Cut the B.S. Diets: Part Deux28 lbs LOSTso farJuly 21, 2008 by Israel Lagares | 16 comments
What I would recommend for a meal schedule is something like this, for a ‘normal’ day - adjust the times as I go … since I’m just writing to the average person. This is more in tune with my personal goals at the moment but you can adjust to fit your life. Or not use it at all. It’s up to you.
6:15 – Morning cardio Meal ~200 cals– Protein shake, or something high in protein and low carb, either before or after your morning cardio. Depends on your stomach.
* 6:30 – Hop on treadmill for 30-45 mins, low speed, full incline *
8:00 – Breakfast, ~500 cals – heavy on carbs, with protein and fish oil or other supplement for fats.
10:15 – Mid-morning snack, ~300 cals – moderate carb, high protein, little fat
1:00 – Lunch, ~600 cals - moderate carb, high protein, little fat
4:15 – Pre-workout meal ~600 cals – mass/weight gain protein shake OR high carb snack with some fat and protein
* 5:15-5:30 WORKOUT *
7:00 – Post workout shake ~400 cals – My recommendation is a protein shake, with 2-3 scoops of dextrose (or gatorade powder) for quick absorption of calories.
8:00 – Post workout meal ~500 cals – Protein and healthy fats! Boiled chicken, vegetables, lightly oiled with virgin olive oil or something similar. Your body will convert excess carbs into fat, you don’t want very much after your post workout shake! Vegetables, maybe a small portion of rice for some carbs.
10:00 – Before bed – this is a good time for casein protein, low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese, steak, something high in protein to help keep you anabolic instead of catabolic while you’re asleep.
That’s about ~2800 calories a day, adjust your meals accordingly (if you’re trying to gain weight, lose weight – of course, this is dependent upon your basal metabolism and not the recommended 2,000 calories a day!) Average person burns about 2500 calories, in my opinion, so this would work well for an above average person who does both cardio (going for a jog or treadmill), and does a weight training workout to maintain muscle, lose fat, and overall just get fit.
This is a very flexible plan and if you need more calories simply add more meals, I feel it’s better to consume food more often rather then bigger portions. +/- 100 calories over 8 meals makes for 800 extra calories a day, over a week that’s 4,000+ calories - and if your body doesn’t use them, what does that become? Fat! One pound of fat equals 3,500 calories - so think, for all the extra you eat gets added up over years, day in and day out. That could equal to 20-30 pounds a year (some days you’re active, some you’re not, Christmas you eat huge portions, but summer time you may never take the time to eat). Over 10-15 years, this number just keeps getting bigger and bigger until you’re very unhealthy, and unhappy with yourself. Make the change sooner, rather than later!
I talk about pretty bland meals, but you can spice things up accordingly … just think of what you’re trying to accomplish, staying high-energy (eating more carbs), staying lean (eating more protein), or pre/post workout if you don’t like shakes!
Remember, everyone has there own thing that works for them. The above may not work for you, but you won’t know that until you try.
What does your nutritional breakdown look like? Maybe you can share with us what you eat?
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4th of July Diet Splurge or Keep it in Control28 lbs LOSTso farJuly 4, 2008 by Israel Lagares | 19 comments
It’s a national holiday, you’re eating healthy, and working out. What do you do when Independence Day here in the United States is often celebrated by going to the beach/state park, barbecuing up some delicious food, and watching fireworks at night? You have two options. You can either take today as a splurge/cheat day or you can keep your inner desires at bay. Either way, you’re going to need to get over it tomorrow and continue on your regular healthy habits. Today is an anomaly to most folks. It’s a day of celebration, so I can see why some people are not sure how to handle it when it comes to the eating part.
You should probably do your workout routine, that I definitely suggest. Maybe even kick it up a notch in intensity to make up for potentially drinking too many beers full of empty calories or that extra barbecued piece of meat. I for one will be at the beach and then head over to my uncle’s house for some barbecued meats, hot dogs, and potato salad. Ah, I can taste it now. I’m really looking forward to it actually.
