Day 77 / Week 11 in Review

So this week I lost 1 single pound. That's ok though, because I gained 1 pound of muscle at the same time. =) My body fat percentage has decreased by 1% as well putting myself to 16%. I also have overall increased my weights (in weight training) by 15% and optimistic to say that I can increase this by another 10% by the end of this week. My goal going forward, even after the full 84 days, is to reach 10% fat. I believe(IMO) that this would be a comfortable weight to be at and again, believe this is "change I can believe in".

In review of the challenges this week, the workouts have definitely proved themselves as "challenging". I think every day of the week I cursed the author of this workout plan at least once. This is do to an additional set and longer cardio. For the morning workouts, I felt really 'pumped', but for the evening workouts I was so tired, that the rest of the evening would be a write off. In regards to eating, I felt I did pretty good, even though I kinda overindulged on my reward day. =)

So, for my commitments for the day I was suppose to complete 20 min cardio, but I ended up extending it by another 1 hour and 20 min. Went for coffee with my bud, chilled for a bit and then we headed to the Ashbridges Bay Bridge. Along the way, I saw this Inukshuk near Ontario Place(see pic below) that starts a new pathway (I believe they installed a few weeks ago) that goes along Lakeshore. Very smooth for the blades. ;-) Also today, I also got good sleep and kept within the nutritional guidelines. Looking forward to tomorrows workout and 7 days till I celebrate. =)



Inukshuk Near Ontario Place


Week 11 Results


Week 11 Pic
(quite the difference from the 1st day of my journey) =)


RTP Challenge Status for the Day

Day 76 / Week 11 - A little busy in the gym

Woke up pretty late today, so I lost a few meals. No biggie as I still stayed on par with eating every 3 to 4 hours. As for the workout, I had a little issues with using the barbell to do the required workout for the day and had to resort to using the free weights as the gym was quite busy. Again, no biggie - I had a plan B set from the time I walked into the gym. Our gym is not that big(it's in a condo), but have to give it credit for the all the new equipment and space that it provides for the amount of people that come in at a time. I personally haven't seen anymore than 10 people at a time, but anything more than a dozen people is too much. On average, there are 3 to 4 people. Anyhow, don't want to bore you anymore with useless details.....Tomorrow is cardio and it's gonna be a nice day....Looking forward to it and 8 more days till I celebrate. =)

RTP Challenge Status for the Day

Day 75 / Week 11 - BBQ and other goodies at my buds

So as a rest day today, I think I over-exceeded the limit and celebrated a little early. =) Oh well, looking back at the whole situation, I think I deserved it. ;-) Anyhow, all meals were going well until I went to a BBQ at my buds condo. He has a really cool terrace, with BBQ, picnic table, lots of chairs/benches and lots of space(sorry no picture). We all chilled there for the evening and ate sausages, shrimp, steak and various veggies all throughout the night. Drank only 4 beers (Rickards White) which IMO is a little light weight. So, where did I over-exceed the limit? It was dessert. One of the guys made a run down to the local convenience store and picked up 20 different types of candies and chocolates. We're talking anything like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, gummies, sour keys, M&M's, Nerds and etc.... I'm not a huge fan of candy and personally can't even remember the last time I ate candy or chocolate, but as soon as it was on the table I felt I needed to eat "everything" - and I did!! =) Well, this is what reward days are for right?

Anyhow, looking forward to tomorrow's workout and only 9 days left till the "real" celebration.


RTP Challenge Status for the Day

Day 74 / Week 11 - Damn I'm tired!

Yet another tiring day in the gym, I think this time I cursed the author of this workout plan a few times - non intentional of course. Just when I thought the last few weeks are going to be a breeze, it's not. I'm gonna have to "work" extra hard for it. If I want to be showing abs, it ain't gonna be easy - especially if I'm determined to show them off by the end of this program. Anyhow, I woke up late, so I got an extra 3 hours of sleep which was great, but missed out on meals. No biggie.. I still ate every 3.5 hours even when I was out doing errands(grabbed a sub). Other than the yet again strenuous workout - all was good. 10 more days till I celebrate. =)


RTP Challenge Status for the Day

Day 73 / Week 11 - 1st Place in Volleyball - Woohoo!

