Speaking of Weight Loss Magic...

I just saw the Hawaii Chair on TV. Give me a break.

http://www.hawaiichair.com/index.php

Make sure to play the video. I hope someone is keeping this crap in a museum so that we can see how shameless these people are and how stupid we are for buying this garbage.

Weight Loss Magic

It seems to me that the weight loss industry sprung up from the saying, "A fool and his money are soon parted." Sometimes, I flip around the channels at 6 AM and find all sorts of moronic diet and exercise schemes being hawked. They really tick me off because I know they are making tons of money off of desperate people.

I believe that they prey upon an irrational belief that there will be some magic pill, effortless exercise, fun way to lose weight, get six-pack abs, or reduce fat in certain areas of your body. Then there are slime balls like Kevin Trudeau who found a conspiracy theory niche in which to sell his snake oil. Even the ones that seem reasonable like Michael Thurmond's Six week body makeover are misleading. The name is the deception. He doesn't promise that someone 300 lbs. will lose all that weight in six weeks, but the name gives that impression. And the blue printing makes it seems like you can spot reduce.

My point is that we must be awfully gullible for such a huge, multi-billion dollar industry to arise at the same time obesity is rising. Now, I am no expert. In fact, I am no example at 312.8 lbs. But I do have a brain. I try to use reason. I know that there will never be a pill that will melt the pounds away while I sit around eating pizza and drinking beer. (BTW, that is a picture of P.T. Barnum)

It's just common sense that (Calories In) - (Calories Out) = Loss/Gain. Right off the bat, this eliminates those that claim no exercise is necessary, those that claim no diet change is needed, or those that claim both. This also eliminates all those gadgets which claim the exercise is fun and easy (implying minimal exertion).

This does not mean that I don't trust anyone, but I do try to use my head. The one person I trust most of all is Covert Bailey. I have never seen an infomercial for him. In fact, I have no clue how I stumbled upon his materials. He makes a lot of sense. He knows the science behind losing fat, building muscle, and increasing metabolism.

I am not saying that he is the only one to listen to, but I am saying that we need to use our heads, stop forking over our money to this ineffectual industry, and learn to live fit. Perhaps, this would be a better message when I hit 190 lbs., but I hate this stinking industry, and it drives me crazy when people give me advice based upon this mis-information.

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

Week 21 Weigh-In

This morning I weighed 312.8 lbs. This is 2.2 lbs. less than last week making for a total 67.2 lbs. loss. My body fat measured at 33.1% which is 2.2% less than last week (I don't trust the accuracy here). This leaves me with a lean mass of 209.3 lbs. which is a 5.5 lb. gain, and 103.5 lbs. fat which is a 7.7 lb. loss.

One of these days, I will need to get my body fat tested by a professional. I can't take my own measurements seriously. I am not sure that it was worth it to start taking these measurements. I thought it would be a help to me, but all it tells me is how inaccurate these measurements are. At this rate, I will be 280 lbs of lean mass by the end of the summer, lol. I guess I will still take the measurements in hopes that it will start making sense.

In the mean time, I will include my waist measurement from week to week. Today, it is 55.25 inches. I have mentioned before that this is odd. I have pants size 52 that are too big, but size 50 fits great (I can squeeze into a 48). I took a tape measure to the pants and the pants sizes were accurate. So, I must be squishing in 5 inches of blubber. But, the 52's would fall right off with out a belt cinching it in quite a bit. I guess it just goes to show what a gelatinous mess I have around my waist. lol

Anyhow, if I lose 1.8 lbs. by next Monday, I will meet the goal of going below 40 bmi. So I am shooting for a 2 lb. loss this week.

Well, I have a long day ahead of me. Tonight, I am taking my father, one of my brothers, my wife, and my 2 oldest kids to the ball game. This will be the kids 1st ball game. I hope they like it.

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

Where's the Energy? Part 2

Thinking through the whole energy issue, I have some guesses at where the energy is.

