Thread: G's Log.

OK... Sorry... Here's the scoop...

SATURDAY

SLEPT: 1:15am-7:15am (up early for 5k race)

WEIGHT: not measured

Meal 1 - 7:30am (Lrg brkfast for race... Any excuse!)
Meal 2 - 10:30am (PWO shake, pretzels)
Meal 3 - 11:30am (small salad - food provided at race)
Meal 4 - 3:30pm (slept 2:00-3:15pm - afternoon nap. nice!)
Meal 5 - 6:10pm (then 4miller lite & 2 bud ice! Aargh!)
Meal 6 - 9:30-11:00 (Mad munchies following beers! Ate dinner, then 2pc toast w/PB & extra walnuts, then wife brought home chicken and mushrooms from catered event - I ate that too. Beer makes me hungry - or prevents me from feeling full.

WORKOUT: 5k race (at 10:00am) completed in 29mins 11sec. Nice! I enjoyed it too. My wife says I was in the top 200 (not bad for 2,500 runners), but I think I was more like #500. Whatever. It was fun and my knees didn't hurt one bit. That's the farthest I've ever run on the road. Next comes 10k!

NOTES: Nice enough day. My mind started nagging me for alcohol about 7:30pm while outside painting (shed door, gutter/facia-boards) - just getting dark. I don't like painting too much. It was nice to have a little buzz while I worked. I figured I'd run it off earlier anyway (any excuse!). I stopped drinking after 6, leaving two in the fridge (mistake! should've poured them away! see tomorrow's entry!).

Kcal: 3,568 (15% beer) - Ate like a madman after finishing 6beers and 5hours painting. Monster munchies!

SUNDAY

SLEPT: 12:30pm-9:30am (9hours! WTG!)

WEIGHT: 170.2lb (up 2lb from Friday! beer/water retention?)

Meal 1 - 10:00am
Meal 2 - 1:20pm (painting handrail, fence, facia boards...)
Meal 3 - 4:30pm (still painting/staining fence... no fun)
Meal 4 - 8:00pm (worked until dark. beer is food, right!?)
Meal 5 - missed it. slept 9pm-11:45pm exhausted
Meal 6 - 1glass milk & off to bed. tired/sleepy.

WORKOUT: None, unless 8hrs of painting counts!

PAINTING: Everything's done! No more painting this year. Next comes new gutters/siding for garage, roto-till and level back yard, build 3 remaining raised veggie-patch boxes, cut bricks to complete paving stone patios and pathways, cover back yard in gravel (temporary fix for dogs tracking in dust'n'mud) then build the deck - Man, the deck is going to be completely awesome! I'll definitely take before/after pictures for this one. I can see it in my mind's eye. it's gonna be a good one - multi-level with a spiralling stairway. Can't wait to start the deck. I just can't wait. Gotta finish everything else first though. No more incomplete projects allowed!

BEER: I'm outside painting by 11am. At noon I fancy an apple (or something), open the fridge and see the two beers left over from yesterday. I decided it'd be a nice addition to an afternoon of painting so promptly drank them both. A few minutes later my neighbor calls me - he wants a ride to the store. While at the store I buy 6 more beers. I paint for an hour, sit down with a cold beer, paint for another hour, stop again for another beer. Pretty soon I'd guzzled down all six and was bumming 4 more from my neighbor! 12 in total. 18 total for the weekend. Gadzooks! WTF happened to the cutting plans!? One beer just leads to another...

Miserable day for water intake too. Kept chugging beers and kept on painting. Back on the band wagon tomorrow! No more beers this week, for sure!

NOTE Re: Meal 4 (says Meal 5 in log - oops): While painting wife asked if I wanted a chicken/broccoli pie. I figured she was making something from the chicken and broccoli I had in the fridge. When I came in I found that she'd eaten the chicken I had in the fridge and cooked me some ungodly, frozen, processed, bullcrap pies! I was too tired/hugry/weak to bother cooking some other meat, so I scraped the middle of the pies out, left 80% of the pastry and had that with some veg. Fitday says each pie is 400+cal. I entered 2 (rather than the three I ate b/c I don't think what I ate of the pies amounted to much at all (they were very small), but still it looks stupid in the food log - A bazillion calories before bed!

KCal: 3,267 (30% beer! Aargh! Terrible!) WTF happened this weekend? Fell off the program, big time. Involuntary refeed!?

MONDAY

SLEPT: 9pm-11:30pm (exhausted/painting),then 12:15pm-6:50pm

WEIGHT: 169.8lb

Meal 1 - 7:20am
Meal 2 - 10:10am
Meal 3 - 1:15pm (PWO pretzels, PP shake)
Meal 4 - 3:20pm (hungry. only ever get 2hrs from PWO meal)
Meal 5 - 6:10pm (huge salad,0.5tblsp oil homemade dressing)
Meal 6 - 8:30pm (after bldg raised veggie patch box. weak)
Meal 7 - 11:30pm

WORKOUT: LEGS (Finally! Been putting it off for past 2wks while training for 5k race on Saturday, plus I was worried about head pains returning - I exert myself more doing legs than push/pull days, I think).
Warmup: 5mins on stair climber (1st time ever - surprisingly hard; set on fat-burner level 10 - Fast!).
1.Incline situps (twisting, max decline setting, all the way down every time): 2x25, 1x20(fail), plus 1x10 throwing/catching 4lb ball. Failed on 10. Should've used ball earlier.
2.Full Squats (ass touching heel!) - 115lb:1x10(warmup), 135lb:1x10, 155lb:1x8(no fail, but good enough - shaking! Too afraid to try 165lb. That's what I was doing when the headpains got me last month - "Train to stimulate, not anihilate"). NOTE: 10lb plate under each heel works well - minimal lower back involvement.
3.Deadlifts - 205lb:1x10, 225lb:1x8, 245lb:1x6. Nice! Try 4@255lb(new max) next time.
4.Lunges w/2x20lb DBs (legs already fried - 2sets only) - 2x10 (2steps=1rep). NOTE: Ball of right foot is sore (possibly from 5k race on Saturday), decided 2 sets would be enough for now.
5.Laying leg curls - 90lb:1x10(easy), 100lb:1x10, 110lb:1x10, 120lb(new max):1x5. (just right - do same again next week - legs fried when done).
6.Seated Rotary Calf Press - 215lb:1x20, 220:1x15, 225lb:1x10(on fire!).

WORKOUT NOTES: Nice workout. Felt a little ill after prone leg curls (not a bad thing, just saying). Legs were shaky/weak trying to get to calf press machine. Took the stairs one at a time (holding onto the handrail) on the way out! Do same again next week although maybe no stair-climber (tired quads out too much before getting started) and use 4lb ball right from the start of sit-ups. 3sets of 25 sit-ups before throwing/catching was too much. Other than that, that was good fun! Fried my legs waaaaayyy more than a measly ol' 5k run! Listen to me... Mr Health & Fitness all of a sudden ("Little ol' 5k race doesn't really do it for me, blah blah blah!"). Heh-heh.

HEAD PAIN - What head pain!? Felt nothing before, during or after workout. Absolutely 100% better. Yeehah!

Kcal: 2,227.

TUESDAY

SLEPT: 12:15am-6:50am (would've gone to bed earlier, but agreed to watch movie w/wife @ 9:30pm then, mid-way through, had to pause it (for 20mins) to help neighbor measure, cut & screw plywood over basement window following vandalism (break-in attempt?).

WEIGHT: 170.8lb

Meal 1 - 7:20am
Meal 2 - 10:30am
Meal 3 - 1:20pm (After cardio: PP, pretzels & banana)
Meal 4 - 3:25pm (only ever get 2hrs from PWO meal. weak.)
Meal 5 - 6:20pm (after apple at 5:30pm. hungry already)
Meal 6 - 9:30pm
Meal 7 - 11:45pm (PP shake & off to bed.)

