Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Carry On

Not logging meals is liberating. The daily log was good, it taught me calorie counts for most foods I encounter. It's easy now to quickly calculate what is about to go on  my plate and into my gut.

I've cut down on the protein shakes, I'm trying to determine if I have an allergy to Muscle Milk or whey protein. I hope not. The only for sure food reactions I have are to shrimp and strawberries. Raspberries and other berries are fine.

Calorie ingestion averages between 1,200 and 1,600 with fruit daily as well as meat protein in the form of chicken and turkey.

The gym is my friend, I visit there daily.

Weight loss is happening. I'm down another pound or so in the passed week.

My eating regimen is not a diet, this is the way I will live and eat the rest of my time on the planet.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Day 92, Checking In

I am no longer writing down every item I eat. I no longer have to because I now know the calorie counts of foods I consume. This experience has taught me a new discipline for what I put in my body.

For the past four days I have stayed between 1,100 and 1,500 calories a day. I ordered a cheese pizza for the family Saturday night and limited myself to one piece, it's all I wanted (350 cals). We had lunch out yesterday and I ordered a cheeseburger and ate it with little guilt. Fries came with it but I ate ONE. I have no taste for such fried foods.

The gym is a daily grind, that will never change.

I'll check back here when the urge hits me. I will definitely be posting weight loss totals when I hit significant goals.


Friday, January 6, 2012

No Takers

I started this effort 3 months ago and it is working but it is very hard to lose weight. The remaining weight I have to lose will take time to shed and I know what I have to do.

I hoped that when I began this blog project that I would find someone that would catch the weight loss and healthy eating bug. Of all the fat people I know no one took interest except my brother Frank who is very fit and does eat the right foods.

Ultimately weight loss is a personal choice and it is a personal journey but support is a huge part of any serious weight loss effort. I am thinking about joining Jillian Michaels system where support is built in to the program.

Thanks Frank for your support and comments. Whether I record this stuff or not you will always be there with a good word and I appreciate that.

*I will not delete the blog. The ultimate goal here is seeing how I look compared to the image on the right. With hard work and diligence I should be able to drop another 30 pounds by July. It will be tough!! Losing fat is harder than surviving life threatening illness or recovering from serious surgical operations. I can say that from experience.

Day 88

Last night Cecelia and I had dinner out at our favorite steak house. We were there to celebrate my mother's 76th birthday. We were able to share a 6 ounce prime sirloin plate. We took home more than half of the baked potato. I ordered a chicken dish off the appetizer menu and had a small dinner salad. We were satisfied and both walked out of the restaurant having consumed under 800calories each. Cecelia probably consumed less than 600 calories. We are proving to each other constantly that we don't need, or want big meals anymore. It is not good for us and sharing a plate when we dine out saves money!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

The Scale Inched .....Down!!

Okay, my scale is not stupid anymore. It finally responded with positive feedback! I'll wait to see what the gym scale says. I have been stalled at this weight for the past 2 weeks despite my strict eating and exercising routine. Seeing a couple of pounds gone this morning is huge positive feedback.

5:30 Protein shake 150 calories.
6:00 One egg white/spinach/1 oz turkey chorizo/1/8 cup brown rice 100 calories. (part of wife's breakfast)
10:30 Special K cereal with raspberries/blackberries and low fat milk. 220 calories.
2:30 Turkey sandwich 270 calories.
6:00 Out to dinner for my mothers birthday dinner salad, 150 cals/ Dinner roll w/ butter 150 cals/ Chicken breast breaded, 6 ounces 350 calories a few bites of baked potato and about 5 french fries. 800 calories total for dinner.
9:00 one tablespoon peanut butter. 100 calories.

1,520 calories consumed today less 100 burned in an abbreviated workout = 1,420 net calories for the day.




Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Day 86, Good Advice

I was weighing in at the gym yesterday and bumped into one of the top trainers. Her name is Terry and she's a world class female bodybuilding competitor. Terry trained my wife for a month a few years ago and while I don't normally visit much with her I took the opportunity to ask for some advice. I mentioned I've stalled or "plateaued" even as I'm disciplined on the diet and religious about the gym.

She told me to quit weighing myself and only visit the scale twice a week, Wednesday and Sunday and right as I wake up. She told me her obese clients, those defined sporting a BMI of 40-50% are told to expect to lose no more than one pound per week. As a body builder her emphasis is more on weight training or anaerobic exercise.

Muscle cells weigh twice what fat cells do so the better measurement for her program is how your clothes fit and how you look, not what the scale says.

