From Zero To Hero

Hard finding anytime to exercise. Made it out tonight for a 3 mile walk run. With a little change to my wife's ipod which included adding some Linkin Park to her mix of Celine Dion and ABBA, I was able to pick up the pace and my feet a quite a bit. I probably ran 80% of the distance tonight...yea for me!

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Funny, I can wake up at 3 am to go throw Newspapers, feeling like the worlds biggest Loser; but after going on a run at 9:30 pm, I feel like I am King Of The World. Exercise - A definite pick me up.

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Tomorrow, week 3 weigh-in for The Biggest Loser.

Man Period

I woke up this morning at 3:30 am. It didn't take long for me to diagnose myself as having a "Man Period". Down and depressed, angry as hell, and feeling overwhelmed at my life. Feeling like nothing is ever going to change. Another busy week with little time to get any exercise in. I even had a minor breakdown driving to the grocery store, but quickly pulled myself together. The day finally wound down at 9:30 pm...I needed a pick-me-up.

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I went out for a brisk run/ jog. Normally I would go 2 miles. Tonight 2.7 miles. It was good therapy.

Just Can't Stop...

I was really afraid I was not going to be able to exercise today. Its been 2 very long days ending with a ballet recital both nights. I made it out for another run tonight after 10 PM. I am glad I went. The rain pouring down and the subtle flashes of lightning made for an exhilarating run.

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Tonight I ran 1/4 mile - wogged 1/4 mile X3, then ran 1/2 mile. For a total of 2 miles.

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I ate 2 Egg McMuffins (made from home), snacked on grapes and strawberries, drank 5 bottles of water, and end the night with muscle shake after my run.

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Once again exhausted...I am going to bed.

Still Going...

No time to blog other than checking in with my daily exercise...which I did and love. But, I hurt. Did it first thing this morning.

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Workout 03 Shoulders & Arms:
Nothing rounds out the perfect physique like a pair of well-defined arms and shoulders, and with its potent combination of pressing, curling, and fly movements, this routine will leave you feeling stronger and looking sexier. Whether you want to build muscle mass or just slim and tighten what you've already got, these targeted shoulder and arm exercises will get you the results you want.

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I am still exhausted...must sleep....Zzzzzzz.

How To Be A Loser - Part I

My team for "The Biggest Loser" had a little pow wow on Friday and had a guest speaker... It was the co-worker who had won the competition last year dropping 53 pounds in just 3 months. That is pretty astounding! He gave us a list of the rules he lived by. It was quite enlightening. He made it known that any of the information was not "proven" but it was just advice that he had received from others. It worked for him. Thought I would share.

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How To Be A Loser

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Eating Habits:

• Eat something every 2-3 hours.
• Eat whatever you want, control portions sizes.
• At meals, dish only what will fill you for 2 hours.
• Don't serve food from the table.
• Use smaller plates.
• Take small bites and chew.
• A little bit of a cookie tastes like a big bite of a cookie.
• Eat slowly.
• It takes 15 min. for food to reach your stomach to let you know you are full.
• If you still feel hungry, wait 15 min. before getting more food.
• Stop eating when you are full.
• Focus on eating while you are eating (not on TV or work).
• Don't at after 9:00 PM.
• Eat out less. Split meals with someone or get get take-home boxes..

To Be Continued...

Even made it on Easter...

I had every intention of doing a workout first thing this morning, but after my early morning routine, I went back to bed. Got up again for the Easter morning ritual, and then went back to bed again. I didn't get up until lunch time...or sometime after. After the days activities...it was after 9:00 PM.

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So, I went out into the cool air for some good decompression. Tonight, I walked (briskly) 1 mile. Then, I ran 1 mile. Yes, 1 mile without stopping. Hurray for me!

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Today my diet consisted of Easter Ham and Protein Drinks...

Ham was delicious!

Easter

John 3:16

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For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I Am A Sinner...

I am not proud of it, but I am a sinner. That is what drives my to church every Sunday. But today on Easter, probably the one day of the year I should have made a little more effort to make it to church, I found myself sleeping in. Melted to my mattress and immobile. Not good...

Holy Squat!

Did my workout first thing this morning before any woke up. Seems like the perfect time. All I can say about this one is "Holy Squat!" Squats seem to be a major focus on this one...ow! It burned! It was awesome! Here is a brief description of the next in my P90X workout...

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Workout 02 Plyometrics:

Get ready to go airborne. With over 30 explosive jumping moves, you won't be spending much time on the ground during this highly intense cardio routine. Plyometrics, also known as jump training, has been proven to dramatically improve athletic performance. If your sport involves a ring, rink, field, court, or track, then this training will give you the edge. Just be prepared to "Bring It" for a full hour when you leap into this workout, because there is no letting up.

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I can't believe my inner fire is still a blaze over this past week of exercise. Usually I would be done by now. Before the "Biggest Loser", I used to weigh myself daily right when I'd step out of the shower...I stopped doing that. I am anxiously waiting for the next weigh in on Tuesday though. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to squeeze in my workout before the kids wake up for Easter morning festivities.