CARDIO: Swimming (fancied doing something different). 50 lengths of pool (32 lengths = 1mile. So... 1 length = 50 meters) in 40 minutes (i.e. Just over 1½miles @ approx 2½mph, breast-stoke).
PLUS: 5min jacuzzi & 5min steam room. Lovely!

NOTES (LEGS): Still feel pretty good following Saturday's 5k race and yesterday's workout. Calves & quads a little tender, but nothing much. Decided to swim, for active recovery, rather than use elliptical trainer (just for a change). It was a good idea. I enjoyed it. Although... I swear my legs hurt more afterwards than before. My calves definitely seemed tighter anyway. Maybe that'd've happened anyway as the day went by, but there was a distinct difference when I got out of the pool compared to before.

CUTTING: Started 8/28 between 176lb & 173.6lb. Weight this morning 170.8lb but has been down into 160's a couple of mornings recently. i.e. Approx 5lb down in 3weeks. Keep this going to mid-Oct. We'll see how I look then. 3rd row of abs definitely more chiseled than end of Aug, so must be accomplishing something bodyfat-wise (not LBM loss!). I just want a few pictures of me super-lean then I'll bulk back up for a while. I'm looking fwd to some 3,000+KCal days again, that's for sure!

YARD WORK: 2½hrs after work, measuring, cutting, nailing, screwing 2by12s for last-but-one raised veggie patch box. Next, rototil and level back yard (keeing topsoil for boxes) and break ground for the all new blow-your-freakin' mind deck above all decks! 30'x20' multi layered, spirally-stairwayed dreamdeck. I can't wait! Almost there...

KCal: 2,212 (for ref: 226g protein / >1¼g per lb of me.)

WEDNESDAY

SLEPT: 12:00pm-6:50am

WEIGHT: 169.8lb

Meal 1 - 7:20am
Meal 2 - 10:50am (late. busy at work)
Meal 3 - 2:20pm (late start on workout. PWO shake/pretzels)
Meal 4 - 5:10pm
Meal 5 - 8:00pm
Meal 6 - 11:00pm (X-lrg pc salmon - Mmm!)

WORKOUT:Push/Bi. (1min RIs throughout)
1.Incline BB Press - 95lb:1x10(easy), 115lb:1x10, 135lb:1x6 (was 10 last week, but that was after 2-3min RI), 135lb:2x4 (2 extra sets instead of two 155lb reps).
2.Chin-ups w/10lb DB - 2x8, 1x7½(fail).
3.Military Press - 95lb:1x10, 105lb:1x9½(fail), 115lb:3x3(failed last rep).
4.DB Press - 50lb:1x9,1x7,1x6.
5.Arnold Press w/35lb DBs - 3x6(failed last rep, last set).
6.Machine Shrugs - 205lb:1x10, 225lb:1x10, 245lb:1x8, 265lb(new max):1x6, 285lb(new max!):1x4, 305lb(new max!!):1x4.
7.EZ Bar Curl - 85lb:1x7(fail), 75lb:1x7(fail), 65lb:1x7(fail).

WORKOUT NOTES: I'm still bummed that I've lost so much strngth in the past two months following 1mo break (due to head-pain issues). There's no point focusing on that, I guess. I may as well just accept where I am now and just start from there. Still though... it is disappointing. What's also disappointing is the fact that there are no improvements on last week's numbers. I'm failing the same rep on the same set as last week for almost everything. I wonder if it relates to the cut I've been on for the past 3 weeks; insufficient glucose, low energy, etc. I don't feel sluggish or weak, but I was definitely pushing up more weight more times than I am nowadays.

NOTES CONT... I reshuffled the workout a little bit today; added some extra sets (#s 1, 3 and 6) and a lot more weight to the shrugs. I'm not convinced that they were 100% full shrugs (more like 90% maybe), but it was fun to try. I was pleased just to even be able to stand up and grip 305lb to be honest. I've never held over 300lb before. I remember having trouble gripping 245lb when I first started dealifting that weight. That's no problem now (so maybe there are some improvements afterall). As always though, I just want more, faster! I'm an impatient M.F.!

EVENING: Nothing. Came home with plans to build last raised veggie box, landed in the LaZboy and barely got out of it! Watched a movie("Junebug" - weird!) with Mrs G., and went to bed around 9:45pm to read. Only 1750KCal in by end of meal 5. Probably not the best diet in the world, bread, tuna, egg wites, PB, PP shakes filling most of day. Should probably try to incorporate more fresh veg/fruit into day. Need to go grocery shopping. Too tired to go right now.

READING: IronMag board for cutting tips. Concerned that strength loss may be diet related. Found all kind of stuff on refeeds/leptin plus a low carb diet plan. Considering refeed this weekend (Yom Kippur - off work tomorrow) then drastic, near-carbless diet for three weeks. Body fat now is probably 8-9%. Plan to drop to 5%(ish) for a few photos, then bulk. We'll see how it goes.

THURSDAY

SLEPT: 12:15-6:45am (Went up to bed at 10pm, got into reading IronMag stickies (and following links) after updating my journal. Man, some of the recommended cutting diets seem a little extreme to me. More like no-carb than low-carb. Time just flew by. Salmon at 11pm, watched a bit of TV, then off to bed. Should sleep more. Need to remember Melatonin at 10pm. That might help. Also, ordered ZMA (per recommendations in this jrnl) from FitnessOne.com to aide sleep. Should arrive with 2lb of Casein protein (haven't used before) in a week or so.

WEIGHT: 168.6lb (light! Hopefully not LBM loss!)

Meal 1 - 7:15am
Meal 2 - 10:10am
Meal 3 - 1:25pm (PWO pretzels/shake.Should add banana too)
Meal 4 - 3:30pm
Meal 5 - 6:45pm
Meal 6 - 11:00pm (After beers. No work tomorrow:Yom Kippur)

WORKOUT:
(1) Wide Grip Pullups (BW+10lbDB:2nd time w/extra weight) - 2x8(awesome!), 1x6½(fail). Full extension on all. No hanging. Chin pulled above bar all reps.
(2) Bent-over BB rows - w/bar:1x10(warmup), 75lb:1x10, 85lb:1x10, 95lb:1x10, 105lb:1x8(#8 not to abs).
(3) Dips BW+25lbDB(new max):3x8(easy), w/30lbDB(new max):1x6½(fail).
(4) Heavy Rows w/pivot machine (1st time on this machine - cable row occupied) - 45lb:1x10(too easy! OK for warmup, I suppose), 70lb(Heavy!):3x6. Maybe next time try 60lb and sets of 8.
(5) Bent over lateral raise (rear delts) w/25lb DBs: 3x10(set3/reps8-10 not 100% but lowering was controlled).
(6) DB Pullover (arms straight) - 30lb:1x10, 35lb:1x10, 40lb:1x8(same as last wk)
(7) Skull-Crushers (2 sets only - added #8;lat pulldowns) - 1x8(just), 1x6½(fail)
(8) Straight-armed Lat Pulldowns (2 sets only) - w/100lb:1x8, 1x5(fail).

WORKOUT NOTES: Nice workout. Good back pump (even w/o creatine - Dr's orders). Proud of 3x8 WG Pullups with 10lb between feet. Couldn't complete 1st set last week. Got 2 sets of 8 this week without too much bother.

@WORK: Oops! Showed up to work in casual clothes. No-one else had. I figured it was the last day of the week so it'd be casual (like all Fridays). Apparently no-one else thought likewise. Mtg w/GM & directors was little more than a series of comments regarding my clothes. Still though... I do look nice'n'buff in the tight(ish) Abercrombie T-Shirt I got free for the 5k run last week.

DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS / BAD HABITS! - See tomorrow's entry. It's confession time!

FRIDAY (Off work - Yom Kippur)

SLEPT: 12:30pm-7:30am

WEIGHT: not measured.

DIRTY LITTLE SECRET / BAD HABIT...
I had my first puff on a cigarette at age 12 or 13. By 18 I smoked every day. I've quit a few times since, cold turkey, but nothing has ever lasted more than a few months (maybe 6mo max). Most recently, I quit in November (last year), shortly after signing up for the gym. There didn't seem much point in running miles and miles only to fire up a cigarette a few minutes later. My non-smoking lasted until May (this year) when I smoked (as a "treat" - some treat!) on my birthday, then again from the 25th through to early June (while camping in The Smokey Mountains). After our camping trip I confessed to work collegues that I'd started smoking again.

Anyway... As of midnight last night, I QUIT!!!

I didn't maintain my food log today. I didn't eat shamefully badly, but I definitely snacked all day. Nothing bad, like I said, but (I figured) as long as I'm not smoking, anything goes. I can lose any body fat I might put on. I can't diet Lung Cancer away!

So... This is Day 1. Non smoking... Geeking!

YARD WORK - I built the last of the raised veggie patch boxes this morning and installed it (and the 2nd to last one) too. They still need filled with dirt but they already look good. This afternoon I ripped all the aluminum siding (& gutters) off my garage and installed sheet-wood all over. All that remains is to install J-Channel round the edges, a starter strip along the bottom and white vinyl siding from top to bottom (acquired, for free, from a neighbor who's doing a fake stonework facade instead). I didn't get any of the siding done, but it was still a pretty productive day.

BEERS - None. Surprisingly. Did the whole of Day 1 Non-Smoking completely cold turkey. If I felt like I was "Jonesing" I'd eat pretzels, have some PB on toast, eat an apple, a banana, a peach... dot dot dot!

SATURDAY

SLEPT: I dunno. Fuck everything. As long as I'm not smoking, who cares!?

WEIGHT: 174.4lb WTF!? Heaviest reading in about a month. I didn't eat THAT much yesterday. What's going on? Topped-up glucose levels from beers and carbs past couple of days?

DIRTY SECRET / BAD HABIT: Non-Smoking day 2. - Screwed sheets of wood (previously nailed only) all over garage, ready for siding to be installed. Need to do some electrical work, so security lights can be mounted up, but it's getting there.

BEERS - Decided day 2 of nictoene detox' might go better with a few cold beers. I bought 12, figuring I might do the same tomorrow (6ea) but ended up killing all 12 by myself today. Again though, who cares. As long as I'm not smoking, anything goes.

FOOD LOG - Not maintained. Snacked all day. Bananas, apples, pretzels, X-lrg breakfasts (maybe three of 'em thoughout the day!), milk and anything else I could lay my hands on.

NICOTENE - None. Absolutely none. No cheating. I'm in this game to win! No more smoking ever!

SUNDAY

SLEPT: All damned day! I got up at 8:30am, had breakfast and went back to bed at 9:30am. At noon Mrs.G tried to wake me for some... shall we say... "extra-curricula"(sp?) activities, but I was just too tired. She went off to work and I got up about 2pm. From 2pm-4pm I thought how productive I could be outside if I would actually get off the couch. At 4pm I gave up on that idea and went back to bed. I got up again about 7pm. Then back to bed again about 10pm. Wife came home from work about 11pm. I got back up around midnight. And went back to bed (again, again, again!) about 1:30am.

WEIGHT: 175.8lb DAMN! This really is heavy. Must surely be weight from topped up glucose levels from mad eating over past few non-smoking days. Otherwise I need an eight pound shit!

DIRTY SECRETS / BAD HABITS - Non-Smoking Day 3. Survived by sleeping. No motivation to do anything. Even the idea of listing eBay auctions seemed too much like hard work. Blobbed around house, snacked/ate all day.

MONDAY

SLEPT: 1:30am-7:00am (after sleeping all day yesterday)

WEIGHT: 177.4lb - OK. This is getting F-ing crazy. I was 168 point something last Thursday morning. Now I'm almost 10lb heaavier. I have been doing some fairly serious eating/drinking since quitting smoking cold-turkey midnight Thursday, but gaining 10lb!!? WTF is that!? I haven't eaten 30,000 cal in three days, so it can't be body fat. Must be topped up blood glucose levels, following temporary abandonment of strict cutting program (to facilitate initial 10 non-smoking days, as agreed with self!).

Meal 1 - 7:20am
Meal 2 - 10:20am
Meal 3 - 1:30pm
Meal 4 - 6:30pm (after nap 4pm-6pm)
Meal 5 - 9:30pm (off to bed 10:30pm)
Meal 6 - 12:30pm (can't sleep. up for PP, melatonin & ZMA)

WORKOUT: None. Busy at work. Didn't even bring gym bag. Plan to make it through day, go home and go to bed, ready for Day 5 non-smoking tomorrow.

DIRTY SECRET / BAD HABITS... (Non-Smoking)
NOTES: Starting to get some deep chest coughs today. I need to find one of those tables that tells you (for example) 1 month of non-smoking, heart rate is normalized... 2months of non-smoking, lung function 90% restored... 6 months non-smoking, risk of heart attack reduced to normal... dot dot dot.

GENERAL NOTES: Today sucked. Felt crappy all day. Made it to 3:30pm then asked boss if I could go home early. he was fine with that. I crawled into bed as soon as I got home, slept for 2hrs then couldn't go back to sleep when it was bed time. Wife came home bitchin' (as usual). She went to bed early so she could get up for 7:45am start at work. I went to bed too but couldn't sleep. Got back up for melatonin, ZMA and PP shake. Felt sleepy about 30mins later. Back to bed for 6 hours sleep (interupted by 2x trips to the bathroom). Woke next day tired, still feeling crappy, coughing, gasping for air, and Jonesing for a cigarette. This sucks!

BEERS: Give me a break already! As long as I'm not smoking, who cares!? I felt like shit, had no way to change the way I was feeling, so I drank a few beers. When they'd worn off I drank a few beers again! Whatever it takes. Gotta get through the next two weeks nicotene free then it should be better.

WIFE: Came home with nicotene-free cigarettes and announced she'd been nicotene-free for 6 hours! If she actually quits I'll eat my hat! I've quit three or four times (for 6mo+) over our 8yr relationship and she's never once stopped (well... she HAD TO stop for a couple of weeks to have her gastric bypass, but she went straight back to it afterwards). Always smoking in the house even though I'm sitting there choosing not to smoke (day in, day out!). It's been hard. It'd be easier if she'd quit too.

TUESDAY

SLEPT: 1:15am-7:10am (in bed at 10:30pm, couldn't sleep, got up for shake, melatonin & ZMA - seemed to help).

WEIGHT: not measured. probably horrendously high. diet has sucked since quitting smoking on Thurs (midnight).

Meal 1 - 7:45am (after fight w/MrsBigG: bitch/moan...)
Meal 2 - 10:30am (feel like crap: coughing,sighing,gasping)
Meal 3 - missed it. felt aweful at work. used ½day. slept!
Meal 4 - 5:30pm (after sleeping 1p-5p)
Meal 5 - 9:30pm (after 10 beers! Depressed. Cold turkey.)
Meal 6 - missed it. in bed by 11pm.

WORKOUT: None. I took my gym bag to work with me this morning, but I dunno. I feel like crap. All I want to do is go home and go to bed. This sucks. One freakin' cigarette and all this shit would go away. I guess that's why they call it an addiction, right!? Cold turkey sucks.

NEXT DAY NOTES: I eventually did go home and go to bed, using a ½day vacation to do so.

