The End (Sort of.)

April 24th has come and past and I must say...

Laugh out F***ing loud.

Beginning statistics here.

Height: 5'8 (No change. Dammit.)

Weight: 156.4 (-5lbs)

Neck: 15.5" (--)

Shoulders: 49" (+1")

Chest: 40.5" (+1.5")

Stomach: 32" (-3")

Waist: 32" (-1")

Hips: 37" (--)

Left Bicep: 14.5" (+0.25")

Right Bicep: 14.25" (0.25")

Left Forearm: 11.25" (--)

Right Forearm: (11") (--)

Left Thigh: 22" (+1.5")

Right Thigh: 22" (+1.5")

Left Calf: 14"

Right Calf: 14" (-0.5"???)

In summary, I lost about 5 pounds while collectively putting an inch on my shoulders and chest. Biceps grew a little, while my thighs put on a whopping 1.5 inches each. Interestingly enough, my calfs regained symmetry at the loss of half an inch on my right. Very strange. I'm guessing this could be due to the right ankle sprain I had during this regimen period and the cessation of playing badminton. Though my hip measurement hasn't changed, there's a noticeable difference in the appearance of my glutes from all the squats I've been doing.

Overall, I wasn't anticipating a large growth in any one of these areas due to the nature of this regimen. The main component of course was the change in my midsection with the loss of 3 inches around and one inch around my waist. My waist-to-shoulder ratio has gone from 0.72 to 0.65.

Despite all this, after going to the Bodpod center, my body fat came back at a perplexing 23.9%, which was higher than my original assessment. This was clearly outrageous, in light of all the very noticeable changes:

Left & Right: Before & After

I apologize for not being able to take a more recent picture, this past weekend was a trip to LA where I decidedly freak-binged on carbs and massive amounts of alcohol like the raging alcoholic I used to be. This has continued throughout the week thus far, more or less sabotaging additional aesthetic improvements.

"Self improvement is masturbation. Now self destruction..." - Tyler Durden

I've made the decision to take a break and just eat whatever the hell I want this week. And also to get a refund from the Bodpod center for its clear lack of accuracy. As for this blog, I'm going to consider continuing it throughout the summer as I plan to overhaul my diet and workout regimen again toward different goals (gaining arm size & muscle mass, etc.). I've gotten some tips from fitness models recently that I want to experiment with and implement. And of course, there are several subjects that I still wish to write about that I haven't had the chance to yet.

Overall, these past three months have been a great learning experience. I've come to realize just how sedentary and unhealthy most of us are in our day to day routines. Issues like sleep and the types/amounts of foods we put into our bodies directly affect everything from our moods to our productivity to how healthy and radiant our skin looks. Yet so much of our population still turn to things like antidepressants, face washes, acne medication, fad weight loss diets, artificial hormones etc. to correct our issues when the real problem lies in our everyday lifestyle. As a population, I believe we need to become more educated about how our bodies respond to natural remedies such as proper nutrition, exercise and sleep before we resort to other pathways.

I digress.

I started a bodyspace page for those of you interested in looking at a better side by side comparison: Click here.

Comments and feedback appreciated. Till next time!

Sleep: Improving and Correcting Your Circadian Rhythm

Although my blog's time is near it's end, this has been an entry I've been dying to write for the past week and a half.

I have struggled with proper sleep for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was little, my parents would try to force me to go to sleep at 11pm. I would lie in bed and toss and turn and not fall asleep until much later. This gave way to college, where free reign over my own schedule led to disastrous and dysfunctional consequences. I ended up sleeping later and later until at one point in time, I was literally going to sleep when the sun rose and waking up when then sun set. Not exactly a healthy lifestyle by any means, but I'm sure anyone else that has been through college and had to cram for exams can identify on some extent.

Now that a large majority of us are working professionals, the issue of sleep becomes even more important because there never seems to be enough hours in the day to take care of our personal errands after eight hours of work. Since I started this blog, the single most difficult hurdle to overcome in my workout regimen was to wake up in the mornings and do cardio. Below is a sample chart of my current circadian rhythm to illustrate.

Click for Larger View

Millions of us suffer from this condition and it's actually a fairly common one entitled Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS). This is a result of our internal circadian rhythms not being in sync with a regular 24 hour day. Of course, in the past before electricity and artificial light, this was never a problem because we received our cues to wake up and go to sleep from the sun. We lived outdoors. These days, we spend the majority of our time indoors, away from the sun. To exacerbate this situation further, we have LED computer monitors, TVs and artificial lighting which confuse our brains even more. As a result, we stay up later, and we wake up later. We're groggy and tired all day long. It's a vicious cycle which leads us to being less productive and less likely to achieve our health & fitness goals (or any other goals for that matter).

The Science:

In the back of our eyes, in addition to the rod & cone photoreceptors, there's another type that scientists have recently discovered (well, more like 10 years ago) called 'melanopsin' photoreceptors. These photoreceptors lie on the edges of the retina and have but one primary purpose, which is to absorb a specific wavelength of blue light. Any guess as to what this wavelength of blue light looks like? This should come as no surprise when I tell you it is the color of the clear blue sky. When this type of blue light hits these photoreceptors, it initiates a cascade of hormonal reactions in your brain that cause you to WAKE UP.

Not sleeping well? Feeling groggy in the mornings? Can't go to sleep at night? When was the last time you saw the blue sky for, oh I dunno, 15-20 minutes per day in the mornings? Never? Me too. What's more is that artificial indoor light provides almost none of this wavelength of light.

Fortunately for us, the lovely people over at Phillips have created a solution to this. It is a simple device called the GoLite BLU that emits a ton of blue light from this wavelength. The great things about this product are:

1. It cues your body to have a natural hormonal response instead of artificially ingesting hormones like melatonin.

2. Light therapy for correcting sleep overlaps with correcting jet lag and Seasonal Affective Disorder (People who get moody during the winter months)

3. It is proven to work. I just received the item in the mail last night so I can't testify to its effectiveness yet, but over 200 reviewers at Amazon.com giving an average of 4.5 stars saying how this device has turned them from chronic night owls to morning people can't be all wrong. In addition to this, Timothy Ferris of 4 Hour Body quotes this to be the singularly most effective corrective sleeping tool in his arsenal. Check it out here.

Ultimately, if you have problems sleeping, one of the first things you should analyze are your light cues. Respect the fact that your body's internal clock is sensitive and reacts to light. How much natural sunlight are you getting when you wake up? How much artificial light is keeping you up in the evenings (Computer monitors, TVs, having all the lights on)? Are you sleeping in complete darkness? Do you use curtains to block out the sun so you can sleep until noon? These are all things that can mess up your circadian rhythm.