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Did well with my eating today, can't really remember what I ate though. I think this is because I was actually thinking about food all day...seriously. My body is craving in a bad way. I did have a couple of protein shakes. One in the morning, and one at night.

Wasted...

The week has caught up with me and I am wasted ;)

I still managed a late night jog.

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I am liking this exercise thing. Very, very therapeutic for everyday life.

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Went the usual 2 miles tonight...

It was 1/4 mile walk - 3/4 mile run X2

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I am not running tomorrow...legs need a breather.

Will squeeze in a workout.

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Coming soon..."How To Be A Loser"

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I'm tired.

Goodnight.

Can I Really Find The Time To Exercise?

Time. There ain't much of it. I think the lack thereof in the past was a big discouragement in feeling like I could actually find some in my schedule to exercise. I could've easily blown it off today.

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My day started around 3 AM. Didn't have enough time to squeeze in a full P90X workout, so I just went to work a little earlier. Got home this evening around 6:30 PM, just in time to get the fire pit ready for a BBQ with some friends. My day finished up around 9 PM. Too exhausted to exercise...yet wanting to exercise more. My wife had let her friend borrow my P90X to preview, so they were not where I could get to them. Which turned out to be a good thing as I needed an out, and didn't think I could focus (on a workout), staring at a TV with a couch so close that I could plop down on. So - I went running on these dark quiet streets in which surround my home. It was good...

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Diet and Exercise for the day:

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Breakfast: Whey Protein Shake (by Body Fortress)

No Lunch...

Dinner: A tasty steak and a salad

After my run: A Muscle Builder Shake

Also had about 4 bottles of water today.

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I think my run had improved. Instead of the 1/4 mile rotation walk/jog for 2 miles, this is what I did...

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Walk 1/2 mile,

Jogged 1/2 mile,

Walked 1/4 mile,

Jogged 3/4 mile.

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I am jogging more and walking less. My endurance in slightly increasing. What really happened was as I was walking that 1/4 mile I was thinking to myself, "my legs are in the same amount of pain whether I am walking or running...I am tired and want to go to bed." So I picked up the pace to get home sooner.

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In conclusion, you might not be able to find the most convenient time to exercise, but you can make the time, if you want it bad enough. And I want it BAD. Hopefully I can squeeze in the P90X tomorrow. I am kommitted to do some form of exercise (large or small amounts) every frickin' day until I get the results I am shooting for.

The Pool

At work I checked to see how many paid participants there were for our "Biggest Loser" competition. There are 30! At $30 a head. The prize became a little more sweeter.

Bring It! P90X Kickoff!

I woke up this morning feeling like hell after my strenuous run the previous night ;) and decided if I was going to do this, than I might as well beat myself up some more. So, after flingin papers the clock told me I had an hour before I had to jet off to work. So I brought back from the grave the P90X workouts that I had purchased nearly a year ago, and had only used a few times...

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Workout 01 Chest and Back:

This super set chest-and-back-blasting workout emphasizes two classic upper-body exercises, push-ups and pull-ups, to build strength and develop shape. The combination of these two push and pull movements will help you burn loads of calories while simultaneously attacking, strengthening, and developing multiple muscle groups.

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I didn't do too bad...I really enjoy this workout. Although I think I'd rate myself at about 35% of what Tony and Crew could do. I am kommitted to improve. I at least completed the workout.

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Afterwards I had a Muscle Building Shake for breakfast. Lunch started off consisting of a nicely chilled can of Ravioli, but because of some undue stress I decided to partake of a Big Mac value meal followed by 2 apple pies. This was a no-no. I caved.

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For dinner I had a chicken breast and a side of rice.

Consumed about 4 bottles of water today.

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And because of all of my indulging, I put forth the effort and went running again tonight. Same routine, 2 mile: 1/4 walk - 1/4 jog rotation.

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Finishing off the day with a Muscle Building Shake. I think this food thing is going to kill me. I have never understood the concept of counting calories...maybe I should learn real soon. If all goes well and I can squeeze in 4 hours of sleep tonight, I am going to hit another P90X workout in the morning.

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Look at this picture below. By the time I am done, I will look like one of these two individuals ;)

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P90X! Bring It!

D&E 04/07/09

Diet:

2 servings of Cup O' Noodles

2 Egg McMuffins

3 bottles of Nestle Purified Water

1 Serving of Professional Strength Muscle Building Milkshake (from Six-Star)

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Exercise:

At lunch time I walked around a city block...distance unknown

Tonight, went down to the High School track and...

Walked 1/4 mile, then jogged 1/4 mile

I repeated this 4 times for a total distance of 2 miles.

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I know its not too impressive, but its a start.

Day 1 Photos

If these nasty "Before" photos are not enough to get me motivated, I do not know what else could... I recall sometime last year, I was standing in the kitchen mackin' down on something when my wife walks in. The look on her face was of one who had just vomited in their mouth and swallowed it. It was followed by an unpleasant sigh...

