Exhausting and Interesting47 lbs LOSTso farJune 6, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 4 comments
Last night I found a site that let me do an informal test of my body fat percentage. It was very interesting, although extremely informal. According to the test:
I have 26.5% body fat.
I have 89.8 Pounds of fat and 249.2 Pounds of lean (muscle, bone, body water).
If those numbers are close to realistic then I am an extremely happy camper. Why? Because I was expecting to have a 40% body fat %. I may be in the 30s but that wont be determined until I visit a professional. I was also amazed at how I have 250 lbs of non fat. That means that if I stick to my initial goal of getting down to 225 lbs that I will be losing muscle. That’s a no no. That explains why I wasn’t so muscular and looked lanky and skinny in my fit days. I lost muscle. Duh!
As of today I have decided to set a goal of reaching 269 lbs and then evaluating things from that point on. If I continue on the path I am now, I should be at that by end of summer (August). I think it is totally doable.
Anyway, I just figured that those stats above were interesting. Now on to my awesome, yet exhausting, day of working out. I wake up at around 11 AM (went to bed at 2 AM this time) and head straight to The Shack to jump on the treadmill. I was only able to jog for about 13 minutes, then I had to walk the rest out. I stopped at 20 minutes. I was feeling some soreness in my inner thighs but it wasn’t anything to not work out for. After that I stretched, drank my shake and showered.
For lunch I ate half a can of tuna and a scrambled egg with a nice side dish of fruit. A few hours, and some white chicken meat, later I was ready for my second session. I really wanted to run on the treadmill again but after the workout I was so drenched in sweat and tired that I couldn’t. Today was legs and shoulders day. Ugh. I was not looking forward to squats but I feel it is an essential part of my core building. I did 3 sets of 10 reps with 135 lbs. I am keeping it light until I get into the “muscle for looks” stages. Then I did some hang cleans. Those give an awesome stretch to the hamstrings and lower back. After that I tried to do some lunges but man was it hard. I had reached my breaking point and then moved on to shoulders. I did some military presses: 3 sets of 10 repetitions with 135 lbs. Then I did some standing rows. After that I was so exhausted that I had to stop. I had my second shake of the day and ate some more fruit and chicken. It was a long workout but well worth it. Even as I type this I feel like I should have gotten on the treadmill again. My wife keeps reminding me to not over do it so that I don’t burn myself out. I know she is right but I still feel like I cheated.
It was a good workout and I feel like I am getting that “eye of the tiger” feeling back. I want to keep up the diet and two-a-days for at least 5 to 6 months. By then I should be at the point where I can eat anything in moderation and just workout once a day and run a few times a week to maintain. One thing I don’t want to do is make exercise something that I don’t look forward to doing everyday. It needs to become a part of my life. Just like, work, family, etc.
I went by Wal-Mart and picked up some Body Fortress brand amino acid as well as some more glutamine. I really hate taking supplements but I think that they can assist me. Let’s hope so. Besides the fact that they can get costly, I hate having to remember which to take and at what times.
Anyway, I am tired and its already past midnight. Tomorrow is a light cardio only day so it shouldn’t be that bad. I hope my legs aren’t as sore as the last time I squatted because it took me about 6 days to recover and be able to run on the treadmill. If anything I can still bike or walk. The thermogenesis makes it easy for me to break a sweat so I shouldn’t have a problem with that.
Another good day in the books.
Like this? Share it:
Feeling it…47 lbs LOSTso farJune 5, 2007 by Israel Lagares | No comments
I really need to start working out earlier in the day that way I can do my night session with out being so tired. It all started when I went out for that run last night. I was so pumped that I went to bed at 4 AM. That caused me to wake up at around 11:32 AM. I didn’t get my full 8 hours of minimum sleep for the day but it was close. Sleep is something that I need to start getting more of. I immediately made my blend of whey/glutamine/green tea shake and downed it. Nasty as heck but necessary. I ate some Total Raisin Bran again but this time with some Parmalot whole milk. I definitely need to go to Wal-Mart and do some shopping. Maybe I will pick up the amino acids Lukas keeps mentioning. Yeah, I think I will. I need some more glutamine as well. I am good on Whey Protein, but I get that at Sam’s Club anyway. On my way there I will stop by GNC to get some more mega men multi vitamins. Those make my urine neon green. Weird!!!
