Upper Body Tonight Was a Bad Choice

Well, shockingly enough I have gotten some feedback on my blog. More shocking is that people want MOAR! So, who am I to disappoint my admirer(s)? This past week has been a bit of a challenge work-out-wise. Lemme change that - it was a challenge eating-wise. For I set sail from the cozy confines of downtown Tampa to the class lifestyle that is....Ybor City. To say moving was a challenge is an understatement. Two days of blood, sweat, and tears, but here I am, in a bad-ass converted duplex with two great friends. Plus, the neighborhood isn't 'Baghdad-lite' as I originally anticipated. Very quiet, clean, working-class, and in the middle of everything. But now we've got more shit lying around than we know what to do with, and not a lot of motivation at this point to unpack. As a result, eating healthy is a bit of a challenge. Whoduhthunkit? So I gave myself a cheat weekend and got back on the wagon today.

And boy could I have used a) a day off from the gym, and b) good food. 'Cause I kept on my schedule, which called for an upper body workout. Guh. Not to mention I had to go to the Palm Ave Y as opposed to the Downtown Y. Double guh. It was exactly like, well, moving into a new house. Everything isn't where it's supposed to be. There are no familiar faces. And your routine goes out the window. Having to work in between one or two other people isn't conducive to an efficient workout. Plus, and I hate to admit this, but the dudes working out with the dumbbells were fucking jacked. I don't know if I'll ever look like them (or want to), but they looked like they'd use the dumbbells I was using as toothpicks. But I forced myself through my gurrrrrrrrrly maaaaaaahn shame and got to it. Alas it was another instance where I struggled to get through my routine.

Since I wasn't able to get a weigh-in on Saturday, I moseyed on to the scale after my work out. Starting at 201, I'm now at 197. Not a whole lot considering I've been pretty damn good with working out and eating, but I can see the difference. A couple of people at a party on Saturday remarked that, essentially, my face didn't resemble the Stay-Puff marshmallow man. It could've been my pre-pubescent beard covering the chub, but I'll take it. I know I see it in the gut area. Which I couldn't be happier about. Because.....well, I got my measurments done last week. And it ain't pretty.

Like I mentioned from the beginning, my goals are to lose 30 lbs of body fat, gain 10 lbs of muscle, and not wanna shut my eyes when I see myself naked. I was assisted by one of the trainers at the Y to get my body fat and measurements done. Because of the move, I cannot locate them. Rest assured I will post them when I find them. But I ain't gonna like it. And y'all may be shocked. But what I do remember is:

• My biceps, triceps, quads and calves are the same size on the right and left. That means even though I'm a wuss, I've got bad-ass technique. So I've got that going for me. Which is nice.
• My body fat is 27.6%. And conservatively 75% of it is in the gut. Hey check it, ladies: I'M A FUCKING PEAR! COME GET SOME!!!!!!!!
• I kept thinking "Man why couldn't I not be such a lazy slug over the last few years. This wouldn't be so tough otherwise.". An ounce of prevention indeed. Or pounds as the case may be.

So, I'm going to not focus on the weight as much as I will on the measurements and the BF %. I know the weight will come off eventually. If I turn fat into muscle, that will allow me to burn more fat quicker. Then the cycle of transformation continues. Overall, I'm happy with my progress. I have tons more energy throughout the day (mainly because I'm not stuffing my gullet in one food orgy a day), I see results, and my mood is more even throughout the day. So I figure I'll continue down the path towards a healthier lifestyle. If nothing else, it'll feed my ego as more and more people tell me they like reading about this stuff.