April 22, 2012 6:06 PM HKT

Mea Culpa

Gents - sorry for the belated post and long radio-silence. I've been tracking everyone's impressive progress the last week, but unfortunately I had to slow down on the program due to family and professional demands on my time & something had to give. I've tried to maintain the diet parameters to the extent possible, and as Brett often rightly encourages me, I take full advantage of the walking-friendly Tokyo streets. However, I've simply not been able to keep up the floor exercises and full cardio leading up to the halfway point. Hope to get back on track this week with the family getting healthier. 
Everyone seems to be charging forward with appropriate high expectations for the 2nd half. Recently I've had to really tighten my belt (now down 3 notches) b/c when I tug on my pockets just a little - the pants come down without unbuttoning - which can be embarrassing in the right situation. I look forward to "investing" in a new wardrobe this June! 

April 13, 2012 11:26 PM HKT

Day 53 - complete day

Today I stayed on track with the diet till the end (last bit of 200g veggies after midnight - salad with pepper and olive oil), minus a small indulgence during my afternoon coffee with a chocolate chip cookie at Starbucks (don't see that craving going away anytime soon...). 
Finally I was able to finish the day with a solid 1.1 hour workout, plus wet/dry saunas. Although I am not exactly where I want to be, the tale of tape is not lying - none of clothes fit any more, and probably up to 4 waist sizes smaller. 
As my previous blog noted, simply inconsistent workouts this week ... 3 days off completely - some days only cardio - only a couple days with full cardio and floor exercises. Finding a rhythm consistent with my family routines continues to be my biggest challenge.

April 11, 2012 10:17 PM HKT

Day 52 - Hiatus

This past weekend I took the wife out of town to see her best friend who lives in Kobe. It had been her first 'vacation' in over 5 months & high time we got out of the city. As you might imagine, I left with a full bag of exercise gear, bands & ever-earnest intent of sneaking exercise in when I could (& an honest, faint hope that there might be a gym at the hotel, a pool or nearby something with access for exercising - you know, go grab a short jog while the wife & overly needy progeny finally take an afternoon nap). Fat chance (so to speak).

Fate intervened, as she so often cruelly does, and I ended up taking the whole 3 days off with Zoo's & Aquariums. Although I didn't go hog wild - and maintained basic parameters of the diet - I did indulge in cream-sauce spaghetti the first night and a superb original Napoli cheese pizza the 2nd night, along with a few bottles of excellent vintage California Pinot Noirs and Oregon Pinotage's. I perhaps over-extended the "indulgence" part of the programme earlier than allowable, but truth be known - I made the decision that this past weekend I would eat without any guilt or concern, which came before the announcement of our 2nd indulgence (which was more modest " in scale " than my weekend culinary escapism).

On Monday, I finally returned to Tokyo which then had a scheduled exercise day off - and after being pooped from being off-schedule, it ended up being a long hiatus from the programme. 

Was it worth it? Yes - and I became acutely aware of how close I am to regaining weight quickly and losing 50 days of work almost overnight.

I also realised how much my body had adjusted to the eating schedules - and how much i looked forward to the tomatoes, bananas, apples and egg whites. Although I had no problem savoring EVERY last drop of the brilliantly buttered garlic bread at the Kobe Steak house, I also missed the measured portions for breakfast. And, of course, the mini-high after a hard set of cardio exercises which is hard to replace.

That said - I still would vote the programme includes opt-out days once a month for those who want to indulge in some sinful alcoholic delights - the wine was superb! It is good for the soul!!

Today I got in two separate workouts with main cardio and floor exercises this morning, much like Matt. At night I snuck in some light cardio and then swimming & saunas. It was a nice way to get back in the groove - plus strict adherence to the diet has felt nice.

Heading towards the midway point - what lies ahead next... ?

52 / 120

On, On

Photos

April 5, 2012 11:30 AM HKT

Day 45 - Readjusting goals

The diet remains a challenge to fit in everything, particularly at night. Too easy to grab something "healthy", not just the sparse portions allocated (how much fruit can one man digest?!). That said, as expected, the veggies and fruits are tasting much better & even desirable now (but I'm just hoping its a passing phase...). I continue to be frustrated with not being able to get my snacks in a timely manner - too close to my meals. Spacing out these sessions is critical to keep hunger pangs down and let the body work naturally. Yesterday I was only able to do mat exercises, no cardio (except brisk walking) as the day just evaporated. As summer approaches, i believe the "run before the family wakes" routine will become key.

I had a bit of reality check last night when I randomly clicked on a Livestrong.com link - http://bit.ly/HWV72a - which seemed to have some good recommendations for healthy veggie/fruit options. I had never really visited the site, although I think what Lance Armstrong accomplished has to be among the world's greatest sporting feats ever, particularly after cancer. Understanding Armstrong's training concepts, nutrition and approach has always been a keen interest of mine (just not been able to follow-up). So - in short - I spent some time on the site. It was far too commercial & all over the place for me, but I did use their handy BMI - Body Fat calculators. 

Reality hit when I realised that even if I double my current weight loss to date (which I am proud of) on Adirondack - I will still be officially "overweight." I realise there are lots of issues with these simplistic measures - but these indicator are also not easily dismissible, either. To be specific, I need to drop almost another 25kg to be considered normal. 

