I Can Transform

Well its the end of a month and DAMN did that month go quickly. I’m actually a little bit worried that I’m not seeing results fast enough as a month suddenly seems like a hell of a long time! Theres only twelve of them in the year. I guess I should be pleased that I have been dedicated for a whole month. I am.

Anyway, here is Photo#5. Still not sure if its much different but I guess a month isn’t really that long. I do think I look a bit leaner. Looking forward to what differences will see by the end of Feb. It’s my birthday soon. That’ll be a test. Do I dare eat cake on a non-cheat day? I’m not sure. Think I may have to stick with being brutally harsh on myself. Kind of enjoying being a strict fitness freak! haha. Maybe one day I will hear from someone on here. Only time will tell.

On another note I have also started taking the pHd Lean Degree supplements. Obviously I’m not going to see a difference fat wise instantly however I did think I would feel a bit more of a buzz then this. I do usually drink a fare amount of caffeine, each contains 200mg which is about 4 coffees or one relentless. We will see anyway. Review coming soon.

As i’m sure you are aware by now, getting ripped at the gym is so much more than just putting on muscle. 90% of it is about lowering your body fat % by eating healthily and working out correctly. Well, that said, I thought I would try using a fat burner to help kick start really lowering my body fat. If your a bit worried by this sort of thing then you have no reason to be. Gone are the days of people jacking up on ephedrine, if you are careful what you buy, and where you buy it from then there are plenty of products that should help lower your body fat without having a negative effect on your lifestyle.

After quite a bit of research pHd Nutrition’s Lean Degree seemed like a great product to try. I have used quite a few pHd products before and been pleased with them all. Here’s what pHd had to say about their product

Lean Degree™ combines all the most potent, innovative and effective ingredients currently available to the sector and shakes them up into a formula that’s both highly-innovative and powerful, yet still safe to use whilst participating in any IOC tested sporting events. Lean Degree™ brings you a formula that does work and will continue to work as long as you are prepared to.

Sounds exactly like what I’m looking for.

I then had a look at some of the reviews on monstersupplements.com

The product had gained a 4/5 star rating out of 66 reviews. Impressive. Even more impressive was that the product had won their 2009 “Fat Burner of the Year” award. Great stuff. Here’s what a few people had to say in their reviews.

“ Finally got my lean degree, been waiting in anticipation since I read about it on Monster.used it today before my morning 1 hour cardio and felt great, full of energy, almost feel leaner already. I’ll report back in 2 weeks for weight loss remarks. ”

“Been using this now for 4 weeks and lost about 9lbs. Doesn’t f*** my head up like ephedrine products but I’m still losing the fat and getting through my erly morning cardio work. very good ”

“ Well about 8 weeks later and Im on my second contaioner. Lost nearly 20lbs and still full of energy. Best fat burner I’ve ever tried. ”

I have now placed an order for 120 capsules for £31.96, if you have two capsules per day that works out to being two months worth which is great value compared to most of the other fat burners available. I will write an on-going review of the product when I receive it and the results I achieve.

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. I have been sticking with things pretty much as explained earlier. I have however been going to more Muay Thai training, both Wednesday’s and Thursday’s now. It’s such an awesome workout. If you like me go to the gym lots and want to get a bit of a different workout, or you want to study a martial art that has a world renowned reputation for being the most brutal striking form known to man then I promise you must give it a go.

Training usually combines a lot of plyometrics, pad work, and endurance which really makes it the perfect work out to combine with going to the gym. Boy will you feel it for the next few days.

Coming up, a post on pHd Lean Degree

It’s been another good week this week. Did a full workout Monday/Tues/Thurs and the Muay Thai Wednesday. Saturday was my cheat day and Sunday has been my fast day where I also went to the gym. Boy am I hungry. Didn’t have a protein shake at all today so I’m feeling more hungry than last week. It’s probably the most difficult part of the whole week!

