Why I Will Never Write Down What I Eat47 lbs LOSTso farNovember 17, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 13 comments
Why won’t I write down what I eat? Simple: I want to live a normal life. I don’t want to be one of those folks that’s writing down every single thing they consume and writing down every single thing they do. No sir. I refuse to. It may work for some folks, but it won’t work with me. It would just make me dread every aspect of getting in shape even more. I don’t want to add negativity to my life, which is what writing everything down would do.
I do refer to what I eat though. I know how many calories I have consumed and what kind of calories I have consumed. I look at labels and have a general idea of the caloric and nutritional breakdowns of certain foods. When I don’t know something I Google it. I plan in advance in a different way than writing things down. I know exactly what I will eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I don’t prepare any of it in advance or write it down, but I do know what I plan on consuming (except for the few relapses I have been having lately). It’s all in my head.
So I was perusing through my comments yesterday when I came across a comment by James. James is always commenting and giving me advice, which I love. I like the interaction with readers. Especially since I do the same thing on other blogs. Anyway, he recently made a comment that “challenged” me. It sort of pissed me off, but I welcome it nonetheless. Thinking back, it’s not that big a deal. I was just in a bad mood when I read it.
So here is his James’ comment about me (I edited the grammatical errors):
“Why won’t you ever refer to what you eat? You don’t write down what you eat, but do you know the proportions of nutriments you’re getting in? Can you say what percentage of protein, carbs and fat are you getting? I don’t see why you have a fixation on never writing down what you eat or plan in advance, if you could explain it in a new post it would be cool. Nevertheless my recommendation works as well for workouts, but are you going to tell me that you never plan in advance your workouts and never will? How open minded is that?”
With regards to your comment about not being open minded, what’s that about bro? Was that even necessary? Saying that made me want to break something. Your face! I feel like it was uncalled for man. I do plan my workouts in advance, I even printed out a workout plan and posted it in my gym.
So James, thanks for the thought provoking comment, keep them coming. No hard feelings, nothing personal. I just won’t ever write down what I eat. NEVER!
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The Start of the 4 Big Holidays: A Dieter’s Nightmare47 lbs LOSTso farNovember 3, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 12 comments
It’s the start of a period of holidays towards the end of the year that can be brutal on a person with a diet. It starts with all the darned candy and chocolates for Halloween. Then it continues with the Thanksgiving feast of all feasts, which is followed by a Christmas family meal. That meal isn’t as bad or tempting as the Thanksgiving one, but it’s still tough to get by. For the normal person it is all concluded with an end of year New Year’s party/dinner.
After that you can make your New Year’s resolutions and move on with your eating healthy and changing your lifestyle, then failing miserably at it. At least that’s how most years were for me before this year. I would promise myself that I was going to change for the new year, but wouldn’t. I plan on not over indulging during any of the “4 Big Holidays.”
Summer is over and most folks won’t be needing to show as much skin as when the sun is out, so now they can cover up under layers upon layers of clothing. This doesn’t help either. It just makes it easier to hide the fatness. Most folks that I know don’t bother working out during Winter, instead they eat and eat and eat, and eat. And eat some more. I do love that home cooking during the Holidays but I won’t be over doing it.
This is the year of change for me. The following weeks are going to test my inner warriorness to the full extent. I know I can do it, but will I? We shall find out.
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Halloween Holiday Candy Crisis Prevention47 lbs LOSTso farNovember 1, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 3 comments
As most of you already know, yesterday was Halloween in the U S of A. We went trick-or-treating and managed to collect a ton of candy and junk food. Of course my daughter wants to eat all of it, but this time around she wanted to share her candy binge with me. That’s were things got ugly.
My favorite chocolate candy is Nestle Crunch. I used to buy the giant size bars and eat each square one by one. I would make sure to hold each piece in the same two fingers so that I could lick the melted remnants of it from my fingers once I finished the entire bar. Each bar must have contained 1000 calories or more. I have always loved eating chocolate, but alas, I must stop myself. I had to turn down my daughters urging binging demands. I felt weak at first, but was steadfast with my decision to not give in to the candy temptation.
I even had to remove myself from the room with all the candy. I went out to get some air and did some push ups. This sounds weird, but I was feeling like an addict being tempted with his favorite drug. I was getting flash backs of all the tasty Halloween candy memories I had had as a kid knocking on doors and getting M&M’s, Kit Kats, Crunchs, Snickers, and what ever else we were offered. I was the one to not really care about my costume, for me it was all about the junk food. I would usually consume a third to half of all of my candy booty the same night. Yes, it was bad. Now that I think about it, I even managed to sneak in a giant size Nestle Crunch into boot camp! My drill instructors didn’t even have a clue. I enjoyed that bar for weeks since I had to practice stealth and could only eat one square of it each night. It was well worth it.
