Sal's Blog of Nothing

Okay, so July 13th was my last update.. Since then, I’ve lost another fifteen pounds. At this very moment, I weigh 174.6 pounds at 15.7% body fat and 28.0% lean mass. I thought 15% body fat would do the trick, but it won’t. The good news is – I’m very, very close to where I need to be. 12-13% body fat is where I’ll be comfortable. And that, I’m sure of. So I’m about three percentage points away from my final goal for fat loss – which I will reach by December 31st – the latest. I’m pretty confident that I’ll remain over 160lbs when all is said and done. So those who are worrying about me getting down to 140lbs like I did several years ago – you can stop worrying. Furthermore, I’ll be doing a LEAN bulk for the entire year of 2010. I expect to be around 180lbs or 190lbs at 12-13% body fat when I’m finished.

Obviously I’d set very long-term goals back in January. 2009 was/is an entire year dedicated to losing fat. I’ve gone from 243.4 pounds (not my heaviest, actually) at 26.8% body fat and 39.0% lean mass to 174.6 pounds at 15.7% body fat and 28.0% lean mass in nine months. I’ve lost 11.1% body fat and 11.0% lean mass. That’s about half the fat I had on my body – as well as half the muscle I had. I’ll get the muscle back next year.

All is took was persistence and dedication. I wake up first thing every morning and get on a tread mill at 3.4-4.0 miles per hour for 40 minutes – which usually comes to 2.5 miles. I weight train on Monday (Chest/Shoulders/Triceps), Tuesday (Back, Biceps, Traps), Wednesday (Legs and Forearms) and Friday (Full Body) and get an additional 20 minutes (1.25 miles) of treadmill cardio directly afterwards. On Thursday I do an additional 40 minutes of cardio on the treadmill and on Saturday and Sunday I do my morning session and then move around throughout the day since I’m not at my desk.

If you’re looking to start something like this – you certainly don’t have to begin the way I’m ending off. I only go crazy as much as I do because I’ve become very comfortable with it. At time during the middle of the day, I’ll just start jumping rope. Why? Because I have a goal and I know I’m going to get there. When you first start, just start off with 20 minutes of cardio first thing in the morning before you eat anything. You don’t even have to change your diet at this point. Do it for a month – yeah – bite the bullet and suffer for a month – and you’ll be so surprised at how much you accomplish in that time, that you’ll add more workout sessions and change your diet like I did. When you SEE something working, nothing will stand in your way. I’ll post good before and after pictures before I start my bulk-up in January.

I mainly eat the same stuff every day. Protein shake, fat free (THICK) Greek yogurt, high fiber granola bar with peanut butter on top (all before lunch), lettuce with grilled chicken or fish with full-fat ranch dressing as a wrap or salad for lunch, and either another salad or something healthy that my Wife cooks for dinner. Snacking in between or after dinner is healthy as well. Frozen yogurt or some type of healthy crunchy snack (chips, pretzels) does the trick.

Weight (where listed) / Fat % / Body Mass Index %
29.3 / 37.1
27.1 / 37.7
26.8 / 38
26.5 / 38.4
242.2 / 26.9 / 38.8
243.4 / 26.8 / 39.0
239.8 / 26.0 / 38.4
232.8 / 25.6 / 37.3
232.4 / 25.7 / 37.2
229.8 / 24.9 / 36.8 (the first time under 230 in years – first goal achieved)
217.2 / 23.2 / 34.7
215.0 / 23.0 / 34.4
213.8 / 23.0 / 34.3
211.6 / 22.7 / 33.9
211.2 / 22.9 / 33.8
210.2 / 22.8 / 33.6 (210 – second goal achieved)
209.2 / 22.5 / 33.5
210.4 / 22.6 / 33.7
208.2 / 22.2 / 33.3
208.2 / 22.1 / 33.3
206.4 / 22.2 / 33.1
204.4 / 22.0 / 32.8
203.2 / 21.7 / 32.5
204.8 / 21.5 / 32.8
202.4 / 21.4 / 32.4
202.0 / 21.4 / 32.3
203.0 / 21.3 / 32.5
200.2 / 21.1 / 32.0
200.6 / 21.0 / 32.1
199.4 / 21.1 / 32.0 (under 200 – third goal achieved)
199.4 / 20.7 / 32.0
198.4 / 20.5 / 31.8
194.8 / 20.5 / 31.2
196.8 / 20.2 / 31.6
197.2 / 20.1 / 31.6
194.8 / 20.1 / 31.6
194.8 / 20.1 / 30.9
191.4 / 19.8 / 30.7
190.4 / 19.1 / 30.5
190.6 / 19.0 / 30.5
188.8 / 19.1 / 30.3
188.2 / 18.6 / 30.1
191.2 / 18.4 / 30.6
188.6 / 19.0 / 30.3
189.2 / 18.3 / 30.3
—————- Since last update
188.8 / 18.6 / 30.3
188.2 / 18.6 / 30.1
187.6 / 18.7 / 30.0
187.6 / 18.5 / 30.0
185.4 / 18.2 / 29.7
184.6 / 18.0 / 29.5
184.8 / 17.8 / 29.6
184.0 / 18.3 / 29.5
182.4 / 18.1 / 29.2
181.4 / 18.2 / 29.1
180.8 / 18.1 / 29.0
181.8 / 18.1 / 29.2
181.0 / 17.5 / 28.8
179.2 / 17.7 / 28.7 (under 180 – fourth goal achieved)
178.8 / 17.3 / 28.7
180.0 / 17.5 / 28.8
178.8 / 17.2 / 28.7
177.8
175.0 / 17.2 / 28.0
176.2 / 17.0 / 28.2
—————- Went to Disney and ate like a normal human being
179.0 / 17.0 / 28.7 (as you can see here – after eating normally – my lean mass increased quite a bit – a good sign)
178.2 / 16.6 / 28.5
177.0 / 15.7 / 28.3
176.4 / 16.3 / 28.3
174.6 / 15.7 / 28.0

