It's over...?

Alright... it's been several days and, much like the rest of the team, I keep thinking I'll have a nice inspired post to wrap everything up.  I get little pieces of what I want to write, but it doesn't flow the way I want, so now I'll just get going with it.

I went it knowing that I hated eating.  It was a pain to eat regularly and especially tough to eat healthy.  We were eating out all the time, I was skipping meals, etc.  I'm "lucky" in that my body is pretty much okay with that lifestyle, just as it is on PCP.  Of course it's become really clear that the PCP eating style actually provides me with energy, unlike all my previous eating habits.

I dropped a to-go pizza from a local restaurant into my diet this week and, boy, did that drag me down.  The next day I woke up thirsty and sluggish... basically miserable.

Also interesting is that I've continued to crave so many of the things that I thought I'd learn to hate - those egg whites?  They still taste pretty good and I like having them around.  That Greek yogurt?  Oh yeah, that's here to stay.

I have to be honest and say that I'm really happy with the fact that I've gotten a lot more definition to my body, but I still wish it had gotten a little bigger or a little deeper.  This process has certainly been an eye-opener to just how my body reacts to things - exercise and diet don't show up externally, but primarily internally.



Of course a huge component of PCP for me (and Susan) was Olivia.  We've altered our diet and household in such a way that she is exposed to a wide range of good food now.  She's been watching us exercise and will continue to see us exercise.  We've talked about the choices we make and I know it will be something we will have locked into our lives now.

We didn't go out for our celebratory dinner just yet - it's so busy right now - but we did get our fancy dress clothes on...



Again, given that most of my changes were internal, the biggest thing represented here was the fact that I wanted to own a suit that was tailored for me.  This is something I can now fill from the heart - it would have fit 90 days ago, but I wouldn't have carried myself nearly as strongly.

It's going to really, really odd from here - no emails from Patrick, no blogs to read and catch up with my new friends.  It's the team that is really going to be tough leaving... we haven't all been the best bloggers (myself included), but we've certainly bonded through a pretty wild experience. 

I won't miss all the cooking I've done to prepare the massive meals, and that damn scale can get out of the prime counter space.  Chicken can take a bit of a backseat... not too far back, but not something that I'll eat 6 times a day.  (Only joking... kind of.)

Ugh... I feel like I'm rambling...

I think the long and short of it is that I've learned a lot... my body desires and requires a lot of food, and I'm better when I provide it.  I can push through a 90 day exercise routine, and given that I did it for 90, it shouldn't be that hard to lock in a routine moving forward.

Thank you Patrick and Chen for your desire to share your insight with the world.  For bringing strangers together as a family and turning them back to the world as stronger, healthier people.

A very deep and personal thank you to Patrick (again) and his lovely wife for showing me Yokohama and treating me to a fantastic time there.  I felt immediately welcome with you guys and hope that one day we can return the favor.

To Brian Glazer, who also provided me with a warm welcome to a city halfway around the world - a massive thank you and an even bigger congratulations.  It's wild looking at your starting photos.  When we met, you were halfway through the program, but you were also a completely changed man.  I'm so glad to see that the weeks after I left got you even deeper results.  I know it's been a tough road for you, but I also know that the guy I met there at Tameike-Sanno one Sunday afternoon is really dedicated to getting this done right.

Team Orange Crush - congrats to you all.  Reading your banter was a blast, I only wish I'd had the opportunity to connect while I was in Tokyo, but that's a dangerous place to go out!

Team Cookie Monster - Just F**king Do-it will continue to echo through my mind as I feel the burn.  It's been a blast working with such a diverse, motivated and geographically disbursed group.  It was tough losing folks along the way - some for positive reasons (happy baby thoughts Erin!) - other for negative reasons (so sorry you've been so sick Alex C...).  And now, to "lose" everyone to their daily lives will be a bit lonely.

To Susan - thank you for putting up with me, my massive diets, and my overly excited view of PCP.  I'm so glad you decided to come along with me, as I'm not sure how it would have worked without you.

So... I'll leave you with the permanent reminder of my time on PCP.  After these 90 days, I can say that I know my self better... but I'll always be reminded to keep looking.

Thank you all.

Day 90 (Not the final...)

So I just finished my day 90 workout.  The hardest parts?  The waits between sets... so much energy sitting, poised to pound out more.  The energy left over after the workout... again, so much energy, like a coiled spring!

The abs were really the best for a laugh... I can remember how horrible they felt.  Now, after so many days of v-sits, kung-fus, and 8 minute abs, these weren't a problem!

Okay... off to consider what my final post really should be...

Super set me...?

Ugh... super sets are... massively tough.  The shoulder super set was murderous and not something I'll miss.  That's not to say that the other super sets are something I would love to do on a regular basis, but those shoulder ones are hell.

Squeezing day 89's workout in was fun - I was up until 2a after a miserable hockey game, then I worked with a friend to install a new microwave and dishwasher.  I had a couple of hours to clean that up before we had people over for our Christmas tree lighting / decorating.  Add to the mix a snowy day - which shuts down Southern cities like Nashville - and it was tons of fun.  Sara mentioned an 'obstacle course' style set up, which I think describes it very well.

Susan and I haven't set any plans for our celebratory dinner, but I think we'll be doing some post-PCP pictures in our fancy dress outfits just the same.  I'm really excited about Susan's photos, as she shows a lot of difference in her clothes.  Me... meh, I don't have any dimension changes, so I'll just show off the tattoo, muscle definition and fancy clothes.

I haven't gotten to my Day 90 workout yet, but I'm pretty psyched to see how it feels.  I'm also trying to wrap my head around the mental concept of not being within the program's fine guidelines anymore...

So... I'll think about my Day 90 post for a day or so and get back to everyone. 

Last day... wow...

Deciding on ink...

After yesterday's post, Patrick posed the question: "Can you share why you chose that tattoo in that location?"


So I'll answer...


I chose this particular tattoo more than a year ago - I don't remember the circumstances or timeframe, only that it's been printed out and sitting in many locations around my daily life.  Most prominently on my desk at work.  I wager this concept is the standard advice to most anyone that is considering a tattoo.  I've thought of tattoos for years upon years, much like I thought about my motorcycle.  I weighed it's impact on my life, I talked with people that had them regarding it's impact on them, where they had it done, etc. 


I do know that when the idea of 'know thyself' came to me, I didn't want it to be in English... perhaps because I'm exposed to the Roman alphabet all the time, I wanted to do it in some other alphabet.  After a little time with the idea, it only made sense to be in Greek.


The placement - on my chest - was the second choice.  I knew that I wanted it to be in a place where I could see it and be reminded of the concept.  (To truly know oneself is to know the universe)  I initially considered my inside-forearm, but after a few conversations I discovered that it could have a negative impact on a lot of relationships, especially professionally.  That and I could not commit to the idea of always wearing long sleeve shirts like a friend with full tattoo sleeves has.  From the forearm came the chest.  My thigh was considered, but didn't seem to be quite as good a location for being reminded of something.


Even having made these decisions months and months ago, I never committed - never talked to an artist, etc.  Once PCP came along, though, I knew that the program would shake / shape my foundations such that I'd have a clearer picture of myself.  This program, combined with my therapy sessions, have changed me in innumerable ways over the past year or so.  I know that I'll continue to grow, continue be challenged, but I want to mark the occasion with something significant.

