Thanks PCP!

Well, Day 90 is finally here and this will be my final post of the journey.  A quick "thank you" to Patrick and a "gokurou-sama desu" to Team Echo.  And to all my friends and relatives who've given me words of encouragement along the way, it's been appreciated - thx. Yup, still lacking the six-pack / definition around the abs, but feeling a whole, hella lot better than when I start out 90-days ago!  The weight has fallen 10kg or 13% of my total body-mass to 66kg at this point.  More importantly, the healthy diet has really done wonders cleaning out the system and I feel lean and much stronger.  For example, I've gone from barely eking out two pull-ups to today 10, arms fully extended explosive pull-up.  Most happy about feeling more strength in the lower back, abs and entire core.  Haven't gotten my body-fat re-checked but suspect somewhere in the mid-teen levels.  But from a health perspective, I would fathom a guess that PCP has probably added several years to my life-span and saved me from an almost certain onslaught of diabetes a few years down the road - can't beat that.

To those thinking of taking the plunge:  the best part of Patrick's strategy for those looking to do PCP has been the gradual nature of it.  Starting of slowing, not plunging into no-carbs from the get go, and then building off that base in a week's time.  What better excuse to get off the booze and focus for a few weeks.  I will say though, the one thing you realize as you start to get in slightly better shape is how HARD it is really to get in awesome shape.  Well I don't know if I'll ever "arrive" at say 12% body fat, it's nice at least getting a step closer and keeps you motivated on the self-improvement front.

Elsewhere, I've never blogged in my life up to this point in time but really found the practice to be almost therapeutic at some level.  The weekly questions from the group and video round-up were great.  

Finally, not to be overly gushy, but in twenty years since college, I struggled to lose so much as a pound and wasn't successful in keeping it off once I got there.  I do think much of the program will remain embedded in my lifestyle for now, certainly the healthier eating habits. I'll also incorporate more than a handful of exercises (Kung-Fu sit-ups, you are a killer!) into the routine, will scale-back the number of workouts slightly but add some stretching / yoga and a bit more running in as well.  Again, well done to the team - it's been fun and motivating getting killer results together.  Good luck and stay healthy.  -Robby P 

And thanks finally to my lovely wife Yumi and my two little munchkins for putting up with "Papa" during the training.  xo

The Plank, Super-Set Me

Two days to go, feeling OK but the body a bit worn.  Really good work-out yesterday with the super-sets kicking in and sticking with healthy food.  Trying out the plank this morning (one of my favorite PCP exercises), with the invariable pile-on by the little guys.  Good luck heading to the finish line. -rp

PCP?! Just one thing to say...

8 days left...so bang it out fellow mutha fukkas -)

Ugly Mugs and Iwashi Burgers

Less than two weeks left now.  I've been able to bounce gradually from my cold of last week and felt about 90% of my regular strength yesterday.  I'll be back to full-power this weekend which I'll need to tackle the longer jump-rope sessions and greater number of reps.  Uploading this week's pic into Flickr.

Even for a stubborn curmudgeon like myself who's been working out "his way" for years, I've really taken a liking to some of the new exercises introduced to us throughout the course of PCP.  Specifically, the Lunges, V-Sits and Plank are three I plan to continue and make a permanent part of my workout.  While there's always much attention on "six-pack abs"by many in the gym, I realize how important the entire CORE is to one's well-being, especially keeping the lower-back and muscles around the vertabrae strong.

Was out last night for the first time in a while - bunch of friends and clients watching the All Blacks vs. Japan rugby match.  I've taken small pride in the fact that I haven't touched a beer during the past 10-weeks so wanted to keep the trend alive and contented myself with two tonic waters with lime.  Lots of comments from guys I haven't seen in a while, "Man, have you lost a lot of weight or something?"... or "Wow, you're looking pretty buff."  Funny word, buff, sort of makes you feel like you're in a cartoon.

after the match we had some Thai food.  tasted good when I was eating it but realized just how salty it was (or how sensitive the palatte has gotten to excess salt) after I got home.  Woke up at 3am and needed to brush my teeth again and guzzle half a liter of water.

Off to eat Yumi's healthy breakfast (below)...  On a funny note, a couple nights ago I got back from the gym and saw what looked like three min-hamburgers on the dinner plate.  was pretty psyched as I really haven't eaten much red-meat at all the past 10 weeks.  Took one bite to discover that they were really Iwashi (sardine) burgers that looked like chop-meat.  What a buzz-kill...healthy maybe, but wouldn't advocate that to those at home...  Weekend is here, enjoy your sessions guys.  -Rob

Three Weeks Left - Bouncing bAck

I've been very careful, and a bit lucky, not to have gotten sick in a very long time.  Perhaps because of the season change (cooler at night) and the fact that I've really been trying to push myself in the workouts during the final phase, I felt like I had been run-over by a freight train two days ago.  Symptoms:  runny nose, sore throat and a weak and achey body.  Disappointing in light of what Patrick has been saying - with our diets and cravings under control now, this last month is a great time to make a big improvement in our conditioning.  Very restless sleep on Friday night, on Saturday I tried to give the exercises a go and found could only get through the first few sets with no strength left for jump-roping.  Decided not to push it as the last thing I want is to be out now for three or four days during this final leg of PCP....

