Two Weights at a time

I got a weighing machine that does all these snazzy things like tell me what my fat percentage is and all. I am a bit confused because when I weighed 185 lbs my fat percentage was 29% and then when I got my weight down to 178 lbs. my percentage was around 27.7 % not that I weigh 176lbs and am closer to going below 175 lbs. my fat percentage has sky rocketed to 30.1%.

I am confused at the inverse affect that loosing weight has had on my fat percentage. Something drastic has to happen, but I just can not get myself to wake up and go work out. I think by working out I will start cutting my fat percentage significantly. However, something ver disturbing I discovered recently besides my fat percentage is this idea that you have two seperate sets of weights? Confused, so was I at first because it seemed unbelievable.

When I weigh myself in the morning, I am a self respcting weight of 176 lbs.. That excites me, but as the course of the day unfolds, stress, frustration, long hours of work and class add up- and yes I do feel "bloated" in that the pants that barely just began to fit me again become tight around my waist and begin to feel constricting. However, when I weigh myself, I find that I am an entire two to three pounds more then I was that morning. CRAZY! I can not believe that I take in three to four pounds worth of food into my body!!! That is quite a bit of food.

I also feel flabbery, like I mentioned earlier. I have a friend of mine, his body is rock solid muscle. He looks taller then he was and he looks good in whatever clothes he is wearing. I am a bit envious, but he goes to the bloody gym twice a day sometimes. I do not have that sort of attraction to the gym. But I can use some of his motivation or whatever it is he has, becasue I am sorely lacking it.

The Abs Diet

6 week plan to great abs?

I started implementing this initially to the "rules" I had been following since last summer. I saw immediate results, as posted in my previous post. I just have not gotten around to actually putting my thoughts down.

Its light reading, and significantly appealing. The author is pretty straight forward, however, I found his consistent harping on the Atkins diet and other diet plans versus his to be a bit overwhelming. I am reading the book to get information not to learn the propaganda. Anyway its one of those highly recommended books- from Mens Health, to references elsewhere, as well from specific people- I thought it was well worth it to sit down and see what the guy had to say.

Many of the things Zinczenko talks about as far as studies and research is quite interesting. I found it to be motivation for myself to keep on getting my ass off the couch and to actively do something about my weight.

I will write more specifics about his Power Foods, some research to keep me going and some other key components of his plan.

Preceptions, Its all 'bout Preceptions

The battle wages on

Week 9
Weight: 178.3lbs
BMI: 28.54
WHR: 0.8875
Body Fat: 27.7%

Having lost a good 7 lbs in about two weeks, I felt pretty good about myself. Now I am trying to maintain that weight. And it fluctuates, while my heart flutters, and I begin loosing hope. I wish it were faster, but I am apprieciating each step on this million step journey I have embarked on. What I realize is that its all about perception. That is the key to success.

When I felt like the guys in that billboard after my 7lbs. lose, it made me feel good. I put on a few pair of pants I have not worn for a few months- well a year now. I started having these wild dreams of mad sex with a rugged and hard body like the one mine was slowly becoming. But then this stagnation happened. I gained a pound, lost it again, gained three, lost three. The fluctuation of weight began to change my perceptions, as if I have reached a ceiling made of glass and my fat just cant seep out of it.

Now I feel like this picture below. I feel like jello and I feel like fat, and I feel fat, and I feel my self-esteem just plummeting. So its all about perception. I know I can hit the 175 mark, and my goal was to do that before the end of the month, well its not the end and its only three pounds away.

So its funny that at 178 I feel like I was when I weighed 190 lbs. I should be happy, because its a motivation factor to get me to the 160 goal and 12% body fat ideal. Just have to keep chugging it through. Add some more extensive working out. FOCUS is the key to this.

"300" A Man's Man Movie

I went to go watch this movie. It was spectacular! The blood, gore and killing really exemplified what it meant to "be a man" at one point in human history, and now how pitiful the situation. Alas, however, if you are interested in a nice cultural/historical critique of the movie, read here.

People are blasting Iran and others for being to strung up about a "comic strip rendition" of a movie. We should all know it isn't a documentary. However, I would say at one point it was culturally allowable to portray blacks in a certain fashion, or Jews in a certain way or for that matter any other minority. So its important to use these sorts of moments to really understand the historical context of things. The battle itself really did not occur as portrayed, nor was Sparta so democratic, liberal and free as constantly emphasized in the dialogue. So I encourage all to read up on it.

However, do enjoy the movie if you are into blood, gore and great action. The style of the movie is quite exquisite, its like resurrecting Gladiator after the disaster the Troy, Alexander and the crusading movie were- however its resurrected using speed or some other drug!

With that said lets focus on how this movie is "resurrecting" an old concept of "manliness"

Well actually I lie. See the common man were represented in the Arcadian, those half-wit artistic brood who came to "fight" with the Spartans. Spartans, well, they were the epitome of what it was to be a man. With their well groomed hair, finely tanned and oiled body. chiseled from marble itself every Spartan was the physical specimen of "man". Looking at them and then comparing them to the Persians or to the Arcadian, well they were more then mere mortals. But see beyond their physic and their finely groomed, mannequin like bodies they were principled men.

