Still going strong! I'm back down to 180 and Just 15 pounds to go. I downloaded this cool app called TargetWeight Pro that helps you keep track of almost everything in your day to day health: blood pressure, pulse, cholesterol, weigh and BMI, etc but it also shows you visual representation of where you are in relation to normal ie healthy numbers. This is nice because not everyone knows that healthy BMI ranges from 18 to 25 and they may be surprise to see themselves in the obese category!
It also let's you set a goal date and loss amount and shows a graph of your progress. After each weigh in it tells you your loss average and keeps you informed about how fast you'll reach your target at this rate. A very cool and FREE app.
Been watching my habits as usual. It's so easy to Just grab something snacky and eat it on the way to work. The problem is that so few things in that category are actually even decent for you. It's almost impossible to even get fruit or moderately healthy snacks at the gas station. Sad really.
More to come!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Month 4: Days 11-14
So I was talking to a friend the other day who has recently started to take a look at what he's eating. We were talking about portion control, veganism, all sorts of different things, and somehow the topic came up and I listed these things as the biggest factors that helped me in my "diet." Now personally, I don't think "diets" work. I
think lifestyle changes do. I chose to be a vegan, and it's changed my
life for the better. I don't think "eating less" is necessarily a big
enough change to be considered a lifestyle change, however, it's a GREAT
thing to do. ANYWAY. Here they are in order:
1. Get enough sleep. This will affect everything about your life: your energy, your weight loss, your mood, your metabolism, your stress, your recovery from workouts. All of these things are affected by sleep. Get enough of it. 6 hours is not enough, more like 8 or 9. Go to bed early and wake up early. It's tough, but it's the most important part of dieting.
2. Drink water. A close second - drinking primarily water and a whole lot of it will help you in ANY type of diet or lifestyle. Drinking a glass of water in the morning when you wake up will jump-start your metabolism by 20% almost immediately.
3. Eat less, but more often. No matter what diet you're doing, this is good for you on so many levels. I suggest 4 meals a day - most Americans only have two real meals a day. Eat breakfast every day. This is the absolute most important meal of the day, so eat whole grains like granola, barley cereal, oats / oatmeal, and also eat lots of fruits. Don't load up on toast, meat and dairy, and especially not sugar.
4. Cut out sugars, salts, and oils. For some reason people still think that just because you pick out healthy produce, it's okay to still put a bunch of crappy stuff on top of it. We often cook in olive oil. Did you know Olive Oil is 120 calories per TABLESPOON? Did you know that all cooking oils and sprays are basically 100% fat? (to find the fat percentage, divide the calories by calories from fat - 100 calories, 50 calories from fat = 50% fat).
5. Discover your love for vegetables, fruits, and legumes! You will find things that you like, it just takes time. Trust me on that! These things are fantastic for you and will help you lose weight, especially raw fruits and veggies.
6. Be Aware of your Progress Constantly! Weigh yourself every day at the same time(s). Keep yourself in check and make small goals. Don't just sit there and be like "I'm going to lost 50 pounds!" You'll get discouraged every day that you're not there. Start with 5 pounds at a time, using each weight marker as a goal. 180, 175, 170...etc. Try hard to make your goals with yourself, and do whatever it takes. Buy one outfit a few sizes down. One pair of jeans and a shirt. Work hard to fit into that. Once you fit into it perfectly (as in, it's comfortable on your body) then GET RID OF YOUR OTHER CLOTHES! Don't let yourself be tempted. I got rid of hundreds of dollars of clothes to Salvation Army, and yes, had to buy new ones. But, it's worth it!
7. Don't give up! You will lose weight. You will lose inches. Be confident and surround yourself with people that care. Be patient. Read. Learn. Experiment. Cook. Educate yourself!
1. Get enough sleep. This will affect everything about your life: your energy, your weight loss, your mood, your metabolism, your stress, your recovery from workouts. All of these things are affected by sleep. Get enough of it. 6 hours is not enough, more like 8 or 9. Go to bed early and wake up early. It's tough, but it's the most important part of dieting.
2. Drink water. A close second - drinking primarily water and a whole lot of it will help you in ANY type of diet or lifestyle. Drinking a glass of water in the morning when you wake up will jump-start your metabolism by 20% almost immediately.
3. Eat less, but more often. No matter what diet you're doing, this is good for you on so many levels. I suggest 4 meals a day - most Americans only have two real meals a day. Eat breakfast every day. This is the absolute most important meal of the day, so eat whole grains like granola, barley cereal, oats / oatmeal, and also eat lots of fruits. Don't load up on toast, meat and dairy, and especially not sugar.