Of course, amongst all these things Susan was a consistent - we talked about the message, the meaning, and the placement.  She's been supportive and plans on going along with me to the studio.  It'll be interesting to see how long she sticks around - either she'll be a geek about the process (plenty of similarities to nursing, what with bio-medical prep, etc) or she'll focus on my pain which will eat her alive.

I haven't shared with a wide audience that I'm doing this - still unsure how everyone will react.  But this isn't about others, it's about me... that's why I put it someplace I can actually see it. :)

Wow - that's COLD

Ok - I'm just not down with the sub-freezing jumps.  Can't do it.  I never liked the tiny bit of running I've done in the cold and I just can't get settled with jumps in it either.  It's been chilly lately, but today it was in the mid-to-upper 20s and I barely made it through the first set.  I came inside and finished out the other two, but not without basically stripping down to nothing in order to adjust to the heated interior... yuck.

Moving on... don't you just love the way exercises feel so 'easy' in the first set or two?  And then they start to fade?  And then they start to fail?  Hmmm... I never thought I'd enjoy the feeling of failure quite so much as I do.  Like that last set of pull-ups when your feet won't come off the ground but your brain is sending a massive single to ppppppuuuuuulllllllll.

We're in the final, final stretch... it's such a strange feeling, too.  On the one hand I've been counting and watching and waiting... but on the other its just a black hole of DIY.  I know Patrick has been / will continue setting us up for that black hole, but it'll still be pretty strange.

To answer my friend James' question (and perhaps everyone else's) the tattoo that I'll have in a little more than 36 hours from now:

It's Greek for "Know Thyself".  I spent 5 hours on Saturday watching a coworker get two pieces done by the same guy that will do mine.  It was an odd way to spend a large chunk of Saturday, but it made me more comfortable with the artist, the studio and especially the process.  It did, however, make it clear that mine placement is going to prove to be rather painful... the coworker had his on his calves and indicated with small winces the pain as the needle went over / along the bone.  My chest, despite all the PCP goodness, still has plenty of bone... wheee!

Jump runs & indulgence

So, seemingly counter to the advice for Dec 2 (isn't it strange getting the emails a day "ahead"?) I decided to run through my jump rope session today.  No, not replace the rope with a run, but instead jog while jumping.  I was somewhat inspired by the video I posted and somewhat inspired by watching "the man" do his jumping in Yokohama nearly a month ago.  I decided to give it a go... on top of that, it's actually cold here for the first time of the season (35 when I went outside) and I thought that the extra movement would keep the cold away.

It was generally a success - I count the increased interruptions as an "ok" thing because added cardio from the running... right, right?  It got much harder halfway through the second set, though...


So, on to the indulgence.  It's hard to say if I drifted too far during Thanksgiving - I have a pretty massive set of grams to attend to.  Perhaps some of the dishes were too fatty in one way or another, but for the most part it was protein or veg centered.  The wine would be counted as a drift, of course.  Oh... and I had two Thanksgivings - one local with friends and one with my family a couple hours away. 

So, counting Thanksgiving as a small transgression, we'll call the trip to the Turkish restaurant on Monday the indulgence.  It was the first Monday after a long holiday so the OR was busy, keeping Susan at work a little later than usual.  On top of that was massive amount of rain falling and no one in this town understands how to observe rain but continue to drive.  Given that Susan was running late, I made the trip across town to pick up Olivia, only to find out Susan wasn't going to be as late as she thought.  Instead of making the trek home in the rain and traffic at rush hour, we decided to go a favorite place on that side of town, the Turkish restaurant my sister found just before we moved to Nashville.

I had the baked eggplant with lamb and tomato, a small salad with oil, some bread with oil and a bunch of yummy hot apple tea.  Again, I'm not sure if it was really an indulgence, but it sure was delicious.  I can't say that it had much impact on me... things kept rolling like normal throughout the night...

So... we're in our final 12 days.  It looks like I'm set for a session at the tattoo studio on Wednesday and my suit should as early as Monday.  We'll probably make our celebratory dinner reservations for the Wednesday or Thursday following the end of PCP - an excuse for fancy dress!

It's tough, but the end is neigh!  JFD Cookie Monsters! :D

Oh, and to those we've "lost" - I hope things are rolling along well, in sickness and in health, in sleep depravity and boredom.  We miss you!

Ready for the jump rope show?

You see... I've been in on a little secret since my trip to Japan.

We're all going to meet up in a secret location and do this routine.


Everyone ready?

Time ticks away

Let's see... I'm still a bit wrapped around the "lack of difference" in my body shape, so I decided to take a comparative look, perhaps a little early given that we've got 17 days remaining...

We'll start with the relaxed front shot... comparing 1 and 73.





I apologize for the poor lighting on Day 73, but... ummm... maybe I should quit bitching about a lack of change?  No - it's just one comparison and poor lighting... I really want to argue this point some more.





Hmmm... small changes in the front flex. What about the back?





Some changes there as well... I notice the triceps mostly.

I don't know... the first front photos show a tremendous change. Plus there are those changes that can't be captured by the camera - my hockey playing has gotten so much smoother. That likely has a lot to do with the jump rope, but I'm also a little more stable when getting bumped around.

In more whiny news there is something slightly wrong with my left shoulder. I went to do the da vincis a couple of days ago and felt a horrible pain. I steered clear of the shoulder exercises and I've been generally quite careful with it. I've put a heating pad on it the past few nights, but I've been equally conscious of not letting it's weakness translate into poor form on the exercises. Today's didn't get me into much trouble until the kung fu situps - I got one set done and then it screamed.

I've done some prep for day 90 - I've ordered a suit (per the last post) and I've had a chat with the tattoo artist. Things are falling into place... now it's just pushing through these last couple of weeks to make a big change in my photos. :)

Go Cookie Monsters, go!

After a week…

So it’s been a week since I flew from Japan, and a heck of a week at that.  The jet lag recovery was massively difficult and stretched all the way through Thursday.  Pushing through to get the workout done was certainly in the category of ‘grim enthusiasm.’  Combine that with trying to navigate a method of being a cheerleader for my wife as well as reconstructing my dietary habits.

The trip was amazing and I wouldn’t trade the time I got to spend with Patrick in the midst of the PCP training.  That said, it’s really been a shock to my routine on so many fronts that I wonder a bit if I’m going to get quite everything I had hoped for.  I had a great conversation with Patrick about ectomorphs, those with my body type, and how my body works with a program like this.  I don’t remember vast amounts (I have such a terrible memory), but I do remember him mentioning that my measurements (biceps, chest, etc) weren’t really going to change.  I suppose that’s fine, so long as I the definition I’m forming becomes clear to those that don’t have to see me half-naked. 

I’ve thought a bit about the idea of new clothes and my thinking has certainly been influenced by the trip to Japan.  In Tokyo you see so many guys in these great looking suits – well cut, fitted nicely – and it makes me want to get one.  However… there isn’t much reason for me to have one!  It’d be pretty counter to my “have only what I need,” philosophy that I committed to a few months ago because this suit would just hang in the closet waiting for the perhaps one occasion a year to wear it!

So… grim enthusiasm FTW.  JFD cookie monsters… JFD indeed.

time to fly... mostly

I'll provide the details of my awesome last night in Japan later (likely I'll write on the plane), but for now I'm just waiting for the limo bus to go to the airport. We fly at 530p JST and land at 735p CST. Susan and Olivia will be meeting me there!

Thanks to Brian, Patrick and Patrick's wife whose name I won't even attempt to spell out of respect! :)

Now back home where I can realign my diet and JFD the last 30 days!

