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April 13, 2012 3:09 AM EDT

Day 90 - Final

This is it , I cleared day 90 and cleared my PCP.

It has been a very interesting 90days.
I've achieved my goal to lose weight and improve my general fitness level.
Today I just feel great.

What I've learned
- Proper food is key to having a healthy life.
- A good diet does not equate to a boring or difficult diet. I enjoyed every day of the diet and (re) discovered some foods. Vegetables, fruits, milk and even the egg whites !
- Jumprope is fun and is a very effective way of improving fitness and getting rid of fat.
- Working out at home or away is easy. I 'll be travelling with my resistance bands going forward.
- Group training and sharing makes training easier.
- Anyone can do PCP.
- Hotels are quite accommodating when it comes to food room service and facilities for skipping ( some exceptions in japan )
- Cost of new clothes is nothing compared to the well being. ( 2 sizes down for shirts, 1.5 down for pants )
- There is no such thing as a free lunch ....

How I've managed to go through the 90 days
- It requires commitment, but once you get in a routine, you can cruise through the program.
- There are clearly some sacrifices to make.
- Finding support among the group on those difficult days is key
- Seeing and feeling the changes is almost instantaneous and that keeps motivation high.
- First half was all about weight loss, second half was toning.
- I had way more than the 3 indulgence days in terms of booze, but NEVER blew up as far as the food goes.
- Having a decent social life is tough when you have to get up every morning at 5:30

Thanks
- Charlotte, my wife that coped with my PCP stories for 90 days, but that was supportive all the way ! ( but for those 5:30 am alarms )
- Chloe, Alex, Chiara and Anae ( the kids ) that backed me and admired my dedication. ( Alex, get those pull ups right, you can't have your dad kick your ass ! Chloe, I will teach you how to skip, you just have to want it ! )
- Mom , for that great first indulgence meal in France
- Lennie (our helper) that consistently prepared my food every day I spent in HK
- Virg S, Greg B and Nagisa Y, office colleagues with whom I shared this PCP adventure.
- Lorenzo, Quentin, Thomas, Stephane, Landy, Alice, Emmanuelle, Sebastien, Xavier, Doug, David etc... that had to cope with stories about reps, jumprope, grams and all !
- Friends and family that were not shy of the "Wow !" "Doing great!" " Look good!" " OMG"
- The PCP coaches. Your program rocks, your notes were timely ! A+
- And to all the Gemini buddies, having you by my side enduring the same stuff made me stronger.
- To all the Adamite PCPers. ( Some of which I'm sure I'll meet shortly )

The future
- I signed up for Phuket Tri in november. I might add Taiwan 70.3 as well.
- I heard of an after PCP and will consider that post summer.
- I will pay attention to food.
- I'll soon be back to training in the pool with the Tritons.
- I have a few good bottles of wine to drink.
- A week of holidays with my wife.

Well , that's it.
I deserve the "COMPLETE" stamp.
Good luck to the Blaze and Cerite.
Keep it up, it's worth it

April 12, 2012 8:31 PM EDT

Day 90 Part 1 - Where I come from

I shot a few pics prior to day 1 and I did mention in one of my posts about a pair of jeans that I had in my closet.
Here are 3 photos of where I come from and how PCP has changed my body shape.
I'm posting these for all those that ( like I did ) will be browsing through the "Complete" section of the Peak Condition Project wondering what you can get out of the 90 days...

Good luck to all

Photos

Week%201%20jeans%20face Week%2012%20jeans%20side Week%2012%20jeans%20side%202

April 11, 2012 3:03 AM EDT

Day 88

I had a great few days in Bali but now, back to the office and back to 5:30 AM routine.
The finale of today's superset really killed me.
When I read some of you fail the V sits at the count of 30+, I'm full of admiration.
I just collapse after less than 20 and then I roll to the side and the plank kicks in and I end up lying face down for just 15 seconds of rest...and I start over. Needless to say rep #5 was pathetic.
Eager to get day 89 done now.

Was wondering what the surprise was for day 90 ?
Maybe it's just an indulgence day with no workout at all...hehe

Photos

Bali

April 9, 2012 7:28 AM EDT

Day 86 In Bali

Weather is great.


I have been putting a bit more upper body work with the morning surf sessions.
25 pounds less and trust me the take off is a lot easier !