4. Cut out sugars, salts, and oils. For some reason people still think that just because you pick out healthy produce, it's okay to still put a bunch of crappy stuff on top of it. We often cook in olive oil. Did you know Olive Oil is 120 calories per TABLESPOON? Did you know that all cooking oils and sprays are basically 100% fat? (to find the fat percentage, divide the calories by calories from fat - 100 calories, 50 calories from fat = 50% fat).
5. Discover your love for vegetables, fruits, and legumes! You will find things that you like, it just takes time. Trust me on that! These things are fantastic for you and will help you lose weight, especially raw fruits and veggies.
6. Be Aware of your Progress Constantly! Weigh yourself every day at the same time(s). Keep yourself in check and make small goals. Don't just sit there and be like "I'm going to lost 50 pounds!" You'll get discouraged every day that you're not there. Start with 5 pounds at a time, using each weight marker as a goal. 180, 175, 170...etc. Try hard to make your goals with yourself, and do whatever it takes. Buy one outfit a few sizes down. One pair of jeans and a shirt. Work hard to fit into that. Once you fit into it perfectly (as in, it's comfortable on your body) then GET RID OF YOUR OTHER CLOTHES! Don't let yourself be tempted. I got rid of hundreds of dollars of clothes to Salvation Army, and yes, had to buy new ones. But, it's worth it!
7. Don't give up! You will lose weight. You will lose inches. Be confident and surround yourself with people that care. Be patient. Read. Learn. Experiment. Cook. Educate yourself!
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Month 4: Days 6-10
So I'm finally back from my honeymoon and glad to say I only gained 5 pounds in the two weeks of the trip! Haha. I was expecting a lot more since I took a break from the vegan thing some days so I could have some amazing seafood in Seattle. But alas I've been back a whole day and a half and I'm circling around 183 lbs.
I've been debating a lot about the 155 goal I set before. I don't know if that's really going to look right on a guy with wide shoulders like myself. I don't know. I looked up some NBA point guards around 5'11 and most of them weigh like 170. Now these guys are in good shape...Skinny yet very muscular. It seems like that's more logical than being a tiny bean stalk, which is not my body type at all! Regardless, I'm going to continue on the path and once I hit 165 I'll reevaluate if I need to lose more fat or just start working out more. That's still 20 pounds from now so a lot can change! I'm excited.
Two of my friends Just decided to switch to a vegan lifestyle recently and that makes me very happy. It takes a lot of courage to do such a thing but it also takes a lot of willpower and motivation. Food is an addiction and I'm very certain that, as with any addiction, the hardest part is admitting you have a real problem. Overweight people don't deny their weight, but often they choose to ignore it, like it's not a problem, though they know in their heart they aren't happy with the way they look and most likely never have been. Trust me I know exactly what's up with that situation. My skinny wife has never experienced that, and we were joking about it the other day and it came up about how she doesn't understand what it's like to be overweight for most of your memorable life. It's hell! I know! This is exactly why I went on this "diet" in the first place. There comes a time when you just throw up your hands and say that's it I'm finally going to do something about this...
So to anyone reading and any of my friends that have changed their lifestyles, I commend you for taking an active role in your own health.
I've been debating a lot about the 155 goal I set before. I don't know if that's really going to look right on a guy with wide shoulders like myself. I don't know. I looked up some NBA point guards around 5'11 and most of them weigh like 170. Now these guys are in good shape...Skinny yet very muscular. It seems like that's more logical than being a tiny bean stalk, which is not my body type at all! Regardless, I'm going to continue on the path and once I hit 165 I'll reevaluate if I need to lose more fat or just start working out more. That's still 20 pounds from now so a lot can change! I'm excited.
Two of my friends Just decided to switch to a vegan lifestyle recently and that makes me very happy. It takes a lot of courage to do such a thing but it also takes a lot of willpower and motivation. Food is an addiction and I'm very certain that, as with any addiction, the hardest part is admitting you have a real problem. Overweight people don't deny their weight, but often they choose to ignore it, like it's not a problem, though they know in their heart they aren't happy with the way they look and most likely never have been. Trust me I know exactly what's up with that situation. My skinny wife has never experienced that, and we were joking about it the other day and it came up about how she doesn't understand what it's like to be overweight for most of your memorable life. It's hell! I know! This is exactly why I went on this "diet" in the first place. There comes a time when you just throw up your hands and say that's it I'm finally going to do something about this...