Getting toward the end

Alright… it’s Thursday.  Yesterday my boss’s boss’s boss Dave arrived in Tokyo, so we got our first true read-out on our progress.  John B had been pleased for the whole time we’ve been here, but we knew that given the fact that Dave & the Tokyo boss had worked out the trip details they’d be the ones to tell us if we were on the right track.  We met with Dave at 3p and ran through the entire set of work we’ve done…

… and he was happy.  There were only a couple of small edits and he agreed that we were in exactly the right place.  That means we continued to fine tune things the rest of Wednesday evening, will spend all day Thursday doing the same thing, then we’ll spend 3 hours on Friday presenting our findings and recommendations.  That presentation will be for Dave, Antony (Tokyo boss), John B, and the majority of the operations staff.  We expect to have a pretty reasonable discussion of the material.

I’ve struggled with my workout the past couple of days – probably because I’m not eating to the plan nearly as well I hoped or would be at home.  My sleep hasn’t been fantastic either – I am usually awake until 11p or 12a, much later than normal, and then I’m sleeping until 8a, again later than normal.  The bed is nice, but the pillows are odd… maybe the bed is too soft.  I feel pretty sore in my back which I’m attributing to the bed in some degree.

I’m beginning to get pretty excited about coming home now that I know the flight is (basically) 100% locked-in for Saturday.  I took some time last night and this morning to begin packing my luggage.  It’s been a nice trip and I wish I could have done more, but now that I know I’m about to go home, I’m ready for it.  My video call with Olivia this morning was about the best we’ve had – she was really interested in talking to me which is a change from previous calls.  I explained I’d be home soon, but then I realized for her it’s not really… it’s still only Wednesday there.  I did get reminded, though, that my arrival time is pretty reasonable – 7:30p – so I’ll actually get to see them both without having to wake them up.

My goal is to see Patrick again, taking the trip out there on Friday evening.  Unfortunately Patrick is in Yokohama and apparently President Obama will be in Yokohama as well.  I’m hoping that either due to my chosen mode of transport (train) or my timing (early evening) I won’t encounter too much trouble.

JFD team… we’re nearly that magical day 60 where we’re in the last part.  Patrick’s email about grinding through the sets sure is timely…

Wow… time flies!

Ok – trying to slam out a blog post before heading to bed.

Busy times guys.  My work days are around 12 – 14 hours, plus I put in 4 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday.

Wednesday was Zazen with Patrick, then a great dinner… mentioned that already.  Saturday, after working, was a trip to Tokyo Disney Sea.  Fun, but no rides because of massive wait times (2+ hours).  Sunday was mostly sleep catch up until the evening…

… when I rode a train with Brian out to Yokohama to work out with Patrick.  That was a heavy workout – the standard setup, but with ‘the man’ pushing you along.  Because I was there, Brian got his workout “upgraded” to where I was, as well as Andrew from the Japanese PCP who is a week or so behind us.  I felt a little bad for the guys as I’m not sure how I’d feel jumping ahead by a week or more!

It was nice to see that my form was pretty appropriate for the exercises – that was a big worry.  Watching Patrick on the rope was an inspiration and I began to move my feet a little more / better than before.  Everything else was just normal, only pushed a little bit faster than at home.  The whole thing was done in about 45 minutes, whereas I’d say it’s around an hour when I’m at home.

Monday had me back at work and now I’m headed toward sleep.  Oh – I had a streak of 7 meals in a row with fish in them.  It broke at lunch today, but I still think that’s a pretty awesome accomplishment!

At the moment I’m still set for a Saturday afternoon departure, so I’m going to try and get out to see Patrick at least once more – perhaps Friday.

Long days… and I need some help!

I’m trying to knock out a post really quick before breakfast, so if it seems rushed, it is!

Japan is nice, but after my first day of work, I’m finding the workday to be really long for me.  I guess I sort of expected it, but living it was different.  I’m here for a short period of time and it’s for a fairly significant reason, so I need to milk every minute of productivity.  That didn’t however, keep me from working out last night.

Where I need help, though, is on the food front.  Breakfast is working out alright, but it’s really expensive because I’m eating in the hotel buffet.  I have access to great stuff there – lots of fish – but have no idea what my alternatives might be.

Lunch and dinner (expect Wednesday night with Patrick) have been questionable as to meeting my diet needs.  My host is trying really hard, but he’s still an American that hasn’t completely settled into the place, despite having three years.  That and he has never been particularly focused on what he’s eating – he’s just aiming to eat like the rest of the population.

Wednesday night with Patrick opened my eyes to a fantastic meal, but I have no idea how to replicate it despite plenty of Googling this morning.  It was a dinner of saba fish (mackerel), rice, spinach, seaweed, miso and tea.  It was a ‘homemade’ type place where everything was prepared fresh and with care… it was amazingly delicious.

If lunch and dinner are proving tough, let me tell you that the snacks have been even harder…

This place is fun, but I’m a bit lost!

Established in Japan

I'm pretty much settled into the hotel at this point, having completed a workout here and slept a night.  At this point I'm about to head down for the breakfast buffet in the hotel to try and work out my latest version of the diet.  It shouldn't be terrible, I hope, given my portion sizes that are still embarrassingly larger than most everyone elses.  After breakfast should be a short Skype chat with Susan & Olivia (I had expected it to be now, but we mixed things up when I said "tomorrow"... meaning tomorrow in Japan) and then out to the grocery store around the corner to see what I can grab.

After that I'll spend some time wandering around Roppongi or perhaps jump on the subway to see what trouble I can get into.  We'll meet up with our host around noon for some more wandering in concert with discussion work stuff.

Wish me luck on my 2 hours of Japanese language lessons. :)

For those that are local, I've got a local cell number.  I won't post it on the internet for the world to see, but you can email me (it's just PCIan, if you know what I mean) and I'll pass it back to you.  Can't wait to see everyone!  Oh yeah, I'm planning on hitting Yokohama this evening for the Zazen if anyone wants to join me.

About to board the flight to Narita. Should arrive around 2p JST / 12a CST. Olivia is apparently a confused despite plenty of talk. Will Skype w/ her tmrw.

Preparing…

So I got final confirmation of my trip to Japan yesterday afternoon when the tickets were finally purchased.  Of course, I guess it isn’t final until I’m actually on a plane, but it’s a lot further knowing the tickets are ‘in hand.’  My company is known to be rather flexible in regards to travel plans… sometimes you think you’re going and your not… sometimes you don’t know you’re going and your are… sometimes you think you know how long, but it’s more.

I headed into my closet, dug out out my remaining ‘nice’ pants and found they all fit – a perk of travelling while under the influence of PCP.  I also discovered that I only had a couple of dress shirts that I’d care to wear, so today was spent in discount stores grabbing a few more, plus some dress shoes that are better than I have today.  My wardrobe in the US office isn’t going to fly in the Japan office.

I plan on crashing the Team Orange Crush party there in Tokyo by inserting my Team Cookie Monster self into their homebase.  Honestly, I’m quite excited to have a chance to meet both Patrick as well as some contingent of the other half of our project!  It’s been a blast telling people around the office that I’ve got 10 people to meet when I get to Japan.  (Bill thanks for the invite, as I will take you up… but do you commonly invite people to JBlo’s flat?)