SMOKING & DRINKING! - Left work depressed with head all discombobblated (that's a word, right? ), jonesing big-time for a cigarette. I swung into a gas station, bought a pack of Marlboro and smoked 3 before I got home! Aarck! Somebody stop me! I spoke to wife when I got home. She said she was still on her Nicotene-free cigarettes and was determined to stop smoking too (1st time she's been like that!). I went to bed and woke at 5:30pm (she'd been home 30minutes by that point). When I came downstairs she'd obviously been smoking Marlboros too! By the following morning we'd smoked the entire pack between us, vowed never to smoke again, and I'd driven to Walgreens to buy Step2 Patches and some gum.

I did drink 10 beers though. Not good. But temporarily excused during this nicotene-deprived hell!

The fight goes on.

WEDNESDAY

SLEPT: 11:30pm-7:00pm

WEIGHT: 175.8lb (Up 7lb on last week! Presumably becuase of carbing-up while quitting smoking - Body fat seems unchanged. 3rd row abs still visible )

Meal 1 - 7:10am (up early to go and get nicorette patches!)
Meal 2 - 10:30am
Meal 3 - 2:00pm (forgot to add WORKOUT memo to foodlog).
Meal 4 - 4:50pm (leftover salad from meeting. Mmm! Good!)
Meal 5 - 8:15pm
Meal 6 - 11:15pm (casein, almonds and off to bed)

WORKOUT: LEGS
Warmup: 5mins on Elliptical trainer; 1min fwd, 1min bckwrd (X2½).
1.Incline situps (throwing/catching 6lb ball - new max): 1x25, 1x19(fail), 1x11(fail), Twisting (elbow to knee) w/no ball:1x11(fail! - nothing left)
2.Full Squats (ass touching heel!) - 115lb:1x10(warmup), 135lb:1x10, 155lb:1x6(lower back getting involved on #6. Did 8 last week), 165lb(1st time since head-pain issues):1x4 (no head pain! - lower back involved w/rep4).
3.Deadlifts (no gloves. lost one) - 205lb:1x10, 225lb:1x10, 245lb:1x8. Nice! 255lb(new max):1x5(Kewl!).
4.Lunges w/2x20lb DBs - None. Took 1½-2min RIs w/heavy squats/deadlifts - short on time, plus legs fried from additional reps @ new max weights w/1,2&3above.
5.Laying leg curls - 90lb:1x10(easy), 100lb:1x10, 110lb:1x10, 120lb(last week's new max):1x7 (6&7 not to butt). Nice! Legs burning.
6.Seated Rotary Calf Press - 190lb:1x25, 2x15. Used 210lb last week and calves hurt for 5 days. Backed off on the weight a bit today. May keep it on 190lb until I can get 3sets of 25 completed. Damn lactic acid burns my calves up!

WORKOUT NOTES: Nice! I used to hate leg workouts. Now I don't mind at all. It's like my legs finally gave up complaining. They know they're gonna get beat-up and there's no sense them crying about it! They'll complain tomorrow though, I bet.

HEADPAIN - None. No pressure. Nothing. All is well. I am sooooooo relieved. It would've really really sucked to have got addicted to pumping iron only to be told I should never do it again!

SMOKING: Nicorette patches rock! I feel absolutely lovely compared to yesterday. And I only got Step2 patches, not full strength ones. Ah! Nicotene! Bliss.

EVENING: Lunched out, nothing productive. Resisted nicorette gum. Patch seemed to wear off late evening. Wife is definitely on board. Can't believe it. She smoked a marlboro this morning but nothing all day, and only three marlboros in 2½days. She's smoking Quest#3s(nicotene-free) just so she has something to smoke. Otherwise, she's saying, she wants the nicotene out of her system! Cool. It's gotta be waaaay easier for me to stay quit if y wife isn't lighting up around me all the time, month after month.

FISH OIL: Hit the fish oil jackpot at Walgreens. 2x200cap bottles for $9.99, buy one, get one. Regularly $14.99ea. Perfect! I jut ran out. One for home. One for work.

WATER: 0.75gal. Not the greatest, but was pleased to not spend whole day snacking frantically in absence of nicotene. Patch left me ½ starved for it, but still able to think.

KCal:2,482(261g protein). I need to take some photos! I'm already pretty ripped. I'm not bodybuilder-competition/3% ripped, but Ultimate Fighting Championship ripped, for sure (just watched it this evening - brutal! wears me out watching it, so tense).

hey G!

That's great news that you've both decided to give up the weed - FOR GOOD!! Im happy for you mate! My granny has been smoking for about 45 years, and we're always on at her to stop, but she won't have it. And she's always complaining about not being able to afford it, i've no money, blah blah blah, but i've always said, no matter how long you''ve smoked, you have to WANT to give up. My gran says she wishes she could stop, but really i think she likes it.

You're doing really well for trying - you've already done yourself proud with minimising your beer intake, regulating your calories and getting a fitness regime in order for yourself, now attacking the smoking habit - Gosh, you're having one hell of an overhaul. You're body must love you now!

Nice one bud - stay focussed on your goal, one at a time and you'll get there!

Thanks for the encouragement. Very kind of you. I've battled smoking a few times in the past. I quit in November '06 (soon after I started running/lifting) and didn't start again until May this year (I started on, or around, my birthday whilst drinking one night. I've only been smoking for about 16 weeks since and I've even tried a couple of times since. Not like this though. And never with my wife doing it too. I've definitely got it this time. Day 13 today. And kicking butt!

Anyway... I'm past due for an update. And, there's trouble looming for toe! The life and times of Big G continue...

THURSDAY

SLEPT: 1:15am-6:45am

WEIGHT: not measured. no poop this morning. wierd.

Meal 1 - 7:00am
Meal 2 - 10:30am (after colorful migraine 10:00-10:20am)
Meal 3 - 1:30pm (PWO: pretzels, banana & PP shake)
Meal 4 - 4:15pm
Meal 5 - 7:30pm
Meal 6 - 10:30pm (Whey, casien & PB shake. Mmm! Good!)

WORKOUT: Press & Bi.
1.Incline BB Press (6 sets! higher weight, lower reps) - 115lb:1x10 (screw starting on 95lb!), 135lb:1x10 (Ha! 6 last week.), 155lb:1x2½(1st time 2 unassisted. Spotter helped w/rep3), 155lb:1x1½+½ (i.e. spotter helped w/rep 2 and 3 - fun trying though!), 135lb:1x6, 1x5
2.Chin-ups w/10lb DB - 2x8 (all reps completed - 1st time for that - only just made last rep).
3.Military Press - 95lb:1x10 (too easy!), 115lb:1x6(just), 1x4(just), 105lb:1x4. Maybe just go for 3sets of 105lb next week.
4.DB Press - 50lb:2x10, 1x8½(fail) - Better than last week though. Getting some strength back - Thank goodness!
5.Arnold Press w/35lb DBs - 3x6(failed last rep, last set - same as last week).
6.Machine Shrugs - 225lb:1x10, 245lb:1x10 (easy enough!), 275lb:1x10(kewl!), 315lb(new max!):1x4 (more like ½-shrugs, too heavy really. Just wanted to try with 3x45lb plates on either side - It looked cool! )
7.EZ Bar Curl - 85lb:1x8(fail), 75lb:1x6(fail), 65lb:1x5(fail).

WORKOUT NOTES: Fun fun fun! Beat some of last week's numbers. Chest had a shaky feeling the rest of the afternoon. I enjoyed myself.

MIGRAINE: 10am, just getting hungry for meal 2, and I get a miraine. I had one yesterday too. Wierd to get two in two days. I only usually get them if I'm changing jobs, moving home or going through some other major stress. Maybe it's a quitting-smoking thing. No pain. Just flashing colors. It's annoying not to be able to see the keyboard or computer screen (especially with some tight deadlines at work) but I'll live.

