Big Ten

I feel like a prize fighter every time I do my weekly weigh in. Not because I’m jacked. Cos I’m not. But because I never know what the scales are gonna say. I usually temper my expectations because of a saying I heard years ago.. Expect the worst, hope for the best and take what comes.

Now that may sound like a slightly defeatist philosophy, but be assured that my glass is always half full.

But this week felt slightly different. I felt like I was carrying more weight around. I felt thicker all over. And I felt like my body was beginning to evolve into a more robust physique.

I stepped on the scales yesterday… prepared for the worst, hoping for the best… and I came in at 66kg. That’s 2lbs more than last week. More significantly, it’s a gain of 10lbs since the start of the program to put me at 145lbs now. Just another 20lbs to go and a little over seven months to reach it in.

So to recap, I put on 3lbs in the first three months. And then 7lbs in the past six weeks since John Berardi radically changed my diet to include a lot more protein from source (as opposed to protein shakes), carbs, fruit, veg and healthy fats. (See: “The Change-Up”). Those last six weeks have seen the following weight changes: 2lbs, 1b, 1lb, 0 lbs, 1lb, 2lbs.

I think two things have made a difference this week. I voluntarily offered to add a Super Shake back into the mix. It’s 3 scoops of chocolate protein powder with spinach, flaxseed, cashews, peanut butter and almond milk. It’s a good way of getting those extra healthy fats in my diet.

And I”m also taking a vegetable supplement called Rhodiola, which helps reduce stress (I work under constant deadlines as a copy editor/sub editor at a national newspaper) and aids sleep. I’ve had some pretty solid sleeps this week.

My friend Dean Phillips of Hero in Training (on Facebook) said I should do a happy dance when I get to 10lbs extra. So here’s the soundtrack to that thought…