Truth in Advertising

So I was looking through old blog posts and ran across the one from 2009 Revenge of the Pirateman that had a link to pics.  I pulled them up and wondered how far off the physique I had then I am now, so I took some shots this morning so YOU can stare and compare.  Weight wise, I'm about 3 lbs. up from the 2009 shots, and I'm guessing a couple of points of bodyfat.  But what the hell is up with my legs???  I look like super fatty.  Well, I am feeling strong, and I DO have 14 weeks to get in better shape.  Oh yeah, I got my head shaved last night because I couldn't stand all the hair in the heat.  Don't worry, it will grow back this winter!

I have been doing boatloads of lunges and squats for the past year, so it's possible my legs are just more muscular now.  My legs usually slim down a bit once my biking volume picks up, and I'm just doing that now, so maybe there's hope for my fat legs and butt.  In terms of how my clothes fit, I'm fitting pretty well into my size 1/2 (REAL vintage size 1/2; not what passes for a size 2 now which drowns me) pants, even my thighs, but they could fit better.  Fat has come off my abs in the last 4 weeks, so maybe the fat loss is just working its way down.  Just 4 weeks ago I had this poochy thing going in my belly that is almost completely gone now. 

I don't do this for vanity reasons; but I do know that how my physique looks correlates to my triathlon performance.  I'm not aiming for 10% bodyfat or whatever I was in 2009--12% would be fine ;) And no I don't have an eating disorder--I am eating lots and lots of food, and even though I joke about Pringles and Twinkies and candy, they only get in my mouth after I've had all of my good calories for the day, and at most I'm adding 200 calories of that stuff per day. 

Now before you say how obsessed I am with how I look, consider that it's just a BYPRODUCT of the diet and exercise, and not the goal. If it were the goal, I'd revert to what I used to do before I took up endurance sports--bodybuilding. 

2009: Back of the Crack Suit. Weight 109 lbs.

2009: Front of the Crack Suit

2013: Back of the Crack Suit--Fatty! Weight: 112 lbs.

2013: Front of the Crack Suit