the reformation: slow and steady

the filter on this photo makes it look like
I broke my nose and bandaged it up. (also,
I'm making a 'turtle face,' according to Zoey).

My last 'reformation' update from mid-September ended on a sour note, but thankfully this one doesn't. Two months ago I stepped on the scale and saw the numbers climb up; while I'm not all about losing weight, it's still not something I like to see! I attributed it to my diet more than anything else, and I vowed to cut back on eating out. The wife and I have done precisely that, and I've picked back up with my weight lifting after taking a forced hiatus due to a wrist injury. 

Though we still eat out about twice a month (and I still have pizza on Fridays as part of my work schedule), we've been great about making sure we eat down-to-earth, hearty, home-cooked meals. Ash is an amazing cook, and she tends to make everything from scratch. Box meals are for the birds. 

Happily I've lost seven pounds (down to 178 after hitting 185, an eight-year high) and have been able to consistently work out while advancing the weight I'm able to lift. Here's my current workout regimen:

CHEST & SHOULDER DAY

  Chin-ups until exhaustion

  Chest Exercises

    Extended flies 3x6/8

    Bench press 3x6/8

    Chest lifts 3x6/8

    Side pumps 3x6/8

  Shoulder Exercises

    Lateral raise 3x6/8

    Reverse fly 3x6/8

    Arnold press 3x6/8

  End with push-ups until exhaustion

ARMS DAY

  Bicep curls 6x8

  Sitting bicep curls, rack down

  3x10 tricep lifts

  30x2 forearm curls

  Two minute forearm walk

HODGEPODGE REGIMEN A

  Pull-ups till exhaustion

  Push-ups till exhaustion

  Regular plank

  Side plank

  Crunches until exhaustion

  Squats and lunges

  Jumping Jacks

HODGEPODGE REGIMEN B

  Pull-ups till exhaustion

  Push-ups till exhaustion

  Regular plank

  Side plank

  Pilates and variants

  Jumping Jacks

All of these exercises can be performed at home with body weight or free weights. I don't have time to go to the gym, nor do we have the extra money to afford a gym membership. Each exercise takes about twenty minutes to half an hour, and I generally do three consecutive days of workouts, take a rest day, and then continue with another three days before starting the cycle over again. While I would love to add running to the mix, the unfortunate reality is that I have bad knees due to crooked legs and misshapen joints, and the week after any attempt to run is filled with grinding, throbbing pain that just isn't worth it. But that's okay: this regimen has been working great for me, and I'm confident that December's update will showcase even more progress.

As for progress, it isn't about weight loss for me. Sure, I'd love to drop fifteen pounds and be where I was back in 2014, but I don't want to go any lower than that. Once I drop below 160, I start looking rather... what's the word... 'youthful.' And when I say 'youthful,' I don't mean as if I'm in my twenties. I end up looking like a teenager, and that's not a look I want. Besides, Ash has politely asked me not to lose too much belly fat; she likes a man with a belly, it's more comfortable for snuggling, and I don't blame her. I'm a belly man myself (perhaps that's why I find her 'pregnant mom' look absolutely adorable).