That makes Day 45 of 120 seem - well, uhm - short to reach this goal. 

If nothing else, however, I hope this programme allows me to think definitively about these issues (BMI, diet, balance) in terms of my body regulation after completing the programme.

On, On

45/120 

April 4, 2012 1:11 PM HKT

Day 44 - Adjusting to Diet

Great 4-cardio workout on Tuesday (Day 44), which I needed after the long, (reasonably) unproductive weekend. As others have noted, the muscle memory is working and more productive workouts as my fitness increases. Like Brett mentioned, I walked a lot more - up-n-down hills - and snuck in exercise at home when I could. I use the bands more now for a quick workout.

The diet, however, continues to be a problem as my daily schedule can change a lot (sometimes at the last second). The time to prepare in the morning is tougher as the schedule varies. I've had to wholly skip (or eat very late) the snacks, which I see as critical to the process. I just don't have an apple handy when snack time arises. 

Going forward this will be the bigger challenge. Making sure I get the diet requirements in my schedule - and on time daily. It is reasonably lean diet at this stage & every nutrient needed - no wish to cut back an already finely tuned approach. The salad snacks at the end of the day can be tough, when fitting in 200g of veggies is not easy. Last night, I just couldn't be bothered with making a lot up & just grabbed a whole raw carrot, plus part of a cucumber. It took a while to gnaw through it, and actually was tastier than expected, but nonetheless, not as good as my avocado & salsa dip with chips that previously populated my otherwise blissful evenings of long ago.

Staying strict to the diet - which is not complicated - may seem easy but not unless lots of planning occurs. I will work harder going forward.

On, on

45/120

April 2, 2012 11:31 PM HKT

Day 43 - Finding time for cardio

Although I've spent time putting up food logs & responding to Minnesota Wrecking crew commentaries (& yet not mentioning how my NJ colleague reminds me of Ivan Koloff with his hearty beard  ), I've neglected the daily blog. Apologies.

Last Friday - Day 40, I could not make it to the gym but I did make an extra effort to walk several more blocks, take stairs instead of escalators (in some cases, 75m stairs up) and put in probably an hour total of walking throughout the detail. It is definitely not the same as a cardio workout but intentionally keeping a brisk pace helped focus the mind. I took most of the day off on Saturday - Day 41 - to be with the family. I did some nominal attempts to exercise but just impossible to string together a block of time, so I gave up. Mama needed some 'we' time - I acquiesced. 

On Sunday, Day 41, I did manage to squeeze in one hour of stationary bike & elliptical finally - with 720cal output - all before I ate breakfast (trying to maximise calorie burn rate). Unfortunately I didn't finish until 11am & missed my morning snack and had a very late breakfast just before lunch. Screwed up my diet schedule - and for some reason, made me super hungry the rest of the day. In the evening, despite eating my allowance, I just needed more. I broke the diet and ate my favourite tomato sandwich on fresh sourdough (actually 2 sandwiches + milk + a few mini-chocolate bars). My body was immensely craving food and I really just couldn't be bothered with the whole "distract" yourself (kinda like a HS teenager trying to soothe the hormonal changes in his equipment by listening to Zamfir, playing his Romanian skin flute... that s**t don't work). I actually went to sleep very nicely that night (& not listening to my inner-Richard Simmons after my belly was full was nice for a change...). 

In truth, however, I've been frustrated mostly the past few days (or more) as I've not been able to get in proper full cardio workouts. While I can do most of the strength exercises in front of the bathroom mirror (or, should i say, cowering quietly in the powder room), I really want to get in good, strong cardio sessions at this point. To be honest, by day 43, I expected a lot more results - and my inability to be consistent in the "more calories out than in" sweat-equity method has been disappointing. Despite battling flu-like symptoms and taking antibiotics the last few days (& medicine for 2 more days), I unnecessarily neglected blogging. 

43 / 120

ON, ON

Photos

March 28, 2012 8:37 PM HKT

Day 38 - Working through a cold

As I still have a young child (under 2), the environment is ripe with fun-loving germs and sniffles. I picked up the kid's sore throat, which has slowed me down some until this morning. 

Today I finally made it back to the gym for a nice 4 cardio workout (stationary bike, elliptical, jogging, swim), plus wet/dry sauna. It felt good to get lots of sweat out - and push a tad bit harder on each exercise. I keep each one short relatively, but I was able to increase the levels - i.e. from 8~14 on bike & elliptical from beginning to end of work out. My muscle fitness and strength is able to hold sustained speeds better. The prep over the last month is beginning (slowly) to pay off as I can power through a workout better, rather than just try to finish.

It also reminds me how you get much bigger improvements once your body is working in sync, and then the real results are more achievable. It is a long road indeed. My biggest surprise is that although I have been fortunate to lose KGs and a few belt loops, all I see in the mirror is how much I have left to rid - and it is not inconsiderable. 

Like Brett and Franklin have shown, even in the most trying of times with business trips, where there is a will; there is a way.

