Monday, January 31, 2011
Days 15 - 17
On Saturday we went to the wedding ceremony/party I had mentioned Friday night: awful diet-wise I must report. The rites and chants went on and on for nearly 5 hours. Therefore, I skipped the morning snack and had a very laaate lunch and a very loooong headache. I had a chicken sandwich I brought to the wedding in my lunchbox and opted for the veggies served at the wedding. I have to say it was all delicious. Just to remind you, it was a vegetarian menu prepared by class A cooks. I know there was some salt in what I ate, but not too much. And there was perhaps more olive oil than I wanted, specially bacause I have almost given up using oil since starting the PCP. What amazed me was my heightened palate, a kind of superpower to differentiate ingredients and flavours with every bite in a way that most probably resembles what babies go through when they are introduced to solids. I say this based on the faces of disgust, repulsion, delight and extasis that our baby boy Antonio makes when he tries something new.
I'm feeling better and lighter with the adjusted diet for week 3. These are meals I can actually finish and it feels good to know you are not completely full but satisfied.
I'll say something about the week 3 photo, perhaps connecting things that aren't so directly interconnected: this morning when I uploaded the weekly photo I noticed physical changes starting to show (less fat, muscles starting to surface -despite to not too favourable light-, pointier cheekbones). But most of all I noticed a radical change in posture and a different attitude in my facial expression. I've tried to make the same face every week, but somehow the lens is also capturing how this new expression unswathes and reveals a more relaxed, less tense, not tired, better looking and stronger person. I am projecting here, of course, but I'm also surprised that some of this can be captured by a plain photo.
On to the workouts: I'm becoming more and more efficient in keeping the times right. Da vicncis are beginning to become possible and today's pull-ups were utterly frustrating. So I decided that from now on every time I enter and every time I leave the bathroom (the bar is anchored to the bathroom's door), I will do one pull-up. I hope this will help me gain some extra strength to soon be able to do the sets as required. This morning I just could't. I could do two and then fell to the ground. So I opted for the inclined pull-ups, which are more doable but still very hard. As far as "burning muscles" goes, the feeling is present with almost all exercises with the sad exception of the rowing. Something most of you are also reporting. So I tried sitting as far back as possible from the vertice of the band and to do the motion as slowly as I could. It was certainly harder but still too easy. Next time I'll try doing more reps and if that doesn't work, I will consider getting myself a harder band just for this.
I'll finish the already long post by sharing with you that my parents came over for lunch yesterday. Dad, a physisician specialised in diabetes and naturally curious to check the scientific validity of the PCP, was blown by the whole thing. He praised the PCP approach to nutrition, was surprised that in less than two weeks I was able to go from the Day 1 workout to the Day 16 workout. He read some of Patrick's e-mails explaining things about diet, the three statages of muscle growth, etc, and was really excited. So Patrick, who knows, maybe there is a future "customer". OK, I know this might sound irrelevant to you. I certainly don't need my dad's approval since I was a boy and none of you really care whether a doctor endorses what we are doing. But the truth is he did give me a very simple explanation about type 2 diabetes and said that if one wanted to understand the biology behind eating, there was one hormone everyone should know all about: insulin. I will just say one enticing fact to encourage you all to make your own inquiries: insulin is, as opposed to all other hormones, is a hormone in charge of preserving energy. Knowing how this works made me appreciate even more the benefits of the PCP diet and exercises. If there comes a moment of doubt along the 90 days (it hasn't so far), I'll try to remember my dad's explanation about insulin and diabetes, among other important stuff we have all been learning from Patrick and ourselves.
I'm feeling better and lighter with the adjusted diet for week 3. These are meals I can actually finish and it feels good to know you are not completely full but satisfied.
I'll say something about the week 3 photo, perhaps connecting things that aren't so directly interconnected: this morning when I uploaded the weekly photo I noticed physical changes starting to show (less fat, muscles starting to surface -despite to not too favourable light-, pointier cheekbones). But most of all I noticed a radical change in posture and a different attitude in my facial expression. I've tried to make the same face every week, but somehow the lens is also capturing how this new expression unswathes and reveals a more relaxed, less tense, not tired, better looking and stronger person. I am projecting here, of course, but I'm also surprised that some of this can be captured by a plain photo.