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I understand now. For some strange reason, a photo looks a whole lot worse than a reflection in the mirror.

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And The Results Are In...

I am fat. We had the initial weigh in this morning and I tipped the scales. Well in my mind I did.

Beginning Weight:

258.5 lbs.

BMI:

32%

So I guess it starts. I am hoping to leave a blog entry every night to recap how the day went. What my daily diet was and also what exercising I was able to do.

I am 6' 4" tall and my goal is to go from 258.5 lbs. down to 220 lbs. with some sort of muscle definition. In other words...I wanna get ripped. Can I do it in 12 weeks? I'm sure going to give it a go.

Dessert Potluck Aftermath...

Stomach hurts...can't breath...

Dessert Potluck

To kick off the "Biggest Loser" competition at work, we are holding a Dessert Potluck at work as sort of a "Last Free For All Binge Party". I spent my day in the kitchen today cooking up some of my famous "Butt-Loving" cookies. Also known as "Daddy Cookies" by my kids.

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Click HERE to get the recipe.

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I had thought about bringing in one of those huge cans of CRISCO and serve it with a bunch of plastic spoons already positioned in the top for easy consumption, but I thought it might raise an eyebrow or two. Another option was to bring in a gallon jug of KFC gravy and just pass it around the room and let everyone drink up its glory. Isn't food wonderful! But it is time to kiss it goodbye...

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Depressing.

Daddy Cookies

Ingredients:

3 3/4 Cups - All Purpose Flour

1 tsp. - Baking Soda

1 tsp. - Salt

1 Cup + 1 TBSP - Margarine (soft)

1 Cup - Granulated Sugar

1 Cup - Brown Sugar

3 Large Eggs

2 TBSP. - Vanilla Extract

3 Cups - Chocolate Chips (semi-sweet)

1 Cup - Baking Mini M&M's (semi-sweet)

1 Cup - Coconut

1 Cup - Finely Chopped Walnuts

1 Cup - Dried Oats

Combine Flour, Salt, Baking Soda in a bowl and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, combine Margarine, both Sugars, and Vanilla. Mix well. Add 3 Large Eggs (one at a time). Add in Flour mix. Take plain Cookie Dough and put in large mixing bowl and add the rest of the goodness. Chocolate Chips, M&M's, Coconut, Walnuts, and Oats. Drop onto cookie sheet, Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes (cooking times may vary).

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For a detailed step by step "how-to" actually make these awsome "butt-loving cookies", click HERE. I have provided detailed instruction with alot of photos so even a noob to the kitchen can rock these babies out. It is a Microsoft Word .doc about 5.6 MB. Again...click HERE. (file hosted by MediaFire)

Happy Baking...see you soon.

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Biggest Loser

We are having a "Biggest Loser" competition at work, as they are trying to promote having a healthier lifestyle (along with saving the planet, etc...blah. blah, blah). Anyway, it begins tuesday and I am pretty excited. As far as I can see, the usual obsticle of crunch time has passed for the time being, so I should be able to squeeze in some exercise time. Why am I doing this...I am FAT. Our rules below...

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Biggest Loser
Rules

Cost to participate
$30 (Due at initial weigh-in)

Initial weigh in
Tuesday, April 7

Women: 10:00 a.m.
Men: 10:00 a.m.

*You may choose to submit an ideal weight target to give yourself a more defined weight loss goal (optional).

*You may also choose to take a “before” picture at this time (optional).

Weigh-ins will continue each week at 10 a.m. Final Weigh-in: Tuesday, June 30

Teams
After the initial weigh-in, teams will be formed based on an even distribution of weight. After the teams are formed, we will have a meeting in which teams will select a team name and leader. (It is suggested that the teams meet on a regular basis throughout the entire competition.)

Each week there will be a winning team which will be based on the highest percentage of combined weight lost (before taking into consideration any pound deductions rewarded from monthly fitness challenges and/ body fat %).

For every week a team wins, they will be allowed to deduct 1 pound from their total weight at the final weigh-in.

Monthly Fitness Challenges
At the beginning of each month, a set of “Fitness Challenges” will be announced. Each participant that completes one of these challenges will be able to deduct 1 pound from their team’s total weight at the following week’s weigh-in. Participants may complete as many fitness challenges as they want, however they will only be awarded a 1 pound deduction for their team.

Body Fat %
Body fat % will be taken at the initial weigh-in. It will be measured again on the following dates: May 5, June 2, and June 30. The team with the highest combined body fat % lost on each of those dates will be able to deduct 1 pound from their total weight for that week’s weigh-in.

Prize Money
Prize money will be awarded to:
1st place: Individual with highest % weight loss
2nd place: Individual with 2nd highest % weight loss

1st place team: Team with highest combined % weight loss

Each will receive a portion of the prize money, which will be determined once it is known how many participants there are.

Please remember the goal of this competition is to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
· Do not go to any extreme measures to lose weight.
· Consult a physician when necessary.
· HAVE FUN!