Not exactly, but the principal is there ... taste and smell are associated with weight-gain.
Read all about it here (or here for the link):
Firm designs nasal spray to fight obesity
Tue Dec 19, 2006 12:29 PM ET
By Jason Szep
BOSTON (Reuters) - Dieters may find some welcome assistance from a new nasal spray that could help resist the appetizing aromas of cinnamon bun stands, pizza parlors or tempting bakeries.
Compellis Pharmaceuticals of Cambridge, Massachusetts said it will begin human trials next year of a nasal spray designed to fight obesity by blocking the senses of smell and taste. It won a patent for the product this month.
"The pleasurable effect of eating is all stimulated by smell and taste," Christopher Adams, the company's founder and chief executive, told Reuters on Tuesday.
"The premise is that olfactory activity that controls both smell and taste is a trigger and a feedback mechanism to eat. If you have some kind of reduced sense of smell or taste, you tend to eat less," he said.
The product, known as CP404, is among the latest devices and treatments under development in the multibillion-dollar fight against obesity.
An estimated 65 percent of adult Americans are overweight or obese, putting them at higher risk of heart disease, diabetes and other conditions that account for more than $100 billion of the country's $1.9 trillion annual healthcare bill.
French drug maker Sanofi-Aventis began marketing its obesity pill Acomplia in Britain in June and expects to receive U.S. government approval by April to sell the drug in the United States. The pill switches off the same brain circuits that make people hungry when they smoke cannabis.
Medtronic Inc., the world's biggest maker of medical devices, is developing a battery-powered gastric pacemaker that causes the stomach to contract, sending signals of satiety to the appetite center in the brain.
Enteromedics Inc. of Minneapolis is working with the Mayo Clinic on a device known as "Maestro" that uses electricity to paralyze the stomach, reducing or stopping contractions that churn food as part of the digestion process.
Those last two devices, like CP404, are still years away from reaching consumers.
TO SEEK FDA APPROVAL
Adams said he would seek Food and Drug Administration approval in about three years after human trials begin in 2007. He also expects to tap the stock market to raise $25 million to $50 million in an initial public offering if human trials are successful, with the spray expected to hit the market in 2010.
The nasal spray treatment would retail at $500 to $1,000 a year.
The Obesity Action Coalition, a Tampa, Florida-based nonprofit organization, cautioned that any such spray should be accompanied by other treatments and a change in lifestyle to be effective.
"There are a lot of reasons why obesity exists, and it's not always a case of food addiction," said James Zervios, a spokesman for the coalition.
"People still need to eat. Every time they get hungry I don't think they could just use the spray," he said. "People need to be taught what are the better foods to eat -- what's high on protein, what's low on fat."
Bariatric surgery, including gastric bands like the Lapband, is the only effective permanent solution, doctors say. Gastric bypass surgery makes the stomach smaller so patients can eat less and cuts out a long stretch of small intestine so fewer nutrients are absorbed.
But the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a unit of the federal government's Public Health Service, has warned that four of every 10 patients who undergo weight-loss surgery develop complications within six months.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
Down With the Weight!
I'm embarrassed. I've been steadily gaining since Halloween. My weight has crept back up to 190 as of this morning ... yikes!
It really shouldn't come as a suprise. I've drifted from the basics. I've not been diligent with the WO or my workouts. Stress has taken its toll on me too. I finished school, but work has been tough as I've been placed in a new position. It's much busier than my old position. Plus ... we're moving. We need to get into something a little roomier than what we have.
But I've been able to manage all of that and now I've got it all under control for the time being. I'm now ready to re-focus on my weight.
So what am I going to do for an encore? I'm going to go beyond 185. I'm going to shoot for 175. I really don't know if I'll hit it, but after looking in the mirror, I think there's plenty to take off.
I think the timing is perfect for my encore. Last year we went home for Christmas and I pigged out every day. I was up over 220 when we came back. This year will be different ... starting this week. My mind is focused on hitting 175 and this year I have the tool to do it ... the Shangri-la Diet.
The Plan
There really is nothing new. I'll just be diligent. Diligence and consistency is the key.
Sun - Rest day, no WO.
Mon - 30 mins on treadmill, 30 mins on bike, WO @ 8am & 2pm.
Tue - Basketball, WO @ 8am & 2pm.
Wed - 30 mins on treadmill, 30 mins on bike, WO @ 8am & 2pm.
Thu - Basketball, WO @ 8am & 2pm, WEEKLY OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN
Fri - Optional ... either rest day or go to the gym, WO @8am & 2pm.
Sat - Basketball or gym, WO optional.
I'll continue to not eat breakfast (except on Sundays). For lunch ... something light ... crackers, yogurt and some fruit. For dinner ... salad or healthy food.
That's about it. I don't know if or when I'll hit 175. I would assume that the rate would be about .2 lbs. a day. If this is correct, then I should hit 175 around the 2nd week of March. And since I'm really conservative, I'll add a couple of weeks to that target. So my goal is hit 175 lbs. by April 1, 2007.
I seem to recall this situation happening to either Seth or one of his friends ... they lost a bunch of weight, put some back on and then lost it all a 2nd time. We'll see if that happens to me.
I still feel really good. I feel so much healthier than last year. My wife has been doing the diet and she's lost about 10 lbs. so far.
Well, let the pounds fall!
It really shouldn't come as a suprise. I've drifted from the basics. I've not been diligent with the WO or my workouts. Stress has taken its toll on me too. I finished school, but work has been tough as I've been placed in a new position. It's much busier than my old position. Plus ... we're moving. We need to get into something a little roomier than what we have.
But I've been able to manage all of that and now I've got it all under control for the time being. I'm now ready to re-focus on my weight.
So what am I going to do for an encore? I'm going to go beyond 185. I'm going to shoot for 175. I really don't know if I'll hit it, but after looking in the mirror, I think there's plenty to take off.
I think the timing is perfect for my encore. Last year we went home for Christmas and I pigged out every day. I was up over 220 when we came back. This year will be different ... starting this week. My mind is focused on hitting 175 and this year I have the tool to do it ... the Shangri-la Diet.
The Plan
There really is nothing new. I'll just be diligent. Diligence and consistency is the key.
Sun - Rest day, no WO.
Mon - 30 mins on treadmill, 30 mins on bike, WO @ 8am & 2pm.
Tue - Basketball, WO @ 8am & 2pm.
Wed - 30 mins on treadmill, 30 mins on bike, WO @ 8am & 2pm.
Thu - Basketball, WO @ 8am & 2pm, WEEKLY OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN
Fri - Optional ... either rest day or go to the gym, WO @8am & 2pm.
Sat - Basketball or gym, WO optional.
I'll continue to not eat breakfast (except on Sundays). For lunch ... something light ... crackers, yogurt and some fruit. For dinner ... salad or healthy food.
That's about it. I don't know if or when I'll hit 175. I would assume that the rate would be about .2 lbs. a day. If this is correct, then I should hit 175 around the 2nd week of March. And since I'm really conservative, I'll add a couple of weeks to that target. So my goal is hit 175 lbs. by April 1, 2007.
I seem to recall this situation happening to either Seth or one of his friends ... they lost a bunch of weight, put some back on and then lost it all a 2nd time. We'll see if that happens to me.
I still feel really good. I feel so much healthier than last year. My wife has been doing the diet and she's lost about 10 lbs. so far.
Well, let the pounds fall!
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
TARGET ACQUIRED!
I lost my chess match last night, so I was glad to wake up this morning to some good news. I stepped on the home scale and it read 188.4! This was good news because the home scale is always about 3 to 4 pounds above the gym (official) scale.
After a good workout playing basketball, I showered and weighed in.
As always, same time of day, same scale with just the towel.
WEIGHT: 184.5
Difference: 33.0 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I am officially under 185!
Now the interesting thing to note here is that I am just getting over a cold. I had it most of the weekend. When I get a cold, I get stuffed up and my sense of taste is gone. So when I was eating all weekend, it was like I was eating tasteless calories.
So chalk up another method for losing weight ... get a cold and lose your sense of taste. But with that said, I must admit it was extremely frustrating not to taste food. I lost my appetite. But when I finally cleared up a bit and got my taste buds back, I ate like a pig and savored every bite.
Now What?
The target weight has been acquired ... phase one is accomplished. Phase two is to keep off the pounds for 6 months. I may continue to lose pounds because my ideal weight is 175. Plus, I still have some fat around the gut that I could lose. I will try to check back in every month or so to report my weight.
The important thing to note is that I will continue to ingest sugar water with walnut oil every morning. I'm not going to really change anything. In my mind, this is not a diet in the sense that one diets for a few months and then returns to the status quo. Instead, I view this as a lifestyle change. I don't think the Shangri-La Diet should be called a diet at all. But that is all symantics. But I just want all my thousands of readers to know that I plan on continue to ingest SW/WO every day. I also continue to take 3 capsules of flax seed oil every morning after waking up.
If all goes well, then April 30, 2007 (six months from today and one year from starting the diet) will be my last post on this blog.
And lastly ...
After a good workout playing basketball, I showered and weighed in.
As always, same time of day, same scale with just the towel.
WEIGHT: 184.5
Difference: 33.0 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I am officially under 185!
Now the interesting thing to note here is that I am just getting over a cold. I had it most of the weekend. When I get a cold, I get stuffed up and my sense of taste is gone. So when I was eating all weekend, it was like I was eating tasteless calories.
So chalk up another method for losing weight ... get a cold and lose your sense of taste. But with that said, I must admit it was extremely frustrating not to taste food. I lost my appetite. But when I finally cleared up a bit and got my taste buds back, I ate like a pig and savored every bite.
Now What?
The target weight has been acquired ... phase one is accomplished. Phase two is to keep off the pounds for 6 months. I may continue to lose pounds because my ideal weight is 175. Plus, I still have some fat around the gut that I could lose. I will try to check back in every month or so to report my weight.
The important thing to note is that I will continue to ingest sugar water with walnut oil every morning. I'm not going to really change anything. In my mind, this is not a diet in the sense that one diets for a few months and then returns to the status quo. Instead, I view this as a lifestyle change. I don't think the Shangri-La Diet should be called a diet at all. But that is all symantics. But I just want all my thousands of readers to know that I plan on continue to ingest SW/WO every day. I also continue to take 3 capsules of flax seed oil every morning after waking up.
If all goes well, then April 30, 2007 (six months from today and one year from starting the diet) will be my last post on this blog.
And lastly ...
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Monday, October 16, 2006
Another Milestone: 30 Pounds Later
An unbelievable turn of events occured this weekend. I headed into the weekend at 188.7 knowing that I wouldn't play basketball Saturday morning. I wasn't too concerned. I just figured I could get to the gym later in the day and work out.
My wife ran her errands in the morning. When she got home, I decided to head to the gym. Not really knowing what I'd do, I just hopped on the treadmill and started walking and listening to my music. I finally decided that I was going to do 30/30 on the treadmill and stationary bike instead of my normal 20/20. So I give it my all.
30 minutes later, I was feeling pretty good. I jumped on the bike and peddled. I was energized and feeling great. It was like the longer I worked out, the more energy I had which fueled me even more.
60 minutes later, I'm done with my whole workout. I head to the locker room and take a nice, long, cold shower. It felt great. It was around 11:30am.
I step onto the scale with just the towel 185.8 !?! I couldn't believe my eyes. So I put my clothes in my bag and then went back to the scale ... it was the same. I was shocked.
So then came the rationalizations ... I just sweat a lot ... lost lots of water ... it was the extra workout and so on and so on.
I went home determined to eat healthy this weekend ... but that lasted about 20 minutes. I pigged out. When I say pigged out, I mean compared to what I do during the week. But by no stretch of the imagination did I gorge myself all weekend. It was more like constant snacking. At night, I ate ice cream. Sunday was much the same.
So this morning I go back to the gym and did the same 30/30 workout. One thing that I've noticed ... after I finish playing basketball on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'm really thirsty and tired. But when I do the 20/20 workout, I'm not so thirsty. But on Saturday and again this morning when I did the 30/30, I was just as thirsty and tired as when I play basketball ... so that 30/30 workout is more like playing basketball in that regard.
After showering, I step on the scale.
Same time of day, same scale with just the towel.
WEIGHT: 187.5
Difference: 30.0 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I am now 2.5 lbs. away from my goal (of course I was a mere .8 lbs. away on Saturday). But anyway, I'm zeroing in on the target ... it could be this week that it happens.
My wife ran her errands in the morning. When she got home, I decided to head to the gym. Not really knowing what I'd do, I just hopped on the treadmill and started walking and listening to my music. I finally decided that I was going to do 30/30 on the treadmill and stationary bike instead of my normal 20/20. So I give it my all.
30 minutes later, I was feeling pretty good. I jumped on the bike and peddled. I was energized and feeling great. It was like the longer I worked out, the more energy I had which fueled me even more.
60 minutes later, I'm done with my whole workout. I head to the locker room and take a nice, long, cold shower. It felt great. It was around 11:30am.
I step onto the scale with just the towel 185.8 !?! I couldn't believe my eyes. So I put my clothes in my bag and then went back to the scale ... it was the same. I was shocked.
So then came the rationalizations ... I just sweat a lot ... lost lots of water ... it was the extra workout and so on and so on.
I went home determined to eat healthy this weekend ... but that lasted about 20 minutes. I pigged out. When I say pigged out, I mean compared to what I do during the week. But by no stretch of the imagination did I gorge myself all weekend. It was more like constant snacking. At night, I ate ice cream. Sunday was much the same.
So this morning I go back to the gym and did the same 30/30 workout. One thing that I've noticed ... after I finish playing basketball on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'm really thirsty and tired. But when I do the 20/20 workout, I'm not so thirsty. But on Saturday and again this morning when I did the 30/30, I was just as thirsty and tired as when I play basketball ... so that 30/30 workout is more like playing basketball in that regard.
After showering, I step on the scale.
Same time of day, same scale with just the towel.
WEIGHT: 187.5
Difference: 30.0 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I am now 2.5 lbs. away from my goal (of course I was a mere .8 lbs. away on Saturday). But anyway, I'm zeroing in on the target ... it could be this week that it happens.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
I've Reached a New Low
Over the last couple of weeks, I've rededicated myself to strictly following the "diet" and I'm seeing results.
I've added a new step in my routine ... every morning before going to the gym, I pop in three flax seed oil capsules. Then I go do my workout. After showering and driving into work, I serve myself a healthy dose of sugar water with a tablespoon of walnut oil. Then I drink lots of water and chew gum (I wait an hour after the SW and WO before I chew gum) until it's lunch time. For lunch ... the usual ... apple, granola bar and yogurt. Three o'clock rolls around and I take another 1 to 2 tbsp of WO. After the drive home, I eat dinner ... usually something light. This week and last week I'd usually eat a salad ... lettuce, cherry tomatos, cucumbers, a little cheese and some crackers and then I mix in some sun-dried tomato dressing. If I'm still hungry, I'll eat some more crackers or even have some fruit. And that's it ... I might drink some more water, but I'll be done eating for the night.