So back to yesterday and my struggle. There was one point at which I almost caved in. We had just got home and my wife placed all of the candy on the counter. I looked at the nutritional facts for a fun size M&Ms plain and saw that it only had about 80 calories per 3 servings. All of which were bad. But 80 is not that much, especially since I was only planning on eating one bag, which would have made it 26.6 calories. I can burn 27 calories with my eyes closed. At that point I looked at my wife (she thought it was fine since I have been doing so well) and then looked at the candy, then I put it down and said, “No. It’s not worth it.” I said it out loud and my wife was proud of me. So was I.
I was confronted with one of my favorite temptations and managed to get through it unscathed. This was a check mark in the win column of weight loss. It also helped that we didn’t get even one Nestle Crunch bar. That would have made things turn out differently.
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The Liquid Vitamin Shop47 lbs LOSTso farOctober 29, 2007 by Matt | No comments
When I first loaded Liquid Vitamin Shop, it wasn’t very difficult to see what it was that the company was selling. (Good Thing.) However, after that point, it all became incredibly cluttered.
The website itself seems as if it was built in 1997 and hasn’t been updated since, except for the products. As far as the design goes, there are several things I would change that would change the customer experience. First off, as said above, the site is entirely too cluttered. DON’T MAKE PEOPLE THINK. People spend an average of seconds looking at a web page and if they can’t find what they’re looking for they move on. They don’t take the time to look if it’s going to take 10 minutes because they think it’s in a specific site. Secondly, move the navigation to the left side and switch it with the review. I first thought that when I loaded the home page that the four big items in the front were specials, but then when you scroll down, there are other items that are tagged as specials and not these, confusing!
The part where they’re asking “Do you agree with our customers” should be the first thing on the page, explaining what the site is, and that its not an MLM or scheme of any sort. The other problem I have is that when I clicked on gender at the top, I didn’t know Children, Teenagers, and Seniors’ (punctuation error) were a gender.
All in all, I think this website is in dire need of an overhaul with a professional design team that can revamp this company because to be honest, I would have a difficult time buying liquid vitamins from a site that looks like it was designed as a high school portfolio project.
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Fast Food Is My Kryptonite47 lbs LOSTso farOctober 27, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 15 comments
A few days ago I wrote about how I gave in to the temptation of eating fast food. In this case it was Domino’s Pizza. A few minutes after I ate it I began feeling weak and light headed. It was as if I was weakened by something in the food. And you know what? I was. All of the processed crap and fat in fast foods makes my body weak. It’s as simple as that.
That’s how I know that fast food is my kryptonite. I was so severely weakened that I had to take a nap. I didn’t want to, but I had to. I could barely keep my eyes open. The next day I could barely get out of bed. My stomach was bloated all day and I couldn’t use the bathroom due to constipation. It had been so long since I had eaten fast food that my body was shocked from having consumed it.
Some how I managed to lift weights and get in a great run, but all the while I was feeling like I had two watermelons in my stomach. Yes. It was that bad. I felt so bloated that I wasn’t even hungry. I felt like if I ate anything else I would blow up. Keep in mind, that this was the next day and I still could barely stomach anything. I had to force myself into eating some fruit and vegetables. I needs me my nutrition!
So, the clock struck 11 PM and I was still feeling bloated and constipated. A whole 30 hours after originally eating fast food pizza. I couldn’t take it anymore and downed four vegetable laxative pills that I keep around in case of emergency. It’s supposed to take effect within a few hours, but that wasn’t the case. I went to bed and the following day I finally got to rid myself of the damned fast food kryptonite.
I know there’s still some remnants of it inside of me, but I think over the next few days I will be able to clean myself out. I plan on eating fruits, veggies and oats as my primary fuel. That should help me stabilize my equilibrium.
Oh, and no more fast food for a long while. No Wendy’s, no McDonalds, no Burger King, no Sonic, no Pizza Hut, no Checkers, no Taco Bell, no Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), and definitely no Domino’s Pizza!
Fast food, I’m officially on strike!
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A Simple Carb-Cutoff for Weight Loss47 lbs LOSTso farOctober 26, 2007 by IronGuru | 14 comments
WARNING: If you like articles that tell you what you want to hear - then this article is not for you!
The hype around dieting today is all about carbs. South Beach, Atkins, and hundreds of other “weight loss miracles” that center their philosophy around carbohydrates, I think they all miss the bigger picture with hype and propaganda, but particularly reinforcing bad information.
