Posts Tagged Diet
The After-Christmas Hangover
Photo by littledan77
Yay! Christmas is over! Time to get my act back together. You see, I’ve really slacked off since Thanksgiving, and I’m ashamed of myself. I started eating on Turkey Day, and I haven’t stopped. I have this week off from work, so it’s time to start adding some good habits.
I could blame my binging on the stresses of the holiday season. Year-end is crazy for us finance types. Good thing there were trays of cookies at work to calm my nerves. And my outdoor icicle lights kept blowing fuses. Stress is a killer, I tell ya. Yeah, right.
See, I’m not a big believer in New Year’s Resolutions. Most of my resolutions are broken before the first week of January has passed. If you follow the logic that it takes three weeks to make or break a habit, you can see that I usually fall short. But this year, I’m doing it differently, and I’ll try to add one good habit each month to my routine. Baby steps.
Why am I setting the bar so low? Think back to your own resolutions. If you’re like me, you probably vowed to eat healthy, exercise regularly, read a new book each week, yadda yadda yadda. How many of you stayed the course? I thought so. Me neither. The one exception was when I gave up alcohol. That one lasted about two and a half months. A modern miracle, as I was in college at the time.
So, in light of my past record, I’m starting slowly. And I’m not waiting for New Year’s Eve to begin, since I’ll have a whole week off to devote to my new habit. I’ll also keep a positive spin on it, so that it doesn’t feel like I’m denying myself. So this month’s new habit is to eat healthier. I’m not swearing off junk food; I’ll just eat less of it, and fill the void with fruits and veggies. Baby steps. I’ll report back with my progress when the month is up.
How about you? Feel like changing your life this year? Try baby steps. You’ll give yourself more of a chance to succeed. Let me know how you make out.
Humor an obese man. Follow my progress as I try to eat healthier: Subscribe
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Lifehack Monday, August 24, 2009 Last Monday, I laid out my typical day's diet. Today, I'll shed some light on my exercise routine. But first, a trip to the scales. I weighed in at 211 today, so I dropped one pound from last week. Not as much as I thought, but I can attribute...... -
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Lifehack Monday, August 31, 2009
Well, another week has passed, and I’ve lost another pound. Whoopee! I thought that I’d do better. It must have been that Sam Adams Light that I drank in celebration of another Yankee victory.
Exercise Highlights
I decided to mix up my exercise routine this week, and I only worked out on Monday and Friday. This was due to the fact that I incorporated the Tabata protocol into my workout. Here’s the rundown:
- Do as many reps as you can for 20 seconds
- Take 10 seconds to rest
- Repeat step one seven times
This set takes only 4 minutes to complete, and I was ready to throw up after only one set. But I soldiered on, and actually completed one set each of front squats, military presses, and barbell rows. I also used even lighter amounts of weight than I had been using for my Super Slow sets. The exercises were so intense that I had to give myself 4 days between workouts. I could barely make it up the stairs at work. I’m hoping the intensity will lead to a bigger weight loss number for next Monday. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Diet Highlights
Besides the self-sabotage with the Sam Adams Light, I also got off track on Saturday, and had a slice of pizza. My weakness. I’ll try to be a good boy this week, I promise. I’m shooting for a full-bore adherence to the Metabolic Diet.
Check back next Monday to see if I’ve made any progress!
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Healthy Turkey Day Tips That may Help You from Packing On the Calories Hey, it's turkey time....ready set go!!!! It's really an excuse for many of you to stuff your face and put as many pounds on between now and Christmas. Honestly, is it the food that's so important or is it just an excuse to just gorge. Well, if you think back...... -
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Lifehack Monday, August 17, 2009
Having conquered my coffee addiction, I started my quest to clean up my diet last week, and hopefully drop a few pounds. Last Monday, I tipped the scales at 214 pounds. I had regained nine of the twenty pounds that I took off earlier in the year. My tight clothing should have been a dead giveaway. That, and the fact that I can’t see my feet. Here’s my Before picture:
Photo by girolame
Just kidding. I only feel that fat. But I digress; on to the numbers. I weighed in this morning at 212 pounds.
