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Turbo
New Member
| Joined: | 11 July 2005 |
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| Posts: | 2 |
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Posted: 11 July 2005 10:36 pm |
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A little about me:
I'm a guy (obviously, from the Description). 38 years old, 5'11", about 255 pounds. I've been overweight for about 15 years.
After hearing about my dad's Type 2 Diabetes, and how he's likely to have his feet amputated in the next couple years because they're dying, and after having a couple of scary incidents with high blood pressure and constantly feeling tired all the time ... I paid an enormous chunk of change to go through a Weight Management program at a local club. Fantastic program. Learned a lot. I lost over 60 pounds in 20 weeks, and have found about 20 of it back in the last 3 months.
So I'm accepting the fact that I can't eat whatever I want, whenever I want, and do whatever I want (which is mainly sitting around) and still look as fit and svelt as my 15-year-old son. (He's 5'10", 155 lbs, and probably less than 10% body fat ... I was there once! Back in the 80's)
Target Weight: 175 - 185 pounds (14-17% body fat)
Target Completion Date: April 30, 2006
Re-Commitment Date: Sunday, July 10, 2005
My plan, as learned from the very expensive program I went through for eight months, is as follows:
1. DIET: Consume less than 1500 calories per day, ideally 30-40% protien, 30-40% fat, and 20-30% carbs. Five or more small meals a day. Never let myself feel hungry, but also never stuff myself.
2. WATER: Drink 64 ounces of water per day or more.
3. SUPPLEMENTS: Take vitamin and calcium supplements every day, and Omega 3 fish oil pills morning and night.
4. EXERCISE: Get 45 minutes of cardio exercise, with my heart rate at 60-85% of max for most of that time, 5 or more days per week. Resistance training (dumbells, push-ups, crunches, etc.) at least 2 days a week. Stretching after exercising.
5. TRACKING: A VITAL COMPONENT ... writing down everything I eat, and how many calories and fat grams are consumed. Writing down how many calories I burn in exercise. Writing down what's going on in my head, and how I'm emotionally coping with the challenges of life, especially as they relate to this weight loss program.
6. SLEEP: Getting 6 - 8 hours of "good" sleep every night.
The tracking part deserves emphasis. I learned in my program that consistent meal tracking is the single best indicator that a person will succeed in the long term with their weight loss goals. I'm personally using a Pocket PC program for tracking my meals and exercise. I'm going to use this web site to journal everything else.
My Goal
I'm giving myself about one year to lose the 70 - 80 pounds I'd like to lose. My goal is actually more than mere weight loss: I really want to achieve a change of lifestyle.
I'd like to not only be slimmer, but also be more active, more aware and deliberate with my diet, more involved with my childrens' activities, and most importantly, a symbol of success and hope for my family (all of whom are overweight).
I guess a 7th component of my weight loss program is to teach what I learn to others, including my children, my friends, and my extended family. Maybe through this online diary, I can help others outside my small circle.
Milestones:
By July 31: 245
By Aug 31: 237
By Sept 30: 230
By Oct 30: 222
By Nov 30: 216
By Dec 31: 210
By Jan 31: 202
By Feb 28: 194
By Mar 31: 186
By Apr 30: 178
I'm hoping, actually, that I'll get under 200 before Christmas, and under 180 before the end of February, but I'm trying to set a modest goal for myself.
My additional goal is to STILL WEIGH less than 185 by Christmas 2006, and less than 190 on Christmas 2007, with less than 10 pounds fluctuation while I'm in "Maintenance".
Anyway, this is enough for now.
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Turbo
New Member
| Joined: | 11 July 2005 |
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| Posts: | 2 |
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Posted: 14 July 2005 05:26 am |
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Day 4: Not sure what my weight really is at the moment. Guess I should head down to the drug store and weigh myself.
Day 1, I started doing a little walking on the treadmill but had a guest come over 20 minutes into the workout, so that was cut short. But I DID manage to keep calories under 1500! Woo-hoo! Day 1 is always pretty easy.
Day 2, Monday, I got serious with the workout. I did the treadmill again, manual adjustment, 3.5 - 4.0 mph, 4.0 - 12.0% incline, for about 86 minutes. Now, I should hasten I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS to anyone who hasn't exercised in years. Three months ago I was able to run a 10K in 70 minutes, but I haven't been exercising seriously for about two months. For this workout, my heart rate averaged about 150 (I think that's about 75% of my max HR), and maxed a few times at 175 when I was hiking the 12% inclines at 3.5 mph.
Now, I'm sure most of the experienced exercise pros would call me a freakin' nut case for doing this to myself on Day 2, and they're right. But I'm not currently employed (waiting for an offer that I'm expecting today or tomorrow), and so I figure "Why not spend the time exercising and get a jump start on the diet?"
