Maybe the best day ever

I don't usually update The Fat Man Diaries this often, but today was so great that I had to write about it. I got a text from Chris this morning asking if I wanted to spar today. My first thought was that I wish I had known earlier because everything I didn't do yesterday, I was going to do today. This is what I've been wanting, and I was about to throw it away because I had to do my laundry. Luckily I came to my senses.

I met Chris at the gym around 4 pm. Like every Sunday at 4, Jake was teaching a Jiu-Jitsu class. Chris had me warm up with Jake's class, and those are some pretty crazy warm ups. They're very intense on the joints, and I can see how Jiu-Jitsu can be incredible exercise. I didn't know what I was doing, but I was trying to take this opportunity to learn more. After the warm up, we paired up to do some rolling. If I tell you I have less than zero knowledge of Jiu-Jitsu, I'm being generous. All the guys paired up, and the only other guy without a partner was "Big Red." This guy is huge - 6' 2", 270 lbs, and all muscle. I'm 5' 8", 274 lbs, and not very much muscle. He's intimidating to look at; he looks like a superhero who just stepped out of a comic book. Turns out he's a really nice guy. I felt bad because I felt like I was taking away from his training. I didn't expect to participate in the class, and I'm sure he expected to roll with someone who's closer to his level. Luckily Chris pulled me away so we could start sparring.

This is where the real fun began. I went one round with Chris, and then one round with Matt. During the session with Matt, I got tagged directly in the nose. I saw stars for a second, and it really smarted. Matt gave me a couple seconds to collect myself, and I needed it. No damage, but I was a little gun shy coming back into it. I got back into the rhythm, but it felt like I had a bull's eye on my nose. I lost count of how many times I caught one in the nose, and by whom. My blocking is still pretty pathetic. After my session with Matt, 4 other guys got in the ring to spar too. We all partnered up and traded partners after every round. I took several good punches and kicks, and I was able to give a few too. As sadistic as it sounds, there's something satisfying about seeing a surprised look of pain on your opponent's face. I don't feel guilty because I know they enjoyed that same look on my face (more often than I'd like to admit). Here's the kicker: of all those guys I sparred with, somehow I ended up sparring with "Big Red" twice. I don't know how that's fair, but I had to go with it. It's very humbling to go up against someone who clearly outmatches you, but hopefully I can learn from it. (The only thing I learned was to never piss this guy off.) I felt like he was playing with me. I'd throw my punches; some would land, some were blocked. Then he'd barely throw a punch, and I could still feel the power behind those punches. I can't imagine what a full force punch from him (or any of the guys) would feel like.

I don't know how long the sparring sessions lasted from start to finish, but I was tired as hell when we were done. We were all drenched in sweat too. I could feel the aches and pains start to settle in (some of them settled in immediately during the sparring too). I don't know where the guys got the energy, but they went back to Jiu-Jitsu rolling on the mats. I watched them while I hoped that my back muscles wouldn't cramp up on me. I was at the gym for a little over 2 hours. My nose hurts, my head hurts a little, my back is sore as hell, my left leg is sore from being kicked so many times, and there are various other parts that are sore from punching, and being punched. I can't wait to do this again. Until then, I'm going to sleep like a baby.

Hardest week ever?

I got too excited the other day with my weight loss because today I woke up to 274.2 lbs. Only a pound - I know, but it would've been great if it had been a pound in the other direction. Chris has me aiming to get into the 260s, but my next personal goal is to be 250 lbs. I have a few obstacles coming up that threaten that goal. Next week I'll be in Texas for my friend's wedding. That's free, delicious food, and an open bar. Then there's time with family and friends, and that always includes eating. I'm going to be strong, but there's only so much temptation one man can resist. It reminds me of something Oscar Wilde once said, "I can resist everything except temptation."

I don't know what it was about this week, but it's some of the hardest work I've put in at the gym. There weren't really any new exercises that I can think of, but somehow they all took their toll on me. Maybe I tried harder this week because there are a couple of cute chicks in the class...I don't know. Whatever it was, it's been tough. Here's a quick list of my aches and pains for the week: right big toe is hurting, both of my thumbs, deltoids, traps, neck, butt, and my legs. Somehow my abs made it through the week despite the many ab exercises we did. For all the pain I'm feeling, I'm happy about it. As long as nothing is majorly hurt, I love this. I feel like I'm accomplishing something. There is no reward without sacrifice, and if I have to put my body through this treachery to reach my end game, then I'm willing to keep doing it.