SMOKING - None. No patch. no gum. No smoking fake nicotene-free cigarettes. No ravenous snacking. Still find myself looking around for a cigarette, or checking my pockets for a pack, but other than that I'm not doing too bad today. My chest isn't sore any more, and any coughing is both short-lived and productive. Yesterday my wife was standing in the middle of the living room simoultaneously coughing and crying while saying "I just want it to stop... I just want it to stop..." which was actually very funny indeed! It made me laugh anyway! That sounds really mean to say but I've done this before and she's never had any sympathy for me. Now she knows what I go through when I detox like this. It'll be soooo much easier to stay quit (for 6mo+. Correction: Forever!) if she's not on the couch smoking cigarette after cigarette all day, every day! She'll do it too, I bet. She's tough. Hopefully she remembers the pain and discomfort she's going through now, to keep her motivated to stay quit afterwards.

FRIDAY

SLEPT: 12:00am-7:00am

WEIGHT: 177.2lb (Up 9lb on last week! WTF!?)

Meal 1 - 7:15pm
Meal 2 - 10:20pm
Meal 3 - 1:45pm (PWO:PP shake,pretzels,banana,small apple)
Meal 4 - 3:50pm (only ever get 2hrs from PWO meal)
Meal 5 - FOOD LOG not maintained. Snacking. Nicotene free.
Meal 6 - 6 beers, but no cigarettes. Day 8 nicotene free.

WORKOUT: Back & Tri.
(1) Wide Grip Pullups (Full extension, all reps. From fully extended hang position to chin over bar) - BW-52lb(warmup):1x10, BW+10lbDB(between feet):1x7(just), 1x4(dropped DBNeed belt). BW:1x6, 1x4, 1x3½(fail)
(2) Bent-over BB rows - 85lb:1x10, 95lb:1x10, 105lb:1x10(8-10 not to abs), 115lb(new max):10(7-10 not to abs), 125lb(new max):1x6(#6 not to abs).
(3) Dips BW+30lbDB(new max):1x6(Dropped DBAwkward!), 1x8, 1x6½(fail). NOTE: 30lb DB between feet is hard to hold.
(4) Heavy Rows w/pivot machine (2nd time on this machine - nice change from cable row) - 60lb:1x8(nice), 70lb(Heavy!):1x8(#6-8 more like ½reps), 60lb:1x8(Again, #6-8 more like ½reps). I like this machine. It's fun!
(5) Bent over lateral raise (rear delts) - WOOPS!! COMPLETELY FORGOT TO DO THESE!!
(6) DB Pullover (arms straight) - 30lb:1x10, 35lb:1x10, 40lb:1x10(1st time all 10), 45lb(new max):1x5(just).
(7) Skull-Crushers (2 sets only - added #8:lat pulldowns) - 1x9(just), 1x5(just)
(8) Straight-armed Lat Pulldowns (2 sets only) - w/100lb:1x8(just), 1x6(just).

WORKOUT NOTES: I weighed 9lb heavier on the scale this morning compared to this time last week (why? carbed up from quit-smoking snacking? rehydrated? both?). WG Pullup #s are down, probably becuase I weigh more. Also, I did WG Pullups much slower than last week, and went all the way down to complete hang position (definitely harder). I did a couple of extra sets w/BW to compensate for lower reps w/BW+10lb. Lats felt good afterwards. Pumped.

ALSO... For Dips & WG Pullups I add weight to myself by sticking a dumbbell between my feet. Today, especially the new 30lb DB (I used for dips) was too hard too keep in place. The 30lb DB is wider than a 25ld DB and it kept falling off of my feet. I need a belt where I can hang weights off of it (like others in the gym) rather than using stupid DBs!

CIGARETTES - None! Still feel crappy. Still coughing. Still snacking ravenously after a few beers. Looking forward to cravings coming to an end (should be end of next week). Wife also doing well. Still coughing/snacking/craving but she's nicotene-free (Day 5 for her - she started after me).

SATURDAY

SLEPT: Dunno. Don't remember.

WEIGHT: nnot measured.

FOOD LOG - Not maintained. Didn't eat badly although did drink at least 6 beers. Snacked on nuts, pretzels, bananas & apples - as long as I'm not smoking, anything goes!

WORKOUT: None. Garage is a mess. Needs tidied before I can set-up power-rack and workout at home.

YARD WORK - Installed vinyl siding on garage. Gutters are 1/3rd complete. Triangle area between house and garage now looking awesome... Shed (incl. vinyl siding, windows etc), raised stone patio w/brick wall, sweeping/curved pathway, 9 raised veggie patches, white marble chip pathways, lrg round paving stone patio/path, dog-eared fence, new gutters, new garage siding and lights.

TO DO...
(1) Clean some more marble chips (currently in a big pile, mixed with mud; need pressure-washed and installed around last remaining raised veggie patches).
(2) Cut bricks to complete paving-stone pathways, patios etc.
(3) Hang shed door & gate (easy enough).
(4) Complete garage gutters (incl. gutter on back of garage, so rain landing on garage roof - nearest side to house - travels along gutter to outside privacy fence.

There's always something!

SUNDAY

SLEPT: 12:00pm-7:30am (up early - lots to do today!)

WEIGHT: 177.5lb

FOOD LOG - Not maintained. Didn't eat very well. Ate good food, but not often enough (maybe only 4 meals - subsidized with apples, bananas, nuts & pretzels (snacking to avoid smoking) . Drank at least 6 beers but didn't smoke any cigarettes.

NICOTENE FREE - Day 10. Feeling a bit better. Not thinking of cigarettes quite as much. Still coughing deep chesty cough but at least it's productive, not wheezy (sp?) like before.

YARD WORK - Powerwashed and installed white marble chips around #7of9 raised veggie patch. Spent morning at Home Depot picking new dining rm light fixture (+ ceiling rose) and dimmer switches. Electrician came round 3pm to fix 3-way stairway and dining rm lighting (after I messed with both circuits on the same day and then forgot which wire went to which circuit - oops!

WORKOUT - None. Garage is a mess. Need to tidy and build power-rack before I can pump iron! Still battling time in an effort to get side yard completed, garage siding/gutters replaced with viynl, plus I want my deck in before the ground freezes! Lots to do, limited time.

MONDAY

SLEPT: 11:30-7pm (woke with a bit of a hangover Drank 8 beers last night and definitely not enough water). Not good, but at least I didn't smoke any cigarettes. Whatever it takes to get off the nicotene. I can lose a few pounds when I'm done (if need be). I can't lose lung cancer! Back to work this morning (although I honestly don't feel like it! - Used ½day vacation to come home early / finish yardwork).

WEIGHT: not measured

Meal 1 - 7:30am
Meal 2 - 10:10am (peckish at work)
Meal 3 - 2:30pm (had banana 11:30am)
Meal 4 - 8:00pm (late. after grocery shop. ate banana 5pm)
Meal 5 - 11:00pm
Meal 6 - missed it. in bed sleeping.

WORKOUT: None. Used ½ vacation day to spend day w/wife powerwashing white marble chips to complete side-yard pathways surrounding raised veggie patches. All that remains is sawing bricks to finish paving stone patios/paths. Then I break ground on the deck. Woohoo!

NICOTENE FREE - Day 11. By this time next week I should be feeling 100% better. Wife is on day 8 today. She's off work today too.

MUM'S BIRTHDAY TODAY - Emailed pic of MrsG & I dressed as cowboy/bar-whore (from NC camping trip, in May). May not have money, but think Mum'll still like pic. We sent her a real live picture of MrsG's great-great-great-great grandfather last year (he looked like Billy The Kid - honestly). This year she'll have us, dressed the same way (only we're in costume), to hang beside that old pic.