I didn’t start my first workout session until about 6 PM. That is way too late in the day if I plan on having 2 sessions. I have decided on a 2 month routine that will consist of the following:
-Two Cardio Sessions (bike, run, walk, sex, anything that will help me break a sweat) Per day and Abs for minimum 6 days a week, Monday thru Saturday.
-One Cardio Session on Sundays.
-Monday: Strength Train targeting Chest and Triceps
-Wednesday: Strength Train targeting Legs and Shoulders
-Friday; Strength Train targeting Back, Biceps and Chest
The specific exercises I will be doing will depend heavily on where I workout and what is available to me. I can follow this for 2 months and then go from there with a different plan. Ideally I would like to be 50 lbs. or more lighter in 2 months. This will allow me to begin my muscle building routine that Lukas has prepared for me.
Being that it was Tuesday I had to get in two cardio sessions before the day was over. So it’s 6 PM and I am stretching, getting ready to step onto the treadmill. My legs weren’t too sore so I was feeling good about it. I don’t mean to show off, but I am freak of nature. At 300+ lbs, out of shape I managed to jog on the treadmill at a decent pace for 20 minutes non-stop. This puts me way ahead of my initial estimates. I then walked for 4 minutes to cool down. Just imagine all of the sweat dripping off of me. I am the kind of guy that if I don’t break a decent sweat I don’t feel like I worked out. As soon as I cooled down I began doing some ad rollers. That’s what I call them. It’s this blue wheel contraption that I purchased a few years back that assist you as you roll forward and contract your abdominals. When I first began using it a few years ago it helped me me chisel down my abdomen so I swear by it. My other ab exercise for the day was my weighted twists. Its basically this: you pick up a 30 lb dumbbell or 35 lb plate and hold it in front of you. You then twist from side to side as far as you can for 100 twists. I do this twice. It helps with my sides, arms, back and shoulders. I love it. When I first got my abs defined a few years ago this is all I did for my abs. It worked great.
After that was over with I made my Protein concoction, ate tuna with salad, and rested for a couple of hours. Then it was time for session number two. I decided to use the stationary bike that I bought my wife from Wal-Mart a few months ago. That damn thing makes my butt numb after 20 minutes of sitting so I decided to stay on until my butt was numb. I managed to get a good sweat worked up and was pleased with my second session: low impact, sweat producing, mentally satisfying. Can’t ask for more than that. Now all I need to do is get some more sleep and start my workouts earlier in the day. I did manage to take a 15 minutes nap with my daughter during the day so that helped. Damn did I need it too. I was so groggy at around 2 PM today. LOL.
Now that I think of it I feel a little lighter on my feet. Maybe it’s the Nike Shox (I call them Boings because of the commercials that came out a few years ago, plus I make believe that they make a boing-boing sound when I walk) that I am wearing, maybe it’s the fact that I am working out again. It’s probably a combination of both. I know that there will come a day when I just don’t want to deal with working out, but I think I will be prepared.
All in all, it was another awesome day. I ate right and worked out hard.
Like this? Share it:
Double Time47 lbs LOSTso farJune 5, 2007 by Israel Lagares | No comments
Today was an awesome day. I woke up ready to workout but couldn’t because I spent the majority of the day with my daughter. It was so great because we enjoyed each others company. For breakfast I had some Total Raisin Bran with some 2% low fat milk. It tasted really good and filled me up. After that I had my daily morning protein shake. I usually prepare my shakes with Green Tea instead of milk or water. I don’t know why but I like it that way. After spending some more time with my daughter and in between episodes of The Backyardigans on Nickalodean, I managed to eat some tuna for lunch with some green tea to wash it down. Yummy!