Saturday dinner, took a Vitamin C tablet, one egg and a Japanese nashi pear for dinner washed down with a full glass of a golden 2008 Meursault, Premier Cru.  This seems to have done the trick; knocked me out for a full ten hours in full REM mode.  Early Sunday morning, already a bit warm but with a nice breeze, the rest had me feeling better and allowed for a very slow-paced 12km jog around town.  Felt many of the sick toxins exit my body; feels like I'm about 75% recovered at this point.  Hopefully I've turned the corner and like our 8-min ab dude says,"Ease on it to these routines people..." which will be my goal \ for the next couple of days.  Recent family pic after a tofu-lunch by the Tokyo Tower.  -RP

Off to Never Never Land...Enter Sandman

Actually, enter the new "Transtherm" atsuryoku-nabe / pressure kicker (German design) which arrived this morning at my doorstep.  This thing is a B-E-A-S-T - can't wait to check it out.  My wife Yumi also ordered three huge boxes of organic vegetables...corn, squash, white onions, red-onions, a variety of beans.  So with less than 3 1/2 weeks to in my PCP, we're dancing down the final stretch now.  Motivational weekly video by Patrick I thought a few days back...once you're into the 60-day range and the early results start coming in, it's easy to get complacent with both the diet and the workout.  I can understand this as I've found myself cheating small here and there on the diet thinking that I've basically hit my targets.  It's my task now to step it up...

My weight has stabilized at 68kg and I feel like I'm adding muscle back now.  I've hit the jump-roping and gym hard this week, two-hours each the past couple of days.  Today I plan to go for a hot-yoga workout after my exercises - every three days or so I think a good deep stretch is really warranted - it seems to recalibrate my body after getting run-down from the workouts.  Have forgotten about the 8-minute abs past four of five days...plan to bang-out a bout today with my little guy at my side... background by Lars and the boys for much needed adrenaline.  Cheers Team Echo, stay strong. -rp

Day 63 - Thoughts

Hot bucket of sweat
Prone I lie, panting, burning
Cool yogurt, sweet dream

Day 60 - Two-thirds finito + Baby got back

Three days after my last indulgence, healthy and on-track again.  Today marks the two-third mark through the program (good or bad?)  and keep telling myself that need to increase the intensity to match the new rigor of the workouts.  Spent few mins leafing through a few Blogs of PCPers on their 88th day and continue to be very impressed with the type of results posted...most almost looking like "new people" but 10-years younger!

The past few days have really been good and I've been a very positive mental frame.  Staying very strict on the dieting side (even woke up at 2am last night with slight hunger pangs), but enjoying the all-you-can-eat veggies for breakfast and lunch.  This sort of veggie diet is staring to become ingrained in my lifestyle now and I can envision how it continues seamlessly once PCP has ended.

Sunday I played golf with two buddies in Chiba which was fun.  Beautiful day and just a good to catch up.  On a side note, it occurred to me that as I've been going so infrequently for dinners these days, my social interaction with friends and colleagues has suffered (?) to some extent.  So these types of healthy catch-ups are thus refreshing.  It's also nice to play a round of golf with no BEER...typically I would have 2 or 3 cans of asahi dry during my round.  This was my practice de rigour only a few months ago, now I realize it's empty calories and actually prob. detracts now from the overall playing experience.  Not to sound too Puritanical, one pint after the round is probably ideal, not just on the course.

On the exercises, I realize that a day before a round of golf I tend to take it a little easier - not quite push myself as hard.  This is because in the past I have "blow-up days" on the course when I hit the weights too hard and find my muscles still and inflexible for golf..which makes the day pretty miserable.  With no golf scheduled on the horizon, I hit the PCP plan much harder today...banging out my jump-rope and then first ever set of 10 pull-ups (although had to scale it down to 8, 7, 6 after that).  The negative for me is the pistol squat - felt pretty spastic trying them and suppose you really need to right chair / set-up t get those done.  anyone else still flailing with these?  Managed to heed Patrick's words and try to cut down the rest periods...I don't know if I'll ever keep to just 20-sec rest intervals but they're at least getting shorter.

back exercises  - really nice stretch giong but need to push myself more on the hops.  not explosive yet.  liking the v-sits a bit more now.  after a longish pleateau, pleasantly surprised when weight cracked into the 67-kg handle today, putting my body mass down 11% since program start.  realized doing some of the bicycle kicks the other day that I've lost mass throughout my legs...def. some muscle from the quads but mainly fat from the thighs and my juicy Italian butt, yo, where you goin'?  Remember this ol' fave?

PCP DU PAPE - Another Indulgence

Man oh man, if you're gonna going down in flames, you might as well go down in style - no?!  I'm chalking up tonight as my "Second Indulgence".  That's right, and for the occasion it is my nephew Sohta's 9th birthday tonight...(really great kid, and of course, he and his sister came down to our place for the party).  I cracked open a special bottle of 1998 Chateuneuf du Pape (for me of course, although my mother and law had half a sip - "ma, ma oishii").  Nectar of the Gods, it really is.  Tolerance is down and very inebriated now after about 2 glasses.  Our guests left, me drunk and with the help of a few sonic tunes off YouTube and my oldest guy Kohki (3 years), I got to finish my PCP workout sweating in the living-room floor w/ Kohki trying his V-Sits and then laying on my back for my Planks.  Luv it!

