Starting New Diet – Wt: 264 lbs

Well where do I begin.  Last year I started a diet, lost 24 lbs and somehow got off the diet.  It’s a little more than a year and I’ve gained all my weight back.  The pain and disappointment is beyond description. So I’m going to start a new diet tomorrow.  This blog will chronicle my new journey. I was going to delete all the blog entries from the first diet but decided to keep them there for anyone that it might possibly help.  Who knows it might even help myself.My approach:

1.  Got to change my lifestyle.  Number one is quit drinking.  Drinking inhibits fat burning and I drink almost every day.
2. Work out twice a day.
3. Drink green tea twice a day, quit drinking soda pop and coffee.
4. Stick to a real diet.  Not punish myself if I occasionally slip.
5. Chronicle each day to measure my success and monitor myself through this blog.
6. Each day I will record what I ate, thoughts, inspirations and my workouts.
7. I’m initially not going to try a known program.  I’ve been on a lot of different diets and seen what has worked and not worked for me.  I’m doing to use diets that have worked for me and try to work out like a mad man.
8. Try to get 8 hours of sleep a night.

Dec. 27th: Weight 244 – I’m back

Thought for the day:

• I took some time off with the holidays, etc. Funny thing happened while taking some time off, I lost weight!
• I still drank and only worked out 3 times a week.
• I stayed away from fast food, overeating, desserts and stayed pretty close to staying on the diet.

Diet:

• Morning – oatmeal
• Midmorning: banana, glass of skim milk.
• Lunch: Shrimp
• midlunch: 1 cup almonds
• Dinner: for dinner going to have steak

Workout:

• 1 hour cardio
• 1 hour machine workout at 24 hr fitness.

A diet guide to weight loss that works

I have found on the web that there are a lot of people that don’t know how to get started on a diet, so I am posting my success guide. It definitely works, how well it works is how committed you stay to it. This diet assumes you can MAKE time to work out twice a day and are healthy enough to do the workouts. This diet also assumes you know how to work out with machines or weights. If not you will need to get a lesson from an instructor on how to use good form on the machines. They will try and sell you on lots of sessions, take just one or two so you are comfortable that you are using good form.

Key thoughts:

70% of losing weight is due to diet. To lose weight (on any program) you have to burn more calories than you take in. Example:

• 1 hour on elliptical or tread mill = 650 calories.
• 1 Chipolte burrito with trimings or fast food hamburger and fries =1000 calories.

Do’s:

• Drink lots of water. At least 64 ounces a day. Add a little seltzer or flavored water if you’re not a big water drinker so you’ll enjoy it enough to drink the water.
• Get 8 hours of sleep.
• Take a daily vitamin.
• Eat five light meals a day.
• Give yourself a break. Its going to take time, if you have a bad day quickly get back on the program.

Example of a daily diet:

• light oatmeal with a scoop of whey mix.
• banana and skim milk
• salad, with healthy cold-cut meat with tortilla
• 1 cup of almonds, or whey mix (1 scoup) with skim milk or water
• small piece of fish, chicken or steak with vegetables

Workouts: Work out twice a day. 1 day on upperbody ,2nd day focus on legs and arms. Work out 6 days a week. Take one day off for rest.
Light workouts won’t make hardly any difference. Work OUT HARD! No stopping, 1st workout with weights, 2nd work out cardio. When working out with machines or weights do a cardio weight workout.

Start out with 2 cycles and then move to 3 cycles when you are in shape. A cycle is three exercises you pick rotating from one to the other without stopping. One exercise in every cycle should be focused on the stomach. Example:

Start out each weight/machine workout with 10 hard minutes doing cardio. Want your heart rate up there. Do 10 minutes to really push your cardio going.

1. Pick three exercises. Go from one to the other without stopping. Do each exercise three times. 1st cycle
2. Pick three exercises. Go from one to the other without stopping. Do each exercise three times. 2nd cycle
3. Pick three exercises. Go from one to the other without stopping. do each exercise three times. 3rd cycle. (grow into this)

Don’ts:

• Drink alcohol
• Drink soda pops (you might as well shove a piece of chocolate cake or a cup of lard in your mouth)
• Eat fast food or junk food
• Don’t over eat. On a diet you are going to be hungry.Each portion of meal should fit in your palm.
• Cheat on diet

Dec 1st: 251 lbs: Lost two pounds, a new month a new beginning

Thoughts: I lost two pounds, yea! Finally moving in the right direction again.
Exercise:

• 1 hour with fitness instructor. Strong workout with weights focus on chest.
• 30 minutes hard workout on elliptical.

