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1/19/2015 I'll keep this first entry brief as a sort of intro. I am 5'10, approximately 218lbs. I have dieted/exercised my way down from 250lbs over the course of the past year, with a lot of yo-yoing in between. I have a gym membership that I have avoided using thus far this year due to how packed it has been. I have been using Amazon Fresh to make grocery shopping simple. Tonight I will begin the beginner body weight routine until the gym becomes less chaotic, and then I will up the ante to heavier weights. Once I am comfortable with them, I will increase the intensity by beginning Layne Norton's PHAT routine. It is designed to increase strength while also increasing size. In the mean time, I will be following these calorie/macro goals to get my weight as close to my current goal of 200lbs as possible: Calories: 2000kcal Protein: 175g Carbs: 150g Fat: 78g I am a soda fiend and have been using naturally flavored sparkling water to deal with cravings. I will try to keep my sugar intake under 75g daily. My long term goal at the moment is simply body recomposition. I have a decent amount of muscle from last year's training, but I want them to show through. Eventually, I want to study a martial art, as simply being strong is just one facet of becoming the perfect organism First things first, I want to have a basis of strength, endurance, flexibility, and aesthetic. This log will be a general summary of workouts, eating habits, general approach, and personal reflection as I will be using Fitocracy to log workouts in detail and myfitnesspal to log meals.

Today I started my quest to strengthen the muscles in my left side to match that of their counterparts on the right in hopes of reducing pain and discomfort. See Level 1 Rebels post for quest details. First I went for a walk. It's not part of the quest, but I've been doing that daily for a while anyway. I think I didn't drink enough water beforehand, because my heart was beating a lot faster than it usually does during walks. After that I tried to do 5 one-handed wall pushups. I'm 90% positive that I wasn't doing them right though, because although it felt difficult, it was also awkward and didn't feel like it was challenging my muscles properly. Next I tried side planks. I've done these before, but I think I didn't wait long enough after the pushups, because my arm gave up before my core did. The last thing I tried was to improvise what this article calls a "crooked row" using a towel wrapped around a doorknob, but I couldn't get to a low enough angle to be able to actually work the muscles in my back. It's obvious that I need a new battle plan. Convict Conditioning looks promising (Thanks to Sloth-Like for the suggestion!). I really like that the progressions make wimpy exercises more than simply an afterthought. I'll have to look into it more.

Hey all. I'll start off with my breakfast and workout for today, the 2nd of July, 2014. I woke up this morning and did the Beginner Body Weight Workout. I can only do 2 cycles before I absolutely die. Well, it's not quite that drastic, but it's still a solid workout, and I have something to move toward. Stretching afterward, and now I feel great. One thing I have noticed (now that i'm three weeks along, even though this is my first diary entry) is that my posture and daily energy is generally improved by my exercises. A big plus, seeing as I'm going to start playing tennis for sport soon, and soon after, soccer. For my breakfast, I made my usual: A vegetable omelette with homemade salsa. For all those curious, the omelette consists of 4 mini sweet peppers, 4 green onions, 1 cup spinach (uncooked), and 1 egg, seasoned with a little salt and lotsa pepper. For a cooking grease, I use olive oil (Is there even anything else? ) The salsa is a family recipe. I'll post it here if any are daring enough. 1 tbsp Olive Oil/vegetable oil if you don't want any flavor coloring 4 roma tomatoes 2-4 jalapeño peppers, to taste 2 cloves garlic 4 green onions cilantro to taste 3 or 4 mini sweet peppers (optional) salt to taste Add the oil to a large skillet and heat on medium low. Wash all the vegetables. For the cilantro, simply pull the leaves off the stalks. The stalks are a bit bitter and don't blend as well later. Cut the stems out of the tomatoes. Do not peel the two cloves of garlic. The skin comes off much easier after the cooking. Add tomatoes, peppers, green onions, and garlic to the skillet. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, turning the vegetables so they don't burn. After they are done, take them off the heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut the bottom of the garlic off (The part that attaches to the bulb) and pinch the other end. The garlic should slide out of the skin very easily. Cut the stems off the peppers. If heat is a concern, one could devein the jalapeños and remove the seeds (This can be done before the cooking for even less heat). Add the cooked vegetables to a blender. If they don't all fit, it's fine to do this in stages. Add the cilantro and salt*. Blend on low until finely pureed. Enjoy immediately, or place in a jar or tupperware container and refrigerate for later use. This type of salsa keeps for about a week, but I've rarely had a batch last that long For a more chunky style, you can use a mortar and pestle to blend by hand, or chop some tomatoes, onions, and cilantro and pour this pureed salsa over it. *For a first timer, it may be better to wait and add the salt later. As usual with salt, try to err on the side of less. You can always add more. If you find you have added too much salt, never fear: Just cook another two tomatoes, puree, and add it to the mixture. Now, for my lunch. I have brown rice and chicken with vegetables, along with a small side salad. My usual beverage is water for all my meals. On top of this, I have a job at a big box grocery store which requires me to walk for about 8 hours of the day. Woot! I'll update my dinner later tonight, or early tomorrow morning.