Final Pics

Day 1 / Day 90:

In case you are wondering, I am not standing on anything ;)

I am not quite as ripped as Lance, but this photo will continue to be an inspiration.  Not because I feel I need or want to look like him, but because it shows what is possible if you are disciplined and have the will power to overcome adversity to attain a goal...any goal!

Br,

Day 90! - PCP Complete!

It is kind of ironic that I am not going to be able to do my day 90th workout...at least not all of it.  I played soccer last night for the first time in my life and would you believe that I tweaked my ankle!  Good thing this did not happen a few weeks ago. I need to rest it for a few days and I will try another workout this weekend.

The results of participating in PCP have been very positive from a physical, mental and emotional perspective.  Physically, I feel as good as I can ever remember.  I have less fatigue because I am sleeping better.  I no longer experience headaches or acid reflux because my new eating habits dictate that I am eating the right foods more consistently and not too late into the evening.  And of course I feel good about the way my body looks.  I believe I started at just under 178 pounds and my official ending weight taken this morning is 160.2!  I have lost 2 to 3 waist sizes--34/35 to a 32 and none of my old clothes fit me anymore.  I have to admit that I really like the fact that I can see my stomach muscles coming through also!

Mentally, my overall disposition is more positive and my patience level is higher.  I feel that I am more patient with my kids , spouse and others around me both in a personal and professional context.

Emotionally, I was able to overcome some frustrations on the part of my spouse to a point where I honestly believe she understands why this was a good thing for me...for all the reasons above. Some of the food choices I have integrated into my eating habits have found their way into my families diet which makes me feel good.  Also, I have had my fair share of lows over the past two years since being diagnosed with MS and I really needed to do this for myself.  Just completing this program has done wonders for my state of mind and confidence level.

In closing, I will continue with PCP concepts both from a dietary and exercise perspective.  I am looking forward, not back and I want my body to do the same!

I will be posting some pics over the next day or so.

Thanks and congratulations to everyone who finished!

Day 88 - One of my best workouts!

2400 jumps in 18 consecutive minutes--with only a few trips on the rope--it seems so natural!

Did the pull-ups and chest-dips to failure--my body was craving them!

Relished the quiet while doing it all!

Almost done with the formal part of the program, but will never be done with eating healthier, exercising and making better choices!

Day 84 - Still here!

Been heads down focused on family, work and PCP.  I agree with Patrick that the AB exercises have been the least satisfying.  However, now that my stomach is getting firmer and tighter I have actually started to enjoy this part of the workout since I am really excited about the results in an area of my body that I now know is hard to improve.  This is giving me more incentive.

Today was my jump only day but I added in a hard 5 set of leg lifts where I focused on bringing my legs down slowly and leaving my legs close to but not touching the floor for 5-10 seconds before lifting them again.  I have also integrated in another AB exercise called Pilates 100's. Check out the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scgpCFAVlSg

Br,

Day 77

Today is the jump only day but along with my jumps I would also like to do the other half of my exercises from yesterday.  I was at my Mom's house all day yesterday with the family and I only had time to do my jumps and half of my exercises--I did one exercise from each section--so I have decided to do the rest today.  The good news is that I did many things to failure yesterday so I felt like I got a really good workout.  This is the first time I did not get to finish the entire workout once starting it and I am wondering if it is okay to do the other half today?

Also, I really enjoy the jump rope so I started doing 7x3 earlier this week.  At this point it is pretty easy so it is no problem.  I am averaging around 800 jumps per 7 minutes.  The number of jumps is not really critical although I find that counting helps make the time go by.

Br,

Day 76 - The real indulgence

This indulgence ended up being the same as my first.  Four slices of pizza with lots of cheese and pepperoni from my favorite pizza joint in the town where I grew up.  It was very tasty going down, but...

Within 15 minutes I had a headache and I felt lethargic.  Not something that I feel when eating the right type of foods.  I followed the pizza up with a pre-packaged ice-cream sundae from Friendly's. Long story short, I woke up this morning with heartburn and a very dry mouth.  

Fat = heartburn

Salt = dry mouth

Eat bad food, feel bad.  Eat healthy food, feel healthy.