Diet splurge for today only. It’s often recommended by trainers and dietitians to reward yourself once a week by either giving yourself a cheat day of cheat meal. I’ve done this. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It really depends on how the rest of my week is going. On occasion if I’m having a particularly awesome week, workout and nutrition wise, I tend to give myself a cheat meal. What usually ensues is a splurging of calories which often leads to me feeling like crap, physically and mentally, and not rewarding myself a cheat meal for months. As weird as it sounds, I like that route actually. It forces me into not splurging for long periods of time, which I will take any day over splurging weekly.
So do you splurge today? I wouldn’t say splurge. Don’t binge eat today. Just, if you feel like it, have that extra hot dog or beer. It’s okay. The world isn’t ending. It’s just one day out of 365 that you decided to relax. You need to go into this knowing that this is only for today, not tomorrow or the day after. ONLY today. Tomorrow you are going to work out and go on with your life like if today didn’t happen. Make sense? Good. So go eat some hot dogs (Nathan’s are my favorite), burgers, chicken and throw back some beers. It’s okay. Besides if your body is used to eating healthy and in control, it won’t let you do too much damage today. It’s going to self regulate, which is good. You’re going to get full pretty quickly. Don’t believe me? Try it. Let me know how it goes. Seriously, let me know how it goes.
Keep the eating in check. So you decided you wanted to keep it in control instead? Are you one of those beginners or weaker people that once they let go, they lose control? No worries, like I just said the body will self regulate if you have been eating healthy for the past few weeks. It won’t let you stuff your face too much before you start feeling like crap physically. Still don’t want to take the chance? That’s cool. Just make sure you stay away from the barbecue pit, the food table, and anyone that is going to be throwing food in your face. Grab your piece of chicken, or meat, and enjoy it with some salad. Add some water to the mix and you will be just fine. Just keep drinking water and conversing with other people at the party. It’s crucial that you don’t skip a meal. If you do you are going to get hungry later, and that may lead to binging or bad choices in what you consume.
Anyway, I need to head out to the beach and enjoy the sun while I can. You be safe today and remember: today is today, tomorrow is tomorrow.
The last few weeks have not been as good for me nutrition-wise, but I will rant about that in a different post. Today I ‘m just going with the flow and will probably be consuming more calories then I would like, but I’m gong to make up for it tomorrow and the rest of the year.
Live a little, it’s Independence day for crying out loud!!
*Photo Courtesy of Mr Magoo ICU
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Cut the B.S. and Get Your Diet in Order!28 lbs LOSTso farJune 30, 2008 by Israel Lagares | 27 comments
But what about the many meals a day?! Well, this is another thing most people forget. Your body digests what it takes, in about 2 ½ hours. Most people eat 3 large meals a day and a few snacks, well, this will add up to around ~3,000 calories to the average person. The body, however, needs energy ALL through the day. Would you rather drive your car to E, fill up, drive your car to E, fill up, drive to E then park it, then fill it up in the morning again? Or, drive your car to ¼ tank, fill it, ¼ tank, fill it – see what I’m saying? It costs the same in the long run, but is better because at some point your fuel pump takes a beating sucking down that last little bit of gas – and this is a perfect reference, the body will go catabolic and then get a big meal and store what it left over as fat!
Breaking the ~3k cals down to 6-7 smaller meals of 4-500 calories, makes for a much more efficient body, as your metabolism stays high all day breaking down food. That, in itself, burns calories! But how do I break my meals down? That’s what gets most people …
Your food intake should consist of about 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fats. This is a pretty standard figure, but I like to manipulate this some because of some basic ways the body handles these nutrients. Think about your day, when do you expel the most energy? Morning (your didn’t eat all night, you need carbs to start your body – think, what’s recommended? Cereal, toast, fruits – all carbs). Lunchtime, usually when you go back to work and need energy to well – sustain life. Then most people, eat carbs around dinner time then proceed to workout. Great, carbs BEFORE you work out!
Then finish your workout and eat another carb rich meal, bad idea. You won’t be using much energy after 7:00PM will you? Probably not … so avoid the carbs. Chips? No way, don’t even go down that isle at the grocery store. Head over to the meat department, and get a nice lean steak. Or two, or 10 pounds worth … eat up! Get tuna, veggies to make salads, and a very light oil/vinegar dressing that’s low in overall calories and use sparingly. Fry some chicken lightly in a pan, 3-4 days worth, and keep it in the fridge to use with salads if you don’t care for tuna. Chicken and rice is a great carb/protein rich meal, and mixed vegetables are VERY low in calories (the frozen kind), and you can cook those up along with the chicken and again make a dozen or so in separate containers and have a few days worth of meals prepared in advance. Pop in microwave, some soy sauce, and have a great meal!
