day 11

intake
breakfast: shake (200 calories)
snack 1: apple (47 calories)
lunch: 3 piece chicken thigh (360 calories)
snack 2: high protein cereal bar (140 calories)
dinner: 4 oysters (60 calories), baby green salad (80 calories), 14oz filet mignon (550 calories), 1/4 chocolate chip ice cream sandwich (150 calories), 4 glasses of wine (360 calories)
late night: shake (160 calories)

total: 1,967 (a little high, but wateva!)

workout
30 min cardio on treadmill
120 ab crunches
3x10 leg press at 170lb (machine)
3x10 chest press at 90lb (machine)

day 9

thanks to larry's "sales-pitch" about the need to eat carbs, i quite easily caved in tonight and actually ate a whole sweet potato .... serious carb-bomb, but ooooh mama! ... was that the best sweet potato i've ever had!! ... (ok, really, there was no pitch, just cut me some slack alright?) ... i just couldn't stand the "0 carb" diet any longer ... for the past 2 days, sitting at my desk staring at the fruit is driving me crazy ...

anyway, here's today's intake

breakfast: 3 eggs (240 calories)
snack 1: beef jerky (100 calories)
lunch: thai basil turkey and salad (350 calories)
snack 2: beef jerky (100 calories)
snack 3: high protein cereal bar (140 calories)
dinner: sashimi (250 calories), sweet potato (90 calories), brocoli (40 calories); soy milk (80 calories)
after workout snack: whey protein (80 calories); 12 almonds (96 calories)

total: 1566 calories (great success!)

morning exercise
30 min cardio on treadmill
5 min stretch (had to leave early for my morning call)

evening exercise
15 min warm-up on elliptical
4x10 70lb assisted pull-ups
4x10 row on 60lb
4x10 bicep curls on 20lb machine
144 ab mixed crunch exercise
30 min cardio on elliptical (6x30 sec HIIT with 5 min intervals)
5 min stretch

day 8: going on "0 carb" diet

whoever voted that "johnny should have 6 pack by now" ... as much as i'd like to prove you're right, i hate to dissapoint you but i'm not that far off from day 0 ... maybe shaved a little fat off me bellies, but me 6 pack is still tucked away, hibernating somewhere ...

this is why, for the next 2 days (today and tomorrow) i'm going on "no carb" diet (according to larry, this means less than 50g of carb a day) ... i just learned that this also means i can't eat fruit (high in carbs) ... normally, this wouldn't be a problem as i drink a lot of sugar-intoxicated drinks (coffee, non-diet soft-drinks, and artificial juices) making fruit taste quite sour to me ...

but since i've cut down on sugar in the last week, i've gotten to like the natural sweet taste of apples and other fruit ... however, before i knew i was going on this diet ... i thought i was making a smart move by going to the grocery store to buy bags of bananas and apples ... they now sit on my desk at work taunting me! ... dang-it!! ...

sticking to meats and veggies ... as much as i like red meat, this is a royal pain-in-me-behind! ...

intake
breakfast: 4 egg omelet, spinach, quacamole (400 calories)
snack 1: beef jerky (100 calories)
lunch: 3 skinless chicken thighs (360 calories)
snack 2: beef jerky (100 calories)
dinner: sirloin filet (300 calories), chicken sausage (150 calories)
after workout: whey protein shake (120 caolories), 10 almonds (80 calories)

total: 1610 calories (not bad)

workout
10 min elliptical warmup
4X10 overhead press on machine
4X10 shoulder raises
4X10 ab crunches
4X10 leg press
4X10 lunges
30 min cardio on bike (30 sec HIIT, 2 min intervals)
12X10 leg raises
4X10 ab crunches (bicycles)
10 in stretch

day 7

intake
pre-workout snack 1: berries and banana shake (200 calories)
brunch: spinach & bacon 3-egg omelet (400 calories)
snack 2: high protein peanut butter cereal bar (140 calories)
snack 3: high protein peanut butter cereal bar (140 calories)
snack 4: berries and banana shake (200 calories)
dinner: thai basil turkey, arugula salad, guacamole (500 calories)
after workout snack 5: whey protein shake with wheat germs (150 calories)

total: 1,730 (pretty good!)