So to anyone reading and any of my friends that have changed their lifestyles, I commend you for taking an active role in your own health.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Month 4: days 1-5 (91-95)
So I've been enjoying life at sea for a few days now... But all the complimentary food has got me overeating. Gotta watch it, it's said that the AVERAGE cruise passenger gains 7-14 pounds per week! Crazy! It took me about a month to lose my last ten pounds and I know it could come back in a matter of days. Sure it's my vacation, maybe I should indulge a little, right? Maybe not I say. I've got a goal and a commitment to myself that I won't break.
I'm going to set some mini goals or milestones. My 155 goal is too far from here for it to seem doable so saying 175 by July 1st and 165 by August 1st helps it seem a little less challenging.
Weight loss is nonlinear. As you get closer and closer to your ideal weight it becomes harder and harder to lose the weight. When you first start out its easy to lose 10 or 15 pounds in an early week or two. That's good. Its behavior shock for your body. It gives you confidence and willpower. As you try so hard to lose just a pound or two per week towards the end, it gives you discipline. It makes you focus hard on what you're eating, when you're working out, and if you're pushing yourself to the limit.
I'm going to set some mini goals or milestones. My 155 goal is too far from here for it to seem doable so saying 175 by July 1st and 165 by August 1st helps it seem a little less challenging.
Weight loss is nonlinear. As you get closer and closer to your ideal weight it becomes harder and harder to lose the weight. When you first start out its easy to lose 10 or 15 pounds in an early week or two. That's good. Its behavior shock for your body. It gives you confidence and willpower. As you try so hard to lose just a pound or two per week towards the end, it gives you discipline. It makes you focus hard on what you're eating, when you're working out, and if you're pushing yourself to the limit.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Month 3: Days 26 - 31
This last week I got married to my lovely fiance, now whom I am proud to call my wife. I know it seems superficial of me to remember my weight on the day of our wedding, but it was 180lbs. I've been on my honeymoon for the last few days, and I've been enjoying it. Been breaking the vegan diet slightly so I can enjoy some great seafood in Seattle. WOW it's the best I've ever had. Been to SF Bay area, been to New England, and in my opinion Seattle is my favorite. Pike's Place is awesome with all of its shops, fresh produce and fish, flowers, dealers, etc. The atmosphere here is gorgeous and inviting, it's friendly and yet bustling. It's like a friendly New York with less crime and more environmental awareness...
I already reached my original goal of 185, and I've been slowly climbing down the weight ladder. I've been really debating what my new weight goal should be. According to three different medical websites, my BMI is 26, which is still one point over the highest I should be in the "healthy" BMI range. My wife's BMI is of course in the LOW range because she's skinny and can eat whatever she wants...makes me jealous.
My freshman year in college I weighed 256, which I just realized that made my BMI about 37...wow! Weird to see that on paper. That means that I was considered medically obese for my height. It was very upsetting to me even though I haven't weighed that much in over two years. Still, I feel like more people should see what they weigh in relation to their height so that they can realize where they stand in the scale of "low" to "high", "underweight" to "obese" etc. Check out this simple calculator:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/toolkit/weightcalculator/index.aspx
According to many different sources, a BMI ranging between 18 - 25 is normal, and 19 - 24 is considered "healthy." I decided what makes sense is to just select the middleground here and get right in the center of "healthy." By these figures, that'd mean a BMI of about 21.5 - let's just round to 22 for ease. Using this same website, I tried out some different figures and found that around 155lbs for a guy of my height (5'11) was a totally healthy, middle of the road figure for weight and BMI.
Now at first my natural inclination is to say "wow that's still 30 more pounds...isn't that too much?" but then I started to realize that this isn't necessarily factoring in appearance choice (i.e., men are usually "more attractive" when they are muscular builds, and sometimes weigh more than recommended) and same with women, who are generally "preferred" to look a little bit skinnier than their medically recommended weight. Many times these calculations do not factor in age, and since I'm in my early twenties, I feel like I'm not really in the "Test zone" for most of these medical figures. So I did some more research and found this other website...
http://www.icb2001.com/What_You_Should_Weigh.asp
This website you enter in your wrist circumference along with your height and your weight and it tells you what your frame size is. I don't know how exactly accurate this is, but it told me I should weight between 132 and 179...so...the average between the two is 155. Considering that's what my other figures showed up to be, the vote seems unanimous so far: I'm still slightly overweight, and I could stand to lose up to about 30 more pounds. Crazy!
