Day 60 Pics: Back In Osaka, Its Gut-Check Time

12 Week Fat Loss Challenge

Start: November 8, 2006
Finish: January 31, 2007

Day 60 of 84

Status: Round 6: Phase 3: Day 5

G'day,

I am happy to report that I am safely back in Osaka (anytime I take an international flight getting to my destination is never a foregone conclusion!). I had a great 2 week vacation to Australia, spending time with my family at Christmas was the best time I have had in 10 years.

Yes, it has been that long since I could celebrate Christmas with my family because I have lived in Melbourne and Osaka for the last 10 years, of course the other contributing factor is that I haven't been able to get my shit together for that long either! For me nothing comes close to the joy of family and Christmas.

During my time away I never missed a scheduled weight-training workout. I did two each of "Fat Loss Training", "Lactic Acid" and "Muscle Rounds" across 2 different gyms in Brisbane and the Gold Coast ( I went up and down from Brissy to the Coast 3 times). I also managed to squeeze in an "Antagonistic Super-Set" workout in Hong Kong (3 hours before I was due to leave the country!).

I also stuck solid to my nutrition plan in spite of the many temptations during the 2 weeks. It was quite easy to follow my nutrition plan because I had a carry-bag of tuna, lettuce, tomatoes, supplements and shaker with me at all times. Of course, planning is crucial when you are trying to follow an exercise and nutrition plan while "on the road."

However, it wasn't all peaches & cream. The area where I let myself down is HIIT cardio. I did the occasional jog but this just doesn't cut it when you are after maximum fat loss in a 12-week period. I have already paid the price for this in two ways.

The first is in my appearance. If you take a look at my Day 45 pics (15 days ago) and compare them to today's Day 60 pics my abs are virtually unchanged. You can still see the hint of a 4-pack today, just like you could 15 days ago. This is gonna have to change if I am to fulfill my dream of a shredded six-pack by the end of 12 weeks (24 days from today). As a reminder (to myself) below is the image/body I am striving for.

The other way I have paid the price for lack of HIIT cardio is endurance. Before I left for Oz I was pumping out 4 cycles of 6, 12, 14 & 16 km/h of 1-minute increments on the treadmill with ease.

On my second day in Hong Kong I tried to do the same. It was agony, I did the first 2 cycles okay but then I had to drop back to 6, 11.5, 13.5 & 15.5 km/h for the third cycle (I couldn't even complete a 4th cycle).

What this shows is that transforming your physique is not always a linear process. This means your progress may not follow a straight line upward.

There may be dips during the process. What you have to do is not get downhearted, just accept where you are RIGHT NOW and where you DESIRE TO BE within your specified deadline.

So, for me it is literally gut-check time. RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW I have to decide how badly I want it. Am I willing to once again pay the price for the next 24 days to fulfill my dream? You bet your life I am! I'm gonna say something right now and I don't care if it sounds arrogant or not.

The transformation I will make in the next 24 days is gonna blow your mind (and mine). I have a few "tricks" up my sleeve that I have kept in reserve, that I will now unleash on my body, mind and soul.

These "tricks" are stuff I have researched over the last 10 years that I will now take massive action with. They are predominantly focused on using the mind as a tool to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. I also have a cardio, abdominal and weight-training "secrets" that I will implement as well. Just wait...you'll see.

Anyway, here are Day 60 pics for January 7, 2007.

Peace, AJ