morning workout:
30 min cardio on treadmill
20 min cardio on stairmaster
10 min stretch

evening workout:
20 min cardio on elliptical (6X30 sec HIIT, 2 min intervals)
300 Workout Day 0 Test Run
- 7 pull-ups
- 50 pushups
- 15 box jumps with a 24-inch box
- 3 floor wipers at 135 pounds
- 5 pull-ups
2X10 incline press at 35lbs and 2X10 incline press at 40lbs
2X10 dips
2X10 back lifts at 40lbs
4X15 sec ab exercise (forgot name)
10 min stretch

video of my day 0 300 challenge to come ... also, those who haven't heard about the 300 challenge, please visit (http://www.larrychi.net/tagged/300)

day 6

intake
pre-workout snack 1: banana, strawberry, soy shake (140 calories)
breakfast: spinach & bacon 3-egg omelet (400 calories)
snack 2: apple (47 calories)
snack 3: banana, strawberry, soy shake (140 calories)
dinner: basil turkey, arugula salad (450 calories)
late night snack 4: banana, berries, soy shake (200 calories)

total: 1,377 calories (hm ... a little too low, but better than overshooting)

morning workout
30 min cardio on treadmill
30 min cardio on bike
10 min stretch

evening workout
10 min warm-up on elliptical
2X10 press with 35lb and 2X10 press with 50 lb
4X10 flies with 25 lb
4X10 skullcrushers with 55lb
30 min cardio on elliptical
10 min stretch
12X10 ab crunches (bicycle)
6x10 ab (leg lifts)

day 5

flying back from the east coast today, i gained 3 hours ... so it's only natural that i consumed more snacks on the plane to keep myself from starving (hence prevents binge eating) ... unfortunately, it backfired and i ended up snacking quite frequently and my calorie count ended up higher than i had expected ...

Today's intake
Pre-workout snack 1: banana (62 calories)
Breakfast: 3 eggs (240 calories), 1/2 bacon (100 calories), Mellon/cantelope (75 calories), 1/2 OJ (24 calories)
Snack 2: beef jerky (45 calories)
Lunch: crabcake sandwich (~300 calories?), steamed veggies (~80 calories?), mash potatoes (190 calories)
Snack 3: banana (62 calories)
Snack 4: high protein PB cereal bar (140 calories)
Snack 5: beef jerky (200 calories)
Snack 6: high protein PB cereal bar (140 calories)
dinner: sirloin filet (250 calories); spinach/arugula/olive salad (50 calories); shake (1 cup soy milk, 2 strawberries, 1/2 banana) (140 calories)

total: 2,098 calories (ok, a little more than i had hoped)

Morning workout 30 min cardio on treadmill
10 min stretch

Evening workout
none, 24 hr fitness was closed! damn it!

Sent from my iPhone

day 4: "intrunets tekkemology iz niiice"

google is taking over the world! ... no doubt ... they say that google just made a gazillion dollar offer to buy NASA from the US government to build the first space travel machine capable of time travel through the internet ... microsoft responded by saying this will destroy the space-time continuum so they are now diligently working on the next version of windows, vista 1.0000001 ...

alrigh, for serious ...

google's pretty amazing ... everything i use over the internet now is pretty much created by google ... gmail, picasa, earth/map, health, blogger and now i've even copied a snippet of html code from google analytics to monitor my blog site traffic ... this application is sick!!! ...

alright, here's today's summary

pre-run snack 1: banana (62 calories)
breakfast: 2 egs (160 calories), PB toast (270 calories), 1/2 bacon (100 calories), 1/2 OJ (24 calories)
snack 2: beef jerky (45 calories)
lunch: chirashi (500 calories), 1/2 captain crunch roll (250 calories)
snack 3: high protein peanut butter cereal bar (140 calories)
snack 4: apple (47 calories)
dinner: beef negimaki, grilled vegetables, 1/2 bowl of rice (estimating 600 calories)
snack 5: apple (47 calories)

total: 2,245 calories (oops!)

