Fat Man UnleashedA Weight Loss Blog with Fitness, Health, and Diet Tips

Started Out Good, but Ended with a Bad Cheat Meal47 lbs LOSTso farDecember 17, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 12 comments

I woke up this morning with an sense of urgency. A sense of urgency to get up and get some cardio in before I started my day. I accomplished that mini goal by hopping on my recumbent bike for an hour. I was proud of myself for managing to get another cardio session in first thing in the morning. It’s becoming a comfortable habit. That’s a good thing. Now enter the culprit / cheat meal enabler: Outback Steakhouse!

So for a majority of the day I was ecstatic. Things were going smooth. Then I get home and it’s time for dinner. Gulp! My wife didn’t know what to prepare, and I wasn’t much help. She mentioned that she received a couple of gift cards to Outback Steakhouse and that one of them was a year old. My immediate thought was to use them as soon as possible, and that’s what we did. I guess this can qualify as my cheat meal?

I booted up my trusty lap top and scanned through their online menu. We chose to have baby back ribs for out cheat meal… They were slamming! Finger licking good. That’s where the day turned out bad. I ate the whole thing with no remorse. None what so ever. The ribs, the fries, even the apple side dish thingy they give you. I don’t feel guilty and I don’t want to kill myself, but I suppose I feel I need to work a bit harder to work it off. That’s all though.

Should I care more about what my cheat meal consists of? I see it as a pebble in the road that made me trip. All I need to do is get back up and keep walking.

Is that a good thing?

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Not Working Out is Getting to Me47 lbs LOSTso farDecember 2, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 8 comments

Not being able to work out due to my surgery is starting to get to me. I feel a lot better than I did a few days ago and feel like I could indeed start some moderate exercise. I just want to get on my recumbent bike and give it a go, regardless of what I was told to do. I wasn’t even given the green light on walking for exercise. Can you believe that?

As if walking is a bad thing. My follow-up appointment is this coming Wednesday and I sure do hope that Doctor AJ has some good news for me. I at least hope that he says I could go for walks, that would make me feel better. A lot better actually. I am starting to feel like a slob and it doesn’t feel good. I know that this hiatus is a necessary evil, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

I was supposed to enter into a challenge with a couple of my readers, but that has had to be put on hold as well. When will the pain stop?! WHEN?!

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Does My Appendix Weigh 6 Pounds?47 lbs LOSTso farNovember 29, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 23 comments

I doubt it does, since it’s such a tiny insignificant part of the human body. This is a continuation of yesterdays post about my come back from appendicitis. I had to stay an extra day in the hospital just because my blood was still a bit contaminated. It took me a couple of days, but my body got back to form and with the help of some antibiotics I was able to get well a lot sooner then they expected. I was up and about the second day after my surgery. Overall I think I had a quick recovery, or better said, am having a quick recovery.

I almost forgot to mention my experience right before going into surgery. First off, it was freezing cold in the hospital. They told me that it’s because bacteria has a hard time forming in a cold environment. Sounds smart. They told me to take my clothes off and put on a gown. The prep guys name was Isador. Uncannily similar to Israel I think. They were calling him Izzy, which is what some people call me. He also told me that he had the appendix surgery done and that I wouldn’t remember a thing. He was right. He was also of Spanish decent. Hmmmmm. After saying goodbye to my warrior wife, I was on my way into the white, cold OR (operating room). She came to be with me after I told her I was being operated on and didn’t want to leave my side all night. I love her so much. I finally asked her to go home after my two hour operation so that she could have a good nights rest. In the OR, they were playing some slow jazz music and all six people in the room had vibrant colors on. The contrast with the white, metal room was very apparent. The OR felt good. Nothing like on ER. They then had me slide onto thing operating table and began strapping my arms and legs down. Once they did that, they told me to take some deep breaths and gave my some anesthesia.

The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital room with my wife saying that I looked pale. She was happy that I was back and looked really worried. You need to understand something. I am not the kind of person to go to hospitals or have any major health issues. I usually heal quickly and without any medications. So when my family sees that I am being operated on, they immediately think the worst. It’s almost like Superman being wounded, it just doesn’t happen. Even my daughter was scarred of me. She is not used to seeing me being sick and wouldn’t come near me the entire time I was at the hospital. The only time she let me hug and kiss her was when she came with my wife to pick me up to go home.

I was at the hospital for four days, from Sunday to Wednesday. I wasn’t able to get online and blog, but was fortunate enough to have some posts timestamped for the week. I was beginning to get used to the hospital, which is not something I like. Whenever they asked me if I had any allergies I would answer with, “Yes, hospitals.” I would say it with a straight face. The overall experience at the hospital was very pleasant. One thing I didn’t like was that there was a funeral home right next door to the hospital. WTF? Talk about inappropriate.

