Fighting fat: weeks six and seven

Starting weight: 176 lbs. (BMI: 26.4 – overweight)
Oct. 9 weigh-in: 166 lbs. (BMI: 24.9 – normal)
Oct. 16 weigh-in: 166 lbs. (BMI: 24.9 – normal)
Days worked out during week five and six: 10

Nothing like an election guide to slow down my blogging.

But it did nothing to prevent me from hitting the gym.

I hit my goal of 166 by Oct. 11 last week. I've been down to 165 on several occasions – maybe 164 here and there – but it was 166 on the official date.

It's nice to be of normal weight. The only bad thing is that greasy food makes me kind of sick now. My body's not used to it anymore. I had a slice of pizza today and it was good going down, but right now it's making me feel a little queasy.

I'm taking a little mini-vacation to Boston this weekend and I'm expecting to gain some weight. No exercise plus tons of food and spirits equals weight gain.

Until then, I'm working out hardcore. I am altering my routine once again. I'm testing out this speed lifting where I lift at a slightly faster than average rate, but where I'm still in full control of the weights.

Supposedly this will train my muscles to regenerate quicker and allow me to do more exercises during my routine. We'll see if there's an improvement in a couple of weeks.

The other thing is that I'm taking a protein shake within 30 minutes after my workout. I read that this helps my muscles repair themselves right away and should help prevent soreness in the days following. It feels like it's working so far, but it could also just be a placebo effect.

Since I've hit my goal for my birthday, it's time to move onto the next goal. Drop down to 160 pounds by Christmas (I'm really aiming for Thanksgiving).