Fitness, Weight Loss, and Diet Blog by Better Body Journal » Swole for Summer http://www.betterbodyjournal.com Trying to lose weight or get fit? Better Body Journal has you covererd Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:16:35 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Yes, I’m still here. http://www.betterbodyjournal.com/daily-weight-loss/yes-im-still-here http://www.betterbodyjournal.com/daily-weight-loss/yes-im-still-here#comments Tue, 01 May 2007 02:18:17 +0000 Better Body Journal http://www.betterbodyjournal.com/daily-weight-loss/2007/04/30/yes-im-still-here In what seems to be the recurring theme of Better Body Journal, I post and update for a few weeks, then other things get my attention in life, and I end up neglecting the goals I set forth for myself. It’s not that I’m unmotivated, but over time I lose track of goals that I set for myself because I can’t focus on them. I guess there are a number of things to combat this which I should look into if I want to make anything out of Better Body Journal.

Swole for Summer Update. Fall Seven times. Stand up Eight

For a while after I stopped updating this website, I was still dieting, exercising, and taking pictures with the intention of providing updates, but at a more seldom rate. Then about a week or two ago I fell back into the old habits of fatness and debauchery and stopped altogether. Matter of fact I haven’t been to the gym in like 3 weeks until today.

So, Swole for Summer is back on track but of course I really have to haul some ass if I want to reach my goals. The fact is I need to stick to it for as long as I can, and when I lose interest or get distracted, I need to get back on track as soon as possible. It’s like letting a little cut on your arm stand untreated, have it get infected, then do something about it until it’s too late: BAM! You’re dead with gangrene!

That’s probably a bad analogy, but nonetheless over time I will probably die early from heart disease (the leading killer among men) or something else that is preventable by being healthy and fit. Truthfully, death isn’t one of my concerns, but my social life is. When I was more in-shape (God, I hate saying that), meeting girls and hooking up were of no problem to me. But in the shape I’m in, its still a matter of self-confidence. Some women may find me attractive in my current shape, but they don’t find the lack of confidence appealing when it comes to talking to them.

I don’t know what it is, but my weight is directly correlated to how much fun I’m having in my life. That may sound like no big deal, but as I get older it feels like time is flying the hell by. It’s almost insane really. But I’ve also noticed that if I’m having fun, going out and socializing a lot, my life moves at a much slower pace. At least there is meaning and reward. Anyways, I got off track. Just know that I really want my weight loss and this website to be successful. I will try my best.

]]> http://www.betterbodyjournal.com/daily-weight-loss/yes-im-still-here/feed 2 How To Take Dieting, One Day at a Time http://www.betterbodyjournal.com/get-motivation/how-to-take-dieting-one-day-at-a-time http://www.betterbodyjournal.com/get-motivation/how-to-take-dieting-one-day-at-a-time#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2007 03:13:36 +0000 Better Body Journal http://www.betterbodyjournal.com/get-motivation/2007/04/03/how-to-take-dieting-one-day-at-a-time “Eat to live. Don’t eat to live.” I don’t know who to give credit for that quote, but it has deep meaning when it comes to being healthy. I’ve checked out some blogs lately, and I see a lot of people skeptic about dieting. They think, “I don’t know if I can do this because I’m used to such and such a food everyday.” When it comes down to it, dieting, like everything else in your life, is a habit. If you’ve read any of the dieting articles on this website, then you know we don’t believe in the idea of changing what you’re eating for a few weeks to reach a particular goal and then once you’ve reached it, going back to your old habits.

One thing I’ve learned in my short little life is that nothing is permanent. Every aspect of your life, whether good or bad, can be changed by changing your habits. If you do something everyday over a long enough time period it becomes a habit. So how do you change your bad habits into good ones? It’s easier said than done, but the basic rule of thumb is to take it a day at a time. You don’t need to do a complete back flip and try to turn yourself into fitness model overnight. You’re more likely to fail if all you focus on is the goal. This is true for everything you do. You have to concentrate on the day ahead of you. A better way to put it is to break up your ultimate goal into smaller, more achievable goals. If each day all you require is to eat 5 small meals a day, hit the gym for an hour or so, and stay away from the drive-thru, then you’re far more likely to succeed then if all you’re thinking about is “How the hell am I going to do this for 3 months?”