I don’t know that I’ll get much free time in the country, but I’m planning on sneaking out to the studio in Yokohama at least once, preferably on Wednesday for the meditation class.  I’ll be in Roppongi, apparently a bit of party place, but Patrick and Bill have both said it shouldn’t be hard for me to keep the diet going.  At this point I land on Tuesday around 2p, so I should get to experience a couple of eating times pretty quickly.  Oh… and apparently Wednesday is a holiday, so I’ll get a nice quiet start to my work in that office.

We’ve rallied the local friends to make sure they can help support Susan and Olivia while I’m away – we only have an aunt that’s local when it comes to family, so the easy babysitters like grandparents aren’t really available to us.  They are, of course, on standby and will drive up if required.

In other news…

*** Warning – Disgusting Digestive Stuff Ahead ***

… it seems my guts are rebelling at the moment.  I’ve been enjoying the expected easy and regular bowel movements that come along with our diet, but within the last day or so I’ve become rather unsettled.  Firm has moved to softer.  Calm and happy guts have shifted to roiled and gassy.  I had to make a brand shift on my Greek yogurt, and it’s the prime suspect.  I’m lactose intolerant, but I’ve not had any problems so far with the Fage brand, but Dannon… they may have gotten me.

Speaking of shifting brands of yogurt… I had to switch because the closer grocery store doesn’t carry Fage and I was out.  I initially pulled “Greek Gods” (or something similar) from the cooler, only to discover that they had basically no protein in there.  I don’t understand what the heck they did to screw that up, but luckily I read it before purchase, otherwise it would have been a general waste of time and money.

*** End disgusting stuff ***

I haven’t gotten to my exercise for the day, so I’m going to try and knock that out amongst my upset stomach and the sleepiness creeping up.  Tomorrow I have to dress up as Shaggy (from Scooby-Doo) for the office Halloween trick-or-treat for the local elementary school.  After that I’m judging the office costume contest.  And finally, I take Olivia to the doctor to catch up her immunizations so she can stay in daycare beyond tomorrow… a small detail.

Saturday we’ll drive halfway to Chattanooga to meet my mom so I can borrow my sister’s nice luggage for my trip.  We’ll likely head to the zoo that evening for the Halloween party there with some friends.  Sunday will be my mad scramble to get prepared for the Monday 6:45a flight… busy, busy.

So… off to JFD.  Keep it up Cookie Monsters.

Grim indeed.

Wow, this has been a tough week.  The food isn’t changing much in it’s weights and my creativity is waning.  I did well with a turkey breast a few weeks ago, but this time it got dry, so I’m having to muscle through that.  I re-tried the ground turkey breast “sausage” but that was dry without baking it, so that has also not been too pleasant.

The past few weekends have been busy which puts a strain on the food prep for the week.  I’ve had to cobble a meal or two together based on little bits of stuff hanging around the house.  Needless to say, eating has been a pain in the butt.

The exercise has been okay, and having things change up has been helpful to keeping me interested.  I did Saturdays routine at my sister’s house despite a number of people there for a hockey viewing party.  My sister / brother-in-law are used to it, so they didn’t blink… the others didn’t say anything either.

Work hasn’t exactly provided a respite from the busy times – I finally made a role change that I had announced 3 months ago, but only now had the opportunity to make the transition.  (We had to find my replacement)  It’s a welcome change to my professional life, as I’ll be moving out of management and back into an individual contributor role.  Finally I’ll once again be responsible for only myself. :)

That said, my first assignment has come as a bit of a shock.

I’ll be going to Japan, Tokyo specifically.

It seems they could use some help on the ground there with the type of work I’ve been doing as a manager for the past year.  As such, I’ll be (supposedly) travelling there as early as Monday the 1st and staying for 2 (I suspect 3) weeks.  It’s a pretty big deal to be selected for this gig, as it’s not a trip we take very often.  We’ll be going in to help out a somewhat ‘rough’ IT situation, so there is plenty of visibility involved.  And here I thought my new job would get me out of the spotlight…

So now Susan and I are racking our brains over how to work out our lives with a sense of normalcy despite my not being around.  We’ve had a great routine going to make sure our exercises get done, so now we’ll have to adapt – Susan more so than I probably.  She does have the distinct advantage of small, low-prep dinners whereas I need to sort out how to find 5 pounds of food in a foreign country everyday.  Granted, Tokyo shouldn’t be too tough to find food and protein in the form of fish should be simple, a nice change from my birds.

Well… sorry for my absence from the scene lately – I’ll try to do better.  I need to get some reading done, too, as a reminder that we’ll all (likely) struggling at this point in the program.  Oh – and pictures too…

oh man... i'm tired

wow. just... wow.

i dont know when i last posted, as i didnt look before starting this one.  i'm typing on my phone, which reminds me how terrible mobile support is on blogger.

so, eating. well, not eating so much as preparing. it sucks. i am so worn out with cooking and weighing right now.  i continue to amze all those around me with my tupperware towers at work.  eating is fine, so long as i stick to the schedule - today was tough because i  did a lot of interviews and i figure its not nice to stuff your face at the first time someone sees your company.

time is another tough one.  right now as soon as i get home from work, i make sure susan can get started on her workout, then i start eating my preworkout and do a staggered start.  once we wrap up, i eat my post workout and start to prepare dinner.  maybe i eat first and maybe i put olive to bed first.  either way, as i eat dinner i'm likely preparing the many containers for the next day.  when that done, its time to sleep.  i've been nonstop for a week or two, so its getting rough.  susan is stepping now that her dinner is "simple" so that helps a lot.

the exercises are progressing steadily. i would have photos from tonight but the camera battery is dead... after two shots.

there is plenty more to dicuss - a freezing motorcycle ride, a great honor from a friend, etc - but i'll do that later.

jfd cookie monsters.

A few other things...

It's late, I should be in bed, but I'm a bit wired and wanting to catch up.

1) Jump Rope today - I GOT CROSS-OVERS!  It wasn't a lot and there were only a couple of times that I was able to pull off a series, but boy that made it a ton of fun trying.  I also tried single leg, but that just couldn't last more than one or two jumps.  I also got back into being able to go really fast - fast enough that I can't say the whole number in a single rotation.  It's a fun change, but not something I can sustain for long periods.  Needless to say, the jump rope is out of the naughty corner in my mind. 

I did notice one small detail about the improvement - when I jump in the dawn / dusk light, I can't see the rope and suddenly I'm much better.  It's not as if I'm concentrating on the jump, but somehow its different.

2) I'm considering a pretty massive trip next fall.  Susan and I are still negotiating the terms between ourselves and I'm still reading up on the destination so I know this is the thing I really want to do. 

The "massive" destination?  The Annapurna Sanctuary in Nepal.  It would be through REI, done with Sherpa and pack animals, but still a pretty big deal, given the elevation change and the 6 hour daily hike.  I've done a 4 day 6+ hour hike carrying my own gear (in New Zealand) with some elevation changes, but not an ascent from 5000' to 13,500'.

I'm figuring, though, that my PCP body should hold up to the challenge, and given that it probably won't happen for a year from now, it'll be great inspiration to stay in solid shape through to that time.

My other target would be good ol' Fuji... maybe that's 2012 when all three of us visit Japan - if that's the destination we decide on for our family international vacation...

Did you ever wonder...

What my breakfast / lunch looks like, given that I'm eating like a race horse?



That's turkey breast (B / L), quinoa pasta (L), apple / raisin / cinnamon couscous (MS), two eggs (MS, AS), greek yogurt (AS), whole wheat bagel (B), the same couscous (B), tomato (B), corn / carrots / snap beans (L).  This excludes the kiwi as part of my MS.