Br,

Day 72 - Indulgence

Great dinner this evening.  Shared a salad with my wife then had Tuna two ways.  Tuna raw and Tuna lightly seared...yum!  A side of seaweed was a perfect compliment.  

After dinner, my wife and I decided to get some ice cream at a local place that has been making its own ice cream for 30+ years!  Yes, I ordered a single scoop in a waffle cone. It was really good, and it is made with all local and natural ingredients.  However, it was an indulgence so I have had mine for the month, even though Patrick has not told us we can have our last one yet.

BTW, I completed 2,080 jumps my eighteen minute session this morning so I am averaging just above 110 per minute. Also, my weight has somewhat stabilized around 160 pounds so I have lost around 18 pounds overall.  Not sure if it will go down any further at this point.    

 

Day 70

Up at 6am, did my jumps.  Had a great breakfast--egg sandwich with arugula, heirloom tomato, fresh raw peppers and whole wheat bread--and I am now getting ready to head to the airport for a trip  to Milwaukee on business.

I can net out the impact PCP has had on me in a few short words--I feel fantastic!

Patrick--

I am interested--and so is Scott Holmes--in hearing more about the other two programs you are offering.  I would like to ponder these to see when might be the best time to consider them.  I realize I will need to take a break after PCP, but I am anxious to hear about the other stuff you are offering.

Day 68 - New Pics

I posted new pics!  Here is one of them:

Good workout today.  Really felt the failure on the chest dips and the push-ups.  Weight is staying around 160 pounds give or take.  Really excited about how my abs are responding to the exercises.  They are feeling harder every day.  When I look in the mirror at my side view it is nice not to see my belly protruding out farther than my chest :)

Day 64

I had a appointment with my PT yesterday to assess my progress in the area of vestibular rehab.  I have experienced some damage due to my MS diagnosis that has affected stabilization and I have been working on exercised to help to improve this.

The interesting thing is that I have not been doing these exercises for very long (just started them about a month ago) and in fact I have been doing the PCP exercises longer.  During my appointment yesterday my assessment showed significant progress since my last evaluation in September.  I asked my PT is she felt that some of the PCP exercises could be helping and she said it is possible.  Many of our exercises--like the lunge for example--test the vestibular system and as such I could be benefiting from them.

Not 100% sure if this is in fact the case but I would like to think it is!

As a side note, my legs are very, very tired.  Tomorrow, I have decided to take a day off from jumping and I will focus on all my other exercises.  My legs are telling me to take a break.

Day 63

My physical went well.  My cholesterol is at 136 which is great!  My doctor did have a lot of questions regarding the diet and exercise and he seemed very supportive.  Overall, very good visit with the doctor.

As a side note, I read a lot of content related to living well with MS.  It makes me feel good to see that many of the things I read regarding the importance of diet and exercise align very well with what we are doing in PCP.

Gotta go--getting ready to go do my jumps!

Day 60

Feel really great today!  Finished my entire workout early this morning.  Heading out to see my daughter graduate from nursery school this morning.  This afternoon I have a physical--my first in quite a few years. Can't wait to tell my doctor what I have been up to over the past few months!

Tonight I leave for Atlanta on business.  Will be there until late Wednesday.  Next week I will be in Seattle and Milwaukee.  The past week and a half has been nice because I have been home working out of my home office.

Now, back on the road...

Day 58

Woke up, averaged 500 jumps per 4 minute set--great start to the day.  Ate my normal PCP breakfast and morning snack.  Went to the farmers market (first day open this season), and among the other locally grown items that are available at this time of year--various types of lettuce and fresh whole grain bread--I purchased a whole Chicken.  I am part of a CSA so I get a certain amount of local grass fed beef each month from a local farm. The farmer I get my CSA meat from has a booth at the market and this is the first time he has had fresh locally grown Chickens this year.  This is great because the grass fed beef I get from him monthly has been piling up in my freezer since I have been eating very little beef since starting PCP.  