I kindda like the supersets but i had to improvise with the pull ups as there was no pull up bar at my hotel.
Just did some inclined pull ups by holding onto the sensor bar of the treadmill, followed by the dips on the same treadmill.
I've been skipping with Dire Straits' Telegraph Road and Money for Nothing these past days.
Was thinking to change the lyrics to "I want my PCP" insead of "MTV"
For my last day in Bali I found a nice spot facing the beach for tmr morning. That's where I intend to skip at sunrise !

A few days left and though my weight is no longer dropping , and I still have a bit of a tummy, I feel good !!

Final photo will show a amazing " red neck surfer's " tan. Hahaha !

April 5, 2012 9:27 PM EDT

Day 83

Been in Japan the last 2 days. 
No problem with the diet except maybe the drinks post work with the team here.
Did my workouts in the shangri la gym yesterday and I was amazed by the other hotel residents. 
2 of them were done with their entire workout before I had finished skipping ...

This morning, I started skipping like yesterday and apparently I was breaking some rule.
The staff told me it was forbidden. ! I probably did something rude to Japanese standards by just ignoring the order and went on with my jumprope. Just wanted to get it done before I took off. Apologies to my Japanese friends.
But if you can't skip in a gym, where can you ?
Will do the WO tonight when I get to Bali

Looking forward to a 4 day WE with the family under the sun. Rest, surf and PCP

Forgot to mention I saw some PCP buddies in Tokyo and you all look great !

One last week ! The last 3k of our marathon ! Let's finish hard !

April 3, 2012 6:35 AM EDT

Day 80

I've not felt so full in the past 80 days.
With the new diet, I have the feeling I'm eating all the time.
Morning workouts and the snacks make me stretch my lunch out until 2PM when I'm not even that hungry !
Traveling to Japan for work tmr and then Bali for a long WE.
Hope the wave conditions are fine so I can catch a few with my son.
In any case, lots of rest and plenty of time to do the workouts.

10 days till completion and still kicking ...

April 1, 2012 8:13 PM EDT

Day 79

Went to Big Wave beach on Sunday with the kids.
I bought some new board shorts
I do not remember the last time I bought anything in size 32" for myself...

Photos

Bodyboard

March 30, 2012 10:15 PM EDT

Bike day

Eventually I got on my bike and went for a quick 25k ride from Stanley to Shek'O. It was my first time back on the saddle since I started PCP and I had high expectations.
The bad news is that I still need to work my cardio ( i'm probably skipping too slowly at 85/90 jumps per mn), but the good news is that I felt no soreness in the legs and just went up those hills with no pain at all. I shaved about 3 minutes off the time it would take me to complete and given the windy conditions, that's not bad. Even went up the short 15% steep leg back home easily...
PCP builds strong legs !

Indulgence yesterday.
I had 2 pralines (Leonidas ) after lunch.
Then went for dinner to Aqua with friends that are visiting.
Salmon and Tuna Sashimi
Roasted Seabass with celeri puree, marinated tomatoes and pan fried zucchini
Crozes Hermitage White ( Jaboulet )
Crozes Hermitage Red ( Jaboulet )
No dessert
Expresso and a truffle.

77 days into PCP and feeling good.

Photos

Sashimi

March 30, 2012 12:59 AM EDT

Day 76

I must confess it's not really been a PCP compliant week.
Started with the workouts on monday and crashed during the second 90s plank.
Continued with outside dinners every night and though the food I ate was PCP labeled, I took some red wine that clearly wasn't...
Ditched the workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday morning but I was feeling like I was missing something on Wednesday so did the workouts in the evening. I'm addicted !
Managed to get up on thursday and this morning so that was better.
I'm having indulgence tonight ( though I feel I've had it every day this week... ) with friends , but I am not even that keen.
I'm not really craving for a big fat meal anymore, but will have some chocolate I've been saving at home ...haha !

WE is around the corner and we are entering the last 2 weeks of PCP.
Take care Gemini buddies

March 25, 2012 9:08 AM EDT

Day 71

One more Seven's experience...
Friday night I had a Charity event and had a couple of glasses of Champagne. Money was for a good cause so I had to pay my bottle. Saturday and Sunday were ok with a few beers. Nothing terrible but clearly not PCP compliant.
At least I did my workouts and was compliant on the food. I might have missed a few fruit snacks but didn't fall for all the crap food that you get in those kind of events. I even resisted the evil temptation of the cheese platter in our box !
Failed on the DaVinci's 25/13/9/8/7. Just couldn't lift my arms anymore.