So, my new weight goal is 155. That would put me right in the middle of the healthy zone. I know it seems like a huge milestone away because I've lost over 40 pounds on this diet so far and now I'm saying to myself "hey self, lose another 30," BUT I know from my belly and my arms that I could stand to lose some more weight, and one of the hardest things to admit to oneself is that when you have extra weight, you have it EVERYWHERE, not just your belly. So if you lose 30 pounds, you lose it equally all across your body, which may only translate to 10 pounds out of your belly and 20 from all other parts including your neck, back, arms, butt, and legs. 30 pounds really starts to not look like that much when you consider THOSE things!
155 here I come!
I already reached my original goal of 185, and I've been slowly climbing down the weight ladder. I've been really debating what my new weight goal should be. According to three different medical websites, my BMI is 26, which is still one point over the highest I should be in the "healthy" BMI range. My wife's BMI is of course in the LOW range because she's skinny and can eat whatever she wants...makes me jealous.
My freshman year in college I weighed 256, which I just realized that made my BMI about 37...wow! Weird to see that on paper. That means that I was considered medically obese for my height. It was very upsetting to me even though I haven't weighed that much in over two years. Still, I feel like more people should see what they weigh in relation to their height so that they can realize where they stand in the scale of "low" to "high", "underweight" to "obese" etc. Check out this simple calculator:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/toolkit/weightcalculator/index.aspx
According to many different sources, a BMI ranging between 18 - 25 is normal, and 19 - 24 is considered "healthy." I decided what makes sense is to just select the middleground here and get right in the center of "healthy." By these figures, that'd mean a BMI of about 21.5 - let's just round to 22 for ease. Using this same website, I tried out some different figures and found that around 155lbs for a guy of my height (5'11) was a totally healthy, middle of the road figure for weight and BMI.
Now at first my natural inclination is to say "wow that's still 30 more pounds...isn't that too much?" but then I started to realize that this isn't necessarily factoring in appearance choice (i.e., men are usually "more attractive" when they are muscular builds, and sometimes weigh more than recommended) and same with women, who are generally "preferred" to look a little bit skinnier than their medically recommended weight. Many times these calculations do not factor in age, and since I'm in my early twenties, I feel like I'm not really in the "Test zone" for most of these medical figures. So I did some more research and found this other website...
http://www.icb2001.com/What_You_Should_Weigh.asp
This website you enter in your wrist circumference along with your height and your weight and it tells you what your frame size is. I don't know how exactly accurate this is, but it told me I should weight between 132 and 179...so...the average between the two is 155. Considering that's what my other figures showed up to be, the vote seems unanimous so far: I'm still slightly overweight, and I could stand to lose up to about 30 more pounds. Crazy!
So, my new weight goal is 155. That would put me right in the middle of the healthy zone. I know it seems like a huge milestone away because I've lost over 40 pounds on this diet so far and now I'm saying to myself "hey self, lose another 30," BUT I know from my belly and my arms that I could stand to lose some more weight, and one of the hardest things to admit to oneself is that when you have extra weight, you have it EVERYWHERE, not just your belly. So if you lose 30 pounds, you lose it equally all across your body, which may only translate to 10 pounds out of your belly and 20 from all other parts including your neck, back, arms, butt, and legs. 30 pounds really starts to not look like that much when you consider THOSE things!
155 here I come!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Month 3: Days 17 - 21
I swear to date I have told about 50 people about forks over knives. Everyone keeps asking me how I am losing all this weight and how I'm looking so good. It's simple, I tell them, all you have to do is adopt a plant-based diet and focus on whole foods and minimize sugars and oils and you can lose lots of weight and get yourself healthy.
I really don't want to gain a lot of weight on my honeymoon, though I feel like it will be very easy to do so... I really want to enjoy myself and try all that Seattle and Alaska have to offer but I also don't want to splurge. I guess in the end that just means that I have more self-control now because about a year ago I would've never said anything like this. It's funny I can't believe that I just said it myself.
My weight is circling around the hundred and eighty one pounds right now. I makes me feel very good because that means I've lost about 47 pounds on this diet so far. I know that most my updates recently have just been the same thing over and over, so today I figured I would do something a little different.
What I'm going to do is challenge you to ask yourself the following questions:
First, what is it that I am putting into my body every single day? Is there anything that I eat every single day? What about food groups that I eat every single day?
Do I eat enough vegetables? Do I eat enough fruits? How often do I use olive oil or vegetable oil or canola oil?
how often do I eat white bread or dyed sugars?