38 / 120

On, On

Photos

March 25, 2012 9:59 PM HKT

Day 35 - Workout rhythm

Today was a lazy Sunday with the family. I let the wife sleep in extra in the morning while I watched the kid. We had a nice lunch at a posh American bistro. I decided to be more lenient on the diet portions and ate a slightly bigger steak, plus some nice blue cheese (just 2 pieces) on my cobb salad. As Brett said, better to add a bit of taste rather than inadvertently burn down unsuspecting vegetable stands later.

To make up for it, given I'd fit in my strength exercises in the morning (mostly during small interludes when not playing daddy daycare), I did the full cardio workout today - 4 different ones: stationary bike, elliptical, running machine, and swimming laps. I finished off the workout with nice steam & dry sauna. It was a 1,000cal workout. Not strenuous - and thankfully now recovers the losses from the previous 2 weeks. I am back on track - and reset a few goals.

We shall see how the motivation goes this month. I've set a few nice rewards up if I achieve a few weight goals - as long as I can honestly keep my diet restrictions in place & not let my wondering eyes stray too far with the sexy desserts, sweets & other "non-approved" items not invade again.

Looking forward to the lead up to the halfway point. Then the race begins!

35 / 120

On, On

March 24, 2012 10:35 PM HKT

Day 34 - Catching back up

Getting back into the rhythm again with the diet (though I did sneak in a few pieces of parma ham at the end of the night after a great workout).  The strength exercises are getting easier and more fun. Following Brett's lead of "anywhere, anytime", I took the chance to exercise in downtimes whenever i could today. I didn't need to set aside a time block but just finished what i could when I could. Let's see where the 2nd month takes us.

34 / 120

On, On 

Photos

March 21, 2012 11:12 PM HKT

Day 31 - Fell off the wagon - Still dusty...

By the end of my workout last Friday (Day 26), I had already reached two of my first phase goals. But, the hard week of exercise had taken it out of me, plus trying to keep up the diet. Likewise, the strains of the programme began to show on the family as my restrictive diet was becoming so drastically different from normal foods in the house that it was hard to sync with the other family meals. Finally the extra workout time was clearly cutting into "domestic duties." 

By the weekend, I needed a long break, not the least due to a bit of frustration with the programme. I took Saturday off - as it was listed on the schedule for a rest day. However, taking care of a very sick family & very foul weather made it impossible to go out & replenish the stores of veggies & fruits (plus, truth be known, mostly I didn't try my hardest due to very low motivation). I ended up taking the whole weekend off. Already creeping off schedule - I was just simply tired of eating, no - actually I was almost physically sick of eating the tasteless veggies, which was purportedly all for the reason of being on a training programme that I had no idea what I was training for. 

By Monday (Day 29), I was slowly getting ready to get back into the swing when I just lost all motivation when staying on-schedule meant major conflicts with work & family. But, again it was the diet bothering me most (yet I was following the normative parameters, except for the constant veggie overload). It just irked me to no ened. I need flavour. I just couldn't keep eating tasteless veggies. Plummeting motivation led to a 3rd day off. 

By yesterday (Day 30), I was deflated. Luckily it was the day when we opened up the "indulgence" message. I happened to be at Starbucks working through a Grande Latte (1st in weeks) and (my favourite) Apple fritter (320cal), when I read the message on the Foundation site. In truth, I must admit that did not feel guilty about being off-schedule those last several days, but drifting away quickly, I began to realise time to readjust soon, or else. 

However, Day 30 was also a national holiday in Japan as well. I had to take a slow-day with the family. We had a nice brunch with friends (2 former PCPers) and I went for a nice Southern BBQ sandwich (filled my carb & protein portions in one shot). After the indulgences, I was ready to finally put in some cardio but just had to give up eventually as work for my job just kept pouring in. Likewise, that evening I had plans to meet an old friend passing through Tokyo, which led to a protein-overload dinner - plus a couple beers. Chatting and catching up meant a lot - and helped me rediscover my motivation. 

Here is what I learned after my indulgence:
1.  In 4 short days I lost 50% of my results of 30 previous days.
2.  Although I did not really indulge in the moral sins of the programme (sweets, fried foods, alcohol - just a taste of each), I had to start using anti-acid (Pepcid) again ... the first time in over a month. It was hard to sleep last night due to reoccurrence of acid reflux - happens fast.  
3.  Altering my diet even after only a couple weeks of adjusting to a weighed portions approach made any overeating quickly upsetting my system's balance.
4.  Not eating veggies made the other food feel like a brick in the system. The cleansing effect seemed to be gone. 
5.  Things just don't taste as good as before (at least in small doses - and I had just enough will power left to turn back the urge eat everything I'd been missing).

What I learned from the experience:
1. I need more information (even if I must seek it out on my own) about better dieting tips. I can't continue eating just steamed broccoli and asparagus - I won't last.
2. I need to know "what" I'm training for. I am only a couple hard weeks away from a weight goal that I haven't reached in a decade perhaps. Once I reach that - then what. 
3. I am not doing the Foundation to just finish. It must mean a helluva lot more than that to stay motivated.
4. Keeping the family fully on-board with all the sacrifices will make or break the programme for me.