For more information and a test/chart to see how off your internal clock is, check out this website:

Circadian Rhythm Test

I wish you a sound night's sleep!

Final Stretch: On Supplementation

With just one week left, it doesn't look like I'm making anymore visible progress. The stubborn thin layer of fat that is left around my midsection doesn't seem to be going anywhere despite everything I've done. There is very slight separation in my rectus abdominis (which really pisses me off) and it's really only visible in certain angles of lighting. If I had to estimate, I'd still say I'm between 10-15% body fat.

I've put some thought into what I'm going to do after April 24th and I've decided to take a week off to take a step back and reevaluate everything. Everything I've been doing these past few weeks has been pretty taxing, but I also feel like I'm getting into the groove of it and making it a habit.

I stopped swimming for a while now because of hectic scheduling but once I get a day off I think I'm going to permanently sign up for that Master's swim class. There was a noticeable difference in my physique after just one session.

Ultimately, I believe that my current cardio intensity isn't taxing enough.

With that said, I've thought about my blog as a whole recently and contemplated subjects that were missing that a curious fellow fat loss individual might be interested in. Supplementation immediately came to mind as something I have not touched on yet. When training as much as 4 days a week and then doing cardio on top of it, the body quickly wears down if not given the proper nutrients to keep it going. Some examples include glutamine deficiencies (an important branched chain amino acid that is rapidly depleted after weight training), wear and tear on joints and ligaments, the all important protein powder to address muscle rebuilding, as well as just general micro-nutrient deficiencies because of the increased stress on your body to rebuild.

Without further ado, here are some of the supplements I'm currently taking to address these issues:

100% Optimum Whey

I've been using this protein powder since college and I can't really say anything bad about it. Fast absorbing and fairly standard and cheap if you buy a 10lbs bag that lasts you like a year. I take this post workout mainly, and occasionally in a smoothie as a meal replacement in order to get my daily protein requirements. I try to eat solid foods as much as possible though, as this doesn't usually provide the same feeling of satiety as a good meal would.

100% Optimum Casein

Another type of protein derived from milk that is taken right before bed. Casein has been highly underrated but studies have shown that when taken in combination with whey, it can accelerate fat loss. The primary idea behind why you take casein is that it is a slower digesting protein that is slowly released throughout the night while you are sleeping. As a result, your body never goes through a serious fast while you are sleeping and it has the necessary building blocks to regenerate while you sleep. When taken, casein reacts with your stomach acids and actually gels and coagulates giving you a stronger sensation of satiety than whey. Very useful, but needs to be taken in moderation and at the right times. Taking too much could lead to digestive issues.

A Good Multi Vitamin

This is probably a given, but it's always good to cover all your bases even if you are getting the necessary nutrients in your diet. Statistically speaking, the average American diet is highly nutrient deficient, which turns this into an essential. In addition to this, weight training usually causes your body to rapidly utilize massive amounts of B vitamins so it's important to choose a high performance vitamin which gives you higher doses of these and other nutrients, than to choose a normal one generally designed for sedentary people. I use Kirkland's Premium Performance multivitamin. It's cheap and you can get it at Costco, but for those more serious, there's also Optimum Optimen which is a high performance multi that bodybuilding.com produces that is very popular.

Fish Oil

The all important omega-3 supplement. It does everything from providing the building blocks to your brain to lowering your cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as balancing out your hormones. As mentioned in a previous post, Our diet skews essential fatty acids away from omega-3s making us highly deficient. This isn't really hard to get as there's just billions of types out there. I like Coromega because it tastes like pudding and has more effective absorption, but I'm also currently taking Blue Ice Royal Vitamin Butter & Cod Liver Oil at the suggestion of Timothy Ferris of The 4 Hour Body. Vitamin butter not only contains omega-3s, but it also has substantial quantities of vitamin A and D plus CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) which supposedly has additional fat loss and beneficial properties. Ultimately of course, it's your choice as there's a plethora of fish oils to choose from and most of them are very good quality.

Joint Supplementation

This applies specifically to those who have previous sprains or joint aggravations. I take Move Free which is a great product that not only contains glucosamine and chondroitin (the two main ingredients to help joint lubrication and flexibility) but also a 2,000 IU supplement of all important vitamin D3 that I discussed in a previous post. The D3 in the multi usually isn't enough.

Other optionals:

NO-Explode

A pre-workout supplement that I probably wouldn't be taking if it wasn't given to me. (Thanks Stephanie!) But this has made a HUGE difference in my ability to be consistent with working out. There's been many times where I've just felt like shit or felt too tired to workout even though it was my day to go, but after taking this beforehand, I can get through my workouts with higher intensity and faster speeds. Really an amazing effect on focus and energy without adding to caloric intake. A general concoction of caffeine, BCAAs and creatine.

Fat Burners/Thermogenics

This is getting into questionable territory and not recommended usually if you're not already at a certain level of fitness. These usually manipulate some sort of hormonal response including but not limited to thyroid hormone conversions, adrenaline release, in addition to added caffeine. I'm experimenting with one called OxyElite Pro right now, and I'm interested to see the effects, but definitely not something I plan on taking long term.

That's pretty much all I have for now. Questions, comments or responses are welcome.

Stay tuned!

Two Weeks Left

For those of you who don't know, a quick reminder that my goal date of April 24th is coming up in two weeks now. That date will mark the end of my self imposed three months to lose as much fat from my body as possible.

I've already scheduled my Bod Pod appointment in two weeks for Friday, April 22. From the looks of it, I don't think I'll be anywhere near 6% as I've now realized that it takes me more than just diet and exercise to have body fat percentages that low. I do believe that I am genetically predisposed to a higher body fat percentage, but I think my goal of cutting to under 10 is still within reach. I'm experimenting with a thermogenic supplement that was highly recommended by reviewers. I'm pretty skeptical about it so I'm taking it very slow.

The question comes to mind of what I'll do after April 24th, since this has been such a focus of my life these past three months. Should I continue my journey? Attempt to make this a permanent lifestyle change? Or veg out and eat pizza and wings all day long while I play starcraft II for five hours straight? And let's not forget going out to drink massive amounts of alcohol.

On the flip side, summer is coming, and it would seem ass backwards to throw away all the hard work right when the season has come to show it off.

What to do, what to do...

Why You (YES YOU!) are Vitamin D Deficient

Do you work in a building?

Do you live in an area where it's been raining a lot and you haven't seen the sun in a while?

Do you wear sunscreen every time you go out?

Do you fear skin cancer like a person living in 14th century Europe fears the bubonic plague?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are probably vitamin D deficient!