On to the workouts: I'm becoming more and more efficient in keeping the times right. Da vicncis are beginning to become possible and today's pull-ups were utterly frustrating. So I decided that from now on every time I enter and every time I leave the bathroom (the bar is anchored to the bathroom's door), I will do one pull-up. I hope this will help me gain some extra strength to soon be able to do the sets as required. This morning I just could't. I could do two and then fell to the ground. So I opted for the inclined pull-ups, which are more doable but still very hard. As far as "burning muscles" goes, the feeling is present with almost all exercises with the sad exception of the rowing. Something most of you are also reporting. So I tried sitting as far back as possible from the vertice of the band and to do the motion as slowly as I could. It was certainly harder but still too easy. Next time I'll try doing more reps and if that doesn't work, I will consider getting myself a harder band just for this.
I'll finish the already long post by sharing with you that my parents came over for lunch yesterday. Dad, a physisician specialised in diabetes and naturally curious to check the scientific validity of the PCP, was blown by the whole thing. He praised the PCP approach to nutrition, was surprised that in less than two weeks I was able to go from the Day 1 workout to the Day 16 workout. He read some of Patrick's e-mails explaining things about diet, the three statages of muscle growth, etc, and was really excited. So Patrick, who knows, maybe there is a future "customer". OK, I know this might sound irrelevant to you. I certainly don't need my dad's approval since I was a boy and none of you really care whether a doctor endorses what we are doing. But the truth is he did give me a very simple explanation about type 2 diabetes and said that if one wanted to understand the biology behind eating, there was one hormone everyone should know all about: insulin. I will just say one enticing fact to encourage you all to make your own inquiries: insulin is, as opposed to all other hormones, is a hormone in charge of preserving energy. Knowing how this works made me appreciate even more the benefits of the PCP diet and exercises. If there comes a moment of doubt along the 90 days (it hasn't so far), I'll try to remember my dad's explanation about insulin and diabetes, among other important stuff we have all been learning from Patrick and ourselves.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Day 14
So I stopped by the deli a couple of hours ago, thinking that perhaps I'd find salt-free, smoked turkey breast. I asked the lady to give me a thin slice to taste it and I was shocked! It was like putting a spoonful of salt in my mouth. Of course, I didn't buy it. Good for me and not too good for my friends coming over for some PCP sandwiches tonight.
Tomorrow my wife and I are attending a wedding. The couple are vegetarians, but still I'm trying to come up with a sneaky way of taking along my lunchbox. The thin slice of turkey breast (really, it wasn't thicker than 2 mm) has made me scared of salt. I'm not saying I will commit to a salt-free life, but this little experiment made me realize how much things have changed in my body chemistry over the past two weeks.
I'll toss a question about salt in the weekly question threat. And if I may suggest so, go ahead and put a few grains of salt in your tong, you'll see what I mean.
It is unlikely that I will be posting anything this weekend. My wife will most certainly take the weekly picture before heading off to the wedding party. I'll upload it on Monday and say more about how it goes with the new diet.
Wish you all a good weekend!
Tomorrow my wife and I are attending a wedding. The couple are vegetarians, but still I'm trying to come up with a sneaky way of taking along my lunchbox. The thin slice of turkey breast (really, it wasn't thicker than 2 mm) has made me scared of salt. I'm not saying I will commit to a salt-free life, but this little experiment made me realize how much things have changed in my body chemistry over the past two weeks.
I'll toss a question about salt in the weekly question threat. And if I may suggest so, go ahead and put a few grains of salt in your tong, you'll see what I mean.
It is unlikely that I will be posting anything this weekend. My wife will most certainly take the weekly picture before heading off to the wedding party. I'll upload it on Monday and say more about how it goes with the new diet.
Wish you all a good weekend!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Day 13
Week two coming to an end. I take pride in my self discipline because to be honest it's been a decade or more since I worked out two weeks in the row and kept a healthy and consisten diet. More than pride, I feel I'm enjoying myself. So far the hardest part has been squeezing in all the cooking in my routine. I haven't really felt tempted to eat any sweets or add any salt. A cold beer would be fantastic, but so far coffee, tea and water are enough. The feeling that meals are enormous remains and I have to report a zero weight loss since week one was over.