I decided to change up my menu today because I wanted the whole Chicken for dinner.  For lunch, I had my allotted carbs via a few thick slices of the fresh whole grain bread I purchased at the farmers market.  I added a egg white to my afternoon snack to make up for the egg white I would not be eating at dinner. I then did the rest of my exercises and I can tell you that I know I am working hard now because I can feel the soreness in my gluts, legs, etc.

For dinner, I prepared the whole Chicken by inserting a whole lemon inside the cavity along with a few sprigs of rosemary and some fresh cracked black pepper.  I basted the chicken with the juice of two additional whole lemons over the 90 minute period it was cooking and it was amazingly moist.  Along with the Chicken I cooked Brussel Sprouts by cutting them in half and placing them in a very small amount of olive oil in a skillet and a bit of fresh cracked black pepper.  What a great compliment to the Chicken.  

If I had stopped at this point I would have been just fine.  However, my wife made a fresh Strawberry shortcake with fresh picked Strawberries from her families farm.  Yes, we have a family farm where her family grows Strawberries, Pumpkins, various types of Squash, and Christmas Trees.  All of these--except for the trees--are sold at local farmers markets and wholesale.  Long story short I caved and had some of the Strawberry shortcake...with fresh whipped cream which my wife also made from scratch.  It tasted fantastic but I was very, very full after the dinner and desert and I no longer appreciate this full.  In my mind I justified eating the Strawberry shortcake because I have lost 18 pounds and I have been working my ass off with the jumps and exercises.  In hind site however, I ate to much but I enjoyed all of it--at least while eating :)

Yes I slipped a bit but I do not feel bad about it.

Back to my regular menu tomorrow :)

Day 55 - New Pics

I posted new pics today!

Not much to blog other than I am looking forward to having a dinner that consists of more than a apple and a egg white.  When I am not traveling for business I sit down with my wife and kids for dinner and right now given my dinner allotment it feels a bit strange.  I have to assume that these rations at dinner will be over soon.  Someone has already posted a question asking for the reasoning behind this so I look forward to the answer.

You probably notice that I do not ask a lot of questions in the email question threads.  When I do ask something it is because someone else did not ask the same question already.

Make it a GREAT day!

Day 54 - Tired

I have lost much of the fat around my belly and I am just starting to see the lines from my stomach muscles.  In the process, I have gone from a 34 / 35 waist down to a 32.

For about the past week, I have been tiring a bit easier.  I am not sure if this is because of my travel schedule, or if my body is telling me I need to take a day off?  I have been very good about not missing any workouts.  I also deal with bouts of fatigue associated with the fact that I have MS although this is not constant...it comes and goes.  Since starting PCP, my fatigue has been significantly less so maybe this last round is a combination all off the things I list above.

I am home this week so I hope to have new pictures in the next few days.

Day 48 - Indulgence

I am traveling on business this week in Atlanta.  We went out for dinner this evening and I decided to exercise my indulgence this evening.  I had bread and bread sticks before dinner, salad and salmon with couscous.  The problem here is not so much the food I ate--other than the bread and bread sticks which were white flour based--it was the amount of food I ate.  I feel very full--like I did prior to PCP when I ate too much--and I really do not like it.  Looking forward to tomorrow, my jumps and not feeling like I do right now.

Not much else to say.    

Day 47

Wondering how everyone else is doing with chest-dips and push-ups.  I am able to do 4 sets of 6 chest-dips and I really struggle to finish the last two reps which is good.  Then, I do the push-ups and in order to do all 4 sets I can do only 8 of the 15 push-ups per set.  I know I am getting a good workout since I am really feeling the burn on the push-ups when I finish a set.  I just wanted to see if anyone else is experiencing the same or if someone out there is able to complete all 15 of the push-ups per set.  I do everything sequentially so I am sure that the push-ups are harder after doing the chest-dips.

On another note, I am enjoying the new way we are doing our jumps.  I am finding that in many cases I can go a full two minutes without the rope getting caught in my feet.  This usually means somewhere around 275 jumps.  When the rope gets caught and I have to start over I usually add a few additional seconds on to make up for the time I miss when the rope gets caught and I do have to start over.  

