Challenge 3, Day 23

Week 4 is off to a decent start at least :)  I did get my cardio done this morning; I did 30 minutes on the Nordic Track before work.  I was supposed to do 45 minutes but did not wake up in time to get all of that in so I figured 2/3 of a workout was better than none.

I am encouraged because I think on week 3 when I did 5 Nordic Track workouts in conjunction with my weight workouts (2 out of 3 at least), I think I lost 3 or 4 pounds that week.  I forgot to weigh myself at the beginning of my free day but did weight myself on Tuesday of Week 3 and noticed that I was in fact 3 or 4 pounds lighter than my previous weight.  This gives me hope that this will work and perhaps this is the key for my weight loss:  stick with 3 weight workouts a week but up my cardio significantly to burn more calories.

I did not do so well with my nutrition today.  Started off with a protein shake but followed it up with pizza at lunch…oh well.  I will try to do better a dinner this evening and fix a salad.  We’ve got 3 or 4 bags of salad in the fridge at home that need to be eaten and I’m getting really tired of Thanksgiving left overs…

Hopefully I will wake up in time for a 30 minute session on the Nordic Track in the morning then its off to the gym during lunch for a UBWO….

Challenge 3, Day 22

Week 3 was a disaster….I sense a disturbing trend right now. :)  I did not get one workout done last week.  I let myself get too busy and did not make the time like I should have to get them done.  On the nutrition front, that was an even bigger disaster, I ate too much at Thanksgiving and we had a ton of leftovers that I’ve been trying to get through….yikes when will it end?

I did not wake up this morning to get my cardio done BUT I did make it to the gym during lunch for my LBWO.  That went very well, I got all of my exercises done feeling a good burn during my quads, calves and abs exercises.  If I’m not too tired this evening, hopefully I can get my Nordic Track workout done….

Challenge 3, Day 10

Ok, I woke up late yesterday and did not get my cardio in but I was determined not to miss a day if at all possible so I did 45 minutes on the Nordic Track at 11 pm last night.  I had fits falling asleep but no big deal.

I got up this morning and did 20 minutes on the Nordic Track before work and then a pretty good UBWO at lunch.  I probably need to step back on my weights on a few exercises because I was hitting a ‘10’ before I got my set of 6 on my shoulders and on my bicep curls.  I wonder what is going to be sore tomorrow and Friday?

Last week, my triceps were so sore from my UBWO on Monday that by Wednesday, I could hardly use my arms.  My calves are really sore today and I notice some soreness in my hamstrings at times.  It feels good to be back in the saddle.

I hope I can keep up with the additional sessions on the Nordic Track.  I am going to try to do 45 minutes in the morning before work to maximize my fat burning potential….

Challenge #3, Day 8

Ok…1 week down, 11 to go.

First week of this challenge is off to a less than spectacular start.  First off, I didn’t do as good of a job with my nutrition as I could have done (need to do better on this) and I missed 2 weight workouts and 2 cardio workouts.  I did my UBWO on Monday and sessions on the Nordic Track on Tuesday & Wednesday but nothing after that.

I did get this week off to a good start though, I did 30 minutes on the Nordic Track this morning.  I would have done 45 minutes but after I got everything set up, I didn’t think I would have the time to do 45 minutes.  I need to start setting things up when I am going to bed so they’ll be ready the next morning.  I really think if I could up my cardio and start doing a 45 minute workout on the Nordic Track 5 times a week (3 days for BFL plan and 2 additional days), this may accelerate my weight loss.  I also am going to try to head to the gym during lunch for my LBWO.  I hope the locker room is back open.  It is such a pain changing in the bathroom without a shower….

I need to do some measurements and take some photos in the next few days so I can gauge my progress over this challenge.

Challenge #3, Day 4

Ok, not off to the best of starts with this challenge.  Did my UBWO on Monday, and did cardio on Tuesday (Nordic Track for 20 minutes).  On Wednesday, I had a job interview out of town so I knew I would not be able to get my LBWO done so I did the Nordic Track for 30 minutes.  I overslept this morning and didn’t get any cardio done this morning but maybe I can get some done this evening.

My triceps are really sore today.  Actually they were worse yesterday.  I could hardly lift my arms above my shoulders yesterday they were so sore and I had trouble gripping things.  I would not have thought my tri-s would be sore.  It was my first UBWO in probably 6 weeks but I did try to push myself like I used to.

Starting Challeng #3

As I start my third BFL Challenge today, I want to state my goals so I can try to re-affirm them to myself on a daily basis.  I really want to succeed at this.  While I think I do look better and I definitely feel better than I have in a long time.  I don’t want to weight 250 lbs and have 10% body fat.  I want to weight less than 200 pounds while having less than 10% body fat.  I don’t know if its possible given my body type but I am certainly willing to try.  I need to try harder this time.

My previous 2 challenges, I have done well with the workout plan.  I have hit the gym quite frequently but I need to step it up a notch.  I need to start doing my cardio in the mornings at the very least AND most importantly, I need to follow the nutritional part of BFL better.  If I can do both of these, hopefully I can and will succeed.

That being said, my goals for Challenge #3 are:

• Plan my meals & workouts on a daily basis


• Follow the nutrition plan much better than I have done in Challenges 1 & 2


• Complete all 6 BFL workouts a week plus additional cardio sessions (running or on the Nordic Track) on my weight days.


• Lose at least 5% body fat.  I am currently around 25-26% so that would mean I would be less than 20% in 12 weeks.


• Lose 20 pounds during this challenge.  I am currently around 250 lbs so that means I need to weight less than 230 to meet this goal in 12 weeks.

While it may not be the smartest thing to start a challenge right before the holidays, I think I can succeed with just a little bit of planning and discipline.  I found myself able to resist “bad” foods more easily when I was in the throws of the BFL program and I was feeling much better myself.