31/120

On, On

March 15, 2012 10:04 PM HKT

Day 25 - First Goal Achieved

Achieved my first personal goal of the program, which was a 10kg weight loss. Actually I achieved it 3 days ago but promised myself I would make sure I hit the target 3 straight days before counting it as putting weight "back" happens quickly I've found. I went and got my haircut - first in two months. Feels great. Now going for new shoes this weekend. Next goal / milestone is 15kg.

Good cardio workout today with 3 different exercises (stationary bike, elliptical & swimming), plus wet/dry sauna. I was humming along on elliptical, slowly building up my levels every 4 minutes until I reached the 12 minute mark and suddenly ran out of energy. I thought about stopping but realised I just need to dial back the levels and make it a smooth, non-challenging routine. This worked & I eventually recovered by the end for a strong finish. I cost me probably 30 ~ 50 cal extra to go slower but I finished.

While the weight loss has been nice, especially the big smile from the wife, the new belt loops & then jeans being re-worn for first time in 3 years, I actually feel like I am overall not that much smaller. I feel like I am the same old weight still. For example, on my body, the pockets of obesity (as it were) are not just around my waist but distributed, such as the back, around the chest area and even upper biceps. As we are not targeting these specific areas yet, & cardio just affects "overall" conditioning, I still don't see the dramatic change and relatively feel I am staying at the same weight, but with just a tinier waistline. 

That said, I am getting stronger overall & the workouts getting easier to handle. I could easily start ramping up my strengthening exercises. This is encouraging.

As for my diet today, breakfast went well - although it was a lot of food scarfed down minutes before fleeing out the door (albeit all food weighed correctly and acceptable to the diet). I ate an apple while on the road taking the kid to school. However, again I am struggling with "enjoying" my veggies. I look forward to expanding the selection soon. 

For lunch, I went with a colleague to a place he said had great salads. I quickly perked up when I saw they had a small steak on the menu - perfect for my protein requirement. Unfortunately the waitress heard me say slow-stewed Pork (buta kaku-ni). Now, to be fair, I may have said "swine please", quite unconsciously as it is my favourite food (perhaps) in Japan. While I don't like the buta kakuni fat portions on top, the tender meat is divine. Likewise I couldn't wait the extra 20 min for the steak and took the buta kaku-ni. I guess you could say that Asparagus just doesn't compare. Likewise, the salad they brought was tiny - probably less than 1/3 my lunch veggie requirement. I had to scramble for veggies when I got back home with a quick salad. 

For dinner, same story - I struggled getting the veggies together although the wife cooked a fantastic steamed herb chicken. I needed more veggies - but just couldn't finish today. 

I am happy with reaching my goal but realising now that finding a happy statsis with my diet is priority # 1

25/120    

Photos

March 14, 2012 10:43 PM HKT

Day 24 - Diet improvisation

Today was a particularly tough schedule day as the wife & kid (& mother-n-law) were all sick. Not easy to make up the Foundation diet on the run, but thankfully we had lots of various leftovers which I could put together. Learning to improvise quickly actually ended up providing me with my tastiest diet yet (& hopefully not too many strictures broken).

For breakfast, with only 5-7 min before rushing the kid for a hospital check-up, I didn't have time to leisurely steam veggies or make anything fancy so I made a sandwich. I used our bakery-made (i.e. top all-natural ingredients, not processed) sourdough slices (thin) and two tomatoes (lots of pepper) to make a tasty sandwich - my carbs & veggies all in one shot! I see a positive trend developing here...

For lunch, since I put in a solid workout in the morning (3 cardio), I was ready to grab a more substantive lunch but work was calling fast. Again - however, no time. Thankfully a good carb portion awaited my post-workout hunger - I grabbed the kid's leftover fusilli meat sauce pasta and small side of rice. I thought I was in heaven with the carb mini-overload (but within the diet amounts - honestly). There was some fish lying around from last night - I wolfed it down. I grabbed a quick salad with fruit tomatoes and loads of pepper, plus a dash of olive oil for taste. Perfect lunch. 

However, I was 90g short on protein - and damn if I was going to forgo my meat intake. If work wasn't pressing, I was about to head to our grocer (1 block away) and buy a premium cut steak, carve off 90g & just enjoy the pure protein. Sadly - work won the 1st round. By late-afternoon, I was still stewing that i was cheated of my steak (or at least something tasty that carnivores quickly devour), and decided to stopover in a local international food shop on my way to pick up the kid at school. I saw some fine german boneless ham - and exactly 89g. MONEYSHOT. I grabbed that - and finished off my protein.

For dinner - as per the attached, I once again had no time to prepare and work conference calls pressing. I grabbed some lean chicken grilled earlier, threw in some boiled potatoes, blanched spinach and some Japanese enoki mushroom & bamboo mix. It was quick - and perhaps one of my best meals yet. It was not as pure as steamed but great flavours.

The key going forward is being able to quickly meet the diet parameters when time is rare.

24/120

Photos

March 13, 2012 9:05 PM HKT

Day 22~23 Finding time

Entering the final week of month 1 - the reality of balancing family, job and climbing the Adirondack starts to hit even more squarely. I had a good diet and pace going on Day 22 but domestic requirements simply made exercise impossible. No way to sneak away as our gym closes early (hopefully I can start running outside more but I am still cautious with my knees). Finding a consistent rhythm will always be one of my challenges. 