1) I am exercising 1-2 hours a day, 6 days a week (I think that take a little bit of energy).
2) Cleaning and fixing things in my dads house about 1 day a week.
3) Work 6 days a week
4) Playing with kids each day
5) Yard work 2 hours a week (just enough time to maintain)
6) Losing weight (I imagine, though I am not certain, that whatever metabolic activities are involved in losing weight (hopefully fat) take more energy than maintaining or gaining)

Perhaps with all this going on, my body simply has not had enough time to adjust and reach an equilibrium where the energy level have a chance to bypass the demand. With the amount of weight that I have lost and hope to continue to lose, it may be a long time before that happens. Regardless, 6 months ago I would not have had the energy to do what I do today even if I don't feel peppy about it.

Oh well, the new baby will be here in about a month so I will have to muster all kinds of energy to deal with all the same ole + all that my wife does (which is quite substantial) + the demands of the new baby. BTW, that will make child #5. That's right I said FIVE!!!!!

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

Where's the Energy?

After 20 weeks of eating healthy and exercising, you would think I would start to have all this energy. You would think that I would wake up full of vim and verve ready to take on the day. You would think I would go from 0 to 60 in 5 seconds flat.

In reality, I hate getting up. I put off my morning exercise past any reason. I am distracted all day long. I am not excited about work. I desire to stay home and play with the kids all day. Even when I do get the chance to play with the kids, I am distracted. Though it doesn't seem nearly as bad as it used to be, I am sad a lot.

I think that part of the problem is that I am looking for big changes in too short of time. In my mind, I should see some bigger changes in 20 weeks. Perhaps, I need to wait for 40 weeks or 52 weeks to see big changes. I know I am changing, but it seems so slow for the amount of time and effort I have put into it. I am not talking about the weight loss. In fact, weight is the one area I see a big change in numbers. It's all the accompanying issues that I want to see big changes in. Here is a quick list of what I am looking for:

1) Full of energy all day
2) Obvious visible difference in appearance
3) Good concentration
4) Only feeling sad when there is something to feel sad about

Perhaps I am getting closer to these things, but the progress is so slow that they barely seem perceptible. I guess I am discouraged which doesn't help anything, but it's the truth. I am not discouraged in the sense of chucking the fit lifestyle. If anything that would make all those things worse.

I know that if I keep plugging away, things will get better. If I think about all the things I can do and do do now that I couldn't or wouldn't do 6 months ago, I see a lot of good things; a lot of improvements. That helps a little, but for right now, I guess I just have the weather these feelings for awhile.


Okay, I payed my 5 bucks.

Addendum 6/23/07: I got over 8 hours of sleep last night. I am sure it was REM sleep since I had a very bizarre dream. I kept finding candy bars that had been partially eaten. They were in drawers, gym bags, cars, etc... Each time I saw one, I would eat the rest and tell myself that just that bit wouldn't hurt. After about 20 or so, I said to myself, "Uh-Oh, I have really screwed up." In my mind I knew that there was no way to repair the damage. During part of this dream someone was chasing me. He had something to say to me that I didn't want to hear even though I knew it was nothing bad. Then, I was chasing that person to tell him something he needed to know, but he kept running away from me. At one point, I gave the guy a couple of the candy bars. Oh yeah...another thing. I was taking my family to the ball game. My one brother said he wanted to go too. I already bought the tickets and my brother backed out at the last minute. That ticked me off because I was out $20. I don't remember anything after I realized I screwed up.

The strange thing is that I am not a candy bar eater and was not even before I started living a fit lifestyle. I haven't bought a candy bar in years. I don't crave them now...at least consciously.

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

meme?

I have no clue what "meme" stands for, but I have been tagged so I will give it a try.

INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump veryone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.

