Category Archives: Update

Day 49: Milestone

Day 49 - front

Day 49 – front
(See the gallery for more photos.)

Weight: 132.0 lbs.
No workout today. Next: Workout B on Oct. 22.
Total inches: 121.1
Protein: 131 g (8 g over target)
Calories: 2,534
See more measurements.

I hit one of my original milestone goals today. I gained 10 pounds.

I thought it would take only 30 days, but I was guessing based on limited information.

I started out at 121.8 pounds, a weight I’ve been for my entire adult life. To be up 10.2 pounds in 49 days is a small miracle. I can project that if I stay the course, by Day 100 on Dec. 9, I will be 141.8 pounds, adding 20 pounds total.

weight - day 49

Weight: Day 49

Why that date and weight? I figure that if my ratio of what I gain stays constant, that will mean roughly 10 pounds more of muscle, and consequently 10 more pounds of fat.

That’s not to say Dec. 9 would be a stopping point. It depends on how I look, too. If I look brawny and muscular, mission accomplished.

But if I feel like I need more toning and shaping, a more likely scenario, I can tinker with daily protein intake, daily calorie intake, frequency and type of workouts. Perhaps it will be back to normal caloric intake (roughly 1,700 to 2,000 a day), the same higher protein intake and a twice weekly kettlebell workout to develop my arms.

I can feel the difference, but not in a “I have all kinds of energy” way. It’s more of me getting used to my new shape, which is rounder in the middle and has some trouble with pants.

But getting here was very easy. I can’t pretend to say it was that challenging to gorge myself or exercise moderately every few days. It took discipline to record all the numbers and to eat enough calories a day. But I wanted it to be easy, so that quitting wouldn’t be an option.

See you at 140.

Day 49 - side

Day 49 – side

Day 46: Fat pants

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Day 46

Day 46
(See the gallery for more photos.)

Weight: 131.2 lbs.
Workout A: 21 minutes, 53 seconds. Next: Workout B on Oct. 22.
Total inches: 120.5
Protein: 150 g (27 g over target)
Calories: 2,559
See more measurements.

Being the same weight for your entire adult life, some two decades, allows for certain luxuries. Jeans that endure, long past when style or an errant knee hole would otherwise require they be tossed or donated.

I have old pants. I have old shirts. I have clothes from the previous millenium along with items purchased in this very decade. They all fit fine.

A math guy like me should’ve figured out something in advance about Project Bulk. More food + workouts on free weights = bigger body, specifically waistline.

While my arms and hips have remained the same size in the last 6 weeks, my waist has increased from 31.4 to 34.5 inches, a jump of 3 inches.

My pants are snug, and I feel a little uncomfortable in them. A whole closet full of dress pants, casual pants and jeans, all perfectly sized for me before, are becoming constrictive.

(No problem with shirts. Dammit.)

As I continue to gain weight, I’m concerned about outgrowing all my nice pairs of pants, not so much the ancient jeans. I hadn’t considered the real possibility to having to re-outfit myself.

I’m dreading it. Not so much the expense — though I do buy based on quality, style, fit and durability — but the shopping. How I hate hate hate the shopping.

And, I’m not entirely sure that my waist might shrink in the future, either through modified exercise or reverting back to my previous eating habits.

I guess I can stick with elastic waistbands and sweatpants for now, to go along with new tank tops and a sparkly visor.

Day 40: An expanded vocabulary

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Day 40

Day 40
(See the gallery for more photos.)

Weight: 129.0 lbs.
Workout B: 6 minutes, 40 seconds. Next: Workout A on Oct. 16.
Total inches: 121.6
Protein: 146 g (24 g over target)
Calories: 2,503
See more measurements.

Food was and is my passion. When I took cooking lessons for a few years, I learned the tools and the techniques, the ingredients and the insights. I had a whole new terminology: saute, ganache, roux, poach, caramelize.