Calories consumed were around 1800. There were a few times when my resolve wained.
Day 3, Tuesday, I went to the movies. "Movies" means a bucket of butter with popcorn, extra large Dr. Pepper, and Junior Mints. Needless to say, the calories consumed were much higher than 1500 yesterday. I think the final count was over 3000.
To compensate (or was it to punish myself), I decided to go for a long walk. I walked around my neighborhood for just shy of three hours. Brisk walking. Up and down hills. I like the uphills better (when I was in the weight loss program, I used to do the stairs for 30 minutes at a time at a pretty brisk clip). I think the pounding I put on my bones during the downhills did more damage than I felt during the walk. Couldn't sleep very well last night because my legs and arms were very sore (deep pain ... like it was my bones ... not my muscles).
In both of these cases, I spent about 20 minutes after the workout stretching my legs really well. My IT band tends to get a little tight, and so I have to stretch the outside of my legs really well. It feels good to stretch.
During part of my walk, I thought it might not be such a hard thing to be an ultramarathon runner. That must have been the endorphins talking.
Day 4, Wednesday, I haven't exercised yet. Woke up in a lot of pain. Again, not muscular pain, but rather "deep bone" pain. I think it was because of the pavement pounding yesterday. I think I'll do today's workout on the treadmill.
Slept for 4 more hours from 10am - 2pm. Then took a trip to McDonald's to get what I thought would be "healthy" but tasty meal: McChicken. What a joke! Now that I've looked up the calories. 422 calories, 22g fat!!! Ugh. Bad choice. And I ate two of them, and 2 apple pies to "round it out". Total count for the meal: Over 1800 calories!!!!
General Notes:
I drink a "meal replacement" shake for some of my meals, that's mixed with berries, and sometimes I ate 1 TB peanut butter. Sounds kind of gross, but the PB actually goes pretty well with the strawberry or chocolate shake packets. The brand is called FIRST Step. Not an easy to find brand on the 'net. It includes extra protien as well as a modest amount of carbs. Virtually no fat. When I mix it without PB, that is.
Chicken is a staple during this phase of my diet. Chicken breast, no skin, no fat, cooked using a "lean mean fat-grillin' cooking machine". I sometimes add salsa or some type of "all-natural" maranade or dressing to flavor it. Lots of broccoli and salad greens, too.
I weigh and measure everything so that I can accurately count the calories. That's a huge step in meal tracking, and one that a lot of people want to skip because of the hassle. But studies actually show that most people overestimate food quantities when they try to "eyeball it".
There are more and more times during the day when I seriously wonder "What's the use?" And I find myself thinking that I KNOW food gives me a feeling of happiness and peace that depriving myself doesn't. When this starts to happen, what I've done so far this week, is just wait. I'll get a drink of water, and wait. What I find is the "panic" goes away after a few minutes.
But being more proactive, I think I need to do two things:
1) Have a meal plan that includes 5 - 6 meals throughout the day, where I know what I'm going to eat, how much, and what the nutrient totals are. Having a plan, in my experience, makes a world of difference. And eating 5 or 6 times (small meals) means I'm not letting myself get hungry.
2) Turn to journaling or talking to someone when I feel like caving in on my diet. This ties in well with the "wait" principle, and also allows me to talk myself out of the crazy thinking.
In summary: Yesterday's calorie count was out of control. Today's isn't trending well, but I'm going to have chicken and a meal replacement shake between now and bedtime ... maybe 400 more calories. Also, I need to find a workout routine that doesn't kill my bones.
This journaling stuff is kinda nice for sustaining the commitment.
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
| Joined: | 24 May 2005 |
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| Posts: | 4179 |
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Posted: 14 July 2005 06:19 pm |
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You make good observations and comments about yourself and your actions. I think it will also help you learn to go back and read your old posts... say a week later. Since they have so much good content I just think it might be helpful.
Just my thoughts. Whatever works for you.
Keep it up!
Peter
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playethic
New Member
| Joined: | 24 July 2005 |
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| Posts: | 1 |
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Posted: 24 July 2005 08:08 pm |
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Hi
Can you help?
You came up on a Google because I'm trying to find the 'First Step' shakes to buy. You mention they're not easy to find on the net.
Any suggestions?
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UPSlady
Member
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Posted: 28 July 2005 08:39 am |
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| It sounds like you are very good at analyzing yourself. I think that if you keep it up, you will succeed. Setbacks are rough on the morale, especially with the calorie counting! I look forward to seeing your next post. You CAN do this! ;)
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