The David Barton Project: Counting Down the Days

Hi, readers! If you’re one of the few people that noticed (besides you, mom), I apologize for being MIA for the last two weeks. It turns out a full-time job can really cut into one’s blogging time. I was still working out though – I don’t think coming down with the plague could get me out of 8 sessions in a row. I’ve also continued to work on my eating (although I must admit I’ve slipped a little–who can resist huge holiday gift baskets full of chocolate covered cherries and lemon cookies?) and, overall, I’m happy with my ratio of indulging to passing.

Something I’m not so happy with is the fact that I’ve apparently become that sleazy person at parties who goes around flexing and telling people to “check out these guns.” When did this happen? Hopefully it’s a newbie thing that comes with the territory and will pass quickly because, honestly, even I’m annoying me. And God forbid someone mention they heard I’ve been working out with a trainer. I’m usually a pretty good judge of when I’m boring someone to tears but my radar is totally off. I don’t think I’ll be making any new friends this holiday.

My cardio has been on track (45 minutes to an hour 3 days a week) on the days that I’m not working out at the gym, which makes me hopeful for my soon to be completely depressing future without MacKenzie. I’ve been trying to slowly establish a pattern on my own so the transition will seem less jarring (and scary) and I made a new friend in my building’s tiny little gym who has agreed (at her own peril) to be my workout buddy so my situation isn’t entirely bleak.

Before next week’s post–which will be my last (tear)–I want to mention a few of the things that I’ve been supplementing my diet with:

Protein Powder: I’ve been buying my MacKenzie-approved whey isolate protein powder at Max Muscle in Bellevue. It’s called “Max Lean Protein” and it’s geared toward building lean muscle mass and weight loss. It smells like chocolate brownies and it will make you buff. That’s a win/win in my book.

In my last post I wrote a little about coconut oil, but I’ve also tried a flax, sesame and sunflower oil to get in my essential fatty acids called Udo’s Oil 3-6-9 Blend. It has a nuttier taste than the coconut oil and, in my opinion, goes down a little easier. Just don’t try to cook with it like the coconut oil – it should only be poured over foods that are unheated. (The website recommends pouring it over dessert. I recommend not doing that.)

Alright! I will be gearing up for my last two sessions this week and my next, last post coming to you after Christmas will be complete with before and after pictures and stats. I can’t believe it’s almost over–I hope you check back to see my final progress. You guys have all been great!