Did you ever read the label on your tube of toothpaste? You might want to go take a look. Here’s an example of the text on the back of a typical tube of toothpaste:

I don’t know about you, but I was pretty surprised to find that swallowing toothpaste might require a call to the Poison Control Center. The language definitely suggests you don’t swallow it, especially if you’re a child. Why? How could something designed to go into your mouth be dangerous for you? What is this ‘Sodium Fluoride’ that it contains?

Sodium Fluoride is a colorless, crystalline, water-soluble substance used as an insecticide, rodenticide and also as a source of fluoride in toothpaste and added to water in many developed countries. Insecticide? Rodenticide? How can something be made to clean your mouth, and kill insects? Well, as the label above suggests, only about one-quarter of a percent of toothpaste is Sodium Fluoride. Less than twice that amount, .4% makes it useful as a mildew killer. Jump up to 1.4% and it’s used as a wood preservative. Still higher at 20% and more and it not only can be used to kill ants, but is commonly used as a roach killer (recall that roaches are said to be the only things that survive a nuclear bomb).

How did such a seemingly dangerous substance end up in our toothpaste? Well, way back in 1901 Frederick McKay opened a dentistry practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He noticed that people in the area had brown stains (referred to mottled) on their teeth, but found that they were surprisingly resistant to decay. After 30 years of searching he found that the drinking water in the area had high levels of naturally occurring fluoride. Research found that water fluoride levels below 1 part per million (ppm) still resisted decay without the staining. Around 1945 a few cities began fluoridating their water, and about 10 years later it became widespread. This is quite peculiar since in 1993 it was discovered that neither the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nor the National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) nor the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has proof of fluoride’s safety or effectiveness.

So how does it work? Here’s one of the better descriptions I found:

“Tooth decay is caused by bacteria – single-celled organisms, which, like all cells – both enamel and vegetable – are extremely sensitive to fluoride which, above certain concentrations, is a potent poison.

The most common bacterium implicated in the cause of caries is Streptococcus mutans. Levels of fluoride above 20 parts per million are lethal to S. mutans; levels as low as 0.19 ppm fluoride can interfere with certain essential metabolic enzymes in the bacterium; and concentrations of fluoride between 4 and 20 ppm can cause S. mutans to – mutate.

In other words, fluoride is an anti-microbial agent of great potency.

The development of a cavity in a tooth proceeds in the following manner. S. mutans (or other cariogenic bacteria) must first gain attachment to the tooth surface. Once attached, and given a suitable food supply, the bacteria thrive and multiply, producing colonies known as dental plaque.

Within the plaque, millions of microbes are consuming carbohydrates and excreting dilute acids as waste products.

These acids begin to eat away – demineralize – the surface layers of the tooth enamel. As a result, the enamel is broken down into its component parts, which include, calcium, phosphate, carbonate and trace amounts of fluoride (which was incorporated into the enamel as it developed).

Gradually, the fluoride level in the plaque fluid builds up. When it reaches 0.19 ppm the metabolism of the bacteria slows down – less food is consumed and fewer acid wastes produced. As the level rises above 4 ppm fluoride, the ‘mutation rate’ of the bacteria increases dramatically. Finally, as the fluoride concentrations in the plaque rises to lethal levels, the bacteria die. And, there may even be some re-mineralization of the enamel.

Wonderful! A cavity has been prevented! But all this has taken place on the surface of the body, not inside it. ((http://www.rvi.net/~fluoride/000055.htm))

The end of the quote mentions that the benefits of fluoride happen on the surface of the teeth, not inside your body, and this brings us to fluoridation of water supplies. This has become a controversial topic, especially in the last decade in light of the newly discovered evidence that fluoride was never tested for safety or effectiveness. Many that support fluoridation of water mention that fluoride is naturally found in many water sources. Though this may be true, calcium fluoride is the only natural fluoride found in water. It is sodiumsilicofluorides instead. These are industrial grade hazardous wastes captured in the air pollution-control scrubber systems of the phosphate fertilizer industry which contain a number of toxic contaminants including lead, arsenic, cadmium and even some radioactive isotopes. They are concentrated into a 23% solution during wet process phosphate fertilizer manufacture, are stored in outdoor cooling ponds, and then shipped to cities to add to drinking water.

