Half way home baby!

I am a little ambivalent about this day. Are we half way there, or do we only have 45 more days?

This has now become part of my life, and when I was working out today, I was thinking about life after PCP. Is there such a thing? Can we get by without the social aspect of it?

Do dogs go to heaven?

If there isn't one, I will champion a PCP Alumni Site.....

So the knee is still painful, but only when I hit it in the perfect spot. I remember I had the same problem about 8 years ago and got an MRI done. Ligaments and Tendons were like an 18 year old, but the cartilage between the knee bone and the knee cap was gone, and it was bone on bone. I think I have the same problem in the other knee. It was from years of playing soccer, and the only way around it was to stop playing competitively or have surgery. I got a shot of cortisone and played one more game. May have to go have it looked at when I am home. Bummer.

The chest pain is really weird. Right smack in the middle of my chest where the rib cage comes together between the pecks. Muscle strain? Tear? Again, weird spot for it, and does not impede my workouts.

I have been reading 'Nutrition for Dummies' and its done nothing but cement everything we have been learning here. Go pick it up.

Congrats to us all for making it half way there! Keep it up!

Random Thoughts

Howdy PCPers. Its been a while since I blogged and I feel bad about it.....long hours at the office, getting the kid ready for his kindergarten interviews and finally getting to the to do list around the house have kept me pretty busy.

I have been as close as I can get to staying on program with one night of a couple of glasses of wine and a couple of bites of off hours tid bits during customer dinners, and one day of a half work out when I was rushed to get out. Other than that, I have settled into a pretty nice rhythm: Up to breakfast with the family, quick fruit snack on the way out the door, PCP conscience lunch, home to a work out, bath with the kid and my egg de jour.

There have been some days where I have felt really tired and deflated, but after about the 100th jump, I am back in the game. I worked out in the rain the other night, and I gotta tell ya, it felt really good. Have not done that in a long time.

And now for some random thoughts:

• Never eat beans before a work out. Never eat beans period. Gassy goose. 
• A guy asked me last night how long I have been 'fasting' and had I gone to a 'fasting camp'. These places exist....
• Everyone has their own opinion of what a healthy lifestyle is. I sat listening to 4 different opinions last night, and the best was that "Guiness is one of the best things you can eat for dinner" I like it. 
• I dont like calling it the "mountain man pose". 'have you been fasting?' 'No, I'm doing the Mountain man Pose!'
• I have two really painful spots. The middle of my solar plexus and all around my knee cap. No pain to the touch, and I can get through the entire work out with little issue; chest dips, push ups, lunges, floor jumps with no pain, but the second I take a step up on a flight of stairs, I almost crumple with pain. If I lift my head up to stretch my chin, my chest is really painful. DOCTOR? 
• Seriously, no beans. 
• I have dropped two holes on the belt buckle. Down 17 Lbs. Pants are now loose to a point where they are starting to look weird. Lots of comments on the face, thats my favorite, cause I hated my chins.
• I see where this is going, and I want to get there. 
• I have been to this point before, and its usually where I say, 'Hey, I look good. Why go further?' Time to punch through and step it up. 

Good night. 

I feel good (da da da da da) and you should too!

I just read through the team Orange Crush blogs and was concerned to see that some of us are loosing steam, hitting walls, getting bored....its time to MAN UP!

Have any of you looked at your pictures from day 1 to now? EVERYONE is looking better, slimmer, leaner. The guy who complains the loudest has a back that most men would die for.

ITS WORKING PEOPLE! I cant say it any more clearly. The pictures tell the story of how hard everyone is working.

I was probably the most reluctant to put a picture of my fat ass on the WEB, but it drives me.

Yeah it sucks. Yeah its bland. Yeah I'm hungry. Yeah it hurts.

But this is what we signed up for.

I for one (and dont hate me 'cause I'm a positive thinker) cant wait to get out of bed every morning and look at myself in the mirror. I think about the workout all day. It's almost like a drug for me now, and I emailed Patrick in a panic 'cause I didn't think he sent me this weeks workouts.