Mix a few raisins in with yogurt if you don’t care for protein shakes for something to eat before morning cardio. Protein is there to keep your body from breaking down muscle, and a little carbs in the mix won’t affect daily carb intakes! Little things like this, just to find ways to avoid foods that are just empty calories and won’t do you much good, make the biggest difference. Sure, you can still have a great meal every once in a while as a “cheat”, but don’t make it a regular habit. After a while, it’s a nice thing to have when you accomplish a goal - and after you see yourself changing, you will stay away from bad foods because you’ll love the new person you’re becoming.
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The 4 Physical Laws of Dieting28 lbs LOSTso farJune 14, 2008 by Israel Lagares | 17 comments
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Charlie Hills who can be found at Back To The Fridge. He is the author of Why Your Last Diet Failed You and How This Book Won’t Help You on Your Next One, a humorous commentary on dieting not designed to help anybody.
Odds are you’ve been dieting for just as long as I have. And by now you’re familiar with the mechanics of weight loss. You know the basic premises. (”Burn more calories than you take in!”) You know the numbers. (”It takes an extra 3,500 calories to gain a pound.”) But I bet you haven’t heard these laws. (Probably because I made them up.)
Here they are: The Physical Laws of Dieting:
Law I. Weight returns at five times the velocity at which it was lost.
Unfortunately, most of us are all too familiar with this law. In some ways, this seems impossible. “How can it take five days to lose two pounds and only one day to get it back!? That’s not fair!” Well, unfortunately, life isn’t fair and this is just the way it works. Why? Because you can’t eat fewer than zero calories per day but you can eat five thousand or more if you really put your mind to it. What to do: If your diet is going well, here’s a helpful tip: don’t blow it. How? Well if I knew that, I’d be king of the world.
Law II. Any dietary straying, no matter how seemingly insignificant, causes instantaneous Diet Reversal.
Oh, we’ve all experienced this. You do well all week long then on Friday night you figure you deserve a little treat. So you have pizza. Oops. Does your body forgive you? Are you allowed to take a mulligan? Of course not. What to do: Giving yourself a food treat for losing weight is a lot like winning a Million Dollar Bake-Off and then shredding the check to celebrate your win. What’s wrong with you?
Law III. No diet, no matter how well it’s going, can survive Thanksgiving.
I don’t know about you, but the forty-day feed fest from Thanksgiving to New Year’s gets me every single time. I try. I really do. But no diet in history has ever been built to withstand a head-on collision with pumpkin pie. What to do: Remove all possible temptation by relocating to an uncharted island. There Mary Ann and Ginger can keep you on a strict diet of coconut and crab. In fact, you might enjoy this so much you’ll find yourself sabotaging the Professor’s rescue plans every single week.
Law IV. Informing others of your progress immediately halts progress.
I can’t be the only one this has happened to. You start your diet on Monday and by Thursday morning you’re miraculously down six pounds. You’re so excited you tell everyone you know, whether in person or by keyboard. But come Friday morning, you’re suddenly five pounds heavier. It’s a sinking feeling, but you brought it upon yourself. What to do: This one is obvious: never, ever tell anyone how well you’re doing. Even when you’ve lost fifty pounds and everyone asks, “Have you lost weight?” tell them, “No, I’m just wearing vertical stripes.”
So there you have it. I know it’s not pretty, but it’s the truth. I’m actively lobbying to see if I can get any of these laws repealed. So far, no such luck. I’ll keep you posted.
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Burning Fat 4…Dummies28 lbs LOSTso farJune 10, 2008 by Israel Lagares | 11 comments
We all know how hard it can be to stick to our diets in order to lose that pesky fluff. BurnFat4Dummies brings you all the motivation and information you need right in the package of a 24-page, easy to read, e-book. David Holm’s strategy is not to starve us or keep us from the food’s we just can’t stop eating, but to inform us and give us the knowledge to live a normal life while losing weight. I’m a proponent of reading as much about health as you can, keeping yourself informed.
