Start of Week 3

Today is the beginning of my third week on NS. I read somewhere once that it takes two weeks of behavior to create a habit. Following that thought I hope my new way of eating has become a habit. Week 2 was just as easy as the first with regards to following the program. I hope the results become a habit as well (13 #s lost in the first 14 days).

Monday means chest day at the gym. I added an exercise today. I didn't really mean to, I just did it before I realized I had already finished 9 sets. I began with 3 sets of bench press (8-12 reps per set @ 200, 250, 250). Next was 3 sets of incline presses (8-12 reps again @ 230) followed by 3 sets of decline presses (10-15 reps @ 272). I accidentally added 3 sets of cable flies (10-12 reps @ 80 per side). Cardio at the gym was a little more intense than usual (by design). I finished up with 30 minutes on the treadmill, incline 11.5, speed, 3.4. This evening after dinner Kim and I walked the dogs for around 30 minutes for my final bit of cardio for the day.


Today's meals began with Nutrifrosted Crunch Cereal (NS), a banana, 2 oz. sliced turkey breast, and a slice of bread. This was my first try with this cereal & as with the others it was delightful (or maybe I'm just not that particular). My morning snack was a typical one, yogurt and strawberries. Lunch today I tried something new, the chicken salad (NS) on a single slice of bread along with two servings of carrots & broccoli with cheese sauce. The chicken salad wasn't bad, added a little mustard and fake salt (which I now call "falt"). Today's afternoon snack was nacho crisps with a dash of hot sauce. Dinner tonight was a salad with peppers and olives, broccoli and cauliflower with cheese sauce, and cajun style chicken with sausage and brown rice (NS). I was stuffed after eating all of the dinner tonight. For my evening snack I enjoyed the chocolate peanut butter bar (NS) heated in the microwave for a bit.

In addition to my goal of loosing enough weight to get back to college weight, I have some other mini goals to reach along the way. Fit into some of my non-tent sized clothes (size 36 first, then 34, and hopefully back to 32-33), and fit back into my old weight belt. I have a wonderful old leather, heavy duty Cardillo belt that used to fit like a glove. It felt like it was holding me together during all those years of heavy squats. I looked at it today and I've got a ways to go. Like about 6 inches to get to the first row of holes in the belt. More than that to get back to where I used to buckle it at. I'll be ecstatic when I can just get it buckled.

2nd Weigh In

This morning was my 2nd Weigh In. Down another 3 #s. That's exactly what I was looking for. Ready for week 3!

Day 14

Today marks the end of my second week on NS. I'll weigh myself again in the morning to check my progress so far. The program has been so easy to follow and the food has been for the most part good. Hopefully I'll have lost some weight this week, but I know it won't be anything like last week. I told Kim today that I felt like I hadn't done as well this week with the program, but looking back over my meals and workouts for the last week I realized I had done well. Not a single day over 1500 calories, 13 cardio workouts during the week, and 6 strength training workouts as well. Guess I have become used to the meals and program during the second week and things don't seem as drastic as last week (relating to what foods I'm eating, & amount of times I eat each day).

For breakfast this morning I had a chocolate chip scone, a banana, a slice of multigrain bread and 1 oz of bayou bacon. My morning snack was yogurt and another banana. Lunch was Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables (NS), and two servings of broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower in cheese sauce. The soup was tasty. I had to add a little Ms. Dash to liven it up a little. For my afternoon snack I tried the sour cream and onion soy chips (NS). These were not as good as the BBQ flavor I tried a few days ago. I added some hot sauce (very little) and some fake salt to help with the flavor. Dinner this evening I tried the flame broiled beef patty (NS) as a burger on 2 slices of multigrain bread with mustard, a sprinkling of low fat cheese, & a small amount of light mayo. Along with the burger I had a salad with peppers, 5 olives, and 2 more servings of the broccoli, carrot, and cauliflower with cheese sauce. The burger was actually very good. Not all that big, but the taste was just fine.