The divorce rate in America is approximately 50%.. I think one of the reasons for this may have something to do with the high expectations we have for our significant others. When you first meet your husband or wife (or girlfriend or boyfriend), you mainly see all the good stuff – especially if the attraction is largely physical (which it often is). If you didn’t live with your husband or wife before you got married, then you never had the chance to see all the pluses and minuses he or she had before you committed. If you did live with one another, than hopefully by the time you got married, you knew what you were getting into. Very few (if any) surprises. Good.

So as the years go by, you start seeing all the not-so-great stuff. Bad or silly habits, mistakes that he or she keeps making over and over (we can’t be good at everything), forgetfulness, bitterness, selfishness… She doesn’t really like giving oral sex (what a surprise), he doesn’t really like candle-lit dinners and chick flicks, maybe he’s not as romantic as he played off to be, maybe she doesn’t really like stupid football. Whatever.

So years go by and along comes Miss/Mr. Perfect. She/He looks great and likes everything you expect him/her to like. The grass is greener. Right? Well there ya go.. You’re actually falling for this again?! This new guy/girl has issues as well. Nobody’s perfect. You just don’t see the big picture yet. So you’re going to screw up your marriage for what? A very similar situation.. And in the end, now you’ve got a new relationship (if you’re lucky) with only a small percentage of time in the “bank”. Since good relationships take time to build – and now you’re starting all over – was/is it really worth it?

At any rate – here’s an interesting chart from www.divorcerate.org

Age at marriage for those who divorce in America
Age———————-Women——Men
Under 20 years old— 27.6% 11.7%
20 to 24 years old— 36.6% 38.8%
25 to 29 years old— 16.4% 22.3%
30 to 34 years old— 8.5% 11.6%
35 to 39 years old— 5.1% 6.5%

Honey? Does my ass look good in these jeans?

Everybody knows how they’re supposed to answer that stupid question. NO! It DOESN’T look good!

Just kidding. Sometimes it does.. Sometimes it doesn’t.. But are you supposed to lie? Yes. Why?

If I put on a shirt and ask my wife if it looks good on me, for F’s sake I don’t want her to lie to me! I don’t want to walk around the mall wearing a shirt that makes me look like a flaming dick face. If it looks bad on me – don’t lie! If you want to lie a little bit, you can break the news to me gently. Say it doesn’t fall right on me.. It just doesn’t look right on me.. Something! But I want the truth! You don’t have to tell me it makes me look like a fat idiot. But honestly – I’d rather you say so if it’s true rather than tell me it looks good on me.

But that’s just me. I don’t know for sure if other guys feel the way I do – but I bet they do. What about women?

If you’re my wife and you ask me how your ass looks is your jeans, dress or whatever – I’m telling you the truth – out of respect. If it looks really bad on you, I’ll break the news gently – but I’ll let you know! Is this wrong? Would you rather walk around with a butt that only Sir Mix-a-lot can appreciate? Or would you rather have me let you know so you could change into something more appealing? I mean, hell! You apparently respect my opinion… Shouldn’t I return the favor?

P.S. Regarding the video below… I haven’t watched the whole thing in a long, long time – but I don’t remember any of the women dancing having a big butt… Interesting?

Every group of guys has one of these.. Who is it in YOUR group?

Ya know that guy who acts completely different in front of girls/women and says just about anything with the hope that she’ll take a special interest in him? You know who I’m talking about.. The guy who acts almost feminine when a female comes around. No so feminine as to push her away – but just enough to have her think, “Wow. This guy is ‘different’”…

When a hot, trashy looking young woman wearing fishnets, high heels and a tight mini skirt walks by and the female in the group comments on how she “looks like a whore” or a slut – he wholeheartedly agrees while the rest of us are picking our tongues up off the ground. That guy.

Now sometimes this is perfectly fine.. For example – when you’re with your wife. Of course you’re not going to say the slut looks good. You’re supposed to be a little less of a man at certain times after you’re married. Of course, we’re all still the same F’ing animals we used to be – but we’re a little bit more respectful about certain things. It’s not like we turned gay after marriage – or that we stopped liking women all of the sudden – especially the kinds we’ve always been attracted to.

Another time this is okay is when the guy is actually going to get something out of it. Hell, if he’s getting laid or a blow job, than more power to him. We’re generally okay with this type of behavior when something good is going to come out of it. But when the guy is getting nothing – there lies the problem.

This jerk is making every other male on the planet look bad because this girl/woman believes his fairy tale and actually thinks he’s only attracted to a women’s brain, heart and whatever else comes after appearance for the rest of us – for nothing. If there’s no good reason to make the rest of us look bad – think twice about screwing over all your friends and cut it out! If you’re going to be a big pussy and fail to follow through, STFU and move on! Let somebody else put on the act and actually get something out of acting like such a woman.

FYI. This is the same guy who tells his wife all kinds of bad things about his friends so she gets the feeling that she married the right guy. Ever pop over your friends house and have his wife looking at you a little differently than she used to? Well there you go. Pussy face told her some story about you. It doesn’t make a difference whether the story was true or not – she’ll never respect you again. She won’t throw it in your face – but she’ll always feel a little funny being around you.

Anyway.. Which guy in your group is “that guy”?