Tipping the Scales: 4 lbs. Lost this Week41.2 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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Review: The Biggest Loser Club41.2 lbs LOSTso farSeptember 17, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 4 comments
This site is a one stop shop for viewers at home who want to experience NBC’s hit shows benefits. The web site is complete with a free profile which calculates your personal BMI (body mass index), a nice touch to assess and set your goal. To reap the full benefit you have to make a monetary commitment of less than five dollars a week, as per the site.
The program definitely seems beneficial to those seeking weight loss. With tools such as interaction with The Biggest Loser experts, as well as Contestants, and meal plans featuring the food that helped the contestants lose weight and eat healthier. Also, actual shopping lists and recipes are at your disposal.
On the physical side of things the site provides a customized workout program. Detailed demonstrations show you how to perform the exercise properly and effectively. On top of all that the site encourages your involvement on message boards where questions can be asked and answered. Secrets and tips are advertised as being available on the message boards. The goal is motivation and active participation. It is also hinted that Bob Harper himself is reachable through this forum. I wish Jillian Michaels of the black team was reachable! Wait, she is! On her own site: JillianMichaels.com
And if that wasn’t enough folks a “Personal Progress Journal” is an added feature that allows for the sharing of experiences between fellow club members, actual Contestants, and even Trainers.
Hey guys check out what I found on the site, enjoy:
The 10-Day Risk-Free Trial allows you to try the program for yourself at no cost now. If you decide to cancel before your trial period ends, just log-in, call the toll-free customer service number listed within the “My Account” section of the site and your credit card will not be charged.”
To further inspire your change an email newsletter with new tips geared to your success will grace your inbox. The newsletter even boasts a chance to attend the Biggest Loser Season finale.
All this sounds awesome and should be an enjoyable way to lose the fat.
To learn more and/or join, visit The Biggest Loser Club website.
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Sweaty, Sore, Hungry and a Bet41.2 lbs LOSTso farSeptember 13, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 2 comments
Let me start off by telling you about my bet. I was helping my bud pack up stuff for a move when he jokingly offered me his large size Dallas Cowboys jersey. I told him it wouldn’t fit me and he agreed. I then told him to give me a few months before it would fit me properly but he scoffed at me. That’s when I decided to make a bet, a bet that I would fit into the jersey within 3 months and it would look GOOD.
So here is a picture of how the jersey looks on me now. The mere fact that I fit into it now is amazing. Deion Sanders, eat your heart out. Who said a 300+ pound man couldn’t where a size Large.
The last few days workouts have been busting my butt. I have upped the ante to two workouts a day so that’s probably the reason why. I have been aiming at having at least two cardio sessions a day. I start my day by eating some cereal, then heading into The Shack for my first session. The Shack, as I call it, is my workout haven. This usually consists of strength training and cardio on the treadmill. After about an hour and a half I get the heck outta there and then have my protein shake and lunch. My second session is usually a non-traditional workout such as going to the park and running around with my daughter or moving some stuff around the house. Although it may not seem like a strong second workout, it is effective because I sweat a ton.
My body is extremely sore from the extra exercising session, but I think I like it. I haven’t felt this kind of soreness in a while. I feel it all over my body. I was beginning to think that I was maybe not working out hard enough or effectively enough, so this is a welcomed change. The soreness goes away right before I workout, but returns right after which gives me a sore-less workout experience. A buddy of mine once told me that pineapples are excellent for muscle soreness. I take glutamine and protein, plus water and sleep. I think that works good for me.
I do get a bit scared about overdoing it. I don’t want to overwork my body to the point where I can’t workout effectively. That’s something I have been thinking about a lot lately. There have been times in my life where I have pulled muscles, broken bones, and twisted ankles. All of those suck big time and I just don’t want to go through that again.
Something else that I realized is that I have been really, really hungry over the past few days. I guess that the thermogenesis is really kicking in now. Which is good, because I need to keep my internal furnace burning if I am going to lose this weight. It’s also been an exercise in mental toughness. There have been moments when I just want to raid the fridge and fill the emptiness that I am feeling in my stomach. I have not been starving myself or anything like that so I guess it’s just the extra workouts that are burning up those calories faster.