1. Tom LeDree
2. Tam’s Fitness Journal
3. Lose Weight With Me
4. Chicken Girl
5. Half Man

Next select five people to tag: (if you haven’t done it already)
Cactus Freak
Fat Lazy Guy
Celtic Girl
Captain
Sayre

And now for the questions:
What were you doing ten years ago?
Working out, losing weight for my 10 year High School reunion.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
I was helping my mom and dad as my mother had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Five Snacks You Enjoy
1. Popcorn
2. Cheese sticks
3. Yogurt
4. Nuts
5. Apples

Five Songs to Which You Know all the Lyrics
1. Bang Your Head by Quiet Riot
2. Panama by VanHalen
3. Crazy Train by Ozzy
4. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
5. Walk This Way by Aerosmith

Five Things You Would Do If You Were a Millionaire
1. Pay off debts.
2. Buy a new car.
3. Take the kids to Disney World.
4. Start a charitable foundation.
5. Invest the rest.
Zzzzz! Sheez, that even bored me!

Five Bad Habits
1. Blogging.
2. Procrastinating.
3. Everquest
4. Leaving the seat up
5. Reading in the bathroom.

Five things you like doing
1. Spending time with family
2. Blogging
3. Reading
4. Biking
5. Everquest

Five things you’ll never wear again
1. Fake leather pants
2. Ear rings
3. Football uniform
4. Bell bottoms
5. Afro

Five favorite “toys”
1. PDA
2. Computer
3. Bike
4. I-Pod
5. Would it be wrong to say my wife?

Week 20 Weigh-In

This morning I weighed 315 lbs. This is 0.4 lbs. less than last week making for a total 65 lbs. loss. My body fat measured at 35.3% with 203.8 lbs. lean mass and 111.2 lbs. fat. This would mean that body fat went down 1.7%, lean mass went up 5.1 lbs and fat went down 5.5 lbs.

Still, I am not convinced about the accuracy of my measurements for calculating my body fat, but it's really the only tool I have at my disposal right now. I did read somewhere that the lean mass in the obese can be higher than what that person's lean mass will be at a healthy body fat. IOW, the high lean mass I have may also decrease as I lose fat. That does not mean a reduction in muscle. I suppose you don't retain as much water and other stuff.

Conclusion: Even though the body fat numbers look good, I am not putting too much stock into them yet because I am not certain of the accuracy of my measurements (especially the waist and hip). I see that I basically maintained overall weight this week. That is okay with me, I had two fantastic weeks of loss previous.

I ate healthy last week and exercised well. I got in some unexpected exercise on Saturday. Off and on during the last month I have been trying to teach my 7 year old to ride a bike. She is a little big (not fat, but tall) and awkward for her age. So I would jog beside her straightening her when she tipped. Going up and down the block twice was always her limit. Saturday, she finally got the hang of it. She was riding her bike on her own, but she still needed me to run beside her for comfort. The problem is that she was going much faster and wanted to keep going all afternoon. We must have gone back and forth ten times (with some breaks in between) and I was exhausted. Heh, maybe I will start jogging sooner than I thought whether I like or not. LOL.

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

Alli: Friend or Foe?

Today orlistat becomes available over the counter in the U.S. The prescription name is Xenical and the OTC name is Alli. This is the first FDA approved OTC weight loss medicine. However, the side effects can be pretty gross and embarrassing. WebMD has a nice article.

I know that "diet" purists will poo poo the whole idea outright. However, I have been eating healthy and exercising for almost 5 months. I would not look at this as my only strategy for losing weight and getting fit. I will continue to do that regardless. I am thinking about adding this to the program. Normally, I would not even think about it. However, the reasons for my objections would be satisfied.

1) Some of the other "diet" pills stop working when you stop taking them. In fact, you gain the weight right back. These apparently do not have that effect.

2) They are not addictive.

3) I don't need a prescription, but they are FDA approved.

Is anyone else thinking of taking these? Has anyone been on the Xenical? Will I need to act like a love-crazed astronaut and wear diapers? even if I am eating low-fat, high-fiber? Besides the price, is there any reason why I should not take these?