The beauty of the diet lies in the fact that I feel full after eating these seemingly small amounts of food. Pre-shangri-la diet, I could eat a salad and then go on to eat a full course meal and then I'd feel full. Now, when I eat a salad, I feel full ... similar to how I'd feel after eating a full course meal. My body just says "no" to more food. I mean, I could eat more, but the urge isn't there like it was before going on the Shangri-la diet.
This morning I took an official weigh-in.
As always, same time of day, same scale with the towel.
WEIGHT: 188.4
Difference: 29.1 lbs. since May 1, 2006
The previous low was 188.9 and that came about unexpectedly. This 188.4 weight came gradually. I didn't drop an entire pound from one day to the next. Each day was a little less as opposed to a lot less. So my point is this ... I think I finally broke the 190 barrier that I've been hovering at for the past few weeks now.
Tomorrow will be a workout day ... run 20 minutes, bike 20 minutes. I need to keep up with the good eating habits ... which by the way are much easier to keep now that my wife is on board. She is turning into a health nut and I love it! She's back in the gym, eating great and shedding pounds now. Just like me, she's averaging about 2 pounds a week in the early going.
Until next week ...
I've added a new step in my routine ... every morning before going to the gym, I pop in three flax seed oil capsules. Then I go do my workout. After showering and driving into work, I serve myself a healthy dose of sugar water with a tablespoon of walnut oil. Then I drink lots of water and chew gum (I wait an hour after the SW and WO before I chew gum) until it's lunch time. For lunch ... the usual ... apple, granola bar and yogurt. Three o'clock rolls around and I take another 1 to 2 tbsp of WO. After the drive home, I eat dinner ... usually something light. This week and last week I'd usually eat a salad ... lettuce, cherry tomatos, cucumbers, a little cheese and some crackers and then I mix in some sun-dried tomato dressing. If I'm still hungry, I'll eat some more crackers or even have some fruit. And that's it ... I might drink some more water, but I'll be done eating for the night.
The beauty of the diet lies in the fact that I feel full after eating these seemingly small amounts of food. Pre-shangri-la diet, I could eat a salad and then go on to eat a full course meal and then I'd feel full. Now, when I eat a salad, I feel full ... similar to how I'd feel after eating a full course meal. My body just says "no" to more food. I mean, I could eat more, but the urge isn't there like it was before going on the Shangri-la diet.
This morning I took an official weigh-in.
As always, same time of day, same scale with the towel.
WEIGHT: 188.4
Difference: 29.1 lbs. since May 1, 2006
The previous low was 188.9 and that came about unexpectedly. This 188.4 weight came gradually. I didn't drop an entire pound from one day to the next. Each day was a little less as opposed to a lot less. So my point is this ... I think I finally broke the 190 barrier that I've been hovering at for the past few weeks now.
Tomorrow will be a workout day ... run 20 minutes, bike 20 minutes. I need to keep up with the good eating habits ... which by the way are much easier to keep now that my wife is on board. She is turning into a health nut and I love it! She's back in the gym, eating great and shedding pounds now. Just like me, she's averaging about 2 pounds a week in the early going.
Until next week ...
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Five Pounds Harder to Lose
I'm finding that 5 pounds are harder to lose than 25 pounds.
I'm still on the "diet" and probably will always be for the rest of my life. There was a week when I didn't take any oil or sugar water. By the time I entered the 2nd week of no oil, I noticed a notable increase in hunger. I didn't eat too healthily during that period.
So now I'm back on the saddle. I'm determined to lose these remaining five pounds.
In the morning (for breakfast), I'm drinking sugar water with a tbsp of walnut oil. I'm still eating a light lunch. I've replaced GoldFish crackers with a granola bar ... so I eat an apple, a cup of yogurt and a granola bar for lunch. For dinner, I'm trying to eat healthy. Since my wife is trying the diet, she's going to serve me and her salad for dinner every night.
Not that it is part of the official diet, but I'm also taking flaxseed oil capsules every day. I'm convinced of the benefits of Omega 3's. Obviously I'm getting O3's with the walnut oil too. I have noticed that I think much more clearly since taking more O3's. I don't know how to measure it, other than I just feel like I can think more clearly. The only shred of evidence I can offer has to do with chess. I'm going through dozens of chess problems every day in an effort to improve my chess game. Whether out of sheer practice or because of the O3's, I seem to be solving the problems with greater ease and speed these days. But like I said, there really is no hard data that shows a correlation between quickly solving these tactical chess problems and (only) taking O3's.
I'm continuing to exercise. I play basketball Tuesdays and Thursdays and sometimes on Saturday. Then I'll try to get to the gym two other days during the week to bike and run or swim.
I continue to get unsolicited comments about my appearance. Just yesterday I was walking into work when one of the security guards, who rarely speaks to me, called me over and asked me if I had been losing weight. He said I looked a lot younger. It's such a great feeling when someone compliments me on my weight loss.
This morning I pulled myself out of bed to go to the gym since I missed Monday. I ran for 20 minutes and biked for 20 minutes. I was as wet as a soaked sponge when I was done with my workout. Now that the temperatures have cooled off here in Texas, the water can actually get cold at night ... so my showers are very refreshing these days.
I weighed in this morning.
As always, I weighed in at the same time of day on the same scale with just the standard issue white gym towel around my waist.
WEIGHT: 189.9
Difference: 27.6 lbs. since May 1, 2006 ... averaging .17 lbs a day
That is all for this week's update. I hope to report back next week that I'm closer to my goal of 185 lbs.
I'm still on the "diet" and probably will always be for the rest of my life. There was a week when I didn't take any oil or sugar water. By the time I entered the 2nd week of no oil, I noticed a notable increase in hunger. I didn't eat too healthily during that period.
So now I'm back on the saddle. I'm determined to lose these remaining five pounds.
In the morning (for breakfast), I'm drinking sugar water with a tbsp of walnut oil. I'm still eating a light lunch. I've replaced GoldFish crackers with a granola bar ... so I eat an apple, a cup of yogurt and a granola bar for lunch. For dinner, I'm trying to eat healthy. Since my wife is trying the diet, she's going to serve me and her salad for dinner every night.
Not that it is part of the official diet, but I'm also taking flaxseed oil capsules every day. I'm convinced of the benefits of Omega 3's. Obviously I'm getting O3's with the walnut oil too. I have noticed that I think much more clearly since taking more O3's. I don't know how to measure it, other than I just feel like I can think more clearly. The only shred of evidence I can offer has to do with chess. I'm going through dozens of chess problems every day in an effort to improve my chess game. Whether out of sheer practice or because of the O3's, I seem to be solving the problems with greater ease and speed these days. But like I said, there really is no hard data that shows a correlation between quickly solving these tactical chess problems and (only) taking O3's.
I'm continuing to exercise. I play basketball Tuesdays and Thursdays and sometimes on Saturday. Then I'll try to get to the gym two other days during the week to bike and run or swim.
I continue to get unsolicited comments about my appearance. Just yesterday I was walking into work when one of the security guards, who rarely speaks to me, called me over and asked me if I had been losing weight. He said I looked a lot younger. It's such a great feeling when someone compliments me on my weight loss.
This morning I pulled myself out of bed to go to the gym since I missed Monday. I ran for 20 minutes and biked for 20 minutes. I was as wet as a soaked sponge when I was done with my workout. Now that the temperatures have cooled off here in Texas, the water can actually get cold at night ... so my showers are very refreshing these days.
I weighed in this morning.
As always, I weighed in at the same time of day on the same scale with just the standard issue white gym towel around my waist.
WEIGHT: 189.9
Difference: 27.6 lbs. since May 1, 2006 ... averaging .17 lbs a day
That is all for this week's update. I hope to report back next week that I'm closer to my goal of 185 lbs.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Explosion of Interest
I posted a video the other and day and now there seems to be an explosion of interest. I do not know whether or not the posting of the video and the increased interest are correlated or not. There are a lot of searches for shangriladiet.com and this blog seems to consistently pop up in the top 10 hits.
But anyway, here's a graphic on the stats for this blog ... lots and lots of hits between yesterday and today. Compared to last week, today was a deluge of hits.
This week, I'm committed to really sticking to the diet. I'm going to go back to the SW in the morning and WO in the afternoon. Since I've not been taking any WO in over a week now, my hunger urges have been strong and long. It's time to nip this thing in the butt and lost those last 4 pounds (or maybe more now!)
But anyway, here's a graphic on the stats for this blog ... lots and lots of hits between yesterday and today. Compared to last week, today was a deluge of hits.
This week, I'm committed to really sticking to the diet. I'm going to go back to the SW in the morning and WO in the afternoon. Since I've not been taking any WO in over a week now, my hunger urges have been strong and long. It's time to nip this thing in the butt and lost those last 4 pounds (or maybe more now!)
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Slow Down
The pounds seem to be coming off more slowly ... but they are coming off.
Above is my chart in my Excel tracking sheet. I figure this serves as a good visual of my progress.
Interestingly enough, though, is I haven't been ingesting any walnut oil this week. In fact, I've only played basketball on Tuesday and Thursday (today), but have not worked out on the other days. Residual effects? Who knows.
The bottom line is that I'm less than 4 pounds from reaching my goal.
I weighed in this morning ... same time of day, same scale with just the towel.
WEIGHT: 188.9
Difference: 28.6 lbs. since May 1, 2006
Another noteworthy item besides the fact that I've not taken any walnut oil this week, but on two days this week, I ate a bagel and two donuts. One morning someone had Einstein bagels in his office. I love those bagels. So I ate one. Yesterday morning, our company kicked off its United Way campaign. As part of the kick off, they had Krispy Kreme donuts in the lobby. I ate two.
My dirtly little secret about losing my weight (or so I thought) is the fact that I've dropped breakfast from my lineup of daily meals. Before the diet, I would eat a packet of oatmeal every morning. But now that I've eaten a light breakfast in place of the WO has me a little suprised.
Anyway ... I'm just happy that I'm in good physical condition, that I can play basketball, bike for 30 minutes, run for 30 minutes, swim 15 laps and that I'm losing weight and seem to be keeping it off.
Above is my chart in my Excel tracking sheet. I figure this serves as a good visual of my progress.
Interestingly enough, though, is I haven't been ingesting any walnut oil this week. In fact, I've only played basketball on Tuesday and Thursday (today), but have not worked out on the other days. Residual effects? Who knows.
The bottom line is that I'm less than 4 pounds from reaching my goal.
I weighed in this morning ... same time of day, same scale with just the towel.
WEIGHT: 188.9
Difference: 28.6 lbs. since May 1, 2006
Another noteworthy item besides the fact that I've not taken any walnut oil this week, but on two days this week, I ate a bagel and two donuts. One morning someone had Einstein bagels in his office. I love those bagels. So I ate one. Yesterday morning, our company kicked off its United Way campaign. As part of the kick off, they had Krispy Kreme donuts in the lobby. I ate two.
My dirtly little secret about losing my weight (or so I thought) is the fact that I've dropped breakfast from my lineup of daily meals. Before the diet, I would eat a packet of oatmeal every morning. But now that I've eaten a light breakfast in place of the WO has me a little suprised.
Anyway ... I'm just happy that I'm in good physical condition, that I can play basketball, bike for 30 minutes, run for 30 minutes, swim 15 laps and that I'm losing weight and seem to be keeping it off.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Another Milestone in my Quest
If you've been following me, you may know that breaking 190 has been tough. Breaking 200 took a while too. 200 took a little over a week to break. 190 took almost two weeks. I've been hovering around 191 since August 31st.
This weekend was a meat-eating weekend for our family. My wife seasoned some pork chops and I grilled them on the barby. Then on Sunday it was steak. We also had a gallon of 1/2-the-fat ice cream sitting in the freezer ... not good for me ... that's like putting a gallon of blood next to Dracula's bed.
Yesterday morning I went to the gym. I did 20 laps in the pool (each lap is about 25 yards). Then I headed upstairs and biked for 30 minutes. I didn't just peddle mindlessly. I worked hard ... upped the stress on the bike and made it into a real workout. I weighed in as usual. I was 191.5 ... basically the same as when I had weighed just a few days prior. So I was primed to break the 190 mark this morning. I had a good day of healthy eating yesterday too. I took the WO in the morning, ate about 3 cups of fried rice with vegetables and leftover steak bits. I ate one cup of lemon yogurt. Later that afternoon, a co-worker who is a big peanut M&M fan like me, offered me some new super-sized-pastel-looking peanut M&Ms. I took a handful and enjoyed. The reason they're bigger is not because of bigger peanuts, but more chocolate. They were really good. For dinner that night, my wife made a delicious French toast casserole. It was French bread broken up in big chunks mixed in with apples, dried cranberries and eggs. Then she cooked it in the oven and served it by pouring home-made butter-sugar syrup on it ... oh WOW! It was good. Then we had some chocolate cookies for dessert.
After dinner, I went shopping. I've lost about 6 inches off my waist. None of my pants fit. In fact, I can take my old pants off without unzipping or unbuckling them. So I bought two new pairs of pants and a few shirts. I had to get new belts too because I had to keep putting new holes in the old one ... so I had about 6 inches of slack and it didn't look too good.
This morning ... I played a solid hour of basketball. I had some really good games. I was really tired though. After a cold shower, I weighed in.
Same time of day, same scale, same towel.
WEIGHT: 189.5
Difference: 28.0 lbs. since May 1, 2006 ... still averaging .2 lbs. a day
4.5 lbs. to go! My projection puts my target goal at around the first week of October.
Also, today I figured out that in order to drink the recommended 1 gallon of water per day, I need to drink about 8 glasses of water ... the styrofoam cups at work hold just under 20 oz. There are 128 oz. in a gallon ... so that equals about 7 to 8 cups ... 4 in the morning, 4 in the the afternoon. Right now I'm doing about 5 a day.
This weekend was a meat-eating weekend for our family. My wife seasoned some pork chops and I grilled them on the barby. Then on Sunday it was steak. We also had a gallon of 1/2-the-fat ice cream sitting in the freezer ... not good for me ... that's like putting a gallon of blood next to Dracula's bed.