Unfortunately I won’t be able to perform any strenuous exercise for about four to six weeks, but I will be able to continue to regulate my diet. That should help maintain my weight. I actually only lost six pounds throughout the whole ordeal. That’s a lot less than I expected. I was thinking I would lose 20 lbs. They only kept me on a liquid diet for one day. Again, I think it’s because of my inner-warriorness. They kept saying I was in great health and that made me feel good. I was thinking that maybe I did something to cause this, but the journey that I began this summer has paid off. This appendix mishap was just a fluke.

I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, well maybe my worse enemy, but not on anyone else. I am at about 90% health and still feel a slight bit of pain, nothing unbearable, where one of the incisions was made. I suspect that within two weeks time I will be able to get back on my recumbent bike and perform some light exercise movements. It’s up to the doctor though. I plan on following his advice, which I will get when I see him at out appointment next week. Thanks doctor Patel. You da hombre! For those few guys that I was supposed to start a challenge with in December, I am sorry but I may not be able to do that challenge. Unless the doc says I can.

I highly recommend that if you feel any pain in your abdominal area, or anywhere for that matter, that you get yourself checked out. FAST! You just never know what could happen.

It sucks that I don’t have health coverage. The enormous bill I am going to receive is going to be hard to pay. I guess now is the time to ask for any donations or advertising purchases. They would definitely help with the hospital bill.

I tried asking the nursing staff and doctors what could have caused this or what I could have done to prevent it. The answer was the same: It’s a bit random and nothing. Now, I am the kind of guy that thinks that for every action their is a reaction, but from doing some research and speaking to the docs and nurses, the appendix is just plain stupid. It’s a tiny obsolete thing in the human body. One nurse told me that it was used more before we evolved from eating tree trunks. There are even reports of some children being born without them. But anyway…

Who else do you know that could walk around (go to Christmas Tree lighting ceremonies, drive the family around town, go to the movies, go to dinner, drive himself to the emergency room) with a ruptured appendix for six days and live to blog about it?

The Fat Man Unleashed that’s who!

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I Walked Around with a Ruptured Appendix for 6 Days47 lbs LOSTso farNovember 28, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 47 comments

It was unintentional. I wasn’t trying to be a tough guy. I recommend that if you feel any odd pains to go check yourself out ASAP. It started as a small pain on the right side, which I shrugged off as being a mild strain from having worked out. The pain was bearable and rarely occurred. For the next few days it remained the same, an annoying pain in my side that I was able to shrug off. It wasn’t until I got home on Saturday night from seeing Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium with the family that it got really bad. My entire abdomen was in pain so I tried taking a laxative to rid my body of what I thought may be some sort of food poisoning.

Bad idea! The laxative, which I will never take again in my life, caused my stomach to get even worse. Now I had stomach cramps AND side pains. I was unable to sleep. I slept maybe only a total of two hours in 20 to 30 minute increments. That’s when I decided to induce vomiting to get rid of the laxative that was causing me even more pain. For the next 30 minutes I threw up some of the nastiest stuff I have ever seen come out of my mouth. It helped for a bit, but then the pain returned.

It wasn’t until I did some research on WebMD.com that I narrowed it down to being either Appendicitis or some form of intestinal damage. At around 10 am I decided to wake my wife up (she tried to help but was unable to so I asked her to go to bed and rest) and tell her that I was thinking of going to the emergency room. She recommend I go to the Doctors Walk-In Clinic that was nearby. I thought it was a great idea since I don’t have health insurance and the cost to visit them would be about $90. She offered to drive, but me being a hard headed warrior, asked her to stay home with the baby.

So I drove to the clinic and was told by the doctor there that I had “rebound” pain around the appendix and that I should go to the emergency room. I then drove to the hospital and waited for about 15 minutes in emergency before being seen and taken in by the staff. I was told that I would most likely be operated on, but needed to have a Cat Scan before they would know exactly what my condition was. They immediately connected an IV to me and after three hours and drinking some clear fluid that was supposed to help with the scan, I was finally told that I had Acute Appendicitis. They weren’t 100% sure if they were going to need to cut me open or perform a Laparoscopic Appendectomy (also known as an Appendicectomy). During a Laparoscopic operation they make three small incisions and use a camera to guide them. I am happy to report that they did end up performing a Laparoscopic Appendectomy. The doc scared me a bit because he said that if my appendix was ruptured that they would need to cut me open.