Br,

Day 41 - Cont'd

I have noticed that over the past few weeks the weight has stabilized.  Over the first month or so I lost about 13 pounds.  Over the past two weeks the weight has stabilized around 164.  I am guessing that this is muscle being put on to replace the fat that has been burned.  

I am working hard and with the exception of the two days I was sick about three weeks ago, I have not missed a workout and I am following my diet very closely--in spite of my travel schedule.  Is anyone else experiencing the same with the weight loss slowing down a bit?

Br,

Day 41 - New Pictures

I finally posted new pics today on flickr.  Here is one of them...

Day 39

With the new leg exercises I am noticing more soreness in my thighs versus the level of soreness I felt from the leg exercises we had been doing. The pistol's actually seemed a bit easier tonight--relatively speaking. They are still vey tough but I was able to finish 4 sets of 5--not in perfect fashion but getting better. The goal is to have less of a reliance on the chair when coming up.

I was forced to do my jumps yesterday on my driveway without my exercise mat and unfortunately I broke the rope again. The tar is too rough and it cuts it in half. Luckily, I keep a spare rope so I was able to finish no problem. I will never jump again without my mat and I will not be purchasing the same rope again.

Diet is going fine. I have been home--no business travel--since last Tursday which helps. I also plan to be home until next Tuesday which again makes it easier. Even when I am on the road I am doing better. Again, when I have a problem finding what I need while on the road the good news is that I never eat something I should not which I think is key.

Hoping to post new pictures tomorrow. I am seeing pretty big changes. I had to go and buy new pants today and I have lost two inches around my waist which is pretty significant. I am also starting to get a lot of comments about the difference which is very apparent in my face, etc.

Day 36

The Pistol Squat was really difficult for my left leg--not so difficult for my right. Still doing my incline pull-ups using my dining room table. At this point, I can do 4 pull-ups using the bar I purchased for the door. Shooting for 5 soon!

In realize the protein is valuable but eating so many eggs is getting a bit long in the tooth. Oh well, if this is my biggest problem I am in pretty good shape.

Br,

Day 34 - Missing...

About 12 pounds of subcutaneous fat...no reward offered for it's return :)

I am actually starting to see new lines in my stomach and my shoulders. The stomach workouts are starting to show positive results and my tri and bi's are getting more tone. I am hoping to get some new pics up in the next few days to show this.

Patrick's note about fat answered many of the questions I was going to raise. I still have some fat hanging around on my stomach and now I know what it is and how we will get rid of it...I will not miss it!

I am on my way home from being on the west coast the past two days and I always find it more challenging to stay close to the diet when I am away. I never eat anything I shouldn't, however I am always concerned about getting the right amount of grams and with having to substitute certain things in based on a lack of availability in the airport. Unfortunately, I cannot take food into the airport past security which makes it difficult. In the end, I know I am not eating foods I shouldn't be which is a good thing.

On to week 6!

Indulgence Day

Chest Dips are not easy--which I am sure is by design. I did 3 the first rep, 2 the second, 2 then 1. Like the pull-ups, it will be satisfying as I can do more.

I like the abs work as I know the results will be worth it. Still not completing 100% of these but I am really burning when I finish.

I had my indulgence tonight. I hope I did not overdue it but I may have. I had three pieces of Pepporoni pizza and a veggie packed salad. My wife and I both had a glass of wine but after a few sips I lost interest. I was not really a drinker before this started so I am not really missing anything. Back to my fruit, egg, milk based dinner tomorrow night.

Everything else is going very well. I have adapted to doing all the exercises as requested--even the sit-ups. I was originally concerned with my neck but I have found that if I focus on doing them the right way they are okay.

Day 29

I am up to 4 pull-ups!  The last one was really hard and I barely finished it.  I am also starting to notice that pants are really loose and this morning I realized that I have another belt that I cannot use.  I need to get a belt hole device so that I do not have to go out and buy new ones :)

Day 28 - Interesting Day

New speed jump rope broke in half after about 700 jumps this morning.  Switched back to my beaded rope which I now never want to use again...if I do not have to.  On the road in PA on business so I am working on finding a place to pick-up another rope.

