With as much research as I’ve done on contest prep, I would like to think I was prepared and for the most part I have been ready. What’s tough is the mental game and that’s hard to write about, fragmented thoughts in a linear world. The required mindset of a warrior that you need to succeed and that makes absolutely no sense to most family and friends. Stay Strong!

Watching “The Hiding Place” and admiring the women who would not give up, who found hope where there was none. Anyone who thinks that they are dealing with adversity needs to watch this movie.

Great leg day early this morning with squats for the main course. 30 minutes of cardio at lunch and will be doing 30 more minutes later today. I’m not exactly where I want to be but no backing out now!

I’ve lost 62 pounds, lowered my BP from 130/90 to 112/65 and took my BMI from 32 to 24 so regardless of how I place, I am much healthier than when I began. So far there are 82 people entered in the event though I don’t have the breakdown for my events, Classic Physique Novice or Classic Physique +40 though I expect that most entrants are Bikini and Men’s Physique.

“Are you the author of your story? If so it may be time to write another chapter!”

Hard Belly Fat vs Soft Belly Fat:

According to studies done out of Quebec City, if you’ve got a hard belly it’s caused by high accumulations of visceral fat and just so you know, that’s fat located in the spaces between the organs in your abdominal cavity. If it’s hard, the fat is packed tightly against your organs. There’s no jiggle room. A soft belly is caused by subcutaneous fat, which is fat located close to the skin’s surface, so it has room to roll. Having a soft belly isn’t great, but it’s a lot healthier than a hard one.

Jean Pierre Despres, the research scientist who led the study, says a fat, hard belly is like having a ticking time bomb in your body– it increases your chances of heart disease, diabetes and is worse than smoking or having high cholesterol. The good news is that just losing 5 to 10% of your body weight will strip off 25-40% of that visceral fat.

I am trying so hard not to be that guy, the guy on stage that does not belong. I would be more confident if there was an +50 class, lol. At 59, my conditioning will be key going against guys in their 40s. I’m in uncharted territory now, haven’t been this lean in 36 years yet I still must get leaner!

“Some people feel the rain, others just get wet.”

~ Bob Dylan

My body is finally adapting to a 500 calorie deficit, everyday I feel a tad better and bit more functional. Still, it’s going to be a grind for the next few weeks, after all I’m 59 now! Weighed in at 158.7 pounds this morning which is my lowest weight since around 1982. Today was a squat dominant workout, lighter weight but lots of reps, felt great!

“The catastrophe that awaits everyone from a single false move, wrong turn, fatal encounter – every life has such a moment. What distinguishes us is whether and how we ever come back.”

~ Charles Krauthammer

Fat Set Point:

We all have a current “fat set point”, the amount of fat that our bodies want to stay at. When you try and lose weight your body fights back because it wants to maintain it’s fat set point. That’s why over time that most diets fail and people who cycle through diets usually actually increase their body fat levels.

One of the keys to a body transformation is to lose weight in stages and slower is always better. My suggestion would be to lose 5 to 10 pounds at a time. For example, drop 10 pounds and then hang out there for a month or two to establish this new weight as your body’s new fat set point. This allows your hormonal levels to normalize and your energy and hunger levels to stabilize. Then it’s time to drop another 10!

Not many people care to track their macronutrients or calories but at the end of the day it’s calories in vs calories out and if you are serious about making a change you have to realize that it’s a numbers game.

To estimate your maintenance calories (this is the amount of calories that you need to maintain your current weight) then multiple your current weight by 15 and by 13. Depending on your activity level, your maintenance calories will be somewhere between the top and low range. Eat more than maintenance and you will gain weight, eat less and you will lose weight.

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” ~ Isaiah 40:31

Sacrifice to compete, sacrifice to win!

1,600 calories a day is tough and because I have a day job I need to feed in the A.M. to be functional for work and to be able to train. After that I am WASTED! Plus I’m on-call this week and that’s an added stressor that I don’t need. At this point I’m going to lesson my cardio and increase my walking, I’m well adapted to walking, been doing it for close to 59 years, lol. My Classic Physique Trunks arrived and I think I wear them well, close to being ready for some shirtless pics!

“It’s simple, if it jiggles, it’s fat.”

~ Arnold Schwarzenegger

I have not been sick in the last three years and I’m wondering why? Historically I’ve been prone to colds and sinus infections, having one or the other and sometimes both at least once a year. What’s changed? I lost 60 pounds, gained lean muscle mass. I stopped eating fast food and increased my protein intake.

Could a few small lifestyle changes increase health and longevity?

It’s difficult for someone who has never gone through a contest prep to fully understand the physical and mental challenges that physique athletes in a contest prep face. At this point, on less than 1,600 calories a day, doing daily cardio and intense weight training as well as working a full time job, life can suck! It’s getting harder to focus, harder to hold conversations and even hard to play Words with Friends, lol. When your fat intake is around 30 grams a day, you’re subject to strange aches in your wrists, elbows, knees and ankles because you’ve lost fat cushioning. As this three year journey comes to an end, regardless of whether I place or not, I’ve gained the body and fitness level that I need for Life Part II. I’ve gained evidence based knowledge on nutrition and fitness and I’ve gained confidence in what I am capable of!

Down to 161.29 lb, losing about one pound a week. My focus now is on posing, sleep and not getting hurt. Do I think about quitting? Yes, I want to quit everyday but I have never been a quitter so I press on! When I ordered my spray tan, I also ordered socks, flip flops and a robe. She emailed be back and to let me know that I would only need a single sock unless I have two penises, lol. The sock is to cover my “stuff” during the spay tan, now that cracked me up😂😂! I am finding that functioning on less than 1,800 calories, lifting intensely and doing daily cardio is very hard, both mentally and physically, so it’s one day at a time.

“Sometimes you don’t want to look forward or look back, you just want to be.” ~ Al