definitely something in the water, after I got the good dr results i went kinda nuts, waaay too much alcohol and bad food.
Im back up around 5 pounds, current weigh (in all mesurements as we’re an international board is
16 stone 11 1/4, which translates to 235 1/4 pounds or 107 kilos.
i was down to 103 and was aiming to get under 100 before the end of april, that seems unlikely now but will keep on keeping on.
That’s probably a whole other conversation, but I did secular zen for two years, between 5 and 20 minutes a day. It really reboots your brain, gets your thoughts in order. Really chilled me out. I loved it, but just fell out of practice.
It makes you very aware of what you’re thinking and why you’re thinking it. This book, Brad Warner’s Hardcore Zen, is both a zen memoir and an introductory meditation manual. He’s a neat combination of traditional and iconoclastic.
Things are going well, since my spectular fall of the wagon, I was clocking in a 15 stone 11 which is 221lbs (106kg). I have since got back on the wagon and I’m slowly finding my point calorie wise (i’m averaging around the 1.5/1.6k calorie mark. I’ve always gone aggressive as I know I can handle the work load of working out and the diet aspects. Plus I know when to have a good refeed so I don’t get used to the low cals. I’m thinking about getting a fitbit to be able to have a better understanding of my burn rate,etc but if there is a good alternative I’ll take it :). So any suggestions are welcome.
In terms of exercise, I’m still doing the following
Handstand Pushups
One Legged Pistols
One Handed Pushups
The above I’m using from Pavel’s Naked Warrior program, it has nice progressions
Modified Dips (Kitchen Counter)
Close grip overhand pullups (hands are abou shoulder width apart) - Not to sure what part of the muscles it’s targetting but I suspect the bis/tris rather than the lats.
Kettlebell Training - I’m concentrating on just doing the turkish get up and two handed swings. Take this morning, I only did the prop myself up on to my arm part of the get up, managed six before form was getting compromised. I think this is going to melt the fat and hopefully get the strength up.
I’m also using Capoeira dvd to do capoeira movements and techniques and using Capoeira Conditioning to get the flexibility.
It feels good to get back into the zone and the eatting is alot more mindful and thoughtful. It is easier to say no to the cakes and cookies.
Up one notch from 2 holes to 3
Weighed myself and I’m 15 stone 4 (99.25kg, 21lbs). I realise some of the weight loss is water loss but things are still looking up. I think I’m back in the mindset of good eats and exercise.
I’ve been managing to do my workouts in the morning by getting up earlier and putting my clothes right next to the bed so I just put them on and go. Went for a 2 mile run on Monday, did a yoga/core workout yesterday and then did 10 minutes of jumprope and a few minutes of squats this morning. OnDemand also has some dance workouts which I plan to try, just for fun (I can’t really dance but maybe it’ll be some good cardio and maybe I’ll learn some moves 
) Go Wolverines!
Hi Chuck & Mitch!
(Ok, this is going to be long & meandering; but here goes) :
I’d like to begin by saying, Mitch! dude! You’re like my fantasy trainer!
I’ve always been interested in Kungfu movies and the martial arts; and I’ve trained in Goju-Kai karate twice (once in primary school & again in polytechnic).
[History lesson: ON]
Based on source material flying all over the Internet, Goju founder Chojun Miyagi had travelled to China as a sort of “martial arts pilgrimage” and picked up Hokkien White Crane from Liu Liu Ko around the turn of the last century. I gather that a bunch of other karate guys did the same thing at that time as Liu Liu Ko did teach to a few Okinawans.
Cutting the story short; Miyagi sensei founded the Goju style, which is based around the yin- yang ideas in Tai chi ( I have experimented and realise the Goju techniques do blend well with Tai chi!), as well as some White Crane and traditional Naha-té stuff.
Also, the Sanchin kata is featured prominently in Goju. This kata is common to all karate styles -as well as traditional Chinese Kungfu
such as Wing Chun (don’t know about modern wushu though)
One thing to point out about the Goju style: it’s all about the training - we have limited contact sparring so as to test your chops.
According to source material on the internet - and some comments by my instructors back in the day - Goju training included traditional stuff like lifting heavy jars, dragging sandbags and punching at a candle until the wind (?) blows it out. But go to YouTube and check it out; the pioneer batch of Goju trainees also included modern gym equipment and weight training to their regimen (this was before WWII).
[History lesson: OFF]
My questions to Mitch are thus:
Where can I find more trainers like you, Mitch?
What do you think of Tai chi and Sanchin kata as isometric training? What are their pros and cons?
In Taoism (the tenets of which tai chi is based on) there is a duality in all things in nature ; a natural ebb and flow.
I follow stories where celebs go to extremes and suffer for it; Gerard Butler went Leonidas and had cardiac problems later on, and swore never to do that again. I hear Schwarzennegger has had cardiac problems too. Chris Evans played Captain America and he’s not having a fun time either.
Can’t say I know enough about the actors from Spartacus though - but I like their body shape and they weren’t as ripped as the 300. I gather they did their research and followed traditional gladiator training.
Listening to the first few Fitcast shows too, I’ve heard you & Chuck talk about bulking up and then bulking down.