OH NO!!!! BAD NEWS!!!! I broke my big toe today! Kicking a mini soccer ball barefoot, in the house, at my dog, I misjudged it and kicked the floor! Hard! I knew it was broke the moment I did it. It felt like a blowtorch held right on my foot. My big toe has turned black and purple, has swollen up and h-u-r-t-s r-e-a-l-l-y b-a-d!! Limping is making my leg hurt becuase I can't walk properly. Plus, the pain from my toe is making me feel kind-of ill. I hobbled around the grocery shop to get some fresh fruit/veg, but didn't get anything else accomplished after that. This sucks. No squats, calf presses, lunges or deadlifts for me for a while. Fuck!

WATER: I don't know. Amidst the powerwashing, grocery shopping, toe breaking and day-long painful hobbling, I didn't get my usual gallon of water in. Still, ½gallon for a non-workout day isn't going to hurt anything as a one off. There's always tomorrow.

TUESDAY

SLEPT: 12:10am-7:10am

WEIGHT: not measured - broke my big toe yesterday - couldn't be bothered to wrestle my foot out of my house-shoes and get on the scale. My toes hurts.

Meal 1 - 7:30am (eggs+toast w/sml banana,½peach,+2strwbrs)
Meal 2 - 10:45am (salmon+toast w/½peach,sml banana,strwbrs)
Meal 3 - 2:15pm (PWO:PP +sml banana,pretzels & sml apple)
Meal 4 - 4:20pm (chicken, yam & veg)
Meal 5 - 8:00pm (+ 2 beers after work )
Meal 6 - 11:00pm
Meal 7 - 2:45am (woke hungry, had casein, back to bed).

FOOD LOG NOTES: I'm making a personal vow to eat even more fresh food than I currently do AND to eat a wider variety of food with each meal. For breakfast, for example, I'll typically eat 2-4 peices of toast w/½tblsp PB on each slice, plus 8-12 egg whites. This morning I had 8 egg whites, one whole egg, 2pc toast w/PB, 2 strawberries, 1 small banana and ½ peach. Plus I took my vitamins at the same time (I hear they should be taken 4hrs before or after a workout becuase a workout restricts absorbtion - per Franco Columbu's "Bodybuilder's Nutrition") i.e. This morning breakfast was much more nutritious than just egg whites, PB and toast. That's my goal, from now onwards. More variety and more fresh fruit/veg with every meal.

WORKOUT: Press & Bi.
1a.Incline BB Press (6 sets! higher weight, lower reps) - 115lb:1x10, 135lb:1x10(just), 155lb:1x2½(2nd time 2 unassisted. Spotter helped w/rep3).
1b.Incline DB Press (New! Just fancied something different) - 65lb:1x6(just), 60lb:1x6, 55lb:1x6.
2.Chin-ups w/no extra weight (can't hold DB between feet w/broken big toe!): 1x10, 1x9½(fail), 1x5½(fail). WTF!? Usually do 3x8 w/10lb DB. I thought 3x10 w/no weight would be fairly similar. Apparently not!
3.Military Press (45sec RIs) - 105lb:1x10(just), 1x6(just), 1x5(just). Stick to this weight for a while.
4.DB Press - 50lb:2x10, 1x7½(fail w/45sec RI), 1x9(fail w/1min RI)
5.Arnold Press w/35lb DBs - 4x6(failed last rep 3rd set last week. completed it without problem this week so did extra set. failed last rep 4th set. up the weight next time.).
6.Machine Shrugs - Can't do 'em. Can't barely walk, let alone stand holding 300lb!
7.EZ Bar Curl - 75lb:1x7(fail) - out of time.

NOTES: Last week I really fried my chest and shoulders. This rarely happens. My chest and shuolders are never sore. I decided to blast 'em again today. I added 3 sets of incline DB presses (new) and an extra set of Arnold Presses. Shoulders felt good when I left the gym although it was a little bit short of a workout (due to it taking me so long to walk to the gym with my stupid broken big toe!). Anyway... nice workout. We'll see if I'm sore again tomorrow (although, I know, I know... DOMS is no indicator of hypertrophy blah blah blah ... Whatever! It's an indicator of something!).

NEXT DAY - Nothing sore. Chest & shoulders absolutely fine.

CASEIN - 2:45am I woke hungry, had 1scoop Casein (chocolate), 1 scoop Whey (vanilla), ½tblsp PB & 2 strawberries. It was pretty good, although I still wished I'd ordered anything but chocolate casein - I don;t really like chocolate. I ordered it by mistake.

WATER - Again, not a good day for water intake. ½gal total. Must do better. Tired and a bit depressed today Re: Broken toe.

KCal=4,211 (Too high really. Would've been better without 2 Stella Artois (270cal) plus pretzels (138cal) & nuts (366cal) I got snacking on after beers. Still though, again, no cigartettes today. This is Day 12. This coming weekend will be first few days of third week. Cravings should (from previous experience) be minimal at that point. Let's hope so!

WEDNESDAY

SLEPT: 11:30pm-7:00am (7½hrs! That's pretty good for me, although I could've gone to bed even earlier. I was tired. Did nothing last night; blobbed on the couch reading Franco Columbu's "Bodybuilder's Nutrition Handbook"
SLEPT AGAIN 5:25pm-7:10pm (woke hungry & angry! nicotene?)

WEIGHT: not measured. couldn't be f&^%ed to remove pants, shoes etc due to broken big toe.

Meal 1 - 7:20am (8whites,1egg,2pc toast w/PB +peach/banana)
Meal 2 - 10:30am (fresh salmon on toast w/peach/strwbrries)
Meal 3 - 1:30pm (PWO:PPshake w/oats +pretzels,banana,apple)
Meal 4 - 3:45pm (chiken,yam,veg)
Meal 5 - 7:15pm (beef'n'veg',after nap)
Meal 6 - 10:25pm (casein,whey,strwbrries,cream,PB w/nuts)

WORKOUT: Pull/Tri.
(1) Wide Grip Pullups (Full extension, all reps. From fully extended hang position to chin over bar + d-o-n-e s-l-o-w-l-y!) - BW-52lb(warmup):1x10. NOTE: Can't hold DB between feet w/broken toe, so... BodyWeight only:1x8(just), 1x7½(fail! NOTE: I'm 10lb heavier than the carb-starved me from last month - hence not 3x8 easily), 1x6½(fail), 1x4(pissed at results, did extra set, only just got 4. Oh well, try again next time.).
(2) Bent-over BB rows - 105lb(screw starting on 85lb!):1x10(all to abs), 115lb:10(9-10 not to abs), 125lb:1x8(#8 not to abs), 135lb(new max):1x6(5-6 not to abs), 115lb(extra set):1x7(#7 not to abs).
(3) Dips (NOTE:I found a belt to hang weights from in the gym for everyone to use - Cool!) BW+30lb:1x8, 1x6½(fail), 1x5½(fail). BW only(3 extra sets w/15sec RIs & fast reps):1x8, 1x5(fail), 1x3(fail) Triceps fried!
(4) Bent over lateral raise (rear delts) - (S/b#5,not#4. Forgot last weeks WO notes) - 2x25lbDBs:3x8 (perfect).
(5) DB Pullover w/arms straight (S/b#6,not#5) - 30lb:1x10, 35lb:1x10, 40lb:1x10, 45lb:none (did 5 last week, forgot notes).
(6) Rows w/pivot machine (NOTE:s/b#4,not#6!) - 60lb:3x8.
(7) Straight-armed Lat Pulldowns [S/Set w/#8, no RI] - w/100lb:2x10, 1x6(fail).
(8) Cable/Rope Tricep Pulldowns [S/Set w/#7, no RI] - w/100lb:1x4(fail) then w/80lb:1x6, 1x5(just). 2sets only. Triceps fried from dips.