Although I am staying consistent with the diet, as you may have noticed from my pics, the selection is remaining quite similar. I am quickly growing tired of asparagus and broccoli. I actually didn't eat all my veggies for Day 23 breakfast due to being tired of the veggie overkill. Keeping the veggie taste varied is key - as I have 550g daily to consume. This morning I just grabbed a huge raw carrot and ate while walking my kid to school. It was an easy 100g (lightly peeled) and somewhat tasty. I hope, however, to start expanding with more roasted turnips, eggplant and other tasty plants. Finding new recipes will keep my interest much higher. 

That said, after finishing 3 weeks being relatively strict with the diet, the few times I've just tasted food from before - my tastebuds are clearly adapting to the plant-based diet. I don't crave a lot of the items as I used to (apple pie, anyone?). I think a lot of my weight reduction (if not raw kg) can be attributed to my body slowly adapting to the ability to use all the nutrients in my food - and not spend lots of energy dealing with processed food.  

Day 23 was great as I used yesterday as an excuse to hit the gym harder. I did 3 different cardio (bike, elliptical, & swimming), along with wet/dry saunas. It was a hard, long workout, although i kept moderate pacing focused on low knee impact. Although I've already lost 2 belt notches & working on a 3rd (even had one belt resized & 3 pairs of jeans require a belt now -- before 1 month ago, I couldn't even wear!), I feel like I am still a month to 6 weeks away from going full steam. I am getting stronger, but shedding the kg's is taking time as is building up those joints. Not easy - but worth the climb.

Please share ideas on variety of foods for the diet. I am all ears (& occasionally a growling belly!)

23/120

Photos

March 11, 2012 7:53 PM HKT

Day 19~21 - Finding Foundation Rhythm

Day 19 felt great as I remained mostly on my diet schedule. Unfortunately my client at noon wanted to treat me to light tempura eel and buckwheat soba noodles. It was a bit more than the diet called for - but small enough to forgive :) 

For dinner on Day 19, my wife treated me to a wonderful grilled yellowtail with green spinach and side of rice. After a very productive workout with 2 cardio (stationary bike & elliptical), dinner hit the spot. 

Day 20 was a planned rest day. I had hoped to hit the gym but the family had other plans to go the aquarium. For lunch, we went for a French-inspired restaurant which had a succulent 120g Japanese Wagyu Steak on the menu. I couldn't resist the opportunity for a tiny reward (well expensive) after lots of good exercise this week. Unfortunately we stayed out longer than scheduled, and ended up grabbing sushi for dinner. It was probably more carbs (or just the right amount) than required - and maybe enough protein from fish, but definitely lacking in the veggie dept. If you don't pack tupperware of veggies or order lots of salads when out, hard to meet the veggie count while balancing the meal. I took the rest of the night off and finally got some rest.

Day 21 - final day of the first 3 weeks & finally entering the 99 days & counting phase - it ended with strict diet observance and a nice 75 min. workout - cardio with no knee impact exercises. I had wanted to hit the pool and saunas but other obligations won out.

While it is not a real hardship to forgo snacks at night - I must admit that after a long, stressful day, a tasty bowl of nachos or chocolate cookies are still missed. It will be a while for i forget these dear old friends. 

The biggest surprise at the end of week 3 is how much I have enjoyed the diet. While it is missing flavors (spices, curry powder, cream, butter - should I go on...) from before, I am very full by the end of each period and the fruit snacks are quite generous. I've cut out banana's and sticking to tangerines & apples for now. Lots of soda water with a splash of fruit juice occasionally keeps the sweet tooth in check. 

I'm nearing my first major weight goal, which will trigger some initial rewards (new shoes, sports watch, haircut!). The next goal line is closer to achieve but harder to rely much further on the "water weight-loss" for short-term, as I finally start to build muscle.  

Look forward to what the rest of the program has to offer.

19~21 / 120

On, On

Photos

March 8, 2012 10:18 PM HKT

Day 17 ~18 - Finding a healthy rhythm

The last two days have been productive. Thanks to my wife's superb cooking and watchful eye on sticking to the specific grams listed in the diet - I have eaten almost exactly as suggested (actually even missed a snack but as Patrick pointed out, i was still bloated from water at lunch). My wife made up a nice large batch of roasted cauliflower, carrots, turnips and broccoli which was lasted two days & a nice snack. I actually prefer the veggies and fruit now (but I still miss nachos & avocado dip with belgian beers...).

Since the diet called for carbs, we made pasta with shrimp and then the veggie count. It felt almost guilty eating pasta but given I had productive workouts, I needed the energy boost. I guess I am disappointed that I won't be eating beans (legumes) or nuts (almonds) for this program. I've always thought of those foods as super healthy and ate lots in the past. Good to think more rationally about proper role of food in our bodies when training or not training.  

The exercises are getting slightly easier in some ways but then exercises like the "Twizzler" remain quite tough. Some exercises like door rowing or knee lifts or shallow incline push-up are not challenging really. The best part is the constant reps.

All in all - it is nice to start finding a rhythm. Luckily work has allowed me to focus on training and eating for a change. I hope to get a great routine down so i can stick to patterns without thinking.