Kim & I walked one of our dogs this morning for about 30 minutes for my first bout of cardio for the day. After the gym opened today I went in and trained calves and walked on the treadmill for another 30.

Looking forward to another good week starting tomorrow and hopefully a good weigh in.

Day 13

Today is Saturday and oddly enough my legs aren't killing my yet from yesterday's workout. Usually 2nd day soreness is much worse than any other so we'll see how I feel in the morning.

Today I've only been able to get in a single cardio workout. Kim & I walked the dogs this morning for about 1/2 an hour. The rest of the day has been a rain filled mess. Kim did walk again this evening, wearing her pink muck boots to slosh through the mud with a couple of dogs. I took a pass.

For breakfast today I tried the lowfat granola cereal (NS), bread, bacon, and some grapes. I've never been a granola kinda guy, but I loved the cereal this morning. My morning snack was grapes and jello pudding. Lunch today was Hearty Minestrone Soup (NS), broccoli & cauliflower with cheese. The minestrone soup was one of the meals I've been pushing to the back of the pantry trying to avoid it. I shouldn't have, it was good. One of the better soups I've tried to this point. My afternoon snack (eaten while making an unexpected trip to a job site) was nacho crisps. For dinner tonight I tried the Three Cheese Pasta with Chicken (NS), with broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower in cheese sauce (again this is 45 calorie per serving, Green Giant frozen veggies of which I had 2 servings), a salad with peppers and olives, and a slice of multi-grain bread.

One more day this weekend to get in some cardio and maybe a quick workout before weighing in again on Monday morning.

Day 12

Friday again so it's leg day at the gym. Years ago this would mean stacking caffeine pills, ephedrine pills, and an aspirin 1 hour prior to the workout to get ready. It also would mean I would be sick the rest of the day from exhaustion. Leg days are still brutal, but nothing like before. Now I prepare by eating my NS breakfast and morning snack before training. I don't train so hard that I'm sick for the rest of the day any longer, but I'm still rather tired afterward.

My workout lasted about 45 minutes today. 9 sets for quads & 6 sets for hams. After warming up on the bike for about 5 minutes I started with quads. I decided to change the order of exercises today so I started with leg presses. 3 sets of 20 reps, starting with 6 plates on each side, adding a plate each set. Next was true squats. 3 sets of 12-15, the first set with 2 plates on each side & the next two with 3 plates. By the way, when I say plate, I'm referring to a 45# weight, not a 100#. To finish off my quad workout I did 3 sets of leg extensions. About 15 reps per set. Next was hamstrings. 3 sets of leg curls and 3 sets of hyper-extensions, 15 reps per set. I knew I wasn't gonna be able to do any cardio later in the day because of all the rain we were experiencing, so I forced my self to grind out 30 minutes on the treadmill, incline 11, speed 3.3, before I left. My knees only buckled once.

For breakfast I had the harvest nut bar (NS), a banana, a slice of bayou bacon, and slice of multigrain bread. I heated the nut bar up so it was warm and chewy. My morning snack was yogurt and grapes. Lunch was Chicken and Pasta in Cacciatore Sauce (NS), and two servings of cauliflower with cheese sauce. The chicken and pasta was good. The sauce had a non Boyardee flavor which was nice for a change. Afternoon snack of BBQ soy chips (NS) which had a great BBQ flavor. Now one of my favorite snacks. Dinner was maybe the best NS meal I've had to date. Beef and Noodles in Teryaki Sauce (NS), broccoli, cauliflower with cheese sauce, black eyed peas, and a mixture of corn, tomatoes, and okra. The NS entree was great. Actually had the flavor of Chinese food. Another instant favorite.

Day 11

I've had it with NS pretzels and honey mustard pretzels. They suck. I've tried everything short of melting chocolate over them to make them edible. I'll make sure they are never in another order & if I run out of other snacks before my next shipment arrives, I'm gonna substitute a part of a protein bar (supreme protein bars rock) or maybe a sugar free chocolate pudding.