He must be really good because afterwards he told me that my appendix was ruptured. I couldn’t stop thinking about my family and leaving them behind. I am not afraid of dying. But I am afraid of not being there for my family, my wife, my beautiful baby girl. I kept on tearing up as I thought about the possibility of losing them. Even now, I am getting teary-eyed as I think of it. It is one of the worst feelings in the world. When the accounting rep. asked me if I had a living will I almost flipped on her ass. Stupid bitch. I know she was doing her job, but damn. From what I have heard people with ruptured appendixes don’t normally survive, especially when the bacteria enters the blood stream. Which happened to me.

This post has gotten way too long, so I am going to cut it short here. I will post the second part of my emergency appendix surgery experience tomorrow. Take care folks. Peace.

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Motivation and Anxiety47 lbs LOSTso farNovember 25, 2007 by IronGuru | 20 comments

Tired of the gym, tired of days where it seems like more work to get up and go do the workout than the workout takes? Well, sounds like you’ve lost your motivation. Take a 2 minute break, walk to the bathroom, and look at yourself in the mirror.

Don’t like what you see do you? Don’t like a little extra fat, or your arms being smaller than you want, or your pecks not being striated. TOUGH! Quit complaining, and get your ass into the gym. You’re the only person who can change yourself, sitting in front of a computer reading articles all day long will teach you what you need to know. Moving 80lb dumbbells for 12 reps and screaming during your last 4 reps is what makes change. Everyday I read people want workout tips, want to know how to get shredded, or even just lose a little body fat …

And what do they need to hear?

In the end it comes down to the person needing to make the change. When you truly feel that desire to change, to better yourself, and to make every workout a little better than the day before - is when you see these changes. The best way I ever found in the gym to make progress was to track it, and track it down to a T. Keep track of all the exercises you do, how many sets you do, what weights you use, and how many reps you do. Everyday in the gym, prepare yourself to do one better. One rep, two reps, 5 pounds extra, one more pull up - whatever it is, better yourself everyday as that’s the only way to progress.

But … there’s always a but, it really is as easy as that but you also have to workout! The 6 Week Workout is great, yes, it may lead to wonderful gains and you will notice some changes. But stick out the full 6 weeks! I just used that as an example, I don’t really know if there is a miracle 6 Week Workout - but the point here is to stick with it. People change their minds too often to really see how one thing or another affects them, take a minimum of 4 weeks to try out a workout program. Try it, and try your hardest. Changing things every other week, just because you read some hot new article is going to get you nowhere fast.

The B.S. I hear that “you need to give your body new things, you need to change things up” - well yeah, that is true in a sense that your body gets used to things and needs change. But not every other week! After a while, you start to learn your body. How it reacts to carbs before workouts, how much sleep you need to feel rested, how your should break down your meals … but that’s for another time.

So what did we learn? Push yourself a little further with every workout, stick with the program you decide to try, and make the most out of every program by giving it time to work! I’m not sharing secrets here, I’m showing you how!

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Uh Oh, Thanksgiving Day is Coming…47 lbs LOSTso farNovember 19, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 7 comments

As turkey day nears, I can’t help but think about all the delicious food that will be made available to me. Thanksgiving Day is the second of the the 4 Big Holidays that are a dieter’s nightmare. I am hoping that I can manage to control myself, especially since it has been so long since I had an old fashioned meal made by my grandma. I think I am going to take this approach: If I eat, I’m going to enjoy what I eat and not beat myself up for it.

There have been times in the last few years when I would try to not eat anything all day so that I could save up my appetite for the big meal, but when the time came I wouldn’t be able to eat much. Maybe I should do that? It would cause my metabolism to slow down, so that’s probably not in my best interest. I am not looking forward to Thursday at all. Not one bit. I’m afraid it may get ugly.

During this time of year my grandma makes some of her best dishes using her over 65 years of cooking experience. She prepares her special rice with beans (arroz con abichuelas), yellow rice (arroz amarillo), brown rice, potato salad with diced apples (ensalada de papas), chicken (pollo giusado), lasagna, turkey, beef, pork, and some pastelitos. My wife is also going to make a mini-feast for us, so that’s going to be delicious. Then there’s the day after where we use the left-overs to make turkey salad and sandwiches. My mouth is watering just thinking of it. We aren’t a big “dessert after the meal” family, but my wife is making some pumpkin pie. I’m actually heading out to buy our turkey in a few minutes, plus some other things we need from Sam’s Club.

I know for a fact that I won’t be able to resist eating at least two plates. Rejecting my grandma’s food is like spitting in her face. Not that that’s why I think I won’t be able to resist, but it does add to it. I managed to weigh myself yesterday (I was happy with the number on the scale) to see what my starting weight for the week was and will weigh myself next Sunday to see if I managed to keep my weight in check. Hopefully I can.