Changed the batteries on my scale and it looks like I lost another kilo.
Still have a little tummy but don't want to focus on that.
All the people that I saw at the HK Stadium told me I looked fit.
I just replied that I felt fit...

19 days to go and we are complete.
speak soon

March 20, 2012 8:31 PM EDT

Day 67

Yesterday, I was thinking of taking a day off. Just felt a bit down and didn't really want to get up at 5:30. Plus it was leg day, my Nemesis...
Well this morning, I just woke up without the alarm and was feeling ok so decided to give it a go. Surprisingly it wasn't that boring ! The shoulder drills killed me but went through them and eventually I was done in way less than an hour.

Bought 3 new shirts this week, 2 sizes down. It's cool to be wearing a slim fit cut that actually fits !

As for today's video... there is just no free lunch in real life.

Take care Gemini and all.

March 18, 2012 6:00 AM EDT

Day 64

I find the workouts getting increasingly hard ... I had to take a smaller band for the da vinci's and even with the smaller one, I felt the burn.
I have almost nothing left in my wardrobe that fits and I urgently need to get a few shirts with an inch less neck size.
Sticking to the diet as much as possible, though I did have a glass of wine with my "Beef Bourguignon" saturday night.
Beautiful weather in HK this WE and spent some time on water with friends near Sai Kung today.
The kids loved it ! and I bet you can imagine why ...

26 days to go and I'm going to complete this PCP !
Keep it up Gemini fellas.

Photos

Boat

March 15, 2012 12:52 AM EDT

DAY 61

I always get a low day during the week. It just hit me this morning.
Dragged myself out of bed, tripped many times while skipping, counted every single rep as if it was the last one, wanted to give up at least 20 times. I even counted every second of the 5 x 60" planks ! Nearly an hour of pain and agony...but I did em all. No glory there as the entire house was sleeping and I had nothing better to do.
Feeling a bit drained, but I'll take it one day at the time.

I'm definitely going to order some of David's maple syrup after PCP !

March 12, 2012 12:28 AM EDT

Day 58

I really don't like the workout days when the focus is on the legs. Weak knees, and boredom are probably the reason. Chest and back drills are my friends.
Lost 10 kgs to date.
Rest heart rate is in the low 50's bpm,
I hit about 145 bpm max during the jump rope ( 16 minutes strait ).
Need to get back on my bike as soon as the weather gets nicer to see the progress on a hilly ride.
I've achieved my weight loss goal but will push till the end and get rid of that remaining belly fat.

There is light in sight !

March 10, 2012 4:37 AM EST

Day 55 - Part 2 When Indulgence kicks in...

Went to Otto Y Mezzo  and had great pasta with a glass of wine and a bit a chocolate with coffee. I believe I saw a PCP peer but will not name him here.
After the market close we celebrated Virg's Birthday in the office ( btw , HAPPY BIRTHDAY as today is the real day ). Yummy cake from Agnes B. Check out the Virg's PCP version of cake in the lower right hand side of the photo...
After work drinks at Alfie's where I has a Pastis ( that the bartender clearly didn't know how to prepare ).
Continued with a buddy's Birthday celebration at Tivo where one of our mates was mixing music, not cocktails, though some friends had their share of the latter...
Had tidbits appetizers , mostly fresh stuff, and a pizza. ( San Daniele cured ham and roquette, see pic below)
A few glasses of wine and champagne, with some soda water gulps in between.
That all lasted till very late and given I had been up for 24 hours, it was time to call it a ( indulgence ) day !
I clearly hit the extra 800 calories mark, but like the first time, there was absolutely no processed food during the day, except the 2 crisps at Alfies, but that doesn't really count.

I really enjoyed it and had no trouble getting back to PCP today.
15 minutes jump rope and 8 minutes abs were on the menu this afternoon.

Have a great WE.

Photos

Pizza Cake

March 8, 2012 8:13 PM EST

Day 55 - Part 1 PCP Compliant

Had a short night. Just woke up at 4:30...way too early ! Strangely enough, I felt pretty strong and when I looked at the workout sheet, I just thought this would be a "good day".
None of the boring leg stuff !
Whizzed through the jumprope, 15+ mns strait ( tripped 3 times and added 5 secs for each trip ) and then did all the workouts carefully ( knees up for the Kung fu ).
Nice burn and feeling good today.
Indulgence later on and WE coming up.
All the stars are lined up ! It's gonna be a good day

Special thought for Virg who is still in pain with those vicious coral cuts...