When I revamped my grocery list for only real food, I learned about high fructose corn syrup, organic processes, genetically modified organisms, hormones and more. I talked with others about what they would and would not eat, defining requirements on distance, cost, treatment, ethics and other factors.

Pursuing Project Bulk has expanded my vocabulary again. I can speak with a little more credibility about exercise and muscle growth than I could 2 months ago.

My new friend Andrea and I had coffee this morning, talking about my workouts and hers. (Her husband sent her a link to my site, which led to our get-to-know-you rendezvous at the coffeehouse.)

Our discussion wandered over different diets, supplements, exercises, equipment, gardening and other health odds and ends. I mentioned that I found it encouraging to see more people take an interest in what they eat and how they move, especially given our society’s slide toward obesity.

I see friends posting about their CrossFit and boot camp sessions, or showing off their latest runs, including length, time and route. I hear them talk about eating paleo, or low carb, or gluten free. She has, too, running into spin classmates at the market, ready to talk core and endurance.

The best part is that these are all potentially steps in the right direction. Their goal may be to lose pounds or tone their bodies or remove toxins or simply be more active. If what they do gets them there, more power to ’em.

Learning and speaking the language opens doors to shared experiences. I can empathize somewhat better with those who count calories. I can cheer them on and offer my stories.

That common vocabulary makes for some uncommon connections.

Day 34: The questions that remain

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Day 34

Day 34
(See the gallery for more photos.)

Weight: 129.4 lbs.
Workout A: 21 minutes, 51 seconds. Next: Workout B on Oct. 10.
Total inches: 120.1
Protein: 153 g (31 g over target)
Calories: 2,247
See more measurements.

Entering month 2, the road ahead is easier to see.

Five workouts, instead of nine. No need to increase the recovery time, as 5 days is the maximum time required.
Steady on with eating. Weight has gone up fairly steadily, even with the regular up-down cycling.
Five or six posts, nothing back-breaking.
Daily photos and measurements.
Similar menu and grocery shopping.
Maybe, big maybe, some yoga or walking.

What remains uncertain is how much and how fast. I gained 3 pounds in 30 days, with nine workouts in 3 hours, 42 minutes. Let’s say the five workouts this month run about 20 minutes each, so 1 hour and 40 minutes. “The 4-Hour Body” [Amazon | iTunes aff. links] says this is plenty, as muscle growth takes time and protein.

So this 31-day period should tell me plenty about my muscle growth rate and how it affects my upper body. We saw in the first month some reduction in “love handles” and some fleshing out of my chest. I’d love to see some growth in the arms, but I bet I might need to switch to an all-kettlebell routine in month 3 or 4.

The questions I need to answer: What does success look like? Will I know it when I see it? Is it a number on the scale or on the tape measure?

Will I need to switch to a different routine to sculpt the arms or abs? How far do I want to take this?

The original goal was to see what changed, if anything, after 30 days. Now I need to set a new goal.

For now, the goal is: Let’s see how I look on Halloween.

Stud or freak, toned test subject or fitness zombie?

Day 31: More of me to love

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Day 31

Weight: 127.6 lbs.
No workout today; next: Workout A on Oct. 4
Total inches: 120.0
Protein: 143 g (21 g over target)
Calories: 2,523

I haven’t read “Moneyball.” I haven’t seen “Moneyball.” But I bet I would enjoy “Moneyball.” [all aff. links]

Rather than bore you with baseball statistics, I’d prefer to bore you with my physiological statistics.

weight Oct. 1, 2012

Weight through Oct. 1

Measurement	Sept. 1	Oct. 1	Change
Weight (pounds)	121.8	127.6*	+5.8
Body fat percentage	23.5	24.5**	+1 percentage point
Fat weight	28.6	31.3	+2.7
Lean weight	93.2	96.3	+3.1
Total inches	113.6***	120.0	+6.4

That’s not bad: 3.1 pounds of muscle in 30 days! Will muscle growth accelerate, slow or remain steady in the next 30 days?

