Often women don't like "competing" against men in weight loss contests due to "men being able to lose weight faster;" so the argument goes.
I recently posted on my RebootSupport Facebook page;
"The one thing that we all have to remember... each of us are on a similar path but each path has unique characteristics that make it our own."
The weight loss contest I joined on HealthyLoser has a "Women's only Transformation Contest!"
Healthy Loser’s Newest Women's Weight Loss Contest pays $1,000 and is capped at 75 participants!
Are you a woman? Do you want to compete against only women and really see and show what you can do?
You can start your transformation today, tomorrow or anytime! Weigh ins for the next Transformation Contest are open from now until 75 are weighed in. Once 75 are, another round is opened.
"The team at Healthy Loser wants to give women an exclusive chance to compete in a weight loss contest for women designed to evaluate the whole contest experience. Not only will female contestants be judged on their weight loss success but they will also be evaluated on their "before and after pictures" and written essay explaining their strategy and experience.
Contestants will have 91 days to complete their transformation using any method or strategy. At the close of the contest,the board of directors at Healthy Loser will make a decision based on the following factors:
1. Weight lost.
2. Before and after pictures transformations.
3. Essay explaining the entire experience of the Women's Transformation Contest.
"The contestant who has made the biggest transformation overall wins the $1000 cash prize!!"
There you go ladies... do you have what it takes to transform yourself more so than 74 others while improving your overall health? If so... $1,000 could be yours! Click here to see all the details on HealthyLoser's Women's Transformation Contest.
Good luck to all who enter!
If you do want to compete against anyone, male or female, you can enter the $5,000 Challenge! Capped at 300 participants, the highest percentage of weight lost wins the top prize of $5,000! Up for grabs is over $12,000 in cash, to be awarded per round.
From HealthyLoser regarding the $5,000 Challenge; "All participants who lose at least 15% of their Body Weight will win Cash."
I personally lost 26.76%!
There you go... go get it! And... Good luck to everyone at losing weight and improving your overall health!
Showing posts with label shed pounds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shed pounds. Show all posts
Almond Butter
Almond butter... sandwich! So... while doing Insanity Cardio and Balance this morning I received a text message from my sister-in-law.
Here is that conversation:
Her:
"Hey. I've been thinking about how you've hit plateaus with your weight loss efforts. It surprised me to hear this since you're obviously only consuming healthy food and have been working out like a mad-man. I wonder if you had say one heavy carb meal per week if it'd trigger a boost in your weight loss? Or maybe one meal with extra protein? Idk. Just a thought.
Me: I have been thinking the same type of thing but not sure. I have heard that that can help, Or something like that can help because it mixes things up a bit. Anything is better than going to long on the low calorie diet and allowing my body to consume my muscles for fuel.
I thought about it and decided, why not give it a try. Taking one (1) scoop of the nutritional yeast and mixing it with 1/2 tablespoons of Justin's Almond Honey Butter. The yeast dried it out so I added some water and used my hands to knead the mixture. Doing so created a moist mixture. Just add little by little, if it looks to wet, pour it off. This actually worked very well. If you don't want jelly, go left. If you do want jelly, go right. I then sent her these pictures:
Without Jelly: 363 calories With Jelly: 413 calories
Me: Haha... hope so. :-) Especially since almost everyday for the last 2 weeks has been around 400 to 600 calories. Maybe 800
Her: Wow. And this sandwich will come close to 400. I do think there is some truth in that you need to feed your body to burn the fat. You'll be the ultimate testiment to that if you find it works.
Me: I agree... you do need to fuel the body. And if you are not careful when you do start pounding fuel, your body will start storing everything, regardless what is as fat. Doing so as a precaution as it might fear that you will keep starving it. Which is like a very low calorie diet is only recommended for 2 weeks and only if you are obese. Which I did. And which I still am. But not as much that was awhile ago. :-) I need to be careful that I do not allow my body to start consuming my muscles. They say if you are moderately active besides work out you take your current body weight times 14 to get your required calories a day for just maintaining your current weight. Subtracting 500 off of that will give you what they recommend at losing a pound a week. I will throw that formula into the blog."
"Sedentary lifestyle (desk job): Current weight in pounds x 12 = Maintenance Caloric Needs. Moderately active lifestyle (server in a restaurant and/or doing one of our entry level programs, like Power 90® or Hip Hop Abs®): Current weight in pounds x 13 = Maintenance Caloric Needs. Highly active lifestyle (construction worker and/or doing one of our elite programs, like P90X® or INSANITY®): Current weight in pounds x 14 = Maintenance Caloric Needs. From there, subtract 500 calories and that's probably a good deficit for weight loss. (But make sure that number stays about 1,200. Anything lower can be dangerous in the long term.) Conversely, if you're trying to gain muscle mass, add 300 calories or so—but make sure you're also doing a solid weight lifting program like Body Beast® so those calories have a place to go." From Team BeachBody's Newsletter
With that said, this was a pretty good sandwich. I'll keep in mind how much I consumed and will follow it up with a juice later today, as this was the first thing (besides water during the workout) that I have had today.
Here is that conversation:
Her:
"Hey. I've been thinking about how you've hit plateaus with your weight loss efforts. It surprised me to hear this since you're obviously only consuming healthy food and have been working out like a mad-man. I wonder if you had say one heavy carb meal per week if it'd trigger a boost in your weight loss? Or maybe one meal with extra protein? Idk. Just a thought.
Me: I have been thinking the same type of thing but not sure. I have heard that that can help, Or something like that can help because it mixes things up a bit. Anything is better than going to long on the low calorie diet and allowing my body to consume my muscles for fuel.
I thought about it and decided, why not give it a try. Taking one (1) scoop of the nutritional yeast and mixing it with 1/2 tablespoons of Justin's Almond Honey Butter. The yeast dried it out so I added some water and used my hands to knead the mixture. Doing so created a moist mixture. Just add little by little, if it looks to wet, pour it off. This actually worked very well. If you don't want jelly, go left. If you do want jelly, go right. I then sent her these pictures:
Her: That looks really good. My first thought for eating carbs was eating something like pizza...tons of carbs...and fat. But I think you're taking a much better approach. :)
Me: Haha... hope so. :-) Especially since almost everyday for the last 2 weeks has been around 400 to 600 calories. Maybe 800
Her: Wow. And this sandwich will come close to 400. I do think there is some truth in that you need to feed your body to burn the fat. You'll be the ultimate testiment to that if you find it works.
Me: I agree... you do need to fuel the body. And if you are not careful when you do start pounding fuel, your body will start storing everything, regardless what is as fat. Doing so as a precaution as it might fear that you will keep starving it. Which is like a very low calorie diet is only recommended for 2 weeks and only if you are obese. Which I did. And which I still am. But not as much that was awhile ago. :-) I need to be careful that I do not allow my body to start consuming my muscles. They say if you are moderately active besides work out you take your current body weight times 14 to get your required calories a day for just maintaining your current weight. Subtracting 500 off of that will give you what they recommend at losing a pound a week. I will throw that formula into the blog."
"Sedentary lifestyle (desk job): Current weight in pounds x 12 = Maintenance Caloric Needs. Moderately active lifestyle (server in a restaurant and/or doing one of our entry level programs, like Power 90® or Hip Hop Abs®): Current weight in pounds x 13 = Maintenance Caloric Needs. Highly active lifestyle (construction worker and/or doing one of our elite programs, like P90X® or INSANITY®): Current weight in pounds x 14 = Maintenance Caloric Needs. From there, subtract 500 calories and that's probably a good deficit for weight loss. (But make sure that number stays about 1,200. Anything lower can be dangerous in the long term.) Conversely, if you're trying to gain muscle mass, add 300 calories or so—but make sure you're also doing a solid weight lifting program like Body Beast® so those calories have a place to go." From Team BeachBody's Newsletter
With that said, this was a pretty good sandwich. I'll keep in mind how much I consumed and will follow it up with a juice later today, as this was the first thing (besides water during the workout) that I have had today.
My Progress: 55.9 Pounds lost in 69 Days!
Calories per day
I was asked this question. After answering it, I thought, this should be a blog post. I've received several questions along this line and figured I'd share.
"Congratulations on your weight loss. I checked out your blog. About how many calories are you taking in a day?"
The beachbody calculator says that I should be consuming 2800 to maintain and 2300 to lose a pound a week. However, currently I am consuming much less than that. But only for about 2, maybe 3 weeks. I am making sure to get my essential nutrients, nutrients and vitamins via nutritional yeast. I am also consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables from time to time, each day.