On - On

018 / 120  

Photos

March 7, 2012 12:14 AM HKT

Day 15~16 - Ignominious start to diet

The first day of our official diet began well. Although i didn't receive my diet (due to glitch in system apparently), I made it through till dinner sticking to the general diet principles and eating controlled, reasonable portions. As the attached pic shows, for lunch I stuck with a healthy sized salad and lots of fruits. 

However, by evening, for domestic bliss priorities (that must come before Adirondack), I decided that delivery pizza (top quality Napoli style with great ingredients - but still glorious pizza calories) was best all-around to keep said bliss. Now, before you smile (or judge :) I think some (or all) of us may agree that you do not become known as the "man of ample girth" without pursuing a good food as stress reducer strategy at times. It has long been my fallback strategy to relieve stress. Monday night was one of those times & pizza assuaged briefly my angst (with surprisingly little guilt). 

It was not the best start to the diet. Likewise, I had to take my rest day a day early, or better yet, I saw a 2- out of 3-day stretch become unplanned rest days. Things happen. In playing the long game, one cannot aim for perfection every day and every moment. Pick your battles - all the same in love and war (so one often muses...).

Today - day 16 with diet in hand, I was able to stick to the proportions mostly, perhaps even under-eating. As Patrick said, there are complaints of eating too much. I can see that. My better half cooked up a very delicious concoction of steamed herb chicken - and roasted cauliflower/broccoli. Eating my veggie proportion was almost tough. It is good epiphany, or should I say - relief, to know I wouldn't starve on this adventure just yet. 

Tonight after dinner, I had a solid work out on both stationary bike and elliptical, plus finished exercises quickly with a bit extra stretching. 

I am finding a new routine as week 3 begins. Hopefully we can find the professional life/personal training balance soon with family requirements carefully, shall we say, "weighed" as well. It is my biggest demon now.

However, my belt is now two notches shorter already. Close to going down one neck-size in my shirt collar and finally some distance between waist & button, rather than a bulge. The difference in diet & exercise is starting to show - slowly but surely (I guess that rabbit food does help eventually...).

Look forward to seeing how the diet takes shape and shapes my life ahead.

016 / 120

Photos

March 4, 2012 9:55 PM HKT

Day 12~14 - Realising pains of small set-backs

Waiting to blog until the end of the day is not a good strategy for me. This week a priority will be more regular posting.

Friday - Day 12 - dieting was going solid all day until an evening "send-off" dinner for a colleague. However, before the shindig, I was determined to put in a good showing at the gym, which I was able to vary up exercises to include stationary bike, elliptical, and swimming, plus wet/dry sauna. Overall, a solid workout. By the time I reached the dinner (45 min late due to the workout), I was ready for some food. In the previous 11 days, I had kept good cadence and not overeaten, nor strayed too far in my diet (except for the lasagna lunch buffet, which still brings a smile). While I was determined not to drink any frosties (to the amazement of the crowd), I decided to indulge on the yakitori - or chicken on skewers - and a dish of delicious, freshly marinated (balsmic reduction) fruit tomatoes. Yummy. The yakitori was served various ways (wasabi, spicy, plain grilled) but nothing fried. Since the crowd was not overeating, neither did I (or so I thought). 

I went home satisfied, slightly hungry but happy I avoided fried food (my normal best friend at these events) & just drank Perrier. It was a slight reward - mostly a protein fix - at the end of a good start to the program.

Little did I know that this meal - late at night - would set me back nearly 1.5kg on the scales by the next morning (no way I ate that much food, but scales must be weighing my guilt). On Saturday - Day 13 - did I mention I felt guilty? I did, and kept a good diet routine all day. Unfortunately for domestic bliss reasons, I decided at the end of the day that I should finally take a rest day. Until then i had done something all 13 days, I needed the mental break.

Today - day 14 - my end of the dieting "grace period", I was very good with fruits & veggies for brekkie - very solid 3 cardio workout - then light (late) lunch and small dinner (see attached). I ate a half portion (125g steamed chicken, courtesy of my always better half), and while hungry, satisfied. Did I mention I was guilty about Friday night?

Sadly, by Day 12 I was keeping a solid pace at watching the kg drop but this small set-back now seems like it will take forever to erase.

On, on. 

014/120

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March 1, 2012 10:23 PM HKT

Day 11 - Solid workout - good diet balance

I started slow with too small of a breakfast only a couple bananas spaced over hour. It should have been far, far bigger but getting the kid to school and meeting the accountant for EOY tax season were first priorities. I put in my best workout yet as I started at the gym where my membership began officially 01 March. The better machines and environment led to good bike and elliptical machine workouts. I tried to keep a slow, steady pace. I treated myself to a long steam sauna and then a dry sauna - my first time in probably year in both. Nothing like free sweat to lose water-weight!

The physical exercises are getting a bit more challenging like the twizzler. I thought I was more flexible than that but perhaps it is my ample girth disallowing better bending towards the chest. Though not a hard exercise, certainly gave me some stretching when the "V" position hit.