Yesterday morning I went to the gym. I did 20 laps in the pool (each lap is about 25 yards). Then I headed upstairs and biked for 30 minutes. I didn't just peddle mindlessly. I worked hard ... upped the stress on the bike and made it into a real workout. I weighed in as usual. I was 191.5 ... basically the same as when I had weighed just a few days prior. So I was primed to break the 190 mark this morning. I had a good day of healthy eating yesterday too. I took the WO in the morning, ate about 3 cups of fried rice with vegetables and leftover steak bits. I ate one cup of lemon yogurt. Later that afternoon, a co-worker who is a big peanut M&M fan like me, offered me some new super-sized-pastel-looking peanut M&Ms. I took a handful and enjoyed. The reason they're bigger is not because of bigger peanuts, but more chocolate. They were really good. For dinner that night, my wife made a delicious French toast casserole. It was French bread broken up in big chunks mixed in with apples, dried cranberries and eggs. Then she cooked it in the oven and served it by pouring home-made butter-sugar syrup on it ... oh WOW! It was good. Then we had some chocolate cookies for dessert.
After dinner, I went shopping. I've lost about 6 inches off my waist. None of my pants fit. In fact, I can take my old pants off without unzipping or unbuckling them. So I bought two new pairs of pants and a few shirts. I had to get new belts too because I had to keep putting new holes in the old one ... so I had about 6 inches of slack and it didn't look too good.
This morning ... I played a solid hour of basketball. I had some really good games. I was really tired though. After a cold shower, I weighed in.
Same time of day, same scale, same towel.
WEIGHT: 189.5
Difference: 28.0 lbs. since May 1, 2006 ... still averaging .2 lbs. a day
4.5 lbs. to go! My projection puts my target goal at around the first week of October.
Also, today I figured out that in order to drink the recommended 1 gallon of water per day, I need to drink about 8 glasses of water ... the styrofoam cups at work hold just under 20 oz. There are 128 oz. in a gallon ... so that equals about 7 to 8 cups ... 4 in the morning, 4 in the the afternoon. Right now I'm doing about 5 a day.
Thursday, September 7, 2006
Recent Conclusions
I've arrived at a number of conclusions recently.
First, the Taylor scale I bought ... I'm not pleased with it. I've been comparing it to the gym scale and the only thing that is consistent about the Taylor is its inconsistency. The gym scale on the other hand seems to be reliable. So I'm bummed about that. But on the up side, I think I'll be going to the gym a few more days a week rather than to just play basketball. So I'll be using the gym scale more often.
Second, stated in mathematical terms, (opening weekend for college football ) + (1 bag of Doritos) + (1 gallon of ice cream) + (rainy weather) + (Labor Day holiday) = (pounds gained).
Third, another mathematical conclusion ... (healthy eating) + (minimal eating) + (exercise) + (drinking lots of water) = (pounds lost).
Fourth, the Shangri-la diet helps me control my eating urges. When I control my eating urges, I eat less and (usually) healthy.
This morning I played basketball. I did my official weigh-in too.
WEIGHT: 191.6
Difference: 25.9 lbs. since May 1, 2006 ... still averaging .2 lbs. a day.
This weekend I'm going to try to pig out less. I'm not buying Doritos or anything else. I'm going to try extra hard to avoid Tom Thumb and its ice cream selection.
I almost feel like I need Gandalf to do the same thing to my favorite ice cream and snacks that he did to the Balrog ... "You cannot pass. The dark calories will not avail you, fat of Cows. Go back to the supermarket shelf! You cannot pass."
Tomorrow I'll be going to the gym again. I've been considering taking up swimming and biking to supplement my running for my off-basketball days. So tomorrow morning I plan on swimming a few laps and then hopping on the bike. Eventually I would want to turn those workouts into a triathlon.
Anyway ... that is all for now.
First, the Taylor scale I bought ... I'm not pleased with it. I've been comparing it to the gym scale and the only thing that is consistent about the Taylor is its inconsistency. The gym scale on the other hand seems to be reliable. So I'm bummed about that. But on the up side, I think I'll be going to the gym a few more days a week rather than to just play basketball. So I'll be using the gym scale more often.
Second, stated in mathematical terms, (opening weekend for college football ) + (1 bag of Doritos) + (1 gallon of ice cream) + (rainy weather) + (Labor Day holiday) = (pounds gained).
Third, another mathematical conclusion ... (healthy eating) + (minimal eating) + (exercise) + (drinking lots of water) = (pounds lost).
Fourth, the Shangri-la diet helps me control my eating urges. When I control my eating urges, I eat less and (usually) healthy.
This morning I played basketball. I did my official weigh-in too.
WEIGHT: 191.6
Difference: 25.9 lbs. since May 1, 2006 ... still averaging .2 lbs. a day.
This weekend I'm going to try to pig out less. I'm not buying Doritos or anything else. I'm going to try extra hard to avoid Tom Thumb and its ice cream selection.
I almost feel like I need Gandalf to do the same thing to my favorite ice cream and snacks that he did to the Balrog ... "You cannot pass. The dark calories will not avail you, fat of Cows. Go back to the supermarket shelf! You cannot pass."
Tomorrow I'll be going to the gym again. I've been considering taking up swimming and biking to supplement my running for my off-basketball days. So tomorrow morning I plan on swimming a few laps and then hopping on the bike. Eventually I would want to turn those workouts into a triathlon.
Anyway ... that is all for now.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
One of the Scales is Off (maybe)
So I compared scales again this morning. I weighed in on the Taylor with my basketball outfit on. Then I weighed myself on the gym scale. The difference was .4 lbs. today. Now one thing to note is that sometimes I will weigh myself on the Taylor, step off, wait 30 seconds and step back on it again and the reading is different. I'll then wait another minute before weighing in again. Usually the 2nd and 3rd and 4th readings are the same. With that in mind, I think I may have just weighed myself once on the Taylor Tuesday morning. So I'll do the same test over the next few weeks until I get a good idea what the difference is between the two scales.
My eating habits have been pretty solid. I've been partaking of the WO in the morning, eating Goldfish crackers, yogurt and an apple for lunch and then just having one helping at dinner and not snacking after dinner. I've had a good week of exercise ... played ball on Tuesday, ran on Wednesday and played ball again this morning. I'll run 3 miles tomorrow morning and then either play ball or run on Saturday.
This morning I had my official weigh-in.
Same scale, same time of day with just a towel.
WEIGHT: 191.7
Difference: 25.8 lbs. since May 1, 2006 (avg. .2 lbs/day)
I'm going to start reporting what the average loss per day is since I started Shangri-La. At .2 lbs. a day, I'll hit my goal on October 4th, 2006.
My eating habits have been pretty solid. I've been partaking of the WO in the morning, eating Goldfish crackers, yogurt and an apple for lunch and then just having one helping at dinner and not snacking after dinner. I've had a good week of exercise ... played ball on Tuesday, ran on Wednesday and played ball again this morning. I'll run 3 miles tomorrow morning and then either play ball or run on Saturday.
This morning I had my official weigh-in.
Same scale, same time of day with just a towel.
WEIGHT: 191.7
Difference: 25.8 lbs. since May 1, 2006 (avg. .2 lbs/day)
I'm going to start reporting what the average loss per day is since I started Shangri-La. At .2 lbs. a day, I'll hit my goal on October 4th, 2006.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Moving Towards the Home Scale
I bought a scale at Wal*Mart a couple of weeks ago. The scale is made by Taylor. I chose the low-end Taylor scale because all I needed was a scale that measured weight ... not body fat or body water ... just weight. Taylor seems to pride itself on being accurate. So far, I'm pleased with the scale.
Of course I became curious about how far apart measurements are between my gym's scale and our Taylor scale. Tuesday morning I put on my basketball clothing, socks and shoes, then I weighed myself on the Taylor. I made sure I didn't drink or consume anything before weighing myself on the gym scale. I weighed myself on the gym scale and found that there is a 1.1 lbs. difference between the gym scale and the Taylor. Whenever I weigh myself on the Taylor, I need to subtract 1.1 pounds to arrive at my gym scale number.
Now I've only tested this once. Tomorrow I will test the scales again. I'll continue to test the scales over the next few times I go to the gym. After getting a few samples, then I'll feel confident about weighing myself on the Taylor scale.
Why am I doing this? First, because I may eventually quit the gym and will end up using the Taylor scale. So I want the transition in weights to be accurate. I'm a nutcase ... I like correct data. As long as the two scales are about a pound apart, then I'm fine with using the Taylor for my official weight.
Secondly, I'm running on non-basketball days and I want to use the Taylor to weigh myself after the run.
I went running this morning ... it was beautiful outside ... the heat has broken here in Texas. It was 64 degrees at 6am. After a good 3 mile run I weighed in on the Taylor.
Unofficial Weight: 193.0 (Taylor) 191.9 (adjusted to gym scale)
Unofficial Difference: 25.6 lbs. since May 1, 2006 (adjusted)
Tomorrow I'll have more data as well as an official weigh-in. Eventually my official weigh-ins will be on the Taylor.
Of course I became curious about how far apart measurements are between my gym's scale and our Taylor scale. Tuesday morning I put on my basketball clothing, socks and shoes, then I weighed myself on the Taylor. I made sure I didn't drink or consume anything before weighing myself on the gym scale. I weighed myself on the gym scale and found that there is a 1.1 lbs. difference between the gym scale and the Taylor. Whenever I weigh myself on the Taylor, I need to subtract 1.1 pounds to arrive at my gym scale number.
Now I've only tested this once. Tomorrow I will test the scales again. I'll continue to test the scales over the next few times I go to the gym. After getting a few samples, then I'll feel confident about weighing myself on the Taylor scale.
Why am I doing this? First, because I may eventually quit the gym and will end up using the Taylor scale. So I want the transition in weights to be accurate. I'm a nutcase ... I like correct data. As long as the two scales are about a pound apart, then I'm fine with using the Taylor for my official weight.
Secondly, I'm running on non-basketball days and I want to use the Taylor to weigh myself after the run.
I went running this morning ... it was beautiful outside ... the heat has broken here in Texas. It was 64 degrees at 6am. After a good 3 mile run I weighed in on the Taylor.
Unofficial Weight: 193.0 (Taylor) 191.9 (adjusted to gym scale)
Unofficial Difference: 25.6 lbs. since May 1, 2006 (adjusted)
Tomorrow I'll have more data as well as an official weigh-in. Eventually my official weigh-ins will be on the Taylor.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Another Side Effect?
So my grades from my Summer Semester came out finally. It turns out that Summer 2006 was my best term ever! I'm a B+ MBA student. But this term I earned 3 A-'s and 1 A.
What is significant about this is that I started the Shangri-La diet right end the end of April and the beginning of May. The Summer term started towards the beginning of May. So could the Shangri-La diet make one smarter too?
I'm half-joking when I ask that question, but that also means I'm half-serious. Maybe I'm not necessarily smarter by ingesting extra-light olive oil or walnut oil, but perhaps by losing weight I've gained confidence and thus am able to perform better in my classes.
Or maybe my better performance is due to the fact that I took two organizational behavior classes (generally considered easy) and one database class (I'm an IT nut, so it was easy). But I did take a tough finance course and I've only earned one other A- in all my other finance classes ... so maybe it was the diet.
Well, I have two more classes before I graduate in December ... one is International Financial Markets and the other is Advanced Master Negotiations. So if I perform well in these classes (A or A-), then maybe being on the diet and getting good grades has a correlation. Maybe Seth can use some students to test this theory! :-)
As for an update on the diet ...
TUESDAY: I played basketball of course, drank 12 fl. oz. of Mt. Dew, 1 dose WO, normal lunch (normal = cup of Goldfish crackers, Yoplait yogurt and 1 apple), 2nd dose of WO in afternoon, 1 SuperSonic cheeseburger and cream-slush before class and then two cookies before going to bed.
WEDNESDAY: 1 dose WO, normal lunch, 2nd dose WO, 4 homemade tacos and 1 cup of Dreyer's Double Vanilla ice cream.
THURSDAY: Basketball in the morning (had to cut it short 15 minutes as one of the guys tore a knee), 1 dose WO, normal lunch ... and since I'm writing this at lunch, I'll take my 2nd dose of WO at 3:30pm or so and then for dinner I'll probably eat leftover tacos.
After basketball this morning, I weighed in.
Same time of day, same scale, same outfit (dry towel):
WEIGHT: 193.3
Difference: 24.2 lbs. since May 1, 2006
So I gained .3 lbs. since Tuesday morning ... I still have to work that Sonic burger and those tacos out of my system. I'm not discouraged at all ... this has happened many times before along my journey.
My wife started the diet a few weeks ago. She told me that she has lost 2 pounds already! I'm excited for her!
What is significant about this is that I started the Shangri-La diet right end the end of April and the beginning of May. The Summer term started towards the beginning of May. So could the Shangri-La diet make one smarter too?
I'm half-joking when I ask that question, but that also means I'm half-serious. Maybe I'm not necessarily smarter by ingesting extra-light olive oil or walnut oil, but perhaps by losing weight I've gained confidence and thus am able to perform better in my classes.
Or maybe my better performance is due to the fact that I took two organizational behavior classes (generally considered easy) and one database class (I'm an IT nut, so it was easy). But I did take a tough finance course and I've only earned one other A- in all my other finance classes ... so maybe it was the diet.
Well, I have two more classes before I graduate in December ... one is International Financial Markets and the other is Advanced Master Negotiations. So if I perform well in these classes (A or A-), then maybe being on the diet and getting good grades has a correlation. Maybe Seth can use some students to test this theory! :-)
As for an update on the diet ...
TUESDAY: I played basketball of course, drank 12 fl. oz. of Mt. Dew, 1 dose WO, normal lunch (normal = cup of Goldfish crackers, Yoplait yogurt and 1 apple), 2nd dose of WO in afternoon, 1 SuperSonic cheeseburger and cream-slush before class and then two cookies before going to bed.
WEDNESDAY: 1 dose WO, normal lunch, 2nd dose WO, 4 homemade tacos and 1 cup of Dreyer's Double Vanilla ice cream.
THURSDAY: Basketball in the morning (had to cut it short 15 minutes as one of the guys tore a knee), 1 dose WO, normal lunch ... and since I'm writing this at lunch, I'll take my 2nd dose of WO at 3:30pm or so and then for dinner I'll probably eat leftover tacos.
After basketball this morning, I weighed in.
Same time of day, same scale, same outfit (dry towel):
WEIGHT: 193.3
Difference: 24.2 lbs. since May 1, 2006
So I gained .3 lbs. since Tuesday morning ... I still have to work that Sonic burger and those tacos out of my system. I'm not discouraged at all ... this has happened many times before along my journey.
My wife started the diet a few weeks ago. She told me that she has lost 2 pounds already! I'm excited for her!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
The Pounds Are Coming Off More Slowly
When I first started the Shangri-La lifestyle (I don't view it as a diet in the sense that you go on a diet for a period of time and then you go back to whatever you did before) I would lose about 2 pounds a week. Now I'm losing about less than a pound a week.
This leveling is due to the fact that I've not been as rigorous in my routine as I was before we had our baby at the end of July. But now that life is beginning to settle down a bit and now that school has tapered off somewhat, I'm getting back into my habits.
