I resumed my test with the early morning cardio yesterday. I got up and did 2 miles on the bike. Then I knocked out 200 sit ups on the Ab Roller. I also rode the bike another 2 miles after dinner, but didn't do any more sit ups.
Today's weigh in: 317.6 lbs. That's 1.4 lbs for the month and 32.4 lbs for the year.
Yesterday I had cereal for breakfast, an apple for mid morning and mid afternoon snack, and a pork chop for lunch. For dinner my wife made a Venezuelan dish that is rice with seafood, mushrooms, green peepers, onions, cilantro, and who knows what.
Yummmmmm, Yummmmm, I couldn't help myself…I ate 2 big bowl fulls.
I think that portion control is one of the major factors in a successful weight loss program. If you have been following this blog, you know that I still eat things that people consider to be very fattening. The difference is that instead of eating 2 plate fulls of lasagna, I only eat half a plate full and fill up on veggies. If you are consistent with your portion control, you will find that you become accustomed to just eating a little and don't feel as hungry.
If it is really hard for you to control yourself in the beginning, you may want to try using Hoodia Gordonii like I do. That has always been my biggest problem. When I was growing up, we always ate very little during the day and then pigged out at dinner. It is hard to break old habits. Hoodia keeps me from feeling starved and when I do eat a little, I feel full quickly.
I continue to struggle with the weight loss program on the weekends. There are just way to many distractions and temptations. The good news is, I didn't gain any weight.
Today's weigh in: 318 lbs straight up. No change from Friday morning.
Actually, I feel pretty good about it all considered. Sunday I did absolutely nothing but lie around and watch TV. Well we did go to the pool and lie around for a couple of hours and I sat in the jacuzzi. The truth of the matter is that my bad back was acting up yesterday, so I took it easy.
Saturday was pretty busy. I did do my sit ups and rode the bike 2 miles but it was later in the day and not when I first got up. So much for the test I am doing for the morning cardio. No big deal, I got up early this morning and put in my 2 miles, so the test continues.
I did quite a bit of eating this weekend but nothing drastic. Yesterday we did go to Sweet Tomato all you can eat buffet, but these days, my stomach has gotten used to eating small portions and I was stuffed after 2 plates of salad. I did have a small bowl of frozen yogurt, but that was it.
Saturday we had barbecued pork chops and macaroni and cheese. I limited myself to just 2 pork chops and a normal sized portion of mac and cheese. In the old days I would have eaten 4 pork chops and a huge bowl of mac and cheese. Several months of eating "small" is starting to make an impression.
Remember, losing weight is about changing your life style. If you don't change your life style, the weight is going to come back. Natural weight loss is gradual weight loss.
The problem that I have on the week ends is that I don't have a set routine. Especially when the family and I get out and about. I don't drink enough water, like I do during the week, and I don't eat a small snack every few hours. I am convinced that this is the problem, but as long as I am losing weight during the week I'm happy. After all…I have lost over 30 lbs so far this year.
So far I am having really good results with the morning workouts. It is still to early to say for sure but I have lost 2.2 lbs in 3 days. The only change I made is instead of doing my cardio in the evening, I do it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
My cardio consists of 2 miles on the bicycle. Please keep in mind that I am not out there cruising. I am pushing hard and when I finish I am out of breath and sweating profusely.
I recently read that doing cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach increases your fat burning efficiency by 300%. I am putting this to the test and am pleased with the results so far.
Today's official weigh in: 318 lbs. That's a .6 lb loss from yesterday. I've lost 1 lb for the month and 32 lbs for the year. I am 3 days into my morning cardio test and have lost 2.2 lbs.
Yesterday I had cereal for breakfast, an apple for mid morning snack, vegetable soup for lunch, an orange for mid afternoon snack, and 2 bratwurst dogs for dinner. Later while watching TV, I had some popcorn.
The only exercise I did was in the morning. 2 miles on the bike and 200 sit ups before I ate and before I went to work.
Yesterday, I started the day out feeling great. I put in 2 miles on the bike and did 200 crunches on the Ab Roller before work. I had cereal for breakfast, an orange for mid morning snack, ramen noodles for lunch, an apple for a mid afternoon snack, and a huge portion of London broil and some broccoli for dinner. After dinner, I helped my son with his homework and worked on my computer for about an hour.
Later, my wife gave me a massage and I was finished for the night. I tell ya, she's got magic hands. She is not licensed but she worked with her sister in Venezuela for years as a masseuse and she definitely knows what she is doing. I actually fell asleep during the massage and when she was finished, I just went on to bed at 8:30.
That is what I like about doing my exercise first thing in the morning, you get it out o f the way in case something comes up later. Any how, I still lost about half a pound even with the big dinner and no evening exercise.
Today's weigh in: 318.6 lbs. That's .4 lbs for the month and 31.4 lbs for the year.
I had another one of those mornings where I had to re-weigh myself 3 or 4 times because I thought the scales had to be wrong. They show that I dropped 1.2 lbs in a day. I guess that is not impossible because I have certainly had days where I unexpectedly showed a gain of over a pound when there should have been a loss. We will see in the upcoming few days if this is a fluke or a result of my morning bike rides.
Today's official weigh in: 319 lbs straight up. That's 8.6 lbs lost for the month of April and a total of 31 lbs lost for 2008. I am only 2 pounds off my target weight for the year now.
Yesterday I did 2 miles on the bike and 200 crunches on the Ab Roller before I ate breakfast. When I got home from work, I took my son to soccer practice, went to the grocery store, then did another 2 miles on the bike. (in the dark). I also did another 200 crunches while watching TV and the wife and I went through the "Yoga For Weight Loss" routine before going to bed.
I had a banana for breakfast, carrot sticks for a mid morning snack, a salami sandwich for lunch, an apple for mid afternoon snack, another salami sandwich when I got home from work, and I had a big Andoville sausage dog after I rode my bike for the second time. (I couldn't help it, I love that stuff)
The beauty of what I am doing is that you can have the occasional "treat" and still lose weight. I think that most diets don't work because they require you to maintain a strict regiment for an extended period of time. It is very hard for people to stick to something like that, especially when you first start out. I have been on my weight loss program for 4 months now and I actually look forward to my exercises.
It's all about gradually changing your lifestyle and conditioning not only your body, but your mind as well. That is what will ultimately let you lose the weight and keep it off for good.