Below is photo 4. Seeing some minor changes, especially when you compare it to the first photo. Concentrating as much now on lowering my body fat as I am gaining muscle so you wont be seeing any massive increases in muscle size overnight. I am pleased with how it’s going so far though. Am looking a tiny bit more lean. Last week I  think I may have been tensing slightly for the photo so the changes are minimal.

Here’s to next week being even more fantastic.

Just a quick update before the weekly wrap up. Ended up having my cheat day today, a day early as it was my dads birthday and I didn’t want to miss out on the lovely cake and alcohol. Good times. I did however miss one of my gym sessions on Friday which means tomorrow, my fast day (Sunday) will also be combined with a brutal workout.

It’s now very nearly the end of my fast day and I think im going to get in a few more biscuits before I go to bed. Well and truley stuffed. I have had such a lot of crap today, it really has put me completely off junk food, not just for the week but for life. Far more so than last week. I actually feel repulsed by all this stuff. Cakes, biscuits, milkshakes, coca cola, trifle, a roast with stuffing, cookies, cream, the list goes on.

On a lighter note (literally) Im considering bleaching my hair white for a laugh. Had it cut the other day and im so bored of brown hair. Got to do it while your young haven’t you.

Keep working hard guys. Will post the end of week conclusion tomorrow. Enjoy the weekend.

After what seems like forever wanting to go to a Muay Thai class I finally managed to find a place nearby that did it and last night I dropped in to give it a go. Man am I impressed! These guys don’t mess around. For anyone who doesn’t know Muay Thai is the Taiwanese equivalent of kickboxing (although a lot older) more of a precursor to kickboxing. It is Thailands national sport and is renowned for being brutal. You learn to use kicks, punches, elbow strikes and knees.

Anyway, started off with a very intensive cardio based workout for about 20mins, kind of like plyometrics with lots of exercises that focus on using your own body weight combined with the skills required in Muay Thai such as jogging on the spot, leg raises (blocks), lots of switching from side to side, a really great start. Then there was a further 10minute stretching with some great leg stretches. Again not for the light hearted.

After this we moved straight into using pads with partners, practising combinations of kicks punches knees and elbows. It was a challenge but it was also really enjoyable. This lasted about an hour and we finished up with a 4 punch combination then knuckle press up, rinse and repeat. That just totally destroyed me lol.

Id highly recommend it to anyone. Its a fantastic alternative to the gym. Completely different type of workout so for the variety alone it is worth it. Plus if you want to learn a practical martial art I don’t think you could choose much better. I will definately be attending again next week. Will keep you informed on my progress.

After going shopping at the end of last week, buying all the healthy food I could find, and then scheduling in a “cheat day” where I eat all the crap I can manage and then some followed by a fast day yesterday I am now ready to start this week properly.

Here is an example of what I am going to be attempting to eat every day. Obviously this is going to vary from day to day however it is this type of food that I want to stick with.

Breakfast -

1. 3x oatibix with skimmed milk (100% oats!, not a big fan of porridge 24/7, thought this was the next best thing)
2. 1/2 a grapefruit
3. 1x glass of pineapple juice

Lunch -

1. 2x boiled eggs
2. 1x slice of wholegrain bread
3. 3x slices of salmon
4. salad

Pre-workout snack -

1. 1x protein Shake
2. 1x banana

Post-workout snack

1. 1x protein Shake

Pre Dinner snack

1. fruit – Grapes, cherries etc

Dinner

1. stirfry – peppers, carrots, mushrooms, beansprouts, chilli
2. brawns
3. brown Rice
4. desert – 1x lowfat yoghurt

After yet more reading of the fantastic blog written by Brad Campbell I have been considering the idea of adding a treat day to my weekly diet.