STAY STRONG VIRG !

March 7, 2012 5:47 AM EST

Day 53 " Just do it"

I've entered the " Just do it " mood ;
Get out of bed at 5:30
Hit the playground at 5:35
Jump rope till 5:52
Strength drills till 6:25
Stretch till 6:30
Shower, after workout snack while kids are having bfast and then my normal day can start....
I've shifted my breakfast later when I get in the office.
It's getting tough but on the bright side, we're nearly at 2/3rds of the program and I see and feel massive change.

I have just planned my indulgence day and that will keep me going till the end of the week , hehehe.

Keep pushing PCPers and special thought to my Gemini buddies that are still all hanging in there.

March 3, 2012 7:08 AM EST

Day 49 - Off piste in Pastis

Night out with a few colleagues ( and then met with other friends ) on Wyndham St yesterday and clearly went off piste ! Had 3 , or more likely 4, glasses of wine and champagne and a shot I think. In normal times I probably would have had more than double for the time I spent out... I don't feel bad about it ! I had a great time .
Gently did my skipping during the day and tried the 8mns ab session. Found the same video with no soundtrack, just a "beep" every 45 seconds.Way better. Amazing how you just cruise through 8mns of abs after 49 days of PCP.
Might try a bike ride tomorrow if weather gets better. ( wind and drizzle and not cyclists friends )
Week 8 picture coming up soon and should see some more changes.

Have a good WE
 

February 29, 2012 4:31 AM EST

Last day in Niseko, Day 46

I'm not really surprised this place is among the ski resorts where it snows the most in the world. However, as much as like powder snow, I guess I like sun even more. I really miss the Alps where you can just relax for lunch at a sun bathed terrace.
Back to PCP and the horizon looks pretty much like the picture a few days back. Grim without the Enthusiasm... I have no energy left. Skiing plus PCP is just too much for me. I just want a raclette or a cheese fondue with a few glasses of dry white wine ! Argggh isn't there some kind of indulgence day around the corner ? 
Mr Dedication is feeling a bit moody today.

February 27, 2012 6:00 AM EST

Day 44 in Niseko

It's been snowing the past 2 days. Visibility isn't that great but as long as there is powder snow, I'm fine. Legs have been much stronger than ever before thanks to the first 42 days of PCP. 
With the skiing and the weekly focus on the legs, I'm getting a double dose of muscle building.
Doing the drills after the ski and it's proving tough. Happy to go directly to the ofuro/onsen for my end of day relaxation.
Getting tons of rest too, at least 9h a night.
The challenging point is to get my veggies right. Looks like I'll be on carrots and tomatoes the whole week.

Kids had pizza tonight, I chose to have that as my extra carbs of the day ! One slice only ...

All the best to Gemini PCPers and the others.

February 24, 2012 8:13 AM EST

Niseko

Off to Japan for a few days skiing with friends and family. It's a good opportunity to check out my fitness. I usually have a hard time with the legs and knees. This time I have a feeling it's going to be all good.
Packed my gear and ready for a PCP ski trip.
I'm pretty sure you can't find "tartiflette" in Niseko, so temptation will be minimal.
Good WE to all

Photos

Tartiflette

February 22, 2012 12:03 AM EST

Day 39 Back to skipping

I gave the jump rope a try this morning and all went fine. The calf still felt a bit sore, but it didn't get any worse.
I don't know whether I was more focused today but after tripping on 30, 100 and 200, I whirled through the 1200 remaining jumps without a trip. That felt really good and cardio was fine too !
Kids had fried rice yesterday night and that made me drool like a dog while I was having my apple...
So here it is today : PCP compliant fried rice.
Ditched the soy sauce, used some olive oil, brown rice, some spices and herbs. Chucked in the left over capsicums, peas, broccoli, added prawns an a bit of ham.
Taste is different , but just as good !