Had my first PCP casualty...a belt.  I went to put on dress pants this morning and they were pretty loose.  I put a belt on and using the last hole the pants were still too loose.  My hope is that I never have to use that belt again :)

On a train right now.  Before getting on the train I had a chicken sandwich on Wheat which did not quite cover my gram requirements for all three nutrients.  When I got on the train all they had was mixed nuts and being hungry I had some.  About an hour later they served a salad with Arugula and tomatoes which I also ate since my fruit snack this afternoon is not possible.

I have a business dinner tonight and I am hoping the restaurant has options.

Day 26

This is my second day with my new rope and it is so much better than my old one.  I am now starting to learn new styles of jumping to mix it up a bit.

I like all the new exercises with the exception of the Creep.  This seems to put a lot of stress on my knees.  I will ask Patrick if there is an alternative.  Otherwise, I will continue to do them and make sure I am doing them correctly.

Br,

Day 25 - It's a brand new day!

On Saturday while I was sick, I finally received my new speed rope in the mail--what a HUGE difference! This rope was recommended to me by my friend Dottie who is also in the project so I owe her a major thank you!

This rope has a loop and calorie counter. I purchased it for the loop counter since I was having trouble keeping track of my loops as the numbers have gone higher. I was able to complete 1169 loops in a jump time of 11:35! This was also my most enjoyable jump session since starting the project. I realize now that the beaded rope I have been using required me to work harder and less efficient than necessary.

Since I have been sick the past two days I really needed a good start to today. Regardless of how I felt physically I think my mind was going to make sure this was a good session. I am feeling much better and I will slowly start working back towards my gram intake goals as long as my stomach can tolerate it.

I am heading out to complete my other exercises.

Much happier today!

Day 24 - Still not good

I must have had a fever because I sweat out a lot of fluid last night and battled the chills. During the day today, I was still very achy and I still could not eat much other than crackers since everything is still coming out in a way it should not. I am drinking the right fluids trying to get hydrated. Slowly, I am feeling a bit better tonight but very tired since I have not slept well since our children have been sick also. I hope to be back in the routine with exercises starting tomorrow. By then I am hoping that I am rested and keeping food in.

Day 23 - Not a good day...

My wife, daughter and son have all been hit with a very nasty stomach bug. Needless to say I am severly dehydrated and very achy because of all the fluid I have lost. My body is not ready to accept anything yet--ginger ale or unsalted crackers.

I will not be doing any exercises today. I am going to wait to see if I feel better tomorrow.

Pull-ups!

I was very surprised this morning when I was able to do 3 pull-ups!  A week ago I was only able to do 1.

Pretty cool!

Day 21

Yet another good day today! Subbing the jumping with the stationary bike yesterday was the best thing to do for my calf. I went back to jumping today and had no problems. Stretching and hydration is the key! After my jumping today, I was ready to do my other exercises but I quickly realized that on the last day of each week there are none!

Picked up fresh Halibut tonight for dinner. Sprayed a very small amount of Olive Oil on it to eliminate sticking and grilled it. I also put on some fresh cracked black pepper and lemon juice...very tasty! Added in some Broccoli, Green Beans, and whole wheat Pasta and my tummy was very happy!

Still have not received my new jump rope in the mail so I am still using the heavy beaded one. I think my jumps will go much faster once I get the new speed rope although the jumping is going very good otherwise. I hope the new one comes tomorrow.

Stay strong everyone!

Day 20 - Bike Day

After completing 804 of my 900 jumps yesterday my calf cramped up again. I stopped jumping and transitioned to the rest of my exercises which I had no problem completing. I have been stretching and drinking but I think it is just going to take a bit more time for my calf to calm down. I experienced cramps in both the Gastoc and Soleus within a few days of each other so I just need to give my calf a bit of a break.

Today, I decided to get on a stationary bike to give my calf a rest from jumping. I did 25 minutes of a mixture of flat riding and hills by modifying the resistance. I worked up a very good sweat, got my heart pumping and my legs burning. I then did all of my other exercises--no issues.

