Hitting the Gym: 7 Weeks Later ...

I started going back to the gym the week of June 16th, 2008 in order to regain my fitness after being ill. I changed my diet and started to lift weights, which is something I've done in about 5 years. I didn't have a goal in mind when I started, but here are results 7 weeks later:

Started: 214 lbs (23.3% body fat = 49.862 lbs of fat)
Today: 205 lbs (17.1% body fat = 35.005 lbs of fat )

So I lost 14.807 lbs of fat. And by the numbers I gain 5.193 lbs of muscle.

Huzzah!

How did I do it? Well, I am no longer eating whole pies ... so that may have something to do with it. I haven't touched McDonald's/Burger King/etc... in 7 weeks, and when I do go out I would forgo the fatty foods. I love my burgers and I had one last Sunday at Twist Root Burger Co. and I had a (delicious)Greek Burger made with ground lamb at Ziziki's about a month ago. I also need my chocolate so I swipe a couple of piece of dark chocolate from our receptionist's desk at work. It keeps me sane. I eat all day, and never skip a meal. My typical day of meals:

8:30am - Oatmeal with raisin
11:00ish - Almonds or mixed nuts
12:30ish - Turkey sandwich or chicken salad with chips and fruit
3:00ish - Granola bar or nuts
4:00ish - Yogurt
5:15 - Gym
7:00ish - protein shake
8:30ish - Fish, turkey or chick with veggies, brown rice or pasta w/ pesto.
10:00ish - Fruit or some other snack

So I am eating a lot and drink a lot of water and very little soda or sugary drinks. When I am at work I think drink about 5-7 16oz. cups of water (which is about a gallon) and I drink about gallon more of water when I play tennis. I am only in the gym 3 times a week for about an hour. My workouts:

Monday - 30 minutes on treadmill (varying speeds), chest/biceps workouts
Wednesday - 30 min. on treadmill (varying speeds), legs/shoulders workouts
Thursday - 30 min. on treadmill (varying speeds), back/triceps workouts

That's about it. On the treadmill: I start with an 4.0 inclined walk at 3.0 mph, then run at 5.0 mph for 10 min, then up to 6.0 mph for another 10 min and during the last 3 minutes I up the speed to 6.5 or 7.0 for a sprint.

I really see the difference in my body. I am not ripped, and that's not my goal, but I am definitely leaner than when I started. I don't want to get too muscular or lose too much body fat because makes me look gaunt.. As Rich from FourFour shows that having body fat can be a good thing. The positives are that my arms are more defined, my legs are much stronger and my tuchus has never looked better (round, yielding yet firm. lol). I got some v-neck shirts from the Gap last week in a size Large, and they are a bit too big on me. I would never thought I would say those words because I have been in XL territory for so long.

I am going to increase the intensity of my workouts and do another update in 7 weeks. My goal for the end of the year is to be about 190-195 lbs and 10-13% body fat. This is a lofty goal, but I am committed to becoming healthier.