morning exercise
20 min cardio on eliptical
10 min stretch

evening exercise
10 min warm-up on eliptical
4X10 inclined bench press at 35lbs
4X10 curls at 15lbs
4X10 squats
30 min cardio on treadmill
160 mixed ab crunches
10 min stretches
4X10 pushups

advice needed

i think i'm starting to feel the effects of caffeine withdrawal ... anybody have any advice on how to keep my energy up? ... i feel sleepy / tired pretty early on in the day ...

day 3

alright, it's day 3 and there's no significant visual progress ... however, i certainly do feel very different ... tired as hell! ...

time to be serious ... up until today, i've been focusing on cardio, abs and diet control ... for the next 4 days, the plan is to build in heavier weight exercises into my routine ; however, unlike building muscles, my intentions are not to breakdown muscle cells and rebuild them ... but to utilize larger muscles in my body to burn more calories and hence more fat ... the key is not to breakdown too much muscle cells so that i can use these muscles to work off my fat on a daily basis ...

today's intake
breakfast: 3 eggs (240 calories), 1/2 bacon (100 calories), fruit (100 calories), small bowl of cereal (80 calories)
snack 1: high protein peanut butter cereal bar (140 calories)
lunch: 3/4 Qdoba naked chicken taco salad (300 calories)
snack 2: 1/4 Qdoba naked chicken taco salad (100 calories)
snack 3: apple (47 calories)
dinner: rainbow roll (300 calories), salmon (100 calories), yellowtail (100 calories), white tuna (100 calories)
late night snack: banana (62 calories)
water: 2.5L
supplements: ginseng & centrum multi-vit

total: 1769 calories (not bad)

morning workout
30 min run

evening workout
10 min warm-up run
2X15 dumbell chest press at 30lbs
2X10 dumbell chest press at 40lbs
4X10 dumbell back lifts at 30lbs
4X30 dumbell shoulder lifts at 5lbs
5X10 bicycle crunches
30 min cardio on bike
10 min stretches (poll results indicate streching will help me get 6 pack, so there you have it!)

all in all, i'm pretty satisfied with today's diet and workout progress ... now it's time to make up on the sleep ... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

day 2: there is a glimmer of hope

i woke up today exhausted and sore. exhausted because with all the adrenaline pumping in my body last night, i couldn't sleep til 4 in the morning. while exhausted, i was excited to be completely sore. it was a sign that something good must be taking place in my body. (just for the morning) i had become a believer in "no pain, no gain". as sore as i was, i was shattered not able to see me chiseled abs in the mirror. (see picture below of what my abs looked like this morning. ok, i'm too lazy, just look at day 0 pics, it's the same)

(will, don't get too excited yet) ... i've got a secret workout routine i haven't started, i just have to figure out what it is ...

wait a minute, this posting was intended to discuss "a glimmer of hope" ... while i didn't wake up to chiseled abs, i did feel less bloated during the day at the office ... that is a sign that i'm burning fat ... is it not? ...

(forgot to mention, i took 2 huge dumps today after being constipated for 2 days, i think the fiber is kicking in)

alright, i'm going no where (no ... obviously not about my abs ... but about my writing) ... so here it is ... this is the epiphany ... i'm lengthening the time it takes to get me 6 pack ... well, theoretically only ... the bet is still on and i need me 6 pack by next friday ... but ... i'm going to workout twice a day ... by working out twice a day, morning and night, i can cheat my body to believe i've got 18 days to workout! ... that's brilliant! ...

ok, so now u know my secret workout routine ... here's to report progress today ...


today's intake
breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs (160 calorie), 1/2 bacon (100 calorie), pb toast (150 calorie), cubes of mellon (75 calorie) (485 calorie)
snack 1: banana (62 calorie)
snack 2: apple (47 calorie)
lunch: 1/2 greek salad, 1/2 black bean soup, 1 bite of baguette (610 calorie)
dinner: rainbow roll (300 calories), salmon (100 calories) & yellowtail sashimi (100 calories)
snack 3: high protein peanut butter cereal bar (140 calorie)
water: 2.5 liters (0 calorie)
supplements: centrum & ginseng (0 calorie?)