The body needs carbs, plain and simple. They are the fuel for the fire to keep you alive, functioning - the energy that keeps you going through the day. The practice I’m going to preach today is a simple carb-cutoff. The philosophy behind carb-cutoffs is easy, you only need carbs when you will be expending energy. The best idea with carbs is have complex carbohydrates early in the morning, lunch, and an hour or two before a workout. That’s the only time the body truly benefits, and utilizes carbohydrates.
When a person is asleep their body uses energy, but very little. Many people like to snack on sugary goods, chips, cereal, and other carb-rich items before bedtime. This is the single most destructive force to any diet or weight loss regimen. To consume a large amount of energy, when the body will expend very little.
So how does someone defend against this force that works against us? Simple, select a time that fits a person’s lifestyle when they can start cutting off carbs. This doesn’t mean that they cannot eat ANY carbs after that specific time, but should try to keep carbs to a minimum. I’ve always liked to cut off carbs around 4 hours before I’ll be asleep, so if I went to bed at 11PM I would stop consuming carbs around 7PM. This gives the liver time to use the glucose that is in the blood, and not provide more energy when it won’t be used.
So what is the end result? Well, to sum all of this up - the body will have used most of the available glucose (or energy) in the liver within the 4 hours before bed, and when you go to bed the body will remain in an anabolic state (assuming protein is present, which is why cottage cheese is good before bed!) and will draw energy from fat stores, instead of what’s present in the liver!
But that’s not the biggest effect, the biggest contributor to a person’s failure is the body having so many carbs from a large snack before bed that the energy present in the body is not burned off, and stored as fat after they are sound asleep.
This article was written by IronGuru, a guest author on FatManUnleashed.com, with over 5 years experience in bodybuilding, fitness, nutrition, supplements and weight training. Stay tuned for more articles with tried and true methods for fat loss and training!
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What’s That Weird Taste In My Mouth?47 lbs LOSTso farOctober 22, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 12 comments
Over the last few weeks I have been getting this weird taste in my mouth. I would normally just drink some water and then ignore it. That doesn’t work anymore. The taste is too intense now, and not in a good, rich chocolate cake sort of way. It will only subside after I eat, due to the foods different flavor masking the odd taste.
I have been trying to figure out what it is, but can’t quite put my finger on it. It started occurring after I incorporated more intensity into my work out routine. Around that same time I introduced creatine and amino acids in my post workout shakes. I thought that maybe I wasn’t getting enough hydration, but trust me, I drink tons of water and it doesn’t feel the same as having a dry mouth.
What does it taste like? Well, I think it tastes like the whey protein and glutamine that I drink. The taste is mostly on the underneath, towards the back and sides my tongue. Could it be the protein and glutamine? I don’t think I drink too much of it. Could there be some remnants collecting under my tongue?
What the heck is that weird taste in my mouth? Have you had any similar weird tastes in your mouth? Any professionals out that with any advice?
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I Fell Off But Got Back On Track47 lbs LOSTso farOctober 8, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 13 comments
Last week I fell off the path for a couple of days, but I managed to get back on. I got a bit happy and cocky when I realized I had lost 20 lbs. So I decided to celebrate by eating some pasta, which isn’t that bad. But then I didnt workout on Wednesday and had sub par workouts on Thursday and Friday. Add to that the fact that I ate Taco Bell Gorditas and some KFC Honey BBQ wings and you will see why I feel sorta crappy about it. I don’t regret eating the food since I didn’t really overeat, but I do regret not getting better work outs in. I had fallen into that slump I get every few weeks after I start working out again.
Then Saturday came around and I had a pretty decent session and started seeing the light again. I was getting back on track but wasn’t quite there. That is until Sunday. Yesterday I had one of the best workouts I have had to date. I rode the recumbent bike for 40 minutes on a high resistance level, then I lifted weights working out my back, biceps, shoulders and some chest. To top it all off I hopped on the treadmill for a 10 minute run and cooled down with a 10 minute walk. Afterwards I felt amazing. I was back on track. I actually wanted to keep working out but realized that too much is not always good. So I showered, had my protein/creatine/amino acids/green tea shake and relaxed.
My wife then made some grilled chicken breasts with salad that we both devoured. I was feeling great: I worked out and ate a healthy meal. I couldn’t ask for anything else. Amazingly, she had the audacity to bake a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (one of my favorite). It was crunch time and I needed to make a judgment call. Do I indulge and negate the progress I just made or do I maintain and live to fight another day. I am happy to say that I was strong enough to resist. That right there made me feel better than the workout I had earlier. Each time as I passed the kitchen I would see the cake tempting me with its chocolaty frosting, but I would keep going.
I told myself that I couldn’t let this happen again. I was tired of starting the weight loss process and then quitting after I start seeing results. It’s like a switch always flips that tells me to revert back to my old ways of self sabotage. But not this time.