Toxic waste in our water? Yes. But why? In the late 60′s the EPA forced fertilizer manufacturers to install pollution scrubbers because it was found that the fluorine emissions were damaging crops, killing fish, and causing skeletal fluorrosis in livestock. The pollution that is recovered would be classified as a hazardous toxic waste, and the manufacturers had to find something to do with it. At the same time, their was a shortage of Sodium Fluoride (a byproduct of the aluminum industry) which was the commonly used fluoride in water at the time. An EPA chemist found that the silicofluoride waste contained 19% fluorine, and since it was a liquid, easily soluble in water, and inexpensive, it seemed like a perfect solution. The EPA and the US Public Health Service waived all testing procedures, and with the public encouragement of the American Dental Association toxic waste was being added to our water. An EPA administrator stated “In regard to the use of fluosilicic (fluorosilicic) acid as a source of fluoride for fluoridation, this agency regards such use as an ideal environmental solution to a long-standing problem. By recovering by-product fluosilicic acid from fertilizer manufacturing, water and air pollution are minimized, and water utilities have a low-cost source of fluoride available to them.”

As mentioned above, it’s not just fluoride being added to the water, but a host of other dangerous substances as well. The most notable, due to it’s already proven effects on children, is lead. “…water treatment with silicofluorides apparently functions to increase the cellular uptake of lead.” ((http://www.fluoride-journal.com/98-31-3/313-s25.htm)) The lead isotope behaves like calcium in the body. It may be stored in the bones for years before turning into polonium-210 and triggering a carcinogenic release of alpha radiation. ((http://www.earthisland.org/eijournal/fluoride/fluoride_phosphates.html)) Arsenic and mercury are two other well known contaminants that can be found in this mix. Uranium, Radium, Radon and Polonium, all known carcinogens, are also present.

So we are taking the risk of ingesting these dangerous chemicals so we can enjoy the benefits of the fluoride that is also present. The main problem with that argument is that their is no proof that fluoride in drinking water has any benefit. A study in 1986-87, the largest study of tooth decay in America by the U.S. National Institute of Dental Research, show no significant difference in the decay rates of 39,207 children from fluoridated, partially fluoridated, and non-fluoridated areas. A 1992 study of dental records for 26,000 children in Tucson, Arizona found that tooth decay increased in children as the natural level of fluoride increased from 0.2 to 0.8 ppm. In December 1993, a Canadian Dental Association panel concluded that ingested fluoride does not, in fact, prevent tooth decay. It should be noted that Japan, China, and 98% of Europe have stopped or rejected the addition of fluoride to their public water supplies.

So why do we continue to add poison to our water? Why doesn’t the EPA, CDC, FDA or NIDR do a real study to find what this addition to our water is actually doing to us? As usual, the answer is money. If anyone along the chain of supply develops evidence that silicofluorides are doing something bad to those that consume it, their won’t be enough lawyers to handle the public response. Now it’s just a matter of time before the true effects are found, but in the mean time, everyone is covering their tails the best they can. When the truth comes out, that fluoridating water has no benefits, and in fact, may cause cancer or lead to other health issues, the industry that supplies the chemicals, the officials that made the decisions, and the organizations involved will all negatively impacted in a big way. Will it change how things are done? As long as money is involved, it will be back to business as usual.

I’ve included some pictures below that show the bench during assembly and after it’s finished. Click any picture to see a larger version.

The package weighs 125lbs, so you may want some help getting it to your destination, though I was able to move it myself by ‘walking’ the box along the ground to the room I assembled it in. The bench comes with excellent instructions, maybe the best I’ve seen. The book not only includes instructions broken down into steps with illustrations and written directions, but also has sections on nutrition, exercises, and even log sheets for your workouts. The hardware is packaged together for each step, and each piece is labeled as to it’s name, and quantity, so it’s very difficult to screw up.

