The Difficult Road Ahead : 3J Client : I just need Possible

[synonymous]

Alright, so I'm going to use this as a way to keep myself somewhat accountable. I've been with 3J for only 2 weeks and I've hit a few bumps in the road in only that short of a time.

- Food prep is easier than I expected, I have my IsoBag to carry all my meals in.
- Having someone to keep you accountable and tell you you can or can't do something is a motivator to keep yourself in check.
- I've probably asked 3J more questions in the last 2 weeks that I have on this board, and he always answers them.
- I thought I trained hard, then I did 3J's workout. Now I KNOW I train hard.

I'm likely going to be a long time client with my stats. Here are the basics:

Weight: 151kgs (Dropped 0.8kgs first week)
Height: 181cm
BF%: High, 3J can comment on that, he's got my pictures.

I won't be posting any pictures of myself just yet. Maybe a 3 month and 6 month transformation if I get the courage.

Today, nutrition was spot on, training went well (I took the afternoon off to give myself more time to concentrate in the gym, not having to worry about being somewhere else later).

So far, the hardest part has been the elimination of alcohol. I don't drink at home but I have company dinners where I must drink. Keeping that in moderation has been my problem. BUT with someone on the other end tell me to keep things on target, makes me think twice about everything. I've had 2 such events, one went well, the other not so well.

Off to bed, weigh myself and measure myself in the morning. Let's see how much damage that weekend did to me. And let's see how well I perform in the gym tomorrow (Taking another afternoon off).

 

[3J]

making a log on the forum is an awesome idea brother..

your situation is a bit tough with what we suspect is happening with your body.. but the changes will come!!

 

[Onk]

Good luck mate. I work as an investment banker and all client meetings involve alcohol unless done over breakfast. It's hard at times keeping the alcohol in moderation but can be done. One of my colleagues and myself always make sure we have sporting events and contests in our diaries as those goals make it easier to stay focused but also avoid the casual drinking. If you tell people you're training to do X in 4 months time and need to lose 20 kgs and are staying away from alcohol until then, they can respect that more than just "I don't want to drink anymore" It's a cop out but we need to make these things more palatable when conducting business...

 

[synonymous]

Weigh-in day.

Weight: 149.6 kgs (-1.4)

I wondered how much extra I may have lost had alcohol been under control.

Good luck mate. I work as an investment banker and all client meetings involve alcohol unless done over breakfast. It's hard at times keeping the alcohol in moderation but can be done. One of my colleagues and myself always make sure we have sporting events and contests in our diaries as those goals make it easier to stay focused but also avoid the casual drinking. If you tell people you're training to do X in 4 months time and need to lose 20 kgs and are staying away from alcohol until then, they can respect that more than just "I don't want to drink anymore" It's a cop out but we need to make these things more palatable when conducting business...

I live in Japan, there is no reason not to drink unless you are allergic, and there are many who are allergic. Unfortunately, my reputation before taking this journey was that I can DRINK in extreme amounts. There are certain instances in Japanese culture, especially in business, where if I don't partake, it can seem rude. However, there are a few people at the top who I've told about my goals who are supporting me and hopefully they'll help keep me from 'having to' drink by taking my place. It's something I'll have to deal with as it comes.

Time to prep my chicken, broccoli and brown rice for the day!

 

[synonymous]

I had a dream last night that I was eating crap loads of pastries when I realized I shouldn't be. Then I woke up, wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad...they tasted good in my dreams.

I just got 6kgs of boneless skinless chicken breasts from The Meat Guy here in Japan. That should last me for a while.

It's Saturday night but I'm still feeling the DOMS from Thursday's leg day.

 

[cybrsage]

I tell people that all my massive drinking in the past damaged my liver. I tell them that my liver, luckily, has fully regenerated, I am not willing to risk damaging it again. Everyone who I told this to has told me that I should not drink and it was great that I had stopped.

I stopped because I am an alcoholic, but the above story is also partially true.

 

[synonymous]

Well, for some reason I've got a craving. I'm not a dessert person but I have this craving for something chocolate, like a brownie. I don't even know where to buy brownies in Japan. This is an odd craving. My last meal today will be Casein with cinnamon and hopefully that'll squash the idea out of my head. Otherwise a good day.

As for the alcohol, I don't think people would believe me if I said anything about my liver, and I doubt they'd really care. Unfortunately, one of my students' fathers, diabetic, went to sleep drinking alcohol and never woke up. This happened last week. I'm guessing his blood sugar dropped and that was it. He was an otherwise very fit individual. Sad, as he didn't drink regularly. Young too, only 49 years old. I often wonder what the stats are for alcohol related deaths in Japan.

 

[synonymous]

Today was an off day...

I planned for an evening gym day. Ended up with a messed up schedule and could only go late afternoon. This meant my meals were timed improperly, so I had one of my meals about 1 hour before the gym. This left me feeling kind of bloated, which made the intensity of the session in the gym kinda iffy. It's 11pm and I've still got 2 meals to go.