My third question is thus: should we be under a training schedule 365 days a year? Or should we have yearly “block leave” and totally slack off, hibernate and do nothing like bears in winter?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I’ll reply to this when I get home as I have an interest in martial arts ad I’m coming to embrace the more functional way of training,etc.
I’ll be interested to learn more about the kung fu and karate, I love learning about other arts
<---- Capoeira nut here…
MMA is nice and all, but I like the training aspects rather than the beat the crap out of each other. Although I have no problems with sparring and testing what you have learnt.
So I made it to all my scheduled gym classes last week, making it two weeks in a row that I’ve been consistently working out. Wolverines!
Tired and sore as hell this week (three hockey games including an epic three hour marathon outdoor session tomorrow)…feel like I need a day off to recoup but I feel AWFUL about it…it’s so hard to break the habit…I know it’s best for me but i feel crappy about it…not good…
though on a positive note, last night at my local bar, saw one of the old bartenders who I’m a casual friend with…she hadn’t seen me too much in the last year and she was in SHOCK at the change in me since she was working there normally 
I’m struggling with some sort of headache syndrome/possible neck problem, which is super frustrating right now. I have not been to the Y or in the pool in about 3 weeks, and it really getting to me. Right now I’m on some meds to try and get this under control. Being a Nurse, I am the WORST PATIENT EVER, and I hate to take any kind of medicine unless I really need it. I hope to get back to the pool in another week or so. 
Being sick when you’re trying to workout is the worst. But try and be patient with yourself, you’ll get back on track when you feel better.
hey gang figured I’d give a long due update here
I’ve been doing P90X, getting up at about 4:40 in the morning to do it (usually actually starting by 5)
I’m on the first week of Phase 3, while I haven’t been entirely perfect with the eating and I’ve skipped a few workouts here and there I’ve still lost about 20lbs while adding muscle so far 
I also now have P90X2 here which after I finish P90X 1 I plan on taking 1 easy week then starting it, I don’t know if anyone has done P90X2 here yet so when I start that I’ll be sure to document how it is!
Nice Darth!
I’m currently in week 3 as well,
Did you take before pictures?!
week 3 or Phase 3 GreenGoo? I’m actually just finishing week 9
and I did not but just looking in the mirror I can see my arms have toned up, legs have toned up, and my gut has gone down
Well, I haven’t been to the gym in more than a week. Nothing big has happened, just a few small changes in my routine but it really threw me off. I’ll be going back tomorrow.
Checking in, gone through sort of a strange time. Was gearing back up but some life events and work got in the way of eating my best or getting in workouts, sometimes for weeks on end. Wake up early, go to bed late after a long day at work, have an extra beer or two I was terrified to step on the scale. I had stopped logging due to time constraints and found myself painting myself in a corner.
One morning I decided to say frak it. I was going to step on the scale, breathe deep, take my punches and move forward. I looked down and was completely shocked to discover I had gained two pounds. That’s it. Weeks of no exercise, inconsistent eating and having an additional beer or two on the train and the swing was small.
On my commute I started to reverse engineer some of my worst days from the past weeks and some of my best days and I realized something: because of the good habits I have taught myself over this journey, because I never ‘went on a diet’ but simply moderated and was more aware my bad days still netted out against my days that simply weren’t great.
I guess this serves as a reminder for me and hopefully for you that positive choices pay dividends even in your worst of times. If you keep the long view no short term hurdle can get in your way. Don’t fall into the trap of getting down on yourself because your not reaching your goals…you’ve made the choice to be on this path, all you need to do is stay strong and consistent.
Wolverines, yo.
ps: as a hilarious epilogue after I passed through the bad time and started getting back on the saddle the universe gave me a wink. For the first time several people unsolicited asked, “Woah, have you lost weight?” Of course I wasn’t feeling in my best shape but it reminded me I am still better than I was. Huzzah.
I am adding myself to the Wolverine team. I just joined a new gym, and got a personal trainer for the first time in my life. I will be meeting with her once a week through the summer. So far the first two sessions are kicking my butt. However, you have to start somewhere. My goal is to lose some weight, but mainly its to find some motivation in my life. My job is kind of boring, and that has been translating to the rest of my life. I feel like the weight I gained this year was a reflection of my life malaise. Let’s hear to trying to kick it into gear!
Best
Alice
Welcome aboard, Alice!
Now drop and give us 20;)
Congratulations, kantia8! It’s great that you’re starting to get in to the gym. I know that some people can motive themselves to workout on their own, but I’ve learned I’ll probably never be one of those people. Wolverines!
Yeah, That’s why I am forking money over for the trainer. I think I need someone to keep an eye on me, and help with motivation. I tried a weight lifting class on Tuesday… two days later and still really sore. However, what ever happens the rest of this week, will be back at the trainer on Monday!
I must be nuts…I can accept the aches and sore and pains and treat them as “good pain” and embrace them and keep going…
though Tuesday Night when I took a wrist shot from ten feet away and it ripped right off the shin pad…that was not-so-good pain…but I didn’t skip a treadmill day
it’s weird, I’m down to a large in all clothes now, but I cranked up my Wii fit for the first time in 5 months and it said only down 9 pounds, but my legs look like I’m on steroids now