This is my routine now:
This leveling is due to the fact that I've not been as rigorous in my routine as I was before we had our baby at the end of July. But now that life is beginning to settle down a bit and now that school has tapered off somewhat, I'm getting back into my habits.
This is my routine now:
- Running outside (about 3 miles each day now) on Mondays, Wednesdays and hopefully Fridays and Saturdays)
- Playing basketball on Tuesdays and Thursdays (an hour each day)
- Ingesting a tablespoon of Spectrum walnut oil (WO) in the morning and in the afternoon
- Skipping breakfast (or worded differently ... eating a tablespoon of WO for breakfast)
- Eating a light lunch (normally a cup of Goldfish crackers, an apple and a cup of Yoplait yogurt)
- Eating a nutritious dinner ... but not stuffing myself ... I stop when I feel satisfied
- Not eating after dinner ... just drinking water.
I'm hoping by sticking to my routine (as I did before) I'll be able to shed those last 8 pounds and keep 'em off for six months.
In order to make this blog more useful for those who are following it and who are curious about what I eat, I'll provide an update of how well I keep to my plan and any deviations from it.
Since I've gone below 200, I've not bounced above that mark ... this is encouraging to me because it tells me that the pounds are staying off.
Today I weighed in ... same time of day, same scale with just the towel.
WEIGHT: 193.0
Difference: 24.5 lbs. since May 1, 2006
Let the last 8 pounds fall.
Thursday, August 3, 2006
And the Pounds Roll
Last week I strained my calf muscle. After a good sleep that night, I was feeling much better the next day. I played basketball on Saturday and did well.
Monday morning I ran 3 miles. Tuesday I played ball. Wednesday I ran 3 miles on the treadmill. This morning I played basketball.
Since I've been at home helping out, I've not been in my normal routine lately which means I haven't been diligent about taking my dose of WO. This morning will be the first time in a few days that I will have taken it. But the pounds are still rolling off. I'm less than 10 pounds away from my target weight.
This morning I weighed in.
Same time of day, same scale with just the towel.
WEIGHT: 194.5
Difference: 23 lbs. since May 1, 2006
The other day an old friend and co-worker came in my office to congradulate me on the new baby. He also asked me if I had been losing weight. He said that my face looks much thinner than he had remembered. I told him (proudly) that I had lost 20 lbs. since May 1st. He was impressed. Besides the benefit of feeling good about myself, comments like that really make it all worth it.
Monday morning I ran 3 miles. Tuesday I played ball. Wednesday I ran 3 miles on the treadmill. This morning I played basketball.
Since I've been at home helping out, I've not been in my normal routine lately which means I haven't been diligent about taking my dose of WO. This morning will be the first time in a few days that I will have taken it. But the pounds are still rolling off. I'm less than 10 pounds away from my target weight.
This morning I weighed in.
Same time of day, same scale with just the towel.
WEIGHT: 194.5
Difference: 23 lbs. since May 1, 2006
The other day an old friend and co-worker came in my office to congradulate me on the new baby. He also asked me if I had been losing weight. He said that my face looks much thinner than he had remembered. I told him (proudly) that I had lost 20 lbs. since May 1st. He was impressed. Besides the benefit of feeling good about myself, comments like that really make it all worth it.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Life Gets in the Way Sometimes
I'm still going. We recently welcomed our 4th child into the world.
She and her mother are doing well. Despite the long days of watching the other 3 squids, I've managed to stay on the diet relatively well.
I played basketball on the 25th and weighed in as usual.
July 25 Weigh-in
WEIGHT: 196.0
Difference: 21.5 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I was so proud of myself after that weigh-in that I loosened up a little. I get curious about whether I can gain weight because the pounds seem to come off so effortlessly. So I pigged out on my mother-in-law's potatoes, green-bean casserole and spiral-cut ham. I ate big dinners and lunches on Wednesday and Thursday.
Thusday morning came around and I was on the basketball court again. About 30 minutes into my workout, I felt a tightness in my left calf muscle. It hit me right when I cut to the basket for a layup. I thought it was cramps because that's what it felt like, but the pain persisted especially when I tried to run. I stopped and tried to stretch it and massage it, but the pain didn't leave. So I had to shower early. It was painful to put pressure on it the rest of the day. I looked up my symptoms on WebMD and it turns out that it's a muscle strain.
This morning when I woke up, the pain was considerably less. I can walk "normally" now without limping. So I'll give it some rest until next Tuesday and then see how I'll do on the court.
Anyway, I weighed in Thursday morning too.
July 27 Weigh-in
WEIGHT: 198.0
Difference: 19.5 lbs. since May 1, 2006
Yesterday I had a really good day on the diet. I took the WO in the morning and then ate a McDonald's salad. Then I drank WO in the afternoon. I went to class that night and then didn't eat anything until I got home. When I got home, I just ate a ham sandwich. I really wasn't hungry all day long.
I havn't been taking the flax seed oil capsules lately ... just been forgetting. But I have been continuing to get some good sleep.
Anyway ... I'm still here. I probably will only post once a week until I hit 185 (which should be around the middle of September).
Thursday, July 20, 2006
20 lbs. Later
There's not much to say at this point. I seem to be humming along in my quest for 185. I consider a day like yesterday a big success.
I took two tbsp of WO in the morning and then drank lots of water. I ate lunch at noon. I had a banana, a cup of yogurt and some pretzels. In the afternoon, I took two more tbsp of WO. That night I ate a decent dinner ... beef sandwich, grapes, pineapple, carrots, olives and a bowl of ice cream.
This morning I played basketball. I injured by left big toe. My right big toenail, if you recall, was ripped from the skin a few weeks ago causing me extreme pain. The right toenail is going to fall off ... it's completely black. Well this morning, I did it to the other toe. Although not as bad as the right toenail, it still hurts. I took my shoe off after playing and my sock was bloody. So at least the blood is escaping this time and therefore it isn't so painful.
So this week I only had two minor injuries ... a blister on my right hand (from sliding on the floor) and my toenail.
So after playing, I showered and weighed in.
Same time of day, same scale with just the towel (I finally realized I was spelling towel incorrectly).
WEIGHT: 197.0
Difference: 20.5 lbs. since May 1, 2006
Only 12 lbs. left & six months holding it to complete this quest.
I took two tbsp of WO in the morning and then drank lots of water. I ate lunch at noon. I had a banana, a cup of yogurt and some pretzels. In the afternoon, I took two more tbsp of WO. That night I ate a decent dinner ... beef sandwich, grapes, pineapple, carrots, olives and a bowl of ice cream.
This morning I played basketball. I injured by left big toe. My right big toenail, if you recall, was ripped from the skin a few weeks ago causing me extreme pain. The right toenail is going to fall off ... it's completely black. Well this morning, I did it to the other toe. Although not as bad as the right toenail, it still hurts. I took my shoe off after playing and my sock was bloody. So at least the blood is escaping this time and therefore it isn't so painful.
So this week I only had two minor injuries ... a blister on my right hand (from sliding on the floor) and my toenail.
So after playing, I showered and weighed in.
Same time of day, same scale with just the towel (I finally realized I was spelling towel incorrectly).
WEIGHT: 197.0
Difference: 20.5 lbs. since May 1, 2006
Only 12 lbs. left & six months holding it to complete this quest.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Steady ... Steady ... Steady
My kids play this game that they made up. One of them stands against the wall while the other pretends to walk on a tightwire towards the one standing against the wall. While they walk, they hold their hands out to the side and say, "steady .... steady ... steady" and when they finally reach the other, they tickle each other and laugh. Anyway ... my weight is steadily holding and that made me think of their game.
I really didn't take the SW or WO this weekend. I just snack all the time and maybe eat an occasional meal. I did get to play some basketball on Saturday. Then the kids and I went swimming.
We've been melting here in Dallas. Last night coming home from class, the temperature was 98 at 10:00pm. We're supposed to be up to 106 today. The gym wasn't very cool this morning because of the heat.
Basketball was great this morning. I had a few solid games and I got a great workout.
After showering, I weighed in.
Same time of day and same scale with just the towl.
WEIGHT: 198.4
Difference: 19.1 lbs. since May 1, 2006
So I hope by Thursday I will have lost over 20 lbs. since starting the SLD. That will be a significant milestone for me. I remember one person who did the SLD who said that she had lost something like 25 lbs. I think it was around Thanksgiving time and she was pulling her turkey out of the refridgerator and it dawned on her that she had been carrying the weight of a turkey on her body all those years.
My waist is shrinking. At first I was excited that I had to constantly pull my pants up, but now it's starting to get annoying. I'm on the last hole of my belt ... so I'll be needing new pants and a belt before too long.
As for SLD diet today ... I think I'm going to take a tbsp of WO in the morning and ditch the SW. I didn't know if it was just me, but I found out that others also tended to be more hungry when they drank the SW. I've noticed that the WO in the afternoon will supress my hunger for at least 3 hours. I hope it will have the same affect when I take it in the morning too. I'll let y'all know how it goes.
I really didn't take the SW or WO this weekend. I just snack all the time and maybe eat an occasional meal. I did get to play some basketball on Saturday. Then the kids and I went swimming.
We've been melting here in Dallas. Last night coming home from class, the temperature was 98 at 10:00pm. We're supposed to be up to 106 today. The gym wasn't very cool this morning because of the heat.
Basketball was great this morning. I had a few solid games and I got a great workout.
After showering, I weighed in.
Same time of day and same scale with just the towl.
WEIGHT: 198.4
Difference: 19.1 lbs. since May 1, 2006
So I hope by Thursday I will have lost over 20 lbs. since starting the SLD. That will be a significant milestone for me. I remember one person who did the SLD who said that she had lost something like 25 lbs. I think it was around Thanksgiving time and she was pulling her turkey out of the refridgerator and it dawned on her that she had been carrying the weight of a turkey on her body all those years.
My waist is shrinking. At first I was excited that I had to constantly pull my pants up, but now it's starting to get annoying. I'm on the last hole of my belt ... so I'll be needing new pants and a belt before too long.
As for SLD diet today ... I think I'm going to take a tbsp of WO in the morning and ditch the SW. I didn't know if it was just me, but I found out that others also tended to be more hungry when they drank the SW. I've noticed that the WO in the afternoon will supress my hunger for at least 3 hours. I hope it will have the same affect when I take it in the morning too. I'll let y'all know how it goes.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Great Morning of Basketball
I think the shot of Omega 3 EFA's into my diet is helping me sleep more soundly at night. Last night I fell asleep soundly and was ready to get up when the alarm sounded.
This morning at basketball, I was active and accurate. It was a lot of fun.
After ball, I weighed in.
Same time of day & scale with just the towl.
WEIGHT: 198.7
Difference: 18.8 lbs. since May 1, 2006
Another side benefit (which has been mentioned by others) is smoother skin. Before getting on the SLD, I would often have skin outbreaks on my nose and nostrils. Every week or two, my skin would get really dry and red. Sometimes it looked really bad. Since taking a shot of oil every day, I've never noticed the skin on my nose go dry. The real test will be when the winter comes.
Anyway ... down with the pounds!
This morning at basketball, I was active and accurate. It was a lot of fun.
After ball, I weighed in.
Same time of day & scale with just the towl.
WEIGHT: 198.7
Difference: 18.8 lbs. since May 1, 2006
Another side benefit (which has been mentioned by others) is smoother skin. Before getting on the SLD, I would often have skin outbreaks on my nose and nostrils. Every week or two, my skin would get really dry and red. Sometimes it looked really bad. Since taking a shot of oil every day, I've never noticed the skin on my nose go dry. The real test will be when the winter comes.
Anyway ... down with the pounds!
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Broken!
I finally broke the 200 barrier!
Yesterday, I worked out ... did some shooting drills and then biked for 30 minutes. I weighed in and was 201.3. I wasn't suprised. For food yesterday, I had the SW in the morning, a McDonald's salad for lunch and then I ate a cup of yogurt and some green beans before class. On break, I ate a nectarine. When I got home, I found leftover pizza. So I ate 3 slices.
This morning, I played some great games of basketball. After showering, I weighed in.
Same time of day on the same scale with just the towl.
WEIGHT: 199.7
Difference: 17.8 lbs. since May 1, 2006
The last time I remember being under 200 lbs. was December of 1997. I was at my brother's for Christmas and I remember eating a lot of food. When I stepped on his scale and saw that was 200+ I was shocked. That was the first time I broke 200 lbs. I don't think I ever fell below the 200 mark since then. So for me, this is a personal victory. Now it's time to work on creating a buffer zone so I won't be bouncing back and forth between 199 and 201.
Today's menu: SW for breakfast. Yogurt, a nectarine and some wheat thins for lunch. Later in the afternoon I'll be taking a swig of walnut oil. I don't know what my wife will cook up for dinner. I'll probably have a salad.
I don't know if I stated why I switched to walnut oil. I read an entry on Seth's blog that he was testing with it and found some positive side effects.
What got me interested in it was the side affect of better sleep. I've always have had a hard time falling asleep ever since I've gone back to school to work on my MBA. So I'm giving walnut oil a try. I'm also taking 1000mg of flax-oil a day (usually with dinner). So far, I've been able to fall asleep faster and get up when the alarm sounds. Anyway, read the post to get the full scoop.
Yesterday, I worked out ... did some shooting drills and then biked for 30 minutes. I weighed in and was 201.3. I wasn't suprised. For food yesterday, I had the SW in the morning, a McDonald's salad for lunch and then I ate a cup of yogurt and some green beans before class. On break, I ate a nectarine. When I got home, I found leftover pizza. So I ate 3 slices.
This morning, I played some great games of basketball. After showering, I weighed in.
Same time of day on the same scale with just the towl.
WEIGHT: 199.7
Difference: 17.8 lbs. since May 1, 2006
The last time I remember being under 200 lbs. was December of 1997. I was at my brother's for Christmas and I remember eating a lot of food. When I stepped on his scale and saw that was 200+ I was shocked. That was the first time I broke 200 lbs. I don't think I ever fell below the 200 mark since then. So for me, this is a personal victory. Now it's time to work on creating a buffer zone so I won't be bouncing back and forth between 199 and 201.
Today's menu: SW for breakfast. Yogurt, a nectarine and some wheat thins for lunch. Later in the afternoon I'll be taking a swig of walnut oil. I don't know what my wife will cook up for dinner. I'll probably have a salad.
I don't know if I stated why I switched to walnut oil. I read an entry on Seth's blog that he was testing with it and found some positive side effects.
To test this idea, I made two changes: (a) I started drinking 2 tablespoons/day
of walnut oil. Walnut oil (12% omega-3) is a much better source than olive oil
(1%) or canola oil (7%). (b) I started taking 10 flax-oil capsules/day (= 100
calories/day). Flax oil (58% omega-3) is an especially good source. (I drank
Spectrum refined walnut oil, which has little flavor, and I mixed it with water
to reduce its flavor. Another walnut oil I have tried, International Collection,
has a strong walnut flavor.)