This time I persevered. I got back on track.
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Yogurt: One of the Weapons in My Arsenal47 lbs LOSTso farOctober 6, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 11 comments
I am not about to sit here and preach to you about the benefits of eating yogurt. Anyone could get on the net and do searches for what works for them. To be honest I don’t know all of the benefits that eating yogurt has, but I do know that it works for me. I have never been a big fan of yogurt. It used to always make me gag. Especially the plain ones. Yuck. I tried all the brands I could find and could never stomach any of them.
Until I found La Yogurt. They have two varieties that I am aware of: regular flavor and Sabor Latino. The Sabor Latino Banana flavor is my favorite. I stumbled across it one day while I was shopping at Wal-Mart. I saw that they had banana flavor and decided to take the plunge. It was well worth it. This was about 2 years ago. They initially sold them in singles, but I think it caught on so Wal-Mart started selling them in 6 packs. It sells for about two dollars and change, making each yogurt about 50 cents. The six pack comes with three banana and three papaya. I wish they came all banana. Maybe one day.
The banana flavored La Yogurt tastes like Gerber banana baby food. That’s why I think I can stomach it, since I used to always eat banana Gerber as a kid. I make sure to eat one yogurt a day with some crushed walnuts sprinkled in (that is if my two year old daughter leaves me any, she goes through yogurts like theres no tomorrow). I usually eat it as a snack, but if I am too lazy to prepare a real meal I will eat a yogurt with some fruit and a protein shake. It usually fills me up good, so no complaints there.
Do you eat yogurt? What brand? Maybe I can try it out.
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My Weight Loss Goal Clothes47 lbs LOSTso farOctober 4, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 21 comments
I have had a pair of black jeans size 40 for about 3 years. They are made by Pepe Jeans London. I love that brand. Never worn, ever. I also have a pair of shorts my wife bought me when I was in shape but never wore them either. Those are Pepe too.
This is the year I put them on, that’s one of my goals. I tried putting them on but it was a very tight fit. I had to forcefully pull them up to my waist, and they barely got there. I couldn’t button them. I couldn’t even walk in them. I had to shuffle my feet in order to get the camera in the living room so I could take the picture below. When it was time to take them off I had to peel them off slowly. It was bad. REAL BAD. The fact that I could even pull them up past my knees is amazing. Last time I tried a year ago I wasn’t successful.
I got the idea for this post from Biggest Loser Tuesday night when the trainers presented the contestants with the goal shirts. I had goal shirts and pants before, but none with writing on them. I have always wanted to buy or fit into a certain pair of cloths and these are it. I can’t believe it’s been 3 years. I also have a bunch of shirts I haven’t worn in eons. I have a closet full of clothes that I don’t wear. Sadly I haven’t done anything about it until now. My goal jeans may seem big, but at size 40 they are a perfect fit. I have big thighs and I have always worn size 40 or 42 in order to have a baggy fit around my thighs. I attribute the trait to my mother. Thanks mom.
I was on someone else’s blog the other day and she was talking about letting go of her skinny jeans because she would never be able to wear them again. I don’t agree with that. I say get back in shape and put those jeans on. Don’t concede to the fat. I won’t!
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Tipping the Scales: 4 lbs. Lost this Week47 lbs LOSTso farSeptember 18, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 4 comments
It may not seem like a lot, but 4 pounds lost is pretty significant to me. Especially considering that it was lost during a 6 day period. I don’t really expect to lose too much weight too fast. Maybe about 10 to 15 lbs per month for the next few months. I think that is realistically in line with my exercise regimen and diet. By the way, I updated my weekly weight loss chart.
I have decided to weigh myself each Tuesday until I get to my goal weight range of 235 to 250 lbs. I like Tuesday weigh-ins for some reason, but don’t really know why. I also plan on updating my pictures on a monthly basis, the next one should be taken on Friday, October 5th and then each 5th of the month there after. By weighing myself on a weekly basis I am holding myself accountable. Which, to me, is paramount for my success. I have noticed that I am starting to “live” my new lifestyle. Working out and eating right is becoming more natural as each day progresses. Making sure to get exercise in each day is extremely important to me now. Something else that I noticed is how much better I feel each day. I feel happy about things.
Last weeks workouts were killer. I had some great weight lifting sessions and my cardio sessions have been kicking my butt (in a good way). My strength is up and I am starting to slowly increase the amounts I lift. Whether I am running at the park, the treadmill, or in my back yard, I feel it. I sweat so much it’s not even funny. Don’t worry, I make sure to keep hydrated. 
The two-a-day cardio sessions have been consistent as well. I make sure to supplement running with walking, playing tennis, or some other activity.
All in all, last week was a good week and I hope to replicate it for the next few months.
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