That's 4 of 8 eating opportunities in my day.  Not pictured are the before / after workout, dinner, and evening snack.

I spent a lot of time tonight (with help from my lovely wife) preparing the next block of food to make it through the week. A few things amaze me from this...

1) I can eat all this
2) I don't feel uncomfortably full, only pleased
3) My body is handling all of this food - I've seen little impact on my weight
4) I have enough tupperware to carry this stuff to work 5 days a week...

Katana = 0 rep failure

I have no idea why or how, but the Katanas tonight were a 0 rep failure for me.  I grabbed our lowest level band, got into position and... that was about it.  I'm confident my brain told my muscles to contract and my arms to move, but they didn't... not a budge.  I struggled and wiggled through a couple, but simply couldn't do it with the band, much to Susan's amusement.  She headed to the kitchen and pulled out a couple of soup cans so I could do the proper motion / count.  I'm at a total loss - I've been do the dips with straight legs from the moment they showed up...

Anyway, other than the damn katanas, I thought today's routine was a bit of a break.  Squats were a breeze and I gave up on finding failure just because I wanted to move to the next exercise.  The rest of the work was a our standard fare, and even the v-sits were too torturous.

Only jumps tomorrow and a look at the next set of grams... I'm curious to see where I'll end up this week.  The preparing and eating is beginning to be my hardest part of PCP...

Ah, hockey

So it's 12:15a and I'm almost ready to make the trek upstairs to sleep.  I got home around 11:30p after the game and have been preparing tomorrow's food most of the rest of the time.

The game went well - a 4-3 win - and I noticed a few differences in my play.  First and foremost I didn't run out of energy for the game and my lungs stayed right with me.  I needed to play a double-shift a few times, but it didn't hit me too bad.  I continued to play my slightly conservative style of defense which didn't give me a lot of opportunities to see what sort of speed or reaction boosts I might have, but maybe for the next game.

I spent most of the game thinking it would be just the breath that would be different, but my final shift of the game gave me an opportunity to test my strength.  We were up 4 - 3 with 3 minutes remaining and the opposing team put out their strongest set of guys.  They really wanted that tying goal, so it was a lot of physical action.  Mind you, this is a "no checking" league, but it doesn't mean we don't do a little pushing and shoving from time to time. All night I'd been paired against #1 on their team and we'd been battling nicely.  Here at the end we were locking up continually.  Prior to PCP I probably would have had a lot more difficult of a time keeping my balance and / or keeping him off the puck, but tonight I held my own, which (I figure) ultimately made a difference in them not scoring.

It was equally nice to come home with an even energy level - it used to be that I'd be exhausted, but completely hyped-up from the game.  Tonight it feels a lot calmer and certainly not exhausted - just well worked.  I also found myself a little more even-minded during the game, whereas I used to be a little more of a hothead when things got physical I just went with it tonight and gave back what I was given.

I'm afraid I'm going to fail the sleep portion of our routine, but if I go now at least I'll be close.

Go Team Cookie Monster! (?)

Okay... a lot of catching up

I've been writing a lot of blog posts since Tuesday... in my mind... <shame>

Ad-hoc meditation
Tuesday afternoon was a delightful day, albeit chilly, and I went for a walk around the office building with my headphones.  I made it halfway through the circuit and decided to take a seat in the grass on a little hill so I could bask in the sunlight.  With the sun warming me gently, I sat back and looked up at the big puffy clouds that were passing overhead.  I examined the various shades of light reflecting on them, and their slow movement with the wind that was, most of the time, imperceptible.

As I sat there pondering these clouds a thought crossed my mind: "What do I need to get rid of to do this more often?"

I carried that thought into my Tuesday afternoon / evening activities (individual, then group therapy) and it grew some legs.  I turned into things like reducing our house 'requirements' to something smaller, perhaps not even owning any longer.  It turned into really travelling more instead of talking about it.  It made me consider how I want to approach my job, how I'd like to make my job (even) more flexible so as to allow for more time with puffy clouds or starry skies.

The idea took me to a point where I, for the first time in my life, laid out some personal goals.  Things like making sure Olivia travels out of the country before her passport expires.  (Side story - Olivia, our near 3 year old, has had a passport since she was 6 months old because there was a small chance I might travel to Japan for business and I wouldn't have left them behind for that!  The trip didn't happen so she hasn't 'used' it yet.)  Now we're talking about places like Australia, New Zealand, Japan and England.

Other goals have me learning new sports (skiing and cricket), spending more time with on my bonsai trees (I got 3 this past spring), and getting outdoors more with my family.  (Car camping, backpacking, introducing Olivia to all these things)  I have to think that all this proper eating and exercise has helped play a part in this newfound clarity.  Now to control my 'goal-oriented' tendencies and take my time enjoying these things instead of just trying to mark them off...

Sleep, interrupted
So on Thursday night (into Friday morning) I got called at 1am for work.  It's a occupational hazard, being a manager of an IT team that supports 24x7 global ops... sometimes I have to manage an 'incident' in the middle of the night.  That particular incident lasted until about 3a, at which point I settled back into the bed... and didn't settle my brain for at least 30 minutes more.  Of course Olivia was kind enough to wake me at 5:30a like normal.

I thought everything was going to be okay with the day - I got my food ready, etc, etc and the day went by just fine.  I got home around 5p and set myself to do the exercise routine for the day.  I stepped outside for the rope and discovered I couldn't string together more than 5 jumps for most of the time.  I got to 600 or so miserable (and painful, thanks to the whipping action) jumps and called it quits.  I was frustrated, in pain and extremely tired.  On top of that, my throat was getting rougher and rougher from previous days, an indication to me that the cold I've been flirting with was starting to find a good home.

Susan pressed me to take this as a sick-avoidance rest day, and I did... with great protest.  I really wanted to do the workout.  For one thing, it feels good to do it and the other is that I like the development in my body these exercises are bringing.  However, I listened - to Susan and my body - and called it done there.

Jump Rope - I'm falling out of love...
Saturday continued my absolute frustration on the jump rope.  I've adjusted the rope both shorter and longer. I've critiqued my hand and arm positioning.  I've faced different directions, I've tried to clear my mind, I've tried to think about stuff.  Nothing.  I get a couple of 50 - 75 stretches, but generally it's 20 or less between trips.  I did, however, begin taking slightly longer breaks after trips, giving my body a little more recovery.  Part of this is likely mental, whereas I'm thinking ahead to the rest of the workout that I'm a little more excited about.  I moved my weekday workout time from the morning to the afternoon just to avoid time pressure.

Weekends... sort of painful for some reason
This weekend has been similar to last weekend in that I'm really pretty much a giant pain in everyone's back-side being really cranky and short.  I purposefully moved the workout to right after waking up to get that rush at the start of the day - and it was a reasonable push, but because of the above mentioned jumping problem, it put a bad color on the day.

I also didn't eat breakfast at my normal time, putting my body into a crash that dragged me down... I didn't end up eating until about 3 hours after normal.

Speaking of eating this morning, I prepared the turkey sausage that Sara had suggested.  They looked great as I prepared them, and I thought that I'd do a one step better than the recipe and bake them.  I figured it works for bacon, so it should work for this right?  It may have, except I had no reference for how long I should bake them, so they dried out.  Nice taste... if you have any saliva left.  I'm going to toy with how to 'rehydrate' them in the morning so I can enjoy something different at breakfast.