For those of you unfamiliar with vitamin D, it is divided into two types: D3 and D2. D2 is more or less useless to humans and usually found in plants and fungus, so for all intents and purposes, references to vitamin D will specifically refer to D3.

So! Back to why you are deficient...

The reason for this is because vitamin D is one of the only nutrients (the only?) that your body synthesizes solely from your skin's reaction with sunlight. It's also interesting to note that because D3 is produced in the body, it isn't actually a vitamin so much as it is a hormone! Ah the constant references to hormones in this blog tickle me silly. Are you beginning to see a pattern behind why hormonal balance is so important to our bodies regardless of our health goals?

Anyways, I digress.

Vitamin D3 is a very important nutrient/hormone precursor because of its vital role in bone health, calcium absorption, and the prevention of osteoporosis. In addition to bone benefits, vitamin D3 also plays a wide role in overall health and immunity as well as your sense of well being. Symptoms of deficiency can include any of the following:

-Depression,

-Fatigue,

-High Blood Pressure,

-Bone Pain,

-And in the case of severe deficiency, Rickets.

What's more is that deficiency has also been linked to obesity, insulin resistance and heart disease. Not to mention that because it is so centrally involved in calcium absorption, and calcium has been shown to promote fat loss, it ties in nicely with the theme of this blog. (Yeah, I bet you were wondering why I was writing about this.)

I first became aware of this deficiency after a routine blood test I took with my doctor. Of course, I was deficient. But it wasn't until I did a little research that I realized what a common and easily preventable deficiency it was. The current recommended daily intake of D3 (400-600IU) is so low that people taking these amounts through a multivitamin are still possibly not getting enough. The new revised recommendation has been upped to 2,000 IU. For people taking calcium supplements, it's also important to make sure that your calcium supplement has D3 paired with it. Because of the importance of D3 in the function of the body's absorption of calcium, you're basically spinning your wheels if you're taking calcium while being D3 deficient.

Overall, if you're experiencing any of the above symptoms, especially depression, it's important to consider whether your body has micronutrient deficiencies before considering pharmaceutical products such as antidepressants. A great little resource to use is SpectraCell Laboratories. These clinics go to the extreme and measure specific micronutrient and vitamin deficiencies in your body. Sessions run around $300 but give you valuable information on what your body might be missing.

Stay healthy people!

Pumped: Blood Flow & The Illusion of Muscularity

It's interesting to see the difference in your body before and after a workout. This was taken Wednesday, April 6th 2011 right after my chest & tricep session. You'll notice an immediate difference between this picture and the picture in my last post just 4 days prior. My chest and shoulders look much more developed, and this is simply due to blood engorging the area afterwards. I've discovered that all fitness models utilize this "pump" effect in their photoshoots by lifting weights just prior to photo taking. Word to the public: they don't actually look like that on a day to day basis! I'll try to demonstrate this to full effect one of these days by going through a full circuit workout (working every muscle group) right before taking a photo.

Progress is coming along nicely and I estimate this to be around 12-13%BF as rectus abdominis definition becomes more pronounced.

The secret ingredient? Master's swimming classes.

Actual informative posts to come this weekend. (I apologize to those tired of looking at my vanity pictures.)

Stay tuned.

Diminishing Returns (Week 10)

I haven't had a progress picture in a while so I thought I would take one. The above picture was taken without the high contrast lighting that I used last time. Though it's not as clear, the beginnings of the rectus abdominis are starting to become visible as the layer of subcutaneous fat over my midsection becomes thinner and thinner. If you compare this with the picture from three weeks ago there is a slightly less smooth appearance. The difference however isn't as profound as compared to my beginning picture.

With just three weeks left until my self imposed goal date I find it harder and harder to make visible progress. I joined a master's swimming class this past week and did 400 IMs which completely destroyed me. I woke up the next morning literally 5 lbs lighter and more cut than I ever was in my life.

Then I drank some water and ate and the results disappeared. :(

I reevaluated my diet this past week and decided to eliminate all dairy and as much fat as possible. Yes, I was still consuming dairy in the mornings in the form of cheese in the occasional Egg McMuffin and Lunchables (because I hate waking up in the mornings and I never seem to find time to eat this important first meal). I'm a fraud, don't hate me.

The results have been quite interesting as my sex drive and general vigor for life has dropped and my mood has become more complacent and blasé. For those of you who don't know, cholesterol and fats are the primary building blocks for sex hormones in our body, and I suspect this is the main reason why this has happened. (Yes people, fat is necessary and good for you in the right amounts.) I plan to slowly reintroduce small amounts of healthy fats into my diet through raw nuts, avocados and a larger consumption of fish such as salmon and tuna... but for now, I'm somewhat interested in seeing just how far I can push my body to the dark side by nearly depleting all fat from my diet. Masochistic? Maybe. *Insert evil laugh here*

Stay tuned.

Cheat Day Adventures!

I apologize for not updating more frequently, I usually try to throw in a post at least once a week to keep up with progress but I've gone by these last few weeks remarkably silent. Which is funny because I do have a few topics that I wanted to discuss and share here but have lacked the effort and motivation to do so recently. With that said, I haven't really been posting anything interesting with my cheat days so I thought I would update with respect to that. Enjoy!

Crab House SF:

Fat Tire & Garlic Fries

Fleur De Lys:

Amuse of quinoa, chorizo & mustard w/ parsley whipped cream, tomato cappucino

Foie Gras & Duck Slider, Black Truffled Popcorn, some ridiculous black truffle crockpot thing.

I don't know what this was, but it was fucking delicious.

Black truffles, foie gras, braised beef all in a concentrated consomme. Heaven.

Black Truffle Mushroom French Toast on the left, Seabass on the right.

The French Toast was way better.

Kobe Beef Cheeks, Truffled Potatoes and Spinach

Lamb Shank & Lamb Loin

Cheesecake! Chocolate Cupcake! Ice Cream!

Finishing Amuse: Fresh Madelines, Gingerbread, Chocolate Fondue

Chocolate and fruit tarts on top.

And then some sugar coated candy for good measure:

On Ankles Sprains: Breakthroughs for Quicker Recoveries and Prevention

I sprain my ankles like I used drink alcohol: Often, and hard.

So it should be of no surprise when I tell you that this past week I had a mild aftershock of the earlier incident a few weeks back. I was walking out of the gym and managed to step on a slightly uneven part of the concrete and BAM! Sprained it AGAIN.

EPIC FAIL.

Luckily it was just a mild sprain and I could move on it again quickly, but that didn't change the amount of pain I experienced immediately afterwards. I sat on the ground outside of 24 hour fitness doing something like this for ten minutes:

What's more embarrassing is that the receptionist came outside offering to call 911. Seriously? from WALKING? This was the last straw.