What got me interested in it was the side affect of better sleep. I've always have had a hard time falling asleep ever since I've gone back to school to work on my MBA. So I'm giving walnut oil a try. I'm also taking 1000mg of flax-oil a day (usually with dinner). So far, I've been able to fall asleep faster and get up when the alarm sounds. Anyway, read the post to get the full scoop.
Saturday, July 8, 2006
Unofficially at 200.0
Yesterday, I didn't take the ELOO in the afternoon as I was out of ELOO. My wife bought some walnut oil for me yesterday. So I'll be replacing the ELOO with WO. I ate a McDonald's salad for lunch and then before class, I ate a cup of yogurt and some cherry tomatos.
On my break during class, I ate one apple. When I got home that night, I ate some BBQ beef and some chips and salsa.
This morning I played basketball for about 90 minutes at one gym. Then I went to my "normal" gym and played for about 30 minutes more. I showered and weighed in.
Same scale, but about 3 hours later.
Unofficial Weight: 200.0
Difference: 17.5 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I was beat and had no energy at that point. So I ate a yogurt parfait (sp?) which was like frozen yogurt along with some fruit. I also drank some OJ. Then the family and I went swimming.
Just like last week, I took the kids to Sonic. I had an orange cream slushie with 4 tator-tots and a bite of my son's corndog. I'm done for the afternoon. I'll have a salad tonight and then call it quits.
I just need to do good tomorrow and hopefully on Monday I'll break that barrier.
On my break during class, I ate one apple. When I got home that night, I ate some BBQ beef and some chips and salsa.
This morning I played basketball for about 90 minutes at one gym. Then I went to my "normal" gym and played for about 30 minutes more. I showered and weighed in.
Same scale, but about 3 hours later.
Unofficial Weight: 200.0
Difference: 17.5 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I was beat and had no energy at that point. So I ate a yogurt parfait (sp?) which was like frozen yogurt along with some fruit. I also drank some OJ. Then the family and I went swimming.
Just like last week, I took the kids to Sonic. I had an orange cream slushie with 4 tator-tots and a bite of my son's corndog. I'm done for the afternoon. I'll have a salad tonight and then call it quits.
I just need to do good tomorrow and hopefully on Monday I'll break that barrier.
Friday, July 7, 2006
Great Week
I'm really proud of myself. I worked out Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and I'm playing basketball tomorrow. I stuck with the SLD every day this week and I feel great!
Yesterday before class, I went to Taco Bell and ate a crunch wrap supreme and a taco. After class, I ate two slices of turkey and some zucchini (sp?) bread.
This morning I did my plyometric workout and then biked for 30 minutes. After showering I weighed in.
Same time of day & scale with just a towl.
WEIGHT: 200.4
Difference: 17.1 lbs. since May 1, 2006
So no big loss, but still inching closer to that 200 mark.
Yesterday before class, I went to Taco Bell and ate a crunch wrap supreme and a taco. After class, I ate two slices of turkey and some zucchini (sp?) bread.
This morning I did my plyometric workout and then biked for 30 minutes. After showering I weighed in.
Same time of day & scale with just a towl.
WEIGHT: 200.4
Difference: 17.1 lbs. since May 1, 2006
So no big loss, but still inching closer to that 200 mark.
Thursday, July 6, 2006
Back to Last Week
Yesterday was good. I drank the SW in the morning, ate a cup of Yoplait cream peach yogurt and a Gala apple. I partook of the ELOO in the afternoon.
When I got home, I dug into a Rice Crispy treat. I fixed some mini bite sized pizzas for the kids. I ate about 3 or 4 of those along with a salad. Then I ate some banana bread and a few more bites of a Rice Crispy treat. Then I drank lots of water. I was done eating by 6:00pm.
This morning I played basketball for an hour.
After showering, I weighed in.
Same time, scale with just the towl.
WEIGHT: 200.7
Difference: 16.8 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I like how I got to 200.7 this week. It was "normal." Last week's 200.7 was probably due mostly to other factors. This week's 200.7 came the same way I've been losing most of my weight ... sticking to a routine and steadily losing the pounds.
So now the task at hand is to stick to the plan. I'm not going to binge on pizza this week. I drank SW this morning and am going to eat my same lunch as I've always had ... yogurt & apple (with an extra treat today ... cherry tomatos). Tonight I'll have a salad and then that's it.
I'm hoping to go to the gym tomorrow morning. I have class tonight and will be getting home late ... so it all depends on how good my rest is tonight.
When I got home, I dug into a Rice Crispy treat. I fixed some mini bite sized pizzas for the kids. I ate about 3 or 4 of those along with a salad. Then I ate some banana bread and a few more bites of a Rice Crispy treat. Then I drank lots of water. I was done eating by 6:00pm.
This morning I played basketball for an hour.
After showering, I weighed in.
Same time, scale with just the towl.
WEIGHT: 200.7
Difference: 16.8 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I like how I got to 200.7 this week. It was "normal." Last week's 200.7 was probably due mostly to other factors. This week's 200.7 came the same way I've been losing most of my weight ... sticking to a routine and steadily losing the pounds.
So now the task at hand is to stick to the plan. I'm not going to binge on pizza this week. I drank SW this morning and am going to eat my same lunch as I've always had ... yogurt & apple (with an extra treat today ... cherry tomatos). Tonight I'll have a salad and then that's it.
I'm hoping to go to the gym tomorrow morning. I have class tonight and will be getting home late ... so it all depends on how good my rest is tonight.
Tuesday, July 4, 2006
2.8 Pounds Off the Mark
So I never recovered from that Papa John's Pizza binge last Thursday night. I'll be heading into a Thursday morning weigh-in above the 200 mark.
I played basketball this morning. It wasn't full-court. Only 4 people showed up, so we played 2 on 2. It wasn't much of a workout, but I was dead by the time we finished.
Same time, scale with just a towl.
WEIGHT: 202.8
Difference: 14.7 lbs. since May 1, 2006.
After basketball this morning, I drank my SW. I didn't eat until 11:00am. For lunch I ate a handful of Goldfish crackers and a nectarine with some V8 fruit juice. A couple of hours later I ate some Sunchips.
Tonight we'll have a small picnic when we go the park to let the kids play, then I'll be done eating for the day. Tomorrow I won't be able to work out in the morning. I might go to the gym at night.
Thursday will be the next big weigh-in to see if I break that psychological 200 lbs. mark.
I played basketball this morning. It wasn't full-court. Only 4 people showed up, so we played 2 on 2. It wasn't much of a workout, but I was dead by the time we finished.
Same time, scale with just a towl.
WEIGHT: 202.8
Difference: 14.7 lbs. since May 1, 2006.
After basketball this morning, I drank my SW. I didn't eat until 11:00am. For lunch I ate a handful of Goldfish crackers and a nectarine with some V8 fruit juice. A couple of hours later I ate some Sunchips.
Tonight we'll have a small picnic when we go the park to let the kids play, then I'll be done eating for the day. Tomorrow I won't be able to work out in the morning. I might go to the gym at night.
Thursday will be the next big weigh-in to see if I break that psychological 200 lbs. mark.
Monday, July 3, 2006
Wild Swings
I'm struggling to push past that 200 mark. My weight has wildly been swinging between 204 and 200. But after reflecting on why that is the case, I understand.
On Thursday when I hit 200.7, I ended up eating about 5 or 6 slices of Papa John's pizza that night.
On Friday I polished off the pizza for lunch and then ate a huge taco salad dinner that night followed by angel food cake with strawberries and 100% cream. Later on while watching TV, I ate a Moose Tracks ice cream bar.
Saturday was better, but not much. I played basketball for 2 hours from 7-9am. Then I took the kids up to the gym and played another hour of basketball while they played in the child care place. I showered and weighed in at around 202.4. Then I took them swimming. We swam for about 90 minutes and then went to Sonic. I ate a strawberry sundae. The rest of the day I just snacked and ate whatever.
Sunday I was much better. I drank my SW in the morning and then had a P&B sandwich with chocolate milk for a snack. After church, I ate a taco salad around 3pm and then I was done for the day. That night, I drank two tbsp of ELOO with water at around 8:20pm.
This morning I did my plyometric workout and then biked for 30 minutes. After showering I weighed in.
Same scale, time of day with just a towl.
WEIGHT: 204.00
Difference: 13.5 lbs. since May 1, 2006
Today I plan on drinking lots of water to try to "cleanse" my system out. I'm commited to eating well today and tomorrow. I need to do better on the weekends. Somehow I need to find a weekend routine ... something to keep me from eating out of boredom. I also need to not visit the Tom Thumb on Friday to buy those ice cream bars!
If I were around 190 and popping back and forth between 190 and 194, I wouldn't mind so much. But I really want to drop below that 200 mark for good.
Tomorrow is the 4th of July. What will I weigh? Maybe after I get the food out of my system and after a good session of basketball (if anyone shows up tomorrow) then I'll be at 200.
On Thursday when I hit 200.7, I ended up eating about 5 or 6 slices of Papa John's pizza that night.
On Friday I polished off the pizza for lunch and then ate a huge taco salad dinner that night followed by angel food cake with strawberries and 100% cream. Later on while watching TV, I ate a Moose Tracks ice cream bar.
Saturday was better, but not much. I played basketball for 2 hours from 7-9am. Then I took the kids up to the gym and played another hour of basketball while they played in the child care place. I showered and weighed in at around 202.4. Then I took them swimming. We swam for about 90 minutes and then went to Sonic. I ate a strawberry sundae. The rest of the day I just snacked and ate whatever.
Sunday I was much better. I drank my SW in the morning and then had a P&B sandwich with chocolate milk for a snack. After church, I ate a taco salad around 3pm and then I was done for the day. That night, I drank two tbsp of ELOO with water at around 8:20pm.
This morning I did my plyometric workout and then biked for 30 minutes. After showering I weighed in.
Same scale, time of day with just a towl.
WEIGHT: 204.00
Difference: 13.5 lbs. since May 1, 2006
Today I plan on drinking lots of water to try to "cleanse" my system out. I'm commited to eating well today and tomorrow. I need to do better on the weekends. Somehow I need to find a weekend routine ... something to keep me from eating out of boredom. I also need to not visit the Tom Thumb on Friday to buy those ice cream bars!
If I were around 190 and popping back and forth between 190 and 194, I wouldn't mind so much. But I really want to drop below that 200 mark for good.
Tomorrow is the 4th of July. What will I weigh? Maybe after I get the food out of my system and after a good session of basketball (if anyone shows up tomorrow) then I'll be at 200.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Pressed Hard This Week
Amazing! I was really surprised when I stepped on the scale this morning. Before basketball, I put on my shoes and then weighed myself ... I was about 208. So I figured I was about 204 without the clothes and shoes.
I played basketball. I played every game. We started at 6:50 and finished at 7:20. I was exhausted by the time we were done playing. I could hardly walk up and down the court. I drank a diet Pepsi yesterday before my database final and since I don't drink caffeine that often, I had a hard time getting to sleep last night. So I was playing basketball on 3 hours of sleep (I think I finally fell asleep at 1:45am and got up at 5:10am).
After showering, I stepped on the scale.
Same scale, roughly the same time of day (maybe about 15 minutes later than usual) with just the dry towl.
WEIGHT: 200.7
Difference: 16.8 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I think the dramatic drop was due to a few reasons. When I weighed in on Tuesday, I still had a lot of food and water in my system. By Wednesday, most of that food was out of my system and I had been drinking a lot of water. I also was back to my "routine" on Tuesday & Wednesday. I drank my SW in the morning, ate a light lunch, took my shot of ELOO in the afternoon and ate very light dinners. Then this morning, as I usually do, I didn't fill up on a lot of water when I played basketball. I usually wait to drink water until after I weigh in. I've always been doing this. So since I played for 90 minutes today rather than 60 minutes, I probably lost more H2O than normal.
So I'm .7 lbs off from my mark for the 4th. I'm going to be right around 200 for the 4th of July. I may even be below 200 next Tuesday.
Tonight, I'm going to bed early and then going to the gym tomorrow. I've only worked out twice this week. I need to get a session in tomorrow and then play some more ball on Saturday. I haven't done my plyometric workout for over a week. I've noticed my legs are a lot heavier. I need to get them feeling light again.
I played basketball. I played every game. We started at 6:50 and finished at 7:20. I was exhausted by the time we were done playing. I could hardly walk up and down the court. I drank a diet Pepsi yesterday before my database final and since I don't drink caffeine that often, I had a hard time getting to sleep last night. So I was playing basketball on 3 hours of sleep (I think I finally fell asleep at 1:45am and got up at 5:10am).
After showering, I stepped on the scale.
Same scale, roughly the same time of day (maybe about 15 minutes later than usual) with just the dry towl.
WEIGHT: 200.7
Difference: 16.8 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I think the dramatic drop was due to a few reasons. When I weighed in on Tuesday, I still had a lot of food and water in my system. By Wednesday, most of that food was out of my system and I had been drinking a lot of water. I also was back to my "routine" on Tuesday & Wednesday. I drank my SW in the morning, ate a light lunch, took my shot of ELOO in the afternoon and ate very light dinners. Then this morning, as I usually do, I didn't fill up on a lot of water when I played basketball. I usually wait to drink water until after I weigh in. I've always been doing this. So since I played for 90 minutes today rather than 60 minutes, I probably lost more H2O than normal.
So I'm .7 lbs off from my mark for the 4th. I'm going to be right around 200 for the 4th of July. I may even be below 200 next Tuesday.
Tonight, I'm going to bed early and then going to the gym tomorrow. I've only worked out twice this week. I need to get a session in tomorrow and then play some more ball on Saturday. I haven't done my plyometric workout for over a week. I've noticed my legs are a lot heavier. I need to get them feeling light again.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Hard Pressed This Week
I popped back up to 204.
WEIGHT: 204.2
Difference: 13.3 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I ate a lot of food on Monday. I also didn't drink my SW in the morning. I did take my ELOO in the afternoon. I intended to go to the gym in the morning, but our son has been sick and so he's been coming up to our room in the middle of the night. So I slept in ... a lot.
This morning I got a few games of basketball in. I didn't do well at all. My shot is off again. I weighed in and was disappointed. Tuesdays seem to be down days for me lately.
So I have 7 days to lose 4.2 pounds. Historically speaking, I lose just over 2 pounds per week. If I really want to hit 200 next week, I really need to exercise tomorrow, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and then eat good on the weekend.
WEIGHT: 204.2
Difference: 13.3 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I ate a lot of food on Monday. I also didn't drink my SW in the morning. I did take my ELOO in the afternoon. I intended to go to the gym in the morning, but our son has been sick and so he's been coming up to our room in the middle of the night. So I slept in ... a lot.