99% of what I consume goes through the juicer. However, these last few days I've added in a few more solid items. I believe yesterday I probably consumed around 700 calories, but did no workout. The day before probably 500 and did 2 Max Insanity workouts. Both days though I took two servings (70 calories) of Nutritional Yeast. I have a gut still... not as much as before of course. My body is still burning calories... I know the concern is not to do a very low calorie diet for long, as the body will start consuming the muscle. Which is why I added the nutritional yeast. And which is why I'm only doing this for 2 or 3 weeks. Then, when I add more calories back into my lifestyle, I'll do so with high quality foods and juices. Doing so in a manner that doesn't PACK it in, as I don't want to do the roller coaster weight gain thing. Also, I still have 30 pounds (slightly less than that), that I want to shed. I know I need to fuel my body or my body will CLING to the calories that I have, as a way to make sure that I am still alive. With that said, I've noticed it doesn't take a lot for me to fill full. Which is great, as I eat 4 to 8 times a day! So... for now, I'm consuing 4 to 8 ounces (75 to 200 calories) every couple of hours. Once I get back in the "range" the beachbody calculator says is my range (2300 to lose a pound a week), I still plan on rationing out my portions. They will be larger, around 280 to 600 per meal (based off of 4 to 8 meals a day). Simply take the total calories you want to consume in a day / by the number of meals you plan on eating and VIOLA! You've got how many calories you should consume each meal.
It will be a while before I get up to 2300 calories. I'll probably jump it up to 1200 to 1500 calories next week. Eating 8 times in a day would make it basically 190 calories per time.
It is all about discipline.
In reality, I eat more in the morning at night. Which means I tend to eat twice or three times the amount to start the day and then ration the remainder out.
Example: 1500 calories would be about 190 calories per "meal" but I would consume at least two, maybe 3 of those to start the day.
Breakfast: 570 ish calories. Which would leave 930 calories to be divided into the next 7 times I eat. Basically 132 calories each time... every few hours. If I ever "feel" hungry I can always double up one of the times I eat. Either way, I have rationed it out, so when the food is gone, it is gone. Not that I can't or wouldn't eat more if I wanted it. I would just know when the food / juice is gone, that I hit my caloric intake that I planned for the day.
I listen to my body though, if I feel hungry I will eat. I also remember to drink PLENTY of water. As 60% of the time we "feel hungry" we really are thirsty. If I feel hungry, I'll drink water first and then wait.
This picture is of regular food... I still do consume solids. I just am being selective and careful. This is one of the rare times where I did a low heat stir fry.
Since it takes about 20 minutes or so for the stomach to tell the brain it is full, I purposely stop consuming food well before the "twenty" minutes comes and goes. This is a huge improvement on the eating habits I had in my youth. I grew up on meat and potatoes. I would eat until I "felt" full! Then when the signal finally did hit my brain, I was also so full my pants felt like they were going to cut me in half. We were all big eaters growing up! Huge meals! We always wanted to get the most bang for our buck! How much food can I get for as little as possible. Now I look at it as quality over quantity! Highly nutritious food is much better! I'll pay a little more and ensure that I am getting what my body needs! I haven't had fast food or junk in a long time and I see no place for it in my life! This is a lifestyle change. Even after I hit my goal weight and tone up, my intention is to still juice at least one or two times a day and then have a sensible dinner. Maintaining a healthy inside and a fit outside is my goal. I want to be strong enough and active enough to do all that I can with my family and kids and healthy inside so that I can live a long life with them too! Looking "fit" and ripped on the outside doesn't mean that one's arteries and body is healthy on the inside. However, I know after my last blood work and the ultra sound where they looked at my arteries that I am healthy and that the arteries are "clean!" The ultrasound tech was shocked when she saw my arteries. She actually said, "WoW! This is what normal arteries are supposed to look like!"
That was so cool to hear!
Thanks for asking... and thanks for reading! I truly want to be the healthiest that I can be. Both inside and out.
Updated Photo!
Updated photos... with the new weight loss and finally getting below 200 pounds, here is a look at the last 65 days! I'm down 54.7 pounds thus far! With basically 30 pounds to go to reach my goal weight of 166, I'm thrilled at the progress!
I have been working out like crazy! Having done over three hours of cardio and ab workouts yesterday has, as MyFitnessPal says; "earned" me more calories. I don't want to "earn" calories as of yet... I want to shed them!
The text at the bottom of the image says "If every day were like today you'd weigh 158.9 lbs in 5 weeks"
I would LOVE to be at 166 by April 8th. That may not happen, but I will be close. The final contest needs to be weighed out on April 21st, maybe the 19th. Either way, I am hoping to be at 166 by that day. April 8th is the deadline for the first contest. Eating well, doing these Insanity and P90X workouts and implementing little tidbits that I've picked up to help me minimize the quantity that I consume and eat per meal is really paying off!
I am taking two servings of nutritional yeast each day to ensure I'm getting the essential nutrients and I am still consuming my juice. Only for two, maybe three weeks will my caloric intake be between 400 and 800. I'm doing this, with the nutritional yeast and the workouts to ensure weight loss, but also keep the nutrient levels up, so my body isn't lacking.
The previous winners of the second weight loss contest that I am in lost about 34% of their body weight. That contest pays out $5,000 to first place. My intention is to WIN that one... and then tone up and add muscle and a few pounds of weight. However, I am listening to my body and will not ignore warning signs. I am "winning" by losing as much as I have lost. Win or lose the five grand, I'll be healthier and happier at the new weight. One thing is, I know that my body needs more than just low calories. A body needs nutrients. A bowl of cabbage soup each day would be low calories, but would not provide the nutrients to sustain life. Which is why the nutritional yeast is being consumed with my juice.
After three weeks I'll continue eating (juicing and eating) as normal. I find it interesting that my stomach gets full a lot faster than ever before. Yesterday after drinking about 8 ounces of juice, I ate (yes, chewed) about half of my son's bean burrito (whole wheat tortilla and refried beans - he likes them pretty plain) and a few bites of the filling from the stuffed yellow pepper that I made the family for dinner, I felt like I was going to pop! This is good to learn now, as I want to avoid the "roller coaster" weight gain that is a potential after losing a lot of weight. I understand the need to avoid going back to the bad eating habits of the past. Slowing down. Smaller bites. Smaller portions. More, but smaller meals throughout the day will allow for feeling fuller and satisfied throughout the day, without tanking it on.
I look forward to a healthy, long and energetic life with my wife, kids, family and friends!
I have been working out like crazy! Having done over three hours of cardio and ab workouts yesterday has, as MyFitnessPal says; "earned" me more calories. I don't want to "earn" calories as of yet... I want to shed them!
I would LOVE to be at 166 by April 8th. That may not happen, but I will be close. The final contest needs to be weighed out on April 21st, maybe the 19th. Either way, I am hoping to be at 166 by that day. April 8th is the deadline for the first contest. Eating well, doing these Insanity and P90X workouts and implementing little tidbits that I've picked up to help me minimize the quantity that I consume and eat per meal is really paying off!
I am taking two servings of nutritional yeast each day to ensure I'm getting the essential nutrients and I am still consuming my juice. Only for two, maybe three weeks will my caloric intake be between 400 and 800. I'm doing this, with the nutritional yeast and the workouts to ensure weight loss, but also keep the nutrient levels up, so my body isn't lacking.
The previous winners of the second weight loss contest that I am in lost about 34% of their body weight. That contest pays out $5,000 to first place. My intention is to WIN that one... and then tone up and add muscle and a few pounds of weight. However, I am listening to my body and will not ignore warning signs. I am "winning" by losing as much as I have lost. Win or lose the five grand, I'll be healthier and happier at the new weight. One thing is, I know that my body needs more than just low calories. A body needs nutrients. A bowl of cabbage soup each day would be low calories, but would not provide the nutrients to sustain life. Which is why the nutritional yeast is being consumed with my juice.
After three weeks I'll continue eating (juicing and eating) as normal. I find it interesting that my stomach gets full a lot faster than ever before. Yesterday after drinking about 8 ounces of juice, I ate (yes, chewed) about half of my son's bean burrito (whole wheat tortilla and refried beans - he likes them pretty plain) and a few bites of the filling from the stuffed yellow pepper that I made the family for dinner, I felt like I was going to pop! This is good to learn now, as I want to avoid the "roller coaster" weight gain that is a potential after losing a lot of weight. I understand the need to avoid going back to the bad eating habits of the past. Slowing down. Smaller bites. Smaller portions. More, but smaller meals throughout the day will allow for feeling fuller and satisfied throughout the day, without tanking it on.
I look forward to a healthy, long and energetic life with my wife, kids, family and friends!
Tips. As promised.