Another win for our team in volleyball as we crushed the last place team 2, nill. Saweeeeet!...Our team is still in 1st place and will be entering in the tournament next week. If we keep up the great team work, I can see us winning the tourney as well - no problem. In regards to my commitments for today, the weather was fortunately cooperating and therefore completed an hour of cardio on my blades again. Overall good day and looking forward to tomorrow's workout. 11 days left till I celebrate.

RTP Challenge Status for the Day

Day 72 / Week 11 - Workout time has increased

OK, these workouts are not getting any easier. The time in the gym now feels I'm in there "forever", even though it only increased by 20 minutes. Since I now need extra time in the gym and there is no way to break up the workouts, I had to shift my schedule to accommodate the full 1 hour and 20 min. By the time I finished my workout today, all I wanted to do is eat quick and go straight to sleep. And speaking of which, I'm gonna go to sleep right now! Peace Out!

RTP Challenge Status for the Day

Day 71 - Week 11- Just when I thaught it was over.

Wheew....What a workout! As I get closer to the finish line, the workout's are getting seriously challenging. The system has stepped up the ante with an extra set, making it a total of 4 sets of weight training AND cardio! Needless to say I was seriously worn out by the end of it and called it a day. It's the end of the day now, and I'm still tired...

RTP Challenge Status for the Day

Day 70 - Week 10 in Review

Another 2 pounds lost - making it 25 total pounds lost since day 1! Wooohoo! In perspective though - for the work I put in the last week, I would swear I should have lost more. Oh well, aside from "numbers" and from the perspective I see in the mirror (or in this case the photo below), I think I may have gained a bit of muscle or just shredded pounds from the core area. Lean body mass has increased and my body fat percentage is now down to 17%. As per this body fat measurement website , I now fall in the category of "Fitness" and no longer at an "Acceptable" body fat percentage. Cooooool...A good pat on the back for me and another milestone reached. =) In a way I'm not surprised with the visual results this week as the core/ab exercises in conjunction with increased cardio has not only shown it's results, but has totally worn me out!! I won't lie, this last week was not easy.....Each and every day that included weight training and cardio, I swear I was about to collapse! Despite the huge challenge on my body, I never gave up(as usual) and made sure each exercise was completed to the "T". I am only 14 days away and I ain't given up now.... =)

As for today's commitments, the cardio scheduled today was suppose to be 20 minutes circuit training, where I exceeded it by another hour on top as I used this time to go rolla' blading outside. I took many sprints with the blades throughout my cardio time and worked extra hard on the uphill paths. Tiring as hell, but overall good times due to great views, great people and great weather. Summer's not gonna last very long, so I gotta take advantage of these sunny days. =)


Week 10 Results


Week 10 Pic
(quite the difference from the 1st day of my journey) =)


RTP Challenge Status for the Day


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Day 69 / Week 10 - Another Successful Day

Got a good sleep last night, but missed out on 2 meals because I was sleeping. Give and take I guess... Good workout though, not too challenging as I feel I'm getting used to the combination of cardio and weight training at the same time. Body is taking shape and feel that the scale should be giving me good news that I lost another 3 pounds or so this week. We shall see tomorrow for the verdict, but I feel optimistic that the results will be good. Tomorrow is also full cardio(no weight training) where I will be exceeding the time blading, since it's gonna be a sunny and warm day. Looking forward to tomorrow.

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Day 68 / Week 10 - Rewarded with BBQ Pork Ribs

Rest day for me today. Got a good sleep, and a very good dinner. Drank a half bottle of Australian white wine(Two Oceans) along with a half rack of my "famous" pork ribs that I did on the BBQ. Mmmm...delicious, I can still taste it - or is that the meat still stuck in my teeth? :) ( I know, I know - corny joke) ;-)

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Day 67 / Week 10 - Late Night Blade

Another challenging workout today. I went to the gym at a busy time and unfortunately had to wait to use some of the equipment(it's a small but efficient gym) and therefore had exceeded the time of my rest periods between sets. Also had to go to the store late at night (since wifey had the car) and used the rollerblades to get me there(hence the exceeded workout period of 20 minutes). I am sooo tired now, gonna get some sleep.

RTP Challenge Status for the Day


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Day 66 / Week 10 - Escaping the Perfect Storm

Whooaa! What a storm this evening! Went for an evening blade to work on cardio, and when I was just 5 min away from home, the black clouds appeared from nowhere and started to down pour. Needless to say I was drenched from head to toe and my clothes and blades are still drying. Since our volleyball was unexpectedly canceled ("I guess" due to the storm - which did clear up by the time we were suppose to play) , we headed to the local bar for a pint and shared various bar food (wings, brochetta and nachos) between the 6 of us. I kept it to 1 beer(while others has 2 or 3) and nibbled of what was in front me.

RTP Challenge Status for the Day


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Day 65 / Week 10 - Breaking Up My Workout

Surprise, surprise.....another BBQ at work. This time it was a little bit easier to dodge the burgers and sausages as I waited till the chicken and salmon kabobs were done. Thank goodness they offered a healthier option even though the samosas were staring at me and my colleague next to me "inhaled" 3 of them down in less than a minute. I kept strong though, I kept strong. =)

As for my workout this evening, I came home pretty late. So instead of postponing my whole workout for a later time(or worse yet - miss it totally), I used the 40 min that I had available to work on weight training and cardio. Drank my whey protein as usual after the 40 min workout and 2 hours later (after my errands), I came back, finished the remaining 20 min (which was to work on abs) then ate dinner.

So, what did I learn from all this? I learned of how to utilize time wisely. Since I knew that I had the potential of totally missing the workout altogether, I made sure that I used whatever time I had at the moment, before heading to my errands. I also even planned it accordingly with my eating schedule - which was good. (pat on the back for me) =) If you are starting a workout routine for the 1st time(or struggling with your current routine), try to reserve at least 1.5 hours for your workout days(3, 4, 5 or 6 times a week) and try to select times and days that you are least busy.

As an example, on Monday's and Tuesday's I workout in the morning because I have no work, but for the rest of the week, I do. So I make time in the evening to ensure that I still fulfill my commitments. If however something comes up in the evening, I will try to make an effort to put in at least 30 min (even if I have to workout at 10pm). So what else did I learn? I have learned that every minute counts. If you want results, you cannot rob your body from time in the gym or you will never reach your goals. Every minute counts. Every minute.

RTP Challenge Status for the Day


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Day 65 / Week 10 - Pirate Ship Found

Another good productive day. After a strenuous workout today, I took a break and then went up the street with the blades and got another 30 min of cardio. I saw a pretty cool boat on the way called the "Empire Sandy" that looks like a boat you'll see in "The Pirates of the Caribbean". The boat I captured (with the Blackberry) even has a pirate flag on the top...Coool.. :) Anyhow, as I type this posting, my work is having a late night BBQ (burgers, hotdogs, chicken) at 11pm...This is not what I need right now. My stomach is growling like crazy and need to leave here pronto before I get tempted!!

"The Empire Sandy" at the Toronto Harbourfront


Pirate Flag shown


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Day 64 / Week 9 in Review

Nine weeks down, 3 to go. Speaking of 3, I lost another 3 pounds this week - even drinking the 6 pack of beer from last weekend. =) Looking at the stats for this week, the chest has increased by a half inch, decrease in the triceps (from loss of fat I guess?), and a decrease of 1 inch around the waist. Based upon on my weekly picture, the body is definitely taking shape and definition. Waistline is clearly more narrower than last week and the last but not least noticeable change are the GOGGLES!! I finally got the a clone copy of the original goggles used in the 1st Riddick movie: Pitch Black. Apparently, there's not too many people who sell these, so therefore had to pay a fortune for them. Oh well..it's worth the cause though. :) As for a last review of the workouts in the passed week, they are definitely getting quite challenging and could only expect it getting even more challenging going into the last 3 legs of the RTP system. Looking forward to next week's results.

As for today's commitments, I had cardio today and exceeded the time by 1.5 hours. Since today was the hottest day this year thus far and had no plans for today, I rolla' bladed all the way from downtown Toronto to Etobicoke where the white bridge (The Humber Bay Arch Bridge) is located. It took me while to get there, but was well worth the effort. I chilled out on a rock, grabbed some sun for awhile and then headed back to rest up. Good Times as usual.

The Humber Bay Arch Bridge


On the Humber Bay Arch Bridge


Chillin on a rock, with Downtown Toronto at a distance. (kinda hazy, due to the high humid and pollution in the air.)


Downtown Toronto Zoomed in




Week 9 Pic of the Week
(quite the difference from the 1st day of my journey) =)




Week 9 Results


RTP Challenge Status for the Day



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Day 63 / Week 9 - BBQ without the calories

Another tough and challenging workout session today. Again, lots of training on the legs, abs and cardio. Had another BBQ (this time just at home) with lightly sauced BBQ chicken and a side salad. Good eats of coarse since I made it. :) I however missed out on 2 meals and the calories to go with it, since I slept in till noon. Looking at tomorrow's workout, it's only 20 min of circuit training and it's gonna be a nice day. Looking forward to my blade tomorrow and if time permits, I may even go for an extra hour. :-)

RTP Challenge Status for the Day



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Day 62 / Week 9 - Rickards White Calorie Count - Excellent Wheat Beer

Had a really good time at a BBQ this evening, surprisingly the cook was pretty health conscious himself and just had chicken breast, with 2 types of salads.

For my reward meal, I drank a six pack of Rickards White (another great Canadian Beer, a wheatie cirtus taste, perfect for a hot day and brewed with a Belgian style to give that white Hoegaarden look). The calories in rickard's white are shown below as a harsh reality of what I'm drinking here.

To justify the 6 pack of beer, I am just celebrating 2 months of great success with my progress. I have been always optimistic to get this far, but to this date I am shocked from the results. Can't wait for next month - a 12 pack of beer. =)

Rickards White Verdict : Excellent Beer for a Hot Day





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Day 61 / Week 9 - Sweating Bullets

Holy sh!t the workout today was a challenge! I swear I was on the verge of collapse. Lot's of cardio, abs and weight training today - all squeezed within an hour. Since wifey was gone with the car and wanted to go to the store, I strapped on the blades after a 30 min break from my workout and took approximately 10 min to get there and 10 min to get back. Took in 2 scoops of protein and got some rest. I don't think I ever sweat this much since I started. With more workouts like this, I could just imagine what I'm gonna look like when this month is done. Little Riddick, here I come.... ;-)

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Day 60 / Week 9 - Volleyball Celebration with a Steam Whistle

Another battle of the bulge has been won today. Since time was limited and only had an hour to workout, I completed my cardio for the day on the elliptical. Eventhough the sun was blazing today, no time for a blade, but at least I had my iTouch to keep my mind on something else and not how my legs are killing me or how tired I am. :-) The evening ended with another win in volleyball and we are now in 1st place. Wohooo!

We all celebrated with 2 pitchers of Toronto's finest local beer : Steam Whistle (btw - if anyone is in downtown Toronto, go to the Steam Whistle brewery near the Rogers Dome and you can drink for free and/or get an $8 tour of the brewery - highly recommended). I however only celebrated with 1 small cup, which I sipped the whole time while chillin' with the team on the patio. I however was tempted to "putting it down the hatch" and then get another fillup (like I usually did in the past before I started this thing). But understanding that I just put my body through 50 min of solid cardio for the day, I continue to challenge myself and ask, "is it worth it?" That's when reality kicks in and being responsible trumps temptation. As a harsh reality of what I'm drinking here, the calories in steam whistle are shown below.



Steam Whistle Verdict - Excellent "Toronto" Beer


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Day 59 / Week 9 - Envy : One of the 7 deadly sins

Workout today was a new set of exercises - definitely not boring, but yet very challenging. Wifey made me salivate over her food this evening as she ate BBQ pork and rice from Chinatown, with a side of Chester Cheeto's and dried mango. I stuck with my "stinkin" egg sandwich, protein drink and cucumber salad for dinner. At the time, my stomach was growling and wasn't sure if either my stomach was saying he was hungry or if he was growling at her). Sadly for me, I cannot have 5+ reward meals / week like my wifey and unfortunately have to suffer each time she eats this stuff in front me (it's like she is teasing me or something). Apparently she can eat whatever she wants and whenever she wants (e.g full plate of food at 11pm at night) and not gain a single pound.

Hmmmm...must be nice....must be nice.....(as I grab my last piece of cucumber)

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Day 58 / Week 9 - Waving to the Tourists

Completed an extra 40 min of cardio today and surprisingly for the 1st time, I went for a rollerblade early in the am as the sun was rising. I was going to go golfing, but backed out as I knew that we were going to battle a thunderstorm in the afternoon. So, today was really only geared to work on abdominals(different exercises than previous weeks - to avoid muscle memory and plateauing), but since it was so nice out, I figured I would enjoy a good stroll. Looking forward to tomorrow's workout.... Here's a pic I grabbed of the tourist cruising by in an amphibious "Hippo" ride on Lake Ontario. I've been on this before and is pretty cool... :)

Tourists on the Hippo ride.