Today was great, even though none of the pretty women showed up for class. I got to do some more light sparring, but this time inside the cage. It's the same cage that I've seen real fighters fight in, and it makes me want to get there faster. I'd really like to go harder in the sparring, but I'm not looking to hurt anyone while practicing. Come to think of it, I'm not looking to get hurt this early on either, so I'll just be happy with this light version for now. I can't get too ahead of myself because the fact of the matter is that I'm just not good enough yet. It's still fun and still a great workout. After our regular class, Jake (the Jiu-Jitsu instructor) showed us a couple of Jiu-Jitsu moves. I'd love to take that class, but money's kind of tight right now. It was great though because I feel like anything I can learn from any style of fighting can only make me a better MMA fighter. I'm not calling myself and MMA fighter yet, but as a student in training, I'd love to learn as much as I can from every style of fighting. In the meantime, I have plenty to work with, and a long way to go to achieve excellence.

Some days seem harder than others

Woke up to a happy 273.2 lbs this morning. I've been struggling between 274 and 276 for quite a while now, so I'm not celebrating just yet. That being said, I'm still glad that the scale is showing smaller and smaller numbers.

This is just the second day into the week, and I feel like dying. Chris worked us out pretty well yesterday - so much so that my shoulders have really been killing me. Add to that a couple of sore legs and butt muscles, then mix in the cold weather I woke up to, and you have a recipe for some real aches and pains. Today was one of those days when I just wanted to roll over and sleep for a couple more hours, but I had to fight through it. Being a child of pop culture, I thought about what Rocky Balboa told his son in "Rocky Balboa." "...it ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much can you take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!" Maybe a little too dramatic for my situation, but it worked. I got out of bed and got some more punishment at the gym this morning.

I'm really glad I went today too. Not only for the benefit of the workout, but because Chris had an MMA cage set up. We got to work out in it for a bit, and it was really cool. Walking up those steps and setting foot in the cage...one day I'll be doing that to face a bona fide opponent. For now I was pretty much a punching bag. I have so much work ahead of me. I really need to learn to block better. I'm still so damn fat that my arms don't cover much of my body to offer a great deal of protection. I got through it though, and, like Nietzsche said, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." After today's workout, I sure hope I'm stronger because it really kicked my ass.

Cutting short a long weekend

When I get a 3 day weekend at work, it doesn't really motivate me to go to the gym and workout. I gave that some thought over the weekend, and I decided it would be in my best interest to work out despite not having to be a slave to my normal Monday routine. I went to bed pretty early last night (before 11 p.m.), and I actually got the gym about 20 minutes early. I took advantage of that extra time (because of Chris' suggestion) by doing a few extra rounds of jump rope. It's a good warm-up, and with the chilly morning air, it's way better than going for a run.

As far as the workout is concerned, it's always tough. Chris corrected my form when I throw right crosses, and he's also trying to improve my speed. I know I'm still slow, but my speed is getting better. The big thing that I'm still having a problem with is dodging punches. Chris threw a few light ones at me. I dodged some, but if Chris had followed through with the others, I would've been laid out on the floor. I'm about 10 or 11 weeks into this training, and I'm still a long way from many of my goals. I'm not ready to give up; I keep thinking of the day I can walk down that aisle and step into the cage. Do I have what it takes to be a fighter? I think I do, but I don't just want to think it...I need to know it.

Franklin test numero 2

I didn't want to wake up this morning. It was cold in my apartment, and I really wanted to stay under my warm comforter. After snoozing my alarm a couple of times, I decided to force myself out of bed. I weighed in this morning at a surprising 278.8 lbs. I never trust my scale when I drop a couple of pounds. I feel like it's playing a cruel joke on me - especially since I didn't work out on Saturday.

I decided to give the Franklin compression underpants a second try today. I never know what we're going to do in class, so today was as good a day as any. They held up pretty well through the workout that Chris put us through today, but we never did any squats or lunges. I feel like that is still the best test. After class, though, Chris took a couple of us running. We did somewhere between 1 and 2 miles. Running might be the second best test for compression shorts. I have to admit that the Franklin shorts held up (no pun intended). I hate running - I'm just not built for it, but Chris wants to add that to my workout to help with the weight loss. I was starting to plateau, and he thinks this will kickstart my body into burning more fat. He's right, but I'm just so bad at it. I mostly jog through our runs, but I only slowed down to a walk 2 or 3 times today (and not for very long). I am happy to say that I did get a second wind when I was about 2 or 3 blocks away from the gym. Maybe it was because I wanted it to end sooner, but I got a boost and finished up pretty strongly. Unfortunately when I stopped, my knees and lower back were really aching. I think I might need to get a new pair of shoes. I've had this pair for a long time, and they just aren't absorbing enough of the shock anymore. Remember, every time my foot comes down, that's about 280 lbs coming down on top of it. I got through this one ok; I just need to rinse and repeat every morning.

This might be a little too personal...