On another note, I recorded myself doing some bench sets and running on the treadmill but I couldn’t upload the files to You Tube.
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Drink More Agua41.2 lbs LOSTso farSeptember 11, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 6 comments
I seriously mean it. Drink MORE water. It helps clean your system out. I tend to drink at least a gallon of water a day. Maybe more, I get really thirsty after intense workouts. I also get extremely hungry after an intense workout, but I will cover that some other time.
If you look close enough at the picture you will see my Nike Shox glowing in the background. These, and my New Balance 8500’s, are my favorite running and training shoes. And yes, we recycle.
There are many benefits to drinking water. One of the benefits for me is that it helps me curb my hunger. There are times when I feel hungry although I just ate 30 earlier. During those times I just down some green tea and I am fine (I get most of my water via my green tea). There are times when I seriously just want to binge, but then I open the fridge and the first thing I see is a huge jug of green tea. It’s like my liquid protector.
Another benefit is that I don’t feel dehydrated. I sweat a lot, A LOT! Getting water into my system helps keep me hydrated ahead of time. When I was in the military the drill instructors used to say, “If you’re thirsty, it’s already too late. You’re body is dehydrated.” They used to urge us to drink from our canteens every 15 to 20 minutes, even if we weren’t thirsty. I try, keyword here is TRY, to do employ this technique but the problem with me is that my kidneys process the water really fast. I pee a lot.
Having water circulate through your system helps you clean out your body and kidneys. Have you ever noticed that when you don’t drink enough water that your urine is yellow and stinky? Well, I do. I make sure to always drink enough water so that my urine is clear and odorless. Although I really dislike having to urinate so often, it is a necessary evil. 
Some people think that the more water you drink, the more you will retain. That’s the total opposite of what happens.
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I just had to take a water/piss break. I had to use the bathroom and then decided to drink some water while I was up.
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Something else I have noticed is that when I drink decent amounts of water, my skin is clearer. My pores are cleaner and more open and I have less acne and blemishes. This isn’t something I particularly care about, but some folks may see it as a welcomed side effect.
Drinking an adequate amount of water is good for you, but be wary of drinking too much water. There have been cases in which some people have gotten water poisoning. Sounds weird right? Well, it’s true. A few month’s ago a lady died from over drinking during a radio station contest. She was trying to win a video game system for her kids. She was a single parent. It is important to try and spread out your water drinking and to not drink too much at one time. If you do, you may be drowning your body. That’s what happened to that poor lady.
Did you know that the human body can only last about a week without food and water? But it can last up to a month on only water? Crazy right? Now go drink more agua.
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We Have a Fight On Our Hands!41.2 lbs LOSTso farSeptember 10, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 19 comments
That’s right. A Fat FIGHT!
I’m going to keep this short.
Jesse, from Former Fat Guy, and I have agreed to a weight loss battle. The contest will last 4 weeks. The one with the best stats on October 5th will be victorious. By best stats we mean the best overall change, relative to our bodies. I think.
This is Jesse. I don’t mean to sound cocky, but I am gonna obliterate her with my weight loss. Who does she think she is dealing with here? I am Fat Man Unleashed dammit!!! Challenges like this are what help me cope with the whole “losing weight” thing. It’s fun, gets my mind off of things, and helps me lose weight. What more could you ask for? Give it a try. There won’t be any losers if you really think about it.
Enough talking. It’s time for some inner warrior madness to be unleashed. Let me go jump on my treadmill. It’s time for some two-a-days. My starting weight today is 340 lbs.
It’s on like the sun rising in the East and setting in the West, or is it the other way around? Either way, you know what I mean. It’s on!
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Replace, Remove, Repeat41.2 lbs LOSTso farSeptember 9, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 8 comments
I was having a “comment conversation” with Jesse from Former Fat Guy and as we were discussing a post of mine I blurted the phrase “replace, remove, repeat.” It was in reference to starting out slow and then gradually, over time getting acclimated with the new changes you have made in your life.