Diet:

• Morning: oatmeal with whey
• Midmorning: banana and glass of skim milk
• Lunch: 1/2 tuna sandwich and cup of soup and apple
• Midafternoon: 1/2 cup of almonds
• Dinner: Salad
• Two brandy drinks

Nov 30th: Still at 253 lbs – Summary of weight loss after 1st month

Thoughts:  At the end of my first month, I have lost 11 lbs.  It feels like a failure because I lost the 11 lbs the first 10 days, went off the diet, the second week and have stayed at 253 the rest of the month.  I’m struggling, not showing the descipline I need in terms of alcohol.  The more you don’t lose weight the easier it is to fal off the diet.
Exercise:

• 40 minutes of very hard elliptical workout.

Diet:

• Morning: Oatmeal
• Midmorning: Pear
• Lunch: Lean cuisine and glass of skim milk
• Midafternoon: apple and cup of skim milk
• Dinner: roast beef, mashed potatos, asparagus.
• Evening: two brandy drinks, diet coke and handful of nuts.

Changing the 24 hour fitness plan – I have to succeed

The 24 hour fitness program got me off to a great start. After 16 sessions with a fitness instructor they helped me break out of the horrible shape I was in. I am know in good enough shape so I can have very strong workouts.

• I lost 11 lbs in first 10 days.  Yet I’ve plateaued since then.  I did blow the diet for one week when traveling (my bad).
• After one month of working out and 15 sessions  ($800) I am now in good enough shape to have strong workouts.   This was expensive but they really got me going in the right direction and taught me what my body needs for an intense workout.
• My conditioning has changed considerably.  At the beginning a workout that killed me and barely allowed me to walk out of the building when I got started is now an easy workout for me.
• I can see my legs are thinner, my chest is flatter and I can feel my stomach is doing a lot better also.  I lost 2 inches off neck, 3 inches off chest and 2 inches off hips.
• The fitness instructors I had work with me were fantastic.  They were really wonderful people.  Yet, I think I need someone who can be more hard core with me and push me harder and make me continue with the program.  Its like in football all the players love a nice coach but a tough coach is what makes you perform at the highest level.

For good bad or in between I am not succeeding right now with the 24 hour fitness plan.  I need to try something else.   After analyzing where I have been here is what I am going to do:

• I have one last session with my fitness instructor on Friday.
• I am going to two cardio workouts a day on bike or elliptical.  Need these two to burn 600 calories for each session for total of 1200 calories.  I’ve got to burn the calories.
• Will stay on the diet routine they have given me.
• Will try to stay off the alchohol.  Will try and replace sex for alcohol.  My wife is a babe and very supportive.
• I will do 30 minutes of weight lifting every day.  Alternating between chest and back and then arms and legs.

Nov 29th: 253 lbs – Changing the game plan

Thoughts:  I’m still at 253 lbs.  I had my body measurements and in total I’ve lost 3 inches off my chest and two inches off my hips.  I was told that I am turning fat mass into muscle mass.  But it is really tough to be on a diet and not lose weight for a while.  I’m staying on the diet, showing commitment with the exercise but I’m doing little things every day that kill the weight loss (wine, etc).  I’ve got to find a new solution otherwise being on a diet and not losing weight is brutal.

Daily workout:

• 1 hour with fitness instructor.
• 1 hour on elliptical (600 calories).

Diet:

• Morning: 1 scrambled egg sandwich
• Midmorning: 1 protein bar (200 calores)
• Lunch: small piece of salmon and very small salad, glass of skim milk.

Diet inhibitors that destroy success

Everyone has some type of inhibitors that are unique for them that impact their weight loss. These inhibitors can destory your diet success and slowly break your will power. Here are my diet inhibitors:

1. Drinking at end of day. Stress of day can impact me.
2. Getting too wrapped up about work and not working out.
3. Little cheats. When on a diet you get cravings, you get hungry and I sometimes go grab a few pringle chips, or have a little bit of something I shouldn’t. I don’t go overboard and blow it but the little things can add up.
4. I need something to help me with my self discipline so I don’t do the above inhibitors.

Nov. 28: Fighting to keep going

Thoughts: Told my fitness instructor that I’m struggling with program. I’m 90 percent on diet, exercising twice a day and the not losing weight has me getting bummed.  Slowly losing the eye of the tiger.

Exercise: 

• 1 hour workout with fitness instructor.
• Did not do second cardio workout today, legs are killing me.

Diet: 

Morning: Oatmeal

Lunch: Lean cuisine

Afternoon: Berry bar (couldn’t resist)

Dinner: Salad and 1/2 cup of tomato soup, 1/2 grilled cheese sandwich

Evening: 1 cup of skim milk

Nov 27: A tough day

Thoughts: I’m still at 253 and struggling.  I’m sticking to the diet but only worked out once today.

Diet: Stayed on diet but drank wine in evening.

Exercise:

• 1 hour with fitness instructor.  My legs are painfully sore today.
• 1/2 playing basketball with son.