I called Lukas to come over so that we could have our weekly workout session. He jetted over and we began working out. We benched and did some triceps. Some will argue that you shouldn’t work those two muscle groups on the same day, some will argue that you should. I like switching it up so I don’t really care. We did about 6 or 7 sets of bench. First with 135 lbs to warm up. Then 3 more sets with 225 lbs. Finally 3 sets of 135 lbs to cool down. It was quite a workout. Then we did some triceps and abdominals. He showed me some new exercises to target my mid section and I showed him my patented twist workout. We loved each others new found torture-like exercises.
After we finished with the strength training part of the day, I jumped on to my treadmill and JOGGED for 10 minutes straight. Why did I capitalize “jogged?” Well, it’s not every day that you see a 340 lb man jogging for 10 minutes at a decent speed. Also, I was not expecting to be at this point until 2 or 3 weeks into my working out. So it was an awesome achievement. I jogged for 10 minutes, walked for 6 minutes, then jogged or 4 minutes more. I was extremely pleased with the afternoon workout.
This is my treadmill in the “closed” position:
After the workout we had some whey protein and took a break. I made my shake with green tea, fiber, whey protein, and glutamine. It does not taste too bad and I like to take it all in at the same time, instead of separately. For dinner I had two slices of grilled chicken with salad. It hit the spot. So a few hours pass by and guess what? I was ready for my “two-a-day” second cardio session. Normally I would workout in the morning and then again at night, but this time I had to exercise only a few hours later. It was well worth it.
My wife has been wanting to drop about 15 lbs off of her petite frame. She keeps saying she needs motivation, so instead of going into The Shack to get on the treadmill I told her to get dressed so that we could go for a walk. She does so right away and after a nice stretch we start off. Right away I tell her to jog instead of walk. We start off jogging down the street. It’s dark so we decide to jog in the middle of the road instead of the sidewalks. I didn’t want any weird animals jumping out at us. LOL. About 10 minutes into it I start needing to urinate, my wife is 130 lbs and is in pretty decent shape so she is a few steps ahead of me. I yell at her to stop so that I can relieve myself in a bush. A minute later we are back hitting the pavement. The sweat begins pouring down my face, arms, and legs. I immediately realize that my body is beginning to show the effects of working out a few hours earlier. But that did not stop me as I kept pushing. My wife did as well, she was now about half a block ahead of me at the point. I was not in any pain, I simply could not pump my legs any faster. It was odd, almost like slow motion. But I kept at it. When we got back home I was drenched in sweat. I sat down for a few minutes then did some of the ab exercises that Lukas showed me earlier in the day. My wife did some push ups and abs of her own and we went inside. My mom thought it was pouring rain outside. That just shows you how sweaty I was.
After a nice warm shower I laid down and thought of the great day that had just passed. I had managed to workout two times with two different motivated individuals. Days like this are good, especially after the lack luster week I had on my trip.
Oh, I almost forgot, I took some pictures today after my first workout. Here they are:
This is me posing like a super muscular strong man.
I have a long way to go, but this is 8 days later.
This is me looking normal and worn out after the first workout of the day.
Well, tomorrow is another day. I am extremely excited with what tomorrow holds. Hasta la pasta.
Like this? Share it:
The Evolution - Pictures of the Metamorphosis47 lbs LOSTso farJune 4, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 102 comments
This section is where I will be periodically posting all of the pictures that I take throughout the process of me losing the weight. Check back here often for visual updates on my healthy weight loss progress. I will attempt to take new pictures every week monthly.
Me at Day 1. Scroll down for the progression…
Second Shots on Day 8.
3rd Shots on 6/10/2007
This is a pic from July. I had lost a few pounds.
A shot of me sitting at my table on August 29, 2007.
This my Dallas Cowboys Jersey. It was a gift that led to a bet. Taken on September 13th, 2007. I am to fit into it more comfortably within 3 months.
‘
This is me on 9/28/07. Flexing after a tough workout. At the time of this photo I weighed 324 lbs.
Taken on 10/01/07 with a weight of 320 lbs. So far I have lost 20 lbs at this point. Awesome!
This is me on my recumbent bike on 10/05/07.