Again today I noticed that some of the soups and meals smell a little like canned dog food before they are heated up. I wasn't really bothered by this since I've been know to eat the occasional serving of corned beef hash, which REALLY smells and looks like canned dog food.

Today was arm day at the gym. My mother trained with me so we had a pretty good, quick paced rhythm going. 9 total sets for triceps & 9 sets for biceps. 3 sets of press downs, 3 sets of behind the head extensions, and 3 sets of rope press downs for our triceps (12-15 reps per set). 3 sets of incline curls, 3 sets straight bar curls, and 3 sets of rope curls for biceps (same reps as with triceps). Once we were finished with our muscular training we were off to the cardio area. I did my usual gym cardio of 30 at incline 11 speed of 3.3 on the treadmill.

This morning I had nutriflakes, a banana, 1 oz of bayou bacon (yes, the real deal bacon!) and a slice of bread. My morning/pre-workout snack was yogurt and grapes. Lunch was a salad, cauliflower with cheese sauce, and vegetable beef stew (NS). The uncooked stew was very reminiscent of dog chow, but heated up it was quite tasty (leaves me to wonder what dog chow heated up would taste like?). My afternoon snack was the aforementioned sucky pretzels. I couldn't even eat them all. I threw away what was left when I gave up and then had a small serving (60 calories) of sugar free chocolate pudding. Tonight for dinner I decided to try the sourdough pizza (NS). When I opened the box I thought, where is it. Big(er) box, small items inside. I cut open the packet containing the dough and found a dried up pop tart looking squarish object. Uh oh. Not looking all that appetizing. I followed the directions adding the sauce (which smelled good) and the cheese (looked liked dried up cardboard). Still didn't look to good. I added a small amount of 2% cheese and a few slices of turkey pepperoni. Looking better. The result was surprising. It was good. It probably would have been good without the added cheese, but the 2% didn't hurt for sure. Along with it I had a serving of carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower (all with the cheese sauce that is included with it) from Green Giant, I think. I added 1/3 cup of pinto beans for my low GI carb. Pretty good dinner. For dessert I tried the chocolate peanut butter bar. I heated it up for a bit in the microwave and it was great.

Tomorrow is leg day at the gym!

Day 10

Today I survived a test/torture. I had to pick up lunch for some of the guys working for us and bring it back to the job site. They wanted Checkers. So I had to ride about 10 minutes in the car with 2 cheeseburgers, & 2 large fries. At first they smelled delicious and I think I could have snorted one of the burgers, but after a few minutes the smell was kinda making me sick. Of course I made it back to the site without devouring their lunch, thus passing the test.

For breakfast today I had an apple strudle scone (NS), facon (fake bacon), a slice of multi-grain bread, and a few strawberries. My morning snack was yogurt and grapes. Lunch was brussels sprouts, cauliflower & cheese sauce, and a fudge graham bar (NS). I heated the bar up in the microwave until it was barely melted and this made it so much better. It was warm, gooey, and filling. My afternoon snack was nacho crisps (NS). Dinner of wedged potatoes with sliced beef steak (NS), broccoli, cauliflower with cheese sauce, a salad with olives and peppers, and multi-grain bread. Dessert was a fudge brownie (NS) that I again heated up in the microwave. Again warm and gooey good.

Today was my back workout. Trained alone today so it was fairly quick. 3 sets pull downs, 3 sets seated rows, 3 sets of some sorta iso-hammer strength row, and 3 sets of straight arm press downs. All sets were 12-15 reps. I've been trying to slowly increase the speed on the treadmill, so I did 30 minutes, incline 11, speed 3.3 today. Finally Kim and I walked around the lake late this evening for my last bit of exercise of the day.