This is the 32nd day of my reboot / juice fast! A lot has been learned since this journey started! And a lot of people have asked me questions. Some were asked here in the comments and some on MyFitnesspal that I turned into a blog post. I answer questions best as I can however, I'm not a doctor or a juice expert. I'm learning as I go. I'm a daddy, a husband, a guy who grew up eating meat and animal products for probably 80% or more of his diet. Why? Well, that's just what we did. Between meats, milk, butter, cheese... all of these that we consumed were derived from animals in one way or another. I answer reader's question to the best of my ability. After seeing Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead... I made a change! (This plays on a laptop or pc for free, I've heard that it doesn't come up on mobile devices.) My Doctor and wife are happy with my blood work / lab results since I've started! And my Day 27 pictures look great!
Below you will find some Juicing and Cleaning Tips. In an effort not to make this be insanely long, I've cherry picked a few tips and attempted to condense the bigger issues that have come up, like flying food (wasting it) in the Breville and how to clean juicer accessories (even if you don't own a Breville, all juicers have small areas that can be difficult to clean at times. My "Q-tip" suggestion (with pictures) will hopefully make life easier for all who are doing a juice fast / cleanse.
Juicing Tips:
Something I realized... juicing doesn't have to be just hit and miss... or a mish mosh as I took a chance at early on. Juicing can be an art. When cooking a "real meal" most people don't just toss ingredients in. They either have a recipe or they taste as they go. That is my new philosophy as I am juicing. If I am trying something new, I am slowing down. Adding the new ingredient. Tasting it. And then I contemplate, what will complement this best. I'd much rather take a few extra minutes and taste as I go then just toss in a bunch of ingredients and then have a horrible tasting juice that either gets choked down or tossed out. I don't toss out juice... so if it is gross, I generally tell myself in thirty seconds it will be gone. Well, that is what I used to do. Now, I take my time and, like an artist... I create a juice. One that I will enjoy.
Below I am going to show how to use (in my opinion) your vegetables and your juicer to maximize your juice potential. The Breville spins the vegetables around at a high rate of speed, which can blow delicate fruits and leaves of greens into the remnant catcher unless you find a way to smash them between heavier products. My solution... stuff em!
I used this stuffed pepper in the juice below. It was pretty good.
5 roma tomatoes
1 Full bok choy
5 carrots
1 orange pepper stuffed with as much spinach as possible. (Cut a whole in the bottom to allow access to pepper). <-- I leave the stem and seeds in. If you want to remove them, make your hole in the top, not the bottom.
Last night I was trying to take the bite out of the bitter flavor of two Indian Bitter Melons (my wife and I think this looks like a rat. She coined the phrase; "rat juice" when she saw the look on my face upon first tasting it. "How's the rat juice?" haha That name has stuck.
Below you will find some Juicing and Cleaning Tips. In an effort not to make this be insanely long, I've cherry picked a few tips and attempted to condense the bigger issues that have come up, like flying food (wasting it) in the Breville and how to clean juicer accessories (even if you don't own a Breville, all juicers have small areas that can be difficult to clean at times. My "Q-tip" suggestion (with pictures) will hopefully make life easier for all who are doing a juice fast / cleanse.
Juicing Tips:
Something I realized... juicing doesn't have to be just hit and miss... or a mish mosh as I took a chance at early on. Juicing can be an art. When cooking a "real meal" most people don't just toss ingredients in. They either have a recipe or they taste as they go. That is my new philosophy as I am juicing. If I am trying something new, I am slowing down. Adding the new ingredient. Tasting it. And then I contemplate, what will complement this best. I'd much rather take a few extra minutes and taste as I go then just toss in a bunch of ingredients and then have a horrible tasting juice that either gets choked down or tossed out. I don't toss out juice... so if it is gross, I generally tell myself in thirty seconds it will be gone. Well, that is what I used to do. Now, I take my time and, like an artist... I create a juice. One that I will enjoy.
Below I am going to show how to use (in my opinion) your vegetables and your juicer to maximize your juice potential. The Breville spins the vegetables around at a high rate of speed, which can blow delicate fruits and leaves of greens into the remnant catcher unless you find a way to smash them between heavier products. My solution... stuff em!
I used this stuffed pepper in the juice below. It was pretty good.
5 roma tomatoes
1 Full bok choy
5 carrots
1 orange pepper stuffed with as much spinach as possible. (Cut a whole in the bottom to allow access to pepper). <-- I leave the stem and seeds in. If you want to remove them, make your hole in the top, not the bottom.
Last night I was trying to take the bite out of the bitter flavor of two Indian Bitter Melons (my wife and I think this looks like a rat. She coined the phrase; "rat juice" when she saw the look on my face upon first tasting it. "How's the rat juice?" haha That name has stuck.
In an effort to sweeten up this juice, 7 braeburn apples were used. In one of them went a medium piece of ginger. Simply took a knife, hallowed out a small section of one of the apples and stuck the ginger in.
Anytime you have something you're not sure if it will juice well or be blown around (parsley, cilantro, wheat grass, berries... if something else, that is going in your juice is dense enough that you can hallow out a bit of it and stuff in the ingredients, you'll maximize your juice potential.
Yes, I know there are more efficient juicers out there. The Norwalk is $2,400 and the Omegas between $200 to $400... both of those are efficient when it comes to juice quantity, but with raising two kids I am in high demand. I don't have time to spend 20 to 30 minutes preparing a juice (slicing, chopping, stuffing, waiting...) just so I can squeeze out a few extra ounces. I'd like to get all the juice, but I have to be practical too. The Brveville has a 3" food chute. I can literally toss an entire apple, pear, cucumber, and tons of other fruits or vegetables in whole. That alone, the saving of time, is the real winner for me. Someday I may get an omega for the delicate fruits and for wheatgrass... but for now. I'm happy with speed, efficiency and creative ways I'm coming up with to maximize my juice getting potential.
If you have a pineapple corer, in my opinion it is the best way to prepare a pineapple for juicing. The first time I ever juiced a pineapple I left the skin on and it didn't get separated as much as I'd like. Some friends told me they leave all the skin on. Maybe I'll try it again. For now, I core it and throw in the pineapple slices. The Livestrong website gives tips on how to juice it if you don't want to leave it on. It says that the skin contains "vitamin C and bromelain."
I started using the Breville fountain plus juicer about a week and a half into my juice fast. Before that I used a Jack LaLanne juicer that my neighbor wasn't using (however, he is now).
Cleaning:
I did a post a few weeks ago about the oxo brush that I use. Since then, experience has taught me that the brush that came with the Breville is amazing at scrubbing the bladed and filter, but pretty pathetic for squeezing between the chute and the edge of the cover. I found that the oxo bottle brush that my wife had under the sink works the best. Amazon has several cleaning brushes, I prefer mine as the black pivoting point just below the brush head really allows flexibility when I am cleaning this, and the stainless steel water bottles that I blogged about before. Those are exceptional for keeping the juice cold when we're out and about with the family.
No matter what juicer you use the spout needs to be cleaned. And for the Breville so does the screen and blade device... somehow food accumulates in the bottom of it. These two spots can be hard to get to. My solution. Chopsticks and a piece of paper towel. Seriously, it works! Imagine it being a large Q-tip.
This works perfectly! And only takes a quick moment to clean it out.
Well, there you have it. juicing and cleaning tips as of today... I'm sure I'll learn more as time goes on. And I'm happy to answer any questions you have as well.
My Progress: 38.4 Pounds lost / exterminated!
''How do you all cope?''
I saw this question asked by a fellow MyFitnessPal participant.
"All these cravings are driving me crazy. .. How do you all cope? =/"
This was my answer:
I look at it like this... I WILL BE ALIVE THE NEXT 3 MONTHS ANYWAYS... And I tell myself that.
Seriously! I'm going to be here.. so I can be here FAT or I can be here Healthy and Fit and enjoy life! I have chosen to be here as a healthy fit person! Something that I let go for way to long. I have the unfortunate stretch marks on my stomach to show for my horrid choices and lazy ways... funny thing is. My choices were not HORRID... I was not a big soda, or candy person. I was simply a BIG lover of food. I'd pack it in. Instead of slowing down and enjoying it. I'd simply keep shoveling it in. Why? Because it was good! Food was good! Food IS good! When it comes right down to it. I have decided that once I hit my goal (166 pounds) that I will seriously maintain. How to maintain? How to get me there. By savoring each bite. One bite at a time. By slowing down and ALLOWING the food to sit on my taste buds longer. You no longer 'taste' the food once it passes the back of the tongue. So... I'll enjoy it. I'll let each bite resonate on my tongue for a bit longer and I'll take smaller bites. I'll eat less and truly enjoy the meal a lot more!
