I took the subway over to Chinatown to hit up a sporting goods store to buy a lighter resistance band for the shoulder exercises, and a heavier one for the rows. Not that I'm afraid of the burn, but it's been difficult to work up to the required reps--with proper form, no pausing, and no use of outside "helper" muscles, as Patrick has warned against--to really work my deltoids. I've noticed that it's tough to gauge the actual resistance that these suckers will actual throw at you during a workout, if you only try them out in the store. A 5-lb band doesn't seem like it should fry your muscles almost to the point of tears, but after you've already gone lethal on your lats, pummeled your pecs, and beat down your biceps, that scrawny-looking little piece of hose can give your shoulders some serious attitude.

The diet is good. Today:

Breakfast--scrambled egg with fried onion & peppers, oatmeal;

Lunch--baked mahi-mahi with Cajun spices, rice, and "big steam" carrots, broccoli, & asparagus;

Dinner--more mahi-mahi (eating it now before it starts to turn), quinoa, and spinach salad with tomatoes and cucumber.

Despite being tired--and hungry--I knocked out my workout after work (the shopping trip last night, on top of the happy hour, really pushed dinner back, and put me in bed past my PCP bedtime.)

Speaking of which...

A little off course...

2010-04-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

I veered a little off-course last night; an old friend from undergrad was in DC, and had been recommended an Ethiopian place. So I went, figuring it was better than fasting until I got home, and since Ethiopian food is, by the Pollan definition, certainly real "food." I ate as close to PCP as I could without the scale, ordering a veggie combo and meat combo to share. I stopped short of what I might usually consume, since many of the dishes are made with a clarified butter and salt, and you actually use the "injera" (a spongy, sour Ethiopian pancake-like bread) to eat, making it easy to load up on too many carbs. Still, the dinner was likely a bit higher-calorie than the recent norm.

Today, breakfast, lunch, and tonight's dinner were back "on":

-2 hard-boiled eggs, oatmeal, avocado and spinach, with milk;
-quinoa with baked tilapia, mixed veggies;
-banana and apple for morning and afternoon tea, respectively;
-lean ground beef w/rice, "big steam" veggies (carrots, broccoli, and asparagus);
-2 kiwi fruits and a date, washed down with some nice, cold 1 percent.

(Sorry, no photos, I'm already cutting into my beauty rest).

Still, I may try to pre-cook and pre-weigh dinners, in addition to lunches; if I know I'm heading out for a long day, next time I'll be prepared.

Days 8, 9, and 10

2010-04-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days since the last post, but I'm still "on the wagon." And the "wagon"--and the fridge, and the freezer, and the pantry, and, well, me--are completely brimming with food. My shelf of the fridge has now become a 3-D Tetris game of Pyrex-ware containers, egg cartons, and random pieces of fruit.

As mentioned in the last post, gone are the days of slicing everything, such as my last non-PCP meal, in half like John Belushi's Samurai Delicatessen:

(Full disclosure--since it was my last day, I did in fact go to Five Guys. I also got my occasional dessert: Italian gellato. Downsized, of course, for the 1/2 diet:

)

Now it's down to business:

Yes, that is a FULL-sized plate.

Honestly, the biggest challenge has been finding and managing time--to shop, cook, do dishes, eat, shop again (out of eggs!), work out, and, last but not least, eat. And eat. And eat. (I'm quoting Patrick here). And starting the new diet--and the new, longer, more intense workouts--in the middle of the work-week was definitely a shock. Like someone fired the starting gun while you are still lacing up your track shoes. On the bench.

It's been great having Saturday to just play catch up, especially on sleep and cooking. (As the latest e-mail from Patrick details, sleep is important. My roommate, who is much more of a natural athlete than I, also reminded me that staying up too late would deprive me of the fruits of all this labor).

Now that I've got a few days worth of lunches and dinners waiting in the fridge--and a new blog post--I feel "caught-up." Which is awesome, because Week 2 got off to a rough start. Thursday morning, my jump rope broke after 80 jumps. (If I ever attempt to taking my roping skills pro, I'm definitely thinking twice before accepting any endorsements from GoFit. They've got only one more chance with me, with their resistance bands.) There's a fitness store 1 block from work, so I was able to find a replacement--and a back-up--the same day. But my work-outs ended up rotating to evenings, which I was really hoping to dedicate to creating works of art like the one in the photo above.