As you can see, I made some slight progress in my goal. I tend to be a slow starter on diets, and don’t make much progress for a couple of weeks. This time was no different. I followed a high-protein, low carbohydrate diet. I wasn’t ready to jump into the full-blown Metabolic Diet just yet. That’s a little too carb-restrictive for me at this point. I’ll have to work my way down to 30 net carbs. I ate fruit instead of cookies, and drank not one beer. Here’s a typical day’s menu from the past week:
Breakfast
- One scoop of Amplify protein powder (from GNC) (120 calories, 20 grams protein, 3 grams net carbs, 2 grams fat)
- 8 ounces of Hood Calorie Countdown chocolate milk - this is the best chocolate milk I’ve ever tasted! (90 calories, 8 grams protein, 4 grams net carbs, 5 grams fat)
Mid-morning Snack
- 1 ounce of walnuts (183 calories, 4 grams protein, 2 net carbs, 18 grams fat)
Lunch
- 4 ounces of Boar’s Head Cajun Turkey (120 calories, 26 grams protein, 2 grams net carbs, 1 grams fat)
- 1/4 of a Damascus Roll Ups Flax wrap (28 calories, 3 grams protein, 2 grams net carbs, 1 gram fat)
- 1 teaspoon Boar’s Head Savory Remoulade mayonnaise (90 calories, 0 gram protein, 2 grams net carbs, 9 grams fat)
Afternoon Snack
- 1 ounce dry roasted peanuts (166 calories, 5 grams protein, 4 grams net carbs, 14 grams fat)
Dinner
- One scoop of Amplify protein powder (120 calories, 20 grams protein, 3 grams net carbs, 2 grams fat)
- 8 ounces of Hood Calorie Countdown chocolate milk (90 calories, 8 grams protein, 4 grams net carbs, 5 grams fat)
After-Dinner Snack #1
- 1 cup arugula (4 calories, 0 grams protein, 1 gram net carbs, o grams fat)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (238 calories, 0 grams protein, 0 grams net carbs, 14 grams fat)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (6 calories, 0 grams protein, 1 gram net carbs, 0 grams fat)
- 1 tablespoon grated romano cheese (20 calories, 1 gram protein, 0 grams net carbs, 2 grams fat)
After-Dinner Snack #2
- 1 ounce of pepperoni (138 calories, 6 grams protein, 0 grams net carbs, 12 grams fat)
- 1 ounce of Swiss cheese (106 calories, 8 grams protein, 2 grams net carbs, 8 grams fat)
After-Dinner Snack #3
- 1 pear (86 calories, 1 gram protein, 18 grams net carbs, 0 grams fat)
Totals for a Typical Day
- Calories: 1,605
- Protein: 110 grams
- Net Carbs: 48 grams
- Fat: 93 grams
Note: To figure out net carbs, subtract the amount of dietary fiber from the total carbohydrates.
As you can see, this isn’t a strict adherence to the Metabolic Diet, as I’m over the 30 grams of net carbs per day threshold. After dinner continues to be my Achilles heel. I’m thankful it’s baseball season, as the Yankees keep my mind occupied. My downfall was a barbecue with the family last night. I’ll have to start eating my cheeseburgers without the bun.
Tune in next Monday, where I’ll share my exercise routine with you.
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Your Weight is Costing You Money
U.S. News & World Report shows us that our bodies are costing us more than ever. This equates to a “Unhealthiness Tax”, based on our poor eating and exercise habits. I know taxes have increased on my Rocky Patels, and organic food isn’t exactly cheap. It’s enough to make me reach for another donut. ;-) But I came up with some cheaper alternatives. Here are the areas of concern, followed by my two cents:
That gym habit could cost you thousands - gym memberships and personal training sessions are pricey.
Solution: Work out at home. It costs nothing to go for a walk, provided you have sneakers. Pick up some used weights at a yard sale. Used weights still weigh the same as new weights, maybe a little more when you consider the accumulated dust. If you don’t think that you can lift heavy weights, and think you have the patience, try the SuperSlow method.
Diet advice is a regular drain on your wallet - fitness magazines, diet books, and infomercials cost money, as does Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig.
Solution: The internet is full of free websites that offer diet and fitness tips, aimed at novices on one end of the spectrum, to more hardcore sites like Testosterone Nation on the other end. Rather than paying a diet counselor, do your own research for free. It’s how I found out about the Metabolic Diet.
Health insurance isn’t a cure-all - co-payments for medical care, deductibles, and premiums are the additional costs of insurance.
Solution: Staying in shape and watching your diet should do wonders for your health, and help avoid diseases and conditions associated with obesity. Don’t overlook the benefits of vitamins to strengthen the immune system.