This morning I kept a close watch on breaks during the workout. I did feel a lot more burning in the muscles than in previous days.
As far as stimulus, growth and rest goes, I'd say that having a 1-year old in the house makes it difficult to guarantee long and deep sleep. But it's very good to feel the contrast: before PCP started, I used to wake up exhausted. I'm not necessarily sleeping more now than I did before, but thanks to the exercise and diet I'm waking up with a lot of energy that usually lasts through the day.
If I had time, I would definitely have a nap after lunch... I'll make time.
This morning I kept a close watch on breaks during the workout. I did feel a lot more burning in the muscles than in previous days.
As far as stimulus, growth and rest goes, I'd say that having a 1-year old in the house makes it difficult to guarantee long and deep sleep. But it's very good to feel the contrast: before PCP started, I used to wake up exhausted. I'm not necessarily sleeping more now than I did before, but thanks to the exercise and diet I'm waking up with a lot of energy that usually lasts through the day.
If I had time, I would definitely have a nap after lunch... I'll make time.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Day 12
I feel I'm eating so much that it occured to me today during lunch, as I chewed my vegetables, that PCP secretly stands for Pig Condition Project. The thought vanished less than an hour later as the bloating sensation faded and Patrick's note on muscle stimulus raised the flag in my mind that I'm not being as rigorous as perhaps I should in keeping track of the rest times during workouts. Good to have a license to curse from now on.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Fine tuning the rope
I was thinking this morning, as my rope slapped the floor passing under my feet, that this is actually a one-string musical instrument.
Day 11
I could do 150 jumps without stopping. My record so far. I hope I can do 250 by the end of next week. The da vincis are painful and few. It takes me a lot of time to complete them, as well as the front shoulder extensions. Other than that, I was very satisfied with the workout this morning. It seems to be flowing more efficiently as the days go by. The diet is also improving. However, yesterday's lunch was really depressing. I had a tasteless fish, a vomit-textured polenta and a dense jungle of vegetables. However, I took a look at Patrick's own blog when he did the PCP for the first time, I took note of the many recipes reported by members of the team and paid careful attention to today's question time video. All very helpful and inspiring to get better and more efficient at cooking, as well as to make the cooking and eating an enjoyable activity. I'm being careful with the amounts and even though after each meal I feel tired and about to burst, the sensation goes away quickly. I hope this means that the metabolic system is doing its job as it should because otherwise I'm intrigued to know how loosing weight is feasible at this eating rate. I went through all of your posts yesterday (praxis team) and was very happy to notice that we are all going through very similar experiences and overall doing well.
Wish you all a good night's sleep.
Wish you all a good night's sleep.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Day 8-10
Big changes this weekend, wouldn't you agree? Sure we are not supposed to take any pride in the pounds we've lost during week one, but it is certainly encouraging to see everybody reporting they occupy less space in the universe. I myself lost two kilos. The weekly photo somehow fails to reflect this big change I report subjectively, but accurately shows a mild shrinkage of my chest and a mildly thiner face.
That said, I think today (day10) I understood why Patrick said not to take any pride in the lost weight of the first week. I feel that if last week there wasn't much problem eating half, this week I'm starting to find it very hard to eat the prescribed amounts. It's like eating twice what I ate before starting the PCP! And of course, that vertiginous, counter clockwise trajectory of the needle of the bathroom scale halted! I'm steady on 75, which means I'm not putting up weight. I find it weird to eat that amount of vegetables for breakfast. This morning I felt a little nauseous and couldn't clear the plate. The workouts are coming along, except for the inclined pull ups and the da vincis. I can do sets of 3 or 4 inclined pull ups, which means that instead of doing three sets, I have to do four in order to finish. And I cannot do 10 da vincis in a row (only 6 or 7), which means an extra set right there as well.