PWO SHAKE - Made myself a Whey shake w/3strawberries, 1tsp PB and ½oz powdered oats. I figured ½oz oats (plus 1oz pretzels to snack on) would be more nutritious that the 1½oz pretzels I've been eating PWO (for sodium, +insulin spike). I was going to add 1tblsp of FF yogurt to the shake, but I didn't know if the yogurt in the fridge was mine or not (so I didn't). It was pretty good, but it needed blended more. It was lumpy (mostly just strawberries). It slid down OK though. The PB and strawberries covered the powdered oats fairly well. I'm gonna try that again, but set blender on liquify, rather than blend (maybe that'll help).

ANIMAL PUMP - Dr said take creatine only once/wk due strain on kidneys (plus mine aren't 100% apparently, following 90% renal failure in May). I took it yesterday (for chest/shoulders) but couldn't resist using it again today (for back). Twice in one week can't hurt, as a one-off.

BIG TOE: Woke up tired and aggravated this morning. My XLrg Big Black Broken Toe had me awake numerous times during the night (dogs laying on it, rolling over onto it, kicking covers with it etc etc). Plus, it just looks disgusting. I wonder how long it will take to heal. 6weeks or more, I bet. This sucks. I'm going to be hobbling around like an old man for weeks, all from a split-second error kicking a mini soccer ball for a freakin' dog! Dammit. What am I going to do for leg workouts in the meantime? I've been feeling pretty pleased with my 165lb full-squats recently. I don't want 6weeks of rest and loss of strength. I'll have to figure something out. My legs have only just recently started to take on a THICK appearance compared to the rest of me. It's taken a year of some truly crippling workouts, but I'm happy with the results. I definitely don't want to lose 'em.

HEAD PAINS - None. Pain shifted from head to toe!

WAKING WHILE SLEEPING - I swear I wake up every night 3 or 4 times to pee!

OUTOFROOM-Fitday journal maxed ou

Hey G - hows the wo going? Creatine is a strain on the kidneys??? hmmmm... I wasn't aware of that. What condition do you have that warranted your doc to tell you once a week? What caused the 90% failure?

Hey Katt, wassup!

Back in March I got an exertion headache at the gym that wouldn't go away. I hate doctors (correction: I hate doctors' bills!) but I went anyway. 2days later I got a call while I'm at the gym (trying to lift even pissy little weights without a headache) and apparently I'm to "get to the nearest hospital ASAP because my kidneys have shut down"

I was never told specifically why they shut down ("It was 90% Renal Failure and it was all they could do to keep me off dialysis", that's all they said) but I think it was dehydration related. I was seriously dehydrated too, that's for sure. I had, like, 9bags of IV before they'd let me go. I gained mad weight overnight, I know that much.

A few months later I got another excrutiating exertion headache, went back to the doc and found I was dehydrated again. This time my kidneys were working (although doc said they appeared to have been damaged from prior incident). I'm tempted to believe that the "not-100%" reading was due to the fact that I was dehydrated again.

The dehydration issues have stopped now. It all turned out to be a sodium thing. Kidneys don't apparently regulate your level of hydration. Instead they control your sodium concentration levels. Lots of sodium in your system = lots of water needed to dilute soduim to desired concentration (hence, high sodium = high blood pressure from water retention). My problem was not salting my food and not eating processed foods while sweating profusely in the gym (and outside, doing landscaping/construction-work, at home). Sodium-Out but no Sodium-In eventually = Disaster!

I should probably go back to doctors (now that I'm feeling 100% again) and have him re-run bloodwork to see if kidneys are better now. If they were "not-100%" when I was dehydrated last time, maybe they are 100% now that I've figured out the sodium thing.

Unfortunately though, my health insurance sucks serious ass, and I'm liable for first $2,500 (or something like that), so I'm not going near the doctors unless a major organ shuts down or the ol' wedding tackle drops off! If some disaster strikes and I find myself $2,500 out of pocket (and I've hit my max) I'll be at the doctors every other week (well, not really, but it would be free, if I did). But until then, I'm keeping my cash and I'm stayin' the hell away from those damned doctors. I still have $17k of $25k bills to clear following my wife's gastric bypass in '05 (She's down 300lb from 460lb to 160lb now BTW) plus she needs another $20k (on top of the $17k currently on credit cards) to have her excess skin cut off.

Big bills. Little income. It sucks. And I'm an accountant even. I don't know how the rest of the world does it, I swear. We don't even have kids. Who can afford 'em!?

THURSDAY

SLEPT: 11:30pm-6:50am
SLEPT AGAIN: 3:15pm-6:15pm (after 5hr training seminar)
THEN AGAIN: 11:00pm-2:30am (woke for pee, stayed up for whey/casein shake, plus needed to email my ½Bro in UK - He turned 18 on 10/5. 2:30am here is 7:30am there so I phoned too. He was still in bed, but got his Dad (a.k.a. The Wimp) to hopefully pass message on.

WEIGHT: not measured

Meal 1 - 7:20am (3pc toast+PB,9whites,1egg,¼pear,½peach...)
Meal 2 - 10:10am (@break:chicken,bread,nuts,pear,strwbrrs)
Meal 3 - 12:45pm (@lunch:beef,bread,pear,banana,nuts)
Meal 4 - 6:30pm (leftover sandwiches w/fruit after nap)
Meal 5 - 10:00pm (roast beef 'n' veggie before bed)
Meal 6 - 2:30am (casein&whey shake +strwbrrs &1tblsp cream)

WORKOUT: None. All-day training seminar on new accounting software. Not at work. Training held 20miles north of Columbus in ExecuTrain offices (Polaris).

FOOD: Took four sandwiches to get through the day. 6oz beef (w/horseradish sauce) used for two of 'em. 6oz chicken breast (w/mayo & tarragon) used for other two. I also took a bag of almonds, a bag of walnuts, 2 bananas, a can of tuna and a couple spare pieces of bread. They had apples available when I got there. It's more bread than I would typically eat but I couldn't take sweet potatoes, veggies, salmon etc with me. People thought it was wierd enough that I didn't want to eat the food ordered in for lunch. I said "Yeah... I'm a fussy eater" and left it at that!

NAP: Class ended early. Home by 3pm. In bed by 3:05pm! Tired. Woke at 6:30pm hungry (5½hrs since last meal - oops!).

BEER: Opened one (when it was time for meal 5). Drank just over ½ before deciding to pour it away and eat instead. Other than that, it was a nice clean day.

PC PROBLEMS: I have some damned Spyware crap installed on my PC. I get mad pop-ups, plus it's running really fucking slowly. It's bugging the hell out of me. My wife apparenty spent all day trying to install "Norton 360" (got it cheap on eBay recently) but it won't install. Possibly spyware preventing successful installation. Not sure what we'll do now.

MELATONIN / ZMA - Took it at 11pm, slept 11-2:30am but still woke up for a pee. It's the same every night, whether I take that stuff or not. Usually I'll just go straight back to sleep, but today I stayed up to make a shake, call UK, send emails and update this journal. Went back to bed at 4am (for 3 more hours).

BIG TOE - Actually starting to look better already. Not "better" as in healed, but not quite so fucked up looking anyway. The black/purple ring that formed all around it has disapated a little bit. The blood's seeped into neighboring tissue, making more area seem a light purple color, but it sure beats the black'n'broke look I've had going for the past few days. I'm wiggling it as I type and it's not hurting either. Maybe (could it be?...drumroll...) it's just a nasty-nasty bruise instead of a full-on break. That'd be nice. I'd be back to squats (etc...) much sooner in that case. Time will tell, I guess. Time will tell.

KCal: 3,525 (331g/40% protein). A nice enough day.

FRIDAY

SLEPT: 11:00pm-2:30am (up for pee, casein shake, email little bro' in UK (turns 18 today) and update fitday-jrnl/IM-log).
SLEPT AGAIN: 3:45am-7:00am

WEIGHT: not measured.