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

Fitness Goals & Other Stuff

-Set up and follow and exercise routine. ACHIEVED
-Follow exercise routine for 1 month. ACHIEVED
-Follow exercise routine for 3 months. ACHIEVED
-Follow exercise routine for 6 months.
-Follow exercise routine for 12 months.
-Play with the kids without getting tired out in 15 minutes. ACHIEVED
-Play with the kids until they tire out.
-Ride my road bike. ACHIEVED
-Take a week long bike trip.
-Take up mountain biking.
-Start jogging.
-Enter a 5k race.
-Start Rollerblading.
-Start Cross Country Skiing.
-Climb up on one of those rock climbing walls.
-Learn to ballroom dance.
-Take up a martial art.
-Join a racquetball league.
-Take up kayaking

I found the President's Fitness Challenge website. I thought it was pretty cool since you can win awards and certificates. It's related to the physical fitness awards from grade school, but this one is for adults as well.

I was thinking about how much time we put into eating. There is shopping time + Meal preparation + eating meals + snacking + dining out. Now, how much time do we put into physical activity? Exercise 30-60 min. I wonder if we limited ourselves to spending no more time investing in eating than we invest in exercise. So if we exercise for 60 minutes, we can spend no more time than 60 minutes with eating related activities that day. No, no, no...I don't mean going through the drive-thru and wolfing down 2 super-sized meals in 30 seconds flat. I mean eating healthy, but spending no more time on it than exercise. Perhaps, that is a backwards way to look at it. Instead, maybe I should make it my goal to exercise for as much time as I put into eating. The idea is to improve fitness, not starve...nor binge.

I am not sure if it comes across in my posts, but I have noticed that my mood has improved since I began my journey of fitness. I used to be pretty depressed all the time. I still feel depressed on a daily basis, but it is no longer all encompassing. I even enjoy life each day. I don't think there is a single cause for my improvement, but I am willing to bet fitness has a lot to do with it, as well as getting out in the sun. Job, location, and future are still uncertain so I don't think that has anything to do with it. I am looking forward to getting through an entire day without getting down, but I will take the improvement I already feel.

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

Favorite TV Shows

Ack! This will reveal the geek I am...who am I kidding. You all figured that out before. Actually, there is very little that I watch which is current. I netflix the TV shows I like.

Heroes (the only current show I watch)


Babylon 5


Star Trek


X-Files


Father Ted


Black Adder


Farscape


Law & Order (I know they still run these, but I usually watch the reruns)



Coupling


p.s. I rented Fast Food Nation. I thought it was a comedy. Instead it was a boring, lame attempt at social commentary.

Week 19 Weigh-In

This morning I weighed 315.4 lbs. This is a 3.6 lb. loss from last week and a 64.6 lb. overall loss. I have moved from losing an 8 year old to losing a 9 year old. Strange since I had a poor attitude this last week. I was eating more than usual at suppers and the exercise routine seemed more of a drudgery last week. I was also pretty cranky all week. In addition, the scale was not moving much during the week. So this was a very nice, unexpected surprise. I will take it.

The website I gave last time which calculates your body fat based on a few measurements does not allow for fractional sizes. Perhaps, the fractions don't make that much different, but I wanted to use the fractions anyhow. Well, I found the formula. This is for men over the age of 30: Waist+(1/2Hips)-(2.7xForearms)-Wrist=%Body Fat. For me, the result is 37% Body Fat with 198.7 lbs. Lean Mass and 116.7 lbs Fat. This is a change from last week, but I am not putting much stock into it yet. I am not at all confident with that my waist and hip measurements are accurate. If this were accurate, that would mean that I would have a healthy weight at 233.8 lbs having 15% body fat. Somehow that just doesn't seem right. It's not something I need to worry about for a long time anyhow.

I do find it a bit odd that if I wore pants that matched my waist size, they would fall off. In fact, the pants I wear are several inches smaller. I don't know if the manufacturers fudge on the pants sizes or what. I need to use the tape measure on the pants.