I was immediately prompted to look up everything I could about ankle recovery and rehabilitation. It's amusing that I could spend so much time on the intricacies of dieting and exercise and not have a clue about what I could do to improve the condition of this common injury and possibly decrease the likelihood of it happening again. I guess I used to think that this was just something people had to deal with like the common cold. I now know that this isn't the case. So for those of you who have experienced this in the past, I'd like to share with you some interesting new (sort of) techniques to speed recovery and promote prevention.

On Recovery:

The old adage of RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) to treat a sprained ankle is archaic and now somewhat obsolete . Physical trainers have found that this is a very slow and inconvenient process that could take weeks to recovery. Instead, many sources including my current physical therapist now advocate a different process that could have you up and running as soon a DAY after, even for severe sprains. What's the secret?

The first ten minutes of an ankle sprain are critical. Your body is responding to the shock by sending massive amounts of blood to the area to stabilize and prevent movement. This causes the severe swelling that we usually associate with sprains. While sometimes this might be a good thing, swelling actually hinders the recovery process if the blood is allowed to remain in the area and prevent movement. Hence the new method of treating ankle sprains is as follows:

1. Ice/compress/elevate immediately in the first 10 minutes. The goal of this is to do everything in your power to prevent your blood from pooling in the ankle. You want to stop swelling before it can happen.

2. While icing, start moving your ankle joint immediately after the pain has subsided. Don't force large movements that increase pain, but move your joint within a tolerable range of motion. The goal of this is to promote blood circulation, which does two things: 1. Prevents pooling and swelling of blood to the area, and 2. Brings fresh blood to the joint to accelerate the healing process.

3. See a physical therapist as soon as possible for soft tissue massage work. Physical therapy on a sprain hurts like hell, but will improve blood circulation and increase your tolerable range of motion immensely to the point where you can do everyday activities and maybe even exercise again. They literally squeeze the swelling out of the area if you have any left.

On Rehabilitation and Prevention:

This was something I used to ignore completely, but now know is an important part of preventing injury in the future. Everytime you sprain your ankle, the tendons/ligaments in the area grow a little looser. In addition to this, sprains in the first place are indicators of an imbalance in your ankle stabilizing muscles (Read here for geek explanation) as well as poor flexibility and inadequate joint proprioception (i.e.: sense of joint position a.k.a. knowing your foot's in the wrong position so you can correct it before it lands on the ground).

Thus, proper rehabilitation focuses not only on increasing ankle stability by strengthening the proper muscles, but also on balance and concentration exercises to improve proprioception. The following are some great instructional and demonstrative videos:

They say the majority of ankle injuries are caused from previous ankle sprains not properly rehabilitated. (Um... guilty as charged?) So it's important to reiterate the importance of a rehabilitation regimen shortly following injury. DO THESE EXERCISES IF YOU SPRAIN YOUR ANKLE.

I'm already working on these exercises as I blog about this. I have strengthening bands and wobble boards on the way. For anyone interested in these items, you can find them here:

Wobble Board

Therabands

Hope you find this information useful!

Five Weeks Left: Increasing Intensity and Focus

I'd like to thank everyone for all the encouraging words these last few days!

It has motivated me to train harder and more consistently than ever before. To be honest, I'm probably victim to a bit of body/muscle dysmorphia. I spend a good amount of time looking at picture examples of what I'd like to achieve, and then when I look back on my own body, I still see a blubbering tub of lard that hasn't changed much. After all let's be honest, I'm still a far ways away from something like this:

So despite this fact, it wasn't until I posted a side by side comparison that I realized that there has been progress these last few weeks.

A certain concept has crystallized for me the last two days: I realize that if I'm truly serious about looking like these people do, I have to train exactly as they do. As a result, I've spent some time last night going through the regimens of dozens of fitness models (http://sixpacknow.com/abs_six_pack.html) and cross referencing them to determine the major commonalities in their training and diets. I've come up with the following:

Training:

1. The proliferation of cardio or high intensity interval training (HIIT) 3-4 days a week in the mornings before breakfast

2. Weight training at least 4 days a week

3. An intense ab regimen usually consisting of three to four different weighted and unweighted ab exercises consisting of 3-4 sets of 15 reps

4. The proliferation of supersets and compound exercises with minimal rest during weight training to activate cardiovascular activity

Diet:

1. Eating consistently every 3 hours for 5-6 times a day and consuming an adequate amount of protein each meal period.

2. Ceasing carbohydrate intake after a certain point in the evening usually between 6-8pm.

3. Consuming only low glycemic index carbs throughout the day except for before and after weight training.

4. Zero sugar and saturated fats.

Training-wise, my intensity level is still quite a bit lower than what these people are doing, and I haven't been using many of these ideas. The diet aspect is probably the most difficult to achieve simply due to scheduling of work, but I have it planned out. I plan to implement all of these points with strictness and discipline starting next week. A sample weekday diet schedule:

7:30am: Wake up

8-8:30am: Cardio on the elliptical

9am: Breakfast (two eggs, 3oz smoked salmon, steel cut oats)

12pm: Chicken tenderloins, broccoli, brown rice

3:30pm: Turkey & avocado sandwich on whole wheat

7pm: Pre-workout 1/2 protein shake & NO Xplode

8pm: Post-workout rice crackers & remaining 1/2 protein shake

10pm: Casein protein before sleep

As for training, I'll probably be researching compound and superset exercises this weekend to figure out a proper 4 day training schedule. Weekends will be reserved for HIIT in the swimming pool for a minimum of an hour and 20 laps while mornings will be reserved for half hour steady-cardio.

Admittedly, making these changes will turn this small past-time I've been doing these last few weeks into a major lifestyle priority. I can already hear the voices in my head saying "You have no life! All you do is workout and eat cardboard and rabbit food!" But at the same time, I've already made the commitment to change within these three short months, why not go all in and dedicate myself completely with the time remaining?

Before & After (So Far)

A Comparison:

Left: January 24, 2011

Right: March 14, 2011

Entering Week 8: Slowly But Surely...

Current body fat estimate: 12-15%

As mentioned before, the additional cardio I've been able to do since my ankle healed has made a significant impact. The amount of subcutaneous fat around my midsection has decreased considerably and I'm only able to grab a small portion when pinching the side of my abdomen. Visceral fat also shows a marked decrease as my stomach is much flatter now, and I'm able to suck it in further than previously. Despite all this, it's important to note that my weight hasn't changed that much. Currently I'm around 157lbs, down from the starting 162.

I've almost ceased lower abdominal exercises because I feel that my lower abs are almost overdeveloped. From this point forward I'll be focusing on cardio, myotatic and weighted cable crunches to to really bring out the definition of my upper abs. Even with these improvements, there's still a good amount to lose.

