David Chiu

As of today I have completed the first week of my personal 30 day challenge to lose 9lbs and go from 20% bodyfat to 15% bodyfat. Both Heather and I have eaten very clean this week with the only bad thing being the white flour tortillas on our burritos. We have both worked out every day this week for 1 hour completing 4 classes of yoga fusion and two days of weight training. On our typical diet we usually have one cheat meal a week. For my 30 day challenge there will be no cheat meals until after the challenge. This morning I stepped onto our Tanita bodyfat scale and it read 177lbs/19%bodyfat. That means I’ve lost 5lbs in the first week of the program. That’s a good start. I haven’t weighed in under 180lbs for over a year now. So today I will be resting and recovering because tomorrow I start a new week off with a 2-hour yoga fusion workout.

Yesterday I discovered that not only do pinto beans taste good, they are really good for you. All beans are actually a good source of fiber and protein, but according to this article, pinto beans have the best nutritional profile. So I will be eating a lot more pinto beans with brown rice.

I also found this article in Muscle and Fitness Australia which describes a typical bodybuilder diet plan when they are one week out for prepping for a show. It describes how you can manipulate your body into shedding excess water underneath the skin to look more ripped. I might have to try this in the last week of my fitness program.

Food log

• 40g chocolate protein complex, 1 frozen banana, 2 tbsp organic peanut butter and 16oz milk blended
• Poquito Mas fish tacos and black beans
• 1 slice organic whole wheat/whole grain bread with 2 tbsp organic peanut butter
• Sphagetthi squash with a tomato, onion, zuchinni, ground turkey sauce
• 1 slice organic whole wheat/whole grain bread with 2 tbsp organic peanut butter

I don’t think I’ve ever done this much cardio in my entire life.

Today the instructor started us out with some yoga inspired stretching moving us into yoga/martial arts cardio routines which always include the downward-dog pose which moves through a decline push-up to a back arch. I’m really starting to feel the soreness in my triceps and shoulders especially since I went through a bench press routine at the gym yesterday. Once again I find myself finding it hard to keep up with the cardio moves half-way through the session and I’m pouring sweat. After moving through some pretty advanced ab movements which I can barely complete, there is now a pool of sweat all around my yoga mat. Our workout has ended and now it’s time to find nourishment.

Food log:

• 70g Dymatize Elite Complex Protein
• 1 packet of Uncle Sam’s oatmeal and flaxseed
• 2 cups of brown rice and a small wild caught salmon fillet
• 1 packet of Uncle Sam’s oatmeal and flaxseed
• 1 cup of brown rice and pinto beans with onions, red peppers and sliced chicken breast
• 10g ISS MXPro40 Protein

I just finished a tub of Dymatize Elite Complex Protein which I overpaid for at NUTRIFACT in Hollywood (the stuff there is way overpriced) but the protein blend tasted decent and easily mixed in a shaker. I bought a tub of ISS MXPro40 from the bodybuilders secret warehouse in Hollywood - N101. This protein was on sale for $19 and was a good blend of different proteins, plus had BCAA’s and L-Glutamine for muscle repair and recovery. Unfortunately, this protein blend is SUPER thick. I tried mixing it in a shaker and drinking it, but almost choked on the clumps of powder. The stuff was so thick it was like gelatin. On the upside, it tasted decent - but I tossed out the remaining 12oz of the stuff down the drain.