Photos

Fried%20rice

February 21, 2012 1:00 AM EST

Day 38

I still haven't done the jump rope due to my injured calf. It's getting better and I will probably give it a try ( easy ) tomorrow morning.
My triceps are painful from the extra drills focusing on that part of the body today. Not my favorite. Pistol squats are ok and it seems like I've never been that well prepared ( leg wise ) for my ski trip !

One last thing, egg/milk/apple is NOT what I call dinner !!

February 19, 2012 1:26 AM EST

Day 36

Back to HK after a hectic week in Europe and very little sleep.
My calf has not been really improving since thursday. I replaced jumprope by some walk intra London on friday but when I got to the airport seems like I went down a few steps a bit briskly and I felt the pull again !
Decided to cut fat burning for a few days to let it heal. I know it's bad, but I just don't want it to get worse as I'll be skiing next week. I've cut a bit the carbs too .
Foodwise I'm doing ok. I just can't get used to the veggies as the pm snack. I really don't mind the egg whites.
Clothes are still getting looser, belly does not seem to shrink, but I'm sure the time will come.

Wishing all PCPers the best for week 6 ... and beyond for Gemini buddies !

February 16, 2012 12:37 PM EST

Day 33 wake up call

I've been sticking to the morning workout while traveling , even when having to take those 6 am flights. So just picture me skipping in the hotel lobby at 3:30 am ! 
There are only 24h in a day , duh !, and I've been low on sleep since last sunday. Got up again at 5:30 this morning, hit the gym ( open 24/24 in this hotel ) got to my skipping and ... yikes ! I felt a sharp pain in the calf muscle ! Might have slightly pulled it.
As we were told to listen to our bodies, I guess this is my wake up call. Been pushing too hard ?
Put some ice, some pain killers and we'll see how it feels tmr, though I'm not very optimistic .
Might go for an extra hour of sleep and let it heal one more day. We'll see.
Only 2 more flights and i' m back home.

Can't wait to see the family !

February 14, 2012 4:47 PM EST

Day 31

London
Getting the training in early before work. I'm a bit jet lagged so not too difficult to get up early. Diet is proving a bit difficult, especially lunch. 
Most often a restaurant , i get the carbs, protein and veggies, but not sure about the amounts. Probably went a bit rich with a small portion of risotto yesterday...
Ditching systematically the dinners  outside as i don't see the fun in eating my banana and apple in a restaurant ! 
Wednesday and thursday will be challenging with a 2 day trip to frankfurt and Paris. Planning on doing jump rope tmr at 4 before i leave to airport. Strengh drills later hopefully. 

Like the food log idea.  As soon as i get back, i will post . 

Tough month ahead. Here we go PCP !
Speak soon buddies

February 13, 2012 7:50 AM EST

Indulgence day

- Mushrooms with olive oil and lemon dressing
- Foie Gras with fresh made french baguette
- Roast beef and green beans
- Camembert and Comte cheese
- Creme brule ( passed )
- Red wine

All in reasonable amounts.

Was awesome, and the extra calories were consumed instantly as temperature in Paris was -10C...

Adjusting to my new diet and the extra drills.

All good so far

I think I prefer traveling in EU than to India during my PCP !...

February 11, 2012 1:08 AM EST

Day 28 - Week 4 over

I'm done with week 4.  The new drills hurt a bit but that must be for a better future
Yesterday night we had a company party. Free float of beer, wine, a vodka luge, shots of tequila, pizzas and other delicacies...
My plan was to have my dinner right before , and stick to my favorite cocktail "The Iceberg"
A large shot of soda water, ice cubes and a slice of lime ;-)
Thanks to a few team mates and Virg, that knew I was on a no alcohol program , I didn't get too many of the expected "come on, have just one beer ! it can't hurt ! ". The little demon on my right shoulder just didn't stand up to the angel on my right shoulder.
Stayed in the devil's lair for 3 hours BUT DID NOT CAVE !

Off to Paris, London, Frankfurt for a EU tour ( or what's left of it ) tonight. Indulgence day is planned tomorrow at mom's place with one of my brothers and his family. It will be wine and cheese, I just can't wait.
Also, no push up bars in my suitcase, that's a plus.

Hope I can get everything right during next week.
See ya guys !