Many people fail with their diets and workouts because they make drastic changes that simple leave them feeling empty. By drastically removing things from your life you leave yourself wanting those things and most likely go back to them. There is the occasional person that uses the drastic change technique and is successful, going to boot camps, fat loss farms, military camps, but for the most part it fails. Some folks have the inner warrior that allows them to use this method and succeed. I do it sometimes. What I do is short term drastic changes. What is that? Well, I will set a predefined amount of time that I will practice my drastic change. So say for a month I decide to not eat any bread or rice, I do that for the month and then go back to normal. It may be the difference in losing a few extra pounds or in lowering my cholesterol.
I don’t do that too often, and don’t suggest it either. What I normally do is use the replace method. Instead of permanently removing a food or habit from my daily routine, I replace it. That way I gradually get it out of my system and won’t miss it. It’s almost like the nicotine patch idea: you slowly ween yourself off of the cigarette addiction.
An example of using the replace method is instead of watching television for 3 hours on the couch, replace 30 minutes to an hour of it with some push ups, air squats, and crunches. While you’re are it, do some jumping jacks in between commercial breaks. Another example could be to drink 3 glasses of water for every soda you drink. Little things like that will make you feel way better, both mentally and physically.
So next time you are thinking about starting a new “thing,” don’t make drastic changes. You should instead try to replace something. Over time this will eventually remove that from your life. Then all you have to do is repeat that method.
Simple right? Give it a try and let me know how it goes.
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Mr. Bundles Stretches when he Runs41.2 lbs LOSTso farSeptember 7, 2007 by Israel Lagares | No comments
That’s what some people call me. LOL. I think it’s a cool name. It comes from a Rocawear brand t-shirt that I purchased while on vacation in New York. It’s one of my favorite. That’s a pic of my Mr. Bundles shirt (It’s from when I had a beard). I was also in a bit more shape then. I think I was about 15 or so pounds lighter a few months ago but then it all came crumbling down as I lost touch with my workout routine.
Anyway, back to now! I love my shirt, I workout with it, sleep with it, shop with it, eat with it and blog with it. I just had an awesome workout with it by the way. I was on the treadmill for about 30 minutes non stop and boy did Mr. Bundles collect a ton of sweat. I usually start out slow by walking for a minute. Then I gradually increase the speed every 3 minutes until I reach my target speed level. I then stay at my target speed for the remainder of the session. After I feel I have done enough, which is usually anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes, I cool down. The cool down portion of my treadmill routine is usually two minutes, give or take a few seconds.
I failed to mention that I stretch thoroughly before and after each workout, no matter what the exercise I will be doing is. I make it a point to stretch. Over the last few years I have noticed that my rest time and muscle soreness is drastically reduced by simply stretching.
So stretch! And drink water.
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Next Level? What about my Knees?41.2 lbs LOSTso farSeptember 6, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 8 comments
I think it’s time to start pushing it to the next level. At least I think it is. Isn’t it? Each workout feels easier each day I do it. I think I want to start incorporating some different exercises into my routines.
Yeah, I think that’s what’s best. I think I will run longer on the treadmill, then do some sprints afterwards or possibly jump rope. A buddy of mine gave me a brand new Everlast jump rope. It’s a boxers rope. Pretty slick. The few times I have used it have made me feel like a professional in training. LOL.
The one fear I have is my with my knees. While I know that I have strong legs and knees, I feel like I may push myself too hard and hurt my knees. My high school football coach has had bad knees for years. He just had knee surgery. He told me it hurt like heck.
When I was in New York, I would feel a weird sensation above my knee. It felt like it was vibrating but it didn’t feel weak. It was very odd. As soon as I got back home the feeling went away. Now I am running and cross training and it all feels fine. Aside from the occasional muscle soreness, I haven’t felt anything out of the ordinary as far as my knees are concerned.
Am I over thinking the whole “knee” thing? What do you think?