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I’m Afraid of Being Under 300 Lbs.47 lbs LOSTso farNovember 15, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 16 comments

I have come to the conclusion that I may be subconsciously afraid of weighing under 300 lbs. It’s been a while since I weighed under that elusive number. I have actually lost track of how long it’s been, but I know it’s been a long time. I started realizing this yesterday when I sat down to think of why I was being so horrible with my exercise routine and eating habits over the last few days. It hit me when I remembered that I always have disastrous relapses when I am doing extremely well.

It’s as if something triggers inside of me when I do well and tells me to screw up. It always happens. I can usually get past it and get back on track, but this time it’s been hard. Really hard. I haven’t been as close to 300 lbs as I am now, so maybe that’s the why it’s been so tough to overcome.

I feel kind of embarrassed and ashamed of what’s happened. I feel like a big fat whiner. Metaphorically crying over being fat and weak. But I guess that’s why I have this blog. It’s my tool, my way of coping with all of this. Before this I wouldn’t have had any way to express myself, but now I can. Right?

Realizing all this, I think that I can now move on. I plan on exercising first thing in the morning. No excuses. As soon as I wake up I’m heading to The Shack for an early morning workout. I feel like I had a “Eureka” moment.

I think my subconscious can actually cope with being under 300 lbs now. At least I hope it can, because I am ready to break that milestone.

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Confessions of a Fat Man: HELP ME47 lbs LOSTso farNovember 13, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 19 comments

This day finds me in a downtrodden state. Over the last few days I have been in a downward spiral of depression and unhealthy eating. I am not sure what triggered it and can’t seem to get out of it. I feel trapped. I need some mental assistance from my fellow fitness brothers and sisters. I just can’t shake this relapse.

I have been overeating and not working out. It’s killing me that I can’t get my act together. I need some help. Please. What can I do?

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My Fat, Happy Buddy George47 lbs LOSTso farNovember 8, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 6 comments

I often think back to how happy I thought I was during my non-healthy living days. I would always feel happy when I ate food, or did whatever I wanted. It was all a cover up though. Recently an online friend of mine sent me this email, he gave me permission to post it. I think it is very profound, as it struck a cord with me.

“Beefgut wrote:
OH hey, Israel,

I’m sure hoping he’s right! Well, that’s a bit of an intro to my fat, happy buddy George… he’d definitely take you out to a Denny’s or something and make sure you ate till you popped. A cheat day never hurt, right?”

That got me thinking about how I was always depressed, but on the outside I would appear happy. I was never really meant to be a fat person, as long as I exercised I could eat whatever I wanted. I used to feel like I was on top of the world before I gained all of the fat weight. I would always go to Taco Bell on Tuesday’s for Taco Tuesdays, two for the price of one. I must admit I did enjoy eating lots of food, still do. I love a delicious meal. I think that in my other life I was a food critic. LOL. But seriously, I was really depressed with my weight and eating habits. I was out of control. I am still working on the effects of all of that, but it’s gotten better.

Can any of you relate with Fat Happy George?

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Can Hypnosis Help You Lose Weight?47 lbs LOSTso farNovember 4, 2007 by Chris | 4 comments

First of all, I’d like to thank Israel for the opportunity to be a guest blogger on this wonderful site he’s created! He has done a super job with it and he’s an inspiration to all of us. Whether you need to lose weight or would just like to be healthier, look around this blog and I’m sure you’ll find some great information to help you reach your goals.

So you may be wondering why Israel invited me to guest blog? Well, here is a brief background. My name is Chris Hoyt and I’ve been blogging for almost a year now. I’m currently trying to keep up with 4 blogs on various subjects, while working full time. One of the blogs I maintain is Self Hypnosis Program. For years, I’ve been fascinated with hypnosis & self hypnosis. I experienced first hand, what hypnosis could do for me when I used it successfully to quit smoking in August of 2003. I actually studied and became a hypnotherapist as well. Having a computer background, I decided to take my interests to the web. I’ve ran across some pretty questionable websites with regards to hypnosis, so one of the main goals of my blog is to provide a professional platform, with which to educate people on the subject of hypnosis and how it can help them. And that’s where I am today.

First off, let me say that I believe all hypnosis is “self hypnosis.” Why? Well, “you” are the one that is really doing all the work during hypnosis. A hypnotist or a hypnosis audio program acts simply as a guide to help you achieve your goals. A person or a CD can’t control you and make you do something you don’t want to do. Many people shun the thought of using hypnosis because they just aren’t sure what it is? A lot of people think it has to do with mind control, because that’s what they’ve seen in the movies. We all experience forms of hypnosis every day, most people just don’t realize it though.

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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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