Oh yes, one more cool thing happened this week. Saturday, someone asked me if I had lost weight. This was the first time since I began my journey of fitness. It took almost 65 lbs. for someone to notice, lol. I can't see it myself, but that's okay. I know by the way my clothes fit (or don't fit anymore) as well as the scale. It sure was thrilling to hear it though.

Finally, this is my week off from weight lifting. I understand that it is important to take a week off now and then from the weights to give your muscles a good rest. I will still be doing cardio. I hope to get in 1.5 hours of cardio a day.

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

Potpourri

A little mish-mash here today.
First, I was asked what got me to start losing weight. The answer is stress. That was what triggered me to change my lifestyle. I had been (and still am) going through quite a bit of stress which I mentioned in a previous post. I figured that I would end up with a nervous breakdown or a heart attack, so I added yet more to my plate with an exercise routine and healthy eating and blogging. I knew that in the long run, if I did end up with a nervous breakdown or a heart attack, I would have to change my lifestyle anyhow and maybe have bariatric surgery. The stress was going on for quite awhile before I did anything. I was waiting for something to click within me but it didn't. So I just started. After about a month of working at it, things gradually starting clicking. There was no magic moment.


Another question I was asked was what lessons have I learned so far. 1) Magic moments and motivations normally don't precede a difficult goal, they come once we are taking the steps to reach that goal over the long haul. 2) Nasty donuts and greasy pizza can be seen as disgusting until they are sitting in your face and the aroma wafting up your nasal cavities. In other words, no matter how strong-willed I think I have become, I am not strong enough given the right circumstances. 3) This takes in incredible amount of self-respect. 4) Self-respect increases as I consciously make decisions repsecting myself. I am sure I have learned more, but this is enough for now.

Finally, someone mentioned something about milestones. So far, my weight loss milestones have been reaching the next 10 lbs. lost. As I am getting closer to some others, I figure I would post them. 1) Get below 40 BMI and leave morbid obesity behind. 2) Get under 300 lbs. 3) Getting within 100 lbs. of my goal at 290 lbs. 4) Reach the half way mark (285 lbs) to being half the man I was. 5) Reach the 100 lb. marker by getting down to 280 lbs. These are my immediate weight loss goals. When I have some more time, I will need to make a list of fitness goals too.

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

Week 18 Weigh-In

This morning I weighed 319 lbs. This is a 3.4 lbs. loss from last week and 61 lbs. lost total. What can I say accept "BOOYAH!"

I got the fat calipers today and had a heck of time trying to figure out exactly where to pinch and how much to pinch, etc... I was getting numbers like 7.5% body fat which would make me ripped...if only it were true. Finally, I go the website and it says that this method is not recommended if you are obese. @#$@#%@#$@!!! It recommends the measurement method, but gives to info as to how. Anyhow, I found this site to help. Turns outs that I have 38.2% body fat which equals 121.9 lbs. of fat and 197.1 lbs of lean mass. They are not pretty numbers, but I hope they give me a better idea of what is happening week to week besides just the raw weight numbers.

Finally, the next 10 lb. mark pictures.



Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

I lost an 8 year old?

I popped over to this page and punched in how much weight I lost. It responded with the comment that 57lbs. is the average weight of an 8-year old boy. I am not sure why, but that made me laugh. Perhaps, it has something to do with my wife being 7 months pregnant. Somehow, I don't think she will think that my losing an 8-year old boy will compare with her giving birth to an 8lbs. baby.

Another interesting comparison is that in order to lose that much weight was like saying no to 1,174 pints of Guinness or saying no to 285 Whoppers. Next time I have the dilemma of choosing between a Whopper and a Guinness, I will say BRILLIANT!

I ordered fat calipers today. I decided that I want a better idea of what is happening or not happening concerning my body fat percentage. When I started this lifestyle of fitness I intended to buy some, but never got around to it. Once I get them, I will start those official measurements along with my weight and waist size.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!