I picked up a portable food scale today for when I travel. It is small enough that I can put it into my briefcase. I also picked up another resistance band for some of the tougher exercises like Davinci and the Forward Shoulder Raise. I have been doing these all along but they have been extremely difficult with the tighter bands I now have three different levels of resistance bands and I think I am set.

I feel like I am falling into a groove with the diet. It helps that I have been home this week. I have been weighing as much as I can and I am getting better at eye balling. I have to say that cravings are almost non-existent which is a big deal for me. Tonight I had left over swordfish for dinner with whole grain pasta and a cut up tomato. I walked away from the table feeling good. I used to overeat at every meal and now I eat only what I need and I feel better.

Not that it matters but I have lost about 6 pounds since this started. I am now down to 171. Pants are starting to fit a bit better. If this continues however I am going to have to take things in or get new cloths.

All good stuff!

Day 17 - Better Day!

My left Calf / Soleus muscle was still very sore yesterday which made it difficult to do most types of cardio.  However, I did all my other exercises and today my calf was better.   I have also injected stretching into my routine which I know will help reduce the potential for this to happen again.

I did my 850 jumps and all my exercises today.  Today was the first day to try a pull-up.  I was able to do 1.  I ended up having to go back to the incline pull-up.

Tomorrow's a brand new day! 

Day 15 - Not My Best Day

Woke up this morning not feeling well.  Consequently, I did not have breakfast or my snack.  Feeling better by mid-day I ate a good lunch using my new diet for week 3.  I then had my snack and a very good dinner following the diet to a T. 

Later on while doing my jumps I got a calf cramp in my left leg in my soleus muscle and it is pretty painful. I had only finished about 250 jumps at that point so I decided to do the rest of my jumps using just my right leg while I held my left in the air. 

The cramp remained pretty painful so I did not do the rest of my exercises.  This will be the only time that I do not finish my exercises.  I just need to get this cramp worked out so that I can get back to it tomorrow.  I am convinced that a lack of stretching is causing this and I need to put more focus on this.

Back at it tomorrow!

 

Day 14 - I'm Home!!

It's just about 10pm and I just completed my 800 jumps.  I normally do my exercises in the morning but I was up at 5am pacific time this morning to catch a 7am flight back to Connecticut after a business trip to Seattle.

I am psyched about the exercises as they are going very well and my body looks forward to them every day.  This week I transitioned from the basic jump technique to alternate foot jumping (speed jumping).  As my technique is getting better I am starting to jump faster and my bead rope is too heavy.  I am planning on picking up a new jump rope that has a counter and is more for speed jumping. 

I am not doing as well as I need to with the diet only because I have not taken a scale with me nor have I committed the time to eyeballing my quantities.  I am doing very good at eating the right foods, but I need to commit to figuring out the right quantities to eat.  I have already picked out a portable digital scale the I can take with me on business trips.  I am picking it up tomorrow.  I can also spend a lot of time on figuring out other strategies like eyeballing as I am not traveling anywhere next week.  Per a recommendation from Patrick, I will be cutting up various gram amount of the nutrients and eyeballing them to get used to the amounts.  Having the portable scale will also help.

I feel better than I have in a long time.  I am getting to bed at a decent hour and sleeping pretty well.  Since I am not eating any of the junk I used to eat my body has more energy  I also hope to have new pictures up by this weekend.  

   

Day 10

Since my last post, I started the diet portion of the program and the second week of exercises.  Physically, I feel really good.  I am enjoying the exercises and my wife--she is a PT--is making sure that I am doing them using the correct form so that I do not hurt myself.  The one thing I made a mistake on is the resistance band.  The one I originally purchased as the highest resistance level and some of the exercises are almost impossible to do.  I plan to go out this week an buy another resistance band that has a bit less resistance unless Patrick tells me not to.

The diet portion is going well although I need a bit more time to adjust to the portion sizes.  Not because I do not think they are large enough.  Rather, I am struggling with making sure that I am eating the right amounts when I am not at home.  This past weekend was Easter weekend and we ate away from the house a lot.  Making sure that I am close to the required portions for carbs, veggies, fruit, and protein will take time to master.  I cannot carry a scale with me everywhere.  The good news is that I feel I am doing a good job eating the right foods.  I am working on educating myself to use visual knowledge to make sure that I am easy as much as I should, but no more.  This will be important given that I also travel a lot for business and I am getting ready to leave for Seattle tomorrow and I do not get back until Thursday.