They combined modern metro sexuality with that concept of John Wayne and Marlane Brando "manliness" and portrayed it in terms of principles. But there are specific lessons we can learn, for example King Leonidas is an example of the conceptual "300" man as told by the remaining survivor of the 300 Spartans that fought Xerxes Persian horde.

Take Leonidas and the result is quite a resolute husband, the fearless leader, the straight yet distantly loving father, the idealized citizen who put state above tradition so a practical man and finally the obedient son.

Some select quotes from Leonidas

Spartan King Leonidas: We Spartans have descended from Hercules himself. Taught never to retreat, never to surrender. Taught that death in the battlefield is the greatest glory he could achieve in his life. Spartans: the finest soldiers the world has ever known.

Spartan King Leonidas: A new age has come, an age of freedom. And all will know that 300 Spartans gave their last breath to defend it

Spartan King Leonidas: Give them nothing! But take from them everything!

See the idea being presented is quite interesting. A man is brave, unwavering on his convicitions, represents himself in a resolute manner, never admits defeat...etc. All admirable characteristics.

The sad thing is that they are presented in such a ridiculously historically false way. As for the representation of the Persians, I can care less, it really was probably just as bad- I mean did you watch Alexander? Anyway, these cultures were pre-Islam, so really what do you expect?

Begining to see change

That body is quite a long ways away from being sculpted. It has been a few weeks since I weighed myself, but I notice the difference on my body- around my waist, on my face- things are definatly shaping up.

My stomach has gotten to a point where I can look down and see my feet, but most of all my pecker. Thats really freaking nice to see, the sun is definatly starting to shine down there. Even my "love handles" are shaping down. I fit into a 33 waist size pant with little struggle. Although, by the end of the day the stress is felt along the waist as my body feels inflated and is trying to free itself of the 33 inches of constriction.

I want to put up a picture of what it looked like a few months ago, presently and how it will look in a short while- but I havent gotten around to that. I am sure you want me to spare you the "grizzly" details, plus, I am significantly blessed with hair growth.

Rules of Engagement

So roughly nine months ago I had decided that enough was enough. This weight thing had to come under control- at the point I was close to 190lbs and didnt fit into any of my clothes. So I began by creating some simple "rules of engagement" in order to begin to counter the war that weight gain was waging on me. It was simple- I didnt want to be a negative statistic- obese, diabetic, heart attack magnet etc.- instead I wanted to be pleasing to myself but most of all every pleasing to my significant other so that it would be pleasing to me ;)

Rules of Engagement

1. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once said - "One third of the stomach for food, one third for drink, one third for breath (or in another narration "for remembrance (of God)"). Eating in small moderated quantitites.
2. No eating after 8:30pm (or an hour an half before going to sleep).
3. No black soda.
4. Kick back the carbs- breads, rice, pasta and all sorts of other stuff like that.
5. Cut back on eating out.
6. Find a plan of action that is more targeted.

These were GREAT rules, and thank God I had "rule 6" because these rules only allowed me to maintain a weight level rather then continue to increase in weight and hit 200lbs. I was able to bring under control my weight at below 185lbs for a good three or four months. I began working out more aggresively after Ramadan and that helped to bring the weight down further, but no significant changes over the course of 5 months. "Rule 6" was a Godsend because it helped me to figure out what the next step was along with Men's Health.

On facebook.com I put up my new years resolution and a friend gave me this great website called fitday.com. With Men's Health Muscle Book I began to better understand how nutrition was critical to not only weight loss and health but also a overhaul of lifestyle.

I began the calorie tracking. I developed some more detailed rules, which I call the "Battle Plan Fat-b-gone". This really helped give me the "slim mindset" feeling. It was really now about feeling better, less stressed and less hungry- definatly less hungry. With limited work outs as well, it definatly feels good.

Battle Plan Fat-b-gone

1. Calorie intake limited to 1285 calories maximum each day.
2. 95 grams of protein per day.
3. Daily vitamin intake.

With these rules, in the past two weeks I feel quite hungry actually. 1200 calories is really nothing when before, on a daily basis I was taking in close to 2500 calories. I feel quite hungry. I haven't found a way to increase my protien intake either, foods which I thought were "high protien" have turned out to be very low in protien compared to what I still needed to take in.

The thing is I am close to going under 180 pounds for the first time in over a year. I am 180.8 lbs right now! I am hoping that by the end of February I will be close to 175lbs.

The Goal

Current Weight: 181.4 lbs.
Height: 5'7"

Goal: 140lbs

When I think back to all those times I thought about wanting to look like this, I think about all the missed oppurtunities. Man I could already be looking like this- such a GREAT BODY- I can imagine how much fun a body like that could be having ;)

Thinking that this is prime motivation, I am exciting about sculpting my body. I have 180 pounds of fat to mold and shape into something amazing and quite exquiste. It is exciting to think that I can do it with a will power and also many many prayers.