David’s 5 Essential Tips for Weight Loss :
1. Have a target weight in mind.
2. Don’t break the scale, weigh yourself only once or twice a week!
3. Track your weight loss progression.
4. Eat consistently to speed up that fat metabolism of your’s.
5. Drink water and loads of it! (I don’t agree 100% with this, not all the time at least.)
The claim is, if you follow BurningFat4Dummies’ 4 week plan, you WILL lose between 5 and 30 pounds. To layout the plan in a nutshell, eat less more often, make healthier choices, exercise consistently, and stay away from pills
Throughout the book, David does mention things many of you may have read from other sources. However, it is good to repeat the most obvious, as it is usually the most important information of all. He is blunt about many issues and I can see his plan (with 110% effort) working and getting you back to the weight you want to be at.
If you are serious about taking action, subscribe to BurningFat4Dummies by e-mail to receive not only David’s powerfully informative e-book, but a video and access to his blog, where you’ll find even more information regarding weight loss.
PS: Keep us updated via comments about your thoughts and even results from your BurningFat4Dummies diet.
I give this all away free…with no strings but to different things work for different people. It’s worth a visit.
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Is your Food Worth its Weight in Exercise?28 lbs LOSTso farMay 6, 2008 by Israel Lagares | 25 comments
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Lisa Newton who can be found at Iowa Avenue and the Healthy Lifestyle Bloggers.
If you’re trying to lose weight, exercise is the best way to create a negative calorie balance. Too many people have the misconception that exercising affords them the permission to eat more. This idea is flat out false. Where it came from I could only speculate.
By eating additional food because you exercised, the hard work you just did is lost, and instead of losing the calories just exercised away, you’re left with an equal number of calories lost vs. calories gained–thus, no weight loss.
Is the food you eat worth it?
Another aspect of exercise and food is that many people complain about having to diet, diet, and diet some more because they are not losing any weight, or have hit a weight loss plateau.
As you lose weight, the amount of food you need to maintain your new weight lessens, so you need to marginally decrease your food intake.
Or if you aren’t physically active, your weight loss plateau could be the direct result of you eating the same amount of food, but not exercising.
You won’t be able to lose weight unless you either eat less or begin an exercise routine.
Don’t believe all of the hype. Just as you would be careful and prudent when making a major purchase, your health is equally as important.
Most advertisements, posts, commercials, or just plain bad advice in the public domain, that you can lose weight, continue to lose weight, or maintain a weight loss without exercise is based on deception, and/or probably some type of over the counter pill that’s not good for you or your health.
90% of the people included in the National Weight Control Registry—which tracks over 5,000 individuals who have lost significant amounts of weight and kept it off for long periods of time–exercised for, on average, an hour per day.
To avoid making the crucial mistake of thinking you can eat more, or lose weight without exercise, consider these facts:
So the next time you want to gorge or splurge on food just because you exercised, ask yourself:
Is your Food Worth its Weight in Exercise?
After all, it’s about a healthy lifestyle!
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Former Fat Guy Rob Cooper On Diet and Nutrition28 lbs LOSTso farApril 29, 2008 by Israel Lagares | 9 comments
Last week I posted a fitness interview with Rob Cooper. He is the guy that lost 300 lbs the natural way. This week we will focus on his diet and nutrition. We can stand to learn something from his weight loss journey. Health wise, I think continual learning is crucial and Rob’s insights provide that.
The following is the second of a three part interview.
Picking up on last week’s fitness goal, describe the diet you’re following to achieve your goal.
I’m following a 90% vegetarian diet, 10% meat. So, not vegetarian per say, but more or less plant based. It’s the opposite of a cave man diet, yet similar. I go 9, 10 or 14 days eating a whole food, plant based diet, then have 2 or 3 days of meat along with the plants.
I LOVE food (that’s how I got to be almost 500 pounds in the first place, remember?), and I find that the better I eat, and the more I train, the more I get to eat!
My program is also about longevity. I want to be climbing mountains and jumping out of planes when I’m 80 years old. My plan is to go past 100 years old too, so I’m not even near middle age yet
I got interested in natural health back when I first started my weight loss journey, and it fascinated me. There’s so much that doctors don’t tell us (because they don’t know), so I became my own doctor. I learned how the body works, how it processes food, how it digests, how it assimilates nutrients, etc. and I’ve never looked back.