The jumps are coming along fine. A former PCPr, Sean, commented on my previous post that I should share any advise as he remembered that rope jumping was often frustrating for him and might be for some of you. That was very flattering but I am by no means proficient (neither at rope jumping nor at giving advise). I can tell you that it is useful to keep your wrists always at the same height from the ground and distance from your body. I also think that as you get tired, the rope trips down in your feet, which I compensate by looking at a fixed point and keeping my chin up. The length of the rope is also very important. Mine is a bit longer than it should. I was told by a friend that you should step on the rope and bring up the hadles up all the way to your sternum. Above that point, the rope will be too long for you.
My wife and I are having fun cooking a lot. Yesterday we put some whole peppers, eggplants and red onions directly on the BBQ until they were black. Then we peeled them and the taste was fantastic. This is a great tip for cooking a lot of veggies all at once without loosing their flavour and then conveniently store them in the refrigerator. So go ahead and try it! The eggplants almost become like a natural butter spread.
Last but not least, another psychological trick I'm determined to try. Yesterday I said to myself, OK, since you were never in the army, you are going to do the PCP as if you were in your own military service. You will not question authority and you will be obedient to not get in trouble. Maybe that's being too hard on myself, but for those of you who are prone to self endulgement like I am, giving yourself a categoric command might do the trick to keep you away from a cold beer and stuck in your chair until you finish your PCP meal.
That said, I think today (day10) I understood why Patrick said not to take any pride in the lost weight of the first week. I feel that if last week there wasn't much problem eating half, this week I'm starting to find it very hard to eat the prescribed amounts. It's like eating twice what I ate before starting the PCP! And of course, that vertiginous, counter clockwise trajectory of the needle of the bathroom scale halted! I'm steady on 75, which means I'm not putting up weight. I find it weird to eat that amount of vegetables for breakfast. This morning I felt a little nauseous and couldn't clear the plate. The workouts are coming along, except for the inclined pull ups and the da vincis. I can do sets of 3 or 4 inclined pull ups, which means that instead of doing three sets, I have to do four in order to finish. And I cannot do 10 da vincis in a row (only 6 or 7), which means an extra set right there as well.
The jumps are coming along fine. A former PCPr, Sean, commented on my previous post that I should share any advise as he remembered that rope jumping was often frustrating for him and might be for some of you. That was very flattering but I am by no means proficient (neither at rope jumping nor at giving advise). I can tell you that it is useful to keep your wrists always at the same height from the ground and distance from your body. I also think that as you get tired, the rope trips down in your feet, which I compensate by looking at a fixed point and keeping my chin up. The length of the rope is also very important. Mine is a bit longer than it should. I was told by a friend that you should step on the rope and bring up the hadles up all the way to your sternum. Above that point, the rope will be too long for you.
My wife and I are having fun cooking a lot. Yesterday we put some whole peppers, eggplants and red onions directly on the BBQ until they were black. Then we peeled them and the taste was fantastic. This is a great tip for cooking a lot of veggies all at once without loosing their flavour and then conveniently store them in the refrigerator. So go ahead and try it! The eggplants almost become like a natural butter spread.
Last but not least, another psychological trick I'm determined to try. Yesterday I said to myself, OK, since you were never in the army, you are going to do the PCP as if you were in your own military service. You will not question authority and you will be obedient to not get in trouble. Maybe that's being too hard on myself, but for those of you who are prone to self endulgement like I am, giving yourself a categoric command might do the trick to keep you away from a cold beer and stuck in your chair until you finish your PCP meal.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Day 7: 500 jumps not hard at all
Good morning guys. So instead of bragging about finishing the 500 jumps this morning without difficulties (in the end 5 sets of 100 is almost the same as 5 sets of 70), I want to tell you about last night's dinner party.
Our guests: to safeguard their identities Mr. P and his wife Ms. L. Ms. L is a former PCPeer and the one to blame for triggering my curiosity about this program in the first place.
That said, the menu: vermicelli with a rather dry sauce of black truffles (tartufo neri), half an onion, one clove of garlic and a couple of grounded veal sausages, all topped with shaves of Parmesan cheese. Quite a delicacy, right? I must confess I felt disquieted to see half an already modest portion served before me while I saw Mr. P, Ms. L, and my wife, dipping deep into the depths of the pot, as if on an archeological mission, to bring to the surface every last bit of truffle. Half a glass of wine did not seem to bother me.