Day 9

Today began with a meal of maple brown sugar oatmeal (NS) with a banana, a slice of bread, and two slices of Kim's Facon (fake bacon, see this post concerning bacon vs. facon). Morning snack of yogurt and grapes. Lunch of black beans & rice (NS), zucchini, and a small bowl of okra, tomatoes and corn. The black beans and rice tasted good, but I didn't let the bean mixture sit long enough in the hot water, so the beans were a little undercooked, my fault. Afternoon snack of zesty herb snack mix (NS). My dinner this evening was a salad with peppers and olives, pinto beans, a lot of turnip greens, and bbq sauce over beef, beans, and rice (NS). The bbq NS dinner was just OK. BBQ sauce was a little to reminiscent of McDonald's BBQ dipping sauce.

Today I trained shoulders (with my mother). 3 sets of hammer strength shoulder presses (240, 260, 240). 3 sets of front raises (30#'s each hand). 3 sets of side lateral raises (same weight). Finished up with 3 sets of rear delts (85, 90, 100) All sets were ~12 reps. Cardio was 30 minutes on the treadmill, incline 11 and speed of 3.3. After dinner (and a trip to Kroger for more veggies) Kim and I walked one our dogs around the lake for about 30 minutes to finish up the day's exercises.

Day 8

Today is the beginning of my second week on NS! The program has been great thus far. Good food (with the exception of the pretzels) and great results (I lost 10lbs. in the first 7 days).

Mondays are chest days at the gym for me. I started out with 3 sets of decline hammer strength presses (272, 292, 312) for 12-15 reps, then incline hammer strength presses (~200, 220, 200) for sets of 12-15 (I was already tired from the decline presses which I usually do in reverse order from today), then it was on the incline flies. 3 sets again (60, 70, & 75 # dumb bells) for sets of 12. Same cardio as usual, 30 minutes incline 11 speed 3.2 on the treadmill. My final activity of the day was a 30 minute walk around the lake with Kim and Jumping Jack Flash Gordon (our Jack Russell).

Monday's meals started with Nutriflakes ceral (NS & yum) with a banana, a slice of multi-grain bread, and 2 oz of turkey breast. My morning snack was yogurt and grapes. Lunch consisted of pasta with beef (NS), a salad, and green beans. The pasta with beef tasted like it was something from the Chef (Boyardee) :) My afternoon snack was white cheddar soy chips (NS) which were OK, not as good as the nacho crisps. Dinner was chicken pasta parmesan (NS & again very Boyardee-ish), green beans, broccoli with cheese sauce, a salad with olives, and pinto beans. My dessert was a delicious oatmeal raisin cookie (NS).

The only bad thing from yesterday was riding around with my father for work yesterday. Since I wasn't driving I kept noticing every sign advertising food we passed. I bet there are 50 delicious looking BBQ places with 30 miles of here. I saw all of their ads....

1st Weigh In

I weighed myself this morning & after 1 week on the program I have lost.........10lbs. WooHoo! Lots more to go, but a great start if I do say so myself. Hopefully after the first week or so I'll settle into a steady 1-2lb per week loss, which is supposed to be more sustainable. But Yay anyway.

Day 7

Today is the final day of my first week on NS. The week has gone exceedingly well. I'll get a measure of how well tomorrow morning when I step on the scales for the first time since starting.

My workout today has been a cardio only workout. 30 minutes walking this morning with Kim, followed by 30 minutes on the treadmill at the gym this afternoon, and finally another 30 minutes around the lake with Kim again this evening. I think that'll be 15 cardio workouts this week.