Though the instructions are very good, the bench has a lot of parts, and you really have to pay close attention to both the pictures and written descriptions they give you to be sure you assemble it correctly. I ran into a couple problems assembling mine. The first, which was minor was that I couldn’t get all four screws into the seat back. I was able to solve that problem by using a file to file the holes in the frame slightly larger, so the bolt had a bit more room to catch onto the bolt in the seat back.

The second problem was a bit more serious. I was unable to slide the leg attachment onto the bench. The post that slides onto the bench was hitting the edge of the seat padding, and could not be pushed all the way down. I found a solution, but it required power tools. I put a metal cutting blade in my jig saw, and cut slots on each side of the holes that the seat attaches to. I then pounded the tabs between the two cuts into the frame, which results in an elongated hole for the bolts that attach to the seat. I then put the bolts through into the seat, and slide the seat to a position where I could get the leg attachment on and off. See the pictures below which show the cuts I made, and the tab bent in.

Note that after using the bench a few times, I noticed that their was a much easier solution to this, and in fact it’s probably not a fault with the bench at all. If you put the bench in an incline position, it opens up enough space to slide the leg attachment on and off without hitting the seat. I’m still glad I made the adjustment so I don’t have to worry about that, but if you don’t have tools and don’t want to spend the time to alter your bench, it’s not actually necessary.

The only other problem I had with the bench was that part of the chrome was peeling off the Olympic adaptor on the leg attachment. Not a big deal, you can’t really even tell (at least not yet).

I’ve been using the bench for a bit now and I really like it. It’s very sturdy and comfortable, and adjusts easily. Though it’s a heavy bench, it has wheels on one end that make it easier to move around. I found that you can even stand it on end to take up less floor space when not in use. This bench is even sturdy enough that I’ve been using it for hyperextensions. I adjust the seat back to about 45 degrees, then kneel against it with my feet at the base of the seat back, and then use my weight belt to strap around my calves and the seat back to hold me on the bench. I position the bench so that I can use my power rack to aid me in raising up or down if I need the help. With it’s wide and long base, the bench doesn’t budge even though I’m cantilevered a few feet off the end of the bench. Might not work for someone much taller than me (I’m about 5’9″), but for me, it’s working great! Overall, dispite the few problems I had, I would strongly recommend this bench to anyone looking for a sturdy, flexible weight bench.

]]> http://sojoe.info/2006/05/body-solid-powerlift-weight-bench/feed/ 1 http://sojoe.info/2006/04/powerline-power-rack-ppr-200/ http://sojoe.info/2006/04/powerline-power-rack-ppr-200/#comments Fri, 28 Apr 2006 06:00:12 +0000 Joe http://sojoe.info/2006/04/27/powerline-power-rack-ppr-200.html I recently purchased a Powerline Power Rack PPR-200. If you’re not familiar with what a power rack is, it’s basically a metal rack that holds a weight bar, and provides safety catches that allow someone to lift heavy weights without a spotter. Should you not be able to lift the weight for that last rep, you can set the weight down on the safety bars, and be able to safely crawl out from under the weight. The PowerLine PPR-200 is reasonably priced, easy to adjust, and has a ‘lat’ option. It is very similar to the RockSolid PKR-127, as well as a number of other racks. It appears that the main difference between racks is the size of the tubing used, and if it is bolted or welded together. The PPR-200 uses 2″ tubing, and is bolted together. More expensive racks use 2.5″ or 3″ tubing, and are welded. For my needs, being a beginner, the PPR-200 is more than strong enough for my needs. If I should get to the point where I’m moving close to 1000lbs around, I’ll be happy to buy a stronger setup!

The main rack (without the optional lat attachment) comes in three boxes (note that the weights and barbell are not included, nor is a bench):

1. 21kg (46lbs)
2. 22kg (48.5lbs)
3. 19kg (42lbs)

The instructions, which I’ve included here, are almost non-existent. Their’s a page showing all the pieces, and an exploded diagram of the rack, but that’s it. I’ll describe here how I put mine together, and the few gotchas I ran into. The nuts and bolts are 3/4″, I used a 3/4″ socket, and a 3/4″ open end wrench (you’ll need a wrench to hold the bolt as you tighten the nut). Open the bag of hardware and separate them according to size. Though the bolts all look the same, their are three different lengths that need to be used in three different places. Despite what the parts list shows, their are 8 of the longest bolts, not 4.