My first day of focusing on multi-joint (compound) exercises. The date is 10/18/07 and I weigh 315 lbs at this point.
These are pictures from me at 260 lbs, back from January 2005.
These are photos taken during and after my emergency appendectomy on Sunday, 11/25/07.
This is me at 302.3 lbs, my lowest weight in a very long time. From this point on, every weigh-in will be a new milestone.
Like this? Share it:
Finally back…47 lbs LOSTso farJune 4, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 2 comments
I am finally back from being away for a week. What a week it was. I managed to do tons of walking while I was away from home. It was tough but I did manage to maintain my weight. I did a lot of sweating, the thermogenesis came in handy because it allowed for me to break a sweat with minimal activity, i.e. walking, push ups, reverse dips. Even showering was like a workout. I would rate my physical activity for the past week at a fair rating. My food consumption on the other hand was like a poor/fair. It started out fine, but then towards the end of the week I ran out of fruit and ate out a bit more. I did manage to have salads and chicken dishes, but I definitely deviated from my original plan to stick to tuna and fruit.
Now that I am back I can resume my workout and strict eating regimen. As I type this I am having some tuna right out of the can. Yep, boot camp style. It’s a life style I need to get used to for a few months. I know I can do it, I have done it before.
Something that I have noticed is that my sweat is smelling extremely funky. I know that sweat stinks, but my sweat has always been a normal kind of sweat. Lately my sweat has been smelling like damp clothes left wet over a few days. It’s funky. Lukas says that once my body is detoxified that the funk will go away, I sure hope so!
I finally have the pictures I had been wanting to upload last week. Here they are.
This is where I will be doing some cross training. In the back you can see the Torture Chamber aka The Shack.
This is my workout shack. I have been known to almost pass out in there. Therefore, I will be working out with the doors open for the time being. Once I get used to the routine, I will be shutting the doors during my training. It becomes like a steam-less sauna in there. INSANE!
This is a Nautilus station that Lukas gave me about 2 years ago. It’s been a while but I am slowly getting used to it again. It lets you do bench, tricep extensions, lat pull downs, squats, bicep curls, seated back rows, and anything else you can think of. Pretty damn good machine.
I am about to go lift some weights right now. Today is Monday so I will be doing chest and triceps. My weekly routine will consist of strength training 4 days a week and cardio training 6 to 7 days a week, twice a day. Its hardcore, but needed.
Off to get in shape. Peace.
Like this? Share it:
9 Pounds Lighter: Internal Furnace, Thermogenesis47 lbs LOSTso farMay 29, 2007 by Israel Lagares | One comment
That’s right. 9 Pounds of waste is no longer a part of me. By the way, last night I could only crank out 25 push ups. Halfway there but it’s a start. I have some pics of the gym I have set up in my shack and also of the back yard where I will be doing some cross training to spice things up a bit.
I will post those pics as soon as I get home.
“The Shack.” This is where a majority of my weight training will be done. I got an excellent work out today when I squatted. This contraption was a gift from Lukas. He totally hooked me up. He even built the damn thing. It has a lat pull down, bench, incline bench, shoulder press, squat rack, triceps pull down, curling station and some other stuff I made up along the way. I jumped on the treadmill today for about 20 minutes today and broke a mean sweat. I was actually really surprised how good it felt.
The day started out with me not wanting to wake up. I was laying in bed thinking of whether or not to workout in the morning AND at night or to just work out at night. After about 20 minutes of senseless contemplation my daughter woke me up and we got dressed and went shopping. That bailed me out of having to workout in the morning. I did have an excellent breakfast: a fruit salad that consisted of mango and strawberries.