When was the last time I cooked something made from organic plant based food that I liked? Has there ever been a time like this?
What do my parents look like? Do I look like them? What medical issues are in my family? What should I focus on?
Do I understand how to read food labels? Do I know what saturated fats are and do I know how to find the percentage of Fat that a food product is?
Do I know what ingredients cause what reactions in my body? Do I know what ingredients cause me to retain fat and what ingredients caused me to help myself lose fat?
What are the health benefits of meat? Dairy? Are there any? How much protein do we actually need?
I really don't want to gain a lot of weight on my honeymoon, though I feel like it will be very easy to do so... I really want to enjoy myself and try all that Seattle and Alaska have to offer but I also don't want to splurge. I guess in the end that just means that I have more self-control now because about a year ago I would've never said anything like this. It's funny I can't believe that I just said it myself.
My weight is circling around the hundred and eighty one pounds right now. I makes me feel very good because that means I've lost about 47 pounds on this diet so far. I know that most my updates recently have just been the same thing over and over, so today I figured I would do something a little different.
What I'm going to do is challenge you to ask yourself the following questions:
First, what is it that I am putting into my body every single day? Is there anything that I eat every single day? What about food groups that I eat every single day?
Do I eat enough vegetables? Do I eat enough fruits? How often do I use olive oil or vegetable oil or canola oil?
how often do I eat white bread or dyed sugars?
When was the last time I cooked something made from organic plant based food that I liked? Has there ever been a time like this?
What do my parents look like? Do I look like them? What medical issues are in my family? What should I focus on?
Do I understand how to read food labels? Do I know what saturated fats are and do I know how to find the percentage of Fat that a food product is?
Do I know what ingredients cause what reactions in my body? Do I know what ingredients cause me to retain fat and what ingredients caused me to help myself lose fat?
What are the health benefits of meat? Dairy? Are there any? How much protein do we actually need?
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Month 3: Days 12 - 16
Today I'm tipping the scales at 184.2! That means I only have four more pounds to my previous goal weight. However I've decided to set a new goal weight of 177, which would mark an even 50 pounds lost being a vegan. It's very exciting- all of this. I'm very confident that I can lose the other 4 pounds in the next 11 days if I work out hard and stay strict on my diet. I certainly feel a lot better and I feel more confident about the way that I look, which is very hard for me to admit because I don't think I ever have before. I'm starting to really experience what many people experience when they look at themselves and wish that they were fit like all the people on P90 X. It's not even that those looking at those people think that they are fat or anything, it's just that they wish that they were very fit and muscular, which I'm really starting to understand and see the potential for now that I'm skinnier.
Once I reach my goal weight of 177 ish I will post three photos, the first of me on a day close to when I started my diet (March 1) when I weighed 227. The second will be me now weighing 177 so you can witness the total loss of 50 pounds in 3 months. Obviously it will be a real photo unedited so you can really see the effectiveness of a vegan diet without doctoring up the photos like they do on television. Then I will post a photo of myself just two years ago when I weighed 257 and I really decided at that point to get my health straight. From that day two years ago to today I will have lost 80 pounds. That is absolutely ridiculous to me!!! Cannot believe that I had just 80 pounds of extra weight sitting on me that I did not need. I am so excited to weigh 177 pounds. That's just seven more pounds from now!
I know it seems like I say it a lot but I can't explain how much better I feel, how much better I'm sleeping, and how much happier I am overall because everyone can tell and so can I! It seems like at least every day I have someone coming up to me saying"Kendal, bro you are looking so skinny!"
More soon
Once I reach my goal weight of 177 ish I will post three photos, the first of me on a day close to when I started my diet (March 1) when I weighed 227. The second will be me now weighing 177 so you can witness the total loss of 50 pounds in 3 months. Obviously it will be a real photo unedited so you can really see the effectiveness of a vegan diet without doctoring up the photos like they do on television. Then I will post a photo of myself just two years ago when I weighed 257 and I really decided at that point to get my health straight. From that day two years ago to today I will have lost 80 pounds. That is absolutely ridiculous to me!!! Cannot believe that I had just 80 pounds of extra weight sitting on me that I did not need. I am so excited to weigh 177 pounds. That's just seven more pounds from now!
I know it seems like I say it a lot but I can't explain how much better I feel, how much better I'm sleeping, and how much happier I am overall because everyone can tell and so can I! It seems like at least every day I have someone coming up to me saying"Kendal, bro you are looking so skinny!"
More soon
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)