I want to weigh less, period so I'm contemplating, at least until I hit my goal weight, backing off heavier weights and moving strictly to light weights/rapid sets, speed bag, abs and walking towards a more aerobic point of view. Keeping in mind I have no real use of my knees for running or stair stepping and with no pool available true aerobic exercise is tough.

I have almost 8 pounds to go before my birthday near the end of this month and I need to shake things up...

5:30 Egg white (2)/spinach/turkey chorizo (1.5oz)/brown rice(1/8 cup) mixed in a pan = 150 calories.
9:00 1/2 turkey sandwich on one slice of whole wheat 150 calories.
11:00 4 oz roasted turkey 150 calories.
12:45 Protein shake, pre-gym workout 110 calories. (560)
2:30 2 tablespoons of peanut butter 190 calories.
6:00 Big salad w/Chicken/butter lettuce/cucumber/carrots/avocado and a light vinaigrette 400 calories.
9:00 1/2peanut butter sandwich w/ 1 tablespoon peanut butter and 1 slice of whole grain bread 200 calories.

1,350 calories less 300 calories burned in two (2) workouts at the gym today = 1,050 net calories today.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Day 85

This morning I started with a protein shake when I woke up at 5:15 followed by a small dish of egg whites/spinach/turkey chorizo and brown rice pinched from a larger dish I made for Cecelia's breakfast. The 150 calories from the shake and 130 calories (est.) in the egg dish brought my combined breakfast to just under 300 calories.

5:15 Protein shake 150 calories
6:30 egg dish described above 130 calories. (image below)
9:30 Bowl of Special K with Raspberries/Blackberries and low fat milk. 220 calories.
12:30 Muscle Milk Light protein shake 150 calories.
2:30 Turkey sandwich on Whole grain bread. Non fat mayo and one small tomato, 320 calories.
6:00 Leftover Chicken Meatball Soup w/fideo pasta and fresh spinach 200 calories + Green salad with cucumber/butter lettuce/avocado/carrots/red onion/cilantro and a low fat/low calorie vinaigrette 200 calories.
8:00 peanut butter, 1 tbsp on one piece of whole grain bread, 200 calories.

1,570 calories less 200 spent at the gym this afternoon = 1,370 net calories consumed today!

*I put in a good workout at the gym this afternoon. I sat in the dry sauna for 20 minutes before the workout to warm up. Feeling stronger and slimmer.

I know, it looks horrible but it really tasted pretty good and only held 130 calories.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Long Journey Ahead in 2012

I am eating less than 1,500 calories net every day for the past 84 days and have lost close to 30 pounds. I am definitely at a plateau and have been stuck here for a couple of weeks. This is not a deterrence to my overall effort at all. Eating fewer calories and making healthy calorie choices is better for my body. So I'll keep this routine and maintain the push at the gym. Eventually the weight will come off.
Documenting my meals is very important because I know if I eat something bad I have to report it, publicly. Without this format, at this point I am more likely to let myself slip and that would invite failure.

7:00 Protein shake 110 calories.
9:00 1/2 turkey sandwich, one slice of whole grain bread, 2 oz turkey breast/lettuce/tomato/non fat mayo 175 calories.
11:00 Other half of the sandwich 175 calories.
4:30 Soup. Home made chicken meatball/mushroom/fideo pasta/spinach in a NO sodium vegetable broth base.  200 calories maximum.
7:30 Bowl of Special K Cereal with blackberries and raspberries and low fat milk, 250 calories.
9:00 Two tablespoons of peanut butter 190 calories.

1,100 calories less 200 for the workout = 900 net calories for the day.


Sunday, January 1, 2012

Back to Work

Enough hoopla and celebration it's time to focus on the right foods in the right amount and intensify my workouts. 30 pounds in 300 days of 2012. Now is the time.

5:30 Protein shake 150 calories followed by a fairly intense workout at the gym.
8:30 flat bread 1/2 piece, humus 150 calories.
10:30 small bowl of vegetable/spinach/chicken meatball soup, 250 calories.
1:00 Turkey breast sandwich, 370 calories.
3:00 Snack chips 200 calories.
5:00 Big salad w/butter lettuce/tuna/cucumbers/avocado/carrots/onion and low cal vinaigrette. 350 calories.(1470)
8:30 I had a little popcorn and before bed a tablespoon of peanut butter 200 calories.

1,670 calories consumed less a couple of hundred worked off during my workout = 1,470 calories net on the day.

*early am workout some weights/speed bag/abs/biceps.