This is the best thing I have ever done for myself, and I wont let any of my team members, or other PCPers get down on themselves or down on the program. Its working, it shows, and we will all be much better people for it, in mind, in body and in spirit.

SO MAN UP!
(or WO-man up if you can't man up....cause PCP has no bias....and neither do I for that matter...i'm signing off now....)

Constant Cravings (are gone)

So this is the first time I have posted about this, but I noticed very clearly last night that I dont have any cravings for booze, pizza, ton katstu and all of the other horrible things I would eat and drink as part of my daily routine. Very happy about that.

Nothing new to report. Everything seems to be going according to plan.

The leg work out last night was tough. I was a walking like an old man going up the stairs at the end of the evening going 'ouch ouch ouch' on every step, which I guess is a good thing.

Onward and upward!

I survived Vegas (almost...)

So lets call it a push for Vegas.

I broke even on the tables, I rocked the workouts, did amazingly on the food, but just could not resist a couple of glasses of wine at the client dinner.

Its Vegas, you can get anything.....Berry and Yoghurt Smoothie? Done. Cut of Salmon measured to 120g post cooking? You got it. Bowl of steamed mixed veggies? Would you like squash or zucchini sir? Wheat toast warmed with love and affection? That will be $45....well worth it!

I had the pork chop at the steak house, and left half of it on the plate. Brussel Sprouts and spinach on the side. I felt good about the dinner, but I had to take a glass of the Pinot Noir, which I sipped with Baby sips. The Cab/merlot blend was absolutely AMAZING....in bed by 11 30.

The next day I felt like absolute crap. A hang over like I have not felt in a while. I swear I had no more than three glasses, but after not drinking for a month, I really felt it!

The work outs were great! We were all staying at the Venitian, so the rooms were huge. First night work out in the room. Had to move some of the furniture, but got to sweat while watching Monday Night FB for the first time in I dont know how long.

Next day, I snuck away from the event for  a TWO HOUR work out. Easily the best workout I have done in a long long time. Huge facility. Jumped for about 20 minutes mixing it up, and getting a great sweat up. Then the resistance band and pull up bar for the regular work out. They had one of the pull up bars where you can kneel on the pad, set the weight and do full pull ups without the total body weight. I was able to do a full body set, then lower the weight but still get the full number of reps and full length of motion. Man I wish I had one of those in my room. Cant imagine what they cost....

Did light weights for back, arms and chest as well. Its been a while since I lifted, and I was very comfortable with weight that I once struggled with.

I must confess though, I did have a scoop of ice cream on the flight home. Man oh man was that yummy...

Slept for a good 8 of the 12 hour flight, and feel great, except for the fact that I ve been up since 3 AM....oh well, the joy of business travel.

The date line has kind of screwed with my schedule, so I officially started the new dinner last night when I got home.

Not sure how to manage the work outs since I lost a day in transit, I will try to do a 2-a-day today.

The best part of the trip, is that I had one co worker ask me if I had lost a lot of weight. First time.

NICE.

Indulgence

I cant tell you how happy I was to find the note from Patrick that its OK to have some of the old bad habits!

WHAT TO DO? WHAT TO EAT!

I went with a nice glass of Chardonnay with my fish dinner. Yummy. Then a nice glass of Red from Portugal at a bar in LA with my good old friend Shevy. That was AWESOME! I nursed the drink taking a deep sniff with every sip. BUT I found it getting harder to drink as I reached the end of the glass. Should have cut it off at a half a glass. I will keep the smell with me for a while as motivation for the next month.

AND THEN CAME THE BROWNIE.....home made, chocolaty and full of love. I had a half of one, and I have to say it was AMAZING.....I did not chew, I just let it melt in my mouth for a gooey mass of heavenly bliss. I cant believe I stopped at a half. I would have eaten a whole plate.....PCP rocks!

Lots of conversations with others about the project, and honestly have not found one person that has been negative about it. Most have been very positive and supportive. I hope a couple of them will actually sign up.

Funny, but my buddy who I have known for 10 years, played ball with and has always been in great shape is lately showing a little gut action, and while I was working out in his back yard, he was anxiously and silently searching for HIS jump rope and tension bar.....months of poor eating habits I think have made him feel guilty as he watched me eat fish and broccoli!