Tomorrow will be a better day. I have a short workday so things will be timed better.

 

[cybrsage]

I hear you about the schedules - I work in Computer Wide Area Networking and I am often doing out of hours maintenance...in addition to my normal 7 to 4 hours. I would surmise that lower intensity workout is far superior to not working out at all, so good job on doing it!

 

[synonymous]

Today is not over, but it was another tough one. I was supposed to be in the gym at night, got a phone call, wouldn't be able to make it in to the gym so I packed stuff super quick and got in early afternoon. This time the intensity was there, but to have to constantly look at the clock to make sure I've got time to hit the showers etc kinda sucked the fun out of things for the last half. BUT I go it done.

Work presented itself with a food problem. The end of the year in Japan is when people start throwing parties. My last class (Teaching) of the day, they brought in 3x 3kgs of cheesecake and plopped 2kgs in front of me. I've had a sugar craving for the last week or so, and to have this suddenly happen made for a nightmare. I lied, told them I had blood tests in the morning and that this would throw things off. I asked if I could take it home because I wouldn't be able to have just one bite. I planned to freeze it and eat it 'someday'. I ran into a friend on the trains on the way home and gave it to him. So, now I'm at home, eating my chicken, avocado and brown rice, trying to imagine it's cheesecake. I wonder what 2kgs of cheesecake would've actually done to me, blood-work wise and weight-wise...nothing good I imagine.

How do you handle cravings? Sugar or otherwise? I know a good low carb, high fat (Keto) recipe for muffins...but I think they would put me over my calorie limit for the day.

 

[cybrsage]

Good choice on the cheesecake. Your friend is happy, your students are happy, and best of all your waistline is happy.

 

[bones93]

Keep moving forward. There will be days where things are harder and some days you sail right thru. Be honest with yourself and others. Tell them you are going to make a life changing transformation and they will respect that. You wont be disappointed in your results. Keep the log going!

 

[halfwit]

Great log so far! I will say this; the harder your journey and the greater the obstacles, the sweeter your victory will be. Stick with it and hold strong.

I personally have several gallons of quality rum and whisky gathering dust in the cabinet. A present to myself (zero alcohol till) once I reach my final destination.

You're a strong man. Cheesecake is my kryptonite and I've been trying many different low carb recipes to fit it in my macros. I think you're on the right track looking for substitutes, but 3J is the authority on that.

 

[synonymous]

Thanks fellas...

Today was leg day. Killed my legs. BUT today was also the first day we've introduced cardio. I only got about halfway through the cardio before crapping out. I couldn't keep my heartbeat up, my legs were jello. Not sure if it's because it was leg day or because I haven't done cardio in months, or a combination of both. Next week I'm going to try strength training earlier in the day and then cardio later.

Cheesecake problem was slightly solved. Cottage cheese with zero calorie syrup and zero calorie jam made for something SIMILAR in taste.

I have to say, I love my oatmeal in the morning. I wish I had used this before.

Now it's time to wobble to the kitchen to cook tonight's last meal and prep tomorrows meals.

 

[3J]

half the battle with losing weight is psychological... you have to have a will of iron..

how bad do you want to make those changes?? ask yourself that every time you get a craving

 

[synonymous]

This week, other than some iffy workouts due to time, I'm down just 0.8 kgs (1.7lbs for non-metric folks) which considering my size isn't much. Could it be the alcohol from 2 weeks ago playing a role?

My rest days are Saturday and Sunday. I'll weigh myself again then.

ETA:

3J cleared something up for me. This was the target for weightloss, so I hit my target. I was over-reaching thinking that was normal. So, I feel much more motivated today.

 

[cybrsage]

Yep, you want to lose about 2 pounds a week, slow and gradual and then the body will not fight to get it back (the yo-yo effect you see so many dieters have). I also suspect this will allow the body to slowly shrink the skin on its own so you will not have a big pouch of empty skin hanging by your belly when you are done...though I am not positive about this.

 

[synonymous]

Alright...I got through 20 minutes of SS cardio. Boring, but necessary I suppose. I need to find some new music to listen to so I can stay motivated.

My food is prepped for tomorrow. Time for bed. I should sleep well.

 

[synonymous]

Yesterday my meals were great, spaced out properly, felt awesome.

Today I'm back in the gym, got through my 20 minutes of cardio post-workout. 20 minutes doesn't seem like a long time but it feels like a long time. Gotta figure out how to keep myself focused during the 20 minutes. My headphones ran out of juice so I was stuck listening to the crap they play on the radio, which wasn't really upbeat.

Going to be phasing out some of my supplements. Came at a good time. Found out I might not have 1 of my regular jobs after March. It's still iffy. That plays on me psychologically. I've still got other contracts and work, but saying goodbye to a some any money is not easy.

Time to eat

 

[synonymous]

Well, listening to my music made things go by faster during cardio...I still hate cardio. Got my rolled oats in the mail today, a good months supply. I love oatmeal.