The bulk is done.

I'm done my mass building phase. :) I gained 10 pounds respectively in 12 weeks.
I can finally say without a doubt that I never want to be overweight again. The discomfort of carrying around this extra poundage is what seems to be my biggest irritatation. I feel as if most the weight planted itself in my abs and butt. I am so excited to lean out and am hoping that all this hard work earned me some beautiful muscle which will be visible once I shed this layer of fat.

My workouts have been phenomenal this past month. My last program was by far one of my favourites. My new one which I'm on week 2 of is also of the superior nature with the only difference is that it really forces me to dig deep in my workouts. Lots of supersets and volume. Love it though!

Here's a quote I found that can describe my view towards strength training/bodybuilding/dieting/nutrition:

"People think I'm disciplined. It is not discipline. It is devotion. There is a great difference."
Luciano Pavarotti1935-2007, Opera Singer

"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever."

Lance Armstrong, Cancer Survivor and Athlete

Weight loss...plain and simple

“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

January - the time of year where we are inundated with companies marketing their weight loss methods/products/schemes.

At a local department store shelves that were stocked to capacity with weight loss supplements are now barren. Consumers desperate with hopes to see the pounds melt away with the swallowing of a pill will be sadly disappointed when not a pound will be lost. Gyms are overflowing with new members at this time of year, only to see them drift away after a month or two when the other priorities take precedence. Email boxes are full with the latest program gimmicks of losing 20 pounds in a week for some absurd amount of money.

Statistics (a UCLA study in American Psychologist) say that one can initially lose 5-10 percent of their weight on any number of diets, but then regain. Sustained weight loss is found in only a minute number of people. Complete weight regain, plus a few pounds is found in the majority. This bears the question, why do people continue to go on diets when they have been proven to be ineffective and counterproductive? So if dieting doesn’t work to lose weight, and taking supplements doesn’t, then just what does?

Proper nutrition and regular exercise. Novel idea. Exercise has been noted to be a key factor leading to sustained weight loss. Only 20% of people who have lost weight keep it off. Not so great a percentage, is it? So why do people keep trying the latest fad diet? I have read that the longer you are able to maintain your weight loss that the odds of regaining weight goes down.

It’s about changing your habits. I count calories and eat very little to no processed or junk food. I exercise…daily. I track my weight. I weigh and measure my food. To some, these measures sound extreme and they say that doesn’t work for them. But how is what they are currently doing working out for them? Are they comfortable? If not, isn’t it time to step out of that comfort zone and try something new. Do you want to be a statistic? Or do you want to beat the odds and say you succeeded?

All or Nothing

I’ve become an all or nothing type of girl. I wasn't this way growing up, but I think I became this way in order to lose my weight. When it comes to dieting I strictly adhere to the plan with no deviations. When it comes to adding muscle mass/bulking, I find I’m relatively the same.

Today, when I was out picking up a few items from the grocery store, I had that twinge of resentment that creeps up on me every so often and I found myself wishing I could eat like everyone else…like a normal person. I have thought this on more than one occasion, and when I do, I ask myself what’s my motivation? What’s my goal?

Perhaps I thought this today as I’m struggling a bit because I’m feeling pudgy and didn’t get my cardio session in. So yes, going home and ordering a pizza would be so much easier than putting together a meal which includes lean protein, healthy fats, veggies and a fruit, but it’s that thinking and behaviour that got me here in the first place.

So it’s all or nothing. Now eat your spinach.

Goals

I was back at the gym today after two days off. I feel such a sloth when I miss more than a couple of days. Today it was legs complete with suitcase deadlifts, RDL, glute-ham raises and single leg hip bridge lifts. I’ll be lucky if I can get out of bed tomorrow; but I surely can’t think of a better way to start 2009 than doing my beloved deadifts. :) It is the one exercise that makes me feel strong. I didn't set any personal records today, but I lifted 5 sets of 10 at 155 pounds on the RDL. 60 pound DB's for the suitcase DL. Next week's goal: 65-70lb DB and 165 RDL.

The gym was full of “new years resolutioners” when I got there today. Unfortunately, statistics prove that despite all the good intentions of losing their newfound holiday weight compounded with already being overweight will be lost within a few short weeks and even days. I wish it weren’t so. I wish that each “resolutioner” makes the small changes in their life to make their goals more manageable. I no longer believe in resolutions. I believe in setting daily, weekly, monthly goals. Smaller, more manageable and far less daunting than saying I need to lose 50 pounds in 2 months. I put a lot of pressure on myself to achieve my goals, but it’s been working for me so far. How about you?

Verse for the Year

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29:13

How fitting that this become my verse for 2009 as I started reading the book of Jeremiah this morning. This is but a simple reminder for me to reflect on this verse over the next 365 days.

Bulking

I can hardly believe I’m intentionally gaining weight. Never in a million years did I ever think I would find myself in this position. Why and who would do this? A bodybuilder in training. I don’t see myself as a bodybuilder, but I’m certainly eating and training like one. In the world of bodybuilding bulking is standard practice. If you want to put on muscle mass you have to eat.

Last winter I did what I would consider a mini-bulk. I wasn’t all that comfortable with the weight gain and wasn’t ready to accept the compromise of extra weight and fat with more muscle. This time, I am heeding the weight gain no attention. When I made the decision to bulk in the late autumn, I told my coach I wanted to bulk for 8-10 weeks. Well I’m four weeks in now and I’m ready to go full throttle and see how much muscle mass I can build.

I would love to have that “perfect” body and to be lean and ripped every day of the year. Unfortunately, I have to make a compromise and be willing to accept that for me to have that body, I have to work for it. Both inside and outside the gym. Sure I might get a little uncomfortable with the weight gain, but in a few months time, I’ll strip away the layers to reveal just what I’ve been working on. I absolutely can't wait!