Diet: Day 1

This is my scale this morning post "library time", and for the record, I love being big. I love that if a famine hit I would be a finalist for survival. I love that I could take a bullet, move a piano, use my stomach for a tray while sitting on the couch, and put that same power belly into a heavy deadlift. I love that XXL T-shirts are now tight (both in the shoulders and in the gut), and the buttons on jeans that I used to wear comfortably are now screaming for their life, and could become dangerous projectiles at any moment. I love that I can bear hug just about anybody, and provide adequate protection for them in dark alleys. And I LOVE being a big hairy dad (everybody needs one)

I (in agreement with the guys over at 70's Big) think that you are not an adult male until you are > 200lbs. I will make exceptions for weight class athletes (Mr. Roberts, with your fancy Olympic lifts). Also, I would like to point out that the strongest men in history, were rarely "ripped" or "cut" or "shredded" or had rippling abdominal muscles that the drove the women, and a few of the men wild. It would have given the airbrush artist carpal tunnel if they had tried to put Paul Anderson's picture on the cover of Men's Health without his shirt on in today's cosmetic climate. The classic strongmen had large bellies and man-boobs, and had all the physical attractiveness of the fry cook at Waffle House. You know, real men.

Legendary Russian Weightlifter Vasily Alexeev

this, ladies, is a real man

I the past few months I have, somewhat intentionally, been packing on the pounds and trying to make some gains with my strongman training. I've added a proud layer of winter fat around my mid-section, and when standing upright have two well endowed back rolls at the base of each lat muscle that will grab and eat a shirt like a sock puppet. I've made some good progress and the additional mass has definitely aided me in the gym. But, with a right shoulder in need of rest and therapy, and a host of other ills associated with being big I've decided to pull it back and notch, drop a few pounds, and put strongman on hold for a few weeks.

With literally hundreds of different diet plans to choose from, my weapon of choice is the oh so 2003 and outdated Atkins style diet which has actually been around for decades. (John McCallum even outlined it from a Strength and Health article in the 1960's as seen in the book The Complete Keys to Progress). It's straightforward, it works well for me, and it is what I know.

So, let's get on with the list of things I can eat.

• Meat (delicious, yummy, bone candy - as much as I want)


• Eggs


• Cheese (blagh!, I hate most cheese, but we'll see)


• Fat (omega 3's, and butter especially - butter is good for you, not sure if you knew that)


• Whey protein (the kind I use is very low in carbs, so mixed with water this could be a lifesaver)


• Veggies (yellow/orange veggies in moderation)


• Sugar Free snacks (in moderation, this likely will be an afternoon Diet Coke)

Things that are NOT on the list

• Magic Pills


• Magic Elixirs


• Anything from GNC

• Anything sold on an infomercial

• Magic Pills that really do WORK! We Promise! Or your Money Back!


• Sugar


• Things containing sugar


• Things that are white in color or look like a french fry


• Things that are handed to you through your car window


• Magic pills that you got from your co-worker's husband's boss' best friend that contain ground up tomato root and a chinese man's toenails and made his cousin's sister lose 90lbs. in 3 weeks, but then when you see her she looks exactly the same and is eating birthday cake.

So there is the plan. It is simple, but not easy. I'm about 12hrs. in right now and the hallucinations have stopped, my sugar craving migraines are subsiding and my body is beginning to accept that I am in control. It is a good feeling. This eating plan combined with about 6-8 hrs. of vigorous training a week and my beautiful belly will begin to shrink and I'll likely not get out of breath tying my shoes, or getting in and out of the car, all things I will miss. At least until it's time to eat my way to the top. More to come....

Central Georgia's Strongest Man

Here is a brief write up of Central Georgia's Strongest Man March 19, 2011 in Macon,GA. This is a little late, but better late than never.


About 5am. Central Saturday morning my car was loaded down with all the things necessary to survive a long hot day at a strongman show. I was sipping coffee and waiting on my training partner, Will, to arrive and we would begin the long trek to Macon for my 4th and his 1st strongman contest.

At 5:05am my beloved 3yo daughter began crying and vomiting in her bed and my wife and I found ourselves calming her down and cleaning her up. We went through two sets of sheets and two mattress covers in about 20 minutes.

At 5:30am I held my wilted flower of a child in my arms and rocked her while her mama got her some fresh PJ's and, frankly, any desire I had to drive two hours and spend all day beating myself to death on strongman implements went right out the window.

At 5:35am I reluctantly and guiltfully decided to go. And that is how my Saturday began, beat before I even left the house.

Once we arrived at the venue in Macon, I started feeling up to it, got to see some old friends and meet a few new ones. I along with Jim "The Tennessee Oak" Whisman and Brad "The World's Strongest Bama Fan" Stanford made ourselves a tent city with our pop-up canopies and began warming up.

The thing get started and it's my turn on the press medley. Now, I'm a terrible presser, so my expectations were realistic. I just wanted to Get one or two implements and call it a day, preferably the lightest two implements. Which were a 245lb. log and and 220lb. keg. I should have been a lock for either if not both. The plan was to take my last place point and move on. The whistle blows I clean the 245lb. log and I pop it off my chest and it stalls... after two more attempts I can't lock it out. My shoulder just won't do it, and after an awkward clean on the keg my back already began clamping up. I was already low, and my day wasn't getting any better, and frankly had not a host of Auburn folks showed up to watch I would have likely withdrawn. But thanks to some friends talking me up, I stayed with it, tied for second in the deadlift, pulled a bus a reasonable distance, flipped a tire a few times, and did what I usually do on stones. I'm fairly confident I finished last, again, but at least I was out there.

My training partner Will faired much better and finished 1st in the Novice Heavy Weights. We made the long drive home relived the days events. It was a good day.

Below are a few highlights, enjoy.

The Mouse

We've had a little bit of a mouse problem around the Boman house. We've taken to sticky traps as the first line of defense. This makes #3 in as many days. Enjoy.

Into Heaven

I have elected to pull this post until I can obtain permission from the family. Thank you for reading.