My philosophy is about natural health and natural weight loss, living lean from a healthy perspective with longevity in mind.
What is the main focus of the diet? (ie: cutting calories? cutting fat? eating natural?)
Whole foods – eating natural, low fat, high nutrient density food sources, predominantly a vegetarian diet with minimal amounts of the best possible sources meat – grass fed bison, chicken and grass fed chicken eggs.
Primary focus is high fiber, nutrient dense foods.
How many meals a day are you eating?
Four to 5 a day, with a goal of 6.
Does the rest of your family / household eat the same way?
Yes, thankfully. My girlfriend is the best. She was vegan when I met her, having dropped 30 pounds herself (for her 5’ tall frame). It’s wonderful having someone eat the same way, the same restaurants and the same beliefs about food, food sources, food quality. She’s no longer strictly vegan by any means as she incorporates some animal protein as well now, but to a much lesser extent than me. She’s just relaxed about her eating now that she’s reached her goal, yet conscious about the health consequences of eating too much protein.
Do you allow for a reward meal (cheat meal)?
Yes – I like great red wine and that’s my reward. I absolutely love the food I eat, so great wine and the odd great imported beer are my treats. My goal is to be able to have some wine or beer every two weeks, and allow for the next day to be an off day of some sort, because doing cardio after a night of drinking just doesn’t feel right. One should be allowed to sleep in, lol.
Other than that, I find that for a 10% body fat goal, training twice a day, 6 weeks in a row allows for a little more freedom. I don’t count calories, and don’t weigh anything. We eat out twice a week or so, and it’s usually thai. I make sure I’ve either just finished training or I’m about to train after I eat. That allows me to use the food as fuel.
Which if any supplements do you add to your diet?
I’ve been eating Sunrider food supplements since I found out about them in 1991. They changed my life and I’ve never been without them since. I used to use creatine and glutamine and whey. Now I don’t. I used creatine for 15 years but stopped. I’ve used whey off and on for about 7 years, but no longer feel the need to waste money on it when I can get better nutrition from whole foods and Sunrider.
Coffee or green tea?
Green tea. I drink Sunrider Calli tea and Fortune Delight exclusively.
Water or calorie free beverage?
Water and Sunrider Fortune Delight (a 3 calorie whole food beverage that supports my health).
How much do you spend on food in a given week / month?
My girlfriend and I actually track this month to month – how much we spend on groceries and how much we spend eating out. We average about $800 a month on groceries of which I’m eating 60%.
Are there any foods you outright avoid and DO NOT eat?
Dairy. Absolutely NO dairy goes anywhere near my lips. The biggest lie ever told to the public is about milk and dairy being good for you – what a joke. Tell the lie long enough and loud enough and people believe it.
Cola of any sort – nope, nada. I haven’t bought pop [soda] since 1992 in any variety.
Sugar – I haven’t bought sugar – ever.
List your top 3 supplements?
Water, Sunrider foods, dark leafy green vegetables.
Please describe 3 of your best eating or dieting tips for the reader.
1. Focus on improving your health first and foremost. A healthy body will not store fat and is free of aches and pains. When you focus on natural principles, you get the all the benefits of a healthy body – stress management, better sleep, clear skin, mental acuity, quick recovery time, natural HGH etc.
2. Fruit is meant to be eaten on an empty stomach and eaten alone. Very few people realize this. Fruit is also the best post workout recovery food. It provides natural sugar, carbohydrates, water and fiber.
3. The only beverages that pass over your lips during your weight loss phase should be water and green tea. Anything else is not supporting you or your health. No protein shakes, no milk, no beer, no wine, no Gatorade, no pop, no coffee – nothing but water. Once you’ve reached your goal weight and want to move to maintenance or muscle building, then re-evaluate your fluids. Until then, stick with water. You be surprised at the results you can get in one week by simply switching to pure distilled water.
Next week we will cover Rob’s mental health and mindset. For the latest on Rob make sure to visit his site, FormerFatGuy.com and read more on his natural weight loss blog.