So I thought that if I was going to eat half, a good idea was to eat twice as slow as the rest. The trick worked and we finished more or less at the same time. Except for Mr. P, whose plate was enormous. When he was done, he said to me, "see how solidarious I was with you?"' "how's that?" said I, to which he very humorously and cynically replied, "well, I usually take seconds, but since you're eating half, I opted to serve myself what I would eat all at once".
There was some left over after our guests left. And as I was storing it in a plastic container, I could almost hear the truffle bits whispering "eat us, eat us, don't leave us freezing to death in that cold cage full of vegetables".
I showed no mercy to the pasta left overs and went to bed. DAY 6 COMPLETE!
Back to this morning, the 500 jumps were actually not as easy as I said in the beginning. But they were doable and I know that if Day 8 calls for another 500 + more demanding workout, I'll be able to pull through.
Good day to all of you, and do check out this TED talk by an 11-year old boy on the food system. It is moving how stronger and educating a message becomes when it isn't conveyed by an adult.
Our guests: to safeguard their identities Mr. P and his wife Ms. L. Ms. L is a former PCPeer and the one to blame for triggering my curiosity about this program in the first place.
That said, the menu: vermicelli with a rather dry sauce of black truffles (tartufo neri), half an onion, one clove of garlic and a couple of grounded veal sausages, all topped with shaves of Parmesan cheese. Quite a delicacy, right? I must confess I felt disquieted to see half an already modest portion served before me while I saw Mr. P, Ms. L, and my wife, dipping deep into the depths of the pot, as if on an archeological mission, to bring to the surface every last bit of truffle. Half a glass of wine did not seem to bother me.
So I thought that if I was going to eat half, a good idea was to eat twice as slow as the rest. The trick worked and we finished more or less at the same time. Except for Mr. P, whose plate was enormous. When he was done, he said to me, "see how solidarious I was with you?"' "how's that?" said I, to which he very humorously and cynically replied, "well, I usually take seconds, but since you're eating half, I opted to serve myself what I would eat all at once".
There was some left over after our guests left. And as I was storing it in a plastic container, I could almost hear the truffle bits whispering "eat us, eat us, don't leave us freezing to death in that cold cage full of vegetables".
I showed no mercy to the pasta left overs and went to bed. DAY 6 COMPLETE!
Back to this morning, the 500 jumps were actually not as easy as I said in the beginning. But they were doable and I know that if Day 8 calls for another 500 + more demanding workout, I'll be able to pull through.
Good day to all of you, and do check out this TED talk by an 11-year old boy on the food system. It is moving how stronger and educating a message becomes when it isn't conveyed by an adult.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Day 6: backwards induction
Here's a game I learnt back in college from a professor of economics. It's called 'race to 20' and should be played between two contenders. The idea is to take turns counting the digits from 1 to 20. The one who gets to 20 first, wins the game. There is one simple rule: when it is your turn to count, you can advance one or two digits. So for example, if I say "one"' you can say "two" or "two, three". If you apply a very simple formula, you will realise that if you want to win the game, the winning digits are 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20. In other words, by reasoning backwards, you can win the game well before it ends by making sure you call the right digits as early in the game as possible. This came to my mind when thinking about PCP as a 'race to 90'. Not sure if this thought is useful or if I'm just boring you. But it helps me to visualise 'victory', as well as to understand the meaning of every day's training.
Today rope jumping felt more like a mantra than just plain excersise.
Today there was no salt or oil added to my meals and food tasted different but delicious.
Today Maria said she would jump with me every morning and do some leg ups.
And today I felt the mind (which I think is just a brain function) taking over!
Today rope jumping felt more like a mantra than just plain excersise.
Today there was no salt or oil added to my meals and food tasted different but delicious.
Today Maria said she would jump with me every morning and do some leg ups.