Some airlines charge weightier passengers more - some airlines, such as United and Southwest, require that you pay for two seats if you can’t fit into one.
Solution: This should be a wake up call that you need to improve your fitness and diet. Follow my solutions in the first two items.
Vices are another way you’ll pay - taxes on cigarettes and cigars and alcoholic beverages have increased. This is a ripe target for governments looking for extra revenue.
Solution: Quit smoking, or if you’re not addicted, reduce the number of cigars that you smoke. I’m down to one cigar per weekend. The sacrifices I make…
The good news is that companies have figured out that preventing disease is cheaper than treating disease. Incentives are being offered to get healthier, from cash payments to lower health insurance premiums. I know that my company has a fitness center on premises that you can join for a small amount each week.
Me, I work out in my basement. No health club dues, no waiting for a machine or treadmill, and all I have to do is walk downstairs. My weights are an eclectic mix of concrete-filled plastic weights from my youth, newly-purchased steel plates, and some used weights picked up at Play it Again Sports. I did invest in a good bench about 15 years ago, and it’s served me well.
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SuperSlow Weight Lifting rick Sitting at a computer for most of the day, I'm constantly fighting to keep my weight at a reasonable level. At the beginning of February, I started my yearly ritual of shedding the holiday pounds. I threw myself into the Metabolic Diet, and started lifting weights in the...... -
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SuperSlow Weight Lifting
Sitting at a computer for most of the day, I’m constantly fighting to keep my weight at a reasonable level. At the beginning of February, I started my yearly ritual of shedding the holiday pounds. I threw myself into the Metabolic Diet, and started lifting weights in the morning. I was making a dent in my weight loss, dropping 20 pounds in two months. I also increased my bench press and deadlift by 25 pounds, and I felt like I had made real progress.
Then, disaster struck: I hurt my wrist at the end of March. I tried resting it, which showed no improvement. So, I cranked it up, and started lifting again. Another mistake. I laid off the weights for a couple more weeks, but stuck to my diet. Then, I reached back for something from my past: the SuperSlow Method.
Originally developed as a rehabilitation protocol, the SuperSlow principle seeks to take velocity out of the exercise. Weights are lifted for a count of ten seconds, and lowered at the same count. The goal is to keep the muscle under tension for 100 seconds. This is accomplished in five repetitions, or reps. The weight used is one half of your one rep maximum.
For example, if my one rep max for the bench press is 250 pounds, I’d load only 125 pounds onto the bar. I’d unrack the barbell, and lower the weight for 10 seconds. Once I’d reach the bottom of the lift, at the count of ten, I would push the bar up for another count of ten. I’d repeat the sequence four more times, counting to 100 in the process. The slow speed gives you excellent control over your form, and minimizes any potential for injury.
I can happily report that I’m back to lifting weights again. Even though I’m using only half of the amount that I’d normally lift, I can tell that I’m making progress, all without taxing my wrist too much. It still hurts occasionally, but not to the degree that I can’t lift weights. I’d recommend trying SuperSlow, if not for rehab, then for a change of pace to your exercise regimen.
If you’re interested, check out these links:
SuperSlow website: SuperSlow Zone
Metabolic Diet website: MD+
Follow me on Twitter: CorpBarbarian
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Progress Report: Giving Up Coffee, Part 2
Posted by enrique s in Productivity, lifehack on March 27th, 2009
Here’s an update from an earlier post on giving up coffee: I’m down to two cups a day! I haven’t been down to two cups a day since my twenties. And I’m not a walking zombie, either.
I’m having one cup in the morning, and one after dinner. I don’t have any cravings during the day, either. My body has adjusted to the reduction in caffeine, and I find that I’m sleeping better at night. Waking up in the morning isn’t the ordeal that it used to be.
One side benefit is that I’m more productive. It sounds counter-intuitive, but I’m getting to work earlier, and there’s no “adjustment period” after I get to my desk. I don’t have to finish my coffee before starting work; I just get right into my day.
Another benefit is my reduced weight. I won’t attribute all of it to the coffee, but I’ve dropped over 20 pounds in the last 2 months, with no trips to the evil vending machine. I used to grab a candy bar to go with my coffee, so no coffee = no candy bar. That’s about 300+ calories that I’m saving each afternoon. So cutting the java has definitely helped.
My goal is to cut my coffee drinking to one cup a day. This will take a lot of willpower. But with longer daylight hours, I’ll probably be doing more yardwork, and I hope to drop the after-dinner cup o’ joe.
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