Awesome stuff Bogie, you look heaps better.
So what is your secret to losing all that weight?
Sent from my GT-I9300
Awesome man! So tell us how you did it in such a short period of time!
I am not killing myself in the gym at all. My job is fairly physically demanding at times so really I am just adding in walking at this point. I walk 2 miles every morning except Sunday. It's a very brisk pace but not jogging. I am planning on adding a weight routine soon to add to my strength and once I get another 40lbs or so off I will bring the walk up to a jog. My knees have been crap all my life so I want to get a few more pounds off before I start the jogging to help them out.
This is the basics of my eating schedule. I say eating schedule instead of diet because the word diet means going without to most people and I really am not going without food. I am just changing the quality, quantity and frequency of my meals. The foods that you use for this eating schedule are your choices; just make sure you are cutting back on fats and sugars while keeping up on proteins. Foods with good fiber content are always a good choice as well.
I break my meals into two hour windows while eating smaller amounts. This accomplishes a few different things. First by eating smaller more frequent meals I keep my metabolism going throughout the day and stop the dips that are created by the traditional 3 square meals that most people eat. By eating more frequently, the smaller size portions won’t leave you feeling hungry in-between meals. This is usually the sensation that gets all of us to snack on unhealthy quick access foods or to binge at each meal. Your stomach will reduce in size to compensate for the smaller sized meals also aiding in eliminating the hunger cravings. Another suggestion is to eat slower when eating your meals. This helps your stomach realize it is full at a similar rate to which you are eating the food and keeps you from being tempted to over eat. Another plus of eating slower is your meal takes longer and you actually don’t end up having to wait a full 2 hours till your next meal.
Some people go the route of reducing your intake but still going with the longer gaps of time between meals. This is actually being detrimental to you achieving your goals. When you just reduce your intake alone the body thinks it is being deprived and will go into survival mode. This causes your metabolism to slow down and your body to store what it eats as fat instead of processing it. This is where the smaller more frequent meals assist in keeping this from happening. While you are reducing your overall intake for the day, by eating more frequently your body never feels like it is being deprived. So it is not insane to say, “You have to eat to lose weight”.
This is a basic overview of a day of eating for me. Now keep in mind this is based on my daily schedule and you can adjust the two hour windows to meet your needs. The foods are what I have chosen. You can substitute whatever healthy foods you choose staying within the “Low Fat, Low Sugar and Higher Protein Intake” guidelines.
5 AM – Morning Walk
6 AM - I have my first meal of the day which is usually one packet if instant oatmeal and a small glass of skim milk. At this time I also take a multi-vitamin. Sometimes I eat a small bowl of Raisin Bran Cereal.
8 AM - I have a 16oz protein shake. (Mixed with skim milk and chocolate whey protein powder) and I have one of my Sunsweet individual wrapped prunes.
10 AM - I have half a sliced apple and a cheddar/mozzarella twist cheese stick.
12 PM - I eat half of a sandwich made of whole wheat bread, lightly spread with I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter and low fat luncheon meats. (I usually use ham and turkey breast combo – two slices of each) and ½ of a small single serving can of pork & beans. It is the small cans with the pop top.
2 PM - I eat the other half of the sandwich I made and the other ½ of a small single serving can of pork & beans.
4 PM – I have the second half a sliced apple and a cheddar/mozzarella twist cheese stick.
6 PM – I cook a healthy dinner with a small serving of a lean meat (Chicken Breast, Fish, Turkey Breast, Lean Pork, Etc. ) along with fresh or frozen veggies and a small glass of skim milk. Remember this is also a smaller meal so save left over food for another small meal or meals.
8 PM – I have a 3rd 16oz protein shake. (Mixed with skim milk and chocolate whey protein powder)
10 PM – BEDTIME!!
Good sleep is very important to losing weight as well. Your body does all its recovering and lean muscle rebuilding at night when you sleep. This is also the reason for the protein drink an hour or so before bed time. This gives your body the needed protein for building that muscle at night.
I also drink plenty of water during the day. I start with the 16oz bottle of water when I get up, then I start drinking a 2nd one on the way to work and then I take 4 more bottles in my cooler with me to work. I then drink two more or so at home in the evening. Drinking plenty of water is very important. Your body will go into survival mode and start retaining it as well if you do not drink enough.
I have roughly figured up this plan to put me at around 1400-1600 calories for the entire day all while keeping my fat grams low and giving my body the protein it needs to build that muscle. I am not starving myself, I am not depriving myself and my body never feels like it either. I do not experience the cravings like I used to in the past.
One thing that I believe is a good thing for people to do is give yourself something to look forward to at the end of the week. Make Sunday your reward day for your hard work. If you want to have a SMALL cheeseburger or a SLICE of Pizza on that day for one of your small meals then go for it. Just remember to keep it to ONE of your meals on that day and maintain the smaller portion size.
Now I know this isn’t easy to do at first but it does get easier and becomes second nature to you after a while. It truly is a lifestyle change. Don’t worry or get frustrated if you have set backs or slips, don’t give up. Accept it, learn from it and continue on with your plan. Those bumps in the road will happen but keep driving forward and the road will smooth out.
I'm not doing that well at all. Down 24 with a goal of 26 more... That's my "lose 50 by 50" plan. And I turn 50 in 16 months.