Note that some pictures are included within the text below, but all pictures are available at the bottom, click a picture to get a bigger view.

I started by putting together the two sides of the rack. The main vertical pieces appear at first glance to not have a specific top or bottom, but they do. Notice in the pictures that the bolt holes on one end are parallel with the larger 1″ holes, while on the other end, they are perpendicular. The perpendicular holes are the bottom side, this will align the large holes on the two vertical supports so the support bar can pass through them. I had the first two vertical pieces upside down the first time, but luckily I noticed before I got much further. Bolt the two vertical pieces to the bottom piece using the 70mm long bolts (middle size). Don’t tighten the bolts right away, just get them enough that the structure won’t fall apart, this makes it easier to align all the holes as you assemble with other pieces.

Next, I attached the two top side pieces to the top back with the two shortest bolts. I then attached the two sides to the top with 70mm bolts. Be sure that you arrange the sides properly so the longer legs of the side are towards the back of the rack, which is also where the top back piece is. Then, with the longer 75mm bolts, attach the bottom back piece and the top front ‘chin-up’ bar, and you’re ready to stand the rack up.

It’s a little awkward to stand up, but I was able to slowly lift and slide the rack until it was vertical. Go around and tighten all of the bolts, be sure not to miss any, remember, this rack is going to be holding hundreds of pounds over your head! Attach the black end-caps at the top back corners, and slide the plastic feet onto the four corners of the base. My kit included four extra plastic pieces that look like they were intended to be some kind of feet. They aren’t listed on the parts list, and aren’t as tall as the regular feet, so they don’t touch the ground if you attach them on the bottom. They do snap on to the 2″ frame at any location, I just don’t know what they would be used for, so they are waiting in the box. Let me know if you know what they are for!

Once the rack is together, slide the long poles through the holes in the frame, and use the small pins to hold them securely in place. One of my poles had a little extra metal in the hole the pin goes through, so I had to use a small round file to clean it up, allowing the pin to slide through easily. Slide the shorter support pieces into place and use pins to hold them in place as well. I used a label maker to mark the holes that I want to use for bench presses and squats so I’m not having to count holes all the time. You could also use a label maker or a marker to number the holes.

I ended up getting the lat attachment as well a few days later. The instructions are just as bad (I’ve attached them here). It comes in two boxes:

1. 21kg (46lbs)
2. 4.5kg (10lbs)

The kit does include a long pull down bar, perfect for lat pull-downs, and also includes a shorter straight bar to attach on the bottom, which could be used for bicep curls, rows, etc. The carriage that slides up and down, and holds the weights, is designed to hold weights with a 1″ hole. It can still hold Olympic style weights (as the product picture above shows), but since I already had some weights with 1″ holes from an old beginners weight set, I use them instead.

Besides adding labels for the frequently used positions of the support pins, I’ve already made some small modifications to my rack to add functionality. I added some stick on hooks to hold the weight bar clamps. Since I don’t have a machine for calf raises, I tried leaning against the back of the rack with the barbell on my shoulders, which works fine, but quickly started scratching the paint off of the rack. I used some aluminum sheet that I had laying around, and bent it around the rack pieces, affixing it with double-face tape. Now at least the rack isn’t taking the abuse. I also made some spacers to attach to the barbell so I wouldn’t lean to much to the left or right when doing calf raises. They are simply a piece of PVC cut in half with pipe insulating sleeve taped to the inside, and duct-tape and Velcro used to hold the two halves together, and allow quick attachment/detachment to the barbell. Not fancy, but works great!