Last but not least, a heart-felt thanks to all the guys and ladies on our two teams for the messages and comments these two months - u guys rock!  Is it just me, or do the questions just keep getting better?  I am learning from you guys. Yes, I thought this Blog / question stuff was a bit bogus at the beginning, it's actually turned out to be one of the best parts - keeping me involved and attuned.  No shit, the deeper into PCP I get, I realize how LITTLE I really knew about proper dieting and fitness (despite being a guy who "did sports and worked out at the gym").  And the stuff I've been eating for the past 10, maybe 20-years has been so embarrassingly BAD.  Today, I'm slowly curing my cravings, although this will still take time.  Deep-fried stuff as Patrick was saying tonight, are a lot of calories to give up for really no gain.  Bottom line, I'm feeling healthier than I've felt in a long, long time and getting into this egg-protein thing (gotta buy two-12 packs in one go; we'll be raising our own hens soon if patrick gets his way). Alas, no signs of the 6-pack after 7 weeks, but fuck, I am feeling strong. PCP... 5 wks left, bring it on!

Fat Man Slim

Feeling a bit more chipper tonight...positive jumping sessions and band-workouts at my in-laws place the past couple nights.  Funny (not) how sleeping on the old futon up at their place can make my lower-back more sore than any funky exercise our fearless leader Patrick can concoct.  My mother in-law was surprised and "how slim my face looked" and a bit surprised I guess I didn't accept her heaping bowel of white rice I typically would eat for dinner.  "Jiji" was a bit disappointed I think I didn't partake in our usual downing of a gallon of sake each, although I did accept one small-glass of sake as kanpai night-cap.

Anyway, it's always good being back on home-ground and once back in Tokyo, met my friends Adam for an easy jog around the palace followed by an hour at the gym.  Exercises felt really good and my concentration is always better outside the house.  We're over the hump now with less than 40-days left and really want to attack this last portion of the program with renewed focus.  Actually found myself in a new "handle"on my bathroom scale today (as opposed to my typical "love-handles"), dipping into the 68kg range for the first time.   Doesn't sounds like much I know, but whenever you get a new mark on your scale, sort of makes you feel like a Roger Bannister... or I guess an Usain Bolt in today' world.

P.S. - I quietly replaced my "apple" at dinner tonight with a cut up "nashi"instead.  Typically referred to a Japanese "pair" but tastier and crunchier and a normal apple, plus my kids luv them.  Haven't officially run that one past P-Daddy Patrick yet but as he stresses, "go with the fruits that are in-season and you'll be fine!" Good training guys, speak soon.  -RP

Have a Nice %&#?!$ Day!!

Ever have one of those days when you're sort of pissed-off from the get-go and it only gets worse throughout the course of the day?  Wednesday was that sort of day for me, starting with a frustrating 50-minute wait / conversation at 5am with the sales rep from Continental airlines to straighten out my flight reservations.  When the system crashed and the guy asked for my credit card number for the fifth time, thought I'd almost had enough.

Fortunately I channelled the frustration into a focused 8-km run while listening to my latest audio-book, Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva (starting to get interesting halfway through).  Unlike my leisurely jog from a couple days earlier, I took longer strides and ran at a much quicker pace this time around.  A healthy breakfast (below) prepared lovingly by my wife Yumi and cool-down shower was followed by an utter shreak of horror from me as I discovered my 14-month old had lifted the lid of the toilet and was splashing joyfully in the water with his hands (yes, thankfully it had been flushed).  Another quick shower with him followed by a frustrating 40-minutes in front of the PC watching my stock portfolio tank again and then off to the immigration office zoo where after another 30-minute wait, I was told I would need like three other forms to complete my visa renewal.

As teammates in my PCP group know, I'm really not much of a cook - barely managing to get the shells of my hardboiled eggs.  I owe a big thanks to my wife who has been not only a quiet source of inspiration - encouraging me to give  up my sausage eating habit and also a source of freshly steamed vegetables throughout my meals.  Coming back from vacation last week, it was therefore with added zeal that I've gotten back into my workouts and even tried my hand making a wholewheat sandwich for lunch with tuna, one cut-up pickle and some lettuce.  Feeling emboldened, I tried the same dish on Wednesday, swapping out the pickle with some cut-up plums tomatoes that are deliciously in-season now.  Probably noticing the mess I was making in the kitchen, my wife quipped, "You're making those tuna sandwiches AGAIN?  You know they're not as low-calorie as everyone says they are..."

An innocent comment but after the morning I was having, I felt a sharp white of light explode in my head and remember thinking, "Why the heck do I need this stupid PCP thing?  It's not going to make much difference in the end anyway.  It's mid-August and 90-degrees in Tokyo, I should be out drinking Coronas with cut-up limes with my friends about now."   Long-story short, I just finished my sandwiches and headed to the gym to finish up my workout.   I'm still thinking about those Coronas though....

Day 46 - Feeling the PCP Groove

Mahalo amigos.  So, with last week's indulgence(s) behind me, back on my home turf for 3 days here in Tokyo and getting back into the routine.  With vegetables back in full-supply and easy to source, have had a big appetite and love the idea of "all you get eat veggies" at lunch.  I bought some whole-wheat bread at the super-market yesterday.  Wasn't cut to razor thin slices but enjoyed breaking it into smaller pieces and eating it with my steamed carrots, broccoli and onions.  I'll admit to being less than a purist and still need my Cesare salad or lemon-salad dressing to give it some of that artificial taste.