I'll do all that I can. And I'm not taking any 'diet pills' or supplements. I'm simply consuming the most nutrient rich foods that I can. The Standard American Diet consists of a lot of 'white' food (rice, noodles, breads, sugar, etc...) that has been stripped of most of their nutrients and minerals. That is what we eat. And we feel that we need a lot of it! Give us the most bang for our buck!
We don't need that. We simply need a nice meal and a bit of self control. Small bites... (place your fork or spoon down between each bite will help too) Allow the AMAZING food and flavors that we love to hangout on our tongue and in our mouth for a few more seconds. That we can truly enjoy those flavors before we send them down the pipes to be decomposed, broken down and absorbed. Allowing us to satisfy the desire for flavorful food and will give the stomach time needed to tell the brain that it is full.
One of the best thing (imo) to overcome eating bad things when a craving hits is having less of the 'bad' things in the house. Have your fruits and veggies in the fridge ready to go. When I buy grapes, strawberries and blueberries for the family, I wash them when I stick them in the fridge. That way they are ready to go and become a quick snack when a craving hits. You can do this for apples, pears, etc... I also wash off my greens first. Collards, kale, cucumbers, or whatever else I have. It takes a few seconds and then they are ready to go whenever a craving hits.
For anyone taking the steps to lose weight and to get their life back... Best of luck to you all!
My Progress: 35.8 Pounds Lost in 28 Days!
Before Photos & Day 27 of Juicing Photos!
My wife and others wanted to see some before and after photos. The pictures in the shorts were taken on January 12th, 2013 when I weighed in for the first weight loss challenge. I was 252 pounds.
The pictures above on the right were taken on February 9th, 2013.
After only 27 days of juicing exclusively... I am down to 217.2 pounds!
A 34.2 pound weight loss in 27 days!
For kicks... Since a pound is roughly 3,500 calories, 119,700 calories have been exterminated!
The initial 18 to 20 pounds were lost solely due to juicing!
The next 14.2 pounds were lost with a combination of juicing, Insanity workouts and P90X workouts!
I have more energy today than I have had in years! Special thanks go out to my friends Mike and Breann for introducing me to Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead! Special thanks goes to my sweet wife for having faith in me and for letting me do all I can and allowing me to freely juice and accept this change of pace. A thank you also goes out to BeachBody, Shaun T. and Tony Horton for their programs and workout DVDs! And of course, to my Doctor for giving me the green light to continue after the blood work results came back with my being 'healthy,' besides still being overweight.
Discipline + Motivation + Willpower all combine to create the smaller man you see above!
I look forward to successfully completing my weight loss goal and returning to 166 pounds!
Feel free to join me on Team BeachBody and send me a Buddy Request I signed up as a coach o help inspire others. I'd love to connect and be yours too, click here to make that happen.
Thank you to ALL of you who frequent my blog! I am motivated THAT much more knowing that YOU are watching me lose while I achieve this 84 pound weight loss goal! Yesterday this blog was visited by over 300 people... WoW! Thank you! Several people have said that they are inspired by my story and progress. If you want to share this blog on facebook, twitter, or wherever... please feel free to do so!
Seriously, I'd LOVE it if this blog was shared more. Why? Because, I am truly inspired to keep digging deeper and pushing myself harder just knowing that my blog is being followed, shared and read!
Once again, thank you for visiting and following my blog! I look forward to losing, as I achieve the goal of shedding 84 pounds!
My 'Motivaion' post can be seen here. This image is on Facebook too! Feel free to comment, like and share.
Blueberries and Rainbow Collards!
This morning I wanted a real treat. Something crisp! Something with a cool and refreshing flavor!
I also wanted nutrients, vitamins and some protein.
The craving for lettuce came over me. Usually I want to throw in Romaine lettuce when I am craving nutrients. This morning I wanted something different. Upon opening the fridge there was a brand new head of red leaf lettuce and about a cup and a half of rainbow collard... bring it!
My breakfast:
About a cup of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.
3 bartlett pears
5 medium pink lady apples
1/2 a head of red leaf lettuce
About 1.5 cups, of rainbow collards (all of it... stems and leaves)
This made 46 ounces of juice. I consumed 32 of those and saved the rest for a few hours later.
I entered in all of the ingredients in MyFitnessPal and this is what they gave me:
Calories Carbs Fat Protein Fiber Iron
1,035 265 0 21 71 63
The rainbow collards alone added 14 grams of protein! BAM!
This juice was amazing! And since I keep all of my produce in the fridge. It was exactly what the cravings asked for. It was cool, refreshing and PACKED with nutrients, vitamins and protein!
When I put in my new weight at MyFitnessPal...
217.2 POUNDS! I received this little message!
I also wanted nutrients, vitamins and some protein.
The craving for lettuce came over me. Usually I want to throw in Romaine lettuce when I am craving nutrients. This morning I wanted something different. Upon opening the fridge there was a brand new head of red leaf lettuce and about a cup and a half of rainbow collard... bring it!
My breakfast:
About a cup of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.
3 bartlett pears
5 medium pink lady apples
1/2 a head of red leaf lettuce
About 1.5 cups, of rainbow collards (all of it... stems and leaves)
This made 46 ounces of juice. I consumed 32 of those and saved the rest for a few hours later.
I entered in all of the ingredients in MyFitnessPal and this is what they gave me:
Calories Carbs Fat Protein Fiber Iron
1,035 265 0 21 71 63
The rainbow collards alone added 14 grams of protein! BAM!
This juice was amazing! And since I keep all of my produce in the fridge. It was exactly what the cravings asked for. It was cool, refreshing and PACKED with nutrients, vitamins and protein!
When I put in my new weight at MyFitnessPal...
217.2 POUNDS! I received this little message!
Congratulations!
You've lost more than 10 lbs since the last time your goals were set!
I weighed in officially at 252 pounds on January 12th!
Only 27 Days Later...
I am now 217.2 pounds!
I feel more energized than ever!
Possibly better than the Powerball Jackpot!
I don't actually play the Powerball lottery however going to Sprouts the other day delivered me a prize of lottery status...
Check out the size of this organic parsley! And the tiny one on the right.
I asked the produce guy if they were the same and if so, did I just hit the jackpot? He looked... did a double take and looked at the labels and said, Yes! You hit the jackpot there! Both things of parsley were priced at $1.50.
This was by far the largest size difference I've seen in the same items however, it isn't new to me to find large size differences in organic fruits and produce. Simply said, they aren't controlled like crops are that are genetically modified, therefore you have chances to find these. This is the third or fourth time that I found a larger item just by digging around a little!
If you are going to be juicing or eating the vegetables and fruits raw, why not get the biggest bang for your buck?
Tip: If you are paying per pound and not per item, look for what is practical. Tomatoes at $0.99 or $1.50 a pound is a good price, but grabbing 2 or three large ones means that you need to cut them up or buy several more foe each juice. I LOVE tomatoes and know that I will use a lot of them. Therefore, when buying by the pound, I select a bag full of small to medium tomatoes. That way I can juice them according to my needs or recipes. It is easy to add another tomato or two. Slicing a large one down to size makes for potential juice loss and then having to store a partial tomato. Simply said, buying multiple small or medium ones gives you variety and flexibility when juicing. Besides it would be awful difficult to remove the juice after it goes in with everything else.
Check out the size of this organic parsley! And the tiny one on the right.
I asked the produce guy if they were the same and if so, did I just hit the jackpot? He looked... did a double take and looked at the labels and said, Yes! You hit the jackpot there! Both things of parsley were priced at $1.50.
This was by far the largest size difference I've seen in the same items however, it isn't new to me to find large size differences in organic fruits and produce. Simply said, they aren't controlled like crops are that are genetically modified, therefore you have chances to find these. This is the third or fourth time that I found a larger item just by digging around a little!
If you are going to be juicing or eating the vegetables and fruits raw, why not get the biggest bang for your buck?
Tip: If you are paying per pound and not per item, look for what is practical. Tomatoes at $0.99 or $1.50 a pound is a good price, but grabbing 2 or three large ones means that you need to cut them up or buy several more foe each juice. I LOVE tomatoes and know that I will use a lot of them. Therefore, when buying by the pound, I select a bag full of small to medium tomatoes. That way I can juice them according to my needs or recipes. It is easy to add another tomato or two. Slicing a large one down to size makes for potential juice loss and then having to store a partial tomato. Simply said, buying multiple small or medium ones gives you variety and flexibility when juicing. Besides it would be awful difficult to remove the juice after it goes in with everything else.