Also, something different at breakfast today was some couscous - apple, cinnamon, raisin couscous to be exact.  That's a nice naturally sweet way to start the morning carbs, so I'm looking forward to packing that guy up over the coming days.  We've found couscous to be an amazingly flexible carb that is equally delightful in the simple preparation methods.  To that end, we discovered a huge list of couscous recipes!

Various other things...
We've been in the midst of preparing to sell our house and we had initially loosely planned to list it as soon as next weekend.  However, we came to a few realizations within the last couple of days - A) we don't have the energy to get everything put together the way we'd like in the time we have B) we'd only have the house on the market for 30 days until the holidays come along when no one is really looking.  So now we've decided to take a slower pace and aim for a February listing date.

I finally got back on my motorcycle today... I haven't spent much time with it for various reasons, the largest being the time available to me amidst all this exercise, eating and preparing to eat.  It's also been pretty cold here and I don't have proper cold weather gear given that this is my first bike.  It was a great rush to get out on the interstate and pull on the throttle... it was a reasonably quiet Saturday afternoon / evening, so traffic was just right where there weren't too many semis nor were the cars packed together.

I have a hockey game on Sunday night, the first since I've started PCP.  The first game of the 'season' was prior to PCP, but I'd been getting into a little bit of an exercise routine by that time, so I could already feel a difference in my game over the one previous.  I'm fairly excited about going out to this one in the hopes that I'll have a pretty significant improvement.

Exercise...
I've been pretty happy with our routine lately.  The floor jumps were as advertised - left quivering on the floor at the end.  The pull-downs feel good, but I've gone ahead and invested in the next level of resistance band because I'm not sure it's completely effective with my current level.  The pull-ups are great now we're onto the 'real' ones - the inclines were bothersome to me.  Of course I've been on the straight-leg push-ups and dips from the beginning... meaning I've been murdering myself unnecessarily for a few weeks! :P  The ab exercises continue to be my second most hated activity of the moment as apparently I have no core muscles.

Preparing for the end
I decided at the start of PCP that when I make it to the end, I was going to do something significant for myself.  That something significant is to get the tattoo I've been considering for the past year, as I think it would be an appropriate moment to associate it with.

It's pretty simple, actually - "Know Thyself" in Greek lettering across my chest.  I had considered placing it on my forearm where I'd see it all the time, but after several conversations with well-inked friends I found that unless I'm going to commit to long-sleeves at work, don't do it.  I'm not into long sleeves so I considered alternatives and finally landed on my chest.  Those friends have also informed me that it won't be a comfortable process (not that it ever is I suppose) given my chosen location, but I figure it's the next most visible place for me.  I'll wake up each more to see the reminder to be mindful of my self.

I know the idea of tattoos can be divisive, but it's something that will generally only be shared when I want to, save for the occasions at a water park or a swimming pool. (Oh, and I guess the locker room at hockey...)  The majority of people around me won't know it is there, but for me it'll mean plenty.  Given that my plan is to have it done right at the end of PCP, it'll mark a significant undertaking for me, something that I expect will show me what I can be from a health / physique perspective.  The pain of the inking will mirror, in a manner, the pain of the PCP process - it'll feel like hell in the midst of it, but that will pass and there will be something beautiful to show for it.

So the preparation was to go along with one of the guys from work (actually one of the Senior Directors, someone I respect a great deal in the office) to meet with 'his' artist.  This guy from work has tons of art on him, but he's placed it all such that basically no one knows just how much is there.  This was an unusual opportunity for me to get a glimpse of it.  Further, it gave me the chance to meet the artist that's been recommended by plenty of people around me while going along with someone that knew the person / ropes.

I'll be going back in November to finalize what this will piece look like and set the date / time I'll be getting it done.  It will be as close to December 15th as I can land it...

Empty brain?
Okay... I think I've gotten it all out there... sorry for the massive length of the post.  All the time exercising, eating and prepping food has just kept me away from the blog... I'll try to do better in the coming week.

Keep up the great work Team Cookie Monster... go out there a JFD!

Lots of self discipline right now - in a company-wide meeting amidst free food and drinks. I miss free food. ;(

THE FOOD - SO MUCH FOOD!

Wow... I am stunned at how much food I'm allotted, in combination with the fact that I'm actually eating it all without a problem.  My initial conversations with Patrick were very clear that I pretty much suck at eating - I used to skip tons of meals, eat at random times, eat random stuff, etc.  I would generally eat whenever and whatever throughout any given day.  For the past week I've been stuffing myself with around 3.5 pounds of food and my body wouldn't flinch.  Now, now I think Patrick / Chen are just screwing with me because it went up again this week to a whopping 4.25 pounds of food a day.  (Both of those exclude the weight of the FOUR eggs I eat each day.)

Look, don't get me wrong, I'm digging the results, I'm especially digging the idea that my body wants this much food because of my metabolism, exercise, etc.  What is getting tough is finding the time to prepare the next day's food each night (not cook, just assemble) as well as trying to keep variety in my meals.  We picked up a bunch of couscous, so that's getting made into all sorts of wonderful combinations - carb variety shouldn't be a problem for a while. 

The protein, though, is basically locked into the land of the chicken.  And now I've got a protein spot on my breakfast line and I really don't want to eat chicken for breakfast, lunch and dinner!  I recognize that we can't think of breakfast as a meal with exclusive components (eggs, bacon, waffles, etc) but I also am not so sure I'm going to dig into a big thing of tuna at 8a.  Suggestions anyone?  Oh... and don't say eggs.  ;)

Otherwise things are peachy.  I took a rest day (jumps only) on Sunday at the suggestion of my wife after watching me drag around the house through the weekend.  Monday I was itching for the real workout.  I did my jumps at lunch at work today - I think I'll keep a jump rope in my laptop bag in case of the office blues, because that was an awesome midday pick-me-up.

A late night...

So, first things first - please wish Susan luck on her test tomorrow (Friday, October 1).  It's the culmination of 6 months of OTJ training to become a OR Nurse, something she's wanted since she was in nursing school all those years ago.  She's been ridiculously stressed out, worrying about the test that I'm confident she's going to nail.  I have a bit of personal benefit to the test being done, too - that stress has made our house a bit tense to be in, what with our radical change into PCP mode...

My workout, after work again today, went pretty smooth.  The push-ups today were 10 times better than yesterday for reasons unknown to me.  The tricep-dips right after push-ups, though, are just not fair.  I did max / mid reps on both exercises, so I certainly got the 'big burn' Mr. Patrick has been advertising.

The food has been phenomenally time consuming.  I have never, ever eaten this food in more than a one-day stretch.  It's becoming a reasonable routine and my body certainly isn't rejecting the input.  In chatting with Patrick today, he mentioned something that makes me figure that all of my life I've probably been on the bubble or just within a caloric deficit, keeping me from getting any shape, fat or otherwise.  Sure, you might think it's great to be 'skinny' but I've gotten plenty of hell for it over the years...

I spent a bunch of time tonight trying to get ahead of our menu a bit, but it seems like just when we get ahead on one bucket (veg for example) we run low on another (protein today) and I'm just back to standing in the kitchen.  Combine that with the nightly routine of packing breakfast / dinner and it can make for some long nights.  I am, of course, keeping a close eye on the clock most nights to make sure I'm meeting that part of the training plan, too!