total calorie: 1844 (previously, i calculated 2144, but i think i overestimated the sushi calories so i shaved off 300 calories)

will gave me the ginseng pill, so i'm not sure if it's suppose to be good for me or not ... i'm just kidding, the ginseng should be good, i think it's helped me with the caffeine withdrawal cuz so far i haven't felt any withdrawal symptoms ...

i spoke to my coworker today about the 6-pack challenge ... he said controlling what and when u eat is critical, a good rule of thumb is not to eat after 7pm ... so, at 6pm sharp today, i packed up my bags and headed for dinner ... (it's 10:15pm and i'm not sure if he's still working at the office, but his advice was good)

also, i got this link from pam ... i guess from reading my blog, she's suggesting i take matters to professional hands ... (hey, have some confidence in me!)

http://lose-your-bellyfat.com/fatloss4.htm

anyway, here's the workout routine today

30 min cardio (eliptical)
194 mixed ab exercises
30 superman

alright, i'm checking out now ... according to mcdonald's, the official sponsor of the 2008 olympics, "to succeed, you must get up very early" ... (quote from the ad for the breakfast chicken mcmuffin sandwich) ... i'm hitting the sacks ...

go now, go back to work and do something productive today ...

ok, my friend and challenger has FINALLY set up a blog to track his progress ... here is his site

6packsumo.blogspot.com

i think i need to step up my routine ...

day 1: strategery

if you're flying in and out of airports and trying to lose weight or stay in shape, you can pretty much forget about it. seriously

corporate america has weeded out our airport dining options to just the few heart-stopper restaurants. today's winner at SJ airport was starbucks, cinnabon, cpk, and a local brewery. despite extreme craving for a dark beer at 11 in the morning, the criticism and sarcasms i've received thus far fueled my motivation. i ended up chowing down on a bbq chicken salad i found in the corner fridge at cpk.

as i sit on the plane now, after refusing a bag of meager peanuts and drinks from the stewardess, i'm beginning to realize the 10-day feat ahead of me is daunting without some strategery.

here are the addictions i must quit and the lifestyle i must abide by for a chance to see me benjamins.

1. alcohol: this is by far my greatest weakness. those who know me prolly can't recall the last time i've refused a drink, including times when i've been hung over. i don't think this was built in my dna.
2. coffee: i drink 2 - 3 cups of sugar-saturated coffee a day to stay awake. i can't tell if it's the sugar or the caffeine that keeps me awake. for those cafe aficionados, u may know the drink as caramel machiato. yes, i think i have a permanent case of mono. this is the only thing (besides alcohol) that keeps me awake most of my sober life. i can only drink water for the next 10 days
3. steak and extreme fatty-marbled meat: few of us these days eat to live anymore so it's not surprising that i live to eat. my choice is fatty-red meat. no more! i'm going lean turkey and fish! alright ... chicken is fine too
4. smoking: i must pick up smoking. smoking curbs your appetite and keeps u slim. likewise, if i fail miserably, at least i can look cool puffing me O-rings on the treadmill
5. cardio: this is a no-brainer. if u haven't deducted this by now from looking at my picture, then ... (shoot, can't think of a punch line)
6. large muscle group workouts: along with cardio, working large muscle groups will burn fat faster. this includes legs, chest, and back workout routines
7. abs: i must eat, sh*t, work and sleep ab crunches!
8. sleep: sleep is vital to muscle recovery and calory burning. ok, i made that up. but i do know that getting sleep from the hours of 11pm to 2am is the most important to stay alert, energized and focused during the day. ok, i made this one up too. fact is, i love to sleep and can't live without it
9. eat: i have to continuously eat. despite how screwed up this may sound, when a body is in starvation, it stores more fat and burns muscle.