Weighed in at 280.2 lbs this morning. I was very happy to see that number since I forgot to weigh in yesterday. It's always scary after the weekends because I usually put a little weight back on (probably from lack of exercise). But I'm getting closer to my next goal of 275 lbs. I'm very happy with the weight loss, but I think I could do more to help reach my goal. I'm pretty much off red meat (which I miss very badly), but I still have a steak on Sundays as a reward for myself. I need to cut back on my sodium intake. Aaron told me to try different seasonings like Mrs. Dash, or lemon-pepper for some of my food, but I'm still seasoning my chicken with Tex-Joy steak seasoning (it's the best). I can probably cut some water retention by switching over. Also, my turkey hot dogs and turkey bacon are both high in sodium. I need to wane off those too. I'm sure my turkey lunch meat has a lot of sodium too, but I'm not giving that up too. Of course there's salt in my other food, but I think these are the biggest culprits. If I can handle it, I might try oatmeal for breakfast more often than turkey bacon and eggs. We'll see if that helps. Lately I've still been too tired to stick around for more than one class. I need to work on that too because it's all part of the training.

Speaking of training, I've been trying something new for the past 2 days at the gym. Not a new exercise, but some new protective equipment. This might be a little too personal for some, but I'll look at it as a public service announcement. For the past few years I've been wearing jock straps when I work out. I was never an athlete in school, so I wasn't familiar with how that equipment was supposed to work. All I know is I hurt myself a couple of times without it, and my doctor recommended that I wear one when I worked out. They're not hard to figure out, but they are way uncomfortable. I mean it really pushes your bits against your pieces, but I guess that's what it's supposed to do to protect you. There's an item on the market that does pretty much the same thing, but they're at least 3 times as expensive as jock straps. They're called compression shorts, and they perform basically the same task.

I tried 2 of the lesser expensive brands: Starter and Franklin. Yesterday I wore the Starters, and I'm really not sure how they're supposed to feel. I got the same size as the jock straps, but I had a hard time getting these undies around my thick thighs (mostly muscle of course). After a little effort, and a lot of adjustment, I got them on. They felt pretty good. It was nice to have some pressure around my legs and butt, but I wasn't sure if they offered as much support to my huevos as a jock strap. I wasn't being cradled like I was used to, but I still risked it and tried them at the gym. For the most part, I liked them. We did a lot of squats and lunges yesterday, and that's when I need support the most. It definitely didn't offer as much support as the jock straps during that exercise, but I think it offered enough support. Again, this may be a sizing issue, but I'm leaning more towards like than dislike for these shorts. I'll definitely give them another try.

Today I wore the Franklin brand. These were a little less snug than the Starters, and it came with a cup holder. Not the kind where you can put your drink, but kind where you put a protective cup to protect your groin from getting kicked or punched. I didn't wear the cup to work out because that kind of groin injury is rare for just a workout. Like I mentioned, these weren't as snug as the Starter brand, but they were the same size. We did squats again today, and I felt like these didn't offer the fellas as much support. I wonder if it's because it was designed with a protective cup in mind. The legs and butt compression felt comfortable, but I just don't think sack support was good enough. I'll try them one more time without the cup just to make sure , and then I'll try them again with the cup to see if my suspicions are correct. When I can afford it, I'd like to try some of the more expensive brands. In the meantime, I just have these 2 to work with. Tomorrow it's back to the harsh cradling of the old jock straps.

Today was a good day...so far

I wasn't too pleased with the scale this morning. Yesterday it read 282.2 lbs, and today it was up to 283.6 lbs. Not sure where the extra 1.4 lbs came from, but I think I worked it off today at the gym.

We traded shots today for part of the 9 o'clock class. I got to be the punching bag pretty much. I'm cool with that because it gives me an opportunity to practice my blocking. I'm not too proud to admit that I need a lot of practice there too. When class was over, I was doing ab exercises with one of the girls in class because she pretty much challenged me to it. I didn't get to finish though because Chris called me over to ask me a question. I was tired and pretty much ready to go home, but Chris asked me if I wanted to stay and trade punches with "Hollywood" (the guy I sometimes train with in the 10 o'clock class). Hell yeah I wanted to stay for that. I wrapped my hands again and got gloved up because I really wanted to do this. I know I have a lot of work to do before I can step into the cage for a real fight, and this only proved how much work I need. Like I said, my blocking needs work, my punches are pretty slow, and I need more cardio to keep me going. All in all, it was a great workout. Hollywood has some fast, strong punches. We weren't going full force, but I could tell he knew what he was doing. We caught each other a couple of times in the face, but nothing that will leave any cool marks. All I know is, I'm going to be sore as hell tomorrow. I can feel it in my lower back now, and my shoulders are starting to burn too. I might have a date with some Advil tonight. As much as I'm going to hurt, I'm going to rest comfortably knowing that I earned every ache and pain. Yup, today was a good day...so far.