Beginning Today

.85lbs/day X 120days = 102lbsFeb14th

Sunday - Partial Deadlift

Got the itch, but was running short on time as I needed to get to my brother's house for dinner.  Decided to do partial deadlifts.

115 X 5
135 X 7
185 X 3
205 X 1
225 X 2
245 X 1 (began wearing wrist straps, wore them for the rest of the sets)
255 X 1
265 X 1
275 X 1
285 X 1
295 X 1

Felt great.  Sort of started to feel the strain in my lower back at 275, but took an extra minute of rest time and stretched out a little.  Felt like new!  I was worried because my back started to feel really engorged and mildly painful after the set with 135, but that went away after about 245, and it just started feeling tight and powerful, which was good for my psyche.  Someone had left a resistance band on the rack, so I stood on it and did some mock deads to try to remind myself of good form.  This actually helped quite a bit. 
After the partial deads, I left my straps on, stripped the bar down to 225 and did triples of shrugs.  Basically, I completed a partial dead to standing position, then did three shrugs.  I did this three times, for 9 total shrugs.

225 X 3
225 X 3
225 X 3

At this point, I was about 15 minutes behind schedule, so I called it a night.  Didn't have the pump that I'm used to from my past work with bodybuilding style training.  I am okay with this though, because I felt much more satisfied, like I had actually accomplished something with my time this night.  Also, it is nice to be so close to 300 on something, even if it is just partial deads.  I will try to do full deads next week and see if I can break 275.  300 would be fantastic.

Ate poorly.  Or rather, I did okay until dinner at my brother's.  Had some steak fajitas with four taco sized tortillas, some chips and salsa, some guacamole, and then a small piece of pie and a scoop of ice cream for dessert.  Also had one small piece of peanut brittle.

Goals

Let's go ahead and set some 12 week goals, since that will put me right at Christmas.

Over the course of the next 12 weeks, I would like to accomplish the following:

WEIGHT
- Lose 25 pounds.

SIZE
- Wear a size 36 all the time, all brands.

STRENGTH
- Deadlift 225 X 4
- Incline DB Press 70 X 6
- Overhead BB Press 115 X 4

I will check back on these things periodically.  The assumed "beginning" weight would then mean that if I achieve my WEIGHT goal, I will be under 200 by Christmas.  In fact, it may be better to just state the goal that way.  By Christmas, I will be under 200.

First Post

This blog is to be a chronicling of my various successes and failures as they pertain to the following:

-dieting

-physical activity

-psychology of eating

-body image

-fashion

Clogged with yesterday's excess, the body drags the mind down with it.  ~Horace

Obesity is a mental state, a disease brought on by boredom and disappointment.  ~Cyril Connolly, The Unquiet Grave

Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow ye diet.  ~Lewis C. Henry

It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor.  ~Marcus Tullius Cicero

Any workout which does not involve a certain minimum of danger or responsibility does not improve the body - it just wears it out.  ~Norman Mailer

The preservation of health is a duty. Few seem conscious that there is such a thing as physical morality.
- Herbert Spencer

A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.
- Paul Dudley White

The body of man is a machine which winds its own springs.
- J. O. De La Mettrie