This morning I got a few games of basketball in. I didn't do well at all. My shot is off again. I weighed in and was disappointed. Tuesdays seem to be down days for me lately.
So I have 7 days to lose 4.2 pounds. Historically speaking, I lose just over 2 pounds per week. If I really want to hit 200 next week, I really need to exercise tomorrow, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and then eat good on the weekend.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Back In Business
Well the toe is better now. It's still draining a little.
I played basketball at 7:00am this morning. I used my new shoes for the first time and I think they'll work out great. My toe leaked into two pairs of socks while I was playing. But there wasn't any pain.
After ball, I came home, drank some Gatorade and then we all went to the gym. I shot around while waiting to play some more basketball. I got to play one game. After that, we all went swimming for about 90 minutes. I weighed in while at the gym.
I weighed in at 11:00am rather than 7:15am. But other than that, same scale with just the dry towl.
WEIGHT: 203.5
Difference: 14 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I'm ready to break the 200 mark by July 4th. July 4th is a Tuesday. Maybe we'll play ball that morning. Either way I'll be weighing in that day.
I played basketball at 7:00am this morning. I used my new shoes for the first time and I think they'll work out great. My toe leaked into two pairs of socks while I was playing. But there wasn't any pain.
After ball, I came home, drank some Gatorade and then we all went to the gym. I shot around while waiting to play some more basketball. I got to play one game. After that, we all went swimming for about 90 minutes. I weighed in while at the gym.
I weighed in at 11:00am rather than 7:15am. But other than that, same scale with just the dry towl.
WEIGHT: 203.5
Difference: 14 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I'm ready to break the 200 mark by July 4th. July 4th is a Tuesday. Maybe we'll play ball that morning. Either way I'll be weighing in that day.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Injury
My toe nails have problems. I don't mean to gross people out, but I have fungus under my nails. A couple of months ago, my left big toe nail was so brittle that when I stubbed it on somebody's shoe in basketball, it broke off and it was kind of painful. Last year I talked to my doctor about the problem. She confirmed that I have fungus under the nails and prescribed the appropriate medication. But my insurance won't cover it. The medication costs hundreds of dollars. So I let it be.
This Tuesday I stubbed my right big toe on somebody's shoe. It hurt really bad. In the locker room, I expected to see blood when I took my shoe off. But there wasn't any ... just lots of blue under the nail. I drove to work in excruciating pain. I could hardly sit still it was hurting and throbbing so badly. It felt like a car was parked on my toe ... like a car door was shut on my toe and remained shut. I finally decided to leave work and go see the doctor. I knew the doctor wouldn't be able to do much, but I wanted to know if it was broken or not and I wanted some painkillers in case the pain didn't subside.
I had it x-rayed and it's not broken. But the nail was about 80% separated from the skin. There is a lot of blood built up underneath. I took lots of ibuprophen that day and that helped me cope with the pain. Tuesday was just a bad day ... the toe injury, didn't do too well on a group presentation and the Mavs lost. I'm glad that day is long gone.
After a good sleep, I woke up Wednesday morning and it was feeling much better. I could walk much better, but still had a gimp. I didn't have to take any ibuprophen.
Last night I had another good sleep and this morning I'm feeling much, much better. I can walk normally now. I think I might be able to play ball on Saturday. Before I play though, I'm going to buy some quality basketball shoes. The cheap ones I bought in January slide too much and I think the constant jamming of my toe to the front of my shoe doesn't help. Anyway, the pressure is mostly gone and I can bend it and apply most of my weight to it again.
What is so frustrating is that I think I was really starting to have some solid games in basketball between last Saturday and Tuesday and now it's all interrupted. I missed basketball this morning.
So back to the purpose of the blog ... I expect my weight will be about the same or even slightly more by the time I weigh in next time.
I'm still on the "diet" ... I'm drinking the SW and ELOO. Yesterday and Tuesday I missed, but today I'm back on. I ate breakfast this morning (wheat chex with blueberries) so I'll be taking the SW at 11:00am and eating lunch after 12:00pm. Then I'll take my swig of ELOO this afternoon.
This Tuesday I stubbed my right big toe on somebody's shoe. It hurt really bad. In the locker room, I expected to see blood when I took my shoe off. But there wasn't any ... just lots of blue under the nail. I drove to work in excruciating pain. I could hardly sit still it was hurting and throbbing so badly. It felt like a car was parked on my toe ... like a car door was shut on my toe and remained shut. I finally decided to leave work and go see the doctor. I knew the doctor wouldn't be able to do much, but I wanted to know if it was broken or not and I wanted some painkillers in case the pain didn't subside.
I had it x-rayed and it's not broken. But the nail was about 80% separated from the skin. There is a lot of blood built up underneath. I took lots of ibuprophen that day and that helped me cope with the pain. Tuesday was just a bad day ... the toe injury, didn't do too well on a group presentation and the Mavs lost. I'm glad that day is long gone.
After a good sleep, I woke up Wednesday morning and it was feeling much better. I could walk much better, but still had a gimp. I didn't have to take any ibuprophen.
Last night I had another good sleep and this morning I'm feeling much, much better. I can walk normally now. I think I might be able to play ball on Saturday. Before I play though, I'm going to buy some quality basketball shoes. The cheap ones I bought in January slide too much and I think the constant jamming of my toe to the front of my shoe doesn't help. Anyway, the pressure is mostly gone and I can bend it and apply most of my weight to it again.
What is so frustrating is that I think I was really starting to have some solid games in basketball between last Saturday and Tuesday and now it's all interrupted. I missed basketball this morning.
So back to the purpose of the blog ... I expect my weight will be about the same or even slightly more by the time I weigh in next time.
I'm still on the "diet" ... I'm drinking the SW and ELOO. Yesterday and Tuesday I missed, but today I'm back on. I ate breakfast this morning (wheat chex with blueberries) so I'll be taking the SW at 11:00am and eating lunch after 12:00pm. Then I'll take my swig of ELOO this afternoon.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Weekend Update
Friday morning I worked out ... I did my plyometric workout and then biked for 30 minutes. I weighed in and I had gained! I was 205.3 ... a bit suprising. Friday wasn't a good day for eating. I was working from home and had access to lots of snacks ... M&M's, Cheetos, leftovers and on and on. That night, we had a BBQ and I ate a lot. It wasn't a good day at all for the SLD.
Today I was going to play basketball, but we didn't have enough to play. So the family and I went to the gym. I shot around at that gym for about 30 minutes (I was on fire beyond the 3-point line). No one showed up, so I went upstairs and did bike for 20 minutes. After that, I was heading back to the locker room and saw that they were playing 8 on 8. So I got another warm body and we played 10. The streak continued. I bombed 3-pointer after 3-pointer. When you're on, it feels so good. I knew that it wouldn't last for long, so I kept jacking em' up. I played two games and then had to go because the family was leaving.
I showered and weighed in.
This morning I weighed in about 3 hours after I normally weigh in. Other than that, it was the same scale with just the dry towl.
WEIGHT: 203.8
Difference: 13.7 lbs. since May 1, 2006
After they gym, I made a big smoothie for me and my wife ... frozen berries, OJ, banana and strawberry yogurt ... that was lunch. Tonight we're going out to eat with friends, so I won't be eating all afternoon.
Today I was going to play basketball, but we didn't have enough to play. So the family and I went to the gym. I shot around at that gym for about 30 minutes (I was on fire beyond the 3-point line). No one showed up, so I went upstairs and did bike for 20 minutes. After that, I was heading back to the locker room and saw that they were playing 8 on 8. So I got another warm body and we played 10. The streak continued. I bombed 3-pointer after 3-pointer. When you're on, it feels so good. I knew that it wouldn't last for long, so I kept jacking em' up. I played two games and then had to go because the family was leaving.
I showered and weighed in.
This morning I weighed in about 3 hours after I normally weigh in. Other than that, it was the same scale with just the dry towl.
WEIGHT: 203.8
Difference: 13.7 lbs. since May 1, 2006
After they gym, I made a big smoothie for me and my wife ... frozen berries, OJ, banana and strawberry yogurt ... that was lunch. Tonight we're going out to eat with friends, so I won't be eating all afternoon.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Great Start to the Weekend
To me, Thursdays seem like the beginning of the weekend.
Wednesday was a rest day. I slept in and went into work late. I drank a tbsp of sugar with about 3 cups of water in the morning. I always drink a few more cups of plain cold water too. I finished the SW by about 9:15am. As always, I waited an hour before chewing some gum. By the time 11:00am rolled around, I was getting hungry. I ate some homemade chicken parmasean and noodles. It was very delicious. For lunch, I try to eat just about two to four cups of food. I visually think about how many cups the food would be if it were diced up into tiny pieces.
After lunch, I chewed on some more gum. I'm pretty full for the next few hours. I continue to drink lots of water during the day. I don't know how much water fits in a styrofoam cup here at work, but I would guess about 5-6 measuring cups.
By the time 3:00pm comes, I'm starting to feel hungry. I drink 2 tbsp of ELOO. It is gross, but I survive. I leave work around 4:30 or 5:00pm. By the time I get to class or home, I feel hungry again. I will usually have a small dinner and then I'm full the rest of the night.
So that's a typical day for me.
Today, I played basketball. I was really tired.
After showering, I weighed in. I found that a dry towl weighs almost a pound ... .9lbs to be exact.
Same time of day ... same scale ... just a dry towl around my waist.
WEIGHT: 204.5
Difference: 13 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I am really going to make a focused effort to eat well this weekend. I hope I can actually lose a couple of pounds this weekend.
Wednesday was a rest day. I slept in and went into work late. I drank a tbsp of sugar with about 3 cups of water in the morning. I always drink a few more cups of plain cold water too. I finished the SW by about 9:15am. As always, I waited an hour before chewing some gum. By the time 11:00am rolled around, I was getting hungry. I ate some homemade chicken parmasean and noodles. It was very delicious. For lunch, I try to eat just about two to four cups of food. I visually think about how many cups the food would be if it were diced up into tiny pieces.
After lunch, I chewed on some more gum. I'm pretty full for the next few hours. I continue to drink lots of water during the day. I don't know how much water fits in a styrofoam cup here at work, but I would guess about 5-6 measuring cups.
By the time 3:00pm comes, I'm starting to feel hungry. I drink 2 tbsp of ELOO. It is gross, but I survive. I leave work around 4:30 or 5:00pm. By the time I get to class or home, I feel hungry again. I will usually have a small dinner and then I'm full the rest of the night.
So that's a typical day for me.
Today, I played basketball. I was really tired.
After showering, I weighed in. I found that a dry towl weighs almost a pound ... .9lbs to be exact.
Same time of day ... same scale ... just a dry towl around my waist.
WEIGHT: 204.5
Difference: 13 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I am really going to make a focused effort to eat well this weekend. I hope I can actually lose a couple of pounds this weekend.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Down a Little
This weekend was rough. I broke down and ate a bag of Doritos and 4 ice cream bars (Moose Track).
I decided to workout on Monday. I started doing a little training to improve my speed and jumping ability. I am sore today. I weighed in on Monday and I was up to 208.6 ... ouch! Monday after work, I cut the lawn and watered.
This morning, I played basketball, as usual. It was fun, but our team kept losing, so we'd play a game then sit a game. Despite the resting between games, I was beat by the time we were done playing.
After showering, I weighed in.
Same time & scale with just the towl.
WEIGHT: 205.8
Difference: 11.7 lbs. since May 1, 2006
So I still end up down since Thursday. But maybe if I had eaten better this weekend, I would be down to 204 or even 203. I would really like to have one good weekend to see how much it would help.
I decided to workout on Monday. I started doing a little training to improve my speed and jumping ability. I am sore today. I weighed in on Monday and I was up to 208.6 ... ouch! Monday after work, I cut the lawn and watered.
This morning, I played basketball, as usual. It was fun, but our team kept losing, so we'd play a game then sit a game. Despite the resting between games, I was beat by the time we were done playing.
After showering, I weighed in.
Same time & scale with just the towl.
WEIGHT: 205.8
Difference: 11.7 lbs. since May 1, 2006
So I still end up down since Thursday. But maybe if I had eaten better this weekend, I would be down to 204 or even 203. I would really like to have one good weekend to see how much it would help.
Thursday, June 8, 2006
I Fought the Diet ... and the Diet Won
Since Tuesday, I've been eating more food than usual.
Tuesday afternoon before class, I ate a Taco Bell burrito supreme. When I got home from class (10pm), I ate two slices of Papa John's pizza and a bowl of Moose Tracks.
Wednesday, I didn't exercise. For lunch I ate lasagna & yogurt. Before class, I ate about 3/4-ths of a regular size Asian chicken wrap from Roly Poly. I also drank about 3 cups of Dr. Pepper. After class, I ate two slices of wheat bread with peanut butter and honey. This was more than I usually eat in a day.
This morning at the gym, before I started playing basketball, I weighed myself (clothes and shoes on). I was about 210. I wanted to get a feel for how much I sweat off during a game of basketball. I knew that my clothes and shoes weight about 2 pounds, so that put be around 208 ... roughly speaking. I played basketball ... played one game, sat out one, then played two more games. I showered and then weighed in.
Same time of day, same scale with just a towl (today I used a dry towl instead of the usual wet towl. From now on, I'll weigh in with a dry towl.)
WEIGHT: 206.5
Difference: 11 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I was confident that I was going to be about 207 or more ... I ate at night ... ate more than I usually do ... I ate "tasty" foods. Maybe it was the dry towl that made the difference today. This is crazy. So it was a good week this week. I lost 2.3 lbs. since last Thursday.
I went to Academy Sports yesterday. I purchased some JumpSoles. Call it a childhood dream, but I really want to dunk the basketball. As a nice side benefit, I should get quicker too. I plan on going to the gym and working on this program on the off days (Mon, Wed). I haven't looked at the program yet, but if time allows, I'll also use Tuesdays and Thursdays too to work with the JumpSoles. My plantar faciiatis is still hanging around a bit. It is noticably less painful these days, but it is still there.
The Mavs & Heat are finally playing tonight. GO MAVS!!
Tuesday afternoon before class, I ate a Taco Bell burrito supreme. When I got home from class (10pm), I ate two slices of Papa John's pizza and a bowl of Moose Tracks.
Wednesday, I didn't exercise. For lunch I ate lasagna & yogurt. Before class, I ate about 3/4-ths of a regular size Asian chicken wrap from Roly Poly. I also drank about 3 cups of Dr. Pepper. After class, I ate two slices of wheat bread with peanut butter and honey. This was more than I usually eat in a day.
This morning at the gym, before I started playing basketball, I weighed myself (clothes and shoes on). I was about 210. I wanted to get a feel for how much I sweat off during a game of basketball. I knew that my clothes and shoes weight about 2 pounds, so that put be around 208 ... roughly speaking. I played basketball ... played one game, sat out one, then played two more games. I showered and then weighed in.
