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!