I am going to try and get my weekly picture up on Flicr before I leave although I need my wife's help on this and I am leaving around mid-day.  If I cannot get this done, It will have to wait until Thursday.

Day 7 - Cont'd

The last supper...

Chicken, peppers, lettuce tomatoes and honey wheat bread.  I ate half of this in the Philly train station and the other half on the train back to CT.

Day 7

On the train right now headed for Philadelphia.  I woke up at 5:30am to do my 500 jumps.  The air was cool and crisp outside and the temperature was about 41 which was very refreshing.  I am appreciating being outside in a whole new way.  I live in the country and I appreciate the opportunity to experience the morning sounds while doing my jumps.

For breakfast this morning I had another egg sandwich with bread, mustard, spinach tomatoes and fresh cracked black.  This time I added avocado and it was even better than the one I made yesterday! 

I will not get home until late tonight so I will have to stop on my way to pickup the food I am going to need for the new diet. 

Here we go!

Day 6

Exercises - Jumping rope is getting easier and I really enjoy it.  I did some research last night to make sure that my rope length was correct and as it turns out it was a bit long.  Using the new length, my jumps were easier this morning and I had fewer incidents where the rope was caught in my feet.

My wife has given me a alternative to the sit-ups.  I feel that the sit-ups put too much strain on my neck which concerns me given that I had fusion surgery 6 years ago.  My wife is a PT and she suggested that I do the sit-ups on a exercise ball.  It should get the same results and I feel like it puts less strain on my neck.

Breakfast - Today I did something different.  Using a tip from a friend of mine who just finished the project, I made a egg sandwich with spinach, tomatoes and a bit of mustard on the bread.  I fried the egg in a bit of olive oil and I topped it off with a bit of fresh ground black pepper.  It was really tasty!  Tomorrow, I am going to make the same thing but I am going to put avocado's on it.

Not sure what's for lunch and dinner today...

Day 5

When I have the time, I like to whip up a veggie omlette with eggs, peppers, green onions, tomatoes and spinach.  I use butter in the skillet but I think olive oil would be better.

Day 5

About a week before the project began, I started to lay-off the daily latte's and nightly deserts.  This combined with the attempt to reduce how much I eat since the project began has made me 3 lbs lighter.  Again, weight loss is not my primary objective with this program but benefits of weight loss will help me to fit into a few pairs of pants that I have been unable to wear for the past few years. 

The exercises are going great.  I love doing the push-ups.  I am not as crazy about the sit-ups as they put some strain on my neck.  My wife is a PT and she says I am doing them correctly but I still do not like them.  I had fusion surgery in my neck (C5-C6) back in 2005 so anything that involves me neck is sensitive.  My preference would be to do more of the leg-ups or some other stomach work as a substitute if that is possible.

Day 2

About a week before we started the project, I started to reduce my intake of sweets. In the past I would eat some type of desert every night before bed. Over the past week I have not eaten a single desert and I am finding it easier to avoid the cravings. I alsonfeel better when I wake in the morning. It has only been a week so time will tell if cravings continue to diminish.

I am anxious to see what the diet will be as we get into week 2. My wife is also a bit concerned about having to prepare separate meals for me and the kids. She is pretty busy with the kids and I do not want her to feel like I am creating more work for her. I personally believe that the diet will have concepts that we all benefit from. Tme will tell how this plays out.

I am sore from the exercises but I find that I am waking up in the morning with my body telling me it wants to do them. In plan on going out tomorrow to get the additional supplies I need.

Day 1

I never knew how much of a cardio workout jumping rope is. Good stuff. Also, I learned this morning that I cannot do my exercises when the kids and the dog are around. Anyway, day 1 exercises are complete. I now need to go eat half of what I normally do.

Here is a Day 1 picture:

My first PCP blog!

I am eating sushi while writing my first blog. Very excited to start the project!