Meals today have all been good. Breakfast was apple cinnamon oatmeal (NS), 1 oz of bacon, a banana, and coffee. I didn't like the apple-ish oatmeal as much as the maple brown sugar oatmeal, but it was still good. My morning snack was 2 oz of sandwich meat (turkey) and 1 1/4 cup of strawberries. Lunch today was chicken noodle soup (NS), cauliflower and broccoli with cheese sauce. I'm not a big fan of chicken noodle soup at all, but I guess I was hungry today because I somewhat enjoyed the cup of NS soup. Afternoon snack of honey mustard pretzels (with a little medium wing sauce). Dinner tonight was pasta fagioli (NS), bread, broccoli and cauliflower with cheese sauce, olives, and green beans. This pasta has been my least favorite of all of the NS pastas. Maybe it didn't taste enough like spaghetti-o's for me!

Day 6

Today is the beginning of the first weekend on NS. Saturdays are typically days when I hang around the house, rest, read, watch TV, and EAT. This weekend was different. I followed the plan as I have all week, and I added quite a bit of cardio to my day.

I went to the gym after lunch to train calves and do a little cardio. 3 sets standing raised and 3 sets seated raises for my workout. 30 minutes on the treadmill & 7 minutes on the elliptical. This morning and this evening Kim and I walked some of our dogs around the lake. I totaled around 100 minutes of cardio for the day. Vastly different than my typical Saturday.

For breakfast this morning I had the NS maple brown sugar oatmeal, egg whites, strawberries, and a slice of multi-grain bread. The oatmeal was great. As good as any other I've had. My morning snack consisted of my daily serving of yogurt along with a banana. Lunch was fettuccine alfredo (NS), zucchini, and green beans. The pasta was pretty good. Nothing like real fettuccine, but pretty good for a diet. Afternoon snack of honey mustard pretzel sticks (NS). Much better than the regular pretzels, but not my favorite thing in the world. Dinner tonight was the cheese and spinach ravioli with meat sauce (NS), a salad with olives and spinach, cauliflower with cheese sauce, broccoli with cheese sauce, and pinto beans. The ravioli was good. Kim says all meaty pasta dishes taste like spaghetti o's. I like it either way. The cauliflower and broccoli sides are Green Giant single portions with 40 & 45 calories each. My dessert was a double chocolate almond cookie (NS). Cookie was ok. Not great, just ok. Good enough that I'm not craving a reeses or some doughnuts, so it's doing its job.

One more day and then I weigh in Monday morning!

Day 5

Friday is the day my weekly leg workout falls on. So today I planned my meal times around the workout. Luckily all I had to do different was push my lunch back a few minutes.

Breakfast today was nutriflakes cereal (NS) with bananas, multi-grain bread, a cup of coffee, and a 1 oz serving of Bayou Bacon! The single serving amounted to one slice of bacon, but it was wonderful. My morning (pre-workout) snack was yogurt & grapes. Lunch today was cheese tortellini (NS), broccoli, & green beans. I enjoyed the cheese tortellini very much (it did kinda have a spaghetti-o's taste, which is fine because I occasionally like a can of the o's). My afternoon snack was a bag of zesty herb snack mix (NS) which was good as well. Dinner tonight was macaroni & cheese with beef (NS), a salad with my nightly 5 olives, cauliflower with a cheese sauce (total of 40 calories and it was very tasty), a serving of zucchini, and a slice of multi-grain bread. Loved the macaroni meal, it reminded me of hamburger helper's cheeseburger macaroni meal. Dessert was a chocolate chip cookie (NS). The cookie was good enough to satisfy my nightly sweets craving.

A word on the bacon from breakfast. For my birthday Kim bought me a subscription to the bacon of the month club. Typically I'd eat 1/2 the pack in a setting. Today I had 1 slice. This is what I want to continue to do. Exercise a little self control. Enjoy food, don't be a glutton.

My leg workout was a pretty good one. Squatted 3 sets (around 300), leg pressed 3 sets (aroun 700), and finished up with 3 sets of leg extensions (around 145). For hamstrings I did 3 sets of leg curls (145-160) and 3 sets of hyper-extensions. My cardio workout was cut short because after 12 minutes my knees began to buckle. I didn't want to fall on the treadmill, so I decided to head on home. This evening Kim and I walked about 1/2 of our usual route due to inclement weather. So for the day I managed about 35 minutes total of cardio for the day.

