Diet & Exercise..

Today was an unusual day for me; I had a waist measurement of 34 inches this morning – something that I have not seen for 6 months. I have been very diligent the last month about regular exercise and proper diet. Particularly now that I am not on the road for my employer being forced to eat mystery food – as if you could eat healthy when you can not cook for yourself; particularly on the budget that they give us; but that is another rant… (my weight went up 10lbs and my cholesterol went up from 130 to 230 in six months of “travel“.)

At any rate; the last month I exercised 17 out of 28 days (about 4 of every 7 on average – I need to step that way up to at least 6 of 7). Tonight though I was sore from Wii Boxing last night for an hour; and I really blew my diet for the first time – I ate clean; I just ate 2000 kcal when I only need 1600. And I did not exercise.

And although my waist is dropping like a rock, my weight isn’t; actually that is very typical and I imagine why people don’t actually succeed in “dieting”. If you watch the scale you will go crazy – but if you watch your body change you will feel very successful.

I like to call it “body hacking”. I likely have the same weight because of the heavy leg exercises that I have been doing; and doing for a reason – legs kick-start your metabolism and your testosterone production. My legs have gone from 24 inches to 24.5 inches in a month! (After just 17 hours of exercise really!)

I have no idea what that translate to in terms of weight; but it is quite visible in that my body fat; particularly in how the “spare tire” is going away – and my legs are getting bigger (but you can’t really see it in my legs; it is just on the tape measure that you see it…)

However, that is why I recommend that anything that is worth doing is worth measuring; and that you keep a diary. I have a diary of every exercise and meal that I have eaten in the last month; as well as body measurements each week; and a weekly weight-in weight. I wouldn’t otherwise know that I was making progress toward my goal – you can not see it on the scale, or in my legs – but the changes my body is going through are measurable – it takes 90 days of real effort to really ’see’ ‘changes’ and in our instant gratification society; much to long for most people to stick with the ‘program’…