Given my larger food intake and my new routine of bringing my food to work, I'm entering a new 'crowd' at work and it's given me an opportunity to share PCP.  Some (ok, many) will never really think twice about the crazy project thing Ian's talking about, but at least one looks like he may be on track to be in the next group.  I proudly showed him my Day 1 and Day 15 photos to which he offered many compliments as well as asking even more questions about the project.  Initially I had thought I wouldn't really talk about PCP much, instead waiting for people to notice a difference, but I've had a little more fun bringing up with people than I expected.

Anyway, it's time for bed... I hope the Cookie Monster doesn't come for me tonight! ;)

Feeling better.

I took the morning off from exercise and instead spent it getting ready in a slight more leisurely way than lately.  Part of that was a little extra snuggle time with Olivia, and another part was giving myself the 'ok' to drive back after daycare to pick up my motorcycle.  I rode in to work this morning, the first time in the chilly fall air - a new experience.  Most everything on the bike, though, is new, given that I just got it in April and it's my first bike.

After work I made sure Susan could focus on completing her exercise routine before I dove into mine.  I worked ahead of her making sure all the equipment was in the right place and that Olivia stayed out of the way.  Once she was done, I was my turn.  For the first time I had a pre-workout item of 60g Carbs, so I grabbed two pieces of double-fiber wheat bread, sprinkled on some red wine vinegar and chowed down.  Susan thought the vinegar idea was disgusting, but I likened it to wiping the bottom of the salad bowl... you know, dragging your salty garlic bread through the salty Italian dressing?

I headed to the deck for jumps, only to trip a lot and be disturbed by the little one's curiousity.  During one of the trip, I decided to investigate the length of my rope.. and made it about an inch shorter.  Suddenly I could do almost my full sets of 100 - cute.

I blasted through the remainder of the routine, feeling serious burn in the push-ups, driving to failure in the davincis (I figure failure is barely clearing your hips...), and absolutely dying on the sit-ups.  Apparently I have no core.

I then walked down the street to meet friends at a local restaurant - I hadn't seen them in weeks and I informed them, up front, of my dietary requirements.  I ate a salad, starting with my post-workout egg white, and even had the strength to push the delicious bacon to the side...

I'm feeling pretty good now... now just to find enough carbs to make tomorrow's meals.

Hey - anyone have suggestions on oatmeal?  I worry that the flavored packets aren't ideal, but the whole oats taste like cardboard.

Quick update...

So I got on the scale last night for the heck of it... it's not something normal for me.  It's one of those fancy ones with the body fat percentage, too.  The body fat read 8.0%, but I didn't remember if that was up or down, so I looked up my original email to Patrick... to find 8.8% then.  I didn't believe the reading, so I just went to bed without a worry. 

I just weighed again - it's still at 8.0%, meaning I've cut .8% body fat in 2 weeks.  Awesome.

Drained...

I'm feeling a little rough at the moment...

The time management component of PCP is really beginning to bite me in the back-side.  Part of this is associated with the return from vacation and trying to get back into our normal routine, which is relatively busy...  having a nearly 3-year old that needs to get back and forth to day care makes the mornings and afternoons extra fun.  Combine that with Susan's job as a nurse that has really strict working schedules plus the fact that she's coming to the end of a intense training program.

We did the recommended "buy a lot of veggies and prepare them" thing on Sunday, but it hasn't helped with our dinners because we haven't pre-prepped our proteins.  I keep thinking I'll get a bunch of chicken put together, but I just haven't had the energy or time to do that amongst all the other stuff.  All I wanted to do last night was go to bed, but I needed to slog through getting breakfast and lunch weighed out first.

I'm now sitting in an 'enclave' at work to avoid all the people that walk up to my desk throughout the day, hoping not to let my grumpiness fly out at them.  I really want to go out for lunch and eat something other than what I carried in today, which is an old problem that I have to tackle - almost any time I bring my lunch, I want, more than ever before, something else.

The exercise has been reasonable, but my jumps aren't getting too much smoother.  My first set of 100 or so are really trippy, the middle sets are okay, and then I get tired and trippy to wrap it up.  Beyond that, as I've mentioned before, I can't keep up well with the counting, especially this morning when Olivia insisted on watching me, which involved plenty of conversations. 

"Daddy... Daddy... DADDY!"
"Yes dear?"
"You're exercising."
"Yes, yes I'm exercising."
"Hmmm... was it 50?  I guess... 51, 52, trip, 52, 53, 54, 55,"
"Daddy... Daddy..."

I woke up this morning with a lot of pain in my right leg, both the hip and the knee, so that was a little disconcerting.  I've noticed a little tweak now and then lately, but this was to the point that I didn't want to walk for a few minutes until it worked out.  It's not too noticable at the moment.  I figure it's associated with the jumps - I was on a stone patio in Disney World, but I've gone back to my deck and now added an exercise mat for more padding.

To add to all the excitement Susan and I are beginning a process of trying to sell our house.  We'll start moving the 'clutter' furniture out as early as this weekend and hopefully have some friends / family up next weekend to do some repair / touch-up work.  It's a bittersweet process... I really, really like this house and neighborhood, so letting go is going to be tough.  It's the 'right' thing to do, though, as the schools are pretty miserable, safety can be questionable at times and I'm really tired of on-street parking.

So... sorry for the disjointed bitch-fest, but I thought I'd be sure to share.  I am feeling pretty good about my physical shape at the moment and as soon as I can breath, I plan on a photo session to demonstrate.

We're home... oh crap...

This will still be a short post because things, as they often are after vacation, are a bit confused and messy at the moment.  Olivia just headed to bed for the first time in a week without a grandmother to sooth her as well as with a distinct bedtime... we expect a long night there.

Nearly our first task upon returning to town (around 4p) was to do some grocery shopping. I did this solo as we figured Olivia would prefer some time at home instead out walking yet again.  I grabbed (what seemed to be) tons of veggies of all different colors and flavors thinking we'd be just fine for a while.  I came home, began sorting out how to prepare them, then went about the chopping and cooking. 

Eventually we realized we'd need to eat dinner, so we did: shrimp, pasta, veggies.  Shrimp are small.  They don't weigh a lot...

After dinner and while Susan was prepping Olivia for bed, I started to tackle breakfast / lunch packing.  Wow.  All those veggies? Tremendously reduced.  Somewhat lucky for me, though, is the fact that I like tomatoes (and Susan doesn't) and they weigh a lot, so I'll be eating one over two meals.  I'm short a protein for lunch tomorrow, though, so I still have to sort that bit out...

Wow... I thought we ate a lot on vacation, but this is wild.  Plus I have to figure out how to get these longer exercise routines crammed in before work, yet combine that with 8+ hours of sleep!

The thought had already crossed my mind, but maybe the vacation should have been a day or two shorter to give us a better recovery window...

Nearing the end of the trip...

We'll head out sometime tomorrow, not sure exactly when, and then we'll be back where are able to eat more appropriately in regards to our PCP diet.  Veggies for breakfast have been pretty tough - basically just carrots most mornings.

Yesterday was our anniversary day, so we spent it together without the rest of the group.  We spent several hours at the spa getting massages, etc.  We went out to the California Grill for our dinner that night and I have to admit we blew out the diet entirely.  Sorry team!

It'll be sad to have the vacation end, but it will certainly make it easier to follow the plan properly.  The exercise portion hasn't been tough, and I've generally stuck with the morning routine to keep the day starting right.  Given the longer period of time it requires, I'm a bit concerned about getting it done before work once we're back at home...