according to larry, our resident 6 pack expert (have u seen his pictures? he deserves this title) i'll need to "run 3 hours a day, do 1000 crunches a day and eat absolutely 0 carbs for 10 days"

ok, if you've read this far, i gotta be honest with you, i was kidding about number four above. that's prolly the only thing i have going for me - not being a smoker.

here is today's intake:
breakfast: bbq chicken salad, 1/2 portion of dressing (697 calories)
lunch: chipotle southwest chicken salad, 1/2 portion of dressing (estimate 700 calories)
dinner (late night): lean cuisine spagetti and meatball (290 calories)

total calories: 1,687 (not bad)

workout
30 min running
111 mixed ab exercises
30 squats
mis. light weights

sleep
2:30am - 8am = 5.5 hours

calorie-wise, i think i did pretty well but i'm constantly feeling hungry. is this natural?

another anonymous photo contribution ...










"will, we can discuss an early settlement plan if you'd like, keep in mind i won't take anything less than $50, we can minimize the embarrassment, just give me a call ..." - johnny

public announcement, i have just received an anonymous photo contribution ...










"will, you are the clear underdog in this competition, i will smoke you! keep your running shoes on 24/7 if you don't want to eat dirt!" - johnny

day 0: photos

as promised, here's the photo from Day 0. it's a little depressing because when Deb took it and showed it around, no one realized i was actually flexing ... alright, it's very depressing ... but hey, i was sitting down and it exacerbates how fat my belly really is ... really, there's a 6 pack not far underneath it ... i swear ...

from the looks of it, i'll probably have to run a lot to get rid of my love-handles before i can make any impressions of my ab ...

here's the before flexing photo ... if you pay close attention to the two (i recommend looking at the pictures from different angles ... NOT!), i think you can tell there is a difference between flexing and not flexing ... (better yet, close your eyes and use your imagination, that typically works best for me) ...




here's will's photo 1 ... i call it photo 1 cuz i can't tell if he's flexing or not ...







here is will's photo 2 ... apparently, will claims that he's already got a 6 pack which makes it an unfair competition ...

"will, what are you smoking? ... there's no way these pictures support your claim! ..."





well, there you have it ...

day 0: 10 day, 6 pack, $100 challenge!

today was one of those days my pride got the best of me and any sense of intelligence was flushed straight down the toilet ... a conversation with will about larry's 3 month 6 pack challenge quickly took a turn and before i knew it, i had already accepted a challenge by will ... (please support my friend's sexy-blog at http://www.larrychi.net/)

the challenge: whoever fails to achieve a 6 pack by friday, aug 29 loses $100 to the other ... if we both achieve 6 pack, it's a draw ... (i'm not sure we ever talked about what happens if we both fail, but from the looks of the pictures, this is probably the likely outcome) ... (photos to come)

this all started on our trip to yosemite where our ambitious weekend of hiking turned to a weekend of non-stop binging ... i guess, you really couldn't have expected anything less on a trip with will ... despite our unproductive, glutonous eating and constipation ... we did achieve to break some records ... while michael phelps were breaking world records in beijing, my friends didn't fare too bad in yosemite ...

- our world record holder and returning champion, will took home gold again for grossly-disgusting, mass-quantity consumption

- in our second event, pam took home silver in the burping competition with her bellowing burp; however, gold goes to lincoln who impressed the judges with the vomit-burp (yes, you read that correctly!)

- and finally, a surprising defeat in our third event, the rookie and underdog, josh, took home the deadliest gas of the universe gold medal ... i would say an impressive record breaking event ...

back to the 6 pack challenge ... for the first day of the challegne, i would rate it a 7.5 ... consumption-wise, i never realized how much my friends cared so much about my nutritional-intake, ... quite generously, deb offered dreyer-fruit popsicle and will offered baskin-robin drive-through banana sundae ... my final daily intake was:

breakfast: 1 banana pancake, 3 bacon, 1 egg
lunch: cappucino oreo shake
dinner: various noodle dishes, dumplings, and fried rice

carb control was quite lacking here ... but i think work out finish was decent ...

30 min running
284 reps of mixed ab exercise
light weights

if i can keep up the workout for 10 days, could there be a slight chance? ...