And today I felt the mind (which I think is just a brain function) taking over!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Day 5
No sore muscles or pain today! And I know that big changes don't happen over night, but I can report without shed of doubt that I feel charged with a kind and quantity of energy I hadn't experienced in years. I'm also quite certain that some fat was melted off over the past five days. Nothing that should be noticeable in the upcoming week-2 photo, but enough to know that big and rewarding changes are ahead. One interesting thing is that although diet instructions for week one state that we should eat what we eat, except half of what we normally eat, I am finding myself eating healthier foods and not just less food.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Days 3 and 4
The slight increase of 10 jumps makes a huge difference. After day 2 I was worried, very worried, about my cardiovascular condition. I thought I wasn't going to be able to complete the day 3 routine and, to my own surprise, not only was I able to finish but I also felt my heart and lungs were more resistant. I was also feeling a lot of pain in my feet and my leg muscles, but after the workout I felt the tension eased almost completely. This morning, however, I woke up in pain again. I saw the 1 extra set of pushups and felt happy since this is so far my favourite. This morning I felt I gained speed at the rope! After jumping, the tension in my legs went away. I couldn't do the lunges without breaks and the last pushup took all my energy and strength. Abs were less painful.
Food-wise I'm also quite impressed to see the experiment working. So far I've had no problem with eating half what I used to. I know Patrick's prediction that after day four things get more demanding in this regard, will surely hit me. But by today I feel ready to accept and overcome this mental challenge.
I do want to know more about coffee, tea and water. I usually have a large cup of black coffee without sugar every morning, and then during the day, I'm served water and tea in my desk. Should I also cut this in half?
By the way, I quite like Praxis as the name of our team, but of course I'm also looking forward to a democratic call on this one.
I wish you all a good week!
Food-wise I'm also quite impressed to see the experiment working. So far I've had no problem with eating half what I used to. I know Patrick's prediction that after day four things get more demanding in this regard, will surely hit me. But by today I feel ready to accept and overcome this mental challenge.
I do want to know more about coffee, tea and water. I usually have a large cup of black coffee without sugar every morning, and then during the day, I'm served water and tea in my desk. Should I also cut this in half?
By the way, I quite like Praxis as the name of our team, but of course I'm also looking forward to a democratic call on this one.
I wish you all a good week!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Day 1 and 2
After buying the rope and handle I had told you about, I got home and found Patrick's Day 1 message in my mail box. It was 5pm my time and therefore I had to decide whether to make Day 1 of my PCP the 14th or the 15th of January. Since I had had a rather light breakfast and a normal lunch, I went for it right away.
The first thing the positively impressed me was that I actually remembered how to jump-rope. I can't locate a clear memory in my head of the last time I'd done it, but I can certainly say it must have been sometime during high school.
The second thing that impressed me was how atrophied my legs were. They felt heavy and hurt a lot; specially after the squats.
I was able to finish Day 1 and Day 2 trainings. I'm enjoying the push-ups a lot but I'm worried about my cardiovascular poor condition. I hope it will improve over the following weeks.
This morning, Maria made me a delicious breakfast: one egg omelet with dried tomatoes and low-fat cheese, one 8-cereal toast, half a glass of black-berry juice and a full sized cup of black coffee.
Are there any limitations to coffee? Should I also cut the caffeine intake in half?
The first thing the positively impressed me was that I actually remembered how to jump-rope. I can't locate a clear memory in my head of the last time I'd done it, but I can certainly say it must have been sometime during high school.
The second thing that impressed me was how atrophied my legs were. They felt heavy and hurt a lot; specially after the squats.
I was able to finish Day 1 and Day 2 trainings. I'm enjoying the push-ups a lot but I'm worried about my cardiovascular poor condition. I hope it will improve over the following weeks.
This morning, Maria made me a delicious breakfast: one egg omelet with dried tomatoes and low-fat cheese, one 8-cereal toast, half a glass of black-berry juice and a full sized cup of black coffee.
Are there any limitations to coffee? Should I also cut the caffeine intake in half?
Friday, January 14, 2011
Day 0
I might be getting ahead of myself, but since it's obvious there will be a lot of rope jumping and push ups, I took a small trip to the sports shop near my house and bought the handles and the rope. A very cool, boxing styled, leather rope with wooden handles.
So Patrick and Chen, ready when you are! :)
So Patrick and Chen, ready when you are! :)
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