getting a six-pack

Well, one month has gone by since I started this out.

In that month I (rather easily) lost over 15 lbs simply by eating correctly.  I also worked out, but I’d say this month I actually worked out A LOT LESS than I normally do.

I did a pretty standard 30 minutes on a elliptical machine almost everyday plus the exercises I was instructed to do….but that takes only 45 minutes or so and is fairly low intensity.

So here is the result:

One day I’ll find a proper way to take these pictures…..

One thing I’m happy about is I no longer have those annoying love handles on my sides.  Overall I don’t think my current physique is that bad….but it’s not a raging six-pack either.  Son of a…..

At the start of this experiment, Adam clearly stated that I was expecting some pretty phenomenal results in a VERY short amount of time…he said two months would be more realistic….although in one month I could make a lot of progress.  I think he may have been right (this is what I get for trying to argue with a professional).

Naturally I want to continue this experiment….but for OTHER reasons than simply getting a six pack (although that too).

So far:

• I feel a lot better
• My six pack is starting to peer through the fat
• I dropped a lot of extra chubbiness
• I’m stronger and more fit

WHY ON EARTH WOULD I STOP THIS?!?

The benefits I listed above were from two things:

1. Eating really well all the time
2. Consistently exercising

With the benefits I listed, I can’t see any reason to simply go back to eating crap.  Actually, I tried it the other day…and it didn’t turn out so great.  I decided “Hey, I’ve eaten so well for a full month, what’s the harm in pigging out a little at a party?”

I was at a party and started eating all the junk I normal do at parties, and soon I felt way too full, sluggish, and knew that everything I just put in my body was total junk and doing nothing for me.  There were literally NO positive benefits to eating all that junk.  Even the temporarily pleasing taste didn’t do anything for me.

I can’t believe I never noticed these bad effects before….probably because I’ve never NOT eaten a bunch of junk at a party….so I’d never known any different.

I suppose in my mind I figured you go to a party and come back stuffed, slow and fat.  That’s just how it was done.

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So while the OFFICIAL time constraint of this one month experiment has finished, I want to continue….and in fact I want to UP the intensity of this whole experiment. While I got away with easily melting off the excess fat in the beginning….getting even stronger and slimmer will become more difficult now.

For May I’m adding more exercises in the mix (and of course keeping up my good eating habits).

So far I’ve done something pretty intense three times:  Bikram Yoga.

It’s 90 minutes of yoga in a room heated to 105 degrees.  Within the first 5 minutes you’re sweating like a fat pig.  Literally dripping sweat like a football team dumped a bucket of Gatorade on your head.

It’s very intense, but FANTASTIC.

How will it be in the long run?  Who knows….but I’ll try it out every other day for a little while to see what happens.

I’ve been to Bikram Yoga now about 3 or 4 times and it’d definitely one of the more intense exercises.  It also stops you from eating too much before you go, and it burns a ton of calories (Between 700 and 1,000 calories each 90 minute session).  WOW.

….and I bike to and from the class each time.  I’d say I’m burning 1,000 to 1,200 calories each time I go.  Keep in mind I’m also eating less than 1,500 calories per day…so my net calorie intake is less than 500 for yoga days.  This means each time I do this I can realistically lose nearly 3/4 of a pound that day.

That sounds like some scammy diet plan, but it’s true!

That effect will probably continue to happen until my body fat is down to a very low percentage….and what happens then?  SIX PACK TIME!!!