As I walked through the stores I noticed that I was unusually sweaty. I had been drinking tons of green tea and fiber and why protein. So I started to realize that my body was like a furnace. One word. Thermogenesis. It had begun after only one day. I was totally shocked. What is thermogenesis? Google or Wiki it: Wiki Link, Google Link. It makes your body act like a furnace. Burning up the crap in your body. It was so bad that I started getting uncomfortable. So I went home and and decided to workout. I first at some spinach and lettuce and drank some more water ( I had been drinking tons of green tea and water all day). My workout was a quick one. I did squats. Squats of doom. They hurt so bad, my legs are sore. I did 4 sets with 135 lbs: 14 reps, 14 reps, 10 reps, and 10 reps. They hurt so bad I was grunting and sweating and in pain. But it was awesome. I had Lukas come over and squat with me. Great motivation. We are going to try and workout at least once a week together. Afterwards I had some whey protein and some green tea then I sat down for like 20 minutes to recover.
Lukas kept working out, I don’t really know what he did but he did it. So, I was entrusted with the task of building the patio furniture we just purchased from The Home Depot. I looked at it like another workout. I didn’t really sweat so after it was built I went to The Shack to walk on the treadmill and do some bench. Like I said above, it was a really good second session.
Lukas kept pestering me to weigh myself so I finally caved in. That’s when the scale read 339 pounds. The thermogenesis and bathroom visits had begun to o their job.
So I showered and met my wife at Wal-Mart. That’s when I decided to grab some milk gallons and curl them for about 15 minutes on each arm. I broke another fierce sweat and this time it felt good. Like I posted before, I am going to be doing some unusual things to get this weight off. Curling milk gallons as I shop, building furniture, walking aimlessly, it will all help.
Now I am preparing for my business trip. This is going to be my first major test/obstacle. I will be away for about a week with no traditional gym equipment or means of preparing my own food. What will I do? I have prepared some fruits, veggies, nuts, yogurts, cereal, and green tea to assist me on my trip. I will also do some calisthenics while I am away.
I am not looking forward to this, but its been a good start. Now all I need to do is keep it up. My posts this week my be lessened, but I will try my best to keep the blog updated.
Like this? Share it:
Day 1 of forever: Before Pictures47 lbs LOSTso farMay 28, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 2 comments
What a day. It started out wrong. Things didn’t feel right. I was dreading waking up today because I knew that I had to begin my lifestyle change. Last night I was craving some Dominoes Pizza. I even ordered it , but it never came. I guess it was fate that didn’t let it come.
Anyway, so I wake up and the first thing I smell is breakfast. My mom is here on vacation and has taken it upon herself to make the most tasty meals at precisely the point in life when I have made this decision to shape up. It was mashed potatoes with onions and salami.
Why did the day start off wrong? Because I gave in to the food. I ate half of the heaping potatoes and all of the salami. I was disappointed in myself. Pissed off actually, but while eating it I couldn’t stop until I realized that I was failing. That’s when I pushed the plate aside and put the fork down. I didn’t eat anything until after my work out several hours later. I don’t recommend going long hours without consuming food or nutrients.
I was originally going to start off the routine by taking a mix of supplements, but I have since changed my mind.
The above is a shot of supplements my friend Lukas gave me. They include Ripped Fuel, Oxegen-Nitric Oxide Stimulator, Creatine Fuel and some others. I think I need to focus on the eating and exercise part of it. Therefore I will hold off on these until I drop some pounds. Instead I will stick with Whey Protein, green tea and some multivitamins.
Speaking of green tea, I just made a fresh batch today. It will be a major part of my new diet
I like it cooled. So I make it then let it sit for a while before putting it in the fridge. I ran out of lemons so I couldn’t add any. I have drank half of that batch already today. Plus tons of water. My bathroom visits have increased dramatically today. I suspect thats gonna be the case for a long while.
About 6 hours later I finally decided to workout. I was dreading it and the workout showed. It wasn’t the best workout in my life, but it was a start. I did break a sweat. I did some bench reps, lat pull downs and bicep curls. Then I walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes. I am a little sore. I was really disgusted throughout the entire workout. But like I said, something is something. I think tomorrow will be better. I am going to try and do two-a-days. Which is working out twice a day. I don’t want to burn myself out, but I think that will be a good boost. Maybe doing it a few times a week when my energy levels are higher.
I was a bit more active today too, which helps. I am going to try to do as much as I can: take hot showers with steam so that I can sweat, do a more around the house, go outside for walks, play with my daughter more. Little things that will help with the entire process.
