Update

It has been a while since the last post, school was getting in the way of doing much other than eating, studying, working out, and occasionally sleeping.  I'm not going to lie, my training has been stagnant.  Some days it is great, I feel strong, the workout goes well, I get some much needed away time from my books, and I feel better.  Most days however it's a fight to get to the gym, the weights feel heavy, and I don't have enough time to really enjoy the workout.  Oh, and the gym is crowded, but I'll have another post about that later.  On the bright side I have begun to dedicate more time to cardio, and am even beginning to enjoy it.

Despite all the setbacks of late I have been seeing gains in my strength and a little extra definition in my arms.  While this is not nearly where I want to be it is still a step in the right direction.  This is also my last month of the 5/3/1 program before I begin a cutting phase that will be designed by a coworker of mine.  It will not be an entirely pleasant experience, but I will be able to learn from it and that is never bad.  I also am down to 24.5% body fat from the 26% I started at.  My last bod pod was almost a month ago, and I have another one coming up soon.  Fingers crossed I'll have made progress, but won't be entirely shocked if I do not.

I saw a post on twitter earlier this month saying something about "negative calorie foods".  There is a fairly large myth that foods like celery burn more calories than they take to digest.  This isn't exactly factual.  All food provide AT LEAST enough energy as they take to digest.  Foods are fuel and if you are eating things that are taking calories away, then it's clearly not fueling you very well.  This brings me to my next point of not all calories are the same.   Do you really think a doughnut is providing you with the same nutrients as an apple? It's not.  Eating less of the same crap is really not as beneficial than eating more of things that are good for you.  Hint: If your meal is beige it's probably not very nutritious. Fruits and vegetables are all kinds of wonderful colors that also come with all sorts of nutrients that will keep your body running more the Ferrari it is and less like a Geo Metro.  Which brings me to my third and final point...don't starve yourself.  Your body needs a certain amount of calories a day to function effectively, if it doesn't get enough energy it gets a little cranky.  You can feel lethargic, cranky, and have poor mental function to mention a few side effects of not eating enough.  Remember, food is important, it is what gives us our energy to be awesome every day.