Meal 1 - 7:20am (2pc toast w/PB, 11whites,1egg,banana)
Meal 2 - 10:45am (late.busy at work. salmon,bread,banana)
Meal 3 - 2:00pm (PWO:PPshake,pretzels,banana,2x sml apples)
Meal 4 - 4:40pm (chicken,salmon,veg,salad:fridge contents!)
Meal 5 - beer!
Meal 6 - 9:00pm (beef/veg - event leftovers, from wife)

FRUIT - Ran out of most fruit now. Have some frozen strawberries for bedtime casein shakes, but other than that there's just bananas and apples. Need to bring some frozen strawberries to work to make oat/strawberry/PP shake and only eat ½ the pretzels PWO. More nutrients in oats that processed pretzels (But I do still need the sodium - Dr's orders).

WORKOUT: Press & Bi. (NOTE: Should be Legs today, but wth broken big toe I'm going to give it a little longer).
1a.Incline BB Press - w/bar:1x10(warmup/stretch), 115lb:1x10, 135lb:1x7½(WTF? Did 10 on Tues. Not enough recovery?), 155lb:1x2½(Spotter helped w/rep2&3).
1b.Incline DB Press - 65lb:1x6, 60lb:1x6, 55lb:1x6 (same as Tues. Do this again. Only just made 6reps each set.)
2.Chin-ups (BW): 2x10, 1x6½ (I want 3 sets of ten before I'm adding more weight)
3.Military Press - 105lb:1x10(just), 1x7(just), 1x6(just).
4.DB Press - 50lb:2x10, 1x7½, 1x6½(extra set, for fun).
5.Arnold Press w/35lb DBs - 3x6(all complete), w/40lb:1x4½(fail. extra set w/extra weight, for fun!)
6.Free-weight BB Shrugs - 185lb:1x10, 195lb:1x10, 205lb:1x8(#8 only ½rep). Man, these feel completely different from Machine Shrugs. I was doing 305lb on the smith machine. There's no way I'm doing that with free weights. Not yet anyway!
7. Fly Press (New. Extra chest set. Why not?) - w/30lb DBs: 3x10 (Try 40lb, then 35lb then 30lb next time. i.e. run the rack.)
8. EZ Bar Curl - 75lb:1x9½(fail), 85lb:1x4(just), 65lb:1x7,1x5.
9. Crunches on Ab Isolator Machine (on my way out of the gym, passed this machine, couldn't resist it) - 150lb:1x25(easy), 200lb(machine max):1x25, 1x15(fail. lactic burn!). NOTE: Not too shabby. I remember messing with this machine when I first started (last year). I certainly didn't have to have it maxed out to get a workout back then! Still prefer incline situps/twists/crunches w/weight behind head. Machines are so... what's the word... limiting.

WORKOUT NOTES: Long workout. I was probably in there an hour and a quarter. After a bite to eat, a shower and the walk back to and from the office I probably took an hour and 3/4 lunch-break! It didn't matter too much today because everyone else had their OSU Buckeye Football Lunch Party (below).

OFFICE PARTY: They had a "Go Bucks" (OSU Football) lunch party at work today. Greasy burgers, white bread and cookies. I wasn't eating any of it. Mktg Director said "Come on... support the Buckeyes" (as if eating greasy burgers would make OSU play better football!). When I said "I couldn't care less about the Buckeyes" she replied "Come on... Team spirit!" (so now I'm not a fucking team player becuase I don't want their crappy nutritionless white bread and saturated fat burgers).

NICOTENE: None. Angry all morning. Day 15 today. When will this shit end? No burger for me, but I'd like a side order of happiness please. Thank God for the gym! After an hour of ass-busting lifting I got back to the office feeling 100% better. I need to get my garage tidied up so I can do this shit at home on the weekends instead of relying on damned alcohol to rescue me from my post nicotene blues. There's something inherently calming about killing yourself in the gym. I love it.

BEER: Damn! WTF happened? I got home, had a beer and didn't stop drinking until Sunday evening! I wasn't drunk-drunk but there was a steady flow of beers Fri-Sun. Again though, no cigarettes. And that's what counts, for now.

SATURDAY

SLEPT: don't know exactly. 8hours-ish though.

WEIGHT: not measured

Meal 1 - 10:00am (11whites,1egg,2pc toast,banana,apple)
Meal 2 - trip to H.Depot, then beer.
Meal 3 - 3:00pm
Meal 4 - beer, beer, beer!
Meal 5 - 9:00pm (beef/veg - from wife's work / leftovers)
Meal 6 - missed it. fought w/wife then slept 10pm onwards.

SUPS: Took pak/flex/calcium - forgot to add it to food log.

NOTES: Good grief! Beer, beer, beer! Had 6 miller in fridge (leftover from last night - told wife to buy 6 - she showed up with 12 - beers left in the fridge nagging at me all morning - drink me... drink me... ), bought 6 more, drank them all, then bought Heiniken Light and drank 3 of them too.

YARD WORK: H.Depot trip (gutter hangers, gutter corners, downspout angles, fence post top, rear gate latch...). Spent rest of day taping/painting facia boards, front porch archway supports, fence post top. Oh! And drinking!

OVERALL - A stupid day. Drank loads of beers. Didn't eat right. Didn't drink enough water. It was basically a nicotene-deprived day of self-sabotage. I worked outside all day, kept stopping for a smoke, kept realizing that I don't smoke any more, and having a beer instead. Far from ideal but, at the end of the day, it's another day free of cigarettes. It's got to start to get easy sooner or later. I don't remember jonesing for this long last time (although maybe I did, I just don't remember).

DAY 16 cigarette free.

KCal - 3,500+ (at least ½ beer! not good, but still cigarette free).

SUNDAY

SLEPT: 10pm-8:30am (beer sleep! woke without hangover, but got up numerous times during the night for water).

WEIGHT: 175lb.

Meal 1 - 9:15am (after trip to store for eggs)
Meal 2 - 12:30pm (2nd breakfast:already 3hrs into yardwork)
Meal 3 -
Meal 4 - SEE NOTE
Meal 5 -
Meal 6 -

NOTE: Fuck it. I don't know. I drank maybe 9 beers from 6pm to midnight. I didn't write down what I ate and when. I can't be fucked to try and remember now, so I'm just leaving the food log blank. I didn't do too badly as far as protein intake, but I didn't drink anywhere near enough water. I worked outside for 14 solid hours. Projects included: new rear gate latch, install side yard gate (w/hinges/bracket), install shed door (so small task!), hang 25' garage gutters (incl. downspout), caulk 80' of new garage siding/trim, paint fake garage windows, dispose of concrete (leftover from shed floor), screwed rose on dining rm ceiling, installed new lights on stairway & in dining room. Non-stop work for 14 hours. Ended the day completely exhausted.

CIGARETTES - None. Still getting cravings. Well... In reality it's more like I'm experiencing times when I find myself thinking "OK. That's that done. Time for a quick smoke then back to work". Then I realize I don't smoke, I put it out of my mind, and I carry on doing whatever I'm doing. It's getting better.

KCal - ? I don't know. I ate fairly well. Dinner was a bit crazy... I got done w/chicken & veg but couldn't stop snacking. I munched on nuts, pretzels, apples and bananas like there was no tomorrow! Oh well... another day cigarette free. That's all that really matters. I can lose a few pounds later if I need to. You can't lose lung-cancer! Better to be a non-smoker who's gained a few pounds, than a skinny smoker with COPD, emphasima (Sp?) or cancer!

Life goes on. Just not as happily as it did when smoking. It'll get better though. Even Mrs-G said she managed to drive to the store and back yesterday without thinking of a cigarette until she got home.
NOTES: