Day 28 - Progress

Firstly, congratulations to everyone, 4 weeks done and dusted. It feels good to have got here and I'm genuinely looking forward to the 'middle stage' of the programme. Next weeks' exercises look tough and I whole heartedly believe Patrick when he says things are about to get a whole lot tougher.

Secondly, it's been exactly 4 weeks to the day since a drop of alcohol last passed over my lips (my longest period without booze since I started drinking as a teenager). At the outset, this was really the one requirement I was worried about, I truly doubted my ability to cut the booze out. I must admit, I've had the odd urge but I've so far managed to stick to my guns and I'm feeling fantastic for it. It's fair to say that it dictated far too much of my lifestyle and was doing me no favours whatsoever. I'm not going to cut it out of my life altogether, but when I'm finished PCP I think me and the old bottle are going to have a very different relationship going forward. I could go on for while about this but that's enough on the subject.

So today was my one-month-in stat check at the gym, and I'm really pleased with the results....... so far. All the key indicators are moving in the right direction. I've refrained from keeping track of these on purpose as I wanted to concentrate on the programme and trust in the diet and exercises. I really want to get that body fat % down towards 10% so I'm going to have to make a concerted effort over the next month. Anyhow, stats are below.
                                         

	Day 1	Day 28	Change
Weight	81 kg	76.3 kg	- 4.7 kg
Body Mass Index	25.0	23.8	- 1.2
Fat Mass	18.7%	16.8%	- 1.9%
Waist to hip ratio	0.92	0.86	- 0.06
Vo2 Max	36	60	+ 24
Resting Heart Rate	70 bpm	63 bpm	- 7

I must admit that I haven't stuck to the diet as much as I should be. I've missed quite a few dinners and I know this is bad as I need to get my proteins in to help those muscles recover. I'm going to really focus on eating everything I'm meant to.

I've wanted to post about this TV programme I've seen called 'Man vs Food'. It's a US show about this guys who goes around the States to a bunch of different restaurants and undertakes 'food challenges'. Basically each restaurant is locally renowned for a particular dish; sandwiches, pizza, steak, seafood etc. This guy then has to try and beat the house 'record' by eating x amount of the said dish in under a certain time. It truly is disgusting and I find it quite offensive, on so many levels, that such a show exists. The quantities are obscene and I can't believe places serve this crap. 'Challenges' have included eating 180 oysters, 72 oz steaks, 5 kg sandwiches and pizzas topped with more meat and cheese then one human should consume in a year. It's just wrong, both health wise and morally / ethically especailly when you consider the food shortages in some parts of the world.  It annoyed me.

Finally, a huge congratulations to all the guys who will be finishing tomorrow. Well done, and your results are a massive motivator!