*The Lakeshore scale said 127.0 pounds, but I’m using my own scale for consistency.

**In the Poor range for my age group/gender, but Excellent if I were a 67-year-old woman.

***I was terrible at measuring my legs for the first few days, till I found a way to standardize it. So take that early number as probably too low because of my errors.

Exercise	Sept. 1	Oct. 1	Change
Yates row	7 x 55 lbs.	7 x 85 lbs.	+54.5 percent
Barbell overhead press	7 x 30 lbs.	4.3 x 50 lbs.	+66.7 percent
Slight incline bench press	3.2 x 30 lbs.	4.2 x 50 lbs.	+66.7 percent
Squat	10 x 45 lbs.	10 x 65 lbs.	+44.4 percent
Kettlebell swing	32 x 20 lbs.	50 x 30 lbs.	+50.0 percent

That’s an overall increase of 55.6 percent in pounds lifted with a total workout time of 3 hours, 42 minutes.

The project has cost me $216.63 so far. What surprised me here was a $41.55 savings in the average monthly food bill (both groceries and dining out).

You can see all the numbers updated in real time on the Measurements page.

My plan for October: Do a workout every 6 days. Eat a lot. Take a daily photo. And post on workout days, so expect five or six more updates this month.

The numbers are encouraging, and I am growing, inside and out.

Day 30: It’s what’s inside that counts

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Day 30

Weight: 127.4 lbs.
No workout today
Total inches: 119.9
Protein: 150 g (28 g over target)
Calories: 2,451

One month down, maybe a month to go.

I know all the external measurements. But the one that comes tomorrow will be critical: body fat percentage.

I started with 23.5 percent on Day 0. I’ve gained 5.6 pounds. Time to find out what’s muscle and what’s fat.

I’m lucky to have Ginny coming along tomorrow morning for moral support. She examined the photos of Days 1 and 30 …

Comparing Days 1 and 30
[Click image for larger version.]

She wrote:

“This is amazing! I’m shocked.

“Your face is fuller, your collarbone is softer, your chest is filled out. Look at how much straighter the line of your sides are — no love handles and broader chest.”

I am trusting her judgment, not only because it’s very flattering, but also because I spent 10 minutes in Photoshop examining the pics up close, in transparent layers, any way I could try to detect the hint of change.

This will be a scientific assessment to see if my body fat has increased (unhealthy), decreased (healthy) or stayed the same (which I can live with).

BodPod, here I come again.

Day 29: Tick tock

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Day 29

Weight: 127.4 lbs.
No workout today
Total inches: 119.0
Protein: 145 g (23 g over target)
Calories: 2,581

I’m as serious as a metronome about my workouts.

Because many of my exercises involve 5/5, 5 seconds up and 5 seconds down, I’d prefer precision over guessing. It’s hard enough keeping the rep count; that’s right, I lose track just counting to 7.

So I use my phone as a metronome. I play a ticking clock MP3 on a loop. My entire workout sounds like being inside a mechanical clock.

Audio: Ticking clock

The sound is a familiar one from my childhood. I started taking piano lessons when I was 7, and a mechanical metronome accompanied my daily practice. But instead of struggling to keep up in tempo with a Bach suite, I sweat it out while trying to lift, breathe and count all at once.

The march of time, the pace of my workouts grow ever louder.

Day 28: Epic fail

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day 28- front

Weight: 127.4 lbs.
Workout B: 11 minutes, 45 seconds
Total inches: 119.5
Protein: 135 g (15 g over target)
Calories: 2,389

I had been seated for about 5 seconds before I reached the breaking point.

It’s not an encouraging sign when that’s the first move of your workout.

In my previous seven workouts, I had managed to complete 90 to 100 percent of the workouts. I reached the point of failure late in the routine, as fatigue and weakness set in.

But not at the beginning. Never at the beginning.

