Where is Jay?

[Jay]

Loving the updates Jay because we are learning about you with each update.

I hope the problem with your left leg gets resolved

Yesterday when I walked home from gym, I couldn't help to think, "I must be madly insane for being so determined and highly in spirit that I do not mind crushing off my legs and doing crazy workout/exercise 6 times a week."

It really baffles me how I managed to turn my life up side down from a couch potato to who I am today. Whilst I do have few regrets, I am generally happy to be the current me.

I forgot to mention in my previous post, when I did my leg workout yesterday, I noticed the other gym members had concern/sympathy look on their faces. I can't blame them though. But it was such an awkward moment.

you have a lot of weight on the machine (assume each weight is ~45lbs) good for you.
may i ask what is your calorie intake per day, what ratio carbs protein? for my reference.

Pellaz, my calorie intake per day is roughly around 2437. I'm still in the process of trimming off my fat, so I eat roughly 500 - 870 calories less.

Carb: 25%
Protein: 40%
Fat: 35%

I suppose to discuss my dietary with my personal trainer on this weekend. He wants to analyze what I eat. He wants to see how he can improve my diet and nutrition.

[Jay]

My left leg wasn't able to keep up with my right leg when I used the press machine. By 5 reps, my left leg was about to surrender. My personal trainer then asked me to support my left hip with my left hand whilst pushing the weight. I kept telling to myself, "Left leg, don't blow into pieces and don't fail on me now."

Well the exact spot where I supported my left hip with my left hand is numb now. I began to feel the numb right after the last set from the previous leg workout on the press machine. A sharp pain occurred for a second when I did the last set.

I don't feel pain or sore on that spot after the workout. Just numb. I can still feel my skin but it loses a bit of sensation. It's like that one spot has been pressed with an ice cube for a certain period of time.

I've told my trainer about it. He thinks it could be delayed muscle sore as I do not feel pain on the spot.

I'm going to give it until Friday. Just to be safe, I'll see a doctor to examine it on Saturday.

Yesterday I accidentally knocked my left sheen against one of those weight lifting machines real hard. Great. It bruises now.

Speaking of yesterday, a gym member interrupted my training session with my personal trainer. He wanted to ask few questions. I didn't mind. My trainer gave him a quick answer. "I can't talk much right now. I'm training a champion." He smiled at me. I felt so awkward at the moment. But I smiled back.

Today I only did cardio on a stationary bike in the gym. I rode it for 1 hour and 20 minutes in high intensity whilst miming to countless of songs. According to the bike pedometer, I roughly burnt 1000+ calories. Yes, the pedometer is not able to measure/read accurately but I felt really satisfied when I saw 1000 calories flashed on the pedometer. I'm really tired now though.

[ceez]

um, maybe you should slow down a little Jay mile: how many days do you rest, and by rest I mean no exercising.

[Jay]

Um. I exercise six times a week, Ceez.

I run every morning from Mon to Sat. I train in the gym for an hour plus after work from Mon to Sat.

Sunday ... I usually do nothing. I think. Well beside dancing in my bedroom, nothing.

Ok, maybe I need to learn to rest more.

[Jay]

I decided to follow Ceez's advice on taking a break.

My working hours are from 10am - 6pm. But I normally reach my office at 7.30am so that I can do my morning run around my office building.

I felt tired this morning so I took a nap in my office instead of going out for a morning run. Felt much better after I woke up.

I did go to my gym after work though as I had a training session with my personal trainer. I did my back and triceps.

I finished my today's workout with sit up & crunch super set. 5 sets.- Each set consists of number of sit up until failure follows instantly with number of crunch until failure. Rest for 60 seconds before proceed with sit up and crunch again. He asked me to do as many sit up and crunch as possible in each set.



So below were my 5 sets:

Set 1 - Sit Up (70 repetitions) + Crunch (15 repetitions)
Set 2 - Sit Up (30 repetitions) + Crunch (20 repetitions)
Set 3 - Sit Up (30 repetitions) + Crunch (20 repetitions)
Set 4 - Sit Up (30 repetitions) + Crunch (20 repetitions)
Set 5 - Sit Up (40 repetitions) + Crunch (30 repetitions)

My left hip still numb so I will see a doctor tomorrow.

[pellaz]

ask your personal trainer about safety and burn out.

-on my right arm a bunch of muscle has separated and is useless (and ugly), lifted too much weight.
-i will go every other day to the gym for about 3mo and than things crash. yesterday my 1st day back since a while.

expecting muscle gain and on a diet cant happen.

[Jay]

Roger that, Pellaz.

Yes, my personal trainer has mentioned before that I can't expect to gain muscle whilst trimming off my weight.

What we are doing right now is trimming off my weight and strengthening my body. I don't have problem with cardio but my strength is quite weak when it comes to weight lifting due to imbalance body structure (Left is weak mostly due to my injured leg).

[Jay]

Workout

I continued to do my leg workout using press machine and other equipments on last Monday. My left leg was able to perform much better than before. I still had to train each leg separately with extra set for left leg as it needs to develop a better strength.

After I did my leg workout on the press machine, my personal trainer asked me to squat as low as possible. He wanted to see if I have problem to squat properly. I explained to him that my right leg supports most weight when squatting. My left leg felt a bit of stress when I shifted my weight from right leg to left leg.

We closed our Monday's session with super set of sit up and bench leg raise. My super set on last Monday wasn't that good.

Set 1 - Sit Up (50 repetitions) + Bench Leg Raise (20 repetitions)
Set 2 - Sit Up (50 repetitions) + Bench Leg Raise (20 repetitions)
Set 3 - Sit Up (50 repetitions) + Bench Leg Raise (20 repetitions)
Set 5 - Sit Up (50 repetitions) + Bench Leg Raise (16 repetitions)

On last Wednesday, I did another super set of crunch and bench leg raise. I performed better.

Set 1 - Crunch (200 repetitions) + Bench Leg Raise (30 repetitions)
Set 2 - Crunch (100 repetitions) + Bench Leg Raise (20 repetitions)
Set 3 - Crunch (50 repetitions) + Bench Leg Raise (20 repetitions)
Set 4 - Crunch (50 repetitions) + Bench Leg Raise (20 repetitions)
Set 5 - Crunch (100 repetitions) + Bench Leg Raise (25 repetitions)

Today my super set consists of sit up, crunch and bench leg raise. It was okay.

Set 1 - Sit Up (40 repetitions) + Crunch (30 repetitions) + Bench Leg Raise (20 repetitions)
Set 2 - Sit Up (20 repetitions) + Crunch (20 repetitions) + Bench Leg Raise (20 repetitions)
Set 3 - Sit Up (20 repetitions) + Crunch (20 repetitions) + Bench Leg Raise (20 repetitions)
Set 4 - Sit Up (20 repetitions) + Crunch (20 repetitions) + Bench Leg Raise (20 repetitions)

I enjoyed doing all these super sets.

Training Session

My training session (one month contract) with my personal trainer will end on this Saturday. I didn't realize that I have been trained by him for a month. One month gone so quickly. I truly enjoyed every session with him.

I know that I have pushed myself beyond ordinary even before I hired a trainer. But with a trainer, I am able to push myself even beyond my wildest imagination. I never thought I am that ... strong. I know it sounds like I'm gloating but I've learned that it is crucial to pat your own back once in a while. I deserve to be proud of myself.

I've decided to renew my contract with him. I will continue to hire him as my personal trainer. But I will skip my training and attending gym for a few weeks on next January to focus on my fourth surgery.

Others

Two more gym members found out about my history. I didn't show my old photo to them at the time. "He can't be bigger than Bob." One of them said to my personal trainer.

"Bob has nothing on Jay." My trainer quickly responded to the guy. Yeah, you tell them my defender.

I then showed my photo to both of them. Well, they were shocked.

They told me that Bob used to be overweight too. He lost weight and then competed in a bodybuilding competition. Unfortunately he has returned to his old weight.

I still follow Ceez's advice on taking a break and rest. I skipped today's morning run and took a short nap in the office as I was too sleepy. I really, really wanted to run but my body wanted to rest.

Changes

I can see that my physical has improved tremendously. My strength particularly my left body steadily improved.

There are times when I feel like crying (Happy tears). I know that I still have a long way to go but I am amazed and proud with what I've done so far. I never thought that I am able to change my life upside down. I'm astonished with my own strength.

Please allow me to pat my own back one more time. This is embarrassing but I can't help to feel really blessed when my straight friends and strangers randomly called me sexy and pretty. And guys in cafes turned around to look at me ... never though in a million years.

Praises are consolation prize. The grand prize is how I am mentally able to accept my imperfection as a perfection and glow my imperfection as my main strength. Despite my limp dislocated left leg etc. I still managed to do impossible things and prove to myself that I am a shining gem.

Amen.

[ceez]

I actually wanted to ask you how do you keep yourself motivated, is it just the weight you lost? I'm good at sticking to my workouts for a few a weeks but after that I just lose the motivation especially when my hours at work increase, my job is physically demanding so I don't feel like doing anything when I get home.

[Jay]

Ceez, in general.

I never set what I'm doing as a mission or goal from day 1. I didn't put any expectation. I just told myself, "Let's take it from here and keep on moving."

I believe the best way to lose weight, maintain and enjoy what you are doing is by embracing the whole thing as a lifestyle. A healthy, positive and active lifestyle.
I got rid of my couch potato lifestyle entirely.

The benefit of embracing the whole thing as a lifestyle is that you do not feel like you are being forced to do the whole thing. You don't see exercise and eating clean food as burden.

Lifestyle is something that you love to stick yourself to. Something that you enjoy doing repetitively every single day. I enjoy every second of my new lifestyle.

I didn't adapt the new lifestyle at one shot. I 'absorbed' it gradually and slowly to avoid culture shock. The beauty of adapting slowly is that you allow yourself to witness what you are doing as a learning process.

The slow process allows you to think, evaluate and educate yourself as a person. I saw how my mindset developed and transformed in every day, month and year since 2005. Every incident (Good, bad, sweet and bitter) that occurred in every single day helps to improve and strengthen my mindset, my will and the way I see life.

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Just for a note. This is how I started my exercise when I was still morbid obese. I gradually adapted the amount of exercise.

Week 01 - I only walked for 5 minutes in a jogging park as my exercise. That was all.
Week 02 - 03 - I walked for 10 minutes. I gradually added another 5 min into my walk.
Week 03 - 04 - I walked for 15 minutes.
Week 04 - 05 - I walked for 20 minutes.
Week 05 - 06 - I walked for 25 minutes.
Week 06 - 07 - I walked for 30 minutes.

My legs were very weak when I started the whole thing. I struggled to stand and walk for even only 10 minutes. I maintained 30 minutes walk for a month (I think) before I continued to add another 5 min.

There was an exercise technique that I personally invented and practiced when I was still morbid obese. As I mentioned before, my legs were too weak for a long walk. But I was determined to finish my walk from one side of the jogging park to the other side. So this is how I did it:



I slowly changed normal walk to brisk walk as my legs grew stronger.

P.S: Speaking of clean food, clean food doesn't mean boring tasteless leafy food. I eat 6 six times a day. Delicious food but healthy all the way. I spoil myself with Salmon on Saturday and Sunday. Salmon is my favorite fish and food. A strong contender to chicken.