Same time of day, same scale with just a towl (today I used a dry towl instead of the usual wet towl. From now on, I'll weigh in with a dry towl.)
WEIGHT: 206.5
Difference: 11 lbs. since May 1, 2006
I was confident that I was going to be about 207 or more ... I ate at night ... ate more than I usually do ... I ate "tasty" foods. Maybe it was the dry towl that made the difference today. This is crazy. So it was a good week this week. I lost 2.3 lbs. since last Thursday.
I went to Academy Sports yesterday. I purchased some JumpSoles. Call it a childhood dream, but I really want to dunk the basketball. As a nice side benefit, I should get quicker too. I plan on going to the gym and working on this program on the off days (Mon, Wed). I haven't looked at the program yet, but if time allows, I'll also use Tuesdays and Thursdays too to work with the JumpSoles. My plantar faciiatis is still hanging around a bit. It is noticably less painful these days, but it is still there.
The Mavs & Heat are finally playing tonight. GO MAVS!!
Tuesday, June 6, 2006
The Diet Works
I think I'm just about convinced that this lifestyle change works for me.
Saturday morning, I played basketball. When I got home, I drank the SW along with lots of plain water. The rest of the day I just snacked. That night, I ate a Taco Bell salad and a burrito. Then I had a huge bowl of Moose Tracks ice cream (my absolute favorite ice cream).
The next day, I fasted. Once a month, I participate in a religious fast. I didn't drink or eat anything for pretty much the entire day. I was suprised at how easy it was this month. I didn't breakfast or have lunch. I didn't eat or drink anything until about 6pm that evening. Then I ate one chicken cordon blue, a cup of mixed vegetables. Later I ate another heaping bowl of Moose Tracks ice cream. Then I drank lots of water.
Monday was a normal day. I had the SW in the morning. I ate a yogurt for lunch and one leftover cordon bleu. Later in the afternoon, I ate a small bag of Chex mix. I didn't drink the ELOO. Monday night, I ate two helpings of my wife's delicious lasagna and two pieces of French garlic bread. After my 2nd helping, I knew that I would gain back some weight.
This morning, I played an hour of basketball. After I showered, I weighed in.
Same time of day, same scale with just a towl.
WEIGHT: 207.7
Difference: 9.8 lbs since May 1, 2006
The subtitle of Seth Roberts' book is "The No Hunger Eat Anything Weight-Loss Plan." I think the diet lives up to that reputation.
Saturday morning, I played basketball. When I got home, I drank the SW along with lots of plain water. The rest of the day I just snacked. That night, I ate a Taco Bell salad and a burrito. Then I had a huge bowl of Moose Tracks ice cream (my absolute favorite ice cream).
The next day, I fasted. Once a month, I participate in a religious fast. I didn't drink or eat anything for pretty much the entire day. I was suprised at how easy it was this month. I didn't breakfast or have lunch. I didn't eat or drink anything until about 6pm that evening. Then I ate one chicken cordon blue, a cup of mixed vegetables. Later I ate another heaping bowl of Moose Tracks ice cream. Then I drank lots of water.
Monday was a normal day. I had the SW in the morning. I ate a yogurt for lunch and one leftover cordon bleu. Later in the afternoon, I ate a small bag of Chex mix. I didn't drink the ELOO. Monday night, I ate two helpings of my wife's delicious lasagna and two pieces of French garlic bread. After my 2nd helping, I knew that I would gain back some weight.
This morning, I played an hour of basketball. After I showered, I weighed in.
Same time of day, same scale with just a towl.
WEIGHT: 207.7
Difference: 9.8 lbs since May 1, 2006
The subtitle of Seth Roberts' book is "The No Hunger Eat Anything Weight-Loss Plan." I think the diet lives up to that reputation.
Thursday, June 1, 2006
Little to Report
I normally lose more than a pound between Tuesdays and Thursdays. The only thing I can figure out is that I ate a Taco Bell Burrito Supreme before class Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons instead of a salad. However, last week, I only lost .7 lbs between Tuesday and Thursday.
This week, I only lost .6 lbs between Tuesday and Thursday.
Anyway ... today was an official weigh-in.
Same time & scale with just a towl.
WEIGHT: 208.8
Difference: 8.7 lbs. since May 1, 2006
So I lose almost 9 pounds in my first month of this diet ... not bad. This puts me on schedule to hit 200 around the 4th of July ... independance from food and weight.
This week, I only lost .6 lbs between Tuesday and Thursday.
Anyway ... today was an official weigh-in.
Same time & scale with just a towl.
WEIGHT: 208.8
Difference: 8.7 lbs. since May 1, 2006
So I lose almost 9 pounds in my first month of this diet ... not bad. This puts me on schedule to hit 200 around the 4th of July ... independance from food and weight.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
I Survived!
I survived the weekend! My in-laws were in town and when they visit, we go out to eat a lot. Friday we ate at Mama's Daughters. Saturday we ate at Jimmy John's and Fogo de Chao. Sunday was a normal day and yesterday we had a big BBQ for Memorial Day.
Saturday morning, I played basketball. When I got home, I gulped a glass of water with sugar water. Then I ate a half sandwich from Jimmy John's. I knew I was going to have a big dinner that night, so I tried very hard not to eat much during the day. That night, I took a scoop of everything at the buffet at Fogo. Then I had a sample of pretty much every meat. Boy ... was that delicious. I am a steak-lover. Their steak meat was so tender and delicious. It was a very good meal. I didn't feel so full after dinner. That night I had some ice cream while we played Settlers of Catan.
Sunday was a pretty normal day. I just snacked all day long and really didn't eat a meal.
Monday, I played basketball for two hours, came home, drank my sugar water and then mowed the lawn. After that, we all went swimming at the gym. The water was so nice and so cool. It felt great. Then we stopped by Sonic and got some slushies. That filled me up quite a bit. I had to drink a liter of water to drain all the sugar in my system. That night, we cooked a BBQ. I ate two steaks and a cup of potato salad and some corn. Then I polished off the ice cream while we watched some TV.
This morning was judgement day. On Monday while we were at WalMart, I found a scale and weighed myself. One scale read 217 while another read 215. Either way, I knew I gained a few pounds. So I prepared myself for the worst this morning. After playing basketball and showering, I weighed in.
Same time of day, same scale with just the towl.
WEIGHT: 209.4
Difference: 8.1 lbs since May 1, 2006
That's right on schedule. Two pounds a week for the month.
I think the diet is working for me.
Saturday morning, I played basketball. When I got home, I gulped a glass of water with sugar water. Then I ate a half sandwich from Jimmy John's. I knew I was going to have a big dinner that night, so I tried very hard not to eat much during the day. That night, I took a scoop of everything at the buffet at Fogo. Then I had a sample of pretty much every meat. Boy ... was that delicious. I am a steak-lover. Their steak meat was so tender and delicious. It was a very good meal. I didn't feel so full after dinner. That night I had some ice cream while we played Settlers of Catan.
Sunday was a pretty normal day. I just snacked all day long and really didn't eat a meal.
Monday, I played basketball for two hours, came home, drank my sugar water and then mowed the lawn. After that, we all went swimming at the gym. The water was so nice and so cool. It felt great. Then we stopped by Sonic and got some slushies. That filled me up quite a bit. I had to drink a liter of water to drain all the sugar in my system. That night, we cooked a BBQ. I ate two steaks and a cup of potato salad and some corn. Then I polished off the ice cream while we watched some TV.
This morning was judgement day. On Monday while we were at WalMart, I found a scale and weighed myself. One scale read 217 while another read 215. Either way, I knew I gained a few pounds. So I prepared myself for the worst this morning. After playing basketball and showering, I weighed in.
Same time of day, same scale with just the towl.
WEIGHT: 209.4
Difference: 8.1 lbs since May 1, 2006
That's right on schedule. Two pounds a week for the month.
I think the diet is working for me.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
The March to 185 Continues
I splurged on lunch yesterday. I had two huge helpings of salad with Italian dressing. I also ate about 4 or 5 (small) slices of pizza along with a small slice of apple pie from Mama's Daughters. Suprisingly, I didn't have the "stuffed" feeling after eating all that.
Just as suprising, I wasn't hungry until late last night after class. I wouldn't have eaten anything, but the Mavs/Suns game was on and so while I was watching the game, I ate two pieces of fried chicken.
This morning, I played basketball and had a good workout.
The weigh-in was good. As always, same time of day, same scale with just the towl.
WEIGHT: 210.3
Difference: 7.2 lbs since May 1, 2006
So I lose 3 pounds this week, but really I've only lost about a pound since last week. That darn trip.
If all goes as planned, I should be at 185 on about August 24.
Just as suprising, I wasn't hungry until late last night after class. I wouldn't have eaten anything, but the Mavs/Suns game was on and so while I was watching the game, I ate two pieces of fried chicken.
This morning, I played basketball and had a good workout.
The weigh-in was good. As always, same time of day, same scale with just the towl.
WEIGHT: 210.3
Difference: 7.2 lbs since May 1, 2006
So I lose 3 pounds this week, but really I've only lost about a pound since last week. That darn trip.
If all goes as planned, I should be at 185 on about August 24.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
A Few Pounds Gone
I had a great day on Monday as far as the diet goes.
This morning, I woke up a happy man after the Mavs won one of the most amazing NBA playoff series I've ever seen.
Basketball was a good workout. My plantar faciitis is managable. The inserts help a lot.
After basketball and a nice cold shower, I weighed in.
Same time, same scale with the towl.
WEIGHT: 211.1
Difference: 6.4 lbs since May 1, 2006
Yep, it's official now!
To be honest, I was quite shocked to see the scale tip from 210.9 to 211.1 when I got on it this morning. I was expecting 212 or something around there.
I am quite proud of myself ... yesterday was a co-worker/friend's last day here at work. We gave him a going-away party. The admins had cookies and ice cream. I resisted (eating the cookies and ice cream) and it wasn't hard.
A little commentary on the diet ...
Some might say that I just needed to cut calories and that I didn't need to do the whole Shangri-La thing. To them I say that the Shangri-La diet has given me greater control over my urges to eat. Yes, I am still "hungry" at times, but before doing this diet when I was hungry, I would impulsively eat. And when I ate impulsively, I would eat poorly. Some might say that it's all psychological ... it's all in my head. To them I say ... whatever works.
This diet has given me just the right control and incentive to lose those unwanted pounds. It helps me to discipline my eating habits. It is just what I needed.
This morning, I woke up a happy man after the Mavs won one of the most amazing NBA playoff series I've ever seen.
Basketball was a good workout. My plantar faciitis is managable. The inserts help a lot.
After basketball and a nice cold shower, I weighed in.
Same time, same scale with the towl.
WEIGHT: 211.1
Difference: 6.4 lbs since May 1, 2006
Yep, it's official now!
To be honest, I was quite shocked to see the scale tip from 210.9 to 211.1 when I got on it this morning. I was expecting 212 or something around there.
I am quite proud of myself ... yesterday was a co-worker/friend's last day here at work. We gave him a going-away party. The admins had cookies and ice cream. I resisted (eating the cookies and ice cream) and it wasn't hard.
A little commentary on the diet ...
Some might say that I just needed to cut calories and that I didn't need to do the whole Shangri-La thing. To them I say that the Shangri-La diet has given me greater control over my urges to eat. Yes, I am still "hungry" at times, but before doing this diet when I was hungry, I would impulsively eat. And when I ate impulsively, I would eat poorly. Some might say that it's all psychological ... it's all in my head. To them I say ... whatever works.
This diet has given me just the right control and incentive to lose those unwanted pounds. It helps me to discipline my eating habits. It is just what I needed.
Monday, May 22, 2006
A Few Pounds Back
I am sorry to report that after being kicked out, a few pounds infiltrated my system again. I facilitated their infiltration.
The trip to Austin was good. Unfortunately, Rudy's was the main course at my brother-in-law's house for the weekend. His graduation party was Friday night. I had two helpings on Friday and three helpings on Saturday. Then, on our way back home, I bought a berries n cream Dr. Pepper and a bag of Doritos to keep me awake while I drove.
For the record, I didn't follow the diet at all this weekend.
This morning, I got up and did 30 minutes on the bike and 15 minutes of shooting around.
Weigh-in ... same time, scale & towl ...
WEIGHT: 213.3
Difference: 4.2 lbs since May 1, 2006
The good news ... I won't have any more road-trips for the rest of the year which means I'll be in my routine for a long time.
The trip to Austin was good. Unfortunately, Rudy's was the main course at my brother-in-law's house for the weekend. His graduation party was Friday night. I had two helpings on Friday and three helpings on Saturday. Then, on our way back home, I bought a berries n cream Dr. Pepper and a bag of Doritos to keep me awake while I drove.
For the record, I didn't follow the diet at all this weekend.
This morning, I got up and did 30 minutes on the bike and 15 minutes of shooting around.
Weigh-in ... same time, scale & towl ...
WEIGHT: 213.3
Difference: 4.2 lbs since May 1, 2006
The good news ... I won't have any more road-trips for the rest of the year which means I'll be in my routine for a long time.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Unofficially Good News
We're headed to my brother-in-law's graduation today. As such, I'm working from home today. So when I went to the gym this morning, I didn't take my stuff to shower at the gym and therefore I didn't get to officially weigh myself.
But with all that said, I've weighed myself before with my gym clothes on and it amounts to about 2 extra pounds on the scale. I weighed 213 with my sweaty gyms clothes and basketball shoes on.
Unofficial Weight: ~211
Unofficial Difference: ~6 lbs since May 1, 2006
I was really disappointed that I didn't get an official weigh-in today because I knew today was the day I was going to break the 212 barrier. 212 lbs. was the lowest weight I was able to attain when I was running every day back in 2005.
This weekend will be a challenge. We're going to be with family (going out to eat) and we're going to Seaworld (eating out again). But the good news is that I am really motivated to stick to it. It isn't *hard* to do, but what is difficult is to remember to do the ELOO and SW. One of the most significant aspects of this diet is that it has helped me change my attitude about eating. I feel in control more that before I started this thing.
At this point, I know that the pounds can and will come off. What I'm really interested in finding out is if I can make my goal and if I can keep it off for 6 months.
Stay tuned.
PS ... I bought some Dr. Scholls Heel Pain Relief orthotics yesterday. I was feeling much better at basketball today! I don't think I'll need to stop playing ball because of the PF stuff :-)
But with all that said, I've weighed myself before with my gym clothes on and it amounts to about 2 extra pounds on the scale. I weighed 213 with my sweaty gyms clothes and basketball shoes on.
Unofficial Weight: ~211
Unofficial Difference: ~6 lbs since May 1, 2006
I was really disappointed that I didn't get an official weigh-in today because I knew today was the day I was going to break the 212 barrier. 212 lbs. was the lowest weight I was able to attain when I was running every day back in 2005.