My Progress: 34.2 Pounds lost in 26 Days!
Fitting Better
Several years ago my wife purchased me a nice jacket. Around the first of the year we were in Sedona, AZ And I was complaining about how it did not fit anymore. It was way too tight and it was all I could do to zip it up.
I weighed in this morning at 218.6 pounds. I just got done putting on the jacket to go outside... Expecting the same discomfort, just because the last time I put it on I remember it not fitting well. To my enjoyment and surprise jacket fits perfectly fine.
In a few months I might just have to go and purchase another one... I like this kind of a jacket can be taken in.
Over 33 pounds lost in only 25 days. I have not done a workout today or even yesterday because we just got busy with the kids and family.
Juicing works for losing weight even if you are not able to work out every single day. My intentions are to go ahead and do my work out that I planned for this afternoon, this evening when the kids go to sleep.
And hopefully in the morning I will be down another half a pound or another pound.
I weighed in this morning at 218.6 pounds. I just got done putting on the jacket to go outside... Expecting the same discomfort, just because the last time I put it on I remember it not fitting well. To my enjoyment and surprise jacket fits perfectly fine.
In a few months I might just have to go and purchase another one... I like this kind of a jacket can be taken in.
Over 33 pounds lost in only 25 days. I have not done a workout today or even yesterday because we just got busy with the kids and family.
Juicing works for losing weight even if you are not able to work out every single day. My intentions are to go ahead and do my work out that I planned for this afternoon, this evening when the kids go to sleep.
And hopefully in the morning I will be down another half a pound or another pound.
Lab Report
My wife has been very supportive thus far however, as anyone who cares about someone she also has been concerned with "IF" I am healthy and if I am getting enough protein.
On the 31st of January (day 19 of my Juice Fast (my reboot)), I had blood work done. With that blood draw they checked my sodium, potassium, CO2, Glocose, Calcium, Protein, Cholesterol, Triglycerides, HDL Cholesterol, and LDL Cholesterol, among other things.
On February 4th, I received my results:
**Drum Roll**
After juicing for only 19 days:
Test name Result Normal (reference) Range
Sodium: 137 136 - 144
Potassium: 3.9 3.6 - 5.1
Protein: 6.7 6.1 - 7.9
Cholesterol: 127 0 - 200
HDL: 49 40 - 60
(Good) Cholesterol
LDL: 66 0 - 100
(Bad) Cholesterol
Triglycerides: 57 0 - 150
Calcium: 9.6 8.9 - 10.3
Alkaline: 59 32 - 91
Glocose: 75 74 - 118
After seeing the above lab results and the rest of the two pages of results my Doctor gave me the "Green Light" to keep juicing and to continue what I've been doing. He also mentioned that with my numbers looking as great as they do, that I have no risk of stroke, heart problems, etc... He said the normal range for LDL (Bad) Cholesterol is 0 - 100 however, with these results he'd make the range 0 - 160 for me. In addition to that he said that I brought my Good Cholesterol up 30 points! This was since the last time I had lab work done!
On the 31st of January (day 19 of my Juice Fast (my reboot)), I had blood work done. With that blood draw they checked my sodium, potassium, CO2, Glocose, Calcium, Protein, Cholesterol, Triglycerides, HDL Cholesterol, and LDL Cholesterol, among other things.
On February 4th, I received my results:
**Drum Roll**
After juicing for only 19 days:
Test name Result Normal (reference) Range
Sodium: 137 136 - 144
Potassium: 3.9 3.6 - 5.1
Protein: 6.7 6.1 - 7.9
Cholesterol: 127 0 - 200
HDL: 49 40 - 60
(Good) Cholesterol
LDL: 66 0 - 100
(Bad) Cholesterol
Triglycerides: 57 0 - 150
Calcium: 9.6 8.9 - 10.3
Alkaline: 59 32 - 91
Glocose: 75 74 - 118
After seeing the above lab results and the rest of the two pages of results my Doctor gave me the "Green Light" to keep juicing and to continue what I've been doing. He also mentioned that with my numbers looking as great as they do, that I have no risk of stroke, heart problems, etc... He said the normal range for LDL (Bad) Cholesterol is 0 - 100 however, with these results he'd make the range 0 - 160 for me. In addition to that he said that I brought my Good Cholesterol up 30 points! This was since the last time I had lab work done!
UPDATE for Mobile Device Users (all others can see the tracker at the top of the page):
My Progress: 31.2 Pounds Lost in 24 Days!
An eventful day.
Sunday... Insanity calls it the "rest" day. Not a day of vest around here. Not with two kids. However, I think the scale knew it was a rest day too. As it actually moved my weight up a little. Truth be said, that makes since, as I knew I wasn't going to be hitting play so I drank my juice and started the day without thinking of what the scale would say or reflect.
For some reason I didn't sleep much through the night and found myself wide awake at 3:30 in the morning. After about an hour I finally fell back asleep. 11 a.m. church means we we're going to get the kids fed and ready for church, etc... We somehow actually got there on time! With two kids, that alone is a challenge at times.
After church we put the kids down for a nap around 3:30. I was thinking that they would sleep while the Super Bowl was on and that my wife and I would get to see most, if not all of it, before they woke up. Then the big lights out / delay happened. Oh well... we love our little family and enjoyed the family time as the 49ers gave the game a new surge of energy after the blackout! It was fun to watch the game turn into a "game!"
Today was the first Super Bowl ever for me to juice all my meals... I feel great! It has been over twenty days since I started juicing! I'm looking forward to completing another Insanity workout in the morning and getting the numbers on the scales to keep dropping!
Today's juices were nothing flashy or special. To be honest, I was looking for nutritional value over flavor. I need to look into some other great tasting juices as I know there are plenty out there. Why the value over flavor then? Because we didn't head to the store today... so I made due with what was in the house. A mixture of rainbow collards, bosc pears, fuji apples, carrots, spinach, and more... not all in one juice. But throughout the day. My Super Bowl treat was a strawberry, orange and pineapple juice... wow! Very SWEET! But a nice treat for sure.
Tomorrow morning I'll be hitting play again. Onward I go... with 166 in sight!
Best Monitor?
Do you have a favorite heart rate monitor or way that you track calories?
I want something that will track most accurately track my calories lost. After searching, I'm at a loss as to what is a GREAT and ACCURATE heart rate monitor and calorie tracker. I feel that I need a heart rate monitor. When I looked online I found over 2,900 results in the Sports and Outdoor section on Amazon alone! When I sorted those by four (4) stars and up, the results were still over 700! When sorted by low to high, 506 results came up, but not all were monitors. The Health and Personal Care department had over 1,900 results.
What heart rate monitor do you suggest? The top one on amazon is the Omron HR-100C Heart Rate Monitor. It has a 4 star rating with 1,103 votes giving it that rating. Are monitors with a chest strap, like the Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor better or more accurate? It also has 4 stars, but only 428 votes.
Any suggestions or ideas on which monitor will work best would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments or send me a tweet via twitter @84days84lbs
Readers Digest Version
At time I find myself being a bit long winded. I didn't realize how long yesterday's post was... or how much long it would appear on a mobile device. Here it is, in a nut shell. Simple. Shareable and fast to read.
I hit my first real plateau. My previous weight had been 224.6 When I stepped on the scale again, it said... 224.6, yet again! Ugg... are you serious, not even .2 of a pound difference?
I was determined to do more and force the scale to reflect my weight loss efforts. Around 11:30 p.m. I hit play on Insanity's Pure Cardio. After completing that workout I felt great... dead, tired, and exhausted due to the nature of the program but, I felt like I had surely burned some calories.
The next morning I stepped on the scales: 223.8 -- Down .8 of a pound. The thought rolled in; "Hmmm... I wonder what the scale will say after an Insanity workout if I don't do anything to add weight?" I was about to "Bring it!" on a whole different level!
I hit play on Insanity's Plyometric Cardio Circuit workout only about six (6) hours after finishing up Pure Cardio the night before. I took an inventory of how I felt, as I planned to drink a minimal amount of water to test how many calories I would burn. Throughout the course of the workout I felt fine... exhausted, but not dizzy or lightheaded. When Shawn T called for a water break, I gave it a thought and then just kept running in place or, I went to the sink, took a big mouthful, and then spit it back out. Allowing my mouth to become wet, as it was drying out some. However, I felt okay and didn't actually consume any water... not a single swallow as I worked out.
After completing the workout my boy wanted to play... so, we ran around the living room and then played "horsey" and other activities. My heart rate was still up and I knew I was still burning calories. Much like a log smoldering after the flames die out on a campfire... I headed upstairs, took a shower, went to the bathroom before weighing again.