On the diet side, I had banana's in the morning, a quick black coffee break and then salad (see pic) for lunch. I had to add some flavor this time and put a generous douse of virgin olive oil and heavy pepper. It hit the spot along with a nice hard-boiled, freshly hot egg. Another afternoon coffee and then a steam-foil pack for dinner with cod marinated in curry powder along with generous mushrooms (best nutrition, no-calorie available) and small touch of yellow pepper with Okra to finish the meal (good for vitamins). Just the right amount - though a bit hungry now. 

All in all - a solid day all around on diet, exercise (mixed up the cardio!) and even used a few stairs when I could (careful on the knees).

Onward & Upward.

011/120 

Photos

February 29, 2012 11:58 PM HKT

Day 10 - Stumble but Recovery

Today was harder as Tokyo had one of its biggest snows in a few years. It made everything a lot harder to get finished. I had planned a long lunch at a nice healthy restaurant but the snow (gotta have an excuse, no?!) sidetracked us to an Italian buffet. I had lasagna (& I won't lie that the oozing cheese seemed like a parting friend as said our sad goodbyes one last time...) and half a thin-crust pizza. Not the healthy 2nd week lunch I should be having. Quite a bit guilty afterwards.

I had intended to start the first two weeks - despite the relative diet restrictions (i.e just avoid the truly bad stuff) - in a much more healthier, no-compromises start, but alas, good lunches with friends at super-healthy places are harder than anticipated (maybe sushi next time). I lost nearly 4kg the first week, but a few dietary choices has brought back another 1.5kg. 

Tonight, however, the wife fixed a superb steamed chicken with fruit tomatoes roasted on top along with a smattering of veggies - all without butter or oils. It was a nice and healthy - though limiting to half-portion was tough. Although it was after 10pm - and just 10 min after eating - I went up for my exercises and a good cardio workout to top of the day. I stumbled at lunch, but recovered by end of the day.

Ready to start tackling the harder stuff coming up soon in week 3. 

On, On

010/120 

Photos

February 28, 2012 8:12 PM HKT

Days 8 & 9 - Pattern-seeking Mammal

Yesterday was a rest day, at least in terms of exercise. I had full intentions to put in a full workout after dinner - but you know what they say about where the road paved with "best intentions" leads... been there before.

I passed out on the couch after dinner, but the best part is that I truly let my body rest for a change. It was good for my knees - and I had a much better workout today as a result today.

Unfortunately I had my first collision with best intentions and client lunches yesterday. Although I had organised the luncheon, I hadn't thought about "where" we would eat. I quickly found that there is a dearth of healthy options. I finally went to an Indonesian place - assuming (wrongly) they'd have something veggie-friendly. Everything was pan-fried. I had to settle for their signature lunch Java curry, a big gravy bonanza. The curry tasted sublime as I ate every drop like a prisoner tasting his last meal. After lunch, I must say that I was shocked how the caloric intake weighed in my tummy like a brick. Despite only a week of pseudo-dieting and just eating healthy, this was already a major shock to my poor digestive system. It is amazing how quickly the body adapts and adjusts to new routines - and as we all know, how quickly all this work could unravel.

Needless to say, I am delighted that this is our last week of reasonable diet control measures, so at least I didn't feel too guilty :P 

On the exercise part, I am becoming a lot more use to the cardio, plus finding stretching a lot easier. The knees don't creak as bad. Looking ahead, though, I will need to build up considerable strength in my upper-body to handle some of the heavier workouts. The current pace is just about right.

As Matthew said before, the best, most pleasant surprise is how aware I have quickly become to everything I eat and put in my body - and how I can say no easier now. I even feel a twinge of guilt when i think about an unnecessary culinary treat.

Finally, the half-portion requirement this week is really tougher than I expected. Mainly because I have always enjoyed my dinners - and finish off a hard day's work with a reward. This is obviously about learning self-control on food portions which will soon become much stricter. I've seen other participants on PCP moan and groan constantly about "how hungry" they get at night. It is best to start now shrinking the tummy!

On, On

009/120 

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February 27, 2012 12:40 AM HKT

Day 6 & 7 - the Padawan veers slightly

My final 2 days of the 1st week were identical, except for the final meal. I kept my focus on fruits, lots of healthy snacks during the day, and not violating the rules. I've bought more banana's in the last week than in the last year, but they hit the spot when hunger pangs strike. Veggie sticks are becoming quite tasty - not even missing my (previous) daily requirement of chocolate chip cookies! 

However, as the 1st week diet only restricted the most heinous transgressions (like desserts or fried foods) of a healthy soul, I agreed with my wife that we should enjoy a good meat pasta on the last evening - which she snuck in some good fresh parmigiano cheese. After a week of almost no carbs - my body almost went into a pseudo-apoplectic fit of joy at the sinful flavours. Sigh. Guilt overcame me - and off to the gym i went (with an impish grin :) 

Like many have noted, the best part has truly becoming aware in my daily routines about daily choices on diet and then making time to get my exercises to get finished. Two out of the seven days I had to go running outdoors after midnight b/c work kept me indoors past 11pm when my gym closes. I wanted to take it easy on my knees which grounding the pavement never helps, but I wanted to keep pace the first week. It would have been far too easy to quit for the day or just go to sleep but the programme help me push slightly further. This enough is a sign that positive changes are coming. 

Like Matthew said as well, Blogging at 1.30am on Sunday night shows the program is changing priorities.