February 9, 2012 12:44 AM EST

V sit ups Day 26

V sit-up are a pain in the ... !
Not the first one to say that and probably not the last either. I don't like those !
I got my pull up bar mounted in my kitchen. My son gave it a shot , he couldn't get off the ground, so he turned at me and said " can you do these ? "
I managed to get 5 done so now I'm a hero.
I did 4 sets this morning , two of which were negative pull ups.
Real pull ups are definitely harder than the inclined ones.
Greg B lent me his brand new jump rope . Wow ! A game changer ! I just cruised through the 1150 in no time ( relative to my standards of course ), including the tripping part.

After nearly 4 weeks, I'm starting to adjust. Sleep is OK, I even wake up before the alarm goes off in the morning.
I do need a break on the WE though.
It took me a bit of time to adjust to my new diet , but now it's better . ( until the next change ? )
I can see the difference by just looking at myself into the mirror in the morning and people around me are noticing the changes too.

Had couscous with cucumber, tomato, parsley and lemon,  + lemon marinated chicken for lunch.
Good stuff

Getting close to 30days ! A new milestone
Hang in there PCPers, and specially fellow Geminis

Photos

Couscous%20&%20chicken

February 7, 2012 9:00 AM EST

Day 24

Ouch ! Those nasty little shoulder press hurt ! I was glad when that was over. Had my first client lunch and there were a lot of questions about the PCP. Amazing how people are curious about such projects. Ordered chicken with mushrooms , rice and a side of veggies. I wasn't quite sure about the amount so left most of the rice and part of the vegs. Big mistake ! I started to be very hungry soon after and even the pm snack didn't ease the hunger...I must have eaten only half of my carbs. Should i have taken one of those cakes they brought for dessert ? Chocolate one looked yummy ! Stayed strong , had my usual double expresso and that was it. Still feel a bit hungry tonight : ( Anyways, about to sleep now. Tmr is another day
February 6, 2012 2:34 AM EST

DAY23

Jumprope is clearly kicking in and I don't see it as much as a pain when I get up in the morning. I'm improving my PB everyday however, I'm nowhere close to those blokes on all the videos you can see on Youtube ( thx Shaun ).
To all those that are still struggling, don't worry I'm sure it will click at one stage. Just keep going, it's worth it.
I bought my pull up bar today and I should be trying the pull ups a bit later this week...sure that will be fun....
A bit sad to give up my homemade inclined pull up bar .
Lastly, glad I wasn't flying out to Europe this week. Given the snow and the multiple flight delays/cancellations I'm happy in HK !

February 3, 2012 10:46 PM EST

Day 21 Numbers

I had a small breakthrough this morning with the jump-rope. I am still tripping a lot however I have slightly changed my technique. I now run on the spot as I skip which is less hard on the knees whilst I can increase the tempo. Managed to do the 1000 jumps in 17'30" which was 1' faster than my fastest previous 900 jumps. Will need to buy another rope as I think mine is slightly short.
Feels good.
Max bpm 183 ( thats when I kindda got out of control ) and Ave bpm 154.
This post is all about numbers so here we go
Weight is down to 83.5 kgs which is roughly where I was 7years ago 3 months after I quit smoking. ( from 88 on Day 0 )
Belt is 95cm vs 96 ( not a big deal there )
Waistline is 96cm from 105 ( still some love handles and belly but improving )
Pecline or bust line  is 97cm from 107 ( must have lost some fat there coz I'm ok on the pushups )

Ok, let's not get over excited, these were probably the easy kgs and cms to lose.

On the tough side, every weekday wake up is a drag, but once I'm out of bed, I just say to myself, "even if I go back to bed, I won't fall back asleep, so might as well get on with it..."
Luckily we are 3 in the office doing it so sharing during the day is helpful.

I liked the Fajitas idea / recipe from Tim and Kenneth and I'll have those for lunch today or tmr.
Ratatouille is really my favorite. ( eventually convinced Virg that it was easy to make ). You can mix it with any carb and it's tasty. The recipe evolved from that of my mother, that got it herself from her mom ( btw, my grandma is 98 and still alert... ) .
I'm visiting both next week during a quick stop in France. There might be a bit of disappointment since I won't be sharing the wine, but I'm confident the menu will be PCP compliant !

Morning bfast pic attached.
Ratatouille, rice, soft boiled egg.
I love it

Hang in there PCP buddies, it's really worth it !
Have a great WE.

PS : still need to get a pull up bar... anyone from HK can tell me where I can get one ?