This weekend will be a challenge. We're going to be with family (going out to eat) and we're going to Seaworld (eating out again). But the good news is that I am really motivated to stick to it. It isn't *hard* to do, but what is difficult is to remember to do the ELOO and SW. One of the most significant aspects of this diet is that it has helped me change my attitude about eating. I feel in control more that before I started this thing.
At this point, I know that the pounds can and will come off. What I'm really interested in finding out is if I can make my goal and if I can keep it off for 6 months.
Stay tuned.
PS ... I bought some Dr. Scholls Heel Pain Relief orthotics yesterday. I was feeling much better at basketball today! I don't think I'll need to stop playing ball because of the PF stuff :-)
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Oh so close!
I am so close to 212lbs.
Again, I thought that when I weighed myself this morning, I'd be over (or that I would have gained) but I held steady.
As always, same time, same scale with just the towl.
WEIGHT: 213.1
Difference: 4.4 lbs since May 1, 2006
I didn't eat great this weekend, but I didn't eat so much either. Today should be a really good day.
On the down side, I think I have plantar fasciitis. Tim Duncan had this injury for about 80 games this season and he just barely got over it. This is going to make life very depressing since I won't be able to play basketball for a while. I played this morning, but after the first game, I just couldn't plant my left foot like I wanted to. It hurt to run up and down the court. After reading about this injury on WebMD this morning, I decided that the best thing I can do right now is to let it heal ... do lots of stretches, ice it, stay off it, rest it and take ibuprofen. I think I'll also pay a visit to the sports store and get some inserts for my shoes.
So in the meantime, I'll be riding the bicycle at the gym ... probably for the next month or so.
Again, I thought that when I weighed myself this morning, I'd be over (or that I would have gained) but I held steady.
As always, same time, same scale with just the towl.
WEIGHT: 213.1
Difference: 4.4 lbs since May 1, 2006
I didn't eat great this weekend, but I didn't eat so much either. Today should be a really good day.
On the down side, I think I have plantar fasciitis. Tim Duncan had this injury for about 80 games this season and he just barely got over it. This is going to make life very depressing since I won't be able to play basketball for a while. I played this morning, but after the first game, I just couldn't plant my left foot like I wanted to. It hurt to run up and down the court. After reading about this injury on WebMD this morning, I decided that the best thing I can do right now is to let it heal ... do lots of stretches, ice it, stay off it, rest it and take ibuprofen. I think I'll also pay a visit to the sports store and get some inserts for my shoes.
So in the meantime, I'll be riding the bicycle at the gym ... probably for the next month or so.
Monday, May 15, 2006
The Book Review
Should you buy the book? (Do I recommend buying this book?)
My answer depends on what you are wanting to know.
If you just want to know what to do without a whole lot of theory behind the diet, then I suggest going to one of the links to the side (especially the CalorieLab link). You can read and get a feel for what you need to do to live this diet.
But, if you're like me, then you want to know a little more theory behind it to really understand how it works and to base your decisions off of principles rather than a two-step recipie. The book gives you the whole story right from the author himself. He explains the theory in multiple ways. He also goes into other subjects related to the diet such as other ways to achieve the same results.
The book is also a one-stop resource for early success stories from the early-adopter bloggers. Many pages are devoted to what bloggers had to say about this diet.
He also has a chapter devoted to what our society and businesses can do to encourage this diet. He referenced a couple of studies about how our society has become obese. It was a very interesting chapter.
And lastly, his appendix about the science behind the diet was very informative.
Tomorrow is my first of two official weigh-ins this week. I didn't eat too healthily this week. I bought some ice cream and root beer. I only had two root beer floats this weekend. Plus, we made brownies for mother's day. But other than that, I didn't eat a whole lot. I find that I don't eat breakfast or lunch on the weekends. I just have small snacks every two hours or so. Then I end up eating a decent dinner. But today, I had my SW this morning and I'm about to have some ELOO in a few minutes.
Until tomorrow ...
My answer depends on what you are wanting to know.
If you just want to know what to do without a whole lot of theory behind the diet, then I suggest going to one of the links to the side (especially the CalorieLab link). You can read and get a feel for what you need to do to live this diet.
But, if you're like me, then you want to know a little more theory behind it to really understand how it works and to base your decisions off of principles rather than a two-step recipie. The book gives you the whole story right from the author himself. He explains the theory in multiple ways. He also goes into other subjects related to the diet such as other ways to achieve the same results.
The book is also a one-stop resource for early success stories from the early-adopter bloggers. Many pages are devoted to what bloggers had to say about this diet.
He also has a chapter devoted to what our society and businesses can do to encourage this diet. He referenced a couple of studies about how our society has become obese. It was a very interesting chapter.
And lastly, his appendix about the science behind the diet was very informative.
Tomorrow is my first of two official weigh-ins this week. I didn't eat too healthily this week. I bought some ice cream and root beer. I only had two root beer floats this weekend. Plus, we made brownies for mother's day. But other than that, I didn't eat a whole lot. I find that I don't eat breakfast or lunch on the weekends. I just have small snacks every two hours or so. Then I end up eating a decent dinner. But today, I had my SW this morning and I'm about to have some ELOO in a few minutes.
Until tomorrow ...
Thursday, May 11, 2006
3 Pounds This Week
I play basketball Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Those are the days that I officially weigh myself. I consider Thursday the end of the week as far as Shangri-La goes.
As I will always state, I weighed myself just as I've always have ... same time of day, same scale, with just a towl around my waist.
Last Week: Thursday May 4 - 216.8
TODAY: Thursday May 11 - 213.3
Difference: 4.2 lbs since May 1, 2006 (I consider May 1, 2006 as my official starting date)
Typically, this is what I do each day:
8:00am I start drinking water and 1 tbsp of sugar. I don't drink it all at once. I take my time. I'm usually done drinking the sugar water by about 8:45am. Then I make sure I wait an hour before I chew some gum (I'm an Eclipse addict). The rest of the morning, I just drink water.
11:00am or so, I eat a light lunch. Yesterday, I had two slices of pizza and a small apple. I was stuffed. I try to take my time eating. I find that the slower I eat, the sooner I stop. In the afternoon ... more water and gum.
3:00pm (or at least an hour since I spit out my gum) I take 2 tbsp of oil.
Dinner is usually around 5:30-6:00pm. I've been eating salad the last couple of days. I try to make a good salad ... lettuce, cheese, chicken and some wheat crackers. The salad will always fill me up.
Last night, my wife made her famous lemon bars and sugar cookies. I ate 3 cookies and 2 bars. I was expecting to have gained back a pound this morning, but I didn't. Just think if I hadn't eaten that dessert! That is what I need to do better at ... no late night eating (or eating after dinner).
As I will always state, I weighed myself just as I've always have ... same time of day, same scale, with just a towl around my waist.
Last Week: Thursday May 4 - 216.8
TODAY: Thursday May 11 - 213.3
Difference: 4.2 lbs since May 1, 2006 (I consider May 1, 2006 as my official starting date)
Typically, this is what I do each day:
8:00am I start drinking water and 1 tbsp of sugar. I don't drink it all at once. I take my time. I'm usually done drinking the sugar water by about 8:45am. Then I make sure I wait an hour before I chew some gum (I'm an Eclipse addict). The rest of the morning, I just drink water.
11:00am or so, I eat a light lunch. Yesterday, I had two slices of pizza and a small apple. I was stuffed. I try to take my time eating. I find that the slower I eat, the sooner I stop. In the afternoon ... more water and gum.
3:00pm (or at least an hour since I spit out my gum) I take 2 tbsp of oil.
Dinner is usually around 5:30-6:00pm. I've been eating salad the last couple of days. I try to make a good salad ... lettuce, cheese, chicken and some wheat crackers. The salad will always fill me up.
Last night, my wife made her famous lemon bars and sugar cookies. I ate 3 cookies and 2 bars. I was expecting to have gained back a pound this morning, but I didn't. Just think if I hadn't eaten that dessert! That is what I need to do better at ... no late night eating (or eating after dinner).
Tuesday, May 9, 2006
Continued Progress
I don't know how I'm going to keep coming up with new titles ...
Today I weighed in. I always weigh-in at the same time of day on the same scale with just a towl around my waist.
I'm at 214.4!
I was expecting to be around 215 or 216 (same as last weigh-in.) I played basketball Saturday morning and then worked on a few projects around the house. Sunday, I rested all day. Monday, I worked from home and snacked all day. However, I didn't really eat a big lunch or dinner. Anyway, I was pleasantly shocked to see my weight below 215.
I plan on getting out to the gym more often again, now that school has slowed down a bit.
Last week and again today, I had a glass full of water with 4 tbsp of sugar. I used to eat a packet of oatmeal for breakfast, but now I think I'm just going to use the sugar water in the morning and then have the ELOO in the afternoon.
I'm adding a couple of links to fellow "dieters" in search of Shangri-La.
Good luck to them in their weight-loss goals.
If anyone else stumbles on this blog and has a blog tracking his/her Shangri-La experiences, post a comment and I'll link to your blog.
Today I weighed in. I always weigh-in at the same time of day on the same scale with just a towl around my waist.
I'm at 214.4!
I was expecting to be around 215 or 216 (same as last weigh-in.) I played basketball Saturday morning and then worked on a few projects around the house. Sunday, I rested all day. Monday, I worked from home and snacked all day. However, I didn't really eat a big lunch or dinner. Anyway, I was pleasantly shocked to see my weight below 215.
I plan on getting out to the gym more often again, now that school has slowed down a bit.
Last week and again today, I had a glass full of water with 4 tbsp of sugar. I used to eat a packet of oatmeal for breakfast, but now I think I'm just going to use the sugar water in the morning and then have the ELOO in the afternoon.
I'm adding a couple of links to fellow "dieters" in search of Shangri-La.
Good luck to them in their weight-loss goals.
If anyone else stumbles on this blog and has a blog tracking his/her Shangri-La experiences, post a comment and I'll link to your blog.
Thursday, May 4, 2006
Good Signs
So far, it appears to be working.
Yesterday, I had two tbsps of oil. I didn't feel like eating breakfast (usually a cup of oatmeal). I had a small lunch ... apple and some pasta soup. For dinner, I only ate one helping (waffle, 3 small sausages and a little bit of eggs). But later that night, I had a cup of yogurt and some crackers. I think the yogurt and crackers were out of boredom.
This morning's weigh-in ... 216.8. That's the lowest I've been since December. In the recent years, I've been as low as 212. So when I drop below 212, it will be significant.
If I go to the gym tomorrow, I'll post a report. But if I don't go, then I'll post an update on Tuesday the 9th.
Yesterday, I had two tbsps of oil. I didn't feel like eating breakfast (usually a cup of oatmeal). I had a small lunch ... apple and some pasta soup. For dinner, I only ate one helping (waffle, 3 small sausages and a little bit of eggs). But later that night, I had a cup of yogurt and some crackers. I think the yogurt and crackers were out of boredom.
This morning's weigh-in ... 216.8. That's the lowest I've been since December. In the recent years, I've been as low as 212. So when I drop below 212, it will be significant.
If I go to the gym tomorrow, I'll post a report. But if I don't go, then I'll post an update on Tuesday the 9th.
Wednesday, May 3, 2006
The Book Arrived This Week
I ordered the official book on the April 27. It came on May 1st.
I just finished a rough semester of school. So now that I have a break, I plan on reading through the book (about 150 pages) this week and next.
I haven't had a chance to weigh in lately. I'll report tomorrow since I'll be going to the gym in the morning.
Just a few things to note early on. Since taking the oil, my desire for food has decreased. I havn't been religious about taking the oil every day. But my first goal is to make it a habit. One considerable difference is my lunch. Before I started this "diet" (lifestyle change would be more accurate) I would pack and eat a huge lunch ... big sandwich, tons of Goldfish crackers, an apple, a yogurt, cheese stick and then some cookie or treat. Now, I just back a small portion (about a handful) of leftovers from the previous night's dinner and an apple. I'm usually full after eating half of my lunch. Sometimes the apple will just sit there until 2pm.
Dinner is changing too. I'm trying to just eat a salad for dinner. When I eat anything else, it is also just a handful portion.
So far so good!
I just finished a rough semester of school. So now that I have a break, I plan on reading through the book (about 150 pages) this week and next.
I haven't had a chance to weigh in lately. I'll report tomorrow since I'll be going to the gym in the morning.
Just a few things to note early on. Since taking the oil, my desire for food has decreased. I havn't been religious about taking the oil every day. But my first goal is to make it a habit. One considerable difference is my lunch. Before I started this "diet" (lifestyle change would be more accurate) I would pack and eat a huge lunch ... big sandwich, tons of Goldfish crackers, an apple, a yogurt, cheese stick and then some cookie or treat. Now, I just back a small portion (about a handful) of leftovers from the previous night's dinner and an apple. I'm usually full after eating half of my lunch. Sometimes the apple will just sit there until 2pm.
Dinner is changing too. I'm trying to just eat a salad for dinner. When I eat anything else, it is also just a handful portion.
So far so good!
Thursday, April 27, 2006
The First Time I Heard of the ...
... Shangri-La Diet was from a blogger over at the LDS Blogs site. I told my wife about it and she started trying it as well as her friend. They say that they don't feel so hungry and thus don't eat so much. I tried it for a few days, but with school and work, I just didn't think about it so much.
Now that his book is out (Amazon, B&N) I think it is time to put the diet to the test. This blog will document my journey from now until I reach my target weight. The day I reach my target weight is the day I stop frequently posting. After that, I'll provide a monthly update for 6 months to demonstrate if I can keep it off or not.
The links to the side provide plenty of reference material.
If you have a blog tracking your own progress with the diet, then post a comment and I'll add a link to your blog.
I am approximately six feet tall and currently weigh 217 lbs. as of 7:25am this morning. I've been as high as 240 lbs.
I should weigh 175 lbs. The last time I weighed that much, I was about 19. The last time I weighed under 200 lbs was December 1997.
My target weight will be 185 lbs.
My goal is to reach that weight and keep it off for at least 6 months.
Now that his book is out (Amazon, B&N) I think it is time to put the diet to the test. This blog will document my journey from now until I reach my target weight. The day I reach my target weight is the day I stop frequently posting. After that, I'll provide a monthly update for 6 months to demonstrate if I can keep it off or not.
The links to the side provide plenty of reference material.
If you have a blog tracking your own progress with the diet, then post a comment and I'll add a link to your blog.
I am approximately six feet tall and currently weigh 217 lbs. as of 7:25am this morning. I've been as high as 240 lbs.
I should weigh 175 lbs. The last time I weighed that much, I was about 19. The last time I weighed under 200 lbs was December 1997.
My target weight will be 185 lbs.
My goal is to reach that weight and keep it off for at least 6 months.
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