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Interesting Conversation with my Cousin41.2 lbs LOSTso farSeptember 3, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 29 comments
I had a very interesting conversation with my cousin the other day. It centered around his wanting to get back into shape. He hadn’t been over my house for a few months and realized how I was living a healthier life: green tea and soy milk in the fridge, tuna in the cupboard, salads and fruits on the counter.
He was kind of shocked. He knows me as the big, fat cousin. The guy that was always a big football player. I explained to him that I have been wanting to change my life. He too wants to change his life, but hasn’t done anything to better it. He eats all the wrong things and doesn’t do anything remotely close to exercise.
I started telling him that he needs to dig deep inside and find that inner warrior that will help him in his quest. He needs to find that one thing that will make him stick to doing anything. For me it’s being able to play with my two year old daughter in the park. Knowing that what I am doing will give me a better quality of life is all I need in order to keep in plugging away with my healthier lifestyle.
I also told him that the change doesn’t need to be drastic. Adjusting some small things such as eating more fruit or walking around outside for his lunch break will be a great start. He was telling me that he doesn’t know how to begin. The thing with him is that he has never had that exercising background. He has never eaten healthy either. He was always able to maintain a decent figure up until a year ago. I guess life caught up with him, but I explained to him that anyone can do anything.
I even invited him over after work to workout with me a few times a week. He said he would take me up on the offer. I hope he does because we all need someone to help us through life.
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Afternoon Sweat Factory41.2 lbs LOSTso farAugust 30, 2007 by Israel Lagares | No comments
I had one of the best workouts I have had in a while today. Yep, I must say I am proud of myself. Although it is very early in my weight loss journey, I am extremely satisfied with the start. If this is a look of what’s to come then I will be at my goal faster then expected. I do expect some road blocks in the coming months, but I will be prepared to stick to the task at hand.
Today I lifted weights and did some cardio. I did a quick bench and triceps workout that consisted of 4 sets of 15 to 20 reps on the bench. Then I did some tricep extensions: 3 sets of 15 reps each. The best part of the workout session was when I stepped onto the treadmill and jogged at a decent speed for 10 minutes non stop. It doesn’t seem like much, but for being a 345 pound guy that hasn’t worked out in a while I am extremely happy with where I am at. I could have stayed on the treadmill longer but my buddy needed me to help him move some large furniture from his new house. I figured I would get a second cardio session in by helping him. Every time a bud or family member needs help moving, they call me up. I guess it’s because they look at me as the big strong guy.
By the time I was done with my workout I was drenched and loving every minute of it. At first I felt as if I should have worked out a bit more, but by the time I got out of the shower I realized that the workout was just fine. I think tomorrow I will step it up a bit, maybe do 15 minutes of cardio. I eventually want to do anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes of cardio per day for about 5 months. Then once I drop most of the weight I want slow it down to 3 to 4 days a week of cardio and 3 days a week of weight training.
Well, I also ate really well today. Some cereal in the morning, fruits for lunch, and chicken and veggies for dinner. It is becoming easier and easier to control myself from all of the enticing delicacies I am used to eating. Things are picking up. They sure are.
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Late Workout Today41.2 lbs LOSTso farAugust 29, 2007 by Israel Lagares | No comments
I woke up today with the desire to workout. But I didn’t right away. Instead I went over to a friends house and helped him move a 250 pound big screen television from his upstairs game room to his downstairs living room. After a few minute and a lot of sweat, we did it. Oh, did I say that I had a sweater on the whole time? It’s about 95 degrees outside. Yep, its Florida. I decided to test myself and had the sweater on almost the whole day. I just took it off actually.
It’s 9 PM on my side of town. Now I need to go workout. I am planning on getting on the treadmill for a few minutes then benching and doing triceps. I hope I have the energy to get a good workout. Time to lace up my Nike Shox, go into the shack, and workout. It should feel really good.
Before I go in though, check out this picture of me. This is a picture of me getting my daily dose of the internet. Notice the huge arms and roles on my sides.
Yuck, I need to get rid of all that fat. I am planning on keeping some size on my arms and chest, but I definitely want them more toned. Plus, I need to cut down on the chubbiness in my face. There’s an extremely chiseled jaw line underneath there somewhere. I know there is.
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