Speaking of which, here's the funny thing--by the time of any given meal, I'm actually HUNGRY again. Working out has been the key; I feel like my body is actually burning off or using the mounds of food I keep shoveling into it. In fact, since last Thursday:

-I've slept like a baby--even last night, through the cacophony of my drunken roommates;
-My energy levels have been way up--I practically bounce up flights of stairs;
-Again, I apparently have no trouble putting away three times the amount of food I would "normally" eat, and six times the quantity of food that I ate just last week.

For example, normally, I would usually eat just one of these 2 Cup containers-full of food; now I'm doing 3 at a time:

As far as food strategies go, I'm planning on doing 2 big cooking sessions each week (most likely Saturday/Sunday and Wednesday), allowing me to heat-up pre-cooked lunches and most dinners. Since eggs don't do well as left-overs, breakfast will be from scratch.

Breakfast today (Day 10) was scrambled eggs with veggies, oatmeal, and milk. Lunch was smoked salmon, steamed veggies, and rice. Dinner tonight was ground bison with Moroccan spices, steamed broccoli and carrots, some avocado, and quinoa. Starting Day 11, Workouts will be rotating back to mornings.

And here... we... go!

2010-04-21T22:37:00.000-07:00

Just got done preparing a LOT of food for tomorrow, and I'm off to bed for a few hours sleep. I'll post a little later on my "last" 1/2 Five Guys burger, and my thoughts on our reading.

For now, I think this clip beautifully reflects my initial reaction to the "PCP Proper" diet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gciFoEbOA8

...though instead of "boat," substitute "pyrex-ware." And "stomach"...

Days 5 & 6

2010-04-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

Two more successful days--and 3 full meals--down. I was able to bring lunch to jury duty, so it was relatively easy to stick with only what I brought. (High-fives--I didn't get selected to be on a panel! Or even to attend a panel selection!) The only time I came close to slipping off the wagon was when I purchased this, after eating tuna and veggies for lunch:

Sugar-filled gum. And yes, I chewed a whole stick.

Otherwise, the meals have been pretty consistent (not pictured: 1/2 salad and the turkey & spinach salad I consumed at a reception this evening):

Tomorrow, however, is the last day before "PCP Proper" begins, which includes some pretty strict limitations on what we can stick in our gobs. Just for kicks, I may head to Five Guys Burgers and Fries and indulge just a little--but only half:

...and I may hold the fries:

http://www.nbcwashington.com/around-town/food-drink/Five-Guys-Fries-Hate-Your-Arteries-78681172.html

...hmm... on second thought, perhaps Ethiopian...

The work-outs have definitely given my energy a boost; I've knocked out all of the sets so far at, at least, the middle of the range of reps, and often (including for push-ups) at the high end. Tomorrow is all rope--and a short break from the resistance work.

All right, time to stop salivating and head to bed...

Day 4

2010-04-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

First of all, a big welcome to any of my Facebook crew who is checking this out, including the majority of my family and friends! For more background on The Project, start here:

http://thepeakconditionproject.com/

and then check out my introductory post on this blog.

Now, Day 4:

Another successful day on the "Half Diet"

Breakfast:

(This is actually the same photo as Day 3; I basically at the same things. And Sunday brunch will have to get the smack-down another weekend).

Lunch/Dinner:

And, pre- and post-hike, a couple handfuls of nuts (crudely humorous comments will be greatly appreciated--and, because I'm trying to keep things somewhat family-friendly, quickly deleted):

The same muscles were sore today--nevertheless, as mentioned above, I decided to go through with my regular weekend hike at Rock Creek Park, along with one of my roommates. Given the soreness, we did a somewhat less ambitious route than I might have otherwise attempted; the total was about 3 miles. (And no, we didn't find any dead bodies.) The hunger on the way back was pretty intense, and we passed quite a few food establishments (I think at one point I was actually counting). Fortunately, I didn't fall off the wagon and hit any "drive-thrus."

The Day 4 workout following the hike was more of a challenge for my current chest strength--which is good, since that's one of my weak spots, and an area I've targeted for some serious progress.

I'm finding that the work-outs are a definite departure from my typical weekly, gym-oriented schedule, which consisted of 2-3 hour-long, all-out assaults on my muscles--at least for a few weeks at a time, until I get busy with work, classes, and/or social life, and take a "break." Similarly, they are lower-impact yet more frequent than my runs (1-3 times per week, 3-5 miles at a time).

Day-to-day, I'm starting to feel more like I've been bailing hay, and a lot less like I've just been "hitting the gym."

Day 3

2010-04-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

As I head into Day 4, I've noticed that the muscles are getting a little sore, especially the gluts, pecs, and abs, probably because they are not used to getting worked on consecutive days. But I am still able to knock out the exercises with little difficulty--at least so far. And I'm actually enjoying the wake-up kick from the jump rope.