Residual jet-lag has meant I've been crashing at like 7pm at night with the kids but up before the crack of down, which in Tokyo terms means about 4:30am.  Tried Patrick's advice and went for a light 7km jog yesterday with just a cup of coffee in the belly.  You can almost feel the calories burning off but without any carbs, a bit fatigued as well, i.e. best intentions for 2x around the palace turned into just one as I ran outta gas and headed back for breakfast.  I did follow-up with the jump-rope session at noon and then our full PCP work-out.  Now that we're not counting jump-ropes anymore, (although I still find myself unconsciously doing so), find that I can bang out ~200reps without a miss.  Tried pull-ups with the wide-grip today and really liked that burn.

My goal this week is to really focus on the abs and lower back, still given too little attention.  I'm amazed my weight did not go up last week in Hawaii, still down 10% from my start weight to 69kg.  Still carrying visible extra baggage around the middle...feel like getting second wind of motivation to stick to the diet and do those V-sits.

Day 44 - Indulgence Complete

Hi guys.  Well, we're finally back after an awesome, weeklong family trip / brother's wedding in beautiful Hawaii - Oahu and the Big Island.  I'd been planning a few indulgent nights for the occasion - if I had to represent them all in one picture, it- would be the Mai Tai below.  A decadent, sweet drink with dark and light rum, lime juice, Curacao and sugar.  As un-PCP as it gets but I guess that's the point.  

Being back in the "States" again was fun and a bit interesting.  Had to smile...15-minutes off the plane waiting for my baggage - my bag of cut-up celery and carrot sticks that I was munching on was rudely snatched away from by a woman customs officer.  "We'll have none of that around here, sir."  I had prepared for the 7-hour flight to Hawaii with a lot of healthy food and fruit which worked out pretty well.  I will say that it's easy to go to sleep at 10:30pm feeling slightly hungry then being stuck on a plane where you can't fall asleep and have another 6-hours to go.  Probably one of those mental things.

From Oahu, we transferred to an inter-island Hawaii Air flight and made our way to the Fairmont Orchid Hotel which is where the wedding was.  After a cloudy, humid summer in Tokyo, it was refreshing to finally catch some good sunlight and dry air with blue-skys.  Sunsets were amazing.  We also saw some sea turtles and dolphins with the kids.  Played a round of golf at the Mauni Lani - cool volcanic rock formations marked the out-of-bounds territory and several of the holes bordered the ocean.  Fun.

The Mai-Tai indulgences aside, I will admit staying authentic PCP was challenging on the diet side but that my food choices overall were much better than they would have been say 6 weeks earlier.   In particular, one needs to really make efforts to get ample vegetable supply.  Fresh-fruit is awesome in Hawaii - specifically the mango, papaya and guava.  I was able to make it to the gym 6 out of the 7 days I was there for workouts ranging from 15 to 45mins each.  So with a fun week and several discretions notched on my belt, time to focus and hit it hard now for the second half of PCP.  Let's hit it!  -rp

Afternoon Delight

Ahhh, what would I do without my fresh plums and cut-up kiwi chunks - both of the green and golden variety?  With this week, I think I've finally kicked my afternoon sugar addiction at long last.  I've just finished my day's workout but still have to do my 8-minute abs cued up on the PC.  btw, how is everyone finding these one?  I can hang with the dude for like 30% of the time, then have to rest to let the burn recede.  Wow, it is a great workout I agree - one that I'll need "to work into".

So I've been pretty good on the dieting side and have yet to have my "indulgence night."  That will change soon - we're flying out tonight to the Big Island, Hawaii to attend my brother's wedding.  I'm his best man and it will a quiet, family occasion but plan on having a few special meals/drinks to celebrate the occasion.  It will be the first time in about a year that our family is getting together so really looking forward to it.   Have done most of the packing but will NOT forget to include my jump-rope and power-band.  Playing a beautiful golf-course out in Kona so will definitely let you guys know how that is.  

anyway, looks like my private Acqua-Jet 900- has pulled up, gotta roll....ciao until next week guys. -Rob

You're gonna eat lightin' and you're gonna crap thunder

One month "under the PCP belt" now, falling into more a regular, daily rhythm.  Biggest tactical error made two days ago when I tried to jump-rope AFTER the work-out which included Patrick's new leg regimen - big mistake.  The workouts do have a habit of sneaking up on you...passed out last night at 8:30pm with the kids.  Find myself able to "go hard" one day and then a little lighter the next day.  Was able to rally myself at 5:30am yesterday morning, go for a light 7km jog and then did my regular PCP routine in the afternoon.  Having the time to break up workouts into two separate components is really good.  Goal this week is to get into the 8-minute ab routine...made it as far as the crunches when the little guy jumped on my chest again.

Weight loss has slowed over the past week, find myself plateauing at 70 - 71kgs.  Hopefully muscle getting more toned though.  Will post my Week-4 pic today.  Still got ample excess baggage around gut but starting to see better definition in my chest and vascularity emerge in the biceps and forearms.  Better yet, clothes (esp shirts) are starting to fit better although I nearly lost a pair of my baggy shorts yesterday during the jump-rope session.  

Thanks to all my fellow PCPers for providing finer tips on getting the shells off hard-boiled eggs -)  Plan to soft-boil a bunch today...if I still prove too spastic on this simple task, there's always the classic Balboa  breakfast treat.  Salud!