From the time I stepped on the scale before the second workout to when I stepped on it again, I dropped 2.4 pounds! I immediately drank some water. Went down stairs, told my wife the news and then consumed 24 ounces of the protein and caloric juice that I blogged about yesterday. After doing so, I felt... Full. Satisfied and I could tell I needed to be more hydrated so I drank another 16 ounces of water. After that I made sure to drink 16 ounces or more every hour throughout the day.
I hit my first real plateau. My previous weight had been 224.6 When I stepped on the scale again, it said... 224.6, yet again! Ugg... are you serious, not even .2 of a pound difference?
I was determined to do more and force the scale to reflect my weight loss efforts. Around 11:30 p.m. I hit play on Insanity's Pure Cardio. After completing that workout I felt great... dead, tired, and exhausted due to the nature of the program but, I felt like I had surely burned some calories.
The next morning I stepped on the scales: 223.8 -- Down .8 of a pound. The thought rolled in; "Hmmm... I wonder what the scale will say after an Insanity workout if I don't do anything to add weight?" I was about to "Bring it!" on a whole different level!
I DO NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE DOING WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ.
This is a BLOG post of ACTUAL EVENTS. I am not a Doctor. I had an idea and I ran with it. I don't intend on repeating it verbatim again... It was a test. The results were mine and mine alone. This is for readers to see and comment on, but I do not suggest anyone doing this.I hit play on Insanity's Plyometric Cardio Circuit workout only about six (6) hours after finishing up Pure Cardio the night before. I took an inventory of how I felt, as I planned to drink a minimal amount of water to test how many calories I would burn. Throughout the course of the workout I felt fine... exhausted, but not dizzy or lightheaded. When Shawn T called for a water break, I gave it a thought and then just kept running in place or, I went to the sink, took a big mouthful, and then spit it back out. Allowing my mouth to become wet, as it was drying out some. However, I felt okay and didn't actually consume any water... not a single swallow as I worked out.
After completing the workout my boy wanted to play... so, we ran around the living room and then played "horsey" and other activities. My heart rate was still up and I knew I was still burning calories. Much like a log smoldering after the flames die out on a campfire... I headed upstairs, took a shower, went to the bathroom before weighing again.
I stepped on the scales: 221.4!
Yes, that is what it said! I stepped back off... and stood on it again. 221.4 again! WoW!
From the time I stepped on the scale before the second workout to when I stepped on it again, I dropped 2.4 pounds! I immediately drank some water. Went down stairs, told my wife the news and then consumed 24 ounces of the protein and caloric juice that I blogged about yesterday. After doing so, I felt... Full. Satisfied and I could tell I needed to be more hydrated so I drank another 16 ounces of water. After that I made sure to drink 16 ounces or more every hour throughout the day.
Progress 30.6 pounds lost in 20 Days!
Actual Calories Burned...
...do we even know how many one actually burns in a workout?
A sad day progress wise hit two days ago. While stepping on the new digital scale that was purchased just after weighing in for the first weight loss contest, I was shocked to see my first 'plateau.' I wasn't that surprised that the weight hadn't changed much as I hadn't competed a workout as of yet. We did spend the day doing things around the house, drinking some juice and just kind of enjoyed the kids. Thinking that those daily activities would burn off a few calories at least was what led me to being surprised at the numbers being displayed on the scale. The day before it read. 224.6 When stepped on yesterday morning it read again, 224.6 Ugg... are you serious, not even .2 of a pound difference? Quickly stepping off and getting back on once again confirmed my weight. 224.6 WoW! No change. That became the first day since I began this journey with NO change in my weight loss.
I was determined to do more and force the scale to reflect my efforts. I took care of things around the house, played with the kids, got things ready to go to Dinseyland with some friends and then, they cancelled. Hmmm... this actually worked out, as we rescheduled for another day and went about our day. Which helped me, as I had been looking forward to crushing the next Insanity workout!
Around 11:30 p.m. I hit play on Insanity's Pure Cardio. After completing that workout I felt great... dead, tired, and exhausted due to the nature of the program but, I felt like I had surely burned some calories.
*The next morning (today).*
Upon waking up and laying in bed for thirty minutes I finally stepped on the scales: 223.8 -- Down .8 of a pound. The thought rolled in; "Hmmm... I wonder what the scale will say after an Insanity workout if I don't do anything to add weight?" I threw my workout clothes on and headed to hit play. I was about to "Bring it!" on a whole different level! In the back of my mind I wanted to limit my water intake to the bare minimum, possibly none... as water weight is still weight. I wanted to see if the scale would reflect any weight loss after the workout.
First things first...
I hit play on Insanity's Plyometric Cardio Circuit DVD. This took place only about six (6) hours after finishing up Pure Cardio the night before. I took an inventory of how I felt, as I planned to drink a minimal amount of water to test how many calories I would burn. All was going well... and then the kids woke up. They wanted to help and join in. The 37 minute workout turned into probably 57 minutes, as I kept having to restart some of the exercises. And from time to time, hold a child while doing "butt kickers" or wait for one to get done; "Daddy! I'm stretching." so I could have floor space again.
Throughout the course of the workout I felt fine... exhausted, but not dizzy or lightheaded. When Shawn T called for a water break, I gave it a thought and then just kept running in place or, I went to the sink, took a big mouthful, and then spit it back out. Allowing my mouth to become wet, as it was drying out some. However, I felt okay and didn't actually consume any water... not a single swallow as I worked out. I was determined to see what the scale would say. After completing the workout my boy wanted to play... so, we ran around the living room and then played "horsey" and other activities. I was thinking, my heart rate is still up. I'm still burning calories. Much like a log smoldering after the flames die out on a campfire... I knew my body would still be burning calories for a while after my workout. After playing for about 10 minutes I headed upstairs, took a shower and took care of the morning "business" all before weighing myself. Doing ALL of the above without drinking any water as of yet.
From the time I stepped on the scale before the second workout to when I stepped on it again, I dropped 2.4 pounds! I immediately drank some water. Went down stairs, told my wife the news and then consumed 24 ounces of the protein and caloric juice that I blogged about yesterday. After doing so, I felt... Full. Satisfied and I could tell I needed to be more hydrated so I drank another 16 ounces of water. After that I have made sure to drink 16 ounces or more every hour as throughout this day. It is now 4:28 and I feel great! I don't feel sluggish, maybe a bit tired (anyone doing two (2) Insanity workouts in less than 7 hours would probably feel tired though) but, nothing abnormal.
With the above said, I tried to Google how many calories one would burn in an Insanity workout. Since everyone's body is different and everyone works out differently, ball park figures (at best) were all I could find. Somewhere between 300 and 800... WHAT?? That's a huge difference.
I want something that will track most accurately track my calories lost. After searching, I'm at a loss as to what is a GREAT and ACCURATE heart rate monitor and calorie tracker. I feel that I need a heart rate monitor. When I looked online I found over 2,900 results in the Sports and Outdoor section on Amazon alone! When I sorted those by four (4) stars and up, the results were still over 700! When sorted by low to high, 506 results came up, but not all were monitors. The Health and Personal Care department had over 1,900 results.
Those of you who are reading this, I would love to hear from you. What heart rate monitor do you suggest? The top one on amazon is the Omron HR-100C Heart Rate Monitor. It has a 4 star rating with 1,103 votes giving it that rating. Are monitors with a chest strap, like the Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor better or more accurate? It also has 4 stars, but only 428 votes.
Any suggestions or ideas on which monitor will work best would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments or send me a tweet via twitter @84days84lbs
A sad day progress wise hit two days ago. While stepping on the new digital scale that was purchased just after weighing in for the first weight loss contest, I was shocked to see my first 'plateau.' I wasn't that surprised that the weight hadn't changed much as I hadn't competed a workout as of yet. We did spend the day doing things around the house, drinking some juice and just kind of enjoyed the kids. Thinking that those daily activities would burn off a few calories at least was what led me to being surprised at the numbers being displayed on the scale. The day before it read. 224.6 When stepped on yesterday morning it read again, 224.6 Ugg... are you serious, not even .2 of a pound difference? Quickly stepping off and getting back on once again confirmed my weight. 224.6 WoW! No change. That became the first day since I began this journey with NO change in my weight loss.
I was determined to do more and force the scale to reflect my efforts. I took care of things around the house, played with the kids, got things ready to go to Dinseyland with some friends and then, they cancelled. Hmmm... this actually worked out, as we rescheduled for another day and went about our day. Which helped me, as I had been looking forward to crushing the next Insanity workout!