Disney continues

So Susan and I have remained on the split front as often as possible, lining ourselves up to eat half portions for the remainder of the trip.  We're going to do all that we can to meet the new (TBD) guidelines as we finish out our trip to Disney World... we'll be driving home on Saturday at which point I'm sure we'll be able to lock into the plan properly.

The jump roping this morning was a bit tough - I don't care to count beyond 50, so I did 10 sets.  I probably got the occasional stretch of 50 or so, but there were also some serious stretches of trip after trip because I'd get overly conscious of the swing.

I'm interested to get the Day 8 email tonight to see everything...

Keep it up, team Blue - keep the real world going for us while we're away! :)

Stuck to 1/2 portion at lunch. Pork chop, potatoes, fruit. Actually feel full but struggle with that mentally.

catching up

let's see, we're in disney world now. i'm trying to post via my phone's browser but it isn't such a great experience.  i drove the majority of the trip (save about 30 - 45 minutes) but i did need to cave in on the caffeine front to make it through to sunrise.  we did a fair amount of sleeping at and around our arrival to catch up - the drive didnt offer anyone but Olivia worthwhile sleep. (we're travelling with susan's parents, sister in law and 1.5yr nephew)

our first dinner went well from a pcp perspective - susan and i split a shrimp pasta dish.  i thought it would be tough, but it was just right and i was happier.  i normally eat in that scale, but when we're here we go along with the overeating.  i also only had one adult beverage which is my personal version of half here. :)

exercise has gone just fine.  i did go check on the gym in the resort only to find a small room crammed with dozen or more machines plus a few free weights.  i couldnt have swung the rope without getting hung up on something. :(  my feet feel better and my pace on the rope is improving.  we've had no problem finding room or time to exercise plus after dinner settled we spent some time in the pool.

i can no longer see what i'm typing because of this terrible browser. go team blues

What a day... night?

So in an attempt to prep myself for an overnight drive, I decided to stay up last night as late as I could - and I did pretty well.  I went to bed 24 hours after I woke up.  Granted, I had a two hour nap in the midst of that 24, but it was still a long day.  I got pretty darn hungry throughout the middle of the night, so I went for the tea. 

Funny thing about tea, or caffeine really, when you never have it, it really affects you.  See, I avoid caffeine because it tends to do bad things to my stomach, plus my former route to the substance was via carbonated sugary drinks which are just horrible things all the same.  I had two cups of tea, with a tablespoon-ish of honey, and it kept me going as well as kept me away from the food.

I considered doing the workout at 5:30a, but figured that was a little dumb, so I went to bed.  I woke around 11:30 and hit the routine.  Jumps were okay, a bit trippy for a few reasons I think - a) I had literally just woken up, b) I was in a new place (sister's house) and c) in this new place I could see my reflection!  I also noticed through the first set or two my feet HURT, the arches specifically. 

The rest of the workout went fine.  At this point we're killing a few more hours until we pick up the rental van and start the packing for real.  I'm trying to sort out in my mind what food to stick near the driver's seat tonight so I'm not tempted toward terrible junk.  I'm thinking raw veggies - broccoli and carrots, likely - and fruit.

Unrelated, but too sweet not to share, Olivia stayed with my mother last night and ended up watching Bambi for the first time.  Despite multiple warnings about it being sad, she wanted to see it.  She cried through the bad parts, but stuck it out.  This morning she wanted to watch it again, this time without the tears.

Day three

Olivia helped in the process yet again today by waking around 5a.  Of course she also woke at 3a which did not help the process.  However, I was motivated enough to head out the door to get started on my jump rope which easily transitions into getting everything else done, too.  I still haven't secured a clean set, but I got really close on my first two this morning - my mind got the better of me when I'd get close.  I'm not sure what everyone else is doing, as I don't recall anything in the instructions, but I've giving myself a 10 - 20 second break between rope sets.

The squats were okay, but I can feel the slightly pain in my thighs by mid-morning - good workout!  The push-ups were fine, feeling a little more comfortable with them since the start.  The sit-ups, though, suck.  I'm finding myself driven to take the upper limit of the set counts on everything but the sit-up, and there I struggle to make the lower bound.  My poor abs just aren't there...

I headed into work planning to be there until noon, but my boss told me just to go ahead and leave.  I settled the last little bit of business I had and headed home.  I find myself wanting to eat... I wandered into the kitchen and laid my eyes on lots of things I shouldn't have, but wandered right back out.  I go for a plum on the dining table as soon as I'm done writing.

We've done most of our packing and I'll be finishing up now until Susan gets home from work.  From there we take a two hour drive to Chattanooga to 'stage' for the long drive on Saturday night.  Both sides of our family live there, so we're picking up a large contingent of them to go along with us.  Fitting the exercises around a crazy sleep / drive schedule should be interesting...

Keep at it team blue!

Day two... exercise early

I was thinking yesterday that it would be so much better to exercise in the morning, but my morning routine seems like it might be tough to change given the 2 1/2 year old that I'm in charge of at that time.  Plus, I really enjoy the routine - Olivia tip-toes into the room for a last snuggle before we get ready to head out.  (Susan leaves for work earlier than Olivia and I tend to wake).  This morning, though, Olivia woke extra early and wasn't interested in snuggling.  Instead, she decided to color and read books, giving me the opportunity I desired.

I headed to the deck into the darkness of 5:30a - I feel fall coming on - and begin my jumping.  I almost got through the entire first set without tripping which was a complete change from the day before.  Yesterday getting 10 in a row was an accomplishment.  Today 40 was the magic trip number.  I got through this part much quicker.

The rest of the routine was good - given the Pro Tip about push-ups, I changed my hand position from my pre-PCP workout and find this to be a harder exercise now.  I'm also discovering my abs have not been touched by exercise for ages and this hurts.  Oh well, I'm on track for the 6-pack abs... because I know Patrick is a giant believer in those and he's got them lined up for all of us!

Oh yeah - Susan and I go on vacation, technically starting tomorrow, but officially on Sunday when we arrive in Disney World.  The jump ropes and such were already listed for the luggage, so the exercise shouldn't be a hard thing to carry out... the diet, though, will be an interesting challenge...

Day One exercises completed

Alright... so the jump rope is quite foreign.  The first set was trip after trip after trip.  By the third set, though, it began to feel a bit like a meditation exercise - if I could clear my mind to just the sound and the count, I progressed better.  Sneaky!

The rest of the stuff were things I'd been doing lately, so they weren't terrible.  I found my legs to be a little shaky by the end of the squats, given that it came immediately after the (unusual for me) jump rope time.

All in all I'm feeling good - like I could a) do some more (but won't) and b) eat a horse.

Day 0... with only hours technically remaining

Oh man... I just took my photos.  I wish I hadn't.

A) My shoulders are horribly out of balance
B) The shadows cast by the flash / low light are frightening
C) My posture leaves something to be desired (yeah, I already got the Knowledge Worker's Survival Guide for that problem...)
D) HAIR... really?  There is that much hair on my legs?

Let's see how those jumps go tomorrow... I haven't been properly introduced to my jump rope.

Not quite the beginning - Day minus 1

The blog started, by Patrick, simply states: "Skillful diet, skillful exercise, no excuses just RESULTS!"

It's two days until the 15th of September per my time (US Central) but I'm still really, really excited.  And that's compared against a trip to Disney World that starts on the 19th!

Its going to be a hard slog, but I can't wait to compare my day 1 and day 90 photos, like I've done with so many of the other PCP bloggers recently.

Go Team (currently known as) Blue!