In the Zone

A friend and I squeezed out for a late round of golf yesterday.  For those who know Japan, we played Glen Oaks Country Club which is about 15-minutes past Narita Airport.  Perhaps the first positive spill-over effects from PCP, but I was absolutely blasting my driver and long-irons yesterday for whatever reason.  Don't think it was added strength as much as it may have been from added flexibility and less body-mass around the mid-section allowing for better rotation.

Aside from one short I missed putt from 2.5 feet, it was the best half-round of golf I've ever had - shooting a score of 40 and hitting about 5-pars (which for self-professed "hacker" like me, is about as good as its going to get...-).  Our tee off time wasn't until 2:30pm so we played through...with only plums for lunch lost a bit of energy and concentration on the back-9, hitting one of my drives OB and notching a double-bogy on a par-3.  End result was a disappointing 46 on the back-9, so failing to break my personal best of 83 by 3 strokes.  Oh well, goals are supposed to be hard to accomplish so will need to work a bit harder to better the P/B in the coming weeks.  In any case, really felt in the "zone" yesterday and was a really awesome day which I'll chalk up to the PCP training to date.

More on personal goals:  I've seen some PCPers have put in goals of where they'd like to get their weight / body-fat percentage to by the end of the program.  As things in writing usually have more meaning, figured would post a few goals myself.  Weight wise - would think a 68kg from my 76kg starting point is a good weight to shoot for -the weight I had back in high-school senior year.  Agree with Patrick on the point that weight basically does not mean anything, should be more a function of how you look and feel.  So on this theme, would think a body-fat content of 15% is a challenging target to set by the end of three months versus my beginning percentage of 21%.  Let the games begin!

Pray for Peace

The senseless terrorist attacks that occurred over the weekend in Norway, with so many youngsters losing their lives, has made me so extremely sad and angry.  I offer my sincere condolences to all our Norwegian friends affected by these events and will pray for the people that so tragically lost their lives.

On the PCP front, the dieting is proceeding more smoothly now with the daily grams posted on the fridge for easy reference.  yesterday's spaghetti lunch (110g carb) with tomato sauce including large chunks of zuchhini and eggplant was tasty.  Realize that I'll probably need to swap out our normal pasta for something of a whole-grain variety that is less carb dense.  Does anyone have thoughts on this?

Work-outs feeling slowly stronger, albeit a bit "burnt out" the next morning.  Hopefully the feeling fades with more conditioning.  Was able to do a 7-6-5-4 pull-up set the other day, fast becoming my favorite exercise.  

Thanks, but no thanks Domino's

Armed with our new PCP diets this week, the big change was our carb content was dropped to "zero" for our evening meal.  Not sure about everyone else, but this was the first time I've legitimately felt hungry during the 3-week stint and actually went to sleep last night with hunger pangs.  Man, what a difference a 100-grams of carbs can make.  I actually like the slow iterative process of the diet...had I tried to go cold- turkey no-carbs from Day-1, I doubt I would have made it.

I've been weighing myself every morning.  Typically I'll "float" 200~300grams over night, last night without the carbs I actually fell by 500-grams to 72.3kg.  No pain, no gains sort of thing I guess.  Whereas it looks as though some of my stalwart Team Echo compatriots have already kicked their cravings (way to go!), I'd be lying if I said I was to that point yet.  I will say the physical addiction to have a beer or glass of wine at dinner when I come home has largely disipaited (ironically, thought that would be the toughest one to go).  Biggest cravings are still for something sweet and sugary in the afternoon hours, so this one is proving the toughest habit to shake.

Carbs I'd label as the second hardest to break, a'la the no-carb dinner intro last night.  With the wife away until later today, I'm at least proud to report that I resisted ordering my Spicy Deluxe Dominos large pie (sometime the Hawaiin Special) with thick crust and extra-sauce.  Had I not been on PCP now, I'm positive I would have ordered it and it's probably like 5-times over a nine-year period that I haven't ordered at least one pie in a month.  C'ya Dominos, throwing out your stupid coupon today, you don't deserve a place on the kitchen wall.  (Even though two days left to expiry, prob a safe precaution to throw it out before the wife gets home later...)

Yup, White Men Can't Jump

After yesterday's gym session, today's jump-roping day / rest-day was very welcome.  My entire body was sore and achy when I awoke this morning, a good sign I guess.  After ribbing Brent on his blog yesterday (just kiddin' man) for his lack of agility with the jump-rope, I must admit I was't much better at all today..basically sukked again. I guess the rhythm was just off and after about my 15th miss, ended up throwing down the jump rope on my balcony in disgust.  Felt guilty about two minutes later, put on my jogging shoes and went out for a light 4km jog.   As the typhoon has swept by in tokyo, it's nice and relatively cool now - actually perfect jogging weather.  On a very tangential note (but what links in to the title today), ended up renting a video last night with Ethan Hawke and Wesley Snipes called "Brooklyn's Finest" (about dirty cops chasing drug-pushers, really not that original); realized poking around on internet afterwards that our man Wesley is actually serving 3 years in the slammer for tax-evasion - ouch.