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Fasting Diet: No Food, All Water28 lbs LOSTso farApril 1, 2008 by Israel Lagares | 40 comments
I have decided to test my inner strength by undergoing a grueling fasting diet. I won’t be eating anything and will only be drinking water and possibly green tea. I will however take a multi vitamin each morning. This isn’t something I am used to so it should prove to be a challenge.
Why am I doing this? I want to test my will power and test my body. I read and hear of countless people fasting for days on end and they live to tell about it. I plan on doing it for a few days at most. I have read of 2 week fasts. But that’s not something I am interested in doing. I will continue to exercise and go throughout the day as I normally would. That won’t change. I hope.
Now usually I would not do something like this, but I think it’s a welcomed shock to my system. I will make an update the minute I start eating again, which I hope isn’t until Saturday at the earliest. Wow, just thinking about the possibility of fasting for so long amazes me.
I guess we will see if I can last being stranded on a deserted island.
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The 5 Best Protein Sources for Building Muscle28 lbs LOSTso farMarch 27, 2008 by Dr. Kal | 34 comments
Weight Loss Experts continuously debate over which diets are best: “low carb” or “low fat”. I am not sure which side is currently winning and frankly I don’t care. In my opinion, the macronutrients that are most important to weight loss are proteins.
Benefits of Protein
Protein benefits weight loss in many ways:
- Building muscle
- Boosting metabolism
- Slowing digestion
- Decreasing hunger
The most important of these is building muscle.
How to Build Muscle
To build muscle you basically have to accomplish three things:
- Strength train to break down old muscle fibers and encourage your body to replace the old muscle fibers with even more new muscle fibers.
- Eat enough calories to discourage your body from using your muscle fibers for energy.
- Eat enough protein to provide your body with the building blocks it needs to repair old muscle fibers and build new muscle fibers.
Protein Sources
The best protein sources are:
Whey – Whey protein is one the two major proteins found in the milk of humans and other mammals, such as cows. This means that nature selected it as one of the best proteins to help babies grow, and babies grow very fast. Whey is digested and used quickly, making it the perfect post-workout protein. It has all the amino acids you need, tastes okay, and is still fairly inexpensive.
Casein – Casein protein is the other milk protein. So, nature also chose casein to aid in the growth of newborns. However, casein is digested and used slowly, making it a decent post workout protein, but an excellent before bed protein. It has all the amino acids your body needs, and also tastes okay.
Egg Whites – Egg yolks are good for the body in moderation, but egg whites are far better. Egg whites have all the amino acids you need and can be fairly inexpensive if you buy whole eggs and separate them yourself. Another, benefit is you can cook them, adding your own flavor and other ingredients. Boiled egg whites are also very portable.
Soy – Soy protein is the ideal choice for vegetarians. Soy is the only plant that has all of the amino acids your body needs. Soy also has many health benefits include protection against heart disease and many cancers.
Skinless Chicken Breast – For those of you who just want meat, skinless chicken breast should be ideal for you. Skinless chicken breasts are extremely lean especially if you remove all visible fat. They can be very inexpensive if you get them on sale or at a warehouse type store, such as Costco’s. They are muscles themselves, so they obviously have the amino acids you need to build muscle. Skinless chicken breasts also taste great when they are well prepared. I like my chicken breast, well seasoned, grilled, with hot sauce on the side.
To lose weight and keep it off, you must eat an adequate amount of protein. When choosing protein sources, start with whey, casein, soy, egg whites, and skinless chicken breast.
Here are some more resources for protein rich foods: Wellsphere: List of High Protein Foods
Dr. Kalvin Chinyere is a weight-loss expert and ex-fat man. He is also the creator of the Don’t Go Broke Weight Loss Plan and the main contributor at Dr. Kal’s Blog
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Reward Yourself with a Cheat Day28 lbs LOSTso farFebruary 29, 2008 by Israel Lagares | 10 comments
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Jason Bacchetta of Trend Spike, a Men’s Blog and Online Magazine.
When Israel mentioned in his vlog that he believed people should replace food, rather than just cut it out of their diet altogether, I decided to give my opinion on that idea as well. I recently wrote an article on why you CAN go on a diet splurge every now and then. Although my idea was slightly different than what Israel had to say, I think Israel and I are both trying to get a point across.