Onward and upward.

007/120

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February 25, 2012 12:16 AM HKT

Day 5 - Pacing

Finished all the exercises and cardio today, but my diet suffered some, mostly on portion control (although none of the 1st week rules were violated). This morning I had a meeting with a business partner and in the rush of the morning, I reflexively ordered a Grande Cafe Latte (& thankfully at the last second threw-in "Soy Latte" to barely save the day). 

For lunch, the old battle-ax wanted a nice lunch - and I figured as long as I didn't go beyond the first week rules, I would be ok. Wow - only 5 days in and adding volume or heavier food already hits home. We went to a famous LA restaurant in Tokyo - http://lawrys.jp/ - and only 2nd time I've been. Usually not a Prime Rib fan, per say, but after a week of rabbit nibblings, I wanted something substantive for a Friday lunch. A 300g Prime Rib hit the spot.

However, my first pleasant surprise was the large salad bar - a treat for those of us in Japan where the salad bar concept never really took off locally. Lawry's has a great one. So - due to a minimal breakfast of a blueberry/raspberry smoothie shake - I immediately loaded up on the salad, and the small plate was mounding quickly. I stayed away from mayonnaise-laden items (damn it was hard passing over those) and stuck to legumes, carrots, solid veggies and bit of cerviche-esque seafood. At the end, though, I succumbed to the dark side and selected sesame seed oil dressing. Delish.   

I don't expect a lot more luncheons like this - but after a solid week of exercise and diet control, I made sure I wasn't going through withdrawals too quickly :)

Photos

February 23, 2012 8:09 PM HKT

Day 4 - Avoiding Temptation

On our day of relative rest - I did the cardio work out on stationary bike and elliptical trying to keep focus on minimal knee impact for exercise. These two machines seem to be relatively stress free on the knees. Focus on posture, breathing - particularly longer, deeper breaths - and comfortable pacing led to a very enjoyable workout. There was a temptation to jump into heavier muscle-targeting exercises, but I stuck to simple cardio. As a result, I am not sore really which tells me intuitively the pacing is right.

For diet, I focused again fruit snacks through the day such as banana and tangerine, and drinking loads of sparkling water. I tried to eat the monkey bananas (sweeter and bite-sized) a lot to pace the day out. I had an open-faced tomato sandwich for breakfast (sorry - no pic - it disappeared before i could reach the camera...). Ran out of time for my lunch salad and picked up a ham & potato sandwich on a baguette (from our local 1-star Michelin restaurant who bizarrely offers these sandwiches over lunchtime for $6 equivalent - top ingredients and taste at Mickey D prices!). I was trying to avoid breads and sandwiches for as long as possible - but the convenience is hard to ignore until routines are established.

Tonight we had another tinfoil pack dinner with cod, mushrooms, green olives, broccoli and red peppers. Cod is quite tasty by itself (though some good breading, tartar sauce, plate of chips and a few pints of Boddingtons would have hit the spot!).

Evolving the diet will take patience and perseverance to overcome cravings. Since our exercise regime is not burning off 2~3,000 cal/day, there is no expectation of anything other than healthier living.

004/120

Photos

February 22, 2012 9:20 PM HKT

Day 3 - Finding Time

Today has been a big deadline day for work, which is the first test of my time management for balancing diet and exercise. It'll be another late night at the gym - after 2230, but thankfully I am not doing 2-hr workouts yet.

Breakfast and snacks today was mostly banana's and a small tuna salad (no oil today). I had a luncheon with several colleagues, and decided to go with the lunch special (as it doesn't need to be a salad yet). As you can see in the pic, I ordered Sea Bream with a tapenade (mixture of olives & anchovies) on roasted veggies. It was a filling lunch but I didn't touch the bread and butter (as a French bistro - what can I say...always good butter there...ahhh...the temptations. Butter is quickly becoming like a mistress who I can't mention but I can never forget...). 

For dinner, my Chief Domestic Prosecutor (a.k.a. the wife) was kind enough to broil a wonderful herb chicken filet in lemon, 3 types of mushrooms, asparagus and cherry tomatoes. The tin foil pack steams the meat and veggies to keep everything tender in its own juice, and thus not requiring any oils. She is definitely quite the cook. I'll share recipes whenever possible.

003/120

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February 21, 2012 11:56 AM HKT

Day 2 - Adjusting Routines

Finished exercises for day and much more conscious of food intake today. Focused on fruits (banana, tangerine), boiled eggs and mugi-cha (barley tea). Tonight will likely eat meat (chicken) and veggies - with continued diligence towards portion control of less necessary things like starch (rice). Trying to snack during the day with healthy items - veggie sticks. I love carbonated water - and splashing a bit of grapefruit juice in each glass for flavor. Of course, decaf coffee.

In the exercise room today - exercised more moderation as cautioned: 
10 min on stationary bike - 64 cal
10 min on elliptical - 134 cal

Total = 198 cal

002/120

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February 19, 2012 6:38 PM HKT

Getting started

Looking forward to getting started with everyone. No doubt that the commitment - 120 days - will seem a long slog and perhaps even impossible at times. Looking ahead I appreciate any encouragement and words of wisdom others can share. 

Here we go!