Because if you slip up and set yourself back a step or two, you ultimately think that your goal is unachievable if you’re worrying about the long term. “Great, I had that cake at work and now my whole diet is ruined. Stupid Milton!” If you’re taking it a day at a time then admit it, you still screwed up. But there is always tomorrow. Refocus your energy on the day ahead. Motivate yourself enough to reach all of your tiny goals the next day, and learn from the mistakes you’ve made in the past.

Swole for Summer – Day 16 Update

In the grand scheme of things, I’m doing pretty well on both my diet and exercise. I was planning on going to the gym only 4 days a week, but I’ve been so concentrated on Swole for Summer that I feel like a loser if I don’t go to the gym every chance I get. So even on my off days, I will drag my ass to the gym to get some cardio in to make up for all the cardio I haven’t been doing.

Thank god for spring. I can cook, but 97% of what I can cook involves a grill. When it’s warm outside then that means I have no excuses for screwing up my diet. It just makes it a whole lot easier when I have so many other things to worry about.

It’s funny because I look at the daily progress pictures and don’t see a damn thing changing. I’m going to assume that you’re all as sick of looking at my moobs as much as I am. But hell, I dropped 12.5 lbs in a little over 2 weeks, so it has to be going somewhere.

Latest Diet Picture
]]> http://www.betterbodyjournal.com/get-motivation/how-to-take-dieting-one-day-at-a-time/feed 10 Better Body Journal Returns with Swole for Summer http://www.betterbodyjournal.com/daily-weight-loss/better-body-journal-returns-with-swole-for-summer http://www.betterbodyjournal.com/daily-weight-loss/better-body-journal-returns-with-swole-for-summer#comments Tue, 20 Mar 2007 02:26:22 +0000 Better Body Journal http://www.betterbodyjournal.com/daily-weight-loss/2007/03/19/better-body-journal-returns-with-swole-for-summer It’s been a very long time since I updated this site. In January, I had to deal with transferring my WordPress database to make this site easier to manage. In the process I lost a bunch of stuff, and since then I’ve just been too absent-minded to get into the program.

Swole for Summer

Get Cut for Summer
The main purpose of this website is to track my weight loss through daily picture updates. Last year it went well when I was running this site, but unfortunately I failed. I never really lost that much weight (25 lbs at most) and since winter, have gained it all back. I can blame it on a lot of things, but what we stress at Better Body Journal is that everyone is responsible for their own actions.

I don’t blame anything but myself. A fit body is something that is perfectly attainable by anyone who puts their heart into it. I just didn’t put enough heart into it.

So, without anymore waiting, I present to you: Swole for Summer. The program is basically hitting the gym 4-5 days a week, with a lot of cardio mixed in. It also means I’m sticking to a pretty strict diet of food that’s natural and healthy. I will probably put on some muscle in the meantime, but the goal is to lose fat. As much fat as possible.

My deadline for this program is June 21st, the first day of summer. That gives me a little over 90 days to lose my goal of 55 lbs. Roughly 2/3rds of a pound day. I know my body, and I’m sure I will drop the majority of that within the first month or so. The hard part, mentally and physically will be the last half of the program. I haven’t weighed less that 265lbs in over 3 years. I’m tired of going through the same cycle of motivation and failure. It’s something that plagues me in all aspects of my life and I need to get over that hurdle. So let’s get to it.

  • Starting Weight: 306.5 lbs
  • Goal Weight: 250 lbs
  • Deadline: June 21st

Day 1: Review

Unlike last year when I did BBJ, I tried to post every single day. With my work schedule it’s not entirely possible. This time around, I will try to post 3-4 times a week.

I went to the gym today and had a pretty intense workout. It was focused on chest, triceps, and calves. I inclined benched 225 lbs for about 3 times. It’s weak, I know, but I had no spot and when it comes to heavy weights over my head I stop when I start feeling really intense strain. I attempted to add 30 minutes of cardio to my workout, but about 10 minutes into it I got a bad stomach cramp and called it day. That’s probably what happens after a weekend of hard drinking. Bless you, Saint Patrick.

Swole for Summer Day 1
]]> http://www.betterbodyjournal.com/daily-weight-loss/better-body-journal-returns-with-swole-for-summer/feed 2