Visible results are a strong motivator. Waking up early tomorrow to do more cardio!

Think Soy is Good for You? Think again...

I'm sure most of you are like me and have grown up to believe that soy is some sort of super health food. However, studies done time and again are uncovering the incredible detrimental effects it has on the human body, including, but not limited to:

Hypothyroidism

Infertility/reproductive issues

Trypsin inhibitors which cause pancreatic disorders

Increased risk of breast and thyroid cancer

In men, the phytoestrogens in soy act like the actual estrogen hormone in your body and produce all associated symptoms:

Lower testosterone levels

Low sperm count

Infertility

Raised Estrogen

Increased fat storage in your pecs, hips and thighs

Read more here:

http://www.optimumchoices.com/Soy.htm

http://www.skrewtips.com/2008/02/08/oh-soy-bad-how-we-are-mislead-about-the-benefits-of-soy/

http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/soy.htm

http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/

Trouble with Acne and Breakouts? (The Importance of EFAs)

An update going into week 8, getting back into consistent cardio, and doing it before breakfast has definitely made a visible difference this past week. A new idea that I've also been incorporating into my regimen is, in addition to eating consistently every three hours, to eat until I'm satisfied but never full. In other words, if full is 100%, then you're always aiming to eat to around 70-75%. Your goal is to never let yourself get hungry, but also to never let yourself get too full. I think this has also contributed significantly to my changes this week since I used to always eat until I was full.

An example of my diet regimen on a cardio day would be:

7:30am: cardio for 30 mins - hour

9am: breakfast

12pm: lunch

3pm: snack/protein bar/protein shake

6pm: dinner

9pm: protein shake with zero carbs

Updated pictures to come.

A new 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport opened up today and I went there to check out their pool first thing upon awakening, which was at 10:30am. Don't laugh because I can't wake up. This place was utterly packed on their grand opening day. I ended up having to park what felt like a mile away in a separate parking lot. Needless to say a ton of people were there. Hopped into the pool and did just 10 laps back and forth. Felt really good. Taking spin class tomorrow morning as well!

With that said, one of the things I've wanted to talk about since I started my diet regimen is acne. The first 3-4 weeks into it, I noticed my skin tone becoming uneven and red bumps becoming more prevalent. I noticed some other people struggling with breaking out too, albeit for different reasons, which led me to do some research on the internet about how to properly diet to reduce this issue. Along the way I found this great resource from an individual who manages his own website dedicated strictly to clear skin:

http://howtoclearyouracne.com/main/

One important aspect that I strongly agree with is the balance of our body's Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs: Omega 3s, omega 6s, omega 9s) and breaking out. The two are closely correlated. It is postulated that the balance of EFAs in our bodies should be a ratio close to 1:1 or 2:1 of omega 6s vs. omega 3s. These days with our foods heavy in omega 6s (eggs, cheese, meat etc.) the balance has skewed closer to 20:1. Long story short, omega 6s increase your body's inflammation response while omega 3s help lower them. Usually, inflammation is a good thing for your immune system because it helps your body fight off infection and disease. But of course with the levels of omega 6s that are prevalent now, our bodies overreact which lead to a whole host of conditions; one of which is breaking out! So in summary, you're most likely deficient in omega 3s. If you break out a lot, one of the things you can do is to start taking supplements or incorporating a large amount of fish into your diet.

Check out that website!

Week 7 (Easing back into Cardio)

My ankle has recovered to almost 100%!

There is very little discomfort when I exercise now and I'm really happy about that. I've eased back into cardio, but no badminton or HIIT since I don't want to risk re-injury from more dynamic motions. I started off the day with 45 minutes on the elliptical and another 15 on the rowing machine. I've had some additional energy to complete workouts on an empty stomach from the help of a supplement called NO-Xplode; essentially a concoction consisting of creatine, amino acids, caffeine and NO (nitric oxide) for vaso-dilation. (Thanks Stephanie.) My feelings about this product are still very mixed because it is in essence a stimulant and bordering on unnatural to me. I've never even taken creatine before. Regardless, I'm Asian and since my friend was kind enough to donate a jar of this stuff to me, I'd feel bad for not using and wasting it.

Static-state cardio on machines is probably the most boring thing you can do on the face of the earth. I seriously would rather watch paint dry or linoleum curl. I worked through it though and went first thing upon awakening before eating anything. Went again later this evening with my friend Jeff and did another hour of combined bicycle, elliptical and rowing machine. All in all a total of close to two hours of cardio; it felt very productive, but who knows if there will be any results? My upcoming weekly schedule has updated to accommodate the additional cardio:

Monday: Back and Biceps

Tuesday: Cardio (Swimming or treadmilling first thing in the morning)

Wednesday: Chest and Triceps

Thursday: Cardio

Friday: Legs and Shoulders.

Saturday: Cardio (swimming)

Sunday: Rest

Abs on cardio days.

Diet hasn't changed much, but I will discuss that and other complications I've experienced in a complementary post immediately following this one.

Progress:

In terms of fat loss, I feel like these last 6 weeks have been an epic fail overall. I've used injury as a crutch to not do cardio and I feel like I haven't made any progress at all thus far. Though I plan to stick to my diet and workout regimen as strictly as possible, I'm fearing little change come April 24th.

My abs have gotten significantly bulkier and harder when I flex. This is most likely due to the high number of weighted myotatic crunches I've been doing. A bulky midsection isn't exactly what I want, so I'm taking steps to lower the weight and increasing the repetitions for the future.

Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Week Five Done

Baja Fresh's Chicken Caesar Salad.

A great option for dinner.

High in protein with big chunks of chicken

Healthy fats from slices of avocado.

Low in carbs.

$7-8

Taken 2/27/11

I feel like a lot of time has passed and I haven't been getting results as fast as I've wanted to, but I remind myself that I still have nearly two months to go. I've altered my current workout regimen to a four day training week:

Monday: Back

Tuesday: Chest

Thursday Shoulders & Arms

Friday: Legs

With hypothetical cardio on Wednesday & Saturday. I say hypothetical because I haven't done any in the last two weeks due to my ankle.

The ankle is a lot better these days, swelling is gone and bruising is almost all gone, but still very stiff with a little bit of discomfort when walking. Regardless, I can walk now without any sort of limping. I'm going to aim for my first session of HIIT cardio via swimming this Wednesday.

As mentioned previously, I wanted to touch again on human growth hormone. Since I'm learning about it myself, I don't think writing about it would do the original article as much justice. Read here!

Stop Obsessing Over Your Weight

For as long as I've known, there's this whole cultural phenomenon of girls obsessing over their weight. Now if you were overweight or morbidly obese, I could understand this, but most of these people are in a healthy weight range looking simply to improve their physique. After hearing the thousandth complaint in my life about working out and not losing weight, I feel like I have to write something to address this completely misconstrued issue about fitness, and more importantly, physical attractiveness.

First off, a little comparison:

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Now just based on the shapes of their bodies, who do you think is more physically attractive?

This is obviously a rhetorical question. If you're at all related to the human genome you would say without a doubt, exhibit B. Now let's ask a more interesting question:

Who do you think weighs less?

Guess what. The girl in exhibit A is 105-110lbs according to where I saw this. The girl in exhibit B is Janessa Brazil, a brazilian model who is self proclaimed at 120lbs. That's right, 10 pounds of difference. Now ask yourself this: Would you rather look like A? Or B?

The issue with always obsessing over your weight is the fact that you completely ignore your body composition. If you're losing weight simply for the principle of losing weight, then by all means, go anorexic before anyone cares. But if you're losing weight to become healthier or more physically attractive (which I think undoubtedly, most people are) then you're totally barking up the wrong tree.

There's a big difference between weighing less and actually being lean. You could be 10 lbs skinnier and still look like a flabby surfboard, or you could weigh the same with a lower body fat percentage and end up looking like a bikini model. The difference is your body composition.

If you're not morbidly obese and just trying to improve your physique, stop worrying about the scale. In the end it's not about how much you weigh, it's about how lean you are. It's about how your body looks in the mirror. The next time you want to step on that scale, try this instead: Take measurements of your waist and hips. Work on increasing the difference between them. Your waist-to-hip ratio is an excellent indicator of progress, and coincidentally, a primary characteristic that men find highly attractive.

Four Weeks In

This is more of an overview of the last four weeks than anything else. I haven't updated very much recently simply because of injuries. I notice a lot of the last four weeks have been hampered with them; shoulder hurts, wrist sprain, and now this crazy number on my ankle. Despite the debilitation, I've made noticeable progress toward my goal and I'm beginning see the outlines of the rectus abdominis. There's still 2 months left and I think I have plenty of time, but it revolves around recovering and staying healthy.

I've read several articles on how to recover faster and one of them that I've stumbled across involves naturally increasing the body's production of human growth hormone (HGH). For those of you that don't know, aside from creating puberty, this important hormone is what's responsible for our body's healing capacity and keeping us young and vibrant. It's why two 75 year olds can literally look 20 years apart. One takes care of their body, the other doesn't. You can naturally increase your body's production of HGH through certain methods of exercise and proper sleep scheduling.

I went back to the gym last night for the first time since Wednesday. Cutting out badminton and cardio until my foot gets better and sticking to a specific weight training schedule designed to help increase testosterone and HGH. Will tell you about it later. For now, I've upped carbs and rested in order to give my body more energy to recover faster. It's been raining quite frequently in San Jose recently. More on wonderful HGH to come!

Wednesday: Weights? No problem.

Hitting around a little piece of cork with feathers right afterwards?

Hyper-pronation fail. Pretty pissed at myself. After playing for more than a year without spraining my ankle, this happens. Ironic given what I said in my last post. Cardio (well, almost all exercise) is lights out at this point. Going to the therapist tomorrow to see what the damage is. Hopefully the progress I've made thus far won't be in vain. Keep your fingers crossed.

Week Four Progress (Day 23)

I've been pretty preoccupied this past weekend which explains why I haven't been updating as often as I'd like. I tried jogging in the morning this past weekend and just couldn't get myself to go at it 100%. A combination of being both tired and hungry and having the sun shine in your face once you wake up just wasn't conducive.

Instead, I started swimming this week. Despite my shoulder feeling better, swimming definitely re-aggravated it. I feel like all the therapy I've invested in my shoulder has gone down the drain because I'm constantly using it with exercise. Great results from swimming though, and if I can get my shoulder back to the way it was, I think I'll be doing much better than previously.

Cheat day 3 update: A friend and I made Beef Bourgignon this weekend, which is a fancy name for French beef stew, or Beef Burgundy. The thing literally took the entire day to make, and I couldn't help but feel that the finished product simply wasn't worth all the effort. Don't get me wrong, it tasted great, just not 8-hours-of-preparation-great. Part of the recipe that we used called for separating the beef from the broth during the process, and as a result, some of the beef became dry and tough. If I ever make this again, I'll be sure to keep the beef moist somehow, or use a different like brisket instead of chuck roast. The sauce was fantastic, and tasted even better the next day. We used an entire bottle of Pinot Noir.

This week's plan: Cardio 3x week, Weight training/Gym remaining 4 days. Let's see how much I can destroy myself without injury (Weird sentence? I think so.) Working on increasing the amount of slow carbs to 2-400g/day I'm ingesting to compensate for the increased activity. Again, still no carbs after 8pm though.

Note to self: Need to work on sleeping schedule. Stay tuned for more!

Inspiration

I thought this was a great website to share with anyone interested in what fitness models do to get their bodies in shape. The site gives each model space to detail out their diet plans and workout regimens. For once you can see exactly what these people do to get their body fat percentages so low! There are both male and female models. Check it out:

http://sixpacknow.com/abs_six_pack.html

One common denominator that I've noticed is the proliferation of high intensity interval training (HIIT) before breakfast in the morning. Even though I hate running, I'm seriously considering adding it to my repertoire given all these examples. Even though I've been dedicated and consistent, I haven't gotten the burn that makes me feel I've put my body through a really good workout lately.

Next week I'm going to start HIIT running through my neighborhood.

The Case Against P90x

Several friends have asked me why I don't just do P90x if I'm on this perfectly time-allocated three month project. Before I start, don't get me wrong about this program. I'm not saying it doesn't work. The fact of the matter is I know many people that have tried it and gotten great results from just a few weeks. But there's a few reasons why I don't personally jump on the deceivingly convenient P90x bandwagon.

1. Too focused on the exercises instead of the diet.

Diet is 80% of the equation. I dislike how P90x focuses the majority of the attention on their workouts and videos. All you get with their program is a little handbook on diet while there's this massive collection of exercise DVDs.

2. Sold as a quick and easy patch for people who are out of shape. Except it's...

3. Not that quick and easy.

I have yet to meet someone who has actually gone through the entire program. I know people that have gotten great results maybe halfway or even 75% of the way, but never someone who has gone through it all. I personally couldn't get through more than a week of it, mostly because I hated being cooped up at home in front of a TV to work out, but I digress. Exercise and diet regimens should be easy to follow and stick to and be adaptable to an overall lifestyle.