I took some photos so that I can have before pics to show throughout the journey. I really do not want to post these, but I think it is essential. I figured the end result will be that much sweeter.
So here goes. ::Gulp:: The before pictures.
Yeah, it’s bad. 348 pounds of swollen fat. I am confident that I can carve away the fat and get back to my in-shape days.There is definitely room fro improvement. I will try and post photos every few weeks when I notice a significant drop in weight.
Well, that’s it for tonight. I should actually be sleeping. I am looking forward to tomorrow. I feel a bit better especially considering how the day began. Got to do 50 push ups first. Then I can sleep.
Like this? Share it:
It begins.47 lbs LOSTso farMay 26, 2007 by Israel Lagares | No comments
Well, the journey will begin tomorrow Sunday. It’s going to be hard since it’s Memorial Day Weekend and the whole family is going to the beach and then a barbecue. I have a training regime that I am going to be sticking with for the next few months. No surgery baby. Just sweat and hard work, mixed with some supplements for that extra boost I am going to be needing. This will be a true test of my will because I am going to be traveling a lot and won’t be having access to my small weight room shack.
I will be posting some before pictures that I will be taking real soon, as well as the facilities that I will be using. Throughout this journey I do not plan on sticking to one thing, instead I am going to be mixing it up to attack my body from as many angles as possible.
I will make myself hurt.
Like this? Share it:
A little history…47 lbs LOSTso farMay 26, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 5 comments
I am going to use this time to breakdown a little bit about how this all came about. It’s going to be a long one. So sit back and get ready to read.
Read about me real quick before you read below: About the Fat Man
It all dates back to my childhood. Eating ice cream and Twinkies. Those were delicious. I was always the fat kid (more like the biggest kid out of the bunch), but didn’t start actually being the fattest guy until about junior high school. I had a lot of baby fat but my height always helped me conceal it. I am now 6 foot, on good days I am 6 foot 1 inch. So, through out junior high I was the fat guy. I lived with it, it was who I was. I didn’t know anything about working out and eating right, I was just a damn kid that loved to eat.
Flash forward to freshman year in high school. This is where things changed. My freshman year I was still the fat kid, but now I started getting a little taller and most of the baby fat was disappearing. That is when I started working out with my cousin, Prome. He actually still works out to this day and is really muscular. He used to be the too skinny guy. LOL. We started out by doing push-ups (I could not even do 1) and sit ups.
We did this for a few months and it felt good to work out and have a partner to work out with. But then he left to Florida. 
I missed him but I found a new group of friends, one which had a gym in his dad’s basement. We used to call it “Da Basement.” We used to work out so hard in that place man. It was aways a consistent group of about 4 of us. That is when I began to really love working out. I did not do any cardio work, but I did hit the weights. Shortly after that, I joined the football team.
That was the best move of my young life. I used to be the first one in the gym and the last one out. Damn those were good times. Being in there with all the fellas pumping iron to the music, it was awesome. I try to go back every now and then to the school to see how the coaches are doing. I may hit it up on my journey this year, since I will be visiting New York real soon. Those 3 years of being on the team did my body good. It was te catalyst for my working out throughout college.
So after I graduated high school I decided to go away for college. I managed to do one year away and was always able to maintain my weight and workout consistently. This was the case for the next 3 years. I was always able to workout somewhere on a consistent basis. Whether it was biking on the weekends, lifting weights in school, or just walking around the city, I was always active.
Then the next few years became the fat building days. I had graduated college, moved in with my long time girl friend and had a baby, all in about 2 years time. Now that I look back, I see how I gained the weight. I would exercise less, eat out more, eat later at night. For the past few years I have been busting my butt trying to make a living by working for myself. Working late hours and not sleeping as much. It all took its toll on my body. I would try to combat it by working out, but I could never get past more than a month of working out consistently. Now it has been about 4 months since my last workout. I am not sure how to begin other then to just do it. I have come to the realization that I have lost my mojo. I want it back and this site will help me chronicle that journey. Time to get it done.
Like this? Share it:
