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Week 2 Update!
It’s time for my two week check in! I’m happy to announce I’ve gained 6… Count them 6lbs! Woohoo!
Food:
I’ve weeded out the following from my diet:
Alcohol (which has actually made going out even more entertaining) – I’d also like to comment on how accommodating and friendly the Seattle bartenders have been in not making me feel weird ordering club soda and lime. I recommend Purr and Q as the best two clubs that make you feel like a rock star just drinking water!
Sugar and baked goods – this has always been my downfall. However, I’ve noticed that weeding this out has given me better, more lasting energy throughout the day and i’ve had more consistent moods!
Processed food and restaurant food – I’m THE BIGGEST FOODIE, ever. This was hard. However, the results are already coming in. The hard thing about restaurant food is how difficult it is to calculate calories, proteins, carbs, etc… As you really don’t know what is in what you’re eating. Even if you pull a Portlandia and ask for the bio of the chicken you’re eating, you still may ingest tons of salt, sugar, and other things that if you cooked at home you could control completely.
Foods I eat A LOT OF:
Water. Like every 10 minutes. Lots of water. And I love it!
Vegetables. Specifically I eat several cups of steamed or sautéed asparagus, broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, carrots, bell peppers and of course spinach and mixed spring salad.
Chicken and fish. I eat about 2-3 chicken breasts per day. Sometime subbing chicken or turkey sausage in the morning.
Eggs. I eat about 4-5 eggs per day.
Steel cut oats for breakfast.
Quinoa – I find myself eating this twice a day sometimes plain… But I also like adding raw vegetables in the last 5 minutes of it cooking directly in the pot. Yummy veggie/quinoa medley.
Nuts. I like the protein content of peanuts but prefer almonds. Make sure to get unsalted. You’ll get plenty of sodium in the protein shakes.
Protein shakes:
I’ve started taking 3 shakes per day, in addition to my 5 meals. I always have a shake after breakfast before work and one after my workout. I also have a casein “bedtime” shake each night.
I’ve found CytoGainer to be BY FAR my favorite shake. It’s delicious and I feel like I get energy from it quickly! I also really like the Pro Complex Gainer – but at 650 calories per shake, you need to budget this into your day (I use it post INTENSE workout). Intense workouts to me are those that exceed 2 hours in length.
Jawbone Up
One tool I hands down recommend everyone get is the Jawbone Up. I’m absolutely obsessed with it. I’ve become hyper aware of how much I sleep, how much I move, and every single thing that I eat and drink. One of my favorite features is the “teammate” social networking aspect. When you become teammates with someone else, their updates post on a feed that you can comment on. I’ve found this to motivate me (if someone is beating my steps I totally go jogging around the block to catch up). I’ve also found it as a great tool to motivate your friends when they achieve their daily goals or eat well (or tease them when they don’t!) lol 🙂
Thanks for reading, following and interacting with me and #Twunk’d!
Bryan 🙂
Hi, I’m Bryan
I just realized I hadn’t posted any self pictures yet!
Here are a collection of recent pictures of me. This is my starting place. Later in the week I will post my current measurements so we can track my progress together!
Specific call outs:
Pros
My stomach – I tend to get abs easily with minimal working out. Because this is an easy area for me, I will not focus as much here – although core workouts will be key to my overall strength building
Glutes, thighs, calves – I’m lucky enough to have good genes that allow these muscle areas to be worked out minimally and still look fit. I will definitely do leg days, however this is not a focus
Cons
Chest – I have never had much in the area of pectoral muscles. This is my primary area of focus along with arms.
Arms and shoulders – my shoulders tend to develop quickly when worked out, however I have also had skinny arms. This will also be a primary focus
Back – currently my back looks fit, but not defined.
Overall, my approach will be heavily focused on my upper body using free weights and circuit training.
Wish me luck, cuz I’m about to be Twunk’d!
Jawbone Up!
Today I finally got my Jawbone Up (thanks mom!)
The Apple store only carries the mint (gross) and black aka Onyx wristbands, and of course I went for black… Cuz once you go black you never go… Ok you get the idea.
Sizing was interesting. I ended up with a medium. It’s snug but not uncomfortable. The large felt too much like a ladies bracelet and as much as I love dancing to “Single Ladies” I didn’t want to be “uh oh uh oh uh ohing” around the gym with a floppy bracelet.
I downloaded the app on my phone and was instantly impressed with the registration and set up features. It was quick, simple and interactive but informative, which i find not to be the case with most apps or tech toys these days. I love the interface. Straightforward, easy to use, and brightly colored which I’m always a fan of.
I love how much I can customize the settings to my life. Whether its the alarm clock setting, the inactive reminder vibrate feature, logging my sleep, food, moods, and activity levels – this thing has it all!
The cost was $129.00 which is less than the NikeFuelBand but I believe offer more features hand over fist. It’s more expensive than a FitBit, but I prefer the wristband bracelet style over a clip on. It’s also holds a charge for up to 10 days which is super convenient and comes with a USB charger that plus right into my iPhones charging block thing (you know what I’m talking about). 😜
Supplements!
I officially made my first big order of supplements yesterday thanks to help from Alex and Freddie and BodyBuilding.com!
Here’s the scoop. (No pun intended. Ok maybe just a little.)
Optimum Pro Complex Gainer
Double Chocolate (sounds yummy!)
Over 600 calories!
Bodybuilding.com Foundation Series 100% Casein
Chocolate
This is my bed time snack!
Optimum Gold Standard 100% Whey
Mocha Cappuccino
CytoSport Cyto Gainer
Chocolate Malt
And for my purchase I got to pick a free gift! I got the portable powder dispenser! Woohoo!
Twunk'd 