Wife and kids away so truly tried my "own hand" in the kitchen today.  Breakfast: one English muffin conveniently weighs exactly 70g; the carrots, burdock root and onions actually work out as a decent topping.  Lunch:  fried to fry up some daikon, carrots, onions and peppers for my rice allotment at lunch but they came out soggy (probably because I added a bit of water to the frying pan) and didn't taste too tasty on top my genmai even with pepper and a bit of dressing.  Carbs fly out the window from our dinner menus from here....we'll see how this experiment turns out.  anyone hungry yet?

Day 20 - Pull-ups, ouch...

Kids and wife left this afternoon for a long onsen weekend with the in-laws.  Sad to see them go but happy won't be tempted by the non-stop dinner courses and my father in-law's sake.

Weight seems to have stabilized around the 73-kg mark.  Diet at least this morning and lunch went well with broccoli, peppers and onions becoming my staple vegetables and plums, cherries, bannanas and kiwi the "go to" fruits.  Thought of buying some blueberries today in the supermarket but when I saw they wanted like 600-yen (~$8) for a small pack, gave it a pass.  Have been also getting into the mango recently - mixing either that or kiwi in with my diet yogurt.  I used to eat at least a bowel of cereal every day...cutting out that sugar now feels good.

I had a nice stretch at lunch for my yoga class.  Made it to the gym by 4:00 but was really hungry and forget to bring my fruit from home.  Weak moment - bought some chocolate covered biscuits from the Lawson convenience store and had about four from the pack before hitting thegym.  Not a great display of will-power but felt very drained and knew i wouldn't make it through the workout without a little sugar pick-up.  I'll need to plan the afternoon fruit sessions better from here.

Highlight of the gym was the pull-up session.  I remember doing loads of these when I was a kid but struggled today to complete my 3x5 pull-up sets.  I finished off with two sets of 8 of the inlined pulls which amounted to a nice stretch in the end.  Must have burned off some calories because still quite peckish after my PCP dinner and feel like scrounging around for more to munch on...heading to the watermelon now.  Look forward to a long jump rope session tomorrow.  -rp

Day 19 - Interval training better

As Patrick suggested in his e-mail that others may start to see changes as we approach 3-weeks, got my first "compliment" today.  Not exactly what I had in mind though, the compliment was from my 80-year grandpa / neighbor who commented "nawatobi ga jouzu desu ne" as I was jumping-rope inside the small parking lot by my apartment building.  Nevertheless a heart-felt gesture I'm sure, gladly accepted.

After the sub-standard workouts last weekend, I had a better day yesterday - doing my 75-minute hot yoga class at lunch and then heading over to my gym at 7:30pm where I completed the daily PCP circuit.  This time, I concentrated on keeping the time between sets to the minimum time and pushing the muscles to exhaustion.  Perhaps because we have a typhoon coming through in Tokyo, it was like 200% humidity which led to a good sweat and a bit of an aerobic work-out going too.  The nice thing about banging out sets in quick succession is that...surprise, surprise, you actually finish much faster and have time at the end for that last quirky exercise that one typically blows-off when on a tight schedule.

In terms of time managment, closing in on three weeks on PCP, I'm getting a bit closer to where I need to be.  I printed out and brought two of those menu sheets to the shop on Saturday to get laminated but have not picked them up yet.  Something for tomorrow's list.  It would be much better to plan out a few meals in advance instead of always living on the fly.  I did manage to get to the store today and bought an extra set of push-up bars and resistance band to keep at home.

The question thread thing is getting interesting as different group members weigh in with questions - this is really a big benefit about doing this sort of program in a group...Group Think? -)  Really though, eating tons of vegetables and fruits at least fills me up and stops and keeps me away from the fattening stuff.  Certainly cleans you out as well.  A picture of my half-eaten morning breakfast...fried peppers and onions on a piece of raisin bread;  kiwi and cherries on side...apologies if mish-mash sounds a bit gross.

PCP Rock Star - Brian Glazer

Uploading my Week-2 pics today for Patrick and the team to review.  Limited discernable physical difference at this point although the weight has declined from 76kg to 73kg this morning.  As I understand it, the first two weeks are mainly a loss of water and muscle weight so hopefully the fat loss begins to kick in as the evening carbs invariably come down over the coming weeks. 

That said, feeling stronger overall in terms of exercises, specifically on tri-related stuff like push-ups and dips.  Today being a national holiday in Japan (Sea Day), gym was closed and tried to get most of my exercises done in the home circuit.  For those with kids will understand, easier said than done with the 2 1/2 year old jumping playfully on my back after the third push-up and my one-year old sitting on my face (usually with a poopy diaper...) during the sit-up routine.  Enough excuses, gym opens for biz again tomorrow and will need to re-double my efforts with more attention planned on doing the exercises in tight routine with just prescribed amt of rest in between them.  I too am guilty of sending out e-mails / checking the Web in-between sets in the living room.  