Photos

Bfast%20ratatouille

February 2, 2012 5:30 AM EST

Mission

Still can't manage to get those 8 hours of sleep and it's probably not going to get better as I want to get my training done in the morning before I go to work. I just cannot go to bed at 9:30 ... yet....
In the morning, the helpers around the estate must be thinking " Crazy gweilo jumping like a kangaroo ! " when they see me doing the jumprope. It's still not a routine yet and I do question myself every morning, but it doesn't last long and I get out there and get it done. I'm on a mission !!

Kind words from one of my twins this morning " papa , your belly is getting smaller..."
The weight loss, the pants getting looser , the visible body changes, the support from family, friends and colleagues keeps me going.

Food is fine though I will spend some time this WE to prepare my menus in advance. I just need to put a bit more thoughts in the recipes.

Soon closing week 3

Hope all of you out there are doing fine.

January 31, 2012 12:13 AM EST

Dizzy

I went for my outdoor morning jump rope and then the drills as usual. Half way through the "standing ovation" I wasn't feeling too good, so I had a glass of water and resumed. I finished the abs ok but I must admit that I felt a bit dizzy when standing back up. Anyone had that before ? I guess it was just a reaction to lighter dinner the previous night. Now I understand why at some stage we'll be getting some banana boost before exercising...
I really have to start spicing up my food now or I'll be completely bored before I get to day 90.

day 17 and still in the game !

January 29, 2012 5:35 AM EST

Day 15

I just realized this morning that I may have been a bit slow during the jump rope

hence the tripping occurring too often. I decided to pick up the tempo and
it seemed to work better. I guess my fitness level has improved a bit since I
managed to go through the 800 jumps faster with a bit less tripping and not
exhausted. I’ll confirm tomorrow.

Had late breakfast and skipped my morning fruit snack because we were already having
lunch…
Kids had home made waffles for their snack and I had a couple of kiwi fruits. Trying to change fruits as often as possible in order not to get bored.

For those that want a bit of inspiration for the pull-ups I’m posting a few pics of my “personal pull up bar”.
As Sophie said, we’ll probably smile at those once we’re done.

Have a good WE

 

Photos

Pull-up%20bar Pull-up%20bar%202 Pull-up%20bar%203

January 28, 2012 11:39 PM EST

Late Day 14

Was looking forward to a break from the squats and lunges on day 14 when I headed out for Dragon's Back ( well know HK hike ) with the family. Weather was great and the 200 odd steps were that many extra lunges for the day
Anyways, it felt great to be out in the sun for a couple of hours with the little ones.
Picnic was a double Tuna / avocado / tomato sandwich while the others were enjoying cured ham from the Basque country ... sigh ... and chips.

Evening movie "The Artist " , felt weird to watch a silent movie in 2012 but the actors' performance was great.

Had some stuffed tomatoes for dinner. Easy to bake and a change from the usual meals.
Hollow medium tomatoes , mix minced meat ( whatever meat ) with shallots, parsley and an half an egg ( serves 2-3 )
Bake in oven high temp for 20 to 30 mns depending on the meat you use.
Serve with brown rice and any other vegetable.

enjoy

Photos

Dragon's%20back

January 26, 2012 11:18 PM EST

Friday Yay !

Friday at last, WE is around the corner and that means a bit of recovery time for me ( sleep ).
Morning jump rope is not my favorite...If I go outside to the soft covered playground, it's really windy and if I go for shelter, it's concrete and not really comfortable for the knees. No real breakthrough in that area even if I managed to get two times over one hundred in a row this morning.
The strength drills are fine, My muscles start hurting halfway through the reps and are really burning on the last one so from what I just read, I must be tearing those fibers apart !!

Food wise, I have been enjoying my 7 grain toasts spread with avocado/egg mix plus layers of  tomato and boiled egg for breakfast I'm also getting to a point where I really enjoy cold milk !
Having cold pasta with tomatoes, grilled chicken and fresh basil sprinkled with a bit of olive oil for lunch. ( to be eaten cold )

I'm wondering whether admin could add a button on the menu where PCPers would post there recipes ?

Lastly, a tip for those that are struggling to get the gear to do the inclined pull ups. I bought a sturdy shovel handle ( HK$50 ) from the hardware shop ( Wanchai or Stanley Market  for those HKers ) and I put it across the kitchen lower cupboards to do the inclined pull ups. ( we have tiny kitchens in HK! ). I even put some paper tape around it for the grip. Works fine and I'm 85kgs.