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Day 57 / 2nd Month in Review

Second month is now over and I never felt better!! :-) As you can tell from my latest pic, I have pulled the carpet off my chest and now it's quite chilly... With only 1 more month left, I have lost 20 pounds thus far and you can clearly see that I have progressed up to this point. From the last month to now, my upper body and legs are starting to show definition, there is a slight increase in muscle growth, a 6 pound decrease in pure fat, a 2.5 inch decrease for the waistline and finally a 50% increase in sex(ya, believe it or not, wifey is now constantly "stalking me" for sex - and for the record, I'm not complaining!) =).
As a month in review, I still have not missed a workout and "believe" I am still on track, despite the previous back aches and beer mishaps. I have however have gained an itouch within this month and I have to say that that it was the best investment ever. Nowadays, I can do my indoor cardio for any length of time without really feeling it. As per the workout guide, my main goal the past month was to work on building and gaining muscle(hence the reason why I didn't "lose" as much "weight" as the 1st month). Looking into the next month, the workout schedule has changed again and geared towards more cardio, toning the muscles and working the core (abdominals). Based upon my recent pic, my gut is disappearing, but still needs some work. I am optimistic to say that by the end of this month, I will no longer be posting a picture with a "1 pack" and instead showing a kick ass "six pack" (for the 1st time in my life). Again, wish me luck!

As for today's commitments, all commitments were met except for cardio(I exceeded it). I went rollerblading again (I try to make every effort to get out on the asphalt if the sun is shining) and put in approximately an extra hour of cardio. As you can probably tell, I really love rollerblading. The paths are cool, there are so many people/tourists around the city and the views are just amazing. Since, most of the time I go alone, I usually use this time to get my time of zen - or as other people will call it, "a moment of clarity". Once the winter rolls around, I know I will miss these moments - so I'm trying to get out there as much as possible. :)



This Months Pic


Closer View of Today's Paper



Pic Results for the 1st Month



Pic results from the beginning of my journey




2nd Months's results


Data Comparison from the Previous 2 Months


RTP Challenge Status for the Day




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Day 56 / Week 8 - Another Successful Workout Day

Despite the amount of errands I had today, I still was able to complete my workout and even exceed it by 20 min. Got lots of sleep but missed 2 meals since I was out running around.

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Day 55 / Week 8 - Finger Lickin' Good.

Since today was a rest/reward day, I pigged out on KFC and a had a beer. I was looking forward to this moment all week. My meals during the week aren't that bad, actually their quite tasty - but each meal is within the guidelines. As with every Saturday, my sleep lacks since as I have work early the next day and still like to enjoy my Friday evenings. Tomorrow is cardio, got to figure how I am gonna schedule this in, as I have errands all day.

RTP Challenge Status for the Day


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Day 54 / Week 8 - Mmmmm...Beer

As promised from yesterday, I made up the 20 min of cardio that I lost from my previous workout. Kept pretty strong with a few temptations with free cake, doughnuts and pizza that my work was offering in the passed few days(including today). But since I knew that I would be facing an extra 20 min of cardio, why eat something that is going nullify my extra cardio, or worse yet nullify my whole workout?

Looking in perspective, this seems to be a challenge that I face almost everyday. As you probably figured out from my previous posts, I unfortunately have an Achilles heal and that is BEER...Mmmm..I love beer.... As a cruel reality, if I want washboard abs fast, beer cannot be in the equation. I do however give myself a pat on the back though for the amount of beer that I have sacraficed for the 54 days that has passed. I have kept it to no more than 2 beers per week, where before it was like 15 to 20 beers per week. What I am realizing since starting this program is that if I do not consume things in moderation, I will get fat - again. If I eat something that is very high in calories (like a full bucket of KFC or whole bottle of whisky), the fat will just collect in my body if I don't burn it off by going to the gym. It's all about balance.

In my case, I want to lose pounds, not sustain - therefore I need to stay away from these high calorie foods/drinks on a daily basis(except for my day off/reward day) and workoff the fat that is currently in my system, without the concern of burning the calories that are being consumed....That being said, I plan to have KFC(2 piece - not a full bucket) and a light beer for my reward day tomorrow... ;-) Looking forward to it!


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