Around 11:30 p.m. I hit play on Insanity's Pure Cardio. After completing that workout I felt great... dead, tired, and exhausted due to the nature of the program but, I felt like I had surely burned some calories.
*The next morning (today).*
Upon waking up and laying in bed for thirty minutes I finally stepped on the scales: 223.8 -- Down .8 of a pound. The thought rolled in; "Hmmm... I wonder what the scale will say after an Insanity workout if I don't do anything to add weight?" I threw my workout clothes on and headed to hit play. I was about to "Bring it!" on a whole different level! In the back of my mind I wanted to limit my water intake to the bare minimum, possibly none... as water weight is still weight. I wanted to see if the scale would reflect any weight loss after the workout.
First things first...
I DO NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE DOING WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ.
This is a BLOG post of ACTUAL EVENTS. I am not a Doctor. I had an idea and I ran with it. I don't intend on repeating it verbatim again... It was a test. The results were mine and mine alone. This is for readers to see and comment on, but I do not suggest anyone doing this.I hit play on Insanity's Plyometric Cardio Circuit DVD. This took place only about six (6) hours after finishing up Pure Cardio the night before. I took an inventory of how I felt, as I planned to drink a minimal amount of water to test how many calories I would burn. All was going well... and then the kids woke up. They wanted to help and join in. The 37 minute workout turned into probably 57 minutes, as I kept having to restart some of the exercises. And from time to time, hold a child while doing "butt kickers" or wait for one to get done; "Daddy! I'm stretching." so I could have floor space again.
Throughout the course of the workout I felt fine... exhausted, but not dizzy or lightheaded. When Shawn T called for a water break, I gave it a thought and then just kept running in place or, I went to the sink, took a big mouthful, and then spit it back out. Allowing my mouth to become wet, as it was drying out some. However, I felt okay and didn't actually consume any water... not a single swallow as I worked out. I was determined to see what the scale would say. After completing the workout my boy wanted to play... so, we ran around the living room and then played "horsey" and other activities. I was thinking, my heart rate is still up. I'm still burning calories. Much like a log smoldering after the flames die out on a campfire... I knew my body would still be burning calories for a while after my workout. After playing for about 10 minutes I headed upstairs, took a shower and took care of the morning "business" all before weighing myself. Doing ALL of the above without drinking any water as of yet.
I stepped on the scales: 221.4!
Yes, that is what it said! I stepped back off... and stood on it again. 221.4 again! WoW!
From the time I stepped on the scale before the second workout to when I stepped on it again, I dropped 2.4 pounds! I immediately drank some water. Went down stairs, told my wife the news and then consumed 24 ounces of the protein and caloric juice that I blogged about yesterday. After doing so, I felt... Full. Satisfied and I could tell I needed to be more hydrated so I drank another 16 ounces of water. After that I have made sure to drink 16 ounces or more every hour as throughout this day. It is now 4:28 and I feel great! I don't feel sluggish, maybe a bit tired (anyone doing two (2) Insanity workouts in less than 7 hours would probably feel tired though) but, nothing abnormal.
With the above said, I tried to Google how many calories one would burn in an Insanity workout. Since everyone's body is different and everyone works out differently, ball park figures (at best) were all I could find. Somewhere between 300 and 800... WHAT?? That's a huge difference.
I want something that will track most accurately track my calories lost. After searching, I'm at a loss as to what is a GREAT and ACCURATE heart rate monitor and calorie tracker. I feel that I need a heart rate monitor. When I looked online I found over 2,900 results in the Sports and Outdoor section on Amazon alone! When I sorted those by four (4) stars and up, the results were still over 700! When sorted by low to high, 506 results came up, but not all were monitors. The Health and Personal Care department had over 1,900 results.
Those of you who are reading this, I would love to hear from you. What heart rate monitor do you suggest? The top one on amazon is the Omron HR-100C Heart Rate Monitor. It has a 4 star rating with 1,103 votes giving it that rating. Are monitors with a chest strap, like the Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor better or more accurate? It also has 4 stars, but only 428 votes.
Any suggestions or ideas on which monitor will work best would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments or send me a tweet via twitter @84days84lbs
Time to go drink some more water and make another juice!
Progress 30.6 pounds lost in 20 Days!
Dessert... via a Juicer!
In case you are on a mobile device and cannot see the tracker above... I added my updated weight and days gone by at the end of this post so that you can see it too!
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I watched this video about raw sushi on twitter/youtube last night. While doing so jicama was brought up. The guy raved about how 'good' the juice is and well, I just happened to have two of them in my fridge. I have never used them before and wasn't sure what I was going to do with them... besides, hopefully juice them. Well, after his words in the video, I decided I'd try it.
When I pulled the jicama out of the fridge I was surprised to see wax all over them. A quick search online says that grocery stores do that... sadly, even the ones purchased from sprouts had wax on them. I wasn't about to "juice" wax so I peeled them... usually I juice the entire fruit (with the exception of citrus) or vegetable as the juicer kicks out the remnants.
While searching for how to clean off the wax I came across this Strawberry and Jicama juice recipe (list of ingredients and photos are below). The recipe called for mint... which I did not have, so I omitted it. The author of the site called this more of a "dessert."
The ingredients:
1/2 lb strawberries
1/2 medium Jicama, brown skin peeled off <-- Peeled only because of the wax.
1/2 cucumber, peeled <-- Did not peel it.
1 Chinese pear, quartered and seeds removed <-- Did not remove seeds.
2 sprigs mint, plus some leaves for garnish <-- Did not have mint on hand... still tasted great!
My wife smelled it (as she ALWAYS does) and then tasted it... "Wow. That is pleasant. I'll have some."
She always wants the things that taste good. Can you blame her? It was refreshing and was much sweeter than other juices that has been created since starting this weight loss journey.
Tip: Use a few extra strawberries if you want. The jicama I used was a pretty good size, if you don't have a 'medium' one, just know that the jicama is rather sweet by itself... but not a strawberry or orange kind of sweet. I found myself wanting a few more strawberries to make it just right. Had I had a 'medium' jicama or only used half of it, the 1/2 pound of strawberries would have been fine.
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I watched this video about raw sushi on twitter/youtube last night. While doing so jicama was brought up. The guy raved about how 'good' the juice is and well, I just happened to have two of them in my fridge. I have never used them before and wasn't sure what I was going to do with them... besides, hopefully juice them. Well, after his words in the video, I decided I'd try it.
When I pulled the jicama out of the fridge I was surprised to see wax all over them. A quick search online says that grocery stores do that... sadly, even the ones purchased from sprouts had wax on them. I wasn't about to "juice" wax so I peeled them... usually I juice the entire fruit (with the exception of citrus) or vegetable as the juicer kicks out the remnants.
While searching for how to clean off the wax I came across this Strawberry and Jicama juice recipe (list of ingredients and photos are below). The recipe called for mint... which I did not have, so I omitted it. The author of the site called this more of a "dessert."
The ingredients:
1/2 medium Jicama, brown skin peeled off <-- Peeled only because of the wax.
1/2 cucumber, peeled <-- Did not peel it.
1 Chinese pear, quartered and seeds removed <-- Did not remove seeds.
2 sprigs mint, plus some leaves for garnish <-- Did not have mint on hand... still tasted great!
My wife smelled it (as she ALWAYS does) and then tasted it... "Wow. That is pleasant. I'll have some."
Tip: Use a few extra strawberries if you want. The jicama I used was a pretty good size, if you don't have a 'medium' one, just know that the jicama is rather sweet by itself... but not a strawberry or orange kind of sweet. I found myself wanting a few more strawberries to make it just right. Had I had a 'medium' jicama or only used half of it, the 1/2 pound of strawberries would have been fine.
**UPDATE**
In case you are on a mobile device and can't see the tracker above.
This morning's weigh in: 221.4!
This after doing two rounds of Insanity!
Total thus far: 30.6 pounds lost in 20 days!
Juicing Gone Wild!
The desire for protein and no red fruit came over me tonight...
I grabbed 60 asparagus spears, 3 bosc pears, an entire 'bunch' of Lacinato Kale, and a HUGE Papaya and threw them all into the juicer!
**CAUTION** If you do this, be prepared to exchange out your catcher and have another container on hand... as this yielded over 64 ounces!
Initially I didn't have in mind to do the papaya. That was before I tasted nearly only asparagus. I thought, hmmm... I could add more pears. Then I saw it. The papaya was probably 12 inches in length and about 6 inches around. I got it at Sprouts and had the notion that I'd try it. A few days ago I tried a smaller one and was surprised by how sweet it was... almost overpowering! I knew that would do it! I grabbed it, sliced it in fourths and then slipped each one (rind and all) into the juicer
I called this 'Juicing gone wild!' as look at the specs of this juice alone!