4. I've posted this quote previously, but I'll post it again: "As to methods, there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

A main reason for why I started this blog, aside from keeping track of my workouts and diet, was to discover, present and share knowledge about fitness and fat loss. I believe the crux behind healthy fat loss is composed of just a few fundamental principles. If you understand and implement these principles, you can create a program suitable to your own liking instead of following a rigid one you might not stick to. Ultimately, it's important to understand why you're doing certain exercises and eating certain things as well as how your body responds to these stimuli. When you follow a cookie cutter program, you may miss out on a lot of this knowledge.

With that said, we are almost to the end of week 3! A brief synopsis of my workouts to this date:

Tuesday I played a few hours of badminton. I decided I needed to up my carb intake for the day due to the intensity and length of exercise. I noticed that my calorie deficit has been too high the past two weeks and I'm looking for a method or at least a basic archetype for determining more exactly a ballpark calorie range per day depending on my level of physical activity. The point is to not trigger the hormones that slow metabolism (i.e.: when you're starving and your body starts to conserve fat)

Wednesday: Back and shoulders with some compound exercises. Overall, maintaining progress. I'll save the progress pics when more drastic changes are apparent. Taking pictures of myself every week feels pointless and narcissistic.

Week Two Progress - Active Release Technique Update (Day 15)

This last week hasn't shown much visible progress, and I think this is largely due to the fact that I haven't been able to really put in 100% due to my shoulder pain. This has stopped me completely from playing badminton or swimming (a.k.a. my cardio) and hampered any shoulder or incline chest exercises. However, I will say that both my shoulder and wrist have shown considerable improvement over the weekend as I've been able to workout mostly unimpeded today. In summary, Active Release Technique has helped a lot. I recommend anyone try it for their joint irritations before going to a doctor.

The beginnings of some oblique definition

Overall I'd say there's still a LONG way to go. The one thing that I have begun to notice this week was the increase in shoulder and trap definition. I notice the outline of my frame has a much more square look to it compared to the beginning pictures (where I just looked like a round blob.) Regardless, the abdominal region is still very smooth, and if I had to estimate conservatively, I'm still probably around 16-18% bodyfat.

I'm incorporating consistent cardio 4x/week starting this week with both badminton and swimming and also supersets during gym time. I want to increase the intensity.

Cheat Day! (Day 13)

I started off the day with a slight headache. They say this is one of the side effects when you go on a low/slow carb diet and don't consume enough of other foods to compensate for the reduced caloric intake. I never knew you could get headaches if you didn't eat enough!

Anyway, I actually didn't feel like cheating today because I had just gotten into the groove of eating and there wasn't anything in particular that I was craving. Regardless, I promised myself that I'd pig out just because I could, and to also follow through consistently with carb-cycling to see if it was as effective as I've heard.

I made a point to order Round Table's pizza because I wanted it earlier in the week. I had no idea how much I wanted it until I took my first bite of the chicken wings. After half a medium garlic supreme, half a dozen wings and 2 cans of coke (78g of sugar! Can you see insulin spewing from my pores?) I was completely food comatose. Some other things that I splurged on today:

Some expensive ass chocolates

Mom's homemade spinach dip

Carbs! Carbs! Carbs! I don't have a headache anymore. Looking forward to seeing what the damage is come Monday. Progress pictures for week two to come.

A Day of Diet in My Life (Day 13)

I've decided to cease posting my weight since I don't anticipate for it to fluctuate or lower. This was, and still primarily is, a body recomposition blog and not a blog about losing weight. Without further ado:

10:00am:

two eggs over easy

5 Shrimp wontons

1 bowl instant oatmeal + ground flaxseed

performance multivitamin

1 pack coromega (omega 3 supplement)

1:00pm:

2-3 Chicken Tenderloins

24g 100% Optimum whey protein shake

1/2 cup brown rice

Broccoli

1pack coromega

4:00pm:

5 oz ribeye

handful of raw mixed nuts (Archer Farms)

slice of apple

7:00pm:

spinach/broccoli, sugar snap peas

6oz white tuna & salmon sashimi

1/4 cup brown rice

10:00pm:

1 scoop whey/1 scoop casein protein shake

Notes:

This is just what I had today; things may change slightly from day to day. Two important principles to observe in dieting are the old adages "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper" & "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." There is surprising truth to good health in these two quotes. You'll notice how both my carbohydrate intake and overall caloric intake start out very high and taper off throughout the day. Though I've touched on this subject before, I think it's worth reiterating.

The majority of calories, especially carbohydrates, consumed in the morning are readily converted to energy for the body to be used throughout the day. Conversely, carbs that are eaten later in the day such as afternoon and evening are more likely to be stored as fat.

In addition to this, eating a large breakfast with a good amount of protein keeps you full longer and causes you to eat less total throughout the day. Since the majority of the issue with dieting is the constant battle with hunger, this is a really important point to observe.

If you're looking to lose weight and stay lean & healthy, a big breakfast w/protein within an hour of when you wake up in the morning is key! But hey, you don't have to take my word for it:

Breakfast Prevents Obesity

Skipping Breakfast May Lead to Obesity

Eating breakfast may reduce risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease

Cheers!

Back to Basics: Ab Exercises - The Myth of Spot Reduction (Day 11)

Good question presented by Min in the comments section, what kind of ab exercises should we do?

To answer this question, we need to understand the goal of doing ab exercises to begin with. If the point of you doing ab exercises is because A.) You have a flabby stomach and you want definition, or B.) Your stomach protrudes and you want it to be flatter, then my answer would be: Don't do any ab exercises.

The reasons for this are simple, and again go back to abdominal fat composition. But before I go into that, I want to touch on the issue of spot reduction, the idea that you can work fat off of a certain area of your body by just exercising that one area.

This is absolutely false.

That's right, all those stupid ab machines you see on TV late at night are completely useless to 80-90% of Americans.

If you continue to believe this myth you will waste a lot of time and effort with very little results. The reason for this is because the fat you have around your midsection is what's stored for your entire body. Our bodies simply prioritize these fat deposits to very specific areas as a response to a surplus of calories. Ladies are meant to have fat deposited to their hips and thighs first. Men are meant to have fat deposited to their midsection first. This doesn't mean that it ended up there because you didn't work out that specific area, and conversely, working out just that one area isn't going to make it go away.

The most effective way to get rid of this fat is by increasing metabolism through overall full body aerobic and anaerobic exercise (i.e.: running, swimming, cycling, weight training etc.). When you start exercising and watching your diet, your body's metabolism speeds up and you lose fat everywhere. When there is no more fat to lose from the other areas of your body, that's when fat starts to strip away from these high priority abdominal areas.

