Slowly coming along, but not without hitches

My number one hitch is a lack of time. I have realized that I will be able to exercise regularly (what with the gym right next door!), but I will likely not be able to give it almost an hour a day, complete with six meals a day.

I simply have too much going on right now. But fitness shall not fall by the wayside! Over the past two days, I have spent approximately 100 minutes on the exercise bike. I find it easy to get on the bike, keep my heart rate around 135-155 for many many minutes, and read while I'm doing it. The only problem I have found thus far is that an hour of exercise really energizes me! This is bad when I do it at night, because my evening goes like this:

 9-10  --  On the bike

10-11  --  Tired, relaxed

11-2   --  WIRED

As you can see, this is a problem if i want to get to bed at a reasonable hour. The solutions are twofold:

1. Exercise earlier, i.e. at from 6-7 p.m., and then be wired until about 11 p.m., at which point I can go to bed. This may be a good option, because I would be energetic and focused from approximately 8-11, which is prime homework time; or
   
2. Exercise in the morning, i.e. from 7-8 a.m, and then be wired from 9 a.m. to noon. This might be good in that it would jumpstart my day and give me more energy during class, but it would definitely be hard to implement such a plan: I Love Sleeping In.
   

I am sure I will figure it out.

In summation, I am continuing to exercise, and continuing to eat in a relatively healthy manner. The Myoplex shakes are still a staple of my diet, and I try to limit unnecessary fat. I just don't think I can hit BFL as hard as I would like.

It's all about priorities, and these days exercise falls just slightly below school.

Day 2

Yesterday went off without a hitch. Other than the extreme exhaustion I faced all day, everything went as planned. I got about 230 grams of protein to go with my rousing morning weight lifting.

This morning I got up at the crack of 7:30 a.m. to go do my 20 minutes of cardio. Unfortunately, I am so out of shape, it turned out to be 10 minutes. It was a hard 10 minutes though. I plan to go back tonight and do another 20 minutes of moderate cardio, just to make sure I get my calorie deficit for the day.

OK, off to down a Myoplex and then run to class. Right after class, it's back for more eating. One thing's for sure: I won't be hungry on this plan!

This jiggly goo is making me sick. Ugh. I reach down and feel it everywhere, on my stomach and on my face... not just under my chin anymore, but JOWLS, full-fledged jowls, hanging from the sides of my face. I resemble a fat nobleman. Disgusting.

I know from experience the order in which the weight comes off: First my face slims down a bit, but the doublechin remains. (Oh, does it remain.) Then I lose weight in my stomach. My face continues to look slimmer. Ultimately, my doublechin gets smaller, until a strong jawline is within reach.

I have never gotten to the point where I have a strong jawline, because last time I did BFL, I stopped at 13% body fat -- and I was about 178 pounds at the time. I figured the 12 weeks were up, and I had already lost 23-25 pounds, and I was more than happy with how I looked. After summer break, friends at school noticed it. Everyone was asking, "Did you lose weight??" Indeed I had. It feels nice to shout out, "25 pounds!"

But that damn chin. Grrrr.

I have a gym next door. Connected to the building. No more excuses. Wake up, roll out of bed and go!

Body for Life 2004

Tomorrow the new law school gym opens. Tomorrow is Day One of Body for Life 2004. My shelves are stocked, and my will fortified, with tons upons tons of protein powder. The goal? Lose 20 pounds, bringing me to about 8 percent body fat. Doable? With a world-class gym connected to my building? You tell me.

I'm tired of the flab. Tired of being tired. Tired of the junk food. Tired of not having confidence, of looking around at everyone else and hating them because they have what I want. My genetics are against me, but more than that, my own lack of willpower is against me. SCHWARTZ: PIZZA DOES NOT TASTE NEARLY AS GOOD AS BEING IN SHAPE FEELS. You know this. You have been there.

You will get there again.