The concept behind treat day is simple as you’d expect. On the same day every week (Sunday) you give yourself the freedom to eat what you want, when you want, however much you want. Thats the WHOLE day, not just one meal. One fantabulous day of digustingly calorific food. Great huh?! So now your probably wondering how the hell this works. Well. I will quote topfatlosstrainer.com

By intentionally having a high-carb cheat day at the end of a week, we cause leptin levels to spike. This is important because low leptin levels caused by prolonged dieting will lead to a decrease in metabolism and an increase in appetite…

However, with strategic cheating, or carb cycling, we can trick the body, avoid starvation mode and maintain a high metabolism week after week. Plus, you get the psychological benefit of not wanting to eat your arm you’re so hungry. There’s always a cheat day right around the corner to look forward to and reward yourself with when that day hits.

And after the planned cheat day, you’re so freakin’ disgusted by the obscene amount of junk food you ate, that you’re not even tempted to cheat the next few days…”

Well. I had my first cheat day today (Sunday). I didn’t actually fancy doing it at the time as I was just getting into all the healthy eating melarchy however from what I’d read it sounded like a great idea, plus I thought it would get any cravings completely out of my system that may occur next week.

I ate pancakes for breakfast, a large peppermint white mocha, a chocolate doughnut cake (starbucks, it was amazing, don’t ask), a large big tasty with bacon and fries (thanks McDonalds), milkshakes (not the protein variety), for dinner I had a big stew, not so calorific however afterwards I had an old fashioned desert that consisted of bread, cream, suger, butter and chocolate (thanks mum!).

That just about covers it. It’s safe to say I am now feeling a little sick and disgusted at the amount of crap I ate and ready to start the week a fresh. It’s amazing just how much crap food soon add’s up. My stomach is sticking so far out its unreal. I guess in that respect the cheat day really did do its job. All I want to eat now is fruit and veg.

I am considering having a fast day tomorrow, the benefits of doing this are also explained on the blog linked above however I may make a post about it tomorrow. It’s perfectly healthy, helps keep your metabolism in shape and means you’ll really kick all that crap I just ate to the curb in the gym session tomorrow. Will let you know how it goes!

Ok, forgot to post the photo on the previous Week 2 finished post so here’s another marking the very end of the week. The second week was a hell of a lot more successful than the first however i’m beginning to think that I should be taking these photos on the Friday evening instead of Sunday, my treat day! The photos are definitely showing me at the worst time. Hey-ho it doesn’t matter. Here is photo 3:

Seeing any differences yet?
I’m quietly pleased with the slight changes from the previous photos.  Looking forward to next week, going to work even harder than I did the week just gone. Plus my diet for the approaching week should be even better as I have just done my shopping. I shall include a selection of the meals that I plan on eating for the approaching week in another post.

So pleased I set up this blog. Makes you so determined. I’d recommend it to anyone!

As my diet seems to become ever the more tightly scrutinised I’ve decided to consider dropping the odd beer I have after working out.

You know when you get back from a big session at the gym, plus you’ve had a long day working, you get in, put your dinner in, and whilst its cooking just kick back and have a beer for 10mins. Well, aside from working out that is my favourite part of the day. Originally I was thinking, hey its just one bottle of beer, but, now I’m thinking that if I’m going to all this effort with the food i’m eating perhaps I should drop the beer for something a bit less calorific.

It’s not so much that I can’t. I’m very lucky to be blessed with ridiculously strong willpower and I could drop it in the blink of an eye if I thought it was worth it. That’s the question. Does that one beer before dinner, maybe 2/3 times a week actually make any difference at all?

Sorry this post isn’t so much for anyones use other than mine. Just helps me consider it. I guess I could always swap to a gin and tonic. That would be equally well recieved however I do not know the calories.

On research I found the following:

1 bottle of lager = roughly 110 calories

1 shot of gin = roughly 100 calories + mixer (another 100 or so) = roughly 200 calories

That is just insane! Not just the calories but the fact that a spirit and mixer is so many more calories than a bottle of lager. Jessus. If I had say 5 beers in a week, or any alcoholic drink, thats going to be an extra 600-1000 calories per week. Definately not liking the sound of that. Decided i’m going to give up alcohol completely during the week and only have it on my one day off. Oh that leads me to my next post, treat day…