So don't waste your time doing a million crunches when there is a layer of subcutaneous fat cover your abs, it's completely pointless. No matter how well developed your abs are, you'll never be able to see them if they're covered by a layer of fat. (Likewise, if your stomach protrudes but is relatively hard, this is a sign of a high amount of visceral fat. Do TVA exercises.) Work the fat off first by increasing your metabolism through workouts and diet. Then when that fat is gone and there's only a thin layer of skin between your fingers and those stomach muscles, then you focus on shaping and sculpting your midsection.

With that said, if you're in the miniscule percentile of Americans who already have very little body fat covering their abs but still can't see definition, focus on weighted abdominal exercises. Abs are like any other muscle and they grow bigger with heavier weights applied. Sixpacknow.com has a great ab regimen for those looking to get into specifics. Click here.

Good luck!

P.S. I'll be posting my personal detailed diet and workout regimens soon (as this was intentionally what my blog was for). I've been pretty disappointed with myself in terms of what I've been eating because I haven't been very strict. That's going to change very shortly.

Insane Transverse Abdominis Power - A Demonstration (Day 10)

To review, the transverse abdominis is the muscle you use to suck in your abs. It is a sheet of smooth muscle just underneath your 6 pack (rectus abdominis) that wraps around your body to your spine.

It's extremely important (actually more important than your 6 pack or your obliques) because it is the innermost stabilizer of your core. The average American's transverse abdominis is actually extremely weak due to our sedentary lifestyle spent sitting down. I stumbled across this video today and thought it would be a good illustration of not only the awesome control and power an extremely strong transverse abdominis has, but the amazing pliability of well developed abs. We're all used to seeing pictures of what 6 packs look like and imagine them to be solid pieces of rock. But we probably don't realize how much they can be manipulated:

Progress Pics & Abdominal Composition (Day 9)

My trip to the Active Release Technique specialist felt almost like a bait and switch. I realized when I pulled into the parking lot that this was a chiropractor who was certified in ART and not actually an ART specialist. (I found out later that ART was usually given by chiropractors anyway.) Regardless, I held my breath and wished for the best. After a good 45 minutes of some of the most painful massage I've ever had, I could increase the range of motion in my shoulder and put much more pressure on my wrist than I could before. This was also my first introduction to rocktape, which is, I must say, a pretty cool athletic tape that provides constant pressure and support to injured or sore areas with minimal restriction of movement. I was told I could shower and workout with it on without any issues. It stays in place and feels pretty good. I ended up with a strip on my left arm and wrist and a whole bunch across my right shoulder and back.

All Taped up

A common problem that causes shoulder injury is often weak areas of the back and over-development of the chest and frontal muscles. This is something that many of us who work out are susceptible to, as the bench press seems to be the benchmark for physical strength and power. To compensate, I've read that it is wise to do 2-3 back exercises for every 1 chest exercise you do. Your back muscles are meant to be some of the strongest and largest muscles in your body. They are more important than most other muscles because they keep your spine straight and your core strong. Aesthetically, a strong back causes a person to stand more upright with their shoulders back and chest out. Appropriately, this is also the posture that both men and women find most attractive. Over-development of the chest is usually what causes rounded shoulders and a more hunched appearance.

Progress pictures:

I took these last night to compare with the ones I took on January 24th. As you'll notice, some of the basic lines of definition are coming back, but the surface is still soft with a good amount of subcutaneous fat still lining the area. My pecs have lost a lot of their sculpted shape and texture from the days when I was swimming and working out consistently. Subcutaneous fat has seeped its way into there as well. Also, there is still a good amount of protrusion from my abdomen (read: pot belly) that can only be attributed to visceral fat and a weak transverse abdominis. For those of you interested in learning more about types of abdominal fat as well as what needs to happen for person to have a flat stomach and visible abs, you can click the links above for further detailed explanation.

The summary of things is that subcutaneous fat is the fat that's just underneath your skin and covering your abs. This is the layer that needs to be shed in order for your abs to be visible. Visceral fat is the fat that lines your organs. It is actually a much more dangerous type of fat compared to subcutaneous because a large quantity of it has been linked to all sorts of diseases and chronic illnesses (Heart disease, high cholesterol, lower testosterone, cancer yadi yadi). To illustrate, below is a picture taken from the 4 Hour Body:

Think fat is just under the skin? Think again. The above MRI of a 250-pound woman, compared to a 120-pound woman, shows the large fat deposits around internal

organs. The undigested food is a reader-gagging bonus.

Luckily, Visceral fat is first to be shed when you start a diet and exercise regimen. Your transverse abdominis is your body's natural girdle. It holds your intestines and all that visceral fat in so you don't naturally explode and spill all over the place. (Just kidding, that probably wouldn't happen.) Your transverse abdominis (TVA) is constantly at odds with your internal organs and the amount of visceral fat you have. They push out, your TVA holds them in. Over time however, sitting for long periods of time and a build up of visceral fat causes your TVA to relax and stretch out and TADA! You have a fat beer belly! Ridding visceral fat and working out your TVA are the two most fundamental and overlooked things you need to do in order to have a flat stomach.

Genetically, I probably don't have the type of body that is naturally prone to getting ripped; every single person on my dad's side of the family has this belly issue as it seems that our family's bodies store more visceral fat than average. Of course, their diets back in the days probably weren't exactly as health conscious, but regardless, this isn't an excuse and simply means I'll have to work a bit harder than someone more genetically prone to leanness.

This seems like a drastic change for just one week of training, but a large majority of the difference is water weight that was shed from the lowered amounts of carbohydrates taken in. The overall bloated look I had in the starting pictures isn't nearly as prevalent anymore.

Stay tuned, more to come!

Joint Pain & Injuries - Active Release Technique (Day 8)

I've decided to put off my gym training for now to prevent further shoulder injury. The pain in my shoulder has become quite bothersome and I can't bring my arm above my neck without feeling it. If you've been reading my blog so far, you'll know that I've been devouring the book 4 Hour Body like a fat kid on chocolate cake. In it, the author Timothy Ferriss suggests a treatment called Active Release Technique (ART). He claims that it completely restored motion in his shoulder and took away chronic pain that he had been feeling for years from past injuries.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Active Release Technique, there's a pretty good explanation of what it is and what it does here.

In the past, I've tried everything from deep tissue massage to acupuncture to taking glucosamine and chondroitin, but nothing really seemed to have a pronounced effect. If this technique works any better than the other options, you'll be hearing about it shortly tomorrow afternoon.

After reflecting on this past week, I've learned some valuable lessons. Consistency in training and moderation in diet is the key. Slow and steady wins the race.

I looked up the local ART clinic and scheduled an appointment tomorrow morning at 10:00am. Wish me luck!