My first exercise was to do seven reps at 50 pounds (two 25-pound dumbbells) of the slight incline bench press. In a previous workout, I had completed seven reps at 40 pounds.

I sat down, and the dumbbells felt like they were super-glued to the floor. Oy. Usually, I have no problem picking them up, sitting back and having them near my ears, ready to lift skyward.

I couldn’t even get them up to my lap. Uh oh.

I started to sweat. Was I screwed?

I lifted the right dumbbell and tested to see if I could get it in position. Not graceful, but doable.

I lifted the left dumbbell, with two hands. I barely got it in place after a mild struggle.

How the hell was I going to get these two 25-pound monsters to budge at the same time?

I moved a stack of plates and sat the left dumbbell on it. Five minutes had elapsed, and I still hadn’t even gotten close to the first rep. I slowly, very slowly picked up both dumbbells and sat back on the bench.

Four puny reps later, I was done. Oh for a spotter right about now …

Fifty pounds had kicked my ass. I skipped the squat reps and the 3-minute stationary bike, but I did the optional 50 kettlebell swings at 30 pounds. I was going to pound out those 50 no matter what.

And I did. Nothing like four reps to loosen you up for the kettlebell.

The shortest workout to date will lead to another day of rest between workouts, totaling 4. In re-reading the Occam’s Protocol info in “The 4-Hour Body” [Amazon | iTunes aff. links], I saw that author Tim Ferriss had gotten up to 12 days between identical workouts, or 5 days between alternating A/B workouts.

Not only does the body need more time to rest and recover (and feed), muscles need a lot of time to grow. Grow, damn you, grow!

I made sure that I tried hard. No way was I going to give up that early in the workout. Not at this point.

Day 28 - side

Day 27: Remedial reading

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Day 27

Weight: 126.8 lbs.
No workout today
Total inches: 118.8
Protein: 143 g (23 g over target)
Calories: 2,689

Nearing the end of my first month, I re-read the relevant chapters in “The 4-Hour Body” [Amazon | iTunes aff. links].

It helped me remember how I got to this point. A little shot of inspiration helps now and then.

A refresher on the finer points of each workout routine, on how numbers point you in the right direction (even if half of them aren’t perfectly accurate), on the people who’ve already worked toward their big goals using small, manageable steps.

I hadn’t read the info in about a month, save for a few glances at the exercise steps. Amazing what you forget in the interim.

Over lunch, I mentioned to Ginny my concern about my growing gut. She pointed out that some of that growth was muscle, which made me feel better. Her insight was helpful as always.

She is fascinated by this project, I guess because it’s about trying to become more than I am. I do need to ask her the specific reason.

I invited Ginny to come with me to Monday’s BodPod session, since she missed the first one. She will get a kick out of the whole futuristic space capsule journey, I’m sure.

The moral support, whether words on a page or from a friend, reminds me of how far I’ve come.

Day 26: Following in the footsteps

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Day 26

Weight: 126.8 lbs.
No workout today
Total inches: 118.6
Protein: 136 g (16 g over target)
Calories: 2,863

I’m fortunate to know other Birmingham bloggers who used their sites to focus on their bodies, their nutrition, their exercise and their weight. They’ve done amazing things offline and online.

Jennifer Dome, Stellar Fashion and Fitness
Stephen Vinson, Who Ate My Blog?
Jen West, The Jen West Quest

It’s probably one of my favorite outcomes of blogging, real change. That transformation can be on the inside, on the outside or simply becoming more connected with others.

Certainly, they’ve made it easier for me to try this project and also document it on a blog.

Public accountability has done wonders for them. I have cheated, starting this project virtually in the dark (posting in real time, but making the posts visible 30 days after the fact).

I am inspired by those who do it simply to get healthier and track their progress.

For example, photographer Julia Kozerski of Milwaukee, who lost 160 pounds in 1 year. She documented it all through photos taken with her iPhone.

Julia Kozerski, Changing Room