He would never admit it, but he sees the results of the program, and the muscle I am building.

Speaking of retention band, I snapped mine! time to step up to a stronger one.

I continue to feel great, and two nights at my friends house have gotten me back on track on the diet. I know I was over fooding, salting and oiling while at the hotels.

The exercises are getting harder, and I can with all honesty say that the plank is the hardest thing I have done in years. I find myself SHAKING at the end of each set, and am screaming.....thats one set of muscles that have not seen action in a while.

The scale said 85KG today and I am close to moving to the LAST hole on the belt buckle. Two holes from the start of PCP.

Off to VEGAS today. Give me strength!

PCP on the Biz Trip

Howdy PCPers!

So its now day 5 of the 10 day trip, and while I am on track with the exercises, I dont feel like I am on target with the food. I think I am close, but I am pretty sure I am eating too much oil and salt. I can feel it. Fish and Veggies have been pretty easy to come by, and needless to say, Carb offerings are a plenty.

Getting my hands of Fresh Fruit during the meetings has been a challenge, but I just loaded up on mixed fruit cups from the grocery store about a 10 min walk from the hotel.

My peers have been AMAZED that I have been drinking only perrier every night, when I was normally the first in line at the bar for shots and beers. Not one drop of booze. Everyone is calling me Boring Andy....

I have recruited two new PCP Prospects who I hope will be reaching out to Patrick in the next few days. Sadly it looks like they just missed the cut off for the most recent PCP start date, but they seem to have been 'inspired' to get into better shape. (as I watched them gulp down a huge cheese burger and fries).....

Another interesting thing is that I have not suffered from Jet Lag as much as I normally do. I have more energy during the day, and I have been sleeping pretty well 5 - 6 hours straight. Usually I am dead by 4 PM, and can't sleep more than 3 hours at a time. Assume its the proper food, exercise and lots of water?

Leaving tomorrow for 2 days in LA with a good friend and his family, so I think I can get back on the food properly, and then its off to VEGAS....I am committed not to drink while I am there!

Viva Baby.

Now comes the hard part

First of all, I must say I am VERY much enjoying new improved body. I feel slimmer, I feel stronger, and the difference is showing in the face and gut.  The gas is gone (yeah!) , and has been replaced by a perfectly functioning digestive system that seems to package up all the unnecessary things nicely for disposal.

I felt pretty tired over the weekend but both times were when I was putting my son down for bedtime, and I just cant resist his suggestion that we 'lie down together', especially when he slaps the pillow. Just too cute. It took every ounce of mental and physical strength to get out of bed and hit the work out. I think it was just the end of the week blues that got me.

I am glad I did though, and both times by jump #150 I was feeling great. The jumping is now getting much much easier, and I found my self on a steady jump for nearly 15 minutes yesterday. Totally lost count, but I'm sure I was way over the number. Assume that its safe to continue if I'm not pushing it, and it feels good? I look forward to the push ups and sit ups, but the lunges and pull ups are still a joke...

Now comes the hard part.....11 days on the road. LA, Boston and Vegas. I have followed the diet as close to plan as I think I can in the last 10 days, and I feel very good for it. I'm very nervous about the trip. Exercise should be OK, but PLEASE GIVE ME STRENGTH to resist the Red wines and vodka sodas that are such a regular staple of my trips to HQ......

I know that my fellow workers will be supportive of the program, but I'm also sure they will do everything in their power to get me to have JUST A BITE of the cheesecake.....

Off we go! Wish me luck!

Pull up bar!

So, the calf is holding. Thanks everyone for the concern.

Had a great workout last night, and jogged slowly down to a park about half a mile away where they have some kids pull up bars which are good for the incline, but regular pull ups wont happen on the 2 foot high bars.

So as I was jogging home, I thought I would walk by the small new playground on the other side of our complex, and BANG, a monkey bars set just over head high. PERFECT!

I have not done a pull up in 5 years, and could barely rep out a proper one, but with the height, I can use the legs to help that extra bit, and still get the job done.

Funny, how Patrick's first mail said he found one just around the corner as well.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!