Day 4

Today I was able to eat my first 3 meals at home, so I didn't have to worry about preparing and packing a lunch to take with me. The only thing I had to eat at the job site was my afternoon snack. I noticed this evening as Kim and I were grocery shopping that I was tired. Hopefully that has more to do with having a good workout earlier in the day along with being busy all day and not from being weak from the change in my diet.

Today's breakfast was a cranberry-orange pastry (NS), a banana, a glass of lite chocolate silk (soy) milk, and a slice of multi-grain bread. I didn't like the pastry much. I've never liked an orange pastry though. Morning snack of yogurt and a banana. Lunch was parmesan pasta with broccoli (NS), and a double serving of broccoli. I liked the pasta a lot. Maybe because it was warm and filling. Afternoon snack of nacho crisps (NS), which was actually kinda good. Dinner, which I got to sit down and eat with Kim, consisted of beef strogonaoff with noodles, brussels sprouts, zucchini, a salad with olives, radishes, and onions, and a small serving of black eyed peas. Loved the beef stroganoff. To me it was as good as a regular frozen entree from stouffers or something similar. Tonight's dessert/snack was a strawberry shortcake bar (NS). It tasted a lot like strawberry chewing gum, but with the texture of a nutrition bar. Again not my favorite thing in the world, but I've eaten lots worse.



Today was arm day at the gym. 9 total sets for biceps & 9 for triceps as well. I began with the triceps workout. 3 sets of push downs (190), 3 sets of behind/overhead presses (145), and 3 sets of rope press downs (110). Each set was around 15 reps. Biceps followed with 3 sets of barbell curls (70, 80, 100), 3 sets of incline curls (35), and I finished with 3 sets of rope curls (110). Again all sets were 12 -15 reps. I followed with my usual cardio workout. 30 minutes on the treadmill, incline 11 and speed of 3.2 mph. Kim & I were unable to walk any of our hounds this evening because a large thunderstorm cell has moved into our area.

On to day 5 tomorrow!

Day 3

So far I've noticed a few things that I'm having to make a conscious effort to do (or not to do). I have caught myself heading to the fridge to grab a drink of OJ at random times throughout the day. Can't do that anymore. I've also noticed that I am craving salt with my meals. For years (during college and the four or five years after) I didn't even own a salt shaker. But over the past few years I've grown accustomed to lightly salting most things. Again, I know I can't do that. I bought some fake salt substitute, which appears to be potassium. It is working out OK. Kinda resembles salt. I've also realized that TV commercials suck. Seems every other commercial is about some type of nasty, delicious, fried food. I do have enough sense not to watch Anthony Bourdain's show, I'd freak out and eat whatever I could find. I've got'em on the DVR for later.

Today's foods have again been good. I started out with an egg frittata (NS, and it was great), some sugar free jello pudding, 1 1/4 cup of strawberries, and a slice of multigrain bread. My morning snack of vanillia yogurt and stawberries was quite tasty. Lunch consisted of black bean tortilla soup (NS), a romaine lettuce salad, and 1/2 a cup of okra and tomatoes. The soup was good, but was much better after I added some of the fake salt. My afternoon snack was a bag of white cheddar soy chips. Think mini rice cakes (which I love), but only half as thick. Dinner this evening was meatloaf with mashed potatoes and tomato sauce (NS), a salad with olives, brussels sprouts, a plout, and a slice of multi-grain bread. The meatloaf was good. Again very pleased with the NS meals. For my final snack of the day I had the NS fudge brownie. Good enough. Nothing like the cream cheese brownies Kim used to make for me, but it did remind me of a brownie!