That is, be realistic. Nobody is perfect, and trying to limit yourself to a hardcore diet that doesn’t allow for any mistakes, will likely work against you, rather than for you. You need to find something that works for YOU, not what supposedly works for your favorite spokes model. If you’re used to eating junk food for every meal, of every day, then dropping the food you love cold turkey, is just not the best option. Too many times, people have tried and failed with that approach. In fact, 75-90% of people who lose weight, regain it back. In my opinion, it’s because they choose a diet that they can’t live with. A healthy eating routine isn’t just about what you do for the next three weeks, it’s about what you do for the rest of your life (as Israel mentions in his video).
Personally, I’m in the same race to become fit, except I actually have a hard time gaining weight. When I was younger, I would always push myself to the extreme. Not eating right, or missing a workout even if only for a day, would cause me to feel guilty, as if I wasn’t trying hard enough. Sometimes this desire for perfection was exactly the attitude that brought me further away from my goals. Eventually I realized that it’s okay to live a healthy lifestyle, without trying to reach the finish line as fast as possible. It’s all about moderation. When I would allow myself to eat the things I wanted to every now and then, and when I would allow myself to miss a day in the gym, my progress continued uphill. I noticed that I wouldn’t get burned out every month, as I did when I was “hardcore.”
Giving yourself a free day every week as I suggest, or replacing junk food with healthy food (that you enjoy) as Israel suggests, will increase your chances of staying healthy for the long-term. Stop wasting your New Year’s resolution on the same thing every year. Give yourself a chance to win the battle this time. It’s not easy, but it doesn’t have to be hell either.
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Fiji Water - The New Player in the Bottled Water Craze28 lbs LOSTso farFebruary 16, 2008 by Israel Lagares | 17 comments
Everywhere I go I see Fiji bottled water. What’s so great about it besides it being more expensive than other bottled water? I must admit that at first this was going to be a rant about how I can’t stand bottled water companies, but after reading through the beautifully designed Fiji Water web site and doing some deeper research, I had to change my tune. Well, I think I did. I was out to crush Fiji Water, but now have a better understanding of it.
Water is water. Right? When I think of things like this, I always think back to prehistoric days. I try and compare my daily habits with what cavemen might have done. I like to believe that cavemen would have just drank water from a stream. Simple. If it’s clear, it’s drinkable. But Fiji does a good job at educating it’s visitors. The site is full of information regarding the different water types of bottled water, health benefits of water, and why they think Fiji water is second to none.
Fiji says it uses water that has not touched open air. Ever! To understand this you first need to know what artesian water is. So what is artesian water? Simply put, it’s rain water that is sealed deep beneath layers of the Earth’s surface, hasn’t been exposed to the environment, and can only be brought to the surface by man. According to their site, the only time Fiji artesian water comes in contact with the air we breathe is when a person first opens a bottle that they have purchased. Pretty hard to believe right? I’m a skeptic. But this non-human contact is what they pride themselves in. It’s what they use as their main marketing point.
I haven’t tasted Fiji water, but I know many who have. They swear by it. Some stores around here (Florida) charge way too much for it. I can only imagine what cities in New York and California charge. You can also buy it in bulk from the Fiji Water web site. I bet you could do the same on eBay, but cheaper. I plan on buying a single bottle of Fiji Water this weekend and drinking it for the first time on camera for my weekly video blog. We will see if the water is what it’s hyped up to be. My reaction will say it all.
Fiji reminds me of the bottled water craze a few years back. I remember seeing Evian, Poland Spring and a slew of other bottled water companies emerging. All of the upscale folks would pay big bucks for a bottle of water, most of which has turned out to just be tap water re-bottled. Living in NYC, I have always been comfortable drinking water from the tap. NYC’s water is purified by one of the best water purification systems in the state of New York. It wasn’t until I moved to Florida that I had to start paying for drinking water. The tap water in Florida has no fluoride and contains a lot of chlorine. It tastes horrible. So we get water for our water dispenser from the local Sweet Bay Supermarket. My wife insists on buying bottled water for work. She isn’t too picky on which we get, but will refuse to drink Nestle or Zephyrhills brand water.
At the end of the day, water is water and I drink tons of it.
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