As the diet routine has gotten tougher, have found myself searching for motivation vis-a-vis reading random blogs of a number of the earlier PCPers.  Yup, it's definitely inspiring to witness the proverbial before / after transformation of so many of the guys and to understand that they've lived through the same exact challenges we're experiencing today.  Also by chance ran into a friend and former colleague, Brian Glazer the other night who has made one of the most terrific transformations I've seen of anyone on the program ("The Foundation", check out his blog on the site).  Down over 20kgs from the time he started the program, has given up the Whopper Deluxes (I remember the lunch-time raids to Kanda BK with Eddie) and basically continuing the "healthy living" theme in an everyday, realistic context.  The biggest thing I noticed was aside from a normal waste-size, that Brian literally looked about 10-years younger from the time I knew him working on the desk.  An inspiration to me and will make me think twice before complaining about the hassle of banging out a few sets or crying about the lack of beer in the summer, because here's living proof that bigger feats can be accomplished through will-power. -rp

Ulysses and the Sirens

Last night my first "night out with the boys" since PCP training began two weeks ago.   Previously, good work-out with the exercises and tension bands at the gym.  Next - a short train ride to a yaki-niku restaraunt where I met my friends.  En-route, passed my favorite "M&M stand" in the subway followed by...what have my eyes seen...?   a new Krispy Kreme here in Tokyo (only knew of the one out in Shinjuku, this one in Akasaka).  Normal times, would have popped in for a glazed donut, or even better, one of the Boston Creams.  This time, was able to tune it out - and kept on my merry way. (peer pressure guys because I know you're watching - thanks!)

Two of the four guys at  dinner ordered draft beers - two of us ordered uron-tea.  Ended up having three teas over the course of dinner which suited me fine, and did not feel tempted.  The meat, not to mention the kimchee, was quite salty and I'm sure was over our official threshold.  That said, stayed away from rice and has a nice helping of salad and cooked mushrooms to balance things out.  All in all, not a bad experiment for my first social night out in a while.  Still doesn't' beat what I've been eating most nights at home...a big salad with broccoli and some fish (salmon) on top.

Thursday - just went for a light 5k jog today and did some stretches, push-ups and dips.  My calf has been twitching for a while, finally felt better.  PCP schedule gets tougher tomorrow - time to watch some British Open golf then go for the kip.  -rp

Cherry Bomb

Two excellent days in the gym here on Monday and Tuesday.  Feels like I'm starting to gain a bit of "core" strength on account of the cable work.  for kicks, tried a few straight-up pull-ups at the end of my workout (it's been years, and was tougher than I expected), but felt better today for the second time.  Weather has been steaming here in Tokyo (33 - 36 degrees C during day), and the added bit of sweat I suspect fools me into thinking I'm actually working harder  than I am -)

Slow progress on the weight-loss front --- trajectory seems less dramatic than that of other PCP team-members from what I can see in their Blogs.  From 76kg at the start of the program, I've come in to 73.8kg today but still really feel the extra fat around the middle.  Most evident when I do the jump-roping...big, heavy and not agile as I should be.

Temptations - the bright side is I've managed to circumvent the sugar-cravings over the past week which typically would hit me square in the stomach at 4:30pm, daily.  Snacking has been a major pit-fall of my dieting for a long time.  Managed to swap-out what was typically a bag of M&Ms or chocolate bar with some fresh cherries which worked like a dream (another Claudia idea).  That and a glass of skim-milk, makes the day more manageable.  Off now to cut up some vegetables in different shapes...have on my to do list to buy a pressure steamer tomorrow.  -RP

Day 10 - Dips, Soy Cafe, Fresh Tuna

First time "eating out" today - went with the family to the Soy Cafe around the corner for lunch.  Had the "tofu hamburger" set which was quite tasty.  Came with a "daikon" (Jpnse radish) salad, miso-soup, brown rice, okara (another soy extract) and small piece of carrot cake.  Felt quite surfeited afterwards -ended up giving the cake (which was the size of my thumbnail anyway) - to my 2 1/2 year old who loved it.  A bit embarrassing, but all this vegetable eating with beans etc. left me feeling like a methane tank all afternoon ("natural gas" as I tell my wife).  Hopefully just a transitory condition...will need to ask Patrick "off-line."

Solution for dips - discovered the wrought-iron chairs on my balcony work quite well.  Got in three sets while I was washing the deck with the kids in the pool.  Made it to my hot yoga class for 75-mins this afternoon - a nice stretch to finish the weekend.  felt good that the sweat was all natural, i.e. not the beer from the night before.

Dinner - more tofu, one-third -bowel of brown rice and Claudia's tuna, avocado and tomato salad - thanks for the recipe!   Also learnt out to use the body-fat counter on our bathroom scale -a whopping 21.5% - oh well, only one way to go from here.  -RP

Day 9 - Hey Captain America, that's my corn!

Just over a week into PCP and my best day yet on both the diet and the workout front.  My breakfast below consisting of a bagel (first time ever sans cream-cheese!), broccoli and tomato.  I add a few swirls of half-calorie lemon dressing to the broccoli to "enhance the edibility" of the veggies.  Realize that bagel calories high...just a matter of time before need to swap out for some whole-wheat toast etc...  Not pictured on my plate was a third of boiled corn on the cob piece...which mysteriously disappeared...?

Stolen in fact, I soon discovered, by "Captain America", my second little guy Takuya who recently turned one year old (and has recently himself discovered the joys of eating fresh corn within reach.)

After yesterday's lackluster performance in the gym, felt like I did a pretty good job of "making up" for it today -hitting ~90% of my exercises.  (The 10% missing was my inclined pull-up set...both Smith machines unfortunately occupied for the extent that I was out the gym, will need to find a natural work-around the house like some of my fellow PCPers have done).

Jump-roping - knocked out 500 skips in the yoga room in the gym.  Discovered that jumping while watching yourself in a big mirror is WAY easier than without, probably reduces your misses by like 30~40%. The result of a more efficient jump session is that you also finish your set also about 30% faster.  No doubt,  more pleasant experience / less painful but wonder if stable heart-rate is the aim, if measuring by time/ # of minutes perhaps the more "honest" way to go?