The Half Diet marches on--despite being out for a buddy's 30th B-day celebration at a bar, with basket-fulls of tortilla chips, and plate-fulls of casedillas, pork tacos, and salad, I managed to limit myself to the following:

1 small hors d'oeuvres plate of salad;
1 pork taco, with salsa
4 tortilla chips, with salsa
3 diet Cokes

On a non-PCP night, I would have easily demolished three times that amount of Mexican food. Or, rather, three times that amount of Mexican food would have demolished me.

My only "half" violation was probably the diet Cokes--I usually don't drink six of them. I did three mainly because because the bar didn't serve coffee, and I was tired--and since I was serving as one of the DDs, I didn't want to fall asleep at the wheel.

Breakfast today was the usual:

For dinner (which also doubled as lunch--I sort of slept in a little), I successfully stared down one half of a damn-tasty Mediterranean burger at Busboys & Poets and said, "see you tomorrow":

The next restaurant challenge: Sunday brunch.

Here are a few items I've managed to pick up for the next phase of the Project:

If anyone is interested, here's a link for the kitchen scale:

http://www.amazon.com/Escali-Primo-Food-Scale/dp/B0028SJARQ

And if anyone knows where to find a decent, free-standing chin-up bar, I'm open to suggestions.

Half the food...

2010-04-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

Day 1--a brief photo summary

Just as one takes many pictures at the start of a long vacation or road trip, here are a few from the start of this journey. This week's mission, in addition to the exercise (not pictured), is to eat what we usually eat, but only HALF the amount. Sounds simple? Deceptively so.

For example, just where is the 1/2 way point on this bad boy? I haven't used calculus since college, and they don't exactly provide any kind of plastic divider that says "STOP and save for tomorrow's lunch." In fact, they probably want you to come back for another bucket:

But I did stop, right around the middle of that carrot in the foreground. The rest awaits in the work fridge.

And not only does "half" apply to food:

"Down-sizing" to the "Short" (get it?!) only gets you part of the way from 12 oz to 6; the last 2, sadly, go down the drain:

By the third meal, I decided to use a simpler approach, with much less thinking involved--small plate:

And then there's the snacks, especially tempting while crashed out in front of the TV. Luckily, our cable company decided that it was time to upgrade their remaining channels to digital, and in so doing wipe out the free signal my roommates and I had been enjoying for the past 18 months. And they did this on, literally, the first day of the PCP. Problem solved, temptation removed. Good-bye, John Stewart...

...hello, jump-rope.

Introduction

2010-04-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

Greetings, all, and welcome to my PCP blog. My name is Brett Kuhnert, and I shouldn't really be here. Actually, I should be dead.

Just over 36 years ago, I was born with a set of near-fatal birth defects, including a small, pin-sized hole in the wall of my heart; an esophagus that was in two pieces, one of them wrapped around my trachea; a partially-formed left thumb; and a pretty screwed-up lower digestive system. Severe brain damage was also, so my parents were told, highly likely. The only pediatric hospital in the region that could treat what I had didn't want to take me--because they thought I was a lost cause. Luckily, my parents and, more importantly, my very stubborn pediatrician, disagreed--strongly. I got in, I got fixed, I got out--surprisingly healthy. Except, possibly, for the brain damage, depending on who you ask...
(Just kidding).

Since then, I've done my best to pretty much ignore the cautious advice of most of my doctors: "No strenuous work in extreme heat" (I bailed hay each summer as a teenager). "Don't overdo the cardiovascular work" (I ran cross country in high school). Several years after college, I took a leap of faith and applied to become a Peace Corps Volunteer, never really expecting to make it past my physical, given my medical history. Once again, I made it in, and served for almost three years in a rural mountain village in Morocco, North Africa.

I joined the PCP because, as I learned very early on, half-measures often just won't cut it. And that's pretty much what I've been doing fitness-wise since high-school, aside from a few months here and there when I would remain faithful to a gym routine or running regime. As I also learned early on, you can't survive, much less thrive, alone. And so I'm going to be counting on the support of my fellow PCPers; Patrick; my family, friends, and colleagues; and you, dear readers, to keep me honest, and help keep me on the path. For my PCP team members, I promise to do the same, and more. And I promise to keep this blog as engaging--and entertaining--as I can.

My goal is to slim down, lose the fat that has slowly crept onto my frame since I left the hay fields, the mountains, and the gym, and put the muscle back on--to stay. To get into the best possible physical condition I can achieve.

"Do not surround yourself with all manner of comforts. Instead, learn to be comfortable in all manner of surroundings." --Unknown.