I’ve used the rack a number of times now, and so far I am very happy with it. It’s very sturdy and durable, looks great, and functions well. The only change to the design that I’d make is to have the safety bars chrome or stainless steel instead of painted. When you push them through the holes in the rack, unless you are perfectly straight when guiding it through, it scrapes on the sides of the holes, and some of the black paint scrapes off. Not a big deal, but chrome or stainless would be more durable, though it would probably raise the price, which is probably why they didn’t do it. All in all, I can definitely recommend this product to anyone looking for a power rack.

]]> http://sojoe.info/2006/04/powerline-power-rack-ppr-200/feed/ 7 http://sojoe.info/2006/04/measurements/ http://sojoe.info/2006/04/measurements/#comments Sun, 09 Apr 2006 15:12:40 +0000 Joe http://sojoe.info/?p=67 I doubt this page is of much interest to anyone, it’s primarily for me to keep track of my progress, but maybe it can be an inspiration to someone, at least based on my results so far at the writing of this.

Date	Weight	Body Fat	Belly	Neck	Bicep	Forearm	Chest	Thigh	Calf	Wrist
06/04/06	154	17/12	33.5	15	14.5	11.5	40	21.75	14.	6.75
05/28/06	153.5	16/12	33.25	15	14.5	11.25	40	21.25	14	6.75
05/21/06	153	17/13	33	15	14.5	11.25	39.5	21.5	14	6.75
05/14/06	155.5	18/13	33.5	15	14.25	11.25	39.5	21.5	14	6.75
05/07/06	153	17/13	33	15	14.25	11.25	39.75	21.5	14.25	6.75
04/30/06	152	16/13	33	15	14.25	11.25	39.5	21.25	14.25	6.75
04/23/06	151.5	16/13	33	15	14	11.25	39.5	21.25	14.25	6.75
04/16/06	151	17/13	33.5	15	14	11.25	39.5	21	14.25	6.75
04/09/06	150.5	16/14	33	15	14	11	39.5	20.75	14.25	6.75
04/02/06	148.5	15/13	33	15	14	11	39.25	20	14.25	6.75
03/26/06	150.5	16/15	33.25	15	14	11	39	20.5	14.25	6.75
03/19/06	152	17/16	34	15	14	11	39.5	21	14.25	6.75
03/12/06	155.5	17/18	35	15	14	11	39.5	21	14.25	6.75
03/05/06	158	19/19	35.75	Note that weight is listed in pounds. When Body Fat shows two measurements, they are (scale/caliper). All measurements are rounded down to the nearest quarter inch. The belly measurement is taken at ‘belly button level’. Wrist measurement is taken for possible use in calculating body fat. Starting 4/2/06, all measurements will be taken ‘cold’ and ‘flexed’.
02/26/06	161	20/20	36.25
02/19/06	161.5	20/20	36.75
02/12/06	164	21/20	37.25
02/05/06	164	21	37.25
01/29/06	167	23	38.5
01/22/06	168.5	23	38
01/15/06	166.5	23	38.5	<–When I actually started to do something
12/10/06	170	24	39	<– When I decided I needed to do something

]]> http://sojoe.info/2006/04/measurements/feed/ 1 http://sojoe.info/2006/04/weekly-fitness-pictures/ http://sojoe.info/2006/04/weekly-fitness-pictures/#comments Mon, 03 Apr 2006 00:42:39 +0000 Joe http://sojoe.info/2006/04/02/weekly-fitness-pictures.html I was originally inspired to push my workout goals by this website. He takes pictures every week, and it’s amazing to see his transformation since he started. I wish I would have kept pictures from the start of my weight loss, but I didn’t. I’m going to start now, to at least track the improvements in my muscle development. Click on the picture to the left to see the gallery where I’ll store them, it’s mostly for me to keep track of how I’m improving, but if others are inspired by them, as I was by John Stone’s site, then that would be great. Oh, by the way, the pictures are of me just in underwear or shorts, so it’s not for the squeamish!