Looking forward to this WE.

Photos

Tomato%20basil%20pasta

January 25, 2012 2:56 AM EST

Victoria Harbour Fireworks

This morning's jump rope was a complete drag. Never got the tempo and I kept tripping. The best I did was 50 in a row... The strength drills went well so that's a positive .
Tomorrow will be another day.

Took the kids to the fireworks yesterday night in HK. The whole day was
quite miserable but eventually some light wind blew the fog and rain
away and we managed to see something though the pics are a bit blurry.

Photos

Fireworks1 Fireworks2 Fireworks3

January 24, 2012 2:50 AM EST

Year of the Dragon

Welcome to the Year of the Dragon !
Macau trip went fine. It was a bit tricky at first to get the right food in the restaurants but eventually I managed to stick to the diet. I must confess that I did get a few weird looks when asking for boiled only vegees with my steak, or when I requested a side bowl of rice ...
The most difficult part was breakfast with my family piling in the maple syrup pancakes, croissants and "pain au chocolat" while I was having my tomato and egg sandwich... That felt a bit dull.
I learned one lesson though ; if you are traveling, you can still achieve your dietary goals. That's going to be useful in the near future.

As promised, here are a few pics of the dragon dance fellows.( the little ones in red are REAL dragons !)

Catch up later

Photos

Dragon1 Dragon2

January 21, 2012 4:35 AM EST

Ticked the "Week 1" box

Woke up this morning and weighed myself. I started off by a "wow I lost weight !" and then I read the training letter of the day...I have to say that the big smile on my face turned into a nice grin as soon as I read "Take no pride in the weight you've lost this week, as too much of it
came from muscle that your body broke down in hunger moments."  Pfffff !

Off to Macau for a one day trip with the family tomorrow and back in time to HK for the fireworks in Victoria harbour. I will try to post a photo when I come back as they are usually pretty cool.

Won't be posting in the coming days and hope I won't be too tempted with the buffets at our hotel !

Week 1 is over bring on Week 2 !

January 19, 2012 8:37 AM EST

Day 5

Messed up the training part today. I didn't notice that the I should have switched to 4 reps on the squats...so I only did 3 ! haha ! Eventually I probably did the same number of squats so not really a big deal.
Will make up tmr.
Doing ok on the food side, had a little "macaron" for desert at lunch and that was yummy ! I also would have enjoyed a slice of Nagisa's saucisson...will wait till I'm done with the PCP.

January 17, 2012 8:49 PM EST

Tip of the day

If you have a new plastic jump rope, it's probably still
curly and you keep tripping on it … and that’s really annoying!

I remembered how as a rugby coach/player you get your mouth guard to fit your mouth.

So here's the trick! Just boil some water, dip your rope
in the hot water (not the handles !) and leave it there for a minute or so. Take it out (avoid
burning yourself) and stretch it gently or hang it over a door and let
it cool down.

Job done,curls on the rope are gone and skipping becomes a lot easier.

January 16, 2012 8:22 AM EST

Day 2

Day 2 gone.
I feel a bit of pain in the muscles but nothing extreme !
Was hungry all day and I guess it's because I never have a huge bfast before work, so cutting in half was close to nothing.
Might get a bit more intake tmr morning.

Managed to get one set of 50 jumps in one go...
hip hip !

January 14, 2012 10:25 PM EST

Day 1

Here we go .
1.80 m and 88kgs ( is that really a lucky number ? )
Goal is to drop 10kgs

Went through the drills this morning and jumprope is clearly my weak spot ...
Keeping a record of bpm to measure cardio improvement

176 after the jumprope and gradually dropped to 125 at the end of the sit ups.

January 13, 2012 8:57 PM EST

Day 0

Day 0 !

Looks like it's going to be a long journey ...

Photos

Day1 Day1

Weekly Photo

Final

Day90-1 Wp-noise
Food Log
Chicken Taboule
Pauls by Paul S.
Couscous%20&%20chicken
Marinate chicken fillets in lemon juice for one night. Dice some cucumbers and tomatoes .Grill the chicken on low heat to keep it soft and tender. Mix the ingredients with couscous, fresh lemon juice as dressing, chopped parsley and mint leaves. Store in a cool place and eat cold. ( you can add some chopped onion if you like )
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