Diet

It’s all in the inches

Well, I am down another 2 pounds… that puts me at 14 pounds down in seven weeks on my new exercise training program and diet.

Yeah… I like that.

But, what really matters is the inches because that is a far better measure of body fat in the absence of a body fat percentage test. Plus, it is easier to know that you are seeing success when your clothes fit better.

To be honest, some of my clothes are falling off right now, but that is beside the point.

Officially, I am the lightest I have been in some 14 years. As of this morning I was 214.2 pounds and the weight is on it’s way day. But, the really cool thing is that my gut is down 2.5 inches and my waist is down 1.5 inches. continue reading...

12 Pounds – 6 Weeks

I have been on this new diet and exercise program for six weeks now and I must say that I am pretty pleased.

On the scale, I am down a total of 12 pounds. I have lost 1.5 inches around my waist. I can really tell that my legs are leaner and that my muscle is increasing.

In fact, I am 3 pounds heavier than I was when I finished up the HCG diet last year but it is obvious that my muscle mass is more.

I have been working hard on eating right and exercising and I love the results. continue reading...

One month in

Well, it was one month ago that I started at Anytime fitness with my new goals of getting my fitness to the next level.

At this point, I have officially down 5 pounds... a little better than 1 pound per week.

Not as great as I hoped, but I had Christmas and New Year in there with all the treats associated.

I also got sick in the middle and was out for a week from the gym.

So, with that in mind, I feel pretty good about the results.

I'll say, I feel best about how the trainings at Anytime Fitness have gone. As of today, I am more flexible and definitely in better shape. My heart rate recovers after exercise much more quickly than before. I am going to the gym 4 - 5 times per week (working up to 6 times per week). continue reading...

The Resolution

Now that I am back into my routines, I am much happier.

Working out and eating right is not a New Year's resolution... it is a lifestyle thing to me. If I treat it as such, then I will continue to move towards my goals.

I am amazed every January to see so many people at the gym. It is so incredibly busy... almost annoying. So many people starting anew hoping that this year will be the year to make a difference.

By the end of January, the gyms are empty again.

I can understand why it is hard to keep up. I have been in that position countless times. It doesn't usually coincide with New Year's for me because I don't often wait until the New Year to make resolutions.

For me, if I can make it routine, it makes all the difference in the world.

The reality is that going to the gym doesn't really take a lot of time. It adds about 30 minutes to my day... that's it. I feel great after a particularly hard workout. I feel a sense of accomplishment.

Here's to another day! continue reading...

Routines

I am glad the holidays are over.

I know there are a number of people out there that feel the same way.

I like it when January arrives. I get the opportunity to start anew.

But, mostly, I like that I can get back into routines.

I think that everything is more difficult when there is no routine. It is harder to work, it is harder to play it is harder to eat right.

Some will think that I don't make any sense when I say that without a routine it is harder to play. However, because I tend to be a workaholic, if I am not in a routine, I tend to gravitate toward work because I get stressed thinking there is something left undone. But, if I have a work routine, it is easier for me to take the time off and play just a little bit.

I did a pretty good job on my diet and exercise program last week. I worked out well. I ate well (except on New Year's eve). I didn't drink the volume of water that I should have so I am retaining a bit of that.

I am so ready to be back in my routines. I am ready to work hard, play hard and make it a great new year! continue reading...

MMM - Ice Cream

Who doesn't like ice cream?

I mean, it's ice cream... It's cold, it's sweet, it's delicious.

We have a tradition that for every birthday, we make home made ice cream. So, naturally, we have become pretty good at it.

I am the 11 Year Old Scout leader and they wanted an ice cream party so I made ice cream.

I couldn't help myself. I had to eat some. Well, four scoops.

Okay, five.

But it was so good.

With that said, I am down a pound from yesterday.

I didn't eat dinner. I did my cardio. I drank a lot of water.

It was my only diet descretion (well, there might have been a brownie, chocolate sauce, nuts, whipped cream and a glass of root beer involved - but that's it, I promise).

Well, I'm off to the gym. continue reading...

Back on Track

Well, I think that I am back on track with my diet and exercise.

When I started my diet three weeks ago, I was at 228.

On Christmas Eve, I was at 220.

Yesterday, I was at 227 (ouch... darn treats that people bring me).

Today, I am back down to 224.

So, I am not too far off target with my weight. I am sure that I was retaining a bit of water.

I don't think that I drank enough water yesterday so I may still be holding on to some water today. We'll give it another day or so before I decide officially how much damage I did by not working out like I should have and eating too much over Christmas.

BTW, I know that the picture has nothing to do with diet, but when I thought of the title of "Back On Track" and found that cartoon, I thought I might as well make a political statement. You can click on it to see it in full size. I found the cartoon here. continue reading...

A little medicine for me

I am now a couple of days in to my new routine. I'll talk more about my thoughts on my trainer and how I think it works out.

I'll say now that I really like the beginning. One thing that is very different than what I have seen from other trainers is there is a set program.

I have had trainers in the past who have said come warmed up (whatever that means). I have had trainers in the past say they would warm me up.

Sometimes the warm up would be 15 minutes on the bike or crosstrainer. Sometimes it was taking a couple of weights and raising my arms a few times and jumping up and down for a minute.

My trainer actually has a set program for warming up. He has a video to demonstrate it and cheat sheets at the gym for reference. I really like this approach. There is no doubt how I should proceed. When I do it right, it is a workout all by itself.

There is something to be said for having a program to take the guesswork out. continue reading...

The new me coming up

So, I haven't posted in some time. I saw some incredible succes on the HDG diet and have gained a few back... not a lot, but enough that tells me that I have been a little lazy.

I was working out four times per week and eating well... in fact, after I stopped the diet, I lost another three pounds...

But then I went on vacation.

It was a great vacation. We went camping and ate well. A little too well. It was a lot of fun but it completely messed me up. It changed my routines and it has been hard getting back to what I know is the right way to manage my weight.

I am determined to not let my bad habits rule my life again so I am starting the next phase of my physical transformation. Blogging last time helped me to see some great results so I figure I am going to do it again. continue reading...

HCG Diet Follow Up

Well, it has been 10 weeks since I started the HCG diet. I have been off the reintroduction period for a couple of weeks and eating healthy every day. I found a really cool app called LoseIt! for my iPhone that really makes tracking calories very easy.

Now, I exercise four days per week and ride my bike about 30 miles each week to and from work a few days a week. For the first time in my life, I feel like my goals are in site.

You can see the before and after pictures and see how I did. I haven’t lost any weight in the last 3 weeks so I lost about 48 pounds and 7.5 inches in my gut is only about 8 weeks.

I thought that I would include a few things that I found on this diet that really helped me out.

For Starters

We have a nice digital scale that we bought a number of years ago that also measures our body fat percentage. It was very helpful to see the change in the body fat at the same time… a little more motivating.

Through the diet, I had a simple $4 scale from Wal-Mart to weigh my food. Since then, I purchased a digital food scale. It has made measuring food so much easier. When you get calorie light foods (like lettuce, spinach or celery) on the diet, a small scale is really a pain. After the diet is over and you can mix veggies, a good digital scale is easy because you can reset zero and as you build a salad, for example. Now, I still weigh everything and can do it very quickly and easily.

So, if you are going to do this, I recommend getting a good digital scale for your weight and a good digital scale for your food. I also recommend getting an iPhone or an iPod Touch and get the LoseIt! app… it will be worth it when it is easy to track your food. continue reading...