I had plenty of time for my workout today so I was able to train (back) and get in 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill. The workout consisted of 3 sets of 12-15 reps of pull downs (220), seated rows (220), some sorta Bodymaster machine row, like a T-bar row (145), and I finished up with straight arm press downs (140). Not really to hard or heavy of a workout , weight wise (I forgot my wrist wraps), but I trained fairly quickly. Cardio was the norm, incline of 11, speed 3.2. For my last bit of cardio of the day, Kim & I walked one of the dogs around the lake which took about 25 minutes.

Things couldn't be going better so far. Day 4 to come!

Day 2

Today was a busy day. I had to spend most of the day at a set of apartments we recently purchased and are having to clean up and renovate. If you're so inclined, you can read about it on my personal blog here.



For breakfast I tried the Chocolate Chip Scone along with 3 egg whites, a banana, and a slice of multigrain bread. Scone was the only NS food & it was very tasty. For my morning snack I again had a serving of lite vanilla yogurt and 15 grapes. Lunch and my afternoon snack were prepared at home and take with me to the job site. Lunch consisted of bean & ham soup, green beans, and mixed greens. The bean & ham soup was the NS portion of the meal and it was great. My snack was a pack of NS pretzels. They were not so great. Think stale cardboard with about 5 grains of salt. The next time I try to eat the pretzels I think I'm gonna use some of the fat free, calorie free salad dressing we have. Hopefully that will help the pretzels. It could have had something to do with when I ate them. It was hot and very humid (I did find the only shade near the building) and I had to force the pretzels down with 2 bottles of water. Once home from work I (with Kim's help) prepared dinner. I had the Zesty Cajun Style Chicken and Sausage with Brown Rice (the NS portion) along with broccoli, okra & tomatoes, a salad with olives, and black-eyed peas. The Zesty Chicken meal was pretty good. I added a dash of fake salt substitute to the dish and it was much better. Finally, for my last snack of the day I tried the NS Chocolate Nougat Bar with Peanuts and Caramel. Good, you wouldn't mistake it for a Snickers, but not bad at all.

My workout today was hurried. I had to train fast and then hurry to the job site. I trained shoulders but didn't have time to do cardio. My workout consisted of 3 different exercises, 3 sets each, with 12-15 reps each. I shoulder pressed 230 for each of my 3 sets, side lateral raised with the entire stack for all 3 sets, and finished with 3 sets of upright rows @ 140 for each set. I was upset that I didn't have time to do cardio, but ultimately it wouldn't matter. My day at work had me working in a non AC apartment (I live in Georgia, so it's hot) and running up and down flights of stairs for hours. Finally this evening Kim & I walked our Jack Russell around the lake for about 30 minutes.

So far so good on the program. I haven't been hungry, or felt weak, and really haven't had a bad tasting thing yet. On to day 3.

Day 1

I began the NS program this morning. Thus far, things are great. The Apple Scone I had with breakfast was good, the chocolate peanut butter crunch bar was good, and the white chocolate chunk cookie for my afternoon snack was really good. For dinner I tried the lasagna with meat sauce. It was very good. Don't get me wrong, you're not going to think you're at Maggiano's or anything, but it was tasty. Finally, for my last snack of the evening I tried the Nutrichocolates. Not to be confused with chocolates. Not bad, but not great either. All in all, the NS food has been good.

What I've really enjoyed about the program so far is the constant eating all day. It's very similar to years ago when I was in college and ate (protein shakes) throughout the day. I've also rediscovered my love of vanilla yogurt. I haven't had any in years. I called Kim and told her how the eating was going this afternoon, but I noticed I kept talking about the yogurt.

I had a good workout (trained chest) and then walked on the treadmill for 1/2 hour this morning. I decline pressed 3 sets of 12-15 reps @272, 292, & 312 followed by 3 sets of incline @ 295, 285, 265. Finished off with a Bodymasters fly machine for 3 sets @ 160. I did a few dips before I started cardio. Hopefully Kim & I will be able to walk a few of the dogs this evening when she gets home from work, but it's raining now so it's not looking so good.