Tried the cable / rubber-band arm lifts today for first time.  Felt quite strained after only my first set of 12-reps...realized that my gym had three different "tensions" and this was the tightest one.  Eased on down a notch to the easier one...we're still "ramping up", right Patrick?

Tomorrow PCP work will contain some vegetable shopping and more importantly, some recipe look-ups on the Internet.  Nine days now without a drop of beer or wine, feel a smidge healthier.  -RP

Day 8 - Morning on the links

Woke up at 5am to pick up mate, James, for a round of golf.  Banged out push-ups and sit-ups, but unable to complete the rest of my sets...

Quickly scoffed down a bagel and 4 slices of tomato, which along with a cup of OJ, served as my morning breakfast.   Golf match started at 7:20am.  Because of long-drive, no warm-up time on the range and promptly sliced my first drive into the trees....ahhh.  The swing action fortunately improved from there, 47-front nine, 43-back nine.  Very cool island green as well - one-on, three-putt...ahhh again...

Lunch at the Clubhouse - stuck with a Ceasare Salad, small-bowel of clam chowder and one small piece of bread.  Resisted the temptation to order one of the "monster burgers" a heaping tray of chop-meat, bacon and toppings with fries.  Near-miss on a 1,500-calorie pitfall -)

Got home, took care of the squats.  Then was off to a farewell BBQ party for a teacher at my kid's school.  Tomorrow got to get my Week-1 picture updated...motivation for a better day in the gym and jump-rope.  meanwhile, Tokyo summer, steamy, humid and hot.  fortunately stunting the appetite.  -rp

Day 6 - Life in Veggie-Color

Desperately need to spruce up the vibrancy of the meals if this dieting is going to hold my attention going forward.   One day left to go before stricter weighing of all our meals kicks in, I'm sure this is still too much portion size.  Lovingly prepared by my wife Yumi, the small white dish in the blue bowel is of a Japanese mountain potato with some fish flakes on tip.

Also discovered that we've been using vegetable oil to cook, so will need to get the conversion going to "olive oil" today.  Still eating a bit of rice at dinner (suspect that's over my carb limit...) topped with vegetables and supplemented by miso-soup.   All in all feels healthy, but unsure as to whether this exceeds the weight limit.

Day 5: Ready to Rumble...

Took my 2 1/2 year son on a drive with me to Jinbocho where there are a bunch of sports outlets.  Went searching for a better jump-rope and ended up getting this Asics plastic type.  Also found this really cool Gel Kayano - this color a "reverse import" from the US back to Japan so you can't find them at the normal Asics shops.  Really nice dude at the store, he also sold me these support socks.  Looking fwd to trying the jumping now with a lighter rope!

Day 4 - The more you "sweat" in training

Slightly better day on both the training and diet front...met a buddy for breakfast at the American Club where I ordered the Eggs Benedict.  Ate only 1.5 of the two eggs, ordered a grape-fruit juice and threw out the fried potatoes that came with the dish.  Two cups of coffee, light milk.

Headed up to the gym by about 11:30 where worked on my exercises.  Got a good stretch going during the leg-lunges....realized it's quite good for ones balance as well.  Push-ups felt good, easier than the other days  as well as the sit-ups.

Thinking the light-breeze outside would help, decided to go for a jog around the palace from the gym in Akasaka.  Despite the breeze, turned out to be still a warm day and quite humid (tail end of rainy season here in Japan).  Total jog about 8k, but really started feeling it - esp. in my right calf...possibly b/c of the leg lunges, around halfway through.  Sweat pouring down my face, nearly laughed when then the guy on my I-phone audiobook about the Navy Seals started saying, "The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle."  Right....

Lunch - one plain yogurt and one plum.

Dinner- mish-mash of steamed broccoli, 2/3 a bowel of genmai rice, miso-soup, fried zucchini, chicken, small piece of salamon.  Desert - two biscuits.

Day 3 - Vegetable shopping

Loaded up on as much green vegetable stuff as I could fit in my green plastic basket in the little shop around the corner.   I made the mistake of not checking where all the stuff was grown first however.  My wife, understandably so, worried about Cesium and other radio-active particles in the broccoli and spinach was not happy.  Pledged to be more diligent next time - won't give any to the kids, just my PCP supply.

Breakfast:  1/2 kiwi cut up, one-cup of plain yogurt, one English muffin, lightly buttered, half-portion of sausage franks, two-cups of coffee with small skim-milk, fried onions, leeks and chives (too much salt though - need to cut down), one apple pastry -  freshly baked.

Lunch:  Half-sandwich (ham and cheese and tomato), half a basket of steamed broccoli with 1/2 calorie lemon sauce, water, two small biscuits

Dinner:  Chinese food - half portion of broiled gyoza, mabo-dofu, fried leeks,  half portion (half bowel) of vegetable ramen, one cup plain yogurt, two plain biscuits

Workout - felt sore in the chest from the handle-bar push-ups yesterday.  Sunday generally our day with the kids and honestly not my best work-out day.  Plan to hit the gym hard and early tomorrow.  -RP

Body Pic - PCD Day 2

Weight:  76kg....ughhuuugly

Greetings Team Echo

Hi guys - look forward to blogging and completing this three month journey with you guys!  Best, robby p