TNT Man's Low Carb & 52DC Journey

12> March 12, 2007 – The Starting Point

So I walked into the Gym on March 12, 2007.  Real strange.  Had not exercised in probably 10 years.  So I did what was familiar, the Nautilus circuit.  Ouch.  Started real slow.  Went every other day.  Slowly picked up more weight.  Once I started to feel comfortable, I started looking for some of the other machines I had been doing.  One by one added them back.

March 28, 2007, I took my free lesson with a Personal Trainer at the NYSC.  He was young.  Not really certified, but a nice kid.  The lesson was less than wonderful, but I knew that as soon as I had gained a bit more strength, I would buy 10 weeks of one hour sessions with him.

During this time, we got “into” low carb eating.  We followed the two page outline of Low Carbing.  All we really needed.  Kept the little Carb Counter book with us at all times.  When in doubt – looked it up.  Made a lot of mistakes – but – at that weight – it did not hurt my weight loss.

Went on line and started reading everything I could find – and there is a lot.  But I also found information concerning protein shakes for before and after workouts.  Added that to my repertoire.  Not very sophisticated, but I was learning.

On April 24, 2007, I started working with Mike.  We had weekly sessions – and I was very clear to him that when we finished – I wanted a “workout” routine that I could carry forward for a couple of months.   Things went OK, best I could say.  We went to Florida for a week, got back for a lesson or two and he went to Florida.   Just before he left, he came to my office and dropped off a marginal program.  After the July 4th weekend, he was not at the club and he did not answer my messages.  I learned that he had been fired.  A shame – nice kid.

Thirty-five pounds and four months later (July 7, 2007, I took that blood test and then went to the Doc for my physical.  Boy – was he surprised.  Kept looking at my chart with my Cholesterol numbers, looking at my weight loss and asking – what are you doing?  His level of disbelief was truly amazing.  I have posted a page giving my Cholesterol numbers for those who need that information.  About a year or two before – I had my original blood work done.  Never paid attention to the actual numbers.  Was told – it is a bit high – but still OK.

I was owed a couple of personal training lessons that had been pre-paid when they fired Mike.  Negotiated them into 3+ lessons with Dan – the top trainer at the gym.  Dan was a friend of our friend’s son, so he took up the challenge.  Real nice guy.  Very focused on business.  His eyes remained on you – not scouting the room for friends.   Since then – my wife and I have rotated 10 week – one hour sessions with him.  At the end of each 10 week period, he would give us a workout program to follow until the next round of lessons, while the other one of us would have personal sessions with him.  This has been the pattern since the summer of 2007.

 In August 2007, we went on our 40th Anniversary Cruise.  (Continued on the next page.)