time to overhaul my fitness routine

Roscoe

Yet again, another month has gone by and I've posted only once. It's not that I don't have anything going on or anything to say about it. I've just been very lazy about posting.  That's about to change:  I plan to start posting once a week.

I'm taking part in a 12-week fitness transformation challenge, RBT/Species Nutrition Transformations Challenge through Radical Body Transformations, which starts tomorrow. Participants will have 12 weeks to show the most radical body transformation. After 12 weeks, the winners will be declared. Anyone can enter and it doesn't cost anything. In fact, participants can win cash and prizes. 

I started the meal plan last week and it went well. It's six meals per day and roughly 1,900 calories right now, though I believe that will be changing very soon. To be honest, it was actually too much food, mainly because my stomach is so small now. I also have to again get used to eating on a schedule. Last week it felt as if I was eating all day long and couldn't eat all the food. But at least I'm eating healthy now:  salmon, turkey breast, vegetables, etc.

My workouts will be ramping up this week, not only in frequency but also the exercises. I'm nervous about that, mainly because of the hip issues I'm having. I worry about having pain mostly. I really have nothing I can take--no prescription pain meds, can't take NSAIDs because of the fusion and weight loss surgery, and Tylenol doesn't do anything unless I take the max daily dose in one shot (yes, I'm talking 4,000mg in one dose).  I'm not too worried about hurting myself since I know what I can do and what I can't or shouldn't do. 

Why am I doing this? 2020 was hard. Like, really hard. Not only because of the pandemic, but also because I was recovering from two back surgeries (March 2020), coming off the opioid pain medication I'd been on for almost a year (man, does that ever play with one's mind...), dealing with lots of physical restrictions, getting myself back to full working hours, transitioning to working from home full-time, trying like hell to eat right, and then gearing up to get back into the gym. It...didn't go so well. I gained almost 50 pounds last year. Yes, 50 pounds! My eating was way out of control and even though I got myself back to working out, it was slow going between the physical restrictions and now hip issues. My coach told me about the challenge--he's one of the coaches--and thought it would be a good thing for me, and I agreed. I really need a strict, guided program right now. I initially lost 143 pounds after weight loss surgery, and it's pretty damn scary to see how 1/3 of it came back in about nine months. I don't want to ever go back to 343 pounds--ever!  So tomorrow I begin. 

My plan is to post here each week, possibly with photos, and update you on my progress. It will help me stay on track and keep me accountable, which is what I really need at the moment. 

Let's get it started!