Body

It’s been 7 weeks since I took my first photos…

I wish I had taken photos when I first began to work toward the six pack abs.  I know I was eating healthy at the beginning of August when my family went on vacation.  I must’ve started right around that time.  I know I weighed about 187-188 when I first changed my diet, and now I weigh about 184-185.  It’s not a huge difference in weight, but I know I have gained muscle and lost fat.

As for my four goals, the two that continue to be the hardest for me are the sleeping for 7-8 hours a night and getting to bed by midnight Sunday-Thursday.  If I could only get to bed on time, the 7-8 hours would be easy

For my photos this week I’m including a couple extras.  I’ve been working out and playing volleyball a lot with my friend Ty, so I decided I’d show a picture of us in his room where we often work out.  It does not have all of the equipment that I would normally use, but I do find extra motivation having someone to work out with.  It is easier to get really good workouts with him at his house than it is by myself at the gym.

The other extra image is the one with the flash.  I figured I’d show you where I set the camera when I take the pictures.  Also, you should know that I angle it slightly down.  I think it gets a better shot, plus I can get my whole torso that way.  All of the pictures from my house are taken from the same height–I try to keep them as uniform as possible.

Six Pack Abs photo 1 update 7

Six Pack Abs photo 2 update 7

Six Pack Abs photo 3 update 7

Working Out at Ty's

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Okay, so you may have noticed that I have not been updating my six pack abs status on my blog.   I’m just too busy working out!  Seriously, getting six pack abs is hard work, and I have been working

My four goals have now become a part of my everyday routine (well mostly lol).  The first one, working out 5 days a week, is the easiest to accomplish.  I play volleyball two days a week (2 hours on Tuesday and 3-4 hours on Thursday).  I also have a new workout partner (Ty) that pushes me beyond what I could do on my own.  For example, on Sunday (a day I normally would never work out) he convinced me to do pullups with him.  About 50 pullups later I bowed out… and my back is still sore.  That’s okay though, since it’s the muscle building that burns calories.  I pretty much work out everyday of the week except Sunday, and I normally get in at least four weight training workouts.

Eating healthy six days a week has become an obsession… It’s also the most important part of my plan.  From what I’ve read (in multiple places from sources I trust), the only way to really burn off the fat is to change my diet.  I have basically eliminated all simple carbohydrates from my diet and eat mostly lean meats, eggs, veggies, corn, and limited amounts of whole grain.  I also make sure and take my protein drinks.  I need to have at least a gram of protein per pound of body weight every day.  That’s a lot of protein!

Sleeping still seems to be the hardest thing for me.  I like to stay up late, even though I work in the morning.  So, I’ve been working hard on getting to bed on time, and have been pretty successful this last week, though the few weeks before I wasn’t doing so good.

All in all I feel like I’m on track to meet my six pack abs target date of January 1st.

And now for the photos.  These are my six pack abs update photos that I took this morning:

Six Pack Abs photo 1 update 456

Six Pack Abs photo 2 update 456

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So this week I was in Chicago when I took my six pack abs update photos.  Unfortunately I couldn’t get exactly the same light as I had the two previous weeks.  I will be back home next Wednesday, so I should have no problem getting the lighting the same as before.

This week has been good on the workout front, better on the sleeping front, and pretty good on the eating front.

It is definitely hard to stay eating the right foods when you are traveling, but I have been doing my best.  I even brought a bunch of granola bars with me to snack on throughout the days, making sure I never get hungry (one of my diet goals).

As for sleeping… I was doing really good on getting to bed around midnight (still need some help on this one) so I could  get my 7 hours of sleep.  Though while in Chicago I failed miserably.  Having early meetings and being engrossed in a novel are two good ways to make sure you don’t get to bed on time or get enough sleep.

For working out, I worked out both days I was in Chicago, plus last Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  On Thursday night I played volleyball with Ty for 4 hours… yes 4 hours.  Plus I saw my good friend Bin at the first volleyball location.  This will hopefully become a staple workout on Thursdays.

Anywho, here are this week’s update photos.  I’ve included a third one just to show what different lighting can do.  I’m not sure most models have great six pack abs… or even if they do, I’m sure all images we see are enhanced by the lighting, makeup, and photoshop editing after the images have been taken.

Six Pack Abs photo 1 from update 3

Six Pack Abs photo 2 from update 3

Six Pack Abs photo 3 from update 3

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Well I’ve decided a couple things…

#1  It’s incredibly embarrassing putting up these photos of me.

#2  Sticking to my plan is super difficult.

I want six pack abs.  To get them I must push myself.  For that reason I have made a six pack abs plan.  For that reason I have made myself accountable.  If I don’t make it, I will know it and so will all of you.

I will be posting a few more posts about why I want six pack abs so badly, and also what my diet plan is and my workout plan.  I figure you should all know, so that if it works you can implement it yourself   (Though I’m not sure how many of you will care to obsess yourself over something so painfully trivial and superficial as six pack abs).

Six Pack Abs Picture of Progress 2a

Six Pack Abs Picture of Progress 2b

I took these photos this morning, right after I got up.  I have tried a couple different locations and can’t seem to find a place with great lighting where I can also set the camera down and take the picture with a timer.

Update on my four rules:

#1  Workout 5 Days a week:  I have been pretty good with working out, though 5 days a week is hard to hit.  I know I at least did four since my last update.

#2  Eat Healthy 6 Days a week:  I have done pretty good with this one too.  I’m always really good at eating a bunch of junk on the 7th day… The six days of healthy eating are relatively successful.  Though sometimes I feel a craving and satiate it with a small bite of something  unhealthy (which is much better than satiating it with 20 bites of something unhealthy.)

#3  7-8 Hours of Sleep a Night:  Wow.  This one I suck at…

#4  In Bed by Midnight, Sunday thru Thursday:  Wow…  I also suck at this one.

For this upcoming week, I will rededicate myself to all four goals.  I have to be in bed by midnight.  I feel this is the most important of my goals (so that I can accomplish #3 as well), and it is the easiest one to mess up on.  I will let you know how it goes.

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Well, I hesitate to put up a photo, but only for a moment.  If I’m really willing to work hard at getting my six pack, I need to be willing to do whatever it takes.  I have now not only officially declared (in writing) my goal, but I have now uploaded a six pack status photo.

I decided the only way to show real progress is to flex as good as I can each time I take a six pack status photo.  That way I can easily compare progress.  I will also try to get better lighting next time.  (It’s hard when you’re taking the photo of yourself).

Six Pack Abs Photo 1

As for my four rules:

1) workout 5 days a week: This week I think I only did 4.  It’s hard to workout 5 days a week, but I will try harder this next week.

2) eat healthy 6 days a week: I did mostly good on this one, though Sunday night I got the munchies and couldn’t stop snacking.

3) sleep at least 7-8 hours a night: I think one night I only got six, but every other night I got 7 or more.

4) be in bed by midnight Sun-Thurs:  This was by far my worst one.  I think I was late almost every night.  Blogging has cut into my sleep schedule.

Oh well.  This is a work in progress, and as long as I keep my eye on the ball and do the best I can each week, I should be able to get my six pack abs.

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