Week 2 Complete

Another one bites the dust!  Week 2 is behind me.  I survived Thanksgiving without really overdoing it (although I'm still working me way through leftovers).

In fact, I decide this morning to re-dedicate myself to a clean diet.  The basic principles that I'm putting in place today (and of rest of my six-month challenge) are:

• Meals every 4-6 hours
• No snacks in between meals -- drink water/tea instead
• Last meal by 7 p.m. every night and no food after that
• Weekly 24-hour fast -- possibly two in later months
• Most of my carbs in the morning and post-workout, less carbs in the evening
• Focus on timing of slow-release and fast-release carbs -- fast in the morning and post-workout, slow in the mid-day and evening
• No alcohol, except for the occasional glass of red wine with friends
• No coffee, some tea -- especially herbal -- and lots of water
• Emphasis on creating an alkaline digestive environment through focus on vegetables at each meal with lean meats and healthy carbs

Customizing My Program

I'm halfway through Week 2 of my six-month program and I've taken stock of my starting point.  Assessing your starting point is an important step toward taking the most direct path to your goals.  Imagine mapping driving directions without having a point A to go with your point B!

My self-assessment tells me that I've maintained a fair amount of strength from last year's six-month stint in the gym.  Unfortunately, I've gained about 10-15 pounds of unwanted padding and have lost almost all muscle definition.  The silver lining?  The fact that I still have my strength means that I'll be able to build mass quickly and, with the proper diet, burn off the fat.  (Oftentimes, an initial lack of strength prevents early gains because I'm not strong enough to complete the training needed for growth.  Or I lack the supporting strength to complete heavy movements. For example, not having enough grip strength to crank out pull ups means my back can't grow because my forearms are weak!)  That's one important hurdle that I've cleared.

Pre-Turkey Day Fast

Thanksgiving Day is tomorrow.  Traditionally, Thanksgiving is a real challenge for people trying to eat healthy.  This year I"m being preemptive by choosing to do a 24-hour fast today as a counter-balance to any excess calories I consume tomorrow.

When I did my last "Six Months to Ryan Reynolds Challenge," I used intermittent fasting often to help me keep my diet in check.  It is also great for hydrating your muscles because you should be drinking a lot of water and herbal or detox teas on fast days.  Hydrating the muscles is important for muscle growth.  As you increase the water stored within muscle fibers, your muscles function more efficiently at a cellular level and you flush the toxins produced by the repair process that happens when you create micro tears in the muscle fiber through resistance training.

Another great result of fasting is that, even though you are drinking lots of water, your body naturally expels some of the water held between your muscle tissue and your skin (subcutaneous fluid).  Reducing this type of water retention can do amazing things for how lean you look.  Suddenly, you can see veins you didn't know you had and small muscle definitions that weren't visible before.  Some folks have designed elaborate systems of reducing water retention to look their best at bodybuilding contests or on beach vacations.  A 24-hour fast gives you a similar effect -- though not as dramatic, maybe -- without the risk of dehydration.

If you would like to read more about my experience with fasting, please read this.

Week 2 Measurements

I have completed the first two weeks of Phase 1! My weight has stayed the same at 199 pounds, but my muscles have grown slightly and my strength has increased too. That means that I must be trading fat for muscle.

I don't have measurements from Week 1, but I'm sure that missing one week of data won't diminish what I accomplish in the long run. Hopefully, the way my clothes fit and what I see in the mirror will be proof enough of my success (if not, the airbrushing of my final photos should take care of the rest...right Kevin?). Nevertheless, I'm curious to see how my weekly measurements change.

Here are my first batch of measurements in inches:

Neck: 15.5

Upper arms: left = 14; right 14

Shoulders: 47.5

Chest at nipples: 40

Waist at navel: 34

Hips at widest point: 41

Legs mid-thigh: left = 23.5; right = 22.5

Total inches: 252