The cells in yellow should be changed to match your conditions and goals, simply type in your info, and press enter. Weight and body fat are pretty obvious ones. If you don’t know your body fat, you can get an estimate here. Activity Factor is used to calculate the base amount of calories you burn each day beyond those just used to keep you alive. Here’s a simple chart to help you choose:

• 1.200 = sedentary (little or no exercise)
• 1.375 = lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)
• 1.550 = moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week)
• 1.725 = very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week)
• 1.900 = extra active (very hard exercise/sports and physical job)

Lower down you’ll see ‘Additional’, which is special activities that you do each day that you want to add (for instance, I add 564 calories for my 30 minutes of rowing, and 45 minutes of walking each day). Note that you could include these activites in your ‘Activity Factor’ by choosing a higher factor, this just offers another way to add those activities you do each day.

To the right of the times for each meal you should enter what percentage of your daily calories you wish to devote to that meal. If you want less than 6 meals, set the meals you don’t want to 0%. Be sure the total of the six cells equals 100%!

Above the Carbs, Protein and Fat you should enter what percentage of your calories should be from each of those types. Again, be sure the total of these three equals 100%!

With all of this info entered, you’ll then see a breakdown of how many grams of carbs, protein and fat you should eat at each meal to maintain the weight that you entered. If you enter a weight that is higher or lower than your current weight, eating the suggested amounts should eventually get you to that weight.

• Breakfast (approx 7:30am) 25%
  Breakfast is a much more important meal than I’ve given it credit for in the past. Now that I’m doing cardio when I get up, and eating breakfast, I feel much more energized throughout the day. I’m going to dedicate 25% of the calories to this meal to help lay a good foundation for the day, and to take advantage of the fact that I have full access to my kitchen, and can be more creative with the meal.
• Morning Snack (approx 10:15am) 10%
  The goal of the snack is to maintain consistent blood-sugar levels, and to feed the muscles as they continue to grow.
• Lunch (approx 1:00pm) 20%
  Lunch is important to provide that extra energy boost to make it through the afternoon. Generally being at work for this meal, I don’t have as many options.
• Afternoon Snack (approx 3:45pm) 10%
  The goal of the snack is to maintain consistent blood-sugar levels, and to feed the muscles as they continue to grow.
• Dinner (approx 6:30pm) 25%
  Dinner is my ‘enjoyment’ meal of the day. Here’s where I hope to spend a little extra time making something that’s not only healthy, but enjoyable to eat. On days I workout, this will likely be the meal after the workout, which is also important for getting the right mix of nutients to the recuperating muscles.
• Evening Snack (approx 9:15pm) 10%
  The goal of the snack is to maintain consistent blood-sugar levels, and to feed the muscles as they continue to grow.

So, now I know how many calories I need, I know when I need them, and how much of each kind of calorie I need for each meal. Now I can look at what kinds of meals I can have, stay tuned!

To then include calories burned for typical daily activites, aka ‘Activity Factor’, I multiply this by 1.4 which is typical for light to moderate activity. So, my calories burned through basic activity is 647. Throw in 30 minutes of rowing (300), and add the 45 minute walk at 4 mph (264) and it goes to 2830.

I’ve been averaging 1581 calories per day, which is 1249 calories shy of what I need to maintain weight. That would be 8743 calories per week. It takes 3500 calories to burn one pound of fat, so my 8743 would result in 2.5lbs of fat loss per week. I’ve been losing an average of about 2lbs a week (sometimes higher, sometimes lower), so my estimated calorie count is at least within the ballpark.

Wow, I’m gonna be adding over 1000 calories to my daily diet just to stop loosing weight. How to do it? Well, what I eat is going to be important if I want to continue losing body fat and gaining muscle. This means increasing protein notably, and from what I’ve seen, a 40:40:20 breakdown should work well for my goals. This means 40% carbs, 40% protein, and 20% fat. Knowing this, I can calculate the number of grams I’ll need of each. Carbs and Protein have 4 calories per gram, and fat has 9 calories per gram. So, doing the math, I get the following:

• Carbs: 1132 calories, 283 grams
• Protein: 1132 calories, 283 grams
• Fat: 566 calories, 63 grams

So, starting on Sunday, I’m going to switch to this new plan. Note that none of this factors in the weight training. I’m going to first try these levels, while still training with weights, and see how it goes. After a few weeks, I can make adjustments as necessary depending on what happens to body fat and LBM. Now that I know how much I need to eat, stay tuned to see when and what I’m going to eat.

