Getting Fit in the Vitamin World

That's right! I've lost 46 pounds since I started this blog. You can track my progress. I get a little pint of joy every time I look back and think how excited I was to have lost 14 pounds or 30 pounds and I realize that was just the beginning. The long term goal is actually in the ball park of 100 pounds (yeah, I was that big when I started), so technically I guess I'm not even half way there yet. Though, I almost am and it's been less than 3 months. The weight loss has slowed a bit. In other words, I probably won't lose it as fast from here on out, but I'm still going to lose weight, one pound at a time. I hit a plateau at about 230, something stalled, a couple lazy days with too many calories and not enough exercise, but I'm back in the saddle, pushing as hard as ever. I can't wait to see how much I way today (I'm hoping I've broken the plateau from last week).

Anyway, all this weight loss talk reminds me to mention the vitamin shoppe where you can buy omega 3 vitamins. Have a good one!

Last time I posted, I had lost 14 pounds. This time I've lost 30!

That's right, I'm thirty pounds lighter than when I started my diet a couple months ago. The initial weight loss was pretty drastic, almost five pounds a week. It's slowed since then to just under 3 pounds a week. I was expecting that, so I haven't become discouraged by it. Every time I start to worry, I check my weight loss chart and see that the graph is still declining one pound at a time.

Certainly, my physical capabilities have improved with the 30 pounds gone. I've still got over 50 pounds to lose (yeah, I started out really big), but some of the major health problems have disappeared. After going on the paleo diet, I noticed I was actually hungry LESS even though I was eating fewer calories. I guess that's what happens when so many of your calories are protein and fat rather than sugar.

Also, as per the health blog I've been reading, I feel a lot less stressful about eating. I don't go through the guilt/reward cycle anymore, which is a major improvement from previous diets.

Perhaps the best side effect is the breathing. When I weighed what I weighed when I weighed more than I had ever weighed, simple breathing was actually a problem. Sitting on the couch watching TV, I would actually feel a little like I was suffocating occasionally. And getting to sleep was damn near impossible. I could feel myself begin to snore while I was still awake, and it would jerk me out of any slope to dreamtown I was headed. That doesn't happen anymore. I hope my breathing/restfulness continues to get even better the more weight I lose. So, onward and downward!

I've really been on a health binge recently, trying to get my unicorn, my washboard abs. And guess what?

I lost 14 pounds!

that's right! I'm losing almost 5 pounds a week, which is a great start. I've been following some simple guidelines...

1) Low carbs: I eat as few carbs as possible, and what carbs I do eat, I try to eat as vegetables. Usually I come in at less than 100 carbs a day. It works great!

2) Variety of Exercises: I do a different exercise every day. I vary it up to keep my body sore and improving. I do a little more elliptical than anything else, but I also climb stairs, weight lift, hike, and do stomach crunches and core exercises.

3) Food preparation. I buy whole foods and actually take the time to cook them. Previously I would just run out to the Taco Bell and buy up a bunch of burritos. Now I plan and cook my meals, which makes me think more about the calories I consume and where they are coming from. I've been going whole foods and organic foods whenever possible, though I still do the occasional package of pork or sliced meat with cheese.

4) Logging: I record all my exercise and meals. This helps me keep track of exactly what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. It's simple, it doesn't take too much time, and it's a sort of cumulative pat on the back.

5) I take the damage control master formula. It's one of the best multivitamins on the market today, and it gives me everything nutritionally that my diet lacks. Overall, a very well-balanced little capsules.

It's funny, once I actually started to get serious about getting thin, I found myself cooking more rather than less.

When I didn't care what I put in my body, most of what I put in my body was Taco Bell and Pizza, I just didn't bother to take the time to cook for myself.

But now that calories and carbs count, I dive into the pecuyinish details of ingredients and recipes, I scour the grocery store for the best foods, and I prepare my meals the healthy way. I even occasionally prepare a high carb or high calorie meal, but I know exactly what I'm putting in my body, so I know I'm not "blowing my diet" I'm simply having an enjoyable meal, then the next day its right back to healthy eating again.

One of the easiest things to make on a diet is chicken. It's not the best tasting meat, but you can spice it up for quite a variety, and you can pretty much eat as much chicken as you want without blowing the diet, as long as you're not frying it.

The one thing I want to watch out for as I progress through dieting, is not to eat TOO healthy. I've heard the dangers of orthorexia nervosa. Fortunately I think I'm a long way from reaching that point. And search for people, damnit! Search for them!

I've been getting up at 5:00am recently. 5:00 am!!!!

Going to the gym before the sun comes up can be quite tasking, but also exhilarating. The world hasn't started yet. It's just me and a few other people (I'm usually the fattest) and we're bustling down the sidewalk, sweating it up before most people even put on the coffee.

The first three days of this routine were the worst. I could barely stand up so early in the morning. But, now I can manage it.

The other good thing about waking up so early in the morning is that is forces me to go to bed earlier, which means there is less opportunity for me to grab a big old fat meal right before I go to bed. I still do occasionally grab a loadful of calories, it's something I have to curb, but I'm reducing my intake a little bit a day. My goal is to consistently stay under 1200 calories a day for an entire month. I haven't even broke 1500 yet, but soon my droogies, soon.

I've been drinking this weight loss shake recently. It's a chocolate vanilla mix, and it contains omega 3 vitamins. It's called nitro Xtreme or something. I'd really suggest the weight loss shakes for anyone who's looking to start the weight loss with a bang. It forced me to forget about meal time. I stopped making eating a part of my daily activities, now it's a daily chore, which I believe is a much better mentality.