Calories: 881, Carbs: 431, Fat: 8, Protein: 38, Fiber: 51 and Iron: 9
Which combined with my meals (other 2 juices earlier) makes my total for the day:
Calories Carbs Fat Protein Fiber Iron
1,844 431 8 67 123 82
*Fiber isn't really THAT high, as my juicer kicks out most of the pulp.
Ideally you can have this for two meals... there is no way I'm consuming all of that in one setting.
In the end... I'd say the drink is good. However, if I could turn back time I would have only used half of the papaya. That is one powerfully sweet fruit!
I grabbed 60 asparagus spears, 3 bosc pears, an entire 'bunch' of Lacinato Kale, and a HUGE Papaya and threw them all into the juicer!
**CAUTION** If you do this, be prepared to exchange out your catcher and have another container on hand... as this yielded over 64 ounces!
Initially I didn't have in mind to do the papaya. That was before I tasted nearly only asparagus. I thought, hmmm... I could add more pears. Then I saw it. The papaya was probably 12 inches in length and about 6 inches around. I got it at Sprouts and had the notion that I'd try it. A few days ago I tried a smaller one and was surprised by how sweet it was... almost overpowering! I knew that would do it! I grabbed it, sliced it in fourths and then slipped each one (rind and all) into the juicer
I called this 'Juicing gone wild!' as look at the specs of this juice alone!
Calories: 881, Carbs: 431, Fat: 8, Protein: 38, Fiber: 51 and Iron: 9
Which combined with my meals (other 2 juices earlier) makes my total for the day:
Calories Carbs Fat Protein Fiber Iron
1,844 431 8 67 123 82
*Fiber isn't really THAT high, as my juicer kicks out most of the pulp.
Ideally you can have this for two meals... there is no way I'm consuming all of that in one setting.
In the end... I'd say the drink is good. However, if I could turn back time I would have only used half of the papaya. That is one powerfully sweet fruit!
It SNUCK right up on me!
I was responding to a tweet when the number of days I've been juicing came up. I didn't know. I lost track. I simply have been juicing and not thinking about the "days." Each meal, 3 to 5 juices a day. If I want to consume it, I'm juicing it. I had one exception... one morning I had to run to the Emergency Room and knew I would probably be there for a few hours! Since it was an emergency I grabbed a bowl of the rolled oatmeal that I made the kids that morning and just consumed that. I'm glad I did as we were there for about 6 hours... I didn't eat again until we got home. When we arrived, the juicer got flipped on.
This is a photo of our fridge...
...well the bottom half of it. II have been buying MOST of my fruits and vegetables from Sprouts. I discovered that for variety, Sprouts or a Farmer's Market is key to getting the most for your money. $50 at Sprouts goes a lot further in terms of getting all ingredients for multiple recipe, then it does at Costco. For sheer bulk / quantity, Costco is great for that. Unless of course you find a place that will give you a great deal on bulk items. I purchased 20+ tomatoes two days ago and have already used most of them.
When you're the stay-at-home-dad you're always in demand. It was all I could do to think about, do I have food needed for the next day then to think dreadful thoughts that sucked energy away and could possibly make me not want to continue.
How do I feel? I feel great, energized and ready for anything! I still have pounds to lose and a lot of them! However, the headaches and ill feelings that people say they experience when doing a reboot or a cleanse, never happened. I had a slight, ever so slight headache on the second day... but that passed and has never been back.
I'm looking forward to successfully completing my goal! I feel great and am getting proteins, minerals and vitamins... and practically NO fat! I believe MyFitnessPal says I've consumed 5 grams for the week!
This is a photo of our fridge...
I juiced my first juice on January 12th.
Today is the 21st day of juicing!
When you're the stay-at-home-dad you're always in demand. It was all I could do to think about, do I have food needed for the next day then to think dreadful thoughts that sucked energy away and could possibly make me not want to continue.
How do I feel? I feel great, energized and ready for anything! I still have pounds to lose and a lot of them! However, the headaches and ill feelings that people say they experience when doing a reboot or a cleanse, never happened. I had a slight, ever so slight headache on the second day... but that passed and has never been back.
I'm looking forward to successfully completing my goal! I feel great and am getting proteins, minerals and vitamins... and practically NO fat! I believe MyFitnessPal says I've consumed 5 grams for the week!
Helping Hands.
My son is so excited to 'help' daddy make a juice, but won't touch them when it comes to drinking them. His sister however, is quite the opposite! She loves trying them and asks for them. I don't give her very much but a taste from time to time in "her" glass and she is thrilled! The little man wants to help all the time.
He wanted to make apple juice for mommy during her lunch... nothing else in it, just apples. He placed each apple in the juicer and then pushed them down the chute with the food pusher. He was so excited to watch all the juice come pouring out. And a bit sad when all the apples were gone. Little ones are tons of fun. Nearly the entire time he was doing that, his sister was saying; "Apple juice please! Apple juice!" Haha
Having fun and involving the family as I get thinner is the greatest! When my wife saw me today she said; "WoW! You are getting smaller!"
Words and phrases like that help this man keep going!
I feel excellent! Energized and ready for anything. No longer do I feel sluggish. I look at it as, if I feel this good now... IMAGINE how I'm going to feel when the remaining 58 pounds come off!
He wanted to make apple juice for mommy during her lunch... nothing else in it, just apples. He placed each apple in the juicer and then pushed them down the chute with the food pusher. He was so excited to watch all the juice come pouring out. And a bit sad when all the apples were gone. Little ones are tons of fun. Nearly the entire time he was doing that, his sister was saying; "Apple juice please! Apple juice!" Haha
Having fun and involving the family as I get thinner is the greatest! When my wife saw me today she said; "WoW! You are getting smaller!"
Words and phrases like that help this man keep going!
I feel excellent! Energized and ready for anything. No longer do I feel sluggish. I look at it as, if I feel this good now... IMAGINE how I'm going to feel when the remaining 58 pounds come off!
Earned but not used.
After doing two rounds of Pure Cardio yesterday I was very interested in what the scale had to say. MyFitnessPal said I earned 1,200 calories after the workouts. Since I didn't take em' up on that and eat more, I had hoped the scales would reflect the loss. Since a pound of fat is roughly 3,500 calories, I had high hopes.
I was just emailed a list of recipes of juices and also hot and cold meals that are not created in a juicer, but are actual meals that you would eat with a fork. I have at least 44 more days of juicing. When that day comes I want to have raw recipes and equipment for preparing them on hand so that I can continue eating healthy without having to wait for something to arrive in the mail. I still plan on juicing, but to mix juicing with eating meals such as Taco Soup, Portobello Strognaoff, Teriyaki Stir Fry and other recipes that were sent to me.
If you have any favorites, please send them my way or include them in the comments. I'm compiling these as soon as I can and will start making some of the ones I just received probably today so my wife can enjoy healthier eating without juicing each and every meal. She is very supportive but I know she wants more variety than just a juice 4 to 6 times a day.
If you haven't yet, click the "Follow me on Twitter" button. I throw out daily tweets and also tweet when a new blog post is added.
Thank you for reading this blog! Knowing that you are reading this and following adds motivation and support like nothing else can! Just knowing that others are watching this "Goal" become my reality helps me stay focused and a lot easier to say; "No thank you. I'm good." When friends offer me chips and salsa or to buy me dinner at a restaurant.
Thank you all!
This morning's weigh in.. 225.6. Yesterday; 226.4
I was just emailed a list of recipes of juices and also hot and cold meals that are not created in a juicer, but are actual meals that you would eat with a fork. I have at least 44 more days of juicing. When that day comes I want to have raw recipes and equipment for preparing them on hand so that I can continue eating healthy without having to wait for something to arrive in the mail. I still plan on juicing, but to mix juicing with eating meals such as Taco Soup, Portobello Strognaoff, Teriyaki Stir Fry and other recipes that were sent to me.
If you have any favorites, please send them my way or include them in the comments. I'm compiling these as soon as I can and will start making some of the ones I just received probably today so my wife can enjoy healthier eating without juicing each and every meal. She is very supportive but I know she wants more variety than just a juice 4 to 6 times a day.
If you haven't yet, click the "Follow me on Twitter" button. I throw out daily tweets and also tweet when a new blog post is added.
Thank you for reading this blog! Knowing that you are reading this and following adds motivation and support like nothing else can! Just knowing that others are watching this "Goal" become my reality helps me stay focused and a lot easier to say; "No thank you. I'm good." When friends offer me chips and salsa or to buy me dinner at a restaurant.
Thank you all!
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