• Weight: 150.5lbs (down 1.5lbs)
• Body Fat: 15.5% (scale=16, caliper=15, down 1%)
• Belly: 33.25″ (down .75″)

Not bad, I’m almost there. If you remember from my original goal, I wanted to get to 150lbs, 15% body fat, and 32″ belly by June 1. I’m pretty suprised, not only that I’ll hit that almost two months early, but that those three different, and not strictly related numbers, have all come so equally close to my goal at the same time. Damn I’m good!

Now that I’ve figured out the formula to loosing body fat, which is actually pretty simple if you are willing to do the work, I need to change things, and it will probably become more difficult. I’m gonna stay with the current plan for one more week, which should easily hit my target weight and body fat, and come within .5″ of my belly goal. Then I’m going to change things up to try and gain muscle, and loose body fat. Weight lose will likely stop decreasing for a short time, and then go up slowly as the muscle mass replaces the body fat (muscle weighs more than fat). This is going to be difficult, since I’ll be eating more calories to promote growth, yet trying not to have any of that go to fat.

I’m going to try and do weight training three times this week (as long as the muscles feel like they’re ready for it). I’ll try to balance getting enough workout in, while still allowing enough opportunity for muscle growth. Stay tuned, things should get interesting!

We needed some beer (at least Cristin and I) so while they went up to her apartment, I went across the street to the Metro Mart to get beer. I picked up some Beemish (got a free T-shirt for it!) and headed back over, and then even though I asked before I left, I couldn’t remember what apartment she was in! I was able to get into the building (people are to trusting when they let you follow them through security doors), and I knew the location of her apartment on the floor, I just didn’t know what floor. So, I tried 7, nope, 8, nope, then I thought, 10 sounds kind of familiar, bingo, found ‘em. Then of course we debated how a cell phone would have simplified things, but I just hate phones, and don’t want to pay $40-$50 a month for the three times it might come in useful. So, now that I’m back from the store, we decide not to order out, but instead, get some steak and potatoes, from the store I was just in. so, Josh decided he needed a walk and headed over. Dinner was delicious, and Val (sister-in-law) stopped over after work to pick up Josh, and give me a ride home (thanks again Val!).

Waking up Saturday morning, I had a headache. I only had 6 beers I think, must be the three shots that did it. So, I was moving pretty slow all day, missed my morning row for the first time in about a month. I did get out for a walk at 6pm, and by then was feeling pretty much normal again.

Got up this morning, ready to see what my weekly measurements are. My belly’s feeling flatter (I’ve always got my hand on it now like I’m pregnant or something, just appreciating the change) so hopefully the Chinese lunch and St. Patrick’s Day didn’t set me back to much. Here’s the results:

• Weight: 52lbs (down 3.5lbs)
• Body Fat: 16.5% (scale says 17%, caliper says 16%)
• Belly: 34″ (down a full inch!)

I think the scale may be losing it’s reliability, I heard that the lower your body fat, the less reliable those are. I have a hard time believing I could loose 3.5lbs, and a full inch of belly, yet no body fat, so I will probably have to rely a bit more on the caliper measurement.

At this rate, it’s possible I could reach my weight and body fat goals by next week, and the waist measurement a week or two after, so that would put me almost two months ahead of schedule, pretty amazing since I was thinking shortly after setting the goal that it might be to aggressive, and maybe I should cut it back. I’ll need to start thinking about what I’m going to do next. I’d still like to loose more body fat, but I think I should start focusing more on building more muscle. So, I think I’ll prepare a more aggressive workout schedule (while still allowing proper recooperation time), and recalculate my calorie needs to stop the weight lose, and promote muscle growth (more calories, yay!) To keep body fat from going back up, I will still continue with cardio work, and I’ll be careful about the type of calories I’m consuming, focusing on natural foods much more, and a higher percentage of protein than I have been.